This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:06] Al Malafronte: Hello and welcome to the Break a Bat Podcast where baseball meets Broadway, an attempt to show that my two favorite mediums don't have to live in such separate worlds and maybe even break some stigmas.

[0:18] Al Malafronte: We're happy to have you with us. Now let's play ball.

[0:24] Al Malafronte: Hello and welcome to Break a Bat. I'm your host, Al Malafronte, coming at you for the Broadway Podcast Network. Uh really special show in store for everyone today.

[0:33] Al Malafronte: First and foremost, I'd like to thank my buddy Dan Hennis and the fine folks over at Let's Engage for helping put this one together. Uh, highly encourage everyone to visit Let's Engage.com to learn more about their platform and how it makes booking talent easy. They're the best in the business. I legitimately can't say enough good things.

[0:49] Al Malafronte: Uh, we're really in for a treat on tonight's show. I think quite often the tone of my voice during these intros gives everyone listening at home an idea of my connection to certain guests who come to the batter's box. And tonight's hitter is someone who, much like an Al Jardine or a Ken Singleton, is a performer who's very, very special to me and has been for quite some time.

[1:08] Al Malafronte: Uh listen, everyone knows I'm a Yankee fan, but I'm really a baseball fan first. And usually the way it works is you fall in love with the game, then a certain team, and then of course, particular players who you look up to as a kid because of their talent and the way they play the game. Uh, very much applies to young kids who love theater as well. I'm sure there's countless folks right around my age who fell in love with theater, Wicked, and Kristen Chenoweth in a very similar sequence, and then uh eventually tried to emulate her on stage.

[1:33] Al Malafronte: Uh, much like Kristen, my guest today was the definition of a spark plug for any cast he was on over the course of his 18-year big league career. I always admired how he played the game with such heart and hustle, in addition to just how damn cool he was. At one point, it almost didn't matter that he was playing for the Red Sox, so long as the Yankees won. You didn't care that he was the guy getting three hits off Roger Clemens. I wore Puma sneakers as a freshman in high school because of him. I attempted to grow sideburns as a sophomore once he joined the Yankees. And once I got to college and went to my first game at the new stadium in '09, there was nobody cheering louder than me and cousin Lou when he ended the game with a walk-off home run against the Twins.

[2:11] Al Malafronte: A two-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion. He's one of the greatest leadoff hitters of all time. So if you'll please turn your attention to home plate, just beyond the marquee. Now batting. Johnny Damon, what's up, Johnny?

[2:25] Johnny Damon: Oh, not much, man. Thank you for all the great compliments. This that was fantastic. If you couldn't tell, it's a bit of a dream come true. I hope that uh that, you know, listen, I'm not Bob Shepherd with these intros, but you know, I gotta uh gotta give some context. You gotta start somewhere, and uh that sounded great.

[2:45] Al Malafronte: Thanks, Johnny. And uh, you know, you're probably one of the more unique hitters that I've brought to the batter's box because very seldom do I get to talk to someone who I not only looked up to growing up, but you're probably the first guest of mine that can say that they weren't just an all-star on the field, but also on the dance floor.

[3:03] Johnny Damon: Well, you know, I felt like I should have made it past week one of uh Dancing with the Stars, but it doesn't work out that way sometimes, but it was such a great experience, and uh, you know, I I'm glad I did it. And I'm glad that it was only a four-week max instead instead of the 10 week, because uh I had to be there for week one and week four, and it worked out perfect. Don't want to show too much of my dance skills off.

[3:30] Al Malafronte: Now, how do you get involved in that? Do they know that you were one of the best dancers, you know, in baseball for all those years and they reach out to you? Tia, how does that work?

[3:37] Johnny Damon: Well, it works out because of winning championships in Boston and New York. You know, people want to continue to see you. And a really good friend of mine, uh, Joe Mobilehill, like played high school ball with him. He was InSync's tour manager and Justin's tour manager. So he had connections with Dancing with the Stars, and he's been asking me for a long time to be a part of it. I know Joey Fatone. Yeah, he came from a boy band and a really good dancer. So he did really well. I actually thought he should have won, but he was able to get a bunch of guys on Dancing with the Stars. And when I heard that it was a four-week uh commitment, I was like, okay, it's time to do it. Uh keep my face out there. And it was a great experience.

