Sure, it sounds a little off to wonder whether a pitching-starved team should sign the best pitcher on the market and one of the few bona fide aces around if it has the opportunity.

But with each day that's passed without Sabathia so much as blinking at the Yankees' astounding six-year, $140 million offer, it should give the Yankees as much pause about the pitcher as he apparently has about them. Numerous reports indicate Sabathia prefers a more laid-back area such as California and the style of the game in the National League. Throwing a long-term deal at a pitcher has proven time and again to be risky in the big leagues (see: Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton) on its own. To bring in a player who may be coming against his own wishes could add an extra issue in the demanding market that is New York.

On the plus side, Mike Mussina -- as pointed out in a recent New York Post column -- thrived here despite not having much of an appreciation for the city, at least at first. On the negative, one only needs to look at the case of Randy Johnson, a Hall of Famer who had thrived under big-game pressure forever but still managed to struggle in New York.

With the Angels reportedly entering the fray for Sabathia, the Yankees might even up their ante another $20 million or so. That type of money might prove successful in luring a man who didn't really want to come to New York.

Whether that pitcher would then be successful in an environment he found less than desirable -- and one that will increase the pressure because of the amount of money it took to bring him there -- is another question entirely.