Because Other People Are Smarter Than I Am

The Harball Times is quickly becoming one of my favorite websites. This week they have a column called

Will Joba Chamberlain make a good starter?

I would recommend reading the entire article. However, if your short on time here's some highlights.

-"Chamberlain’s fastball comes in 10.8 inches higher than a theoretical spin-less pitch thrown at the same speed—almost two inches more than the average fastball. His curve, on the other hand, has more than four extra inches of drop to it in comparison to the average curveball. His slider does the same: Whereas the average slider has about 4 inches of vertical movement on it, Chamberlain’s slider actually drops a bit more in comparison to that theoretical spin-less pitch thrown at the same speed. The nasty downward movement makes Chamberlain’s slider basically unhittable."

-"As a reliever, Chamberlain throws his fastball 68 percent of the time, his slider 25 percent of the time and his curveball the other seven. That mix didn’t change too much Tuesday, though he did throw a few more fastballs (3.7, to be exact) and a few less curveballs than usual."

-"Though the sample sizes are tenuously small (two curveballs, 14 sliders, and 46 fastballs), the results for the latter two categories are at least intriguing. Chamberlain’s fastball was called a ball 20 percent more often than usual, and his slider was a ball 43 percent more. Both those results are a bit more than a standard deviation away from our expectation—not a statistically significant difference by any means, but perhaps something to watch out for."

-"Tom Tango suggested after the start that Chamberlain may have showed the ability to dial it up when needed, noting that he thought the variation in Chamberlain’s pitch speed was greater than he would have expected. However, if we look at all of Chamberlain’s fastballs, we find the standard deviation of his velocities on Tuesday was 1.74 mph, which is not statistically distinguishable from his standard deviation as a reliever, which is 1.64."

"So, with all that said, what have we learned about Chamberlain’s abilities as a starter? Honestly, not much. His pitches came in a little slower on Tuesday, he threw his fastball a little more often and his control was definitely off.

Still, it’s difficult to make any concrete conclusions from a sample size of 62 pitches, so for now—since Chamberlain’s start was far from devastatingly bad—my best guess would be that he will fare just fine as a starter. His ERA will probably jump about a run, as is normal when a pitcher goes from the bullpen to the rotation, but even with a run added to his ERA, Chamberlain is exactly the kind of starting pitcher the Yankees sorely need."

And I totally agree.

Joba Probably Likes Meat Also. Inning 3.

8:00 Remember when the debate was about whether or not Joba should have even been called up to relief last year? The same people that didn't want him to be called up now want to keep him a reliever. People have short memories

8:01 Bobby made a play by the wall my god! One away.

8:02 4 Pitch walk on another questionable pitch and that's it. 62 Pitches. Standing ovation fr Joba as he leaves the field. He throws his hat and glove as he sits down and has an expression that shows he was not pleased with his performance.

Overall impressions.

He certainly came out of the gate fired up and I think that played a role is his early control struggles. He was throwing hard but I don't think he did a great job of mixing up his pitches. I don't think he threw the change at all.

As I said earlier today was just a minor step in Jobas overall development. You would have liked to see him last a little longer and face more batters but again this is a long process.

I'll chime in from time to time but in terms of a play by play this ends our festivities. As long as I'm home I'll try to make a habit of Blogging Jobas starts.

Enjoy the game!

Joba V The World: Inning 2

18 Balls 20 Strikes: 38 Pitches

Inning 2

7:43 Joba seems to have calmed down and is hitting his spots exactly on the first two pitches. He misses with two breaking balls 2-2. Just misses on a pitch that was a strike for Halladay and not Joba.

3-2 again and Brad Wilkerson hits what looks like a harmless fly ball but somehow ends up being caught on the warning track

7:45 46 Pitches. Haven't seen the change up yet as he blows away David Eckstein on 98 MPH fastball with a little cut on it.

7:47 Shannon Stewart the sequel. Fly ball to right. 55 Pitches

2-1 at the end of the inning.

