OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal

Tiger Fan · 03-18-2024, 11:59 AM

JUNE 19, 1950

EASTERN STATE WINS COLLEGIATE WCS

Loaded with a dozen players that are on the radar of pro scouts, although none of them elite prospects, a deep Eastern State ball squad cruised to the Collegiate World Championship Series title in Philadelphia last week. The Monitors, who entered the 16-team tournament as the number one seed, had little trouble pushing their way through the field to win the fourth AIAA baseball title in school history.

Eastern State's three previous titles all came in succession beginning in 1936 and made the Virginia Beach school the only one to win the collegiate baseball title three consecutive seasons. Eastern State has been in the field each of the four previous seasons with the expanded 16-team field but in each of those years they won their opening game only to fall in the quarterfinals.

This year's edition of the squad started off with a 9-7 victory over one of the surprise teams in the field as Minnesota Tech, led by a Christian Trophy candidate in talented Lakers freshman outfielder Dutch Wilson (.372,13,62), was a surprise winner of the Great Lakes Alliance section title. Wilson homered, doubled and drove in 5 runs for Minnesota Tech against the Monitors but they proved no match for Eastern State in falling by a 9-7 count. After it was their downfall each of the past four seasons, the Monitors had little trouble in the second round for a change this time around as Neil Loso and a pair of relievers combined on a 4-hitter to down the always tough Grange College Mustangs by a 5-1 score.

That set up a semi-final meeting with Darnell State, which used their ace 11-game winning freshman Red Sheridan in a 6-0 shutout win over Central Kentucky in the quarters. With Sheridan unavailable a day later the Southwestern Alliance champs were no match for Eastern State and the Monitors advanced to the finals with an 8-4 victory.

On the other side of the bracket, Noble Jones was marching through its opposition led by the Colonels three-sport star Charlie Barrell. The sophomore from the most famous family in sports recently finished celbrating a national cage title after helping the Noble Jones College basketball club to the first undefeated season culminating in a national title in AIAA basketball history. Barrell is equally talented on the diamond -he is a finalist for the Christian Trophy- and he went 5-for-7 with 4 rbi's in the Colonels first two rounds, wins over Ohio Poly and Maryland State. Barrell had two hits in the semi-finals but it was junior third baseman Ambrose Evans that was the hero, sending the Colonels to the title game with a 2-run double in the top of the 8th inning to lift Noble Jones College past Penn Catholic 6-5 in their semi-final meeting.

Noble Jones College proved no match for Eastern State in the best-of-three finals. The Monitors took Saturday's opener by a 4-2 count before clinching the crown with a 7-3 victory Sunday at Sailors Memorial Stadium. Joe Ayers, a senior outfielder who was twice drafted in the 17th round by FABL clubs but never signed, was named the MVP after hitting .455 for the tournament and driving in 4 runs in the two game final.

REPEAT WINNER BARRELL HIGHLIGHTS COLLEGE BALL ALL-AMERICANS

College baseball's All-Americans were unveiled Friday evening at the annual AIAA tournament banquet and the menu featured a heavy serving of youth. Seven of the nine first team selections, including 5 freshman, were not yet FABL draft eligible and only one player named to the First Team was a repeat selection. That would be talented Noble Jones College three-sport star Charlie Barrell, a sophomore out of Washington DC who hit .323 with 11 homers and 48 rbi's this season despite missing the start of the campaign while he was winning a national basketball title with the Colonels cage squad.

There was another repeat selection but that was on the second team where for the second consecutive season Empire State pitcher Tom Drill was selected. Drill, a junior, was the first pitcher selected in the January portion of the FABL draft at fifth overall by the Pittsburgh Miners. The Miners are expected to sign him very shortly and have visions of Drill perhaps evolving into the next Lefty Allen.

The two juniors on the first team were also both drafted in January with Brunswick College outfielder Bill Harbin going to the Philadelphia Sailors in the fourth round and Jim Hatfield, a first baseman out of California Catholic, being selected in round eight by the Boston Minutemen.

Joining Drill as second team All-Americans drafted by FABL clubs were outfielder Rod Shearer from small-school Plantersville A&M, who was a late second round selection of the World Champion Chicago Chiefs, Opelika State catcher Bob Longstreth who was selected by the Detroit Dynamos in round three and Freemont State second baseman Adam Ramsey who was the New York Stars sixth round choice. Eastern Kansas infielder Eddie Hooker and Central Kentucky outfielder Joe Cahill, a senior, are both draft eligible but were not selected in the opening 10 rounds.

JOURNEYMAN ROY WINS UNANIMOUS DECISION OVER WESTLAKE FOR WELTERWEIGHT TITLE

Thompson Palladium, Detroit, Mich. – The Welterweight division has been a tough place to make a good living. The amount of championship turnover in the division has been dizzying. Mark Westlake has lived these two truths. If you have followed his entire career, you have seen his initial rise after the War, arrive at the top however briefly, rebound to get a second title shot and lose, and capture the belt rematch. Westlake is a survivor, winning 28 of 34 bouts, as he embarks on his second title defense – and his first successful title defense.

In the case of Westlake, the 32-year-old Biloxi, Miss. Native has had multiple shots. However, Westlake’s challenger tonight, Dale Roy, has not had his shot. Roy is a journeyman, a veteran of 44 professional fights, was chosen to get his first chance at the welterweight title tonight. He had been toiling in anonymity for years. This was their second meeting, as Westlake won a split decision over Roy during the War, well before the division reset in 1946.

Roy had fought out west and he is well-known in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, but the Binghamton, New York, native was not as much of a household name east of the Mississippi. Tonight, the 32-year-old Roy had the chance to finally put his long career on a different path.

While there was a past bout between the two combatants, it was a long time ago. With both men gaining on the latter part of their careers, the atmosphere was one of necessary survival. At the age of 32, both men knew this chance at glory would likely be their last chance. With fans settled in their seats at a packed Palladium in Detroit, at the opening bell, both eager participants left their corners to capitalize on that chance.

Roy met Westlake in the center of the ring, ready with a cross that marked his man, but Westlake used his experience against better talent over his career to carry the first round. Westlake was mixing his punches with hooks and uppercuts, but he was clearly aiming high.

Once the initial butterflies wore off, Roy collected himself and started boxing. About two minutes into the second round, Roy connected on his first big shot, a combination that nearly floored the champion. The connection precipitated a vicious exchange of blows, as Westlake was both surprised and angered that Roy was able to easily get through Westlake’s defensive posture.

Westlake countered his way to a solid third round and Roy, wanting to send a message, kept punching well after the bell. Referee Mark Nelson, in his first title bout, had to activate and get in between both fighters. The bad blood had started, and the crowd hooted and hollered for more.

The extracurricular activity after the end of the third round seemed to energize Roy and his corner. The challenger went to work right away with a hammering hook, but gave way to Westlake’s own hook. Roy mainly kept Westlake at bay early in Round 5 while he found his rhythm, mixing his signals and Westlake guessed wrong on several attempts to block Roy. Roy’s barrage in the fifth caused some swelling around Westlake’s left eye, especially a hook late in the round that seemed to stagger the champion.

The middle rounds were highlighted by Westlake’s eye starting to visibly get worse, while some serious leather was being traded by both fighters late in Round 8. Roy was getting the better of the action with a cross to the ribs that Westlake may not have seen coming and a hard right coming at the closing bell where Westlake leaned against the ropes, which seemed to be the only thing keeping him upright.

Westlake took the ninth as Roy was more interested in circling and resting on his lead, but Roy was back in the back half of Round 10 with a violent right hand and a couple of combinations that, along with Roy cornering the champion a couple of times, limited Westlake’s ability to fight back.

The swelling was becoming almost too much to bear and while Referee Nelson did not stop the fight, you had to wonder why he did not let the physician take a look. It was clearly hindering his peripheral vision and it was not only harder for him to defend, but his punches were missing the mark more often.

Roy had a good lead heading into the later rounds. But in Round 12, Westlake missed with his right while his immediate follow-up hit the target. Westlake’s left hook opened a small cut on Roy’s left eyebrow. It was the time for Westlake to make a last-ditch effort to grab the momentum. In the 13th round, Roy was staying on the defensive while Westlake tried to take advantage. He gave everything he had with a hook that hurt Roy in his midsection, but that was temporary, and Roy shrugged it off by bouncing around the ring to close out the round.

The fight went the distance and Roy had secured the decision during those middle rounds. Westlake’s eye was too much of an obstacle to overcome, but Roy was effective at showing up at the big moments and defending well enough when Westlake was able to counter.
The final punching totals told a different story that what everyone witnessed in the ring. The Big Boppers were almost even with Roy holding a slight 18-16 edge. Roy had the edge in total punches landed by about six per round. But it was the damage Roy did with those punches that did more to influence the crowd and the judges.

