With only eight days until pitchers and catchers report, Philadelphia fans have a wet appetite for a winner. Here is an appetizer before our season preview main course.Brett Myers, fresh off a three-year contract extension, took time out from a rigorous off-season conditioning program to speak with the media.
Here is the transcript courtesy of our friends at backshegoes.com.
"I just want to say I appreciate all the hard work that my agent and Ruben (Amaro) have done trying to get this contract finished. I've grown up in this organization. I've wanted to be here my whole career. My wife's from here, and it's like home to us right now.
It was real cordial. We just watched the Jaguar game together. Just sat around and talked about life. Nothing real baseball came up. He (GM Pat Gillick) was trying to appease me by rooting for the Jaguars. It was kind of funny to see him try to decide if a guy was out of bounds or not. It was a good experience.
We didn't really start talking until probably a month after that. He just came down to kind of get to know me, see my surroundings, meet my family and stuff like that. Last year, the deal was done before arbitration. This one was a little bit harder than last year. I think I worried about it more this year, had it in my mind a little too much.
I didn't really know until they offered something. Then I thought about it way too much. But it kept me in the gym longer so I wouldn't think about it.
We had a great team last year. We had a good nucleus. Everyone on the team gets along well. It could help us make up the 12 games.
I kind of wanted to get out there. I started a little earlier. Haven't been able to fit into this suit for the last 2 years now. I finally made my way back into it. I just kept working and the weight just started coming off. I was having fun doing it. I didn't get bored of doing it, so hopefully I can keep it up over the season and win a bunch of games.
I hope everybody in the team is a big part of the team. I hope there's not just one guy that carries us like Ryan Howard did last year.
I think definitely coming out of Spring Training this year, it is going to be a stronger pitching staff. There's guys that have experience that are filling those last two spots. I think it's going to be fun to watch, and I hope we can have fun doing it.
It's great that they can keep this group of guys together because the more we play with each other the more time we have to discuss baseball with each other, the more adaptive we are. It's like me as a pitcher, to know where Chase is going to be.
I think every year as you get older, I think you get more mature. That's just over time, and I guess being in this world, learning yourself and learning the people around you and who to trust. Obviously, family is a big part of my life. If they weren't there than none of this would be possible.
Q&A
How did you do it (lose the weight)?
Better diet and a going to the gym, and trying to not let my wife suck me in with nachos and ice cream.
When they traded for Sid Garcia and signed Eaton, did you think you might get traded?
No, because we didn't have contact with the Phillies. They didn't call us or anything like that. I was excited that we could add two more guys to our rotation, and at that point in time, I really wasn't concerned about it. Then we started negotiating and I started thinking about it a little bit.
Challenged ever since you came up. Every year, you've considered the key factor to the rotation. That not true now because of your supporting cast?
With anybody, you have to have luck, too. I could go out there and pitch eight innings, get no-decisions. I'm not worried about my stats, as long as the team wins the day that I start, I'm happy with that. I think we did that pretty well last year. Hopefully, all our pitchers can take that into consideration and get that win for the team, and let everybody else do their job. It's going to be hard keeping up with Cole this year. Hopefully, everybody can stay healthy also. He's the young guy coming up. When I came up, I didn't really have anybody to talk to until we got Kevin Millwood, and he taught me as he could before he left. Since then, I feel like I need to take that role for Cole, and hopefully Freddy will. We're not left-handed...maybe Jamie Moyer will play a bigger factor for Hamels.
Cole has a better cast than you did when you came up?
Yeah, and I think a good thing about Rich Dubee is he lets you pitch. He lets you be yourself and pitch the way you're capable of pitching. Hats off to him for letting everybody be their own pitcher.
Did the Phils' support after the Boston situation help your decision?
They were (supportive) from the beginning. I felt terrible for the organization and my family that it had to come about, and it did come about. It was one of those things where everybody makes mistakes and we learn from them. None of these mistakes can never happen again.
How are things?
Things are great. I think what it came down to, we had trouble communicating. I'm gone half the time and when I'm home, I get home at midnight and everybody's in bed and I see you for an hour a day and it was one of those things where most of our communication is done by phone. I think it really benefited us, not saying that the incident helped, but it was kind of an eye opener toward that. We just needed to talk a little more and be more supportive of each other.
So it benefited you?
Coming from never being in trouble before to being in trouble, it's definitely a humbling experience. I'm probably more humbled by it than anything.
Fans cheered you when you came back. That show you something about Philly?
Just you asking me about it is giving me goose bumps. I really appreciated that. Hopefully the support can keep coming in because this team really needs it. I grew a lot of respect for the fans after that day.
That weigh into your decision?
I like pitching here. I relate the fans to my dad when I was a kid. If I didn't play well, he was all over me. When the fans boo you, we already know we're not playing up to our capabilities. I kind of need that tough love sometimes.
Dad's influence in your decision?
He was like my second agent. He might have gotten more stressed out than I did. We're relieved to have it over with and know that I'm going to be here for the next three years. (Didn't want to go through the arbitration process) Both sides didn't want it to come to that.
How much would it mean to be the Opening Day starter?
There's so much emphasis on number one and all it really means is that first game. (Blah blah...If you really want this, let me know). My philosophy is, whoever starts that day is the ace. Was 250 at the end of the 2006 season. Is 218 now. (Went from 262 to 230 from 2005-06). The weight doesn't bother me when I pitch. I just felt that I owe it to myself and the guys in Spring Training this year to work a little bit harder. If we missed it by 12 games, then I need to lose 12 more pounds. I think everybody left last year with a bad taste in their mouths.
Mental thing showing people?
I'm ready. I'm working hard to make up those 12 games. Half of those games were my fault and I need to make those up.
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