All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal - Page 34

Jiggs McGee · 03-17-2023, 11:20 AM

MAY 6, 1946

MINUTEMEN RIDE PITCHING TO TOP OF FED

Led by dominant pitching from all five of their starters and an exceptional bullpen anchored by John Edwards, the Boston Minutemen have surged to the top of the Federal Association. The 15-6 Minutemen have surrendered just 39 runs in their 21 contests, and overtaken the Chicago Cougars for the early FABL pitching lead. Ray Dalpman, who threw a no-hitter a week ago, leads the way at 5-0 with a 1.07 era but the solid performances stretch throughout the rotation with Duke Hendricks (3-1, 2.45) along with old-timers Ed Wood (3-1, 1.64), Dean Astle (3-1, 2.45) and Walt Wells (1-2, 0.95) all off to strong starts. John Edwards has been called on 8 times out of the pen by manager Bill Boshart and has yet to allow a single run, while being credited with 6 saves in the process.

The Minutemen alrady have 5 shutout wins this season including three last week when they won 7 straight games before dropping the second half of a doubleheader to St Louis yesterday. Boston faces a big test this coming weekend when the second place Philadelphia Keystones -picked by many to earn a third straight Federal Association crown- invade Minutemen Stadium for a 3-game series beginning Friday afternoon.

In the Continental Association it is now the Cincinnati Cannons -owners of each of the last three Continental flags- that have taken over top spot after the Chicago Cougars stumbled in a tough week against what is expected to be their two main rivals once again this season. The Cougars did manage to win 2 of three games in Cincinnati but the Cannons got hot over the weekend against Montreal and New York while the Cougars dropped three of four -although each defeat was by a single run- in Toronto and Philadelphia. The result leaves the Cannons a half game up on the Cougars but Toronto is the hottest team in the loop. The Wolves stumbled out of the gate with an 0-6 start but have won 12 of their last 14 and are just a game and a half back. Included in that stretch was a pair of wins over Chicago as they proved Billy Riley was human after all in a 4-3 win Friday followed by a rally against Pete Papenfus with 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the Cougars at 4 before winning in the 10th inning on a Mike Rollinson walk-off rbi single.

How 'bout them Wolves. Toronto slowed Billy Riley and then rallied to beat Pete Papenfus and now have won 12 of their last 14 after that awful 0-6 week to start. And the Cannons are back where they belong - at the top of the CA. Al Wheeler hit another longball this week for Cincinnati and is up to 492.
It was the first losing week for the Cougars, who dropped three one run games and one two run game, to fall out of first place. For the week, they still outscored their opponents by 12 runs in three tough road series. The team still leads the league in runs scored and allowed, scoring twice (112) as many runs as they've allowed (56). #6 starter Johnnie Jones is red hot to start the year, just 3 earned runs in 27.2 innings pitched while ace Pete Papenfus has struck out 33 in 35 innings. Dick Walker had a big week and was named Player of the Week, slashing .414/.514/.793 with a double, 2 triples, 2 homers, 6 walks, 8 RBIs, and 10 runs scored. Despite now trailing the Cannons by half a game, it's hard to complain about the early season results.
More on the deep Cougars pitching staff: Leo Hayden has started to turn things down, as while the walks (18 in 30 innings) are still high, his ERA is down to 2.70 and picked up his first career win with a complete game victory over the Foresters.
No complaints in Boston as the Minutemen are off to a 15-6 start. The club has a run differential of +45 and the team is humming right now. Apparently, this comes as no surprise according to the pythagorean theorem, which has the Minutemen as underachievers by two games.
A rough 0-5 week with bad pitching all around for the Chicago Chiefs. Al Miller, Gus Goulding and Sam Sheppard each gave up 6+ runs in their starts. A positive note: AA call-up Frank Kirchner hit .455 in his debut.
Percy Sutherland notes that if the Chiefs expect to finish in the first division, they will need to be top two in runs allowed. The offense remains a work in progress.
Poor Art White. Now 0-3 for Detroit despite a 1.74 era. 10 of the 14 runs he has surrendered have been unearned. And his run support per game is only 1.0.
With the worst offense in FABL, something has to change in Detroit. Rookie Stan Kleminski was demoted to Newark and will hopefully burn his glove and pick up a new one when he gets there. Kleminski was hitting but the 19 year old was just awful at both shortstop and second base. Dick Estes and Dick Blaszak are also out of the starting lineup as both are benched in favour of veteran Rip Curry and rule 5 pickup Steve Donovan -who had played above Class C prior to this year (but was in the war for 4 years). The Dyanmos called up Bob Montgomery from Newark to replace Kleminski and manager Dick York immediately put the 23 year old in the starting lineup at SS - ahead of Win Hamby and the skipper's son Joe.
Not a lot to like in the early going from 7-13 St Louis but Hal Hackney is on another planet -- 52 strikeouts in 48.2 innings with a 1.29 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He's 4-1 in 6 starts with a 1.00 FIP (29 FIP-) and has more strikeouts then baserunners allowed (48)

HAMPTON EYES SPOT IN PRO CAGE LOOP

Joe Hampton may yet follow his father's footsteps and be a big league ballplayer. However, it would be in basketball and not baseball where his dad Jim Hampton was a two-time Federal Association batting champ over a 16 year career with the Chicago Chiefs. There has been increasing chatter of a professional cage loop beginning play in the fall and Hampton has made it no secret he would be interested in playing.

"I have had a few of the semi-pro teams in the area ask me to play next season," explained Hampton from his family home in Chicago, "but to be honest this pro league sounds like it may happen and, if so, that is where I hope to play."

Hampton excelled in three sports at Chicago's St Francis de Sales High School and was a high school All-American baseball pitcher, catching the attention of the St Louis Pioneers who selected him in the fifth round of the 1941 FABL draft. Joe spent a year and a half in the Pioneers system before abandoning baseball to attend Western Iowa University, which had also recruited him heavily for their basketball team.

He was a four year starter for the Canaries -helping them win two conference titles- culminating last month when he was named the Great Lakes Alliance player of the year and a third team All-American as a senior. In 126 games with Western Iowa, the 6'2" guard averaged 6.5 ppg and finished as the Canaries all-time leader in assists. In a recent informal ranking of collegiate seniors as potentail pro candidates, AIAA coaches placed Hampton #3 overall and as the top guard among graduating seniors that would make ideal pro cage players.

Joining Hampton in the top five were Chesapeake State center Scott Lagasse at number one with Mobile Maritime forward Richard Brawner second on the list. Trailing Hampton to complete the top five among seniors were St Ignatius forward Johnny Stewart and Willie Wright, a high scoring forward from Brooklyn State.

Lagasse averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a senior for the 15-14 Chesapeake State Clippers. Brawner scored 9.3 ppg for the 29-3 Mobile Maritime Middies, helping set a school record for victories. It was a down year for St Ignatius, as the Lancers went 12-17 for their first losing season since 1914-15, but Stewart (8.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) was one of the few bright spots. Wright averaged 12.3 ppg for a Brooklyn State Bears team that went 23-8 and reached the second round of the AIAA tournament.

The poll of college coaches on players with pro potential was not restricted to just graduating seniors and the top three on the list were all underclassmen, led by junior center Long Werth, the 6'10" star of Miami State who was recently named AIAA player of the year. Second on that list was a name very familiar to sports fans as Ward Messer - younger brother of New York Gothams outfielder Walt Messer and a sophomore at Liberty College was ranked the second best pro basketball prospect out of all of the college players presently in the AIAA.

IRA MITCHELL SURVIVES A SCARE

Talented welterweight Ira Mitchell was lucky to escape with a win in Boston on Friday night as the Chicago native seemed to take Heinie Verplanck a little too lightly before ultimately claiming a split decision victory. Mitchell is now 13-1 and considered to be one of a large group of fighters who returned from the war and are contenders in the welterweight division. The 26 year old spent 4 years in the marines.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

May 11 Frank Melanson (29-0-2) defends his World Middleweight Title in a rematch with Todd Gill (20-1-5, #2 contender) at Sailors Memorial Philadelphia. The two battled to a majority draw in October.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 5/05/1946

Arab and Jewish leaders both gave an angry reception to an Anglo-American report recommending entry of 100,000 Jews into Palestine and rejecting the concept that the Holy Land should be either a Jewish or Arab State. Both sides suggest that would lead to war.
One miilion Arabs began a general strike after the report, as their leaders urged a world-wide muslim "holy war" against Britain and the United States.
A suspect was arrested in Tokyo in connection with a plot to murder General MacArthur.
The Big Four Foreign Ministers engaged in a warm-tempered argument over enforcement of the future Italian peace treaty.
Following a massive May Day display of Russian armed might in Red Square, Premier Stalin declared that Russia will carry out a policy of peace and security in reconstruction of Europe.
Coast Guard patrols and marines armed with bazookas and grenades have been called to Alcatraz to aid prison guards after an unsuccessful attempt by convicts to escape from the nation's most impregnable prison.
The White House called the now 34-day old soft coal strike a "national disaster" and told the American people they have "barely begun" to feel it's full impact.

Jiggs McGee · 03-20-2023, 11:34 AM

MAY 13, 1946

MINUTEMEN EXTEND FED LEAD WITH BIG WEEKEND IN PHILLY

Round one goes to the Boston Minutemen. The Minutemen are considered the biggest rivals in a Federal Association full of challengers to the Philadelphia Keystones two-year hold on the Fed flag and Boston made a statement with a series victory in the City of Brotherly Love over the weekend. The Minutemen took two of three at Broad Street Park and enter play today with a 2.5 game lead on the second place Keystones.

Pitching has been the big reason for the Boston success in the early going but in Friday's series opener it was the bats that bailed out pitcher Walt Wells. Wells has been pretty solid this season and shut out the Keystones for 5-innings while the Minutemen built up a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th. However, Philadelphia scored 6 times in the next two innings to chase Wells and take a 7-6 lead into the ninth inning until back to back rbi singles from Bud Gustafson and Pete Day allowed the visitors to rally for an 8-7 victory. Philadelphia had a much more successful comeback the next day, torching Ray Dalpman for 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to hand the 29 year old his first loss on the season in a 6-3 Keystones win to even the series. On Sunday, the Boston pitching was back in fine form as Ed Wood made the club's long Monday train trip to Chicago something worth celebrating with a complete game 6-hitter in a 5-2 Boston win, giving the Minutemen 11 victories in their last 14 contests.

***Panic in Chicago? ***

The fragile psyche of Chicago Cougars fans is being tested of late as their heroes are in another swoon, something that has plagued the club in recent years. The Chicago Continentals have dropped 8 of their last 11 games including a pair of lobsided losses to the New York Stars over the weekend. This coming after they started the season like gangbusters, claiming 12 victories in their first 15 outings. As a result the Continental Association is now a log-jam with 5 teams separated by just 2.5 games, headed by the 3-time defending champion Cincinnati Cannons at 16-9. That is much closer than the standings looked entering the weekend as the second place Philadelphia Sailors did the rest of the Continental a favour by halting Cincinnati's winning streak at 8 games and they did so in a big way -sweeping a 3-game set at hostile Tice Memorial from the champs.

Minutemen Round-Up -A 4-2 week for the Boston Minutemen keeps them ahead of the pack in the Federal Association by a slim two and a half game margin over Philadelphia and four games clear of the Gothams. One of the loses this week was at the hands of Philadelphia where Bobby B smacked Ray Dalpman around for a pair of long balls and four RBI's. It was the first loss for Dalpman on the season dropping his record to 5-1. The other loss of the week came at the hands of the Chiefs who beat the Minutemen 1-0 with a 9th inning RBI from Bob Martin. Tough luck loser Duke Hendricks only surrendered four hits in that one. On the good side of the ledger Boston was able to beat up on Buddy Long of St. Louis who has a head scratching 1-5, 4.69 ERA on the season. Long was a 21 game winner a year ago.

Dean Astle held the Chiefs to three hits in a complete game victory to split their series with Chicago. Walt Wells benefitted from a lot of offense and Jiggs Jackson, the backup catcher in Boston, hit his first FABL homer in an 8-7 win against Philly. Finally, in the last game of the week Ed Wood outlasted Philly's Pepper Tuttle to pick up his fifth victory of the season in a 5-2 series clinching win. This week the Minutemen will continue the road trip that started with the Philadelphia series with stops in Chicago, St. louis and New York for a Sunday double dip.
*** Time For a .400 Hitter? ***

Three players are over the .400 plateau in the middle of May. They would be Johnny McDowell from Pittsburgh hitting .410, Joe Owens from Pittsburgh hitting .400 and Hal Sharp from the Cougars hitting .405. While the odds may be against anyone staying over .400 for the entirety of the season, did you know that in every decade since the 1880's there has been at least one hitter that finished the season above .400. Mel Carroll was the only player to do it in the 1930's when he hit .408 in 1937. We are now halfway through the decade and the 40's have yet to produce a .400 hitter. Can this in part be blamed on the War? Maybe, while a lot of talented individuals lost years of service, plenty were still playing and hitting against some mediocre pitching, so maybe it is more of a shock that nobody hit .400 during the War years. Either way we may be witnessing the end to a pretty marvelous streak. I hope someone can keep it going.
*** Yanks Confident Despite Challenge from CFC ***

The defending American Football Association champion Boston Americans are confident they will field another strong squad when training camp opens up in late July. Yanks head coach Bunky O'Neill knows he and his charges will have their work cut out for them this season -no AFA champion has successfully defended its title since the Pittsburgh Paladins won in both 1934 and 1935- and admits the uncertainty of what, if any, players they might lose to the new Continental Football Conference adds another wrinkle into the task.

"From what I have heard all of the key regulars plan on returning," explained O'Neill the other day, "but camp is still a little ways away and things can change."

On the topic of Del Thomas, O'Neill expressed full confidence that his quarterback and two-time championship game MVP would be back. The 32 year old is arguably coming off the best season of an outstanding career.
*** Higgins In High Demand ***

A recent report from OSA's basketball department calls St Patrick's Prep 17 year old Don Higgins one of the top collegiate basketball recruits in the nation. The 6'2" junior guard -he will be a senior in September- is a three sport star for the Shamrocks and if you think the name sounds familiar it is with good reason. His big brother is former Boston Minutemen hurler Dick 'Pistol' Higgins, who was recently waived and signed with the Chicago Chiefs. Baby brother Don -known as 'Pop Gun' in family circles- is a decent high school pitcher as well as quarterback of the Shamrocks grid squad but it is on the hardwood that he really shines. Defending national champion CCLA as well as big-time schools Liberty College and Carolina Poly are all anxious to get the youth's signature on an enrollment sheet but so far Higgins -who is ranked #9 in the nation among 1946-47 high school seniors- has given no indication where he will attend college.

Two other Boston high schoolers, both centers, made the OSA top 100 recruiting list. Cory Dodge, who is 6'11" and from South Boston High is number 65 on the scouts top 100 list while Ren Collins of Copley High School charts in at #72. Collins has indicated he is leaning towards staying in the area and attending St Patrick's University after his senior year of high school.

HAWKS AND KNIGHTS LEAD THE WAY IN WEST

Thomas X.Bigsby could not have planned it much better. If the founder of the new major league on the west coast could have scripted how he wanted things to play out in the loops inaugural season he most certainly would have wished for his Los Angeles Knights and the San Francisco Hawks - the Great Western League's two biggest markets- to be fighting for the pennant. It is still very early in the season but so far Bigsby's hopes are becoming a reality as the Hawks lead the way, enjoying a slim half-game margin on the Los Angeles club that Bigsby himself owns.

The Hawks are riding the hot bats of Bob Land, who leads the loop with a .406 batting average and the big stick of John Herrick. The 37 year old slugger has 5 homers already this season and has long been thought of as a power bat but never really ever got much of an opportunity in the big league big east. He did hit 7 homers in 148 at bats for Toronto in 1938 and had a 40 homer season in AA one year but the knock has always been he did not get on base enough. The Knights have been getting plenty of offense but the big story in Los Angeles so far is the starting rotation with Red Nokes (3-2, 1.94), King Price (4-1, 1.24) and Bob Cummings (4-1, 1.54) all looking dominant.

Once again, the Keystones had an above-.500 week but again fell behind in the standings. Philadelphia went 4-3, but dropped a half-game to trail white-hot Boston by 2.5 games. Bobby Barrell has been off to a tough start, but broke out for 4 home runs for the week. Despite an un-Barrell-like .226 average, his power numbers might be waking up (5 HR, 21 RBI). The offense has not slipped thanks to Billy Woytek (.333/.409/.569, 4 HR, 2 RBI, 25 R, 1.8 WAR in 26 games), Hank Koblenz (.342/.388/.644, 5 HR, 17 RBI in only 73 AB), and the surprising Frank Davis (.391/.434/.478, 2 HR, 14 RBI). The pitching had a tough week, allowing 34 runs in 7 games. It is way too soon to speculate, but a couple of young pitchers at AAA Louisville are starting to push for a promotion. Sid Moulton (4-0, 1.20 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) is off to a hot start and Joe Quade (1-1, 2.66 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) is pitching well in his first taste of action in over four years and first starts above A-ball.
The New York Gothams are getting some power production from their big bats with Walt Messer, Red Johnson and Pete Casstevens all hitting 4 homeruns through the first 4 weeks of play. However, the Gothams are just 6th in the Fed in runs scored and need to get men on base for the big boppers. 8 of the 13 homers hit by the big 4 of Messer, Johnson, Sal Pestilli and Casstevens have been solo shots and 4 of the other five came with just one man on base. The lone 3 run shot was back on April 22 by Casstevens in a 9-3 drubbing of Chicago and came in the 9th inning with the Gothams already up 6-3.
Addie Allman of the Philadelphia Sailors hit for the cycle in a 10-9 loss to Montreal last week. The 29 year old second year big leaguer went 4-for-5 including his first homer of the season. Allman, a 1935 7th rounder, is batting .267 on the year.
23 year old Bob Montgomery is making the most of his opportunity at SS for the Dynamos. Thrust into the starting role after Stan Kleminski was dispatched to Newark to try and solve his defensive woes, Montgomery hit .474 with 7 rbi's last week but more importantly played error free defense, with a 5,21 range rating and an efficiency of 1.136. Meanwhile, Kleminski, after making 13 errors in 15 games in Detroit, made one last week in Newark and continues to struggle in the field.
Not a great outing but Jim Lonardo notched win #295. The 41 year old Dynamos hurler allowed 7 earned runs for the second straight start but the offense helped him out in an 8-7 win over Pittsburgh. 5 more to go to become the 13th member of the 300-victory club. He is bidding to join Rabbit Day as the only 300 game winners to notch their milestone victory in the era of human GMs. George Johnson pitched in 1926 for Washington but had reached 300 in the final season of the pre-play.
The number of unearned runs are beginning to concern the Wolves, who are committing far too many errors. Manager Call has scheduled extra fielding workouts.
How is this for a contrast? Cougars pitcher Billy Riley against the Saints: 18 IP, 7 H, 7 K. Billy Riley against the Stars and Wolves: 15.1 IP, 17 H, 12 ER, 6 BB, 5 K.
Red Nokes is off to a great start for the GWL's Los Angeles Knights. The 28 year old pitcher, who threw a no-hitter while with San Franacisco last season, tossed a pair of complete game shutouts this season to run his record to 3-2 and lower his era to 1.94. Originally an 18th round pick of the old Baltimore Cannons in 1937, Nokes only had a very small taste of FABL action, going 2-3 with a 4.06 era for the 1943 Cannons, but seems to have found a home in the GWL with the Knights.

LAST ROUND GIVES MELANSON LAST LAUGH IN TITLE DEFENSE

In the lead-up to the rematch between Middleweight champion Frank Melanson and challenger Todd Gill, there was one easy theme to spot: unfinished business. Both fighters acknowledged they had their golden opportunities to win the original bout outright, by knockout or decision. For Melanson, he countered too late in too many rounds and by the penultimate round, he was weary. For Gill, he could not make hay despite being ahead on points midway through the fight. Gill did not cause any lasting damage on Melanson with the punches he did land and the result was a majority draw. Heading into Saturday's rematch both corners had their best scouting reports. They knew what worked and what did not, which made this fight a fascinating one to watch.

As both fighters breeched the ropes and stepped onto the canvas, they had the knowing looks of combatants who knew the result would be tilted in their favor, so sure of what was to come. Melanson, unbeaten at 29-0-2, had success at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia before. This is where he cliched the belt and became an unlikely champion in a victory over Archie Rees almost a year ago. The Pittsburgh native had rooting sections all over the stadium. Gill entered the fight at 20-1-5 and five years older than Melanson, though you would not know it to look at him. The last match was in New York, a little closer to Gill’s home turf of Hartford, Connecticut, but his fans showed up to root him on.

Melanson is not particularly fleet afoot, but he is showing himself to be an effective executioner when he wants to be. This is not a knock on his prowess, mind you, just a comment about his willingness to go in for the kill. For every time you think he has the momentum to end a fight, he changes his strategy, seemingly on the fly. But, when he bulls forward, he is a force worthy of his nickname, “The Tank”.

The fight almost went the distance, but this did not have as much drama as the first one. Melanson had the fight well in hand for most of the night, doing some damage by opening a cut on Gill’s face with a hook in the second round and another cut above Gill’s left eye with a cross in the fifth round. Melanson scored brief knockdowns in the tenth and thirteenth rounds. But, too often, Melanson let Gill catch his breath and regroup. Too often, Melanson strayed from scoring on punches that could have done more damage and shots that could have exploited vulnerable targets. Honestly, this fight could have been over with a few rounds to spare if Melanson had late-night plans.

Mike Ornest, refereeing his first title fight, provided some comic relief in the third and fifth round, prematurely waiving the fighters to their corners before the time elapsed to end the round, leaving both combatants, their corner men, and the crowd perplexed.

The fourth round was Gill’s first good round, especially early in the stanza, as he woke up and started taking the fight to Melanson. Gill was valiantly attempting to work his way into the fight after Melanson built a lead in the early rounds, but Melanson turned the tide on an uppercut to Gill’s jaw that displayed the champ’s strategic aims. As much as Melanson wanted to work the body, he knew that to win, he had to aim higher. Gill showed up again in Round 5 with a sharp combination of hard punches to Melanson seconds into the round, but the memory of Gill’s offensive was erased on Melanson’s cross to Gill’s left eye, which shook up the challenger and drew blood from just above the eye. The cut would play a role the rest of the way.

In one of the few moments Melanson tried to capitalize on a reeling opponent, Melanson dominated the sixth round, landing some good shots, including another one to the jaw. Gill stayed on his feet, which must have dispirited Melanson, who seemed to take the round off in the seventh, tying up Gill and venturing away from what worked to that point in the match. Melanson wanted to work inside instead of trying to capitalize on the left jaw and left eye of Gill. Melanson inexplicably tried to go southpaw late in the round, opening the door for Gill to take that round and the next one.

The first knockdown of the fight occurred in Round 10 with seconds left, as Melanson took ownership of the round with a shot to the head of Gill, later landing a vicious hook to Gill's head, and shortly dropping the challenger for a 2-count. Melanson reopened the cut above Gill’s left eye with a nice jab, causing Referee Ornest to pause the fight to get Gill some medical attention. Yet, even after the knockdown, Melanson did not go in for the kill, as he was content to work the body, despite the crowd urging him to take advantage.

In Round 13, Melanson scored his second knockdown, but Gill only gets a 3-count before rising back up. Gill who looked like he didn't know where the next punch was going to come from as he dropped. His eyes were glazed, and his legs were wobbly upon resuming the bout. This time, Melanson sensed blood in the water - a hook, an uppercut, a right hand – all scoring and leaving a mark on Gill. No bobbing and weaving, just straight punches aiming right for Gill's head. Gill's right eye was swollen, to go with a sore left jaw and bloody left eyebrow. It was a wonder how Gill answered the bell in the fourteenth, but Melanson did not make him pay enough in what could have been described as a round off.

Unlike their first bout, where Melanson was also worn out in the 14th round, he was ahead in this fight, and everyone knew it. But Melanson also knew this was the last round and wanted to end it on his terms. After a couple of introductory punches to the midsection, Melanson aimed high and landed a combination that reopened the cut above Gill's eye again. Referee Ornest called for the doctor and after close inspection, decided to stop the fight.

Melanson punched more and landed more, though it was disappointing not to see him push his uppercut more. He was content to work the body when he should have been trying to end the fight with shots to the head, trying to capitalize on visible damage to Gill's eyes and jaw.

Melanson was clearly better on this night, as his unbeaten streak has reached 32 fights (30-0-2). At 34, Gill may not get back to the squared circle for another chance at the title. It would be a shame with only two losses to his ledger. The Tank awaits his next opponent, as the once-unlikely champion is settling nicely into his role as the king of the middleweights.

MELANSON RETAINS MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

Philadelphia (UPI)-It took 30 rounds over two fights but Frank Melanson successfully held on to his World Middleweight Title by winning the rematch with contender Todd Gill. Saturday's fight -a follow up to the majority draw the two waged last October- was stopped in the 15th round despite vehement objections from Gill and his corner. After consulting with the ringside physician, referee Mike Ornest -who has a history of erring on the side of caution with his stoppage decisions- called the bout off 55 seconds into the 15th and final round. It was ruled that the cut just under Gill's left eyebrow that originally opened in the second round, was bleeding so prfusely into his eye that the challenger had no way to protect himself from blows coming from that side.

Unlike the October fight where two of the judges scored the bout dead even and a third gave Gill a narrow 2-point decision, the champion from Pittsburgh was ahead on all 3 cards was in no danger of losing had the bout gone the distance, making the protests from Gill's corner over the decision to halt the fight all but meaningless. With the victory, Melanson boosts his career mark to 30-0-2 and increases speculation that his next title defense will be against unbeaten and untied European champion Edouard Desmarais. The 29 year old Frenchman ran his record to a perfect 36-0 with an unanimous decision over former World Champion Archie Rees -the fighter who lost his title to Melanson- in England last December. However Gill, now 20-2-5, and his handlers were demanding another shot at Melanson, claiming there was no way the bout should have been stopped but conveniently ignoring the fact that the challenger was well behind on the scorecards anyway.

Code:


              MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY
YEARS       FIGHTER             HOMETOWN       Title Defenses
1909-1910  Abe Campbell		  Detroit, MI	     1
1910-1911  Battling Billy Baker Philadelphia, PA     2
1911-1912  Ken Brekke		  Duluth, MN	     3
1912-1913  Abe Campbell         Detroit, MI	     2
1913       Ken Brekee           Duluth, MN           1
1913-1914  Bob Brinkman		  London, England      2
1914	   Abe Campbell	      Detroit, MI	       1
1914-1916  Mike Burtenshaw      Jersey City, NJ      4
1916-1918  Dave Byler           San Francisco, Ca    3
1918       Bob Brinkman		  London, England      1
1919-1920  Tony Rump            Toledo, OH           2
1920-1929  Ray Pizzuto          New York, NY        15
1929-1933  Elden Breeden	  Wichita, KA	     7
1933-1940  Jorge Cuellar	  Spain		     8
1940                     vacant
1941-1945  Archie Rees        Tadcaster, England     3
1945-pres  Frank Melanson	Pittsburgh, PA         2

PERRY STOPS JACKSON

Rudy Perry got back on the victory track last week, just seven months after he was trounced by new welterweight champ Dennis O'Keefe for just the second loss of the 29 year old's career. Perry's victim was John Jackson, the rugged former Army Sergeant from South Bend, Indiana. who was chopped up very thoroughly by the veteran from Philadelphia. The bout was slated for 10 rounds, but Jackson was counted out midway through the fourth round despite the fact he caught Perry by surprise early and sent him to the canvas just a minute into the encounter. The shock of that seemed to snap Perry to attention and he dominated from that point on.

Perry improves to 21-2-1 with the victory and may be back on the track that appeared to have him headed for a title shot before seeing stars just two rounds into his showdown with O'Keefe last October - a bout that ensured the winner would get a title shot. O'Keefe made the most of that opportunity and claimed the title with another knockout -this one in the 13th round- against Carl Taylor in March. Perry was ranked the #5 challenger in the end of April TWIFB boxing contenders list.

NORTH CAROLINA TECH TOPS RECRUITING BATTLE

On the strength of landing the top high school basketball player in the nation, the North Carolina Tech Techsters have secured the top freshman recruiting class for the upcoming collegiate cage season. Mike Carter, a high-scoring shooting specialist out of Dunbar High School in Washington DC, is considered the best player in the country and he committed to the Techsters after heavily considering Liberty College and Carolina Poly. Joining Carter in making the trip from DC to Raleigh will be center Muzz Hodson, a rival of Carter's from DC's Anacosta High School and considered a top twenty-five recruit. The Techsters rounded out their stellar class with in-state star Percy Hyatt, a guard out of High Point, NC who was named the top high school player in the state this past season.

The defending national champion City College of Los Angeles Wolves only had room for two incoming freshman but it was a poor class for the California powerhouse. The Coyotes class was ranked 56th out of the 212 major college programs with Carl Allen, a forward out of San Bernardino (CA) High School and ranked 37th in his class their only top 100 recruit.

[code TOP TWENTY RECRUITING CLASSES
RK SCHOOL TOP PLAYER
1 North Carolina Tech Techsters #1 F Mike Carter Washington, DC
2 Western Iowa Canaries #7 C Slim Barner Houston, TX
3 Lane State Emeralds #2 F Carl Casswell Los Angeles, CA
4 Garden State Redbirds #8 F John Rosenberger New York, NY
5 Detroit City College Knights #16 F Charlie Orlando Knightstown, IN
6 St Blane Fighting Saints #5 F Brian Threadgill Bronx, NY
7 Liberty College Bells #4 C Edgar Stillwell Detroit, MI
8 Annapolis Maritime Navigators #13 F Billy Ambrose Flint, MI
9 Carolina Poly Cardinals #23 F James Halle Martinsville, VA
10 Central Ohio Aviators #28 F Abe Langlois Chicago, IL
11 Noble Jones College Colonels #9 C Mike Miller Athens, GA
12 Miami State Gulls #22 F Tom Yamada Arcadia, FL
13 Bluegrass State Mustangs #41 C Tom Nalley Chicago,IL
14 Perry State Commodores #60 F Valentine Peele Nashville, TN
15 Brunswick Knights #18 C Darrell Rademacher Jackson, MS
16 Whitney College Engineers #11 G Don Rosenfield Chicago, IL
17 Dickson Maroons #15 F Ted Entinger Cleveland, OH
18 Indiana A&M Reapers #10 G J.C. Mitchell Benton, AR
19 Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes #66 G Alvin Martin Houna, LA
20 Rainier College Majestics #14 C Carl Perry Redding, CA
[/code]

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 5/12/1946

A minor breakthrough in the coal strike as union leader John Lewis has ordered his mine workers back on the job, but only for 15 days in order to mine emergency fuel to keep the Nation's most essential services operating.
The British Government announced it has proposed a complete withdrawal of all British land, sea and air forces from Egypt at a rate to be decided in negotiations with Egyptian leaders.
Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealed to the Western Democracies to work through the United Nations setup for an understanding with Russia, without which he said the world faced a fatal period of "misery, slaughter and abasement."

Jiggs McGee · 03-21-2023, 11:42 AM

May 20, 1946

SLUMPING PIONEERS LOSE LOCAL STAR

It has been an awful start for the St Louis Pioneers and the news just got much worse with word that their young pitching star Hal Hackney will be sidelined for two months with an arm injury. The Pioneers were tabbed by OSA to finish second in what was expected to be a tight Federal Association race this season but they have stumbled badly out of the gate, starting the season with a Fed worst 10-24 record and are already 13 games out of first place just over a month into the campaign. The 24 year old Hackney, a local St Louis kid and dubbed the number one prospect in the game before he made his big league debut last season, had been one of the few bright spots in a dismal opening month for manager Hugh Luckey's club.

Hackney boasts a 1.80 era, among the best in baseball, but only a 4-4 record as the Pioneers offense has sputtered this season. He opened the season with 3 straight complete game victories and an era of 0.33 to garner high prase through the baseball community for the young righthander that the Pioneers selected out of a St Louis area high school in the third round of the 1940 draft.

He split 1941 between Class C and B, going 18-10 and drawing praise from OSA but his trip to the majors was interrupted when he enlisted in the Navy just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was discharged from service last August and immediately made his big league debut for the Pioneers, pitching very well but absorbing a 4-2 loss to Boston. In all he would make 11 starts and finish with a 5-4 record, setting the stage for his terrific start this season.

For the 10-24 Pioneers this marks the third straight year in which the club has began the season with a very slow start. A year ago the Pioneers began the campaign with a 15-29 record before rebounding to finish the year 2 games over .500 and in 1944 they were 14-30 at the end of May and never did recover- finishing in the Federal Association cellar.

NEW MANAGEMENT BUT SAME OLD CANNONS

Some have predicted that age and a change in the General Manager's chair would spell doom for the Cincinnati Cannons but as the season completes its first month it has been business as usual at Tice Memorial Stadium. The Cannons, who have won each of the last 3 Continental Association pennants and are looking to claim a CA record fourth straight flag, are once more sitting in a very familiar spot - at the top of the Continental table. The 20-14 Cannons have plenty of company with the Toronto Wolves just a game and a half back and two other teams -New York and Philadelphia- only 2 games off the pace, but so far it looks like business as usual for the veteran squad.

Cincinnati's General Manager left for Detroit over the winter and his replacement, at least so far, has pretty much opted to maintain the status quo on what was a veteran ballclub with plenty of big game experience. On the field the potent lineup continues to do its thing with Chuck Adams (.315,6,29), Al Wheeler (.284,5,17) and Denny Andrews (.276,4,19) leading the most explosive power collection this side of Gothams Stadium. The return of all-star catcher Adam Mullins (.306,1,11) has certainly helped and aside from lead-off man Charley McCullough (.198,0,3), who has struggled at the plate in his return from four years in the Navy, the Cincinnati bats are firing.

If there is any cause for concern in the Queen City it might be on the mound, although certainly not with the start that Deuce Barrell (5-0, 2.56) has shown. Barrell looks like he is on a mission after being denied a third Allen Award last season with a narrow second place finish behind Toronto's George Garrison. The rest of the rotation has been effective -aside from rookie Bob Arman's early struggles- but Cincinnati manager Ad Doria will need more from them once the Chicago Cougars, and the rest of the Continental Association contenders, hit their stride. That might just be the test of the new head man in Cincinnati. The Cannons have pulled off a number of deadline deals -nearly all of which seemed to pay off- to secure each of the last three pennants. Will the new GM pull the right strings and be able to make the same type of impact transaction this deadline if a move is needed?

KNIGHTS WORKING OVERTIME

The Los Angeles Knights may be leading the Great Western League but their players are certainly putting in the overtime necessary in order to achieve that success. The Knights have won 7 of their last 8 games to extend their lead on second place San Francisco to 3 games but they did so by playing 4 straight extra innings contests to finish off the week.

It started on Thursday afternoon against Portland when Los Angeles rallied twice to beat the visiting Green Sox. The Knights tied the contest at 2 in the bottom of the 8th inning on a Jim Hatfield rbi single and then, after Portland plated a run the top of the 12th, pinch-hitter Carl Neff delivered a walk-off double to lift the Knights to a 4-3 victory. Next up was a 3-game series with Seattle that saw each of the contests go into extras including a 16-inning marathon won 7-5 by Los Angeles in the series opener. Seattle prevailed the next day 6-5 in 10 innings after the Knights had tied the game with a pair of runs in the 9th inning and yesterday it was the reverse: Seattle scored 3 times in the bottom of the ninth to force extras only to see the Knights win 6-5 thanks to an 11th inning rbi single by ex-Brooklyn King Ben Brazel. In all the Knights have played 7 extra inning games already this season.

KNIGHTS TALES -I'm sure Thomas X. Bigsby is sitting in his office in one of those new buildings that have been going up downtown, chomping on his cigar and smiling. The world of the GWL and especially his Los Angeles Knights couldn't be brighter. Attendance is good and the team is profitable. Stars, new and old, fill the roster. His challenge to the eastern monolith that is FABL has been a rousing success, so far. Sitting in first place, 3 up on San Francisco, things are looking good.

The offense is led by long time LA player Bill Michael. Even with the influx of FABL castoffs the 34 year old Michael is hitting better than ever. A .312 average and league leading 33 RBI to go along with leadership responsibilities. And the pitching! A league leading staff ERA of 2.44 led by the trio of Red Nokes, King Price, and Bob Cummings. The Knights lead the league in runs scored and fewest runs allowed.

It's early, but yes, I have to think Mr. Bigsby is enjoying his cigar

A missed opportunity for Boston yesterday as the Minutemen suffered two 1-run losses to the New York Gothams in their Sunday doubleheader. The Minutemen still own a two and a half game lead on second place Philadelphia in the Federal Association standings and have a run differential of +67 which is tops in the FABL by a significant margin.
Ed Bowman threw a 1-hit shutout in beating Boston 1-0 in the nightcap of that Gothams-Minutemen twin bill yesterday. It was the second one-hitter of the 26 year old Bowman's career. The first came against St Louis in 1943. The Gothams enjoyed a winning week and the doubleheader sweep moved them to within 3.5 games of Boston in the Fed race.
After starting the season 12-3, the Cougars have dropped 13 of 18 to fall to 5th place. Chicago still has a +34 run differential, and finally won their 7th one run game, a 6-5 extra inning victory over the Foresters to finish off a rough 2-5 week.
With a 7-hit shutout of the Sailors, Billy Riley has now thrown three walk-less shutouts in his five starts.
The Dynamos are shopping Leon Drake after the 37 year old asked for a trade. Drake is hitting .319 in limited action this season.
Brooklyn shows signs of life with its first 500 (4-4) week. SP Leo Hayden who got off to a right start is now 4-2 with a 2.62 ERA. He looks like a keeper. Some others might be on their way down shortly.
While offense is down in FABL this season that does not appear to be the case in AAA -at least not based on early indications. The Century League batting averages are at .282 and era is up to 4.34 a month into the season, compared to .259 and 3.58 for last season. The shift to offense is much less dramatic in the Union League where batting averages are up .006 to .270 while teams are now owning a 4.17 era, up a fifth of a run from last years full season totals. The situation is drastically reversed in the Lone Star Association where that newly designated AAA loop is a pitchers paradise in the early going. ERA's are 3.04 compared to 4.29 when it was an independent league a year ago while batting average have fallen 40 points from last season to .248.
As for FABL, both the Federal and Continental Associations have seen a slight drop in era and batting averages in the early going this season compared to a year ago. The Fed era is 3.30, compared to 3.45 last season while the Continental Association clubs have a 3.53 era, down from last seasons 3.66. Batting averages are down to .256 in the CA from .263 a year ago while the Fed is hanging close to last season's .260 mark with teams hitting at a .257 clip.
The Japanese League gets its regular season underway tomorrow. The loop last played in 1944 and the Kobe Bulls have won 3 straight league titles. Kobe led the way in preseason games with a 12-5 record, nosing out the expansion Tokyo Rakisuta Rams for bragging rights. 8 teams will each play 114 games this summer.

A PAIR OF FABL TIES AMONG TOP HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CAGE STARS

Next year's crop of high school senior basketball stars includes a number of ties to big league baseball including a pair of players considered to be among the top ten high school cage stars in the nation. A towering 6'11" center out of Alexandria High School in Louisiana by the name of Les Lightbody is ranked the third best high school recruit. The name will be very familiar to baseball fans as he is a cousin of the Lightbody clan from Jena, La. that includes brothers Doug and Frank Lightbody as well as cousin Jim Lightbody. Doug and Frank are both retired after long FABL careers while Jim is with the Brooklyn Kings. There is another Brooklyn tie as well as Whitney Slocum, nephew of Hall of Famer and former Brooklyn manager Powell Slocum is entering his senior season at Ragland High School in Alabama. The younger Slocum is ranked the 67th best incoming high school senior basketball player by the college recruiting service.

The other top ten recruit is a star forward from St Patrick's Prep in Boston by the name of Don Higgins. The 17 year old guard is orginally from California but moved east several years ago to live with the family of his older brother Dick 'Pistol' Higgins, former Boston Minutemen pitcher. Dick was recently claimed on waivers by the Chicago Chiefs from the Minutemen but his brother will remain in Boston with Dick's wife and kids for Don's senior season. Don, known as 'Pop Gun' is also a baseball pitcher on the Shamrocks high school club but his strengths clearly lie on the court and he is being hotly pursued by Carolina Poly, CCLA and Liberty College although his brother is reportedly trying to steer young Don to Dickson College, which was Dick's alma mater.

One more name of note is Bud Stofer. A guard out of Atlantic City that Brunswick and Liberty College are both chasing, Stofer is the younger brother of Washington Eagles first baseman Sig Stofer and considered to be the #30th best high school senior recruit.

Here are the players considered to be the top thirty High School basketballers in the nation.

DUNN MAY BE ABOUT DONE

Former welterweight contender Wayne Dunn appears to have reached the end of the line, at least as far as his days of being included in talk of the top contenders. The 30 year old Hartford native looked very slow in suffering a split decision loss to Edwin Simpson, a non-descript fighter out of Buffalo last week. The result was quite surprising as Dunn had looked very good in knocking out a solid pugilist by the name of Mitchell McFadden in December, but Simpson -despite an 18-6-1 record- was not a fighter that was thought to be anywhere near the same calibre of Dunn.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 5/19/1946

The Mine Workers Union remains steadfast in plans to resume its strike next week. Now it is the railways that pose the next big problem as a pending strike is set to shut down most rail travel. The day before the planned strke, President Truman ordered the seizure of the Nation's railroads in a bid to keep the Trainmen and Engineers union workers on the job. On Sunday, the union agreed to delay the strike action for 5 days.
The US Secretary of Agriculture says that at least one-fourth of this year's estimated 1 billion-bushel wheat crop will be earmarked for famine relief. He also cautions a resumption of the coal strike would likely cause most of the Nation's food industries to be "close to a standstill within a few days."
President Truman made a plea to Russia to join the fight on world famine but reports indicate that Prime Minister Stalin has turned down the appeal for Soviet participation.
27 were killed after an airliner bound from Newark to Atlanta lost power and crashed near Richmond, Va.

Jiggs McGee · 03-22-2023, 12:17 PM

MAY 27, 1946

WESTERN LOOP WINS BATTLE FOR SEALS

Another Sign an East-West Showdown is Looming?

The Great Western League scored a major victory over FABL this week in its battle to be considered on equal footing with the eastern ball loop. The Portland Green Sox won a bidding war with at least one FABL club for the services of free agent outfielder Lew Seals. It is groundbreaking as the acquisition of Seals may just be the first time a GWL club has outbid any of the FABL magnates for the services of a ballplayer. Up until this point all of the players that the Pacific league had signed were FABL cast-offs.

Seals was a castoff to a degree as he was on a deal with the Pittsburgh Miners that gave him the option to declare free agency should he not be promoted to the big leagues within 30 days of the start of the season. That did not happen, despite Miners insistence they were on the verge of calling up the 32 year old outfielder, so Seals elected to leave the Miners organization.

Now a free agent, the Detroit Dynamos -and perhaps other FABL clubs- made overtures to Seals for his services but he instead accepted a sizeable offer from the Portland Green Sox to join the western rebels. Dynamos Assistan General Manager Harris Dixon said his club believed it had a deal with Seals but was informed otherwise.

"We made what we felt was a solid offer and Lew would have joined the Dynamos immediately and been given every opportunity to claim a starting role in our outfield," explained Dixon. "However, for some crazy reason he took a little bit more money than we offered and decided to play in that glorified minor league out west. We wish him well, but are quite surprised at the short-sightedness of his decision to join a fledgling league over a chance to play in the Federal Association."

The offer was more than solid in the eyes of western teams as Portland made Seals the highest paid player in the rookie big-league, inking him to a deal that is worth $18,000 for the season. It tops by $1,000 what the Oakland Grays are giving Larry Colaianni but the move is ground-breaking for many other reasons.

The willingness of a GWL club to compete head on with, and beat a FABL club out in a bid to sign a player is historic. Not since the days of the Players League and old Border Association in the 1880s has there been a challenge to the baseball hierarchy. This Portland move, likely with the blessing and perhaps even encouragement from GWL President Thomas X. Bigsby, signifies the next step in the Great Western League's evolution. It is no secret the newcomers desire to be considered in every way as equals of the eastern ballclubs and this may well just be another small step towards an all-out bidding war for talent that many feel is sure to erupt between the old guard and Bigbsy's rebels.

Seals had no comment on the matter other than to say the Portland offer was the best one he had, so he jumped at the opportunity, adding that in no way did he want to become a poster-boy for any battle between the west and east leagues. "I'm just a ballplayer, trying to make a living," stated the outfielder as he boarded a train from St. Paul to Portland on Friday evening. "There is no politics or any other reason to my decision other than this was the best opportunity for me and my family. I spent some time in Spokane during my rookie pro season. I look forward to seeing more of the west coast."

LOGJAM ATOP CONTINENTAL

If you had said there would a three way tie for top spot in the Continental Association as the month of May came to close few would have been surprised. However, the fact that the Chicago Cougars are not one of the three co-leaders would be a shock to most. The Cougars are certainly right in the mix, trailing the trio of Cincinnati, Toronto and the Philadelphia Sailors by just 2.5 games but after a 12-3 start coupled with the loaded roster the Cougars possess in the first post-war season, seeing Chicago sitting in fourth place -even at this still relatively early juncture of the campaign- has to be considered a big surprise.

The Cougars do have the best run differential in the Continental Association, have surrendered the fewest runs against, have the deepest starting rotation and lead the loop in batting average and homeruns so it should be just a matter of time before things balance out for the Chicago nine. The duo of Pete Papenfus (6-1, 2.19) and Donnie Jones (6-2, 2.52) have been outstanding on the slab and the veteran bats of Leo Mitchell (.268,7,23), Hank Barnett (.281,7,18) and 39 year old Dick Walker (.315,7,22), who is on pace for a career best in long balls, provide plenty of offense. Yet somehow with all of that pitching and firepower the Cougars have gone just 10-16 this month.
*** Boston Making a Pennant Pitch in Fed ***

It is no secret why the Boston Minutemen have the best record in baseball. The Federal Association leaders have allowed just 90 runs this season -an average of only 2.25 surrendered per game- while no other club has surrendered less than 130. The trio of Ray Dalpman (7-2, 2.01), Ed Wood (7-1, 1.96) and Dean Astle (5-1, 1.26) have combined for 11 trips to the All-Star Game and between them Wood and Astle have over 400 FABL victories, but all three are now pitching the best ball of their careers.

Despite the hot start the Minutemen better keep looking over their shoulder as the New York Gothams -with 8 wins in their last 11 games- may finally be getting the offensive production most expected from their powerful lineup. Red Johnson (.302,10,20) is on a tear, with 7 homers in May including 4 last week. The Gothams are 4 back with the Philadelphia Keystones and offensively challenged but pitching rich Detroit Dynamos tied for third.

SUCCESSFUL EAGLES DEBUT FOR BUCKEYE SMITH

The Washington Eagles slab staff received a real shot in the arm last week with the highly anticipated debut of Buckeye Smith. It feels like the wait has been forever for the arrival of the 23 year old Ohio born righthander. He seemed like a steal when, after the Eagles selected Smith in the 6th round of the 1941 FABL draft, Smith appeared in the OSA top 100 prospects just a year later. That was right about the time the marines came calling and Buckeye became a part of the war effort, missing each of the past four seasons. Despite that the Eagles, and the OSA, kept close tabs on Buckeye -getting plenty of accounts of stellar performances in service games over the years and when he returned in the fall OSA placed him in the top 30 prospects. A solid spring saw the scouting service bump Smith up into the top twenty and after 4 very good outings in Kansas City, the Eagles summed him to the big leagues last week.

Smith made his debut in Chicago last Monday. The Eagles pulled out a 6-4 victory in extra innings and while Smith was not around for the decision, he had a strong outing. Buckeye threw 7 scoreless innings before the wheels fell off a bit in the 8th inning when he loaded the bases. He would have escaped unscathed but a Henry Bush error led to a 4-run Chiefs outburst to tie the game. None of the runs were earned and Smith's 6 hits and 5 walks over 8 innings was not a bad debut at all.

But it got even better yesterday when Smith made his debut at Columbia Stadium. Pittsburgh was in town and Buckeye was bang-on, going the distance while scattering 6 hits and walking just 1 in a 6-1 Washington win. Dan Barrell -the head of the league scouting service- was at the ballpark for that game and he had high praise for the rookie afterwards. Jiggs McGee of TWIFB was also in town and noted that Smith is probably the best young arm to pitch in Washington since Del Burns went 17-10 as a 24-year old in 1940. And McGee noted that he can't remember a homegrown Washington pitcher that OSA gave such high praise to "unless you count Bobo White, but we all no how that turned out."

For those who are new to the Washington baseball scene or have been living under a rock, White was the first overall selection of the 1934 draft by the Eagles out of St Blane where he was an All-American. He spent a few years in the OSA top 50 prospect list and went 12-14 in 1937 as a 23 year old making his big league debut. Arm troubles derailed his career and he won just 32 more FABL games. White tried to catch on in the Great West League but was recently released by Dallas and his career appears over at age 32.

GOTHAMS EXPOSE DALPMAN

The mighty Gothams offense did a number on Ray Dalpman this week, handing him his second loss of the season in a 5-2 New York win as they swept the Minutemen right out of New York. Red Johnson scored the first blow for the Gothams with a first inning solo blast followed by the oft-injured Mahlon Strong adding a two run blast after a Sal Pestilli single. The three run first was enough for 35 year old Harry Carter to pick up his third win of the season.

Ed Wood was able to right the slide in Detroit by outdueling Carl Potter in a 3-1 win that improved his record to 7-1 on the season. Detroit though, would even the series the next day by beating up on Duke Hendricks in a 6-2 victory that saw Rip Curry go deep for the Dynamos. The seesaw week would come to an end with a three game set against Philadelphia at home. Minuteman Stadium must have been the remedy that the club needed as they took all three games of the series outscoring the Keystones by a score of 19-2. The only negative in the series came in game two on Sunday where Walt Wells strained his back two batters into the game. Even still, Johnny Harry came in and delivered 7.1 innings of two hit ball in injury relief.

The injury to Wells is not considered a long term situation and he should be good in about a week. The Minutemen may elect to skip his next start as a precautionary measure. Boston will finish out the month of May with a home dates against both Pittsburgh and Washington before welcoming in the Chiefs to kick off the month of June. Currently, the Minutemen hold a four game lead in the FA over the Gothams, and are up six on both Philadelphia and Detroit.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

After a horrid start the Toronto Wolves have climbed into the 3-way tie atop the CA. One hot pitcher, Bert Cupid in Montreal and 3 big flys by Si Crocker in Cleveland handed the Wolves their only two losses of the week, 1-0 and 4-3. There was another loss, and a costly one as outfielder Juan Pomales (.281/.349/.395) will be sidelined for 2 weeks. That is going to hurt the team both at the bat along with in the field. There was talk to calling up the top hitting prospect John Fast to replace Mike Rollinson who has had a dreadful return from the service, slashing .197/.258/.213 in 69 PA plus 4 errors, until Fast suffered a severe hip strain sidelining him until the middle of July.

Management is now scrambling to put put together lineups that are solid both offensively, along with in the field. Word from inside the Wolves offices is that manager Bob Call will have two new players on the 24-man roster as the team finishes the current 3 week road trip. Frank Frady, who has hit everywhere, will join as a utility infielder with Rollinson being optioned to Buffalo. In a somewhat surprising move Curt Brooks was summoned from Chattanooga to serve as fourth outfielder possibly in a platoon role with Gus Hull in LF for the duration of Pomales absence on the DL.

Call says that it will give Brooks and Frady a chance to see FABL pitching for at least a few weeks. With regards to Rollinson Call said "We will need Mike's proven big league bat, he just needs time to sharpen his stroke, quit pressing at the plate which is also affecting his work in the field. Some time in AAA should be just what he needs, he was not going to get enough playing time at this level. Look at the standings, there are 5 teams within 4 games of the lead in the CA. I expected it to stay that way all summer, it is going to be exciting for the fans along with being stressful for players and the coaching staff. Everyone has to be at the top of their game everyday, no days off."

On the mound, Jimmy Gibbs (4-0 1.34) has been the pitching highlight although there is concern about both George Garrison, Lou Jayson slow return to their top form

DYNAMOS HANGING AROUND IN FED RACE

The Detroit Dynamos seem to have sorted out their problems in the field and now the club is once again doing what it so often seems to do best - just hang around. Detroit has not won a Federal Association flag since Al Wheeler was a second year pro in 1929, but they have -even in the lean years- more often than not found a way to be in the thick of the race. Last year was a great example when the club finished just 4 games back of the Philadelphia Keystones despite really having no business being in the pennant race. Although you would think after all of those close calls - 1931-33, 1938-41 and each of the past two seasons they would eventually get lucky and win one.

I wouldn't count on the pennant drought to end this season but the Dynamos have turned things around, going 16-8 in their past 24 games after a dreadful 5-14 start. The offense is still no where near championship calibre but the pitching has been surprisingly good and the defense is much improved since the insertion of 23 year old Bob Montgomery at shortstop.

The plan was to go with 19 year old Stan Kleminski at the key defensive position on the diamond, but it had to be abandoned quickly when Kleminski, while he showed he could handle big league pitching, proved to be far from ready as a defender. Don't worry about the kid. He will be back after some seasoning in Newark but the jury is out on whether he will have to shift to a less-crucial position in the field.

Montgomery has been outstanding and his arrival from Newark coincides exactly with the start of Detroit's solid play. He should be getting a lot of dinners paid for by the pitching staff as he is providing defense normally only reserved for the Continental Association and all it's great shortstops. Montgomery is also hitting .301 and along with Rip Curry (.329,3,12) -who stepped into the starting lineup at about the same time- the duo have helped take some of the offensive pressure off of Mack Sutton.
*** Slab Staff Key to Dynamos Success ***

It is the pitching that has really propelled the Dynamos over the .500 mark. Only the Boston Minutemen, with 90, and the Chicago Cougars, at 130, have allowed less than the 131 runs the Dynamos have surrendered so far this season. Imagine what the Detroit number might have been with a full two months of Montgomery at shortstop and not the dozen errors committed by Kleminski in his 10 games at the position.

Dixie Lee (5-3, 2.23), Art White (3-4, 2.66), Jimmy Long (3-1, 1.07) and Carl Potter (3-4, 3.10) have all been very good but the big news is the performance of 24 year old rookie Wally Hunter (5-1, 2.40). Big Game Wally missed two years serving in the Air Force but he is quickly showing why he was an essential add for the Dynamos in the deal that sent Sal Pestilli to the New York Gothams. Veteran reliever Frank Gordon, who missed 4 years due to the war, has been outstanding out of the pen since his return -saving 7 games and posting a 0.57 era. If they moundsmen can keep it up the Dynamos may just spend another August and September in the first division, perhaps even once more surprising most observers with a pennant push.
*** Lonardo Running Out of Chances? ***

Red Wedge of the New York World Telegram brought up a key point in his column earlier this week. The long-time Gothams scribe worried that if the Dynamos stay in contention it might prevent Jim Lonardo from reaching the 300 win mark. The 41 year old -who spent most of his career in New York- is currently 5 victories shy of the magic 300 mark but one has to wonder how many more chances Detroit will give him to start the way the rest of their pitchers are going. Lonardo has just one win in his last 5 decisions but can't be blamed for his effort yesterday in St. Louis. He went the distance and pitched well enough to win but the Detroit offense could not get the job done in a 2-1 loss to the Pioneers. Only 12 pitchers in FABL history have won 300 or more games.
*** A Quick Drive Around the Motor City Sports Scene ***

Still no word from the grid Maroons on the status of Stan Vaught for next season. The greatest end football has ever seen changed his mind on retirement a year ago, coming back to win the AFA MVP award and lead the Maroons to the championship game. Unlike after the 1944 title game when he said he was retiring but later had a change of heart, Vaught made no announcement either way regarding his status following the December loss to Boston. The Maroons will open camp on the campus of Detroit City College in two months and no one in the organization has any idea if Vaught will be among those who attend.

Speaking of DCC, the Knights cage squad is looking forward to a strong season in follow up to their second place finish in the Great Lakes Alliance a year ago. The Detroit City College recruiting class was among the best in the nation led by Charlie Orlando - a forward from Indiana. It would have been the number one recruiting class had center Edgar Stillwell of Cooley High School elected to remain in the city and play for the Knights instead of taking his talents to Philadelphia's Liberty College. Stillwell was considered the 4th best recruit available in the nation a year ago.

GRAYS ARE RED-HOT

The Oakland Grays have won 14 of their last 18 games and charged past their Bay Area rivals from San Francisco and into second place in the Great Western League. Offense is the name of the game in Oakland with ex-FABL infielders Larry Colaianni (.331,2,26) and Hank Grant (.218,1,15) leading the way. The Los Angeles Knights, despite dropping two of three in Oakland last week, continue to lead the way with a 1.5 game gap on the second place Grays. The big story for the Bigsby gang has been the pitching of Bob Cummings (5-1, 1.39) and King Price (5-1, 1.75).

At the south end of the standings sit the struggling San Diego Conquistadors. The San Diego head man was lured west from the Brooklyn Kings over the winter and he was candid recently with his assessment of the club as reported in the San Diego papers. According to Daily Transcript Sports Editor Clayton Lowery the Conquistadors GM acknowledges the "pitching and defensive troubles in San Diego. 7th and more often 8th in too many categories. Particularly frustrating is a case like Gordon Martin: Martin posted a sub 3.40 ERA in the past two seasons and so far in ’46 has a repulsive 6.56 ERA. I’ve got some arms doing well down in El Paso and they just may have to get a chance to return to the Bigs."

McGRAW THROWS FIRST BIG LEAGUE GWL NO-HITTER

The first no-hitter of the Great Western League as a major loop happened last week with Houston's Bill McGraw made history with a 2-0 shutout in Portland last Monday. The loop has been around, but as a minor league, since 1904 so it is the 16th no-hitter in GWL history but the first since it declared itself a major league over the winter. It was the second major league no-hitter thrown this season as Boston's Ray Dalpman turned the trick against Pittsburgh in April.

The Houston Bulls have been around since they joined the Century League in 1884 before moving to the Lone Star Association in 1929. Despite that stories history the Bulls have only had one no-hitter thrown in their existence prior to McGraw's gem. That one came in 1930 when they were in the Lone Star loop and was thrown by Phil Milot, who spent a decade with the club.

FABL magnates are clearly starting to worry about the rebel league from the west. Signing Lew Seals to a GWL record setting contract has, on the surface, no real impact on FABL. But it likely further boldens the western club owners -who are drawing decent crowds and making money- giving them the confidence to go after higher profile FABL players. Nothing will happen during the season as the Bigsby boys appear to be willing to recognize all existing FABL contracts but the big question will come in the off-season. Nearly every FABL ballplayer is signed on a year-by-year basis but organized baseball gives the team exclusive rights to resign their own players each year. The question is Will the western loop recognize and abide by that policy or will they start trying to lure some FABL regulars -particularly those with western ties- to their loop with big offers during the off-season? GWL boss Thomas X. Bigsby has declined to make any sort of comment on the matter but in this case silence may not be a good thing as the obvious comment would be the GWL recognizes baseball's reserve clause agreement. Interesting times may lie ahead.
Freddie Jones joined the 2,000 hit club with a pair of hits in the Chiefs 2-0 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday. Jones has accomplished plenty in his career - a college Christian Trophy, a pair of Federal Association batting titles, 5 all-star selections and the 1935 Whitney Award but imagine what the 36 year old could have accomplished had he not been so injury prone.
Big week for the Gothams big bats. Red Johnson hit 4 homeruns while Mahlon Strong claimed player of the week honours after this performance: 19 AB, 8 H, .421 Avg., 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1.658 OPS. And Sal Pestilli had a 6-for-6 day with 5 singles and a homerun against the Chicago Chiefs.
Pestilli's 6-hit game was the first of the year for FABL. Johnny McDowell of Pittsburgh had the only one last season. Interesting the Fed had one in 1943 and 1944 as well (Aart MacDonald and Sid Williams -both with Detroit) but the last 6-hit game in the CA happened before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ben Richardson went 6-for-6 for Montreal in a game with Cleveland in June 1941.
Roosevelt Brewer had 5 hits in the same game Pestilli had 6 as the Gothams blasted Chiefs pitching for 20 hits including 3 homeruns - all of which were solo shots.
The first really bad week of the year for the Keystones. The Keys went 1-6, including a three-game sweep in Boston. Philadelphia is now 9-13 on the road. The slow start for Bobby Barrell has developed into a panic in some parts, with a .184 average through 40 games and his peripheral numbers are just as bad (.270 OBP, .297 SLG, 63 OPS+, 76 wRC+, -0.4 WAR). He has hit .152 in May and that includes his four-homer outburst early in the month.
Nice to see Hiram Steinberg finally get a win after losing his first 5 decisions with Cleveland this season. The 1941 first overall pick who rewrote the high school record books tossed a 5-hit complete game shutout to beat the Chicago Cougars 2-0 last Tuesday.
Not only did we get a no-hitter in the GWL last week, but there was also one in the minors. Philadelphia Sailors farmhand George K Brooks turned the trick in a 4-0 win for the Providence Sailors over Erie.

SCHROTTER WANTS ANOTHER SHOT AT SAWYER

Former world champion Jochen Schrotter is coming out of retirement and wants a rematch with Hector Sawyer. That is the word from Sawyer's manager Chester Conley, who says he has been approached by a team said to representing the now 40 year old German, who held the world crown from 1935 until losing by a 15th round knockout to Sawyer in January, 1940. Schrotter, to the best of anyone's knowledge, has not fought professionally since that bout although he was said to have been featured in a number of exhibitions under the direction of the Nazis during the war. He also served for the German army and at one point was rumoured to have been fatally wounded in Greece but it would turn out he did not actually see any active combat duty.

The announcement comes as a surprise and the champ himself was caught off guard when reporters volleyed questions at him. Sawyer looked dumbfounded when informed of Conley's announcement, but quickly recovered and mentioned "Chester had been working on my next bout, but had not informed me of who that might be against."

However, Conley has confirmed that Schrotter is set to return to the ring this weekend and will fight in London, England against veteran British heavyweight Andrew Madden. Conley explains that following that bout, Schrotter is expected to cross the Atlantic and begin training in New York for a late summer date with Sawyer.

A Sawyer-Schrotter bout is likely to be a huge financial winfall for the champ, and Conley, and would also seem like the type of bout that should be an easy victory for Sawyer, who is 53-3-1 after his TKO victory over Leo Carmichael in February. Schrotter sports a professional mark of 48-3-0.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 5/26/1946

The Government, its rail system crippled, drove with desperate urgency at week's end for settlement of the coast-to-coast train strike before it brings hunger to cities and wrecks the nation's industrial life. 48 hours later, the trains were running again as the strike was settled just moments before President Truman had called on a joint session of Congress to outlaw strikes against the Government.
Coal Miners in three states including many in coal rich Pennsylvania threatened to block operation of coal mines after Government seizure of them this week.
Truman signed an emergency housing bill calling for the construction of nearly 3 million low-cost homes for veterans by the end of next year.
The late President Roosevelt accused Japan of war intentions a month before the Peal Harbor attack and told Japanese diplomats bluntly he did not believe their denials, it was revealed before Congress' Pearl Harbor investigating committee.
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Security Council says his government does not show conclusively that all Soviet troops had evacuated Iran, noting his government "has no authority in Azerbaijan Province"- the area to which it sent a commission to determine whether the Red Army had left.

Jiggs McGee · 03-23-2023, 11:50 AM

JUNE 3, 1946

HUGE BLOW FOR BOSTON: DALPMAN DONE FOR YEAR

The Boston Minutemen learned the worst news imaginable today as they found out 29 year old pitcher Ray Dalpman's season is over after the righthander blew out his shoulder in a loss to the Chicago Chiefs yesterday. Dalpman, who threw a no-hitter in April, was 7-3 with a 2.55 era and a big reason why the Minutemen have the best record in the Federal Association.

