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06-13-2023, 01:48 PM
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#721 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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May 26, 1947
 MAY 26, 1947 CANNONS PROVING THEY ARE NOT TOO OLD The knock on the Cincinnati Cannons has always been about their age. Even when the Cannons were winning three straight Continental Association pennants -a streak that came to an end last October- many were calling the club "too old". In April, when many pundits released their predictions for the current campaign, the experts all said basically the same thing in decreeing Cincinnati a middle of the pack ballclub. "The Cannons are old," said Jiggs McGee of TWIFB. "The Cannons are getting long in the tooth," penned the New York Daily Mirror's John Brinker. But here we are closing in on the end of May and the Cincinnati Cannons are once more where they seem to be most comfortable -sitting atop the Continental Association standings. They are old. That much is true. The Cannons do not have an everyday player under the age of 30 and one of their most effective pitchers this season is 40-year-old Red Hampton and the entire bullpen, aside from the recently promoted Stan Kenny, is also well over the age of 30. Even Cincinnati's youth is not all that young anymore. Bob Arman, their impressive second year pitcher is 26, and the rest of the rotation has a 28 year old in Charlie Griffith and a pair of 29-year-olds in ace Deuce Barrell and Les Bradshaw. There is always the worry the veterans break down as the season progresses but the Cannons do have some depth, although most of it also old such as 39-year-old Al Wheeler who despite hitting .350 in very limited action this season is reduced to the role of pinch-hitter. The Cannons did what they had to do last week in splitting two game series with each of the two clubs expected to run away with the CA this year and both New York and Chicago are on the docket again over the next week and a half. Cincinnati presently is enjoying a 4-game lead on the second place Stars and the Cannons would like nothing better than to give the new Tice Stadium some October baseball -something that had become commonplace in the old version of the ballpark.  TOP PERFORMERS LAST WEEK  ANOTHER THREE-HOMER GAME FOR BARRELL For the second time in 8 days Bobby Barrell hit 3 home runs in a game. The first one came against St Louis in an 8-7 win on May 14 and last Thursday Barrell went deep 3 more times in a 9-2 romp for his Philadelphia Keystones over the New York Gothams. Barrell does not set a record for the shortest time period between 3-homer games. That one still belongs to Tom Taylor who hit 3 homers for the Philadelphia Sailors on August 2, 1928 and then did it again 4 days later but Barrell does become the first player in FABL history to have 3 different games in which he hit 3 homeruns. Barrell is up to 20 homers already this season, only 10 shy of his total for all of last year, and at his current pace he would slug 77 on the season. It is likely he is going to cool off at some point but perhaps there should be talk of Barrell chanllenging Max Morris' single season record of 60 homers set in 1923.  As far as I know, this is the first time since I've been covering the Gothams that a group of veterans approached management directly. That the team then swept the weekend series against Chicago puts some credence to the players' plea. June should be an interesting month.   
  NAHC TEAM RECAPS: NEW YORK SHAMROCKS 19-23-6 44 pts: 4th place - Lost to Boston in Semi-finals The New York Shamrocks can take some positives to build on after their performance in the 1946-47 campaign. Starting with the fact that the club ended a 4 year postseason drought by nosing out the Montreal Valiants and Brooklyn Eagles for the fourth and final playoff berth. The Shamrocks also laid the groundwork for some solid offensive depth with the debut of several youngsters led by 22-year-old Gil Corbeil (7-21-28) and 20-year-old Joe Martin (7-9-16). Unfortunately, Martin -the club's first round pick in the draft- missed half the season with injuries but the young winger from Montreal projects to have a bright future. The Shamrocks had struggled early with a clear turning point being a mid-December deal that brought talented, but reportedly troublesome, center Laurel Albers from the Toronto Dukes. Cast out of Toronto after being in the center of dressing room troubles with the struggling Dukes, Albers would be a model citizen in New York. He would also prove to be a key contributor to the offense, averaging nearly a point a game for the Shamrocks after the trade and gave the club a solid second-line center to lessen the load on veteran Orval Cabbell. Prior to the aquisition of Albers the Shamrocks were 5-9-1 but once he arrived the club was over .500, posting a 15-13-6 record after the December 16th transaction. MONTHLY RECORD NOV: 3-5-0 6 points DEC: 4-7-1 9 points JAN: 6-4-1 11 points FEB: 5-5-2 12 points MAR: 1-2-2 5 points OVERAL 189-23-6 44 points  PLAYOFFS A terrible late season swoon by Brooklyn helped pave the way to the playoffs for the Shamrocks, ending a 4 year post-season drought. Unfortunately, the post-seasons stay was short-lived as the eventual Cup champion Boston Bees proved to be far too much for the Shamrocks and swept their semi-final series by winning 3 straight games. The Shamrocks previous two playoff appearances were also semi-final losses to the Bees leaving New York without a playoff series win since 1938-39 when they won a quarterfinal matchup with Brooklyn under the old format where six of the league's seven clubs qualified for the playoffs. March's matchup with Boston was farily one-sided. The Bees were swarming in the opener and blasted the Shamrocks 6-1 despite the fact the New Yorkers outshot Boston 33-25. It was a rough introduction to the playoffs for the Shamrocks 25 year old goaltender Etienne Tremblay who surrendered 6 goals from the first 19 shots he ever faced in NAHC post-season play. New York's best effort came in game two when the Shamrocks peppered Boston netminder Pierre Melancon with 50 shots. Tremblay was solid as well, coming up with 30 saves as the game, tied 4-4 at the end of regulation thanks to a late goal from the Shamrocks Orval Cabbell, needed overtime to determine a winner. That winner would come from Boston just under 11 minutes into the extra frame. The backdrop of Bigsby Garden -the most famous arena in sports- hosting its first NAHC playoff game since 1942 was not enough to inspire the Shamrocks to victory. Melancon in the Boston cage was once more the foil, recording a 27 save shutout as Boston, on the strength of two third period goals completed the sweep with a 2-0 victory.   FORMER TITLE CONTENDER FOUNTAIN SHOCKED BY VAUGHN Mark Fountain's hopes of getting another opportunity to face world heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer are all but extinguished after Fountain was the surprise loser to Syl Vaughn in a bout in Jacksonville on Saturday. Vaughn is a decent heavyweight, a 27-year-old New Yorker who has been around the block a few times with a decent 21-6-3 record but he has never beat anyone of high standing. Until now, when he simply outboxed an unimpressive Fountain, who looked like he could not get out of the ring soon enough. The Fountain loss is a huge surprise as most expected a big effort from the 28 year old trying to prove that he deserved another title shot after Sawyer stopped him in the 12th round of their January title clash. Instead, Fountain is left nursing back to back losses and once more proves he is incapable of delivering in the big moments. Prior to the Sawyer loss, Fountain seemed set to meet the champ two years ago but an aging Leo Carmichael knocked him out and set Fountain's title hopes back by a couple of years. It seems very unlikely he will get a second chance now. Elsewhere rising welterweight contender Ira Mitchell scored a second round TKO of George Gibbs, further sinking the Colorado fighter down the welter totem pole. Gibbs was 16-0 and talked about as a potential world champion just over a year ago, but has now lost each of his last four fights including back to back losses to title contenders Rudy Perry and Ira Mitchell. Another top welter contender, former world champion Mark Westlake got back on the winning side of the ledger with a unanimous decision over Stuart White in his first outing since losing the title to Harold Stephens in February. 
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/25/1947
__________________
Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-14-2023, 07:26 AM
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#722 |
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Bat Boy
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 8
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As someone who is accused of being an 'old soul' or stuck in the past, this is the best thread for me in a long time. Thanks for your efforts and the entertainment value is thru the roof! The immersion when reading this is the best.
Last edited by garysorrell; 06-14-2023 at 07:31 AM. |
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06-14-2023, 12:54 PM
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#723 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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Quote:
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-14-2023, 01:06 PM
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#724 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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June 2, 1947
JUNE 2, 1947 CREAM OF FABL RISING TO THE TOP Expected Contenders Heat Up In Both Loops The St Louis Pioneers and Cincinnati Cannons are starting to feel the heat as both unexpected leaders are watching the predicted contenders close fast. The Pioneers amazing start to the campaign has been well documented as St Louis -without a flag since 1921- went from last a year ago to the top of the Federal Association. They are still number one in the Fed, but the hard-charging Washington Eagles slashed 2.5 games off the Pioneers lead with six wins in their last 7 games. The Philadelphia Keystones, like Washington, tabbed as a preseason contender in the Fed, are also on the rise and even the New York Gothams -who had a dismal start- are starting to make some noise. The Pioneers still hold the lead, but four losses in their last 5 games certainly exposed some cracks. The situation is even dicier for the Cincinnati Cannons in the Continental Association. Six losses in their last seven games including a pair to the New York Stars have allowed the Big Apple club to pull into a tie for top spot with the Queen City gang. Both of those teams are looking over their shoulder at the Chicago Cougars, who with 8 wins in their last nine games are finally starting to show signs of the club many expected would run away with the Continental crown this year.  TOP PERFORMERS LAST WEEK   It just so happens that rookie Joe Quade has been on shaky ground since a 6.32 ERA in April. Quade has had a better May (3.83 ERA) and had his best start in Game 1 of the double dip, The relievers had the entire day off because Quade also went the whole way, allowing three runs on nine hits in a 6-3 victory, his first in the FABL. Does he deserve to stay in the rotation? Probably. Everhart has a tough decision to make. Does 10 seasons and over 100 wins for the franchise give Whiteley the edge? Everhart has not been around long enough to get sentimental over seniority. The future is Quade, no question. Everhart has to decide if the future is now and whether Quade settling in at the Major League level, warts and all, is more important than putting together their best rotation. Speaking of struggling rookies, first baseman Nate Power's first two months in a Keystones uniform can only be described as challenging. Power has a single home run in 83 at bats to go with a ghastly .169 batting average and a .217 slugging percentage. The one saving graces have been his walks (15) and his defense (0 errors in 216 chances). But, that is not why Power was a first-round pick or not why he rocketed up the minor league ladder. Power hit 30 homers in 940 at bats between AA, AAA, and last winter's Cuban league. Power might need some more seasoning, as he has now lost his starting job in the corner infield triumvirate he shares with veterans Hank Koblenz and Frank Covarrubias. Oh, and speaking of rookies making their General Manager look smart, catcher Roger Cleaves made it two Rookie of the Month Awards in the Fed in two months. His May was not as explosive as his April, but there was plenty of dynamite on display. For the month, Cleaves his .270, but slammed six homers and drove in 18 runs, scoring 15 runs in 89 at bats. For the year, he is up to .305-10-32 in the glamor categories, while his analytical statistics are fantastic (.312 ISO, 170 wRC+). You have to step back and remember he is doing this as a catcher and he is providing amazing defense behind the plate, throwing out 52% of would-be base stealers (12 of 23) and commanding the third-best starting staff in the league, including veterans like Lloyd Stevens and George Brooks.  After getting walloped 14-2 by the defending champion Stars on May 23rd at Cougars Park, the perennial "next year is our year" club was 17-20 and eight games behind the Cincinnati Cannons for first in the Continental Association. Unsatisfied with his performance, veteran righty clubhouse leader Joe Brown gathered the struggling bunch in the locker room in an effort to bring the team together and shake off the rust. "It starts with me," Brown later told reporters here at the Chicago Daily News. "I wasn't at my best, and I let them know that it wouldn't happen again. But we have to hold each other accountable and boost each other up. We're a team, let's start acting like it!" To the surprise of many, in a clubhouse full of vets like Hal Sharp, Skipper Schneider, and Pete Papenfus, the next loud voice came from a rookie; Duke Bybee. "I kind of chuckled when rookie with an ERA over 4 got up and started talking," Brown started. But once you hear him speak, you can't help but just listen. In the baseball world he may be new, but this is a guy who quickly worked his way up to sergeant in the Marines. Kid's wise beyond his years. He's not the type to crack when the going gets tough" The young lefty wanted to be the guy to right the ship. Break the slump. And he let everyone know. "I kind of just got up there and told the guys the truth. They're all better then me, so why not play like it? And that's when my mouth got the best of me. I said I'm going to beatdown the Stars. Get some revenge after they keep knocking us down." Sure enough, that's exactly what Bybee did. Just a little better then he expected. The 24-year-old tossed the first of hopefully many shutouts, allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks in a 2-0 victory over the defending champs. "I remember sitting in that meeting Joe [Brown] and I organized and thinking 'who does this kid thing he is?'" All-Star outfielder Leo Mitchell began. "But his words ran true. None of us are playing like we should be. And who am I to complain when it looks like I'm swinging a noodle at the plate? And sure enough, the kid backed it up with brilliance. And I won't lie, watching the poise this young buck had. The energy he pitched with to shake things up. He inspired me too." After leaving five men on base in the victory, Mitchell was re-energized in the finale, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and driven in. But the star of the night was Peter the Heater, as he matched Bybee's shutout with one of his own, pitching like the guy who was voted the Allen Winner for the second time last season. And Mitchell didn't stop there. The following week he launched three homers, as the Cougars ran through the Saints, Kings, and Wolves, winning six of seven to make it eight victories in nine games after the crushing defeat. This vaulted the Cougars above .500 to 25-21, and they cut the Cannons lead over them from 8 to 2.5 in just over a week. There's still a long season ahead, but after stumbling out of the gate, the Cougars finally look like the pennant contender many expected when the year began. All that's left is to keep on winning.  YOUNG DYNAMOS DISPLAY CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATION Let's not fool ourselves, my fellow fans. Deep down, we all knew this splendid dream couldn't endure. It was simply too marvelous to be sustained. I'm referring, of course, to the breathtaking sight of the Detroit Dynamos—a veritable gathering of youthful talent within the Federal Association—holding court in the illustrious second place, defying expectations in a season that the management cautioned would be rife with the birth pangs of development, as these burgeoning prodigies are given a chance to thrive at the grandest stage. In a remarkable turn of events, despite their dubious honor of tallying the fewest runs in all of big league baseball—mind you, that only encompasses the bona fide big league on this side of the Mississippi River—the Dynamos gallantly challenged the equally astonishing St. Louis Pioneers for the pinnacle position in the Fed. Alas, that fateful dynamic has swiftly altered, courtesy of a distressing 4-10 slide that allowed the grand titans of the Fed, namely the mighty Philadelphia Keystones and regning champion Washington Eagles, to leapfrog past our fledgling Dynamos. A momentous weekend series against the seasoned Keystones at Thompson Field unfolded in an unceremonious manner, exposing the youth-laden Detroit squad to a masterclass in the art of the game. Three consecutive bouts, all ending in defeat, left our young stars outmatched, their true potential overshadowed by the veteran wisdom of their adversaries. To compound matters, another clash with Philadelphia awaits today, followed by a pair against the scorching-hot reigning champions from Washington. Moreover, the unfortunate injury sustained by the promising sophomore second baseman, Del Johnson, over the weekend has dealt yet another blow to our slumbering offensive might. With Johnson's absence exacerbating the absence of the prodigious young hurler, Wally Hunter, who remains sidelined for yet another month, it becomes painfully clear that the two stalwarts who electrified us last year, finishing first and second in the race for the Federal Association Rookie of the Year, will not grace the diamond until the vicinity of the all-star extravaganza. Rest assured, dear enthusiasts, this ballclub possesses an abundance of virtues, and the Dynamos shall, in due course, ignite the diamond with their explosive talents. However, that time, my friends, lies at least a year away, perhaps even two or three, for rebuilding demands patience. The scattered pieces are undeniably present, and perhaps a premature exit from the fierce contention race, long before the trade deadline looms, might just prove to be a blessing in disguise for the franchise in the grand scheme of things. Few among us can banish from memory the haunting specter of the past —the nightmarish echoes that resonated when the Dynamos hastened the reconstruction process, futilely striving to transform a fledgling contender into a pennant-winning force. Alas, their desperate endeavors led to the sacrifice of their future, plunging the club into a state of despair akin to the bygone era over a decade ago. This time, however, the pivotal essence lies in patience. The Dynamos possess a well-crafted blueprint. Now, they must resist the seductive allure of a grandiose trade before they are genuinely primed to lay claim to their first Fed flag in nearly two decades.  Smiling old Ad Doria, skipper of the Cannons and a fun-loving character if ever there was one, has thoughtfully guided the Cannons high-powered arsenal to plenty of success over the years. With such a galaxy of veteran talent to strike the fancy of the customers clogging the shiny new Tice Memorial Stadium, it is only natural that there is hardly a meeting of the minds when it comes to singling out one name and pointing to him as the big cog in the Cannons wheel. Speaking of wheels, the Wonder Wheel himself Al Wheeler -owner of 505 homers and nearly 3,200 hits is but a spare tire on the Cannons machine these days. (editor's note: this article was submitted last week, prior to Wheeler winning player of the week honours in the CA) There are plenty of others stepping up in Wheeler's place. Some will suggest that Deuce Barrell, clearly one of the most popular of the many all-stars on the Cincinnati ballclub, as the key piece this year. Others will point to the ageless Red Hampton, still going strong despite closing in on his 41st birthday. Others will point to third baseman Denny Andrews and his terrific work with both the stick and the glove; another group might point to outfielder Sam Brown as the early season MVP while a few will opine that local boy Charlie Griffith, back in the bigs after a year in Indianapolis and 3 in parts unknown with the Navy, is the key piece this time around. Regardless of who you might tab as the key piece, one thing is certain: all of Cincinnati is enjoying the somewhat surprising top of the table show that has the Cannons, guns a blazing, sitting atop the Continental Association once more as they break in a new stadium in true Cannon fashion -with winning baseball. 
NAHC TEAM RECAPS: TORONTO DUKES 13-26-9 35 pts: 7th place - Missed Playoffs It is hard to imagine a team in any professional sports league ever having a worse one-year drop off than what the Toronto Dukes endured last season. After leading the NAHC with 70 points in a season that saw them win 31 games a year ago, the Dukes point total cut in half in 1946-47, as the club finished dead last with just 35 points and won only 13 of its 48 games. The collapse has already cost long-time Dukes head coach Norb Hickey his job as he was replaced by former Detroit coach and Dukes skating star of the early twenties Jack Barrell in an announcement made official last month. It looks like wholesale changes may be coming on the ice as well with possibly only their captain and top scorer, 32-year-old center Bobbie Sauer, immune from trade speculation. Toronto made just one move during the season -sending disgruntled veteran center Laurel Albers to New York in December for rookie defenseman Philippe Dubois in a move designed to end the infighting in the locker room as much as it was to try and upgrade what had suddenly become the most porous defense in the game. It only half succeeded as the players did bond as a team without the disruptive force that is Albers, but their work in the own zone never did improve with Toronto surrendering a league high 175 goals against. Those defensive numbers have led to some speculation that the Dukes might be willing to part with one of the best goaltenders the league has ever seen in Gordie Broadway. Broadway was celebrating a Juneau Trophy win about this time last year, but he quickly went from the best goaltender in the league to the one with the worst goals against average. Broadway should not shoulder all the blame, as it became clear very quickly the Dukes had made a serious miscue in allowing their top two defensemen in Bryant Williams and Joe Todd to leave for Detroit over the summer. They did bring in J.C. Martel from Montreal and he was arguably Toronto's best rearguard this past season but did not fill the skates of either of the departees to Detroit. A lack of offensive production also hurt as Toronto struggled to find production beyond that of Sauer (24-22-46). The cause can be traced to the departure of Albers and reduced scoring compared to a year ago from many Dukes with Les Carlson, Dick Klein and Syl Beam having the most dramatic drop-offs. Perhaps the writing was on the wall when the Dukes were unceremoniously swept in the semi-finals last season by the 4th place Montreal Valiants. Even with that wake-up call, the nightmare season that followed for the Dukes was a shock in its sudden arrival after 2 Challenge Cup titles and 3 straight seasons of finishing either first or second in the regular season. The debacle of a season ended a stretch that had seen the Dukes make the playoffs for 8 straight years and is likely the dawn of a new era in Dukes hockey as owner David Welcombe has promised changes will come. It is an interesting time in Toronto sports as the Dukes, just like baseball's Toronto Wolves, have endured an awful campaign at a most unexpected time and it appears for both changes are needed. The Wolves made some moves during their off-season and hope they are heading back in the right direction. Now it is up to Welcombe and his staff to chart the future course for the Dukes. MONTHLY RECORD NOV: 2-6-2 6 points DEC: 4-6-1 9 points JAN: 4-5-1 9 points FEB: 2-6-2 6 points MAR: 1-3-3 5 points OVERAL 13-26-9 35 points 
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/01/1947
__________________
Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-15-2023, 12:42 PM
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#725 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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June 9, 1947
JUNE 9, 1947 PIONEERS EXTEND LEAD TO 7.5 GAMES ATOP FED With a third of the season already in the books it is becoming very clear that the St Louis Pioneers are for real. Under interim management after a dreadful 1946 campaign that saw the Pioneers sink to the bottom of the Federal Association for the second time in three seasons, the Pioneers are looking like world-beaters with a FABL best 35-17 record that has them 7.5 games ahead of the second place Washington Eagles and perhaps dreaming of ending a pennant drought that goes all the way back to 1921. The Pioneers are red-hot again and on an eight-game winning streak. Everything seems to be going their way this season - for example, Bob Johnston Jr, the little-used first sacker, was given a spot start on Sunday and went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and five ribbies. Danny Hern is channeling Rabbit Day (he's now 10-2 on the year with a 2.21 ERA) and Hal Hackney who started awfully, has back-to-back games where he struck out 11 batters. A week ago it looked like the defending Fed champion Washington Eagles were poised to make a charge but the Eagles were grounded after losing 7 of their last 9 games. The second place Eagles are 7.5 games behind the Pioneers but only 6.5 games ahead of the last place Miners. The Fed race is quickly shaping up to be who will finish in the first and second divisions behind St. Louis. In other news, the Keystones Bobby Barrell continues to pound the baseball at a record pace, homering three more times to reach 25 circuit blasts in a mere 54 games played, a pace that if he could somehow maintain it, would see him shatter Morris' single-season record of 60 by eight home runs. Unfortunately for Bob, most of those homers turn out to be of the solo variety as his team mates just haven't been getting on in front of him. Still, he's a contender for another Triple Crown and even if the Keystones are currently sitting fourth, has to be considered a favorite for a fifth Whitney Award.  TOP PERFORMERS LAST WEEK   There is some modest news in that regard as the Foresters have climbed out of the basement. Yes, it's only into 7th place but this is a club that has finished 8th five times in the 1940s and 7th twice. They haven't won 70 games since 1939 when they went 84-70, and that club still held remnants of the mid-30s juggernaut put together by former GM DD Martin. The current edition, under new, temporary management in the form of Buzz Burton, has collected castoffs from other clubs and stuck them into starting roles. Catcher Dixie Galloway was plucked off waivers from Montreal (he hasn't been good at the plate, but is starting to warm up, hitting .261 thus far in June after a dismal May). LF Bill Sikorski and utility man Constantine Peters were grabbed off the wire from Brooklyn. Sikorski's been a solid starter and Peters is hitting .395 and has played four different positions since arriving. The club also traded with the Kings, adding RF Orie Martinez, whose average is disappointing but who does lead the club in HRs. They've also thrown some youngsters into the breach. Davey Morris was elevated from AA and has appeared in five games in relief and made seven starts, posting solid numbers (2-2, 2 Sv, 2.41 ERA) thus far. Likewise, 21-year-old Eddie Morris was plucked out of A ball and handed the starting 2B job and has done a respectable job in a role where it's hoped he's the long-term solution. Former #1 overall pick Hiram Steinberg was terrible in April, better in May and has thrown two very strong June outings, beating Montreal 5-3 and then shutting out Brooklyn 4-0 without walking a batter across his last 18 frames. The goal of the club's interim management was 70 victories - a modest step up in play with an eye towards righting the ship before ownership brings in a permanent replacement. The current record of 24-31 is a .436 winning percentage and that would get them to 67 wins. So work remains to be done, but a 4-2 week that included a sweep of the Kings, shows that goal of 70 victories may be attainable.  Pringle - Mr. Martin any….. GM Martin - Look Pringle I know what you want to ask. Do I look happy? That was an embarrassing display of baseball out there. The fans of Brooklyn are a loyal bunch. They’ve seen losing baseball now for most of the last decade. Yet they have been coming to the stadium supporting this team in droves. They deserve better than what they are getting lately. The ownership deserves better. We are not playing well at all. That trend is not acceptable! Pringle - So there are changes potentially in the air? Martin - We are always looking at areas to upgrade the team. If you are hinting at the coaches, I just left them in the manager's office. I believe they understand the message! Pringle - And the message is? Martin - Look at your own ratings Pringle. What do you call the “power ratings” or what have you? We are rated last right now by you and the OSA. This team is better than that. So the messages is clear, they need to figure it out quickly. Everyone is being evaluated, myself included. The fans and ownership are not going to continue to accept losing. If you can’t hit your weight in average your likely not to be here long. If you can’t get anyone out while on the mound, you won’t be here. A player or coaching staff members last name doesn’t guarantee you a job! This is a results oriented business! Right now the results are not acceptable. Losing is not acceptable in Brooklyn, not anymore! 
VALIANTS MAKE COACHING CHANGE Former Dukes Boss Hickey Replaces McLachlan The Montreal Valiants have become the second NAHC club to make a coaching change this season after naming former Toronto Dukes bench boss Norb Hickey to replace Danny McLachlan. Hickey, who guided the Dukes to a pair of Challenge Cup titles, was the first coach to be fired this spring when the Dukes dropped him at the end of the season and opted for former Detroit Motors coach Jack Barrell to take the reins in Toronto. Hickey, who spent 7 years in Toronto and led the Dukes to a 183-97-56 record, was let go after a terrible season that saw the Toronto club go from first place the previous year to last this time around and miss the playoffs for the first time in his tenure. Hickey is a Montreal native and local media had been calling for a change after the Valiants missed the playoffs for the first time in 5 years. Hickey makes defense a piority and will be counted on to help improve the Vals in that facet of the game after the club surrendered 160 goals a year ago -second highest in the seven team loop. His biggest challenge may well be to decide between veteran Millard Touhey and young Andy Backlund in net. The 31-year-old Touhey has held the starting job for 4 seasons and can be outstanding at times -such as his terrific performance in the 1946 semi-finals when he led the Vals to a sweep of Hickey's Dukes- but was out of shape last season and endured the worst campaign of his career. The 24-year-old Backlund has been Montreal's back-up for 3 seasons, playing in a career high 10 games this past year and by many accounts outplayed Touhey. Hickey, with his local roots, will be welcomed by the rabid Valiant supporters, but they will likely be quick to turn on him as they did McLachlan this year, should a playoff beth be in doubt. The 54-year-old McLachlan had spent the past 7 years at the helm in Montreal, leading the Valiants to a 136-149-51 record and 4 playoff appearances including two trips to the Challenge Cup Finals, but they came up short on both occasions.  NAHC NOTES: In other hockey news the Toronto Dukes signed 24 year old minor league winger Chris Mueller to a 2-year contract extension. A fourth round pick of the Dukes in the 1942 draft, Mueller won a Great Western League championship with the Vancouver Bears a few years ago and has spent the past two seasons with the Cleveland Eries of the Hockey Association of America. He had two goals and two assists in 33 games with the Eries in 1945-46 but spent all of last season on their reserve roster. Meanwhile the Montreal Valiants put pen to paper with their fourth round pick from last year. Robert Stevens, a 20-year-old winger from British Columbia agreed to a 3 year deal worth $1,400 per season.  UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/08/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-16-2023, 01:22 PM
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#726 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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June 16, 1947
JUNE 16, 1947 SPECIAL COLLEGIATE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES EDITION FIELD SET FOR AIAA DIAMOND TOURNEY It comes as little surprise that the two powerhouse schools from Kentucky once again lead the way as the field is unveiled for the 1947 AIAA baseball tournament. Bluegrass State and Grange College are each ranked #1 and #2 for the second year in a row. Both have something to prove this time around as they were each eliminated from the tournament in their opening game a year ago. Making things even more interesting for Bluegrass State is the Mustangs will once again face the Georgia Baptist Gators in the opening round, a year after the Gators upset them 7-4 in the tournament opener in Cleveland. This year's event will be split between Kings County Stadium in Brooklyn and Dyckman Stadium in New York and is set to get underway with the opening round games on Wednesday. Here is the complete bracket:  Led by All-American third baseman Frankie Williams, Lane State won the tournament a year ago as the Emeralds, despite being the #5 seed in the 16-team field, went all the way with wins in each of the single-elimination opening 3 rounds before sweeping the best of three final from Mississippi A&M in two games. Williams, now a sophomore and an All-American for the second year in a row, and his Emeralds are back in the tournament again this year, as are the runner-up Generals. Grange College had won the two previous national championship prior to the Lane State title a year ago. Here are some of the top players to watch for on the top six seeded teams the tournament. #1 BLUEGRASS STATE MUSTANGS: The Blue Mustangs always seem to have loads of talent and this year is no exception. Jim Urquhart (.323,3,49) was a second team All-American selection and combines with junior outfielder Otis O'Keefe (.312,8,40 -3rd rd Montreal) and sophomore third baseman Hank Estrill (.293,13,52) to lead the offense. They may lack a true ace on the mound but junior George Carter (9-5, 2.99 -9th rd Cougars) leads a deep collection of pitchers. #2 GRANGE COLLEGE MUSTANGS: Senior pitcher Ralphie Spires went 10-4 this season and has twice been drafted but refused to sign with the Toronto Wolves. This time it was the St Louis Pioneers taking their shot at the 21-year-old, drafting Spires in the fourth round. Spires is one of the very few -and perhaps the only player to be a 4-year regular in high school as well as college. Grange College also has a pair of outstanding freshman outfielders in first team All-American selections Don Berry (.336,13,59) and Bill Morrison (.308,11,45). #3 MARYLAND STATE BENGALS: An original feeder league school with 4 national titles in baseball, the Bengals strength this season comes from a trio of freshman in outfielder Cy Lewis (.277,13,46) and infielders Andy Green (.304,11,57) and Bill Bloom (.295,9,38). Tom Parker, an outfielder yet to hear his name called in the FABL draft, is the only key junior on this youthful club. Green was named a first team All-American this year while Lewis made the second team. #4 OPELIKA STATE WILDCATS: Freshman pitcher Bill Kline (9-3, 2.70) had an outstanding season to lead the Wildcats. #5 CAROLINA POLY CARDINALS: Another school with a terrific freshman pitcher in Johnny Young (11-4, 2.45), who has been named a first team All-American and likely will be a finalist for the Christian Trophy. The Cardinals also boast a middle infield dubbed AC/DC as it is patrolled by the Cunningham twins. Second baseman Dick (.283,5,46) and shortstop Archie (.280,1,34) are winding down their sophomore seasons. #6 EASTERN STATE MONITORS: The tournament will be the last chance for the three juniors on the Monitors to impress the pro scouts as pitchers Al East and Red McConnell along with second baseman Sam Mazzotta were overlooked in the January phase of the FABL draft. FARMER HEADS ALL-AMERICAN LIST Only a very select few are named first team All-Americans three different times in their collegiate baseball career. The list has some impressive names such as Vic Crawford, Sal Pestilli and Bob Riggins. Now you can add Al Farmer's name to the list as the second baseman from Amarillo Methodist heads the list of All-Americans and earns the nod as the second baseman on the first team for the third consecutive season. It is extremly unlikely Farmer will be back for his senior season with the Grizzlies as he was selected 9th overall in the FABL draft by the Philadelphia Sailors in January and is expected to sign with the FABL club and begin his pro career. Only one other junior -catcher Jess Garman of Arkansas A&T- made the first team on a squad dominated by freshman and sophomores. Garman was a second round selection of the Montreal Saints. The second team All-America squad did have five juniors including first round FABL selections Irv Clifford (#2 Pittsburgh) and Tony Britten (#11 Cincinnati). The other three were outfielders Jeep Erickson and Bill Mikelson who were selected with subsequent picks in the fourth round by Pittsburgh (Erickson) and Cincinnati (Mikelson). Catcher Clyde Scott, from tiny Bergen College, was the fifth junior and he was not selected in the first 10 rounds of the FABL draft but is eligible for the second phase in a couple of weeks.   TOP PERFORMERS THIS WEEK  
 PACKERS LEAD WAY ON NAHC ALL-STAR LIST The Chicago Packers may have come up just short in their bid for a first-ever Challenge Cup for the franchise but that did not stop the Packers from claiming three of the six slots on the inaugural NAHC all-star team as named by TWIFB. The Packers, who finished second in the league three points back of Boston, pushed the defending champion Bees to six games before eventually falling short in the Challenge Cup finals. Tommy Burns, who led the NAHC in scoring and seems a likely bet to win his second straight McDaniels Trophy as the NAHC's most valuable player, heads the list of three Packers on the all-league team. Joining Burns is his right winger Marty Mahoney, who finished 4th in league scoring with 48 points, and shutdown defenseman Jerry Finch, who had 25 points and was a pillar on the Packers blueline. The champion Boston Bees placed two members on team in left winder Tommy Hart, who tied with Burns for the goal scoring lead with 30 while finishing second to the Packers pivot in points, as well as goaltender Pierre Melancon. Rounding out the team is 31-year-old Detroit defenseman Shel Herron, who led all rearguards in points with 30 as well as average game rating.  O'CONNOR OVERCOMES SLUGGISH START FOR SPLIT DECISION WIN Brooks O'Connor had to pump the throttle with the getup of a Texas Sandman in the Atlantic City ring last night to sneak under the wire and salvage a split decision victory over Darwin Thomas after 10 rounds of off and on heated action. Thomas, a clear underdog despite an impressive 9-1-3 record entering the duel, piled up a sizeable lead in the first half of the bout, but O'Connor, who appeared asleep at the switch in the early heats, came on strong as Darwin faded and when the split decision in the Detroit natives favour was announced, it met with the approval of the 5000 fans on hand for the glovefest. Referee Abe Curtin tabbed O'Connor the winner by two points. Judge Marsh Walker pegged O'Connor by a single point while Judge Ken Rudd felt Thomas was the winner by one point. After a fairly even opening three minutes, Thomas zoomed in front with solid work in rounds two through five and twice rocked O'Connor with righthand sucker punches to the jaw. Pawing out with a weak left jab, O'Connor was an eary prey to Thomas' rights and at close quarters but the bout shifted dramatically in the 6th round when O'Connor suddenly came to life. The 30-year-old O'Connor, who always seems to find a position in the TWIFB's quarterly rankings of the top middleweights but has yet to be given a title shot, ran his record to 24-4-2 with the victory, although most observers felt it should have been a much easier time for him against the 27-year old from Buffalo than it turned out to be. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/15/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 06-16-2023 at 01:33 PM. |
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06-19-2023, 10:55 AM
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#727 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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June 23, 1947
JUNE 23, 1947 CA RACE TIGHTENS BUT PIONEERS SHOW NO SIGNS OF SLOWING IN FED The race for top spot in the Continental Association could not be much more heated with 4 teams within two and a half games at the top of the standings. The Cincinnati Cannons have led much of the way but after starting the week by taking 3 of 4 games from the Chicago Cougars the Cannons were swept in a 3-game weekend series at Tice Memorial by the Brooklyn Kings. The New York Stars, who have been hot on the Cannons heels, failed to take advantage as they dropped 3 of 4 in Philadelphia over the weekend and presently sit a game back of Cincinnati. The Sailors, with 12 victories in their last 17 games and wins in 5 of their last six are just a half game back of the Stars and have a big week ahead with games against both the Cougars and Cannons. Chicago stumbled early in the week in Cincinnati but found northern Ohio much more hospitable over the weekend after the Cougars swept their three game set in Cleveland to move within 2.5 games of top spot. The Cougars were expected by many to run away with the Continental race and it is the Federal Association that was supposed to be the dogfight but it appears there is no slowing the St. Louis Pioneers. Detroit with 12 wins in its last 14 and the Chicago Chiefs -with a very impressive 17-7 record this month- have been charging hard but the Pioneers continue to play solid, consistent baseball. St Louis went 11-5 in April, followed that up with a 16-11 May and are presently 14-7 for the month of June. They did stumble slightly last week, as the Pioneers dropped 3 in a row for the second time this season, but they reversed their course quickly with a doubleheader sweep of defending Fed champion Washington over the weekend. The Eagles are 36-32, but still sit 7 games behind the surprising Pioneers. Meanwhile the Philadelphia Keystones and New York Gothams -the two clubs expected to battle with Washington for the Fed flag- both continue to languish in the second division and below the breakeven point. The Gothams have lost five of their last 8 while the Keystones have been in a funk most of the month with just 3 wins to show from their last 16 outings.  FABL TOP PERFORMERS THIS WEEK  GRANGE COLLEGE, CAROLINA POLY REACH CWCS FINALS The Grange College Mustangs will be looking for their third AIAA collegiate baseball championship in the past four years after advancing to the finals to be held today and tomorrow at Dyckman Stadium in New York. The Mustangs opponent will be the upset minded Carolina Poly Cardinals, who have won two national titles in basketball but have never won a baseball crown. Grange College was the number two seed in the tournament and opened with a 9-2 thumping of west coast outfit Redwood University behind a homerun and 3 rbi's from freshman All-American Don Berry. The Mustangs second game was also a laugher as they thumped underdog Yellowhammer State 8-1 before finally running into a challenge Saturday in the semi-finals against Maryland State. The Bengals, who won 3 baseball titles between 1939 and 1943, led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning before Grange College took the lead with a 2-out, 2-run double off the bat of senior infielder Ted Carbone to pull out a 4-3 victory. Carbone and fellow seniors Ralphie Spires and John Fritz are bidding for the third AIAA title of their careers. The other side of the bracket was taking place at Kings County Stadium, home of the Brooklyn Kings, and the big news was that for the second year in a row Georgia Baptist knocked out tournament top seed Bluegrass State in the opening round. The Gators doubled Bluegrass State 4-2 and nipped Coastal State 5-4 in 12 innings before their title dreams came to an end in the semi-finals with a 7-2 loss to the Cardinals. The Cunningham twins, Dick and Archie, each had 3 hits for Carolina Poly in the win over the Gators while All-American Johnny Young was solid on the mound. Young was the winning pitcher in the opening game as well, helping the Cardinals double CCLA 6-3. Their quarterfinal win was a slugfest, outscoring Mississippi A&M 11-6 with sophomore catcher Bob Anastas having a big day for the winners, lacing 4-hits and driving in 3 runs. The opener of the best of three final will be played today with Hi Greenstein (7-6, 4.27) getting the start for Carolina Poly while Grange College will counter with it's ace Ralphie Spires (10-4, 3.12),who recently tied Tom Barrell for the AIAA career lead in regular season pitching victories. Tuesday will be a doubleheader with the second game only played if needed. Expect All-American Johnny Young (11-4, 2.45) to get one of the Tuesday starts for the Cardinals despite the fact he pitched on Wednesday and Saturday.  ROUND ONE Georgia Baptist 4 Bluegrass State 2 Coastal State 7 Charleston Tech 2 Mississippi A&M 4 Opelika State 2 Carolina Poly 6 CCLA 3 Grange College 9 Redwood 2 Yellowhammer State 6 Red River State 5 Maryland State 7 Central Kentucky 6 (10 inn) Eastern State 5 Lane State 3 QUARTERFINALS Georgia Baptist 5 Coastal State 4 (12 inn) Carolina Poly 11 Mississippi A&M 6 Grange College 8 Yellowhammer State 1 Maryland State 7 Eastern State 4 SEMIFINALS Grange College 4 Maryland State 3 Carolina Poly 7 Georgia Baptist 2 FINALS (Best of 3 Grange College vs Carolina Poly  LEDBETTER THAN THE REST Pitcher Smashes High School Strikeout Marks The Toronto Wolves knew they were getting a pitcher with the potential to be one of the best arms in the league when they won the draft lottery and the opportunity to select first in January. Despite a number of very talented hitters in the draft the Wolves choice was obvious and they quickly selected Les Ledbetter, a lefthander out of Fowlerville, Michigan who had just won the Adwell Award as a high school junior after a record-setting season in which he fanned 245 hitters in just 113 innings. What would Ledbetter do as an encore for his senior season with the Fowlerville Gladiators? Simply set the career high school strikeout mark, surpassing 3-time Adwell Award winner Hiram Steinberg- now with the Cleveland Foresters- while posting a perfect 45-0 record as a high school pitcher. Ledbetter appears to be the clear choice to win his second consecutive Adwell Award -that announcement will come next week- and he finishes second behind only Steinberg in career high school wins by a pitcher and lowest career earned run average. Here are the five finalists for the Adwell Award, presented annually to the top High School player in the nation. RALPH CAPRIOTTI -OF Muncie(IN) HS: (.509/.591/1.073 14 HR, 44 RBI) Despite being a freshman and still just 14 years old, the outfielder led the nation with 14 homers and was second in rbi's with 44. He also hit .509 with 14 doubles giving him a slugging percentage of 1.073 -fifth best in the country. For fans of modern stats his 56 wRC was tops in the nation. LES LEDBETTER - P Fowlerbille (MI) HS: (11-0, 0.40 232 K) The senior was drafted first overall by the Toronto Wolves in January. He completed a high school career that saw him named a first team All-American three times and won the Adwell Award last year as a junior. For his career, Ledbetter went 45-0, a high school win total only surpassed by Hiram Steinberg. Ledbetter is also second only behind Steinberg in career ERA but he did pass Steinberg to set the high school career strikeout mark with 875. As for this season Ledbetter was a perfect 11-0 and his 232 strikeouts were the second highest single season total ever recorded in high school ball. The highest mark? Well that is 245 and was set by Ledbetter last year. His 0.40 era this season with the fifth lowest single season mark ever record in high school ball. FRED LEINHART - OF Pandora (OH) HS: (.593/.623/.864 1 HR, 40 RBI) Another talented freshman, Leinhart led the nation with a .593 batting average this season, which is the 6th highest single season mark ever recorded by a high school player. He was also third in on-base percentage this season. RAY PATTERSON - P South Bend (IN) HS: (11-0, 0.53, 201 K) The sophomore was second behind only Ledbetter in ERA and was third in the nation in FIP and 4th in strikeouts. JERRY SMITH - OF Jackson HS, Queens, NY: (.523/.589/1.205 12 HR, 35 RBI) The senior was selected 5th overall by the Chicago Cougars in January. He hit .523 with 12 homers and 35 rbi's this season to be named an All-American for the second time (he also made it as a sophomore). He led the nation with a 1.205 slugging percentage.   TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Wolves Update- As Brett looks at the Wolves in the middle of June at 29-32 and currently sitting in 5th place in the CA he cautions fans to not lose faith in the squad. The CA a very competitive league in 1947 with only 10 games separating first from worst after 60 games. Cincinnati is coming back to the pack while preseason favourites New York and Chicago have not run away and hid from the other six teams. The Wolves are one extended winning streak away from becoming a real factor in the CA. Manager Bob Call says he is beginning to see a team starting to turn the corner after almost two months. The team keeps getting to the .500 mark only then to go on a short losing streak to fall below the break even mark. The Wolves were never forecast to be an offensive juggernaut in which they would win games by simply outscoring the opposition. Toronto ranks at or near the bottom of the CA in most offensive categories even with good seasons at the plate from Fred McCormick (.328/.420/.562 10 HR 34 RBI) and Hal Wood (.293/.332/.436 5 HR 40 RBI). The Wolves need a return to form from the likes of Charlie Artuso and Hank Giordano to go on the much needed extended winning streak. Insiders hope the recent callup of Sam C Allen from AAA to replace Tom Frederick, who has been put on the DL with a knee injury, will provide a spark to increase run scoring. As readers have heard constantly, to the point of tiresome for many, the key to the Wolves was and remains pitching backed by solid defense. The starting rotation has held its own for the first two months but has to step up its performance to the next level. The mainstays George Garrison and Joe Hancock seem to trade places in the hot or cold department one gets hot while the other struggles in 1947. If both can pitch to their potential at the same time stringing together wins would become much easier for the team. Jerry York has shown he is ready to make the duo a trio, although he has been shaky in his latest outings. The much maligned relief corps has shown signs lately of being able to protect a lead with the promotion of George Waller to a critical role along with the demotion of Lou Jayson -who has looked lost on the mound all year. In the field, as with the 'pen, there have been recent signs of improvement although there is still a long road ahead for the fielders. The number of errors, 58, is the most in the CA. For this team to be successful they have to at the top of the CA in defense -not in the middle or at the bottom. Pitching and defense go hand in hand, for the pitching to lead the way the pitchers need airtight defense behind them, not one that gives the opposition extra base runners or worse free runs. Brett agrees with Call that the team is close, but the winning streak has to come soon to keep the time in touch with the CA leaders. If the reverse happens with the Wolves falling out of contention then it may be time to turn the page on this squad. The trading deadline at the end of July will be the team's signal to the fans as to what the front office plans for the future direction of the team. While Strong is temporarily pushing back against father time another Gothams legend is admitting that he has lost that race just as everyone must. Jim Lonardo, 43, and winner of 305 FABL games has announced that he will retire at the end of the '47 campaign. Lonardo, who hails from Washington, IA, will leave the big city behind and pick up rod and reel to relax after 20 big league seasons. GREEN SOX CHALLENGE FOR GWL LEAD 11 wins in their last 14 games has the Portland Green Sox hot on the heels of the Dallas Centurions for top spot in the Great Western League with a big showdown between the two set for Texas over the weekend. The Green Sox and Centurions both finished well out of the race a year ago but each has been very good this season thanks to some additions from the eastern loop. Aart MacDonald is the most notable addition in the Pacific Northwest and while he is batting just .227 he has added some veteran leadership to a club that already had plenty of FABL experience from the likes of Johnny Guzzo and Johnnie Sundberg. Dallas made a lot of noise over the winter throwing some big contract dollars at several former FABL regulars but the big star in Texas in the early going might well be long-time Centurion George Hunter. The 31 year old pitcher has been with the Dallas club since 1937 and at age 31 is enjoying the best season of his career with a 7-2 record and a 2.47 era. 
ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY The 15th annual All-Star Game is just over two weeks away. This year's contest will be held at Sailors Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia on July 7. It marks the second time the game will be contested in the City of Brotherly Love as the Keystones hosted the 1935 game at Broad Street Park. The Feds lead the series, with an 8-6 advantage but it was the Continental stars who prevailed by a 2-1 score a year ago in Boston. Here is a look at the year by year results with the winning pitchers and most valuable players of each contest. Code:
PAST ALL STAR GAME RESULTS YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP 1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pit 1934 Riverside Stadium Federal 11 Continental 7 Chick Stout Pit Tom Taylor Cougars 1935 Broad Street Park Federal 5 Continental 2 Art Myers Keystones Freddie Jones StL 1936 Pioneer Field Continental 6 Federal 4 Tom Barrell BKN Dick Walker Sailors 1937 Dominion Field Federal 4 Continental 2 (19) Don Attaway Keystones Don Attaway Keystones 1938 Bigsby Oval Continental 5 Federal 4 (13) Bob Cummings BKN Fred McCormick TOR 1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick TOR 1940 Thompson Field Federal 7 Continental 4 Red Hampton Chiefs Billy Woytek Keystones 1941 Kings County Continental 8 Federal 4 Pete Papenfus Cougars Fred Galloway Cincinnati 1942 Fitzpatrick Park Federal 7 Continental 4 Ed Wood BOS Hank Barnett Chiefs 1943 Parc Cartier Continetal 7 Federal 3 Dick Lyons, Cougars Gail Gifford, StL 1944 Columbia Stadium Federal 1 Continental 0 Ed Bowman, Gothams Don Miller, Wash 1945 Cougars Park Federal 8 Continental 4 (10) Bill Anderson, Pit Chick Donnelly, Bos 1946 Minutemen Stadium Continental 2 Federal 1 Richie Hughes, Cle Sig Stofer, Wash 1947 Sailors Memorial  Let's take a look at what the league would look like without the Eagles as 6 team loop, along with what the possible direct impact will be on the Dukes. The first question is how will the schedule be affected for the teams? The scheduling department's job just got easier, an even number of teams is much easier to deal with than odd for balancing off days, travel. The schedule will have to expand to at least 50 games, Brett cannot see the league cutting the schedule back to 40 games. Could the league expand the schedule to 60 games, starting in mid-October still beginning the playoffs in late March? Financially the total travel expenses for teams should remain about the same over the season. The other big question is whether the Shamrocks will capture Eagle fans filling Bigsby Gardens with all of NYC hockey followers. Could be a big financial boost to the Shamrocks. The other big question is how will Eagle players be handled, all become free agents or some sort of draft? This will be the thorniest issue the league has to handle with the Eagles franchise. How the Eagles players are dispersed could have quite an impact on the Dukes. This writer's opinion is that the player issue will be handled by a dispersal draft -which is probably the easiest way causing the least disruption to the salary structure. If the draft is handled in the reverse order of finish in 1946-47 the Dukes would own the first pick. Given the constant presence of new head coach Jack Barrell at the Dominion Gardens this month, I am led to believe Barrell and the GM are discussing options for a dispersal draft. Obviously the two biggest names that would be available are veteran goaltender Tom Brockers along with young center Quinton Pollock. Brett would lean towards Pollock as it makes little sense to have Brockers and Gordie Broadway competing for the job between the pipes. Pollock, a 30 goal scorer, would immediately solves the Dukes lack of offense which Barrell mentioned, although he also mentioned the plan going forward was to build a strong defensive team. Word around the team is that many players will not have their contracts renewed by the Dukes including Rosie McInnis. The Dukes could also get creative by trading down in the dispersal draft in order to pick up a lower pick along with an already proven NAHC player. Does the Eagles demise change the plans for the Dukes future? Stay tuned for opinions on that topic if the Eagles do actually fold, an event that would certainly create an interesting summer for the NAHC. NAHC MAY LOSE BROOKLYN FRANCHISE Intense rumours coming out of the New York area have the NAHC's Brooklyn Eagles on the brink of folding. One source the Detroit Times spoke too has confirmed it is a done deal and Brooklyn owner Edward Faberge is pulling the plug, blaming the club's demise on years of losing money. The club averted extinction just 7 short years ago when Brooklyn Kings ballclub owner Daniel Prescott stepped up with a stadium deal to allow Faberge to avoid the extortion-like prices he was paying the New York Shamrocks to rent Bigsby Garden but years of awful hockey has doomed the Eagles, just when the franchise was starting to see the light. The Brooklyn team suddenly has some very talented players and that spells good news for the Toronto Dukes who will likely have first pick at the corpse that is the Eagles should the league elect to go ahead with a dispersal draft. Toronto's defensive zone coverage was awful a year ago and goaltender Gordie Broadway had a subpar season but even with the great Tom Brockers expected to be available, it has hard to see the Dukes, or any other team for that matter, passing on the opportunity to select Quinton Pollack first in the dispersal draft. Pollack is a 24 year old the Eagles purchased from the coast league this past season and all he did as an NAHC rookie was tie for the league goal scroring lead by lighting the lamp 30 times. With Pollack to Toronto a done deal if the dispersal draft happens and follows the reverse order of standings from a year ago, that means Montreal will likely grab the veteran netminder Brockers with the second pick. Brockers was outstanding with a subpar defense in Brooklyn behind him and might just be able to lift the Valiants into contention if 31-year-old continues at the top of his game. There is also a chance that the Valiants play the 'long game' and go with 20 year old defenseman Robert Sharpley who was the Eagles second round draft pick a year ago and tallied 12 points as a rookie this season. The New York Shamrocks would pick third and if all goes according to plan they would likely end up with a choice between Sharpley or talented center Ian Doyle. The 23-year-old Doyle was signed by Brooklyn after three years with Syracuse of the HAA and was averaging nearly a point a game before an injury ended his season in early January. That leaves the Motors with the fourth choice and they would likely be happy with whichever of the 4 players listed above fell to them although don't rule out left winger Steve Coates who, like Pollack, was brought in by the Eagles from the coast league. The 23-year-old had 32 points in 35 games this season but there is some question as to whether his point total was inflated because he played alongside Pollack. There is also a slight chance that if Sharpley is not available the Motors will look to 25-year-old rearguard Alex Viens, a solid two-way defenseman who actually started his career with the Motors and won the McLeod Trophy as the league's top rookie two years ago. That would leave the top two teams in Boston and Chicago to pick from who was left. The Eagles did not have a lot of depth but the Motors and the 3 teams selecting ahead of them would each likely also land a solid contributor with their second round selection. SECONDARY BOXING EXTRAVAGANZA ADDED TO COUGARS PARK Chicago fight fans are in for a treat as the anticipation for Hector Sawyer's highly awaited world title defense on August 2 reaches a fever pitch. To capitalize on the fervor surrounding the event, organizers have decided to stage a second major boxing spectacle at Cougars Park just two nights prior to Sawyer's clash with the formidable Irishman Pat Harber. This will mark Sawyer's seventh title defense since his ascension to the throne in 1940. With an astounding 45,000 tickets already sold for the Sawyer fight, controversial fight promoter Chester Conley finds himself in a state of elation. Seizing the opportunity, Conley diligently campaigned to secure heavyweight contenders Cannon Cooper and Mark Fountain as the main event on a Thursday night card preceding the Saturday extravaganza. Alas, those negotiations fell through. Nonetheless, Conley's tenacity prevailed as he successfully enlisted the services of two prominent welterweights, Mark Westlake and Willis May, to engage in fistic combat at the resplendent ballpark just two days before the title bout. Mark Westlake, a 29-year-old pugilist hailing from Biloxi, Mississippi, previously held the world welterweight championship before succumbing to the current titleholder, Harold Stephens, in a February clash. Westlake regained his stride last month with a decisive victory over Stuart White, and he aims to catapult himself back into the championship fray by triumphing over Willis May. A victory over May could potentially position Westlake for a rematch against either Stephens or Carl Taylor, who are scheduled to vie for the crown on August 16 in the boxing mecca of Boston. Armed with a commendable 21-3-1 record, Westlake enters the ring with hopes of reclaiming his place among the welterweight elite. Standing opposite Westlake is the formidable 28-year-old Willis May, a pugilistic force hailing from Alabama, with aspirations of his own to capture welterweight glory. May boasts an impressive record of 17-2-2, and his recent unanimous decision victory over former world champion Dennis O'Keefe has instilled fear in the hearts of his opponents. Coincidentally, it was O'Keefe whom Westlake conquered to secure the coveted belt, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this encounter. As the Chicago boxing scene brims with excitement, Cougars Park is set to witness a memorable night of pugilistic artistry. The clash between Westlake and May promises to captivate fight enthusiasts, who eagerly await the display of skill and valor from these two formidable contenders. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
 The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/22/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 06-19-2023 at 11:46 AM. |
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06-20-2023, 01:17 PM
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#728 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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June 30, 1947
JUNE 30, 1947 COUGARS ADD PESTILLI Gothams Tearing Down Again It Appears The Chicago Cougars already had the best team in baseball on paper, but have consistently come up just short time and again. With the club struggling to score runs this season, they made a huge move today in adding underperforming but extremely talented centerfielder Sal Pestilli from the New York Gothams. A former first overall pick and the 1938 Whtiney Award winner as well as a six-time Federal Association all-star, the 31-year-old Pestilli was mirred in the worst start of his career this season -hitting just .243 with only 5 homeruns in 70 games with the underachieving Gothams. Struggling to stay at the breakeven point despite their big name heavy offense, Gothams mangement, as they are prone to do, reacted quickly -although some would term it rashly- and let word know through the league that Pestilli, as well as several other key players were available. It is believed multiple offers came in immediately for the talented centerfielder and the Gothams jumped at one of them: taking a first round pick and a pair of Class C prospects for a player once considered to be on the verge of becoming the best centerfielder in the game. The move is the latest in a long series of moves the Cougars have made over the years in search of a Continental Association flag - a swath of fabric that has eluded the club since 1941 despite being the preseason favourite in the CA most of this decade. With an extremely talented pitching staff and a deep offense that includes the recently acquired Walt Pack -another former Whitney Award winner- and now Pestilli it is hard to imagine the Cougars, barring some unforseen injuries, not being the dominant club in the CA for the second half of the season. *** Gothams Appear Ready To Blow Up Roster Again *** Is the trade sending Pestilli to the Cougars just the start of yet another mass exodus of talent from Queens? The Gothams have a modus operandi that they seem very intent upon following and have used it with mixed results for well over a decade. It began in 1936 when they tore apart a team that had won back-to-back pennants but was off to a slow start that season. The sell-off paved the way for the Chicago Chiefs to win a pair of World Championship Series titles due in a very big part because they had convinced the Gothams to deal future Hall of Famer Rabbit Day to them. The result was some mostly awful baseball over the past decade from the Gothams with one magical WCS title claimed in 1942 sprinkled in. The question is "did they just gift the Chicago Cougars with a very similar present to that which they awarded the Chiefs in the late 1930s?" And where does New York go from here this season? It seems clear they have thrown in the towel once more despite being within 11 games of the surprising St Louis Pioneers with none of the other co-favourites this spring making big waves either. Perhaps this really is the Pioneers year to end their more than two decades of mediocrity, but that still seems far from certain especially if a team like New York started to play up to its potential. With Pestilli gone, and nothing that will help in the present coming back, it certainly feels like more will follow Pestilli in the move out of the Big Apple. How long will it be before Henry Carter -their second most effective pitcher is moved? Will they move the aging Mahlon Strong, who is suddenly healthy and looking like his dominant self? Maybe they will surprise everyone and use the draft pick they acquired from the Cougars -although very likely to be at the bottom of the first round now- and some of their own youth for an ace pitcher or dominant veteran hitter to try and jump start the team this season but history tells us that will not be the case. It instead suggests the Gothams will move another veteran or two and then likely in the near future part with the likes of Red Johnson or Walt Messer as they close in on their 30th birthdays and if that happens can Ed Bowman be far behind? New York management has always said it is first or last for the team and they have no desire to be anywhere in between. All FABL general managers are open to second guessing from the armchair experts in the papers and in the stands but a gunslinger approach like New York takes exposes them so much more than most clubs. The aproach did win the Gothams a WCS title in '42, but it sure feels like with the amount of talent that has passed through the Big Apple there could have been a few more pennants had the club exhibited just a more conservative approach. GRANGE COLLEGE WINS COLLEGIATE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES For the third time in four years the Grange College Mustangs are AIAA collegiate baseball champions. The Mustangs won the Collegiate World Championship Series with a 7-4 victory over Carolina Poly in game three of the tournament finals in New York City on Tuesday. Jack Armstrong pitched seven innings to earn the victory while senior Ted Carbone drove in 4 of the Grange College runs with two doubles and a single to lift the Kentucy school -who was the number two seed in the event- to victory. This is the third CWCS title for Carbone and fellow senior Ralphie Spires, who pitched a gem in the series opener, as they also won as freshman and sophomores. The opening game saw Spires sping a 4-hit complete game victory as Don Berry's second homerun of the tournament help lift Grange College to a 4-1 victory over the Cardinals. Carolina Poly extended the series when their ace, freshman All-American Johnny Young, went the distance in a 5-2 victory Tuesday afternoon. Young was clearly labouring late in the contest as he was making his third start of the tournament but had enough left in the tank to hold off a late Grange College rally and even the series. The deciding game went 3 hours later before a crowd of nearly 25,000 at Dyckman Stadium. For the second year in a row a freshman was named the most valuable player of the tournament. There was plenty of support to Young to get the nod but instead it went to his fellow All-American in Grange College outfielder Don Berry, who homered twice in the tournament and hit .455. COLLEGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FINALS Grange College 4 Carolina Poly 1 Carolina Poly 5 Grange College 2 Grange College 7 Carolina Poly 4 Grange College wins 2 games to one.  LEDBETTER WINS SECOND STRAIGHT ADWELL AWARD Les Ledbetter has been named the top high school baseball player in the country for the second consecutive season. The slim leftander from Fowlerville, Michigan was a unanimous choice in results from a ballot of 5 finalists announced this week. The award, first presented in 1934 and named after former high school and big league star pitcher Red Adwell, sees Ledbetter become the fourth player to win it multiple times. He joins Hiram Steinberg, currently of the Cleveland Foresters and the only three time winner, along with New York Gothams slugger Walt Messer and Detroit pitching prospect Roy Schaub as the only players with more than one Adwell. Ledbetter was selected first overall by the Toronto Wolves and is expected to sign a contract with the big league club in the near future, although he has made a committment to play college ball at CC Los Angeles should he be unable to come to a deal with the Wolves. Code:
ADWELL VOTING RESULT NAME 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL Les Ledbetter 7 0 0 21 Jerry Smith 0 6 1 13 Ray Patterson 0 1 4 6 Ralph Capriotti 0 0 2 2 Fred Leinhart 0 0 0 0  JIGGS MCGEE'S ANNUAL ALL-STAR BALLOT We are just 8 days away from the gathering of baseball's best at Sailors Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia for the 15th annual edition of the FABL All-Star Game. That also means it is time to continue the long standing This Week in Figment Baseball tradition of reveal the details of the ballot Jiggs McGee casts for his starting lineup. Let's start with the Federal Association, which holds an 8 games to six lead in the series. CATCHER He is 33-years-old and has played in 8 mid-season classics already despite missing three years of his prime due to the war and Jiggs will go with the veteran leadership of Pittsburgh's George Cleaves as his starting catcher. There is some good competition including from George's half-brother Roger Cleaves, a Keystones rookie, as well as Pete Casstevens of the Gothams and Washington's Paul Wilkerson. FIRST BASE Second year breakout star Dick Estes of Detroit and ex-Brooklyn King Tim Hopkins, now of the Chicago Chiefs, have both been terrific but no way I can pass on veteran Gothams star Red Johnson as the choice here. SECOND BASE Artie D'Alessandro has had a big season after leaving St Louis for Chicago and Billy Woytek is steady in Philadelphia but the choice is Bill Freeman, who is one of the big reasons the Pioneers are leading the way in the Federal Association. Quite a turnaround for a 31-year-old who never could quite cut it with the Gothams and was snapped up by St Louis in the rule five draft in January. I am not sure if any rule five selection has ever made the all-star team in the year he switched teams, let alone been selected to start the game. SHORTSTOP Harry Barrell and George Dawson used to battle for the starting spot when both were in the Continental Association. The duo are much older now but both are playing very well this season. Barrell is the pick and is one of the few bright spots in what has been a rough half-season for the Boston Minutemen. THIRD BASE Hank Koblenz has been his usual steady self in Philadelphia but the pick here is Mel Carrol of the Washington Eagles, who is once more among the top hitters in the loop. LEFT FIELD Some great options here including Davey Robicheaux of the Keystones, the Gothams Walt Messer and the impressive Larry Gregory of St Louis but my pick is Washington's Jesse Alvardao in a very tough call. CENTER FIELDIt's a close call between Rats McGonigle of Washington and 20-year-old Edwin Hackberry of Detroit. Vets Whit Williams and Bill May are also in the mix but in my books this will be the first of many years that Hackberry starts in centerfield for the Fed. RIGHT FIELD A lot of players are having great seasons in this group. Bob Coon is enjoying a great start in Washington. Rookie Billy Brown is amazing for the Chiefs. Veteran Mahlon Strong is (shockingly) healthy for the Gothams and Sid Williams and Al Tucker are doing well in Detroit and St Louis but none of that matters because Bobby Barrellis now a full-time right fielder and poised to make his record 11th appearance in the all-star game. PITCHERThere is no better reason for why the St Louis Pioneers have gone from worst to first in the Fed than pitcher Danny Hern. Hern did not win a single big league game last year, and spent much of the season in the minors, but now the 30 year old is leading the Fed in wins and era in one of the biggest turnarounds ever witnessed. There are some other solid candidates like Al Miller of Chicago, Boston's Ray Dalpman, and Ed Bowman of the Gothams but the clear choice is Hern. And here is Jiggs' ballot for the Continental Association all-star starting lineup. CATCHER A tough call between Solly Skidmore of Brooklyn, the Sailors Woody Stone and veteran Adam Mullins of the Cannons but Mullins gets my vote. FIRST BASE I will stick with the veteran Toronto star Fred McCormick as my choice with the other usual candidates like Chuck Adams and Dick Walker underperforming. SECOND BASEIt is hard to believe but Freddie Jones has not played in an all-star game since 1939 and he did not miss any time due to the war. That changes this year as Jones is having a strong season with the New York Stars and gets my vote over Chicago's Billy Hunter and Charlie Rivera of the Cincinnati Cannons. SHORTSTOP A position with usually a lot of competition in the CA but this year there is a new face that deserves recognition. Billy Bryant may not have the glove of his long-time predecessor in Brooklyn but he is certainly making fans at Kings County forget about Harry Barrell with his work at the plate. Rip Lee of the Sailors, Joe Angevine from New York and Skipper Schneider of the Cougars are in competition for the backup job but I would suggest that spot should belong to Jim Hensley and his incredible work in the field. THIRD BASE The Cincinnati Cannons rejected some trade offers for Denny Andrews over the winter and with good reason. Andrews has been a huge part of their success this year and is without a doubt the top third baseman in the CA at the midway point. LEFT FIELD Leo Mitchell is having a down year by his lofty standards but the 34 year old Chicago Cougar veteran still gets my vote. Ex-Toronto Wolves two-way player Juan Pomales of Brooklyn and the Stars Jack Welch also deserve consideration. CENTER FIELD There is no real standout among the candidates here. Bobby Boone has impressed with the Stars. Fred Galloway has a knack of getting on base and plays solid defense for Cincinnati. Young Paul Porter has been a nice surprise in Cleveland as has John Moss with Brooklyn but afte much debate the choice is Toronto veteran Chink Stickels. RIGHT FIELD There are a lot of great candidates here. Nearly every team has a player worthy of consideration with Sam Brown a real standout in Cincinnati but the pick is Hal Sharp of the Cougars, who at this writing was leading the CA with a .373 batting average. PITCHER Johnny Slaney has been very impressive in Brooklyn as has Eli Panneton of the New York Stars but the starting pitcher for the Continental Association in the all-star game should be Donnie Jones of the Chicago Cougars.  TOP PERFORMERS IN FABL LAST WEEK  CHIEFS ACQUIRE REYES On the verge of being cut by the Pittsburgh Miners, 6-time all-star outfielder Pablo Reyes may have found new life in Chicago. The Chiefs acquired the 36-year-old yesterday in exchange for a 7th round selection in the 1948 FABL draft. Reyes hit just .248 a year ago and was off to the worst start of his career this season with a .229 batting average and a .302 on-base percentage in 57 games with the Miners. Pittsburgh deemed him expendable to make room for Joe Read, a 23-year-old they picked up from the Chicago Cougars in the rule five draft. Known as 'The Cuban Comet', Reyes made his big league debut with the Montreal Saints in 1933 after being selected third overall out of Bayou State in the 1932 FABL draft, where the Havana native was a second team All-American in 1931 and a first team selection in his draft year. After being named to the Continental Association all-star team in both 1937 and 1938 he was dealt to Pittsburgh and would make four appearances on the Fed team for the midsummer classic. Reyes led the Fed in doubles four times and in hits twice including 1940 when he finished third in voting for the Whitney Award. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN The Toronto Wolves climbed over .500 at 37-36. Granted, they are still in 5th place but only 4 games out. Manager Bob Call says he likes what he is seeing lately although the thrashing taken against the Foresters, 10-4, was ugly but his quote after the game was "that's baseball". Fred McCormick continues his torrid pace slashing .329/.423/.593 14 HR 48 RBI 164 OPS+ and leading the team in all six categories. Pitchers George Garrison and Joe Hancock continue to switch roles - one hot, one cold. The bullpen has been removed from the endangered species list. Defense is tightening, slowly, still lead the CA in booted balls. Les Leadbetter is about to become the largest "bonus baby" in Toronto history, his offered exceeds the total draft budget allocation by 65%. Owner Millard had to authorize the outlay, he did so after being assured that the pitcher is a generational talent. The last words out of Millard's mouth are said to be "You guys had better be right!" Gothams General Manager Tom Ward gave his star players a month to turn the season around. True to his word, the team made no moves. And the team responded with a 14-13 mark in June. I doubt that team management is pleased. There are rumblings of a shake-up. "Not a rebuild", I'm told. "We're not shipping everyone out." But there will likely be changes. Whether smaller around the edges or a big name move, we will see. One high-ranking Gothams official had this to say: "The Gothams are mired in mediocrity. We can go two ways with this. so we'll see what happens. Basically anyone other than Bowman, Johnson and Messer can be discussed at the moment. Of interest for contenders are pitcher Harry Carter (7-4 3.30) a steady solid starter. Sal Pestilli and Mahlon Strong who could give a boost to a lineup. Prospects, picks and players who could add some life to the team. Gothams phone lines are open for discussion. No huge rush, but 'tis the season." 
MELANSON SET FOR JULY 4 FIREWORKS You can just sense how excited Frank Melanson is about his upcoming title defense against John Edmonds. It will be Melanson's fifth trip into the ring to defend the world middleweight belt he won just over two years ago when he upset Archie Rees in Philadelphia. The excitement, and perhaps some nervousness, comes from the fact this will be the first time as champion that Frank the Tank fights in his hometown of Pittsburgh. And never mind, just fighting in Pittsburgh. Melanson will be on center stage at the most famous sporting venue in the city as takes on Edmonds in a ring set up on the infield of Fitzpatrick Park. Melanson spoke fondly to reporters the other day at the pre-fight press conference about his memories of the Fitz. "I was a huge fan of Frank Lightbody growing up, and later George Cleaves as well. Just loved to watch them both hit. And those pennant winners of the late thirties with Lefty Allen were great too. Just a shame we couldn't win a series." Winning is something that has come natural of Melanson, as he has yet to lose in the ring. Frank is 32-0-2 and still has to pause for a moment to believe it is all real. "I shake my head sometimes. I mean I am a steel worker, and was really until two years ago. Now I am fighting in Fitzpatrick Park. Every fight is a big one, but yes I have to admit this one will be a little extra special." The 29-year-old will face a tough challenge in the 30-year-old Edmonds, a tough hard-hitting pugilist out of Muncie, In., with a 23-2 record where 18 of those wins did not need to go to the judges for a decision, including his most recent bout when Edmonds -to the delight of the Bigsby Garden crowd- knocked out convicted draft dodger Jack Rainey in the 9th round of their 10 rounder in February. This one, like all title fights, will be 15 rounds or less, and is sure to set off some Independence Day fireworks.   The 26-year-old Erickson enlisted shortly after his 21st birthday so he had a late start on his pro career but did excel in a number of military matches including a thrilling 15-rounder with fellow youngster Danny Rutledge in England in 1944. That was on the undercard of an Archie Rees title fight and became the springboard for both Erickson and the 23-year-old Rutledge, who is 10-0 and also a fighter to watch in the welterweight division. Ward, a 23-year-old middleweight, was in action in Brooklyn last night and scored a unanimous decision over ring vet Marvin Harris to improve his record to 14-1. The New York native spent three years in the army and was part of the invasion force that made its way through Italy. After his discharge in 1945, Ward resumed a ring career that had started at the tender age of 17 when he knocked out his opponent in his debut. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/29/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-21-2023, 04:13 PM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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July 7, 1947 All-Star Game Rosters revealed
JULY 7, 1947 ALL-STAR GAME ROSTERS UNVEILED Bobby Barrell Named For Record 11th Time The rosters have been finalized for the 15th annual All-Star Game, set to take place at Sailors Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia tomorrow. The lineups, which include 19 first-time all-stars, are highlighted once again by Bobby Barrell as the Keystones slugger becomes the first player to be selected 11 times for the midseason classic. Barrell is having another dominant season at age 36, batting .336 with 38 homers and 69 rbi's at the break and seems to be on course to threaten Max Morris' single season homerun mark of 60. Barrell's brother Harry is back in the all-star game as well, making his 8th appearance after a six year absence from the annual spectacle. Pittsburgh catcher George Cleaves and Adam Mullins, catcher for the Cincinnati Cannons, are each selected for the ninth time. Here are the rosters for tomorrow's game.  Code:
MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS 11* Bobby Barrell Keystones 10 Tom Bird Retired 9 Frank Vance Retired 9* Adam Mullins Cincinnati 9* George Cleaves Pittsburgh 8 John Lawson Retired 8* Fred McCormick Toronto 8* Harry Barrell Boston 7 Hank Barnett Brooklyn 7* Mel Carrol Washington 7 Pete Day Boston 7 Ron Rattigan Chiefs 6 Sal Pestilli Cougars 6 Fred Galloway Cincinnati 6 Leo Mitchell Cougars 6 Dean Astle Boston 6 Pablo Reyes Chiefs 6 Moxie Pidgeon Retired 6* Bill Barrett Stars 6* Red Johnson Gothams 6* Al Miller Chiefs 6* Freddie Jones Stars 6* Skipper Schneider Cougars *selected to 1947 ASG ALL-STAR REPRESENTATIVS BY TEAM BROOKLYN- 5 Johnny Slaney (1), Solly Skidmore (1), Juan Pomales (1), Ralph Johnson (1), John Moss (1) NY STARS- 5 Chuck Cole (4), Eli Panneton (2), Freddie Jones (6), Mack Sutton (1), Bill Barrett (6) WASHINGTON- 5 Ike Keller (4), Buckeye Smith (1), Mel Carrol (7), Jesse Alvardo (2), Rats McGonigle (2) CHIEFS- 4 Gus Goulding (2), Al Miller (6), Tim Hopkins (1), Artie D'Alessandro (1) COUGARS- 4 Donnie Jones (2), Walt Pack (3), Skipper Schneider (6), Hal Sharp (2) DETROIT- 4 Carl Potter(1), Dick Estes (1), Edwin Hackberrry (1), Sid Williams (2) SAILORS- 4 John Thomas Johnson (1), Win Lewis (2), David Molina (2), Woody Stone (5) BOSTON- 3 Ray Dalpman (2), Billy Dalton (3), Harry Barrell (8) CINCINNATI- 3 Adam Mullins (9), Denny Andrews (3), Charlie Rivera (1) NY GOTHAMS- 3 Ed Bowman (5), Sam Hodge (1), Red Johnson (6) ST LOUIS- 3 Danny Hern (3),Tony Dixon (1), Al Tucker (5) TORONTO- 3 George Garrison (3), Fred McCormick (8), Chink Stickels (3) KEYSTONES- 2 Roger Cleaves (1), Bobby Barrell (11) CLEVELAND- 1 Davey Morris (1) MONTREAL- 1 Jack Spahr (1) PITTSBURGH- 1 George Cleaves (9) Code:
PAST ALL STAR GAME RESULTS YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP 1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pit 1934 Riverside Stadium Federal 11 Continental 7 Chick Stout Pit Tom Taylor Cougars 1935 Broad Street Park Federal 5 Continental 2 Art Myers Keystones Freddie Jones StL 1936 Pioneer Field Continental 6 Federal 4 Tom Barrell BKN Dick Walker Sailors 1937 Dominion Field Federal 4 Continental 2 (19) Don Attaway Keystones Don Attaway Keystones 1938 Bigsby Oval Continental 5 Federal 4 (13) Bob Cummings BKN Fred McCormick TOR 1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick TOR 1940 Thompson Field Federal 7 Continental 4 Red Hampton Chiefs Billy Woytek Keystones 1941 Kings County Continental 8 Federal 4 Pete Papenfus Cougars Fred Galloway Cincinnati 1942 Fitzpatrick Park Federal 7 Continental 4 Ed Wood BOS Hank Barnett Chiefs 1943 Parc Cartier Continetal 7 Federal 3 Dick Lyons, Cougars Gail Gifford, StL 1944 Columbia Stadium Federal 1 Continental 0 Ed Bowman, Gothams Don Miller, Wash 1945 Cougars Park Federal 8 Continental 4 (10) Bill Anderson, Pit Chick Donnelly, Bos 1946 Minutemen Stadium Continental 2 Federal 1 Richie Hughes, Cle Sig Stofer, Wash 1947 Sailors Memorial  FABL BEST OF THE WEEK  GOTHAMS DEAL CASSTEVENS All-Star Catcher Sent to Chiefs Another day, another deal for the once more retooling New York Gothams. After sending Sal Pestilli to the Chicago Cougars a week ago, the Gothams sent another all-star to the Windy City as catcher Pete Casstevens was dispatched to the Chicago Chiefs. While TWIFB questioned the return the New Yorkers received for Pestilli, there are no such worries with the haul they received for the 28-year-old Casstevens. The move, clearly a decision from Chiefs brass to go all in an effort to catch the surprising St Louis Pioneers for top spot in the Federal Association, sees Chicago send its first and second round picks along with what OSA ranks as the Chiefs top four prospects in outfielder Dick Steel, shortstop Lou Hooker and pitchers Dick Mills and Chuck Briggs. The 23-year-old Hooker made his FABL debut this season and is batting .265 in 21 big league games. The other three prospects are all 19 or 20 and presently playing in Class B. None are a can't miss prospect with Steel the only one of the four to crack the OSA top 50 so there is clearly risk on New York's part put the Chiefs draft picks stand a much better chance of being lottery selections than the first rounder the Gothams added from the Cougars for Pestilli. In all, the Gothams now own three first rounders and two second round picks in the January draft. While we have few concerns with the return the Gothams received from Chicago, we do have a big worry about the deal. That would be how do the Gothams survive the season without anything resembling a big league catcher in their organization? They have career minor leaguer Cliff Leiby -with 12 games of big league experience- as the backup to Casstevens at the moment with just Josh Porter and Gussie Harris at AAA, neither of whom is expected to contribute much. Perhaps the Gothams give the job to untested Ray Miller - a 23-year-old 1942 fourth round selection with some promise who is hitting .236 in in 85 games of AA expeirence over the past season and a half. Or do they make a deal for an established catcher? Casstevens is an outstanding defensive catcher who can provide some offensive pop as well and should fit in very nicely both in the Chiefs lineup and at Whitney Park with it's cozy leftfield line. The move means the Chiefs may end up eventually parting ways with Dino Robinson, a 23-year-old who has not looked out of place in the Chiefs lineup after being acquired from the Keystones two years ago. *** Fed Picture is Cloudy *** These moves certainly jumble things up in the Federal Association. If there was any doubt the Gothams were looking to the future after the Pestilli move, this deal certainly seems to confirm it as they no longer have a big league quality catcher. The Chiefs have made some big moves over the last twelve months, certainly enhancing their pennant hopes with additions like first baseman Tim Hopkins and now Casstevens. They still might be a piece or two short and their minor league prospect cupboard -already fairly bare- is now pretty much empty although Robinson does remain a pretty solid trade chip should they find the right piece to target. It will be very interesting to see how St Louis reacts. The Pioneers are in the lead and have been nearly all season but as New York Daily Mirror columnist John Brinker observed "you can't help but feel they are a Danny Hearn injury away from fading." Will St Louis pull the trigger on a big deal over the next four weeks to help with those dreams of ending a pennantless stretch that dates all the way back to 1921? What of Detroit? The Dynamos brass has said it will not move any of its strong core of young talent but the Detroit nine is clearly just a bat or two away from mounting a serious challenge this summer. If Detroit stays close does management give in and make a move to try and accelerate the rebuild in the Motor City? That is something that has been tried before in recent years and came up short -ultimately setting the Dynamos recovery back. Now that New York is seemingly out of the mix do the Washington Eagles or Philadelphia Keystones get aggressive prior to the deadline, knowing there is one less bigtime player in the picture for the rest of the season and quite possibly the next couple as well. Or does New York do a sudden about-face and try and package those three first rounders into an ace arm, and likely a catcher, to try and charge right back into the mix? It should be an interesting July in the Federal Association, but then isn't it always. MINERS FIRE SKIPPER LIBBY Late news out of Pittsburgh confirms that the Miners have relieved manager Bill Libby of his duties. Libby was in his second year running the Pittsburgh bench but the Miners are sitting in last place in the Federal Association with a 33-51 record. The club also announced that third base coach Charley McCain will take over on an interim basis but will be given an opportunity to earn the job full-time. The 51-year-old McCain joined the Miners at the start of the 1946 season along with Libby. He never played in the big leagues but did spend some time with Sacramento in the Great Western League and played college ball for Garden State before moving on to coach in the collegiate ranks. This marks the first time in the modern era the Miners have made a managerial change during the season. The 60-year-old Libby, who had a brief stint with the Montreal Saints in his playing days, made his mark as a pitching coach in holding that role for World Championship Series winners in Detroit and Brooklyn. After helping the Kings to three straight pennants, Libby received his first chance to manage in the big leagues when he was handed the reigns for the Philadelphia Keystones. He spent five seasons with the Keystones before leaving following the 1943 campaign when the club elected not to renew his contract. Libby signed with Pittsburgh prior to the 1946 season and the team finished 6 games under .500 for him last year. Libby is 498-510 all time as a manager.  COASTAL STATE SOPHOMORE MILLER WINS CHRISTIAN TROPHY Shortstop Tom Miller of the Coastal State Eagles has been named the winner of the 1947 Frank Christian Trophy, presented annually to the top player in collegiate baseball. The 21-year-old, who will be eligible for the FABL draft in January, led the college ranks in homeruns with 15 while batting .339 and playing solid defense for the South Carolina school. The Philadelphia native is a likely first round draft pick as OSA scouts feel he will be an everytday shortstop who can make an impact on a top-tier team. Miller, who helped lead the Eagles to the second round of the AIAA tournament for the second year in a row, claimed six of the seven first place votes for the award. The other ballot had Miller behind Carolina Poly freshman pitcher Johnny Young, who finished second in the voting, and shortstop Irv Clifford, a junior from Charleston Tech who was drafted second overall in January by the Pittsburgh Miners. Miller becomes the first shortstop to ever win the award and joins two-time winner Bill Moore, Freddie Jones and Sam Orr as the only infielders to win a Christian Trophy.  *** Dynamos Hanging in Race *** It is the all-star break and congrats to the three young Dynamos who will be making their first -of what we hope is many- trips to the all-star game. Carl Potter, Edwin Hackberry and Dick Estes are all very deserving and can rely on veteran Sid Williams to show them around. Williams is hardly an all-star regular -certainly no where near Bobby Barrell's record 11th appearance- but he is back for his second trip to the summer classic. Williams popped out as a pinch-hitter to end the 1941 game won by the Continentals 8-4 in Brooklyn. Fans of the electric bolt have to be pretty happy looking at the standings today and see the Dynamos in second place. The rebuild is going quicker than expected, but there are some doubts the club can keep it up. Washington is very much in the mix and the Chiefs have added some pieces as well. You also have to think that Philadelphia is not willing to waste this amazing season Bobby Barrell is having on a second-division club. But unless someone can step up and join Lloyd Stevens as a productive contributor on the Keystones mound that might be just where they end up. There was a crazy rumour circulating the Dynamos had sent a note to Toronto asking about Fred McCormick. If true, he would be a big addition and maybe the bat the Dynamos needed to put them over the top. Alas, Toronto sources insist McCormick is going to retire with the Wolves and probably just as well, as the price would be more than the Dynamos should likely be willing to pay, as the best course right now is stick with the plan to let all of their young talent develop together. *** Ice Eagles Folding Good for NAHC, But Bad for Motors *** While nothing official has been released by the league, it is clear that after years and years of rumours the Brooklyn Eagles have finally flown for the last time. Even in the late 1930's there was talk of the Eagles -run by current Detroit head scout Bill Yeadon back in those days- was being squeezed out by the Bigsby's. Maroons owner Rollie Barrell and several others rode to the rescue back then and the club found new life in Daniel Prescott's basketball stadium in Brooklyn. The team was awful on the ice, and few fans bothered to show up, leading to the rumours of its demise - rumours that now finally were realized. A 6-team NAHC will be a much more stable loop. It is easier to schedule games, increases the talent pool and ensures that two-thirds of the league owners will get at least some playoff revenue. The problem is the timing could not be worse for the Detroit Motors as far as divying up the talent in Brooklyn. The Eagles really have two star quality players in 24-year-old goal scoring machine Quinton Pollack and 31-year-old legend Tom Brockers between the pipes. Those two seem all but assured of going to Toronto and Montreal, the teams that missed the playoffs along with the Eagles last season. New York finished fourth and picks third with promising 20-year-old defenseman Robert Sharpley the likely prize, unless Montreal grabs him instead of Brockers. So with the three stars gone, each making the three teams that finished below the Motors a year ago a fair bit better, a second straight trip to the playoffs might just be a tough ask for Motor City icemen.