7:54 Just got into a rousing debate with my friend Brian, who came over for the game about meat. He doesn't believe in it...I do

In other news Harlan Chamberlain count 1.

Johnny Damon Cycle count 2.

2-1 Yanks after 2.

Joba back on the mound and we'll start a new thread for what could be Jobas final inning tonight.

Yankee Game: Joba's First Start. Live Blog! Inning 1

Technical delays. Were back now though.

Joba is warming up.

7:10 - It sounds like the playoffs at Yankee stadium!

92 MPH Fastball. He's going to have to lower the velocity to maintain stamina. Mike Kay says he has a 70 pitch count. Hit 96 on a fastball with a lot of movement on the second pitch.

7:11 -98 on a 1-2 fastball. I wonder if he's overthrowing a little here. He is certainly fire up. I like the Joba Stubble. An 8 pitch first at bat does not bode well for him lasting long into this game.

This crowd is going to go nuts with a strike out here.

7:12 Stewart walks a walk. Good at bat by both pitcher and hitter, Joba didn't throw many breaking pitches.

Did I mention Joba is on my fantasy team? This is either going to be reaaaaalllly awesome or reallly sucky.

7:13 Remember the playoff game when Joba was a little wild and overthrowing. That's what this is reminding me of.

Another full count.

7:15 Joba Pitch Count 14.

And there's the first K of Jobas career....on a hanging breaking ball.

And there's the first balk of Jobas career. I don't know about that he went to first on the pickoff. I don't get that call at all.

7:17 When you can throw 97 and 77 with a fastball curve combo it's pretty deadly.

1-2 count on Rios but Stewart moves to 3rd on a walk, balk and passed ball.

7:20 Well that's small ball for you. 1-0 Blue Jays on a weak ground ball fielders choice.

101? Ok...the Yankee radar is on steroids.

Nasty slider. 1-2 single by Rolen.

Jobas missing just slightly but this is why the lord invented SABERmetric stats. walk, balk, passed ball, a fielders choice and a weak single that finds just the right spot on the infield.

Pitch Count 28. Another walk.

7:24 A somewhat tight strike zone so far. Joba goes full again. He's missing his spots. 33 pitches this inning. He's never throw more than 40 in a game.

Another walk on a good curve ball out of the zone that Overbay a patient hitter held up on.

The Yanks just picked up the phone to call the bullpen.

7:27 Al Lieter makes a good point. The Jays know Jobas pitch count limit and know that an unproven commodity, Dan Giese, is following him up. There taking a lot of pitches and that could be factoring into their motivation a lot.

Strike out too end the inning.

3 walks, 2k's 1 run and 38 pitches.

At this rate Joba might not see the lineup a second time through and that won't be good for his development.

7:31 Damon triples. Joba averages 14.1 an inning so were looking at probably only two more innings of Joba. Chris Britton was sent down to make room for Giese. DFA LaTroy!

7:38 You gotta wonder how much playing the field really took out of Matsui. Being a DH has revived him. RBI single for Matsui. 1rst and 2nd 1-1.

7:40 Wow terrible strike call on a pitch that was more than questionable on Giambino, a hitter with a great eye.

and Wow part two Giambi goes the other way on the ground and says eff you shift. 2-1 Yanks.

and not shockingly enough Cano swings at anything that moves. I hate him.

Back with a new post as Joba takes the mound!

Live Blog Of Jobas First Start!

Our last live blog got great results so were at it again!

Get in front of a T.V. and your computer at 7:05 as the 3SS provides a live analysis of Joba's first start in pin stripes!

What To Expect From Joba Tonight

Yankee stadium tonight is going to be filled with a buzz usually reserved for the post-season. Tonight Joba Chamberlain won't be emerging from his typical spot in right field bullpen to screaming and chanting of tens of thousands of fans. Tonight Joba will be on the mound as tens of thousands of fans nervously anticipate what's to come.

