Mike Miley: A Remembrance (Died 1/6/77)

[Louisiana Lou]

Mike Miley graduated from East Jefferson High School (Metairie, LA),
where he excelled in football and baseball, in 1971. His skills as an
infielder were impressive enough for the Cincinnati Reds to make him their
#1 draft pick that same year. He chose not to sign, and enrolled at LSU
where he continued to impress professional scouts in two sports.

Miley played football (QB) and baseball (SS) at LSU. He skipped football
season in 1971 to concentrate on baseball under Coach Jim Smith, but
returned kicks and played defense for the Tigers in '72, his sophomore year.
Bert Jones (AKA The Ruston Rifle) was LSU's starting QB that year. In
1973, Miley passed for 978 yards as LSU's starting QB, leading the Tigers to
a 9-3 record. He opted to skip his senior year, and his last football game
as a Tiger was New Years' Day 1974, when LSU lost to Penn State 16-9 in the
Orange Bowl. In that game he completed 5 of 8 passes for 36 yards. Legendary
Head Coach Charles McClendon nicknamed him "Miracle Mike" because of his
ability to motivate other players who would rally around him. In Spring
Practice, an annual Mike Miley Leadership Award is now given to an offensive
and a defensive player.

In 3 baseball seasons at LSU (1972-74), Miley, a switch-hitter with great
defensive abilities, played in 105 games and hit .280. Those numbers seem
small for College Baseball, but schedules were shorter then and bats were
made of wood. He was named to the All-SEC squads
in 1972 and '74. As a junior in 1974, he was named First Team All-American
by The Sporting News, and was the first round draft pick of the California
Angels in June. It's hard to believe now, but LSU Baseball was hardly on the
map during the early 1970s. Our program didn't get much attention before the
hiring of Coach Skip Bertman in 1984. Since then, the Tigers have been to 12
College World Series, and won 5 National Championships between 1991-2000.
But Miley was the first LSU baseball player ever drafted in the first round.

Mike Miley played Minor League baseball for El Paso and Salt Lake City
before his Major League debut on July 6, 1975. His greatest moment as a pro
came on August 19 of that year when he hit a 15th inning home run to lift
the Angels over
the Brewers 5-4. Managed by Dick Williams, the Angels finished last in the
AL West with a record of 72-89. Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana were among
Miley's teammates.
Miley spent most of 1976 in the minors at Salt Lake City, playing in only 14
games for the Angels, but was expected to be their starting shortstop in
'77. His professional stats are available on the Internet.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mileymi01.shtml

Miley died in a car crash here in Baton Rouge on January 6, 1977 when his
sports car failed to make a turn on Highland Road. He was
almost 24. Airline Park Playground in Metairie, where Mike played in many a
ball game during his early years, was renamed Mike Miley
Playground some years ago. Recently, at East Jefferson High School, Coach
Henry Rando spoke of a hot new QB prospect. Rando told a reporter, "He might
even be as good as Mike Miley".

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune obituaries, Miley's father
passed away on January 3, 2003 at the age of 75. He was laid to rest on
January 6th, exactly 26 years after the death of his son Mike. Corey
Artieta, who was pitching in the Minor Leagues, is the son of one of Mike
Miley's sisters (Mike's would-be nephew). Artieta was drafted by the
Milwaukee Brewers in the 31st round out of Northeast Louisiana University
(now U of L - Monroe) in 1999.

This author is also a native of suburban New Orleans, and graduate of East
Jefferson HS and LSU. A while back, I did a Google
search for Mike Miley, and was surprised to see some degree of interest in
newsgroups. Fans of EJ, LSU, and the Angels
remember.

[wunnuy]

