JULY 14, 1947
SHARP WALK-OFF BLAST GIVES CA WIN IN EXTRAS
Hal Sharp hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Continental Association to a thrilling 5-4 victory in the 15th annual All-Star Games, played Tuesday evening in Philadelphia. It marked a dramatic end to a contest that saw each team score a run in the ninth inning to send the contest into extra innings. The victory cuts the Federal Association's lead in the series to a slim 8-7 margin.
Sharp ended the game with his solo shot -one of two hits he had in 5 at bats- but it was his Chicago Cougars teammate Walt Pack who was named the game's most valuable player. Pack drove in 4 runs for the Continental stars with a 2-run double in the fourth, a solo homerun in the seventh frame to tie the contest at three and then delivered a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to plate another Cougar, Skipper Schneider, who had tripled with one out. Pack's sacrifice evened the score at 4 after Bobby Barrell of the Philadelphia Keystones belted his second homerun of the game in the top of the ninth to give the Fed side the lead.
The game, played before 31,500 fans at Philadelphia's Sailors Memorial Stadium, was scoreless until the third inning when Detroit's Dick Estes, making his all-star debut, hit a pinch-hit solo homerun off of Donnie Jones of the Chicago Cougars. Rats McGonigle of Washington would follow with a single and one out later Bobby Barrell -playing in his record 11th all-star game- smacked a 2-run homer over the centerfield wall to give the Feds a 3-0 lead.
The Continental side got on the scoreboard in the 4th inning when, after Ed Bowman had retired the first two batters, the CA strung together three straight hits off the Gothams hurler. Freddie Jones of the New York Stars started it with a single and moved to second on a base hit off the bat of Cougars infielder Skipper Schneider. That set the stage for eventual MVP Pack, who laced a double to score them both and cut the Fed lead to 3-2. Pack would tie the game with his homer to lead-off the bottom of the 7th inning, taking Al Miller of the cross-town Chicago Chiefs deep, setting the stage for the 9th and 10th inning drama.
Code:
PAST ALL STAR GAME RESULTS
YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP
1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pit
1934 Riverside Stadium Federal 11 Continental 7 Chick Stout Pit Tom Taylor Cougars
1935 Broad Street Park Federal 5 Continental 2 Art Myers Keystones Freddie Jones StL
1936 Pioneer Field Continental 6 Federal 4 Tom Barrell BKN Dick Walker Sailors
1937 Dominion Field Federal 4 Continental 2 (19) Don Attaway Keystones Don Attaway Keystones
1938 Bigsby Oval Continental 5 Federal 4 (13) Bob Cummings BKN Fred McCormick TOR
1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick TOR
1940 Thompson Field Federal 7 Continental 4 Red Hampton Chiefs Billy Woytek Keystones
1941 Kings County Continental 8 Federal 4 Pete Papenfus Cougars Fred Galloway Cincinnati
1942 Fitzpatrick Park Federal 7 Continental 4 Ed Wood BOS Hank Barnett Chiefs
1943 Parc Cartier Continetal 7 Federal 3 Dick Lyons, Cougars Gail Gifford, StL
1944 Columbia Stadium Federal 1 Continental 0 Ed Bowman, Gothams Don Miller, Wash
1945 Cougars Park Federal 8 Continental 4 (10) Bill Anderson, Pit Chick Donnelly, Bos
1946 Minutemen Stadium Continental 2 Federal 1 Richie Hughes, Cle Sig Stofer, Wash
1947 Sailors Memorial Continental 5 Federal 4 (10) Davey Morris, Cle Walt Pack, Cougars
ALL-STAR GAME NOTES
- Davey Morris of Cleveland earned the win marking the second year in a row a Forester pitcher won the All-Star Game. Last year it was Richie Hughes.
- This was the second time in three years and the fourth overall in which the all-star game needed extra innings. The CA is 3-1 in extra-innings games.
- Walt Pack becomes the second Chicago Cougar named MVP of the all-star game, joining Tom Taylor who claimed the honour in 1934.
PIONEERS PULL TRIGGER ON DEAL FOR PITCHER
Fans in Missouri may not have noticed yet, but the rest of the Federal Association has quickly realized that the St Louis Pioneers are serious about this pennant run. For the first time in years the Pioneers were buyers in July, making a deal with the Cleveland Foresters that will do nothing but enhance their chances at claiming the squads first pennant since 1921. The deal sends high school pitching legend turned pretty solid 24-year old big league hurler Hiram Steinberg west to St Louis in exchange for the player many consider to be the best outfield prospect in the game in 19 year old Sherry Doyal. The Foresters -who it only seems like have been rebuilding longer than the Pioneers- will also garner St Louis' first round draft pick in the deal.
