United Leagues of Braeland

[reds1]

February 1, 1942

Western League: Cannons Take Command





--------



The Cambria Cannons are the powerhouse of the Western League as they are quickly making the race for first place a runaway. So much for parity, at least for top spot.

Their offense has held steady (.273/.338/.397 – 4th/5th/2nd) but is not what it has been in previous seasons. But the pitching has really improved this year (3.43/3.57/2.46 – 1st/1st/2nd), ranking first in a slew of categories. Only Embro’s starting rotation has more victories in the ULB. Cambria continues to be the top rated defensive team (.709) in the West.

Seven Cannons were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Bradley Dodson (3rd), SP Leon Hankey (2nd), SP Nick Paddock (2nd), 3B Kenneth Logan (1st), SS Rubén Sánchez (2nd), LF Ron Westmacott (3rd) and RF Clint Jones (3rd).

Top Position Player: 36-year old 3B Kenneth Logan (.315/.405/.482, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 66 R, 56 BB) is having his best season since 1937 when ULB first started up, earning his first trip to the all-star game. He also won a Player of the Week award in late December (where he batted .363), the third such award of his career.

Top Pitcher: 26-year old Leon Hankey (14-4, 2.81 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) is the real deal. Last year at this time, the 1940-41 Rookie of the Year was pitching mainly out of the bullpen. At the time, I said he needed to be used more, as Cambria’s starting rotation needed a boost. Well Cambria did just that and the sophomore pitcher not only earned his first trip to the all-star game, but also earned his first Pitcher of the Month award for January.

Key Injuries: LF Ron Westmacott (.304/.392/.571, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 39 R, 25 BB) fractured his fibula back on January 3. He is out for 2 more months (effectively the season).

28-year old RP Shaun Alford (4-0, 3 SV, 2.86 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) suffered a partially torn labrum back on December 20. He too, is out for another 2 months.

Key Trade: On January 26, Cambria acquired 32-year old LF Rio Gidley (64/64) from the Embro Suns. In return, Embro received two minor leaguers:
• 34-year old RHP Bert Farnsworth (34/34) and
• 20-year old RHP John Bullivant (22/80).

Knee-jerk reaction: Rio Gidley is now a Cannon because Ron Westmacott just cannot stay healthy. Since February 1940, Westmacott has missed the equivalent of 8 months due to injury. Needing a proven player to take his place in the field and in the lineup, Cambria went out and acquired Gidley. Gidley will no longer hit for high average and he’s never been a long ball threat, but he’s patient at the plate and is capable of leading off the lineup with his tremendous base-running skills. He is also an outstanding defender in leftfield as well.
In return, the Suns get a couple of relievers. One, Farnsworth, they put immediately on waivers so as to send him down to AAA and the other, Bullivant, immediately becomes their No. 3 overall rated prospect. Bullivant has all the makings to become a top-notch relief pitcher in the majors, while Farnsworth may get called up when the rosters expand to pitch garbage innings. All-in-all, Embro gets a rather light return for a still capable position player in my humble opinion.



--------



Like the rest of the Western League teams not named Cannons, the Fort Richmond Generals are a flawed team, unable to keep up with Cambria. But it would seem that they are less flawed than the rest. They are remarkably balanced on both offense (.279/.340/.388 – 2nd/3rd/5th) and pitching (3.58/3.62/3.33 – 2nd/2nd/3rd). They are 3rd in defensive efficiency (.700). If they can remain healthy and play consistently, then they could win the wild card by default. But more losing months like January will put that in jeopardy.

Four Generals were selected to the All-Star game: SP Oscar Burruss (4th), C Danny Trowbridge (1st), 1B Merlin Teeters (1st) and SS Jamie Florey (1st – since traded to Pulberry).

Top Position Player: C Danny Trowbridge (.322/.388/.492, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 69 R, 39 BB, 3 SB) is a legitimate star; the top ranked catcher in the ULB and easily his team’s best player. He batted .341/.292 in December/January and is solid behind the plate (2.4 ZR, 1.072 EFF).

Top Pitcher: SP Oscar Burress had a terrific December, winning Pitching of the Month honours, but I’m going to give a shout out to SP Tristan Purss (9-9, 3.33 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) who is only pitcher in the rotation to have kept his ERA below 3.00 in both December/January (2.68/2.65), going 6-6 in that stretch.

Key Injuries: None.

Key Trade: On January 29, Fort Richmond traded 25-year old SS Jamie Florey (72/80) to the Pulberry Trolleys. In return, the Generals received 27-year old LF Andrew Jensen (63/64) and three minor leaguers:
• 21-year old CF León Rivera (22/40);
• 20-year old C Mitchell Ide (21/24) and
• 27-year old RHP David Craig (24/30).

Knee-jerk reaction: To try and secure their first post-season appearance, the Generals made a bold move. They gave up Florey (.316/.395/.429, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 60 R, 47 BB), their 8th overall pick from 1938 and the No. 3 2B in the ULB for Andrew Jensen (.314/.378/.446, 10 HR, 48 RBI, 49 R, 41 BB, 4 SB), the No. 4 LF in the ULB. Both are offensively capable. But Fort Richmond was willing to trade Florey, as they feel their top prospect 2B Shaun Attenborough (57/73), a 2nd round pick from 1940, is ready to step in. If Attenborough and Jensen can produce in their new environs, then Generals GM Bill Byers will be judged a genius. Of the three minor leaguers, only Rivera makes much of an impression. A 3rd round pick from 1939, Rivera has modest batting skills but is patient at the plate and has outstanding base-stealing skills.



--------



The Balmoral Giants faltered badly in December, but recovered in January to put up their best month so far this season. But they still find themselves a couple of games out of the wild card and just one game up on the Kingston Pelicans. The Giants have lost a little bit of steam, especially in the rotation, but it appears they are not quite ready to make any bold moves to grab a playoff spot, like Fort Richmond did. Balmoral only made one minor deal before the trade deadline (see Embro Suns recap).

The Giants are a very competent offensive team (.280/.340/.397 – 1st/2nd/3rd), but their starting rotation starting to show cracks (3.99/4.33/2.04 – 3rd/6th/1st) and they are 5th in def. efficiency (.692). Still, there are definite improvements across the board this season to offer hope that the Giants are on the right track. They have an incredibly deep farm system that is starting to pay dividends.

Three Giants were selected to the All-Star game: RP Ricardo Díaz (1st), SS Francisco Rodríguez (3rd) and LF Carlton Broadbent (1st).

Top Position Player: 22-year old 2B Allen Cattanach (.258/.321/.354, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 42 R, 26 BB) came alive in January, winning Rookie of the Month honours, but SS Francisco Rodríguez (.345/.388/.490, 2 HR, 37 RBI, 32 R, 20 BB) has been Balmoral’s most consistent player over the course of the season.

Top Pitcher: While the starting rotation is struggling, 35-year old RP Ricardo Díaz (3-1, 12 SV, 1.11 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) has been sensational this season, earning his first all-star appearance. In his previous four seasons, his ERA was 5.80, 4.16, 4.53 and 4.26.

Key Injuries: None.

--------



The Kingston Pelicans continue the trend of taking a step forward one month, taking one step back the next. The Pelicans are still adjusting to life without Okura Ito, but it’s a struggling pitching staff that is holding Kingston back. The offense has rebounded as the season progresses (.275/.349/.407 – 3rd/1st/1st), while the pitching staff has shown only some modest improvement (4.25/4.05/5.41 – 6th/4th/8th). Defensively, Kingston is near the bottom (.691 – 7th).

But the Pelicans appear to have a game plan. Waiting in the wings are five very promising young pitchers: 21-year old LHP Patrick Denman (20/75 – 11th overall pick in 1940), 23-year old RHP Jim Hogue (57/71 – 2nd round pick in 1939), 20-year old LHP Mo Goldstraw (20/69 – 2nd round pick in 1940), 23-year old RHP Charlie Gilbert (21/74 – 16th overall pick in 1940), and 21-year old RHP Bernie Knowles (24/66 – 3rd round pick in 1939). All have above average to great stuff, movement and control. Gilbert (8-4, 4.81 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) and Denman (2-3, 1 SV, 6.23 ERA, 2.11 WHIP) are already getting their first taste of the majors. If they all pan out, the Pelicans may soon have a dominating, young pitching staff for years to come.

Six Pelicans were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Joey Cumberledge (5th), SP Francis Slocock (4th), 1B Fergus Chitty (5th), 2B Mo Symes (5th), 3B Terry Maxwell (1st) and LF Jayden Tennant (5th).

Top Position Player: 32-year old 2B Mo Symes (.296/.409/.478, 14 HR, 55 RBI, 92 R, 76 BB) leads the team in WAR, and 33-year old 1B Fergus Chitty (.318/.438/.538, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 62 R, 67 BB) won Batter of the Month honours in December, but how can I not pick 33-year old LF Jayden Tennant (.327/.414/.589, 24 HR, 84 RBI, 72 R, 58 BB)? Tennant has won four Player of the Week Awards so far this season as well as the Batter of the Month honour for January. This guy is clearly in the zone.

Top Pitcher: 32-year old RHP Francis Slocock (9-7, 2.87 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) has been the most reliable pitching on the staff in this year of transition. In December/January, Slocock went 5-4, 2.84 ERA.

Key Injuries: RP Brenden Margerson suffered a torn rotator cuff during ‘spring’ training. He is out for the season.

33-year old 1B Fergus Chitty (.318/.438/.538, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 62 R, 67 BB) suffered an intercostal strain in a game on January 17. He is out for an additional 3 weeks.

Key Trade: On January 17, Kingston acquired 26-year old SS Katsunan Chikafuji (71/72) from the Queensland Eagles. In return, Queensland received five minor leaguers:
• 20-year old RHP Shawn Howse (32/71);
• 24-year old LHP Zak Yoshida (55/55);
• 21-year old LHP Tommy Henry (20/21);
• 20-year old 1B Ademar Taipa (22/34) and
• 21-year old RHP Joel Towneley (20/34).

Knee-jerk reaction: Kingston sees Chikafuji as Okura Ito’s successor at shortstop. Chikafuji is a 5-time all-star, a 1-time Babe Ruth Award winner and previous Rookie of the Year Award winner. He figures to be their No. 3 hitter in the lineup. In return, Queensland is banking that Howse and Yoshida will become future rotation stalwarts. Both have flaws: Howse’s stuff in not great (35/35) and Yoshida’s control needs work (40/40). It’s a bit of a gamble on Queensland’s part that they will get great value from this trade.



--------



The promise that December offered to the Wolseley Unions was dashed by a disastrous January. In the end, it was all a mirage. The Unions are simply woeful on both sides of the ball, with the offense (.250/.323/.409 – 8th/7th/8th) and pitching (4.27/4.38/3.72 – 7th/7th/4th) not able to contend in the West. Defense is not a strength either (.691 – 6th). But the Unions do have talent in their system (ranked 3rd overall) and one product of it, LF Gary Therien (.288/.354/.424, 4-2B, 4 RBI, 10 R, 6 BB – 3rd overall pick in 1939) made his major league debut batting second in the lineup in January. Hopefully, more talent will follow.

Wolseley sent three players to the All-star game this month: RP Douggie Taylor (1st), CF Zak Kidd (3rd) and RF Nicky Willis (2nd).

Top Position Player: 25-year old RF Nicky Willis (.303/.354/.439, 7 HR, 49 RBI, 39 R, 29 BB) is one of the young stars on this team. In December/January, he batted .310 and .314 respectively and won a Player of the Week Award in December.

Top Pitcher: While the rotation has been up and down this season, 31-year old RHP Douggie Taylor (6-5, 12 SV, 2.90 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) has put together a solid first year in the majors. A veteran of AAA (and two-time minor league all-star), he was finally given a chance to play in the majors by Wolseley. He earned a spot on the all-star roster and has become a stalwart in the Unions bullpen.

Key Injuries: None.

--------



Despite being in the throes of a rebuild, the Hespeler Stars held their own in December/January, finishing two games above .500 in that stretch. The offense is still struggling mightily (.256/.306/.353 – 7th/8th/7th) but the rotation saw a modest improvement (4.04/4.00/4.19 – 4th/3rd/6th). Defensively, the Stars are holding their own (.706 – 2nd).

C Aaron Skidmore (1st) was Hespeler’s lone representative at this year’s all-star game.

Top Position Player: The loss of LF Steven Winstanley is sorely felt, but a couple of Stars are quietly having solid, if not spectacular seasons. One of them is 26-year old 1B Erwin Deang (.271/.306/.383, 7 HR, 51 RBI, 34 R, 18 BB), who batted .290/280 over the past two months. 22-year old LF Wayne Savory, a 3rd round pick from 1939, won Rookie of the Month honours in December and enjoyed a 22-game hitting streak during that stretch.

