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Couldn't agree more.

What Greg said ...

Or maybe Joba gets traded now for a different arm?

An afterthought: one of the things that puzzles me about this team is that sometimeds perfectly good kids "blow out" of the team either before or after their time. If they trade Joba and he lands someplace, finds a home and his strenghts, he will be following in the footsteps of Ian Kennedy - who had a pretty decent year with the Diamondbacks with a WHIP of 1.2, an ERA of 3.80 and 194 innings total over 32 starts. Even adjusting for the NL - those aren't shabby numbers for a mid-rotation arm.

I like Joba in the bullpen. He's not wasted if he comes in for the 6th or 7th inning and snuffs out a rally on a tiring starter.

What, then, do we do about {gasp} Mitre!!?? Bring up one of the kids or sign a journeyman. Look, if Nova and Burnett crap out, the season is lost anyway. So what if your fifth starter is uncertain? But don't let it be Mitre because he is certain -- to fail.

Corey,

I think the Yankees owe it to themselves to really give Joba a thorough evaluation as a starter. I don't think they have done that yet.

Couldn't agree more with the part about Mitre (I know, I know -- I'm recycling my posts). I just do not understand the Yankees' fixation with Mitre -- what's up with that? Get rid of him already.

Joba? OK, here's what I'm thinking about Joba.

One of the keys to a young pitcher's development is finding a coach who can work with (not against) a kid to get the most out of his stuff. I can think of some great coaches (Sain, Mazzone) who REALLY knew how to develop and maintain some great arms - and not once do I (or did I ever) think Eiland fit in that "great" or even "good" coach category.

I'm thinking - acutally, I'm more hoping - that Rothschild can get Joba to straighten his head (and his effin hat) and find a comfort zone as a successful starter. Make it so that he stops looking up and around while he's on the mound and instead just looks in, with 100% plate and batter focus - the way Moose and Andy learned to do. I hope, I hope, I hope.

Joba's stuff is good, his head/focus is awful. I think the team screwed him up - maybe the team can undo that damage via Rothschild.

Mitchell,

I agree about Eiland -- he didn't impress me. I am uncomfortable with the idea that the team screwed him up. It places too much of the responsibility on the team. I think Joba (and AJ) has significant maturity issues. As you noted, his demeanor on the mound when he starts is just awful.

Greg

I think Joba has huge maturity issues perhaps stemming from too much success too early in his career. But the fact that he was 7-2 with a 3.58 before they started jerking him around in 2009 makes me blame the team as well.

I think Mitchell makes a great point about Rothschild, but his results with Carlos Zambrano in Chicago don't exactly instill me with confidence either.

Peter - I think Zambrano is such a wild man that not even Johnny Sain could have gotten him to relax and just beat the batter one pitch at a time. Joba, on the other hand, probably just needs someone who can teach him to relax (as in drop the attitude) and focus. We'll see how Joba looks in 60 days or so after Rothschild arrives - I'm hoping for the best.

Mitchell- Yes, Big Z is in a class by himself, or maybe a class with AJ Burnett?

Personally, I think something clicked back on for Joba last year when the Yankees traded for Kerry Wood. I think he suddenly realized that the team was no longer willing to hand him a job and he needed to go out there and earn one.

I think he will have a big 2011, but I wonder what his role will be and if he will even be a Yankee come the start of the season.