TUESDAY OCTOBER 1, 1946
STARS END SKID WITH TIE-BREAKER WIN
New York to Face Washington in WCS Beginning Thursday
The New York Stars picked a perfect time to end their six game losing streak by beating the Chicago Cougars 9-5 in the Continental Association pennant tie-breaker. The victory, after surrendering a 5-game lead over the Cougars during the past week, sends the Stars to the World Championship Series for the record eleventh time in their history. The Series will get underway Thursday at New York's Dyckman Stadium with the Federal Association pennant winning Washington Eagles to provide the opposition in what will be a rematch of the 1925 Series, which was the last time the Eagles played in the post-season.
The tie-breaker, which was the third one in Continental Association history, was a wild affair with the Stars and Cougars combining for 4 runs in the first inning and 11 by the end of the fourth before it settled down. The two starting pitchers - Jack Wood of the Stars and the ex-Star Billy Riley for the Cougars- each ran into plenty of trouble early although both ended up claiming the decisions with Wood earning his 18th victory of the season despite allowing 5 runs over 5 innings while Riley failed to survive the third inning and was tagged with the loss to drop his record to 17-7.
The Stars let Riley know they meant business right from the get go as Joe Angevine greeted his old teammate with a lead-off triple and scored on a fly ball from Elijah Bourdeau to give the visitors a quick 1-0 lead. Chicago responded equally as fast and with much more force as Don Lee led off the home half of the opening inning with a double and by the time the dust settled the Cougars had amassed 4 hits in the frame and led 3-1. Rabbit Mudd would get the Stars back on equal footing in the second inning, tying the game with a 2-run double but the Cougars answered quickly with another run to take a 4-3 lead in the second inning. This one came courtesy of a Carlos Montes rbi double to plate Lee, who had drawn a 1-out walk.
The Stars took the lead for good in the bottom of the third when rookie Jack Welch and trade deadling pickup Mack Sutton hit back-to-back solo homeruns to spell the end of Riley's day and make the score 5-4 in favour of the visitors. Reliever Rusty Watts survived the rest of the third inning but was victimized for New York's 6th run in the 4th when his opposite number Jack Wood hit a one-out single and scored on a two-out double off the bat of Bourdeau. Carlos Montes would cut the Chicago deficit to 6-5 with a solo homer in the bottom of the 4th but that would be as close as the Cougars would get as Ed Cornett took over on the New York mound in the 6th and pitched 4 scoreless innings to close out the win. New York did add some insurance in the form of a solo homerun from Bill Barrett in the 7th inning and rbi hits from Bill Barnett and Joe Rainbow in the top of the ninth.
It was quite a whirlwind week for the Cougars, who were counted out a week ago when they trailed by 5 games but somehow made up that deficit in the final five contests of the season. The Stars were a surprise pennant winner this season, but they certainly did nothing to make the past week easy on themselves. Next up is a Washington ballclub that has not seen the postseason since 1925 -when they were beaten in 6 games by New York as the Stars were in the middle of a record run of 3 consecutive WCS victories.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES OPPONENTS
The Washington Eagles are making their first appearance in the WCS since 1925 and as a result have very little in the way of post-season experience on their roster. The only Eagles player to see previous WCS action is 35 year old shortstop George Dawson, who hit .308 in 12 games for the Cleveland Foresters when they won back to back pennants in 1934 and 1935. Dawson is the only member of the Eagles organization with a WCS title already on his resume.
EAGLES WCS HISTORY
1897 Lost 4-2 to Philadelphia Sailors
1910 Lost 4-2 to Chicago Cougars
1913 Won 4-1 over Baltimore
1914 Lost 4-3 to Baltimore
1922 Lost 4-1 to Chicago Cougars
1923 Won 4-1 over Brooklyn
1925 Lost 4-2 to New York Stars
The New York Stars, on the other hand, are loaded with postseason experience. In all, 8 Stars position players and 4 pitchers have WCS experience led by Joe Angevine and Bill Barrett, who have each appeared in 11 WCS games. Angevine, Barrett and pitchers George Hampton and Vern Hubbard all saw action for the Stars 1939 WCS winner while Rabbit Mudd won a title played for the Gothams 1935 winner and Mack Sutton for Boston's 1941 title team.
