Thursday, January 28, 2010

An Idiot for Life



Johnny Damon was, and always will be, an idiot in my mind. But now, it’s for a different reason. Before Damon sold his soul and came to the Yankees prior to the ’06 season, we all remembered him for the heart-wrenching pair of bombs he hit into Babe Ruth’s porch during Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. He didn’t hit like Ortiz or Manny, but Damon was the heart and soul of that Boston team, with his grizzly beard and woman-like hair. Never in a million years did I think he’d end up in pinstripes.

But he did. And I could not have been more pleased with the four years Damon spent in the Bronx. Today, I find myself extremely disappointed that he won’t be manning left field anymore for the World Champs. Damon had everything going for him with the Yankees: hitting behind Derek Jeter, hitting in front of Mark Teixeira, a hot wife, and a total bandbox to play in where he could hit about 30 homers a year. Now, thanks to Scott Boras and the Yankees’ tight budget, the ride is over.

Damon might have had one of the worst throwing arms in Yankee history behind Bernie Williams. Some Yankee fans hated the fact that we had to cheer for a Red Sock who once turned the baseball world upside down in The House that Ruth Built. But let’s face it- the guy was clutch. In five post-season series with the Yankees, Damon belted 5 homers, knocked in 17, and picked up what were likely the most famous stolen bases in Yankees’ history in Game 4 of the ’09 Fall Classic. Johnny’s big time post-season numbers were overshadowed by the team’s failure in ’06 and ’07, and A-Rod’s surge in 2009.

Can the Yankees still repeat as champions without Johnny Damon? Yes. Will they? Time will tell, and there are a lot of questions to be answered. Brian Cashman brought in Nick Johnson to hit behind Derek Jeter, but the guy is a walking disaster in terms of injury. Curtis Granderson can hit bombs, but he can’t hit lefties. Nick Swisher, who everyone loves, will hit about .250 if we’re lucky. And now, we turn to Brett Gardner and an aging Randy Winn to fill the gap in left field. Johnny Damon as a Yankee was a sure guarantee for about 20 homers and 80 runs batted in.

I see what the Yankees are trying to do here. And if you don’t, you’re not paying enough attention to what the market will look like after the 2010 season. Cashman only had $2 million to work with because the team is thinking ahead. Consider the free agents that come off the books after this season: Joe Mauer, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee, and a couple of guys named Derek and Mariano. Johnny Damon and his agent simply did not fit into the Yankees’ long-term plan.

Johnny Damon will be missed as a Yankee. Once again, he leaves a championship team for financial reasons. I guess when you have the potential to make about $10 million a year, you don’t care about the rings, you care about the paycheck. Damon ditched Boston, and now he’s ditching the Yankees. The self-proclaimed “idiot” strikes again.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A Brand New Feeling




The 2009 New York Jets did not deserve to make the playoffs. There, I said it. The point that Jets’ fans have refused to acknowledge for four weeks. They had absolutely no business finishing with a winning record, and if I’m a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Houston Texas, I’m walking around complaining until next September. But you know what? I’m not. I am a die-hard, bite my nails, complain on Monday morning Jets fan. And this year was absolutely nothing short of miraculous and special to me. Despite losing the AFC Championship to Mr. Wonderful and the Colts, I feel that this organization has finally escaped the “same ol’ Jets” sentiment echoed all over New York radio for about 40 years or so.

The roller coaster season the Jets and their fans went through represents everything that this franchise has given us- some joy and a lot of heartache. Rex Ryan was brought in to do a job- make the team better and sell PSL’s for next season. He got it done. His pre-season prediction about meeting Barack Obama at the White House got things brewing pretty early. There was no more Eric Mangini, no more Brett Favre, and there was a hope of not playing second fiddle to the team whose name sits atop the stadium we played in.

When Sanchez and the Jets started the season 3-0, beating New England along the way, of course, Jets fans did what they did last year: predicted a New York versus New York Super Bowl. Three weeks later, the Jets were at 3-3, and Sanchez could not complete a pass, forcing Jets fans to declare the season over, and Sanchez a total bust. If you think about it, the Jets never really did “turn it around” until the second half of their week 16 game in Indianapolis. Sure, they were 4-6 and rattled off three victories in a row, but they did so by defeating a pathetic Jake Delhomme, the Buffalo Bills (finally), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite starting Kellen Clemens.

The possibility of the AFC playoffs still existed after the three game winning streak, but the “same ol’ Jets” came back to life against Atlanta in week 15. Sanchez threw three picks, Jay Feely and the Jets’ special teams screwed up three simple field goals, and the Jets blew the lead on a fourth quarter, fourth down touchdown pass. Typical Jets. Season over. More of the same.

Right? Wrong. What happened next was really a gift from above. The Jets got all of the breaks they could wish for, giving them control of their own destiny before the start of their Week 16 game in Indy. Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning into the third quarter, but then the strangest thing happened. Following the game on my phone as I was spending Christmas weekend in Pennsylvania, a strange name (or savior) appeared on my play-by-play. Curtis Painter! All of a sudden, new life was breathed into the game, the season, and the franchise.

The Jets trounced the Colts’ scrubs, and took care of the lifeless Bengals at home to close out Giants Stadium and make the playoffs. But then, something unbelievable happened. The miracles continued. Carson Palmer was garbage in a Wild Card rematch in Cincinnati, and Shayne Graham, one of the all-time great kickers, missed two red zone field goals. Jets win by 10. Big deal. The miracle continued out west. “Nate the Great” Kaeding, as they call him in Cali, choked even worse than Graham, missing three field goals as the Jets somehow beat San Diego by three. Not only were the Jets heading to the AFC title game, but you started getting the feeling that the Jets were a team of destiny.

I know, I know. The loss to the NFL poster boy and the Colts in the AFC title game, and their defense got blown out Madden style. But the Jets did something in a span of four weeks that they’ve never done before: they gave me legitimate and real hope for the future. Gone are the days of the recollection of first round draft picks like Ken O’Brien over Dan Marino, Kyle Brady over Warren Sapp, and Mike Nugent over anyone else. The Jets have a fantastic future- fantastic enough that my buddies have even considered getting in on some season tickets at the new stadium. For the first time in my life, I have nothing negative to say about the season, and the organization as a whole. Well done, Mr. Ryan.