Joba's back. Enough of guys getting injured, one finally returns.
Fourteen months after elbow surgery, and then for good measure dislocating his ankle in a trampoline accident this spring, Joba Chamberlain returned to the mound. The moment wasn't lost on the Yankee fans. There was talk he'd never pitch again, or at least not in pinstripes, but he made his return on August 1, well before the playoffs.
Despite leading the AL East by 7 games in the loss column, the Yankees have been beset by a ton of injuries. Mariano Rivera's freak knee buckle shagging batting practice flies was devastating enough. But Brett Gardner is out for the year, A-Rod is out indefinitely after getting plunked on the wrist. Andy Pettitte was pitching great before he took a line drive in the leg. Even the monster-durable CC Sabathia had a DL stint, and Mark Teixeira is very iffy in the short term.
Injuries are part of the game (baseball was the first sport to use the term "disabled list"), but this year seems a little much.
I don't know if fans are expecting a lot from Joba, his presence is just a bonus at this point. But imagine if he was the force of 2007. You can never have too much pitching.
I lived in Nebraska when Chamberlain was a Cornhusker and I know the adversity he's been through in his life, and he hasn't been perfect himself. But maybe the second act of his career begins now.
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