Bill Phillips was annouced as the manager of the Indianapolis club on April 5, 1913, although the contract was not finalized for a few more weeks. The team assembled in his hometown of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, for training, as thier park in Indianapolis was not going to be ready soon enough. On May 3, the Indianapolis Star reported the new uniforms for the club had arrived, and that photographs of the team "in their new duds" would be taken the next day prior to a game against Charleroi. The road uniforms were dark blue with white trimmings and an "I" displayed on the arm, which appears to match the uniforms worn by most of the players in this photo. Most of the players pitcured appeared in a game between the "Regulars" and "Yannigans" on May 2, 1913.
A roster for the club was published in the Indianapolis Star on April 30, including twenty-three plaayers. The same roster was printed that day in the Indianapolis News.
Massing and Durell (catchers); Bair, Cates, France, Reis, Kirsch, Sutherland, Swaney, Taylor, Beebe, Potter and Billiard (pitchers); Tiemeyer and Swartling (first baseman); Vandagrift (second baseman); Scott (shortstop); Alcock (third baseman); Kaiser, Dusty Miller, M. Miller, Brown, and Beswick (outfielders)
Of the twenty-three players in the published roster, six (Kirsch, Sutherland, Swaney, Beebe, Potter, Swartling) never played with Indianapolis during the season. Swartling was signed early in the spring, but was unable to report due to an illness in his family. On May 5, the Indianapolis Star reported that left-handers Alex Sutherland, Pat Swaney and Kneesel, and right-hander John Potter were relased. This reduced the roster to just 18 players. The papers never reported the releases of Beebe or Dusty Miller, but Beebe pitched one game for St. Louis in Covington on May 13, while Dusty Miller played his first game for St. Louis on May 10 in Covington.
Were there three or four Millers?
On May 1, 1913, Dusty Miller and Henry Miller appeared with the "Regulars" in an intrasquad game against the "Yannigans", while A. Miller played in the outfield for the Yannigans. Dusty Miller was associated with the club almost as soon as rosters were being published. He is last clearly identified in a box score for a preseason game on May 3 against Charleroi. His release is never reported; he shows up with St. Louis on May 10 in Covington. On April 25, the Indianapolis News stated that "Pitchers Taylor, Miller, Beebe and France are practically in shape." That almost certainly refers to Henry Miller, who was subsequently sold to Cleveland with A. Miller and Kirsch on May 3.
The fourth Miller, M. Miller is credited on Baseball-Reference with the three games with Indianapolis from May 6 through May 8. His only mention with the club is in the reported roster on April 30, 1913, when the Indianapolis News described him as "a Pittsburger, who played in and around Pittsburgh last year" (April 30, 1913, pg. 14). M. Miller does not appear in boxscores either in the preseason or the regular season.
Leading up to those first three games, the Indianapolis papers were speculating as to whether Dusty Miller or Buck Beswick would start. Reports the last few days indicated Dusty had arm issues in spring training, and was in danger of being cut if another outfielder was signed. Miller disappeared from the Indianapolis club after the game on May 8, with Charles Conway playing on May 9. Dusty Miller showed up with St. Louis in Covington on May 10, 1913. So was it Dusty Miller who played those three games in Pittsburgh?
The most likely explanation is that M. Miller in the roster published on April 30, 1913 was a mis-identification of A. Miller. On April 22, 1913, the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reported that "Miller, the Indianapolis Federal League recruit, played a fine game for the visitors," in connection with a game between the visiting Lyman club and Herendon. Two Millers appeared in the boxscore for the Lyman: A. Miller (lf) and C. Miller (3b). The Lyman club was composed of players from Arlington Heights. On March 14, 1912, the Pittsburgh Press reported that the Arlington Heights club that spring had lost several players, including Alex Miller, who was given a tryout with the Pittsburgh Club of the United States League. (C. Miller was reported on the club that spring.) This is likely the A. Miller who was the Indianapolis recruit in 1913, and whose profile matched the description for M. Miller given in the Indianapolis newspaper.
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Top row (Left to right) John Potter, a pitcher from Uniontown, PA Frank Bair Bill Philips (II), son of manager Bill Philips Jack Reis Alex Sutherland, from East Pike Run township, Washington County, PA Eddie Tiemeyer John Massing Al Kaiser Eli Cates Pat Swaney, from Monessen, PA Harry Billiard Bill France Jesse Beebe Buck Beswick Jimmy Brown Walter Knesel (Kneesel), a left-handed pitcher from Beltzhoover, a suburb of Pittsburgh, reported to be about 20 years old |
Botton row (Left to right) Manager Bill Philips Ben Taylor Austin Durell Carl Vandagrift Dusty Miller Scotty Alcock John Scott Bill Philips (III) |