APRIL 16, 1945: SPECIAL OPENING DAY EDITION
BASEBALL SET FOR FOURTH WAR CAMPAIGN
Eagles Host Keystones Today in Traditional Lid Lifter
Baseball's fourth wartime campaign gets under way in Washington today in the President's Own Game. But Franklin Delano Roosevelt will be there only in spirit. The man who loved baseball and did so much for it in these troublous days has left the strife of war and sport forever.
This season could quite easily become the weirdest ever in the history of organized baseball. But there will be fun for all. There'll be only a smear of big-league tone to the play. In fact, dizzy baseball will be the rule, even more than we saw the previous season as the war has robbed us of over 400 players who previously competed in the big leagues. Yet, from all major-league points comes word that interest in the sports fourth wartime season is unusually high. Across the league are reports of sizeable increases in the sale of season ducats.
The only answer is -the people want baseball, whatever its quality. War-frayed millions want to get out to the ball park, root for the home team and heap insults on the umpire.
Where the play is concerned the fans must be tolerant. They'll find the game has fallen further below big-league standard than it did last year. They'll see in action players who in prewar years wouldn't have been given much consideration by class AA minor clubs, let alone the FABL teams. They'll even see entire clubs that might find it difficult to make headway in the Dixie League in ordinary times.
But the underage, the overage and the 4-F players on the fields will be in there trying, and thats about all the crowds will ask. It'll be pleasing entertainment, and with the cost of living as it is today the fans will get their money's worth. But while they are enjoying themselves they must not forget to give thanks to our victorious forces on land and sea, our forces battling to keep our American way of life undisturbed.
To them we owe our baseball this year.
PUNDITS VARIED IN OPINIONS ON ANNIVERSARY RESULTS
As baseball prepares to embark on the journey that is its 20th season of the so-called 'Modern' or 'Human-GM' era about the only thing that appears certain is uncertainty. For a change that uncertainty does not revolve around concerns for the season's survival, as a number of recent rulings and our success in Europe seem to guarantee another uninterrupted wartime campaign. That is not to say there are not players missing -there are actually 404 of them with previous big league experience presently involved in the war effort, more than any other year- but the game will press on as it has done each of the previous three seasons.
The uncertainty revolves around the expected outcome, as being Opening Day, scribes from all of the nation's top daily papers put typewriter to paper and burn a Monday morning column with what they feel passes off as expert evaluation -making their predictions for the order of finish in the two best baseball associations in the world for the upcoming season. Some like Archie Irwin -the well-respected Chicago Daily News columnist- will go as far as daring to call the outcome of the World Championship Series 7 months in advance. Irwin, by the way, sees the Pittsburgh Miners breaking a 44 year drought and topping the Cicninnati Cannons in the '45 Fall Classic. Fast Freddie Farhat also bravely made a WCS prediction. The longtime Detroit World Sports editor agrees with Irwin that the Miners will reach the Series, but he thinks they will once more come up short in October and fall to the Chicago Cougars. Most writers will be content to simply call the pennant winners with a select few going above and beyond and listing the order of finish from 1-thru-8 in both the Continental and Federal Associations.
Most, much like the Chiefs Sam Orr haplessly swinging and missing at another curveball, will flail wildly in their efforts and miss the mark as the scribes tend to do with these prognostications every April. But usually at this stage of the game, many are on the same page. That is not so much the case in recent years with the uncertainty of the war playing such a major role in the outcome.
There are plenty of varied opinions in the Federal Association with depending upon who you ask the Philadelphia Keystones targeted for a repeat trip to the WCS, or a last place finish. Pittsburgh is another team that some feel can win it all but others doom the Miners to the second division. The Gothams and Boston appear to be the two in the Fed that most consistently appear to be first division regulars in the minds of the scribes.
