Howard went to the hospital on Friday night after complaining of flu-like symptoms. He reportedly was suffering from a fever of 104 degrees. In the early morning hours, he was released from the hospital.

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Phillies go up against the Baltimore Orioles. Unless there is a miracle, Howard is set to miss the game.

Last year, Howard played all 162 games as the Phillies went on to win the 2008 World Series championship. He hasn’t missed a game since May of 2007.

On the season, Howard is hitting .254 with 19 homers, 51 RBIs and 42 runs. He also has 16 doubles and an on-base percentage of .330.

If Howard can’t play, Greg Dobbs will get the start at first base in place of Howard.

Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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In the second and third years of the contract, Howard can earn a bonus $1 million by winning the NL MVP. If he finishes in second place in the MVP voting, his consolation prize is $500K.

In arbitration, Howard was asking for $18 million and while he will only make $15 million this season, the long term security was obviously worth the dip in pay for the 2009 season.

To say Howard doesn’t this contract would be disingenuous. Over the last three seasons, he’s been one of the best sluggers in the National League. In 2008, Howard hit 48 homers and drove in 146 RBIs. Oh and he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series title.

In three years, a then 32-year-old Howard will hit the free agent market and will likely be the biggest catch of the offseason. Until then, Philadelphia will try to add to their trophy collection.

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Either way, Howard is going to be paid a hefty sum for 2009. And judging by the World Series championship and his stats, Howard will definitely deserve every penny. In 2008, Howard hit 48 homers, drove in 146 RBIs and had 105 runs. The only blemish in his stats was his pedestrian batting average of .251.

Over the last three seasons, Howard has emerged as one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. In each season, he has at least 47 homers and at least 136. The good news for the Phillies is he won’t become a free agent until after the 2011 season. If he were a free agent this season, he would have undoubtedly earned a contract paying well over $100 million.

Howard’s request of $18 million is far and away the most of any player in arbitration this season. In fact, it’s more than twice than the $8 million Prince Fielder asked for and Fielder had the second highest request.

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Although the hitters stars get most of the credit for Philadelphia’s title last season, Hamels was as important as any bat. He was the ace of the staff and played very well — both in the regular season and the playoffs. His regular season stats saw him rack up a 14-10 record with a 3.09 ERA. In the postseason, he was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.

Hamels has a few performance bonuses built into his contract based on the Cy Young Award. At 25, there’s a legitimate chance that he could have a Cy Young Award type future and lead the Phillies back to the promised land.

For the Phillies, Hamels was their second big re-signing in their rotation. Earlier in the offseason, they agreed on a deal with Jamie Moyer, the 45-year-old starting pitcher.

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Utley will undergo hip surgery and he could be out until June. Although that’s considered the pessimistic view of the recovery period, the Phillies will likely make sure their starting second baseman is 100% before they put him back out on the field.

In 2008, Utley overall had a fine season. In 159 games, Utley hit .292 with 33 homers and 104 RBIs. The 33 homers were a career-high for the 29-year-old Utley. Although Utley obviously wasn’t himself during the World Series, he was able to battle the pain long enough to hit two homers.

Although unlikely, there’s a chance that Utley could be back in the lineup for opening day.

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Philadelphia hadn’t seen a champion since the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers. The wait can now end as the Philadelphia Phillies captured the 2008 World Series by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

This wacky Game 5 had actually started on Monday night. But after bad weather suspended the game until Tuesday and then suspended it again until Wednesday, the two teams were finally able to get back on the field.

With the score tied at 2-2 as the game started, the Phillies struck first in the 6th. Geoff Jenkins doubled and then scored on a Jayson Werth single. Tampa Bay struck right back when Rocco Baldelli hit a solo shot to tie the game a three apiece.

The go ahead run was scored in the 7th inning by the Phillies. Pat Burrell hit a double off the wall and then scored on a Pedro Feliz hit to make the score 4-3. No team would score another run as Brad Lidge saved the game and win the World Series for the Phillies. Lidge, it should be noted, ended the season 48-for-48 in save opportunities.

Cole Hamels was named the MVP of the 2008 World Series as the city of Philadelphia finally felt the championship glory once again.

Phillies fans weren’t bashful in their celebration of the 2008 World Series championship.

Photo: Newscom

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The Phillies did it!

What does it feel like to be a World Series champion? Ask the Philadelphia Phillies, who on Wednesday took home the 2008 World Series title. These Phillies are now the champions of baseball for the year of 2008 and no one can take that away from them.

Ryan Howard has now established himself in history.

You can see Phillies World Series celebration videos here:

Photo: Newscom

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Due to the suspension, Game 5 will continue on Tuesday — which was originally a day off. The game will continue right where it was with the score tied at two apiece.

If the Rays win Game 5 on Tuesday, Game 6 will be in Tampa Bay on Wednesday. If the Rays can also win that game, Game 7 will be on Thursday in Tampa Bay. Each of the three games will be shown at 8PM and can be seen on television on Fox.

Here are BJ Upton and Carlos Pena in a video talking about the postponement of Game 5:

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Ryan Howard showed in Game 4 why he is such a feared hitter.

The Philadelphia Phillies, after their 10-2 win, are now one win away from winning the 2008 World Series and being declared the 2008 baseball champions. Leading in the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, the Phillies dominated in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the best out of seven series.

The big star on Sunday night was none other than Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman for the Phillies. Howard hit two home runs and finished the game 3-4 with walk and five RBIs.

Howard wasn’t the only hitting star for the Phillies on this night. Right fielder Jayson Werth had a home run of his own. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton was not only dominant on the mound, he also helped his own cause by hitting a home run in the fifth inning. On the mound, Blanton went six innings and gave up two runs while striking out seven batters.

The Rays could never get things going. Their only two runs of the game were courtesy of solo homers by Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske. Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine struggled, but he wasn’t alone. All four pitchers who pitched for Tampa Bay gave up at least one run.

The Phillies will go for the 2008 World Series championship on Monday. The Rays, on the other hand, will try to win the game and send the series back to Tampa Bay. The pitchers in Game 5 will be Scott Kazmir for the Rays and Cole Hamels for the Phillies. Game 5 of the World Series starts at 8PM eastern and will be shown on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

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Philadelphia Phillies take the lead in the 2008 World Series.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays on an infield hit in the bottom on the ninth inning to win Game 3 of the 2008 World Series. With the win, the Phillies lead the Rays two games to one in the best of seven series.

With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Ruiz hit a slow roller to third base and the throw home was not in time. The run made it 5-4 and gave the Phillies the win.

Earlier in the game, Ruiz hit a home run in the second inning off of Matt Garza. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard also hit homers for the Phillies. 45-year-old starting pitcher Jaime Moyer went 6.1 innings in which he gave up three earned runs and struck out five.

For the Rays, BJ Upton was again the star. Upton went 2-4 with a run and an American League World Series record three stolen bases. Carl Crawford also went 2-4 for Tampa Bay and scored two runs. Garza, the starter for the Rays, struck out seven batters but gave up four earned runs in six innings.

Game 4 will be on Monday night in Philadelphia. If the Phillies can win, they will be one win away from being the champions of baseball in 2008. If the Rays win, they will tie the series at 2-2 and have two of the final three games at home. The game will start at 8PM eastern and will be shown on television on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

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