McGwire still a one-man show

R.B. FallstromR.B. FallstromAssociated Press For Mark McGwire, wherever he goes, the rest of the season is shaping up as one extended victory lap. A day after McGwire hit No. 62, the St. Louis Cardinals left for a five-game trip to Cincinnati and Houston. If anything, the celebration picked up even more steam. ''That's a fun way to play,'' the Reds' Bret Boone said after McGwire livened up another otherwise woeful season at sold-out Cinergy Field Wednesday night. ''You know everybody's here for one thing. ''You can't draw 50,000 people every night, but it's a thrill when it happens.'' It would be tough to top the 11-minute lovefest that brought the game to a temporary halt following McGwire's record-breaker Tuesday night in St. Louis. But the fans in Cinergy Field tried. Oh, they tried. The cheering was so intense when McGwire faced Pete Harnisch in the first inning Wednesday night that he had to step out of the batter's box three times. Each time he waved to the crowd and tipped his cap, before the ovation finally subsided and the game could continue. ''It kept getting louder and louder,'' McGwire said. ''It's absolutely incredible, the reception. ''You never really put yourself in these situations, so you don't know how to react.'' Don't expect anything less in Houston, where the Cardinals begin a three-game series that'll magically boost attendance for the NL Central leaders just as they have at every other stop. The same goes for Milwaukee, where the Cardinals will play their final road games Sept. 18-20. ''Nobody's broken the home run record in the last 37 years,'' said catcher Tom Lampkin, one of McGwire's closest friends on the team. ''Yeah, you cheer for your home guy, but you've got to cheer for somebody who's done something like that.'' On Wednesday, the Reds had their first weekday, non-opening day sellout since Pete Rose got his record-breaking 4,192nd hit in 1985. Thursday was a repeat with the bonus of a McGwire batting practice session that attracted about 10,000 early birds -- most of them packing the left-field stands -- as McGwire hit nine homers in 17 swings. Forget Barry Larkin & Co., the banners were all about McGwire. In the right field stands, where McGwire has zero homers this year, one on Wednesday read ''Swing Late.'' In the power alley, there was ''Caution, Hard Hat Area,'' ''Way To Go Mark, Hit It Here'' and ''Thanks For Saving Baseball, Mark.'' The most telling: ''I Wanna Be Like Mike,'' with Mike crossed out and Mark inserted. Manager Tony La Russa said that fan was right on the money.