MONROE – Scott Miller never wavered in his dream.
“He told us in high school that he was going to be a baseball writer,” said Sam Bellestri, who graduated with Miller from Monroe Catholic Central in 1981.
Miller did just that, spending more than 30 years covering Major League Baseball and writing two books on the sport.
His second book, Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will, was published just weeks before his death from cancer on June 21, 2025. He had been scheduled to have his book featured during Hall of Fame Ceremonies in Cooperstown July 25-28.
“He loved the Tigers,” said Dan Eby, who was his classmate at Catholic Central and roommate at Hillsdale College. “His dad (Al) was the basketball coach at Jefferson. Scott would sit on the bench and watch him in action talking with the newspaper and radio reporters. He realized he could be one of those guys.
“He thought getting paid to go to games was the best thing you could do.”
That’s exactly what Miller did for more than three decades.
He was the Minnesota Twins beat writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press from 1994-1999, then later wrote for CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and the New York Times. He also was an analyst for MLB Network Radio.
MLB released a statement about Miller’s death that read, “Tonight we remember Scott Miller – a true gentleman, a class act, and an expert of his craft who loved our National Pastime. We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and his readers throughout the game.”
Eby says Miller was good at his job because he loved people.
“He never saw anything but positivity and success,” said Eby, who delivered the eulogy at Miller’s funeral on Aug. 5. “Scott was a great relationship guy. He could talk to you find out what was important to you and find an intimate side of you. He was a master of relationships.”
Longtime Catholic Central teacher and basketball coach Ray Lauwers had Miller in his journalism class in the early 1980s.
“He was a great young man,” Lauwers said. “He and his friends were really some exceptional people.”
Miller’s group of friends was always in the lead during school activities and later in life.
“When they were seniors, they came to me and said they would like to do an overnight retreat,” Lauwers recalled.
Lauwers set it up and the retreat has become a tradition for seniors at the school.
“At least 1,000 kids have experienced an overnight retreat because of Scott and his friends,” Lauwers said.
Miller and fellow 1981 Catholic Central graduates Bellestri, Eby, Greg Althaver, Jerry Walsh and Matt Miller remained exceptionally close after high school. They took an annual summer trip together with their families, usually scheduled to coincide with the MLB All-Star break.
“He was everybody’s best friend,” Bellestri said. “We all hung out together (in high school) and bonded during pick-up basketball games in Dan Eby’s back yard.
“I can’t remember how many Tigers games we went to when nothing was going on in the summer. We would drive up to Tiger Stadium and sit in the bleachers.”
Baseball stadiums around the country became Miller’s office.
“I was with Scott near the end and (former MLB player and manager) Dusty Baker called him,” Eby said. “He was pretty emotional. He said Scott was on the Mount Rushmore of baseball.
“Scott had the numbers of all of these players in his phone.”
Those numbers were right next to numbers of his friends from Monroe.
“He never forgot where he came,” Bellestri said.
Miller was honored in his hometown as the 2025 St. Mary Catholic Central Alumnus of the Year on May 16. Eby nominated him for that award and introduced him as the recipient during a breakfast for the senior class.
“Since he’s attended approximately 3,000 baseball games, he’s probably eaten about 9,000 hot dogs,” Eby said that day. “You won’t see this printed anywhere but this is just one of those back stories on our alumnus of the year. He would never have to work a day in his life. He could live his passion. So, early on, he set his sights on becoming a sportswriter.”
Bellestri said Miller’s speech was humble and engaging.
“He was very deserving,” said Bellestri, a retired automotive engineer who lives in Milford. “He thought a lot of his high school days. It’s where all of us became best friends.
“It was great to be back at CC. He was shocked that he was picked before Kaye Lani (Rae Rafko, the 1988 Miss America). He had a big-time career, but he never bragged about it.”
Miller’s gave valuable advice to the SMCC seniors.
“He talked about relationships and how important it was to build those relationships,” Bellestri said. “He said building those relationships made your life whole.”
Miller’s health took a turn for the worse soon after the alumnus of the year ceremony.
“Scott had a really great stand in the batter’s box,” said Eby, an orthopedic surgeon who lives in Jasper, Ind. “Life brings you a lot of curveballs, fastballs and screwballs. You can get through it with friends who support each other.”
Miller was surrounded by family and friends during his final days.
“It was a big loss,” Eby said. “He was talking to one of his exchange students from Japan near the end and told her, ‘I’m 62, but I feel like I’ve had all the experience of someone who is 82. I’ve had a good life.’”
It was an emotional end for the tight-knit group of 1981 Catholic Central graduates.
“Scott said, ‘We’ll get the gang together again. Don’t worry about it’,” Eby said. “It was beautiful.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: SMCC alumnus of the year Scott Miller cherished friends from Monroe
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
