Why Kelly Johnson Was Tuesday's Most Unlucky Athlete in All of Sports ...

Major League Baseball second baseman Kelly Johnson was the most unlucky athlete in all of sports on Tuesday afternoon. You see when Johnson woke up on Tuesday morning he was the starting second baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team that is currently leading the National League West Division by two games over the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, and with the Giants struggling right now the Diamondbacks look as if they could be playoff bound.

Great position for Johnson to be in, right? Well, here’s where the unlucky part comes in … Johnson was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in a waiver wire deal for second baseman Aaron Hill and infielder John McDonald. McDonald was most likely the most coveted piece for the Diamondbacks, because their young shortstop Stephen Drew is out for the remainder of the season with a fractured right ankle.

When Johnson went to sleep last night he was a member of a Blue Jays squad that is in fourth place in the American League East Division 13 games behind the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, which are currently tied for the division lead. The Blue Jays have absolutely zero playoff aspirations with a little bit over a month to play and nothing to play for except to try to be a .500 ballclub.

Somewhere in between waking up as a Diamondback and falling asleep as a Blue Jay there must have been a time where Johnson a) packed and b) felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest.

One of the most horrible feelings in sports has to be being traded from a team that is possibly/likely playoff bound to a team that most certainly is not this late in the season. It’s probably even a little more disheartening for a player when it comes as a waiver wire deal; because you probably think you’re safe once the trade deadline ends on July 31^st.

I know that some people are reading this and saying to themselves … well, if Kelly Johnson hadn’t been hitting just above the Mendoza line at .209 than he probably wouldn’t have been dealt, which is extremely valid and very true.

I still can’t help but feel sorry for Johnson. The man was staring down the line at a possible World Series championship ring and now all he has to play for is .500.