Following in his dad’s footsteps
get better and better.”
Lou Collier’s baseball path was more routine than his son’s.
After growing up in Chicago, he excelled at nearby Triton College, a junior college that also produced Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett and longtime big league outfielder Lance Johnson.
He was selected by Pittsburgh in the 31st round of the MLB Draft and spent five seasons in the minor leagues until he debuted with the Pirates in June 1997.
In an eight-year span he would also play for the Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
A third baseman, shortstop and outfielder, he would play 315 big-league games and hit .241. He then played in Korea before retiring in 2007.
He’s been especially hands-on in guiding his son through baseball’s waters.
“Everybody I talk to tells me what a hard worker my dad was and that has been etched in my memory,” Cam said. “Coming up my dad was my No. 1 baseball hero and I’ve tried to follow in his footsteps.”
While his dad was 5-foot-10, Cam is 6-foot-2
and weighs 215 pounds. He said his size comes from his mom’s side of the family. Just as importantly, he said she always lends him an ear, no matter the situation:
“She and my dad are a team. My mom’s like the good cop. My dad is on me a lot and my mom is there to support me in everything.
“She’s already been through the baseball life with my dad, so I can ask her about anything, too. She’s always there for me, whether I’m struggling or things are going good. She’s played a big part in my baseball career.”
Once he signed his big contract, Cam said he was able to do something he had wanted to do for a good while:
“It was always my dream growing up to help my parents.
“I’d told my mom, ‘The first thing I’m gonna do when I get drafted is get you a car and get you a home.’ And that’s what I’ve done. I wanted my family to have everything it wanted.”
He said he got his mom “a new white Audi.”
“They’ve been with me the whole time and sacrificed so much so I could reach my dream,” he said. “The least I could do is give back some things they deserve.”
He was asked, “So, does that make you their favorite son?”
“Yeah, I am their favorite son,” he said, before adding a laugh and a disclaimer.
“I have an older sister and a younger sister.
“Actually, I’m the only son.”
‘Keep playing the way I knew how’
Collier struggled some during the early part of last season.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself being a firstround pick,” he admitted. “I wanted to be ‘that guy.’ I wanted to make all the plays.
“Eventually, I learned I didn’t have to prove myself like that. If I wasn’t good enough, I wouldn’t have been drafted by the Reds in the first round. I just kind of had to take it as a gift from God to be a first-round pick. I just needed to keep playing the way I knew how.”
He ended the season on a tear and hit .351 in 21 games in August.
Over the years he said he’s banked on lessons and advice from his dad:
“One of the best things he’s ever told me was ‘Don’t let how you feel mess up what you know.’”
He said his parents will be here this weekend to see him play and, like always, he figures his dad will weigh in with him in real time:
“He’s always trying to help me out and a lot of time he’ll text me during the game and tell me what I’m doing wrong.”
And how does Cam deal with that?
He hesitated a couple of seconds and then, with a growing smile, he offered:
“The greatest thing is that I don’t have my phone during the game. I leave it back in the clubhouse, so I can’t see all that.”