Hank is to George, as Joe is to Billy

By the time I came of age to realize what was going on in the world around me, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had pretty much become docile. I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to experience Steinbrenner in all of his pre-ban glory. It is for this reason that I am thankful for Hank Steinbrenner, and all his douchebaggery.

Hank Steinbrenner has only been the guy for a few months, and already I’m sick of him, from his crackpot conspiracy that ESPN is run by Red Sox fans, to his lovely little reminder to the rest of Major League Baseball that the Yankees are paying money to the rest of baseball. Now, only three weeks into the season good ol’ Hank is demanding that Joba Chamberlain get into the starting rotation — a move that Yankees GM Brian Cashman (aka “the only guy left who actually knows what the hell he’s doing”) isn’t so keen on.

Joba Chamberlian reminds me of Joel Zumaya (minus the love for Guitar Hero). Yes, Chamberlain has a freaking cannon for an arm, but it’s only good in short bursts. It happens to every hard thrower — they’ll come into the rotation, they’ll be successful for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, and then they get shelled. Why? Because most truly hard throwers don’t have much else. They don’t usually need much else, because they’re usually in the bullpen.

Now is this to say that Chamberlain couldn’t succeed as a starter? No. I think it’s very possible that Chamberlain, at least for a while, would find great success as a starter. But I think that Hank thinks that if you throw Chamberlain into the Yankees rotation, his 0.38 ERA from 2007 will transfer with him.

It won’t. But that’s okay, if Chamberlain goes into the rotation and gets hit around, you know who’s fault it will be?

That’s right — Joe Girardi’s. At least in Hank’s eyes.

(image from Wikipedia)