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  • Ryan Howard

    Wow.

    That is all.

  • #2
    Has a good chance to set the NL record for non-steroid aided HRs. I think it's 56 by Hack Wilson in 1930.

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    • #3
      Glad he's our's... That HR last eve was simply awesome- and flawless! Congrats to 48 HR's and counting...
      http://www.myspace.com/r3nj

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      • #4
        40 RBI's IN AUGUST. 40!!!

        And Chase leading the NL in hits and runs........and Cole's future.

        It is nice to see such a great building block for our future.

        I may have to move back to Philly in 5 years when I retire....from my first career. That'll give me about ten years of watching these guys up claose.
        Pedro

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        • #5
          Gotta love the youth on this team, we got some superstars in the making.
          Whatcha Gonna Do Brother, When the Eagles run wild on you?

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          • #6
            Just think about how much better he would have done if he skipped the Home Run Derby!

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            • #7
              He just hit his 49th HR, has 128 RBI and has his average up to .299 -------- Damn, if he just had a few more guys around him............

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              • #8
                Ryno up to a ridiculous 53 HRs, it's too bad the steroid crew of the late 90s wrecked the HR records, because Howard would be chasing down Ruth and Maris this month. The REAL NL record bt Hack Wilson if 56 is sure to fall.

                F Bonds
                F McGwire
                F Sosa

                F'ing cheaters.

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                • #9
                  Agreed Swing. The steroid era has wrecked the books for sure.

                  This is for Barry. Stop chasing Henry now!
                  www.disciplerocks.com

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                  • #10
                    Shit man, if Barry Bonds beats Hank Aaron's record, I'm gonna be so disappointed. Fuck that big headed bitch.

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                    • #11
                      I repeat my original post in this thread.

                      Ryan Fucking Howard.

                      Wow.

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                      • #12
                        the kid seems really laid back about the whole situation. I hope the Phils treat him right.
                        We're looking for people that are fundamentally different,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said Saturday night. “The love and passion for football, it's non-negotiable. They're caring, their character, they do the right thing persistently, and they have a relentless playing style that you can see on tape. The motor, it burns hot. You see them finishing plays. They have a team-first mentality. They're selfless individuals.

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                        • #13
                          He's basically the entire offense.

                          I trade Teixiera and a 1st round pick (Keep league) for Howard in June. HAHAHAHAHAH!!!
                          Carson Wentz ERA


                          NFC East Titles:
                          Playoff Appearances:
                          NFC Title Games:
                          Super Bowl Titles:

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                          • #14
                            Article on Philly.com this morning details the lack of serious trade interest in Howard during his minor league career. Amazingly, the guy who traded dozens of prospects for middle relievers said this about why he never pulled off a trade involving Ryan:

                            "Nothing ever was sensible," Wade said.
                            www.disciplerocks.com

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                            • #15
                              Interesting article on Ryan's bats

                              Posted on Wed, Sep. 13, 2006
                              Bigger bats empower Howard
                              An unusually big stick has helped the Phillies’ Ryan Howard blast away.
                              By Jim Salisbury, Inquirer Staff Writer

                              Phillies Ryan Howard watches the flight of one of his hits as the Phils won 6-5 in the 14th inning, against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park.
                              From his family to his teammates and coaches, past and present, Ryan Howard admits that there have been plenty of folks behind the scenes playing a role in his gargantuan season.

                              Some people we've heard of, others we haven't.

                              One of them is Jack Marucci, the moonlighting athletic trainer from Louisiana State University who carves the bats with which Howard has launched many of his record-breaking 56 homers that have captured the imagination of both Philadelphia and the nation.

                              Another is Turk Wendell, a former Phillies reliever who batted twice in two unspectacular seasons with the club, striking out both times.
                              Wendell probably doesn't know it, but he indirectly inspired Howard to switch to a bigger bat three years ago. The move, Howard said, increased his power and has helped make him a better hitter.

