Ruben Amaro Jr. said yesterday that Ryan Howard is likely to start at first base for your Philadelphia Phillies this evening at Citizens Bank Park. That means your probable 3-4 hitters for tonight's contest against Tim Hudson and the Braves are Chase Utley and the Big Piece. Oh, it's been too long.
But given the current state of Phillies baseball -- 13 back of the Nationals in the East, 8.5 back of the Wild Card -- especially coming off last night's brutal beating by the New York Mets, to what degree is the excitment of the slugger's return diminished?
I'm not even sure how I feel myself. On one hand, it'll be nice to have a regular lineup anchored by a guy who can hit a home run with ease. On the other hand, "but what are they playing for at this point?"
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Even though this season has been painful to watch unfold, I found myself sitting at a bar last night watching a random Thursday night game against the Mets with the intensity of a playoff game. There was that (false?) hope that one big win could turn the season around. "One more Utley and Chooch back-to-back jobber could turn this thing around," I thought. "The return of the Big Piece could turn this thing around," some hope.
Eh, it's all probably wishful thinking. But Ryan Howard's return gives them a better chance of winning on a nightly basis. You know we're still going to tune in on a quasi regular basis regardless.
And winning sure beats losing. Especially to the Mets.
Here's to watching Ryan Howard give it his best shot as the catalyst for change.
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How excited are you for Ryan Howard's return?