Sweeny: Can't Blame Yankees' 'Joba Rules' This Time
By Sweeny Murti
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So we heard Joba Chamberlain's explanation of what happened. It sounded as if he tried to downplay the severity of the injury--which is still serious enough that Brian Cashman made sure to remind everyone that his return to the mound is no certainty, this year or otherwise.
We can also wonder if Joba was also downplaying the activity that preceded this injury, one that changed the course of the Yankees season to some degree and the course of his career to a a degree not yet known.
What stands out, though, when listening to Joba speak Tuesday for the first time since the incident, is what I suspected all along--that Joba regrets the end result a great deal, but the activity not at all because it was in the course of time spent with his son:
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Brian Cashman has stated from day one that any legal or contractual ramifications were not foremost in the organization's thoughts, and made that clear again Tuesday night:
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Chamberlain went on to describe this as another chapter in "The Book of Joba." As we approach the 25th anniversary of WFAN, it is hard to find another athlete that captured the public imagination both on and off the field more than Joba Chamberlain.
In the last two months Linsanity has come and gone. Now Tebow Time is upon us. There was a time when Joba was as big as any of them.
As Joba bounced between roles, the airwaves burned up to debate the "Joba Rules," and when he underwent Tommy John surgery last summer many wondered if the Yankees ruined him.
If he doesn't make it back from this one, you won't be able to blame the Yankees and the Rules.
Sweeny Murti
Yankees@wfan.com
www.twitter.com/YankeesWFAN
Yankees fans, do you think Joba will return this season? Sound off below...
