Wang to start Tuesday in Scranton
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on May 10, 2009 
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Chien-Ming Wang will start Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton against Charlotte. He is cleared for 100 pitches.
If he pitches well, Wang could earn his return to the majors. Joe Girardi indicated that he is close.
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Funny story from Johnny Damon after the game. Johnny said that his son Jackson must be pleased with the home run because when he had the first pick in a fantasy league, he selected his dad.
“First? He could have had me in the 10th round,” Damon said. “I asked him what he was thinking.”
Johnny has six jacks in the last 10 games. Maybe Jackson knew what he was doing all along. His pop is in a contract year, after all.
Yes!
Hopefully Wang is back to being Wang sooner rather than later.
2 starts @ Scranton and then it’s see you later Phil Hughes?
Or does it depend on how well Hughes pitches next week how many starts Wang gets in AAA?
I think what turns people off about it is that Joba is still a 23 yr old kid who has maybe a year of cumulative service time in the big leagues. He is still finding his way and trying to develop. They don’t like the fact that someone as young and unproven as him does it.
When CC does it, nobody cares because he is an established vet. Papelbon and K-Rod are closers… closers can do what they want, they get the most difficult outs in the game.
Nothing wrong with Joba doing it, but he should expect the reaction to be negative.
Please pitch well, Chien Ming.
I have seen enough of Hughes. As long as you show the ability to get some outs, come back up.
Huff was over the top. The best payback for Huff or any other hitter who doesn’t like Joba’s celebrations is to hit a HR. Huff did that. But mocking the pitcher as you round first base and after touching home just made him look silly.
Especially considering his team lost the game. And the O’s didn’t do much against Joba after that.
Baseball players are so sensitive. In this sport you have to check your emotions it seems. Any kind of inkling of emotions shown your getting under the other teams skin.
I’m surprise Huff is taking it so personally. but like Joba said it won’t be the last time he sees Huff.
They need Wang back DESPERATELY.
They need his innings, his quality and, most of all, his composure (pre-injury) on the mound.
That’s something Phil Hughes is really going to have to work on if he wants a future in the majors. The meltdowns are too many and its hurting his development and standing in the clubhouse.
I hope its 7 innings of vintage Wang. 93-94 MPH sinker, down in the zone, length and quality.
If so, he pitches against the Twins next Sunday.
His return can’t come soon enough.
“That’s something Phil Hughes is really going to have to work on if he wants a future in the majors. The meltdowns are too many and its hurting his development and standing in the clubhouse.”
100% correct
Damon’s comments re: Hughes were a breath of fresh air
Damon is a standup guy and a winner
“I sort of looked at the way his career has gone about like how Al Oliver’s career went his last couple of years. I really thought that once he went to Texas he’d be a mortal lock for 3,000. In my opinion, Oliver and possibly Dave Parker should have been HOFers.”
gb7-
funny you mention al oliver. i was going to tell you the same thing how he got stuck at about 2700( 2743) and faded fast.
i had the good fortune to sit in the bullpen for one season( ill fated senior league) and be around oliver. he was the left handed dh ( hal mcrae ws the righty dh), but he developed an eye problem and the medication made him dizzy so he was out in the bullpen a lot that year ( it was next to the clubhouse- mckechne field in bradenton)
he was not happy about not getting three thousand hits. he talked to me about it. he felt like he was blackballed somewhat. i can’t remember the specifics of why he’d say that. just like he felt he should have been given a chance to keep playing. it really bothered him.
he was 42 in the senior league, and after not playing for a few months, he pinch hit in an extra inning playoff game and hit a line drive base hit between 1st an 2nd and drove in the winning run. amazing, but no one expected anything less from him. he was the proverbial guy who could fall out of bed in winter and hit a line drive.
one thing he did that was unusual was he said he looked breaking ball and reacted fastball. he had a long back and forth with mcrae and nettles about it one day. they couldn’t believe it. i guess in his hey day , no one could get a fastball in on him.
