Baseball Reference Sponsorship

I renewed my sponsorship of the Howard Johnson page on Baseball-Reference.com site. I really enjoy the site and I'm a huge fan of HoJo. He's done a great job as batting coach. This is the 2nd year that I've sponsorship of the Howard Johnson page.

Could this be the year HoJo takes over as manager? I have a feeling that someone is going to!

Howard Johnson Had the Cute Kid Photo First

Boomer Esiason may have wanted to give Drew Brees the Super Bowl MVP trophy based on this picture, but let's not forget Howard Johnson's 1992 Upper Deck card.

HoJo's card doesn't identify who the child is, but I think it's Glen Johnson. GlenJo was drafted by the NY Mets in the 2007 draft by the Mets, but decided to attend Jacksonville University.

Glen Johnson is an infielder for the Dolphins and hit .210 for the university last year. He also wears #20.

Maybe GlenJo will be on the same shuttle that took Daniel Murphy from Jacksonville to Queens? Daniel Murphy is also a former J.U. Dolphin.

Howard Johnson Bunting? NEVER!

Say it ain't so!

This 1990 Score card looks like Howard Johnson getting ready to run down the first base line after dropping a sacrifice bunt. But it can't be... can it?

In 1989 HoJo hit .287 with 36 HRs and 101 RBIs. I refuse to believe it.

Howard Johnson - The N.L. All-Time Switchhit HR King

At one time HoJo was the greatest single season home run hitter in National League history.

This 1987 Donruss card highlights HoJo's accomplishment on September 21, 1987. HoJo hit a two-out, 8th inning grand slam off Cubs reliever Ed Lynch. It was his 36th home run of the season.

The National League single season mark (35) was previously held by James "Rip" Collins of the St. Louis Cardinals who set the record in 1934.

Whoa! Look out HoJo!

That baseball is going knock the 'stache right off our man Howard Johnson.

This is the back of a 1993 Upper Deck card of Howard Johnson. It's one of the more interesting back of the card pictures I've seen of HoJo.

In 1992 HoJo was hit by a pitch twice, and 1993 he wasn't hit at all.

HoJo was Born with a 'stache

A lot of players make their MLB debut clean cut or with stubble thin enough they could shave with a credit card. Howard Johnson was not one of those players.

I don't think I've ever seen a card of Howard Johnson without some sort of facial hair. I'm beginning to think he was born with a 'stache.

This is a 1985 Fleer card of Howard Johnson in his Detroit Tigers uniform. I can't believe I didn't have this HoJo card until a few weeks ago!

I need to do a serious inventory of these Howard Johnson cards.

Did Saved by the Bell Inspire Upper Deck?

They look pretty similar to me!

Every time I see this 1993 Upper Deck card of Howard Johnson I unfortunately think of Slater and Screech. Sad I know. . . but don't deny that you never watched it.

It's the bright colors, sharp edges, and off-center pieces.

Now if I could just find some baseball cards that remind me of Elizabeth Berkley and Tiffani Thiessen.

The 20/20 Club Was a Big Deal

Q: When did the 20/20 club stop being a big deal?

A: When you're Howard Johnson and you had a 30/30 season the year before.

In 1987 HoJo burst into the Mets starting line-up hitting 36 home runs, 99RBIs, and 32 stolen bases. The Mets just missed the playoffs thanks to crappy sinkerball from Roger McDowell to Terry Pendelton! Well, at least that's who I blame it on.

In 1988, HoJo followed his '87 season with a 20/20 campaign hitting 24 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.

Howard Johnson is a 1989 Donruss Diamond King

Add another Howard Johnson card to my collection.

I picked up a 1989 Donruss Diamond King card of HoJo. I like the back of the card the best on the Diamond Kings. You don't get a fancy table of stats or odd quotes from other players... you get an old school block of text!

The back of this card starts with "Had it not been for Kevin Mitchell and Will Clark, Howard Johnson would have had an easy path to the Most Valuable Player Award." The block of text on the back of the card ends with, "A simply stellar year." Was this written by HoJo's agent?

Johnson Covered in Teflon

I am relieved to see that Howard Johnson survived another dreadful Mets season and will be back in 2010. HoJo completed his second full season the Mets hitting coach.

I really thought HoJo was going to be on the hot seat, but unless he receives a full-time MLB managing gig this off-season, he will be returning to the Mets' hitting cage.

After reviewing the numbers, the Mets did surprisingly well offensively considering all of the injuries to three of their big hitters (Reyes, Beltran, Delgado).

In 2009, the Mets were 2nd in the National League in batting average with a .270 average (5th in MLB). The Mets OBP was 6th in the NL, but their OPS was 11th in the N.L.

In 2008, the Mets BA, OBP, and OPS were all 4th in the National League.

