JULY 13, 1942
BARNETT POWERS FEDS TO ALL-STAR WIN
Hank Barnett homered twice to help the stars of the Federal Association top their Continental counterparts 7-4 in the 10th annual All-Star Game, held Monday in Pittsburgh. The Continental Association never trailed in the game until the Fed stars broke the contest open with a 5-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning. The victory gives the Federal Association a 6-4 lead in the series.
Both of Barnett's blasts were solo shots: in the second inning off of Continental starter Deuce Barrell and in the 6th against Chuck Cole of the New York Stats. The second one, in the sixth inning, tied the game at 2 as the Continental side had opened a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Carlos Montes doubled in his Chicago Cougars teammates Harry Mead and Leo Mitchell.
The score remained 2-2 until the top of the 8th inning when Bill Barrett and Mitchell got things started for the CA against Detroit's Fred Ratcliffe with back to back singles to open the inning. A sacrifice fly from Skipper Schneider would score Barrett to give the CA nine a 3-2 lead and after Mitchell doubled, Jim Hensley delivered an rbi single to score Mitchell and give the Continental Association a 4-2 lead.
Billy Riley of the New York Stars took the mound for the CA in the bottom of the eighth but the first pitch he ever threw in an all-star contest was laced for a triple by Al Tucker of the St Louis Pioneers. Two pitches later Detroit's Sal Pestilli followed with a double and then George Cleaves delighted the hometown crowd as the Miners catcher tripled in Pestilli to tie the game at 4. Walks to Red Johnson and Barnett loaded the bases and ended Riley's day but not the Federal onslaught. George Hampton took over on the mound and promptly fanned Tommy Wilson for the first out but he then walked Jim Watson on 4 pitches to bring in what would prove to be the game winning run. Mule Monier would single in two more runs before the CA finally escaped the inning with a 6-4-3 double play.
Suddenly trailing for the first time in the game, down 7-4, the CA went calmly in the 9th as Keystones pitcher Red Ross retired the side in order, getting a pair of ground outs with a strikeout of Lew Seals in between, and the Federal Association had it's victory.
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ALL STAR GAME RESULTS
YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP
1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pit
1934 Riverside Stadium Federal 11 Continental 7 Chick Stout Pit Tom Taylor Cougars
1935 Broad Street Park Federal 5 Continental 2 Art Myers Keystones Freddie Jones StL
1936 Pioneer Field Continental 6 Federal 4 Tom Barrell BKN Dick Walker Sailors
1937 Dominion Field Federal 4 Continental 2 (19) Don Attaway Keystones Don Attaway Keystones
1938 Bigsby Oval Continental 5 Federal 4 (13) Bob Cummings BKN Fred McCormick TOR
1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick TOR
1940 Thompson Field Federal 7 Continental 4 Red Hampton Chiefs Billy Woytek Keystones
1941 Kings County Continental 8 Federal 4 Pete Papenfus Cougars Fred Galloway Cincinnati
1942 Fitzpatrick Park Federal 7 Continental 4 Ed Wood BOS Hank Barnett Chiefs
ALL-STAR SHOWINGS STRESS FED POWER
FEDERAL NINE EASILY HANDLE SERVICE STARS
Cleveland, July 8- The latest battle of Lake Erie wound up with those mighty men from the Federal Association in full and complete command of the situation. They hacked away to beat T.R. Goins' Service Stars, 5-0, won their second All-Star contest in as many evenings and raised a large load of wampum for the Army and Navy Relief, which, after all, was the main idea.
A sold out crowd 31,371 - 21 more than the stated capacity at Forester Stadium - was announced for the colorful baseball spectacle. It means well over 70,000 spectators saw the two 1942 All-Star games. The Treasury Department will eventually announce just how much baseball contributed to the service men in this double-barreled effort. A guess of over $100,000 wouldn't be too far off.
The crack team of Federal Association stars, who had outpowered the Continental side the night before, simply was too strong for the baseball soldiers and sailors. T.R. Goins had a good club, a team many managers willing would swap for their own, but when Chief Boatswain's Mate Pete Papenfus, the number one pitcher in the CA before the war, was unable to stop Bill Boshart's sluggers, the cause of the Service team was doomed. Manager T.R. had planned for Papenfus to start and go four or five innings before giving way to Jim Douglass but the Federal Association side put the wood to Papenfus so vigorously that they knocked Goins' plans all awry, and TR had to call in Douglass before a man was out in the second inning.
