This is one of those days when you wish you would have stuck with baseball after junior high. Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard signed a five-year $125-million contract extension with the team that will have him staying in the City of Brotherly Love until 2017.

Howard already has two years left on his current contract, but the team just wanted to get that free agency issue out of the way as soon as it could.

Starting with the 2012 and 2013 season, Howard will make $20 million each, followed by $25 million a year from 2014 to 2016. The team will have a $23 million club option for 2017 with a $10 million buyout. This is a good week to be Ryan Howard.

"I tell you what, it's a great feeling to have that security and know where you're going to be," Howard told CBSSports.com. "I feel what I've been doing over the last couple of years, I feel pretty confident that down the road, I'll be right where I want to be and still doing the same things."

While teammates and others were joking with Howard about buying everyone dinner and second homes, General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. made clear that it was important for the team to get the deal done.

"We just felt it was good timing for us," Amaro said. "We felt, number one, he's one of the elite offensive players in the game. We could have waited another year and a half or so and dealt with it later on, but the fact of the matter is we decided he is that important to our organization and to our club and to our future."

Howard led the team to two back-to-back World Series Championships, winning everything in 2008.