BRADENTON - Lastings Milledge hasn't changed much. His teammates say he is the same popular kid they remember from Little League. His coaches say he is at ease, relaxed and having fun. As for Milledge, he lets his bat do his talking.
As looming clouds promised rain, sucking the coolness from the afternoon air Thursday, Milledge showed off some of the skills that make him one of the country's top prospects. He blasted five pitches over the fence, and if not for the warm, suffocating breeze blowing in, he would have had 10. The line shots still whistle as they go by, sometimes sending a teammate scurrying. The bat speed is still worth every bit the praise heaped on it by major-league scouts.
Milledge did not make himself available for an interview at Thursday's practice at Lakewood Ranch, where he now stars. But rest assured, his teammates say he is happy.
Happy to be home, happy to be back playing baseball, and happy that tonight he leads the Mustangs back to Legends Field for the Class 5A state baseball tournament.
Back to where, one year ago, things began to unravel for the baseball wonderkid.
Two days after leading his Northside Christian Mustangs to the 2002 Class A championship game, winning Pinellas County's triple crown along the way, Milledge was expelled from school amid allegations of inappropriate behavior with a minor girl.
Tony Milledge, Lastings' father, denied the charge, saying his son and another athlete expelled were at basketball practice at the time the alleged incident took place. He also threatened to sue the school for not waiting until the state attorney had concluded the investigation.
Milledge was never arrested and charges were never filed.
The timing, considering the investigation had gone on since before the beginning of baseball season, was dubious.
A few weeks later, the school was placed on one-year probation by the Florida High School Activities Association because three baseball players had their tuitions paid by school boosters, a recruiting violation.
One of those players was Milledge.
Back in Palmetto, where Milledge lived, the rumors were swirling. Where would Milledge end up? Palmetto High? Sarasota? Lakewood Ranch?
Milledge and his parents, who also declined an interview request, settled the issue by moving into an apartment in the Lakewood Ranch zone while renting their house in Palmetto to their other children, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Northside Christian baseball coach Darrell Don, who still talks to Milledge once a week, said it pains him that Milledge might always be stigmatized by his time at the school. If so, it is unfair. "He deserves another chance and a clean slate," Don said.
Few are happier than Don that Milledge has found success at Lakewood Ranch, and another chance at a state title.
Milledge told the Herald-Tribune his off-field problems. "...only helped me. That only strengthened me. There's always going to be obstacles to cross, and I feel that was my obstacle and I learned it early."
Teammates at Lakewood Ranch say Milledge never talks about the incident and seems unaffected by it.
Milledge's efforts to return the focus to his on-field performance, and his determination to impress his new teammates and sway the doubters who thought he might struggle against Class 5A pitching, was a heavier weight.
By midseason, assistant coach Matt Vassollo said Milledge was hitting around .300. But a move to the leadoff spot has meant better pitches to hit. Coming into tonight's semifinal matchup with Boynton Beach, he is at .414 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs and 42 steals.
"I'd say he's hitting over .500 the second half of the season," Vassollo said. "He came into the year thinking he had to do everything, and that got him off his game. But right now, he's showing that he has all the tools."
Those tools have caused some to compare him to players such Willie Mays and Andruw Jones. But he is no longer thought of as the potential No. 1 pick in June's draft, and while he is certain to get picked in the first round, he could even fall out of the top 20.
The reason is simple: at 5 feet 11 and already filled out, Milledge has little room to grow physically. And other players, such as Dunedin's Ryan Harvey, a gangly 6-5, have more promise five years down the road and showed more improvement this year.
But you won't get any complaints about Milledge's potential from Lakewood Ranch coach Dave Moates, a former major-leaguer with Texas. While Lakewood Ranch was a good team last year, Milledge's presence gave the school its first national ranking earlier this season.
"What did getting Lastings mean to this team? It was like Shaquille O'Neal moving from Orlando to Los Angeles. That turned them into champions," he said. "Lastings is a tremendous talent, a five-tool player, and any coach would (be thrilled) to have that player move in."
Lakewood Ranch turned out to be an amazingly great fit for Milledge. Four of his teammates - Ryan Kennedy, Larry Cobb, Mike Cucci and Rocky Schwartz - played with Milledge as 12-year-olds on the 1997 Manatee East team that advanced to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Because of the travel to St. Petersburg, combined with practice and homework that took up his time, many of those players hadn't talked to Milledge since that team. But when they found out he was coming to Lakewood Ranch, they welcomed him with open arms.
"I think it was probably rough on him, coming to school where people would have their opinions of him from what happened in St. Pete," said Cucci, the starting leftfielder. "But we let him know he was welcome here. I really think he brought us all back together. Having him back kind of reminded us of how fun it was playing with him."
And Kennedy thinks Milledge feels the same.
"He doesn't ever talk about what happened in St. Petersburg, but he's a lot more happy here," the shortstop said. "He's around friends now."