No team has appeared in more than the 11 World Championship Series the Stars will have competed in following this years event, nor has another team won more than the 8 titles the Stars presently own.
STARS WCS HISTORY
1902 Won 4-2 over Boston
1903 Lost 4-0 to Boston
1905 Won 4-2 over Boston
1906 Won 4-2 over Boston
1924 Won 4-1 over Pittsburgh
1925 Won 4-2 over Washington
1926 Won 4-1 over New York Gothams
1932 Won 4-0 over Philadelphia Keystones
1939 Won 4-0 over Pittsburgh
1942 Lost 4-3 to New York Gothams
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREDICTIONS
Here is who sportswriters across the country think will prevail in this years WCS.
Brett Bing - Toronto Mail & Empire: Stars in 6. Eagles may be star struck in the first WS appearance in 20+ years. Stars are past their stumble to the CA finish line.
John Brinker- New York Mirror: Eagles in 7 - feels like it is their year
Arthur Irwin -Chicago Daily News: Stars in 6
Marc T. McNeil - Montreal Star: New York Stars in 5 games.
Artie Mortimer - New York Herald Tribune: Its going to be a fight. Stars in 7.
Bob Murphy - Detroit Times: It will be a lot closer than some of my associates think. Stars certainly have more WCS experience but I think the three-headed monster of Rats McGonigle, Jesse Alvardo and Sig Stofer will get the job done. Eagles in 7.
Percy Pringle Sr. - Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Brooklyn fans can't stand to see Rats McGonigle win this thing. So my call is Stars win it in 5 and Rats bombs out and hits .150 in the series.
Franics E. Stann - Washington Evening Times: My heart says Eagles but my head say Stars in 6.
Percy Sutherland- Chicago Herald-Examiner: Stars in 6
OSA simulation: The scouting service's simulation module using a dice& charts game has this as being close: Out of 1,000 test games it finished 517 to 483 in favor of the Stars. If you plug that percentage into a seven-game series you get 3.62 wins for the Stars and 3.38 for the Eagles. This one's looking like it could be a good one and might just go the distance.
The Washington Eagles could not have been more thrilled to see the Continental Association pennant race require a tie-breaking 155th game yesterday. The New York Stars halted a six game losing in skid in the nick of time to down the Chicago Cougars in the Windy City by a 9-5 score and in the process earn a trip to the 11th World Championship Series in New York Stars history. The good news for Eagles fans is that the Stars will have a much longer train ride home today in order to prepare for the Series opener Thursday at Dyckman Stadium in New York than the Eagles will. The Eagles knew they were travelling today - they just weren't sure of the destination - so they are well rested and ready to make their first WCS appearance in more than 20 years.
Now that they know it is New York they will be facing perhaps the Eagles hitters are breathing a sign of relief. Facing Pete Papenfus pontentially three times and Donnie Jones twice in a WCS was not something to look forward to. The Stars have some talented arms to be sure in veteran Vern Hubbard, youngster Eli Panneton and reliever George Scruggs- who was stolen away from Washington in last December's rule give draft- but they pale in comparison to the Chicago staff. OSA, the league's scouting service, ran some tests and came to the conclusion the Cougars would have been a tougher match for the Eagles than the Stars might prove to be but in both cases the scouts had the Continental champ coming out on top.
Avoiding Papenfus -the likely CA Allan Award winner- helps the Eagles chances to be sure, but Washington fans should not think that means an automatic victory, even with many of them getting the impression that this season is starting to look like a year of destiny for a long-time struggling franchise that has finally after two decades of some very bad ballclubs finally returned to the promised land of October baseball. One of two things will happen with this inexperienced convocation of Eagles. Either they will be intimidated by the big stage of the WCS and the big bat of Bill Barrett and fold up quickly or perhaps, not knowing any better, they will treat this series like any other over the past two months -a stretch where they have gone 32-20 and rose to the top of the Federal Association- and just keep on winning.
