Born in 1968, in Williamsport, PA, Mike and his younger brother, Mark, grew up in nearby Montoursville, PA. Mike's passion for all things sports-related surfaced at an early age. As a youngster, he spent considerable time developing his pitching style by imitating his favorite big league pitchers --- and then adding a little something to these pitches to call his own. His pinpoint control that we Orioles' fans take for granted began in the basement as he practiced throwing a ball at a strike-zone taped to the wall. After all, a budding pitcher has to start somewhere! And, well, if a catcher just isn't handy, what else is he supposed to do?
When Mike entered high school, he participated in a variety of sports: football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. An all-around athlete, Mike excelled in all three areas. He played three postions on the football team, setting records for field goals, extra points, and touchdown receptions. He scored a career-total 1,382 points as a member of the basketball team. And last, but certainly not least, he compiled a 24-4 record with a 0.87 ERA for his high school baseball team. Blessed with such athletic prowess, the Orioles offered Mike a contract upon his high school graduation in 1987. But instead of signing with the big leagues right away, Mike opted to attend Stanford University where he soon set about obtaining his degree in economics in just over three years.
Now entering his sixth full-season for the Birds, Mike's journey to the big leagues was very swift. Going from Hagerstown (AA) to Rochester (AAA) in 1990 (his first year in professional baseball), Mike was called up to the Orioles in the latter half of 1991. So far in his short but illustrious career, he has played in three All-Star games and has won at least 14 games over the last five seasons. Mike has also finished fourth ('92 and '94), and fifth ('95 and '96) in voting for the Cy Young Award. In 1996,1997 & 1998 Mike won the Gold Glove Award. Here's looking forward to the 2004 season!
