Kevin Millar

Kevin Millar has a phrase he keeps close. “Against All Odds,” tattooed on his upper left arm, captures the unlikeliness of a 12-year career in major-league baseball that began with the Florida Marlins in 1998 and led to a position on the Boston Red Sox team that broke an 86-year world championship drought to win the 2004 World Series. During a 2001 interview while playing for the Florida Marlins, Millar, who was batting an impressive .326 at the time, said, “I’m not supposed to be here. “I’m the outcast. I’m that guy.”1

How did he get there against all odds? At 21 he was undrafted and, he admits, did not have a natural toolbox of size or speed to be a professional baseball player. Yet, he didn’t let a series of initial disappointments and setbacks douse his dreams because what he did have was passion for the game: an insatiable desire to play ball, a dedicated work ethic developed as a young boy, and an infectious team spirit. “I’m a baseball player. … I love this game. I love this game. I love this game. This is all I know.”2

Kevin Charles Millar was born on September 24, 1971, in Monterey County, California, to Charles “Chuck” Millar and Judy (Heary) Millar while his father was in the military. His early love for baseball certainly seems to have been in his DNA. Less than two months before her son was born, Judy was on the field playing fast-pitch softball and Chuck had played park league baseball before serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War. The young family settled in Valencia in Los Angeles County’s Santa Clarita Valley, where Chuck worked as a lab technician and Judy as a dental hygienist. The story his parents tell is that at age 2 Kevin picked up a bat and, standing in front of a mirror, practiced his swing and batting stance and, according to his father, he slept with his bat.3] It was around this time, too, that his parents divorced but during his childhood his parents lived about 10 minutes from each other. Trying to find an outlet for her young son’s zeal for the game led Judy to tell a white lie and enroll her son in T-ball when he was six months shy of his fifth birthday. For his part, Chuck installed mercury vapor lights in his backyard and bought a pitching machine so his son could hit Wiffle balls as long as he wanted. According to Kevin, “We’d go buy a hundred Wiffle balls and play all day, all night.”4

At this time youth baseball in Santa Clarita had grown in popularity with the success of the William S. Hart Boys Baseball program, and Kevin took the opportunity to play for two different league teams. “I was playing a 40-game schedule when everyone else was playing 20 games,” he said.5 In 1984 Millar’s Hart team was 44-0 and won the Bronco Division World Championship in the Pony League World Series, played that year in St. Joseph, Missouri.6 When he was 14 his mother moved to Los Angeles, but Millar remained in Valencia to attend Hart High School, which had a successful baseball program. He lived with his father, and for a while with his aunt, Carrie Millar, and her husband, Wayne Nordhagen, who played eight seasons in major-league baseball, and encouraged his young nephew to work hard toward his dreams. “He was my guy, I wanted to be like him,” Millar said of Nordhagen.7] In his early high-school years Millar described himself as a “third-string second baseman and a late-bloomer, but my dad always inspired me and never said ‘no’ to my playing. In the baseball toolbox, I think there should be a sixth tool, a kid’s heart.”8

His early years of persistence paid off. When he retired from the majors his slugging average was a solid .452 while his OPS was .810, an average that places him in the upper ranks of major-league statistics for power hitting combined with getting on base, a skill that did not go unnoticed by the Red Sox franchise in 2003. Nevertheless, the road to a World Series championship was for Millar, like his Red Sox team, one of several tough breaks and disappointments. Yet, he never doubted he would play in the majors, confessing, “I got frustrated, even angry about my playing time. But I never gave up on my dream.”9

Los Angeles baseball in the 1980s drew a lot of attention. The Dodgers posted multiple division titles throughout the late ’70s and ’80s and won two World Series championships. In nearby Anaheim Nolan Ryan was breaking records for the Angels, bringing them a division championship in 1979. In his junior year Millar moved to Los Angeles to live with his mother and enrolled in University High School just at the time Frank Cruz and Hal Kurtzman began their legendary high-school coaching careers there. That first year at University, Millar played on the school’s team that went to the final rounds of the citywide championships in Dodger Stadium.10

After his senior year Millar did not receive a single offer to play at the collegiate level. Undeterred, he attended Los Angeles City College, where he was coached by Dan Cowgill, who remembered Millar calling him at 7:00 A.M. saying, “Let’s go to the park and hit.”11

After two years at Los Angeles City College, Millar was again undrafted but was offered his one and only recruiting opportunity to play college ball at a Division I school, the result of a fortuitous coincidence. Jim Gilligan, the coach at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, spotted Millar remaining on the field after practice to field groundballs. Impressed with his work ethic, Gilligan offered him a scholarship. Millar jumped at the chance and enrolled at Lamar, a decision that was life-changing.

