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Subject: "Ryan Howard: $125 million platoon player" Previous topic | Next topic
40thStreetBlack
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"Ryan Howard: $125 million platoon player"
Wed Jul-03-13 04:57 PM by 40thStreetBlack

          

Black Superman has become the Black Ken Phelps (except Phelps could get on base)


http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/07/01/the-ryan-howard-platoon-has-begun/

The Ryan Howard Platoon Has Begun

Jul 1st, 2013 at 10:00 am by John Stolnis

It appears as though the platoon of Ryan Howard has begun. At least, to a degree.

On Friday night, Howard was given the night off against left-handed starter Chris Capuano. Thats nothing new. Howard has often been given the night off against a left-handed starter, especially if he had been struggling at the plate. He entered Friday nights game 1 for his last 15 with 7 strikeouts.

Then he was benched again on Saturday night, this time against left starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Phillies said they wanted to give their $125 million slugger a couple nights off in a row to clear his head.

OK. Curious, but not particularly eye-catching.

However, the ultimate proof that Charlie Manuel may have decided to employ at least a moderate platoon with Howard came in the 8th inning of Saturday nights game against the Dodgers.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Manuel brought Howard into the on-deck circle to pinch hit. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly countered by bringing in lefty reliever J.P. Howell to face him.

Manuel then pulled his clean-up hitter, the guy making $20 million this year and $25 million a year the next three years, back to the dugout and sent up the right-handed hitting Kevin Frandsen to face Howell.

http://oi40.tinypic.com/qovq7b.jpg

To this, we all say, bravo, Charlie.

Even though Frandsen grounded out to end the threat, Manuel finally did what so many people have been calling for. He pulled Howard against a tough lefty in a pressure situation for a right-handed hitter.

Ryan Howard is simply too much of an automatic out, especially when hes slumping, against left-handed pitchers to be allowed to hit.
Our long national crusade may now be over.

The Phillies had a much better chance for success with Frandsen against a left-hander than Howard. Ryan is a career .224 hitter against left-handers, with an OPS .728 against them. Last year, he hit .173/.604 against lefties, and this year has hit .173/.516 against them.

Frandsen, meanwhile, has a career .284/.772 hitter against lefties in 296 plate appearances. Last year, Frandsen hit .400/.980 against lefties and this year is hitting .296/.980 against them.
This is a move Manuel should make almost every time.

The only time to leave Howard in against a lefty is when hes in one of his patented hot streaks. And until just a few days ago, Howard had been scorching hot. From June 9 to June 22 (12 games) Howard hit .432/1.273 with 3 HRs in 52 PAs. In the past, Howard would go on two-month hot streaks like that.

No more.

http://oi40.tinypic.com/2untvur.jpg

For the season, Howard is now at .268/.321/.468 with an OPS of .789, 10 HRs and 41 RBIs. Those are Rico Brogna numbers. He has also struck out 89 times in 299 PAs (thats 30%).

Howard is battling knee problems and is still recovering from an Achilles injury that apparently is going to sap him of power for the rest of his career. The Phillies and Howard might both be better served by letting him just have surgery on his knee, rest up his Achilles, and come back strong in 2014, hopefully the way David Ortiz did this year.

Unless that happens, Ryan Howard is a $125 million platoon player.
But lets face it, pretty much EVERY team has one of those, right?
The Phillies have begun the full-on platoon of Ryan Howard this weekend in Los Angeles.

Its about time.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

  

