FABL - Cleveland Foresters Mediocrity at its worst

[Bub13]

C'mon, Foresters! Time for some mediocrity at its best instead!

[DD Martin]

Pozza Out as Chicago Cougars Manager

The Cougars fired Pozza on Sunday after the underachieving Cougars 38-41 were shutout by the Philadelphia Stars on Sunday 2-0. Pozza had managed the Cougars for 4 ½ season and led them to the 1931 World Series crown and the 1933 series. But this year the Cougars were figured to be fight it out up top the CA once again, but they have not been close all season long. Pozza’s record with the Cougars is an impressive 407-288 (.586 win %). Before that Pozza (54) managed 3 seasons in Detroit and won a World Series in 1929 with the Dynamo’s but he was not retained due to a contract dispute and issues with the Detroit front office. His overall managerial record is 668-490 (.577). Odds are the rather “vanilla” Pozza (as described by some) manager will likely be a top choice to take over another club in the FABL very soon.

No word yet on who might take over full time for the Cougars, but they have named bench coach Hank Sims (65) as the interim manager.

[DD Martin]

The Cleveland P-I
Baseball All-Star Ballot
By Ronald William Apter

All-Star Voting
Ronald William Apter has the baseball writer vote for Cleveland
The FA All-Stars Position Players

Here is my ballot (this is the sim that I neglected to send in so my vote didn’t count).

C - John Wicklund (New York Gothams) 315/379/867 6-39
1B - Rankin Kellogg (Philadelphia Keystones) 327/392/965 20-65
2B - Freddie Jones (St Louis Pioneers) 419/536/1008 3-24
*3B - Joe Masters (Chicago Cougars) 349/420/974 11-61
SS - Ray Russell (out with broken kneecap) (St. Louis Pioneers) 341/410/936 6-26
LF - Alex Ingraham (St Louis Pioneers) 328/403/1053 15-58
CF - Chick Donnelly (Boston Minutemen) 380/429/962 5-68
RF - Bobby Barrell (Philadelphia Keystones) 399/434/1110 19-93

Apter Summary - Not a lot of controversy on my ballot other than I did select Joe Masters formerly of the CHicago Chiefs as the All-Star representative on the FA team. While he has just been traded he did most of his work (other than last week) in the FA and he was deserving of recognition in my mind.

The other player who I picked who will not be participating due to injury was St. Louis SS Ray Russell who is out with a broken kneecap. St. Louis certainly has the nucleus to be a huge factor for years to come with SS Russell, LF Ingraham, 2B Jones, and 1B Fred McCormick who won’t likely win any starter election to the FA team as long as Rankin Kellogg is healthy and playing.

I also voted for Alex Ingraham over former Forester Joe Perret. The injury prone RF with the Gotham’s has put together a nice season and will likely garner a lot of votes. But for my money it's Ingraham.

On the pitching side for the following
SP - Harlin Bates (New York Gothams) 11-1 1.94
RP - Chuck Calvert (New York Gothams) 8-5 9 saves 2.31 ERA


For the CA All-Stars I had the following position players on my ballot
C - TR Goins (Cleveland Foresters) 339/416/958 7-36
1B - Max Morris (Cleveland Foresters) 318/380/864 13-61
2B - Pete Layton (New York Stars) 313/373/869 9-53
3B - John Langille (Brooklyn Kings) 372/427/958 5-59
SS - Harry Barrell (Brooklyn Kings) 338/384/814 2-41
LF - Leon Drake (Cleveland Foresters) 306/396/932 12-63
CF - Tom Taylor (Chicago Cougars) 276/326/826 19-63
RF - Moxie Pidgeon (Cleveland Foresters) 297/347/862 14-54

Summary - Yes I put Goins on my ballot as I believe he is the league’s most valuable player. The Foresters without Goins are just 14-14 on the season, and with him (on the active roster) they are 39-11. He also has the best CERA numbers of any catcher with a 2.86 while his backup (replacement when he was out) Jim Kyle has a 3.71. Just about a full run higher and it is not like Klye is a bad catcher, but it just proves how important Goins is to this pitching staff.

The contested position will likely be 3B and CF but I personally don’t think there is any argument there, especially in CF. Tom Taylor is putting up a power season like we haven’t seen often from a CF and he is pretty damn good defensively out there too. Young Brooklyn 3B John Langille has brought some much needed stability to the position for the Kings. (My apologies to my fellow GM’s in Chicago and Brooklyn for not getting my tie breaking vote in).

Pitchers on my ballot? This was a difficult choice as I cover maybe 4 of the best SP’s in all of baseball. So who got my vote at the end of the day? Roger Perry (Cleveland Foresters) 10-5 2.40 ERA.

For the Relief Pitcher I went with the only pitcher with more saves than Cleveland’s own Frank Phillips. I voted for Hal Galvan who has 8 saves along with a 4-2 record and a 2.97 ERA. Phillips would have been my choice but his ERA is a bit too high for me to have voted for him.


The All-Star game will be played in New York at the Riverside ballpark, home of the New York Stars on July 10th.

[DD Martin]

CA and FA All-Star teams are announced


The FA All-Stars
C John Wicklund (NYG) 315/379/488 6HR
C George Cleaves (Pit) 318/366/409 1HR
1B Rankin Kellogg (Phily) 327/391/575 20 HR
1B Fred McCormick (Stl) 332/430/546 9HR
1B Carl Carr (Bos) 352/400/506 8HR
2B Freddie Jones (Stl) 416/532/470 3HR
2B Andy Carter (Was) 343/407/532 4HR
3B Frank Vance (Det) 380/452/623 17HR
3B Charlie Berry (Bos) 332/391/475 6HR
SS Ray Russell (Stl) 341/410/936 6HR (interesting to note the FA didn’t select any other SS to play in place of the injury Russell)
LF Joe Perret (NYG) 364/396/526 8HR
CF Chick Donnelly (Bos) 381/430/537 5HR
CF Pete Day (Bos) 336/407/478 4HR
RF Bobby Barrell (Phily) 401/436/681 19HR
RF Alex Ingraham (Stl) 330/403/659 15HR
RF Mahlon Strong (NYG) 303/356/567 16HR

SP Ed Baker (Phily) 12-2 3.27 ERA
SP Harlin Bates (NYG) 11-1 1.94
SP Jim Lonardo (NYG) 8-4 3.14
SP Rabbit Day (NYG) 10-3 3.47
SP Joe Shaffner (Stl) 11-7 3.35
SP Joe Dorsainvil (Bos) 8-6 3.57
RP Chick Stout (Pit) 3-1 2.16
RP Chuck Calvert (NYG) 7-5 2.22
RP Bob Simmon (Pit) 4-5 4.05

The CA All-Stars

C Fred Barrell (Brk) 327/390/462 3HR
C Mike Taylor (Ch) 267/3331/436 11HR
1B Max Morris (Cl) 317/380/486 13HR
1B Dave Trowbridge (NYS) 353/404/462 5HR
2B Pete Layton (NYS) 313/372/500 9HR
2B Jake Shadoan (Brk) 327/384/452 6HR
3B Hank Barnett (Mon) 329/421/480 6HR
3B John Lawson (NYS) 332/390/502 9HR
SS Harry Barrell (Brk) 338/384/430 2HR
LF Leon Drake (Cl) 308/399/542 12HR
CF Jim Gentry (Brk) 318/374/543 2HR
CF Freddie Malley (Tor) 307/358/415 2HR
RF Moxie Pidgeon (Cl) 295/346/514 14HR
RF Tom Taylor (Ch) 279/330/506 19HR

SP Tom Barrell (Brk) 13-1 3.03
SP Dean Astle (Cl) 10-3 3.22
SP Walter Murphy (Cl) 10-2 2.82
SP Roger Perry (Cl) 9-5 2.41
SP Eddie Quinn (Cl) 10-6 3.38
SP Ken Carpenter (Brk) 10-3 3.49
SP Earle Whitten (Mon) 7-5 2.33
SP Tommy Wilcox (Ch) 7-10 2.95
RP Del Lyons (Brk) 3-0 1.23
RP Jack Carr (NYS) 2-1 1.72

**Starters are denoted in Bold

Apter - So the Foresters have 1B Morris, LF Drake and RF Pidgeon named as starters in the game. They also have ⅘ of their starting rotation named to the game as well with Dean Astle, Walter Murphy, Roger Perry and Eddie Quinn. 7 players named to the club while Brooklyn also had 7 players named to the team. In the FA the New York Gothams also had 7 players named to the All-Star team.

[DD Martin]

Originally Posted by Bub13

C'mon, Foresters! Time for some mediocrity at its best instead!

We have done plenty of that. Just check out the team history (especially since 1925 as the human GM's took over for the start of the 1926 season.)

I'm way below 500 and am lucky to still be employed

[DD Martin]

Last game before the All-Star Game & The All-Star Game

July 9th 1934 (My mom's actual birthday)
Cleveland vs Toronto Wolves

With the Brooklyn Kings winning their game earlier today in Montreal 10-6 the pressure was on to keep pace. After the All-Star game the Kings would head to our home for a big 4-game series.

Today we would send Eddie Quinn (10-6) to the mound to face the Wolves Bill Anderson (8-10). There was some discussion of giving SP Heinie Bretz this start as he was overdue for a turn in the rotation. But because we felt it was an important game to win and we figured if Quinn pitched this game he would likely be unavailable for the All-Star game saving at least one of our 4 arms in the game.

Game #79 - Cleveland Foresters 6 @ Toronto Wolves 4
Starting pitcher Eddie Quinn pitched well enough to help the Cleveland Foresters beat the Toronto Wolves, 6-4. Quinn, now 11-6, was the winner. In 9 innings, he gave up 11 hits, while striking out 1, walking 1, and allowing 4 runs. Toronto's current losing streak has reached 5 games.

Dan Fowler, the 26-year old center fielder , had a direct impact on the outcome. Fowler contributed a 2-run single in the top of the second inning to put Cleveland up, 4-1.

WP - Eddie Quinn 11-6 3.41 (9IP 11H 4R 4ER 1BB 1K)
LP - Bill Anderson 8-11 4.06 (9IP 11H 6R 6ER 2BB 1K)
HR - None
Notable - Dan Fowler 2-5 3RBI, Jake Moore 2-4 2R

Summary - So we finish the sweep against Toronto and continue on our winning ways in July moving to 10-0 for the month. Good enough for a 54-25 record and a 3 game lead over Brooklyn heading into the break.

I received a call from Mr. Marshall after the game as he was already in New York for the All-Star game tomorrow. He made a strange request that me and his son Ricky drive up a car to the game he had for a friend. We would need to leave right away to get up their on time. Mr. Marshall then stated that we would all ride back together and prepare for the key Brooklyn series. I am not sure why but he sounded very "funny" on this call. I looked at Ricky and he just shrugged and said "Road trip, it will be like the good old days."

The All-Star Game

Tom Taylor Wins MVP in Continental Association's 10th Inning Loss to Federal Association 11-7
Despite his best efforts, game MVP Tom Taylor's Continental Association All-Stars couldn't overcome the powerful Federal Association squad in the annual All-Star Game.

"We tried our best, but did you see the talent in that lineup?" Taylor was quoted as saying after the game. "I'm honored to be named MVP of the game. To stand among the greatest stars of the game and be declared the best among them is truly an honor, even if we didn't end up winning the game. I had fun, and I think the fans did as well."

The Federal Association All-Stars triumphed in the game by a final score of 11-7 in this year's game at Riverside Stadium.

Summary - That was a strange game for sure. The CA led 6-0 after 4 innings of play, but the FA scored 5 in the 7th to tie it. Both teams scored a run in the 9th and then the FA erupted for 4 runs in the top of the 10th off RP Del Lyons (Brooklyn). Lyons pitched the previous 3 innings which prior to the 10th so he was simply out of gas. It was a curious move by the CA manager (Dick Pozza) who was just fired in Chicago a few days before the All-Star game. Why did he leave Lyons in for so many innings? I mean he did the regular all-star deal where pitchers just pitch an inning (other than he let Dean Astle start a 2nd inning which I was not pleased about), but to send out a RP to throw 81 pitches. That just doesn't seem right. Our guys had a fairly quiet game. Moxie Pidgeon and Max Morris both went 0-2 and were lifted early in double switches. LF Leon Drake played the whole game going 1-5 and scored a run when he doubled in the 4th. Dean Astle went 1.1 innings and gave up a run on 2 hits. Walter Murphy tossed a 1-2-3 3rd inning with a strike out and Roger Perry came in to clean up after Lyons was finally relieved in the 10th, but the game was already decided.

