Mailbag: Are Yanks stingy with Joba?

Mailbag: Are Yanks stingy with Joba?

Reporter Bryan Hoch answers Yankees fans' questions

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

Click around the radio dial and the sports television programs, and it seems like all of New York is fascinated with Joba Chamberlain. There's good reason: the 21-year-old has been electric so far, bringing in a flurry of questions for this week's Yankees mailbag.

As we have all seen, Chamberlain has been absolutely amazing. He is, without a doubt, the most effective arm in the bullpen. How long can the Yankees go before his talent is too much to deny a day off, or two, after every outing given the ineffectiveness of the rest of the bullpen?
-- Reed T., McGuire AFB, N.J.

At least another month, I'd say, though the Yankees are sticking steadfastly to the plan that the so-called "Chamberlain Rules" are here to stay. The club's investment in Chamberlain, whom they continue to project as a key piece in the organization's future, is heavy, and certainly no one wants to see a promising rookie suffer a setback.

The guidelines with which general manager Brian Cashman and the club's player development hierarchy have presented Chamberlain to manager Joe Torre are conservative by design; some might say too much so. If keeping Chamberlain healthy for September and potential playoff appearances means keeping him out a day after he pitches an inning, or holding him to 35 pitches if used for two innings, then the Yankees seem prepared to do that.

Watch closely how this progresses, though, and wonder if some of the rigidity may fall off if the Yankees keep up their run. If Chamberlain continues to retire batters with remarkable efficiency and the Yankees' postseason odds come down to a few select outs, you would think there might be some room to bend.

I originally thought the Red Sox did themselves a disservice by placing Jonathan Papelbon in the bullpen, but he is a great closer and has the demeanor to go along with it. Mariano Rivera had a great 1996 year as the setup man for John Wetteland. With Mariano reaching the end of his career, is there any talk of having Chamberlain set up for Mo next season and learn from him? Chamberlain has great command of his pitches and also has a cool-calm demeanor.
-- Erik Z., Buffalo, N.Y.

Let's get past this season before projecting Chamberlain's future role, though Cashman is on record as saying the Yankees still see him as a starting pitcher -- it just so happened that the organization internally realized Chamberlain could outproduce some of the relievers on the Major League roster earlier this year.

I wouldn't completely rule out Chamberlain's spot in relief; there have been so many starting pitchers who have found homes in the bullpen, and let's not forget that he's still an incomplete product -- Chamberlain's changeup and curveball could use development time if he is headed for the Yankees' rotation. For the time being, you see Chamberlain speaking so often with players like Rivera, Roger Clemens, etc. -- he's not shy about asking for advice. That can benefit him.

Please clear up a belief I have held for 60 years: the phrase "Holy Cow" was used by Harry Caray in his broadcasts of Cardinals games, as I remember from my grandpa's knee listening to the Cards broadcast. How does Phil Rizzuto claim he made it famous? I'm not degrading or disrespecting the Scooter's career on the field or broadcast booth, but our Little League went to St. Louis and bought us kids "Holy Cow" shirts to wear as our uniforms.
-- Bob W., Orange, Calif.

Correct you are. As Jack O'Connell wrote in his obituary for Rizzuto -- who passed away last week at 89 -- on MLB.com, "[Rizzuto] refused to give up his 'Holy Cow!' call that had been used first by another broadcasting legend, Harry Caray, because it was a phrase Rizzuto had used since childhood to avoid swearing. Anything that was part of Phil Rizzuto was part of his broadcast."

Though Caray may have said it first, the catch-phrase became part of Rizzuto's broadcasting essence; as much as the warm memories Yankees fans hold of his train-of-thought style, mid-inning birthday wishes to fans around the five boroughs, unpaid plugs for the Scooter's favorite bakeries, or early trips jetting across the George Washington Bridge to catch a few extra moments with his loving wife, Cora. "Holy Cow" may not have been completely original, but Rizzuto was one of a kind.

Looking at the standings on MLB.com, I notice there is a statistic called XW-L (expected win-loss record). This is a complex formula that the official Web site of MLB uses to determine the record the teams are expected to have in relation to their runs scored/runs against. The Yanks are now tied with Boston for the best of this "record" in all of baseball -- what are we to believe this might mean? Can you break the stat down?
-- Steve G., Charlotte, N.C.

The expected win-loss records provide some nice comparison and argument; generally, to see how "lucky" a team has been. The development of this statistic trails to sabermetrician Bill James, who came up with an equation in the 1980s that attempted to accurately predict how many games a team would win over the course of a season by examining how many runs were scored and allowed.

