Just Relax

Four innings into the New York Yankees 2009 Major League Baseball season it happened, panic and hysteria broke out amongst Bronx Bomber fans across the country.

The second key offseason pick-up C.C Sabathia gave up a hit to the Baltimore Orioles the cynics were out in full force. I began receiving text messages and phone calls around 7:45pm on April 6th. Was this the right move? and how can a guy who just signed the largest contract ever for a pitcher be this dreadful in his first start.

Not to mention the amount of pressure that the boys in pinstripes are already under, missing the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, star third baseman out for the first month of the season, a new stadium about to open and all this during the biggest financial debacle in half a century.

First game jitters, thats what I posed to everyone who grabbed their inhaler and began the uprise of stock for Rogaine. First of all Sabathia was pitching in a new uniform, in a new league, and in a new atmosphere.

After pitching with the Brewers for half of last season, single handedly taking them to the playoffs-pitching of three days rest multiple times, it was Sabathia who was ready for a ring and thus chose the New York Yankees for what could be the next six years.

In his first start of the season Sabathia fell short of opening expectations, velocity on his fastball never reached over 92 mph, not to mention he was missing his spots with the pitch, bad. His slider wasn’t sliding enough and his change up could not fool the likes of Brian Roberts and Adam Jones.

And lets not forget the heating pad, as soon as YES panned to the Yankees dugout and saw Carsten Charles putting a heat bad around his mid section all hell broke loose. “What happened to his ribs? Did he break something? Is there a problem already? Is this the Carl Pavano curse?” and every other question imaginable was asked. How could the Yankees ever succeed when their gigantic in size and wallet pitcher was already pitching like a bust of years past known as the toad, Hideki Irabu.

Of course Mark Teixiera’s 0-4 night did not help the Yankees, as the new first baseman fell on his face in front of his home crowd who booed him unmercifully.

So what do you take from your star starting pitcher whose smile is as wide as the horizon and heart big enough to fill a stadium himself? FIRST GAME JITTERS.

Last season Sabathia was god-awful for the Indians at the start, posting a crooked number in the loss column for himself in April with an E.R.A nearing double digits. He finished with another team, in the playoffs and in the Cy Young award discussion.

After one game the newspapers were all over the hefty lefty and the Yankee organization. Sabathia never one to shy away from the media during the good and the bad stood by his locker deterred and visibly upset, he took responsibility for his mistakes and did not come with the cookie cutter answers. For this I commend him, rarely have we seen an athlete stand in front of the media and take the brunt of the blame on his shoulders. Maybe its because his shoulders are so broad that he can hold the load or maybe its because that the Yankees have never had a pitcher like C.C Sabathia.

Five days following the Sabathia meltdown he took the mound against the Kansas City Royals. His first inning went 1-2-3 a featured two strikes outs. A different pitcher apparently had emerged through the wreckage in Baltimore. C.C recording his first strikeout as a Yankee and now it was time to roll. He proceeded to shut the Royals down tossing 7.2 innings, giving up only six hits, striking out six, walking none, giving up no runs and most importantly securing his first win as a Yankee. This was the C.C Sabathia the Yankees back up the Brinks truck for. All of a sudden Sabathia is a hero and the papers love him.

Like I said first game jitters, it takes some time to get accustomed to your surroundings. For Sabathia it took one game, he then proved to the baseball world that he is indeed on top of his game. His next hill to climb? Open up the new $1.6 billion home of the team that signed him on April 16th.