The Detroit World
Monday July 6th, 1936
Sports News
From the Desk of "Fast" Freddie Farhat
Trades, trades and more trades
The FABL trade deadline is at the end of July, but what has become an increasing custom in the FABL is that the trading season usually starts in June. This year the Chicago Chiefs and New York Stars got things started with the Stars sending veteran 2B Pete Layton (36) to the Chicago Chiefs for 4 minor leaguers (SP John Douglas 24, SP Mike Sanders 25, SP Monk Lemon 23, and CF Charlie Felder 20).
Detroit also got in the act on this day with the previously mentioned OF Buck Waldrop acquisition from Brooklyn.
The real fireworks started around the Nations birthday and by the end of that week 4 very big deals were reached. The surprising thing was 3 of the 4 deals had last years World Series Champions, the New York Gothams selling off players.
In the first trade of the day the Gotham's shocked the baseball world when it woke up with the trade of superstar SP Rabbit Day (10-2 3.25 ERA) and a 3rd round pick to the Chicago Chiefs for the Chiefs 1st round draft pick, 1B/OF Ed Reyes (23), 3B Billy Dalton (22) and SP Gary Heuser (26). The Gothams who ended the day at 39-41 appear to have thrown in the towel on the season, but there was more to come.
Shortly after the announced trade of Rabbit Day, the Gotham's struck again with lightening speed sending LF Moxie Pidgeon (who has won 2 straight World Championships with Cleveland and New York) and SP Jack Elder (25) to the Washington Eagles of all teams for the Eagles 1st round pick (which could still be a top 5 pick in the draft and before this deal could have been top 3) and 3 minor league players (CF Earl West #173, 1B Dick Canfield #160 and SP Fred Ratcliffe). The surprise was that the Eagles are just 34-45 this season and the acquisition of Pidgeon likely will not be enough to get them to 500 this year, but it is clearly a move signaling that the Eagles intend to be serious contenders in 1937.
The final trade involving New York today was the Gotham's sending struggling young (but highly thought of SP) Curly Jones (25) who was 4-6 with a 4.90 ERA to the CA leading Brooklyn Kings for the King's 2nd round draft pick, 1B Chuck Johnson (21) and SP Mule Earl (23). Johnson is the #171 prospect in the baseball rankings as of the trade. The Jones story in New York got off to a shaky start when he was drafted 1st overall in the 1932 draft. He signed his contract, collected his bonus and then abruptly retired for a few days. Speculation is that someone got a hold of him (maybe Rufus Barrell) and shook some sense into the kid and he came back to the Gotham's. Were the bridges already set afire at that point? Only the Gotham's GM can answer that for sure. His biggest issue in his 38 game FABL career has been control or a lack of it. He is still considered supremely talented even with the less than stellar 36 season. When he broke spring camp in 1935 he was the #6 prospect in baseball, but playing in the high pressure big city of NYC can get the best of some players. Going cross town to Brooklyn who is in the middle of just missing titles, curses and intense pressure to win it all this season might not make the move easily. Jones is expected to go to AAA this year and work it out in the minors and not be thrust into the King's pressure cooker.
The final trade before the All-Star break saw the Pittsburgh Miners attempt to strengthen their starting rotation depth with the acquisition of the Boston Minutemen SP Charlie Stedman. The Miners who were rumored to really want Rabbit Day but were stunned by the quickness of that deal settled on a runner up prize in Stedman. While not the "ace" that Day is, Stedman is a very good solid rotation piece that might take some of the pressure off rookie Lefty Allen. Going to Boston who has had about as much bad luck as any team in recent memory, will be a 3rd round pick (via Brooklyn) and SP Mike Lee 20 (Prospect #107) and SS Lew McClendon 19 (Prospect #66).
After the All-Star game there will be roughly 3 weeks left before the trade deadline. A lot of big names have already moved, but could there be more? Top contenders Cleveland and Philadelphia in the CA and St. Louis in the FA have yet to make a move. Will the pressure mount to strike now and try and keep up with the deals continue? Will New York continue to sell of pieces of a World Champion just a half season after winning it all? And what about the Detroit Dynamo's will they get in on this? Stay tuned.......
The Detroit World
Monday July 6th, 1936
Sports News
From the Desk of "Fast" Freddie Farhat
All-Star Ballot
Last week I turned in my All-Star ballot and while I do not expect any Dynamo's to be named this year, we hope that will change very soon in the coming years. For the most part the picks were pretty straight forward although there were a few surprises. First the FA with my vote in BOLD
CATCHER
1.
George Cleaves, Pittsburgh Miners 8
2. Tom Bird, Chicago Chiefs 1
3. Jack Flint, St. Louis Pioneers 1
FIRST BASE:
1.
