Via Marc Carig –

During games, the Yankees bullpen remains a lively place. The relievers still swap stories, they still chatter, they still joke. And those who grow tired of the obstructed view from their seats don’t hesitate to improvise, standing on benches they’ve moved against the fence so they can get a better view.

But lately, in light of their struggles, there has been a difference in the mood.

“Even though it’s loose, you can see it in people’s eyes,” lefty Phil Coke said. “As soon as that phone rings, it goes dead silent.”

For the first part of what’s so far been a difficult season, the team’s relievers have tried to prepare themselves for a tough reality. Because they have been generally ineffective, roles in the bullpen remain undefined. Regardless of situation, a ringing phone means any one of several Yankees relievers could be getting a call to pitch.

“We’re getting used in such a different fashion every time we step on the field,” said Coke, who admits that in several instances this season, he and his colleagues may have been caught mentally unprepared. “We’ve got to be ready to go from the first inning.”

To hammer home the message, the venerable Mariano Rivera called a relievers-only meeting in Boston last week to address how to end a stretch in which the bullpen has emerged as a glaring weakness.

“We have to do our thing,” said Rivera, who opened the floor during a 10-minute talk with his fellow relievers. “We can’t go about business the same way we’ve been doing it, don’t give too much credit to the hitters and just go at it.”

Coke said he tries not to get too caught up in which role he is used.

“I feel my role is in the seventh inning, and I’ve got to come in in the second because we have no one else, then I’ve done nothing for my team except hurt my team right out of the chute because of my mental preparation,” Coke said. “As a bullpen guy, you’ve got to be willing to do what you’ve got to do.”

Right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo said he believes that roles will eventually shake out, and he would like to be able to get a stronger sense of when he would enter games.

“Right now, I think nobody’s got a role in the bullpen and you’ve got to be prepared for whatever situation comes up, be ready every day,” Albaladejo said. “I think it will change the more we play.”

…As a bullpen guy, you’ve got to be willing to do what you’ve got to do…

Phil Coke nails it with that one. The “role” of any pitcher is to retire the batter that he’s facing at that moment. And, it should not matter what the inning or score is, etc. Anyone in the Yankees bullpen who can’t handle that should be sent packing.