Although I didn’t agree with the majority of John Harper’s column in today’s Daily News, I do think he shared some information that shows Johnny Damon second-guessing his (and Scott Boras’) negotiation tactics in December. Let’s get right to it:
…when he was asked if he would like to have the chance to go back to December and do things differently in regard to negotiations, Damon seemed to be looking for a way not to answer the question.
“Do I wish things would have gone differently?” he said. “I don't know. I definitely think things happen for a reason.”
I think we’d all have a better idea of Damon’s beliefs if we had the audio for this interview, as Moshe Mandel has proved sometimes reporters can take things out of context.
But, if Harper isn’t embellishing his interview point, it sounds a lot like Damon really was looking to avoid this question. I’ve been interviewed before, and repeating the question is a basic tactic for stalling to think of a dishonest answer.
Even more evidence of a dishonest response is resorting to a cliché. They’re easy to think up. And that’s what Damon did.
Although he’s stated publicly he likes it in Detroit, I bet he wishes he could hit a few more homers in his home ballpark. Don’t you think?
