AUGUST 2, 1948
PLENTY OF CONTENDERS FOR FED FLAG
The Federal Association is well known in recent years for provide wild finishes involving multiple contenders and this season suddenly looks no different. The Pittsburgh Miners are certainly nowhere near contending this year, but they had a big impact on the Fed race over the past 9 days by taking 5 of 6 games from first place New York including a 3-game sweep over the weekend. During that stretch the Miners beat their former ace Lefty Allen, who was traded along with George Cleaves to the Gothams over the winter, twice including a 16-4 thumping a little over a week ago.
The result is the Gothams have been slowed, enduring a 3-8 stretch that has bunched up the Fed flag race to the point where six of the loop's 8 teams are all within 5 games of each other. The Gothams, who have a couple of tough series at home this week with Philadelphia and Washington visiting the Big Apple, are just 1 game ahead of the defending champion St Louis Pioneers with Washington only two back. Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit are also all within shouting distance.
Many, including the St Louis dailies, continue to wonder how the Pioneers are remaining in the race despite a pop-gun offense and the absence of injured Allen Award winning pitcher Danny Hern. Even without Hern, who has been sidelined since mid-June and may still be 3 weeks away from returning, the St Louis pitching has been dominant with the other two-thirds of the 3-H club in Hal Hackney (14-6, 3.31) and Hiram Steinberg (10-9, 2.97) pitching very well while Dick Long (9-7, 3.60) and Ben Fiskars (6-5, 4.55) have been very good as well. John Brinker, the well-respected sportswriter for the New York Daily Mirror, points out that "the Pioneers were #1 in pitching WAR and like 13th in batting WAR. That says a lot. Even the Cougars pitching wasn't as good as the Pioneers. And Hern is out. It's kind of scary - if some of the young hitters can get it in gear, the Pioneers will be very tough."
The New York Stars, fresh off taking 3 of 4 games over the weekend from Cleveland, continue to lead the Continental Association as they are three games up Philadelphia. The Sailors took two of three from the Cougars in Chicago over the weekend, leaving the Cougars 5 games off the pace despite having the best pitching staff in the loop and owning a run differential that is twice that of any other club in the CA.
A BIG DAY
Long-time Boston Minutemen centerfielder Pete Day joined a select group yesterday by collecting the 2,500th hit of his FABL career. Day reached the milestone with the middle of his three singles Sunday against Detroit, slapping a seventh inning single off Dynamos starter Wally Hunter in a 6-3 Boston victory in the opener of a twin-bill. Day joins teammate Chick Donnelly, who accomplished the feat last year, in increasing the number of players to collect 2,500 hits to 37. Of those 37 Day and Donnelly are part of an even more exclusive club as they are two of just 10 players with at least 2,500 hits who played their entire career with just one team. The others are John Dibblee, Ed Ziehl, Bobby Barrell, Bob Martin, Rankin Kellogg, Jimmy Massey, Bill Brady and Jim Hampton.
A 7-time All-Star, Day was selected by the Cleveland Foresters in the second round of the 1932 draft after playing his college ball at Lincoln. A year later, while still in the miners he was sent to Boston as part of a package for Dan Fowler. Day made his big league debut with the Minutemen along with Donnelly on opening day 1934 and he collected his first hit a day later with a single off Art Myers. As it would turn out there were four future members of the 2,500 hit club playing in that big league debut for Day and Donnelly as Bobby Barrell and Rankin Kellogg were both in the Keystones lineup.
Day has been a fixture in the Boston outfield ever since, helping the Minutemen to a win in the 1941 World Championship Series and to a pennant win two years later in a season that also saw him win the Whitney Award, making him the first and so far only Minutemen player ever to be so honoured. Day is 112 hits shy of Donnelly for the franchise all-time lead.
1949 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART ONE : COLLEGE PLAYERS
It is time once again for TWIFB's annual look at the upcoming crop of draft picks. A year ago in our "Way Too Early Mock Draft" OSA gave us the impression that this would be a very deep draft class. So deep that instead of just listing 16 players as we typically do in the mock a year and a half prior to the actual draft, we listed 30 players. Before we get started on the latest look, let's glance back at the 40 names listed last August as the potential top players for the '49 draft.
