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Jiggs McGee · 08-15-2022, 12:39 PM

JULY 12, 1943

DREAM GAME WITH GLAMOUR UNDIMMED BY WAR DUE TO DRAW 33,000 IN FIRST NIGHT OFFERING

Montreal- FABL will set up their All-Star scenery at Parc Cartier Tuesday night for baseball's 11th annual dream game, and although the war has removed some of the brightest stars from the backdrop it scarcely has dimmed the glamour of the game. A capacity crowd of just over 33,000 is expected to see the spectacle in it's first presentation in Montreal and first showing at night.

The starting lineups have been confirmed for both the Federal and Continental Associations and while no final word has been given on the moundsmen who will kick off the evening, it is expected that managers Ed Ziehl of the Feds and Jerry Kant of the Stars will call on Ed Wood (13-3, 2.04) of Boston and Cincinnati's Rufus 'Deuce' Barrell (11-3, 1.69) to be the starting pitchers. Barrell, who last pitched Friday, is fully rested and Wood, despite throwing 114 pitches Saturday, should be good to go. Barrell was the starter last season for the Continental side while Wood did not start, but he did get credit for the victory thanks to a late Fed rally.

Every team will have at least one representative on the team this year with the Chicago Cougars leading the way with 8 of their players named to the club include all 4 infielders - Dick Walker, Clark Car, Skipper Schneider and Hank Barnett- who were all selected as starters for the Continental side. Cincinnati and the Chicago Chiefs are next as each placed 6 members on the game rosters. The 4 Cougar infielders starting tomorrow night is believed to be the first team an all-star game starting infield has been entirely represented by a single team.

Here is a list of the All-Star Game representatives from each team:
COUGARS- 8 Johnnie Jones P, Dick Lyons P, Dick Walker 1B, Clark Car 2B, Hank Barnett 3B, Skipper Schneider SS, Leo Mitchell OF, Cliff Moss OF
CINCINNATI- 6 Rufus Barrell P, Butch Smith P, Gary Harris P, Adam Mullins C, Jim Hensley SS, Fred Galloway OF
CHIEFS- 6 John Douglas P, Al Miller P, Luis Sandoval P, Tom Bird C, Sam Orr 2B, Jim Watson OF
BOSTON- 4 Walt Wells P, Ed Wood P, Lew McClendon SS, Pete Day OF
WASHINGTON- 4 Ike Keller P, Paul Wilkerson C, Sig Stofer 1B, Dilly Ward OF
NY GOTHAMS- 3 Ed Bowman P, Walt Messer 1B, Leon Drake OF
SAILORS- 3 Woody Stone C, Marion Boismenu 1B, Joseph Mills OF
ST LOUIS- 3 Sam Sheppard P, Gail Gifford OF, Al Tucker OF
TORONTO- 3 Joe Hancock P, Lou Jayson P, Walt Pack 1B
BROOKLYN- 2 Jim Crawford P, Curly Jones P
DETROIT- 2 Frank Vance 3B, George Dawson SS
KEYSTONES- 2 Red Ross P, Hank Koblenz 3B
PITTSBURGH- 2 Gene Stevens P, Johnny McDowell 3B
CLEVELAND- 1 Cal Howe OF
MONTREAL- 1 Bill Ross P
NY STARS- 1 Henry Jones OF

VANCE MAKING RECORD 9TH ALL-STAR APPEARANCE

41 year old Frank Vance of the Detroit Dynamos has become the first player selected to 9 all-star games. Vance, who has only missed the 1939 last year's contest, was named as a reserve for the Federal Association squad. He had previously been tied with John Lawson and Bobby Barrell for the lead with 8 each but Lawson is now working for the Navy and Barrell was, perhaps surprisingly, omitted from the Federal squad this season.

Code:

MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
9* Frank Vance  
8* Tom Bird  
8  John Lawson  
8  Bobby Barrell  
7* Adam Mullins   
7  George Cleaves  
7  Fred McCormick  
7  Harry Barrell

16 PLAYERS MAKING ALL-STAR DEBUT

There will 16 first-time all-stars among the group of 51 players named to the two squads that will compete in Montreal on Tuesday evening. The total is 51 because Lew McClendon of Boston, who was named the starting shortstop for the Fed, has an injury and will not be able to participate so Detroit's George Dawson will take his spot.