RACE TIGHTENS IN COAST LOOP The Oakland Grays completed a 3-game sweep of the first place Dallas Centurions over the weekend, tightening up what is turning out to be quite a race for the top two spots in the Great Western League and with them berths in the Bigsby Cup. The Centurions have dropped 8 of their last 11 contests and as the season hits the midway point there are four teams separated by just two games at the top of the league. The Centurions, led by a high scoring office accumulated in no small part due to big money contracts that lured former FABL regulars Brooks Meeks, Ken Mayhugh and Heinie Billings west, still lead the way, a game and a half up on both the Grays and the Los Angeles Knights. The Knights, who lost to San Francisco in the inaugural Bigsby Cup a year ago, rely heavily on their pitching staff including ex-FABL regulars Karl Wallace and Bob Cummings. Oakland is getting a career year out of Frankie Cohen, who spent a few seasons with the Chicago Chiefs. Cohen lead the GWL in hitting and has been hovering around the .400 mark all season. Two other big reasons for the Grays success has been the work of Jim Hawkins and Cy Sullivan on the mound as the duo has combined for 18 wins in the first half. Pete Layton's Portland Green Sox are right in the mix as well and boast of some familiar FABL names in Johnny Guzzo, Vernon Ruch, Lew Seals, Pete Archer and Aart MacDonald although the last three have missed substantial time with injury. 
 SHOCKER IN STEELTOWN: EDMONDS WINS MIDDLE BELT, RUINS MELANSON’S HOMECOMING They say there is no rooting in the press box. You shall not root for players or teams. It compromises one’s ability to evaluate with clarity. I have been careful over the years, not to fall in love with the Keystones in their success since I have been covering them, this year notwithstanding. I have been careful not to fall head-over-heels in love with The Georgia Jolter or The Memphis Mauler. It is one of the tougher parts of my job: to stay objective. It is with that in mind that it pains me to write this recap of the Frank Melanson-John Edmonds fight on Independence Day at Fitzpatrick Park. You see, Melanson won his title in the first title bout I covered for the Inquisitor. Frank Melanson was the underdog in his title shot on that fateful and, dare I say, idyllic night in Philadelphia, where Melanson boxed his way to the unlikeliest of championships with a unanimous decision over the Tadcaster Thunderbolt, Archie Rees. Two years hence, Melanson was still the champion as he entered the ring for his fifth title defense, but he would leave the ring a disappointed former champion. Disappointed in his showing in his hometown in its cathedral, Fitzpatrick Park. Disappointed in the way the fight ended, with referee Ernest Byrd stopping the fight in the 14th round when a cut over his right eye made it too precarious to continue. Disappointed in not going in for the kill when he had the chance. John Edmonds, the challenger from Muncie, Ind., entered the fight at 22-2-0, which looks paltry compared to Melanson’s 32-0-2 mark to begin the fight, but Edmonds won 17 by knockout. If styles make fights, Edmonds, who has a reputation for a hard-hitting, power-punching style could easily spell trouble. Melanson was ahead, albeit slightly, on each of the three judges’ cards by the same 125-123 count when the fight was stopped. But time after time during the fight, Edmonds featured more power in his punches and had long stretches where he was in control of the bout. Melanson, as is his strategy, fought more defensively and Edmonds’s corner clearly watched previous film on Frank the Tank to know the champ’s tendencies. Edmonds started with a strong first round, which showed Melanson he was going to have a fight on his hands. A hard right hand, which became his go-to as the bout wore on, set the tone about two minutes in. Edmonds connected on 80% of the Big Boppers I counted during the entire fight (16 of 20). Melanson was shaken but stiffened up to lead the early rounds. The momentum swung to Edmonds in the sixth round when Edmonds brought his hammer to ring center. A combination and an uppercut sent Melanson reeling and Edmonds marked his dominant round with a late combo and a right to the head. In the ninth, Edmonds left a lasting mark with an early jab in the opening seconds that cut the Tank above his right eye. From that point forward, Edmonds landed six Big Boppers and Melanson could not connect on a single one. Edmonds jumped into the driver’s seat and tried to exploit the gash while it started to swell. In the 13th round, Melanson’s cut reopened halfway through the round on a big right from Edmonds. The fight was halted while Melanson was checked out, but the match was allowed to continue, though only temporarily. Just 31 seconds into the 14th round, an uppercut by Edmonds proved to be too much and the fight was stopped for good four seconds later. You could Melanson’s body betrayed him. He was ahead on points and if he could have continued and held his own for another 5-1/2 minutes, he could have kept the belt. But it was not to be. Melanson’s first loss (32-1-2) is not the death sentence it has been for other fighters recently. Thie outcome screams for a rematch. Edmonds, the new Middleweight Champion, earned his stripes and won in a hostile environment, moving his record to 23-2-0. Edmonds won the respect of the crowd, if not its adulation. The former champion slunked in the corner after the result was announced, bloody and crestfallen. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPER STATS Round 1: Edmonds 1-0 (1:55 right/side) Round 2: None Round 3: Tied 1-1 (E: 0:29 hook/head; M: 2:23 cross) Round 4: Edmonds 1-0 (0:44 uppercut) Round 5: Tied 2-2 (E: 1:49 hook, 2:59 hook; M: 1:04 combo, 1:59) Round 6: Edmonds 4-0 (0:37 combo, 0:51 uppercut/head, 2:32 combo, 2:53 right/head) Round 7: Edmonds 1-0 (0:15 cross) Round 8: Melanson 1-0 (1:20 uppercut) Round 9: Edmonds 3-0 (0:51 right/ribs, 2:09 right/face, 2:35 uppercut) Round 10: None Round 11: Edmonds 1-0 (0:37 right/body) Round 12: Edmonds 1-0 (2:08 right/chin) Round 13: Edmonds 2-0 (0:31 cross, 1:46 right) Round 14: None TOTAL: Edmonds 16, Melanson 4  GILL SUFFERS DISAPPOINTING DEFEAT IN BALTIMORE Todd Gill, the valiant warrior who famously clashed with Frank Melanson on two unforgettable occasions for the world middleweight title, seems to have reached a crossroads in his illustrious career. Gill's most recent outing resulted in a lackluster ten-round unanimous decision loss to Owen Shepherd, a modestly regarded pugilist hailing from Canton, Ohio, who appeared as a veritable titan compared to Gill in their encounter last Monday. At 35 years of age, Gill exhibited signs of slowness and weariness right from the early rounds against Shepherd, giving the impression of a pugilist whose best days lie behind him. With this defeat, Gill's professional record now stands at 22-3-6, a far cry from his heyday. It is worth noting that Gill's decline commenced following a crushing TKO loss to the formidable Melanson in May of last year. Those unforgettable battles against Melanson, including their ferocious draw in New York six months prior, showcased Gill's indomitable spirit and highlighted the middleweight division's most thrilling nights of fisticuffs in recent memory. During that golden era, Gill was on the cusp of securing his well-deserved title shot, but contractual disputes resulted in then-champion Archie Rees seeking alternative opponents in Philadelphia, ultimately leading to Melanson's shocking upset victory. The unassuming factory worker from Pittsburgh was thrust into the global spotlight, changing the trajectory of Gill's career until the two met a few months later. Despite his recent setback, Gill remains resolute in his determination to soldier on. "I am not hanging up the gloves. I shall return to the squared circle," he declared with unwavering resolve. However, one cannot help but ponder whether Gill's tenacity can overcome the physical toll that countless battles have exacted upon his body. The road ahead appears treacherous, and only time will tell if Gill can summon the strength to triumph over future challenges. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
 THE NIGHT PITTSBURGH WEPT Melanson's Defeat Shakes the Steel City Frank "The Tank" Melanson, the once-unlikely champion who emerged from the steel mills of Pittsburgh to conquer the world of boxing, suffered a devastating blow on the evening of July 4. The city's very own prodigal son, who had captured the middleweight crown in a stunning upset two years ago, was making his triumphant return to Fitzpatrick Park for his fifth title defense. The stage was set for a grand celebration, with fireworks illuminating the night sky after another resounding victory. However, fate had a different plan in mind, and John Edmonds crashed the party with a force that even the fiercest storm could not muster. The fight unfolded with a palpable air of anticipation, as the Pittsburgh faithful filled the stands, eager to witness their beloved champion's dominance. Melanson, who had soared through 33 victories without a single defeat, had become a symbol of resilience and hometown pride. Yet, on this fateful night, the cheers turned to hushed whispers as Edmonds unveiled his tenacious spirit. The climax came in the 14th round when the contest was abruptly halted. Though Melanson pleaded for the bout to continue, his plight was evident - blood cascading from a cut above his right eye had rendered him defenseless. Referee Ernest Byrd, despite enduring the wrath of the pro-Melanson crowd, made the difficult but necessary decision to protect the fallen hero. The scorecards had favored Melanson, and victory seemed within his grasp, but Edmonds, displaying unwavering determination, fought with the heart of a lion. The fatal blow occurred early in the ninth round when the challenger from Munice, Indiana, landed two rapid-fire jabs, one of which found its mark, tearing open Melanson's eyebrow. Edmonds, ever the opportunist, seized upon the moment, relentlessly targeting the wound throughout the rest of the bout. Melanson's corner fought valiantly between rounds, attempting to staunch the flow of blood and extend their warrior's reign, but their efforts were in vain. The middleweight champion's crown slipped from his grasp, his time at the pinnacle of the sport coming to an unexpected end. As the final bell tolled, a sense of somber reflection filled Fitzpatrick Park. The celebratory fireworks still exploded above, but they lacked the jubilant spirit they were intended to embody. Melanson, once an emblem of triumph over adversity, must now come to terms with his first taste of defeat. The road to redemption may be arduous, but if history has taught us anything, it is that the spirit of a champion can never be extinguished. *** Ice Eagles Finally Down For the Count *** While the world of boxing mourned the fall of Frank Melanson, another local sports institution faced its own devastating defeat. The Brooklyn Eagles, a team known more for its survival instincts than its on-ice triumphs, met its final demise after years of battling against insurmountable odds. The Eagles' journey began in the heart of New York City, but it was the relentless claws of financial hardship -and the extortionet ways of the Bigsby clan- that forced the team's relocation to Brooklyn in 1940. Under the guidance of new owner Edward Faberge, the Eagles set their sights on a fresh start. However, their inaugural season was marred by a dismal performance, as they managed a mere eight victories in the Brooklyn Arena. The subsequent years only brought further despair, with consecutive seasons marked by a paltry three wins, pushing the team to the brink of oblivion. Ironically, as the Eagles achieved their highest point total in Brooklyn history, accumulating 38 points with a 15-25-8 record, the team succumbed to its long-standing struggle to remain financially viable. Faberge, in a desperate bid to salvage the sinking ship, recruited promising talents from the minor leagues, hoping to build a winning team that would captivate the hearts of fans. Despite narrowly escaping the league's basement for the first time, the Eagles could not stave off the financial losses that plagued their balance sheet. Thus, the Brooklyn Eagles, once a symbol of resilience, now fade into the annals of history. *** Cautionary Tales: Eagles' Demise Raises Concerns for Diamond Pioneers *** In the wake of the Brooklyn Eagles' collapse, St. Louis finds itself at a crossroads, teetering on the precipice of losing one of their two sports franchises. The St. Louis Pioneers, a storied baseball team that has languished in the shadows of mediocrity for far too long, now faces a stark reality. Despite their current position atop the Federal Association, boasting a first-place standing, the Pioneers find themselves struggling to fill the seats and capture the hearts of their disillusioned fanbase. For over a decade, St. Louis baseball enthusiasts have exhibited a peculiar apathy towards their hometown team. The Pioneers, who last hoisted a pennant in 1921, have failed to recapture the glory that once electrified this city. The wounds inflicted upon the faithful by ill-fated trades, including the departure of the prodigious Max Morris, the titan of home runs, in the mid-1930s still sting today. When Los Angeles movie producer Dee Rose assumed ownership of the team in 1940, hopes were raised for a renaissance. However, those aspirations quickly turned to disillusionment when it was revealed that Rose, in a move that reverberated through the sports world, had intentions to relocate the Pioneers to the sun-drenched shores of California. Fate, of course, intervened, delaying the ill-conceived migration as the shadows of war loomed on the horizon. Still, the wounds of betrayal inflicted upon the hearts of St. Louis fans remain fresh, casting a shadow of doubt over the team's future. As the Pioneers now find themselves perched atop the league, their destiny rests not only on the shoulders of their players but on the fervor of their supporters. Will the citizens of St. Louis rise to the occasion, proving their undying loyalty, or will they mirror the apathy that condemned the Brooklyn Eagles to their final flight? Only time will reveal the answer.   CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE LOOKS FOR BIG YEAR The Continental Football Conference, a postwar baby that grew up in a year, takes off on its second training campaign in another two weeks with a feeling of high optimism instead of a chip on its shoulder. They'd fight the established American Football Assocation at the drop of a headgear last season as they struggled for a toehold in the rich industry of football for pay. With that toehold achieved, the CFC now expects to carry on along more conservative lines until an eventual agreement for a football "World Championship Series" is established with the American grid Asscociation. No one in authority will say so, but the general feeling both at CFC headquarters and around the league is that an armistice will be reached within two years. Reasons for optimism over the 1947 season are numerous -and main one is at the box office. "Reports we've been getting in here indicate every team in the conference has or will easily surpass its ticket sale of last year," said CFC President Bob Montgomery recently. So much for the all-important dough. The breand of football, or at least the competitive angle, also is looking up. Both division of the Continental Conference expect to be built up far closer to the level of the Kansas City Cowboys -who dominated the loop in its inaugural season. The Chicago Comets, who were among the league's worst a year ago, are the first to get training camp underway July 15, with all other clubs heading for camp between then and the end of the month. CFC President Bob Montgomery will be making his rounds of the camps after that and word is the speech he has prepared for each of the eight teams will focus heavily on the evils of gambling and consorting with gamblers would make your hair curl. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/06/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 06-21-2023 at 05:07 PM. |
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06-22-2023, 01:19 PM
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#730 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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July 14, 1947
JULY 14, 1947 SHARP WALK-OFF BLAST GIVES CA WIN IN EXTRAS Hal Sharp hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Continental Association to a thrilling 5-4 victory in the 15th annual All-Star Games, played Tuesday evening in Philadelphia. It marked a dramatic end to a contest that saw each team score a run in the ninth inning to send the contest into extra innings. The victory cuts the Federal Association's lead in the series to a slim 8-7 margin. Sharp ended the game with his solo shot -one of two hits he had in 5 at bats- but it was his Chicago Cougars teammate Walt Pack who was named the game's most valuable player. Pack drove in 4 runs for the Continental stars with a 2-run double in the fourth, a solo homerun in the seventh frame to tie the contest at three and then delivered a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to plate another Cougar, Skipper Schneider, who had tripled with one out. Pack's sacrifice evened the score at 4 after Bobby Barrell of the Philadelphia Keystones belted his second homerun of the game in the top of the ninth to give the Fed side the lead. The game, played before 31,500 fans at Philadelphia's Sailors Memorial Stadium, was scoreless until the third inning when Detroit's Dick Estes, making his all-star debut, hit a pinch-hit solo homerun off of Donnie Jones of the Chicago Cougars. Rats McGonigle of Washington would follow with a single and one out later Bobby Barrell -playing in his record 11th all-star game- smacked a 2-run homer over the centerfield wall to give the Feds a 3-0 lead. The Continental side got on the scoreboard in the 4th inning when, after Ed Bowman had retired the first two batters, the CA strung together three straight hits off the Gothams hurler. Freddie Jones of the New York Stars started it with a single and moved to second on a base hit off the bat of Cougars infielder Skipper Schneider. That set the stage for eventual MVP Pack, who laced a double to score them both and cut the Fed lead to 3-2. Pack would tie the game with his homer to lead-off the bottom of the 7th inning, taking Al Miller of the cross-town Chicago Chiefs deep, setting the stage for the 9th and 10th inning drama.  Code:
PAST ALL STAR GAME RESULTS YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP 1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pit 1934 Riverside Stadium Federal 11 Continental 7 Chick Stout Pit Tom Taylor Cougars 1935 Broad Street Park Federal 5 Continental 2 Art Myers Keystones Freddie Jones StL 1936 Pioneer Field Continental 6 Federal 4 Tom Barrell BKN Dick Walker Sailors 1937 Dominion Field Federal 4 Continental 2 (19) Don Attaway Keystones Don Attaway Keystones 1938 Bigsby Oval Continental 5 Federal 4 (13) Bob Cummings BKN Fred McCormick TOR 1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick TOR 1940 Thompson Field Federal 7 Continental 4 Red Hampton Chiefs Billy Woytek Keystones 1941 Kings County Continental 8 Federal 4 Pete Papenfus Cougars Fred Galloway Cincinnati 1942 Fitzpatrick Park Federal 7 Continental 4 Ed Wood BOS Hank Barnett Chiefs 1943 Parc Cartier Continetal 7 Federal 3 Dick Lyons, Cougars Gail Gifford, StL 1944 Columbia Stadium Federal 1 Continental 0 Ed Bowman, Gothams Don Miller, Wash 1945 Cougars Park Federal 8 Continental 4 (10) Bill Anderson, Pit Chick Donnelly, Bos 1946 Minutemen Stadium Continental 2 Federal 1 Richie Hughes, Cle Sig Stofer, Wash 1947 Sailors Memorial Continental 5 Federal 4 (10) Davey Morris, Cle Walt Pack, Cougars ALL-STAR GAME NOTES
PIONEERS PULL TRIGGER ON DEAL FOR PITCHER Fans in Missouri may not have noticed yet, but the rest of the Federal Association has quickly realized that the St Louis Pioneers are serious about this pennant run. For the first time in years the Pioneers were buyers in July, making a deal with the Cleveland Foresters that will do nothing but enhance their chances at claiming the squads first pennant since 1921. The deal sends high school pitching legend turned pretty solid 24-year old big league hurler Hiram Steinberg west to St Louis in exchange for the player many consider to be the best outfield prospect in the game in 19 year old Sherry Doyal. The Foresters -who it only seems like have been rebuilding longer than the Pioneers- will also garner St Louis' first round draft pick in the deal. The Pioneers have had an incredible turnaround this season, climbing from the basement of the Federal Association a year ago to be the only FABL club with 50 wins at the all-star break. St Louis, despite terrible fan support and the lowest average attendance in the Fed, is on its way to its best season since Max Morris was merely a promising young slugger. The club has been full of surprises this season with none bigger than the 14-3 start for 31-year-old Danny Hern, a year after he went winless with the Pioneers. Adding Steinberg, a New York City high school legend who is the only three time winner of the Adwell Award, gives St Louis another solid starting pitcher and makes a rotation that includes Hal Hackney (9-4, 4.29), Dick Long (7-5, 4.26) and Jasper Moore (7-5, 3.61) following Hern one that can compete with anybody. The timing of the move is perfect for Steinberg, who missed two years due to the war and had some growing pains upon his return but appears to be hitting his peak now in his age 24 season. 'The Undertaker" is 9-4 with a 3.82 era for a very bad Cleveland team and should look even better with the Pioneers high-octane offense supporting him. Doyal was a heavy price to pay but the Pioneers have depth in the outfield -something Cleveland sorely lacked with its recent draft emphasis on pitchers- so the deal seems to work well for both clubs. Doyal is just 19 years old and only 13 months removed from high school but the New Orleans native is already showing skill in adapting to AA pitching so he could be playing on the shores of Lake Erie as early as next April. The extra first round pick -even if it ends up being at the bottom of the round- is also a welcome addtion to a Cleveland club that hopes to emulate the St Louis turnaround in the near future. JIGGS McGEE's TAKE: Not a cheap investment by any stretch by the Pioneers but a clear statement to fans and Federal Association opponents that the Pioneers are serious about their pennant chances this year. It is tough to see Steinberg leave for Cleveland supporters, but the club has a lot of good young arms and a shortage of elite bats -something that Doyal should provide one day soon as well as some pretty good defense in center field. Cleveland right now reminds me very much of the Cannons just prior to their move from Baltimore to Cincinnati. They are loaded with pitching prospects, as the pre-move Cannons were, but need some young offensive talent and Doyal is a big acquisition in that regard. THOUGHTS ON THE DEAL FROM OTHERS AROUND THE LEAGUE PERCY SUTHERLAND (Chicago Herald-Examiner): I was actually just thinking the same (comparison between 1939 Cannons and current Foresters) this morning. Very similar to the Cannons. Cannons kept drafting pitcher, after pitcher, after pitcher and were stuck at the bottom of the league. You need to make deals. Teams can't be built solely through the draft. ARCHIE IRWIN (Chicago Daily News): I do like this deal for the Foresters. They have plenty of pitchers and Doyal could be a real good hitter. Other then Adams, cant really say that about anyone else. Will be interesting to see which Undertaker the Pioneers get. JOHN BRINKER (New York Daily Mirror): This should help both clubs. The Pioneers might not get another chance as good as this one in the short term in the shark tank that is the Federal Association. And Steinberg, though a chronic underachiever, is still young and looks like he might finally live up to some of that blinding potential he had back in HS in New York. As for Sherry Doyal, he's a Sal Pestilli-esque outfielder with all five tools who the Prospect Pipeline has pegged for 1948. I think that might be overly optimistic and would say he should hit the big time in a big way in '49. And a first rounder's a first rounder, so win-win for both sides, I think. The Foresters have plenty of young pitching, so adding Doyal and the pick made sense. To be honest, I thought the Gothams might take a crack at picking up Steinberg. He's a NYC kid and I did mention that both AI teams were open for trading. With all those picks, the Gothams could have plucked him.  Moore is the second manager to be replaced in a week, following on the hills of the Pittsburgh Miners decision to fire Bill Libby and replace him with Charley McCain, who had been the Miners third base coach prior to the promotion. Moore had been the Saints manager since 1941, compiling an 393-460 record as the Saints dugout commander. He has been in the Saints organization since 1934. The 52-year old Cator, a Green Tree, Pa. native, spent a decade as a FABL player, starting with St Louis but spending most of his time in Cleveland. His biggest claim to fame as a player is that he was involved in the package of players and money the Pioneers sent to Cleveland in the deal that brought Max Morris to St Louis. Cator has been in the Saints system since 1935, first as a hitting coach and since 1945 as a manager at Nashville and the Minneapolis. He guided the Chieftans to a Dixie League title in 1945 before stepping up to Minneapolis for the 1946 campaign.  TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK   BRINKER'S BEST 'SPECTS: 1947 EDITION Two lists, one for the guys with the bats, one for the guys who toe the slab. Devised by Brinker's special, top-secret formula (patent-pending) that accounts for all phases of a player's game.  DRAFT PICK UPDATE Watch out for the 1947 draft class as OSA feels it is going to be one to remember. The scouting service lists last month draftees as 4 of the top 5 prospects in the sport. Just #1 Ralph Hanson was not apart of this year's draft class as Bob Allan was pushed from 2nd to 6th. In total, 8 of the first 13 prospects are Class of 1947 draftees. Here is a look at how each of the first round picks stack up: BOSTON- Marshall Thomas 2B, 6th -Signed and is presently ranked 12th on the OSA list. 18-year-old had a huge start in 6 games at Class C, batting .440 with 3 homers. BROOKLYN- Ken Newman 3B, 3rd, Charlie Rogers CF 10th, Dan Smith C 16th: Newman just signed and is listed as #3 on the OSA prospect pipeline. Rogers is #32 on that list and went 12-for-30 with a homer in his first week of pro ball at Class B. Smith, the only college player of the three, just signed and is #50 on the OSA list. CHIEFS- no first round pick -selected Chick Lewis 12th in round two: 21-year-old SS from Darnell State is off to a great start in AA, going 6-for-20 with a homerun in his first week. OSA slots him in at #42. COUGARS- Jerry Smith CF, 5th: The 18-year-old debuts at #11 on the OSA list after just signing this week. CINCINNATI- Tony Britten P, 11th: The former Kit Carson University star has just signed with the Cannons and is the 4th highest ranked pitching prospect at #13 overall according to OSA. CLEVELAND- Frenchy Sontag CF 7th: The 18-year-old is #61 on the OSA list and went 7-for-21 in his first week of pro ball at Class C. DETROIT- John Morrison 1B, 4th: The young slugger hit his first homer in his debut with Biloxi last week and sits at #39 on the OSA pipeline. Detroit had hoped the scouting service would place the 4th overall pick a little higher, but overall the Dynamos brass loves their draft. Pitchers Jack Halbur and William Benns were second round choices and OSA has them ranked 41st and 64th respectively while just signed third rounder Jim Gaiter -selected out of high school just like the other three- also cracked the top 100 list at #85. MONTREAL- Bill Duckworth 1B, 13th: 18-year-old just signed and is listed as #88 by OSA. The Saints second round pick, college catcher Jess Garman is actually ranked higher by the scouting service at #75. NY STARS- Paul Watson SS 15th: The Opelika State product debuted at AA last week, with 7 hits including a pair of homers in his first 5 games. OSA lists the 21-year-old at #28 on its chart but he is second among Stars shortstop prospects with 20-year-old Ralph Hanson showing as the best prospect in the sport according to OSA. NY GOTHAMS- Cecil LaBonte SS 8th: Constitution State's Cecil LaBonte is #7 on the OSA top prospect list and looked very solid at AAA last week with 6 hits in his first 18 at bats as a pro. KEYSTONES- Herm Kocher CF 12th: The 18 year old Georgia native known as "Southern Comfort" looked fairly comfortable in his pro debut at Class C, batting .250 in 6 games. OSA places him #21 on its prospect parade. SAILORS- Al Farmer 2B, 9th: Amarillo Methodist product Farmer debuted nicely at AA, batting .417 with 5 extra base hits among the 10 he had in his first 24 pro at bats. OSA lists him comfortably in its top ten as the 5th best prospect in the sport. PITTSBURGH- Irv Clifford SS 2nd overall: Charleston Tech's Irv Clifford was drafted second overall and is ranked #2 amongst all prospects according to OSA. He just signed last week so will make his pro debut this week. ST LOUIS- Bill Kiley P, 14th: Quite a draft for the Pioneers as Kiley, an 18-year-old pitcher who made two starts at Class C last week, shows at #54 on the OSA list. Meanwhile, George Atkins, an 18-year-old outfielder selected in the second round is ranked #18 by OSA, 3rd rounder Jack Adams is 49th and fourth rounder Richie Spires, from AIAA champion Grange College, slots in at #86 on the OSA top 100. TORONTO- Les Ledbetter P 1st overall: After going unbeaten in high school, Ledbetter hadn't lost a game in 4 years until he came up short in his pro debut but he followed that up with win yesterday to even his Class C record at 1-1. OSA ranks the Adwell Award winner from Fowlerville, Mi., as the top pitcher and 4th best prospect overall. WASHINGTON- no first round pick, selected P Jim Heitzman with final pick of round two: The Eagles traded their first rounder to Brooklyn but it looks like they got a good one in second rounder Heintzman. OSA places the 18-year-old righthander at #60 on its top 100 prospect chart after he signed with the Eagles yesterday. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Wolves Fading Fast -As the Wolves see 1947 slowly slipping away from them, including an 11-10 loss in the first game in Dyckman Stadium when they rallied from an 8-4 deficit to take a 10-8 lead in the 8th only to cough it up in bottom half on a 3 run HR by Mack Sutton. After losing the nightcap 4-2 Manager Call, as incensed as anyone has seen him in a Wolves uniform, called the day "A joke, the team is not playing FABL level ball.". The goals have been reestablished at a lower level. Manager Call along with pitching coach Johnny Franklin, who are on expiring contracts, have been told by the front office that minimum acceptable performance for the balance of the season is an over .500 record along with a first division finish in the CA. Brett is putting together an upcoming article on what he believes the direction for the team should be during the remaining 59 games of the season. He has already heard that Sam C Allen will be relegated to platoon role after a dismal .155/.211/.254 start in 76 plate appearances. Front Office staff will be concentrating in sorting out the mess that is the Wolves system, in which only Vancouver has winning record, the focus will be to push players up the system along with rationalization of the entire system by releasing the those who are thought to have no future with Toronto. Along those lines, Les Ledbetter has already left Tuscaloosa bound for Vancouver after posting a 1-1 record with 19 Ks, 1 BB in 13 2/3 innings. It is hoped his stay in Vancouver will be no more than two weeks so he can at least finish the 1947 season at least at Class A Davenport.  SP Leo Hayden has won 3 straight starts and his finally refunding his form has been a tremendous boost. Only 5 walks going alongside 19 K’s with a 1.00 ERA in 27 IP. Now 6-7 on the season with a 4.35 ERA on the season. 1st round draft pick 3B Ken Newman has agreed to his $22,000 signing bonus and checks in at #3 on the hot 100 prospect list. Fellow first round picks CF Charlie Rogers and C Dan Smith are #32 and #50 respectively. 3rd round OF Ted Haggerty is rated #76 and 2nd round P Chuck Trillman is #65. 11th round surprise P Barney Robinson is still in the top 100 at 97 but is also out of action after a week with a strained rotator cuff for 5-6 weeks 
CONTROVERSY ERUPTS AS STARR DISQUALIFIED IN BRAWL WITH HARRIS FALL RIVER, MASS. - Referee James Duncan took center stage under the glaring lights on Friday night, as he made a pivotal decision that left spectators in a state of uproar. In a scintillating middleweight clash between Joe Starr and Nick Harris, both pugilists were engaged in a heated contest, teetering on the precipice of foul play. However, it was Starr who paid the price as Duncan disqualified him, ultimately handing a hard-fought victory to Harris. With the rugged battle unfolding over the course of ten punishing rounds, it was in the eighth that Harris unleashed a devastating combination, sending Starr sprawling to the canvas. At that moment, Harris held a slight edge on the scorecards of all three judges. Sensing his dreams slipping away, Starr resorted to a treacherous tactic he had been cautioned for earlier in the brawl - a brazen low blow that left no room for debate. Referee Duncan, unyielding in his decision, swiftly called an end to the contest. To be fair, both fighters had been toeing the line of legality throughout the fierce encounter. Harris, the gritty 33-year-old Rhode Island native, had been reprimanded for a head butt and relentless infractions of leaning on Starr's neck. Meanwhile, Starr, the 27-year-old son of Pittsburgh, found himself warned for multiple incidents of suspicious low blows in the contest. When Harris crumpled to the canvas following Starr's latest transgression, Duncan's unwavering decision to disqualify the Pittsburgh pugilist was met with unwavering support. This triumph proved critical for Harris, who seeks redemption and another shot at championship glory after his grueling 15-round loss to Frank Melanson in March. The victory, Harris's second since his defeat to Melanson, elevates his record to an impressive 21-3-1. Conversely, Starr, a close confidant of fellow Pittsburgh warrior Melanson, suffers the first disqualification of his career, tumbling to a respectable 18-4. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/13/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 06-22-2023 at 01:49 PM. |
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06-23-2023, 10:19 AM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
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July 21, 1947 : Trade Deadline Preview Edition
JULY 21, 1947 TOUGH DECISIONS AHEAD What Will Pennant Hopefuls Do At Deadline? With two weeks to go until the August 3 FABL trading deadline there are a number of teams with some very difficult decisions to make. That will be most noticeable in the Continental Association where the Philadelphia Sailors have suddenly heated up and enjoy a 3.5 game lead atop the loop which has their fans dreaming of a trip to the World Championship Series for the first time since 1930. Do the Sailors stick with what they have and hope it is enough to hold off a myriad of contenders in the CA or will the club, which has normally been very conservative at the deadline, break from tradition and make a major move? The Continental Association has several teams asking that very same question. The New York Stars, Cincinnati Cannons and even the Chicago Cougars -despite being just a game over .500 and 8 off the pace- are all likely taking inventory and seeing if there is a move or two that could increase their pennant odds. Brooklyn is also somewhat in the mix as the Kings have been a pleasant surprise with their .500 record as the campaign closes in on the century mark for games played, but the Kings will likely be sellers, not buyers, should they decide to make any moves. The Federal Association is quickly threatening to become a two-horse race with both Detroit and the defending champions from Washington starting to fade. The Eagles appear to be the only one of the big four to start the season in any sort of a position to try and make a pennant charge as the Gothams pretty much waved the white flag with their deals from last month while the Philadelphia Keystones and Boston Minutemen have each had their struggles. That leaves the St Louis Pioneers, who it only feels like "Surprising" is the first word in the city name because of how often it has been used to discuss their turnaround from last place a year ago to the top of the Fed pile, and the Chicago Chiefs. Both of those clubs have pulled the trigger on big deals with the Pioneers landing 24-year-old hurler Hiram Steinberg and the Chiefs emptying the prospect cupboard to bring catcher Pete Casstevens to the Windy City. Perhaps more moves will come from one of those two but the more likely scenario in the Fed is that if any team tries to make a big splash in the loop it will be the Washington Eagles, but that may hinge on how the next week goes for the defending Federal Association champs. The Eagles are currently 10 off the pace with 3 teams in front of them. If that is still the case a week from now the focus may turn to next year but if the Eagles can gain a couple of games, perhaps they will feel confident enough about their chances to pull the trigger on a big move or two, especially considering a little over a week from now they have a string of 6 games against the Pioneers and Chiefs. What might be in store between now and the deadline? Jiggs McGee takes a look at each club to see what could happen: BOSTON- Boston's season was over almost from the moment in spring training that Dean Astle suffered his season -and perhaps career- ending injury. Ray Dalpman has been the Minutemens only dependable hurler and it is hard to imagine the club would part with the 30-year-old but a team like the Philadelphia Sailors or perhaps even the Washington Eagles might back up the Brinks truck and unload a lot of prospects. Vets Pete Day and Bill Moore might also draw some interest but the hunch here is both retire in Boston. Rip Curry is another depth piece that could be moved. If I am running Boston, I likely don't make any moves of note but I would certainly listen to see if someone overwhelms me with an offer for Barrell or Dalpman. BROOKLYN- The Kings are stuck in the middle. Not really contenders but also not fully out of it and they may be hessitant to make much of a sell-off as they are trying to prove to the fan base that this club is ready to make contend again, something that has not happened in nearly a decade. They have talked about moving Buddy Long, Juan Pomales and even 25-year-old John Moss. Maybe something happens as GM Martin loves his draft picks but I am not sure if dealing one of the 3 players mentioned above would go over well in the borough. CHIEFS- The Chiefs have spent their money (well, prospects and draft picks) on Pete Casstevens and added Red Ross, Pablo Reyes and Hank Stratton at very little expense. Will they make another move? It's possible but not likely although I would feel a lot more comfortable about their pennant hopes if say Boston's Harry Barrell was their shortstop instead of Tommy Wilson. Shortstop defense looks like the only obvious glaring hole. The pitching is very solid as long as Angel Lopez continues to prove he is the real deal on the mound. COUGARS- What else can they do? Sometimes you just land all of the best players in the league (okay, it only feels like they are all in Chicago) but things don't quite work out. The Cougars pitching staff is amazing. The offense should be very good, but for some reason it is far less than it should be. A power bat for first base to replace Dick Walker might be an option to look at - perhaps Red Bond from Montreal as a target- and a top-flight catcher might be on the shopping list. The Cougars have the prospects to make another big deal happen and don't be surprised if they do something big. It just has to be frustrating to be so good on paper, and picked to finish first nearly every year but something always seems to prevent the Cougars from reaching the lofty expectations others have set for them. Hope about this. The Cougars send several of their top pitching prospects to the Gothams for Red Johnson and reunite Red and Sal Pestilli for a third time. Chicago has the depth in the system to make the move. They just need to catch the Gothams on a bad week. CINCINNATI- The Cannons have a real shot at winning another pennant. They are a bit older but their pitching staff is solid. I am not sure the club is interested in making any deals but what the Cannons could use to make a real run is to hope that Chuck Adams can get back on track after what has been a very slow half a season for the first baseman. I do not expect any trades to be made by Cincinnati. CLEVELAND- Hiram Steinberg was sent to St Louis in a major deal and Hank Stratton to the Chiefs in a minor one. There is plenty of young pitching talent left but I doubt the Foresters will part with any more of it. If they are going to move anybody perhaps it is 27-year-old outfielder Orie Martinez but the bet here is the Foresters will not be making any more moves this month and will continue to work towards a brighter future by letting the young talent learn on the job. DETROIT- The injury to Sid Williams derailed any plans the Dynamos might have had of making a push this season. The club is talented but young and management has gone on record saying none of the key young pieces will be moved. Perhaps they make a lower level deal for an outfield bat but the thinking here is the 4-game losing streak at the beginning of last week convinced Detroit brass this is not the year, and to not make any moves that might have a negative impact on the Dynamos near future. MONTREAL- It is a yard sale in Montreal. The manager is out and the Saints made it known that a number of veterans are available with the most attractive likely being big bat Red Bond. A few teams may have interest in Bond or possibly Bert Lass. Vic Crawford is also on the block but it is unlikely there will be any interest in te 39-year-old and rightly so as Crawford should be allowed to retire as a Saint -the only organization he has ever played for. Don't be surprised if Red Bond ends up with the Cougars. NY STARS- The Stars made a huge move at the deadline a year ago to bring in Mack Sutton and it helped them win the World Championship Series. Do they repeat that with another big splash? If so, expect their target to be a starting pitcher this time around and maybe they make a push for Ray Dalpman in Boston (likely not moving) or even Buddy Long/Johnny Slaney as a lower priced option from Brooklyn. NY GOTHAMS- Who knows what the Gothams are doing this week? They are selling everything one week and trying to buy an ace pitcher the next. I could see a few teams showing some interest in Harry Carter. Maybe the decision has changed on Roosevelt Brewer - I honestly can't remember if he is being shopped or not- and it sounds like Messer and Red Johnson are not going anywhere but perhaps the Cougars are desperate enough- and have enough young pitching available to make a second move with the Gothams in a month. KEYSTONES- The conservative Keystones have lacked the pitching this year to take advantage of a monster season from Bobby Barrell. They might move some lesser parts like Frank Covarrubias but the core is not going anywhere and the Keystones will simply wait until next year to make another run. If they decide to upgrade on the mound, it likely will happen over the winter and not in the next two weeks. SAILORS- The Sailors are scoring runs, they are pitching well and they are sitting in first place. The temptation might be there to pull the trigger on a deal, especially if one or more of their challengers do something, but this club seems to be playing so well together I am not sure it makes sense to change things up right now (23 wins in their last 31 games and an amazing 15-4 so far this month). PITTSBURGH- Will this be the start of the rebuild in Pittsburgh? I do not expect it to happen, certainly not in the next two weeks and perhaps not ever, but will the Miners be willing to part with George Cleaves -should a team like the Cougars or Stars come calling- or Lefty Allen? They are trying to move Leon Drake but no mention of any others. Pinky Pierce is 34 and might draw some interest. At a lower cost would Bob Lopez draw some light interest from the Chiefs as a shortstop option, although his defense is only marginally better than Tommy Wilson's at short. ST LOUIS- I don't expect the Pioneers to make another move. They played their big chip in dealing a first round pick and prize prospect Sherry Doyal to Cleveland for the arm they needed in Hiram Steinberg and the best thing is that was not a short-term win-now move. The Pioneers strengthened their long-term outlook with that move as well. TORONTO- The pennant window has not just closed, they are boarding it shut. Toronto won a WCS in 1940 and was just a player or two away from winning two or three more of them. Fred McCormick is not going anywhere according to Wolves management, but a number of teams would likely pay a big price to add him. Charlie Artuso is 31, so a lot of years left, but is Toronto heading into a prolonged down spell and if management decides that is the case, the club could get quite a haul for Artuso. I am not sure if the Chiefs have enough left to deal but Artuso would be just what the doctor ordered for the Chicago Feds. Is there a market for Hal Wood or Chink Stickels? What about George Garrison or Joe Hancock? Each has been inconsistent this season but there would likely be some nice offers to ponder over for either or both. The Wolves have been one of the most conservative teams at the deadline, perhaps to their detriment in costing them another pennant opportunity. I am not sure if changing that approach now -although as sellers rather than buyers- is the right thing to do. The big question in the mind of Wolves management remains: Is the club as it is composed right now still a contender just having a bad season, or is it now a second-division club starting to show some signs of its age? We all know this writer's opinion. But I am not sure Wolves management believes the window has closed just yet. WASHINGTON- Tough spot to be in for the Eagles at 10 games out. Is it worth moving pieces to make a run or are they better just accepting this might not be their year, hang on to their prospects and picks and look ahead? If they were 5 or 6 games out I would suggest there is good reason to look at adding another top three arm or go hard after another bat to try and overwhelm teams with your offense but at 10 games back it is a very long climb to get into the race. I am not saying it can't be done, just that I am not sure it makes sense to surrender some of the future for a slight upgrade on the mound that odds are will not be quite enough to pass both the Pioneers and Chiefs. My advice - stick with what you have and hope the club gets hot.  TOP FABL PERFOMERS LAST WEEK   "Future HOF'er" 3B Ken Newman (18) found the sledding a bit tougher going with class A Springfield going 4-20 slashing 200/304/504 for his first 5 games. Class A is a big step up from high school but our "Super Scout" John Spears and crew feel he can handle it. Another high schooler CF Charlie Rogers also made the leap all the way to Class A and had a similar debut week going 4-22 hitting 181/250/432. Smith and Newman are projected to be in Brooklyn next season, while Rogers has a 1949 estimate on him. Next on the draftee front, 18-year-old SP Chick Trilman (2nd round #25 overall) hasn't pitched badly in his first 3 games with Class C Marshalltown, but he hasn't picked up his first win year. In 24 IP with a 3.00 ERA, Trilman is 0-3. Finally, we have 1B Gilberto Ocasio who just turned 18 on July 5th. He was assigned to Class B Tampa after spending just 1 week in Marshalltown. Ocasio hit 381/381/905 in class C and last week at class B hit 364/417/871. Between the two levels he has driven in 9 RBI's and scored 7 runs. He has struck out 8 times in 43 at-bats while picking up 2 walks. Prospect Alert :After a very slow start to the year, OF/1B Pat Petty has finally come on. Since June 1st Petty has hit 373 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI's. OSA ETA says Petty is ready now, but we want him to get consistent playing time so for now he will stay at AAA. But if the club moves any players you could see him right after the deadline. 