Al Oliver played in an era where an outspoken African American player in the majors was considered “trouble”.
There is no way that guy didn’t get blackballed. He could flat out hit and could still hit when he couldn’t get a job anymore in the big leagues.
Damon was drafted in my league in the fourteenth round and I picked him up out of free agency about two weeks into the season. So far, he has been the best free agent pick I have ever made in fantasy. Not only is he leading my team in almost every offensive category but he is my only offensive player in the top 20 in all of baseball right now in the league. Someone needs to make up for the disasters that are Tex, sizemore and soto so far. My trifecta of offensive woes. I dont know who has been the most dissappointing of those three but since the computer actually picked soto for me, Im not even sure if he should count.
Either way, damon is THE MAN right now and the reason i am in second place and a few points away from first. Well, him and me leading the league in pretty much every pitching category. Damon first pick overall is just asking to lose though – even if he’s your dad, at least wait until the 8th round or so when he would still be available but your not sacrificing the best in the sport to get him.
Wow, I got Johnny Damon in the 8th round and Derek Jeter in the 9th.
Al Oliver….I agree with you guys, man was born to hit a baseball…
I wonder if Pete plays fantasy baseball. Pete, do you play fantasy baseball? Wait, I doubt it, he probably has no time.
What do you think about making Hughes a short reliever?
Believe it or not, Damon is doing Hughes a favor.
The kid has to be tougher. If he isn’t, he isn’t going to make it.
It may sound too harsh for some but, that’s the way it is.
Joba Chamberlain and Hughes are interesting character studies.
Joba grew up raised by a dad who is disabled, worked in a prison, and busted his hump everyday to try and put food on the table.
The reservation he grew up on was littered with alcoholics.
His mom is, unfortunately, a drug addict.
He was 70 pounds overweight in HS, and had to go the JUCO route just to get a chance at Nebraska.
He got his chance and suffered enough injuries to drop in the draft.
He wasn’t even the Yankees top pick in the draft that year. Ian Kennedy was their #1 pick.
He got to the majors quickly, his fame (too much so, IMO) gave him a sample of “too much, too soon”, and he had to deal with a very public DUI.
Yet, that kid is the quintessential tough guy on the mound and gets the job done.
He has the 6th lowest ERA in baseball since he has become a starting pitcher (18 starts), and only 5 other pitchers have had more quality starts than him in the same timeframe.
Contrast that with Hughes.
Drafted in the first round out of HS from Santa Ana, CA.
Grew up in a nice home, neighborhood, and money wasn’t a factor.
Was babyed bigtime by the Yankees throughout his development.
He has had 1/10 the adversity Joba has had in his life.
That’s not Hughes’ fault. However, it does shape one’s personality.
Hughes is a hard worker. What he isn’t is tough. That’s why there have been so many meltdowns in his career.
Joba’s toughness came from his upbringing. Phil is going to have to work at being tough because his background doesn’t give way for him to be naturally tough.
Can he do it? Time will tell.
Randy, I never figured out what the deal was with Oliver. He stayed away from that clubhouse partying and never seemed to cause problems. At one time, he was a damned fine center fielder and turned himself into a solid 1st baseman. I’m not sure if he was ever given a shot as a batting coach, bit, he would have made a great one.
Last night, you mentioned the name Carl Taylor. Is that the same Carl Taylor that played as a catcher/outfielder with Pittsburgh and KC in the early 70s? I remember him only because he always seemed to kill the Cubs and Yankees in his limited playing time.
Yes, Damon’s words were a breath of fresh air. After Phil shut down the Tigers to stop a losing streak in its tracks, Damon and the others had lots to say about Phil.
Oh, Lord.
Mel,
I know you want to give Phil a hug but, this is MLB. Its not about taking one outing and deciding that’s the player.
Its also not about making Phil Hughes feel good.
If he going to get respect in that clubhouse, he’s going to have to earn it.
Yes, he pitched very well in Detroit. Guess what? Guys praised him for it.
His last two outings have been awful. His career ERA as a starter is over 7. That ain’t good.
