Johnny Damon, Thailand's Baseball King? [Archive]

View Full Version : Johnny Damon, Thailand's Baseball King?

Jersey Yankee

04-14-06, 08:51 AM

Yeah, just when you people thought you'd heard it all, huh? Well, to add another ember to the fire, and here's one you haven't heard before:

Damon has chance to be Thailand's baseball king (http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spyinside144701993apr14,0,6795207.story?coll=ny-baseball-headlines)

The Yankees wanted to sign Johnny Damon so badly last offseason they had manager Joe Torre, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez and others place recruiting calls.

Yet those pitches were nothing compared to another suitor's hard sell.

The Prime Minister of Thailand was so interested in bringing Damon to his country during the winter to run baseball clinics for youngsters that he met with Damon's mother in Washington, D.C., last September for an expensive dinner at a Thai restaurant.

"She was definitely very excited," Johnny said.

His mother, Yome, is from Thailand and met Johnny's father, Jimmy, while he was serving there in the Army during the Vietnam War. She jumped at the chance to dine with Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and was sold by his pitch.

"In my country, they don't know baseball," Yome said in a telephone interview yesterday. "They want him to go to my country and show the kids how to play the game."

mickey mantle

04-14-06, 09:18 AM

pretty cool article.

Jersey Yankee

04-14-06, 09:26 AM

Thx. Rumor has it :gulp::O that if he signs, his face will be on one of these boxes:

http://p2.hostingprod.com/@thaikitchen.com/gif/productitems/instantricenoodles/garlicveg.gif

ManilaYankee

04-14-06, 01:20 PM

Cool. I didn't know that JD was part-Asian. I hope he could visit Manila too. I heard that before, our Sports Commision offered a Major League team to try it out here for a short Spring Training but they backed out... our facilities sucked...

SoCal Pinstriper

04-14-06, 02:03 PM

Great article. Thanks for posting!

RhodeyYankee2638

04-14-06, 02:12 PM

interesting article. i had read a few bio's of Damon that said his mother was Vietnamese

Jersey Yankee

04-14-06, 03:23 PM

interesting article. i had read a few bio's of Damon that said his mother was VietnameseWhich bios were they? Any links?

I figured that his eyes made him Eurasian, but I wasn't quite sure from where.

knickfan23

04-14-06, 03:45 PM

interesting article. i had read a few bio's of Damon that said his mother was Vietnamese

I thought him being part Asian was common knowledge. I mean, look at him. He certainly doesnt look 100% Caucasian. Perhaps Latino a bit, but he look like he was slighty Asian or Latin.

SoxIn4

04-14-06, 03:48 PM

His dad was an Army officer and met his Thai mom, while serving in Thailand. I saw a JD interview on NESN last year.

RhodeyYankee2638

04-14-06, 03:49 PM

Which bios were they? Any links?

I figured that his eyes made him Eurasian, but I wasn't quite sure from where.

I had read it a few times in my local newspaper. I checked a few websites, def. part Thai, not Vietnamese

Jersey Yankee

04-14-06, 03:54 PM

I had read it a few times in my local newspaper. I checked a few websites, def. part Thai, not VietnameseThanks.

He looks like he's a mix of several types, like Caucasian, Asian and Hispanic. Kinda like a light-skinned Tiger Woods.

RhodeyYankee2638

04-14-06, 03:55 PM

Thanks.

He looks like he's a mix of several types, like Caucasian, Asian and Hispanic. Kinda like a light-skinned Tiger Woods.

I always thought he looked part native american

Jersey Yankee

04-15-06, 07:41 PM

I always thought he looked part native americanYou mean some of the more modern Native Americans, or the old school ones, of the Geronimo or Sitting Bull variety?

I think that some Indians look Mexican. I can't say fully, because there are in Canada, there's a Foxwood Indian Resort in Connecticut, and they are in many states. I have a hard time defining their look, but Asians like Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnames are generally easily identifiable, though not always specifically by country.

RhodeyYankee2638

04-15-06, 08:00 PM

I think that some Indians look Mexican. I can't say fully, because there are in Canada, there's a Foxwood Indian Resort in Connecticut,

Modern. i've been to Foxwoods a couple times

Jersey Yankee

04-15-06, 10:56 PM

Modern. i've been to Foxwoods a couple timesI'd have to check them out. I can only think of the older ones, like the old "Indian head penny" and the 30-year-old commercial where the guy cries when someone's litterng by tossing something from their car into the highway.