Johnny Callison RIP

I am deeply saddened by the death of my first boyhood hero, #6 Johnny Callison right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1960 - 1969. I adored Johnny and wanted to be just like him. However,when I heard that he had passed away after a long illness the memories it engendered were bittersweet.

I say bittersweet because when I heard the news, I began reliving my boyhood again There I was back in my seat at Connie Mack Stadium with my father and grandfather, and my grandfather was suddenly alive again. All the sights and sounds and smells came roaring back.I could see the bright green grass, and rich brown infield dirt, and smell the hot dogs and peanuts. I again remembered thinking how amazing the colors looked when I saw them for the first time at the Stadium, and how different it was from watching baseball on our black and white TV. Only boyhood heroes can rekindle great memories like that. To me, it's what makes baseball and sports in general so great.

The three of us were back in our old wooden seats cheering for Johnny as he patrolled right field in front of the big gray wall, which was Philly's answer to Fenway's green monster. The wall housed an old fashioned scoreboard in which the operator changed the out-of -town scores by hand. It was nothing like the digital scoreboards of today, but somehow it was better. Because of the scoreboard, the surface of the wall was uneven, which made for some crazy bounces of the ball for the right fielder to handle. Nobody could play the ball off that right field wall like Johnny, and when he retrieved the ball he would always fire an accurate throw to second or third with his cannon arm.

Johnny had five tool skills packed onto a 5'10" frame, 170 pound frame. While not a Hall of Famer, he was an All- Star/ MVP caliber player. He was an All - Star three in the sixties, which along with the fifties was the greatest decade for outfielders in National League history. This was an amazing feat when you consider some of Jonny's contempories: Mays, Aaron, Clemente, and Frank Robinson, Hall of Famers all.

In that infamous year of 1964, the last year of America's innocence, Johnny would have been National League MVP if not for the Phils famous collapse. They came back from a West Coast trip in September with a 6 and 1/2 game lead and only 12 to play. Everyone knows the rest of the story. The Phils promptly lost 10 straight and blew the pennant, through no fault of Johnny's. During one loss to the Braves in the middle of the big losing streak, Johnny hit three home runs.

Prior to the great collapse, 1964 had been a magical year for Phils fans. It started with Jim Bunning's(R - KY) perfect game on June 21, a nice gift for the father of seven on Father's Day. Johnny was right in the middle of the magic, winning the All - Star game for the NL with a three run homer off Dick Radatz in the ninth inning. To see it all collapse for the Phils in October, and I might add for Barry Goldwater in November, was tragic.

Now I have my own son who has his own baseball hero, who also happens to wear number 6. While today's # 6 ,Ryan Howard is a great young player as is Chase Utley, my son's boyhood baseball experience will sadly be different from mine due to today's changing times. The players today make so much money that they're mini - corporations, each with their own posse and entourage. They live in million dollar mansions and are cut off from the average fan.

Not so with Johnny. While born in Oklahoma and raised in Bakersfield, CA he was a true Philadelphian. Since 1960, he and his family lived in the modest suburb of Glenside. While Johnny undoubtedly made more than our dads, it wasn't that much more. He was a regular guy who lived in a regular neighborhood. He knew his neighbors and they knew him. For years he sold used cars in the off season. Can you imagine an MVP caliber player doing that today? Not a chance. It's kind of reminiscent of those old film clips of Willie Mays playing stickball with kids in the streets of Harlem, before heading off to the Polo Grounds to star for the old NY Giants. Sweet memories from a bygone era.

For the last twenty years Johnny tended bar, where he would talk baseball with anyone who wanted to chat with him. He didn't charge for his autograph and from every account I ever read, he was always good to people. He was a family man who never had one ounce of trouble with the law. He was a model husband, father, and grandfather. He never embarassed himself or his team. He was loved by his teammates, and was a mentor and best friend to Dick Allen during the racially troubled 60's.

A tribute was held for Jonny last night at Citiznes Bank Park. In attendance were Johnny's family, some of his ex-teammates and many fans. On a night in which the weather was brutal for October, 400 people packed the room. It was touching to see Dick Allen break down during his tribute to Johnny.

Ciao, Johnny. You're in the real big leagues now, where pennants and MVPs are never lost and where every season ends in a championship parade. Enjoy your field for dreams. You most certainly deserve it.