Fenway to Damon: Thanks for nothing!

[Hmark6]

I was shocked at the treatment the Damon got last night at Fenway. I thought that Fenway would have cheered him loudly on his introduction and first AB, then Boo him thereafter. But my buddy whom I was watching the game with, asked me an interesting question. If a Yankee on the same level as Damon became a Red Sox, would he be cheered on his first return to the stadium. I want to see what you guys think. (I put this thread in here because it applies in both Yanks and Sox forums, but it will get more looks here. Mods feel free to move, not like you need my permission . )

Cheered or Boo'ed as a Sox in the Stadium?
Jason Giambi - For argument sake, say he wind up in Boston after his contract with the yanks is up.

Tino Martinez - When the Yanks signed Giambi, supposed he became a Sox instead of a Cardinal.

Hideki Matsui - Just signed an extension with the Yanks, but supposed the Sox picked him up after Manny had his way out of town.

Jorge Posada - He's a free agent at the end of this season, so maybe if Varitek becomes a Buddhist Monk, quits baseball and the Sox are in need of a backstop.

Mike Mussina - If the Sox ever picked up Moose I'm sure that David Ortiz's numbers would slip a bit, but for the sake of argument...


Feel free to suggest more....

[nyjunc]

The only guy who wouldn't be viciously booed would be Tino. Remember how yankee fans treated Wells last year? and Wells at least helepd us win a WS unlike Giambi, Mussina and Matsui.

[DirtyKash]

Jeter.

[MarinersFan87]

I can't even imagine Jeter leaving and he was so well liked that you'd think Yank fans would cheer him. But if he left NY in the manner that Damon left Boston then Yankee fans probably wouldn't boo him. They'd kill him.

[Fishercat]

The best example I could think of, as a comparison to Damon, would be someone like Sheffield. If he was more of an icon, younger, and helped the Yankees win a title. And then proceeded to pass up a fair deal from the Yankees for the Sox.

I think any player who willingly left the Sox/Yanks for the other team, when they got a fair offer from the original team, would (and very well should) get booed vigorously.

Doesn't help that Damon specifically said he wouldn't sign with the Yanks and that top dollar wasn't important.

[Kingdom]

I expected worse treatment, in the form of people throwing bags of hair at Damon.

[Hmark6]

The best example I could think of, as a comparison to Damon, would be someone like Sheffield. If he was more of an icon, younger, and helped the Yankees win a title. And then proceeded to pass up a fair deal from the Yankees for the Sox.

Sheff didn't win a WS with the Yanks. I'd say he gets boo'ed on his return.

[Lance324]

I think any player who willingly left the Sox/Yanks for the other team, when they got a fair offer from the original team, would (and very well should) get booed vigorously.

Doesn't help that Damon specifically said he wouldn't sign with the Yanks and that top dollar wasn't important.

Well put, the real problem most Sox fans have with Damon is that he made a public statement "it won't be about money" and then turned right around and did it anyways. I would have had very little problem with him had he just left for the Yankees. I wouldn't cheer for the man, I wouldn't cheer for any Yankee, but I wouldn't dislike him as I do now. What he did was lie in public, this puts him among the likes of Raphael Palmeiro and Bill Clinton. Guys that told outright lies in public. No integrity what so ever!!!!

[nyjunc]

Damon wanted to go back to Boston but the Sox wouldn't give him what he wanted, he wasn't after an outrageous deal from Boston. Johnny is not in Boston b/c of the red Sox mgmt not b/c he wanted to be a Yankee.

[redsfan28]

It would probably be Tino.

The Yanks fans would boo their own mother if they played for the Sawx.

[BoSox34]

Damon wanted to go back to Boston but the Sox wouldn't give him what he wanted, he wasn't after an outrageous deal from Boston. Johnny is not in Boston b/c of the red Sox mgmt not b/c he wanted to be a Yankee.

If we had offered him the same amount of years and money he would have stayed in Boston.

[nyjunc]

If we had offered him the same amount of years and money he would have stayed in Boston.

if it was even close he would have stayed. Was Theo around then or was that during his time off? Would he have made a difference?

[Fishercat]

Theo was not around then.

And to a guy who has already made 45 million dollars over his career (10 years), if 12 million dollars isn't close enough, well...

If he wasn't after an outrageous deal from Boston (BTW, he got an outrageous deal), then he would have stayed.

[Providence A's]

nothing Red Sox fans do surprises me...nothing like that anyway...

[Lance324]

Damon wanted to go back to Boston but the Sox wouldn't give him what he wanted, he wasn't after an outrageous deal from Boston. Johnny is not in Boston b/c of the red Sox mgmt not b/c he wanted to be a Yankee.

That's right, he stated it "wouldn't be about money", then he turned around and made it about money... No integrity. Red Sox management made Damon a very fair offer, probably too generous in my estimation. We'll see what you think of the Damon deal with the Yankees 2 years from now, I expect it will look as foolish as the last Bernie Williams deal. Thank goodness that we finally have management in place that didn't give him an outlandish contract just to keep him from going to the Yankees. They offered Pedro a fair deal last year, and he left, and they offered Damon a fair deal this year and he left. So be it. Derek Lowe, now there's a former Red Sox that wasn't even offered a contract and definitely deserved one. Add him to a list with Bronson Arroyo and you have a couple of Red Sox that were treated unfairly, surely not Johnny D.