1925-26 OFF-SEASON
AWARDS
Empire League
Hitter: "Tacky" Fraser MacInnes, Liverpool (.393, 24 HR, 72 RBI, 64 R, 28 2B, .420 OBP, .676 SLG)
Pitcher: Jamie "Ducky Wucky" Foulkes, Nottingham (27-10, 3.11 ERA, 106 K, 1.37 WHIP, .283 OAVG, 4 SHO)
Manager: Bill Jacobs, Liverpool (105-49, 1st place)
Rookie: Euan Riach, Liverpool (18-7, 3.34 ERA, 226.1 IP, 1.37 WHIP, .264 OAVG)
Dominion Association
Hitter: Adam Rowde, Sheffield (.381, 11 HR, 73 RBI, 77 R, .432 OBP, .528 SLG)
Pitcher: Danny Pankhurst, Leeds (25-11, 2.63 ERA, 315 IP, 1.29 WHIP, .273 OAVG, 6 SHO)
Manager: Bob Youldon, Leeds (91-63, 2nd place)
Rookie: Donnelly Flynn, Stoke (.342, 22 HR, 115 RBI, 94 R, 34 2B, .381 OBP, .530 SLG
The announcement of MacInnes as the EL's premier batter was met with disbelief by some. Although the Liverpool outfielder put up some impressive numbers, he missed almost half the season with injuries and, as a result, didn't log enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
When Roger Britten got the call to join his fellow greats in the Hall of Fame, he probably sprinted to Clappersgate to receive the honor. The speedy infielder, who spent his entire twenty-one-year career with Nottingham, holds the BA records for stolen bases (842) and triples (398), and finished with 3,173 hits, second only to "Gaffer" Love. Named the EL's outstanding hitter in 1904, the same year he helped the Foresters to their only pennant, Britten was also a member of thirteen all-star squads and took home three gold gloves.
Henry Stockill's double in a 22 July home game against London hurler Declan Williams was the 2.500th hit for the Camberwell outfielder. Patrick Stay, regarded by many as the best hitter in BA history, called it quits after sixteen seasons. Stay won the batting title six times and was named outstanding hitter by the DA four times, but the Leicester star's career was plagued with injuries, and he spent most of the 1925 season in the minors. A torn meniscus in September finally convinced the thirty-nine-year old outfielder to hang up his spikes for the final time. Manager Synan Boffin had the distinction of being fired by two last-place teams. Portsmouth, who signed Boffin to a four-year deal after last season, jettisoned the skipper after winning only thirty-six of ninety-eight games. Hired on by Leicester, Boffin guided the Leopards to a 20-30 record and received a pink slip for his efforts at the end of the season.
ALLIANCE NEWS
Hull outfielder Vic Arkell, who hit .336 in 1925 and who has a lifetime .328 average, was dealt to Glasgow a couple of minor leaguers. Starting pitcher Alexander Ferguson, who went 11-20 for Portsmouth, was hoping that a change of scenery might change his luck after the Neptunes announced that he had been sent to London in exchange for prospects. Aging legend Gabriel Tatchell, the DA's outstanding hitter for 1914 and a career .303 hitter, was traded by Belfast to Islington for right-handed pitcher Caleb Houlbrook, who was 10-10 for the Owls last season.
Infielder Michael Drudge, who started 107 games for Edinburgh and hit .335, tore a knee ligament in a 21 August game that doctors initially thought would keep him on the sidelines for nine months. As spring training approached, however, the revised prognosis was grim -- Drudge would not be able to return to baseball at all. That ended a promising career for Drudge, who was a gold glove winner at first base in 1922.
WESTMINSTER NEWS
The Peers' 94 wins would have been enough to win the pennant in any of the preceding five seasons. It was their misfortune, however, to win 94 games in a season when Liverpool won 105. Westminster management was pleased with the performance of the team's youngsters. Outfielders John Wearne and Bobby Langdon played well despite injuries. Tad Packham, a utility infielder, hit .313 and was invaluable when regular shortstop Keenan Coultman spent two extended stays on the disabled list. And Dutch catcher Johan Zippro performed well enough in the minors to allow the team to trade long-time backstop Oscar Adams to Bristol for minor league reliever Kevin King. Meanwhile, in spite of injuries to starters Jerry Parker and Michael Hakin, the pitching corps showed improvement over last year. Dave Sledge continued to top the rotation, and left hander Danny Smith won nineteen games and ended up as the staff's number two hurler.
The development of the team's young talent, as well as the need to make room for highly touted minor leaguers Eddie Whittingham and Michael Shakelady, made it necessary to trade away some veterans. Longtime first baseman Brian Jones, regular second baseman Greg Mawer, backup infielder Neil Riding, rookie starter Eddie Allard, and backup outfielder William Shepperson were all gone by opening day, replaced, in most instances, by young prospects.
SPRING TRAINING 1926
The punters couldn't decide between Liverpool and Westminster as the favorites in the EL pennant race. They were pretty clear, however, that Nottingham would come in third. In the DA, Leeds was predicted to edge out Stoke and Glasgow for the flag.
It was another bad spring for Liverpool's pitching staff, as Nick Fernyhough, who finished 25-8 with a 2.83 ERA for the Cup winners, went down with a shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for at least five months. Right-handed reliever Dexter Lockyer, acquired by Leicester from Manchester in the middle of last year, will miss two months after being diagnosed with elbow tendonitis following a 9 March tune-up game against Lambeth. Jim "Big Mouth" Halfyard, who made thirty-nine appearances out of the bullpen for Portsmouth and Lambeth last year, will miss the first half of the 1926 campaign with a damaged nerve in his arm. Robert Stenhouse, who tallied a 15-14 record for Stoke, will miss four months with nerve irritation.
Salford surprised the baseball world by winning the spring derby with eighteen victories. Manchester took the honors in the DA with a 17-7 record.