The early 1990s were a period of turmoil in Los Angeles with gang violence and police riots. Both Millar’s parents had remarried and with his mother moving to Los Angeles, Millar’s life had often been full of change. Arriving at Beaumont as a punk kid from LA, he immediately liked the slower-paced, close-knit community. In 1992 Gilligan’s determination turned the Lamar team around and it was recognized by the NCAA for achieving the biggest improvement over a previous season.

Millar’s contribution was evident. He led the Cardinals in runs, hits, home runs, and RBIs and was awarded All-Sun Belt Conference honors and the Al Vincent Award, given to Lamar’s top hitter. Then he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League where he is posted as the team’s starting left-fielder.12 Returning to Lamar for the 1993 season, he was instrumental in bringing the team (44-18) the Sun Belt Conference regular-season, that led to a a berth in the NCAA Central Regional Championships although the team did not advance beyond the regional tournament.13]After his senior year at Lamar, when he batted .324 with 54 RBIs, Millar was overlooked again although he had been told he had a good chance of being selected somewhere near the middle of the draft.14

Millar, a self-proclaimed “fake drinker.15]He bought a 12-pack and checked into a motel. “I sat there by myself, thinking baseball was over for me,” he said. “I got smashed, and I cried and cried. It was the first time this game brought me to tears.”16

He did not give up. Another break came his way, part coincidence, part good fortune, and part the result of Millar’s unflinching goal of playing in the majors. Sam Hughes, who played for Louisiana Tech and whose father, Gary Hughes, was the Florida Marlins’ director of scouting, told his father about Millar. According to Hughes, Sam said, “Dad, this guy can play. He loves the bat more than anything.”17]Jim Gilligan, his coach at Lamar, encouraged him to fly to St. Paul for tryouts in the newly formed Northern League. Millar signed his first professional contract with the scout, Dan Lunetta, with the St. Paul Saints on June 8, 1993.18]Millar played alongside Leon Durham, a two-time Cubs All-Star first baseman and outfielder. The two became roommates and, in interviews, Millar credited Durham’s experience and encouragement as crucial to building his own confidence that he had what it took to play in the big leagues. Millar hit .260 with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs in 63 games. His contract and those of two others were sold to the newest major-league team, the Florida Marlins. Millar’s contract sold for  $5,000.and on September 20, 1993, Millar signed with the Marlins.19 Millar said he ended up with about $900 as a signing bonus and, feeling flush, returned to Beaumont and invited his friends to an Outback Steakhouse to celebrate.20 A few days shy of 22, defying the odds with no agent and having been overlooked in the draft on multiple occasions, Millar finally had a big-league contract.

Millar’s next hurdle was to succeed in the minor leagues, where he spent the next four years with the Kane County Cougars, Brevard County Manatees, Portland Sea Dogs, and the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. In 1994 with Kane County of the Class-A Midwest League, Millar was named an all-star. In 1995, because the players’ strike was ongoing, the Marlins ordered Millar and several other nonroster players to report to spring training for possible use as replacement players. The offer was $5,000 for spring training and an additional $5,000 if they made the Opening Day roster. The players were told that if they didn’t show up, they would be expected to turn in their uniforms.21 Millar complied with the demand for the sake of staying in baseball. He was not a member of the players union and at the time the consequences for showing up for spring training were unclear.

