Happy New Year!

From Harley and Eveyone at BDD

Ryan's Hope

"Here's what John Henry should know.

"His fans are dazed, confused, and more than a little annoyed that the front office seems to be under some sort of Bronx-cast spell. They see a team adrift, and they are very unhappy..."

"But get somebody -- not Larry Lucchino -- out front. The fans aren't buying the Ben Cherington/Jed Hoyer thing. It makes them nervous. So, John Henry, stop with the Fantasy League prep for five minutes and take care of business here." -- 12.31.05, Bob Ryan, Boston Globe

WWJDFD?*
*What Would Jilted Damon Fans Do?

Burn Baby Burn: Damon Inferno is Sweeping the Nation

(We Don't Know What They're Thinking Either)

"3 Johnny Damon t-shirts = $60.00
Cooking Pot = $9.99
Gasoline = $2.75
Burning Johnny Damon shirts on Christmas Eve? ...Priceless!"
-- Deidre Straley

Wilbur: Birds of a Whether
Marlins Sign Pokey-Woulda-Had-It
The Gotham Baseball Guys and Their Rumors Just Won't Quit

Disgruntled Shortstop Miguel Tejada
is 'More Upset' with Orioles

Cowboy: Grow Up

Millar Thinks Talk Shows Influenced Theo's Thinking; Blames WEEI for Breakup of World Series Sox

'We didn't give a (expletive) what people thought.' -- Kevin Millar

"'Where's the loyalty? Mark Bellhorn hits two of the biggest home runs in franchise history, but, sorry buddy, WEEI (850 AM sports talk radio) is wearing you about striking out, so you've got to go.'

'One thing I will never understand is how in Boston a radio station can control what a team does,' said Millar. 'We had something working, but then there was the constant pressure from talk radio.'"

"'I have been watching it from the get-go. I watched it with Derek Lowe. I saw it happen with Nomar (Garciaparra). I saw it happen with Pedro (Martinez). I saw it in 2004 when everybody was saying we needed a defensive first baseman. That is probably part of the reason they don't win. That's what made our group so special, because we didn't give a (expletive) what people thought.'" -- 12.29.05, Rob Bradford, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune

Seattle's Best Offer?

"An East Coast source said the Mariners are offering pitcher Gil Meche as well as center fielder Jeremy Reed, in an effort to obtain one of Boston's prized pitching prospects, Jon Lester (a Puyallup native) or Jonathan Papelbon, in a trade." -- 12.29.05, Seattle Times
(12.29.05: "It simply won't happen" -- Rob Bradford, Eagle-Tribune on WEEI)

Orioles Sign Burnitz; Set to Keep Tejada?

"'There is absolutely no deal we find acceptable to trade this very special player to another team,' an Orioles official said." -- 12.28.05, Orioles sign Burnitz

ESPN Rumor Central: "The Orioles are seriously weighing a proposal from the Red Sox of Manny Ramirez and Matt Clement for Miguel Tejada, ESPN's Peter Gammons reports. Baltimore will weigh other discussions -- Philadelphia, the White Sox and Houston are also in on Tejada -- and decide early next week which way to go. They want a star in return for Tejada. Ramirez is better suited for Camden Yards. Tejada's agents are pushing for Boston so he can be united with good friend David Ortiz."

Can Sox Get Shorty?

Tale of Two Tejada Trades

Will the O's Take Clement and Manny?

Even with Clement and Manny, Tejada Remains a Long Shot: "The Red Sox, according to one source, have made one of the most intriguing offers - outfielder Manny Ramirez and starting pitcher Matt Clement for Tejada - but several high-ranking Orioles officials remain opposed to trading the team's best player within the American League East.

"The Cubs, who are offering a package anchored by ace right-hander Mark Prior, are believed to be the most aggressive suitor for Tejada at this point, but the two teams still haven't come close to reaching an agreement on any deal, according to sources. The Orioles are believed to prefer Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano over Prior, and they also are reluctant to part with left-hander Erik Bedard in the deal." -- 12.28.05, Baltimore Sun

Manny to Mets in Four-Way Deal?

