Last year at this time, Brewers outfielder Gabe Kapler was retired from baseball, managing the Red Sox Class A affiliate in Greenville, S.C.
But last fall, the California native felt the itch to get back in the game. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin took a chance on signing 32-year-old Kapler to a one-year contract for $800,000.
So far, Melvin's gamble has paid off. At press time, Kapler was batting nearly .300, and had made several late-inning contributions as a starter and off the bench.
For an athlete selected in the 57th round of the draft and who has played with six teams (including one in Japan), Kapler maintains an introspective humility about his life on and off the field.
We caught up with Kapler the day after he drove in the game-winning run in extra innings against the Cardinals. Enjoy this latest Milwaukee Talks.
OMC: You've come through in the clutch on several occasions in this young season. Do you think this is why the Brewers signed a veteran player like you?
Gabe Kapler: If you want to know why the Brewers sign a guy, you have to ask the guys who go out and sign the players.
OMC: Lets talk about that. Doug Melvin had a lot of faith in you. What did it feel like to emerge from retirement and have a general manager who believed you could contribute to this team?
GK: Doug being in my corner and being behind me is special. It makes it easier to perform when you know that people within the organization believe in you and think you can do great things. That said, I believe that Doug has faith in every player that he brings in here, and believes in the guys that he has on the field. Every great leader is going to have faith in staff and clubhouse people ... there are a lot of people who make a baseball organization click. A lot of people behind the scenes that nobody gets a chance to talk to.
OMC: Fans have quickly warmed up to you this season. Are you feeling that energy from Milwaukee?
GK: I've felt very welcome here. That goes back to spring training. There are a lot of differences but also a lot of similarities between the fans here and the fans on the East Coast. They're just really into their baseball teams. They play close attention and are knowledgeable baseball fans. I've played in some cities where the fans are not all that knowledgeable. To be a part of that is exciting. I've definitely felt warmth from this city.
Downtown Milwaukee is a place I'm starting to get to know. I get out and see cities, and I don't just stay in the hotel, going from Point A to Point B. I spend time exploring. I've gotten to know a couple of local restaurants, and I've spent time driving by the lake.
OMC: That was also your experience when you played in Japan, right? You soaked in that culture during the short time you were there.
GK: Yeah, I look at all of my baseball experience as life experiences first. I guess I should say that as I get older, I'm beginning to appreciate the life experiences for what they are, as opposed to "How many hits did I get today?" What did I get out of today's experience, on the field and off the field? I try to take a more philosophical approach to the situation.
OMC: I was at a game at Tiger Stadium in 1999, and when you came up to bat, a friend told me to keep an eye on you. Since then, you've played in several cities, won a World Series and even managed -- and now you're back in the Majors. Did you ever imagine your career playing out this way?
GK: I don't think you ever have the ability to predict the real twists and turns and curveballs that life throws at you. But at the same time, I expect a lot out of myself, and I think I always had the expectations that I would have great life experiences. I have been blessed to have had great experiences in Japan and with different and historic organizations.
When I look back at some of the things I've been a part of: the last game at Tiger Stadium, being part of the World Series team in Boston, some really cool experiences with Texas and their new ballpark ... now being here in Milwaukee with a team that certainly has an extraordinary amount of energy and excitement and buzz surrounding it ...
GK: When someone thinks they're in a senior advisor role, they're probably not. If I'm lucky enough to have somebody look to me for some sort of guidance, fantastic. But I certainly don't picture myself like that.
OMC: Strength and conditioning have been a part of what defines you. Casual fans who don't know you very well might immediately assume you were a steroid guy. But that couldn't be farther from the truth, and you were always the first to offer yourself up for testing.
GK: That doesn't stop people from speculating. I think that the nature of the media's and the fans' perspective is to look at everything from all angles and try to pick apart situations. Sometimes they overanalyze to the point of exhaustion. Do I wish that nobody spent any time speculating on players? Of course, because I think that it takes away from some of the real, true hard work that exists in this game for a lot of players. I'm not naïve enough to think that there are not guys who have enhanced their success by cheating, but I've always prided myself on just the opposite.
OMC: Along those lines, you're big into nutrition and taking good care of yourself. Some people have been all over Prince Fielder for becoming a vegetarian, but I'm sure he's eating plenty of protein. Have you talked to him about your diet and regimen?
GK: I love to talk about food and nutrition. It's something that I'm very passionate about, so any time someone brings up the subject, I like to talk about. I'm fascinated by it, and it's the most important course I ever took. It was probably the only course I ever paid attention to in junior college. I actually enjoyed the textbook. Have I specifically had a conversation with Prince? No, but I've also had open conversations with just about everybody.
OMC: Let me ask you a personal question. As a Jewish guy, I'm pretty proud that the Brewers now have two Jewish players. But a lot of people made a big deal about Ryan Braun last year, and I understand that he considers himself very secular. You, on the other hand, have never been shy about talking about your religion.
GK: I was raised in a Jewish household. I had a Bar Mitzvah. I'm so proud of who I am, where I come from and my heritage, my blood line and all those things. I'm not a practicing Jew, by any means. I don't go to synagogue. I guess it depends on what you consider Jewish.
OMC: But you have the tattoos honoring the memory of those who died in the Holocaust, right?
GK: I do. I have one that says "never again" and has the dates of World War II. And I have one that says "strong mind" in Hebrew.
OMC: Are you happy to be playing again? Any regrets?
GK: I don't think that I've necessarily addressed the future. Right now, what I'm doing is being really appreciative and making sure that I'm grateful for the moments I have. I'm not trying to predict the next 10 years of my life, or even next year, for that matter.
OMC: Do the Brewers have a high ceiling in 2008?
GK: Yeah. As far as the talent and the team chemistry, I think all of those things are in place. So many things need to happen for a team to be a world championship caliber team. That said, I don't see any reason why this can't be one of those teams.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