Among the first timers we have some very familiar names such as Johnny McDowell and Sam Orr - players one might have expected to have been named previously- rising young stars like Sig Stofer and Ed Bowman and relative unknows having outstanding seasons like Cal Howe. It is also perhaps a redemption of sorts for Curly Jones of Brooklyn, a first overall draft pick way back in 1932 who finally, at age 32, is an all-star. Jones' career had it's ups and downs - well a lot more of the latter than the former to be honest- but he is doing a solid job in the Brooklyn bullpen this season and made the squad for the first time. (Although we won't go in to how we feel about relievers in the All-Star game at this time)

ALL STAR APPEARANCES FOR CURRENT SELECTEES
9- Frank Vance
8- Tom Bird
7- Adam Mullins
6- Hank Barnett
5- Fred Galloway, Joe Hancock, Dick Lyons, Al Miller,
4- Pate Day, Leon Drake, Leo Mitchell, Woody Stone, Dick Walker, Ed Wood,
3- Deuce Barrell, George Dawson, Lou Jayson, Ike Keller, Cliff Moss, Skipper Schneider, Sam Sheppard, Butch Smith, Al Tucker, Walt Wells,
2- Clark Car, Gail Gifford, Gary Harris, Jim Hensley, Henry Jones, Hank Koblenz, Lew McClendeon, Walt Messer, Bill Ross, Red Ross, Jim Watson
1- Marion Boismenu, Ed Bowman, Jim Crawford, John Douglas, Cal Howe, Curly Jones, Johnnie Jones, Johnny McDowell, Joseph Mills, Sam Orr, Walt Pack, Luis Sandoval, Gene Stevens, Sig Stofer, Dilly Ward, Paul Wilkerson

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Mid-Season Wolves Report Cards: The annual mid-summer All-Star game approaches in Montreal here are this scribe's grades for the Wolves, 43-29, at almost the mid-point of the 1943 season.

CATCHERS
Clarence Howerton: A: Howerton has been a pleasant surprise with his bat .247/.320/.323 with more RBI than expected, 26. Along with his above average handling of the pitching staff and clubhouse presence has made Clarence a true leader in the first half.
Homer Betts: B+: although being a caddy to Howerton a slash line of .328/.423/.433 has been a key ingredient due to the number of double headers faced by all teams this season. Having a contributing backup catcher is necessity with the schedule.

INFIELDERS
1B- Walter Pack: B+: leading the team in both HR, RBI Pack has rebounded from a sub-par 1942 season, .276/.360/.437 is not the quite offensive output expected from Pack. A modestly better second half would bring Walter's grade to his anticipated A level.
1B- Al Jensen- B: like Betts, Jensen is providing more than adequate statistics in a back-up role.
2B- Mike Rollinson- C: There has never been a question about ability to put the bat on the ball as evidenced by .299/.349/.390. The knock on Rollinson is his play in the field, 14 miscues with .959 fielding % is not FABL level for an important piece of the DP combination. He is working with the coaching staff on fielding his position every day. To be fair he was put at 2B to get his bat in the lineup, minor league stats suggest he will improve in the field with time.
2B- Hal Wood- A: Wood has forced manager Charlie Reed to find a way to put him into the lineup as often as possible, his versatility, 2B, 3B, SS has made it a little easier for Reed. Wood's .333/.400/.376 line begs to be in the lineup on a daily basis. He defense at the second sack has made him a late inning replacement for Rollinson.
3B- Ockie Holliday- B+: Another player who has rebound this season after a lack luster 1942, .284/.309/.372 is almost the level of offensive production expected from Holliday. Like Pack a little more is expected from Ockie for the remainder of the season.
3B- Joe Bell- D: helping neither with the bat nor the glove. Bell was an insurance policy for Holliday that thankfully has not been needed this season.
SS- Charlie Artuso- C: His batting woes began in ST and have not, except for short bursts, straightened out in the three months of the regular season. At .220/.287/.315 has forced Reed to move him from the 2 hole down to the 7 spot in the lineup. His glove keeps him in the daily lineup but Wood is pushing for more playing time.

OUTFIELDERS
Juan Pomales- A-: Pomales has provided an above average bat, .302/.374/.384, while spending most of his time patrolling CF before the trade for Chink Stickels. His range in CF was questionable but he has 12 outfield assists, good for second behind Brooklyn's Hal Reynolds. The move the LF should help the team overall. The knock on Pomales is that his pitching stats 2-3, 4.74 ERA is not what was envisioned as sixth starter to ease the load with the number of twin bills. Is this too much to ask of this talented two-way player?
Larry Vestal- C-: Vestal's has not shown enough bat, .225/.330/.320 to remain a regular in Toronto. He will continue to get playing time in the second half as a 4th or 5th outfielder.
[b]Chink Stickels- Incomplete- Stickels has only been with Toronto for a week, big things are expected as the Wolves try to chase down the Cannons, Cougars during the remainder of the season.
Reginald Westfall- D: subpar in both the field and at the plate. To be fair he was plagued by a nagging injury for most of the first half. He will be competing for playing time going forward, there is no time to wait for him to round into form.
Gus Hull- B+: Hull's .291/.384/.411 line has made him odds on favourite for the starting RF role going forward after spending the half as a replacement, rest option. Although not the fleetest of foot he will not hurt the team while patrolling RF.
Frank Huddleston- D: very little playing time along with very little production. Many fans thought that Huddleston should have been DFA'd instead of Marshall after the Stickels trade but management decided his versatility around the infield was a better hedge against injuries going forward, barring injury Huddleston will see limited action in July, August, September.

