Some Much-Needed Joba Sanity

The Joba-t0-the-pen debate rages on, even in the wake of the kid's impressive 8-inning outing against the Indians. I, for one, want Joba to remain in the starting rotation, although I do miss the energy of his late-game appearances. When he first came up, his appearances, which were initially  limited to every other day because of the famous "Joba Rules," became an event, bordering, at times, on pandemonium. Of course, it wasn't simply Joba's one inning of dominance that caught people's attention. It was his fearlessness, his un-Yankee-like histrionics that got people going. His nasty slider and 100-mph fastball didn't hurt either. As I wrote following Joba's eventual 12-strike out performance against the Red Sox earlier this year, Joba needs a certain level of intensity, a specific knock-and-tumble vigor to succeed, whether he's pitching in the 8th inning or every fifth day. Yes, I think Joba should start, but I also want him to be Joba, "disrespectful" fist pumps and all. These two things aren't mutually exclusive; in fact, they're symbiotic.  

Still, despite the constant protestations of RAB and Tyler Kepner and, yup, the Yankees, members of the media--specifically Mike Francesa and ESPN-- seem to think Joba, who they consider the next Goose Gossage, should be coming out of the pen. Nothing short of a Cy Young Award, it seems, can dissuade them of their short-sighted opinions about Joba's usefulness to the club. And I'm fine with that. They're entitled to their opinion, no matter how misguided or uninformed it happens to be. Some people still vote Republican, after all. It's nice, though, to have a national voice weigh in on the debate. SI's Tim Marchman speaks the truth thusly:

Starters are more valuable than relievers, and Chamberlain is showing every sign of developing into a wonderful starter; therefore, he should start. Simple. 

[Snip]

There are complicated decisions to be made in baseball. Neither this nor any similar argument involving any young pitcher is really one of them. If Chamberlain is hurt, or if the Yankees obtain access to a time machine and learn that he really is much better than Mariano Rivera, they should by all means listen to the outraged minority and consign to the bullpen a 23-year-old with every chance at being the best pitcher they've developed since Whitey Ford. Otherwise, they should leave him alone where everyone can enjoy him. He's doing fine.

I'd say he's doing better than fine, but let's not argue about semantics. Joba's proving his worth in the rotation, right where he belongs. 

Revisiting Ali-Frazier

A few months ago, I wrote about John Shearer's iconic photograph of Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier, which Shearer snapped on the eve of the two men's first fight. Frazier, of course, won the first, while Ali took the following two, including the particularly brutal and physically exhausting "Thrilla in Manilla." The lead up to the decisive fight was intense. At different times, Ali referred to Frazier as either an "Uncle Tom," or the "White Man's Champion," or, crudely, "a dumb gorilla." During a pre-fight press conference, Ali used the opportunity to beat up a rubber gorilla, taunting, "It's gonna be a chilla, and a killa, and a thriller, when I get the Gorilla in Manila." Frazier, it seems, never got over Ali's verbal attacks. Here's an excerpt from a 1996 Sports Illustrated story about Frazier's lingering animosity. 

Back in the States, Ali called Lewis and asked him for Frazier's private number. Ali told Lewis that he wanted to apologize to Frazier for some of the things he had said. Lewis called Frazier, but, he says, Frazier told him. "Don't give it to him."

In the 21 years since then, Ali and Frazier have seen each other at numerous affairs, and Frazier has barely disguised the loathing he feels toward his old antagonist. In 1988, for the taping of a film called Champions Forever, five former heavyweight title holders--Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Larry Holmes and Ken Norton--gathered in Las Vegas. A crowd of people were at Johnny Tocco's Gym for a morning shoot when Frazier started in on Ali, who was already debilitated by Parkinson's. "Look at Ali," Frazier said. "Look what's happened to him. All your talkin', man. I'm faster than you are now. You're damaged goods."

"I'm faster than you are, Joe," Ali slurred. Pointing to a heavy bag, Ali suggested a contest: "Let's see who hits the bag the fastest."

Frazier grinned, not knowing he was back in the slaughterhouse. He stripped off his coat, strode to the bag and buried a dozen rapid-fire hooks in it, punctuating each rip with a loud grunt: "Huh! Huh! Huh!" Without removing his coat, Ali went to the bag, assumed the ready stance and mimicked one Frazier grunt: "Huh!" He had not thrown a punch. He turned slowly to Frazier and said, "Wanna see it again, Joe?" In the uproar of hilarity that ensued, only Frazier did not laugh. Ali had humiliated him again.

After the shoot, at a luncheon for the fighters, Frazier had too much to drink, and afterward, as people milled around the room and talked, he started walking toward Ali. Thomas Hauser, Ali's chronicler, watched the scene that unfolded over the next 20 minutes. Holmes quietly positioned himself between Ali and Frazier. "Joe was trying to get to Ali," Hauser says, "but wherever Joe went, left or right, Holmes would step between him and Ali. Physically shielding him. Joe was frustrated. After about 10 minutes of this, Foreman walked up to Larry and said, 'I'll take over.' " So for the next 10 minutes Frazier quietly tried to get around 290 pounds of assimilated Big Macs. At one point Frazier leaned into Foreman, but Foreman only leaned back. "Keep it cool, Joe," Foreman whispered. "Be calm."

Ali had no idea this was going on. "He was walking around like Mr. Magoo," says Hauser. "He was oblivious."