The Service side created some tense moments in the opening inning for Fed starting pitcher Al Miller, who was brought in from Chicago to pitch the game. After retiring the first batter Miller walked Charley McCullough, following which Joe Owens dropped a Texas Leaguer into left field for a single. And when Rip Lee was passed the bases were filled. At this juncture Miller tightened his belt and went to work. He struck out Mike Taylor and then forced Fred McCormick to ground weakly to Hank Barnett for the third out.
The Federal Association had better results in it's first inning when Al Tucker hit a one out single that Rip Lee knocked down but couldn't recover in time to nail the Pioneers outfielder. Then Bobby Barrell walked after which Sal Pestilli singled to center, scoring Tucker. And when Mahlon Strong drove a mighty fly ball to Mike Taylor in right field Barrell scored after the catch.
The Feds would score one run in the second to go up 3-0 before Papenfus was replaced by Jim Douglass. Hank Barnett led off with a screaming triple over center fielder Les Hendrix's head and later scored when Tom Bird singled to left. Douglass came on and escaped the inning without further damage.
The Federal Association stars would add two more runs in the seventh when Tommy Wilson greeted new Service pitcher Jack Goff with a two-bagger to right and then stole third. After Joe Watson grounded out, Bobby Barrell tripled to left center, Wilson trotting home. When Red Johnson blasted a three-bagger to right center, Barrell scored to make it 5-0, which is how the contest finished.
*** Almost Apologetic ***
There was none of the excitement last night in the Federal Association dressing room that prevails when the boys roll the Continental Association over the barrel. The players just walked in after defeating the All-Service team and proceeded to change from their uniforms into street clothes. Only Bill Boshart, Boston Minutemen manager and chief of the winning squad, did any talking.
"Nice work, fellows," he said, as he walked around patting the players on the back. "Nice work."
Hank Barnett, who homered twice on Monday and walloped a mighty triple off Pete Papenfus to help put the skids under the service team, offered an explanation for the lack of hilarity. "Well, it's not like beating the Continental Association," he said. "We love to do that. But with these service players it's another story."
Boshart said the reason for the easy victory was the fact that his players were in better baseball condition because they have been playing more often than the service squad. "But it was a fine game, nevertheless," he was quick to add. "No sloppy playing, not many hits and no errors. What more could you ask?"
Over in the Service team's dressing room, Lt. T.R. Goins was busy shaking hands with players who were leaving to catch trains for their army camp or navy station. "That first inning was the crusher," he said. "The third strike called on Mike Taylor with the bases loaded was a bad break. But that's baseball, you know."
Pete Papenfus, who was charged with the defeat was willing to admit he deserved it. "I just couldn't get started," he explained. "I guess I hadn't had enough practice lately."
KEYSTONES BACK ON TOP OF FED
A four game winning streak out of the all-star break has allowed the Philadelphia Keystones to take their turn at the top of the Federal Association race. The Keystones outscored their opponents (St Louis and the New York Gothams) 24-3 in the shortened week and received three complete games from their starting pitchers. Pittsburgh went 3-2 on the week and the Miners are now a half game back of the front-runners. Third place Boston limped into the break with six losses in their final seven games but the Minutemen got back on track with a pair of wins over New York Thursday and Friday. The weekend was not as kind to the Minutemen, who lost the series finale to the Gothams Saturday before splitting a twin-bill with St Louis on Sunday which leaves them a game off the pace and the Gothams, losers of three of their 4 post break contests, are now 2.5 back.
The New York Stars continue to hold a big league in the Continental Association but the Chicago Cougars closed to within 9.5 games thanks to a 4-game winning streak out of the break. The hottest team in the CA is suddenly Cincinnati, with the Cannons riding an 8-game winning streak and heading into a week that will see them play both the Cougars and Stars three times, with all six contests at Tice Memorial Stadium.
The conservative element had full and complete charge of mid-Summer meetings of the 16 FABL owners in Pittsburgh on All-Star afternoon. Both Associations had kicked the gong around all afternoon on the subject of a special wartime World Championship Series. The whole proposition was finally dropped in to the lap of FABL President Sam Belton when no unanimous decision could be made.
This undoubtedly means that nothing very drastic will happen although some patriotic organization - probably the USO- will be cut into the melon somehow. It is likely that a suggested 15-game barnstorming WCS, which the Continental Association is rumoured as favoring, is completely out. This may be just as well.
*** Series Hysteria is Brief ***
World Championship Series hysteria is tense but this observer has never noticed it lasting much more than a week in any community or in any series of communities. There is no way whatever of guaranteeing that a WCS would need the limit number of games to establish a decision and the thing could be in an awful promotional frost should one side win 8 of the first nine or ten rendering the final four or five games completely meaningless. They talk glibly of a $50,000 gate in every game but what minor league cities have ball parks large enough to seat the necessary number of customers to meet that figure?
