The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-06
MILAN HAD WORRY
Struggles in Early Days Were
Part of His Lot.
From Tennessee Town Where
Baseball Isn't Liked.
IN WESTERN CIRCUIT.
Picked Up in Wichita OIL a Can
tiilOn Scouting Trip.
Now Regarded One OF Fest
American League Outfielders.

Washington, Oct. 6.-Clyde Milan, the
speedy outfielder of the Washington
American League baseball team, comes
from Linden, Tenn, which is a typical
dent in a mountain. Hardly an acre
of the stubby ground is on the level.
There Milan learned to play baseball.
The diamond was the main artery of
the town, and nothing served to disturb
the boy but the bray of a grazing mule.
Stones hedged the limits of the in
field, and even today the body of Clyde
is covered with scars, mute testimony
to the obstacles which he surmounted
to practice at baseball. Linden has
never seen a game of professional base
ball. Even today a game of profess
sional ball is as horrifying to the noun
taineers as a violation of the decalogue,
and in some of the native minds base
ball playing is regarded as a cardinal
sin.
Milan picked up a newspaper one day
and read about baseball. His interest
was Immediately stimulated, and he
peered further into the matter of learn
ing the game. He secured one of the
guides, got a baseball through a mail
order agency and began to learn TO
play.
He interested a few other youngsters
of the village, and they formed team
| that used to play according to Linden
rules, and their game was similar to
the old-fashioned three ld-cat." OF
all those boys, Milan was the only
youngSter who continued his course till
he reached a major league, and in his
native town today he is regarded as a
suspicious person because he plays pro-
fessional ball
Milan Branches Out.
One night Milan concluded that his
the spring of 1907, when Joe CantillOn
den, and he searched for an opportun-
| ity to play ball where the scope was
newspaper in the village tavern one
day, when his eye caught on an ar
| ticle advertising for ball players in the
town of Blossom. down in Texas.
Milan was then nothing but a mere
| boy, but he made up his mind at once.
He went home, packed his things, and
then started on a long tramp to the
Lone Star state. His feet were bruis
ed, his clothing was saturated with fine
dust, he was leg weary and bodily sore
when he arrived at Blossom. But his
pluck was a predominant note in his
makeup and he went right to the
| manager of the ball team.
Milan told him who he was. what he
| was and what he wanted Milan was
so green that he had trouble getting
past the steers without getting hurt,
and when the manager point blank
asked him where he played he said for
lack of better knowledge, I'm an in
| fielder"
The manager told Milan to get into
the harness and hold down second base.
| Clyde went out with his uniform on
wrong side out, he was so green, but
he watched the other players. He saw
that everybody was placed but him
self, so he trotted to second and start
ed his career.
Makes Good at Bat.
His fielding the first day was a bit
erratic, and his errors were conSecu-
tive, but he could hit the ball hard. He
| hit everything and anything. The fans
| greeted him uproarfously when he
slammed out his fifth hit, but Milan
was thinking of the errors. But the
| fans soon settled his mind on that
score, and Immediately Clyde gave his
attention to hitting.
Now, Texas rivalry is of the lively
variety, and Blossom and Clarksville
| had crossed the Rubicon in that re-
spect. Dode Criss, the pinch pitcher
and pinch hitter of the st. Louis
as twirler on the GAINESVILLE nine.
| The first game of the series was
| scheduled and therein Milan made his
name a memory in Blossom.
| Crisis could not fool him, and he made
! a hit ever time he came to the bat.
Not content with this feat he made
the spectacular catch of the day with
! the bases full in the ninth, and Criss
| batting. Dode at that time was a hard
hitter. He met one with all the
strength of his lean shoulders and sent
| it on a line.
Milan heard the crack, and just stuck
out his gloved hand. The ball hit the
| indentation in his glove and stuck. The
catch won the game. However, Texas
baseball does not always pay. Failing
to get his salary Milan moved again.
Lands in Shawnee.
He landed in Shawnee, Ok, played
there a while and then again found that
he could not collect with any degree of
regularity. Milan then turned up in
Wichita, Kan, where he played until
the spring of 1907, when Joe Cantillon
happened to be scouting in that vicinl-
ty, and engaged the youngster for his
Washington team. He has since re-
manned, but Linden looks somewhat
askance at Clyde. AS he says:
Il spend my winters at Linden, but
folks down there don't know anything
about baseball. They think it strange
that 1 get paid for playing the game
| And when l tell them that there are as
many as 25 of us travelling around the
| country and staying at good hotels just
| to play baseball they look at me in
| doubtful sort of way, and 1 have to
much as possible to keep from getting
a reputation of being fibber.''
| Milan today is regarded as one of the
| best outfielders in the American
League. He has been greatly handi-
capped all season by the effects of an
his best work, and yet he figures among
the best in the league.
TIED KNOT IN NIGHT CLOTHES.