I thought Johnny Damon's divorce from the New York Yankees was bad, but it was obviously nothing compared to his bitter split with the Boston Red Sox.
The Detroit Tigers outfielder/designated hitter turned down the opportunity to get back into a legitimate pennant race in the American League East. Damon is very well liked in Detroit by his teammates, but he is also well liked by his former teammates still on the Red Sox roster such as David Ortiz and Jason Varitek. The fact that they were unable to convince him to join their quest to stay alive in the East shows just how badly Damon believes he was treated on the way out the door by the organization and the fans. Given the joyful welcome home he received at Yankee Stadium recently, it's hard to imagine him turning down a similar opportunity to return to New York if it had come to that.
The Yankees should be relieved Damon opted to stay in Detroit. No question a Damon return to Boston would have been great for the Rivalry, but it would not have been good for the Yankees from a baseball perspective. Knowing how clutch Damon is, the last thing they needed to see was him at the plate for Boston with runners on base during what will be key games against the Red Sox down the stretch.
So Damon stays in Detroit where he can't do much to interfere with the Bombers' march toward another berth in the baseball playoffs. For the Yankees, that's for the best.
The Detroit Tigers outfielder/designated hitter turned down the opportunity to get back into a legitimate pennant race in the American League East. Damon is very well liked in Detroit by his teammates, but he is also well liked by his former teammates still on the Red Sox roster such as David Ortiz and Jason Varitek. The fact that they were unable to convince him to join their quest to stay alive in the East shows just how badly Damon believes he was treated on the way out the door by the organization and the fans. Given the joyful welcome home he received at Yankee Stadium recently, it's hard to imagine him turning down a similar opportunity to return to New York if it had come to that.
The Yankees should be relieved Damon opted to stay in Detroit. No question a Damon return to Boston would have been great for the Rivalry, but it would not have been good for the Yankees from a baseball perspective. Knowing how clutch Damon is, the last thing they needed to see was him at the plate for Boston with runners on base during what will be key games against the Red Sox down the stretch.
So Damon stays in Detroit where he can't do much to interfere with the Bombers' march toward another berth in the baseball playoffs. For the Yankees, that's for the best.
Thanks to Ken N and Mattingly23 via Wikipedia for the photo.
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