CC Sabathia: The Next Great Pitcher Electric
Dub, keep firing it strato for Amber, CC and Jaeden Arie and the fans of Milwaukee
R.I.P Skip Caray, you will be remembered. Please tell your Pop we said hello…
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Growing up I loved poetic the pitching of Ron “Louisiana Lightening” Guidry of the New York Yankees. Dude was the truth for he had fire, he had finesse and he struck fear in hitters because they couldn’t figure what was coming next.
Steve Carlton was another one and even though I couldn’t stand the Phillies, Carlton appealed to me because of his sheer will. He took it crazy personal (literally) when you came up to the plate and if you gave him lip…the ball you ate.
Then in my mind was those Astros cats of two different Houston teams: J.R. Richard and Nolan Ryan…
You got none against these two big boys of fireball clout and if you didn’t watch out, the ball sizzled dancin’ by or dropped south, fans open mouthed and you became another victim of a Houston heat strike out.
Doc was next. The Met Gooden blasted on the scene to sons of Negro League past baseball gleam. His curve ball you could not touch and even if you Uncle Charlie guessed right he would still punch you out. Mmmm, Dwight Gooden was nice and his mirror on the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series was just as outta sight.
Roger Clemens was high strung chin checkin’ heat…hard to beat who put hitters helmet to the back–dust blinded, crunchy sand tastin’–fast on their seat.
Ooooh the Oakland twilight stare of Dave Stewart…
Goodness he was a playoff beast and if your ace was shook, give him the ball so he could October do it.
Then that Don Zimmer, two handed muggin’ little dude named Pedro became a fixture on the cursed Boston dream with that screamin’ I’m ya Daddy so don’t you New York sleep four seam. There isn’t another pitcher in my lifetime–with your baby brother’s size–who was nearly as mean.
Boston also has that fire named Beckett and if you don’t believe he’s gonna be a pitcher of this era electric, ya better check it.
Santana is a wham bamma! Minnesota best in the game until the New York fame drained his psyche Bobby Bo just the same.
C’mon Johan! Get it back Jack!
Those were my dudes. I love the pitcher electric because just as the arm cocks…the stadium falls silent until the signal caller’s glove kid fan gasps goes pop!
No Schilling, no Johnson, no Rollie Fingers, no Mike Scott, for I didn’t dig their stuff like Eric Davis never loved Cincinatti Schott.
This leads us here to last season’s Cy Young winning, American League dazzling, electricity of the year who has become this stanza’s pitcher of noted fear.
CC, not C.C. was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on 7/7/08 and has promptly gone 5-0 in six starts–posting a nasty 1.88 ERA in that span. He’s humble, which undeniably is something passed down by his Mom Margie Sabathia, when speaking about his current success: “There’s a lot of baseball left to play, so I just want to be able to keep us in games and get some wins.”
Moms it’s just not about us Pops, so do your part.
Good get Milwaukee, for you have done your fans Hammerin’ Hank proud.
Even though his 6′7″, 290 pound frame is better served for the gridiron–he was a tight end who signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Hawaii–he leads the National League in complete games already with three, and is second overall to Roy Halladay (7) with six. A pitcher his size pitching this great during the dog days of summer is remarkable to say the least. Hopefully he will hold up when the pressure is on because his team is fun to watch.
Signature hat cocked to the right, Sabathia is fueling the already stocked Brewers with steady leadership and battle tested, pennant chase experience as they attempt to make the post season for the first time since 1982. Those were the days when Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie, Robin Yount, Ted Simmons, Gorman Thomas and Milwaukee’s current manager Ned Yost were known as Harvey’s Wall Bangers because the entire lineup hit the mess out of the ball. It seemed like everyone in the lineup batted .313 with 35 homers and 130 rbi’s. That team was Barry Bonds scary and defeated the Gene Autry (owner) and Reggie Jackson led California Angels before losing to the eventual World Series Champion, St. Louis Cardinals.
I’ll never forget when Rod Carew grounded to short to end the series.
This is a new Brew crew blast…
CC is more than just a pitcher for he’s become a weapon at the plate as well. When he was still with Cleveland, do you remember the 440 foot blast in June of Chan Ho Park that got out of Dodger stadium just as fast as Manny was cast out of Boston? He wants to hit and to be a consistent hitter, one must have confidence and gut fired desire. For his career, he’s a .273 hitter with 3 homers and might be a offensive factor the rest of the way as the Brew crew fight and fight some more to become a consistent National League force.