                              The average major-leaguer uses a 34-inch, 32-ounce bat. Howard's is 35 inches, 34 ounces, the biggest on the Phillies roster, one of the biggest in the majors.

                              A self-proclaimed bat freak who loves to try different manufacturers' products, Howard has hit home runs with several different makes this season. He has used Louisville Slugger, the granddaddy of them all, as well as Sam Bat and X Bat, products from two of the smaller companies that have come onto the major-league scene in recent years.
                              Most of the 28 homers that Howard has hit since the all-star break have come with bats made by Marucci's small-time operation. Howard swung a Marucci bat the night he broke Mike Schmidt's 26-year-old team record with his 49th homer. He swung it when he hit three homers against Atlanta on Sept 3.

                              "I usually go with whatever feels good that day," said Howard, 26. "Lately, it's been the Marucci. My man, Jack."
                              In Baton Rouge, Marucci follows Howard's magical season nightly. "He hit another one," Marucci's 11-year-son, Gino, will tell his dad. Marucci gets so nervous watching Howard that sometimes it feels as if he's watching his own son.
                              "The bat that Ryan's hitting all those home runs with - I cut the first model right in my backyard," Marucci said.

                              Historically speaking, Howard's bat is not unusually big. Babe Ruth swung a 42-ounce war club. Dick Allen was said to have used a 42-ounce monster, and he probably did from time to time, but Louisville Slugger records list the weight of his model at 36 ounces.
                              Anything heavier than 33 ounces these days is unusual. Broadcasters frequently comment on how big the bat of Washington Nationals slugger Alfonso Soriano is. According to Nationals officials, he swings a lighter bat than Howard - 35 inches, 33 ounces.
                              Most of today's major-leaguers grew up swinging light aluminum bats and want that same feel with wood. They want light bats that they can swing through the hitting zone like a horse whip.
                              As a young minor-leaguer, Howard used a lighter bat - 34 inches, 32 ounces. Then came the Wendell Epiphany, the trip into the candy store that is the Phillies spring-training clubhouse after the big team leaves Florida.
                              It was April 2003, and as the major-leaguers were moving out, Howard was moving in, getting ready to spend the season with the single-A Clearwater Phillies. An equipment manager took Howard and some of his teammates into a back room and let them rummage through some leftover bats.
                              "We raided it, trying to find some good ones," Howard recalled with a laugh.
                              Howard picked up a bat and couldn't believe how heavy it was. He rolled it around in his hands, and, despite its 35-ounce weight, liked its feel. Howard looked at the name on the bat - Turk Wendell - and chuckled. A pitcher uses this log? (Yes, indeed, a team equipment manager recalled the other day, Wendell did order some big bats that spring.)
                              Howard was intrigued by Wendell's bat. He took batting practice with it. Then he started using it for a couple of at-bats per game. His power and selectivity as a hitter improved. He led the Florida State League with 23 homers - two fewer than he hit in 183 games over his first two pro seasons - and a .304 batting average.
                              "It was such a big bat that I really couldn't swing at bad pitches," Howard said. "With a bat that heavy, once you put it in motion, there's no stopping it. I had to swing at good pitches."
                              The good taste of Wendell's leftover led Howard to order bigger bats. He tinkered and experimented, eventually settling on 35 inches, 34 ounces.

                              In 2004, the season after switching to a bigger bat, Howard hit a combined 48 homers in double A, triple A, and the majors.
                              Last season, he hit 16 in the minors and 22 in the majors. He hit those 22 in just 88 games, helping him become National League rookie of the year.
                              Howard is a supreme talent with excellent hitting mechanics. His stance is beautifully balanced. His hands are lightning quick. His weight shift is perfect. He doesn't overswing. He is also blessed with exceptional size and strength at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds.

                              "Technique and strength," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, a hitting aficionado. "That's a damn good combo."

                              There's an old saying that it's not the arrow, it's the archer, and that is true in this case.

