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!
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Comments
1.
that dude says:
good interview. glad to see the spammers are reading.
06/12/2007 at 5:50 AM