Millar wants Orioles to have fun

At 34 years old, Millar is content being himself, there is no question about that.

Just walk from the dugout to the clubhouse and you get the idea. Parked in the hallway between the two is a hot-painted Harley-Davidson, fresh with a No. 15 on one side and the words, “Cowboy up� on the other.

The bike belongs to Millar, a guy who knows how to have fun.

“I love to ride bikes on nice days,� he said. “It kind of cleans my mind. There is no cell phones, no radios. You can’t hear anybody on it. It is you and the road.�

The Birds’ No. 15 went on to explain that he didn’t know what to do with the bike after checking its new shifters, so he parked it near the clubhouse.

“It might be in a tough spot. It is by the bat rack,� he added. “I have to be careful where I park it.�

See fans, he is instant personality, but make no mistake: Millar means a lot on the field, too.

He has played four defensive positions — both corner outfield spots, third and first base — during his seven-year big league career. Millar suited up at first base for the Birds on Opening Day.

The guy is willing to play everywhere, including catcher, saying that if asked, he would put on the gear in a second. Although he admitted that “hopefully the team would be winning by a whole lot.�

Millar enjoys being on the field, regardless of position.

In his first at-bat as an Oriole, he looked so-so on two strikes and drilled a shot right on the left-field foul line, getting a one-out double with a nice slide that avoided the tag of Tampa Bay second baseman Jorge Canto after a perfect throw from Carl Crawford.

Millar advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored the first Baltimore run of the season on a Javy Lopez triple.

Cowboy up.

Three innings later, Millar singled to left, driving in Miguel Tejada, and didn’t stop running. He reached second base when Crawford booted the ball. He scored the Orioles’ seventh run on a Ramon Hernandez single.

This guy plays with passion.

“This lifestyle goes pretty quick and you have to have fun each and every day when you come to the field,� Millar said.

It sure looked like he was having fun in his first opener as an Oriole.

Between talking with first baseman-in-training Lopez, during infield practice, or laughing with the fans after batting practice as a gentle rain fell at Camden Yards, the man was having a good time Monday afternoon.

Millar even joked with Tampa Bay runners at first base. The 6-footer is the type who can “hold court,� as they say. Yes, that is exactly what Baltimore needs.

It is a role he is accustomed to as well after his years with Boston. The .289 lifetime hitter and several of his Red Sox teammates were known as the “Idiots� during their World Series run in 2004.

“My biggest thing is I believe that guys get too caught up in all the baloney that goes on outside,� he said. “Realize that this is baseball. Put a hat on, go out and play as hard as you can.�

Safe to say, Millar doesn’t get caught up in those things. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Millar went on to Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and has maintained his winter home there ever since. He and his wife, Jeanna, are the proud parents of twins, a boy and a girl.

Complete with his highlighted hair, Millar is a beach boy and a country boy wrapped up into one.

And he already looks like a good signing for the Birds.

Reach Steve Navaroli at snavaroli@ydr.com.