If you're a math whiz and want to cook up some numbers at home, the theorem is as follows: "Runs scored to an exponent of 1.83, divided by the sum of runs scored to an exponent of 1.83 plus runs allowed to an exponent of 1.83." Some versions also use two as the exponent.

What do you think the chances are of Bobby Abreu being a Yankee next year? I believe he could get $16 million, or the Yankees could buy him out for $2 million. With the overcrowded outfield, I don't see him back.
-- Steve S., New York

Your financial figures are roughly correct. If you'd asked this question in May or early June, I probably would have said the chances were extremely slim. With a $16 million option there for 2008, Abreu is not exactly an inexpensive piece. His offensive production sparked the Yankees late last season and if he repeats it, that could help make the price tag somewhat more palatable.

I hear Doug Mientkiewicz is preparing to rejoin the team soon. I am happy with the production of Wilson Betemit, Andy Phillips, Shelley Duncan, and the return of Jason Giambi. Does Doug have a job when he returns, and who would be sent down?
-- Tyler W., Mountainside, N.J.

Mientkiewicz is rehabbing in Tampa, Fla., but the Yankees do not plan to call him up until rosters expand to 40 players on Sept. 1. Upon return, he'll likely see time as a late-inning defensive replacement and part-time player; the same role he served for the '04 Red Sox.

Win leaves Yankees feeling youthful

Win leaves Yankees feeling youthful

Chamberlain, Ramirez each dominant for one inning of relief

By Caleb Breakey / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Three lockers separated the cubbyholes that belong to Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramirez. The two relievers stood upright, the lines on their faces shifting as they listened, spoke and grinned.

Packs of reporters, print and broadcast, encircled the pair of pitchers. They had just dazzled a Sunday crowd of 55,071 at Yankee Stadium, combining to help seal a 9-3 win over the Tigers.

Chamberlain stood with a massive sling of ice wrapped over his arm and around his stomach, coloring his skin a shade of red where it touched him and adding to the already thoroughbred look branded from head to toe on his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame.

Fifteen feet away stood Ramirez, the man manager Joe Torre labeled a thermometer earlier this season, playing off the slenderness of the 26-year-old rookie, who stands 6-foot-3 but rarely pushes a scale's needle past 150.

The two relievers are not related, but Chamberlain and Ramirez share a common trait: They throw nasty pitches -- so deceptive and biting, in fact, that left fielder Johnny Damon took a stab at describing what kind of pitcher the two of them would combine to make.

"Umm... Cy Young?" Damon postulated.

Quite a compliment, that, but the Yankees are more interested in how Chamberlain and Ramirez perform individually and in tandem. For the big fellow, the one who received chants of "Joba! Joba!" in the scoreless seventh inning he pitched, it's all about a fastball that reaches 100 mph.

Chamberlain's slingshot of a right arm explodes the ball from the tips of his fingers, so much so that catcher Jorge Posada said he couldn't compare it with that of any pitcher who has fired heaters into his mitt.

For the afternoon, the 21-year-old Chamberlain got Gary Sheffield to strike out, and then he struck out American League MVP candidate Magglio Ordonez on three pitches.

The next batter Chamberlain faced, Carlos Guillen, a .304 hitter, stayed alive at the plate for just a few more seconds than Ordonez, striking out on four pitches.

Ramirez helped explain what the oomph of the Tigers lineup was up against: "[A] very, very, very, very good fastball. And a good breaking pitch."

Detroit had to be happy to see Chamberlain exit. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Chamberlain's fastball got his hitters so geared up for the heater that they had no chance against the rookie's slider.

Despite some frustration fuming over the Tigers' lack of hitting with runners on base, Leyland spoke some words that seem to already be spreading across the Bronx faster than the subways.

"He's one of those special guys."

Leyland's comment came across clear, but he easily could have been referring to Ramirez -- at least judging from the performance the right-hander turned in after relieving Chamberlain.

Ramirez came on in the eighth and used just 15 pitches to strike out the side. The fastball, which he throws between 89-92 mph, worked well as a setup pitch, skimming the corners for quick strikes.

But Ramirez broke out his secret weapon when he got ahead in the count. It was the pitch he featured in his Major League debut, when he also started an inning by fanning three in a row.

It's the changeup which Torre has studied well.