The Pioneers have had an incredible turnaround this season, climbing from the basement of the Federal Association a year ago to be the only FABL club with 50 wins at the all-star break. St Louis, despite terrible fan support and the lowest average attendance in the Fed, is on its way to its best season since Max Morris was merely a promising young slugger. The club has been full of surprises this season with none bigger than the 14-3 start for 31-year-old Danny Hern, a year after he went winless with the Pioneers. Adding Steinberg, a New York City high school legend who is the only three time winner of the Adwell Award, gives St Louis another solid starting pitcher and makes a rotation that includes Hal Hackney (9-4, 4.29), Dick Long (7-5, 4.26) and Jasper Moore (7-5, 3.61) following Hern one that can compete with anybody.
The timing of the move is perfect for Steinberg, who missed two years due to the war and had some growing pains upon his return but appears to be hitting his peak now in his age 24 season. 'The Undertaker" is 9-4 with a 3.82 era for a very bad Cleveland team and should look even better with the Pioneers high-octane offense supporting him.
Doyal was a heavy price to pay but the Pioneers have depth in the outfield -something Cleveland sorely lacked with its recent draft emphasis on pitchers- so the deal seems to work well for both clubs. Doyal is just 19 years old and only 13 months removed from high school but the New Orleans native is already showing skill in adapting to AA pitching so he could be playing on the shores of Lake Erie as early as next April. The extra first round pick -even if it ends up being at the bottom of the round- is also a welcome addtion to a Cleveland club that hopes to emulate the St Louis turnaround in the near future.
JIGGS McGEE's TAKE: Not a cheap investment by any stretch by the Pioneers but a clear statement to fans and Federal Association opponents that the Pioneers are serious about their pennant chances this year. It is tough to see Steinberg leave for Cleveland supporters, but the club has a lot of good young arms and a shortage of elite bats -something that Doyal should provide one day soon as well as some pretty good defense in center field.
Cleveland right now reminds me very much of the Cannons just prior to their move from Baltimore to Cincinnati. They are loaded with pitching prospects, as the pre-move Cannons were, but need some young offensive talent and Doyal is a big acquisition in that regard.
THOUGHTS ON THE DEAL FROM OTHERS AROUND THE LEAGUE
PERCY SUTHERLAND (Chicago Herald-Examiner): I was actually just thinking the same (comparison between 1939 Cannons and current Foresters) this morning. Very similar to the Cannons. Cannons kept drafting pitcher, after pitcher, after pitcher and were stuck at the bottom of the league. You need to make deals. Teams can't be built solely through the draft.
ARCHIE IRWIN (Chicago Daily News): I do like this deal for the Foresters. They have plenty of pitchers and Doyal could be a real good hitter. Other then Adams, cant really say that about anyone else. Will be interesting to see which Undertaker the Pioneers get.
JOHN BRINKER (New York Daily Mirror): This should help both clubs. The Pioneers might not get another chance as good as this one in the short term in the shark tank that is the Federal Association. And Steinberg, though a chronic underachiever, is still young and looks like he might finally live up to some of that blinding potential he had back in HS in New York.
As for Sherry Doyal, he's a Sal Pestilli-esque outfielder with all five tools who the Prospect Pipeline has pegged for 1948. I think that might be overly optimistic and would say he should hit the big time in a big way in '49. And a first rounder's a first rounder, so win-win for both sides, I think. The Foresters have plenty of young pitching, so adding Doyal and the pick made sense.
To be honest, I thought the Gothams might take a crack at picking up Steinberg. He's a NYC kid and I did mention that both AI teams were open for trading. With all those picks, the Gothams could have plucked him.
Montreal press Release - Homer Moore is not managing the Saints bench anymore. He will be reassigned to the role of assistant manager for his strategic knowledge of players in the league. Pitching coach Willie Couillard is out of the dressing room too. The Saints have named their AAA manager Jim Cator to take over in Montreal and will travel from Minneapolis along with the Millers pitching coach John Booker, who will assume the same position for the Saints. Minneapolis is standing ahead in the Century League now and a big part of this in the skills of Cator. Booker was responsible for the development of Bert Cupid and Andy Lyon. All hopes he can turn around Cupid season and trying to solve the Wally Doyle mystery. Meanwhile the Saints have made an offer to remain confidential at this time to a former WBL manager to finish the season in Minneapolis.
