While Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have long been the darlings of Manhattan, a sizable number of Yankees live in New Jersey. Northern Jersey, in particular, is a short jaunt away from Yankee Stadium, and players find bigger homes in the suburbs than in the city.
To that end, two recent stories about the Yankees and their lifestyles caught my eye. We can learn a lot from them, and perhaps, we can learn nothing from them as well. First up is a Jack Curry Bats post on CC Sabathia’s settling in.
According to The Times scribe and New Jersey resident, Sabathia was chatting him up for info on New Jersey high schools, and Curry takes that as a sign that CC may stick around the Bronx beyond the three-year opt-out currently written into his contract. Ponders Curry:
As I was talking to Sabathia a few days ago about why he decided to live in Bergen County, N.J., he asked some questions that indicated he plans to be with the Yankees for the long haul. Carsten Charles III, C.C.’s son, turns 6 in September, but C.C. quizzed me about which county high schools have the best athletic programs. Little C.C. is only in kindergarten, but his father was already thinking about possible high schools.
If Sabathia was planning to bolt the Yankees in three seasons, would he even be aware of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J.? Probably not, but Sabathia cited the school’s sports pedigree. Sabathia had done some homework, too, because Don Bosco’s baseball team was undefeated last year. Sabathia will earn $23 million a season from 2012 to 2015 if he does not opt out, which is another reason for him to become an expert on the New Jersey school system.
Curry acknowledges that this discussion could mean nothing, and I’m inclined to avoid reading much into it. Sabathia, after all, isn’t going to be playing now with an eye toward escaping from New York in three years. He is the type of player who will pour his heart and soul into pitching now and doing the best he can do now.
A lot can change over the course of three years. The economy, the baseball landscape, the needs of other teams and pitcher’s physical health are all factors that will come into play in 2011 when the opt-out comes due. For now, though, I’m sure we’ll scan CC’s every word for a sign of his intentions, but until he waives that clause, everything remains on the table.
In other Yankee residential news, the Daily News reports that Phil Coke is renting in Edgewater. Coke took out a six-month lease on an apartment at The Peninsula. While CC’s musings mean little, Coke seems to be confident that he will be sticking around the Bronx these days. Rumor has it that Kevin Cash and Brett Tomko are eying the Peninsula as well. If I were those two, I wouldn’t sign anything longer than a one-month sublet right now.
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