- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Nationals
- League: National League
Abner A. Boyce was posed by the Old Judge photographer prior to the 1888 season in a Washington Nationals uniform. The right-handed would-be major leaguer never fulfilled that ambition. According to the Goodwin card editors Boyce made the pre-season roster as a catcher for D.C. but fizzled out in exhibition games. They cite aWashington Post comment that Boyce was “quite nervous,” evidenced by eight passed balls in one game against Amherst College. The Post reporter noted: “It has been decided not to sign Boyce.” Apparently that was at least partly due to a high salary demand of $1800. By comparison, starting catcher Connie Mack received $2500 that year from the same club.
- Boyce hailed from Poughkeepsie, NY
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Senators
- League: American League
Jesse Clyde Milan (1887-1953) spent most of the first half of the 20th century as a Senator. He was a steady outfielder and renowned base stealer from 1907-1922. After brief stints in the minors, Milan returned to scout and coach for the team until stricken on the field in spring training. Over his 16 seasons Clyde hit .285 and stole nearly 500 bases. His 88 steals in 1912 stood as the ML record until Ty Cobb swiped 96 in ‘15. Clark Griffith considered Milan the franchise’s greatest centerfielder whose speed allowed him to play more shallow than any in the game. Clyde was lured to D.C. by a $1000 bonus, joining fellow rookie Walter Johnson who signed for a hundred bucks. The two became fast friends and the best players on the roster. Griffith tried to make a manager of Milan in 1922 but he didn’t have the stomach for the job. Ulcers drove Clyde to the minors for several years before rejoining his beloved Senators.
- For two seasons, Milan was a teammate of brother Horace: 1915 and ‘17
- Only 167 players spent their entire career with one team. Milan’s tenure in Washington ranks him in the upper fourth of those stalwarts
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Senators
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Walter Perry Johnson (1887-1946) played his entire 21-yr career for the Senators then managed them for 4 more. Ty Cobb’s first impression was of a “rube out of the cornfields.” But when the rube threw “The thing just hissed with danger.” Cobb wasn’t the last player to be stunned by this man’s fastball: Most shut-outs in MLB, 2nd in wins, 4th in complete games, etc.
- Only member of 3000 SO club until Bob Gibson joined in 1974
- Still holds record 12x league-leader in strikeouts
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1936
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Senators
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Clark Calvin Griffith (1869-1955) was a successful pitcher for over 20 years but had only just begun his baseball career. AL founder Ban Johnson prevailed on Griffith to take the helm of the NY entry into the new league in 1903. That began a tenure as manager and owner that lasted until Griffith’s death in 1955. With a showman’s touch and a veteran player’s savvy, Griffith turned around the D.C. franchise.
- Only one in history to be a player, manager and owner for over 20 years in each role
- Counted eight U.S. presidents as friends during his long tenure as owner of the Senators
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1946
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Senators
- League: American League
Charles Arnold Gandil (1888-1970) was described in the Chicago Tribune in March 1917 as “the ideal type of athlete – a fighter on the field, a player who never quits under the most discouraging circumstances and … is one of the most dangerous batters in the league when a hit means a ball game.” This tribute heralded Gandil’s return to his original club, Charles Comiskey’s White Sox. He didn’t set the world on fire in ’17 and ’18 but the club became a strong favorite to win it all in 1919. Rife with dissension directed at the miserly owner, by his own admission in a 1956 SI account, Gandil led a conspiracy to throw the Series. Everything came undone and by 1921 eight Sox players were banned for life. Gandil admitted to being the main instigator of the affair but insisted the actual Series losses were unintentional.
- Was a stand-out first-baseman for Clark Griffith’s Senators
- Lifetime BA of .277
Ars Longa Store
Newsletter
