Johnny Damon News

Last Updated: February 20. 2010 7:22PM
Reports: Johnny Damon, Tigers agree to one-year, $8M deal
Detroit News wire services

Veteran outfielder and two-time World Series champion Johnny Damon agreed Saturday to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Tigers, pending a physical, according reports from ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports.

The 36-year-old Damon, who is expected to take the physical Sunday, hit .286 with 24 home runs for the World Series champion Yankees last season.

The left-hander is a career .282 hitter and is expected to help fill the void left by Curtis Granderson, who was traded to the Yankees earlier this offseason.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100220/SPORTS0104/2200390/Reports--Johnny-Damon--Tigers-agree-to-one-year--$8M-deal#ixzz0g7taOjFE

Damon agrees to deal with Tigers
Report suggests possible one-year, $8 million contract

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

02/20/10 7:18 PM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The free-agent flirtation between Johnny Damon and the Detroit Tigers has reportedly reached a conclusion with the outfielder agreeing to a one-year deal.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman confirmed the agreement on SI.com on Saturday evening, reporting on a one-year, $8 million deal.

Damon's agent, Scott Boras, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The Tigers also are not commenting, and team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said Friday they wouldn't have anything to say until and unless they reached an agreement and Damon passed a physical.

However, all signs Saturday pointed towards a deal being close between the Tigers and the free-agent outfielder. White Sox GM Ken Williams told the Detroit Free Press on Saturday that he could not match the Tigers' offer, let alone the expectations of Damon and Boras, which is why Williams said he had pulled his one-year offer. Braves general manager Frank Wren said Friday night nothing had changed with his club on Damon, an indication that Atlanta was no closer to an agreement than it was last week.

That seemingly left the Tigers as the one team still active in the race. Dombrowski confirmed his club had a contract offer out to Damon, an unusual move for a GM who usually keeps his dealings close to the vest. He also indicated he had an idea what the timetable would be for an end to what has been a five-week saga for Damon and Detroit.

The 36-year-old Damon spent the past four years with the Yankees, where he won his second World Series title in six years last season. Damon's numbers batting second with the World Series champions last year included a .282 average, 107 runs, 36 doubles, 24 home runs and 82 RBIs. His .854 OPS was his highest since 2004 in Boston, where he won his first World Series crown.

Nineteen of his homers in 2009 came in the new Yankee Stadium, which became known as friendly to left-handed hitters.

The overwhelming assumption when the offseason began was that Damon would return to the Yankees, but after rumors and reports of negotiations, New York eventually moved on, leaving Damon looking for a team as the holidays came and went. Boras stepped out in mid-January and publicly suggested that his client and the Tigers would be a good fit.

The public declaration was part of Boras' effort to get the Tigers interested, despite what had been less than a spending spree from them this winter. Though Detroit added free-agent closer Jose Valverde on a two-year, $14 million contract a month ago and signed young ace Justin Verlander to a five-year, $80 million extension last month, the club had still managed to reduce its payroll from last season after trading Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson and watching free agents Placido Polanco, Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney sign elsewhere.

Boras' recruitment effort soon worked, and also piqued the interest of other teams such as the Braves and White Sox. Though reports last week suggested owner Mike Ilitch had authorized a two-year, $14 million contract offer, indications this week suggested only a one-year offer.

Once the contract is finalized after a physical, Damon would join the Tigers for the start of full-squad workouts here next week at Joker Marchant Stadium, less than an hour's drive from his home in Orlando.

It isn't immediately clear whether Damon would bat leadoff, his spot for most of his career, or hit second, as he did last year with the Yankees. The Tigers have openings in both spots. The one near-certainty is that he would spend the bulk of his time in left field alongside rookie center fielder Austin Jackson.

The Tigers would then have to sort out the situation for fellow left fielders Carlos Guillen and Ryan Raburn. Guillen could end up becoming Detroit's primary designated hitter, though the Tigers have made public their desire to avoid having a full-time DH and rotate players in and out of the role instead.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Last Updated: February 20. 2010 1:00AM
Lynn Henning
Signing Johnny Damon a smart deal for Tigers

Lakeland, Fla. -- Probably in step with most people in Detroit, I like the Johnny Damon signing better than I like the Damon-Tigers negotiations.

But, as they say, that's business, which is another way of saying dollars trump virtue.

The Tigers were dragged into bidding for Damon -- not that it was against their will. The Tigers needed a top-of-the-order hitter and secure left-fielder on the level of Damon, a 36-year-old left-handed hitter who might yet reach the 3,000-hit plateau and the Hall of Fame.

A welcome addition

Tigers manager Jim Leyland took a torpedo to his managerial hull during the offseason when he lost leadoff batter Curtis Granderson and second baseman Placido Polanco.

Imagine that, waving goodbye to two of the most potent bats in your order, slotted in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, on a team already seriously taxed on offense.

It was a blueprint for a cave-in. Too many things would need to go right for a team that was depending upon rookies and comeback triumphs to sustain the Tigers' offense.

Damon is no cure-all. But he will help, and help in ways that could change for the better the complexion of Leyland's team.

Damon fundamentally provides an on-base presence. On-base average is critical beyond the measure of most fans. It means everything. It is the difference between 1-2-3 innings and giving a team a chance.

He makes the top of the order potent. He can slap a single, draw a walk, rake a double down the line, or hit a ball over the fence.

And he knows how to play left field. Even with a bad arm, his smarts and reliability in left field offer a tremendous option to the risks the Tigers would have taken with Carlos Guillen, or even Ryan Raburn, who has only been an outfielder for a few years.

Damon provides another plus for the Tigers and for owner Mike Ilitch, the man who authorized a deal that became painfully protracted. It was made awkward by the fact Damon and his agent, Scott Boras wanted more bidders and probably wanted the Chicago White Sox to do what the Tigers ended up doing: paying an appropriate sum for a talented player.

Certified star power

Damon will sell tickets.

He is not Albert Pujols. But he is Johnny Damon. Everyone knows Damon -- the way he looks, the way he hits, the star status he commands.

