Thread: Damon's Replacement Wants to Make Own Mark

By HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Coco Crisp reported to the Red Sox on Friday with very short hair and a slender body. Johnny Damon, he's not.
That's just fine with Crisp, the replacement for the shaggy-locked center fielder who had a cult-like following and a camera-ready smile before leaving Boston for the New York Yankees.
"He's a good ballplayer and I guess we have some similarities there," the cheerful Crisp said. "Everybody's talking about Johnny Damon, not the person before him."
The implication being that, as the season progresses, fans won't talk much about the person who came before Crisp.

"I'm not interested in making the Damon-Crisp comparison because I don't think it's really pertinent or fair," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "This kid's at a different time in his career. ... We're going to see probably the best years of his career."
Damon's departure as a free agent after four years with the Red Sox was a jolt to fans, especially because he signed with the rival Yankees. But at 32, he's six years older than Crisp. And despite his chiseled physique, he has suffered injuries that affected his play, including a bad left shoulder that hampered his throwing.
He did hit .316 last season, the second highest average of his career. Crisp batted .300 to raise his career batting average to .287 in four seasons, all with Cleveland.
With Boston, Crisp must adjust from batting second and playing left field last season to leading off and playing center field, the position he held in 2004 before Grady Sizemore took over there.

He also has to meet his new teammates.
"It's fun and weird because it's all so new," Crisp said. "The whole internet thing, that works for pretty much anything now, so go on there and look at the Boston Red Sox Web site and match the faces to the names and then come back in and pretend like I know everybody."
One teammate, reliever Mike Timlin, knows Crisp from pitching against him.
"He's a tough little hitter. He's got great speed. He makes good contact," Timlin said. "Watching him on the defensive side, watching him go get the ball, he's pretty awesome. He's got good speed there. He's got very good reactions to the ball."
His numbers have increased in several categories in each of his four seasons - games, at bats, runs, hits, doubles, homers, batting average and total bases.
Crisp has the speed to steal bases, but was not asked to do it much in Cleveland and probably won't have to run a lot with the Red Sox, another very conservative base-stealing team.
"If they have a similar plan for me over here then that's what I'll do. If they give me the green light and say just run and get to second and let the big guys hit you in from there, then I'll do that," Crisp said. "I feel like I could steal 40 or 50 bases in a season if I was allowed to."
He's expected to hit in front of second baseman Mark Loretta, followed by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.
He also expects to be a crowd pleaser.
"I'm a good person," Crisp said. "I go out there and like to have fun and clown around with the fans and everybody and just be myself. I'm a grounded person, so just go out there and have fun with everybody."
Just like Damon.
"Coco is going to play the game like he plays the game. You know everybody wants him to play like Johnny Damon played the game," Timlin said. "You're not supposed to be somebody else. Be you."
Notes:@Curt Schilling made his first appearance in camp, two days before the first official workout for pitchers and catchers. He played catch with pitcher Jon Papelbon, then refused to talk with reporters after saying he would. ... 2B Tony Graffanino and backup catchers Josh Bard and Ken Huckaby also reported. ... General manager Theo Epstein chatted with several players in the clubhouse and planned to address the media on Saturday in a group for the first time since he returned to his job late last month.

Originally Posted by Triple Threat

Given that the Indians came within a couple of games of making the playoffs and are considered a potential playoff team again this year, why did they trade Crisp if he's that good?

The Sox had to give up Andy Marte, who by all accounts is one of the top prospects in MLB. They also gave up Kelly Shoppach, who will probably be a solid MLB backup catcher for a long time. Coco didn't come at a cheap price.