Joba the Great?

The MFY made a decision early on this spring during spring training...they decided to keep the young phenom pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen as their primary set-up man. As a BoSox fan, I was thrilled.

Joba has the stuff to be a starter, and anyone with half a baseball brain would tell you that the average MLB career of any relief pitcher is much less assured health-wise than that of a starter.

This has to do with the wear and tear the rotator cuff in the pitching shoulder goes under with getting up and down like most relievers have to do.

Mariano Rivera and his tremendous career s an abberation and NOT the rule. Most closers do not have the longevity of Rivera, and to put Joba in his shadow will certainly cut what could be a great career short.

I didn't want my Sox to do this with Papelbon, but that was the path chosen and in his first year in the closer's role (2006) he showed what that type of work can do to the youngest of shoulders.

In short, Hank Steinbrenner may be a colossal blow hard, but in this case...he's right. Chamberlain SHOULD be a starter starting immediately.