The Players Tribune & Why I’m Once Again Rooting for CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia, what can be said that hasn’t already been said? The 15-year veteran of the league has won a Cy Young Award, he’s made six All-Star teams, won a World Series with the New York Yankees and has a career total of 214 wins entering the 2016 season. None of that will be talked about for much of this season though, no, all eyes will be on his degenerative right knee and his bodily actions and effectiveness after checking himself into an alcohol rehabilitation center last October while the Yankees made a short playoff run in 2015.

Rather than answer these questions every start, every pitch he throws and every corner he turns Sabathia used the Players Tribune, the blog run by athletes currently owned by Derek Jeter, to express his own struggle in his own words. That’s what makes the Players Tribune so great, there is nothing being taken out of context and there is nothing being misconstrued or twisted, these are Sabathia’s words from his mouth to your screen.

Sabathia opened up on the Tribune about his toughest out he ever got, the out from under the shadow of alcoholism. Sabathia wasn’t scared to enter rehab and he put himself and his family above us the fans, the team and his job and that’s damn admirable. Sabathia could go out this season and win 35 games, lead the Yankees to a World Series, win a Cy Young Award and eventually win 300 games and in my heart and in my opinion that would mean nothing to me. What means the world to me is his courage and leadership to tackle this disease head on like a fighter would and beat it, like a Yankee always does.

The Yankees need leaders and more importantly the world needs leaders and Sabathia is one of them. Win, lose or draw CC I just want you to know on the off chance that you or your lovely wife Amber might be reading this that we support you here at The Greedy Pinstripes. I think I can speak for all Yankees fans in saying that we all support you, we all agree with what you did and we all love you as a person, as a leader and as a member of the New York Yankees.

You’re going to kick alcohol’s ass and you’re going to kick anyone and everyone’s ass in front of you this season, I believe that. Go CC!!!