Welcome to New York, Sabathia and Teixera

Let's review what the New York press had to say about the Yankees debut of Mark Teixeira and C. C. Sabathia.

Bill Madden of the Daily News: All that money and not even a strikeout? It was only the fifth time in 255 career starts that Sabathia had failed to record one and - what the hey - couldn't even Darrell Rasner have done that?... Did somebody say bad omen?

Joel Sherman of the New York Post: Thus, in the opener, the $341 million investment in Sabathia and Teixeira did not pay off. Sabathia did not make you believe the Yanks were a team built around their rotation, and Teixeira did not make the absence of Rodriguez's bat more tolerable. Instead the first day was 4 1-3 innings and 0-for-4. On Opening Day, the Yankees experienced money for nothing.

George King of the New York Post: Yet yesterday, the Yankees and their fickle fans were left singing the Peggy Lee hit "Is That All There Is?" after watching Sabathia and Teixeira fail in a 10-5 Opening Day loss to the woeful Orioles in front of 48,607 at Camden Yards.


Wallace Matthews of Newsday: For Teixeira, the Yankees' new $180-million first baseman, it was a memorable debut in pinstripes. As in, memorably bad. 

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times - The Yankees committed $341 million to C. C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira last winter, buying themselves a better chance at success but no guarantees. They learned that lesson painfully Monday in a 10-5 drubbing by the Baltimore Orioles on opening day.

Marc Carig of the Newark Star Ledger - Teixeira might have one-upped Sabathia in the unofficial "Worst First Day, Ever" contest. Orioles fans, still irate that the Severna Park, Md. native chose to sign with the Yankees instead of the Orioles, harassed Teixeira as if he had stood in the batter's box and set fire to a Johnny Unitas jersey.


Kat O'Brien of Newsday: The Yankees had looked forward to Opening Day starts from CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira for months. Now all they'd like is a giant do-over.

It's only one game... but it should also be a nice little notice for the Yankees new 9 figure toys.

This isn't Cleveland, Milwaukee, Arlington, Atlanta or Anaheim.

A bad first game in those cities, and the local beat writer might write something nasty... and a few people might call into the local sports show to complain... but those cities have one or two newspapers and most of the sports talk is syndicated National programs.

New York, with at least five newspapers and two 24 hour sports talk stations, and expectations.

People are calling up Francesa today wondering if Sabathia is a bust.

Bloggers are analyzing the water bottle Sabathia was holding as if they were looking at Mary Moorman's Polaroid of the Grassy Knoll.

Shrug it off you two...

There are 161 games left. Play better and nobody will remember this.

And if worst comes to worse (and for the likes of Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson they did) at least the checks will clear.