Johnson would trade World Series for Olympics

DETROIT (Reuters) - Team USA manager Davey Johnson would give up one of his World Series rings for an Olympic baseball gold medal.

The sport will be dropped from the Games program after the final out at Wukesong Field on August 23rd and Beijing therefore represents the last opportunity for the former major league all-star to add an Olympic honor to his trophy case.

The only player to be a team mate of Hank Aaron and Sadaharu Oh, Johnson managed the New York Mets to a World Series in 1986 after winning Major League Baseball championships as a player with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 and 1970.

It is one of the two rings Johnson won with the Orioles that he says he would swap for gold in Beijing, a steep price given he would be Olympic champion in name only because athletes receive medals, not coaches and managers.

"It wouldn't eclipse '86 when I won a World Series with the Mets," Johnson, 65, told reporters. "But a couple of the World Series I won as a player, I'll take a gold medal over it."

"This is going to be the pinnacle of my career going to Beijing."

Johnson has been handed the task of restoring national pride after the United States failed to qualify for the 2004 Games.

While baseball is America's national pastime, U.S. results on the Olympic stage have been ordinary -- just one gold (2000 Sydney) since the sport was welcomed into the Olympic family at the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Unlike his Team USA basketball coaching counterpart Mike Krzyzewski, who has a stacked line-up of NBA all-stars including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Johnson will have to get the job done with a group of unknown minor leaguers.

MAJOR LEAGUE

Johnson's approach has been forged from 13 Major League seasons as a player with stops in Baltimore, Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Chicago Cubs then refined by 14 more years as a manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Orioles and Mets.

The power-hitting, Gold Glove second baseman was among the first players to embrace the international scene. He played two seasons in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants and had a stint as manager of the Netherlands national team, acting as an assistant coach for the Dutch squad at the 2004 Olympics.

Those experiences have provided Johnson with a unique perspective and understanding of the international game, confirmed by the United States gold medal wins at the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Cuba in 2006 and another gold last year at the World Cup in Taiwan.

"I've been fortunate, I've played in Europe, I've played in Japan, gone a lot places and the one thing that kind of brings people together is watching sports, seeing guys compete against each other," said Johnson.

"I enjoy working with USA baseball, I enjoyed my time I managed the Dutch team so I have really taken care of my baseball fix.

"But I was in the '04 Olympics in Athens and it was kind of strange walking into the opening ceremonies wearing orange and white and saddling up next to the NBA basketball players representing the USA.

"I wished I could have had one of their uniforms on. I'm lucky this year to able to represent the USA and going for gold."

(Editing by Robert Woodward)