NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees grabbed center fielder Johnny Damon away from the rival Boston Red Sox, reaching a preliminary agreement Tuesday night on a $52 million, four-year contract.

Details of the deal were still being negotiated and Damon must pass a physical, a baseball official said on condition of anonymity because negotiations were not yet final.

Damon fills a double void for the Yankees, giving them a speedy center fielder who can cover ground and a leadoff hitter to top a star-studded lineup that also includes Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, AL MVP Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi.

Bernie Williams' defense declined significantly over the past four seasons. And while Damon's arm is not much better, he does cover a lot of ground, which is important in Yankee Stadium.

Agent Scott Boras had been seeking a seven-year contract for Damon. The offer Damon accepted was essentially the same as the deal Matsui agreed to with the Yankees last month.

there is no god.

wow. This is amazing. I wouldn't want to play in Boston after this.

Hey Red Sox

http://fedinthea.ytmnd.com/

They should sign a cutoff man to roam around between center field and 2nd. Yankee Stadium is a LOT bigger than Fenway.

Signing a 33-year-old centerfielder at 13 million a year? It seems more like an attempted slight at the Boston fanbase than a way to improve their team. Damon is in the dusk of his career.

Free agency ruins the God Damn game!

when did south park get so unfunny?

Im sure it was a drop of that.

Damon is still a top notch player, offensively.....

sure, his arm makes Bernie seem like Andruw Jones...

but he is coming off a 2 year stint with 266 runs scored...

I'll take this dusk...thank ya very much/

www.bostondirtdogs.com will be fun to read the next few days

How can people still like the yankees?



<---Mystified. Honest to god.


"Yankees Buy Entire AL."

yeah, Damon's huge! only affect it had on him was making his hair and beard grow.

and that backne....erg.

Who wants to bet me a cd that the Yankees don't win the World Series this year?

Yawn.. the whole payroll excuse.
Well, the last 5 years have proven that the largest payroll in baseball doesnt buy you a championship..although it does by you a pretty good chance at it..

2ndly, New York is the biggest tv market. the yankees generate tons of revenue, and Papa George is not afraid to put money back into his team, unlike alot of baseball owners out there.....can't fault george for that.

Our pitching is still suspect.. I might take you up on that....lol

I can, I do. I'll tell ya why, though I suspect deep down you already know it. Money isn't what makes the game good. Having more money (and reinvesting it) doesn't make a team better. Additionally, having (and spending) more money can actually have the opposite effect. What do you like about a team? The logo, or the people on it? Sometimes, a team is lucky enough to have a player that stays for a while, and the team is identified with that player. People like him. And here's the rub: Lately, the yankees buy that player.

For the record, I fault the players equally who are willing to take the money and run. But it gets real damn old, seeing anyone who's highly regarded winding up there. Reinvest in the neighborhood, support little league, charge less for tickets, whatever. Buying all the best players is just gonna keep pissing people off, and turn them off to the sport. All except yankees fans.

As an Orioles fan I am sworn to hate the Yankems and I think for me, the personalities get in the way. Sure there were some good guys (O'Neil, Williams), but I see Rodriguez and even Jeter and I think dicks. Jeter puts up a front that sickens me. No offense, but Yankems fans also are pretty piss ass crappy as well. Obnoxious most of them. You know, where were most of these people when the Yankems were languishing in the basement?

hey leave your homosexual thoughts out of this. we're talkin baseball here

This intensifies the Matt Clement-to-the-Mariners-for-Jeremy Reed trade rumor.

Your pitching is more suspect than a gaybo in a sperm bank.

oh really.. give me some insight to Jeter's big front he puts on.
Success breeds jealousy plain and simple.

-Piss Ass crappy Dov...

and when the Yankees were languising in the basement, I was able to get better seats and easier too.

There was talk about Clement for Crisp too, though I think the Indians were more interested in Arroyo.

you know..i have nothing to say to that.