[Tiger Fan]

APRIL 19, 1948

A NEW SEASON DAWNS: BASEBALL FEVER GRIPS THE NATION

Ah, the enchanting aroma of fresh-cut grass, the crack of the bat echoing like a promise, and the spirit of competition dancing in the air—it's Opening Day, dear readers! As the sun peeks through the clouds and the echoes of "Play Ball!" reverberate across stadiums, hearts from coast to coast swell with the collective anticipation of a new major league baseball season.

In the Continental Association, where legends are born and pennants are pursued, hope springs eternal. From Chicago's powerhouse Cougars to the cunning Sailors of Philadelphia, each team enters the fray, carrying dreams of victory and redemption. The Stars of New York, the Kings of Brooklyn, and even the Saints of Montreal—they've toiled, trained, and forged bonds through the offseason to stake their claim on the coveted pennant.

Of course, our very own Windy City can't help but be swept up in the fervor. The Chicago Cougars, long the darlings of prediction and disappointment alike, have once again been anointed the ones to watch. With pitching that boasts the strength of the wind and a lineup that promises a symphony of hits, this may finally be the year when fortune smiles upon the long suffering Cougars. Or so they hope.

But let's not forget the Federal Association, where dynasties rise and fall and the roar of the crowd carries the hopes of the heartland. With icons like the Gothams Red Johnson and the prowess of the Philadelphia Keystones' Bobby Barrell, the diamond is set for a season of brilliance and unexpected triumphs.

Yes, dear readers, the tapestry of the baseball landscape is ready to weave anew. Will the Gothams rise from its slumber? Will the Cannons fire again? Can the Wolves of Toronto make their mark despite many calling for a major drop off from the club? As the players step onto the field, they leave behind the shadows of yesteryears and embrace the boundless canvas of today.

So let's ready our scorecards and clear our throats, for the crackling voice of the radio will soon fill our homes with the melodious cadence of play-by-play commentary. And as we settle into our seats or perch upon barstools, we become part of a shared experience that transcends time—where generations converge to revel in the glorious uncertainty that is baseball.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the stage is set, the lineup cards inked. As the umpire raises his hand and barks "Play Ball!" let's immerse ourselves in the journey of another season—a season where heroes will emerge, champions will be crowned, and the very fabric of America's pastime will forever be woven. Enjoy the games, everyone, for they are the heartbeat of a nation.

1948 PREDICTIONS

If the pundits are to be believed it will be the Chicago Cougars and the New York Gothams competing in the 1948 World Championship Series. As the almost always are the past decade at this time of year it is the Chicago Cougars that draw the most praise as the team to beat in the Continental Association. In this case 8 of the 10 so-called experts including OSA feel the Cougars will win the Conti crown -something that has not happened since 1941 despite the club being considered one of, if not the team to beat every year since them. The two that did not pick the Cougars first include Red Wedge of the New York World Telegram, who sees an all-New York WCS for the second time this decade with the Stars nipping the Chougars for top spot and the right to face the Gothams. The second one is Archie Irwin of the Chicago Daily News, who in what he admits is an attempt to reverse the Cougars run of bad luck has put the local entry last on his predicted order of finish for the Continental Association.

Opinions are much more varied in the Fed as five different teams show up in the top of the 11 predictions we received for the Fed. (Clarence Keenan of the St Louis Star-Times elected to only provide a prediction for the Federal Association). Of the eleven, four put the New York Gothams in the top slot, two each went with Detroit, defending champion St Louis and the Philadelphia Keystones with one scribe feeling the 1946 pennant winning Washington Eagles would win it all again in '48.

SCOUTING SERVICE SEES COUGARS DOMINATING CA RACE

Tabs Detroit to Win a Tight Fed Fight

OSA, the FABL scouting service, is firmly behind the Chicago Cougars, calling on the hard-luck Windy City club to lead the CA in runs scored while surrendering the fewest in the loop and roll to a 93-win season that would give the Cougars a 10-game margin over the second place New York Stars.

It is hard to argue with that assessment when you look at just how deep the Cougars pitching staff is and combine it with a talented group of veteran hitters. Dan Barrell's scouting department is calling on the a return to form from two-time Allen Award winner Pete Papenfus, who like many of his teammates struggled through a rough 1947 seasoon. OSA calls for both Peter the Heater and Donnie Jones to win 20-games this season while expecting Walt Pack, Leo Mitchell and Red Bond to lead the Chicago offense. The Cougars have often been the preseson favourite in recent years but have not won a pennant since 1941.

The Fed race is expected to be very tight with OSA giving the nod to the young Detroit Dynamos winning that franchise's first flag since 1929. The Dynamos are hardly a resounding favourite as Dan Barrell's team sees the Philadelphia Keystones and Washington Eagles both finishing within 3 games of the lead. One big surprise is last year's championship winning St Louis Pioneers are expected by OSA to have a huge drop-off, falling to 7th place in the Federal Association.