After the game there seemed to be some controversy as the King's pompous owner Daniel Prescott started spouting off about how Pozza left his players in the game for the full game. He was really hot about the Del Lyon's situation and wanted to talk to Dick Pozza after the game. But Pozza was already out of the stadium and jumped into his car (by reports) and was headed North. Honestly I am not sure what Prescott was so bothered by. I mean so pitcher had to go more than one and we had our of ours go an inning +. The FA did the same deal with Chick Stout pitching 4.1 innings. Both guys are relievers today but they have had significant starts in their careers before. The noise out of Prescott is probably just to try and worm his way into the new FABL President's office and try and negotiated some soda pop deal.

Mr. Marshall commented about the Stars nice new stadium and muttered the statement "would be nice if the City of Cleveland got off their butts and did something".

Next - The 4-Game Series with Brooklyn

[DD Martin]

Brooklyn Kings 51-28 (2nd place in CA) vs Cleveland Foresters 54-25 (1st place in CA)
4-Game Series at Cleveland’s venerable Forester Stadium
Season Series - Cleveland leads 6-5

So while we are just over the halfway point in the season and there is a lot of season left to go, this just feels like a huge series. On the train ride back from the controversial All-Star game, there were all sorts of rumors running rampant about some scheme cooked up in the head of Brooklyn’s owner Daniel Prescott that we had something to do with the way Dick Pozza managed the All-Star Game. I mean that is crazy talk. Some were even speculating that he was being offered a job in the Cleveland organization or was given a payoff to protect Forester players. Mr. Marshall just laughed and said “that’s just ridiculous”.

Instead of dwelling on tabloid dribble we started talking in earnest about the 2nd half of the season and this upcoming series against the Kings. Present in the owner’s car that Mr. Marshall had bought out (besides Mr. Marshall) were myself, Marshall’s son Ricky, Asst GM Sonny Kelly, Manager Jim Wilson, and Bench Coach Charlie Reed. The conversation started in regards to our attempts to bring a 3B to the club soon and I stated that my discussions with Boston prior to driving to the All-Star game seemed to be coming to a conclusion. It would take our 1st round pick in the upcoming draft and at least 1 other prospect. Boston was pushing for another draft pick but we were budging since we had already traded our 2nd round pick for SP Eddie Quinn.

Next the talk was on the starting rotation. Jim Wilson asked what everyone’s thought on SP Heinie Bretz was and if he should be slotted into the series against the Kings. Bench Coach Charlie Reed said that Bretz’s confidence was not back to what he had seen prior to the injury and that he was reluctant to insert him into such an important series after talking with Pitching Coach Jack Ralls last week. Ralls thinks that Bretz can get back to where he was, but he is not quite there yet. We decided to go with our top guys in the first 3 games with Dean Astle in game 1, Roger Perry in game 2 and then Walter Murphy in game 3 after an off day on Saturday. Monday’s game 4 starter was up in the air depending on how the series went up to that point but it would likely be Eddie Quinn.

Starting Pitchers Brooklyn Kings vs Cleveland Foresters
Game 1 - Ken Carpenter 10-3 3.49 vs Dean Astle 10-3 3.22
Game 2 - Tom Barrell 13-1 3.03 vs Roger Perry 3.22
Game 3 - Mike Murphy 9-4 3.41 vs Walter Murphy 10-2 2.82
Game 4 - TBD vs TBD

The Kings had the #1 offense in the league with 480 runs scored averaging over 6 runs per game (6.07). They were led by SS Harry Barrell (who I hated to see because I just remember a really bad trade that we did to get him), his brother C Fred Barrell and rookie 3B John Langille.

Their pitching was 3rd in the league with the starters compiling a 4.14 ERA (3rd) and they had given up 372 runs (4.70 rpg) which was 3rd. They were led by Tom Barrell who was having a monster season at 13-1, then had added Ken Carpenter who was 10-3 on the season with a 3.68 ERA but was 7-1 since the trade from Baltimore with a 3.30 ERA. The veteran SP seems to have a new outlook on things since getting out of Baltimore. Mike Murphy had settled into the #3 spot with a 9-5 record after a bit of a rough start to the season.

Game #80 - Brooklyn Kings 3 vs Cleveland Foresters 4 (10)
Baseball fans saw a good contest between the Cleveland Foresters and Brooklyn Kings. The Cleveland Foresters wiggled past the Brooklyn Kings, 4-3, at Forester Stadium. The win was highlighted by the performance of Cleveland pitcher Dean Astle. The winner was Bert Henggeler in relief. His record improves to 5-1. Hal Galvan took the loss.

The Foresters procured the win, in large part because of left fielder Leon Drake. In the bottom of the tenth, he produced the game-winning run-scoring single.

"I still think this team can play even better," Astle told the Cleveland P-I.

Cleveland has now reeled off 11 straight wins.

WP - Bert Henggeler 5-1 2.67
LP - Hal Galvan 10-4 2.84
HR - None
Notable - Dean Astle 8.2IP 10H 3R 3ER 3BB 4K, Moxie Pidgeon 2-4 DB, R, Leon Drake 2-5 R, RBI, Ralph Joiner 2-5 TP, R, Dan Fowler 2-4 TP, R, RBI

Game #81 - Brooklyn Kings 1 vs Cleveland Foresters 6
The Cleveland Foresters racked up a win at Forester Stadium, bumping off the Brooklyn Kings, 6-1. Roger Perry, who started for Cleveland, pitched effectively for his team. The first-place Foresters have won 12 consecutive games.

With one out in the bottom of the third, Max Morris barreled up a fastball from Tom Barrell. The result was a 2-run home run, putting the Foresters in front, 3-0.

"I like the roll we're on right now," said Morris after the game.

WP - Roger Perry 11-5 2.33 (7.2IP 7H 1R 1ER 2BB 3K)
LP - Tom Barrell 13-2 3.27 (6IP 8H 6R 6ER, 2BB 2K)
HR - (Cl) Max Morris 14th
Notable - Max Morris 1-4 HR 2RBI R, Dan Fowler 2-4 DB, 2RBI, R, Pat Schuring 1-2 2BB RBI, 2R

Quick notes & Trade interlude - So we take the first 2 games of the series and our lead moves out to 5 full games. I'd love to win the last 2 and really put some distance between us but even 1-1 in the last 2 would be acceptable. I just don't want to give up any of this lead we now have built. It can disappear so quickly.

Trade - Boston Sends 3B Charlie Barry to Foresters
After countless opportunities to make this deal over the years, and even in the off-season, we finally pull the trigger and bring the veteran 3B to Cleveland. Barry has been in Boston for all of his 9+ seasons and has a career batting average of 344. He is a steady, reliable defender even at 35.

We send to the Minutemen our 1st round pick next year and also one of our minor league SP from the last draft in Bob Ginger.

Not to be out done.....

Trade - Brooklyn acquires SP Joe Shaffner from St. Louis
The Kings acquired Shaffner and the Pioneers 2nd round pick in the next draft for SP Dixon Lee (#19 prospect), RF Hal Sharp (#86 prospect) and minor league CF Al Sears.

Both players will join their teams on Monday so in time for game 4 of the series.

Game #81 - Brooklyn Kings 1 vs Cleveland Forester 2
The Cleveland Foresters got a strong performance from pitcher Walter Murphy, who stymied the Brooklyn offense en route to a win, 2-1, at Forester Stadium. In 9 innings, Murphy surrendered 10 hits, while striking out 4 and walking 1. He allowed 1 run. Cleveland has run its win streak to 13 in a row.

Max Morris drove in one run for Cleveland. The 1933 CA home run champion had a key at-bat in the bottom of the eighth. With one out and the bases loaded, he broke a 1-1 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Mike Murphy. It was his 65th RBI of the season.

"Whenever we hold the other team to one run," said Foresters manager Jim Wilson, "I like our chances."

WP - Walter Murphy 11-2 2.70 (9IP 10H 1R 1ER, 1BB 4K)
LP - Mike Murphy 9-5 3.34 (8IP 5H 2R 2ER 4BB 3K)
HR - (Cl) Moxie Pidgeon 15th
Notable - Moxie Pidgeon 3-3 HR, BB RBI R

Summary - So in a great pitchers duel our Murphy beats Brooklyn's Murphy and we have won the first 3 games of this series. Our lead is now 6 games and we have won the first 13 games of the month of July.

Both teams hadn't announced their SP's for game 4 of the series, but the Kings likely feeling a level of desperation creeping in announce that they will start Ken Carpenter who pitched in the first game of this series. Carpenter through the years had been tough on the Foresters so it was a very good move.

After talking it over with Jim Wilson, we decide to go for the jugular and will counter with Dean Astle who won that first game in the series. So it will be a rematch.

In other news - Across the stadium after Sunday's game a lot of screaming could be heard coming out of the locker room. Generally easy going Brooklyn Manager Walt Bailey laid into reporters after the game and was still screaming about the All-Star game and how Dick Pozza had recklessly endangered his top relief pitcher and yielded him unavailable. Bailey might just be trying to impress his boss team owner Daniel Prescott who rumors have him trying to blackmail the league office in granting him exclusive rights to sell his terrible soda to all stadiums in the FABL.

Cleveland owner Elmer Marshall has stated that Prescott will never get a dime from selling that poison in his stadium and that the League President Belton can't force him to agree to such a deal. When reached for comment Marshall stated "Prescott is a crook and has been trying to get his products into all stadiums for years. The past President didn't fall for his crooked scheme and neither should the new President."

The winter owners meeting should be very explosive with these two attending.

3B Charlie Barry arrived at the stadium during the game and will be suited up and starting in Monday's series finale. To make room good guy backup Vince Frazier was DFA but hoped to return to AAA Cincinnati.

Game # 83 - Brooklyn Kings 1 vs Cleveland Foresters 0
Brooklyn pitcher Ken Carpenter put on a show today and walked away with a 1-0 shutout victory over the Cleveland Foresters, throttling them on 3 hits. He cruised through the Foresters lineup, fanning 4 and walking 1 in a strong outing.

"He was very efficient and he hit his spots," Kings manager Walt Bailey said after the game. "He stayed down in the zone and stayed away from the middle of the plate."

This season Carpenter has a 11-3 mark in 19 starts with a 3.28 ERA. He has given up 161 hits in 156.1 innings, struck out 62 and issued 38 walks. Opposing clubs have compiled a .263 batting average against him.

WP - Ken Carpenter 8-1 2.95 (9IP 3H 0R 1BB 4K)
LP - Dean Astle 10-4 3.09 (9IP 4H, 1R 1ER 1BB 3K)
HR - None
Notable - Tip of the cap to Ken Carpenter!

Summary - So we conclude the series with the Kings and take 3 out of 4. It is a good result, but if we could have found a way to scratch out a run or 2 it would have been amazing. We now lead the season series with the Kings 9-6 and have 7 games left against them. The next meeting will be at the end of August for 3 games in Brooklyn. Then 10 days later the Kings will return to Cleveland for another 4 game series here.

Moves - We optioned SP Heinie Bretz back to AAA Cincinnati and brought back SP Ben Turner. Bretz has the better potential of the two but right now I am just more comfortable with Turner probably because of his track record in the prior 2 seasons.

Trade - Chicago Cougars and Chiefs are at it again
Not the big name deal of the prior trade that saw Joe Masters go to the Cougars. This time it is just a minor league deal but does involve the #1 prospect in baseball moving to the Cougars in 2B Ray Ford. Heading to the Chiefs is class A SP Johnny Cox.

Next - The week after the big series with Brooklyn

[DD Martin]

July Week 3 (July 17-22) 1934

After that great pitching duel on Monday between Brooklyn's Ken Carpenter and our own Dean Astle, our attention shifted gears as the Montreal Saints came to town. After a terrific 11-1 start to the season the Saints had settle into the 500 club that many had predicted. But some things were happening in Montreal and for the 2nd time in the season they fired their manager. James Gentry (64) had been with the Saints organization since 1924 being a minor league manager. When the club fired Joe Ward in May, then turned the reigns over to Gentry. Now after the shack up in Chicago with Dick Pozza out, Montreal pounced on hiring the very successful manager to take over the reigns for their team. Gentry was very quietly and without fanfare shown the door going 27-31.

