What's That City Called?

Yesterday, news broke that the Philadelphia Phillies signed their first baseman Ryan Howard to a five-year contract extension worth $125 million.

That is serious, serious coin to dish out. Everyone is talking about this deal…at the age of 37, Howard is going to be pulling in $25 million in perhaps the last year of his career, not DHing. This is a really, really interesting story for many reasons.

The biggest free-agent story going for the past two years has been the LeBron James saga. Cleveland not being big enough for him and not giving him what he wants, going to New York, Chicago or New Jersey to potentially play with Coach K. But, there is a story rapidly approaching just as big.

Albert Pujols is as good at baseball as James is at basketball. He’s not just as self absorbing. Pujols’ stats are frankly, second to none at his age and he has done, without any complaining at all, what James has been unable to do: win a ring.
Pujols, is set to hit free agency in 2011 and don’t think that he won’t test the waters. He will be the highest paid player in baseball, and rightfully so. Who are the buyers? Well, the Red Sox would bite, perhaps the Cubs as well. The Yankees are set at first base with Mark Teixiera and the Phillies did what they had to do.
But assuming Pujols leaves St. Louis, it was a foregone conclusion that Howard would go back to his home town of St. Louis to finish his career and my guess is that Philly wouldn’t be in the Pujols sweepstakes. Logic would say that the Phillies inked Howard early to lock him up for good, right?

I’m not so sure…

A couple of months ago, the Philadelphia Eagles made a huge splash, and probable mistake, when they traded their best player, possibly ever. Mount Carmel all-star Donovan McNabb lead the Eagles to incredible successes but only one Super Bowl appearance with a record of 0-1. Eagles fans will point the finger at McNabb as the reason the Eagles haven’t won a title. Most of the rest of us would think otherwise, but that’s that town. It’s a hard town, you win, or you go, no matter who you are.

The “Look at David Ortiz” comparisons come to mind immediately given Ortiz’s drop off. Albeit that Howard has never been linked to any of the roiders, Howard does have an MVP to his credit, something that Ortiz can’t say he has. And, during Howards prime, he’s protecting Chase Utley, unlike Ortiz who during his prime was being protected by Manny Ramirez.

I think Howard got paid because he earned it. He brought the Phillies a title, he put them in the Series last year, and will probably do it again this year. He’s a great guy in the clubhouse and the community. When you ink the contract the Phillies did, you think about the investment over time, but to me, I see the Phillies as a different organization. Philly wasn’t always a baseball town, but now it is, they have a new park and it’s full every night and Howard is the biggest component to the financial successes of the team.

So much time and effort is spent on how Philly is a tough place to be as a player. The blue collar fans are brutal who expect nothing less than winning and doing it with hard work. Howard, is in the best shape of his life, and he’s won. Don’t you think that maybe a town that is so hard on its athletes, like McNabb, might just be loving to the ones that give them what they want like Howard?
Howard’s contract is a reward, a deserved reward for what he’s done as a player and ambassador for the city. Not to mention the guy can hit a little bit and by the end of his career, he will have done much more for the Phillies and the city that even $125 million will do for him. Brotherly love folks, brotherly love.