Code:
# NAME POS AGE HOMETOWN SCHOOL
1 John Wells SS 16 Philaelphia, PA Northeast Catholic HS, Philadelphia
2 Dallas Berry CF 16 Wellsville, MO Wellsville HS
3 Roy Patterson RHP 16 South Bend, IN South Bend HS
4 Danny Noonan C 19 Ashtabula, OH Huntington State
5 Billy Jones 3B 15 Brooklyn, NY Alpha (NJ) HS
6 Johnny Taylor LF 16 Minneapolis, MN Mora (MN) HS
7 Ray Hughes CF 15 Milwaukee, WI Denmark (WI) HS
8 Dick Houston RHP 16 Colorado Springs Florence (CO) HS
9 Harry Murray 2B 19 Minneapolis, MN Indiana A&M
10 Dick Champ RHP 16 New York, NY Middlesex (NJ) HS
11 Mike Rasmussen 3B 15 Springfield, MA Kingston (NY) HS
12 Hank Short RHP 16 Buffalo, NY Mineral Point (WI) HS
13 Bill Martin RF 16 Hamilton, MA Milton (MA) HS
14 Eddie Dickey CF 16 Carlisle, PA Luteran HS, Baltimore, MD
15 Stan Brueck RHP 15 Sauk Rapids, MN St. Peter (MN) HS
16 Lew Potter RHP 16 Nebraska City, NB Manning (IA) HS
17 Tom Perkins SS 20 Troy, TN Lane State
18 Bill Morrison CF 19 Oak Park, IL Grange College
19 John Cochran SS 19 Racine, WI Rainier College
20 Jerry Hale 2B 16 Chicago, IL Crane HS, Chicago, IL
21 Johnny Elliott 1B 15 Detroit, MI Owosso (MI) HS
22 Harl Smith LF 15 Stillwater, MN Alma (WI) HS
23 Bobby Crooks RHP 15 Detroit, MI Ypsilanti (MI) HS
24 Tiny Fowler RHP 16 San Francisco,CA Drew HS, San Francisco
25 Vern Osborne LHP 16 East St Louis,IL Montgomery City (MO) HS
26 Cy Holden 1B 16 Pakersburg, WV Parkersburg (WV) HS
27 Lou Jackson CF 19 Martinez, CA College of San Diego
28 Huck Mason RF 19 Cleveland, OH Constitution State
29 Andy Green 1B 19 Odessa, MO Maryland State
30 Bert Preble CF 19 Putnam, CT Constitution State
A year later many of the names will still remain but OSA appears to be far less confident that this is truly a very deep class, noting in particular some major drop-offs amoung pitchers. We always break this list down over several parts and this time around will be no different, so let's get started with the top ten college age prospects for selection in January.
TOP TEN COLLEGE PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR 1949 FABL DRAFT
1- TOM PERKINS SS: Lane State - Perkins was 17th on our way to early mock from last August and after a strong sophomore season (.329,.403,.517) in which he made the All-American second team and was a finalist for the Christian Trophy his stock has risen.
2- DON BERRY LF: Grange College -Berry was a first team All-American each of his two seasons at mighty Grange College and is a player OSA feels could challenge for batting titles at the big league level. He is also developing a genuine power stroke and, if he reaches his potential, the scouting service feels multiple trips to the All-Star Game are in Berry's long-term future. A native of Ahoskie, NC, Berry was a high school All-American as a sophomore and selected by the Cleveland Foresters in the 6th round of the 1946 draft but opted to play college ball instead.
3- JIM BOB DANIELS 3B: Alabama Gulf Coast - The half-brother of Cincinnati Cannons ace Rufus Barrell, Jim Bob is a two-sport star at Alabama Gulf Coast, coming off the bench for the Privateers basketball team while starring at third base for the baseball club. He hit .314 with 12 homers in 58 games last season -his first of collegiate ball. OSA lauds his patience at the plate while also noting he will hit for a high average and should have plenty of power as well. The scouting service sees Daniels as a potential All-Star.
4 - ANDY GREEN 1B: Maryland State - Green was a key piece on a deep Maryland State club that reached the quarterfinals in the Collegiate World Championship Series this year after making the semi-finals in 1947. Green was All-American as Freshman in '47 but did not earn the nod this time around despite posting similar numbers to his frosh campaign. A native of Odessa, Mo., Green was originally selected out of high school by his local club the St Louis Pioneers in the 7th of the 1946 draft. He decided on Maryland State instead and has progressed very nicely playing college ball - to the point where OSA feels he has the potential to be a cornerstone player as a first baseman.
5- ED BLOOM 3B: American Atlantic -No relation to Bill Bloom of Maryland State who is another highly touted college junior. Ed is from Wichita, KS., and slashed .307/.454/.491 in his first year of college ball at American Atlantic. He is looking to follow fellow third baseman Luke Weaver (Montreal 1943) as the only American Atlantic Pelicans players to be first round selections. OSA sees the 20-year-old as an impact player on a contending team.
6- CY LEWIS CF: Maryland State - The second team All-American is another of the deep crop of draft eligible players from Maryland State. OSA sees him as a potential lead-off man with high end speed and above average contact ability. The New York City native has a "considerable ceiling" according to OSA.
