Long before he realized that he could potentially have a career in professional baseball, Kevin Millwood wanted to be a police officer.
"I never really thought about playing baseball really until I was a junior in high school," Millwood said. "I didn't know about the draft and all of that stuff. I tried to figure out something I could do where I wouldn't have to sit behind a desk, and I could help people. That probably could have been one of the things I could have done."
Millwood, 35, acknowledged that it's probably too late now for a career in law enforcement, but when he was given the opportunity to be part of a ride-along with a Baltimore City police officer today, he jumped at the chance.
Millwood rode in the front seat of an unmarked squad car for about 2 1/2 hours today, and he loved every minute of it.
"We were just riding around seeing what we could see, seeing what we could get into," Millwood said. "We got into a couple of things. It was a lot of fun, and a little bit of excitement. I learned quite a bit about Baltimore and have a much better understanding of the city."
Millwood didn't want to go into too much detail about the experience, which included a high-speed car chase.
"It's the first time I've ever been on a ride-along," he said. "I've been wanting to do it for a while. It was a lot of fun."