August 16, 1943
 

AUGUST 16, 1943

ATTENDANCE SKYROCKETS THROUGH NEW WAR AID PLAN

Baseball's tremendous allure, and the opportunities for turning that allure into aid for the war effort, are being vividly demonstrated this season by a series of dramatic spectacles unparalleled in the history of the game. It is a program, that in direct results, goes beyond even the high accomplishments of 1942 and points the way to still greater possibilities of service.

FABL, as it did in 1942, staged it's war benefit contests and the annual All-Star game for the benefit of funds connected with the national effort. This season, however, has witnessed an extensions of this program in a sequence of spectacles conceived, in many cases, by sports writers or other well-wishers of the sport, and carried out through the enthusiastic co-operation of the game's officials and players.

Among the most effective of these events was the War Bond game held in Washington, D.C., the night of May 24. This event, promoted by the Washington Times with the assistance of William Stockdale, owner of the Washington club, produced more than $2,000,000 in War Bond sales, admission being based on bond purchases. It was featured by a game between the Norfolk Training Station team and the Senators.

That contest hatched a much bigger plan involving all 16 FABL clubs and is clearly the reason why attendance has skyrocketed across the league of late. Finalized just prior to the All-Star break, it is due to a two-pronged plan that sees free admittance to all service men, as well as the option for all working in war related industry to gain free admittance simply by contributing a portion of their weekly paychecks to the purchase of War Bonds. The league has not said how much has been raised so far, nor how long the program will continue but it is expected to remain in effect be for the balance of the regular season.

That initiative has packed ballparks across the league. For example a recent Tuesday evening game at Columbia Stadium between the Eagles and the visiting St Louis Pioneers saw 25,989 fans enter the park with close to 15,000 taking advantage of the new 'free ticket for service' programs. Last time St Louis invaded the nation's capital was in May, prior to the new ticket plan, for which the Eagles and Pioneers drew 18,501 - for the entire three game series combined. Of course, the Eagles are serious pennant contenders now, and that clearly helps with the level of interest but fans are also taking advantage of the opportunity to watch even the bottom rung teams. Cleveland, for example, was lucky to approach 10,000 a game in attendance earlier in the year, but in a city with plenty of war industry workers, the Foresters are regularly getting 15-to-20 thousand bodies pushing through the turnstiles at Forester Stadium every game.

Records for season attendance will surely be set at many, if not all, ballparks around the league. The 16 FABL ballclubs will cheerily note that they are not seeing any revenue from ticket sales as the servicemen are not paying, and the war workers are paying by purchasing bonds, but don't think for a minute the magnates who rule the league are not making out just fine. Many of those war workers are coming straight from the factory to the ballpark and bringing with them quite an appetite so while ticket revenue won't land in the magnates pockets, they will line their coffers with greatly increased concession sales and other income associated with the game.

So it is a win-win for baseball. FABL gets the goodwill that increased bond sales - to the tune of millions of dollars- generates for Uncle Sam and likely one more reason to assure that the powers in the Government will ensure the game will continue in 1943, while also adding untold dollars to their own coffers. Our soldiers and sailors get a much needed distraction with a few hours at the ballpark, as do the war industry workers who can take a break from the factory and enjoy some baseball while knowing they are aiding the cause with the purchase of War Bonds.

BIG WEEK AHEAD

The upcoming week could be a crucial one in the Continental Association race as the Cincinnati Cannons visit Chicago for 4 games against the Cougars in a meeting of the loop's top two clubs. After this week, the pair will meet just 3 more times- in the Queen City the final weekend of September. The Cougars, who trail the Cannons by 4 games, have won 8 of the 15 contests between the two so far this season.

Boston and Philadelphia each made out well in their first test during long road trips. The Keystones won 3 of 4 in St Louis and then split yesterday's doubleheader that opened a 4 game series in Chicago. Boston had similar results in the opposite order -taking 3 of 4 in the Windy City before splitting yesterday's twin bill with the Pioneers. Boston's lead on second place Washington is now 3 games after the Eagles stumbled to start their road swing by taking just 2 of 6 from bottom feeders Detroit and New York. The Eagles have one more in the Motor City today before heading to Chicago and St Louis for their next 8 contests. The Chiefs are 5 and a half games back in third, one ahead of fourth place Philadelphia and 2 up on St Louis.

1944 DRAFT PREVIEW

PART II: HIGH SCHOOL POSITION PLAYERS

A year ago when we took our very early look at the 1944 draft class we felt the pitchers led the way among high school stars but there was also a deep crop of position players that would be eligible as well. A year later that is still the case, although a number of the names have changed. Catcher in particular looks like a position with a wealth of high school talent to offer including a pair who may one day be considered among the best in the league. Those two are Joe Robinson, who hails from Warren, Pa., and Buffalo native Red Rodgers. Both are 6'3" and have loads of potential but there are also a few other catchers who slot in just below the two behemoths. It is a deep crop but here are who TWIFB sees as the top ten high school position players eligible for the 1944 FABL draft.

1: JOE ROBINSON - C - Warren (PA) HS: .505/.573/.798 4 HR, 35 RBI. A first team All-American selection as a junior, OSA calls "Big Joe" a player with the potential "to be an impact big leaguer." Last season was his first of high school ball and he led all catchers with a .505 batting average. He hit just 4 homers but with his frame (6'3", 200 lbs) one has to think at least gap power will come.

2: GARY BURGESS - SS - Downey (CA) HS: .430/.485/.702 2HR, 31 RBI. Another hard worker, Burgess saw his numbers dip as a junior compared to his high school debut season in 1942 but OSA projects him as "an elite big league shortstop."

3: RED RODGERS - C -Lewiston (NY) HS: .452/.544/.679 2 HR, 22 RBI. You will be hard pressed to find a harder worker than the Buffalo native Rodgers. OSA says he can be an "elite catcher on a contending team" and possesses a lot of talent. He was an honorable mention for the 1942 High School All-American squad as a sophomore.

4: BEN THOMPSON- RF - Yazoo City (MS) HS: .505/.579/.876 7 HR, 38 RBI. Already a two-time High School All-American selection including this past season despite the fact it was a little less productive than his sophomore year, which was the campaign that Thompson claimed the Adwell Award as the top player in high school ball. The three year starter from Mississippi projects to be an above average power hitter with the potential to hit for average as well. TWIFB would not be surprised if Thompson was the first high school position player selected (outside of the late additions with no high school experience that enter the draft).

5: DAVE McCRAW- SS - Xavier HS, New York City: .447/.521/.709 2 HR, 25 RBI. There does not appear to be a player that compares with Jim Adams Jr. or Homer Mills - the two elite shortstops selected in the first round last year- but McCraw has the potential to "make an impact on a top-tier team" according to OSA. Considered a talented contact hitter, a plus base-runner and possessing outstanding range in the field. We would have liked to see him improve on his pretty solid sophomore numbers but he actually regressed slightly so, like the top ranked college shortstops, perhaps there is some risk.

6: JIM FLOWERS- 1B - New Eagle (PA) HS: .447/.540/.573 1 HR, 28 RBI. Another big body (6'4", 210 lbs) so perhaps he needs time to grow into his frame as his numbers were certainly not overly impressive in his first season of high school ball. However, OSA projects great things for the 16 year old, who "has potential to unleash his obvious talent both on the field and at the plate." We worry he won't develop enough power to be an everyday first baseman but perhaps as he matures he becomes a Tim Hopkins-type player although our guess is he hits for a higher average than Tiny Tim but lacks the explosive power.

7- LOU McCRIGHT- 3B - Clark HS, New Orleans: .458/.554/.687 2 HR, 23 RBI. He did post the best slash line numbers of his three years of high school ball. OSA sees McCright as a player who can hit over .300 in the big leagues and has an excellent eye, which should inflate his on-base percentage. The scouting service sees a lot of upside but we worry if he has the desire to put in the necessary work to reach his potential.

8- CAL YEAGER- C - Lodi (OH) HS: .444/.545/.759 6 HR, 34 RBI. Yeager may one day prove to be the best catcher in this group due to his outstanding work ethic. Right now he is #3 behind Robinson and Rodgers but OSA feels the 17 year old can become "an above average, everyday big league player."

9- EARLE HALEY- SS - Hamburg (IA) HS: .472/.529/.639 0 HR, 27 RBI. Very athletic, Haley should be a solid defensive shortstop once he matures. He is an aggressive hitter but his eye grades out as above average - factors that contribute to OSA's belief that Haley "has the talent to flourish in the majors. We see Haley as very comparable to Win Hamby, who was a second round pick of the Cannons a couple of years ago but now is in the Dynamos system.

10- ED DUNCAN - CF - Troy (KS) HS: .447/.535/.882 6 HR, 34 RBI. The High School All-American selection is projected to have a very nice combination of speed and power once he matures. OSA sees him as a potential second division starter at center field but some sources TWIFB talked to feel he just might develop into even more than that.

HONOURABLE MENTION
Buddy Brumbaugh 3B Wallingford (CT) HS
Harry Bennett CF Orleans (VT) HS
Mike Stehle C Richmond (VA) St. Christopher's HS
Joe Richmond 2B Visalia (CA) HS
Leo Warren 2B Warwick (RI) HS
Paul Caissie RF Warwick (RI) HS
King Allen 2B Marietta (GA) HS
Hank Mortell C Lansing (MI) HS

Next edition our 1944 Draft Preview continues with a look at the top high school pitching candidates.

Ol’ Doc here predicted this would be the beginning of a pivotal road trip for the Minutemen as they look to secure their second league title in a three season span. It would appear the gatekeepers of this fine publication also believe in Ol’ Doc’s assessment of the club and have decided to send myself on the train with the club as they make every stop. So instead of Ol’ Doc disseminating information from his prodigious network of sources while the club is on the road, he gets to report to the fans directly. The first stop on the trip takes us to “windy city” Chicago for a four game stretch against the Chiefs.

8/11/43: 11-6 Win
This game was a battle of all-star arms as both clubs sent their top man to the hill for battle. For Boston that was Walt Wells going up against five time all-star Al “The California Kid” Miller. Just shy of 32,000 patrons packed Whitney Park in expectation of witnessing pitching mastery. However, if pitching was what fans were looking for they were sorely disappointed. Wells couldn’t get out of the 5th before skipper Bill Boshart finally pulled the plug on his day. By this point Wells had given up six earned on ten hits and not factor into the final decision. Miller on the other hand had not been much better but was able to give the Chiefs a bit more length as he pitched the first seven innings giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits himself. Chicago manager Joe Ward went with Charlie Bingham to start the eighth inning and the Minutemen would have their way with him. Bingham never officially recorded an out and gave up five earned on four hits before Bob Cummings mercifully relieved him. Those five runs were enough for a Boston bullpen that used Dick Higgins, Johnny Harry and Dutch Day to hold the Chiefs scoreless over the games final 5.2 innings. Offensively for Boston Pete Day and Bill Moore each knocked in 3 R.B.I.'s with Chick Donnelly right behind them with two himself. It was a good win to start the series.

8/12/43: 7-1 Loss
It could be argued that the pitching matchup in the second game of the series was potentially more intriguing than Wells vs. Miller from game one. For Boston it would be 17 game winner Ed Wood going up against newly acquired Gus Goulding who was acquired from the Gothams in their semi-annual sell-off. Goulding was acquired specifically to beat Washington and the Minutemen who sit above the Chiefs in the standings. It was another capacity crowd of just over 32,000 that saw Goulding completely dominate the Minutemen. Goulding would go the distance, scattering eight hits and only giving up a single earned run. For Boston Ed Wood just didn’t have it on this day. Wood lasted just over five innings giving up seven earned runs. Ron Rattigan and Sam Orr paved the way for Chicago. Boston had two hits each from Pete Day, Bob Donoghue and Art Spencer but it was far from enough to keep the offense competitive.

8/13/43: 8-4 Win
In a counter to the Goulding acquisition in Chicago, Boston went out and picked up 29 year old starting pitcher Paul Richardson from the Philadelphia Sailors. The move was surprising to many as Boston gave up last year's top draft pick 3B Frank Gonnella and a 7th rounder to acquire the services on a 29 year old starter who came into the 1943 season with five career wins. Richardson was 7-6 with a 2.67 ERA in 141.2 innings before the deal which Boston must have felt was good enough to take a heavy chance on. For the Sailors, not a bad flip for a player they claimed off of waivers in 1941. In the game Richardson would give Boston 6.1 innings of work giving up four earned runs which proved to be enough to secure his first win in a Boston uniform. Chicago starter Les Zoller with seven earned in 3.1 innings and took the loss. The Minutemen enjoyed multi-RBI performances from Pete Day, Bill Moore and Art Spencer. The win gave the Minutemen a 2-1 series advantage going into the final game of the series.

8/14/43: 7-6 Win
In the series finale the Minutemen sent 13 game winner Duke Hendricks to the mound to face off against John Douglass. The Chiefs were able to get to Hendricks early and had built up a 3-0 lead going into the fifth inning before the Boston offense woke up to score three runs to tie the game. Lew McClendon’s one out RBI single followed by Bill Moore’s two RBI double accounted for the Boston runs. Frank Davis singles in Jim Watson in the bottom half of the fifth to put the Chiefs back on top 4-3. The score held until the seventh when Joe Ward made the decision to keep Douglass in the game and the Minutemen pounced for four runs. Newly acquired outfielder Jay Buckingham delivered a crushing two run triple to give Boston the lead for good. Sam Orr and company gave their best effort to get back into things by scoring two runs off of Johnny Hary in the bottom of the eighth but it wasn’t enough as Martin, Watson and Bird would go 1-2-3 with ground outs to end the game.

The 3-1 series win was just what the Minutemen needed to kick off a successful road trip. On a personal note Ol’ Doc would like to publicly thank the proprietors of the “Twin Anchors” on Sedgwick Avenue for their hospitality. Ol’ Doc sincerely hopes to find such a wonderful establishment on our next stop in St. Louis.

8/15/43: Game 1: 6-0 WIN; Game 2: 3-2 Loss
St. Louis, “The Gateway to the West” and the next stop on the road trip. The Pioneers enter into the series with a 57-53 record 7.5 games back in the FA. Although the club is sitting in fifth position they have been one of the hotter teams in the league since the trade deadline. St. Louis would also catch Boston’s back end of the rotation after a long train ride from Chicago. The Sunday doubleheader at Pioneer Field was a great opportunity for St. Louis to carve into the division lead. Don’t tell any of that to Boston starter Joe Sargent though. The 25 year old Sargent was promoted to the starting rotation earlier this season and at times has looked great, while at other times has looked lost. In the first game of the double dip it was one of the good times for Sargent. Sargent gave Boston eight shutout innings allowing five hits. Offensively both Pete Day and Bob Donoghue had multi-hit games and Bill Van Ness added a two run triple in the victory.

In the irony that is baseball the Minutemen were hoping to build on their game one momentum with Walt Wells taking the mound in the second game of the doubleheader. St. Louis though was sending their top hurler in Sam Sheppard to the mound to entertain the 39,000 that made it through the turnstiles. Wells was much better than he was four days ago in Chicago and was close to equal in every way to Sheppard who was very effective against the Boston offense. In the end it was St. Louis who capitalized on some fielding miscues by the Minutemen that led to a pair of unearned runs. The loss would give the Minutemen a 4-2 record for the week.

Checking the standings it looks like everyone in the FA aside from St. Louis (7-3) has been in the .500 range over their last ten ball games. Next for Boston is 2 more games in St. Louis before the club travels to New York before heading back to Detroit for a Sunday doubleheader against the Dynamos. Eight games in seven days will surely test the rotation yet again. Currently, Boston enjoys a three game lead over second place Washington who will play Detroit on Monday. From there the Eagles will head to Chicago for four games and St. Louis for their own Sunday doubleheader.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Wolves Hit The Road- As the Toronto ballclub hits the road for the balance of August into September not to return home until Labour Day weekend Brett Bing looks at, makes predictions on the 6 upcoming series. These games will undoubtedly decide the fate of the Wolves 1943 season. Rumours around the Wolves offices are that management feels 16-7 is minimum standard required to have dreams of October baseball remain in Toronto.

Montreal- August 11th-14th- Wolves begin the trip with four in Parc Cartier against the Saints. The Saints are an up and coming team but have a losing record at home this season, 22-28. Wolves have a 8-6 record head to head while facing Montreal this season.
Brett's Prediction- Given the two rest days before opening the series allowing Toronto to set up their pitching will allow the Wolves to go 3-1.

EDITOR'S NOTE- This was a weekend edition story and the Wolves actually did live up to Brett Bing's prediction by going 3-1 against the Saints. They also split yesterday's doubleheader with the Cougars to open their four game set in Chicago.

Chicago- August 15th-17th- This is the only series that allows Toronto to make up the most ground on teams ahead of them during the road trip as they do not face the Cannons. Four games in three days after an overnight train trip from Montreal to Chicago. Wolves have a 9-6 record will facing the Cougars this season but that is misleading as the recent record is 2-6 after the Chicago squad picked up the pace.
Brett's Prediction- Although a sweep would be the best of all world's Brett sees a split 2-2. Not gaining on the Cougars but not losing ground.

New York- August 18th-21st- The Stars were active at the deadline along the Gothams. Both teams seem to looking past 1943. Wolves have a favourable 11-4 record in games with the Stars this season.
Brett's Prediction- Expect the Wolves to continue their winning ways with Chink Stickle providing a spark in a 3-1 series win.

Brooklyn- August 22nd-25th- Toronto will not have to travel or even change hotels for this series thanks to some forward planning by the team's travel secretary. The Kings, as they have been through out history, are proving to be a thorn in the paw of the Wolves with an even 6-6 record during this season.
Brett's Prediction- Due to the ability to remain in one place for over a week along with importance of the games Brett thinks this series will also be 3-1 in Toronto's favour.

Cleveland- August 27th-29th- After the only off day during the entire trip Toronto arrives on the banks of the Ohio river for a 4 game weekend series. The Wolves sport a 9-5 against the Foresters this season.
Brett's Prediction- IF, that is a big if, Toronto handles the first 16 games according to Brett's predictions he will go out on a limb to predict a 4-0 sweep.

Philadelphia- August 30th- September 1st- The Sailors, Wolves have played exciting and close games all season with Toronto holding a slight 9-8 edge in the season series.
Brett's Prediction- After a grueling road trip with the end in sight, overnight travel to Philadelphia after a double header Brett thinks the Wolves may stumble to lose this series 1-2.

So overall Brett predicts that the Wolves will reach the management's minimum requirement of a 16-7 trip. Will there be heroes or goats during this trip? The Mail and Empire will provide all the required coverage for Wolves faithful.

• New York Gothams manager Ed Ziehl thinks baseball for 1944 is assured. "Ninety-five per cent of the country and our soldiers and sailors all over the world want the game continued," said the 56 year long-time New York skipper. "I also think we should have teams spend some time in Florida next spring, assuming the transportation department is fine with it."
• There has been talk of cutting rosters down to 20 or 18 players per team, an idea recently floated by Brooklyn Kings owner Daniel Prescott, but Ziehl feels that is too low. "Perhaps we could make do with 21 but injuries and the daily grind make a lower number out of the question for me."
• Due for a promotion. Jim Adams Jr. - Cleveland's top draft pick- was named player of the week in the AA Eastern Association for the second time in as many weeks. Adams is hitting .435 in 24 games in that loop and likely should be headed to Cleveland soon.
• Due for a promotion part two. Brooklyn's top selection, outfielder Pat Petty who went third overall, had quite the start at Class C Marshalltown. The 18 year old hit .300 with 3 homers and 9 rbi's in his first 11 games of pro ball. Petty debuted at #8 on the OSA top prospect list.
• Bob Griffith (.299,1,51) singled off the Stars Billy Riley in the third inning of the Cincinnati Cannons 3-1 win in the second half of their twin bill yesterday. That runs his hitting streak to 21 games - longest in FABL this season.
• Deuce Barrell (14-6, 2.07) halted his first losing streak of the season with a 5-3 win over Brooklyn on Saturday. Deuce had lost his previous two decisions -first time for back-to-back losses all season for the 26 year old lefthander.
• Cougars starter Joe Brown (14-7, 2.55) is on an outstanding run, throwing three consecutive shutouts to improve to 14-7 on the season. In eight of his last nine starts, Brown has allowed one or fewer earned runs while going 7-2 in the span. The 29-year-old has been huge in keeping the Cougars in the pennant race, working to a 2.55 ERA (134 ERA+) and 1.05 WHIP with 43 walks and 77 strikeouts. His 14 wins are tied for second in the CA, and he's pitching at a near 6 WAR pace. The Cougars are now down four on the Cannons, but the Illinois native is doing his best to help his hometown team return to the postseason.
• The Fed batting race is getting interesting. Al Tucker (.345,5,53) of St Louis still leads the Chiefs Jim Watson (.340,5,50) but they are headed in opposite directions in August. Watson is following up a .226 July with .389 so far in August while Tucker is hitting .260 on the month including just .190 over the past week.
• The Chiefs Al Wheeler broke out of his slump with a triple in the first Boston game. He ended up hitting .333/.440/.714 with 2 HR on the week.
• Red Johnson's hitting has picked up since the trade from Detroit to the New York Gothams, but still not up to his usual standards. In 11 games with New York he's .279/.354/.465 with 2 homers and 5 RBI.
• Is the inexperienced starting pitching showing signs of finally cracking in Washington? Yesterday's doubleheader loss to seventh place Detroit did not go well for either Eagles starter. 27 year old rookie Dick Gibbs (7-8, 4.40) had his worst outing of the season and one of the worst starts for any FABL pitcher this year, allowing 9 runs on 7 hits while getting pulled in the second inning of a 9-7 loss in the opener. The nightcap did not go much better as 24 year old Mack Brubaker (1-3, 3.96) allowed 5 Detroit runs in the second inning and only made it through 4 frames of a 6-3 defeat.
• Eagles rookie outfielder hit 3 homers last week. Washington management was not sure if he was ready as he was still just 19 years old on Opening Day, but Alvardo is hitting a solid .285 with 17 homers and 63 rbi's on the season. Only teammate Sig Stofer, with 18, has more round-trippers in FABL than Alvardo.
• Positive news from the Stars outfield, a position that has been a source of frustration all season. Chubby Hall (.275,6,38) seems to finally be finding his stride. The long awaited awakening of the right fielder seems to finally be happening. And Hank Jones (.259,10,42) seems to be surging again. After slumping for a bit he's back to hitting the ball hard again. However, Gary Carmichael is mad about not being the full time third baseman and wants out. It's a slap in the face to Ray Cochran (.255,2,30) to pull him entirely, and with 45 year old Dave Trowbridge still on the team, the Stars can't move him to first. Jones is killing it as a left fielder, so they can't move Cochran there either. Decisions need to be made about the Stars lineup.

• The Allies increase the heat on Italy with more aerial attacks on Rome, Turin and Milan while British warships blast a naval yard in the Gulf of Naples. Allied ground forces in Sicily are within sight of the Italian mainland and increased their bag of prisoners to 125,000.
• The bombings of Rome prompt the Italian government late in the week to declare that Rome is now an 'Open-City'. Acceptance would spare the center of the Catholic world from future bombings, but as of yet there has been no response from Washington.
• Germany was not spared as several targets were shelled this week including a late week bombing raid on Berlin.
• Rumours are circulating that a military coup may soon dislodged Adolf Hitler from power in Germany.
• Weather, soft ground that is easy for digging trenches and absorbs the shock of bomb blasts and a protected location, makes Kiska - site of the last Japanese holdout in the Aleutians a tough not to crack. But it remains a key objective for American troops.
  
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• Fear spreads in Tokio as an American bombing raid hits targets on the northern end of the Japanese Kurile Island chain.
• Russian troops have German occupied Kharkov surrounded and the fall of the city appears imminent.
• Roosevelt and Churchill met face-to-face in Canada for yet another war strategy meeting.
  
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August 23, 1943
 

AUGUST 23, 1943

MINUTEMEN EXTEND LEAD ATOP FED

The Boston Minutemen's lead atop the Federal Association increased to 5.5 games on second place Washington thanks in part to a memorable game yesterday in Detroit. Boston, which went 5-3 last week and are 25-14 since the All-Star break, picked up a week's worth of offense with a 21-0 victory over the Detroit Dynamos Sunday in what may be the most lob-sided game in modern FABL history. It was nearly memorable for a pitching performance as well, with deadline pick-up Paul Richardson coming within one pitch of throwing a no-hitter. His big day was broken up by an infield single off the bat of the Dynamos Bert Wilson with 2 out and 2 strikes in the bottom of the ninth. It put a damper on what was otherwise a very good week for the 7th place Dynamos -who won 8 straight prior to the blowout loss.

Boston extended it's lead to 5.5 games on the second place Washington Eagles, who are just 19-20 since the all-star break. Washington is on a hot streak in comparison to the free-falling Chicago Chiefs, who have won just 14 of 38 contests since the mid-July showcase. The Chiefs are now 7.5 games back and heading in the wrong direction:
The Philadelphia Keystones had been the hottest team of late but after taking 3 of 4 from both St Louis and Chicago, the Keystones went into Detroit and promptly dropped 4 straight games before splitting a doubleheader with the last place Gothams yesterday.

Cincinnati continues to lead the way in the Continental Association after claiming victory in 3 games of their big 4 game showdown with the then-second place Cougars in Chicago. The Cougars had an awful week at home, falling twice to Toronto and once to Philadelphia and are now third. It was a case of bad breaks for Chicago and a lack of timely hitting as three of their 5 losses last week were in extra-innings and two others by a single run. That was also the story in Cincinnati, where the Cannons - aside from their strong showing in the Windy City- dropped a pair of games to both New York and Montreal. Three of the Cannons 5 losses were by just a single run. With a 9-3 record on their current road trip, including taking 3 of 4 in Chicago, the Toronto Wolves are very much still in the Continental pennant picture. The Wolves leapfrogged Chicago last week to take over second place - 4.5 games back of Cincinnati.
8/16/43 9-0 Win
In what has become a rare Monday game on the schedule the Minutemen called upon Ed Wood to take the mound against the Pioneers for the third game of their series in St. Louis. Wood, like he has been many times before this season, was masterful. Ed picked up his 18th win of the season by pitching a complete game, five hit shutout. Pete Day and Chick Donnelly, some of the usual suspects, were the offensive catalysts for the Minutemen. Bill Van Ness also added a solo home run in the fourth off of St. Louis starter Jasper Moore.

8/17/43: 12-4 Loss
Having already secured a series split, Boston was looking to take three out of four from the Pioneers and tasked 14 game winner Duke Hendricks with the assignment. As solid as Hendricks has been throughout the season this was not his game. Duke couldn’t even get out of the first inning and was pulled after five hits and eight earned runs. Although the Minutemen hammered out 12 team hits of their own, they could not muster enough offense to close the first inning hole they dug for themselves. Danny Hern picked up his 10th win of the year for the Pioneers and they celebrated hits from pretty much every player in their lineup.

Ol’ Doc should be happy with a series split against a hot St. Louis club but that last game left a really bad taste in his mouth. Hopefully, it is just a small bump in the road and the boys take time to reflect and re-energize themselves on the long train ride to New York.

As the train pulls into New York’s Central Station Ol’ Doc is reminiscing on all of the times this particular trip would have been a nightmare for one of those hapless Boston squads of the 20’s and 30’s. To be more specific actually, from 1918-1940 the club would finish no higher than third position and that happened all of four times. During that same time period the Gothams would win five pennants and one world title. New York had an especially good run from 30-35 where they would feast on some pretty bad Boston clubs. Of course, you probably do not need Ol’ Doc to sing the Gothams praises because when they are winning they like to remind the whole world of the fact. When they aren’t though this city can forget they even have a team….or three. Safe to say that Ol’ Doc hates this whole damn city and will confine himself to the hotel bar for the duration of this four game trip.

8/18/43: 2-1 Win
The first game of this series featured a very unlikely pitching duel between Paul Richardson for Boston and Les Harris of New York. Although the Minutemen outhit the Gothams 10-4 in this game it was New York that took a 1-0 lead into the eight inning. It was at that point where Harris maybe hit his limit as he walked back to back hitters with one out and then fell behind in the count to Chick Donnelly. Chick, who had four hits in the game, would tie the game up with a single to right chasing Harris from the contest. Sam Hodge would come into the game for the Gothams and promptly give up an RBI single to Art Spencer adding a second earned run to Harris on the afternoon. That would be all the scoring in this one as Johnny Harry would pitch a scoreless ninth inning picking up save number 15 on the season.

8/19/43: 5-3 Loss
In a recent publication Ol’ Doc elaborated on the up and down efforts of SP Joe Sargent. Coming off of a dazzling performance last Sunday against St. Louis, Joe was probably in line for a clunker against the Gothams. He definitely delivered in that regard. Sargent could not get out of the sixth inning and his final line was five earned on eight hits with six walks. With a line like that it was shocking that the final score was only 5-3. Fred Pecora and Leon Drake accounted for all of the Gotham RBI’s in the win.

8/20/43: 9-2 Win
Game three was Boston’s chance to lay the hammer on a New York starter and that starter was Roy Helland. Roy held his own for the first three innings but the Minutemen busted things open with a five run fourth thanks in part to Bill Moore’s two run triple. Moore would also add a home run in the seventh and Chick Donnelly would add three hits as well. Boston starter Walt Wells would pick up win number nine on the year going eight strong giving up a single earned run. The win would give the Minutemen a guaranteed series split with the opportunity to take three of four with a win tomorrow.

8/21/43: 6-5 (11) Win
Both Ed Wood (Bos) and Rusty Petrick (NY) did not have their best stuff early in this one. Boston would be the first team to score with a two run second thanks in part to a Harry Barrell triple. New York would answer right back in the bottom of the frame with a solo shot from 2B Archie McCarty who picked a fine time to hit only his second home run of the year. Things would get worse for Boston as the Gothams scored two more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-2 lead. The score would hold until the sixth where a couple of walks and a two run single from Chick Donnelly would allow Boston to retake the lead 4-3. Boston would call upon Johnny Harry to finish off the Gothams but back to back doubles by Leonardo Magana and Walt Messer would tie the game sending it into extra innings. As the game moved to the 11th Sam Hodge was now on the mound for the Gthams when their defense fell apart allowing the Minutemen to plate two unearned runs. Walt Messer would hit a homer in the bottom of the 11th but that was as close as the Gothams would get as Boston would escape with a hard fought albeit lucky victory.

Ol’ Doc considers four days of awful hotel food and cheap water cut whiskey a small price to pay for a 3-1 series victory. Ol’ Doc looks forward to seeing his old buddy Freddie Farhat in Detroit as he is very generous with his whiskey……. and it is never cut.

8/22/43: Game 1: 4-3 (11) Loss; Game 2: 21-0 Win
Only in baseball can you trade your best hitter and then rattle off seven straight wins not long after. This is the exact scenario the Minutemen found themselves in as they would continue their month long road trip to Detroit. Ol’ Doc believes the Minutemen were silently hoping for some easy wins over both New York and Detroit who are both sitting in the cellar of the FA standings. Even though Boston was able to take 3 of four from New York the wins were anything but easy. Now the Minutemen had to take on the hottest team in baseball. The lesson here is, nothing is easy or a given in the FABL.

Boston would send Duke Hendricks to the mound who was well rested after his drubbing in New York. Detroit would counter with Fred Radcliffe who was looking to push the Dynamo win streak to eight games. Offensively Boston did the job with four doubles among their 12 hits on the afternoon, yet they still found themselves in a 3-3 tie after nine innings. Fred Radcliffe, who showed remarkable stamina, harkening back to an earlier era where such things were commonplace, had to pitch around a leadoff double by Pete Day in the top of the 11th. Radcliffe would intentionally walk the red hot Chick Donnelly and then get a foul pop out by Jack Flint and a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Harry Barrell to end the threat. A two out single from Woody Quartey in the bottom half of the inning off of Clarence Linden would seal the victory for the Dynamos.

Lost in the sauce of the game two thumping that would make the Boston Americans football team proud was the one hitter pitched by Paul Richardson. Richardson was a single out from a no-hitter when CF Bert Wilson had the audacity to break things up. It was probably the only thing that Detroit got right on this day. Detroit pitching would give up 21 runs on 17 hits with 6 errors defensively. Ol’ Doc took pity on his old pal Freddie Farhat who was particularly indulged by the end of the contest with some encouraging words along the lines of “these things happen every once in a while” Freddie’s semi sarcastic reply was “I’m not sure this has ever happened”. Thinking back Ol’ Doc thinks Freddie may have a point. Believe it or not the Minutemen once again managed to NOT hit a home run even though they seemed to be able to do everything else offensively.
One particular statistic of note was the nine RBI’s by Chick Donnelly which tied the FABL single game record. Donnelly becomes just the fourth player ever to have a 9-rbi game in FABL joining a pair of Detroiters in Ed Watley (1896) and Cy Lynch (1924) along with former Brooklyn Kings third baseman John Langille, who turned the trick in 1934.

In other news the second place Eagles posted a 2-7 week to allow the Minutemen to stretch their FA division lead to 5.5 games. With a day off on Monday the Minutemen will continue their three game series against Detroit. Then it will be two more off days for travel and rest before they finish the road trip in Philadelphia with a four game set.

1944 DRAFT PREVIEW

PART III: HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS

A year ago when we looked at the top prospects for the 1944 draft a pair of high school arms, along with college pitcher Carl Fritz stood out. One of those high schoolers was Lee Ahlstrom, a player OSA thought could one day be a top of the rotation arm. Ahlstrom had solid season but OSA's opinion has dropped on him. The other one was Jack Entringer, a Michigan native who had a solid season but certainly not as good as his sophomore campaign. Entringer still projects to be one of the better high school arms available but he has fallen behind three others who emerged following terrific junior seasons.

Here is a look at those three and the rest of our top ten High School pitchers available for the 1944 draft.

1: ROY SCHAUB - RHP - St Joseph's HS, Philadelphia: 13-0, 0.41, 242 K, 17 BB - It is hard to envision a scenario where Schaub does not go #1 overall. A three year starter at his Philadelphia High School, Schaub was the Adwell Award winner this past spring after posting a season for the ages. His 0.12 FIP was the second lowest ever recorded, only surpassed by Hiram Steinberg's amazing 0.00 FIP in 1940. Schaub did set a post-feeder era record with 242 strikeouts and for pitcher WAR with an 11.2. Only Steinberg's 10.1 in 1940 reached double-digits prior to Schaub. OSA calls him a "future #1 starter".

2: RICK DIXON - RHP- Honey Brook (PA)HS: 11-0, 1.40, 157 K, 35 BB -[ Dixon has been very impressive in two seasons of high school ball. OSA says an great change-up and excellent forkball highlight his four-pitch repertoire and sees him as having #2 starter potential.

3: BERT ROGERS -LHP- Wenona (IL) HS: 11-1, 1.04, 160 K, 25 BB - The Chicago born lefthander is a real worm killer with plenty of movement on his pitches. Perhaps not a #1 starter, but OSA sees Rogers ending up "near the top of any major league rotation."

4: JACK ENTRINGER - RHP - Bay City (MI) HS: 7-2, 2.11, 106 K, 35 BB - Certainly a step back from his outstanding 9-0, 0.78 sophomore campaign, one in which Entringer was ranked #2 among high school arms in our report last August. He dipped a little as a junior but OSA still projects the 17 year old as a "solid mid-rotation starter with three solid pitches."

5: ANDY MacFARLAND -RHP - Spring City (PA) HS: 7-3, 2.06, 117 K, 26 BB -Quite a crop of pitchers coming out of the Philadelphia area with McFarland certainly being a step down from Schaub and Dixon but still a possible first round candidate. He has great size at 6'5" and one would expect McFarland will add some speed to his fastball, which tops out at 88 mph presently. OSA feels he is a 5th starter.

6: LEE AHLSTROM - RHP - Harmony (MN) HS: 11-2, 1.92, 169 K, 46 BB - A year ago OSA was calling Ahlstrom a future number one starter and comparing him with fellow Minnesota high school graduates Donnie and Johnnie Jones. He was the top prospect when we looked at the list a year ago but now, despite a decent season, OSA feels that while Ahlstrom has the tools to start, "more than five innings may empty his tank if he's being read well." His work ethic has been questioned and perhaps that is a factor in OSA's downgrading of Ahlstrom, but we feel he will still likely draw first round interest.

7: GEORGE HENDERSON - LHP- Roosevelt HS, Oakland, CA: 9-3, 1.38, 174 K, 24 BB- The tree starter at Roosevelt High in Oakland had a big season as a junior to catch the attention of scouts. He has an excellent circle change as the best of his 4 pitches and peaked at 92 mph last season. OSA feels he should fit into the back end of a FABL rotation once he matures.

8: VIRGIL HARRIS - RHP - Christopher (IL) HS: 4-0, 0.97, 87 K, 10 BB - Born in Boston but grew up in the midwest, Harris made his high school debut this past season as a junior. Did not pitch a lot but OSA sees him finding a spot in the back-end of a big league rotation one day.

