SAN DIEGO -- John Lindsey was easy to spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse Monday.
He was the one with the smile that wouldn't quit.
After a minor league career spanning 16 seasons, 1,571 games and uncounted miles on buses, Lindsey walked into a major league clubhouse for the first time as one of the Dodgers' September call-ups.
"This is a great moment for me," said the 33-year-old native of Hattiesburg, Miss. "I'm here, but my brain hasn't kind of caught up with it yet."
Lindsey, a first baseman, was the longest-tenured active minor leaguer without major league experience, but he earned a promotion to shed that distinction by batting .353 with 25 homers and 97 RBI for Class AAA Albuquerque.
"Tim (Wallach, Isotopes manager) told me I was coming up," Lindsey said, "and my knees kind of buckled a little bit."
Lindsey arrived in style, flying first class for the first time, and he made an immediate impression with his joy at being in the clubhouse.
"That's a great lesson in never giving up," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "That's the simple way to put it. ... I haven't known him a long time, obviously, but he's got this big smile on his face all the time. Very polite, very respectful and just worked at getting himself better."
Torre expressed hopes of getting Lindsey into a game soon, while noting the game will dictate the opportunity.
"He will be our guy off the bench in a home run situation, most likely," Torre said.
Lindsey may have reached his destination, but he certainly doesn't see it as the final stop in his career.
"I'm very thankful I finally made it to the major leagues," he said, "but I want to try to play until I'm 40. So I've got a lot of work to do."
In the meantime, one month's salary -- $66,666 at the major league minimum -- isn't a bad thing.
"I've got a little boy that's 3," Lindsey said, "so I might go on a cruise with my family, but I'll try to start saving for college."
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