[Jiggs McGee]

AUGUST 13, 1962

SURGING SAILORS SNAP UP FIRST PLACE

Just over a month ago, the Continental Association looked all but over, but after winning each of their last three series, including a win over the Cleveland Foresters and a sweep of the Toronto Wolves, we have a new team piloting the Continental.

Going 24-12 since the first of July, San Francisco is now the only Continental club playing .600 ball, 64-42 and two games clear of the Foresters and Kansas City Kings in a tight race for the crown. Six teams are within nine games of first, the same amount as the St Louis Pioneers cushion in the Fed, and if it wasn't for a five game losing streak by the up-and-down Chicago Cougars, four teams would be within five games of first.

What makes the Sailors run most surprising is they've done it all without one of their best players, as All-Star shortstop Carlos Jaramillo (.296, 4, 27, 16) has been out since July 10th, and after getting swept their first series without him, they've gone 19-5. His replacement, rookie Art Johnson (.274, 11, 1), has held his own offensively and defensively, but Jaramillo is days away from his return, and penciling him in at the top of the lineup can only be a benefit for the Sailors.

In his absence, it's been the outfielders getting the job done, with a lot of the heavy lifting done by the red-hot John Kingsbury. One of the many All-Star snubs, he hit .404/.495/.652 (192 OPS+) in July and .455/.520/.614 (190 OPS+) in his first 10 August games, logging a combined 6 doubles, 4 triples, 5 homers, 28 RBIs, 31 runs, and 4 steals. Remarkably, he already has 13 runs in August, and the recently turned 25-year-old is hitting .356/.440/.530 (148 OPS+) on the season. His counterpart in right, Edwin Hackberry, has had similar success, batting .297/.393/.571 (144 OPS+) in July before upping that to .356/.453/.578 (163 OPS+) in August. Him and Kingsbury have started nearly every game for San Francisco, and Hackberry has a .291/.380/.504 (125 OPS+) line that displays great improvement from year two and three in the bay area. His 17 homers are already most as a Sailor, and he's looking for his first 20 homer season since he launched 32 as a Dynamo in 1957.

Adding to the success as been the pitching, as the 1-2-3 of Charlie Lawson (11-6, 3.77, 126), George Fuller (10-9, 3.68, 93), and Hank Lacey (10-5, 3.55, 101) have been outstanding. Since July, they're a combined 14-6, and all three hurlers have surpassed the double-digit win mark. They've also gotten six solid starts from Larry Knez, as after being cleared to pitch following rotator cuff surgery, he's 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA (177 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts. Still about two months to go, they have the top rotation ERA (3.88), the second lowest pen ERA (3.65), and the fewest runs allowed (458), all key factors in why they've been able to take the association lead. Can't forget about Ernie Carter (.322, 8, 80, 7) either, as the graduated top-10 prospect took home Player of the Week by going 11-for-24 with 3 doubles, a steal, a triple, 2 homers, and 10 RBIs. They have a ton of guys like Carter who can hit and defend, and it's no surprise they've been one of the better teams in 1962.

It's far too early to count Cleveland out, but they've lost 10 of their last 12, as the offense has stopped scoring and the staff is allowing more runs. For the first time basically all season, they're outside of the top-3 in both runs scored and allowed, ranked 4th in each at 577 and 509. Still effective, they score less then the Kings and prevent fewer runs then the Sailors, both of which currently look stronger then Cleveland. Adrian Czerwinski (10-6, 4.45, 125) still hasn't gotten the results he's used too, charged with 5 or more runs in each of his last three starts, while Hal Kennedy (.328, 16, 57) has gone from one of the top Conti hitters to more his usual self. On the bright side, Paul Williams (.295, 17, 62) is red hot, John Low (.293, 9, 62) is starting to look more like himself, and at 34 Sherry Doyal (.335, 18, 72, 6) is hitting more like he was at 24. Above all, there are plenty of games left, and the Foresters are no strangers to impressive late season runs to earn a pennant.

Don't count the Kings out either, as they're continuing to hang on in there. They also continue to trot out Hank Williams (.366, 31, 92, 4), Ken Newman (.342, 18, 10, 8), and Al Farmer (.310, 18, 71, 5), the best 3-4-5 bunch in the Conti. Atop the lineup, Pat Davis (.358, 12, 69, 31) has been tremendous, and top to bottom there is no real hole in the lineup. One surprise has been Bill Denney (.300, 10, 39, 6), who's got a 119 WRC+ and 1.042 efficiency at short, and they've started giving the rangey outfielder Tom Hicks (.244, 2, 23) more time in center. KC has a nice blend of youth and vets, something that can be said about the lineup and the staff. Rookies Allie Boone (4-1, 3.32, 46) and Gene Bailey (5-2, 2.91, 47) have looked more then up to the task, while they continue to get ace level production from the 30-year-old Beau McClellan (14-6, 3.75, 147). Fresh off a sweep of the Cougars, they're set up for a huge series in San Francisco, and they follow that up with a road series in LA and a home series with Cleveland. As big a nine games as any, it will test the Kings' grit and resolve, as we are truly in for a all-out melee for the crown.

