WHY REINVENTING HUGHES STARTS NOW

"I'm confident. I know it just didn't just disappear. I'm confident it will be there." --Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes has been resting comfortably for the past 10 days since the cortisone shot was injected into his dead arm. The Doc says TOS is not the cause for the low velocity, and rest and exercise may be all the guy needs, but not before the cortisone shot of course. This whole thing freaks me out alittle bit, but I believe in Phil Hughes.

God, I remember when he first broke camp in 2006 and how the whole team raved about him. The next Roger Clemens is all I remember hearing. I think it was actually Jason Giambi whom I first saw quoted about Hughes at the time, and all of Yankeeland bought into it. Read it HERE. How could we not, we’re comparing a 20 year old to Roger Clemens, we already had him winning 20 games a season. I remember when Hughes was on his way to his first No-No in 2007 against Texas. I remember the poor kid did something to his leg on the mound and had to be pulled in the 7th. I remember at that moment, I thought, “This kids not going to be the same.” That same feeling came to me again 1 other time watching baseball... Stephen Strasberg ring a bell? Yes, he’s not a Yankee, but he was hyped up and we all bought into it. Then he shoulder went and he was hurt.

(photo: Noah K. Murray/The Star-Ledger)
Phil Hughes is one thing for sure though, he's a tough guy. He has been with the Yankees for his entire career; farm raised and knows the inner workings of our ball club. One thing the Yankee brass is not, they are not willing to part with this kid. Why would they? God forbid he was traded and became a superstar, they’d never forgive themselves, not after all they invested into getting this guy right.

In 2009, he proved he was a gamer, taking the reins in the bullpen and shutting down his opponents. In 2010, the lad won 18 games and proved he was a certified starter, something he always wanted in his career. Luckily for us, he was great at it and for Joba, well, he finally got the role I always wanted for him, the bullpen heat. As you can see from the way he’s been handling the 7^th inning, that’s home for Joba.

Phil Hughes hopefully starts throwing again on Thursday. For me, this is as exciting as Spring training because I believe that now that we’ve turned the page on possible serious injury, I think psychologically, Phil Hughes can also move forward. I think the cortisone shot will help, Hughes even said how after the shot he felt 110% better, and that's a far cry from what he’s said during the beginning of the season when he said his arm was “lifeless”. It’s a relief, but obviously, the biggest test will be throwing. If Hughes does get his velocity up alittle in his throwing session, that’s a positive, then, it’s just baby steps until he’s back.

Face it Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s all we have right now. We need Phil, it will help tremendously. It will help the team for sure, but I think at the end of the day it will help Phil Hughes get right in his head. He can get confidence and get back into the rotation for the long hall. It’s the way it has to be, especially if we want to win our 28^th championship. Don’t you agree? Tell me what you think?

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