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Jiggs McGee · 09-13-2021, 10:20 PM

OCTOBER 3, 1938

KINGS RETAIN CROWN AS WOLVES LUCK RUNS OUT

In a most unusual way the Brooklyn Kings claimed their third straight Continental Association title after entering the final week of the season trailing the surprising Toronto Wolves by 2.5 games. While Toronto, which had greatly defied expectations with a tremendous August run, stumbled down the stretch in dropping 8 of their last 9 games the Brooklyn Kings won 5 of their last 6 to secure their third straight pennant and fifth consecutive season of at least 90 victories. The Kings also saved the job of popular Manager Powell Slocum who had reportedly been given an ultimatum last Monday morning to win the pennant or he was out of a job. Slocum's charges, who had squandered what was a 10 game lead as late as August 18th thanks to an 11-24 stretch that left them looking up at Toronto and seemingly on the verge of what would have been one of the biggest, if not the worst collapse in league history. Instead it becomes merely a footnote in what has been a crazy season for the Kings who had the league's best record prior to the all-star game but even with the fabulous final week finished a game below .500 after the mid-summer classic.

The Kings now turn their attention to Federal Association powerhouse Chicago, which won a franchise record 102 games and finished 8 up on the other surprise team of the 1938 season: the Detroit Dynamos. The Chiefs, who swept Brooklyn in the World Championship Series two years ago, look even stronger this time around with Jim Lonardo (25-7, 2.68) joining ace Rabbit Day (26-7, 3.06) as co-favourites for the Federal Association Allan Award. Add in Jack Beach (21-8, 3.35), who had a dreadful experience briefly as a Brooklyn King, or Al Miller (15-12, 3.72) who, despite a rough start to his third big league season, finished the year very strongly and Chicago's pitching is every bit as good and perhaps better than Brooklyn's quartet of Tom Barrell (13-14, 4.33), Mike Murphy 915-7, 2.83), Art White (14-6, 3.00) and Joe Shaffner (16-14, 3.68).

While the Chiefs will miss the table setting job ex-King Bill May does in the lead-off spot there is plenty of talent to replace the injured centerfielder. Pete Layton (.365,25,99) led the Fed in hitting at the age of 38 and he, along with catcher Tom Bird (.346,21,104) are both candidates for the Whitney Award. Throw in Hank Barnett (.312,31,124), Cliff Moss (.283,21,87) and Ron Rattigan (.299,14,92) and the Chicago lineup looks imposing.

The Kings have plenty of talent as well led by Al Wheeler (.267,29,110), Frank Vance (.295,20,83), Harry Barrell (.284,5,78) and Alf Pestilli (.269,16,63) but one has to think the Chiefs, who were the underdogs 2 years ago when they swept Brooklyn, have to be the favourites this time around.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREVIEW

The World Championship Series will be a rematch of the battle two years ago, although calling it a battle is overselling things as it was a rout with the Chiefs sweeping the series in 4 games behind a pair of impressive victories for Rabbit Day. As expected with two successful ballclubs much the same cast that participated two years ago returns for each team but in looking at the numbers it is Chicago, who was an underdog that last time, that appears to be the clear favourite this time around.

Here is a position by position comparison of the two squads.

CATCHER: TOM BIRD (.346,21,104) vs FRED BARRELL (.230,3,52)

On the offensive side of the ledger this one is clear cut as Bird flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the season before a September swoon. Barrell has had some decent offensive seasons in the past but none approaching Bird's campaign and the Brooklyn backstop also missed 5 weeks this season with a hip injury. As clear the advantage is to Bird at the plate, behind it the edge goes to Barrell, who despite his offensive struggles the past two seasons remains one of the best defensive catchers in the game. Much has already been talked about with regard to Bird's shortcomings with his arm - he threw out just 26% of would be base stealers while Barrell was better than every catcher in baseball with the exception of New York Stars rookie Johnny Hopper in that regard. Despite Barrell's clear advantage in the field the offensive edge makes Chicago's Bird the clear choice. EDGE CHICAGO

FIRST BASE: RON RATTIGAN (.299,14,92) vs JOE PERRET (.252,7,33) or DOUG LIGHTBODY (.298,1,42)

Another big edge for the Chiefs as the 29 year old Rattigan, a former Brooklyn farmhand, has evolved into one of the better first baseman in the game. Lightbody and Perret are both aging converted outfielders who are merely filling in for the retired Dan Barrell until prospect Chuck Adams, a former Chief pick, is ready for the role. EDGE CHICAGO

SECOND BASE: HANK BARNETT (.312,31,124) vs JOHN LANGILLE (.268,3,60)

The 29 year old Barnett enjoyed the best season of his career after a move from Montreal to Chicago and he had no ill effects in the field shifting from third base back to second base. Langille has had some much better seasons than this one in his career and is a steady defender in the field but about the equal of Barnett with the glove. Another big EDGE CHICAGO

SHORTSTOP: PETE LAYTON (.365,25,99) vs HARRY BARRELL (.284,5,78)

This one is just as intriguing as the matchup behind the plate. The 38 year old Layton just won his second batting title and is a 4-time all-star who has also won 5 World Championships in his career. As good as he is at the plate his defense is not suited to play shortstop but clearly the offensive contribution has outweighed the defensive liability. 24 year old Harry Barrell, the youngest of the ballplaying brothers, is already a 5-time all-star and, despite the fact he is prone at times to bouts of errors, is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. He has had some big offensive seasons early in his career but has seen a decline in production at the plate the last couple of years. We will give Brooklyn the benefit of the doubt here simply because of the defensive advantage the Kings have at shortstop so we will call this EVEN

THIRD BASE: BOB MARTIN (.286,6,68) vs FRANK VANCE (.295,20,83)

The 36 year old Vance had a nice solid season for the Kings and made his 6th all-star appearance. Martin, 31, had a career year in '36 to help the Chiefs win that pennant, but his numbers have dipped since then. He is a fair bit better defensive third baseman than Vance but we will give the nod to the veteran King in this one. EDGE BROOKLYN

