"I loved it here. It's one of the most fun times I've had in my life. It was definitely a blessing...

"I loved it here. It's one of the most fun times I've had in my life. It was definitely a blessing to be traded here."

CC Sabathia

9 months ago battlekow Comment 45 comments 0 recs |

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i think one word above can be used to describe CC: Class

"Cubs fans boo again – 99% of these people can’t see the plate." -Ueck

by dux2bux on Oct 5, 2008 10:14 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

exactly

beyond the fact that he was unstoppable, he struck me as a class guy… everything from his willingness to pitch on 3 days and be driven like a horse, taking out the full page ad in the Cleveland newspaper, his perspective in dealing with the should-have-been-a-no-hitter, to his congeniality in interviews … CC strikes me as one of the most likable athletes Milwaukee has ever had.

by keephopealive on Oct 5, 2008 10:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's sad to think that there are so many ball players (and athletes in general) don't have as much class as CC's pinky finger

I hope that we get to keep him, but if not, I’ll be happy with the time he spent here.

"Brett Favre looks like a man in a parking lot playing with boys." - John Madden
"Pujols just unloaded." - Bob Uecker

by kirbir on Oct 5, 2008 10:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couldn't agree more

The guy gave everything he had to the team, which is what athletes are supposed to do. In sports these days people like CC are the exception and not the norm which is sad. No matter what happens or where he goes I will always be a Sabathia fan.

"Cubs fans boo again – 99% of these people can’t see the plate." -Ueck

by dux2bux on Oct 6, 2008 12:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

even if

he goes to the Cubs

by georgemitterwald on Oct 6, 2008 8:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bite your tongue.

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Oct 6, 2008 8:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He should stay here.

Now with 100% more Canuck.

by Blicks on Oct 5, 2008 10:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Keep him or lose him...

We’ve had him, and what a great person he is to complement how great he pitches.

As we’ve all said, an absolute class act. Hope we can keep him here.

by Lavender on Oct 5, 2008 10:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Great player, great guy

He definitely didn’t have to take as much abuse as he did while carrying us into the playoffs, especially with a huge payday a lock even before he came here.

Herculean, I tell you, Herculean!!!

Ryan Braun: He loves it.

by SRB on Oct 5, 2008 11:24 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What a great guy

I wish him the best of luck wherever he ends up and I hope whoever lands him deserves him.

My only regret is that I have but one life to give to my blog

by MadJimiBrewha on Oct 5, 2008 11:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

absolutely agree

A classy guy. If we don’t get to keep him, may he get a huge pay-day with someone else and beat all of our rivals .

by Oakland Brewer Fan on Oct 6, 2008 12:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

CC is garbage.

JUST KIDDING!

by baumann on Oct 6, 2008 1:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

the most intriguing quote:

I want to get it done pretty quick. I try to be as less free as possible. All that is is stress, having it drag on through the winter. We’ll see what happens.

Well, I’m not 100% sure what “as less free as possible” means, but if it means what I think, and is really true, then that window that the Brewers have to sign him before other teams can negotiate could be very important. If we offer him 6 years, $120 right out of the gate, I think it’s a done deal. He could sit back and relax the rest of the winter.

by baumann on Oct 6, 2008 1:29 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The problem is the Players Union and his Agent

Remember how the Union wailed like a mashed cat when the young guys like Braun signed away their arby Longoria also.

There is no way they will stand for CC giving any type of home town discount to Milwaukee

I would love to see them keep CC but I do not know if a small market team can afford to tie up so much of their payroll in one guy.

But I will leave that to the Brewers numbers guys to figure out.

