June 13, 2023 • 29 mins
America loves baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and a good 'come back' story. I'm so happy to be providing one of those today! David R. Mellor is the Senior Director of Grounds for the Boston Red Sox baseball team at Fenway Park where he oversees everything that involves the playing field.
As a kid he dreamed of a pro baseball career, but weeks after his high school graduation a car careened out of control ending David's shot at the Big Leagues... or did it? Join David and I as we chat about how he charted a new course, some additional crazy things that happened to him along the way, his "discovery" that he had PTSD, and why he considers himself the luckiest guy alive! ~ Delilah
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Has summer finally arrived in your corner of the world.
Is summer a season you enjoy? Do you find yourself
outside a lot or at least more than you do
in the colder months. Is your idea of fun summer
activities things like hiking, camping, kayaking? Or are you more
(00:28):
of a go to the park that has those splash
pads or reading under the shade of a tree or
grilling in the backyard kind of person? How about a
baseball game, Little League, big League? Your jam? Baseball is
the great American pastime and if it's your thing, then
(00:48):
today's podcast guest will be too. Baseball holds a special
place in the hearts of Americans. The crack of the bat,
the roar of the crowd, love to rute route for
the home team, and how many of us dream of
someday wearing the uniform of our favorite team player. Dave
(01:11):
Miller was just that kid. In nineteen eighty one. He
finished his senior year of high school as a star
pitcher and had set his sights on college and hopefully
a professional pitchers mound when a car careeming through a
McDonald's parking lot changed his life forever. I don't want
(01:36):
to get ahead of the story before I introduced David,
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Mercyships at mercyships dot org. Today's special guest is a
man that I find fascinating. I got your book, so
(03:24):
let me introduce today's guest, David Millard. David, welcome, Hello.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Thank you so much for opportunity to be on your show.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So David, I did not grow up in a baseball town,
and when I moved to the East Coast, the first
apartment I got in Boston was right off the fins.
I could see the big Green Monster from my little
fire escape.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Outstanding.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
But your story of your love affair with baseball goes
back to birth, goes back to generations. Tell me your story.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
My grandfather played nineteen oh two in the major leagues.
My father was born in Rhode Island, or lived in
My grandfather was from Rhode Island. My family lived throughout
New England, and even though I was born in Ohio,
I was raised to be a Red Sox fan, and
my dream growing up was to follow in my grandfather's
(04:21):
footsteps and make it to the majors as a player,
and I had scholarship opportunities in high school and had
planned on playing college ball and had some professional teams
looking at me and scouting me, and I certainly had
the passion for it and had opportunities.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And a month after.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I got out of high school, we were going to
be heading to a state tournament, and my coach said,
you know, David, I would wait to sign a letter
of scholarship because if you do well at the state tournament,
you'll have more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I said, that sounds great, coach.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
And on a Friday night, on the weekend night, my
buddy said, how off we stopped by McDonald's and get
a bite to eat, And so we pulled into McDonald's
and got out of the car to start walking across
the parking lot, and I realized I had forgotten my wallet,
and so he went ahead and walked into McDonald's and
I went back to my car and got my wallet
(05:19):
and turned around and started walking across the parking lot.
And now in the corner of my eye, I saw
a car come off the street, and so I stopped
and motioned with my arm for them to drive through,
and they stopped and motioned for me to start walking,
and so I started walking. And then I heard them
(05:40):
rev their engine and squeal their tires, and I had
enough time to look up to my left and the
car was speeding toward me. I raised my left leg
and kind of put both my hands up. The car
hit me, threw me twenty feet in the air. I
slammed into the brick wall where the door jutted out
at McDonald's entrance, and landed right in that corner at
(06:05):
the base of the wall.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And looked up and the.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Car was speeding at a higher rate of speed and
ripped the handrail out of the cement and pinned the
handrail with the.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Bumper against my knee against the wall.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
And luckily I landed literally right in that corner, because
otherwise the car.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Would have cut you in half.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yes, ma'am, it would have been much worse, I thought
at the time. Not only did it crush my leg,
I worried it crushed my dreams of.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Making it to the major leagues.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And my family said, you know, David, I was My
father died when I was three, and I was raised
to believe that adversity makes you stronger and they said, David,
you know, really you're lucky. You know you have this
time to find a career that you love to do,
because so many people don't enjoy their career. You know,
(06:58):
it's just a job, and you have this time during
your surgeries to find a passion that you really love.
And so I walked on crutches for two and a
half years, walked with it can for ten months, had
to learn how to walk again, as I had at
that time seven surgeries, and I thought, what do I
(07:19):
really love? And I realized I enjoyed science in school.
I wanted a job that was outside more than inside.
I enjoyed taking care of people's lawns growing up to
earn money. I loved baseball, and I thought someone had
to be a major league groundskeeper. And my brother lived
(07:41):
in Milwaukee at the time and told me if I
could get a job with the Milwaukee Brewers, I could
live with him to save money. So after many many
phone calls to the Brewers kind of be in a
squeaky wheel, they said, hey, we'll give you a chance
to work on our day of games crew on the
(08:01):
ground crew. And man, I thought I won the lottery.
