Who is the man: Frank Johnson was entering what would be his final major league season when this card arrived. Johnson was a lifetime utility player for the Giants, playing from 1966-71. This is his final card.
Can ya dig it: This is one of just two solo cards that Johnson had during his career. The other is in the 1969 Topps set.
Right on: Johnson's jersey looks like he's wearing an advertisement for KFAN, a sports radio station in Minnesota.
You see this cat Johnson is a bad mother: Johnson hit his first major league home run after filling in for an injured Jim Ray Hart in 1968. The home run led the Giants to victory and kicked off a four-game winning streak.
Shut your mouth: When a fan asked Johnson for his memories of Kentucky, Johnson responded with "Kentucky is a good state. Memories you don't want to know."
No one understands him but his woman: Johnson was traded to a Japanese team in 1972 in a deal for Toru Hamaura. It was termed the first international baseball trade in history. Johnson played in Japan for a year, but Hamaura never played in the majors.
(A word about the back): Lots of information about Johnson's minor exploits on the back. He played in the minors for six years before getting called up to the majors.
Hamaura was 10 years younger than Johnson. He played for two years in A ball, then presumably went back to Japan.
ReplyDeleteSteve from the WhiteSoxCards blog made a 1968 Giants Rookies card (something Topps forgot to do) featuring Frank Johnson and Bobby Bonds. There's a link to it on this page.
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