C.C. Sabathia

C.C. Sabathia is one of the few guys that knows what it's like to be a premier player in Cleveland, and how dramatically different it is to be a premier player in New York.

Now Sabathia thinks its time LeBron does the same thing, and hes doing what he can to make it happen. “I’m trying. I’m trying hard,” he said of recruiting LeBron. “By doing these interviews and doing these different things, I’m trying hard.”

“No doubt. This is it. This is the stage he wants to play on,” Sabathia said. “And I think he’ll be great here.”

and LeBron is listening...“He’s seen both sides of the fence, being in Cleveland and now in New York,” James told the New York Post.

We know this is a big deal right now with the Yankees having just won the World Series and ESPN/other places are reporting on it. But remember, C.C. has said this for months- in fact it was reported on here by C2L back in February. But great to hear hes still on it, he knows the move best.

Baseball insider Joel Sherman wrote the following for Sports Illustrated today:

Rare basketball note: James Knicks-bound?

A couple folks inside the Yankees' clubhouse say they believe that LeBron James will be headed to New York as a Knick in a couple years. How they know this, well, they didn't say. But my guess would be that Sabathia, who knows James from his Cleveland days, expressed this opinion to them. I am sure he wouldn't give away any secret like this publicly, so there's no sense in me even asking him. But it's something to watch for.

C.C. Sabathia starred in Cleveland for years before taking a short detour to Milwaukee and then signing with the Yankees this summer. Sabathia will provide a good test case for what its like when a superstar leaves Cleveland and lands in New York. He also happens to be friends with LeBron James. Sabathia downplays his relationship with LeBron, but you can be sure the two will have a discussion about NY between now and July 1, 2010. The pitcher gave an indication of how that conversation might go when he said LBJ would be a perfect fit in New York in Sunday's New York Post:

Q: You know LeBron (James)?

A: I got a chance to watch him when he was in high school.

Q: Knicks fans want to know if you'll help them recruit LeBron.

A: I'll do my best (chuckles).

Q: What kind of guy is he?

A: He's a great dude, especially for as big a superstar as he is. . . . He's real humble.

Q: Do you think LeBron would be a good fit for New York?

A: I do, I really do. The biggest city in the world . . . the biggest stage. It would be the perfect place for him.

To read the full interview, including C.C.'s casual mention that he's only 6 pounds lighter than his heaviest weight ever (315 pounds), head to http://www.nypost.com/seven/02222009/sports/yankees/serbys_sunday_q__a_w...