Kevin Millar was a fan favorite during his playing days with the Boston Red Sox. But apparently his popularity sometimes forced him to take drastic measures.
The former first baseman, who spent three seasons with the Red Sox and was part of Boston’s magical World Series run in 2004, recently was a guest on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” alongside Sean Casey.
The two former Sox — Casey played for Boston in 2008 — riffed about several memorable moments, including that time Manny Ramirez spiked shots with Viagra during the 2004 season. (“It felt like we were smuggling flashlights [while] playing catch,” Millar said.)
Yet Millar also revealed an interesting anecdote about how he sometimes was forced to duck autograph-seeking Red Sox fans by pretending he was on the phone. (His story begins at the 3:48 mark.)
“I used to walk off the bus, and you’d leave there, and there are people, and the next thing you know, you got fans,” Millar said. “And you can’t sign for everybody, and if you’ve got a two-minute bus, you’ve gotta roll, right? You’ve got a stream of people.
“So you’d have to fake (a) phone call walk of shame through. (You’d be like,) ‘Hello? Yeah, yeah,’ and you’re talking—‘What?! Come on, honey!’ — and you start screaming and then it gets more uptight. Next thing you know, you’re good. Like, ‘Woah, that guy’s crazy, next. Lou Merloni, can I have your signature?'”
We can’t exactly fault Millar here, as the man did have a bus to catch. But if you recall seeing the gregarious infielder having an animated discussion on the phone while in Boston, just a heads-up: He probably was faking it.
Thumbnail photo via Don McPeak/USA TODAY Sports Images
