Company Man

Ben Godar

The sad reality is that for all the players talk about being dedicated to their team, loyalty is really the domain of the fans. We’d like to think the boys on the field share our passion for the team’s history and rivalries, but we’d also like to think that cute blonde at the end of the bar has her eye on us.

After vanquishing the curse and basking in nearly a hundred years of accumulated glory, it seemed as if Johnny Damon was the president of Red Sox Nation. To sign with the Yankees, THE YANKEES, shows Damon’s loyalty was about as disposable as beard.

And I don’t think we can let Damon off the hook simply because "he did it for the money." I can’t necessarily fault a guy for that, but I’m not going to give him a medal, either. Sure, we’re all trying to make a living, but real folks also consider things like family, loyalty, happiness, art, whatever. It’s not a foregone conclusion that every decision is made out of narrow financial self-interest. Unless you’re a Republican.

I’m just sick of this noise from players who insist they are helpless to do anything but follow the money wherever it may lead. Plenty of players have looked at the millions already in their salary and decided to stick around for the fans, the owner, the TEAM. Big Mac was traded to the Cardinals in a contract year, but stuck around for a bit less than market price. And don’t think a guy like Tony Gwynn didn’t garner his share of interest from other teams, pinstripes or not.

Jerry Seinfeld does a bit about how, given all the player movement, fans are really just rooting for the clothes. I think that assessment is a bit bleak, but as long as tools like Johnny Damon are more than eager for a haircut, it may be accurate.