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Jiggs McGee · 01-27-2023, 12:17 PM

August 27, 1945

EAGLES SURVIVE TOUGH WEEK

Surprise Washington Club Continues to Hold Fed Lead

The Washington Eagles passed a big test this week, but just barely. The Eagles had 8 games against Detroit and Philadelphia -their two biggest challengers in the Federal Association flag race at the moment. Washington swept a doubleheader in Detroit last Sunday to get off to a fine start and they followed that up with a split of the final two games in Detroit before moving on to Philadelphia and breaking even in a 4-game set with the Keystones. The result is the surprising Eagles continue to hold down top spot in the Fed, leading both Detroit and Philadelphia by a single game as the season is on the cusp of its final month.

Toronto cut into Cincinnati's lead in the Continental Association as the Wolves waltzed in to the Queen City and took two of three from the Cannons over the weekend. Toronto now trails by two games with the two clubs set for a 3 game rematch this weekend in Canada. The third place Chicago Cougars gained a little ground on Cincinnati as well, now trailing by 7 games. The return of Pete Papenfus was not quite as dominant as hoped for, with some rust clearly accumulated from nearly 4 years out of the game. Papenfus took a 5-1 loss to the Sailors in his return from the Navy on Monday and was credited with the win over Montreal Friday but he allowed 5 earned runs. The good news was Peter the Heater fanned 12 in 13 and 2/3 innings work.

LYONS CONFIRMS HE WILL RETIRE AT SEASONS END

The oldest player in baseball will not be that for much longer as Chicago Cougars pitcher Dick Lyons has announced that, at age 45, this will be his final season of pro ball. Lyons has spent his entire career in the Cougars organization, since being selected in the second round of the 1921 FABL rookie draft out of Frankford State. So he has been in professional baseball since before fellow Cougars pitchers George Oddo and Mike Thorpe were even born. He's been in the big leagues longer then five of the Cougars first six draftees this season (Carl Clark, Dutch Yoak, Pat Todd, Jim Mako, and Alex O'Dailey) have been alive

Lyons, who recently became what is believed to be the oldest pitcher ever credited with a win in a FABL game at 45 years and 66 days, has a career record of 237-187 to go along with 5 all-star game selections and the 1938 Allen Award. He led the Continental Association in era that season while also enjoying the only 20-win season of his career.

A dependable starter for 18 seasons in Chicago, the Cougars have confirmed that Lyons #23 will be retired, just the fourth Cougar (Calvin Kidd, John Dibblee, Jack Long) to receive that honor.

1946 DRAFT PREVIEW PART SEVEN: THIS IS CRAZY - A MOCK OF THE 1948 FIRST ROUND

For the first time, the expanded draft coverage from This Week in Figment Baseball will include a very early look at the draft class that is 2 and a half years down the road. We expect very much to change over the next couple of seasons but here is our ranking of the top high school players entering their sophomore season. This list is compiled based upon input from the OSA and high school stats.

Code:

		      1948 WAY, WAY TOO EARLY MOCK FIRST ROUND DRAFT
RK  NAME	    POS AGE  SCHOOL	          HOMETOWN          OSA ASSESSMENT
 1 Buddy Miller*    CF  15  Lakeland(FL) HS      Lakeland, FL	   impact on a top tier team
 2 Don Goldman      CF  15  Malden (MA) HS       Malden, MA	   multiple trips to all-star game
 3 Roy Snedden*     3B  15  Rowlesburg(WV) HS    Rowlesburg, WV    elite starting 3B
 4 Bill Wooten	    LHP 15  Princton (IL) HS     Princeton, IL	   among best pitching prospects in any org.
 5 Joe Watson	    CF  15  Wheaton (IL) HS      Wheaton, IL	   multiple trips to all-star game
 6 Charlie Barrell* 2B  15  Capital (DC) HS      Los Angeles, CA   second division starter
 7 Buck Burdell     CF  15  Gillette (WY) HS     Gillette, WY	   shortlist for best CF in league
 8 Frankie Raymond  RHP 15  Toledo Waite HS      Toledo, OH	   starter who can anchor a rotation
 9 Joe Kleman       SS  15  Princeton (IL) HS    Princeton, IL	   can make impact on a top-tier team
10 Fred Kelley	    CF  15  Roanoke (IL) HS      Roanoke, IL	   multiple trips to all-star game		
11 Bob Benton	    2B  15  Middlesboro(KY) HS   Middlesboro, KY   multiple trips to all-star game
12 Jimmy Morris     RHP 15  Monroeville (OH) HS  Monroeville, OH   makings of future ace
13 Steve Wheeler    CF  15  Cincinnati Hillcrest Detroit, MI       dynamic tools needed to make impact
14 Andy Bonner	    RF  15  Benton (KY) HS       Benton, KY        first division starter
15 Ken Crossley     RHP 15  Gainesville(GA) HS   Gainesville, GA   top starter on a team
16 John Hubbard	    RHP 15  Kellerman (AL) HS    Kellerman, AL     talent to pitch at top of rotation

