"I loved Michael Jordan of course," said Wright, a sophomore at the College and a member of the baseball team. Unlike Jordan, however, Wright has no need to have signs fed to him by google-eyed opposing catchers.
Wright finished the season having played in 38 games and starting 37 of them. He was second on the team in batting, hitting at a .377 clip, and led the club with 34 RBIs.
However, after leading the team in home runs last year as a freshman with four home runs, Wright was unable to send one over the fences and onto Park Street this season. Part of the reason is because of the long dimensions of Red Rolfe field which put even Comerica Park's endless lengths to shame, (316 to left field, an astounding 445 to center field and a challenging 345 to right field), and part are adjustments made to Wright's swing.
These tinkers improved Wright's average, which jumped from .250 to .377, and caused his RBI production to skyrocket from 14 during the 2005 campaign to his team-leading 34 this season. His run production also increased from 14 to 24 this year. However, his power numbers did meet with a sharp decline.
Wright stays positive about this.
"Right when I came to Dartmouth they completely changed my swing, I really liked what Coach Whalen did with it, and this year they changed my swing again," he said. "I'm still going through a huge adjustment, and hopefully I can put everything together...I'm hoping that my power numbers come around next year."
Wright is no stranger to adjusting his game; he moved from catcher to right field after Big Green head coach Bob Whalen told him that moving to the outfield would guarantee him a spot in the lineup.
Even though Wright caught for the Big Green in fall and winter practices of his freshman year, Whalen knew that the position belonged to senior captain Brian Zurhellen '06, so he placed Wright in the outfield, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"To get me in the lineup," said Wright, "He dropped me in the outfield and it just worked out so we went on from there."
Wright sacrificed much more than his position to get in the Big Green lineup. In order to ensure his success at baseball, Wright dropped his other Jordan-esque passion: basketball.
"One of the reasons I came to Dartmouth was because I wanted to play two sports at the Division I level, basketball and baseball," said Wright. "I was recruited by a lot of schools to play just basketball or just baseball...I was actually playing baseball for a couple of weeks and then I went and talked to coach Whalen, and he didn't really think it was a good idea, so I quit basketball"
Hailing from St. Mark's School in Dallas, Tex., Wright represents his hometown with pride (even though he was born in Roslyn, N.Y., and his father is from 50 Cent's childhood home of Jamaica, Queens). When asked who would win the World Series, Wright responded that it would be the Texas Rangers. The Superbowl? The Cowboys. The National Basketball Association Championship? You guessed it, the Dallas Mavericks. Wright even supports the idea of the Dallas Stars still being the best National Hockey League outfit.
He points out that Barry Melrose, ESPN's hockey guru, had them picked to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, and hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in June. But who will win now that the Stars are out of the playoffs? Wright will not comment.
"I can't even predict right now, man, I'm so distraught about my Stars," he said.
Wright is a bold seer when it comes to Dartmouth baseball as well . "We will be Red Rolfe Division Champions," Wright said. "We will be the Ivy League Champions as well."
In addition, Wright also chairs the Tucker Foundation-run Rivendale Community project, which mentors seventh graders. He is also a member of the Society of Dartmouth Investors. If baseball is not in his future, Wright would love to become an investor. However, Wright would work for as long as it takes just to get even a single at bat in the Major Leagues.
This competitive drive comes from two places for Wright. His Little League team lost in the regional finals to a Florida squad that eventually made it to the site of the Little League World Series, in Williamsport, Penn. After that, Wright realized how much he hated losing and his competitive fire was lit once again.
"He's a hard working player that wants to win at all costs," teammate Raymond Allen '09 said.
The other source of inspiration for Wright's competitive nature is, of course, Jordan. "His [Jordan's] competitive drive is what I love so much, he just wouldn't lose, and that's what I like to think about when I'm in the box."
Wright also agrees that there is only one Michael Jordan. For the Dartmouth Big Green, there is only one Damon Wright.