Top Pitcher: 26-year old LHP Gavin Hewat (9-11, 3.63 ERA, 1.35 WHIP) is one of the more consistent pitchers on the staff. In Dec/Jan, he went 7-5, 3.03 ERA.

Key Injuries: 32-year old 2B Gilbert Austin (.227/.307/.336, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 25 R, 29 BB) suffered a herniated disc back on January 16. He is out for 3-4 more weeks.

37-year old RF Louie Maylam (.263/.364/.579, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 3 BB) suffered a torn labrum back on October 11. He is out for 6-7 more weeks.

33-year old RHP Brendon De san Miguel (6-7, 3.76 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in game back on January 5. He is gone for the season.

--------



Not surprisingly, the Sherburn Tigers have quickly faded as the season has worn on, not quite able to compete in the West just yet. They have some talent, as do other teams. But with the likes of 33-year old 3B Mick Lanfear (.280/.333/.463, 10 HR, 65 RBI, 40 R, 29 BB), 32- year old LF Harold Yoder (.325/.357/.389, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 42 R, 14 BB) and 31-year old 1B Robin Harney (.264/.357/.362, 21-2B, 40 RBI, 57 R, 61 BB, 9 SB) still toiling for the club, they should really be acquiring more prospects, instead of trading them away.

Sherburn’s offense has faltered (.268/.339/.375 – 5th/4th/6th) and their pitching is is not much better (4.16/4.13/4.24 – 5th/5th/7th), although the rotation appears to be a little better than last season, even if slightly. Defensively, they are rock bottom (.695 – 8th).

Four Tigers were selected to the All-Star roster: SP Leo Chesters (1st), SP Daniel Pierson (1st), SP Myung-gu Son (1st) and 3B Mick Lanfear (3rd).

Top Position Player: Although he didn’t qualify for the all-star game, 29-year old 2B Damien Davis (.321/.405/.396, 2 HR, 41 RBI, 35 R, 39 BB) has been the most consistent. Mick Lanfear had a great month in December (.325), but slumped in January (.218).

Top Pitcher: The Tigers have a couple of promising young starters in the rotation, but RHP Myung-gu Son (12-8, 3.03 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) is clearly the ace of the team, going 5-7, 3.02 ERA over Dec/Jan.

Key Injuries: RP Roberto Taváres (5-10, 2 SV, 5.61 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow back on January 21. He is gone for the season.

Key Trade: On January 28, Sherburn acquired 27-year old RF Francis Pynchon (37/37) from the Downie Chiefs. In return, Downie received 28-year old RP Steve Greenwell (32/37) and 23-year old minor league RHP Willem Dowling (69/74).

Knee-jerk reaction: With Sherburn hopelessly out of the playoff pitcher, it’s not entirely clear as to how this trade will help them. Indeed, it may come back to haunt them. Pynchon (.299/347/.446, 9 HR, 42 RBI, 49 R, 25 BB, 10 SB) can still be a productive player, but his ratings have steadily declined over the past few seasons. However, he is good enough to bat cleanup for this woeful club. Losing Greenwell (3-6, 6.12 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) may be addition by subtraction, but Dowling is a future starter waiting in the wings. He has above average stuff, well above average movement and good control. If he is able to put it all together, then this may be considered a steal for Downie.



--------



Demonstrating the volatility of the Western League this season, the Pulberry Trolleys lost 17 games in December, only to win 17 games in January. Like so many other teams in the West, they are in the middle of a rebuilding project and thus far have promoted three young prospects to the major league level: 25-year old RHP Patrick Tennant (5-6, 5.72 ERA, 1.63 WHIP), 24-year old RHP Morgan Tice (2-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.5 WHIP) and 21-year old LF Bruno Lapthorne (just called up), their 2nd overall pick in 1940. That’s in addition to 25-year old 2B Jamie Florey (8th overall pick from 1938), who they recently acquired from the Fort Richmond Generals. They have young talent, no question about that. Whether it will all blossom remains to be seen.

Their offense (.264/.334/.388 – 6th/6th/4th) is taking baby steps, as is the pitching (4.57/4.67/4.06 – 8th/8th/5th). But they have a few more steps to take before they become relevant. The defense is in the middle of the pack (.699 – 4th).

The Trolleys sent seven players to the All-Star game: RP Neil Guerin (5th), C William Briggs (1st), 1B Anthony Stavely (3rd), 3B Colin Strudwick (1st), LF Andrew Jensen (1st – since traded to Fort Richmond), CF Jamie Couch (1st) and RF Yoshi-to Ito (1st).

Top Position Player: 25-year old CF Jamie Couch (.290/.348/.410, 3 HR, 45 RBI, 52 R, 30 BB, 16 SB), a former 2nd round pick in 1939, has become Pulberry’s most consistent player.

Top Pitcher: 30-year old RHP Declan Lumby (5-6, 4.43 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) who I singled out for Oct/Nov, has since been DFA and placed on waivers. That sums up the state of the pitching staff of the Trolleys. There some young talent, but no has stepped up yet.

Key Injuries: 30-year old 1B Anthony Staveley (.289/.385/.421, 6 HR, 44 RBI, 40 R, 44 BB) strained a quad in a game back on January 11. He is out 2-3 more weeks.

--------

[knuckler]

This dynasty is famtastic, Daren. I've spent a lot of time in your photobucket finding inspiration and admiring these very teams that you created. It is neat to see them brought to life here with top-notch writing and an amazing level of attention to detail. You have added so much to the OOTP community over the years with your logos and uniforms, but every aspect of this fictional world is your best work yet. Thank you!

[reds1]

Originally Posted by knuckler

This dynasty is famtastic, Daren. I've spent a lot of time in your photobucket finding inspiration and admiring these very teams that you created. It is neat to see them brought to life here with top-notch writing and an amazing level of attention to detail. You have added so much to the OOTP community over the years with your logos and uniforms, but every aspect of this fictional world is your best work yet. Thank you!

Thank you so much for the kind words, Mike! You got the ball rolling when I first learned how to make logos from you. But really, some of us are originators, while others are merely imitators. I'm definitely in the latter group, as your creativity in logos and uniforms is second to none.

When you're able to turn a simple logo into a work of art and make people look at such things in a completely different light (such as in that little Retro Style thread by you and txranger ), it exemplifies perfectly why having graphics for the game is so much more enriching and immersive. That's how I feel about my leagues and your creativity and work is a HUGE reason why. Thank you, my friend!

[reds1]

March 30, 1942

Eastern League: Suns Cruise to Playoffs, Legends Hang On





--------



The Embro Suns are returning to the post-season after a three-year absence. And just like last time, they will face the Brunswick Legends in the battle for the Eastern League pennant. But while 89 games was good enough to capture first place back in 1938-39, the Suns cruised to the playoffs this season with 100 victories, the best mark in the United Leagues.

The Embro’s offense was the class of the East (.281/.362/.413 – 1st/1st/1st). Only in strikeouts (628 – 7th) did they struggle. Pitching was strong as well (3.42/3.32/4.22 – 2nd/2nd/6th), with the bullpen making a modest improvement over the last two months. The defense regressed (.696 – 3rd), if ever slightly. The Suns appear to be a formidable opponent heading into the playoffs.

Top Position Player – Season: This was a very difficult choice. 1B Jim Friend (.331/.422/.523, 22 HR, 145 RBI, 123 R, 101 BB, 7.2 WAR) was dominant this year, winning three Batter of the Month Awards and five Player of the Week Awards. But CF Terence Durney (.315/.399/.472, 12 HR, 98 RBI, 138 R, 91 BB, 15 SB, 7.4 WAR) was no slouch either, although he only received two Player of the Week Awards. All-in-all though, I’m going to go with Durney, as his defense (12.6 ZR, 1.003 EFF, 7 E) in the outfield was superior to Friend’s at 1B (3.3 ZR, 1.017 EFF, 21 E). While I’ve always been partial to the long ball, Durney’s all-round game just couldn’t be ignored.

Top Pitcher – Season: Embro boasted three starters this season with 20+ victories and another with 19. SP Pete Allison (22-9, 2.90 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5.4 WAR) enjoyed his first season with an ERA below 4.00. However, he did start to struggle just a little in the final two months (5-4, 3.69 ERA). But 32-year old SP Colm Soper (22-8, 2.86 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 7.2 WAR) was steady all season, demonstrating why he is rated as the No. 1 pitcher in the entire ULB. This is the second season Soper has won 20+ games. In the ULB’s inaugural season, he also won 22 games.

Key Injuries: SP Jake Fewings (7-4, 3.85 ERA, 1.41 WHIP. 1.6 WAR) was diagnosed with radial nerve compression while pitching in a game on February 4. He is out for a further 2-3 months.

Noteworthy: In a close race, Jim Friend won the Eastern League batting title with a .3311 AVG, with 200 H in 604 AB. 2B Rhett Curnow of the Stratford Barons was second, with a 0.3309 AVG (184 H in 556 AB). Curnow won the EL batting title last year (.355).

On February 1, 2B Kian Meadmore (.270/.383/.440, 11 HR, 62 RBI, 64 R, 73 BB, 3.1 WAR) became the third player in ULB history to hit three home runs in a single game. He accomplished the feat in a game against the Sherburn Tigers, going 3-4 with 4 RBI and 3 R. The Suns prevailed 5-4. Meadmore was acquired in a trade with the Queensland Eagles back on December 9.

On March 8, SP Edward Hill (21-12, 3.57 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 4.1 WAR) set the ULB record for most strikeouts in a single game with 13 in a game against the Cobourg Red Stockings. He eclipsed the previous record of 12 held by Henry Akerval of the Queensland Eagles, who had set that mark back on October 26. Despite Hill’s heroics, the Suns lost the game 6-2.



--------



It went down to the final day of the regular season, but the Brunswick Legends managed to hold off a furious pursuit by the Stratford Barons to capture the wild card by a single game and secure their second playoff appearance and first under manager Babe Ruth. A loss to the Queensland Eagles on the final day of the season would have forced a one-game playoff between the Legends and Barons.

The offense struggled a little in the final two months (.273/.349/.401 – 3rd/3rd/2nd), but was very impressive over the course of the season. But the pitching held up (3.30/3.20/3.84 – 1st/1st/3rd) and was strong in nearly all categories. Defensively, they were the best (.710 – 1st).

Top Position Player – Season: 23-year old rookie LF Harry Chatwin (.271/.349/.396, 11 HR, 51 RBI, 101 R, 69 BB, 37 SB, 4.3 WAR) gets the nod here, as he led the team in WAR and was outstanding defensively as well (5.0 ZR, 1.066 EFF, 2 E). He also led the entire ULB in stolen bases.

Top Pitcher – Season: LHP Anastasio Rodríguez (18-8, 2.25 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 7.4 WAR) was the most consistent pitcher on the roster this season, although Hirotada Fukushima (22-7, 3.44 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 4.3 WAR) led the team in victories.

Key Injuries: RF Mark Elston (.373/.495/.582, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 43 R, 37 BB) ruptured his Achilles tendon in a game back on December 13. He is gone for the season (2-3 months).

--------


Despite a furious pursuit that saw the Stratford Barons win 48 games in the final three months of the season (most in the ULB during that stretch), it was just not quite enough to catch the Brunswick Legends, who needed to win the final game of the season to clinch the wild card. For the Barons, it will be all about what went ‘wrong’ this season after the defending United Cup champions failed to make the playoffs. No doubt they will look ruefully at November, where the team stumbled (12-14).

They can also look to their offense, which regressed this season (.269/.345/.396 – 4th/4th/4th), after being ranked No. 1 last season in the East. Pitching meanwhile, held its own, as both the starting rotation and bullpen finished with an identical ERA (3.47/3.47/3.47 – 3rd /3rd/1st). Defensively, they were fourth in the EL (.695).

Top Position Player – Season: SS Jake Walker (.313/.418/.470, 7 HR, 80 RBI, 107 R, 103 BB, 5.8 WAR) was excellent all season, but he really stepped it up in March, batting .365/.479/.510.

Top Pitcher – Season: No surprise here, as 31-year old LHP Joel Fearn (25-8, 2.61 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 8.3 WAR) is one of the best starting pitchers in the ULB, rated No. 2 overall. In the final two months of the season, he went 8-3, 2.25 ERA.

Key Injuries: After an uneven start to the season, SP Darwin Monday (8-8, 4.28 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 1.5 WAR) was shut down, due to shoulder inflammation suffered on January 24. He is out for further 2-3 months.

