Cleveland's Cliff Lee can relate to Myers' plight
NEW YORK - Phillies fans are wondering whether a trip to the minors can help righthander Brett Myers turn his season around.
The American League's starting pitcher in tonight's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium knows a little something about the subject.
Cleveland Indians lefthander Cliff Lee is 12-2 with a 2.31 earned run average.
American League manager Terry Francona explained the decision to have him start by saying that he was simply the "most outstanding" starting pitcher in the AL and that nobody else "measured up" to the first half he had.
A year ago at this time, Lee was in the process of pitching himself back to Triple A Buffalo.
He ended the season 5-8 for the Indians with a 6.29 ERA.
"I got hurt in spring training last year," he said. "That had quite a bit to do with my rough season. But, you know, sometimes going through some failure makes you a better player in the long run. I think that's the case with me.
"It gave me a little motivation going into the offseason to work a little harder."
The Phillies can only hope that spending some time at Lehigh Valley and Reading will turn out to be just what Myers needed.
For starters
National League manager Clint Hurdle said it was easy to choose Milwaukee Brewers righthander Ben Sheets to start for the NL.
"I got to take a good look at him over the week up close and personal," Hurdle said. "The fact that he struck out 11 of us in five innings kind of got my eye. We kept swinging and missing. I'm real smart like that; I pick up on things pretty quick."
Comedy club
Phillies chairman Bill Giles is the National League's honorary president. And the NL is 0-7 in All-Star Games since he assumed the position.
So, every year, Giles takes some good-natured kidding on workout day. This time, it was started by Jackie Autry, wife of the late Angels owner Gene Autry, who serves as the AL honorary president.
She opened her remarks yesterday by saying she "went to church and said a novena for Bill Giles."
Giles got the last word, though. Looking over at Terry Francona, a close friend from when Francona managed the Phillies, he said: "I've been promised by Clint [Hurdle] that things are going to turn around. I know one thing: He'll outmanage the other manager, that's for sure."
Nobody laughed harder than Francona.
The rivalry
Bill Giles conceded that interleague play has drained some of the suspense from the All-Star Game.
"I'm a big booster of interleague play, and I think it's been great for the fans," he said. "So I think there is a little diminished reaction from the league-vs.-league. I remember when my father was league president, he was passionate about winning the All-Star Game, and, of course, the World Series.
"So it's dwindled a little bit. The fact that interleague play has been so successful, I think, is more important than what has happened."
The closer
There was some speculation that, in honor of the final All-Star Game to be played at Yankee Stadium before the team moves into a new facility next door in 2009, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera might be named the AL's starting pitcher.
"One of the things we talked about all week was treating the game with respect, knowing where we're playing, who's playing it, who's participating, and Mariano may be the greatest reliever of all time. But he's not a starter," Francona explained.
"We thought it would be unfair to the other starting pitchers and you're putting a guy possibly at risk doing something he's not done. We will treat every player in this game with a lot of respect, certainly knowing that there are Yankees involved in this game. But other than that, I think we are doing it correctly."
Francona wouldn't discuss whom he plans to use as closer if there's a save situation in the ninth. But, given his reference to understanding the significance of the stadium, it would be a shock if it wasn't Rivera.
Extra innings
Both managers said they will try to get as many players into the game as possible, although winning comes first, because it determines homefield advantage for the World Series. "We're going to make it a priority to win this game, first and foremost," Clint Hurdle said. "I know the fans want to see players. We understand that. But at the end of the day, I think we have to try to win. There can't be any other agenda." Added Terry Francona: "We do want to play as many as we can, because they're the best players in the world. But it's a fine line. We'll do the best we can" . . . Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman on why he decided to take part in the Home Run Derby last night: "My wife is the one who made me participate. She thinks the game is boring, so she wanted me in the Derby, because she thinks that's exciting . . . I was leaning toward just chilling out, but now I'm under the gun because of her" . . . Next year's All-Star Game will be in St. Louis. In 2010, it will be held in Anaheim. *
