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.