“I was not a replacement player,” he said. “I never reaped the benefits from the union then crossed the line. I was a guy from the Northern League who had bad timing, who was told by the Marlins farm director, John Boles, I had no choice.”22 He only had a few at-bats and decided to quit the replacement team before regular season began.23 Nevertheless, Millar was regarded as a replacement player when he eventually reached the major leagues. When the strike resolved one day before Opening Day, the replacement players did not take the field but there were repercussions. After the strike the union agreed to give players like Millar all the benefits of regular union members, but not membership in the union or union representation in negotiations. “No one knew at the time. No big-league players came down and talked to the minor league,” Millar said.24 However, he’s never been ostracized. He’s been a union supporter all his life. “Guys understand I came through a weird way to get to the big leagues as a nobody. … I’ve never had problems with my teammates,” Millar said.25 However, financial consequences continue. Replacement players were allowed to play on the postseason teams, but not allowed to benefit from any commemorative merchandise, or be featured by name on video games or other types of games, such as the American Professional Baseball Association simulation board game where replacement players are assigned an APBA fake name. Millar is known as Mike Butcher.26

As a nonprospect, a guy who wasn’t drafted, who didn’t have a team with an investment in his future, Millar had to work for his playing time in the minors. His breakthrough came in 1997, his last full year with the Portland Sea Dogs of the Double-A Eastern League, when he hit .343 with 32 home runs and 131 RBIs and was named Eastern League Player of the Year.27 While playing for the Sea Dogs, Millar set a minor-league record of reaching base in 71 straight games.28 His record was tied by Kevin Youkilis (2003) and Mookie Betts (2013-2014), and was broken by Andrew Velazquez of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014.

Millar also put in time in the winter leagues in the Dominican Republic and in the Mexican Pacific League for three seasons beginning in 1995 along with future Red Sox teammate Keith Foulke. In 1995 Millar met his future wife, Jeana, at a friend’s wedding in Beaumont. They were married in October 1999 and lived in Beaumont for the next 20 years.

Millar made the Marlins in 1998 as a third baseman. “That moment is something you live for,” he said.29 He made his major-league debut on April 11 and drew a pinch-hit walk in his first at-bat. Injured in his second game, he was sent back to Triple-A Charlotte Knights for the rest of the season. He spent the first month of the 1999 season with Triple-A Calgary Cannons, and was called up on May 21. He remained with the Marlins through 2002. In the four full seasons Millar played for the Marlins, he batted .296; his best year was 2001, when he batted .314 with 20 home runs and 85 RBIs. On the field he alternated between first and third bases as well as the outfield.

Baseball is filled with celebrities and superstars, but the heart of the game lives in those ballplayers who have toughed it out without much fanfare or spotlight. Upbeat, energetic, and never giving in are qualities that propelled Millar throughout his career. As Marlins catcher Mike Redmond once said, “There are guys who fall through the cracks, and they have to do every little thing they can to get noticed. Kevin’s stuck around for one reason – he’s a gamer.”30 And then there is the fact that Millar’s personality, his enthusiasm for playing a game he loves, can be infectious and add some levity when needed, like when he sprayed doe urine on his bat for good luck in the Opening Day game with the Marlins in 2002, or growing out his beard during his 25-game hitting streak that season.31 About his ribbing and joking around the clubhouse, Millar was clear: “it’s because I don’t like cliques. … Guys on a team need to like one another, top to bottom.”32 The South Florida Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America voted him their “Most Improved Player” in 2001 and in 2002 they gave him their “Good Guy” Award.33

When Theo Epstein and the Red Sox organization began building their team for the 2003 season, Millar was on their radar. For the 2003 season the Red Sox brought on several nontendered players, including David Ortiz and Bill Mueller. Millar could hit and get on base. By the end of the 2002 season, his career batting average with runners in scoring position was .318, and with the bases loaded it was an impressive .421. Not only could he hit under pressure, he could also bring a spirit of levity and camaraderie to the team, overcoming a defeatist mentality that often arose at crucial moments, and could help break an 86-year old curse to ultimately bring home the biggest prize of all, a World Series championship trophy to Boston. Epstein knew Millar could be a leader in the clubhouse.34

