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April 23, 1951
APRIL 23, 1951 KINGS, DYNAMOS START SEASON OFF WITH MAJOR TRADE A pair of teams hoping to make noise in their respective flag races, raised the volume level around the league with a blockbuster trade announcement just prior to the season opener for each as the Brooklyn Kings and Detroit Dynamos both hope they filled a hole that will help increase their pennant chances. It was strictly a one-for-one trade with each club hoping to fill a need as Detroit dealt 24-year-old righthander Roy Schaub to Brooklyn in exchange for 26-year-old outfielder Pat Petty. The Kings had made no secret of the fact they felt they needed another quality arm to mount a series run at the Continental Association pennant while the young Dynamos, loaded with pitching but staring up at the power laden New York Gothams lineup, felt another big bat was a necessity if they have any hope of ended a pennant-less drought that begins its 22nd season. The Kings, perhaps in a bid for one last shot at glory in Brooklyn before they head west to Kansas City next year, add a pitcher that is well known to the Brooklyn General Manager Martin. It was during his tenure in Detroit that the current Kings boss selected the then 18-year-old Schaub first overall out of a Philadelphia high school in 1944. A year and a half later, with most of it spent in the Navy, Schaub was peddled to the New York Stars for Dixie Lee in an all-out effort to break the flag drought...one that ultimately came up 3 games short. Martin moved on to Brooklyn in 1946 but his replacement in the Motor City brought Schaub back to the organization that drafted him with a deal that summer that also landed Tommy Griffin in Detroit. Schaub, a regular on the top 50 in the prospect pipeline, made his Detroit debut in September of 1949 and after an 8-0 start in Newark the following season, was called up by Detroit last June. He would go 7-10 with a 3.81 era and looked to be locked in as the Dynamos number three starter behind Carl Potter and Jack Miller, at least until the deal with Brooklyn was made. At a press conference in Brooklyn to announce the move Kings manager Tom Barrell conceded that walks are a concern with Schaub - he issued 96 free passes in 172 big league innings last season- but Schaub is young and will hopefully improve his control. The move means that Brooklyn is pinning its hopes at first base on the much maligned Chuck Collins but it does open a roster spot for Fred Miller, a highly touted 23-year-old outfielder who has had stints in Brooklyn each of the past two years. *** Dynamos Looking For An Offense to Rival Gothams *** Detroit pitching depth has been a strength of the franchise in recent years but they have at times struggled to score runs. Despite boasting one of the best players in the game in centerfielder Edwin Hackberry and a breakout star in Dick Estes the Dynamos offense could not hold a candle to those in New York and Philadelphia but the hope is Petty helps bring them closer. Initial plans are for Bill Morrison to shift from left field to right field to make room for Petty, who will hit fourth in the lineup in between Hackberry and Estes. From 1 thru 8 in the batting order the Dynamos are still not at the level of the big offenses in the Federal Association, but the feeling is this moves them much closer. Petty, the third overall pick in the 1943 draft, was Continental Association rookie of the year in 1948 and has been very consistent in his three full big league seasons. A year ago the Wisconsin native hit .271 with 12 homers and 81 rbi's and the feeling in Detroit is that the righthanded 26-year-old will prosper at the plate and could hit 30 homers with the short left field line at Thompson Field that measures just 298 feet from home plate. He is also pretty good with the glove giving the Dynamos three superior defenders to roam the outfield. Archie Irwin's Take: This is a weird trade because I both like and don't like this trade for both teams. Starting with the Dynamos, I think they got the better player, but I think they're the team that needs the pitching more. That being said, they do have a wide open outfield spot and Petty is the perfect addition, as they were currently penciling in Tony Mullis in the starting right field job. Mullis is a decent part-time player, but he's best served as a short-side platoon guy. His 129 career WRC+ against lefties is far better then the 88 against righties, and even though Petty is a righty too, he is a career .296/.376/.439 (126 OPS+) against same side hitters. I expect him in left, and Kellogg runner up Bill Morrison in right, giving the Dynamos a pair of quality young outfielders to pair with Edwin Hackberry for years to come. On the Kings end, they made it clear they were looking for another starter. Personally, I think their top five is strong enough, but only Ron Berry can rival the upside of Roy Schaub. The 24-year-old had a strong rookie season, going 7-10 with a 3.81 ERA (108 ERA+), but he dealt with some command struggles as he walked 96 to just 58 strikeouts. Brooklyn's GM is quite familiar with Schaub, who he took #1 overall when he was Detroit's GM in 1944, and I'm in the camp that he could still reach the lofty potential expected of him. It's a risky addition, as Schaub may end up the 6th best starter in Brooklyn, but the Kings can spare a corner bat and take the risk on a talented young pitcher. They have a ton of corner bats, no one is displacing Ralph Johnson, and they had Petty, Chuck Collins, and Fred Miller fighting for just two spots. This allows the 23-year-old Miller to claim left in a lefty heavy lineup, and he has the talent to match or even surpass Petty's production. This could be a huge win-win for both teams, but it will be based on more then just the two players being moved. For Detroit they'll need someone like Bob Haverhill, Rusty Petrick, or Wally Hunter to step up in Schaub's absence, while the Kings will be betting on their internal options being able to replace the production lost from Petty. DYNAMOS REELING AFTER POTTER'S SEASON ENDING INJURY The Detroit Dynamos pennant hopes were dealt a crushing blow when it was revealed that 24-year-old southpaw Carl Potter suffered a season ending shoulder injury in the opening day loss to the New York Gothams. The Dynamos did get some strong outings from other arms, notably former Kellogg Award winner Wally Hunter and Rusty Petrick, each of whom threw shutouts, but the loss of Potter, who already owns 92 career FABL victories and one Allen Award, certainly dampens any enthusiasm building with the arrival of Pat Petty from Brooklyn. The Boston Minutemen and Philadelphia Keystones share the Federal Association lead as each got off to a 5-2 start in the opening week while the Chicago Cougars, at 4-2, are top cat in the Continental Association, a half game up on the Philadelphia Sailors. Speaking of the Sailors it looks like waived veterans Marion Boismenu and Ed Reyes are going to land somewhere else in the Continental Association. At the moment Boismenu appears headed to the Cougars while the Kings have claimed Reyes although you have to think a team like Toronto, which has first priority on claims of CA players, might have interest in at least one of the two even if just as a veteran bat off the bench. The Philadelphia Keystones started off hot for a change. A 5-2 week out of the gate is refreshing. Thumbs up for Jim Whiteley and Charlie Waddell. Thumbs down for Lloyd Stevens and George Polk, but it is only one start for each. The Keystones should be satisfied with an ERA in the middle of the pack in the Fed and that is exactly where they sit after one week. Don Berry continued his great play in the Spring with a couple of homers and 5 RBI while slashing .414/.469/.621, while Rudy Minton's struggles from Spring Training have carried over, as the reigning Rookie of the Year went 3-for-21. In Bobby Barrell news, he hit home run #630 in Wednesday's 8-7 loss to Boston, a screaming line drive to right field that was 105 mph off the bat. It was the back-end of back-to-back home runs with Hank Koblenz and Barrell. Barrell is used to being on the front end of consecutive round-trippers between the two players, who for years batted 3-4. Barrell has settled into the #5 spot with Koblenz continuing to bat clean-up. COUGARS HONOR HICE IN SWEEP OF STARS After a pair of 3-1 victories to start the season, it felt like a sweep of New York was destined for the Cougars as they celebrated their newest inductee into the Hall-of-Fame, elite glovemen Gil Hice. Hice, now 77, was recently inducted into the FABL Hall-of-Fame via. the veteran's ballot, rewarding an impressive career that saw Hice post some of the best defensive numbers ever at both third base (219.6 ZR, 1.154 EFF) and shortstop (499.2, 1.173), while still totaling 2,264 hits, 962 runs, and 1,051 RBIs, almost all with the Cougars. He hit a productive .280/.340/.361 (111 OPS+) and was worth 133 wins above replacement, good for tenth All-Time among position players. The festivities started before the 2:05 finale between Johnnie Jones and Eli Panneton, where the Cougars brought in team legend John Dibblee and Jack Long, as well as some of Hice's former teammates in Isaac Meyer, George Van Voorst, Joe Soltis, and Ed McCorkel as Hice's #0 was co-retired with former teammate Calvin Kidd. Kidd was in attendance as well, and while the 80-year-old did not attempt to crouch to catch it, he was behind the plate for Hice's ceremonial first pitch. Kidd and Hice manned short and third together for seven seasons, and the Hall-of-Famer was a big advocate of his friend and teammate getting his eventual call. The atmosphere was electric as team owner Mack Dalmer helped raise the edited #0 plaque back to the Cougar Stadium rafters, sitting next to the 19, 22, and 23 plaques dedicated to Dibblee, Long, and Dick Lyons. The Cougars matched the energy in the game, putting up what may end up being a season high 7 runs on the back of a big 4 run 5th, started with four pitch walks to Sal Pestilli and John Moss. Singles from Red Bond, Skipper Schneider, and Hal Wood gave the Cougs a 5-1 lead they'd hold, as Johnnie Jones allowed just 3 hits, 4 walks, and an unearned run with 5 strikeouts in his first start and win of the season. Chicago's momentum was slowed in Montreal, where the Saints won the series on a walk-off single from Bill Elkins, but they sit atop the CA after one week with a 4-2 record. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Start 1951 With 2 Wins, 2 Losses - The baseball season has started in the FABL with the hometown Wolves giving the fans hope by going 2-2. Toronto began the season with a short stop in Philly to face the Sailors. On a crisp, cloudy afternoon a crowd of 34906 watched the home team walk off with a 4-3 win on a solo HR by Les Cunha off recently elevated John Marsh with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Toronto out hit the home squad 10 to 8 leaving 11 runners on base. In a bad sign two errors led to 3 unearned run for starter George Garrison who pitched into the seventh before giving way to Marsh. Fans were questioning Barrell's choice of leaving Marsh on the mound for the ninth instead of handing the ball to Lou Jayson before Cunha ended the game. At the home opener on Friday Joe Hancock, 38, continued where he left off in 1950 in front almost 40,000. He left after 7 strong innings leading 3-1 after Toronto erased a 1-0 Cincinnati lead with 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth on 4 hits including doubles by Joe DeMott and Hank Giordano aided by a throwing error charged to Cannons hurler Mickey Mills on a Hancock sacrifice attempt. The Cannons narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the eighth with a triple by Buzz McIlwain followed by a double off Jimmy Gibbs by Joe Burns. Fred McCormick hit his first homerun of the campaign with one on and 2-out in the bottom half of the inning allowing Gibbs to put the game away for his first save in the ninth. Saturday's game saw the Wolves come back from a 4 run deficit to score 7 in their half of the seventh. The big blow was pinch hit grand slam by John Fast in an inning in which Toronto sent 13 to the plate leaving the bases loaded. Gibbs came in again to pitch only to allow the Cannons to tie the game at 7 giving up 3 runs on 4 hits. Walks allowed the Wolves to regain the lead scoring two in the eighth before Jayson came in to get the Cannons in the ninth in a wild 9-7 affair. In the series final game on Sunday neither Garrison nor Marsh were particularly effective in a 5-3 loss. Marsh was wild walking 3 leading to 2 runs. Brett's early impressions are that Barrell has to manage the bullpen more effectively. He is going to Marsh too often, time for a change in reliever choices before the Wolves host Cleveland for two, Sailors for one before finishing the month in Cincy. INJURIES DESTROY DYNAMOS SEASON AND MUSTANGS PLAYOFFS What an awful week for Detroit sports teams. Makes you want to just forget about things until football season gets underway in September. In a span of four days the euphoria of a big trade for the Dynamos and an amazing finish to sneak into the cage playoffs for the Mustangs came crashing down with the news that two young stars -the leaders of their respective teams- had each suffered a devasting injury throwing the Dynamos season into chaos and ending any hopes of a playoff run for the Mustangs. The very eventful week began on a high note Monday when word leaked out that the Dynamos had acquired 26-year-old slugger Pat Petty from the Brooklyn Kings. Petty, it was hoped, would be the answer to the Dynamos persistent question of where will the offense to supplement Edwin Hackberry and Dick Estes come from? A proven hitter who was rookie of the year in the Continental Association just three seasons ago. A righthanded bat with some pop seemingly tailor-made for the short leftfield line at Thompson Field. The cost was not cheap. 24-year-old hurler Roy Schaub was sent packing but the Dynamos had plenty of pitching and could withstand the loss, right? A day later the answer was a resounding no as Carl Potter, the 24-year-old ace of the Detroit staff, a pitcher who had already won 92 big league games and was a veteran of six full seasons, took the hill for the season opener against the defending Federal Association champs. The 1949 Allen Award winner faced the 1950 winner in Ed Bowman but the game was far from the pitching duel one might have expected. Both got roughed up early and neither was around for the decision although in Potter's case it was because he winced in pain while throwing a pitch in the fifth inning. The verdict we later learned was a devastating shoulder injury that would sideline Potter for close to a year and likely destroys any hopes the Dynamos might have entertained towards ending a flagless drought that has entered its 22nd year. So the Dynamos season is seemingly shattered but there was good news to be had on the hardwood. The Mustangs entered the week 3 games back of the Chicago Panthers for the final playoff spot with 3 to play. Detroit won all three while the Panthers dropped each of their games and the result was Detroit returned to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The excitement, like that on Opening Day for the Dynamos, was short-lived. In the opening minute of the playoff series with the Toronto Falcons, a team that had dispatched the favoured Mustangs in the semi-finals a year ago, Ward Messer landed awkwardly and hit his head on the Dominion Gardens floor. A hush fell over the crowd in Toronto as all in attendance sensed the seriousness. Messer had suffered a concussion and his playoff is undoubtedly over. Without their top scorer and rebounder, the Mustangs were no match for the Falcons and went meekly in both Saturday's and yesterday's contests. They return home to the Palladium for game three with their backs against the wall in the best of five series but it is clear that the Mustangs season will come to an end this week. So a week that began with so much hope and so much promise for both Detroit clubs, has come crashing down and really all seems lost. Maybe the Mustangs can mount an incredible comeback without their star. Maybe the Dynamos secondary pitching is enough to offset the loss of Potter. Unfortunately, the odds are certainly against either of those things happening. What a terrible difference a week can make.
