by Bill Ernst

Photo by Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated

This past fall, as Americans sat back to watch the World Series, local residents had an added incentive to tune in: hometown son David Eckstein, the over-achieving short shortstop of the St. Louis Cardinals, was playing in "America's pastime" perennial classic.

Even with the Cardinals, Eckstein found himself in a familiar position—underdog. At 5'7", Eckstein has always had to prove himself. When the Cardinals faced and eventually defeated the Detroit Tigers, the Cards had the worst season winning percentage (.516) of any team ever to win the series in all 101 previous years. This didn't stop them, nor the injured Eckstein, from pushing beyond expectations. In fact, Eckstein drove in four runs in Games 4 and 5, including the go-ahead runs in each game. This display of drive and determination led to his being named the Series' Most Valuable Player.

A product of Idyllwilde Elementary School and Sanford High School, Eckstein has always had to try a little harder. Coming out of high school he didn't win any college baseball scholarships—but he did win an academic scholarship to the University of Florida, where he joined the baseball team as a walk-on. When a second baseman suddenly transferred to another school, Eckstein proved to be a worthy replacement. He didn't play much his freshman year, but he played well enough as a sophomore to win a sports scholarship his junior and senior years. Also in his junior year, his brother Rick transferred to UF and played baseball alongside David.

Family Matters
At the time, all five Eckstein siblings were UF students. Having five kids in college is an expensive proposition for any family, especially one in which both parents are teachers. But in true Eckstein fashion, the kids pulled together, pooled their money, shared one apartment, and worked out a car pool schedule to make ends meet. The value of family, and sticking together, that their parents Pat and Herbert "Whitey" Eckstein taught them, paid off. Whitey Eckstein taught history at Seminole High School, and was a Seminole County commissioner for 19 years. Pat Eckstein taught at Idyllwilde Elementary when the children were young, and is now the reading specialist at Bentley Elementary.

Photo courtesy David EcksteinThe Ecksteins (L-R); David, Rick, Ken, Pat, Christine and Susan

The Ecksteins were always a close family. "Family comes first" was a household motto, and they did almost everything as a family. When David was in seventh grade, his sister Susan's kidneys failed, and Pat donated a kidney to save her daughter's life. That life-or-death situation brings a close family closer and reinforces what really matters. The Ecksteins would eventually face life-saving kidney transplants for four of the seven family members. Two other Eckstein children, Ken and Christine, underwent kidney transplants in 1991. In 2003, Whitey began experiencing kidney difficulties. Rick and David offered to donate, but Dad refused, saying they may need them for their own children someday. (Lori Vaughan, Ken's best friend, donated a kidney to Whitey in August 2005.)

David Eckstein has come a long way from a small boy playing Little League in Sanford. He won two World Series, first in 2002 as an Anaheim Angel and last year as a Cardinal and MVP. He is married to actress Ashley Drane of Blue Collar TV and That's So Raven, who hails from Orlando. Yet despite the spotlight on his and her career success, he remains level-headed and humble.

The details of Eckstein's formative years are spelled out in his new book, Have Heart. Written for children, the book chronicles Eckstein's early years and can serve as inspiration to children to try their best and never lose hope. Written in language that children will understand, this book gives words of encouragement from an athlete who is worthy of admiration and embodies the term "role model."

THE INTERVIEW:
Uphill Battles

BE: You're only 5'7" and playing in the majors. Even the Cardinals were underdogs in the Series. You always seem to be the little guy having to prove himself. Where does your tenacity come from?
DE: Growing up as a kid, my family had many struggles. Seeing what my brothers and sisters had to go through as kids and being able to come through gives you a lot of perspective on life and especially in baseball. I feel very fortunate to have the opportu-nity to go out there and play. So when I step on the field, I'm going to give it everything I have every time.

I think it's through my brothers and sisters and my whole family that I have that tenacity that you never give up. There are a lot of people in a worse situation, and if the only thing I have to worry about is just the size that I am, it's not that big a challenge. I just go out there and play as hard as I can. Fortunately, baseball is the greatest game in the world, and there are roles for every type of guy out there. And I've been able to find a role that suits me well.

BE: Does that drive transcend into all aspects of your life?
DE: Yes. I know I can't be, but I try to be a perfectionist. It definitely takes over when I'm doing something that's important to me. I know my wife has to deal with me on that end. It's kind of funny.

BE: Your family experienced a lot of adversity due to kidney problems. How is the family now?
DE: We're very fortunate. Everyone is doing great. My one sister received a kidney from my mom back in 1989 and she's doing great now. My brother and other sister received theirs in 1991—they're great. My dad received one in '05. They're all doing well. That's one of the biggest things I try to get out there, especially when I'm doing an interview like this. If there's anything your readers take from this article, sign an organ donor card. It can really bring a family back, like it did mine. It saved my whole family, just about.