(Side note - Joe "The Hoosier Hustler" Ward has taken over the reigns of the GWL Hollywood Heroes. He replaces John Poltorak (61) who went 33-43 in his first season in Tinsletown.)

Pozza has agreed to a massive new contract for 5 years at $28,954 per season. The deal blows the contract extension signed by Forester skipper Jim Wilson out of the water. Wilson had agreed to a record 5 year extension at $10,000 per season, but the deal Pozza has now signed might be the signaling of a new era in manager contracts. Of course with big money come big expectations.

So the team Pozza inherits has been making some moves to bring in some offense to Montreal which has the toughest park in the CA to hit in. The Saints are currently sitting 6th in runs scored 4.51 rpg, but they had been 8th for a long period so the bats are starting to produce more. The pitching has 3rd most of the season with their starters ERA at 4.05 and the bullpen sitting at 3.05 (2nd). The offense is even up to 4th on the home run list with 45 lead by Hank Barnett and Jim Wilson's 7 each.

So far this season Cleveland leads the season series 7-3

Pitching Matchups Montreal Saints vs Cleveland Foresters
Chick Wirtz 6-5 3.53 vs Eddie Quinn 11-6 3.41
George Thomas 7-9 3.93 vs Roger Perry 11-5 2.33
Barney Holland 2-0 2.41 vs Walter Murphy 11-2 2.70
Rich Fisher 0-0 0.00 vs Ben Turner 4-3 4.74

Game #84 - Montreal Saints 0 vs Cleveland Foresters 1 (11)
In a low-scoring tilt between the Cleveland Foresters and the Montreal Saints, Eddie Quinn was the difference-maker. The Cleveland right-hander spearheaded the 1-0 win. The Foresters have an impressive 58-26 record.

The Foresters procured the win, in large part because of third baseman Jake Moore. In the bottom of the 11th, he produced the game-winning run-scoring single.

"I like our moxie," said Foresters manager Jim Wilson. Was he talking about RF Pidgeon?

WP - Frank Phillips 6-4 4.15
LP - Howie Snyder 7-4 3.38
HR - None
Notable - Eddie Quinn 10.2IP 10H 0R 3K 2-4 at bat, Jake Moore 1-4 BB and GW RBI. Montreal Chick Wirtz 9.2IP 5H 0R 2BB 1K

Game #85 - Montreal Saints 7 vs Cleveland Foresters 5
The inspired effort of Cleveland first baseman Max Morris was not enough to prevent a loss, 7-5, to the Montreal Saints. Morris went 2 for 5 with a home run. He scored 2 times and drove in 2. Montreal starter George Thomas was credited with the win after throwing 151 pitches over 8.2 innings. His record now stands at 8-9. The win puts Montreal at 42-42 this season.

Montreal needed the clutch hitting of Bob Worley to notch the win. The right fielder hammered a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to put the Saints on top, 5-4. For the game, Worley had 1 home run and 1 single in 5 at-bats.

WP - George Thomas 8-9 3.94 (8.2IP 11H 5R 4ER 2BB 4K)
LP - Roger Perry 11-6 2.51 (8IP 11H 5R 5ER 1B 4K)
HR - (Cl) Max Morris 15th, (Mon) Bob Worley 4th
Notable - Max Morris 2-5 HR 2R 2RBI, TR Goins 3-5 R RBI, Leon Drake 2-4 DB 1R

Game #86 - Montreal Saints 1 vs Cleveland Foresters 11
The Cleveland Foresters coasted to a win over the Montreal Saints, 11-1. Max Morris had a good day at the plate for Cleveland. He was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 singles. He scored 2 runs and drove in 4. The win puts Cleveland at 59-27 this season.

In the first inning, Morris had a 2-run home run for Cleveland. It was his 16th home run of the season and put the Foresters on top, 3-0. "The name of the game is scoring runs," Morris said. "We did a good job of that today."

WP - Walter Murphy 12-2 2.59 (9IP 10H 1R 1ER 3BB 2K)
LP - Barney Holland 2-1 2.41 (6.1IP 10H 8R 7ER 2BB 3K)
HR - (Cl) Max Morris 16th, Leon Drake 13th
Notable - Max Morris 3-5 HR 4RBI 2R, Brooks Meeks 3-5 2R 3RBI, Leon Drake 3-5 HR 2R 2RBI

Game #87 - Montreal Saints 6 vs Cleveland Foresters 7
The outcome was not decided until the very end at Forester Stadium.
Foresters shortstop George Dawson put his stamp on his team's 7-6 win over the Montreal Saints. Dawson was 4 for 5 with 3 doubles. He drove in 2 runs for Cleveland in the contest. Cleveland raised its record to 60-27 with the win.

The game was still up for grabs in the bottom of the ninth. With no one out, Dawson hit a fastball from Howie Snyder for a run-scoring single. The Foresters, in dramatic fashion, had a walk-off win. "There's nothing like the buzz of a walk-off win," Dawson said.

WP - Ben Turner 5-3 (9IP 11H 6R 6ER 4BB 1K)
LP - Howie Snyder 7-5 3.49
HR - (Cl) Moxie Pidgeon 16th, Charlie Barry 1st (Mon) Mickey Dowell 1st, Bob Worley 6th, Bobby Sprague 1st

Comments from the GM - A nice series win (3-1) against the Saints. At least the controversary has died down from the All-Star stuff with Dick Pozza. I did find it kind of interesting that before the opening game of the series, I saw our owner Elmer Marshall shaking hands with Pozza. How Marshall even knows Pozza is beyond me.

Max Morris has had a fine season for anyone other than Max Morris. At 39 he might be showing some signs of slowing down, but he is still hitting 323 this season with a CA leading 71 RBI's. He has 16 homer runs which puts him in the top 3 in the CA. He still for my money is the best run producing hitter in my mind. Will he get to 30 this season? My money is on Morris but he will have to pick up the pace a bit. He sits at 658 career home runs and could have a shot at 700 if he comes back next season and remains healthy.

In September we might go to a 6-man rotation if I feel we have things in control. The one thing we need to avoid is any significant injuries. I have talked to Jim Wilson about not over extending any of the starters so he has said he will watch that a little more (ie: I put in a 130 pitch count cap and might reduce it to 120 in August.)

New York Stars 44-45 vs Cleveland Foresters 60-27
4-game series July 21st-23rd with a DH on Monday 23rd)
Season Series - Cleveland leads 8-2

Pitching so far has been the real rough part for the Stars this season as the starters rank 7th in the CA with a 4.54 ERA. The bullpen is a bit better at 3.87 (5th). They are plus 7 in run differential with the offense scoring 456 runs (4th) 5.12 rpg. 3B John Lawson (334/392/496 10-73) and 2B Pete Layton (329/390/519 10-61) continue to lead the offense but are now at ages 31 and 34. 35 year old 1B Dave Trowbridge is also having a fine season (355/411/476 7-41).

Pitching Matchups New York vs Cleveland (first 2 games only)
Gene Stevens 8-3 3.63 vs Dean Astle 10-4 3.09
Harry Carter 2-3 5.20 vs Eddie Quinn 11-6 3.18

(First 2 games of the series will be noted in today's report)

Game #88 - New York Stars 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 3
In a low-scoring tilt between the Cleveland Foresters and the New York Stars, Dean Astle was the difference-maker. The Cleveland left-hander spearheaded the 3-2 win. Astle went 9 innings to notch the win. He scattered 6 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. His record improves to 11-4. With the victory, the Foresters upped their record to 61-27.

Had Dan Fowler not delivered a key base hit in the bottom of the seventh, the outcome might have been different. Instead, with two down and the bases loaded, Fowler hit a run-scoring single. That made the score 3-2, in favor of the Foresters. "Throwing strikes was the main thing," Astle said.

WP - Dean Astle 11-4 3.03 (9IP 6H 2R 2ER 3BB 1K)
LP - Tom Fitzgerald 2-6 5.09
HR - (NY) Dave Trowbridge 5th

Game #89 - New York Stars 10 vs Cleveland Foresters 7
New York and Cleveland took Mother Nature's best shot and still managed to complete their ballgame. There was a rain delay of 55 minutes in the 6th inning.

The New York Stars defeated the Cleveland Foresters, 10-7. Doing his part was first baseman Max Morris, who went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs. He scored 3 times and drove in 4. The winner was Jack Carr in relief. His record improves to 3-1. Bert Henggeler took the loss. Boyd Harper notched his 9th save in 13 chances.

New York needed the clutch hitting of Dave Trowbridge to notch the win. The first baseman hammered a grand slam home run in the top of the ninth inning to put the Stars on top, 10-7. For the game, Trowbridge had 1 home run and 1 single in 4 at-bats.

WP - Jack Carr 3-1 2.35
LP - Bert Henggeler 5-2 4.55
S - Fireman Harper 9th 4.25
HR - (Cl) Max Morris (2) 17th and 18th (NY) Dave Trowbridge 7th, Owen Murdoch (2) 7th and 8th
Notable - Eddie Quinn (6IP 3H 2R 2ER 3BB 3K), Max Morris 3-5 2HR, 4RBI 3R, TR Goins 2-5 2R RBI

Comments - Morris hits 4 home runs this week but is edge out of the CA player of the week by Doc Love who hit 5. Still a great week for Max and he now has 75 RBI's on the season which is 2 ahead of John Lawson of New York. Morris has also moved into 2nd place in the CA with 18 home runs on the season behind Chicago's Tom Taylor who has hit 20 so far.

I really believe rain cost us this last game as Eddie Quinn was cruising through 6 innings but after almost an hour Jim Wilson (and I agreed) that we should not send him back out. Unfortunately Bert Henggeler had one of those games that blows up a RP's ERA. So the bullpen cost us this one and once again I am left scratching my head with our pen. The guys that have pitched the least have pitched the best so far this year, but I don't think I would change the order there. I will be taking a serious look at Coleman and Bloom down at Cincinnati this coming week.

[DD Martin]

July 23rd-29th1934

We start the week with a double-header to the series with the New York Stars on Monday. Then we remain at home for a 4 game set against the Baltimore Cannons before setting off to Chicago to face the Cougars on Saturday and Sunday.

New York Stars vs Cleveland Foresters Doubleheader pitching matchup
Game 1 - Dick Richards 4-6 5.12 vs Roger Perry 11-6 2.51
Game 2 - Bennie Conover 2-5 6.45 vs Walter Murphy 12-2 2.59

Game #90 - New York Stars 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 12
The first-place Cleveland Foresters took on the New York Stars in front of a spirited crowd.

Cleveland starter Roger Perry clamped down on the New York offense, while his team sailed to victory, 12-2. Perry went 9 innings to notch the win. He scattered 6 hits, walked 0, and struck out 2. His record improves to 12-6.

The Foresters racked up 16 hits in the game but Max Morris dealt the Stars a blow in the bottom of the first to get things started. Batting with runners on 2nd and 3rd and Cleveland leading 1-0, Morris, hit a 0-1 cutter for a 2-run single. "I found a nice groove out there," said Perry. The Foresters lead the Continental Association by 6 games.

WP - Roger Perry 12-6 2.48 (9IP 6H 2R 2ER 0BB 2K)
LP - Dick Richards 4-7 5.35 (5.2IP 12H 9R 6ER 0BB 3K)
HR - None
Notable - Max Morris 3-4 3RBI 1R, TR Goins 2-4 2DB, BB 3RBI 2R George Dawson 2-5 3R, Charlie Barry 2-5 3R 2RBI

Game #91 - New York Stars 7 vs Cleveland Foresters 5
With left fielder Del Huddleston leading the charge, the New York Stars defeated the Cleveland Foresters, 7-5, at Forester Stadium. Huddleston was 3-4 with a double, 2 singles, and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. Boyd Harper notched the win in relief. The left-hander allowed no runs on 1 hit in 2 innings. His record now sits at 7-4. New York, at 46-47, sits in 4th place in the Continental Association.

Huddleston had a timely hit for New York in the top of the ninth. With Cleveland trailing 5-4, he turned a 1-1 slider into a 2-run double. It was his 11th double of the season, making it 6-5, New York. "In baseball, you have your ups and downs," said Cleveland manager Jim Wilson. "You just try to stay level-headed the whole time."