It is much the same in the Continental as some feel the Cincinnati Cannons -with their grey-haired lineup- will win a third straight pennant equaling the Brooklyn Kings of nearly a decade ago. Others like the Chicago Cougars to rebound after a dismal second half a year ago and one brave soul calls for the Philadelphia Sailors to prevail in the loop for the first time since 1930. Toronto seems to be the most popular choice to battle the Cannons and Cougars but none of our so-called experts like the Wolves for finishing at the top of the pack.
What does it all mean? When you consider that none of the seven so-called experts who attempted to successfully call the Fed winner a year ago hit the mark and correctly tabbed the Philadelphi Keystones and only two of the 7 were accurate enough to name Cincinnati as the CA winner, today's prediction likely are worth little more than the fishwrap they are printed on. But it sure is fun to debate the merits of our favourites isn't it? Baseball is back and right now, for the only time all season, everyone is tied for first place. We will know soon enough just how accurate these brave few sportswriters were in subjecting themselves to ridicule by going on record with predictions for a decidedly unpredictable sport.
BRINKER SEES GOTHAMS-COUGARS SERIES
While prognistications are always to be taken with more than a few grains of salt, the war continues to wreak even more havoc with the sport, making it even more difficult to pin down the winners & losers. For who knows how the battlefield results will effect those on the ballfields of America? Well... regardless of the difficulties the task before us is to make bold predictions, so let's get down to it.
The Federal Association. I always start with the Fed. Why? Call me old fashioned but I still link the Fed to its roots in old man Whitney's Century loop (yes, I am that old) and give it the nod over those "upstarts" in the Continental. Let's start with the defending champions of the circuit, the Philadelphia Keystones. Can they catch lightning in the bottle again this year? Short answer is yes, of course, but the longer, more nuanced answer is that it's somewhat unlikely. What is likely is that Bobby Barrell will have another outstanding individual season taking advantage of watered down wartime pitching. But speaking of pitching, Philly doesn't have enough of it to win again (though I do l-o-v-e Jim Whiteley - he's going to have a great season, you heard it here first). Having gotten that out of the way, who is the favorite? With every roster looking like swiss cheese, this is the most difficult set of predictions I've ever had to do.
1. New York Gothams: Probably the most complete team in the loop. Red Johnson, Ed Bowman & Harry Carter are the keys.
2. Boston Minutemen: Good pitching & Pete Day, but some question marks in the lineup. If they get production throughout, they're the faves. But that's a big if.
3. Philadelphia Keystones: If Pepper was still around, they'd be the favorites. Without him they still have a shot, but it'll be a fight.
4. Pittsburgh Miners: It all revolves around Mahlon Strong who might be the best hitter still around who isn't named Bobby Barrell.
5. Detroit Dynamos: The Fed's true wildcard. If Potter & Brown are as good as I think they are and Frank Vance has enough gas left in the tank, they could challenge for the pennant.
6. Chicago Chiefs: The lineup's still dangerous but pitching is the issue in the Windy City. There's just not enough of it there with all the team's best working for Uncle Sam.
7. Washington Eagles: This team's an enigma. They'll miss Mel Carrol but Stofer, Miller and the pitching make them dangerous.
8. St. Louis Pioneers: Not enough batting help available for Tucker & Sharp. A healthy Danny Hern is the 'x' factor in the Gateway City.
The Continental Association is the loop of the haves and have-nots as in "have a chance" and "haven't a chance" regarding the annual capture the flag routine. The defending two-time champ Cannons remain the club to beat. But there are a trio of teams who have a shot at spiking the big guns along the Ohio River led by the big cats of Chicago and the howling pack from north of the border. That other team in the Big Apple is in the mix too. So how's it gonna shake out? Here's a guess:
1. Chicago Cougars: Expect a bounce back from their disappointing collapse a year ago. Despite a slew of talented players in the military, the Cougars remain FABL's deepest team.
2. Cincinnati Cannons: Yes, Deuce Barroll's back and the lineup still boasts Adams, Wheeler & Bird. So what's not to like? Nothing really, other than the difficulty of winning three straight pennants.
