Johnny Damon Robbed of Opportunity

When Billy Crystal led off against Paul Maholm, the Yankees weren't pulling a publicity stunt, or honoring a loyal fan. They were sending a message to Johnny Damon.

That message? We don't care about your feelings. Luckily, John Kilma of the Daily Breeze cares. And cares a lot. He just doesn't realize it's Damon he cares about.

there is something wrong with taking away another guy's chance to do what he's paid to do so you can pretend you paid for yours

I didn't see Billy hand a huge fake check to the Steinbrenners, but I wasn't watching.

I feel for the fringe ballplayer who has to put on the happy face and pretend that some celebrity's token appearance means more than his small opportunities.

Look, Damon is not who he used to be, but a fringe player? Ouch. That's a strange way to show you care.

When you work for the Pittsburgh Pirates, making the non-ballplayers look bad is just about the only time you make a rival player look bad

Hey, going after Maholm and a namelss catcher is taking it too far

Somewhere, some real minor leaguer with no chance of making the Yankees missed an at-bat so Crystal could take his. That's what bothered me about this.

Oh, wait a minute, I get it. You're worried about someone other than Damon. See, it was Damon's at bat Crystal took. But, I know, I'm a stathead, so I'll look at the boxscore and see if some kid got robbed of a 9th inning at bat.

Maybe that player's career would be different.

See, thing is, Johnny Damon played the rest of the game. And the following young outfielders got in the game, too

Porter
Christian
Gardner

And these guys, too

Gonzalez
Ransom
Green

So, in the end, it was really Johnny Damon who missed a chance to lead off. Billy Crystal, you are such a jerk. And an old one - as Mr. Kilna reminds us four times.

Sixty years he waited for that pitch and he let it go
oh-my-god-I'm-60 routine
why a 60-year-old can get a chance to embarrass himself
the old man chased

plus this reference

I kept waiting for that old bit where the stagehand sticks the cane out and yanks the bombing act off.

Ageism is a bitch, ain't it? So is a complete lack of humor and basis in reality.