 04/07/2003 1:18 PM ET
'I can't wait to get to Fenway'
After five seasons with the Florida Marlins, Kevin Millar was acquired by the Red Sox in February. With his fiery style of play and joy for the game, he seems like a natural fit for both the Red Sox and Boston. Millar will do a first-person column for MLB.com twice a month this season. In the first installment, the solid right-handed hitter -- who drove in nine runs and hit .381 in his first week with his new team -- discusses his transition to the Red Sox.
The first time it really hit me that I was part of the Red Sox was the first day I put on the uniform. When you're wearing the red and you've got the Boston Red Sox uniform on, I think that's when it hits you. There's so much tradition that comes with wearing this uniform.
I had a great time in Florida, but it was just a whole different situation for me. You have a lot of young guys on that team in Florida, and I was one of the older guys. I think coming over here, it's a more mature clubhouse. You have great players. You have future Hall of Famers. You have that maturity.
But what is special about it is that you have these mature, experienced guys, and they are still having fun. You have guys that are grinders. I think that's what makes this clubhouse excellent. You have the superstars without the superstar egos. I think we have a great nucleus of guys here.
Of course, the other big change over here is the media. There is so much more that follows the Red Sox than in Florida. I'm a little different than some guys in that I've always appreciated the media. The way I look at it is, don't knock the media until there's none around.
Some guys that are here don't know any different. They think that with all the media attention and scrutiny, that's just the way it is. But it's not the way it is everywhere. In some other cities you show up and you hardly have any fans or media. So you'll never hear me complain about too much media.
Coming over to a new team is an adjustment for anyone, but it's probably been a little easier for me to fit right in just because of my personality. I've always been a people person. I've always loved my teammates.
The one thing I've always hated is cliques on a team. I'm the kind of guy who is going to go up and talk to everybody or eat with everybody. I'm not one of those guys who will segregate myself from pitchers or anything like that. We're all a family. You shower together and you're going to eat together, so why not hang out with each other and pick on each other too. I think that's what it's all about and it's made things easier for me coming over here.
One thing you'll notice about me when I have the uniform on is that I'm in a good mood. We play a game for a living. I think sometimes people lose perspective of that. If I didn't make a dollar out there on that field, I'd still be out there playing. I love it. I love to play. I love to compete.
I've been doing this since I was a little kid and it's all I know. I'm a little strange that way. This is fun. I want to try and keep it like that, and show the guys that type of enthusiasm all the time. It's OK to have fun it's OK to smile. Enjoy what you're doing.
Kevin Millar
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Look at what is going on with the conflict in Iraq. That sort of puts it all in perspective. When I almost ended up in Japan and then changed my mind, I made it known that I didn't want to be playing in a different part of the world if our country was at war. I don't think a lot of people took me seriously. Everyone was like, 'yeah, war, whatever'. But we didn't know when it was going to happen in January and February.
We didn't know if it was going to be six months or next week and it ended up being a lot sooner than people anticipated and this is exactly why I didn't want to go to Japan. Not that Japan is in danger or anything, but just being out of the country as an American and U.S. citizen would have been extremely hard for me to take.
This is where I want to be. This is where my family and my roots are and I don't want to be out of the country during war.
It was funny all the hype there was over my whole situation during the winter. I remember reading somewhere some fan quoted as saying he was tired of hearing about Kevin Millar.
The guy said, "I'm so sick of hearing about this guy. And who is he anyway? It's not like he's Barry Bonds or anything."
Maybe with all the extra attention my situation got, the natural thing for me to do would have been to come in here and try and prove to people that I was Barry Bonds, which would have been ridiculous.
What helped me coming over here was that this is my sixth year in the big leagues. If I were a rookie, it would be a little bit different. I've learned you don't have to impress anybody. My track record is that I can hit. I've hit .300. Hey, what do I have to prove to anybody? My biggest thing is to be consistent. Be consistent. Be consistent every day, whether that's hitting or fielding.
I came over here with a bad rap defensively. But hey, I've worked extremely hard over the years at third, I've worked extremely hard at first, and the outfield. That's the bottom line.
Opening my Red Sox career with 10 road games was probably a good thing because it gave me time to get acclimated. But man, I can't wait to get to Fenway Park on Friday.
It's something I've really been looking forward to. I just hope there is no snow or rain. It's going to be a dream being in the home white Red Sox uniform on Opening Day.
Nothing is going to be more special than that day, there is nothing I'm looking forward to more. Just thinking about getting out on that field and smelling the hot dogs and looking at the fans and all the red that is going to be in the seats. It's going to be awesome.
That field is suited perfectly for me. I'm a pull hitter. Who knows what is going to happen. I'm just excited to be a part of it.
Kevin Millar's diary appears as told to MLB.com reporter Ian Browne. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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