I was so excited, and I was planning to go
to Ohio State to get a degree in agronomy and landscape.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I got to I got to interject here and back
up a little bit, because there's a few questions looming here.
The person who hit you, were they intoxicated, were the
inexperienced driver? Was there car malfunction? Did the gas pedal
get stuck?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Like?
Speaker 1 (08:29):
How does somebody motion you to go across and then
run you down and nearly kill you?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
You know, she said she stepped on the gas instead
of the break. It's just one of those one of
those things. So she hit me twice that day.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That kind of trauma you probably don't ever want to remember.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You know, a lot of people think I'm one of
the most unlucky people in the world. You know, I've
had fifty surgeries, I've been hit by a car three times.
We can talk about the third time here in the minute,
and I've ended up in a medical coma.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But I think I'm one of the most.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Luckiest people in the world because if I wouldn't have
gotten hit by a car that day, I never would
have met my wife, who's absolutely my best friend. I
never would have had two amazing daughters in my life.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
I wouldn't have.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Three amazing grandchildren, I wouldn't have a career that I
enjoyed so much. And I wouldn't have had a service
dog named Drago, who passed away in June last year,
but who literally changed my life and also helped bring
awareness to how important service dogs are to so many people.
People think I'm unlucky, but I really feel blessed the
(09:39):
life I've had.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
That wasn't the end of the trauma. That was just
the beginning. Yes, ma'am, because I read your books, So
go ahead and share about the other things that happened.
So you get this job, you love your job. You're
starting this direction of a groundskeeper.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
My job's next best thing to play in. I get
to be on the major league field. And in nineteen
ninety five, when I was working for the Milwaukee Brewers,
we were resurfacing in the field. In the fall of
ninety five, I was out in left field working and
we had a big left field double gates to get
equipment on and off the field, and beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Fall day, and I heard a car and I thought,
that's unusual. There shouldn't be a car.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
You know, near the field, and I looked up and
there was a car coming toward the field that must
have gotten through, you know, behind the bleachers somehow, and
so I put both my arms up to you know,
motion for the car to stop, and the driver stepped
on the gas and came right at me, and the
car hit me. I hit the windshield and landed on
(10:49):
the warning track, and the car went speeding down the
outfield warning track, made a full lap around the warning track,
and as I was laying against the wallpad, the car
kept coming a full lap around the warning track, and
then the driver started aiming right at me, and I thought, Oh,
my gosh, what's this lady doing. And at the last minute,
(11:13):
she swerves and misses me and slams on the brakes
and stops, leans up in her car and waves at
me and then peels out and covers me in track
material and goes out the gate. And it just took
me a minute to kind of gather myself, and I
(11:34):
yelled to one of the crew members after she first
hit me to lock up the big steel double gates
behind the bleachers so she couldn't get away. And so
after she pulled out of the field, I pulled myself
up against the outfield pads and made my way behind
the bleachers, and by the time I got out there,
(11:57):
she was out of her carreaming obscenities at the security
guard telling her to let her out. And I noticed
her keys were still in the ignition and the car
was running, and so I turned the car off and
took the keys because they didn't want her to hurt
someone else. It turned out my knee was re injured
(12:20):
and ended up having to have surgeon and ultimately, in
the long run, a knee replacement.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
It could have been so much worse.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So was she held accountable.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
She had some mental health issues and she wasn't on
her medicine, and she was just had some misunderstandings going
on in her mind.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
You have a lot of grace, David Miller. You have
a lot of grace.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Well, you know, we all have challenges in our lives,
and you know there was a time when, you know,
I had one to five horrific nightmares for twenty nine
years when I first got hit by the car in
this car, and I was scared to go to leap
at night. I didn't know what was wrong, and I
didn't think anybody could understand it, and I didn't think
(13:05):
anybody else had really challenges.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And now I know when.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
I look up at Fenway Park and see thirty seven
thousand people in the stands, I know everybody there, either
themselves or one of their loved ones, has some challenge
in their life. And one there's nothing to be ashamed
of to ask for help. And it takes courage to
ask for help. And I want people to know that.
(13:31):
You know, when my wife and I wrote my memoir,
our memoir, we were hoping if sharing our story through
programs like your Wonderful program, through other opportunities, or the memoir,
if we could help one person know that helps available
and treatment works, and that they're not alone. It's worth
(13:54):
sharing that story because we all have different challenges in
our lives, and there was time I didn't understand that.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
I just tried to suck it up and think I'll
just work through it.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
So how were you eventually diagnosed with PTSD? Was that
your wife's doing? Tell our audience how you finally went,
wait a minute, there's a name for this, there's treatment
for this. I don't have to suffer like this in silence.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yes, ma'am I thought PTSD could only happen to veterans
or someone in war.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
And my daughter was going to.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
School for psychology to be a doctor in psychology. And
when she was in college, she got an internship at
a wonderful program here in Boston called the home Base
program that was started with Mats General in the Red
Sox Foundation help veterans and their families dealing with post
traumatic stress. And I was getting an acupuncture treatment in
(14:56):
twenty ten, and before I went into the the treatment,
and I picked up a Smithsonian magazine and I laid
down on the table and I just opened up this
magazine and the first page I opened up to was
about a new treatment facility offering treatments for veterans dealing
with PTSD. So I thought I'd read this article to
(15:20):
learn more about what my daughter was learning about.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
So you thought you were going to enrich your mind
just so you could then understand your daughter and her
program more. Yes, ma'am not thinking about yourself, not thinking about.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Totally, Just hoping to learn more about my daughter and
how proud I was of her, and learn more about
what she was doing and how the Red Sox were
helping veterans and MATS General was helping veterans, and the
first paragraph listed twelve symptoms of post traumatic stress. And
I started reading it and chills ran through me and
(15:57):
literally tears started going down my face because I could
actively feel ten of these twelve symptoms. Only the ones
I did not have were suicide or drug use either.
