There's a reason Kevin Millar stands a very good chance of making the Toronto Blue Jays roster, even if Baseball reality suggests a 37-year-old part-time player is a long shot.
One characteristic Millar owns more than any other Jay, and more than most major leaguers, in fact, is character itself. He has enough wit, humour and guts to force even the most stressed-out auto executives in Detroit to not take themselves quite so seriously. The veteran entered Jays spring training yesterday on his invite contract.
"The Jays were the first team to call, and I spoke to J.P. (GM Ricciardi) about how I liked playing against this group (Jays) a lot over the years," said Millar, a popular figure with great teams in Boston, who spent the past two seasons in Baltimore.
"Brad Arnsberg (pitching coach) was one of my coaches in Florida earlier in my career, so it's like it's the right fit. They've got a bunch of Baseball players there. You look at them on paper and nothing comes out and blows your socks off, but they want to win. And we all looked at what Tampa did last year, going from a last place team to the World Series, and it gives you hope."
Millar managed a .234 average in 145 games, with 20 homers and 72 RBI, in Baltimore last year. Those numbers remained solid for a player whom Baltimore admitted they signed for his character, and who went on to set a franchise record in 2007 for reaching base safely in 52 straight games.
His apparent fit in Toronto hasn't been defined beyond playing first base when Lyle Overbay needs a day off, and some work at designated hitter when youngsters Adam Lind or Travis Snider need a break, or when the Jays are facing a particularly nasty left-handed pitcher.
In fact, if Millar was a plane-jane, run-of-the-mill veteran on his last legs, chances are good he would be out of a job.
"I love people, I've always loved my teammates," said Millar, who remains a sought-after player because of his character.
"We can't forget this is a game and we're all fortunate to play it for a living. My job is to make sure we don't forget that. There's tough times in this game, but it's a group of guys who care a lot about each other that wins. Money never drove me to play this game, and money doesn't win championships. The group wins championships."
Nowhere was there more evidence of that "pull-together" ideal than in Boston when, with the Red Sox in the 2003 post-season, Millar coined the phrase "cowboy up," in defence of pitcher Derek Lowe (who was being criticized in the media). Then came the famous "idiots" quote in the 2004 post-season, which was a euphemism for the care-free, we're-having-fun attitude in the clubhouse.
In Boston, where the Red Sox are as much a religion as the Canadiens are in Montreal, fans took Millar's words to heart. Cowboy hats and "idiots" T-shirts sprang up all over town. Millar is from California, but enamoured fans insisted he was a cowboy from Texas.
Play FOX Fantasy Baseball today
