The mourning continues

Good column by Boston Globe writer Gordon Eddes on the bidding war for Johnny Damon:

The Yankees were aware of Damon's concerns regarding the direction of the Sox, especially the uncertainty in the front office engendered by Theo Epstein's departure and the major overhaul to the roster. But they also decided that to break what they felt was a genuine bond between Damon and his fan base, they would have to overpay.

They were willing to do so. The Sox were not, which supports a suspicion held by more than a few that the baseball operations crew, and their shadow adviser, were not as committed to keeping Damon as others in the organization. Lucchino undoubtedly will take the hit for this one, though longtime adversary Boras said, ''Larry and I had very good meetings. I had no issue with negotiations with the Red Sox."

Damon, clearly, had his doubts about how much the Red Sox wanted him. ''The biggest thing for [the fans] to know is I tried," he said. ''I tried last offseason, during the first part of the season, past the All-Star break. I called them up yesterday."

But it is simplistic to believe that had the Sox acted more swiftly, they would have gotten the deal done. Do you really believe Boras would have allowed Damon to sign a new deal last spring? Is there any doubt that had the Sox jumped to a higher number earlier this winter, they would have succeeded only in raising the ceiling of Damon's market?

But it also is reasonable to conclude that with the clock ticking, the Sox were outmaneuvered by the Bombers. A little more love, and a few more bucks, may have been all that it would have taken to keep Damon where he belongs.