CF Ben Watson (.282/.349/.414, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 95 R, 57 BB, 17 SB, 3.1 WAR) suffered a torn hamstring in a game back on February 25. He is out of commission for another 7-8 weeks.

--------



The Braeland City Monarchs put up a game fight, but in the end, they ran out of steam. The Monarchs went 49-27 from December to February and threatened to be a player in the wild card chase, but stumbled in the final month to finish 7 games back.

Both the offense (.277/.351/.401 – 2nd/2nd/3rd) and especially the pitching (3.71/3.68/3.93 – 4th/4th/4th) got stronger as the season wore on. The defense was rated the worst in the Eastern League (.679 – 8th).

Top Position Player – Season: 28-year old SS Adam Ashley (.305/.359/.423, 6 HR, 82 RBI, 98 R, 52 BB, 19 SB, 5.8 WAR) was Braeland City’s best overall player this season; leading in a number of offensive categories and was simply outstanding on defense (11.7 ZR, 1.030 EFF, 36 E).

Top Pitcher – Season: SP David Cooling proved that last season was not a fluke, as he went 23-9, 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.9 WAR. It’s the third straight year that he has reached the 20-win plateau (20 in 1939/40; 21 in 1940/41 and 23 this season) and his second sub-3.00 ERA effort.

Key Injuries: IF Finlay Ridd (.258/.333/.293, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 26 R, 29 BB) tore a posterior cruciate ligament while running the bases in a game back on December 13. He is out for 3 more months.

32-year old SP Lenny Freke (18-12, 3.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 6.3 WAR) suffered a torn rotator cuff on March 15. He will be out a further 5-6 months.

--------



The Wellington Athletics surged in February and March, winning 33 games and finishing the fifth straight season with over 80 victories. But the fact is, they still finished 10.0 games out of a playoff spot and are at a crossroads. The Athletics realized as such, when they announced that their team focus is now ‘rebuild’ back in December. It will be interesting to see what Wellington does in the offseason.

That said both the offense (.268/.336/.396 – 5th/6th/5th) and pitching (3.92/3.85/4.35 – 5th/5th/7th) improved in the final two months. Defense was rated 6th (.689).

Top Position Player – Season: 2B Brian Main (.293/.362/.449, 11 HR, 94 RBI, 96 R, 65 BB, 8 SB, 5.6 WAR) was Wellington’s most consistent player. He was simply outstanding in the final three months of the season, hitting .360, .321 and .343 in Jan/Feb/ Mar respectively. He was steady defensively as well (8.6 ZR, 1.036 EFF, 17 E).

Top Pitcher – Season: SP Clyde Boney (12-17, 3.95 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 7.7 WAR) did not have the best run support, but he led his team in a host of pitching categories and gets the nod as his team’s best pitcher this season.

Key Injuries: 30-year old CF Scott Orchard (.255/.326/.375, 5 HR, 51 RBI, 59 R, 44 BB, 13 SB, 1.1 WAR) tore an abdominal muscle in a game back on March 19. He should be fully recovered in 4 weeks.

SP Soren Heinke (10-14, 3.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 3.5 WAR) tore a rotator cuff back on February 28. The former Rookie of the Year winner should be back to throwing in 4 months.

--------



After embarking on a major rebuild back in December, the Queensland Eagles played out the string in the season’s final two months. The Eagles’ roster has been depleted and as a result, their overall performance suffered.
The offense (.265/.337/.370 – 6th/5th/6th) held up fairly well after the trades, but the pitching (4.00/4.00/4.01 – 6th/6th/5rd) saw a notable regression.

Top Position Player – Season: C Dave Wilson (.317/.370/.475, 16 HR, 100 RBI, 50 R, 47 BB, 5.1 WAR) remains as perhaps Queensland’s most bankable star, at least on offense. His defense is not the best (-5.7 ZR, .937 EFF, 10 E, 15 PB), but it was an improvement over last season (-7.1 ZR, .836 EFF, 24 E, 9 PB).

Top Pitcher – Season: Like Wilson on offense, 34-year old SP Stewart Colcott (14-19, 4.14 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 6.3 WAR) remains Queensland’s most recognizable player on the pitching staff. He has never won more than 15 games in a season, but he is an absolute workhorse who led the team in complete games (21), innings pitched (276.0), walks per 9 IP (2.3) and K/BB (1.30). He is also remarkably durable, as he only suffered a bruised shin (day-to-day) back in October. It was his first injury since 1938.

Key Injuries: 27-year old LF Terry Aspden (.256/.337/.394, 8 HR, 70 RBI, 75 R, 65 BB, 1.7 WAR) was diagnosed with an oblique strain back on March 13. He should be fully healed in a couple of weeks.

--------



The Downie Chiefs ended the 1941-42 season on a high note of sorts, winning 14 and 11 games in February and March respectively, the first time all season they were able to win more than 9 games in a month. For their efforts, they escaped the Eastern League basement and surrendered the 1st overall pick in next year’s Amateur Draft. C'est la vie.

The Chiefs’ farm system is rated 8th overall, so a little more high-end talent is always welcome. Their offense (.261/.325/.355 – 7th/7th/7th) continued to slide as the season progressed and the pitching (4.79/4.87/4.39 – 8th/7th/8th) was not much of a strength either. Defensively, they continued to improve, however, finishing 2nd in the East (.699).

Top Position Player – Season: 1B William Tozer (.295/.392/.467, 21 HR, 68 RBI, 84 R, 90 BB, 3.4 WAR) led his team in a slew of offensive categories, but defensively, had a down year (-4.1 ZR, .959 EFF, 17 E). Thus, I’ll give the nod to 2B Wayne Balmer (.273/.331/.393, 7 HR, 66 RBI, 80 R, 54 BB, 7 SB, 4.3 WAR), as he was excellent in the field (10.0 ZR, 1.023 EFF, 33 E).

Top Pitcher – Season: Just a forgettable year for Downie pitching. That said, SP Reece Abberley (13-17, 4.66 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 1.3 WAR), had his moments, including pitching a no-hitter, the second in ULB history, back in December.

Key Injuries: None.

--------



Another forgetful season is in the books for the Cobourg Red Stockings, as the club recorded its fourth consecutive last place finish and second consecutive season with more than 100 losses. They lost 103 games last year. It also earns them their second consecutive No. 1 pick in next season’s Amateur Draft.

The season was not entirely without hope, though, in terms of rookie performances. C Neil Voigt (.242/.302/.335, 3 HR, 44 RBI, 60 R, 42 BB, 1.6 WAR) hit .282, .319 and .260 in the final three months of the season. He failed to hit higher than .217 in any of the first three months.

LF Cliff Jordan (.266/.306/.357, 7 HR, 62 RBI, 72 R, 35 BB, 19 SB, 1.4 WAR) hit above .270 in three of the six months, including March, where he won Rookie of the Month honours. He was outstanding in the field as well (7.2 ZR, 1.097 EFF, 0 E).

SP Ramón Ramírez (8-9, 4.98 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 0.6 WAR) saw his performance improve with each passing month, finishing with a record of 2-2, 3.40 ERA in 5 starts in March.

Still, it wasn’t enough to salvage the overall offense (.250/.309/.349 – 8th/8th/8th) and pitching (4.74/4.95/3.71 – 7th/8th/2nd). Defense was nothing to write home about either (.683 – 7th).

Top Position Player – Season: 2B Matthew Lane (.293/.385/.462, 9 HR, 48 RBI, 39 R, 49 BB, 2.9 WAR) was his team’s top position player this season.

Top Pitcher – Season: Yeesh. SP Aiden Tassell came out on top on most pitching categories on his team, but you wouldn’t know from his record: 7-24, 4.59 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 2.1 WAR. It was a tough year. But there’s always next year.

Key Injuries: 24-year old RP Tom Mayor (2-0, 11 SV, 3.15 ERA, -0.3 WAR) fractured a finger on March 26. He is out for 6 months.

3B Shelby Cain (.229/.303/.327, 4 HR, 36 RBI, 40 R, 44 BB, 12 SB, 0.9 WAR) who was drafted first overall at this season’s Amateur Draft and spent most this season with the big club, suffered a sore knee on the last day of the season. He is out for a week.

SP George Blankley (8-19, 5.01 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 1.2 WAR) broke his hand in a game back on March 8. He is out of commission for another 5 months.

--------

[reds1]

Just a note that I updated a few of the uniform timelines (as I like to constantly tinker):

Brunswick Legends (revised 1978-2000 logo)

Wolseley Unions (added new uniforms for 1953-1964)

Downie Chiefs (revised uniforms for 1975-1983; revised alternate uniform for 1984-2000)

I’ve updated the zipfile containing these new graphics. For anyone that is interested, it can be downloaded here:

See this page for updated graphics

[reds1]

March 30, 1942

Western League: We Meet Again – Cannons, Pelicans Return to Playoffs





--------



The Cambria Cannons qualified for the United League playoffs for the fourth season in a row rather easily. After winning the United Cup back in 1939-40 with 99 regular season victories, the Cannons slipped to second place in 1940-41. They were a greatly weakened team due to injuries that season, so it must bring great satisfaction to return this season with a vengeance. But things are not all rosy. They enter the playoffs without their best player in Ron Westmacott and they will meet up with their old nemesis once again, the Kingston Pelicans. They are 1-2 against the Pelicans in the Western League Pennant series.

Their offense weakened, if ever slightly over the last two months (.271/.335/.387 – 4th/4th/3rd). The pitching, however, has been Cambria’s greatest strength this season (3.27/3.33/2.88 – 1st/1st/2nd). Cambria was the top rated defensive team (.713) in the West as well.

Top Position Player – Season: Plenty to choose from, as 3B Kenneth Logan (.332/.415/.485, 11 HR, 74 RBI, 82 R, 70 BB, 4.8 WAR) and RF Clint Jones (.281/.358/.455, 15 HR, 66 RBI, 78 R, 58 BB, 15 SB, 6.0 WAR) had fine seasons. But I’ll go with SS Rubén Sánchez (.289/.337/.408, 10 HR, 59 RBI, 84 R, 52 BB, 5.3 WAR) who was just sensational on defense (21.3 ZR, 1.064 ERR, 19 E).

Top Pitcher – Season: Some excellent performances to choose from, but for me it was RHP Leon Hankey (19-9, 2.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 138 ERA+).

Key Injuries: LF Ron Westmacott (.304/.392/.571, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 39 R, 25 BB) fractured his fibula back on January 3. He is out for 2 more weeks (effectively the season).

28-year old RP Shaun Alford (4-0, 3 SV, 2.86 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) suffered a partially torn labrum back on December 20. He too, is out for another 3 days.

--------



The Kingston Pelicans made their move in the final month of the season to grab the wildcard and qualify for the playoffs for the 5th straight season. Despite the loss of key talent like SS Okura Ito (due to the formal break-off of diplomatic ties to Japan) and the overall weakening of their starting rotation (due to trades and age), the Pelicans nevertheless found a way to win. And win they did, especially in March, where they took 5 of 6 games from the top-seeded Cambria Cannons. An ominous sign perhaps that Kingston will give the Cannons everything they’ve got in the Pennant Series.
The Pelicans time clearly is now. They have 15 players on the active roster who are 30 year old or older.

The offense continued its upward trend and finished in either first or second in a slew of categories (.277/.350/.410 – 2nd/1st /1st). The pitching staff, with the exception of the bullpen, made huge gains in the final two months of the season (3.87/3.65/5.34 – 2nd/2nd/8th). Defensively, Kingston saw an improvement over the last two months as well (.695 – 3rd).

Top Position Player – Season: No shortage of candidates, as Kingston has a bevy of offensive stars, but I’ll go with LF Jayden Tennant (.323/.416/.579, 36 HR, 114 RBI, 108 R, 93 BB, 7.0 WAR), who turned 34 today (March 30).
Both 2B Mo Symes (.304/.397/.476, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 134 R, 95 BB, 12 SB, 7.1 WAR) and 1B Fergus Chitty (.316/.442/.544, 20 HR, 87 RBI, 87 R, 98 RBI, 5.9 WAR) contributed mightily to the cause as well.

Top Pitcher – Season: 32-year old RHP Francis Slocock (17-10, 2.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 155 ERA+) was outstanding in the months of February/March, winning back-to-back Pitcher of the Month honours. He was easily Kingston’s top pitching this season.

Key Injuries: None.

--------



The Balmoral Giants continued their winning ways in the final two months of the season, but it wasn’t enough to catch the surging Kingston Pelicans and qualify for their first post-season appearance. But the Giants are a team on the rise. They finished above .500 for the first time in their existence, just three games back of the wildcard. If they had won a few more games in that disastrous December (where they won just 8), the complexion of the Western League playoffs this season may have been different. Will next year see a ‘changing of the guard’ in the West? Balmoral has worked hard grooming young talent and its deep farm system, the best in the ULB, should start paying serious dividends.