Boston's pitching has been its strong suit this season with Ed Wood (7-2, 2.18) and Dean Astle (5-2, 1.50) off to strong starts but the odds of a Boston flag win this season are much longer today than they were prior to Dalpman's injury. Perhaps John Edwards, who has been terrific out of the Boston pen, or one of the other relievers can step up and attempt to fill the gaping hole that now exists in the Minutemen rotation but the more likely scenario if Boston wants to remain in the pennant hunt is they need to pursue a deal as the deadline approaches at the end of July to find a veteran arm who can fill the void. In the meantime the short-term solution is likely to recall 27 year old Tom Martin from AAA Columbus to fill the hole in the pen with Edwards likely shifting to the rotation. Martin pitched well in relief for Boston a year ago, going 9-7 with 11 saves and a 2.56 era.

To make a rough week even worse for the New Englanders, the Minutemen started the week with 4 straight losses before rebounding over the weekend and taking 2 of three from visiting Chicago. That allowed the New York Gothams, who went 5-2 over the past seven days, to move within a game of the front-runners. The Philadelphia Keystones limped out of Boston last week after suffering a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Minutemen, but they rebounded nicely in a busy week, claiming 7 victories in 9 outings and are now just 2 games back.

*** Cannons Blast Wolves; Alone atop Continental ****

The Cincinnati Cannons swept a 3-game series from the Toronto Wolves and with 8 wins in their last 10 games have opened up a 3.5 game lead on the Canadian nine atop the Continental Association. Deuce Barrell, who has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last three starts -all complete game victories- and is 8-0 with a 1.97 era is once more leading the way for Cincinnati. Off-season free agent signing Les Bradshaw (6-3, 2.84), cut loose by the Eagles after serving in the Army last year, has been a key pickup on the mound while the big bats continue to carry the Cannons powerful offense. Al Wheeler (.289,7,27) is one of those big bats and the Wonder Wheel smacked two more homeruns last week to bring him within 4 of joining only the great Max Morris in the 500 homerun club.

Meanwhile the Chicago Cougars continue to struggle with a 3-5 week against second division sides Brooklyn, Montreal and Cleveland. The Cougars, favoured by many to be the team to beat in the Continental, now sit in 6th place with a 24-24 record.

Perhaps the Montreal Saints are a sleeper team in the Continental Association? After a slow season start in April, the team put a 18-14 record in May and are now a game over the break even mark and one solid week out of perhaps moving up to second place.

There is plenty to like down at Parc Catier. The pitching rotation is fully loaded now with the return of Wally Reif. The 26 year old was pronounced healthy enough to return to the starting rotation after a stomach muscle strain shelved him for the past four weeks. Reif will be a welcome addition to the mound staff, but the starters, aside from Bill Ross at least, have fared pretty well in Reif's absence.

The rising star in the rotation is rookie prospect Bert Cupid which is now showing a 6-1 record, 2.68 ERA and 18/45 BB/K ratio. The club has won each of Cupid's last 8 starts, with the last three being two very good performances against Toronto and a win over the Chicago Cougars.

When healthy the Montreal rotation is in good hands with the quintet of Doyle-Weakley-Cupid-Reif-DeYoung. The weak link so far had been Bill Ross (2-7, 4.71), despite the 33 year old going 27-19 for the Saints over the past two seasons.

The news is good at the plate as well. The struggling offense of April has found some batting vibes in May and that goes a long ways towards explaining the positive record of the past month. There are still certainly some holes to shore up, in particular the first base dilemma. On the season as a whole, Red Bond's .220 batting average looks troubling, but the veteran has been doing better recently but his numbers are still a far cry from his outstanding 1940 campaign when he smacked 30 homers and batted .340. The Saints would be thrilled if Bond could simply duplicate last year's .254,16,81 stat line.

The right field position is the other place in the starting nine that still is a carrousel. After giving chances to Otis Parker (now in AAA), Heinie Billings, Weaver (now in AAA), Gordon McCarley and Ernie McCoy, it sounds like the last two are taking the lead. Before season started, all eyes were on prospect Otis Parker to patrol the right field, but he was struggling very badly at the plate and been sent down in AAA. Lately, the playing rotation been been between McCarley and McCoy only. McCoy, 2nd pick overall in 1942 and a war veteran, is finally getting the chance to proove was he was selected so high out of Bluegrass State. Saints Manager Homer Moore confirms that McCoy will be getting more playing time to see how he can succeed at the FABL baseball level. Missing three years serving in the Army certainly slowed McCoy's development but the 25 year old was impressive in a short stint at AAA Minneapolis to begin the year and is slashing .297/.350/.405 after two weeks with the big club.

They are not qute there yet, but the Saints club is approaching the point where it could be considered a serious contender for the Continental crown, a bauble the Montreal organization has not worn upon its head since 1921. Management again cautions the process must not be rushed. As the Saints General Manager said a few years ago when the club was in contention early and pressure was on him to make short term trades, "Montreal management will still stick to the plan, it will pay eventually!"

The future may looks bright in Montreal with 11 players currently ranked in the top 110 prospect list according to OSA. That includes a lot of assets with pitching skills. Remember the minor league system list of pitchers includes: Ted Coffin (OSA #7), Gordie Irwin (OSA #58) and Pete Ford (OSA #75). All of whom it is hoped are helping the actual big league rotation in a near future.

PLENTY TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FOR STARS

As the season approaches the one-third complete mark the New York Stars still have a couple of weak spots, but overall they are doing well. The outfield is really coming into its own. Lead by Bill Barrett (.252/.436/.919), the trio has been incredible, mashing 18 homers so far. 22 year old Bob Riggins is looking like a seasoned vet, hitting .279/.380/.822. 22 year old Rookie Jack Welch has exploded onto the field slashing .296/.439/.917. Which leaves Chubby Hall (.281/.370/.760) the odd man out even though hes splitting time in LF with Welch while he settles in.

We can't overlook the job Bill Barnett has done in his rookie season as he is no slouch either. Barrett looks like a vet out at 1B hitting .283/.385/.813 with 4 homers. However, we dont talk about his "fielding" prowess. That gives us a solid core of 4 fantastic hitters batting 2, 3, 4 and 5. But we're falling short with Joe Angevine this season at the plate. The shortstop is hitting in the #1 hole and is struggling to reach base. And when he does, his speed seems to have left him in his 30 year old season getting caught stealing 9 times with a -4.4 BsR.

The biggest heart break so far has been Chick MacKnight. He started the season the #2 ranked catcher in the league. Since then hes fallen off the chart. The team eye doctor has examined him but cannot deduce the reason for his abysmal .077/.221/.328 line so far. He was splitting time with Joe Rainbow at catcher, but has since been relegated to the bench with the mother of all cold streaks. Management is deliberating sending him to AAA.

The question probably on Jiggs McGee's mind: Was the Rabbit Mudd deal worth it? At first it looked to be a no doubter with Rabbit coming out swinging. Then the 3 week day-to-day injury. It didn't slow him down at first, and he was still doing far better than poor ol' Hancock Jr., but now a second slightly more severe injury has sidelined him for the next week giving Mel a chance to show his stuff again. And Mel responded by playing better than he had been. But 2B is still an extremely weak sport in NY with plenty of head scratching and doubts lingering in the air.

The Stars other sad highlight is the collapse of Bill Grove at 3B. Was he just a solid AAAA player during the war years? Grove is just 23 so he still has some more seasoning to do and in the mean time Mike Roberson has stepped up big time crushing it with a .357/.427/.955 line. He was questionable to make the team, luckily the Stars elected to keep him around.

On the mound, the only real bright spot has been rule 5 pick George Scruggs. Management knew they had a gem sifting through all the possible players out there, but even the Stars did not realize just how bright he would shine. 19.2 IP 5.5 K/9 0.46 ERA, 3-0 with 2 saves.

CANNONS SEARCHING FOR PEN HELP: BUT IS IT NEEDED?

The Cincinnati Cannons have made it no secret they are looking for a solid arm to act as the stopper in their bullpen. However, the best solution might well be to use one of the arms they already have instead of giving away a young asset for a need that just might not exist. In addition, I am not even sure if the Cannons actually need the best bullpen in the league. Sure, its a nice addition and never something you would turn down but they have some workhorses in the rotation.

Deuce Barrell has completed 117 games, nearly 60% of his starts he is still on the mound when the final out is recorded. Butch Smith has completed nearly half his starts while Les Bradshaw and Red Hampton are both over 40%. This season alone the Cannons starters have completed 26 of their 48 starts including 8 from Barrell in his 10 games. The Cannons have only needed 49 innings of relief pitching so far this season and in years past much of the heavy lifting in the pen was handled by the starters anyway as Ad Doria had employed a 6-man rotation with pretty good success.

Doria has ran with the typical 5-man staff this season with Art Edwards, Jake Smith and Chris Clarke all faring pretty well when called upon in relief. Even Vic Carroll, the 1939 first overall pick who is back after a year in the Army, has not looked bad in limited work. His 7.71 era the product of a couple of rough innings in a pair of lobsided losses with nothing on the line.

Edwards, Jake Smith and Clarke all give the added benefit of being able to start games in a pinch and each has had some success in that regard. There are also a few options in AAA, most notably Jim Anderson who looked good in his return to the Cannons late last season after nearly two years in the Army. The benefit to Anderson is he -like Edwards and Clarke- force a lot of ground balls and with the vacuum like glove of Jim Hensley at shortstop that plays perfectly into the Cannons strengths.
*** Second Base Only Potential Worry ***

If there was an area in need of upgrade -and with the Cannons there is not a lot that the team could improve upon- it might be second base where Charley McCullough has had a slow start both at the plate and in the field since his return from 4 years in the Navy. McCullough, who's brother was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor and enlisted immediately, has been away from the game for a long time, missing his prime years and now returns as a much different person than the 25 year old all-star he was a half decade ago.

The expectation is it will only take some time for McCullough to regain his fielding prowess and in the meantime glove-whiz Charlie Rivera can easily fill in as a late innings defensive substitute. The Cannons might be wise to give McCullough at least another month to regain his land-legs and only if he is still struggling as the deadline approaches at the end of July should they perhaps take a look and see what other solution might be out there.

The team is playing outstanding baseball, and has for the better part of the past three and a half years. Perhaps the best move the new Cannons brass can do right now is simply to stand pat and let the talented group continue to do what it has done best the past few seasons -win big ballgames.

Gothams Notes

The Gothams have moved to within 1 game of FA leading Boston. Team offensive is led by Roosevelt Brewer who is third in average at .351 and Red Johnson, tied for the HR lead with 13.
Red Johnson is enjoying the postwar lineup protection. Johnson took batter of the month honors for May with one of the better slugging displays the team has seen in ages. Johnson hit .331 with 10 homers, 18 RBI and 24 runs scored.
Down at AA Reading RF Hal Mayer did his best Red Johnson impression, winning batter of the month for May. Mayer paced the EA with .337, 5 homers, 23 RBI and 18 runs.
Tom Richardson has been optioned to AAA Toledo to make room for additional middle infield help due to the injury to Gil London. Last season's regular SS Jim Dickinson is expected to get most of the starts. With London struggling mightily at the plate this season (.186-1-10) Dickinson has a shot to reclaim the starting role.
The only other concern in the lineup is 3B where Mule Monier is hitting just .214 with no homers. As long as the team continues to win Bud Jameson can be patient. However, one wonders how long the team can carry that production along with Monier's barely adequate defense. While no defensive wiz himself Fred Pecora is hitting .306

The big news this week is obviously the loss of Ray Dalpman in Boston. Minutemen manager Bill Boshart feels that if any club can withstand the loss of its number one starter it is the Minutemen. Boshart states "I'm not sure if we really need to make a deal. If the right player comes along we will absolutely look at it. At this point though, I'm not desperate to ask our GM to blow a high pick on a vet that is mostly smoke and mirrors."
We here at Caught on the Fly see the Minutemen likely having no choice but to make a deal for a veteran starter if they want any hope of sticking with the mighty Gothams and the two-time defending champion Keystones. The Minutemen pitchers are good, but without Dalpman they will have a tough time winning the pennant. The draft is just 3 weeks away so it certainly makes sense to wait and move some of next year's selections once the trade window for dealing picks opens up again. Their top prospect is a 21 year old righthander named Alf Keeter, who is pitching well despite a 1-5 record at Class B Arlington but he is clearly not ready to join the big club. Perhaps Keeter, who was acquired from Detroit a year ago in the Mack Sutton deal, gets moved again instead of a draft pick.
Stop me if you have heard this one before. Hard-luck Chicago Cougars fans certainly have in recent years. Four more one run losses this week as the Cougars drop to 24-24 and 6th place in a crowded CA, despite a +48 run differential. They are now 3-12 in one run games. Looking like another wasted season in Chicago and once again one where they finish well below their Pythagorean record - a mark they trail by 6 at the moment.
Sooner or later the breaks have to go the Cougars way. They have had an awful run of luck the past few seasons but this team is just too good not to be in the mix come September. Maybe the Cougars finally have a second half comeback instead of being the team to swoon after a hot first half.
Getting swept by the Cannons was not part of the plan for the Toronto Wolves. Wolves manager Bob Call said he felt pretty good the way the rotation set up for the series, wrong! Pitching is still erratic for the Wolves, but that is not the only problem. When the leadoff man (Charlie Artuso) is leading the team in HR and RBI's the bats in the middle of the order may not be putting out at the expected rate.
There was discussion last week about San Diego short stop Poserina and his -6 ZR. The Conquistadores reacted by moving Dick Richardson in to man shortstop and moving Poserina to the outfield. The result was very good as San Diego managed a 5-2 week including a 4-game sweep of the 2nd place Oakland Grays and even 1 win against the mighty Knights of L.A. That win was courtesy of a 1-hit, 7 K, 2 BB performance from Luis Sandoval, who is clearly emerging as the ace of the staff. Sandoval last played with the Chicago Chiefs in 1944.
Speaking of the Chiefs, perhaps they need to follow the Conquistadors lead and make a change at shortstop where Elmer Hutchins now has a -6.4 ZR in 131.2 innings.
Jim Lonardo threw a complete game 4-hitter in a 9-1 win over Pittsburgh yesterday, improving the 41 year old Detroit hurlers record on the year to 3-4 but more importantly giving Lonardo his 296 career FABL pitching win.
There has been much talk of Al Wheeler's pursuit to join Max Morris as the only players to hit 500 FABL homeruns but Wheeler is also working on joining Morris in another exclusive club: 2,000 career RBIs. Wheeler is 4 shy of the 500 homer mark and after driving in 9 runs last week for the Cincinnati Cannons, he now sits at 1,919 rbis. Only Morris, with 2,324 stands above the Wonder Wheel in that category.
With Joe York hitting a robust .385 (although in limited playing time) and neither of the first basemen doing much the Detroit Dynamos are going to experiment with Mack Sutton moving to first base and York getting a chance to play third for the week, meaning both of Dick's boys will be in the starting lineup for just the third time. The first that both Rick and Joe were in the starting lineup was April 23 against St Louis and the second last Monday vs the Gothams.
Mixed results in Brooklyn after the struggling Kings signed a pair of veteran free agents Roger Perry and Merritt Thomas to try and shore up their pitching rotation. Harry Stewart and Mel Haynes went to AAA to make room but one may be back pretty quickly after Perry was beaten up pretty badly in losing both of his starts. He allowed 15 earned runs in just 7 and two-thirds innings over the two games. Thomas fared much better: after taking the loss in a 6-0 defeat to the Stars he pitched 7 strong innings yesterday to get an 8-3 win over Cincinnati.
Attendance is up all across FABL in the early going this season. 15 of the 16 clubs are averaging a higher attendance so far this year than they did last year led by the Chicago Cougars who are averaging 16,125 for their 24 home contests so far this season. The lone exception is the St Louis Pioneers and even the Pioneers are only down a few fans per game, averaging 7,964 this season after finishing with an average attendance of 7,972 a year ago. The Pioneers are last in average attendance in FABL this season and one of just x teams averaging less than 10,000 per game. The others are Brooklyn, Cleveland, Montreal, the Philadelphia Sailors and Washington.
There has been a lot of talk about great attendance in the Great Western League but only the Los Angeles Knights (7,424) are over the 7,000 mark. However, the stadium sizes and as a result overhead costs are generally much smaller in the coast loop.

SCHROTTER DQ WILL NOT CHANGE TITLE SHOT PLANS

Chester Conley Says the Sawyer-Schrotter Rematch is a Go

Despite the fact that former heavyweight champion Jochen Schrotter was disqualified for repeated low blows in a bout in England on Saturday, the 40 year old German is still coming to America and will face current champion Hector Sawyer in August. That is the confirmation given from Sawyer's manager and well known boxing promoter Chester 'Fish' Conley.

"We are aware of the London result," explained Conley to well known boxing columnist Johnny Bologna. "It is not the ideal outcome but what I am hearing is that perhaps the referee overstepped in his earnest to penalize Schrotter. The German was well ahead on all cards and the time of the stoppage and we are confident he will make a worthy opponent for Hector. And this is a bout fans have wanted to see for half a decade."

The fight is slated to be contested outdoors at the famed Bigsby Oval in New York and is expected to be contested in front of one of the largest fight crowds in recent memory. Schrotter was the World Champion from 1935 until Sawyer knocked him out in the 15th and final round of their title fight in January of 1940. That fight was fought with much controversy as Germany was already well engaged in WWII and many felt Schrotter should have been forced to leave the country. After the fight he did return to Germany and was a part of the Nazi army -although he says unwillingly so- but did not see any combat action.

Schrotter is now 40 years old and aside from Saturday's bout with Madden, had not fought professionally since the loss to Sawyer. His career record sits at 48-4 with 45 of the victories coming by knockout or TKO, but many question whether he will mount any sort of challenge for the 31 year old Sawyer even though some feel the champ has lost a bit during his layoff during the war. Sawyer knocked out Leo Carmichael in February in his most recent title defense, running his record to 53-3-1.

RING RESULTS

COOPER WINS IN HAWAII

Former Coast Guard Heavyweight Champion Cannon Cooper completed a very successful 'working vacation' with an unanimous decision over Battling Bill McFadden in Hawaii over the weekend. The 25 year old Rockford, Il. native had little trouble with McFadden, easily outpoiting his opponent in the lobsided win. Cooper is now 19-2-1 as a pro and seems to be back on the right track after suffering back to back losses -the only defeats of his career- to Clancy Little and Glenn Hairston last fall and winter.

John Edmonds, who had been the #3 contender in the middleweight division, saw his stock drop after the 27 year old Muncie, In. fighter was knocked on in the 10th and final round of his bout with Dave Sizemore on Thursday evening in Washington DC. The loss was just the second of Edmonds career, dropping his record to 20-2. Sizemore, a 26 year who hails from Springfield, Ma., improves to 14-8.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/02/1946

The mine strike came to an end after a contract was struck, but other problems lie ahead causing the Government to issue stern warnings that it was the maritime and farm equipment labor disputes settled -and quickly.
At least 13 persons drowned and millions of dollars of damage after the Susquehanna River flooded parts of Pennsylvania and New York.
28 Germans responsible for the deaths of 300,000 inmates at the Dachau concentration camp were hanged.
The House Appropriations Committee approved a $92 million fund to start returning to this country the bodies of her war dead.
Pope Pius XII said in a world broadcast that the path to "true peace" seems farther away now than at the end of hostilities a year ago, and that "the first resolute steps toward the attainment of true peace has not yet been taken."

Jiggs McGee · 03-24-2023, 12:47 PM

JUNE 10, 1946

INJURIES HIT FED TEAMS HARD ONCE AGAIN

You can add Dean Astle, Dixie Lee and Mahlon Strong to the list of Federal Association stars who have suffered long-term injuries over the past couple of weeks. The Boston Minutemen were hit especially hard as exactly one week after number one starter Ray Dalpman went down with a season ending injury, veteran Dean Astle -who was 7-2 with the lowest era in either association- was lost for the next five weeks with a shoulder strain. On the same day and field Astle was hurt, the New York Gothams -who were hosting Boston in a Sunday doubleheader- lost veteran outfielder Mahlon Strong for the next month and a half with a back injury. The major injuries were not just restricted to pennant contenders in the Fed as Detroit's number one pitcher is also done for the year. Dixie Lee was 6-5 with a 2.50 era for the Dynamos but a shoulder injury suffered Friday has ended his season.

The injury to Strong is certainly not unexpected as it is harder to find a player who has spent more time on the injured list in his career than the 37 year old but it may have a big impact on the Gothams offense between now and the all-star break. Strong was hitting .325 with 6 homers for the New Yorkers this season but fortunately for them there is no shortage of offense in Queens. The Gothams are 7-1 in June and have won 10 of their last 12 games to pull into a first place tie with the suddenly pitching-starved Minutemen and the Philadelphia Keystones as those three clubs are beginning to separate themselves from the pack in the Federal Association.

The Continental race has a big series coming up as the other hot New York team -the Stars- invade Tice Memorial Stadium for a three game showdown with the first place Cincinnati Cannons beginning today. The Stars just completed a 4-game sweep of the Wolves in Toronto and have won 8 of their last 9 games to pull to within a game and a half of the Cannons. Cincinnati had a rough week, losing 4 straight before rebounding to salvage the finale of their weekend series with the Chicago Cougars yesterday. The Cougars did take two of three from the defending champs but only after dropping two of three in both Philadelphia and Cleveland to start the month. The Cougars have gone 15-24 after their hot 12-3 start to the season.

For Chicago it is easy to point the blame at simply bad luck, but that has been an all too often used refrain in recent years for the Windy City Kitties. Still, the numbers are hard to question - or even believe.
Cougars record in games decided by two or fewer runs: 8-19
Cougars record in all other games: 19-8
Chicago's +52 run differential is 12 runs higher then the first place Cannons, but Chicago continues to underperform its expected record by six games.

LOS ANGELES CONTINUES TO LEAD WAY OUT WEST

A big week ahead for the Great Western League as the top two teams in the loop are set to collide in San Francisco for a three game series beginning tomorrow. The first place Los Angeles Knights managed to secure a split in Oakland and now travel across the bay to face the Hawks, with the Knights nursing a 3-game lead on both of the Bay Area clubs.

The Knights have led pretty much all the way in the debut big league season of West Coast major league ball, relying on a balanced offense and some fine pitching from King Price (6-3, 2.08) and FABL castoffs Bob Cummings (6-1, 1.44) and Karl Wallace (6-2, 3.22).

While the Bigsby band and the two Bay Area clubs have distanced themselves somewhat from the pack, there is terrific battle being waged for the final spot in the first division with only a game and a half separating fourth place Houston from 8th place Seattle.

The Cougars may be struggling, but Leo Mitchell sure isn't! It was another great week for the veteran outfielder, who went 12-for-27 with a double, homer, and 4 RBIs to raise his season line to .392/.428/.617 (195 OPS+). Mitchell is in the race for a triple crown, leading the CA in average while tied with Bill Barrett in homers with 12. His 36 RBIs are three behind Barrett as well, tied with Hank Giordano of the Wolves for third in the circuit. An early frontrunner for the Whitney, Mitchell leads his association in slugging, OPS (1.045), hits (82), total bases (129), OPS+, WRC+ (216), and wOBA (.477)
Here come the Keystones. 14-3 in their last 17 (all at home) runs its record to 26-9 at Broad Street Park. Now, if they can only figure out how to play on the road. They'll have their chance as they embark on a 13-game road trip on Friday. First, a three-game series at home against the red-hot Gothams, winners in 10 of 12. New York and Boston are tied for first with Philadelphia percentage points behind.
Somthing worth noticing in the Fed race which has a virtual 3-way tie at the top but Philadelphia has played 35 of its first 57 games at home and Boston has been in Minutemen Stadium for 33 of its 53 games so far. Meanwhile the third team in the mix at the top -the New York Gothams- count just 18 home games among their first 53 outings. New York is on the road again to start the week -heading to Broad Street Park to meet Philadelphia in a 3-game set.
It has been quite some time but bright days may just be around the corner in Cleveland thanks to their young pitching. 23 year old Richie Hughes (8-4, 3.04) is starting to show front of the rotation potential. 25 year old Ducky Davis (6-2, 2.26) is having a breakout year in his third big league season and former first overall pick Hiram Steinberg (3-6, 3.53) has thrown a pair of complete game shutouts in his last four outings.
Speaking of young pitchers, 23 year old rookie Buckeye Smith continues to shine for Washington. He is off to a 4-0 start with a 1.64 era since his promotion from AAA Kansas City. And how about 25 year old rookie Adam Grayson (7-2, 2.40) in Pittsburgh. A 1939 4th round pick of Toronto who spent three years in the army before the Miners nabbed him in the rule five draft, Grayson has been the Miners most dependable starter since being moved into the rotation from the bullpen a month ago.
Lefty Allen is having a rough start in Pittsburgh this season as the 32 year old is 3-7 with a 4.10 era. If this continues it will be the worst era ever recorded in Allen's career. He is a middling 12-12 since the war after winning 158 games before his 30th birthday.
The Sailors have a habit of digging up unheralded pitchers who deliver big seasons for them and Slick Wesolowski (9-2, 2.64) is the latest. The 26 year old was a 5th round pick in 1938 who spent the last three years in the navy. Entering this season he had just 3 appearances at the AAA level but has been outstanding in his rookie big league season.
Voting is now open for the starters in what will be the 14th annual all-star game. Plenty of excitement is expected in Boston as the for the first time since the war began all of the big name players will be back. It marks the first time the game has been played in New England. The Federal Association leads the series 8 wins to 5 including an 8-4 win last season thanks to a 10th inning grand slam off the bat of Boston's Chick Donnelly.
There will be a lot of tough choices on the all-star ballot but one of the hardest will be the starting pitcher for the Continental Association. Deuce Barrell (8-0, 2.02) of the Cannons may have the inside track but there is also Montreal's Bert Cupid (7-1, 2.86), Pete Papenfus (7-3, 2.48) and Donnie Jones (8-2, 2.52) of the Cougars, Richie Hughes (8-4, 3.04) in Cleveland and the Sailors Slick Wesolowski (9-2, 2.64).

FIGMENT FLASHBACK: DICK POZZA

Long-time Manager Was Key Figure in '34 Controversy

As the all-star voting opens this week we are reminded of one of the most controversial moments of the mid-season classic. That occured in 1934 -the second-ever All-Star Game- and manager Dick Pozza was at the center of it. The now 62 year old Pozza has been out of the game for the past five years but had a long career as a big league skipper. A native of Rowland Heights, California, Pozza was not much of a player, spending three seasons in the low minors as a third baseman before finding his footing as a coach and later a manager.

Pozza's first big league job was as a bench coach, joining the Philadelphia Sailors in 1919 and later spending some time in Washington -where he was part of the Eagles pennant winning 1922 campaign and World Championship Series victory the following year. He also had a stop in St Louis as a coach before finally getting his first managerial position with the 1927 Detroit Dynamos. Pozza would pilot the Dynamos to a WCS win in 1929 -something the team has not done since- before moving on to Chicago and leading the Cougars to a Series win in 1931 and a pennant two years later. So his resume was certainly impressive, but will be forever tarnished by two events which occurred just a few days apart in July of 1934.

The Cougars got off to a rough start to the 1934 season and there was tensions between Pozza and the club's front-office, much of it over his handling of the pitching staff. It all boiled to a head the first week in July. Tommy Wilcox, the talented young pitcher the Cougars acquired two years earlier in a big deal with Brooklyn that sent Tom and Fred Barrell the other way, was being overworked by Pozza who was desperate to keep his job and get the struggling team back on track as Cleveland and Brooklyn were running away with the pennant race.

The real trouble started July 3 when Pozza forced Wilcox, who was the 1933 Allen Award winner with an incredibly bright future, to throw 194 pitches and go the distance in a 14-inning game he would ultimately lose by a 2-1 score. The loss dropped the Cougars 12.5 games back of first place Cleveland and 3 games under .500, so Pozza was now really feeling the heat. The 27 year old Wilcox had already suffered a minor arm issue late in spring training but, despite being cautioned by the Cougars front-office to take it easy with their ace, Pozza had Wilcox start 4 days later in Philadelphia. Wilcox was a gamer and went 4 innings but left the game after the fourth due to an injury. Pozza would say it was Wilcox' ankle and not a dead arm that bothered him and the pitcher never did confirm or deny that diagnosis.

Regardless, two days later -on Monday July 9- Wilcox was back on the mound once more as Pozza demanded he start the game. Wilcox -despite having thrown close to 300 pitches in the past 6 days by that point- made it into the fifth inning when something in his arm popped. It would be a devastating injury and Wilcox would miss over a year recovering. We say recovering but in actuality Wilcox would never again be the pitcher he was before the injury. Pozza was immediately fired by the Cougars and would be replaced a couple days later by Hank Lietzke. It was only the beginning of the troubles Pozza would cause that week.

The problem was Pozza was slated -as the skipper of the previous season Continental pennant winner- to manage the Continental side in the All-Star Game which was to be played the next day at New York's Riverside Park. In the all-star game, which ended up going 10 innings, Pozza used Brooklyn reliever Del Lyons for 3 innings and allowed him to throw 81 pitches. Lyons had been the Kings late inning relief specialist that season and rarely pitched much more than an inning and never approached 100 pitches in an outing.

The Kings were incensed as they were embroiled in a tight race with Cleveland for top spot and were slated to play 3-games with the Foresters immediately after the all-star break. Due to Pozza, Lyons would now no longer be available for Brooklyn manager Walt Bailey to call on during the key series.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, word trickled to Bailey that Pozza had intentionally misused Lyons at the behest of Foresters owner Richard Marshall - who supposedly had offered the now unemployed Pozza either a job within his organization or money -depending upon which story you heard. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Pozza also forced Brooklyn catcher Fred Barrell -who had played for Pozza and was the MVP in his 1931 Series victory with the Cougars- to play the entire game while Pozza left Mickey Dowell of Montreal sitting on the bench and only used the third catcher, the Cougars Mike Taylor, in a pinch-hitting role in the 6th inning. Fred would miss the opener of the Cleveland series, Lyons would not pitch in any of the three games and Cleveland swept the series, winning two of the games in their final at bat, and ended up beating Brooklyn out by 1 game to win the pennant.

Marshall, of course, denied any wrong doing and Pozza never spoke about the incident. He did get another job but not in Cleveland as Pozza signed with Montreal later that season and spent 7 more seasons as the Saints manager before retiring from baseball in 1941. To this day, uttering his name still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of fans of both the Cougars and Kings.

It was nearly two years ago that Percy Sutherland first made public his goal of creating a second grid league to compete on the professional football scene and now that dream has taken one more step towards reality. Sutherland and his hand-picked President to head up the new grid loop, former St Blane collegiate star and Navy Lt. Commander Bob Montgomery, officially announced the locations of the eight teams that will comprise the opening season of the Continental Football Conference.

Most of the locations had been already been disclosed, including the fact that Sutherland envisioned a true continental league that stretched from coast to coast so it has long been known that New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco would all field teams, as would Sutherland's hometown of Chicago where he is the long-time sports editor of the Chicago Herald-Examiner. To those four the league has also added Buffalo, Brooklyn, Kansas City and New Orleans. This announcement means that the new league will only go head to head with the established American Football Association in two cities: Chicago and New York.

"We feel there is sufficient fan support in both of those cities to support a team in each league," Sutherland explained during the announcement to reveal the 8 member clubs. "It works well in FABL, and it is our hope that someday soon we can duplicate baseball and have a true World Championship football game between the winner of the Continental Conference and the American league."

The American Football Association, and in particular its President Jack Kristich, appear to have little interest in any sort of partnership at all. Kristich has continuously waived off reporters questions on the CFC, calling it 'a pipe-dream' and later a 'minor league outfit.'

As of today that so-called minor league outfit made a major push for recognition as a true major league and judging by the early success of Great Western Baseball league in California, the CFC has taken a major step towards prosperity with the establishment of franchises in Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as other markets that Kristich and the AFA have ignored.

CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE 1946 MEMBER TEAMS
Brooklyn Kings
Buffalo Bulls
Chicago Comets
Kansas City Cowboys
Los Angeles Lobos
New Orleans Crescents
New York Gothams
San Francisco Wings

BUSY FALL LIES AHEAD FOR TITLE TILTS

Fans of World Championship boxing matches will have a quiet start to summer but there promises to be plenty of action in August and the fall. The big news is confirmation of Hector Sawyer's next heavyweight defense as the 31 year old champ will face his old foe Jochen Schrotter on August 17 at the Bigsby Oval in New York City. Sawyer, who has held the title since a 15th round knockout of the now 40 year German back in January of 1940, owns a 53-3-1 career mark. Schrotter's only professional fight since that 1940 loss was in England a little over a week ago and it did not go well as he added to what surely will be an villanous reputation in the Oval battle by being disqualified for repeated low blows against his British opponent. Schrotter owns a career mark of 48-4.

Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson survived two tough battles with Todd Gill to retain his belt. After fighting to a majority draw last October, the Pittsburgh native won last month's rematch with a 15th round TKO victory over Gill. Melanson, 30-0-2, has not confirmed when or who is next defense will be but TWIFB boxing report Johnny Bologna has speculated it will likely against unbeaten and untied European champion Edouard Desmarais in either November or December.

Dennis O'Keefe claimed the World Welterweight Title that had been vacant for nearly six years when he knocked out Carl Taylor in the 13th round of their March bout at Bigsby Garden. O'Keefe, a 29 year old Florida native known as the 'Jacksonville Jackhammer' has stated he wants to get back in the ring by the end of October. His camp is said to be trying to finalize a deal with George 'Mr. Sandman' Gibbs - a 28 year old Colorado native with a perfect 16-0 record- but if that falls through O'Keefe may end up facing top ranked contender Mark Westlake. The 28 year old Mississippi native is 19-2-1 but has not fought since losing to Carl Taylor by an unanimous decision last October. O'Keefe's handlers say an announcement confirming their fighters first title defense will come in the next week or two.

ANOTHER WIN FOR ROY

Former Brooklyn shipyard worker Dale Roy continues to climb the welterweight charts. The 28 year old Binghamton, NY native improved to 23-5 with his 7th straight victory - an unanimous decision over Peter Waldron. There is speculation that Roy will find his way into the top contenders list in the next ranking released by TWIFB as Wayne Dunn is certain to drop off the list after suffering an upset loss last week. Roy had little trouble with Waldron - the 37 year old Boston native who falls to 17-4-1.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
TBA (likely November or December): World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) is expected to make his next title defense with European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0) as the likely opponent.
TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/09/1946

The House and Senate continue to wage a tug of war over the teenage draft, but there were hints of a compromise making 19 year olds eligible and exempting those of 18.
The Supreme Court has ruled that a State cannot require segregation of passengers in buses crossing state lines.
Union leaders and ship operators continue efforts to avert next week's threatened maritime strike. Meanwhile, the Navy is finalizing its plans for operating vital merchant shipping if the tie-up materializes.
At least 58 were killed after an explosion and fire at the 22-story La Salle Hotel in the heart of Chicago's loop district. About 200 others were injured.
A news report out of Russia calls Joseph Stalin the greatest Russian figure of all time -greater than Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible and perhaps even Lenin.
General George C. Marshall has been able to persuade Chinese government and Communist forces to agree to a 15-day truce in hopes of being able to negotiate a permanent peace. The two sides have waged civil war for 18 years, primarily in Manchuria.

Jiggs McGee · 03-27-2023, 01:16 PM

JUNE 17, 1946

FIELD IS SET FOR AIAA CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

The 16 team field is set for the twenty-sixth AIAA Collegiate World Championship Tournament, which gets underway Wednesday at Forester Stadium in Cleveland. The format, which was used during the feeder era from 1910 until 1933 before being abandoned in favour of declaring the top regular season school the champ, was resumed last year with a 16-team single elimination tournament held at Whitney Park in Chicago. That format returns again this season with the exact same structure except that the championship final will be a best two out of three instead of the single game it was last season. Two-time defending champion Grange College which beat Kentucky rival Bluegrass State 7-2 in the championship game a year ago, is back in the tournament but this time they are the second seed as Bluegrass State earns the top spot. Opelika State and Liberty College were the other schools to reach the Saturday semi-final games last season. The Wildcats are back in the tournament again this season but the Bells failed to qualify.

Here is a quick look at each of the 16 schools:

1- BLUEGRASS STATE MUSTANGS: The Louisville, Ky. school was led by former Christian Trophy winner Bob Arman to back to back titles in 1941 and 1942 AIAA baseball championship but lost to rival Grange College in the championship game a year ago. Their top player is outfielder Dick Helfand, a second team All-American a year ago and he was drafted by Boston in the second round in January.

#2 GRANGE COLLEGE MUSTANGS: An intense rival with Bluegrass State as both schools are based in Louisville and eacg lay claim to the nickname 'Mustangs'. A post-feeder school, debuting in 1934, Grange College is a regular in the top ten and owns 3 National Titles with the first coming in their debut AIAA season of 1934 and the others over the past two seasons behind two-time Christian Trophy winning outfielder Bob Riggins. Riggins is gone and now a member of the New York Stars but this is still a veteran team. Grange College has 8 draft eligible juniors on its roster including first baseman Jim Stone, who was selected in the first round by Cincinnati in January.

#3 EASTERN STATE MONITORS: The Virginia school was a power in the mid-1930s with 3 straight national titles on clubs led by pitcher Jim Douglass and shortstop Sipe Ellison. The Monitors have 9 players on the OSA's radar in various draft classes including 4 juniors in catcher Frank Burrell, infielders Mike Crabtree and Cliff Dilley and outfielder Gene Patterson. Dilley was a second round pick of the Sailors in January while Crabtree went to Montreal in the 8th round.

#4 COASTAL STATE EAGLES: The Florence, SC school is looking for its first national title. Freshman shortstop Tome Miller is a likely All-American selection. Outfielder Jim McBride was a second round selection of St Louis.

#5 MISSISSIPPI A&M GENERALS: The Generals are an original feeder league school dating back to 1910 but they have never won the national title. Third baseman Tommy Griffin was selected 12th overall by the New York Stars in January.

#6 LANE STATE EMERALDS: Out of Eugene, Or., the Emeralds big star this season is freshman third baseman Frankie Williams, who is likely to be an first team All-American selection, joining Bill Sohl and Joe Henry as the only Emeralds to make the first team.

#7 CHARLESTON TECH ADMIRALS: Sophomore shortstop Irv Clifford was a first team All-American selection a year ago and had another fine season to lead the South Carolina school.

#8 OPELIKA STATE WIDLCATS: Reached the semi-finals a year ago, the Alabama school is one of the original feeder league baseball schools and won National Titles in 1927 and 1929.

#9 MARYLAND STATE BENGALS: Another original school, the Bengals won the very first AIAA title in 1910 and also claimed back to back championships in 1939-40.

#10 CC LOS ANGELES COYOTES: The Coyotes have been in the AIAA baseball league since its inception in 1910 but have never won a national title. They last finished in the top ten back in 1937.

#11 RED RIVER STATE ROWDIES: The Rowdies dominated the Lone Star conference this season and were led by junior first baseman Earl Wolf and sophomore outfielder Ted Barette.

#12 MIAMI STATE GULLS: A rising program, the Gulls have been contenders the past several years and were led by All-Americans Gabby Marlowe, Bucky Scheffer, Orie Martinez and most recently outfielder Billy Forbes, who was a second team selection a year ago and a likely first teamer this time around.

#13 ARKANSAS A&T BADGERS: The Badgers are the true surprise team of the tournament, having never made the top twenty in the rankings before. They are led by sophomore catcher Jess Garman and draft eligible pitcher Harry Beardsley.

#14 PIEDMONT UNIVERSITY PIPERS: Rare air for the Burlington, NC school to be in the national top twenty but it is entirely because of pitcher John Stallings, who was drafted first overall by the Chicago Chiefs. As a smaller school, Stallings and the Pipers do not play against great competition during the season so the tournament will be a big test for him, but he did set an AIAA career record for his 1.28 era and at 29-3 with 439 strikeouts in 295 innings over his three seasons he is tied for 3rd all-time in college wins and trails only Tom Barrell and Tommy Wilcox for most career K's by a collegiate pitcher.

#15 LINCOLN COLLEGE PRESIDENTS: The Illinois school has a rich baseball history dating back to 1910 and was the class of the Great Lakes Alliance this season. They have a veteran core this year with 5 players on the OSA draft list including Paul Reynolds (rd 4-Cin) and Cliff Treen (rd 7-Wsh)

#16 GEORGIA BAPTIST GATORS: Perhaps surprisingly the Gators have never won a college baseball championship but have a rich history that includes All-Americans Tom Barrell, Johnny McDowell and most recently catcher Dino Robinson. Junior pitcher Al Peacock and sophomore outfielder Jeep Erickson are their leaders this season.

Here is the complete schedule: (all games at Foresters Park in Cleveland)
WEDNESDAY JUNE 12
#8 Opelika State vs #9 Maryland State 10am
#7 Charleston Tech vs #10 CC Los Angeles 2pm
#4 Coastal State vs #13 Arkansas A&T 5pm
#1 Bluegrass State vs #16 Georgia Baptist 8pm

THURSDAY JUNE 13
#6 Lane State vs #11 Red River State 10am
#5 Mississippi A&M vs #12 Miami State 2pm
#3 Eastern State vs #14 Piedmont University 5pm
#2 Grange College vs #15 Lincoln College 8pm

FRIDAY JUNE 14
Quarterfinals

SUNDAY JUNE 16
semi-finals

MONDAY JUNE 17-WEDNESDAY JUNE 19
Best of three finals

Past AIAA national baseball champions and Christian Trophy winners since that award's inception in 1927.

OSA TABS TAYLOR AS TOP DRAFT PROSPECT

With the high school season complete and only the Collegiate World Championship Series left for the AIAA, the league scouting service has released its final ranking of draft eligible players. Perhaps a mild surprise but the top spot goes to Yank Taylor, a high school outfielder from Chicago and the son of two-time Whitney Award winner Tom Taylor. Yank, who was selected 9th overall by Boston in January, tied for the national high school lead with 12 homers while batting .477 in his senior season at Pullman High School in Chicago. Here are the top ten draft prospects as rated by the OSA.

Code:

                  OSA TOP TEN DRAFT PROSPECTS
 #   NAME		  POS     SCHOOL		   DRAFT STATUS
 1  Yank Taylor     RF  Chicago Pullman HS   9th overall -Boston
 2  John Stallings  P   Piedmont Univ.       1st overall- Chiefs
 3  Jim Stone       1B  Grange College       16th overall- Cincinnati
 4  Bert Mayes      2B  Elgin HS Marion, OH  6th overall- Montreal
 5  Bill Newhall    OF  Hollis(OK) HS        13th overall- Pittsburgh
 6  Tommy Allenby   OF  New Marker(AL) HS    3rd overall- Detroit
 7  Danny Taylor    OF  Overland (MO) HS     7th overall- Boston
 8  Billy Forbes    OF  Miami State          15th overall- Sailors
 9  Bill Wise       2B  Remsen(IA) HS        11th overall- Washington
10  Dick Steel      OF  Dudley(MA) HS        14th overall- Chiefs

ROOKIE ARMAN SHINES FOR CANNONS IN BIG WIN

It has been a struggle to start the season for former Christian Trophy winner and first overall draft pick Bob Arman but the highly touted youngster may just have found his groove in outdueling Pete Papenfus and the Chicago Cougars twice in the past 8 days. Arman and the Cannons won 3-2 last Sunday but he topped that effort with a 3-hit complete game shutout to get the best of Peter the Heater once more in a 2-0 Cincinnati shutout victory that took 10 innings on Friday. The Cannons remain atop the Continental Association with 3 game lead on the New York Stars and 3 and a half ahead of surprising Montreal.

The Federal Association has a new leader as the New York Gothams have taken a slim half game lead on Philadelphia and 2.5 ahead of injury riddled Boston. The Minutemen had a rough week, dropping 2 of three at home to Detroit before heading west and falling 3 times in 4 games to the Chiefs in Chicago.

Pretty much everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong for the consensus CA pennant winners, as we're already in June and the Cougars are treading water, sitting at 30-30 and 6 games behind the Cincinnati Cannons, who are on pace for their fourth pennant in as many seasons.

On the surface, you wouldn't think Chicago was struggling, as their +52 run differential is better then every FABL team except the Boston Minutemen (+66) and Philadelphia Keystones (+60), and they feature both the batting title (Leo Mitchell, .365) and ERA crown (Johnnie Jones, 2.01) leaders, while having a player with at least a share of the lead in slugging, OPS, RC, hits, total bases, wins, complete games, shutouts, BB/9, strikeouts, K.9, K/BB, WHIP, H/9, OPP BABIP, OPP AVG, OPP OBP OPP SLG, and OPP OPS. But nonetheless, the Cougars just can't start winning games. The Cougars have been woeful in close games, dropping two more tight contests, now 10-21 in games decided by two or fewer runs.

Rumor has it that the Cougars front office had a closed door meeting with some of the team leaders to discuss the future of Manager Clyde Meyer. At the helm of the Cougars since the 1940 season, Meyer is in the final year of his contract, and at one point seemed like a lock for an extension. He's won 82 or more games in each of his six seasons, including 97 back in 1941 where he led the Cougars to a pennant in his sophomore season. Despite all the on field success, the Cougars have consistently underperformed, and this year is no different. Those outside the organization are calling for Meyer's head, but the players are adamant that Meyer deserves his job.

"Plain and simple, the blame lies on us; not Clyde," Leo Mitchell told reporters after a 3-2 loss to the Cannons. "At the end of the day, we're the ones who need to make the plats. And we're not coming up when it matters most. This has to stop."

Many players shared similar sentiment, almost going to the point of begging General Manager Anthony Yaghmour to give Meyer more time. "It's not his fault I'm not hitting," veteran center fielder Carlos Montes began. "It's been tough coming back from the service, adjusting to the grind of a big league schedule. I know other of the guys I've talked to have felt the same. I still think we can go the distance."

The most adamant in defense of Meyer was team captain Joe Brown, who has really had a tough start to the season. "I'll be honest, I can't believe how poor I've been. It hurts knowing that after two seasons off I couldn't come back in and give our guys a chance to win when I'm on the mound. It came to the point where I had to tell [Clyde] to start skipping my starts. First and foremost, I want the team to win games. And if that means I have to take a step back, then so be it. But it's not the time for knee-jerk decisions. We need to come together as a team, and support our manager."

With support for their manager at a high, they saved the job of their skipper for a few more weeks, but the Cougars brass is still not happy. "At the end of the day, its a game of results. And if you're not getting results? Then you can't be surprised when change happens," the Cougars GM explained. "And yes, I know that means me too. But the players have shown their support to Clyde, and at the end of the day they are the ones who determine how we do. They've earned the right to turn things around"

But when asked how tight the leash was, the veteran GM chuckled. "Let's just say this month is key. The Sailors and Wolves come to town, and they're tough to beat. I expect trouble there regardless. But that final week will be crucial. We can't afford to drop games to Cleveland and Brooklyn. If that happens. Well, I'm sure you can guess what that means."

Meyer himself refused to elaborate on the rumors, but you can tell he is starting to feel the heat. It might be the first time in seven years the easygoing Virginia native has sweat on the job, but he'll continue to lead the Cougars. At least for now...

*** Internal Candidates if Meyer is Fired ***

While it looks like Meyer's job is save for now, that doesn't stop us from speculating on who could be his replacement:
Pete Morris: The current Bench Coach of the Cougars, Morris has been tenured longer then Meyer, holding his position since the 1938 season. He has not managed in the big leagues, but he spent a season and six games with the Nashville Chieftains. A former second basemen with the Dynamos, Morris is known to be a tactician, a much different style then Meyer's classic small ball. Morris has done an excellent job developing Harry Mead behind the plate, so the Cougars may want to keep him in his current role as young catcher Eddie Howard may be in Chicago soon.

Jake Swanson: Swanson doesn't have any big league experience as a coach, but he's been a stable in the Cougars franchise, managing the Lions, Legislators, and now Blues. He's in his second season in Milwaukee, and has won both the Century League (1945) and Upper Mississippi Valley Association (1946). He's an unorthodox manager who is known to be controlling, something that may not vibe with the current staff. He's been highly successful in the minors, going 712-460 (.607) with a .564 winning percentage his lowest in a single season. That also happened to be the only season he didn't finish first or second.

BASEBALL MAY HAVE ITS OWN LABOR PROBLEMS

Strikes have affected many industries over the past couple of years and the sport of baseball may be next. A labor organization called the American Baseball Guild is focusing on convincing players from the Pittsburgh Miners that they should unionize in an effort to increase their minimum salary and take salary disputes to arbitration. Robert Murphy, a Dickson College educated lawyer and a former examiner for the National Labor Relations Board, is at the head of the guild and notes he "could talk for three days on some of the injustices down to ballplayers by the club owners."

Murphy has approached players from all 16 FABL teams but has begun his initial focus on the Miners, who play in a union stronghold city. At an initial meeting it was reported by Murphy that 95% of the Miners playing roster took out Guild cards. A vote was planned for last Friday in Detroit where the Miners were playing against the Dynamos. The vote, which would have required a two-tihirds supermajority to authorize strike, passed according to Murphy but the players changed their minds a day later. Murphy claims the Miners owner Al Maday interfered with the proceedings by meeting with the players on Saturday and with heavy support from veteran player Johnny McDowell -who was said to be the lone player not to sign a Guild card- the team was talked out of considering a vote.

RECORD SETTING GAME FOR MONTGOMERY

There has not been a lot to be excited about at Thompson Field this season but young shortstop Bob Montgomery is certainly one exception. The 23 year old was thrust into the starting job after teen phenom Stan Kleminski showed he needed more seasoning. Montgomery was added because of his glove and while his defense has been outstanding, it is Montgomery's bat that has caused Federal Association teams to take notice of late. Included in his efforts this season was a record-setting performance yesterday at Thompson Field against Pittsburgh when Montgomery became the first player in Federal Association history -dating all the way back to 1892- to get 7 hits in a ballgame.

The performance came in a 13 inning marathon with Pittsburgh that the Dynamos won 7-6 thanks -fittingly- to a solo homerun from Monty to end the game. It was the first big league longball of Montgomery's brief (90 games) big league career. He also doubled earlier in the game and added 5 singles while driving in two and scoring 4 runs. It was the 7-hits that had the park all abuzz, as only Andy Stoddard of the 1926 Baltimore Cannons of the Continental Association had ever had 7 hits in a game before Montgomery's heroics. On the season, the 23 year Montgomery is batting .315 with a homerun and 16 rbi's.

The Brooklyn Kings have a log jam of young prospect OF's on the horizon. CF John Moss almost made the club out of spring training but we decided to have him play everyday at AAA. Moss is hitting 308/393/888 for Jersey City and is rapidly knocking on the door, especially with Rats McGonigle struggling in his return. Also knocking even louder on the door is LF Joe Rutherford who is killing AAA pitching to the tune of 361/487/1209 with 15 home runs and 7 SB. Right now the Kings have replaced Ruch with Rule 5 LF John Beaver who is hitting well (356) in limited chances. Then there is #2 overall prospect CF Ralph Johnson who is ready for promotion and hitting 367/477/1020 at AA. #14 prospect Pat Perry has just been promoted from class A to AA after hitting 337/385/869.

It certainly took some time but the Kings finally had a winning week (5-2) for rookie skipper Tom Barrell. The big shock is they won 5 games and Leo Hayden had no decisions. Prior to this week Hayden had almost half of the Kings 15 wins going 7-5 2.60 ERA. Another rookie SP did manage to up his first career win this week. It was long overdue for Wally Graves as the 24 year old former 12th round pick had lost his first 8 decisions prior to shutting out Cleveland 1-0 yesterday. Graves went the distance, scattering 6 hits while walking just 1 Foresters hitter and fanning 6.
*** GRID KINGS ARE BACK ***

The big news of late in Brooklyn is that after a one year absence the Brooklyn football team has returned. It will be called the Kings -just like the ballclub and former football entry and play out of Kings County Park but beyond that little will be the same. The new Kings will not be returning to the AFA but rather plan to be one of 8 teams in the new Continental Football Conference, which will have teams in Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as a nearby rival for the Kings in a New York entry which will be called the Gothams. Former Brooklyn State head football coach and Navy Lt. Commander Bob Montgomery will be the President of the new league.

There is also growing talk of a pro basketball loop tipping off in the fall and some say that the Brooklyn Shippers- a semi-pro team with ties to the baseball Kings owner Daniel Prescott- may be one of the teams in the new league. There has not been a big time professional cage league since the old Federal Basketball League, which counted Brooklyn as a member, folded due in 1930 due to financial troubles caused by the Stock Market crash.

WESTERN CLUBS STRUGGLING TO CONVINCE PLAYERS TO SIGN

With recent news out of Portland that veteran third baseman Frank LeMieux turned down a large contract offer from the Green Sox in order to sign a minor league deal with the Chicago Cougars, it has been revealed that many free agent players are feeling the pressure to remain with eastern organizations. The Green Sox have had some luck, such as inking Johnny Guzzo and Lew Seals todeals recently, but more often than not they are finding players who would be AAA at best in FABL organizations want a significant pay hike to play in the west.

It is clear what is causing the trepidation. Fear of being ostracized by FABL and having no where to play if the GWL does not survive. A quote in the Toronto Mail and Empire attributed to Wolves owner Bernie Millard -who is among the most outspoken opponents of the western league- illustrates why there is such a concern: "Any player who jumps to the GWL will be blacklisted in FABL," says the Wolves magnate. "Our task is to sink this outlaw league, any player who jumps better get a lifetime's worth of salary because when we bankrupt Bigsby along with this league players who jump will never again play organized baseball."

Chicago Chiefs castoff Bob Cummings has found a home with the Great Western League leading Los Angeles Knights. The 33 year old is currently at 7-1 with a 1.35 ERA after his 3rd shutout this past week. With a 0.99 WHIP the often control-challenged Cummings seems to have found the plate out west. The Chicago native with more career walks than strikeouts in 10 seasons with Brooklyn and the Chiefs now has 50 K's and only 22 BBs in 86.2 GWL innings. The former 16 game winner with Brooklyn is looking to compile his best season at 33 years old in his new home.

Changes coming with the Chicago Cougars? After putting up zero runs and three hits in ten innings, all manager Clyde Meyer had to say was "We didn't go down without a fight." Sounds like someone who doesn't care all that much about his job.
Its 60 games into the season and the Cougars have still yet to record a save, let alone have a reliever appear in a save situation. Even the 41 loss Pioneer have recorded two saves, while the Sailors have already recorded 17, including 14 from David Molina
Doc Shaw says that Boston has officially started the free fall that will land them in the middle of the pack in no time. Injuries are a killer this year.
A tough break for the Philadelphia Sailors Slick Wesolowski. The 26 year old rookie will miss two months with a sprained ankle. Wesolowski was off to a terrific start, posting a 9-2 record with a 2.69 era and seemed a likely candidate for the Continental Association all-star team.
Toronto is thinking their pride in defense is misplaced, a total of 47 unearned runs seems to point to problems fielding the ball. Charlie Artuso has already been charged with 8 errors after making only 12 in 1945 while starting all 154 games. Hank Giordano's bat is opening eyes but his glove is creating heartburn for manager Bob Call, 8 booted balls in RF although his other fielding stats do not look that bad.
The Detroit Dynamos are now 10.5 back in the Fed. Look for management to make 'Little Money' Thompson proud and get rid of high priced outfielders Leon Drake and Aart MacDonald. Drake was moved quickly to the Gothams for a ninth round pick which means Dick Blaszak, acquired from the Chiefs in the move that sent the first overall pick to the Windy City, will return to Detroit after a stint in AAA Newark.
Portland of the western loop signed Johnny Guzzo and is going to let him play 1B. After a 4-2 week the Green Sox are hoping with Guzzo and a returning Lew Seals that maybe they can help add some spark to a very stagnant offense. There was some consideration of giving Guzzo some reps at 3B and he might slide over there to see how he handles the hot corner. His days as a SS after a lousy defensive season in Detroit are over....at least with me.

FOUNTAIN STATES CASE ONCE MORE HE DESERVES TITLE SHOT

Scores Unanimous Decision over Matt Price

Mark Fountain is certainly not the only fighter who claims ABF World Heavyweight Champion Hector Sawyer is ducking him, but he may be the one with the best case for why he should be stepping into the ring with Sawyer in August instead of aging former champ Jochen Schrotter. The top ranked contender -unable to secure a title fight- did the next best thing and scheduled a rematch with another top contender in Matt Price and for the second time in a row Fountain came out with the victory.

In October the duo battled in New York City and it was not a fight that would be considered Fountain's best effort but he did escape with a majority decision at the end of the ten round tilt. The Saturday rematch was a much different story as Fountain controlled the bout and clearly scored an unanimous decision. Fountain asserted himself right from the opening bell with a very sound opening 3 minutes and, aside from the fifth round, controlled the entire bout. That being said there was a lot the challenger will need to do better when -or if- he finally gets a shot at Sawyer. His accuracy for one, as Fountain has some opportunities to land big blows but somehow he just missed connecting with more of them. On the other side of the ledger, Fountain's ability to avoid damage was at the top of his game - slipping nearly every big punch Price attempted to connect with.

With Sawyer set to fight Schrotter in mid-August it is unlikely the champ -assuming he wins- will want another bout before the end of the year unless he makes very short work of the German and he and his manager Chester 'Fish' Conley desire another big payday before Christmas. Fountain's camp says he should be the fighter to get that but those are the same words being uttered by Scott Baker as well. Baker, the #2 ranked contender in the heavyweight division, is 14-0-2 and set to take on another top contender in Roy Crawford likely in mid-September. A convincing win for the young Philadelphia fighter should put him on Conley's radar. The two of them may be running out of time for their opportunity as 22 year old Tennessean Tommy Cline is 8-0 and said to be the next great thing in the heavyweight division. Cline, who has won each of his pro bouts by knockout, is back in action next week.

SANDERSON WINS RING RETURN

Pete Sanderson returned to the ring after a full year absence with an unanimous decision in Houston over Joe Sommerfield. The win improved the 36 year old Scranton, Pa. natives record to 30-7-2 and was a successful outing after Sanderson spent months recovering from the beating he took from Hector Sawyer in June of last year when Sawyer gave him a title shot. The ex-Marine was badly outclassed in that bout but weathered a beating from the champ to last into the 9th round in what was the largest crowd to ever attend a sporting event at the new Gothams Stadium.

Sanderson spent several months recovering from headaches and did not resume full training until March of this year. He says he felt fine after the win over Sommerfield and does plan to continue his ring career.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
TBA (likely November or December): World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) is expected to make his next title defense with European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0) as the likely opponent.
TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/16/1946

An agreement was reached to avert a crippling shipping strike...a move that has the nation free of a major strike or strike threat for the first time since last September.
President Truman sent his final plan for unifying the armed services to Congress. Rather than call for the Army and Navy to combine into a single unit, they -along with the air force- will remain three distinct branches of the same organization under the President's unification plan.
The United States has told the United Nations it would be willing to destroy its own store of atomic bombs and stop manufacturing them if an adequate control of atomic energy is established uner a proposed international authority.
The Foreign Ministers of France, Great Britain Russia and the United States have resumed their efforts to agree on peace treaties for Nazi Germany's satellite nations and find a way to bridge the chasm between Eastern and Western Europe.

Jiggs McGee · 03-28-2023, 12:47 PM

JUNE 24, 1946

COLLEGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FINAL SET

In a tournament of upsets a pair of unlikely schools in Mississippi A&M and Lane State have reached the finals of the collegiate World Championship Series. The event, which is being held at Cleveland's Forester Field and began last Wednesday, will conclude over the next 3 days as the Generals and Emeralds clash in a best two out of three final.

Most had expected one of the two Kentucky schools, top ranked Bluegrass State or number two Grange College, would reach the final and many presumed it would be both of them in a rematch of last year's championship but instead both made an early exit from the event. The upsets started when the 16th and final seed Georgia Baptist Gators knocked off Bluegrass State 7-4 on the opening day of the tournament. Grange College would fall the next day as Great Lakes Alliance champion and 15th seed Lincoln College trimmed the Mustangs 3-2. The number three seed Eastern State fell in the second round as West Coast Athletic Association champ Lane State took care of the Monitors 7-3 after the Emeralds knocked off Red River State 5-3 in their opening game. Lane State would complete the trip to the finals with a 5-4 thriller over WCAA rival CCLA in the semi-finals.

On the other side of the bracket, 5th seed Mississippi A&M beat Miami State 5-2 in the opening game before topping 4th seeded Coastal State 6-4 in the second round. The Generals downed Maryland State, which ended Georgia Baptist's upset hopes in the quarterfinals, with a 6-2 win over the Bengals to reach the championship game for the first time in the schools 37 year history of college baseball. The Generals only made the College World Series 3 times in the old feeder era and had some very lean years in early stages of the post-feeder era but have been ranked in the top twenty each of the previous two seasons and their number 5 ranking this year equalled a school best post-feeder mark. The victory over Coastal State in the second round was revenge for the 11 inning loss they suffered against the Eagles in the opening round of last year's tournament.

The leader of the Mississippi A&M squad is Tommy Griffin, a third baseman who hit .302 this season and was selected in the first round of the January draft 12th overall by the New York Stars. The Generals also have three other draft eligible players in pitcher Frankie Fink and the catching tandem of Gene Howard and Bob Mundy. All three are expected to be selected in the second phase of the FABL draft next week.

The Lane State Emeralds have not had anyone selected in the 1946 draft yet but catcher Harry Arnold, second baseman Blue Mitchell and pitcher Mario Ontriveros are all eligble. The star for the Oregon school is a freshman third baseman by the name of Frankie Williams. A first-team All-American selection, the 19 year old has big time power and led the nation with 17 homeruns in 61 games before adding two more in the world championship series including a 3-run shot to help beat CCLA yesterday.

Neither Lane State nor Mississippi A&M has ever won a national championship in any of the big three collegiate team sports although the Emeralds did reach the national title game in basketball twice, most recently in the spring of 1940.

RESULTS

WEDNESDAY JUNE 12
Maryland State 1 Opelika State 0
CC Los Angeles 2 Charleston Tech 1
Coastal State 14 Arkansas A&T 3
Georgia Baptist 7 Bluegrass State 4

THURSDAY JUNE 13
Lane State 5 Red River State 3
Mississippi A&M 5 Miami State 2
Eastern State 6 Piedmont University 1
Lincoln College 3 Grange College 2

FRIDAY JUNE 14
Maryland State 4 Georgia Baptist 1
Mississippi A&M 6 Coastal State 4
CC Los Angeles 3 Lincoln College 0
Lane State 7 Eastern State 3

SUNDAY JUNE 16
Mississippi A&M 6 Maryland State 2
Lane State 5 CCLA 4

MONDAY JUNE 17-WEDNESDAY JUNE 19
Best of three finals
Lane State Emeralds vs Mississippi A&M Generals

ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS SELECTED

The collegiate All-American teams were unveiled this week and the first team once again featured a large number of underclassmen. It also included 4 players being honoured for the second time including Piedmont University pitcher John Stallings, who was the first overall selection by the Chicago Chiefs in the FABL draft and is the odds-on favourite to win the Christian Trophy. Joining Stallings as repeat first teamers are Grange College first baseman Jim Stone, who was drafted with the final pick of the first round by the Cincinnati Cannons, and Amarillo Methodist sophomore second baseman Al Farmer. The other player named a first team All-American for the second time was Miami State junior outfielder Billy Forbes. Forbes, who was selected 15th overall by the Philadelphia Sailors, was a second team All-American a year ago but made the first team as a freshman.

Five underclassman, including Farmer were named to the team along with juniors Stallings, Stone, Forbes and Dick Helfand, an outfielder from Bluegrass State that was a second round selection of the Boston Minutemen in January.

