Walker Looking at Sports From Both Sides Now : Metropolitan League: Former Servite High standout splits time between baseball diamond and Golden West’s football classes this summer.

Rob Walker really isn’t a negative person.

In fact, he’s about as easygoing as they come. He always seems to be smiling as he jokes and talks with friends.

He sees meeting people as a chance to make new friends.

He played mostly in the outfield at Servite High School, so it was hard to hold conversations during baseball games.

But last spring at Golden West College and this summer for the Huntington Beach Rustlers, a Metropolitan League team, he has played first base.

He says he prefers it to the outfield, partly because there are more people to talk to.

“You would think he is running for mayor out there,” Golden West Coach Bert Villarreal said. “He is always talking to somebody. He thinks it’s his job to greet each baserunner.”

Walker’s negative side finally appears when it comes to talking about his athletic career.

He was a All-Angelus League outfielder in baseball and quarterback in football at Servite High School in 1989-90.

But Walker decided that the end of high school would also mark the end of his football career.

“I was just sick of it,” he said.

Then, while playing baseball last season at Golden West, he decided to give football another chance, but only because he was struggling as a hitter.

“It was a game late in the season,” Walker, 19, said. “I had just gone 0 for 4 and said to myself, ‘I’m terrible.’ That day made me think that I didn’t want to go through my whole life saying, ‘What would have happened had I given football another try?’ ”

So Walker splits time this summer between the baseball field and the football class at Golden West.

“I figure that in baseball if I get three hits in every 10 at-bats, then I’m doing pretty good,” he said. “They can’t take me out if at least I’m doing that. . . . In football, you can only miss about half your passes, but it allows for failure, too. That’s how I tend to look at it, but I know I shouldn’t.”

Walker’s football career at Golden West hasn’t gotten to the best of starts, mainly, he and Coach Ray Shackleford say, because of the time he spent away from the game.

“I haven’t been throwing wounded ducks out there, it’s been more like Canadian Geese,” Walker said. “Things have been coming along slowly, but I hope I get back into the feel of it.”

On the baseball field, however, things have been going anything but slowing for the left-handed hitting first baseman. He hit .439 (18 for 41) in helping the Huntington Beach Rustlers to the Metropolitan League title.

The Rustlers will take on the league’s all-stars on Aug. 11 at Anaheim Stadium after the Angels’ 1:05 p.m. game against Oakland.

Walker started at Rancho Santiago last fall, but didn’t figure he would get much playing time, so he transferred at the semester to Golden West, where he quickly won the vacant first base job.

Rancho Santiago went on to win the Orange Empire Conference title and Golden West finished fifth.

“I knew Rancho was loaded with talent,” Walker said. “But why drive all that way to sit when I could come here and play?”

He hit a respectable .275 (38 for 138) and drove in 20 runs, with nine extra-base hits (eight doubles and a triple) but no home runs.

Villarreal is concerned about the lack of power.

“He did a really nice job for us,” Villarreal said. “He came right in and took the spot and fit in pretty quickly. Now, we want him to hit with a little more power. He has the size (6 feet 2) for it.”

Being told he should be stronger is nothing new to Walker, who has heard it since he was a freshman at Servite.

But the answer--the weight room--has never met with much enthusiasm . . . until lately. He started lifting on a consistent basis and was pleased with the results at the plate.

Although Walker has yet to hit a home run this summer, he does have four doubles and a couple of triples.

“I always figured I could get by on my athletic ability in high school,” he said. “And, I did. But now, I’m finally realizing that--and my dad is going to love this--lifting weights can really help.”