Tim Johnson (baseball)

Timothy Evald Johnson (born July 22, 1949 in Grand Forks, North Dakota) is a former player and manager in Major League Baseball. A shortstop and utility infielder, he became better known as a manager when he was caught lying about his service in the Vietnam War.

As Player

After signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967 as a free agent, Johnson was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Rick Auerbach prior to the 1973 season while still a minor leaguer. Johnson played everyday for the 1973 Brewers at shortstop, but lost his starting job next season to Robin Yount, thus forcing him to settle in as a utility infielder. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1978 season where he retired a year later with a lifetime .223 batting average in 516 career games.

As Manager

The Blue Jays named Johnson as their manager for the 1998 season following the firing of Cito Gaston and the interim management of pitching coach Mel Queen. Queen remained on as pitching coach under Johnson and the two reportedly feuded extensively. Johnson also had rumoured differences with several of his players, including Pat Hentgen, Ed Sprague, and Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, all of whom left the team after the 1998 season.

Despite this lack of chemistry, Johnson guided the 1998 Blue Jays to a respectable third place finish in the AL East with an 88-74 record. This success was partly attributed to the stories Johnson would tell his players about his battle experiences in the Vietnam War. It was revealed near the end of the season, however, that Johnson had made up all of these stories, and that he had spent the war stateside in the Marines. After initially denying that he had lied, Johnson eventually apologized and the Blue Jays organization gave him the opportunity to resign. Johnson did not resign, however, and he was fired before the 1999 season and replaced by Jim Fregosi.