He melted down again last night. Something he did in his outings last year. That’s how guys look at him.
I know you don’t like that but, that’s how it is in ML clubhouses. Guys want to see someone battle. When you do, you earn respect. When you don’t, you don’t earn the respect of your teammates.
Damon was mild in his criticism of Hughes compared to what he could have said.
Hell, Jorge Posada punched out El Duque three different times in his time with the Yankees because of stuff didn’t like.
Compared to that, Damon “hit” Hughes with a light pillow.
As Pete said in the game thread, its good that somebody on this team is willing to say publicly what the rest of the guys are thinking.
Sj with a nice comoparison between hughes and joba from the toughness angle. could not agree more. have 3 kids, live in a nice area so calif. all involved in competitive sports, the kids from rougher backgrounds often appear to want it more.
hughes needs to grow up now………………..
Trenton wins 4-3 with Vazquez and catcher Jose Gil hitting homers. Gil only has 9 at bats this year because of an injury, but is 5-9 with 2 doubles and a homer.
Scranton lost 300 in 11 innings after Robertson allowed two hits and Melancon came in and gave up the 3 run homer.
Jackson was 2-4 in the game. Igawa was 8 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts.
Tampa won 8-4. Montero was 2-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. Romine was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. He also had another catcher’s interference error (his 2nd this week) and was caught stealing twice. Laird and Sublett were 0-4.
Charleston wasn’t scheduled to play.
doesnt anybody realize, huff doesnt care that the orioles lost. he may wear an orioles jersey, but he is a red sox at heart. just like brian heart trouble scum roberts
SJ,
Great post, I agree 100%. You can see the difference in their upbringing and toughness.
SJ, great points in your comparison about Joba and Phil. With Phil, it doesn’t help that the Yankees have been hyping him up since the moment they have got him. There’s a reason why Pete refers to him as Phil Franchise. It is time he steps up and shows everyone what he has.
Fine, SJ44. But you can’t use Phil’s upbringing into this.
Kobe Bryant, Mike Mussina, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady. The list goes on and on with surburban kids (some quite rich) who grew up to be tough-minded.
I don’t want to give Phil anything. I want the team to win as much as the next person. If Phil can’t get it done, then pray that Wang can be Wang and that Ian can recover quickly from his surgery.
And I want people to be consistent and not flip-flop with every pitch, at-bat, good game, and bad game.
Hughes doesn’t know how to handle adversity because he has never faced it
Joba’s entire life has been dealing with it
Not surprising to see where each guy is at their stage in development at this point.
Let me say, I like Phil Hughes. I think he has the chance to be a good pitcher.
But, he has a couple of things going against him.
One, he hasn’t been developed well by the Yankees. After 5 years in the organization, he has to be able to do certain things better than he does right now. That fact that he can’t (maintain velocity and command out of the stretch, minimize damage, etc) is a strike against the organizational guys who have worked with him.
Two, simply put, he has to grow a pair.
Look, he got some tough breaks last night. Guess what? Pitch through it!
Joba got some bad breaks today. Jeter didn’t get to a ball that he should have gotten to and Melky threw to the wrong base, allowing two runners to move up into scoring position.
You know what he did? He dug deep, got outs, and kept the Orioles off the scoreboard.
Two young guys, both facing adversity, and both of them handle it differently.
That’s why one guy is having success and the other guy isn’t.
Its not about ability. Phil Hughes has ability. But, it takes more to be good.
I really hope Hughes has it in him to be good. If he does, the Yankees have something good.
If he doesn’t? That would be a shame.
Damon said the same thing about Wang.
He also said he didn’t think the Joba to the rotation experiment was a good idea, then later admitted he was 100% wrong (after that 1-0 game in Fenway).
Damon has been consistent. He had every right to criticize Hughes. He showed NO toughness out there. He has been hyped up for so long and has enough MLB experience under his belt where he can’t be coodled anymore. Can’t stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen.
Hey guys, we won a series.
Pop the chamapagne.
