Damon was into this game early

FOXBOROUGH -- Red Sox owner John W. Henry lugged the World Series trophy, but Johnny Damon walked off with the Oscar here last night when a small contingent of Red Sox Nation visited Gillette Stadium before the Patriots-Bills game.

Damon, the first player introduced before the sellout crowd, was by far the most animated of the World Series champs. The leadoff-hitting center fielder ran on to the field with ballcap turned backward and arms spread wide, a hard-charging intro in which he looked as though he were reporting for special teams duty. Ex-Bills special teams star Steve Tasker would have been jealous.

Ace righthander Curt Schilling, recovering from recent tendon surgery on his right ankle, followed Damon, initially pulling out of the end zone on a golf cart. Some 10 yards into the journey, Schilling gingerly popped out of the cart, and hobbled the next 20 yards or so on crutches.

The old Boston favorite from the 1960s, "Dirty Water" by The Standells, blared over the PA system while Damon and Schilling embraced and posed for photographers. They were the only two players introduced here at the Lighthouse in the Forest.

Henry, the mild-mannered multimillionaire, was the first introduced. The bespectacled Bosox boss looked a bit awkward and uncomfortable as he carried the glistening trophy in front of the cheering Nationalists in the crowd.

Sox president Larry Lucchino and general manager Theo Epstein soon joined Henry, along with Sox manager Terry Francona, setting the stage for Damon's madcap dash.

KEVIN PAUL DUPONT