3. Toronto Wolves: Pack & Garrison are top-notch but the Wolves don't quite have the firepower of the Cannons & Cougars and that makes their route to the top of the hill a steeper climb.
4. New York Stars: Eli Panneton is legit and Lee & Cornett are solid behind him. The lineup is the weak link, but it's far from terrible and that gives the Stars a legitimate chance of sneaking away with the pennant.
5. Brooklyn Kings: OSA doesn't like Brooklyn, but I see them as the "best of the rest" with that status largely dependent upon the pitching. OF Orie Martinez is a star in the making.
6. Philadelphia Sailors: Never count out the Sailors. They seem to annually do more with less than any other team. Doc Newell's getting old and the lineup lacks a true difference-maker.
7. Montreal Saints: Could easily finish 4th or 5th - like the Kings, they're tough to predict. They have a workman-like lineup but the pitching is thin.
8. Cleveland Foresters: The lineup, led by young Jim Adams Jr, is surprisingly good... but the pitching is not.
OSA CALLS FOR REMATCH OF '43 WITH A CANNONS-MINUTEMEN SERIES
Age is just a number and when referring to the geriatric Cincinnati Cannons OSA says that number is 103. That is the number of victories that Dan Barrell and his staff at the league scouting department forecast for the Cannons in the upcoming season. OSA feels age will not be an issue for Cincinnati - which is quite possibly fielding a team that is the oldest in FABL history. Not a problem on the mound where the scouting service sees 37 year old's Sam Sheppard and Tom Barrell combining to win 46 games nor in the outfield where it predicts big numbers for the trio of Al Wheeler, Gail Gifford and Sam Brown.
OSA sees the Chicago Cougars -led by their three armed mound monster of Billy Riley, Harry Parker and Art White- finishing second with the New York Stars and Toronto Wolves deadlocked in third place.
In the Federal Association the scouting bureau is calling for big seasons from Billy Dalton, Pete Day and Bill Moore to carry the Boston offense to the top of the pile. Pittsburgh is picked second and then the battle for third will be a tough one with four teams -Washington, Detroit, the Gothams and Chiefs- all finishing within 4 game of each other in rounding out the first division. OSA sees the defending champion Philadelphia Keystones dropping to 7th despite another big season for Bobby Barrell.
Here is the projected 1945 standings and top players according to OSA:
When one looks at OSA's call for '45 it certainly is interesting to see the top hitters and pitcher predictions. Looking at those numbers my interpretation is the OSA feels that Bobby Barrell will come back to the pack but will still have enough to win the FA Whitney. Hard to argue that one. The FA Allen looks like Boston’s Ed Wood is the top choice. He will be hard pressed to get 39 starts in this era of all the doubleheaders but his numbers look the best based on the OSA.
In the CA, the Whitney looks like a crapshoot between multiple hitters. One could argue Toronto’s 1B Walt Pack or a pair of Cincinnati OF’s in Brown or Gifford. The batting race looks interesting between Brown and Sailors Ed Reyes. On the CA Allen front the OSA likes Cincinnati’s Sam Sheppard. If he comes close to those numbers, Fast Freddy will eat his hat.
As for rookie of the year, looks like Detroit 18 year old Potter is the OSA top pick.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Mail & Empire Predicts FABL in 1945 -Brett will now perform an annual rite of spring with his predictions of the way teams will finish the 1945 season. This year is more difficult than past years with possibility of players returning to the league from at least the European Theatre of the war. The fall of Berlin seems to be only days away. If that happens do the players return or are they moved in a massive effort to end the fighting in the Pacific. Brett will make his list based on the current rosters of all 16 teams.
Continental Association
1. Chicago Cougars- Although hit hard hard by enlistments this strong team is on a mission to avenge the collapse of 1944.
2. Toronto Wolves- War also came calling in a big way. Led by pitching, will the Wolves get enough from their bats to challenge Chicago?