		HONOURABLE MENTION 
  NAME		    POS AGE   SCHOOL		    HOMETOWN	     OSA ASSESSMENT
Sam Bird	    C    15 Cincinnati Northwest    Naperville, IL    reliable hitter
Charlie Craighead   LHP  15 Kensett (AR) HS	    Kensett, AR	     #2 starter
Bill Del Vecchio    CF   15 Baltimore Kenwood HS    Baltimore, MD     productive regular on a contender
Jimmy Golden	    C    15 Mediden (CT) HS         Meriden, CT       tools needed to be premier catcher
Ralph Hughes	    CF   15 Tupelo (MS) HS          Tupelo, MS        Second division starter
Paul Jordan	    RHP  15 Hopewell (NJ) HS        Hopewel, NJ       middle of big league rotation
Don Lewis	    RHP  15 Miami (FL) HS           Miami, FL         middle of big league rotation
Joe Morgan	    C    15 Watsonville (CA) HS     Watsonville, CA   potential elite catcher on a contender
Phil Murray	    LHP  15 Staten Island St Peters New York, NY      middle rotation potential
Ollie Norris	    RHP  15 Mill Valley (CA) HS     Mill Valley, CA   solid mid-rotation starter
* All-American Selection or Honorable Mention

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Toronto Climbs Back Into the CA Race -Faced with a critical week for their 1945 hopes the Wolves rose to the task. Although a 3-2 week is generally nothing to write home about the wins came at the right time to pull the Wolves back within 2 games of the Cannons. Wolves began the week with a 3-1 loss in Brooklyn when Dick Farmer silenced the Toronto bats on 5 hits, one being a Howerton solo shot in the 8th, only his second of the year, accounting for the only run against Farmer. The Tuesday game closing out Toronto's week long stay in New York City featured a surprise starter for Toronto. Manager Call skipped Cookie Myer to call upon Jim Laurita. Call said Myer has been ineffective in his last two starts that coupled with a lighter schedule allowed Myer to go back into the 'pen for the week. Laurita responded with a superior effort firing a complete game two-hitter shutting out the Kings 4-0 with the help of Gus Hull's two-run homer in a 3 run 8th.

Onto the train for an overnight trip into Cincinnati in which there were 2 days off before beginning the critical series. All the Wolves on the train knew that the season could hang in the balance even though it was only the end of August. The fans were treated to a pitching gem on both sides during the Friday mid-afternoon start at Memorial Stadium. Wolves got out to a 1-0 lead in the third when Artuso led off with a triple then scored on a outfield error. Toronto was in position to score more runs, but Cannons started Sam Sheppard battened down the hatches, with an assist from a caught stealing and a shoe top catch in left field for the final out. Walls continued to pitch well until 2 walks followed by a Jim Hensley double allowed two runs to cross in the 5th. The 2-1 Cannons win was one that could have crushed the Toronto players as they stranded 11 in loss.

Wolves responded before a big Saturday afternoon crowd by getting to Cannons starter Red Hampton early and often in a 6-4 victory, in a game where Doria brought Deuce Barrell in to relieve Hampton. Both teams were ready for the pivotal Sunday encounter, Garrison brought his A game outdueling the other Barrell, Tom a 15 game winner, 5-3 for his 15th victory of the season. Toronto was helped by a critical error in the second by Fred Galloway. Toronto leaves Cincy only trailing by two instead of 4 to finish their road trip, currently 12-10, with two games in Cleveland Tuesday and Thursday before heading home to face the Cannons again in another critical 3 game series beginning at Dominion Stadium on Friday.

The other good news was that John Fast has returned from the service. He will report to Chattanooga to immediately begin play. Some office insiders say that Frank Frady may have passed Fast as the apparent heir to Artuso, also intimating that they would not be surprised to see Fast being used as a trade chip over the winter.

