‘Mayor’ stays in running

Las Vegas doesn't need another mayor at the moment. But if Oscar Goodman ever needs a deputy at Cashman Field, he has the perfect candidate in John Lindsey.

The 30-year-old journeyman first baseman for the 51s carries the nickname "Mayor" thanks to a name that is similar to John Lindsay, who was mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973.

"I got that nickname when I played in New Jersey," Lindsey said Wednesday before the 51s' 7-4 loss to Colorado Springs. "I guess back there, that's a famous name."

In his short stint with the 51s, Lindsey has made a name for himself. Since being called up June 11 from Double-A Jacksonville, where he was hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs, Lindsey has three homers and 11 RBIs in eight games with Las Vegas. Wednesday, he went 3-for-5 and is hitting .414.

"I'm seeing the ball really well," Lindsey said. "I'm just trying to keep things simple and not try to do too much other than take good cuts and try and hit it hard."

In Hattiesburg, Miss., Lindsey's name also resonates. He was a football and baseball star in high school there when he signed with the Colorado Rockies in 1995. He was a good contact hitter with decent power, and the hope was he quickly would develop into a slugging first baseman.

However, things don't always work out as planned, and Lindsey was in the Seattle Mariners organization after four years. He didn't move up in the Mariners' chain and found himself playing independent ball for the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League.

"You have to love baseball to play at that level," Lindsey said of the Can-Am, a 10-team league with franchises as far north as Quebec City and as far south as Atlantic City. "I didn't want to give up my dream of making it to the big leagues."

Despite hitting .311 last year for the Jackals, Lindsey was ready to call it quits. He went back home to Mississippi, enrolled at Pearl River Junior College, where his 19-year-old brother, Michael, is a pitching prospect, and was preparing for life after baseball.

"I was done," Lindsey said. "I figured I'd go to school, get a teaching credential and coach high school."

But the Dodgers called him on Jan. 8. Lorenzo Bundy was the new manager of the 51s and although Lindsey never had made it to the Triple-A level in 12 years as a professional, he knew Bundy from their days with the Rockies when Bundy was a roving instructor and Lindsey was trying to move up the ladder.

Lindsey thought about the Dodgers' offer to come to minor league spring training and, after talking it over with his family, withdrew from school, grabbed his bat and glove and headed to Florida for one last shot.

"We had a history, and he's such a polite young man," Bundy said of Lindsey. "I've known John a long time and he could always hit. He had a good spring training, and the funny thing was it was a strange spring; nobody in the (minor league) system was hitting consistently.

"But here's John hitting everything, and so we started him in Double-A (Jacksonville) and he did a good job there. When Mitch (Jones) left for Japan, we had a spot open."

Lindsey's dream of wearing a major league uniform remains a long shot, and he knows the clock is ticking. But this is the furthest he has advanced in baseball, and if the 51s mark the end of the line, he can live with it.

"I'm having a great time here," he said. "I know how things work. I'm just going to do everything I can to help these guys."