WHY IT'S ABOUT FAMILY COMFORT FOR SABATHIA

Bleeding Yankee Blue called it. We called it weeks ago when everyone else didn’t. I don’t take myself too seriously, but I do like to give myself credit where credit is due. Yes, I'm acting like the "called it" guy. The guy who "calls it" every time a batter gets to the plate, insisting there's about to be a home run. Eventually, there IS a home run and that "called it" guy is right there to yell "called it!" Well... screw you... I called it.

I wrote weeks ago, this contract that was worked out so quickly by CC and the Yankees wasn’t about the millions he was going to make, it was about just how long the Yankees would keep CC Sabathia in the Bronx. Now we know. In a conference call today, (read HERE), CC told us all what I told you he would say:

“Our family is comfortable here. We have a good time. We love it here. We relax here. This is our home… We’re here as a family and we’ll continue to grow here and be part of the community.” A few weeks ago in COULD SABATHIA JOIN LEE IN PHILADELPHIA? , I wrote this:

"Look, I have a very good feeling about CC coming back to the New York Yankees and I base it on family comfort more than money. His wife Amber has talked about the love for the city and for the children’s sake, their schooling and friends, their sports, etc. (Read HERE). You’d hate to disrupt a child's growth and development in life. I get it, I’m a parent."

Wow I'm good. Not to give myself props or anything, but…I’m giving myself props. This was a simple one. Yes, he loves being a New York Yankee and yes that’s his career, but he could have chosen any team. This guy is the ultimate ace and there is no denying CC Sabathia is a stand-up guy and a real man. Real men take care of their family and that’s more than any dollar signs, it’s about family comfort and now, the Sabathia’s aren’t going anywhere, thank the Good Lord for that.

Now I have no idea if the Sabathia weight issue was worked into his contract like I suggested it would be, but CC admits it’s a problem and will do his best to lose the weight. There is no doubt the guy gained throughout the season, but looked terrific in the spring. He’ll probably struggle with it and as you get older, the metabolism slows down a bit. It will be a struggle no doubt, but CC is an athlete, a big one too. CC Monster knows what he needs to do and will do it, after all, he won’t let the Yankees down. This is what he said about the weight issue: “I just need to go out and be healthy, try to do what I can to be out there for every start. To be there for my team. For me, that means losing weight.”

I also spoke about the 6 man rotation in one of my earlier posts and how I know that Sabathia was better off on his regular rest or shorter rest than stuck in the web of the 6 man rotation. I know that at affected him and he was a stand-up guy for not calling out the Yankees in his conference call today. He said the following: “I’m not going to sit here and say that the change in my routine had anything to do with the last month. When it’s time to go and they gave me the ball, I go out there and pitch. It is what it is.”

Yes CC, it is what it is, an annoyance and a break in your rhythm and you are tremendous to not call out your employer. Although, no one would have judged you if you did. We all felt that it messed with you, but your classy and I like that. There's no doubt in my mind that there is probably an understanding among Yankee Brass and CC that that won’t happen again. Like I wrote in WHY CC WILL OPT-OUT IF IGNORED BY JOE , why should we sacrifice our ace while we figure out what to do with the rest of the rotation? I wrote this:

"CC Sabathia is our ace. CC Sabathia deserves respect, not only was he huge for us in 2009, he's been huge for us for 3 years. The Yankees decision to go to a 6 man rotation would have been fine if it was temporary, but it is clear that the Yankees want to take this system to the playoffs, and that worries me. We are hurting CC so the other starters can catch up. It's selfish and wrong. The Yankees must make a rotation decision now and analyze all the information they have up to this point on our guys in the rotation..."

It's a fact, that should not and cannot ever happen again. Lesson learned and thanks to CC, we can now move on.

Yankeeland is a brighter place today because my big lug CC Monster is back. The question now is... who’s next?

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