Berkman's father, Larry, once played for the University of Texas and turned Lance into a switch-hitter when he was six years old. Larry hung a tire from a tree in the backyard. And he had Lance swing at the tire with the bat both right-handed and lefthanded—building arm strength without lifting weights.

"My Dad was sort of a baseball nut, so I was always outside hitting and working on both swings," Lance said. "I remember my teammates in Little League wanted me to hit from the right side when it was a big situation, and they would get mad because my Dad would make me switch."

At Rice University they still love to tell the "Blue Dart" story. As legend has it, Owls coach Wayne Graham had all of his players run a three-mile loop around Houston's Memorial Park in less than 21 minutes. He told they they'd have to keep trying until they succeeded.

While his roommates spent the summer in training, Berkman ate pizza and played the role of resident sedentary guy. But he also hatched a survival plan. After making a token effort on his first three-mile run—while his roommates passed the test—Lance would run far enough on his second attempt to disappear from view. Once he was shielded from the sight of the coaching staff, his buddies would swing by in a car, pick him up, and drive him most of the way around the course.

When race day arrived, Lance bounded out of his vehicle moments before the scheduled 7:00 a.m. start. He wore blue Rice shorts with matching T-shirt and headband, tennis shoes and no socks. And he trash-talked about the whipping he was about to apply. He called himself the "Blue Dart."

Berkman busted out as if spring-loaded, with the expectation that he would croak in a hurry. Then he checked his watch and was astonished to see he'd covered the first mile in a blistering 5:40. He decided to keep pushing, and he continued to lead the pack.

"At about the two-mile marker, a gorilla jumped on my back and the party was over," Lance recalled. "But I was so close to finishing, I decided to go ahead and try to make this thing."

He managed to hang on and wheeze home in less than 19 minutes. Coach Graham initially accused him of cheating. But after Berkman dropped to his hands and knees and vomited in the grass, the coach relented. (Jerry Crasnick-ESPN.com-June 2008)

Lance has a real desire to become one of the best players in the league, on both offense and defense—and he has made it. And he works very hard to continue to achieve that goal.

LANCE'S FAMILY

Cara's father, Johnny Baker, was a linebacker for the Houston Oilers. Berkman and Baker bonded immediately and enjoy what Baker now calls a "one-upsmanship" relationship with his son-in-law. "Everything is competitive," Baker said. "He fits in. But when we play basketball, we get after it. We play ping-pong, we get after it. It doesn't matter what we do, we go all out." Baker is genuine in his affection for Berkman. "We have three other boys," Baker said. "I've always said that Lance is my fourth boy."

Lance says that the day he asked his future father-in-law for permission to marry his wife, Cara. Of course, this isn't just any future father-in-law, with Cara's dad being Johnny Baker, who in his heyday was a Houston Oilers linebacker.

So, why so nervous?

"The man is 6-foot-5, 260 [pounds], and it's his only daughter," Berkman said. "He was not expecting it. It was 1998, right before I came to Spring Training. I told him I wanted to talk to him about something. He said, 'Come over for breakfast.' He thought I was going to talk to him about some kind of financial deal.

"I said, 'I want to talk to you about marrying your daughter.' He says, 'MARRIAGE?' and slaps the counter top. And I was like, 'Oh my gosh! Seriously, give me five minutes and you'll never see me again. Just give me a head start for the door.'"

But it all worked out in the end. "After he got over the initial surprise, it was a great conversation," Berkman said.

In January 2003, during the Astros' Winter Caravan tour, Lance told a group of star-struck youngsters about an incident from his youth. "Wanna hear about what happened to me during a track meet when I was in the eighth grade?" Berkman asked. 

In the middle of a race of substantial distance, young Berkman felt stomach pains coming on at a most inopportune time. Fighting to ignore the rush of ... well, discomfort, Berkman continued on his journey to the finish line. But he soon found out that it's not good to fight Mother Nature. With his body in full sprint mode, Berkman's insides defied his brain's begging for just a little more time and, well, it was, to say the least, an awkward run to the finish line.

"You know how most people, when they get done running a race, they stop short and bend over to catch their breath?" Berkman said. "Well, I just kept running. Right to the bathroom."

After a visit to the restroom, Berkman went back to the meet—to compete in the high jump.

Berkman is not one to start unsolicited conversations about himself but also does not hold back when approached about certain topics. He is open about his devotion to his Christian faith. He will talk at length about his family, which includes his wife Cara, daughter Hannah and another baby on the way. He makes no apologies for considering baseball the third most important element of his life.

"To me, that's what it's all about," he said. "This game is temporary. Everybody has a last game. No matter what I do on the field, someday, that part of my life will be over."

What he has for the long haul is his family—both the one that raised him and the one to which he became equally attached when he got married.

Berkman is a dedicated Texan. Not only does he say he will never move his main residence anywhere else, he doesn't even want to take a vacation away from the Lone Star state.

