Monday, May 10, 2004
Associated PressBOSTON -- Johnny Damon plans to lose the caveman look for charity.
Damon
The Red Sox center fielder said Monday he'll shave the beard he's had since the offseason to benefit the Boston public libraries' reading and tutoring programs for youngsters.
The Gillette Co., based in Boston, will provide the funds for the programs, Damon said before the Red Sox played Cleveland. A call seeking comment from Gillette was not returned Monday.
"Gillette told me to pick out an organization" to help, said Damon, who believes his shaving will take place May 21. He plans to keep his hair at shoulder length.
"Gillette's the leading shaving brand anyway, so they're not too concerned" about providing funds for the programs, Damon said. "They don't have to do this but they want to."
Damon said he's not getting paid for his participation.
The reading program is geared to making sure students can read by the time they're in third grade, he said. Money also will go to a program for students to go to public libraries for help with homework.
Damon was thinking of getting rid of the beard anyway.
"It's starting to get hot," he said. "It's looking sloppy. I can always grow it back in two weeks."
Damon reported to spring training in February with long hair that he hadn't cut for more than a year. He also had the beard, which he has trimmed since then.
When he arrived in Fort Myers, Fla., Damon talked about his unusual after-dark training regime: racing cars on the Orlando street where he lives, which has a 25 mph speed limit.
"Once a car starts coming, I'll just race it to my house," he said. "I scare the cars to speed up a little more, seeing a caveman-looking guy with long hair running at 10 or 11 at night."
Might his next shaving experience lead to commercials for Gillette?
"Hopefully, there's future things with them," Damon said. "It would be nice."
― boldbury (boldbury), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)
He better start growing it again.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 12:42 (twenty-one years ago)
― Kerry (dymaxia), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)
Man I wish the A's kept him!
― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)
http://www.espn.go.com/media/pg3/2005/0402/photo/damon4_500.jpg
Witty commentary here.
― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)
― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)
― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)
― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)
"Is he the guy responsible for telling jokes so shitty that every alcoholic within puking distance of Fenway Park finally hangs it up, leaves the ye Olde Irish Pub, and goes home to their seven kids and toothless wives? Then, finding them asleep with bellies full of slowly digesting welfare cheese, stumbles over to the boom box, cues up "Rattle & Hum" and masturbates quietly until the wee hours of the morning with visions of Bronson Arroyo and the Pope in his head? Yes? Got it. Fuck off." - um, EWW?
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Friday, 8 April 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)
― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Friday, 8 April 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)
― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)
― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 14:34 (twenty years ago)
― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)
― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)
― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)
― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 12:12 (twenty years ago)
― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)
Teams looking for a proven hitter to help them down the stretch might want to call Johnny Damon.
The three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and five-time .300 hitter is staying in shape, swinging the bat and eager to return to the majors. The 40-year-old Damon last played for Cleveland in 2012, but isn't quite ready for retirement.
"When you feel you can still outhit at least half the league and you don't get that call, it's rough," Damon told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. "The biggest reason to play is to have a chance to win. Obviously, 3,000 hits would be great but winning is the reason I started playing this game. I'm going to continue to stay in shape and I'll be ready."
Over the next few weeks before the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, contending clubs will contemplate dealing prospects to acquire a player they feel will help them make a postseason run. It'll be hard to find someone with Damon's resume available for nothing.
Damon, who is best known for helping the 2004 Boston Red Sox end an 86-year championship drought, has a .284 career average with 235 home runs, 1,139 RBIs and 408 stolen bases. He has 2,769 hits and his lifetime on-base percentage of .352 is higher than every current leadoff hitter this season except Jose Altuve, Coco Crisp, Matt Carpenter, Shin-Soo Choo and Brett Gardner.
Rob Potts, a batting practice pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, ran into Damon last month in Wilmington, Delaware. Damon was there because his number was retired by the Single-A Blue Rocks that night. Potts ended up throwing to Damon for about 15 minutes in the stadium and came away so impressed that he told Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to check him out. The Phillies, who are stuck in last place, signed Grady Sizemore a week later.
"Johnny looks like he could play today," Potts said. "His last swing, he said: 'I'm gonna go yard' and he just turned on it. You can't teach someone how to win a World Series and he's won two. He's a great clubhouse guy, had success playing in the bright lights in New York and Boston. In the ninth inning in a pressure situation, I'd still want to have Johnny Damon hitting for me."
Damon looks around the majors and sees 43-year-old Jason Giambi (Cleveland) and 42-year-old Raul Ibanez (Kansas City) hanging around. Carlos Pena, a career .232 hitter, recently signed with Texas and is 3 for 33. Greg Dobbs was 7 for 41 this season for Miami and Washington. Bobby Abreu returned to the majors after sitting out 2013. The 40-year-old was cut by the Phillies in spring training, signed with the Mets and is hitting .274 (26 for 95).
Teams always have a need for a left-handed hitter to pinch-hit, get spot starts in the outfield or be a designated hitter. Yet, Damon hasn't had an offer.
He didn't even get an invitation to spring training after playing for Tampa Bay in 2011. Damon signed with the Indians on April 17, 2012, batted .222 in 64 games and was released on Aug. 9 that year.
"After Cleveland, it seems like everyone said I'm finished," Damon said. "I wanted to go to spring training, see if I have it and if the swing and the body don't come around, walk away with that peace of mind."
Damon said his agent, Scott Boras, hasn't presented him with offers because perhaps they were "too embarrassing." But Damon just wants to play baseball. He participated in his first Old Timers' Game with the Yankees on June 22.
That doesn't compare to October baseball.
― christmas candy bar (al leong), Friday, 4 July 2014 18:58 (eleven years ago)
lmao at:
Potts ended up throwing to Damon for about 15 minutes in the stadium and came away so impressed that he told Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to check him out. The Phillies, who are stuck in last place, signed Grady Sizemore a week later.
― christmas candy bar (al leong), Friday, 4 July 2014 18:59 (eleven years ago)
tbf i imagine he probably could hit singles as well as half the league, and if he weren't an outfielder with a strangely awful arm that might be enough
― mookieproof, Saturday, 5 July 2014 01:40 (eleven years ago)