Thread: Damon's dad: Boston pulls Ruthian blunder

BY SAM BORDEN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Despite the hair and beard, Johnny Damon should fit right in with his new Yankee teammates, especially salary-wise. If his dad is right, Johnny Damon one day will take spot in Monument Park as Yanks' latest Boston tormentor. Johnny Damon helped the Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino, but could his own defection to the Bronx be the start of a new hex?

His father certainly thinks so.

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."

Whether or not that's true, there is no denying Damon is the highest-profile player to switch sides in baseball's biggest rivalry over the past few years. The Yanks had their eyes on the 32-year-old since last season ended, but unlike years past when they zeroed in on an obvious target and blew away the competition, the Bombers laid back in pursuing Damon; as recently as last weekend, many Yankee officials still thought Damon would end up re-signing with Boston.

But he didn't. The official announcement of his four-year, $52 million deal, pending a physical, is likely to come tomorrow. Damon, who spoke to Joe Torre and Jason Giambi during the recruiting process, had a 15-minute phone conversation with George Steinbrenner yesterday that The Boss characterized as "good," according to spokesman Howard Rubenstein and the center fielder isn't expected to have any problems meeting Steinbrenner's rigid restrictions on appearance. His famed long hair and beard will be cut. "I didn't really like it," Damon's mother, Yome, said. "The long hair, I was okay with it. The beard, I can be happy that he won't have it anymore."

Jimmy Damon added that Steinbrenner's rules "are great. As a former Army man, I think it's terrific. When we would come watch (the Red Sox against the Devil Rays) in St. Petersburg, I'd always want to sneak into Johnny's hotel room and cut his hair and beard myself."

The flowing locks and facial hair were big parts of Damon's celebrity in Boston. The love from the fans was the main reason his mother was so stunned when she heard that her son had opted to leave Boston. "Everybody loves him there," she said. "I was very surprised."

Jimmy Damon wasn't as shocked. He said he had seen Johnny (and his wife, Michelle) a few times a week this winter and even though his son never indicated he might sign with the Yankees, Jimmy just had a lingering feeling.

"I've seen how George Steinbrenner works," the elder Damon said. "I knew he wanted Johnny and I felt that he would somehow end up getting him. I just didn't think the Red Sox would let him go. He's worth so much to them, not just on the field but in everything they do. I really thought they'd come up with whatever it took to keep him."

In the end, the Red Sox weren't even close. They were hoping to get Damon, who made $8.25 million last season, for four years and $40 million but now have to look for a new center fielder, a new leadoff hitter and a new symbol of their team.

"He was one of the most marketable players in baseball," Sox president Larry Lucchino said yesterday. "In some ways, he was the personification of the franchise and we will miss him."

Damon, in an interview with WBZ television in Boston, said he understands what his legacy in Boston will be.

"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."

Although Damon will be surrounded by stars in the Bronx, his father believes fans will immediately embrace him. "The Yankees are going to win it with Johnny in there," the proud father said, adding later, "I think Boston will always remember the day they let him leave."
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Don't shoot the messenger Red sox nation, but his pops seems a little crazy comparing him to the Babe.

Apparently, Johnny Damon gets his intelligence (or lack of it) from dad.