Join Phillies Nation in fan polling for Wall of Fame 'March Madness'

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Manuel, Thome, Carlton (L-R) are part of March Madness

The calendar showing that it is the third week in March can mean only one thing. Okay, two. Alright, alright, at least three things. The first thing is that Spring has arrived! It was a long, cold winter. But now it’s finally over. Soon flowers will begin to bloom and grass will start to grow again.

The other two big things about this time of year involve the sports world. For baseball fans, spring training is winding to a close. The Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues have just days remaining in their schedules.

For fans of college basketball and many sports fans who barely follow the game at any other time of year this is “March Madness” time. The excitement and drama of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament is unfolding.

Here at Phillies Nation we decided to run our own “March Madness” involving our favorite ball club. As subject matter we chose the Wall of Famers, those 40 individuals who have been honored to this point with a plaque at Citizens Bank Park.

Our tournament is being run at our Twitter feed: @PhilliesNation. If you aren’t following, fix that right away. If you are, head on over and be sure to follow regularly over the next week as we poll followers for their selections.

Phillies Nation “March Madness” began with a Play-in showdown between 1960’s-70’s infielder and later a coach with the team, Tony Taylor, facing off against 1950’s ‘Whiz Kids’ shortstop Granny Hamner. The popular Taylor took an early lead in voting and coasted to victory by 61%-39% of the 157 followers who cast a vote.

Philadelphia Phillies Top 25 Players of All-Time: #15 - Johnny Callison

Johnny Callison was born into a poor family in rural Oklahoma in 1939 during the Great Depression. He was then raised as a small child mostly by his mother while his father, who was part Cherokee Indian, was off fighting with the United States Army in World War II.

While his father was away, his mother packed up he and his brother and two sisters and moved the clan out to California, settling in Bakersfield. 

Per an outstanding bio on Callison written by Steve Wulf for ESPN back in 2013, Callison befriended a group of Mexican kids who nicknamed him "Okie" due to his former home. Wulf's bio of Callison is a must-read for any fan of the player.

Callison found during his youth in California that he had tremendous athletic ability. According to his bio at SABR by John Rossi, one of Callison's teachers "noted that he could run faster backward than most of his classmates could run forward."

Joining his local little league team, Callison learned the game of baseball from his coach, Jim Boone. The former Negro Leaguer tutored Callison in all facets of the sport before the coach was tragically shot to death by his wife. It was one more rough chapter in the life of young Callison, who at home was caught between his churchgoing mother and alcoholic father.

Callison battled through his rough home life by immersing himself in sports, particularly baseball. He became a star at East Bakersfield High, came to the attention of scouts, and was ultimately signed by the Chicago White Sox.

A natural power-speed combination as a ballplayer, Callison rocketed through the White Sox minor league system over three seasons from 1957-59. Callison received his first promotion to the big leagues in September of 1958, and made the big league roster out of spring training the following year.