I should note just how good Johnny Damon’s play has been lately, despite all the mumblings and grumblings about his media-hogging. Personally, I don’t think Damon’s off-field activities are any worse than in previous years, only that the Sox championship made them more prominent. So if he could hit then, he can hit now. And boy, can he hit.
It’s a good Calvinist story, isn’t it? “Player spends too much time in sinful off-the-field activities, suffers with poor performance.” Too bad for those would-be gleeful tut-tutters expecting a drop in performance - doesn’t always work that way.
Of course, Damon remains an icon in Boston, as shown by how people get Damon birthday cakes:
(Cake pic from Colossus of Rhode)