EC's Southern Association

[Eugene Church]

THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Monday, June 2, 1947

VOLS SNAP BEARS WIN STREAK
Southern Association leader Nashville snapped Mobile's winning streak at four games with an 8-5 victory in the third game of the current series... the Bears had taken the first two... the middle part of the Nashville lineup led the way as the Vols piled up 12 hits... CF Hal Jeffcoat (.336) and RF Red Treadway (.356) smacked three hits each and 1B George Byam (.294) added two more... all of them scored a pair of runs... Leo Twardy (8-5/4.57) wasn't at his best but got the win... Twardy gave up five runs on six hits in seven and one-third innings... Neil Saulia (2-1/4.76/17 G) got the last five outs and didn't permit a run... taking the loss for Mobile was Frank Laga (5-4/3.55)... he left trailing 5-3 after six frames... 3B Bill Hart (.286) hit his 5th roundtripper to pace Mobile... Nashville (40-23) increased its lead over the third-place Bears (34-29) to 6 games... the two clubs will wrap up a four-game series tomorrow... the Atlanta Crackers (37-25) are second in the race and still trail by 3 games.

THOMPSON TAKES 11TH, CRAX WHIPS BARONS AGAIN
Sharp southpaws and strong defense were the tale of the tape at Rickwood Field in Birmingham... Atlanta's Forest Thompson reined in the Baron bats and beat them 2-0 on a six-hitter and picked up his SA-leading 11th win of the season... four double plays helped to keep Birmingham off the scoreboard... it was the Crackers' third win in a row over Birmingham... loser Jack Teagan (6-4/3.10) also kept it close, only surrendering two runs on eight hits in eight frames... the Barons also back him up with four twin kills... Atlanta RF Ted Cieslak (.363) was involved in both runs... he got an RBI grounder to plate the first run in the third... and in the eighth Cieslak tripled and scored on LF Babe Ellis' (.297) single... second place Atlanta (36-25) remained 3 games back of Nashville (40-23) in the Southern Association pennant race... Birmingham (34-29) is in the third spot, 6 games behind and tied with Mobile (34-29).

CHATTANOOGA'S TOENES WINS 11TH
Chattanooga's marvelous left-hander Hal Toenes racked up his 5th win a row and upped his record to 11-3 with an impressive 2.10 ERA... he leads the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA... Toenes and Atlanta's Forest Thompson have both won 11 games... Toenes made New Orleans toe the line, topping them 4-2 on five hits, striking out nine Pelicans and issuing three bases on balls... Big Jim Atkins (4-4/4.80) suffered the defeat, but only allowed two earned runs in his six-plus frames... the Lookouts could only get eight hits and were led by 1B Jack Sanford (.361) and RF Gil Coan (.371) with a pair of hits and an RBI apiece... Coan leads the SA with 77 RBIs... Chattanooga is now 34-29 and deadlocked with Mobile and Birmingham for third place.

LITTLE ROCK LOSES 9TH IN A ROW
The losses just kept on coming for the Little Rock Travelers (12-52)... Memphis (34-30) whipped them for the third straight time and upped their losing string to 9... the Chicks squeezed past the Pebs 5-4 and banged out 15 hits, all singles... 1B Ted Kluszewski (.307) and C Vince Plumbo (.231) both cracked three hits each... Ed Weiland (5-7/6.08) had a fair outing, going eight innings and allowing three earned runs on five hits with five Ks and three walks... poor Carl Lindquist (1-12/4.76) lost for the 9th straight time, but did go the distance... C Ken Sears (.273) put the Travelers ahead briefly with a 3-run smash in the second frame.

[Eugene Church]

SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
Monday, June 2, 1947

[Eugene Church]

THE NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE
Monday, June 2, 1947

NASHVILLE MOVED UP IN MAY, CRAX AND BARONS FALTER
The Southern Association has played two months into the 1947 season... the Nashville Vols got hot and charged up from 6th place to the top spot... Birmingham, the leader at the end of April, faltered badly and limped in 5 games behind the Vols in 3rd place... Atlanta, the other contender in the early going, took the lead from the Barons in mid-May, but slipped back to second and 3 games out by the end of the month... the Mobile Bears are on the rise, climbing from seventh place to the fourth spot in the last month and trailing Nashville by 5 games.

[Eugene Church]

Got computer problems... the Southern Association will be back as soon as I can get the problems fixed.

EC

[Eugene Church]

Still having computer problems... the Southern Association will continue as soon as I can get things fixed.

[HGVoyager]

I have to admit that I prefer fictional dynasties set in real places, but... this is a good, fun read. Keep it up!

I'm partial to the Barons, since I was born in B'ham. I vaguely remember going to a few Barons games at Rickwood Field, when I was about 5 or 6 years old and my parents had the money, but I was 9 years old when they moved over to Hoover in 1987, so it's hard to truly remember what it was like. I moved away from Alabama in 1988, but whenever I go back there and I happen to drive by Rickwood Field on the way to visiting family, I always get a smile on my face.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry for the late reply... Using the phone keyboard... Apologize for lower case.