Don't think Ilitch, who understands show business better than any Detroit owner in memory, didn't appreciate Damon's billboard skills. It's why he agreed with Boras to expand his payroll and offer the Tigers a chance at a comparatively inexpensive player who could do wonders for the team's performance and profile.

That the Tigers got strung out in this soap opera should not be disputed. They were borderline demeaned by Boras and Damon as the bargaining team generated interest -- and a contract offer -- that became a benchmark for other clubs.

Again, as the shoulders-shruggers say: That's business.

It doesn't make it anything but that: an auction, a flesh-peddling exercise, with a commodity and the final dollar figures being the only thing that seems to matter, at least in this case.

But the Tigers at least maintained their own dignity throughout. And in the end they got their man.

And an important man, at that, essential to whatever hopes they have for contending.

There will be those who say the Tigers did not need Damon. The team had already made trades and decisions based on dollars and should not have backtracked to sign him.

Sound points.

But the Tigers were also obliged to get younger and more affordable. They were also obliged to look at their roster as the team reported to Florida for spring camp, to assess their needs, to look objectively at the situation, and to make amends.

A deal's a deal

Six months ago, if anyone had said the Tigers could add Johnny Damon to their 2010 roster for $8 million, jaws would have dropped.

They should drop today, given that the Tigers pulled it off. Damon is a splendid baseball player. He's worth $8 million, even by today's softer market standards.

Other critics, not happy with what has transpired, will wonder about Guillen.

There's nothing to wonder about.

Guillen was never, for a moment, a proper person to put in left field at Comerica Park. In the same fashion he lost his range when he played shortstop for the Tigers, Guillen does not have the legs to play left field. We saw it a year ago. Too many fly balls fell for hits, particularly along the left-field line.

They are fly balls Damon will scarf up.

Guillen is a professional. He should not be pitied, or expect to be pitied, when his obligation is to perform primarily as a hitter for the Tigers. For the $13 million he will be paid in 2010 and the $13 million he is owed in 2011, Guillen should honorably accept his new role as Tigers designated hitter and aspire to become the best DH in Tigers history.

That sounds like a plan that will benefit two parties.

Raburn? He seemed like the better option in left field, all because of his surging bat, his range, and his powerful arm.

But he cannot field left field with the command of Damon.

Raburn can help the team, like Guillen, by filling another role: as a splendid super-sub for Leyland and the Tigers.

After all the jousting, Damon is today headed for Detroit, which is a good thing for the Tigers.

You didn't have to like the business preliminaries -- in fact, I resent the way they came about.

But all along it was about two things: a player and a team.

They're together, at last, and probably for the good of Damon and his new fans in Detroit.

lynn.henning@detnews.com

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100220/OPINION03/2200397#ixzz0gDPsWKcV

Johnny Damon worth every penny to Austin Jackson's development

By Scott Warheit
February 21, 2010, 9:55AM

Even if Johnny Damon doesn't hit nearly .360 for the Detroit Tigers (his career average at Comerica Park) or hit anywhere near 24 home runs (which he slugged last year for the New York Yankees), there's a very good chance he will be worth every penny of his one-year, $8 million salary.

Why? Because Damon has the opportunity to be what Kenny Rogers was to a young Justin Verlander: a much needed tutor and mentor, in this case for rookie centerfielder Austin Jackson.

Let's be honest - life in Comerica Park's spacious outfield will not be easy for Jackson. He's replacing one of the most popular Tigers since the 1980s, is likely to leadoff for a team expecting to contend for a playoff spot, has a gigantic and new ballpark to learn, and he's never played in a major-league game.

Gulp.

And before the Tigers signed Damon, Jackson wasn't going to get a lot of help learning the ways of the Tigers. Carlos Guillen, who was to start everyday in left-field (a disaster just waiting to happen), is as green in the outfield as Jackson is, and is in no position to be teaching Jackson the finer points of defense (plus -- given Guillen's temperamental attitude about his playing time, he may not be the best choice anyway).

On Jackson's right is Magglio Ordonez, who, while perhaps energized for the 2010 season, is a much different player than Jackson, and is an unlikely candidate to help Jackson get the most of out his speed and ability to, well, mimic what made Curtis Granderson a success in Detroit.

So who was Jackson to turn to? Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas could help out, but they are young too. Like when the Tigers signed Kenny Rogers, and he helped mentor Verlander, Nate Robertson, and Jeremy Bonderman, the Tigers needed a veteran presence who could help bring Jackson along, teach him everything he knows, and make sure that the Tigers prized prospect doesn't fall flat in his first big-league season.

Enter Damon, veteran of almost 1,300 starts in centerfield over a 15-year career. Sure, on the field, Damon brings a lot to the table. There's that .360 Comerica Park average over his career, his ability to steal bases, the fact that he's a lefty in a lineup bereft of southpaws, and his familiarity with batting at the top of a lineup.

But what makes Damon so valuable to the Tigers won't be measured in statistics or recorded on a scorecard. It'll be what he teaches Austin Jackson about being a successful major-league player. About how to act, both on and off the field. About how to handle success and failure. How to get the most out of what most scouts agree is enormous potential. When to steal, when to hold-back, how to hit the gaps of Comerica Park and how to use speed and quickness to stretch a double into a triple or hold a runner at first base when a ball is hit into deep centerfield. And there may be nobody better in major-league baseball to teach these lessons to Austin Jackson than Johnny Damon.

For the trade of Curtis Granderson to be a success, Austin Jackson must be a success. And if the Tigers are able to help accomplish that for $8 million, it would be a bargain at twice the price, no matter how Damon performs on the diamond.

Reactions around baseball to Damon deal
BECK'S BLOG
Posted on February 21, 2010 at 6:59 PM

The Tigers haven't officially announced their one-year contract with Johnny Damon yet, but others around baseball have their first impressions nonetheless, including within the Tigers clubhouse.