NAHC CONDUCTS EAGLES DISPERSAL DRAFT With the Brooklyn Eagles officially no more, the six remaining teams in the North American Hockey Confederation conducted a dispersal draft to divvy up the talent from the Eagles franchise. It came as little surprise that 24-year-old center Quinton Pollack was selected by the Toronto Dukes with the first pick of the dispersal draft. Pollack tied for the league lead with 30 goals in his rookie season while adding 17 assists to lead the Eagles in scoring. Ian Doyle, another rookie last season, was selected second by the Montreal Valiants. The 23-year-old had 19 points despite missing half the season due to an injury. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that goaltender Tom Brockers, arguably the best netminder in the league, did not get selected until the second round when the Boston Bees brought Brockers back to the organization he helped win 3 Challenge Cups while also claiming the Juneau Trophy as top goaltender on 3 occasions. The 31-year-old Brockers was traded to Brooklyn prior to the 1944-45 campaign.  HOW WILL DISPERSAL PICKS IMPACT THE 47-48 SEASON? There were some big upgrades made quickly across the NAHC with the draft to divvy up the talent that once belonged to the now-defunct Brooklyn Eagles. Here are some thoughts from The Figment Hockey News on how the newcomers will alter their new team's make-up. BOSTON BEES: Picking 7th did not stop the two-time defending Challenge Cup champs from landing an impact player. That would be a homecoming moment as 31-year-old Tom Brockers slipped all the way through the first round -likely due in part to his age- and thanks to the serpentine format of the process Brockers was able to return to the club he enjoyed the best seasons of his career. It does mean the crease will be very crowded at Denny Arena and Pierre Melancon must be wondering what else he can do to earn the Bees trust. All he did was lead his club to two straight Cup wins and now he finds out that he has to fend off not only Brockers, but also 1943 first round pick Oscar James for playing time. James, who starred for the Cleveland Eries of the HAA a year ago, is said to be set to finally sign a deal with the Bees. Clearly goaltending will not be a concern in Beantown. Center Robert Walker and winger Mark Dyck were the other two Boston dispersal selections. Each played in the minors last year. Dyck might need some seasoning but Walker, a 22-year-old who averaged nearly a point a game in Vancouver last year, may challenge for the second line center role and could provide some offensive depth. CHICAGO PACKERS: The Packers selected 5th so they missed out on some of the big names but did land a player they hope may be able to contribute on the first line if Wes Burns has lost step. That player would be Jeremy MacLean, a 24-year-old who has spent the past six seasons playing in Cleveland. The Packers selected another winger in Max Lavigne with their second choice. A 1945 second round pick of the Eagles, Lavigne was a teammate of MacLean's in Cleveland each of the last three seasons. He projects to have a high ceiling but may need some more time to develop before assuming a regular role with the Packers. The final choice for Chicago was depth defenseman Mark Brooks. The 25-year-old rearguard has had more than his share of injuries, including one which cost him half of last season, but Brooks has some talent and was a finalist for the McLeod Trophy (top rookie) three years ago despite originally being a 7th round draft pick. DETROIT MOTORS: With some veteran defensemen moving on the Motors had their sights set on promising young blueliner Robert Sharpley right from the day word trickled out the Eagles were folding but the New York Shamrocks beat them to the punch. Instead, Detroit went with a steady blueliner in Alex Viens -who began his career in the Motor City- with their second round pick and focused on offense with their opening selection. That would be Nick Tardif, a 20-year-old New Brunswick native who was selected first overall by the Eagles in 1945. He spent the past two years in Vancouver and perhaps under produced with just 19 goals in 86 games over two seasons with the Bears but the Motors are confident he is poised to break out, if not this season then likely the next. The Motors were also quite pleased to land 22-year-old winger Hank Walsh, who had 25 points for Brooklyn last season, with their third round selection. MONTREAL VALIANTS: There was some speculation the Valiants primary target would be goaltender Tom Brockers but the club is hoping that this past season was just a down year for Millard Touhey and their goalie will bounce back. That confidence shown in Touhey allowed the Valiants to grab a talented, but injury prone center in Ian Doyle. The 23-year-old British Columbia native had 19 points in his first 23 games and was a perfect second-line pivot behind Quinton Pollack in Brooklyn. It is no coincidence that the Eagles struggled and fell out of playoff contention after Doyle was knocked out of the lineup. There may be some injury risk but it is hard to pass up a player with his potential, and one who was drafted first overall by the Eagles in 1943. The Vals used their two remaining selections on a pair of 21-year-old defenseman with some upside potential. It is unlikely that either Spencer Larocque or Billy Hader will ever be top-pairing defenders, but both could develop into solid second liners. NEW YORK SHAMROCKS: Defense was the story of the day in New York and the Shamrocks have to be thrilled to end up with Robert Sharpley. Just 20-years-old, the left shot defenseman looks like the complete package and could one day become one of the best in the league at his position. He did not look out of place on the Eagles blueline as a rookie, and the offensive production should come as he gains experience. Another defenseman in 24-year-old Ryan Kennedy was the Shamrocks third selection. He is nowhere near Sharpley's level and his play may have slumped a bit last season from his impressive game ratings of the previous two years, but Kennedy -who was an assistant captain in Brooklyn- should be a solid third-D pairing type of player. Sandwiched between the defenders was 23-year-old winger Samuel Coates. He clearly benefitted from playing alongside Quinton Pollack in Brooklyn, but Coates averaged nearly a point a game until his season came to an end with a rib injury in February. With three strong centers in Orval Cabbell, Adam Greenham and Laurel Albers on the roster, Coates may just find another scorer he can complement with his move to the Greenshirts. TORONTO DUKES: The Dukes had an awful year, going from first to worst in the NAHC, but that did give them a nice consolation prize when news broke that the Brooklyn Eagles had folded. That allowed Toronto the first pick in the dispersal draft and the right to select Quinton Pollack. It is hard to imagine a team with a better pair of centers than Toronto now possesses in veteran Bobbie Sauer and the 24-year-old newcomer. Pollack is a lock for rookie of the year after tying for the NAHC lead with 30 goals this season. The only question is will new Dukes coach Jack Barrell leave both his star pivots in the middle or will he be tempted to move one to the wing and play them together? It was a long wait in the serpentine draft for the Dukes turn to come up again but they made the most of their final two choices in landing defenseman Chad Roy and Miles Norman. The blueline was a mess in Toronto last season so the 25-year-old Roy might even land on the top pair. Both he and Norman, 22, saw plenty of ice with the Eagles last season and one can expect both to likely duplicate that in Toronto over the coming campaign. It is early but a guess at how the team's stack-up right now lands them like this: 1- Boston 2- Chicago 3- Toronto 4- New York 5- Detroit 6- Montreal NAHC TO PLAY 60-GAME SLATE With the drop to six teams the NAHC has unveiled plans for an expanded schedule starting this October. Each club will play 60 games, believed to be a high-water mark in pro hockey history. The schedule will see each team visit every other arena 6 times for a total of 12 games against each of their opponents. The Challenge Cup playoffs will also be lengthened with word the semi-finals will now be a best-of-seven series, just as the Cup finals are. The playoff participants will remain as the top four teams in the league, leaving just two clubs on the outside looking in. 
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/20/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-26-2023, 12:25 PM
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#732 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
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July 28, 1947 CA trade winds blowing
JULY 28, 1947 500 FOR THE GEORGIA JOLTER Barrell Joins Morris, Wheeler in Most Exclusive Club The most prestigious club in baseball just welcomed a third member as Bobby Barrell hit his 500th career homerun last week. The Georgia Jolter did it in style by blasting 3 homeruns -numbers 499, 500 and 501 of his career -all in the same game. It marked the third time this season -a record- that Barrell enjoyed a 3-home run game. The milestone blast -the second of the three Barrell hit that day- came just 3 days after he celebrated his 37th birthday. Barrell would add another homerun on Friday to raise his career total to 502, trailing only Hall of Famer Max Morris (711) and current Cincinnati Cannon Al Wheeler (510). Wheeler was also 37, but nearly 9 months older than Barrell, when he hit his 500th. The legendary Morris hit his 500th as a 35-year-old. What is almost as amazing is that Barrell has hit 3-homers in a game on three different occasions this season. No other player in FABL history has ever done it more than twice in his career. Barrell, who now has 44 homers on the season and has Max Morris' single-season mark of 60 within his grasp, has had four 3-homer games in his career and at this rate may just have another one or two in store for us this season. On his big day Barrell hit his first two off of St Louis starter Denny Hern including the milestone marker and then added an 8th inning blast off a Ben Fiskers offering last Tuesday. It was not enough as his struggling Keystones ended up on the short-end of a 10-9 score at Broad Street Park against the visiting Pioneers. Hern has now been victimized 8 times by Barrell in his career. Only Pittsburgh's Karl Johnson (10) and Chicago Chiefs righthander Al Miller (11) have surrendered more of Barrell's now 502 career homeruns. A lifelong Keystones, Barrell was drafted 6th overall by the Philadelphia club and made his big league debut at the age of 20 in 1931. Barrell would struggle in his initial exposure to big league pitching, going 0-for-4 against Boston's Al Carroll in his debut, but under the guidance of his mentor and fellow Keystones homerun hitting legend Rankin Kellogg, Barrell would adapt quickly. He would start the next day 0-for-2 before smacking a 6th inning single off Boston's Bill Jenkins for his first big league hit. That was on April 15, 1931 and 8 days later, also against Boston, Barrell would hit his first career homerun -a solo shot off of Joe Dorsainvil in the top of the first inning of a game the Keystones would lose 6-5 in Boston. Barrell would hit 18 more that rookie season and has never looked back.  STARS ADD HURLER HUGHES IN BID TO REPEAT A year ago, the New York Stars made a blockbuster trade near the deadline to acquire Mack Sutton, a move that ultimately helped them hold off the Chicago Cougars and win the Continental Association pennant. The Stars have pulled off another big move as this season's deadline approaches, acquiring 24-year-old lefthander Richie Hughes from the Cleveland Foresters. The cost was high as the Stars will part with four highly touted prospects and may face a financial crisis next season trying to add Hughes' $30,000 salary to their books. The salary won't be an issue this year as one of the conditions of the deal was that Cleveland pick up the vast majority of what is left on the promising lefthander's deal for the rest of this season. It marks the second major deal in less than a month for the long-struggling Foresters, who sent their other young potential ace pitcher Hiram Steinberg to the St Louis Pioneers for a top rated outfield prospect by the name of Sherry Doyal. The move does not bring a top ten prospect, like Doyal, to Cleveland but does add four players with plenty of potential. The key piece of the deal for Cleveland is likely 24-year-old third baseman Bill Grove, a 1940 second round pick who has 12 homers in 80 games at AAA Syrcause this season. Grove spent a little time with the Stars last season so he is no longer on the prospect pipeline but he grades out as an above-average third baseman. Also leaving the Stars system for Ohio are Joe Wood, Larry McClure and Hank Berkowitz. Wood is a 19-year-old corner outfielder who was selected 18th overall by the Stars in the 1946 draft. OSA gives him a ceiling of an above-average power hitter and ranks Wood, known as "The Sioux Falls Sensation" due to his South Dakota roots, #33 on the most recent prospect pipeline. McClure, a 20-year-old catcher who slots in at #51 on the pipeline, was a Stars second round draft pick in 1945 and is currently playing alongside Wood in Class C. OSA projects McClure to be an above-average big league catcher. The final piece is also currently in Class C. That would be pitcher Hank Berkowitz, who just turned 20 years of age last week. An 8th round selection in 1945, the righthander is just outside the top 100 on the OSA list but is not expected by OSA to be an effective starting pitcher. JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE: A big move for the Stars and accomplished without having to part with anything from their big league roster or either of their top two prospects in Ralph Hanson and Paul Watson. There is some risk, and well beyond how they plan to afford Hughes salary next season when Cleveland stops paying it. Hughes' potential remains high and he should be a dominant top half of the rotation starter for years to come but there is some short-term concern as he has looked just ordinary with an 8-10 record and a 4.18 era this season in Cleveland. What likely sold the Stars was the fact that Hughes has been on fire of late, going 4-0 in five July starts with a 1.05 era, giving a good indication of what he might do with a pennant contender supporting him. The Stars are in for a battle to claim the CA flag to allow them a chance to defend the World Championship Series title they won last October and adding Hughes certainly gives them a rotation that is more than capable of getting them there. It worries me a little that the Foresters have given up on both Steinberg and now Hughes. Those two were expected to lead the club out of the wilderness of losing it has been lost in for a decade. Management likely realized they have other top pitching prospects like Davey Morris and Ollie White who are already with the big club as well as John Jackson and Larry Beebe working their way up the system. What the Foresters lacked was impact hitting prospects and the three batters they acquired from the Stars along with Doyal, who came from the Steinberg deal, give them that. I had said after the Steinberg move the Foresters reminded me very much of the 1938-39 Baltimore Cannons and the Clevelanders seem to be using the same approach the Cannons did when they moved Rusty Petrick, Gus Goulding and John Edwards for bats that ultimately helped them win three Continental Association pennants once they relocated to Cincinnati. Clearly the group in northern Ohio was paying close attention to what their Buckeye State neighbours did and are attempting to follow the same recipe. COUGARS ACQUIRE BOND, RED BOND There was little else the Chicago Cougars could add in their bid to end the dismal stretch of disappointment that has seen the club time and again fall just short of pennant expectations over the past half a dozen seasons. The one area where there was a hole in the Cougars lineup was at first base,where 40-year-old Dick Walker is finally showing signs of slowing down. To replace the struggling Walker, who is slashing just .210/.339/.282 this season, the Cougars turned to Montreal where they plucked Red Bond from the Saints at a very low cost of a pair of outfield prospect ranked outside the top 250 by OSA in 22-year-old Joe Austin and 19-year-old Zeke Johnson. Bond (.289,16,64) is a reliable hitter who was doing exactly what he always seems to do ever since he joined the Saints in 1935. Montreal is having an awful season this campaign but none of the blame for that should fall on Bond, yet he was deemed a spare part by the Quebec club likely for the sole reason of making room for 23-year-old former first round pick Hank Smtih, who had been turning heads in AAA Minneapolis. JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE -Whether Bond is enough of an addition to finally get the Cougars over the hump remains to be seen but he is clearly young enough and still productive enough that this is a deal not just for this season but one that should help the Cougars for the next two or three years at least. It was yet another case where the Chicago nine clearly won the deal as, while I get the Saints wanting to make room for Smith, it feels like they basically gave Bond away. Austin is a Montreal native, which adds some local flavour to the deal, but the 22-year-old was a former 8th round pick, ranked outside the top 250 prospects and an outfielder -a position that is clearly very plentiful. OSA does feel he can be a regular starter but the former Chesapeake State star is hardly overwhelming opposing pitching as a 22-year-old playing Class A. He may well play in Montreal someday but likely not in centerfield where the Saints already have an elite prospect in Bill Elkins, although Elkins did struggle in a brief trial with the big club earlier this season. Austin ranks just 5th among outfielders in the Montreal system and 16th overall according to OSA, one spot ahead of the other player they received from the Cougars. That would be Zeke Johnson, who was selected in the 9th round of last year's draft but was putting up some very good numbers in a small sample at Class C. I expect there was very little interest in Bond at the trade deadline as the Cougars were likely the only team with pennant-hopes with a need to upgrade the position but this move feels only slightly better than outright cutting Bond to make room for Hank Smith. And it is hard to justify cutting a player who has been so steady for so long with the Saints. SAILORS ALSO JOIN CONTINENTAL TRADE-FEST The Philadelphia Sailors, sitting atop the Continental Association and in pursuit of their first pennant since the last of their three straight titles in 1930, made a move to try and offset what has been a down season for Woody Stone. The Sailors added catcher Solly Skidmore (.278,2,43) who, like Stone, was a member of the CA all-star team earlier this month. The 31-year-old Stone has been an all-star 5 times but his hitting just .240 -the lowest total of his career- and may be the weak link right now in the Sailors lineup. Skidmore is a former first round draft choice of the Chicago Cougars and was highly touted throughout his rise to the big leagues by OSA, but this marks the third time the 27-year-old has been traded. The cost to the Sailors was an expensive one, as Philadelphia parts with 1947 second round draft Bill Cady, a second baseman who was off to a great start to his pro career with a .325 batting average in 19 games at Class C Gulfport. Sailors assistant general manager Steve Basile addressed the move, stating that the "Sailors (are) just looking to increase productivity at the catcher slot for the stretch run. Stone is in a bit of a slump, and backup Mark Smith (.183) and AAA backup Ryan (.081) are just not getting things done. Skidmore should hopefully provide a spark and good Catching defense - good RTO %. In the long run Cady may prove to be elite, but we decided to take the chance now while we've got it. We're still high on 2B prospects Al Farmer and Jerry Keith." Brooklyn also announced they have sent a 5th round draft pick to the New York Gothams in exchange for veteran pitcher Harry Carter, a 36-year-old who has been dependably average in New York for close to a decade, but for some reason is no longer wanted by the Gothams. Carter was 8-8 with a 3.79 era this year and will be counted on to keep the Kings hovering around the .500 mark. JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE: I have to admit this caught me by surprise. I had wondered why Stone was not starting for a spell a couple of weeks ago and his numbers are down this year, but he is an all-star catcher and still one of the better ones in the league in my opinion. Perhaps the Sailors feel age is catching up on him and maybe they don't like former first rounder selection Mark Smith as his potential replacement but the thinking is this move was made with a much shorter time-frame in mind and the Sailors are hoping Skidmore can continue his solid play and help them hold off the Stars. It feels like a reactionary move to try and do something to counter the Stars addition of Richie Hughes but I am not sure this move will have a big impact in that regard. The Sailors, as Basile pointed out, have system depth at second base so could afford to make the move but I would have preferred to see the Sailors focus on a trade for a big bat - perhaps Red Bond who just left Montreal for the Cougars would have been an option- as Harvey Brown seems to have been pulled from the starting leftfield job and Bond's bat would have looked very good in the Sailors lineup. The move makes perfect sense from the Kings point of view. Dan Smith is close and will be their catcher of the future. They add what looks like someone who has the potential to be a pretty good second baseman down the road in Bill Cady. As for the Carter deal -another nice pick up at really no cost. Carter is not a star, but he has been a solid dependable back of the rotation starter. No idea why the Gothams have been trying so hard to give him away but they finally succeeded.  BEST PERFORMERS IN FABL LAST WEEK   The other 14 teams go into a random draft with 3 chances awarded to the two non-pennant winners in each loop to show the biggest improvement over last season, two chances for the clubs with the third and fourth biggest improvement (or lowest decline) and the final 3 clubs are given one shot each. The Federal Association will get the odd selections this year so a Fed team will own the first overall selection. As it looks right now, if the Pioneers win the pennant, it will be the Chicago Chiefs and Detroit Dynamos with 3 shots each at the number one slot although the Chiefs moved their pick to the New York Gothams in the trade that brought Pete Casstevens to the Windy City. The Brooklyn Kings seem all but assured of being one of the two teams in the Continental Association with the best chance at selecting second. 
SAWYER PRIMED FOR UPCOMING DEFENSE The boxing world is abuzz with anticipation as the reigning heavyweight champion, Hector Sawyer, prepares to step into the ring once again for his latest title defense. This momentous occasion marks Sawyer's eighth appearance as the belt holder, a distinction he achieved way back in 1940 when he delivered a thunderous knockout blow to Jochen Schrotter in Detroit. As the date draws near, the champion finds himself venturing into uncharted territory at Cougars Park, the battleground for Saturday's grand spectacle. Ticket sales have soared to unprecedented heights, leaving promoter Chester Conley grinning ear to ear as every seat in the 45,000-capacity stadium has long been spoken for. Such is the fervor surrounding the champion's upcoming bout, despite the fact that his adversary remains a relative unknown. Allow me to introduce Pat Harder, a 32-year-old Irishman hailing from the County of Cork, who boasts a commendable record of 31 victories, 7 losses, and 1 draw across the pond. However, Harder's opponents thus far have failed to make a significant impact in the boxing world, and this will be his first time crossing the Atlantic to compete. With no prior encounters against American fighters, the intrigue surrounding Harder's capabilities has left pundits and fans alike in suspense. Nonetheless, bookmakers have overwhelmingly favored the legendary Cajun Crusher, Hector Sawyer, predicting another resounding victory for the seasoned champion. The decision to seek a challenger from overseas comes as no surprise, as local contenders are few and far between at present. Sawyer has already dispatched the formidable Mark Fountain, the one man thought by many to possess the potential to expose any perceived weaknesses that age may have inflicted upon the champion. The current state of the division fails to offer compelling matchups that capture the imagination of boxing enthusiasts. While Californian Dan Miller remains a potential candidate, his track record of 7 defeats in 43 fights has somewhat tarnished his prospects. Roy Crawford, Cannon Cooper, Scott Baker, and others who once vied for a title opportunity have faded from prominence. In the wings, emerging talents such as Harvey Winter and George Green, both undefeated in their combined 31 professional outings, may warrant attention, but it appears their managers are still hesitant to pit them against Sawyer. The most promising contender, 22-year-old Tommy Cline, boasting an impressive record of 11 wins without a blemish, 9 of which were knockouts, showed his mettle when he disposed of Pete Sanderson, another victim of Sawyer's, in April. However, many believe the young Tennessean still requires further seasoning before truly challenging the champion's reign. Until the day arrives when Cline is deemed ready for the spotlight, we may have to content ourselves with witnessing a procession of opponents who stand little chance against the seemingly indomitable Sawyer. Despite recently turning 33 years old and possibly displaying signs of a slight decline from his pre-war glory, Sawyer reigns supreme as the undisputed heavyweight champion, towering above the rest of the division with unrivaled class.  LATEST TWIFB BOXING RANKINGS Here is the latest snapshot of the top fighters in each of the three major weight classes sanctioned by the American Boxing Federation. Heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer is back in action Saturday as he makes his latest title defense. It is a time of transition in the heavyweight division with few challengers looking capable of knocking off Sawyer, even amidst concerns the champ is starting to slow down and approaching the tail end of a long and successful career.  A couple of weeks ago there was a big shock in the middleweight division when Frank 'The Tank' Melanson suffered a technical knockout defeat due to a badly cut right eyebrow, costing him his crown in a bout that was supposed to be a triumphant return to his hometown of Pittsburgh. No details have been confirmed but John Edmonds -the man who stopped the Tank- is said to be very open to a rematch once Melanson cut heals. A rising middleweight to watch out for is Tommy Campbell, a youngster out of Atlanta who is close to being ready for a shot at the title.  The welterweight division has been in a state of flux with no one able to hang on to the title. After going without a champion for over five years due to the 1940 retirement of Kid Simpson and then the war, the division has had 3 title holders in just over a year as Dennis O'Keefe and Mark Westlake each won the crown but could not hang on to it. Harold Stephens, a 28-year-old from Rhode Island, is the latest champ but he will be put to the test by Carl Taylor in Boston two weeks from now. At the moment at least, Stephens is the king of the division but there are plenty of others eyeing the title.  UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
IMPRESSIVE SCORER GALBRAITH TOPS NAHC DRAFT The North American Hockey Conferderation conducted its annual draft over the weekend and the Toronto Dukes took another step towards restoring the club to the level it was at prior to their terrible collapse last season. The Dukes, armed with a new head coach in former star player Jack Barrell, were gifted with a huge upgrade just a couple of weeks ago when they landed 30-goal scorer Quinton Pollack in the dispersal draft of players from the now defunct Brooklyn Eagles. The Eagles demise left the loop with six teams and the Dukes, due to their last place finish in the recently completed campaign, were entitled to the first selection in the rookie draft. Toronto opted for more offense in adding Lou Galbraith, a 19-year-old offensive whiz who tallied 19 goals and 34 points while playing for Buffalo in the second best hockey league in the world. That would be the Hockey Association of America, a loop littered with many top prospects and former NAHC regulars -one in which Galbraith looked right at home as a mere teen. That has to sit well with Barrell and give the new coach a lot of hope that his talented rookie may just earn a spot on one of Toronto's three lines next season. The Dukes could have a pretty impressive offense with the 24-year-old Pollack (30-17-47), veteran Bobbie Sauer (24-22-46) and impressive youngster Trevor Parker (14-15-29) holding down the three pivot spots. It is not hard to image Galbraith earning a spot on the left winf with either Pollack or Sauer next season with veteran Herm Burdette, who missed most of last season with an injury, along with Syl Beam (5-12-17) and 22-year-old Maurice Charette (8-16-24) as his chief competition. 31-year-old Mahlon Klein (8-19-27) is likely the top man on the right side but youngsters Les Carlson (10-11-21) and Mike Navarro (1-3-4) along with rookie Dick Zimmerman, a 21-year-old who had 31 points in the coast league last season may challenge him. With the second selection in the draft the Montreal Valiants elected to select a hometown kid, drafting Montreal native Francis McKenzie. The centericeman spent this past season with the Vancover Bears of the Great Western Hockey League and had 10 points in a 14 game trial. There is no doubting McKenzie has talent, but there were some concerns about his ability to fit in on a hockey team, a big factor in the mock draft slotting the 19-year-old as far down as 9th on its pre-draft list. The New York Shamrocks selected third, opting for Jim Macek, a hard-working left winger who hails from Toronto and may endear Bigsby Garden face with his grinding, battling style. Detroit followed up with another forward, selecting British Columbia born centerman Ben Witt. The youngster has an high-offensive ceiling but there may be some concerns about his willingness to go into the dirty areas in order to make plays. Witt spent all of last season with Springfield of the HAA and notched 37 points in 47 games. The Chicago Packers finally ended the streak of forwards by grabbing the top rated defenseman in the draft. That would be Mike Van Tol, a Windsor, Ontario native who looked very impressive on the back end for Springfield last season. Regarded as more of a skill defender than for his physical play, Van Tol may find himself right at home with some talented forwards in the Windy City to move the puck to. Boston rounded out the first round with the selection of centerman James Smart, a Halifax native who had a tryout with the Portland Ports last season but did not see any HAA action.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/27/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-27-2023, 02:20 PM
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#733 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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August 4, 1947
AUGUST 4, 1947 THE 3-H CLUB LEADS PIONEERS' GLORIOUS ASCENT By Chatsworth Giampietro In the realm of St. Louis, a captivating saga unfolds as the Pioneers, resolute and driven, take center stage. These days, the city's gaze is fixed upon the valiant triumvirate of hurlers: Danny Hern, Hal Hackney, and the newly acquired Hiram Steinberg, affectionately dubbed the 3-H club. Together, they form the backbone of the Pioneers' remarkable resurgence, propelling them ever closer to their elusive quest of ending a pennant drought that stretches back to the fabled year of 1921.A resplendent five-game winning streak, including a triumphant four-game sweep of the ailing Pittsburgh Miners at the venerable Fitzpatrick Park over the weekend, has catapulted the Pioneers to a commanding 8.5-game lead atop the Federal Association, leaving Detroit and Chicago trailing in their wake. The offensive prowess of the St. Louis outfit has been nothing short of breathtaking this season, leading the entirety of FABL with an astounding 523 runs scored. However, let us not overlook the primary catalyst for their extraordinary renaissance—a formidable trio of hurlers that deserves unmitigated praise for their instrumental role in transforming a team that suffered the ignominy of 90 losses last year into a juggernaut poised to challenge the century mark in victories this time around. Steinberg, having accrued a stellar record of 4 wins and 1 loss, flaunting an enviable ERA of 1.25 since his arrival from Cleveland, has seamlessly integrated himself within his new surroundings. Furthermore, the mercurial 25-year-old Hackney, on pace to deliver a career-best performance in terms of wins, stands as an invaluable component of the Pioneers' resurgence. Yet, without a shadow of a doubt, the undisputed hero of the St. Louis outfit is the indomitable southpaw, Danny Hern. A mere year ago, the 30-year-old Hern found himself toiling in the minor leagues, his dreams of grandeur seemingly slipping through his grasp. With a dismal record of 0 wins and 4 losses, accompanied by a deplorable ERA of 9.39 in a scant 23 innings of Major League play, many believed Hern to be a relic of a bygone era. Perhaps, they conjectured, his wartime exploits had obscured his deficiencies, allowing him to thrive during those uncertain years when the true luminaries of the game were away. Yet, Hern, with an unwavering resolve, has risen above such skepticism, defying all expectations. Having made 24 starts for the Pioneers, his formidable left arm boasts a majestic record of 17 wins and a mere 3 losses, coupled with an unparalleled 2.50 ERA—the best in the Federal Association. A remarkable feat indeed for a pitcher who could not secure a solitary big league victory just a year ago. It has been a long and arduous journey to the pinnacle of the sport for this native of Morton, Pennsylvania. Initially dismissed as an afterthought following his high school exploits, Hern endured a prolonged wait, his talents only acknowledged when he was selected in the 14th round of the 1935 draft by the Chicago Chiefs. Gradually, he etched his name into the annals of minor league baseball, attracting attention from the discerning eyes of the OSA, who acknowledged him as one of the top 50 prospects while he steadily ascended the Chiefs' ranks. However, his anticipated debut for the Chiefs was indefinitely postponed, as fate would have it, when he became an integral component of a five-player trade that sent him to St. Louis in exchange for the illustrious Freddie Jones. This transaction, compounding the frustrations of a fanbase already burdened by the loss of the legendary Max Morris and the prodigious Fred McCormick, further incited their ire. Their resentment transformed into apathy less than three years later when Dee Rose, the newly appointed owner, clandestinely plotted to relocate the team to the distant shores of Los Angeles. Nevertheless, destiny has a way of weaving its intricate tapestry, replete with the sublime irony that accompanies the twists and turns of life. Hern, acquired in a trade that cast away a cherished fan favorite and deepened the chasm of alienation between team and city, has now become the harbinger of redemption, leading the Pioneers out of their agonizing, near three-decade-long malaise. *** Challengers Keep Dropping Off *** As the relentless battle for the pennant rages on, contenders crumble one by one, leaving the resolute Pioneers in their wake. First, the ill-fated Minutemen of Boston, one of the illustrious big four in the Federal Association, were struck a grievous blow when news broke that their ace, Dean Astle, would be sidelined for the entire season. The very foundation of their pennant aspirations crumbled with this devastating loss. Next to succumb to the unforgiving tides of fortune were the New York Gothams, the second component of the esteemed big four, plagued by a woeful start to the season. In response, management resorted to their customary fire sales, a tradition that has become synonymous with the Big Apple every time the team falters. The Philadelphia Keystones, despite the record-chasing brilliance of the legendary Bobby Barrell, never truly asserted themselves as contenders, as their pitching staff, save for the indomitable Lloyd Stevens, failed to measure up to the arduous demands of the game. Only the Washington Eagles, having undergone their own phoenix-like revival from years of desolation, initially loomed as formidable challengers capable of disrupting the dream-like season that St. Louis has savored. However, even the valiant Eagles, trailing by a considerable 13 games, have yet to display the necessary vigor to mount a substantial charge, leaving them languishing behind the resurgent Pioneers. Yet, two other teams warrant a modicum of concern for the devoted fans of St. Louis—although they remain few in number, it appears that the allure of triumph has kindled the spirits of erstwhile skeptics, drawing them to the Pioneers' cause. These concerns revolve around the rising forces of the Chicago Chiefs and the Detroit Dynamos. Both squads, emerging as formidable contenders, were never expected to mount a serious pennant campaign this season. Yet, much like the Pioneers themselves, they defy conventional wisdom. The Chiefs, with their audacious acquisition of Pete Casstevens, secured through the aforementioned firesale orchestrated by the Gothams, closed the gap to a tantalizing 5 games from the summit a mere week ago. Alas, the unforgiving nature of this captivating sport revealed itself when a disastrous nine-game losing streak dashed the hopes of the Windy City faithful, extending their deficit to a seemingly insurmountable 11 games. As for Detroit, their impressive young talent promises a bright future, although their offensive prowess appears inadequate when juxtaposed with the potent lineup of the Pioneers. The St. Louis club basks in the radiant glow of their current supremacy, positioned firmly at the helm of the championship chase. Yet, history has taught us that the unforeseen can swiftly alter the course of destiny. The devoted followers of the Pioneers, having languished in anticipation for close to three decades, possess the fortitude to endure a mere two additional months of uncertainty. With each passing day, the likelihood of the Pioneers finally breaking free from their protracted drought becomes ever more tantalizing. The 3-H club, with their awe-inspiring performances, shall be forever etched in the annals of this storied franchise. Nevertheless, in the realm of baseball, where uncertainty reigns supreme, nothing is ever truly guaranteed until the final pitch is thrown.  TOP FABL PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK  1948 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART ONE : COLLEGE PLAYERS It is interesting to note that when TWIFB took an early look at the 1948 draft class last August there were only three collegiate players that cracked our "Way Too Early Mock First Round." They were led by pitcher Dixie Gaints out of a small Mississippi school called Capital University, who was #5 on our list. The other two were Maryland State outfielder Miguel Rocha, at #12, and the final player on our 16-man list was Long Island Maritime righthander Eddie Whitney. A year later Gaines and Whitney are both projected by OSA to be top of the rotation arms but a shortstop by the name of Tom Miller has burst on to the scene, becoming the first shortstop to win the Christian Trophy as the top collegiate player and, with 2 already under his belt, the Coastal State star has a chance to be a three-time first team All-American selection. Here are the top 10 AIAA players eligible for the 1948 draft based on OSA scouting assessments: #1: TOM MILLER: SS -Coastal State - No college shortstop in the post-feeder era has ever hit more than the 15 homeruns Miller socked for Coastal State last seasaon. The Philadelphia native is a 2-time All-American also won the Christian Trophy - a first for a shortstop- and seems destined for a pretty solid big league career. OSA raves about his skills as a pure hitter, while noting he also has plus raw power potential. He profiles as an "everyday shortstop who can make an imact on a top-tier team." #2: DIXIE GAINES LHP - Capital (MS) University - Is Gaines perhaps the next Eli Panneton? A small college star who goes on to achieve great things in the big leagues? The Starkville, Ms. native elected to stay close to home for college ball and went 11-3 with a very impressive 2.21 as a sophomore -his first year of AIAA action. OSA feels he has "the stuff and talent needed to be a #1." Gaines is an extreme groundballer who should not surrender many longballs. He is perhaps a little undersized and relys on his change-up as the best of a deep 5-pitch arsenal. Scouts rave about his work ethic and the effort he puts in to improve both on and off the field. #3: EDDIE WHITNEY RHP - Long Island Maritime - OSA feels Whitney will be a "front of the rotation starter with his health, stuff and effectiveness." The one worry about the Washington DC native is how will he fare against better competition. He has not faced a lot of high end talent where he has been playing college ball so that might inflate his numbers -that actually are pretty decent over his two seasons of college ball. #4: FRANKIE WILLIAMS 3B - Lane State - Like Tom Miller, Frankie Williams is a two-time first team All-American selection. He also has plenty of power with 17 homers as a freshman -only Jim Stone and Ockie Holiday have ever hit more in post-feeder college action- and he followed that up with 14 last season. OSA does worry about his defense, noting that Williams "boots too many routine chances" so he may end up as a corner outfielder or a first baseman at the pro level. #5: AARON JONES 3B - Gates University - Jones could be an above-average big league third baseman some day, according to OSA. His defense is not a concern and he projects to be a solid contact hitter which the scouting service feels might translate into a .310 hitter with a good eye to draw some free passes as well. He hit .307 over two seasons of college ball and may have some pop in his bat as well, with 22 homers in 93 games. #6: HARRY JOHNSON C - Yellowhamme State - Johnson was a big reason Yellowhammer State had such a strong year and reached the College World Championship Series this season. OSA says the Florida native is patient at the plate and should be a very good hitting catcher. He has just the one year of college experience under his belt. #7: CHARLIE ZIMMERMAN LHP - Poweshiek - A very intellectual pitcher, Zimmerman is often found talking with coaches long after drills are over. He has great size at 6'5" and 200 lbs so one has to think his velocity -which peaks at 85 mph right now- should improve over time. OSA cautions Zimmerman won't "blow away hitters with his stuff...but will frustrate them with his pinpoint command and control." The scouting service sees him peaking as a mid-rotation starter. The worry is the native of Olathe, Ks., is playing at a very small school and has not seen top level collegiate competition. #8: MIGUEL ROCHA CF - Maryland State - The 21-year-old from Plattsburgh, NY, was on the list a year ago and projects out to be a player of "roughly average FABL talent." Defense should not be a worry and he gets a good jump on the ball in centerfield. Rocha has some pop in his bat with 25 homers over the past two seasons and a .530 slugging percentage at Maryland State. #9: RED ELLIS SS - Miami State - Ellis won't be a flashy player, but is projected by OSA "to be a solid starter at shortstop." The scouting service feels his arm is more than strong enough to remain at shortstop and he has a compact, clean swing that helps him spray the ball around the field. A New York City native who headed to Florida for his college ball, Ellis slashed .288/.359/.361 in his lone season of college ball. #10: JIM URQUHART 2B - Bluegrass State - Anyone from Bluegrass State usually commands some attention in the draft and Urquart was a second team All-American for the Mustangs last season -his first in college ball. He hit an impressive .323 and has some gap power. OSA calls him a natural defender and feels he has "potential to unleash his obvious talent both on the field and at the plate." So why is he not higher on the list? There are plenty of questions about his charactor, and the Memphis native will never be mistaken for a hard worker - a trait that may scare some teams off. Next up in Part Two of the 1948 draft preview we will look at the High School Pitchers that are in the upcoming class. FED KELLOGG CHASE A THREE HORSE RACE Hack and Kleminski in Picture There is a decent chance that for the second straight season the Rankin Kellogg Award, presented to the top rookie in the Federal Association, will go to a Detroit Dynamo. Just as a year ago -in the Kellogg trophy's first season of existence- when pitcher Wally Hunter won the award and first baseman Dick Estes was second, the Dynamos have two very worthy candidates. That would be Edwin Hackberry and Stan Kleminski -the two twenty-year-olds who are a big reason why the Motor City Nine are sitting in second place in the Federal Association. Despite their youth, both have put up very solid numbers this season. Hackberry is batting .278 with 15 homers and 60 rbi's while doing an admirable job of tracking down fly balls in centerfield at Thompson Stadium. Kleminski has still had some hiccups in the field, and spent nearly equal time at second base, third base and shortstop but all of that shuffling around the infield has not slowed his bat as Kleminski is hitting .279 with a homer and 33 rbi's. Unlike a year ago when Hunter and Estes were the obvious class of the newcomers, the Detroit duo this season faces some stiff competition in Philadelphia Keystones catcher Roger Cleaves. The 23-year-old battle-hardened former marine has been outstanding this year and joined Hackberry on the Federal Association all-star team. Cleaves is showing some real power with 24 homers and 60 rbi's to go with a very solid .270 batting average. Fans in St Louis might make a case for Ray Bates, who is hitting .311 while still a teenager for the rejuvanted Pioneers, but in this writer's books it will be a 3-horse race. At this stage, hometown bias aside, I have to lean towards Cleaves, but Hack and Klem still have two months left to make a case to change not just my mind, but the other voters as well.  