Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-01-13
BY JOHN n. GRUBER.

Washington. although the Capital city
+ the nation. never until a few years
20 assumed its rightful place in base
Ill. Its team, with three Interruptions
ygregating four years. has been
aember of major league organizations
nee 1854, and never until 1912 fin
her higher than sixth place. Once, in
90. in the National League, Washing
IN tied with Brooklyn for that posi-
on, and twice in the American
.cague, in 1901 and 1902. it wound up
the sixth notch. The foundation of
e present really formidable team was
id in 1907, when two of its greatest
ars were acquired. These men were
alter Johnson and Clyde Milan. Both
ID but scant experience in the minors,
I'd both are at present the only rep
sentatives left of the Washington
am of 1907.
Milan was born in Linden, Tenn,
'itrch Is, 1856. After tinkering with
.Iall teams in Texas and Oklahoma. he
ally was given Il start in the profess
ional ranks, Wichita. of the Western
ISOLATION, signing him in the middle
the season of 1906. He remained
it'll Wichita until August, 1907, when
= was obtained by Washington. whose
inager then was Joe Cantillon. With
ichita, which won the championship
1907, Milan played ia games, get
~ batting average of .3O4. He
med the Washingtons as a veritable
reenhorn." but almost at once
g of Bob Ganley, Otis C1ymer and
larles Jones.
Joins Senators.
lie played his first game for Wash
gton at Chicago August 10. being
,accd in right field. The game was a
rec, and must have given the recruit
bad impression of the major leagues
. general and his own team in partic-
ar. He was at bat twice. but did not
4 a hit, nor did he have a single
iance in the field. Washington used
rec pitchers in that game-Oberlin,
ompkinS and Landlord. 1t was Ober-
MS second game for Washington. and
. fast company. Chicago won the
anne. 16 to =. in eight innings. dark
ess putting an end to the slaughter.
In his next game Milan took Clymer's
lace in right field and led off in the
ttting order. getting q single and
'iple at Cleveland off Glen I-eibhardt
nd Heine Berger When Clymer re-
Irned to the outfield Milan. still re-
lined as lead-off man, was shifted to
enter field. and for the remainder of
In 1905 he was placed in center field.
fter Ollie Pickering. obtained from the
I. Louis American League club in eX-
hange for Charley Jones. had played
he position for one week. Milan has
,een the regular center fielder of the
Washington club ever since. He was
he first member of the present strong
Milan and Moeller-
which took six years to build.
Waiter Johnson beat Milan to the
"A lii, n dow
iIeralded as the ''Weiser Wonder" a
certain glamour surrounded his name,
which became real in subsequent days.
rs everybody knows. He pitched his
drst game at Washington August =,
1907, and his team was beaten by De-
troit. the champion aggregation of the
american League, by the close score of
:: to - He pitched eight innings. and
was then removed to allow Cliff Blank
enship TO bat for him. In the eight In
and got only one base on balls, while
three struck out. Ed Sievers pitched
for Detroit and held the Washingtons
10 five hits.
johnson and Milan are now the old
est men in point of service on the
team and the only players
of the 1907 team now on the pay roll.
with the exception OF Mike kahoe, who
in 1907 caught for Washington.
Build Winning Team.
Slowly. year by year. the team was
built up. In 1908 George Mcbride was
obtained from the Kansas City club Of
The American Association. and he was
I he first link in the present fast infield.
Mcbride. unlike Milan and johnson.
had been buffeted in the base ball sea
Tor a number of years. In 1906 he was
obtained from St. Joseph by Pittsburgh,
but before the season closed was traded
10 the st. Louis National League club
for Dave Brain. Pittsburgh giving
about $500 in cash to boot. George
remained with St. Louis until August
1. 1906, and then was traded. with
Pitcher Aloysius Egan. to Kansas City
for Bill Phyle. third baseman. 1t will
be seen that to this date Mcbride
wasn't much thought of by major
league managers. He remained with
Kansas City during the entire season
of 1907. and came close to figuring In
another deal. He displayed so much
worth in his work that the Washing
ton club. near the end of the season.
proposed to give the Kansas City Cow
boys Milan and John tNig) Perrine for
him. The deal fell through somehow.
Milan. no doubt, by that time being
recognized as a sure conner. Neither
Milan nor Perrine was disturbed until
1908. when Perrine was sent to Louis
vile.
Mcbride was yanked out Of Kansas
- L