Johnny Damon signs with Tigers

We like to bring a different slant to the news and events of the day, and we may not always be “right,” and everyone may not agree with everything we float out there, but that’s okay. Fresh perspectives are necessary, even in the world of sports, and today we will toss out a few notions concerning former Yankee, and former Red Sox, Johnny Damon. The news is that Damon, who was reportedly a subject of Braves’ interest, instead signed a contract to play left field and do some designated hitting for the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Many of us grew up in an era when players stayed with the same teams for most of their careers. Even in the early days of free agency, there wasn’t as much movement, and as a fan, you could develop a bond with the core group of players that you were rooting for. This is what is fun about following a team and staying loyal to your squad. Johnny Damon is the poster child for what is wrong about the mentality of the modern ballplayer. First of all, his decisions are not his own–his agent, Scott Boras, the man who was done all that he can to ruin baseball, makes Damon’s decisions for him.

Damon was the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox, who are the Yankees’ nemesis, and that rivalry is one of the great things about sports. There he was, long hair fanning out from under his cap as he flew around the diamond. He was a force, and a symbol for Red Sox fans as they came back to beat the Yankees in the ALCS after trailing 3-0 back in 2004. They went on to win their first Word Series since 1918. Imagine how much that meant to long suffering Red Sox fans.

By 2006, Boras had arranged for Damon to play for the Yankees. He also had to get a haircut to conform to the Yankee team rules. The guy had to lust after every last red cent even though he would have been obscenely rich had he stayed in Boston, or if he had signed with someone other than their arch-rivals.

Last year, he helped the Yanks win the title, and Boras demanded a ridiculous sum of money. New York scoffed, and he has now landed in Detroit. The guy just doesn’t understand what is really important, and I pity Tiger fans who will be forced to root for him–he couldn’t care less about the Tigers, and he is only there for the money.