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Topic Outline
Subject Author Message Date ID
even worst: $125 million decoy
Jul 03rd 2013
1
Fun time to revisit this post
Jul 03rd 2013
2
uh, yeah, his Achilles' snapped in half & sadly he'll never be the same
Jul 03rd 2013
3
NBA players often retire after Achilles tear (swipe)
Jul 03rd 2013
      that article is terrible
Jul 04th 2013
31
I don't know if they're finally cracking down on roids around the league...
Jul 03rd 2013
4
age 33 barrier.
Jul 03rd 2013
5
Kemp isn't 29 yet
Jul 03rd 2013
8
      Matt Kemp's missed like 35 games already & hasn't looked right
Jul 03rd 2013
12
Howard was big as fuck as a 13-year-old, he can't push off his back leg
Jul 03rd 2013
6
RE: Howard was big as fuck as a 13-year-old, he can't push off his back ...
Jul 03rd 2013
10
      I can't really take umbridge with this, it is what it is at this point:
Jul 03rd 2013
13
           I been watching dude since High School...
Jul 03rd 2013
14
                yeah, it's really bad at this point, he's a ROY/MVP/Champion
Jul 03rd 2013
15
a lot of those dudes you mention aren't healthy, though.
Jul 03rd 2013
7
      performance enhancers are not only to make you strong, they allow...
Jul 03rd 2013
9
           no argument here....
Jul 03rd 2013
11
                Man, I'm a Pujols STAN but I'm SO glad he didn't stay in St. Louis...
Jul 03rd 2013
17
                     no team should have given him the deal the halos did
Jul 03rd 2013
19
                     I'm amazed at how rapid the decline has been, the age rumors might...
Jul 03rd 2013
20
                          even with that people thought it was 2-3 years
Jul 03rd 2013
21
                     man....
Jul 03rd 2013
22
                          I've never been a big Kozma fan, but SS is the only position we...
Jul 03rd 2013
23
                          Keith Law makes making noise for Ryan Jackson
Jul 05th 2013
35
                               RE: Keith Law makes making noise for Ryan Jackson
Jul 05th 2013
37
                                    yeah, I'd heard that shit...
Jul 05th 2013
38
                                    RE: yeah, I'd heard that shit...
Jul 05th 2013
40
                                    I think it was the most fan-generated rumor I've ever read
Jul 05th 2013
42
                          Albert was big time in the lou
Jul 07th 2013
47
good
Jul 03rd 2013
16
so partying off career-killing injuries is a thing now?
Jul 03rd 2013
18
Johan Santana is making $24.6M this year, only ARod and Cliff Lee
Jul 04th 2013
24
i was aware, was tryna kinda take the high road
Jul 04th 2013
30
      I can say I saw Puig's career high in hits, HAHAHA!!!
Jul 04th 2013
33
isn't partying off injuries what philly fandom is known for?
Jul 04th 2013
25
ooooow (c)Pete Rock
Jul 04th 2013
26
Yeah I did a double take at that lol
Jul 04th 2013
27
lololololololol
Jul 04th 2013
28
I can think of one incident. It was wrong. But still, fuck Mike Irvin
Jul 04th 2013
29
      partying off clusterfuck contracts is well within bounds
Jul 04th 2013
32
      sure, i mean feel free to dog greg jeffries or andy van slyke
Jul 05th 2013
34
      Noah, too. fuck Philly.
Jul 05th 2013
36
           didnt remember that but mighta had sound off. in hindsight ...
Jul 05th 2013
43
paying $118 million for Howard's age 33-38 years
Jul 05th 2013
39
not only that, but those other teams generally didn't get discount years
Jul 05th 2013
44
You guys are legendary dickhead fans
Jul 05th 2013
41
yup, and the opposing players know it. GOOD.
Jul 05th 2013
45
partying off philly paying an aging lumbering 1 dimensional player $125m
Jul 07th 2013
46
      before he got hurt he was in incremental decline, not dead
Jul 08th 2013
49
           he was already the walking dead vs lefties before he got hurt
Jul 08th 2013
50
           well if anyone could recognize the walking dead, it's a mets fan
Jul 08th 2013
51
           RE: before he got hurt he was in incremental decline, not dead
Jul 08th 2013
56
                That's pretty much what it looks like
Jul 09th 2013
58
if only he could get to the american league and DH
Jul 07th 2013
48
any team willing to pay any percentage of his contract could get him
Jul 08th 2013
52
      so maybe the rangers will pull a reverse michael young?
Jul 08th 2013
53
           same song with any injured player:
Jul 08th 2013
54
                well our dh is...berkman
Jul 08th 2013
55
Grantland weighs in
Jul 09th 2013
57
A bargain. He brought a title to that worthless pisshole of a city.
Jul 09th 2013
59

40thStreetBlack
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1. "even worst: $125 million decoy"
In response to Reply # 0


          

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=28474797&c_id=mlb

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

  

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Call It Anything
Member since Aug 13th 2005
10951 posts
Wed Jul-03-13 05:05 PM

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2. "Fun time to revisit this post"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=21&topic_id=86039&mesg_id=86039

  

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Bombastic
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:16 PM

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3. "uh, yeah, his Achilles' snapped in half & sadly he'll never be the same"
In response to Reply # 0
Wed Jul-03-13 05:19 PM by Bombastic

  

          

let's see how Kobe handles that issue.

