One of the best stories to come out of the 2010 baseball season was that of John Lindsey. You know the story, right? Dude spends 16 years in the Minors before getting called up by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yeah…THAT’S John Lindsey.
I sat on this the entire season hoping Lindsey would make his way back to the Majors…but now, a year after he got his lone big league hit (it was a year ago this past Monday by the way), it was time to break this puppy out.
HOVG: You spent more time in the Minors that most people do playing the game itself…where were you when you got the call that you were heading to the show?
JOHN: Wow! Yes, I have spent some time in the Minors but I am truly blessed to still be playing baseball. I was in Round Rock, Texas when I received the call. It was a great day for me and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
HOVG: While you were set to make your debut in San Diego, you were pulled before you could make it up to the plate. The next night in Houston, with your family in the crowd, you dug in against Gustavo Chacin…walk me through that experience.
JOHN: It was a lot of fun when I was in San Diego. I was all set to get my at bat and they had a lefty on the mound. I was really pumped because I was getting ready to face him. But when they made the pitching change I could only laugh when (then-manager Joe) Torre put someone in to pitch hit for me. It was awesome for me to have the opportunity to play in Houston because my family was able to see my first at bat. They have been with me for so long in the minors, so I was so happy that they could be a part of it. As for the at bat, I was actually normal after I stepped in and saw the pitcher. Once my nerves calmed down and it was just like riding a bike in my opinion.
HOVG: A couple of nights later you got your first hit, your only hit, a single off Nelson Figueroa…how did that finally feel?
JOHN: Well that was a great time for me after 16 seasons and to be able to get that hit made it worth every second. Now I hope it is not the last!
HOVG: After a lifetime in the Minor Leagues, your story (like that of “Bull Durham”) reads like a movie script. If they made “Mayor: The John Lindsey Story”…who would you cast to play you?
JOHN: I do not know…maybe James Earl Jones, but he’s too old to be a 30-year-old slugger. I guess the second choice would be “The Rock” aka Dwayne Johnson, but I think he might have to get in a little better shape. (Laughs)
HOVG: What’s next for John Lindsey?
JOHN: What’s next for me is to get red hot and make it back to the Dodgers and become the right hand bat off the bench for the next six years! Sounds like a great plan or have the opportunity to play in Japan.
The 34-year-old John Lindsey spent the entire 2011 season for the Dodgers Triple-A team in Albuquerque. In 75 games, he hit 13 home runs and collected a .309 batting average.
He is hoping to, again, get that elusive cup of coffee with the Dodgers.
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