Misery and the Joba

Could not have asked for a worse Tuesday.

I sat on my couch and alternated the Met and Yankee games on MLB.tv; the game not on the low-quality internet feed would be seen in ESPN Gamecast. I ate about two pounds of miniature carrots and drank about 3 liters of water only to have both games end in miserable fashion. The bullpen blows it for Tommy on a 20-foot grounder and a Ryan Howard walkoff and a DJ dong sets up the Yankees new 8th/9th force, Jobiano.

I was pissed off. It's been a while since a baseball game bothered me. We are talking probably 7 years. So I decided I needed to let some energy go. I drove to the LA fitness to play some basketball. My team actually had a nice run and thanks to all those carrots I ate earlier; I made 'em jump like Rod Strickland. [Ed's note: Word to Raekwon the Chef]



I came home starving, but the only thing I had in my house was cold cuts. I think I have eaten sandwiches 80 times in my three months in Arizona. But this is not New York. This is Mesa. My options were Jack in the Box or the local supermarket.

I hit up the supermarket, which for some reason had at least seven full-blown Meth addicts inside. One asked me if I knew Jaime. I didn't think he was referring to my first girlfriend in middle school, so I told the friendly meth-addict that I did not. She then stared at me for a while and I was certain that I was going to get robbed.

I drove home, with a makeshift meal of chocolate milk, watermelon and some crappy supermarket sushi (really wanted something light) which has since driven me to the bathroom no less than three times. I think it would have been safer to hit up my toothless friend for some meth.

On my first trip to the bathroom, which along with the gym is the only place that I have clear thoughts, I realized something that was very true.

The Yankees do not deserve Joba Chamberlin.



I've watched the kid throw a couple of times now. For those who haven't, you should. It's like watching Jose Reyes take third for a triple, or Torii Hunter make an inhuman play in the outfield, or like Bonds or McGwire at their peaks hitting balls that seemed like they might never land. The best analogy is a young Armando Benitez, before he broke the hearts of fans in New York, Miami, Seattle and San Francisco, when he was a freak- a guy who threw 100mph, who when he entered the game, everyone was glued to their television set.

When a pitcher is truly dominant it is a sight to see. But when a pitcher throws 100 mph and is dominant, he becomes a sensation or a gimmick. Something that everyone wants to see.

Players like this come around very rarely. Whether or not Joba sticks around the bigs for 10 years or 10 weeks (god forbid he blew out his elbow), what he is doing now makes me want to watch Yankee games.

He is the gimmick that can make a casual fan take his respect of the game to the next level. One of many reasons why it is horrible that he is a Yankee.

See, the Yankees, by name alone, are the gimmick. They are the holier-than-thou Yankees. Fans come to see them play because of their pinstripes. That's right, like Leo said in "Catch Me if You Can," "they can't keep their eyes off of the pinstripes."

Fans also come to Yankee games because of their lineup full of All-Stars. The Yankees are the best, they spend the most money, they are the "classiest" and they do everything "The Yankee Way."

It is this aura (bullshit) or mystique (bullshit) that draws so many people to the Yankees. They have more fans than anyone else, the biggest crowds and are arguably the biggest sports team in the world.

So why, then, do they deserve to have a player like Joba? A player of such intrigue. A player that you are shocked to see is white and has a name so catchy because it reminds everyone of "Star Wars" (which I have never seen- only the 5th one because A.F.O.M.G. made me, and it sucked.) This guy could ignite another franchise. Imagine if he played in Kansas City or Baltimore? He would be the attraction that the otherwise thankless franchises do not have. Wouldn't it be nice if fans of the Devil Rays had a reason to pack their stadium, something that they were so proud to be theirs, even if the team stunk? [Ed's note: Must ... not .... mention ... Scott ... Kazmir ...]

Joba in the Yankees is a stud amongst stars. His talents are going to get lost behind the pinstripes and the aura and mystique of the Yankees.

I just think it is a total shame that this kid isn't playing for a team that needs a guy like him. A guy who throws 100 mph and is named Joba.

That's just me though.

The one good thing that has come out of "Joba Time" -- not sure if that's what they call it -- is that it has brought out the beauty that is Joe Torre. As many of you have read, the Yankees have a rule in place set by Nardi Contreras that Chamberlin can requires a day off for every inning that he pitches. So if he pitches an inning on Tuesday, he can't pitch on Wednesday. 2 innings on Tuesday and he can't pitch on Wednesday or Thursday.


The reasoning, simple enough, is that the Yankees are trying to protect their golden arm. But why such a "defined" rule with the Yankees in the heart of a pennant chase, fighting for their October lives? I think Buster Olney said it best. The Yankees are saving him from Joe Torre.

It finally became clear to me why Joe Torre is still around. It's not for his baseball acumen, something you don't really need when your roster is infinitely more talented than everyone else. The reason is that the guy massages egos and takes orders better than anyone else. Apparently he has people skills. He can make his players like him and he can make his bosses like him. I guess that is enough to be the manager of the biggest team in sports.

Yankees2000, it's a nice idea.

Vaya,
Sip

(Pics courtesy of MLB.com, NBA.com, MSN.com)