Post by Louisiana Lou
Mike Miley graduated from East Jefferson High School (Metairie, LA),
where he excelled in football and baseball, in 1971. His skills as an
infielder were impressive enough for the Cincinnati Reds to make him their
#1 draft pick that same year. He chose not to sign, and enrolled at LSU
where he continued to impress professional scouts in two sports.
Miley played football (QB) and baseball (SS) at LSU. He skipped football
season in 1971 to concentrate on baseball under Coach Jim Smith, but
returned kicks and played defense for the Tigers in '72, his sophomore year.
Bert Jones (AKA The Ruston Rifle) was LSU's starting QB that year. In
1973, Miley passed for 978 yards as LSU's starting QB, leading the Tigers to
a 9-3 record. He opted to skip his senior year, and his last football game
as a Tiger was New Years' Day 1974, when LSU lost to Penn State 16-9 in the
Orange Bowl. In that game he completed 5 of 8 passes for 36 yards. Legendary
Head Coach Charles McClendon nicknamed him "Miracle Mike" because of his
ability to motivate other players who would rally around him. In Spring
Practice, an annual Mike Miley Leadership Award is now given to an offensive
and a defensive player.
In 3 baseball seasons at LSU (1972-74), Miley, a switch-hitter with great
defensive abilities, played in 105 games and hit .280. Those numbers seem
small for College Baseball, but schedules were shorter then and bats were
made of wood. He was named to the All-SEC squads
in 1972 and '74. As a junior in 1974, he was named First Team All-American
by The Sporting News, and was the first round draft pick of the California
Angels in June. It's hard to believe now, but LSU Baseball was hardly on the
map during the early 1970s. Our program didn't get much attention before the
hiring of Coach Skip Bertman in 1984. Since then, the Tigers have been to 12
College World Series, and won 5 National Championships between 1991-2000.
But Miley was the first LSU baseball player ever drafted in the first round.
Mike Miley played Minor League baseball for El Paso and Salt Lake City
before his Major League debut on July 6, 1975. His greatest moment as a pro
came on August 19 of that year when he hit a 15th inning home run to lift
the Angels over
the Brewers 5-4. Managed by Dick Williams, the Angels finished last in the
AL West with a record of 72-89. Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana were among
Miley's teammates.
Miley spent most of 1976 in the minors at Salt Lake City, playing in only 14
games for the Angels, but was expected to be their starting shortstop in
'77. His professional stats are available on the Internet.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mileymi01.shtml
Miley died in a car crash here in Baton Rouge on January 6, 1977 when his
sports car failed to make a turn on Highland Road. He was
almost 24. Airline Park Playground in Metairie, where Mike played in many a
ball game during his early years, was renamed Mike Miley
Playground some years ago. Recently, at East Jefferson High School, Coach
Henry Rando spoke of a hot new QB prospect. Rando told a reporter, "He might
even be as good as Mike Miley".
According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune obituaries, Miley's father
passed away on January 3, 2003 at the age of 75. He was laid to rest on
January 6th, exactly 26 years after the death of his son Mike. Corey
Artieta, who was pitching in the Minor Leagues, is the son of one of Mike
Miley's sisters (Mike's would-be nephew). Artieta was drafted by the
Milwaukee Brewers in the 31st round out of Northeast Louisiana University
(now U of L - Monroe) in 1999.
This author is also a native of suburban New Orleans, and graduate of East
Jefferson HS and LSU. A while back, I did a Google
search for Mike Miley, and was surprised to see some degree of interest in
newsgroups. Fans of EJ, LSU, and the Angels
remember.

I was a kid but I remember when he died. Lymon Bostock died a year or
two later too, sad.

[Louisiana Lou]

Post by wunnuy
I was a kid but I remember when he died. Lymon Bostock died a year or
two later too, sad.

Hey, glad someone did. I got around to talking about Miley w/ some friends
last summer. Another LSU baseball player (Wally Pontiff) died suddenly of a
heart condition, age 21, in 2002. Metairie Playground was renamed for him
last July. We remembered one other park in Metairie (suburban New Orleans)
named for an LSU Tiger, and that's Mike Miley Playground. He was quite the
Hometown Hero. Most people around here never even saw him play baseball, and
when he skipped his senior year at LSU, there was a bit of Miley-bashing. He
was going to be starting QB one more season. Baseball Digest said '77 was
going to be his breakout year w/ the Angels.

A shame about Bostock too (died September 1978). I read somewhere that the
idiot who killed him only did 18 months in a psyche ward. Then a judge
determined he 'wasn't sick anymore'.

[Matthew Shugart]

aseball Digest said '77 was

Post by Louisiana Lou
going to be his breakout year w/ the Angels.

Yes, I remember seeing him play when he came up. His stats from his
brief major-league career were not impressive, but I do remember that
he was expected not only to be the starting shortstop in 1977, but to
become a star.

I am glad you mentioned the Baseball Digest of 1977, because it
prompted me to go to the bookcase and look at mine. For the record,
the 1977 book was published after--and refers to--Miley's death. But
it was a little trip down memory lane to read about the revolt on
board the bus that got Williams fired, the good season Paul Hartzell
(who, the book says, might have been Rokkie PItcher of the Year if not
for Mark, "the Bird" Fidrych).

The 1976 guide has an essay on the Angels by Dick Miller under the
title, "Angels First in Steals--Last in Standings," and the great
line:

"While the nation recovered from the energy crisis, a severe power
shortage hit the Orange County area in the summer of '75" and the
reminder that it was the Year of the Hare on the Chinese calendar. (I
flashed back to a message on the old Big A scoreboard as the Angels
kept stealing base after base that referred to "Williams' Wabbits.")
The Angels that year were the first major league team to steal 200
bases since 1918. They hit 55 home runs. As a team.

But I did not find the reference to Miley supposedly being in line for
a breakout in 1977.

And his 1976 AAA stat line sure did not hint at it. In 81 games and
263 at bats at Salt Lake, he hit .209 with 8 doubles and 3 homers. He
did walk 41 times.

Sadly, we never got to find out just how good he might have been.

Post by Louisiana Lou
A shame about Bostock too (died September 1978). I read somewhere that the
idiot who killed him only did 18 months in a psyche ward. Then a judge
determined he 'wasn't sick anymore'.

I did not realize that.

Also, don't forget that Miley's death was just two years after the
death of another Angels prospect, pitcher Bruce Heinbechner.

