Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-03
BY Percy II. Whiting.

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
half grown bat boy.
When Coach Heisman looked
them over he saw the makings Of a
fine tean-and he also noted the
hid.
Il hope he doesn't get in the way
and get hurt, I'll have TO eliminate
fam at the first cut" was Coach
E9eisma1's comment.
Tben followed = loT or indoor
worn. For days the candidates
worked as best they could in the
restricted space Of the gymnasium,
dotnz such small things in the
baseball line az the scant room
afforded.
When The time fUr the first cut
ca1na Coach Heislnan welded the
pruning knife with reckless aban-
dom as usual. But when he came
60 the name Of tho kid he didn't
uss Il.
-Isszress IN see that boy work in
,f1@ OPEN" was his comment.
Another cut came. And then the
fAcai che.
when the first game was played
fEAe smallest man on the squad was
af shortstop, He had shown such
q positive genius for baseball that
ne had stuck through
The name of the boy was Tommy
MCMILLAN,
nj OW, Tommy Mcmillan was I'M
doubleday the very Iittlest boy
who ever got on real varsity
team in the South. He won his
place because he could bat fairly
well, because he could field excel
lently, and most particularly be-
cause he had a baseball mind.
Mcmillan has says Coach
Hetsman, who perhaps knows him
better than any other man. that
rare faculty Of knowing where a
bah is going to be hit. He seems
TO give the matter no thought. No
doubt Nhe divines the thing by the
working Of his subcouscious mind.
Given a batter he knows and given
some hint Of what Is to be pitched
u him and he can come nearer to
telling where II Is going to be hit
than any living man who has ever
come under my observation.
1t IL this faculty that has given
Mcmillan positions on three big
league teams and that has made
him, with the sole and glow1ngly
brilliant exception of Wnle Keeler,
the greatest ban player OF his
inches who ever graced a diamond.
THE faculty OF Knowing where
q bail Was going to be hit Was
MCNIinagi's most troublesome weak
ness at first, When he figured out
thai the sphere was going 10 be hit
between first and second ne didn't
hesitate at an TO run over back
OF the pitcher and take II away
from the SECOND basernan.
AND this peculiarly irI1tated the
SECOND basenau--who was. the
Sear Mcmillan broke in. that ex-
oeslent performer Fred Richardson.
II took all Of Richardson's patience
and All of Coach Helsman's author-
N.Y. 70 cUnfine McNiIlan's activities
to a territory about twice as large
as any other shortstop in the
Southern college world covered
And 10 this day ne can come as
near to playing t1re entire in6eId
unsssisted as anybody YOU ever
Eaw.
lust how diminutive Mcmillan
J was in his first year Is hard to
realize. Coach Heisman estimates
that at the time he was probably
five feet. five inches tall and that
he weighed perhaps 10 TO rs
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 particularly
where. and after a game the boys
went out for an evening at a girls
college
Tommy was the first man home