Bobby Bonilla-45 million-dollar sweepstakes winner.

  

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j0510
Member since Feb 02nd 2012
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Wed Jul-03-13 08:49 PM

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"NBA players often retire after Achilles tear (swipe)"


  

          

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-nba-retire-achilles-tear-20130627,0,3664349.story


NBA players often retire after Achilles tear
By Kerry Grens
Reuters
11:30 a.m. CDT, June 27, 2013

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many professional basketball players who rupture their Achilles tendon never make it back for another season, according to a new study.

Researchers also found those who suffer the heel injury and do come back tend to perform at a lower level than they did before getting hurt.

"If you follow the sport you can see it's a devastating injury to these players," said Dr. Douglas Cerynik, the senior author of the study from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

In April, an Achilles tendon rupture ended the season of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who suffered the injury during a game against Golden State.

The tendon runs along the back of the ankle and heel. A tear often requires surgery to repair it, followed by rehabilitation.

To understand the extent of the impact of these injuries, Cerynik and his colleagues gathered information from press releases, reports of player injuries and player profiles.

They found that from 1988 to 2011, 18 National Basketball Association (NBA) players suffered a tendon rupture. Of those, seven athletes never returned to play another game.

The findings are not surprising, given the age of the injured players, said Dr. Brian Sennett, the chief of sports medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who was not involved in this study.

The average age of those who suffered a torn Achilles tendon was close to 30, while the average age of professional NBA players is 27.

"They're already starting to go on the downslide of their careers and they probably don't have a lot of longevity. So in those individuals, when they lose just a little bit (of edge), they sometimes think about retirement," Sennett told Reuters Health.

The overall performance of the 11 players who did return to basketball declined after their injury.

Cerynik's group used a metric called the "player efficiency rating," which takes into account stats such as an athlete's points, rebounds, assists and free throw attempts per game.

Following the injury, the eight players who returned for at least two seasons had an average efficiency rating of 11.69 - down more than four points from their pre-injury rating of 16.1.

In comparison, similarly rated basketball players of the same age - who did not suffer an Achilles injury - saw their efficiency rating decline by just over one point.

However, injured players seemed to do just as well as their non-injured counterparts when it came to rebounding, shooting and other activities that involve explosive jumping movements and the Achilles tendon.

That suggests overall performance is affected by an Achilles tear - not specifically the more physically demanding basketball skills, Cerynik and his colleagues wrote in their report in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Selene Parekh, an orthopedic surgeon at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who didn't participate in the new research, said the findings are valuable for understanding the repercussions of these injuries.

The research is "very important because it's not just a matter of, are players able to return, but how well are they able to return, and that has a bearing on contract negotiations for players," he told Reuters Health.

Parekh said surgical treatments for torn tendons have improved dramatically in recent years, previously involving incisions close to five inches long and now requiring as little as a one-inch cut.

In the future, he said, operations might involve only pinholes, which could perhaps reduce patients' trauma and risk for complications.

Cerynik told Reuters Health it would be difficult to intervene and prevent the few Achilles tendon ruptures that happen in the NBA because these players are likely following proper weight and stretching regimens "as best as anyone can."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/12iHrsx The American Journal of Sports Medicine, online June 3, 2013.

  

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Cenario
Member since Aug 24th 2005
59128 posts
Thu Jul-04-13 12:52 PM

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31. "that article is terrible"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

  

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ThaTruth
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:38 PM

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4. "I don't know if they're finally cracking down on roids around the league..."
In response to Reply # 0


          

or what, but a lot of dudes have fallen off hard recently, Howard, Texiera, Pujols, A-Rod, Hamilton, Kemp...

