“Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Yogi Berra
Tools of ignorance
Part 2
While discussing catchers last week and reporting some of what I know about those players who don the pads of the profession, receive the pitches and guard the home dish, I failed to mention one Robert L. Miller – a dear old friend who helped welcome us and many others into Eureka Springs. He was a bonafide Arkansas gem as well as a career catcher.
Known and adored by anyone and everyone he ever met, Bobby, who hailed from Dogtown, was a bartender extraordinaire. He began his career slanging drinks on Kavanaugh Blvd. down at the old Ice House in Little Rock, and closed it out up here in the hills, slightly off Center St.
Actually, the three former catchers I know in town (Bobby, Nate and Trub) all pour or poured drinks at Chelsea’s.
Hmmm…
Molly musta known something.
Back to Bobby – he passionately loved Arkansas Razorbacks athletics and the rock and roll of the Rolling Stones; consequently, he despised the Texas Longhorns and Jimmy Buffet’s entire musical catalog, with equal fervor. I have known and still do know lotsa intense Razorback fans, and Bobby Miller ranks right up there and will always have a seat at the table with the best/worst of the zealots.
Tim Brown claims to have resuscitated him from death’s door once by simply calling the Hogs. Years ago, after a medical procedure, no one at the V.A. Hospital could snap ol’ Bobby outta a deep unconsciousness, so Brown began to howl the sweet tones of WOOOOO PIG SOOOIEE and sure enough, that was all it took to jerk Miller back towards the light and get him to rejoin the party.
Bobby’s career behind the plate began rather unremarkably – his older, tougher brother, Danny, was a pitcher – end of story.
But it did have its moments.
He used to tell me when their team would get way behind – “I mean only when we were down ten or more runs, Scot” – that he would sneakily slide a small pebble into the batter’s back shoe from his crouched position, unbeknownst to everyone around, ‘specially the fella with the rock in his shoe. Once he made contact with the ball and took off running, the unassuming opponent wouldn’t get halfway to the 1st base bag before that wee rock would work its way underneath the tender sole of his foot and… well, you get the idea.
Cheers to you, Bobby. We haven’t forgotten.
And while the topic is smoking hot, did you notice who led the Razorbacks to their lone victory this weekend over Texas A & M with an 8th-inning Big Fly that untied the game and allowed DVH and company to claim the final ever SEC West title offered up?
Why, Hudson White, a catcher, of course.
He homered twice over the weekend, as did the Hawaiian shortstop, Wehiwa Aloy, who is turning out to be a very good 2-strike hitter.
Just remember – you heard it here at Hall Closets, first.
After clinching the only title within reach on Friday night, the SEC West, it didn’t much matter how Saturdaze game went, according to Van Horn. “Don’t like losing at all, but we won the West,” he said. “Sometimes to lose a game, or let one go, to save people to win a game down the road. That’s kinda where we were pitching-wise, injury-wise, rest-wise.”
Next stop, Hoover, Ala., and the SEC Tournament, where the Hogs await the winner of a Tuesday matchup between the Crimson Tide of Alabama and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
WPS!