Monday, May 01, 2006

Return of the World Series Champ

The current headline at Dirt Dogs reads "Stand. Because he delivered." I couldn't agree more. If you read anything I write, you're probably thinking to yourself, wait, what?! This guy has been doing nothing but ripping on Damon since he left, and now he's saying we should stand at the game?? Yep.

I want to set something straight, I was expressing my distaste for the choices Johnny made after his contract was up in Boston (namely signing with the Yankees), not my distaste for what he did while he was here. Lets recap, he played hard, everyday. He crashed into outfield walls, and even Damian Jackson. He was the best leadoff man in the game for four seasons (and probably still is) on one of the best offenses in the league. He was a team guy, who always stood up for his teammates, and was the first one to take the blame for the Sox going down 3-0 to the Yankees in the '04 ALCS. Oh yeah, he also helped the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series title in 86 years. EIGHTY-SIX years of heartbreak, of losing, erased in one single moment. Not because of one guy, not because of five guys, because of every player that donned a Red Sox uniform that season, including Johnny Damon.

Now assume for a minute that Johnny Damon had retired. Or assume that he had gone to "just any other team" like say, the Dodgers, or the Reds. There wouldn't be a single boo in Fenway Park. Boo Raffy Palmiero because he made you believe with all your heart that he never took steroids and then failed a drug test. Or boo a guy who doesn't care if the team wins or loses more than he cares about his next paycheck. But don't boo Johnny Damon. Get rid of your Damon memorabilia, burn his book, or turn your back on him when he's not playing in Fenway, but don't boo.

A lot of players have come through Boston over the years. Some have left good impressions, and some have left nothing but a bad taste. But all have left something, because Boston fans are anything but forgetful. Any Boston fan can vividly recall Fisk's homer just as easily as they can recall the ball going through Buckner's legs.

There are certain players in Boston that are remembered above all others. What do guys like Larry Legend, Roger Clemens and Cam Neely have in common? They were consummate professionals, and relentless competitors. Every game to them was game 7 in the finals. There was no such thing as a meaningless game, or taking a night off. Winning was at the top of the list. Sure they were making plenty of money, but when they were playing, it wasn't about that paycheck, it was about having more points on their side of the scoreboard than the other team had on theirs at the end of the game.

Sounds a lot like Damon huh? So when he stands at the plate for his first at bat Monday night, if you're among the lucky to have a ticket to the game, take a minute to stand, clap a couple of times, and send a few cheers his way if you're so inclined. Because regardless of what you might think of him now, regardless of what you believe about his choice to end up in New York, and regardless of the uniform he's wearing when he steps onto the field, he's earned it. Though his allegience might currently be elsewhere, wearing a Sox uniform for four years meant something to him, and in Boston, that should mean something to us.