After Two Days Leave Of Absence Johnny Damon Ready For Spring Training
By Michael Williams (4/2/2007)
After taking two days of leave for personal reasons, Johnny Damon returned to the Yankees Spring Training with a clearer mind.
Damon refused to divulge the reasons, though he did say that that the leave had nothing to do with his seven week old daughter or his ill father. Damon said that it was fortunate that it was February and not in the middle of the regular season and after taking time off he was feeling much better.
Before going on two days of leave, Damon met with Joe Torre, Yankees’ manager, and Brian Cashman, the general manager, and requested time to go to Orlando.
Damon, who is 35 years old, said that after this unscheduled absence, he could not devote his entire attention to Spring Training and he was looking forward to testing his left shoulder. Last season the shoulder had troubled Damon quite a bit and to top it off, he had broken the sesamoid bone in right foot. This fracture prevented him from working out till January 2007.
Though Damon is slightly overweight now, he says that he is has the power and would be using the Spring Training to get back into shape. In the last season Damon had an average of .285 with 24 home runs, 85 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. He is now ready to take on the rigors of Major League after taking time out to sort out his personal problems. He said that he is ready to play baseball and help the Yankees win the World Series. |