In true Kevin Millar fashion, getting to Boston was not without a few bumps in the road. In January 2003 the Marlins signed Todd Hollandsworth of the Texas Rangers to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. All of Millar’s career had been spent with the Marlins and although he was well-liked within the organization and by Marlins fans, his position in the outfield made him vulnerable when the left-handed Hollandsworth was signed.35 The Marlins sold Millar’s contract to the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. On January 9, 2003, Millar signed a two-year contract worth $6.2 million plus a signing bonus of $500,000 with additional bonuses for the next two years and a $3 million player option for 2005. For the contract to go through, Millar had to clear waivers. For Millar, 31, who had begun his career nearly a decade earlier making $320 every two weeks, the Chunichi offer was an opportunity he could not let slip pass.36 Millar and his wife planned to depart for Japan on January 29 with Millar as their starting left fielder.

Two things changed Millar’s career and the outcome of the 2004 Red Sox season. First, Epstein placed a waiver claim on Millar. Millar rejected it, and became a free agent. He then signed with the Dragons. Epstein continued to press his waiver claim, stating he would consider various “resolutions that could help him land Millar.”37 Millar made it clear that he would honor his contract with Chunichi,38 but said he would prefer to stay in the US majors had he been given the right offer.39

The second event was the impending US military invasion of Iraq in early 2003. Both Jeana Millar and Millar’s father, Chuck, who had served as a medic in Vietnam, said they did not want the family residing outside the United States with the nation at war. In early February Millar, Jeana, Chuck, and Millar’s agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, met in New York with Mitsuo Kodama, director of baseball operations for the Dragons. Kodama refused to release Millar from his contract.40 The only way Millar would be free to walk away from his contract and sign with the Red Sox was if his agents could prove that his contract with Chunichi was invalid.41

While further discussions were taking place, representatives from Nippon Professional Baseball went to Millar’s home in Beaumont to try to convince him to adhere to his contract. Millar insisted that he would not report to Japan as planned on February 10. The Chunichi club said it was prepared to sue Millar for breach of contract.42 Meanwhile Millar indicated that the Red Sox would have to match the contract the Dragons offered him, which would be multi-year and could come close to $6 million.43 However, Nippon Commissioner Junnosuke Nishikawa reiterated that the league would obligate Millar to uphold his contract. With the February 10 deadline approaching, the Nippon league said that coming to Japan was Millar’s only option.44

Of concern to Major League Baseball was the effect the situation might have on its future relationship with the Japanese league. It became evident that a way for Japan to exit the dispute while maintaining dignity was at stake.45 After six weeks of negotiations with the help of Commissioner Bud Selig, a deal to release Millar was brokered. Chunichi released Millar from his contract and was paid between $1.2 million and $1.5 million by the Marlins. The Marlins then sold Millar’s contract to the Red Sox for $1.5 million: $1.2 million was payment for Millar and $300,000 was a donation to the Marlins Community Foundation, part of which was donated by Millar. The deal was official on February 14. A few hours later Jeana and Kevin loaded up their car and drove straight for 16 hours to Fort Myers, where Millar and Epstein met for the first time.46

About joining the Red Sox, Millar said, “The most exciting thing in looking at this roster at the guys Theo brought in. ..You’re going to have a lot of guys pulling from the same rope instead of three or four pulling from different ropes.”47 For Epstein, Millar was an ideal addition to his 2003 lineup, calling him one of the better unknown hitters in baseball.48 “You’ve got to watch this guy play to appreciate him,” Epstein said. “He’s an outstanding teammate. He really fits in with a lot of the guys we have here. He’s going to get dirty and get on base.”49 The Marlins’ deal with the Red Sox gave them more flexibility in their salary negotiations that season, and they went on to win the World Series.

Joining the Red Sox with a starting position at first base and with a career batting average of .321 with runners in scoring position and .421 with the bases loaded, Millar was ready to put the contract ordeal behind him. Lighthearted by nature, he arrived in Fort Myers ready to show he was a fierce competitor on the field.50 Millar’s rallying cry “Cowboy Up” captured the camaraderie of the 2003 team.51 Fans thought of Millar as the “Cowboy” and often greeted him with the cheer when he came to bat. Millar was part of the lineup that set a team record for slugging at .491. When the heartbreaking 2003 Red Sox season ended in a playoff loss to the Yankees, Millar had a batting average of .276, a .472 slugging average, and 25 home runs, a season high for him.