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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will_5198
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:40 PM

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5. "age 33 barrier."
In response to Reply # 4


          

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/06/29/james.33/index.html

--------

  

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ThaTruth
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:45 PM

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8. "Kemp isn't 29 yet"
In response to Reply # 5


          

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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Bombastic
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:51 PM

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12. "Matt Kemp's missed like 35 games already & hasn't looked right"
In response to Reply # 8


  

          

in about half of the ones he actually does play in.

He'll likely bounce back at some point I'm thinking.

Don't tell Dodger Fans this but he's really only had one great year in his career so far anyway.

  

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Bombastic
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:41 PM

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6. "Howard was big as fuck as a 13-year-old, he can't push off his back leg"
In response to Reply # 4
Wed Jul-03-13 05:42 PM by Bombastic

  

          

and it's taken a lot of the power he generated.

He's also gonna be 34 years old by the end of this season because Thome's presence had him come up at least two seasons late.

Body-wise he's still as big as ever.

Don't be throwing him into the mix with those juiceheads, he's a St Louis product for Heaven's sake.

  

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ThaTruth
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:48 PM

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10. "RE: Howard was big as fuck as a 13-year-old, he can't push off his back ..."
In response to Reply # 6


          

>and it's taken a lot of the power he generated.

I understand all of that...

>He's also gonna be 34 years old by the end of this season
>because Thome's presence had him come up at least two seasons
>late.

and definitely that part too

>Body-wise he's still as big as ever.
>
>Don't be throwing him into the mix with those juiceheads, he's
>a St Louis product for Heaven's sake.

I'm not throwing the big homie under the bus, but pretty much all baseball players are suspect to me at this point

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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Bombastic
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13. "I can't really take umbridge with this, it is what it is at this point:"
In response to Reply # 10


  

          

>
>I'm not throwing the big homie under the bus, but pretty much
>all baseball players are suspect to me at this point

I just think with #6 there's been other issues that I'd put at the forefront.

  

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Dstl1
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:56 PM

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14. "I been watching dude since High School..."
In response to Reply # 13


          

my daughter is going to his alma mater in the fall. That's my dude. Hate to see him like this.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

  

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Bombastic
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Wed Jul-03-13 06:09 PM

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15. "yeah, it's really bad at this point, he's a ROY/MVP/Champion"
In response to Reply # 14


  

          

and he's gonna spend the rest of his days in Philly as a shell of himself with an unmovable contract on a shitty team, probably hearing his share of boos too.

Sucks.

  

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Dstl1
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Wed Jul-03-13 05:43 PM

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7. "a lot of those dudes you mention aren't healthy, though."
In response to Reply # 4


          

Not trying to knock your point, but they're not.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

  

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ThaTruth
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9. "performance enhancers are not only to make you strong, they allow..."
In response to Reply # 7


          

you to avoid and/or play through injuries, if you've been on them for a while then all of a sudden stop, shit starts breaking down

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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Dstl1
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11. "no argument here...."
In response to Reply # 9


          

Albert is battling knee and foot problems. I was watching him last night. He has a really wide, deep (pause) stance. He just can't power out of it anymore. It's depressing to me to watch.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

  

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ThaTruth
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Wed Jul-03-13 06:39 PM

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17. "Man, I'm a Pujols STAN but I'm SO glad he didn't stay in St. Louis..."
In response to Reply # 11


          

in addition to the disappointment of him not playing well and having a ridiculous contract, can you imagine the whining these mf's would be doing around town. They would everything but call him a n***** and some of them would slip that in.

I'm happy with "Pujols-lite" Beltran, we have plenty of bats, we probably need to flip some for pitching although I'd hate to see any of our hitters go, somebody may have to move

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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Wed Jul-03-13 08:49 PM

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19. "no team should have given him the deal the halos did"
In response to Reply # 17


  

          

i guess the cards offered him a 7 year deal, even that would have been a reach but only in hindsight.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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ThaTruth
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20. "I'm amazed at how rapid the decline has been, the age rumors might..."
In response to Reply # 19


          

have been true

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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Wed Jul-03-13 09:01 PM

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21. "even with that people thought it was 2-3 years"
In response to Reply # 20


  

          

i figured after he put that shitty start behind him last year, he would crank on for another 3-4 seasons at least.

bizarre.