'Tis the Season for the Four-Way Trade Rumors on the Internet (File Under: Not Happening): "Multiple independent baseball sources have told GB that the Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays are working on a four-team megadeal that would send -- eventually -- Miguel Tejada to the Red Sox, Kris Benson and Julio Lugo to the Orioles, Aaron Heilman and prospects to the Devil Rays, and Manny Ramirez to the Mets.

"We've been able to piece together some aspects of the deal, but they are subject to change as the teams continue to communicate with one other.

"Mets would send Heilman and (Kaz) Matsui (and $5 million) to Tampa Bay for Lugo. Then New York would send Lugo, Kris Benson, Brian Bannister and Victor Diaz to Baltimore for Tejada, and then send Tejada to the Red Sox for Manny Ramirez." -- 12.28.05, GothamBaseball.com Rumor Mill

Wilbur: Roger on the Rebuild
Wilbur: Blue Thunder
Mets Sign Chad Bradford

Rough Outing for Reardon

UMass Alum and Former Sox Reliever Charged with Robbery
(Get Well Soon Jeff)

Millwood? Sox Wouldn't

Sox Won't Go Past Three Years; Millwood Goes to Texas
(Turns Out He Can't Play Center, Short, or First Anyway)

Jacoby's Ladder

Rush to Judgment in Center?: "If I were the Red Sox, I’d take Jacoby (Ellsbury) to (major league) training camp in February. If he’d get 50 at-bats during spring training, they’d find he is a lot closer to being big-league ready than they thought. He’d probably hit .250 and steal some bases and play well defensively and they’d go, ‘Wow.’" -- 12.27.05, OSU Coach Pat Casey

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Nation,
We were angry that Johnny gave in to New York’s temptation;
Our Red Stockings were hung when Damon took the dare,
(After Manny told him to get the hell out of here);

The GMs were nervous all snug in their beds,
While visions of an irate Larry Lucchino danced in their heads;
Praying for the return of Theo and their fleeing stars,
Window lights were left on; the doors were ajar;

When down in the Crown Royal room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed as it must be some pressing matter;
Away to the tube, turning NESN on in a flash,
I saw the whole GM committee, Charles trying to make a big splash;

Larry stands up to speak, no time for hello,
He’s reporting “Manny to the Mets” is finally a go;
We get a No. 1 prospect, that’s the whole deal,
Now there’s a hole in left field, this all seems unreal;

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But that getaway gorilla and John Henry in the rear;
He stepped out of his costume, looked ready to attack,
This is the big moment, Theo Epstein was back;

More rapid than Roberts his ops guys they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Kapstein! now, Hoyer! now, James and Cherington!
On, Lajoie! on Shipley! on, Jauss and O’Halloran!
To the top of the list! Time to make some calls!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

Players leaving in droves, after the Series flag fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, they take to the sky,
Can Theo trade Wells and poor Matt Clement?
Losing faith in our genius? And his money well spent?

More holes than Swiss cheese, and no idea how to fill ‘em
The fans upset, and miss Manny, Mueller, and Damon;
So down to spring training to Ft. Myers they flew,
With the roster full of boys, and old free agents too.

And then, in a twinkling, he came to the mound,
The prancing and pawing of this new throwing hound,
Laying his finger aside of the seam,
No blisters now thanks to Stan’s Rodeo Cream

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
He went into his windup; then turned with a jerk,
As he threw out his hand, and was coming around,
Down towards home plate, the ball took off with a bound;

He threw like the old Rocket, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment, Beckett was starting to click;
His heater’s mid-nineties, the curve ball has bite,
Let’s mark him down for nine innings a night!

With some new guy in center, A fill-in at short,
A no-name at first, forget run support
But then just like before, Papi let the ball fly,
‘Tek threw out base stealers, hit long drives through the sky,
Lowell had the old stroke back, when he hit ‘em they flew,
They all batted around, Alex Cora too;

I sprang to my feet, to the team gave a whistle,
They circled the bases, Josh threw another missile;
The good times were back for our rebuilt ballclub,

"NO MATTER WHO LEAVES BOSTON, PENNANT FEVER STILL GRIPS HUB"

Damon Got Scrooged

Sox Brass Blew It with Three-Year Offer

"According to Damon, that realization hit in November, when Boston made its first offer, which Boras confirmed to be three years and $27 million.

