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Jiggs McGee · 10-30-2021, 12:34 AM

July 3, 1939

DETROIT DOES DYNAMIC DEAL WITH BROOKLYN

The Detroit Dynamos made a big statement that they are "all in" on a pennant push this season after completing a seven player deal with the Brooklyn Kings late last night. The centerpieces of the the deal for Detroit are outfielder Alf Pestilli and 31 year old lefthander Mike Murphy at a cost of a pair of highly touted young prospects in pitcher Bill Willman and infielder Vince D'Alessandro.

The full details are Pestilli, Murphy and 20 year old minor league second baseman Joe York heading to Detroit with veteran reliever Curly Jones and young outfield prospect Ellison Sterner joining D'Alessandro and Willman on the trip east. Brooklyn also adds Detroit's first round pick next January and the Dynamos fourth rounder which is the opening round of the June phase of the 1940 draft.

The big story is Alf Pestilli now joins his younger brother Sal in the Detroit outfield. The 27 year old was leading the Continental Association in homers with 13 while batting .299 with 41 rbi's in what has proven to be a breakout season for him. The Dynamos hope this move helps kickstart their offense, one which was so strong a year ago but has struggled terribly this season. The 31 year old Murphy is no slouch either, with 3 all-star game appearances and a 115-69 record for his big league career.

Jiggs McGee's take: This is a pretty fair trade, with the Kings maybe getting the slight edge long term but Detroit wins in the short haul. Looking at the players sent to Detroit, obviously Alf Pestilli is having a strong season and reuniting with his brother, aside from the obvious morale boost in playing with Sal, should keep him motivated to continue his strong play. This acquisition gives the Dynamos a presumptive trio of Alf in LF, Sal in CF and Leon Drake in RF, moving Doc Love to the 4th OF spot for which he is probably best suited at this point in his career. Mike Murphy is a proven veteran arm who will give Detroit skipper George Theobald a fifth dependable starter as he improves an already solid quartet. The third piece is Joe York is the son of long-time former Dynamos star Dick York and following in his father's footsteps is a great story. Joe's not a shoo-in for a long-term FABL job, but he does have some upside and is still just 20 years old. if he pans out, this will look a lot better for the Dynamos than it does at first blush.

That is because the haul Detroit sent to Brooklyn is a big one. Pitcher Bill Willman is not Mike Murphy, but could be a serviceable back of the rotation arm for the Kings. At 23, he still has room to develop but he's currently not liable to be ready for FABL and is a better fit in Rochester where he can - the Kings hope - improve. Infielder Vince D'Alessandro is a nice pick-up for the Kings. He's not going to supplant Harry Barrell at short, and probably won't take the keystone spot currently looking like it's about to become the long-term territory of Jim Lightbody. So where does that leave Vince? As the heir presumptive to Frank Vance perhaps? This is likely where he will be best utilized. He won't have much pop, but should eventually become a capable FABL hitter and his field work is respectable too. OF Ellison Sterner is an intriguing piece. For starters, he hits right-handed, which is key for the southpaw-heavy Kings. For another, his bat is likely FABL-ready right now, at least according to Kings head scout John Spears who also feels Sterner has room to improve. He won't slug like the departed Alf Pestilli but should be, in all other ways, a fair replacement. Now we come to Curly Jones, who is back in Brooklyn for a second go-round. And Brooklyn was the site of the former first overall pick's best season (1937). Can he recapture the magic? Who knows, but he will be, at the very least, a decent right-handed arm for the bullpen who can also start when needed (and he wouldn't be a terrible starter either, though his stuff might occasionally let him down which is why he's likely going to earn his daily bread coming out of the pen). And to cap it off, the Kings got Detroit's 1st and 4th round picks in the next draft, which could yield nice returns as well.

Final thoughts: this helps both teams. The Dynamos get some additional pop and an arm to help catch the Miners (if they can, Pittsburgh is starting to look like a team of destiny). The Kings get an infusion of youth and right-handedness and while they take a short-term hit in talent, long-term they are likely to come out ahead when all the pieces are retired and a final summation can be made.

MINERS EXTEND LEAD

Their 10 game winning streak might have come to an end yesterday following a 2-1 loss to Detroit but the Miners latest hot streak has left them 3 games up on second place Boston and 5.5 ahead of Detroit. After getting off to a quick 5-1 start in April to open the season Pittsburgh has increased it's lead with back to back 18-11 months in both May and June. The Miners led the Federal Association in virtually every key offensive category and the pitching, especially the starting four of Charlie Stedman (9-7, 2.38), Lefty Allen (8-3, 3.24), Bill Ketterman (8-3, 4.46) and Karl Johnson (9-5, 3.79) has also been very solid.

JIGGS MCGEE'S ANNUAL ALL-STAR BALLOT IS REVEALED

The 7th annual All-Star game will be held in Cleveland in a little over two weeks so once again it is time to take a look at Jiggs McGee's all-star ballot. First up is the Federal Association.

FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

CATCHER: Tom Bird (.305,5,30) is having another strong season for the Chicago Chiefs and deserves to make the team but only as a backup to Pittsburgh catcher George Cleaves (.374,9,60) who leads the Fed in batting average and is a lock to make the Fed squad for the fifth time in the past six years. John Wicklund (.262,6,25) and Jack Flint (.281,6,44) have each appeared in two all-star games and are both having decent seasons in new locations this year - Detroit for Wicklund and the Gothams for Flint - but neither will displace Cleaves or Bird.