i hate open market signings though. this is another reason. you've got no question the best hitter in baseball over a decade, and even he can't be banked on.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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Dstl1
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Wed Jul-03-13 10:16 PM

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22. "man...."
In response to Reply # 17


          

yesterday I was listening to a local sports show and had to turn the station. It was disgusting some of the shit people were texting in. Shit like they hoped he got beaned in the head or that he broke his ankle running to 1st base. It's amazing how quick these assholes have forgotten everything he did as a Cardinal. There are no WS rings in 06 and 11 without Albert...period. I know the David Freese heroics and whatnot, but they don't get there without Pujols. Shit, in 2006 he CARRIED them into the playoffs and to that WS. That said, his falloff is startling. Like you, I love Albert still. Everytime I think he's starting to look like himself again...he reverts back to what we see now. As far as the current Cards...I can totally see maybe Matt Adams being out. Maybe like Adams and a pitching prospect for a Cliff Lee and Michael Young (completely hypothetical, just saying). Also, I may be one of Pete Kozma's biggest fans, but dude is really struggling. Mo is gonna have to make some type of a move.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

  

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ThaTruth
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Wed Jul-03-13 11:29 PM

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23. "I've never been a big Kozma fan, but SS is the only position we..."
In response to Reply # 22


          

don't really have depth at so the job is his almost by default.

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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Walleye
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Fri Jul-05-13 07:00 AM

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35. "Keith Law makes making noise for Ryan Jackson"
In response to Reply # 23


          

I haven't seen him play, but the reasoning is that Law thinks any offensive utility that Kozma provides is smoke and mirrors. But Jackson can draw walks and is, apparently, a good defender.

Shortstop is crazy thin everywhere. It's why the pretend prospect-for-prospect trade between the Cards and Rangers of Oscar Tavares for Jurickson Profar got so much discussion that one or the other GMs actually commented on whether they'd do it.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

  

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ThaTruth
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Fri Jul-05-13 11:04 AM

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37. "RE: Keith Law makes making noise for Ryan Jackson"
In response to Reply # 35


          

>I haven't seen him play, but the reasoning is that Law thinks
>any offensive utility that Kozma provides is smoke and
>mirrors. But Jackson can draw walks and is, apparently, a good
>defender.
>
>Shortstop is crazy thin everywhere. It's why the pretend
>prospect-for-prospect trade between the Cards and Rangers of
>Oscar Tavares for Jurickson Profar got so much discussion that
>one or the other GMs actually commented on whether they'd do
>it.

Interesting, I hadn't heard the Tavares for Profar talk, it will be interesting to see what the Rangers do with him seeing as how they just gave $120mil to Elvis Andrus who's currently batting eight right now, lol

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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Dstl1
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38. "yeah, I'd heard that shit..."
In response to Reply # 37


          

I also heard Tavares for Andrus before Texas breaded him out, with the thought that maybe Profar would be their SS of the future. I love that now mufuckas see how important Furcal really was. A SS who contributed offensively and defensively.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

  

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ThaTruth
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40. "RE: yeah, I'd heard that shit..."
In response to Reply # 38


          

>I also heard Tavares for Andrus before Texas breaded him out,
>with the thought that maybe Profar would be their SS of the
>future. I love that now mufuckas see how important Furcal
>really was. A SS who contributed offensively and defensively.

I heard Taveres for Andrus, I'm glad we DIDN'T do that, I've always felt like Andrus was a little overrated.

I was always a huge Furcal fan since he broke in with Braves.

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

  

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Walleye
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42. "I think it was the most fan-generated rumor I've ever read"
In response to Reply # 37


          

Cardinals have the best system in baseball right now in both depth and upside, but it's lacking the one thing nearly everybody is lacking: quality shortstops. Rangers have a very good system that's long on pitchers and short on impact bats.

Prospect for prospect trades are so rare, but this idea kind of caught people's attention this winter and enough folks wrote articles about it that Mozeliak actually commented on the idea during an interview with Jim Bowden this spring. He apparently said he'd "have to think about it" if the offer came up.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jurickson-profar-for-oscar-taveras-a-thought-exercise/

>Interesting, I hadn't heard the Tavares for Profar talk, it
>will be interesting to see what the Rangers do with him seeing
>as how they just gave $120mil to Elvis Andrus who's currently
>batting eight right now, lol

Yeah. I get the reasoning, that Andrus' glove and more-than-acceptable-in-the-post-Jeter/ARod/Garciaparra-era bat justified the extension. But it seemed like they didn't quite consider how south the bat could go. And it's ... pretty far south.