We already knew Phil Coke and Austin Jackson thought a lot of Damon, their former teammate in New York and new teammate in Detroit. But so is Magglio Ordonez, who has never played on the same team as Damon but will probably hit behind him.

"It's huge for this team," Ordonez said. "We need him batting first or second. Right now we don't have a leadoff hitter. I think he's going to be a big help."

Ordonez is probably going to like anybody who can get on base and move runners in front of him. Though he batted .291 with runners in scoring position last year, he drove in just 50 runs, He had fewer runners in scoring position during his at-bats than the average Major League player, according to baseball-reference.com. It's the first time that has happened to him since 2006.

More reactions from outside the Tigers clubhouse, courtesy of MLB.com reporters Bryan Hoch, Dick Kaegel and Scott Merkin:

Yankees manager Joe Girardi: "I'm happy for him that he found out where he's going to go. For players, that's an anxious time, trying to figure out where you're going to be. Usually it doesn't go on this long. I wish Johnny luck. Johnny was good for us here. We all miss Johnny. This is the hard part of the game. I'll root for Johnny, except when he's playing against us."

Royals manager Trey Hillman: "Arguably he had one of his best years ever last year. Some people are going to argue that it was the ballpark (new Yankee Stadium) that he was playing in (or) his comfort level and the support cast that was around him playing for the Yankees. Even with Johnny being a veteran at the age he's at, I wouldn't discount anything that he brings to that team in a bigger ballpark. He's a guy that's been making adjustments his whole career. He's needs to flatten that swing out a little bit and hit more line drives instead of those fly balls over that short porch in Yankee Stadium. He'll make the adjustment. That's the way we'll approach him - another dangerous tool for Jim Leyland in that lineup."

White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy: "I wanted him on my team. Johnny Damon is a winner. Johnny going to Detroit makes Detroit quite a bit better. It probably takes an inexperienced guy out of their lineup in front of [Miguel] Cabrera, [Magglio] Ordonez and [Carlos] Guillen."

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski: "I look at it as a positive that we got as close as we could to getting Damon. Knowing him and knowing that he would not want to leave Florida for Spring Training, to get him to entertain the idea was a huge step. So, we did everything we could and in our power to get him here. Family won out. He has four young kids and he didn't want to uproot and move them. We like what we have as a club. We added a lot of pieces."

Tigers, Damon complete one-year deal
Veteran joins Detroit to end long offseason as free agent

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

02/22/10 10:40 AM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Johnny Damon's free-agent journey is over. And the Tigers have the veteran hitter they've arguably needed to have at or near the top of their batting order.

The Tigers announced on Monday that they signed Damon to a one-year contract, formalizing the agreement -- reportedly worth $8 million -- that they reached over the weekend.

Detroit will introduce its new outfielder at a 2 p.m. ET news conference, ending Damon's offseason-long saga, which began with him reportedly looking for a three- or four-year deal for at least $13 million annually. In December, he turned down a two-year offer at $7 million per year from the Yankees, with whom he'd spent the past four seasons, and the drama continued with twists and turns and reports of offers from other teams before he and the Tigers came to terms.

Damon agreed to the contract on Saturday, as confirmed by a source. He underwent a physical on Sunday, and was to make his first commute to Lakeland from his home in Orlando on Monday to join his new team.

Once the introductions are completed, Damon will join a Tigers squad that looks to have a more complete offense with him at or near the top of the lineup.

"Today it makes us more competitive than we were yesterday," manager Jim Leyland said Monday morning. "This isn't some signing. This is a guy who has substance and a track record. ..."

"Primarily this ended up a presence move, an offensive move, and I think it's a huge presence."

The 36-year-old Damon won his second World Series title in six years last season. His numbers, while primarily batting second in the Yankees lineup, included a .282 average, 107 runs, 36 doubles, 24 home runs and 82 RBIs. His .854 OPS was his highest since 2004, when he won his first World Series crown with the Red Sox.

Seventeen of his homers in 2009 were hit in the new Yankee Stadium, which became known as friendly to left-handed hitters.

Leyland said he plans to insert Damon into the second spot in the order once Spring Training games begin next week. Rookie Austin Jackson, a Spring Training teammate of Damon the past couple years with the Yankees, will bat leadoff, though Leyland hasn't committed to that order for the regular season.

"The lineup is a lot less of an issue for me today than it was a few days ago," Leyland said. "We have one less void now, and maybe we don't have a void."

Filling that void should also help the hitters down the line.

"It's huge for this team," outfielder Magglio Ordonez said on Sunday. "We need him batting first or second. Right now we don't have a leadoff hitter. I think he's going to be a big help."

Leyland did not want to get into how he'll shuffle his position players until after he spoke with the affected players. All he would say is that Damon and Carlos Guillen would both get time in left field, and "they'll get all the at-bats they want."

As for the rest of his outfielders, including Ryan Raburn, Leyland said he'll have to ponder that.

"What this does," Leyland said, "is I'm going to have to be a little more creative in other areas."

While the White Sox made an informal recruiting effort, including catcher A.J. Pierzynski and broadcaster Ken Harrelson playing golf with Damon last week, Leyland said he had one 15-minute phone conversation with Damon a few days ago.

"I don't think in any way, shape or form I had a factor in his decision," Leyland said. "But we had a very honest conversation. I'm very thrilled I had a chance to talk to him."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

New Tiger Johnny Damon signed a few autographs for fans moments after he arrived in Lakeland, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. (JULIAN H. GONZALEZ / DFP)

Posted: 8:05 a.m. Feb. 22, 2010 | Updated: 4:32 p.m. today
Damon at Tigers camp: 'Happy to be here'

By JOHN LOWE
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

LAKELAND, Fla. — Johnny Damon arrived at Detroit Tigers camp this morning, and the team officially introduced the former free agent at an afternoon news conference. He appeared ebullient in the morning, signing several autographs on his way into the clubhouse.

Damon – who will wear No. 18, same as he did for the Yankees – told fans, “I am looking forward to it” and is “happy to be here.”

