CC Sabathia, who hoped to have former Indians teammate Cliff Lee re-join him with the Yankees, understands the fellow left-hander's decision to sign with the Phillies. "I'm excited for him," Sabathia said. "As part of the Yankee family and organization I'm disappointed. As a family friend, I'm happy he's in the place he wanted to be. You have to do what makes you happy and what's best for your family. It's a long time. Five years is a long time, seven years is a long time." Sabathia spoke to Lee several times during the free agency process and again after Lee's decision. "Just knowing what it's like to go through that, you don't want somebody calling you all the time," Sabathia said. "He knew what the Yankees could offer and what New York would bring and that I loved it over there. We're pretty close. I didn't want to keep bugging him with it. Everybody was like, 'Did you make a pitch?' For what?"