9: RON BERRY - LHP - Elm Springs (AK) HS: 9-0, 0.94, 176 K, 23 BB -After seeing limited starts as a sophomore, Berry had a breakout season his junior year and earned a spot on the High School All-American team. Undersized at 5'7", 135 lbs, the 17 year old does not throw hard and OSA feels there are concerns about whether his lack of control will be a problem. He certainly had no issues as a high school player but OSA does not see his skills translating to big league ball.

10: AL ROBISON- RHP - North Smithfield (RI) HS: 7-1, 1.59, 111 K, 30 BB. There could be as many as three Rhode Island high school players drafted in the January with Robison and the two Warwick High School players in infielder Leo Warren and outfielder Paul Caissie. As for Robison, OSA does not expect a lot from him but says he is one of a number of pitchers in this draft class who might vie for a depth starting spot.


HONOURABLE MENTION
George Brown RHP, Kenmore HS, Akron, Oh, 5-4, 1.88, 106 K, 26 BB
George Polk LHP Sanbornton (NH) HS, 6-1, 1.44, 100 K, 13 BB
Lonnie Sis RHP Winnebago (MN) HS, 4-0, 1.28, 69 K, 16 BB
Bill Slappy RHP Villisca (IA) HS, 5-0, 1.85, 87 K, 28 BB
Walt Staton RHP Emmitsburg (MD) HS, 6-0, 1.25, 76 K, 13 BB
Pryor Stone RHP Boys Latin HS, Baltimore, MD :8-2, 2.47, 128 K, 48 BB

Next up in our Draft Preview, TWIFB will post a mock first round.

Will the real Red Johnson please stand up? -Gothams fans are wondering when they’ll see the feared slugger of years past. Sure it’s only been 18 games, but Johnson has continued the dismal performance he showed in Detroit this season. If anything he’s slumped further in the power department. So far Red is at .246/.346/.362 for the Gothams. Fans aaa few whispering that maybe they’ve received damaged goods. Surely the Messer/Johnson combo should be more dynamic.
I’d advise caution. Red is having a down year. No doubt affected by playing for two poor teams and the shocking mid season trade. I believe that 1944 will show us the true Red Johnson.

*** BOWMAN CAN'T CATCH A BREAK ***

Ed Bowman throws 10.2 innings of shutout ball but can't get the win in eventual 1-0 victory for the team. Last two starts 0 ER in 19.2 innings. A year ago Ed was getting decent run support, 3.8 runs per game as an average over his 34 starts. This year? Just 2.2 and third lowest in FABL as only the Stars Billy Riley and Chuck Wirtz of Toronto have received less support. That certainly explains his 10-12 record on the season compared to 23-8 a year ago. Not much change in his ERA - in fact it is slightly better than last season at 2.33

I'm hearing news around the Gothams offices that the team may promote AAA 3B Eddie Ziehl when rosters expand in September. The son of Gothams legend and manager Ed Ziehl, is now 25 and doesn't appear that he will ever truly be a major league regular. The younger Ziehl is hitting .227 at AAA Toledo in only 12 games. With the possibility that Eddie may join the military after the season, the team appears ready, in this lost season, to reward the Ziehl's for their lifelong dedication to the team.

When asked about the possibility of being joined in New York by his son, the elder Ziehl commented, "I really have nothing to add to that speculation. Sure it would be a thrill to see him out there in a Gothams uniform. If it happens, I'd like him to wear #5."

Now wouldn't that be a bit of nostalgia for the Gothams faithful, to see Ziehl - 5 out on the field again.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

The Toronto Wolves 9-4 record thus far on the 23 game road trip is about where they hoped to be in this critical juncture of the season. Three wins in extras this week were a big help towards the goal. Those three wins brought the Wolves season record to 7-2 in extended games for the season. Their record in one-run games is now 23-11 with the second FABL best road record of 38-25, trailing only Cincinnati who are 39-24. Both these are a reversal of 1942 where road or close game wins were hard to come by for Toronto. Toronto remains within shouting distance of the Cannons, hope to remain no worse than 4 1/2 games back finishing the last 10 games of the road trip.

• The New York Gothams are just 13-24 since the all-star break- worst in either association. Red Johnson (.246,2,7) has not been anywhere near as dominant as had been hoped hitting behind Walt Messer in the Gothams lineup.
• Al Tucker of St Louis hit .310 last week holding on to the Fed batting lead while Joe Watson of the Chiefs has a horrible week dropping to fifth in the batting race. The Pioneers went 4-4 and remain 4 games above .500 but they need a winning streak if they are going to make a pennant push.

BOSTON AMERICANS TO FACE ALL-STARS

There will be football this week as the AFA champion Boston Americans are set to face a team of college all-stars in a game slated for Evanston, Illinois. The college stars will be led by 3-sport athlete Pat Chappell of St Magnus. The senior is the quarterback of the Vikings grid squad and was an All-Great Lakes Alliance performer as a basketballer after helping the St Magnus hardwood five to the national title game last spring. Chappell also plays in the outfield for the Vikings baseball team.

*** PRO GRID CLUBS TO CARRY 28 ***

Having reviewed the manpower situation last week, the American Football Association has increased the player limit from 25 to 28. The circuit also was motivated by worries over what the new draft of fathers might do to team personnel. The standard of 25 was set at last April's meeting. Some of the owners had recently sought to have the limit boosted to 33 or 35, but others held it would put an unnecessary burden on transportation facilities.

• Allied fliers continue nightly bombing runs with Milan and Berlin key targets to start the week while Turin bore the brunt of the attacks to end it.
• It is believed last week's meeting between FDR and Churchill in Quebec was to formalize plans for an invasion of France across the English Channel. Those suspicions are confirmed when the Allies warn the French to prepare for invasion in a broadcast later in the week.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/1i1RwzS.jpg
• A surprise move in the Solomons deals a serious blow to Japan's grip. American soldiers and marines captured Bella Lavella Island in the northwest and places the Yanks within 70 miles from Japanese strongholds on the northernmost island.
• It was followed quickly by a massive air raid that wrecked a Japanese fleet of 170 planes and cancelled enemy plans for a counter-offensive in New Guinea.
• Allied forces also have retaken Kiska Island, as the Japanese fled without a fight just as a large American armada approached the Aleutians.
• President Roosevelt has authorized the immediate drafting for military duty for any strikers in war industry, as well has the imposition of harsh penalties against unions and employers failing to comply with War Labor Board orders.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/t7AVE78.jpg

August 30, 1943
 

AUGUST 30, 1943

1944 DRAFT PREVIEW: MOCK FIRST ROUND WITH RUBE CARTER

To conclude our summer look at the 1944 draft class, TWIFB calls on long-time scout and former FABL outfielder Rube Carter to give us his "draft board" for the first round. Carter, who retired last fall after twenty years as the Scouting Director for Brooklyn, the Chicago Chiefs and St Louis, was instrumental in drafting a number of the players that played important roles on the Brooklyn Kings dynasty team after he had moved on to Chicago, where he was a staff member for two World Championship winning Chiefs ballclubs.

"The first thing to remember," said the 64 year old Carter, "is the draft board can be fluid especially this early in the process. There are still a lot of fluctuations as our scouts come in with reports, and then there are that final crop of 'discoveries' - players who have not played AIAA or high school ball but burst on to the scene for their draft year. There are usually a few gems like that every year that go in the opening round and bump everyone else down a peg or two. In addition, some teams look at need more than others with their first round selection. Others maybe value college players with a little more certainty to them or high schoolers with perhaps more growth potential so every team has things fairly different, especially after the first two or three guys. That being said, here is how I have my first round right now."

1- ROY SCHAUB - 17 yr old RHP - School: St Joseph's HS, Philadelphia. Hometown: Camden, NJ
It seems clear the Detroit Dynamos will be picking first overall, either with their own pick or the one they acquired from the Gothams. Either way, I see no possibility that the Dynamos choose anyone other than Schaub, who had a record-setting performance this past season that rivals, and in some ways surpasses, anything super high schooler Hiram Steinberg accomplished before Cleveland selected him number one three years ago.

2- JOE ROBINSON 17 yr old Catcher - School: Warren (PA) HS. Hometown: Warren, PA.
The Foresters or Stars are likely picking second. Either way, they both need their catcher of the future and Robinson appears to project to be a very good one. This would be a nice fit for Cleveland, especially, as the Foresters have some great young pitchers and last January selected their shortstop of the next decade in Jim Adams Jr., so "Big Joe", a 6'3" catcher, would fit in perfectly.

3- RICK DIXON - 17 yr old RHP- School: Honey Brook (PA)HS. Hometown: Philadelphia, PA.
Detroit likely picks third as well and I see them potentially looking for a big bat, perhaps one of those late additions who typically show up, but if there is not one to be found I would not be surprised for them to keep the run of Pennsylvania high school stars rolling with the choice of Dixon. He is not quite Roy Schaub but should be a very solid pitching prospect and Detroit would likely be drooling at the prospects of a rotation a few years down the road with Schaub and Dixon leading the way.

4- BEN THOMPSON- 17 yr old RF - School: Yazoo City (MS) HS. Hometown: Yazoo City, MS.
Thompson was the Adwell Award winner as the best high school player in the nation two years ago and a first team All-American selection last season. He looks like a hitting machine, both for power and average.

5-EDDIE LOGAN - 20 yr old 2B - School: Gates University. Hometown: San Francisco, CA.
Logan, who's dad Sherry Logan played college ball at Brunswick University, reminds me a little of Sam Orr. Both are a little on the smallish side but play solid defense and can hit.

6-GARY BURGESS- 17 yr old SS - School: Downey (CA) HS. Hometown: French Valley, CA.
I could see Burgess going ahead of Logan. Both are California born infielders with loads of upside and perhaps Burgess has just a little more upside than Logan, but also is likely a little more risk to taking him as well.

7- DAVE McCRAW - 17 year old SS- School: Xavier HS, New York City. Hometown: New York, NY
Remember last January when shortstop Homer Mills dropped to St Louis at 6th. I can see that happening with McCraw as well as teams may look to a pitcher before he gets selected. It was clear last year that Jim Adams Jr. was #1 and Mills #2 among shortstops but this year it is a little less cut and dried as I could see some teams liking McCraw over Burgess as the top shortstop available. Regardless, both should be gone before the first round gets too far past it's midway point.

8- BERT ROGERS -17 yr old LHP- School: Wenona (IL) HS. Hometown: Chicago, IL
There are always talented Chicago kids in the draft and Rogers is no exception this year. The lefthander has put together two very good high school seasons and FABL clubs love to take pitchers early so expect Rogers likely to be gone in the first half of the opening round.

9- JACK ENTRINGER - 17 yr old RHP - School: Bay City (MI) HS. Hometown: Bay City, MI.
See above for the comment on FABL clubs and their infatuation with pitchers. Entringer looks like he could be a very solid middle of the rotation option so expect him not to last the first round, although there are likely some position players that deserve a look ahead of him.

10: RED RODGERS - 17 yr old C - School: Lewiston (NY) HS. Hometown: Buffalo, NY
If I am picking 10th and Rodgers, a 6'3" 190 lb teen who looks like a prototypical catcher, is still available I am grabbing him instantly.

11: JIM FLOWERS - 17 yr old 1B - School: New Eagle (PA) HS. Hometown: New Eagle, PA
May well be the fourth Pennsylvania high school selected in the first round. I know first baseman get downgraded a lot but I would be tempted to look at Flowers even within the top 10. Great size, at 6'4", 210 lbs, so the worry that the power does not seem to be there should go away as he matures. I see him as a Ron Rattigan type player.

12: CAL YEAGER - 17 yr old C - School: Lodi (OH) HS. Hometown: Lodi, OH
Showed a bit of power in his lone season of high school ball and OSA thinks he can be an above average contact hitter. I don't think he will be a George Cleaves/Tom Bird type but has a great chance to slot into the group just below the elite catchers in the league.

13: FRED TROY - 21 yr old CF - School: Maryland State. Hometown: New York, NY
A key member of the AIAA champion Maryland State Bengals he looks to be an above average big league centerfielder. Perhaps not quite an all-star but a very solid player.

14: LOU McCRIGHT- 17 yr old 3B - school: Clark HS, New Orleans. Hometown: Greenwell Springs, LA
I am hesitant to put McCright in my first round as there are concerns about just how badly he wants to be a big league ballplayer. The talent is there for him to be a very good hitter, maybe even better than .300 if you ask OSA, but I feel he is a risky selection and it all comes down to how hard he is willing to work to ensure his success.

15: EDDIE HALEY - 17 yr old SS - school: Hamburg (IA) HS. Hometown: Omaha, NE
I debated long and hard about putting Haley or Baton Rogue State SS Bill Doucette in this spot. All things being equal I normally lean towards the college guy over a high schooler but Haley performed very well in his one season of high school ball and I feel that may be a springboard for him while Doucette just felt like he underperformed last year.

16: LEE AHLSTROM - 17 yr old RHP- School: Harmony (MN) HS. Hometown: Barnesville, MN.
I can't shake the feeling he is another Donnie or Johnnie Jones, the dominant Minnesota born high school stars now in the Cougars organization. He entered last season as future ace in OSA's mind and then proceeded to put up some strong numbers during the season only to see OSA's opinion on him drop drastically. I am not sure he is a number one like OSA thought a year ago, but I have a hunch he could develop into a middle of the rotation option.

Next week our draft preview coverages looks ahead to 1945, with a way-too-early list of the top prospects eligible a year and a half from now.


Dave Trowbridge got his start in professional baseball like many players these days. The war had cut into the supply of ballplayers sufficiently skilled to hit, catch and throw a baseball which made it perhaps just a little easier for an 18 year old kid fresh out of high school ball to stick with the Evansville outfit of the Heartland League. The only difference between Trowbridge and the many youth that were given opportunities because of Selective Service is that for Trowbridge it happened over 25 years ago and the player shortage was caused by the first World War, not the current situation.

"It's hard to believe how different things were back then," mused Trowbridge over the weekend, "yet in many ways nothing has changed." He paused reflectively and then added, "It has for me though. I'm over the hill. There's always someone younger coming up behind you and in my case there aren't really any people older so it's time to get out."

Three weeks past his 45th birthday, but still a productive regular on a now struggling New York Stars nine, Trowbridge says he will not return next season. With 2895 career hits, 212 homeruns and nearly 2400 games played, the man known as "Father Time" will end his career among the FABL leaders in many key categories including doubles where his 597 tops anyone to ever play the game at it's highest level. His next stop is almost assuredly Boone County and enshrinement in the baseball Hall of Fame. In fact a recent straw poll of scribes saw virtual unanimous support for his candidacy.

John Brinker of the New York Mirror summed up Trowbridge this way: " I think his insane longevity is a part of why I think he IS a HOF though too. He got a late start because he never really got a chance in Pittsburgh and was a key component on some very good (New York Stars) teams in the early 30s before the GM change when he became the best - and in some years, the only good - player on some bad teams. When the Stars again changed hands and soared back into contention, he was again a key cog. I think all that plays into this - his longevity and the fact that he was the best, or one of the best, players on some very, very good teams."

Trowbridge played in 4 World Championship Series, winning two of them with the Stars while hitting an amazing .500 (32-for-64) in WCS play - second highest all-time. He was also selected 4 times for the FABL all-star game. What he has accomplished with his career is even more amazing when you consider he did not become an everyday player until a trade from Pittsburgh to the Stars 3 months before his 30th birthday. What would his numbers have been like with 5 more seasons as an everyday player? Not only was he dealt for a second round pick in 1928 by the Pittsburgh Miners but Trowbridge was also released once - in 1922 by the Montreal Saints.

By the way, the player the Miners drafted with that second round pick they received from Trowbridge just prior to him breaking out with the Stars was a former Whitney College first baseman by the name of Rocky Crawford. Crawford spent a decade in the minors, peaking at AA, before retiring. Think the Miners might want a do-over on that deal?

PIONEERS WIN NINE STRAIGHT

The St Louis Pioneers are suddenly the hottest team in baseball, with 9 straight victories and 21 wins in their last 30 outings. The Pioneers still trail the front-running Boston Minutemen by 5.5 games for the Federal Association lead but they are now in second place and making September relevant to their fans for first time since 1937. Each of their next 6 games and 9 of their next 13 are against either Detroit or New York -owners of the two worst records in the Fed- so if the Pioneers can stay hot they may just make a 3-game series in Boston in the final week of the season very important.

The clock struck midnight on Washington after the trade deadline as the Eagles, enjoying their best campaign in well over a decade, have stumbled to a 9-17 record in August and, unless things turn around very quickly, appear to have been rudely awakened from what was shaping up to be a dream season. Chicago has also struggled despite stocking up on veteran talent in July, and a five-game losing streak a little over week ago derailed the Keystones. That is not to say one -or more- of those three can't get hot and get back into the race but if so it better happen soon.

*** CANNONS EXTEND CONTINENTAL LEAD ***

A 5-2 week allowed the Cincinnati Cannons to add to their lead on second place Toronto atop the Continental Association. It now sits at 5.5 games with the slumping Chicago Cougars clinging desperately to a glimmer of hope as they sit 7.5 off the pace. The Continental race might well be decided during a stretch from September 10-19 when the Cannons and Wolves play 8 game against each other. Both clubs will be well rested as neither plays anyone else during that 10 day period.
8/24/43: 7-6 Loss
With the historically bad loss from the day before behind them, Dynamo starting pitcher Mule Earl was set to put his team back on the right track. For seven innings Mule frustrated the Boston hitters and kept them off the scoreboard while his offense built him a 4-0 lead. Then, as it has happened on a few occasions during this road trip, the Boston offense would wake up and hang a crooked number on the board. The Minutemen hit not one but two three run shots in the eight inning courtesy of Harry Barrell and Joe Watson to chase Earl from the game. Boston starter Walt Wells now looked good for the win as skipper Billy Boshart would hand the ball off to Johnny Harry to pitch the game's final two innings. Harry would promptly blow the save by allowing a single to Don Hersey, a triple to Aart MacDonald and a single to Bill Ball. Interestingly enough Boshart decided to leave Harry into the game for the ninth inning where Harry would surrender another triple, this time to Sid Williams setting up a game winning hit by Frank Vance to win it for Detroit. It was a great moment for Vance who is probably feeling pretty lonely as the team's elder statesmen and the one guy Detroit couldn’t figure a way to ship off at the deadline.

8/25/43: 3-1 Win
It was the Ed Wood show in the series finale as he went eight innings allowing an earned run on seven hits. Johnny Harry, the heel in yesterday's game, was once again asked to close out the game for a save. This time Harry was able to get the job done and pick up save #16 on the year. For Wood it was his 19th victory which puts him into a serious discussion to be this year's Allen Award winner in the FA. Offensively it was Bob Donoghue’s two run homer in the sixth that put Boston ahead for good. The win secured a series split for the Minutemen. Not the best possible outcome but road splits tend to not hurt teams too badly in the standings over the long haul.

Now the road trip will get a few days off and head into the “City of Brotherly Love” to finish the road trip. Ol’ Doc thinks it would be mighty “brotherly” of the Keystones if they would lay down and give the club a four game sweep. However, Ol’ Doc is pretty sure that Keystone skipper Bill Libby will have his boys ready to play and will look to spoil the end of the Boston road trip.

8/28/43: 6-2 (13) Win
The first game of the four game set featured a pair of solid pitching performances from Duke Hendricks of Boston and Jim Whiteley of Philadelphia. Both starters were able to weave their way out of major damage and end their days with 2 earned runs each. Whitely was a bit more effective as he was able to give the Keystones 9.2 innings of work while his counterpart left after seven. The game was tied a two when the bullpens took over and the game stretched to the 13th inning. Once again the Boston offense found a way to strike for a big multi-run inning, this time for four runs, which was enough to secure the victory. Offensively for the Minutemen Pete Day led the club with three hits and Barrell led the club with two RBI’s.

8/29/43: 3-0 Loss
Just over 13,000 fans made it out for Sunday’s game on a beautiful 74 degree day at Broad Street Park. For those fans in attendance they must have left thoroughly impressed with the hometown hurler Red Ross. Ross, the two-time all-star, was fantastic in pitching a five hit shutout. It was the first time that the vaunted Boston offense had been shut out on this entire road trip. Boston starter Paul Richardson was fine in his own regard, as he also pitched a complete game, but he just simply did not have enough to match Red Ross on this day.

Boston has two more games in Philadelphia and then this road trip will be in the books. Currently the Minutemen are 11-7 on the trip so it could easily be called a successful venture. Next for the minutemen is a nine game home stand starting with Pittsburgh for three as the calendar flips over to September.

There is currently a brand new team chasing the Minutemen in the standings and it would be the red hot St. Louis Pioneers who have gone 9-1 in their last ten games. While the Pioneers are still 5.5 games back in the standings they have done some fine work to put themselves in the discussion. At the All-Star game the Pioneers owned a 40-40 record and were eight games out of first. Of course the Minutemen were three games out themselves and in 3rd place. At the deadline the Minutemen found themselves in first by a half a game and St. Louis was languishing in 4th place with a 48-48 record. Then along came August where the Pioneers peeled off a 19-9 compared to Boston’s 14-11 mark. St. Louis has jumped both the Chiefs and Eagles and have the Minutemen firmly in their sights. Odds makers still give Boston about a 90% chance of winning the FA but stranger things have happened. Time is certainly against St. Louis. Even if Boston finished 14-15 in their last 29 games, St. Louis would have to go 20-10 in their last 30 just to pull even at the end of the season and force a playoff. Ol’ Doc understands that you definitely do not want a club to back into a division crown, but he does want to point out that the Minutemen simply have to play even baseball the rest of the way to secure said title.

• Big leaguers in the service will be back. That promise was proclaimed by Fred McCormick after the Ohio native and former Toronto Wolves star spoke following an appearance at Forester Park in Cleveland as part of a military camp exhibition prior to the Wolves-Foresters game on Friday. The 33 year old, who last played professional baseball in May of 1941, says he is confident most former big leaguers will be back when the war is over. McCormick was the first of the front line stars to wear a khaki uniform.
• The talk on Trowbridge's Hall of Fame potential got tongues wagging among scribes in various press boxes around the league. The conversation naturally went to Charlie Stedman, the former Miners hurler and current Marine instructor who won 250 games over his long career. Percy Sutherland of the Chicago Herald-Examiner thinks "Stedman is still just on the outside (even though sentimentally, I would love to see him get it). There are 15 batters with at least 2800 hits. There are 29 pitchers with at least 250 wins (which is Stedman's total). If you up that to 285, now you have 16 players (but without Stedman). Of those 16 pitchers, 6 are in the HOF. I suspect, as a group, we are bit tougher on pitchers than we are on hitters.
• John Brinker of the New York Daily Mirror agreed: "Yes, I don't think Stedman makes it - maybe Veteran's Committee material down the road. I agree on the pitchers. Aside from Trowbridge, my list would be John Lawson, Fred McCormick, Frank Vance, Harry Barrell, Al Wheeler, Bob Martin & Bobby Barrell on the hitters side and Rabbit Day, Jim Lonardo and Lefty Allen (he's 9 years in, so I'm cheating there) on the pitching side (I really like Ed Wood, but I don't know that he has enough seasons left in his career). There are likely more - Tom Bird has a good shot but is outside for me at the moment - this was kind of an off the top of my head kind of thing. Ah, forgot Mel Carrol - he's one too."
• Archie Irwin of the Chicago Daily News shared his thoughts on the topic as well. "I agree on most of these. Martin is a bit surprising but he was crazy consistent pre injury. But I cant pick him over Hank Barnett. I'd also argue Dick Walker over Martin. Barnett and Walker probably have more left in the tank too. Pitchers I still think Stedman deserves it. Dick Lyons is doing his best to sneak in, but he's running out of time. And he doesn't win enough games so that'll hurt him. If he wasn't a Cougar I likely wouldn't vote for him. Wood is a tough one; I'm a big fan of his but it's close now. I think if he gets 250 wins he deserves it. Insane inning eater with a lot of consistency. But right now he's on the outside looking in."
• Denton Fox of the Pittsburgh Press immediately brought up catcher George Cleaves as a clear candidate.
• As for myself, well when news broke that Trowbridge was retiring my immediate thought was "Next stop, Boone County" Day and Lonardo are locks for me, as are Harry Barrell, Bobby Barrell, Wheeler, Lawson and Vance. Lefty Allen could be but this is a down season for him. Is it just one of those things or is it the start of a downward trend? An arm worn out from pitching so many innings? Denton Fox mentioned it but to me George Cleaves is in as well.
• Changing topics, it has been such a strange season in Chicago. The Chiefs have now had 3 of the 4 Players of the Week in August but have a 13-15 record to show for it.

ARMY BAN IS DRIVING ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS OUT OF FOOTBALL

It was only 10 days ago that Secretary of War Stimson reiterated that Army trainees could not participate in college athletics. Since then schools have fluttered from the football bandwagon with all the grace of nickels spilling from a broken slot machine. Six weeks ago the Associated Press reported that 189 colleges had given up the sport since December 7, 1941. But since the beginning of August 47 more have made their decisions, approximately half of them in the past week.

The Great South Conference was the latest to drop nearly all eligibility rules in an effort to help the members of that circuit along by making any available service man a team prospect. Nearly every other conferences had done the same earlier and most independents planned to follow along, but that move has not been enough to stem the exodus of teams from the sport.

The sections of the country that have benefited and promise to field strong teams are in the Southwestern Alliance and schools in the midwest. Each with a large contingent of Naval and Marine trainees. The sport will go on, of course, but it will be with a greatly reduced field this year and likely for the duration.

• Allied planes continue to rain a hurricane of bombs, day and night, on Italian targets. Forces also continue to hit Germany nightly, with Hamburg, Nuremberg and Berlin each the target of large raids. Some reports put the death toll in the Berlin raid at 12,000.
  
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• In their haste to evacuate Kiska with a large U.S. armada on it's way, the last of the Japanese forces razed houses on the island to help build barges in order to attempt to traverse the 70 miles of sea and travel to Buldir Island, where they made rendezvous with small ships.
• Prime Minister Churchill will meet with President Roosevelt in Washington next week as Churchill concludes his visit to Canada.
• Finland has reached out to Britain in helps of brokering a peace agreement with the Russians.
• King Boris III of Bulgaria died of a mysterious ailment, plunging the invasion menaced Balkans into the most severe crisis since the Nazi sweep through Yugoslavia and Greece two years ago. Six year old Prince Simeon immediately ascended the throne with control of the number one Axis satellite country placed in the hands of a council of ministers.
  
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September 6, 1943
 

SEPTEMBER 6, 1943

PIONEERS RIDING 13 GAME WINNING STREAK

The St Louis Pioneers have closed to within 3 games of first place in the Federal Association as the club, in the midst of a 13 game winning streak, makes a bid for it's first pennant since 1921. No one has illustrated the turnaround this season of the St Louis ballclub, which has lost at least 85 games each of the past three campaigns, better than 35 year old Sam Sheppard. Once considered among the best pitchers in the game -he won an Allan Award in 1935- Sheppard had fallen on hard times in recent years, making just 3 starts in the previous two seasons. But here he is 1943, suddenly relevant again -just like his ballclub- and the first 20-game winner in FABL this season. Sheppard (20-6, 3.23) has gone 6-1 since August 1 and is a big reason why the Pioneers are on a 25-9 run.

Boston, like most of the other Fed contenders, has cooled off late -the Minutemen are just 16-14 since the beginning of August- and with 4 weeks to play they are clinging to a 3-game lead on St Louis. Washington was the surprise team for much of the season, until being replaced in that category by the Pioneers lately, and the Eagles, despite dropping 4-straight to the Pioneers a week and a half ago and in the midst of an 11-20 slide, are still in the mix. The Eagles are 5.5 games back but play a doubleheader in Boston today and have two more games with the Minutemen next week. While Washington still has a chance at it's first pennant since 1925, the odds overwhelmingly favour the Boston nine.
Boston fans can also take comfort in the fact that 19 of their final 24 games -including 3 with St Louis in the final week of the season- are at their shiny new Minutemen Stadium, a venue at which Boston has been a very solid 39-19 on the year. Washington will also finish with 19 of their last 24 home while St Louis has the odds of completing it's comeback further stacked against the club due to the fact that just 7 of their final 26 contests are at Pioneers Field. However, it is important to note that at 34-24, the Pioneers own the best road record in the Fed this season and they get veteran centerfielder Gail Gifford (.314,4,61) back from the injured list this week after missing a month and a half. The odds may be against the Pioneers, but the way they are playing it would be foolish to count them out entirely.
Despite losing a pair of games to the Philadelphia Sailors over the weekend the Cincinnati Cannons have extended their lead atop the Continental Association to 8 games on Toronto and 9 on slumping Chicago. The best starting pitching in baseball, led by Deuce Barrell (16-9, 2.05), Butch Smith (18-6, 2.44) and Vic Carroll (11-4, 2.10) is a big reason why the Cannons own the best record in baseball at the moment, but the deadline trade pick-ups have also played a key role. Lefthander Chris Clarke is 4-4 with a 2.14 era since arriving from the New York Stars while the additions of Sam Brown (.326,0,34), Billy Dalton (.274,10,42) and even Jack Cleaves (.233,0,9) are all offensive upgrades on the players they replaced. Dalton was named the Continental Association player of the month for August.

As for what is ahead in the CA race, the Cannons have a twin bill with Cleveland -a team they shutout 3 straight games last week- before beginning a stretch where they play 8 consecutive games over a 10 day period against the Toronto Wolves. For the Wolves, who's pennant hopes were dealt a serious blow with 5 straight losses last week, it represents one last chance to win their second pennant since 1940 but it will take close to a sweep of those 8 contests for Toronto to have a chance. The 1940 pennant, by the way, came by finishing a single game ahead of the Cannons during that club's debut season in the Queen City. Will history repeat itself? It will require a very hot streak from Toronto for that to happen.

The Cougars also desperately need Toronto to come up big against Cincinnati over the next two weeks, but they also need a dramatic reversal of what has been some terrible luck of late. Since August 15, the Cougars are 6-13 despite outscoring their opponents over that time frame. 8 of those 13 Chicago losses were by a single run.

TWIFB DRAFT COVERAGE

TOP PROSPECTS FOR 1945 FABL DRAFT

It is very early and the tendency is the more OSA gets to look at a player the higher the likelihood his stock starts to drop, but based on current assessments the 1945 draft looks to have an awful lot of depth among position players, especially catchers, but be thin on elite pitchers.

There are four players that really standout at this point. OSA believes high schools Dan Finch, a third baseman from South Carolina, and Mickey McClure, an outfielder from Connecticut, could each make multiple appearances in all-star games if they reach their potential. Finch was a high school All-American last season as a sophomore. The other two that really impress are a pair of college outfielders who were each named first team AIAA All-Americans last season as college freshman. They are Johnny Peters out of Liberty College and Grange College's Bob Riggins.

Here is a very early look at our projected first round for the 1945 FABL amateur player draft.

• No recap from Doc Shaw on Boston's week this time around, but the Boston Globe scribe says the club is feeling the heat with St Louis hot on their tails. Shaw is quoted as saying "after a 2-3 week the Minuemen have lost 2.5 games off their FA lead. Concern about the meteor that is St. Louis is real"
• It is beyond concern in the Windy City, where many in April were predicting an all-Chicago World Championship Series, but both city clubs have fallen on hard times of late. Signs were good for much of the season and both Chicago teams led their respective associations at the all-star break but since them the Chiefs (19-29) and Cougars (19-26) have fallen apart. One-run losses are the culprit for the Cats, as all 3 of their defeats last week were by a single run and the are now 14-23 in one-run games- a hard-luck record surpassed only by the lowly Gothams. The Cougars are now 9 games out and continuing to spiral downward. A 5-12 stretch during a lengthy homestand in mid-August will likely prove to be the Chiefs undoing.
• Speaking of the Chiefs, If you put him in the starting lineup, he can't hit to save his life, but in 22 pinch hitting appearances this season Ducky Jordan slashing .409/.409/.500.
• It's September so with the roster expansion a lot of clubs will debut some of their top young prospects. Cleveland got a head start by calling up the number one pick last January in former St Ignatius star shortstop Jim Adams Jr. Adams had a big debut week but struggled last week. Another top twenty prospect- the Stars Wally Hunter- is poised to make his debut this week.
• There is growing support to send a team, or teams, of FABL stars this winter to various military bases across the country. One possibility remains to have the two WCS participants tour the Pacific but a more likely scenario is a collection of player from various teams, both current and those recently retired.

FOOTBALL TO SHOW UNEXPECTED STRENGTH

There will be gaps in the ranks -many gaps- but within a short while football will show unexpected strength on both the pro and the service-college side. The pros will be far stronger than any one figured they would be six months ago. And the Navy has sent enough fancy talent to take good care of a large college group, and give each section fast-moving and scrappy contests this fall. And it won't be long now as September catches more action than the first autumn month ever saw before.

No one knows what to expect in the American Football Association as the pros may have some unexpected results as the season progresses but at least the teams left standing, look well prepared to survive the season -even after Selective Service starts going for married men. The college season will be short some 200 schools- those that have given up the sport for the duration- but many of the big schools will carry one and there are enough active ones left to assure every fanatic a game each weekend without to heavy a strain on his limited gasoline supply or shoe coupons.

• Allied bombers continued to pound Berlin and Naples, just as the British Eighth Army opened a second front on the continent of Europe, swarming across Messina Straits aboard hundreds of invasion craft and landing on the toe of Italy.
  
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• Pope Pius XII broadcast to the warring world an appeal for a just peace this year, declaring that the hostilities now are "reaching a climax" and the people now are pleading more clamorously than ever for peace, for bread and for work.
• A powerful United States naval task force is on the loose in the central Pacific, daring the Japanese home fleet to come out and fight.
• In an effort to stem Danish resistance the Nazis arrest all 1,500 army and navy officers in Denmark as well as numerous Danish leaders.
• The Red Army captured Taganrog, lifting the southern anchor of the German line and throwing the Nazis into what appeared to be the start of a general withdrawal from the Donets basin. As the week progresses the Russians continued to advance.
  
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• Rioting continues in Sofia after the sudden death of King Boris III. His death is viewed as a political calamity by the German people, as Boris was a staunch Axis friend.
  
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September 13, 1943 - Football returns
 

SEPTEMBER 13, 1943

WOLVES TAKE 3 OF 4 FROM CANNONS

The Toronto Wolves kept both themselves and the Chicago Cougars alive in the Continental Association pennant chase thanks to 3 straight shutout victories over the front-running Cannons. The Cannons, who lead both Chicago and Toronto by 7 games with three weeks remaining in the season, rebounded to take the final game of their 4-game set at Tice Memorial Stadium from Toronto but face one more crucial test next weekend. Neither the Wolves nor Cannons play again until Friday when the two meet again -this time at Dominion Stadium- for four more contests. It will take nothing short of a Toronto sweep to make things very interesting down the stretch. The Cougars, winners of 6 of their last 7 and suddenly back on track, will also be pinning their hopes on a Wolves sweep. If that happens the last two weeks of the season will be very interesting in the Continental Association.

The St Louis Pioneers finally lost -ending their winning streak at 14 games. The Pioneers went just 3-3 on the week, splitting a 4-game weekend series with Chicago which dropped them a little further behind Boston, which went 4-2 last week and leads the Pioneers by 4 games. If St Louis can stay close they will have a chance to control their own destiny with 3 games in the final week of the season in Boston.

The bookies are calling both Cincinnati and Boston near locks to meet in the World Championship Series for the first time. The Cannons, up by 7 games with 3 weeks remaining, are said to have a 98% chance of claiming their first pennant since 1914 while in the Fed the punters say Boston is close to a 90% shoo-in to reach the Series for the second time in three years.

1944 DRAFT PREVIEW

A LOOK BACK AT THE 1933 DRAFT

More than any other year, the 1933 FABL Draft was the year of the pitcher. That was the season that 12 of the first 16 picks were hurlers and a couple of standout infielders in Joe Angevine and Tommy Wilson slipped into round two. Angevine went to Boston with the second pick of round two but was quickly dealt to the New York Stars for veteran pitcher Charlie Stedman. Wilson was also moved while still a minor leaguer, going from the Cougars -who drafted him 31st overall- to the St Louis Pioneers as part of the package that brought Freddie Jones to the Windy City. As it would turn out there was very little in the way of quality position players to come out of the '34 draft class aside from Angevine and Wilson. The group of pitchers did prove to be more successful and included some big names taken in the first round but also some later selections such as Lou Jayson (rd 4, Toronto) and Pepper Tuttle (rd 4,Brooklyn) who have turned into serviceable big league arms. All 12 pitchers selected in the first round made it to the big leagues for at least one start as did the three pitchers chosen in round 2 and two of the four selected in the third round.

1933 was also special because it was the final draft that exclusively featured feeder league players as that system would be abandoned the following season.

Before we take a look at each of the 16 players selected in the opening round of the 1933 FABL draft, here are a couple of draft lists for that season. The first is the mock created by OSA on the day the draft commenced and the second has been shared with us by current Brooklyn Kings Scouting Director John Spears and was his team's opening round draft board that season.

