When he was in ninth grade in Portsmouth, N.H., Mike Bordick asked his mother, Audrey, if she would pick him up after freshman football practice. It was an odd request, according to Audrey, because Mike hadn’t made the freshman team.

“I reminded him that he hadn’t made the team, but he said, `I know. I just want to go and practice with them,” recalled Audrey.

“The coaches had told him he was too small. But one of the coaches eventually called him and told him he could be an alternate,” remembered Bordick’s younger brother, Mark. “So he stayed on, paid his dues and wound up playing as a free safety. He was a really good tackler and a really hard worker.”

That persistence has been a Bordick trademark and has led the former University of Maine shortstop to the major leagues.

Bordick, who wasn’t drafted and signed as a free agent with Oakland following his junior year at Maine, entered Friday night’s game against Milwaukee as the American League’s 10th-leading hitter. He was hitting an even .300 with 149 hits in 497 at bats for the West Division-champion A’s.

Bordick was not recruited by any Division I schools other than Maine.

He hit .364 his junior year with 90 hits and impressed Athletics scout J.R. Ricciardi with his play in the prestigious Cape Cod League. That led to his contract.

He was promoted regularly in the minors until he became the starting shortstop for the A’s as the result of an injury to Walt Weiss last season. He finished hitting .238. Another injury to Weiss resulted in Bordick’s being named the starting shortstop at the outset of this season and hit .440 in his first seven games.

He has stayed above .300 for most of the season and, when Weiss returned, he was moved to second base.

“Mike has always been persistent,” said his mother, Audrey Allen. “If there was something he wanted, he always tried really, really hard.”

“When Mike found something he liked, he busted his tail to become the best at it. He wanted to do it the best he possibly could,” said his father, also named Mike.

“He has always been very dedicated when it comes to athletics,” said Mark Bordick. “He is so determined. Even in the offseason, it’s incredible to see how hard he works. His success comes from his determination to get better at every level and his work ethic. He’s also a tremendous competitor.”

Bordick is among a dying breed these days. At a time when overpaid professional athletes are holding out for even more money, Bordick is not complaining about making a tad over the major league minimum. His current salary pays him $160,000 per year.

“It doesn’t bother me,” said Bordick earlier this week. “I’m having a great time playing the game.”

The Bordicks were an Air Force family with stops in places like Marquette, Mich., where Mike was born; Okinawa, Oklahoma, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Mike’s father is from Pittsburgh and his mother is a Mars Hill native.

His mother’s parents, Merle and Audrey Fletcher, moved to Orrington and that’s where Mike, his mother and brother would return when his father was sent overseas. Mike went to the Orrington schools at different times in his life.

His father retired after 21 years and the family moved to Winterport, where they had built a house, during the summer before his sophomore year at Hampden Academy.

“I had a great childhood,” said young Mike. “My dad had a big influence on me when it comes to playing sports. He was my coach in Little League, Pony League and pee wee football.”

His mother bought him his first glove, but it was a lefthanded glove.

“She must have seen the way I wore my hat and figured I was a lefty,” joked Mike.

He was a standout in football and baseball at Hampden Academy, but he was not allowed to play baseball his senior year after an incident at a party. There was drinking and horseplay involving Mike and his close friend, Tracy Gran. Mike pushed Gran, Gran lost his balance and fell into the road where he was struck by a car. Gran was hospitalized with two broken legs, but had a complete recovery.

“Mike carried that with him for a long time,” said his father. “He was devastated. He would go to the hospital right after school to visit Tracy. He grew from the whole experience.”

“I definitely learned a lesson,” said son Mike.

Bordick received a letter from Maine Coach John Winkin shortly afterward and Winkin “told me to go out and have a solid summer in (Bangor) Legion ball. It was one of those times when I was pretty discouraged about some things. I didn’t know how my life was going to turn out. Coach Winkin believed in me and it was my dream to go up to Maine and play. I can’t describe how happy I am to have played up there. I met a lot of people, got to play all over the country and I played in a College World Series (1986). You couldn’t ask for any more than that.”

According to his parents, his brother and his fiancee, Monica Perry, the personal side of Mike unveils a very sensitive, sincere and caring individual with a great sense of humor.

“He’s a very honest person,” said Monica, who will become Mrs. Bordick in November. “I’ve known him for eight years and I’ve never known him to lie. He’s also very committed. He gets tons of calls from friends looking for tickets and he always tries to accomodate them. And he answers all of his fan mail.”

Tracy Gran Sr., father of young Tracy, said, “Mike is always happy. And he’ll do anything for you.”

Bordick is living a dream now.

“As soon as you make the commitment to play in the minor leagues, you’ve got to believe you can make it to the big leagues,” said the 27-year-old Bordick.

However, he never dwelled on how long it would take him to realize the dream.

“I just played hard every day,” said Bordick, who labeled this year’s AL West title as very special.

“It feels great. It’s definitely one of the biggest thrills I’ve ever had in my life,” said Bordick, who has been exceptional in the field. “Being a part of a team like this, a team that has had to overcome so much adversity and so many injuries, makes it special.”