                              But baseball people such as Manuel believe that Howard benefits from using a bigger-than-average bat. With his strength, Howard produces tremendous bat speed. That speed, coupled with a bigger bat, results in a harder-hit ball. That old baseball man, Sir Isaac Newton, would sum it up this way: Force equals Mass times Acceleration.

                              Other than those few Wendell bats in 2003, Phillies equipment specialists Frank Coppenbarger (18 years with the team) and Phil Sheridan (15 years) couldn't recall ordering a bigger bat than Howard's for a Phillie.
                              By comparison, Pat Burrell uses a 34 1/2-inch, 32-ounce bat. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley both use a 33-31. Bobby Abreu and Jim Thome both use 34 1/2-32. Mike Schmidt used a 35-32 1/2, Hank Aaron a 35-33, and Mickey Mantle a 35-32.

                              With the right size bat in his hands, Howard went looking for the right bat. Enter Jack Marucci and his backyard lathe.
                              Marucci, a 42-year-old Western Pennsylvania native, is the head football trainer at LSU. A few years ago, his son, Gino, a throwback kind of kid, wanted to use a wooden bat in his league. Jack couldn't find a decent one his son's size, so he set up a lathe in the backyard (even though he hadn't used one since junior high in 197 and carved out a bat for his son.
                              Soon he was making them for all the kids in the league.

                              Before going to LSU, Marucci was an assistant trainer at Florida State, where he befriended Eduardo Perez, a baseball player for the Seminoles. Perez went on to play in the majors and is now with the Seattle Mariners. In 2003, Marucci bumped into Perez in St. Louis. As they caught up on life, Marucci told Perez about his growing bat-making hobby. Perez asked for one. Later that season, he sneaked an unlicensed Marucci bat into a major-league game. Perez loved it and asked for more. Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin used one and told Marucci, "You've got start making more of these."

                              Word spread about Marucci's bats. Manny Ramirez called and ordered some for the 2004 postseason. Marucci made him a couple, called them the CB-24, short for Curse Buster, and sent them to Boston. You know what happened next.

                              Howard's older brother, Chris, is an assistant athletic director at LSU.
                              "Hey, I hear you make a pretty good bat," Chris Howard said to Marucci one day.

                              Marucci made some for Ryan Howard and shipped them to Scranton, where Howard was playing in the minors. Howard liked the bat immediately. Last winter, he traveled to Baton Rouge, where Marucci and his partners and staff have a small shop. Howard and Marucci went to work designing the RH-6 or Howard Custom. It's maple wood, 35 inches long, 34 ounces, with a specially flared handle. Marucci turned the first RH-6 in his backyard.

                              Howard still uses a Sam Bat from time to time. Before winning the Home Run Derby during the all-star break in July, he asked his 5-year-old son, Darian, to pick out a bat, and the boy grabbed a Sam Bat. But now, Marucci's bat is getting most of the reps.

                              Having Howard use your product during a season in which he might win the National League MVP award is great advertising for Marucci, who, with some financial backing from Perez, is expanding his business. But Howard isn't the only MVP candidate using Marucci wood. Carlos Beltran and his New York Mets teammate Jose Reyes are both dedicated Marucci users. Those three home runs that Reyes hit at Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 15? All with a Marucci bat.

                              Howard is having arguably the greatest season in Phillies history, and Marucci is proud of his small connection to it. He speaks with Howard regularly. He has become a Phillies fan, but not the only one in his family. His sister, Marisa Brnardic, is a lot closer to the action. She lives in Lansdale, Montgomery County.

                              "I was just trying to make a bat for my son," Jack Marucci said. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would come to this.
                              "What Ryan's doing is pretty special. He's a really talented kid. We're just happy to be a small part of it."
                              Marucci paused and laughed.
                              "I just hope they keep pitching to him," he said.

                              Contact staff writer Jim Salisbury at 215-854-4983 or [email protected].
                              www.disciplerocks.com

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