Surviving the Spoke

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, the Indians are my team of choice. This is the first card I vividly remember having in my collection. 1977 Topps #393 John Lowenstein aka Dracula. This card sat on a shelf in my garage for a good 10 years. I likely brought him down to the garage to clip onto the frame of my Huffy with a clothes pin to make motorcycle sounds. For some reason I always used my favorite player for this task. Luckily the Cleveland Indians in the 1980's were not that great. So I am sure many Brook Jacobys, Andre Thorntons, Chris Bandos and Pat Tablers got the spoke to the face treatment. I must of never gotten around to using John Lowenstein because he survived the wrath of the Huffy's spokes.

When we moved from our old house in 1995, I remember finding him in the garage and placing him in a box of random cards. It was then I realized that the background of this card is a wall and not a mad roaring ocean. Growing up, I can remember thinking, "why did they take a picture in front of a dark blue ocean?" Not until I was 18 did I finally realize that is not an ocean, but likely some wall in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Could of fooled me, did fool me for over 10 years. Johnny's pale face, thick black mustache and hairdo make him a dead ringer for Dracula. That was the attraction.

I didn't spare John Lowenstein because he was a Cleveland Indian. I spared John Lowenstein because he was Dracula standing by the Ocean in an Indians Uniform. This card still gives me the "willies" but none the less it stands on my office shelf for all to see my first vividly remembered baseball card of my collection.

John was born in Transylvania AKA Wolf Point, Montana in 1947. Lowenstein played 16 seasons in the Major Leagues for the Indians, Rangers and Orioles. John had a career Batting Average of .253 and 116 Home Runs, his nickname was Brother Lo. In 1984 John got himself some bling bling being on the winning World Series Team the Baltimore Orioles. He metamorphed into a John Holmes lookalike around 1982, but the tinted sunglasses are just re-affirming my beliefs he has Dracula DNA in his bloodline.