VALIANTS TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD ON BOSTON The Montreal Valiants are halfway towards claiming their second consecutive Challenge Cup after winning twice on home ice against the Boston Bees to open the league final series. The best of seven affair now shifts to Boston for games three and four beginning tomorrow evening. The series got off to a great start for the Bees as they quickly silenced the capacity crowd at the Montreal Arena with two goals in the opening two and a half minutes of game one. The first came on a powerplay marker from veteran center Wilbur Chandler and the second, just 19 seconds later, came courtesy of a point shot from former Valiant Bryant Williams that eluded Montreal goaltender Tom Brockers, who the Vals acquired in the deal two and a half seasons ago that made Williams a Bee. As it would turn out that would be the last of the pucks on this night to sneak past the veteran Montreal netminder. Brockers made 31 saves on the night and the Valiants pulled even before the first period was over thanks to goals from Pat Coulter and Ian Doyle. The two teams battled through a scoreless second stanza and it appeared overtime might be in the cards as time ticked off the clock in the third period with 2:20 remaining Montreal defenseman Cory Findlay, who did not score in 23 regular season games or the previous four playoff contests he dressed for, picked a perfect time to light the lamp when he snuck the game winner between Oscar James pads to give the Vals the 3-2 victory. Just as in the series opener three nights prior, Saturday's second game was tied after forty minutes. This time it was 1-1 as after no scoring, or penalties, for the first 36 minutes of the contest the Vals stuck first when Rey Sclisizzi opened the scoring late in the second period. Boston responded quickly - just 22 seconds later- to even things when Jacob Gron beat Tom Brockers for his fifth goal of the playoffs. That would be all the scoring the Bees could must while Montreal, on the other hand, erupted with three third period goals. As has been the case all playoff, it was Brett Lanceleve and Clarence Skinner who did most of the heavy lifting for the Valiants. The duo remain one-two in the playoff scoring parade after Skinner scored his post-season best sixth goal just over 3 minutes into the third period on a setup from Lanceleve and the returned the favour by feeding his linemate for the next two goals to ensure another Montreal victory. https://i.imgur.com/S9BZTzC.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/Pv7P9sU.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/RTpfNhV.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hviPWuk.jpeg KNIGHTS & CENTURIONS IN PLAYOFF BATTLE Falcons Take Control of West Series The New York Knights and Boston Centurions battled all season for second place and the home court advantage that comes with it in the opening round of the playoffs. The Knights eventually prevailed and rode a big first quarter that saw them outscore Boston 27-11 to a victory in the series opener. New York took game one by an 83-64 count with Scott Lagasse leading the way with 23 points for the winners but the home court advantage they battled so hard for all season disappeared just 24 hours later. That would be last night when the Centurions evened the series with a 94-92 victory that saw the visitors score the final six points of the game including Morgan Melcher's game winning bucket with just seven seconds remaining. That basket gave Boston its first lead since early in the second quarter and evened the best-of-five series at one win apiece. Jed Clyde led the way for the Centurions with 24 points while Gerald Carter added 23 and Melcher chipped in with 22. There is far less suspense in the West Division where Toronto handily won each of the first two games of their series on homecourt. Detroit entered on a high by closing the regular season out with three straight victories to claim the final playoff spot in a tiebreaker after the Chicago Panthers lost each of their last 3 games. The Mustangs euphoria was short lived as in the opening minute of their quarterfinal series with Toronto, Detroit's star forward Ward Messer suffered a concussion and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Waiting in the wings for the Falcons, who can close out the sweep with a win in Detroit, are the West Division leading Rochester Rockets while the Washington Statesmen -defending league champs who had the best regular season mark in the loop- will get the survivor of the New York-Boston series. It was an embarrassing end of the season for the Chicago Panthers, as just like they started the season, they finished with a losing streak. Instead of five straight losses, it was four straight, as the myriad of injuries in the final two months became too much to handle. It's still a vast improvement over last year's lopsided season, and it feels like the basketball world was robbed of seeing it's best player in the postseason That of course, is Luther Gordon, who was not only a first-team All-Rookie and All-League entrant, but both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. Gordon played nearly every minute of the Panthers' 66 games, leading all FBL players with 25.7 points per game while finishing 4th with 16.7 rebounds. Gordon also finished second among qualified players with a .863 FT%, though he took an extra four free throws a game on the leader Gary Harrison (.868). Despite the way the season ended, it's hard not to be excited about next season, as if Gordon can do this as a rookie who still has room for improvement, Chicago basketball fans can only imagine how great he's going to be in his encore RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/22/1951
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April 30, 1951
BEES WIN THREE STRAIGHT - ONE AWAY FROM CUP CELEBRATION The Montreal Valiants went from seemingly in complete control and well on their way to a second straight Challenge Cup championship to suddenly being on the brink of elimination, trailing the Boston Bees 3 games to two and faced with a must-win game tomorrow night at Boston's Denny Arena. The Vals opened the series with back to back wins on Montreal Arena ice before the Bees battled back with a pair of 3-2 victories, both in overtime on home ice. With the series knotted heading back to Montreal for last night's pivotal fifth game, the Bees rode a standout performance from goaltender Oscar James to a 2-0 victory and are now with one game of hoisting the Cup for the first time in four years and the 8th time overall. Only the Toronto Dukes, who won their 8th Cup two years ago, have won more. Montreal needs a win on the road tomorrow night and then a victory in the seventh game to claim a second straight tile and the fifth in franchise history. Finn LeBec of the Boston Globe breaks down the last three games: Robert Walker scored two goals, including the game winner with 32 seconds left in the first overtime to win Game 3, 3-2. Boston had the extra man after Clarence Skinner interfered with Boston goaltender Oscar James. The interference call canceled a Montreal man-advantage. In all, four minor penalties were called in overtime, including two consecutive calls against Montreal, which gave Boston a 5-on-3 just 4:45 into the extra period. Boston outshot Montreal, 17-7, in overtime, as the Bees peppered Montreal's Tom Brockers with 49 shots in all. Game 4 was also settled after regulation, as noted overtime hero Jacob Gron scored his seventh goal of the playoffs at 9:29 of overtime to give Boston the 3-2 win. Boston went up 2-0 after the first 20 minutes in Game 3 and Montreal fought back to tie in regulation. This time, the script was flipped, as Montreal took a 2-0 first-period lead, only to see Boston score in the second and get even in the third. Oscar James made 25 saves in the win, as neither team broke through on the power play despite nine total chances. Gron became famous for his clutch scoring in the 1948-49 playoffs when he scored four overtime goals including all three overtime winners in a best-of-five semi-final series with Detroit that year. Oscar James was outplayed in Game 3. James played his opposite number, Montreal's Tom Brockers, even in Game 4. In Game 5, it was James's turn to shine. James pitched a 34-save shutout in the fifth game to give Boston a 3-2 lead in the series. Wilbur Chandler scored the eventual game-winner in the second period, while Willis Beane's empty-net goal gave the Bees some insurance. Beane tussled with Montreal resident policeman Ed McRae in the first period to set the tone and he was rewarded with potting one from the opposite end of the ice. The scene will shift back to Denny Arena for Game 6 on Tuesday night in an elimination game. After losing the first two in Montreal, Boston has a chance to close out this series at home. However, Montreal has shown time and time again with their lethal offense how they could easily take this one and go home to win a winner-take-all Game 7. NAHC NAMES ITS ALL-STARS The New York Shamrocks may have stumbled in the playoffs, but the team with the best regular season record in the NAHC saw four of its players selected to the league's post season all-star teams. The results were made public last week with the Shamrocks having two representatives on each of the first and second team squads. New York led the way with league scoring leader Orval Cabbell and his right winger Simon Savard being named to the first team while Greenshirts blueliners Jerry Finch and Ryan Kennedy were second team selections. Both Cabbell and Savard were second team selections a year ago while Kennedy was on the first team for the 1949-50 season. Cabbell, who set a new single season NAHC point scoring record with 82, is expected to follow up his all-star selection with his second straight McDaniels Trophy as league MVP. The McDaniels, and the loops three other major award winners will be revealed next week. Rounding out the first team are a pair of Montreal Valiants in veteran goaltender Tom Brockers and defenseman Shel Herron. The 35-year-old Brockers is an all-star for the first time since the post-season teams debuted five years ago but he does own four Juneau Trophy's as the top goaltender in the NAHC. Herron was a first team selection in 1946-47 and named to the second team a year ago. Joining the Vals and Shamrocks on the first team are Detroit defenseman Tyson Beddoes, a first time all-star, and Toronto winger Lou Galbraith, a second team selection each of the two previous seasons. Along with New York defensemen Finch and Kennedy, the second team features Detroit goaltender Millard Touhey and a forward line consisting of Boston's Wilbur Chandler between Adam Sandford of Montreal and Toronto's Les Carlson. Carlson was a first teamer each of the previous two seasons while Sandford also made the first team last year. PIONEERS AND SAILORS HAVE FANS CHECKING CALENDAR In a flashback to the 1947 and 1948 seasons the St. Louis Pioneers and Philadelphia Sailors are in a spot few expected they would be this season, leading their respective associations. Both St Louis and Philadelphia ended long pennant droughts with surprising wins in 1947 and just for good measure each followed it up with another flag the following season. The Pioneers triumphed in the World Championship Series on both occasions in a speed to match the surprising rise for each, the both crashed back to the bottom with each finishing no better than seventh each of the past two seasons. It is early so odds are long they will stay there but, despite being picked by many to finish deep in the second division again, each is off to a strong start. The Pioneers, with a new General Manager and a new third baseman in Cleveland cast-off Jim Adams Jr., find themselves at 9-5 two weeks into the season, good for a half game lead in the Federal Association on the equally surprising Pittsburgh Miners. The Sailors hold a half game lead on the Chicago Cougars for top spot in the Continental Association. This despite the fact that the Sailors cast adrift their two most recognizable players in Ed Reyes and Marion Boismenu - a duo that has combined to win the last six Continental Association batting title. Age may be catching up to each as Reyes is 38 and Boismenu just a year younger but the Toronto Wolves -and much of the rest of FABL- felt there was still value in each. After both were waived by the Sailors just prior to opening day, a wild waiver claim frenzy commenced, ending with the Wolves, who finished with the worst record in the Continental Association and as such have priority, landing both of them. It is highly unlikely we will see a third Pioneers-Sailors World Championship Series in the last five years but for the moment at least, the two clubs have turned back the clock and lead the way. TALES FROM THE LAIR Toronto Acquires Two Vets Off Waiver Wire -In a move that many find interesting, to say the least, Wolves management claimed two aging veterans off the waiver wire from the Philadelphia Sailors. Joining Toronto in the midst of their 16 game, 17 day road trip are 38 year old 1B Ed Reyes and Marion Boismenu, 37, a Quebec native who was Whitney Award recipient in 1944. For a team that has stated their desire to turn the page to get younger the move to add 2 players in the twilight of their career's seems counter to that movement, not to mention the $81,610 in added payroll burden for 1951. Brett gets the feeling that these are both short term measures for the Wolves. While both are proven big league bats, Boismenu hit .340 last year to lead the CA while Reyes won the CA batting title every year from 1945-49. Their value in the clubhouse may be of more value to Fred Barrell. Both are proven winners, they will help in speeding the maturation of the younger Wolves. While neither will be inserted into the starting lineup immediately both can be game changing bats late in close games. Reyes' LHB will probably replace Frank Brunch Jr. along with spelling McCormick at firsf. Boismenu is a handy hitter from the right side along with a possible platoon partner for Joe DeMott. Fred Barrell said after learning the two would join the team in Brooklyn "Overall we are a better team. Sure we added two players that are approaching the end of their careers but both still possess dangerous bats. The intangibles they will add in the clubhouse are very valuable to our younger players, Both play, prepare for every game the right way they will lead by example along with Hancock and McCormick, Owner Millard had no problem with the added payroll seeing the value in both players, Fans will see a better team when we return home mid-month." One the field the team went 3-3 for the week to leave April with a 5-5 record. After defeating the Foresters twice at home, the Sailors crushed the Wolves 9-3 before the team headed out on the road until the middle of May. The trip began on a down note by losing the first two in Cincinnati, including a 11-0 shellacking, the team took the Sunday game at Tice Memorial 5-4 with a Kirby Copeland led rally in top of ninth inning. The bullpen is still sorting itself out leading many fans to wonder why if the teams was going to make waiver claims why wasn't it a shutdown reliever? John Wells' bat will be missed for the next two weeks after starting the season .323/..323/.355 6 RBI he hurt his back Saturday in Cincinnati. Harry Finney is also nursing a minor back ailment. Barrell feels this early season road trip will be a good test for the Wolves.
