Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Phillies star Ryan Howard fields grounders occasionally here at Phillies camp, and today he took batting practice at Bright House Field. Afterward, he was all smiles. His spirits were obviously high, but he made no predictions about when he'd be able to play in games.

"I feel good about where I am right now ... I guess I'm right where I'm supposed to be,'' is how Howard characterized things at a press conference to talk about all things related to the dramatic finish to his season and his lengthy recovery (it's at four months and counting) from his surgery to repair his torn left Achilles suffered on the season's final at-bat.

Howard said he felt very good while hitting and saw no reason for any dropoff in productivity once he's back on the field for real. In fact, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel actually predicted Howard's best years were ahead of him. The shift has surely taken a bite of his batting average which has been in decline, but there is no reason to think the Achilles injury will affect him longer than the time it takes to heal.

The hope is that he's in the Phillies lineup by sometime in May, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said. "He's got a lot of strength to gain. We're going to be very cautious with it,'' Amaro said.

Howard said he's heard he's not going to be at full strength until the All-Star break. He didn't say whether he heard that from one of the Phillies doctors or one of the many lay people who chatted him up at the grocery store and other spots this winter. Howard referred to the injury as "a blessing in disguise'' because it gave him time to think. It was quite a disguise, as intense pain on top of making the final out of the season is no highlight. He said he saw the replay once. No reason to view it more than that.

Referring to making the final out two years running (although last year it was more hobbling than running), Howard joked that this could be his year to come through. "I'm about due,'' he said.

He may be a giddy to be here after all the inactivity. He said his winter consisted a lot of "housewives'' shows, the result of being immobile and unable to wrest the clicker away from his fiancee.

So understandably, just being in camp is a welcome step for him.

dlopez711 Since: Feb 11, 2012	Posted on: February 23, 2012 2:23 pm This comment has been removed. Post Deleted by Administrator
EvilNumber2 Since: Sep 20, 2006	Posted on: February 23, 2012 2:02 pm Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date @dlopez, i not only HAD that injury and the surgery, but i had the foresight to make an appointment with the then team doctor of the flyers and eagles. bartolozzi. you can find his resume here: http://www.3bortho.com/index.cfm/fu seaction/site.physicians/action/dtl /phys/99852992.cfm also, i took a tremendous interest in physical therapy and post-operative care with that injury and found a home for myself in medical underwriting. for your information, i DO work in the medical field. i'm not a doctor, persay, but i look at medical records every day and have done so for the last 10 years. i can tell you approximately how long it takes to heal from a BKA, Lumbar fusion, TKR, TBI and yes, ACL replacements and cartilage excision... amongst many other things. ACL replacements, tommy john surgery, and yes, achilles tendon repairs are fairly customary for good well-trained physicians. here's a question for you... why don't you go back to yankees land with your brand new sportsline account and your dreams filled with A-ROID and rivera? btw, how did that AJ burnett signing go over for you? just what i thought. ps. capitalization is not nearly as important as grammar, punctuation and spelling. you obviously missed third period english based on the trolling comments you keep posting. i bet you're a joke of a yankees fan in oklahoma or some garbage. congrats. [ Reply to Comment ]
EvilNumber2 Since: Sep 20, 2006	Posted on: February 23, 2012 1:51 pm Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date dlopez is a two week old yankees troll. just ignore him. [ Reply to Comment ]
dlopez711 Since: Feb 11, 2012	Posted on: February 23, 2012 12:40 pm This comment has been removed. Post Deleted by Administrator
dlopez711 Since: Feb 11, 2012	Posted on: February 23, 2012 12:38 pm This comment has been removed. Post Deleted by Administrator
Eagles117 Since: Feb 28, 2008	Posted on: February 23, 2012 11:14 am Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date I think for when Howard actually comes back has a lot with how the Phillies start off and how Jim Thome and Ty Wiggington handle the 1st base job in his absence. I hope they don't rush him back only for him to have a set back. Even Mayberry can play 1st and have Brown in LF if he does well in Spring Training. If the offense starts fine I see no reason to rush Howard back, let him stay out till June or July if he has to. The last thing the Phillies need if for Howard to be out all year with this injury from having to come back too fast. Maybe the injury will finally force him to change his swing and get around the shift, who knows? [ Reply to Comment ]
warningtrakpowr Since: Nov 19, 2006	Posted on: February 23, 2012 11:05 am Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date I'm not a doctor but I did suffer this same injury, a complete rupture of my right achilles tendon playing baseball. I had surgery the next day and began the rehab process as soon as I was out of my cast. I know everybody is different and healing times can vary from person to person but this injury took a good 6 months for me to heal enough to play again and another 6 months to truly trust it. I don't think the injury itself will be that tough to overcome from experience. The biggest issue he will face IMO is the mental hurdle of trusting it again and feeling like he can plant and rotate and use the leg. I've had many injuries throughout my career but none was even close to the amount of pain this one caused me both physically and mentally. Good luck Ryan. [ Reply to Comment ]
8Cowboys22 Since: May 22, 2007	Posted on: February 23, 2012 7:32 am Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date I really hope Phillies Ryan Howard can be ready by May 1st, but I wouldn't count on it...achiles injuries take a long time to heal, plus it's easy to aggrivate the injury if you are not careful. I'm not a doctor either, but I'd say he stands a better chance of being full strength around June. If Howard's batting average has dropped so much since other teams have employed the shift, why doesn't he adjust his hitting style...if he started hitting to left or left center, his average would go up considerably...just my opinion. Last year, Chase Utley was out for some significant time, and this year Ryan Howard. The Phillies have to face adversity early in the season again...fortunately, they have a great pitching staff, but I worry about them scoring runs. [ Reply to Comment ]
slkaos3 Since: Apr 30, 2007	Posted on: February 23, 2012 1:27 am Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date What knowledge do you have in the medicl field.I too had a major knee injury and I don't claim to be a doctor like you do.I guess when you were in schooll ,they nevr taught you that you capitalize the first letter of a sentence. Not to mention those pesky spaces at the end of them.... [ Reply to Comment ]
dlopez711 Since: Feb 11, 2012	Posted on: February 23, 2012 1:10 am This comment has been removed. Post Deleted by Administrator

