La Russa predicts 75 for McGwire
Posted: Sunday January 24, 1999 08:45 PM
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Fortune 500: McGwire needs only 43 homers next season to become only the 16th player to reach 500 AP |
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The pressure already is on Mark McGwire to
top himself, now that even his own manager has raised the bar of
expectations.
St. Louis
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa predicted at a weekend luncheon that
McGwire could hit 75 home runs next season. In private he maintained he was
kidding, but he certainly seemed serious enough when he said it.
"Twenty-five, his number, times three, is 75. And I think that's what he's
going to do this year," La Russa said.
A day later, La Russa wondered how many home runs baseball's premier
slugger could have belted last season if only he hadn't also drawn a
National League-record 162 walks.
"It all depends on whether they pitch to him," La Russa said. "If they
give him enough at-bats, the sky is the limit with Mac. Are they going to
give him enough at bats? I don't know.
"But he's such a good hitter that he has a chance to do amazing things."
The lofty prediction didn't bother McGwire.
"I love challenges," he said. "I think we all know he was joking."
Then, like La Russa, he proceeded to consider the possibilities.
"When I look back at last year and look at the numbers, 162 walks and I
hit 70 home runs, I mean, I amaze myself," McGwire said. "I'm in awe that I
did what I did.
"One hundred sixty-two walks is a lot of walks, that's not a lot of
pitches to hit. Everybody thought getting to 60 or 61 would be a feat and I
can only imagine the pressure to go 10 more."
McGwire was the headline attraction at the team's "Winter Warmup" charity
fundraising event for fans, signing about 250 autographs for lucky raffle
winners and attracting a huge crowd of onlookers throughout the two-hour
session.
Unlike some stars who sign like robots, McGwire also took the time to chat
with his admirers, especially the children. He said he's always been that
way.
"It takes a second to look somebody in the eye and say `Thank you, and
how's your day,' " McGwire said. "It goes a long ways. The kids were so
cute."
McGwire said he hasn't changed since his record-smashing year but his life
has.
"Basically, I can't go anywhere without being recognized," he said. "I
thought it would be sort of easy living in Southern California and getting
away with it, but it turns out no. It's been an interesting winter."
He's had a lot of fun, too. A highlight of his time off was appearing on
"The Late Show With David Letterman," where he appeared more jittery than
at any time during his record chase.
"Yeah, I was a little amped," McGwire said with a chuckle. "I was nervous.
You're out of your element, you know?"
Other highlights were visits with actors Robin Williams and Sean Pean, and
an acting stint on an episode of "Mad About You" that airs Feb. 22. He's
always been a big fan of the show and a bonus was a screen kiss with
co-star Helen Hunt.
"I had to be persuaded to do it, because it wasn't my cup of tea," McGwire
said. "But I got to kiss Helen, so what the heck? I didn't mess up. That's
all I can say."
More than a dozen teammates and former Cardinals players, including Hall
of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst, signed autographs to
raise money for the team's charity, Cardinal Care. The event is expect to
top last year's total of $267,000.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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