[legendsport]

July 10, 1945: Chicago, IL:

Rufus Barrell's first month as the Washington Eagles' team president had been quite a whirlwind. He and Alice had moved into the home of their old friend, Thomas Potentas. Thomas, Rufus' former partner in the OSA, had spent most of the war in London working on behalf of the Polish government in exile. Thomas had a deep connection to his homeland of Poland, even more so than baseball. Meanwhile, Rufus and Alice had moved into the vacant house in Georgetown. Rufus was unsure how long he would be running the Eagles, as it depended on when the war with Japan would come to a victorious conclusion.

In the meantime, he had a baseball team to manage. Rufus had spent his entire career in scouting and had never considered himself an "executive," but now he found himself in that role. During the first week, he closely followed the Eagles' scouting director, Elmer Harman. Rufus knew and respected the 52-year-old Kansan, leaning on him to get up to speed on the team. Rufus and Harman spoke the same language, as Rufus had put it when Harman questioned why the new team president was spending time with a scout.

The Eagles showed great promise as a talented team. Ironically, the Philadelphia Keystones, the team Rufus's new club was chasing, happened to be the best team in the Federal Association. Their lineup was centered around a slugging outfielder named Barrell—Bobby, Rufus and Alice's son. Bobby was a true star, and both Rufus and Alice couldn't be prouder. He had won the 1944 Whitney Award as the Fed's top player and was having a fantastic 1945 season. The Keystones had won the 1944 pennant (though they lost to the Cincinnati Cannons in the World Championship Series) and were the favorites to win it again in '45. Rufus's job was to beat them to the flag. Harman believed that Washington had enough talent, but "everything needs to go right." Rufus agreed with that assessment.

Now, Rufus was in Chicago for the All-Star Game at Cougars Park. He had attended a Federal League owners meeting the previous day. Being in baseball for fifty years, Rufus knew everyone who mattered in the sport. The owners, both from the Federal and Continental Leagues, knew him as well. They were a cantankerous bunch, mainly focused on money, but some also wanted to win. Rufus observed the range of personalities, from Boston's Jesse Barton, an elderly man like Rufus, who looked down on most people, to younger men like Chicago's Billy Whitney, who had been a good friend to Joe Barrell, Rufus's oldest son, before his tragic death in a plane crash. Barton was a crusty old S.O.B., while Whitney, though profit-oriented, was more down-to-earth.

The meeting itself was largely perfunctory, with most of the discussion revolving around the new man in the White House, Harry Truman. Truman had succeeded FDR in April after the latter's death. He was an unknown factor, but he seemed to be a baseball fan like FDR. The owners, including Rufus, hoped Truman would also be a friend to the game. There was frustration over the players who were still in the military. Many, like Barton, believed that with Germany defeated, the war was nearly over. "Japan never had a chance, and we'll whip 'em soon, and they don't need my ballplayers to do it," Barton grumbled. Rufus's youngest son, Harry, played for Barton's Boston Minutemen and was closely following the discussion. He knew firsthand the challenges of managing a team with key players serving in the military.

After the meeting concluded, Rufus found himself engaged in conversations with various owners and executives. He shared a drink with Billy Whitney, who expressed his condolences for Joe's untimely death and spoke fondly of their friendship. They reminisced about the good times and the positive impact Joe had on Whitney himself. Rufus appreciated the kind words and found solace in knowing that his son was remembered and respected.

As the All-Star Game approached, Rufus made his way to Cougars Park, a relatively new venue that had already hosted countless memorable baseball moments thanks to the quality of the Chicago Cougars themselves. The atmosphere was electric, with fans buzzing in anticipation of the exhibition match between the Federal and Continental Leagues' finest players.

Thankfully today was game day, and Rufus could settle back into his familiar role of watching the game with a scout's eye. He had two sons, Bobby and Tommy, playing in the game, as well as his grandson, named Rufus for his grandfather, but better known as Deuce. Deuce and Tom were pitching for the Continental League's Cannons, while Bobby played for the Federal Association as a member of the Keystones. As a Federal League executive, Rufus naturally rooted for the Feds. However, since it was an exhibition game approved by President Roosevelt back in February (waiving the wartime travel restrictions), Rufus simply wanted his sons and grandson to play well and avoid injury.

Rufus and Alice had excellent seats just behind the home dugout. They were joined by Deuce's twin-sister, Gloria, and Bobby's wife, Annette. Bobby and Annette's two sons were also present. Five-year-old Ralph sat beside his mother, while Alice held Bobby Junior on her lap. Despite his young age, Bobby Junior was well-behaved and accustomed to the ballpark environment.

Bobby started in left field and batted cleanup for the Federal All-Stars. In his first at-bat, he faced Toronto's George Garrison in the top of the second inning. Rufus admired his son's near-perfect swing, which he had possessed since childhood. Bobby fouled off the first two pitches before taking a couple of balls. Ultimately, Garrison managed to make him fly out to left field with a well-executed changeup that disrupted Bobby's timing just enough.

