April 19, 1943 Spring Training ends
 

APRIL 19, 1943

INTEREST KEEN AS FANS AWAIT THE BELL

MINERS, EAGLES LIFTING LID TOMORROW, ALL TO PLAY WEDNESDAY

Baseball opens another war-shrouded season this week with the Federal and Continental Associations both confident that fans are as interested as ever in the national pastime, that the pennant races will be as entertaining as ever, and that the schedules will be carried through to their normal conclusion.

No one is overlooking the difficulties ahead including the fact that star performers constantly are being called to military service. But the reception the FABL clubs have received this spring during their transplanted training programs has convinced all observers that interest has not been eclipsed by sterner issues. The curtain will be raised tomorrow in Washington with the Eagles playing the Pittsburgh Miners at Columbia Stadium a day ahead of the getaway for other clubs. That follows the custom of having a ceremonial opener in the Nation's Capitals. President Roosevelt has been invited to throw out the first ball, but there has been no indication whether he would be available for such duties. Last year he turned the pitching over to Vice President Wallace.

*** ALL DUE TO PLAY WEDNESDAY ***

On Wednesday all 16 clubs are carded for action with this schedule:
FEDERAL ASSOCIATION - New York at Detroit, Washington at Philadelphia, Boston at Pittsburgh and Chicago at St Louis.
CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION - New York at Brooklyn, Toronto at Cleveland, Philadelphia at Cincinnati and Montreal at Chicago.

The pair of New York nines in the Gothams and Stars are the defending champs, but with numerous contributions to the war effort by each the race for the '43 flag is wide-open in both associations. All teams have seen many of their important players enter the armed forces, but none have been tapped more heavily that the defending CA champion New York Stars. The Stars will be without Bill Barrett, Lew Seals, Joe Angevine, Chuck Cole and Lou Robertson and will clearly have their work cut out for them if they wish to a third pennant in the past five seasons. TWIFB will publish it's annual prediction issue tomorrow.

• Doubleheader season starts early this year. The regular Federal and Continental Association campaigns don't open for a couple of days yet but the first twin bills waste no time appearing on the schedule as 6 Fed sides will play doubleheaders next Sunday. Get used to it as there will be a lot of them as just about every Sunday this year will see 16 games FABL games played, barring weather issues.
• There may be a few waiver-wire related deals and quite likely several waiver claims tomorrow as teams finalize their 24-man rosters. The first trade has occurred with the Cincinnati Cannons sending a 10th round pick to the Chicago Chiefs in exchange for veteran outfielder Alf Pestilli. Pestilli began his career with the current Cannons GM when both were in Brooklyn and had some solid seasons early in his career but has struggled the past few years. The Cannons needed a lefthanded bat and some power in the outfield so they felt he was worth taking a chance on.
• Gothams fans can rest a little easier after their club won it's final 5 spring games to escape the cellar and finish with an 11-13 mark.
• Another player lost to the war effort as Montreal farmhand Zachary Clark was drafted into the army. The 23 year old third baseman was an 18th round pick in 1938 and hit .265 at Class A Evansville last season.
• It was touch and go for a while but both the Lone Star Association and the Western Baseball League will proceed with their seasons. There had been some great concern neither loop would have enough players to field teams but in the end all 16 clubs in the two independent leagues say they are going to be able to compete. Play gets underway in each of those leagues a week and a half from now.

BERJARANO NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jimmy Berjarano of Great Plains State was named the AIAA college basketball player of the year. The senior from Fort Worth, Tx., averaged 15.0 points per game in leading the Buffaloes to a 26-4 record. The season ended in disappointment for the Wichita, Ks., school as they fell to Lane State in the opening round of the year end tournament.
Berjarano and his Great Plains State teammate Regis Lamoureux were both named to first team All-Americans and were joined by a pair of Detroit City College teammates in Roman Sollars and Andrew Bennett on that squad. Rounding out the first team All-Americans was Alabama Baptist forward Lon Porter. Sollars led the nation in scoring average with 15.3 ppg but left his team before the season was completed to enlist in the Navy.

HAMPTON NAMED TO FROSH ALL-AMERICAN SQUAD

It certainly appears Joe Hampton made the right decision to give up a minor league baseball career in order to go to school and play college basketball. The 19 year old former St Louis Pioneers farmhand, and son of ex-big league ball player Jim Hampton, capped a terrific freshman season at Western Iowa by being named the top freshman in the Great Lakes Alliance and selected as one of the five members of the Freshman All-American team. Hampton, a 6'2" guard, started all 31 games for the Canaries and helped them reach the semi-finals of the year end tournament while averaging 5.1 ppg and 3.3 assists.

• War Manpower Chief Paul McNutt said today that every able-bodied man between 18-38 will be in the armed forces by Dec. 31 except for the 3.2 million in agriculture, the ministry and vital industries. The announcement comes as Selective Service has announced the virtual elimination of dependency as a reason for deferment.
• Allied forces bombed Naples while the Pacific there are reports the US destroyed 52 Japanese planes in a single day as they work to 'check' the ememy's air offensive. There are concerns the Japanese fleet is massing for a new offensive.
• France tops the list as the site for the expected invasion of Europe because it is the enemy territory closest to a major allied base but the perimeter is heavily fortified.
  
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• The Allies continue pressure to drive Rommel into the sea.
  
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April 20, 1943 - Preseason Prediction Special Issue
 

APRIL 20, 1943 : SPECIAL OPENING DAY ISSUE

McNUTT WILL TOSS SPHERE MARKING START OF SEASON

Minus the customary presidential presence, but retaining all other frills and pageantry that normally mark opening-day festivities, baseball will plunge into it's second season under the grim shadow of World War II today at Columbia Stadium when Washington takes on the Pittsburgh Miners. Tossing out the first ball that symbolizes the start of the season will be Paul V. McNutt, who, as head of the War Manpower Commission, later may provide the answer as to whether he will toss FABL out of the national sports scene. President Roosevelt, for the second straight year will be occupied with more important affairs and Vice President Wallace, who performed the chucking chore last spring, is in South America.

Thus for the first time since William Howard Taft was inhabiting the White House, baseball will miss the fond embrace of the President, the Vice-President or cabinet member, but in obtaining McNutt to highlight pre-game ceremonies club owner William Stockdale of the Eagles will be featuring a key figure in baseball's hope of surviving the international squabble.

These are mainly a shot in the dark. I feel like this season you could randomly pull teams out of a hat in the Fed because there's four or five teams that could win the pennant and probably seven of 'em that can finish somewhere between second and last place. Injuries might play an even more outsized role this season because there's just less depth in every organization.

Continental is also tough, but I think there are three teams with a realistic shot (the three I have at the top) and even the Stars & Saints could be in the mix, though Barrett's loss is the single-largest hole anyone has to fill this season and the Saints remain largely unproven. The only things that seem likely are that the Foresters will probably be last and that Deuce Barrell will win the Allen Award again.

Fed predictions:
1 - Keystones
2 - Chiefs
3 - Gothams
4 - Minutemen
5 - Pioneers
6 - Miners
7 - Dynamos
8 - Eagles
Conti:
1 - Cougars
2 - Cannons
3 - Wolves
4 - Stars
5 - Sailors
6 - Saints
7 - Kings
8 - Foresters
Cougars over Keystones in WCS, in six.

BNN SEES PIONEERS, CANNONS IN SERIES

In what is looking like a season with the potential to have plenty of surprises ahead, The Baseball News Network is making a most unexpected prediction in calling on the St Louis Pioneers to win the Federal Association Pennant. If it happens it will be the first title for St Louis since 1921 and see the Pioneers rise to the top after three straight second division finishes. Most observers are in agreement that the St Louis ballclub will be much improved this season but few, if any, feel the Pioneers are good enough to win the Fed. BNN thinks the pitching will be the difference, calling on the Pioneers arms to be the best in the Fed at keeping opposing teams off the scoresheet with Danny Hern, Buddy Long and a resurgent season from Sam Sheppard leading the way.

The call for the 35 year old Sheppard to win 18 games and be among the Fed ERA leaders is perhaps the most gutsy prediction made by the news network - well, outside of calling on a Pioneers pennant- as while Sheppard did win an Allan Award with an amazing 28-7 campaign in 1935, he has done little the past 4 years and has been deemed good enough to only start three games in the past two seasons.

BNN also is calling on Washington and Detroit, a pair of second division clubs a year ago, to finish third and fourth with the Boston Minutemen -champs of 1941- nestled into second place 4 games back of the St Louis nine. The news service is also dropping the defending World Championship Series winning New York Gothams to the bottom of the Fed.

The calls for the Continental Association from BNN seem a little more in step with what other so-called experts are predicting, with the news service liking Deuce Barrell and the Cincinnati Cannons to edge out the Chicago Cougars for top spot.

CROSS-SECTION OF PROGNOSTICATORS CALL FOR CHAOS

If you believe the newspapermen who are tasked with attempting to make sense of the upcoming baseball season at this time every year with fearless forecasts then the Federal Association race will be even more unpredictable than usual. Out of the seven different sources that dared call the '43 FABL races, we have 5 different favourites to win the Fed pennant this time around including 3 of the 4 teams that finished in the second division a year ago. Yes, Washington and St Louis are two of the teams our spunky seven have selected to claim the crown, along with the Chicago Chiefs, Philadelphia Keystones and Boston Minutemen. Now before you pan our prophets, gas their guesswork and lampoon their lists it is likely prudent to point out that just one year ago the New York Gothams, who none of our clairvoyants currently call on to claim a second straight title, were a second division club themselves given no chance by anyone of winning the '43 Fed pennant. And the previous year not a single prediction called for the Boston Minutemen to win the '41 pennant.

With that information firmly in hand perhaps the smart play in the Fed is to bank on Pittsburgh, the Gothams or Detroit -the three teams not tabbed to top the heap- as the future Fed champ.

Now the Continental Association has gone much more according to script the past few years. In 1940 a number of publications correctly called a Wolves win. In '41 about half correctly identified the Cougars as the future winners and a year ago four of the seven who ventured a guess properly identified the Stars as the team to beat. That makes one pretty confident to put a few ration cards down on the Cougars -named first on five ballots- or perhaps the Cannons -who topped the other two.

Here is how each of our seven forecasters foresee the season playing out.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

As winter finally releases Toronto from its icy grip the sound of ball on bat is about to be heard again in Dominion Field. The Wolves finished the spring tune-ups with a record of 13-11, while not earth shattering manager Charlie Reed is satisfied with the result. Although there was not a lot of experimentation this spring this may be a benefit as the regulars were able to get more repetitions than normal. The bats cooled off later in the warmup period but there are signs that some players are on the right path after a disappoint 1942 season, in particular Walt Pack, Ockie Holliday seemed to have recovered their batting eye. The only infield concern is the dismal performance at the plate by Charlie Artuso, .167/.247/.241 has some fans questioning his rumoured position in top of the lineup when the season begins. Reed has shown that he believes Artuso's bat will turn around in short order.

The outfield loss of Hank Giordano and Tom Frederick was very evident in Chattanooga as with exception of Juan Pomales the offensive output of the men scheduled to patrol the expanse of green outfield grass was dismal, disappointing, at best. Defensively the OF is no where close to league average, probably at or near the bottom of the CA. Unless the offense picks up the pace it will be a long summer in Toronto, suspect defense coupled with limited offensive contribution is worst of all worlds. With a light schedule to begin the year Pomales will spend most if not all of April in CF. The initial plan for Pomales on the mound will be to pitch the first game of a Sunday double header then rest in the second game.

Pitching will have lead the way, again, for the Wolves to have any chance in CA. The loss of George Garrison to service is a hole that will not be completely filled but all of the rotation had good or very good springs. With Joe Hancock, Chick Wirtz, Bob Walls or Bernie Johnson starting the majority of the games the Wolves have a chance to be at or near the top of the pitching statistics in the CA.

This reporter thinks the Wolves will get back into the first division of the CA, could be a force if the pitching leads the way along with the OF not being the black hole fans are predicting for the Wolves. The Wolves escaped the spring with very few injuries, this along with the black cloud of "Who is the next to leave to join the war effort?" will be the major factor in the 1943 version of the FABL.

• While Fred Barrell's decision to retire is not unexpected, the timing of the move certainly is as Barrell spent the entire spring with the Brooklyn Kings only to announce his decision to hang it up on the eve of the season opener. No doubt hitting just .121 in spring play was a factor in the timing of the move, but one has to wonder if Fred's cryptic explanation that he is taking a job in "government service and plan(s) to contribute to the war effort" means there is much more to the story. Clearly with those words Fred is not going to be teaching physical education or running a baseball team at one of the many military camps and stations.
• The decision does leave the Brooklyn Kings in a tough situation with Bill Johnson as the only catcher on their 40-man secondary roster and the 32 year old Johnson has played just 162 career FABL games. No other catcher under contract to the Kings has played even one big league game so expect them to grab at least one catcher off the waiver wire despite the fact that there are not really any solid options there. Wilbur Hodges, waived by the Chiefs yesterday after spending a decade as a back-up with the Sailors, is the most likely option.
• Dynamos manager Dick York thinks the new baseball -the one made with a cork and balata center to conserve war-vital rubber- will "have a bad effect on the game." Dick predicts the new pellet - which apparently doesn't travel as well as the old rubber-center horsehide- would reduce score-making and cut down on home runs and long extra-base hits that are the delight of so many fans.
• From John Brinker of the New York Mirror: "The BNN predictions are always wacky. I'm not all-in on St. Louis - they're improved and should be a factor, but I see the Fed as mostly a three-way race between Chicago, Philly & New York, with Boston and Pittsburgh on the fringes. I can see Cincy winning the Continental - they have the best pitcher in the game and that's a big advantage. I would say it's them, the Cougars or the Wolves. I always underestimate the Stars - losing Barrett is a massive blow, but they seem to always be in the thick of things."
• The Stars pitching looks very familiar with 7 of the 8 returning for another season. Newcomer Bill Keith was a surprising addition to the roster beating out all others for the final slot on the team. BUT, he's never played higher than AA ball. Some in New York suspect spring training was a fluke, but he's getting the chance to prove them wrong.
• Could we see a female player in professional baseball before the war is over? It's happening in college golf as Bayou State has solved their shortage of players on Cougars mens team by announcing that Miss Matilda (Tilly) Dasher, a 20-year old blue-eyed brown-haired member of the school's ladies golf team, will be competing in a Big South Conference mens event in Louisiana this weekend. Her play will mark the first time a mixed intercollegiate team has appeared in a major conference.
• Positive news from England that things are somewhat inching towards a return to normalcy as word is three crowds, each numbering more than 50,000 fans and another within shouting distance of that figure packed Great Britain's football fields as the cup finals were decided in four leagues.

• Mussolini has ordered the immediate evacuation from the southern coast of Italy of all civilians not engaged in defense work. Over 30,000 persons have been evacuated from the southern provinces in the last five days.
  
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• MacArthur's bombers raid 5 Japanese bases north of Australia
• Princess Elizabeth, destined one day to be crowned queen of England, celebrates her 17th birthday tomorrow.
• Hitler celebrates his grimmest birthday today since he came to power. He is 54.
  
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April 26, 1943 - The Season is Underway
 

APRIL 26, 1943

BASEBALL IS BACK!

After a lot of uncertainty as to what it might look like, and plenty of worry it might not happen at all FABL is back and the 1943 season is finally underway. Surprisingly it was Paul McNutt, the War Manpower Chief that many felt might be the undoing of the game, that got things started. Subbing for President Roosevelt, who is in Mexico, McNutt tossed out the ceremonial first pitch before a much smaller than anticipated crowd of 9,911 at Washington's Columbia Stadium and the campaign was underway.

Despite the small numbers in the nation's capital, perhaps numbed by and lacking interest in the hometown nine after years of futility, there was a world-wide audience tuning in for what proved to be a 5-1 Washington win over the visiting Pittsburgh Miners in the lid-lifter. Uncle Sam made certain that his fighting nephews, wherever they may be, would be able to follow along as the game broadcast was beamed all across the world, although in condensed form and recited on delay from the messages appearing on a teletype machine. Regardless, the Eagles-Miners opener was the first baseball broadcast this season of what will be many hours of programming handled by the Office of War Information and the Army itself, which plan on beaming nine programs a day discussing baseball and other sports.

As for the contest itself it marked the much anticipated Washington debut Jesse Alvardo, and it was perhaps fitting that on the same day Roosevelt and the President of Mexico were discussing a key plan for maintaining long term world peace after the war, that one of Mexico's favourite sons - the 20 year old Eagles outfielder known as "The Hidalgo Kid"- was the star of the show. Alvardo, who came to Brooklyn from Mexico as a teen, was playing high school ball in New York less than 2 years ago. Yet, here he was on Opening Day digging in against Pittsburgh ace Lefty Allen in the sixth inning of a 1-1 tie with two on and two out. Alvardo delivered, and his first big league hit was one he will never forget - a 3-run homer off Allen that proved the difference in the game. Before the week was over Alvardo hit his second round-tripper, also against Pittsburgh, and while he was batting just .143 after his first week of big league service it is clear the talent is there and perhaps there might just be hope for the few remaining Eagles fans with young talents like Alvardo arriving...just as there is now hope for a complete and somewhat normal baseball season after McNutt was quoted as saying he saw "no reason baseball could not complete the season," as scheduled.
Welcome to a new recurring column in which Jiggs McGee will take a look at a pair of teams in the league that might make ideal trade partners. We begin it with this suggestion for consideration:
Brooklyn Kings send SS Harry Barrell and C Bill Johnson to the Washington Eagles in exchange for C Paul Wilkerson, outfield prospect Roy Carroll and the Eagles first and fourth round draft picks in 1944.
Now because this move involves 1944 draft picks it could not occur until after the draft is completed this June. Well, unless the two clubs got creative and dealt Barrell for Wilkerson now with the move of Carroll and the draft picks for Johnson being added in June.

WHY I LIKE THIS DEAL FOR WASHINGTON: The Eagles might just be on the rise but they will not get very far without at least an average shortstop. John Wood is playing the position now in Washington and while his bat perhaps will be okay there is no way any of the pitchers in the nation's capital want to peak over their shoulder and see Wood playing the most important defensive position on the diamond. They could dip down to AAA and call up Jack Bush from Kansas City. You might remember Bush as he was a player a former Washington GM called a future Hall of Famer. I am still not sure in what sport the old Eagles boss was thinking but it clearly was not baseball. Bush could provide average defense but there is just no way he hits even close to his weight in the big leagues.

So if Washington wants to get better they need a shortstop. Imagine having Harry Barrell out there. Yes, Harry is closing in on his 30th birthday but he can still hit and might just instantly become the best defensive shortstop in the Fed if he was to switch leagues. Barrell has been durable throughout his career, and has been consistent so I could easily see him provided better than average skills for another 5 years. The Washington clubhouse would also be a lot more fun to be around with the noted prankster Barrell there to keep the boys loose. And think how much better, and more confident, the Washington pitching staff, especially groundball guys like Del Burns, Les Bradshaw and Dan Everett will be.

Bill Johnson is just a throw-in. A backup catcher that would no longer be necessary in Brooklyn but would be a safeguard behind Paul Brophy, who takes over as starter in Washington. The Eagles do take a fair drop-off behind the plate for certain with Brophy being older and less skilled than Wilkerson, but it is a downgrade I think the Eagles could absorb as you know you have to sacrifice something to land a player like Barrell. Parting with draft picks, especially a top ten and maybe even a top 4-6 pick is never ideal but the odds of drafting a player of Barrell's caliber at their slot are very low. Carroll is a nice prospect but one the Eagles could stand to lose as they have some outfield depth and another very good young outfielder in Jesse Alvardo. Even if the Kings demand Alvardo instead of Carroll it is something I would still look at, but if I am Washington I maybe try to downgrade the draft picks I am parting with at that point.

WHY DO I LIKE THIS DEAL FOR BROOKLYN: They need to do something to plan for their future. The present is likely going to result in a 6th-8th place finish and almost assuredly not a pennant chase. Barrell is their most marketable asset (ahead of Al Wheeler and Art White) so likely you see if you can get more somewhere else by shopping Barrell but if not this Washington offer looks like a decent one. Wilkerson gives the Kings a solid catcher who is just 26 years old. He is not quite an all-star but still a decent hitting catcher - a commodity there is far too few of in the game and absolutely nothing of the sort in the Kings system. Getting a first round pick that stands a good chance to be top 6 along with a fourth rounder allows the Kings to start restocking a barren farm system and Carroll is a 20-year old outfielder with a pretty high ceiling. I think I would try to work Washington to agree to part with another 20 year old outfielder in Jesse Alvardo instead. Alvardo homered in his big league debut this past week and if the Kings could land him and Wilkerson plus the picks I jump on this deal.

The downside is another link to the Kings glory days departs in the 7-time all-star but the Kings can finish in the bottom half of the CA either with or without Barrell. Call up Tom Landowski, a 24 year old former first round pick out of St Magnus and let him and 26 year old Vince D'Alessandro figure out who is the shortstop and who is the second baseman of the Kings immediate future. Then put John Spears, who is one of the best Scouting Directors in the business, to work using those draft picks with an eye towards drafting college guys and being a contender in '45 or '46 when hopefully the war is over and players like Rats McGonigle, Jim Lightbody and Jack Goff return.

If the Kings move Barrell they likely follow that up with a flurry of moves that results in Al Wheeler, Del Lyons along with likely Art White and Bob Cummings being dealt with the goal of rebuilding the franchise. The choices for Brooklyn appear to be either deal those tradeable assets soon and restock with ready to near-ready talent in order to return to contention in a couple of years or die a slow death and trade them too late, risking the fate a team like Cleveland now finds itself in with likely a very long wait for a return to respectability.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

The Toronto Wolves come out of the gate fast going 3-1 on the road in Cleveland. Three of the four games were decided by one run including a gem by Bob Walls, a 1-0 CG on only 90 pitches - a performance that earned the 31 year old the nod as Continental Association player of the week for the first time in his career.

The Wolves rotation is being protected early, as at the first of fatigue manager Reed is out to the mound with the hook. One sign of hope in the suspect outfield is that, as a group, they have handled 42 chances without a miscue including one assist. Next up the Wolves return home to face Cincinnati where the the opening game of the set may feature an always anticipated Hancock/Barrell II matchup.

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Thanks to the War, Henry Warren is the current second sacker for the Boston Minutemen. Warren was acquired from Detroit in 1941 for SS John Wood. At the time of the deal Warren was languishing in A ball as a 24 year old. After the acquisition Warren spent 16 games in A ball for the Boston organization and hit .417 which earned him a spot in AA where he finished with a .279 average with a below average ops+. In 1942 Warren began at AA and played 71 games where his wRC+ was 44% above league average (144). Warren finished the 1942 season (at age 25) with Columbus where he continued to produce. Henry is a natural second basemen but can also play SS, left and center.

With 2B Buddy Schneider, CF Bill Burkett, LF Dave Henry, RF Red Samuel, LF Eddie Haley and RF Les Rich all off to War there were a number of spots where Warren could slot into. So far in 4 games to start the season Henry is hitting .429 with 5 RBI's. Scouts feel Warren is simply a fringe player as he lacks the extra base hit power to be a long term regular. Still in this crazy season, it is nice to see a guy get a chance and for that player to put his best foot forward and take advantage of the opportunity.

• The 1942 ball is back, in the Continental Association at least. With concerns about defects in the new 1943 sphere, the CA has rounded up a supply of '42 balls and will use them until manufacturing defects can be fixed in the '43 horsehide. The Federal Association will continue with the new ball and as corrected balls arrive will transition to them. FABL President Sam Belton confirmed that the first shipment of 1943 balls was not up to FABL standards and that was acknowledged by the manufacturer, which says a satisfactory ball would be available within two weeks.
  
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• A real shot in the arm for the sport from none other than Paul McNutt. The War Manpower Commissioner said after throwing out the first pitch in Washington that he saw no reason why the sport could not carry on through the war. Now his comment cannot be constructed as an official benediction, but his statement on wartime survival of the game was viewed even in the most conservative quarters as "encouraging." WMC officials were also quoted as saying they believed the ban on drafting pre-Pearl Harbor fathers will not be lifted until late this summer, thereby assuring use of eligible fathers for most of the 154-game slate.
• There is just no stopping Dave Trowbridge. The Stars first baseman will turn 45 this season but is playing like he is 25, going 5-for-10 in his first three games of the season. Trowbridge now has 2,780 career hits and while reaching 3,000 seems a long ways away for a 44 year old it is hard to think he won't get there.
• Percy Sutherland feels that one of the keys for the Chiefs this season is that the pitching needs to be on point. Scoring runs shouldn't be a problem, but preventing the opponent from scoring may be in question. The Chiefs would love to see Al Miller step forward and pitch like a top of the rotation guy for a whole season, something which he hasn't really done before.
• With all of the new players due to the war there will be plenty of big league debuts this season. One highly anticipated one was that of Montreal pitcher Pat Weakley. The 22 year old got the call for his first big league appearance last Thursday in Chicago. He did not factor in the decision - a 12 inning 3-2 win over the Cougars but OSA's #4 ranked prospect looked very good, allowing 2 runs over 9 and a third innings and was the top performer in the game.
• The Gothams Ed Bowman is out to prove there's no sophomore jinx. Opening with a shutout then coming back with a 1 run performance. #4 starter Sandy Giles came out of his first start after a batter. This happened once in the spring also. Once again it was tightness in his back. The Gothams are hoping this isn't a chronic issue.
• Another player tabbed by Selective Service as the Army has claimed Cannons farmhand Lou Millican. The 26 year old was with AAA Indianapolis but did spend some time in the big leagues with Cincinnati a couple of years ago.

GOTHAMS STAR MESSER'S NOT-SO-LITTLE BROTHER A HOOPS PRODIGY

Apparently Walt Messer did not corner the market on athleticism among his family members. The New York Gothams star, who was twice named National High School Baseball Player of the Year while at McKinley Tech in Washington DC as a youth, has a younger brother who is making noise on the hardwood. Ward Messer is just 17 years old - 7 years younger than the Gothams outfielder- but he can hardly be described as Walt's 'little brother.' Ward, you see, is measured at 6'8" tall- 9 inches taller than his big brother- and is considered one of the best college basketball players in the nation. A number of schools are vying for his services but it appears like Philadelphia's Liberty College has the inside track on landing Mr. Messer. Here are the high school players widely considered to be the top 25 in the nation that are preparing for their senior year next season while also being heavily courted by college hoops teams.

• 58 German transport planes were downed by Allied forces in engagements off the north Tunisian coast.
  
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• A large force of British-based bombers continued their offensive of Italian naval bases designed to blunt Axis sea power in advance of an Allied invasion of South Europe.
• The US continues to increase both the frequency and intensity of aerial attacks on Japanese plane bases in the Solomons.
• Hitler celebrated his 54th birthday last week with Americans hoping it would be his last. The British provided fireworks for the occasion with a bombing attack on Berlin.
• Downside to the meat rationing: Grocers are having to destroy filler meats like bologna and frankfurters as they begin to spoil on shelves because buyers held off using precious ration points for such meats.
• President Roosevelt and Mexican President Manuel Avila Comacho crossed the border at the Rio Grande into American soil to add more emphasis to the unity of the Americas after their dramatic conference in Monterrey which called for a policy that would eliminate from the world the use of force as the governing rule of of nations.
  
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May 3, 1943
 

MAY 3, 1943

EAGLES, KINGS SURPRISE LEADERS

It has been half a dozen years since the Brooklyn Kings led the Continental Association, even this early in the season, but there they are, at 8-3, with the best record in the loop. That is perhaps even less surprising than the news that the Washington Eagles are 10-3 and lead both the Federal Association and all of baseball. The last time the Eagles and first place were mentioned in the same breath Calvin Coolidge was President and FABL had not yet entered it's so-called modern era. But there they are -the Kings and the Eagles - sitting atop their respective associations.

Can it last? The Kings, one has to think, are merely the beneficiaries of an early schedule that has given them a steady diet of the Saints and Stars -two clubs that have struggled in the early going. Brooklyn boosters might prefer to think the glass is half-full and the Saints and Stars are a combined 8-14 only because they have had to face the Kings in the early going.

Brooklyn is not doing anything especially well, they are middle of the pack in runs scored and near the bottom in runs allowed but veteran pitcher Jim Crawford is 3-0 with a 0.89 era while Bob Cummings and veteran relievers Del Lyons and Curly Jones have also pitched well. At the plate Harry Barrell (.312,0,9) is off to a fine start as the lead-off man and Al Wheeler (.289,1,5) has played well. However, aside from Crawford and Cummings the rotation -including their top starter Art White (0-1, 5.40) has not been impressive and there are holes at third base and in the outfield. The Kings have 4 more with Montreal beginning today but then face a tougher test with a weekend series at Kings County against Chicago followed by a visit from the Toronto Wolves. If Brooklyn still leads the way in the Continental Association a week and a half from now perhaps teams should take notice.

As for Washington, the Eagles have feasted on a steady diet of Pennsylvania teams and have dominated both the Keystones and Miners in the early going. The Miners have lost some key pieces and the Keystones are without ace Lloyd Stevens but were each thought of for the most part as potential first-division ballclubs in this season of great uncertainty. OSA head Dan Barrell went as far as tabbing the Keystones as his pick to win the Federal Association so to see the Eagles have such a hot start against those two clubs certainly warrants taking them seriously.

It is only two weeks in but the Eagles pitching staff, considered by many to be their achilles heel, has impressed. Jack Elder (3-1, 2.02) is off to a great start and Lou Ellertson (3-0, 2.57), considered strictly a bullpen piece or a swing-man at best for most of his career, is suddenly looking like a top of the rotation starter. The offense, led by a big start from Sig Stofer (.341,4,11) is also rolling and even with the soft baseball the Eagles lead the big leagues in homeruns. It is early and the Chicago Chiefs, tabbed by TWIFB to win the Fed, are right on their heels, but at least for now Eagles fans can celebrate being in first place - and that has been a long time coming, even so early in the season.
This time around in Talking Trade we look at a deal that the Gothams need to make if they are going to have hopes of a repeat trip to the WCS. They desperately need a shortstop and while I am not sure New York would be willing to part with the type of young assets needed to land a Harry Barrell, and really they don't need to spend for Barrell. What the Gothams need is a solid veteran shortstop who can play defense and provide a little offense for the next 3 years until Mule Monier and the rest of his war buddies return. So how about George Dawson? Dawson is 32 and not the player he was in his early days at Cleveland but he still plays plus-defense and showed last season after the move to Detroit that given the chance he can still hit a bit.

Now if Detroit still fancies themselves contenders this is a deal that won't happen but if the Dynamos brass feels this will be another rough season, and the Gothams can stay in the race while attempting to fool themselves that Lee Miller can play short in the majors this might be a deal both could like in the next month or two.

I thought about Ray Miller, the Gothams #2 prospect and 5th best catching prospect in the league according to OSA, simply because it is very much a position of need for Detroit but I don't think the Dynamos would move Dawson for Miller. However, I expect the Dynamos would be much more interested in a pitcher like Monk Adams, and that might be what it takes for Detroit to be willing to make this deal.

WHY I LIKE THIS DEAL FOR NEW YORK: The Gothams need to improve at shortstop if they want to repeat. Dawson is likely the best available aside from Harry Barrell. Adams has some promise as a pitcher but the Gothams would have to surrender something of value to land Dawson. The other possible alternative is Montreal's Jack Hughes as the Saints will need to make room soon for Gordie Perkins. However, Hughes is just 27 and will be expensive. Plus I don't think Montreal is anywhere near the point where they believe Perkins is ready and Hughes is expendable. Dawson is simply the best option among teams that might move a shortstop.

WHY I LIKE THIS DEAL FOR DETROIT: I only like it if the Dynamos fade out of contention early and a 4-8 start is showing that might happen quickly. There is so much unpredictability this season in the Fed that perhaps, if they get hot at the right time, Detroit could contend but in order to do so they will certainly need Dawson. If things fall apart like they did last season the Dynamos should start to look towards the next couple of years and adding a young arm like Adams would help. Plus Adams is ready now and could fit in nicely alongside Jimmy Long in a revamped rotation meaning vets like Mike Murphy and Joe Shaffner could be peddled for more up and coming assets.