“This is where I wanted to be,” he said at the news conference after completing his $8-million, one-year contract. “The Tigers were my first choice. I love it here and think I am a good fit.
“The Tigers are a scary team, and the fact that this team has gotten even younger makes it a lot more fun."

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski has said Damon wasn’t in the team’s plans as late as January. But Damon came into the picture after the Tigers dealt leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson to the Yankees, then saw Placido Polanco leave as a free agent.

“We needed to make some adjustments,” Dombrowski said. “We aren’t doing it only for this year, but we also needed to move forward. The moves we made earlier in the year allowed us to make some adjustments, not only for now, but also for the future. We also brought in some young talent.”

The Tigers lost in a one-game playoff to Minnesota for the AL Central last year after collapsing down the stretch. Dombrowski said Damon’s attitude means as much as his talent.

“He makes us better,” Dombrowski said. “He’s a proven winner.”

How he wound up with the Tigers might have something to do with manager Jim Leyland.

Leyland this morning said he had one conversation with Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and one conversation with Damon.

“I had no contact with Johnny Damon whatsoever until about three nights ago,” Leyland said. “Johnny Damon called me.

“Johnny was weighing his options at the time. I was thrilled that I got to talk to him because a manager’s worst nightmare is that he signs somewhere else and says, ‘Well, the manager called me and really made me feel at home, and Jim Leyland never even gave me a call.'

“Well, I didn’t have permission (to call Damon). This all came up very fast, and I was not involved in at all.

“Johnny Damon called me, and we had a tremendous conversation. I don’t think in any way, shape or form I was a factor in his decision. But we had a very honest conversation, and the last thing I told Johnny Damon was, ‘Whatever uniform you end up in, I will respect your decision and I wish you the best.’.”

Leyland didn’t describe his phone call with Ilitch, who played a major role in the acquisition of Damon. Leyland did say — and hardly for the first time — “We have a great owner.”

He added of Damon’s signing: “I’d have to say Mr. Ilitch was quite a bit more influential than Jim Leyland was.”

Earlier today Leyland provided few specifics on how he will deploy Damon and Carlos Guillen this season.

He expects Damon and Guillen will be full-time members of the lineup. “Each will get as many at-bats as he wants,” Leyland said.

He anticipates that Damon and Guillen will split left field and designated hitter.

Leyland said he was thinking of putting Damon in the second spot and trying speedy rookie Austin Jackson at leadoff. He likes the idea of two stolen-base threats atop the lineup. But he left open the possibility that Damon could hit leadoff and rookie second baseman Scott Sizemore could bat second.

He said the club wants Jackson to be the everyday center fielder. Damon’s arrival frees Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas to platoon in center if the club decides that Jackson needs more time in the minors. Jackson has never played in the majors.

Contact JOHN LOWE: 313-223-4053 or jlowe@freepress.com. Check out his Tigers blog at freep.com/section/blog18. Free Press news services contributed to this report.

Leyland debating where to bat Damon
Veteran may hit second behind rookie speedster Jackson

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

02/24/10 6:46 PM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Just because it makes no difference to Johnny Damon where he hits in the Tigers' lineup, doesn't mean it makes no difference in how he hits.

For all that was made about Damon being exactly what the Tigers needed in their leadoff spot, the fact that Detroit had a similar void in the second spot in the batting order was almost overlooked. Manager Jim Leyland was not overlooking it; in fact, he might've been more worried about that than he was about leadoff.

The decision on where to bat Damon is about more than where Damon's game fits best. His game, he says, is different depending on where he hits. Leyland's initial thought is that he might bring more of what the club needs to the second spot.

As far as a matter of preference, Damon really has none. Just in case, though, Leyland asked him Tuesday.

"I talked with Johnny, and he said he felt comfortable there," Leyland said. "He's either going to lead off or bat second, but that's part of managing. You want to put your players where they feel they can be more successful. But he felt like he could do some things in the two-hole."

Damon explained the difference Tuesday as a matter of approach.

"I know hitting in the leadoff spot, I'll probably tend to take a few more pitches," Damon said. "From the second hole, you can possibly be a little more aggressive, knowing that you're going to have to give yourself up. So I feel like, for me, my batting average from the two-hole is going to go down just a little bit, because I don't sac bunt a guy over. I'll try to hit it to the right side and try to get a base hit that way."

Though Damon has a career batting average five points lower from the second spot (.284) than he does at leadoff (.289), his slugging percentage is 21 points higher. His on-base percentage, however, is nearly the same -- .355 from the top spot, .357 batting second.

Most of Damon's career plate appearances from the second spot came last year, when he moved down a spot with the Yankees for Derek Jeter to bat leadoff. The result was a plethora of opportunities to move Jeter, and an abundance of strikes to hit in front of Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the Yanks' potent lineup. He also played plenty of games at new Yankee Stadium, which is power-friendly for left-handed hitters.

Damon batted .282 last year with 22 home runs and 79 RBIs out of the second spot. His .489 slugging percentage in 2009 was his highest since 2000 in Kansas City, while his .854 OPS and 71 walks were his highest marks in each since 2004 with Boston.

That power notwithstanding, Damon brings some of the same versatility as a hitter that Placido Polanco provided the Tigers for the past 4 1/2 seasons. Damon is less apt to bunt a runner over than Polanco and far more likely to strike out, but he's also far more likely to draw a walk.

What could make him a fit for the Tigers' No. 2 spot is his design on hitting the ball to the right side with a runner on first base. Leyland's views on Austin Jackson as a leadoff hitter could allow him to use Jackson's baserunning abilities to give Damon a chance to find the holes in the infield.

"It's kind of funny, Polanco was very good at shooting the ball in the hole over there," Leyland said. "Damon has a little advantage, because he's a left-handed hitter anyway. He may be able to pull a ground ball through that hole."

Damon is more likely to do that than to give up a sac bunt and automatically put the onus on Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera to get a hit.

"I think giving yourself up, sac bunting, is a waste," Damon said. "I mean, you can bunt for a base hit, but sac bunting, you're giving yourself up. It puts too much pressure on the next guy to come through, so that's why I try to hit the ball and try to find a hole."

