Card fact: Johnson returns to the Topps set with this card, after not being featured in the 1974 set, despite appearing in 39 games for Cleveland in 1973.
What I thought about this card then: Never saw it.
What I think of this card now: This is another one of those Astros cards that shows the seemingly desolate spring training site they had back then. Apparently, it never rained there.
Other stuff: Johnson is another one of those players who had a fairly long career, but ended it just as I was beginning to pay attention to baseball. So it took me awhile to figure out who he was. My first card memory of him is the 1978 Topps card in which he is with the Blue Jays. It's an action card that I thought was relatively cool. I remember turning the card over to look at the stats and being amazed that he had played for so long and that I had never heard of him.
Johnson had his best seasons for the Giants and received Cy Young Award votes for his performance as a reliever in 1971, when the Giants won the National League West.
(EDIT: Jerry Johnson died in November, 2021 at age 77).
Back facts: Every player with the last name "Gordon" gets nicknamed "Flash," don't they?
Also, the text notes that Johnson began his pro career as a third baseman. He was drafted by the Mets. Apparently he could hit, but his fielding wasn't good and he was converted to pitcher.
Other blog stuff: The yellow light-blue combination has been absent for 80 cards until now. That could be a record gap. Maybe when I get bored I'll figure that out.
