Patience is a virtue for Milwaukee's Brady Clark: after struggling to find his niche as a major leaguer, 32-year-old outfielder became an everyday player in 2004.

ANYONE WHO HAS EVER PLAYED baseball, from T-Ball to the big leagues, knows a Brady Clark. Dependable, hard working, nothing flashy, the kind of guy who is always there, runs the extra lap before practice, shows up on off days for extra hitting practice, but never quite barges in on the limelight. The kind of player that a coach writes into the lineup every day and forgets about until the game is over and there are a couple of hits, a run or two, a few putouts in the scorebook.

Managers love players like that, low-maintenance and good for the team and ready to do whatever it takes. A player always looking to prove himself.

The Milwaukee Brewers are feeling rather lucky that they got such a player for little more than the cost of a few batting gloves.

After drifting through the minors since being signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1996 as an undrafted free agent, he was promptly released, then re-signed. It proved to be the beginning of a long litany of attempts to prove himself. Clark drifted through the Reds organization and even made three trips to the big leagues with little to show for it before being traded to the New York Mets in 2002 where he lasted 10 games.

By that time, Clark, now 32, was at make-it-or-break-it time. Prior to the 2003 season, the Brewers claimed him off waivers and after a brief stint in the minors, Brewers manager Ned Yost was convinced that all Clark needed was a chance.

"In all my years in baseball, I've never seen a guy work harder to get where he is," Yost said, just before Clark took the field against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last June. Clark had a pair of hits, scored a run, and made a spectacular catch in center field to seal a win in that game. "From the first day I saw him, I knew he was a hard worker and that he could play right away. He's always ready."

The effort was there as he played in 128 games for Milwaukee in 2003, batting a respectable .273, proving himself dangerous on the base paths.