Doug Neff was an infielder for the 1914-15 Washington
Senators.
Douglas Williams Neff was born October 8, 1891, in
Harrisonburg, Virginia, to Dr. John Henry Neff and Brownie Mitchell Morrison
Neff; he and his twin brother Harold had three older siblings and one younger
sister. Dr. Neff was 15 years older than Brownie and was 40 when they married;
he had been an ambulance driver for the Confederate side in the Civil War.
In school Douglas regularly appeared on the honor roll. The
first reference to his playing baseball that I found was in the Harrisonburg
Daily News of April 24, 1905, when he was 13; he was mentioned as playing
left field for the South Main team against High Street. On May 17, 1906, he was
one of two pitchers for South Main in an 8-5 victory over High Street; the Daily
News reported that the High Street boys “claim that Tuesday’s result was
something of an accident.” In 1907 his name, and Harold’s, started turning up
in items about teenage parties, like this one from the Daily News of
August 28, 1907:
Entertained at Progressive Peanuts.
Miss Alice Stollenwerk delightfully entertained a number of her friends yesterday evening at the home of Miss Nan Yancey. The evening was spent in playing progressive peanuts. At a late hour a delicious collation was served…
The February 8, 1908, the Daily News reported that
the Harrisonburg High School Boys had “held a meeting yesterday afternoon,
formed a baseball association, and elected officers for the spring campaign,”
the officers including Douglas as captain. In April there were items in the
newspaper about Douglas pitching for the High School Midgets against the
Business College Commercials and the Apprentices (with Harold as his catcher),
while he also played third base for the Business College in two games against
the Dayton Hornets. On July 17 the Shenandoah Herald of Woodstock, Virginia,
reported on a game between Woodstock and Harrisonburg:
Douglass [sic] Neff pitched for Harrisonburg, and the young “phenom” held them tight at all stages. It was another “Doug” Neff day, for not only did this youth of under seventeen pitch a magnificent game, but he fielded his position in great shape several of his brilliant fielding stunts bringing the crowd to its feet.
This was apparently not the Harrisonburg High School team,
but a town team, as older brothers John Jr. (catcher) and Mitchell (second
base) played. In 1909 Doug was again the captain of the high school team, and
he and Harold graduated. In the fall Doug entered the University of Virginia in
Charlottesville to study engineering. He did not play baseball for the
university in the spring of 1910—I don’t know whether he tried out—but in the
summer he pitched some for the town team.
In May the Neffs were counted for the census. They are
living in their own house, on South Main Street in Harrisonburg. John is 66 and
under occupation it says “own income,” which I interpret as meaning he was retired
as a doctor and was living off investments. Brownie is 51, while the oldest
daughter, also named Brownie, is 24 and a high school teacher. None of the
other kids has an occupation, and are presumably all in school: John Jr. 22,
Mitchell 20, Harold and Douglas 18, and Mary 13. Brownie Sr.’s unmarried sister
Janie also lives with them. They didn’t live there much longer, though; from
the Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, September 9:
Harrisonburg, Sept. 2.—Mitchell, Harold, and Douglas Neff will leave here this morning for their new home in Charlottesville. Mrs. H.J. Neff and Miss Brownie will remain here several days longer. Dr. Neff is now at Mt. Jackson visiting relatives and he will remain there until after the family is settled in their new home.
In February 1911 I found one reference to Doug playing left
guard for the UV basketball team. He became the regular right fielder on the
baseball team, moving from leadoff to third in the order late in the season;
one of his teammates was future Hall-of-Famer Eppa Rixey.
In March 1912 Dr. Neff passed away, and Doug became the
third baseman and cleanup hitter for UV. In April he was elected one of the
officers of the Engineering School students. Over the summer he pitched for a
leading amateur team, Blue Ridge Camp. In 1913 Doug moved to shortstop, and
also pitched occasionally. He began to be spoken of as a star and as a
potential major leaguer; the Washington Senators held spring training in Charlottesville
in those days and the teams would play each other. From the April 1 Harrisonburg
Daily News:
Douglas Neff May Join The Washington Team.
Charlottesville, March 27.—Douglas Neff, Virginia’s crack shortstop, who possesses the best throwing arm among the colleges may become a member of the Climbers, if he accepts the offer Manager Griffith has made him. At present the youngster is desirous of becoming a civil engineer at a ridiculously low salary, following the advice of his brother, a physician at the University of Virginia Hospital [John Jr.].
Manager Griffith is delighted with the youngster’s appearance, and in every game against the Griffmen, the lad came through with some startling play. His throwing is remarkable for a boy his age, and he moves to either side with equal ease. Last year he held down third base, Malcolm Douglass playing short. He was star [sic] at third, but he has improved since being placed in the short field.
Although the Virginia youth is now unwilling to join a professional team, Manager Griffith has not given up all hope of signing him, and will continue to correspond with him until the close of the college season.
If Neff sees his way to joining a professional team, it will be but a matter of time when he will be a star in the big show. He knows how to hit, has plenty of speed on the base, and in the field is a wonderful performer.
An April 28 story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about
the annual election of officers of the General Athletic Association of the UV
named Doug as one of the electees, saying that he is “a member of the Sigma Chi
and Lambda Pi fraternities, and of the Raven Society.” On May 6 it was
announced that he had been elected team captain for 1914, which would be his
fifth year in school but fourth on the baseball team. In June he received his
Bachelor of Science diploma, while twin Harold received his Master of Arts.
