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Tommy McMillan’s Baseball Life Began at Tech
High’anders’ Small Shortstop Is a Natural Player
By Percy 11. Whiting.*
T y tHEN tin first call went out
V/V' fir baseball candidates in
the spring of 1904 at the
G.-orgia Institute of Technology,
there was the usual response. A
hundred or more young men turned
out —and one little boy. The boy
was a clean cut little shaver, in
short pants, about the size of a
half-grown bat boy.
When Coach Heisman looked
them over he saw the makings of a
fine team- -and he also noted the
kid.
'1 hope he doesn't get in the way
1 and get hurt. Til hare to eliminate
.JMm at the first cut,'’ wns Coach
Heisman's comment.
Then followed ~ lor of Indoor
wtrrti For days the candidates
4K4rt«<l as best they could In the
restricted apace of the gymnasium,
doing rot* small thing* In the
baseball line as the scant room
•florttawl.
When the time forth« first cut
caarne Coach Hetaman wielded the
pruntng knife with reckless aban
doiK as usual. But w hen ha came
4o the nemo of the kid he didn't
umi ft.
1 “IfMa-rOww that boy work In
ifh® Open," was Ms comment.
Another cut came. And then the
fttal one.
When the flrwt game was played
ttjp nnaßewt man cm the squad was
at she er stop He had shown such
a tysltfre genius for bawebaJl that
he Trad xtucX through.
The ruuts> of the boy was Tommy
McMillan,
• • •
VT OW, Tommy McMillan was im
. ' doubtedly the very Httlest boy
who ewer got on a real varsity
team in the South. Ho won his
olace because he could bat fairly
Wpll, because he could field excel
lently, and most particularly be
caatse he had a baseball mind.
* McMillan has," says Coach
Heisman, who perhaps knows him
better than any other man. “that
rare faculty of knowing where a
bull is going to be hit. He seems
to give the matter no thought. No
doubt lhe divines the thing by the
working of his subconscious mind,
(liven u. batter he knows and given
some hint of what Is to be pitched
to him and he can come nearer to
telling where It l s going to be hit
than any living man who has ever
come under my observation."
It Is this faculty that has given
McMillan positions on three big
league teams and that has made
him. with the sole and glowingly
.brilliant exception of Willie Keeler,
the greatest bull player of his
inches »1| ( . ever graced a diamond.
• • •
'J'HEI faculty of knowing where
6 ball was going to be hit urns
McM marts most trouhlOßome weak
ness nt first. When he figured out
that the sphere was going to be hit
bMwecn first tout HIM viral be didn't
hesitate ait all to run over back
of the pMcher timd take It away
from the second basomtut.
And this peculiarly Irritated the
snhond baaeman- who wus, the
year McMillan broke tn, that ex
oeßent performer Fred Richardson.
It took all of Richardson's patience
and. «ll of Coach Heisman's author
ity to confine McMillan's activities
to a territory about twice ua large
as any other shortstop in the
Southern college world covered.
And to this day he can eome as
near to playing the entire infield
unassisted as anybody you ever
saw.
• • •
JUST how diminutive McMillan
was In his first year is hard to
realize. Coach Heisman estimates
tfcat at the time he was probably
five feet, five Inches tall and that
he weighed perhaps 110 to 115
pounds.
How young he was is best illus
trated by a story told by one of
his team mates that year.
The Tech team was off on a trip,
it doesn't matter particular!)
where, and after a game the boys
went out for an evening at a girls’
college.
Tommy was the first man home
and he was particularly glum
"What's the matter'.’" he was
asked on his return
Aw. those gill< maki me tired,"
said Tummy.
He was pressed for purlieu',us
"Why, confound it.' said Tom
my. "one of 'em wanted to kiss
me.”
Whereupon he wont indignantly
to bed.
• • •
*T*OMMY Fl-quin d < wor d <«f
*■ coaching—and tn- sot it. Fimil
ly, by agreeing to let h;<n plax Iv
or three extra innings after the
game t\as over, all by him*- !f th y
got him < ontined inside a n<»rn»al
territoi \ Viii' afb-i t ■ ;i t h« I*, m
to ♦ !<•<•! 1 ifx the ri.lhTi \ I.rid wit n
his perfornianri
I remrinte r hi- li. si ir. :■ •
in Nashville. v. hero I v.t> thi n
writing sp • .ts f-o D- larm nt ’ I
Nashvdle T>aily XV v < Tonin
th. hi ’-.i of } . brilliant -<up s v, th
X an- 1 ’• 1 i z- ;
unde 11 u 1 v- rk m t l l *, h 111 , .i. i. i -
larly conspicuous, but one play he
made stands out above all the rest.