The High School All-American team also featured a number of players making a repeat appearance on the list. The group also included seven seniors that were selected in the January FABL draft along with 5 others who were honourable mentions and had their names called in January. The drafted High School All-Americans included:

C -Carroll Furnish : 3rd round to Montreal
INF- Tony Ballinger : 2nd round, 24th overall to Toronto
INF- Roy Demonbreun : 3rd round to Brooklyn
OF- Dick Steel : 14th overall to the Chicago Chiefs
OF- Yank Taylor : 9th overall to Boston
P- Bob Allen :10th overall to the Chicago Cougars
P- Larry Beebe : 4th overall to Cleveland

Honourable Mention
P Danny Cecil : 8th round to Cincinnati
P Fred Washington : second round, 17th overall to Detroit
INF Bert Mayes : 6th overall to Montreal
INF Bill Wise : 11th overall to Washington
OF Joe Wood : second round, 18th overall to the New York Stars

The list also included a pair of very famous names. Yank Taylor is the son of two-time Whitney Award winner Tom Taylor and Charlie Barrell, a sophomore infielder from Capital Academy in Washington DC, is the youngest son of the late Joe Barrell, a former pro athlete and movie star Tarzan as well as a member of the famous sporting family out of Georgia.

LOOKING AT THE AMATEUR RECORD BOOK

Here is a collection of notes on performances that set or approached records in the collegiate and high school ranks this spring:

John Stallings completed a dominant pitching career at Piedmont University by setting a new AIAA career record for lowest ERA. Stallings 1.28 smashed the previous mark (min 250 career innings) of 1.58 set by Al Colby with Liberty College in the feeder era from 1912-14. No other pitcher to appear exclusively in post-feeder era games has a career era below 2.20, which was Jim Carter's mark at Ellery College from 1941-43.
Stallings 0.99 era in 1946 is the fourth lowest single season mark behind only Tommy Homick (Golden Gate 1914) 0.71, Stan Merendino (Rainier College 1928) 0.81 and Connie Kesler (North Carolina Tech 1922) 0.90.
Stallings also finished 3rd all-time in career AIAA strikeouts with 439, trailing only Tommy Wilcox (Liberty College 1926-28) with 498 and Tom Barrell (Georiga Baptist 1926-29) 489. Stallings single season total of 164 accomplished this year is 4th most, trailing only Wilcox -twice with 196 in 1928 and 165 in 1927- as well as Huck Moore, who fanned 172 for Commonwealth Catholic in 1927.
A final note on Stallings - his 29 career collegiate wins ted for the third highest total along with Huck Moore (Commonwealth Catholic 1925-27), Ralph Ohler (Rainier & George Fox 1918-21) and Walt Palmer (Bayou State 1924-26). Tom Barrell's 34 wins for Georgia Tech is first followed by Pug Bryan, who won 32 with Lincoln College between 1931 and 1934.
Buddy Miller of Lakeland High School hit .594 this season, tying him with Chuck Adams (Memphis HS) for the 4th highest single season batting average by a high school player. Ralph Hanson (1945 Beaver(PA) HS) has the record at .615 followed by a pair of seasons from Walt Messer while at McKinley Tech in DC.
Bill Wise from Iowa's Remsen High School hit .551 for his career, which is the 8th highest batting average by a high school hitter with a minomum of 150 career plate appearances. Walt Messer (.601) leads the way with Chuck Adams, Luke Berry, Bob Mongomery and Hal Renard rounding out the top five.
A pair of high school pitchers surpassed Hiram Steinberg's single season strikeout mark of 223. Les Ledbetter of Fowlerville (AR) HS set the new mark with 245 k's while another Arkansas high schooler in Eddie Bohannon had 225 this season. In addition, Bob Allen of Sonora (CA) High cracked the top ten in single season K's with 214.
Ledbetter also recored the second lowest high school single season era mark with a 0.24, ranking just behind Hiram Steinberg's 0.23 in 1940. Bob Allen was not far behing with a 0.36 era good for third lowest and nosing out Deuce Barrell's 1935 season to crack the top three. Larry Beebe and Bob Womack also posted era's this season among the 10 lowest ever seen in the high school ranks.
Ledbetter still has his senior season ahead of him but when he is done he could pass Steinberg for career era and career strikeouts. A pair of seniors, both from Arkansas high schools, in Cyrus Goodman and Eddie Bohannon finished 2-3 behind Steinberg for career strikeoutes. The current Cleveland Forester had 855 strikeouts. Goodman finished with 761 and Bohannon 737 to both move ahead of Dutch Yoak's 729 and into second and third. Goodman also finished second all-time in wins with a 44-3 career mark, nosing ahead of Yoak who was 43-2 over 4 seasons at a Texas high school between 1942-45 and trailing only Steinberg's perfect 47-0 career at Washington High School in New York City.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Stars and Gothams Lead the Way

The Big Apple is alive with the sound of baseball! Fans are buzzing with excitement after a scorching week from the New York Stars has them dreaming of a rematch of the epic 1942 World Championship Series. The Stars and Gothams clashed in that thrilling series, with the Gothams ultimately emerging victorious after a hard-fought seven-game battle. It was sweet revenge for the Gothams, who had suffered a crushing defeat in 1926, the only other time both New York teams had won the pennant in the same season.

But it's the Stars who are currently burning up the diamond, with a blistering record of 17-6 in June, and six wins in their last seven games. Despite superstar outfielder Bill Barrett and rising young star Bob Riggins nursing minor injuries, fans are still riding high on the Stars' recent 3-game sweep of the Cannons. There's a shadow looming over the team, though, in the form of the Chicago Cougars, who seem to have found their mojo after a rough patch. With the game's best pitching staff, the Cougars are poised to make a serious run at the Continental flag.

Meanwhile, over in the Federal Association, the Gothams are showing some serious muscle with a powerful offense led by Red Johnson, Walt Messer, and Sal Pestilli. The Gothams have bounced back from three disappointing seasons to take the lead in the Fed, though a recent loss to Philadelphia shows that the race is far from over. Despite injuries plaguing the Minutemen, the Boston team can't be counted out just yet.

It's still early days in the season, but New York fans can't help but hope that they're on the cusp of another thrilling showdown between their beloved Stars and Gothams. Both teams have spent three long years in the second division, but with their recent form, a repeat of the 1942 series just might be in the cards. Stay tuned, baseball fans!

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

As the Chicago Cougars are coming alive the Wolves are seeing their Continental Association title hopes fading quickly from view. After a successful 17-13 May and a hot start in June the team is now 9-15 for the month, Wolves have been swept in 3 straight double headers. Losing 3 of 4 to the Kings then 2 of 3 in Chicago this week has brought tensions to a head in the clubhouse.

The team is not hitting, pitching, or playing defense in anything close to acceptable Wolves standards. The loss of Juan Pomales, who is now finally ready to return after missing a month, seems to have disrupted the entire team. If Pomales' return does not put the team quickly back on a winning track Manager Bob Call promises drastic measures will be taken in Toronto.

As we near mid-season let's take a look at the newcomers who have helped push the Gothams 1.5 games up in first place.

Flipper Robinson - Maybe the big surprise as the key replacements for an injured Mahlon Strong were expected to be Bunny Hufford or Bobby Boone. However when both struggled at the plate the organization reached down to AAA Toledo for their only top 100 prospect. Robinson has rewarded them by winning a player of the week award and overall hitting .364 with 3 homers and 14 RBI in just over 100 plate appearances. With the acquisition of Leon Drake, Robinson will have the long end of a platoon as long as he hits.

Sal Pestilli - Not a rookie, but the powerful Pestilli's bat offers just the protection in the lineup that Red Johnson has been missing during the war years. Still a positive defensive centerfielder, Pestilli is hitting .281 with 9 homers and 35 RBI.

On the pitching side thee was much trepidation about a starting rotation with 3 rookies. There are no longer any concerns as the trio has pitched above expectations. Part of that is that while rookies, they are mature pitchers who have been away in the military.

Lou Eaker - Only a 5-5 record but his 3.14 ERA and 1.28 Whip show that he is pitching effectively and has been the hard luck member of the staff.
Harl Haines - 7-2 2.63 ERA. With good control and the ability to keep the ball in the park, Haines has established himself as one of the top hurlers in the league.

Tom Henderson - Has taken to the 5th starter role. While sometimes skipped in the rotation Henderson has performed when called upon. 7-3 3.38 is as much as can be hoped for at the bottom end of the rotation.

Team management has been question for their free-wheeling dealing of draft picks. These 5 newcomers show what careful dealing can bring to a team. All were acquired in trades over the past few seasons. Henderson and Robinson from the Stars, Haines from the Cougars, Eaker from the Chiefs and of course Pestilli from Detroit.

Congratulations to Harry Barrell on becoming the second in his family and 83rd player in FABL history to reach the 2000 hit plateau.
More Barrell-related news. A 2nd straight winning week for Brooklyn going 6-2 sweeping both the Monday and Sunday double headers. Now 11-4 over the past 2 weeks has rookie Manager Tom Barrell finally started pushing the right buttons?
Al Wheeler, a former teammate of both Barrell's in Brooklyn, remains 3 shy of the 500 homerun mark. The 38 year old has 8 longballs this season but has not hit one since homering in back to back games for the Cincinnati Cannons on June 2nd and 4th.
Other milestone news includes the Chiefs Bob Martin is now 36 hits away from 3,000. Assuming he stays healthy, he should surpass the 3,000 hit mark in July.
Is Lefty Allen starting to come around after a slow start? Allen did not allow an earned run (1 unearned) in two starts last week and won them both. First time this season the Pittsburgh Miners have won in 2 consecutive Allen starts. Lefty was player of the week in the Fed and is now 5-8 with a 3.43 era.
After winning Union League player of the week the Dynamos have promoted Edwin Hackberry to take the spot of Leon Drake on the big league roster. The 19 year old was hitting .279 with 10 HR in 57 games of AAA and will be the starting centerfielder against Philadelphia later today. Detroit also waived Handsome Dan Rogers and recalled young pitcher Pete Brown, who went 8-8 in a little over half a season in Detroit last season. Hand in hand with that move is plans to have Danny Goff Jr. focus on hitting and he will not be called on to pitch much at all.
Joe Herman is also returning to the big leagues as Detroit called him up to try and provide some offense at first base. The 30 year last played for Brooklyn in 1942 before joining the Coast Guard. He was hitting .312 with 3 homers in 28 games at AAA Newark after signing a minor league deal with the Dynamos.
Last month the Chicago Chiefs optioned Billy Brown to AAA to join Charlie Yates. In June, Brown has hit .293/.402/.427, while Yates has slashed .286/.431/.375 overall. Yates is still growing into his power, but look for Brown to get back to right field in Chicago soon.
No one has hit .400 in the Great Western League since Frankie Cohen's amazing .421 in 1935. Before Cohen the only player afer the offensive explosion of 1906 to hit .400 in the loop was German Serrano's .416 in 1916. There is a lot of baseball remaining but San Francisco outfielder Bob Land has been hot of late and has his average back up to .395. Land was a first round pick of the Philadelphia Keystones in 1931 but played just 185 big league games -where he hit .325- and none since 1940. He was not part of the war effort, but instead spent the past 5 seasons with independent minor league clubs Syracuse and Sacramento.

CLINE PICKS APART COTTON

Rising heavyweight contender Tommy Cline improved his record to 9-0 as the 21 year old notched his 9th straight knockout victory. The Tennessee native's lates victim was Walt Cotton, a 21 year old New Jersey native who failed to survive the third round of a bout slated for 6 in Philadelphia last Thursday night.

Cline has fought esclusively other young boxers but plans to face Glenn Hairston, a 32 year old Arkansas-born fighter with a career record of 25-7-2 as his first bigger challenge. That bout is to be on the undercard of the August 17 Hector Sawyer-Jochen Schrotter title fight.

ANOTHER BAKER BROTHER RISING IN FIGHT RANKS

Middleweight John Baker improved his record to 15-3 and is starting to get some attention in the weight category that his father once held the ABF world title. Baker knocked out Jerry Roberts (15-4-1) in the 9th round of their scheduled 10-rounder at Lake Side Stadium Wednesday evening for his 6th straight victory. In all, 8 of Baker's 15 wins have been knockouts.

He is the middle of the three boxing Baker boys from Philadelphia that are following in their fathers footsteps. Dad 'Battling Billy' Baker briefly held the world middleweight championship before an injury ended his career and his focus shifted to training boxers. Among his protegees are his three sons. The oldest is Clifford Baker - a 35 year old heavyweight with a 26-9-2 career record. Clifford has lost his last 3 bouts including a fight with Leo Carmichael -who recently lost his heavyweight shot against Hector Sawyer- and is nearing the end of his fighting days. Clifford was a regular sparring partner of Sawyer and fought several exhibitions with the champ while the two were in the army.

Youngest brother Scott 'The Chef' Baker is 26 years old and considered one of the top heavyweight contenders with a 14-0-2 record. He was once considered the number one high school wrestler in the Philadelphia area and dabbled with a few professional wrestling matches in his post high school days. Scott's career had a nearly four year disruption during the war when he was in the army and saw action in both North Africa and Italy before being transferred home around the time of the German surrender after suffering a badly broken arm - from which he appears to have fully recovered. John, the middle son, is 28 and is the smallest of three, fighting as a middleweight like their father. Unlike the other two, John did not serve in the war as he was declared 4-F due to being color-blind.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
TBA (likely November or December): World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) is expected to make his next title defense with European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0) as the likely opponent.
TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/23/1946

A 7-billion dollar budget for the Army has gone to the House floor for approval. It is the largest ever in peacetime for the Army and includes $175 million earmarked for atomic energy development.
British sources say the Foreign Ministers' Council has agreed that British and American troops in Italy and russian troops in Bulgaria should be evacuated within 90 days after peace treaties with those two countries go into effect.
The United States says it has proposed to Russia, China and Britain a 4-power control commission, backed by military force, to keep Japan disarmed for at least 25 years.
A freak June tornado struck viciously into southern Michigan and Ontario, leaving behind a death toll of at least 17 and more than 100 injured. The twister roared across the Detroit river and into downtown Windsor, Ontario.

Jiggs McGee · 03-29-2023, 01:32 PM

JULY 1, 1946

ANNUAL TWIFB ALL-STAR BALLOT UNVEILED

The All-Star Game, slated for Boston's Minutemen Stadium on July 9, is fast approaching so once again it is time for This Week in Figment Baseball to submit its annual all-star ballot. As always, there were some difficult decisions to making in casting our votes for the starters but here are our selections for the 1946 mid-season classic.

FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

CATCHER: Pete Casstevens is having a great year, a breakout season really in New York as a 27 year old, but George Cleaves is back in Pittsburgh and starting to heat up so our vote goes to the veteran Cleaves, although Casstevens certainly deserves an invite to the game.

FIRST BASE: Red Johnson of the New York Gothams is our pick to attend his fifth all-star game and start at first base for the Fed nine. There are plenty of great choices in a deep position for Fed teams including the Keystones Hank Koblenz, Joe Owens of Pittsburgh, dependable Ron Rattigan in Chicago and Washington's Sig Stofer so choosig the back-up will be a tough task for Keystones manager Jack Everhart, who will skipper the Fed team despite not being a part of the World Championship Series winning Philadelphia club last October.

SECOND BASE: Speaking of breakout years in New York, Roosevelt Brewer is certainly having one for the Gothams this season after 3 years in the Army. Brewer is our choice but Billy Woytek of the Keystones, Boston's Buddy Schneider and a surprise year out of Henry Bush in Washington deserve mention.

SHORTSTOP: As much as we like young Bob Montgomery's start in Detroit, we need to give the nod to Frank Davis of the Philadelphia Keystones. While not on par with the Continental Association's great glovemen, Davis is his usual dependable self in the field and his having the best offensive season of his career.

THIRD BASE: It is almost a toss-up between Johnny McDowell in Pittsburgh and Washington's Mel Carrol but we will give the starting nod to the Eagles star. Bob Martin is also having a nice season in Chicago and Fred Pecora has put up some numbers in New York but in far too small of a sample.

OUTFIELD: We went back and forth on our leftfield choice quite a bit before finally deciding on Walt Messer of the Gothams over the great start Rip Curry is having as one of the few bright spots in Detroit. In center, Sal Pestilli is back from the war and proving all the critics wrong. Finally, in rightfield it comes as a huge shock that we can not simply just pencil in Bobby Barrell's name and be done with it but the Keystones slugger is off to a terrible start this time around despite belting 12 homeruns. For our money Barrell still deserves inclusion as a reserve, which would make him the first player ever selected to play in 11 all-star games. As for the starter in right, if Mahlon Strong had stayed healthy he might have earned our vote but instead we give it to Pete Day of the host Boston squad.

PITCHERS: The ballot limits us to selecting three starting pitchers although we would gladly pass on the relievers to add a couple more starters. If we are limited to three we will go with Philadelphia's Lloyd Stevens as the man who gets the ball in the first inning with Boston's Ed Wood and Detroit youngster Wally Hunter as our other two choices. TWIFB does not vote for relief pitchers.

CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION

CATCHER: The war is over and Adam Mullins is back behind the plate in Cincinnati and that makes for an easy choice. Joe Rainbow of the Stars or the Sailors Woody Stone would be our backup.

FIRST BASE: Chuck Adams is having another great year in Cincinnati and so is Dick Walker in Chicago and Bill Barnett in New York. Heck, you could even make a case for Montreal's Red Bond or Ed Reyes of the Sailors but our choice is easy. We will take Fred McCormick of the Wolves. One of the longest serving ballplayers missed a lot of time during the war and he is performing well this season, so we need Fred back in the all-star game - a contest he has been named MVP of twice.

SECOND BASE: Clark Car, Jim Adams Jr., Charley McCullough, maybe even Rabbit Mudd. It is not a position with high end talent in the CA, but there are a lot of players with decent numbers. Young Les Cunha of the Philadelphia Sailors has impressed us this season and deserves to start in what would be his first trip to the all-star game, and a fitting homecoming for the Boston-area native.

SHORTSTOP: Charlie Artuso slowed a bit from his hot start but with a bit of a down year from Joe Angevine,Skipper Schneider and Jimmy Hensley we will go with the veteran Toronto Wolves infielder.

THIRD BASE: You can't go wrong with either Denny Andrews of Cincinnati or Chicago's Hank Barnett. We will give Andrews the starting nod but Barnett is certainly making our team as a backup.

OUTFIELD: With Al Wheeler closing in on 500 homers and having another solid season it is a shame to leave the Wonder Wheel off the starting lineup but no way you can pass on Chicago's Leo Mitchell as the leftfield starter. The batting average may be suffering a bit but we will still take Bill Barrett of the Stars and his 14 homers to start in right field while in the middle we will go with Cincinnati's Fred Galloway but it is just a matter of time before Bob Riggins of the Stars becomes an automatic choice as the Continental centerfielder.

PITCHERS: We could find 7 or 8 we would love to pick but narrowing it down to three we will go with Chicago's Donnie Jones to start the game with Deuce Barrell of Cincinnati and Cleveland's impressive youngster Richie Hughes as the other two selections. It was tough to pass on Pete Papenfus, Bert Cupid, Eli Panneton and Billy Riley. Like in the Federal Association with Hal Hackney, Dean Astle and Ray Dalpman all sidelined, the unfortunate injury to Philadelphia's Slick Wesolowski did make our decision a little easier.

CONTINENTAL SHOWDOWN LOOMING

The All-Star Game- considered the mid-point of the season- is a week away and traditionally the leader at the break more often than not seems to go on to win the flag. The New York Stars have been on a torrid tear of late with wins in 18 of their last 25 ballgames and have opened up a 3-game lead on second place Cincinnati atop the Continental Association. The Cannons are struggling at the moment - with 10 losses in their last 14 games, with Al Wheeler homerless since June 4 and with 3 straight losses for ace Deuce Barrell after he won his first 9 decisions of the season. The third place Chicago Cougars are finally showing signings of getting back on track after a month long slumber and they prepare to host the front-running Stars for two games beginning today looking to extend a stretch that has seen the Windy City Kitties claim 10 wins in their last 14 outings.

To say the Stars-Cougars series this week is crucial is certainly an overstatement with half a season remaining but if one subscribes to the theory that the leader at the break is likely the club to claim the crown, this is certainly a big series. It looks like the Cougars will bring their best two pitchers, with Pete Papenfus (8-5, 2.61, 85) in the opener and Donnie Jones (11-3, 2.23, 68) in the finale. Any pitcher would have trouble with the Stars offense, with the most runs scored (338) and slugging Bills Barrett (.239, 14, 43, 7) and Barnett (.296, 10, 43). What favors the Cougars is the area of the rotation they'll face, with Henry Shaffer (6-7, 3.59, 52) and Jack Wood (7-3, 3.52, 41) scheduled to be on the slab for the New Yorkers.

Over in the Federal Association, the New York Gothams continue to lead the way with a 2.5 game bulge on Boston on 3.5 up on the Philadelphia Keystones but the team to watch may just be Washington. The Eagles somehow seem to hang around at least for a while each of the past few years and this season appears to be no different. They just left Boston with 3 wins in 4 games and are winners in 12 of their last 15 heading into a big week that seems them face Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and then the Minutemen again. Washington is getting plenty of offense from the likes of Mel Carrol (.349,4,28) and sluggers Jesse Alvardo (.246,13,41) and Sig Stofer (.262,16,36) and while he has slowed somewhat since his terrific start, rookie hurler Buckeye Smith (5-2, 3.12) has been key to the success of the Stockdale's slab staff.

As we approach the all-star break there is certainly a clar divide in the Federal Association with just 4.5 games separating the top four clubs and the remainder quickly fading out of contention, although the Pittsburgh Miners, with 8 wins in their last nine games including a weekend sweep of their in-state rivals, are trying desperately to climb up and join the contender train. Pittsburgh is 8 games back at the moment and face a big week with a homestand that features visits from the Eagles, Minutemen and Keystones.

LANE STATE WINS COLLEGIATE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

For the first time in school history the Lane State Emeralds are national champions. The Oregon school had never won a national football title, had a couple of trips to Bigsby Garden for the basketball championship but came up short both times and had never come close to winning the AIAA baseball crown. That changed last week as the Emeralds, led by freshman All-American third baseman Frankie Williams, swept Mississippi A&M to claim the college diamond title.

The best two out of three series started Monday with Lane State, led by a 3-run homer off the bat of Williams, claiming a 6-4 victory. It was Williams' -who led the AIAA with 17 homers during the season- third long-ball in 4 games of the WCS and he would add another one a day later when the Emeralds completed the sweep with a come from behind 9-6 victory. Mississippi A&M, which has never won a baseball title despite being one of the original feeder era schools, had built a 5-2 lead after three innings before the Lane State offense took over. Junior catcher Harry Arnold homered and doubled, while driving in 5 runs to lead the Emeralds to the victory at Cleveland's Forester Field.

RECORD SETTING PITCHERS CLAIM AWARDS

There were no surprises as the final voting tally was announced to determine the winners of the two major amateur baseball awards for 1946. Each went to a record setting pitcher as John Stallings of Piedmont University claimed the Frank Christian Trophy as the top collegiate ballplayer while the Adwell Award for the best high school player will go to Les Ledbetter, a junior out of Fowlerville High School in Michigan. Each was an unanimous choice and both enjoyed record-setting campaigns.

Stallings becomes the 7th pitcher in the 20 year history of the Christian Trophy to claim the prize and, after being selected by the Chicago Chiefs with the first pick in January, becomes the 6th winner to be drafted first overall. Stallings joins Bob Riggins, Bob Arman, Sal Pestilli, Joe Hanock and Tommy Wilcox as Christian winners being selected at the top of the FABL draft.

It was the end of a record setting collegiate career for Stallings, who was also nominated but did not win the Christian Trophy each of the previous two seasons. He finished with a 1.28 era at Piedmont University, besting a mark set more than 30 years ago by Al Colby of 1.58 for the lowest career era by a collegiate pitcher. Stallings also finished third all-time in strikeouts, trailing only former Christian Trophy winner Tommy Wilcox and the great Tom Barrell -each of whom would go on to win an Allan Award in the major leagues. Finally, Stallings career record of 29-3 (excluding College World Series games) ties him for third all-time in career collegiate wins, trailing only Barrell and Pug Bryan.

Ledbetter was just as dominant at the high school level as Stallings was in the collegiate ranks. The junior from Fowlerville, Mi., established a single season record for strikeouts by fanning 245 hitters in just 113 innings of work. His 0.24 era was the second lowest single season mark ever recorded, trailing only three-time Adwell Award winner and current Cleveland Foresters pitcher Hiram Steinberg's 0.23 set in 1940. Ledbetter won't match Steinberg's three Adwell Awards but he is the favourite to win his second straight next season -joining Roy Schaub and Walt Messer as two-time winners- and may just break Steinberg's career collegiate strikeout mark as well.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

After falling into the doldrums for most of June the team seemed to wake up during the last week of the month. Wolves managed to finish June with a 13-16 record, not stellar but it could have been much, much worse.

Wolves rebound with a 4-1 record last week coinciding with Pomales' return which has lowered the tension level in Toronto. Juan Pomales had a line of .333/.333/.533 playing in 4 of 5 games since his return after a month long absence. The week took the team back over .500, 37-36, at the mid-point of the season in fifth place but only 6 games out of the CA lead. In a relative surprise the Wolves are being led by the bats not the arms. Rookie Hank Giordano, .407/.433/.602 twice was the POTW in June along with just being named the Batter of the Month for June. Hal Wood, who let management know his displeasure with not starting everyday pushed Manager Bob Call's hand somewhat to start him, responded putting up a June of .424/.438/.529 in 90 time to the plate forcing Tom Frederick in a reserve role at numerous positions.
McCormick's bat is it usual steady self but there is concern that three regulars -Walt Pack, Clarence Howerton and Chink Stickels- each had a poor performance at the plate during June. Defensively the Wolves are improving but still adding grey hair to Call's scalp with shoddy play in the field.

New pitching coach Johnny Franklin had big shoes to fill when Art Nichols retired after last season. This relative youngster for the FABL job has fans questioning the wisdom of the move to the big club. Allen Award winner George Garrison, who finally even his record at 6-6, seems to be rounding into shape but the rest of the rotation is hit or miss, one good start then the next not so good. Jim Morrison was finally sent to the bullpen with Cookie Myers inserted into his regular rotation spot. The relief corps is the same way, uneven, Lou Jayson is starting to show signs of recovery after a long absence overseas. The staff has to bring things to the a whole new level if the Wolves are to have a chance in what will an ultra competitive CA pennant race.

The Wolves start their second half with 8 games in first 7 days of July before a 3 day break for the All-Star game. What better time to begin a charge to the top of the CA?

HACKBERRY ERA BEGINS

Not a lot has gone well for the Detroit Dynamos through the first half of this Federal Association season, but there are positives for the future of the ballclub. One big piece of that future made its big league debut last week and by all accounts the performance of 19 year old centerfielder Edwin Hackberry was even better than expected. The number 3 ranked prospect in the entire sport according to OSA, looked good both at the plate and in the field while making his big league debut. The 3rd overall selection in the 1944 draft went 0-for-3 in his debut against the Philadelphia Keystones but singled off of the Keystones Pepper Tuttle in his first at bat the next day and would add a pair of two-hit games later in the week while batting .292. The San Diego native even threw out a baserunner at third and played solid defense in centerfield. The hope in the Dynamos front-office is manager Dick York will no longer have a decision to make on his starting centerfield and will simply be able to write in Hackberry's name on the lineup card for the next decade.

The Hackberry promotion certainly went a lot better than the attempt to use the other highly touted 19 year old hitter from the first round of the 1944 draft. Stan Kleminski couldn't catch a cold at shortstop in making 12 errors in 10 games in April and had to be dispatched to Newark to learn the nuances of the middle infield despite a solid .302 batting average in his 3 weeks with the big club. After 50 games at shortstop in AAA there is not a substantial impovement so Kleminski may be forced to learn a new position if he wants to get back to the big club. That might be for the best as 23 year old Bob Montgomery -called on as an emergency defensive replacement for Kleminski before the Detroit pitchers sued for a lack of support- has been stellar not only with his glove but also with his bat as he is hitting .306 and looks like he may become a fixture along with fellow 23 year old Del Johnson as the Dynamos Keystone combo.

Another player who seems to be settling in nicely is catcher Rick York. The manager's eldest son needed a little time in Newark to get on track after a very slow start but York is hitting .315 in the 38 games since his recall from AAA. There may even be some positive signs on Dick Blaszak, who came over in the deal to swap first round draft picks with the Chicago Chiefs. The 24 year old first overall selection of the 1940 draft has already had quite a life, one that he counts himself as lucky to still have after he was shot in the shoulder while serving in the Pacific. He struggled in a big league debut with the Chiefs a year ago and had all kinds of trouble here in Detroit in April but after a stint in Newark he is looking a little better, batting .255 since the recall and even hit his first homerun as a Dynamo in a 3-0 win over the Keystones last Monday.

While this season will likely not produce flag fever among Dynamos supporters, there is a lot to like about the future....and we haven't even touched on the fine pitching from 20 year old Carl Potter or 24 year old rookie Wally Hunter. Stay positive Detroit fans. The pieces are there. We just need to hope that this time around the new management team doesn't follow the lead of the old and deal all the key ones to New York.

Jim Lonardo turned 42 years of age a couple of weeks ago but every so often he can still pitch a whale of a ballgame. One such case was last Wednesday when he went the distance to beat Philadelphia 8-2 for the 297th victory of his career. Lonardo has been very inconsistent with a 4-5 record and a 4.65 era on the season but the Dynamos will give him every opportunity to get to 300 wins.
Al Wheeler has slowed down in his quest for 500 homers. The Wonder Wheel hit his 8th of the season on June 4 but has not homered since and is batting just .197 in June, coinciding with a real slump of late for his Cincinnati Cannons, who have dropped 10 of their last 14. Wheeler sits at 497 homeruns. Only Max Morris, with 711, has more.
Paging Bobby Barrell! Would Bobby Barrell please report to the batting cage. What has happened to Mr Barrell this season? Homers are still being hit but the Keystones star is slashing just .204/.294/.367 and certainly no longer an automatic selection for the Federal Association right field spot on my ballot. His WRC+ (99) is almost 100 points lower then last season (192).
I am not sure if there is a young player I am more impressed with than Richie Hughes. The 23 year old Cleveland lefthander went 6-10 with a 3.81 era in 16 starts a year ago as a rookie. He was hammered on opening day this season by Cincinnati but has been terrific since, posting an 11-5 record and a 2.41 era. Hughes went 4-2 in June with a 1.56 era and certainly deserves a spot on the all-star team.
The Dallas Centurions may be struggling in the Great Western League, sitting at 32-39 and 10.5 games back of co-leaders Los Angeles and Oakland, but their Class A affiliate in Tuscson is playing at a .750 clip. The baby Centurions are 48-18, have a 14 game lead atop the new Transborder Association and lead the loop in nearly every key hitting and pitching category. Among their top players are Al Stout Jr., a former Cleveland Foresters draft pick and son of the long-time Toronto Wolves shortstop by the same name.
After a year off due to the war it looks like nothing has changed in Japanese baseball. The Kobe Bulls won each of the last three JBA titles and are once again leading the loop this season. Kobe is off to a 24-9-3 start (they allow ties in the league) and has a 3.5 game lead on one of the new entries -the Tokyo Rakisuta Rams- in the 8 team loop.

A LOOK AT THE TOP FIGHTERS IN EACH WEIGHT CLASS

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

World Champion Hector Sawyer is set to face the man he defeated to first claim the title back in 1940 when he squares off against German Jochen Schrotter on August 17. Most agree it should be a very easy victory for the champ and the 40 year old Schotter -who has had one pro bout in the past six years and was disqualified from it- should not be in the same ring as Sawyer. The champ will be making his sixth title defense with the most recent victory being a TKO of Leo Carmichael in February.

Top contenders Mark Fountain and Scott Baker both feel that they should be the ones in the ring with Sawyer at the Bigsby Oval next month but instead they are left on the outside. Fountain cemented his status as the top contender with a second straight decision over Matt Price -knocking the 29 year old Tampa native out of the top contender list. Fountain (21-2-1) beat Price by a majority decision in New York last December and when a bout with Sawyer failed to materialize he opted to give Price a rematch two weeks ago, winning that one by an unanimous decision.

Baker (14-0-2), at 26, is the youngest of the title contenders and his camp has been pushing hard for the second generation Philadelphia boxer to get a title shot. He will face another top contender in Roy Crawford mid-August in yet another attempt to force Sawyer and his manager Chester Conley to give Baker the title shot. Baker's two brothers are also professional boxers and his father Battling Billy Baker briefly held the ABF World Middleweight title in 1910-11.

MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION

The highly anticipate rematch between Frank Melanson and Todd Gill in follow up to their draw last October was another tremendous battle with the champ Melanson claiming a TKO victory and retaining his title with a 15th round knockout. Things will not get any easier for the former Pittsburgh factory worker who seems eager to face the best competition possible. The date has not yet been finalized but it is expected to be in the fall when Melanson takes on 36-0 European Champion Edouard Desmarais in what will be his third defense of the title he won a year ago over Archie Rees. Brooks O'Connor, who had a less than impressive split decision win over Dan Stevens in his last outing, likely awaits the winner although the Detroit native will need to get past #5 challenger John Edmonds when the two meet in September. Edmonds is trying to get back on track after a terrible showing in a knock out loss to lightly regarded Dave Sizemore.

WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

A relatively quiet couple of months for the welterweight division, which finally crowned a champion four months ago after the title was vacant for half a decade. Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe won the belt in March with a 13th round knock out of Carl Taylor. Next up for O'Keefe may be a bout with Mark Westlake -the top ranked contender who lost to Taylor by decision last year- or undefeated powerhouse George 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs who is 16-0 with 15 of the wins coming by knockout.

The only change in the rankings from last time saw Wayne Dunn fall out of the list after he dropped a split decision to Edwin Simpson. Stepping into Dunn's place in the list of top welterweights is Dale Roy, a 28 year old from New York State who is 23-5 but has some impressive wins of late including decisions over Scott Sorenson (18-6-2) and most recently Peter Weldon (17-4-1). Roy did lose to Dunn before the war in 1940 and also came up short in a close split-decision verdict against top ranked contender Westlake nearly three years ago.

PAIR OF RISING MIDDLEWEIGHTS POST WINS

The middleweight division might be the most crowded one in boxing with plenty of talented fighters, both veterans and newcomers. Among the latter are two standouts by the names of Bill Boogs and Davis Owens. Each was in action last week and each improved their record as professionals to 7-0.

Boggs, a 21 year old Brooklyn native, is showing signs of a great future after making the trek to Detroit last week for his first test away from the east coast. He had little trouble with Warren Gray, knocking the hometime fighter down 3 times including a 6th round flurry that Gray could not recover from. Boggs gained some attention a year ago when Hextor Sawyer featured him on the undercard of one of his title defenses.

Owens is a Clevelander who got off to a late start because he enlisted in the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor when he turned 18. He was discharged in January 1945 and made his pro debut 3 months later at the age of 22. Now 23, Owens is 7-0 after knocking out John O'Quinn in the third round of their fight in Cincinnati last Tuesday.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
TBA (likely November or December): World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) is expected to make his next title defense with European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0) as the likely opponent.
TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/30/1946

The Russian newspaper Pravda condemned the atom bomb control plan put forth to the U.N. by the United States as a plan to dominate the world and declared that the Soviet Union will never surrender its veto power in any atomic bomb control plan.
After 9 months of wrangling over its terms, the House and Senate both approved a modified Selective Service rule with the age limits fixed at 19 to 45.
President Truman vetoed the modified price control bill, in the face of warnings that doing so may mean the end of all price control measures. The President declared the bill, in its present form, was "a sure formula for inflation."
Britain seized Jerusalem and began large-scale military operations in Palestine in what one official called a drive to wipe out "a state of anarchy," in a region that has seen multiple acts of violence against the government.
Food shortages have forced Great Britain to do something it managed to avoid throughout the last two world wars - ration bread. The measure will go into effect July 21.

Tiger Fan · 03-30-2023, 01:06 PM

JULY 8, 1946

ALL-STAR GAME LINEUPS RELEASED

GOTHAMS LEAD ALL-STAR PARADE WITH SEVEN

There will be seven New York Gothams on the Federal Association roster when the best of the sport gather in Boston tomorrow evening for the 14th annual FABL All-Star Game. The Gothams, who hold down top spot in the Fed as we hit the mid-season break, will be well represented with 7 of their players including starters Red Johnson, Roosevelt Brewer and Sal Pestilli in the park when pitcher Walt Wells of the hometown Minutemen takes to the slab to throw the contest's opening pitch.

A pair of Continental nines in the Chicago Cougars and Cincinnati Cannons lead that loop in representation with six from each ballclub while the Philadelphia Keystones are next with five players selected. What might be most surprising, although certainly less so when you look at his numbers this season, is the absence of Keystones outfielder Bobby Barrell. Barrell, who won the Whitney Award as the Federal Association's top hitter each of the last two seasons and 4 times overall, has played in 10 all-star games which ties him with the recently retired Tom Bird for the most by a player, but his disappointing .213/.302/.379 slash line kept him holding the record for most appearances all to himself.

A total of 17 players will be appearing in the all-star game for the first time. They are: Adam Grayson, Pete Casstevens, Roosevelt Brewer, Jesse Alvardo and Dave Krieger for the Fed with Richie Hughes, Donnie Jones, David Molina, Art Edwards, Bud Robbins, George Scruggs, Chuck Adams, Bill Barnett, Les Cunha, Harvey Brown, Rats McGonigle and Hank Giordano all debuting for the Continental side.

The two starting catchers -George Cleaves of the Pittsburgh Miners and the Cincinnati Cannons' Adam Mullins- will each be participating in their 8th all-star game, a total only surpassed by Bobby Barrell among active players. At the other end of the spectrum there are 17 players making their all-star game debuts including 12 members of the Continental Association squad. Included in that group are starters Roosevelt Brewer, Les Cunha and Donnie Jones. Jones, who pitched yesterday so may not get the call from Continental skipper Ad Doria of Cincinnati to start on the mound, is joined on the CA squad by his brother Johnnie Jones. It is Johnnie's second time being selected and they join three other brother acts as all-star participants - the Cleaves, the Schneiders and the Barrell clan who once had 5 members in the same game and 4 on the field at the same time.

Code:

MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
10 Tom Bird        Retired
10 Bobby Barrell   Keystones
9  Frank Vance     Retired
8* Adam Mullins    Cincinnati 
8* George Cleaves  Pittsburgh
8  John Lawson     Retired
7* Pete Day        Boston
7  Fred McCormick  Toronto
7  Harry Barrell   Boston
7  Hank Barnett    Cougars
7  Ron Rattigan    Chiefs
6* Mel Carrol      Washington
6* Sal Pestilli    Gothams
6* Fred Galloway   Cincinnati
6* Leo Mitchell    Cougars
6  Dean Astle      Boston
6  Pablo Reyes     Pittsburgh
6  Moxie Pidgeon   Retired
5* Deuce Barrell   Cincinnati
5* Walt Wells	 Boston
5* Ed Wood	       Boston
5* Red Johnson     Gothams
5* Dick Walker     Cougars
5* Bill Barrett    Stars
5  Joe Hancock     Toronto
5  Dick Lyons      Retired
5  Al Miller       Chiefs
5  Freddie Jones   Chiefs
5  Sergio Gonzales Retired
5  Lefty Allen     Pittsburgh
5  Al Wheeler	 Cincinnati
5  Chick Donnelly  Boston
5  Skipper Schneider Cougars
5  Mahlon Strong   Gothams
*selected to 1946 ASG

All-Star Game Participants by Team:
NY GOTHAMS- 7- P Ed Bowman, P Harry Carter, C Pete Casstevens, 1B Red Johnson, 2B Roosvelt Brewer, OF Walt Messer and OF Sal Pestilli
COUGARS- 6- P Donnie Jones, P Johnnie Jones, Pete Papenfus, P Billy Riley, 1B Dick Walker and OF Leo Mitchell
CINCINNATI- 6- P Deuce Barrell, P Art Edwards, C Adam Mullins, 1B Chuck Adams, 3B Denny Andrews and OF Fred Galloway
KEYSTONES- 5- P Lloyd Stevens, P Tim Walters, 2B Billy Woytek, 3B Hank Koblenz and SS Frank Davis
NY STARS- 4- P George Hampton, P George Scruggs, 1B Bill Barnett and OF Bill Barrett
WASHINGTON- 4- P Lou Ellertson, 1B Sig Stofer, 3B Mel Carrol and OF Jesse Alvardo
BOSTON- 3- P Walt Wells, P Ed Wood and OF Pete Day
SAILORS- 3- P David Molina, 2B Les Cunha and OF Harvey Brown
CLEVELAND- 2- P Richie Hughes and P Frank Phillips
PITTSBURGH- 2- P Adam Grayson and C George Cleaves
ST LOUIS- 2- P Buddy Long and OF Larry Gregory
TORONTO- 2- SS Charlie Artuso and OF Hank Giordano
BROOKLYN- 1- OF Rats McGonigle
CHIEFS- 1- OF Dave Krieger
DETROIT- 1- P Frank Gordon
MONTREAL- 1- P Bud Robbins

FEDERAL ASSOCIATION LEADS ALL-STAR SERIES 8-5

Minutemen Stadium in Boston is set to host FABL's 14th annual all-star game. It marks the first time the series has made a stop in New England and the hosts from the Federal Association will be looking to extend their series lead, which presently sits 8 wins to 5 in their favour.

Last year's contest at Cougars Park in Chicago saw the game go 10-innings before the Fed pulled out the victory thanks to a grand slam by Boston outfielder Chick Donnelly.

[code] PAST ALL STAR GAME RESULTS
YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP
1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pittsburgh
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 St Louis
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 Toronto
1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick Toronto
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, St Louis
1944 Columbia Stadium Federal 1 Continental 0 Ed Bowman, Gothams Don Miller, Washington
1945 Cougars Park Federal 8 Continental 4 (10) Bill Anderson, Pit Chick Donnelly, Boston
[code]

ALL-STAR FLASHBACK
Here is a look back at the details of each of the previous thirteen All-Star Games:

1933 WHITNEY PARK IN CHICAGO: Federal Association 8 Continental Association 5

It was on July 6, 1933 that the first all-star game was played. Whitney Park, named after the founder of both big league baseball and the Chicago Chiefs franchise, was an ideal venue as a capacity crowd of 32,250 witnessed Bob Worley of Montreal swing at the first pitch thrown by the Keystones Ed Baker, and fly out to the Chiefs Jim Hampton in leftfield to officially begin the legacy of the all-star game.

The Continental side struck first as with two-out in the opening frame Hall of Famer Max Morris singled off Baker and then Moxie Pidgeon ripped a 2-run homer. The lead was short-lived as the Feds rallied to tie with a run in each of the first and second innings before taking the lead for good in the third when Pete Asher hit a 2-run double as part of a 3-run outburst. When the dust settled the final tally was 8-5 for the Feds with Ben Curtin of the St Louis Pioneers getting credit for the victory while the Stars Les Zoller was tagged with the loss. Asher, the Pittsburgh shortstop at the time, ended up as the MVP of the game with 2 singles and a third rbi to go with that third inning double as he upstaged Freddie Jones of St Louis, who also had 3 hits in the game.

1934 RIVERSIDE STADIUM IN NEW YORK: Federal Association 11 Continental Association 7

The Feds won for the second year in a row despite being outhit 16-10 and committing 3 errors while the Continental side did not make any miscues. The game created what remains to this day as the biggest controversy in all-star history when Dick Pozza, who was managing the Continental side despite being recently fired by the 1933 champion Chicago Cougars, forced Brooklyn relief ace Del Lyons to pitch 3 innings in the all-star game. Lyons was lit up for 9 runs but the Kings were incensed, claiming Pozza had been paid off by Cleveland owner Elmer Marshall to overuse Lyons and Brooklyn catcher Fred Barrell, who played the entire game. The Foresters and Kings were in a spirited race for top spot in the Continental Association at the time and it just so happened that a key series between the two clubs took place immediately after the all-star game, one for which as it turned out Lyons would be unavailable to pitch.

The game did make history as when Bobby Barrell of the Keystones led off the contest he was facing three of his brothers with Tom on the mound, Fred behind the plate and Harry at shortstop marking a record 4 siblings competing on the all-star field at the same time. The record would last just 2 years as for the 1936 game all four were there again but joined by the fifth baseball playing Barrell brother as Dan was also in the Continental lineup, although in this case while all five did play, they did not all appear on the field at the same time.

1935 BROAD STREET PARK IN PHILADELPHIA: Federal Association 5 Continental Association 2

Little is remembered of the 1935 contest as it's boxscore did not survive. The Federal Association did win, for the third year in a row, with Art Myers of the Keystones earning the W while Brooklyn's Bert Henggeler took the loss. Don Attaway, another Keystones pitcher, picked up a save and Freddie Jones, thanks to a 3-run homer, was the MVP.

1936 PIONEER FILED IN ST LOUIS: Continental Association 6 Federal Association 4

The game made history for two reasons. First the CA finally got a win and second, as previously mentioned, this game marked the first time 5 brothers had ever participated in a single big league contest as Brooklyn's Tom, Fred, Harry and Dan Barrell were joined in the game by the Keystones Bobby. Each of the position playing Barrell's had at least one hit in the game with Harry and Bobby getting 2 apiece. One of Bobby's knocks was a double off his brother Tom.

The Continental side took the lead in the top of the first when they scored 3 runs thanks to a pair of doubles from Al Wheeler and Dick Walker. Moxie Pidgeon, now in the Federal Association with the New York Gothams, drove in Bobby Barrell in the bottom of the first to cut the CA lead to 3-1 but a Lou Williams RBI triple in the second restored the 3-run lead for the Continental nine. Bobby's double off of Tom scored Freddie Jones and cut the lead back to 2 runs but Harry put it away for the CA with a 2-run double of his own in the sixth inning. Tom Barrell got the win despite losing bragging rights to his brother Bobby with Rabbit Day taking the loss. Dick Walker of the Sailors was named the MVP.

1937 DOMINION FIELD IN TORONTO: Federal Association 4 Continental Association 2 (19 innings)

Another milestone game as not only was it the first FABL All-Star game played outside of the United States but it also lasted a record 19 innings and took over 5 hours to complete. A capacity crowd of 37,592 - believed to be the most ever to attend a baseball game at Toronto's Dominion Stadium - witnessed an All-Star game that was truly worthy of the moniker classic.

The visiting Feds took a quick lead on a rbi single from Pete Day to score Mel Carrol (who would go on to hit .407 that year) in the top of the first. It stayed 1-0 until the fifth inning when the Chiefs Al Miller walked George Dawson with one out. A sacrifice bunt and a Mike Taylor single later and the game was tied at 1. It would stay that way until the 19th inning.

There were chances to end it before the 19th inning, certainly, such as when the Continental stars had a runner on third with one out in the bottom of the 18th but failed to bring a run in. In the top of the 19th Ken Mayhugh doubled off Walt Wells and moved to third on a Moxie Pidgeon ground out. The next man up, Jack Flint, singled in Mayhugh to break the tie and then Ed Stewart added insurance with a 2-run homer to put the Fed stars up 4-1. The insurance would prove necessary as the Continental side did not go quietly. They loaded the bases with one out and George Dawson singled in a run to cut the deficit to 2 and keep the rally going. However, the Feds went to their final pitcher - George M Brooks- and he saved the day by getting Jack Cleaves of the Sailors to hit into a game ending double play allowing everyone to finally go home.

1938 BIGSBY OVAL IN NEW YORK: Continental Association 5 Federal Association 4 (13 innings)

For a while there was worry this game might last as long as the previous year's contest but in the end the Continental Association stars ended it in 13 innings, claiming a 5-4 victory thanks to Bob Smith's rbi double off Don Attaway in the top of the 13th to plate Adam Mullins and give the CA it's second win in the series. For Attaway, who was the winning pitcher and MVP of last year's marathon, the Keystones reliever became the first pitcher to be credited with both a win and a loss in all-star play.

The story this year was Fred McCormick's CA debut. Traded from St Louis to Toronto just prior to the start of the season, McCormick had an incredible 1938 that included his first Whitney Award but before that he was the star of the all-star game. The 29 year old had 3 hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in 2 runs while scoring one himself to lead the way. McCormick also became the first player in all-star history to be on the winning side 5 times. He was with the Feds for four seasons, all wins, missing only the 1936 game in which the Fed lost before being traded to a CA club.

1939 FORESTER STADIUM IN CLEVELAND: Continental Association 6 Federal Association 3

Once more it was Fred McCormick leading the way as he became the first two-time All-Star Game MVP and helped propel the Continental nine to it's second straight victory. McCormick had 3 hits, a double and a pair of triples, for the second year in a row and once more drove in two runs and scored one himself. Another exile from the Federal Association, new Cleveland third sacker Mel Carrol, also had a big game at the plate for the winning side.

The Feds actually opened the scoring when Gus Goulding surrendered a homerun to Sal Pestilli to lead off the third inning but McCormick evened things up with a triple in the home half to plate Sailor Bob Smith. A Joe Watson groundout would allow McCormick to score and the CA took the lead but it was short-lived. The Feds got to Goulding again in the fourth, scoring two more runs to go up 3-2 and it stayed that way until the bottom of the 7th when John Lawson's sacrifice fly plated Carrol to tie the ballgame.

Could we have a third straight extra innings contest? The answer turned out to be no as veteran Dave Trowbridge scored Freddie Jones with a 2-out double off of Art Myers in the bottom of the eighth to put the CA in front. Mel Carrol would single in Trowbridge and McCormick would follow with a double off Charlie Stedman, who had relieved Myers, to plate Carrol and the lead was suddenly 6-3. Joe Hancock took care of the Federal hitters in the 9th to secure the victory for the Continental side.

1940 THOMPSON FIELD IN DETROIT: Federal Association 7 Continental Association 4

A late rally allowed the Federal stars to get back on the winning side of the ledger after losing each of the previous two games and three of the last four. It looked like the Continental boys might make it three in a row when they erupted for 4 runs in the top of the third inning off of Charlie Wheeler from the hometown Dynamos. It was many tiny cuts rather than one big blow as the CA strung together 4 singles and was aided by a free pass and a Lew McClendon error. The Feds were getting some hits but first Joe Hancock and then Cincinnati's Butch Smith escaped without surrendering a run over the first five innings.

That changed in the bottom of the sixth when Deuce Barrell, making his all-star debut, surrendered a 3-run homer to Billy Woytek of the Keystones. It wasn't a bad outing for Deuce, just one bad pitch as an error by Fred McCormick prolonged the inning and allowed Woytek to come to the plate. Still leading 4-3, Dick Lyons took over for the 7th inning but after getting Red Johnson to ground out, the veteran surrendered back to back singles to Ron Rattigan and Hank Koblenz. That brought the Chiefs Bill May to the plate and the speedy centerfielder cleared the bases with a triple to put the Feds ahead 5-4. Red Johnson, the young Detroit slugger, would add a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to secure the Fed victory.

1941 KINGS COUNTY PARK IN BROOKLYN: Continental Association 8 Federal Association 4

Last year's game saw the offense come early as the Continental side took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a pair of singles (off the bats of Dave Trowbridge and Adam Mullins) and a pair of walks issued by Fed starting pitcher Ed Wood. Pittsburgh slugger Mahlon Strong evened things up in the top of the second when he took Cincinnati's Butch Smith deep for a 2-run homer but the Continental nine took the lead for good in the bottom of the third inning. Three runs came in on three hits with the biggest damage done by another Cincinnati player as Fred Galloway hit a 2-run single and then came in to score when Skipper Schneider of the Chicago Cougars tripled. Schneider and his twin brother Buddy of the Boston Minutemen, who would meet in the World Championship Series just 3 months later, made history by becoming the first set of twins to ever play in an all-star game. Who knows, it may well be triplets one day as their other brother - pitcher Bart- is working his way up the Cleveland Foresters system.

The Feds would cut the deficit to 5-3 when, following a pair of walks issued by Chuck Cole of the New York Stars, Gothams third baseman Billy Dalton provided an rbi single but Harry Barrell quickly restored the 3-run lead when the hometown star delighted the 32,000 who crowded into Kings County Ballpark with a double to plate Leo Mitchell in the home half of the fifth.

The score would remain 6-3 until the top of the 8th when veteran Frank Vance hit a lead off double and scored on a ground out off the bat of Buddy Schneider making the score 6-4 for the CA but any thoughts of a Fed comeback quickly disappeared when the Cougars Leo Mitchell hit a two-run double in the bottom of the 8th. Brooklyn relief specialist Del Lyons, aided by a double play, took care of business in the top of the ninth to preserve the 8-4 win for the Continental stars and cut the Fed lead in the series to one at 5 wins to four.

1942 FITZPATRICK PARK IN PITTSBURGH: Federal Association 7 Continental Association 4

Hank Barnett homered twice to help the stars of the Federal Association top their Continental counterparts 7-4 in the 10th annual All-Star Game, held in Pittsburgh. The Continental Association never trailed in the game until the Fed stars broke the contest open with a 5-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning. The victory gives the Federal Association a 6-4 lead in the series.

Both of Barnett's blasts were solo shots: in the second inning off of Continental starter Deuce Barrell and in the 6th against Chuck Cole of the New York Stats. The one in the sixth inning tied the game at 2 as the Continental side had opened a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Carlos Montes doubled in his Chicago Cougars teammates Harry Mead and Leo Mitchell.

The score remained 2-2 until the top of the 8th inning when Bill Barrett and Mitchell got things started for the CA against Detroit's Fred Ratcliffe with back to back singles to open the inning. A sacrifice fly from Skipper Schneider would score Barrett to give the CA nine a 3-2 lead and after Mitchell doubled, Jim Hensley delivered an rbi single to score Mitchell and give the Continental Association a 4-2 lead.

Billy Riley of the New York Stars took the mound for the CA in the bottom of the eighth but the first pitch he ever threw in an all-star contest was laced for a triple by Al Tucker of the St Louis Pioneers. Two pitches later Detroit's Sal Pestilli followed with a double and then George Cleaves delighted the hometown crowd as the Miners catcher tripled in Pestilli to tie the game at 4. Walks to Red Johnson and Barnett loaded the bases and ended Riley's day but not the Federal onslaught. George Hampton took over on the mound and promptly fanned Tommy Wilson for the first out but he then walked Jim Watson on 4 pitches to bring in what would prove to be the game winning run. Mule Monier would single in two more runs before the CA finally escaped the inning with a 6-4-3 double play.

Suddenly trailing for the first time in the game, down 7-4, the CA went calmly in the 9th as Keystones pitcher Red Ross retired the side in order, getting a pair of ground outs with a strikeout of Lew Seals in between, and the Federal Association had it's victory.

1943 Parc Cartier in Montreal: Continental Association 7 Federal Association 3

The Continental Association once more pulled to within a win of tying the Feds in the overall All-Star Game standings thanks to a 7-3 victory. The big winner was baseball's Wartime Fund, as all of the proceeds were earmarked for sporting equipment that is to be delivered to soldiers around the globe and a packed house of 33,400 took in the nighttime spectacle at Montreal's Parc Cartier. A 4-run outburst by the Continental side in the 8th inning proved the difference.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning as starting pitchers Deuce Barrell of Cincinnati and Boston's Ed Wood did their jobs. Wood gave way to the Chiefs Al Miller in the third frame and the 27 year old righthander ran into a little trouble as Cleveland's Cal Howe hit a one-out single and moved to second when Cliff Moss reached on a Sam Orr error. Up to the plate strolled Dick Walker and the Cougars first baseman delivered a triple to plate both Howe and Moss, staking the Continental nine to a 2-0 lead in the process.

The Feds had a chance to do some damage of their own in the top of the fourth but with 2-out and the sacks drunk with Fed baserunners, veteran Cougars hurler Dick Lyons got out of the trouble he created unscathed by getting Orr to fly out and end the threat.

An error led to another run for the Continental side in the fifth when Henry Jones led off with a single off of the Pioneers Sam Sheppard and alertly scampered to second base when Boston's Pete Day bobbled the ball as he attempted to scoop it up. A balk by Sheppard advanced Jones to third and he scored to make it 3-0 on a Skipper Schneider sacrifice fly.

The Feds finally broke the goose-egg in the top of the seventh with back to back singles from Pete Day and Sam Orr off of the Cannons Butch Smith. Detroit's George Dawson was up next and although he hit into a double-play it did allow Day to score and cut the deficit to 3-1. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning for the Chiefs Luis Sandoval, the Feds went right back to work with Gail Gifford, who had 4 hits on the day, lacing a lead-off triple off Toronto's Joe Hancock. Walt Messer of the Gothams followed with a single to plate Gifford and cut the Conti lead to 3-2 but that would prove to be as close as the Fed side would get on this day.

The magic of the previous inning ran out quickly for Sandoval as Jim Hensley led off with a triple and scored when Marion Boismenu reached on a Frank Vance error -the 4th miscue of the game for the Feds. Fred Galloway ended Sandoval's evening with a single but the Gothams Ed Bowman, who came on in relief, had no better luck. Leo Mitchell laced a single to score Galloway and make the score 5-2 and the Continental side would add two more runs on a rbi single from Joe Hancock - the CA pitcher- and a run scoring double off the bat of Skipper Schneider.

Trailing 7-2, the Feds did get one run back in the ninth inning but that was all they could manage off rookie Johnnie Jones of the Cougars, who finished off the game.

Top player recognition went to Gail Gifford of the St Louis Pioneers, who had 4 hits in 5 trips to the plate while playing in his first all-star contest since 1937.

1944 COLUMBIA STADIUM IN WASHINGTON DC: Federal Association 1 Continental Association 0

The only run of the game was scored on a bases-loaded walk as the Federal Association squeezed out a 1-0 victory over their Continental counterparts in the 12th annual FABL All-Star Game before a capacity crowd of well over 41,000 at Washington's Columbia Stadium. The victory puts the Feds up 7 wins to 5 in the ongoing series between the two teams and denied the Continental stars a chance to pull even in the series for the first time.

Each team managed just 4 hits in the contest and the only run came in the bottom of the third inning when Toronto lefthander Bernie Johnson -making his all-star debut at the age of 34 loaded the bases on singles by Lew McClendon and Johnny McDowell sandwiched around a walk to Don Miller. Johnson induced a fly out from Gail Gifford that was not deep enough for McClendon to tag but with two out and a full count on Luke Berry, Johnson missed with his offering to the Pittsburgh outfielder and the resulting free pass brought in what would prove to be the game's only run.

This came after Doc Newell had surrendered just 1 hit -a Bobby Barrell single- in his two innings of work to start the game for the CA. Miller, of the hometown Washington Eagles, would stir the fans with a single of his own to lead off the 5th inning but he would advance no farther and the Fed would not get another hit the rest of the way.

As for the Continental Association -which has never been tied or ahead in victories in the series- their best chance to plate a run came in the opening inning. CA lead-off man Marion Boismenu of the Philadelphia Sailors started the game with a single off of Buddy Long, who got the call on the mound for the Fed nine. Hal Wood flew out and Leo Mitchell grounded out but Mitchell's ball moved Boismenu to second and the Sailors first baseman would advance to third on Hank Barnett's single. He would be stranded there as Cleveland's Lou Balk grounded out to end the inning.

The Continental stars did not get another hit until Mitchell singled to start the seventh. He moved to third on a 1-out single by Balk but then Walt Wells of the Boston Minutemen settled down and fanned Toronto's Chink Stickels for out number two before getting an inning-ending fly out from Chicago Cougars catcher Harry Mead. They had one more base runner in the ninth with Washington's Kid Campbell walked Bill Watson to lead off the inning and moved to second on a long sacrifice fly but would get no further.

NOTABLES:Washington's Don Miller, who hit a pinch-hit single during the Feds run scoring inning and walked twice, was named the player of the game. Ed Bowman was the winning pitcher after tossing two perfect innings in relief of Long while Toronto's Johnson was tagged with the loss....It was obviously the lowest scoring all-star game ever but also the first in which there were no extra base hits....The Federal stars had never scored less than 3 runs in a game until this one and the Continental side had always played at least 2 in every previous contest....Lowest scoring ASG prior to this one was 19 inning marathon won by the Feds in 1937 by a 4-2 score....Artie Mortimer of the New York Daily Mirror joked in the press box during that game that it should be called the 'Some Stars Game' with so many great players missing due to the war.

1945 COUGARS PARK IN CHICAGO: Federal Association 6 Continental Association 4 (10 innings)

Chick Donnelly became an All-Star Game hero with one swing of the bat. The 33 year old Boston Minutemen outfielder hit a grand slam with two-out and two-strikes on him in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Federal Association stars to an 8-4 win in the 13th annual all-star game, played before a sold out crowd of 44,450 at Chicago's Cougars Park. The victory gives the Federal Association an 8 games to 5 lead in the series.

It marked the third time the contest has needed extra innings with the Fed stars winning 4-2 in a 19 inning marathon in 1937 and the Continental side gaining revenge with a 5-4 13 inning victory the following season. It also marked the second time the game was played in Chicago, with the Federal Association winning the first one as well. That was in 1933 in the inaugural Mid-Summer Classic, played at Whitney Park and won 8-5 by the Federal stars.

With war vets George Garrison and Harry Carter taking the hill for their respective sides the game remained scoreless until the 5th inning. The visiting Feds got on the board first when, with Eli Panneton of the New York Stars pitching, Cal Page of St Louis hit a one-out single and then scored on a 2-run homer off the bat of Boston catcher Bill Van Ness. The Continental stars quickly countered with 1 run of their own in the bottom half of the fith as Jimmy Long of Detroit, clearly flustered with some all-star game nerves, walked the bases loaded but the only run was scored on a ground out from Denny Andrews of the Cincinnati Cannons. Cannons slugger Al Wheeler, missed a glorious opportunity with 2 out and 2 on but his towering fly ball to centerfield was no where near deep enough and easily hauled in by Page to end the inning.

The score remained 2-1 until the top of the 8th inning when the Federal Association increased it's lead with two more runs. Bob Martin of the Chicago Chiefs started the inning with a single and Bobby Barrell -playing in his 10th All-Star Game- delivered a big 2-run single off Cougars releiver Ben Curtin to make it 4-1.

The Continental Association tied the game up with a rally in the bottom of the 8th. With George M Brooks on the mound for the Fed, Brooklyn's Vernon Ruch worked him for a lead-off walk and moved to second on a 1-out single from Walt Pack of the Toronto Wolves. With two-out Jake Hughes laced a single to plate Ruch and move Pack to third base and then Skipper Schneider of the Cougars, to the delight of his hometown crowd, tied the game up with a two out double.

Neither side threatened in the ninth but in the 10th with another war veteran in Dixie Lee on the hill, the Fed loaded the bases to set the stage for Donnelly's heroics. Tim Walters of the Keystones came on to close out the victory, and despite allowing a walk and hitting a batter, he did just that to preserve the 8-4 Federal Association win. For that mighty swing of the bat Donnelly was named the game's most valuable player with Bill Anderson of the Pittsburgh Miners being credited with the victory while Dixie Lee was saddled with the loss.

DYNAMOS SIGN TOP DRAFTEES

A few more pieces of what the Detroit Dynamos hope will be a pennant contending ballclub in the near future have joined the fold after the Dynamos announced the signings of a number of their draft picks including top two selections Tommy Allenby and Fred Washington. Those two newcomers, along with eleven other draftees quickly agreed to signing bonus and will report to the Biloxi Blues of the Class C Gulf States League to begin their pro careers.

It is the outfielder and Allenby and righthander pitcher Washington that will garner the most attention. Allenby was selected third overall in the draft after the Dynamos dealt out of the first selection -which was used on Christian Trophy winning college pitcher John Stallings- sending the pick to the Chicago Chiefs for the third overall selection and former number one draft pick Dick Blaszak. That deal has been widely critisized and second guessed even within the organization as Stallings had a record setting season as a junior at Piedmont University while the 23 year old Blaszak has been very slow to adapt to the big leagues. The move was made on the recommendation of now former Scouting Director Dutch Forrester but with the full support of the club's new General Manager -who was on the job less than a month at the time of the trade.