BE: How is your own health?
DE: I'm doing very well. I had a little thing [injury] at the beginning of spring training, but I've been playing for the past two weeks now and I feel great. So everything has been going well that way. That's the key—you have to stay healthy.

BE: What do you like best about coming home?
DE: The familiarity with everything. It's where I grew up. So whenever I get back, I can just relax. I can say, "Oh, I'm finally home." That's the biggest thing. I enjoy everything. I enjoy going back up to the high school and working out there. I enjoy just being in the community. It's a place that I welcome and enjoy calling home because Seminole County has been great to me and my whole family. My parents were teachers there, and now I have nieces and nephews attending the schools in the county. Seminole County is definitely where I call home.

BE: You were an Academic All-American. Does that say something about the quality of the schools here?
DE: Yes. Seminole High School definitely prepared me for college. We had honors classes. Actually, it was because of my academics that I even got into college. I went in on an academic scholarship, not an athletic scholarship. The teachers at the high school prepared me so that I was ready to walk into a college classroom. I think that's one measure of a school: can a kid take it to the next level and compete. I think there were many students in my class who were able to go on to college and do very well. I think that's a good testament to the school that we attended.

BE: The Cardinals beat heavily favored Detroit in five games, and you were named MVP. What were your feelings at that moment?
DE: As a player, the ultimate goal is winning a world championship. Once the final pitch is made and you know you've accomplished that, it's one of the best feelings that you can ever feel. It's surreal. You just feel very lucky and very blessed to be in that situation. It's an amazing feeling. It makes all the days that you sacrifice and are away from your family—doing all that stuff to be able to go out there and accomplish it—all worth it. It's hard to explain. It's why you play the game. I don't know any other way how to just say it.

BE: How do you like the Cardinal's chances of getting back to the World Series?
DE: I'm very confident with the club we have. You never know how the season's going to unfold, but I can guarantee you this: we're going to go out there and play hard every single night, and we'll be happy with whatever results come from doing that.

Photo courtesy David Eckstein David and Ashley at the All Star game.

BE: You play in St. Louis. Your wife is an actress in Hollywood. Do you maintain a home here?
DE: Yes, we have a home in Sanford, Ashley has an apartment in Los Angeles, and I have an apartment in St. Louis.

BE: I read that Ashley is in town filming Sydney White?
DE: She's actually with me now. I think her last day was Monday. She started filming towards the end of February. She got to spend a lot of time with me here during spring training, which is a rarity.

BE: Is she excited about the movie?
DE: Yes, she is. It was a small part, but she was very excited about it. One of the reasons she took the movie is that she would be able to be here with me during spring training. During that same time in LA it would be hard for her to get away, with auditions and everything, so that was one of the main reasons that she took it.

BE: When is it due out?
DE: I think there is a possibility that it may be out in August. Another movie that she shot in St. Louis just after the World Series was Alice. It's supposed to come out in August, too. The movie is based on a series of books about a middle-school- aged girl.

BE: You both seem very happy and very busy. Any plans for children?
DE: We definitely have plans for a family. But Ashley still plays young characters on TV and in the movies, so it's a little hard to get away with that right now. It's one of those things. We plan on having kids at one point, but we're going to see how everything goes. We're not going to shy away from it. At some point and time we'll have children.

About the Book
BE: You have some great messages in your book. What do you hope it accomplishes?
DE: I hope it give kids hope, and makes them understand that if you just go out there and you give everything you have to accomplish, there is a possibility that you can do it. I think that's one of the main messages. We wanted to put something out there for young kids to let them know that if they believe in themselves and work hard, that anything is possible. That's why we want to try to hit kids at a young age, when they are still impressionable, so that it can make a difference in their lives.

Since then, the book has taken on a second fold. Now, with everything that has gone on with my family, and the more I got involved with the promotion of organ donation, it's to raise awareness for people to go out there and sign up to be an organ donor. It's one of those things that . . . unless you have someone in your family affected by it, people don't think about it. You can do it when you renew your license. Raising awareness may get people to sign up and do it.

That's something that is very important to me right now. I'm working on a program in St. Louis to hold a drive to get 300,000 people to sign to be an organ donor.

BE: Do you have a final message for kids?
DE: The message I always say to kids is that you have got to believe in yourself—because if you don't believe in yourself, then no one else will. And always give 100 percent in whatever you do, because you don't want to regret it later on in life and wish you had done something differently. S

Bill Ernst is the publisher of Seminole magazine.