WP - Boyd "Fireman" Harper 7-4 4.09
LP - Walter Murphy 12-3 2.69 (8.1IP 12H 7R 4ER 4BB 1K)
HR - (Cl) Dan Fowler, (NY) Ron Ruppe 1st
Notable - Charlie Barry 2-4 DB 2R 2RBI, Dan Fowler 2-4 HR 2R RBI

Summary - Not much to say as we split a double-header and series that we should have won. We need to hope for a better result against the struggling Cannons.

Another Manager Canned!!!
The Chicago Chiefs fired the manager Dan Andrews and replaced him with the recently fired Montreal skipper James Gentry. So far this season the FABL teams have been firing teams (which was called by Ronald William Apter in the off-season) as 3 teams have changed leaders mid-season and 1 team has done it twice. Gentry was the head man in Toronto for a little less than 3 months and compiled a 27-31 record. Meanwhile Dan Andrew had been the manager for the Chiefs since 1927 compiling a record of 593-577 making the playoffs in the 1928 season and finishing runner up the next season. Since then though it has been pretty lean in Chicago for Chief fans and the team has entered into a major rebuilding job trading several key veterans.

Baltimore Cannons 30-63 (last in the CA) vs Cleveland Foresters 62-29 (1st)
July 24th-27th 4-game series
Season Series - Cleveland leads 8-2

The Cannons are in a full rebuild and they are starting from the basement and trying to work their way back up. They have a long way to go though. On offense they rank dead last in runs scored with 374 (4.02 rpg) and they have given allowed 530 runs (5.70) which is also last.

Pitching Matchup Baltimore vs Cleveland
Bob Miller 7-12 5.01 vs Ben Turner 5-3 4.89
Pinky Conlan 6-8 3.86 vs Dean Astle 11-4 3.03
Dutch Leverett 2-8 4.86 vs Eddie Quinn 11-6 3.17
Joe Newsom 1-9 5.43 vs Roger Perry 12-6 2.48

Game #92 - Baltimore Cannons 3 vs Cleveland Foresters 4
The Cleveland Foresters beat the Baltimore Cannons, 4-3. Cleveland pitcher and Olive Branch, Mississippi, native Ben Turner led the way. Turner went the distance for Cleveland. He gave up 3 runs on 6 hits. The first-place Foresters, at 63-29, now lead their division by 6½ games.

The Foresters got a big hit from first baseman Max Morris. In the bottom of the fifth, Morris pounded a 2-run double to left. His 7th double of the season put the Foresters ahead, 4-1. Morris called the win "a collective effort."

WP - Ben Turner 6-3 4.69 (9IP 6H 3R 3ER 1BB 2K)
LP - Pinky Conlan 6-9 3.89 (8IP 6H 4R 4ER 5BB 2K)
HR - (Balt) Tom Clevenger 2nd
Notable - Max Morris 1-3 DB, BB 2RBI

Game #93 - Baltimore Cannons 0 vs Cleveland Foresters 3
Dean Astle of the Cleveland Foresters was masterful today, pitching a 3-hit shutout, 3-0, against the Baltimore Cannons.

By going the distance, he was at the same time able to give his bullpen a rest, a fact appreciated by Cleveland manager Jim Wilson. "It's nice to have someone who can do that from time to time," he said. "He had command of every ball and every pitch. Great location, too."

Astle had 2 strikeouts and 1 walk in the outing. In 21 starts this season Astle has fashioned a 12-4 record and a 2.87 ERA.

WP - Dean Astle 12-4 2.87 (9IP 3H 0R 1BB 2K)
LP - Bob Miller 7-13 4.96 (7IP 6H 3R 3ER 6BB 6K)
HR - (Cl) Max Morris 19th
Notable - Max Morris 1-3 HR, BB R 2RBI

Game #94 - Baltimore Cannons 9 vs Cleveland Foresters 12
George Dawson added some punch to the Cleveland offense, helping them outmuscle the Baltimore Cannons, 12-9. In the game, Dawson, who finished 5th in the CA in stolen bases with 19 last year, was 4 for 4 with 4 singles and 2 walks, while scoring 4 runs and driving in 2. Frank Phillips came out of the bullpen to earn the win. The left-hander allowed no runs on no hits in 2 innings. His record now stands at 7-4. Cleveland goes to 65-29. The win puts them 7½ games up in their division.

The game was at a stalemate until right fielder Leon Drake came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. Facing Baltimore pitcher Paul Vandenberg, he hit a full count fastball for a run-scoring single. It was a game-changer, putting Cleveland on top, 10-9. "We'll relax tonight and get back after it tomorrow," Dawson said after the game.

WP - Frank Phillips 7-4 4.54
LP - Paul Vandenberg 3-10 8.39
HR - (Bal) Oscar King 3rd, Joe Snyder 1st, (Cl) Bobby Allen 1st
Notable - George Dawson 4-4 2BB 2RBI 4R, TR Goins 2-4 DB, 2BB 3RBI, Bobby Allen 2-3 HR BB 2R RBI

Game #95 - Baltimore Cannons 12 vs Cleveland Foresters 9
In a high-scoring contest between Baltimore and Cleveland, third baseman Ed Roberts was a difference-maker. Roberts, who finished 3rd in the CA in stolen bases with 24 in 1930, distinguished himself in the 12-9 Baltimore win. He was 2-4 with a double, while scoring 2 times and driving in 2. The win gives the Cannons a record of 31-66.

Roberts had a game-changing double in the top of the ninth. On a 1-0 changeup from Bert Henggeler, he banged a run-scoring double to left-center, giving the Cannons a 9-8 lead. It was the 18th double of the year for Roberts. "We came out aggressive," said Cannons manager Ossie Julious. "We came out swinging the bats."

WP - Paul Vandenberg 4-10 8.02
LP - Bert Henggeler 5-3 4.59
HR - none
Notable - Bobby Allen 2-5 2DB 4RBI 2R, Dan Fowler 2-3 2DB, BB 2R RBI,

Summary - Taking 3 out of 4 is fine but the last 2 games I am detecting a bit of an issue with our pitching. Phillips and Henggeler have had their ups and downs this season and in July it has been mainly going in the wrong direction for Henggeler who has a 6.75 ERA in July. It is making me re-evaluate our relief pitchers again and we will see if there is anything out there. I am sure I could trade a pick for someone out there but my appetite for trading more picks is pretty low. I mean if I could get a really top notch guy that would be 1 thing, but there is not a lot of pitching left available. We will see and maybe try as we head to Chicago to take on the Cougars. This is a series at the beginning of the season that I had circled, but now it isn't as important although continuing to win and play well is. We have a 7 game lead heading into Chicago.

Cleveland Foresters 65-30 (1st Place CA) @ Chicago Cougars 45-51 (6th Place)
July 28th-30th 3-game series
Season series - Cleveland leads 10-2

The Cougars have had a surprisingly difficult season as no one really saw such a fall from grace so quickly. They still have some really good players on this team including LF Doc Love, C Mike Taylor, 3B Joe Masters and 3B John Kincaid. The offense which was red-hot for a time is still formidable and ranked 3rd in the CA with 524 runs scored. The usually stout pitching ranks 5th in ERA at 4.30 and they have given up 483 runs this season. The surprise about their record is their run differential is +41.

Pitching Matchups - Cleveland vs Chicago
Walter Murphy 12-3 2.69 vs Dave Rankin 6-10 4.37
Ben Turner 6-3 4.69 vs Dick Luedtke 8-10 5.06
Dean Astle 12-4 vs Dick Lyons 7-6 3.95

Game #96 - Cleveland Foresters 0 vs Chicago Cougars 6
It was a day of mixed emotions for Cleveland catcher T.R. Goins, who collected his 2000th hit in the club's 6-0 loss to Chicago. Foresters and Cougars fans alike cheered Goins as he reached base after his milestone hit.

"I wish the score had been different," Goins said after the game, "but it was a great moment. The standing ovation was really special... even the fans wearing Cougars caps were cheering me." Goins was 1-for-4 on the day. In his 1494-game career Goins is batting .344 with 2000 hits, 212 home runs, 985 runs scored and 1117 RBIs.

WP - Dave Rankin 7-10 4.10 (9IP 6H 0R 2BB 4k)
LP - Walter Murphy 12-4 2.93 (6IP 8H 6R 6ER 2BB 1K)
HR - (Ch) John Kincaid 4th
Notable - Goins 2000th career hit, other than that nothing stands out.


Game #97 - Cleveland Foresters 1 vs Chicago Cougars 5
The Chicago Cougars got a strong performance from pitcher Dick Luedtke, who stymied the Cleveland offense en route to a win, 5-1, at North Side Grounds. Luedtke went 9 innings to notch the win. He scattered 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. His record improves to 9-10. The 6th-place Cougars have a record of 47-51.

In the bottom of the first, Lou Kelly hit a 2-run double. The 29th double of the season for the Chicago first baseman put the Cougars on top, 2-0.
Kelly told a Chicago Times reporter that he was "gratified" with the win.

WP - Dick Luetdke 9-10 4.82 (9IP 7H 1R 1ER 1BB 4K)
LP - Ben Turner 6-4 4.77 (8IP 12H 5R 5ER 2BB 2K)
HR - None
Notable - Dan Fowler 2-4

Summary - Looks like we picked the wrong time to come to Chicago as the Cougars turned back the clock with their pitching and only gave up 1 run in 18 innings. We are on a 3 game losing streak but thanks to Brooklyn having a rough week we actually increased our lead from 5 games at the end of last week to 6 1/2 games. Still there is some concern as our last 4 games have not been the best pitched games we have had.

SP Walter Murphy has lost 2 straight and hasn't looked particularly sharp in either. Still he is 12-4 with a sub 3 ERA so we will just hope it is a bit of a mid-summer swoon that gets quickly righted.

Goins got his 2000th career hit in what is eventually be a hall of fame career. While Goins was happy to get the hit, he was extremely upset that the team lost 3 games in a row for the first time with him in the lineup.

[mjj55409]

Gentry was managing the other Canadian team. I know it's hard to keep us straight.

[DD Martin]

The Dog Days have Arrived
July 30th-August 5th

Game #98 - Cleveland Foresters 5 @ Chicago Cougars 7
The Chicago Cougars topped the Cleveland Foresters, 7-5 and swept this 3-game series in the Windy City, with shortstop Woody Armstrong playing a big role. Armstrong was 2 for 3 with 2 singles and a walk. He drove in 3 runs and scored once for the Cougars in the win. Dick Lyons picked up the win, improving his season record to 8-6. He struck out 6 in 6.2 innings. The Foresters, now 65-33, have lost 4 straight.

Armstrong had a clutch at-bat in the bottom of the sixth for the Cougars. Coming up with the bases loaded and Chicago trailing 2-1, he hit a 2-run single.

WP - Dick Lyons 8-6 3.89 (6.2IP 7H 5R 2ER 2BB 6K)
LP - Dean Astle 12-5 3.06 (7IP 11H 7R 6ER 2BB 1K)
HR - None
Notable - No extra base his for the team. Dawson, Pidgeon and Drake all get 2 hits in the 1-2-3 spots in the order. The rest of the team was 1-19 with Max Morris getting the only hit.

Summary - Ugh that was an ugly series where the bats just didn't show and neither did the pitching for that matter. Jim Wilson doesn't even let the team shower and just loads them on the bus to get out of town and head back home.

Toronto Wolves 43-56 (7th place) vs Cleveland Foresters 65-33 (1st place)
August 1st-3rd 3-game series
Season Series - Cleveland leads 8-4

The Wolves come to town with their manager Bob Warren (54) who can't feel too comfortable with all the changes going on in managing this season. Warren's who is in his 6th season, had his best season in Toronto in his first when the team went 69-85. Since then it has been pretty dark north of the border. The Wolves were playing better baseball in June when they 15-14, but reverted back to the recent ways with a 12-17 July. Right now their pitching is the worst in the CA with the starters at 4.77 and the bullpen at a disastrous 6.51 for a team total of 5.00. The offense has not been able to make up the difference as they are 7th in the league in scoring.

There are some bright spots though coming along that should be on the 1935 roster at some point next season. Joe Hancock is the #12 prospect in all baseball and is only 21. LHSP Buddy Long (19) is the #29 prospect to help the pitching staff. CF Levi Redding (23) who they got from the Foresters has been at Class A hitting 325 and is likely ready to be promoted. So there is some solid hope for the future, but they will have a high pick again in the draft this season and they need to hit on their picks.

