Johnny Freaking Damon
By: mbohn
The defensive shift in baseball is something that makes my stomach turn. Not because the defensive team employs it, but rather because the offensive player should have no trouble beating it. How many times do you see the shift in action, which leaves most of the left side of the infield vacant, only to see the batter pull the ball directly to the strategically placed defensive player on the right side of the field? Dude, push the ball toward that huge, gaping hole on the left side already. In last night’s Game Four of the 2009 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees we saw the offensive team finally use the shift to their advantage. With Mark Teixeira at the plate and Johnny Damon standing on first base, the Phillies put the shift on. Damon proceeded to do one of the smartest things I have ever seen a baseball player do. He stole second base, doing a feet first slide and popping right up to his feet. He then raced to third, where there was no one to cover the bag. Dude stole two bases on one pitch. Damon then scored the game winning run when Alex Rodriguez hit a double later in the inning.In a series that base running figured to be a factor, this may turn out to be the biggest play of them all. The ironic thing is that most of us figured it would be the speedy Phils who would use their base stealing ability to wreak havoc, not old ass Johnny Freaking Damon.