Rain had mixed with snow in New York City. The streets were a cold slushy mess. Tough to get into the Holiday Spirit when your shoes have been turned to sloppy buckets of ice water due to the puddles in the street. Bah, humbug.
But once inside the MLB FanCave for CC Sabathia’s PitCCh In Foundation event, the mood lightened immediately. Brightly lit, cheerful Christmas music lilting, and friendly greetings from Kathy Jacobson.
"So nice you could make it!" Ms Jacobson exclaimed. Oh hey, no problem. Come to the FanCave and meet the Yankees’ Ace and his lovely wife Amber? Not a problem, really. Thank you! The grey cloud of grumpiness that had formed over my head dissipated.
There was CC himself, front and center. No hiding in the back for him. He was clearly happy to be there and glad to talk about his cause:
"It means a lot, just because I was one of those kids that didn’t have a whole lot, and it feels good to give back to the community. It means a lot to me. It means family. We have a lot of family out in California, and I just like being around lots of family."
Nice to hear CC talk about family. That’s kind of the theme here at BYB. Sabathia looks great by the way. He has been hitting the gym every day. This writer is not a small guy, but CC is bigger. If he weren’t so gracious and personable, he would be intimidating.
He was so gracious in fact, he allowed me to get a selfie with him while ignoring the fact I was so nervous it took me a couple fumbling tries to get the camera set up. Oh yeah, I’m a real pro.
The PitCCh In Foundation is all about giving back to the community. Their specific mission is to enrich the lives of inner city youth. It was founded by both Amber and CC, and they take a hands on personal approach in the organization’s events and activities. That would be evident tonight, as many of the children knew CC and Amber and were delighted to see them again.
Once the children arrived, the fun began in earnest. Gifts were given out, including T-Shirts from CCandy, Amber’s own label, caps and socks from Brand Jordan, shirts and Yankee hats from 4UCaps and FLY ID, and brand new 8” Samsung tablets! Then entertainment, games, and food. They even had Neiman Marcus cookies and Magnolia cupcakes!
The Sabathias mixed with the crowd all evening long. CC’s booming laugh could be heard throughout the venue. He shook hands with fans, sat and munched snacks with the children, generally having a great time. He acted like he was hanging out with family.
His wife Amber was no less gracious, giving interviews, making sure kids had their gifts, and smiling all the while. It was wonderful. They really are all about family, and knew children from previous events. This was their third year in a row giving presents to kids, after all.
Besides all the great food for everyone, there was lots of entertainment, song, and dance. They even had a dancing robot that lit up and fired dry ice onto the audience. I am not kidding. It was pretty awesome. Children and adults alike got big kick out of that. CC laughed harder than anyone.
Here’s the Sabathias with the light up dancing robot guy. Because it’s freakin’ awesome, that’s why.
The Sabathias’ charitable ways were apparent all through the room. I chatted with a young fellow named David, an aspiring broadcast journalist. CC met him in a retail store and when he found out what he was studying, he got David invited to the event. That’s a very very cool thing to do for a kid just starting out.
Eventually, it was time to go. CC and Amber stayed until the very end, making sure whoever wanted a picture got one, and smiling and speaking with everyone. The class, dignity, and generosity displayed that night made me proud that this man was a Yankee. Funny that Sabathia would pose with The Grinch, as he is the complete opposite of that character.
I said my “goodbyes” and “thank yous,” packed up my stuff and stepped into the cool night air. New York was a magical Christmas wonderland once more. My heart was bursting with pride, gratitude, and joy. No more “Bah, humbug” here.
I have never been happier to be a Yankee fan. And a member of the big Yankee family that counts all of us as members.
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants
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