Roy’s arms were raised in triumph. The picture taken of Roy in victory will be featured in newspapers across the globe. His days of anonymity are now over. The 32-year-old Roy (37-7-1) has a new lease on his boxing life. For Westlake (28-6-1), he may not get a third chance at the welterweight title. He is 32 years old and there really should only room for one older guy at the top. The next generation is waiting in the wings and they may finally pass him by.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Westlake, 4-0 (0:57 uppercut, 1:52 right/head, 2:17 hook, 2:30 hook/head)
Round 2: Roy, 1-0 (2:01 combo)
Round 3: Westlake, 3-1 (W: 0:40 combo, 1:46 uppercut, 2:42 hook/midsection; R: 1:22 cross/face)
Round 4: Roy, 2-1 (W: 0:45 hook; R: 0:13 hook, 1:48 cross)
Round 5: Roy, 4-1 (W: 1:30 hook/side; R: 0:12 cross/face, 0:44 combo, 1:56 hook, 2:10 right/body)
Round 6: Roy, 1-0 (2:08 left hook/body)
Round 7: None
Round 8: Roy, 3-1 (W: 2:04 right; R: 1:20 right/ribs, 2:28 cross/ribs, 3:00 right/head)
Round 9: Westlake, 2-0 (1:39 hook/jaw, 1:56 combo)
Round 10: Roy, 3-1 (W: 1:04 combo; R: 2:06 right, 2:20 combo, 2:45 combo/midsection)
Round 11: Tied, 1-1 (W: 2:13 hook; R: 0:30 cross)
Round 12: Westlake, 1-0 (2:29 combo)
Round 13: Westlake, 1-0 (2:25 hook/midsection)
Round 14: Roy, 1-0 (1:08 uppercut)
Round 15: Roy, 1-0 (0:28 combo)
TOTAL: Roy 18, Westlake 16

RECENT KEY RESULTS

Middleweight Mark McCoy ran his record to 20-1 with a unanimous decision in a 10-rounder with Robbie Charles in Fall River, Ma., on Thursday evening. McCoy, a hard punching 21-year-old from Kansas City, was in complete control of the bout and an easy winner on all three judges' cards.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Jun 24- Portland, OR.: rising heavyweight contender Joey Tierney (18-0) vs Michael Gray (28-13-8)
Jun 29- Glasgow, Scotland: Veteran Irish heavyweight Pat Harber (42-8-3) faces James Woolescroft (26-9-2)
Jun 30- Flatbush Gardens, Brooklyn: young New Jersey heavyweight Max Bradley (17-1-1) faces Max Maxwell (16-6-4)
Jul 4- Gothams Stadium, New York: World heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer (63-3-1) defends his title against Cannon Cooper (30-5-1).

DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH

It is draft day in FABL! No, not the big one as rounds one through ten were completed in early January but today is the day the 16 FABL ballclubs each round out their draft classes by selecting 15 more players each to join those drafted in the winter bringing the total haul to 400 draftees.

Out of the 160 selected in January here is one from each of opening ten rounds that was particularly impressive in the recently completed high school/college seaon.

Cleveland Foresters
1st Round, 16th Overall: SS Gus Melvin
School: McKinely Macks
Commit School: Huntington State
1950: .522/.604/.956, 111 PA, 9 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 7 SB
Career: .522/.604/.956, 111 PA, 9 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 7 SB

Very few players can boast the baseball pedigree of Gus Melvin, who's father George is a Hall-of-Famer and widely considered to be the best defensive shortstop of the early days of FABL, if not in the entire history of the sport. Melvin has an absurd 840.4 zone rating in 2,156 games at shortstops, and in a sample of at least 1,000 innings (though I could go all the way down to 267 if I wanted), he never had an efficiency below 1.100, and at his time at short, he had a zone rating above 40 in each of his fifteen seasons there. And if that wasn't enough, Melvin was also a career .278/.357/.378 (118 OPS+), and his 168.12 WAR is sixth All-Time.

It would be unfair to expect anything close to this from his son, though I'm willing to go on record and say he was the steal of the first round. Taken with the final pick of the initial round, the Cleveland Foresters seemed to acquire their shortstop of the future by selecting the son of their shortstop for the final four plus seasons of his career. Part of the reason he fell could be due to not playing prep ball until his senior season, though he was more then worth the wait. Melvin hit an impressive .522/.604/.956 while slugging 10 homers in 22 games, earning him an All-American nod for the middle infield. That ranked fourth among draft eligible high schoolers, though none of the three hitters above him matched his .522 average. Power like this is coveted in young players, even more so when it comes from a slick fielding shortstop. Granted, defense isn't "The Meal Ticket's" specialty, as you look to Melvin for an impact at the plate. As evidenced by his ability to clear the .500 mark, Melvin should be able to hit at least .300, but in the right lineup I can even see him pushing .340. He has a quick bat and he puts a jolt into his swings, so even if he's not clearing the fence, he's going to be hitting the ball in the air. Combined with a great eye (4 walks in 111 PAs!), he's going to be a menace at the plate, and one of the toughest outs to get. He's also on the older side, 19 in November, which could allow him to fast-track himself to Cleveland. He'll cost the Foresters a pretty penny to sign, but for a potential top-15 prospect? More then worth it!

Chicago Chiefs
2nd Round, 31st Overall: CF Rod Shearer
School: Plantersville A&M Panthers
1950: .335/.404/.656, 255 PA, 12 2B, 6 3B, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 36 SB
Career: .335/.404/.656, 255 PA, 12 2B, 6 3B, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 36 SB

Gus Melvin may have been the steal of the first round, but Rod Shearer is the best player to remain unpicked after it. "Hot Rod" made it obvious why he earned that nickname, swiping 36 bags for the Panthers in his lone college season. Yet Shearer is so good, that's not one of the more impressive feats he accomplished!

The Odessa native hit an impressive .335/.404/.656 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs, putting together one of the more impressive collegiate seasons in 1950. It helps that he isn't in a big conference, but numbers like this are impossible to ignore. A hard working center fielder, he's got tantalizing tools, with elite raw power and a borderline elite hit tool. He may not when batting titles, he'll walk and swing for the fence a bit too much, but I can see him hitting comfortably above .300. Scouts are a big fan of his defense, and he's projected to be an everyday center fielder who even pennant contenders can rely on for production. This is great news for the Chiefs, who could be in need of a center fielder if Carlos Montes (.328, 3, 14) isn't able to stay healthy. Chicago has never been shy about promotion draftees quickly, who debuted last year's first rounder Ed Bloom for a cup of coffee, and just brought him back for the most recent week. Like Bloom, Shearer may need a little more seasoning, but the "Hot Rod" era could be remembered more fondly then Bill May (.236, 1, 11, 3) era.
And May is still kicking around to mentor him!

Brooklyn Kings
3rd Round, 38th Overall: RHP Mule Crawford
School: Fort Oglethorpe Warriors
Commit School: Noble Jones College
1950: 5-1, 67.1 IP, 1.47 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 10 BB, 88 K
Career: 5-1, 67.1 IP, 1.47 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 10 BB, 88 K

In a draft that didn't have much depth on the mound, no team came out better then the Brooklyn Kings. They grabbed Elmer Sullivan (9-0, 0.71, 146) in the second half of the first, who went 32-0 at Perrysburg and is lauded as a potential top FABL pitcher, and two rounds later they got talented high school prospect Mule Crawford.

Like the first two players I covered, Crawford didn't play until the 1950 season, where he went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 9 starts and 6 relief outings. 18 in July, Crawford is one of the smartest guys on the field, and he earned himself a full ride to Noble Jones based on his brain, not his arm. I doubt he fulfils that commitment, as the Kings should be able to meet his modest demand, and the towering 6'5'' will likely make his way to Class C Marshalltown instead. A three pitch pitcher, Mule leads with his sinker, which is a key for rolling up double plays. His fastball and change are solid pitches too, and like his sinker, they have wicked bite and should generate plenty of swings and misses. He's a pretty hard thrower too, hitting 91 when in the groove, and the young righty is able to overpower lesser hitters up in the zone. With his size, I can't see 91 being his max, and in four years it wouldn't surprise me if he's sitting in the 93-95 range instead. If that's the case, you can pencil him into Brooklyn's rotation, where he could spend plenty of times starting games for them.

