Johnny Damon On WFAN: Booing A-Rod Will Only Hurt Yankees
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Johnny Damon says if the boo birds in the Bronx want what's best for the Yankees, they'll keep their traps shut.
Better yet, they'll actually cheer Alex Rodriguez.
The former Yankees outfielder told WFAN's Kim Jones on Sunday that A-Rod needs the support of New York -- and vice versa -- if the Bombers are to end their back-to-back postseason drought.
"I'm hoping he does well," Damon said of the disgraced slugger. "I'm hoping the fans cheer him, because they're going to need him. If (the Yankees are) going to make a run for the playoffs, they need Alex Rodriguez to be really good. And if they cheer him, there's a better chance that they're going to get to the playoffs.
"If they boo him and he has a rough year, it's not helping anybody in New York."
Johnny Damon
Rodriguez was suspended the entire 2014 season for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman doesn't know what to expect with A-Rod -- standing on two surgically repaired hips -- turning 40 in his reclamation season.
Cashman said Friday on WFAN that he plans to meet with Rodriguez before spring training begins in Tampa, Fla. A-Rod is expected to serve as a full-time designated hitter while taking the field at third base only when Chase Headley needs a rest day.
"I hope the best for him," Damon said. "They're paying him a lot of money and they expect him to produce. And he can't produce if he doesn't have that opportunity."
Damon was A-Rod's teammate on the Yankees from 2006 through the '09 championship season.