Mel Carrol, Rats McGonigle, Jesse Alvardo and Sig Stofer are a powerful heart of the batting order. But the Stars have big bats as well in Barrett, rookies Jack Welch and Bill Barnett along with veteran deadline pickup Mack Sutton. Both have a terrific young pitcher in Eli Panneton of New York and the Eagles rookie phenom Buckeye Smith. There is plenty of talent on both sides but the Stars have much more post-season experience as George Dawson is the only Washington player to know firsthand what World Championship Series pressure is like.
So who will win? My heart says Eagles but my head says Stars in 6.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Mail & Empire Continues 1946 Summary -The look back at the season that just ended for the Toronto Wolves continues as Brett hands out report cards for the players.
CATCHERS
Clarence Howerton B-: The plan going into the season was to start the transition away from Howerton being behind the plate everyday, that plan was not fully realized as Call chased wins trying to keep the Wolves relevant in the CA. The just turned 37 year old had his worst offensive season since 1941 was in the starting lineup 111 times which is probably too many for this solid defensive asset, clubhouse leader. Will he return in 1947? If he does can the team cut his starting assignments by 30-35 games then still use him late in games?
Walter Loera C-: Loera's lack of offensive production, .236/.276/.278 in 158 plate appearances did force Call's hand at times. Loera defensive play, pitch calling ability also seemed to take a step back in 1946. The question going forward will be whether or not Loera can transition in to starters role now or do the Wolves carry three backstops at the beginning of '47 with Randy Henderix battling Loera for the heir apparent post to Howerton past 1947?
INFIELDERS
1B- Fred McCormick B+: McCormick still provides all that is needed at first. His production was, .274/.392/.459 16 HR 60 RBI, were down from his pre-war elite numbers, if he can provide the same numbers while starting 130-140 games the Wolves have no need to worry at first until his replacement is groomed in the system.
2B- Hal Wood B: There has never been a question about Wood's ability to put bat to ball, the problem has always been his play in the field. At the plate slashing .310/.357/.406 deserves to be in a starting lineup, 16 errors in 409 chances at second is far too many for the team. How many innings did he prolong for the opponent in 1947? Is Wood better suited to 3B where his glove work is not as critical?
Frank Frady C: A lower grade than is probably deserved a late season slump at the plate dramatically lowered his plate numbers. Can Frady provide a successful plate middle infield DP combination with Artuso? Or does top level prospect John Fast rebound from an injury limited AAA season to push for a FABL job in the spring. The war seems to have taken too much out of Mike Rollinson, Tom Frederick is another option at 2B but seems to of more value in the OF. Wayne Henderson is in the same category as Wood, good bat, limited glove, so if Frady becomes the utility infielder there may not be a roster spot for Henderson in Toronto.
3B- Walter Pack D: The 1945 Whitney Award winner in CA was a 5 month disappointment in Toronto. A September rebound, .359/.402/.705 gave him a season of .239/.297/.358 with 19 less HR, 32 less RBI for the season. It got soo bad Call was platooning him after the All-Star game. Pack was supposed to either protect McCormick or be protected by McCormick is the heart of the lineup, he struck no fear into opposing pitchers until September. His descent made the Wolves lineup much to easy to navigate during '46. Does the September surge guarantee Pack a starting role going forward or do the Wolves, as is the scuttlebutt, attempt ot move on from Pack to add young assets during the winter?
SS- Charlie Artuso B+: After a torrid started to '46 Artuso's bat returned to almost career normal at .245/.315/.345, almost 40 points below his 1945 numbers. He is an elite defender who just needs a capable glove left of him to make the Wolves a grave yard for opposition grounders, 6-4-3 should be written more often in the officials scoring book.
OUTFIELDERS
LF- Juan Pomales B-: Pomales troubles this season were due to missing over a month due to injury. After his injury in May the team began its tail spin that seemed to last the until the end of the year. His defensive contributions along with even a league average batting output give the Wolves a solid everyday player in left. Pomales work over the winter will be to get in top shape as he has become more injury prone over the last couple of seasons.
