Improvement for Joba and Kennedy
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- March
- 10
They weren’t good as they will (or at least should) be, but Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy took a step forward tonight.
Chamberlain needed 49 pitches to get through 2.1 innings. He easily got ahead 0-2 or 1-2 but was “too fine” (in his words) with his pitches then. He said he would have a batter stand at the plate during his next bullpen session so he can work on that.
“It felt good, just getting deep into a game,” he said. “My mechanics got a lot better.”
Here’s Joba talking about his night:
Interestingly, Chamberlain tossed a few two-seam fastballs, a pitch taught to him by Chien-Ming Wang. Chamberlain normally throws a four-seamer, a slider, a curve and a changeup. A two-seamer is a pitch he could use to try and get a double play or keep his pitch count down once he becomes a starter.
And, yes, he will be a starter at some point. Chamberlain maybe threw three curveballs in the majors all last season. Now that we’re seeing it more regularly, it’s obvious why the Yankees want to make him a starter.
“He has three big-league pitches and the changeup is getting there,” Jorge Posada said.
Kennedy got better as his stint went on as he retired the final eight batters he faced.
Here’s Joe Girardi talking about Chamberlain and Kennedy:
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on Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 9:59 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
cant wait for the season to start…
what is it? 3 weeks from today?
Literally 3 weeks…
BREAKING NEWS:
Not to be outdone, the Red Socks sign Rudy Gulliani.
Live game blogs and same-day audio have reinvented the spring training experience for the fan. Kudos. Thank you. . .
But how about a nice handheld mic?
he’s learning a 2 seamer oh boy !
Wow Joba with a 2 seamer imagine that.
Good to know that the kids didn’t fall apart after the tongue-lashing they got after their last starts.
I really believe in karma, and I think the Big 3 is karmic reward for the pain that Yankee fans have had to endure at the hand, buttocks, and arm of Carl Pavano.
Pitchers always try to learn new pitch, but the one he learns from other pitchers won’t be as good as the one he learns from. Just like Hughes said, It won’t be Mo’s cutter even though he learns that pitch from Mo in the future, but still good to hear that for sure.
Holy %#&(#
Felix Pie of the Cubs is out with a “twisted testicle”
http://tinyurl.com/yuumx4
Good stuff from both of them. What was that in the beginning of the Girardi audio with the “let me see your face”?
They are not “making” him a starter — he IS a starter and has been one his entire career. They “made” him a reliever.
It’s for real:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2008/news/story?id=3286984
I remember watching Joba strike out Pedroia last season on a knee-buckling curve ball and wondering why he didn’t throw the pitch more often.
“Pitchers always try to learn new pitch, but the one he learns from other pitchers won’t be as good as the one he learns from.”
Hey Jessica, record books are full of pupils who outperformed their teachers.
However, I totally agree with you — if Mo’s the teacher, there’s just no getting any better than that.
OK, I admit I’m a Crystal fan and think it’s all in good fun.
Yazman,
The Yankees don’t really need the publicity, so I just don’t understand this. Unless, it’s for charity or it’s his God-forbid last wish, I don’t really see what the purpose is.
I do like Billy Crystal, enjoy his routine and most of his movies. I love the way he loves the Yankees. But I think this is just a step too far. It disrespects the uniform, and I’m not given to that kind of hyperbole. Too many bona fide baseball players have worked their hearts out trying to make pro teams, and this makes a mockery of that. I know, I know, I should lighten up.
ive never been comfortable with these celebrity drop in’s in ST. i agree with doreen, those ab’s may not mean much to the regulars or most fans, but to guy’s who’ve spent years in the minors, those ab’s are like gold. for many this is the only time they will play with guys on this level.
I read on the NY Times website that Billy Crystal’s 60th Birthday is on Friday and this is a gift to him from the Yanks. I would assume that his bat and or glove will be auctioned off for charity, otherwise it would probably not be done.
It’s all good fun until the 3rd base coach sends the runner home, who drops a shoulder and runs in to Billy Crystal blocking the plate and breaks his wrist. Then we’ll see who’s laughing.
THe more i think about it, the more id rather joba start the year in the rotation then move to the bullpen later.
