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Tiger Fan · 06-30-2023, 01:06 PM

AUGUST 25, 1947

SAILING ALONG

Sailors Increase Continental Lead to 4 Games

An 8-2 stretch has helped the Philadelphia Sailors extend their lead atop the Continental Association to 4 games on the second place New York Stars. The Sailors went 4-2 for the week, bookending a 4-game winning streak with 1-run losses to open the week in Brooklyn and close it in Chicago. The Stars went 4-3 but suffered a key injury with word that veteran second baseman Freddie Jones will miss at least three weeks with a muscle strain. The 37-year-old was enjoying a solid season in his first full year in the Big Apple, hitting .274. The Stars were already dealing with an injury to Bill Barrett, but the Whitney Award winning outfielder, who is nursing a sprained knee, is playing though it and showed no ill effects with 2 homers and a .333 batting average last week.

This is a big week for the Chicago Cougars, who beat the Sailors yesterday in extra-innings thanks to a dramatic 12th inning walk-off home run courtesy of Leo Mitchell. That allowed the Cougars to get back to within single digits, trailing the first place Sailors by 9 games. Chicago hosts the Philadelphia nine the next two days before welcoming third place Cincinnati to town. The Stars play an unusual 1-game series against the Sailors this week as well and will get just two more cracks at the leaders the rest of the way.

While it is not official, the Federal Association race feels long over as the St Louis Pioneers extended their lead on second place Detroit to 10 games. If that holds it will be the first time since 1928, when the Chicago Chiefs won 95 games and finished 10 up on the second place Dynamos, a Fed team has won the pennant by a double-digit margin over the second place squad.

TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK

Two more homers for Bobby Barrell as he ties his personal career high with his 53rd. Barrell also inched closer to Mel Carrol in the batting race by hitting .545 last week, but only slightly as Carrol had a big week as well, batting .448. Barrell has the Fed rbi lead with 114, 3 more than the Chiefs Tiny Hopkins, while he is hitting .357, second to Carrol's .360 in a hunt for Barrell's second career triple crown.

1948 DRAFT PREVIEW: TWIFB MOCK FIRST ROUND

To complete our look at the 1948 draft class here is TWIFB's mock first round. It was inspired heavily by the OSA assessments of the 400 players eligible for selection this season. A year ago our top three were Les Ledbetter, Marshall Thomas and Irv Clifford - all three of whom were selected in the top six picks.

Here is what we see based on the scouting of OSA for the 1948 first round to shape up.

Hank Barnett of the Brooklyn Kings notched his 2,500th career hit last week. The 38-year-old reached the milestone with a 6th inning single off Cincinnati's Red Hampton in a 7-6 Kings win Friday. He becomes the 34th player in FABL history to join the 2,500 hit club.
Another 3-homer game last week. This one from the Keystones Hank Koblenz, who has done it twice in a span of 16 days and 3 times in his career. 7 times this season including 3 from Bobby Barrell and twice from his Philadelphia teammate Hank Koblenz has a player homered three times in the same game. Last year it happened twice. Before that it had only happened 3 times this decade.
Has anyone checked to see what kind of rubber they are using in the ball. Must be all that postwar technology advances that have given us a baseball with a lot more hop to it than the used scuffed up balls we had to deal with during the war.
The GWL is definitely not using the same ball. And speaking of the GWL, Oakland and Dallas have been running neck and neck for weeks. It makes the 3-games between the clubs at the end of the month loom large.
Heinie Billings was a bit of an under-the-radar acquisition by Dallas in April after Billings was released by Montreal. Arguably, Billings has been Dallas's most valuable player.
Bob Sheehy of the San Diego Conquistadors through the first major league no-hitter this season. The 35-year-old, who saw some brief action with the Philadelphia Sailors nearly a decade ago, threw the gem in a 2-1 win over Dallas yesterday. FABL has not had a no-hitter yet this season.
The league office offical statistics department now has the Pioneers chances of winning the Fed at 99.3% with Detroit getting the other 0.7%, The Sailors are at 81.1% to win the Conti, Stars at 10.6%, Cannons 7.7%, Cougs at 0.4% and Kings at 0.2%
It might be a little early to talk about but if the Pioneers and Sailors meet in the WCS it will be a total of 17 years since either played in the Series -the Sailors last appearances was 1930 while the Pioneers have not been there since 1921. The will tie the 1924 Series for longest drought between appearances for both clubs. The Miners were making their first appearance in 17 years back then and the New York Stars, who would go on to win 3-straight WCS titles, had not won a pennant in 18 years at that point. It would also, at 43 years, be the longest combined duration that two Series opponents had gone without playing in a WCS.
No team in FABL has won less pennants than the 2 claimed by the Pioneers. Both came in the early days of Max Morris in Missouri, with appearances in 1920 and 1921. Even a win this year won't get St Louis out of sole possession of last on the pennant parade. Montreal and the Chiefs are next in line as each have won 4 pennants.
When the season started, I would not have expected Duke Bybee (2.93) to have the lowest ERA in the Cougar rotation or Pete Papenfus (3.74). who led the CA in ERA last season, to have the highest
It was a rare 5 win week in Chicago as the Cougars are back over .500, and it is now back-to-back weeks a midseason pickup won Player of the Week. Following Pestilli is Red Bond, who went 12-for-23 with 3 homers, 9 runs, and 10 RBIs.
Looks like the Cougars and Kings should have hooked up on a deadline deal. Brooklyn claimed infielder Jim Jenkins off waivers from Chicago, and to make rook, they designated Leon Blackridge, who was then claimed by the Cougars