Baseball waits for no man. As construction crews rapidly put the finishing touches on Boston's new spacious stadium the legal team must have dropped the ball. The naming rights for the new stadium were caught up in the courts forcing the Minutemen to play their first games in a nameless new ballpark. The new park will favor the left handed slugger but unless the ball is pulled down the line many a long drive will be swallowed up by swift footed outfielders. Pitchers should not worry too much about giving up the longball and can really challenge hitters with their offerings.

While Boston would lose their inaugural game at the new stadium 3-2 to Philadelphia they would win their next 6 giving them a fine opening homestand in their new home. This will be a big week for the Minutemen as they hit the road for 4 games in Philadelphia followed by 4 more in Washington. While Philadelphia has struggled out of the gate (thanks in large part to Boston) Washington has enjoyed great success and currently own the FA's best record at 10-3.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Wolves Look At Their System -With the 1943 season underway much of the attention of the front office is now being applied the players that should be in Toronto in the future. Toronto, like most other big league teams, had their system destroyed by the global conflict. In addition to the Major League players who went off to war the Wolves lost all 6 players ranked in the top 150 of the BNN.

The list is #3 John Fast- a 19 year old 2B/SS who was slated for AA Davenport,
#9 Jerry York- Wolves first pick in the 1942, a crafty RHP, who made a brief stop in Vancouver last summer before moving up to Davenport. There were hopes that York would see AAA action in Buffalo this summer after starting in Chattanooga,
#55 Harry Phillips- another RHP, at 20 there was hope that Vancouver would be a short stop on the upward ladder this summer after a mixed start in Tuscaloosa in 1942,
#79 John Graves- there was hope that Graves would be patrolling in CF in Canada this summer and that over the summer his bat would catchup to his glove for the Wolves first pick in the 1940 draft,
#114 Adam Grayson- a RHP who has been something of a mystery in his 3 seasons in the organization, flashes of brilliance followed by weeks of lack luster performance,
#146 Red More- thought to be FABL ready in 1943, would have battled for a rotation spot on Opening Day.

Enough said about the players that will not be available to Toronto. The top 5 according to Scouting Director Art Willis are:
1- Jess Alexander- 25 year old RHP- Alexander has been in the organization since 1938 never above Class B. Control issues have plagued him, he has always had issues with walks. Is this year that he hones his control? Upper management in Toronto is not sold on Willis' evaluation but will watch his early season performance because Alexander along with all others have a chance to move through the system at an accelerated pace.
2- Sam Allen- 22 year old OF- Allen will start on Canada's west coast but could move fast because of the concerns in Toronto with outfield defense. Allen will have to improve his bat to ball skills.
3- Tommy Anderson- 23 year old RHP- Tommy will begin across Lake Ontario in Buffalo, another P with control issues in whom Willis sees a high ceiling, he will given a test to see if the scout's assessment is true.
4- Billy Ayers- 26 year old RHP- it is now or never for this 26 year old.
5- Dan Baker- 24 year old OF- another player who will start the season in AA with a chance to progress but if he fails Baker will be one of many who bounce around the minors leagues with the "not quite good enough" tag.
Other players to watch this summer include 3B Joe Beckwith- 24- Davenport, RHP Ray Bell- 23- Chattanooga, RHP Max Boswell- 18- Tuscaloosa, 1B Phil Bowen- 22- Davenport.

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• Congratulations to Jim Lonardo as the 38 year old Chicago Cougars righthander notched his 250th career victory. Only 25 others have won 250 FABL games. Lonardo, who also pitched for the Gothams and Chiefs in his 16 year career - one which included 4 Allan Awards- picked up the milestone win with a complete game 7-2 win over the New York Stars last Thursday.
• Rabbit Day won his start in Chicago's home opener for his 298th career victory. With 8 games on the schedule this week, he'll pick up two more starts. Potential #300 would come in game two of next Sunday's doubleheader with the Gothams.
• The war has given former lottery pick Wayne Newcomb a chance to play centerfield for the Chicago Chiefs, and so far, he is making the most of the opportunity: .409/.490/455. But Bob Martin has sprained his ankle and will miss the next two weeks so not all the news out of the Windy City is good. Ducky Jordan will play third in his stead, and we will see if Jordan has figured things out at 29-years-old. So far, so good: .355/.412/.484 with no strikeouts in 34 plate appearances.
• The Cannons worst fears flared up last week when ace Deuce Barrell and promising but often-injured youngster Vic Carroll each left a start early with injury. Neither appears to be serious but both will be bumped back a little this week to give them each time to heal.
• Terrible start for the Stars outfield making them miss Bill Barrett even more. To say Chubby Hall (.146/.217/.171), Chink Stickels (.204/2.64/.327) and Howie Smith (.171/.237/.229) have struggled the first two weeks is a gross understatement.
• Don't tell Washington's Sig Stofer this is a dead ball. He has 4 homeruns already this season. Only 5 teams, including the Eagles, have hit more than Stofer.
• All members of the Federal Association except the New York Gothams, permit broadcasting of their games this season. Detroit, the Chicago Chiefs and Philadelphia Keystones allow play-by-play descriptions of all contests, while the others have restrictions on Sunday broadcasting. The Chiefs have three stations relaying their games, all sponsored by General Foods Corp. and Walgreen Drug Company. The Pioneers carry all of their games on KXOK with the exception of Sundays and holidays with Hyde Park Breweries Association presenting the coverage. The Goebel Brewing Company is the chief sponsor in Detroit where WXYZ has all of the Dynamos games. The United Broadcasting Company carries Pittsburgh contests under the sponsorship of the Spang Baking Company. WOL in Washington carries all the Eagles games with the exception of Sunday and holiday contests. In Philadelphia WIBG is the broadcasters with the Atlantic Refining Company sponsoring the Keystones contests. Atlantic Refining also sponsors the Boston Minutemen broadcasts along with General Foods.
• Another minor leaguer has been tabbed by Selective Service. Red Martin, a 21 year old outfielder who was at Class C Moline in the St Louis Pioneers system is the latest to join the war effort.
• Baseball is going strong with service teams. A new league has been set up in the Chicago area with seven camps and stations planning on playing from May 9 until August 8. Another loop -this one with 5 teams- is underway involving camps in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. Henry Bush from the Washington Eagles and Montreal pitcher Wally Doyle are among the big leaguers participating in that loop.
• War industry workers in Los Angeles want noon starts to give swing-shift workers a chance to attend games before going to work at 3:30 each afternoon. So the Los Angeles War Industries Recreation Association, which represents nearly one million plant workers, has petitioned both the Los Angeles Stars and Hollywood Heroes to adjust their Great Western League start times.

WAR PLANT JOBS MAY TUNE PRO GRID SQUADS

If you want to be a fullback on the Brooklyn Kings football team this fall you may have to learn how to back up a rivet as well as you can back up a line. Training on a turret or engine lathe in a war plant or with a riveting gang at the nearby Brooklyn shipyard may take the place of routine calisthenics for the Kings gridders this fall according to Kurt Hauptstag, coach of the Brooklyn team of the American Football Association.

If the War Manpower Commission believes pro football players should work on war jobs, we see no reason why they can't do so and play football, too," Hauptstag said. "They could start work on an early shift and be through in time to get in daily drills. If need be they could practice at night. In the old days of pro football most of the players worked at other jobs and played football on Sunday. There's no reason why the present crop of players can't do the same thing to keep the game alive."

Coach Hauptstag said Jack Kristich, President of the AFA, had expressed approval of such a program. Other AFA club owners are considering it, he added, and all are ready to do what the Government wants them to do. The grid Kings coach has contacted officials of several Brooklyn area war plants and shipyards and all are willing to put players on shifts that quit work about 4 p.m., he said.

PITTSBURGH STATE, PENN CATHOLIC EACH DROP KEYSTONE CONFERENCE

Amid concerns they may drop intercollegiate sports entirely next year, Pittsburgh State University has withdrawn from the Keystone Conference. The Finches, who joined the loop primarily comprised of Pennsylvania-based schools in 1921, have not had a winning season since their last conference title and tournament appearance in 1937-38. Last season Pittsburgh State was 11-18, a showing that cost long-time coach Lin Gustafson his job.

Ed Claus, who has spent the last decade running the basketball program at Columbia Military Academy, was recently announced as Gustafson's replacement, but freely admits he may not have a team to run once November hits. "We lost 4 senior starters to graduation and I understand that 3 of our junior players are close to enlisting. If that happens we may not have the bodies to compete next year."

Rather than keep the Keystone Conference on hold waiting to see what Pittsburgh State will do, the Finches felt it made sense to withdraw and if they do manage the numbers needed to have a team they will compete as an independent. The Finches football program, which has always competed as an independent because the Keystone Conference does not include football in it's list of sports, is also facing a major player crunch, but the grid Finches, who went 4-5 a year ago, vow they will be on the field in September.
Pittsburgh State was not the only school to withdraw this week from the Keystone Conference as Penn Catholic came to a similar conclusion regarding player shortages. The Crusaders, like the Finches, are not in a conference for football and plan to compete as an independent on the hardwood as well this season, assuming they can find enough bodies to compete. The Philadelphia school was 11-18 in basketball last season and has never played in the post-season tournament while the grid-Crusaders went 5-2-1.

• American troops forced the Nazis to withdraw on the north Tunisia front as British tanks engage Rommel's main tank force in the southwestern sector.
• British forces bombed the northwestern Germany naval base of Wilhelmshaven while also engaging in "very large scale" mine-laying operations in the Baltic Sea.
• John L. Lewis, head of the coal miners union remained silent on his strike threat that could see 521,000 coal workers walk off the job despite an ultimatum issued by President Roosevelt.
• The week ended with the Federal Government taking over operation of the strike-bound coal industry as Roosevelt pleaded that they go back to work for a nation "in grave peril," after Union head Lewis defied the ultimatum that they return to work by 10 am Sunday.
• Among other items being weighed by the President is the possibility of having every young American contribute a year of service to the military in peace, as well as war.
  
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May 10, 1943
 

MAY 10, 1943

COUGARS AND CANNONS RISE TO TOP OF CONTINENTAL

Most experts have projected the Continental Association to be a two-team race between the Chicago Cougars and the Cincinnati Cannons this season and three weeks into the slate of games both of those teams are starting to assert their dominance atop the loop.

The Cannons have won 6 straight. The Cougars 5 in a row and 9 of their last ten. Cincinnati pitching led by Deuce Barrell (3-0, 0.30) and Butch Smith (3-0, 1.04), has allowed just 44 runs, 19 fewer than the next stingiest CA club, which of course is the Cougars. Adam Mullins (.397, 2, 11) leads the CA in batting while his Cannons teammate Chuck Adams (.312,4,14) is tops in homers and second in rbi's. The Cannons have scored 78 runs, second most in the CA but that total is dwarfed by the 114 the Cougars have put up so far. Newcomer Hank Barnett (.312,3,14) and fellow veteran Leo Mitchell (.338,1,18) had led the way for the Chicago nine, which despite the absence of Pete Papenfus and Donnie Jones, is still getting plenty of pitching from the likes of Jim Lonardo (3-1, 3.10), Dick Lyons (2-1, 2.25) and Harry Parker (2-0, 1.70). Toronto is gamely trying to hang in but this one has the feeling of a runaway two-horse race between the Cougars and Cannons.
The Washington Eagles have had a dream start to their season in the Federal Association but it quickly turned into a nightmare yesterday when starter Jack Elder had to leave the game in the fifth inning of what would turn out to be a 2-1 win to complete a doubleheader sweep of slumping Boston. The injury, to Elder's shoulder, is expected to be season-ending and puts a real damper on Washington's 15-5 start to the season, one of the best opening twenty games in franchise history and certainly their top start in the modern era. The 32 year old Elder, who was 3-2 with a 2.23 era in 6 starts, had been surprisingly healthy for a pitcher throughout his 11 year career, having never been sidelined for more than a week prior to yesterday's injury.

The rest of the Washington rotation: Lou Ellertson (3-0, 3.29), Del Burns (2-1, 1.32), Les Bradshaw (1-1, 1.53) and Dick Gibbs (1-1, 2.31), has pitched well. The Eagles do have Dan Everett, who went 6-17 as a starter a year ago, in the bullpen as a rotation option or perhaps they will reach down to Kansas City and promote either Tommy Shafer or Bill Willman to fill the vacant spot in their starting five.

Aside from Elder, the news was extremely positive for the long-suffering Eagles. Washington went 5-2 against Pittsburgh and Boston last week and enjoy a 3.5 game lead on the New York Gothams atop the Federal Association standings. Rookie outfielder Jesse Alvardo (.262,4,14) had an outstanding week, hitting two more homeruns, and now shares the Fed lead in that category with teammate Sig Stofer (.273,4,13).


This is the latest in a series of trades Jiggs McGee feels could benefit both teams involved. No guarantee any of them will happen, and to the best of Jiggs knowledge none of these have been discussed by the parties involved prior to appearing in this column. They are simply moves Jiggs would consider were he running the teams involved and at the very least perhaps get the trade juices flowing in this most unusual of times.

I find it very interesting that we suddenly appear to have a grave shortage of outfielders. That position, more than any other, seemed overloaded for much of the past couple of decades but no longer. Quality shortstops who could hit and field have always been at a premium, and certainly the same could be said for catchers. Pitching, too, is always in demand but corner outfielders used to be something you can find anywhere. No longer it seems. Uncle Sam has certainly contributed to the shortage, commandeering more than his share taking the old (Alex Ingraham, Frank Lightbody and Lou Williams), the veterans (Pablo Reyes, Joe Owens, Bill May), the young stars approaching their prime (Bill Barrett, Sal Pestilli and Mike T. Taylor) and the budding prospects (Joe Rutherford, Dick Blaszak and Otis Parker).

With so many of them gone off to join the war effort the time has never been better to deal an outfielder if you have a spare one kicking around. There could be some good ones available once the dust settles and the contenders are separated from the pretenders in the two pennant races. Brooklyn has the big one that could go on the block in Al Wheeler. If Pittsburgh continues to falter would the Miners consider moving the often injured Mahlon Strong? Detroit perhaps would part with Sid Williams and Rip Curry if things don't turn around. I could see St Louis being willing to deal Al Tucker or Gail Gifford if they decide contention is unlikely. So there is a chance the market at the deadline may be flooded with outfielders but if the races stay tight perhaps the best available might be someone like Dan Fowler out of Cleveland.

Fowler is actually a player the Chiefs might look at but my bet is, if they don't make a big splash like pursuing Wheeler, the Chiefs look to Fowler's old Commonwealth Catholic teammate Vic Crawford as the solution to their problems in right field. The Chiefs General Manager has a long history of trading with his former team and Crawford, despite being 35 years old, looks like he still has a season or two left in the tank.

The Saints might still have visions of contending and if so they likely need to hold on to Crawford but a rough start may have been enough to convince them it makes sense to add to their already deep collection of young talent. It is hard to pin a value on Crawford as while he is certainly getting along in years - although age has never worried the Chiefs in making a deal- he has been extremely consistent. I would think the Saints would want a premium for Crawford right now as there is a shortage of supply and there are other teams besides the Chiefs likely searching for veteran outfield help and Crawford's value could skyrocket if the races remain tight and few other teams are sellers. Of course delaying a trade could backfire on Montreal if Wheeler, Strong and a couple of others suddenly go on the trade block.

Chicago has been in a lot of tight races in the Fed and the Chiefs, I believe, can sense that the war losses elsewhere have blessed them with an opportunity to win another title -maybe even two more - so my bet is Chicago will be willing to overpay for the chance at that next pennant. The Chiefs would be much closer to that pennant with the addition of Crawford and they would likely consider doing a straight up trade of Skidmore for Crawford, considering the fact Skidmore is in the Coast Guard and unavailable for the foreseeable future. I think this deal has the potential to be much bigger if the Saints do feel the plan is to build for the future so moving DeYoung to add two more solid pitching prospects -although Crowley is also in the military and won't be available for the duration- could make the Saints a very formidable once the war ends.

WHY I LIKE THIS DEAL FOR THE CHIEFS -Chicago has never been afraid to pull the trigger on a move that helps ensure short-term success and this one does that, but certainly at a long-term cost. Crawford immediately slots into right field and is reminiscent of the Cliff Moss deal that proceeded their 1936 and 1938 championship clubs. DeYoung gives the Chiefs another solid veteran arm to round out the rotation and perhaps even replace Red Hampton as the #4 starter. There is certainly a cost but two of the three prospects they would move are in the service and not available for quite some time. Skidmore might be hard to part with but veteran catcher Tom Bird is showing no signs of slowing down and the Chiefs have always been a let's deal with the future when we get there type of team.

In normal times I feel like this is too much for Chicago to give up, but these are far from normal. Prospects always have a degree of risk with them and when two of them will miss 2-3 seasons each because of the war that risk is compounded so I think the Chiefs need to perhaps overpay -in normal times terms- to get what they need to win now. The potential for a very short supply of outfielders available as we approach the trade deadline also becomes a factor. Were it to happen, this would mark the first time in FABL history that I believe a player in active military duty has been traded.

WHY I LIKE THIS DEAL FOR THE SAINTS -Skidmore gives them the elite catcher of the future to go with the rest of the terrific young talent they have accumulated. The two pitchers also slot in very nicely. There is risk that Skidmore and Bob Crowley are the same players coming out of the war as they appeared to be going in but Mel Haynes is a nice piece they can watch develop now. They are waving the white flag on a pennant-push this season by making such a deal but I am sure management in Montreal is questioning the legitimacy of calling themselves contenders this year to begin with. A step back for certain, but the addition of these three paces perhaps leads to a giant leap forward when everyone returns from the war.


Nearly every dynasty comes to a crashing end at some point. It's just something that sports fans have come to expect. If a team is outstanding for an extended period, in a league format that utilizes some sort of player draft to help level the competition, it is just a matter of time before most of those teams see their star players get old and they lack the high end young talent to keep the dynasty train on it's track. Don't be fooled by that brief stint the local nine spent at the top of the Continental Association a week ago. After running into a top quality outfield like the Chicago Cougars, who swept Brooklyn in a 4-game set at Kings County over the weekend, the crushing reality of just what the Kings are now is back into focus for the more than 60,000 fans who witnessed the action over the weekend. And what the Kings are my friend, is simply the latest victim of that time-honoured tradition where withdrawals made for long-term success are eventually repaid with a period of suffering. And it is now time for the Kings to start paying the piper.

The Kings were outstanding - winning an average of 94 games a season for five straight years from 1934-38 and likely should have won more than just 1 WCS during that run. They had the game's best hitter in Al Wheeler during that time period and he won 3 straight CA Whitney Awards. The top pitcher in Tom Barrell with his 3 consecutive Allen Awards plus an outstanding supporting cast that included the game's premier defensive shortstop during that stretch in Harry Barrell and a veteran core that featured Joe Shaffner, Mike Murphy, Frank Vance and Fred Barrell. All but Wheeler and Harry Barrell are now long gone and one could very easily make a case those two should be out the door before the trade deadline arrives this July.
Aside from an 86-68 surprise finish in 1941, the Kings have gone 70-84, 73-81 and 72-82 over the past four seasons and had a terrible second half last season. War losses have hurt, but every team has that to deal with. The Kings still have some talent like Wheeler, Harry Barrell and pitchers Art White, Bob Cummings and Del Lyons but they are gettng older. Years of drafting late has left the Kings minor league system a mess, ranked the second worst in the league ahead of only the Gothams. There are a ton of holes in the lineup now from older players leaving without suitable replacements and that has been compounded by Selective Service taking talent. They desperately need help behind the plate, at third base and with Rats McGonigle gone in centerfield. The pitching is thin. It is hard to imagine this team the way it is presently constructed being a .500 club, even in a war-depleted league. And it will only get worse unless Brooklyn management acts soon.

Brooklyn has several assets that could be very valuable on the trade market. Let's start with Al Wheeler. The "Wonder Wheel" is not the player he once was but he still swatted 23 homers and led the CA in RBI's a year ago while posting a 125 OPS+. He is 35 and likely will not be a factor when the Kings are finally ready to contend again, but they could greatly enhance their recovery timetable by shopping Wheeler. With a surprising shortage of power-hitting corner outfielders suddenly, a player of Wheeler's skills could command a Kings ransom of prospects as teams would be falling all over each other trying to get to the front of the line to land Wheeler.

While you are at it shop Del Lyons. He will be 38 in June but led the CA in saves last season and has been an amazingly consistent relief pitcher for well over a decade. And how about Art White and Bob Cummings. Each are over 30 now but demand would likely be high and the Kings could replenish their farm system very easily moving those four.

Maybe even go for the big prize and see what Harry Barrell could command. Barrell is just 29 and still one of the best defensive shortstops in the game so it is not essential you move him, but ask around the league and see what the return could be. If you can get a top ten prospect and an established young stud or two in return maybe the time to move Barrell is now.

The Kings can finish in the second division this season with or without those five but moving some or all of the above-mentioned names - but only for the right haul in return- could position Brooklyn nicely to begin another streak of 90-win seasons in the very near future.



--- Sandy Giles sent to AAA after getting bombed in two outings. Monk Adams in the rotation and Bob Adams off the IL as extra starter.
--- Hank Cook and his sub .059 average sent to AAA. Max Alvarez recalled.
--- Bill Dalton will continue to get some looks in the OF with Walt Messer playing some 1B as Jameson and Moore struggle at the plate.
--- Ed Bowman continues to brush off the sophomore jinx as he posts a 3-1 record and 0.75 ERA
--- Billy Dalton continues to rake at the plate - .413/.456/.619
--- Leon Drake looks comfortable hitting in the 5 spot each day. .338/.372/.527 and a team leading (ties with Messer) 12 RBI

• The Chicago Cougars are catching fire with a 7-1 week with a +37 run differential. Of course, Billy Hunter took his first of many yearly injuries, as the infielder turned center fielder will miss 7 weeks with a torn hamstring.
• Offense seems to be hard to come by everywhere except Chicago. The Chiefs and Cougars are the only two teams with more then 80 runs, and both have surpassed 100. The Miners (56) have scored exactly half as many runs as the Chiefs, who have scored two less runs then the Cougars.
• As if the 8 games on the schedule last week were not enough, the Chiefs played an extra 14 innings on the week. Let's play 10!
• The Chiefs and Cougars have made a couple of deals the past couple of seasons but one the Fed side is regretting is Jim Lonardo for Ducky Jordan. Lonardo is 3-1 with a 3.10 era this season with the Cougars and recently notched his 250th career win. Jordan is one of those players about whom it is said, "he is exposed if he plays too much." He looks like he might be okay, and then you put him in the lineup for a week and he hits .200/.235/.200. A decent glove who can play multiple positions. That's it--that's his ceiling.
• Big loss in Washington with Jack Elder done for the year. The Eagles are promoting Tommy Shafer from AAA where he was off to a great start with Kansas City. Shafer, a 25 year old 1936 3rd round pick, has had a few trials in Washington before but really struggled in each of them. Eagles fans certainly are hoping this time will be different.
• It was a road trip from hell for Boston and it's just getting started. The Minutemen lost 4 straight in Philadelphia and then dropped 3 of 4 in the nation's capital. Now they are heading west to St Louis and Chicago with stops also in Detroit and New York before they finally return home after what will be a 22 game trip.
• The sweep of Boston got things rolling in Philadelphia as the Keystones picked themselves up from their usual season-starting slump (3-8 this time) with the Boston sweep followed by taking 3 of 4 from Pittsburgh.
• Without the leadership of George Cleaves and Charlie Stedman the Miners look lost. The club is 5-15 and dead last in FABL for runs scored.
• The New York Stars are thrilled with the start from waiver wire pick-up Austin Moore. The 28 year old was claimed from the Keystones last week to fill their hole at 2B. His numbers: 27 AB, 8 H, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .296 AVG, .811 OPS

DICKSON COLLEGE HALTS INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL

Disregarding the hopeful attitudes of most of it's traditional rivals, Dickson, for the third time in it's long football history, announced it was out of intercollegiate gridiron competition. It was not unexpected, as the Maroons entire coaching staff entered the armed services months ago.
The schools had previously dropped football twice. Back in 1885, well before the formation of the AAIA, the Maroons were ordered to drop the game because the faculty considered it "too rough to be a sport." The second interruption, in 1917, resulted from the First World War.

According to the office of Dickson's athletic director, all of the college's opponents on it's 1943 slate of games had been notified of the Maroons request to cancel. The reaction from it's rivals were varied. George Fox University felt it would have no problem finding a replacement to fill the open date. The director of athletics at Sadler University said "Plans for continuing football at Sadler have not been abandoned." Grafton reported that sufficient detailed information upon which to base a final decision was lacking but that the Scholars hoped to maintain modified intercollegiate schedules in all sports. Ellery College says it will not make any 1943 football plans until after the new semester opens on July 1, and Henry Hudson's athletic director indicated that the Explorers would attempt to schedule a service team to replace Dickson on October 2.
Dickson will continue football on an intramural basis next fall and had hopes of arranging informal games with neighboring teams. The school athletic director explained that the intercollegiate football suspension was the result of the reduction in the number of undergraduates available for sports, the heavy war demands upon the university's facilities, the training programs of it's huge Army and Navy units and the accelerated academic schedules.

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE ON SHAKY GROUND

There is talk out that the Northeast Conference, one of the most prolific in college basketball, is close to dissolving. The loop -which has been home to the National Tournament Champion in six of the past eight years- may fold due to in-fighting between a number of schools. There has always been an uneasy alliance between the 9 member schools. They have long competed as league in both baseball and basketball with most also icing college hockey teams but have gone their own way in football.

The issue is that because of the recent dominance on the hardwood of Brooklyn State, Liberty College and Garden State a number of the other schools feel they could enjoy more success competing as independents just as they do in football. While the big three schools have been winning titles and enjoying great success in the tournament, others have not and feel the blame for that failure falls squarely on just how difficult their conference schedules are as only the Great Lakes Alliance would be considered a more difficult loop to compete in.

Frankford State, for example, used to be a fixture in the post-season tournament but the Owls have not played in the tourney since losing the championship game in 1928. St. Pancras and Commonwealth Catholic have had similar droughts and St Patrick's, while it has a couple of trips to the semi-finals in recent years, believes it could have had more success as an independent. Only St Martin's College, the Connecticut school credited with being a key player in the creation of college basketball, seems content among the also-rans of the Northeast.

The two Boston schools in Commonwealth Catholic and St Patrick's have both enjoyed great success as football independents and each seems set on trying to duplicate that on the hardwood. Pulling their baseball teams out of the Northeast Conference seems a less likely scenario, due to the rich history of the loop, but certainly can not be ruled out as a possibility. Those two schools, along with Frankford State, are believed to be the institutions leading the charge to leave the loop and the feeling is they may use the war to justify a decision to bolt. It won't happen for 1943-44, although there is always a slim chance a school or two drops the sport due to insufficient numbers, as they all have a year remaining on their most recent conference agreement, but the summer of 1944 might see the basketball teams break off into two conferences or perhaps all become independents.

• Striking coal miners returned to work after a "truce" was agreed to by their union boss John L. Lewis. The Miners take home pay will be augmented but Solid Fuels Administrator Harold Ickes put the nation's coal-miners on a six day work week.
• US forces have tightened their grip on more of the Solomon Islands and no occupy territory in the Solomons within 100 miles of the main Japanese base in the region.
• There is also a major American offensive in the Aleuthians, as the US drives to seize the Japanese-held island of Kiska.
• Allied forces have taken thousands of prisoners and are proceeding to mop up scattered units still resisting in Tunisia.
  
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• With control of North Africa now in hand, speculation on the long-anticipated Allied invasion of Europe is ramping up
  
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  https://i.imgur.com/IFT4byo.jpg

May 17, 1943
 

MAY 17, 1943

EAGLES KEEP ON WINNING

Add the Detroit Dynamos and New York Gothams to the list of teams that likely now believe the Washington Eagles are a force in the Federal Association. The Eagles began a 14-game road swing last week with a 3-game sweep of Detroit followed by winning 2 of three in New York. Washington's lead atop the Federal Association is now 5 games heading into a big 4 game showdown with the second place Chicago Chiefs in the Windy City this weekend. No, that is not a misprint but certainly warrants repeating to fully comprehend. The Washington Eagles are 20-6 and lead the Fed by 5 games. Those same Washington Eagles that have not reached the 70-win plateau since 1937 and have finished with a better than .500 record just once since 1927.

Things just feel like they are going the Eagles way right now. They get bad news in learning their top pitcher, Jack Elder, is done for the season with a shoulder injury but that storm cloud comes wrapped in a rainbow in the form of 25 year old Tommy Shafer. Recalled from AAA Kansas City to replace Elder in the rotation, Shafer had a career 1-9 mark and a career era north of 6.00 with the Eagles when he took the hill against Ernie Bowman and the New York Gothams yesterday. All the youngster did was throw 6 shutout innings of 1-hit ball before turning the ball over to Dan Everett who completed the 5-0 shutout victory.

Lou Ellertson, a 36 year old that has been pigeon-holed as a reliever for his entire career, is suddenly doing his best Rabbit Day in his prime imitation at the age of 36. Ellertson is 4-0 with a 2.60 era in 5 starts despite being waived by Montreal a year and a half ago. Yes, indeed, things just feel like they are going the Eagles way. The rotation of Ellertson, Shafer, Del Burns (2-2, 3.26), Les Bradshaw (3-1, 3.31) and Dick Gibbs (2-1, 1.80) hardly strikes fear into opposing hitters- or at least it didn't before the season began- but the Eagles have allowed just 73 runs against in their 25 games - 20 fewer or close to a full run a game less than the next closest Fed nine.

Then you have Paul Wilkerson. A solid catcher to be sure but Wilkerson is challenging for the Fed batting lead with a .382 average - more than 120 points above his career mark entering the season and his .539 slugging percentage is 200 points above his career total before the season began. Add in the terrific start for 20 year old rookie outfielder Jesse Alvardo (.278,4,18) to go along with the likes of Sam Brown (.298,2,17), Sig Stofer (.274,4,14) and Mel Carroll (.329,2,16) and the Washington offense is not one to be taken lightly.

Then you have the Chicago Chiefs. Tabbed by many as the team to beat in the Fed this season thanks to their veteran roster that was for the most part unscathed by the War Manpower Commission and Selective Service. The Chiefs are second but lost a key piece in second sacker Sam Orr (.325,1,11), who was doing a bang up job as the replacement to the traded Hank Barnett in the Chiefs infield. But Orr will miss a month and a half after being injured last week which means he won't be available for the highly anticipated showdown with the Eagles at Whitney Park starting Friday and the rematch in the nations capital the following weekend. Those two series might just give us all a much better indication just how seriously we should take the Eagles sizzling start to the season.

*** COUGARS DRAW FIRST BLOOD ***

The first showdown between the two-anticipated contenders for the Continental Association crown went the Chicago Cougars. The hometown side took two of three from visiting Cincinnati and now are atop the CA, a game ahead of the Cannons. Leo Mitchell, who is having another one of his consistently strong seasons, was the hero of Saturday's lid-lifter with a 2-run homer to help Chicago to a 3-1 victory. Cannons bats got to Chicago starter Johnny Jones early in the opener of Sunday's twin bill, won 9-3 by the visitors and the second game looked like it might be another rout when the Cannons spotted ace Deuce Barrell a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. However, it turned out to be Barrell's worst outing of the season as the Cougars overcame a 6-2 deficit entering the bottom of the 8th and ended up prevailing 8-7 in 10 innings thanks to a walk-off rbi single from veteran Freddie Jones. The two teams will not get a rematch until June 3-6 when they play a 5-game set at Tice Memorial Stadium in Cincinnati.

APPOINTMENT OF SPORTS CO-ORDINATOR EXPECTED

Action to co-ordinate sports with the war effort, rumoured in Washington for some time, apparently is moving nearer realization. Whether this will take the form of an appointment of a national sports co-ordinator, or the naming of a three-man committee to fit sports into the war effort, has not been decided, but some definite action is expected within a short time, comment in informed circles indicates.

For some time reports have circulated in the capital that such a move was imminent. In fact, President Roosevelt is said to have on his desk a recommendation from leading sports sources, including baseball, that he name a sports co-ordinator who's task it would be to determine how sports can be handled without affecting the war effort.

Several prominent figures have been mentioned for the appointment with Senator James Mead, Democrat, of New York the leading candidate. Mead would be welcomed by baseball as he does have a small ownership interest in the Buffalo Nickels of the Union League and is said to be very much in favour of sports continuing during the war. Congressman Samuel Weiss of Glassport, Pa. near Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Oh. congressman Max Morris -well known to sports fans of course- are also mentioned as possible candidates.

