Damon Has No Answers For Eye Prolblems

From Jeff Roberts:

Johnny Damon did not have an explanation, searching for one as he spoke.

His eyes have been "fluttering" for a few weeks, he said. He's had difficulty focusing his eyes. And the Yankee left fielder felt like he almost passed out in the outfield Thursday night, leading to a dropped fly ball in the loss to the Red Sox.

Damon was examined shortly before the Yankees' stunning 9-8 victory Friday night over the Mets and was left out of the starting lineup. But he did pinch hit in the ninth inning, striking out.

Manager Joe Girardi said after the game that the exam "went OK," but the team is waiting for blood test results.

Damon, looking confused and a little worried at his locker before the game, offered his sugar intake as one possible reason for his symptoms. Then allergies. Then his depth perception.

And most troubling of all, the vicious concussion he suffered in the 2003 playoffs when he was with the Red Sox, from which he thought he had recovered completely.

Damon, 35, said he has been "blinking a lot." "I almost felt like I passed out for a second and that's another thing I want to check out to make sure the concussion from [2003] … there's no lingering affects."

...

"It felt like I didn't know where I was for a second when that happened," he said. "The eyes fluttered and you kind of just think the ball is coming down to you right here and then it's coming down to the right of you. I don't know."

...

"I think [Thursday] was just one of those days where every time I looked up to try to catch a fly ball, it wasn't there," Damon said. "So I was relying on Melky and on Gardner [Thursday] on those balls. It seemed like I couldn't focus in on anything."

I wonder what could be wrong with him. If I were the Yanks I'd play it safe and give him another day to rest. No need to push him. Girardi said after the game that the doctors also did some blood work and they're waiting for those results. I'd at least wait until then before returning him to the lineup.