The recent sparse obituary of a player who is unknown to almost all current fans brought back dozens of memories for me, one leading to another back in time.

In the spring of 1948, I was beginning my second full year of following Big League baseball closely. 1946 had been the introductory season, punctuated by some lapses in enthusiasm, but 1947 had been a full plate of learning and excitement. I was now in for the long haul.

In mid-May, the usual suspects were at the upper levels of the batting average reports: In the AL, Ted Williams (who would finish at .369) was leading old reliables Lou Boudreau and Luke Appling; in the NL, Stan Musial (swinging toward a closing .376) was being pursued by... the Phillies' Johnny Blatnik. Who? Where'd he come from?

Blatnik was a 27-year-old rookie outfielder. I wouldn't bet my next Social Security check on it, but as I recall he had excelled the year before at AAA Toronto, which I remember as the top Phillies farm club in those years. The Big franchise was a tentative mix of older players, led by knuckleballer Dutch Leonard and the legendary "Schoolboy" Rowe, and youngsters, such as infielder Granny Hamner, fleet centerfielder Richie Ashburn, and pitcher Robin Roberts, just out of Michigan State.

A right-handed, line drive hitter, Blatnik was new, interesting, someone to follow in the unfolding annual statistics. And then reality began to emerge. One day, I was in a neighborhood friend's home and we were talking about the season and about the new hitting sensation. The friend's father, a very astute fan, overheard us and chimed in: "He'll tail off. They're already getting wise to him. You can tell by the strikeouts." This was a shock. Twelve-year-old fans are positive, almost Polyannas. Williams and Musial don't "tail off." Blatnik's hitting .340 and he's a good hitter, too, isn't he?

He was, for six weeks or so. Blatnik finished at .260, 6, 45, and had lost his job by late summer. He played so rarely after 1948 that his career numbers are virtually identical to those of that one season. And strikeouts were certainly a sign of vulnerability. In 1948 and 1949, NO Major League batter struck out as many as 100 times; Blatnik had 77 Ks in 415 at-bats. The future 1950 "Whiz Kids" went on without him.

What success Johnny Blatnik achieved in hitting a baseball was tightly compressed into some two months in 1948. But at least he did that much; so many hundreds of aspirants never do it at all.