Joba Chamberlain Archives - Page 2 of 3

No More Swishaliciousness

November 1, 2012

As per John Heyman:

The Yankees are ready to move on from the Nick Swisher era.

While they were still planning to make the $13.3-million qualifying offer to the free-agent outfielder on Friday, they appear hopeful he won’t take it. The offer is likely to be made only to protect the draft choice.

The Yankees seem to believe it’s very unlikely Swisher will take the one-year offer; in fact, they seem to be counting on it. While a repeat of the Jayson Werth seven-year, $126 million contract is out, Swisher should still be able to get at least a three-year deal, and perhaps even a longer one.

The Yankees generally are pleased with the overall production Swisher gave them in his four years in New York, but they see the era as being over after another rough postseason for Swisher. In his career, Swisher has just eight RBI in 154 postseason at-bats, with a .169 batting average and .589 OPS.

Swisher was a fan favorite for almost his whole stay in New York, but he expressed great disappointment at the fans’ booing of several Yankees in their ALCS sweep at the hands of the Tigers.

It’s not as if we weren’t expecting this. Swisher will definitely decline the Yankees’ offer and seek greener pastures. I’ll miss his sense of fun and I’ll never forget the time he took the pitcher’s mound at the Trop or how well he played first base in Tex’s absence, and he was pure entertainment out there in right field. But so it goes.

As for Soriano, he, too, is seeking – and will get – more money than the Yankees are willing to pay him and he should. He’s a good closer and good closers are in demand. My problem with not keeping him is what we’ll do instead. Say Mo comes back, as we all hope he does. Will he be able to pitch effectively for an entire season? Very possibly. But if not, do we think Robertson can step into the job this time? Or will Joba stay healthy and consistent enough to be the Joba of 2007? Or will some new candidate emerge?

Interesting times.

Finally, A Janer/Blow-out

September 9, 2012

Not only did the Yankees give us all a break and play a nearly stress-free game, but they took back first place yet again. What’s more, they accomplished all that in enough time to let me watch the women’s singles final at the US Open.

What a weird turnaround for Granderson. One minute, he’s mired in a slump. The next, he’s coming off the bench and does nothing but knock in runs.

Another weird turnaround but in the wrong direction: Sweaty Freddy. He looked great early – very early – and then he lost it. Girardi was right to pull him fast before any real damage was done.

And speaking of turnarounds, Joba had one of his own. He’s been struggling to find some consistency and today he came in and pitched well. Good for him.

Jeter was limping. Actually, he’s been limping. But today his leg seemed even more banged up. I know. He’s Jeter. He’d keep playing even if he were wearing a prosthetic, but we don’t need more injuries. If Tex is really done for the season it’ll be awful. And while A-Rod is swinging a hot bat, he hasn’t been running well either.

But I’ll end on a happy note and say it was good to get out of Baltimore with a decisive win. I do love when they score 10+ runs. For me, pitchers’ duels and close games are just not as much fun.

That Game Was Nausea Inducing

August 20, 2012

I know the Yankees flew into Chicago in the wee hours after playing their ESPN game on Sunday night. But the hitters looked lively. It was the pitchers who seemed groggy.

Sweaty Freddy, along with a parade of relievers, kept giving back the lead and the result was a loss to the White Sox that should have been a win. I mean, how do you drive their starter out of the game in the second inning and still not get a “W?”

I’ll tell you how: you leave Joba in too long, for one thing. Yes, he’s still coming back from major injuries, but shouldn’t he be working out the kinks in the minors then? The Rays won. Our lead in the division narrowed. We don’t have the luxury of watching Joba rehab. It’s not fun at all.

I won’t even bother talking about Eppley and Logan. The point is that the bullpen, aside from Robertson and Soriano, have not done the job lately.

Very happy to see Tex back and apparently feeling fine.

Not very happy to read about Pineda’s DUI arrest.

Nice mug shot. Anyhow, so far he’s been quite the bust as far as trades go.

No Sweep Today

August 16, 2012

It would have been unlikely to keep the Rangers’ offense in check for four games, but today’s game was winnable even with all the runs scored. I didn’t start watching until the Yankees had already tied it up, so I sat down in front of the TV thinking I might be witnessing a fun comeback.

