Joba Talks Jeter, Cano, Surgery and #PricelessNY

We sent high school baseball coach, Yankee fanatic and first-time correspondent Eddie Z. to Yankee Stadium last night to hang out with pitcher Joba Chamberlain and celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez at the Mastercard Batter's Eye Cafe at Yankee Stadium to learn about MC's PricelessNY campaign and in hopes of catching Derek Jeter's 3000th hit. Jeter fell 2 short of the milestone, but that didn't damper the experience.

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We were ushered into a small conference room for the Mastercard presentation, "Priceless New York." There were about 30 people there, sports bloggers and food bloggers, few friends, PR people and Mastercard people. This is their new promotion for cardholders offering unique experiences in different cities around the world.

We were treated to one of the experiences for New York: Batting practice entry to the stadium, The Batter's Eye Café, some schwag, endless buffet (beer included), seats above the batter's eye, some time with a random Yankee (Joba in this case) and food prepared by Aaron Sanchez. If you know the Stadium at all, these seats are located above the tinted windows in dead center field. The windows are the Mohegan Sun Lounge, the view is sick.


The entire place stood for all of Jeter's at bats and I really got the feeling that half the crowd was there just for that. He lined a double on the 1st pitch of the game, I think everyone in the place thought he had it locked up tonight. This game can be best described as a throw away game in the middle of July, neither team really looked like they gave a crap, the Rays were up 5-0 in the 5th and I think if not for the 3,000 everyone would have left then. As it was, he got an AB in the 9th, so people stuck around. Otherwise, this was truly one of the most boring games I have ever been too...ever.

Joba was a very cool dude. Just before I got to him, he was yelling down from where we were to a few of the guys shagging flys during BP complaining about the heat. I think they were making fun of him sweating a lot, couldn't get the camera out quick enough to record.

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Straight Out of Starsky and Hutch

Word on the street is...if you want to score some illegal narcotics from a shady Dominican, the best place to look is a Florida pool hall.

It's also the place Joe Girardi felt the need to let his troops blow off some steam, even if they are an admitted user and someone who was popped with a DUI.


What Andrew Brackman doesn't realize is that if you stand to close when a Chinaman's trying to shoot, someone gonna cut your ass.


More photos available at NJ.com's Star Ledger gallery. No sign of Cousin Yuri.

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Joba Impersonator Faces Charges, Ledger Live Investigates as Rollie Fingers

From our good friend Brian Donohue at NJ.com's Ledger Live.

On Today's Ledger Live: Ryan Ward, a 29-year-old Asbury Park man who spent last summer impersonating New York Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the bars and bagel shops of Belmar, goes on trial today for charges related to his hardball shenanigans. What Ward did was no doubt funny, but perhaps he took it a bit too far. Whether it's grounds for him to go to jail is a matter of debate, and really, a matter best left for the judge to decide. But the larger question raised by this story - why everyday people become so star struck at the mere possibility of rubbing elbows with a major league ballplayer - is a question that Ledger Live can tackle head on. To do it, we follow in Ward's footsteps, adopting the countenance of the most recognizable relief pitcher in modern day baseball history, and the guy with the greatest mustache on the mound: Rollie Fingers.

Ledger Live: Joba Chamberlain impersonator bums for bagels

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No one celebrate anything

"If he wants to yell and scream after a strikeout and dance around the mound, that's what gets him going," he said. "My home run was in a much bigger situation, a much more key part of the game, but I didn't dance around and scream."

Exactly. Joba was wrong to get excited while his team was winning in the 8th inning of meaningless May game. The pinch-hit homerun happened during a different meaningless May game. David was in a much bigger situation.

So, that's it. You guys ruined for everyone. I don't want to see any of you God damn rich bastards showing any kind of emotion out there. This is serious business, this baseball.

I don't want you to get excited, or congratulate each other, or pump fists, or hand-slap, booty dance, grab-ass or do whatever it is you guys thought of in the clubhouse to show emotion.

If something positive should happen to the team I want a head nod and possibly a 'well done sir.'

I want nothing that could get the fans into the game. I want to see a game where every player acts like the field is the last place on earth he wants to be at that moment. That's how they used to do it. The old guard. Back when this was a part time job and life was different.

Stop acting like you care and act like a bunch of grown men getting paid to play a child's game.

This is business.

Joba Chamberlain: Minor League Marketing Gold?

The Trenton Thunder, since locating to New Jersey's capital city in 1994, has become one of the most successful and popular minor league franchises in the region.

According to their Wikipedia page, in 2006, "the Thunder became the first team in Minor League Baseball history to draw over 400,000 fans for twelve consecutive seasons at the Double-A level or below. Through 13 seasons, over 5.4 million people had attended a Thunder game."

Since 1994 it has also been affiliated with 3 teams - the Tigers, the Red Sox and currently the Yankees, which is most relevant due to a large number of Yankee fans in the area.

Thunder alumni includes back-to-back AL rookies of the year Tony Clark and Nomar Garciaparra, as well as Trot Nixon, Shea Hillenbrand, David Eckstein, Carl Pavano, Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes and one Joba Chamberlain.

That last name jumps out at me. Chamberlain is widely heralded as a future MLB superstar, like a handful of young Yankee hurlers, despite wonder whether he'll start or remain in the bullpen in the immediate future.

Besides Chamberlain (ranked 3), who is a lock to make the Yankees big league roster this year, only 3 Yankees appear in Baseball America's top 100 prospects:

• Jose Tabata (OF, 37)
• Austin Jackson (OF, 41)
• Ian Kennedy (RHP, 45)

Kennedy will likely end up in the Yankees rotation this year, obviously enough that the Thunder are polling on their main page the following:


Also on their main page is the headline:

THUNDER TOP PHILS, TABATA AND JACKSON SPARK OFFENSE

Obviously, Tabata and Jackson will be the top draws for the Thunder this year.

Yet, the Thunder want to hype their past instead of their current and future. Take for example their electronic marquee which encourages you to call a number for information on getting a limited edition Joba bobblehead. Obviously, I haven't called, but it piqued my curiosity. I assumed they had some left over from a promotion last season. Then, at a bar with Willard last night, I noticed the free Thunder pocket schedules, adorned on front and back with Joba Chamberlain.

Now I see the ONLY way to get a Joba limited edition bobblehead is by purchasing a "Joba Rules" 10-game ticket plan. A plan with which in all likelihood you will never see Joba pitch.

I understand the marketing strategy to capitalize on a young star's success and popularity. But, for a franchise that continues to set attendance records, is such a push really necessary in lieu of promoting your current roster and team?

For the Thunder, this strategy isn't new. Their 2006 schedule featured Melky Cabrera, a year in which he played in 130 games with the big league club.

Image: WasWatching.com

Again, we get it the idea, but not the justification. You're going to draw fans, so why not develop and market your own new stars instead of that of your big league counterpart?

In the meantime, I like this McCain-esq idea and am going to try to win me partial season tickets.