You know, I had anxiety. You know I had nightmares.
There were so many of these. I listed them in
(16:19):
the book. There were just so many things that I
could relate to, and I thought, oh my gosh. While
it scared me, it gave me hope. It was like,
oh my gosh, maybe this is what I have and
I've had for the last twenty nine years. And if
I could get treatment, not only hopefully it helps me,
(16:40):
but hopefully I can be a better husband, I can
be a better dad, I could be a better boss, friend, mentor,
and hopefully I can help others. And my wife is
my absolute, my best friend. But I was scared to
share with her how scary my nightmares were. You know,
(17:03):
I slept with the TV on every night loud so
that when I would scream out at night, I would
try to tell the kids, hey, that was a TV.
When they would say, what was that noise? And they knew,
you know, as I found out, you know, they knew
something was going on.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
They had known all along, but they didn't know what
it was. I'm sure correct, correct.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
PTSD affects the whole family. And it's not just from
war and veterans don't just get it. It comes from
you know, the leading cause of PTSD and men is
car crashes, and it comes from sexual abuse, It comes
from fires, and it comes from any kind of trauma
can cause PTSD and there's nothing to be a shame of.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
And here's the interesting thing that you brought up in
your book that I think a lot of people don't
realize is that it may not happen right after the
traumatic event. You may not develop PTSD until months or
even years after the trauma happened.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And triggers, you know, sights, sounds, smells can trigger these.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Anxieties and these.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Emotions to cause flashbacks and memories. You know, it may
sound weird to people. People could relate to squealing tires
and reving engines to the car crashes causing anxiety or
flashbacks to me, but literally, the smell of McDonald's French
(18:38):
fries would cause flashbacks and anxieties. People would bring McDonald's
back to lunch and I would have to leave the
room because I would break out in cold sweats, I
would get chills, I would turn bright red.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
That's unfortunate because McDonald's fries are one of God's gifts
to the world.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I do a joy I joyed.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
I rarely buy them, but boy do I enjoy them
when I do.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
'A I can relate to that. It's something that I
just want people to know.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
And I appreciate opportunity on your show to help people
know that help is available and that it's not going
to be ashamed of to ask for help.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
And if you do ask for help, that there's a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Of different kinds of treatment whether and if you don't
click with that first counselor or that first type of treatment,
hey try another one.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
You know, I've been very blessed with incredible counselors and
I'm proud to you know, I just talked to my
counselor yesterday and I'm proud to do that.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
And you know, there's different types of counseling, and it
literally is life changing.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
It changed my life.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
It's helped my family And another part of therapy that's
helped me is I had a service dog that came
into my life in twenty fourteen.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
That became quite famous in the Boston area. Our service
dog went with you everywhere he did.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
His name was Drago and.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Drago the dog O, who was a beautiful German shepherd. Correct, yes, ma'am,
he was.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
He literally helped bring awareness to service dogs and how
life changing they were and are, and how.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Much he was to me.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
And he ESPN did a special on him, if it's
all right to say that they did one called Dave
and drog Go to bring my awareness to service dogs.
And he literally was an ambassador for service dogs. And
he gave me a confidence to take on challenges and
(20:43):
open up a world that I hadn't dealt with in
twenty nine years or thirty years plus. And he passed
away June seventeenth last year from a stroke. And I'm
in the process of had a great call last two
days with an organization foundation that we're hoping to connect
with for a new service dog and service dogs or
(21:08):
another part of helping mental health.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Oh yeah, there's something about the love of a four
legged creature that is healing.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
The things David is endured and how he's turned tragedy
into triumph gives me chills. We've got a little more
time with David today, so let me tell you about
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(21:39):
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b I G E l O W t e a
dot com. So, David, Boston is your home, That's where
your heart was, That's where your dreams were. How did
you get from the other ballparks to back home to
the Big Green Monster into Fenway Park and the hot dogs.
