Baseball: More from Damian Miller
Damian Miller, who has all but officially retired after an 11-year major league career, reflected last week on his career during a speech at the state Associated Press Sports Editors convention in Onalaska, not far from his hometown and current residence of West Salem.
A story on Miller's Forrest Gump-like career ran in Wednesday's print edition of the new Cap Times weekly. Here are some of Miller's thoughts on other topics in baseball.
The best minds in baseball
The first name that came to mind was Buck Showalter, his manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Evidently, the players referred to him as Little Napoleon, a reference to his diminutive stature and a disciplinarian, and reinforced by the fact that he had some sort of world map hanging on the wall behind his desk in his office. "Like he was going to conquer the world or something," Miller said.
That said, Miller credits Showalter for developing him both as a player and a driving force in the clubhouse.
"Buck saw something in me I didn't see," Miller said. "He wanted me to be the team leader."
Miller also mentioned pitcher Curt Schilling, his teammate in Arizona, who later helped the Red Sox to a pair of World Series championships as well. Dusty Baker, who managed Miller with the Cubs in 2003, makes the list "in a Zen kind of way," as he was prone to passing along parables about Attila the Hun and the like.
The last name on the list is most interesting: Dale Sveum, the former Brewers shortstop who now serves as third base coach for Milwaukee. Sveum was replaced as bench coach this season by Ted Simmons, and the move was seen as a demotion. But Miller has a lot of respect for Sveum and believes he would make a great manager, especially from a player's point of view.
"He really sees the game," Miller said. "And after he quit playing, he didn't forget how hard the game is. Some guys get upset when you strike out with the bases loaded. Yeah, like you've never done that?"
Barry Zito, the modern day "Spaceman"
The eccentric A's left-hander liked to visit thrift stores in the Bay Area despite his millionaire status. One time, Zito boarded the plane in a white denim jumpsuit that Miller described as being almost painted on.
The kicker: Zito apparently was going "commando." That is, without undergarments.
"Unbelievable."
The best player he ever saw
Hall of Famer outfielder Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins, Miller said without hesitation, noting he had the most pure baseball talent he has seen. He cited former Arizona Diamondbacks teammate Randy Johnson as the most dominant pitcher he has ever seen.
Playing during the steroid age
Miller characterized himself as being "naive" about steroids, because he never saw anyone actually inject them or use them. But he wasn't ignorant of the usage of performance-enhancing drugs.
"I got nothing to hide," Miller said. "I wouldn't be like Canseco and sell people out. But I never really saw it. You saw guys you played with and it was pretty obvious they did something, because in batting practice they'd hit in eight miles, and that's not humanly possible. What could you do about it at the time? I didn't like it ... but what can you do?"
When the Mitchell Report came out, Miller said he was taken aback with one name that appeared: Dan Naulty. Turns out that Naulty had beaten out a friend from La Crosse for a roster spot with the Twins at one point, and it was a turning point in both their careers.
Notably, Naulty has been outspoken about his remorse over using steroids and other substances, noting in an essay he wrote for the New York Daily News that "I had cheated my way right onto the team that year by using steroids, human growth hormone and amphetamines. I was watching my so-called friends leave big-league camp, beginning another grueling year in the minors, while I kept sticking needles in my butt and patting them on the back as they were dismissed."
Overall, Miller believes the tide has turned, to the benefit of baseball.
"Now, it's on the rebound, and hopefully they get it cleaned up," he said.
His affinity for playing with the Cubs, even though he thought Wrigley Field was a dump:
"Now I hope the Brewers beat their ass every time."
The scrutiny that players are under in the Internet age, where their every move can be watched and recorded
Miller said players today are "like monkeys in a cage" and the majority have learned to play it safe. For instance, after road games in 2007, he and a large group of Brewers teammates would convene in Geoff Jenkins' suite and play video games and talk shop.
The differences between reaching the major leagues today vs. when he was young
None, he said. Just play hard. "At 10 or 12, I believed I was going to be in the major leagues," Miller said. "You either have that or you don't have that."
And if he were coaching youth baseball: "If I'm coaching, I let 'em play and have fun."
The best places to play
Miller's favorite park is AT&T Field in San Francisco, but his favorite fans were in St. Louis. "I never heard a fan in St. Louis boo the other team's players," he said. "They root for their players, that's it."
