Milton Wheeler
On first meeting Coach Kushiyama, I must say I thought he might be a Yakuza boss, with his long gangster car, dark sunglasses, and his gravely voice.
One fond memory I have of him is when I was pitching a game and the batter hit a very hot line drive straight towards my head. I ducked in just enough time and could feel the wind created by the swift ball as it passed by my head and went into center field. As I sat on the pitchers mound relieved to have survived this, Coach Kushiyama came out of the dugout and with a big smile yelled "Milton you're supposed to catch the ball, not avoid it!" The whole Maui stadium cracked up.
He definitely made me a better baseball player, not only through his technical guidance, but also through his infectious love for the game and his dedicated support of all his players on and off the field. I truly appreciated his unique brand of humor and his generous spirit. I'm kind of still wondering about the Yakuza thing though. Mahalo Coach! A hui hou and thanks for the memories.
Milton Wheeler
Saint Anthony Baseball Team