Steven M. Sipple: Chamberlain finding his way through N.Y.’s forge
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dream a little dream with me, and color it blue.
Royals blue.
Remember, this is only a dream. The Kansas City Royals are in the playoffs, and even folks in Lincoln can recite the team’s starting lineup as if it were 1985 all over again, with Brett, White, Wilson, Balboni, Motley, McRae, et al. You see Royals bumper stickers on every other vehicle. Peter Gammons is breaking down the team’s strengths and weaknesses on ESPN every 20 minutes.
In such a scenario, and maybe only in such a scenario, Alex Gordon would get a taste of Joba Chamberlain’s everyday world, in terms of fan excitement, media frenzy and perhaps even daily pressure.
Making it in Kansas City never will be like making it in New York.
“It’s strange every day,” Chamberlain said Tuesday in the Yankees’ clubhouse three hours before the Yankees played the Royals. “Just driving around New Jersey and seeing someone wearing a shirt with your name on the back, it’s still weird. It will be for a long time.”
Don’t look now, but Chamberlain is once again creating a buzz in New York. Working as a setup man for Mariano Rivera, Chamberlain has allowed just one hit in four innings this season with a walk and four strikeouts. He’s once again pumping 101-mph fastballs and life into Yankee Stadium.
The Lincoln Northeast graduate didn’t pitch Tuesday as Kansas City won its home opener 5-2. Chamberlain watched as his friend since grade school, fellow Lincoln native Gordon, pounded two hits — a single and double — while scoring two runs as the surprising Royals improved their record to 5-2 before an announced sellout of 37,296.
The temperature was 45 degrees. It was wet and generally miserable. But Kauffman Stadium’s field was a gorgeous shade of green and the crowd was enthusiastic, roaring at the glorious end, in large part because the Yankees were in town.
Yes, the big and bad Yankees, with a team payroll of $209,081,579 (compared with the Royals’ $58,245,500), no fewer than 40 Hall of Fame players, managers and executives (compared with the Royals’ one), and 26 world championships (compared with the home team’s one).
If Chamberlain can make it there, well, you know the rest.
Dating to his late-season call-up in 2007, his numbers are 28 innings, one earned run and 38 strikeouts. The Yankees are 20-2 in games in which Chamberlain has appeared.
It’s been a magical ride, Chamberlain admitted. And you have to absolutely admire the kid because he seems to be staying grounded, which must be difficult given the nature of the magnificent Yankee beast, not to mention his relative youth (he’s 22).
“You have to take it for what it’s worth and do your job on the field,” Chamberlain said of fan and media attention. “You can never lose sight of what your job is.“
He says this as Andy Pettitte dresses three lockers away, as Alex Rodriguez asks a clubhouse worker to please find the Mets game on television, as Johnny Damon studies video of his swing across the room, as Hideki Matsui paces the floor with two bats in his hand, and as the rest of the world watches Joba in utter amazement.
Chamberlain is a fist-pumping American phenomenon.
I don’t think that’s overstating matters.
“The attitude he brings to the field — I think people love that,” Gordon said. “Obviously, he’s a talent, too, so those two things work well together. And, of course, it’s New York, so he’s going to get that extra publicity. But I really think his personality draws himself to people.“
Chamberlain’s characteristic fist-pumping after strikeouts became a mild controversy on New York talk radio last week. Some people apparently are put off by the kid’s show of emotion. Chamberlain said he wears his heart on his sleeve and if he doesn’t behave that way, he feels he’s cheating teammates.
Good answer.
Rivera said Tuesday he doesn’t mind Joba’s fist-pumps as long as they aren’t forced.
“Just do your thing,” Rivera says he told Chamberlain. “Don’t let anybody take your aggressiveness away from you.“
Anybody who saw Chamberlain pitch for Nebraska knows it is just Joba being Joba.
“The way he conducts himself on the field, it’s been tremendous,” Rivera said. “And the way he’s been pitching is outstanding. I like the passion he has, his demeanor. Now we want to see it the whole season. That’s really what we’re looking to see.“
Of course, Rivera knows odds are stacked against Chamberlain maintaining his current pace.
“There’s going to be some bumps,” Rivera said. “But I have no doubt he’ll bounce back good. He has all of us behind him, and we’ll help him as much as we can.“
What a fascinating period in Lincoln sports history, with Chamberlain and Gordon showing signs of becoming bona-fide major-league stars. What a tribute to their families and their former coaches and teammates. What a tribute to the players themselves. Both seem to be handling their situations with class.
“Alex is just a professional in the way he goes about his business,” said Royals manager Trey Hillman.
Gordon raised his average to .300 on Tuesday. He scuffled to a .173 batting average last season through 53 games before rebounding to hit .285 in the final 98.
Although the Kansas City media market is nothing compared with the monster in New York, Gordon always will be fettered with the pressure of being regarded as the franchise’s first can’t-miss, homegrown position player since Carlos Beltran.
Chamberlain faces a different type of pressure. It’s the kind of pressure that seemingly afflicts even the great A-Rod in October. But if Joba can make it in New York, well, you know the rest.