I'm excited and nervous for Joba's debut tonight. I'm excited for the obvious reasons; having a homegrown ace with electrifying stuff (and a great personality to boot) is rarity in baseball these days. I've been clamoring for Joba to be a starter since day one and tonight hopefully will be the start of a long and brilliant career that will validate his move to the rotation.

I'm nervous for the obvious reasons. New York can (and will) turn on you in a second, just ask A-Rod. And while Joba has been exposed to the pressures pitching in pin stripes can impose on you, he's never been under as big of a microscope as he will tonight. I guarantee you Joba's face will be plastered on the back page of every NY newspaper tomorrow. Along with the cover will come a full analysis of his debut as well as an editorial debating the merits of Joba as a starter. I can only imagine NY talk radio if Joba has one bad start, let alone two or three.

So let's be realistic Yankee fans, let's temper our expectations a bit. Joba is a young kid making his debut under absurd scrutiny and a rigid pitch count. I doubt Joba will even be pitching deep enough into the game to qualify for a win.

Secondly, Joba has yet to go through a line up more than once. I'm not saying hitters will just be smoking him the second time through the lineup, but it's something, as a starter, Joba will have to adjust to (and it might take a couple starts to do so.)

Everyone wants Joba to be the next big thing and I do to. It's important to remember that even if Joba struggles it doesn't mean he can't be the next Josh Beckett, before Josh Beckett was a Cy-Young candidate he posted a 5.01 ERA in 33 starts with the Red Sox.

In the long run Joba has the potential to be a dominant front line starter. Tonights performance, one way or another doesn't change that.

FINALLY!

And of course 30 seconds after I write my piece about the Yanks Pen, I find out that Joe Girardi admitted on YES that tonight the process of Joba becoming a starter began.

Chamberlain pitched two innings tonight and Manager Joe said that he will continue to pitch more and more until he becomes capable of starting.

Of course, this makes my last post more important than ever. I would really like to see Cox get a chance at that 8th inning role.

This Break From the Jason Comack Trade Machine...

is Brought to you by the letters J and B. As in Yankees Farmhand J. Brent Cox. Who you might remember from such hits as "Why the Hell isn't J. Brent Cox in our bullpen right now?"

That's Right. I said it.

In 15.2 Minor league innings, which span high-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Cox has allowed 3 runs and 12 hits. That's an ERA of 1.75. He's also got just a 1.11 WHIP.

I know it's a small sampling. However, Do you remember anything else about J.B? Well, Here's some info:

- Drafted in 2005 in the 2nd round.
- Was the closer for the Texas Longhorns after Houston Street left.
- Dominated in Double-A in 2006 before succumbing to Tommy John Surgery.

So, this was a high ceiling guy. Now, He's been sick, and I think it's time for a little J.B. Cox in the Yankee Bullpen. Who else is back there?

Here's what the Yankees Bullpen Currently looks like:

Long Relievers:
Russ Ohlendorf
LaTroy Hawkins
Jonathan Albaadejo(DL)

Middle Relievers:
Edwar Ramirez
Kyle Farnsworth
Brian Bruney(DL)
Jose Veras

Set-Up:
Joba Chamberlain

Closer:
"The Hammer of God" Mariano Rivera

Now, Here's what it should look like(Changes in Bold):

Long Relievers:
Russ Ohlendorf
LaTroy Hawkins(Only because we can't strand him somewhere in Canada)
Edwar Ramirez

Middle Relievers:
Jonathan Albaledejo (When He come back.)
Kyle Farnsworth(Only because we can't strand him somewhere in Canada)
J.B. Cox


Set-Up:
Joba Chamberlain

Closer:
The Hammer of God

In Fact, Only Albaledejo, Cox, Ramirez, Ohlendorf, Chamberlain and Rivera should ever be used in anything resembling a close game.

The point is, We have these young pitchers. We've stockpiled them, and they continue to prove themselves.

LET THEM PITCH!

Hey, Look! Something That isn't Football!