[4:25] Al Malafronte: Now, Johnny, you clearly have a great appreciation for the arts. As you know, we are on the Broadway Podcast Network, so I gotta ask, did you catch much Broadway while you were playing for the Yankees or even in retirement?

[4:36] Johnny Damon: Um, very little. I am such a huge fan of music. And obviously for me, um, Rock of Ages um was the absolute hit. And I went back and saw that a number of times, and just I just love 80s rock and all kinds of rock music. That was a special show for sure.

[4:59] Al Malafronte: I'm not sure if you saw, but a couple of your former teammates actually went on stage in that show. CeCe did it and Teixeira too.

[5:05] Johnny Damon: Yeah, I did see that, and kind of jealous because I love to sing karaoke. My wife and I, every time we're in New York, we get a group of people, we go sing karaoke, and I'm not sure if I could have held Teixeira's um note because I believe it was pretty high. Like I'm mostly a screamer, like Rick and Benjamin style, you know.

[5:33] Al Malafronte: That's the best. And let me ask you when you do go to Broadway. Uh do folks in the theater crowd recognize you much, or uh are you able to kind of blend in? Because a lot of them unfortunately don't know baseball.

[5:45] Johnny Damon: Well, I definitely can't blend in with this. I mean, this look had a different appeal. Like once I grew my hair, like everybody paid attention. And this is only here because of my three-year-old son gets all the attention, and you know, I wanted to look like him and feel young again like him. So uh that's that's why I brought this back. But um, a lot of people do recognize me in the Broadway circles, but um definitely not like the baseball fans.

[6:16] Al Malafronte: Now, Johnny, you have a lot of big folks from the music in the Broadway world who stop by Yankee Stadium to sing the national anthem. You know, Kristen Chenoweth's done it a bunch, Derek Klena, Kelly O'Hara. Did you have a lot of interaction with folks like that while you played here?

[6:30] Johnny Damon: Well, Kristen is absolutely great. I mean, we did Martha Stewart together. You know, my wife showed off her cooking on that show, and she was great to chat with. Um, obviously, she's an absolute star, not just on Broadway, but um, with her movies. Um, and she's funny, uh, she's exciting, and uh that's why she is a very big success.

[6:54] Al Malafronte: Much like yourself, Johnny, and you obviously have a lot of talent in a lot of different areas and performed on a lot of different stages, none grander than New York, of course. Uh, you're someone who was obviously really established before you got here. And of course, we know you left the Red Sox for the Yankees after '05. A lot of eyes on you after that happened, and of course, you thrived as a Yankee over the course of your four years here. Was there something about New York City itself and the bright lights that made you raise your game as an opponent and then when you played here?

[7:22] Johnny Damon: Well, in baseball, you always have something to prove. So even when you're a little kid, you gotta prove that you're good enough to make the junior high team, make the high school team, uh, make the all-star team. So obviously in Boston, I had to prove myself, and I proved myself by showing up every single day in front of those loyal fans and busting my tail, whether it was a ground ball to second base or a uh um triple hit into right center. I always busted my tail to break up double plays. And I think that's why the New York crowd accepted me because I played the game the right way. And I played the game to win.

[8:05] Johnny Damon: And it was such a difficult um time because I'm the fan favorite in Boston, and all of a sudden there's not a contract. And I'm like, I want baseball to remain important to me. Like if I went off somewhere else, I could care less, but when you're in Boston or New York, I mean it's important. And um going to the Yankees and putting on those pinstripes. I mean, uh there were definitely nerves. Um, I wasn't concerned if the um fans would take me in. I was more concerned about the fans I left because I played with my um heart out, you know, and I gave Boston everything that I had. And for me to not go back there, I felt for the fans. I'm like, it's not your fault. It's not my fault. It's, you know, it's a business.

And Jacoby Ellsbury is uh close to being called up to the big leagues. And you know, center fielders don't normally stay around for too long. You know, you play center field for a number of years and then you move to left or right field or to first base or then to DH. So center fielders are always on the move, and it's just unfortunate for the fans who grow to love you.

[9:27] Johnny Damon: And uh going to New York, um, I played the game the right way. I felt like three of my four years in New York, I was an absolute beast. And I very well think people can say I was the most important guy in the lineup. And um the way I played um defensively, I kept on getting worse and worse as you age, and then um going to the left field and having to deal with those day games with the sun. You're like, oh no, like where's the ball? Like that's the toughest thing because I I knew I could play um the outfield still, but I always expect to see my Kansas City Royal days, and I feel like I should get to every ball, and then once that stops happening, um that gets uh that gets tough. But man, my time playing baseball, I feel like you know I was a player for the fans, and everywhere I went, I signed my autographs, I took care of them, I included them.

