Two spring victories behind strong starting pitching wasn't enough to distract from yesterday's shocking news that Joba Chamberlain had sustained a significant injury while playing with his son on a trampoline. The open dislocation, which involved a life threatening amount of blood loss, could have a permanent impact on Joba's career, but the gravity of the situation didn't stop dullards like Bill Madden from comparing the right hander's decision to play with his son to the fight that ended Brien Taylor's career. As Joe Girardi implied, you can't blame Chamberlain for being a dad, so if the right hander is dedicated to traveling another long road to recovery, the Yankees should be willing to go along for the ride.
Lost amid the Chamberlain furor was Derek Jeter's return to the lineup. The Yankees' Captain played three innings in Friday's exhibition game against the Twins and reported no complications.
The battle for the last spot on the 25-man roster seems no closer to being settled, but left handers Clay Rapada and Cesar Cabral have each been making a compelling case.
Are the Yankees reluctant to trust young starters? RAB's Larry Koestler examines this issue and suggests some of the criticisms leveled against the franchise have been exaggerated.
Joe Torre is back...in the MLB executive office, that is. After his failed attempt to buy into the Dodgers, the former Yankees' manager returned to his previous role as MLB's Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations.
Tie-gate refuses to die down. The latest salvo was fired by Clayton Mortensen, who was "pissed" about being denied a chance to pitch in Thursday's exhibition game. Adding insult to injury, Mortensen was demoted to the minors the next day. Of course, had the Red Sox not tied the game in the ninth, Mortensen would never have had a chance to pitch anyway, which makes you wonder just how much of a priority it was for Valentine to get him into the game.