______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

  

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mistermaxxx08
Member since Dec 31st 2010
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47. "Albert was big time in the lou"
In response to Reply # 22


          

2 rings and another appearence ain't nothing to sneeze at or forget. he is a Hall of famer and a winner. the Lou needs to tip there cap to him and tell him thank you for his domiannce and what he brought to the city period.

how soon folks forget?

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

  

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bshelly
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16. "good"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

----
bshelly

"You (Fisher) could get fired, Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff could get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson.” (c) The God

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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18. "so partying off career-killing injuries is a thing now?"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

cool, spoken like a fan of a franchise with no chance of winning shit in his lifetime.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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bentagain
Member since Mar 19th 2008
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24. "Johan Santana is making $24.6M this year, only ARod and Cliff Lee"
In response to Reply # 18


  

          

make more

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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30. "i was aware, was tryna kinda take the high road"
In response to Reply # 24


  

          

man you shoulda gone to friday's game, huh?

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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bentagain
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33. "I can say I saw Puig's career high in hits, HAHAHA!!!"
In response to Reply # 30
Thu Jul-04-13 02:55 PM by bentagain

  

          

A HR short of the cycle +1

yeah, they were sorry as shit

Philippe's for the pregame was official though

I don't know what Chollie was doing, other than chomping his gum

there were at least 2 instances of runners sliding past the bag

and he never budged from the top stair

I don't remember if it was the 5th or the 6th

but he just left KK in there I think 2 innings in a row

and he eventually got to the pitchers spot and out of the inning

after giving up +runs

I was throwing the hook sign at least a full inning before Chollie mozied on out there

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

  

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3xKrazy
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25. "isn't partying off injuries what philly fandom is known for?"
In response to Reply # 18


          

damn

  

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Dstl1
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26. "ooooow (c)Pete Rock"
In response to Reply # 25


          

.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

  

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RaFromQueens
Member since Apr 18th 2006
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27. "Yeah I did a double take at that lol"
In response to Reply # 25


  

          

---
"People that need positivity around them all the time are weak individuals in my book" - @lilduval

  

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LegacyNS
Member since Jan 16th 2004
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28. "lololololololol"
In response to Reply # 25


  

          


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================
Occupy Big Government..

Fannie, Freddie dole out big bonuses
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/67292.html

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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29. "I can think of one incident. It was wrong. But still, fuck Mike Irvin"
In response to Reply # 25


  

          

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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3xKrazy
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32. "partying off clusterfuck contracts is well within bounds"
In response to Reply # 29
Thu Jul-04-13 01:42 PM by 3xKrazy

          

and encouraged

feel free to mention jason bay here

and then bump up that bobby bo thread for extra effect

safe to say the phils got more out of howard than the mets did from those 2 bums

  

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ConcreteCharlie
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34. "sure, i mean feel free to dog greg jeffries or andy van slyke"
In response to Reply # 32


  

          

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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nighttripper
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36. "Noah, too. fuck Philly."
In response to Reply # 29


  

          

  

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ConcreteCharlie
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43. "didnt remember that but mighta had sound off. in hindsight ..."
In response to Reply # 36


  

          

his injury won them the series.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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will_5198
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39. "paying $118 million for Howard's age 33-38 years"
In response to Reply # 18


          

was a bad idea no matter what. especially in the NL. but I'm not going to party off it, because nearly every contender has a similar albatross contract.

