APRIL 9, 1945
Sports leaders looked ahead with great optimism today despite "no comment" on the general situation by Fred M. Vinson as he prepared to replace James F. Byrnes as war mobilization director. The change at the top combined with the recent defeat of the manpower bill in the Senate apparently removed the last lingering threat to baseball's position, although the War Manpower Commission reminded players that it's recent decision to permit them to leave war plants to return to the diamond was not necessarily binding on local draft boards.
There is more positive news on the manpower front for not just baseball, but all sports, as the Navy has announced it will cut it's draft call for May in half and may ask for still fewer men in June. This will reduce the over-all selective service calls 12 per cent or more from the current rate of about 132,000 mn a month. They had been set to continue at that pace through June.
Each of those pieces of news sent a collective sign of relief through ball diamonds this week as there had still be a worry the Manpower Bill -if approved- would have forced baseball's 4-Fs into war production jobs. Football magnates are also rejoicing and even the horse racing crowd is starting to prepare as if the tracks will be reopened in the near future.
The news is not all good as there is word that it will be many months after victory is achieved in Europe before most American soldiers get home. A few will come to stay, but most will come only for visits. The visits will not be long- likely less than a month. Then it will be on to Tokyo with some soldiers being shipped directly from France to the Philippines. They will not get to home at all until Japan is beaten. These are the facts that come straight out of high command plans for winding up the whole war, and are likely very sobering to FABL as many clubs were anticipating reinforcements from the war perhaps as early as the next month or two, should Germany be defeated that quickly.
Will youth be served this spring in the Dynamos rotation? That is the question going around their camp in Greensboro, NC and other spring locales in the FABL. Rookie SP’s Pete “Sweat Pea” Brown (drafted last season 4th round) and Carl Potter (drafted last season in the 1st round #9 overall) are certainly making the case.
The older Brown (age 22 from Eaton College) likely doesn’t have the upside of his younger teammate, but coming from college he might have the pedigree to make the rotation now. After being drafted, Brown was shot up the ranks to start his pro career at AA Akron last July where he went 5-0 with a scintillating 1.89 ERA in 7 starts. He was then promoted to AAA Akron where he did find the sledding a bit rougher going 4-4 with a 6.55 ERA but improving down the September stretch. So far this spring, Brown looks ready. While not considered someone who would be a top end (#1 or #2 SP) in the FABL, he is considered to be a quality bottom of the rotation guy. In 4 spring starts he has gone 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA, but if you take out his first spring outing, that ERA shrinks to 1.38 (2 ER in 13 IP).
For the youngster Potter who is the #11 prospect overall currently in the FABL, and the top prospect currently not serving in any of the military branches at this point, the issue is age and experience. Potter (18) has looked rock solid in his 4 spring starts going 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA. He started his pro career out of high school and had 2 starts at class A Terre Haute (1-0 4.30) before being promoted (some say “rushed”) to class AA where he was 5-6 with a 4.83 ERA. Those numbers last year don’t necessarily scream “I’m ready”, but the confident young pitcher feels he is ready to start the year in Detroit. That is echoed across the FABL by several prominent scribes and talent evaluators. Most notably Dan Barrell the head of the OSA. When asked about Potter, Barrell stated “There is no reason not to do it, he’s ready!”. Pretty strong words coming from a very respected talent evaluator.
We have asked some of the fans here in Greensboro who watched the last several outings by these youngsters and the opinion is almost unanimous. “Bring the kids to Detroit, what do we have to lose?” was the theme.
We asked manager Dick York his thoughts and he curtly stated that “we are evaluating all the pitchers in camp and we will bring the best 8-9 arms we have. Whether those two young pups are in that group, remains to be seen.”
Bench Coach Dud Joerger chirped “Both are very young and that is always a concern. If you asked me, Brown is the more ready of the two but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have great respect for the talent and ability of Carl Potter. But at 18, he is very young and could perhaps do with more seasoning”.
Finally we asked GM DD Martin, who is feeling a bit of pressure despite last season's surprise 2nd place finish, what his thoughts were. Martin was his usual non-committal self proclaiming that both pitchers had another start in spring games this week to wrap up spring training. He then said that he and his manager and coaching staff will evaluate who the best pitchers are and what is best for the long term success of the Detroit Dynamos.
Those that know Martin well feel that he is more inclined to have the youngsters start at AAA this season, but who would the Dynamos have on staff in place of those 2 kids? I can’t imagine that despite a solid spring the brain trust feels that P Hooks Camp is a better option, nor for that matter are Roy Montgomery or George Pulliam. But the words I keep hearing in my head are laced with caution with these youngsters. I sense the Dynamos might not “rush” them up, but we will only know the answer to that question, after next week’s spring games and on roster cut down day.
If I was a betting man, and I am. I’d say Brown sticks but Potter, the one considered with more “upside” begins the year in the minors.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Toronto finished its week of tune up games for the 1945 season by winning 4 games for the third consecutive week. This leaves the Wolves tied with NY Stars for the most CA wins in preseason with a dozen. There does not seem to be much separation amongst the CA squads but is this the way the season will play out or is it more of teams trying out players at new positions, experimenting with lineups, players slowly working themselves into playing shape?
After Sunday's win over the Sailors the team optioned Tom Peel, Monk Johnson, Wally Starr, Joe Bradbury along with P Ray Bell to the Buffalo Nickels. This leaves the roster set for Opening Day against Cincinnati barring injuries during the last week of spring games. The biggest surprise was Bell who put up good numbers over 16 appearances in relief. Bob Call was quoted "Ray had a good spring, we feel he will be of more value in a starters role in Buffalo, in addition he had options left for the team."
Call also announced that George Garrison will be the Opening Day starter which appears to be lining up as a marquis matchup against Rufus Barrell II. A year ago Garrison was in the service, Barrell II just starting the recovery process after a major arm injury. With the Allied forces closing in on Berlin will FABL fans being seeing more stars returning to the circuit this summer?
A pitching rotation of Garrison, Wirtz, Wall, Laurita and Anderson should keep the Wolves in all games. Call has also hinted that Anderson may start the season with the relief corps in the bullpen. With all the off days in April, early May a quartet of SP should fill the needs on the hill. Not that the bullpen will be a purgatory if Call utilizes the RP in a similar manner to the start of the 1944 season.
The only surprise in the position players is that it appears that Wayne Henderson's solid spring, .333/.355/.433, has earned the 31 year old the starting role at 2B over Joe Bell. Pack, Artuso, who recovered from illness, and Holiday will round out the infield along with Howerton behind the plate. As expected Pomales, Stickels, Hull will patrol the outfield.
Call has told reporters that he decided to go to his regulars earlier that normal due to the fact that spring training roster was smaller due to travel logistics. Call thought that all the battles for roster spots had been determined so it was better to have players destined for the minors to begin their relocation now rather than hanging around for another week. Call's message to Wolves fans is "What you see is what you get."
ONE LAST SEASON IN SUN FOR MANY CANNONS VETS
The Cincinnati Cannons hope to make history this season before many on the roster are history. The making history part is well documented as the Cannons are in a position to join the 1924-26 New York Stars as the only teams in FABL history to win three straight World Championship Series. And you have to like their chances. Certainly better than they appeared a year ago when the entire city was in shock with the news that Deuce Barrell and his two-time Allan Award winning left arm would miss the entire season. As it turned out the Cannons went out and added reinforcements and were aided by a colossal collapse from the Windy City Kitties which allowed the Cannons to win their second straight flag.
This season Deuce has looked very good in spring action and says he is 100% back to his pre-injury form. Butch Smith, who succeeded Deuce as the Continental Allan Award winner, has also looked sharp and the Cannons have been equally impressed with the work of veterans Tom Barrell and Sam Sheppard on the slab. The bats have also heated up despite the relatively cool Georgia weather as old-timers Tom Bird, Gail Gifford, Sam Brown, Jack Cleaves and Al Wheeler are all hitting the ball. There is the usual concern about Jimmy Hensley's bat at shortstop but his work with the glove more than makes up for any worries at the dish.
Management has also made it no secret they are willing to pull the trigger on a big deal come July, should a need arise and a solution be available somewhere in the league. The goal is to make history.
As for the being history part one can't help but wonder, regardless of the outcome of this season, just how many of these veteran players will be gone next year -assuming the players off at the war return. When Chris Clarke, Vic Carroll, Bill Sohl and hotshot prospect Bob Arman return to the fold is there much chance there will be room for Tom Barrell, Sheppard or capable veteran depth arms like Jim Crawford, Jake Smith and Larry Brown? Infielder Jack Cleaves will be 38 and clearly will need to go with the return of the three Charlies in McCullough, Rivera and Wills. And what about Al Wheeler? Is this the last chance for the 37 year old to play everyday as he chases his 3,000th career hit and 500th career homerun? Gifford and Brown should be back and starting in the outfield next season but they will have to contend with Fred Galloway and Mike T. Taylor when they return. It will certainly spell the end of Rufus Daniels and Mel Alvarez in Cincinnati.
