How about Idiot’s Delight?
Johnny Damon, a self-proclaimed “idiot” has accepted a four-year, $52 million offer from the Yankees to play center field and ditch his signature Charlie Manson look.
Damon is leaving Fenway Park for Yankee Stadium to carry on the legacy of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Bernie Williams. The deal will be announced when Damon passes a physical, which could be given today in Tampa.
“It was a very tough decision, but New York came after me aggressively and that’s what sealed the deal,” Damon told Boston’s CBS television affiliate. “They showed they really wanted me. I tried with Boston, waiting for them to step up, but unfortunately they didn’t, and now I’m headed to New York.
“I wasn’t quite sure what happened, but I’m very excited. The [Yankee] players were calling me and trying to recruit me. They did a heck of a job doing it. I’m with mixed emotions. I’m very happy starting a new career. I’m sad to say bye to some of the greatest fans in the world. Unfortunately they had to see this day, but it’s time for me to move forward.”
It wasn’t known which Yankees called Damon, but the smart money was on former A’s teammate Jason Giambi, with fellow Scott Boras client Alex Rodriguez running second.
Damon’s decision caught the dysfunctional Red Sox brass by surprise. CEO Larry Lucchino said negotiations with Damon were ongoing almost an hour after the deal was sealed with the Yankees.
Talk about a Christmas present. A lineup that already houses Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui, Giambi and Jorge Posada finds Damon, among the premier leadoff hitters in baseball, under its Christmas tree.
As per George Steinbrenner’s rules, Damon will delete the flowing locks and facial hair before donning pinstripes.
Since the season ended there was heavy speculation that Damon, the heart and soul of the Red Sox 2004 World Series champions, would surface as a Yankee. However, when Boras said his client was looking for a seven-year deal, the Yankees refused to make an offer.
As it became apparent no club was going to offer a 32-year-old player whose games revolves around his legs a seven-year gig, the Yankees waited. Finally, they pounced with a four-year pact that landed Damon $13 million a year and in the middle of Matsui and Sheffield, an alignment that gives the Yankees the best outfield in the AL East.
Damon accepting the offer helps the Yankees on two fronts. They get a colossal upgrade over Bubba Crosby in center field, even if Damon’s arm is below average. Plus, they remove Damon from the Red Sox, where he was a team leader. Damon batted .316 a year ago, when he had an on-base average of .366.
Boras and Yankee GM Brian Cashman didn’t return calls last night.
Yankee fans can start fantasizing about Damon leading off, Jeter hitting second, A-Rod third, Sheffield fourth, Matsui fifth, Giambi sixth and Posada seventh. As for Yankee fans carrying a grudge against Damon for helping the Red Sox climb out of a 3-0 ditch in the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees, that will vanish shortly.
Why did Damon leave Boston for the blood rival Yankees? Damon was concerned about the upheaval in the Red Sox front office that resulted in the highly respected Theo Epstein leaving his GM post. Also, Damon’s wife has voiced a displeasure over the way she has been treated by the Boston media. And the Red Sox never hiked their four-year, $40 million offer.
Damon’s arrival allows Joe Torre to hit Jeter second for the first time since Chuck Knoblauch was the Yankees’ leadoff hitter from 1998 to 2001. While Knoblauch never was the leadoff force in The Bronx that he was as a Twin, the Yankees won three straight World Series titles and went to Game 7 of the 2001 Series versus the Diamondbacks with Knoblauch hitting ahead of Jeter.
Damon allows Jeter to hit second and balance out what would easily be the best lineup in baseball. Williams, who will likely be the DH after he signs a one-year deal in the $1.5 million range, would hit eighth and Robinson Cano would bat ninth.
All the muscle might be needed because the rotation has a lot of age and is loaded with health questions.
—
DHE DAMON FILE
NAME: Johnny David Damon Born: Nov. 5, 1973
Birthplace: Fort Riley, Kan. Home: Orlando, Fla. Wife: Michelle
Children: 6-year-old twins – daughter Madelyn, son Jackson
Years pro: 11 All-Star seasons: 2 (’02, ’05)
Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 205 Bats: L Throws: L
STATS
BA HR RBI SB
’05 .316 10 75 18
Career* .290 11.8 63.6 25.5
*-Average during his 11 seasons.