I think this is a great signing for the Yankees. Not to exaggerate Damon's abilities, and I'm not sure how spry he'll be when he's 36 years old and has one year left on his contract, but it's still a great signing for the Yankees.
My gripe is not with the announcement, it's with Ronald Blum's report. Actually, the first sentence of Ronald Blum's report:
"Johnny Damon gives the Yankees their first big-time leadoff hitter since Chuck Knoblauch was at the top of the order a half-decade ago -- an era when New York won three straight World Series titles and four consecutive AL pennants."
I may be the biggest Chuck Knoblauch fan in existence. I think his contributions to the Yankees are underrated and the throwing errors never bothered me. He had some big playoff homeruns and only lost one playoff series in his entire career.
However ...
1) Knoblauch was basically benched in the playoffs in 2000, the last time the Yankees won the World Series, a whole "half-decade" ago. Let's not go crazy, Ronald Blum.
2) Derek Jeter is a big-time leadoff hitter.
Predictably, Mike Lupica embarrasses himself with his knee-jerk anti-Yankee article.
"The Yankees got their leadoff man last night, the first leadoff man they have had since Chuck Knoblauch." (See above.)
"They get Johnny Damon to lead off and play center field, and that solves two problems they had to solve in this offseason. But ..." Okay, the Yankees solved two problems with one move. Plus, they weakened their chief rival in the AL East. Plus, they absolutely got younger and faster and more athletic. Plus, the terms of the contract are relatively cheap and short-term.
No "but." You can't solve all these problems with one move and focus on the "but."
Does it really matter, anyway? What course of action could the Yankees have taken that would have pleased Lupica?
Find a leadoff hitter and a centerfielder, but don't spend any money and make sure the player is very young. What alternative does Lupica propose? Go in the Wayback Machine back to 1986 and sign Andruw Jones?
2 comments:
I hate Scott Boras... Johnny Damon has seen a Christmas miracle. Did Boras and Damon think anyone would sign a 32 year old to 7 years? $52 million over 4 years. Could the Red Sox have kept him for the same money over 5 years? The Red Sox are now scrambling to fill a big void that could have been kept full if the answer to my second question is 'Yes'. Is Damon a sell-out? Maybe. But to sign with the Yankees is the biggest F.U. to his fans in Boston. Pedro to the Mets? Who cares? Anyone to the Yankees, that's a big, big deal...
In this day and age, why do fans waste big money on team jerseys with a player name and number on the back? How many $150 Joe Thorton shirts and Johnny Damon shirts are hanging in malls all over New England that will now go unsold? Worse, especially with Damon's move 4 days before Christmas, how many of those shirts are now sitting under a tree in someone's house right now? A whole bunch of disappointed Johnny Damon fans have a whole bunch of brand new, expensive shirts that will get them ridiculed if they are worn.
I'm not saying that teams shouldn't trade players and free agents shouldn't jump to a team with a bigger wallet. I'm saying fans, buy a Red Sox jersery or a Bruins jersey but leave the back blank. Most of all, just DON'T BUY A YANKEES JERSEY!!! (Just kidding Felz..)
I think somebody I know bought their children Johnny Damon shirts for Christmas.
I must say, that's a very unique take on the effects of free agency. What about the outdated merch? Doesn't Scott Boras care about the outdated merch?
The best way to truly gauge a Yankee deal is how Red Sox fans react. Again, I don't want to exaggerate Damon's abilities. He's really good, not really great. But it's a good signing for the Yankees in many ways and 4 year $52 is not a lot at all compared to, say, Carlos Beltran and Hideki Matsui.
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