Hey everyone, this is Jonathan Tannenwald, host of the PhilliesCast, coming to you from the mother ship on North Broad Street.
I just got word from Todd down in Clearwater that Ryan Howard's salary arbitration hearing has ended.
Howard hasn't emerged yet, but his Escalade is parked in front of the building where the hearing is taking place. Tal Smith, who prepared the case for the Phillies, said the hearing wasn't contentious.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Todd filed this story earlier this afternoon, and there are some good quotes in it from Smith.
"It doesn't need to be [contentious], it's nothing more than a continuation of the debate that the parties had during the negotiation [process]," he said. "I don't think it's anything degrading or demeaning at all."
Smith also discussed how Howard's three years of service in baseball factored into the hearing.
"That's certainly a major portion of the criteria - length and consistency of a career. Basically, that's what the debate is about," he said. "There's no denying his performance, it's a question of how that slots in with the rest of the criteria."
Comments (5)
How soon until we get an answer?
Geez--you'd think they were deciding MY salary I'm so nervous!
Posted by Andrew | February 20, 2008 2:41 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 14:41
When you see the Brinks Truck roll up, they will have their decision.
Posted by Case | February 20, 2008 3:03 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 15:03
Dear Todd,
All due respect, but is this level of detail really necessary for a story like this?
Love the blog - read it every day. But this is veering into "Live From..." territory, which I just kicked out of my RSS reader the other day. It's a tad silly.
Sincerely,
TJ
Posted by TJ | February 20, 2008 3:34 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 15:34
TJ, I agree. I wonder if it was Chase if J. Tannenwald or whatever would have mentioned the type of vehicle he drove.
Posted by Truth | February 20, 2008 3:47 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 15:47
Geez, Truth, since you're so in love with Howard, I thought you'd want to know every little detail.
And of course you had to bring up Chase. AGAIN! You really do have issues with the guy.
Posted by Norma | February 20, 2008 8:19 PM
Posted on February 20, 2008 20:19