SPELLS ALL-STAR 'C-H-O-O-C-H'
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- You will read more about Ryan Howard later Wednesday after he talks to the media extensively for the first time since collapsing along the first-base line after grounding out to end the Phillies' 2011 season.
Howard, of course, tore the Achilles' tendon in his left foot in that loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS, and he underwent surgery shortly after that. The Phillies say it will be a stretch for him to play during the first month of the season, but they had to be encouraged by what they saw during batting practice Wednesday morning.
In full uniform for the first time since pitchers and catchers and most of the regulars started spring training, Howard stepped into the batter's box around 10:40 a.m. He sprayed the ball to all areas of the outfield and even launched one shot over the right-field wall and another into the grassy berm in left-center field at Bright House Field.
It was an impressive display for a guy just four months removed from a serious surgery. A bigger test will likely come when he has to move laterally at first base and also when he runs the bases, but manager Charlie Manuel has said his All-Star first baseman is ahead of schedule, and now we have seen why he feels that way.
Equally interesting was the amount of time Howard spent chatting with Jim Thome, the man he forced out of town six years ago after winning the National League rookie of the year award. After rejoining the Phillies this offseason, Thome said he looked forward to talking and playing with Howard again. Manuel is convinced that Thome's presence will help Howard and all of the Phillies' hitters.
Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.
This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.
Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.
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