"'I knew I became a free agent after I got the three-year offer,' Damon said.

"Boras echoed that sentiment, saying, 'I don't think he ever considered leaving before receiving that offer'"

"The Sox' only apparent action on the matter this past week was to impose a deadline of Christmas Eve for Damon to accept their offer or watch it expire. Damon said he got that news at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, a few hours before committing to the Yankees, and 'it didn't sit well with me.'

"At that point, he knew $40 million 'was their last offer . . . I thought I was more important there. I know to the fans I was.'

'''I think there was, there could have been, division [within the front office],' Damon said. 'That's what brings me here today. These guys know what direction they're taking, [they] know exactly what's going on.'"

"Cashman phoned Damon over the weekend.

'''At that point,' Cashman said, 'he was disgruntled with how the process had gone with the Red Sox negotiation for whatever reason, but he was also honest in the fact that he had a very strong bond with that fan base. Separating himself from that Red Sox Nation -- and I thought this from the very beginning -- was going to be more difficult than getting him away from the Red Sox team. That was the biggest hurdle.'" -- 12.24.05, Chris Snow, Boston Globe

Manny Shooting His Way Out of Town: Tells Damon to Go to NY
"Manny said, 'You should go to New York,' Michelle Damon told The Post." -- 12.24.05, NY Post

Father Knows Best?

"Mark it down: It's going to be another Babe Ruth. 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. The Yankees are going to win it with Johnny in there. I think Boston will always remember the day they let him leave." -- 12.22.05, Jimmy Damon (Johnny Damon's father)

Johnny Cash
Walks Over the Line

And Enters the Ring of Fire

Johnny Dapp

Clean-Cut Damon Puts On the Pinstripes
Photo Gallery: Heeeere's JohnNY!
Damon Talks About Being a Yankee

"There are some upset players over there (in Boston)."

Rock Star Talk Was Cheap Trick

Damon: 'There's no way I can go play for the Yankees'

Red Sox Fans Feel Betrayed by Damon
Sox Fans Begrudge Gift to Yankees
A Hairy Predicament for Sox Fans
Damon Departure All the Buzz
End of the Love Affair

Will it Be Stern in Center? Cora at Short?
Pioneer Press: 'Forget About Hunter Going to Red Sox'
Sun Times: Sox Talking to Cubs About Patterson

The Latest Buzz: Sox Keep Movin' on Wells
Talking to Dodgers About Pitchers Yhency Brazoban or
Duaner Sanchez, 3B Willy Aybar, and 1B Hee-Seop Choi
or SS Cesar Izturis in Possible David Wells Deal

Yankee Clipping

He's New York's Fair-Haired Boy

It's Johnny's Bad Hair Day

Clipped Johnny is Now on the Spot
In the Bronx, Johnny Be Good
Photo Gallery: Damon in New York

Sox Strike Back at Empire!

Boston Steals Backup Catcher John Flaherty

Johnny Appleseed

He'll Take Manhattan

Good Riddance Johnny

Sung to the tune of Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day

Another long drawn out Scott Boras episode
George grabs him by the wrist, directs him where to go
So take the cash and defect to the other side
It's not a question, because we know the reason why

Johnny left for the money, his agent by his side
I hope you had the time of your life.

The Damon photographs now cost $1.99
Cardboard cutouts are half off for a limited time
No more Michelle hosting NESN's show "In Style"
We'll watch you fade and then get old in those pinstripes

Johnny left for the money, his agent by his side
I hope you had the time of your life.

-- BDD lyrics / Jared Pellegrini

Damon Shirt on the Hot Seat:
'My Sensible Reaction to Johnny Damon Signing with the Yanks'
CBS4 Video: Dan Roche Talks to Johnny About Leaving Boston
CBS2 Video: One-On-One With Johnny Damon in New York

Damon to the Dark Side

Hench: Good Riddance Johnny
'I hope you had the time of your life'

"Good riddance, Johnny Damon, self-proclaimed American idiot.

