Ryan Howard is everything that is wrong with baseball.
He has clubbed 56 home runs, has a smile that warms a room and he’s the worst thing for the sport. Got your attention? Good. Howard, the best story not wearing a Marlins or Tigers uniform, is a walking reminder of baseball’s ugly past.
Here is a kid your mother never warned you about. He performs community work, signs autographs as if he were waiting in line to receive one and when he puts together the most magical season in Philadelphia Phillies history, he must talk about, um, steroids.
That’s the problem with a reactionary drug policy, with years of bliss through ignorance. Everyone falls under the umbrella of suspicion. That changed briefly with the stricter rules and harsher punishment, but the credibility gap opened again when Jason Grimsley exposed the loophole for HGH. There’s no reliable test for human growth hormone, making it possible for cheats to prosper.
Big deal? Well, it’s become an issue because of the prism through which Howard is being viewed. Some are suggesting he should be considered the real single-season home run record-holder if he reaches 62. He is clean, right? That’s the question Howard, who looks more Barcalounger than bodybuilder, found himself answering last week.
“People are entitled to their opinions,” Howard told the Philadelphia Daily News, rolling his eyes. “But it does bother me. It has cast a shadow on the game. I know that I am not using steroids. This barrel right here (pointing to his less-than-flat stomach) is proof enough. People are going to say what they want to say. If they want to test me, they can test me. I just think it (stinks).”
Baseball created this awkwardness – the owners and the union. By responding slowly with legislation to burgeoning hulkish figures in the 1990s – namely Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds – all statistical monsters are presumed guilty.
Howard is the product of the times, caught in Bonds’ backwater. Every significant achievement, because so many are tainted in sports, must be examined under the harshest light. What’s next? Hit a home run, then pee in a cup at home plate. With two decades of abuse, innocence was lost. Trust vanished. It’s not right, but no one seems to know who’s in the wrong anymore.
So it has come to this: Howard reduced to a joyless pursuit of history. Consider that the legacy of Big Mac, Barry and Sammy.
Thanks from Gramps
Before there were no-trade clauses and $252 million contracts, before there were steroids and HGH, there were father and sons playing catch. That is baseball. Pure, unfiltered. A reminder arrived early Friday morning outside the Coors Field clubhouse.
Rockies outfielder Jeff Salazar had just made his major-league debut, his face tired, his body drained. His family had flown from Oklahoma City to witness the event. Salazar reunited with them afterward in a blend of smiles and handshakes. Grandpa Wes was there, the 25-year-old explained.
“We hugged and he immediately started to cry, he was so happy for me,” Salazar said.
Grandpa grew up a Cardinals fan. He loves baseball. He calls Jeff constantly, though Salazar joked it’s only after the “good games.” As Salazar talked about the moment, he paused. For a second he was just another kid playing catch in the backyard. “This is a night that I will never forget,” he said.
Bonds back in picture
Bonds, of course, won’t let us off that easily. We want to look away, want him to go away. But he continues to force people to pay attention. As the feds chase him, Bonds is creeping dangerously close to Hank Aaron’s all-time home record, sitting just 24 away after a surprising revival.
Suddenly an old Bonds looks like the Bonds of old. Bonds has blasted six home runs in his past 10 games, teaming with Ray Durham to drive the Giants back into the wild-card race. What changed? A Giants teammate told me last week that Bonds’ legs are much stronger. How and why will always be questioned.
Whatever the case, earlier this season Bonds couldn’t handle anything above 90 mph, flying open with his right shoulder to reach the pitch. Now, Bonds is using his entire body in his swing and hitting against a stiff front leg, his knee clearly better. As a result, he’s crushing balls to the opposite field.
This power burst has put the Giants in a difficult spot. With Aaron within reach, it would be a surprise if they don’t bring back the 42-year-old for a final season to break the record in a San Francisco uniform.
Footnotes
Rangers owner Tom Hicks ripped his team’s leadership and mental toughness in a radio interview, criticism that stung all-star shortstop Michael Young, the Rangers’ rudder. Hicks also wondered if manager Buck Showalter’s style is grating on players. An ex-Ranger admitted as much to me. He felt that guys would always play hard for Showalter, but doubted that they would ever win for him because of his oppressive micromanaging. … Soon the managerial rumor mill will become a carousel with a handful losing their jobs. The latest gossip: Dusty Baker resurfaces in Seattle and Carlos Tosca takes over in San Diego. The latter is a longshot if Bruce Bochy guides the Padres back to the playoffs. … What makes the Marlins’ run so remarkable is how they have responded to pressure. Anyone can go young – going young and getting good is the hard part. Florida continues to improve, becoming the first team to break .500 after starting the season 20 games under.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
