When you look at Kevin Millar's numbers, nothing really jumps out at you. Physically, he looks more like a guy you'd sit next to you at a bar and watch a game with than a guy who would start at first base in that game.
Yet Millar undeniably brings something special to a baseball team, and it's that "something" that could earn him a roster spot on this year's Cubs.
"It's a dogfight now," Millar told The New York Times, in reference to his efforts to make the team. "It doesn't make sense on paper. People are going: 'Where does he fit in? They're all right-handed.' Well, yeah, they're right. It doesn't make sense. But it doesn't have to make sense. You fight as long as you can and maybe you get the nod."
Obviously, Millar's lack of worry is not surprising. In a clubhouse, he stands out as the loosest among the loose. In just a few weeks with the Cubs in Arizona, he's already made that impression.
"We like Kevin. He's a versatile player that's played on winning teams," manager Lou Piniella told the Times. "He's a loosey-goosey guy that could help with our chemistry and our makeup. We'll see what he's got left here this spring, but so far, we've been pleased."
Of course, no Millar story is ever complete with a reference to the idiots of 2004 and the "Cowboy Up!" Red Sox of 2003.
"[The 2004 team]," Millar explained, "was the group that said: 'Let's do it, so what? They're hotter, they're bigger, they're stronger, they're better-looking, they're richer.' But we had that mentality of, 'You know what? Let's roll.' We shaved our heads, we did what we had to do to win and be a team."
And even though he's yet to cement a major league job come April, Millar — ever the optimist — has only the positive possibilities in mind.
"Can you imagine if it happened?" Millar said when asked about winning a championship with the Cubs. "I mean, seriously, how cool would that be to have a ring from those two cities?"
