Can CC Handle the Big Apple?

With the news that CC Sabathia has agreed to a deal with the New York Yankees, the question remains: can the hefty lefty with a questionable postseason record tame the nation’s biggest market with even bigger expectations?

The following is an exerpt from Buster Olney’s blog about the situation:

Sabathia will get the largest contract ever for a pitcher, Joel Sherman reports, and he is embracing the pressure of going into New York as a savior. That challenge eventually destroyed Chuck Knoblauch and confounded Roger Clemens for most of two seasons. It’s a challenge that still seems to gnaw at Alex Rodriguez.

New Yorkers want their athletes tough and able to come through in clutch situations. In their eyes, Derek Jeter is a true New Yorker…Alex Rodriguez is not. CC would probably best be wise to avoid the A-ROD philosophy on handling New York (i.e. get paid the richest contract of all time for someone in his position and not live up to expectations).

I like CC and hope he does well in NYC. He was very classy during his time in Cleveland and left on a very positive note with his letter to Clevelander’s in the Plain Dealer.

It was weird rooting against him as a Brewer whenever he would go up against my boys on the Northside of Chicago and it will probably be weird seeing him in Yankee pinstripes but I think I’ll get used to it. I just hope that the good guy CC can get used to New York and the unbelieveably high expectations placed on their Yankees.

Big Apple don’t take a bite out of him because Sabathia’s left arm just brought the Yankees that much more closer to a title

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