Moore is the second manager to be replaced in a week, following on the hills of the Pittsburgh Miners decision to fire Bill Libby and replace him with Charley McCain, who had been the Miners third base coach prior to the promotion. Moore had been the Saints manager since 1941, compiling an 393-460 record as the Saints dugout commander. He has been in the Saints organization since 1934.
The 52-year old Cator, a Green Tree, Pa. native, spent a decade as a FABL player, starting with St Louis but spending most of his time in Cleveland. His biggest claim to fame as a player is that he was involved in the package of players and money the Pioneers sent to Cleveland in the deal that brought Max Morris to St Louis. Cator has been in the Saints system since 1935, first as a hitting coach and since 1945 as a manager at Nashville and the Minneapolis. He guided the Chieftans to a Dixie League title in 1945 before stepping up to Minneapolis for the
1946 campaign.
TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK
BRINKER'S BEST 'SPECTS: 1947 EDITION
Two lists, one for the guys with the bats, one for the guys who toe the slab. Devised by Brinker's special, top-secret formula (patent-pending) that accounts for all phases of a player's game.
DRAFT PICK UPDATE
Watch out for the 1947 draft class as OSA feels it is going to be one to remember. The scouting service lists last month draftees as 4 of the top 5 prospects in the sport. Just #1 Ralph Hanson was not apart of this year's draft class as Bob Allan was pushed from 2nd to 6th. In total, 8 of the first 13 prospects are Class of 1947 draftees. Here is a look at how each of the first round picks stack up:
BOSTON- Marshall Thomas 2B, 6th -Signed and is presently ranked 12th on the OSA list. 18-year-old had a huge start in 6 games at Class C, batting .440 with 3 homers.
BROOKLYN- Ken Newman 3B, 3rd, Charlie Rogers CF 10th, Dan Smith C 16th: Newman just signed and is listed as #3 on the OSA prospect pipeline. Rogers is #32 on that list and went 12-for-30 with a homer in his first week of pro ball at Class B. Smith, the only college player of the three, just signed and is #50 on the OSA list.
CHIEFS- no first round pick -selected Chick Lewis 12th in round two: 21-year-old SS from Darnell State is off to a great start in AA, going 6-for-20 with a homerun in his first week. OSA slots him in at #42.
COUGARS- Jerry Smith CF, 5th: The 18-year-old debuts at #11 on the OSA list after just signing this week.
CINCINNATI- Tony Britten P, 11th: The former Kit Carson University star has just signed with the Cannons and is the 4th highest ranked pitching prospect at #13 overall according to OSA.
CLEVELAND- Frenchy Sontag CF 7th: The 18-year-old is #61 on the OSA list and went 7-for-21 in his first week of pro ball at Class C.
DETROIT- John Morrison 1B, 4th: The young slugger hit his first homer in his debut with Biloxi last week and sits at #39 on the OSA pipeline. Detroit had hoped the scouting service would place the 4th overall pick a little higher, but overall the Dynamos brass loves their draft. Pitchers Jack Halbur and William Benns were second round choices and OSA has them ranked 41st and 64th respectively while just signed third rounder Jim Gaiter -selected out of high school just like the other three- also cracked the top 100 list at #85.
MONTREAL- Bill Duckworth 1B, 13th: 18-year-old just signed and is listed as #88 by OSA. The Saints second round pick, college catcher Jess Garman is actually ranked higher by the scouting service at #75.
NY STARS- Paul Watson SS 15th: The Opelika State product debuted at AA last week, with 7 hits including a pair of homers in his first 5 games. OSA lists the 21-year-old at #28 on its chart but he is second among Stars shortstop prospects with 20-year-old Ralph Hanson showing as the best prospect in the sport according to OSA.
NY GOTHAMS- Cecil LaBonte SS 8th: Constitution State's Cecil LaBonte is #7 on the OSA top prospect list and looked very solid at AAA last week with 6 hits in his first 18 at bats as a pro.
KEYSTONES- Herm Kocher CF 12th: The 18 year old Georgia native known as "Southern Comfort" looked fairly comfortable in his pro debut at Class C, batting .250 in 6 games. OSA places him #21 on its prospect parade.
SAILORS- Al Farmer 2B, 9th: Amarillo Methodist product Farmer debuted nicely at AA, batting .417 with 5 extra base hits among the 10 he had in his first 24 pro at bats. OSA lists him comfortably in its top ten as the 5th best prospect in the sport.
PITTSBURGH- Irv Clifford SS 2nd overall: Charleston Tech's Irv Clifford was drafted second overall and is ranked #2 amongst all prospects according to OSA. He just signed last week so will make his pro debut this week.
