Roy Howell---1981
How many times have you seen
someone and wondered, “I know that
guy from somewhere.”? Turns out
you were dead on when those creepy
Burger King commercials started to
air in recent years. With little fanfare,
the large-headed fellow emulating
"The King" is no walking candied
apple, but in reality--- former Blue
Jay third baseman Roy Howell.
On the diamond, Howell was a pretty
fair player at the hot corner. He
played 11 seasons in the big
leagues, including stints with the
Rangers, Jays and Brewers. His best
years came with Toronto, which
plucked the red-haired Howell from
Texas in the expansion draft. He was
tabbed the fledgling Jays’ all-star
representative and most valuable
player in 1978, which is akin to being
the best barbecue chef at a
vegetarian cook-off. After all, the club
concluded its second campaign with
a 59-102 record, better than only
fellow expansion team Seattle, which
went 56-104.
Howell concluded his playing days
with a .261 batting average in 1,112
games at the major league level. His
best day in the big leagues came on
September 10, 1977, when he went 5-
for-6 with nine RBIs versus the New
York Yankees. Howell likely felt pretty
good about his performance that
day, yet little did he know then what
opportunities and hamburger fame
apparently awaited once his baseball
career came to a close.
5/2/08
someone and wondered, “I know that
guy from somewhere.”? Turns out
you were dead on when those creepy
Burger King commercials started to
air in recent years. With little fanfare,
the large-headed fellow emulating
"The King" is no walking candied
apple, but in reality--- former Blue
Jay third baseman Roy Howell.
On the diamond, Howell was a pretty
fair player at the hot corner. He
played 11 seasons in the big
leagues, including stints with the
Rangers, Jays and Brewers. His best
years came with Toronto, which
plucked the red-haired Howell from
Texas in the expansion draft. He was
tabbed the fledgling Jays’ all-star
representative and most valuable
player in 1978, which is akin to being
the best barbecue chef at a
vegetarian cook-off. After all, the club
concluded its second campaign with
a 59-102 record, better than only
fellow expansion team Seattle, which
went 56-104.
Howell concluded his playing days
with a .261 batting average in 1,112
games at the major league level. His
best day in the big leagues came on
September 10, 1977, when he went 5-
for-6 with nine RBIs versus the New
York Yankees. Howell likely felt pretty
good about his performance that
day, yet little did he know then what
opportunities and hamburger fame
apparently awaited once his baseball
career came to a close.
5/2/08
