Before Shea, Milledge played in Williamsport, Pa.

Little-league coach is confident that Lastings will shake his negative reputation

Jim Baumbach

12:23 PM EDT, July 13, 2007

Did you see what Lastings Milledge did last night? Did you see the way he scored from first, how he slid into home, how he snuck his hand in at the last second?

Those were the questions Mike Kennedy heard when he arrived for work this morning in Florida, and it was all news to him. But from hearing his coworkers describe Milledge's slide, Kennedy can't wait to see this for himself. "I'm hoping ESPN will show it again," he said.

But don't ask Kennedy if he's surprised by Milledge's baseball smarts. That, to him, goes without saying. He's known Milledge since he was a youngster and is well aware of what he's capable of on the baseball field. That's because Kennedy was his manager back in Little League, when Milledge led a team of 12-year-olds from East Manatee, Fla. make it all the way to Williamsport, Pa.

Yes, Milledge played in the Little League World Series, and his team almost won it, too. They lost in the U.S. championship game, in part because their top two pitchers Milledge and Kennedy's son, Ryan couldn't pitch the final game because they both had sore arms.

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"I coached those kids when they were T-ballers, and we knew we had a special group," Kennedy said earlier, from his day job running a service center for a utility company. He recalls having a conversation with Milledge's father, Tony, when their kids were 10, and he brought up the possibility of making it to Williamsport in two years.

"We're going to have a shot," Kennedy told him.

And Milledge wasn't the only talented player on that East Manatee team. Kennedy's son, Ryan, is currently playing in the Angels minor-league system after getting in the 19th round last June. And Ryan Cobb is currently with in A's minors, drafted in 2006 in the 27th round. But Kennedy, like everyone else, knew Milledge had a bright future.

"You could tell he was going to develop into a great ballplayer," Kennedy said. "He was always a strong kid. He hit the ball with power. At 12 years old, he was hitting the ball a long way, a lot longer than other 12-year-olds."

But mention the negative unwanted attention Milledge has received in recent years from the rap saga to the "Know your place, rook" sign that veterans put above his locker and Kennedy is a bit surprised. That's not the Lastings Milledge he used to coach in little league.

"He never, never was [a troublemaker]," Kennedy said. "He was always a good kid. We never had any problems with Lastings, at all. Very polite young man. And that just comes from his upbringing. Tony and Linda did a great job. He was always that way when we had him. I've seen him since, not a lot since he went off to play, but I did see him after his first rookie season and he came to see one of Ryan's games. He was the same Lastings. Very polite. Just a fun-loving kid. I think a lot of him, I really do."

Kennedy still keeps in touch with Lastings' parents. Tony Milledge called on the day Ryan Kennedy was drafted by the Angels last month to congratulate him. They are close enough that Kennedy said he and Tony have talked about some of the problems that Lastings has run into of late.

"This is just me, but I attribute all that to, he's still a young kid," Kennedy said. "He's 21, but he's still young. He's got some growing up to do, and I understand he's probably grown up from last year It's new to him, being up in the big leagues. I just think it will take someone putting their arm around him. He's a quick learner. Lastings is a quick learner. He'll be fine."

After the East Manatee team returned home from Williamsport, they received a special talk from college hoops enthusiast and Sarasota resident Dick Vitale, who referred to Lastings as "Lasto." And the local newspaper, the Sarasota News-Tribune, marked the occasion with a special feature on the players that included short bios.

Milledge listed his Sega as the favorite item in his room, history as his favorite subject and Ken Griffey Jr. as his favorite player. But perhaps most interesting is what he wrote under the section that was titled, 'Hardest lesson you had to learn this year.' He said, "Don't go out there half-stepping, you have to play your hardest all the time."

Milledge displayed a strong sense of determination last night with that nifty slide, and it came just hours after he proclaimed himself to be ready to focus and concentrate only on baseball. Everyone knows that Milledge has a great amount of potential, and Kennedy for one is certain that the Mets prospect is about to tap into that very soon.

"He's going to be fine, and I really believe that," Kennedy said. "I think he's going to grow up, learn the ways."