With this being the only dull time in the NFL year, I find myself thinking of other things. Mainly, why does everyone in baseball hate youth so much?

Everyday, the beat writers in ever major magazine or newspaper talks about how young the Yankees pitching staff is. They talk about Hughes being hurt last year, Chamberlain being the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera and Ian Kennedy not being able to be anything more than a number three starter. Why is everyone in baseball so afraid of youth? It’s a problem that is specific to baseball. In ever other sport, the draft is exciting because people live new, young players that can revolutionize a team. In baseball, experience is looked upon as necessary to have any kind of success.

The truth is that so many young players had success last year because teams are finally starting to give their young studs a shot. The Brewers had their best season in years behind guys like J.J Hardy, Ryan Braun, and Yovanni Gallardo. Troy Tulowitski helped the Rockies win the National League in his first year in the Bigs. The Athletics win every year with a host of players that no one has ever heard of.

Billy Beane started the whole thing with the Moneyball revolution. You can love statiscal analysis, or you can hate it, but the one thing that everyone should agree with is that being a young team, isn’t a negative thing. He realized that good college players aren’t that far away from playing the in pros. Soon, guys like Houston Street and Travis Buck were with the big league squad just months after graduating. They were cheap, and durable which allowed the cash strapped A’s to compete in a league which they have no business competing in.

However, baseball traditionalists refuse to admit that youth will be served. A great example is the Dodgers, who have two of the best outfield prospects in the game in Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp, but insist upon signing Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones to huge contracts so they can underperform.

Which brings us back to the 2008 Yankees, for years; they were like the current incarnation of the Dodgers. They sign every free agent that hit the market and watched them steal their paycheck each week. Jason Giambi’s steroid saga is well documented. Johnny Damon’s inability to stay healthy doomed last year’s squad. The pitching Cerberus of Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright took enough money from George Steinbrenner that they should be behind bars right now.

Instead of these veterans, there are now three young, high ceiling starters in the rotation. Technically, which brings me to my first point, which is that Chamberlain should be starting. It’s Moneyball 101. No player in the game has more control over an outcome, and therefore more value than a starting pitcher. While having Chamberlain set up for the Sandman is great, he’s so underused because of it. Imagine what you saw over one or two innings last season, over six or seven once every five days.

The traditional thought that we don’t know if he could do it is horribly short sighted. He has two plus pitches that we haven’t seen much of. He has a near 100 mile per hour fastball and a slider that is literally the best that some players say they ever seen. The worry that he is going to hurt is arm is legitimate, but here’s the question:

What are you going to do about it? Nothing. There’s nothing you can do.

Either he starts a full season this year, or he starts a full season next year. At some point he is going to have to throw 200-plus innings. When that happens, there is little you can do to prevent him from getting hurt. Pitchers are a dangerous proposition; it’s the nature of the beast.

Oh, one last note on Chamberlain: The next person I hear talk about the fear of Joba losing his “mystique,” is literally getting punched in the face. Batters don’t strike out because of mystique. They strike out because a makes them strike out by pitching.

The second thing that people fail to remember is that Phil Hughes is a better prospect than Joba is. That’s right, better than the man that achieved cult status last season before being attacked by bugs. Before getting hurt last season, Hughes nearly through a no hitter in his second start. After getting hurt, he turned out an excellent performance in the playoffs when the Yanks had their backs against the wall. Hughes is the real deal. Don’t be surprised if Hughes out pitches the rest of the Yankee staff this season. He has more talent than anyone else.

Lastly, there is no reason that Ian Kennedy can’t be a top level starter. Another baseball myth I’m sick of hearing about is the idea of a pitcher’s “stuff.” While it’s important that a pitcher be able to throw good pitches, it’s more important that he get outs. That’s what the Southern Cal alum does. He gets outs. Last year, Kennedy put up a 1.89 ERA and was 1-0 in three starts. He didn’t overpower anyone, he just got outs.