(22:47):
Oh my gosh, the hot dogs.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
You know, that was an interesting story. You know.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
I was working for the Milwaukee Brewers and I just
moved into.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
The new ballpark, into my new office.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
And the Cincinnati read had called and offered me a
head job at their new ballpark. And my wife's family
still lived in Ohio and so it was an interesting
opportunity and appreciated the offer, but we just couldn't come
to terms. So I respectfully turned it down. And they
(23:18):
called back and said, you know, we would still like
to negotiate for one more week. Would you be willing
to negotiate till next Saturday? And I said sure, and
out of the blue, on that Wednesday, mister Mooney, who
was the groundskeeper for the Red Sox for thirty years,
called me and said, David, I'm thinking about retiring, but
(23:40):
I'll only retire if you replace me. And I said,
oh my gosh, mister Mooney, you know, I'm incredibly humbled.
I have to give the reds an answer on Saturday.
And he said, I will have John Buckley, who was
the president of the club. I'll have him call you.
We'll get you out here on Friday, and the Red
Sox brought me out and said, David, we know what
(24:01):
you can do for us. More importantly, what can we
do for you and your family to make this move successful?
And the Red Sox just made the perfect package for
us to move here, even though we had family in
Ohio and I grew up a Red Sox fanatic. My
wife said she knew when mister Mooney called we were coming,
(24:22):
but they had to make the right offer, and the
families what put it over the top, because family means
the world to me.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
So you've been there forever. You've been back home forever, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
So we this my twenty third season at Fenway Park,
in thirty ninth year in the major leagues.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Wow. So I've been very, very blessed.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
And you know, I grew up wanting to stand on
Finway Parks mound and now I get.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
To do it every day, every day, every day. And
a lot of pictures have come and gone. I'm sure
in the time that the twenty some odd years you've
been there.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
And you know, you think of all the struggles we
have in our lives, and if I would have given
up at some point, I never would.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Have had these opportunities. We all have those tough days.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
But if you stop and you don't grind through them
and keep pushing, you don't reach those opportunities.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
You've had more than a few tough days, David had
I love that you have not allowed your trials, your
traumas to define you, but to inspire you and push you.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
I'm very humbled by your kind words, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
But it's true. It's true. People recognize you on the field.
The fans love you, They loved your dog. People recognize
your patterns that you you know because you're so artistic
and creative, and you've come up with beautiful ways to
make the field look awesome, and you've shared that with everybody.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Well, it takes a lot of teamwork. I'm blessed to
have a lot of support from a lot of people,
and it starts with my wife.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Well, it has been wonderful talking to you. You are
a fact fascinating man. I love your attitude.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
I'm humbled by your kind words and support and thank
you for all you do and for helping others. Truly
humbled by all your support.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Well, God bless you, David, Thank you for this time.
Have a wonderful rest of your baseball season.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Thank you, ma'am. I look forward to seeing you in Boston.
Please stay in.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Touch, all right, I will. David R. Meller is the
senior director of Grounds for the Boston Red Sox baseball
team at Finway Park, where he oversees everything that involves
the playing field. He is the leading innovator of elaborate
patterns used on athletic turf and turf in general. Articles
(26:42):
about his beautiful work have been widely published, and he's
appeared on countless TV and radio programs. His mowing patterns
have been featured in the American Folk Art Museum and
an international art exhibit. Besidesides his remarkable autobiography, One Base
(27:03):
at a Time, How I Survived PTSD and Found My
Field of Dreams, David has published two books on gardening
and horticulture, Picture Perfect Mowing Techniques for Lawns, Landscapes and
Sports Considered the Textbook for Lawn Patterns, and the Lawn Bible,
How to Keep It Green, groomed, and growing every season
(27:26):
of the year. Any One of these or all three,
would make absolutely fantastic Father's Day gifts. David has over
three decades of major League Baseball experience, and has been
at home in Finway Park since two thousand and one.
He scared for some of the greenest lawns in the nation,
the ballparks used by the California Angels, San Francisco Giants,
(27:50):
Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and of course, his beloved
Boston Red Sox. David considers himself one of the luckiest
peace people in the world, living by the old baseball
saying one base at a time, which is another way
of saying, take it one step at a time. He
(28:10):
buys a lottery ticket every time the jackpot rises over
one hundred million dollars, as the statistics of winning millions
of dollars is more likely than the chance of being
hit by two different cars in two different cities. One
Base at a Time is a remarkably inspiring story and
a great book to take with you to the park,
(28:32):
the lake, or wherever your summer reading takes place. It's
been touching people one heart at a Time since it
was published in twenty nineteen and continues to do so.
PTSD post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health issue
that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life
(28:56):
threatening or traumatic event like combat, an accident, and assault,
just to name a few. It's normal for folks who've
lived through such traumatic things to have upsetting memories, feel
on edge, or have trouble sleeping, but then they start
to feel better. But for some it goes on longer
and causes difficulties in their lives. That is PTSD. Everyone
(29:18):
experiences PTSD differently. Sometimes symptoms can start months or even
years after the event. Sometimes symptoms come and go over
a period of years. As David has attested, there is
help for PTSD. It's not something to hide. It's not
something to be ashamed of, nor is it apt to
(29:39):
go away on its own. If you or someone you
know is suffering with PTSD, a conversation with a doctor
or mental health professional is the first step on the
road to healing. As David says, take it one base
at a time.
Has summer finally arrived in your corner of the world.
