Today's Dish: Internet To Reach Philadelphia Later This Year

Ryan Howard signs extension with Philadelphia Phillies -  SI.com
The Philadelphia Phillies signed Ryan Howard to a five-year extension with a club option for a sixth year on Monday. The team said the deal guarantees Howard $125 million over five years and could be worth as much as $138 million over six seasons.

How does something like this happen in this day and age?  An information-packed era where anyone can find out almost anything and everything.  There are so many advanced stats, analysis, reader/fan input, mega-data overloaded thingamajigs available to the people who make these decisions, and yet ridiculous signings continue to happen.  Do they not have the internet in Philadelphia?  I'd be very interested in hearing what logic have they use to justify this contract?

What Are the Phillies Thinking? - FanGraphs Baseball
Even if you think baseball’s salary per win goes up to $4.25 million this coming offseason and rises at a 5% clip every winter through 2017, Howard will need to produce an average of 4.75 wins from 2012 through 2017 just in order to justify his salary. In other words, Howard will need six seasons that were better than his 2009 season, except over his 32-37 years. I’m not sure I would lay even money on him achieving even half of that. This contract is both incredibly risky and unnecessary since Howard was already signed through 2011. Say hello to baseball’s newest worst contract.

When the internet finally gets to Philadelphia, maybe they should read this...or not.

Yankee fan alleges racism at Angel Stadium -  The Orange County Register
‘The usher looked at me and said, ‘You don’t speak English, get the f— out," Gonzalez said… in English. ‘He then looked at my wife and said, ‘You look like you speak English, why are you with them?"

What the usher was referring to wasn't racially motivated when he said "what are you doing with them", he wondered why she was hanging out with Yankee fans.  Have you seen the picture of the usher?  I realize racist charges are nothing to laugh at, but still, some of the comments being written around the blogoshere are cracking me up.  Especially the Wilfred Brimley ones.