Yes the team has promoted first round pick Cecil LaBonte. After willing AAA player of the week the #7 prospect will take over the starting SS job in New York. The past week's FA player of the week Tom Jeffries will slide over to third sending vet Mule Monier to the bench. Behind the plate is new acquisition Dino Robinson. While Robinson doesn't provide Pete Casstevens' power he does have a sure bat and is hitting .303 for the season. On the mound, with the deal sending Harry Carter over to Brooklyn, the Gothams will use these final months to audition some of their top upper level prospects. So far the results have not been what the team hoped for. Jake Roberts got smacked around in his debut, while Jerry Decker continues with mixed results. Joining them will be Willie Ellis who struggled earlier in the season. Then there's the ageless Jim Lonardo, who tossed a shutout this week and continues to show there is some life in his 43 year old right arm. It seems with each appearance, win, shutout or even inning pitched ol' Jim moves up some all-time list or another. He now sits at 309 wins. On the Farm: An ERA+ of 1406. You read that right. 5th round pick Tommy Wilde (18) has found the move to pro ball from high school to be rather easy, so far. In 4 starts Wilde has 4 complete games. In those 36 innings he's allowed 19 hits, 9 BB and has struck out 26. He's allowed 1 homer which accounts for his only run allowed, for an ERA of 0.25. For the record the only batter to get him was Frenchy Sonntag of Ottumwa. INTENSE BATTLE RAGES AT THE SUMMIT OF COAST LOOP The Great Western League, a burgeoning force on the West Coast baseball scene, finds itself embroiled in a fierce four-way tussle at the pinnacle. As the regular season approaches its zenith, the proud cities of Oakland, Dallas, Portland, and Los Angeles wage an enthralling contest to secure passage for the grand showdown in the esteemed second annual Bigsby Cup playoff series. Cast your memory back to yesteryear, when the San Francisco Hawks soared to greatness, reigning as champions in the league's inaugural foray into the realm of major league baseball. Their triumph echoed across the diamond as they vanquished the valiant Los Angeles Knights in the thrilling title series. Yet, my friends, the winds of fortune have shifted this season, casting an unkind fate upon the mighty Hawks, who now languish in the cellar of the league. However, do not despair, for the Knights stand resolute, entrenched in the thick of the playoff pursuit, a mere two and a half games adrift of the co-leaders, the tenacious Oakland and doughty Dallas. Ah, but the Grays and the Centurions, the vibrant newcomers who graced our sphere during the winter months, astutely securing the services of former FABL stalwarts to bolster their quest for championship glory. In the bustling realm of Oakland, the gray-clad warriors have welcomed a cadre of fresh faces formerly from FABL. Leading the charge is the indomitable lead-off man, Don Miller, whose robust average of .327, coupled with his resolute spirit (1 home run and 40 RBIs), sparks hope in the hearts of fervent supporters. Alongside him roams the formidable outfielder, Alf Pestilli, contributing with his raw power (6 home runs and 24 RBIs). The pitching staff, too, boasts newfound luminaries, such as the crafty Jack Goff (7 wins and 3 losses, flaunting an enviable ERA of 2.47), the resilient Harry Frenette (4 wins and 4 losses, showcasing an ERA of 2.85), and the ailing yet valiant Doc Newell (4 wins and 1 loss, his ERA standing at an impressive 2.61). Yet, it is the electrifying performance of the second-year Gray, Frankie Cohen, that reverberates throughout the Bay Area. This precocious first baseman wields his lumber with astounding prowess, reigning supreme with a league-leading batting average of .406, his ultimate objective being to carry the Grays aloft into the coveted realm of the Bigsby Cup—a triumph that eluded their grasp by a hair's breadth in the previous season. In Dallas, a city that has undergone a dramatic transformation, a resurgent spirit thrives. From the depths of seventh place a year ago, they have emerged as genuine contenders, their metamorphosis fueled by audacious signings that have ignited a dormant flame within the hearts of their ardent faithful. Behold the names that grace their roster: Brooks Meeks, the stalwart with a .307 average, 5 homers, and 46 RBIs; Heinie Billings, the indomitable slugger boasting a .318 average, 10 homers, and 50 RBIs; Ken Mayhugh, the formidable batsman with a .287 average, 6 homers, and 45 RBIs; and last but not least, Al Groos, the ever-reliable .266 hitter, who has contributed 7 homers and 41 RBIs to their cause. In the luminous realm of Portland, a city teeming with anticipation, the third-place squad orchestrated a series of captivating maneuvers throughout the winter and early stages of the season, signaling their intentions with resounding clarity. A triumvirate of new talent now graces their ranks: Vernon Ruch, boasting a .309 average, 3 homers, and 14 RBIs; Bill Watson, wielding a .255 average, 1 homer, and 17 RBIs; and the spirited Don Hersey, exhibiting a .320 average, 3 homers, and 31 RBIs. However, let us not disregard the valiant Seattle Thunderbirds, perched at a respectable 6.5 games behind the leaders, for they too refuse to relinquish their stake in the thrilling race for Bigsby Cup glory. With the stage set, the Great Western League promises a riveting culmination in the coming months, as these spirited contenders engage in a relentless battle to determine the select few who shall vie for the esteemed Bigsby Cup. Let the games continue, my dear comrades, for the ecstasy of victory awaits the chosen two. 
SAWYER WINS, BUT LETS UNKNOWN TAKE HIM THE DISTANCE AUGUST 2, 1947 – Cougars Park, Chicago, Ill. – Attendance: 45,000+ - Sawyer (55-3-1) vs. Harber (31-7-1) - Referee: Jimmy Hooper. The Cajun Crusher has taken on all comers. He is the man who stands alone after the fighting has ceased, holding the treasure, looking around and wondering “Who’s next? Who would dare challenge me?” Hector Sawyer is one of the greatest heavyweights of the century. This is undisputed. If you look around the heavyweight division, there is a lack of formidable opponents. But all it takes is one punch at the right spot and it can all change. In the search for challengers, promoter Chester Conley had to look far and wide. His search crossed the Atlantic, to Ireland and a challenger named “Irish” Pat Harber. Harber is 32 years old and has fought admirably against noticeably softer competition. The bookmakers were said to be offering 50-to-1 odds for a Harber victory, so there was not much hope for an upset. Harber arrived in Chicago at Cougars Park, hoping for his pitch, his crack at becoming a household name in America. While Harber entered the ring with polite applause, there was a thunderous ovation for the champion Sawyer, making his eighth title defense. The crowd of 45,000-plus was there to be in the presence of greatness. The good news is that they saw 45 minutes of boxing. The bad news is that they did not see the dominant Cajun Crusher they will tell their grandchildren about. Yes, Sawyer was in control from the opening round with a couple of crushing blows to send Harber reeling. The challenger, however, took whatever Sawyer could dish out. I counted 24 “big boppers” from Sawyer and two of them proceeded to knock Harber down. In the ninth round, Sawyer delivered a patented uppercut, but Harber picked himself up off the mat on the count of two from referee Jimmy Hooper. The 14th round included a patented uppercut that lifted the challenger and put him down on his back. Harber could not get back on his feet right away, but got up in time, as Hooper counted up to six before the fight resumed. Harber proved he had a good chin, taking an estimated 475 punches (31.6 per round) that landed on his big frame. For all that Sawyer dished out, he only had to take about 150 punches, or 10 a round. But Harber went the distance. He lasted until the final bell, which makes him one of only 10 opponents to do that in Sawyer’s illustrious and storied career. The judges saw the quantity and the quality and Sawyer’s punches, and it was as much of a rout as a unanimous decision could be. One judge gave Harber two rounds, another gave him three, and the third judge gave him four rounds, but they all agreed that eighth round was his best. About midway through that eighth round, Harber drilled a right hand into Sawyer’s ribcage to knock the wind right out of him and put him on the canvas for a short three-count. The knockdown proved to everyone in attendance, including the fighters, that Harber had staying power, but it was also the last round he would win on any of the judges’ cards. This fight will be remembered as another Sawyer victory, but it was not quick, it was not a romp. Sawyer, now 56-3-1, did not put away a significantly inferior opponent. The fight went the distance. Harber (31-8-1) even knocked down the champion. In the end, an undisputed heavyweight champion, the baddest man in the sport of boxing, could not add a 51st knockout victim against an unknown. This ought to give Chester Conley pause when looking for Sawyer’s next challenger. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: Sawyer 2-0 (2:19 right), 2:33 cross/body) Round 2: Tied 1-1 (S: 1:45 left hook/body; H: 2:16 elbow-warning) Round 3: Harber 2-1 (S: 0:12 right/waist; H: 1:17 hook, 2:55 body) Round 4: Sawyer 2-0 (1:20 hook/head, 1:51 hook/midsection) Round 5: Harber 1-0 (0:39 right) Round 6: Sawyer 4-0 (1:27 uppercut, 1:54 uppercut, 2:30 combo, 2:51 combo) Round 7: Harber 2-0 (1:28 combo, 2:30 hook/jaw) Round 8: Tied 1-1 (S: 0:47 hook; H: 1:09 right/ribs/knockdown) Round 9: Sawyer 2-1 (S: 0:31 hook, 2:08 right/ribs; H: 0:17 combo) Round 10: Sawyer 1-0 (0:45 right/head) Round 11: Sawyer 3-0 (1:26 uppercut/knockdown, 1:56 cross, 2:58 cross) Round 12: Sawyer 2-0 (1:26 cross, 2:11 combo) Round 13: Sawyer 2-0 (0:23 right/head, 1:05 right/face) Round 14: Sawyer 1-0 (2:01 right/knockdown) Round 15: Sawyer 2-0 (1:30 right, 2:18 cross) TOTAL: Sawyer 24, Harber 8  THE CAJUN CRUSHER TRIUMPHS IN WINDY CITY SHOWDOWN Under the brilliant lights of Chicago's illustrious Cougars Park, a battle of pugilistic proportions unfolded on Saturday evening, as Hector Sawyer, the reigning world heavyweight champion, effortlessly dispatched Irish Pat Harber to retain his coveted title. A crowd of 45,000 passionate fight enthusiasts bore witness to Sawyer's dominant display, further solidifying his reign as the indomitable force in the division. This triumphant outing marked Sawyer's inaugural appearance in the Windy City as champion, and with the successful defense of his crown, he etched another chapter into the annals of pugilistic history. From the opening bell, it was apparent that Harber had stepped onto the canvas as an unwitting lamb to the slaughter. Sawyer, with the confidence and skill befitting a champion of his caliber, swiftly took control of the contest. Harber, with a look of trepidation akin to a deer caught in the glare of headlights, found himself on the receiving end of Sawyer's precise jabs mere moments into the first round. As the opening stanza drew to a close, Harber had scarcely managed to land a solitary blow, leaving little doubt as to the mounting challenge he faced. Undeterred, Sawyer maintained his relentless assault in the second round, dictating the tempo with consummate ease. Harber, desperately attempting to fend off the onslaught, resorted to futile attempts at elbow-waving defense, ultimately finding solace only in a futile cover-up. Credit must be given to Harber, however, as he exhibited unyielding resolve, landing a few commendable shots in the third round. Yet, this brief resurgence served as a mere catalyst, reawakening the beast within Sawyer. The champion proceeded to dominate both the fourth and fifth rounds, unleashing a deluge of strikes upon his beleaguered adversary. Whether Harber sought to protect his exposed body or shield his vulnerable head, Sawyer exploited every opening, raining blows upon his challenger. The raucous crowd, attuned to the rhythmic dance of pugilistic prowess, reverberated with excitement, sensing that Sawyer's decisive coup de grâce might be imminent. Alas, Harber, defying all expectations, somehow withstood the relentless barrage. In a surprising turn of events, the seventh round witnessed a rare glimmer of hope for the valiant Irishman. Seizing the opportunity, Harber caught Sawyer off-guard, delivering a blistering combination that left the champion momentarily stunned. Snatching a round from the clutches of defeat, Harber demonstrated his unyielding spirit and resilience. Eager to capitalize on his newfound success, Harber approached the eighth round with an audacious strategy. Employing strategic clinching, he effectively tied up the champion, forcing the experienced referee, Jimmy Hooper, to intercede repeatedly. The unexpected holding tactics seemed to frustrate Sawyer, redirecting his focus away from the prize. Amidst this tumultuous battle, Harber, seizing a moment of vulnerability, launched a thunderous blow beneath Sawyer's ribcage, causing the champion to crumble momentarily. The collective gasp from the crowd echoed through the stadium, as Hooper commenced his count. Before reaching four, Sawyer rose from the canvas, extinguishing the flames of panic. However, for the remainder of the round, it was Sawyer who resorted to clinching, seeking respite from the relentless assault. During the intermission, Sawyer's corner read him the riot act, dispelling any trace of complacency that may have crept into the champion's mindset. Renewed and invigorated, Sawyer reclaimed his dominance in the ninth round, reaffirming his authority over both the crowd and Harber. With every ounce of strength, Sawyer unleashed a torrent of punches, leaving Harber with no alternative but to focus solely on trying to minimize the damage incurred. The challenger found himself trapped in a defensive posture, unable to mount any significant offensive maneuvers. In the eleventh round, Sawyer, true to his preeminence, delivered a devastating uppercut that sent Harber crashing to the canvas, effectively equalizing the knockdown count. Harber valiantly regained his footing, miraculously surviving not only the eleventh but also the twelfth and thirteenth rounds. Each passing round witnessed Sawyer's unwavering dominance, as he effortlessly outclassed his opponent. In the fourteenth round, however, Harber's resilience reached its limits. A lightning bolt of a blow landed flush on Harber's chin, sending him sprawling to the mat once more. The crowd, on the cusp of jubilation, anticipated a swift conclusion. Yet, with indomitable will, Harber mustered the strength to rise before Hooper's count concluded, thwarting imminent defeat. By the fifteenth and final round, Sawyer, weary from the relentless exchange of blows, pressed on, displaying his unwavering superiority. When the final bell tolled, the decision lay in the hands of the judges. The scorecards reflected the one-sided nature of the contest, with Sawyer prevailing by a resounding margin, averaging 146-136 across the adjudicators' tallies. Exhausted yet sporting newfound respect, Sawyer embraced Harber, recognizing the Irishman's unwavering determination and unyielding spirit. Harber, despite enduring a punishing ordeal, emerged as a beacon of fortitude, narrowly avoiding the clutches of a knockout defeat. Thus, the curtain falls on another captivating chapter in the annals of pugilism. Hector Sawyer, the embodiment of strength and skill, reigns supreme in the heavyweight division, leaving both fans and challengers to ponder the daunting task that lies ahead. The legend of the Cajun Crusher continues to grow, his name etched in the pantheon of boxing greats. WESTLAKE MAKES HIS CASE Two days prior to the Sawyer title fight, former welterweight champion Mark Westlake took center stage at Cougars Park. The crowd was not as numerous as that on Saturday to witness the heavyweight champ in action, but a solid gathering saw Westlake score a tight split-decision win over Willis May in a battle of two pugilists with the welterweight title on their minds. Westlake had the title before, for the briefest of times when he dethroned Dennis O'Keefe only to fall to Harold Stephens in his first defense. Stephens will be back in action in a couple of weeks, putting his belt on the line against Carl Taylor. It is widely expected that Westlake, by virtue of his win over May, will get another shot at the belt. The win improves the Biloxi, Ms., native's record to 22-3-1 while the Alabama-born May falls to 17-3-2 with the loss. BAKER TITLE HOPES 'COOKED' Loses Third Straight Not long ago Scott 'The Chef' Baker had his eye on a potential date with world champion Hector Sawyer. The son of former world middleweight champion Battling Billy Baker seemed destined to follow in his father's footsteps but his dreams were derailed with a loss last September against Roy Crawford - the Boston battler who was Baker's toughest opponent to date. It seemed just a minor setback at the time, a brief step back before the 27-year-old would once again hurtle himself forward but then disaster struck. In the first round of his next outing, Baker broke his hand connecting with Chris May's chin and was forced to stop, taking a technical knock out loss. It took several months of rehabilitation to get the right hand back into shape and finally, after a six-month layoff, Baker returned to the ring last week in New York. It was supposed to be an easy win, a hand-picked opponent designed to get the Chef back on the recipe to success. Instead Martin, a 34-year-old from St Louis had some ingredients of his own to add to the mix and scored a close but just split-decision win. Now Baker, loser of three in a row, sits with a 15-3-2 record and his chances at reaching the heights his father achieved in the ring seem all but gone. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
 CARDINALS FROSH CLASS CONSIDERED BEST IN NATION As the students are preparing to return to the college classrooms the top basketball recruiting class for the upcoming season belongs to the Carolina Poly Cardinals. That is the consensus of college coaches across the nation as the Cardinals hope to improve on a pretty solid 1946-47 campaign -one that saw the school go 27-4 overall and was the top seed in the South for the AIAA tournament but lost to Detroit City College in the second round. Headline Poly's recruiting class is Mel Turcotte, a smooth shooting forward out of Henry Hudson Prep in New York City that was considered the best high school player in the nation a year ago. Turcotte will be joined by another player considered to be one of the top high schoolers on the east coast in Jerry Newsom, a powerfully built forward out of Jersey City. Add them to a lineup that will include returning starters Major Belk, a guard who averaged 8.8 ppg as a sophomore and was named to the South Atlantic Conference all-star team, along with James Halle, who scored at an 8.1 ppg clip last season as a freshman. There will be some holes to fill for the Cardinals, as Paul Cowans -one of the best centers in the nation- and guard Max Kent have both graduated. Other strong recruiting classes belong to Miami State, which hopes local product Eb Merkle can fill the large shoes of another Miami high school legend in Long Werth -who graduates to pro basketball after being named the national player of the year each of the past two seasons. Out west, Rainier College is hoping for big things from Don Higgins, who grew up in California but played his high school ball in Boston when he followed his older brother Dick Higgins to New England when Dick was pitching for the Boston Minutemen. Another freshman with pro baseball ties is Les Lightbody, a stringbean of a center from Louisiana who is a cousin of three current or former big leaguers in Doug, Frank and Jim Lightbody. Les will take his talents from the high school gym of Alexandria, La. to the campus of Alabama Baptist this season. Here are the top 25 recruiting classes with the top recruit for each of them.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/03/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-28-2023, 12:26 PM
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#734 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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August 11, 1947
AUGUST 11, 1947 4 GAME SKID DOES NOT SINK SAILORS In the world of major league baseball, the week has unfolded with a sense of familiarity as the contenders in both the Continental Association and the Federal Association have clung to their positions without significant change. Let's delve into the thrilling developments that transpired in the past week. First, we set our sights on the Continental Association, where the Philadelphia Sailors found themselves on shaky ground with a disheartening four-game losing streak. However, their resilience shone through as they regained their composure, triumphing in a pair of weekend clashes against the Toronto Wolves. Remarkably, their most prominent adversaries failed to seize the opportunity, leaving the Sailors comfortable four-game lead over the second-place New York Stars still very much intact. The Stars, burdened by their own four consecutive losses suffered in Montreal and Chicago, were unable to close the gap. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Cannons, also trailing by four games, squandered a chance to make a substantial gain. After claiming victory in two matches against the Sailors, they faltered over the weekend, succumbing to a devastating sweep by the Cleveland Foresters at Tice Memorial Stadium. As for the Toronto Wolves and the Chicago Cougars, they find themselves lingering on the periphery of contention, trailing by a considerable 8.5 games after each experienced mixed fortunes last week. It remains the Brooklyn Kings that currently occupy fourth place, barely holding a one-game advantage over the struggling Toronto and Chicago squads. However, their own aspirations were dealt a severe blow as they suffered a doubleheader sweep in Montreal just yesterday. Shifting our attention to the Federal Association, we witness the St. Louis Pioneers firmly asserting their dominance, preserving their 8.5-game lead over the second-place Detroit Dynamos. The Pioneers initiated the week by extinguishing any lingering hopes the Chicago Chiefs may have harbored, decimating them in a three-game series sweep. This extended the Chiefs' woeful losing streak to an agonizing 11 games while simultaneously propelling the Pioneers to an impressive eight-game winning streak. Although the Pioneers encountered a minor setback over the weekend, dropping two of three games to the Dynamos in Detroit, they remain resolute. The upcoming three-game series between the two teams, scheduled to take place in St. Louis next weekend, holds immense significance. The Pioneers possess the opportunity to further shatter the dreams of the youthful Detroiters, replicating the dominant display they exhibited against the floundering Chiefs. As for the defending champions, the Washington Eagles, they valiantly strive to remain relevant, securing victory in nine of their last eleven encounters. Despite their commendable efforts, the Eagles find themselves trailing by a considerable twelve games, a testament to the Pioneers' formidable lead.  FABL BEST OF LAST WEEK   WCS TELEVISIONS RIGHTS OFFERED AT $100,000 New York- The 1947 World Championship Series will be televised, FABL President Sam Belton has decided, but the sponsor will have to pay $100,000 for the privilege. Belton, it was learned here, wired NBC, CBS and Mutual from California, offering the television rights for that amount. The Gillette Safety Rzazor Company, which will broadcast the WCS games to the listening audience, declined the television privilege at the price fixed. The proposal now is being considered by several other prospective sponsors. The FABL boss also has stipulated that the telecasts of the WCS must be made to all television outlets in the New York area even if the Stars win the Continental Association pennant. It is estimated the telecasts would reach an estimated half million spectators each afternoon. It is believed that price of $100,000 would be the largest ever paid for television sponsorship of any event, exceeding the Sawyer-Fountain fight of last January. In addition, the sponsor would have to buy air time from the system over which the telecasts are carried. Some FABL magnates, most notably Al Mielke of the New York Stars, have opposed the sale of television rights, believing that if the fans knew they could see the WCS games on television screens, many would hold off buying tickets because of the weather factor in early October. The Stars owner is aiming for an emphatic sellout of the 1947 classic should his club return to defend its crown, and wants nothing to interfere with that objective. Mielke hinted the financial success of his franchise depends upon a large WCS gate. 1948 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART TWO : HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS A year ago when we did our mock draft for the 1948 draft class there were 5 high school pitchers in the top 16. All five make our new list of top 10 high school arms but in a slightly different order and with a newcomer at the top of the list. #1: JIMMY ISGRO - RHP Austin (MN) High School -Isgro burst on to the scene this year, debuting as a junior with a 10-0 record and a 0.91 era. OSA feels that "if all goes according to schedule, Isgro will be at the top of the rotation someday." #2: JIMMY MORRIS - RHP Monroeville (OH) High School -Morris was an honourable mention in our mock draft a year ago and moved up the list with a perfect 12-0 season that featured a 0.88 era and a career best 185 strikeouts while walking just 19 in 122 innings of work. A groundball pitcher, he possess a three-pitch mix highlighted by an off the charts sinker. OSA pegs him as a future top of the rotation arm. #3: GENE CURTIS - RHP Furness High School Philadelphia (PA) - A future ace is how the scouting service sums up Curtis. The Philadelphia native has two great pitches in his slider and sinker to go along with an average fastball. A two-year starter he took a nice step forward as a junior and perhaps will have the same sort of jump his senior season. #4: KEN CROSSLEY - RHP Gainesville (GA) High School -Crossley was on the scouting services radar since his impressive freshman season and followed that up with a dominant sophomore campaign. He took a small step backwards, production wise, this past year but still had a solid campaign. He has four pitches highlighted by his cutter, and OSA says he is projected to have "the stuff and talent needed to be a number 1." #9: WALT COOPER - RHP Grand Rapids (MN) High School - A Flint native who has gone a perfect 22-0 over two seasons of pitching in Minnesota high school ball. He looks like a big time strikeout pitcher, perhaps along the lines of Minnesota high school legends the Jones brothers. OSA sees him as a potential number one starter. #6: ANSEL ROHLING - RHP Creston (IA) High School - The Missouri native is another high school arm that OSA feels could be "a future number one starter." He has a 6-pitch repertoire led by a plus slider and curveball as well as a quality sinker. He is tall but wiry and likely needs to grow into his frame but still can peak at 87 mph now. Rohling has never lost a high school game, sporting a 17-0 record after two seasons. #7: CHARLIE CRAIGHEAD - LHP Kensett (AR) High School -The top southpaw on the high school pitcher list, Craighead has had three very good seasons as a starter at Kensett High. OSA praises his pose and command, noting he will not beat himself with walks. Craighead projects to "occupy a spot in the middle of the rotation" according to OSA. #8: JERRY HUTCHINSON - RHP Red Bluff (CA) High School - OSA pegs the 17-year-old from California as a middle of the rotation arm. A three-year starter for his high school, the scouting service feels he is a real worm killer, who will generate a high number of ground balls. Like several pitchers in this group, the scouting service praises his work ethic. #9: FRANKIE RAYMOND - RHP Waite High School, Toledo (OH) - Another hard-working groundball pitcher, Raymond is a three year starter but might have scared some FABL teams off with a drop-off in his junior season. OSA still feels he has the tools to "propel him into a mid-rotation spot" but after his very impressive freshman season the scouting service was looking at him as an ace in the making. #10: DAVE SMITH - RHP Bellmore (NY) High School - A year ago Dave Smith was the top pitcher on our list - a future rotation anchor according to OSA. He only had a slight drop-off in his stats as a junior but he is no longer a lock to be a top of the rotation arm. OSA still feels he "possesses great talents and seems destined to eventually break out in a starter's role" but the star that the Brooklyn native appeared destined to be a year ago has tarnished somewhat. Next week in part three of our 1948 draft preview we will look at the top high school position players. 
STEPHENS AIMS TO DEFY WELTERWEIGHT TROUBLES The welterweight division, often overshadowed by the giants of the ring, finds itself in a peculiar state of flux. With the spotlight fixated on heavyweight ruler Hector Sawyer and the recently derailed middleweight saga of Frank Melanson, who catapulted from the steel mills to the pinnacle of boxing in a blink, the welterweights have slipped through the cracks of public attention. Their struggles to establish a sustained reign atop the division have only compounded matters. It is astonishing to note that the last time a welterweight champion successfully defended his crown was nearly eight years ago, when Jimmy 'Kid' Simpson made his final of 14 successful title defenses before gracefully retiring. The dark cloud of war cast its shadow upon the sport, leaving the welterweight title vacant for a staggering six years following Simpson's departure. Since then, both Dennis O'Keefe and Mark Westlake faltered in their attempts to retain the championship after seizing it. Now, our attention turns to Harold Stephens, a 29-year-old warrior hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, who has emerged with a string of impressive victories after a four-year hiatus from the squared circle during the war. Over the past two years, Stephens has bested notable opponents such as Ben "Baby Face" Bishop, Rudy Perry, and, most recently, Westlake, whom he outpointed with a unanimous decision to claim the title in February. Sporting a professional record of 20 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, Stephens finds himself on the precipice of a defining moment—retaining the coveted welterweight crown. However, standing firmly in his path is the resolute Carl Taylor. Taylor, the gritty battler from Baltimore, will be given his second opportunity at the title, having been halted by O'Keefe in the 13th round of their encounter a year and a half ago for the then-vacant welterweight championship. At 30 years of age and armed with a commendable record of 22 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, Taylor shares many of the same vanquished foes as Stephens, boasting victories over Westlake, Bishop, and the impressive George Gibbs. Experts within the ring believe that Stephens holds a slight advantage in his bid to retain the crown when the two combatants collide this Saturday night at Boston's illustrious Denny Arena. Could this be the moment when a welterweight champion finally departs the ring, still adorned with his regal treasure? The answer eagerly awaits us. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/10/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-29-2023, 12:15 PM
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#735 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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August 18, 1947
AUGUST 18, 1947 DYNAMOS FAINT FLAG HOPES REMAIN ALIVE Take Two of Three in St Louis but Trail by 9.5 The Detroit Dynamos are clinging to life thanks to winning a pair of games in St Louis over the weekend, but even with 4 victories in six games over the Pioneers in the last 10 days, the Dynamos gained no ground and still trail the Federal Association front-runners by 9.5 games with just 6 weeks remaining in the season. Detroit started the week with 4 losses in 5 games, including being swept in a pair against the third place Chicago Chiefs but recovered with the weekend wins in Missouri. St Louis took the opener of the Detroit series as a half-filled Pioneer Park made plenty of noise in a 5-4 victory that saw Danny Hern run his record to an amazing 19-4 on the season. Everything about this campaign has been amazing for the Pioneers, who increased their lead on Detroit -at least momentarily- to 11.5 games as the club attempts to end the longest pennant less drought in the Federal Association. Detroit did chip into that lead, easing it back to a single digit with a 7-6 victory on Edwin Hackberry's 11th inning rbi single Saturday and rode Dick Estes' 18th homer of the campaign to a 7-3 victory yesterday but it is clear that, at 9.5 games back, time is running out on the Dynamos. It looks like time has ran out on the Chiefs and Eagles as Chicago, despite dealing Detroit's dreams a major blow with a sweep of their brief two game set at Whitney Park, is 13 games back and still trying to figure out what happened when a 13-game losing skid destroyed what Chiefs fans felt was the makings of a great pennant push. The Eagles are 13.5 off the pace and appear resigned to the fact that they will not repeat as Fed flag waivers and will have to be content with a one-year reign that ended a 21-year stretch without a title. *** Barrell Adds Excitement to Fed Finish *** While the Federal Association pennant may be all but decided before the season enters its final month, there is still one big race drawing plenty of attention in the loop. That would be Bobby Barrell's pursuit of Hall of Famer Max Morris and Mighty Mo's record 60 homeruns. Morris swatted his milestone total in 1923 -while a member of the St Louis Pioneers- after hitting 59 the previous season. Morris would hit at least 50 on three other occasions with only Joe Masters -who hit 56 in 1928 for the Chiefs- and Bobby Barrell -with 53 for the Keystones in 1936- ever coming within ten of Morris's magic 60. This season Barrell is threatening to break the long-standing mark. He hit 4 last week to make the Keystones star the only player besides Morris to hit at least fifty longballs in a season more than once. Barrell, having surpassed the 500 homer mark and, at 509, just 4 behind Cincinnati's fading star Al Wheeler for second most all-time, now has his sights set firmly on the single season gold standard. Barrell is presently 9 shy of the 60 mark, and with 36 games remaining is on a pace that would see him finish with an almost unbelievable total of 67 homeruns. So while there may not be a pennant race to follow in the Fed, there is a history-making homerun chase to capture the attention of fans in Philadelphia and around FABL. *** Continental Picture Still Cloudy *** Unlike the Fed, the Continental Association pennant race is still very much undecided with 5 clubs jammed into the same 9.5 game spread that separates first from second in the Federal Association. The Philadelphia Sailors continue to set the pace, with a 3.5 game bulge on the New York Stars followed very closely by the Cincinnati Cannons at 4 back of the Sailors. The fourth place Brooklyn Kings are 8 games back and not really in the race but still thrilled to be over .500 and fighting for the first division in a season in which few expected much from sophomore manager Tom Barrell's boys. The Cougars are now 9.5 games off the pace and slowly resigning themselves to the fact that it very much looks like another lost season for the Chicago crew -and yet another year when the preseason favourites failed to live up to lofty expectations. The New York Stars suffered a bit of a blow last week when three-time Whitney Award winning outfielder Bill Barrett suffered a sprained knee. Barrett took a few days off but is insistent he can play, and the Stars are now faced with the very difficult decision of weighing just how much they should risk their star outfielder's health vs the need of having him in the lineup in their pursuit of the Sailors.  TOP FABL PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK   1948 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART THREE : HIGH SCHOOL POSITION PLAYERS Each of the top five high school position players from last year's list - Joe Klemen, Al Bennett, Buck Burdell, Curt Brooks and Charlie Barrell remain in our new list of the top ten position players. Bennett seems to have pulled ahead as the corner outfielder from Cleveland has a very high ceiling according to OSA. Here is a look at the top ten high school position players based on OSA's latest scouting assessments: #1: AL BENNETT RF - Oak Hill (OH) High School : OSA feels the 17-year-old Clevelander possesses immense talent, enough that "someday he may be considered in conversations about the best players in the game." #2: CURT BROOKS 2B - Princeton (IL) High School: What an amazing infield at Princeton High as Brooks and fellow top ten OSA prospect Joe Kleman handle the keystone duties. OSA feels he will "make multiple trips to the All-Star Game" if he fulfills his potential. Has elite speed and hit well enough to bat .532 last season. His defense is considered adequate to play second base in FABL. #3: PETE IRETON 2B - Munhall (PA) High School: Another infielder with the potential to make multiple all-star game appearances over his career. Ireton seems to have all the tools as OSA projects him to hit for high average with above average power potential and impressive speed. Only played one year of high school ball so far but was very impressive with a .552/.582/.812 slash line. #4: PHIL LEE CF - Natick (MA) High School: Looks like a prototypical lead-off hitter with his fluid swing and excellent instincts with the glove as a centerfielder. Lee also made an element of power to his game and OSA feels he could one day "be on the shortlist for best center fielder in the league." #5: STEVE WHEELER CF - Hillcrest High School, Cincinnati: The son of legendary FABL slugger Al Wheeler is a much different player from his father and what he lacks in power, he makes up in speed and contact ability. Described as an above-average defender, the Detroit native looks like a future lead-off candidate and should be an impact big leaguer according to OSA. #6: JOE KLEMAN SS - Princeton (IL) High School: The other half of the greatest high school middle infielder duo around and a teammate of Curt Brooks. After an All-American season as a high school sophomore, Kleman was ranked #1 overall on our mock draft for this class last August. OSA has softened its stance on Kleman, downgrading him from a multiple all-star game participant a year ago to merely "an elite starting shortstop" this time around. His numbers were down slightly this past season, but Kleman has still hit over .500 each of his three high school seasons and has some power as well. Described as very athletic so he should have no problem sticking at shortstop as a pro. #7: ROY SNEDDON 3B - Rowlesburg (WV) High School: The 17-year-old was a high school All-American in both his freshman and sophomore seasons but had to settle for honourable mention status as a junior. OSA calls his swing "a thing of beauty" and notes he is very patient at the plate and has some power potential. In short, the scouting service feels Snedden "has all the tools to develop into an elite third baseman." #8: DON GOLDMAN CF - Malden (MA) High School: There has been a fair amount of debate between Goldman and Phil Lee over who is the best center fielder in New England. Goldman has a chance to hit for average but his power, unlike Lee's, is a bit more of a projection at this point. A sure-handed defender, Goldman "is projected to be an elite starting center fielder." #9: CHARLIE BARRELL 2B -Capital Academy, Washington DC: The name alone screams first round pick as the Barrell's are certainly the first family of baseball, if not all of the sporting world. He is the brother of the Cincinnati Cannons Deuce Barrell and breakout rookie catcher Roger Cleaves. Born in Los Angeles, Charlie came east to play his high school ball right under the nose of OSA boss, and his uncle Dan Barrell, so perhaps the scouting service is grading him harder than most to avoid any claims of favourtism. "A second division starter at second base," who can hit .310 in the big leagues with average power is how the scouting service currently assess 'The Heartbreak Kid" who missed All-American status this year but made it as both a freshman and a sophomore. His batting average after 3 years of high school ball is a very impressive .536. #10: BUCK BURDELL CF - Gillette (WY) High School: Not a lot of baseball players come out of Wyoming and it is no surprise that the state has never produced a big league player. OSA expects Burdell to change that as he is another member of a very deep class of elite center fielders. The scouting service praises his ability to "work the count and draw walks." Next week our draft preview continues with TWIFB's mock first round for the 1948 draft class. 