Pitching Matchups - Toronto vs Cleveland
Bernie Johnson 11-9 4.23 vs Eddie Quinn 11-6 3.51
Bill Anderson 9-13 4.12 vs Roger Perry 12-6 2.68
Birdie Smith 7-10 vs Walter Murphy 12-4 2.93

Game #99 - Toronto Wolves 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 5
Cleveland got a strong outing from Eddie Quinn as the Foresters defeated the Toronto Wolves, 5-2, at Forester Stadium. Quinn went 9 innings to notch the win. He scattered 7 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5. His record improves to 12-6. The Wolves, now 43-57, have lost 6 straight.

George Dawson hit a run-scoring double off Bernie Johnson in the bottom of the seventh, which put the Foresters in front, 3-2. In addition to the double, Dawson had 1 single, while going 2 for 4. "We'll relax tonight and get back after it tomorrow," Quinn said after the game.

WP - Eddie Quinn 12-6 3.43 (9IP 7H 2R 2ER 3BB 5K)
LP - Bernie Johnson 11-10 4.30 (8IP 12H 5R 5ER 1BB 1K)
HR - (Tor) Al Nance 4th
Notable - Max Morris 4-4 TP, 1 RBI 1R, Eddie Quinn 2-2 2DB 2R, George Dawson 2-4 DB 2RBI 1R

Game #100 - Toronto Wolves 4 vs Cleveland Foresters 16
Behind the hitting of Max Morris, the Cleveland Foresters stopped the Toronto Wolves, 10-4. Morris was 4 for 4 with 2 home runs, a double, and a walk, while scoring 3 times and driving in 4 for the Foresters. The losing skid has reached 7 games for Toronto.

With Cleveland leading 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Morris hit a curveball from Bill Anderson for a 3-run home run. It was his 21st home run of the season and put the Foresters ahead, 9-3. Morris who has gone 8 for his last 8 with a double, triple, 2 home runs 5RBI's and 4 runs along with a walk, told a Cleveland P-I reporter that he was "satisfied" with the win.

WP - Roger Perry 13-6 2.80 (6.1IP 4H 4R 4ER 6BB 3K)
LP - Bill Anderson 9-14 4.47 (3.0IP 10H 9R 9ER 3BB 1K)
HR - (Tor) Frank Huddleston 13th, (Cl) Max Morris 2 20th and 21st, Moxie Pidgeon 17th
Notable - Pidgeon 2-4 HR BB 2RBI 2R, Max Morris 4-4, DB, 2HR BB 3R 4RBI, Ralph Joiner 2-4 2RBI's

Game #101 - Toronto Wolves 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 17
The Cleveland Foresters beat the Toronto Wolves, 17-2, at Forester Stadium. Cleveland catcher T.R. Goins had an outstanding performance. He was 3 for 4 with a home run, a double, and 2 walks. He scored 4 runs and drove in 4. The losses continue to mount for Toronto, which has now dropped 8 in a row.

With two out in the bottom of the second, Moxie Pidgeon barreled up a changeup from Birdie Smith. The result was a 3-run home run, putting the Foresters in front, 5-0.

"We're in a funk and we need to shake ourselves out of it," said Toronto manager Bob Warren.

WP - Walter Murphy 13-4 2.89 (8.1IP 6H 2R 2ER 2BB 5K)
LP - Birdie Smith 7-11 5.21 (2.1IP 7H 11R 10ER 6BB 0K)
HR - (Tor) Billy Eastep 8th, (Cl) Leon Drake 14th, TR Goins 8th, Moxie Pidgeon 18th
Notable - Moxie Pidgeon 3-4 TP, HR, 5RBI 3R BB, TR Goins 3-4 DB 4R 4 RBI 2BB, George Dawson 1-3 3BB 3R, Leon Drake 2-4 HR 2RBI 2R BB

Comments - We beat up a pretty bad team that is on quite a losing streak right now. It's great to get the wins but we can't get too happy about it. We are officially at the 2/3 of the way through the season with a record of 68-33 with a 7 game lead. 53 games remain between us and the CA title. While I don't like to project, I am going to do it anyway. If we play 500 and go 27-26 the rest of the way, it would gives us 95 wins on the season and easily be the best record in the history of the Foresters. It would also mean that Brooklyn would have to go 34-19 (642) to tie us with 95 wins. So while that is great to have a lead, our work is definitely not finished as that Kings team could easily do that mark over the last 1/3 of the season.

Heading into the game played today Max Morris's last 10 plate appearances had him reaching base each time. He was 8-8 with a walk and a HBP over that period. He hit a sacrifice fly in his first at-bat driving in a run. He walked in his 2nd at-bat in the 2nd inning to make it 11-11 getting on base. He followed that up with a single in the 3rd to make it 9-9 (12-12) before finally grounding out to end the 4th inning. He ended his day in the 6th getting on with another single to go 2-3 with a walk on the day.

Now we have Chicago who took swept 3 game from us in Chicago last week coming to town. They might not have much of a shot left this year but they are enjoying making our lives hell this past week.

Chicago Cougars 49-53 (6th Place) vs Cleveland Foresters 68-33
3-game series in Cleveland at the Dump
Season Series - Cleveland leads 10-5

Pitching Matchups Chicago vs Cleveland
Art Black 0-0 5.14 vs Ben Turner 6-4 4.77
Dick Lyons 8-6 3.89 vs Dean Astle 12-5 3.06
George Johnson 7-8 5.11 vs Eddie Quinn 12-6 3.43 (tentative for Monday)

Game #102 - Chicago Cougars 7 vs Cleveland Foresters 6 (10)
It took 10 innings but the Cougars won their 4th straight against the Foresters. With left fielder Doc Love leading the charge, the Chicago Cougars defeated the Cleveland Foresters, 7-6, at Forester Stadium. Love, who is tied for 4th in the CA in triples with 10, went 3 for 4 with a triple, a double, and a walk, while scoring 2 times and driving in 2. Chicago reliever Chick Meehan was the winner. His record is now 4-2. Frank Phillips took the loss. Chicago's record now stands at 50-53, placing them 5th in the Continental Association.

It could have been a different outcome for Chicago, had it not been for Cy Bryant, the 28-year old center fielder . Bryant contributed a run-scoring single in the top of the tenth inning to put Chicago up, 7-6.

"The game of baseball will test you," said Hank Leitzke, the Chicago skipper. "This one tested us." Leitzke has to be taking pride in seeing his new team beat his old team 4 straight since he came on the scene.

WP - Chick Meehan 4-2 4.70
LP - Frank Phillips 7-5 4.34
HR - None
Notable - Moxie Pidgon 3-4 BB 2RBI, Brooks Meeks 3-5 DB 3R 2RBI

Game #103 - Chicago Cougars 0 vs Cleveland Foresters 7
The strong arm of Dean Astle dealt a lot of misery to the Cougars. He tossed a complete-game shutout to spark the Cleveland Foresters to a 7-0 win. In today's contest at Forester Stadium, Astle limited Chicago to 2 hits and had 5 strikeouts and no walks.

Astle has posted a 13-5 record for the year with a 2.92 ERA. Teams are hitting .248 against him and he has rung up 72 strikeouts in 191.1 innings.

WP - Dean Astle 13-5 2.92 (9IP 2H 0R 0BB 5K)
LP - Art Black 0-1 5.25 (5IP 8H 7R 3ER 3BB 1K)
HR - Dan Fowler 14th, Moxie Pidgeon 19th
Notable - Max Morris 2-4 R, Dan Fowler 2-3 HR, BB 2R 2RBI, Ralph Joiner 2-3 BB, 2RBI, R

Comments - So we end the week 4-2 and build our lead up to 8 games over Brooklyn. This is by far my best season in Cleveland and I just keep expecting the curse to come into play here.

It was nice to get a win over the Cougars today and Dean Astle pitched a gem giving up just 2 hits and no walks.

So my only real complaint this season is that for whatever reason this team makes way too many errors. So far we have committed 135 which is worst in the CA and tied with the Washington Eagles for worst in the FABL. The strange thing is even with all those errors we are leading the CA in defense efficiency at .692 and 3rd in Zone rating at 14.8. I just think were we would be without all the unearned runs we have given up this season on all those errors.

Moxie Pidgeon won the CA player of the week award for his performance last week. Pidgeon went 11-21 for a 524 batting average with 3 home runs and 11 RBI's For the season the RF is hitting 310 with 19 home runs (3rd in the CA) and 70 RBI's

[DD Martin]

August 7th-13th

Short note today as I am running short on time. The team played like it was short on time all week going 2-4. The loss that stings the most was the one against Chicago. More on that in a bit.

One piece of news that I forgot to mention last week was that the Forester's broke their all-time attendance record in Cleveland. Prior to my arrival in Cleveland for the 1926 season, the Foresters high season attendance was 681,350 in the 1921 season. We broke that mark in 1927 with 791,270 fans crossing the turnstiles. 1928 was even better with over 800,000 fans (808,637) coming through the gates. After that attendance plummeted with the decline in play of the team and the continuing worsening conditions at the ballpark. It hit rock bottom in the disastrous 1931 season were attendance fell to only 399,213. But on Friday August 3rd against the Toronto Wolves, 16,841 fans attended that game. A women by the name of Gladys Meadows was the 5284 fan through the gates to break the all-time mark and won a new 1934 Cabriolet, very similar to the car that former Chicago Manager Dick Pozza left the All-Star game with. Through the end of the homestand last Monday 6th (a 5-4 loss to Chicago), the attendance for the Foresters for the season is at 872,531. With 23 home games left to go, the team figures to go well beyond 1 million fans and end the season with 1,244,165 fans which would be 15th all time (see list below).

Highest Season Attendance All-Time
Chicago Cougars 1,690,014 (1932)
New York Gothams 1,653,719 (1931)
Chicago Cougars 1,606,116 (1931)
Chicago Cougars 1,532,848 (1933)
New York Gothams 1,446,763 (1930)
Chicago Cougars 1,460,380 (1930)
Philadelphia Sailors 1,368,641 (1930)
New York Stars 1,342,362 (1932)
Philadelphia Sailors 1,310,184 (1929)
Detroit Dynamos 1,308,153 (1929)
Detroit Dynamos 1,290,571 (1931)
Montreal Saints 1,272,933 (1930)
Philadelphia Keystones 1,268,052 (1931)
Detroit Dynamos 1,253,573 (1930)
Philadelphia Sailors 1,245,854 (1931)

Highest Season Attendance Marks by Team All-Time
Chicago Cougars 1,690,014 (1932)
New York Gothams 1,653,719 (1931)
Philadelphia Sailors 1,368,641 (1930)
New York Stars 1,342,362 (1932)
Detroit Dynamos 1,308,153 (1929)
Montreal Saints 1,272,933 (1930)
Philadelphia Keystones 1,268,052 (1931)
Chicago Chiefs 1,066,872 (1928)
Baltimore Cannons 1,019,504 (1931)
Brooklyn Kings 989,160 (1926)
Washington Eagles 959,452 (1925)
Cleveland Foresters 808,637 (1928)
St. Louis Pioneers 808,619 (1927)
Toronto Wolves 767,167 (1927)
Pittsburgh Miners 748,026 (1931)
Boston Minutemen 658,930 (1921)

This past week
Weekly Record 2-4

Monday 6th vs Chicago 4-5 loss
Tuesday 7th @ Toronto 5-0 win
Wednesday 8th @ Toronto 5-7 loss
Thrusday 9th @ Toronto 3-4 loss
Friday off day
Saturday 11th @ Phily 3-0 win
Sunday 12th @ Phily 8-10 loss

We tried an experiment and gave all the starters an extra day of rest and threw Bert Henggeler in the game on Wednesday in Toronto. Henggeler was sharp last year around this time of the year as a SP. He pitched 6 innings giving up 4 runs and left the game with a 5-4 lead and was in line for the win. Unfortunately the bullpen let their brother down giving up 3 in the 7th. While the outing wasn't great, it was competitive but we decided to wait again since the lead in the division was down to 5 1/2 games before doing it again. In September depending on where we are at, we might go to a 6-man rotation bringing back several Cincinnati pitchers like Heinie Bretz and Carl Bragg.

I'd like to say our errors were better this week, but I can't. We committed 7 more errors and remain tied with Washington and the most error plagued team in baseball.

Player of the Week - Moxie Pidgeon won his 2nd straight CA Player of the Week Award going 13-22 scoring 4 runs and driving in 3 RBI's.

