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Wrestling icon Goldberg takes cuts at Citi Field

Posted: May 20th 2015 By: Adam Rubin

Former wrestler Bill Goldberg took batting practice at Citi Field on Tuesday, then reminisced about his own athletic career.

Goldberg played college football at Georgia and professionally for the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons before entering wrestling. He's currently involved with kickboxing.
Former WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg took some cuts at Citi Field prior to Tuesday's game. Adam Rubin/ESPN.com

His brother, Steve, was drafted out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds, but declined a $5,000 signing bonus in the late 1960s and went on to play college football, according to Goldberg.

"So we've got baseball in the family, no doubt," the 48-year-old former WCW wrestler said. "But I was 240 [pounds] in high school my senior year. I was concentrating so much on football at that point. I did play Legion my senior year. I had a travel team and all that. I was a huge baseball fan -- a huge baseball fan. I still am."

Goldberg declined to reveal his favorite team to avoid offending anyone, but said his favorite Met of all time is Gary Carter.

He said he last took batting practice in a major league stadium between sessions by Barry Larkin and Mark McGwire.

"You want to talk about the coolest moment and the most emasculating moment of my career, that was it in a nutshell," Goldberg said.

Although professional wrestling involves plenty of shtick, Goldberg said he always has viewed himself as an athlete more than an entertainer.

"I like the physical confrontation of a football field," Goldberg said. "I like playing nose guard. I like having two 350-pound guys trying to rip my head off. ... You look at Rock and you look at me. I'm just a knucklehead weightlifting guy from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who didn't want anything more than people to look up to him, and to provide a good example to everybody. Rock, on the other hand, he's a good-looking, Hollywood dude who likes to be out there in that setting."

Goldberg was at Citi Field on Tuesday promoting the June 7 Legends of Wrestling Event at Citi Field. Bret Hart, Ric Flair and the Nasty Boys will be among the others in attendance for the event.

"I'm looking most forward to shaking the hands of the people who put me in the position that I'm in," Goldberg said.