"That pitch is one of those power changeups," said Torre, who tied Casey Stengel for second place in franchise history with 1,149 wins as a Yankees manager. "It's one of those that, even if you look for it, it's tough to hit it, anyway."

Torre said he and Yankees management are working to take care of the two rookies, most notably Chamberlain, who, at least to this point in the season, is ordered one day of rest for every inning he pitches.

The two relievers don't care so much about the plans, however. They're having fun. They're pitching. They're doing well, and, as Chamberlain said, they may help even each other become better and prove Damon right.

"Hopefully, maybe I can learn [Ramirez's] changeup one day," Chamberlain said, "and I can give him some tips on the slider."

Damon, freshly showered and standing at his locker -- one spot over from Chien-Ming Wang, who started the game and picked up his 14th win -- said the two young guns could surprise teams during the Yankees' run at a pennant.

It all starts on Monday against Los Angeles at Angel Stadium. The Halos will be the first team, assuming they saw Chamberlain and Ramirez dominate the Tigers on Sunday, to make their scouting reports just a little bit thicker.

Either way, Damon, who launched a go-ahead solo home run off Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman, said the Yankees are as solid as they've been all season, and now they have these two guys at the other end of the locker room standing under blue name plates reading "Chamberlain" and "Ramirez."

"They're throwing the ball well and nobody knows too much about them yet," Damon said. "We have a lot of good things going on."

Notes: Chamberlain an apt student

Notes: Chamberlain an apt student

Rookie reliever seeking info, inspiration wherever he can

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Joe Torre summoned Joba Chamberlain for the ninth inning of Friday's game because the rookie right-hander needed a frame of work, not to satisfy the curiosities of the crowd in attendance.

But once the 21-year-old took the mound, the Yankees' bench seemed to join the chants of "JO-ba, JO-ba!" that have quickly become a trademark at home games. Certainly, Chamberlain's talent has demanded attention.

"What he brings to the table is exciting," Torre said. "He's someone that doesn't come down the pike on a regular basis. [For] his age, he seems to be mature. He really hasn't had to deal with a whole lot yet, but his makeup makes you think that he'll be able to do that.

"There's not much that you really don't like about him, for sure. He's good sized, he's aggressive, and I think people admire somebody who goes out there and says, 'Hey, I dare you.'"

Chamberlain turned in his sixth scoreless inning of work against the Tigers on Friday, surrendering a hit to Magglio Ordonez but otherwise holding Detroit down in the final frame of a 6-1 Yankees victory.

Chamberlain gave credit to the Yankees' infielders and especially catcher Jorge Posada for helping him settle in. In his first Yankee Stadium appearance on Monday, Chamberlain spoke of being too emotionally revved up as he jogged to the mound; Posada calmed his nerves with soothing words that day and repeated that message on Friday.

"He tells me to relax, slow the game down and understand that it doesn't go until you go," Chamberlain said. "I don't care how many times I hear it. You can still get a little [excited] running in and hearing the fans go crazy. It always helps when he comes out."

Chamberlain finished on a high note on Friday, striking out Ivan Rodriguez swinging on a low slider to end the game. The whiff was Chamberlain's ninth punchout in four Major League appearances.

"It was good," Chamberlain said. "I've just got to keep executing pitches. I had a good part of their lineup coming up and kind of had an idea going out of how I was going to approach those guys."

Notable in the inning was the first batter Chamberlain faced, former Yankee Gary Sheffield -- a power-on-power showcase, as Sheffield waved his bat in his furious, familiar stance and Chamberlain challenged him with a fastball. Sheffield just missed the pitch, flying out to left field.

"I made a good pitch to Sheff, and he just missed it," Chamberlain said. "You win some and you lose some, and I got that one. You've got to make sure next time you've got to be a little bit better. It was a learning experience, and it was good to face those guys."

Nicks and knacks: Derek Jeter is ailing somewhat, Torre said, though the captain isn't about to reveal much of what's bothering him.

While Jeter spends a fair amount of time in the trainers' room each day to prepare, a day off is in his near future. Entering play on Saturday, Jeter was hitting .323, but had just four hits in his last 21 at-bats.

"I think he's a little beat-up," Torre said. "He got hit in the leg the other day [against Baltimore], and that's been slowing him a little bit. We'll look to spell him here and give him a day off in the next couple of days."

Rocket fuel: In the hours leading up to Saturday's start, Roger Clemens took time out of his afternoon to whisk Chamberlain aside, conversing in the Yankees' clubhouse over a steaming beverage.

