Damon says no to Red Sox
The hopes of a reunion with one of the original “Idiots” in Beantown came to an end as outfielder Johnny Damon denied a trade to his former Fenway fraternity saying he loved Detroit and wanted to stay. Damon signed with the Tigers this off-season and feels the team still has a chance to make a run at the post-season despite being under .500.
When news broke out that the Red Sox had claimed Damon off of waivers, Damon’s former team mates in Boston, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek, tried to persuade Damon to rejoin the Sox: "They told me they wanted a spark," Damon said.
Ortiz and Varitek said that there were no hard feelings with Damon and they were still friends. Damon’s regarded as not only a good player, but a great team mate and would have fit right in with the Red Sox clubhouse.
"I don't know the particulars of what went into his decision, and I'm not going to claim to know that. I do know Johnny loved playing here and he loved his time here and he flourished during that time." Varitek said of him speaking with Damon.
Damon had said all along that he was leaning towards staying in Detroit, not wanting to bring his family for a six-week stay in Boston. He also added that if the Tigers weren’t going to play him much for the season, then he would likely have returned to Boston. Tigers Manager Jim Leyland said Damon will play down the stretch but had told Damon to make the best decision for himself. Damon chose to stay, feeling the team still has a shot at the play-offs. They are currently ten games behind the Minnesota Twins for the lead in the AL Central.
"I feel like we're not out of it yet," he said. "At least we can make some kind of run."
Sadly for the Red Sox clamouring a reunion with one of the originals of their first World Series run in 86 years, the reunion will not happen. Damon had the Red Sox on the list of one of the teams he could veto a trade to and he exercised that right. His falling out with management and his strained relationship with the Red Sox faithful likely weighed in on his decision to stay in Detroit. Damon, 36, is a free agent at the end of the season and is saying he’d like to resign with the Tigers, but there are no guarantees.
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