There will also be no record-breaking homerun chase this season as OSA feels Bobby Barrell -who set a new FABL record with 64 round trippers a year ago, will sock just 39 this time around and finish second in the homerun race behind teammate Hank Koblenz, who will belt 41 longballs according to OSA.

1948 FABL Predictions

Fed:

1- Gothams - This is the circuit's most talented group. There are some significant new faces to integrate and assuming that happens, this is the pennant winner.
2- Pioneers - 1947 wasn't a fluke. There are some questions in the lineup (3B for example) but the starting pitching is potentially Cougar-esque.
3- Eagles - The pitching is a big question mark, but the offense is lights out.
4- Dynamos - The key phrase here is: soon. This is a team that is going to be a powerhouse by 1950.
5- Keystones - Philly is in the same situation as Washington. The offense is going to score - a lot - but can they find pitching to complement the superb Lloyd Stevens?
6- Chiefs - This team would be higher if Goulding hadn't found religion and Miller not gotten hurt. But those things happened and it's going to have a big impact on a fine team.
7- Minutemen - Rebuild is underway and there are still some really good players here. But this is a crowded field and Boston doesn't - quite - measure up (yet).
8-Miners - Yes, everyone has them here. Shipping out Lefty & Cleaves was a billboard proclaiming that the teardown is complete and a rebuild is beginning in earnest.

Conti:

1- Cougars - This is the pick pretty much every year and for good reason: this is the FABL's most complete roster. They are also the one with the longest track record of underperforming that talent. This is the year it all gels.
2- Stars - Well, if the Cougars do manage to do a fade again, the NY nine is more than good enough to step in and claim the crown. A loaded team that'd be the favorite in any league that didn't have the Cougars in it.
3- Sailors - They'll be in the hunt. They always are.
4- Kings - Don't buy this "we're not ready to compete" stuff: the Kings are legit and given some breaks (and bad lucks for the teams above them), they could win the pennant.
5- Saints - The Continental's longest-running enigma. They have some pitching (Reif, Cupid & Weakley could be a good 1-2-3) but there are always a lot of questions, and that's the case this season too.
6- Cannons - Rufus Barrell II alone should be enough to lift this club out of the second division. But my gut feeling is this is the year that Cincinnati finally drops out of contention. Nuts? Maybe, but losing Al Wheeler was significant and everyone's a year older.
7- Wolves - What? The Wolves below the Saints? Unfortunately for Toronto, until Les Ledbetter arrives (and arrives having developed into his immense talents), it's going to be lean times for the Wolves.
8- Foresters - The perennially picked-for-last Clevelanders get the basement treatment again. Honestly, the CA is really two groups: the contenders (Chicago, NY, Philly & Brooklyn) and the others - and how the two groups finish within their groups is really anyone's guess.

Last thoughts - it's becoming increasingly difficult to make these predictions. For one thing, despite the Gothams and Cougars being clearly more talented than the others, the fact remains that both circuits have four, maybe five, clubs who can realistically win this thing. That's great for FABL but boy, does it make doing this prediction thing difficult.

Yesterday we had our Federal Association forecast. Now it is time for the Continental call. Readers may wonder what happened with the Cougars spot on this list but I am just trying to reverse the curse by picking the local nine for last. Last time we won the pennant, the Eagles old GM picked us to finish 7th, so I'm hoping this can have the similar effect. I don't necessarily believe the Cougars will finish 8th, but I also thought there was no way possible they'd finish sub .500 last year. Plus I'm tired of predicting Chicago for 1st year after year.

1- New York Stars: Superstar Bill Barrett (.297, 21, 93) may be missing the first week of the season, but don't think that's going to hurt the Stars! He may not be Bobby Barrell, but Barrett is one of the game's best hitters, posting a WRC+ above 140 in each season since becoming a full time player in 1940. He's walked 100 or more times in each of the past four seasons and last year broke a stretch of three seasons with 25+ homers. Add in a superb supporting cast of Joe Angevine (.284, 45, 30), Bob Riggins (.244, 5, 45, 12), Mack Sutton (.240, 43, 123), Jack Welch (.262, 20, 79), Freddie Jones (.276, 5, 46), and Bill Barnett (.234, 22, 77), and you've got the most dangerous lineup in the game. In the past, pitching has been a struggle for the Stars, but the deadline acquisition of 25-year-old Richie Hughes (12-14, 4.03, 110) has really lengthened the rotation. He'll be their #4, behind a strong front three of Eli Panneton (19-11, 3.11, 117), Vern Hubbard (12-16, 4.63, 93), and Chuck Cole (14-15, 3.23, 91), but don't be surprised if Hughes ends the season as the #2. The Stars money problems could get in their way, but they have a trio of top 50 prospects they can dangle, including the #1 spec Ralph Hanson. A slump in September cost the Stars a pennant last season, but if they get off to a quick start, they can look to capture their second title in three seasons.