[10:31] Johnny Damon: Like when we won in Boston, um, we're going to a Patriots game, and I have the World Series trophy, and um they want me to walk this fine line, and I'm like, man, these fans have never experienced a World Series um trophy. So I'm standing there. They're all touching it. We're all taking pictures. And I feel like the fans deserve it. And anytime I did my signings, um, I would have my World Series rings and let people like fill them and see how great they are and know how proud we are because I mean, us players can do it without the fans. And that's a difficult thing that's going to happen if there's baseball with no fans out there. I mean, they are so important, especially for baseball.

[11:16] Al Malafronte: Johnny, these days do you wear the '04 Red Sox ring or the '09 Yankee ring?

[11:20] Johnny Damon: Well, the '04 Red Sox ring does not fit on this my ring finger that I snapped off diving back into a bag uh years ago. So the Yankee ring goes right here on my middle finger perfectly. And uh whenever I do advance, I try to bring both of them. And whenever I do signings, um, I bring both of them, but not if I'm in New York, I'm only bringing my Yankee ring. And if I'm in Boston, I'm only bringing my Boston ring. But everywhere else, I'll bring them both with me.

[11:51] Al Malafronte: Now, Johnny, before we get to 2009, one chapter of your career that I've always been pretty interested about because you have a lot of great, great performers here on Broadway who experience some career crossroads where they start to question uh whether or not they want to continue a very grueling profession, despite their skill set being as strong as ever. Uh, you know, Kate Rockwell came on this show and talked about that, Robin Herter. Uh, and after some self-reflection, they've gone on to experience some of their greatest career milestones. Going into '07, you had a great first year in New York. You were smack in the middle of your prime. Joe Torre wrote in his book that you were contemplating retiring from the game. If that's true, what was going on at that time that made you consider leaving the game when, as we saw later, you had so much left to give?

[12:39] Johnny Damon: Yeah, um, I was contemplating retiring. Uh, we just had our baby girl, Devin. And, you know, a few of my former teammates uh passed during the offseason. Um, Corey Lidle in uh um the plane crash and uh Josh Hancock um with the Cardinals, I was with him in uh um Boston. And I believe it was Tony Gwynn and Kirby Puckett also passed, you know, a couple years after they are finished with playing baseball. And I knew baseball was a very important part of my life. Um, but it wasn't the most important. The most important was making sure I live the best life that I could, um, taking care of my family. Um, you know, my friends always called me up and said, Can you go fishing? Um, and it's during the summer, I was like, No, I get no days off.

And they're like, Yeah, just tell them you're gonna take a day off. And I'm like, so I missed out on having a summer. And when you play baseball and you come from the state of Florida, you never have a summer. I mean, you're constantly just playing baseball. And ever since I was 13 years old, never had a summer to enjoy the beach, to enjoy uh going to the mountains, um, or anything.

[14:04] Johnny Damon: But I knew that I was a very good baseball player. I had a commitment to uh my boys in Orlando from my neighborhood because they all said that I'm going to make it and I'm going to be a star so that's who I play for and like at the end when my career was um winding down I feel like I had two or three years left and I wanted to play but the teams look at your age um but they don't look at um your genetics you know my genetics are freakishly like when I was 13 years old I was 6' 180 pounds benching 300 pounds and just all natural and fast and so I wanted to keep playing for my fans you know they wanted to see 3000 hits they wanted to see 600 doubles and me personally I want to see championships and winning and towards the end I wasn't getting that opportunity to play for those teams like we did make a run with Tampa Bay but I'm playing for my fans and they've always been very important to me and um like I could care less about getting to 3000.

[15:21] Johnny Damon: It would have been nice but um I wanted to do it for all the great fans I have.

[15:27] Al Malafronte: And Johnny, I talked about spark plugs earlier um and you certainly led by example by the way you played the game but when you got to the Yankees it was a pretty uh that clubhouse had a lot of big personalities, let's put it that way. Was uh did you did you naturally become a leader in that clubhouse because of you know some of the past success that you had and what you did on the field, or was it a, you know, to my understanding, maybe like a bit of a tense environment with some of the personalities, and you really had to work at that type of standing in the clubhouse? What what went on behind the scenes there in the uh early Yankee years?

