Damian Miller reflects on his Forrest Gump-like career
His professional baseball career started at a tiny Rookie League outpost in Tennessee, where one of his fondest memories is chipping in with five buddies to buy a $50 beater of a Pontiac that started smoking after a couple gulps of gas.
Some 18 years and numerous miles on his personal odometer later, that career hasn't officially ended. More like faded away.
"Physically, I can still play," Damian Miller was saying last Thursday night at the Associated Press Sports Editors state convention in Onalaska, not far from his hometown and current residence of West Salem.
"But like Brett (Favre) said in his news conference, I don't want to."
Fortunately, his memories are more resonant than ever, as anyone would know if they're lucky enough to hear the Forrest Gump-like synopsis of Miller's career from the man who lived and loved it through his final at-bat with Milwaukee last season.
It wasn't just that he played alongside so many future Hall of Famers, guys like Paul Molitor, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling; that'll happen when you spend time with five franchises in 11 major league seasons. What's notable is that despite being a 20th round draft choice out of tiny Viterbo College in La Crosse and not making the big leagues until age 27, he found himself in an inordinate number of the more memorable moments of baseball's last decade.
Consider:
• He caught a 20-strikeout game from Johnson, who autographed the lineup card and left it on Miller's stool as a keepsake for tying the major league record. "The most dominant pitcher I ever caught," Miller said.
• He played in the 2001 World Series for Arizona against New York amid the aftermath of 9/11, when the Diamondbacks persevered after two blown saves by Byung-Hyun Kim and halted a Yankee dynasty that had won four of the previous five championships. For his part, Miller survived being heckled by actor Adam Sandler, who, flanked by Jack Nicholson behind the Arizona dugout in a game in the Bronx, shouted "You suck" at Miller as he walked back after a strikeout.
• That he was in line to receive the first-ever Ted Williams Trophy as MVP of the All-Star Game until the 2002 Midsummer Classic infamously ended in a 7-7 tie, and no award was given. "Imagine that," said Miller, who had two doubles, an RBI and scored a run in the game while playing for the National League. "My luck."
• He was five outs from a second World Series appearance in 2003 when the Cubs unraveled in Game 6 of the NLCS against Florida and Steve Bartman became the latest scapegoat for the franchise's now century-old championship drought. When Miller got back to the clubhouse, did he replay the scene of Bartman standing up to grab the ball along the left-field line in the eighth inning, inadvertently costing outfielder Moises Alou a chance at an out? "I didn't really think about Bartman at all. We still had Game 7, and I thought, 'We got this locked up. Woody (Kerry Wood) vs. Mark Redman? Come on,' " Miller said, referring to the starting pitchers in the deciding game the following day, which Florida won. "But the Marlins just got hot. They beat us fair and square. Who knows if Moises catches that ball if we win anyway?"
• Oh, and while in Double-A, he played against Michael Jordan during the greatest player in NBA history's ill-fated crossover attempt. Miller's got the autographed collectibles to prove it.
"I went from a shy kid from West Salem to a World Series champion," Miller said, "and I learned a lot along the way."
The applicable lesson right now is that Miller, whose three-year contract with the Brewers expired after last season, no longer needs to play baseball to be content with his life. He's coaching youth soccer and helping out with the West Salem prep baseball team, and the avid outdoorsman recently bagged a turkey in his first exposure to the spring hunt.
That said, proven catchers are a valuable commodity. So it's not surprising that even though Miller noticeably slowed down last year — he batted just .237 in 58 games, although he still drove in 24 runs — the 38-year-old fielded calls in April from the Yankees and San Diego when injuries depleted their depth at the position.
Miller turned them down flat, not wanting to spend any more time out on the road, away from his family. In fact, he said the only offer he would find tough to turn down is another stint with the Brewers.
"Best three years I've had in my career," Miller said, complimenting the core of up-and-coming players who are "as talented and egoless as anywhere."
In particular, rising star Prince Fielder, who often sought advice from him and the other veterans. Miller liked to pass along the line given him when he was a Twins minor leaguer by Dave Winfield, another Hall of Famer with whom he crossed paths: You're never bigger than the game.
"I really tried to impress that to Prince, because he's a rock star waiting to happen," Miller said of Fielder, who last season became the youngest player to hit 50 home runs. "I think he tried to take that to heart."
Miller had his share of big hits with Milwaukee over the last three seasons, but he took a low profile in the clubhouse when it came to the media spotlight, choosing to defer attention to those young stars. So, with his playing career likely behind him now, it was refreshing to see him elaborate at length on the joy he experienced as a kid from a small Wisconsin town who got to live his dream.
"I can look back with zero regrets," he said.
File photo
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Brewers' Damian Miller is mobbed by teammates after hitting a walk-off, three-run, home run against the Astros in this June 27, 2007, file photo.
