(Busch Stadium) Having just won the NBA Championship with his Golden State Warriors, Patrick McCaw knows a thing or two about performing on the biggest of stages. That said, throwing out the first pitch for his hometown St. Louis Cardinals brings out a little nerves for even the most seasoned professionals.
“A lot of pressure,” smiled McCaw, who brought along the championship trophy. “I love baseball, though. If I wasn’t playing basketball, I’d definitely be playing baseball. Probably not pitching, but it was exciting just to go out there. I was little nervous–it was farther than I expected it to be. But I did my thing, I did all right. I threw it straight down the middle, that’s all that matters.”
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Prior to his days at CBC High School, McCaw played shortstop but stopped after 8th grade as both baseball and basketball were year round. And that was well before he was given the nickname of “P-Nice”.
“New nickname out in Golden State–it started in pre-season,” shared McCaw. “Everybody calls me P-Nice, nobody calls me Pat or Patrick. Even the coaches, so it was great.”
This season McCaw appeared in 71 games for the Warriors and averaged 4.0 points per game. He put up double-digits on more than one occasion–including 18 points against San Antonio in the West Finals. But the numbers weren’t what made the biggest impression.
“I think the biggest thing that stood out for me this year was Coach Kerr having faith in me and sliding me in when KD (Kevin Durant) went down,” said McCaw. “I think that was a huge part of my entire rookie season. Just being–not filling KD’s shoes, but stepping in in his place, Coach Kerr and the coaching staff having that faith in me, that was the biggest moment for my rookie year.”
McCaw continued to smile at the mention of Kevin Durant reaching agreement on a new contract to remain with Golden State.
“Yeah, that’s great news for us,” said McCaw. “I’m glad he’s coming back to Oakland and back to the team. It’s amazing to see all our players signing deals back to Golden State. It’s awesome.”
Following his time at CBC, McCaw went to Montrose Christian High School, and then UNLV. After two seasons in college, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors. With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and this season Durant–how long did it take before McCaw became a teammate instead of being in awe?
“Last year they did,” he said. “Only because we’re competing. I’m challenging those guys to just be as great as them, I’m working just as hard as they are. So now we’re just teammates, we’re friends. But on the court, I’m just competing just like they are.”
“It’s been a great way to spend my two years in the NBA, my first two years.”
photo credit: Kelley L Cox, Kyle Terada, Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
We'd like to welcome NBA Champion and St. Louis native @PMcCaw0 to Busch Stadium! ?? pic.twitter.com/1XlYv5TvjQ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 3, 2017