Wrong. After the bats bailed out Nova, the bullpen gave the game away. It was not fun to see Joba, in particular, pitching like a man who can’t put hitters away. I know he’s still working his way back from the DL, but he’s so frustrating. One minute he looks like he has the stuff to get swings and misses. The next he’s nibbling. Will he ever be the kid from 2007? I don’t know.

As for Nova, I can only shrug. Yes, he was victimized by Jones’ misplay in left field, but by his own admission he’s searching for the pitcher he used to be – the one who did nothing but win ballgames. Scary.

But the Yankees won the series against a very tough team, so I’m not exactly crushed by today’s loss. As I said at the top, it was kind of inevitable.

Now That Was Better

August 1, 2012

No cursing during this Janer today, although when the Yankees scored early I had to remind myself not to get too excited. But they kept scoring – yay for consistency! – and Hughes held the O’s in check and all was well in Yankeeville.

I guess the only newsworthy items were the return of Joba and the arrival of McGehee.

Whoever photo-shopped McGehee’s Pirates pic forgot to erase the beard, but whatever. He’s ours and he figured into today’s win, even if it was in a relatively minor way.

Girardi was smart to use Joba in a no-pressure situation. If only he hadn’t given up a homer and those singles. Oh well. He needs to get used to major league hitters again. I’m sure he was disappointed in his performance though.

So it’s on to the Mariners this weekend. Seems like we played them yesterday, but I really hope the results are better this time around – with no hit batsmen.

Talk About Highs And Lows Last Week

March 25, 2012

The High.

Andy un-retired and just about everyone I know – including those I haven’t heard from in months – either called or emailed to share the excitement. It was just so damn good to see Pettitte’s smiling face again, to feel assured that the Yankees will have his broad shoulders to lean on should he be able to recapture his old form, and to add another arm to an already solid rotation.

The Low.

Joba jumped on a trampoline and suddenly the drama-free spring training camp turned turbulent. Everybody in the media weighed in, including some otherwise level-headed writers who decided to inflame the situation further. Joba has been discharged from the hospital and his recovery has begun. Hopefully, the hysteria surrounding his injury will die down too. I thought it was the height of irresponsibility for one of the NY papers to quote some random orthopedist saying that Joba could lose his foot if there’s an infection. Why even go there? Sure, there’s always a worst case scenario, but Harlan Chamberlain has been in a wheelchair for years so I’m guessing his son wouldn’t really want to hear the word “amputation.”

In other news:

Ibanez actually hit a homer, proving either that he might bounce back after all or that it was a complete fluke.
Pineda still isn’t firing at 95 mph (or whatever speed people think he should be firing at).
Kuroda, Hughes, Nova and Garcia are looking good now.
Mo has thrown nothing but scoreless innings so far.
A-Rod got plunked in the ribs and Swisher is still ailing, but Jeter, D-Rob, Cano and Nunez are back in business.

Let’s just get the show on the road already.

I Wake Up To THIS???? (With a P.S.)

March 23, 2012

Via LoHud…

Chamberlain hospitalized with ankle injury

Joba Chamberlain had surgery last night and remains in St. Josephs hospital after suffering an open dislocation of his right ankle.

The injury happened yesterday while Chamberlain was playing with his son.

Brian Cashman called it a significant injury and said there’s no word on how long Chamberlain will be out. Whether this threatens his season or even his career, Cashman said, is still unclear.

Excuse me? He was playing with his son and now his season, not to mention his career, might be over?

Apparently, he was with his son at some kids’ facility and may have been jumping on a – wait for it – trampoline.

I’m sure there’s no clause in anybody’s contract specifically ruling out trampoline jumping, and I certainly don’t fault the guy for spending quality time with his boy. It’s just soooo sad.

First Dave Robertson trips down the stairs at home while carrying a box, but at least he’s pitching again and didn’t lose that much time. A dislocation and surgery doesn’t sound good at all. And to think Joba was making progress after his long layoff after TJ surgery. Everyone, including me, was hopeful he’d really contribute this year, maybe as soon as June. It just goes to show that there is never enough pitching to compensate for injuries, freakish or otherwise.

Cashman called the injury “devastating” to the NYT. Sometimes news like this makes me want to go back to sleep. Ugh.

P.S. Now there’s news about injured Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks. Via hardballtalk.nbcsports.com:

Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks was arrested in Ft. Myers at 3:43 AM this morning. The charges: DUI, property damage and hit-and-run, suggesting that he crashed his car and tried to take off.

