Ryan's Hopes: Howard is his toughest critic, By: Dennis Deitch
02/19/2007
CLEARWATER, Fla. - In some ways, Ryan Howard's meteoric rise from minor-league curiosity to most intimidating slugger in the universe has created a mythical aura.
Howard is a modern-day Thor, with his club of choice being a 341/2-ounce hunk of maple. When he swatted 22 home runs in three months to chase down the full-season pack to win the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year award, they wondered how much better he could get. When he went to the All-Star Game in 2006, humbly claimed not to be much of a batting-practice bomber, then proceeded to set off air raid sirens in the ESPN tent as he bashed his way to the Home Run Derby title, they wondered how much better he could get. When he returned from the All-Star Game and proceeded to hit 28 home runs in the next 55 games and threaten to join the epic 60-homer club, they wondered how much better he could get.
So, Ryan Howard, reigning N.L. Most Valuable Player, owner of the 10 th-highest single-season home-run total in history: Where do you go from here?
"I know that, going into this season, there is going to be a lot of outside expectations," said Howard, who had a special press conference held Sunday for, well, all the aforementioned reasons - and then some, "and the key word is 'outside.' I think no one can put more pressure on (persons) than themselves. That's why you have goals. You set your goals to achieve them, not someone else's goals, because everyone else's might be for 80 home runs or whatever. And if you try to live up to those expectations, it's a bust.
"Your goals are reasonable. Obviously, you set them because you can go out there and attain them by pushing yourself.
If you can reach your goals, then you should be happy, even though not everyone is."
Howard doesn't offer his expectations before they are met.
When he was manager, Larry Bowa used to write them on a piece of paper and stash them in a sealed envelope. Howard seals them between his lips. Asked what his goals are, he said, "To me, I have my goals. I know what they are. And I'm going to stick to that." Asked again, and he repeated the same response with a coy smile.
That doesn't mean that Howard is unforthcoming. He admits that the demands of being everyone's MVP resulted in less time in the batting cages over the winter, which means more rust to sandblast off his suspension cable-sized arms so he can rediscover his swing. Of course, this is the guy who spent the first two weeks of last March saying that he didn't feel right at the plate during Grapefruit League games - even though he had launched eight homers in those two weeks.
Sometimes it's tough to discern between honesty and humility. Sometimes the answer is that he's honestly being humble.
One subject that Howard clearly wants to avoid is steroids.
His quest for 60 homers last season created a wave of comparisons between him and the trio of 60-homer club members - Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa - who set their marks when the majors were allowing their players to bulk up without drug test fears.
McGwire felt the wrath when he was easily shot down the first time he appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot last month. Asked for his reaction, Howard said, "They made that decision. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of (whether steroids were used) and work it out.
"It's tough these days. You can't do anything well and not be accused of doing something. I hope testing gets rid of this cloud. I just want to go back to playing ball. My personal thought is that I want it to be me, Ryan Howard, out there playing. I want to see what I can do with what I've naturally been given. I knew guys who used (steroids) in the past ... and I'd think, 'I'm doing it (naturally) and I'm killing this guy.' So what's the purpose of doing it? I just never saw the benefit of that."
And if Howard had a Hall-of-Fame vote?
"I probably would have been sick that day," he said.
Howard couldn't afford many sick days this winter. He played an exhibition series in Japan. The banquet scene had him sharing the stage at different times with Hank Aaron, Cal Ripken Jr. and Reggie Jackson. On Super Bowl Sunday he joined Martha Stewart in chiding Reggie Bush for bringing cumin instead of cilantro to Chad Johnson's Super Bowl party in an NFL Network commercial. And somewhere in there he hired a new agent, Casey Close, to talk contract for him.
Speaking of which, he remains unsigned, although one way or another he'll have a contract by the end of the month. The buzz is that Howard, despite not having service-time leverage, will make at least $1 million this season. But he isn't assuming that to be the case.
"Hopefully we'll get past that and concentrate on the season," Howard said. "When I was younger I was told a lot of stuff, and I don't really buy into it until something actually has been done. I'm sure everybody here has been promised something and it never came true. But hopefully that day comes. Until then, I won't get too up or down about it.
"I'm actually excited for the season, with the moves the teams made. I was excited to get down here."