Peter the Heater was definitely rusty in his return to the Chicago Cougars, allowing 13 hits, 12 runs (9 earned), and 11 walks in his 2 starts. Normally a complete game machine, Papenfus went just 7 in a loss to the Sailors and 6.2 in a win over the Saints. The one thing that was there is the strikeouts, as the fireballer set 12 down on strikes.
Some thoughts from Freddie Farhat with the Detroit Dynamos: I feel like Detroit’s been in this position before. Sitting in 2nd place and just a game back as we shift into September. If we are going to pull this thing off there is going to have to be a reversal of fortune happen. Detroit plays 25 of their last 31 games on the road and the road has not been kind to the club this season (23-29). The hope is that for 11 of these guys that have not been a part of the club in most of those games, they can change that tide. Will all the moves pay off over the next 5 weeks or will Dynamo fans once again swallow the bitter pill of close but no cigar?
Rookie 2B Del Johnson will make his debut for the club, along with the return of P Charlie Ashmore. OF Sid Williams will be back in a week, but will he have a starting role? Will they be enough of an extra boost the club needs?
Washington's Lou Ellertson has been great against everyone this season but especially so when pitching against Detroit. Ellertson is 3-0 on the season against the Dynamos giving up just 2 runs in 25.1 IP (0.71 ERA). His last two outings against Detroit have both been 3-hit shutouts The First coming on June 30th 5-0 at Thompson Field and then 2nd one 3-0 on July 22nd in Washington.
Denton Fox of the Pittsburgh Press points out that Ellertson has a .213 BABIP in 206.1 IP this season. Fox and Miners fans have a not so pleasant memory of the 38 year old from his days in Pittsburgh. "I’ll never forgive him for being the hinge the whole ‘37 series swung on though," lamented Fox.
Archie Irwin of the Chicago Daily News adds that Ellertson's .213 BABIP, If he stays below William Jones' .215 in 169 innings in 1928, it will be the lowest qualifying opposing BABIP in the human era.
Another returnee from the war was Hal Hackney in St Louis. The 23 year old made his big league debut Monday in a 4-2 loss to Boston but rebounded to beat Chicago over the weekend. The prize prospect gave up three runs in his first FABL inning but gave up just two runs in his next 14 innings.
St Louis management expects some tough decision in the spring. Out of the 100+ guys the Pioneers have in the war, 28 of them expect a big league job when they return.
Doc Shaw chimes in with an update on what has been a tough season for Boston: Great race right now in the FA. Boston sure wishes they were a part of it. Minutemen post a very unlikely 5-1 week after the loss of Dean Astle. The wins in St. Louis were especially surprising as the Minutemen used their #5 starter and two spot starters to take all three games against the Pioneers this week. In all, it was a five game series in St. Louis where the Minutemen came away with four victories. Lefty Allen was actually the only pitcher that was able to best the Bostonians this week. The Minutemen still sit seven back in the standings and it would take a miracle to win the Association at this point, but they are only two out of a spot in the first division, which has become the team goal for the second half of the season. A 9-19 July killed their season.
A good example of someone getting a chance to play because of the war. SS Lee Kline was drafted in the 10th round by Boston in 1936 and released a few years later. After bouncing around with the independent teams for awhile, he signed a minor league deal with the Chiefs in May. His contract was purchased after Bob Martin was injured. In two weeks, he's hit .349/.348/.442. There is really no chance he keeps that going, but it's nice that he is getting his cup of coffee.
A minor league no-hitter for Sailors farmhand Jackson Sanders. The 30 year old tossed one in a 3-0 win for Peoria over Terre Haute in Heartland League action. A 1936 second rounder out of Grange College, Sanders has spent much of his pro ball career in Peoria and is 8-5 with a 3.64 era this season. It is not surprising that if the Heartland League has a no-hitter it comes froma Peoria pitcher as the loop has had 8 no-hitters since 1925 and 6 of them have been tossed by Peoria pitchers.

PRO GRID LOOPS FACE COIN BATTLE UNLESS THEY MAKE PEACE

Uncle Sam's nipping of the Nips came late enough in the year to assure clear sailing for the American Football Association at the box office this fall, but there's stiff competition brewing for 1946. War's end found an armed truce between the long established American circuit and the proposed Continental Football Conference which is champing at the bit as it awaits return of prospective players from military service.

Offials of the embryonic league abmit that even if all their ear-marketed talent returned within a month, it would be impossible to start operating this year. But Percy Sutherland, guiding light of the new circuit, asserted that the war's end came at exactly the right time for a 1946 getaway.

The loop holds franchises in two American Football Association cities - New York and Chicago- as well as on the Pacific Coast with Los Angeles and San Francisco. The remaining cities in the 8 team loop will be revealed at a later date.

Sutherland admts that a battle of dollars for talent will play havoc with professional football generally and suggest that club owners in both leagues will be "downright stupid if they don't get together."

Thus far the quarter century old American Association has ignored the hustling newcomer but the fur will surely fly when the CFC owners start luring some big names from the established loop, particularly those who had been recently in fighting clothes. When that happens, and it is inevitable because there are some deep pockets included in the Continental Conferences ownership, the American Conference will be forced to notice the newcomers.

TOP RECRUIT CARTER COMMITS TO TECHSTERS FOR '46

The 1945-46 collegiate basketball season is a long ways off still but college coaches have already been busy securing players for the 1946-47 campaign. A number of the leading high school seniors have committed to colleges already despite their last season of high school ball is, like the college game, still a few months off.

It promises to be a big recruiting class for North Carolina Tech as the Techsters landed the Washington DC duo of Mike Carter and Muzz Hodson. Carter, 6'7" forward out of Dunbar High School is considered the top recruit in the nation and he will be joined by another DC giant in 7'2" Muzz Hodson, believed to be the tallest high school senior basketball player in the nation at North Carolina Tech for the 46-47 season. Hodson presently attends Anacosta High in Washington.