It is understood that the duties of a national sports co-ordinator would be to synchronize sports with war activities, keep such events from interfering with the combat effort, smooth out any transportation problems, and decide whether any future sports events would be detrimental to military or defense activities. Such an agency might also aid in disseminating sports news to the armed forces.

*** MEAD SAYS HE WILL ACCEPT ***

If Senator Mead, whose home is in Buffalo, accepts the post of sports co-ordinator it will be the case of the author becoming the leading actor in his own play. Mead said on May 14 he would accept the job as a volunteer director of a sports organization to provide entertainment for service men and war workers if the appointment was offered. However, he expressed a belief that no member of Congress, nor any paid executive of a sports industry, should have the post. Instead, he suggested the appointment of "a civilian with a great devotion to the game." In this connection, he mentioned the name of Joseph E. Davies, former ambassador to the Soviet Union, who is now on a special "mission to Moscow," where he will convey a message from President Roosevelt to Premier Joseph Stalin.

Mead pointed out that competitive sports already are doing a patriotic job by providing entertainment, selling War Bonds and collecting contributions to welfare organizations. On April 10th, while in Columbia, SC watching the Toronto Wolves take on the Chicago Cougars, Mead told reporters of a plan for a "baseball co-ordinator" and said he had talked over the idea with officials in Washington, who liked the suggestion.

As a minority owner of the Buffalo ballclub, a Wolves affiliate, Mead holds a great enthusiasm for baseball. Last year he made a speech in the Senate in which he paid tribute to the game for what it has done for the war effort, for the funds it has produced for Army and Navy relief and the Ball and Bat Fund, and also for the benefits it produces in a mental way and it is obvious he would be a staunch supporter for continuing baseball, and likely most other sports, for the duration.


Finishing up Jiggs' month long segment on possible trade ideas he feels could help both FABL teams comes a scheme to add some more youth to Cleveland's system while providing outfield depth in Toronto. Remember these potential trade pairings have no inside information to back them up, or even rumours in most cases, but instead are just pairings Jiggs feels might be a good move for all involved.

CLEVELAND SENDS OUTFIELDER DAN FOWLER TO TORONTO FOR MINOR LEAGUE PITCHER JIM LAURITA

It was clear well before the season started that this would be another long one for the Cleveland Foresters and their 6-17 start to the campaign has done nothing to dispel those thoughts. The Foresters were a powerhouse for much of the last decade but have had 3 straight seasons of finishing 7th or 8th and have already moved most of the remaining veterans that might have much value to FABL rivals. As a result you have to feel for the current management team as they were left a mess by their predecessor with little opportunity to do anything about it in the short-term and are forced to just wait for prospects to develop. The good news is while management's hands are pretty much tied there is a bright future headlined by perhaps the greatest high school pitcher of all time in Hiram Steinberg and a few others with high potential like Richie Hughes and Pete Sigmund. Uncle Sam did the Foresters no favours by tabbing each of those three for military duty but you have to think that if the Foresters just remain patient a payoff will come.

The Foresters will likely be drafting very high for the next couple of years and as such will have plenty of opportunity to draft more high-end talent along the lines of Jim Adams Jr., the shortstop who was their choice first overall in January and will likely join the Foresters system shortly after concluding his college season at St Ignatius next month. Every little bit helps when the focus is solely on the future in Cleveland so they should consider giving their system a small jolt by moving Dan Fowler, who is probably their most tradeable veteran asset. Fowler, won't command a great return, but Cleveland should get more for him than they might for second baseman Brooks Meeks or reliever Don Attaway, who are probably the only other pieces that the Foresters would part with that might have some slight value to someone elsewhere.

Fowler is 34 and coming off an injury plagued 1942 campaign that saw him post some fairly poor numbers at the plate. He is a below average centerfielder defensively, but can play center and has been doing so in Cleveland, although he is much better suited on the corner and a team like Toronto, which is in need of some outfield depth, might see a little value in adding Fowler if they feel they can stay in the race for the Continental Association crown. A mid-level pitching prospect such as Tommy Anderson or Jim Laurita might get the deal done.

WHY I LIKE THE DEAL FOR CLEVELAND - The Foresters are going nowhere this season and most of their best prospects are working for Uncle Sam. It is going to be a couple of more long seasons for fans on the southern shore of Lake Erie so if I am running the Foresters, I look to add every possible prospect I can get, in hopes someone surprises. The issue is there is really very little of trade value left so move Fowler and see if there are any takers for Meeks, Dave Rankin, Ben Turner or Don Attaway. Odds are their isn't much interest in the others but at least Fowler might get them a mid-level prospect.

The big league pitching is not good in Cleveland so grab Laurista from the Toronto system and immediately call him up and see if he can have some major league success. The downside is they really have no replacement for Fowler at center field in their organization right now but they need pitching desperately, especially with Johnny Slaney now done for much of the year.

Laurita is a 24 year old righthander who was a 4th round pick out of Redwood University in 1940. He had solid numbers splitting last season between AA and AAA and deserves a chance to show what he can do. His path appears blocked in Toronto, and will be even more so when players return from the war so it is a good opportunity for him as well.

WHY I LIKE THE DEAL FOR TORONTO - The Wolves need some outfield depth, especially if they decide they want Juan Pomales to pitch regularly. So far Pomales has proven to be of much more value in the batting order than on the mound but even if that remains the case a decent depth outfielder is still a need. And the cost of a mid-level pitching prospect is not too excessive. Now perhaps the Wolves like Laurita, and if so then Tommy Anderson is a player that they could substitute and Cleveland would likely still be happy with. Anderson was taken in the same draft as Laurita, but two rounds earlier. He split last season between A and AA and put up decent, but not spectacular numbers.

If I am Toronto and believing I have a chance to contend, I would feel a lot better with another outfielder to give me some injury depth as I am not sure I like my chances should I be forced to play Ed Marshall or Gus Hull everyday in the event Pomales, Reginald Westfall or Larry Vestal was injured.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Wolves: One month into 1943 -As Victoria Day approaches in Canada it is time for a review of the positives and negatives of the first month of Wolves' season in 1943. At 13-10 Toronto's third place in the standing is acceptable, given that they have played 17 games away from Dominion Stadium, but there are ominous signs early in the season. The Wolves must step up their game a little to not allow the either the Cougars or Cannons to get away from them, both Chicago, Cincinnati are off to hot starts.

Manager Charlie Reed has told the press that Juan Pomales will be removed from the starting rotation for the time being, stating that full time CF duties will be enough on his plate at the present time. Pomales' 0-2, 9.69 ERA is not helping the team on the mound, Jimmy Gibbs has been promoted to the 5th man in the rotation. Toronto pitching, counted on to be the backbone, steadying influence has been not quite up to the high standards through the first four weeks of 1943. Hancock, Johnson have been generally effective as expected, Walls and Wirtz have had both good then bad outings early this season. Lou Jayson has anchored the bullpen, he has not given up an earned run in 16 plus innings while being credited with 4 of the Wolves 13 victories. Phil English continues to defy father time in limited mound work, Ron Coles has been effective when called upon by Reed. Billy Crosby has been lit up in a few appearances with the pitcher's nightmare, walks, being a major factor. Bob McRae is scheduled to finish a rehab assignment in Buffalo before the end of the month so some decisions will have to made about the pitching staff.

On the other side of the ball the Wolves' offensive output had been a pleasant surprise early in the year. Pomales .303/.361/.408 made the decision for Reed a no brainer. Mike Rollinson has made a complete recovery from last year's season ending broken leg with a slash line of .301/.366/.408 in the first month of play. The brightest star, thus far, has been Clarence Howerton whose 13 RBI lead the team by 3 over Rollinson, Pomales while generally occupying the 8 hole in the lineup, .246/.319/.377, if continued, would be more than acceptable numbers for the defense first catcher. On the other end of the scale the team is hopeful that both Reginald Westfall, Charlie Artuso break out of their early season slumps, post haste.

Defensively the team has not been as bad as pundits led the fans to believe they would be, although not near the top of the CA, is more than expected by management. The biggest area of concern is the 10 errors at 2B by Rollinson accounting for two-thirds of the team total of 15 errors. Writers have noted that although there have not been many errors in the OF the lack of speed in the OF has hurt the pitchers by allowing hits that would have been caught by other teams.

Overall the Wolves have to stay on the same path with some improvements to stay in touch with Chicago, Cincinnati.

• The new balls are here and will be rushed into action beginning today, thereby altering the pasty complexion of the industry's batters. The new, livelier ball will contain more dynamite, which it is hoped will increase offense, as many teams have wearied of socking the current ball, which resembles comouflaged cantaloupes.
• The Chiefs have played 8 extra-inning games, the most of any club. Unfortunately they have lost 6 of the 8, which helps explain their playing 2 games under their Pythagorean pace.
• Not a lot to get excited about in Pittsburgh these days but Pinky Pierce is certainly the exception. The 29 year old outfielder is proving last year's breakout 22 homer season was no fluke as he leads the Fed with 5 already this season while hitting .324. Piece showed power previously in Pittsburgh but never got the opportunity to be an everyday player.
• Chuck Adams of Cincinnati also has 5 round-trippers to top the CA. Bow-wow was hot in the spring and is continuing that so far during the regular season, slashing .341/.372/.588 and showing why TWIFB tabbed him as a potential all-star this season.
• Baseball is doing it's part to fund the war effort but apparently horse racing is not. That according to the lawyer who is the head of the racing commission in California, who says the horse racing industry should be contributing $25 million a year to the war effort instead of the $3 million it turned over in 1942.

GEORGE FOX HOPES TO PLAY A DOZEN GRID TILTS THIS FALL

Balancing Dickson College's decision to stop intercollegiate football competition for the duration is the announcement from George Fox University that it not only will continue the game next fall but that the program will be stepped up to hopefully include 12 games, longest gridiron schedule in the school's modern history.

George Fox's usual schedule is eight games beginning in October. The four additional games this year will be played in September. One of the reasons for this announcement is the Reds hope to give several other veterans squad members a few games in which to play before they graduate in October. With Dickson dropping the sport, George Fox currently has 7 games filled and will attempt to add as many military teams as possible to fill the remaining five dates.

*** Service Teams Get 15 GLA Grid Tilts ***

The Great Lakes Alliance cleared the decks for a full-fledged football program next fall and also announced it has finalized schedules with three big Midwest military establishments. Iowa Naval Pre-Flight, Camp Grant and Great Lakes figure prominently in the schedules of all GLA schools as each of the three was able to card 5 contests with GLA clubs. St Blane also joined in to give the service teams additional top-notch competition as the Fighting Saints lined up season-ending games with Great Lakes Navy and Iowa Pre-Flight to replace their usual end of the season meeting with Coastal California. That is in addition to St Blane's annual tussles with Rome State and Annapolis Maritime, which are to continue.

• German occupation forces were reported to have wiped out the last 40,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto in a ten-day battle with tanks and guns against feebly armed Polish defenders.
• General Francisco Franco of Spain appealed to the warring nations -Allied and Axis alike- to day down their arms and seek peace. "The world has been at war three years and it is time peace be considered in order to undo hatreds and bring the countries together," Franco said in a speech at Almeria. US and British officials deemed the speech unworthy of comment and a repetition of a Spanish statement from a month ago.
  
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• Britain's top military and naval officers from India met with American leaders in Washington leading to speculation a major offensive in the Pacific was in the works.
• An indication of that strategy perhaps, as days later American forces moved closer to the Japanese base in Kisko. It is expected Kisko is the Americans next target.
  
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• The FBI is still search for over 3,000 draft evaders in the country, it was announced following raids in which G-man arrested 552 dodgers in 20 cities.
  
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May 24, 1943
 

MAY 24, 1943

MARYLAND STATE CHAMPS OF COLLEGE BALL ONCE AGAIN

The Maryland State Bengals continued their dominance of the college baseball scene, winning their fourth AIAA championship in the past six seasons. The Bengals, who were led by first team All-America outfielder Jim Waters (.276,7,48) and second team selection John Mansfield (.265,11,47), had won 3 straight titles beginning in 1938 but finished second to Bluegrass State last year and were 5th the previous season. With a 47-15 record the Bengals actually won 3 games less than they did a year ago, but it was still good enough for top spot, with Huntington State, Charleston Tech, American Atlantic and Columbia Military Academy rounding out the top five.

The Bengals have a rich history in college ball, going back to the feeder era as one of the inaugural members in the AIAA. In fact, Maryland State's first AIAA baseball title came in 1910, which was the debut season for the loop. This year's squad featured just two draft eligible players among it's prospects with Waters, a 21 year old Brooklyn native who was selected by Toronto last January in the third round, being the key one. The other junior is pitcher Pep Patrick, who hails from Hazleton, Pa. and has a chance of being selected in the human portion of the draft (rounds 1-10) when it resumes next month.

Here are the final standings of the top twenty schools:

AIAA ALL-AMERICANS NAMED

The 17th annual edition of the college baseball All-American team was unveiled last week as the AIAA season came to an end. The National Champion Maryland State Bengals and runners-up Huntington State led the way as each school placed two players on the list - one each on the first and second team. The most familiar name on the First Team list is Miami State first baseman Bucky Sheffer. This is the third consecutive season that Scheffer was named to the first team, putting him into a very exclusive group that includes Jack Wilson, who did it for a third time last year before the Cincinnati Cannons selected him in the second round, and Vic Crawford. Homer Mills, a shortstop from Weston College in Ohio nearly joined that group but the 21 year old junior, who was a first team selection in both 1941 and 1942, had to settle for second team honours this time around, as first overall January draft pick Jim Adams Jr. of St Ignatius, claimed the first team berth.

An interesting note on Sheffer is the Miami State product was not drafted in January despite his All-American pedigree. He remains eligible entering next month's fourth round as does fellow junior first team selection Gordon Klein, an outfielder out of Huntington State who was a first team selection as a freshman and a second team choice a year ago.
Here are the 1943 AIAA All-Americans:

STREAKS, GOOD AND BAD, ARE THE STORY THIS WEEK

It was a week to remember for a number of FABL teams, but that is not a good thing for all of them. Certainly a positive for the Cincinnati Cannons, who clearly love New York after going 8-0 on the road against the Stars and Kings. Brooklyn did make the Cincinnati club work for it's wins yesterday as they ended up seeing their doubleheader stretch into a 31-inning marathon. The opener went 10 innings with Danny Andrews driving in 2 runs in the top of the 10th for a 4-2 Cannons win but that was nothing compared to game two when Deuce Barrell and reliever Gary Harris combined to pitch 21 scoreless innings but the Kings pitching was nearly as good. Cincinnati finally got their 8th straight win thanks a 3-run showing in the 21st frame to claim the 3-zip victory.

The big week lifts Cincinnati 4 games in front of both Chicago and Toronto atop the Continental Association table. The Philadelphia Sailors also had a big stretch, winning 6 straight during their week in New York. Brooklyn took a beating from the two invaders but it was the New York Stars who felt the most pain, getting swept in back-to-back 4 game series by Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

The Stars 8 game slide was matched in the Federal Association by the Washington Eagles, who had zero luck on their first trip west this season in dropping 4 each in St Louis and Chicago. Unlike the Stars, who were badly outplayed, the Eagles were victims of bad luck -or perhaps luck simply evening out after their red-hot start. Six of the 8 Washington losses including all 4 in Chicago to the Chiefs were by a single run and that little cushion the Eagles had atop the Fed a week ago is gone. The Chiefs halted a 3-game losing skid with 5 straight victories and now lead the Eagles by half a game with the two sides set to meet in the nation's capital on the weekend.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Injury Bug Bites Wolves:Toronto surges to 6-2 week to take over second place in the CA but the winning streak came with some bad news. Reliever Ron Coles has been lost for the season with a shoulder injury, Reginald Westfall, who showed signs of snapping out of his early season slum with a .318/.393/.591 week including 6 RBI, is now suffering with a sore elbow. Bob McRae has been summoned from Buffalo to Cole's spot in the 'pen, Coles will be missed with his 0.73 ERA in 12 1/3 innings this season. After consulting the trainer staff Westfall will not be put on the disabled list but will have his work load reduced giving Gus Hull more starts in RF. The Wolves caught a hot streak at the right time but even there 6-2 record over the week left them two games off the pace set by Cincinnati going 8-0 over the same period.

Management will be making moves throughout the system with the Coles injury, also will be subjecting the outfielders in the minors to closer scrutiny in case Westfall elbow does not respond to treatment.

A FAMILIAR NAME MAKING NOISE IN THE WINDY CITY

He is just a high school freshman but the name Yank Taylor is already on the minds of FABL scouts. The 15 year old from Pullman High School in Chicago is formally known as Thomas Taylor Jr., son of 'The Canadian Club' Tom Taylor -a two-time Whitney Award winner and for a spell one of the most-feared sluggers in the sport. 'Yank' as the youngster goes by made his prep debut this spring and by all accounts it was a resounding success. Taylor tied Johnnie Porter, a senior out of Huntington, West Virginia who was selected by the Philadelphia Keystones in the first round in January, for the national high school home run lead with 9. His dad did not play as a freshman in high school but did play the other 3 years and hit a grand total of 3 round-trippers during those three seasons so Yank certainly has some early bragging ranks.

Only 3 high school freshmen in the post-feeder era have hit more than 9 homers in a season. Two of them are Otto Christian and Jesse Alvardo, both former first round picks. The third is a player currently languishing in Class C by the name of Butch Stone so future success is not guaranteed, but one has to think Taylor chances of one day being a first round draft pick like his dad (4th overall, Sailors 1923) might just be pretty good.

He is called Yank, not because he is American born - in Providence while his dad was in the minors- but rather because he likes to yank'em out of the yard. But Tom Jr. has another nickname - a fancy one like his dad- as he is also known around the sandlots of Chicago as 'Tom Thumper', for what he does to a baseball.
Yank credits his dad for teaching him his power stroke, something that has the elder Taylor thinking might just convince him to get back into the pro game. "I have been helping out at Pullman (High School) and perhaps one day I could see myself back in the big leagues. Not sure I'd want the pressure of managing but it would be something to be a hitting coach."

While the elder Taylor won't rule it out completely, don't expect him to take a big league coaching job anytime soon. The 38 year old is having too much fun making up for lost time with his son and plans to stick around Pullman until Yank's high school days are done.

• Taking no chances. One of the signs posted in the St Louis Pioneers clubhouse by owner Dee Rose reads "Players will be handed their last two weeks pay at the end of the season when they turn in their complete uniforms at the office." Which seems to emphasize the point that this is the first time in many years that Pioneers suit would be regarded as a souvenir.
• A strange week for the Pioneers who won five in a row including a 4-game sweep of Washington (who was in first place at the time) only to lose three straight to the struggling last place Pittsburgh Miners.
• But an amazing week for veteran St Louis outfielder Gail Gifford as the 31 year old was named Federal Association player of the week after an almost unheard of 20-for-29 showing at the plate. Gifford hit .690!!! last week to raise his average to .372. With Gifford hitting like that and Sam Sheppard at 6-1 on the season, St Louis observers are thinking they hitched a ride on H.G. Wells fancy Time Machine back to the mid-30s.
• The Cincinnati Cannons had to work to stretch their win streak to 8 by playing 31 innings Sunday. First we beat Brooklyn 4-2 in ten in the opener and then Deuce and Gary Harris threw 21 shutout innings in a 3-0 win in the nightcap that started at 4:05 but did not end until almost 10 pm. Fortunately we have 2 days off before Montreal comes to town so the War Transportation board will hopefully be okay with us clearly messing with the rail schedules out of New York.
• Rufus Barrell against the Cougars: 9 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 4 K. Rufus Barrell against everyone else: 61.1 IP, 48 H, ER, 10 BB, 24 K. After allowing 7 runs against the Cougars on the 16th, he's thrown 24.1 consecutive scoreless innings
• Tough to be a Toronto Wolves fan this week - although no where near as tough to be a New York Stars supporter- as the Wolves win 6 of 8 games in the past 7 days but still drop 2-games in the standings behind Cincinnati after the Cannons 8-0 showing.
• The New York Stars were outscored 45-6 during their 8 game skid last week.
• 7 clubs currently with a positive run differential:
  Cannons (77)
  Cougars (48)
  Chiefs (40)
  Minutemen (30)
  Eagles (21)
  Wolves (7)
  Sailors (6)
• Despite being 42, Dick Lyons has shown tremendous control, leading the entire FABL with a 0.6 BB/9. He's already led the league in BB/9 twice, and the veteran hurler is off to a tremendous start, going 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA (145 ERA+) and 1.00 WHIP. He relies tremendously on the Cougars defense, especially shortstop Skipper Schneider, as he has just 3 walks and 6 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched.

PRO FOOTBALL'S OUTLOOK IS FAIR, SAYS WASPS OWNER

The owner of the American Football Association's Washington Wasps recently was musing over the prospects of professional football next season. Homer Bentley, high power attorney and kingpin of DC football, decided the situation this way:

"By the first of June we'll be rounding up our players and otherwise beginning to get ready, and we only hope that the other nine clubs in the league feel the same way about continuing as we do."

There is nothing sure about anything in athletics these days, but Bentley is confident the Government will "give professional football every encouragement."

"In making our plans to go right ahead we will do nothing that could interfere with the war effort," he added. "We hope that each team will be able to play five or six Sunday games at home. That would live the same number as road games, and should not add to the burden on transportation."

Bentley added the club will have a new look as he has had confirmation that out of 33 men on the roster last season, so far only 14 are confirmed to be available for the approaching season -provided, of course, that local draft boards do not change their status, or new selective service regulations catch them.

The expectation at this point is that quarterback Jeff Proos will be one of those returning and Proos is actively searching for a defense industry job in Washington, and then do his practicing at night and his playing on Sundays. The Wasps plan to limit their workouts to three or four night a week and the players may not be able to drill more than an hour or two but they expect each club to be in the same predicament.

• American troops are now in control of all but a tiny patch of Attu Island
• Admiral Isorku Yamamoto, commander in chief of the combined Japanese fleet, who boasted he would dictate peace terms from the White House, has been killed in action, according to a Tokio Radio report.
• American flyers dropped 100 tons of bombs on Japanese bases in Burma.
  
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• RAF planes destroyed two great German dams supplying power for the huge Ruhr and Eder industrial sectors and flooded two valleys in the process. The floods also wrecked a key Nazi rail line.
• British estimates put Allied losses at 220,000 from fighting in North Africa and estimate the Axis loss of life to be over 325,000.
• The War Labor Board accused John L Lewis of giving "aid and comfort to our enemies" for his role leading coal mine strikes.
  
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May 31, 1943
 

MAY 31, 1943

A SPECIAL DAY! 300 FOR RABBIT

The long anticipated moment when Rabbit Day joined the 300 victory club arrived yesterday as the 39 year old Chicago Chiefs hurler notched his 300th career win. The victory elevates Day into very special company, making him just the 12th player in the history of big league baseball to reach that milestone. It was nothing fancy and certainly not vintage Day, as Rabbit went 6 innings and allowed 7 hits and 2 runs -although just 1 earned- before turning the ball over to the Chicago bullpen to preserve an 8-4 victory in the opener of a twin bill in Washington. The game was important as it keep the high flying Chiefs rolling along -their 10th straight victory that would soon be 11 when they also won the nightcap- but the focus was entirely on Day as nearly all of the sparse - only7,788- crowd at Columbia Stadium cheered Day on despite the fact it was their struggling Eagles, a team that two weeks ago looked like world beaters but has come crashing down to earth of late, that was on the wrong end of this historic outcome.

We have been anticipating Day's 300th victory for a couple of years now and it is a moment that should be savoured. The last time a pitcher celebrated #300 was nearly two decades ago, in 1925 when Hall of Famer Big George Johnson notched win #300 while pitching for the Washington Eagles. Looking ahead it might well be another two decades -before we see a 13th member join that class. For a spell there was talk Milt Fritz might get there one day, but any slim chance he might still have had disappeared entirely when the 33 year old joined the Navy so his career is paused at 190 wins. Lefty Allen has 149 wins now and is just 2 months past his 29th birthday so perhaps he has a chance. Maybe Deuce Barrell in Cincinnati who has 78 wins and not yet turned 26 but that is a long ways out to project.

When asked about the possibility of him being the last 300 game winner baseball will see, Day laughed and said "No, there will be others. I get the game has changed a lot but there will be more. Maybe even him," Day said while pointing a couple of lockers over to teammate Al Miller. The 27 year old Chiefs hurler, who was a co-ace for the Chiefs along with Day for several years and a pair of World Championships has 121 wins under his belt.

There is no doubt that Day's legacy will include an induction in to the game's Hall of Fame, but surprisingly the Hall has only made room so far for 6 of the eleven men to win 300 games ahead of Rabbit. Day is certainly the most successful pitcher of the modern era and the first truly legendary thrower to play his entire career in the human-GM era. He was still a part of the old era when he was drafted - twice actually. The Philadelphia Keystones must live with the mistake of selecting Day in the 27th round of the 1922 draft but then releasing him almost immediately. He went back to high school ball and was taken 5th overall by the then Baltimore Cannons in 1923. Day's big league career would start with the Cannons in 1927 and he would win two of his three career Allen Awards while in the Continental Association. The third would come during that crazy 1936 season when, fresh off leading the New York Gothams to a World Championship Series win the year before, Day was dealt to the Chicago Chiefs and would win the first of two more WCS in Chicago that season. The way things are going this year Day may just get back to the WCS one more time but for now the trophy case at the Day home includes 3 Allen Awards, 3 WCS wins and 4 all-star game selections. Oh, and we are sure as soon as he returns to Chicago that case will need to make room for one baseball celebrating 300 career wins.

HOT AND COLD

Streaking Teams Story in Fed

The Chicago Chiefs stretched their winning streak to 11 games with another sweep over the Washington Eagles, who are no longer flying high atop the Federal Association. The Chiefs and Eagles are the two most extreme examples but the entire top half of the Fed has had a real upheaval that past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago the Washington ball club was enjoying it's best stretch in well over a decade, off to a 20-6 start and winning 8 of their previous 9 games. Chicago, meanwhile, was 15-11 and 5 games off the pace but things changed very quickly. The Eagles ran into some bad luck as they went out west and started a string of 9 straight losses including 4 in Chicago. The problems continued for Washington even at home as, after taking 2 of three from St Louis, the Eagles were swept over the weekend by the Chiefs, who are now the hottest team in baseball.

Chicago has won 11 straight including 7 over Washington during that stretch and the Chiefs now lead the Fed by 3 full games. Boston has moved into second as the Minutemen have been on a roll as well, riding a 5-game winning streak and victorious in 13 of their last 17 contests. While Boston and Chicago are the Yin, we need a Yang to balance out the Fed along with Washington and lately that distinction has gone to the New York Gothams, who are in the midst of a 1-8 stretch.

The story is much the same in the Continental Association as Deuce Barrell and the Cincinnati Cannons have won 13 of their last 14 games while at the other end of things we have the New York Stars, who have dropped 13 of their last 14.

Next week will be a busy one for FABL with today's Memorial Day double-headers for all plus the usual Sunday twin bill. Add in yesterday's doubleheader and we have a stretch of 11 games in 8 days for all 16 FABL clubs. And the way the streaking is going, who knows what the standings will look like next week.

ALL-AMERCAN SCHAUB WITH A HIGH SCHOOL SEASON TO REMEMBER

If you don't know the name Roy Schaub yet, you should probably familiarize yourself with the 16 year old Philadelphia high school pitching phenom. Schaub, who just completed his junior season at St. Joseph's High, delivered one of the best pitched seasons in high school history. He went 13-0 with a 0.41 era and set a single season modern high school record for strikeouts with 242 in just 132 innings of work.

Schaub was not the only flamethrowing high school pitcher this season as La Porte (Tx.) sophomore lefthander Dutch Yoak also surpassed Hiram Steinberg's single season strikeout mark but finished one shy of Schaub. What makes Schaub's season stand-out is he not only broke the strikeout mark for the non-feeder era, but also posted the highest WAR ever recorded by a high schooler. As you can see below there are some pretty impressive names that the teen surpassed.
Hiram Steinberg is clearly the measuring stick for high school pitchers but Schaub's 1943 campaign very much rivals what Steinberg did in his junior season. Schaub, who OSA presently calls a future #1 starter, was good his first two season, clearly took a giant step forward and headlines the 1943 High School All-American team. His 0.12 FIP (fielding independent pitching) was the second lowest ever recorded in the post-feeder era.

Here are the 1943 High School All-Americans:
Three players were named to the High School All-American team for the second consecutive season. They were infielder Mario Schilchegger, outfielder Ben Thompson and pitcher Jim Hawkins.

MINUTEMEN ADD DEPTH INFIELDER IN DEAL WITH DETROIT

We had a trade last week, which is now a rare occurence in FABL due to the impact the war is having on roster depth and prospects. Hardly a ground-breaker, but the Boston Minutemen added some infield depth with the acquisition of 33 year old Len Jones from Detroit. Jones has not played a lot this season but was hitting .407 (11-for-27). He had spent the past four seasons in Detroit after nearly a decade with the Chicago Chiefs. The Dynamos receive a 5th round pick in the upcoming draft in return.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEAL -Just a depth move by Boston but my initial thought was to wonder if perhaps they went after the wrong Jones. The Chicago Cougars were shopping veteran second sacker Freddie Jones (.250,1,5) and asking a 4th round pick for the 33 year old. Freddie is not the player he once was but is still a decent hitter and a proven leader with plenty of experience. Word is the Minutemen tried to get Chicago to bite on an offer for Freddie but had no luck as the Cougars wanted more than Boston was willing to part with. As a result the Minutemen turned their attention to Detroit and Len Jones.

In the long run that decision might prove to be a blessing for Boston. The Minutemen likely got a scare a little over a week ago when Art Spencer's back tightened up. Spencer is a very talented third basemen but the Boston nine lacks depth at the hot corner and if Spencer suffers another injury like the one that cost him 6 weeks last season the Minutemen could be in trouble.

I would think if the Minutemen might have been able to talk the Cougars into a 4th or 5th for Freddie that is a better move if we are simply looking at the player and not factoring in team need. However, Freddie cannot play third base effectively, while Len can, and that becomes very important to the Minutemen who likely prefer not to have to rely on Bud Gustafson as Spencer's possible injury replacement. Len Jones has the flexibility that he can be a plus defender at either third base or second, and if he can chip in a little offense as well it would be a bonus and Len is a .302 career hitter.

Some rumblings circulated that Boston overpaid but I don't think so. Fifth round picks do not pan out all that often and if Len Jones gives the Minutemen a solid spare part at two key positions in their infield it is well worth moving the pick for the safety net Len Jones provides in the event of an injury. The war has robbed FABL of a lot of depth so utilizing a fifth round pick to add some is a wise move for a team that, at least so far, appears it could stay in the Fed race.

• The Cleveland Foresters have announced who they will select to kick off the June portion of the FABL draft. The first three rounds are conducted in January with rounds 4-25 being drafted after the college and high school seasons conclude. With both finished the Foresters, holders of the first selection, have announced they will take 21 year old pitcher Davey Chamberlain. The Omaha native has spent the past three season pitching for Warrensburg State, a small division two school based in Missouri. Chamberlain was 9-5 with a 3.55 era for the Warriors this past season and is 28-13, 3.35 for his three year college career. OSA projects him to be a spot starter.
• Everyone is still waiting to see what, if anything, the Brooklyn Kings do after announcing that a number of veterans including Al Wheeler are on the block. Word is a number of teams are interested in one or more of Wheeler, Harry Barrell or pitchers Bob Cummings, Art White and Bob Ginger.
• The Chiefs, Cannons and Cougars are believed to be three of the teams that have had at least preliminary talks with Brooklyn and likely many other teams have also expressed interest. Now it sounds like there may be another seller on the market as well, perhaps a club with an outfielder to deal that might be a little less costly than Wheeler. The Chiefs and Cannons are both said to be looking for corner outfield help while the Cougars are reported to be coveting a center fielder and a starting pitcher.
• With the busy week ahead (9 games in 7 days) the Chicago Chiefs have decided that rather than disrupting the bullpen, which has been pitching quite well, the Chiefs will be calling up Chief Rogers from Ft Wayne to make the extra start this week. The 35-year-old Rogers was drafted in the 11th round by St. Louis in 1929. He made one start for the Pioneers in 1935. This week's start will be his 2nd FABL appearance.