FALCONS CLOSE IN ON ANOTHER FLIGHT TO FBL FINALS The Toronto Falcons remain unbeaten in playoff action after they shocked the West Division winning Rochester Rockets 71-58 on the Rockets home court in the opener of their best-of-seven semi-final series. The win comes after the Falcons dominated their opening round series with Detroit, sweeping the Mustangs three straight by an average margin of 19 points per game including a 71-58 road win in the Motor City to wrap up the series. The Falcons, despite numerous injuries in the playoffs a year ago, pushed the Washington Statesmen all the way to a seventh game in the league finals before falling just short. This time around the Falcons are, for the most part, healthy and looking to be at the top of their game. Rochester might have finished three games ahead of Toronto for first place in the West Division but last night in New York state it was the Canadian entry that looked to be the much better squad. Lon Porter, who leads all playoff scorers, continued the offensive outburst he began in the opening round against Detroit by scoring 27 points in the 71-58 victory. Porter also led the way on the boards with a game high 17 rebounds. A stifling Toronto defense hounded Rocket shooters all night as one of the best shooting teams in the regular season was successful on just 24% of its shot attempts. The series continues tonight with game two at the Rochester Auditorium before it shifts to Toronto. In the opening round of the East Division playoff the Boston Centurions got hot when the New York Knights went cold and the Centurions advanced to the East Final against Washington. Washington, slowed the visitors from Boston with a win in Game 1 by 10 points as the Statesmen clamped down in the fourth quarter to pull away, 85-75. Morgan Melcher, the star of the series for the Centurions against New York, had 18 points, which was off his 26.5 point scoring average in the Divisional Semifinals, and only made seven of 33 shots from the field. Ivan Sisco led the Statesmen with 17 points and 22 rebounds, but his 7-for-30 shooting showed plenty of room for improvement as well. Sisco took twice as many shots as anyone else on the team. Rookie Brian Threadgill grabbed 22 boards for the Centurions and garnered Player of the Game honors in Game 1 despite only scoring six points. Game two is set for this evening at D.C.'s National Auditorium. OSA RELEASES FINAL PRO CAGE PROSPECT LIST Carolina Poly forward Mel Turcotte remains the top candidate to be selected first overall in the summer Federal Basketball League draft. According to OSA's basketball division, the tall forward from New York City is the best collegiate senior available for pro teams to select. A four year starter who missed much of his sophomore season with an injury, Turcotte averaged 11.2 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per contest in 32 outings as the Cardinals won the South Atlantic Conference title and advanced to the quarterfinals of the AIAA tournament before falling to Brunswick. Turcotte was named a third team All-American this year. Number two on the scouting service list is Darryl Baugher, the second team All-American center who helped lead Western Iowa to the number one ranking in the regular season and within a game of winning the national title. The Chicago native was the national freshman of the year in 1948-49. Rounding out the top five are Frankford State guard Rod Bookman, a New Jersey native who was a third team All-American as a junior and a second team selection this past season. At fourth the scouting service has Maryland State center Dumpy Kraus, who scored 12.4 ppg and added 7.0 rebounds per game for the Bengals. Kraus hails from Lexington, VA. Finally the top five is completed by Detroit City College forward Chris Corbett, a Los Angeles native who paced the Knights with 11.1 ppg. Chris Rogerson, a center from Pierpont of the Academia Alliance who was named winner of the Art Barrette Trophy as the top collegiate player for 1950-51, is listed at number seven on the scouting service list. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/29/1951
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May 7, 1951
VALIANT COMEBACK Montreal Wins Games 6 and 7 To Take Challenge Cup The Montreal Valiants rallied with victories in games six and seven to beat the Boston Bees and win their second straight Challenge Cup. It was a back and forth series that saw the Vals, who finished with the second best regular season record, claim the first two games on home ice before the Bees won three in a row to take the series lead. Montreal rebounded with a 2-0 road win in the sixth game to knot the series before winning the Cup on Montreal Arena ice with a 3-1 victory on Thursday. The victory marked the fifth time the Valiants won the oldest trophy in professional sports. After Boston netminder Oscar James was the game five hero with a 34 save shutout in the Bees 2-0 victory to move to within a game of clinching the Cup it was Tom Brockers turn to shine. The Valiants goaltender stood tall in stopping all 29 shots in a hostile Denny Arena as the Valiants evened the series with a 2-0 victory of their own. All the score came in the opening twenty minutes with Alex MacDonald and Adam Sandford handling the offensive duties for the visitors, who were outshot 29-26. The seventh game saw both clubs start tentative in a tight-checking opening period that featured only 13 shots combined. Things opened up a little in the second stanza when the Valiants outshot Boston 18-14 and were rewarded with the only goal of the frame. That came from Brett Lanceleve, who scored his 6th of the series and would finish as the top point producer in the post-season. Just a minute into the third period the Valiants took a penalty and 19 seconds later Jacob Gron even the score with his 8th goal of the postseason. It was the first puck to elude Brockers in nearly 130 minutes of action and, as it turned out, would be the last to sneak past him in the series. The tie lasted just 50 seconds before Ian Doyle put Montreal back in front when he banged a loose puck past Oscar James in a goalmouth scramble making the score 2-1. Lanceleve would get an insurance marker with just over five minutes remaining and Brockers would do the rest, guiding the Vals to a 3-1 victory and a repeat of last year's Challenge Cup celebration. GIVE VALS CREDIT FOR CUP WIN OVER BEES Montreal showed why they were Cup contenders throughout the season and Games 6 and 7 of the NAHC Final was its finest hour. Tom Brockers stood tall in Game 6, swatting away all 29 Boston shots to shut out his former club in front of 16,046 at his old home, Denny Arena, 2-0. Alex MacDonald scored just 2:37 into the game and Adam Sandford doubled the lead with 1:16 left in the opening stanza. Montreal was strong on the puck, as the Valiants were credited with eight takeaways compared to only two for the Bees. Boston was physical throughout the contest, especially John Bentley, but Montreal turned the other cheek and skated away with the victory. The Valiants came back from the series deficit to force a Game 7 at home in Montreal. After a scoreless first period that resembled the early moments of a prizefight, Brett Lanceleve scored less than five minutes into the second period off a feed from Shel Herron to score his sixth of the playoffs and give Montreal a 1-0 lead after forty minutes. Boston's Jacob Gron tied the game just 1:21 into the third period on the power play after Rey Sclisizzi took his second minor penalty of the game. Gron's goal was his eighth in 14 playoff games. Less than a minute later, Montreal scored the eventual winner as Ian Doyle potted the go-ahead goal and Lanceleve cemented his playoff reputation with an insurance goal at 14:38 for the final 3-1 margin. Both Tom Brockers and Oscar James faced 34 shots, but Brockers had 33 saves, including 13 saves in a tense third period. Brockers was in top form throughout the series, as he only allowed 11 goals to Boston in seven games (1.47 goals-against average) outplaying Oscar James (2.15 GAA), his successor in the nets for Boston. Brockers stood on his head, saving 94.9% of the shots that made its way to the net. KINGS MAKE A PAIR OF DEALS Marion Boismenu's time in his native country of Canada was short-lived as shortly after the 37-year-old was claimed on waivers by the Toronto Wolves he was dealt to the Brooklyn Kings. Boismenu, who won the Continental Association batting title last season but, along with 38-year-old five time batting champ Ed Reyes, was a surprising casualty when the rebuilding Philadelphia Sailors set their opening day lineup. The duo was waived and both were claimed by another rebuilding team in the Toronto Wolves. The Wolves quickly package the Quebec native to Brooklyn for a pair of minor leaguers. Heading to the Toronto organization will be Carl Clark and Sam Franklin. Clark, a 23-year-old center fielder, was ranked in the top 130 by OSA and hit .283 a year ago at Jersey City after the Kings promoted him from AA midway through the 1950 campaign. He is originally a second round selection of the Chicago Cougars in 1945 but had previously been traded twice. Franklin, a lefthanded pitcher, is also 23 and just began his first season of AAA after going 10-9, 4.40 at the AA level a year ago. He was the Kings second round selection in 1946. OSA does not forecast big things for either, calling Clark a bench player and questioning if Franklin was more filler than starting rotation material but the duo really were just free pickups for the Wolves team that was forced to surrender nothing to add Boismenu. The Kings had put a waiver claim in on Boismenu but lost out to the Wolves. A Brooklyn press release suggests the 37-year-old will be a starter with the Kings and fits in perfectly to help cover for the injury to shortstop Billy Bryant, who will be sidelined for two months. "With the injury to Bryant the Kings brought up Jim Siebert," the release explained noting that while the light-hitting Siebert can fill in when needed but the addition of Boismenu "will allow second baseman Chuck Lewis to move to shortstop and Boismenu to slide over to third base. Where will regular 3B Ken Newman go? He will slide over to 2B. He hasn't had a lot of time there but the coaches feel he can definitely do the job there. Boismenu's right handed bat will fit in nicely (hopefully) to the heavy left-handed Kings. Siebert will remain with the big league club and serve as a defensive replacement at either SS or 2B." The second move made by the Kings appears to be motivated solely by getting something in return for 26-year-old righthander Hal Friedlander, who was out of options and likely the odd-man out with the addition of Roy Schaub in the opening day deal with Detroit. Rather than expose Friedlander, who made his big league debut this season in the Kings pen after spending the past two and a half seasons at AAA Jersey City, the Kings sent him to the New York Stars for minor league catcher Ernie Frost. Frost, a 22-year-old who's father -also named Ernie- won a World Championship Series with the New York Gothams in 1935, was a 7th round selection of the Chicago Cougars in 1946 and had a strong year at Class B last season before being moved to the Stars over the winter. PIONEERS SETTLING BACK IN TO FIRST PLACE IN FED It really is all or nothing for the St Louis Pioneers. After finishing in the Federal Association cellar in 1946 the Pioneers had their miracle run to a World Championship Series win in 1947 -a year in which they improved by 30 wins- and then followed it up with a second straight WCS win over the Philadelphia Sailors to become the first Federal Association club to win back to back WCS titles since the 1918-19 Detroit Dynamos. So what did the Pioneers do for an encore in 1949? The sank to 7th place, winning just 67 games a year after they had posted a 91-63 record. Things got even worse a year ago when the St Louis nine landed back in the basement of the Fed. Perhaps that was the plan all along as it seems in recent years the Pioneers do their best work starting from last place. This year, armed with a new General Manager and what looks like a revitalized 3-H club on the mound, the Pioneers are again the talk of baseball thanks to a 15-6 that includes a six game winning streak and victories in 14 of their last 16 games. It is once more the pitching, led by the aforementioned 3-H club of Denny Hern (4-1, 2.86), Hiram Steinberg (3-1, 1.36) and Hal Hackney (2-1, 3.03), that is carrying the Pioneers to the pinnacle of the Federal Association. There are still concerns surrounding the St. Louis offense but Jim Adams Jr. (.299,1,8), an off-season acquisition from Cleveland, has proven strong and one has to expect Larry Gregory to break out of a .159 slump to start the season. The biggest surprise at the plate is clearly the showing of Frank Kirchner. The 26-year-old, who some considered a throw-in from Cleveland in the deal that brought Adams west, is one of the hottest hitters in the game right now, batting .417 and is tied for second in the Fed with 17 rbi's. Few expect Kirchner to keep it up but if the Pioneers big three on the mound -and Tom Buchanan (1-1, 3.04) and Ben Fiskars (1-1, 3.55) are threatening to make it a big five- the club sees no reason why it can't go from last place to first. After all, that has been the trend in recent years. Not just with St Louis but the Foresters and the Chicago Chiefs have also gone from the outhouse to penthouse with pennants after last place finishes in recent seasons. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Now 3-6 On Road Trip - Early in the year the Wolves bats and arms seem to change game to game. Either they are really good or really bad, there does seem to be anything in between for the team. Take this week as an example, the Wolves scored two runs in two games at Kings County Park losing both the Kings while only registering 11 hits. The next two games the Wolves score a total of 23 runs on 29 hits to win two from the Stars before the pitching imploded in an 11-2 loss in the series finale at Dyckman Stadium. On to Chicago to start a series with the powerhouse Cougars where in the first game of three the team manages only 2 runs on 4 hits in a game where the team is leading 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth. That is when Lou Jayson came in and promptly imploded, surrendering five runs without retiring a batter on 3 hits and 3 walks in a 6-2 loss. The team now has a 7-9 record with troubles at the plate and on the mound. The Wolves are last, or next to last in most hitting categories in the Continental Association. Fred Barrell knew they would need a power bat but so far at least there does not appear to be one anywhere in sight. How bad is it? The New York Stars have 72 extra base hits to lead the CA including 39 HR whereas the Wolves have 46 hits that are not singles with only 6 round trippers - putting the Toronto nine squarely in last in both of those stats. Newcomer Frank Sartori is off to a bad start for the Wolves surrendering 24 hits, 7 walks in only 19 innings on the mound. Joe Hancock, George Garrison and Jerry York have be steady in the early going but the trouble starts when they begin to tire and Barrell hands the ball to a reliever. The bullpen has a combined ERA of 8.35 this season, half of that would still be too high. Events like Jayson's struggle in Chicago are more the norm than the exception. This team is going nowhere until they can sort out the bullpen. Not expected to be an offensive force the Wolves' scoring is where it was expected to be with Kirby Copeland (.375,1,9) and Hank Giordano (.317,2,8) leading the way. Young John Wells was providing a little pop until he was hurt. The injury is said to worse than originally thought and the 20-year-old may not return to the lineup for potentially as long as two more weeks. The team only highlight early on is the modest improvement in the field 16 games into the season. With the minor league season underway the cumulative record in the system is 12-29 showing there is further work required in the system. Expect changes at all levels in the near future.