From the August 12 Times-Dispatch:
NEFF, STAR TWIRLER, BREAKS HIS LEG
Captain of University of Virginia Baseball Team Lost Pies.
(Special to the Times-Dispatch.)
Charlottesville, Va., August 11.—While playing baseball at Blue Ridge Camp, near Ivy, this county, Douglas W. Neff, captain-elect of Virginia’s baseball team, 1914, had the misfortune to break his right leg. The accident occurred in a practice game, played Friday afternoon between two teams selected from members of the camp, the prize to the winning nine being three apple pies. Neff was sliding into second base, when a bone in his right leg snapped. He was lifted from the field and brought at once to the University Hospital, where he is now under treatment. The injury is not regarded as a serious one, and it is thought that the patient will be able to go about on crutches within the next day or two. His plans are to return to Blue Ridge Camp certainly by the middle of the week.
Neff is undoubtedly the best all-round man on the Virginia team. He is a star infielder, and last spring developed into a twirler of no mean ability…
For two seasons past Neff has been spending his vacations at the Blue Ridge Camp.
The Washington Post reported on September 7:
NEFF, VIRGINIA CAPTAIN, IS TO JOIN THE NATIONALS
By Stanley T. Milliken
It is reported on good authority that Douglas Neff, captain of the Virginia University baseball team, is to become a National. This announcement was made by this youngster to a friend the other day. While the Nationals were at Charlottesville Neff’s work attracted the attention of Manager Griffith.
Neff was approached on the subject of signing a contract, but at that time he refused to play professional ball. Neff, it is understood, will sign a Washington contract at the close of the university season next June. Neff is an infielder, a natural batter, a deadly thrower, and a good fielder.
The story in the same day’s Times-Dispatch added that
Doug “is the same ‘boy wonder’ whose pitching made the Harrisonburg team of
1908 famous in the Valley” and that “he is a brother of Dr. ‘Johnnie’ Neff, of
Charlottesville, noted in recent years as a football star at the University of
Virginia.”
From the Times-Dispatch, December 1:
Funeral of Mrs. J.H. Neff.
(Special to The Times-Dispatch.)
Harrisonburg, Va., November 30.—The body of Mrs. J.H. Neff, fifty-five years old, who died at the University Hospital, Charlottesville, Wednesday night, was brought here for burial. She was born in Berkeley County, W. Va., a daughter of George Porterfield Morrison and Elizabeth Tabb. For over twenty-five years she and her husband, the late Dr. Neff, resided in Harrisonburg, moving to Charlottesville four years ago, where four of their sons entered the university at that time. Her surviving children are Dr. John H. Neff, the noted football coach; Mitchell Neff, of Washington; Douglas Neff, of the university, and Harold Neff, who was called from his studies in Leipsic, Germany, by his mother’s illness, and Mrs. Wright Noble, of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Harrisonburg Daily News, March 20, 1914:
DOUGLAS NEFF COMMENDED
Record of Former Harrisonburg Boy Praised by Sporting Writers.
Seldom has an amateur ball player been complimented more highly than Douglas Neff, a former Harrisonburg boy, was yesterday by the Washington Post. Neff is captain of University of Virginia team. The Post speaks of him as follows:
According to a close friend of Douglas Neff, this grand little ball player who is captain of the Virginia team, will become a National shortly after the close of the school term. Neff is one of the greatest college ball players that the writer has ever seen. He appeared to be without a flaw, a real diamond in the rough. To see him in action one would but marvel at his skill. Not yet 20 years of age [no, he’s 22], he handles himself like a veteran. There is nothing he cannot do. An excellent fielder with a great whip and a knockout punch at the plate is Douglas Neff. With all these qualities Neff is a clean athlete. He neither smokes nor drinks and loves the game. His greatest asset is his ability to bat. He is of the clean-up type. It is known that Griffith has approached Neff on the subject of signing a contract. The Old Fox will make a ten-strike if he lands him, and the chances are that he will.
The same day that the Daily News was relaying the Post’s
comments, the Washington Herald reported:
DOUG NEFF BOOKED FOR GRIFFITH’S CLUB AT COLLEGE’S CLOSE
Special to The Washington Herald.
University of Virginia, March 20.—Manager Griffith tonight held a long conference behind closed doors with Douglas Neff, the clever captain and shortstop of the University of Virginia baseball team and although neither the collegian or the Old Fox cared to discuss the subject, it is believed that Neff has agreed to sign a Washington contract and will join the Nationals after he is graduated from the university in June.
Neff is one of the most promising young college ball players Griff has seen in recent years and the Old Fox is anxious to land him for the Climbers.
To sign a contract now would rob Virginia of its captain and star and Neff would hardly care to jeopardize his position by such an action but he could give Griffith his word that as soon as college closed in June he would affix his signature to the necessary papers and report when ordered. This, it is believed, Neff has done.
Neff’s team mates declare that his word is his bond.
