Tigers' Johnny Damon Has Detroit's Back

Sad. Desolate. Burned out. Crime-infested. Dangerous. Detroit has been labeled everything negative in the book short of hopeless like a penny with a hole in it and that extends to Detroit sports. Heralded as the city's last resource of hope, Detroit sports has been more than just a mere entertainment -- it has been a life jacket in a sea of despair that is the real day to day life of many metro Detroiters. Recently Boston Globe journalist, Dan Shaughnessy blasted Detroit when Tigers outfielder, Johnny Damon choose the Motor City over his previous residence, Boston, labeling his decision as "idiotic."

READ DAN SHAUGHNESSY INSULT ABOUT DETROIT HERE

For the life of him, Shaughnessy couldn't figure out why Damon preferred the downtown of Detroit "amongst the boarded-up buildings and the proverbial skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets" versus elite, trendy Mulberry Street, home only to Beantown.

"It really makes me wonder how bad things got for him in Boston at the end, when he was negotiating for a new contract after the 2005 season," Shaughnessy wrote. Whether it was unresolved resentment at how the Boston Redsox handled his contract resigning of 2005 or simply about what the 37 year old outfielder felt was best for him and his career, one thing is clear -- Damon supports Detroit and he has no qualms about voicing it.

"Detroit, you know, gets a bad rap," he said. "I love it here. My family loves it here. A bunch of the players who have been here awhile love it here. The new guys love it here. There's a lot to offer here....Yeah, we know the auto industry and the economy takes a beating here, but it's up to us players to keep people excited, to entertain people, to have people enjoy their lives and enjoy watching the Detroit Tigers."

One might think Detroit simply offered him a sweeter deal yet when the Redsox placed Damon on the waivers Monday, he quickly pledged his allegiance to Detroit by resigning with the struggling Tigers to the tune of $1.8 million, a fraction of the $8 million paid out in his contract with the New York Yankees.  While resigning with Boston would of patched up the bleeding wound busted wide open during his tenure with archival New York, to Damon "that time has come and passed" and "sends the wrong message here's the opportunity to jump ship."

No amount of money or shopping sprees on Mulberry Street can buy unwavering loyalty. Apparently proverbial skeleton frames of non existent burned-out Chevrolets lining the streets of downtown Detroit is a jump Johnny Damon is willing to take.


Sources: Boston Globe , Detroit Free Press , NY Daily News