Former Phillie of the Day - Jay Johnstone

Jay Johnstone was a pretty good outfielder who was best known for his pranks and practical jokes. Legend has it that in spring training in 1976, he and his Phillies teammates were lined up to give urine samples for the annual drug test.

Johnstone, aggravated with the process, decided to pull a fast one of the medical staff and presented a specimen jar filled with apple juice. When told the sample looked rather cloudy, Johnstone replied, "Really? I guess I better run it through again." And he proceeded to drink the sample, much to the horror of the medical staff. Good times.

Johnstone played 20 years in the majors, and was with the Phillies from 1974 through part of 1978, when he was sent to the Yankees. As a Phillie, Johnstone had a .363/.455/.823 slash line and batted .303 in 462 games, with 33 HR and 200 RBI. A very productive career indeed. The Phillies signed him as a free agent in 1974 and eventually traded him, along with Bobby Brown, to the New York Yankees for Haddonfield, N.J.'s own Rawly Eastwick.

As a prankster, one of Johnstone's favorite targets was Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. Johnstone played for Lasorda from 1980 to 1982. Enjoy.