The Techsters, who will lose 5 seniors to graduation next spring, also secured an early commitment from guard Percy Hyatt, who is ranked 6th in the nation among guards and attends nearby High Point High School.
TOP 40 RECRUITS FOR 1946-47 SEASON

KNOCK OUT WINS FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDERS

A pair of highly ranked middleweights each posted convincing wins during the week. On Friday night in Cincinnati, Brooks O'Connor exhibited all of the ferocious fighting prowess of a tiger as he methodically battered Haden Gunther into unconsciousness for a ninth round knockout of the Lancaster, Pa. native. A crowd of nearly 10,000 at the Cincinnati Auditorium witnessed the Detroiter tear into his opponent with a vicious two-handed body attack in the opening round. When Gunther doubled over to avoid the punishing body blows, O'Connor shifted his attack to the head with jabs and right crosses that brought blood to Gunther's nose.

Thereafter, with the exception of occasional moments when he tried gamely to thrwart Brooks with jabs and sharp overhand rights, Gunterh constantly was in retreat with O'Coonor stalking him without mercy. The win improves O'Connor's record to 19-3-2 with his only losses -all before the war- coming to World Champion Frank Melanson as well as top contenders Todd Gill and John Edmonds.
*** ERWIN BACK ON TRACK ***

Earlier in the week Tommy Erwin made a successful return from the pounding he took in a quick 1st round knockout loss to Archie Rees back in March when the Brit was still World Champion. Erwin improved to 28-6 with 17 of his wins by stoppages after he knocked out lightly regarded Luke Verret in the 7th round of a bout scheduled for 10 at Detroit's Thompson Arena on Tuesday.

Both O'Connor and Erwin are hopeful of a shot at Melanson, who beat Archie Rees in June to claim the middleweight title, but they will likely have to get in line as there are a number of fighters in the division with resumes impressive enough to deserve an opportunity. The undefeated Melanson has confirmed he will Todd Gill (20-1-4) at Bigsby Garden in October as his first title defense.

WELTERWEIGHT TITLE PICTURE CLEARER

The welterweight division, which has been without a champion since before the war, is much closer to crowning its kingpin after Dennis O'Keefe, seemed to have earned himself a spot in the 'playoff' to finally award a title in the division after scoring a 6th round TKO win over Ronnie Scott in his return to the ring.

O'Keefe (18-1) -the Jacksonville, Fl pugilist who was part of the D-Day invasion force in Normandy a little over a year ago, will next face Rudy Perry, likely in October in one of two semi-final bouts with Mark Westlake to square off with an as yet to be decided opponent in the other semi. The two winners will be contractually obligated to face each other at some point in 1946 with the belt on the line. The full announcement is expected early next month with the fourth member of the group expected to be Hartford's Wayne Dunn, assuming he wins his bout August 30 with Fred Jackson.

OTHER KEY FIGHTS LAST WEEK

Welterweight Ben Bishop (Atlanta, GA) improved to 21-2-1 with a win by decision over Victor Palmer in Minneapolis
Welterweight Mitchell McFadden (Detroit, MI) improved to 22-3-1 with a split decision win over Mark MacHutcheon in Philadelphia
Middlewight Frank 'Farmer' Carlson (Regina,Sk) improved to 12-1 with an unanimous win over Bobby Hill in Boston.
Heavyweight Richard Dunn (Eugene, OR) improved to 25-9-2 with an unanimous decision over Doug Martin in San Diego.
Welterweight Steve Landry (Dayton, OH) drops to 32-14-2 after a first round knock out loss to Jammer McDonald Seattle.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/26/1945

A typhoon has delayed the US landing in Japan. The first wave of American occupation troops were to arrive in Japan yesterday with warships expected tomorrow but bad weather will postpone the American arrival, led by General MacArthur until likely Tuesday. Radio Tokyo hinted at the possibility that some Japanese troops might rebel against the Japanese surrender decision and fire on American occupation forces.
Radio Tokyo said that almost 10 million persons -one-sixth of the total population- were killed, wounded or made homeless by American air raids on Japan. The dead alone totaled 260,000 including 90,000 killed by two atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an official Japanese dispatch said.
More than 1 million Japanese troops in China are now ready for formal surrender.
Russia announced the capture of Emperor Kang Teh, Japan's puppet ruler of Manchuria.
The Soviet Government organ Izvestia says that Russia has flatly rejected proposals by the Western Allies for Allied supervision of elections in liberated countries. Such supervision, Izvestia says, would constitute unwanted intereference with sovereignty of the liberated States.
Bulgaria yielded to American and British pressure and postponed indefinitely her national elections scheduled for tomorrow. The Western Allies had protested that Bulgaria's single-party system made free elections impossible.
The Republican party charted a 1946 election course marked by critical questioning of the Truman administration's foreign policy and outright opposition to major home front measures.
A million Americans are jobless this week as the nation transitions from war to peace. Many workers in war production centers lost their jobs through war contract cancellations within a week after Japan's surrender.
The Army has declared 252 Government-owned plants costing an estimated $1.48 billion as surplus and the Navy is getting ready to do the same with 134 other plants. They will become available for purchase by private industry.