2- Philadelphia Sailors: The Sailors quest for a repeat pennant took a huge step back when it was announced that southpaw Slick Wesolowski (15-11, 3.80, 92) will miss the rest of the season after undergoing elbow surgery. But if there's one thing the Sailors do best, it's finding the next man up. Since Tom Taylor was traded to the Cougars way back in 1930, the Sailors have never really had a star player, and instead rely more on their wealth of respectable big leaguers. The rotation is very good, even without Slick, featuring young co-aces Charlie Gordon (2-8, 4.14, 33) and Win Lewis (17-12, 2.88, 87). Al Duster (11-12, 3.43, 122) seems penciled in for the three spot, but there's uncertainty behind them. They can survive without a dominant complete game machine, as they have one of the only stoppers worth an All-Star selection, David Molina (10-3, 26, 3.06, 102), who may be the most unique pitcher in the game. At the plate they don't have much power, instead featuring high contact guys with a great eye. Late blooming first basemen Ed Reyes (.338, 5, 66) is on a quest for his fourth consecutive batting title, and he has plenty of protection with Harvey Brown (.311, 5, 66, 28), Cotton Dillon (.267, 7, 69), Marion Boismenu (.305, 2, 23, 5), Rip Lee (.282, 3, 62, 5), and Les Cunha (.268, 8, 85). Always competitive, you can never keep the Sailors down, and they should be in the hunt all season long.

3- Brooklyn Kings: While some may not have liked the trade of Buddy Long (20-11, 3.41, 82), I don't think that's going to have much of an impact on the Kings. They added Bob Arman (17-11, 3.49, 102) from the Cannons and got Jake Roberts (3-5, 5.10, 26) back in the Long trade, which, no pun intended, really lengthens their rotation. Expect a better season from Leo Hayden (12-13, 4.47, 125) in year three, and with reliable veterans Johnny Slaney (16-12, 3.13, 82) and Harry Carter (14-13, 3.98, 70), they should do enough to allow their offense win them games. They have a ton of young talent, from 23-year-old superstar Ralph Johnson (.318, 25, 108) to the elite glove of John Moss (.270, 8, 79). Chuck Collins (.283, 12, 50) looks to be a really good power hitter and they have a few exciting young shortstops in Billy Bryant (.267, 5, 62) and former Chief Chuck Lewis (.244, 2). Add in solid veterans like Charlie Woodbury (.281, 10 , 86), Hank Barnett (.246, 11, 58), and the injured Juan Pomales (.286, 3, 47, 23), and you have a really strong team. I do think the Kings are still a year away, but it would be foolish to count them out this year. They have the best system in the league with 7 top 40 prospects, and with a GM who's not afraid to make a splash, they could land a star to supplement their title hopes.

4- Cincinnati Cannons: Despite coming up a game short of a pennant, the veteran Cannons roster gave sell signals, shopping their entire team. Whether Rufus Barrell (14-13, 3.48, 135) was actually available or not is something only their GM knows, but the only move they ended up making was shipping off Bob Arman (17-11, 3.49, 102) to the Kings for a very nice prospect package. The roster looks much different, as veterans Al Wheeler (.229, 12, 59) and Red Hampton (12-13, 3.67, 36) both called it a career. Replacing Wheeler may not be too hard, as they have Gail Gifford (.289, 7, 45, 6) available to fill an outfield spot, Hampton's loss will be tougher. The Cannons have shown faith in Les Bradshaw (12-12, 3.85, 92) and Charlie Griffith (18-8, 3.66, 97), but there are plenty of question marks behind them. Does one of Butch Smith (7-6, 18, 2.10, 36) or Jim Anderson (1-2, 4.66, 14) return to the rotation? Or do they go with one of their five 25 and under starters on the 40? But while the pitching has question marks, the lineup seems pretty set. They have plenty of talented veterans with Charlie Rivera (.260, 9, 56, 9), Fred Galloway (.271, 6, 47), Sam Brown (.333, 9, 84), Adam Mullins (.304, 6, 63), Denny Andrews (.288, 16, 76), and Jim Hensley (.263, 4, 49). Plus it's hard to believe Chuck Adams (.264, 17, 77) doesn't return to posting 20+ homer, 110+ WRC+ seasons. The Cannons are good enough to finish in the first division, but without a big pitching breakout or some bad luck dealt to the teams above them, we may be approaching the end of this Cannons' core window.

