May 2007 Archives
His Favorite Things
History class? His high school GPA? Dating?!
These weren't things I planned on using as talking points with Ryan Howard. It just sort of happened.
Let me take it back. It was President’s Day, my day off from work, when I made the trip. Hopped on a plane at Newark International Airport at 6:35AM and touched down in Tampa, Florida just before 10. I grabbed a cab and shot over to Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater. The Philadelphia Phillies were taking BP.
Ryan Howard, all 6’4”, 250 pounds of him, was standing in the outfield, smacking the inside of his maroon-and-white Rawlings baseball glove and making half-assed attempts at shagging lazy fly balls. I watched a little, scanned the pristine facility.
ESPN's Buster Olney was seated behind home plate. Phils’ manager Charlie Manuel was throwing a baseball up against the backstop. Two young guys, nine or ten, outfitted in uniforms were retrieving fouls. Crazy day. Just five hours ago, I was freezing. Now, I’m sitting at my first spring training.
After BP, the Phils ran through some conditioning drills, stretched a little and hit the showers. I waited. After almost an hour, Howard walked back out, posed for some photos and took a seat in the dugout along third base.
“Today is the first decent day all week,” he told me. Then we started talking. And I quickly found out that Ryan Howard is like an open book. Go ahead. Ask him about anything — Major League Baseball, girls, steroids, his new house, Philly sports fans, Thanksgiving, whatever. He’s quiet, even shy, but he’ll tell you about anything you want to know. So I did.
Hopefully, by now you’ve read (or at least seen) VIBE’s feature on Ryan Howard (“The Natural,” page 100) in our June issue. In there, I talked about MLB’s problem with steroids and Howard’s role in bringing the black players back to the game of baseball. But there was plenty of goodies that weren’t quite so serious that I couldn’t squeeze into the piece. So I’m unloading them here. One gem at a time. The real Ryan Howard steps out of the batter’s box and talks about what it’s like to be…well, Ryan Howard.
What's up, man? First, thanks for getting me out of New York. It’s like 20 degrees back there.
[laughs] No problem.
So, you know we cover a lot of music at VIBE. What type of music are you into?
Most definitely hip hop and R&B.
You don’t have to say that.
No, that’s what I listen to. I’m really into lyricists — Jay-Z, Ludacris, Jadakiss, Lil Wayne.
Aren’t you from St. Louis?!
Oh yeah! Nelly, Jibbs…I actually just saw Jibbs at his album release party.
Cool. So, what is the most extravagant thing you’ve bought since going pro?
Hmmm…Most extravagant? Hopefully I’ll be able to tell you that in the next year. I did just buy a new truck.
What kind?
A 2007 Cadillac Escalade, the big body. But hopefully, within the next year, I’ll get the real present to myself.
Is it a secret or something?
I mean, I can tell you what I want. It’s a nice little Aston Martin — something nice, a little spicy to mix things up a little bit. It’s a gift to myself for all the hard work. You got to reward yourself every once in awhile.
I heard you just bought a house, too.
Yeah, I’m building one now in St. Louis.
What’s your style like? Are you making it look fly or crazy or what?
No electric greens or nothing like that! It’s more laid-back but I’m trying to put my own twist on it — maybe for different rooms or different themes or whatever. An office is going up in there, a bar…
Are you big into drinking?
Nah! You know, it’s more for appeal. Every basement, you always want to have that bar down there just for the sports appeal. I’m gonna put a couple card tables down there. It’s just gonna be a loose, relaxed place where you can come out and play some games, some foosball or ping-pong if anybody wants to get run up.
Wait. You’re good at ping-pong, too?
Yeah. Well, actually, I gotta practice because some of my teammates have been spanking me up.
Since you’re not big into the bottle, do you go out to the club much?
I’ll go out in Philly. Sometimes you just need that release, especially when it’s a long season and you’ve been having a rough stretch. Just getting out and being carefree and loose.