01-27-2023, 12:17 PM	#622
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	August 27, 1945 August 27, 1945 EAGLES SURVIVE TOUGH WEEK Surprise Washington Club Continues to Hold Fed Lead The Washington Eagles passed a big test this week, but just barely. The Eagles had 8 games against Detroit and Philadelphia -their two biggest challengers in the Federal Association flag race at the moment. Washington swept a doubleheader in Detroit last Sunday to get off to a fine start and they followed that up with a split of the final two games in Detroit before moving on to Philadelphia and breaking even in a 4-game set with the Keystones. The result is the surprising Eagles continue to hold down top spot in the Fed, leading both Detroit and Philadelphia by a single game as the season is on the cusp of its final month. Toronto cut into Cincinnati's lead in the Continental Association as the Wolves waltzed in to the Queen City and took two of three from the Cannons over the weekend. Toronto now trails by two games with the two clubs set for a 3 game rematch this weekend in Canada. The third place Chicago Cougars gained a little ground on Cincinnati as well, now trailing by 7 games. The return of Pete Papenfus was not quite as dominant as hoped for, with some rust clearly accumulated from nearly 4 years out of the game. Papenfus took a 5-1 loss to the Sailors in his return from the Navy on Monday and was credited with the win over Montreal Friday but he allowed 5 earned runs. The good news was Peter the Heater fanned 12 in 13 and 2/3 innings work. LYONS CONFIRMS HE WILL RETIRE AT SEASONS END The oldest player in baseball will not be that for much longer as Chicago Cougars pitcher Dick Lyons has announced that, at age 45, this will be his final season of pro ball. Lyons has spent his entire career in the Cougars organization, since being selected in the second round of the 1921 FABL rookie draft out of Frankford State. So he has been in professional baseball since before fellow Cougars pitchers George Oddo and Mike Thorpe were even born. He's been in the big leagues longer then five of the Cougars first six draftees this season (Carl Clark, Dutch Yoak, Pat Todd, Jim Mako, and Alex O'Dailey) have been alive Lyons, who recently became what is believed to be the oldest pitcher ever credited with a win in a FABL game at 45 years and 66 days, has a career record of 237-187 to go along with 5 all-star game selections and the 1938 Allen Award. He led the Continental Association in era that season while also enjoying the only 20-win season of his career. A dependable starter for 18 seasons in Chicago, the Cougars have confirmed that Lyons #23 will be retired, just the fourth Cougar (Calvin Kidd, John Dibblee, Jack Long) to receive that honor. 1946 DRAFT PREVIEW PART SEVEN: THIS IS CRAZY - A MOCK OF THE 1948 FIRST ROUND For the first time, the expanded draft coverage from This Week in Figment Baseball will include a very early look at the draft class that is 2 and a half years down the road. We expect very much to change over the next couple of seasons but here is our ranking of the top high school players entering their sophomore season. This list is compiled based upon input from the OSA and high school stats. Code: 1948 WAY, WAY TOO EARLY MOCK FIRST ROUND DRAFT RK NAME POS AGE SCHOOL HOMETOWN OSA ASSESSMENT 1 Buddy Miller* CF 15 Lakeland(FL) HS Lakeland, FL impact on a top tier team 2 Don Goldman CF 15 Malden (MA) HS Malden, MA multiple trips to all-star game 3 Roy Snedden* 3B 15 Rowlesburg(WV) HS Rowlesburg, WV elite starting 3B 4 Bill Wooten LHP 15 Princton (IL) HS Princeton, IL among best pitching prospects in any org. 5 Joe Watson CF 15 Wheaton (IL) HS Wheaton, IL multiple trips to all-star game 6 Charlie Barrell* 2B 15 Capital (DC) HS Los Angeles, CA second division starter 7 Buck Burdell CF 15 Gillette (WY) HS Gillette, WY shortlist for best CF in league 8 Frankie Raymond RHP 15 Toledo Waite HS Toledo, OH starter who can anchor a rotation 9 Joe Kleman SS 15 Princeton (IL) HS Princeton, IL can make impact on a top-tier team 10 Fred Kelley CF 15 Roanoke (IL) HS Roanoke, IL multiple trips to all-star game 11 Bob Benton 2B 15 Middlesboro(KY) HS Middlesboro, KY multiple trips to all-star game 12 Jimmy Morris RHP 15 Monroeville (OH) HS Monroeville, OH makings of future ace 13 Steve Wheeler CF 15 Cincinnati Hillcrest Detroit, MI dynamic tools needed to make impact 14 Andy Bonner RF 15 Benton (KY) HS Benton, KY first division starter 15 Ken Crossley RHP 15 Gainesville(GA) HS Gainesville, GA top starter on a team 16 John Hubbard RHP 15 Kellerman (AL) HS Kellerman, AL talent to pitch at top of rotation HONOURABLE MENTION NAME POS AGE SCHOOL HOMETOWN OSA ASSESSMENT Sam Bird C 15 Cincinnati Northwest Naperville, IL reliable hitter Charlie Craighead LHP 15 Kensett (AR) HS Kensett, AR #2 starter Bill Del Vecchio CF 15 Baltimore Kenwood HS Baltimore, MD productive regular on a contender Jimmy Golden C 15 Mediden (CT) HS Meriden, CT tools needed to be premier catcher Ralph Hughes CF 15 Tupelo (MS) HS Tupelo, MS Second division starter Paul Jordan RHP 15 Hopewell (NJ) HS Hopewel, NJ middle of big league rotation Don Lewis RHP 15 Miami (FL) HS Miami, FL middle of big league rotation Joe Morgan C 15 Watsonville (CA) HS Watsonville, CA