<p>Draft fulfills an officer's dream
Contra Costa Times
Contact Cam Inman at <a href="mailto:cinman@cctimes.com">cinman@cctimes.com</a>
Article Launched: 06/17/2007 03:01:42 AM PDT</p>
<p>You wouldn't think the 1,266th pick of baseball's amateur draft would create a buzz, especially aboard a U.S. Navy ship on the western Pacific seas.</p>
<p>But Jonathan Johnston, a gunnery officer on the USS Peleliu, went "ecstatic" when he learned the A's drafted him in the 42nd round on June 8.</p>
<p>"Baseball is something I've done for 20 years of my life, and I'm good at it," Johnston, a catcher, said in a late-night phone call last week from the USS Peleliu in undisclosed waters. "Every kid dreams of playing baseball. To play baseball and serve my country, that'd be great."</p>
<p>That's also a tricky scenario. But it's one Johnston, his tight-knit family in New Jersey, his Navy shipmates and the A's all hope comes true.</p>
<p>"It'd be a nice story," A's scouting director Eric Kubota said.</p>
<p>It's already a phenomenally inspiring tale about not giving up on a dream, and Johnston knew just how to cash in on his draft-day reality when he called home and spoke with his father in Hamilton Township, N.J.</p>
<p>"As soon as I found out and got to talk to him, I told him, 'Happy Father's Day,' " Johnston said.</p>
<p>Karl Johnston, who's celebrating his 49th birthday today, is as thrilled as his oldest son, and like everyone else, he wants to know when, or even if, his son will be able to start playing for the A's.</p>
<p>Johnston's only a year into his five-year commitment to the Navy, and he's not looking to shirk that responsibility. He'd prefer being reassigned, perhaps near an A's
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minor-league affiliate -- possibly in Phoenix, Stockton or Kane County (Ill.) -- so he could also split time as a Navy recruiter.</p>
<p>"We'll support whatever the military's decision is," Kubota added.</p>
<p>Johnston's putting his request in writing to Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter, who last year suspended an early-release program because of the war in Iraq. Johnston's not looking to get released, however.</p>
<p>"I'm a guy that's big on commitment," Johnston, 23, said. "I made a commitment to the Navy. It's very important to me. I committed to something and I'm sticking with it. ... I just requested an opportunity to play."</p>
<p>It's been a year since he finished his fourth and final season at the Naval Academy, doing so by batting .317 and setting a program record with 35 stolen bases.</p>
<p>Several teams -- including the Cincinnati Reds -- expressed interest leading up to the 2006 baseball draft. But when his name wasn't called, he returned home dejected from a draft-day party with friends.</p>
<p>"That night at the dinner table, he said, 'I can't believe I don't ever get to play baseball again,' " recalled his mother, Glory Johnston. "I told him, 'It's not over if you don't want it to be over. If it's meant to happen, it will.'"</p>
<p>Thanks to the A's, Johnston became the first position player -- and just the third overall -- drafted in the 112-year history of Naval Academy baseball.</p>
<p>Since then, Johnston -- or, "Jay" to his friends, and "Ensign" to the Navy -- is being congratulated by the 1,500-member crew throughout the USS Peleliu's passageways.</p>
<p>"Everybody's been pulling for me," Johnston said.</p>
<p>They've been deployed since May 23 as part of a four-month humanitarian mission, repairing hospitals and schools and providing medical assistance. They were in Guam last weekend and are proceeding into Southeast Asia and Oceania.</p>
<p>Johnston oversees eight sailors, so handling a future A's pitching staff shouldn't be anything new. He's also in charge of the ship's machine guns and rifles, so dealing with a wild pitch shouldn't be too daunting.</p>
<p>And just how does he keep his baseball tools from getting rusty? Picture this:</p>
<p>-- He hits whiffle balls in a hangar bay.</p>
<p>-- He carries a spare mitt so he can play catch with any volunteer (and good thing he did, because no one else brought a mitt on his current voyage).</p>
<p>-- He runs up and down ramps to keep strong the legs that have made him such a multipurpose threat on the field.</p>
<p>"Obviously I'm not playing," Johnston said, "but I'm doing the best I can."</p>
<p>Here's his self-described scouting report:</p>
