MARCH 5, 1945
FORESTERS CAN LOOK SOUTH FOR INSPIRATION
The Cleveland Foresters are going through their worst stretch of baseball since the 1908-14 edition of the club finished either 7th or 8th in the Continental Association six straight seasons. The current version of the Foresters can duplicate that dreadful run with a bottom two finish this season and there is little to indicate that won't happen. Cleveland baseball fans are certainly still paying the price for the pair of pennants and their first and only World Championship Series victory which came in 1934.
All of that success seems so long ago but Foresters faithful can perhaps look south to Cincinnati for inspiration. A half-decade ago the Cannons -while still based in Baltimore at the time- were in an even worse predicament. The club had gone 8 years finishing no higher than 6th and was dead last in the Continental Association for six straight seasons from 1934 thru 1939. That turned around suddenly in 1940 with a few key trades and now -just 5 years later- the Cannons are on a quest for their third straight World Championship Series victory.
A look at the Foresters system seems to indicate a lot of the same pieces that the Cannons possessed in 1939 are already in the fold. The Cannons had a gifted young shortstop in Jimmy Hensley. Cleveland has one of it's own in Jim Adams Jr. The Cannons had loads of young pitching and they moved some of those arms, along with some draft picks, for veteran pieces like Moxie Pidgeon that turned the clubs fortunes around quickly.
Cleveland has those same quality young arms, although the war has certainly thrown a wrench into their development, but that will change perhaps as early as next year. Hiram Steinberg is considered one of the greatest high school pitchers of all-time and, assuming the war is over and all returns to normal next season, he could make his big league debut at age 23. Richie Hughes will also be 23 and OSA actually ranks Hughes higher than Steinberg on it's prospect list. There is more on the mound. Names such as John Jackson, who struggled last season at AA but is just 20 years old. Unfortunately Jackson won't have a chance to improve upon his AA showing as he is now in the Coast Guard. 20 year old Davey Morris and 24 year old Augie Hayes Jr. are both, like the other three, serving their country right now but those 5 have the makings of a pretty solid young rotation. That is not taking into account 24 year old Ducky Davis, who made his Cleveland debut last season and looks like a solid big league pitcher. Add in 1945 first round selection Bert Haines and you have an impressive crop of young arms on the way up.
The Foresters have young talent all over the diamond led by the previously mentioned Jim Adams Jr. The 1943 first overall selection out of St Ignatius has already proven he can hit at the big league level but the 23 year old does need some time to develop his defensive skills at shortstop. Perhaps Adams eventually ends up at second base as the Foresters have a smooth defender in 22 year old Glenn White, who made his big league debut last season but is now in the Navy. Then there is 18 year old Earle Haley, who is now in the Army, but made his pro debut last season after being selected in the second round of the 1944 draft and might be the best defender of the three.
The Foresters have a power hitting first base prospect in local product Lorenzo Samuels. The 22 year old Cleveland native has spent the last two years in the Navy but impressed in class C as a 19 year old. Talented young outfielders Benny Everidge, Paul Porter and Pete Sigmund also give Clevelanders plenty of hope for the future but those three -like nearly all the top Cleveland youngsters- are fighting overseas. They recently drafted Bob Miller, another Ohio native, in the second round and he may be their long-term answer at third base. That leaves catcher as perhaps the one area of concern for the Foresters brass. They did draft Joe Robinson second overall in 1944 but many scouts felt that selection was quite a reach.
There clearly are a lot of pieces in place. The task ahead for the Foresters -although likely not until after the war is over- is the tough job of indentifying which players they will build around and who could be moved for veteran leadership or to fill holes in other areas. That was the model the Cannons used and it paid off well. Stay patient Cleveland ball fans. Your opportunity may be coming.
LOVELLE WON A WHITNEY AND LED A GENERATION
The Cannons franchise has seen just 4 players win a Whitney Award over the 34 years it has been presented. Of course there is Adam Mullins who claimed the hardware two seasons ago after the catcher helped the Cannons win their first World Championship Series since 1914. 1914, by the way, was one of the years the only multi-season Cannon award winner collected the Whitney. That would be The Ragland Ripper, Powell Slocum. Pehaps better known to Cincinnatians as the long-time manager of the Brooklyn Kings but for two decades Slocum was the face of the Baltimore franchise. It was known as the Clippers for much of his tenure when he won 4 Whtiney Awards including 3 straight from 1912-14. It is interesting to note that the only other player to win 3 straight Continental Association Whitneys is none other than current Cannon Al Wheeler, who turned the trick under Slocum's guidance with the 1935-37 Brooklyn Kings. The third Cannons player to win a Whitney Award was slugger Lou Kelly, who earned the honour in 1932 after hitting 40 homers and leading the CA in round-trippers three straight seasons.