The Giants improved on offense as the season wore on (.279/.342/.401 – 1st/2nd/2nd), but their pitching, particularly their starting rotation will need to perform better (4.11/4.43/2.48 – 5th/7th/1st) if they want to seriously challenge Cambria and Kingston next season. They were 6th in def. efficiency (.688).

Top Position Player – Season: SS Francisco Rodríguez (.361/.403/.539, 5 HR, 77 RBI, 73 R, 39 BB, 6.0 WAR) had another great year and won Batter of the Month honours for February. He was the Giants best overall player, and he’s still just 23-years old.

Top Pitcher – Season: Not a great year for Giants’ pitching, but I’ll go with 33-year old RHP Charlie Crocombe (15-10, 3.94 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 101 ERA+). His performance this season was a notable improvement over last year, where he went just 9-22, 7.01 ERA, 1.82 WHIP.

Key Injuries: RF Shannon Walker (.284/.351/.414, 6 HR, 47 RBI, 44 R, 38 BB, 1.0 WAR) was injured on a defensive play in a game back on February 2. He suffered a fractured ankle. He will be out 7 more weeks.

23-year old LHP Ah-cy Yao (14-7, 1 SV, 4.06 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 98 ERA+) came down with acute elbow soreness in a game on March 29. He will be out of commission for 3 months.

Noteworthy: Francisco Rodríguez won the Western League batting title with a .361 AVG (170 H in 471 AB).



--------



Four years after their lone winning season (79-75 in 1937/38), the Hespeler Stars are still searching for the key to the playoffs. But they may not be that far off. Their 72-82 record this season marks just the second time they finished with over 70 wins and with the strides some of their young players made this season, greater success may follow. They will need to find some consistency; a few more months like March in a season wouldn’t hurt.

They will need to address their offense (.258/.314/.358 – 7th/8th/8th) as it was a sore point this year, but the pitching overall was encouraging (4.08/4.08/4.06 – 4th/4th/5th) as it improved as the season progressed. Defensively, the Stars were one of the best in WL (.708 – 2nd).

Top Position Player – Season: The Stars may be starting to see the promise from their two overall No. 1 picks: C Aaron Skidmore (.243/.383/.387, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 59 R, 94 BB, 4.3 WAR), was up and down all season, but proved to be Hespeler’s top player. He was also an asset behind the plate. Not far behind was 24-year old CF Vic Weetman (.270/.325/.363, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 81 R, 54 BB, 20 SB, 3.5 WAR) who had is best year thus far and was sensational in the field (15.0 ZR, 1.046 EFF, 14 E).

Top Pitcher – Season: LHP Gavin Hewat (16-15, 3.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 117 ERA+) had his best season so far serving as his team’s pitching ace.

Key Injuries: 33-year old RHP Brendon De san Miguel (6-7, 3.76 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in game back on January 5. He is gone for the season.

--------



The Wolseley Unions enjoyed only one winning month this season as they finished their fifth consecutive season with a losing record. Actually, their 72-82 record is their second best finish, as they won 73 games last season. There doesn’t appear to be much evidence of a quick turnaround for next season. While the Unions have some talent coming up from the minors, they are behind Balmoral and even Hespeler in player development. Thus, Wolseley is a perfect candidate to remain the in bottom division for the foreseeable future.

The offense struggled all season (.255/.328/.363 – 8th/7th/8th) and the pitching was below average as well (4.23/4.17/4.60 – 7th/5th/7th). Defense is not a strength either (.688 – 7th).

Top Position Player – Season: It’s a tie! The Unions have two very good young players on their roster that are the de facto leaders on the team. 25-year old RF Nicky Willis (.284/.352/.432, 13 HR, 78 RBI, 67 R, 58 BB, 3.7 WAR) and CF 23-year old Zak Kidd (.268/.333/.428, 12 HR, 85 RBI, 72 R, 60 BB, 27 SB, 3.7 WAR) are cornerstones for the team in the outfield. A little more depth in the lineup would no doubt boost their overall production.

Top Pitcher – Season: It’s not a tie! 22-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (13-19, 3.77 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 106 ERA+), a former 13th overall pick that Wolseley received from Embro in a trade for CF Terence Durney, has become the Unions ace.

Key Injuries: RHP Michael Milk (6-5, 3.75 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 91 ERA+) severely injured himself, tearing a flexor tendon in his elbow while pitching in a game on March 8. He is out for at least 8 months.

34-year old RHP Jean-Pierre Da Silva (7-13, 4.35 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 91 ERA+) tore a back muscle while pitching in a game back on February 6. He is out for another 2 months.

Noteworthy: 3B Fernando Gómez (.239/.339/.459, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 74 R, 78 BB, 3.3 WAR) set the Western League season game record for RBIs with 9 in Wolseley’s final game of the season. Playing against the Hespeler Stars, Gómez went 4-4 with 2 HR (one grand slam and one 3-run HR), 1-2B and 2 R. The Unions won 10-1. Gómez came over to Wolseley from the Pulberry Trolleys in a trade back on December 9.



--------



So much for gambling. The Fort Richmond Generals completely imploded in the final two months of the season, to fall into 6th place after occupying the wild card spot at the end of January. The trade for Andrew Jensen and the promotion of Shaun Attenborough to the major league roster did not pan out to say the least. Jensen went onto the DL twice after the trade; first for an oblique strain (4 weeks) and then with a quad strain (4-5 weeks). Attenborough, perhaps not surprisingly, struggled and was returned to the minors.

But the collapse cannot be attributed to just one transaction, as both the offense (.272/.330/.374 – 3rd/5th/5th) and pitching (3.93/3.98/3.56 – 3rd/3rd/3rd) struggled in the final months. They fell to 5th in defensive efficiency (.690) as well.

Top Position Player – Season: This one is easy. 23-year old C Danny Trowbridge (.324/.388/.493, 14 HR, 65 RBI, 93 R, 55 BB, 4 SB, 6.5 WAR) was Fort Richmond’s top player this year and is ranked as the top catcher in the ULB.

Top Pitcher – Season: 28-year old RHP Oscar Burress (17-15, 3.81 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 104 ERA+) was his club’s best pitcher this season.

Key Injuries: LF Andrew Jensen (.306/.366/.448, 15 HR, 61 RBI, 70 R, 47 BB, 4 SB, 1.6 WAR) is out for an another 4 weeks with strained quadriceps as mentioned earlier.

25-year old SS Steven Wormleighton (.268/.313/.346, 3 HR, 62 RBI, 65 R, 37 BB, 11 SB, 2.4 WAR) was diagnosed with a concussion following a collision at a base in a game back on March 7. He is out for another 2 months.

--------


Like the Wolseley Unions, the Sherburn Tigers have been a middling team for most of its five year existence (with the exception of Year 1 when the won the wildcard). They have some talent on the roster and some in the pipeline, but not enough to be taken seriously as an up-and-coming team. They have yet to fully embrace a rebuild and that will continue to hurt them if they stick to that non-committal route. They have an intriguing pitching prospect in RHP Gavin Womersley (61/72 – 5th overall pick in 1939) who should be close to joining the big club. They also have 23-year old RHP Roberto Taváres (72/80– 5th overall pick in 1940) who joined the club this season but was cut down with a season ending injury in January. But Sherburn sure could use a bit more to finally make some noise.

Sherburn’s offense was middle of the road (.269/.336/.374 – 5th/3rd/4th) in the West as was their pitching (4.18/4.22/3.92 – 6th/6th/4th). But defensively, they are rock bottom (.681 – 8th).

Top Position Player – Season: 30-year old 2B Damien Davis (.289/.370/.361, 2 HR, 47 RBI, 51 R, 52 BB, 2.4 WAR) faded in the final two months of the season, but he is still my pick among a weak crew. He was one of the few Tigers that boasted outstanding defense in the field (8.7 ZR, 1.029 EFF, 21 E).

Top Pitcher – Season: 27-year old RHP Myung-gu Son (19-11, 3.01 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 132 ERA+) is a legitimate ace, and the former 14th overall pick is rated No. 9 overall in the ULB among pitchers. He enjoyed his best season by far.

Key Injuries: RHP Roberto Taváres (5-10, 2 SV, 5.61 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 71 ERA+) suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow back on January 21. He should be pitching again in 4 months.

--------



The Pulberry Trolleys collapsed in February and March to finish in 8th place in the West for the second time in five seasons. They have finished in 7th place twice as well and 5th once. Such ineptitude usually brings a high draft pick, and the Trolleys do have a number of young prospects that made the jump to the main club this season. As mentioned in the previous report for Pulberry, they have 25-year old RHP Patrick Tennant (8-10, 5.55 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 72 ERA+), 24-year old RHP Morgan Tice (4-4, 5.42 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 73 ERA+) and 21-year old LF Bruno Lapthorne (.279/.293/.378, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 23 R, 5 BB, 0.6 WAR in 222 AB), their 2nd overall pick in 1940. They have further talent in the hopper and other young high-end talent in the lineup. If all this young talent can gel, then 1942-43 may offer more hope for the woebegone club. Problem is, there’s a lot of young ‘ducklings’ in the pond learning how to swim all at the same time.

Neither the offense (.262/.329/.373 – 6th/6th/6th) nor pitching (4.62/4.71/4.15 – 8th/8th/6th) was really a force this season. The defense is in the middle of the pack (.692 – 4th). Pulberry can only hope that this season was simply a case of everyone getting their feet wet.

Top Position Player – Season: 25-year old CF Jamie Couch (.308/.360/.417, 4 HR, 63 RBI, 82 R, 45 BB, 31 SB, 5.9 WAR), now in his 2nd full season, continues to progress and represents the future that the Trolleys are working towards.

Top Pitcher – Season: 33-year old RHP Joe Walrond (15-13, 4.00 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 99 ERA+) was acquired from the Wolseley Unions in a trade back in December. But in the half season he has been with the Trolleys, he went 9-9, 3.69 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 108 ERA+, easily Pulberry’s best pitching effort this season.

Key Injuries: None.

--------

[reds1]

Embro Suns (100-54) vs. Brunswick Legends (93-61)
Season Matchup: 8-7 in favour of Embro

Embro: Runs scored – 886 (1st in EL); runs allowed – 620 (1st in EL).
Brunswick: Runs scored – 789 (2nd in EL); runs allowed – 625 (2nd in EL).

--------

The 1942 Eastern League Pennant was a rematch of the 1939 series between the Embro Suns and Brunswick Legends. The Legends became the first and so far, only wild card team to reach the United Cup Series that season, defeating the Suns in 7 games.

The Suns enter the playoffs as the highest scoring team in the entire United Leagues and toughest to score against in the East. The Legends meanwhile, are no slouches either. But with their best player LF Mark Elston, unavailable due to injury, they faced a tough task in overcoming the high-powered Suns and become the Eastern League champions for the second time. Would Embro get their revenge for their earlier loss, or would Babe Ruth’s crew find a way to shut the Suns’ mighty offense down?

The series opened up at Embro’s Speaker Stadium, with over 26,700 raucous Suns fans ready to cheer on their hometown heroes. It's time to play ball!

--------

Game 1
Brunswick 4 – Embro 1



The Legends drew first blood when RF Rovilson Valdevieso led off the top of the 2nd with a solo home run off of SP Pete Allison.

The Legends doubled the score in the top of the 3rd. 2B Vince Bailey led off with a single and reached second on SP Anastasio Rodríguez’s sac bunt. Bailey then came in to score on a LF Harry Chatwin single.

Embro got on the board in the bottom of the 3rd inning. 3B Garry Hinton reached base on a two-out single and scored when SS Gary Watkinson immediately followed with a double.

Brunswick would get that run back in the top of the 6th, when Harry Chatwin led off the inning with a solo home run to right field. That made the score 3-1 in favour of Brunswick.

The Legends would score a final run in the top of the 9th. After 3B Timothy Paul reached base on an error (E5) to lead off the inning, a 5-3 ground out by CF Arthur Carruth and double by 2B Matthew Shelley brought Paul home.

Anastasio Rodríguez got the Suns to go down in order in the bottom of the 9th and the Legends took Game 1 on the road.

Player of the Game: The Legends’ 24-year old SP Anastasio Rodríguez went the distance, scattering 6 H with 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (1-0, 1.00 ERA). It was his first post-season victory. He went 0-4, 7.26 ERA in the 1939 post-season playoffs.

LF Harry Chatwin went 2-3, with 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB.

For the Suns, SP Pete Allison took the loss, going 9.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (0-1, 3.00 ERA).

SS Gary Watkinson went 2-4, with 1 RBI in a losing effort. His RBI would loom large in this series for Embro.