Next week we have 2 more games in Philadelphia then head off to Baltimore where we need to make some hay to be sure. The week after that its trips to Montreal and New York. We wrap the month in Brooklyn for a key 3-game series.

All I can say this week is I hope Chicago does what they did to us (taking 5 out of 6) and does the same thing to Brooklyn this week.

[DD Martin]

Sometimes it takes a little break to recharge the creative juices. But the Foresters are back with vengeance but first a bit of mediocrity in what was a very strong season.

The Forester's through August 12th had gone a very blasé 6-5 and held a 5 1/2 game lead over the Brooklyn Kings (down from a high of 8 just a week ago). Things were going to look a lot worse by the time the key end of the month series took place in Brooklyn.

The Forester's seemingly had taken their foot off the gas pedal as going into that key series they played 500 ball going 7-7 and showing a 78-45 record. The lead in the CA was down to just 2 games prior to the 3 game series in Brooklyn.

August 13th-August 27th games/scores
August 13th - Cleveland 3 @ Philadelphia 6
August 14th - Cleveland 1 @ Philadelphia 2
August 15th - Travel Day

Comments - So we conclude a very poor series in Philadelphia losing 3 of 4 to the Sailors (58-53). In what has been an up and down but plainly just middle of the road for the Sailors they have had our number this year leading the season series 10-8. At this point they are the only team in the CA with a 500 record or better against us. Next we head off to Baltimore where we have at least been dominate against the rebuilding Cannons going 11-3 on the season.

August 16th - Cleveland 6 @ Baltimore 7
August 17th - Cleveland 15 @ Baltimore 1
August 18th - Cleveland 11 @ Baltimore 10 (11)
August 19th - Cleveland 8 @ Baltimore 6

Comments - Losing the first one we then turned it on and beat the Cannons the next 3 games. Still taking 3 out of 4 against a team that will likely lose 100+ games this season. So feeling overconfident is not something the team should be feeling. Our lead in the CA is currently 3 games and everything is pointing to the show down in Brooklyn in a little over a week.

August 20th - Cleveland 6 @ Montreal 1 (11)
August 21st - Cleveland 3 @ Montreal 1
August 22nd - Cleveland 6 @ Montreal 7
August 23rd - Cleveland 5 @ Montreal 3

Summary - The road trip continued and we took 3 out of 4 against the Saints who are falling in the CA once again. We actually had a nice little 5 game win streak there going and have taken 6 out of our last 7 games. The lead in the CA is now 4 games and we move on to NYC to take on the Stars (60-60).

August 24th - Cleveland 7 @ New York 10
August 25th - Cleveland 11 @ New York 12 (10)
August 26th - Cleveland 8 @ New York 7
August 27th - Cleveland 2 @ New York 6

Summary - So a terrible time in Manhattan to start our stay in the state of New York. We lose 3 out of 4 vs the Stars while Brooklyn wins 3 out of 4 and our lead is down to just 2 games prior to the series in Brooklyn.

For the month we are 13-12 so we are trying to test out that "if we play 500 ball the rest of the way" theory. Not sure why we have to make things so difficult for ourselves...

Next - The Big Series in Brooklyn

[DD Martin]

Welcome to Brooklyn Where Dreams Come to Die!


Here are the words from our head scout Ollie Moses who has been so busy scouting for the draft (That we don't have a 1st or 2nd round pick in), but somehow found time to cobble this bit of info

Hello Boss
For the upcoming 3 game series on the road in Brooklyn that kicks off tomorrow, I have cobbled together this report for you.

Kings County Park is a ballpark that slightly favors hitters and holds approximately 32,000 fans. Because King's fans are inherently stupid (or like our fans just don't believe they will ever win), we only expect about 25-30% capacity showing up for this series. Why they won't attract more fans is beyond me with the type of team they have but hopefully that plays in our favor.

The Kings record is 75-46 and they trailing us in the division by 2 games. We have passed them in runs scored finally as they are 2nd with 699 but they lead the league in team batting average at 306. On the other side of the diamond their pitching staff has been solidly #2 behind ours all season as they have given up 548 runs (2nd) and their starters have compiled an ERA of 3.95 (2nd). The one area where they seem to have a clear advantage is in the bullpen as they have an ERA of 3.01 (1st) whereas we are towards the bottom of the barrel (opps bad pun).

So far in the season series we are leading them by a 9-6 count.

Pitching Matchups Cleveland vs Brooklyn
Game 1 - August 28th Ben Turner 8-4 4.39 vs Ken Carpenter 16-6 3.75
Game 2 - August 29th Walter Murphy 14-6 3.39 vs Joe Shaffner 16-9 3.31
Game 3 - August 30th Roger Perry 16-6 3.10 vs Tom Barrell 19-3 3.08

Lineups first for the visiting Cleveland Foresters
1. SS George Dawson 311 1-43
2. RF Moxie Pidgeon 317 21-80
3. LF Leon Drake 294 18-97
4. 1B Max Morris 330 24-108
5. C TR Goins 351 10-71
6. 3B Charlie Barry 272 4-19
7. CF Dan Fowler 252 16-71
8. 2B Brooks Meeks 313 2-36

Lineups for the Brooklyn Kings
1. 2B Jake Shadoan 318 13-61
2. SS Harry Barrell 343 2-67
3. RF Doug Lightbody 377 5-69
4. 1B Dan Barrell 326 8-66
5. LF Art Summers 283 8-72
6. C Fred Barrell 292 6-68
7. 3B Buck Sargent 232 3-8
8. CF Bill May 249 1-26

Game #124 - Cleveland Foresters 2 @ Brooklyn Kings 6
Kings Improve to 76-46 with 6-2 Win, Move to within a game of 1st place Forester's
The Brooklyn Kings knocked off the Cleveland Foresters, 6-2, at Kings County Park II. Buck Sargent was a big reason Brooklyn won. The third baseman was 3 for 3 with a home run, 2 singles, and a walk, while scoring 2 runs. Ken Carpenter, who went 8 innings, was the winning pitcher. He was charged with 2 runs on 7 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 3. His record now stands at 14-4. The victory gives Brooklyn a record of 76-46.

The Kings got a big at-bat from center fielder Bill May. For the game, May went 1 for 4 with a home run. He drove in 4 runs and scored once. In the bottom of the sixth, with runners on 1st and 2nd, he stroked a 3-run home run. His 2nd home run of the season gave Brooklyn a 4-1 lead.

"Hustle and hard work is a big part of our success," said May. "Those qualities define our team."

WP - Ken Carpenter 14-4 3.71 (8IP 7H 2R 2ER 1BB 3K)
LP - Ben Turner 8-5 4.50 (7IP 9H 5R 5ER 3BB 2K)
HR - (Brk) Bill May 2nd
Notable - Max Morris was a scratch for this game with flu like symptoms. Jake Moore 3-4 1RBI

Summary - So Morris was a scratch for this one but it likely wouldn't have mattered. Carpenter was 3-2 in Baltimore before the trade to Brooklyn and has gone 11-2 since then. At the time of that trade I cringed because the one area where I felt we were far superior to Brooklyn at the start of the season was in the starting pitching, especially after Jimmy Jacobs went down early in the season. Carpenter has been a difference maker for this team and while they have Tom Barrell, it has been Carpenter's insertion into the Brooklyn rotation that has made the difference for them.

Still we have a 1 game lead and while splitting would ensure we retain that lead, I'd like to win next game to avoid being tied in the standings and Brooklyn having Tommy Barrell on the hill.

Game #125 - Cleveland Foresters 3 @ Brooklyn Kings 11
Barrell Helps Brooklyn Cruise to 10-3 Win
Brooklyn beat Cleveland in a rain-soaked ballgame and tie the Foresters for the lead in the CA

Dan Barrell was a vital contributor to the 10-3 Brooklyn victory over Cleveland. The Kings first baseman was 4 for 5 with 4 singles. He scored 3 times and drove in 2. Del Lyons converted his 5th save in 5 tries.

Elmer Nolde dealt the Foresters a blow in the bottom of the fourth. Batting with the bases loaded and Brooklyn leading 3-2, Nolde, who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1929 draft, hit a 1-0 cutter for a bases-clearing double.

"We swung the bats good throughout the lineup," said Brooklyn skipper Walt Bailey. The triumph puts Brooklyn at 77-46 for the season.

WP - Tommy Barrell 20-3 3.08 (5.1IP 6H 2R 2ER 3BB 5K)
LP - Walter Murphy 14-7 3.66 (5IP 11H 8R 8ER 3BB 2K)
HR - (Brk) Jake Shadoan 14th
Notable - Charlie Barry 4-5 DB 2RBI, Max Morris 2-5

Summary - Received a call today from a very angry team owner Elmer Marshall. He heard the game on the radio after he had another heated exchange with Cleveland City Officials on a new ballpark. I have never heard him so angry before. I tried to get some words in but before I did he just hung up......

Disappointment is probably the key word right now. Early in the month we were flying high with an 8 game lead and already starting to order the champagne, and now nothing really seems certain. The Kings moved up Tom Barrell to pitch game 2 so we will see what they do for the final game of the series.

Game #126 - Cleveland Foresters 2 @ Brooklyn Kings 13
May Helps Red Hot Kings Cruise to 13-2 Win and take Association Lead!

Bill May had a hand in Brooklyn defeating Cleveland by the score of 13-2. May went 3 for 4 at the plate, scoring 3 times and driving in 2 runs. Mike Murphy got credit for the win, improving to 17-6. He allowed 2 runs on 13 hits in 8.1 innings. Brooklyn now has a record of 78-46 with the win.

Jake Shadoan, the Brooklyn second baseman, contributed a 2-run single in the bottom of the fourth inning to make the score 4-2, Kings. For the game, Shadoan went 3 for 5 with 3 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once.

"As well as we've been playing, I think we can play even better," said Brooklyn manager Walt Bailey.

WP - Mike Murphy 17-6 3.08 (8.1IP 13H 2R 2ER 2BB 1K)
LP - Roger Perry 16-7 3.30 (4.2IP 10H 9R 6ER 2BB 4K)
HR - (Cl) Dan Fowler 17th, (Brk) Doug LIghtbody 6th
Notable - We're in 2nd

Summary - Complete domination is the only words to describe what just happened. The Kings complete a 20-7 month and have surged back into the lead by a game. The last time the Kings led the division was July 1st and they last time they shared the lead was July 3rd. For us while they ran off a great month, we limped along at 13-15. An 8 game lead completely vanishing in the process.

How did it come to this and what went wrong in August? In looking at the pitching numbers for the month the answer is pretty simple. The strength of our team all season had been the starting rotation. In August they went a combined 11-9 in 202 innings. Giving up 228 hits, 68 walks, 119 runs of which 106 were earned. Starters ERA 4.73 WHIP 1.465 with a 68-113 walk to strikeout ratio of 1.67. These are not the numbers that we saw from the #1 rotation in the CA from April-July.

The bullpen which was a dumpster fire in 1932 but rebounded to respectability in 1933, has regressed back into the dumpster fire. The only person pitching decently well in the bullpen this month was Jim Cavender who has lost and regained his job each of the last 2 off-seasons. Cavender pitched 9 total innings and gave up 2 runs on 8 hits. Unfortunately he was only used 5 times. As a whole, the bullpen pitched 46 innings in 34 total appearances giving up 63 hits, 30 runs, 29 earned runs with 14 walks and 37 strikeouts. All that led to a 5.67 ERA for the pen who started more fires than they put out good for a 2-6 record.

On the offensive side the position players (no pitchers) hit 317/388/860 with 45 doubles, 12 triples, 26 home runs scoring 166 runs and driving in 153 RBI's. They also stole 11 bases while being caught 5 times. Scoring almost 6 runs a game, the offense really isn't what let the team down in August.

CA Batter of the Month (August)
Moxie Pidgeon's effort in August with a 392 batting average along with 5 home runs and 21 RBI's was enough to give him the hitter of the month award in the CA.

[DD Martin]

The Start of the Final Month Ever in Cleveland?

Once we got back from the thrashing in Brooklyn we had 2 off days in a row on August 31st (travel) and September 1st which was a Saturday. We had 2 games vs Toronto at home on Sunday and Labor Day. Then a double header against Chicago on Tuesday followed by another off day on Wednesday. Then finally 4 games against Montreal at home before the Kings come into town for the final time of the 34 season for 4 games next week.