STEPHENS FIRST SUCCESSFUL WELTER DEFENSE SINCE ’40 IN CONTROVERSIAL WIN OVER TAYLOR Everyone knows the welterweight division has not had a repeat champion since 1940. It has been a transient weight class, so much so that the loser of the “play-off” for the first title fight since the War has been recycled and bubbled to the top of the division for a second chance. Carl Taylor worked hard to get himself back in position for a title shot and some corners had him favored to win, as the challengers have won both title bouts since Taylor lost to Jackhammer O’Keefe. Taylor worked his way back with a win against Mark Westlake, whom Welterweight Champion Harold Stephens defeated in his last fight to raise the belt. Denny Arena was the scene for this tussle, a cathedral which has hosted many championship matches as the home of the North American Hockey Confederation’s Boston Bees, which has won the Challenge Cup five times this decade. Denny Arena was thick with cigar smoke as the fighters entered the ring. Stephens, who hails from nearby Providence, R.I., had a large following in the stands and the Baltimore-born Taylor could call it a hostile environment. The crowd was clearly there to see a fight between two combatants without a clear betting favorite either way. It was as much of a toss-up of any title bout since the O’Keefe-Taylor fight. Jerry Rowe was the referee in the fight on Saturday and he also arbited the O’Keefe-Taylor fight last year. Rowe did not make any discernable calls against Taylor in the first fight, so Taylor’s camp had no issue with the assignment. It was a very even start to the fight with their attempts to connect on punches leaving them open to counterattacks. Neither fighter could take advantage of any weaknesses by his opponent, nor did any strikes make much of a mark. But it was clear both men were sizing each other up for the long night ahead. Taylor’s best punch was his hook, and he was executing early in the bout with a crushing hook to Stephens’s side in the second round and a hook up top that connected with Stephens’s jaw. Meanwhile, Stephens was at home firing his right jab early and often, scoring points along the way. Stephens nearly averaged an estimated seven jabs per round during the fight. But it was that third round that was the turning point in the bout. Both combatants were in tight, and Stephens pushed Taylor to get some room to throw a jab. The jab hit Taylor in just the right spot and opened a cut on the bridge of Taylor’s nose. The punched surprised Taylor more than anything else and the punch did not seem to have a lot of power behind it. The bleeding made the cut worse than it was, since Taylor rebounded with an excellent hook that stunned the champion, and arguably took the next round as well. Stephens was going to school on Taylor in the early rounds to notice how he left himself open after some of his punches, especially Taylor’s uppercuts. Taylor seemingly abandoned his winning hook and fell in love with his cross. In the fifth, It was a right cross that Taylor tried – and missed – that opened him up for Stephens to take full advantage with a cross of his own. Taylor leaned forward on the miss, leaving his face fully exposed and Stephens did not miss. This re-opened Taylor’s cut and caused a stoppage to let the ringside physician take a close look. Although the fight continued, no one was able to tell from the cavalier attitude displayed by the physicial, but Taylor was on borrowed time. Taylor’s cut man did as good a job as he could, but his nose was stubborn. Like red meat to a hungry wolf, Stephens literally saw blood. Stephens went for the nose on a succession of jabs and made direct contact again, causing Taylor’s nose to spring a leak once again. The cut was not a serious injury, but the bleeding was profuse and unseemly. This time, the doctor feared it could develop into a breathing issue or a caving in of the nasal cavity, so at the direction of the doctor, referee Rowe stopped the fight. Did Taylor feel there was controversy in drawing the same referee for his second title shot and losing both times, this time on a judgment call on an injury? “I felt like I could have fought all night and I was fighting toe-to-toe with Stephens. But that’s the referee’s job. I may not be happy with the decision, but I respect it.” Stephens was precise, landing a little more than half (50.2%) of his punches, while Taylor hit on a third (33.2%) of the blows he produced. But Taylor was basically even in the fight if it was not for the cut on his nose stopping the bout short. Two title shots and two losses for Taylor, now 22-4-2, while Stephens earned his 20th win against three losses and two draws, and one very important title defense, something that has eluded the welterweight class for so long. Some may say Stephens did not truly earn the victory to keep his belt because the fight was called on an injury not deemed serious, but that is nonsense. The naysayers will have to back up those claims when Stephens takes on his next challenger to see if he truly deserves the mantle of champion. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: None Round 2: Taylor 1-0 (0:36 hook/side) Round 3: Tied 1-1 (S: 0:14 combo; T: 2:53 hook/jaw) Round 4: None Round 5: None Round 6: None TOTAL - Taylor 2, Stephens 1  STEPHENS RETAINS WELTERWEIGHT CROWN WITH FIERCE TKO In a thrilling display of boxing prowess at Boston's revered Denny Arena, Harold Stephens etched his name into the annals of pugilism history as the first welterweight champion in seven years to successfully defend his title. The Providence native, backed by a boisterous New England crowd, unleashed a fifth-round technical knockout upon the valiant Carl Taylor of Baltimore, Maryland. The outcome reverberated throughout the arena, shattering the pattern of previous welterweight title bouts that ended in relinquishment with the first defense. The anticipation crackled in the air as Stephens, a 29-year-old maestro from the fighting city of Providence, stepped into the ring for his first local fight as the ABF champion. His previous conquest, a resolute triumph over Mark Westlake in St. Louis, had elevated his standing in the division, warranting this celebrated bout in the hallowed halls of Boston. The seasoned battler faced a formidable challenge in Taylor, a Baltimore warrior whose previous tilt at the title had concluded in disappointment against Dennis O'Keefe. As both fighters expressed their confidence in victory, an air of unpredictability enveloped the contest, heightening the suspense for the crowd. The opening round set a cautious tone, with both pugilists carefully sizing each other up, probing for weaknesses yet reluctant to expose their own. Taylor, exhibiting a surge of vigor, seized the initiative in the second round, consistently pinning Stephens against the ropes and unleashing a series of potent blows. It was undoubtedly the challenger's finest three minutes of the fight. Undeterred, Stephens masterfully adjusted his strategy in the third round, eluding Taylor's encroachments and launching a sneaky blow that found its mark on the challenger's nose, resulting in a crimson flow. Though slightly impeded, Taylor valiantly pressed on, rendering the third round an affair that could have swung either way. Before the fourth round commenced, Taylor's cut man effectively stemmed the bleeding, but caution permeated the ring, surpassing even the tentative nature of the opening round. Stephens, employing a calculated approach, unleashed a flurry of punches, yet often found himself ensnared in the corner, providing an opening for Taylor to counter with precision. The fifth round unfolded similarly until the dying seconds, when Stephens, with a well-placed cross to Taylor's already damaged nose, reopened the wound, unleashing a torrent of blood akin to the aftermath of a razor's unrelenting edge. The fight briefly paused, with the ring doctor displaying a shaken demeanor, yet ultimately allowing the battle to continue. Taylor's corner toiled fervently between rounds, staunching the flow of blood and managing the precarious situation. Alas, their efforts were in vain, as Stephens, displaying his lightning-fast dexterity, capitalized within the opening 30 seconds of the sixth round. With three rapid jabs, Stephens penetrated Taylor's defenses, connecting with at least one devastating blow that landed squarely on the challenger's beak. The once-contained wound unleashed a renewed cascade of blood, transforming Taylor's visage into a crimson mask. Frustration etched across his face, Taylor could only witness in despair as referee Jerry Rowe, with no alternative at his disposal, intervened and terminated the contest. The official stoppage occurred a mere 37 seconds into the sixth round, sparking a jubilant eruption within the ring as Stephens and his entourage celebrated their hard-earned triumph. With the victory Stephens becomes the first welterweight fighter in seven years to successfully defend his world title, etching his name as the first welterweight since Jimmy 'Kid' Simpson to enter and leave the ring as champion. That was back in 1940, before the title lay vacant for six years due to the ravages of war. Dennis O'Keefe and Mark Westlake briefly held the belt but faltered in their inaugural defenses. With a record of 20-3-2 and his fifth knockout triumph, Stephens reigns supreme, while Taylor, after seeing his second opportunity at the world title slip away, falls to 22-4-2. ERICKSON HAS EASY TIME IN COLUMBUS Mac Erickson, who along with Danny Rutledge, are considered the rising stars of the welterweight division was back in action last week and barely broke a sweat while running his perfect record as a professional to 14-0. The 26-year-old had an easy time scoring a unanimous decision over Ohio native Jimmy O'Day. The win, Erickson's third since jumping from 6-round introductory fights to the standard 10 round affairs, appears to set the stage for the sailor from St. Paul to start looking at opportunities to fight some of the giants in the welterweight division. Meanwhile, Danny Rutledge -the ex-Army private who waged a now famous battle with Erickson in England while both were considered amateurs- will be back in the ring this week when he meets Glen Peterson in a bout in Buffalo, New York. Rutledge, a 23-year-old native of Louisville, Kentucky, will be looking to improve his perfect record to 11-0. SEARCH FOR OPPONENT FOR SAWYER RESEMBLES FLYING SAUCER HUNT The search for an adversary to face the indomitable heavyweight king, Hector Sawyer, resembles the bewildering pursuit of flying saucers. Names of prospective contenders for a shot at Sawyer's coveted crown were darting across the sky, eliciting equal measures of speculation and head-scratching commentary, much like the enigmatic discs that have captivated our imaginations. Amidst the swirling rumors, one thing remains clear: the gatekeepers led by the stalwart Chester Conley will not unveil their decision until Sawyer himself graces us with his presence to discuss his future. After comfortably dispatching the touted Irishman Pat Harber two weeks ago in Chicago, Sawyer hinted once more at the prospect of retirement, a notion swiftly dismissed by Conley as mere boredom on the champ's part—a reflection of the lack of worthy adversaries. Conley waves away suggestions that Sawyer has lost a step or his desire to continue fighting. "That's absolute nonsense!" roared the pugnacious boxing promoter. "Hector is at the pinnacle of his form, or as close as any 33-year-old boxer can be, and yearns for a true challenger to test his mettle." However, such contenders have been scarce since the end of the war. Many believed that Mark Fountain would be the man to end Sawyer's reign, but Fountain failed to survive even to the scorecards against the Cajun Crusher in Detroit last January. Scott Baker, hailed by all of Philadelphia as a worthy adversary, proved to be a mirage, suffering three consecutive defeats and thus falling out of consideration. The emergence of the promising young star Tommy Cline may hold promise, but his handlers are opting for a cautious approach, deeming the 22-year-old Tennessean at least a year away from stepping into the ring with a fighter of Sawyer's caliber. Perhaps the Boston Bomber, Roy Crawford, will be granted an opportunity, although there are whispers that Conley has set his sights on a western expedition, eyeing the grand football stadium in Santa Ana as the stage for a record-breaking gate. If this is the case, a western fighter seems the likely choice—a prospect that bodes well for Dan Miller. The 30-year-old pugilist hailing from Oakland may be precisely the opponent Conley desires, although Sawyer may have different sentiments. Admittedly, it is difficult to envision Miller, with seven losses already on his ledger, posing a significant threat to Sawyer. Nevertheless, such a bout would surely garner attention on the coast, and for Conley, maximizing the remaining paydays of his prized asset, Sawyer, stands as an utmost priority. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
DRAFT GRADES HANDED OUT BY OSA The Chicago Packers led the way when it comes to the quality of their draft selections last month. That is the verdict of the OSA's hockey division, which praised the Packers, Detroit and Boston for having the best draft classes. The Packers, who selected 5th in the 6-team loop, had Mike Van Tol as their top selection. The 19-year-old defenseman from Windsor, Ont., was number two on the mock draft after spending last season with the Springfield Hornets of the HAA. Van Tol, described as an "old-school" rearguard, quickly agreed to a contract with the Packers and is expected to challenge for a spot on their blueline this season. He was the only one of Chicago's seven selections to sign with the club as the others will be left to develop in various minor leagues until they are deemed ready to complete for a spot with the Packers. The Detroit Motors had the second best class, if OSA is to be believed. Center Ben Witt, selected 4th overall, and second round choice Herm Kruse were both signed by the Motors. Witt, is a high ceiling pivot who was a teammate of Van Tol's at Springfield last season. The British Columbia native is expected to make the Motors roster this season, as is Kruse -a big, crease, clearing defenseman from Niagara Falls. Rounding out the top half of the draft classes would be the Boston Bees, who's top choice was center James Smart. The Halifax, NS, native was the only one of the Bees selections signed to a contract this off-season. At the other end of the spectrum you have the New York Shamrocks, a club that OSA feels deserves some criticism for their draft day decisions. That may reflect more on their depth choices rather than first rounder Jim Macek, a grinding Toronto-born left winger with a lot of tenacity. The other two clubs -the Toronto Dukes and Montreal Valiants- each signed two players from their draft group including Toronto's top pick Lou Galbraith -the first overall selection- and Francis McKenzie, picked second by the Vals.  BACKLUND SIGNS WITH PACKERS The Chicago Packers added some goaltending depth to their organization with the news that 24-year-old Andy Backlund agreed to terms with the Windy City club. With Norm Hanson locked in as the Packers starter, Backlund will battle with incumbent Cole Foster and Mike Cleghorn, who spent some time with the Packers last season, for the back-up job with the two left on the outside likely being assigned to the Pittsburgh Rovers of the HAA. Originally a 1942 fifth round pick of the Montreal Valiants, Backlund made his NAHC debut with the Vals in 1944-45. He was the backup to Millard Touhey each of the past three seasons, playing in a career high 10 games last year. Backlund has a 5-5-2 record with a 2.82 career goals against average in the NAHC. The signing of the Sault Ste. Marie native gives the Packers plenty of goaltending depth as all four of their contracted netminders spent at least part of the season in the NAHC a year ago.  JUNIOR COLLEGE STAR HEADS CAGE RECRUITING CLASS College coaches are in agreement that there are a lot of talented big men in the crop of high school seniors this coming season. Ten of the top eleven potential recruits for AIAA coaches this year are either centers or big forwards and that includes the number one recruit in the nation. But that top player is not from a high school as Luther Gordon played for a community college in New York City last year and plans on doing the same this season. Two years ago Gordon was considered the third best high school senior player available while starring for Canarsie High School in Brooklyn. All of the big schools had interest in the center, but he struggled academically and ended up at a junior college. Word is now Luther has his head on straight and is being heavily pursued by all the top schools once more. It is believed that Liberty College and Carolina Poly are the front-runners for his services in 1948 but Detroit City College and St Blane are also said to be very much in the mix. Gordon and Erv Johnson, a forward from California, are the only recruits among the top fifty that are playing for junior colleges as the vast majority will be coming straight out of high school. Here is a list of the players considered the top 30 potential college newcomers for the 1948-49 season.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/17/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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06-30-2023, 12:06 PM
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#736 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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August 25, 1947
AUGUST 25, 1947 SAILING ALONG Sailors Increase Continental Lead to 4 Games An 8-2 stretch has helped the Philadelphia Sailors extend their lead atop the Continental Association to 4 games on the second place New York Stars. The Sailors went 4-2 for the week, bookending a 4-game winning streak with 1-run losses to open the week in Brooklyn and close it in Chicago. The Stars went 4-3 but suffered a key injury with word that veteran second baseman Freddie Jones will miss at least three weeks with a muscle strain. The 37-year-old was enjoying a solid season in his first full year in the Big Apple, hitting .274. The Stars were already dealing with an injury to Bill Barrett, but the Whitney Award winning outfielder, who is nursing a sprained knee, is playing though it and showed no ill effects with 2 homers and a .333 batting average last week. This is a big week for the Chicago Cougars, who beat the Sailors yesterday in extra-innings thanks to a dramatic 12th inning walk-off home run courtesy of Leo Mitchell. That allowed the Cougars to get back to within single digits, trailing the first place Sailors by 9 games. Chicago hosts the Philadelphia nine the next two days before welcoming third place Cincinnati to town. The Stars play an unusual 1-game series against the Sailors this week as well and will get just two more cracks at the leaders the rest of the way. While it is not official, the Federal Association race feels long over as the St Louis Pioneers extended their lead on second place Detroit to 10 games. If that holds it will be the first time since 1928, when the Chicago Chiefs won 95 games and finished 10 up on the second place Dynamos, a Fed team has won the pennant by a double-digit margin over the second place squad.  TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK   1948 DRAFT PREVIEW: TWIFB MOCK FIRST ROUND To complete our look at the 1948 draft class here is TWIFB's mock first round. It was inspired heavily by the OSA assessments of the 400 players eligible for selection this season. A year ago our top three were Les Ledbetter, Marshall Thomas and Irv Clifford - all three of whom were selected in the top six picks. Here is what we see based on the scouting of OSA for the 1948 first round to shape up.  
EDMONDS AND MELANSON SET FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED REMATCH In a development that comes as no great surprise yet is met with much enthusiasm, it has been confirmed that John Edmonds and Frank Melanson will clash once again in a battle for the world middleweight championship. The two pugilistic gladiators are set to rekindle their July 4th fireworks, as Edmonds seeks to defend the title he snatched from Melanson's grasp on that fateful day. The significance of this rematch cannot be understated, as it offers a chance for redemption to the fallen champion, who saw his illustrious crown torn away in his own backyard, Fitzpatrick Park in Pittsburgh—just a stone's throw away from his cherished childhood haunts. This eagerly awaited rematch will take place on Friday, December 12, granting Edmonds a degree of home advantage as the native of Muncie, Indiana. Lakeside Auditorium in Chicago has been chosen as the battleground, where these warriors of the squared circle shall once again collide. The first bout between these formidable combatants was brought to a premature halt in the 13th round, as referee Ernest Byrd intervened due to a ghastly laceration adorning Melanson's right eyebrow, rendering his vision impaired beyond recovery. Although Melanson held a favorable position on all three judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, the contest remained fiercely contested throughout. It marked the initial blemish on Melanson's otherwise immaculate record, which boasted an unblemished slate save for two draws among his 35 professional encounters. Edmonds, meanwhile, elevated his standing to 23 victories against a mere two defeats, staying true to his post-fight declaration that he would grant Melanson a well-deserved rematch. The stage is set for a showdown of epic proportions, where pride, honor, and the coveted world middleweight championship hang in the balance. Brace yourselves for an enthralling spectacle as Edmonds and Melanson step back into the ring, ready to etch their names in pugilistic history once more. The echoes of their first encounter still reverberate, and now the stage is set for the grandest of sequels to this gripping saga. Boxing aficionados and enthusiasts alike eagerly await this momentous event, as the sweet science of pugilism promises to deliver another chapter of breathtaking drama. December 12 cannot arrive swiftly enough, as anticipation builds for a contest that shall surely leave an indelible mark on the annals of the ring. WEEKLY BOXING RESULTS Todd Gill, who famously battled with Frank Melanson twice for the world middleweight crown -drawing the first time before coming up short in the rematch, was back in action last week and got himself back on track with a unanimous decision over Adrian Frank in a bout held in New Haven, Ct. It was an important victory for Gill, who's reputation took a big hit with a loss to Owen Sheppard back in June. Another former victim of Melanson was also on that impressive New Haven fight card as Brooks O'Connor had little difficulty outpointing P.J. Whitaker. O'Connor is 25-4-2 n a career that has seen him fight a lot of big names. His only losses are twice to current world champ John Edmonds and once each to Melanson and Todd Gill. Elsewhere, rising welterweight Danny Rutledge ran his record to a perfect 11-0 with fourth round knockout of Glen Peterson. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/24/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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07-03-2023, 12:39 PM
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#737 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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September 1, 1947
SEPTEMBER 1, 1947 CONTINENTAL FLAG DRAWING A CROWD A six-game losing streak for the Philadelphia Sailors has created a logjam at the top of the Continental Association standings. The Sailors, who lost 3 straight to the Chicago Cougars to start the week and kept on losing in New York and Cincinnati, now lead both the Stars and Cannons by just a game and a half with 4 weeks remaining in the season. The hottest team in the CA race right now is the Cincinnati Cannons, winners of 7 of their last 8 games but don't count out the suddenly hot Chicago Cougars -riding a 10-3 stretch until they cooled off with losses at home to Montreal Saturday and Sunday. The Cougars, who did all of the CA contenders a favour with their Philadelphia sweep, are suddenly just 6 games back but they have to contend with 4 teams ahead of them. The one team ahead of the Cougars that we have not mentioned yet is the Brooklyn Kings, who are suddenly and unexpectedly in the middle of a pennant race for the first time in a decade. At 4.5 games back the Kings just finished taking 3 of 4 games from their cross-town rivals at Dyckman Stadium and will face the New Yorkers four more times this week with Kings County Park being the venue. There is plenty of baseball left to be played and fans could be in for a wild finish in the Continental Association. The Federal Association, in contrast, is clearly decided. The St Louis Pioneers extended their lead to 12.5 games on second place Detroit after the Dynamos dropped 8 of their last 12 games. That eliminates really any potential suspense from the Pioneers visit to the Motor City for a 3-game trip beginning today. The league stats service gives the St Louis nine a 99.9% chance of winning their first pennant since 1921. KEY GAMES THIS WEEK IN THE CA RACE
 After allowing a one-out single to Gordie Perkins in the first, Duke Bybee decided that no other Saint would be allowed to reach base via a base hit, as the red hot rookie retired 26 of the next 28 batters, striking out 7 and walking just 2. It was Bybee's FABL leading 6th shutout of the season, and he has twice as many shutouts as any non-Cougar pitcher (Donnie Jones has 4) this season. Bybee has thrown 4 shutouts since June 30th and has allowed 1 or fewer runs in 9 of his 24 starts this season. His 2.79 ERA (138 ERA+) is third in the CA and his 1.07 WHIP is 11 points better then the next best hurler (Donnie Jones, 1.18). Ralph Johnson may be having an outstanding season in Brooklyn, but Bybee is going to make things difficult for Kellogg and Allen award voters alike   TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK   The other big news was Barrell's first inning solo shot of Washington's Jim Douglass yesterday was the 514th homerun of his career. That moves Barrell one ahead of Al Wheeler, who has not homered since August 17 and into sole possession of second place all time. Only Max Morris with 714, hit more in his career.  All of the above kind of gives the lie to this seeming perception among FABL GMs that players are washed up once they get into their 30s. My point is that as a neutral observer I frequently shake my head at some of trades that send proven big leaguers away for relative peanuts (middling prospects whose chances of equaling the guy for whom they're being traded is virtually nil). That happens a lot. There's a reason why certain teams are always near the top of the standings. Guys like Barrell, Carroll & McCormick are easy to identify because they're standout stars, but there are a lot of good players between ages 30-40 who can not only play every day but do so at an above-average level of performance. Instead they're shipped off for guys who'll never get past AA. 1949 WAY TOO EARLY MOCK DRAFT If OSA's current scouting assessments hold up the 1949 draft class appears to be an extremely deep group, one that is absolutely loaded at the high school level. By the count of TWIFB staff there are 40 players that presently are worthy of being considered first round choices based upon their current OSA assessment. Now, that will certainly change as some players-especially young high schoolers- always drop off but this has the makings of being a draft class to remember. Instead of a mock list of just 16, we are going to list 30 players well worth keeping an eye on. They are roughly being ranked from best to worst but so many of them are so close it was tough coming up with an exact ranking for each of them. Code:
# NAME POS AGE HOMETOWN SCHOOL 1 John Wells SS 16 Philaelphia, PA Northeast Catholic HS, Philadelphia 2 Dallas Berry CF 16 Wellsville, MO Wellsville HS 3 Roy Patterson RHP 16 South Bend, IN South Bend HS 4 Danny Noonan C 19 Ashtabula, OH Huntington State 5 Billy Jones 3B 15 Brooklyn, NY Alpha (NJ) HS 6 Johnny Taylor LF 16 Minneapolis, MN Mora (MN) HS 7 Ray Hughes CF 15 Milwaukee, WI Denmark (WI) HS 8 Dick Houston RHP 16 Colorado Springs Florence (CO) HS 9 Harry Murray 2B 19 Minneapolis, MN Indiana A&M 10 Dick Champ RHP 16 New York, NY Middlesex (NJ) HS 11 Mike Rasmussen 3B 15 Springfield, MA Kingston (NY) HS 12 Hank Short RHP 16 Buffalo, NY Mineral Point (WI) HS 13 Bill Martin RF 16 Hamilton, MA Milton (MA) HS 14 Eddie Dickey CF 16 Carlisle, PA Luteran HS, Baltimore, MD 15 Stan Brueck RHP 15 Sauk Rapids, MN St. Peter (MN) HS 16 Lew Potter RHP 16 Nebraska City,NB Manning (IA) HS 17 Tom Perkins SS 20 Troy, TN Lane State 18 Bill Morrison CF 19 Oak Park, IL Grange College 19 John Cochran SS 19 Racine, WI Rainier College 20 Jerry Hale 2B 16 Chicago, IL Crane HS, Chicago, IL 21 Johnny Elliott 1B 15 Detroit, MI Owosso (MI) HS 22 Harl Smith LF 15 Stillwater, MN Alma (WI) HS 23 Bobby Crooks RHP 15 Detroit, MI Ypsilanti (MI) HS 24 Tiny Fowler RHP 16 San Francisco,CA Drew HS, San Francisco 25 Vern Osborne LHP 16 East St Louis,IL Montgomery City (MO) HS 26 Cy Holden 1B 16 Pakersburg, WV Parkersburg (WV) HS 27 Lou Jackson CF 19 Martinez, CA College of San Diego 28 Huck Mason RF 19 Cleveland, OH Constitution State 29 Andy Green 1B 19 Odessa, MO Maryland State 30 Bert Preble CF 19 Putnam, CT Constitution State HOW DID THE PIONEERS GET SO GOOD SO FAST? Well Dynamos fans, any faint hope you might have had for the three-game set at Thompson Field beginning today having any bearing at all on the Fed pennant race are certainly gone. Vanished after a terrible week from the local nine at the ballyard when nothing came easy. Some tough losses like the two games they gave away to lowly Pittsburgh early in the week or the heartbreaking 3-2 loss yesterday to the Chiefs when Steve Donovan got thrown out at the plate to end the game. But the truth of the matter is the Dynamos were never really in the race. Yes, taking 4 of 6 from the Pioneers last month may have given the diehards a faint glimmer of hope but the reality is we started the month of August 7 games back and never got any closer. St Louis is just too strong a ballclub, and somehow the class of the Federal Association. Now that is sentence I never thought I would be writing this year. So how did the Pioneers get so good, so quickly? They were a last place club a year ago and only finished within single digits of the leader once in the past nine years. They haven't won a pennant since 1921 -longest current drought in the Federal Association- and are best known as the team that traded away Hall of Famer Max Morris and future Hall of Famer Fred McCormick. Yet here they are about to end that drought and when they do it will make our beloved Dynamos the team that has gone the longest without a Fed flag. Since 1929 to be exact. That glorious year when Frank Vance was in his prime, Al Wheeler was on the rise and Ray Calfee was the best pitcher in baseball. But back to the Pioneers. Their roster did not overwhelm anyone at the beginning of the season. Let's start on the mound where Danny Hern (22-4, 2.77) suddenly thinks he is Double Al after 8 years as an average to slightly below average big league pitcher. Somehow, he is 22-4 with the lowest era in the Fed. Mix a career year from Hern with the maturing youth of Hal Hackney and Dick Long and add in a smart deal to bring Hiram Steinberg west from Cleveland you have the makings of a pretty solid pitching staff even if Hern does return to earth next year from whatever planet he has been on this season. The offense is the most productive in the sport -scoring more runs that even the Broad Street Boppers are putting up for the Philadelphia Keystones. Yet, nothing has really changed - at least nothing noticeable since last year. There is no superstar slugger suddenly added to the group. Instead, the new starters in St Louis this season are a pair of New York castoffs in Bill Freeman and Gary Carmichael, a 28-year-old career back-up in Buck Pusey and a 19-year-old fifth round pick who began last season playing high school ball. Breaking down the Pioneers you have the same catcher they did last season in Heinie Zimmer. Now 32, Zimmer is steady, but he is actually underperforming slightly when compared to his peak seasons. At first base you have Bates, who would count as the biggest surprise of the year were it not for the little matter of Danny Hern. OSA is not overly enamored with Bates, he doesn't walk much and has little power for a first baseman, but he is hitting .322 and a huge part of the Pioneers offense. Second sacker Artie D'Alessandro was sent to the Chiefs for a couple of prospects and ended up being an all-star in his first season at Whitney Park. It mattered not to the Pioneers, who snatched Bill Freeman from the Gothams in the rule five -with their second round pick so every other team in FABL had its chance at the 31-year-old. Freeman entered the year as a .268 career hitter who played subpar defense at second base. The defense is not much better this time around, but Freeman is another of the big surprises in St Louis, hitting a career best .334. Homer Mills is the shortstop, just as he was for a majority of the games last season. The 1943 first round pick has plenty of potential -scouts all knew that- but he is hardly dominating at the plate and his defense is barely average at this point in his career. Glove wizard Tommy Wilson was sent to the Chiefs in part because he lacks the bat one would like to see from a third baseman. In comes Gary Carmichael, a 33-year-old journeyman with stops in Montreal, with the Stars and Brooklyn. He has a pretty good glove -although not quite to Wilson's standards- but is hardly much of an upgrade on Wilson with the stick. Two-thirds of the St Louis outfield is unchanged with veteran Al Tucker doing what he usually does -challenging for the batting title- although likely fighting an uphill battle due to Bobby Barrell. Tucker had one of the worst years of his career last season but has bounced back with a solid season this time around, but it is really just back in line with the 34-year-olds career norm. Larry Gregory is just 24 but in his third full season as the Pioneers leftfielder. He leads the club in homers (14) and rbi's (90) and has a great future ahead of him but one would be hard-pressed to call his current season a dominant performance. In fact Gregory missed out on the All-Star Game this year after being selected each of the two previous seasons. That leaves the centerfielder - a position patrolled by an underachieving 25-year-old named Hack Mills a year ago. Mills is now in AAA and his replacement spent half of last season in the minors. That would be 28-year-old Buck Pusey. Until this season the most interesting thing about him was his nickname: The Woonsocket Rocket. Pusey led the Fed in thefts in 1942 but that was his only year as an everyday player until this season. He is once again challenging for the stolen base lead and is hitting like he has never hit before, at any level of the sport. Still his average is .319 -so hardly earth-shattering- and in many ways he is just an average centerfielder this season. The bullpen has been sound but not overwhelming. Yet despite adding really no big names on offense and just Hiram Steinberg as a mid-July pickup the Pioneers are about to lead the Federal Association from wire-to-wire a season after finishing dead last in the loop. It seems an awful lot of things just broke right for the Pioneers with a few players having career years and Hern having a Hall of Fame year and while it may be tough for Dynamos fans to watch the St Louis revival -Detroit is on the verge of a 5th second place finish in the past ten years and no pennant to show for it during that span, something no team in FABL has ever endured. Yet in many ways what Pioneer fans have endured -at least what few of them are left- is so much worse. Watching Morris, McCormick, Freddie Jones all just sent away in their prime. Enduring two and a half decades filled mostly with mediocrity. Pioneers supporters have paid their dues and it appears this season the baseball gods have decided to reward them for their suffering. Gothams Notes:
CONLEY CONFIRMS PLAN FOR RECORD BREAKING FIGHT FOR SAWYER Boxing promoter Chester Conley does everything big, and that now includes setting up what should be the greatest crowd ever assembled for a heavyweight fight. Conley has confirmed that his meal ticket, world heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer will fight at the famed Santa Ana Stadium just over a week after the annual East-West Classic collegiate football New Year's Day game. An afternoon affair in the west coast, Conley expects a crowd well in excess of 70,000 and perhaps as many as 80,000 in the stands on January 10 when Sawyer will face California native Dan Miller. The Cajun Crusher has held the most coveted title in sports since 1940 and will be making his 9th title defense. Sawyer, who scored a unanimous decision over Pat Harber in Chicago last month, owns a career record of 56-3-1. Miller is a 30-year-old Oakland, Ca., native who has not lost since the war ended and sports a 35-7-1 record. He will fight a tune-up match against Fraser Witt in Los Angeles two weeks from now and then will begin the difficult task of preparing to face Sawyer. CRAWFORD AND COOPER WIN IN BUSY FIGHT WEEK Heavyweight contenders Roy Crawford and Cannon Cooper each claimed victory last week. Crawford, the Boston Bomber, was in action against Don Alston in Camden, NJ, on Tuesday night and ran his record to 25-3 with a 4th round knockout of his clearly overmatched opponent. Cooper, who hit a bit of a road bump a couple of years ago with back-to-back losses, seems to have recovered and is working his way into title contention after winning his 6th in a row, a unanimous decision over Mac Jackson in a 10-rounder in Miami Thursday evening. Cooper, a Rockford, Il., native is now 23-2-1 as a professional. On the same Miami fight card that Cooper battled on, middleweight contender Tommy Campbell improved to 18-0-1 with a 5th round knockout of Matt Austin. Campbell is a 24-year-old from Atlanta who is one to watch in the middleweight division going forward. Another hard-punching middleweight is Nick Harris and the veteran was in action last night, knocking out Will Bowen in the final round of their 10 round battle in Lewiston, Me. The 33-year-old Harris, who went the distance but came up short in a title shot against former champ Frank Melanson in March, is 22-3-1 with 16 of his victories coming by knockout. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
PACKERS LOOK TO BE CLASS OF NAHC Looking at scouting report ratings alone, it certainly appears the Chicago Packers are poised to lift the Challenge Cup for the first time in their history next April. Preseason action is still a month away so Packers fans should not make plans to attend a Challenge Cup parade in front of the Lakeside Auditorium in the spring just yet, but the club looks loaded with talent and may finally have enough depth to go all the way. TWIFB asked the league scouting service to rank NAHC players on a 1-5 star basis with five being the very best. Below are the results as we listed each player from the six surviving NAHC teams with at least a 2.5 star rating. The result is no other club can compare to the 16 names the Packers placed on the list. The Packers have a superstar in two-time McDaniels Trophy winner Tommy Burns, an outstanding goaltender in Norm Hanson and a deep crop to surround them with including 4 newcomers to the organization in defenseman Jesse Santoro and forwards Leon Seguin, Jeremy MacLean and Derek Grubb. Boston might have a little more high end talent led by veteran forwards Wilbur Chandler and Tommy Hart as well as the return of goaltender Tom Brockers after en exile to the now defunct Brooklyn Eagles, but the Bees may be hard pressed to match the Packers depth. The Montreal Valiants, with ex-Eagle Ian Doyle joining the mix, may also challenge while Toronto looks to have the inside track on the fourth and final playoff spot thanks to a talented pair of pivots in vet Bobbie Sauer and Quinton Pollack, who was named rookie of the year after a 30-goal season in Brooklyn a year ago. Here is a look at how each club stacks up, according to the scouting service.   PRO GRID TITLE CLASH IS BLOCKED AS AFA REJECTS CFC BID The first formal attempt to match the champions of the American Football Association and the Continental Football Conference in a post-season tussle for the undisputed professional title found the young CFC loop getting a very cold shoulder from its older rival. CFC clubs made the first move towards an interleague playoff such as proposed frequently in newspaper columns by issuing a formal challenge last week to the circuit which has yet to recognize their rival on the professional scene. Lt. Commander Ben Montgomery, the Continental Conference commissioner, wired the challenge to Jack Kristich, President of the American Association, and then sat back to await developments -which weren't long in coming. "Not interested," snapped Kristich, turning thumbs down on the invitation while at league meetings in New York. He refused further comment, except to point out emphatically that American Association teams "don't play post-season games." Barring a change of heart by the long established AFA, whose president once advised the Continental loop officials to "get a football" before seeking to talk business, that appeared to keep the two circuits on opposite sides of the fence, at least for 1947. Montgomery's challenge called for the proceeds of the game to go either to charity or the winning team. He told newsmen he thought such a game would net $250,000 and he pledged his circuit's representative to turn it all over to charity if the contest could be arranged on a winner-take-all basis. "We feel we have four teams better than anything they've got," Montgomery said, naming the defending champion Kansas City Cowboys, Los Angeles Lobos, New York Gothams and San Francisco Wings. CAROLINA POLY TO HEADLINE TOURNEY OPENER The field has been unveiled for the four-team Tournament of Champions that marks the start of the collegiate cage season. The annual event, held at Bigsby Garden in New York at the end of October, will feature the Carolina Poly Cardinals, Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes and Sadler Bluecoats with local entry Brooklyn State to act as the host. The Cardinals, who shared the South Atlantic Conference title with Mobile Maritime a year ago before advancing to the second round of the AIAA tournament, will be the favourites. Both Carolina Poly and Texas Gulf Coast -which finished with the best record in the Southwestern Alliance a year ago- were eliminated by Detroit City College in the year end tournament with the Hurricanes falling in the opening round. Sadler is defending AIAA champion while Brooklyn State finished third in Liberty Conference play. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/31/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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07-05-2023, 01:24 PM
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#738 |
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Hall Of Famer
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September 8, 1947
SEPTEMBER 8, 1947 KINGS BIDDING FOR FIRST PENNANT SINCE '38 Sweep Stars To Move Within Three Games Could there be a more improbable pairing in the 1947 World Championship Series than the St Louis Pioneers and Brooklyn Kings? The last three weeks of the season are really just a formality before the Pioneers complete their climb from last place in the Federal Association a year ago to flag wavers this time around and now there is a chance the Brooklyn Kings could go from 7th in the Continental Association a year ago to winning their first pennant in almost a decade. The road ahead remains arduous for the Kings, who have surprised both pundits and fans alike. However, following a resounding sweep of a four-game series against the New York Stars over the weekend, the resilient Kings finds themselves a mere three games behind the frontrunning Philadelphia Sailors in the tightly contested Continental battle. The Cincinnati Cannons, eyeing an additional title to complement the three consecutive victories they achieved during the war years, remain within striking distance. Similarly, the defending champions, the New York Stars, despite their recent drubbing at the hands of the Prescotts, are also just three games adrift of the Sailors. It is hardly surprising that the Sailors, Cannons, and Stars are still in contention as the season hurtles toward its climax. However, the enigmatic Chicago Cougars, perennially perceived as the most formidable team on paper each April, have once again embraced disappointment as their middle name. Their underachievement, yet another in a series of letdowns from a club that many believed should have claimed half a dozen pennants this decade, stands at the heart of the greatest enigma plaguing the FABL these days. With an 8.5-game deficit, it seems almost certain that the Cougars will fall short once more, and this year has been so dismal that they teeter on the brink of finishing below the break-even mark for the first time since 1936. While fortune has seldom favored the Cougars in recent years, the same cannot be said for the Kings' general manager, DD Martin. He came tantalizing close several times with a surprising turnaround in Detroit a decade ago but fell just short of following up the success he had in bringing Cleveland its first WCS title in 1934. With a number of near misses sprinkled between some trades that much of the Dynamos fandom found hard to swallow, Martin finally bolted the Motor City for Brooklyn a year and a half ago. The Kings, a last place team when Martin took over, were a far cry from their glory days of the mid-thirties. Yet, here they stand, with Martin at the helm for just his second season, defying the odds and vying for the pennant. It is a peculiar blend of budding talent, represented by names like Ralph Johnson, Frank Reichardt and Leo Hayden, complemented by seasoned veterans such as Buddy Long and Harry Carter as well as cast-offs like former Forester Johnny Slaney and ex-Cougar Hank Barnett that has revitalized the electric atmosphere within Kings County ballpark. This week proves critical for the Kings as they embark on a journey to Philadelphia and Cincinnati, yet the borough of Brooklyn is already consumed by an undeniable case of pennant fever.  LAST WEEK'S TOP PERFORMERS   THE PROSPECT PIPELINE IS NOT A SURE THING Last week, New York Daily Mirror baseball guru John Brinker talked about the contribution that the game's elder statesmen -most noticeably Bobby Barrell- have been making on the sport. He also cautioned FABL clubs of the dangers of parting with those thirty-somethings, who still might have plenty left to give- for some shiny young prospects. TWIFB decided to take a look at the prospect pipeline from 15 years ago and see just how many gems, and how much of what turned out to be fool's gold, was sitting on its list. Why 15 years ago? No reason in particular other than it is far enough back that many of the group are retired and those that are still going strong have a good sample of seasons under their belt. So what did we discover. *** Top Prospects are Pretty Solid Bet *** For the most part, as expected, if you are acquiring or presently hold a top ten prospect it is a pretty good bet he will have a nice big league career- barring injury. Drop down to prospects between 11 and 30 on the list and maybe the odds are not so stacked in your favour. Yes, you might have a future Bill May or Sam Brown on your hands but you could also have the next Henry Clayton or Joe Johnson. Who?...exactly! Now that is not so bad if you are trading that future Jim Mason(#21) or Oscar King (#73) for Rabbit Day as the Gothams did to bring the future Hall of Famer to the Big Apple as a 30-year-old, but if you are on the other side of the transaction such a move stings. It cuts both ways for the Gothams who dealt a 37 year old Max Morris a year before his final Whitney Award winning season for a package that included Pete Thomas (who was #45 on this pipeline) and 3 other players who never amounted to much. Drop down out of the top 30 or so and it is really hit and miss. Yes that prospect a GM just loves might turn out to be the next Lou Balk and play over 1,000 big leagues games, but it could also be Al Haines or Leo Clark -the two centerfielders ranked directly before and after Balk's #80 position on the 1932 list. Haines and Clark clearly did not come anywhere close to being quality FABL players. Trading for a young pitching prospect always comes with the risk of injury on top of the risk of him just not panning out for pure talent reasons -or a shortage there of. Yes, a young Walt Wells would be a terrific pickup in 1932 but odds are if he is the property of a successful franchise that club's scouting department has already identified Wells as a player they want to hang on to, but they would be glad to divert your attention to someone else rated right in the same vicinity by OSA but perhaps not so high on that team's own list. *** Buyer Beware *** I don't want to put words on John Brinker's page, but it seems to me he was saying the top clubs in FABL stay great because they are not afraid to add a veteran piece who might have some mileage on him for a prospect or two that are ranked around the 100 mark. It is just one group, but this list of the top 120 prospects in October of 1932 shows just how many outside the top 10 do not pan out. And giving up a dependable veteran for what amounts to a lottery ticket is perhaps a little too risky unless you have done your homework. Homework means do not put your full trust in the prospect pipeline ranking. Know the player, consult with your scouting director if he has proven to steer you the right way in the past - and replace him if he hasn't. Also look at the young player's age and his performance. What level is he playing at and how is he performing relative to his peers? The prospect pipeline is a valuable source of information but far from the only one. And remember just because your veteran is struggling that does not mean he won't bounce back and by a major contributor the next season. If you know he is struggling, so does the rest of the league and perhaps you are trying to sell while his stock is at its lowest.  BROOKLYN KINGS' DECISION TO KEEP LONG PROVES CRUCIAL In the wake of the trade deadline, the Brooklyn Kings orchestrated a series of moves that caught the attention of fans. The acquisition of Harry Carter from the New York Gothams was the most prominent among them. However, the most significant gain for Brooklyn at the deadline might have been their decision to retain Buddy Long. While it remains uncertain whether the Kings ever seriously entertained the idea of parting ways with Long, as reports suggested that the asking price for the seasoned southpaw was exorbitant, the fact that he remained in Brooklyn has undeniably paid dividends. Since the deadline, Long has posted an impressive 5-1 record, contributing significantly to the Kings' sudden resurgence. With an overall record of 17-10 this season, his presence on the mound has played a pivotal role in Brooklyn's contention. It is difficult to fathom the Kings being in the mix had they parted with the veteran left-hander at the deadline. This situation serves as yet another prime example of the wisdom shared by John Brinker, who recently emphasized the value of retaining experienced talent rather than trading it away for unproven prospects or draft picks. Such wisdom holds particularly true for the Kings, as September suddenly carries profound meaning for a franchise that has endured a decade-long absence from the pennant race picture. Joe Masters of the Chicago Chiefs had that one season a ballplayer can only dream about when everything went his way and still he could only get to within 4 of Morris' magic mark. Bobby Barrell in his prime, as a 25-year-old, had what everyone expected was the season of his life in 1936 when he hit 53. No other man has ever topped 50 in a season so what Barrell is doing now at the ripe old age of 37, and a little over a decade after a bullet in his forearm left many in the Philadelphia Keystones organization worried Barrell might never regain his power. Yet here we are witnessing The Georgia Jolter, 48 days past his 37th birthday, rapidly closing in on the most hallowed single season mark the sport can offer. Morris hit 48 homers as a 35 year old and 44 in his age 37 season so what Barrell is doing at his age is not just unprecedented....it borderlines on unbelievable. Morris and 711 should be safe, although with Barrell less than 200 away who knows, but it sure looks like 60 will be replaced very soon as Bobby Barrell takes over the single season homerun crown. *** Don't Forget The Wonder Wheel *** Al Wheeler may have been surpassed by Bobby Barrell for number two on the all-time homerun list but the Wonder Wheel is still adding to his legend despite being reduced to platoon-time status in Cincinnati. Wheeler, 39 accomplished two very special milestones with one swing of the bat last Monday against Cleveland. His solo homerun off to Dick Lamb allowed Wheeler to drive in the 2,000 run of his career - allowing him to join Max Morris as the only players with 2,000 career rbi's. When Wheeler stepped on home plate it was the 1,941st time he scored a run, breaking his tie with John Dibblee for second most behind Morris. Wheeler is also now within 11 games of tying Morris for the third most ever played in FABL. Only Ed Ziejl (3,025), Dibblee (3,009) and Morris (2,946) are ahead of Wheeler's 2,935 career games. ***End of Line for Yeadon? *** For almost as long as anyone can remember Doug Yeadon has been a fixture on the Detroit Motors roster. The 35-year-old Motors assistant captain has hockey history in his blood. Quite literally in his blood, as his father Frank and uncle Bill Yeadon were the founders of west coast hockey and would later hold at one time or another nearly every role imaginable in the sport. Player. Coach. Even owner as Uncle Frank was in charge of the Eagles franchise when they were called the New York Eagles. Bill was a star player in the early days of the sport and has spent the past decade as the head scout of the Motors -a position he still holds. Meanwhile, Doug's brother Fred ,32, was a teammate on the Motors for a number of seasons and now owns a pair of Challenge Cup rings after being dealt by the Motors to Boston four years ago. It seems like the end of the line might be near for Doug as the Motors have signed several good young forwards including HAA scoring sensation Adam Vanderbilt, ex-Brooklyn Eagle Hank Walsh and first round draft pick Ben Witt. It is early as camp does not even start for another few weeks, but there is speculation that head coach Mark Moore's preliminary depth chart does not include a spot for Yeadon on the top three lines. Yeadon scored a career low 30 points last season including just 6 goals, but he is undetered in vowing he will come in to camp with the same mindset he has had every season. "No job is guaranteed. I have to prove to them every fall I am one of the nine best forwards so I can be in the lineup every day." Consistency has been a key part of Yeadon's game. Yeadon had not been out of the lineup since a back injury cost him two games in February of 1942 until last December when he was forced to miss one contest last year after a scary cut to his face left him with 9 stitches. Here is hoping he gets a chance to spill some more of that royal hockey blood on the Thompson Palladium ice surface again this season. The Green Sox have 19 games left and trail Dallas by 5 and Oakland by 3 games. They are done with the Grays for the season but do have 3 more games at home with the Centurions left to play. Oakland's Franki Cohen is looking like he may not be the second GWL player in as many seasons to hit .400. Cohen, trying to duplicate what San Francisco's Bob Land accomplished a year ago in becoming the first major leaguer since FABL's Mel Carrol in 1937 to hit .400, did go 14-for-29 (.483) last week to raise his average 2 points but he is still hitting 'only' .394 on the year with three weeks remaining in the coast loop season. 