STARTING PITCHING
Joe Hancock- A: As expected Hancock has led the staff with Garrison's departure to the war. 9-5, 2.78 is a fine record but misleading in the fact that a couple of clunkers have inflated the losses and ERA. Joe hopes to challenge Cincinnati's Barrell II as the league dominate pitcher in the second half.
Bernie Johnson- A: Has provided an effective righty/ lefty combination with Hancock. A repeat of 7-3, 2.70 would go a long way to bringing October baseball to Toronto.
Bob Walls- B-: Effective if not spectacular first half, 6-5, 4.41. Walls will have to step up his game in coming months.
Chick Wirtz- C-: Disappointing for a starter projected to be the #2 man, 2-9, 4.98 with opponents hitting .324 will limit his role to heavy scripted starts in the future. There are rumblings that he could find himself in a bullpen role if anyone in Buffalo deserves a shot in the rotation.
Jimmy Gibbs- A: A very successful start to his FABL career, 7-2, 2.94 in 8 starts. Gibbs was put into the rotation after Pomales' early season struggles, he has provided stellar results. Gibbs gives the team a solid #3, the jury is still out as to whether or not he continue at this high level as league sees more of him.

RELIEVERS
Lou Jayson- A: Lou won 6 games for the team along with 7 saves. He continues to give Reed an effective option late in the game. A shoulder issue forced him to miss time in June. This is a situation that the training staff must be all over during the second half.
Bob McRae- A: An effective 2 to Jayson's top role in relief, 7 saves, 1.26 ERA but limited to only 14 IP.
Bill Crosby- C-: 4.07 in 42 IP is not what what the Wolves need from Crosby if a starter must leave a game early for any reason.
Phil English- A-: Limited action, 18 IP but effective 1.00 ERA, this wily veteran gives Reed a good matchup against lefty hitting.

The 11th annual All-Star game will be played tomorrow in Montreal. The Fed won 7-4 last year in Pittsburgh and lead the series 6 wins to four.
The Chicago Cougars caught fire and rolled off 14 in a row, including a crucial four game sweep of the Cannons in Chicago. 11 of the 14 wins came against teams over .500. Art White has a massive first week, a 1-0 shutout of Cincinnati and then a 1 run complete game victory over the Sailors. 8-1 for the week, and all 8 runs saw us allow 2 or fewer runs, with a healthy +26 for the week. All this helped the Cougars claim first, now up a game in the CA.
Rookie All Star Johnnie Jones is red hot for the Cougars, entering the break on a streak of 10 consecutive complete game victories with 3 or less runs allowed. Jones' 11 wins are tied with Rufus Barrell for most in the Continental Association, and he's dropped his ERA and WHIP to 2.32 (148 ERA+) and 1.17 on the season
Meanwhile in Cincinnati the Cannons are trying to figure out how to get their offense going. 3 runs in 4 losses to the Cougars for a team that dealt away a lot of it's future to bring in the bats of Billy Dalton and Sam Brown to try and jumpstart the offense. The newcomers can't be blamed as Dalton is hitting a respectable .291 and Brown an impressive .377 since the move to the midwest.
One of the young players Brooklyn picked up from their fire sale is already showing value. Mel Haynes - who was part of the Al Wheeler deal with the Chicago Chiefs- made his FABL debut with a 4-3 victory over the Sailors. He had a no-decision his second time out but looked pretty impressive in that one as well.
However, one has to question why the Kings demoted 22 year old Jim Kenny to AAA to make room for Haynes. Kenny was 8-3 and in the running for rookie of the year.
Stars management says it underestimated Henry Jones, not giving the All-Star enough credit for being able to pull off the starting roll in LF. The guy is absolutely crushing it. He must be inspiring to the rest of the OF because Chubby Hall is finally finding a groove and hitting well. The New York Daily Mirror reports that top twenty prospect Elijah Bourdeau will be coming up this week to fill the hole in CF, so Stars fans are hopeful they can get firing on all cylinders again.
Good news tempered by bad news seems to be the story in St Louis. The good this time is a 5-3 week to get the Pioneers back to .500 plus 3 players (Sam Sheppard, Gail Gifford and Al Tucker) make the all-star team. First time since 1937 for both Gifford and Sheppard. But the bad news is reliever Angel Padilla, who hurt his arm in spring training, has decided to retire after realizing recovery was not going as hoped. The 31 year old appeared in 95 games for the Pioneers -all in relief- since joining the club in 1937. A native of the Dominican Republic he was one of a number of players who entered pro ball through open tryouts when the Lone Star Association was formed in 1929. Ironically, former Pioneer David Abalo was another of those Latin players who got their start that way and like, Padilla, Abalo suffered a career ending injury n his prime a couple of years back.
Clarence Keenan of the St Louis Star-Times notes the Pioneers went hitter heavy in the draft in an attempt to bring some balance to the top prospects list. It worked somewhat with four hitters from this draft cracking the club's top 30 list. Unsurprisingly Homer Mills, their first round selected 6th overall, jumped to the top spot among Pioneer hitters at #3. Surprisingly regional round pick Jim Koch landed at #6 in the system. The biggest surprise is seventh rounder Fred Morales landing at #14 overall on the team list while second rounder Bill Parker disappoints with a STL ranking of #16.
The Pioneers are still trying to sign 6th round selection Frank Wood but it is looking like the 18 year old catcher from Los Angeles has decided to play college ball at Grand Junction State, a division two school in Colorado.
Only two first round picks have yet to sign. #3 overall Pat Petty is still negotiating with Brooklyn while the Philadelphia Keystones have yet to convince 10th overall selection Johnny Porter to turn pro instead of going to Annapolis Maritime.

