MARCH 27, 1944
CANNONS PENNANT HOPES DEALT SERIOUS BLOW
Deuce Barrell Arm Injury Ends Allen Award Winner's Season
The Cincinnati Cannons dreams of repeating as World Championship Series winners lasted exactly four days of spring training. That is how long it took for the club's ace and two-time reigning Continental Association Allen Award winner to blow out his elbow, ending his season before it began and likely dashing any pennant hopes the Cannons might have had for 1944.
"It's devastating," muttered long-time teammate Jim Hensley when news broke over the weekend that Barrell's season was done. "We just have to continue on with what we have got left, but I sure hope he makes a full recovery. It's a bad one I am told."
The Cannons were co-favourites along with the Chicago Cougars to battle for top spot in the Continental Association but that is likely out the window after Barrell, who has gone 42-16 over the past two seasons, joined CA Whitney Award winner Adam Mullins and 5-time all-star centerfielder Fred Galloway on the unable to play list. Both Mullins and Galloway were called into military service over the winter.
STARS ADD OUTFIELD DEPTH
The New York Stars made a move to shore up their outfield in acquiring Dan Rogers from the Chicago Cougars in exchange for a 7th round draft pick they had originally acquired from Cincinnati. Rogers hit just .194 in limited action in Chicago a year ago but posted some solid numbers the previous season in AA. The name may be familiar to long-time readers as Rogers -a former Brooklyn first round pick- was much talked about early in his pro career. After the Kings selected him 14th overall out of high school in Ohio, Rogers had a great opening month in Class C and was ranked 51st on the OSA prospect list. Then came a promotion to the B level and some struggles for the man known as "Handsome Dan" with the result he quickly plummeted to the low 400s on the OSA list. He had his ups and downs in the Brooklyn system and had 3 brief call-ups but went just 1-for-7 as a King before being selected by the Cougars in the 1942 Rule Five Draft. OSA feels he has average power but even a bench role in FABL might be out of his comfort zone.
New York Stars spring training camp. 44 men enter, 24 men leave for Dyckman Stadium and the glittering lights of New York City. The stage has been set for the Stars of the show. Many of our men have marched off to war, leaving holes to be filled by fresh eager faces ready to fight for their one shot at glory in the greatest game on earth! Some familiar faces will be coming back: Our veteran Catcher, Cliff Ray. Second baseman, and renegade locker room cowboy, Mel Hancock Jr. Left Fielder, Howie Smith, who will actually get some real playing time this season. Gary Carmichael returning for his 4th year, and actually starting, at third base. Short Stop and dark horse, Steve Summers. Right Fielder, Chubby Hall, now with new and improved swing (patent pending). Baby faced, Elijah Bourdeau, is back to Center Field after a flashy rookie season. And old man, Ray Cochran, taking up the mantle at first base where the legendary Trowbridge left off.
But lets not forget about the bull pen! Starting for New York this year: Billy Riley and his steady aim. Hank Mittan and his not so stead aim. Lyman Weigel and his freshly resurrected career. A completely underrated Ed Myers. And fresh off the bus from San Francisco, Knuckleballer extraordinaire, Johnny Cook. Plenty of other faces, both new and familiar, will be present at camp to battle it out for the 11 other slots. Some may rise to the challenge, while others may just not quite have what it takes. And even fewer may earn their way to the starting spot. Its going to be an exciting spring and the coaching staff and front office are eager to see what shakes out.
Tune in every Monday to see which 5 players got cut back down to the minors each week. Who will be the next NEW YORK STAR!?
What Next For The Gothams? --Spring is here, and even if it's Raleigh rather than the Gulf Coast, the sound of bats hitting balls and balls hitting mitts means baseball is in the air. Sure more of the stars have traded in jerseys for fatigues, but baseball is back. The Gothams will be missing Walt Messer, the slugging leftfielder who was going to tendem with Red Johnson to terrorize FA pistchers. Ah the best laid plans. So, after a championship in '42 and a basemane finish in '43, how is one to predict what's in the future for your Gothams?
The pitching staff will feature star Ed Bowman who should feast on depleted FA line-ups. Then there is the returning, but now 39 year old, Jim Lonardo. However, behind those two are a lot of unknowns, maybes and never were's. Jim Baggett has been a successful start at AAA for the Cleveland organization. The other options are pitchers who have had little success in New York.
You would expect the catching situation to be of no concern with former top prospect Pete Casstevens still stateside. But after a dreadful .191 season there is cause for concern. Around the infield it's Red Johnson, then more auditions than you'd see in a week on Broadway. 2B, 3B and SS are all up for grabs. Either a hot bat or a steady glove can win a job.
Early favorites are Cy Howard or Bill Freeman and second, Fred Pecora at 3B and Harry Woodruff at SS.
In the outfield it's an open situation with the exception of vet Leon Drake in rightfield. Bunny Hufford, acquired in the Petrick deal, will get the first look in LF. Johnny Guthrie will get a shot to take CF while Nat Drake, Del West and Ed Stoddard also compete for roster spots.
To me this looks like a perfectly mediocre roster. However, most other franchises will be fielding the same. Still, the lack of pitching should ensure that the Gothams don't compete for the top spots. They should avoid another basement finish and will likely settle into the top of the secnd division.