FIRST BASE: I mentioned in April after his outstanding spring that this could be a breakout year for Boston's Bob Donoghue (.350,12,50) and the 26 year old has certainly lived up to that billing so far. There are a number of first baseman having strong seasons including the Chiefs Ron Rattigan (.301,7,33) and Mahlon Strong (.312,4,25) in Pittsburgh if he could just stay healthy. The player I want to see on the team as Donoghue's understudy this year is a sentimental choice. Long-time Gothams star Bud Jameson (.349,3,32) has had his struggles in recent years but it would be great to see the 35 year old rewarded with what would surprisingly be his first all-star appearance.

SECOND BASE: He is not quite matching last season but Hank Barnett (.282,10,41) of the Chiefs gets the nod here despite the struggles his club has endured. I'll take Boston's Joe Nichols (.289,0,25) and his splendid defense as my backup but the race is close with a pair of youngsters in the Keystones Billy Woytek (.264,3,15) as well as Tommy Wilson (.316,3,21), who has done well in St Louis with the difficult task of replacing Freddie Jones. At the beginning of the season I would have picked Detroit's Ed Stewart (.234,2,17) as a likely candidate for his 5th all-star appearance but while his glove has been very good, Stewart is having a dreadful year at the plate and the Dynamos are looking to replace him.

SHORTSTOP: After much debate Detroit's Gil London (.310,2,23) gets my vote. For the backup I would select Mule Monier (.262,3,23) as the second year Gotham has been decent, but not as good as he was in a brief showing last year.

THIRD BASE: The Gothams infield will be something to see in a year or two and one of their young stars in Billy Dalton (.282,12,40) is already an all-star starter in my books. It was a tough choice but I think he deserves the nod over Frank LeMieux (.306,1,25) of Detroit, Pittsburgh's Les Tucker (.258,5,28) and 23 year old rookie Leon Blackridge (.308,4,30), who is quietly having a very good season in Washington after being trashed by his manager in spring training.

LEFT FIELD: Joe Owens (.339,2,21) got hurt the other day but hopefully it is just short term as the Pittsburgh lead-off man is a big reason for their offensive success and is my selection here. Bobby Small (.339,2,21) has not played a lot yet but he has come out of nowhere to be one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs this season. John Phillips (.309,5,16) is another nice surprise in New York.

CENTER FIELD: There are some very good centerfielders in the Fed such as Bobby Barrell (.286,11,38) of the Keystones, Sal Pestilli (.279,16,47) of Detroit and Pittsburgh's recent pickup Pablo Reyes (.316,5,47). All 3 have played in multiple all-star games and a case could be made for all three making the team as reserves this year but the starting centerfielder in my books has to be Boston's Chick Donnelly (.402,5,25) who is enjoying a career year as a 27 year old.

RIGHT FIELD: No shortage of right field candidates including Washington's Sam Brown (.321,10,40), Al Tucker (.320,5,45) of St Louis, Pittsburgh's Lew Seals (.300,7,57) and Cliff Moss (.324,9,34) from Chicago. I think a case could be easily made for any of the four as your starter but I am going to give my vote to Lew Seals who is enjoying a breakout season this year.

PITCHERS There are a lot of candidates here but we only can select three. Without a doubt my number one choice is Frank Crawford (12-1, 1.63) of Detroit, who had an outstanding season last year to lead Detroit's resurgence and has been even better this time around. Number two is another 12 game winner so far in Washington's Eddie Quinn (12-3, 2.49) who seems to have rediscovered the success he had a few years ago in Cleveland. There are quite a few I would like to add to the team and will make a special note about the Gothams Nate Spear (5-0, 1.28). Too bad he got hurt and has played so little or he might just have made his first all-star appearance. Pittsburgh's Lefty Allen (8-3, 3.24), Dick Higgins (9-5, 3.15) and Art Myers (9-3, 3.07) in Boston along with Charlie Wheeler (7-6, 2.98) in Detroit also are worth a look but the number three pitcher on my ballot will be Miners veteran Charlie Stedman (9-7, 2.38). The run support has often not been there over the years for Stedman and it is reflected in his won-loss record quite often but he has been very steady ever since joining the Miners three years ago. Does anyone else find it weird not to see a Chicago Chiefs pitcher on at least the shortlist, especially with Rabbit Day's (5-9, 4.38) absence from all-star consideration this year?

CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION

CATCHER: It is nice to see Mike Taylor (.306,5,30) having a solid season with the Cougars and even Fred Barrell (.260,1,22) and his powerful throwing arm is having a bit of a comeback year but they, as well as other candidates like Cleveland's Ken Vance (.324,0,29) and Woody Stone (.314,3,50) pale in comparison to Montreal's Adam Mullins (.356,5,53) who is an easy choice for my vote. I would take Stone as my backup given the choice but it would be close over Taylor.

