As you all know by now, Joba Chamberlain was removed in the 5th inning tonight after he suffered from some stiffness in his right shoulder. 

He will head back to NY for further tests, so we'll find out the details tomorrow.

Contrary to the report on Yankees.com, Joba himself stated on the YES postgame that the bunt fiasco in which he ducked out of the way of an oncoming missle thrown from Pudge had nothing to do with the injury.

A couple of positive notes from the clubhouse:

Girardi doesn't believe the injury is serious but essentially admitted that Joba's not bloody likely to make his next start on Saturday against the Angels and a DL stint seems likely.  So it appears that Ian Kennedy might pitch this weekend after all.

Also, Joba said that he never lost his velocity during the 5th inning - which is a very good sign - and the stiffness he felt was actually below the shoulder and more of a muscular problem.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I don't care how long Joba has to be shut down as long as he comes back 100% healthy.  The Yankees are going to be extra cautious with the jewel of their franchise and will not take any chances with that kid's future.

Winning in 2008 would be great.  But Joba's health and long term future is far more important.

We'll find out more tomorrow and hope for the best.

Joe Girardi just confirmed during his weekly spot on Mike and the Mad Dog that Joba Chamberlain will make his first major league start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at the Stadium.  Andy Pettitte will make the start on Monday against Livan Hernandez and the Twins.

Girardi stated that he expects Joba to throw around 65-70 pitches.

On the mound for Toronto will be notorious Yankee killer - Roy Halladay.

Now I've gone on record saying the Yanks are making this transition way too fast and I think starting him on Tuesday at home with all the buzz surrounding it against one of the top pitchers in the league in Halladay is an enormous mistake and a helluva lot of pressure to put on him unnecessarily.

It is my belief that if the Yanks were going to insist on starting him next week, they should have done it on Monday against the Twins at the Metrodome in order to keep the hype and buzz down to a minimum.

It would be hard for me to imagine the Yanks handling this transition any worse than they have over the last 9 days.

Nonetheless, all eyes are going to be on Joba this Tuesday in the most anticipated start for this team in years.

Pete Abe reports that Ian Kennedy will be sent back to New York for an MRI and will be placed on the 15-day DL with the strained lat muscle he suffered in the middle of an unbelievably wet and sloppy night for the Yankees.

I would expect Chris Britton to get another call-up tonight from the "Scranton Shuttle Bus Crew" as Kennedy is officially placed on the DL and I wouldn't be at all surprised if "Dead Man Walking" Morgan Ensberg finally gets the proverbial boot in favor of Jason Lane. 

This move is certainly coming as evidenced by Ensberg's lack of plate appearances against left handers in recent days in addition to Lane's increase in reps at First Base at Scranton in recent days.

In other news, with Joba Chamberlain scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches in relief on Wednesday, speculation is that he could make his first major league start next week in Kennedy's now vacated slot in the rotation.

Now I understand that it might be difficult to stretch his pitch count past 60 pitches in a relief role, but I think this transition to the rotation is happening way too fast.  Tomorrow's outing will be just his third relief appearance in a span of 8 days and has not thrown more than 40 pitches in any outing as of this writing.

I'm aware that the Yankee hierarchy has more experience stretching out pitchers' arms than I do, but I have to question their sanity with speeding up this very delicate process with the Golden Boy of the organization after Girardi hinted on May 21 that this transition could take as long as 3-4 weeks.

As every PA regular knows, I'm 100% behind the Joba to the rotation plan.  But I also want to see this kid physically ready to make that switch because he's no use to this organization sitting on the DL with his Trinity Brothers - Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes.

Here's hoping that Joba makes a smooth transition and my present concerns prove to be an overreaction.

As many of you know by now, Joe Girardi confirmed on the YES Postgame that tonight was the first step in transitioning Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation.

Girardi later added that this transition has been the plan for months and their recent stretch of terrible baseball had nothing to do with this decision. 

Girardi also informed the media that the plan is to stretch Joba out at the major league level but did not confirm nor deny a minor league stint.  He did not disclose when Joba would make his first start of the season, but hinted it would be at least a month away.

Personally, I'm a big fan of this move because of it's long term benefits.  I've wanted Joba to be a starter since his debut last season because I believe starting pitching is still the most important element in a championship ball club.

The bullpen will certainly take a hit once the transition is complete, but it seems like the transition has also begun in the bullpen with the most recent promotions of Mark Melancon to Trenton and J.B. Cox to Scranton - both of whom are pitching lights out in the minors right now.

Your thoughts?

So I happened to catch about 15 minutes of Mike and the Mad Dog this afternoon following the Yanks' game and quickly realized exactly why I can't stand listening to them.

For whatever reason, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo have destroyed millions of their listeners' brain cells by spending extensive time on the topic of Joba Chamberlain's "immaturity" because of his emotions on the mound as well as in the dugout after a rough outing.

Pete Abe provides a brief but accurate synopsis of their argument from Thursday afternoon:

• Joba should never pump his fist when he pitches well. That shows the opposition up.
• Joba should sit in the dugout and "stare out on the field" after he gives it up and not cover his head with a towel. That shows too much emotion, too.
• Joba didn’t say he got even with David Dellucci today. But that’s what he meant.

