US Sport story by Dominic Taylor, Mon, 26 Dec 2005 00:04:00 GMT


BOSTON - Johnny Damon's surprise move from Boston Red Sox to New York Yankees has shocked fans. So much so that Damon's appearance at the Stadium wearing a pinstriped No 18 jersey and a Yankee cap elicited a somewhat muted reaction.

But the man himself appeared to be calm and has had a neat haircut. The clean shaven look is not something you associate with Damon and it was quite obvious he was aware of it as shutterbugs snapped away. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who paid $52 million for his services, was with him in what was his first appearance in a pinstriped gear.

"First of all, what do you guys think about this?" Damon said about his new look. "Obviously, keep on snapping away." It was reported that Damon got his new look styled by Chantal Gouy at the Salon Ishi on Manhattan's East Side.

He explained the reason behind the hair cut by saying, "I was thinking about cutting my hair right after the season. I knew if I came here it would be a big deal." Damon's defection as it is being called back in Boston was stunning to say the least. He helped the Red Sox to a first World Series title since 1998 last year and had gathered a huge fan following for himself.

"I'm sure it's going to be crushing. I meant a lot to those fans there," Damon said. "They didn't really deserve it. But that team is dismantling. That's the unfortunate thing of this sport." Damon said he felt unwanted at Boston and was heartened by the interest shown by New York. In an emotional voice he added, "This team really wanted me. And now I'm going to go out there and run through walls for them and hit and score lots of runs and bring another championship to New York."

Meanwhile, it is reported that Red Sox are now looking to get Kevin Millwood to Boston. Red Sox president Larry Lucchino declined to comment on the issue, but confirmed, "I can confirm that we are in the process seeking to sign Millwood."

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