FIRST BASE: I have a pair of sentimental choices here in veterans Dave Trowbridge (.354,5,45) of the Stars and Doug Lightbody (.283,3,18) who seems healthy again in Brooklyn. Neither can get my vote as much as I would love to give it to either of them, nor can Ray Ford (.302,7,33) of the Cougars. I can take some solace in being able to call Trowbridge my backup but the clear choice to start is without a doubt Toronto's Fred McCormick (.367,10,47) with Cleveland's Bill Moore (.391,3,29) getting special mention. Just a lack of games - he has played just 37 so far - kept the two-time Christian Trophy winner from Lubbock State from being considered.

SECOND BASE: I talked about him a couple of weeks ago and I see no reason to change my mind. Bob Smith (.344,5,45) of the Sailors gets my vote for his outstanding work both at the plate and in the field. Freddie Jones (.350,4,26) made the call very close in his first season with the Cougars after 7 strong years in St Louis but he will have to be content with coming off the bench if it was my call.

SHORTSTOP: Sentimentality may play a role here but I can't imagine an all-star game without a Barrell in it. Bobby is perhaps going to make the Fed side as a spare outfielder but I want to be sure we have one so my vote goes to Harry Barrell (.300,3,20) of Brooklyn who is having a solid year at the plate and another outstanding one with his glove. Barrell missed the '37 game but has been on the team for each of the other 5 all-star contests. He will make it this year but quite possibly as the backup behind Frank Davis (.353,1,35) who is having a terrific season for Montreal.

THIRD BASE: I believe Frank Vance (.270,4,33) is the only player to appear in all 6 previous all-star games. That will change this season as Vance is very unlikely to make the squad. Cleveland star Mel Carrol (.382,6,45) is an easy choice for the staring spot and one could debate between Ray Cochran (.324,3,23) of the Stars and the Cougars John Lawson (.307,11,45) for the backup spot. I'll give the nod to Lawson in my books.

LEFT FIELD: Here is a real quandary. Up until last night I would have voted for Alf Pestilli (.299,13,41) but he was just traded to Detroit so my vote has to shift to the Stars Moxie Pidgeon (.308,12,46). It would be Pidgeon's 5th all-star appearance as he has already made two for each association. There are some other good choices who deserve to be on the team but the outfield is always packed with talent. They include Joe Watson (.344,4,41) of Philadelphia, Leo Mitchell (.348,4,37) of the Cougars, Cleveland's Roy Bradley (.311,5,32) and Montreal youngster Bert Lass (.315,4,29)

CENTER FIELD: There is not really a dominant center fielder this year but I will give the vote to Howard Brown Jr. (.309,2,31) who joined Brooklyn from the Gothams over the winter. Don Homer (.306,0,26) of Philadelphia is also a possibility. Chink Stickels (.262,2,33) was the clear choice last season but he has struggled this year despite the Stars incredible offensive success. A note, if I was allowed I would not select a center fielder at all and give the recognition to another one of the many deserving corner guys.

RIGHT FIELD: Everyone in the league feels that Bill Barrett (.281,10,40) is ready to dominate for years to come but the 19 year old New York Stars outfielder, who recently enjoyed a 3-homer game, is not quite set to claim the starting spot in the all-star game yet. I will name him as a backup just because everyone wants to see this kid play but the nod as the starter goes to Montreal's Red Bond (.331,8,43). Brooklyn's Al Wheeler (.254,12,42) is having a down year by his standards but still has a dozen homers and Whit Williams (.299,7,41) is one of the few bright spots in Baltimore this season but both will come up short although may be considered for a reserve spot.

PITCHERS: Joe Hancock (9-5, 2.39) of Toronto is my starter. I also feel George Phillips (9-3, 4.26) of the Stars and veteran Chicago pitcher Dick Lyons (6-5, 3.14) are worthy of selection but to be honest there are not a lot of CA pitchers who have really stood out this season. Baltimore's Gus Goulding's (5-9, 3.71) comes close as does Art White (6-4, 3.65) of Brooklyn or Toronto's Bernie Johnson (4-7, 3.50). Cleveland's Lou Martino (4-1, 2.29) perhaps but he has pitched just 78 innings. Bob Walls (6-6, 3.49) comes very close as he has done well of late after overcoming a very rough start to the season but I would say the premier pitchers, or at least the pitchers posting premier stats this season, primarily reside in the Federal Association.