Is summer a season you enjoy? Do you find yourself
outside a lot or at least more than you do
in the colder months. Is your idea of fun summer
activities things like hiking, camping, kayaking? Or are you more
(00:28):
of a go to the park that has those splash
pads or reading under the shade of a tree or
grilling in the backyard kind of person? How about a
baseball game, Little League, big League? Your jam? Baseball is
the great American pastime and if it's your thing, then
(00:48):
today's podcast guest will be too. Baseball holds a special
place in the hearts of Americans. The crack of the bat,
the roar of the crowd, love to rute route for
the home team, and how many of us dream of
someday wearing the uniform of our favorite team player. Dave
(01:11):
Miller was just that kid. In nineteen eighty one. He
finished his senior year of high school as a star
pitcher and had set his sights on college and hopefully
a professional pitchers mound when a car careeming through a
McDonald's parking lot changed his life forever. I don't want
(01:36):
to get ahead of the story before I introduced David,
so let me first tell you about an incredible podcast
sponsor that helps to make today's conversation possible while also
helping people around the world to live a fulfilled life
and to accomplish their dreams. Mercy Ships has been transforming
(01:58):
lives for a forty years. Many people in our world
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(02:21):
babies for the first time, surgeries that allow little boys
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Mercy is projected to serve one hundred and fifty thousand
patients over the next five decades. Four year old Amato
from southern Senegal was the first to receive surgery on
the Global Mercy. Born with one windswept leg and one boat,
he missed out on so many things kids love, but
(03:03):
thanks to the treatment he received from Mercy Ships, A
Modu can't wait to run around with his friends, and
he dreams of all that lies ahead. Learn more about
Mercyships at mercyships dot org. Today's special guest is a
man that I find fascinating. I got your book, so
(03:24):
let me introduce today's guest, David Millard. David, welcome, Hello.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Thank you so much for opportunity to be on your show.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So David, I did not grow up in a baseball town,
and when I moved to the East Coast, the first
apartment I got in Boston was right off the fins.
I could see the big Green Monster from my little
fire escape.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Outstanding.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
But your story of your love affair with baseball goes
back to birth, goes back to generations. Tell me your story.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
My grandfather played nineteen oh two in the major leagues.
My father was born in Rhode Island, or lived in
My grandfather was from Rhode Island. My family lived throughout
New England, and even though I was born in Ohio,
I was raised to be a Red Sox fan, and
my dream growing up was to follow in my grandfather's
(04:21):
footsteps and make it to the majors as a player,
and I had scholarship opportunities in high school and had
planned on playing college ball and had some professional teams
looking at me and scouting me, and I certainly had
the passion for it and had opportunities.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And a month after.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I got out of high school, we were going to
be heading to a state tournament, and my coach said,
you know, David, I would wait to sign a letter
of scholarship because if you do well at the state tournament,
you'll have more opportunities.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I said, that sounds great, coach.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
And on a Friday night, on the weekend night, my
buddy said, how off we stopped by McDonald's and get
a bite to eat, And so we pulled into McDonald's
and got out of the car to start walking across
the parking lot, and I realized I had forgotten my wallet,
and so he went ahead and walked into McDonald's and
I went back to my car and got my wallet
(05:19):
and turned around and started walking across the parking lot.
And now in the corner of my eye, I saw
a car come off the street, and so I stopped
and motioned with my arm for them to drive through,
and they stopped and motioned for me to start walking,
and so I started walking. And then I heard them
(05:40):
rev their engine and squeal their tires, and I had
enough time to look up to my left and the
car was speeding toward me. I raised my left leg
and kind of put both my hands up. The car
hit me, threw me twenty feet in the air. I
slammed into the brick wall where the door jutted out
at McDonald's entrance, and landed right in that corner at
(06:05):
the base of the wall.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And looked up and the.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Car was speeding at a higher rate of speed and
ripped the handrail out of the cement and pinned the
handrail with the.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Bumper against my knee against the wall.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
And luckily I landed literally right in that corner, because
otherwise the car.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Would have cut you in half.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yes, ma'am, it would have been much worse, I thought
at the time. Not only did it crush my leg,
I worried it crushed my dreams of.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Making it to the major leagues.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And my family said, you know, David, I was My
father died when I was three, and I was raised
to believe that adversity makes you stronger and they said, David,
you know, really you're lucky. You know you have this
time to find a career that you love to do,
because so many people don't enjoy their career. You know,
(06:58):
it's just a job, and you have this time during
your surgeries to find a passion that you really love.
And so I walked on crutches for two and a
half years, walked with it can for ten months, had
to learn how to walk again, as I had at
that time seven surgeries, and I thought, what do I
(07:19):
really love? And I realized I enjoyed science in school.
I wanted a job that was outside more than inside.
I enjoyed taking care of people's lawns growing up to
earn money. I loved baseball, and I thought someone had
to be a major league groundskeeper. And my brother lived
(07:41):
in Milwaukee at the time and told me if I
could get a job with the Milwaukee Brewers, I could
live with him to save money. So after many many
phone calls to the Brewers kind of be in a
squeaky wheel, they said, hey, we'll give you a chance
to work on our day of games crew on the
(08:01):
ground crew. And man, I thought I won the lottery.