LEFT FIELD: JIM HAMPTON (.289,7,70) vs ALF PESTILLI (.269,16,63)

Pestilli, who is overshadowed by his younger brother Sal of Detroit, put up some nice numbers in his first full season as a big leaguer but lost his starting job for much of September due to a slump. The 37 year old Hampton is another veteran Chief but with a difference - he has spent his entire career in the Windy City- and while he appears to be on the downside of that career he is still a very solid contributor. This one is close but because of Hampton's veteran experience and Pestilli's recent slump we call it an EDGE CHICAGO

CENTER FIELD: BENNIE GRIFFITH (.205,2,10) vs BOB WORLEY (.221,12,54 but .283,8,25 in 49 games after trade to Brooklyn)

This one is interesting. At the deadline the Kings dealt young star Bill May to the Chiefs for a package of young prospects and as a throw-in were given Bob Worley, who would have been out of a job in Chicago due to May's arrival. Worley hit just .188 for the Chiefs in a return to the major leagues after a dominant minor league season that saw him swat 57 homers. His defense has always been very good and he got his bat going in Brooklyn. Meanwhile May had settled in very nicely as the lead-off man in Chicago until he wrecked his ankle a month ago prompting the Chiefs to have to give the job back to Griffith, who was their starting centerfielder in 1936. No guarantees Worley will hit like he has in Brooklyn and not like he did in Chicago but if so the Kings get the edge. EDGE BROOKLYN

RIGHT FIELD: CLIFF MOSS (.283,21,87) vs AL WHEELER (.267,29,110)

Wheeler, a 5-time Whitney Award winner, had a slow start to the season but has picked things up of late. Moss had a strong year with the most homers and rbi's for him in a season since 1930 when he was with Montreal. His defense, while not exceptional, is also better than Wheeler's but Brooklyn fan's hope the Wonder Wheel is on a mission to atone for some rough October's past. Wheeler is batting just .179 with 2 homers in 16 previous WCS games. For Brooklyn to win the series he needs to come up big. Wheeler's pedigree gives him the edge but Moss is talented, and often overlooked in the deep Chicago lineup. EDGE BROOKLYN

PITCHING STAFF: RABBIT DAY (26-7, 3.06), JIM LONARDO (25-7, 2.68), JACK BEACH (21-8, 3.35) and AL MILLER (15-12, 3.72) vs TOM BARRELL (13-14, 4.33), MIKE MURPHY (15-7, 2.83), JOE SHAFFNER (16-14, 3.68) and ART WHITE (14-6, 3.00)

Chicago has 7 Allan Awards (3 each for Day and Lonardo plus 1 for Beach) compared to 4 in Brooklyn (3 Barrell and 1 Shaffner) with the Chiefs quite likely adding an 8th this year but debate as to whether it goes to Day or Lonardo. On paper it looks like there is no way Brooklyn can contend with Chicago's starting rotation but there is a decided advantage if the Kings can get to the Chicago starters as the Chicago bullpen does not instill fear in opponents like their starters do. Brooklyn also has Del Lyons in the pen. Lyons has been inconsistent at times this year but did set a new FABL record with 29 saves this season. Still you can not bet against Day and Lonardo the way their season's have gone. EDGE CHICAGO

SUMMARY: The clear edge lies with the Chiefs but the Kings have a lot to prove. Making up for the sweep they suffered two years ago for starters and proving that the first half of their season, when they were the best team in baseball, was the real Brooklyn club and not the second half, when they finished under .500. Brooklyn is entering the Series on a high with that dramatic comeback to edge out surprising Toronto but they are facing a Chiefs team that has played at a .725 clip (58-22) since the break. The Chiefs did all of that against a group of Fed teams that, from top to bottom, is widely considered to be quite superior to their counterparts in the Continental Association. Brooklyn might be poised for an upset just like the Chiefs pulled off two seasons ago and the Kings proved just last week you can never underestimate this team. However, the smart money is on the Chiefs to win the series in 5 games.

