Remember too, before Keith was ever with the Mets he was drafted high by the Yankees and subsequently released due to a knee injury suffered on the bases. Even to make it back as far as he did is a tribute to his determined work ethic.

When he was finally given the chance to play every day in 1989, Keith responded with a torrid start at the plate, ranking among the league leaders in On-Base Average for several weeks at least. He had some problems in the field (as many of you have pointed out already), but you just got the feeling that he was gaining confidence every day. And remember we were only a few years removed from his 1986 season in AAA-ball, when he was named the International League's Best Defensive Second Baseman.

It was during the 1989 season that Keith played a series against Philadelphia during which he stretched short line-drives into doubles in consecutive games. On the second play he even beat out a strong throw from Von Hayes. Not too long after that, he blasted his first career home run off of Zane Smith at Shea Stadium. You have to remember how much trouble the Mets had hitting left-handed pitching in the late eighties and early nineties, and how much trouble Zane Smith had given them over the years. As Keith rounded the bases and pumped his fist, Fran Healey was moved to exclaim: "Keith Miller! They LOVE him in New York!" Indeed we did.

When the Saberhagen deal was finally announced, the New York Times reported that it had followed a long stall in the negotiations during which the Royals had demanded Miller and the Mets had refused to part with him. Frank Cashen was quoted as saying "Keith is an exciting, get-your-uniform-dirty catalyst," which was of course an understatement. When Miller was on base, he could take over an inning. He could beat out an infield single, steal second and force a wild throw into the outfield. He could get to third and score on a wild pitch. He was that kind of a player.

Before being traded, Keith appeared on a NYC radio program and was asked by the DJ to request a song. He selected "Texas Twister," by Little Feat (on the album Representing the Mambo). I am reminded of one line from the song which really speaks to me when I think about Keith Miller:

'They sure do play it hard and fast... but they sell it soft and loose.'

Over the years Keith Miller faced a lot of adversity. He rebounded from several nasty injuries, almost always a result of his hard-nosed play. His exciting rookie season was cut short by a thumb injury incurred while sliding into third base on a successful steal. The season he started in CF was cut short by an injury he got while crashing into the outfield fence.

In addition to all this, he wasn't the only Keith Miller on the block. Soon after his call-up, the Phillies brought their own Keith Miller (N. Keith Miller) up to the majors. During a game I remember attending at Shea, both Keith Millers were in the game at the same time. If I remember correctly, Keith A. Miller managed to lay down a successful sacrifice bunt all the same.

A few years after his retirement, Keith reappeared at the Mets spring training camp in Port St. Lucie, serving as a Psychological Counselor to the team's younger players. While I was surprised by the news it wasn't altogether unexpected. This is the kind of guy you'd want helping out the kids. This is the kind of guy you'd want on the bench in a big game. During the spring training lockout in I forget which year, Keith was out there every day playing stickball in the parking lot. He loved the game of baseball and he wasn't going to stop playing no matter what the owners said. He would be an asset on a major league baseball team even today, maybe as a Don Zimmer kind of figure.

Keith was deemed a Future Star by the Score baseball card company. He was hard-working, scrappy, speedy, and generous. And to at least some people in New York City, he was a hero.

The Phillies actually offered Dykstra back to the Mets, but Cashen decided to go with Miller in CF instead.

It is just amazing how quickly the Mets became incompetent after looking like geniuses in the early 80s.

"Drifting, drifting, drifting... and he cannot make the play; Backman rounding second, he's going to third. Boy, Keith really showing his inexperience there." -Rusty Staub, SportsChannel

Bobby Bonilla hit one of the longest home runs in Shea Stadium history later in the game (off of Jeff Innis). Mets lose by 9 runs.

What a nice guy!

All that to say, one of my few memories of the 1987 Mets season is a game the Mets played in Montreal on Sportschannel, and Keith made his debut seeming like he shot out of a cannon. I was just a kid, only 9, but I remember thinking that Keith Miller was going to be the answer to all the Mets' issues in 1987, and Wally would be sent to the bench so this new phenom could start. And in the midst of all of this, he broke his finger sliding into second base. As I remember, he still kept playing for a few games with the broken finger. Total gamer. Loved him that day.

The way that season turned out, if anyone asked me to name one memory of the 1987 Mets, I would say Keith Miller's debut in Montreal.

In one of the Mets yearbooks between 1988 and 1990 (not sure which), each player was asked what his career highlight was, and Keith said it was his major league debut.

Honestly, that is the only game I remember Keith Miller playing for the Mets, just because he was so impressive as a recent call-up from Tidewater. He looked like he could get 200 hits per year and steal 50 bases. It was a special day (I remember it being a day game on Sportschannel) in Montreal.