He actually graduated the year before; I’m not sure what his
status as a student was for this fifth year at the university. In May he signed
his Washington contract, to report in June. The Times-Dispatch story on
the signing called him “conceded to be the best shortstop in college baseball,
certainly in the East,” and added:
Neff is one of the best all-around men ever at Virginia. He jumped into the limelight when he made his debut on the college nine four years ago, and has played a consistent game ever since. His record the past season, though he was handicapped by being captain of the team, was a very flattering one. He led the squad with the stick as well as in run-getting, capturing the prizes offered by the athletic association for the leader in those departments. He can play most any position in the infield or outfield, and is a twirler of no mean ability…
The Sporting Life story said “Neff is touted by many
critics as the best college player now in the game,” and mentioned that he
would be living in Washington with his brother who is in business there—that
would be Mitchell. On May 11 the Washington Star quoted Jack Ryan, who
had been doing double duty as the baseball coach at UV and as one of Clark
Griffith’s coaches for the Senators:
“I have never seen a more capable college player than Neff,” said he this morning, “and I am sure he will make good with us. There were no less than six major league clubs after Neff and we were lucky to get him. Neff plays ball much after the style of Kid Elberfeld, when he was in his prime, and I believe that he has a better pair of hands than the Kid could ever boast of. He is undoubtedly a most promising youngster, and stands a good chance to make a star in fast company.”
That same day the Times-Dispatch reported on the previous
night’s banquet for baseball lettermen at the university:
At last night’s banquet gold baseballs were awarded to Douglas Neff and Outfielders Phillips and White. These prizes are given annually to the captain, the player with the best batting average and the player who scores the most runs. All three were won by Captain Neff. He was given one and the others to the players with the second best averages in the departments mentioned.
Doug joined the Senators/Nationals/Griffmen/Climbers in St.
Louis on June 7, as reported in the next day’s Washington Herald:
Douglas Neff Joins Griffmen
Virginia Collegians Arrive in Time to See Browns Trim Nationals
SHAW TO PITCH TODAY
By William Peet.
St. Louis, Mo., June 7.—Douglas Neff, the diminutive infielder from Charlottesville, Va., reported this afternoon, reaching town in time to see the Browns wallop the Nationals at Sportsmans Park…
Neff will be groomed to fill in at third base or shortstop if anything should happen to Foster or McBride, and will be carried during the remainder of the season with Wally Smith, the last named being ready to fill the shoes of either Morgan or Gandil in case of accidents or injury.
“I am glad to be with Mr. Griffith,” Neff told the writer. “I don’t know whether or not my work will come up to the required American League standard, but I am going to do the best I can,” he modestly added.
Neff is twenty-two years old, stands five feet seven inches, weighs 145 pounds and hits right handed. He was captain and shortstop of the University of Virginia nine this spring and batted over .400…
Despite the “Virginia Collegians” headline, there was no
mention of any others. Same paper, next day:
Douglas Neff took his first work-out with the team yesterday, and he showed ability enough to warrant the prediction that he gives much promise. Neff not only covers a lot of ground, but he has a wonderful throwing arm and a splendid pair of hands. It will, of course, take time for him to be developed sufficiently to fill a regular place on the team, but in the meantime he will be used for utility purposes.
Washington Times, June 16:
Clark Griffith appears to have unlimited confidence in the ultimate development of Douglas Neff as one of the real stars of the Nationals.
It was Jack Ryan who discovered Neff while the latter was playing at the University of Virginia, and he was so unqualified in his recommendation that Griffith watched the player closely while the club was at Charlottesville.
Umpire Rigler, of the National League, who got Eppa Rixey for the Phillies, worked hard to land Neff. At that time Neff’s family had an antipathy toward professionalism and for a while it was thought that the collegian could not be induced to sign. Now that he is in line, he is receiving a valuable baseball education at the club meetings and on the field and when one of the present regular infielders start on the downward glide it will be to Neff that Griffith will look to fill the gap…
Interesting that a major league umpire was acting as a
scout. On June 18 the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that on the
previous day Doug had received a diploma in Civil Engineering. Graduate school?
I’m not sure. Also on the 18th, the Washington Times quoted
Doug:
“There’s a great difference in college baseball and professional baseball, not only in the quality of play but in the way other things are done,” mused “Doug” Neff, the taciturn former captain of the Virginia team. “In the colleges we think we can help a batter remove nervousness by remaining silent, but in the big league they shout encouragement in a way that would drive an inexperienced man to the bench. It’s just the way of the game and, I suppose, a man soon gets used to it.”
In the same edition of the same paper, a reader asked how
the Nationals pair off on the road. According to the Times, the usual
roommates were: [Walter] Johnson and [Clyde] Milan, [George] McBride and [John]
Henry, [Eddie] Ainsmith and [Carl] Cashion, [Eddie] Foster and [Rip] Williams,
[Ray] Morgan and [Germany] Schaefer, [Chick] Gandil and [Danny] Moeller,
[Howie] Shanks and [Joe] Engel, [Joe] Boehling and [Doc] Ayers, [Jim] Shaw and
Martin [don’t know who that was—no Martin played for them that year], [Jack]
Bentley and [coach Nick] Altrock, Neff and [coach Jack] Ryan, [Harry] Harper
and [Merito] Acosta, and [Joe] Gedeon and [Wally] Smith. Fourth outfielder Mike
Mitchell was not listed so maybe Martin was a typo for him.
On June 26, after weeks, or years actually, of buildup, Doug
got into his first major league game. At Philadelphia, Rip Williams pinch-hit
for shortstop George McBride in the top of the ninth, as the Senators scored
two to tie the game. Doug replaced McBride in the field for the ninth and
tenth, fielding a popup but not getting up to bat as the Athletics scored with one
out in the tenth to win. On June 28 the Washington Herald reported that “Neff
is a favorite with the oldtimers now on the club, his willingness to listen
being his chief asset.” Then he got sick. From the July 9 Washington Times:
Douglas Neff Goes Home a Victim of Typhoid Fever
“Doug” Neff is lost to the Nationals for a while.
