ARLINGTON, TX—Compassionate Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli could not bring himself to throw out Rays’ 37-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon as he attempted to steal second base Tuesday, allowing the two-time All Star to safely take the bag in the top of the seventh inning. “I honestly had all the time in the world to throw him out, but I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everybody,” Napoli told reporters after the game, adding that it would have broken his heart to watch Damon get thrown out by such a large margin. “If he goes home tonight thinking that he ran so fast that it didn’t even warrant a throw, then so be it. The guy deserves his dignity.” Sources close to Napoli confirmed that Damon called Napoli the day after the game to say “Thank you.”