Dear Ryan Howard,

Thank you for having been a crucial part of our team for the last 12 years. You have brought this city together for the love of baseball and have carried the team on your back numerous times. I still get chills from watching your old footage. My love of the game came from watching you play. I didn’t know what it was like to admire a professional athlete until you laced up your spikes and took the field in red and white pinstripes, that said you were my first love. I still remember being a rookie softball player in my first season, mimicking the way you kept your stance closed before each pitch. I can still step in the box and do it perfectly. You are iconic and will always be. Unfortunately, I never was able to shake your hand, or get you to sign my portrait of you holding the 2008 World Series trophy, but I do consider myself lucky to have even had the chance to watch you play every summer for the last 12 years. Thank you for everything you have done for this city.

Philadelphia will always be home.

Love,

Katelynn Reiss