Give It Up for Mr. Giese

une 3rd, 2008 will resonate with Yankees fans mostly because that was the day of Joba Chamberlain's first career start in pinstripes. While that does outweigh any other occurrence in the state of New York, something else happened in that very same game that deserves to be recognized. Dan Giese, a former 34th round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox, relieved Joba and did a very good job in doing so. In 3.2 innings, Giese gave up only one run on 5 hits, keeping the Yankees in the game and mopping up Joba's mess. After being drafted by the Red Sox in 1999, Giese was relegated to minor league baseball duty, as so many late round draft picks are. In 2002, Giese was traded to the San Diego Padres for Alan Embree and still didn't get a shot in the major leagues. He was then shipped to the Philadelphia Phillies and after the 2006 season, chose to become a free agent. He was a non-roster invitee for the San Francisco Giants, where he made his major league debut after being called up as part of the 40 man roster in September. After the 2007 season, the Yankees picked up Giese and just like every other team he had been on, was sent down to the minors. That brings us back to June 3rd, 2008, the day Dan Giese was called up due to an injury to Chris Britton. Giese relieved Joba in the 3rd inning and performed very well, which allowed him to keep that same role for Joba's next start. The next outing for Giese was even more impressive. Against the Kansas City Royals, Giese went 2.2 perfect innings, while striking out 3 batters. I am not saying that Giese is the answer to all of the Yankees bullpen troubles or that he will even stay in the bullpen by the end of the month. It is just about time that Giese was given this opportunity to succeed in the majors and he is showing so far that maybe he does deserve to stay with the club. It took him 9 years to make an impact on a major league baseball team and it is always nice to see a guy who has been so patient throughout his career, make the most of perhaps his best opportunity to make a big league salary. Giese's story, assuming he can continue to perform at a high level, would be an inspirational tale for the numerous amount of minor league baseball players who are waiting to get their "cup of coffee." His patience and willingness to travel all across the country should show players that as long as you perform and help your team out, one day you will get your time to shine in the big leagues. As for Giese, Joba's next start is coming up soon and he will get another chance to show the teams that traded him, exactly how much he is worth.