potential elite catcher on a contender Phil Murray LHP 15 Staten Island St Peters New York, NY middle rotation potential Ollie Norris RHP 15 Mill Valley (CA) HS Mill Valley, CA solid mid-rotation starter * All-American Selection or Honorable Mention TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Toronto Climbs Back Into the CA Race -Faced with a critical week for their 1945 hopes the Wolves rose to the task. Although a 3-2 week is generally nothing to write home about the wins came at the right time to pull the Wolves back within 2 games of the Cannons. Wolves began the week with a 3-1 loss in Brooklyn when Dick Farmer silenced the Toronto bats on 5 hits, one being a Howerton solo shot in the 8th, only his second of the year, accounting for the only run against Farmer. The Tuesday game closing out Toronto's week long stay in New York City featured a surprise starter for Toronto. Manager Call skipped Cookie Myer to call upon Jim Laurita. Call said Myer has been ineffective in his last two starts that coupled with a lighter schedule allowed Myer to go back into the 'pen for the week. Laurita responded with a superior effort firing a complete game two-hitter shutting out the Kings 4-0 with the help of Gus Hull's two-run homer in a 3 run 8th. Onto the train for an overnight trip into Cincinnati in which there were 2 days off before beginning the critical series. All the Wolves on the train knew that the season could hang in the balance even though it was only the end of August. The fans were treated to a pitching gem on both sides during the Friday mid-afternoon start at Memorial Stadium. Wolves got out to a 1-0 lead in the third when Artuso led off with a triple then scored on a outfield error. Toronto was in position to score more runs, but Cannons started Sam Sheppard battened down the hatches, with an assist from a caught stealing and a shoe top catch in left field for the final out. Walls continued to pitch well until 2 walks followed by a Jim Hensley double allowed two runs to cross in the 5th. The 2-1 Cannons win was one that could have crushed the Toronto players as they stranded 11 in loss. Wolves responded before a big Saturday afternoon crowd by getting to Cannons starter Red Hampton early and often in a 6-4 victory, in a game where Doria brought Deuce Barrell in to relieve Hampton. Both teams were ready for the pivotal Sunday encounter, Garrison brought his A game outdueling the other Barrell, Tom a 15 game winner, 5-3 for his 15th victory of the season. Toronto was helped by a critical error in the second by Fred Galloway. Toronto leaves Cincy only trailing by two instead of 4 to finish their road trip, currently 12-10, with two games in Cleveland Tuesday and Thursday before heading home to face the Cannons again in another critical 3 game series beginning at Dominion Stadium on Friday. The other good news was that John Fast has returned from the service. He will report to Chattanooga to immediately begin play. Some office insiders say that Frank Frady may have passed Fast as the apparent heir to Artuso, also intimating that they would not be surprised to see Fast being used as a trade chip over the winter. Peter the Heater was definitely rusty in his return to the Chicago Cougars, allowing 13 hits, 12 runs (9 earned), and 11 walks in his 2 starts. Normally a complete game machine, Papenfus went just 7 in a loss to the Sailors and 6.2 in a win over the Saints. The one thing that was there is the strikeouts, as the fireballer set 12 down on strikes. Some thoughts from Freddie Farhat with the Detroit Dynamos: I feel like Detroit’s been in this position before. Sitting in 2nd place and just a game back as we shift into September. If we are going to pull this thing off there is going to have to be a reversal of fortune happen. Detroit plays 25 of their last 31 games on the road and the road has not been kind to the club this season (23-29). The hope is that for 11 of these guys that have not been a part of the club in most of those games, they can change that tide. Will all the moves pay off over the next 5 weeks or will Dynamo fans once again swallow the bitter pill of close but no cigar? Rookie 2B Del Johnson will make his debut for the club, along with the return of P Charlie Ashmore. OF Sid Williams will be back in a week, but will he have a starting role? Will they be enough of an extra boost the club needs? Washington's Lou Ellertson has been great against everyone this season but especially so when pitching against Detroit. Ellertson is 3-0 on the season against the Dynamos giving up just 2 runs in 25.1 IP (0.71 ERA). His last two outings against Detroit have both been 3-hit shutouts The First coming on June 30th 5-0 at Thompson Field and then 2nd one 3-0 on July 22nd in Washington. Denton Fox of the Pittsburgh Press points out that Ellertson has a .213 BABIP in 206.1 IP this season. Fox and Miners fans have a not so pleasant memory of the 38 year old from his days in Pittsburgh. "I’ll never forgive him for being the hinge the whole ‘37 series swung on though," lamented Fox. Archie Irwin of the Chicago Daily News adds that Ellertson's .213 BABIP, If he stays below William Jones' .215 in 169 innings in 1928, it will be the lowest qualifying opposing BABIP in the human era. Another returnee