Two for One

Two ex-Red Sox in the news today…well, in the news because we’ve ferreted out the news…

Watch out, Yankees fans, one of them is Johnny Damon.  Let’s start with him first, just to get it over with.  (Thanks to Peter for the heads-up on this one!)

According to a story by Bob Klapisch, it took Johnny until August to realize he wasn’t in Boston any more. 

It was late August when Johnny Damon took a long, hard look around the clubhouse and was appalled at what he saw. "Let’s go (bleep-bleepers), wake up," Damon shouted. The center fielder had had enough of the Yankees’ listlessness; it was so disturbingly different from the crazy energy he once shared with the Red Sox at Fenway. But instead of rallying the Yankees, Damon was met with silence.

That, and a cold stare across the room from Randy Johnson. Damon was so unnerved by the apathy, he later asked a team official, "Did I do something wrong?"

First off, with how the Yankees were playing at the BEGINNING of the year, I have a difficult time believing the first time Johnny tried to get the team geared up was in late August (although, maybe it took him that long to get his comfort level in the clubhouse)…but even if that’s the case – he had been with these guys for six months, did it really come as a surprise to him that the likes of Randy Johnson would not be inspired by being called a “bleep-bleeper”? 

No question that Johnny Damon is a very talented baseball player…but, man, the brain isn’t quite there is it?  I hope the money was worth it, Johnny.  I really do.

Ooh, now my favorite…Bronson Arroyo.  Boy did himself well this season and I’m very proud.  Apparently, he is too, as witnessed through this story in the Eagle Tribune. (Thanks to the folks over at Surviving Grady for this one!)

Apparently, Bronson sent Curt Schilling a naked picture of himself (well, naked except for a sock!) in an attempt at humor and to show his former teammate what kind of player he’d become.

It’s an amusing (and interesting) story (he doesn’t regret the deal he made with the Sox that lead to his being traded), but the end of it is my favorite:

Arroyo’s intentions for his next deal haven’t wavered since spring training. His goal is to build up his reputation and ink an even heftier contract – with the Boston Red Sox.

There is a reason, after all, he is keeping his Boston home until his contract runs out two years from now.

"I still miss playing in that uniform, especially when I turn on the TV and they are 10 games out of first place and there is still a crowd that is maybe more enthusiastic than any crowd in the game," Arroyo said. "You never know what’s going to happen in the next couple years."

I’ve written this about a few of the players on the team (most recently Mark Loretta and David Ortiz) but even all the way in Cincinnati, Bronson ‘gets it’.

I’d love to see him put up similar numbers all around in Cincinnati in 2007 and 2008 to show folks he isn’t a fluke.  And then I’d love to see him ink a nice deal that brings him back to Boston!

Hey, why not?

(first photo taken by me – second photo ‘borrowed’ from boston.com)

(pardon the messed-up formatting…mlblogs doesn’t like me today!)