CC Sabathia reveals what his Baseball Hall of Fame speech theme will be
Since being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, CC Sabathia hasn’t had much time to reflect on the honor.
Sabathia was quickly whisked to Cooperstown the day after the announcement along with the others elected, and he has been all over since.
He made an appearance in Tokyo for the Los Angeles Dodgers-Chicago Cubs series at the Tokyo Dome. He visited the New York Yankees during spring training.
And he’s seen his son, Carsten Sabathia III, play for the Houston Cougars.
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It’s been a whirlwind since that night, when Sabathia, surrounded by family and friends, achieved the goal he’d been dreaming of since picking up a baseball. He’s started writing his Hall of Fame speech, something that can be nerve-wrecking for men who have lived through intense pressure during their playing careers.
Sabathia revealed to Fox News Digital what he’s hoping to get across with his words.
“I feel like I want the theme of it to be … I was raised around a lot of strong Black women. And I feel like, without them, I would not be able to be in this position,” Sabathia said. “I kind of want that to be the theme of my speech. I don’t know how it’s going to work out, but that’s kinda what I’ve been thinking about since I got elected.
“Just all the positive Black women that have been in my life that got me to this point, whether it’s my grandmother, my mom, her friends, my aunts, my wife. So, I think I want that to be the theme of my speech.”
Sabathia has been open about the women in his life, beginning with his grandmother, whose backyard had a grapefruit tree that provided the perfect practice objects even if they weren’t baseballs. He would pitch them at a folding chair to hone his skills.
His mother Margie sacrificed for him with his father in and out of the picture to make sure he had everything he needed to succeed. In 2019, Margie said she used to put on catcher’s gear to be the other half of the battery for her son.
And his wife, Amber, his high school sweetheart, was there every step of the way as they built a family and charitable foundation off the field while he was mowing down hitters on it.
Not only are strong Black women a crucial element of Sabathia’s story. Black culture played a big role in the star he became. Baseball fans know all about Sabathia’s crooked hat, baggy jersey and the stylish Jordans he used to wear for every start.
Given he grew up in an era when hip-hop exploded and eventually played where that genre was born, in New York, Sabathia embodied the very person he dreamed of seeing on a baseball diamond growing up in Vallejo, California.
“I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I grew up with the birth of it. So, I was kinda raised with that genre of music,” he explained.
“Even the way I wore my hat; the way I wore my uniforms; wearing the Jordans; the big, baggy uniform and all those different things. I just wanted to speak to the kid in me. If I saw myself out on the mound when I was 9 years old, I would [say], ‘I want to be like that.’
“So, that’s what it was for me when I saw Dave Stewart, when I saw Ricky Henderson, when I saw Dave Parker. The swag that they played with, Ricky popping his collar and all these different things. That’s who I wanted to be. Having a chance to watch Andruw Jones as a teenager. He’s two years older than me, but he was 18 playing in the World Series. I was 16, and I remember looking at my grandmother and being like, ‘I want to be a teenager in the big leagues.’
“All these different inspirations from Black culture, or hip-hop culture, and it just became who I am and who I was. It feels good, and it’s awesome to be that representation and be that guy and have all those connections in that culture and world. It’s a lot of fun.”
Sabathia has some time to perfect his speech before he shares it with the world July 27 in Cooperstown.
While he’ll be sure to mention the catchers, coaches and teammates during his time in MLB, he wants to spotlight those who helped him get to that point and had his back every step of the way.
FIGHTING ALLERGIES WITH XYZAL
During his illustrious career, allergies were always something Sabathia had to worry about. The spring can be difficult with allergies, and Sabathia used to get a shot from his team’s medical staff to cope with them.
Now in retirement, the luxury of a team of doctors and staff is gone, and Sabathia needed to find the right medication to battle those symptoms, especially with golf being his latest sports passion.
Xyzal, who he is now partnered with, was the perfect remedy.
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“My allergies have been horrible my whole life. When I was a kid, I’d go to school with rolls of toilet paper,” he said, laughing. “My allergies were super, super bad. … So … I was just trying to find different stuff. I came across Xyzal and figured out you can take it at night.”
Now, Sabathia and his 14-year-old son Carter have made it part of their nightly routine to ensure they can get through baseball season without those pesky allergy symptoms.
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