Phillies news & links — Braves release Ryan Howard

There’s only one thing we could possibly start with today. You know what it is.

Braves release Ryan Howard

It looks like Ryan Howard’s journey on the comeback trail has hit an obstacle, and it might not be surmountable.

I’m of two minds here. On one hand, I’m happy that we never have to deal with seeing Ryan Howard in a Braves uniform actually playing for them. I only have so much vomit in my body, and a person can handle only so much cognitive dissonance.

But on the other hand, it’s probably over. Ryan Howard’s career is probably over. I won’t go as far as to say it should be over, since I can’t know what he’s dealing with in his head and with his emotions. But he was batting under .200 for the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves, and it’s going to be hard for him to pick up with another team after that. I’d love for him to explore going to Japan or Korea, because I think he could be really successful in either of those places. But he’s 37, and I can understand why he might not want to go to a foreign country with his wife and kids for a few years just so he can prolong his baseball career.

We all will have a lot to say about Ryan Howard if he decides to retire. If he does, I expect the Phillies to step up and have him sign a one-day contract so he can retire with the team. It’s where he belongs. I love him. You love him. Citizens Bank Park is his baseball home, and if he’s going to call it a career, it should all end there.

CHOOOOOOOOOOOCH!!!

GUYS CHOOCH IS COMING BACK. CHOOCH. IS COMING BACK.

Greg Johns of MLB.com wrote about Chooch’s role on the Mariners, and how much he’s looking forward to coming back. Philadelphia, you know what to do. He gets a long ovation and the loudest CHOOOOOOOCH cheers you can muster.

Even an off day can’t stop Aaron Altherr

Extra points to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly for naming his article on Aaron Altherr “Achtung Baby.” You’ll be disappointed to learn that Altherr doesn’t fully know German, but he knows what his last name means. (It means “old man.”)

Jayson Werth sees a lot of himself in Altherr, as Bob Brookover has written, and that’s not something I can complain about. Remember Werth in his heyday? We were angry that he chose to leave the Phillies because he was so good. At least I was. And because I’m an adult grown-up, I’m not angry anymore. SO STOP BOOING HIM.

Prospect Round-up

• Matt Gelb of Philly.com wrote about how this young crop of prospects needs to learn more patience at the place, or, as it’s written on the wall of the Lehigh Valley clubhouse, “Play like a Phillie Today.”
• Tom Housenick of the Morning Call got quotes from the IronPigs coaches about prospects and how they’ve been doing after a month
• The blog Notes from the Sally got their first look at Mickey Moniak.

Around the Phight

• If you for some reason thought that someone explaining themselves in a series of tweets made their thoughts invalid, I have good news! Our old friend taco pal has penned a fanpost.
• Cormican did a draft preview on first baseman Pavin Smith, which is a real name.
• I guested on the Felske Files mailbag episode with John Stolnis and Justin Klugh, and if you want to hear about Zach Eflin wearing lots of different hats (not a metaphor, I’m talking about actual hats), then give it a listen. (We talked about other stuff, too.)
• Justin Klugh managed to find five cool things about the Phillies win on Sunday, which is why he’s the master.