Lance is outspoken, clever and entertaining. He is not a bit shy about facing notebooks and microphones. He also is laid-back. And he maintains a positive attitude. A few people have called Lance the Astros' version of Yogi Berra.

His quotes are usually fodder for his teammates. Ausmus even decorates his locker stall with one infamous Berkmanism.

"One-run games," Berkman reasoned, "can go either way. And most of the times they do."

Lance admits his personality is a part of how he deals with the stress of a long season.

"This is an entertainment business, first and foremost or at its core," Berkman says. "People like colorful people, and they like colorful quotes and comments. They don't like the same old clichés. I just try to have fun with some of my interviews. I just try to make people laugh."

On June 10, 2006, Lance and wife Cara, celebrated the birth of their third daughter, Kate Mae.

June 23, 2009: Lance's wife, Cara, gave birth to another daughter—the fourth one, and no boys. Abigail Primm Berkman weighed in at 7 pounds 9 onuces.

In 2006, Berkman got the nickname "Big Puma." How? Essentially, he became tired of the "Fat Elvis" nickname, and, during semi-regular spots on a local morning sports-talk radio show, he began to interject the "Big Puma" label. The hosts caught on and began using it, too, and before long, Berkman had a new identity.

Why Puma? To Berkman, it just makes sense.

"Agile, athletic, sleek ... all the things that describe my game," Berkman said.

Lance teaches the Bible to young people—teenagers at a Bethel Independent Presbyterian Church in Houston, especially during the offseason. For better or worse, Berkman realizes that children and young men put value in what star athletes say and do, so he is committed to using his platform to tackle some of the problems he sees in American society.

"The whole purpose is to give young boys and men a clear definition of what real men are," Berkman says. He calls his outreach program "The King's Men."

"The King is Jesus (Christ), and we're trying to create followers," Berkman says. "Also, we wanted to give a Knights of the Round Table-type of thing where you're part of something that's bigger than yourself. If you can give these guys a sense of direction, something positive to draw from, it will help them make better choices, be better citizens and hopefully lead more productive lives that have a purpose."

At each meeting, the athletes first have dinner before they listen to a speaker and watch a video presentation. In the first two meetings, Berkman spent about 45 minutes sharing his views with the athletes.

"Just trying to give guys a vision of what I consider authentic manhood," Berkman says. "There are a lot of poor examples of men in positions of leadership. Also, we're trying to give them a biblical definition of what authentic manhood is. A real man is one who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility and leads courageously."

Although he understands the message he is delivering isn't welcomed by everyone, he vows to continue spreading his testimony.

"The overriding thing has to be a love for people," he says. "If you don't love people, you don't care if we live in a morally degrading society. Christ is about love, and that's what we want to be about as well."

With that said, Berkman doesn't necessarily view tolerance positively.

"In society, there's a victim mentality, there's kind of an anything goes, wishy-washy, if-it-feels-good-do-it mentality," he says. "I think it's very dangerous. To me, the buzz word in America is 'tolerance.' You have to tolerate anything. And even if you don't agree with it, it's all about tolerance. And I don't think that's any way to live. Real men are defined by strong values." (Jose Ortiz-Houston Chronicle-1/26/07)

Berkman doesn't drink or swear, he drives a Ford F-150, and has a wardrobe that's mostly jeans and boots. He has very approachable. He is a devout Christian and a political conservative. Don't get him started on them dad-gum liberals.

His idea of a perfect day is to spend a morning doing chores on his Brenham (Tx.) ranch and an afternoon watching college football. He also likes to hunt and fish, ride horses, and he holds his own on the golf course.

Teammates began calling Berkman "Big Puma" in 2008. And Lance finds that nickname far preferrable to "Fat Elvis," the moniker he lugged around for awhile after an appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show.

Why is he The Puma?

"Pumas are fast and lean and deadly," Lance said. "That's me."

Lance is a prototype for what every pro athlete should be because of the way he lives his life and plays the game. In the steroid era, he's completely untainted except for an occasional extra piece of pie.

Berkman's jersey spent 14 days in space during a space flight with NASA. His jersey was the only jersey that was chosen by NASA.

Teammates, opponenets, managers, fans, media members and scouts regard Berkman as an uncommonly nice person and the classic case of an athlete who has his act together. He's quotable, approachable and brimming with perspective, and that rare star player who is able to dissect his performances through a self-deprecating lens.

During 2013 spring training, Ian Kinsler made one observation about  teammate Lance Berkman.

"Sometimes I think he'd rather sit around and talk to his teammates about baseball more than playing the game," Kinsler said.

Berkman smiled at Kinsler's insight, "That's probably a pretty good assessment," Berkman said. "I do enjoy the interaction with teammates. Competing is fun and winning is fun, but the investment you make with your teammates is a great part of the game."

Matt Holliday said.  "He's just a fun guy. He's funny and doesn't take things too seriously and as far as a person goes, he's a great guy, somebody that everybody likes to be around. He's really funny. He added a lot." Berkman is never afraid to speak his mind, whether it is in a serious moment or just having fun.

