Ball boy has play of day

He used to throw hard as a lefthanded reliever at Dartmouth College, but Dan Godfrey demonstrated he was quite adept at throwing around the leather as well when the 28-year-old Red Sox ball boy came up with a "Web Gem" in the 7-3 nightcap of Boston's doubleheader sweep of the Devil Rays.

Godfrey, who works as a special needs teacher at East Boston High when he isn't shagging foul balls at Fenway Park, wowed the sellout crowd of 35,441 in the Red Sox' seven-run outburst in the first inning. Donning a Rawlings glove, Godfrey jumped from his stool in front of the field boxes near Section 75 and made a spectacular stab of Johnny Damon's line-drive smash that was headed toward the stands.

"That play down the left-field line? Web Gem, no doubt about it," said Kevin Millar. "That was a hell of a play."

During his four-year career at Dartmouth (1994-98), Godfrey said he had never fielded a comebacker to the mound that came at him as fast as Damon's scorched foul ball.

"Not anything like that, no," said the former Big Green reliever, who earned All-Ivy honors as a junior after going 6-2 in 1997. "I was a pitcher, so I had no expertise in the field."

Judging by the play he made, no one would have ever guessed.

"That's the best play any of us have ever had, first of all," said Kasey Lindsey, Godfrey's 22-year-old female counterpart from San Antonio, who was guarding the right-field line. "It was just amazing seeing him get up off the chair that fast and get over to the ball and leap up and catch it."

Said Godfrey, "I just saw the ball and reacted to it."

Last night, Godfrey, a native of Winthrop, not only earned a well-deserved ovation from the Fenway Faithful -- particularly those seated in the infield boxes near the left-field line -- he also won his 15 minutes of fame when he made all the highlight reels. It was even suggested his play might earn consideration for ESPN's "Web Gems."

Said an envious Damon, "I didn't even get one. That was a damn good play."

Damon was so dazzled by Godfrey's handiwork that, "I was thinking they were still going to call me out there."

So how exactly did he become a ball boy?

"I'd been working here as a Fenway Ambassador the last couple of years," Godfrey said. "They asked me at the beginning of this year if it was something I'd be interested in doing. I said, `Of course.' What's a better seat than being on the field -- with a glove."

Asked if his two-toned Rawlings special was Sox-issued leather, Godfrey smiled and said with a laugh, "No, no. I've had it for quite some time -- for a couple of years. But it did all right tonight."

There was no doubt, however, what would have happened had Godfrey not been alert.

"If he doesn't catch it, it's trouble," said Joe Maney, 38, of Lynnfield, who was seated about 10 rows back from the wall in Section 75.

"Absolutely, that was an ambulance trip for somebody."

Said Damon, "You know, he might have saved someone's life. It's always scary when there's line shots hit at the fans. He made a good play, you know.

"Hopefully, the Red Sox don't go offer him a contract to play center field tomorrow."