EDMONDS AND MELANSON SET FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED REMATCH

In a development that comes as no great surprise yet is met with much enthusiasm, it has been confirmed that John Edmonds and Frank Melanson will clash once again in a battle for the world middleweight championship. The two pugilistic gladiators are set to rekindle their July 4th fireworks, as Edmonds seeks to defend the title he snatched from Melanson's grasp on that fateful day. The significance of this rematch cannot be understated, as it offers a chance for redemption to the fallen champion, who saw his illustrious crown torn away in his own backyard, Fitzpatrick Park in Pittsburgh—just a stone's throw away from his cherished childhood haunts.

This eagerly awaited rematch will take place on Friday, December 12, granting Edmonds a degree of home advantage as the native of Muncie, Indiana. Lakeside Auditorium in Chicago has been chosen as the battleground, where these warriors of the squared circle shall once again collide. The first bout between these formidable combatants was brought to a premature halt in the 13th round, as referee Ernest Byrd intervened due to a ghastly laceration adorning Melanson's right eyebrow, rendering his vision impaired beyond recovery. Although Melanson held a favorable position on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, the contest remained fiercely contested throughout. It marked the initial blemish on Melanson's otherwise immaculate record, which boasted an unblemished slate save for two draws among his 35 professional encounters. Edmonds, meanwhile, elevated his standing to 23 victories against a mere two defeats, staying true to his post-fight declaration that he would grant Melanson a well-deserved rematch.

The stage is set for a showdown of epic proportions, where pride, honor, and the coveted world middleweight championship hang in the balance. Brace yourselves for an enthralling spectacle as Edmonds and Melanson step back into the ring, ready to etch their names in pugilistic history once more. The echoes of their first encounter still reverberate, and now the stage is set for the grandest of sequels to this gripping saga. Boxing aficionados and enthusiasts alike eagerly await this momentous event, as the sweet science of pugilism promises to deliver another chapter of breathtaking drama. December 12 cannot arrive swiftly enough, as anticipation builds for a contest that shall surely leave an indelible mark on the annals of the ring.

WEEKLY BOXING RESULTS

Todd Gill, who famously battled with Frank Melanson twice for the world middleweight crown -drawing the first time before coming up short in the rematch, was back in action last week and got himself back on track with a unanimous decision over Adrian Frank in a bout held in New Haven, Ct. It was an important victory for Gill, who's reputation took a big hit with a loss to Owen Sheppard back in June.

Another former victim of Melanson was also on that impressive New Haven fight card as Brooks O'Connor had little difficulty outpointing P.J. Whitaker. O'Connor is 25-4-2 n a career that has seen him fight a lot of big names. His only losses are twice to current world champ John Edmonds and once each to Melanson and Todd Gill.