Jenks was not expected to pitch for a long, long time — he’s on the 60-day disabled list — but it’s not like that makes this news any better.

Yikes. Is there a full moon or something?

"Fat Camp?"

November 16, 2011

I meant to write about the following item the other day when I saw it on LoHud:

Cashman confirmed a report that Hughes is once again working with Athletes Performance to improve his conditioning this offseason. It was Hughes’ idea, not the Yankees, but the team is happy about it. “I think physical conditioning got him out of the gate slow when he showed up to spring training, but I don’t think it had anything to do with his season,” Cashman said. “We got him in shape. Him, Joba, we have a few guys on a yearly basis that we put into fat camp. I think (Hughes) was eight pounds over when he showed up for spring training, but we knocked it out, and he took care of it with the extra work in the spring.

Fat camp? Seriously, Brian? That’s what you call it when Hughes and Joba and other guys need to shed a few pounds? Does Allison Sweeney show up to host? Is there an audience? Are there weigh-ins? I’m thinking this is a YES reality show waiting to happen.

In other news, I was happy to read that Eric Chavez wants to keep playing. Yes, he gets injured a lot, but he’s no Nick Johnson. He actually plays, and when he does it usually goes well. I felt very comfortable having him sub for A-Rod at third. He can hit too.

And finally, Francona said today he doesn’t want to manage in 2012. Is that a face saver in case he gets passed over for any openings he interviews for? Or does he really want to take a breather? Apparently, he’s been contacted by FOX, ESPN and MLBN about booth duty. Judging by his FOX performance during the ALCS, Vin Scully has nothing to worry about.

“Fat Camp?”

November 16, 2011

I meant to write about the following item the other day when I saw it on LoHud:

Cashman confirmed a report that Hughes is once again working with Athletes Performance to improve his conditioning this offseason. It was Hughes’ idea, not the Yankees, but the team is happy about it. “I think physical conditioning got him out of the gate slow when he showed up to spring training, but I don’t think it had anything to do with his season,” Cashman said. “We got him in shape. Him, Joba, we have a few guys on a yearly basis that we put into fat camp. I think (Hughes) was eight pounds over when he showed up for spring training, but we knocked it out, and he took care of it with the extra work in the spring.

Let's Hear It For The Sweep

June 1, 2011

cheerleader11 — (courtesy: amazing-animations.com)

Since you guys thought yesterday’s cheerleader was a transvestite, I thought I’d try this little blonde on you. I wish she had blue pom poms and a pinstripe outfit on instead of the dreaded red, but I haven’t learned Photo Shop yet.

Anyhow, how about A.J.? When he gave up that homer to Willingham in the first inning, I was more than a little anxious that things would go south. But no! He was fantastic. Truly. I know people think the A’s are hardly more than a minor league team, but anybody with a bat in his hands is a threat. That’s my position. A.J. deserves kudos for going seven and looking good doing it.

And speaking of looking good, how about that comebacker that Joba turned into a double play? Right on the heels of the comebacker that Garcia turned into a DP in the previous game. I like it. And I like that Mo set the A’s down one-two-three. Order has been restored. Soriano who?

rafael-soriano3-359x540 — (courtesy: bronxbaseballdaily.com)

And finally, how about Swisher living up to his “Swishalicious” nickname for a change? That homer was sweet. I hope it signals the end of his funk.

So….our boys go down to Anaheim, the scene of many a massacre. Whenever I think about playing the Angels, I get horrible flashbacks to a game I went to when Garret Anderson had TEN RBIs…to the era when we couldn’t beat them if they’d played blindfolded. And, of course, I flash back to this creature.

Please, Yankees. Beat the Angels this weekend and beat them quickly. Thank you. xxoo

Let’s Hear It For The Sweep

June 1, 2011

And finally, how about Swisher living up to his “Swishalicious” nickname for a change? That homer was sweet. I hope it signals the end of his funk.

Please, Yankees. Beat the Angels this weekend and beat them quickly. Thank you. xxoo

A Lovely Day In The Bronx

May 25, 2011

Friend of the Blog John sent the above photo earlier. His kids were at the game, and from what I can tell it was a perfect day for baseball. I can almost smell the hot dogs (or the Lobel’s sandwiches) here in California.

