 All right everybody, good afternoon. Thanks for joining us. Beautiful day here at GMS Field in Tampa. I'd like to welcome a ton of people who are plugged in on various channels, YesNetwork, yankees.com, YesNetwork Facebook, Yankees Instagram. We've got it pretty much covered today. As we begin, I'd like to introduce the Sabathia family seated next to CeCe. Of course, Amber, who's done so much for so many for so long in the Yankees family. It's great to have you here, along with children Carter, Jaden, and Sia. We're a man down today. Little C, who's not that little anymore. He's, I think, tip-off CeCe said was one o'clock up north. He's in a basketball game, so we're thinking of him. Also, at this point, I know there's a lot of people who aren't here, and we don't have the use of a pan, so the people who are tuning in on other outlets, it's important to note that I'm not counting by hand, but obviously we've got basically everybody here, pitchers and catchers who reported several days ago, a bunch of position players who've been across the street working out in advance of their report date, baseball operations, clubhouse staff, support staff, a number of people. Obviously, it's a testament to CeCe and the relationships he and Amber have built over the years in the front row. From ownership, we have Hal and Jenny Steinbrenner. We also have Kyle Thousand, who's CeCe's representative. Appreciate, Kyle, for being here. Before we go any further, I'd just like to turn it over to CeCe for opening remarks. Yeah, just got nervous. Yeah, so I just wanted to make this announcement that 2019 will be my final season. I want to obviously thank a lot of people. I wouldn't be here today, 18 years in the big leagues without so many different people, but I want to start with my mom. She couldn't be here today, but her sacrifice and so much for me as a kid to be able to get to this point, to live out my dream, all over the world. So I just want to say thank you to her, my wife, my family. My wife is able to do for us as a family and me as a player, as a husband, as a person. I can honestly say I wouldn't be sitting here without you, so definitely thank you. The Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, thank you guys for believing in me in 2008 enough to bring me here and cash, convince me this is the perfect place for me to play and it's been nothing but great for me and the community on the field and the Bronx just all around. It's been great for everybody that's sitting here at this table, so thank you guys so much. My teammates, past and present, you guys mean so much to me. All I ever wanted for people to remember me as a good teammate. It means a lot to me for you guys to be sitting here today. I know you guys are tired, have a bunch of stuff to do today, but thank you guys for being here and thank you to all my teammates and guys that helped me throughout the years to be able to get to this point. So that being said, I look forward to 2019 being the championship season for us, me going out and giving everything I have and leaving it all out on the field. So thank you guys. Before we take questions, I want to note that we passed out or are passing out and disseminating via email a couple of important things. One, obviously being a very long list of CC's career accomplishments, probably even more important than that. The press release that CC's foundation put out in which CC is going to, in I think almost every city, if not every city that you go to this year, will recognize 42 members of the Boys and Girls Club and make a very special day in all those different venues and then finally there's a quote sheet that again we're passing out and disseminating and it's really a who's who testament to who CC is. Obviously not just as a player but as a person. The mayor of Vallejo, LeBron James, Steve Kerr, a whole host of former teammates including Jim Tomey talking glowingly obviously about CC's accomplishments, obviously on the field but also as a person. So with that we have two wireless mics. We have a bunch of media here. If you'd kindly raise your hand, we could start the Q&A. Who has the first question for CC? Sweeney in the middle. CC, when you first signed here and you imagined what it would be like to finish your career as a Yankee, how did the last 10 years play out compared to what you thought it might be like when you first got here? I had no idea what it would be like. I was coming here in 08, I was nervous and didn't really know what to expect but it's been incredible. From day one getting a chance to meet Andy Pettit, him having to be like a big brother to me and just really embracing being here and being a Yankee. It's been a great ride. Being able to win the World Series, open up a new stadium, just so many countless different memories that I'll have and could take back with me throughout the years of being a Yankee. It's price has been great. Who else? Buster in the middle again. CC, this year, your last year, why now? Why now? It's time. My knee, just the shape that it's in. My family's getting older. Obviously you can see my kids getting older. It's time for me to be with them and be around them. My oldest son now couldn't be here because he's playing high school sports. This is a lot of stuff that I'm missing that I would like to be around and hang out with them and start traveling, do some different things and just really taking interest in my family though. Chris, the back left. CC, you signed the deal to come back here and finish out your career with the Yankees. How much does it mean for you to wrap it up with this ball club? That was something that was really important to me. The last two years really. Going in the last year, I didn't really know if I would play this year. That was important for me to be able to