HOUSE MEMBERS CALL ON ARMY TO RECONSIDER COLLEGE GRID DECISION

Count Max Morris, baseball Hall of Famer and currently a Representative from Ohio, as being firmly in the camp that believes only the Army can save college football. Morris and Pennsylvania Representative Samuel Weiss issued a joint statement calling on the Army to change it's decision regarding intercollegiate athletics for soldier-students. Said Weiss "At this late date there is only one thing that can save the sport and that is for the Army to give it's trainees the go-ahead sign."

The Army has 130,000 young men in colleges undergoing special training as engineers, medical officers and in other technical pursuits. However, Army officials said only last week that the schedule set for those soldiers simply doesn't allow enough time for football, much as they'd like to arrange it.

In recent weeks, a number of college have announced they would not be able to continue football because all their mature players were in uniform and they felt the 17-year-olds would not fill the breach. Weiss, the chairman of an informal committee that has been urging the War Department to allow Army College trainees to participate in inter-collegiate games, was gloomy about the outlook.

"I hear that when the decision is made, it may not be favourable to football," Weiss said.

*** COULD FIND TIME ***

"I have discussed that time factor with numerous Army officers and they say the boys could devote an hour or two a day to football without interfering with class room work. In fact, the boys are the most concerned of all about giving up the game."

Rome State officials have declared their enthusiasm for continuing the sport and cadets at that campus will play a schedule this autumn.

"What I can't understand," questioned Morris, "is how Rome and Annapolis Maritime and Navy Pre-Flight and Navy trainees can play, yet the Army trainees can't, as yet."

NOTEWORTHY

This week Annapolis Maritime and Rome State confirmed they will meet in Georgia on November 27th as each has released their full schedule. The annual game between the two service academies, a Philadelphia fixture in recent years, was shifted to Annapolis last year at the behest of President Roosevelt as a travel conservation measure. The Navigators prevailed 14-6 in last years meeting.
Georgia Baptist is looking for big results this season after coming so close to a National Title a year ago. The Gators coach had a smile as broad as the income tax collector when boasting he believes he will have 8 letterman back from the squad that went 9-1-1 a year ago and beat Travis College in the Lone Star Classic.
Positive news out of New York as well where Henry Hudson University began grid drills with a turnout of about 60 prospective players, most of them trainees under the navy's V-12 program. The Academia Alliance school posted a 3-6 record a year ago. And Pierpont, the Bridgeport, Ct. based squad that was tops in the Academia section last seasons, reports 75 players in camp, with nearly members of Navy V-5, V-12 and ROTC units.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/11/1943

The land invasion begins in Europe as after a week of bombing, Allied forces swarmed the Italian island of Sicily before dawn under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. They are facing an estimated 300,000 German and Italian troops.
Invasion-jittery German military authorities have proclaimed all Greece in a state of revolution and ordered the death penalty for even minor infractions of Nazi regulations.
The Germans are hurling nearly a half million men and thousands of tanks and planes against Soviet defenses as they attempt to inch their way eastward.
American warships have inflicted heavy damage on a Japanese naval force following a battle in the narrow confines of Kula Gulf in the central Solomons. 10 enemy cruisers and destroyers were reported sunk or heavily damaged.