So you have Mullins, Kelly and Slocum but who is the fourth Cannon Whitney winner? As a hint he is actually still a part of the team right now. Many will be surprised to realize it is Cannons first base coach Sandy Lovelle who holds the distinction of being the first Continental Associaiton Whitney winner of the modern era. That was 1926 -when the human GMs took over and the Allen Award made it's debut to separate the top pitcher and top hitter honours for the first time.
You can be forgiven if you did not think of Sandy Lovelle as a Whitney Award winner. Most do not, including it turns out, Lovelle himself. "I won the batting title that year and led the league in triples," Lovelle recalls, "but that was the only season I was anywhere near close to top spot. We were a bad team that season...which happened a lot during my time in Baltimore...and to be honest I was shocked I won. I was convinced it would go to Mickey Dowell, who had a big year in Brooklyn and they nearly knocked off the Stars."
Lovelle would win the award and it would be the only individual honor of his career. There was no All-Star game back then and even if there was Lovelle would be hard pressed to make another team beyond the 1926 squad. The '26 season was one of only two in his career that he started as many as a 122 ballgames in the Cannons outfield. He had some injuries and as it turned out would be out of the game-at least as a player- by 1930 at the relatively young age of 32. He would get into coaching a couple of years later and has been with the Cannons ever since their move from Baltimore to Cincinnati in 1940.
*** STARTED THE CUBAN WAVE OF OUTFIELDERS ***
Lovelle was the first player born in Cuba to play regularly in FABL. The pioneer was actually a player by the name of Elias Marquez who played 2 games in 1902 followed by Tony Lopez, who made his big league debut in 1919 with Washington and would play 132 games over parts of 4 seasons but it was Lovelle who would pave the way for later Cuban star outfielders like Pablo Reyes, Carlos Montes and Juan Pomales. It is no coincidence that those that followed Lovelle from Cuba to the big leagues were predominately outfielders as each cited Sandy and to a lesser extent Carlos Cano as their inspiration.
Lovelle went from Havana to the bitter cold of Milwaukee and a collegiate career at Wisconsin State. He was a star for the Brewers and helped them to the AIAA playoffs twice in a 3 year span, even hitting .401 in his draft year. There were no All-American teams back then but he might well have earned that honour before the Cannons selected him 8th overall in the 1919 FABL draft. He peaked at #30 on the OSA prospect rankings and made his big league debut two years later. In his second season, 1922, Lovelle batted .303 and hit the same average the following season. Batting averages were higher back then, and the ball was dead unless you were named Max Morris, but Lovelle hit over .300 each of his first six seasons culminating in that Whitney Award winning 1926 campaign.
It would prove to be his last year as a everyday player as he struggled in 1927 and would lose his starting job to Lou Kelly -the other Cannons Whitney Award winner. Lovelle did hit .308 playing somewhat regularly in 1929 but after a slow start the Cannons cut him in 1932 and he chose to retire rather than play in the minors or try to catch on with another organization. Lovelle would spend a couple of years coaching in his native Havana including working in the off-season with Reyes -who was in college at the time and would later surpass Lovelle as the highest drafted Cuban born player and the one with the most career hits- before moving back to the United States and beginning his managerial career at Peoria. A new start that would eventually bring Sandy Lovelle full circle back to the big leagues with the Cannons organization.
- A little less confusion for fans in La Crosse - The Cougars Class C affiliate. They had two players by the name of Bill Martin on their roster last season but catcher Bill "Mr Semi-Automatic" Martin and son of veteran Chiefs infielder Bob Martin is now in the Army, leaving 1B Bill Martin (no relation) to carry on the name with the Lions. Bob's son was a 7th round pick of the Cougars in 1944 and the 19 year old hit .257 in his first taste of pro ball last summer.
COACHES, DARROW SHORING UP CRUMBLING WALLS OF CAGE GAME
With the college basketball world still trembling under the shock of perhaps the great sports scandal the amateur ranks have ever seen, New York area college coaches and athletic directors met last week with Charles Darrow, president of Bigsby Garden, in a hurried attempt to shore up the weakening walls of bigtime basketball promotions.