“If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right”

Let me spell it for you Cub fans O N E H U N D R E D A N D O N E Y E A R S

by WSB Chris on Oct 6, 2008 9:24 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That, my friend, is sig worthy

"Brett Favre looks like a man in a parking lot playing with boys." - John Madden
"Pujols just unloaded." - Bob Uecker

by kirbir on Oct 6, 2008 9:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think he had it as a sig...maybe i'm wrong

I untuck my shirt!

by Michael M on Oct 6, 2008 9:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes that was my Sig until the Cubs lost and MM is correct

Let me spell it for you Cub fans O N E H U N D R E D A N D O N E Y E A R S

by WSB Chris on Oct 6, 2008 9:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

you should change it to

“If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender”

Situational Signature (8th/9th inning only): pleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendall
--NoahJ

by PagsBrewCrew on Oct 6, 2008 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ha!

Totally done

"If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right"
"If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender"

by kirbir on Oct 6, 2008 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

union?

the union represents him. But if he wishes to ignore the union’s words, he’s a free man to do so.

The union works for players, not against them.

I think the “less free” thing was something to the effect that he’ll sign right away and won’t negotiate at length with whatever team puts up a solid offer first. Whether that means he’ll sign before becoming a FA officially, I don’t know.

Situational Signature (8th/9th inning only): pleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendall
--NoahJ

by PagsBrewCrew on Oct 6, 2008 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

he's a free man...

but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

The union works for ALL players, not the specific wishes of any given player at any given time.

Players on the brink of signing below-market deals get phone calls from union reps (their fellow players) telling them about the bad precedent it is setting, how their actions might hurt their fellow players down the road.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Oct 6, 2008 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

See A-Rod and the trade to Boston that wasn't

The union got involved there.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Oct 6, 2008 5:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Totally different situation. The union has the right (and arguably the obligation) to ensure that no player violates the CBA by voluntarily reducing the cash value of his contract, as A-Rod was attempting to do. The union has no authority over any contracts, except that they have to conform to the CBA.

by Jay on Oct 6, 2008 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

is jay, the jay's dad...

I untuck my shirt!

by Michael M on Oct 6, 2008 11:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not a snide remark on you jay

thejay sometimes talks of his dad who works for stats. just wanted to make sure you didn’t take that the wrong way.

I untuck my shirt!

by Michael M on Oct 6, 2008 11:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nope

My dad lurks under a different username.

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Oct 6, 2008 11:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you look through a thread from the past few days

with the “orthodix” debate, you just might find him…

"If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right"
"If lovin’ Braun is wrong, I want to be a repeat offender"

by kirbir on Oct 7, 2008 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

are there threats of leg-breaking?

Boras was A-rod’s agent. A-rod is an asshole. CC is a man that strikes me as standing on principle and not JUST going to the highest bidder.

That being said, CC may very well go to the highest or second-highest bidder, but not because anything the union says or does, but because he believes it’s the best move for his family.

Situational Signature (8th/9th inning only): pleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendallpleasenotkendall
--NoahJ

by PagsBrewCrew on Oct 6, 2008 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not leg-breaking

but it’s your peers, often your friends. This is a made-up example, but imagine you’re CC and let’s say David Riske (his best buddy on teh team, right?) really believes in what the union stands for. So Riske calls you and says, “We’d love to have you around, but at the same time, you’re not only hurting yourself by taking this deal, but you’re really letting everybody down, not just this year, but for years into the future.”

Then you get a call from another buddy on another team. Then another. It isn’t something limited to the A-Rod’s and Boras’s of baseball.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Oct 6, 2008 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shocking...

… to know that he was fairly disliked by the fans of Cleveland and in the locker room. Hard to reconcile that in your head with the guy we’ve seen be nothing but gracious, classy and hardworking here.

by tristarscoop on Oct 6, 2008 9:27 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

where did you hear about that?

all i heard was how much cleveland fans loved him (see their posts from when cc was traded) and how good he was in the clubhouse

I untuck my shirt!

by Michael M on Oct 6, 2008 9:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Visiting from LetsGoTribe to say: This is a complete load of crap.

I’ve never heard anything but positive things, sometimes gushing praise, for C.C. as a teammate.

The fan sentiment toward C.C. was also highly positive. Naturally, there was a lot of hand-wringing for the fact that he couldn’t manage one single good start in four tries in the 2007 postseason. In that sense, he probably cost the Indians a World Series title — yeah, I said it — but I think the Cy Young drove home that he was the main guy who got us to the postseason to begin with.