The former captain of the University of Virginia, one of the college players who was being most eagerly sought after [etc, etc]…was today taken back to Charlottesville, his home, a victim of what is feared will prove to be typhoid fever. He was accompanied by his brother, Dr. Neff, a former Virginia athletic star.
Three days ago Neff complained to his manager of feeling ill and yesterday he did not even come to National Park. Last night the brother told Griffith of his grave fears and asked that he be allowed to take the player home. This was granted and early today the pair started for the family home.
Neff seemed to possess all the qualities to develop into a good ball player was well liked [sic] by his comrades in the professional diamond ranks and there is a sincere hope that the fears of the physicians will prove groundless.
From the July 14 Washington Star:
Douglas Neff, the Virginia College infielder who was with the Nationals until a few days ago, when he was taken ill and sent to Charlottesville, is still confined to the University Hospital there, but it is evidently not certain that he is suffering from typhoid, as would be indicated by the following special dispatch from The Star’s Charlottesville correspondent.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, July 14.—Friends of Douglas Neff are still hoping that he may escape a spell of typhoid. The specimen of blood taken yesterday failed to give typhoid reaction. He is receiving typhoid treatment, however.
Doug then disappeared from the news for a while. The Washington
Post reported on August 30:
From what can be learned Douglas Neff, the University of Virginia captain has decided to give up baseball. Neff was taken ill with typhoid fever and was sent home by Griffith. Neff is said to have joined the Nationals with the understanding that he would only play this year. He is to study engineering at the Boston School of Technology…
But—from the Washington Star, September 7:
NEFF ONCE AGAIN WITH GRIFF’S MEN
Virginia Shortstop Sets at Rest Reports He Would Retire From the Game.
By J. Ed Grillo.
Douglas Neff, the former University of Virginia player, who after joining the Nationals this spring was stricken with typhoid and for the past two months or more has been at Charlottesville, reported to Manager Griffith this morning.
Neff says he is ready to play, though the chances are he will need a couple of weeks of work before he will be himself. Some few days ago it was reported that Neff had decided to quit base ball for good. This the youngster denies, however, and he says he reported here just as soon as he could in order to disprove these stories.
It is the judgment of Griffith and his scouts that Neff will develop into a high-class infielder.
On September 17 the Star reported that Doug was one of
several young players who would be left at home to be instructed by Jack Ryan
while the rest of the team went on a road trip. The team returned home for
games on September 30 and October 1, then left again for the final five games
of the season, in Philadelphia and Boston. On October 2 in Philadelphia, Doug
got into his second game, replacing McBride at shortstop early in a 4-3
victory. He went 0-for-2 and had two putouts, four assists, and one error. On
October 7 in Boston, the final game of the season, he pinch-hit for starting
pitcher Jack Bentley in the top of the ninth of an 11-4 Washington win, then
remained in the game at shortstop on a double switch, and had one assist. He
was apparently the last batter of the inning, but was not credited with a plate
appearance, so I assume that a runner was put out while he was at the plate. For
the year, he was 0-for-2 in three games and fielded .889 at shortstop.
On November 13 the Washington Star said:
Ray Morgan may find it no easy matter to hold the second-base position next season, for Douglas Neff, the former Virginia College player, is to be tried in that position. Neff, who has really never had a chance with the Griffmen because of illness, ought to be in perfect condition next spring to go through a grueling training period. As a college player Neff differed from most of that class because he was a natural hitter. There was not a single year that Neff played with Virginia that he did not lead the team in hitting, which is a splendid record and undoubtedly means that he will have among his requisites the most essential qualification, that of being a natural hitter.
Neff is fast and a superb fielder, and he may prove the surprise of the Nationals’ training camp next spring.
Doug came home for the holidays from his electrical
engineering studies in Boston, and stopped by Griffith’s office in early
January to sign a 1915 contract. Spring training was held in Charlottesville
again, and the Washington papers gave the team, and Doug, heavy coverage. From the
Star, March 10:
Douglas Neff is gradually regaining his strength. He shows this in practice, but he is not yet in the best of condition, it usually requiring nearly a full year for an athlete who has been suffering with typhoid to thoroughly recover.
Star, March 11:
Griffith is using Neff in all the infield positions, barring first base, for the purpose of getting him accustomed to them all so that he will be ready in the event of an emergency to fill any one. Neff looks good in all of them.
Times, March 11:
Joe Boehling was discovered this morning deeply engrossed in a copy of Emerson’s essays, the property of Doug Neff. To make matters worse, Joe was trying to read “Circles.” Try this yourself and see what a hill he was climbing.
Star, March 13:
Some day Griffith will get credit for having picked up a mighty sweet ball player in Douglas Neff, the former Virginia college player. Until this spring Neff really never had a chance to show his real worth because of illness, but he is making good with a vengeance now. Not only is he fielding like a veteran and displaying a throwing arm which has few equals, but he hits the ball, as if it came natural for him to do so, and the chances are the Nationals will not be materially weakened this summer if one of the regular infielders should be off for a few days.
Times, March 14:
Doug Neff has the credit of slamming out the first home run of the practice season, but it must be admitted that Milan didn’t break his neck to gather in the pill, nor did Ainsmith try very hard to block off the smiling peppery youngster at the plate. Neff is very popular with the players and they all encouraged him to make the circuit, cheering him when he slid across the dish.
