8/25 01:01: Cowherd addressed Lee’s response on his show on Tuesday (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m sure he (Lee) wants to win games,” Cowherd said. “I’m not saying he’s tanking games. Cliff Lee is a human being.”

Here’s some facts about Cliff Lee, Cowherd said: “Fact: He loved pitching in Philadelphia and was awesome. He has always pitched well in New York and has said he likes it.

“He’s elite, fact. He has also, fact, never pitched well in Texas. Fact, he’s not there pitching well again in Texas. Fact. He’s in a contract year. When the deal came down that he was going to the Yankees, he was completely excited, according to three different scources at this network. Fact, against the Yankees this year, who he could end up pitching for, he’s been excellent. Fact, he’s been horrible against Baltimore, the worst team in the sport. Now you tell me, coincidence?”

Said Cowherd: “Cliff Lee, who’s never pitched well in Texas, was never in love with the idea, in a contract year, of going to Texas, where he is going to make his final contract based on the numbers in the second half of the season in a place he’s never pitched well. Or he can get traded to the Yankees, the premier team in baseball, where he’s always pitched well. Where would you want to go?”

Cowherd on saying he’d been told Cliff Lee will not re-sign with Texas: “I have been told that by a source.”

On saying that Lee wants to be with the Yankees or with an elite team: “I’ve also been told that. I stand by sources telling me he wanted to be a Yankee. He was ticked when the deal did not go through. He knew, in a contract year, Texas was a place he’d absolutely struggle.

“If Texas brings in a wheelbarrow of money, and says here’s a $140 million for five years, Cliff Lee is going to re-sign with Texas. But let’s be honest, he’s great and the Yankees overpay for everybody. The Yankees are going to pay whatever it takes to get Cliff Lee. They don’t care what he’s doing in Texas. Is it wrong to say Lee would want to play in New York? Lie is such an ugly word by Cliff Lee. He called me a liar.”

8/24 15:36: ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd accused Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee on Monday of saying that he hates Texas and wants to be a New York Yankee. Cowherd cited an anonymous source for his information.

Said Cowherd: “He doesn’t care about Baltimore. He doesn’t care about Texas. When he pitches against elite teams, he is showcasing his talent. ‘Here I am. I still got it’. [Saturday] against the Orioles, he mails it in. That is a dude that gets out of town the second the season ends. He’ll get out of town, go to the Yankees and jettison the Rangers.

“Remember that deal with the Mariners and Yankees — they almost had the deal done. Cliff Lee was going to be a Yankee. Cliff Lee, according to my source, was on the phone with C.C. Sabathia trying to figure out housing arrangements.

The Mariners and Yankees had a trade almost worked out before the Mariners pulled out at the last minute and eventually traded Lee to the Rangers.

“He wanted to be a Yankee. He doesn’t like Texas. He doesn’t pitch well in the heat. I’m told he will not re-sign with Texas. He wants to be with an elite team.”

“It’s a lie,” Lee told reporters (via The Dallas Morning News) after Monday’s game “Write that. Are you writing? Write that it’s a lie. I did not say that and nobody close to me would say that. Either say who the source is or shut up because I am saying it is not true.”

Earlier this month, new Texas Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg said his team will make a serious run at keeping Lee. The Rangers have one of the lowest payrolls in the majors this season at around $55 million.