-Hes already done this switch once so itll be familiar
-Itll help us get off to a good start, something thats hampered us the last half a decade
-In the post season, we only need 3 starters and those will undoubtedly be wang, pettitte and hughes, having joba in the 8th this year is better in the post season
“They weren’t good as they will (or at least should) be”
Pete are you serious?? Kennedy pitched 4 shutout innings, giving up only 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. What do you expect from him? Geez.
im so fired up about joba and phil. i think we have not one ace, but two, itll take em a couple years maybe to really become the studs of the rotation but they wont be too shaby as they learn. imagine having wang as your #3!
I don’t agree that the Billy Crystal thing is a disgrace to the uniform. When he did *61, he did a great thing for the Yankees, and has always loved the team. It’s a nice gift. It’s not like it’s a stunt in the regular season. I’m sure there’ll be something for charity. There always is.
Read at mlb.com that Lester might become the default opening day starter. Schilling out, Matsuzaka having a baby. Sound familiar?
That would be Lester, Matsuzaka, Tavarez, Colon, Buchholz.
I’m not laughing at the situation, but I’m not sympathetic either.
I’d say that Lester’s better than Matsuzaka at this point, unless Matsuzaka’s “rookie” year was an adjustment period.
What do you guys think? Lester vs. Daisuke.
“They weren’t good as they will (or at least should) be”
“Pete are you serious?? Kennedy pitched 4 shutout innings, giving up only 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. What do you expect from him? Geez.”
Pete,
Obviously, you didn’t watch a lot of Kennedy’s performance tonight.
I’m sorry. No one said disgrace. Someone used the word disrespect. I don’t mean to put words in anyones mouth
As far as him being part owner of the Diamondbacks, don’t you think it’s because he couldn’t buy into the Yankees? You can’t hold the Diamondbacks thing against him if he really wanted to be an owner.
rackem: Agree
Counting the SFU game, the three kids are a combined:
20.1IP 9H 3ER 4BB 8K 1.33ERA 0.640WHIP
If they are better than that, they will finish 1-2-3 in the CY Young voting.
The Billy Crystal thing doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
Personally, if I’m ever that famous, I want to throw the first pitch
(Yeah, i’ve thought about it. I have a ways to go.)
does billy crystal have derek jeter step in and tell some of his jokes because jeter’s a good guy and freind of crystal’s. i think its fine to let him suit up and maybe they could let him swing at a pitcher’s warm-ups but he has no place taking anyones ab’s or place in the field.
and i really like billy crystal, but c’mon, go to fantasy camp if you just cant get enough.
just let him pinch run. no big deal there.
If you’re worried about AB, do it at a NL team park and let him bat in the pitcher’s spot. I’m sure that the other team would do that. Wait, he was a .384 hitter in high school.
but that avoids the main question of why the hell is billy crystal in the game at all? its rediculous and makes a mockery of the game. if you pinch run him you have to alert everybody not to hurt him and tell the guy hitting behind him to run at 1/2 speed if he gets a hit cause there’s a 60 yr old man running in front of him. if you bat him for the pitcher in an nl game, you are taking away from a pitcher’s in game ab’s which they get few of in ST. and for what, to feed billy crystal’s ego? the celebs will be lining up at hank’s door to get in next year. soon it will be just like that (is it clint black) guy that wastes the padre’s minor leaguer’s ab’s ever couple of years. go play in a celeb slow pitch game in elay or something.
For those who wanted video of A-rod with M&MD:
http://tinyurl.com/2yzt5w
i wish crystal is hit in the head with a pitch.
With Torre gone I would of thought the Yankees would be glad to be rid of Crystal especially considering his distaste for Dimaggio. I hope this isn’t a harbinger of clowning and idiocy to come. Is a furry green mascot riding on an ATV next?
y know anti, sometimes you’re alright and other times you’re just a complete idiot
Y’s guy,
All your points are valid, but did you read the article I linked @ 10:47? Girardi said it’s a way to thank Crystal for all he’s done for the club.
I understand how you feel, but it’s been done by other celebrities on other teams.
Funny, recaps @ yes.com & mlb.com talk about Joba & Rivera, but only mention Ian in passing.
mlb.com said Ian finished with 2 strikeouts. Nothing about 4 shutout innings.
other teams wear names on the backs of thier unis. other teams where black jerseys. other teams have bright green mascots. other teams play on artificial ‘turf’. other teams play in stadiums named after whatever corporate entity shelled out millions to have thier park named for them for one or two seasons. other teams have fake railroads or ray petting tanks or sausage races or a swimming pool, cause other teams HAVE to do these things to attract attention and sell tickets.
