Drastic circumstances call for drastic measures but no one saw anything this drastic coming. Brett Myers, a seven year veteran who was the Phillies Opening Day starter this season, was optioned to AAA yesterday. As a player with five years or more service Myers could have refused to report but in another stunning development he reacted maturely for a change and accepted the demotion.
Myers will only stay in the minors for 20 days, the maximum amount of time a big-leaguer can serve, er, I mean remain, in the minors without affecting his major league service time.
Myers was sent down to work on his mechanics, give himself a chance to reflect on his struggles away from the glare of the media and fans and, last but not least, provide him a respite from the bats of major league hitters.
How precisely a seven year veteran messes up his mechanics is something this observer has struggled with himself. I maintain Myers never has recovered from his shoulder "strain" of last season and his "messed up mechanics" are in fact compensation for that lingering problem. If this is the case, he can remain an Iron Pig until, well, Pigs -- Iron or Otherwise -- fly, and it won't help if there is something structurally impaired.
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