“Cowboy Up” whenever Millar and the Red Sox struggled carried over into the 2004 season, with a new manager, two new pitchers added to the bullpen, and a new starter, Curt Schilling. In midseason Millar hit a slump at the plate, and was faced with rumors of a possible trade, coupled with some rough treatment by the hometown fans. He hit three home runs against the Yankees in a Fenway Park game on July 23, and although the Red Sox lost the game, he believed it was a turning point for him. He said that the pain of the tough loss to the Yankees the previous season lent to the grit and determination of the 2004 team.52

No better example of Millar’s belief in the power of attitude for a winning team was his response to Dan Shaughnessy before Game Four of the 2004 ALCS.53 In an article written after Game Three, Shaughnessy had called the team “a bunch of frauds.”54 The phrase ignited a fire in Millar. In a pregame interview that was caught on video, Millar, punching his hand into his glove, challenged Shaughnessy with the phrase  “Don’t Let Us Win Tonight” that became a prediction and a rallying cry for the remainder of the ALCS and the World Series. About Game Four Millar said, “We had the chance to shock the world.”55 That night in Fenway Park in the ninth inning of Game Four, Millar’s legendary walk against Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera sparked the greatest comeback in major-league history. Approaching the plate, Millar’s goal was a home run, like his ninth-inning home run off Rivera in 2003, but after one fastball that he fouled off, Millar waited for Rivera to make a mistake with his inside cutter, which he did. Once on first and replaced by Dave Roberts, the grit the Red Sox had displayed that whole season was magnified. “The 2004 Red Sox were a talented ballclub, but we were also scrappy. And we were relentless,” he said. “We were a bunch of guys who cared. And we showed that you could win a championship being who you are.”56

Millar hit .282 in his three seasons with the Red Sox with 52 home runs and 220 RBIs. In 2005 his power hitting dipped with only 9 home runs. In January 2006 he signed a $2.1 million, one-year contract with the Orioles, with the hopes that he would bring both his batting power and charisma to a team that had suffered a rocky 2005 season.57 He spent three seasons with Baltimore and although an Oriole, Millar was invited back to Boston for Game Seven of the 2007 ALCS to throw out the first pitch.

In 2009 Millar signed a one-year minor-league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. The following year he signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago Cubs but was released in spring training. He retired as a player on April 10, 2010, and joined MLB as a studio analyst. In May he joined the New England Sports Network (NESN) as a Red Sox analyst.58

To no one’s surprise, in early May 2010, Millar signed to play with the St. Paul Saints, with whom he began his career 17 years earlier. His contract with MLB Network allowed him to play while continuing with his broadcasting obligations.59 He played six games for the Saints. Millar explained that his return to the team had not only been to have another shot at playing baseball but was also to show support and encouragement for young players in the independent league. Millar was invited back to the Twin Cities in 2017 to celebrate the Saints’ 25th anniversary; he was back on the field with a one-game contract and hit a two-run home run. “Without the Saints, I would never have been a big leaguer. I was just a regular guy – but if you believe in something, go for it,” he said.60 In August 2022 the Saints retired Millar’s number 15 in recognition of his contribution to the team and independent baseball.61

In 2011 Millar joined Chris Rose to co-host the MLB Network talk show Intentional Talk.

During his 12-year major-league career, Millar played 1,427 games and batted .274 with 170 home runs and 699 RBIs. Millar continues to co-host the MLB show, which has become the network’s longest-running talk show. In April 2012 he was back at Fenway Park with Pedro Martinez to lead the toast to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ballpark. Millar has also been involved with the Good Hands in the Stands Charitable Foundation at the NCAA College World Series.

