Damon Does Detroit

There's a book by Thomas Wolfe with a famous title: You Can't Go Home Again.

The spirit of that phrase is currently playing out in the sports world with the news that Detroit Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon has defied the gods of baseball and elected to stay with the Tigers instead of accepting a waiver claim that would have sent him to his old stomping grounds of Fenway Park.

In the Commonwealth of the Red Sox, the news is shocking. Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald said the move "left nearly everyone in baseball scratching their heads."

And Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe called the move "downright idiotic."

Both columns played on Damon's terming of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who broke the long-standing "Curse of the Bambino" as "The Idiots."

However, to those not completely vested in Red Sox Nation, the move kind-of, sort-of makes some sense:

First, Damon has, in some respects, been a vagabond during his career. His longest stint with any one team came with the Kansas City Royals, who drafted him out of high school in 1992. He was with the Royals from 1995-2000, had a cup of coffee with the Oakland A's in 2001 before his stints with the Red Sox (2002-05), the New York Yankees (2006-09) and his current stint with the Tigers.

In other words, it's not like he came from the Back Bay, sold hot dogs at Fenway as a kid and slept under a Carl Yastremski poster every night.

Second, Damon and the Red Sox didn't really part on amicable terms. The two could not come to terms on a contract after the 2005 season, and Damon did what 99 percent of ballplayers in the modern era would do—sign with the club that would negotiate terms. The problem is, that team was the hated Yankees.

Needless to say, the Sox fans didn't welcome him back with open arms. It should be noted that Shaughnessy said in his column that if, in fact, Damon didn't come back because the Red Sox fans gave him a [pardon the pun] Bronx cheer, the "childish Sox fans get what they deserve."

Third, it's economic. Damon is working on a one-year deal. What club is more likely to sign him to what could be a contract that sees him finish out his career? The Tigers, who need all the stars they can get, and who got a vote of confidence from Damon through his statement:

"I love Detroit and I love the fans. The tough thing is, there's no guarantee where I'll be next year. As much as I'd love to be back here, that's something the team doesn't really decide until the offseason. And I'm OK with that."

Or the Red Sox, who needed Damon to try and make a run at the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, the presumptive American League East and American League Wild Card teams?

Finally, getting back to the end of the second point and the first sentence of this post: Damon's time in Boston was what it was. The "Idiots" of 2004 are more or less gone, and to try and recapture that lightning in a bottle is basically folly.

But what does Damon know? He's an idiot, after all.