Ryan Howard has been benched.

It was a long time coming, and we still don’t know how permanent it’s going to be, but it’s official. Manager Pete Mackanin sat Howard down today and told him that he was being benched for “three to four” games to get his head straight. Here’s what Howard had to say about the situation:

He talked to me today. We had a conversation. I told him, I get it. I know where I am right now. You know, I understand. By no means am I trying to relinquish my job or anything but you know, I’ve played the game long enough to know and understand. Hey, I want to win. And I’m going to get my stuff figured out. Going got continue to focus on getting my stuff figured out. Take this time and recoup and keep working. I went over — after I talked to Pete — I went over and told Tommy. Because the mental game of preparing, you know, is different when you know you’re going to be in there. I said hey, you’re in there the next 3-4 days, whatever it may be. Do what you’ve got to do to go out and kick some butt.

My original headline asked if this was the “beginning of the end” for Howard, but that was a long, long time ago. The Phillies could keep him on the bench, cut him, reinstate his playing time, cut him, try to trade him, cut him, or cut him. Time will tell, but it looks like his long road in red pinstripes is headed towards its conclusion with a limp.