 

Now I understand the need to fill five hours of [dead] air-time on a daily basis, but I'll never understand why this is such a big issue for these guys and why it somehow reflects on Joba's lack of maturity.

Perhaps you'll recall Harlan Chamberlain last season in Kansas City when he watched his son (with tears streaming down his face) take a big league mound for the first time and had a fist pump of his own after a long fly ball descended into the glove of Johnny Damon at a critical part of the game.

Joba's emotion is a trait he got directly from his own father and I don't see how it reflects negatively on his character.  A much better way to measure Joba's level of maturity is the way he handles himself with the media, his relationship with his teammates and coaches, and, of course, his actions off the field and in his private life.  Until I see evidence that proves otherwise, every indication shows that Joba is a good kid who handles himself extremely well in all aspects of life.

Players cannot always change who they are emotionally and mimic Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter in order to simply cater to a couple of sports radio hosts who have nothing else worthwhile to talk about after a Yankees win.

For the record, I don't care if players like Carlos Zambrano, Francisco Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, or [gasp] Jon Papelbon show displays of emotion on the mound after a strikeout because it really isn't a big deal.  As Pete Abe later pointed out, why is a display of emotion not only acceptable but encouraged in other major sports like football, hockey, golf and basketball but generally viewed as taboo in baseball?

I don't get it and probably never will.  I'd be happy to read anyone's explanation telling me why I'm wrong.

Discuss.

As every PA regular knows, there is no bigger supporter of the Joba needs to be in the rotation argument than me.

That said, I was perusing ESPN this morning and Buster Olney nails my problem with Hank Steinbrenner by opening his big mouth to the NYT:

Although I agree that Joba needs to make the switch in 2008, that switch cannot be done right now.  Brian Cashman has already come out today and made that clear.  Joba has an innings cap of roughly 140-150 IP and it's best for the team to utilize him the best they can until they find a viable replacement for him in June or July.

I was a big supporter of promoting Joba to the major league club last season and helping out the pen as long as his long term future was as a starter.  He was already closing in on his innings cap and the Yanks were desperate for help.  Of course, nobody in their right mind could have expected Joba to thoroughly dominate as he did.  Hank doesn’t seem to understand that the Yanks may not have made the playoffs in 2008 without his enormous contribution.

Above all, my biggest problem with Hank speaking so “candidly” is the inevitable repercussions his words are going to have on Joe Girardi for the next two months.  Every time Hughes, Kennedy, or Moose has a bad night, you can bet the ranch that the “Joba in the rotation” question will be asked by a Kim Jones or George A. King III.

Hank’s words are a distraction and unnecessary and he should know better.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t and that’s why Hank really needs to shut up altogether and leave all public relation duties to Brian Cashman.

Pete Abe is reporting the good news that Joba Chamberlain will return to the team before tonight's action against the Orioles.  Joba has reportedly made a couple of bullpen sessions while he was attending to his dad.

I wouldn't be surprised if he gets into the game tonight regardless whether they have a lead in the 8th inning or not, especially with the off day coming up on Monday.

In other news, Kyle Farnsworth has been suspended by MLB for three games for throwing behind Manny Ramirez's head on Thursday night.

Farnsworth has appealed his suspension and Yankee fans would prefer he didn't.

YES Network:

"After several difficult days, my father is feeling much better. He is still in the critical care unit of the hospital and more tests await him, but he is off the ventilator and breathing on his own. Each day he's acting more and more like himself, and he's even giving people grief — myself included — because the hospital doesn't carry Yankees games on television.

"When things like this occur in life, you certainly take notice of how much your teammates become more like family members. Their unconditional support, along with that of so many fans, has made a very tough time easier to deal with. Everyone's love has been felt by my entire family, and it has brought great comfort to us when we have needed it most.

YES Network:

"As many of you know, my family is dealing with a serious, personal medical condition involving my father Harlan. He is currently in critical but stable condition. We cannot express how much we appreciate the enormous amount of love and compassion that has been shown to my family by so many.

"I also want to thank my teammates and my manager for giving me so much support when I have needed it most. Their actions are the reason I was able to reach my father's side as quickly as I did. I ask that you please afford my family the privacy that it needs to deal with my father's condition appropriately. In turn, I will provide updates through the Yankees as they become available to me."

Pete Abe reports that the Yanks have now officially placed Joba Chamberain on the bereavement list and have recalled Jonathon Albaledejo from Scranton.

According to George A. King III, Joba will be away from the team at least 3 games but says there is no limit on how many games a player can be away from the team under MLB rules.

I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source for information, but it contradicts King and says that Joba can be away from the team for a maximum of 7 games under the bereavement rules:

The bereavement list may be used when a player finds it necessary to leave the team to attend to a serious illness or death in his (or his spouse's) immediate family. A player placed on the bereavement list must miss a minimum of three games and a maximum of seven games. The team can use another player from its 40-man roster to replace a player on the bereavement list.

Personally, I think Wikipedia is right and King is wrong (it wouldn't be the first time) because I recall another Yankee put on this list within the last couple of years.  I'm sure we'll get confirmation on this sometime later today.

In other roster news, Chad Moeller has been recalled from Scranton and Wilson Betemit has been placed on the 15-day DL with a case of conjunctivitis (pink eye).