There was also some grousing about his weight, and the fact he didn’t wear his cap straight — but these are small details in a very long fan-player relationship. You guys didn’t have the growing pains with C.C., all you got was three months of pure gravy. We watched the guy as a 20-year-old rookie, struggle with being merely “pretty good” despite being the annointed “staff ace” for a few years, and then finally break through late 2006 to reach real excellence.

On the day of the trade, I summed up C.C.’s career as an Indians by saying, simply, for fans under the age of 40, he is simply the greatest Indians pitcher in our lifetime. Make no mistake, he was Our Guy.

by Jay on Oct 6, 2008 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Are you sure this quote isn't from Ned Yost?

minus the trade part, that is.

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Oct 6, 2008 9:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

There wasn't anything insulting or belittling about it

Sooo yeah

"If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right"

by kirbir on Oct 6, 2008 9:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You have no concept. :)

"I will agree that the attitude [at BCB] is ridiculous and they have done so much to instigate animosity and then block us from responding. Real mature!"

by roguejim on Oct 6, 2008 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kirbir got her sig from me

be still my beating heart lol ;)

Use it in good health lady

Let me spell it for you Cub fans O N E H U N D R E D A N D O N E Y E A R S

by WSB Chris on Oct 6, 2008 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Always my love

"If loving CC is wrong I do not want to be right"

by kirbir on Oct 6, 2008 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This may sound stupid but...

I would be all in favor if the Brewers retired his “initials” and put two giant C’s next to Rollie Fingers numbers to show some appreciation, especially if he leaves.

I’m not sure if any player in Milwaukee sports history has ever been as embraced and accepted in such a short period of time as CC.

by brewfan2 on Oct 6, 2008 9:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You know it would be cool to do something if he leaves

This was not your standard Mercenary hire it was more of a mid season acquisition perfect storm.

I would love to see a Giant CC up there with the numbers the guy did everything and more for this club in the short time he was here

Let me spell it for you Cub fans O N E H U N D R E D A N D O N E Y E A R S

by WSB Chris on Oct 6, 2008 9:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Retiring his initals

Craig Counsell, Chris Capuano, and Chris Cody would be thoroughly disappointed that they’d have to change their names.

And neck size to baby eating ratio.

by Jordan M on Oct 6, 2008 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a shame

by brewfan2 on Oct 6, 2008 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget

Carlos Corporan, Callix Crabbe, and Chuck Caufield!

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Oct 6, 2008 5:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The deal to keep CC

6 years, $150 mil, with the sixth year vesting based on number of innings pitched in years 4 and 5. After years 3 and 4 CC can void the deal and become a free agent. If CC continues to be a stud, he can get out of the deal after three years and sign another long term deal to finish out his career. By that time the Zito contract will be off the Giants’ books and CC can go home to northern California.

by Getting Yosted on Oct 6, 2008 9:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Zito’s contract won’t be off the books until after 2014, when they’ll pay him a $7 million buyout. If C.C. became a free agent after the 2011 season, the Giants will still owe Zito another $46 million at that point.

by Jay on Oct 6, 2008 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think another word can be used to describe CC: Marketable

Players that demand elite salaries must not only provide wins for the team, but they must put fans in the seats and move merchandise. CC has the ability to do all three. Moreover, he’s the only current Brewer capable of reaching Reggie White levels of stardom in WI, because he has the type of personality and playing style that appeals to the state.

It’s been successfully test-marketed for a half season. He’s bigger than the game. You can’t say that about Braun or Prince. CC has the ability to provide star power statewide (and even into Illinois?) for the franchise, and that — combined with his pitching — should be worth $120 million over 5 years. How else could you buy that in one package?

The owners group is smart enough to realize that, I’m sure. But just in case it hasn’t occurred to them… I am available as a consultant for a reasonable daily rate.

by blueguitarbob on Oct 6, 2008 10:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

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