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A walk-on with the University of Florida Gators in 1994, David Eckstein hasn't walked anywhere since.
With the Anaheim Angels and the St. Louis Cardinals he was always the first player to sprint to his position when his team took the field.
It didn't matter if it was spring training, extra innings of game 139 or the World Series.
And no doubt he'll be first racing to his position as the newest Blue Jays shortstop.
One thing is for sure, he is the first opening-day shortstop in 20 years that has a legitimate shot at hitting .300.
Tony Fernandez hit .322 in 1987. Eckstein hit .309 for the Cardinals in 2007.
The 5-foot-61/2 Eckstein knew a tryout at the University of Florida consisted of a round in the batting cage, handling a few ground balls and being timed in the 60-yard dash.
So, sensing the lay of the infield, Eckstein, although uninvited, went to the pre-season scrimmages and sat.
There he was on the end of the bench like a grade niner, waiting and hoping the grade 12 student either would forget his cleats, get a detention or lose his way on campus.
Finally, Eckstein was given the chance to play and he not only fit in with the Big Men on Campus, but coaches took a liking to this imp.
New coach Andy Lopez was the first -- and not the last in charge -- to become enthusiastic about Eckstein's work ethic, determination and baseball smarts.
Eckstein helped lead the Gators to the 1996 College World Series in Omaha.
Despite record revenues, baseball has warts and a case of acne worse than a goalie wearing those old form-fitting masks. But watch Eckstein run the bases a few times and he'll bring back memories of Pete Rose running with his page-boy hair cut.
Eckstein is in constant movement from the time he's on deck. He is a whirling dervish swinging bats in quick circles looking as if he might lift off, helicopter style.
We first met Eckstein in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse in 2001 before the Angels opened post-season play against the Yanks.
This was after a young pup looking all of 18 showed up at Eckstein's locker with close cropped blonde/white hair. We asked: "Know where Esksten is?" The 165-pound, 26-year-old answered "I'm David Eckstein."
We asked on the eve of his first post-season at-bat what he envisioned in a dream scenario?
"A 15-pitch at-bat, foul a ton of pitches off, build up the pitch count and get on, I don't care how."
Eckstein "got on" at a .356 clip in 2007 with St. Louis and has a lifetime on-base percentage of .351.
He's the fifth of five kids born in five consecutive years to Patricia and Whitey Eckstein in Sanford, Fla.
They named their two youngest Ricky and David for Ricky and David Nelson, of "Ozzie and Harriet" the TV show with the perfect family.
David didn't have perfect major league size but he progressed, succeeding while his family battled kidney problems. Sister Susan's kidneys stopped functioning. Mom donated one of hers. His sister Chistine and brother Ken lost theirs and found donors.
A 19th-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1997, Eckstein reached triple-A Pawtucket in 2000 and was placed on waivers.
The Angels swooped in, made the claim, Eckstein laid claim to the leadoff spot and was the catalyst of the Angels post-season run in 2001 and their World Series win the next year.
He's married to TV actress Ashley Drane, who starred in That's So Raven on the Disney Network. Drane has appeared on JAG, Blue Collar TV, That 70's Show and The Re-Run Show. Like Eckstein, Drane, grew up near Orlando.
Their friends said they would be a perfect match for each other, although they never had met. Two years later Drane showed in Anaheim wearing an Eckstein jersey. Tim Mead, the Angels crack P.R. man, was the merry matchmaker.
Eckstein was asked to try to patrol the same ground Ozzie Smith covered at Busch Stadium. Eckstein ran to cover most of it.