Bordick seeking a better season

Former Hampden Academy football and baseball star and stellar University of Maine shortstop Mike Bordick of Winterport recently concluded his second full season as the starting shortstop for the Oakland Athletics. Bordick was the American League’s No. 10 hitter two years ago with a .300 average. He helped the A’s win the American League’s Western Division title. He slipped to .249 last season as the injury-plagued Athletics finished last. He had 21 doubles, 2 triples and 3 homers with 48 RBIs and 60 runs scored. He committed only 13 errors in 159 games. The 28-year-old Bordick will begin his ninth pro season in 1994. He is a career .265 hitter in the major leagues. Bordick and his wife, Monica, are the proud parents of a 10-week-old daughter, Chandler. Bordick appeared at Hampden Academy alumni basketball games on Monday evening and signed autographs.

You hit .300 two years ago and finished at .249 this past season. Was it a disappointing season?

I think it was in a team sense. It was one of those things where we went from first to worst. I didn’t do what I wanted to do, and I think every player on our team felt responsible for what happened. I definitely do.

Was there anything you could pinpoint for your drop off?

I don’t know. It’s all about making adjustments. Whether or not I caught the problem soon enough, I don’t know. I don’t think there was anything mechanical that was troubling me. If there was, I didn’t catch it. I felt good at the plate. I saw a lot of different pitches. I hit first for a while, I hit ninth, second. I hit all over the place. A lot of different things happened but I can’t blame it on any one specific thing.

Is another .300 season a possibility, or do you consider yourself more of a .260 to .280 hitter who hits according to the situation?

I think I’m a situation hitter, but if I hit .300 once, I can do it again.

Over the past few years, you have hit in the lead-off spot, second, seventh, eighth and ninth. Do you have a preference?

I think I’d love to hit second. You’re involved in a lot of situations when you hit second. You’re moving guys over. You’re more of a table-setter for the RBI guys. But I feel comfortable hitting anywhere, the bottom of the order, too.

I think you’d be an ideal No. 2 hitter because of your bat control, ability to hit to the opposite field and unselfishness. Do you agree or disagree?

Yeah, I agree. It’s definitely the type of role I’d like to carry out, day in and day out.

How important will the return of Rickey Henderson and Mark McGwire, who had only 84 at-bats due to injury, mean to next year’s Athletics?

I think it’s going to be hugely important. Those were a couple of areas we lacked this past season. Losing McGwire for just about the whole year was a huge disappointment. And when Rickey left (to sign with Toronto), that left a tremendous void in left field. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best all-round left fielder in the game when it comes to lead-off hitters. He’s got the total package. Hopefully, McGwire can come back healthy.

Can you contend this year?

Yeah, I think so if a few things come together. We should be fine offensively. Pitching is always a question mark no matter what level you play at. We have three great veterans in the rotation in Bobby Witt, Bob Welch and Ron Darling. Those guys have proven themselves year in and year out. The question mark will be the young guys, guys like Steve Karsay and Todd Van Poppel. We’re going to have to call on them to step up and do the job.

How do you feel about the expanded playoff format this season?

I think it’ll help a lot of teams. There have been some good teams over the years who have missed the playoffs. It would have been interesting last year to see what would have happened between the Braves and the Giants. I think it’s going to be good. It’ll be an interesting year for the fans and the players. We’ll see what happens.

Do you ever sit and dwell on the odds you overcame to become a starting shortstop in the major leagues? You weren’t drafted, you were signed as a free agent and you played the majority of your amateur baseball in a state that produces very few major leaguers. Does it ever feel like you’re living a dream?

Oh, yeah. All the time. It’s definitely a dream. What I’m doing right now is pretty unbelievable. I think about it a lot. But I’ve learned that when I take the field, it isn’t a dream. I have to go out and produce. But when I take time to look at things, I’m pretty much awe-struck. I’m able to play in the major leagues. I get to a lot of big cities. It’s a lot of fun.

You recently became a father for the first time. Has that changed your outlook on baseball or life in any way?

It has definitely changed my outlook on life. It’s unbelievable to have a baby and witness the birth. It’s changed the responsibilities around a little bit. It’s all for the better. I don’t think it will change anything I do on the field. But every day (with her) it’s something new. It’s a lot of fun. I never imagined it would be this much fun.

What kind of year do you expect from yourself this season?

Hopefully, I want to be consistent defensively. I want to turn as many double plays as possible. Offensively, I just want to stay consistent with my approach. Jim Lefebvre is our new hitting instructor, and he seems really enthusiastic about helping every player. He’s going to spend quality time with us and learn our approaches to hitting. I think it’ll be beneficial for me to have somebody there all the time, snapping his fingers and saying you’re not doing this or you’re not doing that. I just want to be consistent and do what they ask of me. I’m a situation hitter. That’s what I love to do. I got away from it a little last year. I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted to be at at doing things like getting bunts down.