--------

  

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ConcreteCharlie
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44. "not only that, but those other teams generally didn't get discount years"
In response to Reply # 39


  

          

howard played cheap while under team control, that can't be said of pujols, prince, et al.

it was an iffy decision, sure, but i think most GMs would have done the same thing.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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ShinobiShaw
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41. "You guys are legendary dickhead fans"
In response to Reply # 18


  

          


http://soundcloud.com/djshinobishaw
http://www.rareformnyc.com
http://twitter.com/DJShinobiShaw
https://twitter.com/RareFormNYC
PSN: ShinobiShaw

"Arm Leg Leg Arm How you doin?" (c)T510

  

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ConcreteCharlie
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45. "yup, and the opposing players know it. GOOD."
In response to Reply # 41


  

          

how many dudes in the NHL do i talk to say that "philly is brutal!" in some fashion or another? loads! that is what a crowd advantage can be and is all about.

they also know we know the score. all sorts of dudes have talked about how the fans are knowledgeable and want to see the game played the right way, period. there are idiots and their volume is turned up like everyone else's, but in the end the fans in philly command respect, period.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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40thStreetBlack
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46. "partying off philly paying an aging lumbering 1 dimensional player $125m"
In response to Reply # 18


          

and I was doing that before he got hurt, so go cry about it somewhere else.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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49. "before he got hurt he was in incremental decline, not dead"
In response to Reply # 46


  

          

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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40thStreetBlack
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50. "he was already the walking dead vs lefties before he got hurt"
In response to Reply # 49
Mon Jul-08-13 04:23 PM by 40thStreetBlack

          

with his pre-injury decline (which y'all spent 200+ posts denying before) he'd be platoon level now anyway.

___________________

Mar-A-Lago delenda est

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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51. "well if anyone could recognize the walking dead, it's a mets fan"
In response to Reply # 50


  

          

actually he hit lefties better in 2010 than he did in either of the World Series appearance years. 2011 was a dip back down, sure, but there is no convincing any reasonable person (or an unreasonable one like me) that without the injury he was going to become a platoon player. he had bad splits his whole career, and it never happened.

now, i will leave you to all the intrigue that is mets beisbol. the burning question, will they catch houston for the worst home record in the bigs?

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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Call It Anything
Member since Aug 13th 2005
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56. "RE: before he got hurt he was in incremental decline, not dead"
In response to Reply # 49


  

          

I think this is pretty much what incremental decline looks like

Total/v. LHP

2006 - 1.084 OPS .346 ISO (.923 OPS .279 ISO)
2007 - .976 OPS .316 ISO (.826 OPS .268 ISO)
2008 - .881 OPS .292 ISO (.746 OPS .228 ISO)
2009 - .931 OPS .292 ISO (.653 OPS .149 ISO)
2010 - .859 OPS .229 ISO (.826 OPS .228 ISO)
2011 - .835 OPS .235 ISO (.634 OPS .124 ISO)
(INJURY)
2012 - .718 OPS .204 ISO (.604 OPS .204 ISO)
2013 - .784 OPS .199 ISO (.539 OPS .148 ISO)

  

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Walleye
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58. "That's pretty much what it looks like"
In response to Reply # 56
Tue Jul-09-13 01:51 PM by Walleye

          

There's always a temptation to guess what would have happened if some injury hadn't occurred, but those injuries are the reasons people have identified these aging curves. Guys get older, fatter, and their bodies get beat up. Howard's achilles was discrete and catastrophic, but it's in the same "shit happens" pile as Mattingly's back and Hrbek's... everything.

Howard's BBRef top ten features a bunch of guys with similar post-30 fades like Richie Sexson. The law of anti-climax says that Howard isn't done just like Ortiz wasn't done, though. It'd be kind of cool if there was a way to identify some kind of shift in peripherals for prediction of a brief comeback season. It's never been entirely clear to me whether the phrase Indian Summer was offensive or not, but ... one of those. I'm sure that even if it isn't then it's not really worth preserving, but we don't really have a good alternative. Whatever it is, apply it also to Carlos Delgado's 2008.

Wikipedia has a list of equivalent terms. Apparently a whole bunch of western european cultures use a fall saint's day and just name a summer after him or her. This was my favorite description though:

"In Hungary, it's "vnasszonyok nyara" (Old Ladies' Summer or Crone's Summer) because the many white spiders seen at this time of the year have been associated with the norns of Norse folklore or medieval witches."

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

  

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mistermaxxx08
Member since Dec 31st 2010
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48. "if only he could get to the american league and DH"
In response to Reply # 0


          

and have a David Ortiz act 2.