BIDS FOR NEW PRO GRID FRANCHISE A POSSIBILITY

The American Football Association's second meeting of the year has been called for June 19 and 20 primarily to approve the new schedule and draft an additional 200 collegians, but there's an outside chance one or more petitions for club franchises will be presented then, too.

AFA President Jack Kristich named Chicago as the site for the encore meeting to the April gathering, at which time member teams were unable to agree on a schedule. Kristich is also compiling a list of names of college players graduating between June and October and they will be eligible for teams to choose in the second draft. Three hundred players were selected by the clubs in April.

The possibility the league might be asked to consider granting franchises arose recently when Ted Collins, manager of singer Kate Smith, was reported interested in adding an additional team or perhaps purchasing an existing club should an owner decide not to compete next season. The location of the Collins/Smith bid is not known but the only American city with FABL club and a suitable park but no football team is Cincinnati. Toronto and Montreal are likely not candidates but perhaps Baltimore, which still has a suitable stadium but no big league baseball team after the Cannons moved to Ohio, is another possibility.

OFFICER TRAINING MAY SCRAMBLE GRID FEUDS

If a star football player from Travis College should be sent to Lubbock State to train with the Marines would be then play for the Hawks? If so, would he play against the school for which he had given his all for a couple of years. Such points are being raised as reports indicate Red River State and Travis College will lose most of their experienced gridders because they are not likely to be designated as marine war colleges. The upshoot is a number of schools like Texas Gulf Coast, which was not expected to participate in Southwestern Alliance athletics this year, may be given a new lease and Amarillo State and some of the other also-rans might become top teams.

These reports come from Texas Congressman Albert Thomas of Houston, who quotes Marine Corps officials as saying certain schools in the state would not be designated because they already have naval ROTC units (Travis College and Red River State) or are too crowded with future Army officers (Darnell State) to take care of Marine Training. Amarillo Methodist, Texas Gulf Coast and Lubbock Sate are expected to be designated, meaning some of the star players from Red River State and Travis College are likely to turn up with the Grizzlies, Hurricanes or Hawks in the fall.

• The week begins with another huge bombing run by the RAF over Germany. This one, numbering close to 1,000 planes blasted the flood-damaged Ruhr Valley industrial center of Dortmund. Allied air squadrons also lashed docks and airfields on the Italian islands of Pantelleria and Sardinia without meeting serious opposition and would continue pounding Italy all week.
• In response the Germans have sent reinforcements to Sardinia, in expectation of an Allied land attack.
• Prime Minister Churchill is meeting with President Roosevelt in Washington in a conference expected to result in final decisions on the allies strategy, both in Europe and Japan.
• The immediate objective of the Allies appears to be forcing Italy out of the war by inciting revolt, bombing the country into ruins, invasion- or all three. Churchill called on the people of Italy to overthrow their leaders and surrender to the justice of the United Nations before it is too late.
• More labor issues for the President and the war effort, after an unauthorized strike of rubber workers at two Goodyear plants in Akron, Oh. They did comply with FDR's ultimatum they return to work by the end of the week.
• Edsel Ford, president of the Motor Company founded by his father, Henry Ford, died at the age of 49 after being confined to bed with an undulant fever for about a week.
  
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June 7, 1943
 

JUNE 7, 1943

WOLVES TURN TO GET HOT IN CONTINENTAL

A 9-1 stretch has lifted the Toronto Wolves right back into the thick of things in the Continental Association and their timing could not have been better for the run. First place Cincinnati saw it's torrid pace of 13 wins in 14 games come to a crashing halt when the Cannons were swept four straight by the struggling New York Stars. The Cannons did get back on track a little over the weekend in taking 3 of 5 games from the Chicago Cougars. The Cougars salvaged something from the series by taking both ends of a Sunday doubleheader from Cincinnati, much need wins for the Chicago nine after losing seven of their previous 8 games including 3 of 4 in Toronto.

CHIEFS ADD VETERAN JONES FROM CROSS-TOWN COUGARS

The Chicago Chiefs made a move to shore up their second base situation by making a trade with their Chicago neighbours. The Chiefs, with veteran second sacker Sam Orr sidelined for a month, acquired Freddie Jones from the Cougars in exchange for a minor league pitcher and a pair of draft picks.

It is the latest in a long series of trades between the two Chicago-rivals, and one necessitated in part because the Chiefs shipped infielder Hank Barnett to the Cougars last winter. In Jones, the Chiefs add a 33 year old 5-time all-star who was the Federal Association's Whitney Award winner with St Louis in 1935. Jones has been bothered by injuries much of his career and has not been the same player in his 4-plus seasons as a Cougar that he was with the Pioneers but he is still a solid veteran contributor. In return the Chiefs sent their 4th and 5th round draft picks along with Ed Fisler, a 21 year old former 10th round draft pick who was 4-1 with a 3.61 era at Class A Cedar Rapids this season.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEAL: Chiefs management immediately compared this move to the deal done in June of 1936 that brought second baseman Pete Layton to the Windy City and helped Chicago win World Championship Series that October and again two years later. I am not sure if Jones can have the same offensive impact that Layton did but he will fill a void created when Sam Orr went down. If Jones gets hot, and he looked very good much of last season, he just might earn a starting spot after Orr returns -either at second or at first base if the Chiefs can't solve their issues in rightfield and elect to move Ron Rattigan from first to the outfield. I like Fisler - OSA says he could pitch his way into a back-end rotation spot- and he looks like a late bloomer. His velocity is up to 95 mph now and he has had several bumps during the past few years. That being said it is certainly a reasonable price to pay to cover an immediate need at second base, and a bargain if Jones can catch lightning in a bottle and flash some of the skills that helped him win a pair of Federal batting crowns early in his career.

From the Cougars side of things it also makes sense. They add a pair of draft picks and a pitcher with a chance at developing in exchange for a player who really had nowhere to play with the Cougars. Clark Car has clearly established himself at second base and it appears the Cougars are more than content to keep Dick Walker at first so when the often-injured Billy Hunter is ready to return at the end of the month Jones might not have seen much playing time with the Cougars at all.

PITCHERS CLAIM BOTH TOP AMATEUR AWARDS

The two major individual amateur award winners have been announced and both are pitchers. The Adwell Award, presented annually to the top high school player in the nation went to Roy Schaub, a 16 year old righthander from St. Joseph's High School in Philadelphia, while the Christian Trophy, presented to the AIAA's top player, will go to Jim Carter from Ellery College.

Schaub had a breakout season in his third year as a starter in the St. Joseph's rotation, positing a 13-0 record with a 0.41 era and a high school record 242 strikeouts. His numbers compared with the outstanding junior season Hiram Steinberg put up two years ago before being selected first overall by the Cleveland Foresters. Steinberg remains one of the game's elite pitching prospects but his path to the big leagues is on hold while he serves in the Navy. Schaub appears to be the clear favourite to go number one next January.

Jim Carter, a Quincy, Ma. native who has spent the last three seasons with Ellery College, was named the Christian Trophy winner, narrowly outpointing Grange College freshman outfielder Bob Riggins. The 21 year old righthander was selected 7th overall by Toronto in the January portion of the FABL draft and then proceeded to record a 12-2 season with a 2.39 while earning first team All-American status. Carter was a second team All-American each of his first two seasons with the Bruins. Despite it's rich history of AIAA baseball, stretching back to 1910 and the feeder league era, Carter is just the second Ellery player to ever be named a first team All-American, joining 1B Harry Hunter who earned that distinction in 1933. And only two other Bruins -outfielders Jim Mason and Harry Clark- were ever named to the second team prior to Carter.

GILETTE TO AIR ALL-STAR CONTEST

For the first time in the history of the All-Star game, play-by-play accounts of the eleventh summer classic to be staged at Parc Cartier in Montreal, the night of July 13, will be sponsored with only one network having the broadcasting privileges. Previous accounts were carried on a sustaining basis, open to all networks.

Radio rights for the 1943 game were sold to the Gillette Safety Razor Company, sponsors of the past four World Championship Series, for $25,000 for exclusive airing over a network of 200 stations in the United States and Canada by Mutual, with shortwave broadcasts to the armed forces all over the world, it was announced by FABL President Samuel Belton. The money will be deposited to the credit of the majors' baseball equipment fund, as will other receipts from the game.

This marks the second time the FABL stars will meet in Canada. The 1937 game was contested in Toronto's Dominion Field with the visiting Federal Association side prevailing 4-2 in a 19-inning marathon. Also, for the first time, the game between the picked teams of the Federal and Continental Associations, will be an exclusively night affair. The 1942 contest started in daylight and finished under the lights but this one will be a 7:05 first pitch. If postponed due to weather, the game will be played at 1:30pm the following day when the broadcast will be given.

FABL 1943 DRAFT COMES TO A CLOSE

The 16 FABL squads completed their selection of high school and college players last week with rounds 4-10 being finalized. The first three rounds were conducted in April and rounds 11-25 will be auto-drafted on June 22, at which time draftees will be eligible to sign with the organization that selected them.

The fourth round is always interesting because it is the first group of players selected after the college and high school seasons have concluded and there are usually some breakout performances from players that were ignored in the January phase. One of those just might have been Joe Lowry, who was selected by his hometown St Louis Pioneers with the 6th pick of the round. The 18 year St Louis native was a High School All-American and his .522 batting average this season was the 4th highest nationally at the high school level.

Here is the full list of round four selections:

CANNONS INTRODUCE DRAFT CLASS

The Cincinnati Cannons focused entirely on the high school ranks with their 1943 draft class. Club officials say it was not by design but in each case the top player on their board was a high schooler so as a result each of the 7 players the Cannons selected in the human-GM portion of the draft were teenagers.

"It just might help if we lose a number of these guys to the war effort," admitted scouting director Bill Borland. "It was not a plan but the high school guys will obviously be much younger than college picks whenever the world gets back to normal and we receive all of our players back."

Pitching was the focus in the January portion as the Cannons used each of their first 3 selections on right handed high school hurlers. "Again, not by design," explained Borland. "We actually were actively trying to trade up to grab a couple of position players but nothing materialized. And maybe for the best as we are very happy with those three pitchers."

Hal Friedlander was the Cannons top pick, 11th overall, and he put up some pretty good numbers at his Brooklyn area high school. The Cannons sacrificed their fifth round pick in order to trade up 4 spots and ensure they could get the towering 6'4" Californian Johnny Whitter in round two. And for round three the Cannons were very excited to draft a Cincinnati kid, taking St. Xavier High Schooler Charlie Eller. Eller, who went 10-2 with a 1.45 era this season, is a playing the Cannons brass is calling a sleeper and they expect big things out of the homegrown kid.

In round four the Cannons dipped into Texas for Austin high school catcher Ed Haynes Jr. A four year starter at the school his father used to play for and now coaches, Haynes has some power potential and could one day be an above-average big league receiver.

Without a fifth round pick it was a long wait before the Cannons were able to nab 6'5" outfielder Sid Kling in the 6th round. Kling was once considered to be a sure-fire first round pick but he struggled his past two seasons of high school ball in Buffalo and his stock has dropped. The Cannons have followed him since his freshman year and love his size and work ethic so they felt it was well worth the gamble tabbing Kling in round six.

Seventh round pick Lloyd Keeling is another hard worker with limited playing experience as the 18 year old centerfielder played just one season for his high school team in Franklin, Tn. OSA tabbed him as a potential 4th round pick in it's mock and Cannons head scout Bill Bordwell had him as the 39th best position player on his draft board. Keeling has plenty of speed but there is concern if he can hit at the next level. With their final selection the Cannons stayed in Tennessee and chose Lynchburg High School shortstop Tony Page. Cincinnati had traded away it's 9th and 10th round picks.

• The Gothams are now 7th in the Federal Association and self-described as a mess. Perhaps they take that old saying 'If you aren't first, you are last' a little too literally. Rarely average, the Gothams have alternated stretches of playing pennant-winning baseball with time spent trying to stay out of the Federal Association cellar. Any chance history repeats itself? The last time New York won the WCS (1935) they followed it up with a terrible start that resulted in them selling everything that wasn't nailed down and spending the next 6 years starting over.
• It was a tough week for the Boston Minutemen. First they lose outfielder Joe Watson (.294,0,11) for 6 weeks and then two days later pitcher Dean Astle (5-2, 2.42) goes down with an elbow issue. He, too, is likely out 6 weeks.
• Bad news on the injury front for the Montreal Saints as well. Ed Baker is out for 5 months. The veteran pitcher was 6-2 before the injury... it means Wally Reif or Jimmy Mayse will get a chance to start in FABL.
• Johnny Bologna of the Philadelphia Inquisitor breaks down the Keystones for us: A hectic 9-game week for the Keystones was ultimately successful, mainly for the 4-game sweep against the Chiefs. The ship is righted at 24-24. Previous visits to the .500 mark have been brief this season and the pre-All Star Break schedule looks tough, with just 6 of the 33 games before the break taking place on Broad Street. The rest of June has a five-game set in Pittsburgh, eight games against Washington (4 home, 4 away), six games against Boston with four at Cunningham, and a game in Detroit. Washington and Boston are currently ahead of the Keystones in the standings, which will undoubtedly look different in a month.
• The Eagles are 7-0 vs Detroit this season but 0-7 vs Chicago.
• A 7-2 week against the bottom feeders from Detroit and New York allowed the Eagles to get back on track. Washington is 29-20 on the year, just a half game back of the Chicago Chiefs. The Eagles started 20-6 but went through a miserable 2-12 stretch that included those 7 losses to the Chiefs.
• Mel Haynes, a key piece in the deal that sent Hank Barnett from the Chiefs to the Cougars, looked solid in his AAA debut last week. The 21 year old righthander may find his way to the big leagues with the Chiefs before the season is out.
• Don't look now but Sam Sheppard is 10-1 and seems a lock for his first all-star game appearance since 1937. Sheppard went 28-7 and won the Allen Award in 1935 and followed that up with 2 more twenty-win seasons. However, from 1938 until last season he was 35-49 and lost his spot in the Pioneers rotation. Be quite a story if he could win another Allen Award after such a drop-off.
• The Chicago Cougars just cannot beat Toronto. They are 1-7 on the year vs the Wolves but 26-14 against everyone else in the Continental Association.
• Great story of a guy given a second chance because of all the losses to the war effort. Jim Mason was a 1937 all-star with the Cannons but struggled in '38 and Stars took him in the rule 5. He did not stick there and was released by Cincinnati when he was returned to them. Mason then sat out the next 4 seasons before signing with the Chiefs in February. They waived him before he played but the Cannons needed OF depth in AAA so they signed him to a minor league deal in May. After 4 years out of the game Mason is slashing .341/.407/.500 at AAA and on the verge of a promotion to Cincinnati.
• The Cincinnati Cannons were very happy to land Sid Kling with their 6th round pick. A couple of years ago Kling Buffalo high school outfielder looked like a likely first round pick but he regressed the past couple of seasons and fell in the rankings dramatically. "Like any 6th rounder he is a risk" said Cannons Scouting Director Bill Bordwell, "but we have been tracking Sid since his freshman year." Kling has all the intangibles in great size -he is 6'5"- and is smart with a tremendous work ethic. The Cannons hope he can get beck on track once he turns pro.
• The Pittsburgh Miners hope they landed a steal with their 6th rounder. Louis Price, a high school catcher out of Oregon who has committed to Northern Mississippi, was projected as a top ten selection by the Miners scouting staff headed by Harris Dixon.
• Staying in the 6th round, the Washington Eagles drafted a player by the name of Cincinnatus Williams. A New York born third baseman who has committed to Freemont State if he doesn't turn pro, will become the first player in pro baseball history with the first name of Cincinnatus. Really seems like a kid that should have been selected by the Cannons though.
• Line of the week: Pittsburgh Press sportswriter Denton Fox, when noticing shortly after Cincinnatus Williams was selected that the Miners were delaying in making their pick noted "they are searching for Pittsburghus Jones in the draft register."

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL to see how each of the first round selections from January fared this spring in the high school or college ranks.

BOSTON- Frankie Gonnella 3B- 14th overall: Gonnella was a first team All-American last season and followed that up with second team honours this time around in his last of 3 years starting for Canton State. Set career bests in all 3 slash categories (.314/.405/.521) and is a player OSA feels could hit .310 in FABL one day.

BROOKLYN- Pat Petty LF - 3rd overall: Petty put up decent (.480/.565/.776) but not overwhelming numbers at Duluth High School in his only season there but OSA sees immense potential for the 18 year old outfielder saying he "has the highest ceiling imaginable as an elite outfielder". He was listed #2 behind first overall pick Jim Adams Jr. on the latest OSA mock.

CHIEFS- Joe Davis 1B - 8th overall: A 4-year starter at Boston's Copley High School, Davis slashed .500/.559/.674 this season. It was his lowest performance in each of those categories and while he certainly can hit perhaps there is concern he lacks the power to play first base in the big leagues as OSA did not include him in it's 5-round mock. He likely reminds Chiefs brass of Ron Rattigan and there seems little doubt Davis can make contact. His .519 career batting average is 25th all-time among high schoolers with at least 60 games played.

COUGARS- Tommy Seymour P - 13th overall: This was the first year of organized ball for the 18 year old from Kansas. He was 8-2 with a 1.59 era with a very good K/9 ratio, one that rivals top young Cougar arms Pete Papenfus and Donnie Jones during their high school days. OSA still believes he can be a #2 starter but one has to think the Cougars had hoped for just a little more development as he failed to crack the OSA 5 round mock draft.

CINCINNATI- Hal Friedlander P - 11th overall: Like Seymour, Friedlander is a high school arm with just one year experience who failed to crack the OSA mock. The 18 year old Brooklyn native went 7-2 with a 1.13 era this season and a solid 13.1 K/9. OSA feels he not an ace but is ticketed for the middle of the rotation one day.

CLEVELAND- Jim Adams Jr. SS - 1st overall: It's hard to say Adams disappointed when he was named a first team All-American this season and remains at the top of the OSA mock draft but his slash numbers were the lowest of his three year college career. Not sure of that should raise concern with Foresters brass or it was just a case of the pressure getting to Adams a big, as OSA still feels he is a future all-star.

DETROIT- Alf Keeter P - 4th overall: Keeter's first year of high school ball as an 18 year old senior was a very good one as he posted a 10-1 record with a 1.45 era for Redeemer High in New Orleans. Not quite All-American numbers but still a solid performance and OSA feels his ceiling is at the front of the rotation.

MONTREAL- Luke Weaver 3B - 9th overall: OSA feels Weaver profiles as a potential elite third baseman on a contending team and placed him in the top five of their mock draft. His one and only season of college ball at American Atlantic saw Weaver slash .297/.357/.506 while tying for 10th in the AIAA with 9 homeruns.

NY STARS- Jock Stone 3B - 15th overall: Like Weaver, Stone had just the one season of college ball but he was at one that plays in a very low division in Meade College. So while Stone's slash numbers .311/.423/.492 and 11 homeruns might look better than Weaver's the competition level likely indicates they are inflated. OSA loves his defense but concedes Stone likely needs work to be anything more than an average contact hitter at the next level.

NY GOTHAMS- Tommy Kelley OF - 16th overall: Just one season of high school ball for the 18 year old from Dexter, Mi. His slash numbers were not overly impressive .432/.519/.580 especially the slugging number considering he is a corner outfielder. OSA is also concerned about his hustle and defensive potential but did like Kelley enough to place him in the top half of the first round in their mock draft.

KEYSTONES- Johnnie Porter CF - 10th overall: Was an Adwell Award finalist and a High School All-American after tying for the lead in homers with 9 while slashing .455/.555/.909. Not a bad performance for his only season of high school ball. Perhaps understating things, OSA feels he can be a reliable big league hitter while placing him third overall on it's most recent mock draft.

SAILORS- Hoppy Johnson P - 5th overall: The Charleston Tech righthander is a 3-year starter but saved his best season for last going 8-2, 2.09 with 130 k's in 99 innings. Missing a few starts bumped him to the second team All-American squad behind fellow junior Jim Carter and cost him a chance at the Christian Trophy. Despite missing those starts he was 4th in K's but first in K/9 with a 10.4. He also led the nation in FIP, ERA and opponents batting average. OSA is calling him a future number 2 starter for most teams.

PITTSBURGH- Jim Hawkins P - 12th overall: The Oakmont, Pa. native was named to the High School All-American team for the second straight season and had a great year overall, going 9-0, 0.48 ERA, 167 K, 14 BB. His 0.23 FIP is second best this season and 5th lowest all-time.

ST LOUIS- Homer Mills SS - 6th overall: Lauded by many as the steal of the first round when the Weston College junior slipped to the Pioneers at 6th. Perhaps other GM's knew something as Mills did see a drop in production his draft year and OSA feels while he can play in the big leagues, he will be more a supplement than a star.

TORONTO- Jim Carter P - 7th overall: The Ellery College star had a great junior season, posting a 12-2 record, 2.39 ERA with 133 k's in 132 innings. Carter led the nation in Wins and WAR, was third in K's, second in FIP, ERA and opponents batting average and was rewarded with the Christian Trophy as the AIAA's top player, making him the third Wolves pick to win a Christian Trophy, joining Sam Orr (1927) and Joe Hancock (1933). Carter looks like another very good arm for Toronto to add to it's strong collection of pitchers and OSA calls him a future top of the rotation candidate. His numbers very much remind one of Hancock and if he can approach that type of career the Wolves will be very happy.

WASHINGTON- Bob Newcomer C - 2nd overall: Newcomer was a second team All-American at Cesar Rodney in 1942 but his numbers slipped in his draft year. He slashed .297/.410/.423 but all 3 of those lines were down from his 3 year career average. OSA still feels he can be an above-average everyday big league player but the 20 year old likely seemed a much surer bet to accomplish that at this time last year than perhaps he does today.


[LIST][*]As the Axis, a victim of war nerves, braces for the start of the long anticipated Allied European invasion, RAF flyers continue to bomb German targets. Below is map of areas the allies are focusing on.
[*]The French Naval squadron of at least 8 warships interned at Alexandria since the fall of France in 1940 has joined the Allies and adds to the naval strength in the Mediterranean.[*]Prime Minister Churchill stopped in North Africa on his way back to London from his American trip, presumably to give final orders to Allied armies for an invasion of Europe that now can be expected momentarily.[*]With all organized resistance on Attu Island crush, American forces are now in a position to launch direct attacks on the Japanese homeland.[*]Drastic US action is expected as John L Lewis and the 530,000 members of his United Mine Workers Union defied the Government by halting work in coal fields for the second time in 31 days.
[/code]

June 14, 1943
 

JUNE 14, 1943

CANNONS GO 'ALL IN' WITH MAJOR DEAL

The Cincinnati Cannons and New York Gothams teamed up on a major trade that Cannons fans hope will help end a 30 year pennant-less stretch for the franchise. The eight player deal saw the Cannons add third baseman Billy Dalton and a minor league prospect from the struggling defending world champions in exchange for third baseman Frank Covarrubias, outfielder Nat Drake and four highly touted prospects in catcher Rick York, shortstop Win Hamby, infielder Jack Wilson and recently drafted high school pitcher Hal Friedlander.

The key for the Cannons is Dalton, who was a key piece of New York's title team last year and is a two-time all-star. The 29 year old was hitting a career best .324 at the time of the deal. Cincinnati has long been searching for a solution to their woes at third base as neither Covarrubias nor Denny Andrews showed the aptitude necessary for the role. Dalton is considered to be among the best third baseman in the game but the cost was very high.

The Gothams, hit hard by enlistments this past winter, have struggled and seemed unlikely to be serious contenders especially with their doubleplay duo of Mule Monier and Roosevelt Brewer in the service. They had no intention of shopping Dalton but felt the offer from Cincinnati was too strong to ignore.

It starts with Rick York, the 23 year old son of Detroit manager Dick York, who is considered one of the best young catching prospects in the sport. York spent most of last year in AAA learning third base as the Cannons had Adam Mullins ahead of him behind the plate, but did get into 17 games with the Cannons, batting .277. Unfortunately New York fans will have to wait for him as York joined the Navy this past off-season. Also heading to New York eventually is 20 year old Win Hamby, a 1941 second round pick who was Cincinnati's #2 ranked prospect. Hamby is in the Army now so, like York, it may be a couple of seasons before the Gothams see his skills. That won't be the case for Jack Wilson -20 year old Cincinnati selected in the second round of the 1942 draft. Wilson came out of North Carolina Tech last year and started this season in A ball, where he was hitting .308 through 38 games. The final prospect on the move is Hal Friedlander, who was the Cannons first round pick out of a New York high school in January. Friedlander will be eligible to sign with the Gothams on June 22nd once the entire draft is finalized.

Nat Drake and Frank Covarrubias give the Gothams two players who potentially could help them right away. Covarrubias is a solid defensive third baseman with a career .280 batting average but the Cannons had been disappointed with the 31 year old's offensive production last year and again so far this season. Drake is a 26 year old outfielder who was a 1935 second round pick and spent a lot of time on the top 100 prospect list the past few seasons. He missed the start of this season with an injury but has looked very good in limited action since his return.

In addition to Dalton, the Cannons also receive Class C catcher Lou Davis, a 1940 12th round pick, from the Gothams.

CHIEFS EXTEND FED LEAD

A much shorter week for everyone this time around after the previous string that saw FABL teams playing 9 games in 7 days. This time many teams only had 4 contests and each club had at least a day or two off. The Chicago Chiefs had just one series - a five-game set in New York- and made the most of it in taking 4 of 5 from the struggling Gothams. The Chiefs lead atop the Fed is now 2.5 games on second place Washington and 3 up on Boston after the Minutemen took 3 of 5 from the Eagles last week.

In the Continental Association the hottest team is the Toronto Wolves, winners of 11 of their last 13 games including 3 of 5 against the Philadelphia Sailors this week. The Wolves are just a game and a half back of first place Cincinnati after the Cannons could only manage a split of their 4 games with lowly Cleveland over the weekend.

Toronto remains within shouting distance of the Cannons but now the Wolves have to decide whether or not to counter the big move made in Cincinnati or continue to 'dance with the ones that brung 'em.' The big concern in Ontario is the outfield as Reginald Westfall's nagging injury is showing no signs of improving, Ed Marshall is out for two days and Larry Vestal is batting just .217. Vestal is getting on base, so that and his defense is keeping him in the starting line-up, at least so far. If Toronto is going to make a move to upgrade their team you have to think it starts with the addition of an outfielder.

CANNONS SET SIGHTS ON PENNANT

Cincinnati Cannons owner John E. Tice swung and missed twice in recent days but he made certain it would not happen a third time. Tice and his Cincinnati Cannons front-office made an offer that the New York Gothams could not refuse in order to add what they feel is the key piece to perhaps bring the city it's first major league championship since the Monarchs won the Border Association crown in 1888. Billy Dalton will come in town the proud owner of a World Championship ring he earned last October with the Gothams, and will carry on his shoulders the high expectations of playing October baseball once again this fall after the Cannons backed up the Wells Fargo truck and sent a lot of golden prospects to Manhattan.

The deal was a big one, with an initial offer impressive enough that the Gothams dropped everything and immediately accepted without even pausing to shop Dalton around the league. In that respect, Tice and his staff accomplished what they wanted to do - they identified a key need and wanted a deal done right away.

"Getting this done," was important to the Cannons owner said a source close to the team, adding the owner felt like he needed a win. Tice was down in the dumps after his overtures to the AFA to bring a football team to Cincinnati were all but ignored by grid czar Jack Kristich. Add in the growing frustration Tice had about his club's failure to get a deal done with Brooklyn for Al Wheeler and/or Harry Barrell, combined with the rough week the Cannons just completed (3-6) and Tice instructed his club to spare no expense if they felt Dalton was the missing piece.

Rumour has it the deal that landed Dalton was very similar to a package that had been on the table for some time to try and pry Harry Barrell away from Brooklyn. The Cannons would not comment on that but club Assistant General Manager Red Franklin did say they had been "combing the league for an elite third baseman for a couple of weeks now." Franklin mentioned he felt it was important to act now while the Gothams were on a downswing as the deal might not be there in a couple of weeks should New York turn things around.

To man, the Cannons front office agreed a completed deal for Dalton was far better than waiting for the possibility they could land Barrell from Brooklyn. There would certainly have needed to be some musical chairs in the Cannons infield were they to bring Harry to town to play behind his nephew Deuce Barrell, while on the other hand Dalton -a natural third baseman- was a perfect fit to plug the hole at the hot corner.

So the trigger was pulled as the deal came together quickly in a matter of less than an hour. Early reaction around the league was that New York had received quite a haul for Dalton, and of that there is no doubt. However, the Cannons felt all of the pieces they moved were expendable and they added an all-star caliber infielder without sacrificing anything they felt was essential to their success.

Rick York, Win Hamby and Jack Wilson are all top 100 prospects but the Cannons had 30 year old Adam Mullins blocking York and 26 year old Jim Hensley in front of Hamby -not to mention the fact that both youngsters are in the service for the duration. Wilson is a nice prospect too but Dalton blocks him at third base and Charlie Rivera is one of the best defensive second basemen in the league and a nice fill-in until all-star Charley McCullough returns from the Navy. Now a lot can change over the course of 2-3 seasons but like York and Hamby, there doesn't appear to be a spot for Wilson to play. The just-draft pitcher, an 18 year old Brooklynite by the name of Hal Friedlander was a player the Cannons were very high on but they selected two other highly touted pitchers this draft, along with a catcher in Ed Haynes Jr. they hope might be the prospect to replace York in the system. Nat Drake is a sold outfielder but just did not have a place to play in Cincinnati and Covarrubias had worn out his welcome with the Cannons, who really expected better offensive production from him. This is not to say the 5 prospects are not quality talent - they most certainly are- but the Cannons felt they were well positioned to sacrifice each of them in order to land Dalton. And they were happy they did so without having to consider moving prize outfield prospect Dick Blaszak, who is a Marine for the duration of the war.

Was it worth it? Well, that remains to be seen. The Cannons are banking on their pitching staff continuing to shine and Dalton to provide at least as good defense as Covarrubias did at third while being a large upgrade in the batting order. Cannons sources say the club is not done dealing and they will not hesitate to pull the trigger on a veteran power bat for the outfield or perhaps another middle of the rotation arm. Whether another deal happens or not, it is clear now that this season will only be measured as a success in Cincinnati if the Cannons are up against the best of the Federal Association come October. Anything less, it it will feel like strike three for owner John E. Tice.

• A tough break for Pittsburgh as the Miners will be without outfielder Pinky Pierce (.312,7,32) for a month and a half. The 30 year old was enjoying another outstanding season in follow up to his break-out showing last year when he finally got a chance to be an everyday player.
• That is actually a tough break for Toronto, the Chiefs and likely some other contenders since Pierce might well have been a hot commodity at the trade deadline should the Miners continue to struggle.
• Still very little news out of Brooklyn. A few weeks ago the Kings announced they were entertaining offers on Al Wheeler, Harry Barrell and a trio of pitchers but, while there has been plenty of interest from other teams, nothing close to a deal seems to be in place at this time.
• The Gothams are on a 4-19 run since their 5 game win streak in mid-May. And they got hit with terrible news this week when pitcher Monk Adams suffered a devastating shoulder injury that sounds like a career ender. The 24 year old, a top 100 prospect, was 2-5 with a 3.86 era this season in his FABL debut. He had pitched 5 innings of no-hit ball in the game that ultimately proved to be the last of his career. After Adams got replaced the Gothams fell apart and lost 6-3.
• While the Chiefs were on this last road trip, Joe Ward became the 20th manager in history to win 1,000 games. The Chiefs will have an on-field ceremony honoring Ward before Tuesday's game with St. Louis.
• Sam Sheppard's 10 game personal winning streak for the Pioneers was snapped with a 4-1 loss to Detroit on Saturday. Sheppard is 10-2 on the season and likely in contention to be the Fed starter in next month's all-star game.
• Nice debut for Ed Fisler. The 21 year old was acquired by the Cougars from the Chiefs a week ago in the deal that sent Freddie Jones back to the Federal Association. Fisler, a 1939 10th round pick, tossed a 6-hit complete game shutout for Mobile in his AA debut, which also marked his first game in the Cougars organization.
• A big week for no-hitters as Dixie Murtaugh tossed one for the Worcester Warriors in a 4-0 shutout of Harrisburg in AA play. Murtaugh is Boston Minutemen property, taken by then in the 12th round of the 1937 draft. A couple of days later news from Japan - yes, they are still playing baseball too- of a perfect game. It was thrown by Kanichi Yokota of the Tokio Cannons.
• All of the American servicemen stationed in Australia have been introducing the game of baseball to those 'Down Under.' As this image from an Australian newspaper indicates, the Aussies might still have some learning to do.
  