ST LOUIS- Bill Kiley P, 14th: Quite a draft for the Pioneers as Kiley, an 18-year-old pitcher who made two starts at Class C last week, shows at #54 on the OSA list. Meanwhile, George Atkins, an 18-year-old outfielder selected in the second round is ranked #18 by OSA, 3rd rounder Jack Adams is 49th and fourth rounder Richie Spires, from AIAA champion Grange College, slots in at #86 on the OSA top 100.
TORONTO- Les Ledbetter P 1st overall: After going unbeaten in high school, Ledbetter hadn't lost a game in 4 years until he came up short in his pro debut but he followed that up with win yesterday to even his Class C record at 1-1. OSA ranks the Adwell Award winner from Fowlerville, Mi., as the top pitcher and 4th best prospect overall.
WASHINGTON- no first round pick, selected P Jim Heitzman with final pick of round two: The Eagles traded their first rounder to Brooklyn but it looks like they got a good one in second rounder Heintzman. OSA places the 18-year-old righthander at #60 on its top 100 prospect chart after he signed with the Eagles yesterday.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Wolves Fading Fast -As the Wolves see 1947 slowly slipping away from them, including an 11-10 loss in the first game in Dyckman Stadium when they rallied from an 8-4 deficit to take a 10-8 lead in the 8th only to cough it up in bottom half on a 3 run HR by Mack Sutton. After losing the nightcap 4-2 Manager Call, as incensed as anyone has seen him in a Wolves uniform, called the day "A joke, the team is not playing FABL level ball.". The goals have been reestablished at a lower level. Manager Call along with pitching coach Johnny Franklin, who are on expiring contracts, have been told by the front office that minimum acceptable performance for the balance of the season is an over .500 record along with a first division finish in the CA.
Brett is putting together an upcoming article on what he believes the direction for the team should be during the remaining 59 games of the season. He has already heard that Sam C Allen will be relegated to platoon role after a dismal .155/.211/.254 start in 76 plate appearances. Front Office staff will be concentrating in sorting out the mess that is the Wolves system, in which only Vancouver has winning record, the focus will be to push players up the system along with rationalization of the entire system by releasing the those who are thought to have no future with Toronto. Along those lines, Les Ledbetter has already left Tuscaloosa bound for Vancouver after posting a 1-1 record with 19 Ks, 1 BB in 13 2/3 innings. It is hoped his stay in Vancouver will be no more than two weeks so he can at least finish the 1947 season at least at Class A Davenport.
The Brooklyn Kings are on a tear winning 7 straight to even their record at 43-43. While still just 6.5 games out the feeling is the Kings will likely be open as sellers as the deadline approaches.
SP Leo Hayden has won 3 straight starts and his finally refunding his form has been a tremendous boost. Only 5 walks going alongside 19 K’s with a 1.00 ERA in 27 IP. Now 6-7 on the season with a 4.35 ERA on the season.
1st round draft pick 3B Ken Newman has agreed to his $22,000 signing bonus and checks in at #3 on the hot 100 prospect list. Fellow first round picks CF Charlie Rogers and C Dan Smith are #32 and #50 respectively. 3rd round OF Ted Haggerty is rated #76 and 2nd round P Chuck Trillman is #65. 11th round surprise P Barney Robinson is still in the top 100 at 97 but is also out of action after a week with a strained rotator cuff for 5-6 weeks
- Hiram Steinberg made his presence felt right away in St Louis as the 24-year-old tossed a complete game 4-hit shutout to blank Bobby Barrell and the Philadelphia Keystones 5-0 in his first test against Federal Association teams.
- Speaking of debuts, Pete Casstevens had a pretty good debut week for the Chiefs: .316 with 3 home runs after coming over from the Gothams. And Hank Stratton, picked up from Cleveland went 6-for-16 with a pair of doubles, a homer and 4 RBIs.
- Sal Pestilli may have gone 1-for-7 in his Cougar debut, but that first hit was a big one, an RBI single to tie the Cannons and Cougars at two, in a game his Cougars eventually lost 3-2 in 13 innings. Sal also stole a base, and finished the week 2-for-10 with a double. While not an ideal start to his Cougar career, Pestilli was playing on 11 days rest due to a sprained knee and the All-Star festivities.