Harry Shumate, Washington Eagles: 4
2. Rankin Kellogg, Philadelphia Keystones: 2
3. Fred McCormick, St. Louis Pioneers: 2
SECOND BASE
1.
Freddie Jones, St. Louis Pioneers: 10
THIRD BASE
1. Bob Martin, Chicago Chiefs: 6
2.
Ed Stewart, Pittsburgh Miners: 3
1. Jim Beard, Washington Eagles 4
2. Erv Smith, New York Gothams: 3
3. Earl Michael, St. Louis Pioneers: 2
LEFT FIELD
1. Moxie Pidgeon, New York Gothams: 6
2. Joe Owens, Pittsburgh Miners: 3
3. Jim Hampton, Chicago Chiefs: 1
CENTER FIELD:value_bold#0>
1. Chick Donnelly, Boston Minutemen: 6
2. Wally Flowers, Washington Eagles: 4
RIGHT FIELD
1. Bobby Barrell, Philadelphia Keystones: 7
2. Mahlon Strong, New York Gothams: 2
3. Pete Day, Boston Minutemen: 1
STARTING PITCHER
1. Rabbit Day, New York Gothams: 9
2. Al Miller, Chicago Chiefs: 7
3. David Abalo, St. Louis Pioneers: 6
4. Lefty Allen, Pittsburgh Miners: 3
5. Bill Anderson, Washington Eagles: 2
RELIEVER
1. Don Attaway, Philadelphia Keystones: 5
2. Earl Farrar, Philadelphia Keystones: 2
3. Gary Harris, New York Gothams: 2
4. Dutch Sheldon, St. Louis Pioneers: 2
5. Chick Stout, Pittsburgh Miners: 2
FA Summary - 3 spots were absolute locks with C George Cleaves, 2B Freddie Jones and RF Bobby Barrell. Honestly I think it is criminal that Barrell didn't join Jones as an unanimous choice. We have a changing of the guard this year at 1B as perennial choice Rankin Kellogg hasn't had his usual MVP type season and that allowed unheralded Washington 1B Harry Shumate to sneak in and steal the honors. Shumate has had a very impressive season and even got my vote. The only position I think really should have gone the other way was at 3B where veteran Bob Martin edged out Pittsburgh's Ed Stewart. Stewart has powered the top scoring offense in the FA and in my opinion his numbers are better this season than Martin who is having a fine season in his own right.
The CA Voting went as follows
CATCHER
1. T.R. Goins, Cleveland Foresters: 8
2. Fred Barrell, Brooklyn Kings: 1
FIRST BASE
1. Dick Walker, Philadelphia Sailors: 8
2. Max Morris, Cleveland Foresters: 1
3. Frank Vance, Brooklyn Kings: 1
SECOND BASE
1. Red Moore, Montreal Saints: 5
2. Brooks Meeks, Cleveland Foresters: 2
3. Ray Ford, Chicago Cougars: 1
4. Walt Layton, Brooklyn Kings: 1
THIRD BASE
1. John Lawson, Chicago Cougars: 7
2. Charlie Barry, Cleveland Foresters: 3
SHORTSTOP
1. Harry Barrel, Brooklyn Kings: 9
2. George Dawson, Cleveland Foresters: 1
LEFT FIELD
1. Lou Williams, Philadelphia Sailors: 9
CENTER FIELD
1. Dan Fowler, Cleveland Foresters: 9
RIGHT FIELD:value_bold#0>
1. Al Wheeler, Brooklyn Kings: 8
2. Fred Quinn, Cleveland Foresters: 1
STARTING PITCHER
1. Tom Barrell, Brooklyn Kings: 10
2. Dean Astle, Cleveland Foresters: 9
3. Lyman Weigel, Cleveland Foresters: 6
4. William Jones, Philadelphia Sailors: 2
5. Chuck Cole, Toronto Wolves: 1
6. Dick Luedtke, New York Stars: 1
7. Mike Murphy, Brooklyn Kings: 1
RELIEVER
1. Bert Henggeler, Brooklyn Kings: 4
2. Phil English, Toronto Wolves: 3
3. Sergio Gonzales, Cleveland Foresters: 3
4. Walt Wells, Philadelphia Sailors: 2
5.
CA Summary - The CA voting is for the most part much easier than the FA. The CA really has several players that are head and shoulders over the rest of the field in at least reputation. The biggest surprise in the CA is the story of Cleveland SP Lyman Weigel who honestly has never amounted to very much in his career. He has been DFA at least 3 times in his career but at age 32 he has finally maybe figured it out. He is 9-2 with a 2.34 ERA on the season.
The All-Star game should be a very good game with these rosters and we will see if the CA can finally break through or if the FA will continue its dominance and win its 4th straight.