CC Sabathia has done his best to take pressure off his teammates away the field by living up to his reputation as a great teammate, so it will be interesting to see what happens on the field once the season starts.
A poor outing by Sabathia in early March could be easily dismissed, but the Yankees' new ace knows he will be counted on to set the tone for the star-studded staff -- especially with Alex Rodriguez missing at least several weeks after undergoing hip surgery. Sabathia's status will set things up for the rest of the rotation. A strong start would allow A.J. Burnett to settle in as the other new guy, Chien-Ming Wang to have a less pressurized welcome back from an injury-marred 2008 season, and Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain to work out whatever kinks come on opposite ends of the age spectrum.
A rough start and everyone else will obviously need to pick up their No. 1 rather than take comfort in him.
If so, at least Sabathia has laid the groundwork by mentoring Chamberlain and bonding with players young and old on the staff.
"It's just a part of who I am," Sabathia told reporters recently. " ... I like to hang out with my teammates and talk to them and get to know them."
That's definitely helped him fit in with his new teammates and helped them feel more comfortable.
But nowhere near as comfortable as Sabathia is capable of making the whole club feel if he gets off to a strong start on the mound.
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