QUICK HITS

Pennant tension hitting early in the Fed. Detroit manager George Theobald is old school, and certainly made that fact known to Lefty Allen after the Miners ace celebrated a little too vociferously (at least in Theobald's opinion) after blanking Detroit 1-0 on a 3-hitter. Theobald was on the field as quickly as his 76 year old legs could take him, finger wagging at Allen all the way to chastise the Pittsburgh pitcher. That drew a crowd and some choice words for Theobald in defense of his star lefty from Miners manager Dan Andrew. Plenty of milling about and verbal exchanges but fortunately cooler heads prevailed and it progressed no further. Theobald refused to comment on the incident afterwards but Allen, who improved to 8-3 on the season did confirm that it was regarding the celebration. "He basically told me I was being a lousy winner," Allen said. To which Andrew promptly added "And I told him he was being a lousy loser."
The Miners also beat Detroit the next night but the Dynamos salvaged a game from the series with a 2-1 win on Sunday and now trail the Miners by 6 games.
Boston must be wondering what it will take to catch the Miners. The Minutemen went 4-2 this week but still dropped another game in the standings to Pittsburgh and remain in second place but now 3 games back. Boston has won 8 of it's last 11 games but Pittsburgh is 10-1 over that span.
The Pittsburgh Miners' outfield of Joe Owens, Pablo Reyes, and Lew Seals all have a chance at making the all star team. No team has ever had their entire OF make the midsummer classic and with the competition in the Fed this season it is almost a certainty that at best two of the 3 Miners will get the nod?
'It was fun while it lasted" lamented New York Gothams fans after the club's pitching imploded last week, dropping 7 straight ball games and getting outscored 63-21 in the process. The Gothams are now 6 games below the break even mark and what started as a pretty decent season in the debut of Gothams Stadium is in danger of ending very badly. Finding quality pitching has been a big problem in New York the past few years and with 23 year old Nate Spear (5-0, 1.28) slated to miss two more weeks there seems to be no one aside from veteran Oscar Morse (7-6, 3.70) capable of providing a quality start for the Gothams...and even Morse was not immune last week as the 36 year old was blasted by Pittsburgh in what was his worst outing so far this season.
While certainly not to the extent of the Gothams, count St Louis as another team in the Fed that is struggling off late. The Pioneers have dropped 10 of their last 16 games and are now 10 back of Pittsburgh. They do feel lucky to even win 3 of their 7 contests last week considering their top three hitters combined to go 19-73(.260) with only 2 RBI's between them.
The Montreal Saints have been extremely consistent this season, posting a 3-3 mark in April, 15-15 in May and now 15-14 for June. They also split their first two July games to remain 1 game over .500 on the year. There is worry in Quebec as Dilly Ward (.292,2,14), who was tabbed to take over for the traded Pablo Reyes patrolling center field is hurt for the fourth time this season. The 25 year old missed 3 weeks in spring with a bad back, was bothered by a sore calf in early May and shortly thereafter an elbow injury knocked him out of action for 6 weeks. He returns for 9 games in which he hits over .300 only to suffer a shoulder injury on the weekend that likely spells the end of his season.
With 4 hits last week Doug Lightbody is up to 1899 for his career. Only Ira Williams with 2022 has had more hits in a Brooklyn uniform than The Mississippi Mouth. Brooklyn fans have wondered about the 35 year old's Hall of Fame chances. I think he falls just short but it is a shame what could have been had Lightbody not been so injury plagued throughout his career. Over the years Lightbody has missed well over 600 games with injuries so assuming the same hitting rate he would be well over 2,500 hits at this point and might even have had a shot at 3,000 before his career came to an end. Lightbody won a pair of batting titles (1927 & 1934), played on 4 pennant winners and 1 WCS winning Kings club and won the Whitney Award as a 23 year old in his second pro season. He led the CA in runs scored 3 times, OBP 4-times and triples twice. His 35 triples in 1928 before his legs gave out is the highest total we have seen since that season.
New King infielder Jim Lightbody's swing has been compared to his cousin Doug but Kings fans are worried the youngster also shares Doug's penchant for injury. Jim is listed as day-to-day with a sprained thumb but since it is expected to take a few weeks to heal the Kings have put him on the disabled list as they don't want to take any chances with the 22 year old who is hitting .300 through his first 3 weeks of big league action. Jim's path to the big leagues was delayed last season when he missed 4 months with a leg injury.
Not very often you can win a game when your offense only gives you one hit but that's what Brooklyn's Jack Goff did in his season debut for the Kings. Called up to replace the traded Mike Murphy, the 23 year old son of Kings bench coach Danny Goff, tossed a 6-hit shutout blanking the Philadelphia Sailors 1-0. The only run came when Fred Barrell walked to lead off the third inning, moved to second on Goff's sacrifice and scored on a Howard Brown Jr single that turned out to be the only hit Sailors starter Dutch Sheldon and reliever Merritt Thomas allowed all day. The plan was for Goff to go right back down to Rochester but his efforts earned him at least one more start with the big club.
One more from Brooklyn. The Kings have confirmed that Rats McGonigle will be their starting centerfielder when they next take the field. That will be Tuesday in Baltimore and it will allow the Bronx Tech product to join Doug Lightbody, Freddie Jones and Sal Pestilli as players who bypassed the minors and went straight from college to the big leagues.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 07/03/1939

Japan widens it's blockades in China ports but is also said to be seeking a solution with Britain for the situation in Tientsin.
Japanese warplanes crossed into Soviet dominated Mongolia as heavy border fighting continues.
Winston Churchill spoke at a luncheon this week, warning tensions in Europe are expected "to become most severe" over the next three months adding he wishes he "could convince Herr Hitler that the British nation and surely also the British Empire have reached the limit of their patience" with Germany.
Millions of Poles swore a solemn oath at nationwide gatherings that "the united Polish people will never allow themselves to be cut off from the Baltic Sea" and vowed they will never yield Danzig. Meanwhile, Nazis say Hitler will visit Danzig later this month and they predict a peaceful return of the city to the Reich about the same time.
Paris sees Europe drifting into serious crisis following reports Germany has called up 600,000 reservists and that Italian military equipment is entering Germany.
Britain and France again warn the Reich they will back Poland against aggression.

