The Washington herald., 1920-05-26
AMBITION AND HARD WORK BRINGS
SUCCESS TO DOC" JOHNSTON
BY JACK NYE.

You can md lot OF good reasons
Why the peppery Cleveland Indians
are out in front in the pennant race.
iris Speaker is the biggest one.
Messrs. Bagby and Coveleskie are
contributing their share with Won
derful pitching and the team as
whole is playing a brilliant brand OF
baseball.
II you are looking for another
reason II might not be amiss to To-
Gus your lamps on the first station.
where holds forth Ralph Doc"
Johnston, who has the priced dis
.tinction of leading the league with
the stick.
Not only is Doc setting the
swatting pace for the peerless Joe
jackson, Babe Ruth and other wide
ly advertised slugging stars, but he
is playing a jam-up game around
the bag. fielding with the best of
them and showing a world of the
cld-time pep"
Doc" is not worrying whether or
not he can maintain his present lead
over the rest of the neld. Sufficient
Unto the day Is the evil thereof, he
maintains. But if he is not out in
front when the curtain is rung
uO"h III lhc Adllf IL "Oh OC AO'
lack Of effort
sDOe7 Has Ambition.
II there was ever an ambitious
ball player. Doc" is the man. And
he backs his aspirations up with
clean living and conscientious work.
which is largely the secret of his
success.
Twelve years of hard work have
brought Doc" to his present po-
sition. and during that time he has
never lost sight of his early-formed
ambition to show 'em a thing or
two in fast company.
Born in Cleveland, Tenn. 80 years
ago, DOC" earned his first baseball
reputation in the Chattanooga City
league He was quite a star in
amateur circles, and in 1909 was
signed by one of the South Atlantic
League clubs. This was his pro-
fessional debut. He performed so
we'll in the Sally circuit that he
was sent to Cincinnati the next
fall. lingering but a short while
under Clark Griffith, who then man
aged the Reds. Griffith sent Doc"
to Buffalo, from whence he was
shunted back to Chattanooga,
where he helped that team win
the Southern League pennant.
At the end of the season the
Chattanooga manager traded john
ston to New Orleans. where he Sc
cured some valuable experience
under the willy Charley Frank. In
1911 he helped the New Orleans
club to win the pennant in an easy
race. He was one of the bright
stars on a team that has seldom
been rivaIed in the Southern League
for all-round ability. One of his
teammates was Tim Hendryx. now
starring with the Red SoX.
After the 1912 season, New Or
leans sold Doc" to Cleveland and
he stayed with the Indians through
1914. He was then landed by Pitts
burg, sticking with the Pirates in
1915 and 1916, only to be sent to
Birmingham in 1917 for more sea-
soning The trip South saw con-
tinued improvement in the first
sacker, and he was traded to Mil
waukee that winter. but Cleveland
secured him again when the 1918
season was only six months old.
Now Star in Majors.
Back again the big leagues. Doc
decided to stick Peppery fielding
and capable hitting insured him d
Job with the Indians and each sea-
son has seen him improving in all
round ability.
Last season Doc" proved his
worth by leading the entire aggre-
cation in hitting, with the excep-
zion of his rival on first base. Joe
Harris, who played in far fewer
games. He also led the league in
base stealing as long as he was
playing. He wound up the season
with a batting mark of sos.
Johnston is travelling at a 800
pace at the bat this season and
showing no signs OF a sudden re-
lapse. His work afield has been
right up to scratch. despite the
fact that he has travelled most of
the season on a bum leg, which he
injured in the second game he
played. This injury has prevented
any fancy base running, but has
not kept the first sacker from TAX
ing care of everything coming his
way.
Why ARE we out in front?'
Johnston queried during a tanning
oCe yesterday.
We'll, we've got wonderful
0wner and a wonderful manager.
The boys have more confidence and
pep than any team I ever saw and
addition they are the best ball
players in the business. Everybody
= thinking about winning games