Chicago Cougars
4th Round, 62nd Overall: CF Ike Soeur
School: Walla Walla Warriors
Commit School: Daniel Boone College
1950: .505/.579/.856, 116 PA, 13 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 23 SB
Career: .499/.566/.792, 493 PA, 43 2B, 22 3B, 11 HR, 127 RBI, 85 SB

There were rumors around the draft that the Ontario native would end up in Toronto, but instead the now 18-year-old (Happy Birthday!) will join an organization that is deep with center field talent. Denoted as a potential first round talent by OSA, Soeur likely would have gone in the lottery had the draft been done over, as OSA believes he "has the dynamic tools needed to make an impact in the majors." That's high praise for any prospect, but it's not all that surprising considering how consistent he was in his four years at Walla Walla. For some Cougar fans, that might ring a bell, as former 1st Rounder Otto Christian (.177, 2, 12) was a four year starter there as well. As good as the slugger is, Soeur could be even better, as he's a more complete player with enviable athleticism. A plus contact hitter, he's quick and can play quality defense, and scouts are projecting at least average power from him. Combined with the speed, he could be an extremely tough out, and he's worked well on elevating the ball when he makes contact. He'll now enter a system with plenty of competition for outfield innings, but there's enough raw talent here that he can separate himself from the pack.

Boston Minutemen
5th Round, 71st Overall: LF Mike Malone
School: Loyola Knights
Commit School: Maryland State
1950: .432/.500/.766, 132 PA, 11 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 10 SB
Career: .442/.517/.698, 489 PA, 34 2B, 2 3B, 22 HR, 123 RBI, 17 SB

Corner outfielders don't get a lot of love in drafts, so it's no shock a projectable outfielder like Mike Malone fell to the fifth. He may not have the best high school stats, but he was a second rounder on the mock and has exciting power. A .432 average this season and .442 in four years isn't too exciting, but he added two homers a season as a junior and senior, finishing his time at Loyola with 22 homers. He set personal bests with 11 doubles, 10 steals, 35 RBIs, and 51 runs, as well as highs in slugging and WAR (2.4). A hard worker from New York, Boston may not be the best home for him, as they've already got highly ranked prospects Rick Masters (1sst) and Yank Taylor (8th), both corner outfielders in the top 10. Then there's Danny Taylor (58th) in the back half of the top 100, and 26-year-old Ben McCarty (.320, 9, 57) is arguably their best player. For Malone to shine, he'll need to rely on the longball, something he can hit over 25 times a season. If he was an up the middle player, Malone could have been a lottery pick, but instead he'll have a tough fight up the league's top system.

New York Stars
6th Round, 90th Overall: 2B Adam Ramsey
School: Fremont State Explorers
1950: .317/.397/.466, 216 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 24 SB
Career (COL): .317/.396/.467, 671 PA, 22 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 119 RBI, 55 SB
Career (HS): .473/.522/.652, 523 PA, 41 2B, 6 3B, 9 HR, 129 RBI, 25 SB

The second Canadian to make our list, Adam Ramsey went to the New York Stars in the sixth round, and he's one of many Stars picks that rank high on the mock. This selection isn't the first time he was drafted, as the Wolves took him in the 19th Round of the 1947 draft out of high school. The decision proved to be of great benefit, as the 21-year-old second basemen has taken advantage of his work ethic to develop into a legit FABL prospect. OSA thinks he "is a reliable hitter in the organization's grand scheme" while making comments on his plate coverage and ability to hit to all fields. That's a great skill, and one that helped him hit above .315 in each of his three seasons at Fremont State. OSA also thinks he can hit for power, which shouldn't be too surprising after he hit nine homers as a sophomore. The Stars don't have an obvious need at second, with three ranked in the top 100, but with Ramsey's bat he'll force his way into a lineup. A few seasons from now, we could be looking at this pick as one of the sharpest, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he's playing in Dyckman Stadium by the 1953 season.

Pittsburgh Miners
7th Round, 97th Overall: RHP Cliff McGuire
School: Roosevelt Cougars
Commit School: North Carolina Tech
1950: 12-0, 118.1 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 28 BB, 151 K
Career: 36-8, 441 IP, 1.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 133 BB, 551 K

A four year starter at Roosevelt High School in his local Brooklyn, Cliff McGuire saved the best for left, ending his prep career with a perfect 12-0 season. Aside from record, he set bests in ERA, starts (16), innings, WHIP, and BB/9 (2.1). 18 in just a few days, McGuire was throwing a tick harder from his sidearm position, and each increase in velocity is going to make his changeup that much better. It's a pretty great pitch already, while he projects to have a decent splitter and slider too. The fastball isn't great, and he's not always able to find the zone, but he made notable improvements since he debuted as a freshman. He's no longer the pitcher with a 2.64 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, and the strikeouts went up while the walks went down. Drafting pitchers this late is always a bit of a dart throw, but it seems the Miners did a good job here. He's not yet projected to be a big league starter, but with hard work and some honing in of his command, he could work his way into a back-end rotation role.

Detroit Dynamos
8th Round, 123rd Overall: CF Goldie Smith
School: Western Florida Wolves
1950: .304/.378/.451, 254 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 51 RBI, 33 SB
Career (COL): .293/.367/.433, 783 PA, 29 2B, 5 3B, 19 HR, 146 RBI, 101 SB
Career (HS): .467/.540/.655, 218 PA, 26 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 56 RBI, 28 SB

A three year starter at Western Florida, Goldie Smith had a career season as a senior, hitting a personal best 7 homers with a .304/.378/.451 triple slash where he set bests in all three categories. His 1.1 WAR was also a career high, even after adjusting on a per plate appearance basis, and he showed a lot of the talent that made him a highly touted recruit out of his Georgia High School. This isn't the first time Goldie was selected, as he was the Cougars 18th Round selection three seasons ago, and the Marietta native made the right decision fulfilling his commitment to Western Florida. 21 next month, Goldie is an athletic outfielder who makes pitchers work, and he's got an above average contact tool. Not quite a .300 hitter, but he'll foul off a lot of pitches and work his share of walks. Once he's on base, he's always looking to run, something the Dynamos don't do one bit. With just nine steals, Joe Austin (14) and Billy Forbes (10) have more steals then the Dynamos as a team! The issue here, however, is Goldie doesn't have that innate desire to play baseball, and that may hold him back. OSA still thinks he can be an average big leaguer, and it's already looking like the Dynamos made a shrewd selection towards the end of the January portion.

Philadelphia Sailors
9th Round, 130th Overall: RHP Jackie Baker
School: Burlington Blue Devils
Commit School: Chesapeake State
1950: 10-1, 106.1 IP, 1.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 38 BB, 177 K
Career: 39-5, 445.1 IP, 1.60 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 163 BB, 612 K

Sure, Jackie Baker didn't match his 11-0 record from last season, but even with one dropped decision, the Sailors have to be happy with what they got form their 9th Round pick. A four year starter for the Burlington Blue Devils, Baker lowered his ERA and WHIP, and despite an increase in walks, the strikeout numbers were huge. He struck out a career high 177 batters in 106.1 innings, which was just a few outs more then his previous low for innings (104.2), and he actually faced more batters due to more runners who reached base. The recently turned 18-year-old finished his prep career 39-5 with a 1.60 ERA and 612 strikeouts, pretty impressive numbers overall from the 6'3'' righty. He's not the most polished pitcher, as his fastball and cutter are really just there to set up his changeup. It's hard to call it anything other then dominant, as it makes hitters look foolish -- and on the off chance you hit it -- it's not going very far. He does locate it well, but he doesn't have the same feel for the hard stuff. That could get him into trouble against tougher hitters, but even if he can't put it all together, the change is good enough on its own that he can handle a order one time through.

Toronto Wolves
10th Round, 152nd Overall: RHP Hank Lacey
School: Orleans Bulldogs
Commit School: Central Kentucky
1950: 7-2, 89 IP, 1.01 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 22 BB, 158 K
Career: 30-8, 400 IP, 1.78 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 122 BB, 544 K

The Toronto Wolves went heavy on pitching at the end of the January draft, selecting pitchers in each of the last three rounds. I think Hank Lacey may end up being the best of them.
A four year starter at Orleans, Lacey was sitting in the mid 80s most of his time in high school, but with an excellent offseason workout plan, his fastball and cutter were hitting 89 and his sinker was just a tick slower. It allowed him to really dominate, as after a previous best of a 1.60 ERA and one season of a sub-1 WHIP, he was down to 1.01 and 0.87, striking out a career high 158 batters in a career low 89 innings. The low in innings was about all that disappointed for the 6'2'' righty, as it didn't stop him from cracking the 5 WAR threshold for the first time (6.1). As a three fastball pitcher, velocity is going to be a must for Lacey, though his changeup is actually his best pitch. An anonymous scout explained how his stuff "has explosiveness" and most agree he should have no issues finding the zone. Command is a rarity in young prep pitchers, so Lacey is already a few steps ahead of his peers. Still, he's not quite a FABL starter, as he needs one of his fastballs to improve to compliment the change, because if guys aren't letting it get to two strikes, the change won't be able to shine like it should.

Management is now breathing again at the Montreal second floor. After an awful season start, the Saints are finally playing as per expectations. With a 9-1 record in their last 10 games, the Saints have been able to push their way over .500 for the first time of the season.