I watched portions of the game, as I tried to squeeze in a little work, but I saw enough to know the following:

Garcia gave us another excellent performance. (Who would have thought he’d be this consistent? Raise your hand.)
Granderson must be spritzing himself with Holy Water. He’s receiving some kind of divine intervention.
Andruw Jones lives! His homers were not cheapies!
Tex appears to have his stroke back. Now it’s time for him to go on an absolute tear.
Joba made me nervous in the 8th, but no damage.
Clap clap clap for Mo and his 1,000th appearance and here’s to 2,000. (OK, 1,500.)
Poor Jo-Jo Reyes. He can’t buy a win. Maybe he should change his name. Jo-Jo rhymes with this.

The Yankees won another series, and I’m a happy camper. I’m so happy that I’m not even flinching as I post something about the Red Sox. Well, about Red Sox fans. Remember the Nine More Outs guys? They’re the comedy troupe that goes to different ballparks posing as that team’s fans and then making videos about the experience. For their latest adventure they went to Fenway and pretended to be Yankee haters. More specifically, Jeter haters. Here’s the video. Don’t watch it if violence against stuffed animals is disturbing to you. (But do hang around for the last line of the video with the woman saying…Never mind, you’ll see.)

Now That Was Better, Boys!

May 21, 2011

Nice win tonight after a shaky start.

When AJ loaded the bases right from the get go and gave up a couple of runs, I heaved a sigh and hoped we wouldn’t see a repeat of his last outing. We didn’t. In fact, he went on to deliver a good performance for six-plus innings. He’ll always be an adventure , but as long as he can keep the Yankees in ballgames I’ll be grateful. (Ouww. I just felt a pang of longing for Pettitte as I typed that sentence. Don’t ask me why. It was a moment. Sniff.)

Anyhow, about all the homers. The Yankees have hit SEVENTY of them – and it’s only MAY. Grandy’s on a tear this season, Martin is surprising a lot of people, Tex is really heating up (when he’s not popping up) and A-Rod’s hip sure looks okay to me. I know we’re not supposed to depend on the home run ball, but I’m beginning to think it’s just how this team rolls.

How good were D-Rob and Joba. Ayala too. Maybe we don’t need Soriano after all?

One final note. My friend on Twitter, @YankeeFanPat, forwarded me this item that appeared in the book publishing trade-zine, Publisher’s Marketplace. Hold onto your caps, people:

Luis “Squeegee” Castillo’s CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL: A Yankee Bat Boy’ s Inside Tale of Wild Nights, Gambling, and Good Times with Modern Baseball’ s Greatest Team has sold to St. Martin’s Press. The author worked for the Yankees during their heyday from 1998 to 2005, and was the last bat boy hired who was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement. He writes about working with Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Joe Girardi, Bernie Williams, Roger Clemens, Joe Torre, and many other modern day Yankee greats. Luis saw and heard what really happened in the privacy of the clubhouse, at parties, and in hotel rooms – from bar fights to secret meetings from Miami to St. Louis, from Detroit to Arizona, and from Boston to New York. He vacationed with some players and got to know them like family, discovering their pitching and hitting secrets, joining them in all-nighters, and learning their often hilarious methods of meeting girls and having fun on the road.

The Yankees, as most people know, weren’t crazy about my She-Fan book when it was published, so I can only imagine how pleased they’ll be when this one hits the stores. If I were Luis “Squeegee” Castillo, I might want to hire a few of these.

All We Needed Was….Chris Dickerson!

May 17, 2011

Well? Who knows. Maybe he came from Scranton covered in magic dust. He was inserted into the lineup in Jorge’s favorite #9 spot (just a little joke), substituted for Swisher in right field after the Nickster ate a bad clam or something (just another little joke) and not only made a nice catch but hit a sacrifice bunt AND he stroked an RBI single (no joke; he really did).

Clearly, his magic dust rubbed off on the Yankees. The evidence?

Nova bounced back from his rocky start.
A-Rod came to vivid life with those two homers.
Gardner got actual hits.
Posada looked great at the plate.
Robertson and Joba got in/out of trouble.
And, best of all, nobody made an error. Oh wait. Never mind that one.

We won a goddamn ballgame. Woohoo! And we beat the Rays in their cockamamie stadium. (I thought it would take the umpires forever to issue a ruling on Shoppach’s fly ball. Yawn.)

The curse has been lifted. Temporarily, anyway. I’m celebrating. Who’s with me?

