Give Me a Break

I wasn't even going to comment on this, but it seems like every sports reporter has to add their two cents on this. So I'll add mine. Joba Chamberlain is a very emotional kid. His father, who battles with epilepsy, tries to come to most Yankee games. Joba gets a lot of his energy and emotion from his dad. Joba also has the most explosive stuff I've seen from a pitcher in a long time. He is just loaded with talent and he hasn't even played a full season yet. After Joba gets a strike out to end an inning, he usually has a couple of big fist pumps. While pumping his fist, Joba also yells with triumph. Now, the question is: Is it alright to do this all the time? Is it alright for Joba to go nuts when he strikes out David Delucci in the 8th inning of a game where his Yankees are winning 6-3? In the beginning of May, I might add.

Everyone is criticizing Joba for this, and I just don't understand. Are we blind? It's like you can't be right with these people. The same people who are saying it is bush league for Joba to get excited after a strike out are the people who said Eli Manning shows no emotion when he plays. Okay, so let me get this straight. Before Eli Manning won a Super Bowl, the media criticized him for showing no emotion while he played. They made fun of him for shrugging after throwing an interception and having a dumb look on his face when the Giants won a game or scored a touchdown. Joba Chamberlain strikes someone out with a 98-mph fastball and throws his fist in the air with triumph. But that's wrong? Make up your mind! You want emotion, you don't want emotion.

Joba gave up a three-run homer to David Delucci a couple of nights ago. Then, yesterday Joba struck out Delucci in the 8th inning of the game I mentioned. That's when Joba got excited. So, Joba was showing him up, right? That's how Delucci felt. He made some comments basically stating that Joba's actions are bush league. Well, Joba does this all the time. No matter who the hitter is, Joba shows his emotion when getting an out. But now the media says it wasn't a big game. It's only May, it means nothing. Okay, now there are games that mean nothing? Just because it is a game early in the season, Joba can't be excited about getting an out to end the inning?

This just doesn't make sense and I am sick over it. I don't know if these media guys have nothing to talk about, so they have to concern themselves with this. I don't know what it is. I think it's amazing what Joba does. It gets the crowd into it, when a player shows emotion like that. Fans want to see that. Then someone will say, "Oh no, it takes away from the game. Players aren't supposed to show-up batters like that." It's one thing for a pitcher to look at the batter and make a gesture towards him. Or for the pitcher to tease the batter in some way. But Joba isn't doing that at all!

I also might mention that Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox does the same thing Joba does, maybe even worse. Papelbon goes absolutely crazy when he gets a strikeout in the middle of an inning. Not even to end the inning! But, you know, Papelbon is on the World Champion Red Sox, he's allowed to do that.

This kid Joba is loaded with talent and he's excited to be pitching with the New York Yankees. He can't be happy for himself? Of course not, the media doesn't want him to be happy. You have to feel bad for these guys sometimes, even though they are making the big bucks. There isn't a guy I feel worse for than Alex Rodriguez, with this new story of him being a whimp because he passed out when his wife gave birth to their first child. Give me a break. That's a whole other story, don't get me started on it.