After hearing an interview on "Red Sox Now!," the Johnny Damon situation is bothering me.

Throughout the interview Damon repeated how he tried to stay in Boston.

He tried last offseason. He tried before the All Star break. He tried this offseason. He tried so very hard to stay.

Sorry, but I find it hard to believe. It's not hard to sign a contract that includes a raise of $1.5 million-a-year.

He had dollar signs in his eyes. He had pride. He had integrity. Then he went to New York for a $12-million-dollar hair cut.

What went wrong?

I blame the Dodgers.

When the Dodgers handed shortstop Rafael Furcal a contract worth $13 million-a-year, the market changed. Furcal certainly is not worth that kind of dough - even if he does play the toughest position in baseball.

Is Damon equal to Furcal? He's better.

Take a look at the numbers:

Furcal: 154 games, 100 runs, 175 hits, 12 HRs, 58 RBI, .348 OBP, 284 AVG., 246 Total bases
Damon: 148 games, 117 runs, 197 hits, 10 HRs, 75 RBI, .366 OBP, .316 AVG., 274 Total bases.

It's not even close.

So, when money is the only way to show respect in Major League Baseball, it's hard to blame Damon for signing for more cash.

Could the Sox have paid more? Sure. Should they have? Only time will tell.

Damon was the face of the Red Sox. He was extremely marketable. Who's going to take that role now?

As if he's not carrying enough weight on his shoulders, this too will fall to David Ortiz.

But he needs more role players to make this team worth marketing.

Which brings me to the gaping holes.

Let's start with centerfield.

Hazel Mae brought up an interesting possibility when she suggested Corey Patterson.

Although he's fallen out of favor in Chicago, I love Patterson. He's 26-years-old and still has a ton of potential. His only problem - OBP.

There is one more problem, what do the Cubs need? They've got plenty of pitching. Plenty of outfielders. A solid third baseman. Hmm. But after signing Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones, they really don't need Patterson.

Coco Crisp also has been talked about and deal moving one of our pitchers makes complete sense. I too like him. He's fast and at 24 is just about to break out. Besides how can you not market a guy with a cereal box name.

Short is a lot tougher but I certainly expect Julio Lugo to eventually end up with the Sox. Lugo is very serviceable; I'm sure he'd love to get out of Tampa.

They can do all this without having to move Manny. And if he must be moved, it better be to a West Coast team who has a first baseman available (Casey Kotchman again comes to mind).

While the loss of Damon is a serious blow, there is little the Sox could do. On the bright side, the Yankees pitching rotation is one year older.

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