Out doing some holiday shopping today in Syracuse, ran across this item:
On the back is Wes Johnson’s #4. (Without his name, of course — because that would be illegal. But this is perfectly OK. Duh.) Maybe he was underrated before the season started, but this afternoon, local sports radio* reported that NBA scouts who were at the Oakland game said that Johnson would right now be a top-five pick in the draft. It’s not news that he had a good chance to go pro, but this is the first time I’ve heard such a lofty projection. Anyway, if there was anyone out there who was still holding out hope that he’d be back next season, sorry to ruin your holiday season.
On an unrelated (and Syracuse-free) note, the store selling those shirts also had a selection of Yankees paraphernalia. Though ’selection’ may be too strong a word. For instance, the display of player plaques was mostly picked clean. With one notable exception:
That’s right Yanks fans! Plenty of Johnny Damon merchandise still available!
* — Sorry I don’t remember which station I was listening to at the time I heard this nugget. I’d attribute if I could.