Small Talk: Jonny Gomes Likes Surfing, Starting Off On The Right Foot

Some know him as “Ironsides,” but the Boston Red Sox left fielder’s proper name is Jonny Gomes. Here are five questions and answers with Jonny on everything from superstitions to surfing.

1. Do you have any good dance moves?

Jonny: My best dance move right now would probably be hitting a home run and running around the bases. Outside of that, my dance moves are kind of limited. The shopping cart…grabbing something, reading the label, spiking it in the cart, that’s an awesome dance. If I ever get in a jam, I’ve got to go with the shopping cart.

2. Do you have any superstitions?

Jonny: If there’s two things, a right and a left like a right shoe and a left shoe…I put on the right one on first, because you want to start your day off right. Give it a shot.

3. I want to be a paleontologist when I grow up. That means I’ll look for and dig up bones. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Jonny: Well, luckily I haven’t grown up quite yet. I’m going to keep riding this baseball thing out for awhile because I’m having a lot of fun doing it, but when I’m done with it, maybe we can go find some bones. Maybe we can go to the beach and find some bones together and open up our own museum of baseball bats and bones.

4. I’m going to play with the Boston Red Sox some day. Do you like playing with the Boston Red Sox or the Oakland Athletics?

Jonny: If you could give me a couple more years here before you come and take my job, that’d be great. I’m sure you’re going to want to play left field underneath the Green Monster, but I’ve got to get a couple more years in before you take my job. If I have to pick between Boston and Oakland — I’ll tell you what, both places are awesome, but I’m extremely happy I’m on the Red Sox right now, and I’m glad you’re a fan of the Red Sox as well.

5. Do you know how to surf?

Jonny Gomes: I’m actually born and raised in California. I’m sure you know where California is, there’s a lot of surfing out there. Yes, I have surfed, but since I’ve moved away from California, there’s not many opportunities to surf anymore. One thing we do have in California is a lot of sharks, so you’ve got to be careful when you’re out there surfing.