Johnny Damon, who played with the Boston Red Sox for four seasons and was a major contributor to the team's World Series title in 2004, was voted the third nicest baseball player in a Sports Illustrated poll that asked 290 MLB players who the game's nicest players were.
Damon, now a designated hitter for the Tampa Bay Rays, received five percent of the vote, trailing only Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Raul Ibanez and Minnesota Twins DH Jim Thome, who received seven and 21 percent of the vote, respectively.
In a separate SI poll on its Facebook page, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was voted the third nicest player by the fans, receiving 10 percent of the vote. Thome was also voted the nicest player by the fans, receiving 28 percent of the vote, while New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter finished second with 17 percent of the vote.
The official poll can be viewed in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands on Wednesday.