3. Philadelphia Sailors- A team that made strides forward in 1944, expect more of the same in 1945.
4. Cincinnati Cannons- Brett thinks this is the year age catches up to the Cannons although their wily GM will make all moves he deems necessary to capture a third straight pennant.
5. New York Stars- A team that could surprise everyone, Brett's dark horse in the CA.
6. Montreal Saints- A young team whose time is coming just not in 1945.
7. Brooklyn Kings- A team still trying to find their way at the top levels of the FABL.
8. Cleveland Foresters- Rebuilding, restocking will continue in 1945.
Federal Association
1. New York Gothams- Pitching, pitching, pitching along with Red Johnson's bat make the Gothams clear early favourites.
2. Boston Minutemen- Expect Boston to rebound from a disappointing 1944.
3. St. Louis Pioneers- Solid team both on the mound, at the plate. Do they have enough to challenge in FA?
4. Detroit Dynamos- A team with a wealth a young upcoming talent. This season may be one of putting pieces together in the FA. Pitching is area of concern.
5. Pittsburgh Miners- Can the Miners recapture past glory of a few seasons ago?
6. Chicago Chiefs- Never a team to be overlooked.
7. Washington Eagles- Like the Stars the Eagles could surprise everyone in the FA.
8. Philadelphia Keystones- Keystones could finish anywhere from third to eighth depending on a number of situations.
There are a number of things that will change over 1945. Which teams go through extended hot streaks or slumps? Do injuries derail hopes of a team? Which players rise to new levels? Do some aging veterans finally run out of gas at the end of the careers? Does a young player carry his team to new heights? Does the war end in time for teams to get the a key player(s) back in time to make a late pennant charge in either league? One thing is for certain, 1945 will produce unexpected results in either a positive or negative direction for a number of teams.
***Ready For Season Opener ***
The Wolves Pullman coach has pulled into Union Terminal in Cincinnati on the eve of the beginning of the 1945 schedule for a short two-game series. Bob Call is optimistic about the team's chances stating that the Wolves will be strong on the mound, in the field, with the hitters needing only to produce enough runs to give the pitching staff a lead to work with over the next six months. Call likes starting with the Cannons to see what some people are calling the best have for 1945. Call thinks the CA will a hard fought race all season long with 3 or 4 teams able to win the pennant.
Owner Bernie Millard is said to be pleased with the increase in season's tickets along with attendance estimates at Dominion Field. Insiders tell Brett that Millard has told the front office staff that anything less than a trip to the World Series will be considered a failure in his eyes.
Toronto is said to have set their minor league rosters to start the season. Chattanooga will start the campaign with only 20 players saying it is time for these players to show whether or not they have a future with the Wolves. Expect multiple moves between Davenport, Chattanooga during the season more so if players return from the service.
At the end of the 1944 season the Minutemen found themselves in fifth position with a 76-78 record. It was their worst finish since the 1940 season (also fifth place) and their first season finishing under .500 since 1938 (72-82). Not only did the Minutemen finish in the second division they also have the worst minor league system ranking in the FABL. This has less to do with poor drafting and more to do with Boston trading away top prospects and first round picks to secure talent that helped the club win two pennants and one championship in three seasons.
Now with that talent aging, and the few prospects the club do own rights to serving in either the European or Pacific theaters, the Minutemen find themselves at an identity crossroad. The club still has loads of talent and could very well find themselves deep into a pennant race which may allow them to continue to trade away top picks for players that can provide immediate dividends. This past recipe for success may not be the way to go in today’s FABL though.
Ever since the anti-tanking draft measures were introduced last season, it may be a wiser course of action for Boston to retain their top pick. With the potential win/loss improvement from the season before it would improve Boston’s chances of grabbing a top pick while still finishing at the top of the standings. BNN predicts that the Minutemen will finish with 91 wins and top the FA as they are currently constructed. If that turned out to be accurate the Minutemen would be looking at a 15 game improvement from a season ago.