Here is a look at how each of the first round draftees have fared in their pro careers so far:

1- JOE HANCOCK Pitcher: Toronto Wolves - Toronto got it right, selecting the Christian Trophy winner out of Henry Hudson University first overall although the same could have been said had they opted for Al Miller instead. OSA had Hancock fourth among pitchers (7th overall) behind Dick Higgins, John Edwards and Al Miller and John Spears had all 4 of those arms at the top of his board but Hancock was 3rd, although picking 5th and 7th overall Spears stated the Kings knew there was no way more than one of those four would be available and correctly doubted any would. Either Hancock or Miller would have been an outstanding choice with Hancock winning an Allen Award, leading Toronto to it's first WCS title in three decades and making the all-star team five times so far. He is now 30 years old and has a 134-96 record, leading his entire draft class in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.

2- DICK HIGGINS Pitcher: Boston Minutemen - Both OSA and Spears had Higgins as the top pitcher on the board and the Dickson University righthander has turned out to be a solid choice, but a step below both Hancock and 4th selection Al Miller. That might not have been the case had he not missed over a year of development when he blew out his elbow as a 23 year old second year pro. He is 81-80 for his career, but now at age 30 appears restricted to being a back of the rotation arm or a swingman on a deep team like Boston. You can't fault this pick as Higgins might have been every bit the pitcher Hancock and Miller are had he stayed healthy.

3- JOHN EDWARDS Pitcher: Baltimore Cannons - How different might things have been had the Cannons elected to take Al Miller here instead of Miller's Hartford High teammate John Edwards? Although, who knows...maybe it was the mess that was the Baltimore Cannons in the mid-to-late 1930s that ruined Edwards. If their draft spots were reversed would Edwards have been the one to partner with Rabbit Day and lead the Chiefs to WCS wins in 1936 and 1938? Would Miller have sputtered in Baltimore? OSA had Edwards and Miller nearly in a dead heat, but did slot Edwards one spot ahead of his teammate. Stats-wise, perhaps a case could have been made for either coming out of high school.
Edwards struggled in Baltimore - like nearly everyone did at that point in time- before being dealt to Boston for Ken Mayhugh and Danny Andrews. He has had some success with the Minutemen and is still young enough (27) that he could still have a pretty good big league career, but certainly not one to rival his old high school buddy. Edwards is, as of this writing, 70-78 for his career and presently working out of the Boston bullpen.

4- AL MILLER Pitcher: Chicago Chiefs - Not much to discuss here. A great choice, rivaled only by top pick Hancock. Miller, like the Wolves number one choice, has an Allan Award and 5 all-star appearances. He went one better than Joe so far with 2 WCS rings and considering he is nearly 3 years younger than Hancock he may end up with a better career record than the Wolves ace. Miller is 128-93 already for his career.

5- EARLE ROBINSON Pitcher: Brooklyn Kings - Is this where the reaching for pitchers began? I don't think anyone in the league would have deviated from the top four selections in the draft but this is likely where Brooklyn should have looked at Tommy Wilson or Joe Angevine. Both were shortstops at the time and the Kings had just witnessed an outstanding rookie debut year by a 19 year old named Harry Barrell while their pitching staff clearly had some holes at this point so it is easy to see why they went with an arm here. (and again at 7th when they opted for Bob Cummings) Spears' own draft board had Johnnie Sundberg in this slot and Rusty Petrick ahead of Robinson as well but, perhaps mesmerized by Robinson's perfect game as a junior and perfect record as a senior, they drafted him. In the end it might have just been bad luck but, much like Boston with Dick Higgins, the Kings found first-hand that drafting young pitchers is a risk. By all accounts Robinson had loads of talent, but he also had a lot of injuries in his career and now, at age 27, is really just a below average reliever with Cleveland who owns a 12-19 career mark. He will have the claim to fame of being traded twice involving a pair of the greatest sluggers in the game. The Kings packaged him to Detroit with a boatload of picks and prospects in the famous deal that brought Al Wheeler and Frank Vance (and 3 pennants) to Brooklyn. It is fun to note that in his first start in the Dynamos organization Robinson threw a perfect game for his Class B club and it was against his former Tampa Kings teammates. A little over a year later the Dynamos sent him to Cleveland as the prize prospect in the trade that brought Max Morris to the Motor City where he could finish out his playing career and be a manager in Detroit.

6- JOHNNIE SUNDBERG Shortstop: Washington Eagles - In it's final mock, OSA had Johnnie Sundberg rated #2 -ahead of those four pitchers and also ahead of Joe Angevine and Tommy Wilson- and second only to Hal Carter, who was the first team All-American shortstop that year. Sundberg, who has been in the Army since the week after the attack on Pearl Harbor, has currently played more big league games than anyone in his draft class except for Tommy Wilson, is a solid defensive utility infielder but has hit just .245. Still those numbers are good enough to make him the third or fourth best non-pitcher in this draft class.

7- BOB CUMMINGS Pitcher: Brooklyn Kings - The Kings send us right back to drafting pitchers and take Cummings, who was coming off a pretty solid AIAA feeder league career with College of San Diego. He is clearly a step below Hancock and Miller, but has been a 2-time all-star and contributed to 3 straight pennants with Brooklyn. His career mark is 83-77 but the 30 year old, traded a couple months ago to the Chiefs where he is now a teammate of Miller's, has really struggled this season.

8- NATE SPEAR Pitcher: Pittsburgh Miners - Injuries put an end to the promise Spear once had. Drafted by Pittsburgh but traded while still in the minors to the Gothams in the deal that brought Mahlon Strong to Pittsburgh, Spear had four seasons in New York but was hurt pretty much each one of them including 1939 when repeated shoulder problems wrecked a terrific 6-0, 2.21 start. Sick of seeing him on the IL all the time, the Gothams moved him to Detroit in the fall of 1940 and he immediately got hurt again and spent most of his time in the Dynamos organization on the injured list or in the minors. Detroit waived him this year, so did the Chiefs and Washington before Spear finally landed with independent San Antonio of the Lone Star Association. He has been healthy -finally- this season and has found a spot in the Gunslingers bullpen. His FABL record is 18-23 and it is unlikely he returns to the big leagues.

9- HAL CARTER - Second Base: Philadelphia Sailors - Carter was an All-American shortstop at Cumberland and ranked #1 by OSA in the final mock. By 1935 he was in the big leagues with the Sailors and has hit .294 in 470 career games with Philadelphia but just can't quite shake the label of reserve infielder. The Sailors do have the righthanded hitting Carter platooning with Bob Smith at second base, which is where he has played the bulk of his big league games.

10- RUSTY PETRICK Pitcher: New York Gothams - Just months after he was drafted, Petrick part of the famous trade that sent a bunch of prospects and picks from the Gothams to Baltimore in exchange for Rabbit Day. He threw a no-hitter very early in his minor league career and was loved as a top prospect by OSA despite struggling for much of his 3 seasons with the Cannons. A year after the franchise relocated to Cincinnati, the Cannons sent Petrick back to New York for a first round draft pick that was used to help bring Adam Mullins to the Queen City. Petrick did win a WCS a year ago in New York -and went 20-12 for the only winning season of his career- but is back to being inconsistent again this year with a 69-101 career FABL record.

11- CHRIS CLARKE Pitcher: New York Stars - Out of Wisconsin State, it took Clarke until 1938 before he established himself as a regular with the Stars but he helped them to a WCS win in 1939 and a pennant two years later. Most seasons he has bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen and was recently traded to the Cannons, where he has started regularly. He is 51-46 in 160 career FABL appearances, 116 of them as a starter.

12- DON MILLER Pitcher: St Louis Pioneers - The first pitcher selected that we can truly call a bust. Miller came out of the high school ranks and never established himself as a big league pitcher - at least not yet as he is still just 27 years old. He had a couple of injuries but unlike Spear or Robinson, who were both highly ranked by OSA, Miller never really was considered a top prospect. Pittsburgh claimed him on waivers last year and he had 13 saves in his big league debut season but missed much of this year with shoulder troubles suffered in spring training. Perhaps he salvages his career with a string of decent years in the Pittsburgh pen.

13- TOMMY TROTT Pitcher: Washington Eagles - Like Don Miller, Trott was a high school arm out of Texas. He was a top 100 prospect but suffered a major injury early in his career that seemed to slow his development. He finally made his big league debut as a 26 year old last season and pitched fairly well out of the Eagles bullpen, well enough he might have claimed a spot in the war-ravaged rotation this season had Trott not elected to enlist in the Navy. When he returns he might see some time in the pen but likely will never develop into a trusted big league starter.

14- DOC LEACH Second Base: Detroit Dynamos - Another of what was thought to be a deep class of middle infielders but Leach never made the majors and retired in 1940. He seemed like a forgotten man in the Detroit system as right from his rookie pro year he was never given a chance to play regularly in the minors with 73 starts between three levels in 1935 being his high point. Now whether he did not develop because he didn't get the chance to play, or Detroit did not think he was good enough to warrant playing time is debatable but the result was the same. Leach seemed to hit okay in limited stints throughout his days in the low minors and his infield defense looked solid but by 1938 he was released and spent a little time in the Lone Star loop before hanging it up for good in 1940.

15- JOHN BARNARD Shortstop: Chicago Cougars -The Cougars admitted, in their weekly team report, that Barnard was not a player they were really high on. Truth be told, Chicago management did not care for much of the talent available beyond the first few picks. In hindsight they -and everyone else- should have looked closer at Joe Angevine, but the Portland High School shortstop lasted three more picks and went to Boston in round two. As for Barnard, he would be dealt to the Cannons two years later in a package to bring veteran outfielder Lou Kelly to Chicago. Barnard accomplished little in Baltimore, playing in just 64 big league games over parts of 3 seasons before being waived in 1940. The Cougars picked Barnard back up at that point but he played just 1 game for Chicago before being waived again. He is now 31 years old and in the Army having last played for Los Angeles of the Great Western loop in 1941. Career stats in FABL for Barnard are nothing to write home about. 65 games with a .216 career batting average.

16- JIM WHITELY Pitcher: Philadelphia Keystones - It might be hard to label a guy who made his big league debut at the age of 21 a 'late bloomer' but Whitely seems to have struggled a few years with the Keystones before finally hitting his stride in his 5th season (1941). He was an all-star in '41 and again last year and is now 69-90 for his big league career but has had a winning season each of the past three years including 12-8 so far this season. He has also stayed pretty healthy and his stock seems to have risen a fair bit with OSA over the years, to the point where he seems a much better option than most of the other pitchers selected ahead of him. He is not Joe Hancock or Al Miller but is possibly at a level just below those two and likely destined to be a better player than any other pitcher selected this draft beyond the big two.

SUMMARY -It is easy to simply state FABL General Managers went pitcher-crazy this year and made some choices that they shouldn't have but in reality only the two infielders (Tommy Wilson and Joe Angevine) were overlooked and most of those pitchers appeared to be solid choices, with injuries responsible for the majority of the failures. As it turned out, the 1933 class was not a great draft crop overall, but it certainly had 4 elite players (Wilson, Angevine, Al Miller, Joe Hancock) and some decent arms just below those four. Later rounds did not give us much. There was Chuck Hood, who is now starting in the Keystones outfield, taken in round 4 as where the previously mentioned Pepper Tuttle and Lou Jayson with Willie Montgomery being a late round 3 selection and Art Edwards going in the 10th round. Beyond that there was not a lot of talent. The lowest selected pitcher to have made his big league debut is Henry Shaffer- the Keystones 14th rounder, 223rd overall- who is 12-16 over a season and a half with Philadelphia but currently in the Navy. Among hitters we have 16th round selection Bruce Lucas - a middle infielder born in Alaska who is now in the Air Corps but has played 55 games over parts of 3 season with Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia Sailors.

• Bobby Barrell of the Keystones hit his FABL-leading 21st homerun of the season yesterday in a 14-3 pounding of Boston. Barrell now has 340 for his career and is bidding to lead both leagues in homers for the second straight season and third time overall.
• Another milestone for Dave Trowbridge as the veteran first baseman recently notched his 2900th career hit. Trowbridge, who is retiring at the end of the season, now sits at 2904 - leaving him 2 behind former Stars legend Bill Craigen for 12th all-time. Trowbridge is also now just 1 total base shy of becoming just the second Stars player to record 4,000 total bases with the team. John Waggoner, with 4149, tops the Stars career list in that category. One more Trowbridge note- He remains 1 double shy of becoming the first player in FABL history to hit 600 two-baggers in his career.
• Attendance numbers are inflated because of the promotion to give tickets away to military men and service workers but FABL can still brag about record-setting numbers: So far two teams (both done with home games) have pulled 2 million or more fans; the 77-57 Cougars (2,215,186) and the 49-86 Gothams (2,124,783). The two closest teams are the likely pennant winners in Boston (1,887,491) and Cincinnati (1,641,283), and both have home games remaining.
• Fighting men all over the world are going to see baseball's World Championship Series this year. They will see it in a two-reel 22-minute sound film that will be distributed to all foreign bases. FABL, in co-operation with the War and Navy Departments will fund the project and plans are as soon as it is completed to send 100 prints for immediate distribution to foreign bases in all parts of the world. Well known radio broadcasters Wally Lanier and Happy McDonald will team up to provide the narration. Lanier is the long-time Brooklyn Kings radio man while McDonald holds the same role with the New York Gothams.

AFA DOWN TO EIGHT TEAMS AS WASPS SUSPEND OPERATIONS

The American Football Association finds itself in a tough position less than two weeks before the regular season is set to start after news that the league will be forced to drop from 10 to 8 teams this season. Faced with a roster shortage in training camp to begin with, injuries during preseason exhibitions left the Washington Wasps with insufficient healthy bodies in order to field a team. There had been talk of loaning extra players from other clubs but the Wasps instead elected to suspend operations for the duration of the war.

"We just don't have enough players to safely field a team," explained club owner Homer Bentley. "Other teams did offer to help out and provide us with some of their cast-offs but we don't feel it makes sense to try and run a second rate team in a big league setting. I spoke to (AFA President) Jack Kristich and it was agreed we close the team down until at least next season."

The move made sense as it left the league with an even number of teams rather than nine, which is what they would have been forced to operate with should Washington have attempted to stick it out after the owners of the Philadelphia Frigates and St Louis Ramblers agreed to partner up and merge their two clubs for the duration of the war. Neither club felt particularly confident in surviving the season with enough players so it seemed a "perfect compromise to merge" according to Kristich.

The AFA President added that he felt the merger of the St Louis and Philadelphia franchises made losing Washington a little easier to take. "Certainly a 10 team loop was our goal, but I would say 8 is preferable to running with an odd number so when the Wasps felt it would be tough to make a go of it, we all decided the best course was to temporarily suspend the Washington franchise. This gives us 8 strong teams which is a far better situation than having 10 start the season but perhaps not see all of them being able to complete the year."

The league schedule is quickly being revised to account for the restructuring and no word yet on whether the combined Frigates-Ramblers franchise (Friglers??) will play out of Philadelphia, St Louis or split their home games between the two cities. The season had been expected to begin on September 19th and it is believed that will still be the case.

PLENTY OF BIG NAME SCHOOLS MISSING, BUT COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK

There are certainly some notable absences, with over 200 schools including 54 that would be consider 'major' college football programs, but after all of the uncertainty the sport has returned. It might not be as strong as it was before the war began and some conferences -such as the Deep South which lost eight of it's 12 schools- are a little worse for wear but the 1943 season kicked off last Wednesday with Carolina Poly beating the boys from Camp Lejeune 21-7.

Three other games were contested over the weekend as the season begins to pick up. Schools that will not play at all this year include independent Commonwealth Catholic (7-2-1 a year ago) and Dickson (3-5-1) from the northeast; Out west the entire West Coast Athletic Association aside from the two Los Angeles schools in Coastal California and CCLA as well as Northern California are out; the south is especially hard hit as the Deep South Conference loses Alabama Baptist (7-3-1), Opelika State (5-6), Western Florida (2-6-2), Central Kentucky (5-4-1), Bluegrass State (7-3), Cumberland (10-1), Northern Mississippi (7-2-1) and Mississippi A&M (2-7) along with independent Miami State (8-0-1) and seven members of the South Atlantic Conference including Richmond State.

It certainly makes for a slimmed down conference slate for most schools as this chart below shows who is remaining from each of the major sections as well as the top independent clubs.

Enough about those schools that are not participating. Even with the Army continuing to prohibit it's soldier-students from participating in intercollegiate sports there is still plenty of talent left in the college ranks. Noble Jones College, which was a perfect 12-0 last season including a New Year Day classic win over CC Los Angeles to claim the national title, gets back into action this weekend with a tune-up contest against Charleston(IL) College. The Colonels will be without most of their starters from a year ago including Christian Trophy winning halfback Billy Bockhorst, who graduated and was selected 1st overall in the AFA draft by the Pittsburgh Paladins, but they feel they can still field a competitive team. Bockhorst had intended to join the Marines but was rejected due to a lingering football injury -one that the back says is now sufficiently healed and he plans on suiting up for the Paladins.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
Carolina Poly 21 Camp Lejeune 7
Lincoln 6 Camp Grant 0
George Fox 31 Trescott College 13
Great Lakes Navy 17 Fort Riley 3


While the war has certainly forced a lot of changes on pro football, many have big plans for the sport in the future. Certainly it doesn't feel like that right now - certainly not in Washington after news the Wasps are shutting down for the duration and with the merger between the Philadelphia and St Louis franchises but there are positives to look at when the war is finally won. Certainly Washington will be back and no one sees any reason why the Frigates and Ramblers will not go back to business as usual then as well. But there is much more that might happen with the state of football when life returns to a sense of normalcy.

There are already a couple of bids interested in expanding the American Football Association to perhaps a twelve team loop - one in Baltimore and another believed planned to add an additional team to New York. California is also a possible expansion destination as well. Now there is no guarantee the AFA will expand just as there is no guarantee their will be another professional loop but don't tell that to Linwood Jones. The business manager of a Richmond, Va., Athletic Club says he and his group have post-war plans for a six-team pro-football league based in the south. Dubbed the Dixie Professional Football League, Jones says Norfolk, Richmond, Charlotte and Greensboro are already set as four the six candidates to host clubs.
College football returned this week and if I have to pick a team to beat this season it will most certainly be St Blane. Late additions from the Navy training program mean the Fighting Saints look loaded with a pair of seniors in quarterback Mike O'Rourke and halfback George Steinbrecht to lead the way. All-American end Mark Richardson is gone, but junior Steve Terrio looks ready to fill the void. The Saints finished strong a year ago after a slow start to the season and if they can avoid early struggles this time around they may just be the team to beat. That might be easier said than done however as St Blane faces a stern test in their opener. That will be September 25 against Pittsburgh State, which is another squad that has very high expectations this season.

Others that should be strong this season include George Baptist, Maryland State, Northern California and a host of midwestern schools including as Minnesota Tech, Wisconsin Catholic and Detroit City College.

• The Italians surrender unconditionally. However, the country is still subject to heavy fighting as Allied forces clash with Nazi troops still occupying Italy as both Roosevelt and Churchill urge the Italians to join the Allies and held rid the country of Hitler's men.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/sGsrrxs.jpg
• The "unconditional surrender" gives up 22 Italian warships to the Allies and full control to the United Nations over both the Italian people and possessions, including making all Italian merchant ships available for whatever the Allies might wish to use them for.
• The first picture of allied troops on the continent in Euopre
  
  https://i.imgur.com/1pVnReX.jpg
• Tokio radio says that Japan had delivered a vigorous to protest to the Italian representative against Italy's breach of the Rome-Berlin-Tokio Axis pact by surrendering to the Allies.
• It truly is a world-wide effort for American troops as this image indicates where US forces are deployed.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/dlfquw2.jpg
• A post-war reconstruction program pledging "full employment through full production" with "minimum control" of citizens by the Federal Government was recommended to the Republican party's council by it's committee on domestic problems.
• Vice-President Wallace advanced seven new freedoms, all a part of a freedom from want, and advised the American public to begin now to prevent postwar enslavement by international monopolists. "We shall soon know whether the common man shall have 'democracy first,' or whether under the smooth phrase 'America first,' the common man shall be robbed," Mr. Wallace told a United Nations Committee "Win the Peace" meeting.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/aNi1rD4.jpg

September 20, 1943
 

SEPTEMBER 20, 1943

CINCINNATI COLLAPSE!

WOLVES SWEEP SUDDENLY MAKES CA RACE A LOT TIGHTER

Two weeks ago the Cincinnati Cannons had a 9-game lead atop the Continental Association and seemed assured of winning the first pennant for the long-suffering franchise since 1914. Now, after dropping 7 of 8 games to the Toronto Wolves, that lead is down to 3 games and with two weeks remaining in the season and it feels anything but secure. The Wolves swept a 4-game series between the two in Toronto this past weekend, winning 3 of the 4 contests by a single-run to give them five 1-run victories over the Cannons in those 8 games. The lone game in Toronto that was not a 1-run affair saw the Wolves rally for 4-runs in the bottom of the 8th to win by a 4-2 count.

Until they met up with Cincinnati, the Wolves were struggling. Toronto had lost 6 of 7 entering the stretch of 8 games with the Cannons and appeared out of the race but suddenly the situation is much different. The same can be said for Cincinnati as the Cannons entered the Toronto games flying high with 8 wins in their previous 10 and the only question appeared to be 'how much rest would the Cannons give their starters in preparation for the World Championship Series?' Now the question is 'Can the Cannons hang on?'

The oddsmakers still give the Cannons a better than 80% chance of winning the pennant but if momentum and confidence are factored in one would think the Wolves, who are overflowing with both right now, are at least even money to come out on top.

Looking at the upcoming two weeks, both Cincinnati and Toronto have 14 games remaining, with each playing all 14 at home. The Cannons begin with 3 against the New York Stars before playing 3 games in two days against Chicago. The Cougars are 6.5 games back and while the situation looks bleak they are not completely out of the pennant picture yet either. From there the Cannons have 4 each against Montreal and Brooklyn in a busy final week of the season.

The Wolves play the same group of 4 teams starting with 3 against the Cougars before the Stars head north to Canada. Next week it is the reverse of Cincinnati with Toronto's first 4 games vs Brooklyn before they finish with 4 against their Canadian rivals from Montreal.

*** MINUTEMEN REMAIN FED LEADERS ***

The St Louis Pioneers picked up another half game on the Boston Minutemen last week but they are clearly running out of time as they trail Boston by 4 games with 13 remaining for each club. It was expected to be an uphill battle for the Pioneers, who are forced to play their final 17 games on the road while the Minutemen spend the last two weeks at home. St Louis' only hope is to perform well enough to make the 3-game set between the two clubs in Boston September 29 and 30 mean something. Before that series the Pioneers have 7 games in Washington and Pittsburgh while the Boston nine entertains the 8th and 7th place Detroit and New York outfits during that stretch.

MAJOR DECISION ON DRAFTING OF BASEBALL FATHERS COMING NEXT WEEK

Mark Friday on your calendar as FABL executives and managers certainly have. The will be a day that will likely have a huge impact on FABL rosters next season as Paul McNutt and the boys at the War Manpower Board are expected to announce a decision that will impact all ballplayers with pre-Pearl Harbor children. Lawyers for Elijah Bourdeau and the New York Stars are pushing that the 23 year old outfielder should not be classified 1-A and eligible for the draft October 1 when fathers become subject to call up by the Army.

They are basing that on the fact that Bourdeau is a ballplayer by summer but works in a manufacturing plant in his hometown of Fort Wayne, In., during the off-season. Baseball, of course, has not yet been designated an essential war service but the plant where Bourdeau spends his winters is. It is the hope of the Stars that Bourdeau be declared exempt from the draft, which beginning next month is slated to include those of draft age -18 to 38- who are fathers, being placed in Class 1-A when their numbers are reached, unless there are other reasons for deferment, such as extreme hardship to dependents or physical defects.

The ideal situation as far as FABL is concerned is that the Manpower bosses grant baseball essential war-work status but the league would be happy if working half the year in a factory would keep it's married players out of the war and on the diamonds. McNutt is expected to rule on that motion Friday.

As it stands, baseball, in the opinion of draft headquarters, is in a sort of no-man's land between what the government considers essential war work and non-deferrable occupations. Some high officials have taken the point that the game has a decided purpose in keeping up morale, and it also is recalled that President Roosevelt gave the game a green light in 1942.

If the decision goes the way baseball hopes it should greatly help stabilize rosters for next season but if Bourdeau is to remain 1-A it would open the doors for a rash of Selective Service letters coming to ballplayers, perhaps even in greater numbers than we saw leave last off-season.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Reed To Manage An All-Star Group to Entertain the Troops

With the Wolves back in the pennant chase after this weekend's home sweep of the Cannons baseball fever is officially live and well in Toronto. With an upcoming series at home, as are all the Wolves remaining games, against the Chicago Cougars this writer has nothing to add to the fever pitch analysis by the fans of the Wolves modestly surprising 1943 season. Those comments can come later. It has been learned from inside sources that Manager Charlie Reed has been ask and has accepted an off-season assignment to lead a contingent of CA players who play a similar group of FA stars in a series of games to entertain the troops.

These rosters will probably by supplemented by players already serving in whichever war theatre the games are being played, but Reed and Brooklyn's Powell Slocum -who will be acting as his assistant- have been asked to choose a core group of 18 players. Although I have not been asked, I will of course help Mr. Reed out by compiling a list of worthy candidates that should be in this group.

Pitchers -The problem here is not who to include on the team but who leave off this elite group. SP- Rufus Barrell II, Joe Hancock, Joe Brown, Vern Hubbard along with relievers Del Lyons and George Hampton.
Again the problem was who did not make this list, as cases can be made for Butch Smith, Art White, Jimmy Gibbs, Doc Newell to be included with the starters. With the number of quality SP serving in the forces Reed will have no trouble finding, if need be, a quality arm to add to entertaining the troops. Lou Jayson, Howie Snyder would have been easy additions to the bullpen.

Catchers -Adam Mullins, Woody Stone. Honourable Mention Clarence Howerton, Harry Mead

Infielders -Walter Pack, Clarke Car, Hank Barnett, Skipper Schneider, Marion Boismenu
Honourable Mention Chuck Adams, Mike Rollinson, Jim Beard, Jake Hughes. For infielders there are almost too many deserving selections as one could easily make a case that the honourable mentions are almost as deserving as the actual selections.

Outfielders -Leo Mitchell, Fred Galloway, Cal Howe, Juan Pomales, Chubby Hall
Honourable Mentions Bob Mullins, Harvey Brown. Pomales is included both on OF performance but also for his arm.

This is the Mail & Empire take on this group of stars but many, many arguments can be made for others. Reed's job will not be an easy one. The official roster of players heading to the Pacific will be released in the next couple of weeks but it is important to remember the entertainment and morale value of this cannot or should not be underestimated for the war effort. The players will always have in the back of their minds that this will be last game many of the attendees will ever see before they pay the ultimate price for their service.

• Baseball will continue after the WCS is over for many of FABL's top players. The cream of the crop -a pair of 18-man squads- will participate in a postseason exhibition tour of the Pacific after the conclusion of the WCS. Charlie Reed of the Toronto Wolves and Joe Ward of the Chicago Chiefs are set to manage the two teams and the rosters will be released in the near future. Word is Brooklyn skipper Powell Slocum and Gothams legend Ed Ziehl will also join the tour as third base coaches for the two squads. The focus will be on outgoing players -those who can both give and take a joke and will have some fun swapping stories with the service-men they encounter.
• The Cannons are ready to get chased out of Cincinnati and bounced back to Baltimore. Lost 4 straight in Toronto and 7 of our 8 against them over last two weeks. Three 1-run losses this weekend with the other one blowing a lead entering the bottom of the 8th and falling 4-2. The pennant lead for Cincinnati is now a not very comfortable 3 games as Wolves shaved 6 off our lead in last 2 weeks. Has us wondering if the old pre-FABL Cincinnati Monarchs ever wronged Ferdinand Hawkins.
• Deuce Barrell (16-11, 2.13) has lost 5 of his last 6 starts for Cincinnati but the run support has dried up. Those 6 starts the Cannons scored 2,1,1,1,0 and 4 runs for him.
• From champs to chumps. The Gothams won 91 games a year ago and added 4 more victories in the World Championship Series. This year, at 50-91 with 2 weeks remaining, they could lose 100 and are just one game ahead of Cleveland for the worst record in either association.
• There are plenty of reasons why the Gothams are so bad this year -and certainly the war ranks right up there- but just what has happened to Pete Casstevens. Clint's son is hitting just .188 this season and has lost his starting job to Joe Green. Recently considered one of the best catching prospects in the game, the 24 year old has completely fallen apart this season.
• Congrats to one of the longest running dynasties in professional baseball as the Miami Sailors won another Southeastern League title. That makes 13 pennants in the last 17 years and five in the last six for the Class B affiliated of the Philadelphia Sailors.

VAUGHT IN MID-SEASON FORM AS MAROONS WIN AFA OPENER

Getting used to a new quarterback seemed to have no negative impact on Detroit Maroons receiver Stan Vaught as the AFA's leading pass-catcher picked up right where he left off last season. Vaught had 7 catches for 103 yards including a 9 yard touchdown grab to open the scoring as the Maroons took the AFA lid-lifter 28-10 over the Cleveland Finches.

There are plenty of new faces all around the league as the call of Uncle Sam took many players out of the sport and forced the league to contract from 10 to 8 teams this season but Vaught and the Detroit aerial attack did not miss a beat. Veteran signal caller Dewey Burnett is one of the many who left for the war effort, but rookie Rich Coleman, with an assist from veteran back Marc Orlosky, filled in just fine. Coleman, a second round pick out of Franciscan College -a small Missouri school- had no trouble adjusting to the pro game as he threw for 158 years and the aforementioned touchdown to Vaught. Orlosky added another 114 through the air while also rushing for a game high 118 yards to aid the Maroons cause.

The Maroons, who finished a disappointing, by their standards at least. 6-4-1 a year ago, scored on their first two possessions of the game and seemed to be headed for a rout but the Finches (2-9 a year ago) narrowed the deficit to 14-10 at the break before Detroit put the game away in the second half.

The Maroons have a stiff test next week when they host defending champion Boston in one of two games on the docket. The other sends the reigning Western Division champion Chicago Wildcats to Pittsburgh for a meeting with the Paladins. The loop is down to 8 teams -4 in each division- with the decision of the Washington Wasps to suspend operations for the duration of the war and the merger of the Philadelphia Frigates and St Louis Ramblers clubs due to player shortages for each.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday September 19
Detroit 28 Cleveland 10

Sunday September 26
Boston at Detroit
Chicago at Pittsburgh

COAST LOOP FOOTBALL IN DEATH THROES WITH JUST THREE REMAINING

West Coast Athletic Association football is in it's death throes. Ailing from an acute shortage of players, experienced or otherwise, the conference -one of the top loops in the country- is sinking fast, and whether it can be revived before the war's end is questionable.

The WCAA has seen seven of it's member schools decide to shelve the season and the loop is now down to just three teams. All of the northern schools -from Washington, Oregon and Idaho- have thrown in the towel, leaving just Coastal California, CC Los Angeles and Northern Cal. No kind of workable schedule can be drawn up with these slim pickings.

The original idea of operating the loop in wartime was to have the northern and southern schools split into two divisions and battle among themselves, thus saving the mileage need for the usual round-robin play, and then pit the two winners in a championship game, the champ to go on to the East-West Classic. But now that's out because the northern half is a complete washout and the south lost a pair of schools as well.

*** BUSY WEEKEND OF COLLEGE BALL ****

For the schools that have enough able-bodied students the college football schedule picked up with a number of games, many of which were involving some of the Naval training bases. Among the surprise losers was Detroit City College, as the Knights were thumped 34-3 by the boys from Camp Grant. The Great Lakes Alliance, one of the few sections in the nation that has all of it's schools back on the gridiron this season, had a rough week on the field with Wisconsin State (37-7 to rival Wisconsin Catholic) and Indiana A&M (blasted 23-2 by Ohio Poly) also losing. Whitney College did manage to earn a 3-3 draw against Great Lakes Naval Academy while only Lincoln College managed to pick up a win among the GLA schools on the weekend as the Presidents blanked Iowa Pre-Flight 10-0.

Defending National Champion Noble Jones College won it's opener, but in far less than impressive fashion, beating Charleston College of Illinois 15-7 but one would have expected the margin to be much larger.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Noble Jones College 15 Charleston (IL) 7
Mountainview State 14 Lowry Field 0
Frankford State 17 Brunswick 6
Lincoln 10 Iowa Pre-Flight 0
Wisconsin Catholic 37 Wisconsin State 7
Ohio Poly 23 Indiana A&M 2
Camp Grant 34 Detroit City College 3
Alameda Coast Guard 43 College of San Diego 0
Great Lakes Navy 3 Whitney College 3
Petersburg 20 Richmond Field 11
George Fox 16 Irondequoit 3
College of Waco 17 Lubbock Field 10
Penn Catholic 17 Trescott College 14

• A Montana Senator says he would vigorously resist any attempts to delay a Senate vote on his bill to ban the drafting of pre-Pearl Harbor fathers. Other Senators argue the bill must be delayed until military leaders can present new outlines of their manpower needs. At present fathers are set to be classified 1-A, barring other issues such as financial hardship, effective October 1.
• Germany is boasting that former Premier Benito Mussolini had been snatched from the new Italian Government, and Allied quarters speculated that, if true, this might mean the beginning of an attempt by Hitler to pump life into the discredited Fascist party.
• While the R.A.F. batters the German supply line in to Italy, fierce fighting between Allied ground forces and the Germans continues.
  
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• Allied air power has won control of the sea routes all the way from the Solomon Islands and New Guinea to the major enemy base at Rubaul, New Britain.
  
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September 27, 1943 - One week remaining in season
 

SEPTEMBER 27, 1943

MAJORS CENTER ON 1944 TALENT AS PLAYERS PONDER ARMY DRAFT

Major league baseball, tuckered from a long, rough run, is wobbling toward the finish line as the regular slate enters it's final week and then only the World Championship Series remains to be played. Extending the season a week longer than in the past because spring training was done further north, is close to an anti-climax. Sure Toronto and St Louis perhaps still have a chance but the odds heavily favor Cincinnati and Boston with a week to go. Now we have the fans thinking about the World Championship Series that lies ahead, but many of the players are worried about their draft status and the managers about perhaps fielding teams made up of 17-year-olds for next year.

The War Manpower Commissions official ruling late last week that baseball is not essential scarcely was a surprise. It had been said before in various versions, but this latest pronouncement on the specific case of Elijah Bourdeau of the New York stars, a pre-Pearl Harbor father who had been classified 1-A by his draft board, pointed up the problem anew. The fact that Bourdeau, who works in a war-industry for half the year, will not have his draft status changed from 1-A likely means a large number of ballplayers with children born prior to the Pearl Harbor attack -and previously exempt from the draft- will now be classified as 1-A when their draft number comes up.

Baseball's present player supply would dissolve soon, even if the season didn't. To meet this situation the managers of almost all clubs except the Boston Minutemen and Cincinnati Cannons, who are likely tuning up for the World Championship Series next week, and the St Louis Pioneers and Toronto Wolves -each of whom with still a glimmer of post-season hope- have begun scrambling to try and make plans for replacements.

Everyone expects baseball to continue next year, but just as last winter, there is likely to be a rash of players getting the call to service, and teams will be once more left scrambling to fill many holes in their rosters.

CANNONS, MINUTEMEN CLOSE TO CLINCHING

With one week remaining in the FABL regular season it will take a major surprise for us to be discussing anything but a Cincinnati-Boston World Championship Series this time next week. The Cannons, after a dreadful stumble in which they lost 7 of 8 games to the Toronto Wolves, are back on track and a full 4 games up on the Torontonians with 8 games remaining for each club. Boston's lead in the Federal Association on second place St Louis, which has been the feel good story of the second half of the season, is even bigger as the Minutemen lead the Pioneers by 4.5 games. Boston has 7 remaining -including 3 with St Louis- while the Pioneers still have 8 games left on their docket.

The Cannons, who three weeks ago led the Continental Association by 9 games, regrouped last week by sweeping 3 from the New York Stars and then ending Chicago's Series hopes with 2 wins in three outings against the Cougars. Toronto took two of three from both the Cougars and Stars last week but gave back a game out of the 6 they had made up with their dominating performance against the Cannons the previous two weeks.

Toronto is still alive, but there is no margin for error and they will need Cincinnati to trip up against Montreal and Brooklyn. The Wolves, like the Cannons, will play 4 each against the Saints and the Kings. A Toronto sweep and a Cincinnati split of those last 8 games would force a playoff in the CA for the first time since 1937.

The Pioneers had hoped to be within 3 games of Boston for the Federal Association lead but dropping 2 out of 3 to Washington -which was the surprise team of the first half of the season- derailed those dreams and now the Pioneers have 5 games to play in Pennsylvania sandwiched around their 3 game set with the Minutemen in Boston. Even a St Louis sweep in New England would not be enough on it's own so the Pioneers need to come up big in their 2 games in Pittsburgh to open the week before closing the season in Philadelphia while also hoping Boston stumbles along the way. Boston is home all week, starting with two against the last place Gothams - who they dropped a twin-bill to yesterday to keep St Louis alive- and finishing with a pair against Chicago after the potentially big mid-week set with the Pioneers.

