Post Philly Hurt Feelings Ryan Howard Ready to Recover

Post Philly Hurt Feelings Ryan Howard Ready to Recover
Ed Condran

Philadelphia, PA

'As Jimmy goes, so goes the Phillies,' is the familiar refrain uttered by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel about shortstop Jimmy Rollins. However, the same could be said for Ryan Howard.

"The big piece' is arguably the most integral part of the Phillies lineup. Howard, a historic run producer, has averaged 45 home runs and 136 RBIs since his 2005 Rookie of the Year season.

You just can't replace that kind of production but the Phillies might have to do something since Howard's future is uncertain since he ruptured his left Achillies tendon by grounding out to end the Phillies disappointing NLDS against the Cardinals.

"It sucks," Howard said when describing how it felt to end the season in such a horrific manner

Howard has always been a stand-up guy (no pun intended) but it was mildly surprising that he dealt with the media after a nightmarish loss and injury.

"You want to be on the other side of it," Howard said of the NLDS series. "But we came up short. The only thing we do is focus on next year and for me that means getting healthy."

That's a tall order for the slugging first baseman, who must wait for the swelling to subside before surgery. Soccer star David Beckham suffered the same injury and it took nearly six months to the day after surgery for Becks to return to the field.

Howard's massive five-year $125 million contract kicks in next year. Fans can bet that the proud slugging first baseman will do all that he can to come back strong. However, Howard will turn 32 in November and he's drifting toward aging slugger territory. Combine age and recovery from such an injury and the situation begs the question, will Howard ever be the same player?

"I'm going to do all that I can to come back as soon as possible," Howard said. "We'll see how it goes."

Howard is going to get two medical opinions this week and decide what to do next.

It'll be a long road back for the Phillies RBI machine. "But I'm going to do whatever it takes," Howard said. "I have a lot of baseball left in me. So I'll battle back and take it from there. I have five years to fulfill plus I love playing the game, particularly in Philadelphia.

"We have a great team and we want to get back to the World Series and I want to be a big part of that. I have a lot to do to get there. It's going to be a very different offseason but the goal will be the same once next season starts. I'm going to do all that I can. I owe that to my teammates, the organization and to the fans."