Joba Ready From the Start

The Bergen Records' Pete Caldera spoke by Joba Chamberlain about the phenom's transition back to the starting rotation. As you would expect, Joba's feet are firmly planted in reality.

As a starter, "I'm not going to be able to throw 15, 16 scoreless innings, and do what I did" as a reliever, Chamberlain said in a recent telephone conversation. "But I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep my team in the game and go deep in my starts.

"There's going to be times when I get hit around. But you understand that that's a part of it."

This off-season, Joba plans to work on strengthening his legs, mostly by running, and his core. It's hard to tell who will be more excited about this upcoming season, Joba, or Yankees' fans, who get worked up every time the righty enters the game.