Yankees.beer — (courtesy: blondieandbrownie.com)

And Now A Word From My Saner Self

May 15, 2011

As opposed to the self that was watching tonight’s game and tweeting about it. THAT self had a psychotic break after the ball dribbled through A-Rod’s legs. THAT self started cackling maniacally at every mistake the Yankees made – from the passed balls/wild pitches to the base-running blunders to the first-pitch pop-ups to the meatball pitches to Youkilis, Ortiz, etc. THAT self went berserko.

But then I got calm. Seriously. So what if the team is playing like crap? It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. It is NOT the end of life as we know it. Teams go through slumps. It has nothing to do with any of the following:

The Yankees are old.
The Yankees stink.
A-Rod will never hit another homer as long as he breathes.
Posada took himself out of the lineup yesterday.

However, the following ARE true:

Swisher looks like he should be batting 9th or not at all.
Gardner should learn how to bunt or never attempt one again.
Tex needs to work with Kevin Long or inject himself with some of Colon’s stem cells.
Martin should take lessons in passed ballism from an All-Star catcher like….Posada.
Freddy Garcia is suddenly unable to hold a lead.
Joba’s inconsistency is frustrating.
The team should go out together and get plastered.

At least we scored some runs tonight. That’s something, right? And at least the Posada Saga has been put to rest. (Nice roll call for him by the Bleacher Creatures, plus the standing O when he pinch hit.) And remember. We were in last place around this time in 2007 when I started writing the She-Fan book, and we ended up in the postseason after a tremendous second half. A bad patch can easily turn into a good patch.

rainbow_over_valley — Photo: Tatters / CC BY 2.0

So nobody should despair. Be disgusted. Be disgruntled. Be dubious. (How about all these D words, huh?) Just don’t let all these losses get to you the way I almost let them get to me tonight.

Oh. One more thing. I don’t hate the ESPN team as much as I despise the duo on FOX, but would it be too much to ask that Bobby Valentine pronounce “Teixeira” correctly as his colleagues seem to be able to do? My God.

The Crying Game

May 13, 2011

crying woman — (courtesy: amazing-animations.com)

Ladyjane, Friend of the Blog, asked me on Twitter during tonight’s loss to the Red Sox if I had a crying equivalent of the “laughing lady” I often post in happy times. Above is the best I could come up with. This old crone pretty much embodies the way I feel after yet another defeat.

The odd thing is it didn’t really matter to me that it was against Boston. I’m just disgusted with the way the boys are playing, period. They wasted yet another good starting pitching performance (Colon and his stem cells were outstanding). They couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position. Their defense was suspect. And Joba’s relief work was inconsistent.

Were there fun moments? Sure. Loved the double steal. Loved Granderson’s triple. Loved Martin’s homer. Loved…Oh, who am I kidding. I hate that we’re in this skid.

Yes, it’s a long season and there will be plenty of ups and downs. But if I see Tex pop up in a key situation one more time, I’ll go insane.

A Nice Tidy Win

May 10, 2011

Woman Scrubbing Floor — Photo: Crystal Cartier/Corbis

(Actually, it was Michael who was doing all the work, cooking dinner, while I was stretched out on the couch watching the game, but I was going for “tidy” in the headline and this pic got the job done.)

And tidy it was, beginning with the pitching.

Very efficient stuff from Garcia.
Another Houdini act by D-Rob after he got himself into trouble.
Guns blazing from Joba, who’s reminding me of the ’07 model.
Sick, just insane work by Mo to start that double play to end the game. THE MAN IS A DEITY.

god — (courtesy: Nippon Television Network/WSJ online)

Offensively, the Yanks didn’t exactly hit the tar off the ball (is there tar on a ball?), but thanks to Gardner’s triple, Jeter’s RBI single and A-Rod’s two-run single we had what we needed.

Three other points of note.

Melky. It was weird to see him at the Stadium. I was kind of glad he was back and kind of who cares at the same time. I didn’t love his homer, I know that much.

The Royals. They’re not a bad team and I wouldn’t take them for granted, not at all. They run the bases, those rascals.

And Soriano. I said, “Where is he?” when Joba came in to pitch the eighth. It turns out he has a sore arm and is getting a precautionary MRI tomorrow. Here’s what I don’t get. He said it’s been bothering him FOR AWHILE. Then why was he pitching in Arlington on Sunday, just for example?

Oh, well. I’ll butt out and hope it’s nothing serious.