Winning 3 out of 4 against the Cincinnati Cannons in their last series, placed the Montreal squad only 2 games behind the leader in the crowded Continental Association pennant race. So crowded that it is easy to mistake it for the Federal Association - a loop that more often than not seems to have more than half of its clubs in contending even down to the wire. Well, the CA has taken over that distinction as of this morning 5 teams out of 8 are within 2 games from the 1st place New York Stars.

A positive note on this winning stretch for the Saints is it's happening without veteran pitcher Pat Weakley and all-star shortstop Gordie Perkins. Each are out of lineup for injury. Weakley will be coming back next week in the starting rotation, meaning prospect Ted Coffin will get a train ticket to AAA Syracuse. Perkins still at least one more week of coming back as the Saints are having a 6 games week coming.

No way would this column ever suggest holding off on bringing the duo back as soon as they are able but it is worth noting that the Saints have lost just once in the ten games since Perkins was knocked out of the lineup with elbow troubles and have gone 17-11 since Weakley last pitched.

COUGARS OFFENSE ERUPTS TO FUEL 13-3 RUN

As is the case every year, the Chicago Cougars enter the season with lofty expectations just to disappoint their rowdy fanbase. This year appeared to be the same. That is, until the calendar turned over to July.

For the first fourteen days, it seemed more of the same, as the Cougars were playing a lot of close, low scoring games. Generally, that means plenty of losses, but something was starting to change. They competed in ten games decided by three or fewer runs, surprisingly, coming away with eight wins. Cougars teams of the past? Expect eight losses!

Though on June 15th, a new Cougars lineup was awaken. They were looking to sweep the first place Cannons and their #1 pitching staff, though that staff had trouble with the Cougars earlier in the month. They coughed up 7 runs a piece in their first two matchups of the month, though the Cannons did held the Cougars to 1, 3, and 2 in the next three. But with Tony Britten (4-6, 3.93, 28) on the mound for the finale, a slumbering beast was awoken!

The Cougars jumped on him for four in the second and four more in the third, all charged to Britten with one unearned, before Harry Thomas (0-1, 12.86, 3) stopped the bleeding after starting pitcher Duke Bybee (5-6, 4.18, 47) chased Britten out with a two run double. Thomas finished the 3rd, and put up zeros in the fourth and fifth, but things fell apart in the 6th. Starting with leadoff hitter George Sutterfield (.249, 3, 19, 2), seven of the top eight hitters reached base, giving Chicago a 13-2 lead. This brought up Duke Bybee with the bases loaded, and just like with Tony Britten, the southpaw chased out his opposition. It was in a dramatic fashion as well, as Bybee worked a 3-2 count, fouled off a tough pitch, and then put a 105.6 mph jolt in a poorly placed offering, clearing the bases with a triple to right center. Now 16-2, the Cougars were able to relax the rest of the way, as Bybee picked up his third consecutive complete game victory.

But don't think the scoring was done. In fact, it was just beginning!

The Toronto Wolves were next on the docket, and the Leo Mitchell (.407, 5, 27, 2) led offense piled on 13 more runs. Unlike the previous game, where all nine members of the starting lineup reached base, eight of the nine Cougars to start the game had two or more hits. No, starter George Oddo (5-4, 3.86, 45) was not the one to fail that criteria, as like Duke Bybee he did plenty to help his cause. It was shortstop Skipper Schneider (.230, 20, 3), who still managed to reach base via a walk in his 0-for-4 game. He was 2-for-4 with a double, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs the game before, while guys like Mitchell (4-10, 2 2B, R, 5 RBI), Red Bond (.254, 7, 21; 4-9, 3B, HR, 5 R, RBI, BB), John Moss (.227, 1, 23; 3-7, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB), Eddie Howard (4-10, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI), and Charlie Woodbury (4-8, 2B, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB) were outstanding both times out.

With 29 runs in two days, that surpassed their weekly total in all but two weeks this season, with one of those weeks last week where they played eight games in seven days. Even with all the runs this week, the Cougars rank 7th in runs scored (240) after spending most of the season hovering around .500. Now 32-28, they are percentage points below the Cannons (31-27) for second, with both teams a game and a half behind the first place Stars (35-28). The pitching is what makes this team good, but a few more weeks like this at the plate, and we could be crowning the Continental champ with a month left in the season.

NO SLOWING FRANCO DOWN

Hit Streak at 40! New Class B Record.

Minor League third baseman Armand Franco hit safely in all six of the Salem Warriors games last week, extending the 21-year-old New York Stars prospects hitting streak to a Class B record 40 games. Franco, who was a third round pick of the New York Stars in the 1947 draft, is now setting his sights on the all-level minor league hitting streak, although he still has a long ways to go. The all-level minor league mark is still 17 games away, set by Ollie Miller of Evansville in the Class A Heartland League back in 1908. The FABL mark is 47, established by Rich Rowley of the Toronto Provincials (now Wolves) in 1900.

Scouting Directors from the 16 FABL clubs are gathered at the league office in Washington DC and new leahgue President Dan Barrell will bang the gavel for the first time today as he oversees the completion of the FABL draft. All the big names are spoken for, of course, as the league does its first 10 rounds every January prior to the collegiate and high school seasons, but there may still be a late round surprise or two down the road from the 240 players selected today.
It may just be June, but both associations have a .400 hitter, with Rip Curry (.403) in Boston and Leo Mitchell (.407) in Chicago. Curry just surpassed the .400 mark in his series against the Chiefs, though he'll now miss four weeks with a back strain. 41 in September, Curry has made 206 of the 478 plate appearances necessary for the batting title, so he'll hope is absence is short. Mitchell, however, already missed some time with injury, and just qualified for the batting title this week. The 37-year-old has been hot all season, finishing all but two days this year (6/8, 6/17) with a batting average above .400.
The Chicago Cougars offense is alive! After weeks with little to no scoring, Chicago exploded for 29 runs in just two days, including 16 agaisnt the #1 ranked Cannins pitching staff. The Cougars have now won 13 of their last 16 to move within a game and a half of the Continetal lead.
A familiar refrain from the Stars as the New Yorkers complete yet another 4-3 week for the slow, yet steady Continental Association leaders. Didn't help that rookie Dan Atwater got shelled in his first big league game with the 14-3 loss to Toronto. But even that was just the second highest total runs against the Stars struggling pitching staff this week, which also suffered a 15-6 loss to Cleveland.
Milestone watch: Congratulations to Al Tucker of the St Louis Pioneers for becoming just the 40th player in FABL history to reach the 2,500 hit plateau. The 37-year-old has spent his entire big league career with the Pioneers, although he was originally drafted by Montreal in 1931 but while still in the minors dealt with long-time teammate Heinie Zimmer to St Louis for a package that included Tom Bird and Jake DeYoung. Tucker is a 6-time All-Star who also won a pair of Federal Association batting titles.
Donnie Jones of the Cougars record his 750th strikeout at the age of 30 37-year-old Ed Reyes of the Philadelphia Stars notched his 500th rbi.
Meanwhile a pair of highly touted prospects in Boston outfielder Don Berry and Chiefs infielder Ed Bloom each hit their first career FABL homerun last week.

VETERAN DUKES FORWARD BURDETTE SET TO RETIRE

Talk out of Toronto has veteran Dukes forward Herb Burdette expected to announce his retirement from the sport at the age of 35. The center/left winger has not been signed to an extension by the Dukes and it is believed he will announce his retirement on or shortly after July 1 when his existing deal with the team runs out.

Burdette joined the Dukes prior to the 1945-46 season and played on a pair of Challenge Cup winners, being a key force in the 1948 Cup team when he scored 4 goals and 11 points in 9 games. He missed most of the 1946-47 season with a torn rib cage but other than that has been healthy most of his NAHC career. He broke in with the New York Shamrocks in the late 1930s but was traded to Montreal midway through the 1942-43 campaign in exchange for a draft pick. The Sault Ste. Marie, ONT., native spent two and a half seasons with the Valiants, playing a key role in their push to the finals in the 1943-44 playoffs. Toronto acquired him from the Valiants in the summer of 1945 in exchange for veteran Harry Edgerton.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/18/1950

News reports indicate 70,000 Nationalist guerrillas have started a drive against Communist forces in South China.
2 Navy men, recently released after being detained for 19 months in China, suggest that that country's people have fully embraced Communism.
A former Army enlisted man who was stationed in New Mexico during the war, was arrested by the FBI on a charge of giving atomic secrets to a Russian operative.
Passage of the Senate approved Federal rent bill by the House is expected to be a formality today. The bill will extend rent price controls for six months with cities given the option of continuing it for an additional six months.
The average employee's real hourly wage- what his money wages can buy- will double in the next 30 years if production per man hour rises at the same average rate as in the past, according to a report from the Committee for Economic Development.
New York Gov. Thomas Dewey, twice defeated GOP nominee for President, has told Republican leaders that he will not run for re-election as governor of New York.

