McGee selling snacks for charity 06/16 08:05 PM By R.B. Fallstrom AP Sports Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Willie McGee might have a future in the kitchen after his baseball career ends. The 39-year-old St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, who annually threatens to retire, is chairman of the board of the Big League Cookie Company. Teammates say his all-natural soft chocolate chip cookie is ready for the majors. ``I don't know much about the business side of it,'' teammate Gary Gaetti said. ``But the cookies are real good.'' McGee's cookies have been a big hit in the Cardinals' clubhouse, especially after victories. John Mabry said the business will go as far as McGee wants. ``Willie's going to be successful no matter what he does,'' Mabry said. ``That's the kind of person he is.'' An act of kindness got McGee, long a fan favorite in St. Louis, into the business in a roundabout way. Ten years ago in spring training, he gave the glove he had used in the 1987 World Series to a young woman. In return, Christe Boen and her mother, Judy, baked cookies for McGee from time to time. The friendship between the soft-spoken McGee and the Boen family from suburban Ballwin blossomed, and this winter, during a Cardinals function, the relationship expanded. Now the soft cookies, $1.79 for a package of two at stores and $3 at the stadium and with McGee's smiling face on the box, are everywhere in the St. Louis area. ``They are doing very well for a new item,'' said Dee Wetzel, a spokeswoman for Schnucks Markets. ``Anything with the name Willie McGee on it will sell well in St. Louis.'' The Boens say the venture has gone so well they're considering approaching ballplayers in other cities to market their favorite cookies. McGee's soft batch debuted at Busch Stadium in mid-April, during the second homestand of the season, and the supply sold out the first night. ``From that point on, we were moving,'' McGee said. ``The cookies are all natural and they're good people, so that's how it worked out.'' The Boens often deliver plates of freshly-baked cookies to the Cardinals clubhouse. ``Who doesn't love Willie?'' said Judy Boen, whose recipe is used on the cookies. ``But if the Cardinals lose, he doesn't want cookies in the clubhouse.'' McGee's not into it for the money. All of his profits are going to his charities, which include a computer center and little leaguers. And he's not in a hurry to do anything like this full-time, not the way baseball is going. He's manager Tony La Russa's top pinch hitter and also has seen plenty of regular duty as well, batting .275 with one home run and 13 RBIs. ``I work hard,'' McGee said. ``I always think I should do better, and that's what keeps you going. I know I can do better if I can do what I'm supposed to.'' Suffice to say the rain-thin McGee's offseason didn't include eating a lot of his cookies. ``I'll eat one every now and then, but I don't just go crazy on anything,'' McGee said. ``It doesn't matter what it is. ``They're good, but I treat everything like everything. If I want a cookie, I eat it. If I want a cupcake, I'll eat a cupcake.''