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Inspired by the runaway success “Passion of Christ,” so many people in Boston (& across the country) prayed to God in the Name of Jesus Christ to help the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. Why? To show the world to have faith in Jesus Christ and not some stupid curse.
In light of Johnny Damon’s switch to the Yankees and lamentable shearing of his beard and hair (hopefully not like Samson), I would like to share further proof how Johnny David Damon was used as an instrument of God to bring faith in Jesus Christ to nonbelievers and to stop the taunting of “curses.”
From the Wikipedia website:
Damon has 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 long hair and beard actually came from an unlikely cause – his head on collision with Damian Jackson during the 2003 playoffs. Damon lay on the field unconscious for approximately five minutes. When he came to, Damon was completely disoriented, believing that he was still playing for his old team, the Oakland Athletics. For several weeks thereafter, Damon continued to be very disoriented, as even today, Damon has a “spotty” recollection of Game 3 of the 2003 Championship Series against arch rivals the New York Yankees.
For the entire offseason after this injury, Damon suffered extremely painful headaches, which he said came every afternoon around two o’clock. The headaches came to disrupt his life so much that he stopped shaving and having his hair cut. So by the time for the 2004 season to begin, he had an uncharacterstic big bushy beard and shoulder length hair. 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. (Some people also drew comparisons to the late Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors, and to Charles Manson.)
Fans with center-field seats at Fenway Park began showing up with fake beards and wigs to support their favorite center fielder. Sales of t-shirts that read “W.W.J.D.D.” (for “What would Johnny Damon do?”) and “Johnny is my homeboy” were robust. Even Bronson Arroyo was seen with a shirt that proclaimed, “What curse? We got Jesus on our side.” Arroyo and “Jesus” helped record vocals to the Dropkick Murphys song “Tessie” before the season. The song received generally poor reviews, but can still be currently heard as part of the soundtrack for EA Sports’ MVP Baseball 2005 video game….
During the 2004 ALCS, Damon was in a bit of a slump, getting on base much less often than he had been during the regular season and the ALDS. However, he redeemed himself on October 20 by hitting two home runs, including a grand slam in the 2nd inning, to help the Boston Red Sox become the first team in major league history (and just the third in the history of North American pro sports) to overcome a 3-0 series deficit, in a 10-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 7.