In other matters the owners killed William Stockdale and Daniel 'Dee' Rose's plans to have the Washington Eagles and St Louis Pioneers play all of their remaining weekday home games at night. The Federal Association owners wanted no part of it despite Stockdale's repeated pleas.
The trick in dealing with Stockdale's suggestions is never let him wear you out. The Washington magnate belly-ached for more night game so long last winter that he finally got 28 with the help of President Roosevelt's famous letter. Immediately, he started campaigning for more. Granting of his present demand would only mean that he'd yip for a complete schedule of night games. Not that it would make any difference to the quality of Washington baseball, which would still be bargain basement.
The joint meeting also decided to lop one week off each end of the 1943 campaign and appointed a secret committee to keep fingers crossed lest they not be able to open at all.
Cleveland, July 9- The two most disappointed people after the All-Service team's defeat by the Federal Association All-Stars the other night were Lt. Comdr. T.R. Goins, coach of the servicemen, and Chief Bostswains Mate Pete Papenfus, the losing pitcher, who failed to last more than one inning. When Goins started Papenfus he expected the worst- and got it. But there was nothing T.R. not Peter could do about it.
The sold out crowd in Cleveland expected the reigning Allen Award winner to be on the mound as clearly the best option for the Service nine. Fans realize that soldiers and sailors can't practice baseball as much as big leaguers but they remember Papenfus as they last saw him - supreme young pitcher in the game- and they felt even a rusty Papenfus was good enough to stop FABL's best.
But Goins knew better, and so did Papenfus. The fact that Goins yanked Papenfus as quickly as he did was the tip-off. Papenfus has played in a few service games here and there but Goins knew a couple of weeks ago when he himself caught for Peter the Heater in an exhibition at Cougars Park that the Service team was going to have it's hands full. The fact that Jim Douglass, ex-Eagles hurler, had as much success as he did after taking over for Papenfus is more due to the fact the FABL stars eased up on the gas after getting their quick lead.
Sitting with Papenfus the other morning, you felt sorry for the young man. In shape for baseball nobody can touch him as a pitcher. But he's a Navy man now, keeping Navy hours, adhering to Navy regulations and to Navy exercise. What he really is, say sympathetic teammates, almost but not quite as famous, is a walking Join-the-Navy poster in the same way Fred McCormick has the same chore for the Army.
Papenfus is paying the price for the fame that came to him so quickly with his breakout season a year ago. Peter the Heater can take it. He is a swell guy. But he's not in shape to pitch bonafide Papenfus baseball, although it's expected. He's scheduled, so it's been rumoured, for duty outside the United States. He's headed for Hawaii and by the time this war is over he may be permanently too muscular (polite for muscle-bound) ever to take his rightful place as king of the pitchers.
Those who like to gloat whenever a big league ball player or any sports celebrity goes into the services; those who say, "well, those guys ought to be called first because they are physically fit"; or who say, "They've been getting away with murder, earning those fancy salaries," should remember one thing, and it is this:
Pete Papenfus, Fred McCormick, Billy Woytek, Mike T. Taylor, Joe Owens and all the rest of the star ball players, the boxers, the football stars and all of the other athletes, may not be able to return to their jobs when the world conflict is finished. Technically, they are entitled to their former jobs. But Papenfus can't win or McCormcik can't hit or field, for instance, they will be released.
These fellows, then, will have to try something else, something new and possibly overpowering. It's not that way with lawyers, bankers, judges and butchers who are in the service, many holding commissions although strangers to proper salutes, not to mention general military bearing. They'll go back as they were and they'll wind up in the ball parks cheering a new crop of athletic stars. For many of the athletes, their time at the pinnacle of their sport could well be already over, and they don't realize it although Papenfus might just have picked up an inkling of his potential future fate. No, don't knock the athletes in service; they don't deserve it.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
The Toronto Wolves came out of the break winning 3 of 4 again mainly thanks to the starting pitching: in the three wins Toronto only gave up 4 runs. The anemic offense trend continues, only 1 HR in July, only two regulars are hitting over .250 for the month, 2 with an OBP percentage over .300. Toronto with 27 HR for the season is 15th of the 16 teams. Bobby Barrell has hit 20 round trippers, the Wolves 27. It appears that overall HR totals are down in the FABL. The old adage is that pitching and defense win games in the Wolves case it is mainly pitching although the defense is not spectacular it not costing the team games, yet. Charlie Reed is constantly tinkering with the lineup in order to hopefully find a combination that will produce some runs.
