Johnny Damon Is No Babe Ruth
Sorry Jimmy (as in Jimmy Damon), your son is no Babe Ruth. I know you are biased, but let’s inject some reality into the situation here and get some friggin’ perspective. In a phone interview with the Daily News yesterday, Damon’s dad said he wasn’t particularly surprised to see his son end up in pinstripes and warned that Sox officials will lament the day they let Damon go. “Mark it down: It’s going to be another Babe Ruth,” Jimmy Damon told The News from his Florida home. “They sent Johnny off just like they sent off Babe Ruth. It’s going to be another big, big mistake. They made the biggest mistake of their lives. Vomit. Honestly, letting a legally retarded lead off hitter with no speed and an arm like a girl, go to the Yankees for $52 million at the age of 32 has so little in common with the Ruth move, that is is beyond laughable. Ruth sent 714 balls over the fence, and hit .342 lifetime, over a twenty two year career. Oh yeah, for good measure, he also won 94 games and had an ERA of 2.28 over ten years as a starting pitcher. Yes, Damon produced a lot of runs for the sox and brought something to the park every day in his hustle, his style, and his persona that will be missed…but the only way he is going to end up in monument park, is if Stienbrenner asks him to go weed the area around the bust of Lou Gehrig. Let’s be real. He will have some good years in NYC, no doubt. But he is going from being a big fish in a medium sized pond, to just another guy in the biggest pond in the world. Not to mention, that he will arrive stripped of his signature beard and hair that together were responsible for 97% of his fame and notoriety here. Its like hiring Dane Cook to perform, and telling him “Hey Dane, if you could just tone it down with the energy and sit here on this stool while you tell your jokes in a quiet monotone, that’d be great.”…it just ain’t the same. Nobody cares about Johnny Damon without the look. Hell, I barely cared about him with the look. One thing I love about Boston sports, is that as soon as someone skips town for another team (especially the Yankees), EVERYTHING they did here is forgotten. With one move, Damon went from being the most beloved athlete in the city, to the devil himself. “I know I’ll always be remembered for Game 7 (against the Yanks) to help get us to the World Series, and I know I’m also going to be remembered for jumping sides.” Um…yah. Game seven? Doesn’t ring a bell anymore Johnny. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that most people are going to remember you more for the latter. I’m no Jimmy Nostradamus Damon, but that’s just MY prediction. Enjoy New York, and no one is pissed that you left. We just are disappointed you didn’t take Kevin Millar with you.
