The P-DQ: Aaron Miles
TOWER GROVE — This past offseason, switch-hitting utility infielder Aaron Miles — a member in good standing of the 2006 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals — grew frustrated with a third consecutive winter of being non-tendered by the club he had hoped to call home. And though an 11th-hour offer eventually came from the Cardinals, Miles made the difficult decision to jump to a rival, the Chicago Cubs.
Far from excommunicating him (check out his initial comments from a previous blog entry), manager Tony La Russa reached out to him, calling him to express regret that something that didn’t work out.
It was impossible to know then how things wouldn’t work out.
Miles, cast in spring training as a potential starting second baseman or shortstop, has struggled to find his traction with his new team. A hyperextended elbow put him on the disabled list for nearly two months, and he’s returned to find the same frustration. He’s hitting .040 this month and .176 overall this season. The Cubs, like their new additions, are scuffling. Miles has found his playing time limited, and he has just 31 at-bats against lefthanded pitching despite being a .297 hitter the past three seasons from the right side of the plate.
For the off-day, I figured it was a good time to dust off some of the P-DQ’s done with a few National League players this season (check back for two more, including Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun, today). Miles took his swings at the questions during a Cubs’ visit to Busch Stadium earlier this season, but you’ll see how one of the answers still applies:
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What is some advice you received from a parent that has stayed with you?
Treat people the way you want to be treated.
A memorable Christmas or holiday gift that you received?
I’m going to say when I was really little a fake football helmet and pads. It was a Joe Montana, 49ers, outfit.
Who is your favorite superhero?
Spider-Man.
What is the best baseball movie?
Major League
What is your greatest achievement?
Being a husband and father.
What is your current state of mind?
Frustrating and stressful.
What is your greatest extravagance or indulgence?
Expensive dinners.
Who was your favorite baseball player growing up?
Rickey Henderson
What was your first car?
Camaro. 1994. Blue.
What about your current car?
I have a 2004 BMW.
What place must you visit before you die?
Greece.
What is the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
There’s some Madonna on there. Old school Madonna.
What movie will you stop to watch whenever it comes on?
Anchorman
Do you sing in the shower or in the car?
Neither.
You know you’re in the minors when …
Your roommate is snoring and you can’t get to sleep.
I tune out when people talk about …
I don’t tune out people.
When I think of St. Louis, I think of …
My great ex-teammates. The coaching staff and winning a world series, and the fans, man.
I wish I knew how to …
Cook better.
What is your treasured possession?
My World Series ring.
What is your greatest regret?
Having to be away from my family so much. Can’t really change that.
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Previous P-DQs: Adam Wainwright … CC Sabathia … Skip Schumaker … David Wright … Brian Barton … Ryan Ludwick. … Ryan Franklin. … Brad Lidge … Chris Carpenter. … Brandon Phillips. … Todd Wellemeyer. … Dustin Pedroia. … Jason Isringhausen. … Chris Perez. … Matt Capps. … Evan Longoria. … Brian Barden. … Joe Thurston. … Mark DeRosa. … Lance Berkman. … Colby Rasmus.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Wow,…glad I wasn’t part of the hate when miles left. So this is what overtime looks like? Old P-DQ’s? You should have taken the free golf lesson today. lol
He comes across a lot better than Ryan Braun does in his answers.
Man, I don’t care what the guy’s numbers look like this year, I still miss Aaron Miles. 100% every day. (even if you needed him to pitch)
Hey did you all forget that when Aaron left St. Louis he said and I quote, “I am going to a place where they know how to play baseball”!? Well Aaron I don’t blame you for taking the money, Like we have been hearing alot of lately, It’s a business. But how’s that baseball thing been working out for you up there in the big windy? Best wishes to you Aaron and your family, But boy oh boy did you ever step into it…
Below are the very insightful answers that show how Miles is different from some of his colleagues, especially the ones with bigger contracts. He still has a concept of an expensive dinner, his BMW is five years old and he doesn’t tune people out.
What is your greatest extravagance or indulgence?
Expensive dinners.
What about your current car?
I have a 2004 BMW.
I tune out when people talk about …
I don’t tune out people.
When I think of St. Louis, I think of …
My great ex-teammates. The coaching staff and winning a world series, and the fans, man.
How weird is it that the cardinals have had players named Brian Barton and Brian Barden?
Or that Matt Holliday is just one day older than the reported birth date of Albert Pujols?
—or that, despite all the talk about competitive balance in MLB, THERE ARE NO PENNANT RACES IN ANY DIVISION of MLB this year. All are runaways, with the exception of the pathetic AL central, where, even there, the first-place team has a reasonably comfortable lead.
—or that the cardinals have had two pitchers named Chris Carpenter?
—or that baseball people use the words “pitching” and “philosophy” in the same sentence [aren't all pitchers constantly being told not to think?]?