This year’s squad is finally a little bit different. It’s full of youth, and excitement. It’s anchored by a young pitching staff that is going to prove all of the critics and analysts wrong. They all say that the team is too young to win; I say that baseball is no different than other sports. The goal is to have the youngest, most talented team possible. That’s what leads to consistent winning.

Just ask Billy Beane and the A’s, it’s been working for them.

Joba Watch V 2.0

Here we are again: Joba comes in the 8th inning of a 2-0 game with the Red Sox. After Tuesday night's dominant performance, Let's see if my favorite native American can come through again.

3:28 - When is the last time Joba had a 2-0 count? Ever?

3:29 - 2-1 count, fly ball to Johnny Damon in left field. 1 out.

3:30 - First pitch to Alex Cora is grounded to A-Rod. 2 down.

3:31 99 MPH fastball inside to Dustin Pedroia. Not fun to see that coming at you. Followed by one in the zone. 1-1

3:31 - Pedroia slaps a double down the right field line. The pitch was supposed to be outside and missed on the inner half. I feel like that is the only way that Joba gets hit, if he misses badly.

3:32 - 98 MPH in the dirt. Fun stat: Joba with RISP: 0-4, 3 K

3:33 - 1-2 count to Crisp, prepare for a BA Slider.

3:34 - Wow, he threw him a fastball up and in. Count Chocula grounded out to Andy Phillips. Inning over.

4:01 Apparently since the Yankees Scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th, Joba wll attempt his first save. He got Big Papi to fly out, 1 out.

4:03 - Ok, What the Fuck? Why would Joba throw at kevin Youkalis? He's been tossed from the game by Angel Hernandez. What would the reason be, Angel? Aren't you supposed to receive a warning before you get thrown out of a game? This is absurd. I say the next pitcher should come in and hit Youk. Want to throw someone out? Here, we'll at least give you a reason.

Complete Line: 15 Pitches, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0ER, 0 R, 0 K, 0 BB, 1 Man Crush.

Joba Watch: Vol. 1

I've decided that every time that Joba Chamberlain gets to touch the mound, and I get to see it, I'm going to keep a running diary. Here he comes in the 7th inning.

3:31 - Chien -Ming Wang finished with a nice game, and a hand from the Yankee stadium crowd: 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Not bad.

3:33 - Joba is loved by the Yankee Stadium crowd. He's been so impressive that it's hard to love him. He's about to face Gary Sheffield. I hope he K's him on three pitches.

3:34 - Strike one.

3:35 - Sheffield pops up a 100-MPH fastball. One up, One Down.

3:36 - Magglio Ordonez Pops one out of play, It was only 96. Damn. Hope his arm is ok.

3:37 - 98 MPH Fastball up in the zone, fouled back.

3:37 - 98 MPH Fastball down in the zone. Strike three. Just go home. Seriously, this is unfair.

3:38 - Joba throws the first curve that I've seen him throw. In the dirt, ball one.

3:38 -Back to the fastball. 98, fouled back.

3:38 - The bad-ass Joba Slider. Inside half, swung on and missed. 1-2.

3:39 - Another BA slider. Inner half. Strike Three swinging. Ok, Someone get me a tissue. I'm crying. I Cant believe that I am watching this. He is just TOOO good.

3:40 - Ok, One Inning in the Books. Nine Pitches, Three Outs. Eight Strikes, 2 Ks.

3:41 - Joba needs a theme song. Start Thinking about this.

3:45 - The Yankees Broadcasters, Michael Kay, Al Leiter, and John Flaherty are having a conversation about the "rules" that come attached to Joba. For those of you who have been living under a rock, every time Joba pitches an inning, he needs to have a day of rest. It's considered a bulletproff way to keep him from hurting his arm. Al Leiter doesn't seem to think that it matters if he pitches 10 pitches two days in a row. My Take?