- Great start to spring for the St Louis Pioneers. The club went 5-1 to share top spot with the Philadelphia Sailors and it's starters began Citrus play (maybe Cotton play now that we are focued on the Carolinas instead of Florida) with more than 23 scoreless innings.
- Detroit gave a lot of new faces a chance in the opening week with the result being a 2-4 record including getting shutout once (part of St Louis streak of scoreless innings) and scoring 3 or less runs in 4 of the 6 games. On the pitching side, Jimmy Long had a nice return following a tough injury. Also pitching well is rookie Jim Bob Jones who tossed 4 shutout innings giving up no walks. Dynamos brass say will get another turn this week as he tries to make a surprise run to be on the opening day roster.
- There are worries in Cincinnati that the injury suffered by Deuce Barrell may not only end his season but also jeopardize his career. Only Al Miller, Milt Fritz and Lefty Allen reached 90 career wins faster than Barrell among modern-era pitchers and it would have been fun to see him potentially make a run at 300 career wins. The hope is he makes a full recovery and it is just one lost season but rarely does a pitcher return to full-form after an injury as serious as the one Deuce has suffered.
- In the short-term the loss of Barrell changes the Continental Association pennant predictions from TWIFB. We had the Cougars nosing out Cincinnati in the CA but now we are inclined to put the Toronto Wolves second on our list and drop the Cannons to a distant third with Chicago potentially clinching by early September.
- Baseball is supposed to be a morale booster for the country and troops. After the Gothams started the spring 2-4 with lots of mediocrity, NY World Telegram Sports Editor Red Wedge says Gothams fans are already questioning whether this is helping anyone's morale.
- Looks like the Japanese are also really on the sport of baseball for morale. There was talk their pro league was not going to play this season, but that has changed with word that they will continue, but only with a short 35 game slate.
SEMI-FINAL MATCH-UPS SET FOR CAGE CHAMPIONSHIP
The four teams that will descend upon the Bigsby Garden in New York City next weekend to crown the college cage champion for 1944 have been determined. They include defending National Champion Rainier College, along with North Carolina Tech, Coastal California and Annapolis Maritime.
The defending champion Majestics entered the tournament as the top seed in the Western Section after winning their first-ever West Coast Athletic Association conference title. They had little trouble in the section play, blasting Boulder State 61-33 in the opening round before handling Bronx Tech 52-45 and Detroit City College 65-41 over the course of last week.
Rainier College will face North Carolina Tech in one semi-final after the Techsters upset top seeded Western Iowa 52-42 in the finals from the Southern Section. This after NC Tech beat Alabama Baptist 40-27 in the opening round and then knocked off surprise team Boston State -which had shocked CCLA in round one- 39-25 to reach the South Finals.
The Navigators from Annapolis Maritime are the surprise winners of the East Section. The naval cadets were seed 4th and after nipping 5th seed Brooklyn State 42-39 to open the tournament, they upset the section's top seed Indiana A&M 36-29 before downing #2 Liberty College 38-35 yesterday. The National Semi-Finals is not a totally unfamiliar spot for the Navigators to find themselves. Annapolis Maritime did reach the semis twice before - in 1929-30 and again two years later but failed to advance any further each time.
Thursday was a day of upsets in the Midwestern Section as top seed Minnesota Tech fell 63-60 to Coastal California while fellow Great Lakes Alliance school and #2 seed Whitney College fell 49-42 to Texas Gulf Coast. The Dolphins joined their West Coast Athletic Association rivals Rainier College in New York by beating Hurricanes 49-44 in the Midwestern Section final.
North Carolina Tech leads the way among the semi-finalists with 4 previous titles, including being the only school to win three in a row from 1922-24. Neither Annapolis Maritime (playing in it's third semi-final) nor Coastal California have ever won the tournament. The Dolphins are the hard-luck school of the college basketball world with this being their 13 trip to the National Semi-Finals but they have never won the tournament, losing in the championship game three times with one of those title contest losses to North Carolin Tech (in the 1923 championship game). Nine previous times the Dolphins lost in the semi-final so at 3-9 all-time they have the most semi-final game losses in AIAA history.
Code:
TOURNAMENT HISTORY OF SEMI-FINALISTS
SCHOOL TITLES FINAL4 APP RECORD TITLES
North Carolina Tech 4 8 28 56-23 1922,1923,1924, 1934
Rainier College 2 4 26 31-23 1940, 1943
Coastal California 0 13 35 65-34 None
Annapolis Maritime 0 3 18 20-17 None
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY APRIL 1
Rainier College (29-3) vs North Carolina Tech (28-4)
Coastal California (24-8) vs Annapolis Maritime (28-5)
MONDAY APRIL 3
National Championship Game at Bigsby Garden, New York City
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/26/1944
- Invasion hour is near, say FDR and Churchill. General Montgomery predicted peace "now is not so far off," as plans are being readied for an invasion into western Europe.
- The battle for Cassino is far from over as fresh German reinforcements streamed into the ruined Italian town while Allied and Nazi forces were attacking and counteraattacking through the hills to the north and west.
- The Nazis have set up a puppet regime in Hungary and removed that country's Premier and Foreign Minister. The Berlin government radio says the purpose is to "strengthen the defense forces in southeastern Europe," but it also appears to be provoking those loyal to the Hungarian government to declare war against Germany.
- Japanese forces are pushing into India from Burma, prompting the British to rush troops to defend the territory.
