The Washington herald., 1914-08-30
Milan signs
WITH GRIFFITH
FOR 8 YEARS
Out6elder Afxes Name to
Long-term Contract with
Handsome Increase.
OTHER SPORT COMMENT
Braves Again in Second Place. Only
Five Points Behind the
Giants.

viii not get is Clyde Milan. the Ma
tlonals' outhelder. who yesterday
signed a Washington contract for
three years. The ten days notice OF
release clause was omitted In the new
instrument.
The landing Of Milan Is decidedly a
feather In Grifnth's cap, for as a rule.
the speed merchant never signs up un-
til the time set for a spring training.
and the acquisition OF the Tennessean
means that Grifath and Walter John
son have also about greed upon terms.
No member Of the Washington club
is closer to johnson than Milan, who
has been his pal and room mate for five
years. Their friendship In a regular
Damon and Pythias AFFAIR. and the
bond of sympathy between them still
exists.
Milan broke up the combination last
winter when he took unto himself a
wife. but not long afterward Walter
johnson followed suit, but the two are
still the warmest OF friends.
1t is a safe bet that had Milan known
Walter Johnson intended to seriously
consider a Federal League offer for
next year, he. too, would have refused
to sign a Washington contract.
The terms of Milan's three-year con-
tract are not given out. 1t is known
that his contract for this season was
considerable in excess Of $4,000. and
Grifith probably slipped him a healthy
increase.
with the exception Of Joe Boehling
and Walter johnson every member of
the Washington club Is under contract
for next year. Boehling Is at present
in Richmond, his home town, where
he is resting up from an injured knee.
sss
Had Grifith's outfelders yesterday
been playing deep when Jaques Fournier
came to bat in the seventh inning Wal
ter Johnson would have won his ban
game 1 to o.
Fournier always has been a long and
vicious hitter. and yet Mike Mitchell
played in short field for him. There Is
some excuse for Mitchell. as he is
newcomer but his pals should have
tipped him on.
Two defeats by the st. Louis Cardinals
at the hands Of the Boston Braves yes
terday sent the Stallings club into sec
ond place again, just FIVE points behind
the New York Giants.
This mad scramble for the National
League pennant has all the fans guess
ing.
As three contenders are right now
playing great ball. there Is every indica-
ton that the race will not be decided
until possibly the final week or ten days
Of the season, and as the Western clubs
are playing their Eastern rivals. New
York and Boston stand a better show
of grabbing top honors than the Car
dinals although in some quarters II Is
predicted that within a very few days
the race along the home stretch will mar
row down to a couple OF teams.
Three more games remain to be played
between the Nationals and Jimmy Gala
hans White Sox. and on Thursday the
Griffmen go TO New York TO tackle the
New York Yanks In a series which will
round out the week.
Monday week Labor Day). the Phila-
delphia Athletics are in our midst for
two games. morning and afternoon.
An interesting story from Boston last
week, when Ty Cobb was interviewed,
follows:
walter Johnson hasn't lost bit OF
his stuf,'' asserted Ty Cobb yesterday
to the Traveller man. He's losing some
games, but that's because his team isn't
making any runs for him. though he
made some mistakes against US yester-
day that had something TO do with his
losing that game. 1t doesn't make much
difference how much a pitcher has, IL
the breaks go against him. II looks as
though the Senators are not making so
many runs for johnson as usual But
don't get away with the idea Walter is
going back.
John McGraw's faith In Jim Thorpe as
a promising ball player is emphasized
by the fact that he has signed the
Olympic champion" for 1875 and 1916.
and there is no ten-day clause in the
Indians contract
Those Boston National officials evil
IDENTIFY didn't toss that money away when
they gave Johnny Evers a big bonus and
signed him to a fat salary. He has GER
tainly shown this season how extremely
valuable a single ball player can be to
club.
Evers is fully as effective to the
Beans as Speaker is to the Red Sox. And
far more so than Ty Cobb Is to the
Tigers and Joe Jackson to the Maps.
He is not one of the type which frets
and stays out of ball games. He is the
kind that insits on playing no matter
how things are breaking.
II the Griffmen hustled behind Walter
johnson as they do when one of the
young pitchers is on the slab the great
finger would have rolled up by this time
at least third more victories.
For some unknown reason johnson this
year has always carried lot Of dead
weight every time he entered the box.
rr. IL rE,eo T.