FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Sunshine State hasn't really lived up to its
own billing the last three days, but the overcast skies, clouds,
intermittent showers and occasional downpours have done little to rain on
the parade of fans at City of Palms Park.
The Boston Red Sox have built another defending World Series champion,
and they have come.
Thursday's crowd of 8,006 represented the stadium's 66th consecutive
Grapefruit League sellout as the Sox hosted the Dodgers, now managed by
former New York Yankees boss Joe Torre.
The Dodgers still have a few former Sox standouts in starting pitcher
Derek Lowe and shortstop-third baseman Nomar Garciaparra, but they also
have a name of special note to longtime University of Maine baseball fans
on the roster.
Former Black Bear star slugger Mark Sweeney signed with the Dodgers
this winter for his 14th major league season. The 38-year-old
infielder-outfielder didn't make the trip to Fort Myers. Nor did former Red
Sox reliever Rudy Seanez, who is vying for a spot in L.A.'s bullpen.
The field wasn't the only place to find familiar names or faces,
however.
Chris Johnson's name may not turn any heads, but his face certainly
causes a lot of double-takes.
The New Jersey native is nearly a clone of Sox slugger David Ortiz, and
not only in the face: Big Papi is 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. Johnson is 6-3
and 250.
"Last year, I was at a game and met Ortiz and his brother and his
brother told me I looked more like him than he did," said Johnson, a former
two-sport athlete at Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire.
The defensive tackle also happened to play first base, but there is one
stark difference between the two.
"I bat from the right side," Johnson said with a chuckle.
Then again, his hairstyle is different as well. Johnson sports a short
dreadlock hairstyle, but it's obscured whenever he's wearing his favorite
hat: A navy blue Red Sox cap.
"I love wearing my Red Sox hat because I love the Sox. It's sort of my
way to twist the knife there a little," Johnson said.
Johnson grew up in Andover, Mass., but moved to Queens two years ago.
His recognition factor didn't go down with the move.
"During baseball season, it probably happens 10 to 15 times a day," he
said." I get people who give me the look and then shrug and then I get
people who ask me if I'm David Ortiz, and I'm like 'If I were David Ortiz,
would I be riding the subway in New York City?'
"It's crazy. I left Yankee Stadium in game one of the 2004 ALCS and had
about 10 people following me on the way out, yelling at me and stuff and a
cop came up and told me it was my fault for wearing the hat."
The former Boston Globe employee now works in advertising for The Onion
in New York. He said the Big Papi double takes really started after the
2003 season, and the positives of looking like a Sox slugger far outweigh
the negatives.
"People started giving me free stuff like good seats and beer at games.
I couldn't bring myself to say anything," he said sheepishly. "Over the
last couple years, it's gotten more intense. I get a lot of people wanting
to take my picture, even when he's out on the field at a game I'm at."

Andrew Neff can be reached at 990-8205 or at aneff@bangordailynews.net