5- Toronto Wolves: After the Cannons there appears to be a big drop off in the CA. That's not to say the Wolves can't compete, but the aging squad may not be ready to return to the first division. Fred McCormick (.321, 27, 102) is still one of the best hitters in the league, but does he have enough support in the lineup? Chink Stickels (.263, 4, 51, 16) is getting up their in age, and Hal Wood (.281, 8, 94), Hank Giordano (.268, 7, 77, 10), and Charlie Artuso (.247, 5, 64, 9) are all coming off down seasons. The bottom of the lineup needs work, as they don't really have a catcher now that Clarence Howerton's (.225, 11) best days are behind him, and there are question marks at second and in left. The rotation is solid, but George Garrison (9-14, 3.64, 107) had a rough season (by his standards, of course), and Joe Hancock (12-10, 3.55, 55) is getting up there. To succeed they'll need them both to put up ace-like numbers, with good results coming from veteran Jimmy Gibbs (12-8, 3.23, 63) and sophomore Jerry York (11-12, 4.46, 84). With the system on the thin side, there isn't an easy path to big league upgrades, and if the Wolves aren't in the hunt come July, they could have their first major selloff since their title in 1940.

6- Montreal Saints: Is this the year the Saints finally figure out the pitching staff? Management is confident new pitching coach John Booker can unlock Wally Doyle (7-17, 5.00, 127) or Wally Reif (13-10, 4.85, 107), and there's likely more to come from Pat Weakly (14-14, 3.47, 123), Bert Cupid (10-18, 3.73, 112), Gordie Irwin (5-1, 4.43, 19), and Andy Lyon (5-9, 4.30, 76). On paper, that's six solid starters, but for some reason there are always pitching issues in Montreal. The lineup hasn't been much better, but they have a top shortstop in Gordie Perkins (.273, 3, 29), a talented veteran in Bill Greene (.274, 8, 63, 19), and a powerful offseason acquisition in Pinky Pierce (.249, 21, 89). They have a decent foundation, and if youngsters Eddie Logan, Bill Elkins (.200, 20), Jack Spahr (.290, 4, 45), and Maurice Carter (.268, 6, 27) time their breakouts, the Saints could score a ton of runs. It feels like each season the Saints are a piece away from contention, but something (or multiple things) seem to go wrong. With a deep farm, they could package some of their young talent to upgrade the big league roster, but I think the Saints are constructed to be competitive in the 50s.

7- Cleveland Foresters:The Foresters have a new veteran GM at the helm, and he's got an interesting roster to work with. The Foresters shipped away Richie Hughes (12-14, 4.03, 110) and Hiram Steinberg (19-9, 3.11, 82) last summer, but young pitching is still the strength of the team. Ollie White (11-7, 6, 2.40, 131) won an ERA title and is a huge strikeout arm, and if he gets his command under control he's going to be a true ace. Davey Morris (8-11, 3, 3.56, 99) had a strong rookie season and #14 prospect John Jackson could join those two in the rotation at some point this year. Unfortunately, the lineup isn't very great, as Jim Adams Jr. (.295, 1, 10, 2) is the only bat most pitchers would be scared of. Sure, Lorenzo Samuels (.285, 13, 47) is a solid first basemen and Paul Porter (.266, 1, 49, 7) isn't the worst outfielder out there, but both are worth upgrading over. Luckily, the farm is deep, and they have a ton of top prospects OSA thinks will be ready for 1951. It was nice for Foresters fans to see a team that didn't finish 7th or 8th for the first time since 1939, but if I was a betting man, I'd say they'll return to one of the bottom two spots again this year.

8- Chicago Cougars: Every year (except 1945!) I say the Cougars are going to win the CA and then the WCS. And guess what? I'm wrong every year! I can't get that Cougar bias out of my head! But let's be honest. Let's take away all that "fluff" about the "on paper talent" and how "great and unlucky" this team should be. Let's look at what they really are. This is a team that finished with 71 wins and in 7th place. Many would expect a big move from the team that loves making a big trade, but guess what? Nothing! At all! They watch George Cleaves (.313, 9, 63) go to the Gothams despite having a glaring hole behind the plate, and then they go on and trade their #3 pitcher Joe Brown (13-13, 3.87, 86) and their most productive reliever Mel Haynes (1-2, 2.62, 22). I mean the least they could do is add a decent supplemental piece, but no! Nothing!

Let's take a look at that roster: Sal Pestilli (.232, 8, 46, 5)? Washed an overrated! Leo Mitchell (.270, 14, 73)? Old, out of shape, and a guaranteed strikeout! Peter the Heater (9-18, 3.95, 146)? More like Peter four balls no strikes! Billy Hunter (.282, 8, 32) can't stay healthy enough to play even 120 games, Walt Pack (.273, 24, 82) is sure to regress to the guy who only takes advantage of war players, and does Hal Sharp (.329, 16, 65) even care about winning? And how many acrobatic plays by Skipper Schneider (.289, 3, 49, 7) plays are going to be ruined by Red Bond's (.287, 23, 96) total lack of defensive acumen? A sophomore slump is coming for Duke Bybee (14-11, 2.91, 104), Johnnie Jones (12-11, 3.96, 91) doesn't know how to find the zone, and can you really trust that George Oddo (0-1, 5.06, 8) can handle real FABL players and not these scrubs he saw in spring training? Yeah, good luck with that... Simply put, this team is not as good as they look, they're relying too much on guys on the wrong side of 30. Don't let the stellar spring fool you. This is a 7th place team that downgraded instead of upgrading who can't win close or important games. That doesn't sound like a legit contender now, does it?