08-15-2022, 12:39 PM	#494
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	July 12, 1943 JULY 12, 1943 DREAM GAME WITH GLAMOUR UNDIMMED BY WAR DUE TO DRAW 33,000 IN FIRST NIGHT OFFERING Montreal- FABL will set up their All-Star scenery at Parc Cartier Tuesday night for baseball's 11th annual dream game, and although the war has removed some of the brightest stars from the backdrop it scarcely has dimmed the glamour of the game. A capacity crowd of just over 33,000 is expected to see the spectacle in it's first presentation in Montreal and first showing at night. The starting lineups have been confirmed for both the Federal and Continental Associations and while no final word has been given on the moundsmen who will kick off the evening, it is expected that managers Ed Ziehl of the Feds and Jerry Kant of the Stars will call on Ed Wood (13-3, 2.04) of Boston and Cincinnati's Rufus 'Deuce' Barrell (11-3, 1.69) to be the starting pitchers. Barrell, who last pitched Friday, is fully rested and Wood, despite throwing 114 pitches Saturday, should be good to go. Barrell was the starter last season for the Continental side while Wood did not start, but he did get credit for the victory thanks to a late Fed rally. Every team will have at least one representative on the team this year with the Chicago Cougars leading the way with 8 of their players named to the club include all 4 infielders - Dick Walker, Clark Car, Skipper Schneider and Hank Barnett- who were all selected as starters for the Continental side. Cincinnati and the Chicago Chiefs are next as each placed 6 members on the game rosters. The 4 Cougar infielders starting tomorrow night is believed to be the first team an all-star game starting infield has been entirely represented by a single team. Here is a list of the All-Star Game representatives from each team: COUGARS- 8 Johnnie Jones P, Dick Lyons P, Dick Walker 1B, Clark Car 2B, Hank Barnett 3B, Skipper Schneider SS, Leo Mitchell OF, Cliff Moss OF CINCINNATI- 6 Rufus Barrell P, Butch Smith P, Gary Harris P, Adam Mullins C, Jim Hensley SS, Fred Galloway OF CHIEFS- 6 John Douglas P, Al Miller P, Luis Sandoval P, Tom Bird C, Sam Orr 2B, Jim Watson OF BOSTON- 4 Walt Wells P, Ed Wood P, Lew McClendon SS, Pete Day OF WASHINGTON- 4 Ike Keller P, Paul Wilkerson C, Sig Stofer 1B, Dilly Ward OF NY GOTHAMS- 3 Ed Bowman P, Walt Messer 1B, Leon Drake OF SAILORS- 3 Woody Stone C, Marion Boismenu 1B, Joseph Mills OF ST LOUIS- 3 Sam Sheppard P, Gail Gifford OF, Al Tucker OF TORONTO- 3 Joe Hancock P, Lou Jayson P, Walt Pack 1B BROOKLYN- 2 Jim Crawford P, Curly Jones P DETROIT- 2 Frank Vance 3B, George Dawson SS KEYSTONES- 2 Red Ross P, Hank Koblenz 3B PITTSBURGH- 2 Gene Stevens P, Johnny McDowell 3B CLEVELAND- 1 Cal Howe OF MONTREAL- 1 Bill Ross P NY STARS- 1 Henry Jones OF VANCE MAKING RECORD 9TH ALL-STAR APPEARANCE 41 year old Frank Vance of the Detroit Dynamos has become the first player selected to 9 all-star games. Vance, who has only missed the 1939 last year's contest, was named as a reserve for the Federal Association squad. He had previously been tied with John Lawson and Bobby Barrell for the lead with 8 each but Lawson is now working for the Navy and Barrell was, perhaps surprisingly, omitted from the Federal squad this season. Code: MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS 9* Frank Vance 8* Tom Bird 8 John Lawson 8 Bobby Barrell 7* Adam Mullins 7 George Cleaves 7 Fred McCormick 7 Harry Barrell 16 PLAYERS MAKING ALL-STAR DEBUT There will 16 first-time all-stars among the group of 51 players named to the two squads that will compete in Montreal on Tuesday evening. The total is 51 because Lew McClendon of Boston, who was named the starting shortstop for the Fed, has an injury and will not be able to participate so Detroit's George Dawson will take his spot. Among the first timers we have some very familiar names such as Johnny McDowell and Sam Orr - players one might have expected to have been named previously- rising young stars like Sig Stofer and Ed Bowman and relative unknows having outstanding seasons like Cal Howe. It is also perhaps a redemption of sorts for Curly Jones of Brooklyn, a first overall draft pick way back in 1932 who finally, at age 32, is an all-star. Jones' career had it's ups and downs - well a lot more of the latter than the former to be honest- but he is doing a solid job in the Brooklyn bullpen this season and made the squad for the first time. (Although we won't go in to how we feel about relievers in the All-Star game at this time) ALL STAR APPEARANCES FOR CURRENT SELECTEES 9- Frank Vance 8- Tom Bird 7- Adam Mullins 6- Hank Barnett 5- Fred Galloway, Joe Hancock, Dick Lyons, Al Miller, 4- Pate Day, Leon Drake, Leo Mitchell, Woody Stone, Dick Walker, Ed Wood, 3- Deuce Barrell, George Dawson, Lou Jayson, Ike Keller, Cliff Moss, Skipper Schneider, Sam Sheppard, Butch Smith, Al Tucker, Walt Wells, 2- Clark Car, Gail