Important Phillies Housing News: Vance Worley Lives in a South Jersey Hotel, Ryan Howard is Building a $23 Million House

Ryan Howard's smaller house

Oh dichotomy!

Here are two Phillies housing tidbits from the last week that you may have missed:

– Vane Worley lives in a South Jersey hotel: [Philly.com]

In Chicago, Worley walked into a restaurant and a man stopped him at the entrance. ("Hey, you're on my fantasy team!" he said.) When he's in the Delaware Valley, fans now recognize him – the Mohawk isn't exactly conducive to obscurity. ("Keep up the good work," they say.) His teammates cannot rave enough about his performances. ("He finds a way to hide that ball," Jimmy Rollins said.)

And Worley, the bespectacled righthander, just laughs. He laughs because he's holed up in a South Jersey hotel, the most convenient spot to live upon his promotion to the majors. Life is not glamorous there. But once he steps on a mound, he is a budding star, the surprise in a rotation brimming with aces.

– Ryan Howard is building a $23 million home in Florida… with a moat: [TBNWeekly.com]

That was before Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard announced plans to construct the Casa Del Howard, a $23 million, 17,500-square-foot home on a gulf-front lot covering over an acre.

“You can’t build that size house, on that lot, on the ocean, in that time frame,” Robertson said at the Town Commission’s July 19 meeting. On hand to discuss plans for the Howard house and its construction were the architect Dan Dawson of Tampa, and John Kostreles, county community planning coordinator.

Dawson estimated construction of a home the magnitude of Howard’s could take three-and-a-half to four years.

“A really solid contractor could do it in about three years,” he added.

The Howard home has special features, Dawson noted, like a “Venice-style lazy river running from the swimming pool underneath a series of bridges,” and a bowling alley on the ground level with breakaway walls. Dawson termed the river “a fundamental part of the design.” He said the whole Howard family was really excited by the Venice canal, and would not want to give it up.

I can just see it now: a laid-back Big Piece loungin' on raft, sippin' Mai Tais, and in the sweet embrace of a partially-cloaked Krystle Campbell.

Meanwhile, I assume Vance Worley is trying to find his Do Not Disturb sign. Those complete games drive the girls crazy.

H/T to (@Philsvilleblog)