12.23.2005
traitors
It's settled, by now, that Johnny Damon is going to the Yankees. He passed his physical, cut his hair, and is now inserting funnels into his pockets for Steinbrenner to begin pouring gold doubloons into them. ESPN's page 2 has the "Here's Looking At You" feature comparing Benedict Arnold and Johnny Damon. Bill Simmons' page is rife with angry fans asking 'why would the great Damon do such a thing?' and loudly condemning him for favoring money over loyalty. The Boston Globe and the Boston Dirt Dogs have been screaming that they were caught unawares. Says Gordon Edes of the Globe, "Until the last few days, even the Yankees never thought it would happen."
Sure they didn't. It's not like we haven't seen Johnny Damon sitting out on his street-corner like a hooker just waiting for the Yankees to drive by. He's been flashing his goods and hoping that the Yankees pick him up for months. I, for one, am happy enough to see him gone: I'm tired of having to explain away his behavior off the field to my Yankee-fan friends (Derek). "Damon's a complete jackass," he'd say. I honestly have to agree. And, as one poster on Bill Simmons' page said, "watching him throw goes from tragedy to comedy overnight."
Now, certainly, I wish he weren't going to the Yankees. He's a good hitter, and it'll be tough to beat the NYY lineup come May. But I believe that we can. Sportscenter was comparing Damon to the likes of Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio in terms of the great center fielders in Yankees history. That's a load of hogwash and they know it. Damon's a good player, and he remains a legend in Boston no matter what these morons on the bulletin boards say, but he's not Mantle quality, and he's not going to amount to a whole lot in New York. And there are people who I'm more sad to see go: Bill Mueller, for one. John Olerud. I'll be mad when we acquiesce and trade Manny Ramirez. And there are those leaving who should never have been signed (Renteria).
And while I'm ranting about the Red Sox, this whole 'co-GM' thing smacks of High School. I have visions of two dumb as rocks cheerleaders declaring themselves the "co-chairs" of the "We Love Johnny Damon Fan Club". I remember having to announce two co-captains for the Quiz Bowl Team at the P. school because the two students in question were incapable of functioning apart from each other. And I recall my own High School experience, in which every graduating senior in the Asian Cultural Society (not a club, darn you; a society) was granted "co-president" status, so that they could put it on their college applications with impunity. Co-GMs? Stupid.
Sure they didn't. It's not like we haven't seen Johnny Damon sitting out on his street-corner like a hooker just waiting for the Yankees to drive by. He's been flashing his goods and hoping that the Yankees pick him up for months. I, for one, am happy enough to see him gone: I'm tired of having to explain away his behavior off the field to my Yankee-fan friends (Derek). "Damon's a complete jackass," he'd say. I honestly have to agree. And, as one poster on Bill Simmons' page said, "watching him throw goes from tragedy to comedy overnight."
Now, certainly, I wish he weren't going to the Yankees. He's a good hitter, and it'll be tough to beat the NYY lineup come May. But I believe that we can. Sportscenter was comparing Damon to the likes of Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio in terms of the great center fielders in Yankees history. That's a load of hogwash and they know it. Damon's a good player, and he remains a legend in Boston no matter what these morons on the bulletin boards say, but he's not Mantle quality, and he's not going to amount to a whole lot in New York. And there are people who I'm more sad to see go: Bill Mueller, for one. John Olerud. I'll be mad when we acquiesce and trade Manny Ramirez. And there are those leaving who should never have been signed (Renteria).
And while I'm ranting about the Red Sox, this whole 'co-GM' thing smacks of High School. I have visions of two dumb as rocks cheerleaders declaring themselves the "co-chairs" of the "We Love Johnny Damon Fan Club". I remember having to announce two co-captains for the Quiz Bowl Team at the P. school because the two students in question were incapable of functioning apart from each other. And I recall my own High School experience, in which every graduating senior in the Asian Cultural Society (not a club, darn you; a society) was granted "co-president" status, so that they could put it on their college applications with impunity. Co-GMs? Stupid.
