Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-02
aOW BALL STAR COT START
Clyde Milan Learned to Play in Town
of Linden.
GAME LOOKED UPON as SIN
Fast OutfieIder Cot Ball Through
Mail Order and Learned Rules
Out OF BOOk-waIked TO
Texas 60 Join Team.

Texas TO Join Team.
WASHINGTON, oct. L-clyde Milan.
the speedy outnelder of the Washington
| American league base ball team, comes
| from Linden, Tenn, which is a typical dent
In q mountain. Hardly an acre OF the
stubby ground IL on the level. There Milan
learned to play base ball. The diamond
was the main artery Of the town, and moth
ing served to disturb the boy but the bray
Of a grazing mule.
Stones hedged the limits Of the infield,
and even today the body Of Clyde is COW
cred with scars, mute testimony to the
obstacles which he surmounted to practice
st base ball Linden has never seen
game OF professional base ball. Even to-
day a game Of professional ball Is as
horrifying to the mountsineers as g VIOLA
ton Of the deoalogue. and in some OF the
native minds base ball playing is regarded
as a cardinal hn-
Milan picked up q newspaper one day and
read about base ball. His interest was
Immediately stimulated, and he peered
further into the matter OF learning the
game. He secured one OF the guides, got
base ball through a mail-order agency and
began to learn to play.
He interested few other youngsters of
the village, and they formed q team that
used to play according to Linden rules and
their game was similar to the old-fashioned
"three-old-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
Seeks Better Field.
nvx~ aFertaA dod
ball horizon was too limited in Linden. and
he searched for an opportunity to play
ball where the scope was broader. He hap
pened to be reading a newspaper in the
village one way when his eye caught on
an article advertising for ball players in the
town of Blossom. down in Texas.
Milan was then nothing but mere boy,
but he made UP his mind at once. He went
> home, packed his things, and then started
1 on a long tramp to the Lone Star state. His
= feet were bruised, his clothing was satu-
= rated with fine dust, he was leg weary and
bodily sore when he arrived at Blossom.
: But his pluck was a predominant note In
b his makeup and he went right to the
, manager of the ball team
!. Milan told him who he was, what he was
E and what he wanted. Milan was so green
9 that he had trouble getting past the steers
without getting hurt, and when the man.
I ager point blank asked him where he played
8 he said for lack of better knowledge: I'm
an infielder."
a The manager told Milan to get into the
: harness and hold down second base. Clyde
e went out with his uniform on wrong side
: out, he was so green, but he watched the
: other players. He saw that everybody was
h placed but himself, so he trotted to second
}, and started his career.
h He Makes Hit at Bat.
n His fielding the first day was a bit erratiC
!. and his errors were consecutive, but he
t could hit the ball hard. He hit everything
v and anything. The fans greeted him up
roarously when he slammed out his fifth
Q hit but Milan was thinking of the errors
It But the fans soon settled his mind on tha
= score and Immediately Clyde gave hi
k attention to hitting.
= Now, Texas rivalry is of the lively va
70 riety, and Blossom and GAINESVILLE hat
IT crossed the Rubicon In that respect Dod
70 Crisis the pinch pitcher and hitter of thu
y ST. Louis Browns, was making a big repu
u tation as a twirler on the GAINESVILLE nine
5, The first game OF the series was scheduled
If and therein Milan made his name mem
II DRY in Blossom.
II Criss could not fool him and he made
S. hit every time he came to the bat. No
Il content with this feat, he made the spec
IS tacular catch OF the day with the bases ful
y in the ninth, and Criss batting. Dode a
that time was hard hitter. He met on
u with all the strength OF his lean shoulders
ie and sent 1t on line. Milan heard tn
l. crack, and Just stuck out his gloved hand
At The ball hit the indentaton in his GLOW
and stuck. The catch won the game. How
10 ever, Texas base ball does not always pay
ar Failing to get his salary, Milan move
ar again.
n Joins Shawnee Team.
W He landed in Shawnee, Okl, played Their
r. a while, and then again found that he coul
is not collect with any degree Of regularity
III Milan then turned UP in Wichita, Kan
n where he played until the spring OF 1870
" when Joe Cantillon happened to be scout
Ia ing in that vicinity and engaged the young
Is ster for his Washington team He has sine
OF remained, but Linden looks somewhs
askance at Clyde. AS he says:
81 spend my winters at Linden, but folk
ID down there don't know anything about has
~ ball. They think 1t strange that I get pal
for playing the game. And when tie
them that there are as many as twenty-fiV
. of US travelling around the country an
"a staying at good hotels just to play base ba
~ they look at me in a doubtful sort of wa
and l nave to be careful to hold the fac
y down as much as possible to keep frol
u getting a reputation Of being a fibber."
u Milan today is regarded one of ii
!" best outfielders in the American league. II
NO has been greatly handicapped all season
NO the effects of an injury that has kept hi
oI from doing his best work, and yet he I'll