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Big Six · 05-26-2012, 08:57 PM

June 1, 1943

Code:

EASTERN         W   L   PCT  GB
Groton         38  19  .667  --
Waterford      32  25  .561   6
Stonington     24  33  .421  14
Mystic         22  35  .386  16

WESTERN         W   L   PCT  GB
Madison        32  25  .561  --
Branford       31  26  .544   1
Old Saybrook   25  32  .439   7
Guilford       24  33  .421   8

May was an eventful month in the Connecticut Shore League, and the headlines were happier in Madison than anywhere else around the circuit.

Winning 21 games during the month, the Republicans vaulted from third to first in the Western Division standings. A five-game winning streak from May 26-30, including a series sweep over Branford, propelled the Reps into the lead.

Madison owner Tom McCoy has his team in "win now" mode, and two transactions the Republicans completed last week were signs that the club is taking McCoy's request to heart. They traded away three young players and received two established stars in return. From Stonington, they picked up closer Bill McCardle, and from Mystic, they acquired shortstop Cedric Hornbuckle. The deal with the Clippers cost them 19-year-old Lamont Markey, who's usually considered the league's top pitching prospect.

Scotty Goodwin leads the Madison staff with eight victories, while unheralded #4 starter David Fisher won the league's Pitcher of the Month prize with a 4-0 record in May.

The Barbers will have to dig down extra deep if they're going to keep pace with the Republicans. And, they'll have to do it without the services of veteran righthander Nolan Hopkins, at least for a while. Hopkins, the Shore League's career leader in wins with 177, will be out at least until August with shoulder inflammation.

In the East, the Groton Green Sox are threatening to run away with the division title before the weather truly gets warm. The Sox aren't playing .700 baseball anymore, but they have doubled their lead over the Waterford Conchs and are still looking like the class of the Shore League.

1B Grant Gould, CF Gary Cutts, and RF Paul Clayton have turned the Groton lineup into a Murderers' Row. All three are batting over .325 and slugging over .600. Gould leads the league in home runs with 18. Pitchers Brian Wagner (9-3) and John Ellender (8-2) lead the Green Sox' solid pitching staff. And, the Sox recently welcomed back lefthander Justin Fruge, who missed the first six weeks of the season with back problems. Fruge won 23 games and the Outstanding Pitcher Award in 1941.

Benjamin Harlow, the league's Batter of the Month for May, is doing his best to help keep the Conchs within striking range of the Green Sox. Harlow, a 27-year-old third baseman, hit .355 with nine homers during May, giving him a pretty .307-12-35 line for the season.

Most teams value defense over offense when they choose their first-string catcher, but there are a several Shore League backstops who are doing considerable damage with the lumber this spring. They include Stonington's Charlie Michell, the league's leading hitter (.374); Guilford's Sterling Reynolds (.374-14-49), who leads the loop in RBI; and Old Saybrook's Bob Montgomery, who has hammered 14 homers. Michell is the only one of the four who is a better-than-average receiver, but none of the other three are truly awful.

The annual rookie draft is coming up on June 15, and word has it that there are several outstanding pitching prospects available in this year's pool--including two who were drafted in the first round in 1942 and failed to sign contracts.

05-26-2012, 08:57 PM	#66
Big Six Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,145	June 1, 1943 Code: EASTERN W L PCT GB Groton 38 19 .667 -- Waterford 32 25 .561 6 Stonington 24 33 .421 14 Mystic 22 35 .386 16 WESTERN W L PCT GB Madison 32 25 .561 -- Branford 31 26 .544 1 Old Saybrook 25 32 .439 7 Guilford 24 33 .421 8 May was an eventful month in the Connecticut Shore League, and the headlines were happier in Madison than anywhere else around the circuit. Winning 21 games during the month, the Republicans vaulted from third to first in the Western Division standings. A five-game winning streak from May 26-30, including a series sweep over Branford, propelled the Reps into the lead. Madison owner Tom McCoy has his team in "win now" mode, and two transactions the Republicans completed last week were signs that the club is taking McCoy's request to heart. They traded away three young players and received two established stars in return. From Stonington, they picked up closer Bill McCardle, and from Mystic, they acquired shortstop Cedric Hornbuckle. The deal with the Clippers cost them 19-year-old Lamont Markey, who's usually considered the league's top pitching prospect. Scotty Goodwin leads the Madison staff with eight victories, while unheralded #4 starter David Fisher won the league's Pitcher of the Month prize with a 4-0 record in May. The Barbers will have to dig down extra deep if they're going to keep pace with the Republicans. And, they'll have to do it without the services of veteran righthander Nolan Hopkins, at least for a while. Hopkins, the Shore League's career leader in wins with 177, will be out at least until August with shoulder inflammation. In the East, the Groton Green Sox are threatening to run away with the division title before the weather truly gets warm. The Sox aren't playing .700 baseball anymore, but they have doubled their lead over the Waterford Conchs and are still looking like the class of the Shore League. 1B Grant Gould, CF Gary Cutts, and RF Paul Clayton have turned the Groton lineup into a Murderers' Row. All three are batting over .325 and slugging over .600. Gould leads the league in home runs with 18. Pitchers Brian Wagner (9-3) and John Ellender (8-2) lead the Green Sox' solid pitching staff. And, the Sox recently welcomed back lefthander Justin Fruge, who missed the first six weeks of the season with back problems. Fruge won 23 games and the Outstanding Pitcher Award in 1941. Benjamin Harlow, the league's Batter of the Month for May, is doing his best to help keep the Conchs within striking range of the Green Sox. Harlow, a 27-year-old third baseman, hit .355 with nine homers during May, giving him a pretty .307-12-35 line for the season. Most teams value defense over offense when they choose their first-string catcher, but there are a several Shore League backstops who are doing considerable damage with the lumber this spring. They include Stonington's Charlie Michell, the league's leading hitter (.374); Guilford's Sterling Reynolds (.374-14-49), who leads the loop in RBI; and Old Saybrook's Bob Montgomery, who has hammered 14 homers. Michell is the only one of the four who is a better-than-average receiver, but none of the other three are truly awful. The annual rookie draft is coming up on June 15, and word has it that there are several outstanding pitching prospects available in this year's pool--including two who were drafted in the first round in 1942 and failed to sign contracts. __________________ My dynasties: The Base Ball Life of Patrick O'Farrell: 2014 inductee, OOTP Dynasty Hall of Fame Kenilworth: A Town and its Team: fun with a fictional league Last edited by Big Six; 05-26-2012 at 09:06 PM.