Most expect Stallings to be a top of the rotation pitcher -some have even compared him to the great Rabbit Day- so the Dynamos are desperate for a win by seeing Allenby prosper. New Scouting Director Fred Barrell feels the 18 year old outfielder has a high ceiling and could be a 20 homerun, .330 hitter in the big leagues. Despite that high praise for the Alabama native, OSA has him debuting at just #18 on their prospect rankings, behind fellow newly drafted outfielders Yank Taylor, Danny Taylor and Dick Helfand who were all drafted by Boston.

The news from OSA is much better on second round selection Fred 'Boom-Boom' Washington, who is ranked #22 on the prospect list. The Dynamos felt they were landing a gem of a pitcher when the 18 yeear from Linton, In. slipped to them with the top selection of the second round and OSA appears to agree with Barrell's assessment that Washington could some day be a key rotation piece.

Each of Boston's top 3 picks -all outfielders- signed quickly and all are immediately listed in the OSA's top ten prospects. The trio are Tom Taylor's son Yank, Dick Helfand and Danny Taylor.
After meeting his far too large $27,000 bonus demand, not only is Bob Allen the highest ranked draftee to sign, but he's also the #1 ranked pitching prospect in the FABL, beating out fellow Chicago Cougar Duke Bybee to rank 4th and 5th overall. #1 Pick John Stallings has yet to sign across town with the Chiefs, so Allen's time at the top may be short lived, but there is a buzz in the air in La Crosse as Lions fans wait for his highly anticipated debut. The addition of Allen also gives the Cougars a temporary hold as the top system, with one more point (191 to 190) then the CA leading Stars.
The Stars report that their top two picks are signed. First rounder Tommy Griffin is a 3B that OSA slots in as the 21st prospect and second round Joe Wood is an outfielder that OSA places 28th at the moment.
On the field it was a nice 5-3 week for the Cougars, but even after splitting with the Stars, they lost a game in the standings. 44-37 is a decent first half, but expectations were much higher for the Cougars nine, who instead of leading the pack decided to take comfort in their regular third place spot. The Cougars +88 run differential is best in FABL at the break, with an impressive 51-30 expected record. The Cougars are sending six players to the All-Star game, including four of the six starting pitchers, including game starter Donnie Jones. Jones beat the Kings to finish the week, so he's likely unavailable to pitch in the Mid-Summer Classic.
Seven Gothams made the All-Star team tying a club record set in 1934. The seven this year are 7 Gothams made the FA All-Star team. Ed Bowman, Harry Carter, Pete Casstevens, Red Johnson, Roosevelt Brewer, Walt Messer and Sal Pestilli. The 1934 group was comprised of Hardin Bates, Rabbit Day, Jim Lonardo, Chuck Calvert, John Wicklund, Joe Perret and Mahlon Strong.
The record for all-star selections from one team is 8 held jointly by the 1942 New York Stars and 1943 Chicago Cougars. The Stars that were stars that year are Chuck Cole P, Billy Riley P, George Hampton P, Dave Trowbridge 1B, Ray Cochrane 3B, Joe Angevine SS, Lew Seals OF, Bill Barrett OF. The Cougars in '43 were Johnnie Jones P, Dick Lyons P, Dick Walker 1B, Clark Car 2B, Hank Barnett 3B, Skipper Schneider SS, Leo Mitchell OF, Cliff Moss OF
Leon Drake is happy to be back with the Gothams, going 7-for-8 with a triple, homer and 3 RBI this past week.
Toronto's Charlie Artuso was not in the starting line-up for the first time since the start of '45, a streak of at least 235 games. No official numbers are kept but it is believed the streak for consecutive games started belongs to Rankin Kellogg, at over 700 for the Keystones starting in the mid-1920s.
The Wolves have relegated Jim Laurita to Buffalo and called up Jim Carter in an attempt to shore up the bullpen which has been declared a disaster area. The 1-7 week at home before the All-Star break has the front office in turmoil, Owner Bernie Millard has demanded changes stating to the Mail & Empire "This is unacceptable to myself and the Wolves faithful. My management team has been instructed to make changes to improve the team or I will be forced to make changes to the day-to-day management."
In an attempt to jump start a season that is quickly circling the drain, catcher Dino Robinson and outfielder Billy Brown have had their contracts purchased from Fort Wayne by the Chicago Chiefs. Al Miller shuts out the Gothams on Monday, and the Chiefs then proceed to lose the next 8 games and have dropped 17 of their last 20 to sink to the bottom of the Federal Association.

CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE

The newest professional football league plans to kick-off on September 6. That is the word according to the schedule, subject to finalization for the Continental Football Conference. The 8-team loop stretching from coast to coast including teams ranging from New York City to Los Angeles and Buffalo to New Orleans will be the first major league with such a wide scope. The plan calls for a 14 game slate with each team meeting each of the other 7 clubs on a home and home basis. closing with a December 22 date for the championship playoff game.

CFC founder Percy Sutherland pronounced it a "perfect schedule - the best professional football has ever seen, since it brings each of our eight clubs in competition with each other twice."

The finalization of the schedule is subject to the confirmation of stadium availability for all 8 CFC franchises.

BAKER TO FIGHT IN CINCINNATI THIS MONTH

Heavyweight contender Scott 'The Chef' Baker is growing impatient with the inability to land a major opponent for a bout so he has decided to fight a lesser class opponent in a relatively small venue just to remain active. Baker will face Abel Kessler at the 9,500 seat Cincinnati Arena on July 25th. The venue is the winter home of the Queen City University basketball team and has hosted numerous boxing matches but never one involving a top flight title contender such as Baker.

The Philadelphia native has repeatedly been frustrated in attempts to schedule a bout with either number one contender Mark Fountain or highly regarded Boston fighter Roy Crawford, and has had no luck of getting the ear of Chester Conley -who calls the shots for world champion Hector Sawyer. Baker, managed by his father -former World Middleweight champ Billy Baker- says he will fight Kessler this month but is still hopeful of finalizing a ring date with Crawford for September.

Kessler, a 26 year old battler out of Independence, Mo., is not a push over despite what his 15-10-2 career mark might indicate. He does have a couple of impressive wins on his resume including one over Doug Franklin, who was 18-3 at the time of their meeting, but it should be a relatively easy night for Baker.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
TBA (likely November or December): World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) is expected to make his next title defense with European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0) as the likely opponent.
TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0).
July 14 - Toronto - Top 10 HW Allen Bailey (30-4-2) vs Canadian Champion Harry Sweetland (14-3-1)
July 17 - Hartford, Ct: #2 WW contender George Gibbs (15-0) vs Jamie Rotz (21-6)
July 21 - Waterbury, Ct: MW top ten contender Joe Starr (15-2) vs Ronnie Norton (16-7-1)
July 25 - Cincinnati, Oh: #2 HW contender Scott Baker (14-0-2) vs Abel Kessler (15-10-2).
July 25 - Chicago, Il: highly touted veteran middleweights Nick Harris (17-2-1) and Nathan Sears (19-2) meet at Lake Side Arena.
July 26 - Brooklyn, NY: #3 WW contender Carl Taylor (19-3-2) vs Billy Boyd (19-7-2)
July 26- Brooklyn, NY Highly touted young WW Mac Erickson (7-0) vs Greg Coleman (1-2-1)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/07/1946

A historic test of the A-bomb in the Pacific was deemed a success, with 3 of the 73 old target warships sunk and 8 others badly damaged in the test of the fourth atomic bomb. In all, 59 of the ships suffered at least some damage.
Prices held steady in the opening hours of no-ceiling shopping following President Truman's veto of the modified price control bill. However, the death of the OPA saw rent prices immediately skyrocket in many cities, including Miami where landlords boosted prices as much as 250 per cent.
As the week progressed, many items did see large price hikes, and efforts to speed an OPA revival were blocked in the Senate.
In response to rising prices in the United States and to ease the pressure of inflation, the Canadian government introduced a four-point program to combat the threat of rising prices in that country including a strengthening of Canada's price control structure.
British forces in Palestine seized 3,000 Jews in a campaign to end terrorism in the region.
Without informing their Allies, Russia has taken ownership of a major part of Austria's industrial capacity and other properaty as German reparations. The General in charge of American forces in Austria, immediately sent a message to his Soviet counterpart, urging great care in carrying out his order and one to the Austrian government declaring it was not necessary to turn over property which was not a German asset.
Strikes have hit the film industry as picket lines formed at entrances to major movie studios as 10,000 behind the scenes workers have walked off the job.

Jiggs McGee · 03-31-2023, 12:52 PM

JULY 15, 1946

CONTINENTAL STARS CLAIM 2-1 WIN IN ALL-STAR PITCHING DUEL

The stars of the Continental Association ended the Federal Association's two years of bragging rights of all-star game supremacy with a 2-1 victory in a tightly contested pitching duel Tuesday evening in Boston. The victory, cuts the Fed lead to 8 wins to 6 in the now 14 year old tradition of a mid-season baseball All-Star game.

Pitching was the story on both sides as the contest featured just 10 hits -five by each club -and was the second lowest scoring all-star game in the history of the series, surpassed only by the Fed 1-0 victory two years ago in Washington D.C.

The first hit of the game did not come until the bottom of the third inning when Hank Koblenz of the Philadelphia Keystones lined a lead-off double off of the Philadelphia Sailors David Molina, who had relieved Johnnie Jones after the Cougars hurler tossed two hitless innings. Molina quickly escaped any sort of trouble when Roosevelt Brewer lined the first pitch after the Koblenz double directly to his Sailors teammate Les Cunha, who easily beat Koblenz to the bag for the doubleplay.

It was beginning to look like the Continental side might never get a hit as Ed Wood and Ed Bowman combined for 5 innings of no-hit ball in what was still a scoreless tie. That changed when Pittsburgh's Adam Grayson took over on the mound in the top of the 6th inning and immediately ran into some rookie jitters. The 25 year old issued free passes to the first three Continental hitters he faced and then was quickly removed in favour of Gothams righthander Harry Carter. Carter got a groundball from Denny Andrews of Cincinnati but it did manage to score the game's first run and an infield hit from the New York Stars Bill Barrett loaded the bases once more. Another Cannon, catcher Adam Mullins, drove in what would prove to be the game winning run with a deep sacrifice fly to plate Rats McGonigle of Brooklyn and give the Continentals a 2-0 lead. Carter fanned Leo Mitchell to end the inning but the damage had already been done.

The Fed had a chance to respond in the bottom of the 6th when Red Johnson hit a 1-out double off Richie Hughes and moved to third on a ground out but Hughes -the impressive young Cleveland hurler- induced an inning-ending ground out from Washington's Jesse Alvardo to get out of the inning. Billy Riley of the Chicago Cougars had a rough go of things in the bottom of the seventh as the first batter he faced -Washington slugger Sig Stofer- greeted him with a 395 foot homerun to cut the Continental lead in half. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two out in the frame and sent Riley to the showers but George Hampton of the New York Stars managed to get Red Johnson to fly out and keep the score 2-1. Hampton, Cincinnati's Art Edwards and George Scruggs of Stars would combine to retire the final six Federal hitters and preserve the victory.

NOTES: A season high crowd at Minutemen Stadium in Boston of 47,500 witnessed the game....Richie Hughes was named the winning pitcher while Adam Grayson took the loss....Sig Stofer, who hit the solo homerun to account for the Federal Association's only run, was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

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

CHARGING COUGARS ON PENNANT PROWL

8 Game Winning Streak Has Chicago Closing in on Continental Lead

The Chicago Cougars have endured some bad luck and some bad collapses over the past few seasons but a hot run coming out of the all-star game has Cougars supporters thinking that may be a thing of the past. The Cougars took care of their biggest nemesis the past three seasons by sweeping a 3-game set in Cincinnati last week and stretched their winning streak to 8 with a dominant performance in a twin bill in Toronto yesterday, pounding the toothless Wolves by scores of 8-0 and 8-2 and dropping Toronto 11 games out of the lead. The Cougars, on the other hand are just 2 games back of the New York Stars and even though the Stars snapped a 4-game skid with 3 victories over the weekend, it is clear the New Yorkers are going to be in for a battle in trying to hold off a Cougars team that has the best run differential, and by a wide margin, in either association.

The New York Gothams continue to lead the Federal Association but they stumbled after the break in dropping 2 of 3 in Boston before splitting a Sunday twin bill in Philadelphia. The Gothams have lost 5 of their last 7 contests but still lead the Minutemen by 2.5 games and the Keystones by 5. It is the surging Washington Eagles -winners of 18 of their last 22 games- that now pose the biggest threat to the Gothams lead. The Eagles are just 2 games behind New York and will play the Gothams 6 times over the next two weeks.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Has the Window Closed on Toronto? -Wolves struggles continue, after showing signs of life against the Saints they run into a buzz saw in the form of the Chicago Cougars, getting swept again in a Sunday doubleheader. Fans continue to ask "Has the window closed in the CA for this group of Wolves?" "How could this group fall so far, so fast, or is it just a down season with a rebound coming in the second half or in 1947?" Toronto currently sits in 6th place still only 11 games out but fast losing touch with the top teams.

Staff meetings were held during the break led by the owner who is looking for answers and a plan going forward in '46. Manager Bob Call is reaching the point of exasperation, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be freight train coming at him, he has hinted that he will begin more experimentation with the lineup because in his words "What we have been doing obviously is not working."

Front office is said to be making it quietly known around the FABL that the Wolves may be willing to move almost any player by the end of July for the right offer. In a minor move the team parted ways with manager Steve Castellini in Vancouver. His replacement is a name well know to Wolves fans, Frank Kirby. Kirby was drafted in the 6th round 20 years ago spending his entire pro career with the Wolves organization including all or parts of 7 seasons in Toronto, 2 years as the starter behind the plate. Brett has learned that contract extension talks with Castellini had become bitter, in a statement owner Bernie Millard said " We wish Steve well in his future endeavors. Frank will bring a new life to the young Mounties with his superior teaching skills in all areas of the game. Frank will show people along the west coast what real baseball is like even at a B level rather than that brand being peddled by the outlaws as "big league'."

Another sign the Chicago Cougars should be running away with the Continental Association: The 4 lowest era's in the CA belong to 4 Cougars starting pitchers in Johnnie Jones (2.06), Donnie Jones (2.41), Pete Papenfus (2.44) and Billy Riley (2.47). Fifth is Richie Hughes (2.54) of Cleveland.
Al Wheeler of the Cincinnati Cannons has been known for his cold streaks. Wheeler finally ended a more than month-long homer drought with a pair last week, giving him 499 for his career including 10 this year. Maybe that will get the always streaky Wonder Wheel back on track for the Cannons. During his homerless stretch from June 5 until the all-star break Wheeler batted just .122 (10-for-82) with two doubles his only extra-base hits. Wheeler had 8 homers and was hitting .288 up until that slump began.
As we watch Bob Martin's pursuit of 3,000 hits (10 more to go), we should note that he is now the Chiefs career leader in doubles (437) having passed Jim Hampton earlier this season.
Sal Pestilli of the Gothams hit for the cycle as part of a 5-hit game in a 15-3 win over the Philadelphia Keystones yesterday. Sal also had two more hits in the second game of the twin bill raising his average on the season to .312. It was the second time this season a player hit for the cycle as the Sailors Addie Allman accomplished the feat in May, making it the first cycle since Pete Day did it in 1943. Pestilli also had a 6-hit game earlier this year.
At least he won't throw a no-hitter against them again. Doc 'No-hit' Newell -the only pitcher in FABL history to throw three no-hiters- was claimed on waivers by the Brooklyn Kings this week. Two of Newell's gems came at the expense of the Kings as Newell prepares to join a new team after 16 seasons and 194 victories for the Philadelphia Sailors.
John Stallings is now the top prospect according to OSA. The first overall draft pick -who celebrates his 21st birthday today- will go straight to the big leagues and join the Chicago Chiefs rotation.
OSA says the Chicago Cougars have the top minor league system after most of the top picks have signed. First rounder Bob Allen leads the way for the club as the former high school pitcher is ranked 5th overall by the scouting service. The New York Stars, Montreal, Brooklyn and Detroit round out the top five.
The next great catching Cleaves appears to be on his way. After 3 years in the Marines, Roger Cleaves is looking very impressive at Class B Bakersfield in the Philadelphia Keystones system. The younger brother of Pittsburgh's George Cleaves is hitting .313 with a COW League co-leading 7 homeruns in 63 games. The 22 year old was a 7th round pick in 1942 and is now ranked in the top 50 prospects according to OSA. Cleaves is the half brother of not only George and Jack Cleaves, but also Cincinnati Cannons ace Deuce Barrell.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Here is an updated on each of the first round picks, many of whom have taken the first small steps in their professional baseball careers:

BOSTON- The Minutemen had a pair of first round selections and struck gold with the Taylor brothers. Well, they are not really brothers but 18 year old Yank Taylor and Danny Taylor may spend a lot of time together going forward, along with second round selection Dick Helfand in what appears to be the Minutemen's outfield of the future. Danny was selected 7th and signed for a $26,000 bonus. He is ranked #14 on the OSA prospect ranking but struggled in his pro debut, going just 2-for-19 for Class C Hattiesburg last week. Yank Taylor, the son of 2-time Whitney Award winning outfielder Tom Taylor, had a better debut with the Class C Top Hats, hitting .250 with 3 extra base hits. Yank was selected 9th overall and is the #12 ranked prospect after inking a contract that called for a $21,000 bonus.

BROOKLYN- The Kings did not own a first round pick but did have a pair of second rounders in Otis Ballard and Sam Franklin, both of whom have signed with the organization.

CHIEFS- John Stallings, the 1st overall pick, turns 21 today. Stalling signed with Chicago over the all-star break and will become the first pitcher since Eli Panneton with the New York Stars to go directly from the college campus to a big league mound. He will likely get his first start on the weekend and is listed as #1 on the OSA prospect list. The Chiefs also owned the 14th pick and landed Dick Steel, an 18 year old outfielder from Massachusetts. Steel signed for a bonus of $8,620 and was an impressive 5-for-19 (.312) with a pair of doubles in 6 games at Class C Waterloo last week.

COUGARS- The Cougars look like they landed another pitching gem with the selection of Bob Allen 10th overall. The high schooler out of Sonora, Ca. is listed as #5 on the OSA prospect list and, after signing for a $27,000 bonus, had a short first outing for Class C La Crosse, leaving in the second inning with a minor back issue.

CINCINNATI- The Cannons selected All-American first baseman Jim Stone, a two-time AIAA champion at Grange College, with the final pick of the first round. Stone agreed to a contract with a $26,000 signing bonus and has not yet been assigned to a minor league affiliate by the Cannons. OSA is very impressed with the former college slugger, slotting him in at #8 on their top prospect list.

CLEVELAND- Fourth overall selection Larry Beebe, an 18 year old pitcher out of New York, signed last week for a $17,000 bonus. He will make his pro debut this week somewhere in the Foresters system, likely in Class B or C. Beebe is ranked the 16th best prospect by OSA at the moment.

DETROIT- The Dynamos signed Tommy Allenby -the third overall pick -for a $16,400 bonus on July 3 and immediately assigned the 18 year old outfielder to Class C Biloxi, where Allenby hitting .385 (10-for-26) in his first week of pro ball. Allenby is ranked #22 on the current OSA prospect list.

MONTREAL- 18 year old second baseman Bert Mayes was selected 6th overall and debuts at #6 on the OSA list after signing for a $20,000 bonus last week. He has not yet been assigned to a minor league club.

NY STARS- The New York Stars selected third baseman Tommy Griffin out of Mississippi A&M with the 12th pick of the draft. The 21 year old made his debut at AAA Syracuse, drawing a walk as a pinch-hitter a few days ago. OSA puts him at #29 on its prospect list after Griffin signed for a $10,540 bonus.

NY GOTHAMS- As is there custom the Gothams dealt away their first round pick. In fact they traded all of their picks in the first 9 rounds landing Jock McCoy, a high school outfielder from Arkansas with their top pick, which came in round 10.

KEYSTONES- The Keystones did not own a first round pick, having dealt it to the cross-town Sailors at the deadline last season. In round two they selected Bob Gaines, a high school catcher out of Staten Island, NY, who signed for a $2,960 bonus last week. Gaines is #158 on the OSA top prospect list.

SAILORS- Second overall selection Geroge Reynolds signed for a $19,000 bonus a few days ago. The Sailors have not assigned the 18 year old pitcher yet but he will likely debut at Class C Miami. Reynolds slots in at #19 according to OSA. The Sailors also owned the 15th pick which they used on outfielder Billy Forbes. The 21 year old All-American from Miami State has yet to agree to a contract.

PITTSBURGH- Outfielder Bill Newhall, an 18 year old out of Hollis, OK., was selected 13th overall by the Miners and debuts at #9 on the OSA prospect list. The Hollis Hotshot signed for an $18,000 bonus and is expected to make his pro debut sometime this week.

ST LOUIS- The Pioneers selected outfielder Sherry Doyal out of a New Orleans High School with the 5th pick of the draft. The 18 year old signed for an $8,200 bonus yesterday and is ranked 109th on the OSA prospect list.

TORONTO- The Wolves have just signed 8th overall pick Cyrus Goodman. The 18 year old pitcher out of Arkansas was a bargain at a $7,500 bonus but shows up at 456th on the OSA prospect list.

WASHINGTON- The Eagles selected Bill Wise 11th overall but the 17 year old second baseman has yet to sign and says he is committed to going to Rolling Hills College, a second division school in South Dakota. So far at least, the Eagles have not been able to change his mind.

RING VET BAILEY PREVAILS IN CANADA

Allen Bailey conquered Canadian Armed Forces Champion Harry Sweetland much to the dismay of the crowd at a sold out Dominion Arena in Toronto Saturday evening. The 'Annapolis Assasin' as the Maryland native and former Navy boxing champ is known, had little trouble silencing the Sweetland supporters by being in complete control to score an unanimous decision over his talented, but still somewhat inexprienced opponent.

The victory improves the 33 year old Bailey's career record to 32-4-2 while Sweetland, a 25 year old native of St. Catharines, Ont., suffered his third straight loss and sees his record fall to 14-5-1. Sweetland missed four years of his career with serving in the war and was part of the Canadian invasion force that landed on Normandy on D-Day.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).
TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0).
July 17 - Hartford, Ct: #2 WW contender George Gibbs (15-0) vs Jamie Rotz (21-6)
July 21 - Waterbury, Ct: MW top ten contender Joe Starr (15-2) vs Ronnie Norton (16-7-1)
July 25 - Cincinnati, Oh: #2 HW contender Scott Baker (14-0-2) vs Abel Kessler (15-10-2).
July 25 - Chicago, Il: highly touted veteran middleweights Nick Harris (17-2-1) and Nathan Sears (19-2) meet at Lake Side Arena.
July 26 - Brooklyn, NY: #3 WW contender Carl Taylor (19-3-2) vs Billy Boyd (19-7-2)
July 26- Brooklyn, NY Highly touted young WW Mac Erickson (7-0) vs Greg Coleman (1-2-1)

LIGHTBODY LIKELY TO STAY IN LOUISIANA

Reports indicate that Les Lightbody, who is pegged as one of the top high school senior basketball players in the nation for the upcoming season, is going to remain in his home state and attend college at Bayou State. The 6'10" 18 year old hails from Jena, La., and attends high school at nearby Alexandria. That is the same school that each of his famous baseball playing cousins starred for before going on to big league success. Brothers Doug and Frank Lightbody each went from Alexandria High to Mississippi A&M and both had been pushing their cousin to follow in their footsteps and go to Jackson, Ms., to play for the Generals. The other baseball playing cousin is Jim Lightbody, who went from high school right into pro ball and is presently with the Brooklyn Kings. Jim had weighed offers from both the Generals and the Bayou State Cougars but signed a pro contract instead. As for Les, he refuses to confirm his mind his made up either way but he has been seen recently at the Bayou State campus meeting with Cougars coach Chris Turner, who was reportedly all smiles after the conversation.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/14/1946

Chairman Andrew J. May of the House Military Affairs Committee, under fire for misuse of military funds and concerns of his relations with an illinois munitions company conceeded that he may "in my zeal to promote the war effort...gone beyond the rules of propriety by merely speaking to a general over the telephone and asking fair treatment for a business concern" but was adament that he had never used "one penny of anybody's money except his own."
A study of food prices in the nations capital suggest that the cost of preparing a family dinner shows jumps as high as 28% more than preparing the same meals under OPA a month ago. Democratic and Republican floor leaders joined today in an appeal to the Senate to pass the battered OPA bill to control prices before turning to any other legislation.
Big Four Foreign Ministers remain deadlocked on the quastion of invitations for a 21-nation peace conference July 29. Russia's Foregin Minister has demanded invitations could only be sent out if they were accompanied by a strict code of rules. The American and British secretaries say they were willing to discuss procedure rules as suggestions, but would not attempt to foist them on other nations.
The United States has assured Austria it would not recognize the Russian confiscation of German properties in the Soviet zone of Austria. The US also announced a willingness to turn over to Austrian trusteeships all German assets in the American zone.
Threats of a possible Arab civil disobedience program in protest against Jewish immigration to Palestine was coupled with an Arab slap at President Truman and a suggestion that he open America to Jewish immigrants "if he really is in sympathy" with them.
Howard Hughes is expected to live despite a skull fractured, collar bone and seven ribs broken after crashing an experimental plane into three houses and a garage in Beverly Hills.

Jiggs McGee · 04-04-2023, 08:45 AM

JULY 22, 1946

WHEELS UP....TO 500

Wheeler Joins Mighty Mo With 500 HR

Al Wheeler officially joined the 500 home run club last week, a group so exclusive it numbered just one member -Max Morris- until Wheeler took an offering from Montreal's Jake DeYoung over the right field wall at Tice Stadium in the first inning of last Monday's Cincinnati Cannons 10-4 victory over the visiting Saints. That blast was the 11th of the season and 500th in the big leagues for the 38 year old outfielder known as the "Wonder Wheel."

It was fitting the milestone 500th came off of DeYoung as it was the 17th time that Wheeler homered off the 33 year old Montreal lefthander. It is believed that only Max Morris -with 22 against former Washington Eagle Harry Horn- ever hit more off of a single pitcher.

Wheeler, who is now just 67 rbi's away from joining Morris as the only players with 2,000 for their career, did not spend much time sitting at the 500 homerun mark as he added #501 5 innings later off of reliever Bill Ross.

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EAGLES ADD RATS FOR PENNANT PUSH

The Washington Eagles have not been in a lot of pennant races since the last flag raising in the nation's capital way back in 1925, but they made a statement this week with the acquisition of Rats McGonigle from the Brooklyn Kings. The 27 year old all-star outfielder was not having a dominant season in his first year back after missing 3 years serving in the Army, but with a much deeper collection of hitters to surround him in the Washington line-up, McGonigle might just be the piece the Eagles need to claim their 7th pennant. A batting order that features McGonigle (.242,6,23) along with Jesse Alvardo (.255,15,50), Sig Stofer (.261,21,55), Mel Carrol (.367,4,33), George Dawson (.288,2,27) and Bob Coon (.247,7,34) might not quite rival the New York Gothams for power, but may just match the current Fed leaders for run production.

The Eagles have had a couple of close calls in the pennant race recently including last year when they finished just 3 games back of the Philadelphia Keystones after failing to make a significant move to upgrade at the deadline. The club made a bold statement with the McGonigle move -shipping their first and third round draft picks along with 24 year old minor league pitcher Chet Reed to the Kings- and management hinted they may not be done making moves before the July 31 deadline.

JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE -A bold move by the Eagles who have been on the giving end more than the receiving end of deadline deals in recent years. McGonigle has had a slow adjustment back to civilian life but he might just breakout in the comfort of the Eagles line-up, which surrounds him with so much more talent than the the Kings group did. I like the move from both team's perspectives as McGonigle is still just 27 and should have a lot of years left to combine with Jesse Alvardo and Sig Stofer as the leaders in Washington.

Adding a potential high first round pick is always a good move for a rebuilding club like Brooklyn, but if the Eagles win the pennant and the pick ends up being 16th then the Kings might have a tough time replacing McGonigle, the fourth overall pick in 1939 and if he can get back to his prewar production, an outstanding ballplayer.

CONTINENTAL RACE REMAINS TIGHT

The Chicago Cougars are back within a game of first, as the Stars had trouble on the road. They dropped five of eight while the Cougars won four of seven. Both teams face a similar schedule, with the Cougars hosting the Cannons then Sailors, and the Stars hosting the Sailors then Cannons. Cincinnati is just 2.5 back after the Cannons took two of three from New York but this will be a very big week for the three-time defending Continental Association champs. The Cannons hit the road with their first stop being in Chicago for 3 games followed by 4 more in 3 days in New York against the Stars.

In the Federal Association the New York Gothams slowed the Washington Eagles charge by taking two out of three in nation's capital. Those two will meet again for a 3-game set at Gothams Stadium beginning tomorrow with Washington entering that series 3.5 games back. The Boston Minutemen are sandwiched in between, 2.5 games off the pace and set to embark on a western swing that sends them to Chicago, St Louis and Detroit before ending the trip in New York.

Brooklyn fans were shocked to hear the news that one of the clubs most popular players was being sent out of town. But the Kings with a record of 31-57 clearly are not feeling that they are in the mix for any serious pennants runs in the very near future. Since centerfielder Rats McGonigle came back from the war, he has hit .242/.351/.724 with 6 home runs and 23 RBI's. All indications were that Rats was not pleased with the clubs record this year in what clearly has become a housecleaning season for the Kings.

When GM DD Martin was asked about the deal he spoke about the future. "We have a very young club and while Rats is only 27, we felt the ability to gain another top pick in the draft and another pick in the 3rd round will continue our remaking of the Kings. This will also give us an opportunity to look at some deserving players needing some playing time like AAA OF John Moss (.301/.387/.878 10-38 at AAA Jersey City) a chance to show what he can do on the big stage. We have a tremendous amount of young talent coming up in the OF with the likes of #3 overall CF prospect Ralph Johnson and #17 LF prospect Pat Perry who are both at AA. I know its another tough season in Brooklyn for our fans, but we ask for their patience as we allow some of these young players to mature and gain the experience necessary to make the Kings a force once again in the CA for years to come. Your patience will be rewarded in the long run."

With the departure of Rats, the Kings young outfield will look like this: LF John Beaver (23), CF John Moss (24) and RF Joe Rutherford (23). If the Kings want to improve their record in the 2nd half of the season these youngsters will be asked to carry the load to help make that happen.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Mail & Empire Mid-season Report Cards -With the second half the 1946 campaign underway it is time once again to publish Brett Bing's evaluations in the form of grades which has become a fan favourite. This summary is generally a well read column that generates much discussion among the faithful - both positive and negative. While parts of the fan base agree with Brett's grading many question his sanity, demands that he be removed from the baseball beat often flood into the mail room after this article. This year will probably be no different as Brett's report on the obviously under performing squad will be taken by many as controversial, by some as a "kick them while they are down" summary. A record of 40-46 has led to hushed whispers of whether this just a down season or is the team heading back to being irrelevant as they were in the thirties?
Brett's report:

CATCHERS
C- Clarence Howerton C-: Has age caught up to this 36 year old? While still a solid defensive, leadership asset the bat is starting starting to show signs of 15 seasons of crouching behind the plate.
Walter Loera B : His bat becoming more reliable along with noticeable gains defensively under the tutelage of Howerton. Brett expects to see a more even split of duties going forward in 1946 to allow Loera a chance to prove himself as the long term FABL option.

FIRST BASE
1B- Fred McCormick A : One of few Wolves that has played to his potential as attested to by a .278/.407/.496 line with 10 HR 42 RBI. It appears he is all the way back after missing almost 4 entire seasons. Although not quite as nimble around the bag expect to seem more of Fred as manager Call pares back his resting another player aged 36. With Walter Pack's woes, to be discussed later, Wayne Henderson has inserted himself into the conversation as McCormick's backup. Henderson will not be graded due to minimal plate appearances but is now a viable backup option at 1B or 2B. Age, 32, is drawback to Henderson to be included in future plans.

SECOND BASE
Hal Wood C+: Although his bat has never been in question, .332/.386/.428, all the discussion around Wood always comes back to ability in the field. Does his bat provide more than his glove costs the team?
Tom Fredrick C-: Tom, who was supposed to live up to "Mr. Versatility" nickname by starting 4 or 5 day a week at 3 or 4 positions, has been a disappointment after missing 3 full seasons in his country's service. His problem is the opposite of Wood's no bat, with a good glove. Can Frederick's bat heat up for the balance of '46?

THIRD BASE
Walter Pack D-: Brett came close to giving his first F grade to Pack. How does last year's Whitney Award winner fall to .213/.277/.285 with 4 HR 27 RBI after hitting 31 HR in 1945? Was Pack the epitome of a hitter who feasted on war reduced pitching or is this just an anomalous season? Fans are asking if Call should be using Pack off the bench, move Wood to the hot corner to somewhat hide his glove then give youngster Frank Frady, ungraded, or Henderson the everyday job at second. It appears that time has run out for Ockie Holliday in Toronto. Wolves do not have the luxury of keeping a defense only roster spot if they are going to climb back into the CA race.

SHORTSTOP
Charlie Artuso B+: After a torrid start his bat has cooled off, also sat out his first game in over a year recently. Expect Artuso to get sporadic rest for the balance of the season but start, hit leadoff in the the majority, by far, of the remaining games.

OUTFIELDERS
LF- Juan Pomales INC: Brett decided not to grade Pomales due to the fact he missed over a month with an injury. His absence did prove his value to the team both at the bat, in the field. If he maintains or improves on a line of .288/.350/.397 can the Wolves become a factor in the CA?
CF- Chink Stickels C : Stickels is still providing superior defense although for the Wolves to climb in the standings he must improve significantly on .259/.329/415 in order to set the table at the top of the order for the run producing part of lineup.
RF- Hank Giordano A: Only starter besides McCormick to receive an A. Should be a leading contender for ROY after being selected to his first ASG. If he maintains his .330/.367/.484 clip along with a slight improvement in the field the Wolves many be able to claw their way back into the race. Expect to see Hank in the two-hole going forward when Call presents his lineup card. A forgotten man seems to be Gus Hull, who like Holliday, it may not be long before a hard decision has to be made on his status.

Brett believes the pieces are in place for the Wolves to make a run with a few modifications, forget Frederick at second he should rotate through the OF. Possibly bench Pack move Wood to third use Frady or Henderson at second. Figure who in the system would improve the team if the spare parts, Holliday, Hull are removed from the ML roster.

Where Has the Pitching Gone?
Pitching has been the strong suit of recent Toronto teams. Although they have not won a CA title in the past 5 years the pitching staff has consistently held the team in the race until the late stages of September. The team is not use to being ranked 7th in terms of ERA, 3.70, 2nd worse in walks surrender in the CA. This fall from grace is baffling most experts, was the retirement of Art Nichols the cause of the sudden and rapid decline? Granted the staff has not been helped out by questionable play in the field at times but one thing is certain, the staff must improve dramatically if there is to be any hope of second half resurgence of the Wolves.

STARTERS

George Garrison Grade D : A record of 6-8, 2.70 is not nearly good enough for the 1945 Allen Award winner. Garrison has to set the tone even if has to single handedly win games with little support from the offense.
Joe Hancock Grade C-: More is expected than a 5-9, 3.70 record for the 1943 20 game winner Allen Award runner up. After two years in the service can Joe provide solid results behind Garrison going forward?
Bob Walls Grade C : A winning record 8-7 although 4.09 is concerning Walls has to cut down the free passes starting immediately to give the Wolves some hope.
Jimmy Gibbs Grade B : Has recently fallen on hard times dropping his last 3 starts 4 of last 6. 7-5, 3.25 are good numbers for a solid #3 or #4 starter which is what the team expects at this point from Gibbs.
Cookie Myers Grade B : Since being moved into the rotation, replacing Jim Morrison, he has provided adequate starts 1-1 in 5 starts.

Bullpen

Lou Jayson Grade D : 1-5 with 4 blown saves is not acceptable for this returning veteran. Can Jayson return to his 1943 form after knocking off the rust from 2 years in the service?
Chick Wirtz Grade D : Has the clock run out on this 38 year old. A 5.74 ERA may suggest so for a piece counted on to provide shutdown innings from the 'pen. Wirtz is not helping himself with his complaints about his role. Could he be headed for the same road as Holliday, Hull?
Jim Morrison Grade C-: After failing as a starter Morrison is not distinguishing himself in a relief role. Far too many BB have been his undoing all season.

Recent callups from Buffalo, Red More, Jim Carter have not been graded because of lack of innings. More has built up enough credibility that he will start this coming week in a doubleheader. Will this lead to further opportunities?

Can Manager Call, new Pitching Coach Johnny Franklin escape this minefield of a pitching staff to turn it around in the coming months? If not it will be a lost season at Dominion Field.

Rats McGonigle to Washington was not the only deal the Brooklyn Kings made this week. They also added 24 year old righthander Mike Thorpe - a top 200 prospect who was 4-5 at AAA in the Cougars system- in exchange for a 9th round pick and $3,000. The cash strapped Cougars have been selling everything but the kitchen sink in an effort to scrounge up enough money to sign all of their key draft picks, but Cougars brass say they have sufficient funds now and will not be making any more deals for cash.
Wheeler with his 500th homerun this week. Next we will be celebrating Bob Martin's 3,000 career hit, perhaps as early as tomorrow when Martin and his Chicago Chiefs entertain Boston. Martin sits at 2,999 after notching a hit in both ends of a doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Keystones yesterday. Martin is set to become the 12th players to reach the milestones. Among the other 11 are his current manager Joe Ward.
A strong debut for #1 pick and #1 prospect John Stallings, who picked up his first big league win in a start for the Chiefs against the Minutemen. He went 7.2 innings with 4 hits, a run, 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts

MANY GRID VETS GONE, ROME STATE MUST RELY ON PLEBES FOR SQUAD DEPTH

Like almost every one else, the Rome State football coaching staff is plagued by shortages these days. A powerhouse that rolled over below-normal wartime opposition for the past two seasons -going undefeated and winning back to back collegiate grid titles- the Centurions are beginning to feel the pinch of a shortage of experienced players.

"We have lost our first four tackles including All-American Jeff Box and three of five ends," says their coach before quickly adding "and we only have one experienced T quarterback. Plus there are no outstanding name players in the plebe or freshman group."

The Centurions brass may be trying to lower expectations for the upcomign season but few are buying it. They may not be as dominant as they were the past two seasons now that the other schools no longer have one arm tied behind their backs due to wartime player shortages, but it is clear Rome State will be in the mix for a third straight national title. There will be competition as plenty of teams will be much improved this season including St Blane, CCLA, Lincoln College and Detroit City College as well as the Centurions two Georgia rivals in Noble Jones College and Georgia Baptist. However, Rome State, which will be following the American Intercollegiate Athletic Association rulings allowing the use of first-year men to play varsity football this season, returns plenty of talent. It is hard to feel sorry for the Centurions with the way they destroyed all comers the past two years and one must also remember that both of their two-time All-American backs in Gus Thompson and Chet Donelson return for their senior campaigns. The duo are probably the finest running combination in football and perhaps even can be counted among the greatest backfield duos of all time. Rome State may not have the depth they did the past couple of seasons, but their backs will still be difficult to slow down.

O'KEEFE TO MAKE WELTER DEFENSE IN SEPTEMBER

World Welterweight Champion Dennis O'Keefe has confirmed his first title defense will be in Atlanta on September 21 against Mark Westlake. O'Keefe, with a 20-1 career record, won the long vacant ABF title in March with a 13th round knockout of Carl Taylor.

The 29 year old Jacksonville, Fl. native returned to the ring last August after a four year stint in the army. O'Keefe began his pro career as a 19 year old in 1936 and quickly earned the nickname 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' as he accumulated knockout victories. His first and only loss came in Richmond, Va. in 1938 when he suffered a technical knockout defeat to a local Virginia fighter by the name of Mike Dunady. It would be the only professional fight Dunady ever competed in and at the time there was plenty of speculation from O'Keefe's trainer that Dunady was well above the weight limit for the welterweight division.

O'Keefe rebounded quickly from that loss and was 17-1 when he joined the army in the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A rising contender at that point in the welterweight division, O'Keefe asked for and received a combat position and saw plenty of action including being part of the allied invasion force that stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

He returned to the ring last August and had a solid showing in a tune-up bout against lightly regarded Ronnie Scott before a dominant effort last October in which he knocked out Rudy Perry in the 2nd round, thrusting O'Keefe into the fight for the welterweight title, which had remained vacant since Englishman Kid Simpson retired in the fall of 1940.

In his first title defense since knocking out Taylor to win the crown, O'Keefe will face the man Taylor beat to claim his spot in that championship bout. Mark Westlake, a 28 year old who hails from Biloxi, Ms., lost to Taylor last October by unanimous decision in a 12 round bout to determine who would get a shot at the title. Despite that loss, Westlake -armed with a 19-2-1 career record- will get his chance at the title six months later than he hoped. Most had expected Westlake to beat Taylor a year ago as he had knocked Taylor out when they squared off in 1942 and also counted wins over highly regarded fighters Dale Roy and Peter Weldon.

GIBBS LOSES - TITLE SHOT HOPES CRUSHED?

In one of the more shocking upsets of the year George Gibbs saw his perfect record disappear along with possibly his chances of ever getting a title shot after the welterweight was the victim of a fourth round knockout courtesy of Jamie Rotz. The bout in Hartford, Ct. last Wednesday was supposed to be a warm-up fight for Gibbs and precede an expected announcement of a date with welterweight champ Dennis O'Keefe but after the outcome O'Keefe's camp quickly pivoted and agreed to a fight with Mark Westlake.

Gibbs, nicknamed 'Mr. Sandman' because of his 15 knockout wins in 16 previous fights, was a victim of his own medicine as the 35 year old Californian Rotz caught Gibbs with a beautiful cross to the chin late in the fourth round from which Gibbs could not recover. It was likely a case of overzealousness on Gibbs part, who landed some big blows earlier in the round and was loading up for a finishing blow before Rotz beat him to the punch. Gibbs, who is now 16-1, had won each of the first three rounds comfortably and knocked Rotz down in the opening three minutes. Rotz, with a 22-7 career mark, may have been the most surprised man in the auditorium when referee Vic Green reached 10 on his count and Gibbs was still flat on his back.

In other action last week the Annapolis Assassin Allen Bailey went into enemy territory and scored an unanimous decision over Canadian heavyweight champ Harry Sweetland in Toronto. The 33 year old Baily is now 32-4-2 while the 25 year old Canadian's record dips to 14-5-1.

On Saturday in Waterbury, Ct. a pair of middleweights collided with Pittsburgh native Joe Starr claiming an unanimous decision over Ronnie Norton. The 26 year old Starr is 16-2 while Norton, a 27 year old from Buffalo, drops to 16-9-1.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).
July 25 - Cincinnati, Oh: #2 HW contender Scott Baker (14-0-2) vs Abel Kessler (15-10-2).
July 25 - Chicago, Il: highly touted veteran middleweights Nick Harris (17-2-1) and Nathan Sears (19-2) meet at Lake Side Arena.
July 26 - Brooklyn, NY: #3 WW contender Carl Taylor (19-3-2) vs Billy Boyd (19-7-2)
July 26- Brooklyn, NY Highly touted young WW Mac Erickson (7-0) vs Greg Coleman (1-2-1)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/21/1946

The Congressional Pearl Harbor Committee has cleared the late President Roosevelt and his advisors of any wrongdoing in its report on the Hawaiian disaster. That is the finding of the majority report-signed by 8 members. However, a minority report filed by two Republican Senators charges that Mr. Roosevelt and his key aides failed to perform responsibilities "eesential to the defense of Pearl Harbor." Both did agree that better unity between the Army and Navy, as well as stronger system for sharing of inteligence between the two branches is essential.
The House and Senate agreed after a week of late night meetings on a compromise to revive the OPA until next June, with a complex formula for handling price controls for various major food items. The agreement is not official yet, but they plan on finalizing it this morning.
The reconversion director has said surplus guns, tanks and ships will be broken up to help deal with a sheet metal shortage that leaves less than 2-weeks supply for steel mills.
The U.N. Atomic Committee, including the Soviet Union among its 12 members despite Russian objection last week to the formation of such a group, has begun its work on drafting a plan for a world atomic control agency.
Two high ranking members of the Russian Embassy staff in Ottawa quickly fled Canada for their homeland as a government report on Soviet espionage network in that country was published. The two had been accused of directing a Russian spy network.
Chinese communist forces are blamed for taking 7 American marines prisoner in near the Chinwangtao area. An air and ground search is underway but hampered by adverse weather conditions.

Jiggs McGee · 04-05-2023, 09:42 AM

JULY 29 , 1946

MILESTONE FOR MARTIN

3,000 Career Hits for Mr. Automatic

A week after Al Wheeler joined the 500 homerun club his former Chicago Chiefs teammate Bob Martin became a member of a special group as well with the 3,000th hit of his career. The 39 year old Martin became just the 13th player to join the 3,000 hit club and only the third player with more than 3,000 hits to get all of them with the same ballclub.

Martin, a 1925 third round pick of the Chiefs, made his big league debut with the club in 1928 and has never looked back. Only Hall of Famers Ed Ziehl and John Dibblee recorded more than 3,000 hits and exclusively played for one big league organization. The 3-time all-star, who led the Fed in hits 4 times and batting average once, notched his milestone knock with a third inning single off of Philadelphia's Pepper Tuttle in a 2-0 Chiefs win over the Keystones on Friday.

TRADE DEADLINE LOOMS

With the two New York City ballclubs sitting atop their respective associations we are down to the final few hours before the trade deadline passes. At this point the only major deal involving a contender was the Washington Eagles -who sit second in the Federal Association 3.5 games back of the New York Gothams- move to add all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle in a deal with Brooklyn. The 27 year old McGonigle had 7 hits in his first week in the Fed, as his club went 4-3 on the week but those losses included a pair at home to the first-place Gothams.

New York did make one trade - a relatively minor deal in terms of its impact on the pennant race but a move that will surely be loved by the hometown faithful as 42 year old pitcher Jim Lonardo returned for his third stint as a Gotham, coming over from Detroit in exchange for a 6th round draft pick. Lonardo, who was 4-8 with Detroit this season, is three wins shy of of becoming just the 13th pitcher with 300 career victories. Lonardo was a 10th round pick of the Gothams in 1925 and won 4 Allen Awards including 3 while pitching for the Gothams.

CHIEFS ADD SLUGGING FIRST BASEMAN

The struggling Brooklyn Kings did not have a lot of tradeable assets but they did manage to be involved in the two biggest deadline deals. First it was all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle heading to Washington and then, just prior to tonight's deadline came news that Tim Hopkins is now a Chicago Chief. The powerful 27 year old slugging first baseman should love hitting at Whitney Park and if he can be half as good as the last first baseman the Chiefs imported from Brooklyn it will be a huge acquisition for the Chicago nine. That last pickup was Ron Rattigan, who went from Brooklyn to Chicago as part of a package for Milt Fritz way back in 1930 and has been a fixture at first baseman for the Chiefs for over a decade, making 7 all-star teams in the process.

Rattigan will shift to right field to make room for Hopkins, the 6'5" first baseman known as 'Tiny Tim'. In return the Chiefs send their first round pick next January, 21 year old Class B pitcher Paul Byler and 19 year old Class A shortstop Herb Keller to the borough of Brooklyn.

JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE -It is obvious the Kings need to rebuild but you can't help but feel Hopkins is exactly the type of player they should be rebuilding around. Same for Rats McGonigle, although in the case of moving him to Washington the Kings already had a great young centerfield candidate in Ralph Johnson to replace Rats. I am not sure they have a true power-hitting bat capable of replacing Hopkins at first anywhere in their system although there is a chance that outfielder Pat Perry eventually develops the power OSA forecasts to come from the 21 year old and moves to first.

Hopkins is not old by any stretch, at 28, and has been very consistent over his pro career. He should receive a huge boost just by being able to spend half of his season going forward in hitter-friendly Whitney Park, a place that could help him average 25 homers a season over the next half dozen years. It is a mild surprise to see the Chiefs buying at the deadline but a player like Hopkins, who seems so perfectly suited to slot into the Chiefs lineup and play in Whitney Park, does not show up on the trade block often.

The Kings now possess 3 first round picks so they will have an opportunity to make some noise in January but there are questions about at least one of the prospects they acquired. That would be 21 year old pitcher Paul Byler. A 1943 second round pick he was terribly overmatched as a 19 year old at Class B and A in 1944, showing a regression from his performance split between B and C in his draft year. He missed last year serving in the Army and was sent back to Class B this season by the Chiefs, but has struggled at that level, particularly with his control. OSA still likes his potential, ranking Byler just outside the top 50 and giving him the ceiling of a fifth starter. The other prospect, 19 year old shortstop Herb Keller, was a third round pick in '45 and has struggled both at the plate and in the field but the Chiefs were pushing him hard this season by having him play A ball in his first full year out of high school. OSA, which ranks him slightly outside the top 100 prospects, feels his defense at shortstop will never be more the adequate but does give Keller above average potential as a contact hitter.

I love the move on the Chiefs end, as Hopkins will seamlessly replace Ron Rattigan -providing far less contact but far more power then the veteran- at first base. The Kings need to hit it out of the park with their January draft as I am not sure either of the two prospects they acquired for Hopkins will ever contribute much.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

A Look at the Wolves Future -After Brett's look at the the present for your Wolves he will now take a look at the players who could be calling Dominion Field home in the near future. Some of these players have lost baseball time due service during the war, a far more important job given the situation. Will these players make up for lost time as their baseball careers restart or will it be too late? How many young players had the global conflict steal a FABL marquee career from their future? The answer to that will never be known, it can only be a matter of speculation.
The top players currently in the Toronto system as ranked by BNN are:

1: Jerry York (26th overall) This RHP was a first round selection in 1942, he was a fast track through the system before he enlisted missing all of '43, '44, along with the first half of 1945, After his return last summer he seemed to back on track with good performances at Davenport then Chattanooga. Now 25 he has spent the season in AAA Buffalo with mixed results 5-4, 3.91 with walks being an issue for the first time in his pro career. The scouting department remains high on York, some suggestions have been made that he already belongs in the FABL. Fans can expect to see him in Toronto in September or before if the Wolves fall further out of the CA race. York was a target of many teams in last summer's trade talks.

2: John Fast (33rd) Toronto's first round pick out of high school in the summer before Pearl Harbour Fast was in the service for almost exactly the period of time as York. He returned last summer after starting Chattanooga he moved to Buffalo in September where he is honing his skills at 2B as replacing Artuso at the FABL level is not an immediately an option. With Fast on the horizon the middle infield situation becomes more complex in Toronto or may open the door to make trades either before this deadline or during the off-season. Many felt Fast would be the call when Mike Rollinson was demoted until a severe hip injury opened the door for Frank Frady. Fast will probably stay across Lake Ontario to sharpen his skills, he will turn 23 late next week so time is on his side.

3: Harry Phillips (47th) Another RHP selected in the second round after Fast in 1941. Phillips spent almost 4 years in the US Navy. After only 10 starts in pro ball at Class C Phillips began 1946 at A in Davenport then moved up to AA in June. The Chattanooga experience has not all been smooth sailing, a move to AAA will probably depend on York's movement.

4:Harry Finney (53rd) A second round pick last summer Finney has had a meteoric rise through the system. After a brief stop in C he finished last season in Vancouver then began 1946 in Davenport progressed to AA is now in Buffalo. He has hit at every level, he further adds to the infield logjam, Finney can play any of the 4 infield positions.

5: Roy Hatch (57th) Another RHP his high ranking is a bit of a mystery to the front office. His 4 years, all in Tuscaloosa, have not provided eye-popping stats. Is Roy a late bloomer?

6: Tony Ballinger (63rd) A pick second round in past draft Ballinger is being touted as the replacement for McCormick. The journey is just beginning for Tony. The front office is hoping that the rankings are wrong or they have been strapped with a big swing and miss on the first round pick RHP Cyrus Goodman who is currently rated at 463.

Others names that are being closely monitored by the scouting department are Corky Alban RHP- Tuscaloosa, Sam Allen CF- Chattanooga, Nate Betts 1B, Mike Blackburn 3B both in Vancouver and Max Boswell RHP- Davenport. Overall the Wolves system is ranked 10th out of the 16 FABL teams.

Unlike a year ago when they made several moves at the deadline, do not expect the two-time defending Federal Association champion Philadelphia Keystones to pull the trigger on a big move prior to tonight's trade embargo. At least that is the vibe that the powers that be on Broad Street are giving off. The club, which is barely within shouting distance of the front-running New York Gothams has struggled of late, and been forced to endure a very unBarrell-like season from the great Bobby Barrell. The Keystones are hoping some minor adjustments will be enough to turn the clubs fortunes around after a 8-16 July threatened to sink dreams of a three-peat.

Freshman skipper Jack Everhart might be feeling the pressure to live up to his predecessor but he is certainly not showing it. Cool as a cucumber, the 57 year old is in the head chair for a big league ballclub for the first time since 1938, and has some plans to shore up his production from the outfield for the stretch run.

"I am moving Barrell back to left field," explained Everhart, hoping that young Charlie Enslow can give the club a jolt with more playing time in right field. Enslow has looked very good since returning after a 6-week stint on the injured list. Joe Burns and Bob Griffith will split time in centerfield leaving the struggling Davey Robicheaux as the odd-man out. "Robicheaux needs to get untracked and (Chuck) Hood is good in limited exposure. I am carrying 6 outfielders for now and I have guys with options."

Keystones management worries that demoting Robicheaux to AAA Louisville could set him back, and at 29 they feel he's too old to develop any more. Meanwhile24 year old Joe Burns is hitting too well to send down. That roster dilemma is believed to be a big reason why the Keystones did not pull off a rumoured trade with Detroit that would have returned former Philly favourite Rip Curry to Broad Street Park.

A LOOK AROUND THE DETROIT SPORTING SCENE

It has been a rough year at Thompson Field as the Dynamos youth experiment has crashed and burned. Teens Stan Kleminski and Edwin Hackberry may be top prospects in the eyes of the scouts, but both were clearly rushed to Detroit far too early by a management team hopeful of starting a new era in Detroit baseball. Hackberry most certainly will be back at some point and should spend a lot of years patrolling center field but Kleminski is another story. The youngster's bat looked more than ready after a strong spring and a three week trial in April but his defense was absymal. The Dynamos are still holding out hope he can one day play shortstop in the big leagues but his work in nearly half a season at AAA Newark has been far from acceptable.

The problem is there really is no where else to put Kleminski despite him being a top 20 prospect. Del Johnson has showed himself to be a capable hitter and a whiz with the glove at second base as a 23 year old and vet Mack Sutton is still just 29 and stands to man the hot corner for the forseeable future. The hope is still for 22 year old Dick Estes, despite his struggles at the plate, to be the first baseman of the future and the outfield might be a little too crowded for Kleminski with Hackberry, Dick Blaszak and recent first rounder Tommy Allenby -who had a hot start in C ball and was quickly elevated to Class B- the likely outfield of the future.
***MARTIN UP TO OLD TRICKS ***

Former Dynamos GM DD Martin appears to be up to his old tricks again in his new haunts. Now the new man in charge in Brooklyn, he has taken to dismantling the Kings the same way he tore up the Dynamos twice. In what can only be considered a complete tear-down the Kings dispatched 27 year old all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle to Washington and 28 year old power hitting first baseman Tiny Tim Hopkins to the Windy City. We forgive Detroit fans if this news brings back nightmares of Red Johnson, Sal Pestilli, Pete Casstevens and Hank Koblenz leaving the Motor City....or for those of you a little older how about Al Wheeler and Frank Vance in his first go-round at a Dynamos rebuild. He certainly has an M.O.

Word is that the Dynamos were in on the Hopkins sweepstakes and came up short, despite many within the organization feeling their offer was slightly superior to what the Kings eventually accepted from the Chicago Chiefs.
*** Vaught the Heck is Going On? ***

The grid Maroons are fast approaching the start of camp and there is still no word on whether or not Stan Vaught will join them. The greatest pass-catcher in AFA history has had his arguments with Head Coach Frank Yurik in the past -and briefly retired last year before changing his mind and reporting to camp- but this time the complete lack of communication between the Maroons and the all-star end is disconcerting to say the least.
*** Sawyer Set for Geriatric German ***

World Heavyweight Champ Hector Sawyer ascended to his throne at Thompson Arena more than 6 years ago with a title fight win over German thug Jochen Schrotter. The two may be trying to recapture the magic a half dozen years later with a rematch set for August 17 at the Bigsby Oval. The fans are eating up the hype as the event is a complete sell-out but many in the fight game are outraged that Chester Conley -the man who pulls Sawyer's strings- has continued to schedule has-beens and never-weres for his fighter to keep earning big paydays rather than take his chances against an opponent truly worthy of a title shot

EASY NIGHT FOR BAKER IN QUEEN CITY

Scott Baker continues to display why he is one of the top challengers for Hector Sawyer's World Heavyweight Title. Many feel the unbeaten 26 year old from Philadelphia should be the one in the ring with Sawyer next month in new York when the champ fights 40 year old Jochen Schrotter but, so far at least, Sawyer has continued to duck not just Baker but also Mark Fountain -each of whom would clearly pose much more of a challenge than the former German champ.

Baker illustrated that point again Friday night in Cincinnati when he toyed with Abel Kessler for 10 rounds to claim an easy decision and improve his mark to 16-0-2. For much of the fight it looked like Baker was just trying to get some light sparring in as he would turn it on for 20-30 seconds each round and score blows at will to easily claim the round. Only in the 10th and final round did the boxer, at the urging of his trainer-father Billy Baker -the former world middleweight champ- did 'The Chef' actually try and cook up some serious trouble for Kessler. The Missouri born fighter hung on to survive to the bell but not before he was knocked down and needed a count of 8 to regain his feet in the final seconds of the bout.

With still no response from Sawyer's manager Chester Conley it appears Baker is now set to face The Boston Bomber Roy Crawford on Crawford's home turf in late September. Baker will enter that bout hoping another positive result over the 27 year old Crawford and his 21-2 mark will finally force Sawyer to take notice and give the Philadelphian his title shot.

KEY RESULTS THIS WEEK

Nick Harris (18-2-1), a 32 year old middleweight from Cranston,RI, scored an unanimous decision over Nathan Sears (19-4), a 32 year old from Gary, In. in a bout Thursday at Chicago's Lake Side Arena.

29 year old Baltimore born welterweight Carl Taylor (20-3-2), who lost to Dennis O'Keefe for the vacant World Welterweight Title in March, returned to the ring with a majority decision in Brooklyn Friday evening over Billy Boyd (19-9-2), a 28 year old New Yorker.

On that same Brooklyn fight card, rising welterweight Mac Erickson (8-0) remained perfect with a 4th round knockout of Brooklyn native Greg Coleman (1-4-2). The 25 year old Erickson, a St. Paul, Mn. native is a rising star in his division.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/28/1946

Signed into law this week, the OPA granted immediate increases over the June 30th price ceilings on coal, shoes and many lesser items in the first use of the pricing powers in 26 days. Ceilings were raised on many items over the most recent bill, which expired at the end of June, but it is designed to help reign in the rampant price increases in essential items over the past 28 days.
Terrorists bombed and shattered part of the huge King David Hotel, headquarters of the British Army in Jerusalem, killing at least 50 in a terrifying blast that shook the modern part of the ancient city.
Despite the Soviets rejecting its latest compromise proporsal for international control of atomic energy, the American delegation to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission remains hopeful its plan will eventually be accepted by the Russians. Meanwhile, another US bomb test is set for next week in the Pacific.
Student and labor revolutionists took over the government of Boliva after assassinating President Gualberto Villarroel.

Jiggs McGee · 04-06-2023, 11:12 AM

AUGUST 5, 1946

STARS, MINUTEMEN STOCK UP AT DEADLINE

The New York Stars and Boston Minutemen both made statements at the trade deadline with moves each club hopes will result in a trip to the World Championship Series. The Stars are in a heated race with the Chicago Cougars but not only did they upgrade their talent level at the deadline but they also increased their lead on the Cougars to 5.5 games thanks to a 7 game winning streak while Chicago was dropping 5 of 7. Meanwhile in the Federal Association both the Boston Minutemen and Washington Eagles closed the gap on the first place New York Gothams. Each of the Fed challengers had made moves to upgrade while the Gothams made no major additions.

The Stars made two moves in quick succession to upgrade their infield. The first one saw them add veteran second sacker Freddie Jones from the Chicago Chiefs in exchange for young shortstop prospect Lou Hooker and a fifth round draft pick and just a few minutes after announcing that move the Stars made a deal with Detroit to bring in slugging third baseman Mack Sutton in exhange for a pair of highly touted prospects in infielder Tommy Griffin and pitcher Roy Schaub.

The final 'big' deadline move came from New England where the Boston Minutemen decided to part with a second round draft selection in order to add some depth in the form of pitcher Art White and outfielder Rip Curry. The two veterans came over from Detroit with Boston's second rounder in January along with veteran outfielder Alf Pestilli heading to the Motor City. The Minutemen tightened things up considerably by taking two of three from the Gothams in New York over the weekend. Boston is now just 2.5 games back of the leaders with the Washington Eagles - who added all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle two weeks ago- sandwiched in between a game back of the Gothams.

The Gothams did make a trade in addition to the one that brought 42-year old Jim Lonardo back to town in search of the final 3 victories he needs to get to 300 for his career. It was a bit of a perplexing move as New York dealt away two players to Brooklyn for a 4th and a 7th round draft pick. Gone are Mule Monier -who was considered a key piece of New York's $100,000 infield of the late 1930s- and former first round pick Bunny Edwards. Edwards, a 30 year old righthander, had numerous opportunities to claim a job in the Gothams often-weak rotation but never could quite accomplish the task. Monier was a two-time all-star but the 30 year old was a liability in the field at shortstop and could not claim the third base job.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEADLINE DEALS - Let's start with the Continental clubs. The New York Stars struck quickly and very successfully with the additions of third baseman Mack Sutton (.240,20,58) from Detroit and second sacker Freddie Jones (.301,1,36). The moves look like a big upgrade to an already powerful offense and it is clear the Stars are 'all-in' for a pennant clash with the Chicago Cougars. Neither team is one-dimensional by any means but the stretch race will be a battle between the Stars offense and the Cougars pitching and we won't have to wait long to see them clash as the two clubs tangle for four games in the Windy City this weekend.

One might ask why the Cougars did not upgrade and they did have some interest in Sutton but were beaten to the punch by the fast-acting Stars. It might be for the best as there are very few holes in the Chicago lineup and it might have been tough to find a spot for Sutton to play as that means either 3B Hank Barnett or 1B Dick Walker would likely have to sit.

The Brooklyn deal with the Gothams was rare because New York is usually the one dealing picks, and almost never adding them. However, Monier and Edwards are a pair of veterans that were added at minimal cost as Brooklyn -spurred on by some recent success- looks to top its win total of 61 from a year ago.

In the Federal Association the Boston Minutemen followed Washington's lead from a week ago in an attempt to upgrade for a stretch run with New York. Boston parted with a second round pick and Alf Pestilli -a veteran outfielder they would have cut- to add a solid veteran bat in Rip Curry (.323,7,39)and a twenty-game winner from a year ago in Art White (5-12, 3.37) in a deal with Detroit. Both should add depth for Boston's stretch run and they club addressed two needs without having to part with any of their top prospects or their first round pick.

The Chicago Chiefs moved Jones (.301,1,36), an aging but still effective when healthy infielder for a top 100 shortstop prospect and a fifth round draft pick. The prospect replaces Herb Keller, who was sent to the Kings in the Tim Hopkins deal, in the Chiefs system.

Detroit was interesting. The Dynamos went from a full effort to land the 28 year old Hopkins, to pivoting when that fell through in an effort to add more youth. In two deals they parted with their top two hitters this season in Curry and Sutton as well as a pitcher who won 20 games a year ago. In return they added more to what is now the second deepest farm system in the league and -assuming all breaks right- they could be a powerhouse in the next 3 to 4 years.