A ball was hit toward left field.
It was a liner and normally a sure
hit Tommy turned with the crack
of the bat. ran without looking at
the hall to left field, stole one
glance at the rapidly approachng
leather, and with his back toward
the home plate he jumped an in
credible distance into the air and
speared the ball.
It may not sound spectacular,
but Coach Heisman calls it the
great eat fielding play he ever saw
on a college diamond, and I’m well
content to agree with him in the
verdict.
* * •
» VOLUME could be filled with a
■* narration of Tommy's wonder
ful stunts. Once in a game at
Clemson, with Tech leading In the
last of the ninth, two out, two
men on bases and the score 5 to 3
In Tech's favor, a nasty fly was hit
hack of shortstop. McMillan start
ed back after it and Just as he
was slowing down arid settling
himself for the catch he. stumbled
and fell. I here was no time to get
up. no time to do anything but
throw himself full length and
stretch out his hands. This he did.
and, lying flat on the ground on
his back and with his hands be
yond his head at full length, he
caught the ball, retired the side and
saved the game.
Probably no incident of his col
lege career showed better hls in
nate baseball Instinct than one
which happened when the Tech
team was playing at Spartanburg
with tlte Wofford college team.
Tech had a grand team that year
with Lafitte and Day as twfrl
ers—and it won 23 out of 26 games.
The Jackets had Just made a clean
run of 12 straight wins and en
tered the thirteenth gatne with
some superstitious misgivings. It
was u blustery day, with a gusty
young hurricane blowing into the
faces of the fielders. The diamond
was skinned and sandy and to com
plicate matters the ground keeper
hud used overmuch litne on the
lines.
With the score 3 to 1 in Tech's
favor In the eighth Inning
and with men on second and
third bases, the times were
tense. The batter hit the first ball
pitched a mighty wallop toward
McMillan. And as he did so the
worst gust of the day swept a cou
ple of cartloads of dirt, sand and
lime down across the field and
right toward McMillan. The murky
blanket reached the clever little in
fielder before the ball dt<l.
The situation looked hopeless No
man could see through the curtain
of lime and dirt.
Yet suddenly, out of the middle
of the miniature whirlwind, the
ball shot, straight into the first
baseman's hands, the runner was
out and the side retired.
As McMillan came back to the
bench he was pawing at his eyes
and almost blind.
"Well. how. in the Dickens did
you see that ball?" Coach Heisman
asked,
"Aw, 1 didn't see it." replied
McMillan lightly. '■! just knew
where it was coming and put my
hands out and it jumped In."
"Well, how did you manage to
throw it to first—you couldn't s»ge,
could ylou'.’" Coach Heisman per
" sisted.
"See—naw," said McMillan. "But
don I you suppose I know where
first is?”
• • «
yi j-UEN McMillan finished his eol
*» lege course he decided on
baseball as his profession. And
Bernie McCay grabbed him and
took him to the Baton Rouge club,
where he played his first profes
sional season in 1906. batting 187
and fielding .872 -no very brilliant
performance. The next year, at
Jacksonville, under the leadership
of the eruptive Dominick Mulla
ney and playing then on the same
Cracker, he came nearer to his
club with Vedder Sitton, a present
normal gait, batting .255 and lead
ing the shortstops of the league
with an average of .934.
The year 1908 was McMillans
last in the South. Though his rec
ords were not as good as the pre
vious year (batting .217. fielding
.918). I’.-it Donovan looked him over
carefully whifi- his Brooklyn team
was training tn th» South and In
the full he grabbed him.
McMillan continued his sensa
tional fielding In the National
league and showed a mark of 914
in 105 games with Brooklyn. His
butting average, however, was but
I'he follow Ing \ . ar. 1910. MeMII-
lyn asked waivers on him. Cin
cinnati claimed him. His batting
mark for that s< ason was only
a rankeil with such men as
Sw. en<). of Boston r of
N w Yolk Downey, of Cimlnnatl.
"t d send
ml .> t I' !St. rn league. But
Hroeklvn wanted him tor the Itoeh
• star team, while Clark Grlllith,
'h.n with Cincinnati, wanted to
I:'.'.',"X
'h- <1 out t • •! in t’n X .|jon
McMLi.m •• KoviHMti .n Hint fur
T HE VTi AXT A G a y p Tl ESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1912.
him to play 24 games at shortstop.
