M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

McKay in L.A. is Pretty Okay
by Kelly L. Martinez

Spring has barely sprung, and already the Boys of Summer are hard at work. Or is that play? Spring training facilities throughout Arizona and Florida are abuzz with the anticipation of a new season and, perhaps, the emergence of the next Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez.

In Vero Beach, Fla., there's somebody new in town. This is McKay Christensen's first spring in Dodgertown. He joined the Dodger organization last summer when his former employer, the Chicago White Sox, traded him to the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas on July 13. He struggled in the desert, but was called up anyway on July 21 when Dodger outfielders Marquis Grissom and Tom Goodwin were lost to suspension and injury, respectively.

His first start as a Dodger came the next day in Denver, where he went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in a 22-7 Dodger win. Christensen reached base 12 times in his first 16 at bats with the Dodgers, but was optioned back to Las Vegas on Aug. 14. On Sept. 1, he was recalled and played in 13 more games. By season's end, he had compiled a .327average in 28 games.

Now, he's in Dodgertown battling for a spot on the 25-man roster.

Not too bad for someone that missed two seasons while on a mission and never saw a pitch of college baseball. That pretty much sums up life for Christensen—not too bad.

The Boy
Christensen was recruited heavily during his senior year at Clovis West High School in Fresno, Calif. Stanford, BYU, California, Colorado and UCLA each offered him a scholarship—to play football. A Blue-Chip Illustrated All-American, Christensen scored 44 touchdowns his senior season as a running back.

Fast forward a few months. Spring, 1994. Christensen bats .486, steals 28 bases, is named First Team All-American by USA Today and Baseball American, and is given the California Athlete of the Year award. Surely, his next step was to focus on his athletic career, right? Wrong.

"I went on recruiting trips to play both sports," Christensen said. "I actually committed to BYU to play both [sports]. But, I was drafted by the [California] Angels and they gave me a rather rare opportunity."

The Angels agreed to let Christensen take two years off to serve a mission if he would sign a contract with them.

The Missionary
Christensen remembers that, as a child, he knew that he would serve a mission. During his sophomore year in high school, Christensen made a commitment to serve a full-time mission. True to his commitment, not even a professional baseball career could stop him from answering the call to serve.

From 1994 until 1996, Elder Christensen served in the Tokyo Japan South Mission. About halfway through his mission, the Angels traded him to the Chicago White Sox.

The Ballplayer
After returning from Japan, Christensen reported for baseball duty and was assigned to the White Sox' minor leagues. His first full season, 1997, was spent in Hickory, North Carolina playing Single-A ball. In 1998, he moved on to Winston Salem, North Carolina and more Single-A ball. He missed over half of the '98 season with a fractured thumb. In 1999, he made his major league debut after spending much of the season playing Double-A ball in Birmingham, Ala. In 2000 and 2001, he bounced between Chicago and Triple-A in Charlotte.

"I was frustrated with the situation in Chicago," he said. "When I was traded [to the Dodgers], it really didn't surprise me."

He's excited about the fresh start with the Dodgers and is hopeful that he will get to play regularly in the major leagues. Christensen's status is currently unsettled, but Dodger manager Jim Tracy has yet to make a decision as to who will be starting in centerfield come opening day. Should he not make the Dodger roster, he has options and will likely be acquired by another team.

A Love Story
Stephenie Jensen was friends with one of the Christensen daughters, Lisanne, and had spent a lot of time at the Christensen home. She knew of Lisanne's older brother McKay, but had never met him because he was always away playing baseball. One night, in December of 1998, Stephenie went to her friend's house and ran into McKay. "I like to say it was love at first sight," Stephenie said.

The couple's first date was to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake. The couple's last date as single folk was also to Temple Square on Sept. 22, 1999. This time, however, family, friends and an apostle tagged along. The apostle, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, was there to make McKay's and Stephenie's association of an eternal nature. The first addition to the McKay and Stephenie Christensen family is due in late August of this year.

The Dodger
Since he's part of an organization with a rich history, it's not uncommon to see someone famous wandering into the Dodger clubhouse. People like Sandy Koufax, Maury Wills, Brett Butler, Rick Monday and Vin Scully are people that McKay has had the privilege of meeting this spring.

"I grew up watching Brett Butler play," said McKay. "He was such an inspiration to me as a ballplayer."

Japanese, if You Please
There are two Japanese players in camp with the Dodgers this spring, affording McKay the opportunity to speak his second language. "I haven't spoken Japanese for most of the past five years and I'm pretty rusty," McKay said. "I'm having my mom ship all of my old missionary books to me so I can brush up."

Christensen has become friends with the members of the Japanese media and his Japanese teammates. "They love that there's an American baseball player who speaks Japanese," he said.

The Family
Stephen, Sr. and Vicki Christensen are parents to Stephen, Jr., 32, Stacie, 29, McKay, 26, David, 23, Lisanne, 20, and Tiffany, 16.

McKay's father has had a huge influence on his life. "Before each school year, we'd all gather together and dad would give us all a father's blessing," McKay said. "Before each season, I still go to my dad for a father's blessing. It has such a positive influence on me."

Older brother, Stephen, Jr. also set a positive example for McKay in his youth. "His willingness to set aside things in order to serve a mission had such an impression on me," he said.

The Gospel and Major League Baseball
Playing on Sunday is, by far, the most difficult aspect of playing professional baseball for McKay. For most of his life, he would forego playing sports on the Sabbath. He sought advice from his dad on the issue when he was a teenager, only to be encouraged to find an answer himself. After seeking the advice of others, he decided to play on Sunday.

He does, however, make the extra effort to attend as many of his church meetings as he can. At the very least, he goes to church so that he can partake of the sacrament...no matter where he is.

Another difficult aspect of professional baseball is the corrosiveness of the attitude of some ballplayers. Language, he said, is not exactly of the highest standard between the lines.

Advice
"In high school, sports become a big part of a kid's identity," McKay said. "It can become too important. I think it got that way for me. My mission helped me grow out of that phase. Serving a mission has greatly blessed my life."

So what should be at the top of the young LDS athlete's priority list?

"Follow the prophet and serve a mission. I can't place enough emphasis on those two things. A mission is something you'll never regret doing. It teaches you how to deal with setbacks and it makes a difference in your maturity level. You will gain experiences on your mission that you wouldn't be able to gain in two lifetimes otherwise. A mission will help you learn what's really important and will teach you to put things in their proper perspective."

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