Times, March 19:
Douglass [sic] Neff Is Unique As Major League Rookie
Perhaps Only Lad Training in Own Home Town for Chance to Shine Before Fans of Big Cities—John Stevens Rapidly Developing Into Good Pitching Prospect
By Louis S. Dougher
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—March 19.—Douglass Neff, former Virginia University captain and shortstop, now a candidate for the Griffmen’s infield, holds a unique position probably not equaled by any other player in a big league camp this spring. He is training in his own home town. Of the sixteen big show outfits now preparing for the approaching campaign, it is not likely that any one of them is training in the home town of one of the regulars or rookies on the squad, except the Griffmen.
The delights of the rookie—seeing strange faces and strange places—are not for Doug Neff. He lives with his brother, occupies the same old room, sees the same familiar faces day after day, and really, were it not that he knows he’s training for a big league place, it would seem like the old days when he led the Orange and Blue to victory on the diamond.
Though Charlottesville is his home and he still sleeps under his brother’s roof, Neff is always on tap when the training table gang goes to work. So far he hasn’t missed a meal and he observes all the rules laid down by the Old Fox for the government of his players. Whenever an entertainment is booked for Camp Griff Neff is there. He is just as much one of the camp as any of the lads who hiked thousands of miles to get here for his tryout.
When Neff first joined the Griffmen last year, he frankly was not enamored of life in the big league. Indeed, he had intended going into civil engineering, yielding only at the last to the arguments of Manager Griffith. His first peek around the circuit did not make much of a hit with him it was so different from what his dreams had told him. But illness broke in upon him and he had to lay off. During that time he had plenty of time for deep thought. Now he has entered into the work with good spirit and is one of the liveliest of the recruits. Now he thinks playing ball is good sport.
Since his college days Neff has improved greatly, particularly as a hitter. He has been carefully coached and now looks as good as any of the team at the plate. He uses excellent judgment as to the kind of balls he wants to reach, and then he meets them with plenty of strength, yet without wildness. It is more than likely that he will be groomed to fill in for George McBride in case the doughty leader of the Griffmen is injured in the line of duty.
Neff has an arm of steel. This whip of his deeply impressed Manager Griffith when Neff first played for Virginia against the big leaguers. Indeed, it was not till this spring that the Old Fox had much of a chance of seeing the youngster hit. Neff is doing well here and is certain of holding his place as utility infielder for the Nationals this season.
But Doug has already landed one distinction. Where is the other player in either major league who is training right in his own front yard?
Times, March 23:
A very humorous interview with George McBride, possibly
invented by the sportswriter Bugs Baer, included this question:
Q.—What the public desires to know is will you or Douglas Neff play short this season?
A.—There is no doubt about it.
The season began on April 14, but Doug sat on the bench
until May 4, when he finished up at short after McBride was pinch-hit for. Over
the next three weeks he came into several games, relieving second baseman Ray
Morgan in one game and McBride in the others. The May 18 Washington Herald
ran an article on the things said by the players in the hotel lobby in Chicago,
including:
Doug Neff—“I also had some fun today. Took a walk over to the Hyde Park playgrounds, and watched a couple of 15-year-old kid teams play ball. The umpire quit ‘em in the fifth inning, and I was asked to fill his place. I did, but it was a close game and went eleven innings. After it was all over the boys came to me and said that I was rotten: didn’t know a thing about baseball and advised me to read Frank Merriwell’s weekly. I was just about to tell them that I was a professional player, but after that last shot I decided to keep my mouth shut.”
From the May 22 Times:
Saw Little Big League Ball Until He Played
Douglass Neff, George McBride’s Understudy, Had Seen But Two Professional Games Before He Was Signed With a Major Club.
By Louis A. Dougher
CLEVELAND, May 22.—Before he signed to play with the Griffmen, Douglas Neff, the understudy for George McBride, had never seen but two ball games played by teams in organized leagues. This record is probably unequaled in the big show. Once he witnessed a clash in Washington and, while on a trip with the Virginia University team, of which he was captain and star shortstop, he saw the Giants play at the Polo Grounds in New York.
“I’ve talked with lots of players since coming to the Washington club, and I have yet to find one with just my experience,” says Neff. “I always lived in Charlottesville, Va., you know, and they don’t have any ball games there, except college games. Perhaps that’s why everything seemed so strange to me last year when I joined the Griffmen. I seemed out of my element. But I’m getting used to things now, traveling around the country, playing ball before big grandstands and living in hotels. The newness is wearing off and I’m beginning to feel almost like a veteran.”
…Washington fans don’t know much about this quiet Virginian, but he bids fair to become a favorite, once he is known. Seldom does he have anything to say, though on the field his cheery calls to his pitcher show that he is awake to every angle of the situation, whatever it may be…
One of Neff’s hobbies is the American small boy. Mornings, when he has nothing to do, he likes to visit playgrounds and watch boys play baseball. He frequently umpires these games, just for the fun of it. He always makes friends with the bat boys around the league. He chats with them, gets their viewpoints on the national game and, if they wish, shows them how to pitch curves. Naturally, all the bat boys in the American League are strong for Doug Neff. They are pulling for him to make good…
Doug didn’t get into a game between May 25 and June 21, when
he pinch hit for pitcher Bert Gallia and was walked by Red Sox pitcher Babe
Ruth. But then he got his shot. From the June 28 Star:
MORGAN INJURED, ALSO SUSPENDED
Nationals’ Second Baseman Has Knee Hurt in Auto Accident Near Baltimore.