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DEMANDS ROME STATE-ANNAPOLIS MARITIME GRID TILT FOR PHILLY

The annual Rome State-Annapolis Maritime college football game, transferred to Annapolis last fall because of the war, will return to Sailors Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia this year if John B. Kelly, national director of physical fitness, has his way.

Kelly, a former Olympic oarsman, disclosed he had suggested to officials of both the military and naval Academies that the game be played in Philadelphia this year- possibly on a Sunday- with the receipts to go to war charities. Asserting that the officials he has consulted favour the plan, as do some sports-minded Congressmen, Kelly declared he will go "to the White House, if necessary," in his effort to return the game to Philadelphia.
The Deep South Conference will be smaller this season, it if plays at all. Northern Mississippi and Mississippi A&M each informed conference members last week that they will be unable to field teams in 1943 and they are quite likely not the last Deep South team to drop football for the duration. Cumberland, Opelika State, Bluegrass State and Western Florida are said to be leaning towards not playing next season either.

*** COLLEGE ALL-STAR GAME GIVEN GO AHEAD ****

The Boston Americans will meet a team of college all-stars this August. There had been concerns the annual matchup between the pro champ and the top collegiate grid stars would be cancelled due to the war but the go-ahead was given this week. Instead of playing it in Chicago, the game will shift to suburban Evanston and be contested on the night of August 25. The Americans beat the Chicago Wildcats 24-21 last December to win the AFA championship for the second time in 4 years.

*** TIME OUT TABOO FOR AIR CADETS ***

At the Georgia Pre-Flight School they've put in a few new football rules that the boys seem to like. Instead of four quarters, regimental games are played in two halves and play is resumed after the intermission at the spot and the down when the first half ended. Entire games are played without time out and they say that those games without any delay are really something to watch.

• Allied bombers continued raids on Sicily and Pantelleria on a non-stop basis in preparation to take over the Italian islands. By the end of the week the Allies had taken over Pantelleria, the first stepping stone for an invasion route into Europe. Next up is a decisive clash with the Italian Navy.
• Prime Minister Churchill told the House of Commons the "light of victory" is glowing in one of the most supremely confident speeches of his career. Churchill says the Allies are determined to bomb the Axis to destruction and are preparing to launch "amphibious operations of particular complexity and hazard on a large scale."
• President Roosevelt wanted the initiation of poison gas warfare by the Axis countries would bring quick retaliation from the Allies.
• Conflicting reports from the Pacific as both Tokio Radio and Washington claim victory following a Japanese raid on the American-held Russell Islands in the Solomons.
• Australia is declared safe as Japanese forces have been held off in the Southwest Pacific and there are hints to Allies were ready to develop an offensive to roll back the enemy.
  
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June 21, 1943
 

JUNE 21, 1943

WOLVES SET TO ACQUIRE STICKELS

The Toronto Wolves immediately answered the Cincinnati Cannons big deal with the Gothams by making a trade of their own with a New York team. The Wolves, who are now tied with the Cannons for top spot in the Continental Association after the two clubs split a 4-game weekend series at Dominion Stadium, addressed their shortage of quality outfielders by acquiring Chink Stickels from the New York Stars.

The deal cannot be processed until next week because it involves a pair of 1944 draft picks, the Wolves 4th and 6th selections, which are not allowed to be moved until after the June 22nd completion date for the '43 draft. So Stickels sits in limbo for a week before joining the Wolves outfield, which was in desperate need for an upgrade.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEAL :A great pickup for the Wolves at a much, much less expensive price tag that Cincinnati paid to land third baseman Billy Dalton from the Gothams last week. Stickels will turn 32 years of age this week and has been a solid average to slightly above-average big league centerfielder throughout his career. He, like most of the Stars, has struggled this season, slashing just .187/.249/.276 but should enjoy a bit of a resurgence in Toronto. His glove should make him the top defensive outfielder in Toronto and allow the Wolves the option of shifting Juan Pomales to a corner slot -likely left field which means Larry Vestal can go to the bench.

It is not the splashy superstar trade that bringing in an Al Wheeler would be, but the Wolves did a great job of identifying a need and filling it at a very reasonable cost. This deal comes with a small risk for Toronto -the worry that Stickels' career is on the downswing and this is not just a slump- but the cost was negligible. In fact, I am surprised the Stars did not get a little more in return for the veteran centerfielder than simply 4th and 5th round draft picks. New York was not dealing from a position of strength with Stickels in such a slump and perhaps the Gothams had no other teams expressing an interest, although at the final selling price I am imagine a team like the Chicago Chiefs is not wondering why it did not get involved in the talks.

With Toronto and Cincinnati each making upgrade moves I expect more to come from the Continental as the Chicago Cougars, who sit 3 games back and were the preseason favourite of many, have yet to weigh in with their response to the moves made by their rivals.

The Stars also made a last minute deal that was announced just before press time for this issue. Cincinnati was the buyer once again as the Cannons sent their second and fourth round picks in 1944 to the now fully committed to rebuilding New York Stars in exchange for veteran pitcher Chris Clarke. The 30 year old lefthander is 5-7 with a 3.49 era this season.

The View From The Gothams Front Office

The news shook up the Gothams locker room. A mainstay of the organization, and a key cog in the championship team was moving on. Was this to be another post championship tear down? I check in with the Gothams GM,
Red: I have to ask this. Are we looking at another post championship tear down in New York?
Ward: No, that's not our plan. Obviously we're disappointed in the turn this season has taken. Between players off defending our country and a series of key injuries (Freeman, Drake, Adams) this season is far from what we imagined. So with a look towards the next few seasons when presented with an attractive package of young talent we jumped at the opportunity.
Red: Still, Billy Dalton?
Ward: Billy has been a favorite around here. He was the first of our promising infield to break in and has been a consistent contributor.
Red: And the new players?
Ward: Nat Drake will fit right into our outfield, which has been in a state of upheaval all season. Then we added multiple infielders who will give us many options when everyone returns. And our scouting department insisted that we have Friedlander included. I'm told he'll be slotting in behind Ed Bowman before too long. We all know about waiting for prospects, but our system is a lot deeper today.
Red: So that's it for trades?
Ward: Never say never. Unless we have a sudden surge before the deadline there's always a chance.

There you go. Never a dull moment in the Gothams front office.

MEAD ARGUES FOR SPORTS

Sports have become part of the American way of life and unless, in some particular case, they affect the war effort adversely, the should continue, argued Senator James M. Mead, Democrat, New York, in a talk at a Sports Club luncheon in Washington D.C. Mead pointed out that baseball furnishes recreation and relaxation for thousands of war workers and servicemen and women and that two teams, with squads of about 50 men, entertain crowds of 25,000. Furthermore, he said, sports events have stimulated the sale of War Bonds and raised funds for the Army and Navy relief societies and Red Cross activities, singling out the War Bond League started in New York that promises to account for sales totaling nearly $1 before the end of the season. "Sports should continue so long as they help and not impede the war effort," the Senator concluded.

***EAGLES, WASPS TO DO THEIR PART***

At the same luncheon it was announced that the Washington Eagles game against the Chicago Chiefs on July 28th at Columbia Stadium would be for the benefit of war agencies. Eagles owner William Stockdale says the evening will be a twin bill and that the entire proceeds of which will go to the National War Relief Agencies. The game will be a unique one as Stockdale hopes to have a combined team of Chiefs and Eagles play against the squad from the Norfolk Naval Station proceeding the regularly schedule Chicago-Washington matchup. There is talk that the Chiefs and Eagles have similar plans for Chicago's Whitney Park on June 30 when they will field a combined team against Great Lakes Naval Station prior to their Federal Association match-up.

Stockdale, who is also a minority owner in the American Football Association's Washington Wasps, says plans are in the work for the Norfolk Naval Station gridiron squad to face the Wasps in a pre-season game, likely in early September.

• A 5-game winning streak and seven victories in their last nine outings has the St Louis Pioneers back to the .500 mark. It came at a cost as rejuvenated ace Sam Sheppard (10-2, 3.42) will miss a start or two because of a minor back issue. The Pioneers will also be without first baseman Dutch Breunig (.335,1,31) for up to 3 weeks when he suffered a fractured rib in the same game that Sheppard went down.
• Not the debut week the Cannons had envisioned for Billy Dalton. Hit just .115 but adds to Cincinnati's very strong defensive infield. Hopefully Dalton's bat completes the trip from New York this week. The other big news in Cincinnati is Deuce Barrrell finally took a loss but he responded with a 4-hitter in an 8-2 win over Toronto yesterday.
• John Douglas was a waiver claim of the Chicago Chiefs last season. He is 31-years-old, so I don't know if he is a late bloomer or what, but this season he was pitching well out of the bullpen. And on the organizational depth chart page he is now listed as the #2 starter behind Al Miller. So the Chiefs gave him a couple of starts this week: 2 wins, 18 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run. Skipper Joe Ward now thinks he should be the #1 starter.
• In a game that will likely feature nearly as many top level players as FABL's own all-star game, which is set for July 13 in Montreal by the way, the Army all-star selections are scheduled to meet the top ballplaying Naval Air Flyers at Thunderbird Park in Seattle on July 3 as part of a special doubleheader. The Great Western League Thunderbirds will play Oakland in a regularly scheduled GWL game prior to the military star tilt.

MAGNATE SEEKS AFA FRANCHISE FOR BALTIMORE

Henry M. White, president of a Baltimore Oil Company and former college tackle, has announced he will confer with representatives of the American Football Association on the possibility of obtaining a franchise for Baltimore. There has been talk of the AFA perhaps shrinking in size this season due to a lack of players and transportation concerns but White is the second person to express an interest in adding a team, following up Ted Collins, manager of singer Kate Smith, who is rumoured to be looking for a team of his own.

Baltimore has a suitable venue in Banner Field, which was home to the FABL Cannons before they moved to Cincinnati, although the stadium might require a facelift to support a football team. It is, however, unlikely that expansion is on the minds of AFA owners although they are presently meeting in Chicago to finalize their 1943 schedule.

ROME STATE WILL CARRY ON BIG SPORTS PROGRAM

Rome State, the United State Military Training Academy, definitely will continue its big competitive sports program. This comes from Rome State's superintendent, Major General Francis B. Wilby, in testimony before the House Appropriations Committee this week.

Wilby termed "ridiculous" reports that had been circulating stating athletics at the Rome, Ga. campus would be discontinued. "We feel that competitive athletics, and especially the body contact type of athletics, is one of the finest things in the training of a solider. We feel that the training and morale of the whole cadet corp will suffer if that is omitted."

In discussing the Academy's intramural program, General Wilby declared, "You do not get the same incentive for the participants to fight as you do when you have competitive athletics."

• The Office of War Information revealed that a German spy played a major role in the attack on Pearl Harbor, providing the Japanese with the numbers and types of American ships there and co-ordinated a signaling system to alert the Japanese fleet when the right time to attack was. The spy was arrested the week after the attack, found guilty of espionage and sentenced to be shot. The sentence was later commuted to 50 years of hard labor.
• American fliers in the Solomon Islands claimed 1,038 Japanese planes have been shot down during the 10-month campaign.
• General Joseph Stillwell, United States commander in China, Burma and India, returned from Washington conferences with a promise that Allied Leaders were "determined to get to Tokio."
• RAF fliers continue nightly bombing raids into Germany.
• Sicily is close to capture amidst reports the Allies are massing 1 million troops in North Africa in preparation of a land invasion of Europe.
• More wildcat strikes in the coal industry as 63,000 miners walk off the job in protest of a War Labor Board decision denying the Mine Workers any general wage increase.
• With flooding in the midwest damaging crops and a revolt against the Government's rollback subsidy program by packers and livestock dealers has brought a long expected critical food shortage to much of the nation.
  
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June 28, 1943
 

JUNE 28, 1943

A BUSY NIGHT!

CHIEFS, CANNONS EACH MAKE MAJOR TRADE

It was almost as if the league decided to make up for two full seasons of inactivity, trepidation to trade has overtaken FABL ever since the war began but in one evening two major bombs were dropped that saw both the Chicago Chiefs and Cincinnati Cannons add veteran outfielders. And this on top of the multiple deals made in the past two weeks. So much for baseball's effort to curtail war-time transportation as there will be plenty of ballplayers riding the rails today headed for new destinations.

The big move saw the long-awaited deal out of Brooklyn as the Kings sent 5-time Whitney Award winner Al Wheeler, along with 30 year old pitcher Bob Cummings -a two-time all-star- to the Windy City in exchange for four prospects including Joe Rutherford and Mel Haynes.

Moments later, and perhaps in reaction to seeing their Federal Association rivals had strengthened even further with the acquisition of the Brooklyn duo, the Washington Eagles took a glance towards the future with a decision to ship veteran outfielder Sam Brown -another two-time all-star- to Cincinnati in exchange for much of what was left in the Cannons farm system after earlier deals to add all-star Billy Dalton veteran pitcher Chris Clarke.

In full the two trades were laid out as follows:

The Chicago Chiefs receive 35 year old outfielder Al Wheeler (.241,9,31) and 30 year old righthanded pitcher Bob Cummings (2-6, 3.41) from Brooklyn in exchange for 4 minor leaguers: pitcher Mel Haynes (AAA OSA#52), pitcher Bob Crowley (military service OSA#28), outfielder Joe Rutherford (military service OSA#44) and catcher Sam Clarke (Class C OSA#152).

The Cincinnati Cannons receive 32 year old outfielder Sam Brown (.313,3,33) in exchange for the Cannons first round draft pick next January, outfielder Bill Lewis (.148,1,6) along with pitching prospects Frank Porter (Class C OSA#64) and George Scruggs (military service OSA#183) as well as young 1B-OF Maurice Carter (AAA OSA#126).

Lost in all of the excitement of the two big deals was a third transaction. This one very minor in nature but still another trade as the Cougars sent 28 year old minor league shortstop Freddie Bennett to the New York Stars in exchange for an 8th round draft pick. The Stars, who a week ago unloaded veteran outfielder Chink Stickels (.187,1,18) -another former all-star- to Toronto and pitcher Chris Clarke (5-7, 3.49) to Cincinnati for draft picks, were actively searching for anyone with a glove good enough to man the shortstop position at Dyckman Stadium, which has become a major issue since the Navy claimed Joe Angevine.

*** PENNANT FAVOURITES ***

Going into the season the Chiefs were considered by this publication to be the team to beat in the Federal Association and the addition of Wheeler and Cummings seems to further cement that position. Chicago is 3 games up on both Boston and Washington, who share second spot, and one has the feeling the gap will only widen in the coming months. Wheeler has been hot and cold the past few season and, at 35, is often a defensive liability in right field but he remains one of the most feared power hitters in the game and his pull-hitter power stroke should thrive in Whitney Park with it's 297 foot right field line. Not to mention the fact his bat will be much more protected in the deep Chicago lineup than it was in Brooklyn. Cummings' 2-6 record makes one think he is struggling but a quick glance at his run support - a miniscule 1.5 - tells the story that if he can cut down a bit on his walks, which are a little high this season, he could thrive in Chicago.

Cincinnati entered the season as a challenger for the Continental crown but here at TWIFB it was felt the Chicago Cougars were too tough after adding veteran third baseman Hank Barnett from the Chiefs over the winter. A hot start for the Cincinnati nine prompted management to pull the trigger on a deal last week to bring in third baseman Billy Dalton and fill the club's biggest hole. By addressing their other weaknesses in pitching depth and an elite rightfielder, the additions of Clarke and Brown, seem to point to the Cannons perhaps now being the team to beat in the CA.

Of course there is still just over a month until the trade deadline and Toronto has already added one piece in outfielder Stickels so the Wolves may just continue to add to their pack. Then there are the Chicago Cougars, who have an offense that still rivals Cincinnati even with the Cannons newcomers, along with plenty of pitching. It is highly unlikely the Cougars are not going to respond with a move of their of some kind in order to try and tilt the balance back in their favour.

One thing is certain. The last couple of weeks have clearly illustrated the hesitation to talk trade and make moves in this time of turmoil, when the war has robbed every team of star players and key depth pieces. The paralysis that had set in over the enter league has been cured. The question is will that lead to even more big deals over the next 32 days?

COUGARS ANNOUNCE LATE DEAL WITH BROOKLYN

Moments after we finished the above article that ended asking if more big deals were on the way we received our answer. The Chicago Cougars added to their starting pitching depth by acquiring Brooklyn's former number one arm in lefthander Art White. The 31 year old White (5-6, 2.70) has been the ace of the Kings rotation the past few seasons and is a three-time all-star including last season. He also was a key contributor as a young pitcher to the Kings 3 consecutive pennant winning teams in the mid-1930s.

The one possible worry is White missed the final two months of last season with a shoulder injury that ended up taking most of the winter to heal. The good news is he looks no worse for wear this season and was once again at the head of the Kings rotation. OSA calls him a solid mid-rotation arm and he fits nicely into a deep mix of veterans and youngsters the Cougars have accumulated with their moundsmen.

The youth movement is in full swing now in Brooklyn as White follows Al Wheeler and Bob Cummings, who both left for Chicago very recently but bound for the Federal Association Chiefs rather than the Continental Cougars. For White, Brooklyn receives 4 pitching prospects, two of whom are in the military. The key piece is considered to be Leo Hayden, a 20 year old lefthander who was a 1942 second round pick and ranks 3rd on the Cougars deep list of prospects and 53rd overall by OSA. Hayden is in the Army Air Corps so will not join the Kings system for some time. 21 year old righthander Harry Stewart was also part of the deal and he, like Hayden, is in the Air Force. The other two players joining the Kings organization are 21 year old Oliver Allen, a 1938 4th rounder who went 9-2 with a 3.58 era at AA Mobile this season, and 21 year old Pinch Lenhart, a 1941 9th round pick who was 4-1, 2.63 at Class B San Jose.

CANNONS LOAD UP FOR PENNANT PUSH

But Pressure Is Immense To Win The Continental Crown

The pieces are all in place. Now it is up to Cincinnati Cannons skipper Ad Doria and his charges to deliver the goods. The Cannons front office dealt away a large chunk of it's future -but did manage to hang on to top prospect and current US Marine Dick Blaszak- in order to position the team the best it has been to have a chance to win a title since shifting to the Queen City. It might well be the best Cannons team ever assembled - certainly the best in well over a decade as there were some lean years in Baltimore- but that is no guarantee of a pennant.

Fans rejoiced and excitement grew as each new acquisition was announced. First there was Billy Dalton -the two-time all-star and defending World Champion- that arrived from New York. A natural leader who immediately commanded respect in the Cannons clubhouse despite a rough opening week at the plate, Dalton seems to be the perfect answer for the inability of the Cannons to find a dependable third baseman who could both hit and field.

The excitement grew as news that 30 year old southpaw Chris Clarke was coming over from the Stars. There was some worry about Roger Perry's age and ability to be the consistent #5 starter and there is always ongoing concern about the durability of talented youngster Vic Carroll so Clarke adds veteran depth to the rotation.

Then more big news came last night in the form of the addition of 32 year old Sam Brown from Washington. Brown is an outfielder who was hitting .313 this season which is a clear nod to his consistency as that also happens to be his career batting average after a decade - and two all-star selections- in the nation's capital.

The cost was huge. The Cannons have moved their first, second and fourth round draft picks next year and gutted their farm system. It could have been even higher as several rumours linked the Cannons to a pair of other potential deals that would have sacrificed much more than the eventual cost of Brown :the age of the rightfielder helped dampen the pain felt by scouting director Bill Barnhart as he was informed of each proposed deal.

Will it eventually come back to haunt the Cannons? Just look north to Cleveland for an example of what stocking up to make a title run or two can do to a team's future. But then Foresters fans, while certainly lamenting their current predicament, would likely be of one voice saying they would not trade that 1934 WCS title or 1935 pennant for a chance to be contenders each year but never a champ. Let's hope a couple years from now the Cannons are celebrating titles of their own, and if so, we can readily accept whatever hurdles the future present us. But the key is the Cannons must win to make it worthwhile. And win now as, while the tide seems to be turning in the war, the past year has shown us there are no guarantees any of these key players will be back next season, or that there will even be a next season.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Toronto Fans Welcome Stickels: Fans in Toronto are applauding the acquisition of Chink Stickels. He will be patrolling CF on a regular basis so Juan Pomales moves to LF and Larry Vestal to the bench. Ed Marshall became a victim of the numbers game and has waived, management hopes he will pass through waivers then help the youngsters in either Buffalo or Chattanooga. The much maligned OF of the Wolves has a total of 26 assists this season led by Pomales dozen, adding Stickels should further solidify the wide open spaces.

Hal Wood is forcing himself into a semi-regular role around the infield given his .341/.408/.385 slash line. He will be rotated between 2B, 3B, SS probably starting 4 or 5 times a week. Charlie Artuso's bat has yet to wake up this season as .222/.288/.317 attests, his defensive play, thankfully, has not suffered but his bat will be moved lower in the lineup.
Toronto management is busy sorting out the lower levels of the system with the influx of players from the recent draft. A few players have been flushed from the system with more to follow in coming days.

Fan interest, buzz is high around Dominion Field. The common question is "Will more moves be made to counter Cincinnati's wild acquisition spree and hold off the surging Cougars squad? Wolves official's comments are either "No comment." or "We are always looking to improve the product on the field." Wolves may need another power bat or a speedster, Attendance is up almost 2500 per game which bring a smile to owner's Bernie Millard's face.


FALL OF A CHAMPION :It seems we've seen this before. In 1926 the Gothams won the FA pennant, only to fall to 6th then 8th over the next three seasons. Then a return to the top in 1930-31 followed by an 8th place finish in '32. Of course the Gothams faithful know what happened after the 1935 FABL championship; a half decade wandering the lower depths of the FA. Now after a somewhat surprising return to the mountaintop in 1942 there is the almost as shocking plummet to the bottom this season.

In the past this has often been attributed to managements motto of "If you're not competing, you may as we'll be last." But that has usually been paired with the movement of much of the roster. So far this season only Billy Dalton has been traded with a look towards the future. The write wouldn't be surprised if other moves were made. With war still raging around the globe the return of key members of last year's champs remains a mystery. Can the team wait for the return of Brewer, Monier, Edwards, Carter and company? Will they be the players they once were? Or should the team look for their replacements?

And what of the players still in New York? Surely the team is disappointed that the late season heroics of pitchers Gus Goulding and Rusty Petrick did not carry over to this year. They remain the same unpredictable, inconsistent starters they've always been. Sure the war has taken a toll on all teams, but the Gothams, in pushing to win last seaosn seem particularly ill equipped to replace their players turned soldiers.

Anxious Gothams fans wonder if it is to be another run of seasons at the bottom, waiting for their heroes to return.


DICK LYONS CONTINUES TO ROAR IN CHICAGO: After a resurgence at 37 in 1938, it's looking like the youthful Dick Lyons has found another level well into his 40s. He celebrated his 43rd birthday with a loss, but Lyons allowed just 5 hits, a run, and 3 walks in 7 effective innings. Since then he's won both of his starts, tossing 8 and 7.2 shutout innings against the Saints and Stars. For the season Lyons is now 5-3 with a 2.00 ERA (171 ERA+) and 0.98 WHIP in 94.1 innings pitched. There are only three pitchers in all of baseball with a lower ERA or ERA+, his WHIP is a tenth higher then league leader Rufus Barrell, and his 1.1 BB/9 is 0.3 points better then any qualified FABL hurler. Lyons has shown how beneficial it is to throw slowly, but accurately, as the lefty has never even grazed the 90s while throwing over 3,600 big league innings with no ailment more serious then a cold

• A week late but congrats to Hank Barnett who recorded his 2,000th career hit! It was a single on the first pitch off Hank Mittan in the 2nd of a recent Cougars 11-6 loss. One of the premier sluggers in the game, Barnett owns a .291/.371/.455 (127 OPS+) batting line in 1,828 career FABL games. He's having another good season in Chicago, batting .304/.402/.390 (129 OPS+) with 4 homers and 27 RBIs in 60 games this season.
• Congratulations as well to minor league pitcher Jim Hinkle for a perfect game. Even in the minors a perfect game is a rare achievement and Hinkle's gem, which included 14 strikeouts in Dubuque's 4-0 win over Marshalltown yesterday was just the second perfect game in Upper Mississippi Valley Association history. The 19 year old was an 11th round selection of the Montreal Saints in the 1942 rookie draft.
• A familiar refrain from New York as the Gothams brass is dealing with unreliable pitching once more: "It seems I have enough offense. And the middle infield defense has been shored up. But unfortunately (Gus) Goulding and (Rusty) Petrick have returned to being the same below average starting pitchers they were before last years stretch run. That was a pleasant mirage that led to a championship, but the clock struck midnight. And of course there's Babe Adams who can't stay healthy for more than a week.
• Things might not be going well for the Detroit Dynamos but their 41 year old third baseman Frank Vance had a big week. Vance went 10-for-21 with a pair of homers and was named Federal Association player of the week. Those two homeruns raised his career total to 267, moving him past Joe Masters and into 10th all-time.
• We haven't heard any big names leaving in a while but that doesn't mean that Selective Service is no longer drafting ballplayers. Far from it and this week is was 20 year old Billy Bryant of the Arlington Patriots -Boston's Class B affiliate- that got the call. Bryant was a first round pick of the Minutemen two years ago and widely considered the club's top prospect. The latest estimate indicates 974 pro ball are in the service.

NAVY TRAINEES WILL PRESENT FIVE TEAMS

Football fans can give thanks that at least one branch of the armed services, Naval Pre-Flight, knows right where it stands about the game next fall. Naval Pre-Flight will play!

While major colleges wonder whether they should stay in or get out, and the Army is undecided about allowing its trainees to compete in intercollegiate games, the Navy released a statement today: "Football gives the people the same thing war does, only without guns and bayonets, and we can't do without it."

Naval Pre-Flight will have five 'varsity' teams on the field at Chapel Hill, NC; Athens, Ga; Iowa City, Iowa; and pair of California teams in Del Monte and St Mary's.

COLLEGES MAKE DRASTIC REVISION OF SPORTS CODE

Virtually every conference and independent school in the AIAA has lifted its rigid athletic eligibility barriers for the duration, thus assuring sports participation for every student - whether he be a freshman, sailor, soldier, Marine or a holder of a 4-F card. The head of the Great Lakes Alliance summed it up this way:

"We don't want our boys to worry about their eligibility. This move was designed to erase all obstacles until our students return after the war. It may help relieve or shortage of football players this fall but we are not thinking in terms of 'intercollegiate' sports any more, but rather in terms of how we best can train men for the armed forces. I've always maintained that the Great Lakes Alliance will have good representation on the football field this fall."

The Deep South Conference echoed similar plans and while encouraging each school to carry on with football if it was able, the group adopted a "play-as-you-go" plan under which each institution will operate with a minimum of control from the conference. That paves the way to allow schools that need to drop the sport the ability to cancel any schedule contracts without penalty, provided notice is given to the other party concerned not later than July 15, 1943. Mississippi A&M and Northern Mississippi have already given such notice with several other Deep South schools on the verge of following their lead.

The latest action augments earlier moves which waived residence rules and removed the ban on freshman participation in varsity sports. Now, now competition by any athlete will be assed against his record when he returns after the war. Servicemen-athletes of one school who have been shifted to other universities for specialized training will, therefore, be assured of keeping their eligibility intact at their original school although they may compete on varsity teams where they are stationed.

*** MUST NOT BE PAID ***

The only eligibility requirements to be enforced are those of regular enrollment in school as a student and the nonreceipt of pay for athletic services. Scholastic eligibility has been left up to each university, with the expectation that each "will continue to maintain and enforce standards in such respect suitable to its condition in the current emergency."

Summing up their action, the faculty men stated: "Many of the conference rules of eligibility are the outgrowth of considerations which have little, if any, force during the present emergency. Competition during the war period sponsored by a college or university shall not be deemed 'intercollegiate; as such a term is used in conference rules and regulations."
It looks like business as usual, for the most part, for college basketball teams. While the quality of play will certainly be affected, most schools feel they will have no trouble gathering enough players to continue to operate, noting it does not take as much time to train courtmen as football players, nor as much space to transport them.

The Bigsby Gardens are laying out plans for another full slate of doubleheaders with the hope to have them occur twice a week this season. There is expected to be a much greater focus on local teams to reduce travel, and a Gardens spokesman indicated the hope is to fill out the schedule with military teams if not enough college fives can be convinced to make the trek to New York City.

• Armoured Troops had to be called in to quell race rioting in Detroit that left 25 people dead and more than 700 injured.
• As strikes continue to paralyze mining, the Federal Government was considering implementing a 'permanent' Federal organization to operate all coal mines for the duration. Instead, the Feds took over until October 31, ordering miners back to work immediately - an edict with which they complied.
• A Congressional mandate has been given to President Roosevelt calling for FDR to put John J. Lewis in jail if he calls for another coal strike.
• Italy orders 2 million women to begin working in defense plants.
• First Naples and then Italy's largest naval base -at Spezia- were the latest targets of Allied bombers.
• reports indicate that Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini's son-in-law, has been dispatched to Germany to plead with Hitler for urgently needed Italian aid to help Italy old off air assaults and possible invasion.
• RAF forces continue to hit Germany's shattered, smoking Ruhr Valley while also downing close to 100 enemy fighters in aerial battles.
• US airman carried out a double-barreled attack on Japanese strongholds in the Gilbert Island group, hitting Tarawa and the same time another bomber formation struck at Nauru.
  
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July 5, 1943
 

JULY 5, 1943

"NOT SO FAST" SAY MINUTEMEN

Boston Adds Harry Barrell in Major Trade

For anyone who said let's just give the Federal Association pennant to Chicago after the Chiefs acquired 5-time Whitney Award winning outfielder Al Wheeler and veteran pitcher Bob Cummings from the rebuilding Brooklyn Kings, the Boston Minutemen had a quick answer. The Minutemen have no plans to concede the crown to the Chiefs and bargained with Brooklyn to bolster their own pennant pursuit, adding one of the greatest defensive shortstops to ever play the game in Harry Barrell. Barrell, a 7-time all-star -and believed to be the youngest player ever to play in an all-star game- is the latest veteran moved out of Brooklyn, heading to the Minutemen in exchange for Boston's first round pick and highly touted shortstop prospect Billy Bryant, who was in the news a week ago when he was ordered to report to the Army for military duty.

Forget about the fact that Boston already has a likely all-star game participant at shortstop in Lew McClendon, who is a pretty good gloveman in his own right, but when you get a chance to add a player of Barrell's caliber - and still in his prime at age 29- you jump at it. McClendon will likely shift to second base and may give Boston a keystone duo to rival Cincinnati's Jim Hensley and Charlie Rivera or the Cougars Skipper Schneider and Clark Car as the best defensive middle infield pairing in FABL -and just imagine what Barrell and Buddy Schneider will do around second base after the war is over!

Barrell is also a very solid hitter, one who might slot in perfectly behind lead-off man Pete Day in the 2-hole in the Boston batting order. Is Barrell alone enough to overtake the Chiefs? It's hard to say but Boston fans sure feel a lot better about their title chances now than they did a couple of days ago when news broke of Wheeler and Cummings moving to the Windy City.

What of Brooklyn? Wheeler and Cummings to the Chiefs. Art White to the Cougars and now Harry to Boston. Only reliever Del Lyons remains as a link to their dominant teams of the mid-30s. It might be painful for Kings fans to watch for a while but it was something that had to be done as the Kings were clearly on the downturn. Unfortunately, the war is going to slow the recovery as many of the key young pieces the Kings acquired are serving and won't be available for the duration.

Ex-Boston farmhand Billy Bryant might be an exception as he may just spend a year in the service before being allowed to return to professional baseball. OSA has the 20 year old, taken by Boston in the first round of the 1941 draft, as the 28th ranked prospect and 4th among shortstops. His glove has been outstanding during his time in the low minors and it is easy for Kings long-time scouting director John Spears to envision Bryant as the eventual replacement for Harry Barrell.

