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.