from the war was Hal Hackney in St Louis. The 23 year old made his big league debut Monday in a 4-2 loss to Boston but rebounded to beat Chicago over the weekend. The prize prospect gave up three runs in his first FABL inning but gave up just two runs in his next 14 innings. St Louis management expects some tough decision in the spring. Out of the 100+ guys the Pioneers have in the war, 28 of them expect a big league job when they return. Doc Shaw chimes in with an update on what has been a tough season for Boston: Great race right now in the FA. Boston sure wishes they were a part of it. Minutemen post a very unlikely 5-1 week after the loss of Dean Astle. The wins in St. Louis were especially surprising as the Minutemen used their #5 starter and two spot starters to take all three games against the Pioneers this week. In all, it was a five game series in St. Louis where the Minutemen came away with four victories. Lefty Allen was actually the only pitcher that was able to best the Bostonians this week. The Minutemen still sit seven back in the standings and it would take a miracle to win the Association at this point, but they are only two out of a spot in the first division, which has become the team goal for the second half of the season. A 9-19 July killed their season. A good example of someone getting a chance to play because of the war. SS Lee Kline was drafted in the 10th round by Boston in 1936 and released a few years later. After bouncing around with the independent teams for awhile, he signed a minor league deal with the Chiefs in May. His contract was purchased after Bob Martin was injured. In two weeks, he's hit .349/.348/.442. There is really no chance he keeps that going, but it's nice that he is getting his cup of coffee. A minor league no-hitter for Sailors farmhand Jackson Sanders. The 30 year old tossed one in a 3-0 win for Peoria over Terre Haute in Heartland League action. A 1936 second rounder out of Grange College, Sanders has spent much of his pro ball career in Peoria and is 8-5 with a 3.64 era this season. It is not surprising that if the Heartland League has a no-hitter it comes froma Peoria pitcher as the loop has had 8 no-hitters since 1925 and 6 of them have been tossed by Peoria pitchers. PRO GRID LOOPS FACE COIN BATTLE UNLESS THEY MAKE PEACE Uncle Sam's nipping of the Nips came late enough in the year to assure clear sailing for the American Football Association at the box office this fall, but there's stiff competition brewing for 1946. War's end found an armed truce between the long established American circuit and the proposed Continental Football Conference which is champing at the bit as it awaits return of prospective players from military service. Offials of the embryonic league abmit that even if all their ear-marketed talent returned within a month, it would be impossible to start operating this year. But Percy Sutherland, guiding light of the new circuit, asserted that the war's end came at exactly the right time for a 1946 getaway. The loop holds franchises in two American Football Association cities - New York and Chicago- as well as on the Pacific Coast with Los Angeles and San Francisco. The remaining cities in the 8 team loop will be revealed at a later date. Sutherland admts that a battle of dollars for talent will play havoc with professional football generally and suggest that club owners in both leagues will be "downright stupid if they don't get together." Thus far the quarter century old American Association has ignored the hustling newcomer but the fur will surely fly when the CFC owners start luring some big names from the established loop, particularly those who had been recently in fighting clothes. When that happens, and it is inevitable because there are some deep pockets included in the Continental Conferences ownership, the American Conference will be forced to notice the newcomers. TOP RECRUIT CARTER COMMITS TO TECHSTERS FOR '46 The 1945-46 collegiate basketball season is a long ways off still but college coaches have already been busy securing players for the 1946-47 campaign. A number of the leading high school seniors have committed to colleges already despite their last season of high school ball is, like the college game, still a few months off. It promises to be a big recruiting class for North Carolina Tech as the Techsters landed the Washington DC duo of Mike Carter and Muzz Hodson. Carter, 6'7" forward out of Dunbar High School is considered the top recruit in the nation and he will be joined by another DC giant in 7'2" Muzz Hodson, believed to be the tallest high school senior basketball player in the nation at North Carolina Tech for the 46-47 season. Hodson presently attends Anacosta High in Washington. The Techsters, who will lose 5 seniors to graduation next spring, also secured an early commitment from guard Percy Hyatt, who is ranked 6th in the nation among guards and attends nearby High Point High School. TOP 40 RECRUITS FOR 1946-47 SEASON KNOCK OUT WINS FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDERS A pair of highly ranked middleweights each posted convincing wins during the week. On Friday night in Cincinnati, Brooks O'Connor exhibited all of the ferocious fighting prowess of a tiger as he methodically battered