Home Run Is McGwire’s Middle Name

If you’re Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire, and you’re chasing American League and major league home run records, you hear a lot of things at the ballpark.

You hear things like: “Hit a homer, Mark.”

Or:

“Hit this next one out, Mark.”

As McGwire is finding out, the ticket-purchasing public expects a little bit of history for their money. He’s also finding out they have a one-track mind.

“Every time I’m on deck I can hear them,” McGwire said. “They tell me to hit a homer; everyone wants to know when I’m going to tie the record or break the record. I’m really getting tired of it. If it was as easy as just saying, ‘OK, I’ll hit a homer,’ (Roger) Maris’ 61 (homers) wouldn’t be a record.”

On the subject of records, McGwire set one Friday night. His two-run home run in the sixth inning off the Angels’ Don Sutton was his 39th of the season, setting a major league mark for homers by a rookie.

Frank Robinson (Cincinnati Reds, 1956) and Wally Berger (Boston Braves, 1930) each hit 38 homers in their rookie seasons.

The home run was typical of McGwire--a line drive that carried about 380 feet.

“I consider myself a line-drive hitter,” he said. “I’m just as happy with a line-drive double as a home run.”

Yeah, OK. But if you’re Mark McGwire, you’ve come to know ery well what the people want.

Case in point, the Anaheim Stadium crowd, appreciative that they’ll have something to tell the folks at work on Monday gave McGwire a standing ovation as he rounded the bases, even though his homer tied the game, 5-5.

Of course, if you’re Mark McGwire, you’ve started to learn that you can’t please everyone.

His good temper and personality have been chronicled. His personality seems so solid that when he asked teammates Reggie Jackson and Jose Canseco how to handle the enormous attention, each gave him the same answer.

“They told me to just be myself,” McGwire said.

McGwire has added that the other secret to his success is, “getting plenty of rest.”

He’s also learned what it’s like to go from just another rookie to “I want my son to be just like you,” in a few short months.

“I’m finding people want a lot of things from me,” he said.

So you no longer just talk with reporters, you hold press conferences before and after games.

You find that your every motion, your every emotion is analyzed and sometimes criticized.

“There was one day when I told a couple writers that I just didn’t feel like talking that day,” McGwire said. “Nothing personal, I just didn’t feel like talking. The next day I read that the pressure has gotten to me, that I’m becoming reclusive.

“I’m not a robot. I can’t hit a home run any time I want, and I there are times when I really don’t feel like talking.”

And there are times when you don’t feel like being talked at, even if it’s by a kid.

Such a kid turned up, with about 50 other wide-eyed types, to watch McGwire perform the awesome task of hitting from a batting tee an hour and a half before the game.

“Mark! Mark! Mark, please sign this,” the kid asked, holding up a game program.

He repeated his plea several thousand times, McGwire ignoring him all the time.

“I’m learning I have to say no sometimes,” McGwire said.

But the kid continued. Finally, exhausted and beaten he pleaded.

“If you won’t sign it, at least look at me.”

McGwire did. The kid smiled, he had made contact with a little baseball history.

Of course, if you’re Mark McGwire, and you are the history, it’s just another day.