“I’ve fallen love with Boston. Hopefully I’ll be here for a long time.” - Johnny Damon. In light of Damon’s defection to the hated Yankees let’s look at nine positive aspects of the decision.
9. Damon is a very good player. He’s not a superstar. Don’t be confused. He may have built himself up into one, but he’s not.
8. Bernie Williams’ steep decline began around age 32. Damon is 32.
7. Red Sox Nation can clear some of the dead weight off of the bandwagon. Johnny Damon fans, you know who you are. And yes, most of you don’t have a y chromosome.
6. At least it’s not Nomar. I’ve come to grips with his decline as a player and his exile from Boston. But Nomar in Yankee pinstripes would reduce me to wandering around aimlessly, speaking like Keanu Reeves.
5. We can blame Larry Lucchino. Why? Why not? Touché.
4. Sox fans can now openly lament the insidious presence of Human Growth Hormone in Major League Baseball without secretly worrying that Damon will get busted.
3. Sox fans can now openly mock Damon’s intelligence or lack thereof. Have you ever caught a Damon interview?
2. Sox fans can now openly mock Damon’s throwing ability.
1. Damon can cut his hair, shave his beard, and discuss the merits of selling one’s soul with Jason Giambi.*
In hindsight I don't really understand #5. #6 makes no sense if you are not in your mid to late 20s. #4 was both unnecessary and unfounded. #s 3-1 probably fall into the unnecessary category as well and point to a certain amount of bitterness I was harboring at the time. #7 was obliterated by the arrival Jacoby Ellsbury and another championship. And it's unclear why I did not openly worry about Damon's body breaking down.
Ultimately I'm okay with the fact that the Sox did not want to give Damon $52 million over 4 years, even if he did finish 15th in the 2006 MVP race. As as side note, I did not realize they kept track of that many. Nor did I realize Troy Glaus tied for 30th. Troy Glaus?
But back to Damon. I was intrigued by this old Buster Olney column about the deal. Given the fortunes of the two franchises over the last few seasons it's hard to say that not re-signing Damon was a "colossal mistake", as Olney argued at the time. Of course that's a lot easier to say in 2008 than it was in 2005. More importantly, the move does speak to an issue with Boston's front office. Make no mistake Boston has made a number of excellent moves. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Jon Lester are the first of many that come to mind. At the same time the positives of letting Damon walk were overshadowed by the decisions that followed - trading away Kelly Shopach for Coco Crisp (catcher position has to be a cause for concern moving forward) and the outrageous contracts extended to Julio Lugo and J.D. Drew. The latter speaks to something Manny Ramirez danced around at the time of his exit. Manny was the latest Sox star to leave disgruntled. Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, and Pedro Martinez were the previous. Even lesser players such as Derek Lowe. Granted all of those guys had their issues. But I can see how the hometown guys would get upset about the organization highlighting their flaws while giving big money to flawed outsiders. Along those lines I'm interested to see how management handles negotiations with Boston's young core - Lester, Pedroia, Jonathan Pabelbon, Ellsbury if he can consistently get on base, etc. - in the years to come. And to be honest I'm a little concerned.
* Giambi's mustache went a long way in restoring some of the respect I used to have for him. If he signs with the A's next year and returns to his old ways (minus the roids) after taking a great deal of money from the Yankees while not winning a championship, I'll have to revisit the matter further.