I was so excited, and I was planning to go
to Ohio State to get a degree in agronomy and landscape.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I got to I got to interject here and back
up a little bit, because there's a few questions looming here.
The person who hit you, were they intoxicated, were the
inexperienced driver? Was there car malfunction? Did the gas pedal
get stuck?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Like?
Speaker 1 (08:29):
How does somebody motion you to go across and then
run you down and nearly kill you?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
You know, she said she stepped on the gas instead
of the break. It's just one of those one of
those things. So she hit me twice that day.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That kind of trauma you probably don't ever want to remember.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You know, a lot of people think I'm one of
the most unlucky people in the world. You know, I've
had fifty surgeries, I've been hit by a car three times.
We can talk about the third time here in the minute,
and I've ended up in a medical coma.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But I think I'm one of the most.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Luckiest people in the world because if I wouldn't have
gotten hit by a car that day, I never would
have met my wife, who's absolutely my best friend. I
never would have had two amazing daughters in my life.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
I wouldn't have.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Three amazing grandchildren, I wouldn't have a career that I
enjoyed so much. And I wouldn't have had a service
dog named Drago, who passed away in June last year,
but who literally changed my life and also helped bring
awareness to how important service dogs are to so many people.
People think I'm unlucky, but I really feel blessed the
(09:39):
life I've had.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
That wasn't the end of the trauma. That was just
the beginning. Yes, ma'am, because I read your books, So
go ahead and share about the other things that happened.
So you get this job, you love your job. You're
starting this direction of a groundskeeper.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
My job's next best thing to play in. I get
to be on the major league field. And in nineteen
ninety five, when I was working for the Milwaukee Brewers,
we were resurfacing in the field. In the fall of
ninety five, I was out in left field working and
we had a big left field double gates to get
equipment on and off the field, and beautiful.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Fall day, and I heard a car and I thought,
that's unusual. There shouldn't be a car.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
You know, near the field, and I looked up and
there was a car coming toward the field that must
have gotten through, you know, behind the bleachers somehow, and
so I put both my arms up to you know,
motion for the car to stop, and the driver stepped
on the gas and came right at me, and the
car hit me. I hit the windshield and landed on
(10:49):
the warning track, and the car went speeding down the
outfield warning track, made a full lap around the warning track,
and as I was laying against the wallpad, the car
kept coming a full lap around the warning track, and
then the driver started aiming right at me, and I thought, Oh,
my gosh, what's this lady doing. And at the last minute,
(11:13):
she swerves and misses me and slams on the brakes
and stops, leans up in her car and waves at
me and then peels out and covers me in track
material and goes out the gate. And it just took
me a minute to kind of gather myself, and I
(11:34):
yelled to one of the crew members after she first
hit me to lock up the big steel double gates
behind the bleachers so she couldn't get away. And so
after she pulled out of the field, I pulled myself
up against the outfield pads and made my way behind
the bleachers, and by the time I got out there,
(11:57):
she was out of her carreaming obscenities at the security
guard telling her to let her out. And I noticed
her keys were still in the ignition and the car
was running, and so I turned the car off and
took the keys because they didn't want her to hurt
someone else. It turned out my knee was re injured
(12:20):
and ended up having to have surgeon and ultimately, in
the long run, a knee replacement.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
It could have been so much worse.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So was she held accountable.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
She had some mental health issues and she wasn't on
her medicine, and she was just had some misunderstandings going
on in her mind.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
You have a lot of grace, David Miller. You have
a lot of grace.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
Well, you know, we all have challenges in our lives,
and you know there was a time when, you know,
I had one to five horrific nightmares for twenty nine
years when I first got hit by the car in
this car, and I was scared to go to leap
at night. I didn't know what was wrong, and I
didn't think anybody could understand it, and I didn't think
(13:05):
anybody else had really challenges.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And now I know when.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
I look up at Fenway Park and see thirty seven
thousand people in the stands, I know everybody there, either
themselves or one of their loved ones, has some challenge
in their life. And one there's nothing to be ashamed
of to ask for help. And it takes courage to
ask for help. And I want people to know that.
(13:31):
You know, when my wife and I wrote my memoir,
our memoir, we were hoping if sharing our story through
programs like your Wonderful program, through other opportunities, or the memoir,
if we could help one person know that helps available
and treatment works, and that they're not alone. It's worth
(13:54):
sharing that story because we all have different challenges in
our lives, and there was time I didn't understand that.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
I just tried to suck it up and think I'll
just work through it.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
So how were you eventually diagnosed with PTSD? Was that
your wife's doing? Tell our audience how you finally went,
wait a minute, there's a name for this, there's treatment
for this. I don't have to suffer like this in silence.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Yes, ma'am I thought PTSD could only happen to veterans
or someone in war.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
And my daughter was going to.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
School for psychology to be a doctor in psychology. And
when she was in college, she got an internship at
a wonderful program here in Boston called the home Base
program that was started with Mats General in the Red
Sox Foundation help veterans and their families dealing with post
traumatic stress. And I was getting an acupuncture treatment in
(14:56):
twenty ten, and before I went into the the treatment,
and I picked up a Smithsonian magazine and I laid
down on the table and I just opened up this
magazine and the first page I opened up to was
about a new treatment facility offering treatments for veterans dealing
with PTSD. So I thought I'd read this article to
(15:20):
learn more about what my daughter was learning about.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
So you thought you were going to enrich your mind
just so you could then understand your daughter and her
program more. Yes, ma'am not thinking about yourself, not thinking about.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Totally, Just hoping to learn more about my daughter and
how proud I was of her, and learn more about
what she was doing and how the Red Sox were
helping veterans and MATS General was helping veterans, and the
first paragraph listed twelve symptoms of post traumatic stress. And
I started reading it and chills ran through me and
(15:57):
literally tears started going down my face because I could
actively feel ten of these twelve symptoms. Only the ones
I did not have were suicide or drug use either.
