“We plan to have him go into spring training as a starter,” GM Brian Cashman said.

Hank Steinbrenner: “At this point, we’re all planning to … it’s everybody’s plan to start him as a starter, and that’s Joba’s preference, too. He said it on ESPN. I know he’d do anything and give it his best, but that’s his preference. As far as me and Cashman and [Mark] Newman and [Damon] Oppenheimer, I think we all want him in the rotation.”

So, Busta was wrong, Joba won’t start the year in the bullpen. HA! Here are a few other interesting quotes:

“Maxed-out innings are going to be an issue for all of them, all of the young ones. I don’t know how thats going to be accomplished, but we’ll manage it.” — senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman

It’s possible that Chamberlain could spend some time in the bullpen to help cap his innings, Newman said. That’s not in the early-season plans, though.“I’m not even saying he’s going to be in there at all,” Newman said. “I can’t say he’ll be in there for a day or a minute. He could be at some point to limit the innings, but that’s up to Joe [Girardi].”

“Oh, yeah, we’ve come a long way in two years,” Cashman said. “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get it to this point, but you can never rest on that aspect. All the work you put in in getting players pays off five years down the road.”

“All three of those guys (Joba, Phil, Ian) , they want it,” Eiland said. “They’re very competitive, and they want the bright lights to shine on them. We can’t expect all three of them to go out and win 20 games, but I think they’ll be successful.” (Source)

I like it when the guys who know what they are talking about in our organization talk. Like Cash, Newman, Eiland, Oppenheimer and Nardi.