Hardball Heaven

We're famous for our provincial fanaticism around here, so it was a no-brainer that Johnny Damon was going to hear some boos tonight and that the celebrated return of a backup catcher would be cheered all night long.

Yes, a backup catcher - but not just any backup catcher mind you -- Tim Wakefield's personal binky catcher. The Red Sox, desperate to put an end to the Josh Bard Experiment before the first game with the Yankees, pulled off a deal for Mirabelli early this morning and his commute to Boston from San Diego was quite the adventure. Mirabelli flew to Boston on a private jet that he said must have been going 'a thousand miles an hour,' and then jumped into a state trooper SUV for the ride from Logan Airport to Fenway Park. He changed into his uniform in the back of the car, pulled up to the players' lot at Fenway, and ran into the stadium - in full uniform and cleats - to get behind the plate for the first pitch. And what were you doing before the game? It's funny - ambulances and other emergency vehicles can't get through traffic in downtown Boston - but a state trooper with a backup catcher ("He catches the knuckler!!) who needs to get to a ballgame can get from Logan to Fenway in 12 minutes?!? Good to see we have our priorities in order around here.

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Anyway, Johnny Damon received mostly boos when his name was first announced. There was an undercurrent of applause, and when Damon took off his helmet, the applause got louder. Smart move by Johnny. He pointed to the Sox dugout, then at Wakefield and dug in. He looked a little bewildered by it all, and definitely looked surprised and bummed by the negative reception. The fans in the CF bleachers threw real money at him, and grandmothers held signs saying Johnny "Demon" or some other variation. It was a veritable madhouse, and I felt bad for the guy... until...

I thought about my 2004 postseason DVD collection over in the corner. I spent good money on it. Every pitch of every game in the ALCS and then the World Series - a valuable keepsake despite Joe Buck and Tim McDrunkard. A buddy and I plugged in parts of Game 6 and then all of Game 7 of the ALCS a couple weekends ago, and re-lived the moment Damon hit the grand slam that sent us into (cautious) euphoria. Considering the circumstances, it was one those Red Sox home runs that you'll remember for the rest of your life, like Pudge, Hendu, and Troy O'Leary's grand slam against Cleveland when Pedro came out of the bullpen and slammed the door on the potent Indians in their ballpark. Jerry Trupiano's "wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy-back" call still echoes in my skull.

Johnny basically took a piss on those memories. And we should have seen it coming. His comments immediately after the White Sox beat us in last year's playoff were dumb and ill-timed. He talked about how he's going to be in demand, and he knows the Yankees are going to come after him hard. Six months earlier, Johnny was quoted in the papers as saying he could 'never be a Yankee,' but his comments that night in the locker room were the first sign that hey, anything's possible.

When you look at players who've made the jump from Boston to New York, or vice versa, the fan treatment has been pretty much the same. Lots of boos. Joe Torre said he was disappointed in how the fans treated Damon, saying that they should have applauded him for all he did to help the Sox win their first title in 86 years. "Without him, they might be going on 89, 90...," said the Almighty Torre. Joe's a classy guy and all, but he's got a short memory. The Sox played at New York to open the 2005 season, and the guy who pitched for the Sox that night on national TV? David Wells. His reception in the Bronx wearing a Sox uniform? Let's just say it was very different than the reception he got when he came back wearing a Padres uniform.

Clemens was the last big name to make the jump, but he went to Toronto first so that cushioned the shock. Still, whenever Clemens came into Fenway with the Yankees, he was treated as Public Enemy No. 1. "Where is Roggger?? In the showerrrrrr." Wade Boggs finally won his ring with the Yankees, and I honestly can't remember the reception he got when he came back. Can't imagine it was glowing though.

And then we come to Johnny. The problem with him making the jump to the enemy is that he had become far too entrenched as a cult hero to make the move so quickly. He could have taken a little less money (what's $12 million after taxes?) to cement his legend around here, make millions in endorsements, and keep the memories intact, as sappy as that sounds.

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Of course, there was a ballgame tonight. Sox and Yanks were tied up 3-3 entering the eighth until Mark Loretta knocked in Wee Willie Harris and Ortiz broke it open with a three-run shot off former teammate Mike Myers. Sox draw first blood in '06, winning 7-3. All because the backup catcher was able to get to the ballpark in time and catch the knuckler.

Only in our fair city...