FALCONS FLY THRU WEST DIVISION FOES The Toronto Falcons continued their playoff dominance by sweeping the West Division leading Rochester Rockets four straight to advance to the Federal Basketball League finals for the second consecutive season. A year ago the Falcons were ravaged by injury but still pushed the Washington Statesmen to the full seven games before coming up just short. This time around the Falcons are healthy and at the top of their game with a perfect 7-0 record in the playoffs. Toronto dispatched third place Detroit with ease sweeping the best-of-five quarterfinal series and did not slow down against the Rockets in the semi-finals. The series opened with a pair of road wins that were far too easy for the Falcons, who rode Lon Porter's 27 points to a 71-58 victory in the opener and then saw Porter, Max Lucia and David Bobo all score at least twenty in a 93-77 romp in game two. The Falcons trailed by 9 points at the break in that one and by one to start the fourth quarter before outscoring the Rockets 32-15 over the final 12 minutes of the game. Back home for game three on Wednesday evening before a Toronto crowd of less than 2,500 that is still trying to form the same bond with its basketball entry as it has with its hockey club, the Falcons were once more led by Porter. The 31-year-old center from Alabama Baptist continued his playoff dominance with 28 points and 17 rebounds as the overmatched Rockets simply had no answer for his strength and size under the basket. A day later the Falcons showed they would not let up as they jumped out to a lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back. Toronto led by 17 at the break and would go on to win in a rout, finishing off the Rockets season with a 95-74 keyed by, who else, Lon Porter's 27 points. The big question now is can Porter continue his dominance in the finals. A year ago the Georgia native was on the sidelines, watching the finals with a broken arm. Starters Max Lucia and Major Belk were also hurt and despite that the Falcons pushed Washington to the brink, falling 84-78 in game seven. This year Toronto is healthy and ready to go. The question remains who their opponent just might be. The defending champions from Washington have their hands full with Boston, a team that played them pretty much even during the regular season, and are clinging to a three games to two lead in their series heading into tonight's 6th game at Boston's Denny Arena. Morgan Melcher's layup, with just over a minute remaining in regulation, stood up to give the Centurions an 84-83 victory in Washington Friday evening to extend the series. The Statesmen had two chances to end the series in the final sixty seconds but neither Ernie Fischer nor Willie Wright could get a shot to drop and the series continues on. While Washington is a playoff tested club, with 3 titles to its credit including last year's FBL crown and three other trips to the finals in the old American Basketball Conference, the Centurions are on the verge of breaking new ground. Boston has been around since joining the ABC in 1937 but prior to this season had won just one playoff series in its history and has yet to ever appear in a league final. GORDON NAMED TOP ROOKIE AND TOP PLAYER IN FEDERAL LEAGUE Luther Gordon's dominant introduction to professional basketball ended with an exclamation mark after the powerful Chicago Panthers young star was named not only the top rookie in the Federal Basketball League but also the Most Valuable Player of the loop. Gordon, who won back to back Barrette Awards as national collegiate player of the year in his two seasons at Liberty College, was taken first overall by the Panthers last June and all he did as a rookie was lead the FBL in scoring with a 25.7 points per game average. The 6'10" New York City native also hauled in an average of 16.7 rebounds per contest, good for a fourth place finish in that category. With their new star leading the way for them, the Panthers -who finished with a .368 winning percentage last season, worst among the returning teams to the league, were 8 games over .500 with Gordon setting the pace and missed the playoffs only by a tie-breaker after tying Detroit for third place during the regular season. Joining Gordon on the league's first all-star team are a pair of Detroit Mustangs in last year's league MVP Ward Messer and guard Israel Slusher. Rounding out the team are Larry Yim of Buffalo and Jerry Hubbard from Philadelphia, who was the lone representative from the East Division. The East did lay claim to both the coach of the year and executive of the year as Daniel Carter, who guided the Statesmen to the best record in the league after winning the league title a year ago, was named the top coach for the second consecutive season. It is three straight General Manager of the year awards for the architect of the Statesman, Jack Jones. Here are the award winners and all-star teams. RUTLEDGE TO DEFEND WELTERWEIGHT TITLE NEXT MONTH Danny Rutledge, the pride of Louisville, KY., who beat Ira Mitchell in his second chance at the world title, will defend his ABF welterweight title in Buffalo on June 8. Rutledge's camp has announced that the recently turned 27-year-old who celebrated a birthday just last week, has picked undefeated contender Ben Burns as his first opponent since claiming the crown. Rutledge, who beat Mac Erickson in that famous wartime bout in England in 1944 when the two were in the service for what was billed as the Allied Welterweight Championship, lost to Erickson when the Minnesota fighter was world champion two years ago. Erickson lost the belt and Ira Mitchell, who won it last November, made Rutledge his opponent in his first title defense. Rutledge scored a unanimous decision victory and now tries snap a streak where each of his two predecessors as champion lost in their first title defense. Rutledge (23-1-1) counts that title loss to Erickson as the only defeat he has taken in the ring as a professional but that will be one more than Ben Burns enters the ring in Buffalo next month with. The 25-year-old from Huntington, NY, is a perfect 20-0 and coming off a 1st round knockout of Clyde Bissonette in March. This Week in Figment Sports has Burns tabbed as the number one contender for Rutledge's title. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/06/1951
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May 14, 1951
MAY 14, 1951 STATESMEN HALFWAY TO CAGE REPEAT Lead Toronto 2-0 in League Finals The Toronto Falcons were cruising along with an unbeaten record through two rounds of the Federal Basketball League playoffs but the Falcons flew right into a wall that was the defense of the Washington Statesmen as the defending league champions grounded the high-flying Falcons with a pair of dominant performances to open the finals. While Toronto was sweeping Detroit and first place Rochester on the West Division side of the playoff bracket, Washington -after earning a bye in the opening round- had its hands full with the Boston Centurions before eventually claiming the best-of-seven set in six games. In a rematch of last year's title series, one that went the full seven games before Washington prevailed with a win on its home court, the Statesmen made a huge statement in the opening contest of this year's title series against the Falcons. Lon Porter of Toronto had been a dominant force in the middle for the Falcons in each of the first two rounds, but Washington's Ivan Sisco was more than up for the task of containing the Toronto big man. Sisco would outscore Porter (29-18) and outrebound him (16-15) in a dominant 92-69 victory at the National Auditorium. The Statesmen jumped out to a 26-11 first period lead and never looked back. Game two, also in Washington, was a defensive struggle but once more dominated by the hosts. Washington built a 12 point lead in the first period of a sloppy shooting affair and went on to win 68-47 in the lowest scoring game so far this post season. Neither club had much success shooting as the Statesmen connected on just 26% of their field goal attempts but the Falcons were just dreadful. The most accurate team in the regular season went just 19-for-94 from the field and Porter was held to just 10 points -his lowest total in the playoffs. The series now shifts to Toronto for the next two games and an opportunity for the Falcons to get back in the series. The big question is can they solve Washington's defense as the club that allowed the fewest points against in the regular season has smothered Porter and the Falcons so far in the finals. SMOOTH SAILING! SAILORS LEAD CA Philadelphia. A City of Contrast With Both the Best and Worst of Baseball Any talk of the Philadelphia Sailors embarking on an extensive rebuild after making the decision to throw former batting champs Marion Boismenu and Ed Reyes overboard has been silenced by the on-field performance of what has to be the most surprising team in baseball in the early going. The Sailors nine-game winning streak may have come to an end in the nightcap of a twinbill against the Cincinnati Cannons yesterday, but a month into the season few would have expected it to be the Sailors with the best record in baseball. Joe Scott, a 27-year-old who hit just .245 last season, is one of many Sailors off to a surprising start. The 27-year-old has taken over first base duties and is batting an impressive .315 while giving the Sailors four homeruns, double the total Ed Reyes provided in 88 games at first base a year ago. 24-year-old George Rutter, a second year outfielder, is also batting over .300 and providing some pop to an offense that normally delivers very little. Vets Cotton Dillon and Les Cuhna are also off to better than average starts while 25-year-old Billy Forbes, who was an all-star last year, is enjoying a terrific start as well. The Sailors always seem to get the most out of their starting pitching and usually find success with arms that did not live up to expectations elsewhere. Lou Robertson would be exhibit A in that regard. The 36-year-old was waived by the Brooklyn Kings after a 9-10, 4.33 season out of the pen a year ago. The Sailors signed him, making it five different teams in the past five years for veteran righthander. He had spent most of his career in the pen but the Sailors have Robertson in their rotation and he has rewarded the confidence displayed by rookie manager Billy Rose by going 3-1 with a Continental Association best 1.54 era through five starts. Few expected the hot start and likely few expect it to continue all season but the Sailors have captured the attention of Philadelphia fans for their quick start, especially while the cross-town Keystones are off to the worst start in either association. While everything has gone right for the Sailors, things could not be much worse than they are right now at Broad Street Park. The Keystones pitching has been awful and while the homers are still flying out of the park, the Keystones have the worst on base percentage in the Federal Association and are just 6th in runs scored. Second year outfielder Don Berry (.287,8,16) has had a terrific start and Hank Koblenz (.274,7,16) is still hitting longballs, but beyond that there has been very little to cheer about for Keystones fans. SURGING SAILORS SEPERATING FROM THE PACK When the season started, nobody thought the Philadelphia Sailors had much of a chance to win the Continental Association. When they then waived Marion Boismenu (.263, 1, 1) and Ed Reyes (.150), both who could have fetched a prospect or two, on the eve of Opening Day, that chance managed to become slimmer. But as we start the week of May 14th, all seven Continental clubs are looking up on a 19-7 Sailors squad that has already built a comfortable five game lead as they look to run away with the association to capture their third pennant in five seasons. No team is hotter then the Sailors, who won nine straight before Cannons breakout starter Harry Thomas (3-1, 2.92, 20) held the second ranked offense to just one-run in the second half of a double header. Philly allowed four runs, including two from Jackie James (1-1, 4, 1.35, 7), who despite the blemish has made Philly fans completely forget that David Molina (1-3, 4, 10.26, 7) used to be their elite stopper. James has been outstanding in his 15 appearances, tossing 20 innings with a 1.35 ERA (327 ERA+) and 0.80 WHIP as a Rule-5 pick from Brooklyn. Funny enough, he's not the only Kings castaway that Philly has squeezed value from, as 36-year-old waiver claim Lou Robertson (3-1, 1.54, 15) has somehow managed to lead the league in ERA, almost flawless in his 41 innings so far. He has yet to allow more then three runs in a start, and this unheralded duo has been a crucial component of FABL's #1 pitching staff. The offense has been equally impressive, with the 2 through 7 hitters all batting above .285, led by star center fielder Billy Forbes (.350, 2, 16, 7), who could be the next Sailor to win a batting title. He has plenty of support with George Rutter (.310, 4, 21, 2), Joe Scott (.315, 4, 21, 1), and Cotton Dillon (.303, 2, 14, 1) driving him in, while even eight hole hitter Les Cunha (.320, 2, 12) has more then pulled his weight as he's on track for his fourth 154 game season. Even Rip Lee (.227, 2, 7, 7), the lone hitter below .285 in the lineup, has impacted the game in other ways, tied for 2nd with Forbes (and others) in steals while sporting a solid .320 on-base percentage and plus play at the hot corner (1.8 ZR, 1.037 EFF). About everything has gone right for the Sailors so far, and it may be time to start taking the recent cellar dwellers seriously. The coming week is a big one, as they'll be home for all seven contests, including a double header to end the week with the last place Stars (10-17). Off to start the week, they host both Montreal (15-13) and Brooklyn (14-14) before hand, teams that are relatively close to them in the standings. Pushing down two potential contenders before picking on a struggling Stars team that can't keep runs off the board could lengthen the already large division lead they hold, with their eyes set on double digits before the calendar flips to June. TALES FROM THE LAIR Things Are Getting Dark For The Wolves -Toronto returns home to Dominion Stadium after enduring a 5-12 road trip. On this trip they were outscored by a 94-60. One would think that scoring on average 3.5 runs per game should be enough to keep a team around .500 but not when the opposition is averaging close to 5 runs a game. In the 5 wins on the trip the team scored 40 of the 60 runs they had over the last two weeks. Over the past week the team lost a game to finish a series in Chicago, then dropped 2 of 3 in Montreal followed by 3 of 4 in Cleveland. In the two losses in Montreal they scored 1 run in two games on 7 hits before taking the Thursday game 5-1. The team stretched their winning streak to two with a 6-5 win at Foresters Stadium before dropping the last three of the four game set 14-4 and then 8-2 and 5-4 in a Sunday doubleheader. The last loss summarizes the entire road trip. Up 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth Lou Jayson comes in for a save then promptly gives up 4 runs on 5 hits be snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Coming home for the balance of May this team is at a cross-roads. Can the Wolves accomplish their season's goal of being competitive with the current roster? Or is it time for a total changing of the personnel at the FABL level? The team is dead last in the league in runs scored, and pitching is only middle of the pack. Fielding is a little better although errors at critical times are still costing the team games. Things have to change but the question remains, where to start? The obvious place is the bullpen where as a group their ERA is 8.12 with 3-4 record, along with a maddening 5 blown saves. Brett has learned the John Marsh has been designated for assignment with Charlie Zimmerman summoned from Buffalo to take his place. Manager Barrell has to start the turnaround on this homestand, he has his hands full. The news is not all bad Tony Ballinger won Player of The Week in Buffalo. He is making it tough to keep him in AAA with a line of .353/.417/.667. Jim Waters, Joe Curtis also won the same award in AA, A showing there is talent in the pipeline. A 5-3 record finally has the Gothams moving in the right direction. The veteran squad shows no concerns as yet, however, they do realize the need to keep within shouting distance of league leaders St. Louis and Detroit. A bit of fun this week as 37 year old Joe Brown hit his first career homer. Brown was met by a dugout of indifference following his unexpected trot around the sacks. Joe sat quietly enjoying his moment before his mates surrounded him with slaps on the back. The home run was also the 100th hit of Brown's career. Red Johnson seems to be waking from his early season slumber, smacking three homers himself this week. Roosevelt Brewer continues his strong start and is now 3rd in the FA with a .371 average. Down on the farm, top prospect, 18 year old Earl Howe is hitting .318 and a .915 OPS at single A Albany. One wonders when the first overall pick in the 1950 draft may move up to Reading in AA. PACKERS FIND NEW COACH The Chicago Packers concluded their search for a new bench boss with news that Chad Fillman will take over as the head coach of the team that finished with the worst record in the North American Hockey Confederation last season. The 63-year-old Winnipeg native will be making his first foray into the NAHC, replacing Ed Hempenstall, who was fired at the conclusion of the regular season after seven seasons at the helm in the Windy City. Under Hempenstall the Packers peaked with a first place finish during the regular season in 1947-48 but were then upset in the semi-finals by the fourth place New York Shamrocks. Hempenstall would guide the Packers to the playoffs each of his first six seasons with the team but only once did they advance to the finals. Chicago remains the only active NAHC club to never win a Challenge Cup and after a dreadful 9-44-17 showing -the worst performance in the club's modern history- the decision was made to make a change. Little is known about Fillman in the pro ranks but he is well known for his defense-first focus from his many years of coaching in Western Canada. WAVE OF SIGNINGS BY CUP CHAMPS A number of Montreal Valiants players had more than just their second consecutive Challenge Cup win to celebrate as immediately after the finals were completed, with the Vals downing Boston in a thrilling seven game finals, Montreal management signed many of the key contributors to the two Cup wins to contract extensions. The signings included 35-year-old goaltender Tom Brockers, who has reupped with the club on a one year deal. Brockers, who played in 58 games and posted a 2.18 goals against average during the regular season, was named to the league's First All-Star team and is a finalist for the Juneau Trophy, an award he has already won on four other occasions. Fellow First-Team All-Star selection Shel Herron also signed a 1-year deal while 33-year-old center Clarence Skinner, fresh off a 16-point performance in the playoffs, has committed to Montreal for the next three seasons. Other Valiants to ink extensions were defensemen John McDonald, Lee Webb, Alex Peters and Cory Findlay along with forwards Paulie Mosca and Jimmy Backus. KEYSTONE ALLIANCE DISBANDS, MIDWEST EIGHT FORMED One of the original conferences in collegiate basketball has fallen by the wayside with news that the Keystone Alliance will no longer exist. The section, which at its peak was home to 19 Pennsylvania schools, had 13 members this past season but has not been a factor on the division one college basketball landscape for decades. The conference disbanded with the news that three of its more successful members in Erie, Berwick and Bethlehem College had decided to bolt to join the newly minted Midwest Eight. The other ten former members will play as independents next year. The Keystone Alliance, like each of the other AIAA basketball conferences, received an automatic bid for its champion to play in the AIAA tournament but no Keystone school has won a tournament game since 1930 and the conference had never seen a team advance past the second round of the national tournament. The automatic bid formerly reserved for the Keystone Alliance will now go to the champion of the Midwest Eight, a collection of schools from Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/13/1951
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May 21, 1951
https://i.imgur.com/9c9C0OA.jpeg MAY 21, 1951 STATESMEN CLAIM SECOND STRAIGHT CAGE CROWN For the second year in a row the Washington Statesmen won game seven on their home court over the Toronto Falcons to claim the Federal Basketball League title. Led by playoff Most Valuable Player Ivan Sisco's 17 points Washington held off the Falcons 83-82 in a thrilling deciding game. It was a case of missed opportunity for the Falcons, who trailed the series 2-0 before winning all three games in Toronto. After losing 90-72 in a sixth game that was never close, Toronto entered the fourth quarter of game seven leading 64-62 and held the lead for the first four minutes of the final period. A 13-2 Washington run turned the tide and put the Statesmen ahead 79-72 with four and a half minutes remaining. The lead would hold despite the fact the Falcons closed to with a point and then trailing by one in the final minute failed to get the game winning bucket on a last second shot. Washington nearly gave the game away as, after Major Belk sank two free throws with 21 seconds to cut the lead to a single point at 83-82, the Statesmen missed four straight attempts from the charity stripe. First it was Don Brito, who otherwise had a terrific game, failing to sink either of his free throws. The battle for the rebound on Brito's second missed shot went Washington's way as, while neither team could control it, the ball was deemed to last touch a Falcon before going out of bounds. Toronto fouled Willie Wright with 9 seconds remaining and Wright would miss on his only two free throw attempts of the game. This time Toronto's Clarence Barton nabbed what would be the biggest of his 13 rebounds on the evening. Still down by just a single point the Falcons called a timeout with 9 seconds left to set up a potential series winning shot. The opportunity came as the ball was moved to Barton, who had an open look from the right wing but his buzzer beater failed to drop, costing the Falcons the series and setting off a wild celebration by the Statesmen and the nearly 6,200 fans in attendance at the National Auditorium. For the second year in a row Washington center Ivan Sisco was named the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs and the 30-year-old former standout at Carolina Poly was dominant on both ends of the court, holding Toronto's Lon Porter in check while providing plenty of offense himself. Head-to-head Sisco outscored the Toronto center in five of the seven games and they were tied in points in the other two. Sisco averaged nearly 21 points per game and 16.4 rebounds per game in the finals while Porter, who entered the series with a playoff leading 26.7 scoring average, was held to 17.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per contest in the title series. UN-BARRELL-BLE Georgia Jolter Career in Jeopardy Following Back Injury Tragedy. A line drive hit by Detroit's Del Johnson with two out in the ninth may have just ended Bobby Barrell's career. Barrell caught the ball, but landed awkwardly. He needed help to get off the field. CF Bill Heim and 1B Rudy Minton ran out to help Barrell get back to the dugout, with Barrell obviously in a lot of pain. He was technically on deck when the final out was made, but the on-deck circle was empty when Don Berry flied out to left field to end the game. The 13,067 fans in attendance were silent. Somehow, they knew. For a player who has meant as much to a city as any player has meant to any city, the fans might have known before Barrell knew. They knew this could be the last time the Georgia Jolter graced the field at Broad Street Park as a player. Barrell tore his back muscle and will be out for at least four months. Sure, there is a chance he might return in September, but everyone in the stands knew, this could be it. The official diagnosis for the 40-year-old is a torn muscle in his back. Doctors suggest the recovery time will be four to five months, which at Barrell's age, may mean the final at bat of his career was a 7th inning walk against Detroit's Rusty Petrick to cap an 0-for-3 day for the Georgia Jolter. Barrell has 3 homers and is batting just .245 on the year. https://i.imgur.com/zQvDpy2.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/DEX0NfU.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/YGe7FrK.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/Xv9TJW5.jpg TALES FROM THE LAIR Homestand Starts Poorly For Wolves - After just over two weeks away if the faithful thought home cooking would be the answer for the slumping Wolves, think again says Brett. The team began the 16 game in 17 days homestand by being swept in 3 games at the hands of the New York Stars. This ran their losing streak to six. After being blown out in their first home game of May on Tuesday 7-1 in Charlie Zimmerman's big league debut, Toronto lost the last two of the set in extras. First it was 8-5 in 14 when again they were leading going into the ninth, 4-2. On Thursday the team again lost a lead in the ninth before walking in the eventual winning run in the 13th in a game where the Stars got 4 runs on 5 hits while the Wolves scored only twice on 10 hits. Asking how this is possible see 11 base on balls including 5 each by starter Frank Sartori, who is now 0-4, 5.13 and Ray Hatch who picked up the loss in relief after Jayson again could not close out a game. As an exasperated Fred Barrell said after the game "A loss is a loss no matter how many inning it takes, you cannot defend against walks." The only good things that happened during the week came during a short two-game series with Chicago. The Wolves won both including a 4-3 win on Friday in 11 which was the third straight extra inning game, interesting that these were the first three games that went past nine innings for the Wolves this season. Saturday's 7-3 win, in which the Wolves came from behind, marked the first win of the year for George Garrison who is now 1-5, 3.45 with Lou Jayson's help in the ninth on a wet afternoon in Toronto. Hopes that these two wins would be the start of a streak were dashed by the Wally Doyle led Montreal Saints on Sunday. Doyle tossed a complete game 5 hit 6-0 shutout with no walks. Charlie Zimmerman's second start was a little better than his first going into the eighth. Brett has learned John Wells will return to the lineup on Monday without a tune-up assignment as the team needs his bat, now. In a corresponding move Frank Frady will be designated for assignment. In moves for the bullpen Harry Phillips has been recalled from Buffalo, where he was less than stellar after a spring injury, in the hope he can add something to the beleaguered relief corps. Bobby Mills has been sent down to work on his control issues. Fred Barrell has said that for the time being Lou Jayson will be moved form the late inning role where he has struggled, mightily all year, in an attempt to restore his confidence. Jayson has never been the same since his arm injury in the spring of '49. Many are wondering if this is his last chance in Toronto if things do not markedly improve in this reduced role. Jimmy Gibbs is said to be the arm Barrell will go to in the immediate future with the game on the line. Fans can expect to see many pitching moves in the near future with the hot rumour being that Rule 5 selection Frank Sartori may be returned to the Cougars. 1948 first round selection (7th overall) Hank Estill is expected to make his debut this week. Estill was called up from AAA Toledo in a reshuffling that saw two pitchers going down and Jimmy Maness joining the rotation. It's unlikely that Estill will get regular playing time as NY 3B Roosevelt Brown is now leading the FA in hitting (.380). However, he will give Bud Jameson more flexibility in the infield to give his regulars a rest. Speaking of Maness, the 26 year old righty has had appearances with the big club the past two seasons with mixed results. This year he was 5-0 with a 2.75 ERA at Toledo. A 4-2 week has the team in 3rd place. The Gothams trail only Pittsburgh in average, on-base percentage and slugging, however that is not producing enough runs as they remain only 6th in the FA in runs scored. Not a surprise I suppose when a major run producer, Walt Messer, remains mired in an early season slump. A notorious slow starter, Messer sits at .244 with only 3 homers as we reach the latter part of May. The 32-year-old LF has never hit below .280, so the team is willing to be patient. The only things that is constant in Montreal this season is the inconsistency of the team performance! One good week, one bad week, good offense one week, good pitching the next but nothing syncing at the same time. Last week, the offense forgot their bats at home. While the team did hit 3 homeruns, two of those were by pitcher (Wally Doyle and Bert Cupid). This week there were many homeruns by the offense and plenty of hits, but the pitching struggled as the club surrendered too many runs and dropped four of six games to fall back to the .500 mark. They were big games too, as big as any May contests could be in a baseball season, and the Saints stumbled to 1-4 record against the two clubs they are looking up at in the Continental Association standings. Expect more playing time to come for OF Ed Whitney (.364,1,14), who has started just 10 games but the 26-year-old has certainly impressed manager Jim Cator. Whitney, a 1946 second round draft pick, was a high end prospect who got sidelined with a lot of injuries through minor league games. This season, he was able to find a way to get into lineup because veteran Bill Greene is not batting as per expectations. Let's see what happen next?