The odds are overwhelmingly in Cincinnati and Boston's favour -about 96% for each claiming the pennant- but both Toronto and St Louis have outperformed their expected performance this season. In short, anything could happen.

• The Manpower Board's ruling against the Stars and Elijah Bourdeau --saying his working half the season at an essential service war job is not enough to keep the pre-Pearl Harbor father from being classed 1-A-- has baseball executives fearing the worst. It certainly seems like the door has been busted wide-open for big numbers of FABL players leaving for the war effort again this winter. Everything points to another mad scramble as FABL managers look to plug holes that open almost weakly with news of the next big leaguer trading his ball uniform for Army or Navy garb.
• END OF DAY? - There is a good chance the week ahead might give us the final FABL performance of Rabbit Day. The 3-time Allan Award winner and one of only two players to record their 300th career pitching victory in the modern era (post-1925) has not commented either way but there is speculation Day may retire after the season to join the war effort. He has two starts left for the Chicago Chiefs and unless he wins them both he will end up with a losing record for just the second time in his 17 year career.
• No team has dominated an opponent this season like Cincinnati over Brooklyn. The Cannons are 17-1 vs the Kings heading into a crucial (for Cincinnati) series this week. Is that a good sign for the Cannons pennant plans, or a signal that the Kings are due to sweep?
• St Louis and the Philadelphia Sailors also have 17 wins against an opponent. The Pioneers are done playing the Gothams but went 17-5 vs the defending champs. The Sailors are 17-3 vs the New York Stars with two game remaining between the two Continental foes this weekend.
• While I think the Allan Award in the Fed is locked up and belongs to Boston's Ed Wood (22-7, 2.37), the race for the Whitney Award winner is really up in the air. Same in the CA where there is no clear Whitney winner, although Toronto's Walt Pack (.279,21,88) might have the inside track. As for the CA Allen Award, you have to think the Cannons Deuce Barrell (17-11, 2.02) is set to win his second straight but Joe Brown (17-10, 2.42) of the Cougars and Toronto's Joe Hancock (19-8, 2.75) may also draw interest.
• Talk about lowered expectations. After a WCS win last year, this time around the Gothams are hoping to just get one more win in the final week in order to avoid losing 100 games - something the club has done just once before in it's history. That was 1937 when New York finished 54-100...a mark they would duplicate if they go 0-7 this week.
• For the second consecutive year an independent club won the Great Western League pennant. A year ago it was the Hollywood Heroes. This time around the Seattle Thunderbirds finished at the top, 5 games up on second place Hollywood. Pitchers Harry Smith (19-7, 3.24) and Curt Bean (17-11, 3.26) led the way for the champs. Both veterans had a cup of joe in the bigs many years ago. The 34 year old Smith spent parts of two seasons with Washington while Bean, who recently turned 41 and has been with Seattle for more than a decade, went 3-1 in 12 FABL appearances with Detroit in the late 1920s.
• With all that time in the GWL one might think Bean is the all-time wins leader in that loop but his 148 career GWL victories ranks third behind Ike Gubin, who pitched for Sacramento in the teens and won 176 games, and Jack Tuttle, who pitched for Portland in the same period. Neither Gubin or Tuttle ever made the big leagues.
• The other two AAA league champs were the Rochester Rooks -Cleveland's top farm club- in the Union League and the Chicago Cougars affiliate in Milwaukee, which claimed the Century League title for the 6th time in the last dozen years.

RECORD-BREAKING DAY AS WILDCATS MAUL PALADINS

Having an experienced quarterback may make all the difference in this American Football Association this season -one in which most teams lost a large number of key contributors to the war effort. The Chicago Wildcats have one as Gus Brown is back and Brown made his presence felt by setting a modern-era record in throwing 6 touchdown passes to lead the the Wildcats to a 46-0 thumping of the Pittsburgh Paladins.

Brown, who beat by one the previous touchdown tossing mark jointly held by Del Thomas of Boston and Washington's Jeff Proos, completed 12 passes for 239 yards including those 6 touchdown tosses. Showing his value all over the field, the veteran also helped out on defense with a pair of interceptions. Brown split his 6 scoring strikes equally between Johnny Douglas and John Gilmore. Chicago, which dominated in all facets of the game, also received 91 yards rushing from veteran Marsh Shroeder while Ira Hartley, another returnee, ran for 48 yards and a score.

The loss spoiled the professional debut of Christian Award winning back Billy Bockhorst. The star of the Noble Jones College national championship team and first overall AFA draft pick had a circuitous route to pro football as he had been set to join the marines but failed his physical due to injuries suffered during the season last year. He had recovered sufficiently to suit up for Pittsburgh and all that was hurt on this day for Bockhorst was his confidence, after completing just 6 of 30 pass attempts to his Pittsburgh mates -while 5 other throws landed in the waiting arms of Chicago defenders- for a mere 45 yards. Bockhorst did have a little more success running the ball, which was his strength in college, as he gained 52 yards on 10 carries but he came out of his pro debut realizing just how much faster and stronger the pros are.
The defending AFA champion Boston Americans also have their veteran quarterback playing again this season and Del Thomas - the former FABL pitcher and MVP of last year's AFA title contest- threw three first half touchdown passes as Boston held off Detroit 21-14. The Americans built a 21-0 lead in the first half as Detroit had little success moving the ball. The Maroons nearly got on the board just before the break but Mike Biladeau, who came over from the shutdown Washington franchise, missed a 33 yard field goal attempt. It would be one of 4 missed field goals on the day for Biladeau, something that ultimately cost the Maroons a chance to go 2-0 on the young season.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday September 26
Boston 21 Detroit 14
Chicago 46 Pittsburgh 0

Sunday December 13
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
Chicago at Detroit
Boston at New York


The big game of the week saw Pittsburgh State knock off St Blane 17-7 as the Fighting Saints, just like last year, got off to a slow start in a season with big expectations. CC Los Angeles also came up on the short end of their season opener, as the Coyotes lost to their cross-city rivals, falling 28-13 to Coastal California. The Dolphins debuted their new T-Formation offense in the contest and it proved to be something for which CCLA did not have an answer to.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Pittsburgh State 17 St. Blane 7
Coastal California 28 CC Los Angeles 13
Noble Jones College 9 Bayou State 6
North Carolina Tech 24 Georgia Baptist 16
Western Iowa 16 Great Lakes Navy 0
Iowa Pre-Flight 24 Central Ohio 7
George Fox 10 Coast Guard 0
Pierpont 33 Sadler 3
Wisconsin Catholic 30 Whitney College 14
Detroit City College 17 Bliss College 0
Minnesota Tech 21 Daniel Boone College 0
St. Magnus 28 Indiana A&M 13
Annapolis Maritime 20 North Carolina Pre-Flight 17
Penn Catholic 41 Rome State 0
Camp Grant 21 Wisconsin State 3
Grafton 24 St. Patrick's 3
Carolina Poly 24 Petersburg 24
Wichita Baptist 13 Lawrence State 13
College of Waco 17 Eastern Oklahoma 16
Arkansas A&T 10 Boone College-St. Louis 10
Ellery 24 Miller College 14
Northern California 20 Golden Gate University 14
Cowpens State 9 Camp Davis 0
Irondequoit 20 Empire State 7
Fort Warren 10 Boulder State 6
Mountainview State 16 South Valley State 3
Brunswick 14 Sampson NTS 6
Maryland State 24 Curtis Bay Coast Guard 0
Mile High State 17 Miners College 17
Fort Riley 21 Lowry Field 20
Charleston Tech 14 Newport News College 7
Oklahoma City State 24 Norman Naval Air Station 6
College of San Diego 10 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 7
Frankford State 21 Liberty College 7
San Francisco Tech 51 Pleasanton Navy 3
Coastal State 44 Charleston (IL) 0
Randolph Field 17 Red River State 14
Eastern State 48 Richmond Field 0
Columbia Military Academy 43 Edgemoor 0
Alexandria 55 Conwell College 0
Travis College 17 Blackland Field 0
Darnell State 21 Bryan Field 0
Texas Gulf Coast 24 Payne State 3
Alameda Coast Guard 16 Del Monte Pre-Flight 13
March Field 12 Pacific All-Stars 3


The swineskin semester, now in full swing, looks and sounds like a healthy baby. Crowds were good across the country Saturday despite Transportation Board rules requiring the sale of tickets be restricted to fans within close proximity of the home stadium. Pittsburgh State upended St Blane before well over 50,000 and two of the few teams left on the west coast -Coastal California and CC Los Angeles- played in front of nearly the same number.

Good guess is that unpredictability, a bouncing characteristic of the obiate spheroid they play this game with, will be more rampant than ever. Good guess, too, will be that this will in no way deter the heavy betting on the big games. The bookies say they are looking forward to their fattest season with plenty of moolah in the hands of the Johnnys who think they can pick four out of four, six out of six, and so on.
Distinct salty flavor is already noticeable in this grid season. Because the Navy lets its students play football and the Army doesn't, some branch or other of the naval forces is going to be in the public eye throughout this campaign. This is good for prestige, good for making friends with the public. Army, stymied by a set of "muscle-jerk" apostles, is going to lose glamour in the public eye, drop far behind Navy. The Army's gold-braid set is bitter about it, but what can they do? They will have to pin their hopes for good publicity on their on academy squad - Rome State. And that doesn't bode well after the Centurions were walloped 41-0 by Penn Catholic on Saturday. The Navy boys from Annapolis Maritime did not look overwhelming in their narrow win over North Carolina Pre-Flight, but even if the Navigators stumble this season there are plenty of other teams that are walking V-12 advertisements, not to mention Great Lakes Naval Training and the various pre-flight schools. The Iowa Seahawks, a navel pre-flight crew which boasts several former professional grid players, looked extremely strong in handling Central Ohio on the weekend.

Yes, with the V-12 athletes scattered at various schools across the country, Great Lakes Navy and all the pre-flights there will be far more than just Annapolis Maritime making headlines for the Navy, and making Army heads green with envy, as they read the sports pages.

TOP RECRUIT TO STAY IN CALIFORNIA

Despite receiving interest from a number of big schools including defending National Tournament Champion Rainier College, the player considered to be basketball's best high school senior this season has decided to attend college in his home state. Gerald Cheek, a guard out of Bakersfield High in California, has announced that he will attend City College of Los Angeles next season and play for the Coyotes. The teen is the first of the players considered to be the ten best high school seniors this season to declare which school he will be attending.

CC Los Angeles had a disappointing season last year, finishing just 7-9 is West Coast Athletic Association play and 22-10 overall while reaching the second round of the annual championship tournament. They did land a top-ten recruit last winter in Jumbo Hinman, a forward from Azusa, Ca., who was ranked 8th in the nation's crop of high school seniors a year ago. CCLA reached the championship game of the tournament two years ago and has three titles to it's credit - winning in 1916, 1928 and 1933.

• General George C. Marshall warned Congress that postponement of the father draft would force reduction of combat divisions, cause casualties to mount unnecessarily and "prolong the whole struggle."
• In a radio address Prime Minister Churchill warned a second front has not yet been engaged, calling the advance through southern Italy just an essential preliminary to the main attack on Germany.
• As Allied troops advance towards Naples, retreating Nazi forces are destroying everything as they leave - sinking at least 30 ships in the harbor and setting docks and port areas on fire.
• Russia is continuing to push the Nazi troops back, adding Smolensk as it's latest conquest.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/xfk5M1O.jpg

October 4, 1943 : Regular Season ends
 

OCTOBER 4, 1943

STAGE SET FOR A BOSTON- CINCINNATI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Both the Boston Minutemen and Cincinnati Cannons did exactly what they needed to in the final week of the 1943 FABL season. Each of those clubs entered the week with a comfortable lead atop their respective associations, but needing to hold off a hard-charging opponent looking for an upset. Both the Minutemen and Cannons won 4 games last week, which as it turned out was more than enough to clinch a pennant for each of them leaving the St Louis Pioneers and Toronto Wolves both just a little short.

For Boston it was a strong second half of the season -one in which they went 44-28 after the all-star break- that allowed the Minutemen to hold off the surprising St Louis Pioneers to claim their second Federal Association title in three years. St Louis captured plenty of attention as the Pioneers burst into contention in the second half, replacing a Washington club that shocked the league with it's success until finally running out of steam in August, but ultimately the challenge proved to much for both of the upstarts.

There was no Cinderella team in the Continental Association, as the top three -Cincinnati, Toronto and Chicago- were considered the teams to beat all along although the Cannons, who lost 6 games off what was a very comfortable lead in a two-week span in September, did their best to make the race interesting down the stretch. It's hard to say a 94-victory pennant-winner underachieved but Cincinnati, with their FABL best +190 run differential and the deepest pitching staff in the game, certainly appeared to do just that. It was contagious however as the Chicago Cougars also should have been better than the 86 wins they ended up with, but in the Cougars case injuries can take a good share of the blame. Toronto was simply a very solid team that was perhaps just one starting pitcher away from a title this season.

FIRST EVER WCS IN CINCINNATI

While big league baseball in Cincinnati can trace it's roots all the way back to the start of the game in 1876, this will be the first time a World Championship Series game has ever been contested in the Queen City. The Monarchs - the original Cincinnati club- did not survive the restructuring of pro ball when FABL was formed in 1892 and did not receive a franchise until the hapless Baltimore Cannons relocated prior to the 1940 campaign. So while old-timers will say it has been a long wait, the truth is the Cannons took just 4 seasons to give their fans a pennant winner.

The franchise futility stretches much more than four years as the then Baltimore-based Cannons were the worst team in baseball for much of the 1930s and had not won a pennant since 1914 - the longest active drought in FABL. That distinction now falls to the St Louis Pioneers and Montreal Saints, who each last won a pennant in 1921 before the Saints upended the Max Morris-led Pioneers in the Series that year.

The Cannons came close in their debut year in Cincinnati, winning 84 games in 1940 and leading much of the way before fading down the stretch. There was no fade this time -although a very tense couple of weeks courtesy of a tough Toronto squad- and Cincinnati will play a Boston team for the first time since 1881 when a Queen City team known as the Hustlers played the last of it's brief two year stint in the old pre-FABL Century League which also included the Minutemen. Prior to that there was 1876 - the debut year of William Whitney's newly created pro league and both the Cincinnati Monarchs and Boston Pilgrims spent a lone season together in the Century League.

Boston fans had a long pennant drought of their own to contend with - stretching from 1915 until two years ago when they claimed the Fed crown before going on to beat the Chicago Cougars in a thrilling seven game Series. So, Bostonians are now old hands at this October baseball thing now as they prepare for their second Series in three years.

HOW THEY COMPARE POSITION BY POSITION

JIGGS McGEE TAKES A LOOK AT THE TWO PENNANT WINNERS

CATCHER: Bill Van Ness (.255,4,44) vs Adam Mullins (.307,4,56) - Van Ness is finally at age 26 starting to live up to the hype that had Boston select him 6th overall in the 1935 draft and while he is a solid catcher, the 31 year old Mullins is a 7-time all-star and one of the best at his position in the game. EDGE: CINCINNATI

FIRST BASE: Bill Moore (.270,9,87) vs Chuck Adams (.271,16,84) - The 26 year old Adams is evolving into a very good power-hitting first baseman. Moore might not have the power tool Adams possesses, but is very consistent and dependable hitter. It is close so let's call this one a wash EDGE: EVEN

SECOND BASE: Lew McClendon (.330,3,70) vs Jack Cleaves (.269,3,40) - McClendon is a 26 year old rising star who had a breakout season this year and perhaps reminds one very much of Jack Cleaves when he was the same age. Cleaves is still a decent contributor but at 36 is not the player he was in his early days with the Sailors or later in Pittsburgh. Veteran experience might count for something as Cleaves has played in 4 WCS prior to this year but the edge goes to youth in this case. EDGE: BOSTON

[b]SHORTSTOP: Harry Barrell (.298,3,71) vs Jim Hensley (.231,8,64) - Hensley is a terrific defensive shortstop and a two-time all-star but does not provide the offense that Barrell can bring to the table. A deadline pick-up from Brooklyn, the 29 year old Barrell gives us an interesting side story as he will square off against his nephew- Cincinnati hurler Deuce Barrell- in this series. Since the trade Harry hit .310 and his addition allowed McClendon to shift to second base, which greatly shored up the Boston middle infield defense. EDGE: BOSTON

[b]THIRD BASE: Art Spencer (.279,4,68) vs Billy Dalton (.277,16,72) - One of Cincinnati's mid-season additions, Dalton has been everything the Cannons hoped for when they dealt a lot of young talent to the Gothams for the 29 year old two-time all-star. Spencer is a solid player and a two-time all-star in his own right, but his offense is down a little this year compared to previous seasons. EDGE: CINCINNATI

CENTER FIELD: Chick Donnelly (.299,5,101) vs Fred Galloway (.265,2,39) - The Minutemen cleanup man vs the Cannons lead-off hitter. They duo own 9 all-star appearances between them and each contributes to their respective offenses. You can't go wrong with either one of these two as your centerfielder but because of his outstanding defense we will give an ever so slight edge to Galloway. EDGE: CINCINNATI

LEFT FIELD: Bob Donoghue (.257,6,40) vs Bob Griffith (.288,2,64)- Griffith is a natural center fielder who shifts over because of Galloway and helps make the Cannons outfield defense among the best in the league. Donoghue is a bit of a liability with the glove but when he is healthy, which he is now, he can be quite a force at the plate. If I am talking long term I would say Donoghue is the player you would prefer but Griffith has had a very strong season and in a series with some pretty good pitching I expect runs will be at a premium, so I will take Griffith for his glove. It is very slight but EDGE: CINCINNATI

RIGHT FIELD: Pete Day (.304,2,64) vs Sam Brown (.207,4,48)- Brown is another mid-season pick-up for the Cannons, coming over from Washington at the deadline. The two-time all-star has been a steady hitter throughout his career although his .304/.348/.360 slash line since the trade is a little under his career numbers. Day is a 4-time all-star and enjoying an outstanding season at the plate. Both are good but the EDGE: BOSTON

STARTING PITCHING: Ed Wood (23-8, 2.51), Duke Hendricks (18-6, 3.38) and Walt Wells (12-14, 3.03) vs Deuce Barrell (18-11, 2.08), Butch Smith (18-9, 2.69) and Vic Carroll (13-7, 2.40). - The Cannons rotation is loaded as they may also consider starting Chris Clarke (13-14, 2.60) but Boston's top three can certainly compare. The likely Allen Award winners in Ed Wood and Deuce Barrell are expected to hook up in games one and four and those should be outstanding duels. It is close but based on performance this season the Cannons rotation might be just a little bit better. EDGE: CINCINNATI

BULLPEN: Johnny Harry (18 sv, 3.07) and Dick Higgins (5-8, 3.06) vs Jim Anderson (4 sv, 2.91) and Larry Brown (14 sv, 2.30). Neither bullpen is the team's strength but each will be bolstered with back of the rotation arms for the series. EDGE: EVEN

PINCH-HITTERS: Jay Buckingham hit .294 in 68 at bats as a pinch-hitter for Boston this season with Len Jones going 7-for-21 (.333). Rookie Johnny Potter was 5-for-10 as a pinch-hitter for the Cannons after his promotion and Alf Pestilli (6-for-18) hit .333. EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION

The series should be a tight low-scoring affair if the pitching does what is expected. Both teams have loads of talent but the strength of the Cincinnati starting rotation prompts me to call the series as going to the Cannons in 6 hard-fought games.


WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES PREDICTIONS
Brett Bing Toronto Mail & Empire - Cannons in five, too much pitching for Boston
Freddie Farhat Detroit World - Boston has what it takes to get it done in six.
Archie Irwin Chicago Daily News - Boston in 7 but I can see it going either way.
Jiggs McGee TWIFB - Cannons in six
Arthur Mortimer NY Daily Mirror - Cannons in five
Percy Sutherland Chicago Herald Examiner- I say it goes 7, and will go with the Cannons.

PLENTY TO LIKE ABOUT PIONEERS FUTURE

The St Louis Pioneers might have come up just short in their bid to be a Cinderella pennant winner in the Federal Association this season but there is plenty to like about the franchise going forward. Things certainly did not start well when Dee Rose purchased the club just under two years ago and rumours immediately started regarding a move to Los Angeles. That did not happen, likely in no small part due to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but the Pioneers have moved this year - but not from St Louis. Instead, that relocation was to the upper reaches of the first division.

A veteran resurgence led by Sam Sheppard's big comeback on the mound as well as steps forward this season from experienced outfielders Al Tucker and Gail Gifford was a big reason for the current success but the future also looks bright due to a lot of good young players. Those already in St Louis include first baseman Dutch Breunig and rookie outfielder Buck Pusey plus a deep farm system ranked in the top five by OSA.

The two prize pitching prospects from that system - 20 year old Tom Buchanan and 22 year old Hal Hackney- are both in military service as is another good young arm in 21 year old Tony Dixon. Buchanan is considered the best prospect in the game, Whitney cracks the top 15 and Dixon is presently 65th so when they return the Pioneers future on the mound could be very bright.

However, St Louis fans have a lot more to look forward to as three other pitchers have caught the organization's attention in Ben Fiskars, Lazardo DeLeon and Herb Armstrong. Add in first round pick Homer Mills, a highly touted shortstop and there is a wealth of talent ready to join the fight for a Fed Pennant in St Louis - a banner that has eluded the organization since 1921.

Young pitchers can be unpredictable, and injuries can derail a career quickly. The Pioneers know all about that with Cal Roe, a former top-twenty prospect who never quite found his stride and then saw his career come to an end in July due to a devastating arm injury. The Pioneers have had their share of pitching prospects, and suffered perhaps more than their share of injuries so they know full well having multiple prospects on the way up is essential. And in that matter - just as they have on the field this season - the Pioneers have excelled.

ST LOUIS PIONEERS PROSPECTS TO WATCH

BASEBALL'S BEST PICKED FOR WAR ZONE TOUR

STAR PACKED COMBINE TO ENTERTAIN TROOPS

The rosters have been announced for the two teams of big leaguers who will head to the Pacific later this month to visit with the troops. The War Department is keeping their full itinerary under wraps but one can expect them to make a stop in Hawaii and likely performing in Australia and New Zealand as well. It will be the first trip of big league baseball players to the land down under.

The managers were announced a couple of weeks ago with Joe Ward of the Chicago Chiefs piloting the Federal Association side while Toronto skipper Charlie Reed calls the shot for the Continental side. In addition Hall of Famers Ed Ziehl and Powell Slocum, who currently manage the Gothams and Brooklyn respectively, will tag along as coaches but their main duty will be to meet and entertain the many soldiers and sailors they will cross paths with.

Here are the rosters:
FEDERAL ASSOCIATION
P - Duke Hendricks -Boston
P - Red Ross - Philadelphia
P - Gene Stevens - Pittsburgh
P - Mule Earl - Detroit
P - Lou Ellertson- Washington
C - Jack Flint - Boston
C - Tom Aiello - Pittsburgh
IF - Jocko Goodrum - Pittsburgh
IF - Bob Martin - Chicago
IF - Johnny McDowell - Pittsburgh
IF - Tommy Wilson - St Louis
IF - George Dawson - Washington
OF - Chick Donnelly - Boston
OF - Leon Drake - New York
OF - Gail Gifford - St Louis
OF - Dilly Ward - Washington
OF - Hank McKay - Philadelphia

CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION
P - Rufus Barrell - Cincinnati
P - Joe Hancock - Toronto
P - Art White - Chicago
P - Joe Brown - Chicago
P - Vern Hubbard - New York
P - Del Lyons - Brooklyn
C - Adam Mullins - Cincinnati
C - Woody Stone- Philadelphia
IF - Walt Pack - Toronto
IF - Skipper Schneider - Chicago
IF - Hank Barnett - Chicago
IF - Billy Dalton -Cincinnati
IF - Jake Hughes - Montreal
OF - Leo Mitchell - Chicago
OF - Cal Howe- Cleveland
OF - Fred Galloway - Cincinnati
OF - Harvey Brown - Philadelphia
OF - Chubby Hall - New York

In addition Mike Berry of the Chicago Chiefs and Billy Gladwin of the Chicago Cougars will go along as the trainers, Detroit Dynamos Assistant General Manager Mike Walton will act as the travelling secretary. Both groups will be under the direction of Rufus Barrell, who will make the trip as the representative of FABL President Sam Belton. The entire party will leave the United States as soon after the World Championship Series as the War Department gives Barrell the go-ahead.

HOW DID THE PREASON PROGNOSTICATORS FARE?

None of the 7 newspapers that took a stab at calling the 1943 standings correctly were right on both the pennant winners. In the Fed only Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire successfully tabbed the Boston Minutemen as the class of that Association. Bing was close on his CA call but had the Cannons finishing second behind the Chicago Cougars. BNN and the Philadelphia Record had similar success as both called a Cincinnati crown in the Continental but each had Boston finishing second in the Fed.

Give BNN a lot of credit as, while they did not have the order correct, the league news network did manage to identify the six teams that would finish in the top three spots in each association. They correctly had Cincinnati winning the CA, but reversed second and third place Toronto and Chicago. In the Fed they had St Louis, which finished a surprising second, edging out Boston instead of the reverse will also calling Washington third. The Eagles finished in a tie for the third spot with Philadelphia.

Here is how each of the predictions compared to the actual results.

• Percy Sutherland expects some good pitching in the WCS, but notes "you know how that usually turns out."
• While Boston's Ed Wood (23-8, 2.51) is the likely Allen Award winner in the Fed, those in St Louis suggest looking at what Joe Shaffner did down the stretch in his return to the Pioneers. The 39 year old was 11-2 with a 2.32 era in 16 starts with the Pioneers since being acquired from Detroit. As a whole, Shaffner, who counted his 200th career victory among his wins in St Louis, went 18-6 with a 2.60 era.
• A rough second half for the Chicago Chiefs, pegged by some as the team to beat in the Fed.
  
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  POST ALL-STAR RECORDS
Team        W-L
Keystones    45-28
Boston      44-28
St. Louis    44-30
Pittsburgh  35-36
Washington  34-37
Chiefs      31-43
Detroit      30-41
Gothams      26-46

  ---

• New York World Telegram scribe Red Wedge on the Gothams season. "(They) were pitiful after the break. Then again our 32-50 record before the break was nothing to write home about. Hopefully a quiet winter at home will revive Red Johnson. His .286/.381/.413 line for us was better than his early season numbers with Detroit, but hardly Big Timber numbers."
• Freddie Farhat of The Detroit World points out the Dynamos picked things up in August. "After the July 31st trade deadline the Dynamos went 26-26 before closing the season 1-2. So basically 500 without Joe Shaffner, who went 11-2 in St Louis, and Red Johnson, who just never got going this season. Was the 500 record smoke and mirrors or is there something (anything) to build on in Detroit? I think I know the answer to that question."

MAROONS WIN SHOWDOWN WITH CHICAGO

The AFA Western Division seems to always come down to either the Detroit Maroons or Chicago Wildcats leading the way. In fact, in each of the last four and eight of the previous nine seasons one of those two clubs has emerged as the best of the west so games between the two take on added importance. The first of their two 1943 meetings went to Detroit as the hometown Maroons scored a 35-20 victory over the Wildcats yesterday at Thompson Field.

Stan Vaught again led the way for the Maroons, catching a pair of touchdown passes and adding an interception - his league leading 3rd of the season. Detroit set the pace early scoring on each of their first two possessions with the opening touchdown coming after the Wildcats Marsh Schroeder had fumbled the games opening kick-off, giving Detroit excellent field position. With the win Detroit improves to 2-1 on the season, a half game up on the Wildcats.

Defending AFA champion Boston improved to 2-0 with it's second straight road victory. The Americans benefitted from a 21 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter from Brian Clark for the game's only major in a 7-6 win over the New York Football Stars. The only other game on the weekend saw Cleveland even it's record at 1-1 with a 20-6 victory at Forester Field over the Pittsburgh Paladins. It was another tough outing for rookie Pittsburgh quarterback Billy Bockhorst as the first overall draft pick out of Noble Jones completed just 5 of 21 pass attempts for 46 yards while being intercepted 5 times. Bockhorst has thrown 10 interceptions in his two games while rushing, which was his strength in college, for just 76 yards on 18 carries.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Last Weekend's Results
Cleveland 20 Pittsburgh 6
Detroit 35 Chicago 20
Boston 7 New York 6

Saturday October 9
Brooklyn at New York
Sunday October 10
Cleveland at Chicago
Boston at Phil-StL
Detroit at Pittsburgh

FOOTBALL SEASON ON IN EARNEST WITH BIG TILTS ALL OVER NATION

There may not be as many schools participating in college football any more, but there was no shortage of big games on the docket this past Saturday with marquee match-ups all over the country. The most exciting contest of the weekend may have been held in New Jersey where the Brunswick Knights scored 10 points in the final four minutes to upset Annapolis Maritime 16-14.

Other key results included a big game from quarterback Mike O'Rourke to allow St Blane to even it's record at 1-1 with a 30-7 win at home over Georgia Baptist. Pittsburgh State, which beat the Fighting Saints a week ago, looked very strong in blanking Great Lakes Naval Academy 20-0. Wisconsin Catholic is 3-0 following a 27-17 win over Camp Grant while Detroit City College upended St Magnus 17-7.

Out west the big game saw Northern California run it's record to 2-0 and secure a pretty good position for the East-West Classic with a 19-7 win over Coastal California. The West Coast Athletic Association winner is the traditional host of the key New Year's Day game and with just 3 active teams this season the Miners are in great shape as a win over CC Los Angeles, which already lost to Coastal California, on November 13 would give them the conference crown.

https://i.imgur.com/sYntfhL.jpg standings
WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS
St. Blane 30 Georgia Baptist 7
Noble Jones College 16 Cookeville State 13
Empire State 14 Rome State 10
Pittsburgh State 20 Great Lakes Navy 0
Detroit City College 17 St. Magnus 7
Wisconsin Catholic 27 Camp Grant 17
Northern California 19 Coastal California 7
Minnesota Tech 31 College of Omaha 16
Brunswick 16 Annapolis Maritime 14
North Carolina Tech 24 Liberty College 0
Daniel Boone College 20 Central Ohio 7
George Fox 21 Pierpont 20
Henry Hudson 21 Sadler 6
Whitney College 33 Lincoln 7
St. Patrick's 10 Ellery 3
Lawrence State 28 Mile High State 3
Coastal State 50 Charleston Tech 7
Lowry Field 20 Boulder State 3
Grafton 17 Coast Guard 3
North Carolina Pre-Flight 30 Carolina Poly 14
Columbia Military Academy 28 Fort Benning 0
Provo Tech 23 Fort Warren 7
Georgia Pre-Flight 24 Daniel Field 14
Grant (IN) 30 Indiana A&M 3
Iowa A&M 24 Iowa Pre-Flight 10
Eastern Kansas 6 Wichita Baptist 3
Bayou State 23 Red River State 10
March Field 14 Colorado Valley State 10
Maryland State 32 Cowpens State 5
Baton Rouge State 17 Memphis Navy 17
Oklahoma City State 27 Eastern Oklahoma 0
College of San Diego 21 CC Los Angeles 7
Petersburg 31 Curtis Bay Coast Guard 7
Pleasanton Navy 17 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 3
Travis College 7 Killeen State 0
Meade 31 Conwell College 0
Darnell State 21 College of Waco 0
Arkansas A&T 28 Amarillo Methodist 14
Eastern State 16 Huntington State 0
Alexandria 45 Central Carolina 3
Western Iowa 30 Wisconsin State 3
Golden Gate University 27 Del Monte Pre-Flight 24
San Francisco Tech 41 Kit Carson University 3

MESSER COMMITS TO LIBERTY COLLEGE

Ward Messer, younger brother of New York Gothams star Walt Messer and one of the top high school basketball players in the east, has committed to play his college ball at Liberty College. The 17 year old still has his senior season at McKinley Tech in Washington D.C. to play but is set to join the Bells for the 1944-45 campaign. His brother Walt was a two-time National High School baseball player of the year at McKinley Tech before going on to play for the Gothams.

The younger Messer, a center, becomes the third highly touted high schooler that has been landed by Liberty College for enrollment in autumn 1944. Earlier the Bells secured commitments from Dan Fluellen and Fred Hardeman. Each are considered among the top 20 high schoolers in the country with Fluellen being a forward from Richmond, Va., and Hardeman a guard out of New York City.

The Bells, who won the National College tournament two years ago, as well as back-to-back wins in the mid-thirties, are said to have landed the third best recruiting class for this season - heading by Michael Allen, a forward out of Liberal, Ks., and trailing only Detroit City College and Miami State- and are considered one of the team's to beat when this season tips-off next month.

• Allied forces have captured Naples, forcing the Nazis to flee north.
  
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• R.A.F. bombs are said to have destroyed about 60% of the the city of Hanover as fleets of bombers continue to pound Germany nightly.
• Red Army forces continue to advance, pushing the Nazi's back and closing in on the location of the old Polish border.
• A further tightening of rationing along the eastern United States. A drop in food production has given the Price Administration Office the need to increase the cost of ration points for a number of meat products and some dairy items like butter.
  
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October 8, 1943: WCS Games 1 & 2
 

OCTOBER 8, 1943: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES EDITION

MINUTEMEN TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD

PETE DAY LEADS THE WAY FOR BOSTON

Boston Minutemen outfielder Pete Day made two of the best pitchers in the Continental Association look like high schoolers as he led his club to wins in each of the opening two games of the World Championship Series. The 32 year old went 5-for-7 with a homerun, 5 rbi's and 3 runs scored to almost single-handedly beat the Cincinnati Cannons in back to back games at Minutemen Stadium. The Cannons were left licking their wounds as the limped back to Cincinnati for tomorrow's game three, hoping for a better result that the 4-1 defeat in the series opener and a 6-1 loss in yesterday's second game.

It was as much Day's performance as it was the inability of the Cannons offense to deliver the key hit that proved their undoing. The opening game sent Cincinnati ace Deuce Barrell to the hill against veteran Walt Wells of Boston. Both pitched well in going the distance with Deuce allowing 7 hits while Wells scattered six.

Boston drew first blood with back to back singles from Bob Donoghue and Day to open the second inning - a problem compounded for Barrell when normally sure-handed Cincinnati centerfielder Fred Galloway bobbled the ball on Donoghue's lead-off hit letting him take an extra base which meant he could score the game's opening run on Day's base knock. That also allowed Day to scamper to second on the play at the plate and, after a fly out moved him to third, he could score the second run on a Bill Van Ness groundout. Neither run was considered unearned but it was clear the Galloway miscue opened the door and gave Boston that early 2-0 lead.

The Cannons had their opportunity in the 4th inning when Galloway and Adam Mullins hit back-to-back singles off of Boston starter Wells to open the inning, but the cagey veteran got out of the situation unscathed thanks to three straight fly outs. The missed opportunity was made even more painful the bottom half of the 4th when Donoghue and Day went to work again. The Minutemen extended their lead to 3-0 when Donoghue laced a one-out triple and he trotted him on a single off the bat of Day.

The lone mistake made by Wells was allowing a solo homerun to Cannons third baseman Billy Dalton in the 7th inning but that was the extent of the Cincinnati offensive output for the day. Pete Day got that run back in the bottom of the 7th with a lead-off single -his third hit of the game- and he would score when Boston's Harry Barrell delivered a 2-out base hit off his nephew to restore the 3-run lead for the Minutemen.

Ed Wood, the likely Allan Award winner in the Federal Association this season, pitched a solid second game despite having some struggles early. Cincinnati led 1-0 after two but once more the Cannons bats missed an opportunity. Adam Mullins and Chuck Adams hit back to back singles with two out in the top of the first but Wood fanned Billy Dalton on 3 pitches to end the threat. An error from Boston second sacker Lew McClendon allowed the Cannons to score their lone run in the second inning as Jim Hensley stroked a 1-out double to plate Sam Brown, who reached when his grounder was mishandled by McClendon. Hensley was stranded on second when Wood fanned Cannons pitcher Butch Smith and then induced a fly out from Bob Griffith to end the inning. That would be the last of the Cannons offense on the afternoon.

Butch Smith was not at his best for Cincinnati but did manage to escape both the first inning -when the Minutemen had runners on first and second with one out- and the second -with the bases loaded and just one out- without surrendering any runs. Smith had a 1-2-3 third inning but got back into trouble in the fourth and this time he could not wiggle free. Donoghue led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and moved to third when Bill Van Ness grounded out. Ed Wood aided his own cause by legging out an infield hit to score Donoghue and then Pete Day -the game one hero- stole the show once more with a 2-run homer to put the Minutemen ahead by a 3-1 score. A Jack Cleaves error prolonged the Cannons troubles and Boston would add a fourth run on a Bill Moore base hit.

Wood would settle down and allow just 1 more Cincinnati hit - a Bob Griffith double in the 7th inning- and the Minutemen headed to the 9th frame up 6-1 thanks to scoring a pair of Cincinnati reliever Jim Anderson in the bottom of the 7th with Pete Day once more driving in one of the runs.

