Yankees Scapegoat: Strength Coach Marty Miller Fired

After losing player after player after player to muscle pulls and hamstring injuries, the Yankees decided enough was enough and reportedly fired their strength coach. From the New York Times:

Marty Miller, who was hired last winter to the newly created position of director of performance enhancement, was let go on Wednesday, according to a Yankees official who was granted anonymity because the move has not been announced.

The last straw appears to be the injury to rookie Philip Hughes, who missed out a potential no-hitter when he was forced out of Tuesday's game in the seventh inning after feeling a pop in his hamstring. Hughes was just the latest Yankee to have a problem with his hamstring this year, as Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang and Hideki Matsui have all missed a good deal of action with similar injuries, not to mention Johnny Damon and Carl Pavano missing time with muscle strains. From the sounds of things, Miller will not be missed:

Miller, 34, was unpopular with some players, and several opted out of his program. Miller had not worked in baseball for 10 years before Cashman hired him last winter. His previous job was director of fitness at the Ballen Isles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

I'm sure there's some competitive cats over at the Ballen Isles Country Club, but perhaps this time around GM Brian Cashman will find someone with a bit more experience dealing with actual professional athletes. Now, the players can go back to their old methods, which apparently (based on the picture of Paul O'Neill above) consisted of wrapping big rubber bands around their neck and feet.

Previously on FanHouse:
Philip Hughes Loses No-Hit Bid, Healthy Hamstring
Carl Pavano Wants Rick Sutcliffe to Know He's Not Done Yet
Yankees Rotation Takes Hit: Wang to Start Season on DL