“[Nomar] was teasing us yesterday that he has two batting titles,” Morgalis said, “and I was giving him crap. Just getting an opportunity to do that was a lot of fun.”

Garciaparra, too, said he enjoyed the experience with the Harvard hurlers. “We’ve been having a lot of fun out there,” he said.

LIKE NEW SOX

On Wednesday, shortly before the Red Sox played the Oakland Athletics, Morgalis, Harvard assistant coach Matt Hyde, and Hendricks—his arm wrapped in ice—milled around the Sox clubhouse, chatting with players and watching NASCAR on the clubhouse TV. Stars like Curt Schilling and Manny Ramirez zoomed right and left, preparing for batting practice and warm-ups.

Hendricks remained unfazed.

“He’s not letting coming up to the big leagues mess with him or intimidate him at all,” said Ellis Burks, the veteran Red Sox DH whose knee injury has relegated him to the 15-day disabled list. “He had a lot of poise up there.”

Like Garciaparra, Burks also took batting practice from Hendricks on Wednesday to work on his timing and mechanics. Burks, now in his 22nd year in pro baseball, said he was impressed with the Harvard senior’s accurate arm and pitch movement.

“I figured he was going to be a pitcher in [the upcoming June amateur draft],” Burks said. “And he said, no, he’s going to be a hitter. I asked what he hit and he said he hit [.427]. That’s pretty damn good.”

“He’s a very talented young man,” Burks added.

PAY IT FORWARD

The week was a series of trade-offs—Hendricks’ and Morgalis’ pitching services for a solid dose of the Major League experience. For Hendricks, whose aspirations reach no lower than the Bigs, that experience was invaluable.

Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox rookie third baseman who attended the same high school as Morgalis in Cincinnati—and whose on-base exploits are well-recorded in the Michael Lewis bestseller, Moneyball—gave Hendricks the heads-up on the minor league life. Garciaparra gave him hitting tips. David Ortiz, the larger-than-life Red Sox first baseman, gave the two Harvard seniors plenty to laugh about.

“It helps both sides,” Burks said of having Hendricks and Morgalis around for live batting practice. “It’s going to help us, you know, to get our timing back—when we get ready to get back on the field after injuries like we’ve had.”

“And of course it’s going to help [Hendricks],” Burks added. “It’s going to build his confidence. It’s going to help him out on the field. He’s being around Big Leaguers, seeing how it’s done on the next level.”

Meanwhile, there was plenty of trading in material goods during the week as well. Garciaparra gave Hendricks two personal bats—“to use,” said Hendricks—to prepare for a new career without aluminum. “I hope they have hits in them,” laughed Garciaparra. “I’m sorry if they don’t.”