- One of the final first round holdouts, Jerry Smith, agreed to a $18,000 signing bonus after being selected 5th Overall by the Cougars, and checks in at 11 on the top 100 prospect list, joining 2nd Rounder Garland Phelps (33rd), and 3rd Rounder Dudley Sapp (69th). 5th Rounder Buddy Jenkins finds himself on the outside looking in, sitting at 118th overall and 12th of eligible Cougar farmhands. Chicago has agreed to deals with all player selected in the first five rounds, but 18 of the 29 players selected remain unsigned.
- The Detroit Dynamos may start to fade now. Their offense was weak to begin with and they just lost lead-off man Sid Williams (.319,11,47) for a month with a sprained ankle. The good news is Dick Blaszak is hitting .300 in July and Del Johnson went 10-for-18 in his return from the injured list. Stan Kleminski has played second, short and third. He may just go to the outfield now to replace Williams.
CONTROVERSY ERUPTS AS STARR DISQUALIFIED IN BRAWL WITH HARRIS
FALL RIVER, MASS. - Referee James Duncan took center stage under the glaring lights on Friday night, as he made a pivotal decision that left spectators in a state of uproar. In a scintillating middleweight clash between Joe Starr and Nick Harris, both pugilists were engaged in a heated contest, teetering on the precipice of foul play. However, it was Starr who paid the price as Duncan disqualified him, ultimately handing a hard-fought victory to Harris.
With the rugged battle unfolding over the course of ten punishing rounds, it was in the eighth that Harris unleashed a devastating combination, sending Starr sprawling to the canvas. At that moment, Harris held a slight edge on the scorecards of all three judges. Sensing his dreams slipping away, Starr resorted to a treacherous tactic he had been cautioned for earlier in the brawl - a brazen low blow that left no room for debate. Referee Duncan, unyielding in his decision, swiftly called an end to the contest.
To be fair, both fighters had been toeing the line of legality throughout the fierce encounter. Harris, the gritty 33-year-old Rhode Island native, had been reprimanded for a head butt and relentless infractions of leaning on Starr's neck. Meanwhile, Starr, the 27-year-old son of Pittsburgh, found himself warned for multiple incidents of suspicious low blows in the contest. When Harris crumpled to the canvas following Starr's latest transgression, Duncan's unwavering decision to disqualify the Pittsburgh pugilist was met with unwavering support.
This triumph proved critical for Harris, who seeks redemption and another shot at championship glory after his grueling 15-round loss to Frank Melanson in March. The victory, Harris's second since his defeat to Melanson, elevates his record to an impressive 21-3-1. Conversely, Starr, a close confidant of fellow Pittsburgh warrior Melanson, suffers the first disqualification of his career, tumbling to a respectable 18-4.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Jul 23- Cleveland: welterweight contender Ira Mitchell (17-1) vs Ronald Head (20-7-1)
- Jul 26- Rome, Italy: European middleweight champ Edouard Desmarais (37-1) vs Angelo Penso (23-11).
- Jul 31 - New York: heavyweight Scott 'The Chef' Baker (15-2-2) vs Dick Martin (14-5-1)
- Jul 31- Cougars Park, Chicago: former welterweight champ Mark Westlake (21-3-1) vs Willis May (17-2-2)
- Aug 2 - Cougars Park, Chicago: Hector Sawyer (55-3-1) defends his world heavyweight title against Irish Pat Harber (31-7-1)
- Aug 16- Denny Arena, Boston: Harold Stephens (19-3-2) defends his world welterweight title against Carl Taylor (22-3-2).
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/13/1947
- President Truman is set to again veto the Republican income tax reduction bill. The revised bill was approved by both the House and the Senate and would go into effect January 1 if it makes it through to law.
- John L. Lewis signed a new contract for his United Mine Workers, ending fears of another soft coal shutdown. At his press conference Lewis declared war on the Labor Act, blasted Republicans and stated that Senator Taft, co-author of the new labor law, "will not be able to carry his home state of Ohio" if he runs for President.
- The East-West rift in Europe widened as Czechoslovakia lined up with other Russian satellites in a boycott of the Marshall Plan meeting designed to discuss options to improve the economy in Europe. Only 16 of the 24 nations to respond are attending with the Czechs joining Russia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Finland in refusing to attend.
- Greece announced the arrests of 2,000 in Athens in raids aimed at stamping out a Communist plot to stage a revolution and spread war throughout the entire country.
- Reports of flying saucers whizzing through the sky have been rampant in recent days, prompting the Army and Navy to begin a concentrated campaign to stop the rumours.
- Princess Elizabeth put on her engagement ring of three diamonds for the first time and appeared with Lt. Phillip Mountbatten as a betrothed couple.

newscartoon