The deal with the Chiefs brought top 100 prospects in pitchers Bob Crowley and Mel Haynes, along with outfielder Joe Rutherford while the trade with the Cougars netting 4 pitchers including OSA #53 Leo Hayden. The Kings also own two first round picks for January as well. Add in their own young talent like Rats McGonigle, Orie Martinez, Tiny Tim Hopkins and Jim Kenny and the future could be bright. The issue is making sure Brooklyn fans, and owner Daniel Prescott, have the patience to wait for the war to end and the young talent to develop.

*** FAST TRACK PROSPECTS ***

Jiggs McGee has this to say about the state of the Kings organization: First off let's give their management team credit for doing what had to be done and selling off the key pieces while they had value in order to replenish the farm system. The return looks pretty solid, but like any move to add prospects it comes with the risk that you need to 1) make sure those prospects are challenged, nurtured and developed and 2)don't mess up in the draft as you have an opportunity to draft very early the next couple of years.

The draft will be key especially with a pair of first rounders next year including a likely top six pick of their own. Mistakes in the draft can kill a franchise but the right picks (look at the Toronto Wolves turnaround to win in 1940 after some awful years earlier in the decade as an example) can rebuild a franchise into a winner but it takes a lot of patience and the awareness to look around the league and seize a trade opportunity for a young established star at a position of need if one presents itself in the next couple of seasons of your rebuild.

But all that is for the future. What the Kings need to do right now is get their top prospects that are not in the military playing at the highest level they are capable of. Wins and losses do not matter in Brooklyn any more this season so if I am running the Brooklyn Kings I am immediately taking a look at my system and starting to challenge my young talent.

Jim Kenny (7-2, 2.08) is just 22 years old and on the verge of being invited to the all-star game. Make sure he and 26 year old Ike O'Donnell (6-3, 2.82) are at the top of your rotation and pitching every fifth day. Mel Haynes was pitching very well at AAA for the Chiefs. Get him up to Brooklyn and put him in the rotation for the rest of the season. Oliver Allen was looking very strong in AA for the Cougars. I would get him to Brooklyn as well, but maybe with a quick 3-4 starts in AAA to make sure he looked solid. There will be some hiccups along the way but those four could form the basis of a pretty good starting rotation. Let them learn on the job.

Clarence Barton is 21 and looks like a rising talent. He has already moved from B to AA this season and proven he can handle it. If that continues get him to AAA by August 1 with a target of making him a September call-up for some valuable big league experience. If they all pan out that could be quite a staff in Brooklyn in a couple of years and we haven't even talked about Bob Crowley -who might be the best of the bunch- and what he could do when he returns from the Army, or 27 year old Jack Goff who is in the Navy.

I am equally excited about the Brooklyn outfield. Orie Martinez is 23 and hitting .319 in AA. Challenge him. Give him Al Wheeler's spot in right field right now and let him run with it. There is a waiting period before Rats McGonigle and newly acquired prospect Joe Rutherford return from military service but that trio could be a pretty solid outfield.

The infield has some potential as well. Tiny Tim Hopkins hopefully is close to putting it altogether at first base and perhaps the 25 year old just needs time and experience like his former teammate Chuck Adams has benefitted from in Cincinnati. At second and short you just need to plug a hole until Jim Lightbody returns from the military along along with Billy Bryant. Third base has been a black hole in Brooklyn for two decades so a top draft pick at the hot corner seems to be must although perhaps you decide to try and see if Jim Lightbody can handle the position as the Kings will want his bat in the lineup but his glove at second is clearly a liability. Either way both second base and third base should be identified as spots where you would love to find a top prospect.

Catcher is also a position of need but in the meantime I would suggest giving George Jones a chance in Brooklyn. Jones is 24, a former 4th round pick, and the New York City native has hit very well in the minors throughout his career. But he has never been given a test above his current stop in AA. OSA feels he has the potential to unleash his obvious talent so the time is now to promote him to the big leagues and let him see if he can hit big league pitching. It's clear that Bill Johnson and Freddy DuBois are not going to be impact players, or even average big leaguers.

There is some talent, raw in many cases but still visible, and if the Kings play their cards right they could be a first division club again immediately after the war ends. But there is work that needs to be done between now and then to ensure they get there.

FANS ON BEAM FOR DREAM-GAME SHOW

Parc Cartier: Where Stars Will Blaze : as Thousands Gaze

Baseball's mid-summer classic -- the All-Star Game, first played at Whitney Park, Chicago in 1933, will celebrate it's 10th anniversary when the eleventh game of the dramatic serial is played in Montreal's Parc Cartier on the night of July 13. Though the 1942 version of the classic at Fitzpatrick Park in Pittsburgh was a twilight affair, next week's showing of the thriller will be the first under the lights.

As was the case with the first and many of the succeeding games, when the proceeds went to support retired players in need, the receipts of this year's contest will also aid a worthy cause. The entire proceeds at the 1943 contest, played in the second year of out participation in World War II, and the fourth year for our Canadian neighbors, will go to the game's Ball and Bat Fund. A check for $25,000, the Gillette Safety Razor Company's payment for sponsorship of the radio account, already has been deposited in the fund, which will be used to purchase bats, balls, gloves and other playing equipment for men of the United States and Canadian armed forces at home and abroad.
This will mark the second time the mid-season classic will be contested north of the border with Toronto having played host to the 1937 game, one which certainly was a classic as it turned out to be a 19-inning marathon in which the Federal stars prevailed thanks to a 2-run homer by Ed Stewart, then of the Pittsburgh Miners.

So brush up on your French and get ready as a week from tomorrow all the big names will be in Montreal. Okay, not all the big names as many -such as Bill Barrett, Joe Angevine, George Garrison, Lew Seals, Pablo Reyes, Sal Pestilli, George Cleaves and Mule Monier- will be scattered across various Army or Navy bases rather than entertaining the cheering masses at Parc Cartier.

But let's cast our gaze forward instead, as TWIFB makes it's annual selections as to who we would place on our all-star starting lineup ballots. Let's start with the Federal Association:

JIGGS MCGEE'S ALL-STAR BALLOT: FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

CATCHER :George Cleaves has played in 7 of the previous ten games but King George will not make it eight, at least not this year as he is working for the Army Air Corps this days. It was always a debate as to whether Cleaves or Tom Bird of the Chicago Chiefs should get the nod as the starter. We have another debate this time but instead it is between Bird and one of the key reasons for the success in Washington this season, Paul Wilkerson (.323,1,30). Wilkerson deserves a spot in his first all-star game but Bird (.303,2,29) gets our nod as starter as he will make his 8th all-star appearance.

FIRST BASE: There are an awful lot of first baseman worthy of inclusion on the Fed team this year. Red Johnson (.266,6,36) of Detroit and Chicago's Ron Rattigan (.284,2,28) always deserve consideration and Bill Moore (.298,4,30) is having a fine season in Boston but our vote this time goes to the Boardwalk Bopper Sig Stofer (.285,9,35). The 26 year old Washington infielder deserves not only to make his first appearance in an all-star game, but also to be the Fed starter at first base.

SECOND BASE: An injury cost Sam Orr his chance to make his first all-star appearance at age 35 as he was off to a great start for the Chicago Chiefs after a decade in the Continental Association. Artie D'Alessandro (.269,2,28) is having a nice season in St Louis and to be honest does not have a lot of competition so he gets the call.

SHORTSTOP: Frank Davis (.295,1,40) is having a nice year in Chicago as is Les Tucker (.257,2,26) in Pittsburgh but our vote goes to Boston's Lew McClendon (.348,0,31) even though he is about to lose his starting shortstop job with the Minutemen to Harry Barrell.

THIRD BASE: We briefly considered Billy Dalton (.312,4,22) but he is now in the CA with Cincinnati and our sentimental choice is 41 year old Frank Vance (.333,3,33) of Detroit but while we sure hope Vance makes the team as a reserve the starting assignment has to go to Johnny McDowell (.366,1,26) of Pitsburgh. McDowell is enjoying a resurgence at 35 and has never made an all-star team despite some pretty good seasons with the Gothams early in his career.

LEFT FIELD: Quite a collection of choices here but we have to vote for 36 year old Jim Watson (.388,2,37) of the Chicago Chiefs, who surprisingly made just his first all-star team appearance last year. We hope that Washington rookie Jesse Alvardo (.291,9,38) makes the team as a 20-year old. Bobby Barrell (.271,12,36) of Philadelphia should also make the team for what would be his 9th all-star selection.

CENTER FIELD:The clear choice here is Gail Gifford (.320,4,40) of the St Louis Pioneers. Gifford's only previous all-star invite was also to a game in Canada, that 1937 marathon in which he started at centerfield, led-off for the Feds but was 0-for-2 before Bobby Barrell replaced him in the game.

RIGHT FIELD: A fairly easy call to go with Al Tucker (..359,3,30) of St Louis with Boston's Pete Day (.299,0,23) the runner-up. It will be Tucker's third all-star game if selected.

PITCHER: For most of the spring we had been marveling at the return to his Allen Award winning form by veteran St Louis hurler Sam Sheppard (10-3, 3.74). Sheppard has slumped the past three starts (as of press time) and his team has lost 3 of the last 4 after a stretch of St Louis wins in 11 straight Sheppard outings. Sheppard still gets the nod as one of the three pitchers that can go on our ballot along with Chicago's Al Miller (7-4, 2.98) but our choice is to give the ball to Ed Wood (10-3, 1.75) of Boston to start the game. We wish we could put 5 starting pitchers on our ballot and still refuse to cast votes for relievers.

JIGGS MCGEE'S ALL-STAR BALLOT: CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION

CATCHER: Woody Stone (.304,1,26) is having a nice season for the Sailors but the clear choice behind the plate is Cincinnati great Adam Mullins (.356,2,27), who was leading the CA batting parade at press time and poised for his 7th trip to the all-star game.

FIRST BASE: Vic Crawford (.292,8,30) has not played in an all-star game since 1935 but the Montreal Saints veteran gets our vote much to the delight of the hometown fans. There are some other very good candidates all deserving of backup roles including Cincinnati's Chuck Adams (.279,9,39), Quebec native Marion Boismenu (.316,3,23) of the Sailors and Chicago's Dick Walker (.273,6,27)

SECOND BASE: There were a couple of strong choices here but in the end we went with Toronto's Mike Rollinson (.310,2,27) as our selection. It would be the 28 year old's all-star debut. It was a tough call as his glove pales in comparison to the work Clark Car (.261,6,23) in Chicago and Cincinnati's Charlie Rivera (.219,1,17) have been doing in the field. The debate between Rollinson and Car was likely the most difficult call we had in the CA.

SHORTSTOP: News of Harry Barrell's (.282,0,26) trade from Brooklyn to Boston made it easy to reaffirm our decision to pick Skipper Schneider (.290,2,33) of Chicago as our starter. The Barrell shift to the Fed likely opens a back-up spot and second straight appearance for the slick-fielding Jim Hensley (.247,3,33) of Cincinnati.

THIRD BASE: Former Montreal star Hank Barnett (.312,6,33) should draw quite a cheer from the masses at Parc Cartier even though he is now a Chicago Cougar and hasn't been with the Saints since 1937. Still Barnett made the first of his 5 previous all-star game appearances wearing the bleu fleur de lis on his jersey and is having another all-star worthy campaign this season. There might be just a little animosity of Barnett is starting over current Saints star Mack Burns (.314,0,10) but Burns likely deserves a spot on the team as well - which would be the first all-star berth of his career.

LEFT FIELD: A fairly easy choice as our vote goes to Chicago's Leo Mitchell (.350,5,41) with just limited consideration given to Joseph Mills (.326,2,24) of Philadelphia and Cleveland's Bob Mullins (.292,1,22).

CENTER FIELD: It feels like a down year for centerfielders in the CA with the exception of Cincinnati's Fred Galloway (.291,2,20). who we pick to make his fifth straight all-star game appearance.

RIGHT FIELD: Even if Al Wheeler (.224,10,33) had not been dealt to the Fed, we likely would have not taken him as our starter. Wheeler has to be a very unique player for this era with more Whitney Awards (5) than All-Star selections (4) to his name. Granted two of the Whitney's came (1930 & 1932) before the introduction of the mid-summer classic but it still does not sit right that the Wonder Wheel has only played in 4 all-star games and none since 1937. Instead of Wheeler we cast our ballot for Cal Howe (.335,1,19). Not a lot has gone right in Cleveland the past few years but the breakout year from the 27 year old in just his second full FABL season is one of the few things Foresters fans can take pride in. Philadelphia's Harvey Brown (.320,1,33) is another 27 year old who, just like Howe, is making the most of a opportunity to be a FABL regular in these times when the war has created openings in FABL.

PITCHER: No contest here as we simply hand the ball to Deuce Barrell (9-2, 1.41) of the Cannons to start his second straight All-Star game. Toronto's Joe Hancock (8-4, 2.69)is having another strong season and Barrell's Cincinnati teammate Butch Smith (8-4, 1.92) is rebounding nicely from a subpar 1942 campaign but neither should get the start ahead of Barrell. If you are looking for a sentimental choice how about Cougars 43 years young lefthander Dick Lyons (5-3, 2.00), who is 4th among active pitchers with 222 career wins - trailing just Rabbit Day (301), Cougars teammate Jim Lonardo (255) and Charlie Stedman (250) who is now a physical education instructor with the Marines and likely done with baseball.

• The deal made by the Chicago Cougars to add veteran lefthander Art White from Brooklyn suddenly has become a lot more important as the Cougars learned they will be without starter Harry Parker (6-3, 2.89) for the rest of the season after Parker hurt his elbow trying to close out a complete game win over Cleveland. He felt something pop in the elbow when retiring Hank Stratton for the second out of the 9th inning and Angel Lopez had to come in and finish things off.
• Speaking of Cleveland, OSA is very high on the Foresters top draft pick. Jim Adams Jr., the All-American shortstop from St Ignatius, was selected first overall by Cleveland and quickly signed with the club. He debuts at #3 on the OSA scouting list trailing only Cincinnati outfielder Dick Blaszak and St Louis pitcher Tom Buchanan - both of whom are now Marines. About half of the first rounders have already signed pro contracts.
• Other 1943 draftees in the top 50 (well 51) include Sailors pitcher Hoppy Johnson (29th), Stars third base selection Jock Stone (48th) along with St Louis shortstop Mills (51st). However, there are a number of first rounders yet to sign, with Pat Petty (drafted 3rd), Jim Carter (7th), Joe Davis (8th), Luke Weaver (9th), Johnnie Porter (10th), Hal Friedlander (11th), Tommy Seymour (13th), Frankie Gonnella (14th), and Tommy Kelley (16th)
• How bad has Cleveland pitching been this season? The Foresters have allowed 369 runs - by far most in the CA and the most overall. At the other end of things we have the Cannons, who have surrendered just have as many runs at 185 on the year.
• From the desk of Percy Sutherland: "It's a shock that Chicago even had a winning record in June, when you consider some of these monthly performances:
  Ron Rattigan: .211/.351/.237
  Tom Bird: .237/.389/.303
  Frank Davis: .277/.324/.327
  George Wolff: .203/.368/.232
  Al Wheeler was acquired because Wolff was the primary right fielder. But overall, you are not going to score many runs slugging below .300. Wheeler's 2nd game with Chicago--a walk-off homerun to beat the Eagles.
• The Eagles have to dread seeing Chicago on the schedule. They dropped 2 of 3 to Chiefs last week and are now 1-9 vs Chicago but 40-24 (.625) against everyone else.
• Looking at the rookie race this morning. Jesse Alvardo is having a great season for Washington. Among pitchers, Johnnie Jones and Jim Kenny are pretty much neck and neck. Though Kenny (8-3, 2.34, 151 ERA+) is doing this for a much worse team in Brooklyn. Kenny (202) and Jones (244) were the only two pitchers in the CA who had an ERA+ greater than 200 in June.
• Archie Irwin of the Chicago Daily News had more on Johnnie Jones in a recent column: "Last year it was Donnie Jones, this year it's the older brother Johnnie who has his break out for the Cougars. "The Patron Saint of Groundballs" won both Pitcher and Rookie of the Month in June for the Continental Association. Jones threw five complete game victories including a pair of shutouts in Chicago against the Stars and Kings. Johnnie had an excellent 1.40 ERA and and 1.13 WHIP with 27 walks and 19 strikeouts. Jones hasn't allowed more then 3 runs since May 16th, as he's now won 8 consecutive starts with 7 of them complete games. He has yet to allow a home run in 94.1 innings pitched, working to a 2.58 ERA (132 ERA+) and 1.21 WHIP with 50 walks and 45 strikeouts. With the loss of Harry Parker, Johnnie Jones will be leaned on to provide quality outings in the Cougars pennant race."
• Yeoman Morris Siegel, sports columnist of the Norfolk Naval Training Station Seabag, reports that Joe Angeivine has done more damage to the rival Naval Air Station team "than the Allied flyers did to Pantelleria." In a recent five-game series, in which every game was decided by a single fun, Joe either was directly or indirectly responsible for every winning tally.

• The clocks struck V-12 o'clock earlier this week at a good many colleges and a lot of coaches who have been wondering whether they will have jobs next fall can start finding out for sure. In case you can't guess, V-12 o'clock stands for the hour when large batches of Navy trainees will report at the colleges. Ditto smaller batches of Marines. It may bring good news for some schools but there is still plenty of worry for others. For example Eastern Oklahoma's coach learned that 10 of his Pioneers were being called up by the marines, leaving him only one survivor of last's year's squad - a sophomore wingback. The coach moaned "Looks like we're coming in on a wingback and a prayer."
• Maryland State says even though the Army has not given official sanction to varsity football competition by it's trainees, the Bengals plan a full-scale program of intercollegiate competition this fall, including a game against Rome State in Rome, Georgia, with the trainee units at the school to provide players. Maryland State, which expects to have from 1,500 to 1,800 Army men there by October, says it will play an 8 game schedule. Maryland State's president believes an agreement will be satisfactorily worked out to allow the Army training school student-soldiers to participate in sports. He notes "as long as football has been approved for cadets at Rome State they are not going to disapprove it elsewhere."
• Interestingly a day later the head of Rome State says they military academy is not scheduled to play Maryland State. According to Col. Lawrence Jones of Rome State, a game was being considered with the Bengals when Patsy O'Callaghan was still the Maryland State coach before he moved to Pittsburgh State. "We never signed a contract with Maryland State," said Colonel Jones. "It was only in a tentative stage and we have since filled that date with another opponent."
• Count Cumberland as the latest Deep South Conference school to drop football for the duration. Lack of players and coaches, transportation difficulties and the fact that four schools on the Explorers schedule already had cancelled were the reasons given.
• Meanwhile Annapolis Maritime has announced two night games to be played in Baltimore at Banner Park, former home of the FABL Cannons including a season opening showdown October 2 against Brunswick.

• British air raids turned their attention to Nazi targets in France as well as Cologne and Hamburg this week after pounding Germany's Ruhr Valley last week. American flyers in the Mediterranean targeted two key airdromes near Athens, Greece.
• There are reports American battleships are taking positions to reinforce British sqaudrons preparing to escort Allied landing forces to the shores of southern Europe.
• Prime Minister Churchill says the U-boat peril has been beaten after news allied forces sank 30 German U-boats in May. Churchill says the allies have a achieved a "total defeat" of the German sub fleet. In a speech covering a number of topics Churchill also stated:
  
  https://i.imgur.com/n50v8fx.jpg
• Fierce jungle fighting in New Guinea and the central Solomons as Allied forces are facing battle-hardened Japanese troops estimated to number 60,000 to 70,000 men. A major sea battle in the central Solomons also appears imminent.
• The draft director for New York City says that fathers can "count on" not being drafted before October 1 after getting revised Selective Service instructions.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/gvmLyrp.jpg

July 12, 1943
 

JULY 12, 1943

DREAM GAME WITH GLAMOUR UNDIMMED BY WAR DUE TO DRAW 33,000 IN FIRST NIGHT OFFERING

Montreal- FABL will set up their All-Star scenery at Parc Cartier Tuesday night for baseball's 11th annual dream game, and although the war has removed some of the brightest stars from the backdrop it scarcely has dimmed the glamour of the game. A capacity crowd of just over 33,000 is expected to see the spectacle in it's first presentation in Montreal and first showing at night.

The starting lineups have been confirmed for both the Federal and Continental Associations and while no final word has been given on the moundsmen who will kick off the evening, it is expected that managers Ed Ziehl of the Feds and Jerry Kant of the Stars will call on Ed Wood (13-3, 2.04) of Boston and Cincinnati's Rufus 'Deuce' Barrell (11-3, 1.69) to be the starting pitchers. Barrell, who last pitched Friday, is fully rested and Wood, despite throwing 114 pitches Saturday, should be good to go. Barrell was the starter last season for the Continental side while Wood did not start, but he did get credit for the victory thanks to a late Fed rally.

Every team will have at least one representative on the team this year with the Chicago Cougars leading the way with 8 of their players named to the club include all 4 infielders - Dick Walker, Clark Car, Skipper Schneider and Hank Barnett- who were all selected as starters for the Continental side. Cincinnati and the Chicago Chiefs are next as each placed 6 members on the game rosters. The 4 Cougar infielders starting tomorrow night is believed to be the first team an all-star game starting infield has been entirely represented by a single team.

Here is a list of the All-Star Game representatives from each team:
COUGARS- 8 Johnnie Jones P, Dick Lyons P, Dick Walker 1B, Clark Car 2B, Hank Barnett 3B, Skipper Schneider SS, Leo Mitchell OF, Cliff Moss OF
CINCINNATI- 6 Rufus Barrell P, Butch Smith P, Gary Harris P, Adam Mullins C, Jim Hensley SS, Fred Galloway OF
CHIEFS- 6 John Douglas P, Al Miller P, Luis Sandoval P, Tom Bird C, Sam Orr 2B, Jim Watson OF
BOSTON- 4 Walt Wells P, Ed Wood P, Lew McClendon SS, Pete Day OF
WASHINGTON- 4 Ike Keller P, Paul Wilkerson C, Sig Stofer 1B, Dilly Ward OF
NY GOTHAMS- 3 Ed Bowman P, Walt Messer 1B, Leon Drake OF
SAILORS- 3 Woody Stone C, Marion Boismenu 1B, Joseph Mills OF
ST LOUIS- 3 Sam Sheppard P, Gail Gifford OF, Al Tucker OF
TORONTO- 3 Joe Hancock P, Lou Jayson P, Walt Pack 1B
BROOKLYN- 2 Jim Crawford P, Curly Jones P
DETROIT- 2 Frank Vance 3B, George Dawson SS
KEYSTONES- 2 Red Ross P, Hank Koblenz 3B
PITTSBURGH- 2 Gene Stevens P, Johnny McDowell 3B
CLEVELAND- 1 Cal Howe OF
MONTREAL- 1 Bill Ross P
NY STARS- 1 Henry Jones OF

VANCE MAKING RECORD 9TH ALL-STAR APPEARANCE

41 year old Frank Vance of the Detroit Dynamos has become the first player selected to 9 all-star games. Vance, who has only missed the 1939 last year's contest, was named as a reserve for the Federal Association squad. He had previously been tied with John Lawson and Bobby Barrell for the lead with 8 each but Lawson is now working for the Navy and Barrell was, perhaps surprisingly, omitted from the Federal squad this season.

16 PLAYERS MAKING ALL-STAR DEBUT

There will 16 first-time all-stars among the group of 51 players named to the two squads that will compete in Montreal on Tuesday evening. The total is 51 because Lew McClendon of Boston, who was named the starting shortstop for the Fed, has an injury and will not be able to participate so Detroit's George Dawson will take his spot.

Among the first timers we have some very familiar names such as Johnny McDowell and Sam Orr - players one might have expected to have been named previously- rising young stars like Sig Stofer and Ed Bowman and relative unknows having outstanding seasons like Cal Howe. It is also perhaps a redemption of sorts for Curly Jones of Brooklyn, a first overall draft pick way back in 1932 who finally, at age 32, is an all-star. Jones' career had it's ups and downs - well a lot more of the latter than the former to be honest- but he is doing a solid job in the Brooklyn bullpen this season and made the squad for the first time. (Although we won't go in to how we feel about relievers in the All-Star game at this time)

ALL STAR APPEARANCES FOR CURRENT SELECTEES
9- Frank Vance
8- Tom Bird
7- Adam Mullins
6- Hank Barnett
5- Fred Galloway, Joe Hancock, Dick Lyons, Al Miller,
4- Pate Day, Leon Drake, Leo Mitchell, Woody Stone, Dick Walker, Ed Wood,
3- Deuce Barrell, George Dawson, Lou Jayson, Ike Keller, Cliff Moss, Skipper Schneider, Sam Sheppard, Butch Smith, Al Tucker, Walt Wells,
2- Clark Car, Gail Gifford, Gary Harris, Jim Hensley, Henry Jones, Hank Koblenz, Lew McClendeon, Walt Messer, Bill Ross, Red Ross, Jim Watson
1- Marion Boismenu, Ed Bowman, Jim Crawford, John Douglas, Cal Howe, Curly Jones, Johnnie Jones, Johnny McDowell, Joseph Mills, Sam Orr, Walt Pack, Luis Sandoval, Gene Stevens, Sig Stofer, Dilly Ward, Paul Wilkerson

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Mid-Season Wolves Report Cards: The annual mid-summer All-Star game approaches in Montreal here are this scribe's grades for the Wolves, 43-29, at almost the mid-point of the 1943 season.

CATCHERS
Clarence Howerton: A: Howerton has been a pleasant surprise with his bat .247/.320/.323 with more RBI than expected, 26. Along with his above average handling of the pitching staff and clubhouse presence has made Clarence a true leader in the first half.
Homer Betts: B+: although being a caddy to Howerton a slash line of .328/.423/.433 has been a key ingredient due to the number of double headers faced by all teams this season. Having a contributing backup catcher is necessity with the schedule.

INFIELDERS
1B- Walter Pack: B+: leading the team in both HR, RBI Pack has rebounded from a sub-par 1942 season, .276/.360/.437 is not the quite offensive output expected from Pack. A modestly better second half would bring Walter's grade to his anticipated A level.
1B- Al Jensen- B: like Betts, Jensen is providing more than adequate statistics in a back-up role.
2B- Mike Rollinson- C: There has never been a question about ability to put the bat on the ball as evidenced by .299/.349/.390. The knock on Rollinson is his play in the field, 14 miscues with .959 fielding % is not FABL level for an important piece of the DP combination. He is working with the coaching staff on fielding his position every day. To be fair he was put at 2B to get his bat in the lineup, minor league stats suggest he will improve in the field with time.
2B- Hal Wood- A: Wood has forced manager Charlie Reed to find a way to put him into the lineup as often as possible, his versatility, 2B, 3B, SS has made it a little easier for Reed. Wood's .333/.400/.376 line begs to be in the lineup on a daily basis. He defense at the second sack has made him a late inning replacement for Rollinson.
3B- Ockie Holliday- B+: Another player who has rebound this season after a lack luster 1942, .284/.309/.372 is almost the level of offensive production expected from Holliday. Like Pack a little more is expected from Ockie for the remainder of the season.
3B- Joe Bell- D: helping neither with the bat nor the glove. Bell was an insurance policy for Holliday that thankfully has not been needed this season.
SS- Charlie Artuso- C: His batting woes began in ST and have not, except for short bursts, straightened out in the three months of the regular season. At .220/.287/.315 has forced Reed to move him from the 2 hole down to the 7 spot in the lineup. His glove keeps him in the daily lineup but Wood is pushing for more playing time.

OUTFIELDERS
Juan Pomales- A-: Pomales has provided an above average bat, .302/.374/.384, while spending most of his time patrolling CF before the trade for Chink Stickels. His range in CF was questionable but he has 12 outfield assists, good for second behind Brooklyn's Hal Reynolds. The move the LF should help the team overall. The knock on Pomales is that his pitching stats 2-3, 4.74 ERA is not what was envisioned as sixth starter to ease the load with the number of twin bills. Is this too much to ask of this talented two-way player?
Larry Vestal- C-: Vestal's has not shown enough bat, .225/.330/.320 to remain a regular in Toronto. He will continue to get playing time in the second half as a 4th or 5th outfielder.
[b]Chink Stickels- Incomplete- Stickels has only been with Toronto for a week, big things are expected as the Wolves try to chase down the Cannons, Cougars during the remainder of the season.
Reginald Westfall- D: subpar in both the field and at the plate. To be fair he was plagued by a nagging injury for most of the first half. He will be competing for playing time going forward, there is no time to wait for him to round into form.
Gus Hull- B+: Hull's .291/.384/.411 line has made him odds on favourite for the starting RF role going forward after spending the half as a replacement, rest option. Although not the fleetest of foot he will not hurt the team while patrolling RF.
Frank Huddleston- D: very little playing time along with very little production. Many fans thought that Huddleston should have been DFA'd instead of Marshall after the Stickels trade but management decided his versatility around the infield was a better hedge against injuries going forward, barring injury Huddleston will see limited action in July, August, September.

STARTING PITCHING
Joe Hancock- A: As expected Hancock has led the staff with Garrison's departure to the war. 9-5, 2.78 is a fine record but misleading in the fact that a couple of clunkers have inflated the losses and ERA. Joe hopes to challenge Cincinnati's Barrell II as the league dominate pitcher in the second half.
Bernie Johnson- A: Has provided an effective righty/ lefty combination with Hancock. A repeat of 7-3, 2.70 would go a long way to bringing October baseball to Toronto.
Bob Walls- B-: Effective if not spectacular first half, 6-5, 4.41. Walls will have to step up his game in coming months.
Chick Wirtz- C-: Disappointing for a starter projected to be the #2 man, 2-9, 4.98 with opponents hitting .324 will limit his role to heavy scripted starts in the future. There are rumblings that he could find himself in a bullpen role if anyone in Buffalo deserves a shot in the rotation.
Jimmy Gibbs- A: A very successful start to his FABL career, 7-2, 2.94 in 8 starts. Gibbs was put into the rotation after Pomales' early season struggles, he has provided stellar results. Gibbs gives the team a solid #3, the jury is still out as to whether or not he continue at this high level as league sees more of him.

RELIEVERS
Lou Jayson- A: Lou won 6 games for the team along with 7 saves. He continues to give Reed an effective option late in the game. A shoulder issue forced him to miss time in June. This is a situation that the training staff must be all over during the second half.
Bob McRae- A: An effective 2 to Jayson's top role in relief, 7 saves, 1.26 ERA but limited to only 14 IP.
Bill Crosby- C-: 4.07 in 42 IP is not what what the Wolves need from Crosby if a starter must leave a game early for any reason.
Phil English- A-: Limited action, 18 IP but effective 1.00 ERA, this wily veteran gives Reed a good matchup against lefty hitting.

