More Of The Same From Berea
November 5, 2009Larry Dolan Buys the Tribe 10 Years Ago Today
November 5, 2009
I’m sure you know by now, but the New York Yankees are the World Champions of Baseball. I didn’t bother to stay up and watch the end as I find it tough to watch the evil empire collect their 27th ring. My favorite is how some Yankee fans actually that nine years is actually a long time to wait for a title. I mean how laughable is that?
I’m not here to rant and rave about how unfair the current system in baseball is (which it is) or to talk about how the Yankee fans don’t deserve another ring (the don’t). I want to celebrate a guy who indeed earned his first ring and the happiness that goes along with it – our old friend CC Sabathia.
You can call him greedy for going to New York for a money grab if you want, but I don’t believe that. The reports this offseason had the Angels and Dodgers best offers around $120 million, so the Yankees, in desperate need to land a #1 starter, gave him the New York premium – $161 million.
I truly and completely believe CC wanted to win so badly and wanted to erase the big game failures over the past two Octobers, that going to the Yankees and leading their pitching staff to a World Series title on the biggest stage was the only thing for him. Sure, the extra $41 million doesn’t hurt, but look at CC this morning.
He is a World Champion, ALCS MVP, and has more prime years ahead to collect more hardware and jewelery with a roster that will include the game’s best player in Alex Rodriguez, the game’s most clutch hitter in Derek Jeter, the game’s best closer in Mariano Rivera, one of the game’s best pure hitters in Mark Teixiera, and ownership with a bottom-less source of income.
So I am here this morning to toast our homegrown ace CC Sabathia on becoming a champion. Here is a kid we watched as a 20 year old who had a ton of ability but didn’t really know how to pitch. He grew up from the wide-eyed kid who won 17 games in 2001 backed by a lineup that featured an all star at every position to a Cy Young award winner in 2007. In between, he was one of the few bright spots on a re-building team. He never made less than 28 starts in a season as a member of the Tribe until he was dealt last July to Milwaukee. CC was, and still is, a true workhorse.
The big man paid his dues in Cleveland and while he failed to show up in the 2007 playoffs, he never gave anything but maximum effort when he was here. Not to mention the fact that he has made no secret of his love for our maligned city and our organization. CC Sabathia is nothing more than a class act who gave us everything he had seven plus years he was here.
Congrats to you, CC. Enjoy your championship. You earned it.
23 Comments
Great post. Congratulating CC is the only solace I can take from the Evil Empire racking up another chip. I’ve lived in NYC for 8 years now and have to deal with annoying Yankees fans on a daily basis. Just once I’d like to feel what they’re feeling today. Cavs in 2010.
I’m taking the stance Packers fans have on Brett Farve going to the Vikings. You are dead to me once you sign with the Yanks. I feel no joy for the traitor.
Yeah, this is as good as it gets for fans of the minor league team in Cleveland. Pittsburgh and Kansas City, eat your hearts out!
CC would’ve already had one of these if he hadn’t pitched like Carlos Carrasco in the 2007 playoffs.
“the game’s most clutch hitter in Derek Jeter”
VOMIT
DAERAK JEETAH IS THE BEST BASEBAWL PLAYAH OF ALL TIMEEEE, HE EMBOOODIES CLAWTCH.
“Clutch” is a made up term, just like a players “gritiness” or “scrappy”, its a BS descriptive word.
Also if anybody was clutch last night, it was Godziller.
Agreed creative. Clutch is a 40 year old guy going to a miserable job every day and sometimes multiple jobs to feed his family. It is not a 30 something guy making millions of dollars to play a game that I played when I was 12.
“Also if anybody was clutch last night, it was Godziller.”
I give the vote to my Michelob Winter Bourbon. Very clutch.
Baseball? What’s that? I stopped watching back in July, never even so much as glanced at playoff baseball on TV. If it’s not the (present) Indians, I don’t care.
Major League Baseball is dead to me, and has been for awhile.
I was thrilled this morning to hear a fellow office worker say “I hate the Yankees, they’re all that’s wrong with baseball” then proceed to tell me how he hoped the red sox could land prince feilder. I wanted to vomit.
Victory parade is Friday, when the Cavs are in town to play the Knicks. Ugh.
i just did vomit, tron. just a little. in my mouth.
Oh God, #17 just made my heart sink. Can you imagine the Lebron bribes from the NY media? “This parade could be yours, Bron, and we have ’em all the time, ha ha ha!”
Of course, that game is also nationally televised, because the world needs to see NY kissing Lebron’s @$$ some more, convincing the world his arrival to NY is inevitable. You know how many casual fans (here in Philly) have told me, all matter-of-fact, “Well, this is Lebron’s last season in CLE before he goes to NY right?”. Like there’s no decision, it’s already written, contracts signed, etc. That’s how powerful the media is, at least to casual fans.
Oh yeah, congrats CC, I guess. I would have rather seen Cliff win. I detest the Yankees… DE-TEST.
… hm. and by #17, I mean #11. right.
@Doc,
Favre:Packers is possibly the worst analogy you could possibly make. It fails on almost every level.
Favre: CC
won a championship: didn’t
was asked to leave the team: left for money (so much money that you can’t fault him even a little IMO)
threw his old fans under a bus: appreciates the city he came from
has retired 3 times: has retired zero times
does not get along with teammates: gets along with teammates
The only similarity I see is they both once played for a different team than they currently play for.
CC can die with the rest of the Yankees.
@creative
You need to get your accent right. That read like a Masshole talking or Suzyn Waldman (both are the same)!
Clutch is not a real word but it’s been around for a long time and most sports fans know what it means. Jeter is clutch, consistent, shows up, what ever you want to call it. I’d argue that point with anyone.
SI.com’s Truth & Rumors says that LeBron is not expected to attend the parade, but plans were being made for some of the Yankees to attend the game.
Ugh. An evening of watching CC yuck it up with the other Steinbrenner trust fund-ers. I’ll still be watching the game, but with a barf bag nearby.
i say congrats to CC. dude loves Cleveland even if people here don’t love him so much. I on the other hand will always be a fan of his even though his team is all that is evil.
I would like to say that while I appreciate this article and it was really well written, TD’s opinions do not represent the site’s as a whole. Personally, I take no joy in seeing CC win with the Yankees and I will not congratulate him. I do not believe for 1 second that CC just wanted to win. If he just wanted to win, he could have re-signed in the offseason before the 2008 season when everyone thought the team was a World Series contender. But instead, he cut off negotiations because he knew he wanted the big pay day. And yeah, he knew winning would come with it, but that wasn’t priority #1. I don’t believe that one bit.
Major League Baseball is a decent export for the USA. I bet far fewer outside the U.S. would care about MLB if the Yankees were not a perennial contender. Thus, I am not a Yankee hater (and I probably am not invited to your house for a beer).
He’s still fat.
And I’m still bitter.
I love the CC, but I would’ve rather seen Lee get this WFNY accolade. I like a guy who fights back to the Majors versus a guy that follows the money to NYC.