QUICK HITS

Despite the terrible ending it really was a special season for the Toronto Wolves. The acquisition of Frank McCormick from St Louis and then continued emergence of Joe Hancock as one of the best pitchers in the Continental Association helped the club crack 800,000 in attendance for the first time in team history and with over 860k going thru the turnstiles at Dominion Park they came very close to doubling last year's attendance. On the field they improved over last season by 16 victories and their 88 wins is the most for a Toronto team since 1926 and is just 3 shy of the franchise record set in 1909. The second place showing was also their highest finish since their 1911 club won the World Championship Series.
The question is was it a case of everything just clicking right for one year or are the Wolves for real? Certainly 29 year old McCormick and 25 year old Hancock have plenty of good years left and young pitchers Jim Morrison and George Garrison should only get better. The question marks might be can Nick Wallace duplicate the .345,11,86 season he put up as a 30 year old this year and is Bob Walls, who went 8-1 down the stretch, for real?
The magic ran out for Bob Walls one week too early for the Wolves liking. After 8-0 start he pitched well but had a no decision in a 2-1 loss to the Cougars but then hit a wall vs Cleveland in what would be his final start of the season allowing 7 runs (5 earned) in 5 and a third of a 13-2 loss. Still a breakout season for the 26 year old and will be very interesting to see if he keeps it up next year.
You have to think Chuck Cole, who went from Toronto to Detroit in the deadline deal for Walls, should be in the Dynamos rotation next season. Cole was given 3 starts to end the season and the results 3-0 with 3 CG’s. In 27 IP he had an ERA of 1.33 with a 1.07 WHIP.
Roger Perry is another Dynamos pitcher who had a strong finish closing the year 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA. On the season Perry went 16-5 with 3.70 ERA showing that he will not concede a spot in the rotation next season willingly. Perry in Cleveland and now in Detroit has been one of the most steady pitchers I’ve had. He is not the top of the rotation “ace” but he is steady and manages to WIN, which is the name of the game. He is 21-7 since coming over from Cleveland
Detroit is another team which had a season very much like Toronto's. The Dynamos spent a lot of time in first place and improved a startling 31 victories over last season by winning 94 this time around - a number that is three shy of the franchise record set in 1908. Detroit also came close to doubling it's attendance from last year and established a new FABL record by drawing 1,854,614 fans this season. Is 2 million fans at Thompson Field next season out of the question? Likely not if Detroit continues on the path it appears to be headed down.
Only a veteran laden and very talented Chicago Chiefs club denied Detroit the incredible finish they appeared destined for but you have to think that the Dynamos time will come very soon. Most of Detroit's key players led by 22 year old Sal Pestilli, 21 year old Red Johnson and 24 year old Charlie Wheeler are very young and, unlike Chicago which is loaded with 30-somethings, the Dynamos only key contributors over age 30 this season were Roger Perry and mid-season acquisition William Jones.
Sal Pestilli with 2 more HR this week to finish with 46. Might have jumped past slumping Bird for Fed Whitney. 307,46,132 for Sal. Bird finishes .346,21,104 after hitting just .202 in September. Even with his September, Bird is still 2nd in average and has an OPS of over 1.000. It will still be a tight vote between the 3.
This columnist agrees all 3 of Pestilli, Bird and Layton deserve serious consideration but I have to give Pestilli the edge because of his power/rbi/runs lead on my ballot. But as said before I really just focus on the “old” stats and HR, RBI, slugging percentage and runs are all in Pestilli’s favour.
A late season slump from catcher Tom Bird allowed teammate Pete Layton to win the Federal Association batting crown. The 38 year old Chicago Chiefs shortstop batted .365 to win his second career batting crown. He last led the league back in 1928 when he topped the CA will playing for the New York Stars. There are no official records but I cannot imagine any other player accomplishing what Layton did - winning his second batting crown 10 years after his first one.
Fred McCormick of Toronto won the CA batting crown with a .367 average to finish ahead of impressive Montreal rookie Bert Lass but McCormick is no longer a lock to win his first Whitney Award after a dreadful September that coincided with the Wolves stumbles. McCormick was still hitting .400 on the year as late as September 10th but hit just .195 (16-for-82) after that date.
Al Wheeler (.267,29,110) might get some interest from voters as he bids for his 6th Whitney Award. The 30 year old Brooklyn outfielder had a very strong finish (.381,3,10) in the final week to win another CA homerun and rbi crown. 29 is his lowest homerun total as a King but his 110 RBIs allow him to once again surpass the century mark - something he has accomplished every season in a Brooklyn uniform. At age 30 Wheeler has passed John Waggoner for 13th all time in RBIs with 1328 so far in his career.
Kings late wake up call allows them to become first FABL team with 5 straight 90-win seasons. No other franchise has ever had more than 3 consecutive 90-win seasons. Not sure if that says more about the Kings strength the past five years or that there are some very weak teams in the CA. One of the key swimmer's in the CA pool of mediocrity has been the Baltimore Cannons. Maybe calling them mediocre is being too kind. The Cannons finished last once again - that's 5 years and counting for a team that seems to be in a permanent youth movement.
The Pittsburgh Miners tied the Chiefs for the FABL lead in runs but did so without a single player with 90+ rbi's. Les Tucker led the club with 89. Four Chicago regulars drove in 90 or more runs.
Hard to find a guy who seems to have rougher luck that Charlie Stedman. The Pittsburgh Miners veteran led the Fed in FIP- with a 79 and had an ERA of 128 but still finished with a W-L record of 14-17. The 36 year old is 184-162 over his career. Brooklyn's Tom Barrell had a similar experience this year leading the majors with a FIP- of 77 but was just 13-14 on the year. The Kings are starting him in the Series opener against Chicago but Barrell has not had a game score of at least 70 since July.
Out of nowhere, a 6-1 final week for the Keystones pushed them to 6th place in the Fed, two games ahead of New York and Washington. The push in Philly did not come from Kellogg who hit .185 the final week to finish .255,13,83 but Bobby Barrell had some hits to get his average up to .281.
