Jim Thome loved the major leagues even while he was playing youth baseball. He sneaked into the Cubs’ dugout at Wrigley Field to get slugger Dave Kingman’s autograph two decades ago. In 1998, Thome legitimately viewed Wrigley Field from the dugout during interleague play when he was a Cleveland Indian. Now he will get to visit Wrigley more regularly because of his trade to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Thome looks like an old-fashioned big-leaguer. His high socks made a unique fashion statement. One of the top left-handed sluggers in the game today, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound first baseman sat down with Junior Baseball back in 1999 to discuss his youth career.

JrBB: At what age did you start playing baseball?

JT: Probably 7 or 8. We didn’t have T-ball then. I played in the Peoria Little League. There were probably six or seven teams, a good league. We had a program where you came in the morning to work out, worked on your skills and then played that night. That was great. It was fun playing. We got to play a lot.

JrBB: Did you know early on that you had good baseball skills?

JT: I never really learned how to hit until I got here (to the majors), from coach Charlie Manuel. Playing every day as a kid, having fun, enjoying the game, was the main thing.

I lived in a sports-oriented town. And my family was sports-oriented. My aunt, Carolyn Thome, is in the Softball Hall of Fame. My uncle and my dad’s dad, Chuck Thome, played.

JrBB: What great games did you remember as a Little Leaguer?

JT: When I first got called up to the ‘majors,’ as they called it, I hit two home runs in my first game. They went over the fence. It was great. I had one great coach, Mr. Trotter, who coached my brothers, too. He was a great man. He had us taking ground balls - rubber balls - on the blacktop when it was raining.

JrBB: Did you play on days you didn’t have games?

JT: Yes. I’d wear my Cubs helmet and throw the ball against the brick wall. I’d act like I was Andre Dawson or Ryne Sandberg. That’s the game everybody calls `fastpitch’ or `strikeout.’JrBB: When did you feel you developed the right kind of confidence needed as a ballplayer?

JT: In Double-A. In high school, you don’t know your ability. Double- A is when I really started feeling comfortable about playing at this level. You learn every day. I hit well in high school and college. But I learned about the game in Double-A. I kept seeing improvement.

JrBB: When did you start playing third base, the position at which you broke into the majors?

JT: I had been a shortstop since I started. Then they converted me into a third baseman when I signed with the Indians. Shortstop was fun, but I knew eventually I’d have to play one of the corners.

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