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RMc · 02-04-2008, 12:30 PM

The 1942 All-Star Game proved to be the wildest in history, as the Americans scored 13 runs in the fourth inning en route to a 19-6 win. The Browns' George McQuinn was named the game's MVP, driving in five runs.

LA's second half was scarcely better than its first: they went 37-40 after the ASG to finish 72-82, 21 back of the surprising Red Sox, who beat out the Yankees by four games, then tackled the Cardinals in the World Series, four games to two. The Brownies were third in league in runs scored (718) and second in homers (67) as McQuinn and Vern Stephens each blasted fourteen. But pitching continued to be a sore spot: their team ERA of 4.34 was next-to-last, ahead of only the woeful A's. Johnny Niggeling, 8-1 at the break, promptly pulled a back muscle and was lost for the season. Stubby Overmire stepped in and wound up LA's best starter (12-4, 3.04). Denny Galehouse was a huge disappointment, putting up a 5.72 ERA to go with a 10-15 record.

None of this mattered much to the fans, though. The Los Angeles Browns sold out every game in 1942: an incredible 1.8 million fans stuffed Wrigley Field to the brim, over 23,000 a game.

***

"It won't work."

"Sure it will."

"It's nutty. The damn field won't fit."

"Oh, it'll fit, all right," said a grinning Bill DeWitt, looking out the vast, empty Coliseum. And ninety thousand people will fit in here, too!"

Don Barnes sighed. "We own Wrigley Field, and you want to abandon it already?"

"Ninety thousand people, Dan! Think of it! Hell, that's more than half the people we drew our last year in St. Louis...for the whole year!"

"But the field," Barnes protested.

"Hang up a Chinese screen in left field, then."

"Didn't think there was much of China left these days."

DeWitt grunted. America stayed out of the war, all right, but it was far from over: the Japanese had just made a surprise attack on Peking, leveling it just as the Allies had wiped out Berlin. And what if the Japs got the A-Bomb? What then?

"Look, Bill," Barnes said, clapping his partner on the back. "If you wanna try it, I'm with you. But one thing's for sure: you're not gonna get ninety thousand people to come to a baseball game!"

***

As it turned out, Barnes was right. The Browns 1943 opener against the Washington Senators drew a mere 88,734 paying customers.

02-04-2008, 12:30 PM	#9
RMc All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,632	The 1942 All-Star Game proved to be the wildest in history, as the Americans scored 13 runs in the fourth inning en route to a 19-6 win. The Browns' George McQuinn was named the game's MVP, driving in five runs. LA's second half was scarcely better than its first: they went 37-40 after the ASG to finish 72-82, 21 back of the surprising Red Sox, who beat out the Yankees by four games, then tackled the Cardinals in the World Series, four games to two. The Brownies were third in league in runs scored (718) and second in homers (67) as McQuinn and Vern Stephens each blasted fourteen. But pitching continued to be a sore spot: their team ERA of 4.34 was next-to-last, ahead of only the woeful A's. Johnny Niggeling, 8-1 at the break, promptly pulled a back muscle and was lost for the season. Stubby Overmire stepped in and wound up LA's best starter (12-4, 3.04). Denny Galehouse was a huge disappointment, putting up a 5.72 ERA to go with a 10-15 record. None of this mattered much to the fans, though. The Los Angeles Browns sold out every game in 1942: an incredible 1.8 million fans stuffed Wrigley Field to the brim, over 23,000 a game. *** "It won't work." "Sure it will." "It's nutty. The damn field won't fit." "Oh, it'll fit, all right," said a grinning Bill DeWitt, looking out the vast, empty Coliseum. And ninety thousand people will fit in here, too!" Don Barnes sighed. "We own Wrigley Field, and you want to abandon it already?" "Ninety thousand people, Dan! Think of it! Hell, that's more than half the people we drew our last year in St. Louis...for the whole year!" "But the field," Barnes protested. "Hang up a Chinese screen in left field, then." "Didn't think there was much of China left these days." DeWitt grunted. America stayed out of the war, all right, but it was far from over: the Japanese had just made a surprise attack on Peking, leveling it just as the Allies had wiped out Berlin. And what if the Japs got the A-Bomb? What then? "Look, Bill," Barnes said, clapping his partner on the back. "If you wanna try it, I'm with you. But one thing's for sure: you're not gonna get ninety thousand people to come to a baseball game!" *** As it turned out, Barnes was right. The Browns 1943 opener against the Washington Senators drew a mere 88,734 paying customers. __________________ "We're all behind our baseball team..."