For the 2007 numbers, I only reviewed the stats after the all-star break since HoJo replaced Rick Down as hitting instructor in July. Since the break, the Mets finished 1st in the NL in batting average, 3rd in OBP, and 4th in OPS.

Forget the teflon - HoJo is a hitting coach genius!

One of my other favorite Mets, Wally Backman appears headed back to the organization (finally). A report in SI.com states that Backman will receive a minor league gig with the team! I know I'm being selfish here, but I hope it's with Buffalo - it would be great to see him come to Columbus when the Mets AAA team plays the Clippers.

Keeping HoJo and hiring Wally fulfills two off-season goals the Mets must have if they want to compete next year:
1 - Hire as many 1986 Mets as you can
2 - Get more 'staches on the Mets!

Free Game Worn Mets Jerseys

The Mets are giving the shirts off their backs this weekend.

Twenty-five fans, selected at random by the Mets, will be able to choose which player's jersey they want to go home with. The fan selected first will have first dibbs, and the fan selected last will get Luis Castillo's jersey or whomever is left.

I think it's great to give-away the jerseys, but who are you going to get on this roster? I'd think David Wright, Carlos Beltran, and Frankie Rodriguez would be the top 3, but after that? I'd go for Omir Santos. He's had some big hits this season and will most likely be the #1 catcher on the team next year.

Too bad you can't get the coach's jerseys... HoJo!

HoJo Loses Another Mets Record

Move over Howard Johnson. Friday, David Wright will become the Mets third base king. Assuming Wright plays 3B in Friday's game, he will have played more games on the hot-corner as a member of the NY Mets.

Wright will bump Howard Johnson down to #2 on the list. HoJo also had plenty of games at SS and in the OF for the Mets.

My other favorite Mets third basemen: Ray Knight (1986 World Series MVP) and Don Zimmer! Yes, in 1962 Zim was the first 3B in Mets history.

1991 Score - Like a Trip to the County Fair

A trip to the fair or amusement park isn't complete until you've over-paid for elephant ears, cotton candy, grape soda, and a caricature of yourself on a roller-coaster.

At least, that's what I think of when I see the 1991 Score baseball cards.

I think you can remove Howard Johnson's head and place it on the body of a little kid going on a Cedar Point ride.

Mets Howard Johnson Autograph Contest

I'm a big HoJo fan and when I saw this contest at OhMurph.com I nearly cried (being dramatic - long week at work).

The Murphaholics (maybe still buzzing from Daniel Murphy's first base flip last night) have a contest to win an 8x10 autographed picture of Howard Johnson.

To enter the contest, you have to give your definition of a triple threat.... but not the typical average, speed, defense answer. Take a look and good luck!

Studio Cards Were Like Awkward Family Photos

I never liked the '91 Studio Leaf cards. Why do I want an awkward family photo or high school graduation photo on my baseball card? It looks like the bat is stuck to Howard Johnson's face.

I want the photo of HoJo hitting or stealing a base... or triple clutching and throwing it in the dirt.

The only thing I found interesting about this card was the back: "Hobbies & Interests: Likes deep sea fishing...enjoys R&B and soul music...likes to watch Gilligan's Island reruns...collects fish. Hero Jesus.

How do you collect fish? You mean a fish tank? And who doesn't watch Gilligan's Island reruns - I thought they were all reruns at this point.

Win Free Cards - Howard Johnson Mets Trivia Contest

Win free baseball cards with some Howard Johnson trivia!

Answer three questions correctly and win Howard Johnson baseball cards! I have a ton of extra HoJo cards from my Mets collection. They are Topps, Pinnacle, Upper Deck and Fleer cards are from the '80s and '90s (no autograph or jersey cards).

Good luck!

1 - What team first hired HoJo as a coach in their minor league system?
2 - Is Howard Johnson 1st, 3rd, or 5th on the Mets all-time home run list?
3 - Where does Howard Johnson's son play his college baseball?

UPDATE: As of 1:30PM, June 24 the contest is over.
Congrats to the winners in the comments section. I'll talk to the winners to get addresses and send the cards your way this weekend. Thanks again.

Mets Howard Johnson - Player Collection

A puzzle can be easier to figure out when you take a step back and look it over from another angle. I recently did this while going through my baseball cards.

I have a TON of Howard Johnson baseball cards. By "ton" I mean, there's probably 100 of them. I know, it's not to the Andrew Miller, Evan Longoria, Tim Lincecum level talked about in the blogosphere (and thank goodness, I don't have that kind of budget), but after stepping back, I discovered

that I have a pretty decent Howard Johnson collection. The one pictured here is the 1989 Topps, #383.

I became a Howard Johnson fan when he joined the NY Mets. HoJo was one of the early 30/30 members (before it became the bar for judging true stardom in the '90s). I liked his tough play on the field and his ability to steal a base or hit a home run.

One of my collecting projects this summer is to go through all of the Howard Johnson cards.