Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Joba Chamberlain

Athletes Have Responsibility to Their Employer

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Joba Chamberlain is always a polarizing topic, but the reaction to breaking his ankle on a trampoline has been interesting. There really is no in-between, as some absolve Chamberlain since he was “playing with his son,” while others believe this is another demonstration of his immaturity and recklessness I understand the counterpoint. Spending time with […]

Talking Joba’s Injury, Chipper Retires, and Wilpon’s Victory @ 8pm

Sunday, March 25th, 2012

A loaded Grapefruit Roundup tonight at 8pm Hear me talk about the Joba Chamberlain‘s injury and answer the critics who believe I am off base in my criticism of his judgement. I also talk about Chipper Jones being an all-time Mets killer, and what the Wilpon victory in court means for the Mets. Joining me during […]

Joba’s Injury a Result of Carelessness and Stupidity, Not Bad Luck

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Today we found out that Joba Chamberlain dislocated his ankle while jumping on a trampoline with his son at an amusement center. This isn’t a laughing matter, as Deadspin reported that Chamberlain lost so much blood that there was concern for his life. This wasn’t a normal dislocation since the bone shot through the skin. It’s a serious injury […]

Perfect Time to Give Joba One Last Rotation Try

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Since the trading of A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates, some in the media has worried the Yankees might have a depth issue in starting pitching.  The Yankees, however, will have six major league starting pitchers on their 25 man roster to start the 2012 season, and three kids (David Phelps, Adam Warren and DJ Mitchell - all 25 years old) […]

Is Rivera Retiring? Who Will Replace Him?

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

“Doesn’t depend on how I pitch. Always I want to do my job, but I’ve made my decision already,” Mariano Rivera told reporters the other day. He added that his decision has been made, “even if I save 90 games, even if they want to pay as much money as they want to.” It sounds like we saw […]

Should Yanks Give Joba One Last Rotation Try?

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Yesterday’s deal that sent Gio Gonzalez from Oakland to Washington for 4 top prospects should make it clear the cost of acquiring starting pitching has moved from astronomical to absurd. This just days after the Reds gave up 3 of their top-10 prospects and an established major league arm to acquire Mat Latos from the […]

Granderson and AL MVP,Watch the Real Phenom Tonight, Toronto Best Place to Play, Michael Dunn, Overrated Mariano Debate, Best Sports Talk Host

Friday, August 12th, 2011

It’s no longer too early to talk about the American League MVP. I believe the four favorites to win the American League MVP are Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Jose Bautista, and Curtis Granderson. I also believe you can make a great case for Granderson. Stating that a Yankees player should be MVP usually causes a […]

Weighing Innings & Pitch Counts Against Optimal Development

Sunday, July 10th, 2011

This article isn’t meant to be a comparison between two or three specifc players, but as an exercise in how certain organizations go about the process of developing their top prospects to become major leaguers. Much has been said and written over the past few years regarding the Yankees’ philosophy (or lack thereof) on how […]

Yanks Don’t Have Prospects, They Have Assets

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Mark Newman sat down with the guys at NoMaas the other day. It’s a lengthy interview, but the one thing I took away from Newman’s comments was that it’s very unlikely that many prospects will ever play in the Bronx. I realized the Yankees have assets, not prospects, and their focus on the farm system is […]

Golden Thong, Knoblauch vs. Giambi, Gossip Girl

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

Jason Giambi returned to his old stomping ground last night. He collected 3 hits, including a long home run in the second inning. Listen to Giambi talk about his new role as a pinch hitter in Colorado, how Troy Tulowitzki wants to emulate Derek Jeter, and what happened to the famous “golden thong” with Michael Kay on ESPN […]

Media Rants, Deion Sanders, Yanks Pitching

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Last weekend, I was listening to WFAN one evening and one specific caller caused me to take note, as I could not believe what I was hearing. Now, normally one oddball call to the FAN wouldn’t cause me to react with perplexed bewilderment, especially one during the overnight, when the oddities of New York society […]

Yanks Could Move Hughes to Pen

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

Even before the news of Joba Chamberlain‘s season ending surgery, I was told by my Tampa source the Yankees were considering moving Phil Hughes to the bullpen upon his return. He was successful there in 2009, and there is some uncertainty what they could get out of him in a starting role the rest of […]

Hey Yanks, the Mets are Your Savior

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

The Yankees losing Joba Chamberlain will not stop them from making the playoffs. The bullpen should still be able to navigate the season thanks to the ageless Mariano Rivera. The starting pitching is good enough against just about any team not named Boston. They are, however, not a team that matches up well in the […]

Joba Chamberlain: Most Overrated Prospect in History?

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

The age of media saturation brings all sort of bombastic narratives. Usually, top prospects for every team are hailed as the “next big thing.” We are guilty of this more so in New York than anywhere else. The last twenty years has seen Brien Taylor, Generation K, Alex Escobar and Joba Chamberlain, to name a […]

Blueprint Victory for Yanks on Opening Day

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

All the concerns of winter can sometimes go away quickly with just one baseball game. After months of hearing about Derek Jeter’s negotiations, falling short on signing Cliff Lee, and the annual Joba Chamberlain spring debate, the Yankees opened up the season in front of forty eight thousand plus at the Stadium. What they saw […]