Buddy System

by  Dianne Prendible

Early spring in New England.  Baseball players have reported to spring training, and bikers are dusting off their bikes for the first ride of the season.   And in the case of Boston Red Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler, this time of year means doing both.

“I always had an interest in motorcycles,” Kapler said.  “But I didn’t get my first bike until 2004.’

In fact, it was Kapler’s buddy and fellow Sox teammate Kevin Millar, who convinced Kapler to take the plunge during spring training in Fort Myers, FL that year.

“Kevin called someone he knew in Texas and they shipped a truck full of bikes right to training camp,” Kapler explained.  “They set them up in the parking lot, and a bunch of us picked out the bikes we wanted and bought them right then and there.”

From that point on, Kapler was hooked, riding his motorcycle almost every day in 2004.  However, certain events interfered with his riding plans. 

In November 2004, Kapler left the Red Sox and signed a deal with the Yomiuri Giants based in Tokyo, Japan. He returned to the Sox in late July 2005, but ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in September.  That injury kept him off the bike for the entire off-season. 

But with his recovery nearly complete, and with an expected return to the official Red Sox roster sometime after May 1, Kapler is looking forward to resuming his time on the open road.

He plans to ship his Thunder Mountain custom bike to spring training in Fort Myers, FL so he can ride with teammates Keith Foulke and David Wells during their free time. 

Although Kapler says it is more fun to ride with other people, he has found that living in L.A. has made that a challenge. 

“No one I know in L.A. rides a bike,” he said.  “Besides, you really have to get out of the city for a nice ride.”

In contrast to Kapler, Millar’s experience with motorcycles began when he was young. 

“I’ve been riding since I was 18,” Millar said.  “I grew up 40 miles north of L.A. and we rode dirt bikes when we were kids.  My uncle had a Harley and I always said one day I would own a bike.  I bought my first one when I signed a major league contract.”

And Millar has influenced other people besides Kapler to get involved with motorcycles.  Two years ago, Millar taught his dad to ride.  His dad now owns a Harley UltraGlide touring bike.  

And what about the problem of being recognized while he is riding? Millar says his fans never bother him.  “They just honk and wave,” he said.

During the past off-season, Millar signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He plans to ship his Softail Heritage and Texas Chopper to the Orioles’ training camp in Arizona and he says one of the bikes will be for him and the other for a friend—or maybe for his dad who plans to visit camp. 

Like Kapler, Millar prefers to ride with others.  In fact, while they were teammates, Millar, Kapler, Foulke and former centerfielder Johnny Damon were often seen heading into or out of Fenway Park on their motorcycles.  They even took advantage of a day off to ride together while traveling with the Sox.

“We were in Colorado playing the Rockies,” Kapler remembered.  “We had an off day, and a bunch of us took a ride up through the Red Rock area.  It was the best ride of my life. It the kind of trip I’m looking forward to doing more of.”

That trip had fond memories for Millar as well.

“We rented bikes and rode around Denver for three or four hours,” Millar recalled.  “We were cruising, just trying to get lost.  It was a nice day.” 

Though he admits he does not do a lot of touring, Millar is looking forward to someday taking a six-week bike trip coast to coast.

“Riding gives me a sense of freedom,” he said.  “There are no cell phones, no radio, no distractions.  It just clears your mind.”

Kapler agrees.  “I love the feeling of being on the bike, even in traffic,” he said.  “I love the feeling of freedom and being outside with the wind in your face.  You feel much more free than being in a car.”

Note: The Gabe Kapler Foundation is a family run, non-profit foundation dedicated to stopping domestic violence. For more information, visit http://www.kaplerfoundation.org.

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