DOUGLAS NEFF MAY FILL POSITION PERMANENTLY
By J. Ed Grillo
Ray Morgan may be out of the Nationals’ line-up for some time to come. The second baseman of the local team met with an automobile accident somewhere near Baltimore yesterday and called up Manager Griffith on the long-distance phone this morning, telling him that he was confined to his home with a badly injured knee.
Griffith informed the player that he was suspended without pay until such time as he was able to resume his position. Douglas Neff, the utility infielder, will take Morgan’s place in the game today, and he may be kept there permanently, for Griffith has soured on Morgan.
Manager Griffith was much incensed at Morgan’s trouble. The Nationals’ leader has insisted that Morgan would be better off without an automobile, but this only caused Morgan to get rid of his little car and get a big one. He has been playing very poor ball of late, not hitting at all, and it is not believed he will be missed. Neff, while he has had no experience at second base, being a shortstop, has been practicing there of late.
Doug made his second base debut, and the first start of his
career, that same day, at home against the Athletics, hitting sixth in the
order between Chick Gandil and Eddie Ainsmith. He went 3-for-4 with a double
and a steal of home, and fielded three chances without an error, as Walter
Johnson shut out Philadelphia. The Star reported the next day:
The best feature of Neff’s showing in yesterday’s game was his coolness. Had Neff been playing the position for several years he could not have acted more at ease, and impressed the fans with feeling absolutely at home. He was not nervous or overanxious, but just played his game with judgment and displayed a lot of ability. Considering the fact that it was Neff’s first game, and that he has not even been able to practice for the past week or so because of an affliction of boils, his performance was all the more remarkable.
On the 29th, Joe Boehling’s turn to shut out the
Athletics, Doug went 2-for-3 with two RBI, a walk, and three assists. The Times
reported the following day:
Manager Griffith is delighted with the good showing of Doug Neff, and he doesn’t hesitate in praising him.
“Neff is one of the most observant players I’ve ever had on one of my ball clubs,” explained the Old Fox. “At college he played third and short, never working around second at all. When I tipped him to do some work around second base, he surprised me by the smoothness of his playing. Then I discovered that he had been watching Morgan for many weeks and knew about as much of the job as the regular second baseman did.
“I’m sorry Morgan got into that scrape, but it was coming to him and I have no sympathy for him. Under some conditions his foolishness would have left the team without a capable substitute. As it happens, Neff is ready to jump right in, and he is delivering better goods than Morgan was. When a green kid can step off the bench and pound out five hits in seven times up, I fail to see where his manager has any grounds for complaint. No I don’t expect him to keep this up, but I do think he’ll hit better than Morgan did.”
…Neff is personally popular among the players. He seldom has anything to say, but when he does venture to discuss any subject whatever, he always knows what he is talking about. Furthermore, Neff isn’t forever talking about the latest moving picture show or some “doll” he saw in the stand during the afternoon. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and shows it in more ways than one.
On June 30 the team began a series against the Yankees in
New York. The first game went fine for Doug, as he went 1-for-4 with an RBI and
two assists, though Washington lost. But then things began to fall apart for
him. In the last four New York games, over the next three days, he hit 1-for-13
with a caught stealing and seven errors. On July 4, the day after a
series-ending doubleheader, the Star reported:
Douglas Neff went all to pieces and had four errors, most of which were costly…
When Ray Morgan reports he is hardly expected to break into the game. It is said that his injured knee is far from well, and that it will be several days at least before he will be able to break into the line-up. Neff is sure to remain at second during that period, and it is not likely that he will continue to make errors, for it is reasonable to suppose that he has gotten all of these out of his system.
The Times said that:
The second game was a nightmare for Doug Neff. His stage fright was pitiable. Everything he did he did wrong…
And added in another story:
Ray Morgan will play second base for the Griffmen tomorrow, if he reports in condition.
The suspended player called up Manager Griffith over the long distance phone yesterday telling him that he was ready to play. The Old Fox told him to report here [Boston] in time for tomorrow morning’s game, warning him that the suspension would not be lifted unless he was able to resume his place in the line-up.
The return of Morgan will give Douglas Neff a chance to regain his composure. The young Virginian was rapidly going to pieces in New York under the strain. A few days on the bench should allow him to get his nerve back. He is by no means out of the running, but Morgan’s experience sways Griffith in his decision to bench Neff.
There was no game on the 4th, and three
doubleheaders in three days in Boston began the next day. Doug went 0-for-3
with another error in the first game, then for the nightcap third baseman Eddie
Foster moved to second and Tom Connolly played third. That remained the status
quo (other than Morgan returning to the lineup for one game on the 10th,
then sitting out again until late August) until the 15th, at which
point Doug filled in at third for Connolly for three games in two days in St.
Louis. He went 1-for-9 with two strikeouts and two sacrifice bunts, and was
7-for-8 in the field.
Doug got into several games at third the rest of July, some
starting and some coming off the bench, hitting 1-for-14 and making two errors.
At the end of the month Connolly, who wasn’t hitting, lost the third base job, and
left fielder Howie Shanks took over the position for the rest of the season,
the Times saying:
Howard Shanks, ranking among the best outfielders in the business, has been called into the infield and is expected to do his best at third base. Douglas Neff, former star at the University of Virginia, and Tommy Connolly, the brilliant Georgetown University shortstop, have been tried and found wanting in sufficient class for the big league. No more infielders remain on the roster, and so Shanks has been drafted for service in the inner quartet.
