Even after his heroic World Series performance with the Yankees last season, Johnny Damon's name was beginning to fade from relevance this season. Damon was having a decent year at the plate, batting a respectable .272, but he was stuck on the Detroit Tigers, a team that is months removed from any sort of serious contention. Many, including myself, were saddened by Damon's fall from grace in Detroit. Here was a guy with lots of productivity left in the tank, who was perhaps bound to end his career with a whimper on a mediocre team. All of this changed yesterday, when the Boston Red Sox claimed Johnny Damon on waivers. Damon, who spent the glory years of his accomplished career as a much-celebrated member of the Sox, left Boston to join the arch-rival Yankees in 2007. When he left, there was acrimony in the streets of Boston. Damon quickly went from hero to villain. The Red Sox did win another World Series in 2007, without Damon. But Damon had the last laugh, playing an integral role on last season's World Series-champion New York Yankees. All of this juicy backstory lends a sense of compelling uncertainty to this current development: Will Johnny Damon say yes to Boston and reunite with his old team?
Here's hoping the answer is yes. Damon, while still a viable threat at the plate, is indeed aging, and he is unlikely to bolster the Red Sox past the Rays in the AL Wild Card standings. However, I hope Damon decides to waive his no-trade clause to Boston simply because it would make for awesome sports drama. Damon, back at Fenway, the place where some of the most cherished memories of his career lie. It would be only fitting for him to end his career in Beantown. So I'm asking Johnny Damon to do the most compelling thing, and say yes to re-joining the Boston Red Sox.
*(Shortly after the completion of this blog post, Johnny Damon said no to Boston and announced that he will be staying in Detroit. Great timing, Tommy, great timing.)
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