[15:59] Johnny Damon: Yeah, you definitely had to uh uh work your way in because I mean, you got the captain, Derek Jeter. Um didn't say much, but when he did, you're like, okay, let's go. Um Mariano, best pitcher of all time. And your catcher is always your team captain. So you have Posada, and then you know, Giambi, who I was with in Oakland, and he was like the best teammate ever. You know, he'll give you the shirt off his back, and you know, just being with him again. He he was still that great leader. And then, you know, you have A-Rod, the guy that I've known since I was 14 years old, and accomplished so many great things in baseball. And, you know, he's he's there. I mean, so you have a bunch of leaders um on the Yankee team.

I I felt like I started becoming more of a leader when things started happening, like Giambi became a free agent. Um we brought up a lot of the young guys like Melky and Gardner, and you know, I was in charge of those guys, like those guys, like we knew what to do. We knew how to uh rally around each other, pick each other up, communicate. And so I mostly became a leader to the outfield crowd, and just the way I played the game, the respect that I got from the coaching staff, um from Kevin Long to Rob Thompson to uh um Girardi. I mean, um I definitely felt like I was a uh pseudo captain. You know, you can never replace Derek Jeter, but I felt very strong about my place with the team.

[17:44] Al Malafronte: Now we're going to touch on Johnny's signature season and moments as a New York Yankee, but before we do, we're gonna take a short break. It's time for the seventh inning stretch. Stay tuned.

[18:02] Al Malafronte: Now, Johnny, this version of the seventh inning stretch may be a bit different from your playing days. I'm sure if you were due to hit that inning, you might be heading down to the cages, taking a few extra cuts to make sure you're staying on your game. But I'm thinking instead of swinging at fastballs today, uh, we could see if you can hit a few trivia questions out of the park and become an official member of the break a bat winner circle.

[18:24] Johnny Damon: Absolutely.

[18:25] Al Malafronte: Please keep it to baseball questions.

[18:28] Johnny Damon: How about I don't want to embarrass myself?

[18:30] Al Malafronte: That's fair, Johnny. What we'll do is we'll ask you a few questions, half baseball, half Broadway. Get enough of them right, and you'll join the ranks of Abby Mueller, Kate Rockwell, uh, some real Broadway all-stars like yourself, and maybe even win a little prize.

[18:46] Johnny Damon: All right, sounds great.

[18:48] Al Malafronte: Johnny, you're part of a great lineage of world champion Yankees to wear number 18. Which of the following Yankees is not in that lineage? Is it Scott Brosius, Don Larsen, or Lou Piniella?

[18:56] Johnny Damon: Lou Piniella.

[19:02] Al Malafronte: Ding ding ding. He's one for one. He started off many games like that as a player, Broadway, folks. I just want to give everyone uh some insight into that. Excellent.

[19:12] Al Malafronte: Okay. Let's uh let's see how you do on the Broadway.

[19:16] Johnny Damon: All right.

[19:17] Al Malafronte: Disney Theatrical has adapted a number of their films into Broadway productions. Which of the following Disney films has yet to be adapted for Broadway? Is it A, Muppet Treasure Island? B, Beauty and the Beast, or C, Frozen?

[19:25] Johnny Damon: Muppet Treasure Island.

[19:37] Al Malafronte: Ding ding ding. He's two for two. Okay. Well, it scared me with Frozen because I go to Disney on Ice every year with my kids, and I could swear that they have it because they're trying to sell the tickets.

[19:52] Johnny Damon: It's so true.

[19:55] Al Malafronte: One of Broadway's longest running shows of all time, Wicked, retells some events from which classic 1930s film involving a couple of witches.

[20:05] Johnny Damon: That's uh why do you draw a blank when uh um it's uh The Wizard of Oz?

[20:14] Al Malafronte: Correct. Ding ding ding, Johnny.

[20:15] Johnny Damon: All right, yeah.

[20:19] Al Malafronte: Well done. How'd you pull that out of your head?

[20:21] Johnny Damon: Well, I should have remembered it right away, but you know, whenever I hear questions, I'm kind of like, you want to make sure you're right. So I know Wicked because my wife took my daughter, Devin, to go see Wicked when I was doing Celebrity Apprentice.

[20:41] Al Malafronte: Wonderful. And uh here's the last one for you. Who holds the record for fastest fastball in major league history?

