Ryan Howard won his arbitration case against the Phillies and will be getting $10 million this year, not the $7 million the team was offering. That $7 million was more than any other player with his length of service had ever received; the $10 million is the largest amount ever awarded a player with that length of service. It's also the first time that the Phillies have lost an arbitration case. What it will all mean going forward is up in the air. Meanwhile, as one wag put it, that extra 3 mill will allow Ryan to feed his family. No knock really against Howard, who in baseball terms deserves the raise. For the past two years he's piled up more homers and RBI than anyone in baseball. All in all, quite a raise for Mr. Howard, up from $900,000 last year. Guess dinner's on him tonight.
Yesterday Jimmy Rollins was showing off his new shoes, designed just for him by Nike. They're red, white, and blue, with the Phillies' Liberty Bell logo and MVP on them.
