ST. LOUIS (WCBS-AM) -- His nickname is "The Pest" because opposing pitchers find him so darn difficult to retire. Fans call him their favorite because it is so difficult to not appreciate his effort, desire and love for the game. David Eckstein is everything wholesome about baseball. He is goodnees. He is the material of children's books and, also, the author of one -- his autobiography, Have Heart.
David Eckstein is the little engine that could. He is only five feet, seven inches tall. He was a walk-on to the University of Florida baseball team, knowing that he had to be part of a large program to be recognized, given his own size. Like former Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet's story, David Eckstein's is Rudy-like. Like Wayne, who had a cereal named for him ("Chrebet Crunch"), David is part of breakfast tables in St.Louis, featured on the cover of boxes of Ecksos.
Now appearing in his fourth playoffs in just his sixth Major League season, Eckstein is pestering the Mets. He started the series slowly, but, now he's catching fire; he homered and singled in game four and has the Cardinals 'highest on-base percentage (.389) in the NLCS, next to Yadier Moilina (.500) and Albert Pujols (.412)
In my interview with Eckstein, I was every bit as impresed as I thought I'd be. This guy is a winner. I don't know how you can see otherwise.
Listen to our conversation by clicking the play button. Or, you can download it to your MP3 player.
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