Sure, but why not? My sense is that he’s afraid to fail. He may /want/ to pitch (he’s a professional pitcher, right), but he doesn’t want to embarrass himself by pitching poorly, and so if he doesn’t feel perfect, he’d rather sit.
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Given his track record, I’d have to say that fear of failure isn’t one of his concerns

Raf – but, in NY, he now has the security of the long-term deal – he never had that before. It’s a lot easier to baby things when you know you’re getting millions for years to come – no matter what
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A player, in theory, is set for life by the time they reach free agency.

Your theory is disproven because, as shown, he already has millions.

He’s going to get his money, no matter what. Note that despite his track record of mediocrity, that his salary never took a step back.

As long as he isn’t a 10-5 player, he will never have security; a team can trade him or release him.

Right, NY wasn’t the only idiot, just the prize-winning idiot. Go team.

Then all I can say is that they’re all idiots. I’ll never be convinced that it was wise to sign a player whose medical file was several pages long. I only wish Pavano had chosen another team. He’s been a complete and utter waste of time.

Stop with this “what idiot wanted him?” stuff. EVERY TEAM IN BASEBALL who needed a pitcher wanted Pavano. Theo and the Sox wanted him. The Angels wanted him. EVERYONE wanted him. The owner of the Tigers offered him fifty million and a pizza franchise (no joke) to get him. Pavano had many offers and CHOSE the Yanks. They wanted him, but it was his choice.

The idiot who signed him probably wanted to be part of the Carl-a-Palooza sweeping the nation at the time. The Yankees were not the only idiots, just the richest. Remember he had interest from the Tigers, Marlins, Phillies, Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox.

In the end, who cares if Pavano is seriously hurt or if he’s just “mentally weak” or whatever else. The point is that, for whatever reason, be they real or imagined, he’s again crapping out on the Yankees. The biggest problem in all of this is that whoever signed him thought it was a good idea. I don’t know if that someone is Steinbrenner or Cashman but whoever it was is an idiot. One look at the back of his baseball card should’ve told that anonymous decision maker all they needed to know about how fragile he was/is.

He’s embarassed himself by pitching poorly for pretty much every year he’s played, except 2000 and 2004. Much like I don’t really buy athletes magically cranking up their skills in contract years (in general), I don’t believe there are a whole lot of guys who would sit on the sidelines if they could play. At some point, however, you really have to question someone who has unrelated injuries of a seemingly minor (relative to his recovery time) nature that perfectly overlap to prevent him from doing almost anything to benefit the team he’s soaking for millions of dollars.

“60-day DL with severely chapped lips” : That’s good stuff. Do they give Pulitzers for blog comments?

Raf – but, in NY, he now has the security of the long-term deal – he never had that before. It’s a lot easier to baby things when you know you’re getting millions for years to come – no matter what.

I think he, like Burnett, simply won’t pitch with any discomfort.
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Sure, but why not? My sense is that he’s afraid to fail. He may /want/ to pitch (he’s a professional pitcher, right), but he doesn’t want to embarrass himself by pitching poorly, and so if he doesn’t feel perfect, he’d rather sit. That’s what it looks like to me at any rate, based on his statements and actions. I’d love to know what his teammates really think about him; I can’t imagine he’s inspiring anyone with his courageous comeback.