On the farm, Jerry York's first professional start was an unmitigated success in Vancouver, 7 1/3, 3 ER, 7 K, 1 BB, he will start again this week on the west coast. The team's travelling secretary has been told to check the train schedules and connections required to get York to Davenport at a moments notice, if required, in the near future. John Graves, Wolves first round pick in '40, was promoted to Buffalo to start patrolling CF after a 23-game hitting streak ended in Chattanooga.
ABOUT POTATO MASHING - Mr. John Meachum, the voice of Edgerton Sports has my ear - and yours, I hope today. Edgerton's make the Great American Potato which our heroes mash regularly at Tice Memorial Stadium and other FABL points. The athletes claim that the Great American Potato has become soggy, or something, and that they do not get enough screaming mileage out of a line drive as they used to. This Week in Figment Baseball, the scripture of sports, comes out with an editorial today suggesting that the recent lack of hitting be ascribed to the "dead ball" and this brings Mr. Meachum on stage, frothing at the mouth.
STRONG DISAGREES - Mr. Meachum has long been associated with the Edgerton company and is son of current Keystones owner Edward Meachum, who was a nephew of the sporting goods founder Jefferson Edgerton. So, the younger Meachum certainly has the inside scoop. John Meachum has applied the stethoscope to the "dead ball," he says, and finds it very much alive, indeed. He insists that his machinery shows that the baseballs being made today bounce as afar and as fast off the bat as they did two, three- or ten- years ago.
Mr. Meachum's testimony is at variance with the research conducted by another investigator, Mr. Moxie Pidgeon. Mr. Pidgeon does not use machines or charts or cube root to arrive at his conclusions. Only his big bat. And he says: "This ball don't go as far as a it used to."
Pidgeon freely admits his power outage of late is not entirely the fault of the suddenly soft potato. "It's not sour grapes. I know I have had a bad year and a half and maybe my bat is slowing down. But watching other guys in batting practice, or when I hit one sweet myself, it just doesn't have the same hop off the bat."
Home runs are down. As a total, FABL players hit 1,465 three years ago, 1,449 two years ago and 1,379 last year but this season we are on pace for less that 1,200 round-trippers. So perhaps there is some truth to what Pidgeon, and others might believe.
- FABL magnates won't admit it, but it was apparent at their meeting in Pittsburgh the other day that they are plenty worried about the game's future...some of the owners think they will be lucky if they can finish this season, although they are putting up a brave front and telling the world they will send their teams to spring training next year as usual.
- That was a terrific military display last Tuesday in Cleveland with those tanks and mechanized forces from Camp Custer; coast guardsmen, sailors, marines and the Great Lakes band thrilling the fans.
- The Dixie League recently put out a statement it intends to carry on through the 1942 season to it's completion but deferred a decision on 1943 plans until later. The document announced the league would have to await war developments before deciding whether to continue next season. The Dixie loop, along with the Century League are the two longest active minor leagues with each tracing it's start back to 1884.
- All-star hero Hank Barnett now has 117 career home runs for the Chiefs, putting him in 3rd place just ahead of Cliff Moss (116). Barnett trails Jim Hampton (170) by 53 home runs. Joe Masters tops the leaderboard with 247.
- The next 15 games for the Chiefs are against: Pittsburgh, Boston, and Philadelphia. "We likely need to win at least 10 of those to stay in this race." says Chiefs skipper Joe Ward.
- The Keystones are back in first after a 4-0 All-Star week. 3 complete games (Stevens, Tuttle, Brooks) and a 24-3 scoring edge, which will help the PyR (still a +3, so we have a ways to go). Bobby Barrell pulls in front of Gotham LF Walt Messer in the home run race with his 20th. The home run came in the first inning off of St. Louis righthander Ed Cornett and gave the Georgia Jolter his ninth 20-home run season.
- It's funny what a change of uniform can do...While the All-Service team was taking batting practice pitcher Jim Whiteley of the FABL All-Stars looked closely at a Service hitter taking his cuts...."Who's that?" he asked of a newspaperman...."You should know," was the answer. "He was your teammate last year with the Keystones"....Whiteley looked again and shook his head....The hitter was Billy Woytek, who was with the Keystones last year.
- On Sunday, the Keystones George Brooks and Cincinnati's Deuce Barrell entered the day tied for the FABL lead with 99 strikeouts. Brooks finished what he started in the 2-1 win over New York, but only managed three strikeouts. Deuce also threw a complete-game win in a 4-1 victory over Montreal and he punched out two, allowing Brooks to close the week ahead on strikeouts, 102-101.