It is what it is. General Manager Brian Cashman has decided that this is how he is going to handle this guy. I'm not against it because I truly believe that Chamberlain and Phil Hughes have the opportunity to be the best 1-2 in baseball. Since Joba will be a starter again, I understand wanting to keep him safe. However, I just know that if the Yanks are playing the Red Sox, I would rather have Joba pitch the 7th or 8th than Kyle Farnsworth.

3:51 - Everytime Wilson Betemit comes to the plate, They are playing "Better Man" by Pearl Jam. That's just Clever.

3:56 - Andy Phillips is 6-for-10 against the Tigers. Huh, Who Knew?

3:59 - Does anyone else feel like Brandon Inge has spent half of this series in the stands? John Flaherty just mentioned the "catcher mentality" that Inge still has. Say what you want, but this former catcher knows that it's true. Catchers are just a little nuts. They are willing to do anything to get an out. I feel you, John.

4:02 - Leiter just brought up a good point. This is how the Yankees are supposed to win games. They wear down a quality starting pitcher and then score runs off of the middle reliever. It sounds like Al is reading a passage out of Moneyball, but the Yanks were doing it before they it.

4:05 - Joba is done for the day. The Yanks got two runs and now they give the ball to Edwar Ramirez. I'd expect Chamberlain to pitch next against the Angels on Tuesday.

Final Line: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2K

At what point to we have to start taking bets that he finish the season without an ERA?

Be back with impressions of the Giants second pre-season game tonight.

Thoughts On The Yankees, Around the Horn and The Trade Deadline

I can't watch ESPN anymore. It's awful.

I don't know when it went from being sports news to sports crap.

Maybe I have just begin to notice it more and more as my knowledge of sports grew. I use to love watching Around the Horn and PTI. Now I can barely stand listening to the show of asinine banter.

Here's the problem with Around the Horn. Your taking sports writers who focus on certain markets; like Jay Mariotti in Chicago. I'm sure he knows the Cubs and Bulls inside and out. However, he doesn't cover the Yankees. How can he formulate a correct opinion of what the Yankees should or shouldn't have done at the trade deadline if he's not aware of who our prospects are and how good they are. On Around the Horn he suggested the Yanks should have traded Joba Chamberlain for Gagne. In fact he said it in an insulting fashion to the extent of "the Yanks kept Joba Chamberlain instead of Eric Gagne? Are you serious?"

It's frustrating to hear this as aaseball fan living in NY and following the Yankees. I'm sure Jay would have been up in arms if the Cubs had traded 5 tool stud prospect Felix Pie for unequal value.

I digress

Anyway, Mr. Mariotti in the words of Silent Bob; Bitch what you don't know about Joba Chamberlain could fill the grand fucking canyon. Let me educate you!

Joba is nasty. Filthy in fact. He proved himself in AA, moved up and just housed AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He's throwing pure gas, in his last appearance he hit 99-100 on the gun. He threw 13 pitches, 10 for strikes. Secondly, Jay, Chamberlain is getting called up to the big leagues soon. While he is no sure thing he has alot of potential. I can tell you this It would have been idiotic to trade Joba for Gagne. Joba could fetch more than Gagne at this point. Furthermore the Rangers weren't even demanding Gagne. We could have gotten away with trading Ian Kennedy (who while a good prospect is getting over-protected. He's not a front line starter. He's a 3 at best more realistically a 4.)

So Jay before you make a statement try to learn your facts.

...With that being said the Yankees should have traded for Eric Gagne at the trade deadline.

I'm all aboard the Luiz Vizcaino bandwagon. Before his last appearance he hadn't given up an earned run since July 4th. He'd be an ideal 7th inning guy.

Vizcaino and Gagne bridging the gap to Mo would make for a very successful bullpen. Especially when you factor in the surprisingly effective Myers and Vilone and the wild cards in Joba and Edwar Rameriez.

Had we made the Gagne trade we would have been able to trade both Farnsworth and Proctor.