Doug didn’t play in August, and on the 20th the Star
reported that he and two other players would be left at home during a road trip
to the west, to cut expenses. He next got into a game on September 29, at home,
relieving Shanks at third in a 20-5 Washington victory over the Athletics and
going 1-for-1 at the plate and 0-for-1 in the field. His final appearance was
in the last game of the season on October 6, the second game of a home
doubleheader against Philadelphia. He came in at short to start the third
inning, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a sacrifice and fielded four chances
without an error. For the year he hit .167/.219/.183 in 60 at-bats in 30 games,
with six sacrifice bunts, stealing one base (home) in three tries. His fielding
percentages were .909 at shortstop, .867 at third, and .778 at second. The Star
reported on October 8:
Douglas Neff has played his last game with the Nationals and probably has worn the Nationals’ uniform for the last time. Neff did not come up to expectations. He realizes this better than any one else, for he believes that he did not play as good ball with Washington as he had shown while with the Virginia college team. But Neff will not go into the minors. He is well educated and has a diploma for a postgraduate course at Betson [sic] Tech. He will quit the game and take up engineering, because he realizes that there is not much of a chance for him ever to make a major league player of himself.
It is to be regretted that Neff could not make good, for he is one of the grandest fellows personally that ever broke into the major leagues.
This article got it right, as Doug did not play any more
professional baseball. Rather than go to the minors he left the game. I didn’t
find anything about him during 1916, but in January 1917 he entered an
Episcopal theological seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, to become an Episcopal
priest.
He still had to fill out a draft registration card, which he
did on June 5, giving his address as the Virginia Theological Seminary, his
occupation as divinity student at the Virginia Theological Seminary, his
previous military service as one month as a private in the Plattsburg Infantry,
and his appearance medium height, medium build, grey eyes and brown hair.
By early July Doug was at Fort Myer, Virginia, in a training
camp for reserve officers, along with brother Mitchell. In November he
graduated and received a commission as a First Lieutenant in the infantry. He shipped
overseas on May 26, 1918; I don’t know where he ended up, but an obituary
stated that he “was badly gassed in major conflicts.” On May 20, 1919, he
departed Brest, France, and came home.
In June 1921 Doug graduated from the seminary and became a
deacon. He then became the rector of Ware and Abingdon parishes in Gloucester
County, Virginia. On May 29, 1922, the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record reported:
Rev. Douglas Neff Ordained.
Rev. Douglas Neff, rector of Ware and Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, will be ordained a priest of the Episcopal Church, Friday, June 9, at the Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Va. Mr. Neff is a son of the late Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Neff, of Harrisonburg, and was born and reared in this city.
Concerning Mr. Neff, the Gloucester Gazette says: “Rev. Mr. Neff, who has served the local parish during the past year, was called some time ago to continue his work here and it is most gratifying to the many warm friends he has made throughout this community that he has chosen to remain with us.”
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 11, 1923:
REV. DOUGLAS W. NEFF BEING TREATED HERE
Rev. Douglas W. Neff, rector of Ware and Abingdon Parishes, Gloucester County, is a patient at Tucker Sanatorium here taking treatment for a trouble which affected his voice. Mr. Neff will probably remain at the sanatorium from two to four weeks, during which time his pulpits will be filled by ministers from Richmond. The treatment which Mr. Neff is taking will, it is hoped, result in a complete cure of the voice trouble, which has given the rector much annoyance during the last year.
In May 1924 the Times-Dispatch reported that Doug’s
term as secretary of the Richmond convocation of the diocese of Virginia had
ended. On February 12, 1926, they ran this story:
REV. D.W. NEFF COMING TO ORANGE
ORANGE, VA.—Feb. 11.—Rev. Douglas W. Neff will become rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Orange and chaplain of Woodberry Forest School. Mr. Neff, since June, 1921, has been rector of Ware and Abingdon parishes in Gloucester County. He will take up his duties in Orange about July 1, after a four months tour of Italy and Switzerland, having sailed February 2 on the steamship Duilio for Naples, Italy. Services at St. Thomas Church will be conducted by students from the Theological Seminary in Alexandria until Mr. Neff arrives. Rev. R.S. Litsinger, former rector, left January 15 to accept a parish in Mt. Washington, Md.
On April 16, 1930, Doug was counted in the census, living on
Barbour Street in Orange as a boarder with James Pernie, a department store
owner, his wife, and their 16-year-old daughter. On October 12, 1931, sister
Brownie passed away at age 45. On May 18 and 19, 1932, he attended a meeting of
the council of the Diocese of Virginia in Richmond; on May 26 the Times-Dispatch
reported:
Orange Rector Missing On Trip To New York
Stateroom Unoccupied on Arrival There; Police Asked to Aid in Search
(Special to the Times-Dispatch.)
ORANGE, May 25.—Relatives were trying to fix the whereabouts of the Rev. Douglas W. Neff, rector of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church here, tonight, after a report had been received that he was missing from his stateroom when a ship on which he was supposedly bound for New York docked there.
Officials of the Old Dominion Line in New York reported that Mr. Neff’s room had not been occupied when the boat landed, but that it held some of his belongings. Dr. John H. Neff of the University of Virginia Hospital staff, brother of the missing man, came to Orange on being notified of the report, and later left for Norfolk, with Dr. Rice Warren of Woodberry Forest.