Deuce Barrell entered the game as a pitcher for the Continental All-Stars in the fourth inning. He successfully forced Larry Colaianni, a member of the Eagles, to ground out to shortstop and struck out the tough Al Tucker of St. Louis on three pitches. This set the stage for Bobby's second at-bat. Rufus squeezed Alice's hand, and she smiled in return, sharing his pride in watching their eldest grandchild pitch to his uncle. It wasn't the first time they had faced each other, having done so in other games, including the previous October's World Championship Series. Deuce grinned at his uncle, and Bobby smiled while shaking his head slightly. The first pitch was a perfectly executed curveball, and Bobby hit it to center field, where Saints outfielder Bill Greene made the catch.

The game remained scoreless when Deuce returned for his second inning of work. Rufus nodded at him, and Deuce acknowledged it. St. Louis' Hal Sharp hit a ground ball back to Deuce, who fielded it cleanly and threw to first for the first out. Cal Page came up to bat and hit a clean ground ball past the shortstop for a single. Although Page had good speed, Deuce's strong move as a left-handed pitcher kept Page's lead at first base under control. Bill Van Ness, the catcher for the Boston team, stepped up to the plate. After taking a ball and two fastball strikes, Rufus anticipated that a changeup would work well in this situation. However, Deuce shook off the catcher and proceeded to throw another fastball. It proved to be a mistake as Van Ness capitalized on it, hitting a home run into the right field seats, giving the Federals a 2-0 lead. Annette cheered, Gloria and Alice frowned, and Rufus was left unsure how to react. Deuce stomped around behind the mound, visibly frustrated with himself. Rufus imagined Deuce's Cannons teammate and catcher, Tom Bird, a seasoned veteran, was not pleased at being shaken off.

Deuce struck out John Busby and retired Larry Gregory on a fly ball to right, but he was still shaking his head as he walked back to the dugout.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Continental All-Stars scored a run, making it 2-1. The score remained the same until the eighth inning when Tom Barrell entered the game. Rufus had high hopes for Tom, who had experienced ups and downs due to injuries, lost velocity in his fastball, trades, and time spent in the bullpen. However, he was currently having a resurgence with the Cincinnati team, back in the rotation and making the All-Star team. Rufus couldn't have been prouder.

Tom faced Bob Martin, a veteran player from the Chicago Chiefs known for his professional hitting approach. As expected, Martin displayed patience and took four consecutive pitches, consisting of two balls and two strikes, before hitting a line drive single to center field. Pittsburgh's Johnny McDowell moved Martin to second with a slow grounder. Tom then walked Joe Henry of Detroit, loading the bases. Al Tucker, another dangerous hitter, stepped up to the plate. Tom managed to get him into a 1-2 count and made a good pitch, but Tucker made solid contact and hit a ball up the middle. Brooks Meeks, the second baseman for the Foresters, dove to knock it down, but Tucker reached first safely, and the bases were loaded.

Bobby stepped to the plate. Having faced each other countless times while growing up, Tom, being two years older, often had the upper hand over Bobby. However, Bobby had now become one of the best hitters in baseball. Tom frowned at his brother, and Bobby winked in response, causing Rufus to shake his head, knowing it might make Tom angry. Tom delivered a nice fastball over the outside corner for strike one, and Bobby gave him a small nod. The next pitch was similar but had more of the plate. Bobby hit a scorching line drive up the middle, just past Tom and over the second base bag, into centerfield. Tom raced to back up home plate as Bobby rounded first base. Bobby remained at first, clapping his hands as Martin and Henry scored, giving the Federals a 4-1 lead.

Tom retired Washington's Sig Stofer on a ground ball to second base to end the inning, but he was still shaking his head as he walked off the field. Bobby patted Tom on the shoulder, and Tom said something that made Bobby smile.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Gothams' ace Ed Bowman struggled, giving up three runs, including a double by Cougars infielder Skipper Schneider, which tied the game and sent the Cougars Park crowd into a frenzy. The game entered the ninth inning tied at four runs each.

Neither team scored in the ninth inning. In the top of the tenth inning, with Ben Curtin pitching for the Cougars, the Federals mounted a rally. Joe Henry walked with one out, and Tucker reached base on a fielder's choice. Bobby then drew a walk, putting two men on with two outs. Curtin hit Stofer, loading the bases. Chick Donnelly from Boston stepped up to the plate. After taking a ball and two strikes, the second of which he disagreed with, Donnelly hit a deep fly ball to left field, clearing the fence for a grand slam.

The four runs proved to be more than enough as the Federals held on to win the game 8-4. Rufus realized he had thoroughly enjoyed himself and cherished the opportunity to watch his sons and grandson play together on the same field. He also realized that as the current Eagles club president, he could attend as many games as he wished. He made the decision to be in the owner's box for every Eagles home game until Captain Stockdale returned from the war and Rufus could return to the farm.