Tuesday, July 17, 2001 | 10:16 a.m.
After a shaky start, Oklahoma cruised to a 6-3 victory over the 51s before an announced crowd of 2,688 at Cashman Field on Monday. 51s starter Ben Simon took the loss. Brent Cookson hit a two-run homer.
Bound to the Chicago White Sox since 1995, center fielder McKay Christensen felt like a free man when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers July 13.
Christensen, named Baseball America's defensive outfielder of the year in 1999 and 2000, has no personal gripes with the White Sox.
He just never felt he had a legitimate opportunity to prove himself.
"I was extremely happy to get to a new team," Christensen said. "My situation was difficult. Ray Durham has been their leadoff guy forever.
"I think that whoever played center field, they just needed someone who hit deeper in the lineup. There wasn't a spot for me because of that.
"It had gotten to the point where I wouldn't want to go to somewhere where a Bernie Williams was the center fielder, but just anywhere that presented an opportunity."
In two games with the 51s, Christensen hasn't been able to capitalize on his opportunities, going 0-for-4 against Sacramento Sunday and 0-for-4 against Oklahoma during a 6-3 loss Monday night.
Christensen, 25, turned pro after graduating from Clovis West High School in Fresno, Calif., and was the first pick (sixth pick overall) of the Anaheim Angels in 1994.
But the year after he signed with the Angels, Christensen, a devout Mormon, went to Japan for two years to serve his mission.
Prior to the draft Christensen wrote letters to teams telling them that if they picked him, he wouldn't play until after he returned from his mission -- a condition that was non-negotiable.
"I think there's no doubt that going on a mission for two years and then coming back was definitely something that has been a difficult obstacle in terms of baseball," he said. "But really, I don't have a whole lot of baseball experience.
"Right now, I would be considered 22 or 23 in terms of baseball."
Going on a mission isn't mandatory. Christensen decided it was something he has wanted to do after listening to his older brother, Steve, talk about his mission to Honduras.
Christensen was sent to Japan where he performed community service, worked at pre-schools and taught people about Christ.
"I didn't play baseball for two years," Christensen said. "Basically the only exercise that I had was riding my bike up and down the streets of Tokyo.
"When I came back that was extremely difficult getting back into shape."
While he was in Tokyo, the Angels traded him to the White Sox.
His major league promotion came in 1998, when Christensen appeared in 28 games for the White Sox. He hit .226 with 10 runs scored, six RBIs and one home run.
Last year he was called up for 32 games, but got only 19 at bats. Christensen wound up batting .105 with four runs scored.
"My first year out of A ball I started for a number of games and I was playing really well even though I was very green," he said. "Then I started playing less and less, coming in as a defensive replacement which is what I did last year.
"The difficult thing about that is you sit for three or four days then get one at bat against a closer in a difficult situation and you never have the opportunity to really establish yourself."
archive
