Oct. 26 -- HANK ON HOWARD; BLANTON GOES DEEP

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Before tonight's game, and before Ryan Howard blasted the three-run home run that may have clinched the Phillies' second World Series championship in their 126-year history, Hank Aaron had this to say about the majors' foremost power threat:

"Ryan is a great ballplayer. People have to understand, he might never hit .290. He's a guy, to me, that is really an asset to your ballclub. People have to understand that he's going to strike out. He might strike out twice tonight, and then the next night he might hit two home runs? Who knows? That's the kind of ballplayer he is. He's a terrific ballplayer. Ryan is good for the league, he's good for the Phillies, he's good for the game. He's a good player to watch. He's somebody you can be proud of, and kids can look up to, today, tomorrow and the next day.''

No word on what Hammerin' Hank thinks of Joe Blanton's swing.

Blanton just became the 14th pitcher to hit a home run in a World Series game and the first since Oakland's Ken Holtzman in Game 4 of the 1974 Series. That's right. Joe Blanton, an American League pitcher until mid-July, just homered in the World Series.

Crazy stuff.