Like Shearer's photo, the public--and, later, semi-private--exchange between the two men, which took place more than 20 years after they last squared off in the ring, gets to the heart of each man: Ali's charismatic, rope-a-dope guile and Frazier's smoldering, brute force. Is it surprising, then, that Ali ended up getting the best of Frazier, even in retirement?  

(Via Coates)

The Needle and the Damage Done

According to a report in Sports Illustrated, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two different types of anabolic steroids-- Primobolan and testosterone-- in 2003, the year he won the American League Most Valuable Player award, and his final season with the Texas Rangers. 

This is bad. Real bad, and it goes a long way of explaining A-Rod's cryptic statement last year that he was "tested nine or 10 times" during the 2007 season, which would mean, as reporters speculated at the time, that he had failed a previous test. Rodriguez, under advisement, later claimed he was exaggerating, probably to protect his image and/or legacy, because in 2003 Major League Baseball didn't penalize players who tested positive. (It is unclear from the article if A-Rod has since tested positive a second time, but Roberts and Epstein point out that Rodriguez was allegedly tipped off about an upcoming test by Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players' union in 2004, when Rodriguez was playing third base for the Yankees).  

Rodriguez was one of about 1,200 players tested as part of a sealed MLB internal survey to figure out if (irony alert!) testing was even worth the effort, according to SI reporters Selena Roberts and David Epstein, who write:   

The results of that year's survey testing of 1,198 players were meant to be anonymous under the agreement between the commissioner's office and the players association. Rodriguez's testing information was found, however, after federal agents, armed with search warrants, seized the '03 test results from Comprehensive Drug Testing, Inc., of Long Beach, Calif., one of two labs used by MLB in connection with that year's survey testing. The seizure took place in April 2004 as part of the government's investigation into 10 major league players linked to the BALCO scandal -- though Rodriguez himself has never been connected to BALCO.

Rodriguez is signed with the Yankees through 2017, during which time he is widely expected to pass Barry Bonds, also linked to steroids and various performance-enhancing drugs, for the all-time home run total, which means this story ain't going anywhere anytime soon. For years, fans, reporters and players have speculated about A-Rod juicing, but this morning's article is, as far as I know, the first corroborated report of the so-called greatest baseball player of his generation cheating. I think it's pretty safe to assume, then, that chants of "A-Fraud" will echo throughout major league ballparks this season, including the new one in the Bronx.

The Best Player in the World, Blindfolded

Well, sort of. From Chris Ballard's amazing profile of LeBron James comes this startling fact about the most dominant player in the league. Until last year, LeBron couldn't see six feet in front of his own nose. Seriously. 

Ballard writes:

Despite his estimable court vision, up until a year ago, James had trouble seeing certain things. Like, say, road signs. 

[...] Thus during high school and his first five years in the NBA, James operated in something of a haze, which must make all the players who got torched by him feel great. Only James claims it never affected his game. "I could see everything on the court. I never had a problem with here" -- he holds his hands to the side of his head, indicating his peripheral vision -- "it was right here in front that I had the problem."

Then, a little over a year ago, James got Lasik surgery. Now, as he puts it, "it's kind of cool, because I can see stuff in the distance. I'm like, So that's what that is! 

Pressed, he admits it's probably improved his on-court performance too, saying, "Well, I have gotten better."

I thought LeBron, like all great players, would improve his game by refining his jump shot, or picking up his intensity on the defensive end. Both of which he's already well on his way toward accomplishing. I never thought, though, that he would get to the next level simply by addressing an easily correctable physical disadvantage. It's like he's been playing his entire career right-handed before finally realizing that he is, in fact, better with his left.  Or that his vertical leap has been hindered somewhat by an undiagnosed bout of polio.  

Is it really possible that the greatest player in the world is only now, in his fifth season in the league, finally operating at full capacity? 

(Via TrueHoop)

Fresh Meat

Sports Illustrated writer Kevin Armstrong takes a look at the best (so far) of this year’s NCAA basketball recruiting class. Per usual, Roy Williams is off to a good start. As is Jay Wright and Rick Barnes. I’ve come to expect such things from the likes of UNC, Villanova and Texas.

More surprising, though, is the early success of Indiana University's Tom Crean, who resurrected the Hoosiers' moribund program last April in the wake of the Kelvin Sampson debacle. Crean is off to a great start, landing six solid recruits, including Birmingham Shades Valley standout Christian Watford, according to Armstrong.

Here’s the SI scribe’s take:

The program's anchor is still securely lodged in the Midwest, but that didn't stop reconstructionist Tom Crean from reaching out to the south for Watford -- a 6-8, 215-pound swingman from Birmingham, Ala. A slasher with body control he should be Crean's cornerstone in trying times and play well off [fellow recruits Maurice] Creek and [Bawa] Muniru.

Good for Crean. He built a tremendous program at Marquette and, by all accounts, has an unrivaled eye for talent (See: Wade, Dwyane). This, in addition to a killer living room speech, should put Indiana back near the top of college basketball in no time.

Also of note, Memphis’ John Calipari landed Xavier Henry, the younger brother of C.J. Henry, who the Yankees drafted out of high school in 2005, before trading him a year later to the Phillies as part of the deal that brought Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle to the Bronx. Although Henry recently resigned with the Yankees after the Phillies released him, he’s currently riding Calipari’s bench in downtown Memphis. It remains to be seen whether C.J. plans on returning to the diamond any time soon, or if he'd rather stick around to play ball with his younger brother. Either way, the Tigers already look pretty stacked for next season.