Yankees-Red Sox

Well, the first Yankees-Red Sox game is tonight, and I'll be watching, any which way I can. There will be a little less urgency this time, after the "Greatest thing that has happened to anyone ever" (as Blake is contractually obligated to refer to the 2004 ALCS) occured, ending a bit of the "Woe is me" feeling of the event. And with Wakefield pitching for the Red Sox, any hit batsmen will be unlikely to inspire any feelings of ill will...so less odds of a fight. Plus with Pedro gone, odds are against any elderly people being involved in fights.

However! There is a subplot here...that being Johnny Damon's uniform tonight. Yes, he's a Yankee, in a turn of events that was about as obvious as an episode of "Yes, Dear". Anyways, what exactly will happen...as this game is going to be in Fenway. Will there be boos? Will there be cheers? Will cups be thrown? Who knows, but It'll be fun to see anyways.

Now if I were in the stands, I wouldn't be terribly torn. Truth be told, I was never that keen of Damon, and I always felt he was a little overrated. I'm glad the Sox didn't break the bank on him, and although he's been injured, Coco Crisp was a more than adequate replacement. To me, Damon wasn't as integral to the Red Sox success in 2004 as were David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek and Pedro Martinez. Damon was made more important to the Red Sox by his strange rise to C-list celebrity status, not baseball skills.

Therefore, I can't really blame Damon for taking a ridiculous overbid by the New York Yankees. They gave him exactly what he was asking for, and the Red Sox didn't. And like I said before, I'm glad the Red Sox didn't. Damon made a smart business decision. All this would lead you to believe that I wouldn't have much of a reaction at all tonight. Au contraire mes amis! I would boo loudly.

Here's why:

If Damon says it's just business, and the Red Sox say it's just business and the Yankees say it's just business, the fan is the perfect counterpoint to the whole operation. For the fan, business don't mean jack, it's all emotion, so we should make this sort of decision with emotion first and foremost. And for the fan, a popular Red Sox player switching to the Yankees (or vice versa I suppose, though I'm not sure Yankees fans are actually people) is an unconscionable betrayl. So boos and heckles should ensue.

And the boos aren't just for Damon, but for the whole business of the operation. The business stuff sucks. I've seen players I love on teams I love leave my teams for mostly business reasons. I really like Javon Walker of the Packers, until he held out for more money and started asking for a ridiculous contract that he was nowhere near worth. And I hate the bastard for it. I mean, real, visceral hate here. I know that's ridiculous, but I feel with all my heart that he's an asshole (and he probably is). But this sort of thing happens all the time. So when I boo someone like Damon, I'm booing the whole damn business that makes sports a lot less fun. It's a nice cathartic experience, and it goes with the territory. If atheletes are allowed to rip my heart out in the name of business, I'm allowed to boo them.

As a bonus, here's some good taunts the Fenway crowd might want to try tonight:

1) Chant "Hester Prynn" - In Damon's autobiography, he semi-boasts about cheating on his wife. What better way to get under his skin than to mock him for it (though I'm not sure if he'll get the reference).

2) In the case of a called third strike, chant "Queer Eye".

3) Toss Gillette razors at him (warning, this one is dangerous and illegal)

4) Yell, "You're boss is George Steinbrenner!" He might start crying...

5) A nice Bronx cheer if one of his throws from center field actually makes it to the infield.

Also, in the interest of fairness, here's a link to an article on ESPN.com saying the Fenway fans should give him a standing ovation.