"Though I suppose it was hardly unpredictable that the New York Yankees would overpay a star player as he heads into the decline phase of his career, I guess I thought Damon might be the one guy who could resist the siren call of Delilah.

"But no, just as Samson was seduced and betrayed by that treacherous woman, so, too, has Damon capitulated to the overtures of the dark side. Delilah had to coax Samson to sleep in her lap before she had a Philistine shave off his strength-inducing locks. Damon, presumably, will willingly submit to George Steinbrenner's shears as he joins Goliath — after helping slay that particular Philistine in 2004.

"Samson's hair had been a symbol of his covenant with God. Damon's hair had been a symbol of his covenant with good in its unending opposition to the Evil Empire. After being shorn, Samson awoke to find that both God and his strength had left him. Will Damon suffer the same fate? (For the sake of Red Sox Nation, he must.)

"Sapped of his strength, Samson was captured, blinded and sent to grind meal in the prison house at Gaza. Damon — blinded by Steinbrenner's millions and Scott Boras' wild exaggerations — has now also been captured, pulled in by the Death Star's tractor beam..."
-- Kevin Hench, continued at FOXSports.com

Damon Chokes Up

Johnny Puts Sox on the Spot: "I know fans are upset. I’m sorry. It wasn’t even close and obviously the money looks like a huge factor, but the fact that they wanted me real bad, they courted me. There was a 6-year offer for more money than the Yankees. I’m walking away from $25 million from another team, so I can play for four years in New York... It was difficult with many other people gone... trainers, players, Millar screaming at the top of his lungs ... (chokes back tears) ... that’s the stuff I’m going to miss," Johnny Damon told CBS4's Dan Roche Wednesday night from his home in Orlando, Fla.

"I was just trying to get the best offer," Damon said.

On NESN's "Red Sox Now," Damon said the Yankees came back with a five year offer and another team offered six years and more money. They (Damon and Boras) decided a four-year deal was better as it offered more guaranteed money, “I’ll be 37 (at the end of the contract), a lot of 37-year-olds are getting (nice) 2-3 year contracts… they (Yankees) kept everything quiet, possibly came in and stole me… After the last contact with the Red Sox (Tuesday night), it wasn’t going to happen… even teammates for the Red Sox all felt like this was the right decision… I tried last offseason (to get a deal done), for part of the season up until the All-Star break, I tried, up until yesterday… I wish them the best. John, Tom, and Larry…Those owners are great people… hopefully they can get on track (on Yawkey Way).”

Sox Left Hanging

Sox Lose Damon to Yankees:
Lucchino, Cherington, and Hoyer Face the Nation

Christmas Leave: Sox Set Deadline to Pull Offer

How did this transpire? Did you guys pull your offer, a four year, $40 million deal, off the table?

Lucchino: We did not. What we did do was to say that we wanted this thing to be resolved by Christmas (Eve.) and it would expire at that time if we weren't able to reach an agreement, and we were talking about the offer that we made on Dec. 6.

The offer that you made to Scott Boras in Dallas. Did you ever make a subsequent offer or was that the last offer?

Lucchino: We... I think it's fair to say that we left the door ajar for a subsequent formal offer. What we did in Dallas was a formal written offer. We never sent another formal written offer.

Did they ever make a counter proposal back?

Lucchino: This is what we were hoping to avoid wasn't it Jed? In and out and this and that... There's a danger if we get into this that it leads to kind of an editorial comment on how they conducted the negotiations or how we conducted the negotiations. As Jed said earlier, we don't see that to be fruitful at this stage.

Just to clarify, for the Christmas (Eve) deadline, was that just for the offer you presented on December 6th?

Lucchino: It was. But there was a suggestion that we were eager to sit down and talk further and do that by the end of... by Christmas Eve.

You needed an answer one way or another?

Lucchino: No, no... we said we wanted... it was an invitation to have further discussions in hopes of getting that done by Christmas Eve.

