The Phillies should hope they lose this afternoon.

No, they aren’t actually playing a game. Exhibition season doesn’t start for another week or so.

This is much more important than that. This is about money.
Specifically, show me the money.

That’s what Ryan Howard wants the Phillies to do.

The team and their star slugger will sit down today across the table from each other at an arbitration hearing and try to convince the guy in charge why their salary figure is correct.

Click here for our beat writer Ryan Lawrence’s take on it.

The Phillies are offering Howard $7 million. He wants $10 million. So far this spring teams have won every arbitration hearing. The players are taking an 0-fer.
The Phillies should hope that streak stops this afternoon.

Howard is the face of the franchise. He puts people in the seats. Let me ask you this. Do you ever get up to hit the fridge, or the bathroom, when Howard is up? Of course not. You never know when he’s going to hit one of those moon shots into Ashburn Alley.

Why the Phillies would want to sit down across from him at a table and argue why he isn’t worth the money’s he’s asking for is beyond me.

Hey, it’s not my money. It is my team, however. I have big hopes for this year. And I want a happy Howard leading that charge.

So, just for this once, let’s hope the Phillies lose today.