Ryan Howard News Archives

Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard didn't become outstanding baseball players overnight.

Don't do the mob scene at the local Modell's or Sports Collectibles shop. Log on to the following online merchants for deep, deep, deep, holiday discounts on all sort of Phillies stuff, from apparel to collectibles: November 27, 2009 9:21 AM << Welcome to Phils-ville, your source for news, rumors, opinions, and more on the Fightin' Phils.

Tim Lincecum is having an unprecedented career, and now he's in line for an unprecedented contract.

As expected, Albert Pujols won the MVP. He should have. He was the best player in the NL this year.

I could spend the next 10 minutes convincing you that Ryan Howard should be the National League MVP.

Louis, MO Hometown: Wildwood, MO Ht: 6-4 Wt: 260 Bats/Throws: L/L MLB Seasons: 6 Drafted by Philadelphia in 2001 .

This wasn't an announcement. It was a coronation. Then again, a case could be made that the entire 2009 season fit that description for Albert Pujols.

With no "Back-to-Back" gear awaiting us under the Xmas tree, this holiday season might be a little melancholy for Phillies fans.

Want to know the most amazing stat of this postseason? It wasn't Cole Hamels' or Cliff Lee's ERA, or Carlos Ruiz's batting average, or Ryan Howard's RBIs in the first two rounds or strikeouts in the World Series.

The Office 9/8c NBC Ryan Howard refuses to be a heavy hitter . Once a corporate young gun who rose to the top echelon of Dunder Mifflin, Ryan's fall from grace landed him right back to low-rung status in Scranton.

SI writer Jon Heyman stated that the Phillies are still the main suitors for the services of speedy third baseman Chone Figgins.

Larry Bowa is not changing. Not now, not ever. Not when he was playing shortstop for the Phillies, playing it better than anyone else in the organization's history save the man Bowa eventually managed and mentored, Jimmy Rollins.

We waited nearly three decades to celebrate a winner in Philadelphia. A quarter century of tormenting couldaa TMs, maddening wouldaa TMs, and hopeless shouldaa TMs.

The Phillies begin the long process of the offseason as we take a quick look at what is on the horizon for the team, and what could come in the next couple of weeks.

It's a moment Shane Victorino is going to be reminded of over and over and over.

Mariano Rivera wasn't needed for seven outs last night. Or even six. He stayed in the bullpen longer and came in later because Joe Girardi wanted Damaso Marte to face the Phillies' two toughest hitters.

Subject: Looking back After the Phils lost, Ryan Howard said the Fightin's had a great season.

Charlie Manuel knows how quickly the window for success can close on a team. Manuel was the Cleveland Indians hitting coach from 1994-99, a span when the team seemed destined to reach great heights with sluggers like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Albert Belle.

A.J. Burnett turns over the ball after failing in Game 5 of the World Series for the New York Yankees.

Over the course of the first four games of the World Series the Yankees have conquered all but one of the Phillies star players.

You're Cole Hamels and you're 25 years old, and that's still green enough to be allowed mistakes in most settings.

Dylan Keenan's gesture in the fifth inning of last night's World Series game said it all.

Refresh my memory. I am supposed to hate the Yankees because ... there is a reason, right? As the Bronx Bombers were closing in on a World Series title this week, I found my world invaded by nouveau Phillies fans.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi called for his closer, Mariano Rivera, with five outs remaining last night.

Phillies' Game 4 facts The assumption seemed to be that had the Phillies gotten through the top of the ninth inning tied Sunday night - Brad Lidge ended up giving up three runs with two outs in the 7-4 loss - they would have won it against the Yankees bullpen in the bottom of the inning.

Shortly before 9 last night, an 18-year-old died of a bullet wound two blocks from his home in the city's Fairhill section, according to police.

If an upcoming MRI exam dictates that Raul Ibanez undergo surgery to repair a torn muscle near his abdomen, it won't be shocking.

