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Major Leagues
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: California
Posts: 346
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April, 1946
April 24th-25th, 1946
Cincinnati Redbirds (2-6) at Baltimore Bombers (4-4)
The ice cold Redbirds come into town to face us. The Redbirds boasted some good players. Hell they boasted the good player in Bill Sistrunk, but they’d played like crap so far this season. Cliff thinks we can take both games against them. Me? I know we have the better record, but I still think we’ll be lucky to steal one.
April 24th: We get absolutely dominated by some no-name that goes by Eli Fox. Redbirds 6, Bombers 2. **** Cliff decides to start Brewer on short rest again and then acts surprised when he gets tagged for 5 runs in just 3.2 innings. To make matters worse the Redbirds have a field day on the bases against Rick James, swiping four bags before the umpire apparently called a stolen base mercy rule and called Sam Della Vedova out. Sometimes I hate this damn game.
April 25th: 6,199 on hand to watch a real thriller of a game. The lead changes hands three times. Our teams combine for four home runs in Memorial Stadium of all places. In the last inning Dick Gander gives up a run and runners are on second and third. He walks Ernest Nolan, who already had two home runs that day and then, by a stroke of magic, gets the switch hitting Jim Eden to groundout 4-3 on a 2-0 fastball down the heart of the plate. Bombers 8, Redbirds 7. It was sloppy as hell, sure, but this was the kind of game that reminded me why I got into it.
With that win we are 5-5 and now just 1 game back from the White Sox! Technically speaking we’re still in 5th place in an eight team league, but order of finish so far doesn’t mean much.
April 26th-28th, 1946
Baltimore Bombers (5-5) at Detroit Robins (6-4)
Well the D.C. press doesn’t have much to joke about now. Both Detroit and my Bombers are sitting pretty at or above .500 so far.
April 26th: Kid sensation Todd Lyons once again holds us to just two runs in his 7.1 innings pitched. Our LHP Bret Jones throws eight innings of solid baseball, but we don’t put up enough offense and a rare costly error by SS Bill Curran just barely seals the deal for us. Robins 4, Bombers 3.
April 27th: Apparently Don Ellis hitting two home runs isn’t enough offense for our pitching staff. Robins 6, Bombers 5. Anis Brun ends up with the loss on a walk off sacrifice fly, but in his defense the runner only scored because of a throwing error from C Rick James earlier in the inning trying to gun the eventual winning run out at second base. ****!
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I receive word of the game not long after it happens and Cliff calls me in my office. “I bet you’re pretty pissed, aren’t you Henry,” he asks.
“Pissed? No Cliff I’m just frustrated like you are. I think we were in a position to win both of these close games. I don’t know who the hell to blame here, Cliff, the players or the manager?”
He lets out a laugh. “You’ve got to learn to pace your damn emotions Henry. I know you aren’t used to sticking with something over the long haul, but if I had one word to describe baseball season it would be long. We’ve got a double header tomorrow. I hope you’ll get over it enough to listen on the radio.”
“I’ll listen, Cliff, but you go out and get me the series split!”
We said out goodbyes and he hung up.
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April 28th: We score six runs in the first four innings, but the Robins manage back to back three run innings off poor Ralph Marshall. Then, just when I’m about to start tearing my damn hair out, in the top of the ninth Harry Margioles singles and promptly steals second base. Steve Pellegrino grounds him over to third like we practiced and Don Ellis doubles off the left field fence at Mitchell Field and we sneak away with the game by one run. Bombers 7, Robins 6. A good Sunday crowd of 18,346 watches our shocking victory.
The second game is much less interesting. Detroit Ace Leif D’Angelo once again can’t contain our bats. Bombers 7, Robins 4. The back to back wins put us back at .500. We have an off day, which I’m guessing the team will spend boozing. I’m okay with that, they’ve earned it.
In the United League the Pittsburgh Rebels have jumped out to a three game lead and are 11-2. They crush the Trolleys in a double-header of their own by a combined 13-2.
April 30th to May 2nd, 1946
Chicago Colts (7-5) at Baltimore Bombers (7-7)
April 30th: Four runs in the first is all we need. Lonnie Brown and Dick Gander combine for 9 innings of three run baseball. Bombers 4, Colts 3. This win places us at 8-7 on the year and tied for third place with Detroit. The Sox have jumped out to a two game lead over the second place Metros, but it’s hard to complain when we’re exceeding expectations so much.
May 1st: Attendance picks back up a bit for us as 10,000 come to watch our game against the reigning FL Champions. Sadly Home Runs from Harry Margioles and Bill Curran just aren’t enough to place us over the top. Colts 6, Bombers 4. Poor Bret Jones pitches well again, but is given his second loss in three starts.
In Detroit fans are in awe as Buford Martin of the metros shuts them out 4-0. He only strikes out one and allows eight hits, so frankly the fans have nobody to blame but their own team.
May 2nd: Travis Kahl goes complete and gives up just one earned run. Sam Vandyke goes complete as well, but being less perfect the score ends up Bombers 3, Colts 2. Thus far it seems all our wins and losses are pretty close. That could mean luck is working with us so far, but taking two of three from the reigning FL champions is nice no matter what.
The St. Louis Brewers stomp Pittsburgh 10-0. 2B Don Jackson comes off the bench and hits two home runs! Its only Pittsburgh’s 3rd loss of the season, but it could be signaling a momentum shift.
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