Smallwood: Howard to fans - 'I want to thank all of you'

RYAN HOWARD almost made it through without letting his emotions get the better of him.

This was the first time the Phillies got to set up a proper goodbye for a member of the 2008 World Series championship team and the organization had done well.

In a 15-minute or so ceremony before the 2016 regular-season finale against the New York Mets on Sunday, the Phillies turned Citizens Bank Park into a tribute arena for the last remaining core member of the team that produced the greatest run in franchise history.

Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley had all been traded to end their careers in Philadelphia. One day they were here and the next they were gone.

When the Phillies couldn't trade Howard, they had the time to plan a sendoff worthy of one of the most important players in franchise history.

The ceremony included a video tribute that showed some of the key moments in Howard's career, the placing of a plaque in Section 145, Row 7 to permanently mark the spot where the ball landed for his club-record 58th home run in 2006, and the presentation of a one-of-a-kind hand-painted glove commissioned by the Phillies.

The Big Piece was steady through all of that. He was even holding it together when he began addressing the crowd of 36,935 fans that had showered him with applause and cheers of appreciation.

Then it happened, and Howard's emotions poured forth. The video montage had been a televised timeline of Howard's career. The memories caught up to him.

"All of this has kind of come up on me really fast," Howard said to the crowd. "I didn't know what I was going to say."

A lone voice from the hushed crowd shouted, "We love you, Ryan!"

"I love you too," Howard responded. "We had some good runs, didn't we? I'm just a laid-back cat from St. Louis trying to play ball. That's it.

"It's been fun, man, these 12 years. You all have made that possible. This city, I want to thank all of you."

Howard then choked up. The tears he had held back began to flow.

The cheers grew in intensity with each second that the three-time All-Star, 2005 NL Rookie of the Year and 2006 NL Most Valuable Player took to compose himself.

"I don't know what more to say," Howard said. "This is great. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Let's play this game."

After that, Howard played in his 1,572nd and presumably final game for the Phillies.

Although Howard says he wants to keep playing, he knows it won't be for the organization that drafted him out of Missouri State University in 2001.

The Phillies have moved in the direction of building with youth and that does not involve a 36-year-old with an injury history that has caused a decline in production over the last several seasons.

"It's cool," said Howard, who hit his first home run against the Mets and his last home run as a Phillie against the Mets on Saturday. "All things come to an end. Those guys in the clubhouse now can start their own legacy and not be under that umbrella of everyone talking about 2008. They can pave their own path."

Maikel Franco singled to start the second inning to bring Howard to the plate. As it had done for so many times in the past, the crowd began to applaud.

The magic of Howard has always been the thunder in his bat that could alter a game with one swing. Even this season, when it was apparent that much of that magic had left, Howard still tied Franco with 25 home runs.

It's what gives Howard hope that he can get a job next season, likely as an off-the-bench player.

"I'll know when it's time," he said, adding that he will go home and then start training to find a job next season.

The magic was not there on Sunday. Howard went 0-for-4.

In his final at-bat as a Phillie, Howard swung at the first pitch he saw in the eighth inning and hit a towering pop out in the infield.

As he walked back to the dugout with his head down, the fans stood and applauded. They continued to applaud until Howard stepped to the top of the dugout and tipped his cap.

Phillies manager Pete Mackanin sent Howard out to first base in the top of the ninth inning but replaced him with heir-apparent Tommy Joseph before the first pitch was thrown.

Howard then walked off the field to a standing ovation and as the in-house camera showed him on the big screen hugging teammates, the crowd continued to cheer.

He came out of the dugout, saluted the crowd one last time and thus ended one of the greatest careers in Phillies history.

A picture of him flashed on the giant screen in leftfield with a caption that simply read "Thank You, Ryan."

"I didn't know what to expect, what the organization would do," he said. "Everything just came in and hit me at once. I just wanted to embrace everything.

"I just wanted to play baseball and do a job, but to have the organization and the fans celebrate it like that will live with me forever."

@SmallTerp