SAUER RUMOURED TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT News out of Toronto has long-time Toronto Dukes captain Bobbie Sauer poised to announcement his retirement from the sport. The 36-year-old, who just completed his 15th season with the team, suffered through an injury riddled campaign that limited Sauer to a career low 24 games while accumulating just 7 points. Sauer debuted in 1936-37 and was named the league's top rookie that season. The British Columbia native would also win two McDaniels Trophy's in a stellar career that saw him win 5 Challenge Cups with the Dukes. He was recently surpassed by Tommy Burns as the highest scorer in the modern era but in his career Sauer has accumulated 264 goals and 405 assists for 669 points in 681 games. He added another 28 goals and 57 points in 68 playoff games since 1940. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/20/1951
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May 28, 1951
May 28, 1951 FORESTERS CONTINUE HOT PLAY Streaks the Story in Both Associations They may have started slowly but the two time defending Continental Association champion Cleveland Foresters are on a tear. The Foresters have won 10 straight games and are likely wishing that May would not end with a 21-6 showing this month. The Foresters quickly overcame a 5-8 start but even with the hot play of late they are still two and a half games back of the surprising Philadelphia Sailors for top spot in the CA. The Sailors have enjoyed a productive month as well, going 20-7 so far in May with only 3 games against last place Toronto remaining this month. The rest of the Continental is struggling to keep up with Montreal and Brooklyn, each 20-20, tied for third place but 8 and a half games off the pace set by the Sailors. Streaks are not just restricted for the top of the Continental Association as at the other end of things we have the woeful Toronto Wolves. Toronto sits in the Continental cellar with an 11-26 record and has lost each of its last eight outings. Bright spots for fans at Dominion Stadium simply do not exist as the club is last in the loop in every major offensive category and barely better on the mound or with its defense. The Wolves are in the finishing stages of a 13 game homestand that has seen the club drop eleven of those thirteen contests. On the season Toronto is 6-13 at Dominion Stadium. There are streaks in play in the Federal Association as well, most notably in Philadelphia where the Keystones are starting to show signs of coming out of their terrible funk to start the season. Despite losing leader Bobby Barrell, the Keystones have won five in a row and seven of their last nine outings as they try to put the memory of their recent 18 game losing streak behind them. Despite dropping two of three in New York over the weekend the St Louis Pioneers continue to lead the way in the Federal Association as they look to duplicate their 1946-47 stretch when they finished 8th in '46 and won the WCS in '49. After finishing dead last in the Fed a year ago, the Pioneers presently lead Detroit by a game and a half and the Gothams by 5 games. PITCHING PREVAILING EARLY IN FED RACE It's still early into the FABL season, but as we're reaching the end of May, the Federal Association has been dominated by pitching. The two teams ranked first and second, the Pioneers and Dynamos, are also first and second in runs allowed, and they're two of just three Federal teams who have won more games then they've lost. With the Pioneers, the 3-Hs are back to dominating, with "The Undertaker" Hiram Steinberg most impressive. He's just 5-3, but his 1.81 ERA (246 ERA+) is the second lowest mark among qualified pitchers, and he's paired that with a tidy 1.16 WHIP and 25 strikeouts in 64.2 innings pitched. Hal Hackney again looks like the pitcher that won the 1948 Allen Award, and he's coming off a dominant 4-hit shutout against Boston, where he needed to be perfect as the Pioneers provided him with just one run. This improved him to 5-2 in 8 starts, working to a 2.38 ERA (187 ERA+) and 1.14 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. His 8.7 BB% would be a career best, as he's allowed 23 free passes and is on pace for his first sub-100 walk season in 200+ innings. Danny Hern's (5-4, 3.57, 32) numbers seem pedestrian compared to his co-aces, but his 125 ERA+ is still well above average and his 3.45 FIP (77 FIP-) is in line with the other two, with a strong 1.19 WHIP and 1.7 K/BB. With Carl Potter leaving his first start of the season with a partially torn UCL, many may have wrote off the Dynamos. Instead, he's seemed to infused his power into longtime teammate Wally "Big Game" Hunter. Hunter is the one pitcher with an ERA lower then Steinberg, as his 1.65 ERA (263 ERA+) in 49 innings is the best among any qualified hurler. Now 4-1, he's got a 1.02 WHIP with 22 walks and strikeouts, doing his best to replicate the young veteran's dominance. Another surprising success for the Dynamos is the well-traveled Rusty Petrick, who at 35 is pitching like someone worth of being traded for a prime Rabbit Day. Petrick is on pace for a 20-win season, 5-2 with a 2.78 ERA (156 ERA+). I don't think anyone had Wally Hunter and Rusty Petrick leading the Dynamos to a postseason bid, but over a month in and that's how things are shaping up. The issue for these two teams, however, is the offense, as they're 5th and 6th in the Fed in scoring. The surprising star of the Pioneer's offense has been offseason pickup Frank Kirchner (.343, 1, 24), who's 137 WRC+ blow's trade mate Jim Adams Jr. (.260, 1, 12, 5) out of the water. Larry Gregory (.230, 3, 20) and Al Tucker (.273, 1, 18) have started out ice cold, with Tucker being moved to the bench in favor of Ray Bates (.450, 1, 8). Bates has been excellent in a reserve role, as has 84th ranked prospect Claude Kate (.309, 4, 19), but to stay on top, the Pioneers may have to look outside the organization to keep up their great stretch. The same can be said for Detroit, though they already upgraded the offense around Opening Day when they picked up outfielder Pat Petty (.279, 1, 15) from the Kings for former top pick Roy Schaub (3-2, 3.86, 8). Batting behind Dick Estes (.291, 4, 27) and Edwin Hackberry (.278, 6, 23, 6) should provide him plenty of RBI opportunities, but the Dynamos' cornerstone bats haven't been producing at their normal levels. There's room for improvement with both, but they'll now have to replace young third basemen Jim Gaiter (.269, 1, 9). With continued production from the double play duo of Del Johnson (.299, 3, 14, 10) and Stan Kleminski (.306, 1, 17, 3), Detroit could be just one bat away from a pennant, but like the Pioneers, they'll have to hold off last year's pennant winners. The Gothams may still be five out, but with stars like Ed Bowman (4-1, 2.91, 28), George Cleaves (.274, 5, 12), Walt Messer (.253, 3, 16), and Red Johnson (.261, 10, 31), you can never count them out. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Go 0-7 For The Week -Toronto's baseball team continues their losing ways by dropping all 7 games this week and bringing their current winless streak to eight as they prepare to close out a homestand against the CA leading Philadelphia Sailors. The team's record in May is now 6-21 including a 2-11 at home with 3 games remaining before heading out on the road. For the immediate future we will concentrate this weekly column on a general overview of the Wolves direction rather than a detailed game-by-game account of the suffering. Brett will be looking for promising things happening, ask questions about recent moves and suggest possible transactions. This is rather than detailing recent games that must be coming as depressing for the readers as it for Brett to report them to the public. This past week there was a loss to the Saints followed by three to the Kings then four more to the red hot Foresters who have now won 10 straight chasing down Philadelphia. This week the opposition outscored the Wolves 58-28 showing where the source of the problem lies for Toronto: pitching. The Wolves knew going into the season they would not be an offensive juggernaut and that pitching would be the key to any success the team would have in 1951. The pitching has not been even close to FABL quality thus far. The bullpen has received, deservedly, criticism for surrendering leads late in games. The starters have not been much better posting a combined record of 6-23, 4.67 ERA. The place to start the change for the Wolves is on the mound. Brett has been told there is change in the works. First move is Rule 5 acquisition Frank Sartori being returned to Chicago Cougars along with his 0-8 record, 7.00 ERA. Overall the team lacks quality lefthanded pitching, and the future reported ace Les Ledbetter is struggling in Buffalo with ERA north of 6 so he is not the immediate answer. Manager Fred Barrell will probably be forced to cobble together a pitching staff for the short term while looking to the minors for help, but currently there is no one who stands out as an immediate solution. At the plate, preseason predictions are correct through the first two months of the season, the Wolves are not going to outslug anyone. On the infield Fred McCormick is definitely slowing down although he still leads the team in RBI. Many are screaming for the callup of Tony Ballinger, .333/.382/.609 8 HR 20 RBI in AAA, who appears to ready for the FABL. The question becomes is the long term value more to Toronto with Ballinger at 1B while having Ed Reyes, McCormick on the bench or play out 1951 with Reyes, McCormick combination while allowing Ballinger honing his skills for the future? Brett thinks leaving Ballinger in the minors to murder AAA pitching is the way to go unless either or both of the vets completely fall off the cliff. The young middle infield of Harry Finney, 27, at 2B, Joe DeMott, 24, at third and 20-year-old John Wells at short should be penciled on the lineup card almost everyday in the hopes of developing into a tight, defensively sound, run-saving combination. With Pat Todd, Tom Frederick and John Fast providing help off the bench as needed the team should concentrate on the regulars meshing for the future. Fans can expect some tough days at Dominion Stadium during this growth process. Behind the plate the tandem of Harry Pomeroy, who bat is finally awakening after two months, and Cal Yeager are both under 27 and should be a league average to slightly above in the future. An outfield of left to right of Hank Giordano, Wally Boyer and Kirby Copeland should be defensive sound with the biggest question being will Boyer hit enough to be an everyday CF? The Wolves have some outfield help on the way. Ralph Miller in Buffalo and Bill Irvin in Vancouver are showing hope for the future. As for manager Fred Barrell and his staff Brett believes that Barrell, Dick Dennis, Johnny Franklin should remain in place at Dominion Stadium. They are the right people to turn around this team's fortunes. Replacing Huck Monahan might be required who has an expiring contract. Brett will chronicle the Wolves lack of success in the draft in a later article, Scouting Director Art Willis should be held to account for a system that is currently ranked 12th of 16. Overall Brett thinks the balance of 1951 will be trying in Wolves nation. He thinks fans should continue to support he team at Dominion Stadium to be in on the ground floor of a rising team. The front office should be continually pushing system players up through the system. More to follow from the Mail & Empire. "It's still early". It's the common refrain from teams not playing as expected. And it fits this season's Gothams. As we near the end of May, the preseason favorites find themselves playing a little below what they may have expected, but finding themselves 5 games behind St. Louis. "It's still early" can become "It's getting late" very quickly. What's lacking this season? For one Lefty Allen. The veteran is 1-5 with a very ugly 6.57 ERA. Lefty has mixed in some very adequate starts with some real stinkers. In addition, the team has not found a reliable 5th starter, and so far the schedule has not allowed for skipping the spot and relying on Ed Bowman, Buddy Long and Joe Brown who are doing their share. What is working? Most of the offense. With Red Johnson looking himself in May, the lineup is humming along as Walt Messer works to find himself. George Cleaves has his usual strong .411 OBP. Then there's Billy Moody's otherworldly .505 OBP. Add in the infield group of Roosevelt Brewer (league leading .374 Avg), Tom Jefferies (.328) and Cecil LaBonte (.319) and there's no shortage of runners on base. The combination of good hitting and good pitching 3 of 5 days has moved the Gothams up in the standings, but the question remains, can they run off a streak to catch St. Louis, and Detroit? They'll get a shot at Detroit this week with the 2nd place Dynamos arriving at Gothams Stadium for a 4 game set, which includes a Memorial Day double header. SHAMROCKS CABBELL NAMED TOP NAHC PLAYER For the second year in a row New York Shamrocks captain Orval Cabbell was named the winner of the McDaniels Trophy, presented annually to the regular season Most Valuable Player. Cabbell, who established a new single season NAHC point mark with 82, appeared in all 70 games for New York and scored a season high 29 goals. Under the leadership of the 33-year-old the Shamrocks finished with the best regular season record but fell to Boston in a semi-final series that went the full seven games. Cabbell had 1 goal and 6 points in the playoffs. Cabbell was chosen the winner from the three finalists that included Wilbur Chandler of the Boston Bees and Chicago's Tommy Burns, who won three consecutive McDaniels Trophy's from 1946 thru 1948. The top goaltender was also a repeat winner as Alex Sorrell of the New York Shamrocks won his second straight Juneau Trophy. The 25-year-old Niagara Falls, ON., native led the NAHC with a 1.92 goals against average while posting a 28-17-3 record. Sorrell narrowly nosed out veteran Montreal goaltender Tom Brockers, who already owns four Juneau Trophy's, for the award. The battle for the McLeod Trophy as top rookie was also a tight one with Boston Bees forward Mike Brunell finishing ahead of tough young Montreal Valiants rearguard Ed McRae. Brunell's win is the first McLeod Trophy for a Boston player since Brockers won way back in the 1938-39 season. It also ends a three rear hold on the award by the Detroit Motors. Detroit's Bob Pilon was a finalist on this year's ballot but finished a distant third. The final award was the Yeadon Trophy, presented for gentlemanly play. Another Boston Bee was the winner as veteran forward Tommy Hart was the choice. This marked the second year the Yeadon was awarded after an eight year absence. SHELTON PICKS MCCOY FOR FIRST TITLE DEFENSE Memphis Millard Shelton, who some still cannot believe beat John Edmonds to win the World Welterweight title in March, has announced he will make his first defense against young Mark McCoy next month. The bout, set for Friday July 13th under the lights at Cincinnati's Tice Memorial Stadium, will be the first championship fight ever contested in the Queen City ballpark. Shelton knocked Edmonds down in both the 14th and 15th rounds to score a victory over the former champ at Thompson Palladium in Detroit on March 17. After the bout, the 30-year-old slow talking Tennessean seemed as shocked as nearly everyone else in attendance that he was the new champion. There had been some call for a rematch with Edmonds but that will have to wait at least until the fall as McCoy, a 22-year-old from Kansas City who stopped Nathan Sears in April to run his record to 24-2, was selected to face Shelton. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/27/1951
