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Formula One Baseball

Born and raised in Long Beach, California, he began playing baseball and Pop Warner football when he was about eight. His first career decision came shortly thereafter, when his father asked him if he wanted to continue with both sports. "I like baseball a little more. Let me stick with that," Mike recalls telling his father. "Plus I wasn't a big kid when I was little."

Growing up in So.Cal, Mike was a die-hard Dodger fan. With the enthusiasm of a kid, he still will tell you that he likes the Dodgers, although, remembering that he's an Astro he adjusts with:"When you get into pro ball you get kind of alienated from that," Mike says with a smile. "It's kind of weird when you're pitching against those guys."

As a kid he enjoyed watching stars like Bo Jackson, Glavin, and Maddux.

Mike graduated from Milliken High School in 1995. He then attended Long Beach City College for one year. There he was offered a baseball scholarship to the prestigious Long Beach State baseball program in 1997.

College World Series

Gallo was one of the key components in a lineup that brought CSULB to the college world series. He was the ace of the staff in 1998 and again in 1999. The highly televised and scouted games brought him to the attention of the Astros.

Getting By

In the off-season, Gallo has done a lot of things to get by. "I've had twenty jobs in the off-season." If he doesn't play winter ball, he'll go back to the gig he lad last season: Substitute teaching. He's up for any subject, too.

He made up flyers, typed up a "mini resume" and offered pitching lessons to kids in Long Beach "wherever I could find a mound."

Given his work ethic and his numbers, there are likely to be a few more great pitchers coming out of Long Beach who will credit Mike Gallo for giving them their start.

Mike has been married to Kristin for about eighteen months. In his downtime he enjoys spending time with her, as two careers keep them separate most of the spring and summer. The idea of starting a family excites Gallo, although he would like to be in more of a position to be bringing home some major league jack so that Kristin can stay home if she wants to.

Younger brother Brett works as a waiter in Long Beach. His dad, Dwain, works in advertising sales. His mom, Christine, is starting a new job later this summer. They don't get to see much of Mike's work, because of the distance involved. His dad made it out to Lexington to watch him last year, and his mom caught him in the Arizona Fall League. The family will travel up to Tacoma to catch their first view of Mike in the AAA later this summer.

The Big Dream

For a kid growing up in the game, no matter where you end up in your baseball career, and even when you're aware that your bread is buttered by other fans in other markets, you still harbor that secret desire to pitch in the park that you watched the stars play in when you were growing up.

So what would it be like to pitch in Dodger stadium for the Long Beach Kid?

Once again, the kid turning professional struggles with his answer. "That's a big dream," he begins, full of enthusiasm, then, channeling, "I'm just going to take it as it comes."

He takes it pretty well, this new found attention. "Friends call me up and say 'Hey, your baseball card's on E-Bay! I grew up collecting baseball cards. It's kind of a surreal type of thing."

His time at Cal State Long Beach helped him make that mental adjustment to the media and fame, when ESPN was covering them daily and big league reporters were poking around the locker room for stories.

"If it wasn't for the media and the fans, we wouldn't be here," Gallo says. Mike enjoys the fan attention, and tries to be very approachable. He understands how some players may feel a bit put out about a fan getting an autograph to turn around and sell it on E-Bay.

"The bottom line is this: The fans pay attendance to see the games, and your salary. Anything you can do to make them happy, without crossing that line. You've got a job to do, and that baseball field is your office. But I love talking to people, and anything I can do for the fans when I'm not working I'll do."

A Rare Breed

Gallo possesses the maturity, the stuff, and the smarts to be a major league pitcher. His continued drive for perfection is being witnessed in New Orleans. It is a matter of time before fans in Houston bear witness to someone who, if he continues with his head in the game the way it is now, is likely to be one of the great players to don an Astros uniform.

 

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