Oh Boy Joba

I guess those reports of Joba gaining 15-20 pounds are true.

Final Straw For Joba Chamberlain?

After all the positive reports for the Yankees about CC Sabathia dropping 30 pounds and being the best shape of his career, there is now word that it is a very different story of Joba Chamberlain...

"Brian Costello of the New York Post reports that Joba Chamberlain appears to be about 10-15 pounds heavier than last season. Chamberlain said he feels as if he's in shape, and even built a gym at his home in Nebraska, but the extra pounds may not go over well in the Yankee front office (ESPN)."

Any chance of Joba ever being a big time starter went out the window last year, now the Yankees are just hopping that they can make him a decent bullpen asset. I don't want to read into this report too much, but it does make me wonder if Joba even cares anymore. He went from being the toast of the town to a forgotten guy at the end of the bullpen. Even if the Yankees try to move him, who would want him?

He is still only 25 years old, but I wouldn't have much faith in this guy if I was a Yankees fan.

Phil Hughes Win Yankees 5th Spot

This has been talked about all spring training. Who would win the 5th spot in the Yankees rotation between Joba and Hughes. The Yankees have finally announced that the job is Hughes. Let me tell you right now this was the right choice.

Joba was at his best when he was a reliever. He has closer written all over him. Rivera isn't going to be around forever, and Joba should be the next in line to take that role. Plus, the Yankees have always had troubel getting to Rivera, and this could go a long way to being a long term solution.

Highes should be a very good starter, but they need to stick with him there. Bouncing back and forth isn't good for anyone, so if they are going to do this they should stick with it.

I guess I just never believe Joba was a guy who could pitch 6-7 innings every 5th day (kinda like Papelbon).

Joba Left Off ALDS Roster?

"Joba Chamberlain may have played himself out of a spot on the Yankees' Division Series roster. Manager Joe Girardi has been searching for some consistency for Chamberlain, but the right-hander failed to deliver in 3 2/3 innings rocky innings against the Royals on Wednesday night. The New York Daily News reports that Chamberlain is no lock to be on the first-round roster since the Yankees are likely to select the Division Series that will allow them to use only three starters. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte would be the starters, and Chamberlain could be the odd man out (ESPN)."

I think this would be stupid. I have said it from the beginning that Joba is not a starter, but this guy still has the stuff to be a shutdown reliever in the playoff. The Yankees have miss handled this guy from the get go. In the playoffs you want your most talented guys on your roster, and not having Joba in the bullpen would be a big mistake.

Yankees Losing Patience With Joba

"It's time for him to step up," Girardi told the New York Post on Monday, one day after Chamberlain had an ineffective outing against the Mariners. The Yankees have pampered Chamberlain all season with the "Joba Rules," but his ERA remains an inflated 4.73. The Post added that Chamberlain is unlikely to start in the ALDS now that Andy Pettitte is healthy again. Girardi will likely go with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte as his first-round starters (ESPN)."

I personally can't stand Joba, so I am glad that he is falling apart. It was really interesting to read that Buster Olney said "his pure stuff is just not the same as it once was". I think the Yankees are ruining this guy. I have said it from the beginning that he is the same player as Papelbon and should be treated as such. He is a reliever and possibly a closer down the line....not a starter!

Joba Going Back To The Bullpen?

"Well, if Joe Girardi listens hard enough to the clamor in New York, that's where he'll send his struggling 5th starter. Just listen to former Yank Goose Gossage: "This guy was their savior two years ago when they didn't have a set-up guy. They wouldn't have made the playoffs without Joba. He'd be the perfect [set-up] guy. If you could impact three or four ballgames a week instead of one...I think you're wasting a tremendous talent." Yesterday we mentioned that Girardi could consider Sergio Mitre as a fifth starter (ESPN)."

I have been saying this from day 1. Joba is a closer in the making. He doesn't have what it takes to be a starter, and there is nothing wrong with that. Rivera is not far from retiring, and the Yankees should get Joba ready to take over. The Yankees bullpen has been a joke all season, and I really think they would be much better off having Joba be part of 3-4 games a week rather then just 1. With Joba as a setup man and Rivera holding down the closer spot the Yankees could really shorten the game to 7 innings.

Sox Are Going To Kill Joba

Well no actually someone else is going to take the fall since pitchers don't bat, but you have to love John Ferrell's comments today on WEEI...

"Well, typically, we let the game play out itself, because I think our guys, for one, have each others' backs and they're certainly going to be supportive if a situation like that were to arise. Again, speaking specifically about last night, [Chamberlain] strikes out 12 guys, doesn't seem to have too many command issues, and if there was a purpose or intent to throw up and in, or if the intent was even further than that, to send a clear-cut message, you can disguise it a little bit more than with a first-pitch pitch in the middle of the back to Jason Bay. So, those things aren't forgotten. We know that there's a history there between the pitcher in New York and our guys here, so, not to say that he was specifically out to do that, but I think history speaks for itself. And we've got a number of games left with these guys (Boston.com)."

Joba's toss at Bay was uncalled for, and it was totally on purpose. It really doesn't bother me all that much, because I know Beckett/Lester or someone else will plunk A-Rod or Jeter later in the season. The Yankees had no answer for the Red Sox, and it was just kind of sad all they could do to slow down Bay was hit him with a pitch. Is it just me or do the Yankees seem more like the Bengals then premier organization they once were...?

My Name Is Joba And My Mom Sells Meth

"The mother of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain is jailed in Nebraska and facing a felony charge after being arrested on suspicion of selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer in February (SI)."

