Brett Myers’ childhood was shaped by baseball and music. He remembers watching pitcher Jamie Moyer embarrass opposing batters in the ‘90s and always listened to legendary band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
But he never thought he’d play with any of them.
Now in 2021, 12 years after he pitched with Moyer on the Phillies, Myers is a country music artist and recently recorded a song called “Drinkin Man” with Johnny Van Zant, a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd since 1976. For Myers, this was the ultimate dream come true.
“Being from Jacksonville, Florida, (Johnny’s) an icon,” Myers told Phillies Nation in a phone interview. “Being able to work with him shows me how far I’ve come with the music stuff. I’m pretty sure he would not work with me if he thought I sucked.”
Myers, who pitched in Philadelphia from 2002 to 2009 and posted a career 4.25 ERA, got heavily involved in music thanks to a Phillies employee. Phillies video coordinator Kevin Camiscioli taught him how to play guitar in hotels on road trips and Myers progressively started to play better. As time went on, he started writing music and eventually singing, leading to him becoming a full-time musician. Eventually, Myers started to get the same joy with music that he had playing baseball.
“That adrenaline rush came back to when I was on the mound,” Myers said. “It’s surreal how it all came together so fast.”
Myers lives the country lifestyle too. He currently stays in Jacksonville with his wife Kim, four kids, six dogs, four horses, two cows and “so many goats that he forgets sometimes.”
“A lot of these animals I don’t know we have until I walk outside and go ‘where did that come from?’” Myers said.
After four albums and collaborations with popular artists like Colt Ford, country music is now his full-time job. He feels happy and free, but has a baseball comeback ever crossed his mind?
“People ask me if I miss playing,” Myers said. “But I don’t, because I’m at the ballpark every day with my kids.”
Myers, 40, now spends most days going to his kids’ travel ball games and being a mentor for young players. It’s a way to stay involved in the game, because Myers said the shoulder injury that ended his career in 2013 would make it hard for him to come back as a player.
While travel ball dominates most of his life, Myers still heavily roots for the Phillies. He loves the way the 2021 team has been able to go on huge winning streaks.
“Philadelphia was a big part of my life,” Myers said. “They raised me. I have to support them. I love Zack Wheeler –– even when he was on the Mets, and I hate to say that because I am not a Mets fan.”
In a way, Myers is trying to make a comeback to Philadelphia. He has many dream concert locations, but his main goal is to play at Live Nation casino, which is right next to Citizens Bank Park.
“We wanted to get up to Philadelphia to play,” Myers said. “That hasn’t come into fruition yet. I talked to Live Nation about it, but they didn’t see the value in it. I was thinking half the people would come to see me suck and half would come see me because I played ball for the Phillies.”
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