Things did not end well for the New York Gothams as the Bigsby Oval days come to an end. The Gothams dropped their last 3 games in the historic park including a 14-1 thrashing in the finale of a 3-game set by the St Louis Pioneers. An 8-23 finish to the year limited the Gothams to 60 wins but that was more than many felt at the beginning of the season New York would earn.. Let’s just say management is getting impatient as they pack up their offices for the move to Queens. Pitching is the major concern, and saying that likely hurts just a little more in New York watching ex-Gothams Rabbit Day and Jim Lonardo prepare to pitch in the Series.
The jump from AAA to the big leagues can be a tough one for a young pitcher. The Gothams know that as well as anyone after this season. Here are the guys who got their butts kicked this year and their ERA from the majors this season their last AAA season (most of them this year):
Code:
```
NAME		MLB ERA   AAA ERA
Fred Ratliffe    5.10      2.62
Ernie Wise       4.68      3.22
Earle Killebrew  5.87      3.59
Mule Earl        6.60      2.44
Charlie Sutton    8.83     2.80
```
Then there's Jack Snyder who looked promising last year in New York when he was 12-11 4.55, but this year goes 5-14 5.00.
One thing that killed our young pitchers was the weak defense behind them. The new guys 3B Billy Dalton and SS Mule Monier (until he got hurt) look to be plus fielders, but veteran Bud Jameson is a liability on the field, Rabbit Mudd really can't handle SS and Ernesto Perez made a load of errors in LF. The other main OFers, Howard Brown Jr. and Dave Haight don't have much range.
Haight had a fine overall season until the clock struck September. After hitting 320+ most of the season he limped to the finish line with a 21-98 .214 finish. Still he hit .308 for the year. Haight wasn’t a name most had on their minds when it came to rookies, but he proved he belonged in the big leagues.
Now that the regular season is over it's time to look at what to do for the future for the Gothams. They are still in a bit of a holding pattern as the bigger name prospects bubble up. Catcher Pete Casstevens is still a good couple of seasons away. Highly touted 1B prospect Walt Messer could get a look late next year. 2B Roosevelt Brewer might push his way to New York with a strong spring, or a hot start at AAA. There are a number of interesting OF prospects along with the returning Brown, Haight, Perez and Charlie DeMars.
So as with most teams it's all about pitching need in New York. In looking to move up in the standing the Gothams say they are prepared to bring in some more veterans to keep things respectable while letting younger guys fight it out for one or two rotation spots. They would also like to find a bat with some pop.
The Gothams officially finish in 7th place as they had the better head to head record against fellow 60 win club Washington, which means the Eagles will pick first in the draft. New York went 12-10 vs the Eagles this year.
For the Eagles it would be their fourth time owning the top pick. Most recently they took Bobo White in 1934 with Baltimore -like this year - picking second and the Cannons elected to choose Gus Goulding. In 1928 the Eagles had the top pick but dealt it to Brooklyn who selected Tommy Wilcox. The only other time time the Eagles selected first overall was 1919. That pick, a catcher by the name of TR Goins, worked out pretty well.
With all the talk about the Kings "win or you are out" ultimatum to Powell Slocum, Detroit World columnist Freddie Farhat poked a little fun at the organization in his WCS prediction column. Farhat writes "Well I’d have to say the bookmakers feel the Chiefs are heavy favorites in this series but….The Kings do hold the home field advantage. For all the doom and pressure that was placed on the Kings Manager and GM by owner Daniel “little George” Prescott it kind of feels like an upset in the air. The Chiefs should win but I’m not going to be surprised if the Kings make it 2 straight and Slocum is signed to a 10-year deal after the season. Only to have his job threatened again when the Kings start spring training 6-12."
It was a rough year in St Louis. Attendance was down about 2500 fans a game and Frank McCormick was missed but you can't complain about the job his replacement did. Zip Sullivan (.298,10,83) led the Fed with 48 doubles and had an outstanding rookie season. Not Fred McCormick-like but you can't fault the rookie for failing to quite hit McCormick's standards. The deal was actually working out very well for the Pioneers until star pitchers David Abalo and Buddy Long went down. Long was 14-7 as a rookie after being acquired as part of the McCormick deal.
Washington might argue with (insert any Eagles starting pitcher's name here) but hard to see any pitcher having a more disappointing year than Sam Sheppard. An all-star a year ago and the 1935 Allen Award winner, Sheppard followed up 3 consecutive 20+ win seasons with an awful 1938 campaign that saw him go 10-16, 5.26 and lose his spot in the rotation even after Abalo and Long were hurt.
With Bill Van Ness (.322,1,9) looking very much at home behind the plate in September for the Boston Minutemen, the club is now trying to move John Wicklund. A deal with Detroit was thought to be close at the deadline but ultimately fell through. The 28 year old had a bad season, hitting just .215 with a Fed leading 120 strikeouts but he had some good years in New York and his first season in Boston so perhaps with a change of scenery he can rediscover that early success.
Detroit management admitted they were very high on Wicklund at the deadline. "We liked his glove, arm, pop and age over (Cougars catcher Mike) Taylor at the deadline. We also didn’t want to part with our 4th round pick (for Taylor) before really seeing where this new draft process is heading," admitted Detroit Assistant General Manager Rankin Trull.
The Chicago Chiefs had 4 batters hit 20 or more home runs. Detroit just missed having 5: Red Johnson (19) and Elmer Nolde (18) came up just short. Four is the record first set by Cleveland in 1934 with Max Morris, Moxie Pidgeon, Dan Fowler and Leon Drake all hitting over 20. Drake was one of the three Dynamos to do it this year.
The Chicago Daily News really likes Dick Lyons chances of winning the CA Allen Award. An opinion piece in the paper had this to say about the 38 year old:
"I think Dick Lyons secured the Allen Award. The 38-year-old vet made two starts in the final week, both against the Toronto Wolves. Lyons won the first and got a no decision in the second, finishing an impressive 20-6 on the season. He allowed just 4 runs (3 earned) in 16 innings, dropping his ERA to a 1938 best 2.59 (157 ERA+). Lyons' 1.15 WHIP was also the best, percentage points ahead of former Cougar prospect Charlie Wheeler. Lyons also got some help from his teammates, as the Cougars piled on 9 hits and scored 6 runs (5 earned) against Joe Hancock in his 35th and final start of the season. Hancock won 22 and struck out 145, both best in the Continental Association, but three rough starts to finish the season raised his ERA to 3.02 ERA (139 ERA+) and 1.28. The vote will definitely be split, with a few other candidates potentially taking votes away from the two favorites, but regardless of the outcome, a truly historic season for baseballs oldest pitcher."

