Stupidity Causes Divorce Between Johnny Damon and New York Yankees

When athletes, management and ownership talk about sports being a business, it's never a good thing. It's an euphemism for parties wanting to move on.

The situation with Johnny Damon hit that point for everyone. The Yankees decided to part ways with their former centerfielder, and he made it clear he was not going to get anything less than he thought he was worth.

The World Champs demonstrated they weren't going to be bullied by Scott Boras  when it came to Damon's demands. They acquired Curtis Granderson in an attempt to make this a younger outfield not to mention they showed they can win without Damon.

It was a sobering realization.

The team offered Damon a chance to maybe return by leaving a position for left field to be open, but he continued to hold out.

He had two months to think about his decision. His time was up yesterday.

The Yankees made it official that Damon's service was no longer needed after signing Randy Winn yesterday.

It should have never come down to this.

Damon should have finished his career as a Yankee, and it's his fault that it's not going to happen.

Everyone predicted he was not going to get the offer he thought he was getting. No team  gives that type of offer to a player in his late thirties.

Damon should have known that. Everyone thinks he is smart, but in this situation, he showed he is not.

At his age, he shouldn't be listening to what Boras tells him to do. He should have followed Alex Rodriguez's lead and negotiated his own contract, as A-Rod did a couple of years ago when it looked the Yankees were going to be done with Rodriguez.

What could Boras do if Damon took charge? It's not like Boras would want to end his association with Damon.

It would have been neat if someone stood up for Boras.

There's nothing to like about Rodriguez, but his best moment came when he decided to do the negotiations instead of his blowhard agent.

Damon needed to wise up when Matt Holliday decided to accept the Cardinals offer rather than wait to be overpaid. The Cardinals played it well in getting their free agent back.

Who knows what's next for Damon?

Reports circulated that Damon may opt for retirement since he is not interested in playing for other teams.

Retirement sounds good for him. He could finish his career by being a champion. It's hard to top that type of finish.

Still, one can imagine what could have been.

He would have been more useful for the Yankees than Winn. He takes good at-bats, and he knows how to hit.

Pitchers fear facing him more than the newly signed outfielder.

Plus, there's nothing like him being a Yankee. Playing for other teams just does not sound right for him.

He loves the attention that comes with playing baseball in a market that loves the sport, and he wants to play for a team that has a chance to win a championship every year.

It's one of the reasons why he loved being a Red Sock and a Yankee.

It apparently didn't matter for him this time. It was all about the money for him in the end.

The Yankees talked about how they were going to run their team in a fiscal manner when they explained their reasoning to not signing Damon, but who do they think they are fooling? 

It was about them trying to make an example out of a former player. They would be disingenuous by saying it was a financial decision.

When a great franchise like that can play that role in moving out without a great player, it's a good feeling. Most small-market teams can't help but envy them for that.

It's a shame how this ended for both parties.

The business side of baseball causes bitter feelings among everyone.