--------

Game 2
Brunswick 1 – Embro 0



Game 2 turned into a pitching battle between two seasoned veterans, Brunswick’s Matthew Monroe and Embro’s Colm Soper.

The game’s lone run came in the top of the 4th inning. 3B Derek Sakurai led off with a single, reached second on a 1B Stuart Bentham 5-3 groundout and reached third on a RF Rovilson Valdevieso single. Sakurai then scored on a SS Matthew Shelley sac fly (F8).

Monroe stymied the Suns’ offense throughout the game. Their best chance came in the bottom of the 8th. C Bill Gunter led off with a walk. He then reached second on a sac bunt by PH Tony Blakeney and reached third on a 4-3 ground out by CF Terence Durney. But 3B Gary Hinton struck out to end the inning. After a leadoff single by SS Gary Watkinson, Monroe got the Suns to go down quietly in the bottom of the 9th, and the Legends took game 2.

Player of the Game: SP Matthew Monroe was terrific, giving up just 4 H with 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (1-0, 0.00 ERA). Three of those 4 hits were by Embro`s Gary Watkinson, who went 3-4 on the day.

Meanwhile, Embro`s SP Colm Soper was outstanding as well, going 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, (0-1, 1.13 ERA).

--------

Game 3
Embro 0 – Brunswick 3



The series moved to Brunswick`s Babe Ruth Park, where over 30,600 were on hand to watch Game 3 and see if their Legends could keep their momentum going.

Embro`s Edward Hill and Brunswick`s Hirotada Fukushima would keep things scoreless until the bottom of the 5th inning. 2B Vince Bailey reached on an error (E5) to lead off the inning. With two out, SP Hirotada Fukushima then doubled to score Bailey.

In the bottom of the 7th, RF Rovilson Valdevieso and PH Teuk-chin Kim hit back-to-back singles with one out to put runners on the corners. With two out, CF Hang-ki Huan singled, scoring Valdevieso and giving the Legends a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, 3B Timothy Paul reached base on an error (E6). A single by SS Matthew Shelley and a walk to C Maurice Evans loaded the bases with nobody out. 2B Vince Bailey then grounded into a 6-2 fielder’s choice, where Paul was cut down at home plate. But PH Daniel Dancy`s sac fly scored Shelley, making it 3-0 Brunswick.

In the top of the 9th, Fukushima was relieved by RP Ron Cowen after giving up a one out single to 2B Kian Meadmore. But Cowen got C Bill Gunter and PH Riley Parsons to both strike out swinging, ending the game and giving the Legends a commanding 3 games to none lead in the series.

Player of the Game: Brunswick`s SP Hirotada Fukushima got the win, going 8.1 IP, 9 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (1-0, 0.00 ERA). He also went 2-3, 1 RBI at the plate.

Embro`s SP Edward Hill took the loss, going 8.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (0-1, 1.13 ERA).

--------

Game 4
Embro 0 – Brunswick 4



Beautiful sunny skies greeted the two teams and over 30,800 fans for Game 4.

As he did in Game 1, RF Rovilson Valdevieso led off the scoring with a solo home run off of SP Pete Allison. The Legends led 1-0 after two innings.

It remained that until the bottom of the 7th. C Maurice Evans and 2B Vince Bailey led off the inning with back-to-back singles. A sac bunt by SP Anastasio Rodríguez moved the runners up. PH Samuel Lobb then singled, scoring both Evans and Bailey.
An intentional walk to 3B Derek Sakurai and single by 1B Timothy Paul loaded the bases with one out. PH Teuk-chin Kim sac fly to left field scored Lobb for the Legends’ fourth run.

In the top of the 9th inning, Rodríguez got 3B Gary Hinton and SS Gary Watkinson to ground out before giving up a single to 1B Jim Friend. But RF Paul Hooks then flew out to centerfield to end the game and the series.

Embro’s humiliation was complete. In four games, the Suns’ vaunted offense could only muster a solitary run. Three straight shutouts by the Legends. After scoring a run in the 3rd inning of Game 1, the Suns went 33 straight innings without scoring a further run. It was an amazing shut-down performance by the Legends, and they reach the United Cup series as a wild card team once again.

But amidst the celebration, the Legends will have to deal with the loss of SS Matthew Shelley. Late in the 7th inning, Shelley was hit by a pitch and had to be replaced. The diagnosis is a fractured foot. He is gone 2-3 weeks.

Player of the Game: SP Anastasio Rodríguez went the distance once again, allowing just 3 H with 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (2-0, 0.50 ERA).

Rovilson Valdevieso went 2-3, with 1 RBI, 1 R.

SP Pete Allison was stuck with the loss again, going 8.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR (0-2, 3.71 ERA).

--------

[reds1]

Cambria Cannons (94-60) vs. Kingston Pelicans (84-70)
Season Matchup: 9-6 in favour of Kingston

Cambria: Runs scored – 678 (4th in WL); runs allowed – 581 (1st in WL).
Kingston: Runs scored – 789 (1st in WL); runs allowed – 658 (2nd in WL).

--------

For the fourth season in a row, the Kingston Pelicans and the Cambria Cannons met each other in the battle for the Western League Pennant. Cambria was looking to return to the United Cup Series after a one year absence with the goal of winning their second United Cup. Kingston was looking to return for the fourth time to try and win their third championship.
Cambria would be playing without their best player in LF Ron Westmacott who suffered a fractured fibula on the eve of the All-Star break and suffered a further setback.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans enter the playoffs on a roll, having won 21 games in the final month of the season to come from behind and capture the wild card.

Game 1 was played under clear sunny skies at Cambria’s Alexander Field, with over 24,500 in attendance ready to cheer on the Cannons and razz the detested Pelicans. It was game on!

--------

Game 1
Kingston 3 – Cambria 5



Kingston wasted no time getting on the board. In the top of the 1st, 2B Mo Symes led off with a double and came into score when LF Jayden Tennant immediately followed with a triple. SS Katsunan Chikafuji then singled to score Tennant and the Pelicans led 2-0.

But Cambria would respond in the bottom of the 1st. After LF Rio Gidley led off with a single, CF Joe Olver slammed a one-out home run off of SP Francis Slocock. And just like that, the game was tied.

The game remained tied until the top of the 7th. With two out, 3B Terry Maxwell singled and came into score when CF Soshu Shimizu immediately followed with a triple. Kingston now led 3-2.

But Cambria would take the lead in the bottom of the 7th. 1B Keane Fysh doubled with one out and tied the game when 3B Kenneth Logan followed him with a single.

C Glen Yeend singled to put runners on second and first. With two out, SP Nick Paddock hit a single that looked as though it would load the bases, but a throwing error (E8) allowed Logan to score and the Cannons led 4-3.

Cambria would add an insurance run in the bottom the 8th. With one out, Joe Olver singled. During RF Clint Jones’ at-bat, a wild pitch moved Olver up to second. Jones then reached base safely on an error (E4), allowing Olver to score Cambria’s fifth run.

Nick Paddock held the Pelicans off the board in the 9th, giving Game 1 to the Cannons.

Player of the Game: Cambria’s SP Nick Paddock went the distance, scattering 6 H with 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (1-0, 3.00 ERA).

CF Joe Olver went 2-4, with 2 RBI, 2 R.

For Kingston, SP Francis Slocock took the loss, going 8.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (0-1, 4.50 ERA).

CF Soshu Shimizu went 2-3, with 1 RBI in a losing effort.

--------

Game 2
Kingston 4 – Cambria 7



1B Keane Fysh opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd inning with a one-out solo home run off of SP Joey Cumberledge.

Kingston would respond in the top of the 4th. SS Katsunan Chikafuji singled with one out and moved to third base when 1B Fergus Chitty followed with a double. A sac fly by RF Chong-sik Lee scored Chikafuji. Back-to-back singles by 3B Terry Maxwell and CF Soshu Shimizu brought home Chitty and the Pelicans led 2-1.

Cannons would respond in the bottom of the 4th. After RF Clint Jones led off with a walk, 3B Kenneth Logan slammed a two-run home run with one out to re-take the lead. C Glen Yeend then singled and reached second on an error (E8). 2B Domenic Comody then doubled, scoring Yeend and the Cannons now led 4-2.

Kingston got within one in the top of the 5th. After a one-out double by 2B Mo Symes, SS Katsunan Chikafuji doubled him home to make it 4-3 Cambria.

In the bottom of the 6th, Cambria’s 3B Kenneth Logan led off with a single. 2B Domenic Carmody reached base safely on an error, allowing Logan to reach third. After LF Rio Gidley walked to load the bases, SS Rubén Sánchez singled, scoring both Logan and Carmody. Cambria now led 6-3. The Cannons would add one more in the bottom of the 7th to make it 7-3.

In the top of the 8th, Chong-sik Lee would take SP Bradley Dodson yard to make the score 7-4.

Kingston would load the bases in the top of the 9th inning, but RP Carl Luscombe would get Fergus Chitty to ground out to end the game and give Cambria a two games to none lead in the series.

Player of the Game: Cambria’s 3B Kenneth Logan went 2-4, with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R.

SP Bradley Dodson picked up the win, going 8.0 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (1-0, 4.50 ERA). However, Dodson was injured while pitching in the 8th inning. It appears he will need shoulder surgery and will be out 8 weeks.

Kingston’s SP Joey Cumberledge took the loss, going 6.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HR (0-1, 6.00 ERA).

--------

Game 3
Cambria 16 – Kingston 2



The series shifted to Kingston Park, with over 26,900 on hand to try and help their Pelicans get back into the series. It did not go quite as planned.

After LF Rio Gidley led off with a walk, SS Rubén Sánchez and CF Joe Olver followed with back-to-back doubles, scoring two. RF Clint Jones then followed with a two-run home run to make it 4-0 Cambria before SP Harley Bracher was able to record an out.

Kingston would respond in the bottom of the 1st. 2B Mo Symes led off with a first pitch single off of SP Leon Hankey. LF Jayden Tennant then followed with a walk. That set up SS Katsunan Chikafuji, who doubled in both Symes and Tennant to make it 4-2 Cambria.

That would be all the scoring Kingston could muster, as Cambria took over.

In the top of the 3rd, RF Clint Jones let off with his second home run, making it 5-2 Cannons.

After adding a run in the top of the 5th, Cambria would break it open in the 6th.

The scoring began with two out and SP Leon Hankey standing on second after a failed sac bunt and a ground out by Rio Gidley. Rubén Sánchez would reach base on an error (E4), moving Hankey to third. Joe Olver then singled, scoring Hankey to make it 7-2.

RP Simon Chell then came in to relieve SP Harley Bracher. But Chell would surrender three straight walks, scoring two more runs. With the bases loaded, C Glen Yeend singled, scoring another two runs, making it 11-2.

2B Domenic Carmody, who led off the inning, reached base safely thanks to a dropped ball (E3), loading the bases once again. SP Leon Hankey then singled in two more runs before Rio Gidley flew out to the shortstop to mercifully end the inning.

In the top of the 9th, Joe Olver led off with a single. A walk issued to Clint Jones and a single by 1B Keane Fysh loaded the bases with nobody out. A fly out by Glen Yeend and a double by 2B Aiden Smerdon scored three more. But Smerdon would be thrown out while trying to take third base on the play to end the inning.

The Pelicans would go down in order in the bottom of the 9th to end the game. A shell-shocked Kingston now faced elimination with Game 4 coming up.

Player of the Game: Cambria’s RF Clint Jones went 2-2, with 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB. In the process, Jones set the WL playoff records for runs in a game with 5 and walks in a game with 4.

SP Leon Hankey went the distance in his first playoff game, going 9.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (1-0, 2.00 ERA). He also went 1-5, 2 RBI at the plate.

SP Harold Bracher did not have a good day at the office, but then no Kingston pitcher did today. Bracher took the loss, going 5.2 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 7 BB, 0 K, 2 HR (0-1, 11.12 ERA).

--------

Game 4
Cambria 1 – Kingston 6



Facing elimination, the Pelicans rebounded in game 6 and gave the 27,186 fans in attendance a glimmer of hope.

After Cambria opened the scoring in the top of the first, Kingston responded in the bottom of the second. RF Chong-sik Lee led off with a triple and came into score on CF Shoshu Shimizu’s sac fly.

In the bottom of the 3rd, LF Jayden Tennant reached base on a walk and then advance to third base on SS Katsunan Chikafuji’s double. 1B Fergus Chitty’s sac fly scored Tennant and gave Kingston a lead they would not relinquish.

In the bottom of the 5th, a lead-off single by SP Francis Slocock and a double by 2B Mo Symes would put runners on second and third with nobody out. A ground out by Jayden Tennant and sac fly by Katsunan Chikafuji would score two, making it 4-1 for Kingston.