“You have to take it all in stride because if you don’t, it can take hold of you,” Chamberlain said. “It’s definitely interesting.“
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Royals blue.
Remember, this is only a dream. The Kansas City Royals are in the playoffs, and even folks in Lincoln can recite the team’s starting lineup as if it were 1985 all over again, with Brett, White, Wilson, Balboni, Motley, McRae, et al. You see Royals bumper stickers on every other vehicle. Peter Gammons is breaking down the team’s strengths and weaknesses on ESPN every 20 minutes.
In such a scenario, and maybe only in such a scenario, Alex Gordon would get a taste of Joba Chamberlain’s everyday world, in terms of fan excitement, media frenzy and perhaps even daily pressure.
Making it in Kansas City never will be like making it in New York.
“It’s strange every day,” Chamberlain said Tuesday in the Yankees’ clubhouse three hours before the Yankees played the Royals. “Just driving around New Jersey and seeing someone wearing a shirt with your name on the back, it’s still weird. It will be for a long time.”
Don’t look now, but Chamberlain is once again creating a buzz in New York. Working as a setup man for Mariano Rivera, Chamberlain has allowed just one hit in four innings this season with a walk and four strikeouts. He’s once again pumping 101-mph fastballs and life into Yankee Stadium.
The Lincoln Northeast graduate didn’t pitch Tuesday as Kansas City won its home opener 5-2. Chamberlain watched as his friend since grade school, fellow Lincoln native Gordon, pounded two hits — a single and double — while scoring two runs as the surprising Royals improved their record to 5-2 before an announced sellout of 37,296.
The temperature was 45 degrees. It was wet and generally miserable. But Kauffman Stadium’s field was a gorgeous shade of green and the crowd was enthusiastic, roaring at the glorious end, in large part because the Yankees were in town.
Yes, the big and bad Yankees, with a team payroll of $209,081,579 (compared with the Royals’ $58,245,500), no fewer than 40 Hall of Fame players, managers and executives (compared with the Royals’ one), and 26 world championships (compared with the home team’s one).
If Chamberlain can make it there, well, you know the rest.
Dating to his late-season call-up in 2007, his numbers are 28 innings, one earned run and 38 strikeouts. The Yankees are 20-2 in games in which Chamberlain has appeared.
It’s been a magical ride, Chamberlain admitted. And you have to absolutely admire the kid because he seems to be staying grounded, which must be difficult given the nature of the magnificent Yankee beast, not to mention his relative youth (he’s 22).
“You have to take it for what it’s worth and do your job on the field,” Chamberlain said of fan and media attention. “You can never lose sight of what your job is.“
He says this as Andy Pettitte dresses three lockers away, as Alex Rodriguez asks a clubhouse worker to please find the Mets game on television, as Johnny Damon studies video of his swing across the room, as Hideki Matsui paces the floor with two bats in his hand, and as the rest of the world watches Joba in utter amazement.
Chamberlain is a fist-pumping American phenomenon.
I don’t think that’s overstating matters.
“The attitude he brings to the field — I think people love that,” Gordon said. “Obviously, he’s a talent, too, so those two things work well together. And, of course, it’s New York, so he’s going to get that extra publicity. But I really think his personality draws himself to people.“
Chamberlain’s characteristic fist-pumping after strikeouts became a mild controversy on New York talk radio last week. Some people apparently are put off by the kid’s show of emotion. Chamberlain said he wears his heart on his sleeve and if he doesn’t behave that way, he feels he’s cheating teammates.
Good answer.
Rivera said Tuesday he doesn’t mind Joba’s fist-pumps as long as they aren’t forced.
“Just do your thing,” Rivera says he told Chamberlain. “Don’t let anybody take your aggressiveness away from you.“
Anybody who saw Chamberlain pitch for Nebraska knows it is just Joba being Joba.
“The way he conducts himself on the field, it’s been tremendous,” Rivera said. “And the way he’s been pitching is outstanding. I like the passion he has, his demeanor. Now we want to see it the whole season. That’s really what we’re looking to see.“
Of course, Rivera knows odds are stacked against Chamberlain maintaining his current pace.
“There’s going to be some bumps,” Rivera said. “But I have no doubt he’ll bounce back good. He has all of us behind him, and we’ll help him as much as we can.“
What a fascinating period in Lincoln sports history, with Chamberlain and Gordon showing signs of becoming bona-fide major-league stars. What a tribute to their families and their former coaches and teammates. What a tribute to the players themselves. Both seem to be handling their situations with class.
“Alex is just a professional in the way he goes about his business,” said Royals manager Trey Hillman.
Gordon raised his average to .300 on Tuesday. He scuffled to a .173 batting average last season through 53 games before rebounding to hit .285 in the final 98.
Although the Kansas City media market is nothing compared with the monster in New York, Gordon always will be fettered with the pressure of being regarded as the franchise’s first can’t-miss, homegrown position player since Carlos Beltran.
Chamberlain faces a different type of pressure. It’s the kind of pressure that seemingly afflicts even the great A-Rod in October. But if Joba can make it in New York, well, you know the rest.
“You have to take it all in stride because if you don’t, it can take hold of you,” Chamberlain said. “It’s definitely interesting.“
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.