Several years ago, we interviewed Mark McGwire when he was still with the Oakland Athletics, talking to him about his own youth baseball days.

Always a strong player, Mark took the country by storm in 1998 season by becoming the greatest power hitter in baseball history. Our newer readers wanted to see something on Mark’s childhood, so here is that article, updated slightly to reflect the recent seasons.

JLB: How old were you when you started playing baseball?

MM: I started in Little League when I was eight years old. At
10, 11 and 12 I played in the major division and ironically, I played on the A's. I wore green and gold as a kid and I'm still wearing green and gold as a big-leaguer. (Now, of course, he no longer wears the green and gold of the Athletics, but the red and white of the Cardinals instead)

JLB: What experiences stand out from your Little League days?

MM: When I was 10, in my first at-bat in the major division, I hit a home run. My parents were on vacation and I was staying with a friend. I had to wait a whole week to tell my parents about it. I don't remember hitting a lot of home runs, but I sure remember that first one.

JLB: Who was it that first got you involved in baseball?

MM: The other kids in the neighborhood. I didn't know what baseball was until I was eight years old. We played whatever sport was in season. I didn't play organized football, but I did play basketball and soccer. Today there's year-round baseball and sometimes I think it may be too much.

JLB: What positions did you play?

MM: I played first base and pitched. Actually, I liked catching a lot, but when I started sprouting up I developed a problem with my knees called Osgood-Slaughter. I was growing too fast for my body and bumps grew on the bones in the front of my knees and I had to stop catching.

JLB: How was your pitching?

MM: As I moved up the ladder from Little League through Pony to American Legion and high school ball, I really developed into a pitcher. My first priority was pitching. I was actually drafted out of college by Montreal in the eighth round as a pitcher. I really didn't start hitting seriously until my sophomore year in college.

JLB: Were you drafted in high school?

MM: Yes, as a pitcher.

JLB: You elected not to sign in high school, why not?

MM: The money they offered didn't match up with the value of the scholarship I was offered by USC.

JLB: There are a lot of kids who are playing in youth baseball programs that will be drafted in high school. What would you advise them to do?

MM: There are exceptions, but I would say that 98% of them should go to college. The maturity factor. Growing up in college is so much better than being away from home for the first time and trying to grow up as a person in the minor leagues. It's not pretty.

JLB: Do you think the coaching and handling of college players is as good as in the minor leagues?

MM: It's two different kinds of coaching. I don't think college coaching is comparable to what you need to learn to be a big- league ballplayer. Someday I hope to coach a college team and, being in the big-leagues for as long as I have, I would definitely teach major league level skills in my coaching. I don't think the college coaches really let the players just go out and play. I think sometimes it's too rah-rah, too mechanical. You don't learn how to play by yourself. You're always looking at the coach who's telling you what you have to do. At the big- league level they explain things to you, but you have to go out and do it yourself. That's the big difference.
 

[ McGwire Interview: Page 1  | Page 2 ]

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