Ben Sheets and Ryan Braun are studs and hopefully will continue to put up numbers at their current pace.
Braun could be a great one.
Sabathia is also very outspoken about the lack of Blacks in baseball. He says it’s “not just a problem–it’s a crisis.” Sabathia has implored Bud Selig to do something–anything to halt a discouraging trend that gets worse each year. Although he’s taken over the title of best Black pitcher from Dontrelle Willis, Sabathia assuredly doesn’t see it that way because he’ll take all the help he can get in hopes the numbers of Black players will rise soon. CC will give up a total of $250,000 of his current contract to the Larry Doby RBI Program through a donation to Cleveland Indians Charities.
Simply put, he takes giving back seriously.
His Brewer team is one of the few teams to cultivate Black talent with young phenoms Prince Fielder, Bill Hall and Ricky Weeks (the latter two struggling currently but still promising) leading the way.
The question must be posed to Philadelphia brass and fans alike:
Why didn’t they make serious pushes to sign CC and Johan Santana?
What, they don’t need pitching?
There are no buts…
Cole Hamels is a beast but he cannot do it alone. Get with it Philly because it’s a known fact the organization was the last to field a Black player.
Did the racist mentality primitive permeate through this generation or will things change in the City of Brotherly Love?
The last Black decent free agent signing was Danny Tartabull (he retired after one injury riddled season in Philly) so we shall see…
There are those who’ll argue Sabathia doesn’t have what it takes down the stretch. He was rocked in last years ALCS against Boston; had the ball in a Game 7 loss, but just could not get it done. He and Fausto Carmona were arguably the best one-two punch of record in the league and it’s a shame things didn’t work out better for the playoff anguished city of Cleveland.
Cleveland’s loss is Milwaukee’s gain…
I personally connect with CC because he reminds me of a pitcher I faced in Little League. His windup is eerily similar. This cat used to curl cinder blocks and no-hit my Yankee team when some considered us the best in the league by sitting 13 of us down with sick stuff. I can’t for the life of me remember his name, but this man child had the body LeBron it seemed at twelve. He struck me out three times on nine pitches until I swung a the first pitch my fourth at bat and luckily–with my eyes closed–lined a screamer headed for the scoreboard just outside the center field fence. Dramatically, a kid named Tommy Leonard made an amazing Griffey-like catch to end the game. I never told anybody this, but I was glad the catch was made because the pitcher deserved to have the gem documented in the local paper. He was just that nice that day and who the heck was I to ruin a memorable moment.
I actually wanted him to complete his no-hitter out of respect with no regrets and I’m proud to say so.
Whatcha gonna do CC? Will you become great or will your light fizzle? It’s good to see you’ve amassed 111 wins so soon–he was the first player born in the 80’s to make a major league team–and is the first left handed pitcher to win double digits the first nine years of his career.
You can’t hold your head low because you finished second to Ichiro Suzuki (ironically his 1000th strikeout) for Rookie of the Year after collecting 17 wins because maybe there was an inspiration hidden that helped you become the pitcher you have become. Work hard. Fight outtta sight. Become the player the kid struggling in the hood wants you to be with all your might.
You have a chance to cement yourself in the annals of left handed pitchers who have become legendary with talent and charisma. Keep throwing that sick stuff.
We’re pulling for you CC, but do it for your family first.
It is for the kids, remember?
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August 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I wish Dontrelle was right there with CC..I suppose he still could be one day, but its not looking too good
August 4th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
He’ll be back. He might be one of those players who needs to hit. When I played I couldn’t stand DH’ing. My body had to get loose through running around and building a sweat. Maybe it’s the opposite for Dontrelle because he’s a tremendous hitter. Maybe he doesn’t feel like he’s a part of the game. Some players are like that. He’s too good a talent to become the average.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Don’t even mention CC Sabathia in the same breath as the other great pitchers you listed. Dave Stewart, for instance, was Mr Reliable in the playoffs. CC has proven to be a big time choker in the playoffs. Think twice before heaping all these undeserved accolades on Sabathia.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Gawd, I love Carsten Charles. He does give back, and I think it’s a nice touch that he did end up with Milwaukee. Weeks, Fielder and Hall are talents, and I hope that Tony Gwynn Jr. will develop into a solid player, although he will never outclass his dad.
August 4th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Umm… Mizz…. Dontrelle was pretty bad during his last year in Florida where he could hit.
It’s either a combination of being injured or having poor mechanics but something about him seems off.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Okori you give one year as an example that we all know about. What about the other years? Dude I’m not one of those what have you done for me lately cats. You should know that by now. You are right about something being amiss with his mechanics. I was just throwing something out there from experience.