It's a different situation than what he had with the Yankees, but also a different opportunity.

"I'm at two and Austin is leading off, he's going to dictate a lot of what happens, too," Damon said. "If he's on base and stealing, I'll be taking a lot more pitches. Also, the guys we've got coming up behind us, they've got something to prove. [Cabrera] is going to win an MVP before he's done. Magglio is on his contract year."

Cabrera's eyes widened as he looked over attentively. Damon smiled back.

"That's right, MVP, baby," Damon said. "And then you take me to dinner."

The Tigers would gladly feast on that style of offense.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Last Updated: March 05. 2010 4:42PM
Johnny Damon's Ferrari turns heads at Tigers' spring training
Tom Gage / The Detroit News

Lakeland, Fla. -- Johnny Damon is turning heads at spring training, and it's not only autograph seekers who are doing the gawking.

Damon arrives at games in a snazzy charcoal Ferrari that is the envy of even millionaire teammates.

How much did it cost?

"I don't know," said Damon, the Tigers' new left fielder. "It was a gift."

Some gift.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100305/SPORTS0104/3050430/Johnny-Damon-s-Ferrari-turns-heads-at-Tigers--spring-training#ixzz0hLZ3iOlJ

Damon misses Yanks matchup with turf toe
Injury not believed to be serious for former Bomber

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

03/10/10 10:51 AM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tigers outfielder Johnny Damon missed his first matchup with his old team Wednesday due to turf toe in his left big toe, but the injury is not believed to be serious.

Damon apparently felt the injury a couple days ago. Head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said Wednesday morning that Damon received treatment on Tuesday in Lakeland while the Tigers were on the road.

"He's a lot better today," Rand said. "But it's March 10."

Damon took batting practice Wednesday morning and fielded ground balls.

Damon signed as a free agent with the Tigers last month after spending the previous four seasons with the Yankees. He'll have plenty of other chances to face New York, which meets Detroit a handful of times this spring.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Damon lives up to clubhouse reputation
Tigers reap benefits of having veteran bat second in lineup

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

03/14/10 7:04 PM EST

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Johnny Damon had barely been a member of the Tigers for two days when he was asked about batting second and what it could mean for his game. He turned the answer into a list of what he could do for the players around him.

When Damon got to cleanup hitter Miguel Cabrera, he used the letters M-V-P. Cabrera was eating nearby, and his eyes widened.

"That's right, MVP, baby," Damon said, looking over with a smile and a nod. "And then you take me to dinner."

That might've been the first sign of how well Damon was going to fit into the Tigers' clubhouse. A few weeks later, nothing has changed that fit.

For as long as it took to get Damon into a Tigers uniform, it feels as if he's been around as long as anybody. He can joke and chat with basically anyone on the team and feel at ease, from staff ace Justin Verlander to outfield prospect Wilkin Ramirez. When he was asked Sunday what he has learned about his new team, he mentioned longtime clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel in the same breath as the coaching staff and with the same high praise. He talks equally well about the players.

"I come in here, and I'm like 45 minutes from home, but these guys make me want to talk baseball with them," Damon said.

In comparison to the big-market atmospheres in New York and Boston that he has had in the past, this has to feel like at least a pretty comfortable place to work. He's serious about his work and takes a ton of pride in what he has been able to accomplish, but it's also clear that he takes pride in being a good teammate and a people person.

"I think my track record shows that I fit into clubhouses well," Damon said. "It's never really been a problem with me now in my 16th year. I can mix and match well. I'm a veteran. I can teach guys. It's great to be in this position that I am. I really felt really good about this place, especially with all the young guys. The fact that they missed the playoffs by a game, I feel like I can make a difference and help the young kids grow, too."

He's living up to his reputation, and no one on the team seems to be the least surprised by it.

"I haven't been around him on a day-in, day-out basis [before]," Brandon Inge said, "but I know that every time I have played against him and every time I've heard anyone talk about him, he's the same guy every day, kind of like [Curtis] Granderson. Didn't have any highs and lows, wasn't extremely happy, wasn't extremely down. Same guy, no matter what. Good, bad, indifferent, he's the same guy. That's what you need is consistency."

His manager values consistency, but he has never been a big believer in the value of chemistry. He'll value the hitting more.

"He's a threat to hit the ball down the left-field line," Jim Leyland said, "and he's a threat to pull the ball into the upper deck. He's a very professional hitter."

On that front, he's fitting in pretty well, too.

Although the common assumption was that the Tigers had signed their next leadoff hitter when they signed Damon, there was a method to Leyland's madness for hitting him second. Part of that was on display Sunday while Austin Jackson wreaked havoc atop the Tigers' batting order.

Damon couldn't advance Jackson after his single in the bottom of the first inning, but Rays starter Jeff Niemann's wild pitch trying to get Damon out allowed Jackson to advance easily ahead of Magglio Ordonez's RBI double. Once Jackson legged out a two-out triple in the fifth, he set up Damon to drive him in with a simple line drive into center field. Jackson tripled and scored again in the seventh, but Damon was out of the game by then.

Damon remembers Jackson being fast, but not that fast. But that's just part of it.

"We think Jackson can be a basestealer. That certainly plays a role," Leyland said. "Does that mean that Johnny gets fastballs? I don't know -- it might. It opens up the hole [on the right side]. It's got a chance to be a nice combination."

As much responsibility as the Tigers are putting on Jackson and fellow rookie Scott Sizemore, Leyland believes it's just as important for the veteran hitters to take some pressure off them with good years. Damon clearly can do that. But he can also make Jackson more dangerous.

Slot in a potentially resurgent Ordonez after them, then Cabrera, and Damon's fit isn't simply in the clubhouse.

"It can be something really special," Damon said. "Austin is a newcomer. He just has to find his bearings and get used to everything it takes to be a Major Leaguer. And I think being around veterans will definitely help him out. ... We have a chance to be real good. And if one guy doesn't get the job done, we can lean on the next guy."