• The 11th annual All-Star game will be played tomorrow in Montreal. The Fed won 7-4 last year in Pittsburgh and lead the series 6 wins to four.
• The Chicago Cougars caught fire and rolled off 14 in a row, including a crucial four game sweep of the Cannons in Chicago. 11 of the 14 wins came against teams over .500. Art White has a massive first week, a 1-0 shutout of Cincinnati and then a 1 run complete game victory over the Sailors. 8-1 for the week, and all 8 runs saw us allow 2 or fewer runs, with a healthy +26 for the week. All this helped the Cougars claim first, now up a game in the CA.
• Rookie All Star Johnnie Jones is red hot for the Cougars, entering the break on a streak of 10 consecutive complete game victories with 3 or less runs allowed. Jones' 11 wins are tied with Rufus Barrell for most in the Continental Association, and he's dropped his ERA and WHIP to 2.32 (148 ERA+) and 1.17 on the season
• Meanwhile in Cincinnati the Cannons are trying to figure out how to get their offense going. 3 runs in 4 losses to the Cougars for a team that dealt away a lot of it's future to bring in the bats of Billy Dalton and Sam Brown to try and jumpstart the offense. The newcomers can't be blamed as Dalton is hitting a respectable .291 and Brown an impressive .377 since the move to the midwest.
• One of the young players Brooklyn picked up from their fire sale is already showing value. Mel Haynes - who was part of the Al Wheeler deal with the Chicago Chiefs- made his FABL debut with a 4-3 victory over the Sailors. He had a no-decision his second time out but looked pretty impressive in that one as well.
• However, one has to question why the Kings demoted 22 year old Jim Kenny to AAA to make room for Haynes. Kenny was 8-3 and in the running for rookie of the year.
• Stars management says it underestimated Henry Jones, not giving the All-Star enough credit for being able to pull off the starting roll in LF. The guy is absolutely crushing it. He must be inspiring to the rest of the OF because Chubby Hall is finally finding a groove and hitting well. The New York Daily Mirror reports that top twenty prospect Elijah Bourdeau will be coming up this week to fill the hole in CF, so Stars fans are hopeful they can get firing on all cylinders again.
• Good news tempered by bad news seems to be the story in St Louis. The good this time is a 5-3 week to get the Pioneers back to .500 plus 3 players (Sam Sheppard, Gail Gifford and Al Tucker) make the all-star team. First time since 1937 for both Gifford and Sheppard. But the bad news is reliever Angel Padilla, who hurt his arm in spring training, has decided to retire after realizing recovery was not going as hoped. The 31 year old appeared in 95 games for the Pioneers -all in relief- since joining the club in 1937. A native of the Dominican Republic he was one of a number of players who entered pro ball through open tryouts when the Lone Star Association was formed in 1929. Ironically, former Pioneer David Abalo was another of those Latin players who got their start that way and like, Padilla, Abalo suffered a career ending injury n his prime a couple of years back.
• Clarence Keenan of the St Louis Star-Times notes the Pioneers went hitter heavy in the draft in an attempt to bring some balance to the top prospects list. It worked somewhat with four hitters from this draft cracking the club's top 30 list. Unsurprisingly Homer Mills, their first round selected 6th overall, jumped to the top spot among Pioneer hitters at #3. Surprisingly regional round pick Jim Koch landed at #6 in the system. The biggest surprise is seventh rounder Fred Morales landing at #14 overall on the team list while second rounder Bill Parker disappoints with a STL ranking of #16.
• The Pioneers are still trying to sign 6th round selection Frank Wood but it is looking like the 18 year old catcher from Los Angeles has decided to play college ball at Grand Junction State, a division two school in Colorado.
• Only two first round picks have yet to sign. #3 overall Pat Petty is still negotiating with Brooklyn while the Philadelphia Keystones have yet to convince 10th overall selection Johnny Porter to turn pro instead of going to Annapolis Maritime.

HOUSE MEMBERS CALL ON ARMY TO RECONSIDER COLLEGE GRID DECISION

Count Max Morris, baseball Hall of Famer and currently a Representative from Ohio, as being firmly in the camp that believes only the Army can save college football. Morris and Pennsylvania Representative Samuel Weiss issued a joint statement calling on the Army to change it's decision regarding intercollegiate athletics for soldier-students. Said Weiss "At this late date there is only one thing that can save the sport and that is for the Army to give it's trainees the go-ahead sign."

The Army has 130,000 young men in colleges undergoing special training as engineers, medical officers and in other technical pursuits. However, Army officials said only last week that the schedule set for those soldiers simply doesn't allow enough time for football, much as they'd like to arrange it.

In recent weeks, a number of college have announced they would not be able to continue football because all their mature players were in uniform and they felt the 17-year-olds would not fill the breach. Weiss, the chairman of an informal committee that has been urging the War Department to allow Army College trainees to participate in inter-collegiate games, was gloomy about the outlook.

"I hear that when the decision is made, it may not be favourable to football," Weiss said.
"I have discussed that time factor with numerous Army officers and they say the boys could devote an hour or two a day to football without interfering with class room work. In fact, the boys are the most concerned of all about giving up the game."

Rome State officials have declared their enthusiasm for continuing the sport and cadets at that campus will play a schedule this autumn.

"What I can't understand," questioned Morris, "is how Rome and Annapolis Maritime and Navy Pre-Flight and Navy trainees can play, yet the Army trainees can't, as yet."

NOTEWORTHY

• This week Annapolis Maritime and Rome State confirmed they will meet in Georgia on November 27th as each has released their full schedule. The annual game between the two service academies, a Philadelphia fixture in recent years, was shifted to Annapolis last year at the behest of President Roosevelt as a travel conservation measure. The Navigators prevailed 14-6 in last years meeting.
• Georgia Baptist is looking for big results this season after coming so close to a National Title a year ago. The Gators coach had a smile as broad as the income tax collector when boasting he believes he will have 8 letterman back from the squad that went 9-1-1 a year ago and beat Travis College in the Lone Star Classic.
• Positive news out of New York as well where Henry Hudson University began grid drills with a turnout of about 60 prospective players, most of them trainees under the navy's V-12 program. The Academia Alliance school posted a 3-6 record a year ago. And Pierpont, the Bridgeport, Ct. based squad that was tops in the Academia section last seasons, reports 75 players in camp, with nearly members of Navy V-5, V-12 and ROTC units.

• The land invasion begins in Europe as after a week of bombing, Allied forces swarmed the Italian island of Sicily before dawn under the command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. They are facing an estimated 300,000 German and Italian troops.
  
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• Invasion-jittery German military authorities have proclaimed all Greece in a state of revolution and ordered the death penalty for even minor infractions of Nazi regulations.
• The Germans are hurling nearly a half million men and thousands of tanks and planes against Soviet defenses as they attempt to inch their way eastward.
• American warships have inflicted heavy damage on a Japanese naval force following a battle in the narrow confines of Kula Gulf in the central Solomons. 10 enemy cruisers and destroyers were reported sunk or heavily damaged.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/oAURRUd.jpg

July 14, 1943 - Special All-Star Game History Edition
 

A LOOK BACK AT THE HISTORY OF THE ALL-STAR GAME

Tonight the stars of the Federal and Continental Associations will meet for the 11th time since the mid-season interleague challenge first began in 1933. The Feds had early dominance, winning each of the first three games but then the Continental boys claimed the bragging rights with 3 wins in the next four years but that string came to an end when the Feds won last season at Pittsburgh's Fitzpatrick Park to take a 6 games to four lead.

Here is a look back at each of the previous ten games:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1943 PARC CARTIER IN MONTREAL:

The story of the 11th annual All-Star Game remains to be written as we await to see who will shine in Montreal tonight.

July 19, 1943 All Star Game Recap
 

JULY 19, 1943

CONTINENTAL STARS SHINE IN ALL-STAR BATTLE

A 4-run outburst in the 8th inning carried the stars of the Continental Association to a 7-3 victory over their counterparts from the Federal Association in baseball's 11th annual mid-summer classic. The win, in the first all-star game ever started under the lights, pulled the Continental stars to within a game of the Feds in the series, one in which the Federal Association still leads six wins to five. The big winner was baseball's Wartime Fund, as all of the proceeds were earmarked for sporting equipment that is to be delivered to soldiers around the globe and a packed house of 33,400 took in the nighttime spectacle at Montreal's Parc Cartier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INJURY BUG BITES PAIR OF CONTENDERS

The task of catching the team in front of them for their respective Association leads just got a little tougher for both the Boston Minutemen and Cincinnati Cannons after each squad lost a key contributor this week. Cincinnati, whichtrails the front-running Chicago Cougars by a game in the Continental Association, will be without all-star centerfielder Fred Galloway (.268,2,25) for more than a month after the 27 year old hurt his elbow in the first inning of the Cannons 6-2 win over Cleveland on Sunday. Meanwhile, in Boston, the Minutemen-who trail the Chicago Chiefs by 2.5 games in the Federal Association- had little time to celebrate the return of pitcher Dean Astle. The 33 year old had missed the past month and a half with elbow troubles but made his return to the mound Saturday in Washington. Astle was outstanding, pitching shutout ball, until he felt something amiss in his shoulder and was pulled from the game in the fifth inning. Early medical reports say he is done for the season.

We head towards the stretch drive with the two Chicago teams, favoured by many at the seasons start, potentially headed on a collision course to giving us the first All-Windy City World Championship Series in FABL history. It's too early you say. Well, it is almost August and over the past 11 years all but two of the teams that held top spot in the Continental on August 1st went on to win the pennant. The only exceptions were 1935 and 1937 when Cleveland and Brooklyn, in the midst of a five-year battle for CA supremacy, flip-flopped both of those years. So based on the historical trends it appears that if the Chicago Cougars can hold on to their lead for another week and a half they appear likely to celebrate their second Continental Association crown in the past three season.

The Federal Association has had a little less certainty, as the August 1 leader won the pennant just 6 of the past 11 seasons and that clearly has very much to do with just how competitive that circuit has been the past decade. Here is a look at the leader in each Association on August 1 and at the end of the season.

• During meetings at the All-Star Game in Montreal FABL President Sam Belton announced that proceeds from all games played on July 28 - nine in total as all 16 clubs are in action including a doubleheader in Boston between the Minutemen and New York Gothams- will go to the American Red Cross to aid in war relief efforts.
• At the same meeting the league gave the go-ahead to Washington owner William Stockdale, granting permission for the Eagles to play all the night games they care to schedule over the remainder of the season.
• Al Wheeler had a good first week since his trade to the Chiefs but is now stuck in a 2-for-20 stretch.
• The Chiefs continue to be pleasantly surprised by John Douglas. Continuing his June surge, he has been our most valuable pitcher in July, posting a 3-1 record with a 0.88 ERA (392 ERA+) and a 0.88 WHIP. Having a breakout season at age 31.
• Percy Sutherland says "The surprising thing to me about Jim Watson is not that he is batting .352 and leading the FABL, but that he is also leading the FABL in slugging at .537, which is a substantial lead over 2nd place Tucker at .468."
• With Mel Hancock Jr back at 2B and some solid glove work by replacement level shortstops, the New York Stars infield is looking much better. Our only hole is old man Trowbridge. But his bat still swings so he'll keep playing. And 39 year old Hank Jones (.286,7,28) continues to mystify and draw into question why he hast been a starter for many many years.

WASPS WOULD HELP BALTIMORE JOIN PRO GRID LOOP

Washington Wasps team president Homer Bentley not only favors an American Football Association franchise for Baltimore, but is also prepared to help bring one to the city. Bentley indicated that in a meeting last week with Henry M. White and Edgar Poe, leading figures in a syndicate formed to get a franchise and return professional sports to Banner Field.

Bentley, who was born in Baltimore and now is a high powered D.C. attorney in addition to majority owner of the Wasps, has territorial rights that include Baltimore, said he believed a strong pro football team as a close neighbor would be fine. "It would make for a healthy rivalry and certainly help out with travel as well."

Bentley tentatively agreed to give his support to the group headed by White on the condition no conflicting dates would be listed for Baltimore and Washington without the consent of Wasps management and that the price scale of tickets in Baltimore would not be lower than that at Washington. It must be noted that the Baltimore group has not yet formally applied for membership in the league.

The Great Lakes Alliance is pleased with the college football turnout for many of it's schools. Conference heads report that Minnesota Tech had 60 players trying out when they opened their camp last week. Central Ohio had more than 50, Indiana A&M over 40, Wisconsin State nearly 60 and Detroit City College had at least 70.

The GLA President was giddy when receiving the news. "Turnout was outstanding. I asked one pessimistic college man if they wouldn't have as many candidates as when the game started at his school and he answered 'yes'. Well, the numbers were there and I didn't even have to remind him when they first introduced football at Western Iowa only 12 boys reported, yet the school played a collegiate schedule."

*** BROOKLYN STATE LIKELY OUT ***

Brooklyn State added it's name to the growing list of colleges that have abandoned intercollegiate football for the duration. The Bears athletic director explained that "the army has taken over Brooklyn State and unless it lifts the ban placed on soldier students participating in athletics, Brooklyn State will be unable to field a football team."

The Bears had scheduled 9 games but had already lost one when Cumberland cancelled because of abandonment of the sport and another when Golden Gate cancelled due to transportation concerns. The remaining seven opponents will be notified this week.

• The Allied invasion is a huge success, establishing a foothold immediately and by the end of the week the Allies were controlling much of the island.
  
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• Roosevelt and Churchill sent a message to the Italian people calling on them to overthrow their leaders and make peace or suffer the consequences of invasion and total war at home- stating "Die for Mussolini and Hitler -or live for Italy, and for civilization."
• The Russians are aiding the invasion in Sicily, intensifying their fight with the Nazis and report they have broken through heavily fortified German lines on two wide fronts north and east of Orel in a section 200 miles south of Moscow.
• A large naval battle continues in the Kula Gulf in central Solomons.
  
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July 26, 1943 Trade Deadline Looms
 

JULY 26, 1943

DOES PIONEERS MOVE SET UP ANOTHER FLURRY OF DEALS?

VETERAN HURLER SHAFFNER RETURNS HOME TO ST LOUIS

With less than a week remaining until the FABL trade deadline one has to wonder if we will see a flurry of activity or was the period in mid-June --highlighted by the dismantling of the Brooklyn Kings-- the high point of trading. The St Louis Pioneers made a move that management describes as "low-risk" to try and make it a four team race in the Federal Association, by bringing 39 year old lefthander Joe Shaffner back home to St Louis in the only deal announced a week before the deadline.

The move saw Shaffner (7-4, 2.89), who spent the first four and a half season of his big league career as a Pioneer, come over from Detroit in a bid to help stabilize the inconsistent St Louis rotation. In return the Pioneers send former second round pick Gene Madison and their 1944 fourth-rounder to Detroit. Madison, a 20 year old San Francisco native, was 9-9 with a 4.52 era in his second season at Class A Hartford. OSA ranks him 248th on their prospect list.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE: It was certainly a very reasonable cost for Shaffner, one clearly made with an eye towards contending now but without sacrificing the future. Pioneers brass correctly points out that Shaffner will likely not be around when the war is over but he is a piece that could help them win the pennant this year. At 8.5 games back and chasing 4 teams after a 1-5 effort this week it looks like a smart decision to acquire Shaffner instead of going after one of the higher priced arms that are available like Gus Goulding of the Gothams or one of the struggling New York Stars pitchers. For Detroit, it is simply getting what you can for an asset with some short-term value because of his strong season but due to his age not a player you can expect to get a top prospect for. Solid move by both clubs given limited options.

*** WILL WE SEE MORE? ****

The big question is will we see some other big moves this week or did the June rush in which the Cougars, Cannons, Wolves, Chiefs and Minutemen all made efforts to upgrade eliminate their desire and/or ability to pull the trigger on a late move?

The Continental may just be a two-team race now as Toronto, on a 2-8 stretch, has fallen 6 and a half games off the pace set by the Chicago Cougars. The Wolves did acquire outfielder Chink Stickels from the Stars last month but the recent tepid spell might have cooled Toronto's desire to sacrifice any more of it's future for an upgrade to make an attempt at a pennant run. The Cougars big move was to add pitcher Art White (9-8, 2.46) from Brooklyn three weeks ago to shore up their starting pitching depth but White arrived just as Harry Parker (6-3, 2.89) was lost for the season with elbow troubles. They suffered another injury blow just a few days ago when outfielder Cliff Moss (.318,6,32) fractured his hand and will be out until early September. Cincinnati, which made waves with deals to add Billy Dalton (.308,6,35), Sam Brown (.320,3,43) and Chris Clarke (7-10, 3.15) recently lost an outfielder of their own for the next month in all-star Fred Galloway (.268,2,25) so perhaps those two are both still in the market before the shops close on Sunday.

The Federal Association is also all of sudden very interesting. St Louis was not the only team to struggle last week as the Pioneers were joined in the dumps by the Chicago Chiefs, who lost 6 straight and are in the midst of a 2-8 slide. The Chiefs made a big move at the end of June to add 5-time Whitney Award winner Al Wheeler (.220,15,42) and veteran pitcher Bob Cummings (2-10, 4.43) from Brooklyn but now, suddenly in third place, is there one more prospect bullet they are ready to fire in an effort to win now? Boston also raided Brooklyn, adding shortstop Harry Barrell (.294,1,38) but with Dean Astle (5-2, 2.26) done for the year and both Bob Donoghue (.255,2,10) and Art Spencer (.270,4,51) nursing nagging injuries are the Minutemen ready to make another move?

And what of the surprising Washington Eagles? Some thought the Eagles were throwing in the towel when they sent veteran Sam Brown west to Cincinnati at the end of June but it turns out they had more than enough outfield depth to withstand Brown's absence and turned that glut into a number of prospects and an extra first round pick - items perhaps that could be turned into a pitcher to replace starters Jack Elder (3-2, 2.23) and the recently injured Les Bradshaw (7-5, 3.80), both of whom are done for the year. Washington's big test comes this week with 4 games against Chicago at Columbia Stadium, a team in which they are 1-9 against this year. Unfortunately with the deadline the Eagles will need to make a decision on whether or not to buy before they know the results of that crucial serious.

*** BUYERS AND SELLERS***

So what might each club be considering in advance of the final sim before the trade deadline? While Brooklyn has cleared most of it's collection of tradeable talent out there are still other options. Here is a look at the teams that are likely sellers

GOTHAMS: The Gothams have made it known that they are unhappy with Gus Goulding's inconsistency and, in the midst of a terrible tumble to the Fed basement, the 30 year old who played such a key role in their WCS win 10 months ago is on the block. Those interested might include just about all the contenders. Goulding seems like a perfect fit for either Boston or Washington to replace injured starters and perhaps even the Cougars might also be willing to pay what likely would be a hefty price. When he is on his game Goulding is outstanding, but the knock has always been his inconsistency.

The Gothams have made no mention of actively shopping outfielder Leon Drake (.309,5,34) but if it stands to reason they want to part with Goulding you have to think Drake could also be moved. The Chicago Cougars might be eyeing Drake as a replacement for the injured Cliff Moss.

DETROIT : It would take a special offer to pry Red Johnson away from the struggling Dynamos but Detroit management has made it no secret that anyone is available in the right deal and were rumoured to be pondering an offer a month ago for the 25 year old 3-time all-star first baseman. George Dawson seems a more likely possibility but it is hard to see any of the contenders outside of possibly Washington looking for an upgrade at the shortstop position. Dawson is 32 and would certainly be an upgrade on Jack Bush in the nation's capital. There also might be limited interest in veteran Detroit pitchers Cy Sullivan or Mule Earl and I could see a package deal where Washington addresses it's pitching depth and shortstop in one more with the Dynamos.

PITTSBURGH : An injury to Mahlon Strong (yes, that is a shock) precludes him from being included in trade discussion but perhaps veteran infielders Johnny McDowell or Jack Cleaves attract some offers. And what about Lefty Allen? Hard to imagine the Miners consider moving the 29 year old ace in the midst of a down year but stranger things have happened. A more likely scenario if the Miners are dealing a pitcher is they part with George Phillips, Karl Johnson or 37 year old Gene Stevens, who has been outstanding out of the pen and looked even more impressive in 3 recent starts.

CLEVELAND : The Foresters unfortunately have little in the way of veterans of value they would part with. Perhaps a team like Cincinnati or the Cougars settles on Dan Fowler as a depth piece to help with injuries in the outfield but that would be the extent of what Cleveland has to offer a contender.

NEW YORK STARS : Like the Gothams, war losses have destroyed the Stars season. They already moved Chink Stickels to Toronto and Chris Clarke to Cincinnati but there could be more coming. Vern Hubbard or Billy Riley might be trade targets for teams looking for mound help and while Stars brass has raved about Henry Jones I could see them considering parting with the 39 year old for the right offer.

MONTREAL: 30 year old Bill Ross would certainly attract some interest from a team like Boston or Washington but I am not sure the Saints want to move the righthander. Vic Crawford would likely be available but I do not expect there is a taker for the 35 year old first baseman

BROOKLYN: Pretty well everything that wasn't nailed down is already sold but a team in the market for a pitcher might eye Jim Crawford, a 37 year old having a strong season, or if they want bullpen help maybe someone thinks Del Lyons might just have a little more to give at the age of 38.

Perhaps nothing happens and the deadline is overshadowed by all the trade noise generated last month but there are some fits that look like they would make good moves for both the buyers and sellers. It will be an interesting week.

• A reminder that a portion of the proceeds from all 9 big league games being played on Wednesday will be presented to the fund that is being used to send sports equipment to servicemen around the world. In addition a portion will go to the Red Cross. Plenty of exciting events are planned in each of the parks that day. Columbia Field in Washington will see the 85-piece Air Forces Band play "The Star Spangled Banner" with the world's largest American Flag - one measuring 120-by-80 feet and requiring 400 men to handle- being on display and then followed by 60-yard races between outfielders, infielders and pitchers of the two teams and finally the ball game. All that starts at 8pm but the game will be halted at 9:30 for amplification of President Roosevelt's speech.

MEAD WANTS ANNAPOLIS MARITIME-ROME STATE TILT ON BIG STAGE

Senator Mead, of New York, has proposed to War and Navy Department officials that the Rome State-Annapolis Maritime football game be played as a night contest this fall in either New York or Philadelphia as part of the Treasury's War bond selling campaign. Mead wrote Acting Secretary of War Robert P Patterson and Undersecretary of the Navy James V Forrestal, suggesting that the annual clash between the service teams be arranged on a grand scale as "a morale-building spectacle."

There has been some doubt as to whether the game will be played at all. It is now tentatively scheduled for Rome, Georgia. Last fall the clash was help at Annapolis with attendance limited to residents of the immediate area because of transportation problems.

The New York Senator said he thought it would be a mistake either to eliminate the game or to arrange it anywhere except in a big city. "If it were played in New York," Mead said, "the game could take place at night, after the rush hour is over and the transportation system can care for the crowds.

"I think it could be made a magnificent spectacle that would give the whole Nation a lift," he declared. "There is nothing like seeing the cadets and midshipmen march onto the field. The radio would carry a vivid description to all corners of the world where our boys are fighting. I know they would get a bang out of it."

Senator Mead said the game might be made the vehicle for selling millions of dollars worth of War bonds besides providing upwards of $400,000 for Army and Navy relief purposes.

• Historic Palermo, capital and largest city in Sicily fell without firing a shot in it's own defense to American troops armored columns converging from 3 directions. Thousands cheered and threw gifts of flowers and fruit as the Americans entered the city, including many unarmed Italian soldiers still in uniform. The majority of the Island is now under Allied control.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/f6Co4gj.jpg
• Allied forces raided Rome for the first time, concentrating on railway and aviation facilities in the ancient city.
• The Axis already sees Sicily as lost and now with growing fears of an invasion on the mainland, Mussolini may move his government to Verona, 260 miles north of Rome.
• American Flying Fortresses pounded targets in Trondheim, leaving the big German U-boat base a raging mass of exploding bombs and flaming oil tanks in the first Allied bombing mission to Norway.
• Late in the week the Allied flyers also began a large scale offensive against Crete. German broadcasts called it a test of Axis defenses, presumably in advance of major operations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
• American forces are said to be near ready to attempt a drive to expel Japanese forces from their last Aleutian Island base.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/ETy9w52.jpg

July 26, 1943 - Special Trade Deadline extra-edition
 

JULY 26, 1943 - Special Trade Deadline Issue

NEW YORK NIGHTMARE

DE JA VU FOR GOTHAMS FANS AS CLUB DEALS VETERAN ARM TO CHIEFS

Forgive fans of the New York Gothams if they feel like they have done this before. Shock was the most common word but anger also certainly came up a lot when New York City baseball fans were informed that their beloved Gothams had sent pitcher Gus Goulding to the Chicago Chiefs for a pair of prospects and the Chiefs first round draft pick. The deal, eerily reminiscent of the 1936 deadline trade that sent Rabbit Day and eventually two pennants to Chicago after Day and the Gothams had celebrated a title of their own the previous October, appears to cement the Chiefs status as favorites to win their third pennant in an 8 year stretch.

The mood is suddenly somber in Washington and Boston - two clubs that had inched ahead of the Chiefs atop the Federal Association standings- as a rotation of Goulding (9-10, 4.02), Al Miller (9-5, 2.91), Les Zoller (8-6, 4.10), Red Hampton (7-7, 3.88) and the surprising John Douglas (5-4, 1.77)- another Gothams castoff- looks very imposing. And that is not even counting the 39 year old Day (7-7, 4.60) or the surprising 30 year old all-star Luis Sanoval (4-3, 1.95). Add in Bob Cummings (2-10, 4.33), who has been disappointing since coming over from Brooklyn along with Al Wheeler last month, and there is plenty of options for Chiefs manager Joe Ward to pencil in as his starting pitcher down the stretch. An embarrassment of riches in the Windy City at a time both Boston and Washington are nursing injuries in the rotation and likely each now even more desperate to answer with a deal of their own.

The Chiefs are hoping to catch lightning a second time courtesy of a major deadline deal for a pitcher with the Gothams. Just like this season, in the middle of 1936 the Gothams had a World Championship Series hangover and were greatly underperforming, prompting Gothams management to tear apart a team that won back-to-back titles. Day was the biggest casualty, going to Chicago, and while the Gothams spent the next 5 seasons in the lower depths of the second division before finally emerging with a surprise title last season, Day lead the Chiefs to two World Championships in a three year span while claiming his third career Allen Award in that '36 campaign. Another Gotham ace, Jim Lonardo, would join Day for the second title and win a fourth Allen Award of his own in '38. Now, after 4 seasons hovering just out of contention in 4th or 5th place, the Chiefs have pulled the trigger on another big deal with New York - one that has Chiefs fans celebrating as their Gotham counterparts mass in protest outside of Gothams Stadium- one can't help but feel history is destined to repeat itself. Certainly for the Chiefs with another pennant seemingly well within their grasp, but also with the Gothams, who look poised to embark on another multi-year rebuild.

The particulars of the deal see the the 30 year righthanded Goulding depart for the Windy City with the Gothams receiving Chicago's first round pick next January along with pitching prospects Lou Eaker and Willie Ellis. Eaker won't be available for some time as the 25 year old joined the Army and has not pitched professionally since the 1941 season when he went 5-11 with a 4.12 era at AAA Fort Wayne. Originally a 5th round pick of the Chicago Cougars, he was moved to the Chiefs following the 1940 season in a package for veteran outfielder Cliff Moss. OSA, which presently ranks him #84 on their prospect list, feels Eaker has the ceiling of a number two starter. Ellis, 21, is a 1940 7th round pick who started the season at Class B but was promoted to A, where he has gone 2-6 with a 7.54 era in 14 starts. OSA projects him as a spot starter.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE: This just reminds me too much of Rabbit Day in 1936. I get that Goulding has not lived up to expectations in the Big Apple, but look what he did down the stretch and in the Series last year. It feels like a trade just for the sake of making a deal and while there is always the chance the Gothams land a stud with what likely will be the 15th pick (and no better than 11 I would guess) of the draft but that is a longshot. So they are left banking on Eaker, when he comes back from the war, being able to replace Goulding as the number two man in the rotation. Just seems like a stretch. Maybe the Gothams have a bigger plan and they are adding these young assets to package along with their own first round pick in a major trade - and there have been rumours Red Johnson is on the block in Detroit- but unless this is turned into something bigger I have to be pretty upset if I am a Gothams fan faced with the thought of 5 more awful seasons like they just endured prior to being rewarded last October.

From the Chiefs point of view it also reminds me of 1936. And we all know how that had a picture perfect ending for Chicago fans. Now Goulding is not the spittin' image of circa-1936 Rabbit Day but he if he can put things together like he did last fall he will be pitching deep into October once again.

*** HEAT ON BOSTON AND WASHINGTON TO RESPOND ***

The big question now is will either Boston or Washington make a late move to counter the Chiefs addition of Goulding. The New York Stars are shopping their pitchers - with them all on display like a used car lot. No rationing in the Big Apple as it appears everything with a serviceable arm and a few miles on it must go, be he Gotham or Star. Billy Riley (2-10, 4.09) looks like a pretty beat up model this season but the Stars rode him to a pennant last year with a 21-5 season. One has to think he just might be worth the gamble to either the Minutemen or Eagles. Vern Hubbard (8-8, 3.82) is another one that the Stars might move. The question is does Boston have enough, outside of 1942 top pick Bob Arman who likely is not available, that they would be willing to move. The Eagles have two first round picks so perhaps they deal one to the Stars but the question is how confident is Washington in it's pennant chances? Enough to chip away some of the future for a chance now? Considering it has been over a decade since anyone even gave a second thought about the Eagles chances, the timing might be right to make a move.

OSA BOSS BARRELL WITH SOME THOUGHTS ON IMPLICATIONS OF GOULDING TRADE

Dan Barrell, former Brooklyn King and current head of the league scouting agency had this to say about the trade that sent Goulding from the Gothams to the Chiefs:


EDITOR's NOTE- This article is from the morning edition of the New York paper and was printed prior to the Goulding trade.
--- Word around the team's front office is that the GM is frustrated with attempts to make a few deals at the deadline. "It's not all about trading away major leaguers. Sure, there are players available, but the team would also be willing to add talent with a look towards players returning from the military at some point."
--- Yes, Gus Goulding is on the block. Despite his heroics late last season and in the Series, the starter continues to baffle management with his unpredictable performance. "Maybe the pressure of a pennant race is what Gus needs to bring out his best."
--- All-star RF Leon Drake, having one of his best seasons in years could help bolster a contender's lineup.
--- And through it all Walt Messer remains the picture of consistency. Now back at 1B, with the struggles of Bud Jameson, the 25 year old, just awarded FA Player of the Week, continues to thrive while all around is turmoil. Messer, untouchable in the trade market, looks to be the successor to Jameson as a long time Gotham.

• How angry are some Gothams fans. One went as far to compare the trade of Goulding as reeking of the same underhandedness as the Japs sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The more moderate of New York supporters realize the club has had an all or nothing approach but the question is will the majority of fans put up with another 5 years of bad baseball, should it come to that, just as the mess after the 1935 title turned into.
• There are growing rumours the Cincinnati Cannons were willing to part with top outfield prospect Dick Blaszak in order to bring Goulding back to the Cannons organization. The deal would likely have cost the Gothams their first round pick as well but reportedly New York had no interest because they did not want to wait for Blaszak to get out of the military. Which makes the decision to add Eaker all the more perplexing.
• The Chicago Cougars Dick Lyons came two outs away from a no-hitter against the Foresters, finishing the game with 1 hit and 2 walks. After walking Cal Howe with one out in the 1st, Lyons set down 24 straight batters before walking Elmer Lockwood and then allowing the double to Leon Blackridge. He did all this without a single strikeout as Lyons lowered his ERA to 1.86 (183 ERA+) and his WHIP to a league best 0.97
• With all the injuries the Cougars have add this season it is a credit to their depth they lead the way in the Continental Association. Among those who missed extensive time are Cliff Moss, Harry Parker, Rich Langton, Mike Taylor and of course the often-injured Billy Hunter.
• Ike Keller in Washington is having a classic "fireman" season. He has appeared in 47 games and has 31 shutdowns and only 8 meltdowns. He is on pace for 138 innings pitched.
• Al Tucker of St Louis is continuing his blistering pace. He hit .462 on the week to take over the lead in the FA batting race. Tucker hit .429 in June and is hitting .357 in July.
• Is there a more all or nothing team than the Gothams? Not sure if they get incredibly lucky to have everything go right in the good years or incredibly unlucky and everything goes wrong every year they don't win the pennant. Either way, there is rarely any time New York is simply good - either the best or awful.
  Gothams finishes since 1926
  1st - 6
  2nd - 0
  3rd- 1
  4th- 0
  5th- 0
  6th- 4
  7th- 2
  8th-4
• Cannons scouts are thrilled to see 4 homers last week for Sid Kling. He was a first round projected player in each of the first couple of mocks done by TWIFB for his draft class but really dropped his final year or two. Cannons always loved his power potential and took a flier on him with a 6th round pick last month. Kling has not disappointed in the early going as the 18 year old is slashing .265/.368/.490 in his first month of pro ball at Class C and has hit 6 homers already.

August 2, 1943
 

AUGUST 2, 1943

RED LETTER DAY IN NEW YORK

GOTHAMS BRASS TURNS AROUND FAN SENTIMENT WITH DEAL FOR JOHNSON

What an emotional roller-coaster for New York fans as the Gothams brass took them on a wild ride at the trade deadline. From the dismay at news the Gothams seemingly threw in the towel on the next couple of seasons with the move to send Gus Goulding packing to Chicago --a move that sparked a near-riot outside Gothams Stadium in Queens --to the wave of elation that overtook Gothams supporters with the word that the club had landed possible future Hall of Famer Red Johnson from the Detroit Dynamos just hours later. It was clear that the Gothams, and their fans, went through more ups and downs this trade deadline than even Coney Island's famed Thunderbolt coaster could provide.

