Players who left the game on their own terms: former infielder Spike Owen: ex-shortstop won two National League fielding titles with the Expos during his 13-year major league career.(Curtain Calls)

SOME WOULD SAY THAT WITH A name like "Spike" he was destined to be a major league baseball player.

And yes, for the record, Spike Owen is his real name.

"My mother's maiden name was 'Spikes,'" explained the former big league shortstop. "When I tell people that, it clears things up for them."

And a great baseball name wasn't the only thing this Texas native had going for him. He had a passion for the game, and he knew by age 12 that he wanted to play professionally.

Unfortunately, the determined infielder's love for the sport didn't get him drafted out of high school, so he headed to the University of Texas where he starred alongside a hard-throwing right-hander named Roger Clemens.

"I was a year older than Roger," recalled Owen, who remains friends with 'The Rocket.' "He always had something extra on his fastball, but I don't think I could've imagined the success he has had."

During his tenure at the university, Owen's play convinced the Seattle Mariners to select him in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1982 amateur draft. And after just over a year in the minors, he made his major league debut on June 25, 1983.