Oh Boston, how's it feel to be so petty? You booed a guy who helped lead you to a curse breaking World Series and now he has come back to spurn you. Here's the take of one of your own. And here's a guy from SI.com.
The Jenkins piece raises an interesting question. Would Damon have been booed had he come back to Yankee Stadium in a BoSox uniform? I really hope not. And to be honest, I think we would give him another standing O, just to show how classy we are. The guy helped us win a World Series. I know Boston doesn't have many World Series, and so maybe they don't know how they should treat those players who help them achieve one, but Yankee fans are not likely to forget the double steal in game four. You don't boo someone who did that. No matter what uniform he's wearing. Does anybody care that David Cone signed a contract with Boston before retiring? No. He pitched a perfect game and won World Series for us. Like Cone, Damon will always be a Yankee because of that game four. You don't boo someone who did that. You just don't.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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6 comments:
David Wells got cheered when he was introduced at the old Yankee Stadium in a Red Sox uniform. He was booed when he actually pitched, but, as Jerry Seinfeld (admittedly a Met fan) would put it, that was more like "Boooooooo! Bad shirt!" In his appearances since, such as at the old Stadium's finale, Wells has been cheered.
If Damon had left the Yankees under dubious circumstances, like, say, another guy who went to the Tigers, Gary Sheffield, it would be different.
If you get a chance, check out the recent history of the English soccer club Arsenal (say, from 2002 onward), and then this statement will make sense: Yankee Fans would probably treat Johnny Damon as if he were Robert Pires, while the Red Sox have already treated Damon as if he were Ashley Cole. And, unlike the Arsenal fans, the Red Sox fans were wrong.
Damon looks like a wimp here. The Sox still have about a 20% chance of making the playoffs, while the Tigers are done. So Damon is not doing anyone any favors. He is denying the Sox a better shot at a playoff run, he is denying the Tigers the chance to pick up a prospect or at least shed Damon's remaining $1.8 million in salary, and he is denying himself the chance to play in potentially meaningful games.
I don't think many Yankee fans would boo Damon if he returned to the Red Sox, aside from the fans who would boo their children if they played on the Red Sox.
I boo children generally.
I understand Damon's unwillingness to go back. He's won two World Series, so it's not purely about that. He doesn't need a play off chase per se, and I suspect the negotiations with the Sox in '05, when their first offer was for $29M (he ended up with $52M), left him feeling insulted by the organization. Then when the Sox signed Crisp they made statements to the effect of having wanted Crisp for some time, which was another slap in the face to Damon (we all know how Crisp turned out in Boston). There's a big difference between leaving Boston the way he did and the Yankees. He never harbored ill-will against the Yankees and the Yankees didn't treat him like he was crap, just like they had a different assessment of his value. I'm not surprised he didn't go back.
You're right Uncle Mike, he might get booed if he, say, hit a home run off us. But not when introduced.
I like Damon and I always will. That double steal in game 4 was priceless. Rich, I don't think he's a wimp. I think he really wants to come back as a Yankees. Who can blame him? Heck, I am to be a Yankees too.
No, we wouldn't boo Damon, because we ...
worship winning and forgive
everyone by whom it lives
we who with this strange excuse
pardoned racists for their views
and partiers like David Wells
would pardon him for playing well
(with deep apologies to Auden)
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