Damon is speaking on behalf of the entire team. They all want to win and the excuses are getting tiresome.
Good for Damon for not sugarcoating things.
I’m not really clear on this rule, so please somebody elaborate: The Yanks were trailing when Joba left in the sixth. They didn’t take the lead until the seventh. So how did Joba get the win? Unless I’m just counting the innings wrong or something?
Thanks. I have a feeling I should know this, but for some reason it’s confusing me.
“Al Oliver played in an era where an outspoken African American player in the majors was considered “trouble”.
There is no way that guy didn’t get blackballed.”
sj44-
i was being careful repeating what oliver said. i didn’t want to throw racial overtones into it because i don’t remember him saying that. blackballed i remember clearly. a large part of that team were the”we are family pirates” and other assorted pirates. gene clines, oliver, bruce kison omar moreno,jim morrison, and carl taylor. tony bartirome was with us and was the pirates trainer back then.
i heard stories of dock ellis pitching the perfect game( or no hitter). clines swore the rumors about it was true. these pirates were the first team to field an all black team. to me they were just all about baseball. gene cline was quite the hitting coach too.
he was griffey’s hitting coach at seattle and bond’s at san francisco. i always felt that because he was african american he didn’t get the recognition he should have.
al oliver, gene clines, kison, etc were just all about the game.
sj, i’m glad you came out so definitively with what you said. i really didn’t put it all together at the time.
Huff was a jerk. I loved what Joba said after the game. Something along the lines of “I’ll be seeing him again.” He handled it very well.
Hughes career era is 5.48 when I looked up his numbers to compare with Santana & Greinke….
Didn’t some of you guys complain that the team has no fire and no leadership?
Now we have someone showing it and people are getting on his case?
Johnny is a winner and one of the most respected people on the team. He can say whatever he wants and people will listen, he has earned that right. He backs it up on the field too.
“Johnny said that his son Jackson must be pleased with the home run because when he had the first pick in a fantasy league, he selected his dad.”
This explains some recent fielding lapses from Johnny.
Fantasy Leagues don’t care about defense.
Teixeiramvp (I’m keeping the faith) (Not the troll)
May 10th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I’m not really clear on this rule, so please somebody elaborate: The Yanks were trailing when Joba left in the sixth. They didn’t take the lead until the seventh. So how did Joba get the win? Unless I’m just counting the innings wrong or something?
Thanks. I have a feeling I should know this, but for some reason it’s confusing me.
————————————————————
Because he was still the pitcher until the bottom of the 7th inning, after NYY took the lead for good.
Pat M,
Did you compare their birth order?
I only got half of my mother’s day sports wishes. Maybe a loss tonight by the Sox can make me feel better.
Anyone hear Gammons just now on BBTN?
“Joba Chamberlain has a lot of enemies in the American League between throwing at heads and doing those dances”
I’m missing something.
What exactly did Damon say?
GreenBeret7-Okay. I just worked it out in my head. Thanks.
Gammons just said Joba needs to tune it down and his teammates believe so as well
Mel,
No doubt. But, his upbringing does play a role in it. It really does.
Let’s take your examples individually:
Kobe. Yes, he grew up well but, his dad, grew up in South Philly and raised that kid as if he was still in the ghetto.
He didn’t give him anything and he had to earn everything.
That’s an entirely different deal than growing up in Santa Ana, CA. In other words, Phil wasn’t learning his game in the ‘hood like Kobe was.
Jeter. Funny you should mention him. In his first year in A Ball (Greensboro), he made 57 errors. He would call his dad CRYING at night saying, “he couldn’t do it and wants to go to college”. His dad told him, “no way. “If you quit now, you will be forever known as a quitter”.
Pretty strong words to tell an 18 year old kid. Much worse than what Damon said about Hughes last night. Guess what? He didn’t quit and the rest as they say, is history.
Brady? Goes to Michigan, is supposed to be “the man”, and Brian Griese beats him out. He doesn’t sulk, transfer or cause a problem. He works his butt off and has a very good senior year.