In E ist.-in tc.igue company Tommy
fielded .901 and batted .279.
Tills ye.,r Mc.Milian got a grand
start with Rochester. So brilliant
was his work that Harry Wolver
ton bought him a eoupje of v -eks
ago and he h.is joined the High
landers. When he left the Inter
national league he was batting .300
and was lar and away the best
shortstop in the organization.
What McMillan will be able to
accomplish in the American league
is uncertain. If anything inter
feres w ith his sucei ss, it will he
his alarming lack of size. Barring
that, he has everything that goes
to make a ball player.
hi s
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SUF / k ’ C
/Ji 7 Th ’ s slloW3 Wee " crar *‘y slaiY-mhig out a long hit to cento
< * / / McMillan has been hitting well siitce joining the New York tean
X, S y and is leading off for the Hilltop crew.
■h zrX - -
SPEARING A HIGH LINER.
Here is .mother one of Percy
11 Whiting’s sparkling stories
on Georgia boys who are mak
ing good in baseball. Mr.
Whiting witnessed McMillan
in ateion while l ittle Tommy
played with the Tech team, and
in this storx describes many
sensational plays the wee one
made while a member of the
Yellow .Jackets.
RIOT WHEN MONTE ATTELL
FOULS BENNIE CHAVIZ
TKIXIi'AIi. COLO Sent. 3 Bennie
Chavig. of Trinidad, was awaroed the de
cision < ver M .ntr Attell. of San l-'raii
cisco. OV a foul, in the twelfth round of
a gruelling tight here
IMivery of the foul caused wild excite
ment Spot tutors crowded into th • ring
and the platform collapsed, but no one
was injured
HOUSTON CLUB LANDS
TEXAS LEAGUE PENNANT
GALEAS. n:\ . s. pt The T.-xas
league .<< n < i 11*111 ended vestordav.
with Houston in first ’'aw. San Antonio
s. d. \v . t* trd ai.i. ’ ”;.s f rib
Houston gamo . the lead early in .lune
hi H r» laipeti hrst msiiinn until the end
• ■ fi ’ ■ h •'• Ix • ..if > ,ih,
i ' \\ villi svwiith anti Beaumont last.*
Here's Tom McMillan
In a Yankee Uniform
jfs. i'- 'jpiS'
/
/ URn
Here's Hiw Crackers
Are Hitting the Ball
Right Up to Date
T'i’ se . .« • i5-’,t‘s inchide yesterday s dou
bl» ■!! \ A’. < oft |hi i s
Players— Q. AB. R. H. AV.
Price, p i 0 1 .500
Harbison, ss .71 2-IS 2S 70 .282
Alperman. :.:b.. . . 128 ‘O3 «‘d 11'9 .279
Jfc
H. *KI 203 34 54 .26'.
Callahan, cfß4 318 30 82 .258
<h- .d am. e .0 185 17 43 Ll 3
Mci'lveen, 3b .. . . l.",o 470 52 111 .230
er, p ’ 2 7.200
Reynolds, <•2? C 8 11 14 .200
Wolfe, utility .... pi 42 5 7 P‘»7
Brady, p. . .. .. 22 f>9 2 11 .159
Sitton, p 27 64 11 10 .156
Johnson, p 7 14 0 1 .0.1
Waldorf, p 10 25 0 1 040
r ——
I'he Big Race
1
Here is the up-to-the-minute dope on
how the "Big Five" batters of the
American league are hitting:
PLAVER—A. B. H, Aver.
COBB ' 467 ‘ 192 4FT
SPEAKER 4SI 195 .397
JACKSON 475 175 .363
COLLINS 442 147 333
LAJOIE . . 342 111
Tris Speaker lost five points ester
da> when he failed to get a sinjle safe
scat against the New Yo k pitchers in
six times at bat. On the othc- hand.
Ty Cobb gained a point by g"aboing
two hits in four times up. Jackson was
up six times and ga nrrej two safeties.
Collins grabbed one hit in an even doz
: n chances. Lajoie hit .500 for the day.
- was up six times and msae three
hits.
Waldorf and Price Force Turtles Twice to Defeat
• ? * + *•* +•*’ +•+ +•+ +.*
No, ’Tis No Falsehood! Crackers Did Win Two
A YIRACLES are popularly
j_y I supposed to have gone out
of fashion. Occasionally
we hear of psychic phenomena, but
1119 T *•
/ z . a\
This shows Wee Tcraroy slainraing out a long hit to center.
