WHY WE LOVE CC MONSTER

I'm the first to admit, when the Yankees signed CC back in the winter of 2008, I didn't feel great about it. Yes, the Yankees signed CC right after his stellar performances with the Indians and the Brewers, but I just didn't get the hype. For many years in Cleveland, CC was a horse, no doubt, but he wasn't some lights out pitcher, he was just another pitcher in my eyes. 13 wins here, 11 here. He actually had a 15-10 season in 2005 which was OK and again, he had a tremendous run in 2007 and 2008 where he was 36-17 when he was with the Indians and the Brewers. Pretty dominant. But the other years in Cleveland didn't WOW me. I just didn't see it. Let's just say that all changed for me in 2009.

I was able to see him pitch a handful of times at the Yankee Stadium and I was blown away. It seemed that everything really did start clicking for him those final years in Cleveland.

CC is clearly the ace of the New York Yankees. He's a huge dude, yet graceful on the mound. He can literally pitch all day. His innings pitched are ridiculous. 230 IP in 2009, 237 IP in 2010. Even back with the Indians in 2007 (241 IP) and 2008 (253 IP), it was and is remarkable. Pitchers don't pitch like that any more. He's quite special.

I decided to call him CC Monster when I started this blog merely because the dude will literally eat batters. He's so fine tuned with his pitches and is one of the biggest gamers out there.

One thing I do think about is how long it can last. I mean, this is a huge guy pitching overtime every 5 days. It's got to take a toll sooner of later. When word got out of that minor knee surgery, one has to wonder if it will affect the big man's performance in 2011. I sure hope not.

2011 for CC is going to be a great one. I can feel it. Once again, he will be the leader. Once again, he's going to have to hold AJ's hand again, and mentor some of the young guys. Once again, I expect CC to be lights out. Hardball Talk had a piece a few weeks back about CC, his knee and his health. It read like this: Sabathia has lost 15 pounds from his 6-foot-7 frame through a tough offseason training program of cardiovascular workouts and weight training. His knee recovered in just less than a month after the procedure, so he is well into his full exercise program and playing light catch. He hopes to lose an additional 15 pounds before the season starts.

When Sabathia was asked about his knee, he said: “I’m feeling good. I wasn’t really worried about the surgery because I had it before. It was just swelling up on me after starts during the year, just achy pain that affected me while I was pitching.”

So let me ask you, are you ready for CC to dominate in 2011? I am. I can’t wait to see him out there Spring Training, and I sure as shit can’t wait to see him carrying the rotation on his shoulders. For me, watching CC Monster on a Saturday afternoon in the summer is better than anything in the world. Well, not anything. Let me rephrase; Seeing him help the Yanks clinch a Championship is probably a little bit better.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.