Bobby Beat 2001 v5: What Good is a 41 Year Old Pitcher?

[jiminyhopkins]

Washington, DC--

Why is a team that should be rebuilding, agreeing to terms with a 41 year old starting pitcher?

Especially one who has had shoulder problems the last two seasons???

"We had to do something," GM Sean Marko said. "In my short time here, its been plain to see that overall this is an offensively dominated league. The few elite pitchers are hard to come by. Just look at the awards voting. There is a group of starting pitchers that rise above the rest, but the league as a whole is chock full of elite offensive players. And, when healthy, we feel that Ken Howell belongs in that group of pitchers."

This past season, Howell was shelled on opening day. Something clearly wasn't the same with his location or mechanics, but the wily vet demanded the ball for his next start on April 7th. Seven pitches later, his season was over. Howell's shoulder inflammation, the first in a devastating series of major injuries to befall the franchise, was most likely related to the DL stint that caused the right hander to miss the last half of the 2000 season as well.

"You're still talking about a guy who has a 2.81 career ERA and an 8:1 K:BB ratio. Howell is an elite arm and he lends respectability to the franchise every time he takes the mound. Rest assured, we plan on having our ace out there every 5th day throughout the 2002 season," Marko said.

The GM declined to comment on speculation that Howell would become a midseason trade commodity as the club's overdue rebuilding commences.