It's already clear that Damon is aiming to make players around him better. It already has the feel of a better team with him.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Damon sports customized robe


By Jason Beck / MLB.com
04/11/10 7:39 PM ET

DETROIT -- Proving that becoming famous with the Red Sox and Yankees has its privileges even after leaving, Johnny Damon has generated some laughs among teammates by sporting a customized Tigers bathrobe around the clubhouse. It includes his name and number in the same type lettering as the Tigers' jerseys.

Damon said he got the robe as a gift from a supplier that makes them. He has similar robes from his time in Boston and New York.

He has a shipment of Tigers robes being readied for his teammates shortly.

"They're coming," he said. "All the boys will have one before too long."

Johnny Damon has Olde English D bath robes coming for Tigers teammates

By Steve Kornacki
April 11, 2010, 8:15PM

DETROIT -- Detroit Tigers left fielder Johnny Damon wears a white bath robe with an Olde English D on his chest, and his name and number on the back exactly match the size and font of those details on his home jersey.

Damon said it’s a gift from Matt Frost at www.SportRobe.com.

“He sent about 10 of them to the Red Sox when I was in Boston and about 10 to the Yankees when I was with them,” Damon said. “I’ve got them coming so all of the boys will have one soon.”

The robes sell for $189.99 on the web site, but are less without customized names and numbers and come in different colors.

Damon reaches RBI milestone

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/14/10 9:29 PM ET

• Damon reaches RBI milestone
  
• Laird knows Willis will find groove
  
• Upcoming road swing to test Tigers
  
• Leyland defends handling of Verlander
  

DETROIT -- Two-hundred and sixty-four players have reached the 1,000-RBI mark. Not many of them have spent most of their careers batting leadoff like Johnny Damon.

Hitting out of his usual No. 2 spot since joining Detroit, Damon joined that group Wednesday when his fifth-inning double plated Adam Everett to help fuel the Tigers' rally.

Nearly three-quarters of Damon's RBIs (746) came batting leadoff. While several other players with 1,000 RBIs spent more games batting leadoff than in another particular spot, few of them have that many RBIs from the top spot. One of them is Rickey Henderson with 1,100; another is Pete Rose with 803.

For what it's worth, Damon has 108 RBIs in 221 games from the second spot, including all but three of his 82 RBIs as a Yankee last season. His career-high 94-RBI season in 2004, however, came almost entirely as the leadoff hitter in Boston. Ninety-one RBIs came from the top spot in the Sox's batting order.

If there was any doubt that Damon is set in the second spot in the Tigers' order, that might've been closed on the day that leadoff man Austin Jackson had his first day off. Damon remained in the second spot, with Ryan Raburn batting first and playing center field in Jackson's place.

Manager Jim Leyland said after Tuesday's game that he would sit Jackson on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's off-day, but he wasn't sure at the time whether he would bat Raburn or Damon up top. He ultimately went with Raburn to avoid having a run of right-handed hitters batting second through fourth, which would've been the case if he batted Damon first and Raburn second.

"I didn't really want to stack Raburn, [Magglio] Ordonez and [Miguel] Cabrera," Leyland said, "so I just left Johnny in the two-hole."

Raburn had a run of success batting leadoff last year against left-handed pitchers, when Leyland would either bat Curtis Granderson lower in the order or give him a day out of the lineup. Raburn batted .345 from the first spot in 2009, with six home runs and 11 RBIs in 64 plate appearances.

Wednesday's start wasn't coming against a left-hander, but Leyland wanted to get a day off for Jackson, who started the first eight games of the season. Combined with Thursday's team off-day, Jackson will essentially have two days off before he leads off Friday night in Seattle against Felix Hernandez.

Damon sports a mohawk

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/19/10 9:40 PM ET

ANAHEIM -- If there were any Johnny Damon fans still holding onto hope that he'd grow his hair out again now that he's out of New York, Monday might've been the final blow against that. He emerged in the visiting clubhouse at Angel Stadium with a mohawk-style cut.

Ever since Damon signed with the Tigers in February, there's been the lingering question of whether he would grow out his hair or grow out a beard now that he's no longer under the Yankees' rules on hair length and facial hair.

Damon has never really gotten into the speculation, and by the sounds of his remarks, he definitely isn't into the long hair.

"I've been wanting one of these for a long time," Damon said. "That long hair is long gone out of my system."

Damon ejected for arguing called third strike
Outfielder is first Tigers player to be tossed in 2010

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/21/10 11:43 PM ET

ANAHEIM -- Johnny Damon became the first Tigers player to be ejected from a game this season when plate umpire Dale Scott threw him out Wednesday night for arguing a called third strike.

Damon, signed by the Tigers this offseason, was batting with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning against Angels right-hander Jered Weaver, who spotted a 1-2 fastball on the inside corner for strike three and the end of the scoring threat.

Damon, who was called out on a similarly contested strike with the potential tying run in scoring position Tuesday night, stood in the box after the latest call and exchanged words with Scott before drawing a line in the dirt around the inside corner of the plate with his bat.

That last demonstration was enough for Scott to make the move on Damon, who went up next to Scott before manager Jim Leyland emerged from the dugout to pull him back.

Damon was also called out by Scott on a contested play in the sixth inning Tuesday, when Damon grounded in the hole between first and second. Scott ruled that Howard Kendrick's throw beat Damon to the bag, though replays later suggested he might have been safe.

Ryan Raburn replaced Damon in left field for the bottom of the inning on Wednesday.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Damon keeps it clean during ejection
Tigers outfielder upset he didn't get chance to swing bat

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/22/10 10:05 PM ET

ANAHEIM -- Even when Johnny Damon is being ejected from a game, he's a pretty good guy about it.

There was no foul language thrown around as the Tigers outfielder was being thrown out of Wednesday's game against the Angels. Nor was there anything close to contact. Damon's frustration reached a tipping point when plate umpire Dale Scott called a third strike on him to end the fifth inning with the bases loaded -- one night after a similar call with the potential tying run on base -- but his only regret was not getting a chance to drive in a run.