"He keeps things loose, but he'll definitely speak his mind," Mitch Moreland said. "He's always joking around, which is good. This game will put pressure on you and sometimes you can feel the tension. You always need guys to keep it loose.  To have a guy like Berkman, he's fun and he's been successful. That's good to have."

Berkman, who grew up in the Astros' organization around Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Ken Caminiti, doesn't need to be to be prodded to speak up or impart his considerable wisdom to teammates.

Fellow Rice teammate Philip Humber says---"The year we won the [College] World Series, in the offseason he would come and do a Bible study with the guys, and I learned a lot from him," Humber said. "We maybe went to lunch together once or twice, but I never spent a whole lot of time with him. I have a whole lot of respect for him as a player and a person, and he is a great representative of baseball and Rice."

Lance went back to Rice, majoring in Kinesiology. -- the study of movement. In the fall of 2014, he returned full-time, going Monday through Thursday.  

Lance Berkman, who won the National Player of the Year Award at Rice University in Houston, was named to the 2015 National College Baseball Hall of Fame induction class. 

Berkman will be inducted June 28-29, 2015 in Lubbock, Texas, along with former Major Leaguer Frank Viola, who led St. John's to the College World Series in 1980 prior to a 15-year Major League career.  

"I knew I was a candidate, and then I got a text that said I got enough votes to be in," Berkman said. "That's awesome. Any time you're in the Hall of Fame at any level, you have to be pleased with that. Certainly, that's a high honor and one that I'm proud and honored to accept."  

The switch-hitting Berkman was named National Player of the Year by the National College Baseball Writers' Association in 1997. During his three years at Rice, the Owls made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995 and their first College World Series appearance in 1997.  (McTaggart - mlb.com - 3/4/15)  

Fresh off a mission trip to Haiti, former Astros slugger Berkman was honored at Minute Maid Park along with the Second Baptist High School team he led to the TAPPS Class 4A state championship last month.  

Berkman recently returned from a four-day trip to Haiti, where he helped dig trenches to support water supplies. He took along his two oldest daughters on a trip that included former Major League pitcher Scott Linebrink, who assists Water Missions International in building water systems in impoverished nations.  Lance, who is a Christian with deep beliefs, said it's his mission to serve the poor.

"We were down there, first and foremost, addressing some pretty basic needs we take for granted: clean water, sanitation, that kind of thing," he said. "I took my oldest two girls down to show them, 'Hey, we really have it great in this country and we should be thankful every day for where we live and what the Lord has given us. It's certainly humbling, and a great way to maintain a healthy perspective on life is to go serve people that are less fortunate." (McTaggart - MLB.com - 6/3/16)

Jan 22, 2019: Their first year on the Hall of Fame ballot will be the last for former Astros stars Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt. Berkman and Oswalt, two key players in the Astros' rise to National League power in the mid-2000s, both appeared on less than 5 percent of balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and will fall off the ballot.

TRANSACTIONS

June 1997: The Astros chose him in the first round, out of Rice University. Lance got a $1 million signing bonus from the Astros when he signed. He lives less than two hours from Houston in New Braunfels, Texas.

"I couldn't be happier if I'd been picked number one," Berkman said when he signed. "To get picked by the Astros is just a thrill for me. I never thought it would happen."

March 18, 2005: Berkman signed a six-year, $85 million contract with the Astros. It runs through the 2010 season with a $2 million buyout on a $15 million club option for 2011. Berkman earned $10.5 million for 2005 and $14.5 million each of the five seasons 2006–2010.

Lance donates $100,000 each season to the Astros in Action Foundation, can earn an extra $500,000 for winning the National League Most Valuable Player award, $350,000 for finishing second or $250,000 for finishing third.

July 31, 2010: The Yankees sent RHP Mark Melancon and INF Jimmy Paredes to the Astros, acquiring Berkman. The Yankees also received "cash considerations'' from the Astros, who will assume a portion of Berkman's remaining salary for the rest of the 2010 season and for 2011.

Lance had to approve the deal, waiving his no-trade clause. And he did so in part so that he could again be teammates with P Andy Pettitte, one of his best friends.

January 5, 2012: Berkman signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Rangers. The deal also includes a vesting option for a second year if Berkman reaches 550 plate appearances in 2013. Also, a source says there's a $1 million buyout on the option year.

October 31, 2013: The Rangers declined the$12 million club option to retain Lance, paying him the $1 million buyout instead.

And Lance has the unique way of gently placing the bat on home plate before going into his home run trot from the left side of the plate. A lot have tried to copy it, but no one else may be able to keep their emotions so in check.

Berkman's mind tends to wander, occasionally. He has been known to make baserunning mistakes when he was thinking about something else -- usually hitting.

He does the same thing in the field, heading back to the dugout when there are two outs several times during a season. Astros catcher Brad Ausmus estimates it happend six times during the 2005 season. But Ausmus, like the rest of Lance's teammates, respect and count on the big slugger.


POST-PLAYING CAREER POSITIONS