They still play one baron regular season game each season at rickwood field to raise money for the museum.I have gone there 3-4 times... It is played in june






The new ballpark in downtown Birmingham is very very nice.

[Eugene Church]

The southern assn should be back up and running Wednesday so say computer guy.

[JaBurns]

Thanks hope everything works out well. Glad you have the league backed up.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by HGVoyager

I have to admit that I prefer fictional dynasties set in real places, but... this is a good, fun read. Keep it up!

I'm partial to the Barons, since I was born in B'ham. I vaguely remember going to a few Barons games at Rickwood Field, when I was about 5 or 6 years old and my parents had the money, but I was 9 years old when they moved over to Hoover in 1987, so it's hard to truly remember what it was like. I moved away from Alabama in 1988, but whenever I go back there and I happen to drive by Rickwood Field on the way to visiting family, I always get a smile on my face.

Got my computer back... now I can communicate quickly.

Each year the Friends of Rickwood have one regular-season Southern League game at the old ballpark, which I think Is the oldest professional league ballpark still in use in the nation... older than Fenway and Wrigley... Rickwood was built in 1910.

The Museum Committee sponsors a fund-raising game... a portion of the game receipts are donated by the current Birmingham Barons team, so the committee can maintain and restore Rickwood Field... also to eventually create a Southern League baseball museum at the stadium.

The two Southern League teams play in retro uniforms for the game.

So far the Friends of Rickwood have raised 2 million dollars for the restoration.

The Birmingham Black Barons also played at Rickwood 1920 to 1960... Willie Mays is a former Black Baron... he played with them in 1948... the great Satchell Paige was with them in 1927... Paige played for the Negro National League title and lost to the Chicago American Giants in a four-game sweep.

[Eugene Church]

1947 SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION TEAM BATTING, PITCHING AND FIELDING STATISTICS
Sunday, June 1, 1947

[Eugene Church]

1947 Southern Association Individual Batting Statistics
Sunday, June 1, 1947

[Eugene Church]

1947 Southern Association Individual Pitching Statistics
Sunday, June 1, 1947

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

THE NASHVILLE BANNER
Sunday, June 1, 1947

VOLS ON TOP OF SA AT END OF MAY
In the merry month of May, the Nashville Vols (40-23) picked up several players from the parent Chicago Cubs and jumped from fair-to-middling in the Southern Association to the top spot, moving ahead of the Birmingham Barons and the Atlanta Crackers... ripping off a 24-8 record the Vols leaped to 3 games ahead of second place Atlanta (36-25) and 6 games better than Birmingham (34-29)... the Crax were 19-11 for the month, while the Barons dipped to a dismal 14-18 and fell out of first place... the Mobile Bears (34-29) are on the rise, going 20-13 in May and climbing up into a third-place tie with Birmingham and Chattanooga (34-29)... the Lookouts registered a 17-15 mark in the month.

Second-division clubs Memphis, New Orleans and Little Rock trail the leaders... the Chickasaws (34-30) are still in the middle of the pack, but might challenge for a first-division spot... they chalked up a 17-15 record in May and are in sixth place, trailing by 6 and a half games... the New Orleans Pelicans (29-36) were forecast to be one of the top teams, but have disappointed so far... after a 13-20 mark this last month, the Pels are in seventh place and 12 games behind in the pennant chase... pulling up in the rear are the poor Little Rock Travelers (12-52) in last place, 28 and a half games off the pace... the Pebs suffered through a 4-28 month in May.

[Eugene Church]

Managed by longtime great Larry Gilbert, the Nashville Vols got going real well in May and shot to the top of the Southern Association... the Chicago Cubs shipped them 2B Hank Schenz and 3B Cy Block at the end of April, plus Gilbert purchased 1B George Byam from New Orleans... since then the Vols have taken off and taken over first place in the Southern Association... Nashville has a strong attack and tops the SA in most offensive categories... they are hitting a league-best .296 and are the top-scoring club, too... the Vols are still a potent offense even though they sold catcher/OF Doc Greene to Tulsa in the Texas League... Green had 12 homers and 34 RBIs when he departed in mid-May.

Almost the entire starting lineup is hitting above .300, sparked by Rube Walker (.370), Red Treadway (.356), Cy Block (.363) and Hal Jeffcoat (.336)... Nashville is first in the SA with 55 homers and 390 runs.

Sulphur Dell is a really tough place to pitch... it is a hitter's haven with a very short right field porch (262 feet with 40-foot fence)... thus far, Gilbert's mound corps has been lackluster except for Pete Mallory (10-4/3.30) and Leon Twardy (8-5/4.57)... the Vols need some help from youngsters Bob Rush (1-1/2.67), Ben Wade (6-6/6.54), Dick Conger (4-2/4.40) and A. J. Matulis (2-1/4.17) to sustain their pennant aspirations.

Defensively, the Vols are the best in the Southern Association with a .974 FA... Schenz, Quick, Byam and Walker are all fine defenders.