Joba looked great today, as did Ian. The Joba curve is a thing of beauty, once he masters that and a change he could be one of the most dominant starters we’ve ever had.
I would like to see joba pitch 4 innings sometime this spring… Kennedy and hughes are doing great.
Argghh! This guy’s “twist” was my idea. lol.
“I digress here, but it’s hard not to imagine the strength the Yankees can create by properly utilizing Hughes and Chamberlain. As I previously argued, the optimal role for Chamberlain is to be used in a set-up role for the entire year, rather than go from the bullpen to starter as appears to be the plan. A twist on my original suggestion is to use Chamberlain in relief, but only when Hughes pitches. Girardi could use Hughes for five innings and Chamberlain for four every fifth day. This plan would fit with their estimated innings limit, while still providing valuable innings for the postseason:”
http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080310&content_id=1438797&oid=36019&vkey=4
one thing other teams do that id like to see the yankees do is let kids run the bases after the game once in a while.
Doreen,
I agree with you in hoping that Crystal and the Yanks figure out a way to make it work for charity (though I’m biased — one of my clients is an agency that auctions exactly this sort of thing for charity)
http://www.kompolt.com
Again, I’m biased, but a strong charitable component turns a little publicity stunt into something much more meaningful.
mel: But then you’d have a shorthanded bullpen and a rotation heavily dependent on Mussina, among the others. It’s a nice idea, but I don’t think we quite have the depth yet to pull it off.
so what r they gonna do auction off crystal’s jersey signed by all the yankees and give the money to charity? an arod signed jersey with billy crystal’s autograph would sell for more and then there’s no reason to make a mockery of a baseball game and deny a deserving player his place in that game.
using a token charity donation to cover up somebody’s ego trip is not appropriate.
mel, then you cant use joba to relieve for the other 4 pitchers, severely limiting jobas contribution from the pen. its more likely they will need him on moose’s days than kennedy’s imo
Hey, are you guys down on Moose? Boo! lol.
And we got us a looongg man now.
Well, Girardi sounds cryptic like he has something up his sleeve in re: to Joba’s use. Whatever it is, it’ll surely get someone up in arms. There’s absolutely no agreement on the right thing to do. It’ll be the biggest controversy since the Santana trade talks or Joba Rules.
Can’t wait until the kid gloves are off on all three pitchers.
mel: Not down on Moose, just being realistic.
and yeah, I can’t wait till the kid gloves are off, either, but you don’t want to rush it. There are certain allusions I could make here but I really, really would prefer not to get thrown off this blog.
i’m not slamming moose, but he has slipped some and its likely that his innings/start will continue to decrease this year as he has a tough time getting out of jams. kennedy’s younger and i think will average more innings per start than moose. i’m not a huge moose fan, i’m one who considers him somewhat whiney, but i think he’ll be a servicable pitcher all season and get lots of wins with that yankees offense.
adam eaton of the phils last year had a 6.46 era and gave up 100 more baserunners than innings pitched, but he went 10-10 for the phils because of thier great offense and they won thier division. i dont see moose being anywhere near that bad, so i could see him going more like 12-8 with an era slightly above 5, which i think would be just what the doctor ordered. if that happens and phil is what we think he is, yanks win the division comfortably.
crystal will probably pinch hit for arod for an at bat with men on base, before he’s replaced defensively by betemit…
either that or they suit him up to catch mussina. mussina would love that
i’v been a huge fan all my life and i’ve probably spent alot more than billy crystal on the tickets i’v bought over the years (crystal’s always in somebody’s box). i want to play in a ST game and i can actually throw a knuckleball. i have a big BDay coming up and i think the yankees should honor me by letting me play. let billy traber and ross olenndorf take a seat on the bench so i can show what a total non-athelete i am. if crystal can do it, why cant i?
