Phillies investigating after fan throws beer bottle at Ryan Howard
The Philadelphia Phillies are investigating an incident following Saturday’s game in which an aluminum beer bottle was thrown at Ryan Howard.
According to Matt Breen of philly.com, the incident occurred as Howard walked back to the dugout after grounding out to end the game, which the Phillies lost 6-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers. The bottle landed harmlessly near Howard’s feet, but the 13-year veteran who has never worn another major-league uniform was clearly angered and rattled by the dangerous gesture.
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In fact, Howard’s anger had barely subsided by the time he arrived to Citizens Bank Park for Sunday’s finale against Milwaukee.
“I’ve done too much in this town to have that kind of stuff,” Howard said. “If you want to yell out ‘You suck,’ that’s whatever. But when you start throwing stuff, that’s when stuff gets personal.”
“We have to be held accountable,” Howard said. “If someone throws something, we’re just supposed to sit there and wear it and get hit. Nah man, we’re human beings first and foremost. People get it twisted. They see the baseball stuff and they don’t see you as a human being. They see you as someone that just plays baseball.”
Hopefully other fans at the ballpark will cooperate so this fan can be dealt with accordingly. There’s absolutely no call for throwing objects on the field or toward players under any circumstances. It doesn’t just put the players in jeopardy, it puts innocent fans in jeopardy.
As for Howard, his anger is justified on several levels. Maybe his wording comes off as someone going to the high and mighty route, but his time in Philadelphia does deserve more respect than he’s getting in his current state. Howard was a face of the franchise during one of its most successful periods, including a World Series championship team in 2008.
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Now 36, Howard is a star in steep decline, having been relegated to backup duties by manager Pete Mackanin. The writing has been on the wall for Howard for some time now, but the Phillies have been handcuffed by the worst contract in MLB history. That’s no doubt led to much of the frustration among Phillies fans, but obviously there are better ways to express that frustration.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
