COLIN LINNEWEBER
Big City Bias Without the Boston Bullshit

Joba Chamberlain and the New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-3 Sunday in the Bronx. Chamberlain, 23, who threw 78 pitches in the second start of his professional career in sweltering 95-degree heat, struck out five and yielded 2 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said following the game that he would like to see the phenom from Nebraska reach the 100-pitch plateau by the time he makes his fifth start in a couple of weeks.

Little League International established a pitch count last year in an effort to protect youngsters arms. Children between the ages of 11 and 12 are prohibited from exceeding 85 pitches and players in the 9-10 age group are banned from hurling more than 75 throws in any single contest.

So, are Girardi and Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman kidding with the restrictions they have imposed upon a 23-year-old adult? The Bronx brass limited Chamberlain to approximately 60 pitches for his inaugural start last Tuesday and they restricted him to 80 for his appearance yesterday. It is often said that the best formula to get a player injured is by trying at all costs to keep that athlete healthy. If that adage holds even a granule of legitimacy, Chamberlain should be joining his fellow prodigies, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, on the DL anytime now.

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