The Pelicans would add two more runs in the bottom of the 8th, staving off elimination and extending the series for at least one more game.

Player of the Game: SP Francis Slocock picked up the win, going 9.0 IP, 7 H with 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (1-1, 2.65 ERA).

Mo Symes went 3-5, with 1-2B, 2 R.

SP Nick Paddock took the loss, going 7.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, (1-2, 3.94 ERA).

--------


Game 5
Cambria 6 – Kingston 4



Just over 27,000 fans attended Game 5 to see if the Pelicans could extend the series. At first, it looked like the tide had turned in their favour.

In the bottom of the 1st, 2B Mo Symes led off with a first pitch single. LF Jayden Tennant followed with a two-run home run off of SP Owen Tautor to put Kingston on the board.

In the bottom of the 2nd, 3B Terry Maxwell and C Nick Hewat reached base on walks and advanced on a SP Joey Cumberledge sac fly. Mo Symes then followed through with a single, scoring Maxwell and Hewat. Kingston now led 4-0.

But Cambria would turn the tide starting in the top of the 4th. CF Joe Olver led off with a first pitch single and scored on RF Clint Jones double. Jones then came into score on 3B Kenneth Logan’s single, making it 4-2 Kingston.

Cambria would tie it up in the 5th. Owen Tautor led off with a double and scored when LF Rio Gidley immediately followed with a single. With two out, Clint Jones came through with a single, scoring Gidley. That made the score 4-4.

It would remain tied until the top of the 9th. After PH Woody Eaton doubled with one out, SP Joey Cumberledge was relieved by RP Simon Chell. With two out, PH Bert Helmer drew a walk off of Chell. That set up Rio Gidley, who immediately followed with a double, scoring both Eaton and Helmer. That made the score 6-4.

RP Carl Luscombe then got Kingston to go down in order in the bottom of the 9th. Cambria won the game, the series and the right to face the Brunswick Legends for the United Cup championship.

Player of the Game: LF Rio Gidley of Cambria went 3-5, with 1-2B, 3 RBI, 1 R.

RF Clint Jones went 2-4, with 1-2B, 2 RBI, 1 K.

SP Owen Tautor picked up the win, going 8.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR (1-0, 4.50 ERA).

Kingston’s SP Joey Cumberledge took the loss, going 8.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, (0-2, 5.65 ERA).

2B Mo Symes went 2 -3, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K in a losing effort.
--------

[Pjm8804]

Just wanted to thank you for sharing this dynasty with everyone. I am really enjoying it. Also, thanks for posting the quickstart and graphics folder. I downloaded it today, going to start playing. You have put an incredible amount of work into this, thank you for sharing!

[reds1]

Originally Posted by Pjm8804

Just wanted to thank you for sharing this dynasty with everyone. I am really enjoying it. Also, thanks for posting the quickstart and graphics folder. I downloaded it today, going to start playing. You have put an incredible amount of work into this, thank you for sharing!

Thank you for the kind words, Pjm8804! You never know how your projects or ideas will be received, so I'm really glad to hear you are enjoying it. Thanks again!

[reds1]

April 7, 1942

Cambria Cannons (94-60) vs. Brunswick Legends (93-61)
Season Matchup: 3-3

Cambria: Runs scored – 678 (4th in WL); runs allowed – 581 (1st in WL).
Brunswick: Runs scored – 789 (2nd in EL); runs allowed – 625 (2nd in EL).

--------

While the Western League has been represented thus far by either the Kingston Pelicans or Cambria Cannons in the first 5 years of the United Leagues existence, the 1941-42 United Cup Championship represents the first time that an Eastern League club is returning to the finals.

The Brunswick Legends make it once again as a wild card team, but they are a much stronger unit this season than the edition that got pummeled by a powerhouse Pelicans squad back in 1938-39. But as mentioned in the Eastern League Pennant write-up, the Legends are without a couple of key players. LF Mark Elston, their top position player and their starting SS Matthew Shelley are unavailable for the United Cup series due to injury. Thus manager Babe Ruth has some juggling to do.

But Cambria is not without health issues either. The Cannons are dealing with the loss of their best player, LF Ron Westmacott, who has been out since the All-Star break. But they now enter the United Cup finals without their 16-game winner, SP Bradley Dodson, who suffered a shoulder injury in Game 2 of the Western League pennant series. So manager Eddie Frierson, who has faced adversity before, will need to find a way to compensate as well.

The series opened up at Cambria’s Alexander Field under cool, partly cloudy skies with over 24,500 in attendance. Would Cambria prevail and win their second United Cup, or could the Legends come through and provide Babe Ruth his first professional championship as a manager? There’s only one way to find out. Let the games begin!

--------

Game 1
Brunswick 4 – Cambria 6



The Cannons got to SP Matthew Monroe early and often.

In the bottom of the 1st, LF Rio Gidley led off with a triple and scored on a ground out by SS Rubén Sánchez. Cambria led 1-0 after one.

In the bottom of the 2nd, CF Joe Olver, C Glen Yeend and 2B Dominic Carmody loaded the bases on three straight singles with nobody out. Olver then scored when SP Leon Hankey grounded into a double play. A single by Rio Gidley scored Yeend and the Cannons were up 3-0.

Cambria made it 5-0 in the bottom of the 3rd. After RF Clint Jones led off with a first-pitch single, 1B Kenneth Logan followed with a two-run homer to right-centerfield.

Brunswick got on the board in the top of the 4th. 1B Stuart Bentham led off with a triple and scored on a RF Rovilson Valdevieso’s ground out.

Cambria got that run back in the bottom half. Dominic Carmody led off with a double and came in to score on Clint Jones single with two out. Cambria now led 6-1.

But the Legends fought back in the 6th. With two out, Stuart Bentham drew a walk. Rovilson Valdevieso then took SP Leon Hankey’s first offering for a two-run home run to make it 6-3 Cannons. C Maurice Evans then followed with a single and reached second on a wild pitch. Evans came in to score on a CF John Dugan single making it 6-4 Cambria.

But that was all the scoring they could muster. RP Carl Luscombe got the Legends to go down in order in the 9th and Cambria took the first game of the series.

Player of the Game: Leon Hankey went 8.0 IP, scattering 8 H with 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR (2-0, 3.18 ERA).

Kenneth Logan went 2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R.

For Brunswick:

Matthew Monroe did not have a good day, going 4.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (1-1, 4.15 ERA).

Rovilson Valdevieso went 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R.

--------

Game 2
Brunswick 6 – Cambria 4



The score was identical to Game 1, but it was the Legends who came out on top this time. Brunswick got on the board first in the top of the 2nd, when C Maurice Evans singled with one out. He reached third on a passed ball and a ground out. 2B Vince Bailey then came through with a single, scoring Evans, making it 1-0 for Brunswick.

Cambria gained the momentum in the bottom of the 3rd. With one out, 2B Dominic Carmody doubled and tied the game up when SP Nick Paddock singled. A double by LF Rio Gidley, a ground out by SS Rubén Sánchez and a single by RF Clint Jones scored two more and the Cannons took the lead 3-1.

In the bottom of the 7th, 1B Keane Fysh led off with a single. A double by C Glen Yeend and single by Dominic Carmody with two out scored Fysh to make it 4-1 Cambria.

But Brunswick mounted a comeback. Three consecutive singles by LF Harry Chatwin, 3B Derek Sakuai and 1B Stuart Bentham to start the 8th inning, scored Chatwin, making it 4-2 Cambria.
After Rovilson Valdevieso walked to load the bases, the Legends scored two more runs, first on on a double play and then on a CF John Dugan double. The game was now tied at 4-4.

Brunswick broke the tie in the top of the 9th. SP Anastasio Rodríguez reached base on a one-out single. Following a pitching change, Harry Chatwin singled, putting runners on first and second. Stuart Bentham then came through with a two-out single, scoring Rodríguez. Rovilson Valdevieso then doubled, scoring Chatwin. That made it 6-4 in favour of Brunswick.

Anastasio Rodríguez got the Cannons to go down in order in the bottom of the 9th and Brunswick tied the series at one game apiece.

Player of the Game: Anastasio Rodríguez went the distance, going 9.0 IP, 7 H with 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (3-0, 1.67 ERA).

Stuart Bentham went 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 R.

For Cambria:

Nick Paddock took the loss, going 8.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (1-2, 4.44 ERA).

Dominic Carmody went 2-3, 1-2B, 1 RBI, 1 R.

--------

Game 3
Cambria 2 – Brunswick 1



The United Cup moved to Brunswick’s Babe Ruth Park with over 30,900 in attendance. Under warm and partly cloudy skies, fans looked to see who would take the lead series.

With Brunswick’s Hirotada Fukushima on the mound, Cambria got on the board early. In the top of the 1st, LF Rio Gidley led off with a single and reached second on an error (E8). RF Clint Jones singled with one out, scoring Gidley for the game’s first run. Back-to-back singles by 3B Kenneth Logan and 1B Keane Fysh scored Jones, and the Cannons led 2-0 after one inning.

That was all the scoring they would need. SP Owen Tautor kept the Legends off the scoreboard until the bottom of the 9th, when 1B Stuart Bentham launched a 2-out solo home run to left field. Tautor then got C Maurice Evans to fly out to end the game and Cambria took a 2 games-to-1 lead in the series.

Player of the Game: Owen Tautor pitched a great game, going 9.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR (2-0, 2.65 ERA).

Clint Jones went 2-4, 1-2B, 1 RBI, 1 R.

For Brunswick:

Hirotada Fukushima pitched well after the 1st inning, going 8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K (1-1, 1.10 ERA).

Stuart Bentham went 1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB.

--------

Game 4
Cambria 2 – Brunswick 7



Matthew Monroe took the mound again for Brunswick in front of over 30,700 under clear skies. And like Game 1, it looked as though Cambria was going to run roughshod over him.

In the top of the 1st inning with two out, RF Clint Jones doubled. 3B Kenneth Logan immediately followed with a home run to left field, and the Cannons led 2-0.

But Monroe settled in, and in the bottom of the 4th inning, Brunswick struck back. RF Rovilson Valdevieso doubled with two out and scored Brunswick’s first run when C Maurice Evans singled. After CF John Dugan walked, 2B Vince Bailey and SS Terry Ford both singled, scoring two. Brunswick now led 3-2.

Brunswick made it 4-2 in the 6th, after Rovilson Valdevieso led off with a double and Terry Ford singled him home with two out.

The Legends put it away in the 7th. Following back-to-back walks by LF Harry Chatwin and 3B Derek Sakurai to lead off the inning, 1B Stuart Bentham tripled off of SP Leon Hankey, scoring both baserunners. A groundout by Rovilson Valdevieso scored Bentham to make it 7-2.

Matthew Monroe got the Cannons to go down in order in the bottom of the 9th, and the Brunswick Legends evened up the series at 2-games apiece.

Player of the Game: Matthew Monroe had a strong outing, going 9.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR (2-1, 3.27 ERA).

Terry Ford went 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB.

Rovilson Valdevieso went 2-4, 1-2B, 2RBI, 2 R.

For Cambria:

Leon Hankey suffered his first post-season loss, going 6.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 0 K (2-1, 5.01 ERA).

--------

Game 5
Cambria 5 – Brunswick 8



Anastasio Rodríguez got the start for Brunswick with over 30,700 watching from the stands. The skies were clear and the Cannons were looking for another fast start.

They got in the top of the 1st inning. With one out, a single by CF Joe Olver, a double by RF Clint Jones and a single by 3B Kenneth Logan scored two runs and the Cannons had the early lead.

But Brunswick responded in the bottom of the 1st. LF Harry Chatwin led off with a single and reached third when 1B Stuart Bentham doubled with one out. During RF Rovilson Valdevieso subsequent at-bat, a balk was called on SP Nick Paddock. Chatwin came in to score and Bentham moved up to third. Valdevieso then singled in Bentham and the game was tied 2-2.

Brunswick took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd, when CF John Dugan led off with a single and 2B Vince Bailey doubled him home.

Cambria tied it up in the top of the 3rd with three singles by LF Rio Gidley, RF Clint Jones and 1B Keane Fysh.

But Brunswick took the lead for good in the bottom of the 4th. After C Maurice Evans led off with a double, CF John Dugan sent a 1-0 pitch from Paddock to straight centerfield for a home run to make it 5-3.

