CC Sabathia Signs With the New York Yankees
CC Sabathia has signed with the Yankees for 6 years and a record contract during the winter meetings in Las Vegas. The Yankees have been down the last couple of years and had to make some kind of splash heading into the new stadium. Last year was the first year in Derek Jeter’s career that the Yankees did not make the playoffs and honestly this couldn’t come at a better time. CC had one of the most electrifying years in memory for Milwaukee last season when he went 11-2 and had a ridiculous 1.65 era after being traded from Cleveland. The Yankees originally CC last summer but resisted giving up a bunch of prospects for the opportunity to sign him now. Look for the Yankees to sign a couple of more pitchers in the upcoming weeks in hopes of offsetting a serious weakness on the mound.
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December 11th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I’m just hopeful that CC has enough mental toughness to deal with that media. He gives me that impression, however.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I am surprised that the Yankees signed him. I shouldn’t be, but I am. I wish him well. I hope that Mr. Wang is healthy and that these other signings come to fruition as well because he won’t be enough to get them over the top. The team is a bit long in the tooth. Outfield defense has been a problem for some time. Overall team speed is inadequate — and they still need to figure out how to beat the damn Angels. I hope he’s comfortable in his new digs.
He would be wise to watch “A Long and Mighty Walk” before engaging the New York media — it wouldn’t hurt to take a refresher course on the history of Jewish, Irish and Italian gangs in New York. It needs that after they were all allowed to “go legal,” they sent all their kids to work for da paipahs. CC has no idea, but he better get one real quick.
These three ethnic collectives who played a happy second fiddle to the Anglo for centuries seem to be made whole by their capacity to inflict mortal wounds on their Afro-meal ticket. As long as he remembers it’s not personal — and it is personal, he’ll be just fine.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Thank the Lord! Now maybe my boys can get back on track. Welcome to NY CC! We Yank fans are very happy to have you.
December 13th, 2008 at 5:14 am
I wish CC the best, but that New York media is relentless and can be vicious. And yes he can opt out after three years, but there will be a lot of pressure on him to virtually perfect– a 20 game winner with an ERA of 3.00. Additionally he has to be carefully in what he says at all times to the media. There had been suggestions that he isn’t mentally tough enough and that he has been a below average pitcher during the playoffs.
And there is one other thing. Besides Derek Jeter, the Yankees were one of the many teams to have virtually no African-Americans on their roster. Since the turn of the century, there had been a slow and steady white-washing of the Yankees. Does the acquisition of Sabietha open the door to more African-Americans being a part of the Yankees. I remember the days of Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson and even Daryl Strawberry. However, the Yankees had gone along with the trend of minimizing the impact of African-Americans on their roster.
Sabietha came from a team in Milwaukee that had one of the highest number of black players (i.e. Mike Cameron, Prince Fielder, Ricky Weekes, Bill Hall, etc.) to a team in which there is only the aging 34 year old Derek Jeter. How will this affect Sabeitha? The offseason is still young, and maybe the Yankees continue to look to diversify their roster. And actually when they had their MOST DIVERSE roster is when they had the MOST SUCCESS.
December 13th, 2008 at 7:22 am
They signed Mike Cameron but I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said.