ANOTHER REBUILD?

Dynamos Brass Say This Time is Different

We have seen it far too often over the past 15 years. A struggling Detroit Dynamos club sells off prize veteran talent either in its prime or at least with a few good years left and then watch them go on to achieve great success elsewhere. Al Wheeler and Frank Vance in Brooklyn a decade ago. First Red Johnson and more recently Sal Pestilli to the Gothams. Now Mack Sutton is off to the New York Stars while Rip Curry and Art White are Boston bound.

Management says it has a plan. But we have certainly heard that before from the previous group in charge at Thompson Field. How will this time be different? We sat down with Dynamos Assistant General Manager Harris Dixon and he outlined the organization's plan with an emphasis being the need to stick with that plan even if things get tough.

"I can't comment on what happened before I arrived here," explained the new Detroit executive, "but we are looking at building a core group that can contend for a decade and we feel the pieces we added help us take another big step towards that goal." He continued without waiting for a respone "Now I know Detroit fans have heard a similar refrain in the past, and I get there can be a growing frustration seeing Red (Johnson) and Sal (Pestilli) have success in New York, but we have a plan and more importantly we intend to stick with it."

That plan reloves around supplementing the terrific cast of talent that was already in the organization when Dixon arrived with the remaining key pieces the club would need. Dixon says there are still some holes to fill but feels the future could be outstanding.

And a glance at what Detroit's lineup might look like in a year or two is certainly impressive, assuming the players develop as expected and management doesn't do another 180 degree turn. How impressive? Well, one can comfortably state it is far deeper than the core of talent the Dynamos had in the fall of 1937 - a group that featured Red Johnson, Sal Pestilli and Hank Koblenz.

Let's compare the two by looking at the young major leaguers and minor league talent that is in the OSA top 100 today compared to the group in October of 1937.

There is no question this current crop of Dynamos prospects might be one of the best core groups of young talents assembled by any club in decades. They do still have to perform on the field but the Dynamos future looks very bright if the majority can live up to those lofty goals.

However, two things immediately jump out when one compares those two groups of players. Number one is simply a reassurance of just how unpredictable young pitching can be. The big one, for Detroit fans to worry about, is will management stick to the patient plan they have laid out and let this team gel. The '37 group were not given that chance. Imagine how good the Dynamos would be right now if they hung on to the likes of Pestilli, Johnson and Koblenz?

It may be easy to accumulate high draft picks. The challenge is developing them and hanging on to them long enough to lead your club back to the top. And that is something the Dynamos have not been able to do in past years.

WHO HAS THE TOP MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM OF PAST 15 YEARS?

The talk on the current crop of Dynamos prospect brought up some discussion on the top minor league systems. We only have data from 1930 to today and this is not a method without holes, but in strictly looking at the year end minor league system ranking points for each organization the top minor league system would be the 1942 Montreal Saints, who claimed a post-1930 year end record 303 points.

Using strictly the minor league system ranking points as the sole criteria here are all of the organizations that surpassed the 175 point total. Today's top ranked system would be the Chicago Cougars group that lays claim to 187 points which would place it outside of the top twenty.

TOP MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEMS (Ranked by Points at the end of the season 1930-46)

303 1942 Montreal: P P. Weakley (3rd) , RF O. Parker (6th) , SS G. Perkins (7th) , CF E. McCoy (11th) , P B. Cupid (20th)
284 1933 Washington: 3B M. Carrol (3rd) , RF S. Brown (5th) , P G. Gilliard (9th) , SS J. Beard (25th) , 1B H. Shumate (27th)
268 1936 Baltimore: P R. Barrell II (1st) , P J. Edwards (7th) , P G. Goulding (17th) , SS C. Car (19th) , CF F. Galloway (21st)
266 1938 Gothams: P E. Bowman (2nd) , C P. Casstevens (3rd) , 1B W. Messer (10th) , P B. Edwards (11th) , 2B R. Brewer (24th)
250 1944 Detroit: CF E. Hackberry (1st) , SS S. Kleminski (5th) , P C. Potter (9th) , P R. Schaub (14th) , SS W. Hamby (36th)

245 1940 Montreal: P P. Weakley (3rd) , CF B. Greene (9th) , P G. Wynn (15th) , P E. Whetzel (20th) , SS H. Grant (37th)
235 1941 Montreal: P P. Weakley (3rd) , SS G. Perkins (8th) , RF O. Parker (9th) , P J. James (29th) , P B. Cupid (31st)
234 1939 Baltimore: P V. Carroll (2nd) , RF M. Taylor (11th) , SS J. Hensley (14th) , LF O. Parker (16th) , 2B H. Rivers (26th)
233 1938 Baltimore: P R. Barrell II (5th) , SS J. Hensley (12th) , SS C. McCullough (14th) , 2B H. Rivers (25th) , RF M. Taylor (27th)
230 1937 Gothams: 2B R. Brewer (3rd) , P B. Edwards (10th) , 1B W. Messer (13th) , 3B B. Dalton (15th) , SS M. Monier (28th)

228 1940 Cincinnati: P B. Sohl (2nd) , LF D. Blaszak (4th) , LF O. Parker (12th) , 2B H. Rivers (17th) , P J. James (26th)
229 1935 Baltimore: P J. Edwards (9th) , P R. Petrick (11th) , C J. Rainbow (17th) , P G. Goulding (19th) , SS C. McCullough (21st)
225 1935 Cougars: 1B L. Mitchell (10th) , SS B. Hunter (12th) , 2B R. Ford (13th) , RF R. Langton (20th) , C H. Mead (38th)
219 1937 Detroit: 1B R. Johnson (1st) , C P. Casstevens (5th) , P R. McCarthy (18th) , 3B H. Koblenz (35th) , SS F. Davis (43rd)
213 1934 Cougars: 1B R. Ford (5th) , 1B L. Mitchell (10th) , SS B. Hunter (18th) , P C. Sullivan (30th) , LF R. Langton (36th)

212 1939 Montreal: P P. Weakley (3rd) , CF B. Greene (9th) , 2B C. Woodbury (24th) , 3B S. Bent (40th) , RF H. McKay (43rd)
209 1945 Stars: SS R. Hanson (1st) , 1B B. Barnett (8th) , C L. McClure (17th) , C D. Atwood (30th) , LF J. Welch (34th)
209 1934 Washington: 3B M. Carrol (3rd) , SS J. Beard (15th) , SS O. Page (19th) , 1B H. Shumate (26th) , SS J. Sundberg (43rd)
209 1931 Baltimore: CF K. Curry (3rd) , P P. Conlan (10th) , LF J. Watson (16th) , 1B B. Stapleton (23rd) , 2B R. Barnes (36th)
205 1943 Cleveland: P H. Steinberg (3rd) , SS J. Adams Jr. (5th) , P R. Hughes (9th) , LF P. Sigmund (38th) , P J. Jackson (47th)

194 1945 Detroit: CF E. Hackberry (3rd) , 2B D. Johnson (6th) , SS S. Kleminski (13th) , RF D. Estes (23rd) , P W. Hunter (39th)
192 1936 Keystones: P L. Stevens (8th) , P G. White (13th) , P J. Whiteley (23rd) , P H. Patterson (29th) , 3B F. LeMieux (37th)
190 1939 St Louis : P M. Bianco (8th) , P H. Sharp (10th) , P C. Roe (18th) , 1B B. Johnston Jr. (30th) , P D. Hern (36th)
189 1939 Gothams: P E. Bowman (1st) , C P. Casstevens (4th) , 1B W. Messer (6th) , P J. Walker (41st) , CF B. Boone (67th)
189 1937 Toronto: P G. Garrison (7th) , 3B O. Holliday (11th) , CF T. Frederick (20th) , P B. Long (25th) , SS C. Artuso (29th)

187 1936 Cougars: SS B. Hunter (4th) , C H. Mead (33rd) , P C. Sullivan (34th) , SS H. Wood (41st) , P K. Wallace (47th)
187 1946 Cougars: P B. Allen (3rd) , P D. Bybee (7th) , CF F. Reece (25th) , CF J. Peters (33rd) , C E. Howard (41st)
181 1935 St Louis: RF A. Tucker (2nd) , C H. Zimmer (6th) , P D. Lee (16th) , 1B Z. Sullivan (37th) , RF H. Sharp (56th)
179 1937 Baltimore: P R. Barrell II (6th) , CF F. Galloway (19th) , SS J. Hensley (21st) , SS C. McCullough (27th) , P J. Anderson (40th)
177 1942 Stars: 1B B. Barnett (17th) , CF E. Bourdeau (19th) , LF W. Hunter (23rd) , LF J. Welch (37th) , CF N. Cooper (42nd)
177 1930 Gothams :RF M. Strong (1st) , 1B F. McCormick (5th) , 3B J. McDowell (47th) , 2B J. Turner (50th) , P H. Spencer (52nd)

LAND ENTERING UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Batting averages are down across big league baseball - at lows not seen in thirty years for FABL and over a decade ago in the Great Western League when it was a AAA loop. It has been nearly a decade since we have seen a .400 hitter in big time baseball but somehow, when no one in FABL and no one else in the GWL is hitting at more than a .362 clip, Bob Land is having a season that has to been seen to be believed in San Francisco.

It is not entirely unexpected we suppose, as Land did hit .414 in a half season with Sacramento a year ago but the 33 year old is a player who owns a .250 batting average in 123 FABL games and couldn't cut it in the eastern majors despite being a first round draft pick 15 years ago. Yet here we are, two-thirds of the way through the slate of games in the inaugural big league season for the western loop, and Land is batting .415 with the next best hitter on the coast hitting a mere .362.

Land was a solid player in the old feeder high school leagues and taken with the 14th selection in the 1931 FABL draft by the Philadelphia Keystones. Back then OSA felt he was unlikely to be anything more than an average contact hitter but he did crack the top 100 prospects list for a couple of seasons. He never got much of a chance in stints with the Keystones over four diffrent seasons, topped by 126 at bats, and a .270 batting average, in 1940. They released him the following year at age 28 and spent the war years with the independent Syracuse Excelsiors of the Union Legaue. Land was merely an average AAA ballplayer until a surprise break-out season at age 31 saw him hit .367 in 1944 and narrowly lost the batting title to Andy Dye. Sacramento bought his contract out midway through last season as Land continued to excel at the plate and when the GWL turned big-league he moved on to San Francisco. The rest may well be history in the making and if his .415 batting average can hold up Land will become the first major leaguer to hit at least .415 since Max Morris's 1925 campaign.

Peter the Heater was awarded Pitcher of the Month in July, finishing 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA (202 ERA+), 0.91 WHIP, 17 walks, and 41 strikeouts in six complete games. Pap then celebrated that award with a 4-hit shutout. He walked one and struck out seven to improve to 14-6 on the season. That ties him with three other pitchers for the association lead. If he can separate from the pack, the 1941 Allen Winner could win his first triple crown. His 133 strikeouts are 23 better then co-win leader Richie Hughes, and his 2.21 ERA (152 ERA+) is now lower then teammate Johnnie Jones (2.28). The 28-year-old has positioned himself as the favorite for the Allen Award, but he'd trade it all for his first ring
Harry MacRae has recorded a save in each of his first four big league appearances. Before his debut, the Cougars staff had just one.
An electric week from Bill Barrett propelled the New York Stars to a badly needed 2 series sweep. B. Barrett : 20 AB, 9 H, 4 HR, 12 RBI, .450 AVG, 1.745 OPS.
A 3-9 stretch from the Cincinnati Cannons leaves the club 10.5 games off the pace and their 3-year reign as Continental Association champs is probably over.
Toronto has fallen to the bottom of the Weekly Power Ranking for the first time in recent memory. A record of 22-30 at Dominion Field is doing nothing to endear the team to the faithful. With 1946 appearing to be a write-off to all but the most ardent or delusional Wolves fans, skipper Bob Call has issued small goals for the team hoping to inspire some spirited ball. He now has stated publicly that he will begin tinkering with the team, "Almost everyone is playing for their position going forward. This unexpected demise in team fortunes has brought some hidden deficiencies to light, we have lots of work to do here."
Kings P Clarence Barton was struggling this season as a starter. Recently he assumed the stopper role for the Kings and the results have been quite good. In 9 games he is 3-0 with 3 saves in 16IP with a 0.00 ERA. He’s given up only 9 hits and has turned his K;BB around with just 4 walks and 11 K’s.
Nice last for new/old Dynamo Roy Schaub, who threw a 4-hit shutout with 3 walks and 11 strikeouts in his last start as a Star farmhand.
Hard to explain baseball. The Dynamos won just 5 games since the all-star break heading into last week. Then with their top two hitters in Mack Sutton and Rip Curry gone, Detroit reels off a 5-1 week.
Despite a slow start to their season, the Houston Bulls enter this week 53-51, only 5 games out from the wildcard and 6 games ahead of the hated Centurions. A large part of this success comes from their agreesive targeting of former FABL free agents, including Montreal veteran Art McMahon(OPS+ 134), detroit mistake Lou Balk(160), and Pittsburgh star Wally Flowers(Hasn't played a game yet). On the pitching side, FABL fans will also recognize names like Sam Vaughn(ERA 2.00), Bill McGraw(2.77), and Pug Bryan(2.72), who all held significant roles on past FABL squads.
After Dallas General Manager Ox Munday lamented the fact he does not have the money he would like to spend on adding talent for his struggling Centurions squad the most vocal opponent of the western loop sprung into action. Toronto owner Bernie Millard's misses no opportunity to bash the rookie coast league and his quote on GWL finances circulated in the Toronto daily's was "How can you try to run a big league team on a shoestring budget? If you try to run an organization with a bush league budget, then it is what you get a bush league, which is what the GWL is bush." To which Munday retorted "Well, you should really ask the perpetually broke (New York) Stars that question."

SULLVIAN TOPS BENJAMIN IN KEY HEAVY TUSSLE

A pair of top heavyweight contenders fought a spirited battle in New Orleans last Wednesday night and when the dust settled Chris Sullivan had scored a narrow but unanimous decision victory over Glenn Benjamin. The 10-rounder went back and forth in the early rounds before Sullivan asserted his control with a strong showing in the middle rounds. There was no quit in Benjamin -who entered the fight ranked as the #3 heavyweight contender behind only Mark Fountain and Scott Baker- as he closed the gap by sending Sullivan, who was the #5 ranked contender in the July 1st list- to the canvas with just 45 seconds remaining in the bout. Sullivan struggled to his feet and then held on to sweep the three scorecards despite being on the short end of a 10-8 verdict from each in the final round.

The victory improves Sullivan's record to 18-3-3 and likely adds the 29 year old Chicago native to a growing list of fighters who feel they should be getting a title shot against Hector Sawyer. Benjamin, 32, drops to 24-3 with the loss. Sawyer is set to next defend his crown on the 17th of this month outside at the Bigsby Oval against 40 year old Jochen Schotter - the powerful German who held the title for 5 years before losing to Sawyer in 1940 but has fought only once since then.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/04/1946

A 21-nation Peace Conferencce is underway in Paris more than a year after the end of the Second World War in Europe with a goal stated by President Georges Bidault of France to abolish "the plague of war."
President Truman declared that "our present fiscal situation is a most serious one" and called on all Federal agencies to cut down on expenditures. Truman added that the 1947 budget will have an operating deficit of nearly $2 billion.
The Senate voted 60 to 2, in favor of American acceptance of compulsory jurisdiction for the World Court, to settle international legal disputes as one of the last acts of the 79th Congress.
Senator Mitchell of Washington has charged corruption by Government officials, including some in Army uniforms as the Senate War Investigating Committee continues hearings into the handling of awarding of war production contracts.

Jiggs McGee · 04-07-2023, 11:07 AM

AUGUST 12, 1946

CONTINENTAL IS SEEING STARS!

13-Game Winning Streak Widens Lead to 8.5 Games

The New York Stars are threatening to wrap up the Continental Association flag before Labour Day. Everything was going right for the Stars during a 13 game winning streak that finally came to an end in the nightcap of a doubleheader with the second place Chicago Cougars yesterday afternoon. But, not until after the Stars young ace Eli Panneton threw a 1-0 no-hitter and scored the game's only run on a walk-off bases loaded walk issued by Johnnie Jones and the Cougars in the opener. Panneton has tossed three shutouts in his last 4 starts and the Stars offense has been just as hot. Bill Barrett has 5 homers and 18 rbi's in his last three games and newcomer Mack Sutton, just acquired from Detroit, hit 3 homers and batted .379 in his first week with New York.

For the Chicago Cougars, who have won just 5 of their last 13 and went from being only a game back two weeks ago to their present 8.5 game deficit, it is beginning to look like yet another underachieving season. The Chicago nine has been loaded with talent the past 4 and a half years- arguably the best in the CA each of those campaigns- but has nothing to show for it. Three straight third place finishes in seasons they greatly underperformed their expected record is threatening to become a fourth one as the Cougars, at -7 to their expected mark, once more have the worst deficit to their pythagorean record in either association.

The top of the Federal Association remains a logjam with the Boston Minutemen taking their turn at the top. The New Englanders are suddenly the hottest team in the Fed with 9 wins in their last 12 games, which has propelled them to the top of the loop -a game up on Washington and 1.5 on slumping New York which lost 4 in a row and 9 of it's last 11.

BALLPLAYERS AND OWNERS AGREE ON MAIN REFORM POINTS

Minimum Pay, Pension Head List of Issues FABL Will Study

Baseball is one happy family today with FABL's Policy Committee reporting "agreement in principle" between owners and players on proposed contract reforms. Not that any disagreement had been expected. It was pretty much a cut and dried proposition that the players would get substantially what they wanted. After all, the owners asked them to state their case and they couldn't very well turn a cold shoulder on their demands.

The diamond social revolution, mild in form, will cost the magnates more money in 1947. There can be no question about that. But in the long run, if the improved owner-player relations can snap the union threat and help minimize fears of potential raid attempts from the Great Western League, the magnates will consider it cash well spent.
*** Minimum Wage is Big Item ***

High on the list of matters to be discussed at last Thursday's parlay between the six-man Policy Committee, representing the owners, and the six-man player group was a minimum wage. The athletes were suggesting $6,500 as a suitable floor for salaries in 1947. Because the owners believed it would be better to keep secret the full details of their agreements until they meet at the end of August in Chicago, the exact minimum wage is not know.

The players also will get an allotment to cover incidental expenses during spring training. FABL President Sam Belton indicated it would not be the $5 per day that was asked, a sum he estimiated would run into $150,000 per year.
*** Pension Plan Gains Favor ***

A pension plan is another definite development, although its nature will depend on the reports of actuaries who may require several months for an investigation. Before the owners and athletes can decide whether to raise the money by a series of interleague games or by assessments, they first must determine how much case will be needed. That is the immediate problem.

Of more than passing interest was Belton's word that there was no move to discard the reserve clause of the contract by which the players are bound to the same club, year after year. The league president said the players told him less than 1 per cent of their group was in favor of such a radical move.

The league is set to reveal full details of the policy committee's recomendations following the owners meeting in Chicago on August 27. Representatives for the players will not attend the Chicago session, but they will be informed of the league's actions at a later meeting with the Policy Committee.

1947 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART ONE : COLLEGE PLAYERS

A year ago when we took our very early look at the crop of 1947 draft eligible ballplayers the list was almost completely dominated by high school players. In fact, not a single college player cracked the "Way-Too Early Mock First Round" although four did get noted as honourable mentions. Those 4 all figure prominently in our latest look at the upcoming draft class. We begin the multi-part series with a quick look at the top collegiate players according to the Omni Scouting Agency.

The first thing noticeable in a glance at our top ten collegiate players is the absence of pitchers. There does not appear to be any college pitchers worthy of first round selections -at least not in the eyes of the OSA at this time- and there is certainly no franchise ace like 1946 top pick John Stallings. What there is that was lacking in last years class is a good selection of high end shortstops led by Irv Clifford of Charleston Tech, who was a second team All-American this past season as a sophomore.

Here are the top ten draft eligible AIAA players according to OSA scouting reports:

1- IRV CLIFFORD: SS Charleston Tech - Second team All-American hit .343 this past season, highest average of any college player facing great competition. OSA feels the Covington, KY. native could make multiple trips to the all-star game.

2- JESS GARMAN: C Arkansas A&T - A first team All-American, Garman led all catchers with 11 homeruns last season. A native of New York City, he perhaps invokes memories of Paul Tattersall with his high end power potential. If all breaks right, OSA sees Garman as a regular in the all-star game.

3- DAN SMITH: C Garden State - 'Yankee Dan' has the highest ceiling imaginable according to the OSA. Perhaps he does, but a word of caution on Smith -and perhaps Garman as well. The scouting service seems to have fallen in love with catchers as it feels like a lot more of them are getting this potential all-star type tags nowadays than in years gone by. That is not to say the 20 year old from New Hampshire won't be a great player, just something to be aware of.

4- PAUL WATSON: SS Opelika State - Watson has been very consistent over his two seasons with the Wildcats. He hails from Memphis, TN., which has produced more than its share of high end FABL stars including Ranking Kellogg, Adam Mullins and Chuck Adams. OSA sees Watson as a potential elite shortstop on a contending team.

5- CECIL LABONTE: SS Constitution State - A local Connecticut kid that elected to stay home and play his college ball in Hartford at a smaller school. Labonte led all shortstops with a .350 batting average last season but it is his defense that OSA loves the most about the 20 year old, expecting Labonte "to provide above average defense" and develop into an "elite big league shortstop."

6- ERNIE CAMPBELL: CF Tallmadge State - Like Labonte, Campbell played at a smaller school and that perhaps was a factor in him posting the third highest batting average in the AIAA a year ago. A great nickname thanks to his hometown in Illinois, "The Rockford Rocket" was a first team All-American this past season and has the tools "to develop into an extraordinary contact hitter" according to OSA.

7- BOB CRAIG: CF Cumberland University- There are conflicting reports regarding the work ethic of the youngster from Harrisburg, Pa. He is listed with a high work ethic but is described as a player who "advocates a regimen of gradual accumulations." He has hit just .282 over two seasons at Cumberland with average power so he feels like a stretch to be included in the top ten but the OSA believes Craig will develop in to an "above average, everyday big leaguer."

8- AL FARMER: 2B Amarillo Methodist - There is no doubt the Philadelphia native has talent: he was an All-American each of his two seasons at Amarillo Methodist. Work ethic and dedication are question marks but they certainly have not affected his onfield play at the collegiate ranks. OSA raves about Farmer's defensive skills and feels he has a high ceiling at the plate.

9- PAUL REALE: C Spartanburg Baptist - Another of the small school players the scouting service is high on, Reale hails from Birmingham, AL., and has the potential to be an "impact big league catcher according to the scouting service."

10- KING ALLEN: 2B Coastal California -Allen was an honourable mention on our Way-Too Early Mock for this class a year ago. He was originally a second round selection of Toronto out of high school in Marietta, GA., but passed on signing with the Wolves to play college ball for the Dolphins. He has shown decent power in college and was a second team All-American in 1946. We are not so sure he will go as high as the second round this time in the draft, but the college pool is thin so Allen cracks the top ten as what OSA describes as a player who "should be an average big leaguer."

Next week we will look at the top High School pitchers as the 1947 draft preview continues.

Eli Panneton not only no-hit the Cougars 1-0 Sunday but he also plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning when Johnnie Jones issued a bases-loaded walk to Bill Barrett. It was the first no-hitter to finish 1-0 since Doc Newell's perfect game 1-0 win over Brooklyn in August of 1935.
Long-time Chicago Chiefs star Ron Rattigan notched his 2,000 career hit yesterday and did so in dramatic fashion with a 5-hit game keying an 11-3 win over the visiting New York Gothams. The milestone marker was his fifth and final hit of the day -an 8th inning single off of Lou Eaker in a game in which the Chiefs ruined 42 year old Jim Lonardo's return to the mound for the New York nine.
Lonardo, who returned to New York after a deadline deal with Detroit, is quickly running out of chances to reach the 300 win mark. He is just 4-9 with a 4.60 era in 16 starts this season and with how inconsistent he has been this year you have to wonder if the Gothams can afford to put him on the mound much while they are in a tight pennant race. The four-time Allen Award winner has a lifetime mark of 297-217.
It has been a rough year for Bobby Barrell (.234,21,62) but the winner of the last two Federal Association Whitney Awards -and 4 altogether- was named Federal player of the week for the 26th time in his career but first time this season after going 11-for-24 with 4 homers and 9 rbi's. It did not help his Philadelphia Keystones much as the club went 2-5 and has dropped 8 of its last 10 ballgames.
The Toronto Wolves look to be on course for their worst season since 1933 which is not sitting well with the fans or owner. Question is "If this just a unlucky run or have the Wolves fallen that far that fast?" Toronto's front office is now sifting through the system to make tentative future plans. Changes are expected to start soon and to continue through the winter. Brett Bing is told that the plan, at this time, is not a "blow it up rebuild" but leaning towards a reset of the lineup bringing some new guys while putting on the market some of the older fixtures. Troubling is that neither Jerry York nor John Fast -two of Toronto's best prospects- are tearing it up in AAA.
The Montreal Saints have had some class calls with a .500 record but have not finished at or above the breakeven point on a season since 1929 when they went 77-77. At 55-57 so far this season, the Saints are certainly in range of a .500 season and are looking at some moves down the stretch to try and get there. Second baseman Charlie Woodbury is in danger of losing his starting job as Ted Brown and Bob Jennings are both providing more offense and Jennings is a better defensive player. Red Bond, back from the war, has wrestled the first base spot away from Vic Crawford, who is having a horrible season as a 38 year old, hitting just .179. While centerfielder Bill Greene and leftfielder Bert Lass have been steady, there has been a carousel in rightfield with Otis Parker not living up to expectations. Ernie McCoy had a solid debut but has been hurt of late. If the 25 year old former second overall selection can stay healthy, he may be the answer in right.

PRO LOOPS FACE BITTER FIGHT FOR PATRONAGE

The dervish dance, the mad mullah scramble of the two professional football leagues already is under way with several clubs at work. The battle for patronage and place between the American Football Association and the Continental Football Conference will carry as grim and as bitter a rivalry as anything sport has known since baseball's Border Association challenge the Century League well over 60 years ago. That was the fight that got the ball rolling towards the birth of FABL, which gave us the two major leagues and made baseball what it is today. Big time hockey waged a smaller scale war of its own in the 1920s before the North American Hockey Conference absorbed several of the teams from the United States Hockey Association but what is coming in football may well be a much more costly fight full of bitterness.

It is our opinion that we will eventually have the same result after the costly grid duel this fall and early winter has come to an end. It might be a year from now or perhaps as many as half a dozen. That point remains unknown to all and hinges entirely on how deep the pockets of the magnates might be. The surest thing connected with pro football this fall is that neither league can face the present rivalry without a heavy financial loss -too heavy of a deficit to be carried along for any length of time.

It is a much different scenario from what is playing out in baseball right now. The new coast big league ball loop seems to have found itself in a perfect position thanks to a conservative fiscal policy. The western ballclubs, likely under the direction of league boss Thomas X. Bigsby, seem content to take FABL's cast-offs rather than getting into a bidding war with the established clubs for talent. Such a bidding war would surely doom several GWL clubs very quickly but this move to take only players that are cut loose by the eastern clubs has allowed the western teams to control costs while they start to establish a solid fan base for major league ball.

Both football leagues on the other hand, have gone overboard in attempting to sign talent. Little has been revealed to the public as far as who has signed -as clubs seem to be opting for secrecy to provent teams in the opposing league from trying to top what has been offered but the scuttlebutt is teams in both football leagues have not only lassoed and corralled practically every well-known star of the past five or 10 years with substantial dollars, but they even have reached for almost every ex-college player who could stand on two feet.
*** Great Pickings for the Men in the Field ***

The pro rivalry will be most intense in New York and Chicago, where new Continental entries will take on the AFA Wildcats and Stars head on and will be battling for the attendance dollars which makes fielding a winning squad -or at least one more successful than the local guys in the other loop- essential.

The only ones who have got any real break from this football civil and uncivil war are the players. They will get not only the cream, but most of the milk. Players rated as $2,500 performers in the past are now knocking over $4,500 or $5,500. Players worth $3,500 have been boomed up to $6,500 or $7,500. This will be a grim struggle where the survival of the fittest pocketbooks will play a big part.

Part of the answer to the question of how long two football leagues will last is dependent upon the amount of sport-spending money left. For the pros can be sure in advance that the colleges will have the greatest autumn season they have ever known at the gate. Fans dollars are already stretched thin with inflation driving up the cost of nearly everything. Some teams from both leagues seem sure to fall by the wayside, and it may just be a matter of a year or two before the best from each loop are united in a single, but perhaps expanded, single professional grid league.

SOLD OUT CROWD FOR SAWYER-SCHROTTER REMATCH

Few expect a battle that will come anywhere close to the ferocious fight waged six years ago in Detroit when Hector Sawyer and Jochen Schrotter meet for a second time with the Heavyweight Championship of the World up for grabs. Much has changed since then -both in the state of the world and the condition of the two powerful pugilists. This fight will not have the same context it did the first time they met when Sawyer was not just fighting to knock off the greatest boxer in the world, but also attempting to claim a victory on the part of nearly the entire world over Hitler's Nazi Germany. The fact that Schrotter privately despised the Nazi tactics mattered little, Sawyer's victory was as much about a win for the American way of life as it was about him ascending to the summit of the sport of boxing.

Six and a half years later the duo will meet in the ring once more, with New York's Bigsby Oval and an outdoor crowd that will surpass 52,000 expected to be on hand Saturday evening thanks to a carefully orchestrated publicity plan crafted by Chester Conley, who has managed somehow to convince the masses that this fight is of equal importance to the one staged in the Motor City nearly two years before we were dragged fully into the war by the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Sawyer has been heavyweight champ ever since, although his professional fight career was paused for well over 4 years due to the war. He has made 4 title defenses in the past year and a half but all came against hand-picked opponents that seemed designed for a certain-victory for the champ -and another big payday for both Sawyer and Conley. Critics say the Cajun Crusher -who celebrated his 32nd birthday last month- is much slower than he used to be in the ring and lacks the same wallop in his powerful mitts that he possessed half a decade ago.

Some might argue with that assessment but almost all are questioning the validity of the 40-year old Schrotter being the one to face Sawyer instead of Mark Fountain or Scott Baker. Schrotter has fought just once since that day in Detroit- unless you count his time as a soldier in the Nazi army although even then most accounts say the former World Champion never actually saw any combat. Schrotter's only bout was a hastily arranged tune-up contest that nearly backfired on Conley when Schrotter lost by disqualification to a British brawler of little consequence by the name of Andy Madden. That was it. Just the one fight in 6 years, set up by Conley, to help try and justify why the rematch with Sawyer was needed instead of giving Fountain or Baker -both far more deserving and overdue for a title shot- their chance.

The payday for all involved will surpass the haul that was taken in that January 1940 evening in Detroit, but the quality of boxing displayed is expected to be of a much lower caliber.

IRA MITCHELL CLAIMS ANOTHER KO WIN

The pride of Chicago, 25 year old welterweight Ira Mitchell, improved his record as a pro to 14-1 with 12 of them coming by knockout including last week's dismantling of Phil Smith on the west coast in Portland.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4).
Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/11/1946

The Soviet delegate balked at a British-American compromise for voting procedures at the World Peace Conference. It also caused a row between US secretary of State Byrnes and his Russian counterpart, with Byrnes accusing the Soviets of attempting to dictate conference procedure.
General MacArthur plans to cut his force in Japan to just "a handful of our troops" as he feels that is all that is necessary to continue the job of organizing and controlling the defeated Japanese.
In a virtually unprecedented move to avert a shutdown of shoe production, the Federal Government ordered a squad of special investigators into hide and leather plants. They are on the hunt for any excessive supplies being held back in the hope of higher prices.
A severe earthquake in the Caribbean killed 52 but caused only slight damage and most of it by high waves in the Dominican Republic.

Jiggs McGee · 04-08-2023, 04:45 PM

AUGUST 19, 1946

CAJUN CRUSHER DOMINATES AN OLD FOE TO RETAIN HEAVYWEIGHT BELT

Not since the taking of Berlin has there been an anticipation of American-German hostilities. Six years ago, before both nations came to blows, the Cajun Crusher, Hector Sawyer, wrestled the World Heavyweight Championship from Jochen Schrotter. Sawyer has not relinquished the belt since that fight and Schrotter wanted another chance at glory. It was seen as a kind gesture for the American champion to extend the offer at a title fight to the over-the-hill German, but in the days leading up to the big fight, the anti-German sentiment was palpable in the press and the assembled throng at Bigsby Oval, an estimated standing-room-only crowd of over 53,000, seemed to be more anti-Schrotter than pro-Sawyer.

Sawyer could be called over-the-hill himself, at least in boxing terms. While Schrotter is 40 years old, Sawyer is 32 and has lost a step, though you would never know it by watching him on this night. The fans were treated to over 40 minutes of boxing, though the action was mainly at the expense of Schrotter. His eye, his head, his chin, his ribs, all targets for the Cajun Crusher. Schrotter was trying to keep his guard up and that cost him a chance to make a single mark on Sawyer.

Sawyer took control midway through the opening round, though the first minute saw both men circling and seemingly taking in the moment. After six years, what was another minute of waiting? Sawyer unleashed a combination to the body and to the head, where a left from Sawyer opened a cut on Schrotter very early in the bout. The cut would hamper Schrotter throughout the evening.

Perhaps it was the blood that flowed so early, but Schrotter was frustrated at his lack of mounting any kind of rhythm. Late in the second round, the Mad German grabbed the back of Sawyer's head and tried to yank it down towards his chest. In the fourth, Sawyer connected on a solid right to Schrotter that snapped his head back violently. But, as has been the case for Sawyer in recent bouts, he lacks an opportunism to make quick work of an opponent.

Schrotter came alive in his first offensive of the bout, using the jab to push Sawyer back in Round 5. Sawyer counterpunched with the combination and stopped Schrotter in his tracks, but the German took his first and only round of the bout on my card.

Now that Schrotter fired his salvo, Sawyer went back to work on the former champ in the sixth, re-opening the cut he exposed in the opening round. Schrotter immediately went on the defensive, tucking in his arms and protecting his head. Sawyer tried to penetrate his defenses with shots to Schrotter's midsection, connecting to his ribs and forcing Schrotter to clutch his side. As Schrotter winced, Sawyer went back upstairs with a barrage of punches. Schrotter was in trouble and the crowd realized it, too. The German went low on Sawyer and referee Mike Ornest warned him of a kidney punch. Schrotter also leaned in with his shoulder, earning a pointed warning from Ornest as well, but this round went to Sawyer.

After some good back-and-forth boxing in the next round, Sawyer took the fight to Schrotter to start Round 8 and he was also giving as good as he got on cheap shots that Schrotter got away with two rounds earlier. Sawyer was admonished in the last round for leaning on Schrotter's neck and Sawyer connected with Schrotter's jaw using his shoulder. A combination by Sawyer caused the cut above Schrotter's eye to leak again. This time, Referee Ornest stopped the fight to let the doctor take a closer look.

Ornest paused the fight five times during the evening to have the physician evaluate Schrotter’s puffy eyebrow on his right side. It was the fourth stoppage, in Round 9, where there appeared to be some swelling after a strong hook by Sawyer. Schrotter's right eye has been the target and Sawyer has been the Allied fighter pilot using his punches as bombs. Sawyer dominated this round with big punches that sent the challenger reeling.

At this point, for Schrotter to win, he would need a knockout. But not a single punch from Schrotter would be considered a major connection throughout the fight. Sawyer looks like he has just been sparring or even dancing when they were in tight, and the referee had to break them up. Sawyer got in an apparent head butt for good measure, which caused Schrotter to roar in complaint. Sawyer was clearly in the German's head. In Round 10, Sawyer started to go for gold and while Schrotter did not look like he had much left, his legs seemed to be his only working limbs, carrying the fighter to the bell.

Schrotter went for broke in Round 12, but Sawyer was still coming out on top when Schrotter came after him. Sawyer was easily able to wheel out of trouble and his energy level was clearly higher, while any damage he had suffered was negligible. By Round 13, there was not much Schrotter's corner man could do by now to keep the blood from freely flowing out of Schrotter's forehead. Sawyer landed another hook, as he has been impressive with that left hand throughout the fight, and there was yet another stoppage for the doctor to look at a scene with which he has become extremely familiar. Sawyer was content to stick and move, while Schrotter looked like he was waiting for the guillotine to fall.

In the deciding round, the penultimate round of the scheduled bout, Sawyer let a cross loose on Schrotter's right eye, which clearly stunned the German since he has been bracing for Sawyer's left hook for several rounds at that point. The cross opened up the forehead once again, leading the referee to bring out the doctor one last time before calling it. The final line will show Sawyer won by a TKO at 44 seconds of the fourteenth round.

There was not a single knockdown in the fight, but one was not needed to know how this fight went. Schrotter averaged less than 30 punches per round while Sawyer managed over 60 per stanza. Schrotter landed more, but it was clear that Sawyer's punches were more vicious and did more damage. By my count, there were 14 big punches landed by Sawyer and Schrotter did not land a single big one. Sawyer used a defensive strategy, but there was plenty left over to mount an offensive against the outmatched Schrotter. The judges cards gave Schrotter two or three rounds each, but I only had him ahead in one round with two others as even rounds.

Yes, the payday was the main idea for Sawyer’s camp. But, the show and the symbolism was what will be remembered on this night. America versus Germany. Democracy versus Naziism. The show lasted long enough to let us all ponder and be certain that good has triumphed over evil and we hold the bright future in our hands.

THREE WAY TIE ATOP FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

The Federal Association now sees three teams tied for first place with a little over a month remaining in the season. The New York Gothams are technically in top spot, with a slight percentage point lead, after halting their 3-game losing streak by going 5-2 against second division clubs Detroit, Chicago and St Louis last week. The Boston Minutemen had to settle for a 3-3 week after being shutout by Philadelphia yesterday in both ends of a Sunday twin-bill. The Washington Eagles are the third team in the mix. They started the week with a 3-game sweep in Philadelphia but finished it poorly by dropping 3 of 4 in Pittsburgh. The news from Pittsburgh became suddenly much worse for the Eagles when it was learned their top starting pitcher -last year's Allan Award winner Lou Ellertson- will miss the rest of the year and likely the start of next season after the 39 year old blew out his shoulder. The loss of Ellertson puts the Eagles in a tough spot and perhaps will have the front office second guessing its decision not to add another arm at the trade deadline.

The mood is much better at Cougars Park this week that it was just 7 days ago. Things will perk up quickly when you sweep the first place team as the Cougars did to the New York Stars in a 3-game weekend series in the Windy City. After a rough start to the month, the Cougars have won 6 of their last 7 games and now trail the front-running Stars by a much more manageable 5.5 games after being 8.5 back a week ago. The injury bug also bit the Stars as second year centerfielder Bob Riggins, who was hitting .262 with 8 homers this season, will miss the next 4 weeks with back troubles.

1947 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART TWO: HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS

With a complete absence of any sort of first round quality collegiate pitcher, you can bet that the high school arms in the draft pool will be in high demand. As a result, it is a good thing there are some dandy's to choose from at the top of the group. A year ago when TWIFB took its first look at the '47 draft class, it was determined that a 16 year old pitcher out of Fowlerville, Mi., belonged at the head of the group. A year later, after the teen in question went 11-0 with a 0.24 ERA and 245 strikeouts, nothing has changed. Well, other than the fact that Les Ledbetter now is the proud owner of an Adwell Award as the best high school ballplayer in the country. Ledbetter tops the high school pitcher list we have compiled thanks to a big assist from the OSA and likely will get plenty of consideration to be the first name called next January. One interesting note is the large number of lefthanders at the top of the high school pitching parade this season.

1: LES LEDBETTER - Fowlerville (MI)HS -He was number one on the way to early mock draft done a year ago and after breaking Hiram Steinberg's record for strikeouts in a high school season nothing has changed. Ledbetter's 0.24 era was also the second lowest single season mark ever recorded by a high school pitcher - just barely missing out on another Steinberg record of 0.23 set in 1940. With 643 strikeouts in 3 seasons he is already just outside the top ten career marks and sees a good bet to break that Steinberg record as well. OSA says he "has an excellent pitch repertoire, which should allow him to become a great starting pitcher."

2: WILLIAM BENNS - Water Valley (MS) HS -OSA pegs the 17 year old lefthander as someone who should end up near the top of any major league rotation. He was 11-0 with a 1.47 era and a 10.6 K/9 as a junior.

3: CHUCK TRILMAN - Berlin (WI) HS -For the second year in a row Trillman went 11-0 with a sub 1.00 era. OSA praises his stuff and expects a lot of strikeouts in Trilman's future, adding "if everything comes together, (he) has the talent to pitch at the top of the rotation."

4: STEVE TALLEY - Ellsworth (ME) HS -An honourable mention for the High School All-American team this past season, the lefthander went 9-0 with a 0.68 era in his first season of high school ball. Despite his inexperience OSA sees a bright future for Talley, noting he has "flashed the potential to be a top of the rotation starter."

5:HANK ALDRICH - Burlington (NJ) HS -The run of lefthanders continues with the 17 year old Aldrich, who has had back to back 8-2 seasons for his New Jersey high school. OSA says his three-aresenal, with dominant stuff and advanced control gives him a chance to be an ace.

6: BILLY KILEY - Cathederal Prep HS, Queens, NY -After five straight southpaws to head the list we get our first righthander in the Brooklyn-born Kiley. He had a dominant junior season -his second year of high school ball- posting a 9-0 record with a 0.87 era. Possesses pinpoint command which OSA believes should allow Kiley to "end up near the top of any major league rotation."

7: ED RICHARDSON - Louisberg (NC) HS -The Raleigh born righthander has just one season of high school ball under his belt, posting a 7-1 record with a 1.75 era. He has "frontline starter potential" according to the scouting service.

8: RALPH LEFEBVRE - New Brunswick (NJ) HS -A two-time first team All-American with a 20-0 record to go with a 0.66 era and 16.9 K/9 ratio over his two seasons of high school ball makes one think that OSA might be underselling Lefebvre's potential calling him a "mid-rotation option."

9: JACK HALBUR - Catasauqua (PA) HS -A middle of the rotation starter is the future the scouting service envisions for the righthander. Halibur was 8-0 with a 0.76 era and a 15.7 K/9 last season.

10: JIM HEITZMAN - Morgan City (LA) HS - A starter each of his 3 years at Morgan City High, Heitzman is 27-2 with a 1.14 career High School era. OSA feels he will one day "fit comfortably in the middle of a big league rotation."

Next week we will look at the top high school hitters in the draft class.

Chests are puffed out in Gothamland again after they snapped a 2-9 stretch with 5 wins in 7 games last week to pull back into a tie for top spot in the Fed. Jim Lonardo rebounded from an awful performance in his return to the Gothams with an 8-5 win on homefield yesterday, raising his career win total to 298.
A 13-1 win over the struggling Pioneers on Saturday displayed Gothams strength at its best: Messer, Johnson, Pestilli, Strong go 12-17 with 11 RBI.
Happy to be out of Brooklyn: Rats McGonigle is hitting .290 with 6 homers in 27 games since the trade to Washington.
Happy to be out of Brooklyn part 2: Tim Hopkins in Chicago: .350/.386/.775 (226 OPS+) with 5 home runs and he was named Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Although some still like being in Brooklyn, including Jim Lightbody. The Kings new starting first baseman went 11-for-25 last week and was named the top performer in the Continental Assocation for the past 7 days.
The first of possibly many pitching duels between these two as Carl Potter and John Stallings faced off in the 2nd game of yesterday's double-header between the Dynamos and Chiefs. Potter came out on top in this one, tossing a 1-0 shutout.
A terrible week for injuries in FABL. Two that could have a sizeable effect on the pennant race are the season ender suffered by Washington ace Lou Ellertson and the back troubles that will sideline young New York Stars centerfielder Bob Riggins for a month. But those were not the only ones. The Cincinnati Cannons lost all-star catcher Adam Mullins for the season with a broken hand, the Sailors lot Marion Boismenu for the rest of the year with a leg injury, Cleveland will finish the season without third baseman Leon Blackridge and Brooklyn must carry on for the next month without backup infielder Joe Bell.

SAWYER RETAINS WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

New York (AP)-Right from the opening bell there was little doubt that Hector Sawyer would retain his World Heavyweight Title with a victory over 40 year old former champ Jochen Schrotter. The only surprise might be that the bout went 14 rounds before referee Mike Ornest called a halt to the proceedings, stopping the bout after consulting with the ringside physician about a nasty cut opened above the challenger's right eye in the opening round that continued to get worse. The victory improves Sawyer's professional record to 54-3-1 while the 40 year old Schrotter -who held the heavyweight crown from 1936 until losing to Sawyer in 1940- drops to 48-5 and will likely never been seen in a boxing ring again.

Sawyer, eager to prove doubters who called him slow wrong, took complete control right from the opening bell and dominated the first two rounds bringing many in attendance to wonder if the fight would last much longer. One of the knocks on Sawyer of late has been his inability to close out a fight -something the Cajun Crusher had no trouble with in his mid-twenties. When the expectaton was Sawyer would push to end the fight in the third, the reality was he appeared to take the round off either to rest or perhaps even prolong the bout so the fans -many of whom shelled out over $100 for a ringside seat- would get their money's worth.

That trend of taking little breaks continued for much of the middle rounds before Sawyer re-established his dominance in the eighth stanza, forcing Ornest to briefly pause the action to check out the condition of Schrotters cut above his right eye. As the fight continued, Schrotter looked more and more like a beaten man and Ornest made the doctor earn his money with three more brief stoppages to check out the challenger before finally halting the evening's entertainment 44 seconds into the 14th round. It was, as expected a wildly lobsided win for the champion, and nearly 53,000 fans in attendance on a beautiful mid-August evening at the Bigsby Oval celebrating yet another victory over Germany, went home happy.

CLINE IMPRESSIVE IN WIN

In his first step up to 10 round fights, rising young heavyweight Tommy Cline looked very good under the bright lights of the Bigsby Oval. Battling on the undercard of the Sawyer-Schrotter title fight, the 21 year old Tennessean was taken the distance by veteran Glenn Hairston but was fully up to the task. Cline improved to 10-0 with a lobsided victory that saw him send Hairston to the canvas twice in the bout and win by a 99-89 margin on the scorecards of all three judges. Hairston was no easy mark for Cline either -a seasoned 31 year old who entered the ring with a 25-7-2 mark and counted the powerful Cannon Cooper as one of his more recent victims.

It was the first time Cline did not win by knockout and was a good test of his staying power. He is a long ways away from being ready for a title shot but does look like his name will be thrown into the mix for contenders for the heavyweight championship of the world in the next couple of years.

BABY FACE BISHOP BACK ON TRACK

A loss a year ago to Harold Stephens dropped Ben 'Baby Face' Bishop out of the welterweight picture but the 28 year old Atlanta native may be working his way back into title contention. Bishop knocked out Mitchell McFadden in May and then was equally impressive last week in a 6th round knockout of John Jackson (12-4-1) to improve Bishop's career record to 23-3-1.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights.
Sep 26- Denny Arena, Boston: Scott Baker (15-0-2) vs Roy Crawford (21-2) ranked heavyweights
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/18/1946

With little progress being made in Paris, US Secretary of State Byrnes took over as chairman of the Peace Conference and the Soviet delegation quickly challenged one of his rulings on procedure.
Two more immigrant ships crowded with 1,200 Jewish refugees anchored just outside Haifa Harbor, adding an explosive pressure to the Palestine situation, already tense with reports of a pending British blockade. The situation became violent the following day when British troops fired Tommy guns and rifles into a crowd of rioting Jews who were trying to storm through tanks, trucks and soldiers in protest of the deportation to Cyprus of 1,000 illegal Jewish immigrants.
President Truman said he may ask Congress for special legislation to permit more Jewish refugees and other displaced persons in Europe to find permanent homes in the United States.
Marine regulars are replacing reserves in North China, but Admiral Charles Cook Jr., command of the United States 7th Fleet, quickly emphazied "the accelerated outward movement of Marines at this time does not in any way mean the Marines are being withdrawn from China."
The OPA's latest price increase allows for an average of a 7.3% hike on new automobiles. The increase, effective immediately, meets a requirement that OPA restore the peacetime profit margins of auto dealers.
His health failing for some time, world famous author H.G. Wells died last week in London.

Tiger Fan · 04-10-2023, 01:26 PM

AUGUST 26, 1946

FINANCIAL CRUNCH LOOMING FOR FABL

There could be some big name veterans looking for work next season -and perhaps heading west. That is the opinion of Percy Sutherland after the longtime Chicago sports editor and Continental Football Conference founder pointed out that player expenses could skyrocket in 1947. The reason: Most of the war returnees are at the minimum salary this season but will expect a hike back towards, or in many cases, above what they were paid prior to the war.

As a result, payrolls will explode next season and some teams will be hit extremely hard. The New York Stars, for example, are projected to double their salary costs from 349k this season to 700k for 1947. There may be a number of vets being released after the World Championship Series, and it may prove to be a huge boost to the talent in the Great Western loop. Part of the Stars issue is they have added veterans during the season who are having salary retained by the trading club. Those bills will come due next season.
*** News Not All Bad ***

FABL magnates did learn some positive news this week on the financial front as the move towards establishing a players union appears to be all but dead. Boston attorney Robert Murphy and his American Baseball Guild struck out for the third time as Pittsburgh Miners players formally rejected the guild in baseball's first collective bargaining election. Only 3 of the 31 Miners players eligible to vote were in favour of joining the guild according to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the proceedings. It was the third defeat for Murphy's guild since he launched his organizing campaign early in the season. In early July the Miners canceled a schedule strike the day before a game in Detroit and later the National Labor Relations Board declined to accept jurisdiction over the guild. Murphy has refused to give up however. He filed charges of unfair labor practices Friday against Pittsburgh majority owner Al Maday with the Pennsylvania Labour Relations Board but is unlikely to gain a favourable result.

The owners did help their own cause on the strike votes by asking the players what they needed to see going forward and it appears the league is set to agree to nearly all of the players demands, formally putting an end to any potential labour action in the sport. The owners meet next week in Chicago and are expected to rubber stamp player requests for a set minimum salary amount, a player pension fund and providing the players with daily money to cover spring training incidental expenses. The players, at the magnates invitation, were asked last month to provide a list of demands they would like to see addressed.

EAGLES SOAR TO TOP OF FED

A 6-game winning streak could not have come at a better time for the Washington Eagles, who have soared to the top of the Federal Association standings after winning six in a row that included a 3-game sweep of the New York Gothams. The Eagles are 75-52 on the year and on pace for their best finish since their 93-win pennant season of 1925. Washington is two and a half games up on the second place Boston Minutemen while the Gothams, mirred in an 8-16 slump, are suddenly 5 games back.

The Eagles did not just sweep the Gothams last week. They completely dominated the 3-game series outscoring the New Yorkers 26-6 in the process and none of the games were close. In the opener, the hometown Eagles jumped out to an early 6-1 lead thanks in no small part to 2-hits each from the newest Eagles in deadline pick-up Rats McGonigle and rookie shortstop Jim Sibert- and rolled to a 7-1 win behind some solid work on the mound from Jim Birdwell. A day later the Gothams had a 3-1 lead early before the Eagles exploded for 7-runs in the final five innings. Jesse Alvardo had the hot hand this time with a 4-for-4 that included a home run, a double and 3 rbi's. The Gothams looked like they couldn't get out of town quick enough in being blasted 11-2 on Saturday as veteran Jim Lonardo was shelled early and the Gothams bullpen struggled late. Sig Stofer, with 2, and Jesse Alvardo with another one, each homered for the Eagles. The only bright spot for New York was that Red Johnson and Walt Messer each hit solo shots to account for the two New York runs.

Things do not get any easier for the Gothams next week as their road trip takes then to Philadelphia -where they dropped yesterday's series opener by a 3-1 score- and then on to Boston for a crucial two game set with the Minutemen.
*** Cougars On the Prowl ***

The Chicago Cougars continue to eat away at the New York Stars lead atop the Continental Association standings. After starting the week with a pair of losses in Philadelphia, the Cougars finished with 5 straight victories including a 4-3 16-inning marathon win over Cleveland that culminated when Don Attaway walked in the game winning run. The Stars have struggled since taking 3 of 4 from Chicago at Dyckman Stadium earlier in the month. New York won the first three of the series before dropping the final game to the Cougars and counting that loss on August 11 the Stars are just 6-9 including 0-4 against the Cougars. Chicago was 9.5 games back after dropping the opener of the August 11th twin-bill in New York, but now 15 days later, have cut the deficit to 4.5 games.

1947 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART THREE: HIGH SCHOOL HITTERS

There are some gems at the top of the list of high school hitters with a second baseman from a small town in Georgia leading the way. 17-year old Marshall Thomas, known as 'The Experimental Man' due to his hometown being Experiment, Ga., which is about 40 miles south of Atlanta is tabbed as a future all-star by OSA. Thomas has just one year of high school ball under his belt but he gets top grades from the scouting service.

1: MARSHALL THOMAS - 2B Griffin (GA) High School :Thomas hit a robust .534 in his lone season of high school ball. He impressed scouts enough to the point where they feel he can make multiple trips to the all-star game. A good contact hitter, he is also expected to develop average power as he matures. He is a tremendous work ethic and is an excellent student, perhaps instilling fears in some OSA clubs that it may be difficult to convince him to turn pro rather than play college ball.

2: HERM KOCHER - CF Bremen (GA) High School :Hot on the heels of his Georgia high school rival Thomas is Herm Kocher. The outfielder led the nation with a .576 batting average in his only season of high school ball but was overlooked for All-American status. OSA does not overlook the young man known as "Southern Comfort", saying simply "with his talents the light of Kocher's star could be blinding." He is tabbed as an ideal lead-off man with above average skills as a defender in center field.

3: JOHN MORRISON - 1B Clinton High School, Bronx, NY : Another youngster with tremendous upside potential according to OSA. Morrison is 6'2" righthanded first baseman who has 27 homers and a .573 slugging percentage in 64 games of high school ball. Originally from Pennsylvania he played his high school ball in New York City and has plus power potential and an advanced approach at the plate.

4: FRENCHY SONTAG - RF Moorestown (NJ) High School :Only first rounders Dick Steel and Yank Taylor hit more than the 11 homeruns Sontag socked in 23 high school games this season. OSA gives Sontag an above average power ceiling and believes he will also hit for average, grading out as a potential elite corner outfielder on a contender. Sontag was an All-American selection his sophomore season.

5: KEN NEWMAN - 3B Christian Brothers College, St Louis , MO :A diehard fan of his hometown St Louis Pioneers who patterns his game after Tommy Wilson. He has tremendous offensive upside according to OSA, potential to hit .350, plus eye and above average power potential. Newman was an All-American as a sophomore.

6: CHARLIE ROGERS - CF Lockport (IL) High School : 'Hoot' Rogers has had a couple of terrific seasons as a high school hitter, batting .571 as a sophomore and .562 last year. Only Herm Kocher hit for a higher average among high school players last season. Looks like he is everything you look for in a centerfielder. Outstanding work ethic, a strong runner and a very athletic fielder.

7: BILL CADY - 2B Wilmington (NC) High School : A three year starter at his high school, Cady has never hit less than .500 in a season and has a high contact ceiling as a professional. OSA calls the 17 year old "a potential elite second baseman on a contending team."

8: HENRY NORMAN - CF Cleveland High School, Queens, NY : Another of a strong group of top end centerfield candidates in this class. Norman has hit .524 over his three seasons as a starter at Cleveland High and OSA feels he may challenge for a batting title in FABL someday. He has a good eye, speed a tick above average and has all the tools to develop into an elite centerfielder.

9: GEORGE HARTNETT - 2B Bayonne (NJ) High School : Not the smartest player in the draft by any stretch but he tries as hard as anyone. OSA says he shows plus contact potential and does a great job at the plate working the count and frustrating opposing pitchers. The scouting service feels he has the potential to be on the shortlist for best second baseman in the league.

10: JIM RICHARD - C Oglethrope (GA) High School :Not sure how a Canadian from northern Ontario ends up as a baseball star at a Georgia high school but Richard may end up as an elite catcher on a contending big league team someday. OSA raves about his offense: above average contact potential, very patient at the plate and should draw plenty of walks while also showing above average power potential. The only knock on him might be is work ethic, which has been questioned.

Next edition will put each of the three lists together and will contain the OSA inspired mock first round for the 1947 draft.

The Kings continue to acquire players to try and work their way out of the cellar. Former Dynamo Gil London has been brought in as a replacement for injured second baseman Joe Bell. London is a veteran of more than 800 big league games and was claimed off waivers after the New York Gothams let him go. It was a great debut for London with the Kings, as he hit .407 in his debut week with 6 RBI’s.

There is some speculation as to which young stars will join the club when the rosters expand later this week. First baseman Chuck Collins, who has shot up the farm system since being drafted in the 7th round out of Bluegrass State last January, has 19 games under his belt at AAA and is pressuring for a shot at a September call up. The 21 year old is slashing .362/.410/.921 with 4 homers and 15 RBI’s in just 94 at bats for Jersey City.

Another late round draft pick who is also having a solid AAA season is C Frank Reichardt. The 22 year old was a rule 5 selection originally selected by Montreal in the 11th round of the 1941 draft. In his first taste of AAA this year Rieichard has a .274/.372/.770 slash line with 7 homers and 52 RBI’s in 101 games. The lefthanded hitter will get a call up when rosters expand.

The big question will be if top prospect CF Ralph Johnson also gets the call. The 22 year old's on-field performance at Jersey City certainly suggests the time for promotion is now! Hitting .455 this last week with 6 home runs in his last 7 games. In 32 AAA games he’s slashing .339/.463/1.142 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI’s Johnson, considered the best outfield prospect in the game right now by OSA, would have to be placed on the 40-man roster to be called up. That will likely necessitate releasing someone. Brooklyn management has indicated that both Johnson and Collins will be called up when the rosters expand later this week.
*** Hoping For Strong Finish ***

After starting the season 31-58 and deep in last place, the Brooklyn Kings are 22-15 since July 16 and 23-19 after the all-star break. That would put them 4th in the post-all star game standings behind the 3 Association leaders (NY Stars, Chicago Cougs, and Phily Sailors). If they can keep up this pace they could have a shot at climbing into 6th place, which might buy the GM more time to rebuild without rushing things. While the battles for the pennants are more exciting, Brooklyn's brass are watching these last 4 weeks of the regular season unfold with great interest.

With the schedule having a few more off-days and only the Labor Day doubleheader left on the schedule next Monday. The Kings have optioned rookie pitcher Bob Crowley down to AAA Jersey City for a week. They also pushed back the start for rookie pitcher Leo Hayden 15-9 2.97 ERA back so he can rest his sore ankle. Going with just 8 pitchers and making a few roster moves, the Kings are expected to bring up CF Ralph Johnson and give him extensive playing time for the rest of the season. They will also likely have 1B Chuck Collins share some time with Jim Lightbody at first base. The Kings optioned (for the sim week) OF John Moss but he will be back next week when rosters expand. Moss had already been optioned this season so his going down is more a function of "best choice" instead of who might have deserved it or needed to be exposed on the waiver wire. Pitcher Crowley will also be back, but sliding into his spot for this week in the rotation is veteran Meritt Thomas who has been a solid pick up for the Kings.
*** Grid Season On Deck ***

It is not the AFA, but the grid Kings are back as pro football returns to Kings County after a year's absence. The AFA entry folded prior to last season and it's players were sold off to Cincinnati but the Kings are back as members of Percy Sutherland's new Continental Football Conference. The 8-team rival to the American Football Association kicks off next month and will also feature a New York team, to be called the Gothams.

The Brooklyn State eleven will also resume its football program after taking the last three years off due to war related player shortages. This years pack of Bears will be hard pressed to match the last Brooklyn State grid team. That 1942 club went 6-3 and was ranked in the top 20. This one will be a young team and has a tough slate of 7 games beginning October 11 against St. Matthew's College.

We have a new leader in the Great Western League as the San Francisco Hawks have taken over top spot. The Hawks have won 14 of their last 20 ballgames while Bay Area rival Oakland has dropped 10 of its last 11. It is a 3-team race for the two spots in the Bigsby Cup Championship with the Los Angeles Knights also very much in the mox. The Houston Bulls are fourth and desperately trying to join the playoff party, but 3 losses in 4 games against the Knights dealt the Bulls a tough blow.

A belated congratulations to Keystones living legend Bobby Barrell, who hit his 450th home run on August 16th in Boston. The homer was a 381-foot blast to right field off lefty Ed Wood at Minuteman Stadium. The single RBI gave Barrell 1,803 for his career, just 38 behind mentor Rankin Kellogg for 3rd place on the all-time FABL list and the top RBI man in Keystones franchise history.
Barrell is also fast approaching the 3,000 hit plateau. His single in a 3-1 win over the New York Gothams yesterday was the 2,965th hit of his career including 116 so far this season.
Bob Martin of the Chicago Chiefs, who joined the 3000 hit club earlier this season, scored 2 runs in a win last week over Detroit and is not just 9 runs shy of becoming just the 16th player in FABL history to cross the plate 1,500 times.
The Gothams Jim Lonardo, who was shelled in a loss to Washington over the weekend, remains 2 wins away from 300 for his career. Lonardo has now pitched in 598 games. Only 22 pithers have thrown in more FABL contests.
It was a huge week for the Washington Eagles. 6 wins including 3 over Gothams. Washington is 17-8 in August. Boston 15-9 and slumping New York just 8-14 this month.
A big part of the Eagles success is Rats McGonigle. McGonigle in 88 games in Brooklyn: .242/.351/.373, 6 HR, 23 RBI. McGonigle in 33 games in Washinggton: .314/.421/.595, 7 HR, 25 RBI
Doc Shaw in Boston notes that week's of 4 up and 3 down weeks are not going to be enough if Boston wants to take the FA crown from the Washington group.
Toronto continues to disappoint their fans, a losing record to Brooklyn is almost inexplicable. Take 2 of 3 from the Stars then get swept in the Sunday twin bill by the Cougars be identical 4-3 scores. Wolves supposed mainstays pitching and defense are not performing, pitchers have walked more hitters, 371, than they have retired on strikes, 362. Defensive efficiency, .712, is about league average but that is not good enough, along with 102 errors, 14 passed balls.

CHAMPS ACCEPT INVITE TO BOSTON CAGE TUNE-UP

The defending collegiate basketball national champion City College of Los Angeles Coyotes have passed on returning to the Bigsby Garden -site of their championship win in April- and instead will participate in the Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic in Boston. The Easton Classic, named after the long-time coach and man credited with inventing the sport of basketball, is one of the three big pre-season tournaments that will take place at the beginning of November and usher in the start of another collegiate cage season.

The Coyotes, who narrowly beat Liberty College 45-44 in the championship game last April, turned down an invite to the New York City Tournament of Champions for the opportunity to play in the Boston event. CCLA will be led once more by West Coast Athletic Association all-star forward Jumbo Hinman, who returns for his senior year with the Coyotes.

The only bout of note last week saw middleweight contender Thomas Erwin improve to 30-6 with a second round knockout of Joe Moore in Cleveland. Erwin is best known for getting a title shot against former champ Archie Rees in March of last year. Rees knocked out Erwin in the first round of that bout before falling to Frank Melanson in his next defense. Moore, who had been listed the #3 contender in the division in the most recent TWIFB boxing rankings, falls to 13-3 and now has lost twice in his last four bouts with the previous defeat coming at the hands of John Edmonds (20-2), who was also upset in his most recent outing which was a 10th round knock out by Dave Sizemore.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights.
Sep 26- Denny Arena, Boston: Scott Baker (15-0-2) vs Roy Crawford (21-2) ranked heavyweights
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/25/1946

American officials regard Russia's demand on Turkey for a share in the defense of the Dardanelles as a calculated move toward dominance over the whole Middle East, raising a serious threat to world peace.
At least 2,000 are dead after rioting in the streets of Calcutta as Moslems and Hindus collided.
The situation in Palestine is still described as tense but things quited after trouble early in the week. Despite the ongoing troubles in the region, Britain is said to wanting to stick to its plan of requesting the United Nations Trusteeship Council to appoint her sole trustee for Palestine.
The OPA and Price Decontrol Board are hustling to complete tasks required of them by Congress. Decisions are being considered on whether price ceilings should be restored on meat, dairy products, grain, cotton, soybeans and hundreds of products made from these commodities.

