Look at that face. That is the face of a determined baseball player. This AP photo was taken just after Howard had stepped on the first base bag and the Phillies clinched the NL East division for a third straight season.
If you watch Howard during the initial on-field celebration it appeared to me as though he knew the most that the job was just beginning. You can tell by looking at the photo of Howard and Brad Lidge that Howard's focus is on a different level than some of his teammates as well. This is not to knock any of the other Phillies, because clinching a division takes hard work for a whole season. But to me this image represents that Howard is already thinking of the next objective, the NLDS.Brad Lidge entered the game last night and threw one pitch to record the final out. He deserved to have a moment of excessive celebratory feelings after everything he has been through this season.
Players like Raul Ibanez and Cliff Lee, who have either never been to the playoffs or have been absent from October baseball for an excrutiating long time, deserve to be filled with joy than the rest of the defending World Series champions.
I can not help but get a small boost of confidence in seeing how the team celebrated last night. In 2007 it was a great story to come from behind on the Mets and win the division at home on the final day of the regular season. In 2008 it was a similar story that ended on one of the best double plays in Phillies history.
In 2009 it was just taking care of business and getting to the next stage. Ryan Howard knew it. And that kind of mentality will carry through the clubhouse and maybe it will fuel the Phillies back to the World Series for a chance to do something that no National League team has done since the Big Red Machine did it in the seventies.
Next week can not get here soon enough.
Original Story:
http://macho-row.blogspot.com/2009/10...
