The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-01-30
FORMER HOuGHTON PLAYER
WITH CHICAGO WHITE SOx
FRANK MILLER, PITCHER, HARD
MAN TO HANDLE SAYS
CRITIC.

The following about Frank Miller
a pitcher who is now the property Of
the Chicago American League club
may be of interest to Miller's old
friends here who remember him when
he twirled for the Houghtop team in
the Copper Country Northern League.
The criticism is taken from the chi
cage Tribune of recent date and lays
bare some Of the weaknesses that may
keep him from the big league
Frank Miller, the White SoX pitch.
ing recruit was with the tailend team,
the san Francisco Seals. Still it would
require wide stretch of the magma
ton TO say he gave a good account of
! himself The White Sox management
has called upon Miller TO take "A prac-
tice fling with the other moundmen.
but the odds are against Miller max
ing good
| He is one of those pitchers who
have everything but control. one day
he fans fifteen, holds the opposing bat
ters 10 two scratch hits, and wins the
game with a bingle in a pinch. The
next time he faces the same body of
club swingers he is apt to throw the
game away in the first stanza through
inability To locate the plate.
ASKED for an estimate of Miller n
| teammate once said: Miller is unfor-
| unate in that he makes fishing his
hobby When Miller is pitching he is
thinking about fishing and when ne
is fishing he is thinking about pitch
| ing
Certainly "A man with that fault
must find himself continuously he
tween the devil and the deep sea.
one Illustration of what fishing will
do 10 a player like Miller may he cit
ed. The score was one run in Miller's
favor i'm a game between san Frances
60 and Oakland and the last inning
had dawned. Frank, who had been
moving the enemy down all afternoon.
could not resist the temptation 40 add
a few more scalps TO his list of strike
outs When Harry Ables who is the
nearest thing 10 an .00O56 batter, c,,nie
to the plate, Miller frightened his belt
and started in To- strike Harry out Tor
the third time in the afternoon. lie
| lost control and before he realized it
the bases We're fun with Harry on
third, laughingly at his rival. The look
might have been applied to advanIng
at this time but the management had
faith in Miller and allowed him to
stick
Ruse Rattles Miller.
h.. l..
with three and two" called. Ables i'm
a spirit Of clownishness started to
walk along the path from third and
his GOODNESS ana daring ratified Miller.
| Perhaps the husky twirler was think
ing of the fellow he was playing at the
end of his fish line. At all events, in
stead of stepping off the rubber an
throwing Ables out at the plate, Miller
tried To throw Ables out with his feet
On the stab and the batter took his
/ base ON the fourth hall, forcing A5les
home.
Miller formed the fishing habit IN
his early youth, spent at his home Al
| lcghan, Mich. According to it's favored
son Alleghan is not of sufficient size 20
:
/ passengers who journey from coast to
coast. Every year Miller goes home
and letters around Alleghan during The
winter season. \ friendly engineer al
/ ways sees To II that the train slows
} down at the approach of Franks
/ homestead thus enabling tho pitcher
/ To toss his baggage into one haystack
and make leap for life into another.
Will Make AIleghan Famous.
The Royal Gcographers make no
mention of Alleghan, Us fishing
/ streams or its two haystacks. This
! fact does not disconcert Miller, who
declares that If he is accorded a
real chance in the big brush, he will
make Alleghan as famous as Royston,
Ca, the place Ty Cobb is said to hail
| from
Miller Is awkward in his move
mcnts on the slab. but when sufficient
| ~ warmed mp has whole lot on the
pellet. He has a good hop. due to HIS
| speed and method of delivery, aud f1f
a time last season loomed up as the
only real pitcher on the san Fraicls-
co roster. Illness and a sore finger
kept him out of the game for speil
and with the club going badly he Nm
ished the year poorly Like So3d
many white hopes" Miller rs willing
to take a lot of punishment and II IL
possible ne may make the Sox a useful
! twirler.
! "The most notable achievement o.
his career was when he and Wild
man" Iange alternated as the pltc"-
ing staff for Des Moines ana won "
pennant i'm 1909. Miller was PIT hing
around Houghton. Mich when q White
Sox scout touted him o: as conner
In the fall Of 1907 On rare Occasions
Frank has been called upon To P.tcn
double headers and had gone through
the struggles successfully"