Wang, Joba, and Ian

I've noticed over the last few days that there is some unwarranted panic on the part of Yankee fans about the struggles of Wang, Joba, and Ian in the last couple of days. Everyone needs to relax, take a deep breath, and remember that it is spring training. While it's certainly not encouraging to see players struggle, it's also not necessarily a sign that there is something wrong. Consider:

1. This early, players often don't have arm strength and command in mid-season form.
2. Pitchers often use spring training to work on things, perhaps throwing to a side of the plate or using their offspead pitches more than they would in the regular season.
3. Pitchers sometimes struggle in the regular season. One bad outing does not mean that they're completely finished.
4. Short outings magnify the numbers. It's quite possible that, given more innings in their respective starts, Ian and Joba would have settled down and not given up any more runs.

The sky is not falling, and none of the aforementioned pitchers are toast. If they continue to struggle for the rest of spring, it'll be time to worry a little. But until that happens, rest easy and enjoy the fact that baseball is back.