Thom's Own "Big Papi"

During the 2007 season, I saw a guy at Professor Thom's one night that made me do a double take. He was wearing a David Ortiz jersey, and the resemblance he bore to the Red Sox slugger was simply scary.

His name is Chris Johnson, a native of Massachusetts who currently lives in the New York area. I remember saying to my friends, "Hey, David Ortiz is here!" I got to meet Chris, and he's just like Big Papi, even personality-wise. He's a big, hulking guy with a broad smile and very outgoing personality. Just a sweetheart of a guy.

I saw Chris many times during the season, and he always greeted me with a wide smile. It was fun watching a game with him, especially when Ortiz did something big. I remember Papi hit a mammoth home run one night, and it seemed like most people in the bar looked at him and "thanked" him for the home run. All Chris could do was smile and say "you're welcome" or "it was my pleasure."

Now it appears our "secret" about Chris has gotten out, as the Bangor Daily News did a story about the incredible resemblance he bears to Papi. In the article, the writer mentions a story that Chris told me during the season, about how he went down to Florida last year and met Papi's brother, and how he thought he looked more like David than David does.

Here is the article: http://bangornews.com/news/t/sports.aspx?articleid=161383&zoneid=23

I was with Chris on the night the Red Sox won the World Series at Thom's. I always felt like David Ortiz was going to do something special whenever Chris was in the bar. I look forward to seeing him many times at Thom's during the 2008 season.