Jiggs McGee · 04-11-2023, 12:37 PM

SEPTEMBER 2, 1946

Chicago, Aug 30 -Unless the reform program for contracts agreed upon by the club owners here in the special session of major league officials is overwhelmingly enticing to the ball players, there is bound to me more haggling over the form of the new contract than the magnate's suspect. This was the sentiment expressed by players on learning the the 1947 season, while squeezed into the same time limit as usual, will embrace 168 games instead of the 154 which over the years has been standard procedure.

"No days off, eh?" they chorused. "Lots of double-headers? Baseball day and night? Is that what they plan to give us in exchange for a small hike to the minimum salary?"

It is clear that almost to a man the players do not like the idea. What the players do not know yet is exactly what is incorporated in the report by baseball's steering committee in response to the players list of demands that were presented last month. That information should be presented to the players some time over the next two weeks.

What is known is that the magnates are very much in favour of the expanded slate. The establishment of a fuller schedule, according to FABL President Sam Belton, means that a lot of open dates now will be filled, that there will be a tightening up of long stretches of no playing, that this does not necessarily mean more night baseball.
*** It's Okay With Pitchers ***

But the players raised objections, particularly those who are not pitchers. The pitchers see in it a chance to win more games and therefore improve their bargaining power. But for the others, who are in there every day, the longer season has no appeal whatsoever.

On big argument they pose is that extending the slate means that many of the records, regarded as so much of the backbone of baseball, must be thrown out of the window when comparisons are made between players of 1947 and those of the past. Some players said it looked as if the big leaguers were going in for bush league schedules. On the other hand, President Belton pointed out that the present schedule has around 34 open dates for each club, and that next year's schedule, starting on April 15 and ending on September 28, will not affect the time which players owe to their clubs.
*** Stockdale Declares Long Scheudle Is No Slap at Player's Deal ***

The new 168-game schedule is not a retaliatory measure to offset concessions granted players in the contract revisions. That is the word from Washington Eagles owner Calvin Stockdale. "The 168-game schedule idea has been kicking around for a year and a half," explains Stockdale. "Personally, I am sorry to see it approved, but it's not new and it's not designed as a counterblow to the players improved position."

"I got pretty mad at Chicago when the subject of a 168-game schedule was broached," continued Stockdale. "I told 'em I wouldn't have anything to do with it and tried to talk 'em out of it byt they wouldn't listen to me. We are going to be so loaded with doubleheaders it will be pitiful. I didn't like the idea of adding those 14 games to the schedule and I still don't, but in fairness to Richard Marshall of the Foresters, who requested more games some time ago, I think it should be disclosed that the 168-game schedule idea wasn't the result of bettering conditions for the players. They developed at the same time, but it was a coincidence."

FED SHOWDOWN IN BOSTON AHEAD

With the New York Gothams quickly fading from contention the Federal Association pennant hunt now appears to be down to a race between the Boston Minutemen and the Washington Eagles. The Eagles, on the strength of 10 wins in their last 12 outings, have a slim one-half game hold on the flag but the Minutemen will have plenty of chances to pull ahead as Washington and Boston meet 8 times over the final four weeks of the season with the first 3 of those contests slated for Minuteman Stadium beginning Wednesday. Boston and Washington have split there season series so far this year with each claiming 7 victories.

Boston enters the first big head-to-head test with Washington on a 6-game winning streak but they first have to survive a Labour Day doubleheader in Philadelphia. The Eagles also play two today, at home against the Pittsburgh Miners. The Minutemen will finish that season down another pitcher as veteran Dean Astle (11-6, 1.57) was injured for the second time this season and this one -a ruptured tendon in his finger- will take about 4 months to heal. Astle, who has the lowest era this season in either association becomes the second Boston starting pitcher to suffer a season-ending injury as Ray Dalpman (7-3, 2.55) went down in June with shoulder troubles.

The Gothams are now 6 games back and had a pitching injury of their own to contend with, losing Harry Carter (10-14, 3.10) for the year with an injury last week. The one bright spot in New York was Jim Lonardo's 8-0 shutout of St Louis yesterday, improving his record on the year to 6-11 but more importanly pushing Lonardo to within 1 victory of the milestone 300 wins mark. There seems little doubt now -with their pennant hopes all but dashed- Gothams manager Bud Jameson will ensure Lonardo gets plenty of opportunites to get that 300th victory. It has been just a terrible stretch for the Gothams, who before yesterdays shutout victory, were on a 10-19 stretch that dropped them from a 3.5 game lead on second place Washington in late July to now trailing by 6.
*** Stars Feeling the Heat ***

The Chicago Cougars 8 game winning streak may have come to an end with back to back losses in Montreal over the weekend but they continue to close in on the suddenly struggling New York Stars. The Stars have dropped 6 of their last 9 games and their lead over the Cougars atop the Continental Assocation, which was 8.5 games just 2 and a half weeks ago, is down to 3 games. It will be a tense Labour Day at Dyckman Field as the New Yorkers play host to Chicago for a pair of games. Cougars skipper Clyde Meyer has his pitching staff set-up perfectly for the Stars as Peter Papenfus and Donnie Jones will be the Labour Day starters. A sweep either way would be huge but not completely devastating to either club as they still have three more games against each other -at Cougars Park the final week of the season. The Stars lead the season series between the two clubs 9-8 but the Cougars have won each of the last 4 meetings.

1947 DRAFT PREVIEW: PART FOUR : MOCK FIRST ROUND

To complete our look at the 1947 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. Pitching is very interesting this season as while there are 5 pitchers that made the first round list, all of them are lefthanders and none of the five are college players. In fact, only 3 AIAA athletes -shortstops Irv Clifford and Cecil Labonte along with catcher Jess Garman- cracked the top 16.

Code:


#     NAME		POS    AGE    SCHOOL
 1: LES LEDBETTER  	LHP   17	Fowlerville (MI) High School
 2: MARSHALL THOMAS     2B    18    Griffin (GA) High School
 3- IRV CLIFFORD         SS    20    Charleston Tech 
 4- JESS GARMAN		C     20    Arkansas A&T 
 5: HERM KOCHER 	CF    17    Bremen (GA) High School
 6: WILLIAM BENNS       LHP   17    Water Valley (MS) High School
 7: JOHN MORRISON	1B    17    Clinton High, Bronx, NY
 8: FRENCHY SONTAG  	RF    17    Moorestown (NJ) High School
 9: CHUCK TRILMAN       LHP   17    Berlin (WI) High School
10: STEVE TALLEY        LHP   17    Ellsworth (ME) High School  
11: KEN NEWMAN 		3B    17    Christian Brothers, New Orleans, LA
12: HANK ALDRICH        LHP   17    Burlington (NJ) High School
13: CHARLIE ROGERS	CF    17    Lockport (IL) High School
14: BILL CADY  		2B    17    Wilmington (NC) High School
15- CECIL LABONTE  	SS    20    Constitution State 
16: HENRY NORMAN   	CF    17    Cleveland High, Queens, NY

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Toronto brings up Jerry York, Jim Laurita, Mike Rollinson and Randy Hendrix with the roster expansion. John Fast was left in Buffalo to continue to find his game, as he has not seemed to perform to expected standards since returning in July after missing 8 weeks due to a severe hip injury.

York (8-7, 3.77 at Buffalo) will probably make his starting debut September 10 in New York against the Stars...no easy entry for this highly regarded prospect who has not had the year expected in AAA. He presently sits at #29 on the OSA prospect list after peaking as hgh as #2 a couple of years ago. The 25 year old, who missed two years of playing time while serving in the Navy, was selected 8th overall in the 1942 draft. The 27 year oldLaurita, who spent all of the 1944 and '45 seasons with the Wolves, will join the disaster known as the bullpen in Toronto. Hendrix, a 26 year old catcher, will get some work as the Wolves begin planning for the post Howerton era. Fans are questioning the recall of infielder Rollinson, who has never found his batting stroke in 1946 either in Toronto, where he hit .197 before his demotion or in Buffalo where he was not much beter, slashing .226/.345/.355.

Insiders tell us that these moves were made to free up roster spots throughout the organization. A source who spoke under the condition of anonymity says "After the disappointing year in Toronto, really throughout the system, we are going to use September to evaluate what we have beginning in Toronto along with the entire minor league system. All minor league managers have told their players that they are in auditions for 1947. The winter will be used to make changes up to and including the FABL level because it is becoming more obvious everyday that what we have is neither working nor good enough."

***Millard Will Not Be Impressed ***

It looks like at least one of the western clubs is upping the ante on what it is willing to play players. The Portland Green Sox now have a payroll higher than the New York Stars this season after making former FABL regulars Aart MacDonald and Johnny Guzzo the highest paid players in the Great Western League. Their contract values are higher than all but six current Toronto Wolves and if the league the Millard likes to constantly bash continues to wave money around it can't help but force the Toronto owner -and the 15 other FABL magnates- to increase what they are paying players.
***Basketball Coming to Dominion Arena ***

It looks like the Toronto Dukes will have a new tenant at Dominion Arena. A new pro basketball loop -dubbed the Federal League- is set to tip-off in the fall and it has been revealed that Toronto will receive one of the 8 franchises.

The Kings are officially out of the pennant picture but that does not mean there are not some positives to build on. Newly acquired infielder Gil London -a waiver pickup from the Gothams- was named player of the week for the first time in his careef. Meanwhile, pitcher Leo Hayden continues to turn heads. The 24 year old won the rookie of the month award in the CA and, while he may not win it, he should get some votes in the rookie of the year balloting. After a shaky start of the season in April, he has had a very good rookie campaign going 16-9 with a 3.04 ERA. In August Hayden was 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA and he has picked up a win in September as well. This was Hayden's 2nd time winning the rookie of the CA month award. He won May’s rookie and pitcher of the month awards previously.

It is a deep crop of rookies this season with the top seven at a quick glance look like (in no particular order) New York Stars 1B Bill Barnett (.266,10,55), Detroit Dynamo's SP Wally Hunter (14-7, 2.51), Cleveland Foresters CF Paul Porter (.294,1,35) , New York Stars LF Jack Welch (.278,13,56), Brooklyn Kings SP Leo Hayden (16-9, 3.04), Sailors RF Cotton Dillon (.260,5,41) and Montreal Saints SP Bert Cupid (13-7, 3.46).

On the bad side of the ledger for the Kings is the fact that former Brooklyn first baseman “Tiny” Tim Hopkins looks like a shoe in for 30+ home runs in Chicago next season. He hit 13 in 88 games in Brooklyn and has hit 9 in 24 games with the Chiefs.

From July 11-15 Cincinnati's Al Wheeler ended a month long homer drought with 4 longballs in a 4 game stretch including the 500th of his career. Since then Wheeler has hit just 1 homerun. The 38 year old has been very prone to hot and cold streaks throughout his career and his bat going into a deep freeze has corresponded with the Cannons collapse in the second half of the season.
Each of the last 3 seasons he pitched (miss 1944 with an injury suffered in the spring) the Cannons Deuce Barrell has led the CA in ERA and WHIP. He is third in each of those categories this season. Papenfus (2.26) and Montreal's Wally Reif (2.32) have era's lower than Deuce's 2.57 while his 1.12 WHIP trails Cougars Donnie Jones (1.07) and Peter the Heater (1.12).
In terms of record record, the Cougars Johnnie Jones (9-12) would be considered unlucky. In terms of ERA (2.59) he would be considered lucky (3.44 FIP). Quite a weird season for the southpaw
Since shutting out Detroit on August 8th, Chiefs rookie John Stallings is 0-3 over 4 starts (0-4 team record). All part of the learning experience, kid. Though he did sign a new Chiefs contract for 1947 that could pay him as much as $29,250, counting the bonuses for the Allen Award and All-Star game.
The Cougars have five road games to start the week, but 17 of the remaining 19 contests will be played at Cougars Park. On the surface, this looks like an advantage for the second place team, but they fair far better on the road (42-28, .600) then at home (33-27, .550).
Now that the draft pick deadline has past, the Cougars class has allowed them to take the #1 spot on OSA's Prospect Pipeline with 197 points. 13 of the Cougars 19 draftees rank in the top 500, with three in the top 100 and 7 in the top 200. Leaguewide, all players in the first two rounds signed, but third rounders of Cleveland (George Scott) and St. Louis (Danny Noonan) will instead attend college. In total, just 7 players drafted in the first eight rounds (human portion) did not sign.
Some roster decisions for the Chiefs. Shortstop Lou Hooker hasn't looked overwhelmed, and so he'll be the presumptive starter heading into 1947. For September, second baseman Elmer Hutchins will give way to Ossie Grogan and Billy Brown will have most of the playing time in right field.
The Chiefs became the first Federal Association club officially eliminated from the flag race, following closely on the heels of the Brooklyn Kings -who were first out in the Continental loop.
The Dynamos are only going to bring up one player from Newark this week as the rosters expand. That would be pitcher Jim Bob Jones, who is out of options so we want to give him a good look to help determine his fate for next season. For now at least, 3B Tommy Griffin and CF Edwin Hackberry will remain in Newark where they will play every day. And shortstop Stan Kleminski, who like Hackberry debuted as a 19 year old in Detroit earlier this season, will remain in New Jersey to work on his fielding.
Dreams of a .500 season in Montreal -something not seen in Quebec since 1930-still have some faint hope after the Saints finished the week with a 4-game winning streak. It doesn't come without bad news as pitcher Pat Weakley hurt his shoulder and will be out for the season. A number of youngsters will be added for the September roster expanison including Gordie Irwin, who will replace Weakley in rotation. Irwin, 24, posted an 11-5 record with 3.03 ERA this season in Minneapolis. He also had a strong spring training and was one of final cuts made in April. Others will be considered for promotion this month include OSA's top 50 prospects 3B Luke Weaver and outfieler Bill Elkins.
The Portland Green Sox continue to add FABL veterans to their club. The latest two are outfielder Aart MacDonald and third baseman Frank LeMieux. MacDonald becomes the highest paid player in the western circuit after being dumped by Detroit. Full of promise but never quite able to live up to it, the 34-year old centerfielder hit just .207 in 796 FABL games with the Dynamos and Cougars. Frank LeMieux, a veteran of over 1,000 FABL games, has also found a new home in Portland. The 32 year appeared in just 1 game for the Sailors this season after being claimed off waivers from Brooklyn and also spent some time in AAA with Milwaukee. The Green Sox inked him to a deal after he was released by the Chicago Cougars. LeMieux is a .298 career hitter in FABL.
Those two are more for the future than the present in Portland. The Green Sox climbed up to .500 at 58-58, but since then have gone 1-11 and are 13 games out of a playoff spot.
Staying with the western loop, A 5-1 week by the Los Angeles Knights elevates them into a first place tie with San Francisco, making up a game-and-a-half in the last week. 26 games left in the season and the two biggest cities in the loop are in a flat-footed tie for first. Some proud brass at the league offices, that's for sure.

MAJOR PRO CAGE CIRCUIT EYES FALL START

After nearly two years of planning the Federal Basketball League is back. That is the word from Rollie Barrell, who was one of the key men behind the original Federal Basketball League that existed for a few years in the mid-1920s before succumbing to financial woes amidst the start of the Great Depression. Barrell let word slip last week while talking about his Detroit Maroons football club with reporters that the Federal Basketball League will be reborn and will include a team based out of Detroit.

According to Barrell, the new big-time cage loop is expected to have eight members and will begin play in November. He will own a piece of the Detroit ballteam and did reveal the plan is to call the club the Mustangs as a nod to the famous WWII P-51 Mustang aircraft, who's Merlin engine was made primarily in the Motor City. The 8 team loop will have a decidedly middle-west makeup and surprisingly will not include an entry from New York City or Boston. The member teams, according to Barrell, will lean heavily on semi-pro clubs from the old Midwest Semi-Pro loop and include Chicago, Cincinnati and Cleveland along with Detroit. Also in the new league will be teams from Baltimore, Buffalo, Philadelphia and a Canadian club based out of Toronto.

Further research confirm the league will indeed be called the Federal Basketball League, just as its predecessor was, but will have no actual ties to the defunct version. The 8 inaugural member teams are said to be:

Baltimore Barons
Buffalo Brawlers
Chicago Panthers
Cincinnati Cyclones
Cleveland Crushers
Detroit Mustangs
Philadelphia Phantoms
Toronto Titans

A quiet week in the ring with the only bout involving a fighter of note saw Oakland heavyweight Dan Miller score an unanimous decision over Lynn Bell. Miller runs his record to 21-7-1 while Bell falls to 13-6.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights.
Sep 26- Denny Arena, Boston: Scott Baker (15-0-2) vs Roy Crawford (21-2) ranked heavyweights
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 9/01/1946

Six members of the House Military Committee, after meeting with General MacArthur in Tokyo, are advocating a strong and mobile United States striking force in the Pacific to meet the threat of Russian encroachment and the "imminent danger of another Pearl Harbor" in Korea or Alaska.
With machine guns loaded, American Flying Fortresses are accompanying planes flying mail and cargo to Austria after Yugoslavs shot down two transports last month. Five American flyers were killed in the August attack, setting off an international incident.
Due to strikes and material shortages automobile production is far shorter than the current demand for new cars, but industry officials promise it will catch up.
Russia is objecting heavily, but an Australian delegate to the Peace Conference has proposed that the Soviets be called on to "justify her reparations demands" and asked that a special on-the-spot investigation be made of the ability of former European enemy nations to pay the Soviets $900 million demands.
With the peace parlay making little progress, the Foreign Ministers of Britain, Russia, the United States and France met briefly in an effort to find a way to revitalize the Paris Conference.

Tiger Fan · 04-12-2023, 11:14 AM

SEPTEMBER 9, 1946

BOSTON PITCHING GROUNDS EAGLES

The opening 3 rounds of a September battle that sees heavyweight Federal Association contenders Boston and Washington meet 8 times in the final 25 days of the season went to the Boston Minutemen who rode three dominant pitching performances to a 3-game sweep at Columbia Stadium in the Nation's Capital, opening up a 3.5 game lead on the Eagles in the process. It was the centerpiece of a nightmare week for the Stockdales, who were swept by Pittsburgh in a Labour Day doubleheader to start the week before at least salvaging one victory in the last seven days by splitting a 2-game weekend series with Philadelphia. The Minutemen bookended their big performance in Washington with a split of their two-games against each of the Keystones and Miners.

Many in Boston were feeling like the pennant was lost when veteran lefthander Dean Astle joined ace Ray Dalpman on the sidelines after injuring a finger on his throwing hand just over a week ago. The Minutemen have outstanding pitching depth, however, and the three starters who had taken a back seat to Dalpman and Astle to start the year each came up big in Washington. Ed Wood became FABL's first 20-game winner this season with a sparkling 4-hit 3-1 victory in the series opener on Wednesday. A day later Duke Hendricks was even better, twirling a 2-hit shutout in a 2-0 Boston victory to run his record to 11-9 on the year. Finally on Friday it was John Edwards turn to shine. The 30-year old had been confined to the bullpen in his first year back after three seasons missed while serving in the Coast Guard but was inserted in the rotation when Dalpman went down. All he has done in 13 starts since then is go 7-3 with a 2.59 era including a complete game 2-1 victory over the Eagles to complete the sweep.

The cold spell could not come at a worse time for Washington as the Eagles desperately try to win their fist pennant since 1925. Washington entered the week on a roll, riding a 22-10 stretch into the Labour Day showdown with Pittsburgh, but a 1-6 week drops their title chances to just 5.6% according to the pennant predictors.
*** Cougars Remain 3 Back in CA ***

The Continental Association forecast calls the New York Stars an overwhelming 82% favourite to claim the flag in that loop, giving the second place Chicago Cougars less than 18% chance of winning their first pennant since 1941. The two clubs split their Labour Day showdown in the Big Apple with Pete Papenfus and the Chicago nine shelling the Stars 8-1 in the opener but New York got its revenge with an 8-2 triumph in the nightcap. Both clubs would finish out the week with 4 victories in 5 games keeping the Stars lead at 3 with 3 weeks remaining in the season. The duo will meet for a 3-game series at Cougars Park to open the final week of the campaign and despite the odds heavily favouring the Stars, it seems like a foolish assumption to count the Cougars and baseball's best pitching staff -at least west of Boston- out of the race.

1946 DRAFT PREVIEW PART FIVE: A LOOK AHEAD TO THE 1948 DRAFT CLASS

As we do with every draft preview, TWIFB also attempts to gaze into its crystal ball two years down the road and try and project -with a big assistance from OSA- the top candidates for the draft that is still a year and a half away. This group has a lot of players with major league connections. The son's of Tom Bird,John Dibblee, Jim Watson and Al Wheeler are in this class as is Charlie Barrell, who's brother Deuce is the star pitcher of the Cincinnati Cannons. It also projects to have a lot of talent, at least at this early stage as by our count OSA lists roughly 40 players in this group capable of being at least middle of the rotation or an above average position player.

It is a long ways away before this group will even get a taste of pro ball, never mind actually making it to the pinnacle of the sport, but here are 16 names to keep an eye on in our annual "WAY TO EARLY MOCK DRAFT"

Code:

		      1946 WAY TOO EARLY MOCK FIRST ROUND DRAFT
RK  NAME	         POS AGE  SCHOOL	         	HOMETOWN          OSA ASSESSMENT
 1 Joe Kleman*	   SS  16 Princeton(IL) HS  	Princeton, IL     multiple trips to ASG
 2 Dave Smith	   RHP 15 Bellmore(NY) HS     Brooklyn, NY	immense ceiling, a future rotation anchor
 3 Al Bennett	   RF  16 Oak Hill(OH) HS     Cleveland, OH     star could be blinding
  4 Buck Burdell	   CF	 16 Gillette(WY) HS     Gilletee, WY       multiple trips to allstar game
 5 Dixie Gaines	   LHP 19 Capital(MS) Univ.   Starkville, MS	stuff and talent needed to be a #1
 6 Ken Crossley	   RHP 16 Gainesville(GA)HS   Gainesville, GA	ceiling of an ace
 7 Curt Brooks       2B	 15 Princeton(IL) HS    Chicago, IL   	star could be blinding
 8 Gene Curtis	   RHP 15 Furness HS, Philly  Steelton, PA	golden arm and top of rotation
 9 Charlie Barrell*  2B  16 Capital Acad., DC   Los Angels, CA	very promising future
10 Walt Cooper	   RHP 15 Grand Rapids(MI)HS  Fiint, MI    	top of rotation starter
11 Roy Snedden*	   3B	 16 Rowlesburg(WV) HS   Rowlesburg, WV    elite 3B
12 Miguel Rocha	   CF	 20 Maryland State      Plattsburgh, NY   above average big league CF
13 Charlie Craighead LHP 16 Kensett(AR) HS      Kensett, AR 	top of rotation
14 Andy Bonner	   RF  16 Benton (KY) HS      Benton, KY  	cornerstone player
15 Don Goldman	   CF  16 Malden (MA) HS      Malden, MA  	elite CF 
16 Eddie Whitney     RHP 19 Long Island Maritm. Washington, DC	front of the rotation
* All-American Selection

		HONOURABLE MENTION 
  NAME		POS AGE   SCHOOL		    HOMETOWN	         OSA ASSESSMENT
Phil Belleau      2B  16  Groveland (FL) HS   Orlando, FL       above average player
Bob Benton	      2B  16  Middlesboro(KY) HS  Middlesborough,KY productive regular on contender
Bill Browning     1B  16  Holden(WV) HS       Holden, WV        above average player
Roland Hawe	      LF  16  Normandy HS, StL    St Louis, MO      above average OF
George Hodges	2B  14  Brownsville(PA)HS   Youngstown,OH	    cornerstone 2B
Glen Holbrook	CF  15  Cleveland(OK) HS    Winfield, KS      above average
John Hubbard	RHP 16  Kellerman(AL) HS    Kellerman, AL     mid-rotation starter
Pete Ireton	      2B  15  Muhall (PA) HS      Munhall, PA	    potential elite 2B
Fred Kelley	      CF  16  Roanoke(IL) HS      Roanoke, IL       key role on a contender
Phil Lee          CF  16  Natick (MA) HS      Natick, MA        can make impact on a top team
Jimmy Morris	RHP 16  Monroeville(OH) HS  Monroeville,OH    top of rotation
Frankie Raymond	RHP 16  Waite HS Toledo     Toledo, OH 	    mid-rotation starter
Ansel Rohling	RHP 15  Creston(IA) HS      St Joseph, MO	    mid-rotation starter
George Smith      C   16  Ridgefield Park HS  Ridgefield Park,NJ above average catcher
Gene Tracy        LHP 16  Fulton (NY) HS      Fulton, NY        front of the rotation
Joe Watson        CF  16  Wheaton(IL) HS      Wheaton, IL       all the skills scouts look for in CF
Steve Wheeler     CF  16  Hillcrest HS, Cincy Detroit, MI	    good potential and promising future
Pug White         LHP 16  Monterey (CA) HS    San Francisco,CA  mid-rotation starter
Bill Wooten       LHP 16  Princeton (IL) HS   Princeton, IL     top half of rotation

DYANMOS ROUGH SEASON ENTERS HOMESTRETCH

Just three weeks remaining in what has been for the most a pretty disappointing season for the Dynamos ballclub. After making another unsuccessful pennant push a year ago, owner Powell Thompson slashed salary and parted ways with his old General Manager. The new group was given a mandate to get costs in line and that was one of the few areas that they can be considered successful.

We all knew the young team was unlikely to contend this season but they have been even worse than feared. Certainly the season ending injury to ace Dixie Lee in June sent them down the wrong path and likely played a factor in dumping the contracts of Art White, Mack Sutton and Rip Curry as well as several unproductive vets. Much more was expected of young outfielder Dick Blaszak, who has a load of pressure on him after being part of the January deal that sent the number one pick - which turned out to be Piedmont University ace John Stalllings- to the rival Chicago Chiefs. Blaszak underperformed and neither of the 19 year old elite prospects -shortstop Stan Kleminski and outfielder Edwin Hackberry- proved ready which led to Detroit having the worst offense in the Federal Association.

The good news is all 3 of those players are young and great things are still expected one day soon from Hackberry and Kleminski. The Dynamos also found a potential all-star pair in the 23 year old double-play duo of second baseman Del Johnson and shortstop Bob Montgomery, but it does seem to be just a matter of time before Montgomery gives way to Kleminski -assuming the latter can figure out his defensive problems. Detroit also found a keeper on the mound in 24 year old rookie Wally Huner, who leads the team in wins and seems like he will be a perfect 1-2 combination with 20 year old Carl Potter for the next decade.

We might have to watch this club struggle a little while longer but the foundation to build a bright future at Thompson Field certainly appears to be in place.
*** DCC Grid Eleven Has High Hopes ***

The mood on the Detroit City College campus is one of excitement as the grid Knights continue workouts in preparation for their September 28 season opener against Indiana A&M. Many are saying this will be the best opportunity the school has ever had to make its first trip to Santa Ana on New Year's Day for the East-West Classic. DCC has never played in the big game, and were passed over last season in favour of Alabama Baptist despite finishing 10-1 and ranked 3rd in the nation after beating Travis College in the Lone Star Classic.

There is plenty of talent returning this year and the Knights grid team has a very friendly schedule for the upcoming season. Seven of the Knights 9 games will be contested in Detroit including six at City College Stadium with only the Nov 2 game at Minnesota State and the traditional season-ender against Central Ohio to played on the road. Early indications are the Knights have a terrific ballclub and may contend for the National Title. The big tests are expected to come in the form of two-time defending national champion Rome State, with the All-American backfield duo of Gus Thompson and Chet Donelson, as well Great Lakes Alliance rivals Lincoln and Minnesota Tech.

Code:

 DETROIT CITY COLLEGE GRID SCHEDULE[
Sep 28  Indiana A&M
Oct 5   Western Iowa
Oct 12  Rome State (at Thompson Field)
Oct 19  St Magnus
Oct 26  Lincoln
Nov 2   at Minnesota Tech (in Minneapolis)
Nov 9   St Ignatius
Nov 16  Wisconsin State
Nov 23  at Central Ohio (in Columbus)

*** Maroons Enter Post Vaught Era ****

There is far less anticipation of big time grid success for the Motor City's pro entry. Head Coach Frank Yurik was never Stan Vaught's biggest fan, but the Maroons bench boss may be longing for his all-star end a few games into the upcoming campaign. Vaught has retired, and says it is for good this time around, leaving the game as the leader in virtually every receiving category. Without their offensive star, the Maroons may be hard-pressed to reach the AFA championship game for the third consecutive season. They came up short each of the past two seasons and also lost in the 1940 title tilt. Last time Rollie Barrell's ballclub won the AFA crown was 1936 when they beat Pittsburgh at Thompson Field.

Speaking of Barrell, the Maroons owner will be pulling double-duty this season as he is also the President of the new Federal Basketball League entry. Rollie, with the backing of the Whitmore Motor Car Company, will own the cage entry -to be called the Mustangs- in the 8 team pro loop this fall. They are expected to play out of Thompson Arena and will be part of the first big league basketball circuit since the old Federal League -in which Barrell co-owned the Brooklyn club- folded in 1930.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Wolves Weekly Woes Continue -As the Toronto nine careen towards their worst finish in CA since 1939 along with a win total probably in the sixties for the first time since 1935 Brett will give a short synopsis on the causes of the disappointing 1946 results.

The team, as reported many times in the Mail & Empire, has performed far under expectations in all three key areas of the game Pitching, Hitting, Defense.

Pitching: The Wolves have had a highly regarded staff throughout the decade, one that was supposed to be bolstered by the return of servicemen, in particular Joe Hancock. With a one, two punch of Allen Award winner Garrison followed by Hancock long losing streaks should have a thing of the past. Unfortunately Garrison, 10-14, 3.16, Hancock 9-14, 3.86 have not had successful seasons. Their total of 19 wins by the middle of September would have been the expectation of at least one if not both these pitchers at this point in 1946. When the staff leader in wins at 11 is Bob Walls 11-11, 4.00 does not speak well of the season. Myer 8-4, 2.76 has given the staff a boost after Morrison was relegated to the 'pen but it wasn't nearly enough. Gibbs, 9-8, 3.76 after a hot first half has given the team what was expected of him.

The relief corps has been a unmitigated disaster all season. The return of Jayson was supposed to give Manager Call a reliable arm to call on late in the game, as are his tendencies to save his SP. Jayson's 4-7, 3.82 with 15 saves is a far cry from this once elite stopper. Five blown saves were not expected, failing to close out 25% of his opportunities has given Call fits. Chick Wirtz was supposed to give Call a second reliable arm to go to in tight games, That has not been the case as Wirtz is almost a forgotten man with an ERA on the wrong side of 5. A second to last in the CA staff ERA, 3.80, is a long way from the way this season was supposed play out for the fans.

Hitting: The Wolves may have been able withstand a down season from one of the regulars but 4 Pack, Stickels, Artuso, Pomales was probably 3 too many in 1946. Pack's, .231/.291/.331with only 8 HR, 52 RBI, fall has been the most baffling to the staff. The biggest problem is that those number have been improving lately, Pack was almost an automatic out early in 1946. Giordano's, Wood's bats have provide a boost to an anemic offense but not enough to overcome the steps back taken by others in the lineup.

Defense: The second cornerstone, behind pitching, of Call's keys to success in Toronto has been a millstone around the necks of the team in 1946. While not dreadful compared to other CA teams the Wolves defense has not given the run prevention needed to support both pitching and hitting deficiencies that have emerged in '46. While Giordano, Wood have contributed with their bats their work in the field has leaves a lot to be desired, Giordano has been charged with 13 errors, Wood 19. The Wolves defensive woes can be summed in the last game the Wolves played on Sunday. In the second game of the doubleheader managed to throw away, literally, a 4-1 in the top of ninth when the Sailors scored 5 aided by 2 errors to win 6-4. Those 2 miscues were part of 5 made during the game. This is 1946 not 1906!

Lost in the excitement of Boston's big week was Chick Donnelly's 2,500 career FABL hit. The 34 year old got the milestone in Boston's only loss of the week, as part of his 3-hit performance in a 5-0 loss to the Keystones in the nightcap of a Monday twinbill.
Not all are happy in Boston. It is no secret that veteran outfielder Joe Watson is not happy with his reduced role on the team this season after starting 90 games in the Minutemen outfield a year ago and that perhaps was a factor in his wife lashing out at the city last week. Mrs. Watson called Boston "a one-horse town with nothing to do and no good shops." She added that she would love to see her husband be the face of the franchise in a 'nice' city. Watson attempted to distance himself from his wife's comments.
Bill Wise, selected 11th overall by the Eagles in this year's draft, continues to dominate no matter the level. The 18 year old second baseman went 10-for-26 last week in his first taste of AAA pitching. Wise has been through all 5 Eagles minor league affiliates in less than two months as a pro and is slashing .421/.488/.590 thru his first 43 games of minor league ball.
All the talk about the league's new rookie of the year award -to be named after Hall of Famer Rankin Kellogg seems to have motivated Walt Hunter of Detroit. The Dynamos rookie went 2-0 last week with a 1.80 era to hike his season totals to 16-7, 2.45. Hunter has an outside chance at a 20-win season.
Another dreadful week for the Toronto Wolves, who have gone from pennant contenders to battling to stay out of the Continental Association cellar. The Wolves were officially eliminated from the pennant chase after a 2-5 week that saw their record dip to 61-76. They are on pace for their worst season since 1935, which was right about the time many felt the club would have to be moved out of Toronto due to declining attendance caused by 8 straight losing seasons.
A few notes from Brooklyn courtesy of Percy Pringle Sr. of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle: "Well, that was a tough week with games against the Stars and Cougars. Only win came when SP Leo Hayden heard he might not get the proper consideration for the rookie award. So what does he do? He pitches a 6-hit shutout against the Cougars in a 4-0 win.....2B Gil London continues to swing a hot bat 10-26 and is still slashing .417/.440/.968 since coming over to the Kings....CF Ralph Johnson went 7-20 in his second week (15-42 overall) hitting .357/.472/.924. He’s driven in 11 RBI’s and scored 7 runs. He’s walked 10 times but is still searching for that first career home run. Johnson picked up a sore shoulder so he will sit out the first part of this week...RF Joe Rutherford is slowly raising his average but will miss the next 2 weeks with an ankle sprain. We will likely give Vernon Ruch a farewell tour the next couple of weeks. He may stick around as a veteran pinch hitter next season, the jury is still out there or maybe 1B

CFC TAKES FLIGHT

Born out of the vision of newspaperman Percy Sutherland and brought to life by former St Blane All-American and retired Navy Lt. Commander Ben Montgomery, the Continental Football Conference sprang to life Friday evening in Chicago with the first contest of the newest professional football league. With Sutherland and Montgomery, who is the President of the new loop, on hand along with over 42,000 other patrons at a nearly sold out Cougars Park to witness the historic event as the visiting New York Gothams topped the hometown Chicago Comets 24-7 to win the first game in CFC history.

The first score in CFC history came early and was on a 46-yard interception return from Gothams back Ken Hale after picking off a John Mecham pass just over 3 minutes into the ballgame. The Gothams were led by Hale's 52 yards rushing and quarterback Hal Collett throwing for 100 yards in a game that saw New York's strong run defense force the hometown Comets to rely almost exclusively on the arm of Mechem for any sort of offense. Chicago's only score came on a 75-yard punt return from Bo Mandish, the former Indiana A&M All-American back.

Two more games were played over the weekend as all but coast entries Los Angeles and San Francisco got underway. The Kansas City Cowboys look like they may be the team to beat as two-sport college star Pat Chappell had a dominant passing game. The former football star and basketball All-American at St Magnus threw for 323 yards and 4 touchdowns to pace the Cowboys to a 43-14 victory over the Brooklyn Football Kings at tiny Packer Park, which doubles as home for the local AAA baseball team. The final game of the weekend also took place at a minor league baseball stadium -this one in New Orleans- where the visiting Buffalo Bulls blanked the New Orleans Crescents 21-0.

Code:


CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST           W  L  T   PCT
Buffalo        1  0  0  1.000
NY Gothams     1  0  0  1.000
New Orleans    0  1  0   .000
Brooklyn       0  1  0   .000

WEST           W  L  T   PCT
Kansas City    1  0  0  1.000
Chicago	       0  1  0   .000
Los Angeles    0  0  0   .000
San Francisco  0  0  0   .000

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
NY Gothams 24 Chicago 7
Kansas City 43 Brooklyn 14
Buffalo 21 New Orleans 0

UPCOMING GAMES
FRIDAY SEPT 13
Buffalo at Los Angeles
Chicago at San Francisco
SATURDAY SEPT 14
New Orleans at Brooklyn
SUNDAY SEPT 15
NY Gothams at Kansas City

MONTGOMERY THRILLED WITH CFC START

"It was a long time coming, but well worth the wait," declared Lt. Commander Bob Montgomery over the weekend. He was referring to the opening weekend of the Continental Football Conference, of which he is the President, and was all smiles after the proceedings in Chicago, Kansas City and New Orleans went off without a hitch. There were plenty of names well known to collegiate football fans including former St Magnus star Pat Chappell, who put on a quarterbacking clinic in Kansas City yesterday and each of the three venues were at or near capacity.

The fact that two of those venues greatly paled when compared to the 50,000 seat monstrosities that some of the AFA teams play did nothing to dampen Montgomery's spirits. He says bigger stadiums may come and the owners in Kansas City -which plays in a stadium that barely holds 15,000- and New Orleans, which does not have room for much more than that, are committed to building the game in cities that had never seen bigtime professional team sports firsthand before.

"We have some big venues too," noted Montgomery who quickly pointed out Cougars Park in Chicago, Kings County in Brooklyn and Gothams Stadium in New York. "The 14 game schedule will help for sure, and our great group of owners are well connected and well financed to prove that football can easily handle two major leagues. Baseball has done it for decades with the Federal and Continental Associations and we think football will be no different."

The Continental Conference still has a pair of aces up its sleeve in Los Angeles and San Francisco, both of which will debut at home next week. The Los Angeles Lobos have a movie mogul owner in Dee Rose -who also owns baseball's St Louis Pioneers- and promises to make Lobos football a spectacle worthy of Tinsel Town. Los Angeles and San Francisco have both quickly embraced big-time baseball with the arrival of the Great Western League as a major loop, and football will likely get the same treatment from coast fans eager for pro sports.

HIGGINS RETURNING WEST

Boston high school guard Don Higgins, considered the most talented basketball player to come out of a New England school in years, has announced he will play his college ball in Washington State at Rainier College beginning next year. The 18 year old guard is the younger brother of current Chicago Chief and former Boston Minutemen pitcher Dick Higgins. Don grew up in California but came east for high school to live in Boston with his brother's family and is a 3-sport star at St Patrick's Prep. Both St Patrick's University and Commonwealth Catholic -the two major Boston colleges- were wooing Higgins but their chances all but vanished when his brother was waived by the baseball Minutemen and signed with the Chiefs.

Dick Higgins, known as Pistol, plans to sell his Boston home and move his family to Chicago over the winter. With no ties to New England any longer, Don changed his mind on plans to attend St Patrick's University and will join the Majestics instead. Don is a 6'2" guard who is known as 'Popgun' and plays football and baseball in addition to starring for the St Patrick's Prep cage squad.

FIELD FINALIZED FOR COLLEGE CAGE SHOWCASES

The teams have been confirmed for each of the 3 major tournaments that mark the start of another collegiate basketball season. The events are the New York City Tournament of Champions, the Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic and the Preseason AIAA Showcase. Defending National Champion CC Los Angeles will be one of the 8 teams descending on Boston in the first week of November. The group joining the Coyotes in the Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic, which is named after the founder of the sport and one of the key figures behind the formation of AIAA basketball, will include Miami State, Coastal State and Detroit City College. The Gulls finished 6th in the end of season rankings a year ago while the Eagles were 10th and the Knights were 15th.

JACK EASTON TIP-OFF CLASSIC (Boston, Ma.)
CC Los Angeles Coyotes
Miami State Gulls
Detroit City College Knights
Coastal State Eagles
University of New Jersey Warriors
Elyria Pioneers
Henry Hudson Explorers
Bigsby College Gents

The other two opening weekend tournaments are each four team events. The Bigsby Garden in New York City will host the Tournament of Champions while Lake Side Arena in Chicago will remain the venue for the Preseason AIAA Chicago Showcase.

NYC TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Rainier College Majestics
Garden City Redbirds
Annapolis Maritime Navigators
Lambert College Stags

Rainier College made the national semi-finals a year ago while Garden State and Annapolis Maritime both finished in the top 15 of the polls.

PRESEASON AIAA CHICAGO SHOWCASE
Liberty College Bells
Brunswick Knights
Brooklyn State Bears
Redwood Mammoths

Liberty College reached the national championship game a year ago before falling by a single point to CCLA in the title contest.

WHITMORE MOTORS BACKS DETROIT CAGE ENTRY

A Bio of Detroit Mustangs Majority Owner Harrison Whitmore

By John Brinker, New York Daily Mirror

In 1942, the Whitmore Motor Car Company shifted its production entirely to support the war effort. Throughout World War II, Whitmore played a pivotal role in building aircraft engines, including the V-1650, a licensed version of the Merlin engine from Rolls-Royce, which powered the renowned P-51 Mustang fighter plane often referred to as the "Cadillac of the Skies" by GIs during WWII. Additionally, Whitmore also manufactured V-12 marine engines with power outputs ranging from 1350 to 1500 horsepower for American PT boats, with three engines powering each boat, as well as supplying engines for Britain's patrol boats. As a result, Whitmore ranked 18th among all US corporations in terms of the value of wartime production contracts, highlighting their significant contribution to the war effort.

In 1945, Harrison Whitmore, the CEO of Whitmore Motors, and Roland Barrell, the owner of the Detroit Maroons in the AFA (American Football Association), struck up a collaboration. Whitmore, a sports enthusiast, was keen on expanding his business interests beyond the automotive industry. Together, they decided to venture into professional basketball and formed a new team called the Detroit Mustangs. Whitmore would own 60% of the club, while Barrell would own 30%, and the remaining 10% would be held by minority shareholders. The Detroit Mustangs would become one of the inaugural teams in the Federal Basketball Association, which commenced its first season in the fall of 1946, marking Whitmore's foray into the world of professional sports ownership

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights.
Sep 26- Denny Arena, Boston: Scott Baker (15-0-2) vs Roy Crawford (21-2) ranked heavyweights
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 9/08/1946

Admiral Nimitz warned the nation that strong occupation of far-flung 'enemy' bases is equally as important as a strong American fleet to prevent future wars.
A day later General Eisenhower echoed Nimitiz sentiment, calling for formation of a powerful military security force to escape "an alternative too devastating to contemplate."
The head of the National Civil Service Commission urged the National Federation of Federal Employees to adopt a written code of ethics, "noting that communists and Ku Klux Klan members cannot be tolerated in Federal jobs, nor can persons who believe that Government workers have the right to strike."
The Paris Peace Conference is now hung up on how to treat the disposition of the Adriatic port of Trieste. Italy warns that creation of a free territory of Trieste would be a "permanent threat to the peace" between Italy and Yugoslavia.
Returning to the White House from his summer vacation, President Truman hit at the "disturbing evidence of intolerance and prejudice" in the country, declaring it was "similar in kind, though perhaps not in degree, to that which we fought against in the war."

Jiggs McGee · 04-13-2023, 01:07 PM

SEPTEMBER 16, 1946

STARS LEAD HOLDS WITH TWO WEEKS TO PLAY

Eagles Trim Game off Boston Bulge in Fed

The Chicago Cougars have won 9 of the last 11 games but have failed to chip away at the New York Stars 3 game lead atop the Continental Association as the New Yorkers have duplicated the Cougars run over that stretch. The Stars own the best record in baseball at 89-56 and have 9 games remaining in their season. The oddsmakers give the Stars an 88% chance of hanging on to win their third pennant in the past 8 years. Chicago sits at 85-58 and has 11 to play with the big series for both clubs being a 3-game set in Cougars Park beginning a week from today.

Boston continues to hang on in the Federal Association but the Minutemen -on a 2-6 slide after dropping both ends of a doubleheader in Chicago yesterday- lead the second place Washington Eagles by 2.5 games as the Eagles went just 2-2 last week. It has been a rough September in the Nation's capital as Washington has stumbled down the stretch with a 4-8 start to the season's final month. The bookmakers give Boston close to a 90% chance of returning to the WCS for the third time since 1941, but they still have 5 games remaining against the Eagles including 2 at Columbia Stadium this weekend and 3 in Boston to finish the campaign.

TIME RUNNING OUT ON LONARDO

It is highly unlikely 42 year old New York Gothams pitcher Jim Lonardo will return next season. That means Lonardo has two weeks left in which to try and record the 300th victory of his career. He is one short, with a mark of 299-219 in a career that has seen him win 4 Allan Awards and two World Championship Series rings. Lonardo is just 6-11 with a 4.38 era this season including 2-3 since returning to the Gothams at the trade deadline following a deal with Detroit.

Lonardo tossed an 8-0 shutout in what was clearly his best game of the season for the Gothams against St Louis on September 1st. Lonardo has made 4 appearances since then, 3 out of the pen and a start on September 8 against the Chiefs. He went just 4 and a third innings in that game, so falling just short of earning that 300th win in what was an 8-2 Gothams victory. The Gothams have 13 games left and you have to think, with their pennant hopes all but gone, Lonardo should get at least 2 more starts to try and reach his milestone.

Long-time Philadelphia Sailor and now a member of the Brooklyn Kings Doc Newell is also one win shy of a milestone. The 38 year old who has thrown a FABL record three no-hitters in his career is sitting at 199 career victories. Newell lost each of his last two decisions and is 7-13 on the season.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

The Toronto Wolves continue in their death spiral going 1-5 over the past week and are just 3-10 since Labour Day. The good news was most games last week were close. Jerry York's FABL debut certainly was in a 3-2 loss to the Stars. York pitched well into the 7th leaving the hill leading 2-1. As has become far too common this season the relievers manage to give up the lead with Lou Jayson getting tagged with his 8th loss of the season after George Waller walked in the tying run in the 7th.

The hard luck season for George Garrison continues as the reigning Allan Award winner rings up loss number 15 in another 3-2 loss to the Stars. On to Chicago were this seasons likely Allen Award winner Pete Papenfus one hits the Wolves to win 1-0 and make Joe Hancock the hard luck loser of his 15th while tossing a 4 hitter.

Next day the Cougars shell Cookie Myers, who had been pitching well, to win 13-4. Toronto's only win of the week is a 4-1 win against the Cougars in which Jimmy Gibbs puts up 6 solid innings before giving way to a PH in the 7th. York's second start came in Montreal on yesterday and it was also a decent outing. The 25 year old surrendered only 7 hits in going the distance while walking 3 but gives up 4 runs in absorbing a 4-2 defeat for his first FABL decision.

Overall, manager Bob Call is satisfied with York's first two starts, look for him to get 3 more starting assignments before the season closes, which will end the nightmare for Wolves players, fans and front office.

BIGSBY COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE FROM COAST RACE

The Great Western League has been a resounding success especially in the two big markets of Los Angeles and San Francisco with each of those clubs surpassing the 600,000 attendance mark, numbers that will far exceed last year's fanbase as AAA clubs. Oakland has also seem a substantial increase in its attendance over a year ago. Only last place San Diego seems to be on thin ice. The Conquistadors fans have not embraced the struggling team that appears certain to draw less fans this season than they did a year ago as a AAA entry. Houston and Portland are both on the bubble for reaching their respective 1946 ducat numbers. On a whole, loop President Thomas X. Bigsby is likely quite pleased with how things are going at the box office and thrilled about the playoff race.

They GWL could not have scripted a better result for its debut season as a major league with Los Angeles and San Francisco fighting it out for top spot. Only the Oakland Grays could upset the applecart and deny the loop a showdown for the inaugural Bigsby Cup being a big market battle between the Knights and Hawks.

On the field the product is certainly far inferior to the brand of baseball being played in the east but there is plenty of positives to build on, and likely plenty of worries for the eastern magnates as the GWL clubs -led by the Portland Green Sox- have been very quick to open the cheque books for even marginal talent cut loose by FABL. That sets of fear for FABL bosses worried the western loop might decide to try and target existing players from the established loop and not just settle for its table scraps.

Another week and another injury in Boston. They are sure mounting up. This time it's Billy Dalton who is DTD with a sore elbow. Washington was able to trim a game off the Boston advantage as the two clubs get set to play a big 2 game weekend series in Washington.
Stars fans are watching both the calendar and the standings closely. Two weeks left and another hot 5-1 week leaves New York... you guessed it, still 3 games up on the Cougars who also won 5 of 6 last week. Pitching came in clutch for the Stars with 2 great performances by Eli Panneton and George Scruggs pitching his heart out to win four 1-run ball games.
With a 9-4 win over the Kings on September 6th, the Cougars won their 78th game of the season. That officially clinched a record above .500, stretching the Cougars winning season streak to an even decade. The Cougars are on pace for 90 wins, which would be their highest since they won 97 in the lone pennant of the decade.
The Chicago Cougars have the highest run differential in either league at +157 and are playing 6 games below their expected record of 91-52. Had the Cougars and Stars both played at their expected records this season, Chicago would own the best mark in either association and be 5 games up on the Stars instead of 3 games back. Things are a little closer to expected in the Fed where Boston would still be leading thanks to a +132 differential, but the Minutemen would be 7 ahead of Washington instead of the 2.5 they find themselves at the moment.
Washington outfielder Jesse Alvardo has a slim chance to do something that has never been accomplished by a big league ballplayer. The 23 year old is closing in on the first 30 homer, 30 stolen base season. With two weeks remaining Alvardo has 26 homers and 29 thefts. The closest anyone has come to a 30-30 year is Tom Taylor who had 38 homers and stole 27 bases for the 1929 Philadelphia Sailors.
The big news in Detroit is Wally Hunter continues his Kellogg campaign with a 4-hit complete game shutout in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh. Hunter has finished strong with a 1.15 era and 5-0 over his last 5 starts to raise his record to 17-7 and lower his ERA to 2.35.
Leo Hayden is hearing the call from Manager Tom Barrell. Providing a 2-0 week as the Kings play 500 ball going 3-3. In the first game he pitched the Kings to a 5-3 win over the former champion Cincinnati Cannons. In the 2nd start he pitched a 3 hitter in a 2-1 win. In his last 10 starts Hayden is 9-0 with a 1.91 ERA and is now 19-9 with a 2.88 ERA on the season. The 19 wins place him 3rd in the FABL behind the Cougars Pete Papenfus (21) and Boston’s Ed Wood (20). The Kings only have 59 wins on the season and Hayden has accounted for 32% of them.
It is going to be awfully tough for someone to convince me that Hayden and Hunter should not be the winners of the brand new Rankin Kellogg Award, which will be handed out to the player in each association judged to be the top newcomer.
Nice to see Bobby Barrell shake off what was the worst season of his career in the last 2 months. The Keystones slugger has hit 13 of his 30 home runs since August 1st and is hitting 390 during that span. Welcome back Bobby B.
Percy Pringle Sr. of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle took a look at Barrell’s career numbers and figures he is likely to end up being #2 in career RBI’s. While he is 36 it is conceivable that he will get more than 2,000 RBI’s in his career. He currently sits at 1824 in 3rd place trailing Kellogg’s 1841. Odds are he will pass Kellogg next April. The odds are long that he’d catch Max Morris who sits on top the leader board with 2324
What kind of impact is Tiny Tim Hopkins having with the Chicago Chiefs? Percy Sutherland's math genius of a nephew provides the following numbers: Hopkins has generated 21.1 BatR in 37 games for Chicago. His previous high was 12.9 BatR in 1940. He also has 2.8 WAR with Chicago, which would also be by itself a career high. Hopkins 21.1 BatR in just 37 games also leads the club, ahead of Dave Kreiger (137 games, 12.7 BatR) and Bob Martin (126 games, 12.5 BatR).
Ray Bates, STL 5th round pick in this year's draft, is off to a hot start to his career. The 18 year old went straight to AAA after signing and is hitting .355 in his first 57 games of pro ball.

ROME STATE, ANNAPOLIS MARITIME ON SPOT AS EPIC GRID SEASON SET TO OPEN

Talent-Filled Schools Out to Shatter Reign of Service Teams

Many of the nation's top collegiate football teams, including some championship favourites, raise the curtain tomorrow on a season destined to surpass all of its predecessors in the matter of interest, excitement and quality of play as well as receipts at the gate. There is hardly a team in the land that isn't admittedly loaded to the locker room with playing talent and preseason ticket sales indicate that the fans are going to turn out in record numbers to see the fun.

This is the season when the teams which have watched Rome State, and to a slightly lesser degree Annapolis Maritime, monopolize the spotlight in recent years can now be expected to begin chopping the service academies down to their own size -a task much simpler by the departure of some players who no longer want to mix football with a military career.

Rome State, still the top team in the country until proven otherwise, cracks open its tough schedule next weekend,as do a trio of the Centurions most serious challengers for national honours - St Blane, Lincoln College and Alabama Baptist. The Centurions will begin their quest for a third straight unbeaten season entertaining Penn Catholic on Saturday. The Crusaders were one of six teams that got the season off to an early start over the weekend. Penn Catholic blanked New York Maritime 41-0.

WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCORES
Beaumont Hospital 20 El Paso Methodist 17
Flagstaff State 27 Williams Field 3
Penn Catholic 41 New York Maritime 0

MATTHEWS, CHAPPELL TOO MUCH FOR GOTHAMS

The Continental Football Conference may have found an offensive powerhouse in the Kansas City Cowboys. The Cowboys have scored 84 points in a pair of lobsided victories to start the season, following up a 43-14 drubbing of Brooklyn in their opener with a 41-3 thumping of the New York Gothams at Packer Field yesterday. The club is led by former St Magnus muti-sport star Pat Chappell, who has already thrown for 490 yards and 6 touchdowns just two weeks into the season, and by back Mark Matthews, who romped for 164 yards and two touchdowns on the ground yesterday. Despite those two putting up terrific numbers the biggest asset the Cowboys possess is likely the brain of head coach Pete Walsh. Walsh spent the past few years guiding the Great Lakes Navy gridders but before that he was the head man at Noble Jones College and led the Colonels to the 1942 AIAA championship. New York never stood a chance against the Cowboys, who wrangled a 31-3 lead at the half before easing off the gas in the final 30 minutes.

Elsewhere the CFC made a very successful debut on the west coast with both the Los Angeles Lobos and San Francisco Wings claiming victory in their debuts. At Knights Stadium the Lobos blanked Buffalo 45-0 as former Christian Trophy winning quarterback Mike O'Rourke looked very impressive in his pro debut. The All-American from St Blane threw for 167 yards and two first quarter squares to ensure the more than 25,000 in attendance went home happy. Up the coast in San Francisco, the Wings handed the Chicago Comets their second straight loss, claiming a 21-13 victory. The final game of the weekend saw the New Orleans Crescents rebound from an opening week loss to Buffalo with a 23-17 win on the road in Brooklyn. Dan Yardley led the way for the Crescents in scoring a pair of touchdowns, one on a 4 yard run and another on a 7 yard pass reception. Yardley also had an interception and forced a fumble in the contest.

Code:


CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST           W  L  T   PCT
Buffalo        1  1  0   .500
NY Gothams     1  1  0   .500
New Orleans    1  1  0   .500
Brooklyn       0  2  0   .000

WEST           W  L  T   PCT
Kansas City    2  0  0  1.000
Los Angeles    1  0  0  1.000
San Francisco  1  0  0  1.000
Chicago        0  2  0   .000

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Los Angeles 45 Buffalo 0
San Francisco 21 Chicago 13
New Orleans 23 Brooklyn 17
Kansas City 41 NY Gothams 3

UPCOMING GAMES
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20
Brooklyn at San Francisco
NY Gothams at Los Angeles
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22
Chicago at New Orleans
Buffalo at Kansas City

AFA SEASON TO BEGIN FRIDAY

The newcomers from the Continental Football Conference may have had a two-week head start but the American Football Association returns for its 27th season this Friday when the St Louis Ramblers entertain Cleveland in the only game on the opening week docket. Unlike the Continental clubs, which each will play a 14-game slate, the AFA plans 11 contests for each of its 10 entrants. That is up from the 10 games per team over the past three years but back to the norm from 1937 thru 1942.

There are no changes to the league structure this season either as all 10 teams that competed last year will return for the '46 campaign, which concludes on December 8th and will be followed by the annual league championship tilt.

Code:


AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W  L  T  PCT
Boston        0  0  0  .000
NY Stars      0  0  0  .000
Philadelphia  0  0  0  .000
Pittsburgh    0  0  0  .000
Washington    0  0  0  .000

West Division W  L  T  PCT
Chicago	      0  0  0  .000
Cleveland     0  0  0  .000
Cincinnati    0  0  0  .000
Detroit       0  0  0  .000
St Louis      0  0  0  .000

NEXT WEEK'S GAMES
FRIDAY SEPT 20
Cleveland at St Louis

O'KEEFE SET FOR WELTERWEIGHT DEFENSE

World Welterweight boxing champion Dennis O'Keefe steps in to the ring on Saturday, marking the first time a champion in that weight class has made a title defense since 1940. The question is 'Will anyone notice?' The welter division has long been the often-ignored child of the American Boxing Federation as few seemed to care it went more than six years without a champion before O'Keefe knocked out Carl Taylor in March to claim a title vacated in 1940 by Kid Simpson's retirement.

The March tilt did draw a solid crowd to Bigsby Garden but that New York venue, and others in major boxing hubs refused to come up with the guaranteed scratch O'Keefe's camp was demanding for his first defense. As a result the title defense will take place in a college gym. Now to be fair the athletic center at Noble Jones College in Atlanta is far above your average college venue and response from Southerners -eager to see a pair of their own in Jacksonvile's O'Keefe and challenger Mark Westlake, who hails from Biloxi, Ms.- have snatched up the tickets very quickly. That being said, Atlanta is far off the beaten path, especially when talking a championship fight.

Neither fighter is worried about what kind of attention their fight will receive in New York, Chicago or Detroit. They are both focused on the task at hand. O'Keefe, a powerful fighter for his weight class, is 20-1 with 12 of "The Jacksonville Jackhammer's" wins coming by knockout including that KO of Carl Taylor in March that secured the title. The 29 year old Westlake is 19-2-1 but a decided underdog when you consider his last fight was a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Taylor. Early lines from the bookmakers make O'Keefe a strong favourite to retain his title.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1).
Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights.
Sep 26- Denny Arena, Boston: Scott Baker (15-0-2) vs Roy Crawford (21-2) ranked heavyweights
Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0).

TOP RECRUIT TURCOTTE TO PLAY FOR CAROLINA POLY

The top senior high school basketball player in the nation has announced he will play his college ball in 1947 at Carolina Poly. Forward Mel Turcotte, from Henry Hudson Prep in New York City, had his choice of more than a dozen offers before deciding on the Durham, NC, school. In doing so, Turcotte becomes the third top twenty recruit to choose the Cardinals as his destination for next season, joining Jerry Newson and Andy Manzanno. Newsom is a forward out of Jersey City, NJ, who is ranked #8 among high school seniors while Manzano is an undersized at 6'6" center from Raleigh, NC, who charts in at #18 among recruits.

In all, 14 of the top 25 high school seniors have confirmed what school they will be attending next year.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 9/15/1946

Labour disputes once again are front and center this week as 90,000 National Maritime Union workers walk off the job, forcing the Navy to take over at major harbors on the east coast. New York is also dealing with a truck strike that is forcing a number of grocery stores to shut down due to lack of product to sell. Pittsburgh is returning to normal following a court order mandated the quick end to a strike of electric power employees that threatened an 817 square-mile area.
Six Yugoslav train guards were arrested in connection with the explosion of a dynamite bomb in Trieste.
Yugoslavia has called on the UN Economic and Social Council to take immediate action to restore to her 167 Yugoslav vessels which the country claims are being held in the United States zone of occupation on the upper Danube.
Surprise raids throughout the American and British occupation zones of Germany have uncovered millions of dollars of precious stones and minerals hidden by the Nazis shortly before Germany surrendered.
Great Britain and the United States have each renounced its claims to some $31 billion in reparations from Italy.