Of course BNN predictions are often the kiss of death as there is no way to factor in all the unseen variables that crop up over the course of a season. Still, experts feel the Minutemen will be competitive and the club definitely agrees with those assessments. It may have been why Boston's front office remained quiet all offseason as they made not a single move to bolster the lineup.
With opening day tomorrow, the Minutemen will trot out one of the more experienced rosters in the league with 15 of the 24 players over 30 years of age. Will that experience be enough? Or will we see the effects of age in both the production and health department? We will get to see it all unfold tomorrow as the club opens up the season in Philadelphia for a three game series against the Keystones. Either way, the long, cold, dreary winter is now officially over and the boys of summer are ready to take center stage for what the city of Boston hopes is another magical season.
IS AGE JUST A NUMBER? CANNONS HOPE IT IS AND THE NUMBER IS 3
The Cincinnati Cannons host the Toronto Wolves in the Continental Association opener at Tice Memorial tomorrow afternoon, faced with an opportunity only seven other teams in the 54 year history of FABL have ever had. We are speaking of teams that have won back to back World Championship Series and the list is very select with only the 1897 New York Gothams, 1901 Chicago Cougars, 1905 Boston Minutemen, 1907 New York Stars, 1909 Baltimore Clippers, 1920 Detroit Dynamos and 1926 New York Stars joining the current edition of the Cannons as clubs looking for a third consecutive World Championship Series. Everyone in Cincinnati knows by now that only the '26 Stars accomplished the goal but the Cannons have the oppportunity to join them this October.
This is clearly the place to insert the obvious joke that most of the current crop of Cannons were likely already in the big leagues to witness the Stars 1926 win first-hand. That is not quite true, but with an average age of 33 and 10 of the 24 players that will start the season tomorrow being at least 35 years of age, it is not that far off.
There is no question the current edition of the Cannons is the oldest in the league this season, and likely one of the oldest FABL teams ever fielded. At 27 Johnny Potter and Deuce Barrell are the youngest two on the club that includes 39 year old Jim Crawford and five 37-year old's in Tom Barrell, Tom Bird, Jack Cleaves, Sam Sheppard and Al Wheeler. There was hope from some in the organization that local boy Ted Stacy -the 22 year old shortstop out of Hillcrest High- would make the club but the Cannons opted to go with 34 year old free agent pickup Harry Woodruff -who toiled for the Gothams last season- as the backup to Jim Hensley. There is no question that Stacy, who was a 1941 regional round pick, has the glove to play in the big leagues, but he hit just .209 at Indianapolis last season and looked overmatched in going 3-for-21 during spring action.
*** Tigers Looking Forward to Strong Sophomore Campaign ***
Cincinnati's other big league team says ticket sales are going well and Tigers grid coach Jack Conn says the club is out to prove their 4-6 record in their debut was no fluke. "Our defense was pretty solid last season, all things considered," explained Conn. "We need to improve our offense, especially the running game, but hopefully that is something we can address in the draft."
The squad recently held a dinner at the Cincinnati Touchdown Club and presented Jack Christensen with the team MVP award for the 1944 campaign. Christensen was a surprise this season, leading the club with 6 interceptions while rushing for a team best 357 yards.
*** Could Basketball Be Next For the Queen City ***
There is a lot of talk about the possibility of a big-time pro basketball loop getting underway next season and if it happens, Cannons owner John Tice says he would be interested in joining the fray. To be clear Tice did add that he has heard nothing about plans for Cincinnati to be entered in a play for pay cage league, but also admitted he has been pretty focused on the Cannons and has not explored the possibility at all.
What caught our attention is news from Cincinnati native and former Detroit City College All-American John Banks. The former guard is now in management at one of the big automobile factories in Detroit while moonlighting in a semi-pro league, but in a recent visit home to the Queen City he mentioned that he had been approached about playing in proposed new cage loop called the United States Basketball League once the war was over. The 27 year old said he is very interested and added the group appeared quite serious.