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 10/02/1938

King George declares a State of Emergency in Britain as Prime Minister Chamberlain takes to the airwaves warning that the British Empire was ready to fight any Power that "sought to dominate the world by fear."
In replying to President Roosevelt's appeal for European peace, Hitler tried to disown the war blame, stating in his communication to FDR that "it is now solely in the hands of the Czech Government and not in the hands of the German Government to decide whether it desires peace or war."
As the week progressed war appears averted when the Czechs agree to German demands and surrender Sudeten areas to the Nazis, prompting Hitler and Chamberlain to jointly announce they will never fight again and both agree to make every effort to settle future disputes by peaceful mediation.
As Hitler rides across the Sudeten border in triumph, a key member of the British cabinet, the Chief of the Navy, resigns in disagreement with Chamberlain's foreign policy over what he calls caving in to Hitler's demands.
Meanwhile Poland remains steadfast in it's demands for a piece of disputed territory from the Czechs, and the Polish Government announced it's army may march on Teschen if the Czechs refuse to cede the territory. The Czechs eventually capitulate and their troops evacuate the area.

09-13-2021, 10:20 PM	#244
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: October 3, 1938 OCTOBER 3, 1938 KINGS RETAIN CROWN AS WOLVES LUCK RUNS OUT In a most unusual way the Brooklyn Kings claimed their third straight Continental Association title after entering the final week of the season trailing the surprising Toronto Wolves by 2.5 games. While Toronto, which had greatly defied expectations with a tremendous August run, stumbled down the stretch in dropping 8 of their last 9 games the Brooklyn Kings won 5 of their last 6 to secure their third straight pennant and fifth consecutive season of at least 90 victories. The Kings also saved the job of popular Manager Powell Slocum who had reportedly been given an ultimatum last Monday morning to win the pennant or he was out of a job. Slocum's charges, who had squandered what was a 10 game lead as late as August 18th thanks to an 11-24 stretch that left them looking up at Toronto and seemingly on the verge of what would have been one of the biggest, if not the worst collapse in league history. Instead it becomes merely a footnote in what has been a crazy season for the Kings who had the league's best record prior to the all-star game but even with the fabulous final week finished a game below .500 after the mid-summer classic. The Kings now turn their attention to Federal Association powerhouse Chicago, which won a franchise record 102 games and finished 8 up on the other surprise team of the 1938 season: the Detroit Dynamos. The Chiefs, who swept Brooklyn in the World Championship Series two years ago, look even stronger this time around with Jim Lonardo (25-7, 2.68) joining ace Rabbit Day (26-7, 3.06) as co-favourites for the Federal Association Allan Award. Add in Jack Beach (21-8, 3.35), who had a dreadful experience briefly as a Brooklyn King, or Al Miller (15-12, 3.72) who, despite a rough start to his third big league season, finished the year very strongly and Chicago's pitching is every bit as good and perhaps better than Brooklyn's quartet of Tom Barrell (13-14, 4.33), Mike Murphy 915-7, 2.83), Art White (14-6, 3.00) and Joe Shaffner (16-14, 3.68). While the Chiefs will miss the table setting job ex-King Bill May does in the lead-off spot there is plenty of talent to replace the injured centerfielder. Pete Layton (.365,25,99) led the Fed in hitting at the age of 38 and he, along with catcher Tom Bird (.346,21,104) are both candidates for the Whitney Award. Throw in Hank Barnett (.312,31,124), Cliff Moss (.283,21,87) and Ron Rattigan (.299,14,92) and the Chicago lineup looks imposing. The Kings have plenty of talent as well led by Al Wheeler (.267,29,110), Frank Vance (.295,20,83), Harry Barrell (.284,5,78) and Alf Pestilli (.269,16,63) but one has to think the Chiefs, who were the underdogs 2 years ago when they swept Brooklyn, have to be the favourites this time around. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREVIEW The World Championship Series will be a rematch of the battle two years ago, although calling it a battle is overselling things as it was a rout with the Chiefs sweeping the series in 4 games behind a pair of impressive victories for Rabbit Day. As expected with two successful ballclubs much the same cast that participated two years ago returns for each team but in looking at the numbers it is Chicago, who was an underdog that last time, that appears to be the clear favourite this time around. Here is a position by position comparison of the two squads. CATCHER: TOM BIRD (.346,21,104) vs FRED BARRELL (.230,3,52) On the offensive side of the ledger this one is clear cut as Bird flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the season before a September swoon. Barrell has had some decent offensive seasons in the past but none approaching Bird's campaign and the Brooklyn backstop also missed 5 weeks this season with a hip injury. As clear the advantage is to Bird at the plate, behind it the edge goes to Barrell, who despite his offensive struggles the past two seasons remains one of the best defensive catchers in the game. Much has already been talked about with regard to Bird's shortcomings with his arm - he threw out just 26% of would be base stealers while Barrell was better than every catcher in baseball with the exception of New York Stars rookie Johnny Hopper in that regard. Despite Barrell's clear advantage in the field the offensive edge makes Chicago's Bird the clear choice. EDGE CHICAGO FIRST BASE: RON RATTIGAN (.299,14,92) vs JOE PERRET (.252,7,33) or DOUG LIGHTBODY (.298,1,42) Another big edge for the Chiefs as the 29 year old Rattigan, a former Brooklyn farmhand, has evolved into one of the better first baseman in the game. Lightbody and Perret are both aging converted outfielders who are merely filling in for the retired Dan Barrell until prospect Chuck Adams, a former Chief pick, is ready for the role. EDGE CHICAGO SECOND BASE: HANK BARNETT (.312,31,124) vs JOHN LANGILLE (.268,3,60) The 29 year old Barnett enjoyed the best season of his career after a move from Montreal to Chicago and he had no ill effects in the field shifting from third base back to second base. Langille has had some much better seasons than this one in his career and is a steady defender in the field but about the equal of Barnett with the glove. Another big EDGE CHICAGO SHORTSTOP: PETE LAYTON (.365,25,99) vs HARRY BARRELL (.284,5,78) This one is just as intriguing as the matchup behind the plate. The 38 year old Layton just won his second batting title and is a 4-time all-star who has also won 5 World Championships in his career. As good as he is at the plate his defense is not suited to play shortstop but clearly the offensive contribution has outweighed the defensive liability. 