Johnny Damon says the Red Sox didn't give him a choice but to join the Yankees | GM Files Ep 8

Welcome to another edition of the GM file Jim Buchanan alongside Bobby Evans, and we are pleased to be welcomed by a longtime major leaguer 18 years in the big leagues. 2769 hits Hall of Fame ballot, Johnny Damon Johnny, always good to see you. Our pleasure. Thanks for joining us. Phillips, and to be able to play 18 years was an absolute blessing. I had to stay healthy. And to go off and win two World Series with the most storied franchises and breaking the curse after a six years. Absolutely amazing. And then winning the Yankees last World Series and the last one for Mr. Steinbrenner. I mean, what a been truly blessed for sure. Should he have? We look back in history now and say, of course, we have guys like Mike Timlin down in the bullpen who's ready to go and single ball pitcher and just knows how to get ground balls for our great defense behind them. Yeah, there weren't too many hard hit balls. But going back, I mean, I got a concussion in our last game against Oakland, and that really derailed our team. I mean, I feel like I was the hottest hitter on our team. You know, we had a guy on first and third vertex struck out. I hit a hot shot to Jeter and easy double play. And I don't hit into too many double plays. And I know we'll get into that later on. But yeah, that was that could have changed the outcome. But obviously, Bill Miller, very underrated player to this day. But, you know, he's one of those guys. Take him on your team. Yeah. And you could plug in a bunch of those guys from our team and they're going to make your team better. You know, even you go get the top superstar, these guys can get the job done. I mean, Bill Miller, Orlando Cabrera. I mean, that was a possibly some of the best shortstop play I've seen offensively and defensively. I mean, I feel like if we would have resigned him after that World Series, we would have had a better chance to win in 2005 for sure. All right. So take us through that. So, you know, obviously you had the home run in the ALCS. You guys end up winning the World Series. It was almost handily in 2004. Sweep the crowd. So that's cool. And then at the end of 05, you have to make a tough decision. Right. And not many guys go from the Red Sox to Yankees. So I'm curious how that came about. And then what was the reaction from Red Sox fans and now you're going to the arch rival? And when I went and signed with the Yankees, there were only six Red Sox left in from the 2004 team. You had Euclid, you had Veritech, you had Wakefield, Poppy, Manny and Schilling. That's it. So it was a very tough decision because I knew I was the fan favorite. And at the end of the day and back in those days, your team could only negotiate with you for six weeks after the season. There was not one discussion with the Red Sox. I thought the Dodgers were going to work out, but they just signed for a call. So now it's down to Boston and New York. Never did I think I would go to New York, especially, never did I think Boston would let me become a free agent. Yes. Okay. Was that your whole career or just during that pre-agency period? My arm was a lot better than football happened. I knew I was ready at a very young age and it was time to go. I would have loved to have gone to the University of Florida. My dream ever since I've moved to Florida when I was 6. But I also knew my parents needed some help and I also knew I was ready and it worked out. By the time I would have been a junior in college, I was up in the big leagues, fighting my way through, getting ready to hit that stardom. What was it like going from the Boston clubhouse to the Yankee clubhouse? You had the long hair with the Boston. The rumors were during the postseason, you're taking a shot before the game. I don't know if those are true or not. Of course, it's true. It's out there. But then you go to the Yankees clubhouse and the establishment of all those guys. Was it a hard transition? Easy transition? It was actually a very easy transition because whenever the Yankees want you, I mean, they want you and they want the best players. And I never hated the Yankees. I always respected them. I mean, they hit a ground ball. They all hustled down the line, whether it was Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Scott Brocious, everybody that played the game the right way. And I love that type of baseball. And I couldn't really say the same in Boston. So I was able to hang out with A-Rod and Jeter. I've known A-Rod since I was 14 years old. I mean, when he was the number nine hitter on our Euclid baseball team, I was the three hole guy. So I was a big time hitter back then. And then he got lost. So I actually beat him back to the hotel. I know that was the latter part of George's life, but was he around? He lived in Tampa, but did you have much interaction with George as a Yankee? And we had a very good conversation, and I'm just so happy that I hit the game-winning home run at the old stadium. Not the last one, unfortunately. And then getting the first hit at Yankee Stadium and then delivering him his last championship. I feel like I've been in very good spots at the right time, but I also know that I create my destiny. You've got to take the good with the bad, and fortunately, we have some good right there. Obviously, when you were with the Yankees, I was with the Orioles at that point, but when you