$ales pitch is vital for deep CC fishing.

That's the actual headline: "$ales pitch is vital for deep CC fishing."

At long last, headline writer for the New York Post, have you left no sense of decency?



"EIGHT years ago, the top start ing pitcher in the free-agent market had no desire to be a New Yorker or a Yankee. None."

How the heck do you know?


"During a five-minute call, Mussina was blown away by Torre's gravitas and ability to project the positives of the New York suburbs and life with the Yankees."

How the heck do you know?


"Fatherly and forthright, Torre was a wonderful salesman in his time as Yankees manager."

Yes, I don't doubt that Torre is a wonderful salesman. He may have even persuaded Mussina. That and a lot of money. A WHOLE lot of money. Lots and lots of money money money money money money money money money.

It's a charming story about the five-minute phone call.

Mussina's silence was probably not due to profound reverence. He was probably distracted, listening with one ear, calculating the compound interest on $98 million.

"Honey, we're getting a new pool! Ummm ... no, go ahead, Mr. Torre. I was listening."


"Now, eight years later, the top starting pitcher in the free-agent market has no desire to be a New Yorker. None."

Oh, I thought you were going to say, "Now, eight years later, Mussina still has zero Championship rings."


"So who is going to motivate CC Sabathia to reconsider his Yankee aversion? Joe Girardi? What exactly is that phone call going to be like between the hardly fatherly, hardly forthright Girardi and the fun-loving, 300-pound Sabathia? 'CC if you want to drag that hulking body through my marine boot camp spring training and live in a clubhouse where I ban sweets of all sorts from candy to ice cream to soda, and spend the next six years thinking up synonyms for humorless, boy, have I got a team for you.' "

No, he doesn't have to say all that.

He just has to say, "Cha-ching!"

"CC, my fat friend. With the amount of money we're going to pay you, you can buy all the candy you want. You can buy Little Debbie. Not the company: the person. You will actually be able to buy Little Debbie and order her to make candy in your kitchen after every game."