Friday, March 26, 2010

Joba Interview

Once Joba sobered up we tried to get some face time with him in order to get more reaction regarding his recent demotion to middle relief (unless you think he should be there, in which case it wouldn't be a demotion). Joba, however, was a bit elusive, masking much of what he felt. At least that was my impression. Read the transcript below and judge for yourself:

RJG: So, Joba, sucks to be you right about now, huh?

Joba: Not more than it sucks to be your face. Zing!

RJG: Oh, you got me. So, really, how do you feel about losing out in the fifth starter competition?

Joba: I'm just happy to do whatever I can to help the team.

RJG: Yeah, but it must sting to have gone through all the 'Joba Rules' craziness only to end up back in the 'pen.

Joba: [singing] Informer, abadabadabadabada blam! A licky boom boom down!

RJG: What?

Joba: I know you are but what am I?

RJG: Did you just sing 'Informer,' by Snow? Are you even old enough to remember that song?

Joba: To be totally forthcoming, all I wanna do is zoomazoom zoom zoom and a boom boom.

RJG: 'Rump Shaker'?

Joba: Are you hitting on me?

RJG: No, the song 'Rump Shaker.' Why are you singing 'Rump Shaker'?

Joba: I don't know what you're talking about.

RJG: So losing the fifth starter spot, any thoughts? Anything besides lines from the 90s Greatest Hits collection?

Joba: Why don't you get out of my face before I run over your cat with my tricycle!

RJG: You have a tricycle?

Joba: [Talking like a 60s robot] I am a Robot. Directive does not compute. Must terminate processes.

RJG: I'm just going to go now . . .

Joba: Error. Error. Error . . .


So there you have it folks, seems like it may take a little bit of time for Joba to come to grips with this.

14 comments:

cheshirecat9 said...

So it is settled. I hope that Joba embraces this role and regains his fire. I think he is kind of a head case, but hopefully he can be a professional.

Rich Mahogany said...

RJG's interviews are always better than NoMaas's interviews. You guys ask the hard-hitting questions.

Riddering said...

I feel for Joba. I think I scared a few friends last night after work by ranting about these new developments. Might have been better had I turned to 90s music.

Great interview as always, guys. ;)

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

Thank you, Rich and Riddering. It is always tough to ask the hard hitting questions, but we are happy to do it for a nominal fee.

I think you're right Cheshire, Joba may be the A-Rod of pitching. He does seem to overthink starting, getting too focused on how he'll get through the order multiple times and not showing all his pitches versus getting the batter out. I think this change will ultimately help him.

Jon Roberts said...

It does not suck to be Joba. At the end of the day he gets to play for the Yankees. If he's out in the bullpen he is in the company of one of the most remarkable players ever.

I think he might be a head case too. Hopefully he makes adjustments and either moves back to the rotation or develops into a shutdown reliever.

He still seems to have a great opportunity to be successful. I know he got busted for DUI, was this a one time mistake thing, or does he actually have a drinking problem?

FYI this blog kicks the crap out of RAB. Those eggheads can suck it!

lady gaganonymous said...

Heh. Poor Joba.

That said, I am super tired of talking about it. It's done. I hope Hughes wins the Cy Young.

lady gaganonymous said...

btw Jon I don't think this blog is much like RAB at all, not for anything.

Rich Mahogany said...

I wouldn't say Joba's a headcase. We don't know what he's thinking. He has shown that he can pitch very well both as a starter and as a reliever. His only demonstrations of immaturity have been his DUI and this interview. The DUI is not excusable, but we don't know whether it's anything more than an aberration or youthful mistake that won't be repeated. And this interview is excusable because Joba's under so much stress these days, and RJG tends to bring out a different side of its interview subjects.

Joba has had a very strange maturation process as a pitcher. He has been shuffled between the rotation and the pen, and has also occupied strange middle-ground roles where he has started but only pitched a few innings. (I went to Joba's debut game as a starter and was pretty excited about it. The moment I sat down, Joba left the game and Giese came in. Anticlimactic.) He has also been through some pretty strange experiences for any pitcher (the Joba Rules, the Midge Swarm Game).

After all that, if Joba is a headcase, it's probably the Yankees' fault for making him one. That's one reason I was so confident they would make him the fifth starter this year - he would have a defined role and could keep it or lose it based on his own merit, not on the ephemeral demands of the team or its fans.

Also I think this site exists harmoniously with RAB. Each site provides a different variety of insight, even if RJG's insight is more profound.

Rich Mahogany said...

I also hope Hughes wins the Cy Young. It would help me get a positive return on my Hughes autographed baseball investment. The good gentleman who sold it to me behind the demolished stadium told me I would make my $3,000 back in six or seven years - won't he be surprised when it only takes one! You need to spend money to make money.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

RJG is certainly a special brand of insight. Who else would tell you that Joba has a tricycle with which he threatens animals? Also, we're not beholden to the YES Network (a.k.a. The Man), so we can give the straight facts, like how the Yankees are the greatest team ever. I'd like to see RAB take a stance as courageous as that!

Rich Mahogany said...

Really, the only thing missing from this blog is a solution to the financial crisis. But RAB hasn't figured that one out yet either.

lady gaganonymous said...

So unrelated to Joba, but apparently A-Rod was supposed to meet with the feds today, but he actually didn't. How long until the Lupica column declaring him a fugitive???

lady gaganonymous said...

also, one of the things I like about RAB is that they really DON'T fall in lockstep with YES. Like, YES thought their fake interview with a scout was real. Hilarious. And they critique the team fairly. Their biggest problem is the groupthink but it's a much better major Yankee website than most others. LoHud's comment sections make my eyes bleed and NYYFans is just a mess.

Roberto E. Alejandro said...

we've already sent numerous proposals regarding the financial crisis to the White House but they have yet to schedule a meeting.