Brett Myers: Giving New Meaning to "The Fightin' Phils"

So much has already been said about Brett Myers and his situation that I wonder whether I have anything more to contribute. But after watching him start yesterday's game against the San Francisco Giants, I still can't let his behavior go.

For the many women like me, who feel as much breathless passion for the game of baseball as we do for the discount rack at DSW, we are left in the difficult position of weighing our love for the game against our our loyalty to our gender.

Scratch that. It's not difficult. Because I'm a woman--a human being--before I'm a sports fan.

It's not easy being a female sports fan. For the most part, the games and their marketing aren't designed for me. I won't spend extra so I can sit closer to the Eagles cheerleaders. I don't need to watch a guy smashing beer cans on his head to feel entertained. I grit my teeth through the WIP morning team's exchanges about farting and scantily-clad women (apologies to Rhea Hughes).

I figure my presence is enough to discourage the more misogynistic tendencies of the men around me during a football or baseball game. But now the entire Phillies organization wants me to believe that because a guy can pitch, I should forgive him for dragging his wife by the hair through the streets of Boston. Sorry. No thanks.

In addition to creating a PR fiasco that will serve as the textbook example of bad crisis communications for years to come, the Phillies have alientated any person in this city who cares about the treatment of women and domestic abuse. The solution should have been simple. They should have said: These are serious allegations, and the Phillies organization takes the suggestion of domestic abuse very seriously. This should have been said quickly. Clearly. Decisively. Instead, what they did say, at various times over several weeks: He's a professional, and he needs to pitch today and block out that he was arrested last night. We're sorry people found out about it. He's misunderstood. It's between him and his wife. The fans are crazy. He was trying to help her. (That one's my favorite.)

I'm all for second chances. Brett Myers is 25 years old. He's got a wife and small child, and he's a celebrity in an intense environment. He's also a hothead. I hope he'll get the counseling he needs.

The Phillies organization says it cares. I'm sure many people there do. But I don't think they understand their responsibility as owners. What they do doesn't just matter to them. They are public figures. What they do, and say, makes a statement to the fans and the public. And what I saw was an organization that didn't care about their female fans, didn't care about Brett Myers and his family (until a week of denials went by), and didn't take seriously their role as stewards of our community.

I can't support a team like that. The Phillies won't be seeing my money again anytime soon. They need to do something--and I can't imagine what--that says domestic violence is wrong. In the meantime, I have just three words:

Let's Go Mets.