McMillan has been hitting well sivce joining the New York team,
and is leading off for the Hilltop crew.
I FODDER FOR FANS
. I Bi i i i - nt
jea r goes : osth o Ihe pi <.ei s
'tlev von the games in the Gull-Baron
series that stalled off Mike Einn’s rush
and clinched the rag.
♦ • •
X'" wonder the I’ licans are nowhere,
i George K< he is their h ading batter.
♦ ♦ ♦
<ine reason wh> the proposed round
the-world trip «>i the Giants is flickering
i oceans, McGraw wanted all the pla\- rs
who w. r»- i g< o put up a birr deposit to
gra»an’ec the financial success of the af
fair. This listens like a dirge to a ball
player.
• ♦ »
•’> Morgan was rung in the other day
on an an a teui l ean a i Bryn Ma wr. It
was playi: g in one of these sassv society
eag and when the real truth leaked
out there was much nawstv talk.
* ♦ •
Jimmy Callahan is talking of taking
his team to Hot Springs it’rl., not Ark.) ,
for training next spring. They hate sul
phur water there and it is said to be great
for wl’.at ails you..
• * •
They're having a new wing ndded to
•he Arlington hotel, at Marlin. Tex., for
the special accommodation of the young
pitchers John McGraw is rounding up.
.lawn is sort of trying to corner the I
market. (
• * *
The report that Connie Mack would !
give Sloj’oo f or another Ditcher as good !
us Bender st ems incredible
* • *
"Pennants follow new ball park-" is a I
big league hunch. In the big leagues lot k
it the Red Sox this year. Pirates in ■
the Mhlet'es the year Shibe pa’k was ■
opened The Giants landed the tear the I
Brush stadium was renovated. ’ In the s
Southern. Atlanta won a rag mighty soon
after Pone. I’eLeon was opened Bir- i
mingl am grabbed one after the new Rick
wood was opened, ami the Pelicans ’
brought one to their new park '
lets haw a new ball park, •“
\\ t dun t need one, but It might change i.
they are rare and often not well
authenticated.
This being true, it behooves the
Society of Psychical Research to
look into the fact that the Atlan
ta team, lowliest* of Southern
league tail-cnders, grabbed both
our luck.
* * »
From Lynn, Mass., comes the story that
a Ten-year-old boy batted a Ily ball with
s’x h r\.’’(e that it knocked over a tele
-8 ■ th< have mignts
weai< poles or mighty strong liars up
Lynn-v. ay.
♦ » ♦
\f >in «»n. the i’itiDurt. catcher, has
made < :dy two errors this a ear.
♦ » ♦
Dans Wagner ias denied the reuort
that dc is io retire after this year. Fm
learn an\ other buslne.-s,” said
...ins, ' iet. i’.ies’. itined, “anti yet they sav
I m not too old to play baseball."
• ♦ *
< Mrkr Grill ith's chase us the Red Sox
i is '.tar reminds one that it isn't his
i> rs .' •Attempt to overhaul the
I »os: i .ma nr. The famous pennant that
‘•rd: ios: by a single wild pitch—the fa
’m us ii! of .lacii Ohesbro’s—found a
permanent resting place at the Red Sox
park.
CAROLINA LEAGUE RAG
iS WON BY ANDERSON
CHARLOTTE. N. C.. Sept. 3—The
Ciirolina association closed its fifth suc
cessive st ason yesterday w ith Anderson
winning the pennant. Winston-Salem
and i harlotte clubs followed in order.
Anderson’s percentage was .600; Wln
smm-S:;.. c's. ,'7:t, rtl!( ] Charlotte's,
l : "th t'i’.irlott and Winston-Sa
•'■m v..m moi ning and afternoon games
I’tot:! \nthrson ami Greensboro re
spictively.
I he Anderson team lias been in the
load since May 25, but clinched the pen
nant on'y a few- days ago by defeating
<it. isi. -iy Winston and Charlotte in the
crilical s. ries. The race between Win.
ston and t harlotte for second place has
b< i n on for a month.
games of a double-header here yes
terday afternoon from Bernhard's
Turtles. • The scores were 3 to 1
and 4 to 1.
It can be demonstrated beyond
any question that this thing actu
ally happened. Not less than 5.000
fans saw it transpire—and mar
veled.