03-18-2024, 11:59 AM	#904
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,857	June 19, 1950 JUNE 19, 1950 EASTERN STATE WINS COLLEGIATE WCS Loaded with a dozen players that are on the radar of pro scouts, although none of them elite prospects, a deep Eastern State ball squad cruised to the Collegiate World Championship Series title in Philadelphia last week. The Monitors, who entered the 16-team tournament as the number one seed, had little trouble pushing their way through the field to win the fourth AIAA baseball title in school history. Eastern State's three previous titles all came in succession beginning in 1936 and made the Virginia Beach school the only one to win the collegiate baseball title three consecutive seasons. Eastern State has been in the field each of the four previous seasons with the expanded 16-team field but in each of those years they won their opening game only to fall in the quarterfinals. This year's edition of the squad started off with a 9-7 victory over one of the surprise teams in the field as Minnesota Tech, led by a Christian Trophy candidate in talented Lakers freshman outfielder Dutch Wilson (.372,13,62), was a surprise winner of the Great Lakes Alliance section title. Wilson homered, doubled and drove in 5 runs for Minnesota Tech against the Monitors but they proved no match for Eastern State in falling by a 9-7 count. After it was their downfall each of the past four seasons, the Monitors had little trouble in the second round for a change this time around as Neil Loso and a pair of relievers combined on a 4-hitter to down the always tough Grange College Mustangs by a 5-1 score. That set up a semi-final meeting with Darnell State, which used their ace 11-game winning freshman Red Sheridan in a 6-0 shutout win over Central Kentucky in the quarters. With Sheridan unavailable a day later the Southwestern Alliance champs were no match for Eastern State and the Monitors advanced to the finals with an 8-4 victory. On the other side of the bracket, Noble Jones was marching through its opposition led by the Colonels three-sport star Charlie Barrell. The sophomore from the most famous family in sports recently finished celbrating a national cage title after helping the Noble Jones College basketball club to the first undefeated season culminating in a national title in AIAA basketball history. Barrell is equally talented on the diamond -he is a finalist for the Christian Trophy- and he went 5-for-7 with 4 rbi's in the Colonels first two rounds, wins over Ohio Poly and Maryland State. Barrell had two hits in the semi-finals but it was junior third baseman Ambrose Evans that was the hero, sending the Colonels to the title game with a 2-run double in the top of the 8th inning to lift Noble Jones College past Penn Catholic 6-5 in their semi-final meeting. Noble Jones College proved no match for Eastern State in the best-of-three finals. The Monitors took Saturday's opener by a 4-2 count before clinching the crown with a 7-3 victory Sunday at Sailors Memorial Stadium. Joe Ayers, a senior outfielder who was twice drafted in the 17th round by FABL clubs but never signed, was named the MVP after hitting .455 for the tournament and driving in 4 runs in the two game final. REPEAT WINNER BARRELL HIGHLIGHTS COLLEGE BALL ALL-AMERICANS College baseball's All-Americans were unveiled Friday evening at the annual AIAA tournament banquet and the menu featured a heavy serving of youth. Seven of the nine first team selections, including 5 freshman, were not yet FABL draft eligible and only one player named to the First Team was a repeat selection. That would be talented Noble Jones College three-sport star Charlie Barrell, a sophomore out of Washington DC who hit .323 with 11 homers and 48 rbi's this season despite missing the start of the campaign while he was winning a national basketball title with the Colonels cage squad. There was another repeat selection but that was on the second team where for the second consecutive season Empire State pitcher Tom Drill was selected. Drill, a junior, was the first pitcher selected in the January portion of the FABL draft at fifth overall by the Pittsburgh Miners. The Miners are expected to sign him very shortly and have visions of Drill perhaps evolving into the next Lefty Allen. The two juniors on the first team were also both drafted in January with Brunswick College outfielder Bill Harbin going to the Philadelphia Sailors in the fourth round and Jim Hatfield, a first baseman out of California Catholic, being selected in round eight by the Boston Minutemen. Joining Drill as second team All-Americans drafted by FABL clubs were outfielder Rod Shearer from small-school Plantersville A&M, who was a late second round selection of the World Champion Chicago Chiefs, Opelika State catcher Bob Longstreth who was selected by the Detroit Dynamos in round three and Freemont State second baseman Adam Ramsey who was the New York Stars sixth round choice. Eastern Kansas infielder Eddie Hooker and Central Kentucky outfielder Joe Cahill, a senior, are both draft eligible but were not selected in the opening 10 rounds. JOURNEYMAN ROY WINS UNANIMOUS DECISION OVER WESTLAKE FOR WELTERWEIGHT TITLE Thompson Palladium, Detroit, Mich. – The Welterweight division has been a tough place to make a good living. The amount of championship turnover in the division has been dizzying. Mark Westlake has lived these two truths. If you have followed his entire career, you have seen his initial rise after the War, arrive at the top however briefly, rebound to get a second title shot and lose, and capture the belt rematch. Westlake is a survivor, winning 28 of 34 bouts, as he embarks on his second title defense – and his first successful title defense. In the case of Westlake, the 32-year-old Biloxi, Miss. Native has had multiple shots. However, Westlake’s challenger tonight, Dale Roy, has not had his shot. Roy is a journeyman, a veteran of 44 professional fights, was chosen to get his first chance at the welterweight title tonight. He had been toiling in anonymity for years. This was their second meeting, as Westlake won a split decision over Roy during the War, well before the division reset in 1946. Roy had fought out west and he is well-known in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, but the Binghamton, New York, native was not as much of a household name east of the Mississippi. Tonight, the 32-year-old Roy had the chance to finally put his long career on a different path. While there was a past bout between the two combatants, it was a long time ago. With both men gaining on the latter part of their careers, the atmosphere was one of necessary survival. At the age of 32, both men knew this chance at glory would likely be their last chance. With fans settled in their seats at a packed Palladium in Detroit, at the opening bell, both eager participants left their corners to capitalize on that chance. Roy met Westlake in the center of the ring, ready with a cross that marked his man, but Westlake used his experience against better talent over his career to carry the first round. Westlake was mixing his punches with hooks and uppercuts, but he was clearly aiming high. Once the initial butterflies wore off, Roy collected himself and started boxing. About two minutes into the second round, Roy connected on his first big shot, a combination that nearly floored the champion. The connection precipitated a vicious exchange of blows, as Westlake was both surprised and angered that Roy was able to easily get through Westlake’s defensive posture. Westlake countered his way to a solid third round and Roy, wanting to send a message, kept punching well after the bell. Referee Mark Nelson, in his first title bout, had to activate and get in between both fighters. The bad blood had started, and the crowd hooted and hollered for more. The extracurricular activity after the end of the third round seemed to energize Roy and his corner. The challenger went to work right away with a hammering hook, but gave way to Westlake’s own hook. Roy mainly kept Westlake at bay early in Round 5 while he found his rhythm, mixing his signals and Westlake guessed wrong on several attempts to block Roy. Roy’s barrage in the fifth caused some swelling around Westlake’s left eye, especially a hook late in the round that seemed to stagger the champion. The middle rounds were highlighted by Westlake’s eye starting to visibly get worse, while some serious leather was being traded by both fighters late in Round 8. Roy was getting the better of the action with a cross to the ribs that Westlake may not have seen coming and a hard right coming at the closing bell where Westlake leaned against the ropes, which seemed to be the only thing keeping him upright. Westlake took the ninth as Roy was more interested in circling and resting on his lead, but Roy was back in the back half of Round 10 with a violent right hand and a couple of combinations that, along with Roy cornering the champion a couple of times, limited Westlake’s ability to fight back. The swelling was becoming almost too much to bear and while Referee Nelson did not stop the fight, you had to wonder why he did not let the physician take a look. It was clearly hindering his peripheral vision and it was not only harder for him to defend, but his punches were missing the mark more often. Roy had a good lead heading into the later rounds. But in Round 12, Westlake missed with his right while his immediate follow-up hit the target. Westlake’s left hook opened a small cut on Roy’s left eyebrow. It was the time for Westlake to make a last-ditch effort to grab the momentum. In the 13th round, Roy was staying on the defensive while Westlake tried to take advantage. He gave everything he had with a hook that hurt Roy in his midsection, but that was temporary, and Roy shrugged it off by bouncing around the ring to close out the round. The fight went the distance and Roy had secured the decision during those middle rounds. Westlake’s eye was too much of an obstacle to overcome, but Roy was effective at showing up at the big moments and defending well enough when Westlake was able to counter. The final punching totals told a different story that what everyone witnessed in the ring. The Big Boppers were almost even with Roy holding a slight 18-16 edge. Roy had the edge in total punches landed by about six per round. But it was the damage Roy did with those punches that did more to influence the crowd and the judges. Roy’s arms were raised in triumph. The picture taken of Roy in victory will be featured in newspapers across the globe. His days of anonymity are now over. The 32-year-old Roy (37-7-1) has a new lease on his boxing life. For Westlake (28-6-1), he may not get a third chance at the welterweight title. He is 32 years old and there really should only room for one older guy at the top. The next generation is waiting in the wings and they may finally pass him by. