The Yankees Were Last On Cliff Lee's Wish List

Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: this makes the Rangers feel better, I guess?

Cliff Lee joined WIP in Philadelphia with Angelo Cataldi to talk about what the number one factor was in his decision to join the Phillies, what he thinks about playing in front of Philly fans, whether or not he enjoyed the free agency process, and who finished second to the Phillies in the free agency sweepstakes.

What was the number one factor in his decision this offseason: "Probably just the quality of the team. My chance to win a ring or even multiple rings. That was probably at the top."

If getting to the World Series and losing drives him more: "I haven't gone all the way yet. I haven't won a ring and that's what I want to do. Hopefully I will get a few chances and walk away with a few rings. That's really what it's all about every year. That's the ultimate goal and I wanna come through on that a few times."

What it's like playing in Philly: "Obviously it's an electric atmosphere, they sell out every game, it's a packed house every night, and they understand the game. They can tell when it's a big out, a big pitch, or a big at bat, and you can just feel the volume. They're good fans, they make a lot of noise, and it's definitely exciting to play in front of them."

Whether or not he enjoyed the free agency process: "I enjoyed it. It was interesting to see how that process went. I was curious to see how that process went. It was definitely interesting. For me there wasn't a whole lot of negative things that could come out of that. Whichever way I chose I felt like it was going to work. I tried to remove all the money and the smaller things and which team would give me the best chance to win. Then I talked to my wife and kids about it and where did they think they would be the most happy and here I am in Philly."

Who finished second to the Phillies in his mind: "Texas probably finished second to be honest with you. Just as far as the quality of the team and the chance to win a World Series ring, I think they're a better team. That's just my opinion. The Yankees can do anything at any moment to improve and they're not afraid to go do things. That was part of the decision making process too, but I felt like with what the Red Sox had done and it seems like some of the Yankee guys are getting older, but I liked the Rangers."

This post, written by Chris Fedor, appears courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews. For the complete highlights of the interview, as well as audio, click here.

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