The crowd which celebrated a
torrid Labor day- by journeying to
Ponce DeLeon was one of the
smallest holiday crowds that At
lanta ever saw. The fans figured
that there was no use in going out
to the ball park to be miserable
They could get that anywhere—
and at a lower price. Those that
did come out were treated to as
fine an exhibition of baseball as
one would care to see.
Crackers Played Like Champs.
It wasn't any especial disgrace
for the Turtles to lose. They were
up against pennant baseball. The
'■rnckers were weakened by the ab
sence from the game of stead
iest hitter. Whitey Alperman. They
used on the slab in the first game
Rudolph Waldorf, who hasn't won
a game since base hits were in
vented. and in the second a new
comer. Price.
Both pitchers worked like de
mons. Each allowed a scant four
hits and :t took everything in the
7'.'.:tie shop to send one runner
across in each game.
In the first contest Bernhard
slipped In his angular and fre
<:u nth effective southpaw. Doc
Nrwlon. The doctor couldn't have
labored mor. industriously if he
had been operating on a million
a in- pa Jen t. Somehow all his pre
set! pt ions failed. He wasn't regn
l-v i imbps-od. But what h . )p _
pene.l to him was enough.
Ferguson Was Dead Ixasy.
In the s eond game Eerguson
to k the hurling assignment and
•it pr ved a tough one. The Crack
ers biffed him vigorously, and, wh it
-i« worse, his support was punc
■ ur.-d.
T'.'.h: of' the reel things began
lo break badly for the hurler. With
two •ticked .T.'.i'v. Harbison sin-
I d. Phen he stole second. Gra
ham st. mk out and the ball got
by 8 ab.’iii.t. jest as one of Gra
>.:ms tit.i,, strikes '.tad sneaked
ty I' out Tonn -man in the pre
cis game. Harbison went lo
Hord on th passed ball. (\'h re
ujain Sr .i cough picked up the pel
> J am; .hurled 't over Pales' head.
Hit..!, n started in on this punk
pet. bit! Grant'-11 ft Idtd the wild
t ■•' n" iy and throw to the
I' l 1 ”• 1 ' ball was in Seabough's
hand - and to wo't’d hay . had Har
b'-on by a mile, if he h d held ft.
But be t’tdn't. And the Cracker
-h-’••st l .p in'l'ed. If it bad been
"ithin "h : ■]!<•» to give a player
1 " •" ors on a ;! ty which allow d
?i rnyn. • to cv >nc ■ on n bas \ Sea
bough would have got them.
In the nert inning came a play
n l'w-i m do Pitcher Ferguson con
sular himself a badly abused man.
After ho had allowed McElveen.
Ro. nolde end Callahan to single,
scoiing .McElveen, and after Wolfe
had fanned, Price, who was pitch
ing for the Crackers, slipped a
hook down between Pales and the.
tht'd soak. At least, that's where
Empire Dan Pfenninger said it
went. Reynolds and Callahan tal
lied and the game wqs lost. Os
• ourse, Ferguson protested like a
major and swore-and-be-cussed if
it was a fair ball. But Pfenninger,
having no other alternative, stuck
by his decision. This decision took
the heart out of the Turtles and
w hile the.v worked well enough de
fensively they could only get
through with one run.
An Indian No Longer.
Much of the Crackers’ success
in the second game was due to the
useful hurling of Pitcher Price.
This man has been barnstorming
this season with the Nebraska In
dians. of which tribe he is not a
bona fide member, being an Irish
man by Inheritance and an Ameri
can by birth. As an Indian, he
worked under the name of Schegg.
but having returned to civilization,
he has resumed his own cog. He
has had a bit of league experience
in the South Michigan league. He
hurled cleverly against Memphis,
and if he can continue the speed
'he showed, will be heard from,
even if he is hooked up with a
rather slow organization.
BATTLING NELSON WINS
FROM STEVE KETCHEL
ST. JOSEPH, MO., Sept. 3.— Battling
Nelson beat Steve Ketche.l, of Chicag*
in fifteen rounds here. Nelson displayp'l
flash*|s of the old-time form that ma
him famous. He worked both hands free
ly to Ketchel’s body, and in return to<>!<
many blows in the face. Ketchel v '
floored in the eleventh round, but came
up gamely. Ketchel had the better of tu ■
rounds and Nelson of six. The others
were even.
BASEBALL'
WEDNESDAY
ATLANTA vs. MEMPHIS
Ponce DeLeon Park
Game called 3:30.