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: Westlake, 4-0 (0:57 uppercut, 1:52 right/head, 2:17 hook, 2:30 hook/head) Round 2: Roy, 1-0 (2:01 combo) Round 3: Westlake, 3-1 (W: 0:40 combo, 1:46 uppercut, 2:42 hook/midsection; R: 1:22 cross/face) Round 4: Roy, 2-1 (W: 0:45 hook; R: 0:13 hook, 1:48 cross) Round 5: Roy, 4-1 (W: 1:30 hook/side; R: 0:12 cross/face, 0:44 combo, 1:56 hook, 2:10 right/body) Round 6: Roy, 1-0 (2:08 left hook/body) Round 7: None Round 8: Roy, 3-1 (W: 2:04 right; R: 1:20 right/ribs, 2:28 cross/ribs, 3:00 right/head) Round 9: Westlake, 2-0 (1:39 hook/jaw, 1:56 combo) Round 10: Roy, 3-1 (W: 1:04 combo; R: 2:06 right, 2:20 combo, 2:45 combo/midsection) Round 11: Tied, 1-1 (W: 2:13 hook; R: 0:30 cross) Round 12: Westlake, 1-0 (2:29 combo) Round 13: Westlake, 1-0 (2:25 hook/midsection) Round 14: Roy, 1-0 (1:08 uppercut) Round 15: Roy, 1-0 (0:28 combo) TOTAL: Roy 18, Westlake 16 RECENT KEY RESULTS Middleweight Mark McCoy ran his record to 20-1 with a unanimous decision in a 10-rounder with Robbie Charles in Fall River, Ma., on Thursday evening. McCoy, a hard punching 21-year-old from Kansas City, was in complete control of the bout and an easy winner on all three judges' cards. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Jun 24- Portland, OR.: rising heavyweight contender Joey Tierney (18-0) vs Michael Gray (28-13-8) Jun 29- Glasgow, Scotland: Veteran Irish heavyweight Pat Harber (42-8-3) faces James Woolescroft (26-9-2) Jun 30- Flatbush Gardens, Brooklyn: young New Jersey heavyweight Max Bradley (17-1-1) faces Max Maxwell (16-6-4) Jul 4- Gothams Stadium, New York: World heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer (63-3-1) defends his title against Cannon Cooper (30-5-1). DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH It is draft day in FABL! No, not the big one as rounds one through ten were completed in early January but today is the day the 16 FABL ballclubs each round out their draft classes by selecting 15 more players each to join those drafted in the winter bringing the total haul to 400 draftees. Out of the 160 selected in January here is one from each of opening ten rounds that was particularly impressive in the recently completed high school/college seaon. Cleveland Foresters 1st Round, 16th Overall: SS Gus Melvin School: McKinely Macks Commit School: Huntington State 1950: .522/.604/.956, 111 PA, 9 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 7 SB Career: .522/.604/.956, 111 PA, 9 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 7 SB Very few players can boast the baseball pedigree of Gus Melvin, who's father George is a Hall-of-Famer and widely considered to be the best defensive shortstop of the early days of FABL, if not in the entire history of the sport. Melvin has an absurd 840.4 zone rating in 2,156 games at shortstops, and in a sample of at least 1,000 innings (though I could go all the way down to 267 if I wanted), he never had an efficiency below 1.100, and at his time at short, he had a zone rating above 40 in each of his fifteen seasons there. And if that wasn't enough, Melvin was also a career .278/.357/.378 (118 OPS+), and his 168.12 WAR is sixth All-Time. It would be unfair to expect anything close to this from his son, though I'm willing to go on record and say he was the steal of the first round. Taken with the final pick of the initial round, the Cleveland Foresters seemed to acquire their shortstop of the future by selecting the son of their shortstop for the final four plus seasons of his career. Part of the reason he fell could be due to not playing prep ball until his senior season, though he was more then worth the wait. Melvin hit an impressive .522/.604/.956 while slugging 10 homers in 22 games, earning him an All-American nod for the middle infield. That ranked fourth among draft eligible high schoolers, though none of the three hitters above him matched his .522 average. Power like this is coveted in young players, even more so when it comes from a slick fielding shortstop. Granted, defense isn't "The Meal Ticket's" specialty, as you look to Melvin for an impact at the plate. As evidenced by his ability to clear the .500 mark, Melvin should be able to hit at least .300, but in the right lineup I can even see him pushing .340. He has a quick bat and he puts a jolt into his swings, so even if he's not clearing the fence, he's going to be hitting the ball in the air. Combined with a great eye (4 walks in 111 PAs!), he's going to be a menace at the plate, and one of the toughest outs to get. He's also on the older side, 19 in November, which could allow him to fast-track himself to Cleveland. He'll cost the Foresters a pretty penny to sign, but for a potential top-15 prospect? More then worth it! Chicago Chiefs 2nd Round, 31st Overall: CF Rod Shearer School: Plantersville A&M Panthers 1950: .335/.404/.656, 255 PA, 12 2B, 6 3B, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 36 SB Career: .335/.404/.656, 255 PA, 12 2B, 6 3B, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 36 SB Gus Melvin may have been the steal of the first round, but Rod Shearer is the best player to remain unpicked after it. "Hot Rod" made it obvious why he earned that nickname, swiping 36 bags for the Panthers in his lone college season. Yet Shearer is so good, that's not one of the more impressive feats he accomplished! The Odessa native hit an impressive .335/.404/.656 with 16 homers and 55 RBIs, putting together one of the more impressive collegiate seasons in 1950. It helps that he isn't in a big conference, but numbers like this are impossible to ignore. A hard working center fielder, he's got tantalizing tools, with elite raw power and a borderline elite hit tool. He may not when batting titles, he'll walk and swing for the fence a bit too much, but I can see him hitting comfortably above .300. Scouts are a big fan of his defense, and he's projected to be an everyday center fielder who even pennant contenders can rely on for production. This is great news for the Chiefs, who could be in need of a center fielder if Carlos Montes (.328, 3, 14) isn't able to stay healthy. Chicago has never been shy about promotion draftees quickly, who debuted last year's first rounder Ed Bloom for a cup of coffee, and just brought him back for the most recent week. Like Bloom, Shearer may need a little more seasoning, but the "Hot Rod" era could be remembered more fondly then Bill May (.236, 1, 11, 3) era. And May is still kicking around to mentor him! Brooklyn Kings 3rd Round, 38th Overall: RHP Mule Crawford School: Fort Oglethorpe Warriors Commit School: Noble Jones College 1950: 5-1, 67.1 IP, 1.47 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 10 BB, 88 K Career: 5-1, 67.1 IP, 1.47 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 10 BB, 88 K In a draft that didn't have much depth on the mound, no team came out better then the Brooklyn Kings. They grabbed Elmer Sullivan (9-0, 0.71, 146) in the second half of the first, who went 32-0 at Perrysburg and is lauded as a potential top FABL pitcher, and two rounds later they got talented high school prospect Mule Crawford. Like the first two players I covered, Crawford didn't play until the 1950 season, where he went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 9 starts and 6 relief outings. 18 in July, Crawford is one of the smartest guys on the field, and he earned himself a full ride to Noble Jones based on his brain, not his arm. I doubt he fulfils that commitment, as the Kings should be able to meet his modest demand, and the towering 6'5'' will likely make his way to Class C Marshalltown instead. A three pitch pitcher, Mule leads with his sinker, which is a key for rolling up double plays. His fastball and change are solid pitches too, and like his sinker, they have wicked bite and should generate plenty of swings and misses. He's a pretty hard thrower too, hitting 91 when in the groove, and the young righty is able to overpower lesser hitters up in the zone. With his size, I can't see 91 being his max, and in four years it wouldn't surprise me if he's sitting in the 93-95 range instead. If that's the case, you can pencil him into Brooklyn's rotation, where he could spend plenty of times starting games for them. Chicago Cougars 4th Round, 62nd Overall: CF Ike Soeur School: Walla Walla Warriors Commit School: Daniel Boone College 1950: .505/.579/.856, 116 PA, 13 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 23 SB Career: .499/.566/.792, 493 PA, 43 2B, 22 3B, 11 HR, 127 RBI, 85 SB There were rumors around the draft that the Ontario native would end up in Toronto, but instead the now 18-year-old (Happy Birthday!) will join an organization that is deep with center field talent. Denoted as a potential first round talent by OSA, Soeur likely would have gone in the lottery had the draft been done over, as OSA believes he "has the dynamic tools needed to make an impact in the majors." That's high praise for any prospect, but it's not all that surprising considering how consistent he was in his four years at Walla Walla. For some Cougar fans, that might ring a bell, as former 1st Rounder Otto Christian (.177, 