USC Infielder Credits Lenient Father for Success on Field

The father is a former professional athlete who wants his son to succeed in sports, so he spends hours a day with him on the practice field, drilling him in the fundamentals of the game.

The son has visions of playing professionally, so he does everything his father says. He grows up to be a fine athlete, a four-year varsity starter in high school, and earns a scholarship to USC, where he starts as a freshman. Soon thereafter, he’s on the verge of turning pro and . . .

Nah, this isn’t what you think.

This is the Mike Robertson story, and although certain aspects of the Trojan baseball player’s upbringing resemble that of a certain Trojan quarterback’s upbringing, there is no need for alarm.

Robo-Infielder he isn’t.

Robertson, a former Servite High School standout from Placentia, is a well-adjusted college junior who is engaged to be married, who gets good grades, who is well-liked by his coach and who has rebelled against no one, parents included.

Yes, he admits his father, Mike Sr.--a former three-sport (football, hockey, baseball) standout at Boston College who rose to the triple-A level in the Washington Senators’ organization--pushed him a bit when it came to baseball.

“But I was willing,” said Robertson, who moved to first base this season after starting two years in USC’s outfield. “Every spare moment we had together, we’d be out on the field, or in the yard, or in the garage hitting Whiffle Balls, anything we thought would help. I enjoyed playing seven days a week.”

Robertson, who is hitting .298 with five home runs and 27 RBIs for the second-ranked Trojans (26-8-1), developed into a professional prospect the old-fashioned way: He yearned it.

He played year-round and took hundreds of grounders and swings a day. There were no regimented training programs, speed coaches, nutritionists or sports psychologists. Just him, his dad and a desire to improve.

Sometimes, those ingredients create a volatile mix. Fathers have been known to push their sons too far when it comes to sports, and the child often rebels or simply burns out.

But in all the years he played ball with his father, through endless hours of batting and infield practice and Little League games, Robertson said there has never been friction. And for this, he credits Mike Sr.

“Baseball was always No. 1, but I could do anything else I wanted,” Robertson said. “We always went hunting and fishing as something to fall back on when we weren’t playing baseball.

“I know Todd (Marinovich) pretty well, and it seemed like he didn’t have a lot of free time to spend with friends when he was young. The leniency I had allowed me to have fun playing baseball. If not for that, I would have gotten burned out.”

The only burned-out item in the Robertson home might be Mike Sr.’s arm. The elder Robertson’s minor league playing career ended after four years because of a shoulder injury, and all that batting-practice pitching hasn’t helped the healing process.

“Mike is a tireless player,” said Robertson Sr., who was recently inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame. “Other kids would take a week off to go skiing in the winter, and he would want to stay home and hit. This was when he was 9 years old. I used to throw my arm out pitching to him. But he always had fun doing it. I never had to push him.”

That’s not entirely true. Three years ago, Robertson needed some nudging when it was time to decide between college and professional baseball.

After hitting .407 with a school-record 38 RBIs in his senior season (1988)at Servite, Robertson was selected in the 13th round of the June draft by the Angels. The team flashed big dollars at Robertson--a signing package of about $100,000, extremely high for a 13th-round pick, was offered.

Robertson, who had signed a letter of intent with USC, vacillated--What 18-year-old wouldn’t with that kind of money on the table?--but his parents steered him toward college.

In this case, it wasn’t just the old You-Need-Something-to-Fall-Back-On speech. In his father, Robertson had a tangible example of why athletes should go to school.

When Robertson Sr.’s athletic career was cut short by injury, he was able to move right into the work force. Having graduated from Boston College in 1969, he got a job selling industrial machinery for a company that only hired college graduates. He now runs his own industrial machine business in Orange.

“The fact that he had gone through that experience was very influential on me,” the younger Robertson said. “I have no regrets. Sometimes I think I could be knocking on the door to Anaheim Stadium, but I’ve totally enjoyed USC. I’ve had a good balance of baseball, school and social life. I’m glad I didn’t miss the college experience.”

He’ll probably miss his senior season, though. Robertson, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound left-hander who is more of a line-drive than pure power hitter, said he would like to sign a professional contract this summer.

But he would do so with the intention of returning to school after the season. A communications major with a B average, Robertson will need six or seven more classes after this semester to graduate.

This time, the advice from his parents will be to take the money and run toward his dream.

“He’s on schedule to graduate,” Robertson Sr. said. “Even if he signs after this year, the light at the end of the tunnel is real big as opposed to some kids who take basket-weaving and need 2 1/2 more years to graduate.”

As Robertson’s baseball career has progressed, his father’s role in it has naturally diminished. College coaches have taken over as Robertson’s teachers, and professional coaches will detect future flaws in his game.

But there is one fatherly lesson--a sort of blueprint for parents of aspiring athletes--that Robertson will always carry and, he hopes, pass on to his kids.

“The secret is to push your kids to work hard but to let them have freedom and make sure they’re always having fun,” Robertson said. “If you’re not having fun, why play a kid’s game?”