After Cambria scored a run in the 6th to get to within a run, Brunswick added to their lead in the 7th. SP Anastasio Rodríguez and LF Harry Chatwin led off with back-to-back singles and advanced on a 3B Derek Sakurai ground out. After 1B Stuart Bentham walked to load the bases, Rovilson Valdevieso reached base safely on an error (E8), scoring Rodríguez. A sac fly by Maurice Evans scored Chatwin to make it 7-4. That ended Nick Paddock’s day. But Arthur Carruth singled off of RP Carl Luscombe, scoring Bentham. Brunswick now led 8-4 after 7 innings.

Cambria added a final run in the 8th off of singles by Kenneth Logan, Keane Fysh and Glen Yeend. But RP Rob Fields got the Cannons to go down in order in the top of the 9th; and the Legends took a 3-games-to-2 lead in the series.

Player of the Game: John Dugan went 2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R.

Stuart Bentham went 2-3, 1-2B, 1 R, 1 BB.

Anastasio Rodríguez picked up the win, going 8.0 IP, 11 H with 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (4-0, 2.57 ERA).

For Cambria:

Nick Paddock took the loss again, going 6.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR (1-3, 5.52 ERA).

Kenneth Logan went 3-4, 1-2B, 1 RBI, 2 R.

Keane Fysh went 3-4, 1-2B, 1 RBI.

--------

Game 6
Brunswick 1 – Cambria 0



The United Cup returned to Cambria and the 24,515 in attendance were treated to a classic pitching battle between Brunswick’s Hirotada Fukushima and their own Owen Tautor. No one would reached third base until the 7th inning and no one would hit anything more than a single until the 8th.

It was in the top of the 8th inning that the scoreless tie was broken, when PH Timothy Paul took Owen Tautor’s 1-0 offering and deposited it into the leftfield bleachers to give Brunswick a 1-0 lead, with six outs to go.

Fukushima got them. The Cannons went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 8th.

In the bottom of the 9th, Fukushima needed just four pitches to induce three groundouts from Kenneth Logan, Rubén Sánchez and Bert Helmer and just like that, the game was over. Brunswick won 1-0 and became the first wildcard team to win the United Cup.

Player of the Game: Hirotada Fukushima pitched an outstanding game when his team needed it most, going 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (2-1, 0.71 ERA)

Timothy Paul was the other hero, going 1-1, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R.

For Cambria:

Owen Tautor made just one mistake, but it proved to be the difference. He went 9.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR (2-1, 2.08 ERA).

Rubén Sánchez went 2-4.

--------

[reds1]

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by knuckler

This dynasty is famtastic, Daren. I've spent a lot of time in your photobucket finding inspiration and admiring these very teams that you created. It is neat to see them brought to life here with top-notch writing and an amazing level of attention to detail. You have added so much to the OOTP community over the years with your logos and uniforms, but every aspect of this fictional world is your best work yet. Thank you!

Great to see you posting again on the Forum, knuckler.

Both you and reds1 have been tremendous contributors to the OOTPB Community.

Thanks to talented and wonderful people like both of you, all of my leagues have come to life with the great logos and uniforms all of you modders have created... agree with reds1 that the graphics make the players and teams come alive and make immersion so much better.

The United Leagues of Braeland rivals the best dynasties ever!

knuckler, your logos, jerseys and caps are as good as the best I have ever seen... not only are you talented... you are a fine person, too... you are an all-time great in this OOTPB Community.

Thank you for your great contributions over the years.

[reds1]

[Bottom Of The Sixth]

Love those awesome looking baseball cards images.

They are by far my favorite template created to date.

Very simple and clean looking however, also very classy!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks

[reds1]

Originally Posted by Bottom Of The Sixth

Love those awesome looking baseball cards images.

They are by far my favorite template created to date.

Very simple and clean looking however, also very classy!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks

Thanks, Chad. Glad you like them. I'll be using them again for next season as well. There's not too many templates for the 1940s out there to choose from.

[reds1]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Great to see you posting again on the Forum, knuckler.

Both you and reds1 have been tremendous contributors to the OOTPB Community.

Thanks to talented and wonderful people like both of you, all of my leagues have come to life with the great logos and uniforms all of you modders have created... agree with reds1 that the graphics make the players and teams come alive and make immersion so much better.

The United Leagues of Braeland rivals the best dynasties ever!

knuckler, your logos, jerseys and caps are as good as the best I have ever seen... not only are you talented... you are a fine person, too... you are an all-time great in this OOTPB Community.

Thank you for your great contributions over the years.

Thank you so much for the kind words, Eugene!

And I agree with you wholeheartedly on knucklers' tremendous contribution to the community!

[reds1]

1941-42 United Leagues of Braeland Awards

Eastern League



Babe Ruth Award

While the Embro Suns have yet to win a United Cup, they do enjoy a dynasty when it comes to the Babe Ruth Award in the Eastern League. For the fourth year in a row, an Embro Sun player received the honour. In fact, not only did Jim Friend repeat as the recipient of the Babe Ruth Award, the runners-ups were from Embro as well:

2nd: CF Terence Durney (.315/.399/.472, 12 HR, 98 RBI, 15 SB, 7.4 WAR).
3rd: RF Paul Hooks (.318/.422/.536, 21 HR, 101 RBI, 3.5 WAR);

Jim Friend led the Eastern League in Hits (200), RBI (145) and AVG (.331). His home run and runs batted in totals are United League records for a season.

Terence Durney led the league in PA (721), R (138), 2B (44) and WAR (7.4). Durney leads the United Leagues in career WAR (35.0).

Paul Hooks led the Eastern League in OPB (.422), SLG (.536) and OPS (.959). He leads the entire United Leagues in career SLG (.572) and RBI (549).

Previous Winners:

1937-38: Katsunan Chikafuji, Queensland Eagles
1938-39: Paul Hooks, Embro Suns
1939-40: Terence Durney, Embro Suns
1940-41: Jim Friend, Embro Suns

--------

Satchel Paige Award

Runners-ups for the award this season were Stratford`s Joel Fearn (25-8, 2.61 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 152 ERA+) and last season’s winner, Braeland City’s David Cooling (23-9, 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 147 ERA+).

Rodríguez led the Eastern League in ERA (2.25), WHIP (1.07), BB/9 (1.6) and BABIP (.256).

Fearn led the league in wins (25) and WAR (8.3).

Previous Winners:

1937-38: Colm Soper, Embro Suns
1938-39: Justin Hayhurst, Stratford Barons
1939-40: Lenny Freke, Braeland City Monarchs
1940-41: David Cooling, Braeland City Monarchs

--------

Rookie of the Year Award

Runners-ups for the award this season were SP Bill Blair (11-8, 2.93 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 136 ERA+) of Stratford and Cobourg’s LF Cliff Jordan (.266/.306/.357, 7 HR, 62 RBI, 1.4 WAR).

Chatwin led the entire United Leagues in SB (37).

Previous Winners:

1938-39: Adam Ashley, Braeland City Monarchs
1939-40: Soren Heinke, Wellington Athletics
1940-41: Dean Bishop, Queensland Eagles

--------

Western League



Babe Ruth Award

The Babe Ruth Award returned to the Kingston Pelicans, as LF Jayden Tennant won it for the second time in his career. Runners-ups for the award were all Pelicans as well: 2B Mo Symes (.304/.397/.476, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 12 SB, 7.2 WAR) and 1B Fergus Chitty (.316/.442/.544, 20 HR, 87 RBI, 5.9 WAR).

Tennant led the Western League in H (188), HR (36), RBI (114), SLG (.579) and OPS (.984). Tennant’s home run total matched the record set by Jim Friend last season. He also currently holds the lead in career HR with 143.

Symes led the League in PA (725), AB (616), R (134) and WAR (7.1). Symes holds the season record in the ULB for runs with 140, set in 1938-40. He leads in career total for runs (656) and total bases (1490) as well.

Chitty led the League in BB (98) and OBP (.442). Chitty holds the season record for OPS (1.041) and 2B (53), both set in 1937-38. He also holds the career record for OPS (1.006) and BB (533).

Previous Winners:

1937-38: Fergus Chitty, Kingston Pelicans
1938-39: Fergus Chitty, Kingston Pelicans
1939-340: Jayden Tennant, Kingston Pelicans
1940-41: Steven Winstanley, Hespeler Stars

--------

Satchel Paige Award

The Kingston Pelicans kept the award in the family; so to speak, as Francis Slocock became the fourth consecutive Pelican to win the award and the first not named Brady Murdy. Runners-ups for the award this season was Sherburn’s Myung-gu Son (19-11, 3.01 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 132 ERA+) and Cambria’s Leon Hankey (19-9, 2.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 138 ERA+).

Slockock led the Western League in ERA (2.57) and WHIP (1.13). He currently holds the United Leagues career record for WHIP (1.15) and Opponents OBP (.285).

Son tied for the league lead in wins (19) and led in GS (36), HR/9 (0.2) and WAR (6.9).

Hankey tied with Son for the league lead in wins (19).

Previous Winners:

1937-38: Neil Guerin, Cambria Cannons
1938-39: Brady Murdy, Kingston Pelicans
1939-40: Brady Murdy, Kingston Pelicans
1940-41: Brady Murdy, Kingston Pelicans

--------

Rookie of the Year Award

Runners-ups for the award this season were Hespeler’s SS Arturo Ramos (.312/.359/.375, 3 HR, 38 RBI, 1.9 WAR) and Balmoral’s 3B Otton Overbeek (.269/.314/.401, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 1.2 WAR).

Previous Winners:

1938-39: Aaron Flanagan, Wolseley Unions
1939-40: Francisco Rodríguez, Balmoral Giants
1940-41: Leon Hankey, Cambria Cannons

--------

Manager of the Year Award



The announcement that Babe Ruth won the Eastern League Manager of the Year Award came as somewhat of a surprise, seeing how Embro Suns’ manager Vic Windle, led his team to 100 victories, the most in the United Leagues this season; his team’s playoff performance notwithstanding. But the 63-year old Windle immediately retired at the end of the season, and apparently OOTP does not consider him eligible because of that. Which is a shame really, but I guess Ruth is the sentimental choice. And he did lead the Legends back to the playoffs.

In the West, 55-year old Eddie Frierson of Cambria won his second Manager of the Year Award; having won it earlier in 1939-40. In essence, his award came by default as well, as the other top candidate, Kingston’s John Permenter, retired at 66-years of age.

Stratford Barons manager Bill Quinn currently leads the United Leagues in career victories with 445 (445-325, .578 over 5 seasons).

Previous Winners:

1937-38: Bradley Balmforth, Wellington Athletics; Rouke Barclay, Sherburn Tigers
1938-39: Vic Windle, Embro Suns; John Permenter, Kingston Pelicans
1939-40: Warren Paulino, Braeland City Monarchs; Eddie Frierson, Cambria Cannons
1940-41: Bill Quinn, Stratford Barons; John Permenter, Kingston Pelicans

[reds1]

Notes on 1941-42 All-Braeland Team

Starting Pitcher

This past season saw a number of standout performances by the starting pitchers. Just a few:

Stratford’s Joel Fearn (25-8. 2.61 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 152 ERA+);

Braeland City’s David Cooling (23-9, 2.71 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 147 ERA+); and

Kingston’s Francis Slocock (17-10, 2.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 155 ERA+)

But Anastasio Rodríguez won the EL Satchel Paige Award for a reason. Besides ERA and WHIP, Rodríguez also led United Leagues in BB/9 (1.6), Opponents OBP (.270), and Opponents OPS (.595).

--------

Catcher

Fort Richmond’s Danny Trowbridge was the top catcher in the ULB, as he was outstanding at the plate and behind it.

A couple of other catcher had fine seasons as well:

Queensland’s Dave Wilson (.317/.370/.475, 16 HR, 100 RBI, 5.1 WAR), who was not quite as strong behind the plate as Trowbridge was; and

Hespeler’s Aaron Skidmore (.243/.383/.387, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 4.3 WAR) who was tremendous defensively and won a Top Fielding Award in his first full season.

--------

First Base

A carbon copy of last season, Jim Friend was the top first baseman in the United Leagues, winning his second consecutive Babe Ruth Award.

Coming in second, once again was Kingston’s Fergus Chitty (.316/.442/.544, 20 HR, 87 RBI, 5.9 WAR). But 25-year old Stuart Bentham of Brunswick (.297/.381/.484, 23 HR, 77 RBI, 95 R, 4.5 WAR) appears to be an up-and-comer.

--------

Second Base

Last year, this was a tight race. This year, it was no contest. Kingston’s Mo Symes is currently the top-rated second baseman in the ULB and played like it.

Only Wellington’s Brian Main (.293/.362/.449, 11 HR, 94 RBI, 5.6 WAR) gets a brief mention in this category.

