Jul 30th 2008 2:03PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
There are lots of bad things to be said about lots of professional athletes. Most of them deserve the bad things said about them. Some athletes don’t deserved to be lumped in, though. CC Sabathia is one of those guys. Less than a month after being traded by the Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers, CC took out a full page ad in the Cleveland Plain Dealer today thanking his teammates, the Indians’ front office, and the Cleveland fans for his time there. The text of the ad:
To the great fans of Cleveland, my fellow teammates and coaches, the Cleveland Indians executive front office, the Dolan family, the City of Cleveland … Thank you for ten great years

You’ve touched our lives with your kindness, love, and generosity. We are forever greatful! It’s been a privilege and an honor!

CC and Amber Sabathia and Family
Honestly, I think that the whole thing is so touching that I won’t even make a joke about “Time to Dine” being one of the several sponsors he thanks. CC’s a California native, but after spending his entire career in the Cleveland organization and area (with several of the Tribe’s affiliates being based in Eastern Ohio) he was obviously sorry to leave. Lots of athletes say stuff like that, but not many mean it. It’s pretty clear that Sabathia does.