What impact does the departure of Johnny Damon have on the Red Sox, and how can they replace him?
Nick Cafardo
Baseball reporter
The team has lost a premier leadoff hitter, table setter, and center fielder at a time when this type of player is scarce. And lost him to the Yankees to boot. The Sox will also miss Damon's clubhouse presence. For four seasons, it was Damon's clubhouse. He was also the go-to guy for the media, commenting on easy and tough questions in good times and bad. He changed the culture in the Sox' clubhouse for the better. How do they replace him? Anything short of Torii Hunter or Andruw Jones, and you don't. You hope to acquire a young player such as Jeremy Reed, Coco Crisp, or Corey Patterson, cross your fingers, and hope he can at least replace a fraction of Damon's productivity.
Gordon Edes
Baseball reporter
Johnny Damon made such an enormous impact, both on and off the field, that of course he'll be missed, and until the Sox finish re-tooling their roster, obviously it appears as if they've taken a huge step backwards. The Yankees lineup, with Damon in the No. 1 hole, is truly scary. But I think this is a judgment call better made in April, when we see what kind of team the Sox put on the field, than on Christmas.
Bob Ryan
Columnist
Casey Stengel explained why his first pick for the expansion 1962 Mets was catcher Hobie Landrith: ''If you have no catcher, there will be a lot of passed balls." If the Red Sox were to play this afternoon, there would be a lot of base hits to center field for the same reason.
Dan Shaughnessy
Columnist
Obviously, this is great for the Yankees. Damon will score 100 runs by August with this lineup behind him. Center field is another issue. There's a lot of territory to cover and Derek Jeter will think he's in the Penn Relays as he goes out to take cutoff throws. Sure the Yankees overpaid, and Damon might be Bernie Williams in the fourth year, but he's going to help them a lot next season. Meanwhile, the Sox need to find a way to bring in Torii Hunter or a like candidate. Jeremy Reed isn't going to cut it with the Nation. Maybe Dwayne Hosey is available.
Chris Snow
Red Sox reporter
Damon's loss is as demoralizing to team morale as it is devastating to the on-field product. Damon described captain Jason Varitek as ''in shock," and David Ortiz, who's scheduled to begin talks on a contract extension next month, must be similarly disenchanted, especially considering that he's on record in the Dominican as saying his bodyguard in the lineup, Manny Ramírez, won't be back. The only solution is an overhaul of the how-to-win philosophy. Rather than pound the opposition, they'll attempt to pitch and play defense, and they'll have to because Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, and Edgar Renteria all are better than what figures to be in their places next season.