were in the early part of the Yankees, I was with the Mets, and even with your Red Sox time, I always felt like you were a big-time postseason-type player. And even towards the end of your career with the Yankees, that last World Series, you had a really good…360 in the World Series. So what is it about that moment or those moments that you feel like you were able to produce? But those aces, I'm just ready for it, and good things happen. I wish there was a secret, but I also know I'm going to fail in this game, so why think about failure? Why not just think about succeeding, and we'll let everything else happen? Well, Johnny, the World Series in 2009 was special for George, of course, being his last, but also the first at Yankee Stadium, the new Yankee Stadium. Well, it made that move worthwhile, because leaving Boston, I mean, it was great in 2006 when we won our division. Boston finished in fourth place. I know they had some injuries, but that's part of it, and I was like, sweet. Well, Boston went out, signed, spent about $250 million, had some young players like Ellsbury and Pedroia coming up, and then they won the World Series, and here I am going, oh, my God, what the heck did I do? And then 2009, I mean, the Yankees, they knew they were opening up a new stadium. They wanted to get some talent. Adding Tex, A.J. Burnett, which everyone thinks can win and can dominate any ballgame. We can let Swish know. I know you talked to him, too. I mean, both of us just absolutely carried us, and you didn't have to change the lineup. So we have, I talked to Joe Girardi when Derek was going to the World Baseball Classic, and I said, what do you think? But if he gets on base more, I have that hole right there for me. And Derek Jeter hits into 30-plus double plays a year. I might hit into three, and I know how to handle a bat. Another story we can come back to later on. So I only had 18, 19 stolen bases that year, but it was because Tex wanted that hole. And if you think about that lineup, you go Jeter, Damon, Tex, A-Rod. You go Cano, Posada, Matsui, Swisher, Mielke. OK, so the lefties we have in there, myself, Matsui, and Cano, we hit righties and lefties. So you never have to change that lineup. Bullpens have a tough time going righty, lefty, especially in today's game. And then you have four switch hitters. So you have Tex, Posada, Swisher, Mielke. You never have to change your lineup. So after 2009, when they get to the playoffs, all these teams are doing is going, I'm going right-handed pitcher today, left-handed pitcher the next day. And their bullpen was—that's why they haven't been able to win. One day, these guys would hit one and two, say it's Gardner and Granderson. The next day, if a lefty's pitching seven and nine, it's tough on the player. People think they can plug in players and everything's going to be the same, but you get a feel for the guys hitting. It's a tough ballpark to have pitching. It's a tough place to pitch, period. In your career, you only hit 93 total double plays over 18 years. So to your point, it's like an average of four or five a year. That year that you mentioned, you stole, I think, 18? Was it 2009? You stole 12. 12 bags a year. So Teixeira let you steal 12 times? He only let you steal 12? A lot. It worked out. Yeah, it worked out. Johnny, did you always look at Jeter and say, what's he going to do after his career and think that he might be a big time baseball executive? And was that surprising to you that he would go that route? It is very surprising to me. I mean, I would have thought, man, you've made a ton of money. Sit back, relax and enjoy life. And yeah, he did well. But last year was a tough judgment on what needs to happen. And we know how tough this game is. For sure. Well, what's going to happen for you? Are we going to see you as a more than occasional star on Bravo Below Deck Part 2? What's in store here for Johnny going forward? And we are just getting rolling. We got our investors ready to go. And it's on Instagram. It's going to be at Drink A Game. And I'm at Johnny Dam. And I'm going to be filling in a lot of stuff. We are really in the process. It's got people locked in. They're locked in. I want to ask you one or two quick ones. Oh, yeah. Any memorable brawls that you were a part of? Like the A-Rod Veritech one stands out. That one was nuts. Yeah. Well, that one was nuts. And I just had a, that was Veritech A-Rod. I'm thinking about the one that happened in the postseason where I was, I think I was just concussed and I was like, please, I can't be hit. But the crazy one, I was with Kansas City. I believe it was Detroit we were going after. You know, Jim Pittsley hits, or Phil Nevin, he's with the Tigers, slides into Mike Sweeney hard the year before. And I believe I have Phil's team, right. And then we remember that for the next year. Well, we hit Phil Nevin. He's on a different team. His first at bat. I forget what team he just, I think it's the Angels, actually. That's funny. I remember Pittsley as an amateur, as a high school pitcher. Yeah. Pennsylvania. Yeah. Pennsylvania. How about best? You had so many teammates. I don't know how you pick them, but outside of Nick Swisher, best teammates? Nick Johnson re-signed there. And I was told I had five minutes to agree to almost a pay cut of half from the year before. I was like, man, I absolutely was the guy on our team. And so I was like, okay, can we do something? I'm sure we could