Trailing by five the Cannons tried to mount a last minute attack on Dick Higgins, who had taken over for Wood in an effort to retire the final three Cannons. Jack Cleaves walked, and after retiring Jim Hensley and pinch-hitter Johnny Porter, Griffith smacked his second double of the game. Needing far more than just the run represented by Cleaves, the Cannons held the veteran at third base in hopes Fred Galloway could keep the rally going. He did not, lifting a fly ball that Boston's Chick Donnelly clutched in centerfield to end the contest in a 6-1 Boston win and a solid 2-0 series lead as the two clubs embark for Cincinnati and Saturday's third game.


It is becoming increasingly clear that, at least in this battle for World (Championship Series) domination, that muskets are a much more powerful weapon than cannons. The Cincinnati Cannons quickly find themselves down 2-0 to the Boston Minutemen in the WCS as their offense has decided to extend the vacation it took for much of September. Boston outscored the Cannons 10-2 in the pair of games at Minutemen Stadium.

To be fair the Cannons pop-gun offense can not shoulder all the blame. Neither Deuce Barrell nor Butch Smith, dominant all season, had what one would consider their A-games going in Boston but it is hard to be a winning pitcher when your offense can only provide you with a single run every nine innings. Add in some shoddy defensive work from all-star centerfielder Fred Galloway -who you would not expect it from- and from veteran second baseman Jack Cleaves - who has hardly set the world on fire with his bat or his glove since coming over from Pittsburgh at the deadline- and winning becomes a longshot proposition.

This is not an eulogy. The Cannons have the benefit of Tice Memorial and the Queen City fans for the next three games -assuming they can win at least one of the first two- and it is quite conceivable we could be returning to the east coast up 3-2 in the series. But for that to happen the bats, which have been colder than a Nor'easter blowing into New England off the Atlantic, need to thaw, and need to do so pronto.

2-0 deficits have been overcome many times in the WCS. 3-0, well let's just say not so much. Chris Clarke, another one of those mid-season pick-ups the Cannons paid so dearly to acquire, gets the call on the mound tomorrow and Deuce will most certainly get another crack at Pete Day, his Uncle Harry and the rest of the Boston nine on Sunday. But they will need more than 1-run each if this comeback is going to happen.

The Cannons offense was never dominant, but steps were taken to shore it up with the summer additions of Billy Dalton, Sam Brown and Cleaves. One thought that would kick start the Cannons bats but the offense never really got going, and it died over a 2-week stretch in mid-September when they were shutout 4 times and scored just 13 runs in 8 games against the Wolves. Fortunately they got untracked against Montreal and Brooklyn over the final week or we might not even be discussing the WCS. But that slumber of the lumber is back and the wake-up call better come soon. Before it is too late.

• Dynamos brass is busy doing an organizational evaluation this week in Detroit. Freddie Farhat of the Detroit World had this from a source of his: "We have a laundry list forming of what we want and starting today we have players already exiting the organization. The '44 season doesn't look good in Detroit, but its time to try and find some quality with our draft picks that can get up to the big leagues by '46 or '47. But as we look at things we might trade one of the later first round picks for a good OF bat or P. Detroit has the 1st, 3rd and 7th picks in the first round. Then also has Washington's pick which is either 9th or 11th (tied with Phily). So with 4 picks in the top 9-11 and 6 in the first 19, Detroit really needs to do its homework and nail this draft.
  The organization is debating about what to do with Sal Pestilli. Since we have enough draft picks for this year in the early rounds he will likely wait until after the 1944 draft before he is potentially dealt."
• Including his days in Brooklyn, the Cannons General Manager is now just 8-15 all-time in WCS games.

A couple of early in the week college football games were played on Thursday with both resulting in upsets. The biggest one was seeing defending National Champion Noble Jones College lose for the first time in well over a year as the Colonels were upended by Cowpens State. It will be a quick turn around for the Deep South Conference powerhouse, as Noble Jones is back in action Sunday when they face one of the military teams in Daniel Field.

The other game saw Mountainview State, a smaller college team from Colorado Springs, knock off Mile High State 20-6. It is the first loss this season for the Falcons, who now sit at 3-1 on the year.

COLLEGE RESULTS
Mountainview State 20 Mile High State 6
Cowpens State 14 Noble Jones College 3

• Allied forces are closing in on Rome as they continue to push Nazi troops north.
• Heinrich Himmler, Nazi Gestapo chief, is reportedly in Denmark supervising the deportation of Danish Jews to Germany and Poland.
• British bombers leave Frankfurt in ruins, while Allied planes also fly from newly won bases in Italy to attack targets in occupied Greece.
• An American naval offensive designed to search our and destroy Japanese seapower was forecast today as the result of a grand strategy conference held at Pearl Harbor by Admiral Ernest King, commander-in-chief of the US Navy and his Pacific commanders.
  
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October 11, 1943: WCS Games 3 & 4
 

OCTOBER 11, 1943 - WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES EDITION

CANNONS EVEN SERIES

The Cincinnati Cannons offense finally answered it's wake-up call as the club scored 14 runs in games three and four after managing just one run in each of the first two games of the series. The results were an 8-2 victory on Saturday and a 6-5 win yesterday to even the World Championship Series between the Cannons and the Boston Minutemen at two wins apiece. The series, now a best-of-three affair, continues today in Cincinnati before shifting east to New England for the sixth and, if necessary, 7th game.

It looked like the Cannons might be in big trouble when Art Spencer smacked a 1-out triple off Cincinnati starter Chris Clarke in the top of the first inning on Saturday. An error by Jack Cleaves allowed Spencer to score and Boston had a quick 1-0 lead. Things were different for the Cannons offense this time around however, as they immediately answered with 2-runs of their own in the home half of the opening inning. Like in the top of the inning it was an error that opened the door: this one by Boston third baseman Spencer which was quickly followed by a 2-run double off the bat of Adam Mullins making for a rough first inning for Boston starter Duke Hendicks.

Hendricks would create a mess for himself in the fourth inning by walking the first two batters he faced in that frame. That led to rbi singles from both Chuck Adams and Bob Griffith to stretch the Cannons lead to 4-1. Boston did get a run back in the 6th as Pete Day continued his outstanding series with a 3-hit game including a lead-off single in the 6th that eventually led to him scoring on a Bill Van Ness sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 2 runs, but that would be as close as the Minutemen would get. Cincinnati would add a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6th and two more in the 8th inning to make for an easy afternoon for Cannons starter Clarke and a pair of relievers.

Deuce Barrell took the hill for the second time in the Series while Paul Richardson, a former Cannons cast-off who was acquired from the Sailors at the deadline, got the start for Boston. It came as a bit of a surprise that the Minutemen did not go back to Game One winner Walt Wells instead of the 29 year old Richardson.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but the move proved costly as Richardson only made it into the 6th inning before running out of gas and needing to turn things over to the bullpen. The score was 2-2 at that point and Richardson had done a solid job against Cannons ace Barrell, but reliever Johnny Harry got into a load of trouble in the 7th. The Cannons plated 4 runs that frame with the big blow being a 3-run double from Adam Mullins that staked Barrell to a 6-3 lead. Boston responded with 2 runs in the top of the 8th to cut the deficit to just a single run but was a close as they could get as Barrell shut the door in the 9th to preserve the Cannons victory and even the series.
The World Series is still going on and the Montreal Saints held a press conference to close the season. Player evaluation still under progress but as a team Montreal line-up shown an average offense, below average pitching and defense. The only stats where Montreal team finish in top tier is in “stealing bases”.

Let's start by taking a look at the Saints pitching, both present and future.

Jake DeYoung was not able to duplicate his very strong 1942 numbers when he won 18 games, falling to a disappointing 7-21 this season with an era that ballooned to 4.73. But on many games the lack of offense turned a solid outing into a loss for him. Veteran Ed Baker was having a strong start before getting sidelined for the season in May. Bill Ross had his best career season with 13 wins, highest total of his career, and an ERA of 2.52. He was by far the most consistent pitcher all season long and was named to the All-Star squad. Also, the season give a shot at two promising young rookies in Pat Weakley and Wally Reif. Weakley was able to maintain a 11-9 record through the season at the age of only 23. These two should be starting the next season with a lot of confidence.

As for the bullpen 40 years old veteran Eddie Hite just pitched like his normal consistent self, but how much more does the 40 year old have left in his arm? Billy Stall pitched under the expectations while Howie Snyder took the closer role seriously finishing 4th overall in FABL with 22 saves. Rookie Ace Adams just assumed the setup role all season long. The absence of Danny Clark, who got injured for the full season on his first appearance on the mound, was a big loss as he was considered the best relief pitcher of the group by OSA. 27 year old Jimmy Mayse did great at AAA, but when called for injury filling and to close the season, his performance was not as expected and there is doubts about his future in Montreal.

Looking to the farm system and the Saints pitching prospects a few impressed enough in AAA that we can expect them to battle for one spot next season – SP Jackie James (OSA rank #49) and SP Bert Cupid (OSA ranking #14) are just 22 and 20 years of age but may be ready to challenge for a big league job next season. The bullpen may see 23 year old Lee Richardson pushing some older veteran next season.

In general, the future looks bright for the Montreal pitching squad as their new two rookies thrown decently at the age of 23 and high ranked prospects coming in the pipeline may turn the squad into a dominant position few years from now. If you add SP Wally Doyle to the squad after the war, it could be even more interesting to watch but not to bat against. The management is asking for patience to the fans as management is keeping his words “stick to the plan”.

1944 Pitching squad may look like this:
Starters: Weakley, Reif, Ross, DeYoung, Weiss or James
Bullpen: Baker, Adams, Snyder, Finch, Hite or Richardson
Batter evaluation by position will be in our next column.

• Game three of the WCS from Cincinnati was the first World Championship Series game to broadcast the full play-by-play, live via short wave, to American soldiers overseas. The first two games reached were broadcast from Boston but on a delay basis with only a recapitulation of the game being transmitted but the soldiers claimed of the inadequacy of the broadcasts. According to the Mutual Network, which carries the series broadcasts, General Eisenhower is reported to have asked the War Department to arrange for complete play-by-play to reach the men.
• The Dynamos are fully committed to a youth movement and a rebuild it appears. News out of Detroit has veterans Mike Murphy, Rip Curry and Frank Vance all on the trade block.
• The Gothams also want to move on from Rusty Petrick. The 27 year old was 8-15 with a 4.41 era after winning a career best 20 games a year ago.
• As for buyers, word out of Chicago is the Cougars need a centerfielder and want more pitching depth, so with still a decent collection of prospects you have to think the Windy City might be a possible destination for Petrick. Although I would not be surprised if the Chiefs also show interest in the underachieving righthander.

"FRIGLERS" UPSET DEFENDING CHAMPS 21-6

The biggest surprise of the season to date saw the new combined Philadelphia and St Louis ballclub surprise the defending AFA champion Boston Americans 21-6 in the season debut for the combo squad. Dubbed the Friglers as a combination of the Philadelphia Frigates and St Louis Ramblers nicknames, the plan was hatched to combine the two squads for this season when neither appeared able to field a full squad due to contributions to the war effort.

The new team made the champs look like chumps in building up a 21-0 lead before allowing Boston a late touchdown. Dave Davis had a big game for the combo eleven, rushing for 158 yards including a 38 yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter while also forcing a pair of fumbles on the defensive side of the ball. For the 26 year old Davis it was a case of the war creating an opportunity for him to play. The St Pancras alum spent some time on the roster of the Frigates and also the New York football Stars a couple of years ago but never got an opportunity to display what he could do, and Davis obviously made up for lost time against Boston. Quarterback Bob Allen was another in the same boat, and the win was even sweeter for the 25 year old from Minns College as he spent some time sitting behind Del Thomas on the Americans depth chart a couple of years ago. Given the opportunity to play for the combined team, Allen acquainted himself quite well, complete 10 of 13 passes for 140 yards while passing for one touchdown and rushing for another.

Speaking of Thomas, the championship game MVP from last season had a pretty solid outing, throwing for 153 yards but the Friglers defense shut down Leon Fitzgerald and the Boston running game, and that proved the difference in the contest.

Elsewhere, Detroit improved to 3-1 on the season with a 21-6 win over the Pittsburgh Paladins. Stan Vaught was busy again, catching 5 passes for 77 yards including a touchdown reception while also returning an interception for a score. Vaught leads the AFA in scoring, receptions and is tied with Gus Brown of Chicago for the interception lead with 4. Brown threw 3 touchdown passes and returned an interception for a 4th score to lead the Chicago Wildcats past Cleveland 28-17 while in the only other game Isaac Rhodes booted a 38 yard field goal in the fourth quarter to account for all the scoring as Brooklyn won it's season debut 3-0 over the New York Football Stars.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Last Weekend's Results
Brooklyn 3 New York 0
Chicago 28 Cleveland 17
Phil-StL 21 Boston 6
Detroit 21 Pittsburgh 6

Sunday October 17
Phil-StL at Pittsburgh
Brooklyn at Boston
New York at Chicago
Detroit at Cleveland

ROUGH SEASON FOR TRADITIONAL PACIFIC POWERS CONTINUES

When you think west coast football more often than not it is the two Los Angeles schools that immediately come to mind - Coastal California and CC Los Angeles. Both have struggled this season and things got worse on Saturday as each was shut out by a military eleven. The Dolphins were blanked 21-0 by Golden Gate Pre-Flight to fall to 1-2 on the season with their only win coming over CCLA. The Coyotes -in addition to the black eye of losing to their city rivals- are now 0-3 on the year with the latest loss being a 20-0 shellacking at the hands of the boys at March Field. Northern California did save some glory for the West Coast Athletic Association as the Miners improved to 3-0 on the year with a 54-0 romp past College of San Diego.

It is not just the west where schools that used to be top notch have fallen on hard times. Noble Jones College -the Georgia outfit that was a perfect 12-0 a year ago- lost for the second time in 4 days after falling 21-13 to Daniel Field. Baton Rogue State and Bayou State also lost this weekend leaving only Georgia Baptist as a winner in the now just 4-team Deep South Conference. Independent power St Blane fell for the second time in 3 games as Detroit City College doubled the Fighting Saints 28-14.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Rome State 17 Conwell College 3
Annapolis Maritime 20 Carolina Poly 7
North Carolina Tech 34 Jacksonville Naval Air Station 7
Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 21 Coastal California 0
March Field 20 CC Los Angeles 0
Detroit City College 28 St. Blane 14
Northern California 54 College of San Diego 0
Georgia Baptist 29 Georgia Pre-Flight 21
Great Lakes Navy 23 Central Ohio 10
Wisconsin Catholic 28 Chesterton 3
Pierpont 24 Grafton 10
Pittsburgh State 28 Huntington State 10
Whitney College 27 Camp Grant 14
Maryland State 41 Richmond Field 0
St. Patrick's 21 Coast Guard 7
Wisconsin State 13 Lincoln 0
Camp Davis 7 Charleston Tech 3
Liberty College 10 Empire State 9
Provo Tech 27 Boulder State 3
Sadler 16 Brunswick 14
Norman Naval Air Station 17 Fort Riley 14
College of Omaha 20 Indiana A&M 3
Iowa Pre-Flight 10 Western Iowa 10
Lawrence State 21 Iowa A&M 10
Texas Gulf Coast 24 Memphis Navy 7
Daniel Boone College 31 Eastern Kansas 6
Arkansas A&T 20 Monticello Navy 14
Eastern State 23 Petersburg 0
Columbia Military Academy 17 Charleston (IL) 0
Travis College 10 Oklahoma City State 10
Darnell State 45 Bayou State 0
Red River State 24 Baton Rouge State 21
College of Waco 16 Payne State 10
Alexandria 45 Coastal State 30
George Fox 16 Henry Hudson 0
San Francisco Tech 24 Alameda Coast Guard 6
Daniel Field 21 Noble Jones College 13
Del Monte Pre-Flight 28 Pleasanton Navy 3
Penn Catholic 38 Sampson NTS 19

• Allied troops continue to inch closer to Rome and push the Nazis north.
• The Nazi terror drive hits Italian Jews with reports that hundreds of Jewish men and women in Northern Italy have been brutally executed.
• Russian troops are surrounding Kiev and threatening to take the ancient Ukrainian capital and are breaching a German winter defense line Hitler had wanted held at all costs.
• The Japanese are in full flight from the central Solomons under a storm of American bombs and gunfire.
• A plane carrying nine passengers including Walt Disney from Los Angeles to Mexico City was forced to make an emergency landing when it was grounded by a hurricane. Disney and his fellow passengers were safe but 50% of the the Pacific port of Mazatlan was reportedly destroyed and well over 100 people were killed by the storm.
  
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October 14, 1943 : WCS Games 5 & 6
 

October 14, 1943 : SPECIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES EDITION

WOOD ONE-HITTER FORCES GAME SEVEN

Home field has certainly been an advantage through the first six games of the World Championship Series, which is knotted at 3 wins apiece in advance of today's seventh game at Boston's Minutemen Park against the visiting Cincinnati Cannons.

Boston took the first two games at home before the Cannons won three straight once the series shifted to Cincinnati including Monday's fifth game in which Butch Smith came up with a big effort on the mound to lead the Cannons to a 4-2 victory.

It was Smith's bat, not his arm, that got things started when he led off with a single off Boston starter Walt Wells in the third inning. He would score on a Fred Galloway triple two batters later and the Cannons finished the inning up 2-0 after Adam Mullins drove in Galloway. Mullins would deliver another key blow in the bottom fifth inning -this one a 2-out double to plate Bob Griffith, who had reached on a free pass. That extended the Cannons lead to 3-0 and made Boston's missed opportunity in the top of the fifth even more costly. The Minutemen had the bases loaded with no one out but Smith managed to retire the next 3 batters and pitch his way out of trouble.

The Minutemen would finally score in the 6th, plating a run on a Harry Barrell sac fly to make the score 3-1 and an inning later the deficit was cut to just a single run after a Lew McClendon rbi single. Boston had the opportunity for a big inning with runners on second and third and two out but Bill Moore flew out to end the threat.

Chuck Adams, who led the Cannons with 16 homers during the season, delivered his first of the Series to lead off the bottom of the 8th, giving Cincinnati some insurance in the form of a 4-2 lead. Larry Brown, who took over on the Cincinnati mound from Smith in the 8th inning, allowed a 1-out walk to pinch-hitter Len Jones in the 9th but promptly picked Jones off and then induced a weak grounder from Pete Day to end the game and send the Cannons to Boston with a 3 games to two series lead.


The sixth game was all Ed Wood as the 35 year old lefthander pitched complete game 1-hit gem to keep the Minutemen alive in the Series with a 4-0 victory which knotted the series at 3 and continued the series-long trend of the home team prevailing. It was Wood's second win of the Series and he did it without allowing an earned run, putting the cherry on top of his career best 23-win season and what should be his first Allan Award.

The Cannons had just the one hit - a 2-out single from Bob Griffith in the third inning- and 4 base runners reached by a Wood walks. Two of the those came in the top of the first inning in what would turn out to be Cincinnati's only real opportunity to get to Wood on this day. Griffith worked Wood for a lead-off walk and, after Fred Galloway popped out, Mullins also claimed a free ticket on base. However, Wood got out of the jam by getting Chuck Adams to ground into an inning-ending doubleplay. Griffith would walk again to lead off the 6th inning and move to second on a Fred Galloway ground out but a pair of fly balls left him stranded at second base. That would prove to be the final Cincinnati baserunner for the day as Wood sat the final 11 Cannons batters down in order.

Chris Clarke was keeping the Boston bats in check, at least for the most part, until the bottom of the fifth when the Minutemen snapped a scoreless tie with a 4-run outburst. Art Spencer hit an rbi single with 2-out and Bill Moore followed with a triple to make it 2-0. Up to the plate stepped Donoghue, the often injured but still dangerous slugger, and he walloped a 2-run homer that clearly put the game out of reach.

So for the third year in a row it all comes down to one game to decide the winner of the World Championship Series. Boston has been here before, beating the Chicago Cougars at home in the 7th game two years ago after trailing in the series 2-0. Deuce Barrell, the Cannons ace who is 1-1 with a decidedly un-ace-like 4.76 era in the Series, will undoubtedly get the ball for the Cannons. When Deuce is on he can be one of the best pitchers in the game, but he has looked merely ordinary and perhaps even so what less than so, against Boston so far. Boston is left with a choice of starting veteran Walt Wells, who won Game Two but absorbed a 4-2 loss in the fifth game, on short rest or giving the ball to Duke Hendricks, who was hit pretty hard in the Game Three loss. The Minutemen due have the advantage of home field in their brand new stadium....and so far that has made all the difference in this World Championship Series.

• This is the third straight season we have seen the WCS go the full 7 games. The Gothams won the battle of New York last year by winning games six and seven on the road after falling behind 3-2 while Boston did the same thing at home the previous season after dropping the fifth game to the Cougars in Chicago.
• The home team has won all 6 games this series and being on the road for Game Seven does not bode well for the Cannons as in only three of the previous 14 WCS Game Sevens has the visiting team won (although for two of them it is lost to history who was the host of the 7th game.)
• If there is anything working in the Cannons favour (besides possibly Deuce Barrell) it is the fact that the franchise is 2-0 all-time in 7th games. The Minutemen are 1-1.
  WCS GAME SEVENS
  1942 Gothams over Stars (road team won)
  1941 Boston over Cougars
  1938 Chiefs over Brooklyn (road team won)
  1934 Cleveland over Gothams
  1933 Keystones over Cougars
  1930 Sailors over Gothams
  1929 Detroit over Sailors
  1921 Montreal over St Louis (unknown)
  1918 Detroit over Cougars
  1915 Montreal over Boston
  1914 Baltimore over Washington (unknown)
  1911 Toronto over Detroit
  1908 Baltimore over Detroit (road team won)
  1896 Gothams over Cougars
• Gothams sources say they have an offer for Rusty Petrick that they are close to accepting, but word is club is trying to get another team involved to try and drive the price up for the inconsistent 27 year old who sports a 70-102 career record.
• Speaking of shopping players the St Louis Pioneers have a lengthy list of primarily fringe big leaguers they are looking to move on from.

TOP COASTAL CALIFORNIA HARDWOOD RECRUIT ENLISTS

The Coastal California Dolphins learned this week that Kenny Sherman -the #4 ranked recruit in the nation- will not be playing for the team this season. The 19 year old Stockton, Ca., native has informed the school that he is enlisting in the Marines at the conclusion of this semester and as a result he will not play college basketball.

Sherman was considered to be the top high school senior on the west coast last year and he sparked a fierce recruiting battle between most of the top schools in the west. Despite his absence, the Dolphins remain a very deep team although Sherman was being counted on to step in and replace Richard McEachern, who was a third team All-American as a senior a year ago.

• Portugal has granted the British the use of it's naval base in the Azores, which should greatly aid in the war on German U-boats.
• Gains continue to be reported both in Italy and on the Eastern Front.
  
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• Prime Minister Churchill rebuked American politicians for including in political rows in the midst of a war. He also warned the House of Commons that the bloodiest fighting of the war lies ahead for the British people.
• Italy is expected to declare war on Germany, her former Axis partner.
  
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October 15, 1943: WCS Game 7
 

OCTOBER 15, 1943 : SPECIAL WCS ISSUE

CANNONS CLAIM CROWN

Barrell 2-hitter Keys Thrilling Game 7 Win

Quite a finish to an outstanding World Championship Series has seen the city of Cincinnati claim it's first big league sports title since the old Monarchs won the Border Association pennant way back in 1888. Rufus Barrell led the way, retiring the final 21 Boston batters in order while twirling a 2-hitter, along with Denny Andrews, who snapped a 1-1 tie with a solo homerun in the 8th inning, to lead the Cannons to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Minutemen in the seventh game of the World Championship Series.

The Series could not have been much closer as the only game won by the visiting team was the deciding 7th contest, and for the Series only one run separated the two sides. The seventh game had the feeling it might never be decided as it stayed 1-1 for the first seven innings before Andrews, who began his career in Boston and had lost his starting job in Cincinnati with the mid-season acquisition of Billy Dalton, played the hero with what would prove to be the series-clinching homerun to lead off the top of the 8th inning.

Both clubs plated a run in the first. Cincinnati's coming when Chuck Adams doubled in Fred Galloway, who had worked Boston starter Walt Wells for a free pass, but the Minutemen quickly matched that when Bob Donoghue hit a solo homerun -his second round tripper in as many games- after Deuce Barrell retired the first two Minutemen hitters.

Both clubs had opportunities but neither Wells nor Barrell would break. The Cannons had the bases loaded with one out in the second but the rally ended when Bob Griffith hit into a doubleplay. Boston had runners on the corners with no one out in the third but Barrell managed to get out of trouble with 3 straight fly balls. In the fifth the Cannons had runners on the corners with one out but Wells again pitched his way out of trouble.

Boston's luck ran out in the top of the 8th when Duke Hendricks, who had relieved Wells midway through the 7th, grooved a pinch to Andrews that travelled close to 400 feet and allowed the Cannons infielder to score the tie-breaking run. That inning could have been much worse for Hendricks as a walk, a single and an error -Boston's third miscue of the game- loaded the bases with just one out. Harry Barrell made a terrific play on his nephew, nabbing Deuce's ground ball and firing a bullet home to catcher Bill Van Ness for the force at the plate and then Bob Griffith followed with another ground ball that Harry easily handled to get Hendricks out of what could have been a devastating inning.

Boston still had hope but it was flickering, entering the bottom of the 8th trailing to 2-1. Deuce Barrell, who had been incredibly efficient most of the game -throwing just 91 pitches in total- needed just 7 pitches to set the side down in order in the 8th and that was after it took just 3 pitches to get three outs in the 7th.

The Minutemen hopes came crashing down in the 9th inning when Johnny Harry -who had just an awful series- allowed 2 Cincinnati runs on a pair of walks -although one to Andrews was intentional- and a Sam Brown double. With a 4-1 lead and needing just 3 outs, Deuce Barrell put the game away with just 4 pitches in the bottom of the 9th. Pete Day and Bill Moore each hit fly balls to Cannons outfielders before Donoghue grounded out to shortstop Jimmy Hensley to end the series.

WCS NOTES

• Ed Wood, who won Games One and Six for the Minutemen without allowing an earned run was named the Series MVP. One can't help but wonder if Boston skipper Bill Boshart's decision to start Paul Richardson in Game 4 instead of Wood cost his team the Series? If Wood had pitched in the fourth game he likely would have been on the hill against Deuce Barrell yesterday in the deciding contest, if the series even went that far. Richardson's start was a 6-5 loss for the Boston nine, but the fault lies much more on reliever Johnny Harry -who allowed 4 runs in 1 and a third innings that game.
• Wood's .109 opponent batting average is the lowest ever recorded in a WCS, easily smashing the old mark of .139 against Detroit's Jim Golden in the 1919 series. There must be something about Wood and October baseball as two years ago the Cougars hit just .161 off Wood, which is tied for 5th lowest. Wood is 4-0 with a 0.27 era as a WCS pitcher -also the lowest career era mark of all-time.
• Deuce Barrell pitched 26 innings in the Series. That is tied for 5th most all-time in a single WCS and 3 shy of Charlie Sis' 1911 record. Billy Riley of the Stars and the Gothams Ed Bowman each pitched 25 innings last year.
• Bill Moore's 2-homerun performance in Game Four tied a WCS record. Only 3 players have ever homered twice in a single WCS contest. All three were from the Federal Association with Moore joining Cliff Moss, who did it with the Chiefs in 1938 and Henry Jones, who hit 2 in a 1929 game for Detroit.
• Pete Day led all hitters with a .346 batting average. Day went 8-for-11 in the first three games but was just 1-for-15 in the final four.

A last place finish. You know what that means, change is coming. This can be good, however, rumor has is the first more is a return to the past. Having given up on the wildly erratic Rusty Petrick, the Gothams are apparently turning to....Jim Lonardo?

That's right. Talk is the team has long desired a reunion with their long time ace. Now 39 and the winner of 261 career games the 10 year Gotham will attempt to add to his 162 total for the franchise. Lonardo needs just 3 victories to move past Charlie Wilson for 2nd place in team history. With one solid season Lonardo would likely moved into 2nd in most categories, trailing only the unreachable Ike Wetzel. Word is draft picks and prospects are also involved.

October 18, 1943
 

The New York Gothams announced a pair of trades as the World Championship Series came to an end with the big news being Jim Lonardo was returning to the club he spent the first decade of his 16 year big league career. The 39 year old righthander, who has a lifetime record of 261-189 and won 4 Allan Awards, moves from the Chicago Cougars back to New York in a package for the Gothams talented but inconsistent 27 year old righthander Rusty Petrick.

Joining Lonardo in the move east will be outfielder Bunny Hufford along with minor leaguers Cy Howard and Jimmy Maness. Chicago also receives the Gothams 4th round draft -which will be the first selection in the June portion- next year.

The deal, from the Cougars point of view, hinges on Petrick (70-102, 4.22 for his career) regaining the form he showed in 1942 when we won 20 games -his only winning season in 7 big league seasons. Lonardo went 12-12 with a 3.61 era for the Cougars last season but he will turn 40 next June. Hufford is a soon to be 26 year old centerfielder who split each of the past two seasons between the Cougars and their AAA affiliate in Milwaukee, batting just .198 in 49 career big league games. Howard is 25 year old second baseman selected in the 6th round of the 1940, who spent last season in AA while Maness, a 19 year old 11th round pick from 1942, went 10-4, 2.84 in 27 starts split between Class A & B this past summer.

New York also announced a deal with the St Louis Pioneers to acquire 24 year old minor league pitcher Joe Standish Jr. in exchange for minor league catcher Ben Hand. A former High School All-American Standish, who's father spent 6 big league seasons with Cleveland and Montreal, was a 4th round selection of the Pioneers in the 1937 draft. He spent last season at AAA Oakland, posting a 12-16 record with a 4.26 era. Hand, a 21 year old out of Oklahoma City State, was the Gothams 3rd round selection last January. After signing in July he split the second half of the season between Class C and B.

JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE I do have to admit it is great to see Jim Lonardo return to the Gothams, righting a wrong when New York moved him to the Chicago Chiefs in the fall of 1937. Lonardo would win a WCS and an Allan Award with the Chiefs before being sent across town to the Cougars in the middle of the 1939 season.

The issue is Lonardo will turn 40 next year and is showing signs of age. His ERA+ last season was the lowest he has posted since his rookie season of 1928 and there is no guarantee he will have much left next season. The other pieces coming to the Gothams are not overly impressive: Hufford is likely not a strong enough defender to stay in centerfield and, at least so far, has not proven he can hit at the big league level. Maness is a late round selection out of high school who is young and might have a shot at being a back of the rotation arm according to OSA. Howard can play multiple positions and is decent with the glove but he is 25 and has not yet sniffed the AAA level. I actually thought for a moment it was catcher Eddie Howard and not INF-OF Cy Howard going in the deal and had that been the case I would have felt much better about this trade from a Gothams standpoint.

It is a gamble for the Cougars in they are banking on Petrick finally figuring things out. Yes, he walks a lot of guys, but when he is on he fans a lot and if he gets untracked it would be quite a rotation in Chicago once the war is over with Petrick joining Peter the Heater, Art White, Joe Brown and the Jones brothers. Even if Petrick doesn't pan out the first pick in the June portion of the draft is a very nice asset to have, and perhaps worth the three extra pieces Chicago added in the deal - none of whom they will likely miss. So that leaves sending a 39 year old Jim Lonardo (12-12, 3.61) to get a 27 year old Rusty Petrick (8-15, 4.41). If I am the Cougars I have to feel very happy about that transaction.

Just for comparison let's look at the last 4 players to be drafted with the first selection in the June portion of the draft : Round 4, Pick 1.

1943- Cleveland P Davey Chamberlain: Currently ranked 111th by OSA on their prospect list, Chamberlain - a 21 year old out of Warrensburg State- breezed through three levels of the minors including going 6-1, 3.29 in 7 starts at Class A. He needs to cut down on his walks and maybe gain a little more velocity, but he just had a bump in May and again in September, so he looks like he has the potential to be a solid back of the rotation arm.

1942- Boston OF Jim Pauly: Pauly was a college pick out of Bay State and has struggled in a season and a half at the AA level. Probably a longshot to make it to the majors now, he is looking like a good example of a rare case in which the opening pick in the June portion that failed to pan out.

1941- Cleveland SS Verlin Alexander: Maybe Alexander won't amount to much but look at the 4 players that Cleveland could have had as each was selected in order right after the Foresters tabbed Alexander as the top pick of round 4. How about pitchers Lazaro DeLeon, Wally Reif or 1B-OF Maurice Carter, who went 2-3-4, or Joe Beckstrom as the 5th pick. DeLeon is a top 40 prospect, Reif is a now a decent young arm in Montreal, Carter is just outside the top 100 in Washington's system while Beckstrom is a top 100 arm now in the Miners system.

1940- Cougars P Duke Bybee: And here is why this deal makes me think the Cougars won it handily even if Petrick never pans out. Chicago took Duke Bybee with the first pick of round 4 in 1940 and now, despite being in the marines the past two years, the 21 year old is considered to be one of the best pitching prospects in the game.

The Cougars as an organization draft very well, so one has to think they will land a solid prospect with that 4th rounder from New York. The odds are long of it being another Duke Bybee, but you can see from above that spot more than likely will yield a very good player, perhaps one good enough to one day make the deal seem lobsided in the Cougars favour even if you left Petrick completely out of the equation.

*** GOTHAMS-ST LOUIS DEAL ***

As for the trade with St Louis, it seems like a good move for both clubs. The Gothams already have Pete Casstevens behind the plate in New York -although they certainly will be wanting more out of him than he showed this season- plus a 19 year old catcher in Ray Miller I suspect they like better than Hand so moving Hand makes sense for another arm that perhaps can crack their Opening Day lineup next season.

Hand is just outside the top ten catching prospects according to OSA and with highly touted Tucker Ness likely in St Louis all of next season, Hand gives them a young minor league catcher to continue to groom. The Pioneers have a plethora of young arms so moving Standish was something they could easily accept. He is New York born and the son of a former big leaguer but has yet to really impress the scouts. OSA does not consider him one of the top 400 prospects in the game but perhaps he figures things out in the Big Apple.

WOLVES, MINERS MANAGERS RETIRE

Toronto Wolves fans were shocked to learn that manager Charlie Reed has decided to step down from his role with the club. He is not the only big league manager to decide he has had enough as Dan Andrew made a similar decision in Pittsburgh.

Reed, 63, had spent 3 seasons at the helm in Toronto and led the club to a second place finish in the Continental Association this past season. He was 237-225 for his big league managerial career which began in 1941 after 8 seasons as the Bench Coach of the Cleveland Foresters including 1934 when they won the World Championship Series.

The 65 year old Andrews has spent 16 seasons as a major league manager, first with the Chicago Chiefs and for the last 9 years in Pittsburgh. He guided the Miners to 3 Federal Association pennants and won another one with the Chiefs in 1928 but came out on the losing side in each of his 4 WCS appearances. Andrew posted a career record of 1374-1182 as a FABL skipper -a mark which places him 10th all-time in victories and games managed. Andrew's retirement leaves the Gothams long-time skipper Ed Ziehl as the winningest active manager.

MANAGER'S WITH MOST CAREER WINS

Season End Wolves Report Cards: With the season over here are this writer's full-term grades for the Wolves, 90-64, surprise second place finish for the 1943 season.

CATCHER

Clarence Howerton- A :Howerton continued his fine season with the bat .283/.349/.374 with 55 RBI. His above average handling of the pitching staff and clubhouse presence made Clarence a key cog in the Wolves pennant run.

Homer Betts- B :Although his bat fell off a little in the second half, .268/.347/.342 Betts remained a key ingredient with the number of double headers faced by all teams during the heat of the summer. Having a contributing backup catcher is necessity with the schedule.

INFIELDERS

1B- Walter Pack- A :Leading the CA in both HR, RBI Pack fully rebounded from a sub-par 1942 season, .282/.360/.461 shows there might be more offensive output in his bat. Can Pack lead the wolf pack again in 1944?
1B- Al Jensen- B :Like Betts, Jensen is providing more than adequate statistics in a back-up role. Jensen was another veteran presence in the clubhouse that kept the team steered in the right direction.
2B- Mike Rollinson- B :There was never been a question about ability to put the bat on the ball as evidenced by .296/.355/.385. The first half knock on Rollinson about his play in the field improved in the second half with only 9 errors brought his play to almost FABL level for an important piece of the DP combination. Manager Reed continued to remove him for late inning defense. Rollinson also played some CF in the second half to give him more options.
2B/SS Hal Wood- B+ :Wood continued to force 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 .288/.343/.340 line was in the lineup on almost a daily basis. He defense at the second sack has made him a late inning replacement for Rollinson.
3B- Ockie Holliday- B :The other player who rebounded this season after a lack luster 1942, .277/.300/.352 is not the level of offensive production expected from Holliday. Holliday had only 24 XBH during the season from a hoped for run producer.
3B- Joe Bell- D :Helping neither with the bat nor the glove. Bell was an insurance policy for Holliday that thankfully was not needed this season. He is one player that could be replaced in 1944.
SS- Charlie Artuso- C+ :His batting woes began in ST and he did not fully recover during the regular season. At .235/.289/.317 left him in the 7 spot in the lineup. His glove was outstanding, as usual, Wolves fans have already began to hope for a bounce back season in '44.

