Charles Johnson: takes control in Los Angeles

Ebony, Sept, 1998

The All-Star catcher is trying to do for the Dodgers what he did for the Florida Marlins--lead them to a championship

Charles Johnson didn't know what May 15, 1998, would bring, but he knew he had never felt so apprehensive before a game. He was in new surroundings, with new teammates and, after replacing one of the most popular players in Los Angeles Dodgers history, he was anxious about the new expectations that he would have to face.

As it turned out, Johnson's first appearance in a Dodgers uniform (after a trade from the Florida Marlins) was one of his best experiences since he made it to the big leagues in 1994. "I was very surprised with the way the fans accepted me," says the former Olympian and All-American from the University of Miami who replaced perennial All-Star Mike Piazza. "I didn't know what to expect because I was taking over for a guy who had done so much for this organization and meant so much to the fans. But their reaction was a nice, warm feeling."

Apparently, the fans knew what caliber of player they were getting and appreciated the fact that he is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, an All-Star and was a major cog in the Florida Marlins machine that won the World Series last year. Observers also knew that the 27-year-old Johnson, considered by baseball insiders to be the best defensive catcher in the game, set a new record for catchers this year with 172 consecutive errorless games, a streak that began on June 23, 1996, and ended this season on opening day when he committed a throwing error. Before he established that record, he set a single-season mark during the season by playing 123 consecutive games without a miscue.

During his brief career, Johnson, known as "CJ" to his friends and teammates, has been hailed so highly because of his durability, arm strength, balance, agility and the "strong mental part of his game"--all of which have prompted some to compare him to another former Dodgers catcher, Hall of Famer Roy Campanella. "I don't like to compare today's players to players of other eras, but CJ catches and throws as well as anyone I've ever seen in my life," says Florida Marlins manager Jim Leyland, a two-time National League manager of the year.

Aside from Johnson's defensive skills, he is one of the best when it comes to calling a game and handling pitchers--giving them encouragement when they need it and direction when he recognizes changes in their mechanics and delivery. Undoubtedly, such direction was instrumental in two historic contests when he caught no-hit games--one by Al Leiter on May 11, 1996, and the other by Kevin Brown on June 10 of last year.

At age 9, Johnson began to hone his skills in his backyard under the watchful eyes of his father, Charles Johnson Sr., who was a baseball coach and algebra teacher at Westwood High School in Ft. Pierce. The frequent drills that the elder Johnson put his son through included a pitching machine that fired baseballs at 75 miles per hour to the young catcher from the mound-to-plate distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. Gradually, Johnson Sr. moved the machine closer and closer (getting as close as 10 feet) to test his son's reflexes.

By high school, the drills had begun to pay off, with Johnson being named to three high school All-State teams. He bypassed an offer from the Montreal Expos after he was drafted in the first round in 1989, instead enrolling at the University of Miami. Three years later, he was a No. 1 pick again, this time by the Marlins.

Ironically, as a youngster, Johnson was a Dodgers fan who, with his father, frequently traveled the 13 miles from his home to see spring-training games at Dodgertown in Vero Beach. So if Johnson had to be traded--for him and his wife, Rhonda--there was no better place than Los Angeles. "The trade was a little bit of a surprise," he says. "I haven't been in the majors long enough to say where I would [or wouldn't] go. The only place I don't want to go is back to the minors."

With Johnson's skills, which have been described as "the total package," it's not likely that he'll be covering ground he has already traveled. It's a better possibility that one day he'll join Campanella in the Hall of Fame.