10-30-2021, 12:34 AM	#275
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	1939 season July 3, 1939 DETROIT DOES DYNAMIC DEAL WITH BROOKLYN The Detroit Dynamos made a big statement that they are "all in" on a pennant push this season after completing a seven player deal with the Brooklyn Kings late last night. The centerpieces of the the deal for Detroit are outfielder Alf Pestilli and 31 year old lefthander Mike Murphy at a cost of a pair of highly touted young prospects in pitcher Bill Willman and infielder Vince D'Alessandro. The full details are Pestilli, Murphy and 20 year old minor league second baseman Joe York heading to Detroit with veteran reliever Curly Jones and young outfield prospect Ellison Sterner joining D'Alessandro and Willman on the trip east. Brooklyn also adds Detroit's first round pick next January and the Dynamos fourth rounder which is the opening round of the June phase of the 1940 draft. The big story is Alf Pestilli now joins his younger brother Sal in the Detroit outfield. The 27 year old was leading the Continental Association in homers with 13 while batting .299 with 41 rbi's in what has proven to be a breakout season for him. The Dynamos hope this move helps kickstart their offense, one which was so strong a year ago but has struggled terribly this season. The 31 year old Murphy is no slouch either, with 3 all-star game appearances and a 115-69 record for his big league career. Jiggs McGee's take: This is a pretty fair trade, with the Kings maybe getting the slight edge long term but Detroit wins in the short haul. Looking at the players sent to Detroit, obviously Alf Pestilli is having a strong season and reuniting with his brother, aside from the obvious morale boost in playing with Sal, should keep him motivated to continue his strong play. This acquisition gives the Dynamos a presumptive trio of Alf in LF, Sal in CF and Leon Drake in RF, moving Doc Love to the 4th OF spot for which he is probably best suited at this point in his career. Mike Murphy is a proven veteran arm who will give Detroit skipper George Theobald a fifth dependable starter as he improves an already solid quartet. The third piece is Joe York is the son of long-time former Dynamos star Dick York and following in his father's footsteps is a great story. Joe's not a shoo-in for a long-term FABL job, but he does have some upside and is still just 20 years old. if he pans out, this will look a lot better for the Dynamos than it does at first blush. That is because the haul Detroit sent to Brooklyn is a big one. Pitcher Bill Willman is not Mike Murphy, but could be a serviceable back of the rotation arm for the Kings. At 23, he still has room to develop but he's currently not liable to be ready for FABL and is a better fit in Rochester where he can - the Kings hope - improve. Infielder Vince D'Alessandro is a nice pick-up for the Kings. He's not going to supplant Harry Barrell at short, and probably won't take the keystone spot currently looking like it's about to become the long-term territory of Jim Lightbody. So where does that leave Vince? As the heir presumptive to Frank Vance perhaps? This is likely where he will be best utilized. He won't have much pop, but should eventually become a capable FABL hitter and his field work is respectable too. OF Ellison Sterner is an intriguing piece. For starters, he hits right-handed, which is key for the southpaw-heavy Kings. For another, his bat is likely FABL-ready right now, at least according to Kings head scout John Spears who also feels Sterner has room to improve. He won't slug like the departed Alf Pestilli but should be, in all other ways, a fair replacement. Now we come to Curly Jones, who is back in Brooklyn for a second go-round. And Brooklyn was the site of the former first overall pick's best season (1937). Can he recapture the magic? Who knows, but he will be, at the very least, a decent right-handed arm for the bullpen who can also start when needed (and he wouldn't be a terrible starter either, though his stuff might occasionally let him down which is why he's likely going to earn his daily bread coming out of the pen). And to cap it off, the Kings got Detroit's 1st and 4th round picks in the next draft, which could yield nice returns as well. Final thoughts: this helps both teams. The Dynamos get some additional pop and an arm to help catch the Miners (if they can, Pittsburgh is starting to look like a team of destiny). The Kings get an infusion of youth and right-handedness and while they take a short-term hit in talent, long-term they are likely to come out ahead when all the pieces are retired and a final summation can be made. MINERS EXTEND LEAD Their 10 game winning streak might have come to an end yesterday following a 2-1 loss to Detroit but the Miners latest hot streak has left them 3 games up on second place Boston and 5.5 ahead of Detroit. After getting off to a quick 5-1 start in April to open the season Pittsburgh has increased it's lead with back to back 18-11 months in both May and June. The Miners led the Federal Association in virtually every key offensive category and the pitching, especially the starting four of Charlie Stedman (9-7, 2.38), Lefty Allen (8-3, 3.24), Bill Ketterman (8-3, 4.46) and Karl Johnson (9-5, 3.79) has also been very solid. JIGGS MCGEE'S ANNUAL ALL-STAR BALLOT IS REVEALED The 7th annual All-Star game will be held in Cleveland in a little over two weeks so once again it is time to take a look at Jiggs McGee's all-star ballot. First up is the Federal Association. FEDERAL ASSOCIATION CATCHER: Tom Bird (.305,5,30) is having another strong season for the Chicago Chiefs and deserves to make the team but only as a backup to Pittsburgh catcher George Cleaves (.374,9,60) who leads the Fed in batting