7- GEORGE SCOTT 3B: Mississippi Tech - While some might instantly think the 20-year-old's nickname should be "Boomer", Scott is much more a table setter than a power bat. OSA feels he can be among the best in the game at working the count and drawing walks and his .410 OBP in two years of college ball at Mississippi Tech seems to reinforce that notion. A Chicago native, Scott was a 3rd round pick of Cleveland in the 1946 draft but failed to sign with the Foresters. This is a fairly deep crop of third baseman but Scott stands a good chance of being selected before the third round this time around.
8- BILL MORRISON CF: Grange College - Morrison was a first team All-American this past season as a sophomore after slashing .314/.409/.555 for Grange College. OSA feels he has excellent instincts with the glove and plus speed but his perhaps not as high on him as some others at the plate. The scouting service believes the Oak Park, Il. native can be a second division starter in the big leagues
9- JOE FULGHAM CF: St Blane - The Fighting Saints are a football power but it has been a long time since St Blane had a first round draft pick in baseball. The last would be Bobo White and Gus Goulding, who went 1-2 in the 1934 draft but Joe Fulgham is hoping to change that. OSA feels he has the defensive skills to remain at center field in the majors and while he has a lot of maturing to do, the scouting service feels his development prospect as a big league center fielder is extremely promising. A native of Watertown, CT., Fulgham was a 1946 7th round pick of the Washington Eagles but opted to play college ball instead.
10- LEO SAVOIE P: Bay State - We really are not sure any college pitcher belongs on the list but FABL GM's love to draft hurlers so the best of the college group at the moment is likely Savoie, a 20-year-old Reading, PA. native who went 10-3 a year ago in his first season for Bay State, which is a Massachusetts school that competes against average competition. Savoie is hardly a sure thing but OSA feels he has two plus pitchers in his change-up and sinker as well as the ability to limit long balls. OSA projects Savoie as a "back of the rotation starter."
Part two of our 1949 draft preview next week will feature the top high school pitchers.
Led by a dominant offense and some solid pitching, the Oakland Grays have won 8 straight and 11 of their last 13 contests. The defending Bigsby Cup champions have extended their lead on second place San Francisco -they spent the Hawks in a 3 game set last week- to 9 games. Oakland did suffer a blow when word came that outfielder Don Miller (.349,2,38) will miss more than a month with a hamstring issue, but the Oakland outfield may be deep enough to overcome the loss. How dominant have the Grays been? They have scored 111 runs more than they have allowed so far this season. San Francisco is second in that category with only a +32 run differential.
EDOUARD DESMARAIS: THE FRENCH MAESTRO'S JOURNEY TO GLORY
In the annals of pugilism, there are tales of triumph that resonate with the very heart and soul of the sport. None more so than the remarkable odyssey of Edouard Desmarais, the recently crowned World Middleweight Champion. Born on the sultry streets of Casablanca on July 1, 1916, this Frenchman's path to pugilistic glory has been a long and arduous one, filled with setbacks and sacrifice that would humble even the most hardened of fighters.
Desmarais' pugilistic journey began in earnest when his family relocated to the smoky alleys of Paris during his early adolescence. The sweet science beckoned to him like a siren's call, and he answered it with vigor. A promising amateur career culminated in his participation in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, where his fistic talents first came to the fore.
By late 1940, Desmarais had amassed a perfect record of 34 wins without a solitary blemish. It seemed inevitable that he would ascend to challenge then-World Champion Archie Rees for the coveted middleweight title. Yet, the turbulent tempest of World War II swept across Europe, leaving Desmarais' dreams in tatters.
During the dark days of the occupation of France, whispers circulated that Desmarais had become more than a mere boxer; he was rumored to be a stalwart figure within the French Resistance. His whereabouts, however, remained cloaked in secrecy for an extended period. He was feared dead, a martyr to the cause of liberty. But in a twist of fate, Desmarais emerged from the shadows in March of 1945, discovered by none other than a former ring adversary turned Allied soldier, Peter Ross.
Ross, the British boxer who had faced Desmarais in a spirited contest back in 1937, provided gripping accounts of the former French champion's harrowing experiences. Tales of perilous encounters with the Nazi occupiers, forced retreats into the French hinterlands, and a life lived in the shadows unfolded. Ross, ever the sportsman, affirmed that Desmarais had been a hero in the clandestine world, using his cunning and courage against the brutal invaders. The possibility of a return to the ring, once the war dust settled, was tantalizingly hinted at.
True to Ross's predictions, Desmarais rekindled his boxing career in September of 1945. His triumphant return saw him capture the French Middleweight Title, an accolade that had previously eluded him due to the war's bitter interruption. The road to redemption was paved, and Desmarais was back on track.
