Ryan Howard had a bad week, if there can be such a thing when you're a professional baseball player.
The Phillies slugger, in the midst of a woeful slump, found himself in an unfamiliar position this week, on the bench.
Manager Ryne Sandberg gave his cleanup hitter a spot on the pine three straight days, including a game in which the opponent on the mound was Tim Hudson, a right-hander Howard has tortured over his career.
Yesterday, Howard was back in the No. 4 spot and served notice early on that he was back. He hit one of his trademark towering homers to left-center to give the Phils a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning.
Later he was involved in a key play in which he appeared to be dead at the plate attempting to score when D-Backs second baseman Didi Gregorius butchered a pop fly. Howard was out by a good 15 feet. However, after being tagged out, Howard motioned that Arizona catcher Miguel Montero.
The go-ahead run held up as the Phils hung on for a 4-2 win.
After the game, Howard was asked about his week.
"Want to trade places?" Howard quickly responded. "Want to see what it's like? No, you don't."
I couldn't see a smile, but I am hoping Howard was kidding.
Howard gets paid a ridiculous amount of money to play baseball. I don't begrudge him one penny of it. Any time someone asks me how professional athletes can be paid so much, I always answer the same way: Because they can.
That's the way the system works. No one forced the Phillies to lavish Howard with that outlandish contract extension that now hangs around the franchise's neck like a millstone.
Also remember this, nobody walks away from money?
Remember when Reggie White said God told him to play in Green Bay? Yeah, right, that and a boatload of cash.
I will never boo or badmouth Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins or Cole Hamels. Do you know why? Because they did something very few pro athletes in this town have done. They gave us a parade.
That said, Howard needs a reality check.
Would I trade places? In a heartbeat.
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