Sunday, November 7, 2010

Phil and Johnny



Phillip Alan Plantier is baseballs' Lon Chaney.  If Chaney was The Man of a Thousand Faces, Plantier is The Man of a Thousand Stances.  Take a look at some of the stances he used and you just may bust a gut laughing.  I remember watching a game with the late Artie Wilson, when he was laughing and getting up out of his chair to try and imitate Plantiers stance.  Phil was drafted by the Red Sox and had a good rookie season, but when he couldn't duplicate that success he was traded to the Padres, he played from '92-'95 in San Diego.  In 1995 he was part of the 11 player trade that brought Cammy to San Diego and sent him to Houston.  He returned to San Diego in 1997, before moving on to St. Louis.  He is currently coaching in the Mariners organization.  I don't remember how I obtained this card.   John Joseph Podres was signed as a Free Agent by the first year San Diego Padres on March 21, 1969.  I can hear the public address announcer, now pitching for the Padres, Johnny Podres.  I think his name may have had something to do with the signing.  Johnny had been out of baseball for a year after two years with the Tigers.  He is best known and always will be known as a Dodger, one of the Boys of Summer.  He played for the Dodgers from 1953-1966 winning the World Series MVP award in 1955, the first WSMVP award ever given.  Johnny was 5-6 in 17 in San Diego in 1969.  Johnny was the pitching coach for a bunch of teams from 1973-1996 including the Padres, Twins, BoSox and Phillies.  I believe that got this card on eBay. 

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