Johnny Damon, the fleet-footed Sox centerfielder, gave Hendricks a pair of cleats. “You know us Big Leaguers,” Damon said. “We have tons of shoes.”
Damon, whose popularity among Boston fans is rivaled by few, recently shaved his caveman-esque beard at a public event, donating all proceeds to charity.
“Pay it forward,” he explained.
In return, Hendricks gave players like Nomar, Damon and Sox ace Pedro Martinez an assortment of Harvard memorabilia, including t-shirts.
“At least I can look smart now when I walk around town,” Damon said.
It is hard to say who got the better end of the deal. In the end, Hendricks and Morgalis were only too happy to help out—for, in the end, it wasn’t about them to begin with.
“This is all for Nomar,” Morgalis said.
—Staff writer Pablo S. Torre contributing to the reporting of this article.
—Staff writer Alex McPhillips can be reached at rmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.