Woe Unto the Yankees

Yet another Yankee pitcher has ended up on the DL. This time it was rookie Philip Hughes, who was in the midst of pitching a no hitter in only his second major league start when he heard his hamstring pop in the 7th inning.

He's the third pitcher to go down with a hamstring injury and I can't help but wonder why so many of the Yankee pitchers are having leg problems.

Hughes is on the shelf for four to six weeks and another rookie pitcher will have to fill the void in the starting staff. One has to wonder how many more players have to have leg injuries before someone realizes that the problems are not the players but the coaches.

Could it be related to the workout regime that the new strength and conditioning coaches have put in place? Quite possibly, and that GM Brian Cashman opted not to bring back old coach Jeff Mangold and instead rely upon two guys, Marty Miller and Dana Cavalea, to provide that regime. The controversy surrounding those two is only going to grow with Hughes sidelined.

If George Steinbrenner is in a firing mood, he might want to look no further than those new coaches who have managed to wreak havoc in the pitching staff. This isn't the first time the question has been asked. It happened when Mussina went on the DL and it happened when Chien-Ming Wang went on the DL as well.

Someone better take a real good look at what is happening there.

I think we've got a good precedent for firing a strength and conditioning coach by looking at what happened with the Mets a few years back. Back then, they had a rookie phenom named Jose Reyes would couldn't keep from staying on the DL because of assorted leg and hamstring injuries. The Mets brought in a new strength and conditioning coach and Reyes was suddenly able to stay healthy for a season and he's now one of the best players in the major leagues. Making sure that you're properly prepared and conditioned to play the game is crucial to staying healthy and off the DL. The Mets know the value of a good strength and conditioning coach. Maybe the Yankees need to relearn that lesson.

UPDATE:
Within hours of writing this piece, the Yankees moved. They fired Miller.

Marty Miller, who was hired last winter to the newly created position of director of performance enhancement, was let go on Wednesday, according to a Yankees official who was granted anonymity because the move has not been announced.

Howard Rubenstein, the spokesman for principal owner George Steinbrenner, referred questions to General Manager Brian Cashman, who will address the issue at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington before the Yankees’ game with the Rangers.