Classy...Why the hell would you be selling meth when your son is playing in the MLB? He obviously has money, so it leads me to think that she is just a complete mess (and from that pic it looks like I am right). It has not been a good year for Joba so far. He is struggling in his starting role, got a DUI, and now his mom is caught selling meth. What the fuck is wrong with the Yankees? This was known as one of the classiest organizations in all of baseball. Now it seems like there is a daily report of their players and such being shitheads....well anyways... I love it!

Joba Chamberlain Pleads Guilty To DUI

"New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain pleaded guilty Wednesday to a Nebraska charge of drunken driving and was given probation (ESPN)."

No real big story here, but the good news for Yankees fans is that this will not affect his season. I really like how the judge handled this...

"You probably worked long and hard to get where you are today," Judge Laurie Yardley said before sentencing Chamberlain to nine months' probation. "It takes about 10 seconds to wipe all that out." Chamberlain nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am," and Yardley told him "don't come back."

Though I would have thrown him in jail if he called me ma'am, but the Judge was cool about this and didn't get all high and mighty. Joba has been looking great during spring training, and is ready for the season to start. For some reason I just don't see him being able to stay healthy as a starter. Eventually I see him being the next Papelbon, and closer for the Yanks, but we'll have to see how my prediction works out.

Red Sox Fan Caused Joba To Get DUI?

"Some guy yelled out, 'If you played for the Red Sox, you wouldn't be sitting here,'" clubgoer Gary (Bo) Bohaty said.
"That got a rise out of him," said Bohaty, owner of the Beacon Lounge, a bar next to the strip club. "[Joba] turned his head and said, 'What did you say?' and the guy yelled it out again."
As Chamberlain kept shouting back, one of the pitcher's friends got into a shoving match with the heckler, said the club's manager, who asked not to be identified.
Once order was restored, Chamberlain and his five friends stared at the gyrating dancers for nearly 90 minutes before leaving just after midnight. Chamberlain paid the $145 tab and left a $100 tip at the club, where the cover charge is $3, the manager said. More

First of all. A guy with Joba's wealth should be spending a lot more that 145 dollars at a strip club. C'mon man don't be the cheap guy. Second, I find it great that their are obnoxious Red Sox fans everywhere. Like I stated earlier, I believe MLB athletes should get into trouble for their offseason actions as well.

Joba Gets DUI

New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence, speeding and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle.

Recently tabbed to start next year Joba Chamberlain got a DUI a couple days ago and I couldn't be more happy. This guy is an asshole and wish the nothing but bad things to happen to him. I also wish the MLB suspended its players for being shitheads as well, but this will get overlooked and people will forget soon.

The World Is Ending...I Agree With Posada

"I think if you start him (Joba Chamberlain) and he pitches 200 innings in one year, you're going to lose him. He's going to get hurt. I don't see him as a starter," Posada said (Sportsline).

I have said from the beginning that putting Joba as a starter is a terrible idea. It is so hard to solidify a bullpen, and the Yankees with Joba as a setup guy was awesome. If you are going to make him a starter you can't move him into the rotation in the middle of the season. I think Joba is much like Papelbon, and that he will be a dominate closer in this league one day, but also like Papelbon he will not be able to log in a ton of innings. I think he has found what he is best at, and the Yankees should stick to it, but then again, I would love the Yankees to continue being idiots. So, hopefully they will put him back in the rotation and he will blow his arm out.

-BMack

Joba Chamberlain Put On DL, Yankees Season Over

Joba Chamberlain was put on the DL today by the New York Yankees, but why he is on the DL has not been released. He was complaining of shoulder stiffness a couple days ago, but there has been no official word. I have to say I love this, not only because they Yankees season is over, but because I absolutely called this. You would have thought they would have learned from the over use of Phil Hughes, but apparently they were so desperate that they needed to push the kid. I expect Joba to be out for the year, and it will be interesting to see how he bounces back.

**UPDATE: Joba has rotator cuff tendinitis in his pitching shoulder. Ian Kennedy will take his spot in the rotation.

-BMack

Joba Chamberlain is Garbage, Pedro Martinez is God

Joba Chamberlain made his long awaited first start for the New York Yankees Tuesday night, and things didn't go so well. I'll be honest, I don't actually think Joba is garbage. He's a talented young pitcher who could wind up being a great starter or reliever some day. But he's been overblown and overrated by the Yankees, their fans, and the media. But what do you expect? The Yankees are having an all-out knockdown brawl with .500 and are so far on the losing end of the fight. Their fans need to make shit up in order to reassure themselves that their team isn't the worst team money can buy.

The Yankees decided to make things even harder on Chamberlain, putting him on the mound in Yankee Stadium, with an opponent by the name of Roy Halladay. The young RELIEVER baseball expert Adam Sandler compares to Roger Clemens only went 2.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned), off 4 walks, 1 hit, and 3 strikeouts. He threw 63 pitches to get his 7 outs. Oh yeah, he also balked. The Yankees wound up losing 9-3.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Pedro Martinez returned to the mound for the Mets. He went 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs off 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Not an amazing start, especially for a living god, but still good. But the best part of his night came at the plate. He was 2 for 3 with an RBI single, and a run scored.



That's career RBI #14 for Pedro. And if the Mets can hold on to their 9-3 lead, it will be win #210.

-The Commodore

Yankees to Start Joba Chamberlain

I think the Sox are starting to effect the decision making of the Yankees. With the recent success of youngsters like Jon Lester, Justin Masterson, and Clay Buchholz and the shittiness of youngsters like Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, the Yankees are going to move Joba Chamberlain to the starting role. I smell another failure if you ask me. Not only will the loss of Joba will hurt their bullpen, but he will not be ready to pitch a full game for at least a month. This seems panicky to me.