- While the victories may come easy in Washington for visiting Federal Association teams, there will be no more post-game celebratory suds, at least not in the clubhouse. Teams visiting Columbia Stadium will learn that beer is being served at nearby taverns, but not in the either of the clubhouses....Typed in capital letters, but unsigned, was a notice on the Eagles bulletin board the other evening saying cold, soothing suds were being eliminated. It offered no explanation, but was emphatic and applied to both the home and visitors rooms....Speculation is the Eagles, or several of the contingent of them that travelled to Richmond on Tuesday to play Camp Lee, got a little out of line on the return trip. They had discovered a team they could beat, and the celebrating became just a little too hilarious....The upshot was a letter reached the front-office, and the front office reached the conclusion beer was at the base of the troubles so the club secretary reached for the typewriter and beer was rapidly placed beyond the immediate reach of the Eagles, and their opponents.
- Perhaps we are too hard on the Eagles and maybe the no suds plan is working as Washington has won seven of it's last 10 games. The Eagles have always seemed to me to be a very streaky team. Usually losing streaks but they have had their moments. A few years back they made a big charge in the second half and were in contention. That was 1937 when they went 81-73 overall but finished out the season with a 44-21 record. It was a year much like this one in that the Fed had six teams finish with 6 games of top spot, so who knows maybe this is the start of something for the Eagles.
- In his first start back from injury Boston's Duke Hendricks lasted all of 14 pitches before he strained a forearm that will keep him out for the next 2 months. In other news it looks as though the Boston scouting department took a big swing and miss as top overall pick Bob Arman checks in as the #23 rated prospect in the league. C Mark Smith who checks in at #8 seems to be the top rated player in the pipeline for '42 draftees. Arman doesn't even own the top pitching spot as that went to Jerry York who is ranked #9. SS Bob Lopez #11 and CF Ernie McCoy #13 also rank higher than Arman. This is not to say that Arman won't develop into a really useful piece, it is just safe to say that over the last few months his stock certainly dropped according to BNN
FOOTBALL KINGS LOSE HEAD COACH TO NAVY
- The Brooklyn Football Kings are in search of a new coach after word that current head man John Brainard has announced he is joining the Navy. Brainard, who guided the Kings to the league title in 1940 but finished a disappointing 4-7 last year, will be sworn in as a lieutenant commander next week.
- They are a great war team but the Army and Navy do not see eye to eye on athletics. The Army has sanctioned travelling football teams this Fall but the Navy will definitely have no part of this under it's new ruling fixing a 48-hour time limit of absence of sports teams from their normal stations. This won't affect Annapolis Maritime or any of the other naval college schools but it does mean the touring teams that will play some pro and college squads will be comprised entirely of army soldiers. The regulation applies to football, but not boxing or baseball, as both of those activities will be permitted.
- The Brooklyn Football Kings have confirmed they will play a tune-up game against the Army's football team - comprised of both college and professional players in civil life- in Jersey City the week before the 1942 AFA regular season gets underway. With the decision by the Navy to pull out, there will no longer be two military teams - one East and one in the West. Instead a single squad will open against the Washington Wasps in Los Angeles in mid-August before working it's way east.
- You can add the acting athletic director of Brunswick College to the list of those who say College football has a definite place in the American war effort. Asa Bushnell points out not only does the sport instill the will to win -prime requisite for victory- in our future fighting men but also the fact that football receipts will be the major factor in financing physical fitness programs at many colleges.
- Have you stopped to think that football is less than a month away? The Detroit Maroons start training at Charlevoix, Michigan on August 5th and on that same date the Washington Wasps will begin to gather in Los Angeles to begin their camp.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/12/1942
- Allied forces continue to have great success against Japan. In China a bombing run destroyed 77 grounded Japanese airplanes and a gunboat while in the Pacific reports of 4 more Japanese ships sunk this week.
- US Secretary of War Stimson and Secretary of Navy Knox, in a joint order, state that American armed forces would fight until the Japanese are expelled "from every foot of Chinese soil."
- The British army is not only holding strong in Egypt but actually made some headway against Rommel, capturing a strong point and driving Nazi forces off Qibliya Ridge. A gunner from Tucson fired the initial shot, signaling the entry of American forces in the battle in North Africa. Observers say that the American-built General Grant tanks, showed superiority to their German counterparts in the battle.
- British bombers hit a big axis base in Sicily and also Germany's North Sea naval base of Wilhelmshaven.
- German forces on the Eastern Front have crossed the Don River near Voronezh as they start a new drive towards Moscow.
- The FBI nabbed 158 suspected Nazi spies in round-ups conducted late last week, several of those arrested were employed in vital war plants.
- Gas rationing intensifies in the eastern United States and word is many more popular products will need to be rationed in the near future.