sign back. Kyle, 1000, did a great job getting me back here. He only had one team to deal with. No other place that I wanted to play. Him and Cash getting the deals done. The last two years have been great. I'm thanking them tremendously for being able to finish my career here. Cole, do you have a question to the right? Okay, so we understand the why of this being happening now, but how long did this decision take? How did you come to this decision that you wanted to make this the last year? How long do you think? I don't think it took that long. I think it was just when you know you know. I didn't want to overstay my welcome, I guess. I wanted to be effective and be able to go out and feel like I have a chance to help the team win. I feel like I'm still able to do that. I don't know anything past this year and didn't really want to put that pressure on myself. Being able to go out and know this is my last year and just give everything, I think hopefully that will turn out good for me and not try to save something for 2020 or years after that. This is it. This is the final year. Just go and see what happens. Brian and Brendan on the right. CC, in making the decision, was it mostly the knee or did your recent health care also have something to do with it? Oh no, the health care. My mind was already made up before I had the heart thing, but that just added to it. That health care and just kind of seeing what was important to me and how much my family is important to me and wanting to be around for them and just trying to take care of myself the best way possible. But yeah, my mind was already made up before December that this was going to be my last year, but all those factors played in. Brendan, what do you think you'll miss most? What do I think I miss most? My teammates, for sure. I mean, it's not even, not the competition, not being out there, just being with the guys, the plane rides, spring training, hanging out, going to games, different things. I feel like these guys keep me young. I'm 38 years old now. I'm the only guy in the clubhouse, but just being able to be around these guys just keeps you young and keeps you in it, but I know I'll miss those guys the most, for sure. Randy and Andy, to the right. CC, people talk about your leadership and how good you are with younger players. At some point, later on, would you like to be a pitching coach, a manager, maybe go to the minors and work with young kids? Uh, no. I would definitely love to be around the organization and come in here to spring training and help these guys out and different things, but as far as the travel and with these guys, the coaches, what they go through and the demand that they have helping us out, I just see the hours that they put in and it's a lot of work and I want to relax. Andy. CC, you mentioned Andy Pettit before. You were here with that core four group and now you're here all these years later with a new group of young Yankees. How's being a Yankee changed over the years and what makes this group that you're leaving unique? I think, uh, I don't think anything changed about being a Yankee. I think, um, you know, you come in here every day wanting to be professional and wanting to put your best foot forward and, uh, you know, try to win a championship. And I think, uh, you know, those core four group, that core four group, um, instilled that in me and Guardi and the guys that are still here for this group now. And it's, it's all, it's always the same message, you know, whether it's Gator or when Yogi was here, um, it's about being a Yankee and being professional and going out winning games. And, um, that message is always clear when you got these guys around. Other questions back to Buster in the middle. CeCe, you mentioned your teammates. I'm assuming you've let them know as time has gone along that this is, this is going to be it for you. Can you relate some of those conversations, some of the funny responses that you got from them? Yeah, uh, savvy this morning, he was, he was like, no, you know, I'm not, but, um, you know, Dylan, um, you know, I've been playing with Dylan for a long time, you know, most of all of his big league career. So, you know, it'll be hard, you know, to leave those guys, but, um, you know, a lot of my teammates that I played with before, like Chris Young was like, it's about time, you know. So a lot of the older guys, uh, understand where I'm coming from and, um, you know, get, get this decision. Before we take a few more action, I want to give CeCe and Amber a chance, excuse me, to talk about, uh, the boys and girls club initiative. And I think I misspoke. I said 42 kids. It's obviously 52. So, Amber, would you like to speak to it? It would have been a good number. But if we can impact 10 more, we will. So, uh, 52 kids. So we're calling it CeCe, uh, CeCe's legacy, legacy tour spelled with two C's, um, hashtag legacy. So that will be the hashtag of this tour and every city that CeCe goes in for the last time, we will bring 52 kids from the boys and girls club. Um, Pitchin has partnered with the boys and girls club many of times, but they're really our heart, um, from kids in the Bronx to all over, we do a lot of work with the boys and girls club and, uh, CeCe believes that if it wasn't for the club, he wouldn't be here today. So in any way we can be impactful and give back. Um, but this last year we really want to be impactful and give back and, um, be more of a role model and be hands on and to be able to do that in every city we feel like is just a way, a great way for CeCe to leave his legacy. Thanks, Amber. Uh, Jack, did you have a question in the middle? That's actually a good segue because I was going to say, what would you describe as your legacy? What have you left out there on the field that you want people to