FARHAT'S FABL PREDICTIONS

The obvious pick in the Federal Association is the New York Gothams but concerns about the older pitchers and what happens if the club gets off to a 500 or slightly less start by the end of June. The Keystones have the offense but just don't have the pitching. Detroit has the youth, but youth sometimes makes mistakes....Can St. Louis pull another rabbit out of the hat? The Chiefs are the mystery team to me, they could be really good but that injury to Miller is huge. Washington...maybe....Farhat takes out his crystal ball and says it will be a very tight race. No team wins 90 games in the FA and the top 6 will be bunched within 10 games.

Federal Association Predictions
1.) St. Louis Pioneers
2.) New York Gothams
3.) Washington Eagles
4.) Philadelphia Keystones
5.) Detroit Dynamos
6.) Chicago Chiefs
7.) Boston Minutemen
8.) Pittsburgh Miners

The CA race appears to be easy to pick the Cougars. Only problem is the club somehow doesn't quite live up to its expectations. But that pitching staff is deep and talented and barring injury and Peter the Heater losing the zone again, its the Cougars year, in a landslide. The rest of the CA has some talent, but all the teams have some holes and no one has the pitching that the top rank Cougs do.

Continental Association Predictions
1.) Chicago Cougars win 100 games
2.) New York Stars
3.) Philadelphia Sailors
4.) Brooklyn Kings
5.) Cincinnati Cannons
6.) Toronto Wolves
7.) Montreal Saints
8.) Cleveland Foresters

World Series - Cougars against whoever wins the FA in 5 games!

IS AN ALL-NYC WCS IN THE CARDS?

Gothams Should Prevail in Competitive Fed

A season preview is fairly easy when all the players are well known, and their level of performance can be expected based on a long history. You know four of the Gothams starting pitchers, even if three of them pitcher for other teams last season. They've been around that long. We can expect a certain level of excellence from Lefty Allen, Buddy Long and Joe Brown, even if their spring results were less than stellar. We know what to expect from Ed Bowman, one of the more consistent pitchers in the game. Where there is any uncertainty is with the number 5 starter Lou Eaker. Eaker is 21-18 with a 3.91 ERA in his short career. Also likely to get starts this season is Jerry Decker who had a strong spring after struggling in his major league debut in 1947.

There's nothing unknown about the catcher position, with on base machine George Cleaves taking the majority of starts with hold over Josh Porter providing support. The infield will feature veterans Red Johnson,, Roosevelt Brewer and Mule Monier at 1st, 2nd and 3rd, joined by second year SS Cecil LaBonte. LaBonte was drafted 8th overall last season and almost immediately jumped into the Gothams lineup. The outfield will feature longtime Gothams Walt Messer in LF and the oft injured Mahlon Strong in RF. Center will be shared by Bunny Hufford and Flipper Robinson, with Robinson the likely choice in right when Strong inevitably needs time off.

So, much is the same in 1948 and even what is new, is well known. What does this all mean for 1948? I see the Gothams as the favorites in a competitive FA. Washington and St. Louis should be close behind with everyone but Pittsburgh likely to be within shouting distance. Here's how the ol' red head sees the 1948 races:

Federal Association
Gothams
Eagles
Pioneers
Dynamos
Keystones
Minutemen
Chiefs
Miners

Continental Association
Stars
Cougars
Saints
Cannons
Sailors
Wolves
Kings
Foresters

Veteran Manager Hugh Luckey begins his seventh season as the pilot of the St Louis Pioneers and will welcome his third General Manager after Tom Johnson held the role on an interim basis last year. Here are some comments from the veteran skipper as he prepares his charges for Tuesday's opener in Detroit.

Luckey was very matter of fact and lacked much emotion as he methodically laid out his thoughts on the Pioneers batting order for the upcoming season. Those comments included:

• Leading off Bates. Plan to steal with him often, at least at first. He raked all spring while batting leadoff.
• Batting Zimmer second…want to take advantage of that OBP.
• Gregory third, Tucker fourth. Gregory raked all spring, hitting to a .464 clip, along with an .804 SLG. He also drew eleven walks, while striking out just three times. Tucker, the longtime #3, had a pedestrian spring with a .276/.344/.448 line. More concerning--as concerned as one can be in spring--is the fifteen punchouts, against just six walks. The club is concerned that his bat has lost a tick of speed. If it has, the team is in deep trouble.
• Mills (.237/.303/.338) down to sixth in the lineup. He hit second last year, but seems to be pressing. Sliding him below another on-base machine in Bill Freeman may help him relax at the plate.
• Washington at 3rd base. Not sure if that’ll be a platoon yet or not, but I want Washington to get regular AB while I figure out how to upgrade at 3B.
• Pitcher hitting 8th. The game wants to make Page the leadoff hitter…except he’s decidedly average (probably below-average, given how offensive the league seems to be). So hitting him ninth kind is kind of putting him in leadoff situations. I’ve never actually done this kind of lineup before, so it’ll be interesting how it plays out.

