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FROM BEHIND HOME PLATE TO HOME SWEET HOME: MIKE LAWSON ON A LEGENDARY CAREER, UNEXPECTED LOVE, AND LIFE AFTER THE GAME
It’s been almost three years since former San Diego Padres catcher and team captain Mike Lawson took his final bow at Petco Park. Since then the trailblazer has hardly stepped out of the limelight, filling his time regularly analyzing pre and post-game on ESPN, keeping up with the never ending storm of Ginnsanity, and training the next generation of future Hall of Famers.
Now the forty-one year old sits down with People to share his insights on all things MLB, his favorite leading lady, and what retirement is really like.
PEOPLE: First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and talk to us.
MIKE LAWSON: No problem.
PEOPLE: While you obviously did a lot of press right after your retirement, never have you done such an in-depth interview no-holds-barred. A lot of people are wondering why you’re choosing now, so tell us: Why wait until this long after your final game?
ML: I needed time. I played as a pro for a total of eighteen years- that’s almost half my life spent on the field. You don’t walk away from something like that without losing a part of yourself. I needed to figure out who I was without the game to lean on, and that took some time. It was a grieving process- a celebration, because I had an amazing run, but it was hard. And I wanted to have that time to revel in it on my own without having to answer questions analyzing how I felt. Because at the time, with everything happening so fast, I didn’t know. There were a million things going on in my head all at once and I needed time to process.
PEOPLE: Let’s go back to that final night three years ago: Petco Park, it’s the bottom of the tenth, Padres are up 9-8 against the Red Sox. Bases loaded, two outs, two strikes. Ginny Baker throws a screwball so stunning stories will be told for lifetimes to come. It hits your glove with such precision people questioned if it was CGI.
[Mike smiles widely at the memory]
ML: Not bad, huh?
PEOPLE: Your final game after eighteen years, you help land your lifelong team their first World Series victory. It’s pretty much the sports equivalent to a fairy tale.
ML: It was pretty damn cool. One of the greatest nights of my life, no question.
PEOPLE: Did it feel real?
ML: Not completely. You work your whole life for something, dream about it since you were a kid, and at the last possible second when it means the most, you actually get it. That doesn’t happen every day. But at the same time, I kind of knew. Everything felt right and it was just time.
PEOPLE: Right before that last pitch you walked out to the mound, glove over your mouth, and exchanged what we can only assume were life-altering words with Ginny Baker. The world has been wondering ever since what it was you two said to each other that cemented that perfect final pitch.
ML [laughs]: It’s crazy how bad people want to know. ‘What’s the secret? How did you do it?’ You wanna know what we said? Nothing.
PEOPLE: Seriously?
ML: Not a damn word. I walked up, looked her in the eye, and for a good thirty seconds we just stood there, locked in on each other. Because at that point we didn’t need words. We just took a minute to solidify that connection and make sure we were on the same wavelength to finish this thing, and we were. That’s when I knew we had it. There was just this feeling that hit me- I can’t explain it, but I just knew it was ours. And I was right.
PEOPLE: Were all those years of missing the mark worth it to finish this way?
ML: I don’t think of it as missing the mark, I think it just wasn’t the right time. I think we won when we were supposed to win. There was a reason it never happened before, that it didn’t work out. It’s because it wasn’t our time. But that night, that team, that moment… it was right.
PEOPLE: After you caught that pitch and realized what had just happened, you ran to the mound and swept Ginny Baker into a hug that made it on the front cover of every magazine in the nation- including ours.
ML: I saw that. Don’t blame you, either. It’s a great picture.
PEOPLE: Of course there’s always been talk of various team relationships in the tabloids, but a lot of people have marked that as the defining moment that really sparked talk of you two being more than just pitcher and catcher.
ML: Yeah.
PEOPLE: Care to comment?
ML [smirking]: Have we reached the Ginny portion of the interview? Is that where we’re at?
PEOPLE: If that’s alright.
ML: What do you want to know?
PEOPLE: Everything.