Elsewhere, rising welterweight Danny Rutledge ran his record to a perfect 11-0 with fourth round knockout of Glen Peterson.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 26- Camden, NJ: Heavyweight contender Roy Crawford (24-3) vs Don Alston (18-9-4)
Aug 28- Miami, Fl: Heavyweight contender Cannon Cooper (22-2-1) vs Mac Johnson (15-17-5)
Aug 28- Miami, Fl: Middleweight contender Tommy Campbell (17-0-1) vs Matt Austin (7-6)
Aug 31- Lewiston, Me: Middleweight contender Nick Harris (21-3-1) vs Will Bowen (4-9)
Sep 12- Baltimore,Md: middleweights Jack Rainey (23-3) vs Willie Binion (18-4-1)
Sep 13- San Francisco, Ca:former top ranked HW contender Mark Fountain (20-3-1) vs Thurman Davis (13-16-1)
Sep 16- Scranton, Pa: former welterweight champ Dennis O'Keefe (20-3) vs Derek Clark (6-7)
Sep 17- Los Angeles,Ca: Heavyweight contender Dan Miller (34-7-1 vs Fraser Witt (13-2-6)
Sep 21- Holyok, Ma: rising heavyweight Tommy Cline (10-0) vs Fred Vaughn (11-11-3)
Sep 29 -Paris, Fr: middleweight Yohan Revel (12-0) vs Kai Wacher (9-7-1)
Dec 12 - Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: World Middleweight Champ John Edmonds (23-2) rematch with Frank Melanson (32-1-2)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/24/1947

Ships and planes continue to search the Pacific but little hope remains of finding Ambassador George Atcheson and three of General MacArthur's top aides after a B-17, inbound from Tokyo, crashed after running out of gasoline only 65 miles west of Pearl Harbor.
With the cease fire off, the Indonesian Republican Army says Dutch forces are putting new pressure on the northern and western approaches to Central Java, which the Indonesians hold.
Despite protests from the Soviets, an American-British-French conference on increasing German industrial activities will proceed.
Russia used its veto twice in rapid succession to block the applications for membership in the U.N. from Italy and Austria. Russia has now vetoed 7 majority decisions reached by UN Security Council members in the past week.
As top ranking financial experts from both side of the Atlantic assemble to hunt for a solution to Britain's dollar crisis, the British have decided not to press for a new loan from the United States.
The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that all officers of labor unions must swear they are not Communists before their unions may use the services of the Board.
The Taft-Hartley Labor Act went into full effect this week to the accompaniment of unrest along the labor front. Ford beat the deadline to settle its contract despite with the autoworkers union but a strike hit the Chrysler Corp. main plant in Detroit and a dock strike is underway on the west coast.