CF- Chink Stickles B: Another superior defender Stickles had a season at the plate that has come to expect, steady but spectacular. He could become the leadoff hitter next season if Call decides that Artuso's bat should be further down in the lineup. If Stickle could provide a legitimate SB threat a Wolves revamped batting order could make things difficult for opponents. At 35 this may be a big ask, the Wolves have to start plans for the future CF.
RF- Hank Giordano A: The only A grade for the entire team this 1939 first round pick returned from 3 years in the service not missing a beat slashing .307/.343/.453. Only 25 Hank should patrol the OF in Toronto well into the 1950s. There are talks about flipping Pomales, Giordano next spring in an attempt to improve overall outfield defense.
If Frederick can spell all 3 starters, more Stickels than others, the Wolves should have a far above average FABL outfield going forward.
Wolves have decisions to make specifically on Gus Hull, Ockie Holliday have these two players seen their last days in Wolves uniform? Decisions will have have to made before they get contracts for 1947.
STARTING PITCHERS
George Garrison C: Last year's Allen Award winner goes 10-17, 3.20. With that ERA he probably deserved a better W/L record even though a reversal to 17-10 would have been considered a down season.
Joe Hancock C: The second half of what was supposed be able to stop any extend losing streak puts up 10-16, 3.57 season. To be fair both Hancock, Garrison suffered from a lack of run support Joe only got an average of 2.9 runs/game while George was a little better at 3.3. Brett will describe the affect of defense later in this article.
Jimmy Gibbs B-: Gibbs did what can be a success for what the Wolves expect from a mid-rotation starter, 10-10, 3.57. An area of concern going forward would be the W:K at 0.9 does not bode well for a SP.
Chip Myer C+: After being promoted to the starting rotation Myer seemed to provide a little stability until he faded badly in September. If you can extrapolate a 9-5, 3.53 to a full season worth of starts Myer may deserve a spot although he is another with BB trouble.
Bob Walls C: Tied for the staff lead in victories, 11-11, 4.10 speaks only to a pitcher who got the most run support on the Wolves staff at 3.7 runs/game. Another pitcher who walks more than he retires on strikes Walls' future, if he has one, may lie in the bullpen. He was relegated to the 'pen when Jerry York was called up in September. York's debut was certainly enough for him to slotted into the 3rd rotation slot in the 1947 initial plans.
The five starters were plagued by a total of 62 unearned runs which speaks to the need to tighten the defense in 1947.
BULLPEN
Johnny Franklin has his hands full in this area if Call decides to continue with his strategy of pull SP early during April, May, into June to save arms for the summer. Lou Jayson's return from the war was supposed to make this a no-brainer, that obviously did not happen in 1946. In total the 'pen saved 26 games while coughing up a lead 11 times. Competition for the relief roles will be intense in the spring.
Brett will continue with a series of articles over the winter to size up the Wolves for 1947. Hopefully the 1947 version of the Wolves will erase fans bitter memories of 1946.
JAPANESE-AMEICAN BASEBALL MANAGER RETURNS TO THE FIEL AFTER INTERNMENT
October 1946, Arlington, Virginia - Nozumo "Nosey" Yoneda, a Japanese-American with a deep-rooted passion for baseball, has returned to the field after facing years of adversity during World War II. Born in October of 1903, Yoneda's journey in baseball has been a tumultuous one, but his unwavering determination has led him back to the game he loves.
Yoneda's family had moved to Hawaii in 1912, and it was there that he developed his skills in baseball. In 1925, he made a bold decision to return to Japan to pursue a career in baseball, playing for the Nagoya Owls in 1938. However, his playing career was cut short by injuries, leading him to embark on a new path as a scout.
Yoneda's dream was to manage a baseball team, but due to his Japanese-American heritage and being raised in Hawaii, the authorities were hesitant to trust him. Instead, he worked as a scout for the Kyoto Bears from 1939 to 1942. However, the events of World War II took a toll on Yoneda's life and career.