 ST BLANE TEAM TO BEAT IN COLLEGE GRID The gridiron landscape of college football is undergoing a transformation. With the departure of the famed backfield duo, Gus Thompson and Chet Donelson, Rome State's reign as the dominant force in collegiate football appears to be waning. Make no mistake, the Centurions will still command respect as a formidable ballclub, but the days of their invincibility, going undefeated for nearly three full seasons, are a thing of the past. The playing field for recruiting is now wide open, as Rome State, Annapolis Maritime, and the multitude of service teams that emerged during the past four years no longer enjoy unrivaled talent acquisition. And this bodes well for the sport as a whole. In our estimation, there are about a dozen teams capable of vying for the coveted national championship, a title that in previous years was virtually predestined for the Centurions. St. Blane, with their impressive performance last year, showed that Rome State is not impervious to defeat, tying them and then claiming the national crown after the Centurions suffered a resounding blow at the hands of Pierpont, the likes of which had not been witnessed since 1942. Led by the seasoned senior quarterback Ricky McCallister, the Fighting Saints have earned TWIFB's preseason distinction as the top pick for the National Championship. However, we wouldn't dispute the merits of half a dozen other contenders. Liberty College, despite their modest 5-3 record last year, may emerge as the cream of the crop on the eastern coast this season, though they will face strong competition from North Carolina Tech and Pierpont. Meanwhile, the Deep South Conference appears to be brimming with talent, with Deep South rivals Georgia Baptist and Noble Jones College, poised to challenge Rome State for Peach State supremacy. Nevertheless, their journey just to survive the section will be arduous, as Alabama Baptist seeks to improve upon their impressive 8-3-1 season from last year and several others, notably Central Kentucky and Mississippi A&M look to be on the rise. In the Great Lakes Alliance, Detroit City College is the clear favorite to rule the roost. Coming off a remarkable 8-1 campaign, the Knights are primed for national honours, relying on the guidance of junior quarterback Paul Erdinger and the formidable talents of senior halfback Johnny Matthews. Out west, while the coast loop may experience a down year, the powerful Coastal California Dolphins squad begs to differ. The greatest challenge in the west will likely emerge from the Lone Star state, where the Southwest Alliance boasts three genuine contenders in Travis College, Texas Gulf Coast, and Red River State, all vying for a chance to shine on New Year's Day. Here is TWIFB's preseason ranking of the top twenty collegiate football teams Code:
AIAA PRESEASON GRID POLL # SCHOOL 1946REC CONFERENCE 1 St Blane 8-0-1 Independent 2 Detroit City College 8-1 Great Lakes Alliance 3 Liberty College 5-3 Independent 4 Travis College 9-1 Southwest Alliance 5 Alabama Baptist 8-3-1 Deep South 6 Pierpont 7-0-1 Academia Alliance 7 Coastal California 6-1-2 West Coast Athletic Assn 8 North Carolina Tech 8-2 South Atlantic 9 Georgia Baptist 7-3 Deep South 10 Rome State 8-1-1 Independent 11 Texas Gulf Coast 5-5 Southwest Alliance 12 Lawrence State 6-4 Plains Athletic Assn 13 Richmond State 9-1 South Atlantic 14 Oklahoma City State 8-2 Plains Athletic Assn 15 Charleston Tech 8-1-1 South Atlantic 16 Red River State 9-0-1 Southwest Alliance 17 Carolina Poly 5-3-1 South Atlantic 18 Henry Hudson 6-1-2 Academia Alliance 19 Minnesota Tech 7-2 Great Lakes Alliance 20 Noble Jones College 8-1 Deep South TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9 Texas Gulf Coast at Sunnyvale COWBOYS SURVIVE SHOOTOUT IN THEIR CFC OPENER If their CFC opener is any indication the defending champion Kansas City Cowboys will be hard pressed to duplicate their 13-1 season from the inaugural year of the new pro gid loop. The Cowboys, idle last week as games kicked-off, barely survived a battle with the Buffalo Bulls in pulling out a 35-34 victory. Reigning CFC most valuable player Pat Chappell had a solid game, completing 11 of 18 throws for 228 yards including 3 touchdown strikes but Chappell won the contest with his defensive skills. The game was a battle throughout with rookie Buffalo quarterback Mark Monday, who threw for 194 yards and two scores, looking very good after he settled down following three early interceptions. Monday had the Bulls in field goal range, trailing by one with less than a minute left but Chappell baited him into making a bad decision. In what was a calculated risk, Chappell played Bulls receiver Ron Kijowski soft inside his own 10 yard line, focusing on the eyes of Monday. When the rookie telegraphed his intentions to attempt a 15-yard pass to Kijowski, Chappell jumped into action, closing the gap and snatching the ball in front of Kijowski costing the Bulls a chance to win the game. The Cowboys ran out the clock, preserving a hard-fought 35-34 win on homefield. Buffalo, which lost a heartbreaker the previous week when New York scored 10 points in the final two minutes to claim a 41-38 victory, falls to 0-2 on the year. Elsewhere, the New York Gothams played another heartstopping game but this time instead of pulling out a late victory they lost 45-41 to the visiting Chicago Comets in a wild finish. The lead changed hands three times in the final three minutes with Mike Ramsdell's 10-yard touchdown run with just 3 seconds left on the clock proving the difference. San Francisco won the battle of the west coast as the Wings downed the Los Angeles Lobos 20-14 despite a 228 yard passing day from Lobos quarterback John Fuchs. The other game saw the Brooklyn Football Kings even their record at 1-1 with a 14-0 road win in New Orleans. As it did last season, the Continental Football Conference decided to get a head start on the American Football Association. The 28th season of the AFA kicks off this weekend.  Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS EAST W L T PCT[/b] NY Gothams 1 1 0 .500 Brooklyn 1 1 0 .500 New Orleans 0 1 0 .000 Buffalo 0 2 0 .000 WEST W L T PCT San Francisco 2 0 0 1.000 Kansas City 1 0 0 1.000 Los Angeles 1 1 0 .500 Chicago 1 1 0 .500 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5 Kansas City 35 Buffalo 34 Chicago 45 New York 41 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7 Brooklyn 14 New Orleans 0 San Francisco 20 Los Angeles 14 UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12 Kansas City at Brooklyn New York at Los Angeles SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14 Chicago at Buffalo New Orleans at San Francisco Code:
CFC LEADERS SCORING PTS Wade, NYG 22 Higman, Buf 18 Hale, NYG 18 Abbott, SF 18 PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT McAlister, Buf 34-70 411 4 6 Fuchs, LA 17-39 387 2 2 Hale, NYG 15-35 376 1 3 Metcalf, SF 27-57 298 3 2 RUSHING YDS TD Hale, NYG 307 2 Stone, SF 177 0 Meyer, Buf 135 0 Yardley, Bkn 123 0 RECEIVING CAT YDS TD Mula, SF 13 136 2 Swanagan, Buf 8 71 0 Breig, Chi 7 131 1 Arnone, Chi 7 81 1 INERCEPTIONS # Carroll, SF 2 several tied with 1 MOTORS SIGN EMOND The Detroit Motors have announced the acquisition of left winger Remy Emond. The 25-year-old, who was originally drafted first overall by the Brooklyn Eagles in 1941, has never quite lived up to the billing of a number one selection but he did score 18 goals and 39 points for the Buffalo Bears of the HAA last season. Emond has never played in the NAHC but does have 7 years of experience in the Hockey Association of America, including the past three years with the Bears. It is there that the Quebec native caught the attention of Motors Head Scout Bill Yeadon, as Detroit has a working agreement with the Bears and Emond's knack for scoring prompted Detroit to sign him to a two-way contract. "Odds are he will end up back in Buffalo, at least to start the season," explained Detroit coach Mark Moore, noting the newfound depth the Detroit club now has up front. "But he will be just a phone call away and I would not be surprised if you see him at the (Thompson) Palladium at some point this season." The Motors released veteran forward Bill Woodley after signing Emond. The 30-year old had 8 goals and 20 points for Detroit last season and has 37 goals in 263 career NAHC games. Word is the club let Woodley go in order to keep a contract spot open should they find a depth defenseman.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 9/07/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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07-06-2023, 01:53 PM
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#739 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,739
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September 15, 1947
SEPTEMBER 15, 1947 SAILING ALONG Sailors Closing In On Pennant The work is far from complete but the Philadelphia Sailors are closing in on their first Continental Association pennant since they won three straight from 1928-30. The Sailors swept a doubleheader from the New York Stars yesterday and with 7 wins in their last 9 games now lead the Cincinnati Cannons by 2 games for top spot in the CA. The Cannons went 4-2 last week but still lost a half game to the leaders. At 82-64, Philadelphia has just 8 games left to play. They have very light week ahead of them with two days off before they host the slumping Chicago Cougars Wednesday and Thursday. Then it is another two days off before a Sunday twin bill in Cleveland against the Foresters, who are surprisinly just a half game back of the Cougars in the fight for 6th place. The Sailors finish out their schedule the following week with 3 at home against Toronto and one final game hosting the Foresters. That makes six of the Sailors final 8 games at home. Cincinnati will be much busier as the 78-64 Cannons have 12 remaining, split equally between at home and on the road. They play every day this week starting with two against Brooklyn, which beat the Cannons in Cincinnati 2-1 yesterday. Then it will be 2 against Montreal before the Cannons head out on the road for stops in Toronto and Cleveland before finishing the season against the Wolves at Tice Memorial. The Brooklyn Kings 2-1 comeback win over Cincinnati yesterday keeps their faint hopes alive at 4.5 games out. John Brinker of the New York Daily Mirror breaks it down this way: "The Kings would need to sweep Cincy and hope the Cougs bounce back against the Sailors, which given their play of late is a tall order. If that did happen, Brooklyn could be just two out heading into their series with the resurgent Wolves. Meanwhile, after the Cougars, the Sailors get the Foresters (who've been playing well of late) and then the Wolves. Not an easy road for Philly there." The New York Stars are 6 games back and their hopes of defending the title they won last season are all but gone. Losing 4 of 5 to Cincinnati and Philadelphia this week sealed their fate. The Stars have just 3 wins in their last 11 games and would be the team with the worst finish in the CA were it not for the fact that the Chicago Cougars have lost 7 straight and are on a 1-14 stretch that may see them finish in 7th place - a spot they are just a half game clear of at the moment.  FABL TOP PLAYERS LAST WEEK    BARRELL vs. THIS WEEK'S PROBABLES vs. Danny Hern STL - 35-for-97 (.361), 8 HR vs. Jasper Moore STL - 20-for-65 (.308), 4 HR vs. John Stallings CHI - 10-for-22 (.455) 1 HR vs. Charlie Bingham CHI - 28-for-97 (.289), 4 HR at Bill Traylor PIT - 8-for-18 (.444), 2 HR at Billy Ligons PIT - 24-for-67 (.358), 8 HR Meanwhile, Keystones manager Jack Everhart is in the last year of his contract and has not been extended. Unless the Keystones basically run the table, they will finish below .500 with all of that hitting. If Everhart is not retained, could Keystones bench coach -- and former Barrell teammate -- Carl Ames get the job? Ames has been the bench coach for 6 years and at the age of 44, he would be the third-youngest manager in the FABL, ahead of only Brooklyn's Tom Barrell (39) and the Gothams Bud Jameson (43). Is pitching coach Elmer Pettus, who took over for long-time pitching coach Ike Bell this year and who is signed for next season, on the hot seat? The Keystones look for candidates, they can turn to another former Keystone and another 1927 WCS Champion, Red Adwell, who has coached in New Orleans for the last six seasons and who has been coached in the organization consecutively for 10 years. Adwell was Ames's batterymate for five seasons (1925-29), so he would likely get Ames's vote. This is all conjecture, as there are other candidates, both within the organization and likely outside the organization, but the Keystones have promoted a familial atmosphere over the years, so this would perfectly line up with their franchise identity. LOTTERY BALLS ALL BUT DECIDED The Federal Association pennant race is long over, so there is little suspense in the loop. Not even in the draft lottery where it seems assured that the Detroit Dynamos and Chicago Chiefs will each get three balls in the lottery to determine who picks first in January. The lottery structure for the first two rounds ranks the 7 teams that do not win the pennant based upon their improvement compared to last season. The two teams with the biggest improvement will each get 3 entries in the draft lottery, the next two teams get two entries and the three remaining clubs will each have one chance at drawing the top pick. The Associations alternate picks so this year the Federal Association clubs will get the odd selections, including first overall. The lottery will give the Dynamos and Chiefs the best odds at winning the top pick. There is a seperate draw conducted with the same number of entries for the second round. St Louis, once it officially clinches the Fed crown, will select 15th and the Continental Association pennant winner will have the 16th and final selection in rounds one and two. As it stands right now the Keystones and Washington will each receive two entries on the Fed side with the Gothams, Pittsburgh and Boston earning one. The Continental Association is a little more complicated with the pennant outcome in doubt but as it looks at the moment there is a race between Toronto and Cleveland for that third ball in the draft -assuming Brooklyn does not claim the pennant as if the Kings do win the crown, both the Foresters and Wolves, who picked first last year, will get three entries.  WILL THE WINDS OF CHANGE SWEEP THROUGH THE WINDY CITY? The future of Clyde Meyer, the long-time manager of the Chicago Cougars, appears to be hanging by a thread. As the Cougars struggle to stay afloat in a sea of mediocrity, sources within the organization reveal that Meyer will not be retained for the 1948 season. With the team languishing at the .500 mark, it is evident that the once again underachieving Cougars are in desperate need of a fresh start. Meyer, who joined the Cougars in 1940 and guided them to a Continental Association crown the following year, has endured countless disappointments since then. One particularly egregious setback occurred in a series against the Minutemen, during which the Cougars outscored their opponents by double-digit runs but inexplicably dropped four one-run games. The agony of defeat and an unsettling number of narrow losses year after year have become synonymous with the Cougars under Meyer's leadership. Although no immediate changes are expected until the offseason, rumors abound that the new owner, Mack Dalmer, is contemplating a comprehensive overhaul of the front office. Dalmer remains tight-lipped on the matter, refusing to provide any comments. The pivotal question at hand is whether Meyer's departure is merely the first of many moves for a Cougars team that has consistently fallen short despite being hailed as the most formidable squad in the Continental Association for much of the past decade. With just one pennant to their name since 1933, the Cougars' inability to seal the deal has left management pondering the need for substantial change. If a significant overhaul is deemed necessary, the subsequent question becomes: who among the Cougars will be sacrificed? The organization has displayed adeptness in navigating the delicate balance of replenishing talent by shrewdly trading aging players for younger veterans, often emerging on the favorable end of deals. They possess an enviable depth of pitching talent and an array of all-stars dotting the diamond. Their infield, featuring the likes of Red Bond, Billy Hunter, Skipper Schneider, and Walt Pack, appears solidified for years to come. The outfield, with Leo Mitchell, Hal Sharp, and Sal Pestilli, rivals an all-star lineup in its own right. Thus, the spotlight turns to the catching position, where 33-year-old Harry Mead, a two-time all-star, has struggled to find his form this season. The emergence of top prospect Garland Phelps, although likely three years away from making an impact, raises the possibility of addressing the immediate need behind the plate. Additionally, Otto Christian, a highly regarded third base prospect, may be considered for a trade, given the logjam at the corner infield positions. However, acquiring an elite catcher capable of propelling the Cougars to victory poses a considerable challenge. The missed opportunity to secure Pete Casstevens, who ultimately found his way to the cross-town Chiefs while the Cougars pursued Sal Pestilli from the Gothams, further complicates matters. The next question that arises: do the Cougars look to upgrade at second base, given Billy Hunter's injury-prone nature? Should the Cougars opt for a major shake-up, the question of timing becomes paramount. Traditionally, the organization prefers to trade veterans when their stock is high, just before the decline. Yet, might Chicago finally decide that a substantial move is necessary, resulting in the departure of a stalwart such as Pete Papenfus following the worst season of the 29-year-old's career? Or do they consider parting with someone like Duke Bybee, or Donnie Jones -both at the pinnacle of their days? The return in such a trade would need to yield a significant upgrade to fulfill the team's long-unmet expectations. Alternatively, will the Cougars opt for a more conservative approach, focusing solely on replacing Clyde Meyer with a new manager? Could a change in the managerial seat be the key that unlocks the Cougars' potential? The talent is undoubtedly present, and truth be told, there is little that the Cougars could acquire to immediately improve their roster. The upcoming winter in the Windy City promises to be an intriguing one, with the hot stove expected to generate substantial activity as the Cougars search for the formula that will finally transform them into champions.  The lineup will look somewhat different as well, with Red Bond (.285, 22, 90), Walt Pack (.271, 22, 76), and Hal Sharp (.325, 15, 63) getting extra days off while Sal Pestilli (.238, 8, 44, 4) and Skipper Schneider (.285, 3, 49, 6) will get a few rare days off. More regular time will be given to youngsters Don Lee (.208, 4, 20, 11), George Sutterfield (.221, 9, 3), and Eddie Howard (.304, 5) while former 1st Rounder Otto Christian will get an early birthday present with a promotion. The only Cougar who's playing time will not be affected is Leo Mitchell (.270, 13, 72), who has appeared in all 145 of the Cougars contests this season. He was the lone bright spot in the winless week, as the struggling slugger went 12-for-27 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 4 RBIs. The rest of the season hasn't gone anywhere near that, as Mitchell is uncharted waters this season. Since the 1938 season, Mitchell has never hit below .315, produced a WRC+ below 135, or been worth less then 3.5 WAR in a season. This year he's been slightly worse (-0.0) then a replacement player while hitting .270/.314/.390 (92 OPS+) with a 97 WRC+. Plenty has gone wrong for the Cougs, but nothing quite stings like the offensive cratering that has afflicted the beloved captain and star. Chicago's next loss will be their 78th on the season, which would secure a losing record for the first time since the 1936 Cougars went 63-91, where they also finished in 6th. The Cougars are in real danger of finishing 7th, something they have not done since the 1929 Cougars finished last at 62-92, which was the fifth consecutive season the Windy City Kitties finished in one of the last two spots in the association. With little left to play for, the focus is strictly on the future, and it can be expected the Cougars will be active in the offseason in an effort to fix the mess they are stuck with. DYNAMOS FINISHING STRONG It is nice to see that the young Detroit Dynamos are not letting up, posting an 8-4 record in September despite having little to play for. Manager Dick York has to be pleased with a lot of what he has seen this season and if the club can hold off Washington and finish second it will be a very successful year. With that objective in mind there are a couple of big games coming up this week as the Dynamos will play a pair in the nation's capital. The club is on the road all week and that trip will include a stop in New York to face the Gothams on the weekend with a special moment being Saturday's retirement ceremony for Jim Lonardo. The 43-year-old righthander is calling it quits and the Gothams say he will pitch Saturdaym following what is expected to be an emotional pre-game ceremony. Many of the young Dynamos, notably pitcher Carl Potter, spent a lot of time following Lonardo and learning everything they could from the veteran in his brief time with Detroit so the chance to be there and witness the ceremony will be extra special for them. At the youngster's request, the Dynamos have also juggled their rotation to allow Potter the opportunity to start against Lonardo, a pitcher he idolized growing up. *** Future Looks Bright *** Stan Kleminski will never be mistaken for Harry Barrell in the field, but the Dynamos are quite happy with his progress at shortstop this season. The bat was not a concern, and the 20-year-old is hitting a respectable .271. Now that the glove is coming along the club has to be thrilled with it's infield of first baseman Dick Estes (.269,19,76), second sacker Del Johnson (.284,4,37), Kleminski (.271,1,40) and third baseman Tommy Griffin (.268,0,31). At 24, Johnson is the oldest of the group and unless Estes eventually gets shifted back to the outfield, you are looking at the Dynamos infield quartet for the next decade. Odds are good Estes, who had a breakout season in his second year in the big leagues, will end up in the outfield some day as John Morrison, the 18-year-old Pennsylvania born high schooler the Dynamos selected 4th overall in January, has a high ceiling and is coming off a nice start to his pro career. Morrison smacked 9 homers and hit .265 in 56 games at Class C Biloxi. The outfield is getting there as well with 21-year-old centerfielder Edwin Hackberry (.299,17,86) leading the way, Hack has to be a front-runner for the Kellogg Award as top rookie. The jury is still out on Dick Blaszak as the Polish Hammer -now 25- has not developed as hoped. The former first overall pick hit .239 with 9 homers this season and worries continue that the bullet he took in the shoulder while serving in the Pacific has forever zapped his power. There are also worries about Tommy Allenby -another first rounder the Dynamos drafted two years ago following the deal that brought the pick they used on him as well as Blaszak from the Chiefs in exchange for the first overall pick -which ended up being John Stallings. Allenby played at three levels this season including 57 games at AA Akron but struggled at each of them and, while the scouting staff is still high on the 19-year-old, their expectations have tempered somewhat. Pitching prospects have also struggled this summer but the Dynamos have a lot of mound depth so they are hopeful that, armed with 4 pitchers in the top 65 OSA prospects, at least two will pan out and become solid big-league starters, eventually joining a rotation that already includes the 21-year-old Potter and 25-year-old Wally Hunter. Hunter was hampered by injuries this season but there are high hopes he will be healthy and return to the form that won him the Kellogg Award last season. While it is not a pennant winning year, and the Dynamos have still not tasted October baseball since 1929, the future does look very bright, and the current season did nothing to diminish the hopes for a long stretch of pennant contending seasons coming in the near future. DALLAS AND OAKLAND CLOSE IN ON BIGSBY CUP BERTHS It has been clear for quite some time that the Bigsby Cup will have two new participants this season. Last year, in the inaugural big league campaign for the coast loop it was the two biggest markets in the San Francisco Hawks and Los Angeles Knights that squared off in the championship playoff series. Both of those teams have long been eliminated from contention this time around and with just two weeks remaining in the season it appears a safe bet it will be the Dallas Centurions and Oakland Grays playing for Thomas Bigsby's fancy trophy. The Centurions and Grays are tied for top spot so home field advantage for the best of seven title series and the bragging rights that come with a pennant victory are still on the line, but each can feel pretty comfortable after the third place Portland Green Sox dropped 6 games back of the co-leaders. The Green Sox can count 3 games at home to Dallas among their 13 remaining contests but there is practically no room at all for error and a Dallas-Oakland series seems all but assured. 
PLENTY OF OFFENSE IN HIGH SCORING CONTINETAL LOOP Scoring was the name of the game over the weekend in Continental Football Conference action. Three of the four games saw its participants combine for at least 48 points while the fourth contest gave us vintage Pat Chappell as the Kansas City Cowboys quarterback and reigning league MVP threw for 222 yards and a pair of scores leading his club to a 29-7 victory in Brooklyn over the grid Kings. Chappell's favourite target continues to be end Bill Tammaro, who caught 5 passes for 125 yards as the Cowboys wrassled up more than 400 yards of total offense, more than doubling the 1-2 Kings production on the afternoon. The other Friday evening game took place in Los Angeles and the New York Gothams showed no ill effects of the long trek across the country, rallying for 3 second-half rushing touchdowns including two from Jim Rose, to down the host Lobos 35-19. Both of Sunday's contests were lobsided as the San Francisco Wings improved to 3-0 with a 56-0 pasting of New Orleans. The Wings scored less than a minute into the game when Barry Abbott romped 45 yards into the Crescents endzone after picking off an errant Sam Boettcher pass and it only got worse from there for the visitors. San Francisco dominated on the ground where Rich Garner ran for 153 yards and Leon Stone carried the ball for 125 as well as through the air where Wings quarterback Sam Metcalf tossed three touchdown strikes. In Sunday's other game Mark Monday threw 3 touchdown passes to pace the Buffalo Bulls to their first win of the season, a 41-7 pounding of the Chicago Comets. Buffalo backs George Meyer and Don Parmenter combined for 181 yards on the ground as the Bulls finally win after suffering last minute defeats in each of their previous two games. Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS EAST W L T PCT[/b] NY Gothams 2 1 0 .667 Brooklyn 1 2 0 .333 Buffalo 1 2 0 .333 New Orleans 0 2 0 .000 WEST W L T PCT San Francisco 3 0 0 1.000 Kansas City 2 0 0 1.000 Los Angeles 1 2 0 .333 Chicago 1 2 0 .333 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12 Kansas City 29 Brooklyn 7 New York 35 Los Angeles 19 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 14 Buffalo 41 Chicago 7 San Francisco 56 New Orleans 0 UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19 Buffalo at Chicago Brooklyn at Los Angeles SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 New Orleans at Kansas City New York at San Francisco Code:
CFC LEADERS SCORING PTS Abbott, SF 30 Higman, Buf 29 Wade, NYG 27 Hale, NYG 24 Mula, SF 24 PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT Fuchs, LA 29-61 580 2 2 Hale, NYG 21-45 535 3 4 Monday, Buf 42-86 482 7 6 Chappell, KC 24-44 450 5 2 Metcalf, SF 38-67 406 6 2 RUSHING YDS TD Hale, NYG 359 3 Stone, SF 302 1 Garner, SF 272 0 Meyer, Buf 223 1 Rose, NYG 203 3 RECEIVING CAT YDS TD Mula, SF 17 146 4 Arnone, Chi 10 110 1 Swanagan, Buf 9 77 0 Tammaro, KC 9 237 1 INERCEPTIONS # Carroll, SF 2 Layton, Buf 2 Yardley, Bkn 2 Chappell, KC 2 Reid, KC 2  MAJOR GAMES MARK COLLEGE FOOTBALL START THIS WEEKEND College football sneaks in the back door Saturday in its usual early-season attempt to push baseball off the sports pages. The schedule-makers have cast aside tradition in some cases, and not all of several score openers are of the September "warm-up" variety. In fact, some of these games, come late November, may have a bearing on sectional or national rankings. Many a coach this year, boasting the best material since the war shattered promising 1942 squads, has the thought of a post-season classic bid somewhere in the back of his head. This is the first real postwar season in many respects and preseason ticket sales indicate record attendances, with severl of the major contests already sold out. While a certain number of big colleges open against comparatively easy opposition, the results of at least half a dozen games are going to be watched for what the politicians call "significant trends." *** Majestics Play Liberty College *** One of these is Saturday's Liberty College-Rainier College tussle at Philadelphia. The schools are big time basketball rivals and seldom meet on the grid, but the power-packed Bells may just end up being one of the East's stronger teams this season, while the experienced Majestics may be the surprise squad in the West Coast Athletic Association race. Down in Jackson, Ms., Central Kentucky and Mississippi A&M get the Deep South Conference proceedings off to an early start with the visiting Tigers slightly favoured over the aerial minded Generals if the going is sloppy. A year ago Central Kentucky prevailed 27-15 on its Lexington homefield and went on to post a 6-4 record while the Generals struffled through a 2-6-1 campaign. Lawrence State, one of the favourites in the Plains Athletic Association, has a tough assignment in Amarillo Methodist, although the Grizzlies don't figure to cause much trouble in the Southwest Alliance race. A capacity crowd is expected at Kansas City's Packer Park for the night contest. Those would be the big three contests on the first major weekend of college grid, with a lot more get underway the following weekend in what seems to have all the makings of a very competitive collegiate football campaign. Texas Gulf Coast, one of the three big teams in the Southwestern Alliance along with Travis College and Red River State, kicked off the collegiate grid season on Tuesday in fine fashion as the Hurricanes thumped Sunnyvale University in Santa Clara, Ca. 45-3 in the lone early September game on the slate. FOUNTAIN HALTS LOSING STREAK, SHOWS GLIMMER OF HOPE In a redemptive display of pugilistic prowess, Mark Fountain resurfaces on the path to heavyweight contention with an emphatic unanimous decision over Thurman Davis in the vibrant city of San Francisco on Saturday night. Though Davis may not be a name to set the boxing world ablaze - a pugilist burdened by more losses than victories - this victory holds immense significance for Fountain, who seeks to restore the shaken foundations of his once-promising career. It wasn't too long ago that Fountain boldly faced off against the formidable Hector Sawyer, the reigning heavyweight champion. The Sawyer showdown had been a long-awaited culmination for the New York native, with the summer of 1945 originaly earmarked for their climactic clash. Alas, fate twisted the narrative, as Fountain stumbled in a bout against Leo Carmichael, the seasoned Brit who extinguished Fountain's hopes with a resounding knockout, marking the latter's return to professional boxing after four years of military exhibition matches. Fountain had been widely expected to dispatch Carmichael with ease, paving his way to the much-coveted payday against Sawyer. Yet, destiny had other plans, as Carmichael seized the golden opportunity and Fountain stewed in the bitter juices of a year and a half of longing before finally earning his chance this past January. As anticipated, Sawyer valiantly defended his crown, delivering a resolute 12th round TKO against Fountain. However, some voices resonated with the notion that Fountain's spirited performance warranted a potential rematch. Those aspirations were abruptly dashed in May when Fountain found himself outmatched, succumbing to a decision loss at the hands of Sylvester Vaughn. This defeat ignited the ire of Sawyer's manager, Chester Conley, who dismissively labeled Fountain as a "has-been," declaring that he belonged neither in the same ring nor even the same city as Sawyer. While Fountain's victory over Davis represents a step in the right direction, it is evident that his journey to another shot at the title demands a Herculean effort and a multitude of triumphs in the squared circle. *** Rainey Reigns in Baltimore *** Jack Rainey has paid his dues. Both in the ring where the gritty middleweight contender has spent a lot of years trying to force his way in to conversation among the top middleweights around. Rainey's struggles also extended beyond the ropes, as he endured a year behind bars subsequent to a conviction for draft evasion, stemming from a regrettable endeavor to falsify indispensable employment documents. In his first fight in Bigsby Garden after his incarcaration the crowd let him have it all evening, cheering current middleweight champ John Edmonds every move as he pounded Rainey into submission. However, May witnessed Rainey's swift retaliation at the Newark Arena, as he dispatched John McDaniel with a thunderous first-round knockout, leaving the audience little time to express their discontent. Friday night in Baltimore presented a far sterner challenge, with the 29-year-old warrior enduring an extended evening of toil. The echoes of derision were somewhat muted this time, as Rainey's tenacious assault against Willie Binion endeared him to many, including the discerning judges who resoundingly awarded Rainey a unanimous decision, thus bolstering his record to an impressive 24-4. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 9/14/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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07-07-2023, 01:53 PM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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September 22, 1947: A new single season home run king
SEPTEMBER 22, 1947  The Georgia Jolter has done things never before seen on the ballfield. Three homerun games are suddenly no longer the novelty they once were but Barrell has hit 3 in a game an amazing 3-times this season. Entering the year nobody had ever had three 3-homer games in their career. He hit 6 homeruns in 13 April games and then launched 15 in both May and June. July was a slump of sorts, with Barrell bashing only 8 -although he did add 2 more in the all-star game- before hitting 12 last month. Now, with 5 September games still on the docket, Barrell has 6 this month giving him the new record at 62. The bomb to tie Max Morris at 60 could not have been much more impressive. It was a grand slam, off St Louis pitcher Hal Hackney in the third inning of a game the Keystones would win by a 4-0 score. So Barrell accounted for all the scoring and tied the record against the team Max Morris had set it with 24 years ago. Two days later with the Chicago Chiefs providing the opposition at Broad Street Park, Barrell made history. Number 61 came on a 2-1 offering by Chiefs veteran righthander Charlie Bingham and was a solo shot to lead off the fourth inning. The celebration lasted nearly twenty minutes and was punctuated by Hank Koblenz following Barrell with a homerun of his own -his 46th of the season as the duo attempt to become the first teammates to hit 50 homers in a campaign. Koblenz would add one more before the week ended and now sits at 47. Philadelphia lost that game 4-2 to the Chiefs but few in the stadium seemed to care, as Barrell's history making blast was all that anyone could talk about. Barrell would also hit another one as #62 came on Saturday in the 11th inning of a 4-1 win over the Miners in Pittsburgh. It was a good thing the record had been reached as Barrell suffered a mild knee sprain yesterday running the bases against the Miners and it is not known if he will play at all this week. There is some unfinished business in the little matter of winning a second triple crown. Barrell, who led the league in batting average, homers and rbi's in 1944, is on the verge of doing the same this time around. His lead in the homerun and rbi department is secure but Barrell enters the final week with a .360 batting average, .001 ahead of Washington's Mel Carrol.