Haden Gunther into unconsciousness for a ninth round knockout of the Lancaster, Pa. native. A crowd of nearly 10,000 at the Cincinnati Auditorium witnessed the Detroiter tear into his opponent with a vicious two-handed body attack in the opening round. When Gunther doubled over to avoid the punishing body blows, O'Connor shifted his attack to the head with jabs and right crosses that brought blood to Gunther's nose. Thereafter, with the exception of occasional moments when he tried gamely to thrwart Brooks with jabs and sharp overhand rights, Gunterh constantly was in retreat with O'Coonor stalking him without mercy. The win improves O'Connor's record to 19-3-2 with his only losses -all before the war- coming to World Champion Frank Melanson as well as top contenders Todd Gill and John Edmonds. * ERWIN BACK ON TRACK * Earlier in the week Tommy Erwin made a successful return from the pounding he took in a quick 1st round knockout loss to Archie Rees back in March when the Brit was still World Champion. Erwin improved to 28-6 with 17 of his wins by stoppages after he knocked out lightly regarded Luke Verret in the 7th round of a bout scheduled for 10 at Detroit's Thompson Arena on Tuesday. Both O'Connor and Erwin are hopeful of a shot at Melanson, who beat Archie Rees in June to claim the middleweight title, but they will likely have to get in line as there are a number of fighters in the division with resumes impressive enough to deserve an opportunity. The undefeated Melanson has confirmed he will Todd Gill (20-1-4) at Bigsby Garden in October as his first title defense. WELTERWEIGHT TITLE PICTURE CLEARER The welterweight division, which has been without a champion since before the war, is much closer to crowning its kingpin after Dennis O'Keefe, seemed to have earned himself a spot in the 'playoff' to finally award a title in the division after scoring a 6th round TKO win over Ronnie Scott in his return to the ring. O'Keefe (18-1) -the Jacksonville, Fl pugilist who was part of the D-Day invasion force in Normandy a little over a year ago, will next face Rudy Perry, likely in October in one of two semi-final bouts with Mark Westlake to square off with an as yet to be decided opponent in the other semi. The two winners will be contractually obligated to face each other at some point in 1946 with the belt on the line. The full announcement is expected early next month with the fourth member of the group expected to be Hartford's Wayne Dunn, assuming he wins his bout August 30 with Fred Jackson. OTHER KEY FIGHTS LAST WEEK Welterweight Ben Bishop (Atlanta, GA) improved to 21-2-1 with a win by decision over Victor Palmer in Minneapolis Welterweight Mitchell McFadden (Detroit, MI) improved to 22-3-1 with a split decision win over Mark MacHutcheon in Philadelphia Middlewight Frank 'Farmer' Carlson (Regina,Sk) improved to 12-1 with an unanimous win over Bobby Hill in Boston. Heavyweight Richard Dunn (Eugene, OR) improved to 25-9-2 with an unanimous decision over Doug Martin in San Diego. Welterweight Steve Landry (Dayton, OH) drops to 32-14-2 after a first round knock out loss to Jammer McDonald Seattle. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/26/1945 A typhoon has delayed the US landing in Japan. The first wave of American occupation troops were to arrive in Japan yesterday with warships expected tomorrow but bad weather will postpone the American arrival, led by General MacArthur until likely Tuesday. Radio Tokyo hinted at the possibility that some Japanese troops might rebel against the Japanese surrender decision and fire on American occupation forces. Radio Tokyo said that almost 10 million persons -one-sixth of the total population- were killed, wounded or made homeless by American air raids on Japan. The dead alone totaled 260,000 including 90,000 killed by two atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an official Japanese dispatch said. More than 1 million Japanese troops in China are now ready for formal surrender. Russia announced the capture of Emperor Kang Teh, Japan's puppet ruler of Manchuria. The Soviet Government organ Izvestia says that Russia has flatly rejected proposals by the Western Allies for Allied supervision of elections in liberated countries. Such supervision, Izvestia says, would constitute unwanted intereference with sovereignty of the liberated States. Bulgaria yielded to American and British pressure and postponed indefinitely her national elections scheduled for tomorrow. The Western Allies had protested that Bulgaria's single-party system made free elections impossible. The Republican party charted a 1946 election course marked by critical questioning of the Truman administration's foreign policy and outright opposition to major home front measures. A million Americans are jobless this week as the nation transitions from war to peace. Many workers in war production centers lost their jobs through war contract cancellations within a week after Japan's surrender. The Army has declared 252 Government-owned plants costing an estimated $1.48 billion as surplus and the Navy is getting ready to do the same with 134 other plants. They will become available for purchase by private industry. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 01-27-2023 at 12:20 PM.