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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52. "any team willing to pay any percentage of his contract could get him"
In response to Reply # 48


  

          

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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GriftyMcgrift
Member since May 22nd 2002
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53. "so maybe the rangers will pull a reverse michael young?"
In response to Reply # 52


  

          

  

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ConcreteCharlie
Member since Nov 21st 2002
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54. "same song with any injured player:"
In response to Reply # 53


  

          

no one wants them when things look bleak, and then if they recover at all then there is no reason to just dump them.

i still love howard for all he's done for the franchise. i hope he can turn this around somehow, but i'm not hopeful.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

  

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GriftyMcgrift
Member since May 22nd 2002
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55. "well our dh is...berkman "
In response to Reply # 54


  

          

so ya he could work

  

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cyrus
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57. "Grantland weighs in"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

In Loving Memory of Ryan Howard
By Michael Baumann on July 9, 2013 10:15 AM ET

Yesterday, the Phillies put Ryan Howard on the disabled list so that he could undergo surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee. It was the latest agonizing turn in the career of a player who was once one of the best power hitters in the game, but is now hobbling out the last days of his career like a racehorse with a broken leg.

Howard was superb in his early years, winning Rookie of the Year in 2005, then hitting 58 home runs and winning the MVP in 2006. He hit at least 45 home runs in each of the next three seasons and at least 30 the two years after that. Since then, hes suffered a catastrophic injury to his Achilles tendon and returned a shell of his former self, partially because age robs baseball players not only of speed and health, but of bat speed as well.

Aside from the physical deterioration, Howard has, over the years, seen his production devastated by opposition scouting reports. He can hit a grooved fastball most of the way to Mars, but he sees very few of those anymore. In fact, among players with 1,000 or more plate appearances since 2007, only Miguel Olivo has seen a lower percentage of fastballs than Howard, and Miguel Olivo will swing at anything.

The book on Howard is that you throw him breaking stuff, low and out of the zone, because hell always swing and always miss. And anything he does hit is almost always pulled. And he cant hit lefties at all in 2009, when he hit 45 home runs and finished third in MVP voting, he still only hit .207/.298/.356 against lefties, a dropoff of more than 400 points of OPS from his numbers against right-handed pitching. As hes gotten older, its only gotten worse: This year, he hit .173/.218/.321 against left-handed pitching, though he still managed an impressive .302/.357/.522 against right-handers.

Its an easy book to follow: Bring in a lefty, throw Howard slop out of the zone, and shift your defense so far over to the right side that people will think Jean-Marie Le Pen is playing second base. And Howard, like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football, will either miss entirely or hit it into the shift.

The result of all this is that Howard has gradually, inexorably, and painfully become something of a depressing spectacle. And while a broken-down 33-year-old first baseman might ordinarily be the kind of commodity a team in transition like the Phillies might try to unload, he carries with him a millstone of a contract that, as SB Nations Steven Goldman explains here and Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley explains here, was a mistake when the Phillies offered it to him three years ago.

Howard was brought up and signed as an impact bat, the kind of franchise tentpole that produces runs and wins and championships, and he exists largely in our memory as that. But thats not what he is anymore. Today, Howard is a platoon DH, still potent against righties but awful against lefties, and entirely bereft of value as a base runner or defender. Hes a player whos done such great things and deserves to go out with more dignity than hes going to get.

And the Phillies, an organization that values experience and a lengthy CV as much as any in the sport, arent going to remove Howard from the cleanup spot anytime soon. Over the past couple weeks, theyve been resting him against lefties more and more, for his knees sake, but when hes healthy, Howard hits fourth. Even when Carlos Ruiz slugs .540 in 2012, even when Domonic Brown homers just about every night for two weeks.

So thanks to his contract and his reputation, odds are that we will watch Howard sink even further into his athletic senescence, in the cleanup spot, every night for the next three years. Its going to be awful, not just because the Phillies are trying to build around a horse with a broken leg, but because were going to have to watch it unfold in slow-motion.

  

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Orbit_Established
Member since Oct 27th 2002
52934 posts
Tue Jul-09-13 01:49 PM

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59. "A bargain. He brought a title to that worthless pisshole of a city. "
In response to Reply # 57


  

          




----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

  

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