Here's the thing: I don't necessarily mind if the Yankees want to withhold some injury information or anything to do with strategy. There are good reasons for doing that, sometimes, I think. But, when you are creatively answering questions to keep information private, you have to ensure that people are on the same page. Because, when the manager says one thing, the player says another and reporters discover yet another thing, it's embarrassing.

Case in point. Joba Chamberlain did not pitch last night. According to Bryan Hoch, Joe Girardi said that the reason Joba sat out was because of a heavy workload - the Yankees wanted to give him a break. Hoch also says that, before the game, Joba said that he was available and that he had no injury. So far, we're OK. Great players often consider themselves "available", when the team wants to protect them.

But then, we have this: Johnny Damon told Hoch that he knew before the game that Joba was unavailable. And then, apparently, Damon discussed the injury problems that the Yankees have been having this season, not specifically discussing or suggesting Joba. So, how does Damon know Joba is unavailable, but Joba doesn't? I guess they could have been interviewed at different times? Yeah, let's go with that.

To add to the confusion, Peter Abraham reports that Joba has actually been receiving treatment for two days for a mild hamstring strain. Tyler Kepner has a similar report. Abraham says that both Joba and Girardi wouldn't give an answer when asked about it.

Kepner relays a recent story which had Joe Girardi denying that their was any "structural damage" to Brian Bruney's foot even though, Kepner alleges, it was already known that Bruney had torn ligaments in the foot.

When this sort of thing happens, it's a problem for everyone (the organization, manager, players, reporters and fans) and it's embarrassing. Strategically answering questions isn't always a bad thing, but you just can't have conflicting stories that lead to suspicion.