Luvofthegame
09-03-2006, 09:40 PM
Dennis Deitch
Of the Times Staff
09/03/2006
PHILADELPHIA -- OK, so Ryan Howard is almost guaranteed to finish among the top three in the National League Most Valuable Player voting and could become the first Phillie in 20 years to lead the league in both homers and RBIs.
And the Phillies are getting that from a guy making $335,000 this season.
This winter the Phils will be busy trying to get second baseman Chase Utley signed to an extension. Utley, who made $500,000 this season, is arbitration-eligible for 2007. There won’t be a rush to sign Howard, who will finish the year with one year and 145 days of big-league service. That should make him arbitration-eligible heading into 2008 season.
That has the Phillies in a leisurely position for 2007, one in which the best power hitter in baseball will be making slightly more than what Utley made this year.
Except for one thing: It isn’t right.
Yes, baseball teams hand out millions of dollars to players who end up not earning their keep (see: Burrell, Pat), and getting a player who proves to be a bargain can help balance the sheet.
Howard, however, is an exceptional player who deserves a cookie. That’s why when the Phillies renew Howard’s contract next season, they should write the man a check that has a one, followed by six zeroes on it.
That’s right, a $1 million bonus, given out of sheer appreciation.
Why? Well, first of all the guy has earned it -- and that isn’t solely from an on-field-production standpoint. The guy has become a clubhouse voice, and even though the entire planet has been clamoring for time with Howard, the guy has been accommodating, patient and polite with both the media and employees of the team.
But since every business has its own derriere first and foremost in mind, think about what doing something completely not required will do to enhance the view of the Phillies in Howard’s mind when he starts having a say in where he plays and how much he get paid to play.
While the Phils were in Washington, Howard had just completed his umpteenth radio interview when he shared with a couple of reporters one of the things that has amused him the most this season. A producer on the radio show had thanked him for making his fantasy baseball team a winner this year; Howard said he has heard the same thing from scores of fans.
The irony is Howard probably has earned a lot more money for fantasy players than for himself this year. The Phillies ought to reward him for helping them achieve their fantasy of not seeing attendance undergo a steep decline.
The N.L. wild-card race seems to feature a new "it" team every week.
First it was the Reds, then the Phillies, then the Astros. Now it’s the Marlins.
Give the Marlins a serious helping of credit. This is a team that (again) had its nucleus gutted by ownership soon after winning a World Series. They entered the season with a payroll of about $15 million, or the amount of money Bobby Abreu will receive in his paychecks this year.
Yet the Marlins have overcome an understandably bad start to the season and can get their record to the .500 mark if they can sweep the dead-in-the-water Brewers in Milwaukee this weekend. Seeing the Fish swimming their way upstream and fighting their way into the playoff race has to be galling Red Sox fans, whose team has gone in the tank despite a payroll 10 times as large as the Men In Teal.
That said, don’t expect to see the Marlins playing in the postseason. Sure, it could happen. If there is a year where the unexpected has a shot of taking place, the N.L. wild-card race is a breeding ground for such an event.
Still, as mediocre as the N.L. is this year, it is hard to imagine that the Marlins can keep it together as the pressure mounts down the stretch. The average age of their five starting pitchers is 23. The old man in their batting order is catcher Miguel Olivo, who at 28 is with his fourth organization in the last three years. There are plenty of examples out there of young teams getting themselves in the pennant race, but few where they actually make it there.
The Phillies have 10 of their final 22 games against the Marlins, including four against them in Miami next weekend. Barring a big collapse in the next few days, that series could decide whether the Phils or Marlins will be the biggest wild-card threat in the N.L. East.
Heaven help the Phillies if they let a bunch of kids bury their postseason hopes this year.
Of the Times Staff
09/03/2006
PHILADELPHIA -- OK, so Ryan Howard is almost guaranteed to finish among the top three in the National League Most Valuable Player voting and could become the first Phillie in 20 years to lead the league in both homers and RBIs.
And the Phillies are getting that from a guy making $335,000 this season.
This winter the Phils will be busy trying to get second baseman Chase Utley signed to an extension. Utley, who made $500,000 this season, is arbitration-eligible for 2007. There won’t be a rush to sign Howard, who will finish the year with one year and 145 days of big-league service. That should make him arbitration-eligible heading into 2008 season.
That has the Phillies in a leisurely position for 2007, one in which the best power hitter in baseball will be making slightly more than what Utley made this year.
Except for one thing: It isn’t right.
Yes, baseball teams hand out millions of dollars to players who end up not earning their keep (see: Burrell, Pat), and getting a player who proves to be a bargain can help balance the sheet.
Howard, however, is an exceptional player who deserves a cookie. That’s why when the Phillies renew Howard’s contract next season, they should write the man a check that has a one, followed by six zeroes on it.
That’s right, a $1 million bonus, given out of sheer appreciation.
Why? Well, first of all the guy has earned it -- and that isn’t solely from an on-field-production standpoint. The guy has become a clubhouse voice, and even though the entire planet has been clamoring for time with Howard, the guy has been accommodating, patient and polite with both the media and employees of the team.
But since every business has its own derriere first and foremost in mind, think about what doing something completely not required will do to enhance the view of the Phillies in Howard’s mind when he starts having a say in where he plays and how much he get paid to play.
While the Phils were in Washington, Howard had just completed his umpteenth radio interview when he shared with a couple of reporters one of the things that has amused him the most this season. A producer on the radio show had thanked him for making his fantasy baseball team a winner this year; Howard said he has heard the same thing from scores of fans.
The irony is Howard probably has earned a lot more money for fantasy players than for himself this year. The Phillies ought to reward him for helping them achieve their fantasy of not seeing attendance undergo a steep decline.
The N.L. wild-card race seems to feature a new "it" team every week.
First it was the Reds, then the Phillies, then the Astros. Now it’s the Marlins.
Give the Marlins a serious helping of credit. This is a team that (again) had its nucleus gutted by ownership soon after winning a World Series. They entered the season with a payroll of about $15 million, or the amount of money Bobby Abreu will receive in his paychecks this year.
Yet the Marlins have overcome an understandably bad start to the season and can get their record to the .500 mark if they can sweep the dead-in-the-water Brewers in Milwaukee this weekend. Seeing the Fish swimming their way upstream and fighting their way into the playoff race has to be galling Red Sox fans, whose team has gone in the tank despite a payroll 10 times as large as the Men In Teal.
That said, don’t expect to see the Marlins playing in the postseason. Sure, it could happen. If there is a year where the unexpected has a shot of taking place, the N.L. wild-card race is a breeding ground for such an event.
Still, as mediocre as the N.L. is this year, it is hard to imagine that the Marlins can keep it together as the pressure mounts down the stretch. The average age of their five starting pitchers is 23. The old man in their batting order is catcher Miguel Olivo, who at 28 is with his fourth organization in the last three years. There are plenty of examples out there of young teams getting themselves in the pennant race, but few where they actually make it there.
The Phillies have 10 of their final 22 games against the Marlins, including four against them in Miami next weekend. Barring a big collapse in the next few days, that series could decide whether the Phils or Marlins will be the biggest wild-card threat in the N.L. East.
Heaven help the Phillies if they let a bunch of kids bury their postseason hopes this year.