[20:50] Johnny Damon: Well, they talk about Bob Feller, but I've got to think of Aroldis Chapman. I mean, I've seen a couple hundred, five hundred six mile per hour pitches, and I'm sure he threw 110 before.

[21:02] Al Malafronte: Ding ding ding. With all the extra offseason work, he might be able to throw one 10. And uh, you are absolutely right, Johnny. And to officially welcome you to the baseball and Broadway community, I'd like to welcome you with this Chapman on Broadway long-sleeve t-shirt on breaking that logo.

[21:19] Johnny Damon: So, Chapman, I guess because he uh he's a little theatrical, he has you know some pizzazz about him. The Broadway community has really taken a liking to him and uh nice.

[21:29] Al Malafronte: So we put him on the shirt.

[21:30] Johnny Damon: Perfect.

[21:31] Al Malafronte: Yeah, yeah. Such a great pitcher. I can't wait to see him uh throw again this year. And uh this year the Astros can't cheat. So, you know what? It could be the Yankees year. Johnny, how would your generation of players have handled that whole Astros incident? Would they be getting beamed left and right when you went to go face them? What how would uh, you know, let's say the even the 09 Yankees have handled that?

[21:56] Johnny Damon: Well, the thing is you really can't retaliate much, or you get kicked out of the game, you get suspended, you lose pay. Um, I really think they should have taken the World Series away from them because there's a lot of players who ended up getting released and don't have a contract. Think about if you're a bullpen pitcher and you have a two, a two ERA and you go in and you give up a couple runs for a relief pitcher, all of a sudden your ERA is around the five or six. Teams aren't looking at those guys in free agency. Um, and also think about veteran guys who couldn't get a job with the Astros because they're going through the way they cheat, and the guys who like respected the game and didn't cheat that way.

Yes, we try to um steal signs when we're on the field, but you don't have people off the field working. I mean, you're trying to see if a fastball is gripped like this, uh, a lot of times uh change up, you they widen their hands, so you pay attention to that curveballs, they turn their hand. So you pay attention to that stuff and you tell your teammates, but you don't have um flicking lights to tell you what pitch is coming. And the craziest thing is when Kershaw pitched, how many times they took that nasty slider of his? I would take that slider all the time unless I had two strikes on me. So, and those guys benefited. Like uh Altuve won a MVP. A bunch of those guys got uh contract extensions.

Um guys who've failed against them, they got less contracts going into the next year. So I mean, that a lot of stuff happened. I would probably say back in the 70s, if that happened, there'd be um fights happening, but in today's day and age, it's uh um you really can't retaliate. But I I feel for the teams and the players who um lost enough.

[24:05] Al Malafronte: Let's talk 09, Johnny. You close out the old Yankee Stadium in '08. You know, you guys had missed the playoffs for the first time since '93. Team chemistry is so important to accomplishing a goal both in baseball and Broadway. And I know that you said going into '09, you started to take on more of a leadership role. And going into that offseason, it seems like there was also a real conscious effort by ownership to change the dynamic of the clubhouse. Uh, you know, they brought in CC and Tex and AJ. Uh, you had some real talented teams on paper from '06 to '08, but never made it past the first round of the playoffs. Um, did you see an immediate change in the clubhouse dynamic, you know, going into what would be a special '09 season, or did that kind of happen like during the season?

[24:46] Johnny Damon: Well, well, we struggled for most of the first half, but I was the recruit who landed CC because during the past season I kept telling them we need you, but I kept going after AJ Burnett because I knew we would be a better team with CC. But when you had AJ Burnett, you have a chance to win the World Series because when AJ Burnett got hot, he was the best pitcher in baseball. And then we saw CC's uh uh work when he was with Milwaukee in the playoffs, you know, he wants the ball. So um that team was special. And then you had a guy like Teixeira who could catch any ball. Um Jeter won none of the Gold Glove because of Tex. I mean, obviously Jeter was great, but Tex was able to save a bunch of balls, and uh Jeter felt very comfortable throwing the ball to first base.

