Baseball profile: Brian McCann—Atlanta Braves

Baseball Digest, May, 2008 by Rick Sorci

FULL NAME: Brian Michael McCann

AGE, HT, WT.: 24, 6-3, 210

BORN: February 20, 1984 in Athens, Georgia

HOME: Atlanta, Georgia

STATUS/FAMILY: Married

NICKNAME: Heap

LIFE OUTSIDE OF BASEBALL: It's very relaxed. I like going to the lake. I have a boat and I like fishing.

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SPORTS HERO WHEN I WAS YOUNG: I was a big Tony Gwynn fan.

PEOPLE WHO INFLUENCED ME THE MOST/WHY? My Dad and Mom. They never forced the game on me. They're just great role models.

BEST ADVICE ANYONE EVER GAVE ME: Go play 162 games.

PLAYERS--PAST AND PRESENT--I'D PAY TO WATCH PLAY BASEBALL: I'd pay to see Greg Maddux pitch and I'd pay to watch Ted Williams.

HOBBLES: Playing XBox, fishing and sleeping.

TYPE OF CAR: Range Rover

FAVORITE ACTOR: Mark Wahlberg

FAVORITE MOVIE: Major League

FAVORITE TV SHOWS: 24

FAVORITE MUSIC: Country

FAVORITE FOOD: Mexican

FAVORITE BALLPARKS: Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium

FAVORITE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM OUTSIDE OF BASEBALL: Atlanta Hawks PERSON IN HISTORY I'D LIKE TO HAVE MET: President George W. Bush

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BEST TIME OF MY LIFE/WHY? Getting married.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Not getting my high school baseball retired.

CHARACTERISTIC I ADMIRE MOST IN A PERSON: Honesty.

THE TRUE SIGN OF SUCCESS IS: Being happy.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE A BASEBALL PLAYER NEEDS: Stay humble.

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT BASEBALL IT WOULD BE: I'd make interleague games as fair as can be, schedule-wise.

IF NOT A BASEBALL PLAYER I WOULD HAVE BEEN: I'd have been a cop.

BEHIND MY BACK THEY SAY: He sleeps a lot. He's sloppy.

TOUGHEST PITCHER I'VE PACED: Roy Oswalt

PLAYER I LEARNED THE MOST FROM: Chipper Jones

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LIFE AFTER BASEBALL: Peaceful

I'M MOST PROUD OF: The family I came from.

MY FAVORITE CITIES ON THE ROAD: Chicago and San Diego

MY MOST EMBARRASSING BASEBALL EXPERIENCE: In 2005, my first year, we were playing a game in San Francisco when one of the Giants players hit a flyball to right and I walked off the field with two outs. I thought the inning was over.

MY MOST MEMORABLE GAME: In the 2005 playoffs, we were home in Game 2 of the National League Division Series when I hit a three-run home run off Roger Clemens, it put us up, 3-1, and we beat the Astros 7-1 in that game.