• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} To All My Fans from Norm Who by Norm Miller To All My Fans from Norm Who? by Norm Miller. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. What can I do to prevent this in the future? If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Cloudflare Ray ID: 65960aa92b8c84a4 • Your IP : 188.246.226.140 • Performance & security by Cloudflare. Nine innings with Norm Miller. In 1965, Norm Miller became the first Jew to ever play for the Houston Astros. Miller played with Houston for nine seasons before finishing his baseball career with the Atlanta Braves in 1974. He amassed 325 hits, 24 home runs and 159 RBIs over 10 seasons. After retiring from baseball, Miller worked in marketing and advertising for 30 years. His latest work is a book he wrote, produced and marketed all on his own: ‘To all my fans … from Norm Who?’ Now 65, Miller lives in The Woodlands with his wife and near his two daughters and grandkids. He still coaches youth baseball and currently is working on a screenplay. The former outfielder spoke with the Jewish Herald-Voice recently, sharing his thoughts on many baseball subjects, including what he thought of the Astros’ chances of ever winning a World Series. What was your best memory as an Astro? My first hit – I remember everything. I grew up in Southern California and, as a kid, my dream was to get in the big leagues. My first at-bat was in Dodger Stadium in front of all my parents and friends. I was just a year and a half removed from high school and only 19 years old. I was told before the game that I wasn’t going to play and to sit as far away in the dugout as possible. Then, I heard, “Miller, get a bat!” I looked around and thought they had another Miller on the team. I heard it again and they were staring at me, so I walked up to the plate and the umpire said, “Welcome to the big leagues, son. It’s a lot easier to hit if you take your jacket off.” Claude Osteen was pitching and the pitch count went to two balls and two strikes. I was scared to death. So, I decided I was swinging no matter what, and I hit a line drive to center field that was surreal. I stood at home plate and Willie Davis almost threw me out at first. After that, nothing mattered the rest of my life. That was the greatest thrill of my life. Who were some of the best players you played with? I played against Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. I later was a teammate of Aaron and was right there watching when he broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. Sandy Koufax, Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn and Larry Dierker were all great. I played with and against some of the best. When it’s 4:00 in the morning and you are 30,000 feet up in a private airplane and you are surrounded by ballplayers and you are flying into cities to play baseball, how much better can life be? What do you miss most about the game? I miss the fun. I miss hitting a ball and running hard. I miss catching a ball. I miss throwing someone out. I miss breaking up a double play. I miss the game. It was so much fun. I miss the guys. I miss the locker room and the fun. It was the greatest time of my life. What are some of the things from your era of baseball that are absent today? I think I played in the last great era of baseball when the ballplayers hung out with each other and you played hard. You had to be hungry and hustle. There isn’t as much camaraderie these days. You sure don’t hear many funny stories anymore. We played when it was great to be a ballplayer, not an entertainer. People came to watch you for all the right reasons. I think many of the players today are babied. I really wouldn’t fit in today – I wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t think the fundamentals are sound enough. Everything is a business and it just isn’t as fun. Talk about your experiences being a Jewish ballplayer. When I was little, my rabbi lived across the street from my Little League field, so it was difficult at times. Later in life, I think at one time we had a National League record – four Jews on one team. Along with me were Larry Sherry, Barry Latman and Bo Belinski. The four of us were all on one team. I was probably the first Jewish player in the Astros organization. I wish we would have had a Jewish manager, it would have helped things. Being Jewish caused me problems sometimes – let’s face it, there are prejudices everywhere in the world. I didn’t use it as a crutch. I just learned from it and moved on. The Astrodome – love it or hate it? I loved it. It sure beat playing at Sherman Oaks Park. I was in the big leagues, so how do you hate it? It is 115 degrees outside and we are playing inside in 72 degrees. It was the pinnacle. It was the Eighth Wonder of the World. We had nothing to compare Astroturf to, so it was great. It was a big ballpark and it turned me into more of a line drive hitter, but we loved it. As a California native, what was it about Houston that made you make it your home? I married my high school sweetheart – it will be 42 years in October – and I was a Major League Baseball player in Houston, Texas. And that was cool. So we thought, let’s move to Houston, and we stayed here because the city has been great to us. This is my home and where my kids were raised. Houston has a great spirit about it. Even though there are 6 million people here from all over, there is still a spirit to the city. I always felt confident that this is my home. How has your book been doing? When you are doing something you enjoy – I love to write – it is fun. There’s no downside to it. I was going to self-publish and self-promote a book. I’ve been able to reconnect with people all over the country that I haven’t seen in years. People write me notes and say they really enjoy it. Now, I’m writing a screenplay and a couple ideas for television. If they don’t get made, who cares? I’ve never been scared to try anything. It gives me something to do. And finally, will the Astros ever win a World Series? I think Drayton McLane has to sell the team. He needs to get out of baseball and they need to clean house. I don’t think they have a good eye for talent. You’ve got to have people in the front office that have played the game. They need to get some baseball people back in there and they have to get back some toughness, starting at the top. I worked for Drayton for a year, and he asked me to sign a document that we would perform with the highest of Christian principles. That was pretty much the end of it for me. I don’t think that belongs in the workplace, so I walked out. I’m not bitter. I’ve enjoyed my baseball life, and I’m enjoying life now. Someday I’m going to die, so I want to have as much fun as possible. To All My Fans. from Norm Who? Saying it takes a lifetime to tell your story of baseball, former professional baseball player Norm Miller has just published his hilarious "dugout- level" take on living the game he loves in the 1960's and 1970's. What makes his stories so side-splittingly entertaining is the same thing that caused him to self-publishhe lives to be unconventional. Why else would he drill a peephole in the back of the dugout and shoot water into the stands. Why else would he wear his jacket like a cape and call himself the Secret Weapon? Why . Read More. Saying it takes a lifetime to tell your story of baseball, former professional baseball player Norm Miller has just published his hilarious "dugout- level" take on living the game he loves in the 1960's and 1970's. What makes his stories so side-splittingly entertaining is the same thing that caused him to self-publishhe lives to be unconventional. Why else would he drill a peephole in the back of the dugout and shoot water into the stands. Why else would he wear his jacket like a cape and call himself the Secret Weapon? Why else would he answer the door buck naked to greet Howard Cosell.

Load more

  9

Copy Link