You know, I had anxiety. You know I had nightmares.
There were so many of these. I listed them in
(16:19):
the book. There were just so many things that I
could relate to, and I thought, oh my gosh. While
it scared me, it gave me hope. It was like,
oh my gosh, maybe this is what I have and
I've had for the last twenty nine years. And if
I could get treatment, not only hopefully it helps me,
(16:40):
but hopefully I can be a better husband, I can
be a better dad, I could be a better boss, friend, mentor,
and hopefully I can help others. And my wife is
my absolute, my best friend. But I was scared to
share with her how scary my nightmares were. You know,
(17:03):
I slept with the TV on every night loud so
that when I would scream out at night, I would
try to tell the kids, hey, that was a TV.
When they would say, what was that noise? And they knew,
you know, as I found out, you know, they knew
something was going on.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
They had known all along, but they didn't know what
it was. I'm sure correct, correct.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
PTSD affects the whole family. And it's not just from
war and veterans don't just get it. It comes from
you know, the leading cause of PTSD and men is
car crashes, and it comes from sexual abuse, It comes
from fires, and it comes from any kind of trauma
can cause PTSD and there's nothing to be a shame of.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
And here's the interesting thing that you brought up in
your book that I think a lot of people don't
realize is that it may not happen right after the
traumatic event. You may not develop PTSD until months or
even years after the trauma happened.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
And triggers, you know, sights, sounds, smells can trigger these.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Anxieties and these.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Emotions to cause flashbacks and memories. You know, it may
sound weird to people. People could relate to squealing tires
and reving engines to the car crashes causing anxiety or
flashbacks to me, but literally, the smell of McDonald's French
(18:38):
fries would cause flashbacks and anxieties. People would bring McDonald's
back to lunch and I would have to leave the
room because I would break out in cold sweats, I
would get chills, I would turn bright red.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
That's unfortunate because McDonald's fries are one of God's gifts
to the world.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I do a joy I joyed.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
I rarely buy them, but boy do I enjoy them
when I do.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
'A I can relate to that. It's something that I
just want people to know.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
And I appreciate opportunity on your show to help people
know that help is available and that it's not going
to be ashamed of to ask for help.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
And if you do ask for help, that there's a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Of different kinds of treatment whether and if you don't
click with that first counselor or that first type of treatment,
hey try another one.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
You know, I've been very blessed with incredible counselors and
I'm proud to you know, I just talked to my
counselor yesterday and I'm proud to do that.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
And you know, there's different types of counseling, and it
literally is life changing.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
It changed my life.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
It's helped my family And another part of therapy that's
helped me is I had a service dog that came
into my life in twenty fourteen.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
That became quite famous in the Boston area. Our service
dog went with you everywhere he did.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
His name was Drago and.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Drago the dog O, who was a beautiful German shepherd. Correct, yes, ma'am,
he was.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
He literally helped bring awareness to service dogs and how
life changing they were and are, and how.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Much he was to me.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
And he ESPN did a special on him, if it's
all right to say that they did one called Dave
and drog Go to bring my awareness to service dogs.
And he literally was an ambassador for service dogs. And
he gave me a confidence to take on challenges and
(20:43):
open up a world that I hadn't dealt with in
twenty nine years or thirty years plus. And he passed
away June seventeenth last year from a stroke. And I'm
in the process of had a great call last two
days with an organization foundation that we're hoping to connect
with for a new service dog and service dogs or
(21:08):
another part of helping mental health.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Oh yeah, there's something about the love of a four
legged creature that is healing.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
The things David is endured and how he's turned tragedy
into triumph gives me chills. We've got a little more
time with David today, so let me tell you about
another podcast sponsor that is responsible for bringing this inspiring
story to you. While I'm telling you about them, I'm
(21:39):
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(22:00):
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(22:25):
b I G E l O W t e a
dot com. So, David, Boston is your home, That's where
your heart was, That's where your dreams were. How did
you get from the other ballparks to back home to
the Big Green Monster into Fenway Park and the hot dogs.
