DEMOTED: As you must know by now, Brett Myers was optioned to the AAA Lehigh Valley Ironpigs yesterday after the Phillies determined that he sucks and can’t start for them anymore. At first, I was excited that they had finally sent Myers off to fat camp, until I learned that the Ironpigs is a baseball team in the Phillies minor league system. Honestly, at this point the only thing that this will accomplish is getting Myers ready for a trade because his time in Philly is officially over. When you send the opening day starter down to the minors, especially one as emotionally sensitive as Myers, you have to trade him. This is the final chapter in the failed “Brett Myers Experiment” that saw him as the closer last year and back to a starter this year. Myers never got over the move from Starter to Closer and then back to Starter especially since he thought that he had “Rock Star Status” as a Closer. And no, I am pretty sure Brett wasn’t kidding when he said that. Sure, he may have the physique of Gene Simmons, but a Rock Star he is not.

Most of baseball’s talking heads are applauding Myers for accepting the assignment to the minors, as if he had any choice. Technically, yes, he could have rejected the move, but practically, what could he do about it? I guess he could have refused it and held his breath and stomped his feet and sat on the bench for the rest of the year, but that would make him look even worse than he does now. In the end, Myers will most likely get what he wants, a spot in the bullpen. It just won’t be in the Phillies bullpen. The question now is: What do the Phillies do for another starter for the rest of the season? The trade deadline is approaching and they now more than ever need to make a big splash if they are going to go from a good team to a threat to make it to a World Series. In the meantime, let’s all hit play on the YouTube clip above and remember just what it was we so loved about Myers in the first place. He really was a class act all the way.

FINALLY: The Phillies offense woke up against the Atlanta Braves last night and they managed 8 runs on 14 hits, and they were actually fun to watch again. Thankfully the painful inter-league play is over for now, and they can get back to beating up on the Braves and the Mets. Despite all of the turmoil of the past few weeks and the Brett Myers situation, it was refreshing to see Kyle Kendrick put in a very good performance and the offense start hitting again. Maybe the demotion of Myers was a kick in the ass to the rest of the team as well. I think that sending So Taguchi and Geoff Jenkins down to the minors for a while will really get this team motivated. It’s worth a shot.

IT STAYS WHITER OUT HERE LATER: Someone in Gladwyne is handing out Anti-Aaron McKie flyers in Gladwyne trying to stop “Another Iverson” from moving in to the wealthy suburb. The former 6th Man of The Year was recently arrested for lying on a gun permit application while trying to buy 2 guns while being under a restraining order. The flyer reads:

“Attention please, read if you care about your neighborhood!!! How can we prevent Aaron McKie from moving into our safe and peaceful neighborhood. His house is almost complete on Youngsford Road. Let’s prevent another Iverson from moving in!”

But let us not mince words: McKie has to go a long way before he can be considered “another Iverson.” This is just an insult to Iverson. He worked hard on his thug image and to have it attached to someone as bland as Aaron McKie is just a slap in the face. Whoever is handing out these flyers must have entirely too much time on their hands. Obviously, it has nothing to do with the fact that McKie is being charged with falsifying a gun application and everything to do with a Gladwyne resident who can’t bear the idea of another successful black man moving in to their elitist suburban sanctuary.

Tony Carpenter’s “The Sportin’ Life” now appears on Philebrity each Wednesday.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm.