Johnny Damon goes to the Yankees

As I predicted., The Era of the Idiot is dead. With Johnny Damon signing with the Yankees (5 years, $52 million), the idiots are all gone. Remember your line-up for the world series? Damon, Cabrera, Ramirez, Ortiz, Millar, Mientkiewicz, Nixon, Kapler, Mueller, Mirabelli, Varitek, Bellhorn, Roberts and Reese? Of these 14 players, only Ramirez, Ortiz, Nixon and Varitek are left.

But, the question now is not what happened, but where do we go from here. There's talk of acquiring a new centerfielder (Torii Hunter would be nice, but there's also Crisp). That still leaves first base and shortstop to fill.

It also leaves a big gap in their offensive power. I hope the Red Sox are doing all they can to appease Manny. Loretta and Lowell, despite their defensive qualities, aren't going to make up for what the Sox just lost. The Red Sox don't need to be the number one offense, though, as long as they keep Manny and Ortiz and shore up their pitching.

Speaking of pitching, the Sox tendered offers to Bronson Arroyo and Josh Beckett, and reliever Guillermo Mota. As a result, if the three hurlers choose to do so, they can take their case to an arbitrator early next year or settle with the team, with the possibility of a long-term contract.

The Red Sox could be exploring long-term deals, since all three could enter free agency after the 2006 season.

BTW, I hope you enjoy your haircut Johnny!

Look for previous posts on the Red Sox.

Tags: MLB, baseball, Red Sox, Damon, Yankees