Kwauku, he’s on his way, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.
That’s just me.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
i’d have to say that it was actually last year, and the year before that.
his trouble i think is that he does not have a repeatable delivery. So a lot of the time his fastball and other pitches sail out of the strike zone or hang over the plate too much. Also his strikeouts per nine innings have dropped every year since 2005 while his opponent’s OPS, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage has increased exponentially in that same 3-year time frame. He has not been a good pitcher since 2005.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I’m a little bit confused here.
Did I not say that Dontrelle had fallen off and wasn’t the post about Dub?
August 5th, 2008 at 2:24 am
C.C. I like. I hope he stays in Milwaukee long-term. There is something about him and that city that just fits. However, i’d feel a lot more comfortable if they went back to the 1982 uni’s.
and re Dontrelle: your point was that he is mroe effective when he gets to hit. but that point gets torpedoed because he was bad during 2006 and 2007 when he was hitting every 5 days.
main point: don’t trade with the Marlins if you’re the tigers. They dumped Miguel Cabrera on the tigers and look what he has done.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Kwauku,
Stop dogging C.C. He’s a young pitcher. People like you crack me up labeling people chokers. Always talking trash about talented people that you are obviously jealous of. He has a long career and many playoff games ahead of him.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Thanks for the nod to the late, but ever so great Skip Caray. The twelve years I lived in ATL I became a fan of Los Bravos despite their boneheaded trades (David Justice anyone?) and lack of American-born Black players but Skip along with Pete Van Wieren and Don Sutton made summer rush-hour traffic on 285 much more bearable and turned me into a Braves’ fan for life. RIP indeed Mr. Caray.
CC is on the road to greatness but I don’t think it’s going to be in Milwaukee. Don’t be surprised to see the Yanks make a run at him this winter if they don’t make the playoffs.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:08 am
I don’t call people chokers commonly Michelle. But Kwauku has a point. When he could have put his team on his back and carried them to the world series (in a game 7) he didn’t. He actually didn’t pitch all that well. He’s still got a lot of work to do to prove he’s a big-time playoff performer.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
CC is rolling. Most pitchers stumble a bit when they change leagues but CC is rolling. I guess WI is saying Farve who right about now. There is a new star in town.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Yes he is. He’s on a collision course with a second consecutive Cy Young award.
August 14th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Okori,
How many years has he pitched in the playoffs? Not every player is an instant phenom. Many players have growing pains. To win a Cy Young this early in his career is a major accomplishment. Calling people chokers at least for me is lame. These athletes do things that none of us can do so we don’t have the right to apply such a label. The geek sports writers that were the last guys picked in gym class calling out these players is a joke. I say, SAY IT TO THEIR FACE! Ahh, I didn’t think so. The average sports fan takes those kinds of labels and goes over board. Remember I’m in the Philly area so I’m talking about meat head so called fans. No person on this earth should be judged by a few moments in their career. Now if he has many years of not pitching well in the playoffs then why not just say he doesn’t pitch well in the playoffs and leave it at that. Personal attacks are not needed.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Now that the Brewers are into the post-season battle for the World Series, it’s worth noting that since April, Carsten Charles Sabathia is 17-7 with an ERA of 1.87.
He has not allowed more than 5 earned runs since his first four starts of the season. He has 10 complete games, 5 shutouts. He has a nearly 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
In the dog days of summer, he was 9-0 in July and August. In July, his ERA was 2.27. In August, it was 1.12. In five August starts, he struck out 51 and walked 8.
Upon his arrival, the Brewers were 50-40, and they trailed the Cardinals by half a game. The Brewers finished the season 18 games above .500 and finished with the 3rd most wins in the NL. While it appears the Cardinals certainly fell off, the Brewers went from a +18 run differential to a +61 run differential.
Sabathia deserves a great deal of credit for shutting the door on NL opponents and allowing the Brewers to get to the next level. Without Sabathia, the Brewers are at home watching the playoffs.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I agree with Temple. If ever there was a player who put his team on his back it’s CC. Pitching 3 straight games on short rest in such high pressure situations is amazing. His performance in those games was legendary. He is the MVP of the national league. Without him as Temple stated the Brewers would be watching the playoffs at home.
Santana was also great for the Mets. The Red Sox will greatly miss Josh Beckett until he returns. Josh is another amazing pitcher that I’m a big fan of. For years to come these three guys will most likely be the best in the majors.