June 13, 2016
Ralph Freso/AP
Ryan Howard will sit out his sixth straight game on Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. He's handled his extended benching (and a beer bottle thrown his way) with professionalism.
The man who allegedly threw an aluminum beer bottle at Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard earlier this month turned himself in to Philadelphia police on Friday.
Sidney Smith, 21 of Wilmington, Delaware, was issued a summary citation for disorderly conduct and released by police at the South Detective Division.
Smith allegedly hurled the bottle toward Howard after he made the last out in a 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 4. Howard was not struck with the bottle. He was outspoken in his anger.
"I've done too much in this town to have that kind of stuff," Howard told reporters the next day. "If you want to yell out 'You suck,' that's whatever. But when you start throwing stuff, that's when stuff gets personal."
Smith left Citizens Bank Park without being stopped or ejected by Phillies security. The Phillies director of security reported the incident to Philadelphia police the next afternoon.
As days passed without anyone being arrested, Howard was asked if the incident changed his view of Phillies fans.
“Does it change? I mean, there are a few bad apples,” he said. “There's a lot of passionate people. There's a lot of great fans. There's been a lot of support, walking around the streets and seeing a lot of people. They tell me to keep my head up, stay at it. There's a lot of positive support. It's the bad apples that kind of give the town a bad rap.”
Howard, a former National League MVP, has struggled throughout the season, which almost certainly is his final year in Philadelphia. Once a cornerstone in a potent Phillies lineup, the slugger was benched earlier this year in favor of rookie Tommy Joseph.