average and is a lock to make the Fed squad for the fifth time in the past six years. John Wicklund (.262,6,25) and Jack Flint (.281,6,44) have each appeared in two all-star games and are both having decent seasons in new locations this year - Detroit for Wicklund and the Gothams for Flint - but neither will displace Cleaves or Bird. FIRST BASE: I mentioned in April after his outstanding spring that this could be a breakout year for Boston's Bob Donoghue (.350,12,50) and the 26 year old has certainly lived up to that billing so far. There are a number of first baseman having strong seasons including the Chiefs Ron Rattigan (.301,7,33) and Mahlon Strong (.312,4,25) in Pittsburgh if he could just stay healthy. The player I want to see on the team as Donoghue's understudy this year is a sentimental choice. Long-time Gothams star Bud Jameson (.349,3,32) has had his struggles in recent years but it would be great to see the 35 year old rewarded with what would surprisingly be his first all-star appearance. SECOND BASE: He is not quite matching last season but Hank Barnett (.282,10,41) of the Chiefs gets the nod here despite the struggles his club has endured. I'll take Boston's Joe Nichols (.289,0,25) and his splendid defense as my backup but the race is close with a pair of youngsters in the Keystones Billy Woytek (.264,3,15) as well as Tommy Wilson (.316,3,21), who has done well in St Louis with the difficult task of replacing Freddie Jones. At the beginning of the season I would have picked Detroit's Ed Stewart (.234,2,17) as a likely candidate for his 5th all-star appearance but while his glove has been very good, Stewart is having a dreadful year at the plate and the Dynamos are looking to replace him. SHORTSTOP: After much debate Detroit's Gil London (.310,2,23) gets my vote. For the backup I would select Mule Monier (.262,3,23) as the second year Gotham has been decent, but not as good as he was in a brief showing last year. THIRD BASE: The Gothams infield will be something to see in a year or two and one of their young stars in Billy Dalton (.282,12,40) is already an all-star starter in my books. It was a tough choice but I think he deserves the nod over Frank LeMieux (.306,1,25) of Detroit, Pittsburgh's Les Tucker (.258,5,28) and 23 year old rookie Leon Blackridge (.308,4,30), who is quietly having a very good season in Washington after being trashed by his manager in spring training. LEFT FIELD: Joe Owens (.339,2,21) got hurt the other day but hopefully it is just short term as the Pittsburgh lead-off man is a big reason for their offensive success and is my selection here. Bobby Small (.339,2,21) has not played a lot yet but he has come out of nowhere to be one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs this season. John Phillips (.309,5,16) is another nice surprise in New York. CENTER FIELD: There are some very good centerfielders in the Fed such as Bobby Barrell (.286,11,38) of the Keystones, Sal Pestilli (.279,16,47) of Detroit and Pittsburgh's recent pickup Pablo Reyes (.316,5,47). All 3 have played in multiple all-star games and a case could be made for all three making the team as reserves this year but the starting centerfielder in my books has to be Boston's Chick Donnelly (.402,5,25) who is enjoying a career year as a 27 year old. RIGHT FIELD: No shortage of right field candidates including Washington's Sam Brown (.321,10,40), Al Tucker (.320,5,45) of St Louis, Pittsburgh's Lew Seals (.300,7,57) and Cliff Moss (.324,9,34) from Chicago. I think a case could be easily made for any of the four as your starter but I am going to give my vote to Lew Seals who is enjoying a breakout season this year. PITCHERS There are a lot of candidates here but we only can select three. Without a doubt my number one choice is Frank Crawford (12-1, 1.63) of Detroit, who had an outstanding season last year to lead Detroit's resurgence and has been even better this time around. Number two is another 12 game winner so far in Washington's Eddie Quinn (12-3, 2.49) who seems to have rediscovered the success he had a few years ago in Cleveland. There are quite a few I would like to add to the team and will make a special note about the Gothams Nate Spear (5-0, 1.28). Too bad he got hurt and has played so little or he might just have made his first all-star appearance. Pittsburgh's Lefty Allen (8-3, 3.24), Dick Higgins (9-5, 3.15) and Art Myers (9-3, 3.07) in Boston along with Charlie Wheeler (7-6, 2.98) in Detroit also are worth a look but the number three pitcher on my ballot will be Miners veteran Charlie Stedman (9-7, 2.38). The run support has often not been there over the years for Stedman and it is reflected in his won-loss record quite often but he has been very steady ever since joining the Miners three years ago. Does anyone else find it weird not to see a Chicago Chiefs pitcher on at least the shortlist, especially with Rabbit Day's (5-9, 4.38) absence from all-star consideration this year? CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION CATCHER: It is nice to see Mike Taylor (.306,5,30) having a solid season with the Cougars and even Fred Barrell (.260,1,22) and his powerful throwing arm is having a bit of a comeback year but they, as well as other candidates like Cleveland's Ken Vance (.324,0,29) and Woody Stone (.314,3,50) pale in comparison to Montreal's Adam Mullins (.356,5,53) who is an easy choice for my vote. I would take Stone as my backup given the choice but it would be close over Taylor. FIRST BASE: I have a pair of sentimental choices here in veterans Dave Trowbridge (.354,5,45) of the Stars and Doug Lightbody (.283,3,18) who seems healthy again in Brooklyn. Neither can get my vote as much as I would love to give it to either of them, nor can Ray Ford (.302,7,33) of the