As of 2023, the Millars lived in Austin, Texas with their four children. Two of their sons were playing high-school baseball. Millar tells his children as well as any young person with hopes of playing in the major leagues that more than talent, baseball requires mental maturity. “I’m you. I’m the guy who thinks he’s not going to make it. Dream and learn how to fail. The game is a failure sport, but inspiration is the kid who has a dream. When you have to grind you appreciate it more because of the grind.”62

Millar returned to Fenway Park in 2022 to join the NESN broadcasters and continued in 2023. He has joined the ranks of Boston sports’ most colorful figures.63

In return, Millar has said of coming to Boston in 2003, “It was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life.”64

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the authors consulted Baseball-Reference.com; BaseballAlmanac.com; FamilySearch.com; Ancestry.com; BaseballAmerica.com; and

Tony Massarotti and John Harper, A Tale of Two Cities (Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2005).

Notes

1 Dave Joseph, “Kevin’s Heaven,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), July 1, 2001: 41.

2“Kevin’s Heaven.”

3 Tyler Kepner, “Kevin Millar’s Unconventional Path to the Pros,” New York Times, March 10, 2010. https://archive.nytimes.com/bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/kevin-millars-unconventional-path-to-the-pros/. 

4 “Kevin’s Heaven.”

5 Herb Crehan, “Kevin Millar Remembers the 2004 World Championship,” BostonBaseballHistory.com. https://bostonbaseballhistory.com/new-kevin-millar-remembers-the-2004-world-championship/.

6 Kevin Millar, telephone interview with authors, October 23, 2023.

7 Millar interview.

8 Millar interview.

9 Crehan, “Kevin Millar Remembers the 2004 World Championship.”

10 Ray Riotan, “University Does More with Less,” Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1988: 15.

11 Dave Joseph, “Kevin’s Heaven.’

12 https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/gcps67/all_time_team_for_every_team_in_the_cape_cod/

13 https://lamarcardinals.com/honors/cardinal-hall-of-honor/kevin-millar/99.

14 “Kevin’s Heaven.”

15 https://sportsspectrum.com/table-forty/2022/04/05/podcast-former-mlb-player-kevin-millar-wife-jeana/.

16 Jeff Pearlman, “A Character Guy,” Sports Illustrated Vault, August 26, 2002.

https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/08/26/a-character-guy-strike-talk-have-you-down-then-watch-the-marlins-wacky-kevin-millar-who-keeps-everybody-laughing/.

17 “Kevin’s Heaven.”

18 Howe Sports Data International, San Mateo, California, February 7, 1994.

19 Pearlman, “A Character Guy.”

20 Crehan,  “Kevin Millar Remembers the 2004 World Championship.”

21 Juan Rodriguez, “Though Not a member, Millar Supports Union,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 24, 2002, 45.

22 Joe Capozzi, “Millar warns: Don’t cross union,” Palm Beach Post, August 24, 2002:52.

23 “Millar supports union.”

24 Rodriguez,  “Though not a member, Millar supports Union.”

25 Rodriguez,  “Though Not a Member, Millar Supports Union.”

26 https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/replacement_players.shtml.

27 Jeff Pearlman, “A Character Guy.”

https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/08/26/a-character-guy-strike-talk-have-you-down-then-watch-the-marlins-wacky-kevin-millar-who-keeps-everybody-laughing/

28 David, “Millar Time – The Long and Winding Road,” BaseballRoundTable.com, June 26, 2017.

 https://baseballroundtable.com/millar-time-the-long-and-winding-road/

29 Jeff Pearlman, “A Character Guy,” Sports Illustrated Vault, August 26, 2002.

30 “A Character Guy.”

31 David Heuschkel, “Millar’s on His Way,” Hartford Courant, February 16, 2003: 37.

 https://www.courant.com/2003/02/16/millars-on-his-way/.

32 David O’Brien, “No teammate is safe from Millar’s barbs,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, March 3, 2002: 50.

33 Crehan, “Kevin Millar Remembers the 2004 World Championship.”

34 Millar interview.

35 “Marlins Get Hollandsworth.”

36 Ben Walker, “Millar Financial Victim,” Stuart (Florida) News, January 11, 2003: 39.

37 Juan Rodriguez, “Red Sox Make Claim for Millar,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, January 15, 2003: 45.

38 Bob Hohler, “A Changeup from the Sox,” Boston Globe, January 14, 2003: 74.

39 Murray Chass, “Millar Makes Case to Stay in Majors,” New York Times, February 4, 2003: D7.

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/sports/plus-baseball-millar-makes-case-to-stay-in-majors.html.