[wunnuy]

Post by Louisiana Lou

Post by wunnuy
I was a kid but I remember when he died. Lymon Bostock died a year or
two later too, sad.

Hey, glad someone did. I got around to talking about Miley w/ some friends
last summer. Another LSU baseball player (Wally Pontiff) died suddenly of a
heart condition, age 21, in 2002. Metairie Playground was renamed for him
last July. We remembered one other park in Metairie (suburban New Orleans)
named for an LSU Tiger, and that's Mike Miley Playground. He was quite the
Hometown Hero. Most people around here never even saw him play baseball, and
when he skipped his senior year at LSU, there was a bit of Miley-bashing. He
was going to be starting QB one more season. Baseball Digest said '77 was
going to be his breakout year w/ the Angels.
A shame about Bostock too (died September 1978). I read somewhere that the
idiot who killed him only did 18 months in a psyche ward. Then a judge
determined he 'wasn't sick anymore'.

I was just a kid, but I remember the Bostock incident. It was the
former boyfriend or the husband or somethjing like that of teh woman
Bostock was dating. Shot him. Really sad. Bostock was going to be the
next Rod Carew.

[Tom MacIntyre]

Post by wunnuy

Post by Louisiana Lou

Post by wunnuy
I was a kid but I remember when he died. Lymon Bostock died a year or
two later too, sad.

Hey, glad someone did. I got around to talking about Miley w/ some friends
last summer. Another LSU baseball player (Wally Pontiff) died suddenly of a
heart condition, age 21, in 2002. Metairie Playground was renamed for him
last July. We remembered one other park in Metairie (suburban New Orleans)
named for an LSU Tiger, and that's Mike Miley Playground. He was quite the
Hometown Hero. Most people around here never even saw him play baseball, and
when he skipped his senior year at LSU, there was a bit of Miley-bashing. He
was going to be starting QB one more season. Baseball Digest said '77 was
going to be his breakout year w/ the Angels.
A shame about Bostock too (died September 1978). I read somewhere that the
idiot who killed him only did 18 months in a psyche ward. Then a judge
determined he 'wasn't sick anymore'.

I was just a kid, but I remember the Bostock incident. It was the
former boyfriend or the husband or somethjing like that of teh woman
Bostock was dating. Shot him. Really sad. Bostock was going to be the
next Rod Carew.

I heard that she was with another guy who was in the car.

Tom

[Matthew Shugart]

Post by wunnuy
Bostock was going to be the
next Rod Carew.

Well, no. He was already 27 when he was killed. Career batting average
of .311 in four seasons. Great year in 1977 (also a great year for
Carew), with .336 batting average and 14 homers, 12 triples, and 36
doubles.

Down year for the Angels in 1978, but still pretty good after bad
start.

So, while he was indeed a really fine player, "next Rod Carew" seems a
bit out of line. For comparison, at the same age as Bostock was in
1978, Carew, in 1973, hit .350, though with less power than Bostock.

I guess what I am really saying is that they were rather different
players, but Carew was pretty clearly better, through the same age.

Of course, it is tragic that we never got to find out how good Bostock
would be the rest of his career. But he was probably at his peak
already.

One thing that stands out for me that I remember him for was when he
offered to give back part of his contract because he was embarrassed
by how poorly he was playing for the Angels. But, in the end, his 1978
numbers were not bad at all, though way down from 1977 (and 1976).

For what it is worth, baseballreference.com gives Curt Walker as the
most similar player through age 27. Honestly, I had to look him up to
find out who he was.

Most similar for career was Bill Lamar. Ichiro Suzuki is also high on
the "similarity" list. No other recent players are.

[Tom MacIntyre]

Post by Matthew Shugart

Post by wunnuy
Bostock was going to be the
next Rod Carew.

Well, no. He was already 27 when he was killed. Career batting average
of .311 in four seasons. Great year in 1977 (also a great year for
Carew), with .336 batting average and 14 homers, 12 triples, and 36
doubles.
Down year for the Angels in 1978, but still pretty good after bad
start.
So, while he was indeed a really fine player, "next Rod Carew" seems a
bit out of line. For comparison, at the same age as Bostock was in
1978, Carew, in 1973, hit .350, though with less power than Bostock.

How about comparing Carew and Bostock at Bostock's ages in 1976 and
1977? Bostock didn't get a chance to see if he'd age well.

Post by Matthew Shugart
I guess what I am really saying is that they were rather different
players, but Carew was pretty clearly better, through the same age.

Based on OPS+ only, it's pretty close, at least closer than you seem
to think. Bostock didn't play long enough for us to know one way or
the other.

Tom

[Randall Bart]

'Twas 12 Jan 2004 20:07:43 -0800 when all alt.sports.baseball.calif-angels

Post by wunnuy
I was just a kid, but I remember the Bostock incident. It was the
former boyfriend or the husband or somethjing like that of teh woman
Bostock was dating. Shot him.

Bostock wasn't even dating her. He was just in the same car with her.