*** Buddy Miller Makes Push for History ***

Rightfully, a lot of the focus when it comes to the quest for .400, most of the attention has been geared towards Ham Flanders (.383, 16, 81, 10). He had a real shot, finishing the month of July with a .397 batting average, but after a "slump" to start August (13-for-46), it's now actually Buddy Miller who has FABL's best batting average. After coming up short in his first full season as a starter, the reigning WCS MVP has a chance to reach the elusive .400 mark, or at least reach his previous personal best of .397.

After hitting .400/.464/.568 (167 OPS+) in July, Miller has been on a tear in August, hitting .451/.491/.706 (207 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 2 homers, a triple, steal, and 11 RBIs. This includes a Player of the Week award, as Buddy 14-for-31 with 5 extra base hits, 8 RBIs, and 9 runs scored. On the season, he's up to 390/.458/.576 (167 OPS+) -- more then good enough for his 9th All-Star selection. Somewhat overshadowed by Bob Bell (.389, 34, 87, 4), Jerry Smith (.310, 22, 80, 9), and the 72-win Pioneers, Miller has been putting up a Whitney-worthy performance, helping carry his team above .500. After a miserable start to the season, they're 22-14 since July 1st, and Miller has been a huge part of it.

Chasing .400 is always tough, just as Flanders or Miller himself, but he's a guy with three batting titles and a career .344 batting average. If anyone who isn't Hank Williams can do it, its Buddy, but raising the average 10 points is easier said then done. With 161 hits in 102 games, he's got about 40 games left, and a chance to reach 600 at bats. If he finished 79-for-131 -- a pace above 600 -- he'd have a chance to reach .400, but a run like that seems almost impossible. As unlikely as that is, even just a batting title is tough, as Whitney shoe-in Bob Bell is up to .389 himself. With less at bats, he could go 56-for-131 (.427), but he's got almost no chance to reach 500 at bats. Since 1905, no FABL hitter has hit .400 in less then 500 at bats, so if Bell can hit over .427 for the rest of the season, it will be interesting to see how the baseball world treats the feat.

• Another week, another three homer game. For the fourth time in three weeks a player went deep three times. This time, for a change it was not against the Chicago Chiefs, who were victimized on the first three occasions. Instead it was in the Continental Association as Cleveland's Paul Williams ripped three longballs in a game against the Los Angeles Stars. It was part of a five-hit game for the 35-year-old.

ZAPATA ON HOT SEAT IN LATROBE

There may not be a college football coach with more riding on the current season than Jason Zapata of St Blane. As Zapata prepares for his fourth season as the head man with the Fighting Saints and the school yet to be ranked in the top twenty-five at the conclusion of any of those years there are many calling for him to be fired.

Zapata inherited the Fighting Saints job in 1959 under what really was a near impossible situation. He was replacing a legend with the retirement of Virgil Dragan after two decades at the school, two national titles and a decade long run where St Blane and college football success went hand in hand. Under Dragon, the Fighting Saints -together with rival Rome State- were the class of college football in the late 1940s with the highlight for Dragan's club being the 34-2-1 run from 1946-49 in which the Saints won the national title twice and finished second the other two years.

As recruiting rules changed and the game progressed other schools began to catch up. No longer would St. Blane have free pick of practically any high school senior they wanted after Rome State was done its selections during the World War II years. By 1950 the Saints were no longer the top destination, which helps explain that no St. Blane football player has been named to the All-American team since center Paul Sampson made the grade as a senior in 1950. The forties saw the Saints with a host of All-Americans and St Blane players won the Christian Trophy as the most outstanding player in college football three times: Mike O'Rourke in 1943, Ricky McCallister in 1947 and Bobby Leonard in 1949.

Without access to their pick of the talent, winning became much more difficult but that did not seem to deter Dragan who, after stumbling badly for a couple of years, guided the Saints to five straight top 10 finishes from 1952-56. Dragan stepped aside after consecutive 7-3 seasons in 1957 and 1958, and after a long search his former assistant Zapata was given the job.

The recruiting classes have tailed off even further and Zapata has gone 19-12 over his three seasons, which has patience waning very thin in a town where Dragan had spoiled the Saints faithful with just 4 unranked seasons total between 1941 and his retirement 17 years later.

Zapata will have his work cut out for him as for the second year in a row St. Blane failed to land a top twenty-five recruit but he does have the luxury of eight returning starters on defense and nine on offense. Senior quarterback Al Scheuneman has two seasons as a starter under his belt and his offensive line returns fully intact. Halfback Dan Blake and his 912 yards rushing are gone as is Gerry Townsend, who led the club with 27 catches a year ago but there are capable replacements. Whether that is enough to allow the Fighting Saints to finish in the top twenty-five for the first time since 1957 remains to be seen. Such a finish may be necessary for Zapata to ensure he is still the St. Blane head coach come the start of the 1963 season.