BETTER IDEA, why dont billy crystal, clint black, kevin costner, the magnum pi guy and any other wanna be athelete get together and play stickball in someone’s yard. i dont want to hear jeter singing country songs, or hear mo tell jokes or see shelley duncan play a private detective on tv, and i certainly dont want to see any of these jokers acting like they belong on a baseball field
awesome night launch of the shuttle! wish it was clear out so i could go see it.
I’ve never seen Billy Crystal in anyone’s box. I’ve always seen him in the super expensive seats down by the on deck circle or behind home plate.
I really don’t think it’s as big a deal as everyone thinks. I think he’s just got a good relationship with the Yankees. It’s a nice thing for them to do.
And I just noticed the blog’s time stamp hasn’t caught up with daylight savings yet!
I want to know exactly what Billy Crystal has done for the Yankees?
He produced 61*, but that was because of what a huge fan he was of Mickey Mantle and it was about the magic of that season for Yankee fans in general and for himself in particular. Unless proceeds from that movie were donated to Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle charities or their families, it didn’t do anything more for the Yankees than the Lou Gherig Story or the Babe Ruth Story.
There could be things that Billy Crystal does behind the scenes, and if so, well, then, the Yankees are certainly entitled to thank him in any way they see fit. Otherwise, it seems that the Yankees have done a lot more to enhance Billy Crystal’s life, as they have done to enhance the lives of many of their fans.
But, I’ll relent somewhat because it is a ST game and not a regular season game.
Though I’m still with Y’s Guy - there are an awful lot of people out there who have been Yankee fans for life - and I mean people as old or older than Billy - who have bought the tickets, bought the merchandise, watched almost every game, who have talked about the Yankees to everyone they know, and who’ve built a lifetime of memories, and who have also immitated Mickey Mantle’s swing. But because they are not celebrities, their life’s wish of wearing a real Yankees uniform and playing with the big boys will never come true. It’s not so much about Billy Crystal, per se, but as I think about this, it’s about privilege and the abuse of privilege.
#27 in ‘08…Book It, Dan-O !!!
,,,then #28 in ‘09 in the new Stadium. The dominance starts NOW !
” Beckett, who said he was in a “crappy mood” after struggling to sleep Sunday night, wasn’t optimistic about Opening Day, either.”…..now THIS is what I am talking about….in my personal HATE for the Red Sox…which doesn’t make be violent….I totally love the fact that JERK, I mean… JOSH Beckett is hurt and feels crappy. Having him and the Collections of Dufus Kings over on that team of Iceholes start off hurt and struggle over the course of this entire season will give me almost as much joy as the Yankees winning the World Series. 2008 : The year that the Evil Empire triumphs over that “Nation” of Boston Maroons !!! Wa-Hoooooooooooooo !!!
i guess i just don’t think it’s all that big of a deal. it’s not like they have celebrities lined up for next spring. when/if something similar happens next season, maybe i’ll worry.
if you read that espn story linked somewhere above, this isn’t the first time it’s been done. a country singer got many at bats for the mets, and i don’t think he wrote a movie or song about the mets. i don’t rememeber any met fan outrage either. and i don’t think billy is going to see more than an at-bat or two, in one game.
by mid-april, i’m sure we’ll all have forgotten about this.
so it wastes a roster spot for a small fraction of a ST game. just a day or so ago i was reading some pretty ridiculous scenarious about bringing up players for sole the purpose of retaliation alone. for the regular season, nonetheless. but somehow billy crystal is a bigger dilema.
Saucy -
But don’t you get tired of “celebrities” getting special treatment all the time? It’s not like their curing cancer or anything. In fact, I’d be more supportive if the Yankees gave this privilege to someone like that. We value people for the wrong reasons. (Although it sure looks like Billy Crystal is an admirable human being, a nice person, why does being able to stand up and put your spin on life - being a standup comic and actor - make you worthy of such special treatment?) It’s the same when athletes are put on a pedestal for nothing more than being able to hit a ball far or a lot. Or when Oscar winning actresses are asked their opinion on world events and spout utter nonsense which gets validation with front-page coverage?
So for me, it’s the bigger issue.
Joba gives the Yanks a luxury if Kennedy and Mussina step up. The is a great problem to have. All he needs to do is stay healthy.
www.recreateyourlifenow.com
Doreen - I guess I see your point. Rich people rubbing elbows with each other for the most part. People used to the special treatment giving someone else special treatment whose also is probably used to it.