Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Joba talks about today's game and his contract

Here's what he had to say about today's rough outing:

“I was just trying to get the thing over the plate,” Chamberlain said. “It was just one of those days. You live and learn. It’s bound to happen.”

“You learn from your successes, but you learn more from your failures.”

"It's bound to happen," Chamberlain said. "The sun will come up tomorrow. I've got a lot of stuff to work on in Spring Training; that's what it's for. You're going to get your butt handed to you, and you know that. You learn more from these."
Most kids Joba's age would begin to panic at the first signs of a struggle, but not Joba.

When Joba was asked him about the Yankees renewing his contract for the league minimum $390,000, he had this gem:

"I don’t play the game to get paid. I play the game to enjoy it and love it. The paycheck’s a bonus. What do I have to complain about?”
Isn't that exactly what you would want to hear?

Kat O'Brien points out how Prince Fielder and Cole Hamels responded when they faced similar situations this offseason. Fielder received $670,000 from the Brewers and Hamels got $490K from the Phillies.

Fielder: "I'm not happy about it at all. The fact I've had to be renewed two years in a row, I'm not happy about it because there's a lot of guys who have the same amount of time that I do who have done a lot less and are getting paid a lot more. But my time is going to come. It's going to come quick, too.''

Hamels: “I know what’s been going on and everything. It’s just a part of the game when you’re in my situation. You don’t have any say, you just have to take it. Sometimes it can be frustrating because you feel you’re a part of the team but I just want to see some generosity and understanding about what I’m going out there every five days to do.”


Just add this to the growing list of reasons why it's so easy to root for Joba Chamberlain.

9 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Lets slow down on the Joba ball washing. I don't think Joba was the first young pitcher to every say the "they'll be days like this line" or "learn from your failures" bit.

Jesus.

James Miller said...

Indeed, and credit the yankees organization for teaching their players that it's about more than the dollars and cents. The Yankees deserve a lot of credit in that department.

Greg Cohen said...

First of all, I said "most kids Joba's age," not all.

Second, I'm more impressed with his quote about not playing the game for a pay check. That something you don't hear very often nowadays.

And if you're going to be a wise-ass how about not posting as "Anonymous"

Greg Cohen said...

I agree completely James.

James Miller said...

and Mr anonymous, you're a moron, you dont deserve to watch a single inning of this upcoming season, i don't care what team you root for you're a complete idiot.

Anonymous said...

Oh so nows it's about playing the game for the love, not for the money. I wonder if you they felt the same way back in 2006 when both of them signed late because they wanted more then the slot amount when they were drafted. Kennedy signed for 2.2 million dollars, that's then the 8th overall pick. And Joba didn't even pitch in 2006 cause he was held out for 1.1 million, over 200k more then the slot amount for the 41st pick.

So lets grow up here people, it's always about the money. He's saying the right things cause he knows over the next 3 years this is the only time the team had leverage over the player.

Morons

Greg Cohen said...

Can you provide a link about Joba not playing in 2006 because he was "holding out"? Because I was under the impression that it was because he was recovering from an injury.

And regardless, I commend the kid for saying the right thing, unlike most athletes today, That's what this post was about.

Anonymous said...

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/03/06/its-always-about-the-money/

Read it and weep fatty.

Greg Cohen said...

"fatty"? LOL, I love dealing with 12 year old Red Sox fans who can't have a conversation without slinging insults, however irrelevant they may be.

So big deal. Do you understand that agents control their clients negotiations? Joba was 19 years old, what, did you expect him to negotiate his own contract? If his agent thought he was worth more than the minimum, its his job to go out and get it.

He also had several nagging injuries(which was the reason he slipped in the draft)and probably wouldn't have pitched in the minors in 2006 anyway.

And like I said the other day, I'm simply commending the kid for saying the right things, and taking the high-road, unlike Papelbon, Fielder, and Hamels.