03-17-2023, 11:20 AM	#661
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	May 6, 1946 MAY 6, 1946 MINUTEMEN RIDE PITCHING TO TOP OF FED Led by dominant pitching from all five of their starters and an exceptional bullpen anchored by John Edwards, the Boston Minutemen have surged to the top of the Federal Association. The 15-6 Minutemen have surrendered just 39 runs in their 21 contests, and overtaken the Chicago Cougars for the early FABL pitching lead. Ray Dalpman, who threw a no-hitter a week ago, leads the way at 5-0 with a 1.07 era but the solid performances stretch throughout the rotation with Duke Hendricks (3-1, 2.45) along with old-timers Ed Wood (3-1, 1.64), Dean Astle (3-1, 2.45) and Walt Wells (1-2, 0.95) all off to strong starts. John Edwards has been called on 8 times out of the pen by manager Bill Boshart and has yet to allow a single run, while being credited with 6 saves in the process. The Minutemen alrady have 5 shutout wins this season including three last week when they won 7 straight games before dropping the second half of a doubleheader to St Louis yesterday. Boston faces a big test this coming weekend when the second place Philadelphia Keystones -picked by many to earn a third straight Federal Association crown- invade Minutemen Stadium for a 3-game series beginning Friday afternoon. In the Continental Association it is now the Cincinnati Cannons -owners of each of the last three Continental flags- that have taken over top spot after the Chicago Cougars stumbled in a tough week against what is expected to be their two main rivals once again this season. The Cougars did manage to win 2 of three games in Cincinnati but the Cannons got hot over the weekend against Montreal and New York while the Cougars dropped three of four -although each defeat was by a single run- in Toronto and Philadelphia. The result leaves the Cannons a half game up on the Cougars but Toronto is the hottest team in the loop. The Wolves stumbled out of the gate with an 0-6 start but have won 12 of their last 14 and are just a game and a half back. Included in that stretch was a pair of wins over Chicago as they proved Billy Riley was human after all in a 4-3 win Friday followed by a rally against Pete Papenfus with 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the Cougars at 4 before winning in the 10th inning on a Mike Rollinson walk-off rbi single. How 'bout them Wolves. Toronto slowed Billy Riley and then rallied to beat Pete Papenfus and now have won 12 of their last 14 after that awful 0-6 week to start. And the Cannons are back where they belong - at the top of the CA. Al Wheeler hit another longball this week for Cincinnati and is up to 492. It was the first losing week for the Cougars, who dropped three one run games and one two run game, to fall out of first place. For the week, they still outscored their opponents by 12 runs in three tough road series. The team still leads the league in runs scored and allowed, scoring twice (112) as many runs as they've allowed (56). #6 starter Johnnie Jones is red hot to start the year, just 3 earned runs in 27.2 innings pitched while ace Pete Papenfus has struck out 33 in 35 innings. Dick Walker had a big week and was named Player of the Week, slashing .414/.514/.793 with a double, 2 triples, 2 homers, 6 walks, 8 RBIs, and 10 runs scored. Despite now trailing the Cannons by half a game, it's hard to complain about the early season results. More on the deep Cougars pitching staff: Leo Hayden has started to turn things down, as while the walks (18 in 30 innings) are still high, his ERA is down to 2.70 and picked up his first career win with a complete game victory over the Foresters. No complaints in Boston as the Minutemen are off to a 15-6 start. The club has a run differential of +45 and the team is humming right now. Apparently, this comes as no surprise according to the pythagorean theorem, which has the Minutemen as underachievers by two games. A rough 0-5 week with bad pitching all around for the Chicago Chiefs. Al Miller, Gus Goulding and Sam Sheppard each gave up 6+ runs in their starts. A positive note: AA call-up Frank Kirchner hit .455 in his debut. Percy Sutherland notes that if the Chiefs expect to finish in the first division, they will need to be top two in runs allowed. The offense remains a work in progress. Poor Art White. Now 0-3 for Detroit despite a 1.74 era. 10 of the 14 runs he has surrendered have been unearned. And his run support per game is only 1.0. With the worst offense in FABL, something has to change in Detroit. Rookie Stan Kleminski was demoted to Newark and will hopefully burn his glove and pick up a new one when he gets there. Kleminski was hitting but the 19 year old was just awful at both shortstop and second base. Dick Estes and Dick Blaszak are also out of the starting lineup as both are benched in favour of veteran Rip Curry and rule 5 pickup Steve Donovan -who had played above Class C prior to this year (but was in the war for 4 years). The Dyanmos called up Bob Montgomery from Newark to replace Kleminski and manager Dick York immediately put the 23 year old in the starting lineup at SS - ahead of Win Hamby and the skipper's son Joe. Not a lot to like in the early going from 7-13 St Louis but Hal Hackney is on another planet -- 52 strikeouts in 48.2 innings with a 1.29 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He's 4-1 in 6 starts with a 1.00 FIP (29 FIP-) and has more strikeouts then baserunners allowed (48) HAMPTON EYES SPOT IN PRO CAGE LOOP Joe Hampton may yet follow his father's footsteps and be a big league ballplayer. However, it would be in basketball and not baseball where his dad Jim Hampton was a two-time Federal Association batting champ over a 16 year career with the Chicago Chiefs. There has been increasing chatter of a professional cage loop beginning play in the fall and Hampton has made it no secret he would be interested in playing. "I have had a few of the semi-pro teams in the area ask me to play next season," explained Hampton from his family home in Chicago, "but to be honest this pro league sounds like it may happen and, if so, that is where I hope to play." Hampton excelled in three sports at Chicago's St Francis de Sales High School and was a high school All-American baseball pitcher, catching the attention of the St Louis Pioneers who selected him in the fifth round of the 1941 FABL draft. Joe spent a year and a half in the Pioneers system before abandoning baseball to attend Western Iowa University, which had also recruited him heavily for their basketball team. He was a four year starter for the Canaries -helping them win two conference titles- culminating last month when he was named the Great Lakes Alliance player of the year and a third team All-American as a senior. In 126 games with Western Iowa, the 6'2" guard averaged 6.5 ppg and finished as the Canaries all-time leader in assists. In a recent informal ranking of collegiate seniors as potentail pro candidates, AIAA coaches placed Hampton #3 overall and as the top guard among graduating seniors that would make ideal pro cage players. Joining Hampton in the top five were Chesapeake State center Scott Lagasse at number one with Mobile Maritime forward Richard Brawner second on the list. Trailing Hampton to complete the top five among seniors were St Ignatius forward Johnny Stewart and Willie Wright, a high scoring forward from Brooklyn State. Lagasse averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a senior for the 15-14 Chesapeake State Clippers. Brawner scored 9.3 ppg for the 29-3 Mobile Maritime Middies, helping set a school record for victories. It was a down year for St Ignatius, as the Lancers went 12-17 for their first losing season since 1914-15, but Stewart (8.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) was one of the few bright spots. Wright averaged 12.3 ppg for a Brooklyn State Bears team that went 23-8 and reached the second round of the AIAA tournament. The poll of college coaches on players with pro potential was not restricted to just graduating seniors and the top three on the list were all underclassmen, led by junior center Long Werth, the 6'10" star of Miami State who was recently named AIAA player of the year. Second on that list was a name very familiar to sports fans as Ward Messer - younger brother of New York Gothams outfielder Walt Messer and a sophomore at Liberty College was ranked the second best pro basketball prospect out of all of the college players presently in the AIAA. IRA MITCHELL SURVIVES A SCARE Talented welterweight Ira Mitchell was lucky to escape with a win in Boston on Friday night as the Chicago native seemed to take Heinie Verplanck a little too lightly before ultimately claiming a split decision victory. Mitchell is now 13-1 and considered to be one of a large group of fighters who returned from the war and are contenders in the welterweight division. The 26 year old spent 4 years in the marines. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS May 11 Frank Melanson (29-0-2) defends his World Middleweight Title in a rematch with Todd Gill (20-1-5, #2 contender) at Sailors Memorial Philadelphia. The two battled to a majority draw in October. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/05/1946 Arab and Jewish leaders both gave an angry reception to an Anglo-American report recommending entry of 100,000 Jews into Palestine and rejecting the concept that the Holy Land should be either a Jewish or Arab State. Both sides suggest that would lead to war. One miilion Arabs began a general strike after the report, as their leaders urged a world-wide muslim "holy war" against Britain and the United States. A suspect was arrested in Tokyo in connection with a plot to murder General MacArthur. The Big Four Foreign Ministers engaged in a warm-tempered argument over enforcement of the future Italian peace treaty. Following a massive May Day display of Russian armed might in Red Square, Premier Stalin declared that Russia will carry out a policy of peace and security in reconstruction of Europe. Coast Guard patrols and marines armed with bazookas and grenades have been called to Alcatraz to aid prison guards after an unsuccessful attempt by convicts to escape from the nation's most impregnable prison. The White House called the now 34-day old soft coal strike a "national disaster" and told the American people they have "barely begun" to feel it's full impact. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

03-20-2023, 11:34 AM	#662
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	May 13, 1946 MAY 13, 1946 MINUTEMEN EXTEND FED LEAD WITH BIG WEEKEND IN PHILLY Round one goes to the Boston Minutemen. The Minutemen are considered the biggest rivals in a Federal Association full of challengers to the Philadelphia Keystones two-year hold on the Fed flag and Boston made a statement with a series victory in the City of Brotherly Love over the weekend. The Minutemen took two of three at Broad Street Park and enter play today with a 2.5 game lead on the second place Keystones. Pitching has been the big reason for the Boston success in the early going but in Friday's series opener it was the bats that bailed out pitcher Walt Wells. Wells has been pretty solid this season and shut out the Keystones for 5-innings while the Minutemen built up a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th. However, Philadelphia scored 6 times in the next two innings to chase Wells and take a 7-6 lead into the ninth inning until back to back rbi singles from Bud Gustafson and Pete Day allowed the visitors to rally for an 8-7 victory. Philadelphia had a much more successful comeback the next day, torching Ray Dalpman for 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th to hand the 29 year old his first loss on the season in a 6-3 Keystones win to even the series. On Sunday, the Boston pitching was back in fine form as Ed Wood made the club's long Monday train trip to Chicago something worth celebrating with a complete game 6-hitter in a 5-2 Boston win, giving the Minutemen 11 victories in their last 14 contests. *Panic in Chicago? * The fragile psyche of Chicago Cougars fans is being tested of late as their heroes are in another swoon, something that has plagued the club in recent years. The Chicago Continentals have dropped 8 of their last 11 games including a pair of lobsided losses to the New York Stars over the weekend. This coming after they started the season like gangbusters, claiming 12 victories in their first 15 outings. As a result the Continental Association is now a log-jam with 5 teams separated by just 2.5 games, headed by the 3-time defending champion Cincinnati Cannons at 16-9. That is much closer than the standings looked entering the weekend as the second place Philadelphia Sailors did the rest of the Continental a favour by halting Cincinnati's winning streak at 8 games and they did so in a big way -sweeping a 3-game set at hostile Tice Memorial from the champs. Minutemen Round-Up -A 4-2 week for the Boston Minutemen keeps them ahead of the pack in the Federal Association by a slim two and a half game margin over Philadelphia and four games clear of the Gothams. One of the loses this week was at the hands of Philadelphia where Bobby B smacked Ray Dalpman around for a pair of long balls and four RBI's. It was the first loss for Dalpman on the season dropping his record to 5-1. The other loss of the week came at the hands of the Chiefs who beat the Minutemen 1-0 with a 9th inning RBI from Bob Martin. Tough luck loser Duke Hendricks only surrendered four hits in that one. On the good side of the ledger Boston was able to beat up on Buddy Long of St. Louis who has a head scratching 1-5, 4.69 ERA on the season. Long was a 21 game winner a year ago. Dean Astle held the Chiefs to three hits in a complete game victory to split their series with Chicago. Walt Wells benefitted from a lot of offense and Jiggs Jackson, the backup catcher in Boston, hit his first FABL homer in an 8-7 win against Philly. Finally, in the last game of the week Ed Wood outlasted Philly's Pepper Tuttle to pick up his fifth victory of the season in a 5-2 series clinching win. This week the Minutemen will continue the road trip that started with the Philadelphia series with stops in Chicago, St. louis and New York for a Sunday double dip. * Time For a .400 Hitter? * Three players are over the .400 plateau in the middle of May. They would be Johnny McDowell from Pittsburgh hitting .410, Joe Owens from Pittsburgh hitting .400 and Hal Sharp from the Cougars hitting .405. While the odds may be against anyone staying over .400 for the entirety of the season, did you know that in every decade since the 1880's there has been at least one hitter that finished the season above .400. Mel Carroll was the only player to do it in the 1930's when he hit .408 in 1937. We are now halfway through the decade and the 40's have yet to produce a .400 hitter. Can this in part be blamed on the War? Maybe, while a lot of talented individuals lost years of service, plenty were still playing and hitting against some mediocre pitching, so maybe it is more of a shock that nobody hit .400 during the War years. Either way we may be witnessing the end to a pretty marvelous streak. I hope someone can keep it going. * Yanks Confident Despite Challenge from CFC * The defending American Football Association champion Boston Americans are confident they will field another strong squad when training camp opens up in late July. Yanks head coach Bunky O'Neill knows he and his charges will have their work cut out for them this season -no AFA champion has successfully defended its title since the Pittsburgh Paladins won in both 1934 and 1935- and admits the uncertainty of what, if any, players they might lose to the new Continental Football Conference adds another wrinkle into the task. "From what I have heard all of the key regulars plan on returning," explained O'Neill the other day, "but camp is still a little ways away and things can change." On the topic of Del Thomas, O'Neill expressed full confidence that his quarterback and two-time championship game MVP would be back. The 32 year old is arguably coming off the best season of an outstanding career. * Higgins In High Demand * A recent report from OSA's basketball department calls St Patrick's Prep 17 year old Don Higgins one of the top collegiate basketball recruits in the nation. The 6'2" junior guard -he will be a senior in September- is a three sport star for the Shamrocks and if you think the name sounds familiar it is with good reason. His big brother is former Boston Minutemen hurler Dick 'Pistol' Higgins, who was recently waived and signed with the Chicago Chiefs. Baby brother Don -known as 'Pop Gun' in family circles- is a decent high school pitcher as well as quarterback of the Shamrocks grid squad but it is on the hardwood that he really shines. Defending national champion CCLA as well as big-time schools Liberty College and Carolina Poly are all anxious to get the youth's signature on an enrollment sheet but so far Higgins -who is ranked #9 in the nation among 1946-47 high school seniors- has given no indication where he will attend college. Two other Boston high schoolers, both centers, made the OSA top 100 recruiting list. Cory Dodge, who is 6'11" and from South Boston High is number 65 on the scouts top 100 list while Ren Collins of Copley High School charts in at #72. Collins has indicated he is leaning towards staying in the area and attending St Patrick's University after his senior year of high school. HAWKS AND KNIGHTS LEAD THE WAY IN WEST Thomas X.Bigsby could not have planned it much better. If the founder of the new major league on the west coast could have scripted how he wanted things to play out in the loops inaugural season he most certainly would have wished for his Los Angeles Knights and the San Francisco Hawks - the Great Western League's two biggest markets- to be fighting for the pennant. It is still very early in the season but so far Bigsby's hopes are becoming a reality as the Hawks lead the way, enjoying a slim half-game margin on the Los Angeles club that Bigsby himself owns. The Hawks are riding the hot bats of Bob Land, who leads the loop with a .406 batting average and the big stick of John Herrick. The 37 year old slugger has 5 homers already this season and has long been thought of as a power bat but never really ever got much of an opportunity in the big league big east. He did hit 7 homers in 148 at bats for Toronto in 1938 and had a 40 homer season in AA one year but the knock has always been he did not get on base enough. The Knights have been getting plenty of offense but the big story in Los Angeles so far is the starting rotation with Red Nokes (3-2, 1.94), King Price (4-1, 1.24) and Bob Cummings (4-1, 1.54) all looking dominant. Once again, the Keystones had an above-.500 week but again fell behind in the standings. Philadelphia went 4-3, but dropped a half-game to trail white-hot Boston by 2.5 games. Bobby Barrell has been off to a tough start, but broke out for 4 home runs for the week. Despite an un-Barrell-like .226 average, his power numbers might be waking up (5 HR, 21 RBI). The offense has not slipped thanks to Billy Woytek (.333/.409/.569, 4 HR, 2 RBI, 25 R, 1.8 WAR in 26 games), Hank Koblenz (.342/.388/.644, 5 HR, 17 RBI in only 73 AB), and the surprising Frank Davis (.391/.434/.478, 2 HR, 14 RBI). The pitching had a tough week, allowing 34 runs in 7 games. It is way too soon to speculate, but a couple of young pitchers at AAA Louisville are starting to push for a promotion. Sid Moulton (4-0, 1.20 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) is off to a hot start and Joe Quade (1-1, 2.66 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) is pitching well in his first taste of action in over four years and first starts above A-ball. The New York Gothams are getting some power production from their big bats with Walt Messer, Red Johnson and Pete Casstevens all hitting 4 homeruns through the first 4 weeks of play. However, the Gothams are just 6th in the Fed in runs scored and need to get men on base for the big boppers. 8 of the 13 homers hit by the big 4 of Messer, Johnson, Sal Pestilli and Casstevens have been solo shots and 4 of the other five came with just one man on base. The lone 3 run shot was back on April 22 by Casstevens in a 9-3 drubbing of Chicago and came in the 9th inning with the Gothams already up 6-3. Addie Allman of the Philadelphia Sailors hit for the cycle in a 10-9 loss to Montreal last week. The 29 year old second year big leaguer went 4-for-5 including his first homer of the season. Allman, a 1935 7th rounder, is batting .267 on the year. 23 year old Bob Montgomery is making the most of his opportunity at SS for the Dynamos. Thrust into the starting role after Stan Kleminski was dispatched to Newark to try and solve his defensive woes, Montgomery hit .474 with 7 rbi's last week but more importantly played error free defense, with a 5,21 range rating and an efficiency of 1.136. Meanwhile, Kleminski, after making 13 errors in 15 games in Detroit, made one last week in Newark and continues to struggle in the field. Not a great outing but Jim Lonardo notched win #295. The 41 year old Dynamos hurler allowed 7 earned runs for the second straight start but the offense helped him out in an 8-7 win over Pittsburgh. 5 more to go to become the 13th member of the 300-victory club. He is bidding to join Rabbit Day as the only 300 game winners to notch their milestone victory in the era of human GMs. George Johnson pitched in 1926 for Washington but had reached 300 in the final season of the pre-play. The number of unearned runs are beginning to concern the Wolves, who are committing far too many errors. Manager Call has scheduled extra fielding workouts. How is this for a contrast? Cougars pitcher Billy Riley against the Saints: 18 IP, 7 H, 7 K. Billy Riley against the Stars and Wolves: 15.1 IP, 17 H, 12 ER, 6 BB, 5 K. Red Nokes is off to a great start for the GWL's Los Angeles Knights. The 28 year old pitcher, who threw a no-hitter while with San Franacisco last season, tossed a pair of complete game shutouts this season to run his record to 3-2 and lower his era to 1.94. Originally an 18th round pick of the old Baltimore Cannons in 1937, Nokes only had a very small taste of FABL action, going 2-3 with a 4.06 era for the 1943 Cannons, but seems to have found a home in the GWL with the Knights. LAST ROUND GIVES MELANSON LAST LAUGH IN TITLE DEFENSE In the lead-up to the rematch between Middleweight champion Frank Melanson and challenger Todd Gill, there was one easy theme to spot: unfinished business. Both fighters acknowledged they had their golden opportunities to win the original bout outright, by knockout or decision. For Melanson, he countered too late in too many rounds and by the penultimate round, he was weary. For Gill, he could not make hay despite being ahead on points midway through the fight. Gill did not cause any lasting damage on Melanson with the punches he did land and the result was a majority draw. Heading into Saturday's rematch both corners had their best scouting reports. They knew what worked and what did not, which made this fight a fascinating one to watch. As both fighters breeched the ropes and stepped onto the canvas, they had the knowing looks of combatants who knew the result would be tilted in their favor, so sure of what was to come. Melanson, unbeaten at 29-0-2, had success at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia before. This is where he cliched the belt and became an unlikely champion in a victory over Archie Rees almost a year ago. The Pittsburgh native had rooting sections all over the stadium. Gill entered the fight at 20-1-5 and five years older than Melanson, though you would not know it to look at him. The last match was in New York, a little closer to Gill’s home turf of Hartford, Connecticut, but his fans showed up to root him on. Melanson is not particularly fleet afoot, but he is showing himself to be an effective executioner when he wants to be. This is not a knock on his prowess, mind you, just a comment about his willingness to go in for the kill. For every time you think he has the momentum to end a fight, he changes his strategy, seemingly on the fly. But, when he bulls forward, he is a force worthy of his nickname, “The Tank”. The fight almost went the distance, but this did not have as much drama as the first one. Melanson had the fight well in hand for most of the night, doing some damage by opening a cut on Gill’s face with a hook in the second round and another cut above Gill’s left eye with a cross in the fifth round. Melanson scored brief knockdowns in the tenth and thirteenth rounds. But, too often, Melanson let Gill catch his breath and regroup. Too often, Melanson strayed from scoring on punches that could have done more damage and shots that could have exploited vulnerable targets. Honestly, this fight could have been over with a few rounds to spare if Melanson had late-night plans. Mike Ornest, refereeing his first title fight, provided some comic relief in the third and fifth round, prematurely waiving the fighters to their corners before the time elapsed to end the round, leaving both combatants, their corner men, and the crowd perplexed. The fourth round was Gill’s first good round, especially early in the stanza, as he woke up and started taking the fight to Melanson. Gill was valiantly attempting to work his way into the fight after Melanson built a lead in the early rounds, but Melanson turned the tide on an uppercut to Gill’s jaw that displayed the champ’s strategic aims. As much as Melanson wanted to work the body, he knew that to win, he had to aim higher. Gill showed up again in Round 5 with a sharp combination of hard punches to Melanson seconds into the round, but the memory of Gill’s offensive was erased on Melanson’s cross to Gill’s left eye, which shook up the challenger and drew blood from just above the eye. The cut would play a role the rest of the way. In one of the few moments Melanson tried to capitalize on a reeling opponent, Melanson dominated the sixth round, landing some good shots, including another one to the jaw. Gill stayed on his feet, which must have dispirited Melanson, who seemed to take the round off in the seventh, tying up Gill and venturing away from what worked to that point in the match. Melanson wanted to work inside instead of trying to capitalize on the left jaw and left eye of Gill. Melanson inexplicably tried to go southpaw late in the round, opening the door for Gill to take that round and the next one. The first knockdown of the fight occurred in Round 10 with seconds left, as Melanson took ownership of the round with a shot to the head of Gill, later landing a vicious hook to Gill's head, and shortly dropping the challenger for a 2-count. Melanson reopened the cut above Gill’s left eye with a nice jab, causing Referee Ornest to pause the fight to get Gill some medical attention. Yet, even after the knockdown, Melanson did not go in for the kill, as he was content to work the body, despite the crowd urging him to take advantage. In Round 13, Melanson scored his second knockdown, but Gill only gets a 3-count before rising back up. Gill who looked like he didn't know where the next punch was going to come from as he dropped. His eyes were glazed, and his legs were wobbly upon resuming the bout. This time, Melanson sensed blood in the water - a hook, an uppercut, a right hand – all scoring and leaving a mark on Gill. No bobbing and weaving, just straight punches aiming right for Gill's head. Gill's right eye was swollen, to go with a sore left jaw and bloody left eyebrow. It was a wonder how Gill answered the bell in the fourteenth, but Melanson did not make him pay enough in what could have been described as a round off. Unlike their first bout, where Melanson was also worn out in the 14th round, he was ahead in this fight, and everyone knew it. But Melanson also knew this was the last round and wanted to end it on his terms. After a couple of introductory punches to the midsection, Melanson aimed high and landed a combination that reopened the cut above Gill's eye again. Referee Ornest called for the doctor and after close inspection, decided to stop the fight. Melanson punched more and landed more, though it was disappointing not to see him push his uppercut more. He was content to work the body when he should have been trying to end the fight with shots to the head, trying to capitalize on visible damage to Gill's eyes and jaw. Melanson was clearly better on this night, as his unbeaten streak has reached 32 fights (30-0-2). At 34, Gill may not get back to the squared circle for another chance at the title. It would be a shame with only two losses to his ledger. The Tank awaits his next opponent, as the once-unlikely champion is settling nicely into his role as the king of the middleweights. MELANSON RETAINS MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE Philadelphia (UPI)-It took 30 rounds over two fights but Frank Melanson successfully held on to his World Middleweight Title by winning the rematch with contender Todd Gill. Saturday's fight -a follow up to the majority draw the two waged last October- was stopped in the 15th round despite vehement objections from Gill and his corner. After consulting with the ringside physician, referee Mike Ornest -who has a history of erring on the side of caution with his stoppage decisions- called the bout off 55 seconds into the 15th and final round. It was ruled that the cut just under Gill's left eyebrow that originally opened in the second round, was bleeding so prfusely into his eye that the challenger had no way to protect himself from blows coming from that side. Unlike the October fight where two of the judges scored the bout dead even and a third gave Gill a narrow 2-point decision, the champion from Pittsburgh was ahead on all 3 cards was in no danger of losing had the bout gone the distance, making the protests from Gill's corner over the decision to halt the fight all but meaningless. With the victory, Melanson boosts his career mark to 30-0-2 and increases speculation that his next title defense will be against unbeaten and untied European champion Edouard Desmarais. The 29 year old Frenchman ran his record to a perfect 36-0 with an unanimous decision over former World Champion Archie Rees -the fighter who lost his title to Melanson- in England last December. However Gill, now 20-2-5, and his handlers were demanding another shot at Melanson, claiming there was no way the bout should have been stopped but conveniently ignoring the fact that the challenger was well behind on the scorecards anyway. Code: MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY YEARS FIGHTER HOMETOWN Title Defenses 1909-1910 Abe Campbell Detroit, MI 1 1910-1911 Battling Billy Baker Philadelphia, PA 2 1911-1912 Ken Brekke Duluth, MN 3 1912-1913 Abe Campbell Detroit, MI 2 1913 Ken Brekee Duluth, MN 1 1913-1914 Bob Brinkman London, England 2 1914 Abe Campbell Detroit, MI 1 1914-1916 Mike Burtenshaw Jersey City, NJ 4 1916-1918 Dave Byler San Francisco, Ca 3 1918 Bob Brinkman London, England 1 1919-1920 Tony Rump Toledo, OH 2 1920-1929 Ray Pizzuto New York, NY 15 1929-1933 Elden Breeden Wichita, KA 7 1933-1940 Jorge Cuellar Spain 8 1940 vacant 1941-1945 Archie Rees Tadcaster, England 3 1945-pres Frank Melanson Pittsburgh, PA 2 PERRY STOPS JACKSON Rudy Perry got back on the victory track last week, just seven months after he was trounced by new welterweight champ Dennis O'Keefe for just the second loss of the 29 year old's career. Perry's victim was John Jackson, the rugged former Army Sergeant from South Bend, Indiana. who was chopped up very thoroughly by the veteran from Philadelphia. The bout was slated for 10 rounds, but Jackson was counted out midway through the fourth round despite the fact he caught Perry by surprise early and sent him to the canvas just a minute into the encounter. The shock of that seemed to snap Perry to attention and he dominated from that point on. Perry improves to 21-2-1 with the victory and may be back on the track that appeared to have him headed for a title shot before seeing stars just two rounds into his showdown with O'Keefe last October - a bout that ensured the winner would get a title shot. O'Keefe made the most of that opportunity and claimed the title with another knockout -this one in the 13th round- against Carl Taylor in March. Perry was ranked the #5 challenger in the end of April TWIFB boxing contenders list. NORTH CAROLINA TECH TOPS RECRUITING BATTLE On the strength of landing the top high school basketball player in the nation, the North Carolina Tech Techsters have secured the top freshman recruiting class for the upcoming collegiate cage season. Mike Carter, a high-scoring shooting specialist out of Dunbar High School in Washington DC, is considered the best player in the country and he committed to the Techsters after heavily considering Liberty College and Carolina Poly. Joining Carter in making the trip from DC to Raleigh will be center Muzz Hodson, a rival of Carter's from DC's Anacosta High School and considered a top twenty-five recruit. The Techsters rounded out their stellar class with in-state star Percy Hyatt, a guard out of High Point, NC who was named the top high school player in the state this past season. The defending national champion City College of Los Angeles Wolves only had room for two incoming freshman but it was a poor class for the California powerhouse. The Coyotes class was ranked 56th out of the 212 major college programs with Carl Allen, a forward out of San Bernardino (CA) High School and ranked 37th in his class their only top 100 recruit. [code TOP TWENTY RECRUITING CLASSES RK SCHOOL TOP PLAYER 1 North Carolina Tech Techsters #1 F Mike Carter Washington, DC 2 Western Iowa Canaries #7 C Slim Barner Houston, TX 3 Lane State Emeralds #2 F Carl Casswell Los Angeles, CA 4 Garden State Redbirds #8 F John Rosenberger New York, NY 5 Detroit City College Knights #16 F Charlie Orlando Knightstown, IN 6 St Blane Fighting Saints #5 F Brian Threadgill Bronx, NY 7 Liberty College Bells #4 C Edgar Stillwell Detroit, MI 8 Annapolis Maritime Navigators #13 F Billy Ambrose Flint, MI 9 Carolina Poly Cardinals #23 F James Halle Martinsville, VA 10 Central Ohio Aviators #28 F Abe Langlois Chicago, IL 11 Noble Jones College Colonels #9 C Mike Miller Athens, GA 12 Miami State Gulls #22 F Tom Yamada Arcadia, FL 13 Bluegrass State Mustangs #41 C Tom Nalley Chicago,IL 14 Perry State Commodores #60 F Valentine Peele Nashville, TN 15 Brunswick Knights #18 C Darrell Rademacher Jackson, MS 16 Whitney College Engineers #11 G Don Rosenfield Chicago, IL 17 Dickson Maroons #15 F Ted Entinger Cleveland, OH 18 Indiana A&M Reapers #10 G J.C. Mitchell Benton, AR 19 Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes #66 G Alvin Martin Houna, LA 20 Rainier College Majestics #14 C Carl Perry Redding, CA [/code] The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/12/1946 A minor breakthrough in the coal strike as union leader John Lewis has ordered his mine workers back on the job, but only for 15 days in order to mine emergency fuel to keep the Nation's most essential services operating. The British Government announced it has proposed a complete withdrawal of all British land, sea and air forces from Egypt at a rate to be decided in negotiations with Egyptian leaders. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealed to the Western Democracies to work through the United Nations setup for an understanding with Russia, without which he said the world faced a fatal period of "misery, slaughter and abasement." __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 03-20-2023 at 11:57 AM.

03-21-2023, 11:42 AM	#663
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	May 20, 1946 May 20, 1946 SLUMPING PIONEERS LOSE LOCAL STAR It has been an awful start for the St Louis Pioneers and the news just got much worse with word that their young pitching star Hal Hackney will be sidelined for two months with an arm injury. The Pioneers were tabbed by OSA to finish second in what was expected to be a tight Federal Association race this season but they have stumbled badly out of the gate, starting the season with a Fed worst 10-24 record and are already 13 games out of first place just over a month into the campaign. The 24 year old Hackney, a local St Louis kid and dubbed the number one prospect in the game before he made his big league debut last season, had been one of the few bright spots in a dismal opening month for manager Hugh Luckey's club. Hackney boasts a 1.80 era, among the best in baseball, but only a 4-4 record as the Pioneers offense has sputtered this season. He opened the season with 3 straight complete game victories and an era of 0.33 to garner high prase through the baseball community for the young righthander that the Pioneers selected out of a St Louis area high school in the third round of the 1940 draft. He split 1941 between Class C and B, going 18-10 and drawing praise from OSA but his trip to the majors was interrupted when he enlisted in the Navy just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was discharged from service last August and immediately made his big league debut for the Pioneers, pitching very well but absorbing a 4-2 loss to Boston. In all he would make 11 starts and finish with a 5-4 record, setting the stage for his terrific start this season. For the 10-24 Pioneers this marks the third straight year in which the club has began the season with a very slow start. A year ago the Pioneers began the campaign with a 15-29 record before rebounding to finish the year 2 games over .500 and in 1944 they were 14-30 at the end of May and never did recover- finishing in the Federal Association cellar. NEW MANAGEMENT BUT SAME OLD CANNONS Some have predicted that age and a change in the General Manager's chair would spell doom for the Cincinnati Cannons but as the season completes its first month it has been business as usual at Tice Memorial Stadium. The Cannons, who have won each of the last 3 Continental Association pennants and are looking to claim a CA record fourth straight flag, are once more sitting in a very familiar spot - at the top of the Continental table. The 20-14 Cannons have plenty of company with the Toronto Wolves just a game and a half back and two other teams -New York and Philadelphia- only 2 games off the pace, but so far it looks like business as usual for the veteran squad. Cincinnati's General Manager left for Detroit over the winter and his replacement, at least so far, has pretty much opted to maintain the status quo on what was a veteran ballclub with plenty of big game experience. On the field the potent lineup continues to do its thing with Chuck Adams (.315,6,29), Al Wheeler (.284,5,17) and Denny Andrews (.276,4,19) leading the most explosive power collection this side of Gothams Stadium. The return of all-star catcher Adam Mullins (.306,1,11) has certainly helped and aside from lead-off man Charley McCullough (.198,0,3), who has struggled at the plate in his return from four years in the Navy, the Cincinnati bats are firing. If there is any cause for concern in the Queen City it might be on the mound, although certainly not with the start that Deuce Barrell (5-0, 2.56) has shown. Barrell looks like he is on a mission after being denied a third Allen Award last season with a narrow second place finish behind Toronto's George Garrison. The rest of the rotation has been effective -aside from rookie Bob Arman's early struggles- but Cincinnati manager Ad Doria will need more from them once the Chicago Cougars, and the rest of the Continental Association contenders, hit their stride. That might just be the test of the new head man in Cincinnati. The Cannons have pulled off a number of deadline deals -nearly all of which seemed to pay off- to secure each of the last three pennants. Will the new GM pull the right strings and be able to make the same type of impact transaction this deadline if a move is needed? KNIGHTS WORKING OVERTIME The Los Angeles Knights may be leading the Great Western League but their players are certainly putting in the overtime necessary in order to achieve that success. The Knights have won 7 of their last 8 games to extend their lead on second place San Francisco to 3 games but they did so by playing 4 straight extra innings contests to finish off the week. It started on Thursday afternoon against Portland when Los Angeles rallied twice to beat the visiting Green Sox. The Knights tied the contest at 2 in the bottom of the 8th inning on a Jim Hatfield rbi single and then, after Portland plated a run the top of the 12th, pinch-hitter Carl Neff delivered a walk-off double to lift the Knights to a 4-3 victory. Next up was a 3-game series with Seattle that saw each of the contests go into extras including a 16-inning marathon won 7-5 by Los Angeles in the series opener. Seattle prevailed the next day 6-5 in 10 innings after the Knights had tied the game with a pair of runs in the 9th inning and yesterday it was the reverse: Seattle scored 3 times in the bottom of the ninth to force extras only to see the Knights win 6-5 thanks to an 11th inning rbi single by ex-Brooklyn King Ben Brazel. In all the Knights have played 7 extra inning games already this season. KNIGHTS TALES -I'm sure Thomas X. Bigsby is sitting in his office in one of those new buildings that have been going up downtown, chomping on his cigar and smiling. The world of the GWL and especially his Los Angeles Knights couldn't be brighter. Attendance is good and the team is profitable. Stars, new and old, fill the roster. His challenge to the eastern monolith that is FABL has been a rousing success, so far. Sitting in first place, 3 up on San Francisco, things are looking good. The offense is led by long time LA player Bill Michael. Even with the influx of FABL castoffs the 34 year old Michael is hitting better than ever. A .312 average and league leading 33 RBI to go along with leadership responsibilities. And the pitching! A league leading staff ERA of 2.44 led by the trio of Red Nokes, King Price, and Bob Cummings. The Knights lead the league in runs scored and fewest runs allowed. It's early, but yes, I have to think Mr. Bigsby is enjoying his cigar A missed opportunity for Boston yesterday as the Minutemen suffered two 1-run losses to the New York Gothams in their Sunday doubleheader. The Minutemen still own a two and a half game lead on second place Philadelphia in the Federal Association standings and have a run differential of +67 which is tops in the FABL by a significant margin. Ed Bowman threw a 1-hit shutout in beating Boston 1-0 in the nightcap of that Gothams-Minutemen twin bill yesterday. It was the second one-hitter of the 26 year old Bowman's career. The first came against St Louis in 1943. The Gothams enjoyed a winning week and the doubleheader sweep moved them to within 3.5 games of Boston in the Fed race. After starting the season 12-3, the Cougars have dropped 13 of 18 to fall to 5th place. Chicago still has a +34 run differential, and finally won their 7th one run game, a 6-5 extra inning victory over the Foresters to finish off a rough 2-5 week. With a 7-hit shutout of the Sailors, Billy Riley has now thrown three walk-less shutouts in his five starts. The Dynamos are shopping Leon Drake after the 37 year old asked for a trade. Drake is hitting .319 in limited action this season. Brooklyn shows signs of life with its first 500 (4-4) week. SP Leo Hayden who got off to a right start is now 4-2 with a 2.62 ERA. He looks like a keeper. Some others might be on their way down shortly. While offense is down in FABL this season that does not appear to be the case in AAA -at least not based on early indications. The Century League batting averages are at .282 and era is up to 4.34 a month into the season, compared to .259 and 3.58 for last season. The shift to offense is much less dramatic in the Union League where batting averages are up .006 to .270 while teams are now owning a 4.17 era, up a fifth of a run from last years full season totals. The situation is drastically reversed in the Lone Star Association where that newly designated AAA loop is a pitchers paradise in the early going. ERA's are 3.04 compared to 4.29 when it was an independent league a year ago while batting average have fallen 40 points from last season to .248. As for FABL, both the Federal and Continental Associations have seen a slight drop in era and batting averages in the early going this season compared to a year ago. The Fed era is 3.30, compared to 3.45 last season while the Continental Association clubs have a 3.53 era, down from last seasons 3.66. Batting averages are down to .256 in the CA from .263 a year ago while the Fed is hanging close to last season's .260 mark with teams hitting at a .257 clip. The Japanese League gets its regular season underway tomorrow. The loop last played in 1944 and the Kobe Bulls have won 3 straight league titles. Kobe led the way in preseason games with a 12-5 record, nosing out the expansion Tokyo Rakisuta Rams for bragging rights. 8 teams will each play 114 games this summer. A PAIR OF FABL TIES AMONG TOP HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CAGE STARS Next year's crop of high school senior basketball stars includes a number of ties to big league baseball including a pair of players considered to be among the top ten high school cage stars in the nation. A towering 6'11" center out of Alexandria High School in Louisiana by the name of Les Lightbody is ranked the third best high school recruit. The name will be very familiar to baseball fans as he is a cousin of the Lightbody clan from Jena, La. that includes brothers Doug and Frank Lightbody as well as cousin Jim Lightbody. Doug and Frank are both retired after long FABL careers while Jim is with the Brooklyn Kings. There is another Brooklyn tie as well as Whitney Slocum, nephew of Hall of Famer and former Brooklyn manager Powell Slocum is entering his senior season at Ragland High School in Alabama. The younger Slocum is ranked the 67th best incoming high school senior basketball player by the college recruiting service. The other top ten recruit is a star forward from St Patrick's Prep in Boston by the name of Don Higgins. The 17 year old guard is orginally from California but moved east several years ago to live with the family of his older brother Dick 'Pistol' Higgins, former Boston Minutemen pitcher. Dick was recently claimed on waivers by the Chicago Chiefs from the Minutemen but his brother will remain in Boston with Dick's wife and kids for Don's senior season. Don, known as 'Pop Gun' is also a baseball pitcher on the Shamrocks high school club but his strengths clearly lie on the court and he is being hotly pursued by Carolina Poly, CCLA and Liberty College although his brother is reportedly trying to steer young Don to Dickson College, which was Dick's alma mater. One more name of note is Bud Stofer. A guard out of Atlantic City that Brunswick and Liberty College are both chasing, Stofer is the younger brother of Washington Eagles first baseman Sig Stofer and considered to be the #30th best high school senior recruit. Here are the players considered to be the top thirty High School basketballers in the nation. DUNN MAY BE ABOUT DONE Former welterweight contender Wayne Dunn appears to have reached the end of the line, at least as far as his days of being included in talk of the top contenders. The 30 year old Hartford native looked very slow in suffering a split decision loss to Edwin Simpson, a non-descript fighter out of Buffalo last week. The result was quite surprising as Dunn had looked very good in knocking out a solid pugilist by the name of Mitchell McFadden in December, but Simpson -despite an 18-6-1 record- was not a fighter that was thought to be anywhere near the same calibre of Dunn. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/19/1946 The Mine Workers Union remains steadfast in plans to resume its strike next week. Now it is the railways that pose the next big problem as a pending strike is set to shut down most rail travel. The day before the planned strke, President Truman ordered the seizure of the Nation's railroads in a bid to keep the Trainmen and Engineers union workers on the job. On Sunday, the union agreed to delay the strike action for 5 days. The US Secretary of Agriculture says that at least one-fourth of this year's estimated 1 billion-bushel wheat crop will be earmarked for famine relief. He also cautions a resumption of the coal strike would likely cause most of the Nation's food industries to be "close to a standstill within a few days." President Truman made a plea to Russia to join the fight on world famine but reports indicate that Prime Minister Stalin has turned down the appeal for Soviet participation. 27 were killed after an airliner bound from Newark to Atlanta lost power and crashed near Richmond, Va. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 03-21-2023 at 11:44 AM.

03-22-2023, 12:17 PM	#664
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	May 27, 1946 MAY 27, 1946 WESTERN LOOP WINS BATTLE FOR SEALS Another Sign an East-West Showdown is Looming? The Great Western League scored a major victory over FABL this week in its battle to be considered on equal footing with the eastern ball loop. The Portland Green Sox won a bidding war with at least one FABL club for the services of free agent outfielder Lew Seals. It is groundbreaking as the acquisition of Seals may just be the first time a GWL club has outbid any of the FABL magnates for the services of a ballplayer. Up until this point all of the players that the Pacific league had signed were FABL cast-offs. Seals was a castoff to a degree as he was on a deal with the Pittsburgh Miners that gave him the option to declare free agency should he not be promoted to the big leagues within 30 days of the start of the season. That did not happen, despite Miners insistence they were on the verge of calling up the 32 year old outfielder, so Seals elected to leave the Miners organization. Now a free agent, the Detroit Dynamos -and perhaps other FABL clubs- made overtures to Seals for his services but he instead accepted a sizeable offer from the Portland Green Sox to join the western rebels. Dynamos Assistan General Manager Harris Dixon said his club believed it had a deal with Seals but was informed otherwise. "We made what we felt was a solid offer and Lew would have joined the Dynamos immediately and been given every opportunity to claim a starting role in our outfield," explained Dixon. "However, for some crazy reason he took a little bit more money than we offered and decided to play in that glorified minor league out west. We wish him well, but are quite surprised at the short-sightedness of his decision to join a fledgling league over a chance to play in the Federal Association." The offer was more than solid in the eyes of western teams as Portland made Seals the highest paid player in the rookie big-league, inking him to a deal that is worth $18,000 for the season. It tops by $1,000 what the Oakland Grays are giving Larry Colaianni but the move is ground-breaking for many other reasons. The willingness of a GWL club to compete head on with, and beat a FABL club out in a bid to sign a player is historic. Not since the days of the Players League and old Border Association in the 1880s has there been a challenge to the baseball hierarchy. This Portland move, likely with the blessing and perhaps even encouragement from GWL President Thomas X. Bigsby, signifies the next step in the Great Western League's evolution. It is no secret the newcomers desire to be considered in every way as equals of the eastern ballclubs and this may well just be another small step towards an all-out bidding war for talent that many feel is sure to erupt between the old guard and Bigbsy's rebels. Seals had no comment on the matter other than to say the Portland offer was the best one he had, so he jumped at the opportunity, adding that in no way did he want to become a poster-boy for any battle between the west and east leagues. "I'm just a ballplayer, trying to make a living," stated the outfielder as he boarded a train from St. Paul to Portland on Friday evening. "There is no politics or any other reason to my decision other than this was the best opportunity for me and my family. I spent some time in Spokane during my rookie pro season. I look forward to seeing more of the west coast." LOGJAM ATOP CONTINENTAL If you had said there would a three way tie for top spot in the Continental Association as the month of May came to close few would have been surprised. However, the fact that the Chicago Cougars are not one of the three co-leaders would be a shock to most. The Cougars are certainly right in the mix, trailing the trio of Cincinnati, Toronto and the Philadelphia Sailors by just 2.5 games but after a 12-3 start coupled with the loaded roster the Cougars possess in the first post-war season, seeing Chicago sitting in fourth place -even at this still relatively early juncture of the campaign- has to be considered a big surprise. The Cougars do have the best run differential in the Continental Association, have surrendered the fewest runs against, have the deepest starting rotation and lead the loop in batting average and homeruns so it should be just a matter of time before things balance out for the Chicago nine. The duo of Pete Papenfus (6-1, 2.19) and Donnie Jones (6-2, 2.52) have been outstanding on the slab and the veteran bats of Leo Mitchell (.268,7,23), Hank Barnett (.281,7,18) and 39 year old Dick Walker (.315,7,22), who is on pace for a career best in long balls, provide plenty of offense. Yet somehow with all of that pitching and firepower the Cougars have gone just 10-16 this month. * Boston Making a Pennant Pitch in Fed * It is no secret why the Boston Minutemen have the best record in baseball. The Federal Association leaders have allowed just 90 runs this season -an average of only 2.25 surrendered per game- while no other club has surrendered less than 130. The trio of Ray Dalpman (7-2, 2.01), Ed Wood (7-1, 1.96) and Dean Astle (5-1, 1.26) have combined for 11 trips to the All-Star Game and between them Wood and Astle have over 400 FABL victories, but all three are now pitching the best ball of their careers. Despite the hot start the Minutemen better keep looking over their shoulder as the New York Gothams -with 8 wins in their last 11 games- may finally be getting the offensive production most expected from their powerful lineup. Red Johnson (.302,10,20) is on a tear, with 7 homers in May including 4 last week. The Gothams are 4 back with the Philadelphia Keystones and offensively challenged but pitching rich Detroit Dynamos tied for third. SUCCESSFUL EAGLES DEBUT FOR BUCKEYE SMITH The Washington Eagles slab staff received a real shot in the arm last week with the highly anticipated debut of Buckeye Smith. It feels like the wait has been forever for the arrival of the 23 year old Ohio born righthander. He seemed like a steal when, after the Eagles selected Smith in the 6th round of the 1941 FABL draft, Smith appeared in the OSA top 100 prospects just a year later. That was right about the time the marines came calling and Buckeye became a part of the war effort, missing each of the past four seasons. Despite that the Eagles, and the OSA, kept close tabs on Buckeye -getting plenty of accounts of stellar performances in service games over the years and when he returned in the fall OSA placed him in the top 30 prospects. A solid spring saw the scouting service bump Smith up into the top twenty and after 4 very good outings in Kansas City, the Eagles summed him to the big leagues last week. Smith made his debut in Chicago last Monday. The Eagles pulled out a 6-4 victory in extra innings and while Smith was not around for the decision, he had a strong outing. Buckeye threw 7 scoreless innings before the wheels fell off a bit in the 8th inning when he loaded the bases. He would have escaped unscathed but a Henry Bush error led to a 4-run Chiefs outburst to tie the game. None of the runs were earned and Smith's 6 hits and 5 walks over 8 innings was not a bad debut at all. But it got even better yesterday when Smith made his debut at Columbia Stadium. Pittsburgh was in town and Buckeye was bang-on, going the distance while scattering 6 hits and walking just 1 in a 6-1 Washington win. Dan Barrell -the head of the league scouting service- was at the ballpark for that game and he had high praise for the rookie afterwards. Jiggs McGee of TWIFB was also in town and noted that Smith is probably the best young arm to pitch in Washington since Del Burns went 17-10 as a 24-year old in 1940. And McGee noted that he can't remember a homegrown Washington pitcher that OSA gave such high praise to "unless you count Bobo White, but we all no how that turned out." For those who are new to the Washington baseball scene or have been living under a rock, White was the first overall selection of the 1934 draft by the Eagles out of St Blane where he was an All-American. He spent a few years in the OSA top 50 prospect list and went 12-14 in 1937 as a 23 year old making his big league debut. Arm troubles derailed his career and he won just 32 more FABL games. White tried to catch on in the Great West League but was recently released by Dallas and his career appears over at age 32. GOTHAMS EXPOSE DALPMAN The mighty Gothams offense did a number on Ray Dalpman this week, handing him his second loss of the season in a 5-2 New York win as they swept the Minutemen right out of New York. Red Johnson scored the first blow for the Gothams with a first inning solo blast followed by the oft-injured Mahlon Strong adding a two run blast after a Sal Pestilli single. The three run first was enough for 35 year old Harry Carter to pick up his third win of the season. Ed Wood was able to right the slide in Detroit by outdueling Carl Potter in a 3-1 win that improved his record to 7-1 on the season. Detroit though, would even the series the next day by beating up on Duke Hendricks in a 6-2 victory that saw Rip Curry go deep for the Dynamos. The seesaw week would come to an end with a three game set against Philadelphia at home. Minuteman Stadium must have been the remedy that the club needed as they took all three games of the series outscoring the Keystones by a score of 19-2. The only negative in the series came in game two on Sunday where Walt Wells strained his back two batters into the game. Even still, Johnny Harry came in and delivered 7.1 innings of two hit ball in injury relief. The injury to Wells is not considered a long term situation and he should be good in about a week. The Minutemen may elect to skip his next start as a precautionary measure. Boston will finish out the month of May with a home dates against both Pittsburgh and Washington before welcoming in the Chiefs to kick off the month of June. Currently, the Minutemen hold a four game lead in the FA over the Gothams, and are up six on both Philadelphia and Detroit. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN After a horrid start the Toronto Wolves have climbed into the 3-way tie atop the CA. One hot pitcher, Bert Cupid in Montreal and 3 big flys by Si Crocker in Cleveland handed the Wolves their only two losses of the week, 1-0 and 4-3. There was another loss, and a costly one as outfielder Juan Pomales (.281/.349/.395) will be sidelined for 2 weeks. That is going to hurt the team both at the bat along with in the field. There was talk to calling up the top hitting prospect John Fast to replace Mike Rollinson who has had a dreadful return from the service, slashing .197/.258/.213 in 69 PA plus 4 errors, until Fast suffered a severe hip strain sidelining him until the middle of July. Management is now scrambling to put put together lineups that are solid both offensively, along with in the field. Word from inside the Wolves offices is that manager Bob Call will have two new players on the 24-man roster as the team finishes the current 3 week road trip. Frank Frady, who has hit everywhere, will join as a utility infielder with Rollinson being optioned to Buffalo. In a somewhat surprising move Curt Brooks was summoned from Chattanooga to serve as fourth outfielder possibly in a platoon role with Gus Hull in LF for the duration of Pomales absence on the DL. Call says that it will give Brooks and Frady a chance to see FABL pitching for at least a few weeks. With regards to Rollinson Call said "We will need Mike's proven big league bat, he just needs time to sharpen his stroke, quit pressing at the plate which is also affecting his work in the field. Some time in AAA should be just what he needs, he was not going to get enough playing time at this level. Look at the standings, there are 5 teams within 4 games of the lead in the CA. I expected it to stay that way all summer, it is going to be exciting for the fans along with being stressful for players and the coaching staff. Everyone has to be at the top of their game everyday, no days off." On the mound, Jimmy Gibbs (4-0 1.34) has been the pitching highlight although there is concern about both George Garrison, Lou Jayson slow return to their top form DYNAMOS HANGING AROUND IN FED RACE The Detroit Dynamos seem to have sorted out their problems in the field and now the club is once again doing what it so often seems to do best - just hang around. Detroit has not won a Federal Association flag since Al Wheeler was a second year pro in 1929, but they have -even in the lean years- more often than not found a way to be in the thick of the race. Last year was a great example when the club finished just 4 games back of the Philadelphia Keystones despite really having no business being in the pennant race. Although you would think after all of those close calls - 1931-33, 1938-41 and each of the past two seasons they would eventually get lucky and win one. I wouldn't count on the pennant drought to end this season but the Dynamos have turned things around, going 16-8 in their past 24 games after a dreadful 5-14 start. The offense is still no where near championship calibre but the pitching has been surprisingly good and the defense is much improved since the insertion of 23 year old Bob Montgomery at shortstop. The plan was to go with 19 year old Stan Kleminski at the key defensive position on the diamond, but it had to be abandoned quickly when Kleminski, while he showed he could handle big league pitching, proved to be far from ready as a defender. Don't worry about the kid. He will be back after some seasoning in Newark but the jury is out on whether he will have to shift to a less-crucial position in the field. Montgomery has been outstanding and his arrival from Newark coincides exactly with the start of Detroit's solid play. He should be getting a lot of dinners paid for by the pitching staff as he is providing defense normally only reserved for the Continental Association and all it's great shortstops. Montgomery is also hitting .301 and along with Rip Curry (.329,3,12) -who stepped into the starting lineup at about the same time- the duo have helped take some of the offensive pressure off of Mack Sutton. * Slab Staff Key to Dynamos Success * It is the pitching that has really propelled the Dynamos over the .500 mark. Only the Boston Minutemen, with 90, and the Chicago Cougars, at 130, have allowed less than the 131 runs the Dynamos have surrendered so far this season. Imagine what the Detroit number might have been with a full two months of Montgomery at shortstop and not the dozen errors committed by Kleminski in his 10 games at the position. Dixie Lee (5-3, 2.23), Art White (3-4, 2.66), Jimmy Long (3-1, 1.07) and Carl Potter (3-4, 3.10) have all been very good but the big news is the performance of 24 year old rookie Wally Hunter (5-1, 2.40). Big Game Wally missed two years serving in the Air Force but he is quickly showing why he was an essential add for the Dynamos in the deal that sent Sal Pestilli to the New York Gothams. Veteran reliever Frank Gordon, who missed 4 years due to the war, has been outstanding out of the pen since his return -saving 7 games and posting a 0.57 era. If they moundsmen can keep it up the Dynamos may just spend another August and September in the first division, perhaps even once more surprising most observers with a pennant push. * Lonardo Running Out of Chances? * Red Wedge of the New York World Telegram brought up a key point in his column earlier this week. The long-time Gothams scribe worried that if the Dynamos stay in contention it might prevent Jim Lonardo from reaching the 300 win mark. The 41 year old -who spent most of his career in New York- is currently 5 victories shy of the magic 300 mark but one has to wonder how many more chances Detroit will give him to start the way the rest of their pitchers are going. Lonardo has just one win in his last 5 decisions but can't be blamed for his effort yesterday in St. Louis. He went the distance and pitched well enough to win but the Detroit offense could not get the job done in a 2-1 loss to the Pioneers. Only 12 pitchers in FABL history have won 300 or more games. * A Quick Drive Around the Motor City Sports Scene * Still no word from the grid Maroons on the status of Stan Vaught for next season. The greatest end football has ever seen changed his mind on retirement a year ago, coming back to win the AFA MVP award and lead the Maroons to the championship game. Unlike after the 1944 title game when he said he was retiring but later had a change of heart, Vaught made no announcement either way regarding his status following the December loss to Boston. The Maroons will open camp on the campus of Detroit City College in two months and no one in the organization has any idea if Vaught will be among those who attend. Speaking of DCC, the Knights cage squad is looking forward to a strong season in follow up to their second place finish in the Great Lakes Alliance a year ago. The Detroit City College recruiting class was among the best in the nation led by Charlie Orlando - a forward from Indiana. It would have been the number one recruiting class had center Edgar Stillwell of Cooley High School elected to remain in the city and play for the Knights instead of taking his talents to Philadelphia's Liberty College. Stillwell was considered the 4th best recruit available in the nation a year ago. GRAYS ARE RED-HOT The Oakland Grays have won 14 of their last 18 games and charged past their Bay Area rivals from San Francisco and into second place in the Great Western League. Offense is the name of the game in Oakland with ex-FABL infielders Larry Colaianni (.331,2,26) and Hank Grant (.218,1,15) leading the way. The Los Angeles Knights, despite dropping two of three in Oakland last week, continue to lead the way with a 1.5 game gap on the second place Grays. The big story for the Bigsby gang has been the pitching of Bob Cummings (5-1, 1.39) and King Price (5-1, 1.75). At the south end of the standings sit the struggling San Diego Conquistadors. The San Diego head man was lured west from the Brooklyn Kings over the winter and he was candid recently with his assessment of the club as reported in the San Diego papers. According to Daily Transcript Sports Editor Clayton Lowery the Conquistadors GM acknowledges the "pitching and defensive troubles in San Diego. 7th and more often 8th in too many categories. Particularly frustrating is a case like Gordon Martin: Martin posted a sub 3.40 ERA in the past two seasons and so far in ’46 has a repulsive 6.56 ERA. I’ve got some arms doing well down in El Paso and they just may have to get a chance to return to the Bigs." McGRAW THROWS FIRST BIG LEAGUE GWL NO-HITTER The first no-hitter of the Great Western League as a major loop happened last week with Houston's Bill McGraw made history with a 2-0 shutout in Portland last Monday. The loop has been around, but as a minor league, since 1904 so it is the 16th no-hitter in GWL history but the first since it declared itself a major league over the winter. It was the second major league no-hitter thrown this season as Boston's Ray Dalpman turned the trick against Pittsburgh in April. The Houston Bulls have been around since they joined the Century League in 1884 before moving to the Lone Star Association in 1929. Despite that stories history the Bulls have only had one no-hitter thrown in their existence prior to McGraw's gem. That one came in 1930 when they were in the Lone Star loop and was thrown by Phil Milot, who spent a decade with the club. FABL magnates are clearly starting to worry about the rebel league from the west. Signing Lew Seals to a GWL record setting contract has, on the surface, no real impact on FABL. But it likely further boldens the western club owners -who are drawing decent crowds and making money- giving them the confidence to go after higher profile FABL players. Nothing will happen during the season as the Bigsby boys appear to be willing to recognize all existing FABL contracts but the big question will come in the off-season. Nearly every FABL ballplayer is signed on a year-by-year basis but organized baseball gives the team exclusive rights to resign their own players each year. The question is Will the western loop recognize and abide by that policy or will they start trying to lure some FABL regulars -particularly those with western ties- to their loop with big offers during the off-season? GWL boss Thomas X. Bigsby has declined to make any sort of comment on the matter but in this case silence may not be a good thing as the obvious comment would be the GWL recognizes baseball's reserve clause agreement. Interesting times may lie ahead. Freddie Jones joined the 2,000 hit club with a pair of hits in the Chiefs 2-0 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday. Jones has accomplished plenty in his career - a college Christian Trophy, a pair of Federal Association batting titles, 5 all-star selections and the 1935 Whitney Award but imagine what the 36 year old could have accomplished had he not been so injury prone. Big week for the Gothams big bats. Red Johnson hit 4 homeruns while Mahlon Strong claimed player of the week honours after this performance: 19 AB, 8 H, .421 Avg., 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1.658 OPS. And Sal Pestilli had a 6-for-6 day with 5 singles and a homerun against the Chicago Chiefs. Pestilli's 6-hit game was the first of the year for FABL. Johnny McDowell of Pittsburgh had the only one last season. Interesting the Fed had one in 1943 and 1944 as well (Aart MacDonald and Sid Williams -both with Detroit) but the last 6-hit game in the CA happened before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ben Richardson went 6-for-6 for Montreal in a game with Cleveland in June 1941. Roosevelt Brewer had 5 hits in the same game Pestilli had 6 as the Gothams blasted Chiefs pitching for 20 hits including 3 homeruns - all of which were solo shots. The first really bad week of the year for the Keystones. The Keys went 1-6, including a three-game sweep in Boston. Philadelphia is now 9-13 on the road. The slow start for Bobby Barrell has developed into a panic in some parts, with a .184 average through 40 games and his peripheral numbers are just as bad (.270 OBP, .297 SLG, 63 OPS+, 76 wRC+, -0.4 WAR). He has hit .152 in May and that includes his four-homer outburst early in the month. Nice to see Hiram Steinberg finally get a win after losing his first 5 decisions with Cleveland this season. The 1941 first overall pick who rewrote the high school record books tossed a 5-hit complete game shutout to beat the Chicago Cougars 2-0 last Tuesday. Not only did we get a no-hitter in the GWL last week, but there was also one in the minors. Philadelphia Sailors farmhand George K Brooks turned the trick in a 4-0 win for the Providence Sailors over Erie. SCHROTTER WANTS ANOTHER SHOT AT SAWYER Former world champion Jochen Schrotter is coming out of retirement and wants a rematch with Hector Sawyer. That is the word from Sawyer's manager Chester Conley, who says he has been approached by a team said to representing the now 40 year old German, who held the world crown from 1935 until losing by a 15th round knockout to Sawyer in January, 1940. Schrotter, to the best of anyone's knowledge, has not fought professionally since that bout although he was said to have been featured in a number of exhibitions under the direction of the Nazis during the war. He also served for the German army and at one point was rumoured to have been fatally wounded in Greece but it would turn out he did not actually see any active combat duty. The announcement comes as a surprise and the champ himself was caught off guard when reporters volleyed questions at him. Sawyer looked dumbfounded when informed of Conley's announcement, but quickly recovered and mentioned "Chester had been working on my next bout, but had not informed me of who that might be against." However, Conley has confirmed that Schrotter is set to return to the ring this weekend and will fight in London, England against veteran British heavyweight Andrew Madden. Conley explains that following that bout, Schrotter is expected to cross the Atlantic and begin training in New York for a late summer date with Sawyer. A Sawyer-Schrotter bout is likely to be a huge financial winfall for the champ, and Conley, and would also seem like the type of bout that should be an easy victory for Sawyer, who is 53-3-1 after his TKO victory over Leo Carmichael in February. Schrotter sports a professional mark of 48-3-0. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/26/1946 The Government, its rail system crippled, drove with desperate urgency at week's end for settlement of the coast-to-coast train strike before it brings hunger to cities and wrecks the nation's industrial life. 48 hours later, the trains were running again as the strike was settled just moments before President Truman had called on a joint session of Congress to outlaw strikes against the Government. Coal Miners in three states including many in coal rich Pennsylvania threatened to block operation of coal mines after Government seizure of them this week. Truman signed an emergency housing bill calling for the construction of nearly 3 million low-cost homes for veterans by the end of next year. The late President Roosevelt accused Japan of war intentions a month before the Peal Harbor attack and told Japanese diplomats bluntly he did not believe their denials, it was revealed before Congress' Pearl Harbor investigating committee. Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Security Council says his government does not show conclusively that all Soviet troops had evacuated Iran, noting his government "has no authority in Azerbaijan Province"- the area to which it sent a commission to determine whether the Red Army had left. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 03-22-2023 at 02:14 PM.

