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Yankees' Sabathia laughs off photographer's extortion attempt

Kim Klement / Reuters

CC Sabathia is in the news again. And for the second time in less than a month, it's not for his pitching.

The wife of the New York Yankees left-hander was recently contacted by a paparazzo demanding money in exchange for a photo taken of her husband ostensibly smoking something that could incriminate him on a hotel balcony in Atlanta, Ga.

"They emailed Amber this morning, said they had pictures of me doing something I shouldn't be doing," Sabathia told reporters. "I said I wasn't doing anything I wasn't supposed to be doing. That's why I put that picture out."

Sabathia claimed he smoked a cigarillo, which doesn't violate Major League Baseball's drug policy, and posted the image on his Instagram account to prove what he did wasn't wrong. The photo was later removed, but the pitcher insists what he did was of no harm.

"It's funny. It kind of is what it is. It's this day and age," Sabathia said. "So especially what happened to me in Toronto, I just felt like, 'This is stupid, so I just need to get this over with.' "

In mid-August, Sabathia was restrained from jumping into a brawl in front a downtown Toronto nightclub.

He's currently on the disabled list with right knee inflammation as he continues to struggle through one of the worst seasons of his pitching career, posting an ERA of 5.27 and a 1.45 WHIP in 24 starts.

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