2, 12) was a four year starter there as well. As good as the slugger is, Soeur could be even better, as he's a more complete player with enviable athleticism. A plus contact hitter, he's quick and can play quality defense, and scouts are projecting at least average power from him. Combined with the speed, he could be an extremely tough out, and he's worked well on elevating the ball when he makes contact. He'll now enter a system with plenty of competition for outfield innings, but there's enough raw talent here that he can separate himself from the pack. Boston Minutemen 5th Round, 71st Overall: LF Mike Malone School: Loyola Knights Commit School: Maryland State 1950: .432/.500/.766, 132 PA, 11 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 35 RBI, 10 SB Career: .442/.517/.698, 489 PA, 34 2B, 2 3B, 22 HR, 123 RBI, 17 SB Corner outfielders don't get a lot of love in drafts, so it's no shock a projectable outfielder like Mike Malone fell to the fifth. He may not have the best high school stats, but he was a second rounder on the mock and has exciting power. A .432 average this season and .442 in four years isn't too exciting, but he added two homers a season as a junior and senior, finishing his time at Loyola with 22 homers. He set personal bests with 11 doubles, 10 steals, 35 RBIs, and 51 runs, as well as highs in slugging and WAR (2.4). A hard worker from New York, Boston may not be the best home for him, as they've already got highly ranked prospects Rick Masters (1sst) and Yank Taylor (8th), both corner outfielders in the top 10. Then there's Danny Taylor (58th) in the back half of the top 100, and 26-year-old Ben McCarty (.320, 9, 57) is arguably their best player. For Malone to shine, he'll need to rely on the longball, something he can hit over 25 times a season. If he was an up the middle player, Malone could have been a lottery pick, but instead he'll have a tough fight up the league's top system. New York Stars 6th Round, 90th Overall: 2B Adam Ramsey School: Fremont State Explorers 1950: .317/.397/.466, 216 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 24 SB Career (COL): .317/.396/.467, 671 PA, 22 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 119 RBI, 55 SB Career (HS): .473/.522/.652, 523 PA, 41 2B, 6 3B, 9 HR, 129 RBI, 25 SB The second Canadian to make our list, Adam Ramsey went to the New York Stars in the sixth round, and he's one of many Stars picks that rank high on the mock. This selection isn't the first time he was drafted, as the Wolves took him in the 19th Round of the 1947 draft out of high school. The decision proved to be of great benefit, as the 21-year-old second basemen has taken advantage of his work ethic to develop into a legit FABL prospect. OSA thinks he "is a reliable hitter in the organization's grand scheme" while making comments on his plate coverage and ability to hit to all fields. That's a great skill, and one that helped him hit above .315 in each of his three seasons at Fremont State. OSA also thinks he can hit for power, which shouldn't be too surprising after he hit nine homers as a sophomore. The Stars don't have an obvious need at second, with three ranked in the top 100, but with Ramsey's bat he'll force his way into a lineup. A few seasons from now, we could be looking at this pick as one of the sharpest, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he's playing in Dyckman Stadium by the 1953 season. Pittsburgh Miners 7th Round, 97th Overall: RHP Cliff McGuire School: Roosevelt Cougars Commit School: North Carolina Tech 1950: 12-0, 118.1 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 28 BB, 151 K Career: 36-8, 441 IP, 1.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 133 BB, 551 K A four year starter at Roosevelt High School in his local Brooklyn, Cliff McGuire saved the best for left, ending his prep career with a perfect 12-0 season. Aside from record, he set bests in ERA, starts (16), innings, WHIP, and BB/9 (2.1). 18 in just a few days, McGuire was throwing a tick harder from his sidearm position, and each increase in velocity is going to make his changeup that much better. It's a pretty great pitch already, while he projects to have a decent splitter and slider too. The fastball isn't great, and he's not always able to find the zone, but he made notable improvements since he debuted as a freshman. He's no longer the pitcher with a 2.64 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, and the strikeouts went up while the walks went down. Drafting pitchers this late is always a bit of a dart throw, but it seems the Miners did a good job here. He's not yet projected to be a big league starter, but with hard work and some honing in of his command, he could work his way into a back-end rotation role. Detroit Dynamos 8th Round, 123rd Overall: CF Goldie Smith School: Western Florida Wolves 1950: .304/.378/.451, 254 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 51 RBI, 33 SB Career (COL): .293/.367/.433, 783 PA, 29 2B, 5 3B, 19 HR, 146 RBI, 101 SB Career (HS): .467/.540/.655, 218 PA, 26 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 56 RBI, 28 SB A three year starter at Western Florida, Goldie Smith had a career season as a senior, hitting a personal best 7 homers with a .304/.378/.451 triple slash where he set bests in all three categories. His 1.1 WAR was also a career high, even after adjusting on a per plate appearance basis, and he showed a lot of the talent that made him a highly touted recruit out of his Georgia High School. This isn't the first time Goldie was selected, as he was the Cougars 18th Round selection three seasons ago, and the Marietta native made the right decision fulfilling his commitment to Western Florida. 21 next month, Goldie is an athletic outfielder who makes pitchers work, and he's got an above average contact tool. Not quite a .300 hitter, but he'll foul off a lot of pitches and work his share of walks. Once he's on base, he's always looking to run, something the Dynamos don't do one bit. With just nine steals, Joe Austin (14) and Billy Forbes (10) have more steals then the Dynamos as a team! The issue here, however, is Goldie doesn't have that innate desire to play baseball, and that may hold him back. OSA still thinks he can be an average big leaguer, and it's already looking like the Dynamos made a shrewd selection towards the end of the January portion. Philadelphia Sailors 9th Round, 130th Overall: RHP Jackie Baker School: Burlington Blue Devils Commit School: Chesapeake State 1950: 10-1, 106.1 IP, 1.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 38 BB, 177 K Career: 39-5, 445.1 IP, 1.60 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 163 BB, 612 K Sure, Jackie Baker didn't match his 11-0 record from last season, but even with one dropped decision, the Sailors have to be happy with what they got form their 9th Round pick. A four year starter for the Burlington Blue Devils, Baker lowered his ERA and WHIP, and despite an increase in walks, the strikeout numbers were huge. He struck out a career high 177 batters in 106.1 innings, which was just a few outs more then his previous low for innings (104.2), and he actually faced more batters due to more runners who reached base. The recently turned 18-year-old finished his prep career 39-5 with a 1.60 ERA and 612 strikeouts, pretty impressive numbers overall from the 6'3'' righty. He's not the most polished pitcher, as his fastball and cutter are really just there to set up his changeup. It's hard to call it anything other then dominant, as it makes hitters look foolish -- and on the off chance you hit it -- it's not going very far. He does locate it well, but he doesn't have the same feel for the hard stuff. That could get him into trouble against tougher hitters, but even if he can't put it all together, the change is good enough on its own that he can handle a order one time through. Toronto Wolves 10th Round, 152nd Overall: RHP Hank Lacey School: Orleans Bulldogs Commit School: Central Kentucky 1950: 7-2, 89 IP, 1.01 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 22 BB, 158 K Career: 30-8, 400 IP, 1.78 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 122 BB, 544 K The Toronto Wolves went heavy on pitching at the end of the January draft, selecting pitchers in each of the last three rounds. I think Hank Lacey may end up being the best of them. A four year starter at Orleans, Lacey was sitting in the mid 80s most of his time in high school, but with an excellent offseason workout plan, his fastball and cutter were hitting 89 and his sinker was just a tick slower. It allowed him to really dominate, as after a previous best of a 1.60 ERA and one season of a sub-1 WHIP, he was down to 1.01 and 0.87, striking out a career high 158 batters in a career low 89 innings. The low in innings was about all that disappointed for the 6'2'' righty, as it didn't stop him from cracking the 5 WAR threshold for the first time (6.1). As a three fastball pitcher, velocity is going to be a must for Lacey, though his changeup is actually his best pitch. An anonymous scout explained how his stuff "has explosiveness" and most agree he should have no issues finding the zone. Command is a rarity in young prep pitchers, so Lacey is already a few steps ahead of his peers. Still, he's not quite a FABL starter, as he needs one of his fastballs to improve to compliment the change, because if guys aren't letting it get to two strikes, the change won't be able to shine like it should. Management is now breathing again at the Montreal second floor. After an awful season start, the Saints are finally playing as per expectations. With a 9-1 record in their last 10 games, the Saints have been able to push their way over .500 for the first time of the season. Winning 3 out of 4 against the Cincinnati Cannons in their last series, placed the Montreal squad only 2 games behind the leader in the crowded Continental Association pennant race. So crowded that it is easy to mistake it for the Federal Association - a loop that more often than not seems to have more