Say it ain't so, HoJo.
The Can-Am League's Rockland Boulders announced on their website this morning tthat they have signed 50-year-old Howard Johnson and his son, Glen Johnson, to their 2011 player roster. The father-son duo will suit up and play for the sixth-place Boulders (18-22) in their final homestand on September 4 and 5 during a pride-saving weekend against their geographic rivals, the seventh-place Newark Bears (17-22).
Here's HoJo's quote from the Boulders website for those of you who are into that sort of thing:
"This may be my last go ‘round so it’s a great opportunity to play in a professional game with my son," said Howard Johnson. "How many fathers can do that?"
It's tough to criticize a father's opportunity to suit up and play with his son, but HoJo hasn't appeared in many baseball spotlights since walking away from the New York Mets organization earlier this year. Of course, Johnson hasn't PLAYED in a professional game since the Magic ran out with the Chicago Cubs following the 1995 season. He joined the coaching ranks with the Tampa Bay Rays organization in the following year.
Presumably HoJo's doing this so the Boulders will consider his son for playing time if the Boulders resume baseball activity next season. (Can-Am League finances are notoriously flimsy.) Lil' Johnson was drafted by the Mets in 2007 with the 1,106th overall pick, but did not sign with the team. He went on to play for Jacksonville University for three seasons before transferring to Pace University for his final season that concluded this past spring.
Would you pay to see HoJo play one more time?