OUTFIELDERS

Juan Pomales- B+ :Pomales provided a slightly above average bat, .285/.352/.382, while patrolling LF with above average defense. Word got around the league not run on him as he only had 1 assist in LF. Pomales will remain as a pitching stats option as sixth starter to ease the load if the 1944 schedule contains the same number of twin bills.
[b}Larry Vestal- C[/b] :Vestal's never had enough bat, .230/.326/.340 to remain a regular in Toronto. He will continue his career as a 4th or 5th outfielder. Vestal can get on base, his glove provides value but not enough to be a regular starter.
Chink Stickels- B :Stickels provided Toronto a boost for the Wolves with a slash line of .261/.341/.333 with 6 OF assists. During 1944 the Wolves hope for more than 50% stolen base success rate.
[b]Reginald Westfall- C[/b} :Had a much better second half after an injury plagued early season. Finishing at .263/.358/360 although more XBH hits would be expected from Westfall at his best.
Gus Hull- B- :Hull finished at .264/.351/.360 which makes him almost a duplicate of Westfall. This would be a perfect platoon for Reed if they both did not bat left-handed.
Frank Huddleston- D :Continued very little playing time along with very little production. Is this another player who may not be with the Toronto squad in '44?

STARTING PITCHERS

Joe Hancock- A- :Hancock continued to lead the staff. 20-9, 2.68. Joe continues to challenge Cincinnati's Barrell II as candidate for the top CA pitcher.
Bernie Johnson- A- :Provided an effective righty/ lefty combination with Hancock. Finished with a 16-10, 3.03 record a slight decline from
Bob Walls- C :An innings eater in the second half 15-12, 3.90 is an option in the rotation if all other options are exhausted, Walls will be under scrutiny in ST.
Chick Wirtz- D : Disappointing season for projected to be the #2 man, 3-16, 4.87 with opponents hitting .302 will mean Wirtz will need to prove himself in 1994 if he wants to remain in any discussions for a rotation spot.
Jimmy Gibbs- A :A very successful start to his FABL career, 14-8, 2.36 in 26 starts. Gibbs must be in the discussion for CA ROY honours. Unless there is a dramatic sophomore jinx Gibbs will provide the Wolves with a fine top 3 spots in the rotation next season.

RELIEVERS

Lou Jayson- A :Lou won 10 games for the team in relief along with 17 saves. He gave Reed an effective option late in the game. He bounced back well from shoulder woes in June.
Bob McRae- B An effective 2 to Jayson's top role in relief, 9 saves, performance suffered somewhat after the ASG.
Bill Crosby- B- :Had a little stronger second half to give Reed other options in the 'pen.
Phil English- A- :Stepped up in the second half finishing with 73.0 IP but effective 0.94 ERA, this wily veteran gave Reed a good matchup against lefty hitting.

All these grades show the Wolves in a position to compete again in 1944 for the CA title but the question in Toronto is the same as in 15 other FABL cities, who and how many will we lose this off-season to the war effort? With the war about to enter its fifth year with no end in sight losses to this noble effort will be the biggest influence on the 1944 FABL season.

• Quite a run in Beantown. Before you go and feel bad for Boston sports fans after their heroes fell just short in the WCS just remember the city has celebrated two AFA championships, two Federal Association pennants and a WCS win since 1939. Not to mention a Classic game appearance for Commonwealth Catholic a year ago.
• It comes as no surprise that the New York Stars have decided to honour Dave Trowbridge by retiring his #25 jersey. Trowbridge, who announced in August that this would be his final season, becomes the third New York Star to have his number retired, joining Hall of Famer John Waggoner and turn of the century pitcher Alvin Hensley.
• The other famous New York first baseman -the Gothams Bud Jameson- has said he plans on retiring as well, calling it quits after 18 seasons with the Gothams.
• Others of note who plan on retiring include the Lightbody brothers, Doug and Frank, as well as catcher Tom Aiello and former Allan Award winner Tommy Wilcox.

AMERICANS GET BACK ON TRACK WITH WIN OVER BROOKLYN

The defending champion Boston Americans blanked the Brooklyn Football Kings 19-0 in American Football Association action this weekend. The win makes up for a surprising loss in Philadelphia to the combined Friglers club a week ago and improves the Boston gridders mark to 3-1 on the season. Running back Brian Clark, who was the third option to carry the ball last season behind Leon Fitzgerald and Steve Kelly, led the way with 91 rushing yards on 14 carries while veteran quarterback Del Thomas threw for 215 yards and two scores.

Clark has been with the Americans since 1940 but always has taken a back seat to the other two in the running game. Kelly has joined the war effort but Fitzgerald remains, and leads the team in carries but is averaging just 2.9 yards per attempt while Clark, at 5.8, gains double that.

Elsewhere, Detroit was forced to settle for a 14-14 tie in Cleveland despite a big game from Marc Orlosky. The Maroons back threw for 150 yards and ran for 123 while also adding an interception on the defensive side of the ball. In Chicago, the hometown Wildcats improved to 3-1 on the campaign with a 28-10 win over visiting New York. Gus Brown keyed the Chicago attack by throwing for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns. Finally in Pittsburgh, Dan Powelson scored a pair of first half touchdowns, including one on a blocked punt, to power Pittsburgh past Philadelphia/St Louis 27-7.


AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday October 17
Pittsburgh 27 Phil-StL 7
Boston 19 Brooklyn 0
Chicago 28 New York 10
Detroit 14 Cleveland 14

Sunday October 24
New York at Brooklyn
Boston at Chicago
Cleveland at Phil-StL
Detroit at Pittsburgh

GRID PROGRAMS DEPLETED AS MANY TRAINEES DEPART

The Navy Department, which fostered most of the early 1943 football action, is in part responsible for next week's depleted gridiron program. The educational speedup program brought on by the war has changed the close of the first semester in many schools to mid-October. The Navy's trainee program coincides with the school's setup, thus many athletes will be saying farewell to a football season hardly has begun.

The results may further cloud what has been an unpredictable college football season to begin with as players leave and newcomers arrive for the new semester at various schools across the nation.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Henry Hudson 44 Rome State 7
Sadler 21 Ellery 6
Minnesota Tech 37 Camp Grant 0
Annapolis Maritime 17 Liberty College 7
St. Magnus 34 Great Lakes Navy 6
Wisconsin State 17 St. Blane 17
Central Ohio 7 Whitney College 3
Northern California 37 CC Los Angeles 0
San Francisco Tech 49 Coastal California 0
Texas Gulf Coast 17 Red River State 7
Travis College 13 Arkansas A&T 3
Georgia Baptist 43 Fort Benning 21
Pittsburgh State 20 Lincoln 7
Western Iowa 62 Indiana A&M 0
Salt Lake Field 22 Boulder State 6
Mountainview State 10 Kirtland Field 6
Brunswick 10 St. Patrick's 7
North Carolina Tech 27 Carolina Poly 17
Fort Riley 24 Mile High State 6
Daniel Boone College 14 Iowa Pre-Flight 10
College of Omaha 16 Iowa A&M 10
Lawrence State 24 Wichita Baptist 6
Louisiana Army STU 28 Bayou State 10
March Field 26 San Diego Navy 17
Provo Tech 17 Kit Carson University 6
Eastern Oklahoma 28 Norman Naval Air Station 7
North Carolina Pre-Flight 18 Camp Davis 0
Del Monte Pre-Flight 48 College of San Diego 7
Pierpont 16 Lakehurst NAS 10
Alexandria 34 Petersburg 16
Empire State 28 Irondequoit 3
Amarillo Methodist 21 Darnell State 12
College of Waco 10 South Plains Field 9
Oklahoma City State 20 Payne State 7
Lupine 33 Conwell College 3
Penn Catholic 30 Frankford State 7
Cowpens State 27 Charleston Tech 0
Maryland State 20 Huntington State 13
Eastern Kansas 9 Chase College 6
Alameda Coast Guard 30 Golden Gate University 3
Georgia Pre-Flight 30 Edgemoor 9



The college basketball season is just around the corner and, unlike college football, all of the major schools have committed to sending teams out on the hardwood this winter. A number of upper-classmen have either graduated early or paused their schooling to join the war effort so there will be a heavier than usual reliance on freshmen and reports are the top freshman class this season belongs to Detroit City College.

The Knights added center Buddy Eugene and forward Murray Cole as the keys to their incoming class. The two Ohio natives are both ranked in the preseason top 25 freshman list. Rounding out the top five recruiting classes we have Miami State, Liberty College, Mobile Maritime and St. Patrick's with defending national champion Lane State listed 6th.

Only two of the top 25 freshman decided to go straight into the service as John McAuley opted to join the Navy and John Marino enlisted in the Marines. Here are the top twenty-five high school seniors from a year ago and where they will be playing their college basketball when the season starts in early November.

• The entire Japanese southwest Pacific defense perimeter has been laid open to attack after the smashing of 177 Japanese planes and 123 ships at her great air-sea base of Rabaul, New Britain in the heaviest air blow of the war in the Pacific theater.
• 6 more towns are captured by the Allied 5th and 8th Armies as they continue to push the Germans towards Rome.
• General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme Allied commander in the Mediterranean, spent his 53rd birthday at a forward base without a special celebration.
• Ireland is set to invite the Pope and his Vatican entourage to set up in Dublin for the duration of fighting in Italy. It is reported that Pope Pius joined the Jewish community of Rome in paying a ransom of 50 kilograms in gold, which the Germans had demanded for the release of 100 Jewish hostages.
• Despite wildcat strikes at shipping yards in New Jersey, work is said to be progressing normally on construction of crafts for the Navy.
• American film star Ginger Rogers topped all actors with an income of $335,000 last year, placing her among the ten highest paid Americans.
  
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October 18, 1943
 

SPECIAL EDITION OCTOBER 18, 1943

TWIFB HANDS OUT ORGANIZATION REPORT CARDS

Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL with the focus this time on giving each of the 16 FABL clubs a grade on how they performed this season.

BOSTON: Grade A The Minutemen won 90 games for the second time in the past three season and earned a second pennant in that stretch as well. They made some key deadline pickups in Harry Barrell and pitcher Paul Richardson and for the second time in three seasons played in a 7th game in the World Championship Series. They came up on the short end this time -unlike 1941 against the Chicago Cougars- with perhaps the only thing that denied them an A+ rating was manager Bill Boshart' decision to use Richardson as a 4th starter in the WCS, defying the recent convention of giving the ball exclusively to your top three arms. Despite coming up just short in October, anytime you can prevail in the highly competitive Fed it is a season to be very proud of.

BROOKLYN: Grade C The Kings are firmly into a rebuild after a 69-85 season that saw them move veterans Al Wheeler, Harry Barrell, Art White and Bob Cummings for prospects. The Kings grade this season is boosted by the decent haul of young talent that arrived to restock the system but it will likely be at least a couple of more years before Brooklyn fans can hope to see the results.

CHIEFS: Grade D A D as in disappointing. This was a Chiefs club that many felt was the least serious hit by the war and seemed the team to beat. They got off to a great start with an 8-1 April and contended until the all-star break, after which they were an awful 31-43. Did the decision to move Hank Barnett to the Cougars in the off-season cost them? Or was it the terrible performance of mid-season pickups Al Wheeler and Bob Cummings that let the team down? Either way, this was a second half Chiefs fans want to forget.

COUGARS: Grade C Like their cross-town rivals many expected big things from the Cougars in 1943 but the team just seemed to be snakebit. Injuries, one-run losses and not getting the breaks. It just felt like the baseball gods conspired against the Cougars all season as this is clearly a much better squad than there record indicated -and that is saying something about the quality of this team as despite all of the bad luck they still managed to win 86 games. Perhaps the C grade is a little harsh, especially considering so much of what happened this year just felt out of Cougars management's control.

CINCINNATI: Grade A+ Hard not to give top marks to the WCS winner as the Cannons erased the stain on the franchise that was it's final decade in Baltimore. Management aggressively traded for a number of established stars during the season including Billy Dalton, Sam Brown, Chris Clarke and Jack Cleaves and it certainly paid off. There might be some concerns about the future impact dealing all that young talent will have but it was clearly worth the cost as the club won it's first pennant and WCS since 1914.

CLEVELAND: Grade C A second straight last place finish and third in the past four years is certainly nothing to be excited about but the Foresters franchise had little to work with. Add in the fact that many of their best prospects including promising pitchers Hiram Steinberg and Richie Hughes are in the military and there is not a lot to get excited about for Forester fans. There is little talent in the big league organization so management is left to simply wait it out for the war to end and the prospects to return but they do earn kudos for the decision to draft Jim Adams Jr. first overall. He tore up the minors and made his big league debut just months after leaving St. Ignatius and adds another key building block for their future.

DETROIT- Grade C Not a lot was expected out of the Dynamos this season and in that regard they did not surprise. What did surprise was the decision to move Red Johnson at the break. Detroit has a ton of draft picks, including the first and third overall selections, and added to their prospect collection very nicely but will the decision to move on from a 26 year old two-time Whitney Award winner come back to haunt the Dynamos?

MONTREAL- Grade C- The Saints were 72-82 this season - down 4 wins from a year ago- but I think just a little more was expected this year. Most of the prognosticators had Montreal as a first division ballclub, but they finished one spot shy of that plateau this time around. The club is clearly still not quite ready to contend but has a deep stable of prospects that we have been anticipating for a couple of years. A number of them are in the Service so that slows the progress but time is fast approaching for the Saints prospects to start to deliver at the big league level.

NY STARS: Grade D Losing Bill Barrett and Joe Angevine certainly hurt but the Stars went from a 103 win team to one that won just 68 games. The offense, particularly from their outfielders, dried up and the pitching also struggled. This was a lost season in New York although perhaps that was to be expected due to the loss of Barrett.

NY GOTHAMS: Grade F Yes the Gothams lost a lot of talent to the military, but everyone had some key losses to contend with. However, to go from winning the WCS in 1942 to finishing last in the Fed this time around is a collapse that has not been seen since....well, 1936 when the Gothams followed up a title with a terrible season that led to trades which ignited a half decade of futility out of the franchise. The trading of established stars came again with this collapse, but also brought Red Johnson to the Big Apple, so New York fans are hoping this is not 1936 all over again.

KEYSTONES- Grade C The Keystones seem to be stuck in a rut. They are not a bad team by any stretch. They are certainly better than then the bottom two or three teams in the Fed but not quite good enough it appears to challenge for a pennant. The Keystones have now spent 4 straight seasons winning between 75 and 87 games and coming just short of contending. Management has gained the reputation of building from within and the Keystones rarely make a major move. There is certainly something to be said for stability and that strategy has kept them, for the most part, as a solid ballclub but perhaps it has also denied them the opportunity to challenge for a pennant in recent years.

SAILORS- Grade B Few expected much out of the Sailors this season: BNN and TWIFB each had them 6th in preseason predications. However the Sailors improved for the third straight season and the franchise posted it's best record since a 91-win season in 1937 when they lost the pennant on a tiebreaker game against Brooklyn.

PITTSBURGH- Grade D You knew it had to happen sooner or later as the Miners had been at or near the top of the Federal Association for 8 straight seasons and won 3 pennants in that span. Whether it was the loss of George Cleaves to the Army Air Corps, Charlie Stedman to retirement or the collapse this season of Lefty Allen -or a combination of all three- the Miners suffered their first losing season since 1934. No one can stay on top forever and Pittsburgh had a great run so it will be interesting to see if they climb back into contention next year or slide a little further down that hill.

ST LOUIS- Grade A+ While everyone was talking about the Washington Eagles as the surprise team of the season, the St Louis Pioneers snuck into the picture and nearly stole the Fed flag -something that they have not waived since 1921. The club bottomed out in 1940 with a 97 loss season and then made small improvements each of the next two years before taking a giant step this time around. 30 year old Al Tucker won his first batting crown. 35 year old Sam Sheppard had a resurgence, surpassing the 20-win mark for the first time since 1937 and veteran Joe Shaffner caught fire after a mid-season trade with Detroit. There was plenty to celebrate in St Louis but the big question is can the Pioneers build on it or was this just a one-year perfect storm when everything went right?

TORONTO- Grade A The Wolves took a big step forward after a pair of disappointing seasons to follow up their 1940 WCS win. There are a lot of quality pieces, especially on the mound and in the breakout performance from first baseman Walt Pack. Toronto looks like a force to worry about for the next several years in the CA.

WASHINGTON: Grade B+ The feel-good story of the first half of the season. Yes, the Eagles had the same 81-73 mark this season back in 1937 but they never felt like they were in contention that year - and in fact have not been serious contenders since their 1925 pennant- but this season they led the way for much of the first half and had a number of surprise performances from their pitching staff. Injuries eventually caught up to them and perhaps their inability to land a quality veteran arm or two at the deadline will haunt the franchise for years, but at least baseball was finally relevant in the nation's capital once again.

A CELEBRATION IN CINCINNATI 50 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Wherever he might be, James Tice must be smiling now as finally, more than half a century after his untimely death cost the city of Cincinnati a berth in FABL, a team from the Queen City is raising the banner as champions of ol' William Whitney's loop. While it took just four seasons in Cincinnati to capture the crown, it feels like a lifetime for folks in a town that had been denied baseball at it's highest level since the Cincinnati Monarchs were left out in the cold when the Border Association, Century League and Peerless League combined forces to create FABL back in 1892.

We rejoiced in the Fall of 1939 when it was announced that Mike E. Tice, James' grandson, had purchased the woeful Baltimore Cannons and was bringing the club to Cincinnati. The fact that the Cannons were the laughing stock of baseball at the time -finishing dead last in the Continental Association 6 years in a row- was of no concern to the new owner. He spared no expense in bringing a pair of legends in manager George Theobald and scouting guru Rufus Barrell into the fold and the payoff was immediate as the Cannons went 84-70 in 1940 and established themselves immediately as a contender. This year it all came together as the club added key veteran pieces at the trade deadline and then managed to hold off Toronto and Chicago to win Cincinnati's first pennant since 1888 and the first for the Cannons organization since the Baltimore nine won a WCS in 1914.

Looking back over the season, the Cannons front-office seemed to pull all the right strings - electing to deal for Sam Brown and Billy Dalton to aid their offense but they could well have ended up with Al Wheeler instead. Fortunately talks with Brooklyn broke off as Wheeler struggled down the stretch while Dalton and Brown ignited the Cannons offense. Had they landed Wheeler the Cannons would also have likely ended up with Bob Cummings instead of Chris Clarke. Clarke went just 7-6 but had a 2.02 era with Cincinnati while Cummings struggled with the Chiefs.

Moves in previous years brought in Adam Mullins, Chuck Adams, Larry Brown and Roger Perry but truth be told many of the building blocks for the current championship club can be traced back to Baltimore. Deuce Barrell, Butch Smith, Jim Hensley, Fred Galloway and Bob Griffith all were with the organization prior to the move so as much heat as the Baltimore management team took over the years they certainly assembled some key pieces and deserve some credit for helping win this title.

*** WHAT LIES AHEAD ***

There are a couple of big question marks for the franchise going forward. The biggest is the one that faces every team in baseball -both major and minor- and that centers on immediate losses to the war effort. The expectation with the father-draft beginning there will be a lot of players leaving this off-season. The second question is much more franchise specific and revolves around whether or not the Cannons gave up too much of their future over the past couple of years in trades to add several key pieces of their title club. It paid off with a title so it clearly was well worth whatever future price the ballclub might pay but Cincinnati fans need to be prepared for the possibility of a turn in their franchises fortunes as the current stars age without top prospects top step in.

I am not so sure there will be a big drop-off in the next few years due to the trades. The war effort is another story and of that topic no one has a clear answer, but the Cannons seemed well positioned despite the fact they have dealt away nearly all of the players that made their minor league system the second best in the game just 2 years ago. Aside from second base, where 2 months of Jack Cleaves seems to indicate he is not going to be the offensive upgrade the club hoped for as Charlie Rivera's replacement, the lineup looks solid.

Mullins is 31 years old and one of the best catchers in the game. Chuck Adams is just 26 and looking like an average to slightly above average first baseman. Jim Hensley is 27 and, while not a great hitter, one of the best glovemen in the game at shortstop. Billy Dalton is 29 and should solve the concerns at third base for years to come. The outfield of Fred Galloway (28), Bob Griffith (27) and Sam Brown (32) should have a couple of more years left to stay intact and when the war ends of the best prospects in baseball -a corner outfielder by the name of Dick Blaszak- should arrive. Second base could be solved as well if 27 year old Charley McCullough can approach his pre-war performance.

Deuce Barrell is 26 and likely to win his second straight Allen Award. Vic Carroll -if he can stay healthy- is a rising star at 25 while Butch Smith (32) and Chris Clarke (31) should have some solid seasons remaining. The Cannons also have a highly touted arm in Bill Sohl -the second overall pick in 1940- for when the war ends. Sohl made his big league debut in '41 but then enlisted in the Navy.

The bottom line is the Cannons gave up a lot of young talent but the players they have are for the most part in their prime so there is plenty of time to rebuild the farm without needing to do the complete tear-down that some other organizations have become famous for. That doesn't mean fans should not enjoy this championship while they can. Hopefully there are more to come, but there is certainly never any guarantees in baseball.

CANNON FOODER: Manager Ad Doria and his entire coaching staff were rewarded with 2 year contract extensions after their WCS win....Barring losses to the war effort, Cannons Assistant General Manager Red Franklin anticipates virtually no turnover this offseason. "We worked hard to get the guys we wanted here, and it paid off," said Franklin. "We see no reason why this same group can not contend next year. Of course Selective Service might have a big say in our plans."

The minor league staff is also expected to remain intact with one exception. Jim Dudkiewicz, who had been the skipper in Class B Charleston the past four seasons, has accepted an offer from Hollywood of the Great Western League. He will be the bench coach next season for the independent outfit.



The 1943 version of the Saint Louis Pioneers was a surprise to just about everyone paying attention to the FABL. They won 84 games(15 more than in 1942) and jumped from sixth to second in the FED standings bowing out to the eventual FED winning Boston Minutemen in the final week of the season. It was a strange season to say the least. The Pioneers entered August with a .500 and sitting in fourth place but caught fire the final two months of the season going 36-22 and giving themselves a slight chance to make the postseason down the stretch. They fell short but that doesn't mean the season wasn't a success. You have to go back to 1935 to find a Pioneers' team that won more than 84 games.

The 1943 season saw a break from normal protocol for General Manager Herb DeSpain. Saint Louis fans are use to seeing the team trade away its veteran players to help other clubs contend. Not this year. DeSpain orchestrated one of the most influential trades of he season rescuing 39 year old pitcher Joe Shaffner from Detroit for a minor leaguer and a fourth round pick in next year's draft. "If he never pitches anther inning for us," DeSpain said " it would still be worth it." The team is hoping that he will return for the 1944 season and every indication from Shaffner says he will. This particular team was built about half and half with trades and draft picks. Let's take a look at the main contributors to this great season.

OF Al Tucker(age 30 season/trade with MON 1934) has had some pretty good seasons but this one, his sixth full one, was his best. He led the entire FABL in batting average by a whopping 15 points while also leading it in hits with 204. He found himself atop the FED in on base percentage and OPS as well. He scored 90 runs and drove in 80 while striking out a career low 65 times for a full season.

C Heinnie Zimmer(age 28/trade with MON 1934) had an off year for him but he's a guy that just makes everyone around him play better. He hit just .269 but that is the second highest batting average of his career. He managed to draw 97 bases on balls despite starting just 118 games and he has posted at least a .394 on base percentage every full season of his career including .401 in 1943. Zimmer was the second piece of the Montreal trade involving Tom Bird.

OF Gail Gifford(age 31 season/round 2, 1929) had himself a bounce back season to a very strange career. Heading into this season Gifford has recorded at least 109 strike outs if he had at least 500 plate appearances. He has led the FED in strike outs five times. The 1943 version of Gifford struck out just 70 times in 510 PA while driving in 78 runs, good for third on the team. His play in the field bounced back as well. He use to be a very good fielder but has looked uninterested for a few seasons. So much so that he had to be moved to a corner spot as the team searched for a suitable replacement. This year he looked energized and wasn't a liability with the glove. In fact he 13 outfield assist in just 118 games. What could the Pioneers accomplished had he not missed five weeks with a torn hamstring.

P Joe Shaffner(age 39 season/trade with Detroit 1943) rejoined the Pioneers after being traded away nine years earlier. He notched 11 wins in his 16 starts and posted a 2.32 ERA in 132 IP. Shaffner was more than just a stud on the field but once he came over he convinced this team that they could be winners.

P Sam Sheppard(age 35/rule 5 draft pick 1931), like Gifford above, had a bounce back season. Once a lock for 20 wins the 1935 FA Allen Winner found himself out of the rotation and out of management's favor for most of the last five seasons. He was given another shot at the rotation due to the war and some injuries and he took full advantage winning 21 games in 37 starts.

RETIREMENTS OF JAMESON AND LIGHTBODY SEVERS PIECE OF LINK TO BIRTH OF MODERN ERA

Bud Jameson and Doug Lightbody both announced their retirements from the sport recently. It is not all they had in common as the pair shared a connection that dates back to the very beginning of the so-called 'Modern Era' of FABL. The duo were both selected in the opening round of the 1925 draft- which marked the birth of the human GM phase of FABL following 50 years of automation in the sport and each went on to make quite an impression on followers of the game. In a draft class that is still considered one of the best of all-time and included Al Wheeler, Bill Ashbaugh and Jack Cleaves, Jameson was the third overall selection of the New York Gothams while Lightbody was tabbed three picks later by the Brooklyn Kings. Each would become a key piece of their respective organizations and win multiple pennants.

Jameson would spend his entire career with the Gothams, making his big league debut in 1926 and amassing 2,328 career hits and finish second behind only Hall of Famer Ed Ziehl in career games as a Gotham. He finished with a career batting average of .316 and while he never won a batting crown, Jameson did finish second in the Fed hitting race twice include 1930 when his career best .381 clip was narrowly edged out by Jim Hampton of the Chicago Chiefs. Jameson's only appearances at the top of the leaderboard in any major offensive category came in 1927 when he led the league with 29 triples and and 8 years later when his 39 doubles set the standard for two-baggers that season. He played on 5-pennant winners and a pair of World Championship winning teams in New York but also suffered through some awful seasons with the franchise, including the 1935 purge that saw every talented veteran except Jameson dealt away.

Doug Lightbody burst on to the scene in 1926 as he went straight from the campus of Mississippi A&M to the Brooklyn outfield. Others have done it since but Lightbody was believed to be the first player to skip the minor leagues and join a FABL club immediately after being drafted. His 1926 rookie season had an incredible start but a devastating ending -one that would foretell of his injury plagued future. Lightbody hit .356 and was leading the Continental Association midway through that rookie season and he was a key reason the Brooklyn Kings -who had finished last in the CA the year before- were in first place. However a July shoulder injury ended both Lightbody's season and the Kings pennant hopes. Lightbody would be healthy the following season and led the Kings to a pennant (although they lost to the Keystones in 5 games with Lightbody going just 1-for-17 in the WCS) and he was named the Whitney Award winner after leading the CA with a .384 batting average.

While Lightbody would never again reach the status of Whitney Award winner the mixture of great seasons and derailments by injury continued throughout Lightbody's career and he would win a second batting title as a 30 year old in 1934. He ended up playing 1,766 big league games and notching 2,055 hits but one was left wondering what he might have done had he not missed in excess of 300 games due to various injuries. Despite those injuries and the fact that he was just 30 years old at the time, in 1934 Lightbody was named to the Kings 50th anniversary all-time team.

He was a part of 4 pennant winning Kings clubs and a WCS winner in 1937 but was reduced to a spare part for that three year run from 1936-38 and, as a result, the most vivid post-season image of Lightbody might well be the milk cartoon cartoon with his picture and the word 'Missing' on it that appeared in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle immediately following the conclusion of the '27 Fall Classic. Lightbody finished with a .120 batting average for his WCS career. Unlike Jameson, Lightbody was not allowed to complete his career with the club that drafted him -he was waived in 1940 and finished out his pro career with stops in Cincinnati and with the Philadelphia Keystones. He did manage to spend several seasons as a teammate of his brother Frank and some time with his younger cousin Jim Lightbody with the Kings. Frank also decided to retire last week after 15 seasons with Pittsburgh and Brooklyn.

*** LEGACY OF JAMESON AND LIGHTBODY ***

While both will be well remembered by fans in New York and Brooklyn, and long-recalled (along with Al Wheeler and Jack Cleaves) as key building blocks constructed at the dawn of the 'Modern Era' of the sport, both likely fall short of achieving the ultimate FABL honour- a spot in Boone County and the baseball Hall of Fame.

October 25, 1943: FABL awards handed out
 

OCTOBER 25, 1943

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The Cincinnati Cannons and Boston Minutemen each added some hardware to go along with the Association flags the duo claimed earlier this month as the winners of both the Allen and Whitney Awards each hail from the World Championship Series combatants. The Cannons Deuce Barrell won his second straight Allen Award while his batterymate Adam Mullins was named the winner of the Whitney Award for the Continental Association. On the Fed side, the top pitcher was Boston's Ed Wood with his teammate, outfielder Pete Day, laying claim to the Whitney Award. All except for Barrell are first time winners.

Barrell, who went 18-11 with a FABL low 2.08 era, joins his uncle Tom Barrell as the only pitchers in Continental Association history to win consecutive Allen Awards. Tom won 3 in a row from 1934-36 while pitching for Brooklyn. Barrell was named at the top of 14 of the 16 ballots with Toronto's Joe Hancock, who finished second in the voting, claiming the other two first place votes.

The 35 year old Wood, who finished with a career best 23 wins against only 8 losses to go with a 2.51 era, won his first Federal Association Allen Award to go along with the WCS MVP trophy he claimed for the second time in his career earlier this month. The vote for the Fed Allen was much tighter than the Continental race with Wood earning 9 of the 16 first place votes.

While most expected Barrell and Wood to claim the pitching awards, the race for the top hitter in each association was considered to be wide open and the voting proved that theory to be accurate. Day claimed 7 first place votes in the Federal Association Whitney race, only one more than Fed batting champion Al Tucker of St Louis with Bobby Barrell -another one of Deuce's uncles- earning the final three. In the end the 32 year old Day, who led the Fed in doubles, runs scored and plate appearances, came out on top after a season in which he hit .304 with 2 homers and 64 rbis. Day's win makes him the first Boston player ever to win the Whitney Award. It also marks the first time a Federal Association team has claimed both the top hitter and top pitcher award in the same season.

The Continental Whitney balloting was even more spread out, with 5 players earning first place votes but half of the 16 ballots listed Mullins first. A trio of Chicago Cougars in Clark Car (with 5), along with Hank Barnett and Skipper Schneider (1 each) notched first place votes with the final one being assigned to Toronto first baseman Walt Pack. Mullins (.307,4,56), who challenged for the batting crown before an August slide took him out of contention, is a 7-time all-star catcher and considered to be the best at his position in the Continental loop.

BOSTON DOMINATES CHICAGO IN TITLE GAME REMATCH

Just as they did last December in the AFA Championship Game, the Boston Americans went into Whitney Park and left with a victory over the Chicago Wildcats. Unlike the hard fought title game this one was a lob-sided affair with the visitors doubling the Chicago eleven by a 42-21 score. Boston signal caller Del Thomas had a big day, tossing 4 touchdown passes including 3 of them to end Johnny Littlejohn as the Americans built a 28-7 lead and then coasted to victory. The win improves Boston's record to a league best 4-1 on the season and puts them in a solid position to claim the Eastern Division title.

The Wildcats loss drops them to 3-2 on the season and leaves them tied with Detroit for top spot in the West with a crucial showdown between the two division rivals coming next Sunday in the Windy City. Detroit also tasted defeat for the second time this season, being upset 14-6 by the Pittsburgh Paladins. A strong Pittsburgh defense, which held the Detroit offense to just a pair of field goals, combined with two long second half touchdown runs by Barry Albert proved the difference in the game.

In other action the combined Philadelphia-St Louis club improved to 2-1 as the Friglers overcame a 14-0 deficit to rally past Cleveland 21-14. It was a rough second half for Finches quarterback Bruce Sevier, who was intercepted on each of his final four possessions of the game leading to a pair of late touchdowns for the Friglers. Finally in Brooklyn, New York Football Stars back Jerry McElheny ran for 83 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the visiting Stars past the Kings 28-7.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday October 24
New York 28 Brooklyn 7
Boston 42 Chicago 21
Phil-StL 21 Cleveland 14
Pittsburgh 14 Detroit 6

Sunday October 31
Pittsburgh at Brooklyn
Cleveland at New York
Detroit at Chicago
Phil-StL at Boston

The biggest surprise of the week was just how easily Wisconsin Catholic handled the Great Lakes Naval Training team. It was not even close as the Cavaliers sank the sailors by a count of 58-0. Now, Great Lakes Navy is not the team it was a year ago when it went 10-2, but the Navy Training team does count Central Ohio and Whitney College among it's victims this season. Wisconsin Catholic is usually overshadowed in it's own state, but after opening the season with a 37-7 romp over Wisconsin State, the Milwaukee school has continued to roll and is now -as one of just 11 unbeaten, untied schools remaining- starting to dream of a national title.

The Cavaliers have just three games remaining in this most unusual of college football seasons including a rematch with Great Lakes Navy. The other two are with Mile High State -which has yet to win a game this season- and the boys at Iowa Pre-Flight -who are 1-3-1 but their lineup appears to change almost weekly with aviators coming and going from the school.

It is unlikely Wisconsin Catholic will get a ticket to a New Year's Classic Game, and those contests may yet be out the window depending upon the train availability at that time, but it appears that Northern California Miners will represent the Pacific half of the East-West Classic. The Miners are 5-0 on the year while the two Los Angeles schools -CCLA and Coastal California- are a combined 1-8 after the Dolphins were beaten by College of San Diego on Saturday. One good news for the west is Rainier College, which had said it would not be able to play this season, did participate in it's first game of the season Saturday -beating March Field.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Wisconsin Catholic 58 Great Lakes Navy 0
Coastal State 27 Columbia Military Academy 10
George Fox 45 Rome State 0
Ellery 10 Camp Kilmer 6
Frankford State 21 Conwell College 12
Camp Grant 20 Fort Riley 6
Brunswick 14 Empire State 6
Mountainview State 27 Boulder State 14
North Carolina Pre-Flight 31 Georgia Pre-Flight 21
Wisconsin State 27 Indiana A&M 14
Noble Jones College 17 Bayou State 3
College of Waco 14 Lubbock Field 0
Minnesota Tech 10 Detroit City College 0
Annapolis Maritime 26 Georgia Baptist 19
College of Omaha 17 Lawrence State 6
Eastern State 30 Newport News College 0
Greenville Field 21 Charleston Tech 3
St. Magnus 30 Central Ohio 0
St. Blane 27 Lincoln 0
Eastern Kansas 10 Oklahoma City State 7
Ottumwa Pre-Flight 21 Iowa A&M 7
Maryland State 58 Liberty College 0
Pierpont 28 Henry Hudson 14
Pittsburgh State 51 Pollock 0
Western Iowa 27 Whitney College 20
Northern California 23 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 7
College of San Diego 10 Coastal California 7
Travis College 20 Red River State 10
Amarillo Methodist 27 Eastern Oklahoma 6
Baton Rouge State 9 Texas Gulf Coast 7
Provo Tech 13 Payne State 3
Penn Catholic 19 Lakehurst NAS 7
Alexandria 17 Cowpens State 10
Rainier College 21 March Field 10
Huntington State 36 Edgerton-Phillips 16
San Francisco Tech 43 Del Monte Pre-Flight 14
Petersburg 20 Charleston Coast Guard 6

THE "T" IS PROVING NOT FOR EVERYONE

All across the nation, college teams are putting the "T" formation under the microscope and there have been a lot of pros and cons as to whether it can be stopped, should be stopped, will be stopped, is stopping -or really hasn't hit it's peak. In the hullabaloo a few little odds and ends have been skipped. So let's add'em before every one becomes bored with the subject.

Without a skilled passer, the "T" simply doesn't work. It is highly susceptible to a 7-2-2 defense. The man-in-motion is only part of the "T" threat. The other part is the need for a quarterback with sufficient talke to pass to that man, as the Chicago Wildcats and Detroit Maroons of the AFA have employed it so successfully.

Something tells me that the struggles of Rome State with the "T" and possible future embarrassment, had this in mind. The Centurions haven't shown a really hot passer. St. Blane, on the other hand had some issues early but now that Mike O'Rourke has taken over the passing duties full-time, the Fighting Saints have won back to back games over Georgia Baptist and Lincoln, and seem to have figured things out. The Chicago Wildcats have Gus Brown. There is always a good passer on a good "T" team. If you haven't got one, don't try the "T".
Fans are still coming out to college games just as they did before the war. In spite of makeshift schedules, travel restrictions and other wartime handicaps, football attendance at colleges still playing the game has been down a comparatively small decline from last year's turnouts.

