TEMPE, Ariz. -- He dined with President Bush, appeared on a sitcom, hobnobbed with Jay Leno and served as marshal in a hometown parade.

He was flooded with interview requests as he toiled throughout the winter on improving his game.

Through it all, David Eckstein, the 5-foot-6-and-change Angels shortstop, leadoff man and sparkplug, never got tired. Just a little overwhelmed.

"It was unreal," Eckstein says of his post-World Series stardom.

"I'd get calls just about every day. The other guys were getting asked, too, but I can only speak for myself. It was a lot."

Eckstein's solid 2002 season -- .293 average, 107 runs, 21 stolen bases, a Major League-leading three grand slams -- and the Angels' spectacular postseason made him into something of a cult hero.

But even Eckstein wonders why this quiet, blond-haired guy who doesn't do anything flashy except for a freaky-looking warmup dance in the on-deck circle gets so much ink.

"Maybe it's because I'm a lot smaller than most guys," Eckstein says. "I hear a lot of people say that they understand what I've gone through, you know, 'If you could make it, my son could make it.'"

Maybe it's because Eckstein looks like he could be that son.

He whips out his driver's license and it's the same restricted one he was issued when he was 16. The card is stamped "UNDER 21" and the kid in the photo doesn't look much different from the big-leaguer with the red jersey with the No. 22 on his back.

As Angels first baseman Scott Spiezio says, "He's an innocent kid. He looks like he's 17."

Starter Kevin Appier says Eckstein has a growing following because he's easy to identify with.

"He doesn't look like your typical ballplayer or athlete," Appier says. "But he's done great things. People perceive him as achieving against the odds."

Staff ace Jarrod Washburn seconds that.

"He's the perennial underdog," Washburn says.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia says people like him for one reason: He's a nice guy.

"His appeal is that he's genuine," Scioscia says. "It's easy to connect with the passion he shows on a baseball field."

"It just jumps out of the television set at you."