Yankees legend CC Sabathia is the latest to rip his former team after they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.
Sabathia, who recently had his No. 52 retired by the Yankees, joined a chorus of other legends and analysts who criticized the lack of culture and accountability in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
“No disrespect, but there’s nobody in there keeping that standard,” Sabathia said on @uptownsportstv. “Once Gardy [Brett Gardner] left, it’s been a wrap.
“When I first came, it was Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph. It was not only the ‘Core 4,’ it was those guys, too, so you knew what the standard was. The standard was sitting in the f---ing room right next to you, the guys ain’t there no more.
“Like Jorge [Posada’s] not around, Derek [Jeter’s] sitting on the Fox desk, Mo [Mariano Rivera] is somewhere selling hot sauce. You know what I’m saying. These dudes need to be around the clubhouse. They need to be in Tampa, in spring training. That was the standard. That’s how the standard is set, and those guys ain’t around no more. It’s completely different.”
Red Sox legend David Ortiz also pointed out on Fox after Game 3 that players like Jeter and Alex Rodriguez used to hold the Yankees accountable and responsible when players didn’t live up to team standards.
ESPN’s Buster Olney said on air he was speaking to a former player who suggested the current players need to “put down their phones and they have to be a little bit more invested in each other than they have been.”
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