People who complain about Ryan Howard's contract and bitch and moan about him not being an elite player can point to numbers.
They can show that his stats are declining and the days of sluggers mysteriously getting better later in life have ended.
I get it.
But they don't get what a Ryan Howard can mean to Philadelphia.
First of all he has come through and helped give Phillies fans some great memories. He's an MVP, a World Champion who hit some big homers in the 2008 World Series.
He was the MVP of the 2009 NLCS. And he's a home grown star.
He's someone that Phillies fans can invest emotion in and can cheer whether they come through (as in the 2009 series against Los Angeles) or doesn't (last year against San Francisco.)
So when he comes up and launches a go ahead homer in the playoffs like he did tonight, he is flushing VORP, OPS+ and WAR down the toilet.
He is creating MEMORIES and making fans HAPPY and giving them reason to cheer him on years from now instead of seeing him in an Astros uniform or something.
Other players will have better Sabermetrics than Howard. And none will give tough fans like Phillies fans a lifetime of joy and positive memories.
That's worth every penny.
I'm a Cubs fan, born and bred, exiled in Philadelphia for the last 12 years. And while I can grumble and fume about how horrible Phillies *fans* are, the team seems to be made up of a bunch of stand-up guys who are really easy to cheer for. Ryan Howard is the pinnacle of this kind of player.
ReplyDeleteAs a Cubs fan he kind of reminds me Ryne Sandberg, to whom his career numbers and impact-on-fans compare favorably, and who is a particularly delicious comparison because he started his career with Philly.
How do you know others can't give the memories that Ryan Howard has given?
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