Is this a Toledo Mud Hens act? Hank Steinbrenner admits bullpen needs attention, but has no immediate plans...

From NY Daily News by Peter Botte, 6/7/08:

• ""Joba will help us get our starting pitching in order,

• and then we'll concentrate on doing something

• about the bullpen.""

YOU CLAIM TO BE THE AMONG THE 'BRAINTRUST' OF THE YANKEES,

• YET HAVE NO PLAN FOR THE LACK OF A LATE INNING SET-UP MAN FOR RIVERA, (WHO READILY WILL GO MORE THAN 1 INNING BUT CAN'T GO 3 INNINGS A DAY).

YOU HAD ALL WINTER TO WORK ON THE BULLPEN, HAVING DECLARED CHAMBERLAIN TO BE A STARTER BUT YOU DIDN'T DO IT. NOW YOU SAY YOU'LL WORRY ABOUT IT (IF AND WHEN) YOU GET CHAMBERLAIN SQUARED AWAY. HIS PITCH COUNT IS SO RESTRICTED YOU'RE PUTTING EVEN GREATER DEMAND ON A DEPLETED BULLPEN.

• WHY SHOULDN'T EVERY YANKEE ADVERTISER CANCEL BASED ON YOUR CANDID ADMISSION OF NOT HAVING MADE PROVISIONS FOR A LATE INNING RELIEVER?

• AN IMPORTANT '8TH INNING' GUY IS OFTEN GOOD ENOUGH TO GET OUT OF JAMS IN THE 7TH AS WELL. AS IS THE CASE WITH THE BEST 9TH INNING GUYS. BOTH OF WHICH YOU FORMERLY HAD ON YOUR STAFF.
• A LATE INNING RELIEVER IN 1996 NAMED MARIANO RIVERA PITCHED AS MUCH AS 3 INNINGS 8 TIMES IN THE REGULAR SEASON, AND 3 DAYS IN A ROW IN THE WORLD SERIES. WITHOUT HIM, YOU WOULD HAVE LOST. YET BY YOUR DEFINITION, THIS PITCHER WOULD BE A

• "WASTE".

(Feel free to check with "every expert" about that. Please stop saying the guy would only have pitched 1 inning).

• article via BTF

P.S. A minor league player is mentioned in the NY Post today (6/8) as one of the possibilities to replace Chamberlain. The player had Tommy John surgery last year and his top potential is seen as a setup man, per the article. No date for try-outs for this or any other prospect was noted.

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