Idiot Savant

Johnny Damon's recent signing with the New York Yankees has added more fuel to the fire that is the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Damon has went over to the "dark side," and he will now be the leadoff man for the most powerful lineup in baseball. Damon is surely to receive an unruly reception when he returns to Boston in May. Many people wonder how someone who was as integral as Damon was to the Red Sox can leave the team he won a World Series with and join the hated division rivals. The answer is more simple than one might think. First, there are few positions in all sports that carry with it the prestige and aura of centerfielder for the Yankees. Secondly, this is baseball not football. There is no salary cap, and many players show their allegiance more to the dollar than to a specific organization. Thirdly, the Red Sox are in a state of disarray this offseason. They have made a few moves to improve the team, but they have problems in the front office and holes to fill in their lineup. All of these factors played a role in Damon signing a 4 year $52 million deal with New York..

Certain positions in sports carry more weight than others. Centerfielder for the Yankees is one of them. Much like the quarterback at Notre Dame, or the head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys, centerfield for the Yankees has a legacy and history that goes with it. Two of the games best ever played there in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. They were the immortal Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. DiMaggio has the record for most consecutive games hitting safely at 56. Mantle hit 536 home runs and was one of the best switch hitters of all time. Recently, Bernie Williams has roamed centerfield and represented it well in winning a batting title and leading the Yankees to 4 World Series Championships. With Williams slowed due to age and injuries, Damon's signing comes at the right time, and he now has the opportunity to play in the shadows of DiMaggio and Mantle.

People also need to understand that money drives people, and if a player has the opportunity to receive more cash in a certain place, they will go there. It is the same in all sports, but it is most evident in baseball. Players do not mind going to their rival. It has happened before. Roger Clemens started in Boston, had a short stint in Toronto, and eventually played in the Bronx. David Wells was a Yankee. He loved the Yankee organization. It did not seem to bother him too much last year when he was on the mound for Boston. Wade Boggs switched from Boston to New York to ensure a World Series ring before he retired. Let's also not forget the best player of all time was sold from Boston to New York, and this is part of the reason that the rivalry is what it is, and it is why the Yankees are the dynasty that they are. The Yankees have taken advantage of the economic structure of MLB, and as a result they are able to sign the best players the game has to offer. It is not George Steinbrenner's fault, and people need to quit blaming him. He did not create the system. He just wants to win more than other owners, and he has the financial means to do so.

Get Used to a Clean Cut Damon

The other factor that people are not talking about as much is the fact that the Red Sox have been in turmoil since Theo Epstein stepped down as general manager. They gave away their shortstop to Atlanta, and their biggest deal brought them a worn down third basemen, Mike Lowell, and an injury prone pitcher who has never fully realized his potential, Josh Beckett. Beckett does make their rotation stronger, but he has had blister problems throughout his career, and his durability is unreliable. Manny Ramirez has voiced his complaints yet again. He wants to be traded , and it seems like this is the 40th trade request Manny has made. He always seems to be unhappy, and the loss of a table setter like Johnny Damon is not going to make him any happier. Boston now has holes at both shortstop and centerfield that need to be filled if they want any chance at all of competing with New York this year. They have been reportedly interested in Seattle centerfielder Jeremy Reed who would help, but he is no Damon. New York now has one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, and with the additions of Octavio Dotel and Kyle Farnsworth to their bullpen, they have made the moves necessary to stay at the top of the AL East. These moves are head and shoulders above the moves that Boston has made this offseason.

Johnny Damon may call himself an idiot, but the man knows what he is doing. He got his ring from the Red Sox and got out of town. He has now positioned himself for another title. He has also given himself the best opportunity to improve his statistics. He will have some of the best RBI guys in the league hitting behind him, and with their run production, Damon should score more runs than anyone in the league. He looks to carry on the great Yankee tradition even though he was the man who hit the final nail into their casket two years ago. Damon may not be DiMaggio or Mantle, and that is fine with him. He will be happy to remain the same "idiot" he has been for the past few years, only with a hair cut and a shave.