Title
Recognizing, congratulating, and honoring Ryan Howard for his 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies; and commending his dedication to philanthropy throughout the City of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Ryan James Howard was born on November 19th, 1979 in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Lafayette High School and Missouri State University before being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies (the “Phillies”) in the 5th round of the 2001 Major League Baseball (“MLB”) Draft; and
WHEREAS, Ryan Howard made his MLB debut on September 1st, 2004 and hit his first Major League home run 10 days later on September 11th, a sight that would become familiar to Phillies fans and opposing pitchers over the course of Ryan’s impressive career; and
WHEREAS, Ryan is the last player remaining from the Phillies’ 2008 World Series championship and played a pivotal role in that victorious post-season run, the team’s first championship since 1980 and the City of Philadelphia’s first since 1983. Over the course of that season, Ryan led the league in home runs with 48 and swatted 3 more during the 2008 World Series, helping to lift the Phillies over the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 1; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his team’s success, Ryan has also earned several individual honors over the course of his outstanding career. In 2005, Ryan won the National League Rookie of the Year and the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 2006. Additionally, Ryan is a three-time National League All-Star and has won the Silver Slugger Award, Hank Aaron Award and the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Known for his incredible power, Ryan is a member of the 50 home run club, a two-time National League home run champion, and became the fastest player in MLB history to reach both the 100 and 200 homerun milestones, passing these marks in 2007 and 2009, respectively; and
WHEREAS, Not surprisingly, Ryan holds the Phillies franchise record for homeruns by a Phillies batter in a single season with a total of 58 home runs in the 2006 season, surpassing Mike Schmidt’s record of 48 home runs set during the 1980 season. Ryan will finish his career with the Phillies at number 67 on the list of Major League all-time home run leaders with a total of 382 home runs; and
WHEREAS, In addition to all of Ryan’s success on the field, Ryan was also one of the team’s most visible volunteers in the community. His dedication to his adoptive City of Philadelphia has been felt through several charities including Ryan Howard’s Celebrity Servers, his work with the Police Athletic League, The Ryan Howard Family Foundation and The Ryan Howard Big Piece Foundation, which is dedicated to improve the lives of children by promoting academic and athletic development. The Ryan Howard Reading Challenge, created by The Ryan Howard Big Piece Foundation, is a K-3 literacy-based program that encourages reading among students from across Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Most recently, this past summer, Ryan opened a new training center, The Ryan Howard Training Center. Comprised of 7,500 square feet and four retractable batting cages, the facility will provide over 8,000 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (“RBI”) participants access to fitness training and educational instruction; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his 12-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard has earned the gratitude and admiration of our great City through his remarkable dedication to philanthropy and public service, and through his heroic 2008 World Series Championship performance; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHIADELPHIA, Hereby recognizes, congratulates, and honors Ryan Howard for his 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies; and commends his dedication to philanthropy throughout the City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Ryan Howard as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.
End