I loved the Wilson Betemit for Scott Proctor trade, I just wish Farnsworth was following him out of town. Proctor is a 30 year old below average reliever. Besides that Torre has absoutely abused his arm this year. In exhange for what I believe to be damaged goods the Yanks got Betemit, while not great, is an outstanding super-sup. For now he can platoon at first with Andy Phillips. Betimit is a 27 year old switch hiter but he hits much better as a lefty. Agaisnt right handing pithcing he's hitting .285/.349/.463. Not awful, he never has been given a chance to start a whole season and still may have room to grow. The fact that we got anyone for Proctor is remarkable. If nothing else it's addition by subtraction. I wish we could have done the same for Kyle. If we had to pay to get rid of him so be it. Once again adittion by subtraction.

In an ideal world we could have gone with 12 pitchers on roster

Clemens
Wang
Pettite
Moose
Hughes

Vilone
Britton
Myeres
Chamberlain
Vizcaino
Gagne
Rivera

That looks pretty good to me.

(By the way quick side note: For anyone who thinks moving Joba to relief is going to stunt his growth, remember Joba is on a pitch count this year, he was close to being shut down anyway. In fact moving him to relief is going to help him keep his pitch count in manageable numbers.)

Alas we didn't get Gagne, but it's not the end of the world.

What people forget is that two big deadline acquisitions are going be Giambi and Hughes.

This team, while maybe not close to catching the Red Sox, will certainly be in contention for the wildcard. With our pitching and hitting healthy this team can make a whole lot of noise in the playoffs.

It feels good to write that for the first time all year.

Quck Hits

Couple Quick News and Notes

-Anthony and I scouted a little league game this morning. I'm serious. Were both probably going to hell. Look a for a funny blog about this either tonight or tomorrow.

-MLB: Apparently the Yanks are determined to deal Scott Proctor for a utility infielder. First we tried to court Wilson Betiment who we had a love affair with last year. Now our attention has turned to Ty Wigginton. I like the idea of trading Proctor for a utility guy. Wigginton is a great super sub and a capable everyday player. Plus he comes cheap and under control for a bunch more years. Call it A-Rod insurance.

What's more surprising about this story is that to replace proctor the Yanks plan on calling up super prospect Joba Chamberlain

A risky move but it's worth a shot. By the trade deadline we should know if were buyers or sellers. If we end up being sellers Chamberlain by all means should stay in the minors. If were close enough to be buyers why not have him be our 7th inning guy?

-MLB: Pass this along from MLBTradeRumours.com

An interesting interview with Keith Law. Read this particularly if your like me and dream of one day being a GM.

Keith Law Q&A

I realized recently that I don't know a lot about how trades and discussions between GMs actually go down. Fortunately, ESPN's Keith Law was able to fill in the gaps for me in our Q&A below. Keith was formerly the assistant GM in Toronto under J.P. Ricciardi.

What steps does a team take to ensure that trade discussions don't leak out to the media or to other teams?

You limit the number of people who are know the details of the discussions. There's not much more you can do, and you're always trusting the other side to keep offers and discussions to themselves.

About how many people from each team are privy to a trade discussion with another team?

Depends entirely on the FO. In Toronto, it was usually around a half-dozen people, sometimes as many as ten. I think most FOs play it closer to the vest.

Are intentional media leaks common?

Absolutely, and they're not all true.

What are the logistics of trade discussions - is it typically one GM on the phone with another, followed up by consulting with the GM's inner circle before a callback is made?

Every trade discussion that happened while I was with Toronto either came about as a GM-to-GM phone call, or as something that came up at the winter meetings, usually where the two GMs would meet in one team's suite, occasionally with the assistant GMs there too.

Are emails or conference calls between front offices common?

Not while I was with Toronto, but Ricciardi wasn't a big email guy. I know of some GMs who are much more comfortable with email and so I'm sure they're more willing to at least start a discussion on email. But for what is essentially a negotiation, phone beats email, and in-person beats phone when you can swing it.