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June 4, 1951
JUNE 4, 1951 BAY AREA SET TO WELCOME BEST OF COLLEGE BASEBALL The field has been announced for the 1951 AIAA collegiate baseball World Championship Series tournament. The 16 clubs will gather in San Francisco from June 11-18 in a week long elimination tournament to crown the best in baseball for 1951. This marks the sixth year of the expanded 16 team tournament but the first time it has ventured west, and will be contested entirely in the new 50,000 seat Golden Gate Stadium, home to the American Football Association San Francisco Wings. The top seed in the tournament will be Southwestern Alliance champion College of Waco. The Cowboys dominated their section competition and enter the tournament with a 52-10 record, easily the best of any major AIAA school. They have a veteran roster that includes five 1951 draft eligible players highlighted by junior pitcher Marty Davis. The 20-year-old Missouri native was an 8th round selection of the Montreal Saints in June. The number two seed may feature the best outfield trio that college baseball has seen since Dan Fowler and Vic Crawford were teammates at Commonwealth Catholic in the late 1920s. The Cardinals make their second consecutive trip to the final sixteen thanks to the outfield trio of Rex Pilcher (.297,21,57), Bud Swanson (.276,18,63) and Ben Crawford (.270,15,48). Pilcher and Crawford will have a chance to continue their pro careers as teammates since the St Louis Pioneers selected both of them in the first two rounds of the January draft. Swanson is a sophomore and eligible next year. Penn Catholic will be the number three seed while St. Blane comes in at #4. The Fighting Saints are led by pitcher John Thomas Gibbs, who was selected in the 5th round by the Washington Eagles in January. Gibbs is the second St Blane hurler ever selected by Washington following 1934 first overall pick Bobo White. That was the year two St. Blane pitchers -White and Gus Goulding- went one-two in the FABL draft. Despite the tournament heading to the west coast for the first time in its history, that region is not well represented with only Redwood University qualifying from the West Coast Athletic Association. The tournament will get underway with opening round action June 13 and 14 with the best of three finals being staged June 17-19. COLLEGIATE BALL ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS ANNOUNCED The 1951 AIAA baseball All-American team clearly has a youthful slant to it with only five juniors/seniors named to the 18 positions on the two all-star teams but included in that group are the first two selections of the most recent FABL draft. Charlie Barrell of Noble Jones College, the three-sport star, was selected for the third time at second base. Barrell, son of the late football great Joe Barrell, was selected first overall in the FABL draft by the Cincinnati Cannons but is said to be demanding the Cannons allow him to return to school in September and play both football and basketball for the Colonels should he sign a pro contract. Joining Barrell on the first team was Rex Pilcher, the marquee star of a deep Ohio Poly outfield, who was named to the first team for the second time in his career. Pilcher was a second team selection last year after making the premier nine as a freshman. He was drafted right after Barrell, going second overall to the St Louis Pioneers. The other junior who was a first team selection was Alabama A&T catcher Oscar Parent. Like Pilcher, Parent was drafted by the St. Louis Pioneers but his name was not called until the 10th round. There were two juniors selected to the second team. They were shortstop Freddie Robertson from St. Magnus and third baseman Henry Cusson of Texas Presbyterian. Both also made the grade last year with Robertson making the second team while Cusson was a first team selection as a sophomore. Like Pilcher and Parent, Cusson was drafted by the St Louis Pioneers. The Canadian infielder went 66th overall as the Pioneers fifth round selection. Robertson was not selected during the opening 10 rounds of the draft but is eligible for the second phase (rounds 11-25) which well be held on June 19. PORTER HIGHLIGHTS OSA MOCK DRAFT The league scouting service has released its mock draft and while FABL clubs have already completed the first ten rounds of their annual draft -which is done every January- league General Managers and Scouting Directors are always anxious to hear what OSA has to say about their selections. The mock released to TWIFS today by OSA has Bob Porter heading the list. The St Louis born high school third baseman was overlooked by his hometown Pioneers in January and had to settle for being selected third overall by the Montreal Saints. Charlie Barrell of Noble Jones College was the top pick, selected by the Cincinnati Cannons, and OSA has the three-sport star slotted in at #10 on its mock. The second choice was All-American outfielder Rex Pilcher, selected by St Louis, and OSA ranks Pilcher at #4. Here is a look at the first and second round picks from each FABL club and where they fit on the OSA top eighty mock draft released today. BOSTON- 10th overall pitcher Mike Quigley and 20th overall 1B Sam Hannah. Both slot in as third round talents according to the scouting service which puts Chicago high school righthander Quigley at #36 overall and Arkansas high schooler Hannah at #42. BROOKLYN- 5th overall outfielder Hank Williams and 19th overall pitcher Alex Hafer. The Kansas born Williams, who has committed to Coastal California slots in at the same spot he was drafted with OSA ranking him 5th on its mock draft. Hafer, a 17-year-old from Lawrence, MA., is considered late third round material by OSA. CHIEFS- With the 12th overall selection the Chiefs drafted centerfielder Hugh Ferebee and 22nd overall first baseman Jim Upchurch. OSA likes Ferebee and has the Texas high school product #3 on its mock while Upchurch, another high school players, is ranked outside the top 50 as a fourth rounder. COUGARS- The Cougars selected 3B Jack Craft with the 11th pick and pitcher Allie Eddy at #27. OSA has the Mississippi high school third baseman Craft firmly in its top ten at #7 while Eddy tops the pitcher list but is a mid second round choice according to OSA at #24. CINCINNATI- The Cannons won the lottery and drafted 3-time AIAA All-American second baseman Charlie Barrell first overall before following up with 1B Tom Wood with the 20th selection. OSA lists Barrell as its 10th best draft prospect while Wood is #18. CLEVELAND- The defending champs picked 15th in each round, nabbing second baseman Al Beck 15th and SS Bob G. Murphy 31st. OSA feels the Foresters drafted well considering their slot, putting Beck at #8 and Murphy #23 on their list. DETROIT- Selecting fourth in the opening round the Dynamos drafted high school shortstop Dick Tucker before following up with pitcher Jim Norris with the 24th selection. Tucker, an Oklahoma born high schooler is 6th on the OSA list while Norris, despite a 10-3 season at East Texas State, is considered a 4th rounder by the scouting service. MONTREAL- With the third pick in the draft the Saints selected St Louis born high school third baseman Bob Porter, who tops the OSA list. Round two Montreal used the 9th pick (25th overall) on pitche Andy Logue. The high school lefthander from Boston did not crack the OSA five round mock. NY STARS- The Stars selected 7th in the opening round and may have reach with Doc Clay and perhaps did the same with their second round choice Ira Roach - the first pick of round two at 17th overall. Both are pitchers and traditionally FABL GM's love arms far more than the scouting service but in this case the scouting service did rank the two high school righthanders. Clay came in at #25 on the OSA list while Roach was fourth rounder on the mock. NY GOTHAMS- The Federal Association champs picked last in each round taking two small college outfielders: Jim Allen 16th overall and Art Becker with the 32nd selection. OSA likes the picks, slotting Allen at #9 and Becker at 21. KEYSTONES- The Keystones went with 1B Dick Green at #8 in round one and followed up with pitcher Jack Cornell with the second pick of round two (18th). Comparison to Rankin Kellogg may put a lot of pressure on a 17 year old, but Green is loved by OSA, slotting him in at #2 on its mock. Cornell, a New York City native who has committed to Daniel Boone College if he doesn't sign with the Keystones, is 49th on the scouting service mock draft. SAILORS- Selecting 9th the Sailors went with a pitcher, Don Hillshire, in the opening round before taking catcher Dixie Williams with the 29th overall pick in round two. OSA feels the Sailors whiffed badly on Hillshire, slotting the Buckeye College righthander at the very back of the fifth round but Williams makes up for it as OSA feels the 17-year-old catcher was the 14th best pick. PITTSBURGH- The Miners were the first club to select a pitcher, drafting Sam Fitchett sixth overall. In round two they went with shortstop Wayne Jackson at pick 26. Jackson is the higher ranked of the two by the scouting service which had the Kentucky born shortstop listed at the top of the second round, 17th overall but Fitchett, at #30, is still a second round talent according to the OSA. ST LOUIS- Selecting second the Pioneers landed Ohio Poly All-American outfielder Rex Pilcher, who OSA slots in at #4. In round two St Louis had to wait until the 30th selection and went with Pilcher's college teammate in outfielder Ben Crawford. OSA feels Crawford was the 53rd best draft prospect, a fourth round talent. TORONTO- The Wolves, with the worst record in baseball and a near future that looks gloomy, needed a big win from this draft but OSA feels they came up short, at least with their first two picks. Toronto took a high school pitcher with a great nickname in Jim "Three-Pitch Monte" Montgomery with the 13th pick but he did not crack the OSA top five rounds. Second rounder Larry Curtis, 23rd overall, is a college outfielder that OSA ranks at #39 on its mock draft. WASHINGTON- The Eagles drafted two pitchers in Buster Scott 14th and Gene Owens 28th. Both made the OSA list but Scott a high schooler from California was a 5th rounder according to the scouting service and Owens, a college righthander from Provo Tech was third rounder at #38 overall. SAILORS FEAST ON CANADIAN PITCHING Pioneers Continue to Set Fed Pace The Philadelphia Sailors continue to set the standard in the Continental Association and used a week in Canada to pad their lead atop the Continental Association. The Sailors took six of seven on the road in Toronto and Montreal, outscoring the woeful Wolves and Saints 48-18 in the process and stretched their lead to 5.5 games over the two-time defending champion Cleveland Foresters. A year ago the Sailors were a distant seventh in the Continental Association race, 14 games back of the front-running Foresters and ahead of only the Wolves, who bottomed out with a 100 loss season. Only losing 100 this year might just be an impossible dream for the Wolves who have now lost 15 in a row and are last in nearly every meaningful team stat category. Toronto's team era of 5.36 is on pace to be one of the worst ever record in CA history and they were beaten 14-2 and 14-1 in a Wednesday twin bill by the suddenly dominant Sailors. The Sailors are 24-6 since losing 3-2 to Montreal on May 5th. Meanwhile the St Louis Pioneers, who played and beat the Sailors in back to back World Championship Series in 1947 and 1948 before both collapsed to the second division for two years, continue to carry the torch in the Federal Association. The Pioneers went 5-2 last week and picked up another half game on second place Detroit to now, at 32-16, lead the Dynamos by two full games. Detroit passed a tough test last week as the Dynamos - who are contending without injured ace Carl Potter- split a 4-game series at Gothams Stadium to start the week. The New Yorkers, defending Fed flag wavers, started the series strong when Ed Bowman improved to 5-1 on the year by outdueling Detroit's Jack Miller 2-0 in the opener and then rode a 5-run outburst in the 6th inning to a 9-7 victory in the second game, handing the Dynamos their fourth consecutive loss. In a key moment that may well be a looked on as a defining moment should the Motor City nine continue to contend, the Dynamos rebounded with a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday. Edwin Hackberry drove in 3-runs and Dick Estes had 3 hits and 2-rbis in a 6-4 victory in the opener while Fred Carter's pinch-hit homer -the first of his big league career- proved the difference in a 9-7 Dynamos win in the nightcap. The Gothams are 4 back of Detroit and 6 games behind the first place Pioneers. GOVERNORS RULING MINOR LEAGUE BALL They may not be a major league team, but it's hard to ignore just how dominant the Little Rock Governors of the Dixie League have been this season. The AA affiliate of the Chicago Cougars, Little Rock is the defending Dixie League champion, finishing 93-47 in their first season of affiliate ball last year. The former GWL team has been off to a torrid start to 1951 even after seeing their 13 game win streak snapped in an 8-7 11 inning loss. A team that could potentially rival the Toronto Wolves, Little Rock is 31-7, leading the Dixie League by six games. Their .816 win percentage is the clear leader in affiliated ball, and with five of the game's top 65 prospects, they boast an impressive collection of current and future talent. Now before you question if its just a bunch of 30-something-year-olds inflating the teams record, let me set the record straight: team captain Jimmie James is the only player on the wrong side of 30, and while he's hit well (.409/.472/.750), the former Cougar has started just 8 of their 38 games. Only one pitcher above 25 has thrown more then 10 innings, and James is the only batter above 25 with more then 20 at bats. This is a young team with a lot of talent, leading every category except homers (tied for 1st), batting walks (7th), batting strikeouts (3rd), base running (5th), pitching walks (2nd), and pitching strikeouts (8th). Governors pitchers have thrown nine shutouts -- one more then games lost -- and scored double digit runs on seven occasions. They can win close games, they can win blow outs, and they can make you reconsider if you're ever making it to the show after they sweep you out of town. It helps having a pair of top ten prospects, as on the mound they feature the 7th ranked Bob Allen with the 6th ranked