By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor
Yesterday, we passed along a report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that noted that the Philadelphia Phillies "planned to honor" Ryan Howard in Sunday's season finale, which most likely will also serve as his final game as a member of the team. That reporting is vague, and though specific details still remain thin, more continues to come out about how the Phillies will honor Howard.
According to Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice, the Phillies will honor Howard with a pre-game ceremony:
The Phillies will have a “special pre-game presentation” to Ryan Howard, set to begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The matinee between the Phillies and Mets begins at 3:05 p.m., with gates opening at 1:05 p.m.
The Phillies won't call this Howard's last game with the team because they have to formally buy him out of his $23 million option after the season, though it's fair to guess Howard will speak prior to the game, there will be tribute videos and perhaps even a few messages from former and current teammates to Howard will appear on the scoreboard. If you didn't know better, you would call that a going out ceremony.
For numerous reasons, Sunday's game may be the best game to attend at Citizens Bank Park in the second half of the season. It's fan appreciation day, it will turn into an appreciation day of sorts for Howard and it could still have playoff implications for the Mets.
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