The talk then shifted to the recently revealed OSA -FABL's scouting service- prediction that the Pioneers would finish 12 games under .500 and drop to 7th in the 8 team Federal Association this season. On that subject, Luckey became much more animated, telling reporters " “Of course that’s possible. Everyone talks about repeat, repeat…but after that parade down Market Street, Hop (bench coach Jason Hopkins) turned to me and said, ‘How do you top this, Luck?’ Before you even look at the other teams in the league, you look in the mirror. That’s what we’re fighting."

"This is a very good team," the manager continued, "clearly a championship-caliber team…but it’s an aged team. Tuck is 35. He talked about going out on top last year…but he’s back. Zim is 33. Freeman is 31. I wouldn’t trade any of them for anyone in the league…but it’s a long season. The older you get, the longer it feels."

"On the other side, you have a kid like Ray Bates. Played great last year. Now there are expectations. He’s leading off for the defending champs as a 20-year-old. He is as tough in the mental game as anyone I’ve ever seen…maybe even more so. He’s become a leader of this squad. But he has to go and back that up now. And even someone like him feels that long season. He hasn’t faced the kind of pressure he’s about to…and that includes what he faced in October."

"Yeah, it’s a game…but the physical and mental fitness these fellas have to maintain with the pressure they have just as a regular Fed player, that’s difficult. To have the other seven teams in the league put a bullseye on your chest? That’s entirely different, and something we have not been through. Even the teams far down in the second division will throw their absolute best at you, just so they can hang that on you. This is a prideful league."

"These men are ready for what’s coming, I think. They talk the talk. Time to see if they can walk the walk."

"And Doc (GM Dermot O’Connell) will call me upstairs for what I’m saying, but it’s reality. Only one team gets up top. It took us 27 years. We have all the pieces to do it again, but we’re like every other team in this league at the beginning of the season. We have questions without answers. We’ll find out what those answers are soon enough.”

TIME FOR KIDS TO TAKE SEAT AT HEAD OF GROWN UPS TABLE

OSA Tabs Dynamos as Team to Beat in Fed

Maybe Dan Barrell is just trying to pump up the tires of his brother Fred and add to the reputation of the Detroit Dynamos scouting director - a man who has made no secret of his desire to be a big league manager someday. That won't happen here in Detroit as Dick York seems secure in the corner office of the clubhouse for years to come meaning at some point Fred Barrell will need to look elsewhere for the skipper job he so covets. When that happens, the Dynamos will not stand in his way, and they gave Fred their blessing to interview for the vacant Cougars job last fall. That did not work out for Barrell but you have to think he will leave the Motor City for his dream job sometime soon.

In the meantime Fred can pad his resume very slightly with the note that the league scouting service -headed by his brother Dan Barrell- lists the Dynamos as a slight favourite to fly the Fed flag this year. If so that would be the first title for the ballclub since 1929.

In the opinion of this writer that assessment by the OSA might be just a little optimistic. I doubt want to douse the faint flicker of the flame of hope - everyone knows this city could use it in the wake of the Maroons, Motors and Mustangs meanderings this winter- but in my opinion the Dynamos are still a year or two away from making a serious pennant push.

The club is young, possibly will be the youngest in baseball again this season, but full of promise and Dan Barrell believes the Dynamos can move to the head of the table this year despite counting on a trio of 21-year-olds in Carl Potter, Stan Kleminski and Edwin Hackberry in their opening day roster and adding to the youth with a pair of 23-year-olds in corner infielders Dick Estes and Tommy Griffin. That makes 25-year-old second baseman Del Johnson positively ancient by comparison.

They made a nice run with that core last year but stumbled down the stretch and finished third. I see the club being competitive again this year and who knows: with a few breaks maybe they actually claim the crown. A more likely scenario is the Dynamos challenge but come up just short this time around, gaining valuable experience in the process and allow a trio of talented mound prospects in Fred Washington, Jack Halbur and Roy Schaub along with first baseman John Morrison and outfielder Tommy Allenby to move a little closer to being big league ready.

It says here that the Gothams have too much veteran talent to stumble. If they stay healthy New York seems the best bet to win the pennant but it will be a dogfight all the way with no less than 6 clubs very much in the mix. We only feel the rebuilding Pittsburgh Miners and aging Boston Minutemen are assured of being out of the race come August.

It should be a fun season at Thompson Field and a very entertaining group of hungry young players to cheer on. They get a stern test tomorrow when Potter takes the hill in the opener against the defending World Champion St Louis Pioneers.

