If you ever hear a pro athlete talk about his love for the game...

Boston Red Sox centerfielder and resident Red Sox Nation icon Johnny Damon signed a contract with the New York Yankees last week for 4 years valued at $53 million dollars.
Red Sox nation is pissed as hell and who can blame them…
Damon had said all summer long that he was going to remain in Boston. He would never go to New York because it was too “corporate”. I guess $53 million has a way of making that all better hmmmm Johnny-boy.

I’ve seen this a million times. I’ve read and listened to outraged fans who can’t understand why their beloved player X would bolt to another team.
Here are the cold, hard, facts boys and girls. Most professional athletes do not care if we, as fans, like them or not. They do not care about the towns for which they play. They would rather not stand around and sign autographs for you and your kids. They want to be paid and to the highest bidder go their services. It’s that simple.
I know, I know, there are some pro's that are not this way but I bet you can't name 10 and site examples and no Farve listing because he's the real deal and evryone knows it.

Last year basketball malcontent Latrell Sprewell turned down a one year $4-5 million dollar offer because, “I can’t feed my family for that kind of money”.
No shit ‘Trell, how many kids you got big daddy.

Anyway, I love sports but I do understand it’s a business.
This is why I prefer college to professional sports. You can still see a genuine love for the game in these kids’ eyes. And you know that you'll only have these kids for four years max. There's no delusion.

Things that I love about college athletics –

90,000 screaming fans @ Williams Brice
Chief Crapiola planting his spear at the fifty in Crapahassee
The Tigers touching Howard’s’ Rock before bounding down the hill
Touchdown Jesus
The Big House
The world’s largest cocktail party
Omaha
The Final Four
Knoxville on a football Saturday
Death Valley
Between the Hedges
The Iron Bowl
The Bean Pot Tournament

Just to name a few of the places I've been and seen...

I can’t wait to see Johnny return to Fenway next season. I can hear the heckling already…
And if it’s any consolation to the Red Sox nation, the Yanks overpaid for Damon. Hell, my grandmother has a better arm than this cream-puff and she’s damn near 100 years old.