Howard says he's doing fine without steroids, By: Scott Lauber
Phillies' slugger doesn't see need for performance-enhancing drugs
February 19, 2007
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Ryan Howard admits he has known baseball players who have used steroids for an offensive jolt. Go on the juice, they thought, and hit the ball farther.
Howard has never bought into that theory.
Then again, he's never had to.
Howard averaged 35 home runs in the minors in 2003 and 2004, went deep 22 times in 88 games to earn the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2005, and was crowned NL MVP after pacing the majors with 58 homers last season.
All without steroids.
"It's basically just showed me that this guy's doing this or that [with steroids] and I'm just me, and I'm killing this guy," the Phillies' first baseman said Sunday. "It's kind of like, what's the purpose of doing it? I just never saw the benefit."
Howard, rising to stardom in the wake of baseball's steroids era, discussed the use of performance-enhancing drugs during a wide-ranging, 28-minute news conference after working out with the Phillies' position players in 49-degree weather at Bright House Networks Field.
And while many of the topics -- steroids, his goals for 2007, his desire for a multi-year contract extension -- hadn't changed, Howard's answers were as revealing as ever after an offseason of awards banquets, pressing the flesh for the Phillies, and even taping a Super Bowl commercial with Martha Stewart, LL Cool J, Janet Reno, actor Jimmy Fallon and several NFL stars.
Howard, 27 years old with a beaming smile and outgoing personality, said he has considered himself a role model since his years in the minors, and he embraces the responsibility. He showed respect for the game's history by referring to the Hall of Famers seated on the dais at a banquet last month in New York as "Mr. Reggie Jackson, Mr. Cal Ripken and Mr. Tony Gwynn."
He also expressed hope that baseball's steroid-ravaged image may be altered by sluggers who bash homers au natural. But he wouldn't comment on Mark McGwire's Hall of Fame rejection or Barry Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's career home run record.
"As soon as you put on a uniform, you're a role model," said Howard, who has been in camp since Tuesday. "Even when you're in minor-league towns, you've got little kids who come up to you. When that kid makes that trip to Philadelphia, and he got to meet you before you started playing for the Phillies, you're kind of on that one-on-one basis. You want to lead them into the right light.
"It's tough because the game has such a cloud over it. It's like you can't do anything well without being accused of doing something. My personal thoughts were like, that's not me, that's not Ryan Howard. I always wanted to see how good I am, naturally, with what I've been given."
It's clear that Howard is good.
His production through only one year and 145 days in the majors -- 82 homers and 217 RBIs in 266 games -- is nearly unprecedented. He is the first player since Ripken in 1982-83 to win Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in back-to-back seasons, prompting one very reasonable question: Can he possibly get better?
Howard thinks so. He wouldn't reveal his personal goals for 2007, but he surely will be trying to improve on his .256 average with runners in scoring position, reduce his strikeout total from 181 and cut down on his 14 errors, second among first basemen last season.
One thing Howard can't control is an opposing team's reluctance to pitch to him. In the final 21 games last season, he drew 28 walks (14 intentional), and had only two homers and 11 RBIs with 25 strikeouts.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel admitted he would be careful about pitching to Howard.
"With guys on base is when I wouldn't want him to hurt us," Manuel said. "I wouldn't mind going at him early. But sometimes, the competitiveness of the pitcher comes out, and all of a sudden, he starts going at you. If you're patient, you'll get balls to hit. He's going to get a chance to hit 40 or 50 homers.
"He had a tremendous year. Can he come back and duplicate that? Last year, the biggest thing for me was that he hit .300 that quick. He definitely can duplicate that. And if he does that, he's definitely going to hit some homers."
And, as long as they are steroids-free, Howard will remain baseball's model slugger.