Then the draft comes and goes in the late rounds. Another hit to the gut. What does he do? He works HARDER and he becomes great.
Regardless of background, the players that make it in professional sports have a certain toughness about them.
Your background does shape it though. If its soft, like Hughes’ was, you have to find a way to have that toughness, chip on your shoulder, whatever you want to call it, going for you. Even if you have to manufacture it, you need that fuel to succeed because its so darn tough to do so.
You have to be able to handle the bumps in the road. So far, Hughes hasn’t been able to do so.
I’d love to see the kid make it. I really would.
But, the meter is running and its, “getting late early”, as Yogi would say, with him.
He has to get tougher. If he does, the results will be there, as will the respect from his teammates.
Sea Net-Even if Joba is lit up he comes out on the better end seven out of ten times either way. So let him make enemies.
“Joba Chamberlain has a lot of enemies in the American League between throwing at heads and doing those dances”
=======================================
Doing those dances? Did Joba do a tap dance routine that I missed?
Sea Net,
Did you hear Gammons talk about Manny earlier in response to McCourt’s whining about Manny?
He said, “Look at what Manny did in ‘08, numbers were down and then he goes to the Dodgers and throwing up ridiculous numbers.”
Does he actually BELIEVE that Manny just started doing steroids? He actually believed all the “grandma’s getting surgery” stories?
Joba has done nothing wrong. The only person he really throws at, sometimes, is Youk. Otherwise what does he do? Pump his fist after making a big out? So does Burnett. So does Papelbon. I’ve seen Garza and Beckett do it. And K-Rod, well, he crosses himself, shouts to the sky, and petitions God after every save. So what’s the big deal with showing emotion?
How about this. From now on ballplayers have to wear masks lest they look at somebody wrong and offend them. Give me a break.
Good, I’m glad guys feel that way about Joba.
Guess what? They won’t be so comfortable in the batters box.
Everybody loves a pitcher that doesn’t initimidate them.
You don’t like Joba? Beat him.
If not, shut up. That’s the way I see it.
Let’s be real though… if Joba was a Red Sox player or on any other team… we would hate him too. We’d mock him and trash him and talk about how classless he is.
Joba is one of those guys that you hate when he is on the other team, but would love to have him on your side.
I don’t know why so many people were upset with Huff. If Joba wasn’t a Yankee, wouldn’t you and the Yankees player hate him?
New thread.
You can throw Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods in there as two athletes who had a stable, good childhood with little to no money worries and are two of the toughest ever in their respective sports. But, a tough childhood will lead to a tough adult if it is survived, it takes a strong mind to be tougher when coming from a soft childhood.
AZ Four-Of course. But I didn’t get why he was doing something when Joba did nothing to him.
Who cares. Screw you. Joba won. He got the last laugh.
Fine, SJ.
Can’t speak for any of those other athletes. But you can’t teach what Kobe has. You can’t take a nice kid and give them a killer instinct, whether it’s in Upper Marion, the ghetto, Italy, or Santa Ana.
I’ll give credence to the Phil’s never failed theory, but less so to the surburban upbringing.
I have no doubt the next two days of Francessa will be centered around “fist pumping” and “Joba-to-the-pen” debates.
Mel,
If he can’t learn it, he will fail.
He doesn’t need Kobe, MJ, off the charts toughness.
But, he needs to be MUCH tougher than he is right now or he won’t make it. Regardless of talent.
Its a tough business and only the tough survive.
I hope Hughes gets there. I really do.
That said, I’m not upset at all a teammate, the most productive guy on the team no less, called him out.
Hey, let the kid us that as fuel to get better.
I really don’t care what he uses to get tougher. He has to use something though or he is destined to be a AAA-AAAA pitcher, regardless of how old he is right now.
Oh no doubt Francesa will be yapping about the fist pumping stuff regarding Jobber tomorrow and beyond.
