The new genius running the Yankees had this to say recently:

The Yankees are missing starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, who likely will miss the rest of the season because of a foot injury, and Joba Chamberlain, who hopes to return from right rotator cuff tendinitis. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have missed most of the season.

“I think it’s very simple, we’ve been devastated by injuries. No team I’ve ever seen in baseball has been decimated like this. It would kill any team,” Steinbrenner said. “Imagine the Red Sox without [Josh] Beckett and [Jon] Lester. Pitching is 70 percent of the game. Wang won 19 games two straight years. Chamberlain became the most dominating pitcher in baseball. You can’t lose two guys like that.”

New York also is missing catcher Jorge Posada, out for the year after shoulder surgery, and left fielder Hideki Matsui, out since June 22 because of a knee injury.

“It’s not making excuses. It’s reality. That’s part of the game. That’s clearly our problem,” Steinbrenner said.

Make an excuse, and then claim you’re not making excuses. Brilliant. Also, in Hank’s world, no other team ever had it this bad. Huh?

Of course, Steinbrenner doesn’t address his own complicity regarding Joba Chamberlain. He pushed hard to have Chamberlain moved to the rotation from the bullpen. The Yankee coaching staff tried to be patient with Chamberlain, but eventually they made the move.

The problem here is that you had a hard-throwing reliever who was conditioned to work short relief. Of course it was tempting to put this huge talent in the rotation, but they had a great thing going with him in the bullpen. He was a dominating force. Moving him to the rotation was risky. You always risk arm trouble with hard-throwing pitchers when you increase their innings dramatically.

It may or may not have been a smart risk to take, but the risk was there. His injury, therefore, wasn’t a matter of bad luck. It was a calculated risk, and Hank and the Yankees took the risk and got burned. Hopefully the injury won’t be too serious.

According to the New York Post, Yankees’ starter Joba Chamberlain will be placed on the DL.

The Yankees put the right-hander on the 15-day DL with an injured shoulder before tonight’s game against Texas while awaiting word on a diagnosis from Dr. James Andrews.

The Yankees recalled pitcher Chris Britton from Triple-A, despite the fact he was sent down less than 10 days ago.

A player cannot be recalled after a demotion before 10 days have passed, unless his team needs him to replace an injured player.

Chamberlain is in Pensacola, Fla., today having his right shoulder examined by Dr. James Andrews, is bound for the DL.

A diagnosis from Andrews likely would determine how much time the 22-year-old would miss, and if surgery is required.

That thud you just heard was the Yankees’ playoff hopes.

The race in the AL East is the most exciting in baseball but the division has the potential to lose two star players.

Red Sox DH David Ortiz said he felt a “click” in his surgically repaired wrist during Boston’s 4-3 loss to the Royals Monday night. And Yankees’ starter Joba Chamberlain is scheduled to have an MRI on his throwing shoulder after leaving Monday’s game with soreness.

“My last at-bat, it kind of pulled back a little bit,” Ortiz said of his wrist. “You feel that click and you get a little concerned about it.”

While Ortiz did not know whether the problem would affect his status for tonight’s game, he knew he might experience some instability in his wrist after tearing a tendon sheath earlier in the season. Ortiz effectively missed two months while resting and rehabilitating the injury, and team medical personnel cautioned him he might feel movement in the joint from time to time.

With Manny Ramirez recently traded to the Dodgers, the last thing the BoSox need is Ortiz to feel any sort of discomfort in his wrist. But it was bound to happen given he just had surgery.

And the Yankees can’t afford Chamberlain going down for any amount of time with the club sitting 5.5 games out of first. This could sink their postseason hopes. (Red Sox fans everywhere smile in unison.)