<p>Left-handed hitting catcher. ... Just started switch-hitting this year. Athletic, so can make the adjustment. ... Runs well. Used to steal bags all the time. ... Good arm. ... Moves well behind the dish. ... 5-foot-11, 195 pounds.</p>
<p>"He's a very good defensive catcher, and he runs like the wind," Karl Johnston said.</p>
<p>So how does one find out about being drafted when you're halfway around the world?</p>
<p>For Johnston, news zipped down the family tree, starting with younger brother Shawn's scouring of the Internet's draft tracker. He relayed the news to his mother, who then told her twin daughters -- "They screamed," Glory said -- and the girls rushed to the nearby ballpark to tell their dad, who was coaching American Legion Post 313.</p>
<p>"They were driving down the street, horns blaring and telling me Jonathan got drafted," Karl said. "It made me feel very good."</p>
<p>Karl already had heard the news, though, once Shawn called his younger brother, Karl Jr., at the field.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Jonathan happened to call home, and it was Glory who told him he got drafted.</p>
<p>"I love you mom," he replied.</p>
<p>His allotted time on the ship's phone quickly ran out, so he rushed to find his executive officer, who already had the draft results up on his computer.</p>
<p>The USS Peleliu is based in San Diego, and so is the U.S. Military All-Stars with whom Johnston has played. Doing so helped spark a February tryout with A's area scout Craig Weissman.</p>
<p>"Weissman really kept his hopes and spirits up," Karl Johnston added.</p>
<p>The connection with the A's doesn't end there. Chris Pittaro, the A's national field coordinator, is a fellow native of Hamilton Township and has known of Johnston since his days in American Legion ball.</p>
<p>"I relayed to the (A's) office that the kid, make-up wise, is one of the best you'll run into," Pittaro said. "Craig reiterated that, too, and, plus, he liked him as a ballplayer."</p>
<p>Kubota met Johnston at a San Diego State baseball game this spring and praised his demeanor and athletic ability. As for the prospect of being a 42nd-round pick, keep in mind that Keith Hernandez also was one and he played 17 seasons in the majors.</p>
<p>"We're waiting to see what happens," Kubota said. "We're obviously in a time of military conflict, so it's hard to imagine they'll let him out (of the Navy). But we wanted to provide him an opportunity."</p>
<p>The Raiders provided a similar one in 1986 to running back Napoleon McCallum, a fourth-round pick out of Navy. He played that year for the then-Los Angeles Raiders, then finished up his Navy commitment before returning to the Raiders for the 1990-94 seasons.</p>
<p>McCallum, who sustained career-ending broken leg in the 1994 opener against the 49ers, hopes Johnston gets to play ball. But McCallum is also respectful of other military personnel whose personal goals also are on hold.</p>
<p>"He'd probably make more (of a difference) in recruiting and showing a positive image of the Navy," McCallum said. "I thought they had a provision for gifted and talented athletes, but I don't know if that's the case in a time of war. That's the only strike against him.</p>
<p>"I feel bad for him, but I feel bad for our country, too."</p>
<p>Johnston said McCallum and former NBA star David Robinson, another Naval Academy product, have been "very encouraging" to him.</p>
<p>"They made the Navy look good," Johnston said. "They were good in sports and strived to be the best competitors."</p>
<p>The A's have now given the Navy a chance to look good, too.</p>
<p>"The Oakland A's is a great organization that prides itself on its minor-league system. They make bold moves," Johnston said. "This is one of them."</p>
<p>Best-case scenario, Johnston is playing in the Arizona League in a few weeks, if the Navy approves the switch and lets him fly home early from the humanitarian mission.</p>
<p>Maybe the Arizona fall league is another scenario. Maybe the military operations in Iraq will decide his fate.</p>
<p>Only the Navy knows.</p>
<p>"He told me, 'Dad, all I want is a shot. That's all I need,'" Karl Johnston said. "With his work ethic, something very good will come out of it."</p>
<p>Perhaps something already has.</p>
<p>"It's amazing. Coming out of high school, I didn't think I had a chance to get drafted," said the 1,266th selection of this year's draft. "I worked so hard.</p>
<p>"It's satisfying, but it's just the beginning."</p>