TURN OFF THE SPOTLIGHT & CHILL OUT!

Earlier in the week, a co-worker asked me how the Yankees were doing?  I wanted to say, they are just fine, thank you.  But I didn’t.  I said this, “You know what, I don’t know.  I mean, it is only the third day of the season and yet critics and fans alike keep turning up the heat. Why are the Yankees held to a much higher standard than everyone else? I just want everyone to turn off the spotlight and chill out.”  She smiled, nodded her head and agreed.  She gets my baseball passion, so much so, that a couple of years ago, she gave me a signed Hank Aaron baseball.  Princeton University gave Aaron an honorary degree and she got two baseballs signed: one for her son and one for me.   She just announced her retirement this week, telling me assuredly that one day you just know when it’s time.  I give you all of this back story because I was sick and tired and it was only the third day of the 2014 MLB Season.

I was sick and tired because everyone is ready to send CC Sabathia into retirement.  Guess what, guys, CC is not going anywhere but up! OK, you hear me? So turn off the spotlight, chill out and wait!  He’s not retiring, he’s not heading out to pasture, he is gearing up for the new season and it was only game one. 

In a CBS Sports article last week entitled, “Is it time to worry about Yankees’ CC Sabathia? Maybe”, CC Sabathia pitched his way into the spotlight where naysayers and critics live to pounce on prey like the Yankee ace, kicking him when he’s trying to reinvent himself as a pitcher and athlete.   

“Even by April standards, he was pretty slow against the Astros. Only his changeup showed improved velocity, but it's generally not a good thing when your fastball-changeup spread is down to 6.5 mph or so.”  The article goes on to say that “like every other pitcher, Sabathia is naturally losing velocity as he ages, so on some level this is to be expected. Some pitchers cope just fine with velo loss (Felix Hernandez certainly has, and he's just 27), but it can be an indicator of the onset of the deep-decline phase or even an underlying injury. On the first point, bear in mind that Sabathia will turn 34 in July and will likely approach 3,000 career innings by the end of the current season.” 

Seriously, I am just disgusted.  It’s one game, six innings.  Am I happy he gave up six runs in two of his six innings?  No.  Do I give CC the benefit of the doubt?  Absolutely.  And so should you, so should the media and so should Yankee fans overall.  I will defend CC Sabathia as long as I see him putting in the effort and staying above all of this nonsense by hanging in there.  A friend of mine posted this, “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”  These are wise words to consider when so many people are throwing the negativity ball at you over and over again. 

A group of senior communication students are doing their research project on the effects of negative and positive social media on Division I student athletes.  They are pulling data from a variety of sources including self-reports.  How do you think CC Sabathia feels when he reads the tabloids, his Twitter feed or listens to John Sterling criticize him on the first day of the season?  I think he feels pretty awful.  Just like if he was being booed in his own stadium and heckled by fans that have turned their back him.  I think it is lousy to predict someone’s future when he is currently fighting to be in the present.  Don’t set CC Sabathia up for failure, rally behind him, believe in him and let his record and his resume speak for themselves. 

“The Yankees list Sabathia at 285 pounds this season. He was much bigger just two years ago — well heavier than 300 pounds — but a 2012 offseason weight-loss program has Sabathia looking skinnier than ever,” stated a NJ.com article at the end of March. 

Incidentally, CC Sabathia was very effective this spring.  As of March 27th, he had a 1.29 ERA and a 3-1 record. According to his stats, Sabathia pitched 16 scoreless innings in his last three pre-season games.  He says he’s stronger than ever, both physically and mentally. And he is learning to pitch with his new body, his reduced velocity, which by the way all pitchers experience less velocity in April, and his newly furnished muscle tone.  It is only the first day of season. 

So I implore you to please turn off the spotlight and chill out!

Give the guy a chance- he’s earned it! 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



 
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