CONTINENTAL FLAG CHASE GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE While the outcome of the Federal Association pennant race has long been known, the opponent for the St Louis Pioneers in the World Championship Series may not be determined even when the season comes to an end Sunday. That is because there is just a half game separating the Philadelphia Sailors and Cincinnati Cannons and it is quite possible an extra game may be needed Monday before a winner can be crowned in the Continental Association. As you can see on the chart below, the Sailors have four games remaining while the Cannons -who are riding a 4-game winning streak- have five left to play.  Philadelphia had a quiet time with just 4 games on their schedule last week, just as they do for the final seven days of the season. The Sailors ended up splitting those 4 games, winning Wednesday 5-1 over the Chicago Cougars before falling to the Cougars 5-2 the next day. With two days off the Sailors were not back in action until yesterday when they split a twin bill with the visiting Cleveland Foresters. Cleveland youngster Ivey Henley dealt the Sailors a real blow in the nightcap, blasting a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 7th inning to provide the margin of victory in a 5-2 Foresters victory after the Sailors had taken the opener 7-5. Meanwhile in Cincinnati the Cannons got off to a slow start to a busy week, dropping two of their first three games before getting back on track with a 5-0 win over Montreal Wednesday behind Les Bradshaw's 3-hit complete game shutout and Al Wheeler's 516th homerun of his career, a three-run shot. Then it was north to Toronto for three crucial games and the Cannons, who have had their share of September ups and downs against the Wolves this decade, came up big with a 3-game sweep. On Friday, Charley McCullough delivered a key 2-run triple to key a five-run 8th inning as the Cannons took the series opener 6-2. A day later it was a 7-4 win as Deuce Barrell, who has had his struggles this season, did enough to even his record at 13-13 with a complete game victory. Yesterday was a rout as the Cannons plated 5 in the third inning to break open a game they ultimately won by a 12-1 score. So here we are faced with the possibility of a tie-breaker being needed to determine the Continental champ for the second year in a row. A year ago it was the New York Stars stumbling their way down the stretch before righting things with a 9-5 victory over the Chicago Cougars. The Sailors organization has experience with tie-breakers as well. In 1937, they lost a 1-game playoff to the Brooklyn Kings after entering the final week with a half game lead. There is actually a scenario where we could have a 3-way tie as the Brooklyn Kings are not officially eliminated. Should the Kings win all 3 of their remaining games, Philadelphia lose each of it's final four and the Cannons go 1-4 all three teams would finish with identical 84-70 records, creating the first 3-way tie in FABL history. Unlikely of course, but this has certainly been a season filled with unlikely happenings.  TOP FABL PERFORMERS LAST WEEK   And though I vetoed many potential AI-approved trades for both clubs, it was one I did approve: sending Buddy Long to Brooklyn that I think was a mistake. Obviously the team did just fine without him, but having a proven third arm would have made the acquisition of Hiram Steinberg less urgent and saved both the first round pick and a very, very good prospect in Sherry Doyal. Broke my own rule there, and I regret it. But the Pioneers will be fine, or better than fine in the short term and the new full-time General Manager, who will be revealed in the near future, should be a great addition." ***Foresters Also Happy With Results *** The Cleveland Foresters were also under interim management this season and while they did not achieve anywhere near the success the Pioneers accomplished, it was still a positive season for the Continental side which, after the Hiram Steinberg trade, will be linked with the Pioneers once again. Of course, that will likely never replace the blockbuster Max Morris deal the St Louis and Cleveland clubs agreed upon in October of 1919. Cleveland's cupboard was pretty bare, but there's some good talent on the farm, noted Pioneers temporary boss Johnson. "Dealing both Steinberg and Richie Hughes were obviously future-oriented moves. The return for both were, in my opinion, more than fair. The aforementioned Doyal is going to be great and I know we will miss not having him in St Louis." The pick the Pioneers sent to Cleveland with Doyal in that Steinberg deal will be 15th, but still valuable. The haul for Hughes from the deep Stars system was also a good one. Johnson believes when the new Cleveland GM takes over, he'll have a good system with which to work.  MINUTEMEN SEASON RECAP As our beloved Minutemen finish out their final week of the campaign they still have an opportunity to finish as high as fifth position or as low as they currently stand in seventh. It will be the second time the Minutemen have finished in the second division since they last won the FA in 1943. Ol’ Doc wanted to take a closer look at what went right (very little) and what went wrong (a bunch more) during the 1947 season. The first area Ol’ Doc will examine is the pitching staff: The Good: A return to form: Ray Dalpman. Ray is the heart and soul of the rotation. After suffering a torn rotator cuff that shut down his 1946 season Ray came roaring back this season to pitch over 200 innings and to rank in several FA pitching categories. At 30 years old the Minutemen are hoping for another half decade of solid service from the righty. The Eh: Not as bad as you think: John Edwards. At one point this season “Big John” was 1-10 which was more a product of what was going on around him. In five of those losses John surrendered two runs or less which gives you an idea of how unfair win/loss records can be as an indicator of pitcher performance. Ol’ Doc is not going to sit here and throw shine and say the trade for Edwards has been a success overall, just that he is a serviceable guy toward the middle to back of a rotation. The innings eater: Duke Hendricks. This will be the fifth season in a row that Duke has logged over 200 innings for the club. Some of those years are better than others but Duke doesn’t do enough to impress or discourage. He reminds Ol’ Doc a bit of Verdo Burt if your memory stretches that far back. One thing that could really help Hendricks would be if he could command the ball better and give up less free passes. The Bad: A career in the balance: Dean Astle. Losing a six-time all-star to a ruptured ligament definitely hurt Boston’s chances for the season. The bigger question however is if this will be a career for the 38-year-old that Boston picked up from Cleveland back in 1941. Astle has been nothing but stellar for the Minutemen and has been one of Ol’ Doc’s favorites over the years. Dean is still looking to be fully healed for opening day next season if he decides to make an attempt to go out on his own terms. Hats off to a competitor: Ed Wood. It is with a heavy heart that Ol’ Doc writes that Ed is no longer the pitcher he once was. In his career Wood was the 1943 Allen award winner, a five time all-star and two time world championship MVP. In addition to those accolades Wood has 242 games and sits second behind George Johnson in club wins at 225. (Johnson has 258) However, pitching in his age 39 season it looks as though age has caught up to Wood. This has been Ed’s worst year in professional baseball and if he does return for his 18th FABL season it will probably be in a limited role. Ol’ Doc hates to see it happen but in the end, age is undefeated. Best years in the rearview: Walt Wells and Art White. Whether it be age with Wells or ability with White these two former contributors have taken a significant step backwards performance wise. Every successful club needs a couple of 6th man/swingman type arms that can hold their own in a pinch. Between White and Wells they have 11 all star appearances and an Allen Award. At one time both men were dependable stars in the FABL. Sadly though, those years are behind both pitchers now. The Help: Alf Keeter (#24 OSA) is the best pitching prospect in the organization. Keeter was acquired in the Mack Sutton deal and has looked good in B and A ball but has found his level in AA. The bright spot being his 49K/19BB ratio that is giving the club hope. OSA calls Alf a front of the rotation type of player. He is 23 years old and it does not look like he will be an immediate help next season. Ernie Martin (#92 OSA). The 19 year old was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1946 draft and has looked excellent this season in C ball posting a 149 ERA+ and 6.6 K/9 ratio. There has been some internal pressure to move Martin to the B level but the organization wanted to make sure it wasn’t a rush job. He will assuredly be playing up as a 20 year old next season. Virgil Harris (#140 OSA) is a fifth round pick from the ‘44 draft and has quietly found a way to be productive now as a 21 year old in B ball. Harris is a long shot to make the big club anytime soon but he will continue to get opportunities to prove people wrong. Now Ol’ Doc will take apart the hitters. The Good: Age is just a number: Pete Day, Joe watson, Rip Curry. The best of the bunch is Pete Day. The 36 year old seven time all-star just finds a way to get things done. Day owns a tremendous eye and just eclipsed the 100 walk mark for the first time in his career while keeping his strikeout total at 43. He has above average range defensively and will be closing in on 2500 hits next season all in a Boston uniform. Teammate Joe Watson may not have the defensive capabilities he once possessed but the man can surely find a gap with his FA best 16 triples on the year. Watson posted a 3.1 WAR which puts him even with Pittsburgh’s Leon Drake for most WAR with players 38 and over. The final member of the group would be part time Rip Curry who in 185 AB’s posted a .346 average and a 141 wRC+. Still in their prime: Billy Dalton, Harry Barrell. Both players are 33 years old and are enjoying really solid seasons. Buster, as he is known at home, took a sip from the fountain of youth this season and had his best offensive year since arriving in Boston. The offense coupled with Harry’s exceptional defense at SS puts him seventh in WAR in the FA at 6.3 with a few more games to go. Harry’s partner on the left side of the infield is switch hitting Billy Dalton who is arguably the best hitter in the Boston lineup. If Dalton can go deep one more time it would match his personal best of 20 homers that he hit as a Gotham back in ‘39. The kid may be going places: Ben McCarty deserved to make the team out of spring training. The problem was the club wanted to honor some of its long-time vets and give them plenty of opportunities to in some cases regain their stroke. Ben took it in stride and went down to AAA and hit to the point that it became impossible for the club to ignore his potential. In 236 at-bats McCarty provided 8 home runs, 144 wRC+, and a 1.9 WAR. Ol’ Doc feels he will need to move off the CF spot to a corner but other than that the boy is on the rise. The Eh: The Bill’s have it: Bill Moore, Bill Van Ness. With Bill Moore this is just a case of age. Moore was a key part of some really good Boston teams when he was acquired from Cleveland as a 29 year old in 1941. Now at 36 the old dog is starting to slow down. At this point Bill is an average offensive performer that Ol’ Doc feels the team will have a decision to make with him going forward. Then you have Bill Van Ness. OL’ Doc has spent a many a word on the subject of Van Ness so he will just get right to the point here. Bill is an average ballplayer. At catcher, average will be good enough but if the team ever had a chance to upgrade at the position they may want to investigate that option. The Bad: There is a cliff ahead…oh wait, too late, nevermind: Art Spencer, Bill Burkett, Bob Donoghue, Lew McClendon, Chick Donnelly. Where does ol’ Doc begin with this group? Maybe keeping it brief is for the best. Burkett went to war as a 25 year old and was never the same again. Now at 30 he looks to be a backup at best. McClendon was great from 1940-1943 but crashed hard at age 27 and was never able to reclaim his skills. At 30 years of age there is still hope of a resurgence but Ol’ Doc does not like the chances. Bob Donoghue was meant to be the most prolific home run hitter in Boston history. He hit 34 in 39 and then injuries just crippled the man. Even still he ranks second all-time in Boston history in home runs. The problem is that number is a laughable 121. You know the player that has more than him? That would be Chick Donnelly with 122 who will always have a piece of Ol’ Doc’s heart so it kills him to say that at 35 years of age it looks like the best player to ever wear a Boston uniform is done. The club gave Chick every opportunity to produce but it just wasn’t to be. Ol’ Doc even refuses to share any stats from this season out of his deep respect for what Chick has brought to our beloved Minutemen. The last man on the list would be Art Spencer. Art was the ultimate plug and play ballplayer. Have an injury anywhere on the infield, Art could move right in and the team would not miss a beat. This year though, Spencer was a liability in the lineup surrounded by others that were going through the same struggles. Bonus: We are all pulling for you kid: Buddy Schneider. Buddy, one of the Schneider triplets, was a budding star for Minutemen when the world was plunged into global conflict. Buddy and his brother Bart answered the call as true patriots. Their brother Skipper, true to his name, found a way to skip out on his duties and continue playing for the Cougars in Chicago. Each boy's trajectory has been affected by the decision. Bart has yet to crack the big leagues, Skipper is a star, and Buddy has struggled since his return. Ol’ Doc wonders what the dinner table conversation must be like at holidays in the Schneider home. His guess is tense to say the least. Well speaking for all of Boston Buddy, we are pulling for you!! The Help: Boston has the 7th ranked minor league system which is a lot better than where it had been just a few seasons ago. The bell-ringer of the group is 19 year old 2B Marshall Thomas who is the 11th ranked prospect in the FABL. Marshall started off extremely hot earning a quick promotion to B level Arlington where injuries and competition slowed his production. OSA still says multiple all-star games in his future. Boston cannot wait. The next three prospects are all outfielders in Dick Helfand (#30) and Yank (#32) and Danny Taylor (#56). Helfand is 22 years old and the furthest along just finishing a successful season in AA looking to either play next year in AAA or crack the Boston roster all together. Yank has tremendous power and can also hit for average. Once the power fully develops expect the 19 year old to race through the system. Finally we have Danny who can also hit for average and power, but has some defensive shortcomings. Look for the club to move him to 1B in the coming season to help his rise through the system. There is an outside chance Helfand makes his debut next year in Boston but the truth of the matter is that it will be a few more seasons before the next big crop of Boston prospects are ready to hit the league together as a solid core. If it pans out though, the 1950’s could be a great decade for the boys from Boston. A DAY FOR CELEBRATION Under cloudy skies a crowd of nearly 20,000 were on hand yesterday to celebrate the Gothams career of Jim Lonardo. The wily 43 year old had previously announced that this would be his final season and the team and fans were here to send him off in style. Former teammates made the trip to New York, there were messages from those who could not be in attendance and a very special phone call for the highlight of the event. Gothams public address announcer Woody Hart was master of ceremonies. After listing the many accomplishments of Jim's long career he introduced the first guests, members of the Gothams 1928 squad, Lonardo's first. Steve Castellini the ace of the '28 squad who mentored the young pitcher and Carlos Cano one of the offensive threats who supported the staff. Also on hand were some of the catchers who worked with Lonardo in his Gothams years. Johnny Simpson, his first catcher, Red Jackson, who was behind the plate in all three of Lonardo's Allen winning seasons for New York and John Wicklund from the 1935 Championship team. Mose Chritopher represented the early 1930's teams when Lonardo was a regular Allen contender, winning the award and leading the FA in wins each of those seasons - 1930-1931-1933. There was more representation from the Champs of 1935. A small reunion of sorts, with Moxie Pidgeon, Hardin Bates, Lou Ellerton and current Gothams Mahlon Strong and Bud Jameson. The biggest round of applause was for fellow 300 game winner Rabbit Day. With the player introductions done it was time for the gifts. Red Johnson and Walt Messer unveiled a new bass fishing boat and custom fishing gear from the team and his teammates. Then the big moment of the afternoon. Let me go to Woody Hart for this one: "Jim to finish this day we have one more special guest. He's currently in San Francisco ready to manage a ball game later today, but he wanted to be sure to talk you you on this special day. Your first manager Ed Zeihl." Let me say, the rousing ovation showed how the Gothams faithful feel about their biggest star. Now over the PA system came that familiar gruff voice: "Jim. Congratulations. Well deserved. In 1928 I was beginning my first year as manager. I knew about this kid who had worked his way up through the system. He was a 10th round pick but he'd won 22 games between AA and AAA the previous year. We needed some pitching, so I took a chance on a 23 year old. I'm not going to claim I was smart enough to foresee 300 wins, but from the start Jim had something about him. He knew how to pitch, not just throw, right from the beginning. And now here we are. I wish I could be there but perhaps Bud Jameson could give me a hand here. Bud please go to the stand next to Jim and reveal what's underneath." A roar went up from the crowd as Jameson revealed a framed #34 Gothams jersey. "There you go Jim. From now on no Gothams player will wear 34. I'm honored to have you join me." And there you have it. Jim Lonardo joins Ed Zeihl in having his number retired. The normally staid Lonardo was emotional, then quickly gathered himself. He thanked everyone, especially the fans, then excused us as he needed to prepare for the game. And once again Jim Lonardo came through. Despite the emotions of the day, #34 was on the mound for possibly the last time. It was a game so typical of Lonardo in his last years. Spreading out hits, pitching to contact, relying on his teammates. Pitching the full 9 innings, allowing 7 hits, walking 3, with no strike outs and just 2 runs allowed, Lonardo won for the 312th time. If all goes according to plans the final line reads 312-233 3.56 ERA in 5031 innings. Lonardo finishes second on most Gothams pitching lists and 202 wins for the ball club. We're not likely to see one like him again. Portland still has a slim chance of catching Dallas for the second playoff spot but the Green Sox will need to make up 5.5 games with just 7 left to play. San Francisco, which sits in last place this year, won the inaugural Bigsby Cup last season. 
AROUND THE LEAGUE With most minor league seasons finishing up, let's take a look at how each of the first round picks fared in their initial exposure to pro ball. BOSTON- The Minutemen selected Georgia high school second baseman Marshall Thomas with the 6th pick in the draft. OSA rates him #2 among all second base prospects behind only fellow 1947 draftee Al Farmer of the Sailors. At #12 overall on the OSA list, the Minutemen have high hopes for the 19-year-old. Thomas played outstanding defense at the keystone bag and after a week in Class C, was moved up to the B level. He struggled with a .214 batting average in 46 games so might have been a little overmatched but just dominated the class C level in a short stint there. BROOKLYN- 3rd overall pick Ken Newman had a very nice year as an 18 year old playing at Class A. The Kings challenged him with a ticket to Springfield and Newman responded nicely, slashing .309/.356/.438 over 57 games and playing acceptable defense at the hot corner. He slots in at #4 overall on the OSA pipeline and looks to have a very bright future. The Kings had two other first round picks. Charlie Rogers was the 10th selection and the 18 year old Illinois native was challenged just like Newman and responded just as well. Rogers spent most of his time in Springfield, slashing .286/.323/.395 while also displaying enough defensive skills to perhaps stick long-term as a centerfielder. OSA has hit at #26 on it's pipeline. The third Brooklyn first rounder was 21 year old catcher Dan Smith out of Garden State. Smith spent the season at AA and was slashing .275/.316/.370 after 54 games in Knoxville. OSA ranks him 44th overall and 4th among catchers. CHIEFS- Did not own a first round pick COUGARS- Not a lot has gone right for the Cougars this season but the decision to select Jerry Smith fifth overall has to be one thing for the organization to feel good about. Smith had a solid pro debut in Class C, slashing .284/.329/.413 with 5 homers in 51 games. OSA likes Smith, ranking him #2 among centerfield prospects behind only Cleveland's Sherry Doyal, and 11th overall. CINCINNATI- With the 11th pick the Cincinnati Cannons selected Tony Britten, a college pitcher out of Kit Carson. Britten worked out of the bullpen, tossing 46 innings for AA Erie at press time. He was 5-4 with 10 saves. We at TWIFB are not big fans of using high end pitching prospects as relievers in the minors but it hasn't seemed to hurt Britten as OSA feels he will be ready for the big leagues next season and place him 13th overall and 4th among pitchers. CLEVELAND- The first outfielder selected in the draft this year was Frenchy Sonntag, a New Jersey high schooler drafted by the Foresters with the 7th pick. Sonntag split his first pro season between Class C and B and looked very comfortable at the higher level. He hit .310 in 30 games at Class Be Savannah and showed a bit of power as well. He is only the 7th best prospect in a deep Foresters system according to OSA but #52 overall DETROIT- Power-hitting high school first baseman John Morrison was chosen fourth overall by the Dynamos. He spent the last couple of months at Class C Biloxi, slashing .265/.337/.437 with 9 homers in 56 games. The Dynamos see him as a Red Johnson type but that might be a little ambitious according to OSA, which slots Morrison in as the third best first base prospect and #37 overall. MONTREAL- Bill Duckworth, an 18-year-old from Los Angeles, was the Saints first rounder. Selected 13th overall,the first baseman had a bit of an adjustment to pro ball, slashing .247/.317/.272 in 48 games at Class C. OSA places him 60th on its prospect ranking list so bigger things are still very much expected from Duckworth. NY STARS- Shortstop Paul Watson, a 21-year-old out of Opelika State, was the Stars pick in the first round at #15. He played at AA Harrisburgh, splitting his time between third base and shortstop while looking very good at either position. He did not overwhelm at the plate but certainly held his own slashing .268/.319/.381. With top prospect Ralph Hanson ahead of him, although OSA feels Watson will be ready for the big leagues next season -two years ahead of Hanson- it is likely Watson will be moved from shortstop but right now he sits at #4 among shortstops on the pipeline (trailing Hason, Pittsburgh's Irv Clifford and Cecil LaBonte of the Gothams) and #25 overall. NY GOTHAMS- Selected 8th overall, 21-year-old Cecil LaBonte became the first member of the 1948 draft class to make it to the big leagues. The shortstop from Constitution State tore up AAA with a .326 batting average in 22 games at Toledo, prompting the promotion to New York. He was hitting .275 after 35 games with the Gothams but his work in the field does need some improvement. KEYSTONES- The Keystones drafted Georgia born high school centerfielder Herm Kocher 12th overall and let him settle in to pro ball with some time at Class C Beaumont. Kocher struggled early but had a good August and for the season slashed .254/.281/.330. OSA ranks him #19 on its pipeline. Kocher's defense was strong and he had 6 outfield assists in just 54 games. SAILORS-Al Farmer, selected 9th overall out of Amarillo Methodist, is ready for the majors now according to OSA. The 21-year-old second baseman had a quick stop in AA before the Sailors bumped him up to AAA Richmond. He has not looked out of place in the Rebels lineup, slashing .269/.339/.376 in 52 AAA games while doing a terrific job in the field. OSA lists Farmer number 3 on it's pipelne, trailing only 2nd overall pick Irv Clifford and New York Stars prospect Ralph Hanson -both shortstops. PITTSBURGH- Irv Clifford, a college shortstop out of Charleston Tech, was selected second overall by the Miners. The 21-year-old spent two weeks in AA before a promotion to AAA St Paul. His defense was very good with the Disciples but the offense still needs to come, with Clifford slashing .200/.271/.335 after 42 games of AAA ball. He has a very high ceiling and OSA, which feels he will be ready for the big leagues next season, ranks him #2 overall on it's prospect pipeline. ST LOUIS- 18 year old Brooklyn born righthander Bill Kiley was drafted 14th overall by the Pioneers. He was just 4-6 in 13 starts at Class C Moline but the record was not fair to him. A 2.62 era, a 1.18 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 96 innings while walking just 27 gives the Pioneers plenty to be excited about. OSA slots him in at #18 on it's prospect pipeline. TORONTO- First overall selection Les Ledbetter made two starts at Class C before a quick promotion to Class B Vancouver, for whom he went 5-4 with a 4.52 era in 11 starts. He walked just 1 and fanned 19 in 13 innings at the lower level but had a little tougher go with the Mounties, walking 46 in just under 70 innings. Not a dominant performance by any stretch but a good first taste of pro ball. OSA has Ledbetter as the top pitcher and 5th overall on its prospect pipeline so, at least at this point the Wolves scouting staff can rest easy as owner Bernie Millard is likely fine with the big signing bonus paid out for the Michigan native. WASHINGTON- Did not own a first round pick. PALADINS END 12 GAME SKID IN AFA OPENER The Pittsburgh Paladins wasted little time putting one up in the victory column this time around as the American Football Association began its 28th season yesterday. Entering play the Paladins had not won a game since December 2, 1945 - a stretch of 12 games that included all of last season when the Pittsburgh club suffered through an 0-10-1 campaign. Playing in the only game on the opening weekend the Palladins rallied to beat the Cincinnati Tigers 21-17. Pittsburgh grid fans in attendance must have been thinking "here we go again" after Cincinnati's Andy Bell intercepted a Ken Marston pass on the Paladins second possession and galloped untouched into the endzone to give the visitors a 7-0 lead before the game was 3 minutes old. However, the Paladins quickly bounced back when Marston, the rookie from Payne State engineered a 72 yard drive that culminated with a 1-yard rushing touchdown plunge by Dennis Prasser, evening the score at 7-7. Another Marston interception led to a 33-yard Bob Chick field goal early in the second quarter, putting the Tigers ahead once again at 10-7. The third quarter saw Cincinnati extend their lead with a 7-yard rushing touchdown by Charlie Morrison, making it 17-7 in favor of the Tigers. But the resilient Paladins refused to back down, responding with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Kenny Hulett, narrowing the gap to 17-14 as the third quarter came to a close. The final quarter proved to be a nail-biter, but it was the Paladins who spent much of it with the lead after Marston guided the club on a 12-play, 88-yard drive that culminated in a 6-yard touchdown pass to Prasser with 6:51 remaining in the game, giving the Paladins a slim 21-17 lead, one which they nursed to the finish. Much of the heavy lifting on the drive was done by back Jerry Doucet, who had a 36 yard catch and run to go along with 5 carries. Doucet nearly was the goat, as he coughed up the ball on the Tigers 8-yard line just two plays before the winning score, but an alert Bill Langan fell on the ball to preserve possession for the Paladins. Despite their best efforts, the Tigers were unable to mount a comeback, and the Paladins' defense held on to secure their first victory in nearly two years. The win was not without tension as Marston, who made some costly mistakes with interception tosses, also came up with a interception of his own, picking off a Charlie Morrison pass on his own 4-yard line with 1:30 remaining just as it appeared the Tigers would rally for the winning score. Dennis Prasser was the standout player of the game, earning the title of Most Valuable Player. Prasser contributed a crucial rushing touchdown and displayed his versatility with 3 catches for 26 yards, including the winning 6-yard touchdown reception. Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS East Division W L T PCT Pittsburgh 1 0 0 .000 Boston 0 0 0 .000 NY Stars 0 0 0 .000 Washington 0 0 0 .000 Philadelphia 0 0 0 .000 West Division W L T PCT Cleveland 0 0 0 .000 St Louis 0 0 0 .000 Chicago 0 0 0 .000 Detroit 0 0 0 .000 Cincinnati 0 1 0 .000 Pittsburgh 21 Cincinnati 17 UPCOMING GAMES SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28 Boston at Philadelphia Cincinnati at Cleveland Chicago at Detroit New York at Washington St Louis at Pittsburgh WEST DIVISION DOMINATES CFC Even just a month into the season it is very evident where the power lies in the Continental Football Conference. West Division teams are 9-2 so far against their eastern rivals including sweeping all four games in the loop this weekend. As a result each of the four West Division clubs are at least .500 and the two powerhouses in the defending champion Kansas City Cowboys and San Francisco Wings are a combined 7-0 on the season. In contrast, the only East Division team that can boast of even a .500 mark is the 2-2 New York Gothams. The Gothams spent the week on the coast rather than travelling back and forth after playing in Los Angeles nine days ago. They were in a positive mindset all week after beating the Lobos that day, but yesterday was a different story as the San Francisco Wings scored a pair of second half touchdowns to ground the Gothams 24-14. Down the coast in Los Angeles, the Lobos made up for last week's stumbles against New York with a 27-0 blanking of the Brooklyn Kings. Quarterback John Fuchs threw for 221 yards while Elton Raymond carried the ball for 66 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Lobos to a victory that evened their record at 2-2. In Kansas City it was just another day at the office for Pat Chappell. Big-time passing days are becoming the norm for the former St Blane 3-sport star, who led the Cowboys to a 42-7 victory over the New Orleans Crescents by throwing for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Cowboys defense also contributed to the offense with a pair of scores. The first came in the opening minutes of the game on a blocked punt that Pete Engle carried 45 yards into the endzone and the other one on a 33-yard interception return by John Backus late in the second quarter. It was close but no cigar once more for the Buffalo Bulls, who dropped to 1-3 with a 34-28 loss to the Comets in Chicago. Dave Karaszewski was Mr. Everything for the winners with 98 yards and two touchdowns rushing, 54 yards receiving, and on defense he had 10 tackles and forced a fumble. As if that was not enough, Karaszewski also returned a kickoff 86 yards for a score. For the hard-luck Bulls it was their third loss on the season and the three defeats have been by a combined total of 10 points including two last minute defeats to begin the season. Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS EAST W L T PCT[/b] NY Gothams 2 2 0 .500 Brooklyn 1 3 0 .250 Buffalo 1 3 0 .250 New Orleans 0 3 0 .000 WEST W L T PCT San Francisco 4 0 0 1.000 Kansas City 3 0 0 1.000 Los Angeles 2 2 0 .500 Chicago 2 2 0 .500 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19 Chicago 34 Buffalo 28 Los Angeles 27 Brooklyn 0 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 Kansas City 42 New Orleans 7 San Francisco 24 New York 14 UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26 Kansas City at Chicago SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28 New York at New Orleans San Francisco at Buffalo Code:
CFC LEADERS SCORING PTS Karaszewski, Buf 36 Higman, Buf 33 Penna, LA 32 Abbott, SF 30 Hale, NYG 30 Mula, SF 30 PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT Fuchs, LA 39-84 801 3 4 Chappell, KC 37-67 694 7 3 Hale, NYG 27-56 630 4 4 Monday, Buf 50-108 615 8 7 Metcalf, SF 44-83 479 7 2 RUSHING YDS TD Hale, NYG 410 4 Garner, SF 345 1 Stone, SF 334 1 Rose, NYG 264 3 Karaszewski, Buf 225 5 RECEIVING CAT YDS TD Mula, SF 20 214 5 Breig,Chi 18 268 1 Swanagan, Buf 12 134 1 Orr, KC 11 173 1 Pruitt, NO 11 83 0 INERCEPTIONS # Carroll, SF 2 Layton, Buf 2 Yardley, Bkn 2 Chappell, KC 2 Reid, KC 2 J. Smith, Chi 2 Backus, KC 2 BELLS RING LOUD IN ROUT OVER SPOKANE STATE Liberty College's football team, with a raft of speedy backs operating behind a big, well-drilled line, smothered Spokane State 30-6 in weekend collegiate grid action. A crowd of about 14,000 braved a drizzle to see the first big intersectional game of the season. While no one player stood out for a Bells squad that is much improved from a year ago when they posted a 5-3 record, the Bells sent a formidable array of fast, smooth-working backs into action, and they executed plays that had Spokane State completely bewildered. The first touchdown did not come until early in the second period but it opened a floodgate that led to three quick majors by the host side. Spokane State only avoided a whitewashing with a 10 yard run to culminate a late drive in the closing minutes, which was the only sustained ball movement the Indians exhibited all day. In other action, Deep South Conference play kicked off early with Mississippi A&M having little difficulty topping Central Kentucky 26-3 in what was the only game between section rivals on the opening week docket. Meanwhile, Lawrence State proved its preseason billing as one to watch in the Plains Athletic Conference is on the mark, after the Chippewa knocked off Amarillo Methodist 17-7. The complete scoreboard is listed below. WEEKEND RESULTS EAST Strub College 23 Three Rivers State 7 Liberty College 30 Spokane State 6 Petersburg 28 Northern Pennsylvania 14 Penn Catholic 27 New York Maritime 0 Lexington State 24 Quantico Marines 14 SOUTH Mississippi A&M 26 Central Kentucky 3 Alabama Baptist 38 Mississippi Tech 0 Noble Jones College 37 Bulein 0 Coastal State 58 Charleston (IL) 6 Central Carolina 24 Burlington 3 Columbia Military Academy 30 Edgemoor 0 MIDWEST Western Iowa 24 Great Plains State 3 Iowa A&M 39 Iowa Northern 6 Daniel Boone College 26 Laclede 7 Lawrence State 17 Amarillo Methodist 7 Payne State 20 Canyon A&M 3 Topeka State 26 Marles 14 Northern Minnesota 34 Mount Pleasant State 7 SOUTHWEST Travis College 27 College of Waco 0 Darnell State 35 Killeen State 0 Arkansas A&T 41 Central Louisiana 3 Lubbock State 55 Nacogdoches State 0 Utah A&M 41 Gunnison State 14 El Paso Methodist 31 Everman State (TX) 14 Lambert College 13 Texas Panhandle 13 Kit Carson University 39 Flagstaff State 0 Eastern Oklahoma 30 Eastern Kansas 6 FAR WEST Northern California 22 Sunnyvale 6 Portland Tech 47 Western Montana 3 San Francisco Tech 21 Minns College 10 Tempe College 40 CC Anaheim 14 Colorado Poly 24 Miners College 21 Idaho A&M 24 Cascade Methodist 22 Custer College 48 Cheney State 21 Golden Gate University 34 Stratton 20 Cache Valley 50 California Missionary 7 FIELD SET ALL FOR MAJOR PRESEASON TOURNAMENTS Here the teams that will compete in the four major collegiate basketball preseason tournaments. The events tip-off with the Tournament of Champions at Bigsby Garden in New York. Carolina Poly, led by high scoring guards Major Belk and James Halle and featuring the debut of Mel Turcotte -a New York City native who was ranked the number one prospect in his recruiting class- should be the team to beat but watch out for the Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes, who have been a rising program. The toughest field will be gathered at Lakeside Auditorium in Chicago beginning on Halloween with Western Iowa, North Carolina Tech and St Blane all possible national title contenders this season. The following weekend the action shifts to Boston and the west coast. The Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic is the oldest preseason tournament in existance and even predates the AIAA itself. It is not a deep field but there are some solid programs among the 8 entrants including Noble Jones College, Richmond State, Lambert College and Commonwealth Catholic, which will act as the host school in the Denny Arena event for the first in over twenty years. The final event takes place in Portland, Oregon with Liberty College, led by All-American senior Ward Messer, likely the team to beat. TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS (Bigsby Garden, Oct 30-Oct 31) Carolina Poly Cardinals Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes Sadler Bluecoats Brooklyn State Bears PRESEASON AIAA SHOWCASE (Chicago, Oct 31-Nov 1) Western Iowa Canaries North Carolina Tech Techsters St Blane Fighting Saints Dickson Maroons JACK EASTON TIP-OFF CLASSIC (Denny Arena, Boston Nov 6-8) Commonwealth Catholic Knights Noble Jones College Colonels Lambert College Stags Richmond State Colonials Brooklyn Catholic Bulldogs Elyria Pioneers Cache Valley Cowboys Kansas Agricultural Hawks WEST COAST CLASSIC (Portland, Ore Nov 6-9) Lane State Emeralds Liberty College Bells Bronx Tech Flying Dutchmen Quaker College (CA) Bulldogs West Corners (NY) Athletics Mississippi Tech Cougars North Central(NE) Wolves Flagstaff State Firebirds MILLER IN PEAK FORM WITH TUNE-UP WIN Dan Miller, the looking glove action, brawled his way to a unanimous slam-bang 10-round decision over Fraser Witt in what will be his final tune-up before the biggest fight of the Oakland native's career. The 30-year-old is slated to next step into the ring against world heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer at Santa Ana Stadium in what is expected to be the largest crowd to ever witness a title fight. Last night at the Knights Stadium in Los Angeles it was a much more intimate crowd, number barely 4500 shirt-sleeved faithfuls, watching Miller fight what really just amounted to a sparring session. Witt, a 25-year-old San Francisco fighter, had an impressive 13-3 record entering the ring but was quickly exposed by the far more polished Miller. Four times in the fight Witt was floored but does deserve some credit for regaining his feet each time and surviving the 10 rounds, although he was as badly battered by the scorecards as he was by Miller, coming up on top in just 1 round in the minds of the two judges and referee Vic Green. Other bouts of note last week saw rising heavyweight Tommy Cline improve to 12-0 with a unanimous decision over Fred Vaughn while former welterweight champ Dennis O'Keefe snapped a two-fight losing streak with a 7th round knockout of Derek Clark in Scranton.  UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
PACKERS IN MARKET FOR DEFENSEMAN The Chicago Packers have what many NAHC observers feel is the deepest collection of talent in the league but that has not stopped rumours flowing that the Packers are looking to upgrade their defense. The club, which reached the Challenge Cup finals last season before bowing out to Boston in 6 games, is the only NAHC team never to hoist the famous chalice. The Packers have specifically targeted the acquistion of a right defenseman which perhaps leads to speculation the club feels rookie Mike Van Tol -their first round draft pick- may need another year of seasoning before he is ready to step in on the Packers blueline. Pete Moreau, Mark Brooks and Matt Jewitt are the holdovers but with the Packers hoping this will be the year they finally win that first Cup, the club is said to be willing to part with a veteran forward such as Ed Delarue, who finished third on the team with 42 points last season, or Marsh Mansfield -a 34 point producer last season- for the missing piece they feel they need on the blueline. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 9/21/1947
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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