So our dynamic as a team, um, you know, as soon as we got A-Rod back and we could put him in the fourth spot, um, that's when we started dumping people. I mean, we were doing a great job. I mean, we changed our lineup, moved Jeter to lead off and moved me to second. And I talked to Girardi during spring training when um Jeter was at the World Baseball Classic, and I was like, Derek gets on base a little bit more than me. I hit into a lot less double plays than him. Like he hits into 30 plus a year. I hit into maybe three. So right there, um, we have more opportunities. We've extended 27 innings already. Um, and Jeter's a free swinger. So if he sees a pitch he wants to hit in the very first pitch of the game, he's going to swing.

Now, I'm a guy who can take to two strikes. I was like one of the best two strike hitters um ever in the game. So I could start working the pitchers, even though Derek's made an out on the first pitch. So our dynamic as a team just um got so much better. And then you have Teixeira behind me where um I don't really have to run as much because now we have the power hitter and Teixeira, then A-Rod and then Cano. And so um I still stole like 20 bases, but uh Teixeira didn't want me running. He wanted that first base hole. And uh we tied the Yankees record um in our first year together for back-to-back home runs with six. We tied Garrick and Ruth and all those at-bats they had together. I mean, um Teixeira and I, we were absolutely rolling and thumping teams uh um with our ability to hit for extra bases.

[27:29] Al Malafronte: Johnny, I was at one of those games, Sunday night baseball in August against the Red Sox. You hit the homer to tie it, and then Tex hit one to take the lead. I'll never forget that.

[27:36] Johnny Damon: And uh yeah, that was a linea. I mean, Daniel Bard was nasty, and he, you know, I just dropped a barrel on that bat and it shot out of um the field in a hurry. You know, I know one of our pitchers just gave up a couple runs the inning before, and I told him I was like, don't worry, bro, we got you.

[27:57] Al Malafronte: It was amazing, Johnny. And you know, from a power perspective, you really did have one of your best seasons that year. And, you know, you were still contributing big time on the base paths. Um, I will say that, you know, when I look back on that whole postseason run, you're one of the first guys, I think, of for a lot of reasons. Um, it seems like, you know, you were such a spark plug, like I mentioned before, that the crowd really did feed off of you. And I don't know if it was because the stadium was still new at that point. I'm sure the team's success had a lot to do with it. But the one time where the ballpark really carried over um some of that magic from the old place was throughout that '09 playoff run.

[28:44] Al Malafronte: Uh, then of course, that epic World Series performance. You want to talk about baseball theater to this day. One of my favorite moments as a Yankee fan, ninth inning, game four of the 09 World Series, two outs, game tied, Java blew the lead the inning prior. You single to keep the inning alive. What's going through Johnny Damon's head as a performer when he's standing on first base and about to cause absolute chaos on the base paths to spark one of the most memorable victories that I can remember?

[29:14] Johnny Damon: Yeah, what's going through my head is we have to win this game, and I have to score a run because the Phillies just came back on us and they have momentum and the fans have momentum. Lich, you know, struck out the first two hitters and I bowed my butt off to get that base hit. And there's no time to wait. Like I can't have Tixara take a strike and then end up going. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to go now. And the whole season I had thoughts of taking third base because they do play the shift on Tech Sara. And, you know, I know it's a lot easier to score from third base than second base. And I've always been a heads up player, even though I called the Red Sox a bunch of idiots, and you know, and I was a main guy.

I've known how to play the game since I was a little kid, and I know that being on third base, I can score on an infield single, a wild pitch, you know, many ways. And, you know, it just happened to be in the World Series, and you know, something that we're going to remember for a long time.

[30:34] Al Malafronte: Johnny, to this day, I'll never understand why they didn't bring you and Matsui back after that.

[30:39] Johnny Damon: Yeah, crushing. Like I really wanted to come back, and you know, they ended up offering a contract, and I just wanted to talk a little bit. And my agents, like, you only have five minutes to take it. And I was like, what like why do I have five minutes? Like, let me see what they're thinking. Because they wanted to cut my salary in half. And I was like, why don't we cut it by 30%? You know, I'll be happy with that. I know I'm getting older. My outfield isn't as great as it was. So I was saying, okay, 30% cut, and then Nick Johnson signs, and I'm like, man, yeah, he might have a great on-base percentage, but I can score from anywhere. And I was team leader and I was guy, like I don't know, winning the World Series, and all of a sudden you're out.