Once I got to my office at the stadium on Saturday, Mr. Marshall quickly came in still red face as I imagined he looked on the phone call we had after getting swept in Brooklyn. He wasn't so angry about the position we now found ourselves in (although he would prefer to be winning as playoff games mean more money), no he was still furious with the City.

Mr. Marshall - We are going to have a press announcement so get those idiots down here that scribble that dribble in those rags. I have an announcement. The press announcement is at 1pm sharp. Now get on it!

So I quickly got a hold of Ronald William Apter and a few others from radio and the other surrounding areas. I let them know that this was more of a statement than a press conference and I am not sure if Mr. Marshall would be taking any questions.

The Cleveland P-I
Front Page
By Ronald William Apter
Sunday September 2nd

Forester's owner Marshall issues ultimatum

While the Forester's have enjoyed great success on the field, leading the CA for a large portion of the season. They have also enjoyed great success at the turnstiles setting a new franchise record for attendance. But based on yesterday's comments by the Forester's owner Elmer Marshall, this could be the last season in Cleveland. Here is his statement below.

Marshall - The city of Cleveland has dragged its feet and broken its promises for the last time. My father was promised that a new stadium would be constructed prior to his death. That stadium was to be built and ready for operation by the 1931 season. Now citing issues about the Great Depression from 1929 to 1933, the City cried poor and the stadium didn't get built as promised. Well the Great Depression was over prior to the 1933 season! We have met with City Officials constantly throughout this ridiculous process in good faith. All we seek is what was promised to my father, a new home for this club. The stadium behind you was built 45 years ago and is in declining physical condition. My office even has a leaky roof!

So I called this press announcement gathering to make it crystal clear to all the simple-minded people that run this city. You have until noon on December 31st, 1934 to put into writing a iron clad agreement to built a new stadium. Otherwise we will pack up not only the team, but also Marshall Industries and leave town taking all the jobs and entertainment that we provide, the hell out of town.

If you people think I am joking, I am not! Earlier this year we went on tour of 5 prospective towns to move this club too. We have narrowed that list to 3 cities, which include Buffalo, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. We will move if you do not finally live up to your promises. The city of Cleveland will lose its baseball team and likely will never, ever, get another team in major league baseball again. The deadline is not flexible and as you know, neither am I. Good Day

With that statement Marshall and Forester officials quickly left the podium area and we were left to talk about what we just witnessed. All calls to the Forester's offices went without being picked up.

Is this truly the end of the Forester's in Cleveland? Can a miracle run happen on the field to propel this team to the title? Stay tuned.

Comments by GM Martin - I hear Marshall on the phone and have had several conversations with him since we got back. He is dead serious about this and he will move the team. While I personally am not a fan of the Cleveland winter's, my wife and I have come accustomed to being here. I'd hate to see what would happen if the team actually leaves town.

On the field things couldn't have gotten much worse. We went 3-5 to start off the homestand. Here are the quick results.

Sunday September 2nd - Toronto 4 vs Cleveland 3 (11)
Monday September 3rd - Toronto 6 vs Cleveland 7
Tuesday September 4th Doubleheader game 1 - Chicago 5 vs Cleveland 2
Game 2 - Chicago 6 vs Cleveland 4
Wednesday - Off

Comments - So we play 4 games in 3 days against two sub-500 teams at home and go 1-3. We are now 3 games out behind Brooklyn and things are starting to look gloomy. The Saints are coming to town next and they are another sub-500 team. We have to turn this around now.

Thursday September 6th - Montreal 8 vs Cleveland 6
Friday September 7th - Montreal 3 vs Cleveland 6
Saturday September 8th - Montreal 6 vs Cleveland 2
Sunday September 9th - Montreal 0 vs Cleveland 4

Comments - So a split against a team that has been struggling the whole season outside of the first 2 weeks of the year. With the split Brooklyn wasn't able to put us away as they went 1-2 over the weekend so we actually gained 1/2 a game to be 2 1/2 out with the Kings coming in tomorrow for a crucial 4-game series here in Cleveland. Basically the season will ride on this set.

Following the comments from Mr. Marshall to the press, he left town and instructed all of us to issue "no comment" to any question about the future of the club in the city of Cleveland. My understanding is he went down to Cape Cod for the month.

His announcement though has not gone over well with the locals. We had a 100 fan satisfaction rating and that quickly dropped to 91. Attendance while still good was down with us fighting for the Association title. But that is something that I can't worry about right now. We have 4 games against Brooklyn next week.

Next - The Kings come flying into town

[DD Martin]

The Kings Arrive to Town

A huge 4-game series as the CA leading Brooklyn Kings (83-50) have a 2 1/2 game lead over our Foresters (81-53) in the tight CA pennant race. Since we covered the setup in great detail before we will just head straight to the pitching matchups for this crucial set of games.

Pitching Matchups - Brooklyn Kings vs Cleveland Foresters
Game 1 - Tom Barrell 22-3 3.01 vs Dean Astle 15-5 3.03
Game 2 - Joe Shaffner 16-10 3.41 vs Walter Murphy 14-8 3.70
Game 3 - Dick Lyons 4-1 1.60 vs Roger Perry 16-7 3.30
Game 4 - Mike Murphy 18-7 2.96 vs Eddie Quinn 12-10 3.62

Monday September 10th Game # 135 - Brooklyn Kings 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 0
Barrell Shuts Down Foresters, 2-0

"Good pitching beats good hitting" is an old baseball adage. Well, good pitching also beats bad hitting. Tom Barrell of the Brooklyn Kings proved the point at Forester Stadium today, holding the Cleveland Foresters to 5 hits in a complete game shutout victory.

"Barrell made us look real bad today," Foresters manager Jim Wilson said in his postgame interview. "He was outstanding. He was down in the zone with all his pitches. Everything was sinking."

Barrell had 2 strikeouts and gave up 2 walks as the Kings took the 2-0 win.

In 32 starts this season Barrell has gathered 23 wins while suffering 3 losses. He has pitched 266.1 innings, allowed 224 hits, struck out 160 and has a 2.91 ERA. Dean Astle pitched well but only last 4 innings due to an injury to his right hamstring.

WP - Tom Barrell 23-3 2.91 (9IP 5H 0R 2BB 2K)
LP - Dean Astle 15-6 3.02 (4IP 1 H 1R 1ER 1BB 1K)
HR - None
Notable - We are now 3 1/2 games behind the Kings

Comments - Well I don't necessarily agree with the article recap of the game as I don't believe we are a bad hitting club. That said manager Jim Wilson summed it up correctly when he said Barrell made us look bad today.

Right now the Association crown seems to be slipping from our fingers. These next 3 games are critical. We will put our faith (and fate) into the hands of Walter Murphy tomorrow. Murphy who started out the year like wildfire has struggle a bit the last 6 weeks or so. Hopefully he finds the magic once again. Tomorrow's game feels like a must win.

Tuesday September 11th 1934 Game #136 - Brooklyn Kings 6 vs Cleveland Foresters 7
Kings Tagged with 7-6 Loss

The Cleveland Foresters and Brooklyn Kings obliged fans hoping for an exciting game. The Cleveland Foresters defeated the Brooklyn Kings, 7-6. Doing his part was right fielder Doug Lightbody, who was 3 for 4 with a triple and a double, while scoring 2 times. The win gives Cleveland a season record of 82-54.

A defensive lapse proved costly in the contest. In the bottom of the eighth, with the game tied, Moxie Pidgeon was at the plate when Cleveland scored 1 on an error. The miscue enabled the Foresters to go in front, 7-6.

"We had the game right there for the taking," said Brooklyn manager Walt Bailey. "But we decided not to take it."

WP - Frank Phillips 10-7 (BS #9) 4.23
LP - Joe Shaffner 4-4 3.59 (with Kings) (8IP 8H 7R 0ER 4BB 3K)
HR - None
Notable - Brooks Meeks 1-3 DB 3RBI 1R BB,

Comments - Mike Murphy pitched a whale of a game through 7 innings but Jimmy (Wilson) left him in too long (probably afraid to use our bullpen). With the win we move back to within 2 1/2 games of the lead. Fortunately for us, the Kings left their gloves at the hotel for this one committing 3 errors and making all 7 runs we scored unearned. Perhaps the pressure is finally starting to get to them.

Prior to the start of the all important game 3, Roger Perry has been scratched from the lineup. When Jim tells me who he is going to start in this all important game, he tells me Carl Bragg. The last thing I remember was hearing Carl's name and I fell over on the floor in my office.

Wednesday September 12th Game #137 - Brooklyn Kings 3 vs Cleveland Foresters 8
Foresters Erupt for 8 Runs in the 4th, top Kings 8-3

With catcher T.R. Goins leading the charge, the Cleveland Foresters defeated the Brooklyn Kings, 8-3, at Forester Stadium. Goins, who leads the CA with a .940 OPS, was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once. Carl Bragg got the win, improving to 2-0. He pitched 6.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs, while striking out 1 and walking 2. The triumph puts Cleveland at 83-54 for the season.

Brooks Meeks helped out the Cleveland cause in the bottom of the fourth inning with a run-scoring double. For the game, the second baseman went 2 for 4 with a double.

"We took advantage of our opportunities," Goins told the Cleveland Daily. "It's as simple as that."

WP - Carl Bragg 2-0 4.32 (6.1IP 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 1k)
LP - Dick Lyons 4-2 2.47 (4IP 11H 8R 6ER 2BB)
HR - (Brk) Dan Barrell 10th
Notable - Max Morris 3-5 2 RBI R, Leon Drake 2-5 2DB, R, RBI, TR Goins 2-3 DB, BB 2RBI, R, Carl Bragg 2-3 2RBI 1R

Summary - Hours after getting the phone call I came too in my office and then hear on the radio that the Forester's had just won the game 8-3. Carl Bragg came through on the mound and with the bat! I should just know that Bragg despite his fringy stuff has done nothing but won games when he has gotten the chance. Perhaps he will grab that #5 spot in the rotation next spring once and for all. Lifetime he is 23-18 here in Cleveland but is 13-4 in his last 17 decisions with an ERA below 4.00 (33-34).

That brings us to within 1 1/2 games of Brooklyn with a HUGE game tomorrow. After the game in talking with skipper Jimmy Wilson he told me that Dean Astle is ready to go again and since he only went 4 innings on Monday could start tomorrow. I asked him about Eddie Quinn, but Quinn has been on a cold streak and the manager didn't feel comfortable pitching him in this important game. I let Jimmy make the decision since he call on Bragg today. When I asked about what the story is with Roger Perry, Wilson hesitated and then added his head wasn't into it. Something about a problem at home. I muttered something to myself about "Ballplayers".

Thursday September 13th Game #138 - Brooklyn Kings 6 vs Cleveland Foresters 5

Foresters Drop 6-5 Decision
Cleveland third baseman Charlie Barry was sensational. He went 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 singles. He drove in 3 runs and scored once, but it wasn't enough to rally his team to a win. Brooklyn beat the Foresters, 6-5. Mike Murphy picked up the win, improving his season record to 19-7. He struck out 4 in 7 innings. Hal Galvan got the save, his 15th in 20 chances.

Jake Shadoan, who is tied for 7th in the CA in stolen bases with 14, aided the Brooklyn cause with a run-scoring ground out in the top of the third. For the game, the second baseman went 2-5 with a triple and a double.

"We'll enjoy this win," said Shadoan. "But there's more we hope to accomplish." The Kings lead the Continental Association by 2½ games.

WP - Mike Murphy 19-7 2.88 (7IP 8H 3R 0ER 4K)
LP - Dean Astle 15-7 3.11 (7IP 8H 6R 5ER 4BB 1K)
S - Hal Galvan 15th 3.15
HR - (Cl) Charlie Barry 14th (7th with Foresters)
Notable - Charlie Barry 3-4, HR R 3RBI, TR Goins 2-4 DB (31) 2RBI 2R,

Summary - Well it was clear that Dean Astle was not ready to pitch as he gave up the 6 runs in the first 3 innings. After that he settled down but the result was pretty much not in doubt until a late rally made it interesting. So Manager Wilson stole a game with Carl Bragg yesterday but lost a tough one gambling on Astle on short rest coming off a wonky hammy.

The lost evened up this series at 2-2 and the season series at 11-11. We remain 2 1/2 games behind and the number of games left to catch up is growing short. With no more games against the Kings we will have to just win as many as we can and hope they loss a few here and there. Some geek numbers guy at the paper has pegged the Kings odds of winning the CA at 80% and the magic number is 15.