-NFL: LT Tarik Glenn is apparently planning on retiring. He's the standout Left Tackle for the Superbowl defending Colts. It's the final year of his contract so it might be a ploy, however, the Colts drafted Tony Ugoh. So there's reason to believe they saw this coming. Giving up next years first rounder and this years 4th to draft him makes a whole lot more sense now.

-MMA: Follow up on the steroids story. Dana White responds to Sherdog.com's open letter.

My response to idiot Gross:

Its funny how when bad things happen, you love to call me out and say that I need to jump in and fix it. All the positive things that Zuffa has done over the past 6 years and you write me an open letter telling me to fix the problem of fighters using steroids? You are the biggest idiot I have ever met in this industry. Josh "holier than now" Gross writes a letter full of insults and sarcasm about what my company and I have accomplished since buying the UFC- like it was some easy chore. This is the same scumbag who released the finalists of TUF season 4 before it even aired. Josh, before you start trying to fix my company, worry about the potential lying, corruptions and inaccuracies at your own shitty website.

To all the fighters out there that fight for me or another promotion: these fan boy websites come kissing your ass when they want to shoot video of you or get an interview so they can make money off you. But when you make a mistake, they will be right there to kick your teeth down your throat. One of the great things that has happened over the past 6 years is that real media covers us now. So when these fan boy self proclaimed MMA websites want to do video interviews or any other kind of interview to make themselves money tell them to stop calling you and leave you alone. They are not doing you any favors- they are making money off of you. I have not let Sherdog into a UFC event in years. And the UFC is doing just fine.

Anyway, back to steroids- every athlete on this planet knows what's going on with steroids right now and we make it very clear what the athletic commission will do to them if they are caught. In fact, to my knowledge, athletes competing in combative sports are the only ones in the world who get drug tested by the government, that's a pretty high standard to meet. Imagine if every NBA, MLB or NFL athlete was drug tested by the government every time they competed? That's a very high standard yet UFC fighters face government drug testing every time they enter the Octagon.

Everyone knows that it hurts me and my company badly when one of my fighters tests positive for steroids. Listen Josh "save the whales" Gross- I can't save the world by myself. So roll your boss back into the ocean and write a letter "Attention all promoters." When your product is human beings, there are always going to be problems and nothing is ever going to be perfect.

Gross, you have no clue the stuff I deal with on a daily basis with fighters. Myself and the UFC are adamantly opposed to the use of steroids or any other kind of drugs. Most of these guys that fight in the UFC are my friends and I care about them. My job isn't to smash them publicly and ruin their lives. Apparently, that's your job. My job is to help them through whatever problems they might have- professional or personal.

I don't know if anyone has ever seen Josh Gross but the guy has never done anything athletic in his entire life. And you only have to see Jeff Sherwood and his staff to know the same thing about them. These people don't know the first thing about the demands and challenges that professional athletes are faced with. I have my own opinion of Sherdog and Gross and how they run their business but I don't write open letters to the public about it. So for these goofy supposed fan boy clowns to sit around and write letters about what I need to do with my company and my athletes is fucking hilarious.

You guys just keep selling DVDs and chasing my guys around for video interviews so you can make more money and keep eating and I will handle the UFC and it's fighters.

Dana White

-That's all for now look for Advanced Scouting Reports from Little Leauge Soon!!

A really good site...

I have this weird, new obession. I suddenly am very interested in the minor leagues.

Why?

No idea, maybe it's the fact that the Yanks suddenly have some real prospects. The point is that I have been looking for good blogs for Minor League Baseball for a few weeks now. I've Finally Found one.

Yankees Minors

I know that it's only the Yankees farm teams but there are links for other teams on the sidebar. I strongly encourage you to visit the site.

Also, Check out this list of Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects as of Opening day 2007. There are four Yankees on there, and six members of my unofficial favorite National League team: The Colorado Rockies.

Oh, and Yankee Fans, Look up a young pitcher named Joba Chamberlin. And then Smile.