Now I feel like I gotta pull my weight...

Quick-- name three or four players the Yankees are really glad didn't retire before spring training in 2007. Did you name Johnny Damon? Congratulations! You are:

a) Retarded and/or
b) Jon Heyman

When Johnny Damon walked out of spring training early last year, he thought he was walking away from the game, SI.com has learned. The Yankees explained Damon's absence early last spring as "personal reasons,'' and there was a lot of wrong speculation about something or other happening with Damon's family that would necessitate the time off.

The reality is, according to Yankees clubhouse sources, Damon just wasn't sure if he wanted to keep playing and was actually seriously considering walking away from the final three years of his $52-million, four-year contract. Nobody does that, but Damon almost did.

"I was just exhausted .... Burnt out,'' Damon told SI.com Tuesday. "[Retirement] definitely crossed my mind.''

After a few days, Damon decided to return. "I knew these guys needed me,'' Damon said with a smile. How true that was.

Yeah, because that's not at all self-serving. I'm guessing the Yankees would rather have that money come off the books. As the good folks over at AtHomePlate point out, Johnny Damon, has pretty much zero value when he's not playing centerfield, where he played all of 48 games last year and had an OPS+ of 97. But hey Heyman, Johnny just knew these guys needed him. Certainly, more than that asshole, Rodriguez. Man, what a dickhead he is.