be able to say about your career? Just somebody that, that, you know, played hard every time out, um, that you could visibly see. If you want to go see him pitch that he left everything out there every, every start, um, that would just be the biggest thing for me. And just like I said, just, just a good teammate, you know, if, uh, if I can get that from, you know, a lot of the guys that I play with, I feel like I've accomplished my goal. Chris, in the back left, this is for everybody, actually. CeCe, first for you, what's it going to be like to be at home after 19 years in the big leagues and being with your family and Amber and the kids, what's it going to be like to have him around? Uh, for me, I think it's going, I think it's going to be fun. Um, you know, I love the off season when I'm just being able to, to, you know, hop into minivan and drive these kids around everywhere, basketball, practice, dance, different things. So, um, you know, hopefully, um, I could be a help. You know, she's a single mother pretty much for six months out of the year, um, while I'm gone. So, you know, hopefully I can be that helping hand for her. What would it be like when you're having me home? It would sometimes be embarrassing, um, because, because, um, I don't know. And you're going to be excited at me? Yeah. And I know there'll be two times funnier in the house because you're funny and mom's funny. So, during the season, so when he's home, it feels like we have a whole family together. Yep. Yep. I think I feel the same way because you usually never see him a lot. And, um, so it'll be better like for him to come to my dance recitals and like show all of his love and support that he's brought without the years. That's, I had made the comment one time that CC, we will, I have been cheering for him for like 22 years. I even Kinston and Akron and all that stuff. But, uh, uh, we've been cheering for so many years. So I'm excited for him to cheer for us. I run. So he can come and he can be at the finish line for me and he can go to Carter's basketball games all the time and not miss any the girls dance recitals and he could just cheer us on for a little bit. So that's what I'm excited about. Nicely said. Do we have one or two more buster in the middle again? CC, you mentioned your mom. Can you relate the conversation you had with her when you told her that this was going to be it? I don't really remember like a, um, you know, one conversation. We talk so much, um, throughout throughout the day and different things. I, um, you know, I kind of felt like she, she knew that this was going to be my last year. Um, and, you know, so, you know, after I had the heart scare, she came out, um, and she's been with us ever since, you know, you know, just helping out around the house with the family. What, you know, the kids taking them around. She's just such a big help, um, to our family and, you know, the kids love having her around. And, um, but, but, uh, just one conversation. I don't think we had, but I know she's excited, um, for me for this last, this last season and, um, you know, her being able to watch it and, um, you know, me just kind of live out this, this dream that, uh, her and my dad have for me. I think the biggest thing for me is, you know, uh, my dad not being able to be able here to see this. Um, you know, he always told me that I'll play for the Yankees. And when I was in Cleveland, I'll be like, no, no chance. Like I'm gonna stay in the end of my whole career. And, you know, he always said when you're a free agent, uh, the Yankees will come get you. You're going to win the World Series with the Yankees. So for me to be able to live out that dream for him, uh, it's great. But I just wish he was here to see it. Uh, James in the, uh, on the left in the back. Just to see how to curiosity sake, did you see this like list of, uh, quotes that they had gotten from these figures from? I haven't seen it yet. Zillow told me about it. From like Steve Kerr to, um, LeBron James and stuff. Did you hear about that kind of coming together? And what do you think of everyone from Fat Joe is on there too? That's my guy. No, it's just, uh, it's awesome to, to see that. And, you know, for, for Zillow to reach out to those people and, you know, for them to be able to take the time to, you know, write a nice message is, is awesome. And, um, I'm looking forward to seeing it and reading and then hopefully not crying. Any last one, Jack in the middle. CC, as long as this year plays out the way, I'm sure you envision you're going to end your career with more than 250 wins, more than 3000 career strikeouts. How much thought have you given to whether or not that's a Hall of Fame career for you? I haven't put, you know, that much thought into it just because I don't have a vote and I can't do anything about it. But, um, you know, you know, being able to have those numbers and attach your name just, just means a lot for me. Um, you know, I never really played the game for, you know, individual accomplishments like that, you know, 200 wins, 3000 strikeouts, any things like that. But to have those numbers come out, um, just means that I was on good teams around good players and, you know, was lucky enough to, to have some good catchers calling some good games for me. So, um, yeah, I mean, it'll be fun to look back on all that stuff once I'm done playing. But right now I'm just focused on trying to win the championship and have a parade at the end of the year. That would be the great way to top this thing off. Right, Carter? Yep. And I've never even been to one. Nope. Watch me partying. I think that's a good way to end it. Yep. Thanks everybody for joining us. Uh, see Amber, kids, if you could stay there, we're gonna take a photo up there with you guys. Thank you, everyone.