[A long pause is taken as Mike runs a hand over his stubble]
ML: I don’t know. I guess there was just always something there, you know? Even before I realized it. It was always just different between us, and it wasn’t because she was a woman. I never had an issue with her gender, even when she was first called up. It was the hype I was concerned with, and the amount of pressure I knew would be on her because of it. So the fact that she wasn’t a dude never really phased me, it was more just that she was… different. Every time we’d interact or I’d see her training, it was just unlike anything I’d ever experienced with another teammate.
PEOPLE: Different how?
ML: I just… it was just more. The drive, the passion, the work ethic- everything. There was an instant chemistry between us that I’d never experienced before, and that was a major key in how we played, which was awesome. But then it finally hit me that this thing we had extended off the field. And it drove me insane.
PEOPLE: Why is that?
ML: Have you read anything on the internet? [he chuckles] I’m not a complete idiot, I knew it was crazy. I knew what could happen. We both did. That’s why we tried to avoid it for as long as we did. But after a while it gets old.
PEOPLE: So despite coming out publicly almost two years ago, how long were you together before anyone found out?
ML: Damn, you’re not holding back are you?
PEOPLE: That’s why I’m here.
ML: Huh… before people found out or before the public found out?
PEOPLE: How about both?
ML: Oh god, uh… four months. And then by the time we made the announcement it was a little over a year and a half.
PEOPLE: So you’ve been together almost four years total?
ML: Crazy, right? She hasn’t kicked me out yet.
PEOPLE: So it must be going well.
ML: No complaints.
PEOPLE: And you guys are living together, correct?
ML: Got a place in La Jolla ‘bout a year and a half ago. Right by the water, half hour commute to the Park. And we got the dog a while back. It’s pretty great.
PEOPLE: Sounds like retirement is working out for you.
ML: You know, I still miss it. I think a part of me always will, because it’s a part of who I am. For my entire life, the game has been the single biggest consistency. But it’s not as hard as I thought it would be. I can genuinely say I’m enjoying this new phase of my life, which is not something I ever imagined would be possible.
PEOPLE: And how are the knees?
[Mike slaps both legs fondly]
ML: Doing well, doing well. Titanium is holding strong. We all knew as soon as I stopped playing I was going under the knife, but it was definitely for the best. I feel like Spiderman now. I mean, Ginny can still kick my ass in a race, but I can hold my own.
PEOPLE: So what’s next?
ML: Well, I plan to cheat until I beat her. Oh, you mean in life? [he smirks] Uh, sky’s the limit, honestly. I’ve been working with kids a lot, doing charity stuff and getting into a bunch of the youth sports programs, which I never thought I’d be crazy about, but I love. So definitely more of that, for sure.
PEOPLE: You’ve also become a regular on ESPN doing the post-game wrap-up.
ML: Yeah, everyone there has always been great- I’ve known most of those guys since I first got called up, so being able to spend more time behind the desk has been awesome. It’s a great group of guys and they’ve all really made me feel at home.
PEOPLE: So we can expect you to stick around on the panel?
ML: For sure. Absolutely.
PEOPLE: Since we’re talking about the future, I have one more question I have to ask.
ML: I have a feeling I know what’s coming.
PEOPLE: I can’t do this interview and not ask it. I’d be burned at the stakes.
ML: Understandable. Lay it on me.
PEOPLE: Marriage. Is it in the cards for you and your better half?
ML: Nice phrasing, she’ll get a kick out of that.
PEOPLE: I tried my best.
ML: Just for the record, I was given permission to say this. So all the blogs can save their headlines about me ruining the surprise factor, because I’ve already been warned I’d be killed if I ever tried something like that. But uh… yes. Yeah, I’m definitely gonna make an honest woman of her soon.
PEOPLE: Really? That’s decided?
ML: I told you before, I’m not that stupid.
PEOPLE: What about kids?
ML [laughing]: As soon as I’m given the green light, all bets are off. But until then, the dog is good.
PEOPLE: You seem very happy.
[A genuine smile appears on Mike’s face]
ML: You know what? I really am. My baseball career might be over, but I’m just getting started. •