Johnny Damon Becomes New Yankee Centerfielder

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Johnny Damon Becomes New Yankee Centerfielder

By Jack Lepiarz
Dec. 24, 2005

In July of 2004, I took my father to a Yankees-Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium for Father's Day. Sitting in the bleachers, I watched happily as the Red Sox took batting practice, and as Johnny Damon, sporting shaggy long hair and a beard, sprinted around the outfield. Half an hour later, he would hit a leadoff home run. He would start the second inning the same way.

If you had told me then that he might become a New York Yankee, I would have laughed. I would have told you that Manny Ramirez would be a Yankee long before Damon ever donned the pinstripes. And now look what's happened. Manny wants to be traded, and Damon is now making 13 million dollars a year as the Yankee centerfielder. What happened? Last May he adamantly declared that he would never leave Boston to go to the Yankees. Now he's picked my team over Boston for an extra four million dollars. How will I be able to cheer for someone that I booed mercilessly not 4 months ago? How will I feel when a Boston player--the enemy--replaces the beloved Bernie Williams in centerfield? How will the fans react? How will the Yankees react?

I worry that this might be another attempt by George Steinbrenner to buy his way into the World Series, something he unsuccessfully tried to do throughout the 80's and early nineties. The greatest Yankee team of 1998 did not feature any major stars--at least by my standards. All of the Yankees then were exceptional players--Paul O'neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius--but none of them were league-reknowned superstars like Ken Griffey Jr. or Mark McGwire. The Yankees had a great pitching staff, but still, nobody really stood out as the leader of the team. Everyone seemed to be equals on the field. Now, the team seems a jumble of superstars, from Jason Giambi, to Alex Rodriguez, to what now seems to be Johnny Damon. On the other hand, maybe he's just what the Yankees need to complete the Championship puzzle (I personally think it's dependable pitching and defensive ability, one of which Damon possesses).

April should be interesting.

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About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a senior at Madison High School. Born in Waco, Texas, he lived with the Big Apple Circus for much of his early childhood, eventually moving to Madison, New Jersey, where he now resides. Although he is often described as stubborn and egotistical, he tries to keep an open-mind towards new ideas and treat people the way he would like to be treated.

Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com

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