(22:47):
Oh my gosh, the hot dogs.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
You know, that was an interesting story. You know.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
I was working for the Milwaukee Brewers and I just
moved into.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
The new ballpark, into my new office.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
And the Cincinnati read had called and offered me a
head job at their new ballpark. And my wife's family
still lived in Ohio and so it was an interesting
opportunity and appreciated the offer, but we just couldn't come
to terms. So I respectfully turned it down. And they
(23:18):
called back and said, you know, we would still like
to negotiate for one more week. Would you be willing
to negotiate till next Saturday? And I said sure, and
out of the blue, on that Wednesday, mister Mooney, who
was the groundskeeper for the Red Sox for thirty years,
called me and said, David, I'm thinking about retiring, but
(23:40):
I'll only retire if you replace me. And I said,
oh my gosh, mister Mooney, you know, I'm incredibly humbled.
I have to give the reds an answer on Saturday.
And he said, I will have John Buckley, who was
the president of the club. I'll have him call you.
We'll get you out here on Friday, and the Red
Sox brought me out and said, David, we know what
(24:01):
you can do for us. More importantly, what can we
do for you and your family to make this move successful?
And the Red Sox just made the perfect package for
us to move here, even though we had family in
Ohio and I grew up a Red Sox fanatic. My
wife said she knew when mister Mooney called we were coming,
(24:22):
but they had to make the right offer, and the
families what put it over the top, because family means
the world to me.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
So you've been there forever. You've been back home forever, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
So we this my twenty third season at Fenway Park,
in thirty ninth year in the major leagues.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Wow. So I've been very, very blessed.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
And you know, I grew up wanting to stand on
Finway Parks mound and now I get.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
To do it every day, every day, every day. And
a lot of pictures have come and gone. I'm sure
in the time that the twenty some odd years you've
been there.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
And you know, you think of all the struggles we
have in our lives, and if I would have given
up at some point, I never would.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Have had these opportunities. We all have those tough days.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
But if you stop and you don't grind through them
and keep pushing, you don't reach those opportunities.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
You've had more than a few tough days, David had
I love that you have not allowed your trials, your
traumas to define you, but to inspire you and push you.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
I'm very humbled by your kind words, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
But it's true. It's true. People recognize you on the field.
The fans love you, They loved your dog. People recognize
your patterns that you you know because you're so artistic
and creative, and you've come up with beautiful ways to
make the field look awesome, and you've shared that with everybody.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Well, it takes a lot of teamwork. I'm blessed to
have a lot of support from a lot of people,
and it starts with my wife.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Well, it has been wonderful talking to you. You are
a fact fascinating man. I love your attitude.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
I'm humbled by your kind words and support and thank
you for all you do and for helping others. Truly
humbled by all your support.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
Well, God bless you, David, Thank you for this time.
Have a wonderful rest of your baseball season.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Thank you, ma'am. I look forward to seeing you in Boston.
Please stay in.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Touch, all right, I will. David R. Meller is the
senior director of Grounds for the Boston Red Sox baseball
team at Finway Park, where he oversees everything that involves
the playing field. He is the leading innovator of elaborate
patterns used on athletic turf and turf in general. Articles
(26:42):
about his beautiful work have been widely published, and he's
appeared on countless TV and radio programs. His mowing patterns
have been featured in the American Folk Art Museum and
an international art exhibit. Besidesides his remarkable autobiography, One Base
(27:03):
at a Time, How I Survived PTSD and Found My
Field of Dreams, David has published two books on gardening
and horticulture, Picture Perfect Mowing Techniques for Lawns, Landscapes and
Sports Considered the Textbook for Lawn Patterns, and the Lawn Bible,
How to Keep It Green, groomed, and growing every season
(27:26):
of the year. Any One of these or all three,
would make absolutely fantastic Father's Day gifts. David has over
three decades of major League Baseball experience, and has been
at home in Finway Park since two thousand and one.
He scared for some of the greenest lawns in the nation,
the ballparks used by the California Angels, San Francisco Giants,
(27:50):
Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and of course, his beloved
Boston Red Sox. David considers himself one of the luckiest
peace people in the world, living by the old baseball
saying one base at a time, which is another way
of saying, take it one step at a time. He
(28:10):
buys a lottery ticket every time the jackpot rises over
one hundred million dollars, as the statistics of winning millions
of dollars is more likely than the chance of being
hit by two different cars in two different cities. One
Base at a Time is a remarkably inspiring story and
a great book to take with you to the park,
(28:32):
the lake, or wherever your summer reading takes place. It's
been touching people one heart at a Time since it
was published in twenty nineteen and continues to do so.
PTSD post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health issue
that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life
(28:56):
threatening or traumatic event like combat, an accident, and assault,
just to name a few. It's normal for folks who've
lived through such traumatic things to have upsetting memories, feel
on edge, or have trouble sleeping, but then they start
to feel better. But for some it goes on longer
and causes difficulties in their lives. That is PTSD. Everyone
(29:18):
experiences PTSD differently. Sometimes symptoms can start months or even
years after the event. Sometimes symptoms come and go over
a period of years. As David has attested, there is
help for PTSD. It's not something to hide. It's not
something to be ashamed of, nor is it apt to
(29:39):
go away on its own. If you or someone you
know is suffering with PTSD, a conversation with a doctor
or mental health professional is the first step on the
road to healing. As David says, take it one base
at a time.
Host
Delilah
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