Did they ever respond to that?

Lucchino: Not to me they did not.

Is this something that is done? Setting a deadline like that?

Lucchino: I think it happens with some frequency and again it was not for arbitrary reasons, it was because we had an offer out there for several weeks and we needed to know and Christmas time is not an illogical time before baseball shuts down for a week or 10 days as it always does to have a sense of whether you have a deal or don't have a deal. -- 12.21.05, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino

Co-incidence?

Sox Co-GMs Caught By Surprise

The Great Unknown

Red Sox co-GM's Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington spoke to the media Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. via conference call, just a few hours before the news of Damon's departure broke.

Where are you guys at with Johnny? Waiting to hear from him?

-- Jed Hoyer: “As far as where the ball is on the court right now, I’d say we never really talk about how that process is going. I think it is a negotiation. It’s ongoing. But I think that obviously now with him rejecting arbitration that puts a bit of a deadline on it. So, there is a deadline to the negotiation but I think that things are still progressing well. We’re still having a lot of conversations with Scott and at least from our vantage point, those are very productive."

-- "The dialogue… we’ve had a lot of dialogue with Scott. I think that I would expect that dialogue will probably pick up a little bit as we get closer to the deadline… there are more teams that have traded for or signed center fielders, so the market in some ways is clearer. There are more knowns now than unknowns. As far as the actual negotiation, I still think that something that’s sort of between the Red Sox and Scott and Johnny so I would hesitate to talk about how that impacts the negotiation but sure obviously the further we go down this road the more things become known and the fewer things are unknown."

-- "Our absolute priority is to bring Johnny back and have him in center field next year but it would be irresponsible if we just sat back and didn’t explore alternatives in case we cannot make that happen, so yeah we’re always working on both fronts and there’s no question that as the winter goes on some of these fronts go away. It is a very delicate balance, it’s something we face in some way, shape, or form every offseason."

Here's JohnNY!

The Pinstripes Pinhead

"We're going to be tough to beat... Our policy with the Yankees is to go out there and win... Our job is to try to win another American League East title and hopefully we can go back to the World Series and bring another championship..." -- 12.20.05, Johnny Damon

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

"We were notified at 11:55 tonight that Damon had accepted an offer from the Yankees."
-- 12.20.05, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino in an e-mail to The Associated Press

ROCK STAR SHOCKS SOX;
JED&BEN LET JOHNNY DAMON
SLIP AWAY TO THE YANKEES

Angry Nation Stunned and Chagrined;
There's Another Big Hole in Our Sox
Johnny Damon has agreed to a 4-year, $52 million contract with the Bronx Bombers

Edes/Snow: Damon Jumps to Yankees
Shaughnessy: For Sox, A Little Off the Top

"This signing will polarize the Nation. Most fans will paint the current Sox bosses as buffoons and there's good evidence to support the charge. But others will see Damon as a traitor, a mercenary ballplayer no different than Messrs. Clemens or Boggs. Damon went to the Yankees because they offered him $52 million over four years while the Sox offered $40 million over four." -- 12.21.05, Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

Survey: Who's to Blame in the Damon Debacle?
Photo Gallery: Possible Replacements in Center
Your Turn: Sound Off on the Sox Losing Johnny Damon to the Yankees

Johnny Pleads His Case

12.20.05: Johnny Damon spoke to television station CBS4 Boston on Tuesday night:

"It was a very tough decision but New York came after me aggressively and that's what sealed the deal. They showed that they really wanted me, and I tried with Boston for them to try and step up but unfortunately they didn't and now I'm headed to New York, something that I wasn't quite sure would happen but I'm very excited. The players were calling me and trying to recruit me. They did a heck of a job doing it. It's with mixed emotions. I'm very happy to be starting a new career and sad to say bye to some of the greatest fans in the world. Unfortunately they had to see this day but it's time for me to move forward.

"We know George Steinbrenner's reputation. We know George Steinbrenner’s reputation. He always wants to have the best players, and I think he showed that tonight. He and Brian Cashman came after me hard and now I'm part of the Yankees and that great lineup an