May 24, 2016
Over the course of a 162-game baseball season and over the course of a city’s baseball history there are certain moments that become frozen in time.
For the Phillies, there are the obvious ones like Brad Lidge – or, back in the day, Tug McGraw – celebrating on the mound after the final World Series pitch. And then there are the smaller moments, such as the one that occurred on Monday night in Detroit.
The television cameras peeked into the Phillies dugout where Ryan Howard had his arm around Odubel Herrera. It was obvious Howard was counseling Herrera on a decision to not run out a ground ball which would lead to the second-year player’s benching.
It’s hard to imagine two careers headed in more different directions.
Howard is a Philadelphia legend; an icon who is so done it is almost criminal to watch the final steps of his career. Herrera, on the other hand, is the future and Howard wanted to explain to him the value of hustle.
Remember, the beginning of the end of Howard’s career was marked by the final play of the 2011 National League Divisional Series against the Cardinals when he bolted out of the batter’s box and blew out his Achilles’ tendon. Howard was writhing in pain as the season, and in so many ways, his career as a prolific hitter came to an end.
He has never been the same. He lost his ability to drive with his lower body and he lost whatever limited ability he had to motor around the bases. The fall has been slow and painful and it is only a matter of time before the end is official.
There have still been a few moments when Howard gets to show off some old power but for the most part, it has been one embarrassing moment after another.
It wasn’t that long ago that it was can’t miss TV when Howard came to the plate. Now, when Howard comes to the plate you usually want to avert your eyes. It’s difficult to watch … and you know it can’t be comfortable for a player who has reached the stage where he is now the player who used to be Ryan Howard.
Even when things go right, it’s sometimes difficult to watch the Phillies’ dugout, as Howard looks so out of place on a roster full of young players assembled for a brighter future. Long gone are World Series champion teammates Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and the rest.
It is not unlikely that Howard will be given the promise of his huge retirement check in the next week or so. There is simply no value to having Howard in the lineup and there is a whole lot of downside – especially with Tommy Joseph ready to go.
And that is why it was so sad to see Howard trying to talk some sense into Herrera, a player who represents the future.
It was one of the true ironies of a season in which the Phillies have remained under the national radar despite a great start that they stole the spotlight on Monday night when manager Pete Mackanin benched Herrera for a lack of hustle.
It was a bold and brilliant move by the manager who is still in the mode of developing talent while also keeping the team in an unexpected tangle with the top teams in the league. Despite the fact that Herrera has been a shining light of hope for the future, the manager realized the long-term chances for success were better served by sending a simple message:
If you don’t play hard, you won’t play at all.
Throughout the long history of Major League Baseball, there have always been players who take a few plays off. Rollins, one of Howard’s favorite teammates, was one of them. But Rollins had a resume far more impressive than Herrera’s – and even Rollins was benched from time to time by manager Charlie Manuel, who had a much more veteran team.
As it is with everything else in life, there is a time and place – and while Rollins might occasionally get away with that conduct on a very good, very veteran team, there is no room for that on a team like the 2016 squad.
The place on the learning curve is very much different.
And you have to feel for Howard and wonder if he can only sit back and wish that he could still run hard to first base.
Every time.
