Aaron Miles gets another chance with Cubs
Life-and-death ordeal in 2000 a distant memory for the newest Cub
The masked gunman had Aaron Miles in a headlock and pressed a semiautomatic against the back of his head. The police and five of Miles' teammates were outside in the parking lot. The police repeatedly yelled for the gunman to surrender. But the gunman wasn't about to go peacefully. After about a half-hour, Miles, the gunman's lone hostage, had had enough.
''I had visions of being shot,'' said Miles, who signed a two-year contract with the Cubs last week. ''Of never seeing my family again. Of being dead. I felt I had to do something. The feeling kept growing. I decided that if he gave me a chance, I was going to turn on him and wrestle the gun away.''
(AP)
The gunman walked Miles over to the window of the Kissimmee, Fla., motel room where he was being held hostage, and told him to open the curtain. Miles did as he was told. Then the gunman bent over to look through the window, moving the gun from behind Miles' head to his right cheek. And that's when Miles made his move, grabbing the barrel of the gun and holding onto it for dear life. The two men struggled for control, and the gunman didn't play fair. He punched Miles. He bit Miles in the back. He jumped onto Miles' back. But the 5-8 Miles, whose back was bleeding from the bite, wouldn't let go of the gun. Instead, with the gunman still on his back, Miles body slammed him against the wall. The gunman fell to the ground, and Miles fell on top of him. They both were still holding the gun, which now was pointed at the ceiling.
''Get the bleep in here!'' Miles yelled to the police as loud as he could. ''Get the bleep in here!''
Miles yelled those words again and again. The cops heard him. But the gunman had locked the door. The cops busted into the motel room by breaking the window with the butt of a shotgun. One cop pointed his gun at the gunman.
''Drop the gun,'' the cop said to the gunman. ''Drop the gun.''
The gunman refused to let go. Miles was still on top of the gunman, and the gun they held was still pointed at the ceiling. The cop fired at the gunman from point-blank range, putting six shots into him. Finally, the gunman's hand fell off the gun. Miles had prevailed.
• • • •
The attack occurred in March 2000, during spring training. Miles was a 23-year-old minor-leaguer with the Houston Astros organization. He had gone to dinner with his uncle and returned to his motel around 11 p.m. He noticed that the door to his room was open but thought nothing of it, figuring his roommate had stepped out to get something. He got into bed, leaving the door unlocked for his roommate. He wasn't worried for his safety because his teammates occupied all the other rooms on the second floor of the motel. The motel was the kind of place where all the doors open into the parking lot.
As it turned out, five of his teammates in the adjacent room already had been robbed by two masked gunmen. They had been bound with plastic strips, had their mouths taped shut, and had blankets thrown over their heads. The gunmen saw Miles returning to his room and decided to add to their haul. They entered Miles' room, brandished their guns, got Miles out of bed and walked him next door, where they intended to tie him up and leave him with his teammates. But in the time it took for them to grab Miles, one of his teammates in the adjacent room had broken free of his handcuffs, locked the door and called for help.
When the gunman discovered the adjacent room was locked, they returned Miles to his room and threw him face down on his bed. Then they heard police sirens. The second gunman opened the door, saw the cops pulling up and jumped off the second-floor balcony, escaping on foot. The other gunman stayed and took Miles hostage.
Miles stayed cool throughout the crisis, at one point even encouraging the gunman to escape by putting on some of his Astros gear. But the gunman was not the kind of guy to take advice.
Nearly nine years removed from the ordeal, Miles seldom even thinks about it anymore.
''Only when I'm staying in that kind of hotel,'' he said. ''I found out later that guys hit up hotel rooms like that all the time. They wait in the parking lot and watch. So if I'm ever in one of those places, I peek outside my door before I leave to make sure there's no one standing there.''
The gunman survived his injuries and was sentenced to life in prison. His accomplice was captured and sentenced to five years.
• • • •
Despite his major-league effort in Kissimmee, it would be several more years before Miles, whose main position was second base, would break into the big leagues. He debuted with the White Sox, who picked him up in the 2000 Rule 5 draft, in September 2003. The Sox traded him that offseason to the Rockies for Juan Uribe. After two years in Colorado, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in December 2005. After becoming a free agent this offseason, he signed a two-year deal with the Cubs.
The switch-hitting second baseman, who also can play shortstop, third and the outfield and who made three relief-pitching appearances for the Cardinals, wants Cubs fans to know he's thrilled to be on board.
''I'm a student of the game,'' the California native said. ''I love baseball history, and I've always looked at playing at Wrigley Field as special. There's a sense of old-time baseball there. I've always loved the atmosphere there, and I'm excited to experience the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry from the other side.''
With nearly identical batting averages from each side of the plate last season -- .317 from the left and .315 from the right -- and an on-base percentage of .355, Miles brings a consistent bat to the North Side. He also brings a positive attitude.
''I know I'm going to be in the mix at second base with a chance to be a starter,'' he said. ''But I could be used in a bunch of different roles. I plan to be flexible. I love batting at the top of the order, but I can bat in front of the pitcher as well. For me it's either-or.''
He's obviously not a guy who will back down from a challenge. Goodness knows he proved that in Kissimmee. That ordeal gave Miles a ''quick reality check'' as to what's important in life. And baseball always has ranked high.
''Going 4-for-4 feels just as sweet as it ever did,'' he said.
Year Team AB H HR Avg.
2003 Sox 12 4 0 .333
2004 Rox 522 153 6 .293
2005 Rox 324 91 2 .281
2006 Cards 426 112 2 .263
2007 Cards 414 120 2 .290
2008 Cards 379 120 4 .317
Totals 2,077 600 16 .289