03-23-2023, 11:50 AM	#665
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	June 3, 1946 JUNE 3, 1946 HUGE BLOW FOR BOSTON: DALPMAN DONE FOR YEAR The Boston Minutemen learned the worst news imaginable today as they found out 29 year old pitcher Ray Dalpman's season is over after the righthander blew out his shoulder in a loss to the Chicago Chiefs yesterday. Dalpman, who threw a no-hitter in April, was 7-3 with a 2.55 era and a big reason why the Minutemen have the best record in the Federal Association. Boston's pitching has been its strong suit this season with Ed Wood (7-2, 2.18) and Dean Astle (5-2, 1.50) off to strong starts but the odds of a Boston flag win this season are much longer today than they were prior to Dalpman's injury. Perhaps John Edwards, who has been terrific out of the Boston pen, or one of the other relievers can step up and attempt to fill the gaping hole that now exists in the Minutemen rotation but the more likely scenario if Boston wants to remain in the pennant hunt is they need to pursue a deal as the deadline approaches at the end of July to find a veteran arm who can fill the void. In the meantime the short-term solution is likely to recall 27 year old Tom Martin from AAA Columbus to fill the hole in the pen with Edwards likely shifting to the rotation. Martin pitched well in relief for Boston a year ago, going 9-7 with 11 saves and a 2.56 era. To make a rough week even worse for the New Englanders, the Minutemen started the week with 4 straight losses before rebounding over the weekend and taking 2 of three from visiting Chicago. That allowed the New York Gothams, who went 5-2 over the past seven days, to move within a game of the front-runners. The Philadelphia Keystones limped out of Boston last week after suffering a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Minutemen, but they rebounded nicely in a busy week, claiming 7 victories in 9 outings and are now just 2 games back. * Cannons Blast Wolves; Alone atop Continental The Cincinnati Cannons swept a 3-game series from the Toronto Wolves and with 8 wins in their last 10 games have opened up a 3.5 game lead on the Canadian nine atop the Continental Association. Deuce Barrell, who has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last three starts -all complete game victories- and is 8-0 with a 1.97 era is once more leading the way for Cincinnati. Off-season free agent signing Les Bradshaw (6-3, 2.84), cut loose by the Eagles after serving in the Army last year, has been a key pickup on the mound while the big bats continue to carry the Cannons powerful offense. Al Wheeler (.289,7,27) is one of those big bats and the Wonder Wheel smacked two more homeruns last week to bring him within 4 of joining only the great Max Morris in the 500 homerun club. Meanwhile the Chicago Cougars continue to struggle with a 3-5 week against second division sides Brooklyn, Montreal and Cleveland. The Cougars, favoured by many to be the team to beat in the Continental, now sit in 6th place with a 24-24 record. Perhaps the Montreal Saints are a sleeper team in the Continental Association? After a slow season start in April, the team put a 18-14 record in May and are now a game over the break even mark and one solid week out of perhaps moving up to second place. There is plenty to like down at Parc Catier. The pitching rotation is fully loaded now with the return of Wally Reif. The 26 year old was pronounced healthy enough to return to the starting rotation after a stomach muscle strain shelved him for the past four weeks. Reif will be a welcome addition to the mound staff, but the starters, aside from Bill Ross at least, have fared pretty well in Reif's absence. The rising star in the rotation is rookie prospect Bert Cupid which is now showing a 6-1 record, 2.68 ERA and 18/45 BB/K ratio. The club has won each of Cupid's last 8 starts, with the last three being two very good performances against Toronto and a win over the Chicago Cougars. When healthy the Montreal rotation is in good hands with the quintet of Doyle-Weakley-Cupid-Reif-DeYoung. The weak link so far had been Bill Ross (2-7, 4.71), despite the 33 year old going 27-19 for the Saints over the past two seasons. The news is good at the plate as well. The struggling offense of April has found some batting vibes in May and that goes a long ways towards explaining the positive record of the past month. There are still certainly some holes to shore up, in particular the first base dilemma. On the season as a whole, Red Bond's .220 batting average looks troubling, but the veteran has been doing better recently but his numbers are still a far cry from his outstanding 1940 campaign when he smacked 30 homers and batted .340. The Saints would be thrilled if Bond could simply duplicate last year's .254,16,81 stat line. The right field position is the other place in the starting nine that still is a carrousel. After giving chances to Otis Parker (now in AAA), Heinie Billings, Weaver (now in AAA), Gordon McCarley and Ernie McCoy, it sounds like the last two are taking the lead. Before season started, all eyes were on prospect Otis Parker to patrol the right field, but he was struggling very badly at the plate and been sent down in AAA. Lately, the playing rotation been been between McCarley and McCoy only. McCoy, 2nd pick overall in 1942 and a war veteran, is finally getting the chance to proove was he was selected so high out of Bluegrass State. Saints Manager Homer Moore confirms that McCoy will be getting more playing time to see how he can succeed at the FABL baseball level. Missing three years serving in the Army certainly slowed McCoy's development but the 25 year old was impressive in a short stint at AAA Minneapolis to begin the year and is slashing .297/.350/.405 after two weeks with the big club. They are not qute there yet, but the Saints club is approaching the point where it could be considered a serious contender for the Continental crown, a bauble the Montreal organization has not worn upon its head since 1921. Management again cautions the process must not be rushed. As the Saints General Manager said a few years ago when the club was in contention early and pressure was on him to make short term trades, "Montreal management will still stick to the plan, it will pay eventually!" The future may looks bright in Montreal with 11 players currently ranked in the top 110 prospect list according to OSA. That includes a lot of assets with pitching skills. Remember the minor league system list of pitchers includes: Ted Coffin (OSA #7), Gordie Irwin (OSA #58) and Pete Ford (OSA #75). All of whom it is hoped are helping the actual big league rotation in a near future. PLENTY TO BE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FOR STARS As the season approaches the one-third complete mark the New York Stars still have a couple of weak spots, but overall they are doing well. The outfield is really coming into its own. Lead by Bill Barrett (.252/.436/.919), the trio has been incredible, mashing 18 homers so far. 22 year old Bob Riggins is looking like a seasoned vet, hitting .279/.380/.822. 22 year old Rookie Jack Welch has exploded onto the field slashing .296/.439/.917. Which leaves Chubby Hall (.281/.370/.760) the odd man out even though hes splitting time in LF with Welch while he settles in. We can't overlook the job Bill Barnett has done in his rookie season as he is no slouch either. Barrett looks like a vet out at 1B hitting .283/.385/.813 with 4 homers. However, we dont talk about his "fielding" prowess. That gives us a solid core of 4 fantastic hitters batting 2, 3, 4 and 5. But we're falling short with Joe Angevine this season at the plate. The shortstop is hitting in the #1 hole and is struggling to reach base. And when he does, his speed seems to have left him in his 30 year old season getting caught stealing 9 times with a -4.4 BsR. The biggest heart break so far has been Chick MacKnight. He started the season the #2 ranked catcher in the league. Since then hes fallen off the chart. The team eye doctor has examined him but cannot deduce the reason for his abysmal .077/.221/.328 line so far. He was splitting time with Joe Rainbow at catcher, but has since been relegated to the bench with the mother of all cold streaks. Management is deliberating sending him to AAA. The question probably on Jiggs McGee's mind: Was the Rabbit Mudd deal worth it? At first it looked to be a no doubter with Rabbit coming out swinging. Then the 3 week day-to-day injury. It didn't slow him down at first, and he was still doing far better than poor ol' Hancock Jr., but now a second slightly more severe injury has sidelined him for the next week giving Mel a chance to show his stuff again. And Mel responded by playing better than he had been. But 2B is still an extremely weak sport in NY with plenty of head scratching and doubts lingering in the air. The Stars other sad highlight is the collapse of Bill Grove at 3B. Was he just a solid AAAA player during the war years? Grove is just 23 so he still has some more seasoning to do and in the mean time Mike Roberson has stepped up big time crushing it with a .357/.427/.955 line. He was questionable to make the team, luckily the Stars elected to keep him around. On the mound, the only real bright spot has been rule 5 pick George Scruggs. Management knew they had a gem sifting through all the possible players out there, but even the Stars did not realize just how bright he would shine. 19.2 IP 5.5 K/9 0.46 ERA, 3-0 with 2 saves. CANNONS SEARCHING FOR PEN HELP: BUT IS IT NEEDED? The Cincinnati Cannons have made it no secret they are looking for a solid arm to act as the stopper in their bullpen. However, the best solution might well be to use one of the arms they already have instead of giving away a young asset for a need that just might not exist. In addition, I am not even sure if the Cannons actually need the best bullpen in the league. Sure, its a nice addition and never something you would turn down but they have some workhorses in the rotation. Deuce Barrell has completed 117 games, nearly 60% of his starts he is still on the mound when the final out is recorded. Butch Smith has completed nearly half his starts while Les Bradshaw and Red Hampton are both over 40%. This season alone the Cannons starters have completed 26 of their 48 starts including 8 from Barrell in his 10 games. The Cannons have only needed 49 innings of relief pitching so far this season and in years past much of the heavy lifting in the pen was handled by the starters anyway as Ad Doria had employed a 6-man rotation with pretty good success. Doria has ran with the typical 5-man staff this season with Art Edwards, Jake Smith and Chris Clarke all faring pretty well when called upon in relief. Even Vic Carroll, the 1939 first overall pick who is back after a year in the Army, has not looked bad in limited work. His 7.71 era the product of a couple of rough innings in a pair of lobsided losses with nothing on the line. Edwards, Jake Smith and Clarke all give the added benefit of being able to start games in a pinch and each has had some success in that regard. There are also a few options in AAA, most notably Jim Anderson who looked good in his return to the Cannons late last season after nearly two years in the Army. The benefit to Anderson is he -like Edwards and Clarke- force a lot of ground balls and with the vacuum like glove of Jim Hensley at shortstop that plays perfectly into the Cannons strengths. * Second Base Only Potential Worry * If there was an area in need of upgrade -and with the Cannons there is not a lot that the team could improve upon- it might be second base where Charley McCullough has had a slow start both at the plate and in the field since his return from 4 years in the Navy. McCullough, who's brother was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor and enlisted immediately, has been away from the game for a long time, missing his prime years and now returns as a much different person than the 25 year old all-star he was a half decade ago. The expectation is it will only take some time for McCullough to regain his fielding prowess and in the meantime glove-whiz Charlie Rivera can easily fill in as a late innings defensive substitute. The Cannons might be wise to give McCullough at least another month to regain his land-legs and only if he is still struggling as the deadline approaches at the end of July should they perhaps take a look and see what other solution might be out there. The team is playing outstanding baseball, and has for the better part of the past three and a half years. Perhaps the best move the new Cannons brass can do right now is simply to stand pat and let the talented group continue to do what it has done best the past few seasons -win big ballgames. Gothams Notes The Gothams have moved to within 1 game of FA leading Boston. Team offensive is led by Roosevelt Brewer who is third in average at .351 and Red Johnson, tied for the HR lead with 13. Red Johnson is enjoying the postwar lineup protection. Johnson took batter of the month honors for May with one of the better slugging displays the team has seen in ages. Johnson hit .331 with 10 homers, 18 RBI and 24 runs scored. Down at AA Reading RF Hal Mayer did his best Red Johnson impression, winning batter of the month for May. Mayer paced the EA with .337, 5 homers, 23 RBI and 18 runs. Tom Richardson has been optioned to AAA Toledo to make room for additional middle infield help due to the injury to Gil London. Last season's regular SS Jim Dickinson is expected to get most of the starts. With London struggling mightily at the plate this season (.186-1-10) Dickinson has a shot to reclaim the starting role. The only other concern in the lineup is 3B where Mule Monier is hitting just .214 with no homers. As long as the team continues to win Bud Jameson can be patient. However, one wonders how long the team can carry that production along with Monier's barely adequate defense. While no defensive wiz himself Fred Pecora is hitting .306 The big news this week is obviously the loss of Ray Dalpman in Boston. Minutemen manager Bill Boshart feels that if any club can withstand the loss of its number one starter it is the Minutemen. Boshart states "I'm not sure if we really need to make a deal. If the right player comes along we will absolutely look at it. At this point though, I'm not desperate to ask our GM to blow a high pick on a vet that is mostly smoke and mirrors." We here at Caught on the Fly see the Minutemen likely having no choice but to make a deal for a veteran starter if they want any hope of sticking with the mighty Gothams and the two-time defending champion Keystones. The Minutemen pitchers are good, but without Dalpman they will have a tough time winning the pennant. The draft is just 3 weeks away so it certainly makes sense to wait and move some of next year's selections once the trade window for dealing picks opens up again. Their top prospect is a 21 year old righthander named Alf Keeter, who is pitching well despite a 1-5 record at Class B Arlington but he is clearly not ready to join the big club. Perhaps Keeter, who was acquired from Detroit a year ago in the Mack Sutton deal, gets moved again instead of a draft pick. Stop me if you have heard this one before. Hard-luck Chicago Cougars fans certainly have in recent years. Four more one run losses this week as the Cougars drop to 24-24 and 6th place in a crowded CA, despite a +48 run differential. They are now 3-12 in one run games. Looking like another wasted season in Chicago and once again one where they finish well below their Pythagorean record - a mark they trail by 6 at the moment. Sooner or later the breaks have to go the Cougars way. They have had an awful run of luck the past few seasons but this team is just too good not to be in the mix come September. Maybe the Cougars finally have a second half comeback instead of being the team to swoon after a hot first half. Getting swept by the Cannons was not part of the plan for the Toronto Wolves. Wolves manager Bob Call said he felt pretty good the way the rotation set up for the series, wrong! Pitching is still erratic for the Wolves, but that is not the only problem. When the leadoff man (Charlie Artuso) is leading the team in HR and RBI's the bats in the middle of the order may not be putting out at the expected rate. There was discussion last week about San Diego short stop Poserina and his -6 ZR. The Conquistadores reacted by moving Dick Richardson in to man shortstop and moving Poserina to the outfield. The result was very good as San Diego managed a 5-2 week including a 4-game sweep of the 2nd place Oakland Grays and even 1 win against the mighty Knights of L.A. That win was courtesy of a 1-hit, 7 K, 2 BB performance from Luis Sandoval, who is clearly emerging as the ace of the staff. Sandoval last played with the Chicago Chiefs in 1944. Speaking of the Chiefs, perhaps they need to follow the Conquistadors lead and make a change at shortstop where Elmer Hutchins now has a -6.4 ZR in 131.2 innings. Jim Lonardo threw a complete game 4-hitter in a 9-1 win over Pittsburgh yesterday, improving the 41 year old Detroit hurlers record on the year to 3-4 but more importantly giving Lonardo his 296 career FABL pitching win. There has been much talk of Al Wheeler's pursuit to join Max Morris as the only players to hit 500 FABL homeruns but Wheeler is also working on joining Morris in another exclusive club: 2,000 career RBIs. Wheeler is 4 shy of the 500 homer mark and after driving in 9 runs last week for the Cincinnati Cannons, he now sits at 1,919 rbis. Only Morris, with 2,324 stands above the Wonder Wheel in that category. With Joe York hitting a robust .385 (although in limited playing time) and neither of the first basemen doing much the Detroit Dynamos are going to experiment with Mack Sutton moving to first base and York getting a chance to play third for the week, meaning both of Dick's boys will be in the starting lineup for just the third time. The first that both Rick and Joe were in the starting lineup was April 23 against St Louis and the second last Monday vs the Gothams. Mixed results in Brooklyn after the struggling Kings signed a pair of veteran free agents Roger Perry and Merritt Thomas to try and shore up their pitching rotation. Harry Stewart and Mel Haynes went to AAA to make room but one may be back pretty quickly after Perry was beaten up pretty badly in losing both of his starts. He allowed 15 earned runs in just 7 and two-thirds innings over the two games. Thomas fared much better: after taking the loss in a 6-0 defeat to the Stars he pitched 7 strong innings yesterday to get an 8-3 win over Cincinnati. Attendance is up all across FABL in the early going this season. 15 of the 16 clubs are averaging a higher attendance so far this year than they did last year led by the Chicago Cougars who are averaging 16,125 for their 24 home contests so far this season. The lone exception is the St Louis Pioneers and even the Pioneers are only down a few fans per game, averaging 7,964 this season after finishing with an average attendance of 7,972 a year ago. The Pioneers are last in average attendance in FABL this season and one of just x teams averaging less than 10,000 per game. The others are Brooklyn, Cleveland, Montreal, the Philadelphia Sailors and Washington. There has been a lot of talk about great attendance in the Great Western League but only the Los Angeles Knights (7,424) are over the 7,000 mark. However, the stadium sizes and as a result overhead costs are generally much smaller in the coast loop. SCHROTTER DQ WILL NOT CHANGE TITLE SHOT PLANS Chester Conley Says the Sawyer-Schrotter Rematch is a Go Despite the fact that former heavyweight champion Jochen Schrotter was disqualified for repeated low blows in a bout in England on Saturday, the 40 year old German is still coming to America and will face current champion Hector Sawyer in August. That is the confirmation given from Sawyer's manager and well known boxing promoter Chester 'Fish' Conley. "We are aware of the London result," explained Conley to well known boxing columnist Johnny Bologna. "It is not the ideal outcome but what I am hearing is that perhaps the referee overstepped in his earnest to penalize Schrotter. The German was well ahead on all cards and the time of the stoppage and we are confident he will make a worthy opponent for Hector. And this is a bout fans have wanted to see for half a decade." The fight is slated to be contested outdoors at the famed Bigsby Oval in New York and is expected to be contested in front of one of the largest fight crowds in recent memory. Schrotter was the World Champion from 1935 until Sawyer knocked him out in the 15th and final round of their title fight in January of 1940. That fight was fought with much controversy as Germany was already well engaged in WWII and many felt Schrotter should have been forced to leave the country. After the fight he did return to Germany and was a part of the Nazi army -although he says unwillingly so- but did not see any combat action. Schrotter is now 40 years old and aside from Saturday's bout with Madden, had not fought professionally since the loss to Sawyer. His career record sits at 48-4 with 45 of the victories coming by knockout or TKO, but many question whether he will mount any sort of challenge for the 31 year old Sawyer even though some feel the champ has lost a bit during his layoff during the war. Sawyer knocked out Leo Carmichael in February in his most recent title defense, running his record to 53-3-1. RING RESULTS COOPER WINS IN HAWAII Former Coast Guard Heavyweight Champion Cannon Cooper completed a very successful 'working vacation' with an unanimous decision over Battling Bill McFadden in Hawaii over the weekend. The 25 year old Rockford, Il. native had little trouble with McFadden, easily outpoiting his opponent in the lobsided win. Cooper is now 19-2-1 as a pro and seems to be back on the right track after suffering back to back losses -the only defeats of his career- to Clancy Little and Glenn Hairston last fall and winter. John Edmonds, who had been the #3 contender in the middleweight division, saw his stock drop after the 27 year old Muncie, In. fighter was knocked on in the 10th and final round of his bout with Dave Sizemore on Thursday evening in Washington DC. The loss was just the second of Edmonds career, dropping his record to 20-2. Sizemore, a 26 year who hails from Springfield, Ma., improves to 14-8. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/02/1946 The mine strike came to an end after a contract was struck, but other problems lie ahead causing the Government to issue stern warnings that it was the maritime and farm equipment labor disputes settled -and quickly. At least 13 persons drowned and millions of dollars of damage after the Susquehanna River flooded parts of Pennsylvania and New York. 28 Germans responsible for the deaths of 300,000 inmates at the Dachau concentration camp were hanged. The House Appropriations Committee approved a $92 million fund to start returning to this country the bodies of her war dead. Pope Pius XII said in a world broadcast that the path to "true peace" seems farther away now than at the end of hostilities a year ago, and that "the first resolute steps toward the attainment of true peace has not yet been taken." __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal** The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 03-23-2023 at 01:06 PM.

03-24-2023, 12:47 PM	#666
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	June 10, 1946 JUNE 10, 1946 INJURIES HIT FED TEAMS HARD ONCE AGAIN You can add Dean Astle, Dixie Lee and Mahlon Strong to the list of Federal Association stars who have suffered long-term injuries over the past couple of weeks. The Boston Minutemen were hit especially hard as exactly one week after number one starter Ray Dalpman went down with a season ending injury, veteran Dean Astle -who was 7-2 with the lowest era in either association- was lost for the next five weeks with a shoulder strain. On the same day and field Astle was hurt, the New York Gothams -who were hosting Boston in a Sunday doubleheader- lost veteran outfielder Mahlon Strong for the next month and a half with a back injury. The major injuries were not just restricted to pennant contenders in the Fed as Detroit's number one pitcher is also done for the year. Dixie Lee was 6-5 with a 2.50 era for the Dynamos but a shoulder injury suffered Friday has ended his season. The injury to Strong is certainly not unexpected as it is harder to find a player who has spent more time on the injured list in his career than the 37 year old but it may have a big impact on the Gothams offense between now and the all-star break. Strong was hitting .325 with 6 homers for the New Yorkers this season but fortunately for them there is no shortage of offense in Queens. The Gothams are 7-1 in June and have won 10 of their last 12 games to pull into a first place tie with the suddenly pitching-starved Minutemen and the Philadelphia Keystones as those three clubs are beginning to separate themselves from the pack in the Federal Association. The Continental race has a big series coming up as the other hot New York team -the Stars- invade Tice Memorial Stadium for a three game showdown with the first place Cincinnati Cannons beginning today. The Stars just completed a 4-game sweep of the Wolves in Toronto and have won 8 of their last 9 games to pull to within a game and a half of the Cannons. Cincinnati had a rough week, losing 4 straight before rebounding to salvage the finale of their weekend series with the Chicago Cougars yesterday. The Cougars did take two of three from the defending champs but only after dropping two of three in both Philadelphia and Cleveland to start the month. The Cougars have gone 15-24 after their hot 12-3 start to the season. For Chicago it is easy to point the blame at simply bad luck, but that has been an all too often used refrain in recent years for the Windy City Kitties. Still, the numbers are hard to question - or even believe. Cougars record in games decided by two or fewer runs: 8-19 Cougars record in all other games: 19-8 Chicago's +52 run differential is 12 runs higher then the first place Cannons, but Chicago continues to underperform its expected record by six games. LOS ANGELES CONTINUES TO LEAD WAY OUT WEST A big week ahead for the Great Western League as the top two teams in the loop are set to collide in San Francisco for a three game series beginning tomorrow. The first place Los Angeles Knights managed to secure a split in Oakland and now travel across the bay to face the Hawks, with the Knights nursing a 3-game lead on both of the Bay Area clubs. The Knights have led pretty much all the way in the debut big league season of West Coast major league ball, relying on a balanced offense and some fine pitching from King Price (6-3, 2.08) and FABL castoffs Bob Cummings (6-1, 1.44) and Karl Wallace (6-2, 3.22). While the Bigsby band and the two Bay Area clubs have distanced themselves somewhat from the pack, there is terrific battle being waged for the final spot in the first division with only a game and a half separating fourth place Houston from 8th place Seattle. The Cougars may be struggling, but Leo Mitchell sure isn't! It was another great week for the veteran outfielder, who went 12-for-27 with a double, homer, and 4 RBIs to raise his season line to .392/.428/.617 (195 OPS+). Mitchell is in the race for a triple crown, leading the CA in average while tied with Bill Barrett in homers with 12. His 36 RBIs are three behind Barrett as well, tied with Hank Giordano of the Wolves for third in the circuit. An early frontrunner for the Whitney, Mitchell leads his association in slugging, OPS (1.045), hits (82), total bases (129), OPS+, WRC+ (216), and wOBA (.477) Here come the Keystones. 14-3 in their last 17 (all at home) runs its record to 26-9 at Broad Street Park. Now, if they can only figure out how to play on the road. They'll have their chance as they embark on a 13-game road trip on Friday. First, a three-game series at home against the red-hot Gothams, winners in 10 of 12. New York and Boston are tied for first with Philadelphia percentage points behind. Somthing worth noticing in the Fed race which has a virtual 3-way tie at the top but Philadelphia has played 35 of its first 57 games at home and Boston has been in Minutemen Stadium for 33 of its 53 games so far. Meanwhile the third team in the mix at the top -the New York Gothams- count just 18 home games among their first 53 outings. New York is on the road again to start the week -heading to Broad Street Park to meet Philadelphia in a 3-game set. It has been quite some time but bright days may just be around the corner in Cleveland thanks to their young pitching. 23 year old Richie Hughes (8-4, 3.04) is starting to show front of the rotation potential. 25 year old Ducky Davis (6-2, 2.26) is having a breakout year in his third big league season and former first overall pick Hiram Steinberg (3-6, 3.53) has thrown a pair of complete game shutouts in his last four outings. Speaking of young pitchers, 23 year old rookie Buckeye Smith continues to shine for Washington. He is off to a 4-0 start with a 1.64 era since his promotion from AAA Kansas City. And how about 25 year old rookie Adam Grayson (7-2, 2.40) in Pittsburgh. A 1939 4th round pick of Toronto who spent three years in the army before the Miners nabbed him in the rule five draft, Grayson has been the Miners most dependable starter since being moved into the rotation from the bullpen a month ago. Lefty Allen is having a rough start in Pittsburgh this season as the 32 year old is 3-7 with a 4.10 era. If this continues it will be the worst era ever recorded in Allen's career. He is a middling 12-12 since the war after winning 158 games before his 30th birthday. The Sailors have a habit of digging up unheralded pitchers who deliver big seasons for them and Slick Wesolowski (9-2, 2.64) is the latest. The 26 year old was a 5th round pick in 1938 who spent the last three years in the navy. Entering this season he had just 3 appearances at the AAA level but has been outstanding in his rookie big league season. Voting is now open for the starters in what will be the 14th annual all-star game. Plenty of excitement is expected in Boston as the for the first time since the war began all of the big name players will be back. It marks the first time the game has been played in New England. The Federal Association leads the series 8 wins to 5 including an 8-4 win last season thanks to a 10th inning grand slam off the bat of Boston's Chick Donnelly. There will be a lot of tough choices on the all-star ballot but one of the hardest will be the starting pitcher for the Continental Association. Deuce Barrell (8-0, 2.02) of the Cannons may have the inside track but there is also Montreal's Bert Cupid (7-1, 2.86), Pete Papenfus (7-3, 2.48) and Donnie Jones (8-2, 2.52) of the Cougars, Richie Hughes (8-4, 3.04) in Cleveland and the Sailors Slick Wesolowski (9-2, 2.64). FIGMENT FLASHBACK: DICK POZZA Long-time Manager Was Key Figure in '34 Controversy As the all-star voting opens this week we are reminded of one of the most controversial moments of the mid-season classic. That occured in 1934 -the second-ever All-Star Game- and manager Dick Pozza was at the center of it. The now 62 year old Pozza has been out of the game for the past five years but had a long career as a big league skipper. A native of Rowland Heights, California, Pozza was not much of a player, spending three seasons in the low minors as a third baseman before finding his footing as a coach and later a manager. Pozza's first big league job was as a bench coach, joining the Philadelphia Sailors in 1919 and later spending some time in Washington -where he was part of the Eagles pennant winning 1922 campaign and World Championship Series victory the following year. He also had a stop in St Louis as a coach before finally getting his first managerial position with the 1927 Detroit Dynamos. Pozza would pilot the Dynamos to a WCS win in 1929 -something the team has not done since- before moving on to Chicago and leading the Cougars to a Series win in 1931 and a pennant two years later. So his resume was certainly impressive, but will be forever tarnished by two events which occurred just a few days apart in July of 1934. The Cougars got off to a rough start to the 1934 season and there was tensions between Pozza and the club's front-office, much of it over his handling of the pitching staff. It all boiled to a head the first week in July. Tommy Wilcox, the talented young pitcher the Cougars acquired two years earlier in a big deal with Brooklyn that sent Tom and Fred Barrell the other way, was being overworked by Pozza who was desperate to keep his job and get the struggling team back on track as Cleveland and Brooklyn were running away with the pennant race. The real trouble started July 3 when Pozza forced Wilcox, who was the 1933 Allen Award winner with an incredibly bright future, to throw 194 pitches and go the distance in a 14-inning game he would ultimately lose by a 2-1 score. The loss dropped the Cougars 12.5 games back of first place Cleveland and 3 games under .500, so Pozza was now really feeling the heat. The 27 year old Wilcox had already suffered a minor arm issue late in spring training but, despite being cautioned by the Cougars front-office to take it easy with their ace, Pozza had Wilcox start 4 days later in Philadelphia. Wilcox was a gamer and went 4 innings but left the game after the fourth due to an injury. Pozza would say it was Wilcox' ankle and not a dead arm that bothered him and the pitcher never did confirm or deny that diagnosis. Regardless, two days later -on Monday July 9- Wilcox was back on the mound once more as Pozza demanded he start the game. Wilcox -despite having thrown close to 300 pitches in the past 6 days by that point- made it into the fifth inning when something in his arm popped. It would be a devastating injury and Wilcox would miss over a year recovering. We say recovering but in actuality Wilcox would never again be the pitcher he was before the injury. Pozza was immediately fired by the Cougars and would be replaced a couple days later by Hank Lietzke. It was only the beginning of the troubles Pozza would cause that week. The problem was Pozza was slated -as the skipper of the previous season Continental pennant winner- to manage the Continental side in the All-Star Game which was to be played the next day at New York's Riverside Park. In the all-star game, which ended up going 10 innings, Pozza used Brooklyn reliever Del Lyons for 3 innings and allowed him to throw 81 pitches. Lyons had been the Kings late inning relief specialist that season and rarely pitched much more than an inning and never approached 100 pitches in an outing. The Kings were incensed as they were embroiled in a tight race with Cleveland for top spot and were slated to play 3-games with the Foresters immediately after the all-star break. Due to Pozza, Lyons would now no longer be available for Brooklyn manager Walt Bailey to call on during the key series. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, word trickled to Bailey that Pozza had intentionally misused Lyons at the behest of Foresters owner Richard Marshall - who supposedly had offered the now unemployed Pozza either a job within his organization or money -depending upon which story you heard. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Pozza also forced Brooklyn catcher Fred Barrell -who had played for Pozza and was the MVP in his 1931 Series victory with the Cougars- to play the entire game while Pozza left Mickey Dowell of Montreal sitting on the bench and only used the third catcher, the Cougars Mike Taylor, in a pinch-hitting role in the 6th inning. Fred would miss the opener of the Cleveland series, Lyons would not pitch in any of the three games and Cleveland swept the series, winning two of the games in their final at bat, and ended up beating Brooklyn out by 1 game to win the pennant. Marshall, of course, denied any wrong doing and Pozza never spoke about the incident. He did get another job but not in Cleveland as Pozza signed with Montreal later that season and spent 7 more seasons as the Saints manager before retiring from baseball in 1941. To this day, uttering his name still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of fans of both the Cougars and Kings. It was nearly two years ago that Percy Sutherland first made public his goal of creating a second grid league to compete on the professional football scene and now that dream has taken one more step towards reality. Sutherland and his hand-picked President to head up the new grid loop, former St Blane collegiate star and Navy Lt. Commander Bob Montgomery, officially announced the locations of the eight teams that will comprise the opening season of the Continental Football Conference. Most of the locations had been already been disclosed, including the fact that Sutherland envisioned a true continental league that stretched from coast to coast so it has long been known that New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco would all field teams, as would Sutherland's hometown of Chicago where he is the long-time sports editor of the Chicago Herald-Examiner. To those four the league has also added Buffalo, Brooklyn, Kansas City and New Orleans. This announcement means that the new league will only go head to head with the established American Football Association in two cities: Chicago and New York. "We feel there is sufficient fan support in both of those cities to support a team in each league," Sutherland explained during the announcement to reveal the 8 member clubs. "It works well in FABL, and it is our hope that someday soon we can duplicate baseball and have a true World Championship football game between the winner of the Continental Conference and the American league." The American Football Association, and in particular its President Jack Kristich, appear to have little interest in any sort of partnership at all. Kristich has continuously waived off reporters questions on the CFC, calling it 'a pipe-dream' and later a 'minor league outfit.' As of today that so-called minor league outfit made a major push for recognition as a true major league and judging by the early success of Great Western Baseball league in California, the CFC has taken a major step towards prosperity with the establishment of franchises in Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as other markets that Kristich and the AFA have ignored. CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE 1946 MEMBER TEAMS Brooklyn Kings Buffalo Bulls Chicago Comets Kansas City Cowboys Los Angeles Lobos New Orleans Crescents New York Gothams San Francisco Wings BUSY FALL LIES AHEAD FOR TITLE TILTS Fans of World Championship boxing matches will have a quiet start to summer but there promises to be plenty of action in August and the fall. The big news is confirmation of Hector Sawyer's next heavyweight defense as the 31 year old champ will face his old foe Jochen Schrotter on August 17 at the Bigsby Oval in New York City. Sawyer, who has held the title since a 15th round knockout of the now 40 year German back in January of 1940, owns a 53-3-1 career mark. Schrotter's only professional fight since that 1940 loss was in England a little over a week ago and it did not go well as he added to what surely will be an villanous reputation in the Oval battle by being disqualified for repeated low blows against his British opponent. Schrotter owns a career mark of 48-4. Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson survived two tough battles with Todd Gill to retain his belt. After fighting to a majority draw last October, the Pittsburgh native won last month's rematch with a 15th round TKO victory over Gill. Melanson, 30-0-2, has not confirmed when or who is next defense will be but TWIFB boxing report Johnny Bologna has speculated it will likely against unbeaten and untied European champion Edouard Desmarais in either November or December. Dennis O'Keefe claimed the World Welterweight Title that had been vacant for nearly six years when he knocked out Carl Taylor in the 13th round of their March bout at Bigsby Garden. O'Keefe, a 29 year old Florida native known as the 'Jacksonville Jackhammer' has stated he wants to get back in the ring by the end of October. His camp is said to be trying to finalize a deal with George 'Mr. Sandman' Gibbs - a 28 year old Colorado native with a perfect 16-0 record- but if that falls through O'Keefe may end up facing top ranked contender Mark Westlake. The 28 year old Mississippi native is 19-2-1 but has not fought since losing to Carl Taylor by an unanimous decision last October. O'Keefe's handlers say an announcement confirming their fighters first title defense will come in the next week or two. ANOTHER WIN FOR ROY Former Brooklyn shipyard worker Dale Roy continues to climb the welterweight charts. The 28 year old Binghamton, NY native improved to 23-5 with his 7th straight victory - an unanimous decision over Peter Waldron. There is speculation that Roy will find his way into the top contenders list in the next ranking released by TWIFB as Wayne Dunn is certain to drop off the list after suffering an upset loss last week. Roy had little trouble with Waldron - the 37 year old Boston native who falls to 17-4-1. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4). TBA (likely November or December): World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) is expected to make his next title defense with European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0) as the likely opponent. TBA (likely October: World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs either Mark Westlake (19-2-1) or Geroge 'Mr Sandman' Gibbs (16-0). The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/09/1946 The House and Senate continue to wage a tug of war over the teenage draft, but there were hints of a compromise making 19 year olds eligible and exempting those of 18. The Supreme Court has ruled that a State cannot require segregation of passengers in buses crossing state lines. Union leaders and ship operators continue efforts to avert next week's threatened maritime strike. Meanwhile, the Navy is finalizing its plans for operating vital merchant shipping if the tie-up materializes. At least 58 were killed after an explosion and fire at the 22-story La Salle Hotel in the heart of Chicago's loop district. About 200 others were injured. A news report out of Russia calls Joseph Stalin the greatest Russian figure of all time -greater than Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible and perhaps even Lenin. General George C. Marshall has been able to persuade Chinese government and Communist forces to agree to a 15-day truce in hopes of being able to negotiate a permanent peace. The two sides have waged civil war for 18 years, primarily in Manchuria. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

04-05-2023, 09:42 AM	#673
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	July 29, 1946 JULY 29 , 1946 MILESTONE FOR MARTIN 3,000 Career Hits for Mr. Automatic A week after Al Wheeler joined the 500 homerun club his former Chicago Chiefs teammate Bob Martin became a member of a special group as well with the 3,000th hit of his career. The 39 year old Martin became just the 13th player to join the 3,000 hit club and only the third player with more than 3,000 hits to get all of them with the same ballclub. Martin, a 1925 third round pick of the Chiefs, made his big league debut with the club in 1928 and has never looked back. Only Hall of Famers Ed Ziehl and John Dibblee recorded more than 3,000 hits and exclusively played for one big league organization. The 3-time all-star, who led the Fed in hits 4 times and batting average once, notched his milestone knock with a third inning single off of Philadelphia's Pepper Tuttle in a 2-0 Chiefs win over the Keystones on Friday. TRADE DEADLINE LOOMS With the two New York City ballclubs sitting atop their respective associations we are down to the final few hours before the trade deadline passes. At this point the only major deal involving a contender was the Washington Eagles -who sit second in the Federal Association 3.5 games back of the New York Gothams- move to add all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle in a deal with Brooklyn. The 27 year old McGonigle had 7 hits in his first week in the Fed, as his club went 4-3 on the week but those losses included a pair at home to the first-place Gothams. New York did make one trade - a relatively minor deal in terms of its impact on the pennant race but a move that will surely be loved by the hometown faithful as 42 year old pitcher Jim Lonardo returned for his third stint as a Gotham, coming over from Detroit in exchange for a 6th round draft pick. Lonardo, who was 4-8 with Detroit this season, is three wins shy of of becoming just the 13th pitcher with 300 career victories. Lonardo was a 10th round pick of the Gothams in 1925 and won 4 Allen Awards including 3 while pitching for the Gothams. CHIEFS ADD SLUGGING FIRST BASEMAN The struggling Brooklyn Kings did not have a lot of tradeable assets but they did manage to be involved in the two biggest deadline deals. First it was all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle heading to Washington and then, just prior to tonight's deadline came news that Tim Hopkins is now a Chicago Chief. The powerful 27 year old slugging first baseman should love hitting at Whitney Park and if he can be half as good as the last first baseman the Chiefs imported from Brooklyn it will be a huge acquisition for the Chicago nine. That last pickup was Ron Rattigan, who went from Brooklyn to Chicago as part of a package for Milt Fritz way back in 1930 and has been a fixture at first baseman for the Chiefs for over a decade, making 7 all-star teams in the process. Rattigan will shift to right field to make room for Hopkins, the 6'5" first baseman known as 'Tiny Tim'. In return the Chiefs send their first round pick next January, 21 year old Class B pitcher Paul Byler and 19 year old Class A shortstop Herb Keller to the borough of Brooklyn. JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE -It is obvious the Kings need to rebuild but you can't help but feel Hopkins is exactly the type of player they should be rebuilding around. Same for Rats McGonigle, although in the case of moving him to Washington the Kings already had a great young centerfield candidate in Ralph Johnson to replace Rats. I am not sure they have a true power-hitting bat capable of replacing Hopkins at first anywhere in their system although there is a chance that outfielder Pat Perry eventually develops the power OSA forecasts to come from the 21 year old and moves to first. Hopkins is not old by any stretch, at 28, and has been very consistent over his pro career. He should receive a huge boost just by being able to spend half of his season going forward in hitter-friendly Whitney Park, a place that could help him average 25 homers a season over the next half dozen years. It is a mild surprise to see the Chiefs buying at the deadline but a player like Hopkins, who seems so perfectly suited to slot into the Chiefs lineup and play in Whitney Park, does not show up on the trade block often. The Kings now possess 3 first round picks so they will have an opportunity to make some noise in January but there are questions about at least one of the prospects they acquired. That would be 21 year old pitcher Paul Byler. A 1943 second round pick he was terribly overmatched as a 19 year old at Class B and A in 1944, showing a regression from his performance split between B and C in his draft year. He missed last year serving in the Army and was sent back to Class B this season by the Chiefs, but has struggled at that level, particularly with his control. OSA still likes his potential, ranking Byler just outside the top 50 and giving him the ceiling of a fifth starter. The other prospect, 19 year old shortstop Herb Keller, was a third round pick in '45 and has struggled both at the plate and in the field but the Chiefs were pushing him hard this season by having him play A ball in his first full year out of high school. OSA, which ranks him slightly outside the top 100 prospects, feels his defense at shortstop will never be more the adequate but does give Keller above average potential as a contact hitter. I love the move on the Chiefs end, as Hopkins will seamlessly replace Ron Rattigan -providing far less contact but far more power then the veteran- at first base. The Kings need to hit it out of the park with their January draft as I am not sure either of the two prospects they acquired for Hopkins will ever contribute much. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN A Look at the Wolves Future -After Brett's look at the the present for your Wolves he will now take a look at the players who could be calling Dominion Field home in the near future. Some of these players have lost baseball time due service during the war, a far more important job given the situation. Will these players make up for lost time as their baseball careers restart or will it be too late? How many young players had the global conflict steal a FABL marquee career from their future? The answer to that will never be known, it can only be a matter of speculation. The top players currently in the Toronto system as ranked by BNN are: 1: Jerry York (26th overall) This RHP was a first round selection in 1942, he was a fast track through the system before he enlisted missing all of '43, '44, along with the first half of 1945, After his return last summer he seemed to back on track with good performances at Davenport then Chattanooga. Now 25 he has spent the season in AAA Buffalo with mixed results 5-4, 3.91 with walks being an issue for the first time in his pro career. The scouting department remains high on York, some suggestions have been made that he already belongs in the FABL. Fans can expect to see him in Toronto in September or before if the Wolves fall further out of the CA race. York was a target of many teams in last summer's trade talks. 2: John Fast (33rd) Toronto's first round pick out of high school in the summer before Pearl Harbour Fast was in the service for almost exactly the period of time as York. He returned last summer after starting Chattanooga he moved to Buffalo in September where he is honing his skills at 2B as replacing Artuso at the FABL level is not an immediately an option. With Fast on the horizon the middle infield situation becomes more complex in Toronto or may open the door to make trades either before this deadline or during the off-season. Many felt Fast would be the call when Mike Rollinson was demoted until a severe hip injury opened the door for Frank Frady. Fast will probably stay across Lake Ontario to sharpen his skills, he will turn 23 late next week so time is on his side. 3: Harry Phillips (47th) Another RHP selected in the second round after Fast in 1941. Phillips spent almost 4 years in the US Navy. After only 10 starts in pro ball at Class C Phillips began 1946 at A in Davenport then moved up to AA in June. The Chattanooga experience has not all been smooth sailing, a move to AAA will probably depend on York's movement. 4:Harry Finney (53rd) A second round pick last summer Finney has had a meteoric rise through the system. After a brief stop in C he finished last season in Vancouver then began 1946 in Davenport progressed to AA is now in Buffalo. He has hit at every level, he further adds to the infield logjam, Finney can play any of the 4 infield positions. 5: Roy Hatch (57th) Another RHP his high ranking is a bit of a mystery to the front office. His 4 years, all in Tuscaloosa, have not provided eye-popping stats. Is Roy a late bloomer? 6: Tony Ballinger (63rd) A pick second round in past draft Ballinger is being touted as the replacement for McCormick. The journey is just beginning for Tony. The front office is hoping that the rankings are wrong or they have been strapped with a big swing and miss on the first round pick RHP Cyrus Goodman who is currently rated at 463. Others names that are being closely monitored by the scouting department are Corky Alban RHP- Tuscaloosa, Sam Allen CF- Chattanooga, Nate Betts 1B, Mike Blackburn 3B both in Vancouver and Max Boswell RHP- Davenport. Overall the Wolves system is ranked 10th out of the 16 FABL teams. Unlike a year ago when they made several moves at the deadline, do not expect the two-time defending Federal Association champion Philadelphia Keystones to pull the trigger on a big move prior to tonight's trade embargo. At least that is the vibe that the powers that be on Broad Street are giving off. The club, which is barely within shouting distance of the front-running New York Gothams has struggled of late, and been forced to endure a very unBarrell-like season from the great Bobby Barrell. The Keystones are hoping some minor adjustments will be enough to turn the clubs fortunes around after a 8-16 July threatened to sink dreams of a three-peat. Freshman skipper Jack Everhart might be feeling the pressure to live up to his predecessor but he is certainly not showing it. Cool as a cucumber, the 57 year old is in the head chair for a big league ballclub for the first time since 1938, and has some plans to shore up his production from the outfield for the stretch run. "I am moving Barrell back to left field," explained Everhart, hoping that young Charlie Enslow can give the club a jolt with more playing time in right field. Enslow has looked very good since returning after a 6-week stint on the injured list. Joe Burns and Bob Griffith will split time in centerfield leaving the struggling Davey Robicheaux as the odd-man out. "Robicheaux needs to get untracked and (Chuck) Hood is good in limited exposure. I am carrying 6 outfielders for now and I have guys with options." Keystones management worries that demoting Robicheaux to AAA Louisville could set him back, and at 29 they feel he's too old to develop any more. Meanwhile24 year old Joe Burns is hitting too well to send down. That roster dilemma is believed to be a big reason why the Keystones did not pull off a rumoured trade with Detroit that would have returned former Philly favourite Rip Curry to Broad Street Park. A LOOK AROUND THE DETROIT SPORTING SCENE It has been a rough year at Thompson Field as the Dynamos youth experiment has crashed and burned. Teens Stan Kleminski and Edwin Hackberry may be top prospects in the eyes of the scouts, but both were clearly rushed to Detroit far too early by a management team hopeful of starting a new era in Detroit baseball. Hackberry most certainly will be back at some point and should spend a lot of years patrolling center field but Kleminski is another story. The youngster's bat looked more than ready after a strong spring and a three week trial in April but his defense was absymal. The Dynamos are still holding out hope he can one day play shortstop in the big leagues but his work in nearly half a season at AAA Newark has been far from acceptable. The problem is there really is no where else to put Kleminski despite him being a top 20 prospect. Del Johnson has showed himself to be a capable hitter and a whiz with the glove at second base as a 23 year old and vet Mack Sutton is still just 29 and stands to man the hot corner for the forseeable future. The hope is still for 22 year old Dick Estes, despite his struggles at the plate, to be the first baseman of the future and the outfield might be a little too crowded for Kleminski with Hackberry, Dick Blaszak and recent first rounder Tommy Allenby -who had a hot start in C ball and was quickly elevated to Class B- the likely outfield of the future. *MARTIN UP TO OLD TRICKS * Former Dynamos GM DD Martin appears to be up to his old tricks again in his new haunts. Now the new man in charge in Brooklyn, he has taken to dismantling the Kings the same way he tore up the Dynamos twice. In what can only be considered a complete tear-down the Kings dispatched 27 year old all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle to Washington and 28 year old power hitting first baseman Tiny Tim Hopkins to the Windy City. We forgive Detroit fans if this news brings back nightmares of Red Johnson, Sal Pestilli, Pete Casstevens and Hank Koblenz leaving the Motor City....or for those of you a little older how about Al Wheeler and Frank Vance in his first go-round at a Dynamos rebuild. He certainly has an M.O. Word is that the Dynamos were in on the Hopkins sweepstakes and came up short, despite many within the organization feeling their offer was slightly superior to what the Kings eventually accepted from the Chicago Chiefs. * Vaught the Heck is Going On? * The grid Maroons are fast approaching the start of camp and there is still no word on whether or not Stan Vaught will join them. The greatest pass-catcher in AFA history has had his arguments with Head Coach Frank Yurik in the past -and briefly retired last year before changing his mind and reporting to camp- but this time the complete lack of communication between the Maroons and the all-star end is disconcerting to say the least. * Sawyer Set for Geriatric German * World Heavyweight Champ Hector Sawyer ascended to his throne at Thompson Arena more than 6 years ago with a title fight win over German thug Jochen Schrotter. The two may be trying to recapture the magic a half dozen years later with a rematch set for August 17 at the Bigsby Oval. The fans are eating up the hype as the event is a complete sell-out but many in the fight game are outraged that Chester Conley -the man who pulls Sawyer's strings- has continued to schedule has-beens and never-weres for his fighter to keep earning big paydays rather than take his chances against an opponent truly worthy of a title shot EASY NIGHT FOR BAKER IN QUEEN CITY Scott Baker continues to display why he is one of the top challengers for Hector Sawyer's World Heavyweight Title. Many feel the unbeaten 26 year old from Philadelphia should be the one in the ring with Sawyer next month in new York when the champ fights 40 year old Jochen Schrotter but, so far at least, Sawyer has continued to duck not just Baker but also Mark Fountain -each of whom would clearly pose much more of a challenge than the former German champ. Baker illustrated that point again Friday night in Cincinnati when he toyed with Abel Kessler for 10 rounds to claim an easy decision and improve his mark to 16-0-2. For much of the fight it looked like Baker was just trying to get some light sparring in as he would turn it on for 20-30 seconds each round and score blows at will to easily claim the round. Only in the 10th and final round did the boxer, at the urging of his trainer-father Billy Baker -the former world middleweight champ- did 'The Chef' actually try and cook up some serious trouble for Kessler. The Missouri born fighter hung on to survive to the bell but not before he was knocked down and needed a count of 8 to regain his feet in the final seconds of the bout. With still no response from Sawyer's manager Chester Conley it appears Baker is now set to face The Boston Bomber Roy Crawford on Crawford's home turf in late September. Baker will enter that bout hoping another positive result over the 27 year old Crawford and his 21-2 mark will finally force Sawyer to take notice and give the Philadelphian his title shot. KEY RESULTS THIS WEEK Nick Harris (18-2-1), a 32 year old middleweight from Cranston,RI, scored an unanimous decision over Nathan Sears (19-4), a 32 year old from Gary, In. in a bout Thursday at Chicago's Lake Side Arena. 29 year old Baltimore born welterweight Carl Taylor (20-3-2), who lost to Dennis O'Keefe for the vacant World Welterweight Title in March, returned to the ring with a majority decision in Brooklyn Friday evening over Billy Boyd (19-9-2), a 28 year old New Yorker. On that same Brooklyn fight card, rising welterweight Mac Erickson (8-0) remained perfect with a 4th round knockout of Brooklyn native Greg Coleman (1-4-2). The 25 year old Erickson, a St. Paul, Mn. native is a rising star in his division. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Aug 17 - Bigsby Oval, New York City: World Heavyweight title as Hector 'The Cajun Crusher' Sawyer (53-3-1) defends against former world champion Jochen Schrotter (48-4). Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1). Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0). The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/28/1946 Signed into law this week, the OPA granted immediate increases over the June 30th price ceilings on coal, shoes and many lesser items in the first use of the pricing powers in 26 days. Ceilings were raised on many items over the most recent bill, which expired at the end of June, but it is designed to help reign in the rampant price increases in essential items over the past 28 days. Terrorists bombed and shattered part of the huge King David Hotel, headquarters of the British Army in Jerusalem, killing at least 50 in a terrifying blast that shook the modern part of the ancient city. Despite the Soviets rejecting its latest compromise proporsal for international control of atomic energy, the American delegation to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission remains hopeful its plan will eventually be accepted by the Russians. Meanwhile, another US bomb test is set for next week in the Pacific. Student and labor revolutionists took over the government of Boliva after assassinating President Gualberto Villarroel. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

04-13-2023, 01:07 PM	#680
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	September 16, 1946 SEPTEMBER 16, 1946 STARS LEAD HOLDS WITH TWO WEEKS TO PLAY Eagles Trim Game off Boston Bulge in Fed The Chicago Cougars have won 9 of the last 11 games but have failed to chip away at the New York Stars 3 game lead atop the Continental Association as the New Yorkers have duplicated the Cougars run over that stretch. The Stars own the best record in baseball at 89-56 and have 9 games remaining in their season. The oddsmakers give the Stars an 88% chance of hanging on to win their third pennant in the past 8 years. Chicago sits at 85-58 and has 11 to play with the big series for both clubs being a 3-game set in Cougars Park beginning a week from today. Boston continues to hang on in the Federal Association but the Minutemen -on a 2-6 slide after dropping both ends of a doubleheader in Chicago yesterday- lead the second place Washington Eagles by 2.5 games as the Eagles went just 2-2 last week. It has been a rough September in the Nation's capital as Washington has stumbled down the stretch with a 4-8 start to the season's final month. The bookmakers give Boston close to a 90% chance of returning to the WCS for the third time since 1941, but they still have 5 games remaining against the Eagles including 2 at Columbia Stadium this weekend and 3 in Boston to finish the campaign. TIME RUNNING OUT ON LONARDO It is highly unlikely 42 year old New York Gothams pitcher Jim Lonardo will return next season. That means Lonardo has two weeks left in which to try and record the 300th victory of his career. He is one short, with a mark of 299-219 in a career that has seen him win 4 Allan Awards and two World Championship Series rings. Lonardo is just 6-11 with a 4.38 era this season including 2-3 since returning to the Gothams at the trade deadline following a deal with Detroit. Lonardo tossed an 8-0 shutout in what was clearly his best game of the season for the Gothams against St Louis on September 1st. Lonardo has made 4 appearances since then, 3 out of the pen and a start on September 8 against the Chiefs. He went just 4 and a third innings in that game, so falling just short of earning that 300th win in what was an 8-2 Gothams victory. The Gothams have 13 games left and you have to think, with their pennant hopes all but gone, Lonardo should get at least 2 more starts to try and reach his milestone. Long-time Philadelphia Sailor and now a member of the Brooklyn Kings Doc Newell is also one win shy of a milestone. The 38 year old who has thrown a FABL record three no-hitters in his career is sitting at 199 career victories. Newell lost each of his last two decisions and is 7-13 on the season. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN The Toronto Wolves continue in their death spiral going 1-5 over the past week and are just 3-10 since Labour Day. The good news was most games last week were close. Jerry York's FABL debut certainly was in a 3-2 loss to the Stars. York pitched well into the 7th leaving the hill leading 2-1. As has become far too common this season the relievers manage to give up the lead with Lou Jayson getting tagged with his 8th loss of the season after George Waller walked in the tying run in the 7th. The hard luck season for George Garrison continues as the reigning Allan Award winner rings up loss number 15 in another 3-2 loss to the Stars. On to Chicago were this seasons likely Allen Award winner Pete Papenfus one hits the Wolves to win 1-0 and make Joe Hancock the hard luck loser of his 15th while tossing a 4 hitter. Next day the Cougars shell Cookie Myers, who had been pitching well, to win 13-4. Toronto's only win of the week is a 4-1 win against the Cougars in which Jimmy Gibbs puts up 6 solid innings before giving way to a PH in the 7th. York's second start came in Montreal on yesterday and it was also a decent outing. The 25 year old surrendered only 7 hits in going the distance while walking 3 but gives up 4 runs in absorbing a 4-2 defeat for his first FABL decision. Overall, manager Bob Call is satisfied with York's first two starts, look for him to get 3 more starting assignments before the season closes, which will end the nightmare for Wolves players, fans and front office. BIGSBY COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE FROM COAST RACE The Great Western League has been a resounding success especially in the two big markets of Los Angeles and San Francisco with each of those clubs surpassing the 600,000 attendance mark, numbers that will far exceed last year's fanbase as AAA clubs. Oakland has also seem a substantial increase in its attendance over a year ago. Only last place San Diego seems to be on thin ice. The Conquistadors fans have not embraced the struggling team that appears certain to draw less fans this season than they did a year ago as a AAA entry. Houston and Portland are both on the bubble for reaching their respective 1946 ducat numbers. On a whole, loop President Thomas X. Bigsby is likely quite pleased with how things are going at the box office and thrilled about the playoff race. They GWL could not have scripted a better result for its debut season as a major league with Los Angeles and San Francisco fighting it out for top spot. Only the Oakland Grays could upset the applecart and deny the loop a showdown for the inaugural Bigsby Cup being a big market battle between the Knights and Hawks. On the field the product is certainly far inferior to the brand of baseball being played in the east but there is plenty of positives to build on, and likely plenty of worries for the eastern magnates as the GWL clubs -led by the Portland Green Sox- have been very quick to open the cheque books for even marginal talent cut loose by FABL. That sets of fear for FABL bosses worried the western loop might decide to try and target existing players from the established loop and not just settle for its table scraps. Another week and another injury in Boston. They are sure mounting up. This time it's Billy Dalton who is DTD with a sore elbow. Washington was able to trim a game off the Boston advantage as the two clubs get set to play a big 2 game weekend series in Washington. Stars fans are watching both the calendar and the standings closely. Two weeks left and another hot 5-1 week leaves New York... you guessed it, still 3 games up on the Cougars who also won 5 of 6 last week. Pitching came in clutch for the Stars with 2 great performances by Eli Panneton and George Scruggs pitching his heart out to win four 1-run ball games. With a 9-4 win over the Kings on September 6th, the Cougars won their 78th game of the season. That officially clinched a record above .500, stretching the Cougars winning season streak to an even decade. The Cougars are on pace for 90 wins, which would be their highest since they won 97 in the lone pennant of the decade. The Chicago Cougars have the highest run differential in either league at +157 and are playing 6 games below their expected record of 91-52. Had the Cougars and Stars both played at their expected records this season, Chicago would own the best mark in either association and be 5 games up on the Stars instead of 3 games back. Things are a little closer to expected in the Fed where Boston would still be leading thanks to a +132 differential, but the Minutemen would be 7 ahead of Washington instead of the 2.5 they find themselves at the moment. Washington outfielder Jesse Alvardo has a slim chance to do something that has never been accomplished by a big league ballplayer. The 23 year old is closing in on the first 30 homer, 30 stolen base season. With two weeks remaining Alvardo has 26 homers and 29 thefts. The closest anyone has come to a 30-30 year is Tom Taylor who had 38 homers and stole 27 bases for the 1929 Philadelphia Sailors. The big news in Detroit is Wally Hunter continues his Kellogg campaign with a 4-hit complete game shutout in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh. Hunter has finished strong with a 1.15 era and 5-0 over his last 5 starts to raise his record to 17-7 and lower his ERA to 2.35. Leo Hayden is hearing the call from Manager Tom Barrell. Providing a 2-0 week as the Kings play 500 ball going 3-3. In the first game he pitched the Kings to a 5-3 win over the former champion Cincinnati Cannons. In the 2nd start he pitched a 3 hitter in a 2-1 win. In his last 10 starts Hayden is 9-0 with a 1.91 ERA and is now 19-9 with a 2.88 ERA on the season. The 19 wins place him 3rd in the FABL behind the Cougars Pete Papenfus (21) and Boston’s Ed Wood (20). The Kings only have 59 wins on the season and Hayden has accounted for 32% of them. It is going to be awfully tough for someone to convince me that Hayden and Hunter should not be the winners of the brand new Rankin Kellogg Award, which will be handed out to the player in each association judged to be the top newcomer. Nice to see Bobby Barrell shake off what was the worst season of his career in the last 2 months. The Keystones slugger has hit 13 of his 30 home runs since August 1st and is hitting 390 during that span. Welcome back Bobby B. Percy Pringle Sr. of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle took a look at Barrell’s career numbers and figures he is likely to end up being #2 in career RBI’s. While he is 36 it is conceivable that he will get more than 2,000 RBI’s in his career. He currently sits at 1824 in 3rd place trailing Kellogg’s 1841. Odds are he will pass Kellogg next April. The odds are long that he’d catch Max Morris who sits on top the leader board with 2324 What kind of impact is Tiny Tim Hopkins having with the Chicago Chiefs? Percy Sutherland's math genius of a nephew provides the following numbers: Hopkins has generated 21.1 BatR in 37 games for Chicago. His previous high was 12.9 BatR in 1940. He also has 2.8 WAR with Chicago, which would also be by itself a career high. Hopkins 21.1 BatR in just 37 games also leads the club, ahead of Dave Kreiger (137 games, 12.7 BatR) and Bob Martin (126 games, 12.5 BatR). Ray Bates, STL 5th round pick in this year's draft, is off to a hot start to his career. The 18 year old went straight to AAA after signing and is hitting .355 in his first 57 games of pro ball. ROME STATE, ANNAPOLIS MARITIME ON SPOT AS EPIC GRID SEASON SET TO OPEN Talent-Filled Schools Out to Shatter Reign of Service Teams Many of the nation's top collegiate football teams, including some championship favourites, raise the curtain tomorrow on a season destined to surpass all of its predecessors in the matter of interest, excitement and quality of play as well as receipts at the gate. There is hardly a team in the land that isn't admittedly loaded to the locker room with playing talent and preseason ticket sales indicate that the fans are going to turn out in record numbers to see the fun. This is the season when the teams which have watched Rome State, and to a slightly lesser degree Annapolis Maritime, monopolize the spotlight in recent years can now be expected to begin chopping the service academies down to their own size -a task much simpler by the departure of some players who no longer want to mix football with a military career. Rome State, still the top team in the country until proven otherwise, cracks open its tough schedule next weekend,as do a trio of the Centurions most serious challengers for national honours - St Blane, Lincoln College and Alabama Baptist. The Centurions will begin their quest for a third straight unbeaten season entertaining Penn Catholic on Saturday. The Crusaders were one of six teams that got the season off to an early start over the weekend. Penn Catholic blanked New York Maritime 41-0. WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCORES Beaumont Hospital 20 El Paso Methodist 17 Flagstaff State 27 Williams Field 3 Penn Catholic 41 New York Maritime 0 MATTHEWS, CHAPPELL TOO MUCH FOR GOTHAMS The Continental Football Conference may have found an offensive powerhouse in the Kansas City Cowboys. The Cowboys have scored 84 points in a pair of lobsided victories to start the season, following up a 43-14 drubbing of Brooklyn in their opener with a 41-3 thumping of the New York Gothams at Packer Field yesterday. The club is led by former St Magnus muti-sport star Pat Chappell, who has already thrown for 490 yards and 6 touchdowns just two weeks into the season, and by back Mark Matthews, who romped for 164 yards and two touchdowns on the ground yesterday. Despite those two putting up terrific numbers the biggest asset the Cowboys possess is likely the brain of head coach Pete Walsh. Walsh spent the past few years guiding the Great Lakes Navy gridders but before that he was the head man at Noble Jones College and led the Colonels to the 1942 AIAA championship. New York never stood a chance against the Cowboys, who wrangled a 31-3 lead at the half before easing off the gas in the final 30 minutes. Elsewhere the CFC made a very successful debut on the west coast with both the Los Angeles Lobos and San Francisco Wings claiming victory in their debuts. At Knights Stadium the Lobos blanked Buffalo 45-0 as former Christian Trophy winning quarterback Mike O'Rourke looked very impressive in his pro debut. The All-American from St Blane threw for 167 yards and two first quarter squares to ensure the more than 25,000 in attendance went home happy. Up the coast in San Francisco, the Wings handed the Chicago Comets their second straight loss, claiming a 21-13 victory. The final game of the weekend saw the New Orleans Crescents rebound from an opening week loss to Buffalo with a 23-17 win on the road in Brooklyn. Dan Yardley led the way for the Crescents in scoring a pair of touchdowns, one on a 4 yard run and another on a 7 yard pass reception. Yardley also had an interception and forced a fumble in the contest. Code: CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS EAST W L T PCT Buffalo 1 1 0 .500 NY Gothams 1 1 0 .500 New Orleans 1 1 0 .500 Brooklyn 0 2 0 .000 WEST W L T PCT Kansas City 2 0 0 1.000 Los Angeles 1 0 0 1.000 San Francisco 1 0 0 1.000 Chicago 0 2 0 .000 LAST WEEK'S RESULTS Los Angeles 45 Buffalo 0 San Francisco 21 Chicago 13 New Orleans 23 Brooklyn 17 Kansas City 41 NY Gothams 3 UPCOMING GAMES FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20 Brooklyn at San Francisco NY Gothams at Los Angeles SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22 Chicago at New Orleans Buffalo at Kansas City AFA SEASON TO BEGIN FRIDAY The newcomers from the Continental Football Conference may have had a two-week head start but the American Football Association returns for its 27th season this Friday when the St Louis Ramblers entertain Cleveland in the only game on the opening week docket. Unlike the Continental clubs, which each will play a 14-game slate, the AFA plans 11 contests for each of its 10 entrants. That is up from the 10 games per team over the past three years but back to the norm from 1937 thru 1942. There are no changes to the league structure this season either as all 10 teams that competed last year will return for the '46 campaign, which concludes on December 8th and will be followed by the annual league championship tilt. Code: AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS East Division W L T PCT Boston 0 0 0 .000 NY Stars 0 0 0 .000 Philadelphia 0 0 0 .000 Pittsburgh 0 0 0 .000 Washington 0 0 0 .000 West Division W L T PCT Chicago 0 0 0 .000 Cleveland 0 0 0 .000 Cincinnati 0 0 0 .000 Detroit 0 0 0 .000 St Louis 0 0 0 .000 NEXT WEEK'S GAMES FRIDAY SEPT 20 Cleveland at St Louis O'KEEFE SET FOR WELTERWEIGHT DEFENSE World Welterweight boxing champion Dennis O'Keefe steps in to the ring on Saturday, marking the first time a champion in that weight class has made a title defense since 1940. The question is 'Will anyone notice?' The welter division has long been the often-ignored child of the American Boxing Federation as few seemed to care it went more than six years without a champion before O'Keefe knocked out Carl Taylor in March to claim a title vacated in 1940 by Kid Simpson's retirement. The March tilt did draw a solid crowd to Bigsby Garden but that New York venue, and others in major boxing hubs refused to come up with the guaranteed scratch O'Keefe's camp was demanding for his first defense. As a result the title defense will take place in a college gym. Now to be fair the athletic center at Noble Jones College in Atlanta is far above your average college venue and response from Southerners -eager to see a pair of their own in Jacksonvile's O'Keefe and challenger Mark Westlake, who hails from Biloxi, Ms.- have snatched up the tickets very quickly. That being said, Atlanta is far off the beaten path, especially when talking a championship fight. Neither fighter is worried about what kind of attention their fight will receive in New York, Chicago or Detroit. They are both focused on the task at hand. O'Keefe, a powerful fighter for his weight class, is 20-1 with 12 of "The Jacksonville Jackhammer's" wins coming by knockout including that KO of Carl Taylor in March that secured the title. The 29 year old Westlake is 19-2-1 but a decided underdog when you consider his last fight was a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Taylor. Early lines from the bookmakers make O'Keefe a strong favourite to retain his title. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Sep 21 - Noble Jones College Arena, Atlanta, Ga. : World Welterweight champion Dennis 'The Jacksonville Jackhammer' O'Keefe (20-1) vs Mark Westlake (19-2-1). Sep 23- Brooklyn: John Edmonds (20-2) vs Brooks O'Connor (21-3-2) ranked middleweights. Sep 26- Denny Arena, Boston: Scott Baker (15-0-2) vs Roy Crawford (21-2) ranked heavyweights Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: World Middleweight champion Frank 'The Tank' Melanson (30-0-2) makes his third title defense against European champion Edouard Desmarais (36-0). TOP RECRUIT TURCOTTE TO PLAY FOR CAROLINA POLY The top senior high school basketball player in the nation has announced he will play his college ball in 1947 at Carolina Poly. Forward Mel Turcotte, from Henry Hudson Prep in New York City, had his choice of more than a dozen offers before deciding on the Durham, NC, school. In doing so, Turcotte becomes the third top twenty recruit to choose the Cardinals as his destination for next season, joining Jerry Newson and Andy Manzanno. Newsom is a forward out of Jersey City, NJ, who is ranked #8 among high school seniors while Manzano is an undersized at 6'6" center from Raleigh, NC, who charts in at #18 among recruits. In all, 14 of the top 25 high school seniors have confirmed what school they will be attending next year. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 9/15/1946 Labour disputes once again are front and center this week as 90,000 National Maritime Union workers walk off the job, forcing the Navy to take over at major harbors on the east coast. New York is also dealing with a truck strike that is forcing a number of grocery stores to shut down due to lack of product to sell. Pittsburgh is returning to normal following a court order mandated the quick end to a strike of electric power employees that threatened an 817 square-mile area. Six Yugoslav train guards were arrested in connection with the explosion of a dynamite bomb in Trieste. Yugoslavia has called on the UN Economic and Social Council to take immediate action to restore to her 167 Yugoslav vessels which the country claims are being held in the United States zone of occupation on the upper Danube. Surprise raids throughout the American and British occupation zones of Germany have uncovered millions of dollars of precious stones and minerals hidden by the Nazis shortly before Germany surrendered. Great Britain and the United States have each renounced its claims to some $31 billion in reparations from Italy. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 04-13-2023 at 01:34 PM.