PROBABLE OPENING DAY STARTERS

GRAYS OUTLAST KNIGHTS IN MARATHON

The Oakland Grays improved to 4-1 on the young season with a 6-5 victory in 14 innings over the Los Angeles Knights. Oakland catcher Joe Lloyd was the hero on the day with 4 hits including a walk-off rbi single to plate Les Bennett with the game-winning run. There were last second heroics in Dallas as well with the Centurions getting a walk-off rbi base hit from veteran catcher Johnny Decker to nip San Diego 3-2.

Elsewhere Rube Field and Harry Castillo combined on a 6-hit shutout to lead Houston to a 7-0 win over the Portland Green Sox while in Seattle Howard Brown Jr.'s 2-run homer in the fifth inning helped the Thunderbirds dump San Francisco 4-1.

• Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire expresses the thoughts felt by most fans and newsmen around the league. "How sweet it is! Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues starts play today. It is a new season and a new beginning for all the boys of baseball. Opening Day is here! It is a day of great excitement for everyone in the world of baseball -- players, fans, sportswriters, broadcasters, managers, coaches, scouts, groundkeepers, batboys, ballpark vendors, agents and the owners. Everybody is eagerly awaiting the first pitch of the game and the first home run. Old records will be broken and new marks set. It all gets under way today with this lineup of games:
  Pittsburgh at Boston (2), Philadelphia Keystones at Washington and Philadelphia Sailors at Cleveland.
• Trying to put a positive spin on the Chiefs injured ace, Leland Kuenster of the Chicago Herald-Examiner points out that "ff the Chiefs can hang in there for a couple of months, getting Al Miller back will be like trading for an Al Miller type--a big boost."
• Pery Pringle Sr. of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle warns fans that patience will likely be needed at Kings County ballpark this season. "OSA seems to agree with my assessment that the Kings overachieved last season. With essentially the same team save for Buddy Long and the still injured Pomales it predicts an 11 game drop off. I expect some regression but feel they will hang around 500 this year. Next year should be a big boost of young talent moving forward with 3B Ken Newman, pitchers Joe Potts, Paul Byler and C Dam Smith all projected to be with the big league club. The Kings also expect SS/2B Chuck Lewis will be up as well. This will be the likely last season for Hank Barnett and 1B Ron Rattigan (if he even makes it that long) with the club."

CRUSHERS RALLY TO CLAIM FINAL FBL PLAYOFF SLOT

A dramatic finish to the Federal Basketball League season saw the Cleveland Crushers claim the final playoff berth on the last day of the campaign. The Crushers finished one game ahead of the Detroit Mustangs for third place in the East Division after George Kelly scored 25 points last night to lead the Crushers to a 100-93 victory over Detroit at Thompson Palladium. The victory was the 6th in their final 7 games for the Crushers, who rallied to eliminate the Mustangs from the playoff picture for the second year in a row. Detroit stumbled down the stretch losing five of its final six games and each of its last three to come up just short.

The Crushers, who finished the year with a 21-27 record will meet the 24-24 Cincinnati Cyclones in the opening round of the playoffs with the winner meeting the defending league champion Chicago Panthers (32-16) in the semi-final. A little less drama in the East Division as it has long been known that 2nd place Baltimore (27-21) will face third place Buffalo (22-26) with the series winner meeting Philadelphia for the right to advance to the league final. At 33-15 the Phantoms finished with the league's best record.

FINAL FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS
EAST          W  L   PCT   GB
Philadelphia 33 15  .688   -
Baltimore    27 21  .563   6.0
Buffalo      22 26  .458  11.0
Toronto      13 35  .261  20.0

WEST          W  L   PCT   GB
Chicago      32 16  .667   -
Cincinnati   24 24  .500   8.0
Cleveland    21 27  .438  11.0
Detroit      20 28  .417  12.0

SCORING LEADERS        PPG
Irvin Mudd, PHI        21.6
Larry Yim, BUF         20.5
Richard Campbell, CHI  20.1
Jamel Porter, TOR      18.8
David Reed, DET        18.4
Jack Kurtz, DET        17.9
Danny Hendon, PHI      16.5
Jack Hirst, BAL        16.3
George Kelley, CLE     15.7
Nestor Patterson, BAL  15.1

REBOUND LEADERS        RPG
Larry Yim, BUF         19.6
James Lerma, CIN       14.7
Cory Myers, CHI        14.6
Jamal Porter, TOR      14.6

ASSIST LEADERS         APG
Jerry Hubbard, PHI     11.0
Joe Hampton, CHI        9.4
Israel Slusher, DET     8.8

STATESMEN CONFIDENT DESPITE END OF WIN STREAK

The Washington Statesmen are overwhelming favourites to win their second consecutive American Basketball Conference title despite seeing their winning streak come to an end against Rochester in the season finale. The Rockets surprised the Washington quintet with a 73-66 victory in the season finale, snapping a run of 14 straight victories for the Statesmen. That victory was enough to spare the Rockets from having to face the Statesmen in the opening round of the ABC playoffs as the Rochester club was credited with third place ahead of the Pittsburgh Falcons by virtue of a better head-to-head record after both the Rockets and Falcons finished with 22-38 records.