FIELDS ARE SET FOR THE MAJOR PRE-SEASON COLLEGE HOOPS TOURNAMENTS

There is quite a field set to participate in the biggest college basketball preseason tournament this season. That would be the Tournament of Champions, which is held every November at the Bigsby Garden in New York City. There had been some concern travel restrictions might play a factor but Rainier College, winners of the National Championship Tournament a year ago, have confirmed they will attend.

The Majestics beat St Magnus 54-44 last March to claim their second national crown in 4 years. They will be joined by a stellar field that includes the Garden State Redbirds, Miami State Gulls and Indiana A&M Reapers. The Redbirds were 19-11 a year ago and earned a spot in the post-season tournament. Miami State finished 18-11 while the Reapers were just 13-16 but are expected to be stronger this time around.

Here are the participants in each of the other 3 major early tournaments.
JACK EASTON TIP-OFF CLASSIC : Boston
Carolina Poly Cardinals
Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes
Annapolis Maritime Navigators
Payne State Mavericks
Bluegrass State Mustangs
Plover College Beavers
South Valley State Roadrunners
Hamman Mountaineers

PRESEASON AIAA CHICAGO SHOWCASE: Chicago
St Patrick's Shamrocks
Great Plains State Buffaloes
Detroit City College Knights
Central Kentucky Tigers

WEST COAST CLASSIC: San Francisco
Alexandria Gwnerals
Chicago Poly Panthers
Middlesex Millers
Capital (MS) University Catamounts
California Catholic Crusaders
Brandywine Patriots
College of Waco Cowboys
Flint University Foxes

• A long awaited conference between the foreign ministers of the United States, Great Britain and Russia opened at the Kremlin amid increasing indications talk centered on an Anglo-American second front would take precedence over all other problems of mutual collaboration in war and peace.
• The conference was successful enough that it is believed the FDR, Churchill and Stalin will meet before the yearend.
• The Red Army continues to advance along the Eastern Front while allied forces press to towards the Nazis hold on Rome.
  
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• A list of 13 categories of atrocities which the Germans inflicted on Naples before they withdraw under Allied attack has been prepared by Allied Military officials. Among the items: the Germans threw open the doors of 13 prisons for dangerous criminals and released them. Before retreating Nazi soldiers robbed shops, homes and even people in the streets and murdered scores of civilians, particularly women.
• Australian troops hurled back repeated Japanese attacks in the jungles of New Guinea as fierce fighting continues there and at Tarawa Island, Japan's main base in the Gilbert Islands.
• Vice Admiral Adolphus Andrews, commander of the Eastern Sea Frontier, who retires on Nov. 1, says he opposes lifting the dimout rules along the coast as it "might silhouette a ship for an enemy submarine." He feels U-boats are still a menace and the dimout must remain.
  
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November 1, 1943
 

NOVEMBER 1, 1943

MINERS NAB LEITZKE TO FILL BENCH BOSS ROLE

The Pittsburgh Miners have signed veteran skipper Hank Leitzke to fill their vacant managerial post. The 66 year old long-time manager has plenty of big league experience, serving in the past as the manager of the Cleveland Foresters, Chicago Cougars and most recently the Toronto Wolves. He takes over for Dan Andrew, who announced his retirement last month.

Leitzke had a brief playing career as a pitcher and did win 29 games for the Cougars in 1898. However, Leitzke is far better known for his post-playing career, which began in 1914 when he was named manager of the Kansas City Packers of the Century League. He would spent 14 season in Kansas City, winning a pennant in 1925, and is 4th all-time in career Century League wins by a manager. He them moved to Cincinnati and won back to back titles guiding the Union League Steamers before he was promoted to the parent Cleveland Foresters in 1930.

Leitzke's stay in Cleveland lasted 3 and a half seasons before he was fired just 19 games into the 1933 campaign. He would spend half a year managing the Chicago Cougars in 1934 after Dick Pozza was fired and then caught on with the Toronto Wolves in 1935. He would lead the Wolves to a World Championship Series title in 1940 but was fired that off-season following some confrontations with players and upper management. Leitzke has been out of the game since 1940 but now gets another chance with the Miners, who are coming off their worst season in a decade. Leitzke is 678-719 all-time as a big league manager. It should be noted that the final game Leitzke managed, was against the Miners as Toronto beat Pittsburgh in 5 games in the 1940 series.

WOLVES PROMOTE CALL FROM BUFFALO TO REPLACE REED

The Toronto Wolves have decided to promote from within as they elected to name Bob Call their new manager as a replacement for Charlie Reed, who announced his retirement at the end of the season. Call, 51, will be making his big league debut as Toronto's skipper next April. He got his start in the old feeder system with Denver High School before joining the Wolves organization in 1935. He has managed at 3 levels for the Wolves including the past three seasons at AAA Buffalo, guiding the Nickels to a 73-67 record and a third place finish in the Union League last season.

Reports out of Toronto suggests the Wolves had considered bringing Hank Leitzke, who managed the club to it's 1940 WCS title, back in the fold and also considered handing the reigns to Wolves bench coach Dick Dennis before deciding Call was the right man for the job. Dennis has been the Toronto bench coach since 1937, working under Leitzke and Charlie Reed, and is expected to continue in the same role with Call.

• FABL GM's are left waiting for the inevitable. The draft has now expanded to include pre-Pearl Harbor fathers so it is just a matter of time before FABL players start getting the call to report for military training. So far so good as, aside from Cougars minor leaguer Ray Powell, no pro ballplayers have been added to the Army since the WCS ended. But you just have a feeling that is about to change, and quite likely it will be a drastic change.
• A minor trade was made last week as the New York Gothams added second baseman Eddie Curtis from the Cougars organization in exchange for a 7th round draft pick. The move is clearly an effort to add depth to a depleted middle infield in New York, after the Gothams lost both second baseman Roosevelt Brewer and shortstop Mule Monier to the war effort a year ago. The 25 year old Curtis was a 1936 7th round pick who has spent most of his career in the minors, but he did play 21 games over the past two seasons with Chicago, batting .244 during that stretch.
• At first glance one would think the Cannons organization did a favor for former Scouting Director Rufus Barrell in claiming 30 year old outfielder Rufus Daniels off waivers from Brooklyn. Daniels is the son of long-time OSA bird-dog Possum Daniels and was named after the patriarch of the Barrell family. However, that is not so according to Cincinnati Assistant General Manager Red Franklin, who praised young Rufus' work ethic and knowledge of the game, calling him "a perfect example for our young prospects to follow." Young Rufus has been a career minor leaguer but did play 24 games for Brooklyn last season, batting .222. He will likely be assigned to AA Erie by the Cannons but word is the Cannons are grooming Daniels for a future role as a coach or perhaps following in his fathers footsteps into the scouting business.

WILDCATS WIN WESTERN SHOWDOWN

In the game that might well determine who prevails in the AFA Western Division the Chicago Wildcats held off the Detroit Maroons 14-10. The Chicago win, keyed by a 192 yard passing day from Gus Brown and Marsh Schroeder's 59 yards rushing and an additional 87 yards on 9 catches, improves the Wildcats Western Division leading record to 4-2 on the season. Detroit slips to 3-3-1 and the Maroons hopes of ending Chicago's 2-year run atop the division are in jeopardy.

Pittsburgh, which is the only team besides Chicago or Detroit to win the Western Division since the two-division format began in 1933, is also in the mix. The Paladins head into the Windy City for a key matchup with the front-running Wildcats next Sunday on a 3-game winning streak. Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn 24-10 yesterday to even it's record at 3-3. The Paladins do look to be a much different team from the one that was blasted 46-0 at home by Chicago in their season opener.

Del Thomas threw a pair of touchdown passes including the game winner - a 13 yard strike to Craig Martins in the final minute- to lift Boston to a 14-7 win over the combined Philadelphia-St Louis entry. The win improves the defending AFA champs record to 5-1, best in either division. In Sunday's other contest Jerry McElheny ran for a pair of touchdowns to pace the New York Stars to a 24-0 win over Cleveland at the Bigsby Oval.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday October 31
Pittsburgh 24 Brooklyn 10
New York 24 Cleveland 0
Chicago 14 Detroit 10
Boston 14Phil-StL 7

Sunday November 7
Phil-StL at New York
Cleveland at Boston
Pittsburgh at Chicago
Brooklyn at Detroit

There are now only 9 schools remaining with a perfect record. Among the unbeaten, untied teams are four independent schools in Wisconsin Catholic, Penn Catholic, Pittsburgh State and San Francisco Tech. All are 6-0 as are Northern California and Alexandria. The Generals, who went just 2-6-1 a year ago, stayed perfect with 30-7 win Saturday over Eastern State, which dropped the now 4-1 Monitors from the ranks of the unbeaten.

We also have Provo Tech (4-0), Minnesota Tech (5-0) and George Fox University (7-0) still in contention for an unbeaten and untied season. The Reds, who lead the Academia Alliance a year after going 4-4 and finishing in the middle of the section, are a perfect example of a team who's roster has been bolstered with the addition of Naval student-sailors. The Reds nipped conference rival Grafton 17-14 on Saturday.

https://i.imgur.com/pDiTols.jpg standings
WEEKEND RESULTS
Wisconsin Catholic 37 Mile High State 7
Minnesota Tech 19 St. Magnus 6
St. Blane 23 Annapolis Maritime 3
Noble Jones College 21 Alabama A&T 21
Pierpont 41 Rome State 7
Northern California 21 Coastal California 0
Coast Guard 28 Ellery 7
Brunswick 19 Henry Hudson 6
George Fox 17 Grafton 14
Georgia Baptist 41 Carolina Poly 17
Detroit City College 7 Lincoln 0
Pittsburgh State 21 Edgerton-Phillips 3
Whitney College 17 Wisconsin State 13
Red River State 19 College of Waco 16
San Francisco Tech 38 Golden Gate University 12
San Diego Navy 24 CC Los Angeles 0
Daniel Boone College 31 College of Omaha 0
North Carolina Tech 40 Charleston Tech 0
Oklahoma City State 30 Iowa A&M 20
Baton Rouge State 10 Georgia Pre-Flight 9
Bliss College 20 Great Lakes Navy 16
St. Patrick's 10 Empire State 6
Central Ohio 23 Indiana A&M 7
Fort Riley 10 Iowa Pre-Flight 3
Lawrence State 7 Eastern Kansas 3
Amarillo Methodist 14 Bayou State 3
March Field 19 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 14
Maryland State 31 Greenville Field 10
Huntington State 28 Liberty College 7
Columbia Military Academy 24 Charleston Coast Guard 0
Payne State 6 Killeen State 3
Texas Gulf Coast 14 Travis College 9
Darnell State 21 Arkansas A&T 3
Penn Catholic 10 Sadler 7
Alexandria 30 Eastern State 7
Coastal State 41 Cowpens State 15

PRESEASON TOP TWENTY FIVE UNVEILED

The preseason rankings have been released in advance of the opening of the 1943-44 college basketball season. Rainier College is the defending National Champion but according to the newspaper pollsters it is the Majestics West Coast Athletic Association rivals from Coastal California that are the top team in the nation.

The Dolphins finished last season with a 25-6 record and tied Rainier College for top spot in the WCAA with a 12-4 conference mark. They were the top seed in the West for last season's championship tournament and beat Valley State in the opening round but fell to Whitney College by a single point in the regional semi-finals. They are led by coach Dick Gist, who is in his second season with the Los Angeles school after previously being the head man at Noble Jones College and Brunswick.

Despite the loss of third team All-American Richard McEachern to graduation and freshman Kenny Sherman, who was tabbed to replace McEachern but has departed the school to join the Marines, Coastal California still possesses a very deep roster. Their guard tandem of junior Morgan Melcher and senior Daniel Hendon may be the best backcourt duo in the country and while the Dolphins have never won the National Tournament, they have also never missed the post-season field of 32 and have reached the National Semi-Finals 13 times including 3 years ago when they reached the title game only to come up short against Brooklyn State.

• Tens of thousands of Nazis fled for their lives as powerful Russian armies crumbled the whole Axis southern Ukrainian front, smashing forward at a pace that gave promise of rolling the enemy back to Rumania and Poland by the end of the year.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/yhkvs8M.jpg
• Source in Rome say that German forces in that city are trying to pressure the Vatican to help arrange a negotiated peace that would circumvent the Allied demand for unconditional surrender and spare Axis leaders from punishment for war crimes.
• The Pope also announced he intends to stay in Rome, a statement believed to inform the world that if he does leave his Papal seat it will only because he is forced to do so.
• Rommel has been given supreme command over Axis forces in Italy and the Balkans following a clash that resulted in the recall of Marsal Kesselring, former German commander in southern Italy.
• Emperor Hirohito of Japan, in one of his rare declarations on the progress of the war, calls the present situation 'truly grave,' and called upon the Japanese legislators to fulfill their duties by passing 14 sweeping bills mobilizing Japan for total war.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/10UeGXO.jpg

November 8, 1943
 

NOVEMBER 8, 1943

FABL CLUBS DEVASTED BY WAR DRAFT

After a few weeks of nervous anticipation the worst fears of many a FABL General Manager were realized as the Selective Service hit the sport hard. All of FABL knew the recent decision to make pre-Pearl Harbor fathers now eligible for the draft would have an impact on the sport but likely few club magnates expected it would be this quick or this severe. One could easily make an all-star team out of the latest additions called upon by Selective Service.

Pitchers Lefty Allen, Joe Brown, Gus Goulding, Joe Hancock and Al Miller along with Whitney Award winning catcher Adam Mullins and Pioneers star Heinie Zimmer, infielders Walt Messer, Clark Car, Harry Barrell and Hank Koblenz plus outfielders Fred Galloway, Rip Curry and Carl Howe headline the list of players who were either drafted by the Army or elected to enlist in another branch of the service after being notified their number had come up for selection.

It is hard to imagine which FABL club suffered the worst as nearly every team to a serious hit to it's projected 1944 roster. Here is a team-by-team look at the latest players to join the war effort.

BOSTON- Harry Barrell (.298,3,71) SS: US Army: Barrell was a deadline acquisition who's absence likely means Lew McClendon needs to shift back to shortstop.

BROOKLYN- Tim Hopkins (.237,15,50) 1B: US Marine Corps The only real power threat the Kings had is now gone.

CHIEFS- Gus Goulding (13-14, 3.69) P: USS Navy, Al Miller (16-10,3.29)P US Navy. To make matters worse there are unconfirmed reports that Rabbit Day (7-11, 4.36) is retiring to join the Army as a physical education instructor so the Chiefs pitching staff is in big trouble.

COUGARS- Joe Brown (18-11, 2.51) P: US Army, Clark Car (.283,13,58) 2B US Navy. How many more great young arms can the Cougars lose to the war? Brown follows Donnie Jones and Pete Papenfus. The Cougars also lose Car, who finished second in Whitney Award balloting last month.

CINCINNATI- Adam Mullins (.307,4,56) C:US Naval Reserve, Fred Galloway (.265,2,39)OF: US Coast Guard. Repeating just got an awful lot tougher for the defending champs with the loss of Whitney Award winning catcher Adam Mullins and all-star centerfielder Fred Galloway. Bob Griffith can likely shift from left to center to fill that void but solving the problem now created behind the plate will be a difficult challenge for Ad Doria's club.

CLEVELAND- Cal Howe (.287,1,43) OF: US Army, Bill Carr (.289,2,56) 2B: US Navy. The Foresters did not have a lot of offense to begin with so the loss of these two will hurt.

DETROIT- Rip Curry (.317,8,64) OF: US Army. Just one player leaving from Detroit but the 34 year old's bat will be sorely missed.

MONTREAL- Bert Lass (.274,3,57) OF: US Coast Guard, Charlie Woodbury (.283,10,62) 2B: US Army. The Saints lose their #3 and #5 hitters from an offense that was not overly intimidating to begin with.

NY STARS- Vern Hubbard (16-9, 3.39) P: US Marine Corps. If there was one player the Stars could not afford to lose from an already heavily depleted roster it was likely Hubbard, who was their most dependable starting pitcher.

NY GOTHAMS- Walt Messer (283,17,74) 1B: US Navy, Fritz Reynolds (.274,2,19) SS: US Navy. Obviously Messer's absence will hurt but don't discount the loss of Reynolds as the Gothams middle infield has been devastated by the war. What a difference a little over a year can make. Three quarters of the Gothams Million Dollar infield is working for Uncle Sam for about $15 month each while the final piece - 3B Billy Dalton- is plying his trade in Cincinnati.

KEYSTONES- Hank Koblenz (.271,28,100) 3B: US Navy. Just one player leaving the Keystones but the loss of Koblenz is a major blow. One has to wonder how much his absence batting behind Bobby Barrell will also hurt Barrell's production next year.

SAILORS- Jim Beard (.263,5,64) 3B: US Army. The 30 year old two-time all-star is an underrated player and a fan favourite in Philadelphia.

PITTSBURGH- Lefty Allen (12-10, 3.67) P: US Army. The 29 year old two-time Allan Award winner had a down year -at least by his standards- last season but this is a major loss for the Miners. Disappointing for baseball fans too as the absence may end up costing Allen any chance he might have had at 300 career wins. His career pauses with a 158-97 career mark.

ST LOUIS- Heinie Zimmer (.269,6,46) C: US Navy. Losing Zimmer would be a blow to any team as he ranks just below Adam Mullins, Tom Bird and George Cleaves as one of the best catchers in the game. As of this writing Bird is the only one of the three not involved in the war effort. The bad news for the Pioneers -who were last year's surprise team- is they have no real dependable replacement as their top catching prospect Tucker Ness is also in the Navy. Ben Hand, a third round pick out of Oklahoma City State who struggled in the low minors, does not appear ready so that leaves just Red Bryant and Ed K White -with a combined 115 FABL games- as the options to choose from.

TORONTO- Joe Hancock (20-9, 2.68) P: US Navy. An Allan Award winner and a 5-time all-star who has won at least twenty games 3 times in his career. There is no replacing Hancock but the Wolves can take some small comfort in the fact that they do have some pitching depth.

WASHINGTON-Dilly Ward (.271,4,35) CF: US Navy, George Dawson (.313,3,49) SS: USAAF. A couple of tough losses for the Eagles, who had appeared to perhaps be just a couple of starting pitchers away from serious title contention. Dawson came over from Detroit at the deadline and was outstanding but now the Eagles once more have a gaping hole at the most important infield position.

AMERICANS CLOSE TO CLINCHING EAST

Despite the fact they have three games remaining the Boston Americans are on the verge of clinching the Eastern Division title for the second year in a row. The Americans blasted the Cleveland Finches 28-0 at Minutemen Stadium yesterday to improve to 6-1 on the season. A Boston win in any of their final three games or a single loss by each the other three teams will send the defending league champions back to the AFA title game. Quarterback Del Thomas -the former baseball pitcher- led the way once again for Boston as the veteran threw for 135 yards and 3 touchdowns while also chipping in on the defensive side of the ball with a pair of interceptions.

It is clear the Boston is the class of the east just as Chicago and Detroit remain the powers in the Western Division. The Wildcats improved to a division best 5-2 on the year while ending Pittsburgh's three game winning streak with a 30-7 pasting of the Paladins. The Pittsburgh loss came despite the fact that first overall draft pick and last year's Christian Trophy winner Billy Bockhorst scored his first professional touchdown. It came on a 5 yard scamper in the fourth quarter after the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt. Bockhorst -the star of last season's AIAA National Champion Noble Jones College squad- has had some success running the ball this season but has struggled mightily as a passer.

Detroit kept it's slim championship game hopes alive with a 28-0 win at home over Brooklyn. Marc Orlosky ran for a pair of touchdowns while gaining 103 yards on the ground and added another 133 yards through the air with his passing skills to improve Detroit's record to 4-3-1. The other game between the New York Stars and the combined Philadelphia-St Louis squad saw the two-sides play to a 14-14 draw thanks to a dramatic ending. It looked like a New York win but with 11 seconds left John Michaels was forced to punt for the Stars. The Frigates came hard, desperate for the block and it paid off with Don Hulsey scooping up the ball and rumbling 30 yards into the endzone to tie the game, much to the dismay of shocked Stars fans who pelted the Bigsby Oval field with garbage as the home side dejectedly trotted off the field.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday November 7
Phil-StL 14 New York 14
Boston 33 Cleveland 0
Chicago 30 Pittsburgh 7
Detroit 28 Brooklyn 0

Sunday November 14
Cleveland at Pittsburgh
Chicago at Brooklyn
New York at Boston
Detroit at Phil-StL

As if things could not get worse for Indiana A&M's struggling football program. The Reapers are rarely a contender for a Great Lakes Alliance championship but they had a pretty solid 6-4 season a year ago that included wins over Western Iowa and Pittsburgh State. This year, after losing most of their team to graduation or the war effort, they entered Saturday's game against Detroit City College with an 0-7 record. They fell to 0-8 with possibly the most lob-sided score ever recorded in a game involving two GLA schools. The final was 80-0 and the only good news as far as Indiana A&M is concerned is the fact they only have two games remaining in their season.

At the other end of the spectrum we are down to ten unbeaten and untied teams after the San Francisco Tech Unions knocked off Northern California 13-10 to hand the Miners their first loss. SF Tech is now 7-0 and the Unions along with George Fox (8-0), Wisconsin Catholic (7-0), Pittsburgh State (7-0) and Minnesota Tech (6-0) seem to be the best bets to top the rankings at year end.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Noble Jones College 17 Charleston (IL) 14
George Fox 17 Ellery 13
San Francisco Tech 13 Northern California 10
Coastal State 46 Central Carolina 12
Empire State 20 Troy State (NY) 9
Provo Tech 51 Boulder State 0
Brunswick 17 Liberty College 3
Grafton 23 Henry Hudson 3
Del Monte Pre-Flight 31 CC Los Angeles 7
Charleston Tech 22 Carolina Poly 16
Georgia Baptist 21 Bayou State 10
Camp Grant 17 Great Lakes Navy 6
St. Patrick's 55 Conwell College 7
Western Iowa 24 Lincoln 0
Detroit City College 80 Indiana A&M 0
Daniel Boone College 27 Iowa A&M 10
Pierpont 10 Annapolis Maritime 7
College of Omaha 14 Eastern Kansas 6
North Carolina Tech 10 Columbia Military Academy 6
St. Magnus 16 Wisconsin State 3
St. Blane 20 Rome State 0
Pittsburgh State 23 Central Ohio 0
Oklahoma City State 10 Lawrence State 6
Golden Gate University 51 College of San Diego 17
Minnesota Tech 19 Whitney College 0
Arkansas A&T 33 Red River State 17
San Diego Navy 31 Coastal California 0
Darnell State 27 Texas Gulf Coast 0
Amarillo Methodist 30 College of Waco 0
Payne State 27 Eastern Oklahoma 3
Eastern State 13 Maryland State 3
North Carolina Pre-Flight 10 Cowpens State 7
Huntington State 24 Bethlehem College 10
Wisconsin Catholic 45 Iowa Pre-Flight 0
March Field 17 Pomona Ordinance Base 10
Alameda Coast Guard 31 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 7

LOSS OF STARS ADDS INTEREST TO FOOTBALL HEADLINERS

The paper shortage even is being felt by the football customers. There isn't a single ticket available for the St Blane vs St Magnus game next Saturday, nor for the Penn Catholic tussle with St. Patrick's University. Interest in college football has never been higher despite the fact that many of the star players are in the service, including hundreds who left last week after the conclusion of the semester. Despite that, the games are competitive and interest is renewed with a number of surprising performers challenging for the National Title this season. Teams keep losing players -such as Texas Gulf Coast seeing 6 starters leave last week for the Navy, but as long as their are enough available bodies to field teams it appears the fans will keep coming out.

AIAA HARDWOOD PREDICTIONS FOR 1943-1944

Here are five teams to watch that TWIFB experts feel will be in contention for the AIAA basketball championship this season.

1: NORTH CAROLINA TECH - There should be quite a battle for state bragging rights between the Techsters and South Atlantic Conference rival Carolina Poly. The Tech program has been on a real upswing under Coach Andrew Conley, who took the school to the National Semi-finals three years ago. They lack a single dominant player but have a deep roster with guard Nestor Patterson (12.5 ppg) as their senior leader.

2: WESTERN IOWA - The Canaries are in what is considered the toughest conference in the AIAA but if they can survive the Great Lakes Alliance season they may make a long tournament run. The veteran team is led by seniors Gerald Carter (14.3 ppg) and Noe Lussier (7.6 ppg) and expect for pro baseball prospect Joe Hampton (5.1 ppg) to take a big step forward in his sophomore campaign. They reached the National Semi-Finals a year ago. Can this be the year they win their first AIAA championship?

3: LIBERTY COLLEGE - The Bells won the National crown two years ago and have won three of them in the past decade. The Northeast Conference is a tough one with Garden State, Brooklyn State and St Patrick's all capable of contending for the National Title. The conference is also on shaky ground as in-fighting between a number of schools indicating this might just be the final year of their union.

4: CAROLINA POLY - The Cardinals are led by their long-time coach Sterling Westgard -who actually had a brief taste of professional baseball with the Brooklyn Kings in the early 1900s. Now 64 years old, the Cardinals would like nothing better than to claim a National Title for their long-time bench boss. Junior forward Terry Flowers (6.7 ppg) seems poised for a breakout season and is a pre-season All-American selection.

5: COASTAL CALIFORNIA - The Dolphins are ranked number one in the nation to start the season and are a school that always seems to be in the year-end tournament. They will have plenty of competition in the West Coast Athletics Association from defending champion Rainier College and their rivals from CC Los Angeles.


COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Western Iowa Canaries

ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
C Jack Kurtz Detroit City College
F Terry Flowers Carolina Poly
F Gary Harrison Rainier College
G Norman Yates St Ignatius
G Lionel Rice Whitney College

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
C Long Werth Miami State Gulls

• Another mine strike, this time over a half a million miners walked off the job on Monday. This walkout last just a couple of days before they returned to work. The War Labor Board has begun studying a wage contract between the Government and the Mine Workers Union.
• The Red Army offensive continues as they smashed through the last German defenses on the Perekop Isthmus and drove into Crimea.
• Next stop for Moscow is Austria, as the Russians pledge to fight the Germans there with the public declaration designed to incite revolt within the country.
• American warships defeated and chased a Japanese surface force that attempted to interfere with invasion operations in the Solomons.
• General H.H. Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces says the Army's giant new superbomber -heavily armed "battleships of the air powered to fly at very high altitudes"- will be ready to make raids on Tokio in the very near future.
• Duesseldorf and Cologne are the latest targets of RAF nighttime raids on Nazi targets.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/YY7dMpa.jpg

November 15, 1943
 

NOVEMBER 15, 1943

ANOTHER WAVE OF PLAYERS CALLED FOR SERVICE

The mass exodus of professional baseball players continues as 35 more reported for military duty this week. The Chicago Cougars must be left wondering who else can the war effort take from their pitching staff. The latest is Johnnie Jones, who went 15-8 this past season and leaves a week after Joe Brown (18-11, 2.51) got the call. How about a rotation of those two plus Jones' younger brother Donnie, Pete Papenfus and prospect Danny Goff Jr. That is what Chicago fans could be envisioning for the Cougars next season had Selective Service not made it's selections.

Chicago is far from the only team feeling the heat this week. Washington lost pitchers Jack Elder and Ike Keller, who was one of the best relievers in the game last season. Boston lost a fine reliever in Johnny Harry. Cincinnati will have to carry on without defensive award winning second baseman Charlie Rivera while the Philadelphia Sailors now face the prospect of playing without their starting catcher or their lead-off man next season. Here is a team by team look at the latest players to get the call:

BOSTON- P Johnny Harry (18sv 3.07), C Jack Flint (.236,0,14) Harry was one of the top relievers in the game last season. Flint is 34 and seemingly on the downswing of his career as a catcher so he can be easily replaced.

BROOKLYN- P George Smith (7-8, 3.30), P Jack Augustin (Class A). Smith is 29 and made his big league debut last season after being selected in the rule 5 draft by the Chicago Chiefs but then returned to Brooklyn. Augustin is a 20 year old who pitched in Class A last year.

CHIEFS- 3B Frank Belair (.345,4,16), OF Jim Mayfield*(.244,1,34). Belair has been a backup corner infielder for several years while the 27 year old Mayfield was in his second season as a depth outfielder with the Chiefs.

COUGARS- P Johnnie Jones (15-8, 2.93). The pitching losses just keep mounting for the Cougars as 25 year old Johnnie Jones joins his younger brother Donnie in the Army. The acquisition of Rusty Petrick just became a whole lot more important with Jones and Joe Brown both departing.

CINCINNATI- P Jack G Thompson (AAA), SS Charlie Rivera (.221,2,30). The 26 year old Thompson has had a couple of brief trials with the Cannons but has spent the bulk of his time the past couple of years at AAA Indianapolis. Rivera is known for his outstanding defense and had been the starting second baseman until the acquisition of Jack Cleaves and even then he platooned with Cleaves for the World Champions.

CLEVELAND- P Earle Robinson (3-7, 5.17), IF Leon Blackridge (.279,1,27). The 28 year old Robinson once had great promise on the mound and was the 5th overall pick in the 1933 draft but numerous injuries have made him into a mediocre reliever. Blackridge, 27, was the Foresters regular third baseman a year ago.

DETROIT- P Sergio Gonzales (1-1, 4.74), P Bobo White (1-1, 2.16), SS Orville Snodgrass (.150,0,1). Gonzales is a 5-time all-star but has been injury plagued the past couple of season. White was a former first overall draft choice by Washington but has never really panned out. Both likely would have been given a shot to make a shaky Detroit rotation had not Selective Service intervened. The 25 year old Snodgrass was really just a depth infield piece.

MONTREAL- P Ace Adams (3-2, 3.16), 1B Dunk Scott (.250,0,8), 2B Bob Jennings (.290,1,15). The 26 year old Adams made his big league debut in the Saints pen this past season and likely would have retained that role this year. 26 year old Jennings has a lot of promise but has not delivered on it to date while Scott is a depth corner infielder who was Vic Crawford's caddy at first base last season. The big issues is Jennings was expected to be the starting second baseman after Charlie Woodbury was drafted a week ago. Now they are both gone.

NY STARS- P-OF Wally Hunter (2-2, 5.67), P John Perkins (2-3, 3.30). The 28 year old Perkins is a depth bullpen arm but might have seen a fair bit of action in New York due to the Stars shortage of quality arms. It is a tough loss to see highly touted 22 year old Wally Hunter leave.

NY GOTHAMS- P Joe Standish Jr. (AAA). Just acquired from the St Louis Pioneers, the Gothams had hoped Standish might claim a spot in the back of their rotation after going 12-16, 4.28 at AAA Oakland in 1943.

KEYSTONES- P Connie Upchurch (2-4, 4.27), 1B Hans Wright (.225,4,16). Both had a lot of promise not long ago but Wright lost his starting first base job to Harry Shumate and Upchurch has not progressed on the mound as well as had been hoped. Still, both were key depth pieces and will be missed.

SAILORS- C Woody Stone (.283,2,58), 2B Herb Carey (.100,0,1), SS Freddie Bennett (.260,0,13), OF Harvey Brown (.288,1,64). The Sailors were hit hard this week as they lose a pair of 27 year old starters in Stone, a 4-time all-star, and their lead-off man Brown. 23 year old Herb Carey made his big league debut in September and is a highly touted prospect who will be missed. Add in the loss of the 29 year old Bennett, who was a recent waiver claim from the Gothams, and there are concerns about middle infield depth.

PITTSBURGH- P Bill Traylor (5-4, 5.45), SS Bob Lopez (.193,0,12). The 24 year old Lopez was the Miners first round pick in 1942 and a top-50 prospect who made his big league debut last season. Traylor is 23 and also made his big league debut over the summer after a very strong showing in AAA. Both will be missed as the Miners try to get back on track after a dismal 1943 season.

ST LOUIS- P Doc Barker (3-3, 2.81), OF Buck Pusey (.305,1,18). In the 29 year old Barker, the Pioneers lose an established bullpen arm but it is 24 year old outfielder Pusey who will be missed more. He had an outstanding rookie season for St Louis in 1942 but split last year between the Pioneers and AAA Oakland. When he was with the big club he certainly performed well and was likely penciled in as the starting leftfielder for next season prior to the draft news.

TORONTO- P Al Day (0-0, 2.45), C Homer Betts (.268,0,12). Certainly much better news than last week when the Wolves lost Joe Hancock. Day is 27 year old depth reliever who made his big league debut last season while Betts is an easily replaceable back-up catcher.

WASHINGTON- P Jack Elder (3-2, 2.23), P Ike Keller (27 sv, 1.72), C Paul Brophy (.248,0,8). The news continues to be bad for Eagles supporters. Just when it seemed the team might be getting on track with a solid 1943 season they lose key pieces Dilly Ward and George Dawson to the war effort last week. Now Jack Elder, who entered last season as their ace before suffering a serious shoulder injury, and Ike Keller, who led FABL in saves last season, are both gone from a pitching staff that was already lacking depth. Brophy is a 31 year old back-up catcher who's only role was to give all-star Paul Wilkerson a rest when needed.

PREMIER DEFENDERS NAMED

The Chicago Sportswriters Guild has handed out it's awards for the top defensive performers in the game. This is the third year the glovemen have been recognized and three players were named tops at their position for the third season in a row. Those three are Chicago Chiefs first baseman Ron Rattigan, Chicago Cougars shortstop Skipper Schneider and third baseman Tommy Wilson of the St Louis Pioneers. The other six members of the 1943 squad are all first time winners of a Premier Defender Award.

The World Champion Cincinnati Cannons and Philadelphia Keystones each placed two members on the defensive star team. However, both of the Cincinnati winners - second sacker Charlie Rivera and centerfielder Fred Galloway- will not be around to defend their title next season as they have both recently entered military service. Military service is likely why Rivera was able to top the second baseman as Boston's Buddy Schneider - who won in 1941 and 1942- did not play last season due to military commitment. The Keystones winners -catcher Chet McCormick and veteran outfielder Bobby Barrell- were both first time winners. Here is the list of 1943 winners:

1943 PREMIER DEFENDERS
C: Chet McCormick, Philadelphia Keystones
1B: Ron Rattigan, Chicago Chiefs (3)
2B: Charlie Rivera, Cincinnati Cannons
SS: Skipper Schneider, Chicago Cougars (3)
3B: Tommy Wilson, St Louis Pioneers (3)
OF: Fred Galloway, Cincinnati Cannons
OF: Pete Day, Boston Minutemen
OF: Bobby Barrell, Philadelphia Keystones
P: Pat Weakley, Montreal Saints

ROOKIE AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The Chicago Sportswriter's also released the nominees for their Rookie of the Year Ballot. It includes 3 pitchers and 3 position players. The pitchers are Jimmy Gibbs (14-8, 2.36) of Toronto, the Cougars Johnnie Jones (15-8, 2.93) and Pat Weakley (11-9, 3.40) of Montreal. The position players are Washington outfielder Jesse Alvardo (.273,19,76), Pittsburgh first baseman Jocko Goodrum (.299,5,50) and outfielder Cal Page (.302,2,30) of the St Louis Pioneers.

• The ballot is out for the top rookie in FABL this season and while there is a solid crop, in my mind the clear winner is Washington outfielder Jesse Alvardo. Just 20 years old, the youngster was a key reason the Eagles actually looked like a solid baseball team for a change. He hit .273 with 19 homers, 76 rbi's and stole 17 bases. If you asked me in late July when the Cougars Johnnie Jones was 13-2 it would have been no contest but the Chicago southpaw stumbled down the stretch run, losing 6 of his final 8 decisions with a 4.35 era during that stretch. Jones second half allowed Toronto's Jimmy Gibbs, who went 14-8 with a better era that Jones, to slide into second place.
• Gothams are said to be shopping Frank Covarrubias. The 32 year old third baseman, who was dealt from the Cannons to New York in the deal that sent Billy Dalton west, has asked out of New York because he doesn't handle losing well. He is a career .280 hitter in 784 big league games. The Gothams are also dangling 26 year old righthander Billy Seawood, who has spent most of his time recently in AAA Toledo but is 2-1 with a 4.13 era in 12 appearances with the big club. Draft picks are also on the table with the target for New York being a solid defensive shortstop.
• We did have a trade a week ago when the Chicago Cougars -in their annual clearance of excess minor leaguers for draft picks- dealt pitcher Pug Bryan to Detroit in exchange for an 8th round selection. Bryan was originally a highly touted second round pick out of Lincoln College back in 1934 but the now 30 year old has never been able to break into the Cougars rotation. He is 17-31 with a 4.46 era in 113 big league appearances, all but 34 in relief.