06-30-2023, 01:06 PM	#736
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,806	August 25, 1947 AUGUST 25, 1947 SAILING ALONG Sailors Increase Continental Lead to 4 Games An 8-2 stretch has helped the Philadelphia Sailors extend their lead atop the Continental Association to 4 games on the second place New York Stars. The Sailors went 4-2 for the week, bookending a 4-game winning streak with 1-run losses to open the week in Brooklyn and close it in Chicago. The Stars went 4-3 but suffered a key injury with word that veteran second baseman Freddie Jones will miss at least three weeks with a muscle strain. The 37-year-old was enjoying a solid season in his first full year in the Big Apple, hitting .274. The Stars were already dealing with an injury to Bill Barrett, but the Whitney Award winning outfielder, who is nursing a sprained knee, is playing though it and showed no ill effects with 2 homers and a .333 batting average last week. This is a big week for the Chicago Cougars, who beat the Sailors yesterday in extra-innings thanks to a dramatic 12th inning walk-off home run courtesy of Leo Mitchell. That allowed the Cougars to get back to within single digits, trailing the first place Sailors by 9 games. Chicago hosts the Philadelphia nine the next two days before welcoming third place Cincinnati to town. The Stars play an unusual 1-game series against the Sailors this week as well and will get just two more cracks at the leaders the rest of the way. While it is not official, the Federal Association race feels long over as the St Louis Pioneers extended their lead on second place Detroit to 10 games. If that holds it will be the first time since 1928, when the Chicago Chiefs won 95 games and finished 10 up on the second place Dynamos, a Fed team has won the pennant by a double-digit margin over the second place squad. TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK Two more homers for Bobby Barrell as he ties his personal career high with his 53rd. Barrell also inched closer to Mel Carrol in the batting race by hitting .545 last week, but only slightly as Carrol had a big week as well, batting .448. Barrell has the Fed rbi lead with 114, 3 more than the Chiefs Tiny Hopkins, while he is hitting .357, second to Carrol's .360 in a hunt for Barrell's second career triple crown. 1948 DRAFT PREVIEW: TWIFB MOCK FIRST ROUND To complete our look at the 1948 draft class here is TWIFB's mock first round. It was inspired heavily by the OSA assessments of the 400 players eligible for selection this season. A year ago our top three were Les Ledbetter, Marshall Thomas and Irv Clifford - all three of whom were selected in the top six picks. Here is what we see based on the scouting of OSA for the 1948 first round to shape up. Hank Barnett of the Brooklyn Kings notched his 2,500th career hit last week. The 38-year-old reached the milestone with a 6th inning single off Cincinnati's Red Hampton in a 7-6 Kings win Friday. He becomes the 34th player in FABL history to join the 2,500 hit club. Another 3-homer game last week. This one from the Keystones Hank Koblenz, who has done it twice in a span of 16 days and 3 times in his career. 7 times this season including 3 from Bobby Barrell and twice from his Philadelphia teammate Hank Koblenz has a player homered three times in the same game. Last year it happened twice. Before that it had only happened 3 times this decade. Has anyone checked to see what kind of rubber they are using in the ball. Must be all that postwar technology advances that have given us a baseball with a lot more hop to it than the used scuffed up balls we had to deal with during the war. The GWL is definitely not using the same ball. And speaking of the GWL, Oakland and Dallas have been running neck and neck for weeks. It makes the 3-games between the clubs at the end of the month loom large. Heinie Billings was a bit of an under-the-radar acquisition by Dallas in April after Billings was released by Montreal. Arguably, Billings has been Dallas's most valuable player. Bob Sheehy of the San Diego Conquistadors through the first major league no-hitter this season. The 35-year-old, who saw some brief action with the Philadelphia Sailors nearly a decade ago, threw the gem in a 2-1 win over Dallas yesterday. FABL has not had a no-hitter yet this season. The league office offical statistics department now has the Pioneers chances of winning the Fed at 99.3% with Detroit getting the other 0.7%, The Sailors are at 81.1% to win the Conti, Stars at 10.6%, Cannons 7.7%, Cougs at 0.4% and Kings at 0.2% It might be a little early to talk about but if the Pioneers and Sailors meet in the WCS it will be a total of 17 years since either played in the Series -the Sailors last appearances was 1930 while the Pioneers have not been there since 1921. The will tie the 1924 Series for longest drought between appearances for both clubs. The Miners were making their first appearance in 17 years back then and the New York Stars, who would go on to win 3-straight WCS titles, had not won a pennant in 18 years at that point. It would also, at 43 years, be the longest combined duration that two Series opponents had gone without playing in a WCS. No team in FABL has won less pennants than the 2 claimed by the Pioneers. Both came in the early days of Max Morris in Missouri, with appearances in 1920 and 1921. Even a win this year won't get St Louis out of sole possession of last on the pennant parade. Montreal and the Chiefs are next in line as each have won 4 pennants. When the season started, I would not have expected Duke Bybee (2.93) to have the lowest ERA in the Cougar rotation or Pete Papenfus (3.74). who led the CA in ERA last season, to have the highest It was a rare 5 win week in Chicago as the Cougars are back over .500, and it is now back-to-back weeks a midseason pickup won Player of the Week. Following Pestilli is Red Bond, who went 12-for-23 with 3 homers, 9 runs, and 10 RBIs. Looks like the Cougars and Kings should have hooked up on a deadline deal. Brooklyn claimed infielder Jim Jenkins off waivers from Chicago, and to make