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Cliff Lee returned to Philadelphia this offseason with high hopes.
The Phillies’ Cliff Lee
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Cliff Lee walked up to the table set up for a group news conference and picked up the placard bearing his name to make sure he was sitting in the right seat.
“I guess I’m in the middle,” Lee said.
As usual, his location was right on.
On a staff of aces and team of stars, Lee has been the center of attention since the Philadelphia Phillies opened spring training.
From the minute he arrived, he has been followed by cameras and surrounded by microphones. When the five members of the starting rotation talked as a group to reporters upon arriving in camp, most of the questions were directed at Lee.
Roy Halladay is the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton have World Series rings. Roy Oswalt has more 20-win seasons and All-Star game appearances than Lee.
Yet everyone is talking about Lee because he’s the new guy and perhaps the one who can help the Phillies win another World Series.
Left fielder Raul Ibanez spent his offseason in Philadelphia instead of returning to his home in Miami. Wherever he went around town, people asked him about one guy.
“Cliff Lee. Right when we got Cliff Lee, they were so excited,” Ibanez said. “Everybody who came up to me was so gracious and so excited about getting Cliff and how they were working on getting their season tickets already. It’s a lot of fun. The fans are phenomenal. What can you say? They’re the best. It was November or December and I was running into people and they were so fired up like spring training was around the corner. And it was still football season. It’s great to be a part of.”
The Phillies stunned the baseball world when they lured Lee away from the Texas Rangers and out of the grasp of the New York Yankees with a $120 million, five-year contract. The left-hander took about $30 million less from the Phillies, spurning the bright lights of the Big Apple for the Liberty Bell and those famous cheesesteaks.
“I like Philly cheesesteaks, but that had nothing to do with me coming back to Philadelphia,” Lee said.
Of course not. Clearly, money wasn’t his top priority, either.
Lee got a taste of the World Series with the Phillies in ’09 and the Rangers last year. But he didn’t win a title and he chose Philadelphia because he wants to get over that hump and celebrate a championship parade.
“I could have gotten more money in other places. That really wasn’t what it was all about for me,” Lee said. “It was really three pretty good options to be honest with you. I just honestly stepped back and looked at each team and evaluated. I felt like this is the team that’s going to give me the best chance to win a ring, and hopefully multiple rings. That was what the decision was based on.
“Obviously, the fans had a lot to do with it. They sell out every game. A lot of the stadiums were packed. There was a lot of hype every game. It’s a great feeling playing in that park, and I wanted to come back and do some more of it.”