Chan Ho Park is vaunted by no one.

"Opening Day losses don't get more exasperating than this."

Sure they do, Mr. Imagination.

I'll bet the losing team in half the games today are more exasperated than the Yankees.

I'll bet at least one team loses when their closer blows the lead in the ninth inning. The most exasperating would be a walk-off balk. I don't think I've ever seen a walk-off balk.

Further, I'll bet the team that loses will leave two or three runners on third base with less than two outs and their manager will say they need to work on their situational hitting.


"When your ace can't hold a 5-1 lead, when your bullpen spits up a two-run lead quicker than you can say Chan Ho Park, your first thought is that 2009 suddenly seems like a long time ago."

Sabathia is the goat.

"Chan Ho Park?

He's the guy you want in the game holding a 7-5 lead in the seventh inning? Wasn't David Robertson supposed to be the next big thing in the Yankee bullpen? He got two outs in the sixth in relief of Sabathia, albeit after giving up a single that scored the tying run, and then he was gone."

That's why Sabathia is the goat.

Park is the 25th guy on the roster. Sabathia is a $160 million, 350-lb. ace.

Sabathia does his job and hands it to Robertson / Marte / Joba / Rivera with a 5-run lead in the 8th.

Chan Ho Park's job is to sweep up the peanut shells in the bullpen.


"Joba Chamberlain wasn't exactly the dominant reliever of old, either, allowing a vital insurance run in the eighth on a walk and two singles."

In 2007 -- three seasons ago -- Joba came up in the middle of the season and threw 24 incredible innings. One earned run.

He tanked a bit in the 2007 playoffs, but nobody seemed to hold it against him.

In 2008, Joba pitched successfully for 100 big-league innings, but he lost his fastball when he hurt his shoulder.

Since that shoulder injury, he has been usually good but not usually great.

If you're expecting an ERA of 0.38, you will be disappointed.

If that's what you mean by the "dominant reliever of old," it will never happen again.

I'm not sure what people are expecting from a setup guy. I just hope he's a little better than Kyle Farnsworth. Tom Gordon is probably setting the bar too high.