Next - Can we get hot and make up the ground?

[DD Martin]

Sad note today

The Cleveland P-I
Sports Report
September 15th, 1934

Former Cleveland Forester C Harvey Reese Passes Away

The former Forester catching great passed away today at age 70. Reese who after he retired made his home in Cleveland and could be seen at home games in his familiar spot behind home plate. While no cause was given it is believe he died of a broken heart.

[DD Martin]

2nd Half of September

Opening thoughts - We have 16 games left in the season and we are 2 1/2 games out of first place trailing the Kings who just left town. We really have our work cut out for us to try and catch them. Right now the "guys who know" say Brooklyn has an 80% chance of winning the CA. Hopefully our boys do put too much stock into that sort of stuff.

Since we are in this position and after talking it over with Jimmy Wilson we have decided to shorten our rotation to just 4 pitchers and start the highest rest pitcher each time out. We have been careful with our pitching staff this season going with a 5-man rotation all year and haven't varied from that formula much all year. It felt like the guys went through a bit of a dead arm period in August but 3 of our 4 main starting pitchers are pitching well in September.

We will be playing 13 games at home and 3 on the road. Our schedule breaks down like this.

September 14th-17th vs Baltimore 49-90
September 18th-21st vs New York 71-68
September 22nd @ Philadelphia 73-67 (makeup game)
September 23rd-24th @ Toronto 59-81
September 25th - Off Day
September 26th - 27th vs Chicago 71-67
September 28th vs Philadelphia 73-67
September 29th - Off Day
September 30th-October 1st vs Philadelphia 73-67

Brooklyn has 17 games left to go and they will be on the road for 12 of those games.

Prior to the games starting, I got a strange call from Mr. Marshall who was supposed to be in Cape Cod vacationing. My secretary said she had Mr. Marshall calling in collect from Charlotte North Carolina and asked if I wanted to accept the call....with some urgency I said "Put him through"

Mr Marshall - DD you there....good. I know your probably surprised I am calling collect but it is easier to expense the call to the club that way instead of me personally paying for it. Tax write off and all...

GM Martin - Sir I thought you were in Cape Cod?

Mr. Marshall - I was but I was also meeting with a man from Charlotte in Cape Cop who was trying to impress me with the potential situation down there. Well his presentation was enough to get me to go down and I met with several businessmen and the Mayor. What a difference a city can make. They made me feel welcomed, wanted to do whatever they could to entice us to bring the operation down to the Queen City. It is a fast growing city DD, let me tell you. Needless to say and we will keep this under wraps, if Cleveland doesn't come through and they won't we will be moving the club here next season.

GM Martin - (quietly) Charlotte? But it is so far South. I am not sure that new FABL President will approve the move.

Mr. Marshall - Since when do I care what the FABL President thinks? I think I have enough votes from the other owners to get a move past. Especially when I release all the information regarding the broken promises that the useless Cleveland City Council and Mayor have made over the year. I am telling you this, the weather in the winter is sure better here than up north. Anyway not a word of this gets out from our end, ok DD?

GM Martin - Yes sir they won't hear anything from me.

Mr. Marshall - Good now hopefully the team doesn't turn around and somehow win this thing. That will just complicate matters.

GM Martin - You don't want to go to the World Series.

Mr. Marshall - Next Year DD as the Charlotte Express, I'll talk to you later. Sometimes business is more important than winning on the field. This deal will make us a TON of MONEY!

(Sighing as I hang up with Mr. Marshall, but on with the games)

Friday September 14th - Baltimore Cannons 0 vs Cleveland Foresters 8
Saturday September 15th - Baltimore Cannons 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 3
Sunday September 16th - Baltimore Cannons 3 vs Cleveland Foresters 4
Monday September 17th - Baltimore Cannons 5 vs Cleveland Foresters 6

Comments - So we did what we were supposed too and sweep the FABL's worst team, the Baltimore Cannons. We ended up 18-4 on the season against the Cannons. The games were much closer (other than game 1) than I would have liked as we won the last 3 by 1 run.

So how did the Brooklyn Kings do, well they went 3-1 against the Chicago Cougars. We cut a game off that lead so it is now down to 1 1/2 games but I honestly was really hoping the Cougars would have gotten another 1 or 2 games. Their next 6 games are against Montreal and Toronto in Canada so hopefully brutal Canadian fall will cut into their winning ways a bit. Onward for us to welcome the New York Stars in for 4 games.

September 18th - New York Stars 1 vs Cleveland Foresters 15
September 19th - New York Stars 6 vs Cleveland Foresters 7 (10)
September 20th - New York Stars 6 vs Cleveland Foresters 7
September 21st - New York Stars 0 vs Cleveland Foresters 5

Comments - Another 4 game sweep so that gives us 8 wins in a row. Games 1 and 4 of the series were blowouts, but those middle 2 games could have gone either way and we were fortunate enough to squeak by each by a 7-6 margin.

Unfortunately for our chances we made up no ground as the Brooklyn Kings continue to roll. They have won 7 out of 8 since leaving Cleveland and their lead remains 1 1/2 games. We are now down to 8 games left for us and Brooklyn has 9. They are up 2 in the loss column on us.

We will next play our 3 remaining road games. The first one is against the team that causes us nothing but trouble, the Philadelphia Sailors. Then we move onto Toronto for a quick 2-game set vs the Wolves.

September 22nd - Cleveland Foresters 8 @ Philadelphia Sailors 3

Comments - That was a big, big win for us against the Sailors. We will finish the season against them with 3 at home. So far this season the Sailors are 10-9 against us. Brooklyn was off today so we moved to within 1 game (but still 2 off in the loss column) of the lead.

September 23rd - Cleveland Foresters 3 @ Toronto Wolves 4
September 24th - Cleveland Foresters 10 @ Toronto Wolves 2

Comments - The team was exhausted and had their 9 game winning streak snapped in the first game of the series. Fortunately we rebounded nicely in game 2 of the series to win comfortably. But we gave up a game as Brooklyn won both of their games so we go back to 2 games out. If we want any chance I feel like we are going to have to win out.

After an off-day to rest and travel back home, we will face the always tough Chicago Cougars for a quick 2 games. I am sure (Former Forester manager) Cougars Manager Hank Lietzke would love to ruin things for us.

Wednesday September 25th - Off-day

September 26th - Chicago Cougars 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 3
September 27th - Chicago Cougars 2 vs Cleveland Foresters 11

Comments - A tight game on Thursday as we slip by late with a run in both the 8th and 9th innings to steal the victory. Fortunately game 2 wasn't so tight.

The good news for us is Brooklyn lost 2 out of 3 the last 2 days. So we head into the last weekend of the season trailing Brooklyn by just 1/2 game. We have 3 games and Brooklyn has 4. Our off-day is after the first game of the series so we can rest up a bit and maybe reshuffle the pitching staff. The bad news is we are facing the Philadelphia Sailors who have given us fits this year. But the Kings are facing the New York Stars who give them fits also.

September 28th - Philadelphia Sailors 5 vs Cleveland Foresters 6
September 29th - Off-Day

Comments - This is going to go down to the wire. Brooklyn beat Montreal on Friday 12-4, but lost against the New York Stars on Saturday 5-2. With 2 games left we are in a flat footed tie.

September 30th - Philadelphia Sailors 1 vs Cleveland Foresters 5

Comments - Our win coupled with the Kings loss to the Stars 7-3 puts us up by 1 game with 1 game left in the season. We have gone 14-1 down the stretch with 1 game left to go........

Next - Season Cliffhanger

ooc - The sim stopped with 1 last game to go. I think we will play it later today but if we win or Brooklyn loses, the Cleveland Foresters will be your CA champs. Otherwise if Brooklyn wins and we lose, it is a 1 game playoff......stay tuned

[DD Martin]

The Final Game of 1934 CA Season

It was a fairly nice October 1st afternoon here in Cleveland. Both our game and the King’s game started at the same time so we will not know anything in advance. I was kind of hoping that the Kings game start several hours before our so we might have an inkling of what needed to be done today.

For this game after talking with Jim Wilson last night, we decided to start SP Eddie Quinn who is 17-10 on the season with a 3.22 ERA. Quinn who has gone 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in his last 5 starts gets the nod over Dean Astle who we will save in case of a playoff game tomorrow. Quinn also has 1 day more of rest than Astle although both are considered “ready”.

Mr. Marshall arrived into town last night as he figured he better be here for this game. He really didn’t want to be here as he was grumbling about how if we won the pennant it would make it more difficult to move the team in the off-season. He put on a good game face for people coming in to wish him and his team well, but underneath that exterior was a man who had coal in his heart. Its amazing how much he has changed in my 9 seasons here.

In the King’s game they will throw SP and shoe-in Allen Award Winner Tom Barrell 28-3 2.96. If there is a 1-game playoff it will likely be Mike Murphy 21-7 2.84 going for Brooklyn against our SP Dean Astle 17-7 3.07.

After 2 innings in Brooklyn, it definitely looks like the Forester’s will need to win this game. The King scored 4 in the first and 4 in the 2nd and with Tom Barrell pitching that looks like a lock to us.

Philadelphia Sailors vs Cleveland Foresters
Game #154

Lineups - Philadelphia
LF Ian Brady 300/382/915 1-4
1B Dick Walker 247/350/730 7-65
2B Jack Cleaves 314/369/850 7-59
RF Bobby Bond 306/367/808 9-90
C Alex Diaz 274/322/685 2-56
CF Lou Williams 288/359/701 1-50
3B Doc Brown 214-241/585 6-26
SS George Drake 242/306/601 1-40
P Herb Flynn 6-8 3.83

Cleveland Lineup
SS George Dawson 310/362/736 2-52
RF Moxie Pidgeon 325/381/907 25-92
C TR Goins 349/422/934 12-87
1B Max Morris 320/377/870 26-123
LF Leon Drake 295/378/888 21-118
3B Charlie Barry 325/371/835 15-96
CF Dan Fowler 264/375/820 22-91
2B Brooks Meeks 310/357/805 3-59
P Eddie Quinn 17-10 3.22

Foresters Sneak Past Sailors, 4-3 and Clinch CA Title
The Cleveland Foresters scored a tight 4-3 win versus the Philadelphia Sailors at Forester Stadium. Cleveland pitcher Eddie Quinn held his own in the contest. Cleveland is now riding a 6-game win streak.

Jack Cornelison was the walk-off hero for Cleveland. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Foresters pinch hitter hit a dramatic run-scoring single to send the teams home.

Cornelison called the triumph "a good team win."

After the locker room celebration, Manager Jim Wilson and C TR Goins gave his comments. "Every guy in the room has worked towards this goal all year long," said manager Jim Wilson. "I'm proud to call this my team." Goins stated "It's not going to be easy, but winning the World Championship Series is our ultimate goal."

The club will now go in search of their 1st Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues championship.

Comments - The Foresters went to the wire with the Kings but prevailed and won their 4th CA pennant in their history. This is the first title since 1920. Unfortunately the Foresters have never won the World Series going 0-3.

In the title clinching game, the Forester's led 3-1 entering the top of the 9th inning but once again the bullpen was not able to secure the win. Thankfully little used backup OF Jack Cornelison came through with the title clinching RBI single to win the CA title.

Now we will prepare for the World Series. While Mr. Marshall was a little displeased at the thought of winning as it might interfere with his planned move out of town, he was quite pleased to hear about the revenue a World Series can produce. Last season the Chicago Cougars and Philadelphia Keystones amassed over $200,000 each in extra revenue. He declared "That amount should cover the moving expenses, unless I can get Charlotte to cover that. Then it goes into my pocket."

It should be a great series

Next - The 1934 World Series

[DD Martin]

Morris Re-Signs

FABL legend 1B Max Morris (39) has agreed to a contract extension for 1 year and a league record $25,000. Morris is the all-time HR (666), RBI (2115), runs scored (2058), total bases (6015) and walks (1645) at the end of the 1934 season. He has a goal of reaching 700 career home runs and he needs 34. This past season for the first time he hasn't hit at least 30 home runs in a season since his injury shortened 1928 season in St. Louis when he hit 29. He might need to play 2 more seasons to get to 700 but the Foresters have said he has a job to play as long as he wants here in Cleveland (or Charlotte, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Milwaukee).

This past season while his home runs were down to 26, he still led the CA in RBI's with 123 and hit 320/377/870. For his career he has hit 347/441/1072 in 2629 FABL games.