INSIDE ON CAMPUS

Negro League baseball star shares Miles and miles of memories

By Mark Swanson

John “Mule” Miles has seen almost all baseball has to offer.  He’s dived out of the way of a Satchel Paige curveball, been robbed of a base hit by Jackie Robinson and seen Larry Doby launch epic home runs.  The only thing he never saw as a baseball player was the major leagues.

John ‘Mule’ Miles - Photo by Christina Murrey

That’s not to say Miles wasn’t major league worthy, though.  The San Antonio native was a power hitter who holds a major baseball record that may never be broken — but was also a black man in the 1940s. That left him no alternative but to turn to the Negro Leagues if Miles wanted to fulfill his one wish.

 “I just wanted to play baseball,” he said.

Miles, 83 and as engaging as ever, reaffirmed that and recounted dozens of other stories to a class of Texas students taking “Rhetoric in Baseball,” a class taught by Tom Buckley designed to study the influence the game has had on American culture. 

Miles is a treasure trove of still very fresh memories of the Negro Leagues that he wants to share before all stories of the games are relegated to museums and an easily forgotten oral history. 

At its peak, the Negro League and its various off shoots could claim more than 3,000 alumni. Now, that number has dwindled to about 120 living Negro Leaguers and is getting smaller every day.  Within 10 years, they could all be gone.

"I want to help keep the legacy alive," Miles, who is heavily involved with the Yesterday's Negro League Baseball Players Foundation, said.  "We're not going to be around much longer, and I don't want people to forget about us."

It will be hard to forget Miles, at least. He holds the professional baseball record for most consecutive games with a home run at 11 straight for the Chicago American Giants in 1948. His streak saw him conquer some of the most famous outfield walls in baseball history, including Comiskey Park, Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds. The official Major League Baseball record is eight, shared by Don Mattingly and Dale Long.

That was the highlight of a career that took him from an Air Force team at San Antonio's Kelly Field to some of the game's greatest cathedrals.

Former Negro League baseball player John ‘Mule’ Miles holds the professional baseball record for most consecutive games with a home run at 11 straight for the Chicago American Giants in 1948. The official Major League Baseball record is eight, shared by Don Mattingly and Dale Long. - Photo by Christina Murrey

He was discovered there and signed to play for Chicago, where he gained his greatest fame. He hit more than 70 home runs in four seasons, including the 11 in 11 games and earned his nickname when his manager, "Candy" Jim Taylor told him "he hit the ball like a mule kicks." 

His greatest memories came in futility, though, when he faced Paige.

"Satchel had the greatest control of anyone ever," Miles said. "He was sly, too. One time he gave the ball to the catcher when he came out to the mound and told him to pound it into his glove when he threw. So, Satchel goes through his windup and throws. Of course, he doesn't have the ball, and the catcher just pounds the ball into his glove.  The batter yells at the ump and tells him he's blind.

"He says, 'Couldn't you see it was low and outside?'"

Some of Miles' most vivid memories involve getting from stadium to stadium.  They were forced to travel — in the summer — by bus, sans air conditioning.  There was also the complication of finding places that would allow them to eat or use the facilities. All that and the minimal pay ($300 a month and a $2 a day per diem) were worth it because he had the opportunity to play baseball. He never had the opportunity to play at baseball's most prestigious level, but that's OK with him.

"We knew we weren't going to be around forever," Miles said. "We were outdrawing the White Sox in Comiskey Park. We knew it was only a matter of time before someone saw that and found out that having a black player would bring in more fans.

"I'm just glad they brought in Jackie (Robinson). He was cool and could take everything that he got. Satchel or Josh (Gibson) wouldn't have lasted 15 minutes up there. They were way too hot tempered."

Now, Miles is an ambassador for the old game. He, like Buck O'Neil, is a quickly disappearing breed for the Negro League. 

He hopes, though, they won't be forgotten.