With the National Tournament final two rounds once again slated for the New York venue and less than a month away, several steps were taken to help overcome the damage caused by the bribe-taking of four members of the Jersey City Tech quintet. Foremost is to have teeth placed in the penal law to punish bribe giving and taking in amateur sports. At present, the law provides only punishment for bribery in professional sports, leaving a loophole for the guilty in the Jersey City Tech case.
Although the reaction of school heads, coaches and those supposedly "in the know" differed radically, there is no doubt that the fear of 'fixed' games was uppermost in the minds of several coaches when a 'secret' meeting was held some time ago and preventive measures were discussed. Jersey City Tech coach Duke Van Kirk was one of the coaches who told his players temptation might come their way, and he felt that if lightning did strike, it would be far removed from his Wizards ballclub.
*** Pay The Players ****
Brooklyn State coach Charlie Bryant was another in that 'secret' meeting and he came away with a novel, but unconventional idea "I say, put the players on a regular salary basis. Pay them for playing, just like the pros. After all, when you get down to it, there's no difference between college and pro ball today."
With the college game's biggest event just over a week away one can expect extraordinary measures will be taken to prevent anything underhanded from occuring again. It is much easier said than done, as the bookmakers seem to have their hands in every pie, especially in the bright lights of the Bigsby Garden. It is too late for this season, but there is growing talk among AIAA executives to move the national showcase away from New York.
WESTERN IOWA TAKES OVER TOP SPOT IN POLLS
On the strength of a perfect 14-0 record in Great Lakes Alliance play, the Western Iowa Canaries have moved into the top spot in the weekly collegiate basketball poll. The Canaries have been steadily climbing the rankings and soared to number one thanks to a winning streak that has stretched to 20 games. The GLA is not as strong this year as it normally is but if they can win their final two games -at Indiana A&M and Detroit City College- the Canaries can become the first team in it's 31 year history to go through a Great Lakes Alliance conference schedule without a loss.
The Canaries won a tight game over St Ignatius 48-46 on Saturday but it cost them the services of center J.C. Senn, who broke a bone in his foot and is likely done for the season. Fortunately, Senn was probably the starter they could most afford to be without as the team leaders remain junior guard and All-American candidate Joe Hampton (7.6ppg,4.7 apg) along with senior forward James Brown (11.5 ppg).
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COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Western Iowa (46) 24-3 1754 3 Great Lakes Alliance
2. St. Patrick's (14) 24-5 1713 1 Indy Northeast
3. Annapolis Maritime (3) 26-3 1649 5 Indy South
4. Carolina Poly (9) 23-4 1630 4 South Atlantic Conference
5. Liberty College 25-4 1517 6 Indy East
6. North Carolina Tech 22-6 1454 2 South Atlantic Conference
7. Rainier College 23-5 1364 8 West Coast Athletic Association
8. Ohio Poly 24-5 1296 7 Indy Midwest
9. Garden State 21-6 1228 10 Liberty Conference
10. St. Martin's College 24-6 1139 11 Indy Northeast
11. Noble Jones College 21-6 1066 13 Deep South Conference
12. Texas Gulf Coast 20-7 1002 12 Southwestern Alliance
13. CC Los Angeles 20-8 905 9 West Coast Athletic Association
14. Chesapeake State 18-9 812 NR South Atlantic Conference
15. St. Pancras 22-7 767 16 Indy East
16. Mississippi A&M 19-9 691 14 Deep South Conference
17. Western Florida 19-8 581 15 Deep South Conference
18. St. Blane 20-9 547 21 Indy East
19. Middlesex 22-7 501 22 Indy Northeast
20. Plover College 21-8 369 NR Indy Midwest
21. Miami State 21-8 319 20 Indy South
22. Conwell College 21-8 310 23 Indy East
23. Lane State 18-10 260 17 West Coast Athletic Association
24. Oklahoma City State 20-7 149 NR Plains Athletic Association
25. Great Plains State 20-10 127 25 Indy Midwest
Others Receiving Votes:
Dickson 20-9 76 Academia Alliance
Wichita Baptist 21-8 58 Midwestern Association
Brooklyn State 17-10 45 Liberty Conference
Coastal California 19-10 36 West Coast Athletic Association
Charleston Tech 18-9 19 South Atlantic Conference
Mobile Maritime 17-10 9 South Atlantic Conference
Alabama Baptist 19-9 4 Deep South Conference
Eastern State 19-10 3 Indy South
MONDAY FEBRUARY 26
#19 Middlesex 58 Hartford Wesleyan 47