24 year old Harry Barrell, the youngest of the ballplaying brothers, is already a 5-time all-star and, despite the fact he is prone at times to bouts of errors, is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. He has had some big offensive seasons early in his career but has seen a decline in production at the plate the last couple of years. We will give Brooklyn the benefit of the doubt here simply because of the defensive advantage the Kings have at shortstop so we will call this EVEN THIRD BASE: BOB MARTIN (.286,6,68) vs FRANK VANCE (.295,20,83) The 36 year old Vance had a nice solid season for the Kings and made his 6th all-star appearance. Martin, 31, had a career year in '36 to help the Chiefs win that pennant, but his numbers have dipped since then. He is a fair bit better defensive third baseman than Vance but we will give the nod to the veteran King in this one. EDGE BROOKLYN LEFT FIELD: JIM HAMPTON (.289,7,70) vs ALF PESTILLI (.269,16,63) Pestilli, who is overshadowed by his younger brother Sal of Detroit, put up some nice numbers in his first full season as a big leaguer but lost his starting job for much of September due to a slump. The 37 year old Hampton is another veteran Chief but with a difference - he has spent his entire career in the Windy City- and while he appears to be on the downside of that career he is still a very solid contributor. This one is close but because of Hampton's veteran experience and Pestilli's recent slump we call it an EDGE CHICAGO CENTER FIELD: BENNIE GRIFFITH (.205,2,10) vs BOB WORLEY (.221,12,54 but .283,8,25 in 49 games after trade to Brooklyn) This one is interesting. At the deadline the Kings dealt young star Bill May to the Chiefs for a package of young prospects and as a throw-in were given Bob Worley, who would have been out of a job in Chicago due to May's arrival. Worley hit just .188 for the Chiefs in a return to the major leagues after a dominant minor league season that saw him swat 57 homers. His defense has always been very good and he got his bat going in Brooklyn. Meanwhile May had settled in very nicely as the lead-off man in Chicago until he wrecked his ankle a month ago prompting the Chiefs to have to give the job back to Griffith, who was their starting centerfielder in 1936. No guarantees Worley will hit like he has in Brooklyn and not like he did in Chicago but if so the Kings get the edge. EDGE BROOKLYN RIGHT FIELD: CLIFF MOSS (.283,21,87) vs AL WHEELER (.267,29,110) Wheeler, a 5-time Whitney Award winner, had a slow start to the season but has picked things up of late. Moss had a strong year with the most homers and rbi's for him in a season since 1930 when he was with Montreal. His defense, while not exceptional, is also better than Wheeler's but Brooklyn fan's hope the Wonder Wheel is on a mission to atone for some rough October's past. Wheeler is batting just .179 with 2 homers in 16 previous WCS games. For Brooklyn to win the series he needs to come up big. Wheeler's pedigree gives him the edge but Moss is talented, and often overlooked in the deep Chicago lineup. EDGE BROOKLYN PITCHING STAFF: RABBIT DAY (26-7, 3.06), JIM LONARDO (25-7, 2.68), JACK BEACH (21-8, 3.35) and AL MILLER (15-12, 3.72) vs TOM BARRELL (13-14, 4.33), MIKE MURPHY (15-7, 2.83), JOE SHAFFNER (16-14, 3.68) and ART WHITE (14-6, 3.00) Chicago has 7 Allan Awards (3 each for Day and Lonardo plus 1 for Beach) compared to 4 in Brooklyn (3 Barrell and 1 Shaffner) with the Chiefs quite likely adding an 8th this year but debate as to whether it goes to Day or Lonardo. On paper it looks like there is no way Brooklyn can contend with Chicago's starting rotation but there is a decided advantage if the Kings can get to the Chicago starters as the Chicago bullpen does not instill fear in opponents like their starters do. Brooklyn also has Del Lyons in the pen. Lyons has been inconsistent at times this year but did set a new FABL record with 29 saves this season. Still you can not bet against Day and Lonardo the way their season's have gone. EDGE CHICAGO SUMMARY: The clear edge lies with the Chiefs but the Kings have a lot to prove. Making up for the sweep they suffered two years ago for starters and proving that the first half of their season, when they were the best team in baseball, was the real Brooklyn club and not the second half, when they finished under .500. Brooklyn is entering the Series on a high with that dramatic comeback to edge out surprising Toronto but they are facing a Chiefs team that has played at a .725 clip (58-22) since the break. The Chiefs did all of that against a group of Fed teams that, from top to bottom, is widely considered to be quite superior to their counterparts in the Continental Association. Brooklyn might be poised for an upset just like the Chiefs pulled off two seasons ago and the Kings proved just last week you can never underestimate this team. However, the smart money is on the Chiefs to win the series in 5 games. QUICK HITS Despite the terrible ending it really was a special season for the Toronto Wolves. The acquisition of Frank McCormick from St Louis and then continued emergence of Joe Hancock as one of the best pitchers in the Continental Association helped the club crack 800,000 in attendance for the first time in team history and with over 860k going thru the turnstiles at Dominion Park they came very close to doubling last year's attendance. On the field they improved over last season by 16 victories and their 88 wins is the most for a Toronto team since 1926 and is just 3 shy of the franchise record set in 1909. The second place showing was also their highest finish since their 1911 club won the World Championship Series. The question is was it a case of everything just clicking right for one year or are the Wolves for real? Certainly 29 year old McCormick and 25 year old Hancock have plenty of good years left and young pitchers Jim Morrison and George Garrison should only get better. The question marks might be can Nick Wallace duplicate the .345,11,86 season he put up as a 30 year old this year and is Bob Walls, who went 8-1 down the stretch, for real? The magic ran out for Bob Walls one week too early for the Wolves liking. After 8-0 start he pitched well but had a no decision in a 2-1 loss to the Cougars but then hit a wall vs Cleveland in what would be his final start of the season allowing 7 runs (5 earned) in 5 and a third of a 13-2 loss. Still a breakout season for the 26 year old and will be very interesting to see if he keeps it up next year. You have to think Chuck Cole, who went from Toronto to Detroit in the deadline deal for Walls, should be in the Dynamos rotation next season. Cole was given 3 starts to end the season and the results 3-0 with 