At the close of 1945, the long-anticipated clash with Archie Rees took place. Although Rees had lost his world title to the relentless Frank Melanson by then, he and Desmarais met in London on December 8, 1945, with the newly forged European title hanging in the balance. In a masterful performance, Desmarais claimed a unanimous decision, and his perfect record extended to 36-0.
With Europe conquered, the new middleweight monarch set his sights on the New World. The date was October 1946, and the stage was set for a showdown with the formidable Frank "The Tank" Melanson. Sadly for Desmarais, it was a nightmarish chapter in his otherwise illustrious career, as Melanson knocked him out in the third round.
Undaunted, Desmarais returned to Paris, where he defended his European title with unwavering determination. The grueling road back to the World Middleweight Championship led him to a long-anticipated rematch with Melanson. Earlier this month, on July 10 in the hallowed boxing arena of Philadelphia, the resilient Frenchman, with a record of 41-1 including 32 wins by knockout, confronted Melanson once more.
In a crescendo of courage and class, Desmarais left an indelible mark on pugilistic history. With a fifth-round TKO victory, he etched his name into the annals of boxing greatness as the new World Middleweight Champion. At the age of 32, Edouard Desmarais stands tall as the best middleweight boxer on the planet. The future awaits, and this French maestro plans to return to the ring in October of 1948, ready to defend his hard-earned crown and etch his name deeper into the legends of the sweet science.
NOTABLE FIGHT RESULTS LAST WEEK
Jul 26: Hartford: MW Millard Shelton (23-4) 1st round KO of Cliff Jordan (5-12-1)
Jul 27: Minneapolis: MW Bobby Hinkle (26-5) 3rd round KO of Cale McDowell (7-1)
Jul 27: Philadelphia: MW Davey McCusker (14-3-1) fought Mike Howarth (14-8-2) to a majority draw
Jul 27: New York City: WW Artie Neal (21-8-1) unanimous decision over Dave Willis (11-6)
Jul 28: St Louis: HW Mike McFarland (19-5-2) majority decision over Ron Ramsey (19-14-5)
Jul 28: St Louis: rising MW Richie Phillips (8-2) unanimous decision in 6 round bout with Johnny Gilmore (4-2)
Jul 28: Los Angeles: MW Rick Watson (33-11-2) decision over Steve Ross (6-8-4)
Jul 29: Toledo, OH: MW rising MW Mark McCoy (13-0) 4th round KO of Pat Welsh (6-13-2)
Jul 30: Brooklyn: MW Danny Morse (35-8-1) 9th round TKO of Jim Gilmore (29-10-2)
Jul 30: San Francisco: WW Bob Thomas (18-6-1) 9th round KO of Monty Hall (11-7)
Jul 30: Rome, Italy: MW Hugo Canio (10-0-1) unanimous decision in 6 round bout with Martin Holmgren (2-4)
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Aug 7- Bigsby Garden, New York: rising HW Harvey Winter (18-1) vs Cannon Cooper (23-4-1)
- Aug 13- Los Angeles: MW Joe Starr (20-5) vs Nathan Sears (21-9-1)
- Aug 28- Baltimore: former WW champ Harold Stephens (21-4-2) vs Ben "Baby Face" Bishop (28-5-1)
- Aug 28- Philadelphia: WW Wayne Dunn (31-9) vs Dale Roy (30-6)
- Sept 4- Lakeside Arena, Chicago: World welterweight Champion Mac Erickson (17-0) defends his title against John Gregory (19-4-1)
- Oct 1- Montreal, Quebec: World Middleweight champion Edouard Desmarais (42-1) defends his title against Canadian Adrian Petrie (17-1-1)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/01/1948
- The US and Britain banned movements of trains to and from the Russian zone of Germany in a countermove to break the month-old Russian blockade of Berlin. Reports indicate the Russians are increasing substantially the number of fighter planes stationed in their zone of Germany around Berlin.
- American and Russian diplomats are talking about the situation in Berlin but the US representative made it clear there will be "absolutely no change in the plans of the three Western powers to proceed with the establishment of responsible self-government in Western Germany."
- At least 500 are dead and 1,400 injured after an explosing and fire wrecked the Farben chemical plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
- Two high ranking American officials including a former administrative assistant to President Roosevelt were listed by an ex-Communist agent among more than a score of past and present Government officials who supplied secret information for relay to Russia during the war.
- President Truman called for immediate but limited price controls and for standby wage controls as he urged the special session of Congress "to take strong, positive action" to check inflation and avert "another great depression."
- The director of Selective Service says the oldest men in the 19-to-25 age group will be called first in the forthcoming draft.