Meet Mr. May

 

By Joe Capozzi

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

 

Sunday, December 05, 2004

 

"Hello, this is Matt May."

 

That's Matt Treanor, Marlins backup catcher and clubhouse jokester, answering his cellphone one day last week in the early stages of his marriage to Misty May, who won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. Olympic beach volleyball team.

 

Treanor married May on Nov. 13 in Orange, Calif. But wherever the couple goes, she's the celebrity and he's the... well, he's the guy with Misty May.

 

Matt May, as he likes to put it.

 

"We're headed to Chapstick plant," he says of the couple's plans to visit one of his wife's corporate sponsors, where she'll shake hands and pose for photos with employees. And what does her husband do?

 

"I go around with her and carry her stuff and make sure she's completely refreshed with coffee."

 

But when Treanor's phone rang on the day before Thanksgiving ? the same day the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon in Bora Bora ? he didn't answer, "Hello, this is Matt May."

 

A jet-lagged May was coaching a volleyball team at a junior college. Treanor was sitting down to eat at one of his favorite haunts, Taco Tita's in Culver City, when he saw an out-of-state phone number he didn't recognize.

 

"It was a 509 number. I said 'hello' and he goes, "Train? It's Red.' 'Who?' 'Red ? Mike Redmond."

 

Redmond, calling from his home near Seattle, had been Florida's backup catcher since 1998. Just a few hours earlier, he agreed to a two-year contract with the Minnesota Twins.

 

One of the first people he calls? Treanor, the man who most likely will take Redmond's job as backup to starting catcher Paul Lo Duca.

 

"He asked how I was and then he told me he signed a deal with Minnesota," he said. "I congratulated him. He went on to tell me he was looking forward to me coming back to the club and possibly making the team."

 

Redmond isn't particularly close with Treanor, who knew the veteran backup from a year or two of spring training plus three months of last season when Treanor was called up to the majors for the first time.

 

Yet, on the day Redmond leaves the Marlins, the only team he has known, he reaches out to the journeyman minor-leaguer who might end up filling his shoes.

 

"Red's always taken care of me," Treanor said. "On my first day, he loaned me some of his gear. But when he called me, I was surprised. That's one of the classiest things I've ever seen in baseball."

 

Treanor, who has toiled in the minors since 1994, is not a lock to make the team. He batted.236 with just one RBI in 29 games. The Marlins could go after some veteran help, such as Todd Pratt.

 

Treanor, 29, has spent spring trainings with catchers Pudge Rodriguez and Charles Johnson, counting down the days until he got cut and sent to minor-league camp. He hopes spring training 2005 will be a countdown to opening day.

 

"Every year, the anticipation is always the same, but for me this will be different. Not just because I got to the big leagues this year," he said.

 

"My goal is to stay in the big leagues, to have an opportunity to show I want to stay there. I want to be one of those guys that's a fixture in the clubhouse. I don't want to be a pity case where 'Oh, he's been around for so long, so let's call him up.' I want to be a part of the club."

 

Redmonds leadership will defintely be missed in the clubhouse.

 

 

Article

Red was my second-favorite Marlins player of all time. He will be missed. Good Luck Red!

Class Act Redmond is. Best of luck to him and heres hoping that Treanor makes the team.

What a sweet thing to do...shows what a great guy he is.We will miss you Red!!

Yell at me all you want, but you can only fill a team with so many "class acts" like Redmond and Harris before you actually need to put talent on the bench.

 

Red was a great "sunday catcher" but I don't see too much of a drop off from Red's numbers to Treanor's numbers.

Redmond is a much better hitter than Treanor, particularly against lefties, I'm sure we all can recall the hype about his dominance over Glavine.

I don't know how Mordey is coping with this.

Everybody Loves Redmond!

 

Anyway, we all knew it was his time to go... we just didn't want that time to ever come. I'll never forget the naked BP story. Ever.

Nice...Treanor will be a fine backup and I think he will surprise a few people with the bat this year.

Yell at me all you want, but you can only fill a team with so many "class acts" like Redmond and Harris before you actually need to put talent on the bench.

 

Red was a great "sunday catcher" but I don't see too much of a drop off from Red's numbers to Treanor's numbers.

627407[/snapback]

 

I think most people agree with that especially since Redmond got a nice contract over their at Minny.

 

I am at least willing to give a chance to Treanor and Wily.

 

Everybody Loves Redmond!

 

Anyway, we all knew it was his time to go... we just didn't want that time to ever come. I'll never forget the naked BP story. Ever.

627464[/snapback]

 

:lol

 

That was awesome.

Redmond is a good ballplayer, not just a class act. I will definitely miss him... You can ask Tom Glavine. I'll never forget when someone asked Glavine who the toughest hitter he's ever faced was and he smiled and said "Mike Redmond."

 

I'd love to see Treanor get the backup job too. I was at the game vs the White Sox when he got the game winning hit, his first major league RBI.... I also remember a Spring Training where he gained some major respect by throwing himself in front of Vladimir Guerrero to protect Brad Penny...

Redmond=The man

 

sad to see him go, but u can see why the decision was made

 

easily

For some reason my friends hated him..

I knew he was a good player and will miss him..

I went to a game on his Birthday this year (or maybe it was last year, don't remember)

I don't know why but Mike Redmond is one of those guys I can really imagine in a Twins uniform.

I don't know why but Mike Redmond is one of those guys I can really imagine in a Twins uniform.

627707[/snapback]

 

Yeah, I can see that too. The Twins, throughout the past years, have been known for having hard nosed, give it all you got type players.. (i.e - Mientkiewicz, Dustan Mohr, Corie Koskie, Torii Hunter, etc...).... He'll fit right into that ball club.. I wish him nothing but the very best.

I'll have to stop by Hammond Stadium during the Spring to see Red play with the Twins. Hopefully I can go to the game they play the Marlins.

Class Act Redmond is. Best of luck to him and heres hoping that Treanor makes the team.

627400[/snapback]

 

I concur :thumbup

Ah, no more hits to "the Red Zone"....

 

I hope he plays well with the Twins, loved rooting for him over the years.

Class ballplayer.