ARMY, NAVY LEAD PROSPECT PARADE
OSA unveiled it's latest top ten prospect rankings and it comes as little surprise that the Army and Navy lead the way with 3 each. In all, 8 of the 10 ten at the top of the OSA chart are presently carrying guns instead of bats and balls led by 23 year old St Louis Pioneers pitching prospect Hal Hackney.
Hackney, a 1940 3rd round pick who has been in the Navy since 1941, tops the latest OSA list which includes 6 pitchers. The Detroit Dynamos lead the list with 3 players including one of just two top ten prospects who are not serving their country. 18 year old lefthander Carl Potter slots in at number 5 according to OSA and more importantly at number 4 on the Dynamos pitching rotation as he attempts to become the first 18 year old pitcher to win a game in the modern era. There is still a possibility that Potter, despite a terrific spring, starts the season in Newark as the Dynamos still need to cut 5 more players from their spring roster in order to get down to the FABL limit of 24.
The only other player to crack the top ten who will be playing pro ball to start the season is 18 year old catcher Dan Atwood. The New York Stars second round pick in 1944, Atwood split his pro debut last year between A and AA.
- Look for a great change in baseball when the war is ended. It might even come next year, with V-E day apparently near. There will be such a general overhauling the fans hardly will recognize their clubs. Some high in baseball say as much as 50 percent of those now on the field will be back in the minors or out of the game entirely when the regulars return from the war.
- Or in the case of the Cannons, perhaps the next stop is an old age home. The Cincinnati Cannons have finalized their 24-man roster and it certainly is experienced. 18 of the 24 players are at least 30 years with no one under the age of 27. 10 of the 24 players heading north, including 6 pitchers, are at least 35 years of age and 10 of them have at least a decade of big league service under their belts already led by Jack Cleaves, who prepares for his 19th FABL campaign. Average age of the Cannons roster is 33 and that is after they waived 38 year old reliever Fred Hall as their final cut.
- There is excitement in Montreal as Saints fans look to the arrival of young shortstop Gordie Perkins. Saints brass revealed the 22 year old 1941 3rd overall selection will start the season in FABL following a great spring training. Jake Hughes will be moved to 3B and Mack Burns will cover 2B for the season opener. Rookie OF Hank Eason, who had a strong showing in a brief trial last September, also made the team. The son of former Saints star outfielder Hal Eason will share the leftfield job with veteran Hank Dunn, at least to start the season.
- Some are wondering what the Pittsburgh Miners are up to. The Miners waived 5 veterans over the weekend but that drops their active roster down to 21 players. Are they planning a cost-cutting move by running with a short roster or do they have their eyes on a number of players presently sitting on the waiver wire? They have already submitted a claim for Cleveland relief pitcher Red Butler.
The Day That Was
Current events from 4/16/1945
- President Truman's declaration to Congress and the world that he intends to press for speedy victory in the war, and for lasting peace, won the instant plaudits of Congress. It was Truman's first address to Congress after succeeding Roosevelt as President.
- Roosevelt went to his final resting place as the 31st President of the United States was buried in Hyde Park Garden after the funeral train that left Washington Saturday arrived in New York.
- General Patton's American 3rd Army is within 7 miles of the Czech border and has captured Hof, effectively splitting the German defenses in two.
- General Mark W. Clark announced that the "spring offensive in the Mediterranean theater has begun," with the American 5th and British 8th armies engaged in operations along the entire Italian battlefront.
- A German news agency has confirmed that the Russians had captured the Seelow Heights, 23 miles east of Berlin and linked up their bridgeheads southwest and northwest of Kuestrin. A Soviet broadcast stated that the attack on Berlin has started.
- The two month stalemate over reorganization of the Polish government has been broken after Premier Stalin's agreement to a regime which will be truly representative of the Polish people.
- 400 Superfortresses returned to raid Tokyo, a city still burning from Saturday's fire raid, which burned out more than 10 square miles. Reconnaissance photos show that 27 1/2 square miles have been devastated in and around the Japanese capital since March 10.