But I get it, it's a business, and it really stinks. Um but you know I get it. And they haven't won since, and that's the shame of it because Matsui and I, like, you never had to change the lineup. So with a right-hander or left-hander, the lineup was the same the entire time. You know, they end up replacing us with Gardner and Granderson, and yes, very good players, but they hit one and two against a right-hander, and then with the left-hander, they'll hit six and nine, or one would play and one wouldn't. And so your lineup changes every single day. And I tell you, that is super hard as a player, even though the baseball nerds, saber metrics guys, they think it shouldn't matter, but it matters a lot.

[32:32] Al Malafronte: Yeah, you know, Johnny, the game has a heartbeat, and it seems like especially going into that 2010 offseason, the team really lost sight of that. Like you said, they might have cited Nick Johnson's on-base percentage. The guy didn't play his whole career. Uh you had some close friends on that team, you know, after you left. Did anyone ever give you any insight as to what it was like after you left the Yankees and how they just couldn't get it done from 10 to 12?

[32:54] Johnny Damon: Yeah, it was strange. And I knew why they couldn't get it done. I wasn't there. Matsui wasn't there, and at least one of us should have been there. Um, but you just had a different feel for them. Like, because even at the end of regular season games, when I was coming up, I hardly ever made the last out in a game because I keep battling. And you always got a good at-bat for me, and you miss out on that, you know. So it was difficult. Um, but it's business, you know, the Yankees go on, and you know, I go to Detroit, which is a great place. I had a lot of friends there, like Kid Rock and Chris Cellio got to hang out with them for an entire season. But yeah, I missed being in New York, and so yeah, it was a great time.

[33:56] Al Malafronte: The fans still love you here, Johnny. It's been nice to see that in retirement you've been so closely affiliated to the organization. Listen, I don't want to speak for Yankee Nation, but I think that we consider you a Yankee more than a Red Sox. How does Johnny Damon feel about that? Is he a Yankee or is he a Red Sox?

[34:14] Johnny Damon: Well, I'm glad I was able to inspire in both cities. I tell people Boston is like an ex-girlfriend where you wish them well and you love being a part of it, but you know what? You move on, your life gets great. Um marry your trophy wife, and you have six more kids, you know. So that's what New York was for me. And I appreciated everything with Boston and I feel for them. I feel for the fans. Um, because even now they just got rid of their best player, Mookie Betts. And like it always happens for Boston, like Yankee players aren't necessarily leaving if they don't have to. Yankee players are going to stay, but Boston. Um, when I came over to New York in 2006, there were only six guys left from the 2004 Red Sox team that people would never think.

And you know, they always look at me saying, How could you? How could you? I was like, Well, all my guys are gone. I was the third guy from the Red Sox to go to the Yankees from the championship team. So unfortunately, move happens and it's just bad for the fans. And um, hopefully it works out for both teams. And I feel like it did work out with me leaving Boston. You know, Ellsbury comes. Um in New York where I where I want to be, you know, I hit the game-winning home run and close out the old stadium, got the first hit at the new stadium, won the last championship for George Steinbrenner, and you know, I was at the right place, right time in both places, and obviously you have to create your worth. And I feel like I showed it my entire baseball career.

[36:07] Al Malafronte: Johnny, before we do one last quick segment, I do want to touch on some work you've been doing off the field going all the way back to your playing career that I admire so much. Can you tell the folks at home a little bit about the work that you do with the Wounded Warrior Project?

[36:20] Johnny Damon: Yeah, um, well, the Johnny Damon Foundation, um, the first couple years I've had it, um, I've had it for 15 years now. We put two wounded warrior soldiers in brand new homes, and recently the Johnny Damon Foundation is raising money, and we broke ground on a new boys and girls club. So we're very excited about that. And you know, these kids need an opportunity. Like I'm on the president's council for sports fitness and nutrition, and our biggest goal is to try to find ways where kids have an opportunity to play and a place to go. Um, obviously, we know we're in trying times, but sports has become only if you could afford to play. And we need big sponsors, big sports teams to make sure these kids have an opportunity to show off what they got.

And we are making terrific strides. And regardless of political affiliation, these kids need an opportunity. It cost my mom $28 to let me play baseball when I was a kid. If you want to play baseball nowadays, it's over a thousand dollars. There's no way I could have a chance to play.

[37:39] Al Malafronte: I think it's so great that you do that, Johnny. And uh we'll certainly be sure to you know put in the episode description where everyone can get more information. I definitely suggest that everyone checks it out. And um, Johnny, this is our last segment here. It's called Fastball Derby. Uh think of the ninth inning. We'll ask you a question and you say the first thing that comes to your mind.

