Well, let me tell you somethin’ about this fella, Justin Miller. Folks sayin’ he used to throw them baseballs real hard, you know, like a big ol’ rock. They called him a pitcher, I think. Major League, they say. Sounded important, like them fellas on TV.
Now, poor Justin, he ain’t with us no more. Found him dead, they did, back in 2013. Thirty-five years young, just a young’un in my book. Heard it was in his home, down there in Florida, Palm Harbor they called it. Left behind a wife and two little boys, bless their hearts. Can’t imagine what they went through.
- Born August 27, 1977
- Died June 26, 2013
- Played for Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers
They say he played for a bunch of teams. Blue Jays, Marlins, Giants, and even them Dodgers. Seven years they say he was pitchin’ in the big leagues. Started with the Blue Jays back in 2002, won nine games that year, pretty good I reckon. Last time he played was with the Dodgers, in 2010. Seems like a long time ago now, doesn’t it?
Now, the thing is, nobody really knows how he died. They found him, and that was it. No big sickness, no accident they mentioned, just gone. Cause of death unknown, they kept sayin’ on the news. It’s a real mystery, like one of them stories you read in them dime novels. Makes you think, you know? Here today, gone tomorrow, that’s how it is.
Folks talked a lot about his tattoos, seems he had a whole bunch of ’em. Said he was covered in ’em, like a walkin’ picture show. Even heard they made up a rule ’cause of him, somethin’ ’bout them tattoos. Called it the “Justin Miller Rule” they did. Don’t know what the rule was, but it had somethin’ to do with them pictures on his skin. Imagine that, a rule named after you, even if it’s just ‘bout tattoos.
He was a pitcher, remember? Used to throw that ball real fast. They said he was pretty good, at least for a while. Seven years ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at, I guess. Musta been somethin’ special to make it to the big leagues. All them folks watchin’ you, cheerin’ you on, or booing you, dependin’ on how you was doin’.
It’s a sad story, no matter how you look at it. A young man, gone too soon, leavin’ behind a family and a whole lotta unanswered questions. Thirty-five ain’t no age to die. You expect folks to live longer than that, to see their kids grow up, to get old and gray. But life don’t always work out the way you expect, does it? It just goes to show you, you gotta appreciate what you got, while you got it.
They mentioned somethin’ ’bout him bein’ a spring-training pitcher for the Mariners one time. Guess he was tryin’ to get back in the game, but it didn’t work out, seems like. Makes you wonder what he was doin’ after he stopped playin’. Did he have another job? Was he happy? We’ll probably never know now.
So, that’s what I know ’bout Justin Miller. A baseball player, a father, a husband, gone too soon. A mystery, that’s what he is now. A reminder that life’s short and precious. And that’s about all I got to say ’bout that.
Tags: [Justin Miller, baseball, death, cause of death, MLB, pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Palm Harbor, tattoos, Justin Miller Rule]
