Johnny Damon calls Red Sox out, reveals hilarious way he skirted Yankees’ grooming policy
Johnny Damon is setting the record straight about the Red Sox, Yankees, his hair, all of it.
Damon, who played for Boston from 2002-05, was beloved for his role as the long-haired leader of the 2004 team affectionately known as ‘The Idiots.’ So when he departed for the Bronx following the 2005 season, Sox fans branded him a traitor. And when he debuted with the Yankees in 2006, the pinstripes weren’t the only shocking change; in accordance with his new club’s appearance policy, his hair was short and his face clean-shaven.
Speaking to the Boston Globe (subscription required) ahead of receiving the Baseball Legacy Award at the Sports Museum’s annual gala in Boston next week, Damon revealed that he much preferred his Red Sox look and that when he cut his hair to comply with the Yanks’ grooming rules, he saved his locks:
"“I still have [the hair I cut]. It’s, like, just sitting underneath my bathroom sink. It’s just a glob of mess.”"
Gross, but also kind of amazing. Does the Baseball Hall of Fame have any human hair in its exhibits? If not, Damon’s “glob of mess” might be something to add to the 2004 collection.
The appearance policy, instituted by team owner George Steinbrenner in 1976, requires players to have their hair cut above the collar and to keep their faces clean-shaven during the season. Mustaches are an exemption to the facial hair ban. Steinbrenner wasn’t above removing players from the lineup or even trading them if they didn’t comply.
The Yankees have drawn criticism for the policy’s outdated and racially insensitive undertones. Andrew McCutchen was visibly and vocally unhappy when he had to conform to the policy after the San Francisco Giants traded him to the Bronx during the 2018 season, saying his hair was “what made me Andrew McCutchen.” Former Red Sox pitcher David Price famously said he wouldn’t want to sign with the Yankees due to the policy, which would’ve required him to shave his beard.
Damon grew out his hair and beard again after escaping the clutches of the Evil Empire in 2009. At 49 years old, he still looks like he could suit up for the Sox, and they could certainly use him in the lineup.
Johnny Damon says Red Sox thought he was “bluffing” about Yankees offer
The man once known in Boston as Caveman and Baseball Jesus also revealed that the Sox didn’t take him seriously when he became a free agent and told them he had another offer:
"“It’s just unfortunate the [Red Sox] team didn’t sign me and I chose their evil enemy.”Damon doesn’t expect all Red Sox fans to forgive him. But he says his May 2005 quote — ”There’s no way I can play for the Yankees” — was taken out of context.“What I said was, I will not go to the Yankees unless there’s disrespect coming from the Red Sox,” he says. “And I felt the disrespect was when I told the Red Sox I had an offer from someone. I didn’t tell them I had it from the Yankees.“They said I was bluffing.”"
Sox brass has changed several times since Damon’s negotiation, but ownership remains the same. And fans have grown accustomed to their hubristic and cheap tactics with their proven superstars, as evidenced by the current Xander Bogaerts situation.
But while Damon still sounds regretful about how things ended with the Sox, he had a message for the Fenway Faithful:
"“I want the fans to know that I love the Boston Red Sox. I never wanted to leave, and unfortunately, circumstances came up, and it’d be great to get cheered again in Boston.”"