Cougars. I can take some solace in being able to call Trowbridge my backup but the clear choice to start is without a doubt Toronto's Fred McCormick (.367,10,47) with Cleveland's Bill Moore (.391,3,29) getting special mention. Just a lack of games - he has played just 37 so far - kept the two-time Christian Trophy winner from Lubbock State from being considered. SECOND BASE: I talked about him a couple of weeks ago and I see no reason to change my mind. Bob Smith (.344,5,45) of the Sailors gets my vote for his outstanding work both at the plate and in the field. Freddie Jones (.350,4,26) made the call very close in his first season with the Cougars after 7 strong years in St Louis but he will have to be content with coming off the bench if it was my call. SHORTSTOP: Sentimentality may play a role here but I can't imagine an all-star game without a Barrell in it. Bobby is perhaps going to make the Fed side as a spare outfielder but I want to be sure we have one so my vote goes to Harry Barrell (.300,3,20) of Brooklyn who is having a solid year at the plate and another outstanding one with his glove. Barrell missed the '37 game but has been on the team for each of the other 5 all-star contests. He will make it this year but quite possibly as the backup behind Frank Davis (.353,1,35) who is having a terrific season for Montreal. THIRD BASE: I believe Frank Vance (.270,4,33) is the only player to appear in all 6 previous all-star games. That will change this season as Vance is very unlikely to make the squad. Cleveland star Mel Carrol (.382,6,45) is an easy choice for the staring spot and one could debate between Ray Cochran (.324,3,23) of the Stars and the Cougars John Lawson (.307,11,45) for the backup spot. I'll give the nod to Lawson in my books. LEFT FIELD: Here is a real quandary. Up until last night I would have voted for Alf Pestilli (.299,13,41) but he was just traded to Detroit so my vote has to shift to the Stars Moxie Pidgeon (.308,12,46). It would be Pidgeon's 5th all-star appearance as he has already made two for each association. There are some other good choices who deserve to be on the team but the outfield is always packed with talent. They include Joe Watson (.344,4,41) of Philadelphia, Leo Mitchell (.348,4,37) of the Cougars, Cleveland's Roy Bradley (.311,5,32) and Montreal youngster Bert Lass (.315,4,29) CENTER FIELD: There is not really a dominant center fielder this year but I will give the vote to Howard Brown Jr. (.309,2,31) who joined Brooklyn from the Gothams over the winter. Don Homer (.306,0,26) of Philadelphia is also a possibility. Chink Stickels (.262,2,33) was the clear choice last season but he has struggled this year despite the Stars incredible offensive success. A note, if I was allowed I would not select a center fielder at all and give the recognition to another one of the many deserving corner guys. RIGHT FIELD: Everyone in the league feels that Bill Barrett (.281,10,40) is ready to dominate for years to come but the 19 year old New York Stars outfielder, who recently enjoyed a 3-homer game, is not quite set to claim the starting spot in the all-star game yet. I will name him as a backup just because everyone wants to see this kid play but the nod as the starter goes to Montreal's Red Bond (.331,8,43). Brooklyn's Al Wheeler (.254,12,42) is having a down year by his standards but still has a dozen homers and Whit Williams (.299,7,41) is one of the few bright spots in Baltimore this season but both will come up short although may be considered for a reserve spot. PITCHERS: Joe Hancock (9-5, 2.39) of Toronto is my starter. I also feel George Phillips (9-3, 4.26) of the Stars and veteran Chicago pitcher Dick Lyons (6-5, 3.14) are worthy of selection but to be honest there are not a lot of CA pitchers who have really stood out this season. Baltimore's Gus Goulding's (5-9, 3.71) comes close as does Art White (6-4, 3.65) of Brooklyn or Toronto's Bernie Johnson (4-7, 3.50). Cleveland's Lou Martino (4-1, 2.29) perhaps but he has pitched just 78 innings. Bob Walls (6-6, 3.49) comes very close as he has done well of late after overcoming a very rough start to the season but I would say the premier pitchers, or at least the pitchers posting premier stats this season, primarily reside in the Federal Association. QUICK HITS Pennant tension hitting early in the Fed. Detroit manager George Theobald is old school, and certainly made that fact known to Lefty Allen after the Miners ace celebrated a little too vociferously (at least in Theobald's opinion) after blanking Detroit 1-0 on a 3-hitter. Theobald was on the field as quickly as his 76 year old legs could take him, finger wagging at Allen all the way to chastise the Pittsburgh pitcher. That drew a crowd and some choice words for Theobald in defense of his star lefty from Miners manager Dan Andrew. Plenty of milling about and verbal exchanges but fortunately cooler heads prevailed and it progressed no further. Theobald refused to comment on the incident afterwards but Allen, who improved to 8-3 on the season did confirm that it was regarding the celebration. "He basically told me I was being a lousy winner," Allen said. To which Andrew promptly added "And I told him he was being a lousy loser." The Miners also beat Detroit the next night but the Dynamos salvaged a game from the series with a 2-1 win on Sunday and now trail the Miners by 6 games. Boston must be wondering what it will take to catch the Miners. The Minutemen went 4-2 this week but still dropped another game in the standings to Pittsburgh and remain in second place but now 3 games back. Boston has won 8 of it's last 11 games but Pittsburgh is 10-1 over that span. The Pittsburgh Miners' outfield of Joe Owens, Pablo Reyes, and Lew Seals all have a chance at making the all star team. No team has ever had their entire OF make the midsummer classic and with the competition in the Fed this season it is almost a certainty that at best two of the 3 Miners will get the nod? 