Gifford, Gary Harris, Jim Hensley, Henry Jones, Hank Koblenz, Lew McClendeon, Walt Messer, Bill Ross, Red Ross, Jim Watson 1- Marion Boismenu, Ed Bowman, Jim Crawford, John Douglas, Cal Howe, Curly Jones, Johnnie Jones, Johnny McDowell, Joseph Mills, Sam Orr, Walt Pack, Luis Sandoval, Gene Stevens, Sig Stofer, Dilly Ward, Paul Wilkerson TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Mid-Season Wolves Report Cards: The annual mid-summer All-Star game approaches in Montreal here are this scribe's grades for the Wolves, 43-29, at almost the mid-point of the 1943 season. CATCHERS Clarence Howerton: A: Howerton has been a pleasant surprise with his bat .247/.320/.323 with more RBI than expected, 26. Along with his above average handling of the pitching staff and clubhouse presence has made Clarence a true leader in the first half. Homer Betts: B+: although being a caddy to Howerton a slash line of .328/.423/.433 has been a key ingredient due to the number of double headers faced by all teams this season. Having a contributing backup catcher is necessity with the schedule. INFIELDERS 1B- Walter Pack: B+: leading the team in both HR, RBI Pack has rebounded from a sub-par 1942 season, .276/.360/.437 is not the quite offensive output expected from Pack. A modestly better second half would bring Walter's grade to his anticipated A level. 1B- Al Jensen- B: like Betts, Jensen is providing more than adequate statistics in a back-up role. 2B- Mike Rollinson- C: There has never been a question about ability to put the bat on the ball as evidenced by .299/.349/.390. The knock on Rollinson is his play in the field, 14 miscues with .959 fielding % is not FABL level for an important piece of the DP combination. He is working with the coaching staff on fielding his position every day. To be fair he was put at 2B to get his bat in the lineup, minor league stats suggest he will improve in the field with time. 2B- Hal Wood- A: Wood has forced manager Charlie Reed to find a way to put him into the lineup as often as possible, his versatility, 2B, 3B, SS has made it a little easier for Reed. Wood's .333/.400/.376 line begs to be in the lineup on a daily basis. He defense at the second sack has made him a late inning replacement for Rollinson. 3B- Ockie Holliday- B+: Another player who has rebound this season after a lack luster 1942, .284/.309/.372 is almost the level of offensive production expected from Holliday. Like Pack a little more is expected from Ockie for the remainder of the season. 3B- Joe Bell- D: helping neither with the bat nor the glove. Bell was an insurance policy for Holliday that thankfully has not been needed this season. SS- Charlie Artuso- C: His batting woes began in ST and have not, except for short bursts, straightened out in the three months of the regular season. At .220/.287/.315 has forced Reed to move him from the 2 hole down to the 7 spot in the lineup. His glove keeps him in the daily lineup but Wood is pushing for more playing time. OUTFIELDERS Juan Pomales- A-: Pomales has provided an above average bat, .302/.374/.384, while spending most of his time patrolling CF before the trade for Chink Stickels. His range in CF was questionable but he has 12 outfield assists, good for second behind Brooklyn's Hal Reynolds. The move the LF should help the team overall. The knock on Pomales is that his pitching stats 2-3, 4.74 ERA is not what was envisioned as sixth starter to ease the load with the number of twin bills. Is this too much to ask of this talented two-way player? Larry Vestal- C-: Vestal's has not shown enough bat, .225/.330/.320 to remain a regular in Toronto. He will continue to get playing time in the second half as a 4th or 5th outfielder. [b]Chink Stickels- Incomplete- Stickels has only been with Toronto for a week, big things are expected as the Wolves try to chase down the Cannons, Cougars during the remainder of the season. Reginald Westfall- D: subpar in both the field and at the plate. To be fair he was plagued by a nagging injury for most of the first half. He will be competing for playing time going forward, there is no time to wait for him to round into form. Gus Hull- B+: Hull's .291/.384/.411 line has made him odds on favourite for the starting RF role going forward after spending the half as a replacement, rest option. Although not the fleetest of foot he will not hurt the team while patrolling RF. Frank Huddleston- D: very little playing time along with very little production. Many fans thought that Huddleston should have been DFA'd instead of Marshall after the Stickels trade but management decided his versatility around the infield was a better hedge against injuries going forward, barring injury Huddleston will see limited action in July, August, September. STARTING PITCHING Joe Hancock- A: As expected Hancock has led the staff with Garrison's departure to the war. 9-5, 2.78 is a fine record but misleading in the fact that