#24 Oklahoma City State 56 Lawrence State 45
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27
#18 St Blane 43 Sunnyvale 26
#20 Plover College 41 College of Cairo 32
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28
#11 Noble Jones College 63 Opelika State 53
#16 Mississippi A&M 40 Central Kentucky 39
Alabama Baptist 63 #17 Western Florida 55
THURSDAY MARCH 1
#1 Western Iowa 33 St Magnus 30
#3 Annapolis Maritime 46 Eastern State 36
#4 Carolina Poly 63 Coastal State 52
Charleston Tech 60 #6 North Carolina Tech 51
#14 Chesapeake State 42 Maryland State 30
FRIDAY MARCH 2
#7 Rainier College 35 Redwood 26
#12 Texas Gulf Coast 53 Amarillo Methodist 33
#23 Lane State 39 #13 CC Los Angeles 24
#15 St Pancras 53 Johnston Tech 35
#20 Plover College 50 Chicago Poly 33
SATURDAY MARCH 3
#1 Western Iowa 48 St Ignatius 46
#14 Chesapeake State 39 #6 North Carolina Tech 30
#9 Garden State 47 Empire State 39
#11 Noble Jones College 40 Bayou State 34
Cumberland 50 #16 Mississippi A&M 49
#17 Western Florida 53 Northern Mississippi 34
#24 Oklahoma City State 49 Iowa A&M 44
SUNDAY MARCH 4
#7 Rainier College 53 Northern California 51
Redwood 52 #23 Lane State 45
REES SET TO DEFEND MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE IN NEW YORK
World Middleweight Champion Archie Rees arrived in New York City this week in preparation for a defense of his title against veteran American fighter Tommy Erwin. The bout will take place at the Bigsby Gardens on March 22 and will be Rees first fight since he defeated Jorge Cuellar in the big September tussle before the troops in Liverpool, England. The 32 year old Rees, known as The Tadcaster Thunderbolt , will be back on American soil to fight for the first time since 1941 when he knocked out Nathan Sears in the second round to claim the middleweight title. He has a lifetime record as a professional of 34-4-1 including 25 wins by knockout. Erwin, a 33 year old Bronx born fighter, is 27-6 but has not fought in just over a year.
The card will also feature a key heavyweight match as Mark Fountain is set to face Englishman Leo Carmichael in what is expected to be a tune-up for the New York native in advance of a potential summer meeting with World Champion Hector Sawyer. Fountain is 18-2-1 as a professional and will turn 27 years of age a week after the bout. Not a lot is known about Carmichael as he 36 year old had been in the British army the past 5 years and has had just one professional fight since 1939. He is listed as having a record of 29-4-1 but is said to have fought more than 200 military exhibition bouts over the past half decade, rumoured to be without suffering a single defeat.
WESTLAKE WINS BY TKO
Veteran welterweight Mark Westlake moved closer to earning a spot in the proposed 'playoff' to fill the vacant World Welterweight Title with a 9th round technical knockout of Carter Moore on Wednesday in New York. The 27 year old Biloxi, MS. native improves to 19-1-1 with the win and is now considered by the American Boxing Federation to be the best fighter in his division. Moore falls to 15-8.
The welterweight crown has been vacant since early 1939 when Brit Jimmy 'Kid' Simpson retired at the age of 37 with a 59-2-0 career record. There were plans to stage a playoff of sorts among the top contenders but it never occured due to the war. Many of the top fighters in the division remain involved in the war but there is growing support to stage a title fight, perhaps as early as the summer.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/04/1945
- President Roosevelt told Congress that the United States must retain a key world role and take responsibility for political conditions in Europe or face the alternative of another war.
- American tanks and shock troops battled yard by yard through the last German defenses before Cologne and are withing six miles of the Rhineland fortress. Reports indicate that the Germans are preparing to retreat behind the Rhine.
- The Red Army has resumed its attack along the Oder River front some 30 miles east of bomb-battered Berlin after a long lull.
- Fierce hand-to-hand combat continues on Iwo as Marines break through the enemy's main defense belt and have forced the Japanese to with half a mile of the islands north shore.
- 200 men are lost after the Japanese sank an ammunition-laden naval cargo ship in the South Pacific.
- Lt. Gen. Millard Harmon, air force commander of the Pacific Ocean areas, and nine other officers are missing in the Pacific after their plane was reported overdue from a routine flight.
- Finland has joined the allies, declaring war on Germany.