By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
While Philadelphia Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has suggested that the final month of Ryan Howard's Phillies career may not be filled with too many starts, it's certain to be filled with nostalgia.
Howard, who ranks among the Phillies all-time leaders in various offensive categories, is all but a lock to not return to the club in 2017 after his five-year/$125 million deal, which has turned out to be one of the worst deals in MLB history, expires. Still, Howard was one of the core members of the Phillies second golden era and it's hard to find any moments relating to the team's 2007-2011 playoff run, or even 2005 and 2006 for that matter, that would have happened without Howard's presence on the team.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki recently caught up with Howard to discuss some of his greatest accomplishments with the team, including the final moment of the 2008 World Series:
"I remember [pitching coach Rich] Dubee coming to the mound when they brought Hinske up to pinch-hit. He asked Brad, 'Hey, you've faced him before. How did it go?' I distinctly remember Lidge saying, 'He waffled me.' [Laughs.] I just sat there like, 'Holy [cow], what is about to take place?' I had to try to keep it in. OK, well, he better throw the hell out of that slider here. Then he threw him the last slider, Chooch caught it, Brad goes down on his knees, Chooch comes out and I'm like, 'I'm coming in hot. I'm taking them both out.' I took both of them out, which was a terrible mistake because we both wound up on the bottom of the pile. It can get very heavy with all of those guys on top of you. But it was an awesome moment."
Howard's story is interesting and would be more interesting if Carlos Ruiz, who the team traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the waiver trade deadline, could lend his thoughts on it. Was Ruiz as nervous when Lidge referenced his previous history against Eric Hinske? It also would be interesting to know if Ruiz and Lidge remember the impact of being barreled over by Howard after the final out, or if adrenaline allowed them to absorb the hit of Howard, who weighed at least 240 pounds at that time.
