NFBC Journal: "Bad" Brett Myers makes Day 1 one to Forget

Well we got that one out of the way - after months of preparation and excitement, the official beginning of the season came last night in a nationally televised game between the World Champion Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. The World Series trophy made an appearance and the atmosphere was euphoric as the fans of Philadelphia cheered for their heroes. And I was there, tuning in to watch one of my guys, Brett Myers, officially kicking off my own "quest" for $100,000.

Unfortunately, the euphoria didn't last. Brett Myers served up three gopher balls in the first two innings, staking the Braves to a 4-0 lead. Brian McCann, Jeff Francouer and Jordan Schaefer (who homered in his first major league AB) all took Myers deep. He simply didn't have good command of his fastball. You could see it right away. To make matters worse, he was hanging his breaking balls and that was a recipe for disaster. He rebounded well with four scoreless frames and 6 K's, bringing his ERA for the day to a still ugly 6.00.

After the third inning, I decided not to watch anymore and told my wife to flip over to HBO to watch the Gabriel Byrne drama "In Treatment". Today will be another day, with a full slate of games to watch - except for those snowed or rained out. Onward and upward.