Yes, this season is a big one for the Cannons - with the goal of making it historic. It also might mark the end of the line for some very good baseball players so here is to hoping those veterans make the most of what might be their final season in the sun.
*** Ohio Poly Deserves Credit ***
They may have come up just short against mighty Carolina Poly in the title game but you have to give plenty of credit to Coach Hawk Pizzo and his Ohio Poly Cardinals cage quintet on a terrific season. Hard to believe the tiny Toledo independent has been to more National Title games than the big-time Central Ohio Aviators. In fact the Cardinals with appearances in 1938 and last week have played in the title game as often as the entire Great Lakes Alliance has since '38.
It was a down year for the GLA and judging by where the top recruits are going we might have a few more of them but it is shocking that a school from what was for much of the past two decades the most powerful section in collegiate basketball has not won an AIAA tournament championship since Whitney College turned the trick in the spring of 1926.
PACIFIC LOOP PREPARES FOR ANOTHER SEASON UNDER FABL RULE
A year ago there was plenty of noise being made on the coast about the need for a big league representation in the west. The owner of one of the five non-FABL affiliated teams in eight club circuit - Hollywood Heroes magnate Al Fouts- was the man behind most of the talk. Fouts is no longer spouting publicly to anyone who will listen but it is clear he has not changed his tune regarding the need for big league baseball on the coast.
"The new grid loop will show the way," explained Fouts while talking about the Continental Football Conference's plans to field clubs in both Los Angeles and San Francisco when it takes flight either this fall or 1946. "That should prove once and for all to those eastern baseball people that we are big league."
Fouts has a point as Los Angeles was surpassed in population by only New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit in the 1940 census and latest indications are that it will surpass Detroit in the next survey. Add in San Francisco, which is far bigger than Pittsburgh or Cincinnati -to name just two FABL locales- and that is before you factor in all those people sitting across the bay in Oakland which only makes it clearer that California is ready for pro sports.
"There is talk of 3 big-time football leagues," continued Fouts. "The Great-West loop could easily partner with the Continental and Fed to make it 3 in baseball as well.
"The Pioneers nearly moved here in '41," added Fouts, "and air travel is so much easier now. But never mind just one or even two teams. We have the fan support here to support an entire league. San Francisco outdrew half of FABL a year ago."
Another valid point from Fouts as the San Francisco Hawks played before 656,692 fans last season, which is more than 9 of the 16 FABL clubs drew. Los Angeles drew nearly as many as Detroit and more than Cleveland, Washington, Brooklyn, Montreal and the Philadelphia Sailors. And one must remember the two California cities did that despite playing 7 less home dates than each of the FABL teams.
If there ever was a time to add another 4 to 8 teams to FABL and make it a true 'national' league with west coast representation it would seem now would be it. The fan support is there, and in places like Seattle and Portland as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus when the war ends there will be more than 1,500 former professional baseball players looking for employment.
- There is a growing movement around the league calling on the Detroit Dynamos to give 18 year old Carl Potter a chance with the big club to start the season. Records are spotty from the early days but if Potter pitches before his April 27 birthdate, he might well be the first 18 year old ever to pitch a FABL game. Potter made two more spring starts last week and while not quite as sharp as he was in his first two, he still boasts a 2.40 spring era and has walked just 1 batter in 15 innings of work. The last 18 year old to play in a FABL game was Bill Barrett with the New York Stars in 1938 and he might well have been the first in the modern era.
- The Dynamos also drafted pitcher Pete Brown last year but unlike the high schooler Potter, Brown is 22 years old and was selected in the 4th round out of Eaton College. Like Potter, Brown has looked pretty solid in his four spring starts and is also deserving of a trip north with the big club next week.
- With the best spring mark in baseball everything is going right for the St Louis Pioneers - a team this publication pegged to finish last in the Fed this year. The pitching is certainly looking good but there are some worries about the bats and there was a major injury last week as 24 year old outfielder Archie Sharp tore up his knee and is expected to miss the season. Sharp was a rule 5 pickup from the Keystones last season and hit .265 in 92 games as a backup in the Pioneers outfield.
CAROLINA POLY WINS NATIONAL CAGE CROWN
Senior guard Drew Morris made his final game as a member of the Carolina Poly Cardinals the best one of his career. The 22 year old North Carolina native scored a career best 24 points in the biggest game of his life to lift Carolina Poly to a 55-50 victory over Ohio Poly in the National Collegiate Basketball Championship game. The victory, number 30 on the season for Carolina Poly, earns the school its first National cage crown since 1933-34 and the third overall. Only arch rival North Carolina Tech -which was elminated by the Cardinals in Saturday's semi-final- has won more basketball titles in AIAA history.