The question I’m sure everyone is dying to know: Does Ryan Howard dance?
You know…I have been known to cut up a rug or two every once in awhile.
[laughs]
I’ll mostly be posted up on the wall or at a table, but if need be, if I have to come down and we have to break dance, then I will!
Are you being serious?
I’m an ‘80’s baby, man! We always had a lot of dancing and stuff in the clubs, so we’ll go and just hang out and do our thing.
You have a son, right?
Yeah, Darian. He just turned 6. He’ll be driving tomorrow. He’s 6 going on 35. He lives in Kansas City.
Does he realize who you are?
He has an idea, but it hasn’t completely hit him. I took him to the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game last year and his friends were like, ‘I saw you on TV!’
Any chance he’ll follow your path to the Major Leagues?
He’s played T-ball the last two years. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to go back and check out the games because I’m always on the road. But I catch the highlights on the videotaped Sportscenter. [laughs]
Okay, I’m not sitting up at night wondering about this but I have to ask: Are you married?
Oh, nooo…No, no, no.
Dating someone?
Technically…Alright, I guess I can try to answer that…See, she’s going to get mad at me…Technically, no, but technically there is somebody I kind of talk to.
Sounds confusing.
Sorry, ladies. But I’ll keep you up to date. [laughs] Make sure you tell them there are good guys out here, though!
Last question, why should the VIBE reader who only picked up the magazine to read about Beyonce care about Ryan Howard?
Why? ‘Cause I’m real. I am R to the E to the A to the L. And it’s baseball. Try something new!
The Rich Gets Richer
Last night, the Portland Trail Blazers — who already have last year’s Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy on their roster — won the lottery for the rights to the first pick in next month’s NBA Draft. The Seattle Supersonics won the rights to the second pick. Meaning? Well, I, for one, haven’t seen a Sonics game since Shawn Kemp (these dunks are crazy!) left the building and managed to catch a single Blazers game this year, but only because I had a free one-week trial of NBA League Pass going at the time. Expect that to change next season.
The real story here, though, might be that the results of the Draft indicate that Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, far and away the two best players in this year’s Draft, are going to be heading to the Western Conference. They’ll join (let’s list ‘em): Dirk, Nash, Kobe, Duncan, T-Mac, Yao, A.I., and Carmelo. Not to mention: Amare, Boozer, Parker, Ginobili, Howard, and Baron. Oh, and Garnett, Artest, Paul, Brand, Bibby and Gasol. Meaning? The rich just got richer.
I’m not sure how many of you saw…er, made it through Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons, but if arguing over whether LeBron James should have passed or shot (and he was right to pass) on the last possession of the game is the biggest story coming out of the Eastern Finals, us fans out East are in trouble. And, while some Eastern Conference owners have to be happy about Oden and Durant heading out West, the NBA Draft lottery certainly didn’t do anything to make us fans feel any better…
1. Portland Trail Blazers. Lucky? Yeah. But, despite minimal national coverage, the Blazers didn’t give up on their ’06-’07 season and I love the idea of Brandon Roy becoming an NBA superstar. Portland selects Oden here and one of the League’s most underrated franchises returns to the top.
2. Seattle Supersonics. No one is happier this morning than Ray Allen. The Sonics have absolutely stunk for a few years now. And while I don’t know anything about the politics or business behind the talks of the Sonics trying to relocate the team, I’m sure it’s nothing Kevin Durant couldn’t help out with.
3. Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks notoriously screw up with their draft choices. Uh, yeah…I wouldn’t expect ‘em to change now.
4. Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizz should be a lot less devastated by falling to number four than the Celtics should be about falling to five. Get Pau Gasol back healthy, find a steady point guard and pick up a Corey Brewer-type here and they’re a .500 team at worst.
5. Boston Celtics. HAHAHAHA. Boston tanked games on purpose this season. They’ve got David Stern talking about changing the Draft. And they still end up at five. Karma, anyone? HA!
