Batter Up : Damon fields student queries

By Roman J. Uschak, Staff Writer

Major League Baseball star Johnny Damon was a true hit at an assembly of more than 300 students and educators at the Walker Middle School in Nutley on Sept. 20.“Thank you for having me here,” Damon began.

“I was once a student like you, and here I am today, 25 years later.”Nutley native Dan Geltrude won a live auction for an appearance by Damon from the Roberto Luongo ALS Fund in February. He decided to bring Damon to the middle school, where Geltrude’s son, Frank, is a student, and share the major league outfielder with the community.

“Seven hundred kids got to participate,” said Geltrude. “That’s what made it so great.”Geltrude also brought New York Mets third baseman David Wright to Nutley in 2007. Frank Geltrude introduced Damon to his middle school peers last week.“We are very fortunate to have a baseball superstar and future Hall of Famer with us today,” he said. “Johnny has a lifetime batting average of .286, over 1,100 RBIs, over 400 stolen bases and has appeared in the All-Star Game twice.”Rather than simply talk to the students, Damon entertained questions from them for nearly half-an-hour.

His Tampa Bay Rays played at Yankee Stadium later that evening, where he hit a single in four at-bats.The first question asked of Damon, who made his major league debut in 1995 with the Kansas City Royals, drew some laughter when he was queried as to why he has changed teams so many times.

“It’s becoming a business,” said Damon, who has also played for New York, Oakland, Boston and Detroit. “They view you as expendable at times; but now I’m close to home with Tampa Bay, and it’s nice for me and my family.”He said that his favorite team to play for was the Yankees, a declaration which brought cheers from the crowd. Damon played in New York from 2006 to 2009, and helped the Yankees to a World Series title in his final season in the Bronx.

He also won a World Series with Boston in 2004, the Red Sox’s first world championship in 86 years.Asked who was the toughest pitcher he had ever faced, Damon  named Mariano Rivera of the Yankees, who recently became the  all-time leader in saves.

“He has the one pitch, but he seems to break my bat every time I play him,” lamented Damon.Born in Kansas, Damon said he started playing baseball when he was six years old and emulated his older brother.“Here I am, 2,700 hits later,” he smiled.Damon has also accumulated more than 100 triples, 200 home runs and 500 doubles in his career. He has also scored over 1,600 runs and said he was blessed to have  track runner’s speed, something he was told to take advantage of as a rookie.“When I can’t run any more, I’ll be done,” said Damon.  “By the time you guys make it to the majors, I’ll be long gone.

”He has played all three outfield positions in his career, seen duty at first base, and is currently serving as the Rays’ designated hitter. His charitable efforts include the Johnny Damon Foundation for disadvantaged children, and the Wounded Warrior Foundation for severely disabled soldiers and their families.He admitted he was still nervous when he got up to bat, but drew upon his nearly 10,000 career appearances to relax and produce at the plate.Asked by a student in the balcony to describe himself, the left-handed Damon quipped, “I’m 6-foot-2, and my favorite color is blue.

”Asked by another student if he had ever been attacked by a fan, he deadpanned, “You’re not planning on doing it now, are you?”He related that his favorite memories were winning the World Series, and he also said he was happy playing in Tampa Bay, roughly an hour away from where he grew up. A father of four, he said his son played baseball but loved basketball, and that his oldest daughter was a talented volleyball player.Damon called both New York’s Derek Jeter and Boston’s David Ortiz great teammates, and admitted that his favorite player while growing up was Baltimore ironman Cal Ripken Jr. He was also asked what it was like to play for three different eastern rivals in New York, Boston and Tampa Bay.“It’s cool,” he said. “I’m liked and hated in three different places.

”He said he hoped that people appreciated the way he played, and also confirmed that it was indeed him on-screen in the 2005 film “Fever Pitch,” where actress Drew Barrymore ran around him in the Boston outfield.Damon said it was difficult playing in the majors, and admitted there were times when he felt tired after three decades of playing baseball and perhaps wanted to give it up.“Sometimes you have to fight through it,” he said.

“I felt I owed the game a lot more.” He also told the assembled seventh and eighth-graders that he didn’t get free tickets to games; he didn’t play MLB 2011 online; he still rooted for the University of Florida, whom he would have played college baseball for if he didn’t turn pro; that his potential induction into the Hall of Fame would be left up to others; that he wasn’t thrilled when he had to cut his long hair when he joined the Yankees, but understood the club’s reasoning behind it; that his all-time favorite teammate was Jermaine Dye in both Kansas City and Oakland; and that he had been fortunate to play on some good teams.

Too soon, the session was over and Damon had to leave to get ready for his next game, the 141st of the season and 2,417th of his career.“We wish Johnny all the best in health, happiness and success,”said Walker Middle School Principal John Calicchio, who also shook hands with the all-star slugger. “We’re sure we’ll see him inthe Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible.”