Joba Chamberlain Needs An Attitude Check

We all know just how emotional Joba Chamberlain can be. Right from his first appearance, the hard-throwing pitcher was never one to let his feelings hold him back. Constantly we would see him pump his fists on the mound after a big out — this was something that every New York Yankee fan loved to see in a time where the team was strictly all business. But over time, and especially after the “Joba-Rules” were enacted, Chamberlain became more of a hassle than an enjoyment. Over the last few years, we have come to learn that Chamberlain is prone to – let’s say – spats with other players. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong person to mess with this time.

Rivera was obviously just joking around. (Image: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Before the game against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Chamberlain barked at Mariano Rivera as Rivera was meeting with the media, talking about his time spent with local families. According to reports, Joba was standing on the top step of the dugout, yelling to some people in the stands in an effort to converse with them. Rivera, who we know would never rip on another teammate, lightheartedly asked, “Is this guy always loud like this?”

As Chamberlain continued to yell towards the fans, Rivera became unable to think due to the volume of Joba’s voice. This prompted Mo to say, ““Joba, yo, bro! Shhh, Stop it.”

Afterwards, Joba told Rivera that he was talking with family.  The interview continued, and Joba continued yelling into the stands. Normally, this would be a situation that would be left behind, never to be spoken of again. Perhaps Chamberlain didn’t get the memo. After the interview, Chamberlain went up to Mo and said, “Never shush me again.”

Their argument went on to include Joba saying something about how he never gets to see his family, and Mo essentially saying that he just wanted Joba to be a little quieter while he was being interviewed.

Now we all know that Mariano Rivera is one of the most humble people out there. He wasn’t trying to disrespect Joba in any way, he was obviously just kidding around when he told him to quiet down. Chamberlain however, seemed to think it was a big deal, and now the two reportedly haven’t spoken to each other. Who Chamberlain felt the need to blow this whole thing up is beyond me.

This isn’t the first time that Chamberlain has had a tense exchange with another player. We all remember how Joba and Kevin Youkilis once had a rivalry after Joba pounded Youkilis with inside fastballs when the two faced each other in game situations. Luckily, for the sake of the team, the two were able to put that incident behind them.

The fact of the matter is, Joba Chamberlain needs to understand that Mariano Rivera wasn’t trying to be mean to him, he just wanted to conduct his interview. This is Rivera’s final season, and he deserves all the respect in the world when he is being interviewed. He asked Joba, jokingly, to quiet down, and Joba decided to make things bigger than they actually are. Chamberlain needs to watch his attitude, because it could eventually get him into trouble.