a couple of clunkers have inflated the losses and ERA. Joe hopes to challenge Cincinnati's Barrell II as the league dominate pitcher in the second half. Bernie Johnson- A: Has provided an effective righty/ lefty combination with Hancock. A repeat of 7-3, 2.70 would go a long way to bringing October baseball to Toronto. Bob Walls- B-: Effective if not spectacular first half, 6-5, 4.41. Walls will have to step up his game in coming months. Chick Wirtz- C-: Disappointing for a starter projected to be the #2 man, 2-9, 4.98 with opponents hitting .324 will limit his role to heavy scripted starts in the future. There are rumblings that he could find himself in a bullpen role if anyone in Buffalo deserves a shot in the rotation. Jimmy Gibbs- A: A very successful start to his FABL career, 7-2, 2.94 in 8 starts. Gibbs was put into the rotation after Pomales' early season struggles, he has provided stellar results. Gibbs gives the team a solid #3, the jury is still out as to whether or not he continue at this high level as league sees more of him. RELIEVERS Lou Jayson- A: Lou won 6 games for the team along with 7 saves. He continues to give Reed an effective option late in the game. A shoulder issue forced him to miss time in June. This is a situation that the training staff must be all over during the second half. Bob McRae- A: An effective 2 to Jayson's top role in relief, 7 saves, 1.26 ERA but limited to only 14 IP. Bill Crosby- C-: 4.07 in 42 IP is not what what the Wolves need from Crosby if a starter must leave a game early for any reason. Phil English- A-: Limited action, 18 IP but effective 1.00 ERA, this wily veteran gives Reed a good matchup against lefty hitting. The 11th annual All-Star game will be played tomorrow in Montreal. The Fed won 7-4 last year in Pittsburgh and lead the series 6 wins to four. The Chicago Cougars caught fire and rolled off 14 in a row, including a crucial four game sweep of the Cannons in Chicago. 11 of the 14 wins came against teams over .500. Art White has a massive first week, a 1-0 shutout of Cincinnati and then a 1 run complete game victory over the Sailors. 8-1 for the week, and all 8 runs saw us allow 2 or fewer runs, with a healthy +26 for the week. All this helped the Cougars claim first, now up a game in the CA. Rookie All Star Johnnie Jones is red hot for the Cougars, entering the break on a streak of 10 consecutive complete game victories with 3 or less runs allowed. Jones' 11 wins are tied with Rufus Barrell for most in the Continental Association, and he's dropped his ERA and WHIP to 2.32 (148 ERA+) and 1.17 on the season Meanwhile in Cincinnati the Cannons are trying to figure out how to get their offense going. 3 runs in 4 losses to the Cougars for a team that dealt away a lot of it's future to bring in the bats of Billy Dalton and Sam Brown to try and jumpstart the offense. The newcomers can't be blamed as Dalton is hitting a respectable .291 and Brown an impressive .377 since the move to the midwest. One of the young players Brooklyn picked up from their fire sale is already showing value. Mel Haynes - who was part of the Al Wheeler deal with the Chicago Chiefs- made his FABL debut with a 4-3 victory over the Sailors. He had a no-decision his second time out but looked pretty impressive in that one as well. However, one has to question why the Kings demoted 22 year old Jim Kenny to AAA to make room for Haynes. Kenny was 8-3 and in the running for rookie of the year. Stars management says it underestimated Henry Jones, not giving the All-Star enough credit for being able to pull off the starting roll in LF. The guy is absolutely crushing it. He must be inspiring to the rest of the OF because Chubby Hall is finally finding a groove and hitting well. The New York Daily Mirror reports that top twenty prospect Elijah Bourdeau will be coming up this week to fill the hole in CF, so Stars fans are hopeful they can get firing on all cylinders again. Good news tempered by bad news seems to be the story in St Louis. The good this time is a 5-3 week to get the Pioneers back to .500 plus 3 players (Sam Sheppard, Gail Gifford and Al Tucker) make the all-star team. First time since 1937 for both Gifford and Sheppard. But the bad news is reliever Angel Padilla, who hurt his arm in spring training, has decided to retire after realizing recovery was not going as hoped. The 31 year old appeared in 95 games for the Pioneers -all in relief- since joining the club in 1937. A native of the Dominican Republic he was one of a number of players who entered pro ball through open tryouts when the Lone Star Association was formed in 1929. Ironically, former Pioneer David Abalo was another of those Latin players who got their start that way and like, Padilla, Abalo suffered a career ending injury n his prime a couple of years back. Clarence Keenan of the St Louis Star-Times notes the Pioneers went hitter heavy in the draft in an attempt to