Soccer goalkeeper goes to bat for Heroes - 2008-06-27
By Richard W. Rodriguez
Special to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FRISCO — Dario Sala’s secret was going to be discovered before long.
The FC Dallas goalkeeper had not swung a bat in his life before he signed up for Saturday’s Reebok Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game. "Keep quiet," Sala joked. "Don’t tell the coach that."
But when he took batting practice Friday afternoon, Sala was cranking home runs out of the park. At least he thought so. "They went all the way to the pool [in the outfield]," he said. "That’s what they told me because they didn’t find the ball. I think it broke a few windows in the parking lot."
Sala joined the ranks of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Dallas Stars center Mike Modano, Mavs guard Jason Terry and other celebrities who showed up for the annual charity game to raise money that funds programs for inner-city children.
Sala’s manager, former Red Sox/Angels center fielder Fred Lynn, didn’t arrive in town until Saturday, so he missed the comical batting practice. Still, opposing manager Wade Boggs paid attention. Boggs, a Hall of Fame hitter, noticed that a few of Sala’s shots made it past the infield.
"He wasn’t all that bad for not ever playing before," Boggs said. "Once he got going, he learned it pretty quickly."
Still, Boggs wasn’t going to take any chances with his lineup of hockey players, basketball players, team executives and actors. He went back to his superstition of eating chicken before the game.
"I had a double dose today," Boggs said. "I don’t have the opportunity to swing the bat and help this ballclub, but any way I can help as a manager. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. I couldn’t help these guys, and God knows a lot of them need it."
Cuban might be an example of why Boggs probably should stick with his superstitions. The billionaire didn’t exactly hustle for ground balls.
"When I was playing on the pitcher’s spot, this guy laid down a perfect bunt," Cuban said. "I pointed over to my catcher and was like, you go get it. We just stared at the runner as he made his way around the bases."
Modano said the transition to swinging a bat was a bit of an adjustment from his usual slapshots. And this year it got even tougher.
"I liked the manual pitching machine more than actually having somebody throw the ball," he said. "This is the first time in the 20-something years since high school that I’ve played."
Still, Boggs was able to give him some advice.
"These hockey players can play golf, but they have some serious problems when it comes to swinging a bat," Boggs said. "He was rushing it, so I just told him to wait until the ball gets to the middle of his body."