"At least I would've liked to put a swing on it," Damon said. "Even a grounder to the shortstop could've been better than taking that. I know that stuff's going to happen. It's just frustrating when it happens with runners on base and when the game's on the line. That's kind of the situation that I think I'm still around in this game [for], because I can do well in those situations. In that situation, I didn't get a chance to swing the bat."

His only use of the bat, it turned out, was to draw the inside corner of the strike zone.

"That's an automatic ejection," Damon said. "He said he's going to have to have to do that if I [draw] it again. I was like, 'Well, I'm doing it again.'"

It was a calm enough ejection that manager Jim Leyland didn't even interject. He said Damon kept his cool very well. Damon said he got a call from his father saying he was proud for him for standing up for himself.

"I'm still trying to work on a contract for next year," Damon said. "If I keep striking out like that, I'm going to be sitting at home."

Detroit's Damon tallies his 1,500th run
Speedy outfielder becomes 68th player to achieve feat


By Jason Beck / MLB.com

04/30/10 8:00 PM ET

• Detroit duo pulls off remarkable feat
  
• Torii already admiresTigers' Jackson
  
• Tigers offense is on a torrid pace early
  

DETROIT -- Johnny Damon's hitting streak ended at 15 games on Thursday, but he started a new streak and hit a milestone on Friday. With his first-inning run on Friday, Damon became the 68th player in Major League history to reach 1,500 runs for his career.

Damon just missed driving in his milestone run himself with his drive off the fence in the right-field corner. He ended up with a triple on the play when the ball caromed off the fence and towards right-center field.

Austin Jackson, who led off the inning with a single and reached second on an error, scored easily on the play. Damon came home two pitches later on Magglio Ordonez's sacrifice fly to right field.

Damon already has 17 runs this season, second only to Jackson on the team. He's on pace for what would be his 11th 100-run season in the past 13 years.

Damon exits finale with right calf spasm
Tigers outfielder should be ready for weekend series

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/05/10 6:51 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- Problems sleeping for Johnny Damon the past several nights led to problems running on Wednesday at Target Field. But the Tigers do not expect his right calf spasm to keep him out this weekend.

Damon left Wednesday's loss to the Twins in the fourth inning and is listed as day-to-day. He had tightness in his calf going into the game but gave it his best to try to play through it.

"I felt it before," Damon said. "I was just trying to see if it would subside. I felt great in batting practice and everything. I've had lack of sleep probably for the last week, and going into the game I wanted to make sure I was ready to go, so I had my coffee, had my Red Bull. And too much caffeine obviously dehydrates you. I'm pretty sure that's the only thing."

Damon started the game in left field, something he hasn't been doing often recently with rookie Brennan Boesch in the lineup and normal designated hitter Carlos Guillen on the disabled list. He made a running catch in the third inning on a Justin Morneau line drive, but it wasn't clear when Damon was injured.

The Tigers have a scheduled off-day Thursday, their first day off in three weeks. They've played 20 games in five cities over the past 20 days. They'll return to action Friday night at Cleveland.

Ryan Raburn replaced Damon in left field. The Tigers could conceivably choose to give Damon a day off Friday against Indians left-hander David Huff, but Damon started against Huff last month in the Tigers' home opener.

"I think he's going to be fine," manager Jim Leyland said. "His calf tightened up on him. I didn't want to take any chances. We have a good understanding, really. If he needs a blow, he's going to let me know. I assume he'll be ready for Cleveland."

That's Damon's hope as well.

"I'd rather miss six innings than miss two weeks," he said.

Damon achieves milestone in walk-off win
Outfielder collects 2,500th career hit with single in third

By Alex DiFilippo / MLB.com

07/06/10 11:22 PM ET

Box >

DETROIT -- Johnny Damon recorded his 2,500th career hit on Tuesday night. If that wasn't enough, he hit a walk-off two-run homer to help the Tigers defeat the Orioles, 7-5, at Comerica Park.

The Tigers trailed the Orioles, 4-0, heading into the eighth inning, but were able to execute the comeback. First, Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Inge recorded triples to help Detroit to a two-run frame in the eighth. Then, in the ninth inning, Cabrera blasted a game-tying two-run homer to set the table for Damon's heroics in extra innings.

The win keeps the Tigers one-half game ahead of Minnesota in the American League Central standings.

Tigers starter Armando Galarraga found himself in constant danger on the mound, but was able to post goose eggs until surrendering a two-run homer to Nick Markakis in the seventh inning. Although the right-hander gave up 10 hits, his outing was much improved from his last three starts, where he gave up a combined 14 earned runs. All three earned runs Galarraga allowed on Tuesday came in the seventh inning.

Damon's 2,500 hit came in the third inning off Orioles starter Jake Arrieta. The Tigers fans at Comerica Park gave Damon a lengthy standing ovation after he knocked his milestone hit to right-center field to become only the 92nd Major League player to accomplish the feat.

Alex DiFilippo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Damon scratched; Boesch starts in right
Veteran outfielder day-to-day with upper back spasms

By Quinn Roberts and Jason Beck / MLB.com

07/30/10 6:37 PM ET

BOSTON -- Johnny Damon's reunion with Fenway fans in a Tigers uniform will have to wait. The former Red Sox star was scratched from Friday's series opener with what the Tigers called upper back spasms.

Damon was scheduled to return to left field, the area he manned for years before going to the Yankees, and bat third. However, he was pulled just after batting practice. He's considered day-to-day.

Damon's return meant no day off for slumping Brennan Boesch, whom manager Jim Leyland was hoping to sit against Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester. Instead, not only was Boesch back in the lineup, but he also hit third. It marks the first time he has hit anywhere but fifth this year in a Detroit uniform.

That switch in itself might take a little pressure off of him. The Rays intentionally walked Miguel Cabrera to pitch to Boesch the previous three nights in St. Petersburg. All three situations came with runners at first and second in a one-run game in the seventh inning. Rays relievers retired Boesch all three times.

