I’ll admit, the thought of Johnny Damon in pinstripes is going to take some getting used to…but for the Yankees, it’s an excellent move. One, it puts the Red Sox in a jam—there just aren’t many good centerfielders left to sign, and it’s psychologically devastating to the team. (Imagine if Jorge Posada signed with the BoSox.) And two, it helps the Yankees considerably. Let’s face it: Bubba Crosby just wasn’t the man to play center every day. In Damon, you have a guy who hits over .300 and wreaks havoc on the basepaths. Plus, he allows Derek Jeter to hit second, where he’s probably a bigger offensive threat.

It’s weird, though—you now have on the Yankees the guy who crushed them in that ghastly Game Seven of the 2004 ALCS.

Well, if you can’t beat him, sign him.

Which gives the Yankees a lineup something like this: Damon, Jeter, A-Rod, Sheffield, Matsui, Giambi, Posada, Robinson Cano, Andy Phillips.

Wow. That’s going to be tough to beat.