JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Yankee star Johnny Damon played political hardball yesterday by endorsing Rudy Giuliani for president.
Damon, a Republican who lives in Florida, said going to bat for Giuliani was as easy as slamming a hanging curveball.
“After the terrorism, he stepped up and he made New York closer. He made America closer, and he’s going to make this country a better place,” the outfielder said at an Orlando rally.
Giuliani, a die-hard Bronx Bombers fan, looked like he had just hit a home run.
“You know how much I support you,” Giuliani said, adding to the crowd, “Having his support means a great deal to me.”
After performing poorly in the early primaries, Giuliani is fighting for his political life.
Damon later told reporters how he came to admire Giuliani.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Rudy’s. I’ve played on many different teams. I was with Oakland when 9/11 happened. I remember how devastating it was,” Damon said. “He did a lot of great things. New York changed for the better.”
Damon said he got to know Giuliani better after leaving the hated Boston Red Sox to don the pinstripes. “I get to see him quite a bit now when he gets out to the ballgames. He’s always been a nice and genuine guy,” he said.
Damon’s backing of Giuliani is a snub to White House rival Mitt Romney, who was governor of Massachusetts when he played for Boston.
Giuliani later visited the Daytona Speedway – and his campaign bus made a lap around the race track as the theme song from the movie “Rudy” played.
Meanwhile, Giuliani and John McCain continued to hammer each other on fiscal issues.
“I supported the Bush tax cuts. John McCain sided with the Democrats and voted against the tax cuts,” Giuliani said.
Giuliani spokeswoman Katie Levinson then released a statement saying McCain had voted against more than 50 tax cuts as an Arizona senator.
McCain’s camp swung back.
“It’s not surprising to see the Giuliani campaign launch misleading attacks on a day when two new polls show John McCain beating Rudy Giuliani decisively in his home state of New York,” said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.
Rogers said Giuliani left successor Mayor Bloomberg with a “fiscal mess, including a deficit of over $2 billion. That’s not fiscal responsibility.”