The trade was one of the biggest in recent memory and that is saying something considering the moves already made around the league in the past month, trades that included Al Wheeler and Harry Barrell. But Red Johnson is just 25 years old, already in his 7th big league season, owns 2 Whitney Awards and 3 All-Star selections and is just 1 shy of his 150th career homerun. There is no reason not to think Johnson will be a Hall of Famer someday and may just become only the second player to hit 500 career big league homeruns - although perhaps Al Wheeler or Bobby Barrell might get there ahead of Johnson.

The return on such a trade for Detroit was just what you would expect it to be. The Dynamos pick up New York's first and second round draft picks, plus the first rounder the Gothams just acquired from the Chiefs in the Gus Goulding deal, as well as prospects Win Hamby, Rick York, Don Hersey and Irv Harden in exchange for Red Johnson and minor league catcher Hal Christian.

The picks, in what is expected to be a deep draft, could give Detroit the first and third overall selections and likely two of the top seven at worst, along with a late first rounder and a pair of second round picks (there own and the Gothams). Not a bad way to restart a franchise that seemed to be on the right track until the bottom fell out- and the pitching fell apart- a little over a year ago.

The move also brings highly touted catching prospect Rick York to Detroit. He is the son of Dynamos manager Dick York and has long been coveted by the Detroit organization. York is the Navy right now but he, along with promising young shortstop Win Hamby, currently in the Army, are both top 100 prospects recently acquired by the Gothams from Cincinnati in the trade that sent Billy Dalton to the Cannons. Don Hersey, a 25 year old outfielder, is also a top 100 prospect and hitting .269 in AAA with 5 homers in limited action due to a hamstring issue that will keep him sidelined another couple of weeks. He was a 1938 fifth round pick out of the prestigious Bluegrass State program. Rounding out the youngsters going to Detroit is Harden, a 20 year old former 9th round pick currently playing in A ball that OSA says has a ceiling of a spot starter.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE : As the old adage goes the team that got the best player usually wins the trade and by that criteria the Gothams prevail hands down. However, I am not so quick to say Detroit did not make out nicely here. It was a hefty price paid by New York and I think both Hamby and Rick York will develop into better than average players as Detroit's starting shortstop and catcher of the future. If they can get a couple of solid players from their 5 draft picks (including the 3 new selections acquired) it might be hard to argue this deal wasn't an even exchange down the road. The key is drafting the right players. Detroit seems almost assured of finishing last now and picking first. Perhaps the Gothams improve with Johnson and get as high as fourth or fifth so the next pick might not be until 7 or 9 in round one but Detroit also has a late first rounder to perhaps package and trade up should they see a guy they love. It looks like a deep draft with some high end talent so if Detroit lands a couple more pieces and Hamby and York each live up to expectations perhaps this reboot at a Detroit comeback will stick.

That being said one has to love the addition of Johnson as a drawing card in New York and Fed pitchers will fear facing him and Walt Messer back to back in the middle of the Gothams lineup. The pitching, beyond Bowman, is still a worry and there are a lot of holes elsewhere in the lineup but when the war ends and Mule Monier, Rosey Brewer, Harry Carter and the rest return the Gothams might just make some noise.

No question where Percy Sutherland lands on this deal: "When Max Morris was 25-years-old, he was hurt and played in just 97 games (but a good 97 games, with a wRC+ of 216). And that was the cusp of his explosion. In 4 of the next 5 seasons, he had a wRC+ greater than 200. Now, I'm not saying that Red Johnson is Max Morris, but Red Johnson is one of the top 2 or 3 hitters in the game right now. And his best years are just in front of him. I like to deal as much as anyone, but this one I don't get."

The idea was briefly floated last year but for some reason the plan expired before reaching a concrete stage. Now Arthur Patterson of the New York Herald Tribune has revived discussion of an idea whereby baseball would contribute more than mere equipment in an effort to boost the morale of our fighting men. The plan is to take baseball in the flesh to men in khaki, olive green and blue-- to transport an all-star team or teams, the two World Championship Series opponents or some array of players, perhaps even including form FABL greats, to Australia, China, Hawaii, England, Tunisia or anywhere that several thousand American boys are stationed.

Shortly after the WCS, for instance, two teams of big leaguers could swing through the Southern States and play exhibitions at camps and training bases. We've seen the lift given sailors at Norfolk Naval Training Base by such games, and, while morale is a touchy word, the moral of those boys in blue definitely was hiked. Playing conditions always might not be favourable, of course, but that would represent no barrier. The teams could play where possible, and where staging a game isn't feasible, the players could visit canteens, make speeches, answer questions, give autographs and, in general, make the servicemen's Hot Stove League a warming, friendly gathering.
Better than taking the two World Championship Series opponents would be selecting a group of stars and surround them with such former greats as Powell Slocum, Pete Layton, Ed Ziehl and Ken Carpenter, because they are good mixers and some of them can make speeches. Include a player from every FABL club, ones that are stars and good fellows, not merely players can hit and field but with it as well. There are enough stars who can take a good-natured ribbing and toss back a wisecrack to eliminate the strong, but sad and silent type.

Ball players can't be blamed for wanting to spend winters with their families. Some of them are away from the wife and kiddies from April until October, but Mel Carrol and Lou Ellertson of the Eagles are enthusiastic about the idea. They'd like to contribute what they can to making life a little more pleasant for servicemen and so would a flock of other players, managers and former stars. Jack Cleaves of the Miners did a similar thing last winter with a trip to Hawaii organized by the Red Cross.

*** MAJORS MADE BAD MUFF ***

Baseball is doing a commendable job raising funds for equipment that's shipped all over the world. When the Chicago Chiefs and Washington collided last week, in fact, when all FABL clubs clashed last Wednesday, a third of the proceeds were poured into the baseball equipment fund, with the Red Cross also benefitting.

Probably more appreciated by soldiers and sailors, though, have been the visits of FABL teams to Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Norfolk Naval Training Base, Fort Meade, Fort Belvoir, etc. Thousands of soldiers stood in a steady rain at Fort Meade to vet the Eagles and the Keystones play a spring friendly a while back and they loved it.

By now many baseball officials are willing to admit that FABL President Sam Belton was too hasty in yanking big league clubs out of Florida for spring training. They feel baseball missed the boat by not training in the South last spring and staging exhibitions exclusively for the entertainment of servicemen. There has been a complete about-face in that department. Pressure is being applied to get FABL teams to do their training in the deep South next spring, not with the muscles of the athletes in mind, but with a view toward inserting a little fun into the lives of soldiers and sailors stationed there.

Baseball is doing a good job, but undone is a better job baseball could do. It could promote the idea of shipping its players to wherever fighting men would like to see them.

• A tough 3-11 stretch for the Chicago Chiefs sees them now 4.5 games off the pace in the Fed. The offense just has not been running on all cylinders since June. In July, Tom Bird hit .205, and Jim Watson hit .226. Numbers which are down from even the poor June showing.
• Looks like Boston caught New York and Detroit at the right time. The Minutemen missed Red Johnson in both of those series! Boston now owns a slim game and a half lead in the FA with reinforcements arriving today! The Chiefs, on the other hand, will visit New York just Red gets settled in with his new club.
• Maybe the Eagles didn't need a pitcher after all as instead of trading for one at the deadline the simply called down to Kansas City and promoted 24 year old righthander Mack Brubaker. Brubaker was 8-1, 2.84 in AAA this season and didn't miss a beat in his big league debut last week taking over for the injured Les Bradshaw in the Washington rotation. He allowed just 1 earned run in 6 2/3 to get the win in his debut by a 2-1 score over Chicago. He lost his second started thanks to a pair of unearned runs but looked very solid in that outing as well.
• Al Wheeler is tied for the Chiefs team lead in HR after hitting 5 in July, but his overall line for the month is pretty dismal: .200/.288/.339. Newly minted power hitter Wayne Newcomb had 4 HR in July.
• Once again good and bad news from St Louis. The good is the Pioneers are 2 games over .500 after a 6-2 week that included recently acquired pitcher Joe Shaffner earning his 200th career FABL victory. The bad news is centerfielder Gail Gifford (.314,4,61), who was selected to the all-star team for the first time since 1937, suffered a torn hamstring and will be out until mid-September.
• After a 5-2 week that including taking two of three from the Chicago Cougars, Toronto is now thinking they should have been more aggressive at the deadline but is happy with the recent change in fortunes. Now 4 more home games before heading on the road for 23 games in 21 days which will probably determine whether the Wolves are contenders or pretenders. They currently sit third in the CA, 5.5 games back.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL with a quick comment or two on what each of the 16 clubs did over the past couple months trade-wise.

BOSTON- Boston made two moves at the deadline in adding outfield depth in Jay Buckingham and more importantly pitching depth in the form of 28 year old Paul Richardson from the Philadelphia Sailors. But they also added 29 year old shortstop Harry Barrell from Brooklyn a couple of weeks before the deadline as they prepare for what should be quite a fight with Chicago (and perhaps Washington) down the stretch for the Federal Association pennant. The hope is Richardson steps into the hole in the pitching rotation created by Dean Astle's injury. The only thing that would have made this a more successful trading session for the Minutemen was to land a bigger name arm, but Richardson has snuck up on people this year and may continue to surprise.

BROOKLYN- Early sellers the Kings were quiet on deadline day but made huge moves earlier in moving Al Wheeler, Harry Barrell, Art White and Bob Cummings. In their place Brooklyn added an additional first round pick and a lot of good young talent including top pitching prospects Bob Crowley, Leo Hayden and Mel Haynes.

CHIEFS- How does adding Al Wheeler and Gus Goulding grab you? The Chiefs also picked up Bob Cummings but Wheeler and Goulding were the two prizes. Now the Chiefs need them to play like they are capable of and if so, Chicago will be unstoppable in the Fed.

COUGARS- The Cougars grabbed Brooklyn's best pitcher in Art White and then, motivated primarily because of a rash of injuries, proceeded to add outfielder Dan Fowler and pitcher Frank Crawford in an effort to stay one step ahead of Cincinnati in the Continental Association. White was costly but both Fowler and Crawford were added with little to no hit on the deep Cougars farm system.

CINCINNATI- Perhaps only the Chicago Chiefs showed a deeper commitment to going all-in on the trade front. Cincinnati added Billy Dalton, Sam Brown, Chris Clarke and in a deadline day move picked up veteran second sacker Jack Cleaves. They did manage to hang on to number one prospect Dick Blaszak, but the rest of the farm system and their first and second round picks in January (plus their fourth) are all gone so Cannons brass better hope the aggressive moves pay off in a pennant this year or next.

CLEVELAND- The rebuilding Foresters did the only thing they could do - moved veteran outfielder Dan Fowler. I would have liked to see a slightly better return for the 34 year old but trade partners were likely very limited for Cleveland.

DETROIT- Wow, is all we can say. Yes, there had been talk prior to the deadline that Red Johnson might be moved and even some discussions as far back as early June that hinted what might be to come but it was still a shock when the deal happened. The Dynamos have fallen apart the past year and a half after what was looking like a textbook rebuild and now it is back to square one as they also moved veteran pitcher Frank Crawford and shortstop George Dawson. There are a lot of prospects and 6 of the first 25 or so players selected in January will be drafted by Detroit (barring another deal or two) but giving up on Red Johnson is a move that will be much debated for years.

MONTREAL- The Saints are pretty much in limbo. Some good young talent, but much of it off to the war, and not a lot of veterans they either wanted to part with or had teams show interest in. Either way it was a very quiet trade deadline in Quebec.

NY STARS- The Stars, having fallen apart after playing in the WCS just 10 months ago, made a couple of late June moves sending Chris Clarke to Cincinnati and Chink Stickels to Toronto for draft picks. However, try as they might to find a suitor for one or more of their veteran pitchers, the Stars came up empty at the deadline. Not to say that is a bad thing as, while this year is a write-off, perhaps those arms (Vern Hubbard and Billy Riley) are back on track next year.

NY GOTHAMS- Not much else to say that hasn't already been covered. Billy Dalton, Gus Goulding and a lot of picks and prospects are out but Red Johnson is on his way to the Big Apple. It was, to say the least, a very eventful day in New York at the deadline.

KEYSTONES- The Keystones traditionally don't make a lot of big trades, preferring to draft and develop their own players so to see them stand pat this deadline was not unexpected. There has developed a trend in Philadelphia over the past decade where the Keystones are solid, but not quite good enough to be taken seriously as a pennant contender. Yes, there have been some exceptions but this year you can't help but feel the Keystones hands are tied. At 8 and a half games out are they actually in the race? With Boston and Chicago loading up quicker than the Allies for their European invasion, it is hard to fault Keystones brass for thinking there is no sense trying to keep up this season.

SAILORS- Much like the Keystones, the Sailors find themselves stuck in the middle and not willing to pay the price for a pennant chase that would likely prove to be futile anyway. They actually ended up being sellers at the deadline add added a pretty nice third base prospect in Frankie Gonnella at the cost of a 28 year old pitcher they claimed on waivers less than two years ago.

PITTSBURGH- The loss of George Cleaves and Pablo Reyes to the war hastened the demise of the Miners this season. It has been quite some time since Pittsburgh was out of the race by the all-star break so being a seller is an unusual position for Miners management to find itself in. They made just the one move, parting with 36 year old first baseman Jack Cleaves at the deadline, in return for a pair of prospects ranked in the low 100s by OSA.

ST LOUIS- A lot has gone right for St Louis this season such as Al Tucker's dominance and the return to Allen Award contender form from Sam Sheppard. But there have been a bunch of injuries and some inconsistent play from others so the Pioneers continue to hover around .500. One gets the feeling they wanted to be buyers but just didn't have the confidence in their chances to contend (and rightly so) so they settled with a move to bring 39 year old Joe Shaffner back to the Gateway City, which is where his career started. Shaffner is having a solid year and the cost was certainly not too high, but it is not the move that will get St Louis into contention.

TORONTO- The poor Wolves. Or were they lucky? A slump just before the deadline combined with the stocking up being done in both Chicago and Cincinnati prompted the Wolves to back-out of a potential deal for Gus Goulding. As a result adding Chink Stickels to shore up a struggling outfielder in late June was the only move they made. Toronto has some talent and may still get back in the race but the more likely scenario is they are unable to catch both the Cannons and Cougars so holding on to their future might have been the best course of action in Toronto. Still, one can't help but think just how good a rotation headed by Joe Hancock, Bernie Johnston and Gus Goulding might have looked.

WASHINGTON- It is almost incomprehensible that the Eagles are in a fight for first place, especially when you consider their pitching - which was hardly a strong suit- lost it's number one start in May and then lost Les Bradshaw (7-5, 3.80) for the season two weeks ago. They also traded arguably their best hitter in 32 year old outfielder Sam Brown last month but nothing seems to slow them down. Pitching still seems like a major need as does an improvement at shortstop. Well, the Eagles addressed the second of those two needs at the deadline with a nice pickup in 30 year old George Dawson but they are going to hope that calling up Mack Brubaker, a 24 year old who was 8-1 at AAA Kansas City, will fill the hole in the rotation. Nothing I can think of gives me reason to pick the Eagles over Boston or Chicago but Washington has been a surprise all season so who knows.



[list][*]The door is open a crack for the Army to reverse it's stance on soldier-students playing intercollegiate football, but a decision will have to come soon for athletic directors at "army" colleges to be able to make a final decision on whether to have a team or not. Representatives Samuel Weiss and Max Morris are said to have made some headway in their efforts to obtain approval of intercollegiate athletics for the camps soldiers.[*]When Brunswick's grid coach says "we're going to have a green bunch," he's not referring to his victory garden but to the Knight's squad he is preparing for the 1943 football contests. Brunswick does have nearly 100 players, 80 of them Navy and Marine service men, trying out but only one has major college football experience. The coach says he will have an "interesting, but difficult" time posting a positive record with a tough schedule that includes Annapolis Maritime, St Patrick's, St Pancras, Pierpont and Grafton on it's slate of games. Brunswick was just 2-7 a year ago.[*]Grid success is secondary at St. Blane. That's what the Fighting Saints coaching staff is telling the 61 players who reported for their four-weeks of summer drills. It was explained to the players, nearly all V-12 trainees, that "the Government is spending a vast sum of money and lots of time on all V-12 trainees. We intend to co-operate with them 100 percent and we want to assure you at this time that we are more interested in helping you achieve that object for which you were sent here than we are in developing an outstanding football team." The Saints do expect, nonetheless, to be pretty strong this season. They were 7-3-1 a year ago.

• The week began with a new Premier of Italy and unconfirmed reports that ousted Premier Benito Mussolini has fled into exile. Prime Minister Churchill warned Italy that she would be invaded and "scared, scarred and blackened from one end to the other" unless she surrenders unconditionally immediately.
• The Germans have refused to withdraw their troops from Italy despite a request from the new Italian leadership.
• In a speech Wednesday, President Roosevelt calls for the unconditional surrender of Japan and Germany, as well as making a demand that the new Italian government hold Mussolini for trial.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/8IltXXX.jpg
• With Sicily nearly entirely under Allied control, increased attention is focused on the Italian mainland as the Allies still await Rome's reply to the peace bid.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/YsMIJPi.jpg
• As the week draws to a close the Italians order home 26 divisions in the Balkans and France and have sent 75,000 troops to the Brenner Pass to stem the flow of Germans into northern Italy.
• While some products such as butter are seeing even tighter rationing, the United States has ended the rationing of some products, most notably coffee.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/v8oAOmg.jpg

August 9, 1943
 

AUGUST 9, 1943

PIONEERS CONTINUE TO EXPLORE FIRST DIVISION

The St Louis Pioneers have not been in a pennant race since 1937 but thanks to a 9-1 run are now just 5.5 games out of top spot in the Federal Association. Sam Sheppard (16-5, 3.33) continues to pitch like it is 1937 again, as his resurgence -which included a pair of impressive wins in his two starts this month- has St Louis fans thinking they just might have a chance. There is actually a lot of that optimism going around in the Fed as the Philadelphia Keystones have also played well of late and are now within 6.5 games of front-running Boston. This race has the chance to be another classic one -something the Fed has become famous for in recent years- with as many as 5 teams in the mix as the season barrel's towards its stretch run.

The Chicago Chiefs, expected by many to run away with the Fed after their big deals at and shortly before the deadline, did rebound somewhat with a 4-3 start to August, but one would have to feel more was expected of the team against the likes of Pittsburgh and New York last week. Still it was an improvement on their 2-10 finish to the month of July. The good news is Gus Goulding looked very sharp in his first start for the Chiefs, beating his old mates in New York by a 7-2 count to even his mark at 10-10 on the campaign. However, the wheels have fallen off for Chicago's two pickups from Brooklyn. Al Wheeler has 5 homeruns since the trade but is hitting just .175 and began August with a 1-for-24 (.042) showing. Wheeler is 5-for-his last 51 without an extra-base hit in that stretch. Then there is Bob Cummings, who joined Wheeler on the trip from Brooklyn to Chicago for a collection of prospects. The 30 year old righthander is 0-2 with a 5.09 era and not only has lost his spot in the rotation, but likely won't be trusted in anything more than mop-up duty out of the pen. The good news is the Chiefs return to Whitney Park for the rest of the month, but face Boston, Philadelphia and Washington to start the homestand.

Washington took 3 of 4 from Boston over the weekend, which helped the Eagles bounce back from 5 straight losses to St Louis. Both the Eagles and Minutemen embark on long road trips as do the surging Philadelphia Keystones so the next 3 weeks could see some separation in the Fed as St Louis and Chicago are on the docket for each of the three eastern clubs. However, based on the history of that loop, it is likely things will remain tight until at least mid-September.

The Continental Association pennant is also still very much up for grabs after the first place Cannons -fresh off a big sweep of second place Chicago to end July- stumbled against the bottom rung clubs in dropping four of their last seven. The Cougars, after taking two of three from Brooklyn over the weekend, are just 2 games off the pace and have 4 with last place Cleveland coming up this week before they get a shot at a rematch with the Cannons the following week. Once they get done with Cleveland it will be a big test for Chicago - perhaps a season altering stretch 8 games against the third place Toronto Wolves and Cincinnati.

1944 DRAFT PREVIEW

PART 1: COLLEGE PLAYERS

A year ago when TWIFB took it's first real look at the 1944 draft class it was clear there was a deep pool of talent, but most of it was coming out of the high school ranks. In fact just five of the 16 players that were pegged as potential first round selections came from college ball. A year later the expectation is that even less of our mock draft will be college boys. Certainly the impact of the war can be considered one factor why most of the top FABL prospects for January will 18 or younger, but another key reason will be the failure of those college players that were considered top prospects a year ago to continue to develop.

None of the five, who we look at below, developed as OSA had projected. It used to be the high school ranks were the group that was full of unpredictability but for the 1944 draft it may be the college ballplayers who end up being a bigger risk. Here are the five OSA was very high on a year ago:


PITCHER CARL FRITZ: Charleston Tech - last year ranked 3rd best 1944 prospect overall - A year ago the Rochester, New York native was seen as a likely number two big league starter one day and perhaps even an ace like his cousin Milt Fritz was for a good chunk of his long FABL career. Fritz did not really have the numbers as a freshman (6-5, 4.33) to back up those lofty expectations but OSA was banking on a big improvement for him this past season. It did not happen. Fritz was a little more effective (7-4, 3.74) and did improve his K/BB ratio and FIP somewhat, but did not become the elite college pitcher he was forecast to be. He is certainly still a player to be aware of and perhaps someone will take a chance on him in January, but he is no longer a lock to go in the first three rounds and OSA has downgraded him to projecting to a spot starter.


PITCHER DANNY ALLEN: College of Waco -last year ranked 8th overall - Allen was a very impressive 10-5, 3.12 a year ago prompting OSA to project him as a "middle of the rotation potential" pitcher. Then came a very pedestrian sophomore campaign and now OSA feels he will "fall somewhere between mop-up duty and trade material."

OUTFIELDER HOWIE COOPER: Lane State -last year ranked 14th overall - The drop-off was not just confined to pitchers as Howie Cooper was the type of player that could "fill a key a role on a contender" in the eyes of the OSA last season. Cooper was a first-team All-American as a freshman but had a drop off in his numbers all across the board and is no longer considered a potential first round pick and likely won't hear his name called in January after being now considered as on the bubble to even hold down a big league job one day.

OUTFIELDER MAX KEEGAN: Springfield State -last year ranked 15th overall - Considered an "above-average player" by OSA a year ago all we can think of is that Keegan did not get the boost in his power that perhaps OSA was hoping for. He did increase his batting average and on base percentage slightly and was good enough to earn second team All-American status but according to OSA other college outfielders have passed him by.

CATCHER GENE RYAN: Bayou State -last year ranked 16th overall- Thought of as the best college catcher in this class a year ago and as a "productive regular on a contender," Ryan, like the others above, has fallen in OSA's eyes after his play last spring. Ryan might just be a guy who was hurt by over-examination as OSA starts to pick out flaws in his game -particularly is tendency to strike out- and as a result has downgraded him to being a "bench player" despite the fact he was selected as a first team All-American this past season. We do think he is a player worth watching and perhaps not as bad as OSA might indicate. Ryan improved on all three of his slash line numbers as a sophomore over a pretty solid freshman campaign although his strikeout rate did go up.

*** COLLEGE PLAYERS TO WATCH ***

So those are the five who fell from grace last season. What about the names that replaced them as the top college prospects in the eyes of OSA?

1- EDDIE LOGAN - 2B Gates University The First Team All-American is considered to be a solid defensive infielder but his real talent is getting on base. He has "good potential and a promising future" according to OSA, which notes he has a very good contact tool and could be a solid defensive second baseman. Logan finished fifth in the entire AIAA in batting average last season, his first as a college player. OSA feels he has the talent to flourish in the majors.

2- BILL DOUCETTE - SS Baton Rogue State: This is one where it appears OSA is projecting entirely on potential. Doucette has not been bad in his two seasons of college ball, not by any stretch, but he has not stood out either. However, OSA sees the 5'8" Texan as an above-average hitter in the big leagues, calling a .330 batting average a possibility. He is not flashy with his glove should get the job done in the field. OSA says he has the talent to flourish in the majors but his college numbers makes one feel like there is a little bit of a risk taking him in the first round.

3- DAN ATWATER - P Wisconsin State: It has been quite some time since Wisconsin State had a prospect selected in the first five rounds of the draft. The last one: current Cincinnati Cannon Chris Clarke was was taken 11th overall by the New York Stars in 1933- the last season of the feeder era. Atwater had a solid freshman season and was even better as a sophomore, posting an 11-3 record, an ERA of 2.71 with 114 k's in 129 innings of work. The sophomore was third among pitchers in FIP, WAR and ERA and while he just missed out on All-American status he was a finalist for the Christian Trophy. OSA sees his ceiling as a back of the rotation arm but those are pretty impressive numbers so there is a good chance he goes in the first round.

4- FRED TROY - CF Maryland State: Unlike Wisconsin State, the Maryland State Bengals have been a college powerhouse and won the National Title last season, marking their third crown in the past five seasons. Troy is bidding to be the third Bengal selected in the first round during that stretch as Len Werner went in 1938 (amateur free agent era) and Mal Bianco in 1939. Denny Andrews was also a Maryland State first round in 1936 and that is just the post feeder era. OSA sees Troy as "an above average, everyday big league" centerfielder.

5- JIM SIBERT- SS Amarillo Methodist: Hit .271 in his first season at Amarillo Methodist as a sophomore, it is Sibert's defense that has scouts drooling. OSA feels he will provide elite defensive value and while he won't be a record setter at the plate, the scouting service thinks he can become a solid contact hitter who should draw a lot of walks.

6- CHARLIE LEIST - P Central Ohio: When you say Central Ohio pitchers the first name that comes to mind is Freddie Jones' younger brother Al. Al won a Christian Trophy, just like his big brother, but he never panned out as a pro. Leist won 10 games as a sophomore, establishing a new school record and breaking by one the mark held by 4 others including Al Jones. A groundball pitcher with 3 solid offerings and decent velocity, Leist seems to be a pretty solid prospect. OSA says he has the potential to start in the majors, but thinks he will "ultimately settle at the end of the rotation."

7- CONN SLATTERY- RF Davidson University(OR): Not a lot of college players hit over .300 last season but one who did is Slattery, an Alabama native and a player OSA likes as a second-division starter. He was drafted before, by Toronto in the 14th round of the 1941 draft but elected to go to Davidson University in Oregon instead. It is a lower level school but they did produce a first rounder last year in catcher Mark Smith, selected 6th overall by the Philadelphia Sailors.

8- TRUCK KING - 3B Central Kentucky : Just the name alone should draw some interest. King is a two-year starter at Kentucky's other school as his Tigers are overshadowed on the diamond by Bluegrass State and Grange College. King has been pretty consistent his two seasons as a Tiger but did not show the improvement many like to see from his freshman season to his sophomore campaign. The Potsdam, New York native seems more like a potential regional round selection and OSA feels he could be a "second-division starter."

9- AL MONROE- CF College of Waco : Monroe hit .301 against tough competition last year as a sophomore. OSA sees the Crystal City, Texas native as an average big leaguer with elite speed being the big part of his game. Sounds like he could be a potential lead-off hitter in FABL.

10- KARL BERGGREN - CF Huntington State: The Massachusetts native led the OSA in slugging percentage last season while hitting 12 homeruns -third highest in college ball. He needs 15 as a junior to tie Gordon Klein for the post-feeder career AIAA homerun lead and was a second team All-American last season. OSA calls him a sure-handed centerfielder who runs well with a potential to draw an above average number of walks. Yet the scouting service only thinks Berggren "might force his way into the line-up." A good defensive centerfielder with speed and power seems like a player who might just see a team take a chance on him, certainly in round two if not in the first round. We don't think he is anywhere near Sal Pestilli but he looks like the type of player the Dynamos - with all of those picks - might use a second rounder on.

HONOURABLE MENTION
Johnny Carlisle Outfielder Cowpens State
Larry Day Outfielder Miami State
Jim Owens Shortstop Eastern Oklahoma
Chet Turner Catcher Minnesota Tech-Mankato
Jimmy Wolff Catcher CC Los Angeles

Next time we will look at the top High School position players available in the 1944 draft class.

• St Louis went 5-1 last week, losing by a 2-1 score to Detroit in their only defeat. Their recent stretch included a 5-game sweep of Washington. Their next 20 games are at home but 12 of the first 16 are against either Boston, Philadelphia or Washington.
• A similar set-up for the Chiefs, who began their 20 game homestand with 12 straight against the top three from the east.
• The Keystones are 18-5 since the break with Johnny Bologna of the Philadelphia Inquisitor noting the key to the resurgence has been George Brooks and Red Ross. Each have gone 6-1 since July 1st. Hank Koblenz has also been on a tear since the start of August (1.076 OPS with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 7 games).
• Doc Shaw of the Boston Glove is worried about the Minutemen noting in a recent column "Boston has had serious power issues this season. The team ranks 7th in the FA with 33 home runs on the year. Thankfully, it has not hurt the club in the run scoring department. They still lead the league in Runs scored, Batting Average, OBP, Batting WAR and WOBA. Defensively, Boston is the best team in the FA in Defensive Efficiency and Zone Rating. All of it though may not add up to a hill of beans as the Minutemen are set to hit the road for the rest of August. This season Boston is 25-27 away from Minuteman Stadium. First up on the pivotal road trip is a 4 gamer in Chicago followed by a 4 game series against the red hot St. Louis at Pioneer Field. At the end of the season this road trip may be what fans will look back upon as they celebrate a second FA title in 3 years or lament over a once again so close but no cigar finish.
• It was another bad week for the suddenly sad-sack Gothams, winners of just 2 of their last 13 games. However, Red Johnson hit .300 in his 5 games in the Big Apple with his first homerun as a Gotham coming in yesterday's win over Chicago.
• New York scribes are wondering "Can Ed Bowman win another Allen award this season? It will depend on whether the voters look at more than Wins/Losses and pitching for a bad team. Right now he's second to Ed Wood in ERA, but closing fast. If Bowman wins the ERA title, continues to lead in Ks and WAR, will that be enough? Currently his record is, 9-12, while Wood is 17-4. At the moment, with the ERA lead I imagine it would be Wood. Still plenty of time."
• I agree there is time but Bowman is certainly not in my top three at this point. That would be Wood and Sam Sheppard of St Louis as the clear 1-2 with possibly Lou Ellertson of Washington, Red Ross of the Keystones, Duke Hendricks of Boston all surpassing Bowman for third spot.
• Al Wheeler is not the only veteran outfielder struggling to adjust to life in Chicago. Dan Fowler made his debut with the Cougars after coming over from Cleveland at the deadline. A small sample to be sure, but in 4 games Fowler is 0-for-14 with 6 strikeouts.
• Quite the 4 game series against the Sailors at Dominion Stadium All 4 games decided by one run, two in extras, 3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 4-3. attendance was 141,399 for the series. Wolves now begin their 3 week road trip that includes a stop in the Windy City but not in Cincinnati. Wolves' brass think they have to go a minimum of 16-7 to remain a factor in the CA.
• It likely won't be an issue that will affect FABL this year but the American Football Association is certainly worried. A Selective Service report indicates the timeline in which men with children start to get called by the Draft Board is just a couple of weeks away. Recent news had indicated sometime in October as the original start date meaning it would likely be close to Christmas before any large numbers would be going, but the latest moves that timeline up by at least a month.

• Invasion of Italy's boot due "at any time" according to a London Daily Express report as heavy bombing of Rome and other key Italian targets continues.
  
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• A partial evacuation of citizens is ongoing in Berlin due to relentless Allied bombing attacks.
• Some 250,000 Nazi troops are retreating from the Orel bulge in a frantic effort to escape encirclement by converging Soviet troops.
• Important conferences "of a military and political character" are taking place at Hitler's headquarters, apparently in conjunction with Nazi diplomatic contacts with Italy and Japan.
• Reports late in the week out of England suggest Nazi leaders are "at their wit's end" in desperate effort to offset the threatened collapse in Italy and danger of a crack-up in German morale under sustained Allied bombing.
• Allied jungle troops under the command of General Douglass MacArthur have taken control of Munda in the Central Solomons. "All organized enemy resistance has ceased," according to a communique, which adds "action is now limited to destruction of isolated enemy groups."
  
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• Conflicting reports regarding when fathers will become subject to the call from Selective Service. Originally October was the date but some sources indicate men with children will begin to be drafted in September.
• 4 are dead, nearly 200 injured and 363 arrested after race rioting broke out in Harlem.
  
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