Outlook: Nashville should be a strong contender for the SA crown... a little better pitching will really help their chances.

1st Place: Nashville Vols 40-23

[Eugene Church]

2nd Place: Atlanta Crackers (36-25) (3 GB)

After two months of play Kiki Cuyler's Atlanta Crackers (36-25) are running second in the Southern Association, 3 games in back of first place Nashville (40-23)... the Crax had a good month at 19-11, but lost ground in the pennant race as the Vols were a torrid 24-8... Atlanta has a solid rotation, one of the better in the league, headed up by Forest Thompson (11-4/4.38) and George Diehl (8-5/3.42)... at the plate Babe Ellis (.297), Charlie Glock (.333), Ted Cieslak (.363) and Red Mathis (.337) are the big guns... Cuyler could use some help at first base and second base... shortstop Ben Steiner (.279) is a quality hitter and infielder.

Atlanta is second best in the SA offensively to Nashville... they are batting .287 as a team with good power and scoring... also number two with a .973 fielding percentage... and mound staff is the toughest to score on.

Outlook: Cuyler's crew is definitely one of the better teams in the Southern Association with its quality starters... adding more offense at first and second would improve the club and put Atlanta in a better contending position... without it, they may have to be happy with second or third place.

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place Tied: Birmingham Barons (34-29) (6 GB)

The Birmingham Barons started the season on a high note under skipper Dick Porter, riding high in first place in the early going... they fended off Atlanta and Chattanooga after a month of action, topping them both by 4 games... but then things went downhill with the Barons posting a poor 14-18 mark in May and dropping down to the third spot, 6 games behind the Nashville Vols.

Porter has the best pitching in the Southern Association with a 3.59 ERA... his club has good power, but has trouble scoring runs, ranking 7th... the Barons have a very capable rotation, paced by Frank Nelson (10-4/2.57), Jack Teagan (6-4/3.10) and Alex Ronay (7-5/3.95)... the best hitters are Zeb Eaton (.316), Lou Kahn (.402), Robert Reid (.257), Dick Atkins (.290) and recent addition, Joe Collins (.333)... Birmingham is the worst in the Southern Association with the gloves, fielding only .964 as a team.

Outlook: the Barons appear to be middle-of-the-pack team... likely to wind up 4th, 5th or 6th... Porter has too many holes to fill to challenge for the pennant... however, adding a few better bats and improving the defense and Birmingham could be back in the thick of things.

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place Tied: Chattanooga Lookouts (34-29) (6 GB)

Chattanooga played well to begin the season, seesawing back-and-forth at the top of the standings with Atlanta and Birmingham in the early weeks, then gradually slipped back and ended up tied for third place at the end of May, deadlocked with the Barons and the rising Mobile Bears... the trio were 6 games behind league-leading Nashville... the Lookouts were 16-14 the first month and 17-15 in month two.

Manager Bert Niehoff is short on pitching, but has a pretty fair attack with modest longball power... defensively, the Lookouts are just average with a .968 FA... standouts Gil Coan (.371 BA/21 HR/77 RBI) and Jack Sanford (.361 BA/6 HR/41 RBI) have carried the attack with some help from Al Kvasnak (.255 BA/3 HR/37 RBI) and Ed Lyons (.257 BA/6 HR/37 RBI)... parent team Washington returned fine CF Junior Wooten (.270 BA) in May and gave the club a good boost in the outfield and at the plate... Chattanooga sports two very capable starters in Hal Toenes (11-3/2.10) and Vern Curtis (8-3/3.94), but they will need some help on the hill to get into the pennant chase.

Outlook: Chattanooga has too many shortcomings to rival the league elites, but should be good enough for 4th, 5th or 6th.

[Eugene Church]

3rd Place Tied: Mobile Bears (34-29) (6 GB)

The Mobile Bears had rough going in April, but perked up in May... Al Todd's team improved from 13-14 to 20-13, mainly due to much better work on the mound... the Bears are in a three-way tie for third place with Birmingham and Chattanooga and trail the top team Nashville by 6 games.

Mobile has solid pitchers (3.85 ERA), pretty fair power (46 HR), good scoring despite a poor .261 BA and mediocre defense (.965 FA)... the Bears' best sticks are Shotgun Shuba (.319 BA/15 HR/70 RBI), Cal Abrams (.328 BA/3 HR/39 RBI), Cliff Dapper (.280 BA/7 HR/34 RBI) and Chuck Connors (.271 BA/9 HR/42 RBI)... top hurlers are Pat McGlothin (6-5/2.53), John Hall (7-5/3.03) and Frank Laga (5-4/3.5)... Paul Minner (2-1/2.51) joined the club in mid-May and made an immediate impact... Todd could have the best staff in the Southern Association if Roy Whitaker (3-5/4.88) and Roy Boles (6-7/6.51) come around and pitch up to their potential.

Outlook: Mobile should be in it for the long haul and make a run for the league flag because of its mound strength... should finish in the first division for sure.