bring some balance to the top prospects list. It worked somewhat with four hitters from this draft cracking the club's top 30 list. Unsurprisingly Homer Mills, their first round selected 6th overall, jumped to the top spot among Pioneer hitters at #3. Surprisingly regional round pick Jim Koch landed at #6 in the system. The biggest surprise is seventh rounder Fred Morales landing at #14 overall on the team list while second rounder Bill Parker disappoints with a STL ranking of #16. The Pioneers are still trying to sign 6th round selection Frank Wood but it is looking like the 18 year old catcher from Los Angeles has decided to play college ball at Grand Junction State, a division two school in Colorado. Only two first round picks have yet to sign. #3 overall Pat Petty is still negotiating with Brooklyn while the Philadelphia Keystones have yet to convince 10th overall selection Johnny Porter to turn pro instead of going to Annapolis Maritime. HOUSE MEMBERS CALL ON ARMY TO RECONSIDER COLLEGE GRID DECISION Count Max Morris, baseball Hall of Famer and currently a Representative from Ohio, as being firmly in the camp that believes only the Army can save college football. Morris and Pennsylvania Representative Samuel Weiss issued a joint statement calling on the Army to change it's decision regarding intercollegiate athletics for soldier-students. Said Weiss "At this late date there is only one thing that can save the sport and that is for the Army to give it's trainees the go-ahead sign." The Army has 130,000 young men in colleges undergoing special training as engineers, medical officers and in other technical pursuits. However, Army officials said only last week that the schedule set for those soldiers simply doesn't allow enough time for football, much as they'd like to arrange it. In recent weeks, a number of college have announced they would not be able to continue football because all their mature players were in uniform and they felt the 17-year-olds would not fill the breach. Weiss, the chairman of an informal committee that has been urging the War Department to allow Army College trainees to participate in inter-collegiate games, was gloomy about the outlook. "I hear that when the decision is made, it may not be favourable to football," Weiss said. * COULD FIND TIME * "I have discussed that time factor with numerous Army officers and they say the boys could devote an hour or two a day to football without interfering with class room work. In fact, the boys are the most concerned of all about giving up the game." Rome State officials have declared their enthusiasm for continuing the sport and cadets at that campus will play a schedule this autumn. "What I can't understand," questioned Morris, "is how Rome and Annapolis Maritime and Navy Pre-Flight and Navy trainees can play, yet the Army trainees can't, as yet." NOTEWORTHY This week Annapolis Maritime and Rome State confirmed they will meet in Georgia on November 27th as each has released their full schedule. The annual game between the two service academies, a Philadelphia fixture in recent years, was shifted to Annapolis last year at the behest of President Roosevelt as a travel conservation measure. The Navigators prevailed 14-6 in last years meeting. Georgia Baptist is looking for big results this season after coming so close to a National Title a year ago. The Gators coach had a smile as broad as the income tax collector when boasting he believes he will have 8 letterman back from the squad that went 9-1-1 a year ago and beat Travis College in the Lone Star Classic. Positive news out of New York as well where Henry Hudson University began grid drills with a turnout of about 60 prospective players, most of them trainees under the navy's V-12 program. The Academia Alliance school posted a 3-6 record a year ago. And Pierpont, the Bridgeport, Ct. based squad that was tops in the Academia section last seasons, reports 75 players in camp, with nearly members of Navy V-5, V-12 and ROTC units. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/11/1943 The land invasion begins in Europe as after a week of bombing, Allied forces swarmed the Italian island of Sicily before dawn under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. They are facing an estimated 300,000 German and Italian troops. Invasion-jittery German military authorities have proclaimed all Greece in a state of revolution and ordered the death penalty for even minor infractions of Nazi regulations. The Germans are hurling nearly a half million men and thousands of tanks and planes against Soviet defenses as they attempt to inch their way eastward. American warships have inflicted heavy damage on a Japanese naval force following a battle in the narrow confines of Kula Gulf in the central Solomons. 10 enemy cruisers and destroyers were reported sunk or heavily damaged. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-15-2022 at 01:06 PM.