rook, they designated Leon Blackridge, who was then claimed by the Cougars EDMONDS AND MELANSON SET FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED REMATCH In a development that comes as no great surprise yet is met with much enthusiasm, it has been confirmed that John Edmonds and Frank Melanson will clash once again in a battle for the world middleweight championship. The two pugilistic gladiators are set to rekindle their July 4th fireworks, as Edmonds seeks to defend the title he snatched from Melanson's grasp on that fateful day. The significance of this rematch cannot be understated, as it offers a chance for redemption to the fallen champion, who saw his illustrious crown torn away in his own backyard, Fitzpatrick Park in Pittsburgh—just a stone's throw away from his cherished childhood haunts. This eagerly awaited rematch will take place on Friday, December 12, granting Edmonds a degree of home advantage as the native of Muncie, Indiana. Lakeside Auditorium in Chicago has been chosen as the battleground, where these warriors of the squared circle shall once again collide. The first bout between these formidable combatants was brought to a premature halt in the 13th round, as referee Ernest Byrd intervened due to a ghastly laceration adorning Melanson's right eyebrow, rendering his vision impaired beyond recovery. Although Melanson held a favorable position on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, the contest remained fiercely contested throughout. It marked the initial blemish on Melanson's otherwise immaculate record, which boasted an unblemished slate save for two draws among his 35 professional encounters. Edmonds, meanwhile, elevated his standing to 23 victories against a mere two defeats, staying true to his post-fight declaration that he would grant Melanson a well-deserved rematch. The stage is set for a showdown of epic proportions, where pride, honor, and the coveted world middleweight championship hang in the balance. Brace yourselves for an enthralling spectacle as Edmonds and Melanson step back into the ring, ready to etch their names in pugilistic history once more. The echoes of their first encounter still reverberate, and now the stage is set for the grandest of sequels to this gripping saga. Boxing aficionados and enthusiasts alike eagerly await this momentous event, as the sweet science of pugilism promises to deliver another chapter of breathtaking drama. December 12 cannot arrive swiftly enough, as anticipation builds for a contest that shall surely leave an indelible mark on the annals of the ring. WEEKLY BOXING RESULTS Todd Gill, who famously battled with Frank Melanson twice for the world middleweight crown -drawing the first time before coming up short in the rematch, was back in action last week and got himself back on track with a unanimous decision over Adrian Frank in a bout held in New Haven, Ct. It was an important victory for Gill, who's reputation took a big hit with a loss to Owen Sheppard back in June. Another former victim of Melanson was also on that impressive New Haven fight card as Brooks O'Connor had little difficulty outpointing P.J. Whitaker. O'Connor is 25-4-2 n a career that has seen him fight a lot of big names. His only losses are twice to current world champ John Edmonds and once each to Melanson and Todd Gill. Elsewhere, rising welterweight Danny Rutledge ran his record to a perfect 11-0 with fourth round knockout of Glen Peterson. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Aug 26- Camden, NJ: Heavyweight contender Roy Crawford (24-3) vs Don Alston (18-9-4) Aug 28- Miami, Fl: Heavyweight contender Cannon Cooper (22-2-1) vs Mac Johnson (15-17-5) Aug 28- Miami, Fl: Middleweight contender Tommy Campbell (17-0-1) vs Matt Austin (7-6) Aug 31- Lewiston, Me: Middleweight contender Nick Harris (21-3-1) vs Will Bowen (4-9) Sep 12- Baltimore,Md: middleweights Jack Rainey (23-3) vs Willie Binion (18-4-1) Sep 13- San Francisco, Ca:former top ranked HW contender Mark Fountain (20-3-1) vs Thurman Davis (13-16-1) Sep 16- Scranton, Pa: former welterweight champ Dennis O'Keefe (20-3) vs Derek Clark (6-7) Sep 17- Los Angeles,Ca: Heavyweight contender Dan Miller (34-7-1 vs Fraser Witt (13-2-6) Sep 21- Holyok, Ma: rising heavyweight Tommy Cline (10-0) vs Fred Vaughn (11-11-3) Sep 29 -Paris, Fr: middleweight Yohan Revel (12-0) vs Kai Wacher (9-7-1) Dec 12 - Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: World Middleweight Champ John Edmonds (23-2) rematch with Frank Melanson (32-1-2) The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/24/1947 Ships and planes continue to search the Pacific but little hope remains of finding Ambassador George Atcheson and three of General MacArthur's top aides after a B-17, inbound from Tokyo, crashed after running out of gasoline only 65 miles west of Pearl Harbor. With the cease fire off, the Indonesian Republican Army says Dutch forces are putting new pressure on the northern and western approaches to Central Java, which the Indonesians hold. Despite protests from the Soviets, an American-British-French conference on increasing German industrial activities will proceed. Russia used its veto twice in rapid succession to block the applications for membership in the U.N. from Italy and Austria. Russia has now vetoed 7 majority decisions reached by UN Security Council members in the past week. As top ranking financial experts from both side of the Atlantic assemble to hunt for a solution to Britain's dollar crisis, the British have decided not to press for a new loan from the United States. The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that all officers of labor unions must swear they are not Communists before their unions may use the services of the Board. The Taft-Hartley Labor Act went into full effect this week to the accompaniment of unrest along the labor front. Ford beat the deadline to settle its contract despite with the autoworkers union but a strike hit the Chrysler Corp. main plant in Detroit and a dock strike is underway on the west coast. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles