Good Piece on Ryan Howard

But I disagree on a few points:

*He is a decent first baseman. We saw him make a great stretch to get a throw from the shortstop that caught a speedy runner.
*He is NOT Willie McCovey sized. I stood next to both men (granted I was 10 when I stood next to McCovey) and Willie is about six inches taller. Howard is built like Frank Thomas.
*Howard has a special personality. Don't ask me to explain it, he does. A great smile, an easy shoulder roll to some hip hop music, etc... If the Phillies want to embrace their African American fans with a quality future star, he's your man. For a team whose past is shrouded is racism (don't get me started), cultivating an African American star is a solid play.

I'll say what I said yesterday when Ryan Howard came to bat. Given he was 10 feet away, I know he heard me--"Keep Ryan, trade Thome!"

Philadelphia Daily News | 11/18/2004 | Bill Conlin | Making a powerful argument