WOMEN AND THE WESTERN LIFESTYLE

Philadelphia Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard has two years remaining on his current contract with the club, but the team had no interest in potentially losing him as a free agent. For that reason, the Phillies have worked out a hefty contract extension with Howard that will pay him an average $25 million a year for the next five years. The deal is the second richest in Major League baseball behind the New York Yankees’ shortstop Alex Rodriguez who pulls down a cool $27.5 million per season.

Howard spoke of his loyalty to the team as a primary reason that he jumped at the deal without hesitation:

“That wasn’t a very hard decision.”

“I tell you what, it’s a great feeling to have that security and know where you’re going to be. I feel what I’ve been doing over the last couple of years, I feel pretty confident that down the road, I’ll be right where I want to be and still doing the same things.”

He then threw in a playful jab at the notoriously hostile Philadelphia fans:

“Hopefully there’s no riots taking place back in Philly.”

Even Philadelphia’s GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. was in a joking mood:

“As part of this deal, he has agreed to buy a second home for me.”

He then gave a more serious take:

“We just felt it was good timing for us. We felt No. 1, he’s one of the elite offensive players in the game. We could have waited another year and a half or so and dealt with it later on, but the fact of the matter is we decided he is that important to our organization and to our club and to our future.”

Howard’s agent Casey Close was also upbeat:

“This is a very good contract for him. The reason he felt the time was right was he loves his teammates, he loves the city. He wanted to be a part of something special for a long time to come.”

As was team manager Charlie Manuel:

“This is absolutely great. We signed Ryan Howard quite a few years ago and that means we’re keeping him. He’s one of our guys, he is a Phillie. It’s big for our team. That’s what you set out for. He’s very worthy of it. He is a great player and he is going to continue to be a great player for a while. Everything about it’s good.”

There is some risk involved for the ball club-despite a team option for the 2017 season they’re banking that Howard will remain a high level offensive player. The size of the contract, if nothing else, would make him almost impossible to trade should the team decide to go in a different direction. The Phillies have cooled off somewhat since a red hot start, but are still in first place in the National League East.

Checking out new baseball stadiums is a great way for fans who like to travel to have the best of both worlds in one trip. There are a lot of baseball fields that are meshed into downtown districts and provide fans with the chance to catch a game and then head out for a night on the town. This has become increasingly popular over the last decade.

There are a lot of clubs that designed their parks for this purpose. Fans of these teams tend to be pretty happy with this movement. The next time you plan on going to a game, think about where it is at and give time to check out the city after the game.

Take Coors Field in Denver as a good example. It is a popular and modern ball park that is in a beautiful part of the country. When the architects and planners developed the new park, the downtown area was in a slump. Now, the area is thriving with lots of shops and activities and has undergone a revitalization due to the stadium.

After the stadium opened up for business, the downtown area became a very popular stop for tourists as well as locals. The breweries in the neighborhood opened up pubs while stores and restaurants started to thrive. Not to mention that the most popular pedestrian mall in Denver is a short few blocks from the stadium.

Moving on to the west coast, we arrive at AT&T Park in San Francisco. This park is home to the Giants and has been since 2000. This area of the city is lively and very popular and has a lot of restaurants and bars along with great stores and museums.

Other attractions in the area include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Ferry Building farmers market. If you never visited there before, it is definitely worth going to on your next trip to the ball game. There are a variety of local meats, cheeses and produce that are all organically grown.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Safeco Field in Seattle Washington. The stadium is situated in the heart of the oldest neighborhood in the city, Pioneer Square. The Mariners play their games along some of Seattle’s best architecture and parks.

If you have a chance to see the Mariners play, make sure you take time to walk around and explore the neighborhood. Walking for just a few blocks in any direction gives you a taste of the culture and vibrancy of this historical Seattle neighborhood.