Johnny Damon

Johnny David Damon (born November 5, 1973 in Fort Riley, Kansas) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round of the 1992 amateur draft; he was the 35th pick overall.

Damon gained some notoriety for the prominent beard and long, uncut hairstyle he brought with him to spring training in the 2004 season, contrasting with his previously clean-cut appearance. His new look, probably coupled with the runaway success of the recently-released Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ, inspired fans and sportswriters to draw good-natured comparisons between his appearance and that of Jesus Christ. Fans with center-field seats at Fenway Park began showing up with fake beards to support their favorite center-fielder.

On May 21, 2004, Johnny shaved his beard in a charity event sponsored by the Gillette razor company. The proceeds from the event went to benefit literacy programs in conjunction with the Boston public library.

As a part of his exercise routine, Johnny admits to pursuing cars from one end of his block to the other on foot. "I live on a street (in the Orlando area) where the speed limit is 25 miles an hour and the police enforce it. At night I'd wait out there and when a car came by I would race the car home, so I think I can go at least 25 miles an hour. I scared some of the people, seeing a caveman racing after cars," said Damon in a Providence newspaper article early in 2004.