than half of its clubs in contending even down to the wire. Well, the CA has taken over that distinction as of this morning 5 teams out of 8 are within 2 games from the 1st place New York Stars. A positive note on this winning stretch for the Saints is it's happening without veteran pitcher Pat Weakley and all-star shortstop Gordie Perkins. Each are out of lineup for injury. Weakley will be coming back next week in the starting rotation, meaning prospect Ted Coffin will get a train ticket to AAA Syracuse. Perkins still at least one more week of coming back as the Saints are having a 6 games week coming. No way would this column ever suggest holding off on bringing the duo back as soon as they are able but it is worth noting that the Saints have lost just once in the ten games since Perkins was knocked out of the lineup with elbow troubles and have gone 17-11 since Weakley last pitched. COUGARS OFFENSE ERUPTS TO FUEL 13-3 RUN As is the case every year, the Chicago Cougars enter the season with lofty expectations just to disappoint their rowdy fanbase. This year appeared to be the same. That is, until the calendar turned over to July. For the first fourteen days, it seemed more of the same, as the Cougars were playing a lot of close, low scoring games. Generally, that means plenty of losses, but something was starting to change. They competed in ten games decided by three or fewer runs, surprisingly, coming away with eight wins. Cougars teams of the past? Expect eight losses! Though on June 15th, a new Cougars lineup was awaken. They were looking to sweep the first place Cannons and their #1 pitching staff, though that staff had trouble with the Cougars earlier in the month. They coughed up 7 runs a piece in their first two matchups of the month, though the Cannons did held the Cougars to 1, 3, and 2 in the next three. But with Tony Britten (4-6, 3.93, 28) on the mound for the finale, a slumbering beast was awoken! The Cougars jumped on him for four in the second and four more in the third, all charged to Britten with one unearned, before Harry Thomas (0-1, 12.86, 3) stopped the bleeding after starting pitcher Duke Bybee (5-6, 4.18, 47) chased Britten out with a two run double. Thomas finished the 3rd, and put up zeros in the fourth and fifth, but things fell apart in the 6th. Starting with leadoff hitter George Sutterfield (.249, 3, 19, 2), seven of the top eight hitters reached base, giving Chicago a 13-2 lead. This brought up Duke Bybee with the bases loaded, and just like with Tony Britten, the southpaw chased out his opposition. It was in a dramatic fashion as well, as Bybee worked a 3-2 count, fouled off a tough pitch, and then put a 105.6 mph jolt in a poorly placed offering, clearing the bases with a triple to right center. Now 16-2, the Cougars were able to relax the rest of the way, as Bybee picked up his third consecutive complete game victory. But don't think the scoring was done. In fact, it was just beginning! The Toronto Wolves were next on the docket, and the Leo Mitchell (.407, 5, 27, 2) led offense piled on 13 more runs. Unlike the previous game, where all nine members of the starting lineup reached base, eight of the nine Cougars to start the game had two or more hits. No, starter George Oddo (5-4, 3.86, 45) was not the one to fail that criteria, as like Duke Bybee he did plenty to help his cause. It was shortstop Skipper Schneider (.230, 20, 3), who still managed to reach base via a walk in his 0-for-4 game. He was 2-for-4 with a double, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs the game before, while guys like Mitchell (4-10, 2 2B, R, 5 RBI), Red Bond (.254, 7, 21; 4-9, 3B, HR, 5 R, RBI, BB), John Moss (.227, 1, 23; 3-7, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB), Eddie Howard (4-10, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI), and Charlie Woodbury (4-8, 2B, HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB) were outstanding both times out. With 29 runs in two days, that surpassed their weekly total in all but two weeks this season, with one of those weeks last week where they played eight games in seven days. Even with all the runs this week, the Cougars rank 7th in runs scored (240) after spending most of the season hovering around .500. Now 32-28, they are percentage points below the Cannons (31-27) for second, with both teams a game and a half behind the first place Stars (35-28). The pitching is what makes this team good, but a few more weeks like this at the plate, and we could be crowning the Continental champ with a month left in the season. NO SLOWING FRANCO DOWN Hit Streak at 40! New Class B Record. Minor League third baseman Armand Franco hit safely in all six of the Salem Warriors games last week, extending the 21-year-old New York Stars prospects hitting streak to a Class B record 40 games. Franco, who was a third round pick of the New York Stars in the 1947 draft, is now setting his sights on the all-level minor league hitting streak, although he still has a long ways to go. The all-level minor league mark is still 17 games away, set by Ollie Miller of Evansville in the Class A Heartland League back in 1908. The FABL mark is 47, established by Rich Rowley of the Toronto Provincials (now Wolves) in 1900. Scouting Directors from the 16 FABL clubs are gathered at the league office in Washington DC and new leahgue President Dan Barrell will bang the gavel for the first time today as he oversees the completion of the FABL draft. All the big names are spoken for, of course, as the league does its first 10 rounds every January prior to the collegiate and high school seasons, but there may still be a late round surprise or two down the road from the 240 players selected today. It may just be June, but both associations have a .400 hitter, with Rip Curry (.403) in Boston and Leo Mitchell (.407) in Chicago. Curry just surpassed the .400 mark in his series against the Chiefs, though he'll now miss four weeks with a back strain. 41 in September, Curry has made 206 of the 478 plate appearances necessary for the batting title, so he'll hope is absence is short. Mitchell, however, already missed some time with injury, and just qualified for the batting title this week. The 37-year-old has been hot all season, finishing all but two days this year (6/8, 6/17) with a batting average above .400. The Chicago Cougars offense is alive! After weeks with little to no scoring, Chicago exploded for 29 runs in just two days, including 16 agaisnt the #1 ranked Cannins pitching staff. The Cougars have now won 13 of their last 16 to move within a game and a half of the Continetal lead. A familiar refrain from the Stars as the New Yorkers complete yet another 4-3 week for the slow, yet steady Continental Association leaders. Didn't help that rookie Dan Atwater got shelled in his first big league game with the 14-3 loss to Toronto. But even that was just the second highest total runs against the Stars struggling pitching staff this week, which also suffered a 15-6 loss to Cleveland. Milestone watch: Congratulations to Al Tucker of the St Louis Pioneers for becoming just the 40th player in FABL history to reach the 2,500 hit plateau. The 37-year-old has spent his entire big league career with the Pioneers, although he was originally drafted by Montreal in 1931 but while still in the minors dealt with long-time teammate Heinie Zimmer to St Louis for a package that included Tom Bird and Jake DeYoung. Tucker is a 6-time All-Star who also won a pair of Federal Association batting titles. Donnie Jones of the Cougars record his 750th strikeout at the age of 30 37-year-old Ed Reyes of the Philadelphia Stars notched his 500th rbi. Meanwhile a pair of highly touted prospects in Boston outfielder Don Berry and Chiefs infielder Ed Bloom each hit their first career FABL homerun last week. VETERAN DUKES FORWARD BURDETTE SET TO RETIRE Talk out of Toronto has veteran Dukes forward Herb Burdette expected to announce his retirement from the sport at the age of 35. The center/left winger has not been signed to an extension by the Dukes and it is believed he will announce his retirement on or shortly after July 1 when his existing deal with the team runs out. Burdette joined the Dukes prior to the 1945-46 season and played on a pair of Challenge Cup winners, being a key force in the 1948 Cup team when he scored 4 goals and 11 points in 9 games. He missed most of the 1946-47 season with a torn rib cage but other than that has been healthy most of his NAHC career. He broke in with the New York Shamrocks in the late 1930s but was traded to Montreal midway through the 1942-43 campaign in exchange for a draft pick. The Sault Ste. Marie, ONT., native spent two and a half seasons with the Valiants, playing a key role in their push to the finals in the 1943-44 playoffs. Toronto acquired him from the Valiants in the summer of 1945 in exchange for veteran Harry Edgerton. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/18/1950 News reports indicate 70,000 Nationalist guerrillas have started a drive against Communist forces in South China. 2 Navy men, recently released after being detained for 19 months in China, suggest that that country's people have fully embraced Communism. A former Army enlisted man who was stationed in New Mexico during the war, was arrested by the FBI on a charge of giving atomic secrets to a Russian operative. Passage of the Senate approved Federal rent bill by the House is expected to be a formality today. The bill will extend rent price controls for six months with cities given the option of continuing it for an additional six months. The average employee's real hourly wage- what his money wages can buy- will double in the next 30 years if production per man hour rises at the same average rate as in the past, according to a report from the Committee for Economic Development. New York Gov. Thomas Dewey, twice defeated GOP nominee for President, has told Republican leaders that he will not run for re-election as governor of New York. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles