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David Allen Johnson (born January 30, 1943 in Orlando, Florida) is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Johnson played for the Baltimore Orioles (1965-1972), Atlanta Braves (1973-1975), Philadelphia Phillies (1977-78) and Chicago Cubs (1978). Also, he played in the Japanese League for the Yomiuri Giants (1975-1976). Johnson was also a very successful manager in the 1980s and 1990s. Johnson managed the New York Mets (1984-1990), Cincinnati Reds (1993-1995), Baltimore Orioles (1996-1997), and Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2000). Johnson is currently the manager for Team USA baseball.
In his 13-year major league career, Johnson batted .261 with 136 home runs, 609 RBI, 564 runs, 1252 hits, 242 doubles, 18 triples, and 33 stolen bases in 1435 games. Johnson was a 4 time All Star, and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. Johnson was also a member of the Orioles 1966, and 1970 World Championship teams. Johnson's best statistical year came in 1973 when he broke Rogers Hornsby's record for most single-season home runs by a second baseman with 43.
Johnson began his managerial career in 1979. He won pennants in each of his three seasons in the minors and advanced quickly through the New York Mets farm system. He took over the parent club, which hadn't won a pennant since 1973 in 1984, and was eager for success. Johnson went on to become the first National League manager to win at least 90 games in each of his first five seasons, with the highlight being winning the World Series in 1986 against the Boston Red Sox. Interestingly, while with the Baltimore Orioles, Johnson made the final out to clinch the Mets' first World Championship in 1969. However, Johnson rankled Mets management with his easygoing style. When the Mets struggled early in the 1990 season, he was fired.
After more than two seasons out of baseball, the Cincinnati Reds hired him 40 games into the 1993 season. As was the case with the Mets, Johnson revived the Reds almost immediately. He led the team to the National League Central lead at the time of the 1994 players' strike, and won the first official NL Central title in 1995. However, he was controversially fired at the end of the season. Johnson had never gotten along with Reds owner Marge Schott, who had reportedly decided to fire Johnson at the end of the 1995 season even before it started. By most accounts, the final straw came because Schott didn't approve of Johnson living with his then-fiancée, Susan, before they were married.[1]
Almost immediately, Johnson returned to Baltimore as the Orioles' manager. Again, he breathed new life into a struggling franchise as the Orioles earned a wild-card playoff berth in 1996 and the American League East title in 1997.
However, Johnson and Orioles owner Peter Angelos never got along; the two men almost never spoke to each other. The final straw reportedly came when Johnson fined Roberto Alomar for skipping a team banquet in April 1997 and an exhibition game against the Rochester Red Wings (the Orioles' top farm team at the time) during the 1997 All-Star Break. Johnson ordered Alomar to pay the fine by making out a check for a fine to a charity run by Johnson's wife, Susan. However, Alomar donated the money to another charity after players' union lawyers advised him of the possible conflict of interest. In negotiations after the season, Johnson was prepared to admit he'd made an error in judgement regarding the fine, but Angelos demanded that Johnson admit that he'd acted recklessly in not leaving the decision to him. Johnson refused to do so, and offered his resignation--which was accepted by Angelos on the same day that Johnson was named American League Manager of the Year.[1]
In 1999, Johnson was hired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had beaten Johnson's heavily favored Mets in seven games in the 1988 National League Championship Series. Unfortunately, Johnson suffered the first full losing season of his managerial career, finishing in third place eight games under .500. While the Dodgers rebounded to second place the next year, it was not enough to save Johnson's job.
Johnson then became manager of Team USA, where he managed the United States team to a seventh-place finish out of an 18-team field in the 2005 Baseball World Cup, held in The Netherlands. The team finished tied for second in its group during group play with a 6-2 record before falling, 11-3, to eventual winner and 24-time World Cup champion Cuba in the quarterfinals. A subsequent 9-0 loss to Nicaragua put the Americans into the seventh-place game with Puerto Rico, where they prevailed with an 11-3 win.
Johnson also served as bench coach for Team USA during the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Johnson is currently working to earn Team USA a spot in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
On June 7, 2006, Johnson was hired by the Washington Nationals as a consultant to team general manager Jim Bowden. Bowden was the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds when Johnson served as the team's manager.
Speculation that Johnson might be hired as manager of the Baltimore Orioles ended on Aug. 22, 2007. The Orioles made interim manager Dave Trembley the permanent replacement for Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo, who was fired on June 18, 2007. Johnson was the last skipper to guide the Orioles to a winning season.
Johnson's daughter, Andrea, was a nationally-ranked amateur surfer in the late 1980's. Andrea died in 2005 from sepsis shock.
[edit] Highlights
- 4-time All-Star (1968-70, 1973)
- 3-time Gold Glove Award winner (1969-71)
- Hit 43 home runs for the Braves (1973), breaking Rogers Hornsby's all-time mark for second baseman.
- Johnson teamed with shortstop Mark Belanger a duo winner of two Gold Gloves, joining a select list of eight shortstop-second baseman combinations have won the honor in the same season while playing together (1969, 1971). Third baseman Brooks Robinson also was in the middle of his record 16 straight Gold Glove streak when Johnson and Belanger won their awards.
- 1997 American League Manager of the Year Award winner
See also
- Johnson, batting against Jerry Koosman, was the last batter of the 1969 World Series flying out to give the Mets their first World Championship. He would go on to manage the Mets to their second, with Jesse Orosco striking out the final batter. Coincidentally, the two pitchers had been traded for each other after the 1978 season.
- Although never known for his power, in 1973 Johnson became part of the first trio of teammates ever to all hit 40 home runs in the same season when he hit 43, Darrell Evans hit 41, and Hank Aaron hit 40. Johnson never hit more than 18 home runs in any other season.
- In the 1966 World Series, Johnson earned the distinction of being the last person to get a hit off of Sandy Koufax.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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