Tuesday, March 19, 2013

no. 156 - bart johnson


Who is the man: Bart Johnson enjoyed his first prolonged stay in the major leagues in 1970 and was entering the 1971 season as a veteran of 22 games pitched. This is his first solo card.

Can ya dig it: Johnson is one of those metamorphosis guys from the 1970s in that he converted from straight-laced '60s crew-cut soldier to '70s hippie 'fro man. He was like a Chia Pet on cardboard. The hair just kept getting longer.

Right on: It's difficult to make out what's going on in the background. From a distance it looks like it's a dad taking a picture of the family in front of a rock formation.

You see this cat Johnson is a bad mother: An all-around athlete, Johnson threatened to try out for the Seattle SuperSonics when the White Sox wanted to send him to the minors in 1974.

Shut your mouth: Johnson decided to play professional baseball or pro basketball because he thought he could dominate baseball rather than just be a cog in the NBA. "I honestly thought I had the talent to become a Cy Young Award winner," he said in this interview.

No one understands him but his woman: Johnson struggled fairly often during his time with the White Sox, and a fan once unveiled a banner that said "Oh, no, not Bart!" during one of his appearances.


(A word about the back): You got it all in that biography. High school, American Legion, minor leagues and the majors.

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