August 17, 2006
Howard Threatened
I heard about this from one of the commentors during the radio show last night. Ryan Howard was threatened by a fan:
In the last 3 ½ weeks, Ryan Howard, a National League All-Star who won the Home Run Derby, has hit .360 with 10 homers and 28 RBI. In his first full season with the Phillies, he leads the league with 41 homers and 106 RBI, and he is making an MVP run.
Howard has been this good with a morbid threat hanging over him.
Howard yesterday confirmed that, about 4 weeks ago, he was made aware of a letter to him whose sender threatened to shoot him and cripple him.
"He said he wouldn't kill me; he'd put me in a wheelchair," Howard said.
I assumed it was a racial thing, but in fact it seems to be due to the Mets-Phillies rivalry:
The letter, according to Howard, was postmarked Scranton, where Howard starred as recently as last season for the Phillies' Triple A team. Howard said the sender was a Mets fan who opined that Mets third baseman and Derby finalist David Wright deserved to win instead of Howard.
"It didn't bother me," Howard said. "If he's writing letters like that, that dude's got bigger problems than me."
That's the truth. Maybe he lost a lot of money betting on Wright to win ROY.
This is the first time I have ever seen a content link and I already loathe it. "A-Team," indeed.
re: ryan howard
Ryan Howard, or "Little Popi", as he has been adopted by David Ortiz, "Big Popi", since the All Star Game and winning the Home Run Derby, is the most loveable, likeable, non-offensive kid that I've ever seen play in the majors. He seems to like to do two things--hit and eat.
Gee, just like Babe Ruth. I'm sure Ryan likes kids, too.
He seems like a big kid to me. Since coming to the majors last year in mid season, he has hit more than 60 homers and counting.
Which brings us to crazy mets fans in Scranton, PA.
First, my wife is from Wilkes-Barre. Now every one in Wilkes-Barre is very nice. And they all know that the people in Scranton all have a screw loose. Otherwise, they would be living in beautiful Wilkes-Barre instead of ugly Scranton.
Second, everyone up there with half a brain is a Yankees fan. All my wife's cousins are Yankees fans. I have personally never met a Mets fans from Northeast PA. So you know this guy from Scranton, who likes the Mets, is clearly not right in the head.
Third, mets fans generally, LOSERS. I mean, what do you have to root for? The All-Cocaine team of Strawberry, Gooden and Keith Hernandez? Those guys have done more jail time than the average rap star. LOSERS. Two world titles in 45 years.
Look at the Yankees in that time, and they have nearly ten world titles in the same time frame.
Finally, David Wright is a nice player, best 3B in the league. He isn't a 1B and Howard isn't a 3B.
The phillies while they're having another nice 80 win plus type season aren't in the same class as the mets, on pace to win 95 or more.
so why are you bustin on our nice kid Ryan Howard bro????
There are some seriously disturbed people in the world.
--art kyriazis, philly and wilkes-barre lover
PS I like the people of Scranton also
RYAN HOWARD IS A GREAT ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. I THINK HE IS TO GOOD FOR THE PHILLIES AND I AM A BIG PHILLIES FAN.
GOD BLESS RYAN HOWARD.
THANKS
