Howard calls induction into Nats Ring of Honor "a real thrill"

For a generation of Washington baseball fans, there always has been no bigger figure in this town than Frank Howard. And that's only in part because of Hondo's 6-foot-7 frame.

Howard has long been remembered as by far the best to ever play for the expansion version of the Senators that called D.C. home from 1961-71. He wasn't good enough to merit serious consideration for the Hall of Fame, but he was good enough to merit a statue outside Nationals Park, alongside permanent Cooperstown residents Walter Johnson and Josh Gibson.

And now, Howard's name has forever been immortalized inside the park, unveiled before tonight's game as the newest member of the club's Ring of Honor, joining ex-manager Frank Robinson (inducted last year) and Jackie Robinson (whose No. 42 is retired by all major league teams).

"I'm not one to live in the past," Howard said. "But I'll tell you what: Anytime you've got a chance to be on their team, Frank and Jackie Robinson's team, it's a real thrill for me. It really is. It's nice when somebody says: Welcome to the Ring of Honor."

Howard, who turned 80 earlier this month, has made a handful of appearances at Nationals games since the franchise arrived here in 2005, and he threw out the first pitch before a playoff game in 2012. He doesn't watch many games on TV but insists he still follows the Nationals and supports them from his home in western Loudoun County.

He appreciates how the Nationals have embraced both versions of the Senators - the first relocated to Minnesota in 1961, the second relocated to Texas in 1972 - but appreciates more how they've begun to accrue enough history of their own to recognize.

"They're not a young organization anymore," he said. "They're what, 12 years old? There's nothing more passe than an old ex-ballplayer. They wanted to create their own image, and they should. They've done a beautiful job, from top to bottom, from ownership to front office personnel to scouts to playing personnel. They've done a beautiful job."

Howard had positive words for the current best and most popular Washington ballplayer, Bryce Harper, who he met five years ago at a team event but didn't fully appreciate as a player until given a scouting report by Nationals assistant general manager Bob Boone.

"When Bob Boone tells you he's going to be special, you know he's going to be special," Howard said. "He's (23) years old, got four-five years in the big leagues. He hasn't even begun to scratch the surface. His next 10 years should be dynamite years."

Harper's recent 451-foot home run into the third deck at Nationals Park is one of four that has earned special designation by the club, with blue seats painted red. It's a tradition that carried over from RFK Stadium, where Howard's upper deck homers have long been denoted with white seats.

Howard managed to hit 44 or more homers three times while playing his home games at spacious RFK. How does he think he'd perform at D.C.'s current ballpark?

"I'll tell you what," he said, "if I were 25 years old, I'd put a few dents in those seats out there."

Among those honoring Howard before tonight's game was manager Dusty Baker, who grew up in Riverside, Calif., in the 1960s a rabid Dodgers fan. Baker's favorite player at that time was Tommy Davis, but he said his brother's favorite player was Howard.

"I've come in contact with Frank, oh, 100 times," Baker said. "He's always the most pleasant gentle giant of a man that I know. ... Playing games in the backyard, my brother was Frank Howard and I was Tommy Davis. I got to meet him on a few occasions and talk to him. Actually, I asked him for one of his bobbleheads today, and: 'Would you be honored if we made a trade?' And he said: 'Oh, yeah.' So he wants mine, too. I've come a long way."