[37:57] Johnny Damon: Perfect. Let's go.

[37:58] Al Malafronte: All right. Favorite New York City meal.

[38:01] Johnny Damon: Oh, Scala Nutella.

[38:04] Al Malafronte: Nice. If you could be the lead in one Broadway show, what would it be?

[38:10] Johnny Damon: I would be the front man for Rock of Ages.

[38:14] Al Malafronte: Stacey Jacks, I like that.

[38:16] Johnny Damon: Yeah.

[38:17] Al Malafronte: Tom Cruise did it well. I think you could do it well too.

[38:21] Johnny Damon: It's tough to beat Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder, though.

[38:26] Al Malafronte: That leads me to what's your all-time favorite film?

[38:30] Johnny Damon: Man, I love Tropic Thunder, but I love the Fridays. I love sports films. And the last great sports film I thought was Draft Day, Kevin Costner. Um Costner keeps on doing great work and you know I cried, I smiled, I appreciated like the willingness and toughness of athletes. I mean, it all looks like it's glory and it is, but you know, we have to sacrifice and you got to see that in the movie Draft Day.

[39:07] Al Malafronte: Toughest pitcher you ever had to face.

[39:10] Johnny Damon: You know, Tom Gordon always gave me a tough time throwing that 95 mile per hour fastball, 75 mile per hour curveball, and just a bulldog on the mound. Um obviously Mariano, he has one pitch and he just kept breaking my bats left and right, you know. So uh uh greatest pitcher of all time and uh but uh yeah, both guys were Yankees.

[39:34] Al Malafronte: How about a guy you owned?

[39:37] Johnny Damon: Guy owned Vasquez, um uh Ricky Romero, um Felix Hernandez, um, you know, I did very good off of really good pitchers. Uh also hit Wakefield very well. And so yeah, those four guys, my numbers are oh Roy Halladay, um hit him well, but I knew what to do, how they positioned me in the infield. I was like, I'm just playing pepper and I'm just going to hit a ground ball past them and they kept finding a hole.

[40:13] Al Malafronte: Your desert island album.

[40:15] Johnny Damon: Desert island album. Um Breaking Benjamin. Uh uh is that what you're asking me? What artist would I listen to?

[40:26] Al Malafronte: Yeah, album, artist, song, anything is fun.

[40:29] Johnny Damon: Yeah. Yeah, I love Breaking Benjamin. It's uh yeah, definitely my favorite band right now.

[40:35] Al Malafronte: Best team you played on that didn't win the World Series.

[40:39] Johnny Damon: Uh the Oakland A's, uh 2001. Um we swept Arizona during that year and then took a 2-0 lead over the Yankees and you know, Derek Jeter's flip play and all that stuff. So the 2001 A's.

[40:56] Al Malafronte: Proudest moment of your career.

[40:59] Johnny Damon: Winning the World Series for Boston. I mean, after 86 years, um, that's a tough title to be. And the comeback and we changed people's lives forever. And that was uh very special.

[41:16] Al Malafronte: And lastly, best piece of advice anyone ever gave you, and what was it?

[41:21] Johnny Damon: Uh enjoy what you're doing. You know, enjoy your life.

[41:26] Al Malafronte: I love it, Johnny. And uh listen, can't thank you enough for coming on today. When we're at the other end of this thing, we'll get you and the family up to Broadway, you know, fully break it into uh the baseball and Broadway crossover world. And um, I can't tell you enough, man. It's just been such a privilege. Thank you.

[41:41] Johnny Damon: Yeah, absolutely. And we were planning on uh spending a lot of time up in the northeast this summer. It looks like we may have to wait until next summer, but uh, but I hope everybody stays very safe. And uh I mean, wow, crazy world. And and I'm thinking about you. I love New Yorkers. I mean, they're just great people and uh stay strong. And also New Jersey, I mean, incredible places to uh live and to visit. So uh you guys be safe.

[42:10] Al Malafronte: Thank you, Johnny. This is Al Malafronte signing off for the Broadway Podcast Network. Be sure to visit and subscribe online at bpn.fm/breakabat. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening to Break A Bat! This is produced by the fine folks at the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit and subscribe at bpn.fm/breakabat. You can find me online at break_a_bat_podcast and you can also find the Broadway Podcast Network on Instagram at Broadway Podcast Network. It's been so great having you here with us today and we'll see you next time.