6. Milwaukee Bucks. Bad things do happen to good people. Like the Grizzlies and Celtics, Milwaukee had the best shot to get a top-three pick. I genuinely like this team and Michael Redd but when do they get over the hump at the bottom of the East?
7. Minnesota Timberwolves. Minus Garnett, can the average fan name another player on the T-Wolves? If they’re going to keep K.G. (Full disclosure: I'm a Bulls fan and want a trade), they need to make a move and make a move fast.
8. Charlotte Bobcats. Adding more youth to a young team. The ‘Cats are still a few years away from being any sort of contender out East but they’re better than people give them credit for.
9. Chicago Bulls. Amare Stoudemire to the Bulls in a three-way trade with the Suns and Timberwolves? Say it is so. Otherwise, the Bulls need to go big here.
10. Sacramento Kings. With Oden headed out to Portland, the West is becoming the land of the big man once again. Like the Bulls, the Kings need to revamp their front line.
11. Atlanta Hawks. Uh, yeah…I still wouldn’t expect ‘em to change here either.
12. Philadelphia 76ers. Doesn’t seem fair that the Sixers, who actually played their best ball of the season after A.I. left, get dropped this low in the draft. Still, they've got three first-round picks to help turn things around.
13. New Orleans Hornets. Injuries decimated the Hornets this season and they still almost managed to make the playoffs. With a permanent return to New Orleans next season, they won’t be in the lottery in ’08.
14. Los Angeles Clippers. They were one win away.
CAN HE KICK IT?
Amare Stoudemire doesn’t strike me as someone who just makes things up. So when I heard him call Bruce Bowen “a dirty player,” I listened. And then I hit YouTube.
And then I wondered why people were so surprised at this. There’s a reason Bruce Bowen is always on the All-Defensive Team but has never won a Defensive Player of the Year award. The guy knows how to shut you down on a basketball court — and he doesn’t have to slap the floor and get low to do it. If you want someone to slide their feet, keep the hand-checks to a minimum and yell when he forces turnovers, don’t ask Bruce.
He’s like a quiet assassin. Somehow, San Antonio manages to camouflage Bowen behind Tim Duncan and Tony Parker and, uh, Eva Longoria. He’s not Carmelo Anthony or Rasheed Wallace or even Shaq, who from time to time (or every time), manages to lower a shoulder in the paint and knock someone to the ground. Bowen isn’t loud or boisterous or the type to initiate a fight. He managed to make his side of an argument with New York Knicks’ head coach Isiah Thomas earlier this season look like a casual conversation.
But is Bowen as bad as fellow players make him out to be? Is he really out there trying to take out Amare Stoudemire’s Achilles? Is he a “dirty player”?
Check YouTube. Where there’s smoke there’s fire. There's a reason they call him Bruce "Lee" Bowen. It’s just amazing we’re all still so surprised.
MAYWEATHER MAYHEM, PT. 2
I've got Floyd Mayweather, Jr. beating Oscar De La Hoya in the 11th round Saturday night...I also had the Mavericks over the Warriors in 5. Go figure.
Make sure you read our exclusive interview with Mayweather, Jr.
Enjoy the fight.
THE STUDENT BECOMES THE TEACHER?
Do any teams need the services of "Me-Shawn"?
I'll be back on my NBA grind tomorrow, but wanted to drop a quick post to acknowledge what must be like a bad dream for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. If you caught the NFL Draft on Saturday, the Panthers used their second round pick in the to select former USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett. Keyshawn, who served as an analyst for ESPN's coverage of the draft, reacted like a giddy school kid, remarking that he was so glad the Panthers selected Jarrett because Johnson, an ex-USC receiver himself, could help him mature in the NFL before he retired.
Oops!
Now comes the news that, because Jarrett, like Johnson, is a 6'4" possession receiver, the Panthers will no longer need Keyshawn's services. He was cut today.
As usual, Keyshawn spoke too soon. Did we just see his career end?