PACKERS SIGN THREE TO ADD TO DEPTH

One can easily make a case that the Chicago Packers are, from top to bottom, the most talented team in the NAHC. They have a strong goaltender in Andrew Bomberry, a stacked defense led by captain Phil Stukas, dependable veteran Guy Bernier and a rising star in Danny Connaughton and a talented collection of forwards with Ken York, Phil Bernier, Mark McGrath and J.P. Morissette leading the way.

Chicago finished second during the regular season a year ago while leading the loop in goals but bowed out to Detroit in the semi-finals. This year veteran Chicago head coach Mark Nader may just have the team to beat in a quest for what would be just the second Challenge Cup win in franchise history. The Packers are taking no chances as they were busy the past week adding depth to the organization with the signing of three players.

Odds are high that each of the three newcomers to the Packers will at least start the season in Pittsburgh but all could contribute if an injury arises. A pair of the new signings are blueliners in 26-year-old Alexandre Legare and 22-year-old Curtis Harrington. Legare won a CAHA championship with Verdun and has spent the past three seasons with the Syracuse Lancers of the HAA. He had a tryout with Montreal but has yet to play an NAHC regular season game. Harrington was a second round selection of the New York Shamrocks in 1959 but was released and after his junior career at Hull he played senior hockey in Western Canada before being called upon by the Packers.

The third addition to the Packers may have the best chance of breaking camp with the big club. That would be Patrick Geddes, a 24-year-old winger who scored 29 goals over three seasons with the Boston Bees and was a part of the Bees 1960 Cup winning squad. He spent last season with the Portland Ports of the Great Western Hockey League where he averaged nearly a point a game.

The Toronto Dukes also added some depth as, after trading Charlie Dell to Detroit, the Dukes were in the market for a third goaltender. David Taylor, a 21-year-old Toronto native who the Dukes selected in the third round of the 1960 NAHC draft, was tendered a contract after exhausting his junior eligibility. Taylor played four seasons for the Hull Hawks and will most assuredly be assigned to the Cleveland Eries by the Dukes as Toronto has a pair of goalies who each deserve to be considered number one netminders in Mike Connelly and Justin MacPhee.

NAHC training camps open in mid-September and each of the six teams will begin their preseason slate of games on September 26. The regular season opener is set for October 10 in Chicago with the Packers hosting the Toronto Dukes. The other four teams get underway a day later.

RECENT KEY RESULTS

• Brooklyn heavyweight Sammy Hardy suffered the first defeat of his career, falling to Jim Sisco in a bout in Lewiston, ME., last week. The 22-year-old Hardy is now 10-1-1 while Sisco, also 22 and hailing from Pittsburgh, improves to 21-2.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• September 7- Former middleweight champion George Quisenberry makes his return to the ring, fighting for the first time since his title loss to Lyman King in January. The Canadian, 38-2-3, who held the crown for two and a half years, will face Billy Randall in Los Angeles.
• September 15- Middleweight champion Lyman King will face George Hatchell in what will be the first title fight ever staged in desert casino city of Las Vegas. The 25-year-old King, who knocked out Steve Bradshaw in May to run his perfect record to 40-0, will take on Hatchell, a 30-year-old from Puyallup, WA., who held the title on two different occasions in the 1950s and had an unsuccessful to attempt to win it for a third time two years ago when he lost a decision to George Quisenberry. Hatchell is 43-7-2 and most recently won by decision over veteran boxer Davis Owens.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/12/1962

• Russia launched a third man into orbit, on a mission that is said to dwarf the 17-orbit, 25 hour flight of another Russian cosmonaut and provide data for a trip to the moon. The trip is believed to last at least a week.
• Early today it was reported a second Russian craft was also orbiting in tandem with the first- a historic feat putting the Russians ahead in the race to the moon.
• The United States wished the Russian spaceman a "happy landing" and promised not to endanger him with high altitude atomic explosions after a Tass report made an "appeal" not to hurt the cosmonaut.
• The Atomic Energy Commission reports that the Soviets set off another atmospheric nuclear test last week in Central Siberia, but that it was in the "low kiloton range."
• The Soviets officially rejected the latest US proposal for a nuclear weapons test ban, declaring the latest US offer in Geneva was "just the old American position dolled up in a new guise to deceive the neutrals."
• East German Communists moved armor and truckloads of troops up to the Berlin wall as the first anniversary of the steel and concrete barrier across the city neared.
• President Kennedy will address the nation on national tv and radio tonight. At that time he is expected to announce his decision on whether an emergency tax cut will be made this year.
• More unrest in Argentina as four months after a coup ousted the former President, an army general has taken control of a garrison town near the northern border with Bolivia and proclaimed himself the new army commander in defiance of the Argentine War Secretary.