FanHouse Kevin Millar

FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Toronto Blue Jays.

There's no team in baseball in a worse spot than the Blue Jays. They've had to contend with the megapowers in New York and Boston for years, watching their competitive payroll and over-.500 seasons amount to nothing more than third-place finish after-third place finish. No matter how much they have spent and how much they have won, it has never been enough to catch the Red Sox or the Yankees.

It's hard enough trying to find an agreeable contract if you're a former All-Star like Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu, but if you're an aging journeyman coming off the worst season of your career? You have to take what you can get.

The Blue Jays must be hoping Kevin Millar subscribes to that "beggars can't be choosers" philosophy, as GM J.P. Ricciardi has confirmed that he's extended a minor league contract and an invitation to spring training to the 37-year-old slugger.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

Meet the new Rays. Tampa Bay's ascent to the top of the American League has robbed the Eastern division of its perennial doormat, but there's someone new on the block to push around -- the Orioles. It's now been 11 seasons since Baltimore qualified for the playoffs or even had a winning record, and that dubious run will likely be extended in 2009.

But it's not all doom and gloom in the Charm City. In fact, in a little more than a year Andy MacPhail -- seemingly free from the tinkering and meddling of owner Peter Angelos -- finally has the Orioles pointed in the right direction. In any other division, you know one that doesn't have four teams with 80-plus wins already in it, the O's might have even been within shouting distance of the .500 mark this year.

There is little hope of contending in the immediate future in Baltimore, but the organization's recent mistakes have almost all been caused by thinking that there was a quick fix somewhere out there. The Orioles have a rapidly improving farm system and they're not that far from being a real factor, but in order to get there, they're going to need to stay on the track MacPhail has started them down.

If there wasn't some sort of bet involved, I would probably believe that Kevin Millar wanted to make a plate appearance sporting platinum blonde hair and with Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice, Baby" blaring in the background. The fact that he did so because he lost a bet is just a hefty spoonful of gravy. From Bromoblog:

Kevin Millar came plate for his first at bat tonight with Platinum Blond hair and accompanied by "Ice Ice Baby." Our source reports that this odd appearance is due to a wager on the NBA finals made with former Red Sox teammate Jason Varitek. We are trying to confirm this, and will hopefully have pictures and video up later tonight.

God bless Bromoblog for following through on the promise.



I, for one, most certainly owned as much Vanilla Ice "music" as I could get my hands on back in the day. He did, after all, rule my middle school dances. Well, him and one of our English teachers convincing us it was funny to yell "Freebird!" every 20 minutes. It was not.

Back in the 1980's, music videos starring professional athletic teams were all the rage. It's nice to see that the Baltimore Orioles, who, at 21-19 seem to have forgotten exactly who, what, where and when they are, are keeping that tradition alive with Orioles Magic! Feel it hap-pen! I'm totally on board the bandwagon.



There's no way I'm the only one who can actually see Kevin Millar playing the role of lounge singer after he retires.

Via Hot Clicks

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Just when you think Manny Ramirez can't do something any more bizarre then, oh I don't know, relieving himself in the Green Monster or cutting off a throw from Johnny Damon in left field, he goes and proves everyone wrong. The Red Sox fell to Baltimore today, wrapping up an ugly 4-6 road trip, but it was Ramirez who provided the unforgettable memory, and it had nothing to do with his ongoing chase for 500 home runs.

Ramirez went back on a sharp line drive by Kevin Millar in the third inning and made a running catch in the gap. Then the fun began. In full stride, Ramirez leaped against the left field wall, high-fived a fan in the stands and then twirled and fired the ball back to Dustin Pedroia, who relayed the ball to first to double off Aubrey Huff. Too hard to follow? Watch the video evidence here.

I caught up with Ramirez after the game to ask him about his catch. "I just got a bad jump, but I never give up and I got there," he said of the grab. When another reporter pressed him on the high five Ramirez explained "it's something that came out."

Ever the showman, Manny joked (or at least I think he was joking) about the play. "It was fun. I love it. I think, you know, that's how you get your All-Star vote. I'm pretty sure that guy's gonna vote for me," said Ramirez. "It's one at a time, you know. Get your votes one at a time."

Any short list of the worst franchises in Major League Baseball has to include the Baltimore Orioles, the team that, through a near-legendary streak of organizational mismanagement, has miraculously turned Cal Ripken, Jr. and Camden Yards into this year's hopeless operation. It's been a sad decade or so for the Orioles, but hey, at least Peter Angelos has gotten rich! That's always a plus. For Peter Angelos.

Anyway, the Orioles have literally no chance of competing for anything this year, hot start be damned. Though that won't stop them from hanging their onions out early this year:

"If the players think they're getting short-changed, that's just more incentive," manager Dave Trembley said. "I don't give a hoot what Sports Illustrated or Fox or Ken [Rosenthal] has to say about us. I think it's good our guys think they're a little better than other people think."

"I think we were 30th out of 30 in the preseason power rankings," [Kevin] Millar said. " ... I'm sure you all jumped on the Detroit Tigers early. The game of baseball is fun. You all have favorites, but when the light comes on, you play the game on the field."

I totally agree with Kevin. Thing is, when the Orioles play the game on the field, they're usually -- not over four or five games, mind you, but over a long season -- not as good as most of the other teams in baseball. As much as I'd like for the Orioles to be good, and am enjoying their sexy start as much as the next guy, let's all be real, shall we?

According to Kevin Millar's latest entry at MLB.com, Aubrey Huff has the worst body on the Orioles, (but he's trying hard to get in shape!) Dave Trembley is running the best spring training e-var and he was somewhat uneducated about what to toss in his body to starve off the grind that is an MLB baseball season.

That's until Luke Scott took him to Vitamin World to shop for cayenne pepper and some neem leaves.

It was a great day, and Luke explained to me the natural ways to make yourself feel good. You can get to a point where you're run down, because this is a taxing sport and we play 200 days from March through October. I feel great, and I've got other stuff like flax oil and glucosamine, but I don't know if I'm going to be suspended for the 2009 season.

Let's get that out of the way: If they start testing in baseball for cayenne pepper -- which is basically a natural greenie -- then I'm out of baseball for 2009. If I look like Brandon Fahey by the time the season starts, then you know cayenne pepper works.

Upon reading this post, Prince Fielder immediately checked his diet for PEDs.

Kevin Millar saw Ryan Dempster's World Series prediction for the Cubs and decided to match it. From the Baltimore Sun:

"I'm going on the record right now. We're going to shock the world. I don't know who Dempster is in Chicago, but if he thinks he's going to win the World Series, he has to come through us first."

Millar had one more prediction: "I'm going deep off Ryan Dempster," he said.

Through the magic of interleague play, the Orioles and Cubs actually face off for a three-game set at Wrigley Field from June 24-26 -- call me a cynic for not having faith in a Baltimore-Chicago World Series, but I'm guessing that weekend in June will be the only chance Millar has at teeing off on Dempster this year.

But Millar was half-right about the World Series going through Baltimore this year -- the Red Sox play nine games at Fenway South this year.

(via Larry Brown Sports)

I don't think I've ever seen an active player throw out a first pitch before, let alone an active player on a team not involved in the game, but if I had to guess who'd be the first one I suppose Kevin Millar re-living his Red Sox days would be near the top. Honestly, though, I'm surprised the commissioner's office even allowed it -- it just seems wrong on so many different levels for a division rival to be involved in another team's post-season festivities. Even Terry Francona seems weirded out by it.

Millar claims that he was simply hoping for a good game, but we all know that's a load of crap -- I'm surprised he didn't dig out his old Red Sox jersey and wear his World Series ring. Does he remind anyone else of Wooderson from Dazed and Confused? "That's what I love about these Red Sox rookies, man; I get older, they stay the same age."

(hat-tip: Red Sox Monster)