--------

Third Base

This was an interesting two-way race between Kingston's Terry Maxwell and Cambria’s Kenneth Logan (.332/.415/.485, 11 HR, 74 RBI, 4.8 WAR). Logan is the No. 1 rated 3B in the ULB and had a tremendous season. But Maxwell was just as good and was amazing on defense, as evidence by his winning the Top Fielder Award.

--------

Shortstop

The United Leagues sees it top two position players call shortstop home. Indeed, there a number of worthy candidates for the shortstop position on the All-Braeland team, despite the loss of Okura Ito due to war-time restrictions.

Besides Balmoral’s Francisco Rodríguez (rated No. 1) there are:

Stratford’s Jake Walker (.313/.418/.470, 7 HR, 80 RBI, 5.8 WAR – rated No. 2);

Braeland City’s Adam Ashley (.305/.359/.423, 6 HR, 82 RBI, 19 SB, 5.8 WAR), who is a perennial Top Fielder Award winner;

Kingston’s Katsunan Chikafuji (.311/.372/.459, 18 HR, 91 RBI, 5.5 WAR); and

Cambria’s Rubén Sánchez (.289/.337/.408, 10 HR, 59 RBI, 5.3 WAR), who won his first Top Fielder Award this season.

--------

Left Field

Once again, this was no contest. But this time, it was Kingston’s Jayden Tennant who was far and away the United Leagues top leftfielder. Only Balmoral’s Carlton Broadbent (.309/.380/.530, 24 HR, 95 RBI, 4.8 WAR) came remotely close.

--------

Center Field

Terence Durney stands alone in the ULB when it comes to centerfielders, as there is no one as dominant a player at that position. He is also a regular candidate for the Babe Ruth Award to boot. But there is a young crop of center fielders that may challenge him one day.

One of them, Pulberry’s Jamie Couch (.308/.360/.417, 4 HR, 63 RBI, 31 SB, 5.9 WAR) is clearly an up-and-comer. Couch also won his second Top Fielder Award.

--------

Right Field

Clint Jones is enjoying a nice rebound the past couple of seasons since he rejoined the Cambria Cannons, and he was easily the ULB’s best right fielder. Although he didn’t win a Top Fielder Award, he was exceptional defensively. But there were also a couple of worthy mentions.

Last season’s All-Braeland Team member at left field, Stratford’s Steven Winstanley (.286/.377/.439, 17 HR, 94 RBI, 4.6 WAR) spent the majority of his time at right field, and had a fine season as well.

Pulberry’s Yoshino Ito (.283/.340/.403, 6 HR, 51 HR, 28 SB, 4.2 WAR) doesn’t seem to rate very highly on the Trolleys positional strength chart, but he had a ‘come out of nowhere’ season offensively and beat out Jones for the Top Fielder Award. The 23-year old’s WAR stat the past two seasons were 1.0 and 1.1 respectively.

[reds1]

The Send Off
April 1942

The manager stepped inside his office, for the last time he thought, and gazed upon the empty desk and shelves. Only yesterday it had been filled with cigar smoke, champagne bottles and other remnants of the Legends’ United Cup victory party. A surge of satisfaction welled over him as he reflected on the achievement his players had accomplished; a scrappy team that overcame adversity to win it all. But the feeling quickly dissipated as he remembered why he was leaving: how could he remain thousands of miles away from home while young Americans were dying in the defense of their country – his country. At 47 years of age, he knew he could not have a direct share, but he was sure there was something he could do to help raise money for the war effort. And what better time to return home he figured, than right then – fresh off a championship. Besides, his wife Claire was homesick and if he was completely honest with himself, so was he. It was time to leave.

But he also had misgivings. Since the start of the playoffs, he had not seen or spoken to William and was worried how his friend would feel upon learning about his sudden decision to leave Braeland. Especially after what the King had done to secure him his dream job: manager of a professional baseball team. He wanted the opportunity to speak to him and explain his decision, but forces beyond his control prevented it until his very departure scheduled for that afternoon. He wondered how he could reach him, never mind just trying to explain it.

Just then, members of the team staff passed by his office.

“Hey, look who`s still here. If I didn`t know any better Mr. Kelloway, I`d think he wanted his old job back!” joked Gary Gott, the Legends pitching coach.

Ruth laughed as he accepted Gott’s outreached hand.

“And who could blame me? It’s the best job in the entire league! And I appreciate everything you did for me, Mr. Kelloway”, replied Ruth, as he turned to shake Legends owner’s hand.

“Babe, you’re sure you wouldn’t reconsider?” asked Brendan Kelloway, with a teasing smile his face.

Ruth smiled back and sighed. “No, but thank you just the same. All things considered, it’s time to go back home.”

“I understand completely, Babe. What do you say we go up to my office and have a drink? Claire and your luggage won’t be arriving for another half hour. I’ll make a highball just for you!”

“Now that’s an offer I can’t pass up!” smiled Ruth, rubbing his hands.

Ruth and Kelloway made their way to the Owner’s office, passing through the Legends club house. As they did so, the few remaining players who were cleaning out their lockers stood up out of respect.

“Take care, skipper”, offered Harry Chatwin, the Legends star rookie centerfielder as he stepped forward to shake Babe’s hand. “All the best and thanks for everything you taught me.”

The other players stepped up as well to get one last chance to thank their idol.

“Well thank you, boys”, replied Ruth, who relished his role as a mentor. “Just remember – if you continue to play as hard as you did this season, the Cup will stay here in Brunswick for a very long time. It was a real privilege to have been your manager, men. God bless you all.”

The two men made their way up the Owner’s office. Ruth sat down in one of the lush leather chairs and watched as Kelloway pulled back the doors to the wet bar.

“Scotch and seltzer fine with you, Ruth?” asked the owner as he dropped ice cubes into the glasses.

“Oh, that’ll be just dandy”, replied Ruth, as he loosened his tie and collar.

“So, I hear you’ll be flying out on one those newfangled C-54s the U.S. armed forces is employing now”, remarked Kelloway as he handed Ruth his drink.

“Yes – too dangerous to head out by ship now”, responded Ruth, as he took a gulp from his drink. “Ah, that hits the spot. The U.S. Navy has kindly given my wife and me clearance to leave on one of their transport planes that’s heading stateside this afternoon. I just feel bad that we have to leave in a rush and all. There are so many people we would like to say goodbye too, y’know?”

“Well, you got to go when opportunity affords itself. It’s the navy after all. But I wouldn’t worry too much. Despite the secrecy, there’ll be a waiting entourage to see you off at the tarmac.”

“You think so?” asked a hopeful Ruth as he took another gulp of his highball.

Just then, Kelloway’s secretary knocked on the door and poked her head into his office. “Excuse me, Mr. Kelloway, but there’s someone here to see Mr. Ruth. They’re waiting in his office.”

“My office?” exclaimed Ruth. “Well, I guess is it until you officially hire someone else! Must be my wife.”

Ruth looked at his watch. “I suppose it’s that time. Thanks for the drink, Mr. Kelloway; I should be heading down now and not keep Claire waiting.”

“I’ll join you, if you don’t mind, Babe”, replied Kelloway. “I’ll be heading out to see you off as well. Oh, and please, call me Brendan, Babe. No need for any formality now, is there?”

“No, I suppose not”, laughed Ruth as Kelloway patted him on the back.

The men made their way back to Ruth’s old office. As Ruth opened the door, he was greeted by his wife only to realize that she was not alone.

Ruth noticed someone was seated in his old swivel chair but had his back to him. As the young man swiveled around, Ruth instantly recognized a familiar face. “William!”

But William was in no mood for pleasantries.

“What’s this I hear of you leaving without saying goodbye?” a stern looking William asked. For a moment, tension filled the air as Alexander Louden, the King’s personal secretary and Dr. David Westfall, the Commissioner stood in silence with the others at the King’s unexpected outburst.

But the King couldn’t keep the act going any longer, and broke out in a wide grin. “Gotcha!” William shouted as he playfully pointed to his much relieved friend.

Ruth could only smile as William gleefully got up and slid over the desktop to embrace him, as the crowd of onlookers in the tiny room breathed a sigh of relief as well.

“You had me going there, kid”, exclaimed Ruth. “Truth is I wouldn’t blame you if you were angry at me. I wanted to talk to you before we departed, but I didn’t know how in the short time we had left.”

“Angry at you? That’s not even possible, is it?” asked an incredulous William. “I knew this day was coming sooner or later, what – with the war breaking out and all.” Then William paused. “I just didn’t think it would be ‘sooner’.”

William then turned to acknowledge Ruth’s wife Claire and his own wife, Lily, who was holding their three month old daughter, Hannah. “Besides, you don’t owe me anything, Babe. There’s nothing more important than family and home.”

A silence then fell upon the subdued crowd, as no one was prepared to spoil the moment for William and the Babe. Finally, it was William himself who broke it. “Well, we can’t put it off any longer. It‘s time to take you and Claire home safe and sound. Alex, if you’d be so kind as to lead us out to the motorcade; we mustn’t keep the navy waiting.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later, the motorcade arrived onto the tarmac at Lune Military Airfield just outside of Brunswick, where the U.S. Navy’s Douglas R5D was waiting for them.

Getting out of the car, the King covered his eyes from the bright afternoon sun and whistled as he gawked at the gleaming transport.

“She’s a beauty, alright,” concurred Ruth.

“I’ll see to it that you’re luggage and passage is taken of, Mr. Ruth”, informed Louden as he turned to meet the approaching military personnel.

Unsure whether he would be able to keep his emotions in check, William stayed back with his wife and daughter as United League Commissioner David Westfall and Legends owner Brendan Kelloway spoke in turn and presented, among other things, the Legends’ United Cup trophy to a surprised Ruth as a keepsake.

Ruth called out to Louden who was returning from the transport. “Hey Alex, got some more for ya!”

Laughter erupted as Ruth handed off the keepsakes to the deluged Secretary. Then, Ruth approached William, who had remained subdued.

“I’ve got something for you, your Majesty.” Ruth pulled out a baseball from the pocket of his sports jacket and gently tossed it to William. “It’s the home run ball that won us the United Cup.”

Now it was William’s turn to be surprised. “Are you sure, Babe?”

“I’m positive, kid. A little token of my appreciation. Something to share with Hannah when she’s old enough.”

William laughed. “I will, Babe. I’ll make sure she knows all about it.”

Just then Louden approached them once again. “You’re baggage is all loaded up Mr. Ruth; Mrs. Ruth. They’re requesting that you board immediately.”

“Well, take care of yourself, Babe. Goodbye, Claire”, offered William as he shook their hands in turn. Then, as the realization of their leaving finally sank in, William struggled to get the words he wanted to say out. “I’ll never forget the times we spent together, Babe. Thank you for everything.”

“So long, kid; it’s been a swell ride, and I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me. See ya when the war’s over.”

“I’d like that, Babe”, replied William. The two men stood motionless, facing each other, not wanting to leave each other’s company, but both recognized there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

After a final wave of goodbye, the Ruths turned and walked across the tarmac to the transport, up the stairs and disappeared inside. As the doors closed and the plane taxied to the runway, William turned away, unable to watch any longer. He had something in his eye.

William closed his eyes and listened as the transport took off. Within a matter of minutes it was out of view. Then a subdued Louden approached the King, who still had his back to the runway. “You’re Majesty?”

“Yes, Alex; we should go now.” The entourage withdrew and headed back to the waiting motorcade. As the others piled in, William asked Louden a favour. “Take my family home would you, Alex? I want to head back to the ballpark – alone.”

Louden didn’t have to ask why. “Yes, sire.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Arriving back at the ballpark, William gently tapped his chauffer on the shoulder. “Wait for me here, Albert. I’ll be but a few minutes.”

As William emerged from the motorcar, he paused to glance up at the ‘Babe Ruth Park’ marquee as its neon lighting fought back the threatening shadows. Entering through the side door that was opened for him, William took his time walking down the dark, lonely tunnel that led to the field behind home plate. Emerging from the home dugout, William walked up to the top step and leaned against the railing. He contemplated the rays from the late afternoon sun that streamed across the green grass and thought back to the time when he first met the Babe at Yankee Stadium all those years ago. He thought of the present as well, the brief moment in time it seemed; of witnessing the Babe manage his club to glory from those very steps. Just then, he remembered the ball Ruth had given him and pulled it out of the pocket of his sports jacket. Looking at it more closely, he noticed the inscription for the first time: “To William – Thanks for everything, kid. Your friend, Babe.”

William immediately looked around through increasingly glistening eyes, making sure he wasn’t being observed. Returning his attention to the ball, William stared at it, lost in thought, and allowed himself a faint smile. He wasn’t sure of a lot of things in life. Like the outcome of a senseless war or whether he would ever see his friend again. But he was sure of one thing.

Baseball would continue to thrive in Braeland – it just won’t be the same without the Babe.