No, it wasn't  nails raking across a chalkboard that you heard the other day.  It was the collective whine, uhh I mean voice of Red Sox Nation wailing in agony as one of their own stabbed them in the back yet again.  At least that's how they seem to be interpreting it. Johnny Damon just pulled a perceived Benedict Arnold on the perpetually tortured fan base.  (One fluke of a World Series title not with-standing of course.)  "That rascal, that greedy bum, that traitor, that *#!?*#!!?# etc..  The sky is falling, the sky is falling". All I hear is blah, blah, blah.

      Although their reaction was to be expected, (these are Boston fans after all) the fact that Damon signed with the Yankees should not have surprised, shocked and outraged them.  I mean the writing has been on the wall for several weeks now.  The Yankees had made it abundantly clear that they were extremely interested.  Damon's initial requests were outrageous, but even so the Yankees were still willing to overpay for his services.  Everyone knows that they have deep pockets. What did you expect? George Steinbrenner, love him or hate him, lives for this kind of stuff.  Yes, the Yankees did indeed overpay for Damon, but as long as he is healthy he provides the only thing their potent line-up was missing: solid defense in centerfield and a true lead-off hitter.  So what about his arm.   He's being paid to score runs and catch the ball, not peg people at the plate.  That's what a good throw to a cut-off man can do anyway.

      Here's a good analogy.  What's the best way to burn your biggest rival? Steal his girlfriend of course.  In this case Steinbrenner and Cashman, the Emperor and Darth Vader of baseball's evil empire, stole Boston's most popular player.  They absolutely ripped the hearts out of all Red Sox fans. Damon may not have been their "best" player but oh boy did they love him in Beantown.  Man how this must have hurt his fans.  Derek Jeter may not be the Yankees' best player but he sure is the most popular.  He is their heart and soul.  Could you imagine Boston seducing him away from the Yankees, or the Yankees ever letting it happen for that matter?  Absolutely not.  The Empire would never let that occur strictly on principle. However, the Yankees just stole the Red Sox's prom date, Mr. Idiot himself. Damon coming to the Yankees is classic stuff, ladies and gentleman.  You can't get this on daytime soaps because this is factual. This is reality sports TV at it's best. 

     Boston has a track record of doing this to their best players.  They run their heroes out of town repeatedly. Take Pedro Martinez from just a year ago.  Yes, his arm issues were a concern.  Yes, his success against the Yankees was sporadic.  Yes, he seems to be losing some stamina as he ages.  Yes, he may never be what he once was.  Yes, he did help them win their first World Series since 1918.  Yes, he is a multiple Cy Young award winner. Yes, he had a great year for the Mets last year.  Yes, Boston's pitching staff fell part without him. Yes, they were swept by the White Sox  in the playoffs last year while losing a couple of fairly close games.  Yes, management was too cheap to sign him. Yes, he helped them win a world title.  Oops, said that already. The perception was created by executives that they did not need Pedro anymore and that he was a negative influence on the team. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, maybe they should have tried to keep him around somehow.  The Mets seem to like him just fine, especially former Yankee coach and now Mets manager Willie Randolph.  He doesn't seem to be complaining. Can you blame Pedro for wanting to be rewarded and recognized for pitching his heart out for Boston? Instead he was insulted and provided with a vendetta to prove them wrong.  Thanks for helping to end the curse buster.

     Do you all remember when Boston let some guy named Roger Clemens leave after the 1996 season because they felt he was in the twilight of his career?  Well they  actually didn't let him leave, they kind of ran him out.  Does anyone know what he's done since then?  Let me save you the trouble of finding out.  In 9 seasons since his departure he has posted a record of 149-61, had over 1900 strikeots, won 4 more Cy Young awards, won 2 World Series Championshiops, fell short in 3 other fall classics, and has continued to impress all baseball fans with his truly amazing talent.  I hope my twilight years are just like Roger's.  Oh, I hear Boston might be interested in bringing him back next season.  Isn't that ironic? 

     Here are a few other former Red Sox heroes to mention. A) Carlton Fisk hit one of the most memorable and replayed home runs in the history of baseball during the 1975 World Series against the Reds.  In 1980, after 11 seasons with the club, the popular catcher was let go to the Chicago White Sox where he played 13 more seasons. From 1981-1991, his last as a full-time player, Fisk hit 220 homeruns including 37 in 1985. B)  Fred Lynn, the former rookie of the year was also let go after the 1980 season.  From 1982-1987 he topped 20 homeruns every season in an era where over 20 homeruns was considered very productive.  He did this while playing for the Angels and Orioles. C) Wade Boggs, one of the best average hitters in the history of the game was let go by the Sox after batting just .259 during the 1992 season.  He signed with you know who, those dreaded Yankees.  In 1996 he fulfilled every players' dream and won a world championship.  Who can forget the sight of Boggs riding on horseback with a police officer after the deciding game 6 against the Braves?  That scene is timeless.  And by the way, in the 7 seasons after he was let go, Boggs batted over .300 5 times and never batted below .280.  He also surpassed 3000 hits and finished with a lifetime .328 batting average. D) Babe Ruth, enough said.

The fact that the Red Sox declined to keep cult hero Johnny Damon should surprise no one, least of all their fans.  Two seasons ago they all but had Alex Rodriguez signed. A dispute between Texas and Boston regarding approximately 10-20 million dollars of  Rodriguez's salary (who would pay) ultimately soured the deal.  We know where he plays now, don't we?  Currently making all the headlines is how unhappy Manny Ramirez is.  He surely seems to be feeling unappreciated.  All he did was make huge contributions towards finally ending the fabled curse of Babe Ruth.  I mean who would want to make one of the best, if not the best right handed hitter in all of baseball happy after that.  Judging by all accounts, both past and present, not the Red Sox.   Manny may be eccentric, but he is immensely talented, and ultimately a harmless, immature character in the clubhouse.  To coin Mr. Kevin Millar, "That's just Manny being Manny."  Simply put, Ramirez is too good to let go and I doubt you could ever replace his bat. So what if he is a boy in a man's body and needs a little coddling.

     Hey Red Sox nation.  Shouldn't you be used to this by now?  Quit your belly-aching.  You guys did finally win a World Series title after all.  Also, show a little class when Damon comes back to Fenway.  Don't treat him the way you did Clemens when he returned to relentless booing.  Your management had every opportunity to keep him and show that they valued his contributions.  Instead they chose to make him feel expendable, unwanted, not worth the price.  I am sure that if they had chosen the other road he would have loved to stay.  Instead he was driven into the arms of someone who wanted him more.  Now the Yankees have Capt. Intangible Jeter and Capt. Caveman on their team.  He may get a haircut and shave but he will always be Capt. Caveman to you and me.  Damon had this and many other reasons to go to the Yankees.  I'd say about   52 million dollars worth of reasons why, but who's counting?  It may be 10-15 million dollars too much, but like those American Express commercials like to say.  "Cost of a new center fielder, 52 million dollars............sticking it to your most hated rival............PRICELESS!