All 8 ABC clubs qualify for the playoffs so Washington will face the Falcons in the opening round while the second place Richmond Clippers draw Rochester. In the East, historical powerhouse Brooklyn finishes in first place for the fifth straight season and the Red Caps will open the playoffs against the fourth place Hartford Patriots. The New York Knights, who were the league's hottest team in the second half of the season in winning 28 of their last 38 games, finished second and will face a struggling Boston Centurions club that dropped 9 of its last 10 contests.

FINAL AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST          W  L   PCT   GB
Brooklyn     38 22  .633    -
New York     32 28  .533   6.0
Boston       27 33  .450  11.0
Hartford     24 36  .400  14.0

WEST          W  L   PCT   GB
Washington   48 12  .800    -
Richmond     27 33  .450  21.0
Rochester    22 38  .367  26.0
Pittsburgh   22 38  .367  26.0

SCORING LEADERS         PPG
James Phillips, HAR     19.9
Ivory Mitchell, BKN     19.5
John Rodrigez, HAR      18.9
Norm Yates, RIC         18.8
Morgan Melcher, BOS     18.7
Stewart Hurlburt, RIC   18.5
Ivan Sicsco, WAS        18.2
Charles Hooper, WAS     17.8
Terry Flowers, ROC      17.4
Gerald Carter, BOS      16.8

REBOUND LEADERS        RPG
Monte Burton, RIC      16.0
Demetrius Albers, BOS  15.8
Ivan Isco, WAS         15.0

ASSIST LEADERS         APG
Ivory Mitchell, BKN    10.1
Blake Brooks, WAS       7.9
Roman Sellers, NYK      6.6

STEPHENS SET TO DEFEND WELTER CROWN AGAINST UNBEATEN ERICKSON

World Welterweight champion Harold Stephens may face the toughest opponent of his career Saturday evening in Boston when he defends his title against undefeated Mac Erickson. The Providence born champ has squared off against many of the best in his weight class lately including his most recent title defense against Ira Mitchell in January.

Stephens, who is 21-3-2, has not lost in the ring since 1938, back when the 29-year-old was a teen just starting out in the fight game. He put his boxing career on hold for four years to serve in the Army during the war and has won all seven of his fights since returning to the ring in 1945. Included in those victories are title defenses over Mitchell and Carl Taylor, which followed his win in St Louis in February of last year over Mark Westlake to claim the title.

Erickson, who fought a famous battle with Danny Rutledge in England in 1944 with Danny Rutledge that nearly stole the show on a huge card which included Hector Sawyer fighting an exhibition and a world middleweight title fight, has not lost since that evening against Rutledge. Erickson turned pro upon his discharge from the Navy in in 1945 and has been exceptionally busy since, winning all 16 of his bouts including 11 by knockout. Many felt in 1944 that either Erickson or Rutledge would someday be a World Champion. Supporters of the St. Paul born 27-year-old Erickson feel that time has come.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• Apr 24- Denny Arena, Boston: World WW champ Harold Stephens (21-3-2) defends his title against Mac Erickson (16-0)
• Apr 24- Denny Arena, undercard: HW Cannon Cooper (23-3-1) vs Roy Madison (10-5-2)
• Apr 28- San Francisco: WW Ira Mitchell (19-2) vs Joe Simpson (7-5-1)
• Apr 29- Philadelphia Keystone Arena: HW Scott Baker (16-3-2) vs Chris Sullivan (19-6-4)
• Apr 29- Atlantic City: WW Rudy Perry (25-4-1) vs Greg Wall (4-4-1)
• June 12 - Gothams Stadium: World HW champ Hector Sawyer (57-3-1) defends his title against Steve Case (19-1-2)
• Jul 10 - Sailors Memorial: World MW champ Frank Melanson (33-1-2) defends his title against Edouard Desmarais (40-1)

NEWS HEADLINES TODAY
Current events from 4/19/1948

• President Truman will be among the many in attendance at Columbia Stadium as the Washington Eagles host the Philadelphia Keystones as the FABL season gets underway later today. Sunny skies and near perfect weather conditions are expected as Truman is set to deliver the ceremonial first pitch shortly after 2pm.
• Early returns in Italy's momentous elections give anti-Communists a long lead for the new Senate and threatened the leftist domination of the so-called "Red north."
• Chairman Bridges of the Senate Appropriations Committee came out today in favor of swift Senate approval of an Air Forces expansion to 70 groups, for which the House has already voted a starting appropriation.
• Courts found John L. Lewis guilty of contempt for his role in the miners strike, a surprise verdict that has United Mine Workers indicating they will walk of the job in protest. Lewis will be sentenced tomorrow.