As tensions between Japan and the United States escalated during the war, Yoneda was fired by Kyoto in 1942 and interned as a possible security risk. Despite his love for the game, he found himself deprived of the opportunity to be on the baseball field for the remainder of the war.
After the war, Yoneda finally returned to Hawaii, where he was determined to rebuild his life and pursue his passion once again. His perseverance paid off when he was subsequently hired to manage the Arlington Patriots, a Class B affiliate of the Boston Minutemen of the Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues. His club finished 4th in the Southeastern League with a 65-55 mark in 1946.
His journey from a former baseball player to scout and finally to manager serves as a testament to his unwavering passion for the game and his resilience in the face of adversity. Yoneda's story is a reminder of the power of determination, and how the love for a sport can transcend hardships and bring people together. As he steps back onto the field, Yoneda looks forward to a bright future, pursuing his dreams and leaving a lasting legacy in the world of baseball.
PITTSBURGH AND CLEVELAND BATTLE TO TIE
The Pittsburgh Paladins and Cleveland Finches battled to a 10-10 tie in a Monday night game at Forester Field that can only be described as 'sloppy'. Both clubs were playing like the pigskin was covered in grease as the two combined for 9 fumbles and 6 interceptions in what was the season opener for the visitors but a second outing for the hometown Finches.
Pittsburgh back Ron Johnson, who ran for 29 yards and split the passing duties -throwing for 134 and a touchdown without being intercepted, was the star of the show. Johnson also made his presence felt on the defensive side of the ball, making 6 tackles and intercepting a Cleveland pass.
After a scoreless first quarter the Paladins had a chance to open the scoring early in the second but Bob Osborne had his pass picked up by Finches end Al Thompson on the Cleveland 3 yard line. The rest of the half was full of turnovers before the Finiches finally broke the goose egg with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Phil Colvin to Larry Fell with less than a minute remaining before the break. The sloppy play continued in the second half and led to a pair of Pittsburgh scores. The first was a 13 yard Bill Carroll field goal after Colvin through one of his 4 interceptions on the evening and the second came after Steve Watts of the Finches fumbled on his own 8 yard line setting up a Ron Johnson to George Swindell go ahead touchdown giving the Paladins a 10-7 lead with less than 7 minutes remaining in the game. The Finches did answer with one of their better drives of the game, althogh it was aided by a Pittsburgh personal foul penalty. The drive culminated in a 28 yard field goal from Tommy Milatz with 3:32 remaining to tie the game.
There is also a game this evening as the New York Football Stars will be in Cincinnati to face the Tigers in the season opener for both clubs.
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Boston 1 0 0 1.000
Philadelphia 1 0 0 1.000
NY Stars 0 0 0 .000
Pittsburgh 0 0 1 .000
Washington 0 1 0 .000
West Division W L T PCT
Chicago 1 0 0 1.000
St Louis 1 1 0 .500
Cincinnati 0 0 0 .000
Cleveland 0 1 1 .000
Detroit 0 1 0 .000
LAST NIGHT'S RESULTS
Pittsburgh 10 Cleveland 10
UPCOMING GAMES
TONIGHT
New York Stars at Cincinnati
SUNDAY OCTOBER 6
Cincinnati at Philadelphia
Pittsburgh at Boston
Washington at Detroit
New York at St Louis
Chicago at Cleveland
The Week That Was
Current events from 09/30/1946
- The International War Crimes Tribunal has found 21 high ranking Nazis guilty of ruthless, aggressive war crimes, ending their last hopes for acquittal.
- The nation faces another shipping tieup as of midnight tonight with two unions of merchant marine officers set to walk out and two longshoremen's groups making similar threats.
- Secretary of Agriculture Clinton P. Anderson said he will not remove meat from the short supply list that is slated to be announced today.
- A high administration source revealed that Turkey has called the United States and Britain for help in her dispute with Russia over the Dardanelles. The source adds that the western Allies are determined to take a strong stand against Russia, at all costs, since they regard it as fundamental to future world peace.