Stiff back continues to hobble Damon

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

07/31/10 7:01 PM ET

BOSTON -- Johnny Damon was out of action for the Tigers for a second straight day Saturday, hobbled by a stiff back that he called the worst he has had.

Add in Ryan Raburn's absence for his grandfather's funeral in Florida, and the Tigers were limited to two healthy players on their bench for Saturday's game -- infielder Danny Worth and catcher Alex Avila.

Damon was a late scratch from Friday's series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park with back spasms, which he said popped up Thursday morning and worsened when he played through them Thursday afternoon against the Rays at Tropicana Field.His back felt much the same when he arrived at Fenway Park on Saturday afternoon.

His back supposedly felt a little better once he received treatment, but not nearly good enough to get him back in the lineup. With an off-day Monday and Raburn due back Sunday morning, it wouldn't be a surprise if manager Jim Leyland sat Damon on Sunday in order to have him ready for Tuesday's day-night doubleheader against the White Sox.

Damon's belief in Tigers remains strong

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/14/10 7:50 PM ET

CHICAGO -- Johnny Damon came to Detroit with a well-earned reputation as a proven winner. He could be heading into a stretch run without a playoff race for the first time since his Kansas City days a decade ago, unless the Tigers can get back into it.

Thing is, Damon believes they can.

"It's a little bit different," Damon said, "but coming into this series here -- obviously, we wish we could've gotten Game 1 -- but I actually feel like if we can play good right now, you can cut it to three games in the middle of September. If you look at it, that's 25, 26 games until the middle of September. But if you can cut it to three or four games, then you start making everything interesting. And then, if we're able to do that, we're a hot team at the time, and we have no pressure on us. The other teams do.

"I don't think anything's done. I know there's not many teams that have come back, but that's why it's so important for us to try to make this fun. If we don't do it, then we can at least say that we gave it our all."

Damon hasn't played for a team that finished with a losing record since the 2000 Royals, who finished 77-85. He went to Oakland in a three-team trade that winter, the A's won the AL Wild Card with 102 wins in 2001 and he signed with Boston the next season. The rest is history.

He played with a team this far out of it with the Yankees two years ago, but they eventually made a late-season run to at least make it close. If the Tigers can make up a game or a game and a half on average per week over the next five weeks or so, he believes they can be back in it.

One problem there is that the Tigers are chasing two teams, not one. The other is that, well, they aren't playing like a team with nothing to lose. As he put it, "Every game we lose, we feel like we have to win two to make up for that loss."

"Nobody's counting us in," Damon said, "but we could easily sneak back into it ... I hate admitting defeat and I hate thinking that way, because I honestly say a couple times this season I've felt like we were the best team in baseball."

Damon interested in staying with Tigers

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

08/16/10 7:36 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Johnny Damon was in the Yankee Stadium interview room talking with New York reporters about his return to the Bronx for the first time since he and the Bronx Bombers parted ways last winter. He ended up saying quite a bit about his future with the Tigers.

Damon reiterated that next year might be his final season before retiring. He said he would very much like it to be with the Tigers. Considering the ups and downs of this season, it was an interesting statement.

"I'm hoping to stay," Damon said. "I'm hoping after this season they want me back to, I feel, be a part of something special. I think that's a big reason why I chose Detroit, because I felt like there was something happening there with a winning ballclub. A championship would mean the world to the fans there, to that economy, to the owner. That's why I felt Detroit was, and is, the best place for me right now."

To that end, Damon indicated no regret over the way things turned out. If the Tigers don't get to the playoffs, he said, he hopes the Yankees "do very well."

"I'm not that type of person [to look for vindication]," Damon said. "I've always just tried to go about my business just to be the best ballplayer. I can't dictate what moves they've made. I know all the guys that they brought over to essentially do what I do. They're all great guys, and they've all produced in the big leagues.

"They're doing great. You're still looking at possibly the best infielder of all time over there. You've got some guys who can chase down fly balls. They're getting great production from [Nick] Swisher. They're a very good team and they're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs."

Damon is eligible for free agency this winter, and there has been some speculation whether he would end the season as a Tiger. Detroit could conceivably try to pass him through waivers in order to set up an August trade, though indications are that the Tigers haven't put him on waivers yet.

Damon signed a one-year, $8 million contract in February after winning a World Series with the Yankees, who briefly had talks on Damon before moving on to other options. Damon had no regrets over that.

"I think they knew that I could still play," Damon said, "but it had to be on their terms. And I feel like when you're a free agent in this game, it's got to be on terms on both sides. I valued myself more than what New York's front office valued me.

"They knew I could still play. Obviously I'm getting up there in age. They obviously started to worry about durability and all that stuff. That's what Boston was worried about with me also. I just keep going out there and playing. That's what's tough."

Damon's addition was expected to be one of the big pieces toward reigniting a dormant offense. He has had an up-and-down season at the plate, batting .278 with 30 doubles, seven home runs, 38 RBIs and 65 runs scored, but he hit a clutch two-run triple Sunday to help fuel Detroit's comeback win over the White Sox.

"My experience in Detroit has been great," Damon said. "I love it there. I feel like the team is an up-and-coming team with a lot of young kids there that definitely need guidance to show them the hopes, and it seems like they've been doing a pretty good job at it."

The Tigers have an interesting offseason on their hands, especially with their outfield. Magglio Ordonez's ankle fracture all but ensures his contract option for 2011 won't vest, making it the Tigers' decision whether to pick it up for $15 million or buy it out for no cost. Austin Jackson is a huge part of the Tigers' future in center field and at leadoff, and Brennan Boesch is an everyday outfielder now.

"This is a new process for me. I'm almost a player-coach," Damon said. "I'm around all the young kids who are almost young enough to be my sons, but it's great. It puts that fire back into you. You enjoy watching these guys grow up. I'm enjoying watching the best hitter in baseball in [Miguel] Cabrera. I'm enjoying watching the best defensive center fielder in the game. That's the stuff you enjoy and you remember for a very long time."