Johnny Damon - A True Idiot!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Boo hoo , Johnny Damon! I’ve got your box of Kleenex right here to wipe away the tears.
I knew that Damon embraced his role as one of the “idiots” on the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox. I just never realized how much he embraced it.
Johnny Damon is having second thoughts. After hearing that he was claimed by his former club – Boston – off of waivers, he’s not sure that he can go back to Fenway and play for THAT organization in front of THOSE fans.
“I had a great time playing there,” Damon said Monday. “But I think once it was apparent I wasn’t a necessity to re-sign there, it started to get ugly. I have to think long and hard if I’m going to once again be probably one of the nicest guys in baseball, but be once again the most hated guy in baseball. That’s what it boils down to. You guys see how I get booed in every ballpark already,” he told reporters.
First of all, trying to understand what Damon says and what he means can be somewhat of a challenge. We assume that he’s upset with the treatment he has received from Red Sox fans since leaving Boston.
Memo to Johnny: it’s not that you left Boston that bothers us. It’s that you left Boston to join our hated rival – the New York Yankees. Red Sox fans can take quite a lot, but they cannot take one of their own putting on the pinstripes.
Think of some of the other “idiots” from that 2004 team that have since returned to Fenway. Kevin Millar was cheered wildly in Boston as a member of the Orioles. Dave Roberts has been elevated to sainthood since leaving. Orlando Cabrera still get choked up when he comes back to Fenway to all of the adoration.
Manny Ramirez may get booed when he returns to Fenway, but for good reason. The bottom line is: if you were a good player and well-liked while you were in Boston, you be received well upon your return. Unless, that is, you return in pinstripes.
Johnny Damon is no longer a Yankee. He’s now a Detroit Tiger. And if you ask me, I believe that he would be received very well by the Fenway faithful if he does return to the Red Sox.
However, the Red Sox waiver claim on Damon may be nothing more than an attempt by the club to block him from joining either the Tampa Bay Rays or the Yankees.
So get over yourself, Johnny. You’re not that important. We boo you because you left us for the Yankees. It’s nothing personal.
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