'It was fun while it lasted" lamented New York Gothams fans after the club's pitching imploded last week, dropping 7 straight ball games and getting outscored 63-21 in the process. The Gothams are now 6 games below the break even mark and what started as a pretty decent season in the debut of Gothams Stadium is in danger of ending very badly. Finding quality pitching has been a big problem in New York the past few years and with 23 year old Nate Spear (5-0, 1.28) slated to miss two more weeks there seems to be no one aside from veteran Oscar Morse (7-6, 3.70) capable of providing a quality start for the Gothams...and even Morse was not immune last week as the 36 year old was blasted by Pittsburgh in what was his worst outing so far this season. While certainly not to the extent of the Gothams, count St Louis as another team in the Fed that is struggling off late. The Pioneers have dropped 10 of their last 16 games and are now 10 back of Pittsburgh. They do feel lucky to even win 3 of their 7 contests last week considering their top three hitters combined to go 19-73(.260) with only 2 RBI's between them. The Montreal Saints have been extremely consistent this season, posting a 3-3 mark in April, 15-15 in May and now 15-14 for June. They also split their first two July games to remain 1 game over .500 on the year. There is worry in Quebec as Dilly Ward (.292,2,14), who was tabbed to take over for the traded Pablo Reyes patrolling center field is hurt for the fourth time this season. The 25 year old missed 3 weeks in spring with a bad back, was bothered by a sore calf in early May and shortly thereafter an elbow injury knocked him out of action for 6 weeks. He returns for 9 games in which he hits over .300 only to suffer a shoulder injury on the weekend that likely spells the end of his season. With 4 hits last week Doug Lightbody is up to 1899 for his career. Only Ira Williams with 2022 has had more hits in a Brooklyn uniform than The Mississippi Mouth. Brooklyn fans have wondered about the 35 year old's Hall of Fame chances. I think he falls just short but it is a shame what could have been had Lightbody not been so injury plagued throughout his career. Over the years Lightbody has missed well over 600 games with injuries so assuming the same hitting rate he would be well over 2,500 hits at this point and might even have had a shot at 3,000 before his career came to an end. Lightbody won a pair of batting titles (1927 & 1934), played on 4 pennant winners and 1 WCS winning Kings club and won the Whitney Award as a 23 year old in his second pro season. He led the CA in runs scored 3 times, OBP 4-times and triples twice. His 35 triples in 1928 before his legs gave out is the highest total we have seen since that season. New King infielder Jim Lightbody's swing has been compared to his cousin Doug but Kings fans are worried the youngster also shares Doug's penchant for injury. Jim is listed as day-to-day with a sprained thumb but since it is expected to take a few weeks to heal the Kings have put him on the disabled list as they don't want to take any chances with the 22 year old who is hitting .300 through his first 3 weeks of big league action. Jim's path to the big leagues was delayed last season when he missed 4 months with a leg injury. Not very often you can win a game when your offense only gives you one hit but that's what Brooklyn's Jack Goff did in his season debut for the Kings. Called up to replace the traded Mike Murphy, the 23 year old son of Kings bench coach Danny Goff, tossed a 6-hit shutout blanking the Philadelphia Sailors 1-0. The only run came when Fred Barrell walked to lead off the third inning, moved to second on Goff's sacrifice and scored on a Howard Brown Jr single that turned out to be the only hit Sailors starter Dutch Sheldon and reliever Merritt Thomas allowed all day. The plan was for Goff to go right back down to Rochester but his efforts earned him at least one more start with the big club. One more from Brooklyn. The Kings have confirmed that Rats McGonigle will be their starting centerfielder when they next take the field. That will be Tuesday in Baltimore and it will allow the Bronx Tech product to join Doug Lightbody, Freddie Jones and Sal Pestilli as players who bypassed the minors and went straight from college to the big leagues. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 07/03/1939 Japan widens it's blockades in China ports but is also said to be seeking a solution with Britain for the situation in Tientsin. Japanese warplanes crossed into Soviet dominated Mongolia as heavy border fighting continues. Winston Churchill spoke at a luncheon this week, warning tensions in Europe are expected "to become most severe" over the next three months adding he wishes he "could convince Herr Hitler that the British nation and surely also the British Empire have reached the limit of their patience" with Germany. Millions of Poles swore a solemn oath at nationwide gatherings that "the united Polish people will never allow themselves to be cut off from the Baltic Sea" and vowed they will never yield Danzig. Meanwhile, Nazis say Hitler will visit Danzig later this month and they predict a peaceful return of the city to the Reich about the same time. Paris sees Europe drifting into serious crisis following reports Germany has called up 600,000 reservists and that Italian military equipment is entering Germany. Britain and France again warn the Reich they will back Poland against aggression. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 10-30-2021 at 12:36 AM.