Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard wlll finally get to receive an honor that has been two years in the making. The Phoenix Desert Dogs, the Phillies' partner in the Arizona Fall League will retire Howard's number and honor him in a ceremony to be held on Wednesday, October 9. Howard played for the team in 2004 and hit .333 in 34 games. Howard did not register on the leader board for average or home runs, but not many on the list went on to much of a Major League career. The Desert Dogs did, however, win the league championship. The team in which he played for will not even be playing that night.
The Arizona Fall League provides an opportunity for teams to send their prospects or young players to receive some additional instruction and gain additional experience before heading home for winter. This year the Phillies are sending Ken Giles, Mike Nesseth, Kyle Simon, Cameron Rupp, and Aaron Altherr to the the league to play for the Peoria Javelinas.
