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Pirates pitcher aims for return to mound

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: May 2, 2009

DADE CITY - This was supposed to be Henry Johnson's year.

The 6-foot-2 righty at Pasco High School had a fastball approaching 90 mph, pinpoint control and a filthy curveball. He entered his senior season as the No. 1 starting pitcher for the Pirates - powerhouse of the conference - after going 8-0 with a 1.0 earned run average as a junior.

Johnson was supposed to be the county's top pitcher, the one weighing scholarship offers from Division 1 schools and contemplating his draft prospects. His goal was to win at least 15 games.

"He was going to be the star pitcher in Pasco County," said former teammate Aaron Brandt, now a pitcher for Saint Leo University.

Then the unthinkable happened. On Jan. 19, Johnson took a hard fall on the Pirates' field and felt a burning sensation in his neck.

"I was messing around with one of my friends after our first practice," he said. "It was just horseplay. I tripped over my own feet and he fell on top of me."

Johnson's neck was broken in four places. The next day, he was in surgery at Tampa General Hospital to repair a life-threatening pinched artery in his neck. "There was a blood clot, and they were afraid it was going to move to my brain," he said.

Two days after the accident surgeons operated again, this time to fuse the C3 through C6 vertebrae in his neck. Though his neck would heal, a future in baseball seemed in jeopardy.

"Looking at the seriousness of his injury, and me being so close to him, my only concern was for him to be well so he could live a productive life," Pasco coach Ricky Giles said. "A little bit either way to the left or right, and he could have been paralyzed."

Irene Johnson, Henry's mother, was devastated. "I knew this would be his year," she said. "He had a couple of colleges that were going to watch him play. I told him you've just got to get past it and deal with it and know that God has a plan."

Team cheerleader

But Johnson never gave up hope. Days after checking out of the hospital, he was on the stationary bike, training for his comeback. He spoke at the Pirates' team banquet and dressed out for every game - neck brace and all.

"The first couple of games, it was hard," he said. "You've just got to understand the severity of my injury. I missed one preseason game, but other than that, I've been to each one."

He even came to every practice, Giles said. "He was here through thick and thin."

His teammates wore Johnson's number 25 on their uniform pants so it would feel like he was on the field with them.

Johnson always admired pitcher Greg Maddux and tried to emulate his pitching style. Now retired, the future Hall of Famer was nicknamed "The Professor" because he never hesitated to share his knowledge of the game with pitchers on his staff. Relegated to the bench for the season, Johnson took on the same role with his teammates.

"I try to give them advice on what they're doing wrong, and I cheer them on and try to pick them up," he said.

Former teammate Dustin Brown said Johnson always believed he could come back from the injury. "Whenever I talked to him, he was always positive and talking about wanting to get back," he said. "This was just a setback for him."

But college recruiters weren't beating down the door for a player with a broken neck who missed his entire senior season. Though he hadn't thrown a single pitch this season, it turned out Johnson had impressed one particular coach who remembered his previous success.

"The biggest thing for him was he threw a lot of strikes, he was extremely competitive and he had a quality breaking ball," said Saint Leo's first-year coach Russ McNickle. "He had a lot of success on the mound, and he always gave his team a chance to win."

Brown and Brandt encouraged Johnson to think about playing college ball, close to home. "Every time I saw him, and said 'Are you coming to Saint Leo next year, or what?'" Brandt said.

McNickle saw Johnson pitch a half-dozen times before the accident, when Pasco played a series of tournaments at the college in the fall.

A humbling story

Last week, Johnson removed his neck brace for the first time in three months. "I might have arthritis in my neck when I get older, but I should be able to make a complete recovery," he said.

And he signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Saint Leo.

"Henry's story is something I'm very humbled to be a part of," McNickle said. "At first, I thought he had no chance to play baseball again. But it was a dream of his that he never wanted to give up. And this way, he can stay close to home where his mom and dad can still watch him pitch. He'll get a quality education, and hopefully he can help us win some games."

Johnson said the injury changed his priorities a bit. "I was being recruited by a couple of different schools. After hurting my neck, I was just looking at who would take the best care of me. This coach really wanted me."

He'll be a walk-on next year. "My grades took care of my school," Johnson said. He has a 3.6 grade-point average. "I got an academic scholarship, and I had Bright Futures and some grant money."

Johnson's doctors have told him he can start pitching again in July.

Saint Leo's training staff will start working with him when he enrolls in August.

"We'll give him the fall to see how quickly he recovers," McNickle said. "In his mind, he wants to come in and help the team right away. If he wins a starting job, it'll be because he throws strikes and because of his competitiveness. Those are the things that got my attention from Day 1."

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 779-4617.

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