Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Q&A: Damian Miller, Brewers catcher

Jon Staub (left), 11, and his mother Carmen Staub of Onalaska watch as Stephen Staub, 11, hands a miniature baseball bat to Milwaukee Brewers Catcher Damian Miller at the Brewers Banquet at the Best Western Midway Motorlodge in La Crosse. PETER THOMSON photo

By JOEL BADZINSKI / La Crosse Tribune

Damian Miller played the role of hometown hero to perfection Tuesday night during the Milwaukee Brewers Winter Caravan stop at the Best Western Midway Hotel.

The 35-year-old Miller, who was born in La Crosse, grew up in West Salem, Wis., and played college baseball at Viterbo University, joined the Brewers on Nov. 30, 2004, after signing a three-year contract worth about $8.75 million.

Before he mingled with hometown fans for the first time as a Brewer, Miller, entering his ninth Major League season, talked about becoming a member of the team he grew up rooting for.

Q: The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers also showed interest in you as a free agent before you agreed to terms with the Brewers. What convinced you to choose Milwaukee?

A: I know it would be a chance to go out and win a pennant, but with Milwaukee close to home and an ever-improving franchise, and in my opinion one of the best managers in baseball (Ned Yost) ... to get a chance to play for him on a daily basis and for Doug Melvin as a general manager who I have a lot of respect for, they're trying to get this thing going in the right direction and I just wanted to be a part of it.

Q: What did you do to celebrate after you finalized the contract?

A: I didn't do anything, really. It was pretty typical, low-key. Obviously, it was nice, but we didn't really do anything. My family came up and we had supper. My mom and dad, my wife's mom and dad and all their kids and all the cousins, aunts and uncles were all there.

Q: Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in 25 days. What will you be doing in the meantime to get ready for the grind of another season?

A: I've basically just been doing the same thing that I always do. Fortunately, I've been able to stay somewhat healthy for most of my career and I think it comes down to a lot of hard work during the offseason. My wife will get to the point where she'll push me if I start getting lazy. I'll also be spending time with family, soaking that up, because when the season starts, time kind of gets lost. Tomorrow, I'm going to go over to Viterbo and start working out, swinging the bat, and then I'm going to Phoenix in about two-and-a-half weeks, on Feb. 13. Then, I'll be able to go outside and throw and hit, work on my tan and play some golf with my buddies.

Q: It seems you've only gotten more durable with age, having played in at least 100 games in each of the last five seasons. Is there a key to staying healthy?

A: I'm sure some luck's involved, especially being a catcher. There's always a chance where you can get a ball here, get a ball there, and you're done for a couple weeks or a month. But fortunately, I've been able to avoid those, and knock on wood, I'll be able to do it for the next three years in Milwaukee. It comes down to keeping myself in shape during the offseason, preparing to catch 120 games. I've done it before and I kind of know what it takes now during the season, like ice and riding the bike, little stuff to stay healthy.

Q: What did you think about Ben Sheets as an opponent, and how does he compare to some of the other top-shelf pitchers you've worked with?

A: Ben Sheets is the one guy, who when you were going to play Milwaukee, you'd look at and hope you were going to miss him. That's how good he is, how good he can be and is going to be. He's a special player, a special talent and I think, barring injury, he's got the right mentality to go out and win 20 games. He's No. 1 on any staff. The Brewers are fortunate to have him, and I've heard that he wants to stay a Brewer and hopefully he will.

Q: Over the next three seasons, the Brewers are expected to bring up their highly-touted minor league prospects to the big leagues. What role, if any, will you take in helping their transition?

A: I was fortunate to come up on a team where there were a lot of veteran guys, like Jay Bell, Matt Williams, Chuck Finley, and watch them on a daily basis and how they played the game hard every day and do things the right way. There's no showboating, there's no coming in and saying, ‘I don't feel like playing.' They busted their butt to first base on a groundout. Those are the little things I look at and that's how you develop into a quality major leaguer. The way you play the game is what I look at, and I'm not afraid to say it to a younger player, either.

Q: What Brewers player did you pretend to be playing in your backyard as a kid?

A: I could still name the whole '82 lineup. I just liked the way all those guys played the game. Jimmy Gantner and Molly (Paul Molitor) and I really loved Robin Yount. I remember watching them and I was one of those kids who would go down to the bullpen and never ask for an autograph. I just watched the guys. How they ran to first base, and I remember Robin Yount running on and off the field. I was 8 or 10 years old and thinking, ‘Wow, he really hustles.' Those things are pretty cool to watch.

Q: What do you say to Viterbo players who ask you how a small-college kid like themselves can follow your footsteps to the big leagues?

A: I worked out with them last year, and they didn't really ask me. I don't know if they were afraid or what; I hope they're not. If they would ask me, I guess part of it was luck, being in the right spot at the right time and getting an opportunity. I've seen guys with a lot of talent get opportunities and not make the most of it. They let it fall by the wayside. I had to work my tail off, and obviously being from Wisconsin and a small school, I was always looked at like I couldn't handle it. But with talent, you can work hard enough to catch up and climb even higher than them and that's what I prided myself on.

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