AMERICANS CLINCH EASTERN CROWN

It was Del Thomas' arm against Jerry McElheny's legs as the Boston Americans hung on to beat the New York Football Stars 26-20 and clinch top spot in the Eastern Division in the process. The two stars put on a clinic with their skills as Thomas threw for an AFA record 304 yards and 3 touchdowns to help the defending AFA champs from Boston build a 26-7 lead entering the fourth quarter and then hang on for the victory.
Thomas' passing effort shattered the old mark of 302 passing yards in a game set by Detroit's Dewey Burnett in 1940. Meanwhile, McElheny made the game close for the Stars, rushing for 108 of his 158 yards on the day in the final 15 minutes as New York scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter but fell just short.

Chicago remains a game up on Detroit and in control of the Western Division and a shot at a rematch with the Americans in the championship game. Gus Brown threw 3 touchdown passes -two of them to Johnny Douglas- to lead the Wildcats past Brooklyn 21-0. Detroit stayed alive, but barely, with a 28-7 win in Philadelphia over the combined Friglers team while in the final game of the weekend Pittsburgh evened it's record at 4-4 with a 14-0 shutout of Cleveland. Rookie quarterback Billy Bockhorst had his first career two-touchdown pass game for the winners.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday November 14
Pittsburgh 14 Cleveland 0
Chicago 21 Brooklyn 0
Boston 26 New York 20
Detroit 28 Phil-StL 7

Sunday November 21
Cleveland at Brooklyn
Chicago at Phil-StL
Pittsburgh at Boston
Detroit at New York

LAKERS REMAIN PERFECT WITH WIN OVER WESTERN IOWA

The Minnesota Tech Lakers ran their record to 7-0 including 4-0 in Great Lakes Alliance play following an easy 24-7 win over Western Iowa. The victory over the previously unbeaten Canaries leaves the Lakers as the only team yet to lose in GLA play and in contention for what could be the first AIAA National Title in any of the 3 major college team sports for the school. Minnesota Tech has two games remaining -against Wisconsin State to wrap up their section slate before finishing off against Iowa Pre-Flight on November 27th.

The Lakers are just one of 7 schools that remain perfect on the season, joining Academia Alliance power George Fox (9-0), Alexandria (7-0) of the South Atlantic Conference and independents San Francisco Tech (8-0), Wisconsin Catholic, Pittsburgh State and Penn Catholic (all 7-0).

WEEKEND RESULTS
Minnesota Tech 24 Western Iowa 7
Detroit City College 34 Wisconsin State 7
Iowa A&M 27 Lambert College 16
St. Blane 38 St. Magnus 14
Central Ohio 7 Lincoln 7
Annapolis Maritime 10 Henry Hudson 6
Penn Catholic 14 St. Patrick's 0
George Fox 35 Sadler 0
Travis College 14 Amarillo Methodist 10
Sampson NTS 14 Rome State 3
Darnell State 14 Red River State 6
Maryland State 30 Bainbridge NTS 0
Grafton 23 Brunswick 7
Eastern State 41 Carolina Poly 6
Alexandria 65 Noble Jones College 16
Georgia Baptist 17 Baton Rouge State 0
Indiana A&M 10 Great Lakes Navy 7
Northern California 48 CC Los Angeles 0
Eastern Kansas 13 Wichita Baptist 7
Texas Gulf Coast 14 Arkansas A&T 3
North Carolina Pre-Flight 20 Camp Lejeune 6
Mountainview State 10 Provo Tech 10
Coastal State 41 Georgia Pre-Flight 10
Cowpens State 13 Greensboro Field 0
Camp Grant 28 Iowa Pre-Flight 3
Lawrence State 35 Marles 7
March Field 7 Coastal California 3
Mile High State 24 South Valley State 10
Pierpont 37 North Carolina Tech 34
Central Carolina 10 Charleston Tech 0
Daniel Boone College 33 Oklahoma City State 20
Yuma Field 23 College of San Diego 7
Liberty College 21 Conwell College 0
Petersburg 28 Norfolk Marines 0
Huntington State 40 Pollock 3
San Francisco Tech 13 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 0

RAINIER COLLEGE WINS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

The Rainier College Majestics picked up exactly where they left off at the end of last season as the reigning National Champions of AIAA basketball came away with the championship banner at the most prestigious season opening tournament. The Majestics won the Tournament of Champions event, held annually at New York's Bigsby Garden.

Rainier College was dominant, winning each of it's games by twenty points. The Majestics opened with a 42-20 win over Indiana A&M as junior forward Tree Turner led the way with 12 points and 7 rebounds. The next day Turner had 18 points while senior forward Garry Harrison added 10 in a 54-32 pasting of Garden State. The Redbirds had beaten Miami State 46-38 in the opening round.

*** OTHER MAJOR PRESEASON TOURNAMENTS ***

In Boston the naval cadets from Annapolis Maritime emerged as the champion of the Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic. Named after the man credited with inventing the sport, the Easton Tournament has long been a Beantown staple. The Navigators beat Plover College 57-54 in the opening round, topped South Valley State 61-44 in the semi-finals before downing Hamman 47-37 in the title matchup.

Detroit City College won the Preseason AIAA Chicago Showcase with a 60-43 victory over Central Kentucky in the finals of the 4 team field. Senior center Jack Kurtz had 10 points in the championship game while new starters Tony Wonger and Stephen Rubacalva each scored 12 for the winners. Kurtz and fellow senior Adolph Duckworth led the way in the opener, with 14 points each in a 59-38 win over Great Plains State.

The West Coast Classic went to California Catholic as the Crusaders nipped Chicago Poly 42-40 in the title game. California Catholic had a tough matchup in the opening round of the 8-team field, narrowly surviving 58-56 in overtime against Capital University. Round two was much easier for the Crusaders, who blasted Flint 63-31.
[/b]

• A Munich newspaper acknowledged today that the German military position now is "roughly comparable to that of November 1918 -the month in which the first World War was ended in Allied victory.
• Allied forces continue to push the Nazis back in Italy as the Russians do the same on the Eastern Front, closing in on 3 Nazi bases in the Ukraine.
  
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• US Catholic Bishops approved a global plan declaring that after the war, victor nations must "unite in setting up international institutions for the preservation of world peace and mutual assistance." They also endorsed a similar declaration from Moscow, but with reservations, calling it "a definite step in the right direction."
• The rift is widening between the War Labor Board and the American Federation of Labor with the WLB's handling of the coal mine wage dispute being the biggest point of division.
  
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November 22, 1943 Rookie of the Year announced
 

NOVEMBER 22, 1943

EAGLES AVLVARDO NAMED TOP NEWCOMER

In a extremely tight race Washington Eagles outfielder Jesse Alvardo was named FABL's top rookie for 1943. The 20 year old Mexican born Alvardo finished one point ahead of Toronto Wolves pitcher Jimmy Gibbs to claim the top newcomer award, presented annually by the Chicago Sportswriters Guild. Alvardo claimed 4 of the 7 first-place votes after an outstanding debut season which saw him hit .273 with 19 homers and 76 rbi's to become a key piece in the resurgent season of the Washington Eagles. A 1941 first round pick out of Brooklyn's Canarsie High School, Alvardo spent most of the 1942 season in AA before a strong spring earned him a spot in the Washington outfield.

Gibbs, who was named first on two ballots, was 14-8 with a 2.36 era. Unlike with Alvardo, Gibbs paid plenty of dues in the minors before making his big league debut last season at the age of 27. The Cleveland born righthander was originally selected out of high school by the Brooklyn Kings in the 8th round of the 1934 draft. The Kings dealt him to Toronto 4 years later and he spent 4 seasons splitting time between AAA Buffalo and AA Chattanooga before finally getting his opportunity with the big club last season.

Chicago Cougars lefthander Johnnie Jones (15-8, 2.93) earned the final first place vote. The 25 year old, who is the older brother of another highly touted Cougar hurler in Donnie Jones, had an exceptional start to the season, winning 13 of his first 15 decisions before, like the Cougars club, cooling off down the stretch. The New York Stars selected Jones 4th overall in the 1936 draft but dealt him to Washington in the deal that brought Moxie Pidgeon, Mel Hancock Jr. and Robert Curry to the Big Apple but he lasted just 1 year in the Eagles system before being moved to the Cougars. Jones had a small taste of big league ball in 1941 and again in 1942 before earning a spot in the rotation full-time this past season.

BASEBALL 'ABOSLUTELY ESSENTIAL' TO MORALE AVERS SEN. LUCAS

Professional baseball is "absolutely essential" to civilian and military morale, Senator Lucas, Democrat, of Illinois said today in pointing out that the sport is making valuable contributions to the war effort while using an "infinitesimal" part of the Nation's manpower. "My sincere hope is that nothing will be done by any agency of the Government which will in any way disturb the continuation of this great American institution," Lucas said in an address prepared for Senate delivery.
*** HELPS WAR KITTY HANDSOMELY ***
Baseball contributions to the war funds total $2,128,698, he declared, and admission taxes paid the Government through the Federal and Continental Associations for the 1942 and 1943 seasons amounted to $2,289,702. Sales of War Bonds and Stamps in drives sponsored by baseball interests netted $1,027,923,225, the Senator said, and the baseball equipment fund raised $250,814 to furnish sports equipment for men in the armed forces.

Citing figures he said were obtained from FABL President Samuel Belton, Lucas gave a breakdown of the manpower setup in baseball: Players in the service who have played at least one FABL game in their career, 287. Professional baseball players in total who are in the service, 1028.

The Senator also noted that both Associations have reduced their travel to a minimum and could carry on to the satisfaction of the Office of Defense Transportation. Lucas also pointed out that both England and Russia have maintained spectator sports during the war, in most instances drawing huge crowds.

"It is also interesting to note that the treacherous Japs dropped baseball because it is an American game -another added reason for us to keep the game going," he said.

• Interesting to note that the Continental Association has yet to see one of it's players claim the top rookie award that the Chicago Sportswriters Guild hands out annually. All six previous winners: Al Miller of the Chiefs, Detroit's Sal Pestilli, Keystones Hank McKay, Ray Dalpman of Boston, Ed Bowman of the Gothams and out current winner Jesse Alvardo of Washington play for Federal Association clubs.

WILDCATS BACK INTO WESTERN TITLE

The Chicago Wildcats won despite being hammered 37-7 by the combined Philadelphia-St Louis entry in American Football Association action. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 6-3 on the season but with news that both Detroit and Pittsburgh also came up short on Sunday the Wildcats won in the big picture -claiming their third consecutive Western Division crown.

The Friglers dominated the contest with Dave Davis leading the way, rushing for 103 yards and scoring a touchdown on a 95 yard kick-off return just seconds after the Wildcats had scored their only major of the game. Detroit failed to take advantage of the Wildcats stumble as the Maroons came up on the short-end of a 17-14 score in New York. Pittsburgh, which entered the day with a slim chance at winning the west, also saw their hopes dashed when Del Thomas threw for 396 yards and 4 touchdowns as Boston blasted the Paladins 45-14.
Boston quarterback Del Thomas had a record-breaking outing. A week after establishing a new single game AFA record by throwing for 304 yards against the New York Stars, the veteran Americans quarterback smashed his own mark with an incredible outing that saw him pass for 396 yards in the dominant win over Pittsburgh. Only 3 times in AFA history has a quarterback throwing for over 300 yards in a game and Thomas has done it twice -both in the last two weeks. With one game remaining in his season Thomas is also just 40 passing yards shy of Dewey Burnett's record 1,886 aerial yards set a year ago.

AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday November 21
Cleveland 14 Brooklyn 0
Phil-StL 37 Chicago 7
Boston 45 Pittsburgh 14
New York 17 Detroit 14

Sunday November 28
New York at Phil-StL
Chicago at Cleveland
Boston at Brooklyn

EAST-WEST CLASSIC MATCHUP SET

The Wisconsin Catholic Cavaliers and Northern California Miners will meet in the annual East-West Classic on New Year's Day from California it was announced this week. The Miners, who beat Alameda Coast Guard 10-7 Saturday to improve to 8-1 on the season, will represent the greatly depleted West Coast Athletic Association as the host team for the yearly showcase. The Miners were a perfect 4-0 in beat both Coastal California and CC Los Angeles twice this season in what ended up being a 3-team conference due to teams dropping out because of a shortage of players.

Northern Cal still has a game remaining next weekend against Del Monte Pre-Flight but a win there and on January 1 could lift the Miners to their first National Championship since they claimed a controversial title in 1923 with a 10-0 record despite playing a less than stellar slate of games.

For Wisconsin Catholic it would be even a bigger surprise if the Cavaliers can stretch their record to 9-0. The independent school has never been in the running for a National Title before and has never been invited to play in a Classic game it's history either. However, the invite came following a 44-0 sinking of Great Lakes Navy on the weekend is the latest in a list of 8 impressive victories that included wins over Wisconsin State and Whitney College.

The other four New Year's Day games have not confirmed who will be invited but it is expected the Sunshine Classic will pit North Carolina Tech against the winner of Friday's matchup between Darnell State and Travis College with the loser likely ticketed for the Desert Classic and a meeting with Minnesota Tech.

There are no official college rankings aside from the final poll released at the end of the season but TWIFB sees the teams lined up in the following order.

The expectation is the winner of the East-West Classic will likely be crowned National Champion unless Minnesota Tech comes up with a dominating performance in El Paso at the Desert Classic. Pittsburgh State, Penn Catholic and George Fox have all elected not to accept an invitation for a New Years Eve, citing travel concerns and roster depletion as a number of players from each of those schools will have or be about to enter the armed forces by New Years.

CLASSIC GAMES
The only confirmed matchup is in the East-West Classic but here is what is known about the remaining games.
EAST-WEST CLASSIC Wisconsin Catholic (8-0) vs Northern Cal (8-1)
SUNSHINE CLASSIC North Carolina Tech (7-1) vs either Darnell State (7-1) or Travis College (6-2)
CAJUN CLASSIC to be announced
LONE STAR CLASSIC to be announced
DESERT CLASSIC Minnesota Tech (8-0) vs either Darnell State (7-1) or Travis College (6-2)

WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS
Arkansas A&T 20 Eastern Oklahoma 10
Northern California 10 Alameda Coast Guard 7
Ellery 24 Rome State 10
Henry Hudson 24 Empire State 18
Mountainview State 9 Boulder State 0
Grafton 21 Sadler 17
North Carolina Tech 35 Carolina Poly 7
Camp Grant 33 Fort Riley 0
Coastal State 40 Georgia Baptist 20
Wisconsin Catholic 44 Great Lakes Navy 0
St. Patrick's 14 Miller College 9
College of Omaha 30 Western Iowa 21
Iowa A&M 13 Eastern Kansas 10
Lawrence State 13 Daniel Boone College 10
Detroit City College 61 Central Ohio 3
Minnesota Tech 40 Wisconsin State 0
St. Magnus 13 Lincoln 0
St. Blane 18 Iowa Pre-Flight 6
Pittsburgh State 26 Liberty College 0
Whitney College 27 Indiana A&M 3
Amarillo Methodist 45 Red River State 0
Texas Gulf Coast 21 College of Waco 13
Baton Rouge State 21 Bayou State 3
Golden Gate University 29 CC Los Angeles 0
Penn Catholic 31 Conwell College 0
Del Monte Pre-Flight 28 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 3

EAST-WEST CLASSIC TURNED DOWN BY PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOLS

Congratulations to Wisconsin Catholic on earning an invitation to the most prestigious New Year's Day contest but if this was an ordinary year the Cavaliers would be on the outside looking in. It is very easy to make a case that several teams are more deserving or representing the East in California on January 1, but this is far from an ordinary year. If all was right in the world Pittsburgh State, with it's impressive record that includes wins over St Blane, Huntington State and Central Ohio should be making the trip west. Or how about the pride of Philadelphia in Penn Catholic? The Crusaders have taken on and beaten all comers -teams like Sadler, St Patrick's and Frankford State while also hammering Rome State. George Fox University also laid a beaten on the army school -but everyone and his brother has done that this year it seems- and is likely a more worthy choice than Wisconsin Catholic.

However, each of those three schools turned down an invitation -citing war-time travel restrictions as the big reason but it is just as much due to the fact none of the three are certain to have enough players still around come the New Year. Minnesota Tech wanted to go, but the Great Lakes Association champs -who count wins over Detroit City College, Western Iowa and Daniel Boone College as part of their 8-0 season were overlooked in favour of the new kids on the block and had to settle for a trip to El Paso and the Desert Classic.

Wisconsin Catholic has never been in this position before. The Cavaliers attitude is anything but as the school is positively giddy with the news of their first Classic invitation. They have not necessarily had the toughest schedule but they are 8-0 with wins over rival Wisconsin State, Whitney College, Mile High State and 3 military schools that were powers a year ago in Great Lakes Navy (who they beat twice) along with Iowa Pre-Flight and Camp Grant. It is hard to argue that they don't belong on the field New Year's Day but Northern California is going to be a tough test. I would expect the winner of this game to celebrate not only a victory that day but also a National Championship shortly afterwards.


Rainier College continues it's strong start to the season as the defending National Champs improved to 4-0 on the year with a pair of wins over smaller schools Bliss College and Gates University. Senior forward Gary Harrison, who played a big role on last season's title team, continues to lead the way and is 15.0 ppg is among the best in the country.

RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY NOV 15
#1 Rainier College 54 Bliss College 44
#14 Alabama Baptist 38 Daniel Boone College 34
Plover College 54 #15 Chesapeake State 52
#17 Lambert College 43 Oklahoma City State 27
#22 Brooklyn State 54 Brunswick 41
#23 Sadler 52 Jersey City Tech 49

TUESDAY NOV 16
#3 North Carolina Tech 48 Central Kentucky 40
#5 St Ignatius 54 Wisconsin Catholic 35
#7 Western Florida 51 Eastern State 36
#18 Rome State 59 Colorado Poly 55
#19 Dickson 50 Georgia Baptist 48
#25 El Paso Methodist 47 California Catholic 37

WEDNESDAY NOV 17
#6 Detroit City College 39 Baton Rogue State 37
#9 Whitney College 52 #22 Brooklyn State 43
#21 American Atlantic 49 North Central (NE) 25

THURSDAY NOV 18
#16 Northern California 49 Iowa A&M 42
#20 Rock Island 38 Portland Tech 30

FRIDAY NOV 19
#3 North Carolina Tech 66 Henry Hudson 42
#6 Detroit City College 64 Orrville 48
#8 Minnesota Tech 55 Miners College 1
#10 Frankford State 44 St Blane 29
#13 CC Los Angeles 54 Charleston Tech 43
#18 Rome State 46 Pittsburgh State 39
#21 American Atlantic 43 Elyria 37
#24 Red River State 57 Maldin 52
#25 El Paso Methodist 51 Georgia Baptist 43

SATURDAY NOV 20
#1 Rainier College 58 Gates University 50

SUNDAY NOV 21
#2 Coastal California 57 San Francisco Tech 33
#3 North Carolina Tech 53 Glover(GA) 42
#10 Frankford State 53 Opelika State 39
#20 Rock Island 36 Valley State 26
#21 American Atlantic 47 Capital (MS) Univ. 46
#23 Sadler 51 St Patrick's 42

• German counteracts and bad weather has slowed Allied advances in both Italy and on the Eastern Front.
  https://i.imgur.com/HHZqYTL.jpg
• Secretary of State Hull, speaking to Congress about a pact between the US, Britain and the Soviets, says that Moscow declarations will hasten Allied victory and help create a post-war world free of conflict-breeding power politics of the past.
• A mighty armada of over 1,000 of Britain's biggest bombers laid waste to a vast section of Berlin Friday night with American Flying Fortresses following with another raid on western Germany through the daylight. In the Pacific Allied flyers blasted Japanese cruisers and convey ships in the harbor of Rabaul.
• Rumania is reported to be withdrawing all her troops from Russia under an agreement reached last week at a conference between Adolf Hitler and Gen. Ion Antonescu, Rumanian chief of state. As part of the deal Rumania is required to had over to Germany large stocks of grain and petroleum which had been earmarked for Italy.
• The House Ways and Means Committee formally presented it's 1944 tax bill calling for $2.1 billion in new revenue in a report that charged the Administration, which had asked for $10 million more, had exaggerated the need for additional income. The bill will go before the House this week.
  
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  https://i.imgur.com/FQFn216.jpg

November 29, 1943
 

NOVEMBER 29, 1943

SELECTIVE SERVICE STRIKES AGAIN

Once again FABL magnates were dealt a devastating blow as the latest batch of big league players left to join the war effort. This time they number 68 players in all, including a trio of presently unsigned free agents in pitchers Roy Heiland and Jack Allen along with infielder Oscar King. That brings the total number of current players who have played at least 1 career big league game that are now in the military to 352. Including minor leaguers there are now 1,098 pro ball players in service.

The latest exodus hit several teams very hard. The St Louis Pioneers lost the right side of their infield with both 26 year old first baseman Dutch Breunig (.315,4,80) and second sacker Artie D'Alessandro,27, (.264,5,68) getting the call. It has been a tough off-season for all, but especially the Pioneers who had such an exciting second half of the season and were looking to build on that with a run at their first pennant since 1921. In addition to the duo mentioned above the Pioneers also lost two-time all-star catcher Heinie Zimmer to the Navy a couple of weeks ago.

Montreal will be without 24 year old Wally Reif as the rookie has joined the Air Corps. Reif went 9-10 with a 4.14 era in his big league debut last season.

This is likely the end for Frank Crawford, as the 35-year-old southpaw was drafted into the Army. The veteran was in line for potential starts with the Chicago Cougars following the enlistments of Joe Brown and Johnnie Jones, but Crawford will now join them overseas. The former 10th Overall Pick appeared in 304 FABL games for the Keystones, Dynamos, and Cougars, going 142-104 with a 3.87 ERA (112 ERA+) and 1,072 strikeouts in 2,216.1 innings pitched.

It is likely also the end of Del Lyons as the 38 year old relief specialist joined the Navy. The four-time all-star had 25 saves last season -tops in the Continental Association- and has been Brooklyn's relief specialist for well over a decade. He set the single season FABL save record with 29 in 1938 and his career total of 182 is the most all-time.

Here is the latest round of players to get the call for Military Service.
BOSTON- Dutch Day P, Joe Sargent P, Jay Buckingham OF

BROOKLYN- Del Lyons P, Roger Upton C, Vince D'Alessandro 2B, Lee Shapiro 3B-OF,

CHIEFS- Charlie Bingham P, Ducky Jordan 2B, Ossie Grogan OF, Dode Foster OF

COUGARS- John Little P, Frank Crawford P, Steve Mountain C

CINCINNATI- Jim Anderson P, Jesse Bowen P, Earl Sanders C, Len Werner OF

CLEVELAND- Elmer Bradbury P, Frank Petrillo P, Jack Thornhill P, Jim Zimmerman P, Ken Vance C, Vic James OF

DETROIT- Norm Brown P, Mule Earl P

MONTREAL- Wally Reif P, Tony Hendricks OF, Bert Thomas OF, Milt Bennett OF

NY STARS- George Hampton P, Bill Keith P, Austin Moore 2B, Dave Haight OF

NY GOTHAMS- Sandy Giles P, Steve Groves P, John Hartz P, Gussie Harris C, Charlie Moore 1B, Leonardo Magana OF

KEYSTONES- Don Fluharty P, Charlie Gump C, John Nuriddin 2B, Don Cooper OF

SAILORS- Tom Cipolla P, Scotty Thomas P, Dave Doolittle C, Hal Carter Inf, Bob Smith 2B

PITTSBURGH- Jocko Goodrum 1B, Pinky Pierce OF, Leo Clark OF, Dudley Rose OF

ST LOUIS- Dutch Breunig 1B, Artie D'Alessandro SS, Walter McClure OF

TORONTO- Lou Jayson P, Jack Smtih P, Mike Rollinson 2B, Whitey Acton OF

WASHINGTON- Jim Federov P, Dick Gibbs P, Mack Brubaker P, Henry Crawley OF

CANNONS HOPE CATCHING ISSUE IS SOLVED

The biggest challenge the Cincinnati Cannons faced for 1944 was to figure out who is going to take over behind the plate after All-Star catcher Adam Mullins left for the Navy at the beginning of the month. With Mullins out of the picture the prospects were scary as skipper Ad Doria had the choice between backup Ed Sala, who hit .191 last season, or minor league veterans like Tommy Morris, Hughie Fletcher or A.J. Warren. None of those options sat too well with the Cannons brass so the club made a move to bring Buster Farrar back to the Queen City. The 32 year old spent parts of 3 seasons with the Cannons organization before he was lost to the New York Stars in the rule five draft two years ago. He was the backup in New York, where he slashed .270/.358/.429 in 65 games last season and with the Stars having some depth behind the plate but holes practically everywhere else in the line-up a deal was worked out that was beneficial to both teams.

In return for Farrar, the Cannons sent a pair of veteran players off their AAA roster along with 2 draft picks to the Big Apple. The players are 39 year old pitcher Lyman Weigel and 35 year old first baseman John Herrick. Both will likely get the opportunity to return to the majors with the Stars next season, something that would have been unlikely had they remained in Cincinnati. Weigel has ties to the New York General Manager as he pitched for him when both were in Cleveland. He is 88-80 for his major league career highlighted by a 15-8 campaign for the Foresters in 1936. The Cannons signed Weigel as a minor league free agent two years ago after Cleveland cut him loose and he had a solid season (12-7, 3.07) for Indianapolis a year ago. Herrick, who has played 312 career FABL games, was also a free agent pickup and he hit 40 homers last year -most in professional baseball- while shuffling between 4 teams at 3 levels. The Cannons also send their 6th and 7th round draft picks to New York meaning the Stars have as many of Cincinnati's picks in the human GM portion of the draft as the Cannons do. The Stars already added Cincinnati's 2nd and 4th round selections in summer deal that moved Chris Clarke to the Cannons.

It is a good move for all involved. Cincinnati stood a good chance of losing both Weigel and Herrick in the upcoming Rule Five draft. The two players now get a chance to return to the major leagues in New York while the Cannons have hopefully addressed their biggest weakness right now with the acquisition of Farrar.

• There has been some chatter but very little in the way of action by FABL clubs on the trade front, until the Cincinnati-New York deal broke. We certainly had a flurry of moves in the summer at the deadline but the winter meetings so far have been very quiet: similar to what was seen the past two off-seasons as the clubs continue to worry about the military draft taking away key pieces....something that has certainly made trading feel a little too risky for many right now.
• One good thing for baseball: Buried in all the headlines of star players leaving for the war effort is the fact that little has been said from the War Manpower or Transportation bosses about the possibility baseball might not be allowed to continue. That, of course, was all the talk a year ago but the game survived -even thrived with record attendance thanks in no small part to free passes for servicemen and essential workers. This year there has been no talk at all about shutting the sport down so baseball will most certainly continue although business will be far from normal. So many of the stars are gone, but there are fresh bodies to take their place. Sure many of them are of AA or lower quality but fans won't care, as long as the newcomers are clad in the hometown flannels and give an honest effort they will have plenty of support.
• Line of the week: The mass exodus of big league talent caused Percy Sutherland to wonder "If AA pitchers are throwing to AA hitters, is it still a FABL game? A question for the ages."

RECORD BREAKING SEASON FOR THOMAS

There is little doubt that the best player in the American Football Association right now is Del Thomas. The Boston Americans quarterback continued his record-breaking season with a 199 yard passing day to help Boston double Brooklyn 28-14 in their season finale. The win improves the Americans AFA-best mark to 9-1 on the season and they will look to win a second straight AFA title game against the Chicago Wildcats on December 19th. For Thomas, the big passing day allowed him to become the first player in AFA history to throw for over 2,000 yards in a season. His 2,045 aerial yards easily smash the previous single-season mark of 1,886 established by Dewey Burnett with Detroit a year ago. Thomas also threw 4 touchdown passes in the game, giving him 25 on the season, which is also a new AFA single-season mark breaking the previous total of 21 that Burnett had accomplished twice. But that is not all as Thomas set a league record on the defensive side of the ball as well. His interception in the win over the Kings, gave him 13 on the season which is also a new AFA single-season mark -one that had stood up since Pittsburgh's Harvey Bowman had 12 picks in 1934.

Thomas has led the Americans to a pair of AFA titles, both wins coming over Chicago, and he was named the championship game Most Valuable Player a year ago. If Boston can beat Chicago again next month it will allow Thomas to become the first quarterback to lead his team to 3 AFA championships in the modern era.
Boston spotted the Kings a 14-0 first half lead before Thomas and his mates heated up after the break with 4 touchdowns -all coming on Thomas passes- in the second half. Johnny Littlejohn had two of the scoring catches to give him an AFA best 11 touchdown grabs on the year. It has been a breakout season for Littlejohn, who did not expect to be back with the Americans until after the war ended. He was a 1941 11th round pick of the club out of Golden Gate University and had 17 catches as a rookie while also handling some of the placekicking duties. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Army and, despite being color-blind, passed his initial physical. During training it was discovered and he was discharged, returning to the Americans for this season where he, along with veteran end Craig Martins, give Del Thomas possibly the best receiving duo in the AFA. (Although folks in Detroit might say it is Stan Vaught and anyone else the Maroons line-up as the other end.)

Elsewhere, Chicago finished out it's regular season with a 28-7 win over the Cleveland Finches behind a 3-touchdown passing day from Gus Brown. The only other game on Sunday saw the New York Football Stars play the combined Philadelphia-St Louis outfit to a 7-7 draw at Sailors Memorial Park in Philadelphia.


AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday November 28
New York 7 Phil-StL 7
Chicago 28 Cleveland 7
Boston 28 Brooklyn 14

Sunday December 5
Phil-StL at Brooklyn
Pittsburgh at New York

CLASSIC GAMES SET AS COLLEGE SEASON COMES TO AN END

The matchups are set for the New Year's Day Classic games as the college football season comes to an end. Well, technically there is still one more game left as March Field will play College of San Diego on December 11 but that contest will have no bearing on the New Years games.

The big one is the East-West Classic and the winner will likely be declared National Champion as the 8-0 Wisconsin Catholic Cavaliers head west to play in their very first New Year's game where they will meet the Northern California Miners. The Miners finished out their season with a 9-1 record following a 13-10 win over Del Monte Pre-Flight on Saturday. Northern Cal was a perfect 4-0 in the 3-team West Coast Athletic Association after being Coastal California and winless CC Los Angeles twice each. Northern Cal, which last played in the East-West Classic in 1922, will likely be a slight favourite.

A 21-0 shutout win Southwestern Alliance rival Travis College (6-3) earned Darnell State (8-1) a trip to Miami and a berth in the Sunshine Classic against North Carolina Tech. The Techsters also finished 8-1 on the season, including a 21-3 win over Eastern State Saturday. As for Travis College, the Bucks will also play on New Years with Great Lakes Alliance champion Minnesota Tech (9-0) providing the opposition. It will be the Lakers second appearance in the Desert Classic in 3 years as they pounded Canyon A&M 51-23 in the 1941 game.

Georgia Baptist (5-4) had a rough season with a roster hard hit by graduation and the war but the Gators did finish a perfect 3-0 in the slimmed down Deep South Conference including getting a small measure of revenge on Noble Jones College for that devastating loss a year ago. The Gators won 36-14 over Noble Jones and that earned them a spot in the Cajun Classic in New Orleans. They will square off with Amarillo Methodist, which finished 6-2 including a 17-3 victory over Texas Gulf Coast on the weekend. The final New Year's game is the Lone Star Classic from Austin which will see 6-2 Eastern State square off against 5-1-1 Prove Tech.

There was some difficult filling the Lone Star Classic as a number of teams, including unbeatens George Fox, Pittsburgh State and Penn Catholic along with 7-2-1 St Blane all electing not to play a postseason game.

One other notable score from the final weekend saw Annapolis Maritime crush Rome State 31-3 in the annual battle of the service academies. It was not a great season for either as the Navigators went 6-3 while the Centurions were a very disappointing 1-8 on the year. This marked the third straight season Annapolis Maritime claimed the bragging rights from their yearly Thanksgiving weekend matchup.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Lawrence State 20 Fort Riley 0
Alexandria 55 Maryland State 13
North Carolina Pre-Flight 19 Charleston Tech 7
Pierpont 21 Brunswick 0
Golden Gate University 7 Provo Tech 3
Columbia Military Academy 10 Cowpens State 6
Darnell State 21 Travis College 0
Arkansas A&T 24 Payne State 10
Ellery 30 Empire State 7
Northern California 13 Del Monte Pre-Flight 10
Georgia Baptist 36 Noble Jones College 14
St. Blane 13 Great Lakes Navy 0
Minnesota Tech 26 Iowa Pre-Flight 0
Annapolis Maritime 31 Rome State 3
North Carolina Tech 21 Eastern State 3
Oklahoma City State 15 College of Omaha 7
Mile High State 13 Eastern Oklahoma 10
Coastal California 13 CC Los Angeles 0
Amarillo Methodist 17 Texas Gulf Coast 3
Red River State 14 Killeen State 13
March Field 13 San Diego Navy 6

SERVICE ACADEMIES OFF TO FAST START

Unlike on the grid where both have struggled this season, the two military academy schools are both off to a quick start on the hardwood. Annapolis Maritime is 6-0 and ranked 8th in the latest AIAA rankings while Rome State is 5-0 and holds down the 14th slot on the top 25 list. Being among the best teams in the sport is nothing new for the naval academy as Annapolis Maritime has been a fixture in the post-season championship tournament and even reached the semi-finals twice a little over a decade ago. Last season the Navigators were 25-7, and have won at least twenty contests every year since 1925-26. Things have not been so rosy down in Georgia where Rome State has not made the National Tournament since the spring of 1935 and the Centurions rarely reach the 20-win plateau in a season, although they did go 21-8 a year ago.

The voters shifted their allegiance among western clubs just slightly this week as Coastal California nosed ahead of Rainier College for the top spot in the polls. The 3-0 Dolphins did not play in a preseason tournament but scored impressive victories over San Francisco Tech, Gates University and Bronx Tech -all on the road- to earn the favour of the voters. The Dolphins are averaging 55 points a night with 3 players in double-figures led by junior forward Morgan Melcher's 16.3 ppg. The Majestics are the defending National Champions and improved to 5-0 with wins over Gates University and Mahoning Valley State this week.

RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY NOV 22
#2 Rainier College 52 Mahoning Valley State 38
#8 Annapolis Maritime 58 University of New Jersey 31
#14 Rome State 64 Brandywine 58
#15 Brookland 58 Bethlehem College 33
#16 Lincoln 41 Bliss College 36
#25 Mobile Maritime 57 Penn Catholic 52
TUESDAY NOV 23
#21 Brooklyn State 53 Central Carolina 35
#23 Piedmont University 53 Miami State 46
WEDNESDAY NOV 24
#1 Coastal California 57 Gates University 49
#8 Annapolis Maritime 47 Brunswick 36
#9 Ohio Poly 44 Western State 37
#12 Northern California 54 Tinker 46
#17 Dickston 44 Ogdensburg 37
THURSDAY NOV 25
#6 Western Florida 66 Columbia Military Academy 50
#11 Frankford State 57 Eastern State 36
#19 Perry State College 49 Queen City 41
#22 St Pancras 53 Ellery 42
#24 Pierpont 53 St Matthew's College 48
#25 Mobile Maritime 52 Centerville 43
FRIDAY NOV 26
#4 Western Iowa 52 East Missouri Seminary 32
#9 Ohio Poly 46 Cumberland 41
#12 Northern California 50 Wichita Baptist 37
#13 Detroit City College 54 Central Carolina 38
#14 Rome State 41 Cuyahoga University 31
#15 Brookland 45 West Corners(NY) 27
#20 Red River State 51 Quaker College(CA) 43
SATURDAY NOV 27
#1 Coastal California 54 Bronx Tech 45
#7 Minnesota Tech 66 Lambert College 58
#19 Perry State College 49 Eastern Kansas 46
#22 St Pancras 39 Adirondack State 31
SUNDAY NOV 28
#8 Annapolis Maritime 58 Eastern State 34
#9 Ohio Poly 46 St Magnus 37
#15 Brookland 50 Glover(GA) 38
#16 Lincoln 45 Springfield State 38

• Berlin is aflame following a record raid, one that includes reports from neutral sources that said there was a strong possibility that the buildings which house the Nazi Government had been hit. By week's end, nightly bombing attacks on Berlin are said to have leveled a third of the blazing capital.
• An all-out counter attack by German forces numbering over 100,000 along with hundreds of tanks has driven the Soviets back towards Kiev. The Russian retreat was short-lived as by the end of the weak the Nazi offensive had been repulsed and the Russian advance restarted.
• The Archbishop of Milan charged the Germans with sacking churches on the outskirts of the Italian city, calling them "Godless hordes of bandits who intend to overthrow all dogma and all morale."
• Hand to hand combat between American and Japanese troops on narrow, sandy beachheads over two Japanese outposts in the Gilbert Islands, about 2,400 miles southwest of Honolulu.
• General Patton will not be relieved of his command for striking a wounded soldier and calling him "yellow-bellied" in a Sicilian hospital tent because he was considered "necessary and valuable" to Allied operations in Sicily but his conduct was criticized "mercilessly" by his commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
• President Roosevelt has asked Congress for 'immediate; consideration of a 3-point federally-financed program to tide over service men and women in the "difficult period of adjustment" after the war.
  
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