A report from the New York Post says former Marlin, Red Sock and Oriole Kevin Millar is on the verge of signing a minor league deal with Toronto. If this gets done, the Blue Jays clubhouse will never be the same again!
Last year with the Orioles, the 37 year-old Millar batted .234/.323/.397 with 20 homers and 72 RBI, 71 walks, and 25 doubles. Damn the stats, I'm thrilled about the prospect of Millar coming here. He brings intangibles!
The "Beaumont Basher" is one of the funniest players to wear the uniform. He gained prominence in Red Sox Nation by coining the phrase "Cowboy Up" during the Red Sox rise of 2003 and 2004 and by performing this karaoke special. His sense of humour really shone through in this skit. Despite being a member of a divisional rival, Millar threw out the first pitch of Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS between Boston and Cleveland. As this clip says, there's only one Kevin Millar.
Last season with the O's, Millar and new Jay Adam Loewen starred in the video for the club anthem "Orioles Magic". He also interviewed the participants in a behind the scenes feature of the video. Here's hoping he gets to opening day with the Jays in '09. Here was his introduction at the O's home opener last season.
For you trivia hounds out there, Millar is the nephew of former Blue Jay Wayne Nordhagen. For you young punk whipper-snappers who say "Wayne who?", Nordhagen led the AL in pinch-hitting as a member of the 1982 Jays according to baseballlibrary.com. Nordhagen played a big role in helping Toronto tie Cleveland for the A.L. East cellar that season, the first time the Jays had company in the division basement. Every fan owes him a small debt of gratitude for that. Thanks Wayne!
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In other news, the Jays have avoided arbitration with lefty Brian Tallet, aka Wolverine, according to MLB Trade Rumours via the Denver Post. How does the Denver Post get this scoop? That leaves righty reliever Shawn Camp as the last arbitration-eligible player to sign with the club.
Also, USA Today's Sports Weekly has released its annual "100 Names You Need To Know" for the 2009 season. Travis Snider and David Purcey made the list. I thought Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero, and J.P. Arencibia might have garnered a mention as well. Your thoughts, Bauxites?
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20090205122101889