Goodbye Johnny

Well, I was awakened by my 7 year old nephew with the news: Johnny Damon signs with the Yankees. My initial reaction was shock and disgust. Not our Johnny...

But then I started reading some of the news reports. It soon became clear: it's all about the money. Within minutes, he's talking about "our" mission - us being the Yankees, of course. Face it: he was a superstar in the little town of Boston, but how many pumpkins can throw out of the Ritz Carlton before you get bored? He's ready for the big city - and I'm sure he and Michelle will be featured daily in the Page Six column.

Or so he thinks. Just wait until the Yankee "faithful" watch him throw in from center! And will he, like Sampson, lose his star power once the hair and beard are gone?

And how's this for high self-esteem:
"A good leadoff hitter is tough to find, and I think that New York just found the best leadoff hitter in the game," he told WBZ.

And said former RS teammate - and now current Yankee teammate - Mike Myers: "I think he'd fit in great in the clubhouse, even though I don't know what the clubhouse is."

And that's the question. On paper, the Yanks are looking pretty scary - but one has to wonder how that gang is going to mix. Imagine Jeter - Captain Intangibles - trying to maintain order in a clubhouse that includes A-Rod, Damon, Farnsworth... Sounds combustible to me. I hope Torre got a deal with Metamucil this year like Francona had last year.

[What I found funny about the above cover was the opposite (front) cover. The headline read "Mad as Hell." That seems to describe some of the Fenway Faithful's reaction!]