40 Jayson Stark, “Millar Wants Out of $6.2M agreement with Dragons,” ESPN.com, February 13, 2003.

 https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2003/0203/1503537.html.

41 Gordon Edes, “MLB: Sox Can’t Make Deal for Millar,” Boston Globe, January 20, 2003: 67.

42 https://www.bostondirtdogs.com/2004/Chasing_Steinbrenner_excerpt.html.

43 Bob Hohler “Not Getting Off Cheap with Millar,” Boston Globe, January 17, 2003: 92.

44 Gordon Edes, “MLB Will Stay Out,” Boston Globe, February 1, 2003: 79.

45 Gordon Edes and Nick Cafardo, “Millar Resolution in the Works,” Boston Globe, February 7, 2003: 72.

46 Gordon Edes, “Sox Put Finishing Touches on Millar,” Boston Globe, February 15, 2003: 50.

47 Jeff Horrigan, “At long last, Millar arrives at Red Sox camp,” Milford Daily News, February 16, 2003.

https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/sports/2003/02/17/at-long-last-millar-arrives/41241027007/

48 Gordon Edes, “MLB’s Clout Helped Break Millar Logjam,” Boston Globe, February 16, 2003: 85.

49 David Heuschkel, “Millar’s on His Way,” Hartford Courant, February 16, 2003: 37.

 https://www.courant.com/2003/02/16/millars-on-his-way/.

50 Bob Hohler, “Hoping His Time Has Arrived,” Boston Globe, February 17, 2003: 56.

51 https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2003_Boston_Red_Sox.

52 Brian Jones, “Former Red Sox Star Kevin Millar Reflects on ‘Painful Times’ Before Winning 2002 World Series (Exclusive),” popculture.com, May 5, 2022.

https://popculture.com/sports/news/former-red-sox-star-kevin-millar-reflects-painful-times-before-winning-2004-world-series-exclusive/.

53 “Kevin Millar Recalls Confronting Dan Shaughnessy During 2004 ALCS,” cbsnews.com, October 5, 2017.

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/kevin-millar-dan-shaughnessy-2004-alcs-toucher-rich/.

54 Dan Shaughnessy, “Time to Show Some Guts or Go Belly-Up,” Boston Globe, October 15. 2004: 79.

55 Millar interview.

56 Bill Nowlin and Allen Wood, Don’t Let Us Win Tonight: An Oral History of the 2004 Boston Red Sox’s Impossible Playoff Run (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2014), Kindle edition, Foreword.

57 “Orioles Sign Millar to 1-Year Deal,” espn.com, January 12, 2006.  https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2289745.

58 “Kevin Millar Joins MLB Network as Studio Analyst,” nesn.com, April 22, 2010.

https://nesn.com/2010/04/kevin-millar-joins-mlb-network-as-studio-analyst/.

59 Tim Dierkes, “Kevin Millar Signs With St. Paul Saints,” mlbtraderumors.com, May 5, 2010.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/05/kevin-millar-signs-with-st-paul-saints.html.

6] David Karpinski, “Millar Time – The Long and Winding Road,” BaseballRoundTable.com, June 26, 2017.

 https://baseballroundtable.com/millar-time-the-long-and-winding-road/.

61 Dean Spiros, “Saints Retire No. 15 of Kevin Millar, Who Gave the Team ‘Someone To Cheer For,’” TwinCities.com Pioneer Press, August 13, 2002. https://www.twincities.com/2022/08/13/saints-retire-no-15-of-kevin-millar-who-gave-the-team-someone-to-cheer-for/.

62 Millar interview.

63 “Kevin Millar Part of Boston Tradition of Appreciating Colorful Characters,” nesn.com, May 27, 2010.

https://nesn.com/2010/05/kevin-millar-the-latest-in-longstanding-boston-tradition-of-appreciating-colorful-characters/.

64 Hayden Bird, “Kevin Millar Discussed the Legacy of the 2004 Red Sox, and Why He Thinks Trevor Story’s ‘Going to Be Fine,’ boston.com, May 6, 2022.

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2022/05/06/kevin-millar-red-sox-2004/.