Mr. Neff left Orange Monday to drive to Richmond, where he purchased a ticket for Norfolk and there made a steamer reservation.
The next day the story hit the wire services. From the Atlanta
Journal:
Rector’s Fate Remains a Mystery
RICHMOND, Va., May 27.—(U.P.)—The fate of Rev. Douglas W. Neff, rector of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, at Orange, Va., remained a mystery Friday.
Richmond police found his automobile, a coupe, where he apparently had parked it before taking a train from [sic] Norfolk from where he was scheduled to have sailed for New York.
Mr. Neff was revealed missing when a ship on which he was supposedly bound from Norfolk to New York landed at the latter city and his stateroom was found empty.
The minister’s brother, Dr. J.H. Neff, University of Virginia surgeon, had taken possession of the automobile Friday.
The rector left Orange late Monday to drive to Richmond.
Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 12:
Clue to Dr. Neff Not Likely In Drowned Man
Missing Rector’s Brother Fails to See Similarity in Body Found in Bay Picked Up Friday
Discovered Floating Off Island in Chesapeake
Steps were being taken yesterday to determine whether the body of a man found floating off Cobb’s Island, in Chesapeake Bay, on Friday is that of the Rev. Douglas W. Neff, who disappeared from a steamer while en route to New York from Norfolk about two weeks ago.
The body, which was turned over to the coast-guard station at Cobb’s Island, was buried at Cape Charles Friday afternoon, after a quick inquest had been conducted by Magistrate Jones of that place.
Dr. John Neff of the University of Virginia, brother of the missing rector, was notified of the discovery of the body by Norfolk police yesterday and immediately communicated by telephone with Magistrate Jones and with the Cape Charles undertaker who handled the body. Their descriptions of the body and personal effects found upon it virtually convinced him that it could not be that of his brother, he told The Times-Dispatch from his home in Charlottesville last night.
However, he said, he had requested that a portion of the drowned man’s suit, a fountain pen carrying the name “Harry T. Browning” and three keys found in one pocket be forwarded to him. He was told that the suit worn by the drowned man was blue, and said that he had established the fact that his brother was wearing a gray suit when he disappeared.
He said that he also had requested the coast guardsmen at Cobb’s Island to inform him whether a portion of the left arm, missing when the body was found, appeared to have been lost by amputation or by natural decomposition. The Cape Charles men informed him, Dr. Neff said, that the body appeared to have been in the water four or five months and was almost beyond recognition.
The label of a Baltimore tailoring firm, which has a large distribution of men’s clothing, was found in the dead man’s coat, and was said by Dr. Neff to have been similar to that worn by the Orange rector. He felt, however, that this similarity was of no particular significance.
He will attempt to fit the keys to his brother’s car, which was found near the Main Street Station here, and will study the portion of cloth sent him before taking any other action, Dr. Neff declared.
Harrisonburg Daily News-Record, June 14:
DOUGLASS NEFF’S BODY IS FOUND
Picked up off Eastern Shore of Virginia—Identified by Brother
The body of the Rev. Douglas Neff, rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church at Orange and the only Harrisonburg native ever to play major league baseball, was found in the Atlantic Ocean, off Eastern Shore of Virginia, last Friday and identified yesterday by his brother, Dr. John Neff, of the faculty of the University of Virginia.
Rev. Mr. Neff, son of the late Dr. J.H. Neff, beloved Harrisonburg physician, disappeared from the Old Dominion steamer Robert E. Lee while enroute form Norfolk to New York on the night of May 23. Indications were that he boarded the steamer at Norfolk but he was missing from his stateroom when the ship arrived at New York.
The body was picked up by the Coast Guard off Cobb’s Island last Friday. Dr. Neff was called to identify the body yesterday after he had identified some of the effects in the clothing which were sent to him at Charlottesville.
Dr. Neff notified relatives at Charlottesville last night that he was returning there with the body. No plans for the burial have been announced.
After the disappearance of Rev. Mr. Neff, his relatives discovered that he had made his will and placed it in a safety deposit box in the Orange bank the day he left for Richmond. This will, according to reports received here, distributes his estate equally among his three brothers—Dr. Neff, Harold Neff, of Paris; and Mitchell Neff, of Los Angeles; and his sister, Mrs. Mary Maddox, of Thomasville, N.C.
After steamboat officials had notified Virginia authorities that Rev. Mr. Neff was missing when the boat docked at New York, his automobile was found parked at the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad station at Richmond. This led to the belief he parked his machine just before taking a train to Norfolk in time to catch the boat.
Friends at first were not alarmed over Rev. Mr. Neff’s absence from Orange as he was in the habit of taking trips lasting several days without saying where he was going.
Douglas Neff was born and reared in Harrisonburg. He was graduated from high school here and then attended the University of Virginia for five years. He received his Bachelor of Science and Civil Engineering there…
His ministerial studies were interrupted by the World War and he entered the first Officers Training Camp at Fort Myer. He served overseas with Company L, 317th Regiment, and was badly gassed in major conflicts. His war injuries are held by friends to be responsible for his rather queer actions in recent years. After the war, he returned to Theological Seminary and completed his course.
After his ordination, he became rector at Gloucester where he served before going to Orange five years ago. He made a specialty of boys work and was a favorite with the students of Woodberry-Forest school.
On Doug’s death certificate, the cause of death is given as
accidental drowning, with (?) next to the word accidental.
Six years later, in November 1938, brother Dr. John parked
his car at a fishing pond and drowned himself, leaving two notes in the car.
