Interview: Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira

Photograph: NEW YORK YANKEES

Ask any Yankees fan and they’ll tell you Mark Teixeira is a four-time Gold Glove winner, three-time Silver Slugger and an All Star caliber switch-hitter who plays first base for the famous New York team. But when he’s not hitting home runs or making dazzling plays on the field, the down-to-earth athlete is raising his three kids—Jack, 5, Addison, 3, and William, 1—with his wife, Leigh, in Greenwich, Connecticut. On Monday, June 6, Mark was honored by Harlem RBI, which runs year-round education, enrichment and sports programs for youths in East Harlem, at its Bids for Kids 20th anniversary gala and fund-raiser. The organization is near and dear to the slugger, who is now an active board member. He donated $1 million earlier in the season and pledged to raise $10 million in total through his DreamTeam25 initiative, which also funds a charter school in the same neighborhood. At the event, Teixeira spoke with Time Out Kids about the importance of helping inner-city kids, his family’s favorite museum and how being a parent has changed his life.

Why did you get involved with Harlem RBI?
Education is very important to me, as is helping children. Harlem RBI reaches over 1,000 kids in one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York, so to be able to help those kids—that part of the community is very important to me.

You live in Greenwich, Connecticut. How often do you visit the city as a family?
Well, I’m in the Bronx 81 games a year, plus the playoffs. We’re always coming here for something—a charity function, dinner with friends, taking the kids to a museum. The American Museum of Natural History is my son’s absolute favorite place in the world! So we really, really, really love New York.

What’s it like to be a Yankee? We heard your idol growing up was Don Mattingly—it must be pretty amazing playing his old position at first base.
There’s really nothing better! I’ve been very fortunate to play for four great organizations, but New York really takes the cake. Wearing the pinstripes is something that’s very special to me, and it’s the greatest organization in sports history.

Are your kids impressed with your Yankees status?
They understand that I play for the Yankees, but they don’t understand exactly what it means. So they’ll come home from school and say, “The Yankees won, you hit a home run,” which is great, but they don’t really get involved in the day-to-day activities of New York or where we are in the standings.

Has Jack, your oldest son, expressed interest in playing baseball when he grows up?
He loves playing baseball, but he told me he wants to be a builder when he gets older. He loves Legos right now! So I think baseball is secondary to him right now. He wants to be a Lego builder. I don’t know if you can do that professionally, though. [Laughs]

If baseball eventually moves up a notch on his list, what advice would you give him?
I would tell him to have fun, and if he gets older and still enjoys it and he’s good enough, he’ll make it. That’s the furthest from my thoughts right now.

Do your kids visit you at the ballpark? Is there any particular player they like to see?
They go to a few games a year. They're young, so it's tough. My wife definitely has her hands full. They just like hanging out with Daddy. They love having juice and cookies in the clubhouse afterwards.

What’s a typical day like in the Teixeira family when you’re home and not on the road?
I try to take them to school, especially in the off-season, and spend as much time with them as possible, because I am on the road a lot.

How do you stay in touch when you are on the road?
We have iChat, which is important—especially during spring training when I’m gone a long period of time.  We talk on the phone every day.

How has being a parent changed your life?
I can’t even describe it. It makes everything else secondary, I’ll tell you that.

You’ve been a World Series Champion, an All Star, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and a philanthropist. Is there anything else in your life that you want to accomplish?
I have three beautiful children and a World Series ring. That’s all I need.