Mariano Rivera is honored, while Joba may be becoming 'boring'

Is Mariano Rivera the player most beloved by his peers throughout baseball? It sure sounds like it, especially given all the accolades Rivera received after getting his 500th save.

Heck, Squawker Jon's favorite Yankee - or, more to the point, the only Yankee he actually likes - is Mariano. That's saying something right there.

It was a nice touch for the Yanks to honor him by having him throw out the first pitch at Tuesday's game. He also got to throw out the last pitch, too, of course, in getting the save in the win.

In other news about Yankee pitchers, Joba Chamberlain did another of his nibbling outings. Yankee beat writer Peter Abraham declared that the pitcher has become "boring," writing:

He’s just sort of there. Joba is averaging roughly 5.1 innings per start, far too little. He pitches with no rhythm, he seems disinterested in challenging hitters until he has to and then afterward says the same things, about how he’s learning and how good he feels.

I don't necessarily disagree with this assessment. Not that I want Joba to be a starter, but his games seem to take forever. He seems to be like Steve Trachsel in his game speed!

On the other hand, how about that Phil Hughes in the bullpen? He's pretty electrifying there. Joe Girardi should have continued letting him pitch, instead of bringing Brian Bruney in for the eighth. Good thing the Yanks had some late-inning magic, or it could have been a bad loss.

What do you think? Leave us a comment!