Heck, even tonight on Mike’d Up
You don’t think PH has had to work through adversity? How about missing almost 2 years due to freak injuries? How about suffering the humiliation of a ridicuously bad 2008 where he lost a job in the NYY rotation pitching in front of 50,000 rabid NYY fans all at the ripe old age of 21? He didn’t sulk. He kept at it working on command, cutter change etc. while rehabbing. Went to the AFL worked some more. Went to a sports performance center during the winter to get in better shape. Pitched well in 2009 ST and AAA. So he had 2 more bad starts. He’ll be back. I have never heard the kid make an excuse for a bad performance, never feel sorry for himself for injuries or losing his job. He owns up to every bit of his struggles. That takes “a pair” if you ask me.
m, I compared the three according to their ages, and Hughes is way ahaead across the board….Sanatana logged many innings in the secure comfort zone of the bullpen….One thing the other two and just about any young pitcher that has come up in the past 5 years, they haven’t had to dael with 1′5 of the pressure that Hughes is had to deal with …He’s been called up when the Yanks need a win, because things are a mess like they were 2 years ago when he was 20….Also when they needed someone to come in a relieve in Cleveland during the 2007 playoffs, and of course 10 days ago in Detroit…He did unravel last night, he started rushing pitchers, 4 times he had 02 counts and didn’t put the hitter away…Composure comes with maturity….As Randy I said two years ago this month, if he’s coming up, the bullpen is where he belongs…
I will be at the game Tuesday to see Wang pitch. Should be a good time!
Interesting analogy SJ44 on Hughes and Joba. Adversity has a way of making a kid tougher or weaker and a lot of it depends on the strong influence of a father. Joba’s dad is a taskmaster from articles I have read and they are very close. He has been estranged from his mother for years. Being overweight as a youngster is an adversity onto it’s own. Joba was able to lose the weight to give himself a better change at being a class athlete. He has been able to make the changes necessary and make them stick. He has heart and guts.
Everyone remembers the stories of Tiger’s dad, working with him at an early age and being with him at all times until health would not allow it. It takes extreme dedication to succeed in sports — and a boat load of talent. Joba has both, and is a better pitcher than Phil. Phil is the one who should be groomed for the pen, not Joba.
About the fist pumping incident – what a bunch of hogwash. Joba had his game face on and didn’t seem to notice or much less care. He wants to win. Period. What Huff did was premeditated and bush league. I used to be an Oriole fan. No more. Joba turns his body away from the batter when he shows any emotion, Huff looked right at him and his team mates laughed. BRobb is definitely off my list for life.
Why do sportscasters pick on Joba? Because he is a winner and a Yankee. I hate to admit to this but there are times when I wish he was on another team so he could pitch his game and probably be a 2 or 3 starter right now and not have to face the backlash of being a Yankee. Especially during the back to the bull pen debates.
I want every one to know that this is a young man who is half Winnebago Indian and attended the University of Nebraska. He makes a lot of native American’s proud that he has achieved the success he has much less with a storied team like the Yankees. The media should be giving him chops for overcoming a tough young life and making it to the bigs instead of the negative press he receives. And so does Jacoby Ellsbury, but that is another story.
I too am native America and I will advocate for Joba’s success until I can no longer sit at a computer. Can’t you just envision a little old Indian lady in a rest home yelling on the phone… WHY ISN’T JOBA PITCHING?
the difference in how Joba and Hughes ahndled lousy beginning this wqeekend speaks volumes. Someone suggest Huighes to the pen and, frankly it might have merit at some point. Where is this alleged changeup he’s been mastering?
I think people are who they are in terms of toughness. You circumstances play a role as fo your parents/influences but I’ve know siblings who were completely different in that regard. It still comes down to the individual and who he/she becomes.
Big night for Wang in Scranton.
Am I the onyl one who noticed that Alex ran to first on that grounder like Walter Brennan from the Real McCoy’s? He beats that out easily when healthy.
Enough of Chien-Ming Hughes, I want the real deal back up here.
SJ44,
you are probably my favortie poster on here, but you are way off base with this whole adversity thing