3 CG’s. In 27 IP he had an ERA of 1.33 with a 1.07 WHIP. Roger Perry is another Dynamos pitcher who had a strong finish closing the year 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA. On the season Perry went 16-5 with 3.70 ERA showing that he will not concede a spot in the rotation next season willingly. Perry in Cleveland and now in Detroit has been one of the most steady pitchers I’ve had. He is not the top of the rotation “ace” but he is steady and manages to WIN, which is the name of the game. He is 21-7 since coming over from Cleveland Detroit is another team which had a season very much like Toronto's. The Dynamos spent a lot of time in first place and improved a startling 31 victories over last season by winning 94 this time around - a number that is three shy of the franchise record set in 1908. Detroit also came close to doubling it's attendance from last year and established a new FABL record by drawing 1,854,614 fans this season. Is 2 million fans at Thompson Field next season out of the question? Likely not if Detroit continues on the path it appears to be headed down. Only a veteran laden and very talented Chicago Chiefs club denied Detroit the incredible finish they appeared destined for but you have to think that the Dynamos time will come very soon. Most of Detroit's key players led by 22 year old Sal Pestilli, 21 year old Red Johnson and 24 year old Charlie Wheeler are very young and, unlike Chicago which is loaded with 30-somethings, the Dynamos only key contributors over age 30 this season were Roger Perry and mid-season acquisition William Jones. Sal Pestilli with 2 more HR this week to finish with 46. Might have jumped past slumping Bird for Fed Whitney. 307,46,132 for Sal. Bird finishes .346,21,104 after hitting just .202 in September. Even with his September, Bird is still 2nd in average and has an OPS of over 1.000. It will still be a tight vote between the 3. This columnist agrees all 3 of Pestilli, Bird and Layton deserve serious consideration but I have to give Pestilli the edge because of his power/rbi/runs lead on my ballot. But as said before I really just focus on the “old” stats and HR, RBI, slugging percentage and runs are all in Pestilli’s favour. A late season slump from catcher Tom Bird allowed teammate Pete Layton to win the Federal Association batting crown. The 38 year old Chicago Chiefs shortstop batted .365 to win his second career batting crown. He last led the league back in 1928 when he topped the CA will playing for the New York Stars. There are no official records but I cannot imagine any other player accomplishing what Layton did - winning his second batting crown 10 years after his first one. Fred McCormick of Toronto won the CA batting crown with a .367 average to finish ahead of impressive Montreal rookie Bert Lass but McCormick is no longer a lock to win his first Whitney Award after a dreadful September that coincided with the Wolves stumbles. McCormick was still hitting .400 on the year as late as September 10th but hit just .195 (16-for-82) after that date. Al Wheeler (.267,29,110) might get some interest from voters as he bids for his 6th Whitney Award. The 30 year old Brooklyn outfielder had a very strong finish (.381,3,10) in the final week to win another CA homerun and rbi crown. 29 is his lowest homerun total as a King but his 110 RBIs allow him to once again surpass the century mark - something he has accomplished every season in a Brooklyn uniform. At age 30 Wheeler has passed John Waggoner for 13th all time in RBIs with 1328 so far in his career. Kings late wake up call allows them to become first FABL team with 5 straight 90-win seasons. No other franchise has ever had more than 3 consecutive 90-win seasons. Not sure if that says more about the Kings strength the past five years or that there are some very weak teams in the CA. One of the key swimmer's in the CA pool of mediocrity has been the Baltimore Cannons. Maybe calling them mediocre is being too kind. The Cannons finished last once again - that's 5 years and counting for a team that seems to be in a permanent youth movement. The Pittsburgh Miners tied the Chiefs for the FABL lead in runs but did so without a single player with 90+ rbi's. Les Tucker led the club with 89. Four Chicago regulars drove in 90 or more runs. Hard to find a guy who seems to have rougher luck that Charlie Stedman. The Pittsburgh Miners veteran led the Fed in FIP- with a 79 and had an ERA of 128 but still finished with a W-L record of 14-17. The 36 year old is 184-162 over his career. Brooklyn's Tom Barrell had a similar experience this year leading the majors with a FIP- of 77 but was just 13-14 on the year. The Kings are starting him in the Series opener against Chicago but Barrell has not had a game score of at least 70 since July. Out of nowhere, a 6-1 final week for the Keystones pushed them to 6th place in the Fed, two games ahead of New York and Washington. The push in Philly did not come from Kellogg who hit .185 the final week to finish .255,13,83 but Bobby Barrell had some hits to get his average up to .281. Things did not end well for the New York Gothams as the Bigsby Oval days come to an end. The Gothams dropped their last 3 games in the historic park including a 14-1 thrashing in the finale of a 3-game set by the St Louis Pioneers. An 8-23 finish to the year limited the Gothams to 60 wins but that was more than many felt at the beginning of the season New York would earn.. Let’s just say management is getting impatient as they pack up their offices for the move to Queens. Pitching is the major concern, and saying that likely hurts just a little more in New York watching ex-Gothams Rabbit Day and Jim Lonardo prepare to pitch in the Series. The jump from AAA to the big leagues can be a tough one for a young pitcher. The Gothams know that as well as anyone after this season. Here are the guys who got their butts kicked this year and their ERA from the majors this season their last AAA season (most of them this year): Code: NAME MLB ERA AAA ERA Fred Ratliffe 5.10 2.62 Ernie Wise 4.68 3.22 Earle Killebrew 5.87 3.59 Mule Earl 6.60 2.44 Charlie Sutton 8.83 2.80 Then there's Jack Snyder who looked promising last year in New York when he was 12-11 4.55, but this year goes 5-14 5.00. One thing that killed our young pitchers was the weak defense behind them. The new guys 3B Billy Dalton and SS Mule Monier (until he got hurt) look to be plus fielders, but veteran Bud Jameson is a liability on the field, Rabbit Mudd really can't handle SS and Ernesto Perez made a load of errors in LF. The other main OFers, Howard Brown Jr. and Dave Haight don't have much range. Haight had a fine overall season until the clock struck September. After hitting 320+ most of the season he limped to the finish line with a 21-98 .214 finish. Still he hit .308 for the year. Haight wasn’t a name most had on their minds when it came to