@dlopez, i not only HAD that injury and the surgery, but i had the foresight to make an appointment with the then team doctor of the flyers and eagles. bartolozzi. you can find his resume here: http://www.3bortho.com/index.cfm/fu

seaction/site.physicians/action/dtl

/phys/99852992.cfm

also, i took a tremendous interest in physical therapy and post-operative care with that injury and found a home for myself in medical underwriting. for your information, i DO work in the medical field. i'm not a doctor, persay, but i look at medical records every day and have done so for the last 10 years. i can tell you approximately how long it takes to heal from a BKA, Lumbar fusion, TKR, TBI and yes, ACL replacements and cartilage excision... amongst many other things. ACL replacements, tommy john surgery, and yes, achilles tendon repairs are fairly customary for good well-trained physicians.

here's a question for you... why don't you go back to yankees land with your brand new sportsline account and your dreams filled with A-ROID and rivera?

btw, how did that AJ burnett signing go over for you? just what i thought.
ps. capitalization is not nearly as important as grammar, punctuation and spelling. you obviously missed third period english based on the trolling comments you keep posting. i bet you're a joke of a yankees fan in oklahoma or some garbage. congrats.

Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date

I think for when Howard actually comes back has a lot with how the Phillies start off and how Jim Thome and Ty Wiggington handle the 1st base job in his absence. I hope they don't rush him back only for him to have a set back. Even Mayberry can play 1st and have Brown in LF if he does well in Spring Training. If the offense starts fine I see no reason to rush Howard back, let him stay out till June or July if he has to. The last thing the Phillies need if for Howard to be out all year with this injury from having to come back too fast. Maybe the injury will finally force him to change his swing and get around the shift, who knows?

Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date

I'm not a doctor but I did suffer this same injury, a complete rupture of my right achilles tendon playing baseball. I had surgery the next day and began the rehab process as soon as I was out of my cast. I know everybody is different and healing times can vary from person to person but this injury took a good 6 months for me to heal enough to play again and another 6 months to truly trust it. I don't think the injury itself will be that tough to overcome from experience. The biggest issue he will face IMO is the mental hurdle of trusting it again and feeling like he can plant and rotate and use the leg. I've had many injuries throughout my career but none was even close to the amount of pain this one caused me both physically and mentally. Good luck Ryan.

Ryan Howard takes BP, won't predict return date

I really hope Phillies Ryan Howard can be ready by May 1st, but I wouldn't count on it...achiles injuries take a long time to heal, plus it's easy to aggrivate the injury if you are not careful. I'm not a doctor either, but I'd say he stands a better chance of being full strength around June. If Howard's batting average has dropped so much since other teams have employed the shift, why doesn't he adjust his hitting style...if he started hitting to left or left center, his average would go up considerably...just my opinion.

Last year, Chase Utley was out for some significant time, and this year Ryan Howard. The Phillies have to face adversity early in the season again...fortunately, they have a great pitching staff, but I worry about them scoring runs.

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