Damon, one of the keys to the Yankee offense, was hampered by injuries for most of the first half of '07, injuries that were in part due to being out of shape. These injuries, and the subsequent struggles, were both major factors which led to the Yankees slow start. But by the second half of the season Johnny had found his grove, and the Yankees had started winning. "When the season ended, my bat was where it needed to be," Damon said. Damon says that in previous winters he has been distracted, and unable to "regroup". In 2004 it was World Series celebrations, free agency in 2005, and the birth of a child in 2006.
He even considered retiring last spring,
"I was just exhausted .... Burnt out,'' Damon told SI.com Tuesday. "[Retirement] definitely crossed my mind.''
After a few days, Damon decided to return. "I knew these guys needed me,'' Damon said with a smile.
It's a good thing that didn't happen.
This year Damon wasn’t distracted, and was able to have an offseason where he says he "was at peace" with himself.
Damon also feels that he has to prove himself this year,
"I'm ready to go out there and prove to everyone that I'm still a pretty good player. I've been pretty consistent over my career. But when you talk about good players in the league my name hardly comes up and I don't think that's right. I need to go out there and show them.”
"I expect to be one of the better players around the league, Damon said. I think pitchers know I can still drive them crazy."
Damon also told reporters he was glad the Santana trade didn't happen.
2 Comments:
I don't care what anyone says Damon is the most important hitter in that lineup. When he hits the Yankees win.
I agree with that statement. in '06 when we signed him, I defended the signing of Damon, tooth and nail. I thought he was exactly what we needed to get the offense rolling and be a real playoff team. Last year he dissapointed us all. It's good to see the Girardi has already made it clear to the fans and to Damon, how important he really is to the Yankees. Too bad when Damon saod last year he "came in heavy" he was talking about his fat gut and not a pistol he had strapped to his chest.
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