Joba Chamberlain likely done for year

[vikesfan]

NEW YORK -- Yankees setup man Joba Chamberlain has a torn ligament in his right elbow and will likely miss the remainder of the season, manager Joe Girardi said.

"My guess is he probably is going to have to have surgery," Girardi said.

Girardi said Chamberlain will likely have Tommy John surgery.

"With Tommy John, you are talking [being out] 10 to 14 months," general manager Brian Cashman said.

"This sucks," Chamberlain said. "There's no way to sugarcoat it. It's something I didn't expect with no pain. The most frustrating part is not being there for the team. [But] everything happens for a reason. I'll come back and be even stronger."

Surprisingly, Chamberlain said he feels "no pain" and has "no idea" how the injury occurred. But he felt tightness after throwing long-toss on Tuesday and went in for an MRI on Wednesday, which revealed he had a strained flexor tendon.

Chamberlain was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, but a dye contrast MRI on Thursday morning revealed that the injury was more significant.

"I was just trying to get out of there before I broke down," Chamberlain said of his reaction to the devastating news "I shed a couple tears. (But) you can't let it beat you. You gotta get stronger and get better."

Chamberlain's MRI results will be sent to renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, where it will be determined whether or not he needs to undergo Tommy John.

At this point, Chamberlain has no plans to see Andrews.

"There's not much more we can do," Chamberlain said.

Heading into the season, the Yankees bullpen was expected to be a strength, with Chamberlain and Rafael Soriano getting the ball before elite closer Mariano Rivera.

Soriano, who was signed for three years and $35 million this offseason, has been a major disappointment and is on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation.

Soriano has not started throwing yet, Girardi said, and is not close to returning. David Robertson will be the Yankees eighth-inning man for now, Girardi said.

After Rivera and Robertson, the Yankees bullpen coniststs of Luis Ayala, Boone Logan, Jeff Marquez, Lance Pendleton and Amauri Sanit.

Besides Chamberlain and Soriano, the Yankees are without lefty specialists Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte. Both may be out for the rest of the season as well.

Girardi said the team is "confused" by Chamberlain's injury because the reliever has not experienced any of the typical symptoms of pitchers who need Tommy John surgery. "He said (Wednesday) was a normal long-toss for him so it really has us all kind of scratching our head," Girardi said on Thursday. "When you talk about the symptoms that someone has when they hurt that ligament, Joba doesn't have them."

When asked about the extent of the injury on Wednesday, Chamberlain said: "If you asked me to pitch today, I would tell you I could pitch today."

On Thursday, Girardi added, "He has no idea when this happened."

Before the latest diagnosis, the Yankees thought Chamberlain would sit two weeks to a month and then start a throwing program, Girardi said.

Chamberlain had emerged as the team's setup man in the absence of right-hander Soriano and in 28 2/3 innings had 12 holds and a 2.83 ERA. The Yankees placed rules on Chamberlain to limit his innings in 2009, when he was used as a starter.

"If there were no 'Joba Rules' in place, could it have possibly happened earlier? I don't know," Girardi said. "There's no exact science because everybody is different."

[Mendoza Line]

Joba "officially" at 230 lbs., but entered this season 15 lbs. heavier.

Considering the upcoming time off:

Line for his first appearance (either next season or beyond):

Over 273 -125
Under 273 +105

[Mendoza Line]

Joba, while you're off, watch some old tapes of Late Night with David Letterman from the 80's. He used to make fun of a Braves pitcher, Terry Forster, calling him a "fat tub of goo"....



It's like looking in a mirror, isn't it, Joba?

[Mendoza Line]

Didn't mean to post a huge image.

How about this one....

[revnecro1273]

now he has time to visit momma in the slammer