rookies, but he proved he belonged in the big leagues. Now that the regular season is over it's time to look at what to do for the future for the Gothams. They are still in a bit of a holding pattern as the bigger name prospects bubble up. Catcher Pete Casstevens is still a good couple of seasons away. Highly touted 1B prospect Walt Messer could get a look late next year. 2B Roosevelt Brewer might push his way to New York with a strong spring, or a hot start at AAA. There are a number of interesting OF prospects along with the returning Brown, Haight, Perez and Charlie DeMars. So as with most teams it's all about pitching need in New York. In looking to move up in the standing the Gothams say they are prepared to bring in some more veterans to keep things respectable while letting younger guys fight it out for one or two rotation spots. They would also like to find a bat with some pop. The Gothams officially finish in 7th place as they had the better head to head record against fellow 60 win club Washington, which means the Eagles will pick first in the draft. New York went 12-10 vs the Eagles this year. For the Eagles it would be their fourth time owning the top pick. Most recently they took Bobo White in 1934 with Baltimore -like this year - picking second and the Cannons elected to choose Gus Goulding. In 1928 the Eagles had the top pick but dealt it to Brooklyn who selected Tommy Wilcox. The only other time time the Eagles selected first overall was 1919. That pick, a catcher by the name of TR Goins, worked out pretty well. With all the talk about the Kings "win or you are out" ultimatum to Powell Slocum, Detroit World columnist Freddie Farhat poked a little fun at the organization in his WCS prediction column. Farhat writes "Well I’d have to say the bookmakers feel the Chiefs are heavy favorites in this series but….The Kings do hold the home field advantage. For all the doom and pressure that was placed on the Kings Manager and GM by owner Daniel “little George” Prescott it kind of feels like an upset in the air. The Chiefs should win but I’m not going to be surprised if the Kings make it 2 straight and Slocum is signed to a 10-year deal after the season. Only to have his job threatened again when the Kings start spring training 6-12." It was a rough year in St Louis. Attendance was down about 2500 fans a game and Frank McCormick was missed but you can't complain about the job his replacement did. Zip Sullivan (.298,10,83) led the Fed with 48 doubles and had an outstanding rookie season. Not Fred McCormick-like but you can't fault the rookie for failing to quite hit McCormick's standards. The deal was actually working out very well for the Pioneers until star pitchers David Abalo and Buddy Long went down. Long was 14-7 as a rookie after being acquired as part of the McCormick deal. Washington might argue with (insert any Eagles starting pitcher's name here) but hard to see any pitcher having a more disappointing year than Sam Sheppard. An all-star a year ago and the 1935 Allen Award winner, Sheppard followed up 3 consecutive 20+ win seasons with an awful 1938 campaign that saw him go 10-16, 5.26 and lose his spot in the rotation even after Abalo and Long were hurt. With Bill Van Ness (.322,1,9) looking very much at home behind the plate in September for the Boston Minutemen, the club is now trying to move John Wicklund. A deal with Detroit was thought to be close at the deadline but ultimately fell through. The 28 year old had a bad season, hitting just .215 with a Fed leading 120 strikeouts but he had some good years in New York and his first season in Boston so perhaps with a change of scenery he can rediscover that early success. Detroit management admitted they were very high on Wicklund at the deadline. "We liked his glove, arm, pop and age over (Cougars catcher Mike) Taylor at the deadline. We also didn’t want to part with our 4th round pick (for Taylor) before really seeing where this new draft process is heading," admitted Detroit Assistant General Manager Rankin Trull. The Chicago Chiefs had 4 batters hit 20 or more home runs. Detroit just missed having 5: Red Johnson (19) and Elmer Nolde (18) came up just short. Four is the record first set by Cleveland in 1934 with Max Morris, Moxie Pidgeon, Dan Fowler and Leon Drake all hitting over 20. Drake was one of the three Dynamos to do it this year. The Chicago Daily News really likes Dick Lyons chances of winning the CA Allen Award. An opinion piece in the paper had this to say about the 38 year old: "I think Dick Lyons secured the Allen Award. The 38-year-old vet made two starts in the final week, both against the Toronto Wolves. Lyons won the first and got a no decision in the second, finishing an impressive 20-6 on the season. He allowed just 4 runs (3 earned) in 16 innings, dropping his ERA to a 1938 best 2.59 (157 ERA+). Lyons' 1.15 WHIP was also the best, percentage points ahead of former Cougar prospect Charlie Wheeler. Lyons also got some help from his teammates, as the Cougars piled on 9 hits and scored 6 runs (5 earned) against Joe Hancock in his 35th and final start of the season. Hancock won 22 and struck out 145, both best in the Continental Association, but three rough starts to finish the season raised his ERA to 3.02 ERA (139 ERA+) and 1.28. The vote will definitely be split, with a few other candidates potentially taking votes away from the two favorites, but regardless of the outcome, a truly historic season for baseballs oldest pitcher." The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 10/02/1938 King George declares a State of Emergency in Britain as Prime Minister Chamberlain takes to the airwaves warning that the British Empire was ready to fight any Power that "sought to dominate the world by fear." In replying to President Roosevelt's appeal for European peace, Hitler tried to disown the war blame, stating in his communication to FDR that "it is now solely in the hands of the Czech Government and not in the hands of the German Government to decide whether it desires peace or war." As the week progressed war appears averted when the Czechs agree to German demands and surrender Sudeten areas to the Nazis, prompting Hitler and Chamberlain to jointly announce they will never fight again and both agree to make every effort to settle future disputes by peaceful mediation. As Hitler rides across the Sudeten border in triumph, a key member of the British cabinet, the Chief of the Navy, resigns in disagreement with Chamberlain's foreign policy over what he calls caving in to Hitler's demands. Meanwhile Poland remains steadfast in it's demands for a piece of disputed territory from the Czechs, and the Polish Government announced it's army may march on Teschen if the Czechs refuse to cede the territory. The Czechs eventually capitulate and their troops evacuate the area. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 09-13-2021 at 10:25 PM.