have did it a few more times. And so a lot of good would have happened. I'm glad I went to Detroit. But obviously, I mean, Detroit, they're great fans. But New York was very special, especially at that point in my career. Yeah, I'm good. Don't worry about me. I've got a little longer. So we're all good. We won't ask you the best general manager. Best manager. There you go. Oh, Jim, you would be up there if you would have been able to work out a trade. I would have traded for you. We had a chance to trade for you, but I would have been the O's, man. We messed up on that one for sure. Yeah, I really thought after New York, going to Baltimore would have been great because I absolutely just crushed there. You raked it, Kevin. Oh, my God. That's hard. Yeah, that is hard. But I respected everybody and what they did. I mean, Billy Bean had his way. Theo had his way. There's been a lot of rumors if Theo was still in charge when I left for the Yankees and all that stuff. Cashman has always been consistent. Back to Theo, they just created a whole new wave of, you know what, we're going to use you at your best time and if we feel the need to move you, we will. We'll try to put you in a good spot, but I get it. And you're doing it for half the cost, maybe more, and they're younger. And when you get older, you don't necessarily get more endurance and all that good stuff. Yeah. But you're talking about two guys that loved good makeup guys. I mean, Bobby had three World Series rings. I mean, he would have fit on any one of those teams, Bobby, with that group. 12, 10, 12, 14? And then I go to Tampa, which was godsend. I mean, I'm close to home. My dad gets to watch me play more and had a fantastic year there. We go to the playoffs, and then, you know, they sign someone else. Don Zimmer gives me a call. He starts crying. Yeah, we had his son Tom Zimmer as a scout with the Giants for a long time, and he didn't get a lot of chance to spend with his dad, but just a great family. And Don was a legend in Boston, of course, in New York, and the gerbil in Tampa. Yeah, he's great. What a guy. That's why I wanted to keep playing, just so they can take a look back and say, wow, this guy gave it his all. The numbers, the championships, that's why I wanted to keep playing. Maybe I shouldn't have, but retirement's a long time. We were wondering why you didn't go longer. You were so close to 3,000 hits. Well, I wanted to, but it's the numbers. They start looking at a 38-year-old. Could I play the outfield still? Yes. Will you need to replace me in the seventh or eighth inning? Possibly. I believe if I was with Tampa, and that's why Don Zimmer was so emotional, because he knew 3,000 hits was close, 600 doubles was close. And still, my numbers, it surprises everyone if you put it up to any of the leadoff guys or even number two guys. My body type is different. This was me at 13, just natural and nothing. The science isn't the same for everybody, and a 38-year-old Johnny Damon who can still run a 4'4", 40, compared to, say, a 32-year-old Kevin Euclid, it's different. Yeah, definitely. You didn't play less than 140 games in your whole career except for your final season, and that was a partial year. To your point, one of the most durable guys in the history of the game that I can remember. I'm one of three. I think it's me, Mays, and Molitor with over 1,500 runs scored, 1,000 RBIs, 200 homers, 400 stolen bases, 2,700 hits. I shock people with all my doubles because I think I went 10 straight years with 30-plus doubles. Could Johnny Damon score from first? Can Jason Giambi? No. Certain things I could do, and I believe I heard a stat towards the end of my career, well, in 100 at-bats, Johnny Damon would hit 4.7 home runs. Giambi would hit 5.9. Carlos Pena, 5.9. Does that say if you need a bunt, if you need a hit-and-run, if you need certain stuff? That's what I feel kind of got me out of the game. People kind of forget about the value that a certain player— Well-rounded. Yeah, correct. All right, last one. You got a good 13-U for you and A-Rod. You were batting third. Was it 12-U or 13-U? Oh. A-Rod's batting nine. You're batting third. You got any good stories from that one? Helton's fourth, A-Rod's ninth. Danny Connell, one of the great athletes. Where was he hitting? Oh, shoot. Connell was pitching, playing some first base. Yeah, it was such a fun time. We went to Euclid, Ohio. We stayed in the high school that the great running back, Robert Smith, went to. All of his stuff was on the walls. We were sleeping in the classrooms. They had the gym, and then I got to see my first big league baseball game live because Danny Connell's dad was a doctor for the Marlins. Was it the Marlins at the time? I think it was the Marlins. It was a different team. I mean, he was Dolphins, too, though. Yeah. I thought it was the Marlins. That's fantastic. You never used that against him down the road, did you? Yeah. I mean, ask him about the 14-year-old Johnny David. 14-year, for sure. Listen, we're going to help promote your drink when it's ready, so just let us know on that. You said at Drink A Game? At Drink A Game, yes. Drink A Game. We wish we could say all natural, but FDA comes down hard on you, but it is. I mean, we get our sugars from honey. We get our hydration from sea salt. I mean, yeah, we are very excited. Cool project. And we have, like I said, Hilton on board, Westgate, Timeshares. Yeah, we're getting ready to roll.