Chamberlain's locker at Yankee Stadium resides in rather select territory, the stall to the immediate left of Clemens', a designation that was certainly not made randomly.

Torre said he was not sure how much Chamberlain and Clemens were sharing information, but Saturday's impromptu pep talk appeared to be an indication of a budding relationship.

"I don't follow him around on a regular basis, but Roger is so open with what he knows and he certainly goes out of his way to help the young pitchers," Torre said. "I know he's done it with [Phil] Hughes, and I don't know how many times they've come together, but Joba isn't shy. He's not arrogant, either, but he's not shy."

Bombers bits: The Yankees have regained Mariano Rivera's services. The closer was available but not needed on Friday. ... The weight room facilities at Yankee Stadium, used by both clubs at differing times, are being sanitized after the Tigers' exit to avoid the spread of the team's flu virus. ... Clemens entered Saturday's start needing five strikeouts to reach 1,000 as a Yankee.

Coming up: The Yankees and Tigers complete their four-game weekend series on Sunday, sending right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (13-6, 4.09 ERA) to the mound opposite right-hander Jeremy Bonderman (10-5, 4.65). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET on the YES Network.

Chamberlain wows 'em in the Bronx

Chamberlain wows 'em in the Bronx

Reliever puts on impressive show in scoreless eighth inning

By Caleb Breakey / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- First came the collective, ahhhhh, when Joba Chamberlain entered the game in the eighth inning and fired a 99-mph fastball. Then, after the big right-hander struck out two of the Orioles' most dangerous sluggers -- Miguel Tejada and Aubrey Huff -- the 54,398 in this House That Ruth Built embraced the one wearing No. 62 with a standing ovation and chants of "Joba! Joba! Joba!"

That's how Chamberlain introduced himself and his slingshot of an arm to New York. It was his first time pitching in Yankee Stadium.

Joba, the Big Apple is happy to meet you.

Chamberlain has followed in the footsteps of another homegrown Yankee, Shelley Duncan, quickly entrenching himself as a fan favorite by way of instant results.

Armed with a fastball approaching triple digits and a slider that can border on unfair, Chamberlain has the tools to be a big part of the Yankees' bullpen down the stretch. Still, Jorge Posada knew Chamberlain would be running high on adrenaline in his first home appearance, and he made sure to tell the rookie to stay within himself.

"You know, the crowd gets involved and you want to throw 1,000 [mph]," Posada said. "But the biggest thing is to throw strikes, and that's why I went out there before he even threw."

The Yankees have made no secret of their plan to not over-extend one of their most coveted organizational properties. They do not plan to pitch Chamberlain on back-to-back days. If he is stretched out to two innings in an outing, the big right-hander is slated to have at least two days of rest.

Given Saturday and Sunday off following his two-inning shutdown of the Indians on Friday night, Chamberlain had met the prerequisites to get into the action against the Orioles. After fanning Aubrey Huff with a nasty slider to end the eighth, Chamberlain pumped his fist and yelled with excitement.

"He was trying to keep himself in touch with the rubber out there," manager Joe Torre said after the Yankees 7-6 victory. "I think he was really pumped up."

Despite his amped up presence on the mound, Chamberlain didn't pitch like a rookie with jitters on the big stage. He threw 14 pitches in the frame, including nine for strikes.

Chamberlain has walked two and struck out eight in five innings since being called up. He said after Monday's game that his slider remained his most unpredictable pitch.

"It does whatever it wants to do sometimes, and so as long as it keeps getting outs and I keep getting confidence in it, I'm just going to keep going on."

Chamberlain hasn't been afraid to call on his veteran teammates for questioning and advice. Mariano Rivera -- who blew his first save since April 20 after following Chamberlain into the game on Monday -- praised the rookie for his openess with teammates.

"It's interesting," Rivera said. "Like I said before, it's unusual that he comes to you and asks you. I love it. Aggressive. I love his aggressiveness."

"He wants to learn and he asks a lot of questions," Jason Giambi said. "Even when I was down there [at Triple-A], he sat next to me and asked me, 'What's it like facing guys up there?' It's kind of fun to watch and reminds me of what I was like, trying to pick everyone's brain. He's going to be a phenomenal player. He really has a ton of talent but he really wants to learn."

Chamberlain's willing to learn, and he's certainly teaching American League hitters that he's capable of jumping into a pennant race without missing a beat.

"The kid is going to be good," Bobby Abreu said. "God bless him."