Yes, there is another Frank Howard. Fans of Hondo should be aware of the other Howard, lest they be misinterpreted in conversation or writing, though occasion be rare. Just a useful knowledge nugget to tuck away. (Bear with me here, there's a tenuous Nationals connection, I'll get to it eventually.)
Frank Howard can best be described as the Bear Bryant of Clemson football. In his 30 years of coaching Howard won 165, lost 118 and tied 12. That victory total is still among the top 40 coaches in the history of the game.
His son Jimmy, with whom I am acquainted, owns a popular bar in downtown Clemson, the Sloan St. Tap Room. Beer costs less when you own the bar. My wife, who graduated from Clemson, also worked at the bar during her college days, and returns for an annual horseshoe pitch/BBQ at Jimmy's place.
(OT: You may remember Danny Ford, coach of Clemson in the late 70's, busted by the NCAA for cheating and forced out at Clemson, but allowed to keep his national title. I have photographic evidence that he cheats in horseshoes as well.)
My wife brings Jimmy a small gift each year, typically a T-Shirt from the DC area (Hard Times Cafe, etc). This year, at my urging, she brought him a Nationals T-Shirt, smuggling it deep into Braves country. I spoke with him on the phone tonight, and he told me that he has had more people stop and speak to him about that shirt than anything he's ever worn. He is quite taken aback by all the interest and conversation sparked by one shirt. While some comments are negative, eminating from a few hard-core Braves lovers, most are positive and curious.
Funny, he probably just wore the shirt because 1) he doesn't mind annoying people (ie Braves fans) and 2) it was free. Now he's becoming a fan just because of the reaction he gets with the shirt on.
Just one more anecdotal tale of how the Nats are penetrating the conciousness of folks across the continent. It's quite a ride we're on.
