Matt Johnson

"It's amazing to watch him," Matt Johnson said Wednesday before the I-Cubs' game with Albuquerque at Principal Park."It's scary from an athletic training standpoint because you never know when you're going to have to sprint out to right field to check on him."

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Johnson, who's in his first season as the Iowa Cubs' trainer, spent last summer chasing Fuld around at double-A Tennessee and the 2005 season tending to him at Class A Peoria.He knows it's pointless to try and change the kid now.He is what he is.A wall magnet.

"That guy," Johnson said, "will run through anything."

Or try to.You might not remember Fuld's name - he played 14 games in Des Moines and 14 with the big Cubbies in 2007 - but you probably remember The Catch.
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"He's always doing those word finds and those Sudokus all the time," Johnson said of the younger Fuld.

"It's special for them to be able to work with the players," said Matt Johnson, director of community relations for the I-Cubs.
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Girls and boys hit balls off a tee and into a chain-link fence as Johnson helped them adjust their posture.

"All hitting starts from your feet," he said.
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Johnson offered the Knothole Gang players a few life lessons in addition to baseball tips.He encouraged the kids to "practice, practice, practice - because baseball is a good thing," but reminded them that it isn't the most important thing in the world.

Parent Rhonda Zarr of Bondurant expressed her admiration for Johnson."I am really impressed with him," she said.

Matt Johnson Community Relations mjohnson@iowacubs.com

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