ON THURSDAY NIGHT, Fox analyst Tim McCarver gave it to Charlie Manuel on the telecast about a strategic decision in the eighth inning of Game 2 of the World Series, about not starting his baserunners in what ended up being a doubleplay.

Charlie Manuel was heading to the interview room when he spotted a reporter walking alongside.

The look on Sean McKinney's face told you everything you needed to know about what was going on in the top of the ninth inning in last night's World Series Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.

ANDY PETTITTE is like your favorite neighbor. He's there when you need him. He's the guy you want to hang with to watch the big game.

Cole Hamels took the mound with the poise and confidence of a rock star on a blind date.

As Phillies manager Charlie Manuel contemplates how things might have proven different in this year's World Series, he won't concern himself with wondering what might have happened had he opted to bring Cliff Lee back on short rest in Game 4. Despite the fact that the decisive runs weren't scored against Joe Blanton that evening, there will be some ...

Jay-Z might have started Thursday night's game off with a bang, but it wasn't until the eighth inning that Yankee Stadium got a look at the guy who really runs this town.

Let's get this straight. There's only one Mr. October. What Chase Utley has done is tremendous, hitting five home runs in this World Series, but don't even think about putting the Phillies' second baseman in the same class as Reggie Jackson's five home runs for the World Series champion Yankees in 1977.

Hideki Matsui's huge night at the plate has the Yankees three innings away from hoisting an unprecedented 27th World Series trophy.

When you lose, there's always a goat, always someone to blame. Remember when the Cubs turned on fan Steve Bartman for stopping Moises Alou from catching that foul ball in Game Six of the NLCS against the Marlins in 2003? Remember when Alex Rodriguez was slammed for being unable to perform in the playoffs when he batted just .159 over 13 divisional ...

A thought process with words, all about the Boston Red Sox and life itself. Unceasingly amazing, every day, every hour, every minute.

A.J. Burnett just looked plain scared last night. He had already allowed a three-run homer to Chase Utley in the first inning and seemed determined not to let the Phillies second baseman beat him again.

Phillies' Chase Utley homers twice in Game 5 to match Reggie Jackson's record of five HRS in World Series.

Ryan Howard's World Series can be summed up like this: swing and miss. Over and over, Howard has gone down swinging against the New York Yankees.

Those are the words coming out of many of the Philly Phaithfula s mouths just a day after the Yankees put the Phillies in a 3-1 World Series hole.

The hair is now gray and there's much more roundness to his familiar face. But even now, at age 75, Hank Aaron looks like he could grab a bat and take somebody deep.

The Phillies had some downtime before going to New York. So, Friday night, Ryan Howard decided to enjoy some dinner out on the town -- and gave one local couple the surprise of a lifetime.

The two questionable calls in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night have spurred still more calls for the expansion of instant replay, something that Commissioner Bud Selig is reluctant to do, even though the 2009 postseason has been plagued by umpiring mistakes.

"Especially if you wear your ring out here, there'll probably be a few more things thrown at you," Phillies pitcher Clay Condrey said.

In the 8th inning of last night's New York Yankee victory, manager Joe Girardi summoned left handed reliever Damaso Marte to begin the frame.

He bats eighth for the New York Yankees , and made $5.3 million this season. His contract, which still has 2 years to run, calls for him to make $6.75 million next season and $9 million in 2011.

Ryan Howard scored the tying run. He just didn't touch the plate. Stuck in a strikeout slump, Howard led off the fourth inning of Game 4 on Sunday night with a single and surprised the Yankees with his first career postseason stolen base.

The first disputed play occurred with the Yankees batting in the seventh. Ahead, 3-1, the Yankees had Melky Cabrera at second and Jorge Posada at first with one out.

When these Phillies started to take their shape, it was said that these players had a chance to go down as the best the Phillies ever at their positions .

The decisions all hinged on Game 3, that the Phillies' bats would awaken, that Cole Hamels would return to his 2008 form, that the Phillies would find a way to take control of the World Series.

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has become a two-inning postseason pitcher.