No one else on either side scored in double-figures as Morris was clearly at the top of his game and made 10 of his 14 field goal attempts. His .476 percentage was impressive enough, and among the best in the nation this season, but what he did in the title game was nearly unbelievable. Carolina Poly led by 8 at the break with Morris scoring on all 7 of his attempts from the field. His hot hand cooled off somewhat in the second half but reserve Ty Frierson helped pick up the slack with all 8 of his points coming after the break as Carolina Poly led by 9 points with as little as 4 minutes remaining. Ohio Poly, making it's second ever appearance in the championship game, closed the gap somewhat in the closing minutes but still came up short, just as they did in the 1937-38 title game when they lost by 8 points to Brooklyn State.
CONTINENTAL PRO GRID LEAGUE FAR BEYOND BLUEPRINT STAGE
The American Football Association may suspect that the various and sundry proposed rival circuits are talking through their hats when they flourish postwar plans, but at least one propounds the theory that actions speaker louder than words.
That's the Continental Football Conference, which will meet in Chicago April 20-21, hard on the heels of the American loop's current session in New York. The CFC directors are assembling to adopt a constitution and by-laws, but the circuit is far beyond the blueprint stage. It has granted seven franchises, rounded up five coaches and grabbed priority on a flock of former college stars.
A showdown with the American Football Association probably won't come up 1946 when the new loop's earmarked performers switch back into civvies, although Continental officials probably will study the possibility of getting underway this fall, should the war end suddenly.
The directors also will consider franchise applications and decide whether the league will start with eight or 10 entries. Already tied into the coast-to-coast wheel are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as three other cities -including one in the south- that have not yet been officially announced.
EASY WIN FOR CARL TAYLOR
Baltimore welterweight Carl Taylor improved his record to 16-2-2 with a 2nd round knockout of Mark MacHutcheon in their bout in Hartford last Tuesday evening. The 28 year old Taylor has been a busy man of late, with wins on New Years Eve and February 24th also on his recent resume and he plans to fight again at the end of the month in Philadelphia. The 2-6 MacHutcheon is not exactly a high quality opponent but Taylor has been starting to gain some attention in the welterweight division.
In other fight action this week Bill Boggs, the former New York City amateur champion, made his pro debut with a 5th round knockout of Ron Collins. Boggs, a 19 year old middleweight from Brooklyn, looks to have a fairly promising future.
Elsewhere, Scott Sorensen scored an unanimous decision over Bubba Powell on Saturday to run his record as a welterweight to 15-5-2.
Carter Moore improved to 15-8 with the 8th knockout of his career. This one came in the 7th round of his bout with Mike Clay (1-4-1) that was scheduled for 10. Moore is a 29 year old welterweight from Lancaster, Pa.
In Houston on Wednesday, Texas heavyweight Marvin Thompson claimed an 11th round TKO win over Marvin Schmidt. It was the return to the ring for the 28 year old Thompson after the Beaumont, Tx. native was discharged from the marines after being seriously wounded nearly a year ago. It was his 16th career victory in his first fight since 1941 and improved his mark as a professional to 16-7-2.
25 year old Kentuckian Lewis Jones improved to 3-0 as a professional with a split decision victory over Harley Gehrig in a weekend heavyweight bout in New Orleans.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 4/08/1945
- An uncredited report out of Stockholm says that Marshal Karl von Rundstedt was executed by firing squad after he was exposed in what the Gestapo is calling plans for a new anti-Hitler coup in Germany.
- In his first public utterance since the Allied breakthrough in the west, Hitler is appealing to German soldiers to hold until a new Nazi offensive is launched soon. This after General Patton's hard-smashing 3rd army and Red Army forces have closed the gap between the two to only 165 miles
- Soviet Russia denounced its neutrality pact with Japan, accusing Tokyo of helping Germany to war against Russia. There had been much speculation whether Russia would denounce the pact signed in 1941 before the opening of the World Security Conference in San Francisco April 25th.
- The Japanese government of Gen. Kuniaki Koiso fell today and Emperor Hirohito called on Admiral Baron Kantaro Suzuki, 77 year old president of the Pricy Council, to form a new government. A moderate, the naming of Suzuki is seen as a possible Japanese move for peace.
- American carrier planes wiped out approx. one-quarter of Japan's remaining naval strength during a failed Japanese attempt to interfere with the American invasion of Okinawa, which put American ground troops within less than 400 miles of the Japanese homeland.
- Although victory in Europe is appearing closer every day it will likely be many months after V-E day before most American soldiers get home, and even then most will only have a short -two to three week- visit before being shifted to Pacific.