Jerry Smith patrolling center. Both have impressed, with Allen 4-3 with a 2.43 ERA (161 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 7 starts, while Smith has slashed .315/.395/.603 (161 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 5 triples, 6 homers, 28 RBIs, 19 walks, 38 runs, and 5 steals. Smith is part of a highly touted outfield that includes top 65 prospects Frank Reece and Henry Norman, who like Smith have a WRC+ of 165 or higher. Reece has been the star of the team, capturing the Batter of the Month award while hitting an astronomical .380/.434/.614 (175 OPS+) in 173 trips to the plate. He's added 11 doubles, 7 triples, 4 homers, 23 RBIs, and 3 steals, and his 193 WRC+ is almost twice as impressive as an average Dixie League batter. It's only a matter of time before some of the top performers get promoted, but there isn't much room on the AAA Milwaukee Blues roster. While not as dominant, the Blues also league their respective league, 27-16 and a game and a half clear of the next best team. It is expected that Frank Reece will join them shortly, but even if he leaves Little Rock should have more then enough fire power to maintain their lofty record. Down in Class A Lincoln, Harley Dollar has a .318/.467/.535 (179 OPS+) line that rivals Reece, with Charlie Harvey's .320/.463/.469 (160 OPS+) just a little off. With the draft around the corner, plenty of roster movement is expected, as teams like the Cougars will be moving players up to make room for the new recruits. The Little Rock super team as constructed may be at risk of breaking up, but it will take a lot of changes for this juggernaut to drop out of first place. *** Injury Sidelines Pestilli *** At the big league level not much has gone right for the Chicago Cougars this season, who have dropped to 21-25, and will now be without star outfielder Sal Pestilli for the next six weeks with elbow inflammation. Despite all that, another veteran has stepped up, as a power surge from Red Bond earned him Continental Player of the Week. The slugging first basemen knocked five out of the park, batting .407/.429/1.000 (265 OPS+) with 13 RBIs, a double, 6 runs, and even a steal! The biggest performance was his first ever 3-home run game, has Bond took young Forester Larry Beebe (5-3, 3.66, 25) deep twice before a three-run blast off Hank Berkowitz (2, 2.45, 5) in Chicago's 11-3 win. Bond has now hit 8 homers in his last 10 games, earning a share of the FABL lead of 13 with Washington's Sig Stofer (.277, 13, 28) and the Stars' Jack Welch (.219, 13, 27). With the Cougars struggles, there have been rumblings of a sell-off, and the 38-year-old Bond could be the top bat on the market this summer. The three time All-Star has hit an absurd .360/.438/.720 (200 OPS+), a batting line equivalent to twice as effective as the average FABL hitter. Bond has scored 26 runs and drove in 31 more, drawing 18 walks to just 10 strikeouts in 144 trips to the plate. He currently leads all FABL sluggers with a 1.157 OPS, and in the CA ranks top 5 in average (4th), OBP (3rd), slugging (1st), OPS+, ISO (.360), and wOBA (.469). TALES FROM THE LAIR Losing Streak Continues Now at 15 Games -The downhill slide continues for the Wolves as of now the last game the Wolves were on the right end of the score was May 19th, a 7-3 win at the hands of the Cougars. This week's 7 losses included doubleheader sweeps by the Sailors on Wednesday then at Parc Cartier by Montreal on Sunday. The Sailors really put it the Wolves in their last home game before heading out for 11 games in 10 days on the road. Philadelphia embarrassed Toronto in front of the fans 14-2 and 14-1 banging out 29 hits in the two games where the Wolves had 14. In the first game George Garrison surrendered 7 runs on 8 hits before the 12,000 on hand got comfortable in the top of the first. In the second game the team was down 5 before their first turn at bat. The crowd exiting Dominion Stadium, not to return until June 12th, reminded Brett of a crowd leaving a funeral wake. During the week there was just reinforcing signs of the funk the team is in, no glimmers of hope. The Wolves were outscored 57-17 making a total of 15 miscues in the field. A summary of the week would be the pitchers did not pitch, the hitters did not hit, the team was awful in the field. Fred Barrell is putting on a brave face with his comments like "The tide will turn, We just need to keep are chins up." Barrell's most important job now to keep the team, especially the youngsters, from losing all confidence in their abilities then falling deeper into the abyss of losing. One player in particular may need a boost is John Wells who was charged with 6 errors last week giving him 11 in 20 starts at short this season. As has been seen before if Wells struggles at plate his work in the field suffers, this week he went .188/.182/.219 in 33 PA. Brett is not sure is poor hitting leads to poor fielding or vice-versa but Wells needs a boost at this time. Brett still believes, along with the Wolves staff, that Wells, only 20, is the SS of the future and that these early sessions of failure will strengthen him in the future. Pitching has to be the main focus at this point. Brett has learned that Ray Hatch will DFAd with no immediate replacement named, sources say there was some discussion on bringing up Les Ledbetter. That idea was quickly shot down using the Wells quick path to the FABL as an example of pushing a youngster too far, to fast. The GM wants Ledbetter to prove himself in Buffalo or at least show substantial progress before making the big jump. Another player the team is going to be careful with is last year's fifth round pick CF Ralph Miller. He was the Union League Player of the Week, he has progressed through the entire system in less than 12 months. He is said to be on the cusp of replacing Wally Boyer in centerfield. The rest of this season will be an interesting one for the front office. It is said Owner Millard has told the GM to "Find players that this coaching staff can work with to build a winner. Look at what the Falcons did in a short period." This means the staff will have one eye on the waiver wire with the other on the any minor league players showing promise in particular on the mound. In a piece of disturbing news from the clubhouse is that vet Ed Reyes, who was brought in for his leadership, mentoring skills, has started to voice dissatisfaction with his lack of playing time. The team cannot afford any clubhouse dissent as losses continue to mount. Brett is told that the Reyes' situation will be resolved, one way or another, in short order. BEES ARE MOST TALENTED CLUB IN NAHC SAYS OSA Cup Winning Vals Rank Dead Last It must be the coaching of Norb Hickey. The Montreal Valiants bench boss has led his club to back to back Challenge Cups but must be doing it with smoke and mirrors if the OSA's latest player and team rankings are to be believed. The league scouting service handed it out's talent rankings and the Valiants finish dead last according to the service. Perhaps they are anticipating a big drop-off but it is hard to believe that veteran Tom Brockers fronts the weakest goaltending in the league but the scouting service ranks Montreal, led by first team All-Star Brockers, last in that category. The Vals are listed just fifth in both forward and defense talent leaving them sixth out of the six NAHC teams in total talent according to OSA's recently released rankings. Clearly the whole is much stronger than the sum of its parts in Montreal. The Boston Bees, who pushed the Valiants the full seven games in the Challenge Cup finals before coming up just short, top the talent parade according to the OSA. The Bees defense, led by Mickey Bedard, Conn Cundiff and Bryant Williams tops its position group while the scouting service considers Boston goaltending, anchored by Oscar James, second only behind the Detroit duo of Millard Touhey and Henri Chasse. Boston's forwards finish third on the chart and surprisingly the number one team on the list for forwards was the last place Chicago Packers. Strength at center, led by veteran Tommy Burns who was ranked the number one player in the league, is what has the scouting service still bullish on the Packers despite their struggles this past season. Jarrett McGlynn and Ed Delarue each cracked the top ten overall while wingers Max Ducharme, Jeremy MacLean and Marty Mahoney are among the top ranked players in their position group. Here are the OSA rankings for each team and its top ten players overall. https://i.imgur.com/QhiLKCw.jpeg MUCH TRAVELLED WELTER BELT UP FOR GRABS AGAIN The ABF welterweight belt has been worn on more than its share of waists since the division came back to life following five years without a champion due to World War II. While the heavyweight title has not changed hands in more than a decade, the much travelled symbol of welterweight dominance has seen seven different men, including Mark Westlake twice, spend some time as the ABF World Champion. Each of the last two title holders, Dale Roy and Ira Mitchell, lost the belt in their first title defense attempt and Friday evening in Buffalo Danny Rutledge will be hoping to end that string when he makes his first attempt at retaining the title when he squares off with Ben Burns. Rutledge, a quiet 27-year-old from Kentucky, snatched the title away from Ira Mitchell in February with a stellar effort to outpoint the now former champ. It was Rutledge's second attempt at the fame that comes with the phrase "ABF World Champion" as he waged an unsuccessful effort to dethrone Mac Erickson four years ago. Erickson, with four successful defenses before surrendering the belt to Westlake, is the welterweight who held the belt the longest since the end of WWII. Rutledge gained notoriety at a very young age when, as a twenty-year-old Army private in 1944 he outpointed Navy seaman Erickson for something billed as the Allied Welterweight Championship. It was a famous fight card, biggest of the war, and featured not only world heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer in an exhibition but also former middleweight champ Archie Rees in a September 1944 fight before tens of thousands of military personnel stationed in England. In comparison, this bout Friday against Burns - an up and coming Long Island, NY native with a perfect 20-0 record- should be far less pressure packed but Rutledge knows it is a big opportunity for him to step up and take charge in a division that has lack a true dominant fighter since the pre-war days of Kid Simpson. Many predicted great things for Rutledge after that famous 1944 fight as an amateur in the service. Perhaps Friday evening at the Buffalo Fieldhouse is when he finally starts to live up to those lofty expectations. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/03/1951
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June 11, 1951
RUTLEDGE RETAINS WELTER BELT IN NINE-ROUND DOMINATION, HANDING BURNS FIRST DEFEAT Buffalo Fieldhouse, Buffalo, N.Y. – Danny Rutledge (23-1-1, 15 KO) vs. Ben Burns (20-0-0, 12 KO) – Referee: Tommy Kimmons Here we go again. After a weight class championship that has been as transient as a shooting star, an undefeated fighter stepped into the ring for a chance to bring some stability to the division. Ben Burns, the pride of Huntington, Long Island, has had little trouble in his professional career, as he carried a sterling 20-0 record into the bout. Meanwhile, in the champion’s locker room, Danny Rutledge, no shrinking violet in winning 23 of 25 matches, quietly bided his time for the big fight, alone in thought before making the lonely walk to the squared circle. Rutledge had two title chances and after a win by unanimous decision in February over Ira Mitchell to capture the belt, he placed that belt on the line for the first time. Rutledge is trying to become only the fourth welterweight in the eight champions since World War II to mount a successful title defense. The bout started slowly and immediately took a different tone than Rutledge’s last fight that produced 50 Big Boppers. The first round contained no major punches, as both fighters felt each other out. Instead, the punches that connected went both ways and the larger attempts went awry. In the second round, the action picked up late in the stanza. Burns landed the first haymaker of the fight with the right hand to force Rutledge to stumble backward, but Rutledge countered well, dropped a right to the jaw of Burns before delivering a solid hook in the final seconds of the round. Rutledge carried the momentum into the third round and threatened to make this a short evening. Rutledge feigned a right hand before landing a left hook to the body, and upon the success of that hook, he went in for the kill. A successfully executed uppercut from close range allowed him to continue dictating the action, as Burns looked wobbly. A cross delivered by the champion made Burns’s knees buckle. The shot to the midsection was anti-climactic to the sequence, similar to the weight of a feather toppling a goliath, but that body punch was enough to drop Burns to the canvas. Burns was still woozy as he stood up after a count of seven by referee Tommy Kimmons, officiating his first title fight. However, Burns showed enough cogency to allow him to continue fighting. Burns’s goal for the final half of the third round was to spin away from any offensive overtures from Rutledge and hang on to the end of the round. This achievement was met, one of the few Burns was able to meet on the night. Early in the fourth round, the onslaught from Rutledge continued, but this was a seemingly innocuous cross that caused both fighters to bump heads on the follow-through of Rutledge and the reaction to the punch by Burns. Whether it was from the punch or the accidental head-bump, blood was evident on the inside of Burns’s right eyebrow. The location of the cut had the potential of interfering with his vision for the rest of the fight. Burns’s initial reaction to the cut was one of desperation, as he began to land blow after blow to Rutledge’s midsection to give himself some room. Rutledge’s tactics changed to go after Burns, right between the eyes. His weapon of choice was his cross and his first connected cross was right on target, drawing more blood. Kimmons and the ringside physician soon stepped in to inspect the cut and allowed the fight to continue. In the fifth round, the action was stunted with constant clinching of Burns as he tried to buy time to figure out how to pierce through Rutledge’s defenses with his own exposed weakness. When Rutledge was free to fight, he landed a couple of pivotal crosses with the purpose of reopening and worsening the cut to Burns’s eyebrow. Rutledge began to work the body to give Burns an all-over beating. He was clearly in control and Burns was in survival mode. Out of nowhere, Burns had his best round in the seventh round. The challenger put all he had in a couple of good uppercuts and a combination that staggering Rutledge. But even with his offensive, Burns kept backing into his own corner, giving way to Rutledge instead of pinning him back and closing off any escape routes. Burns started the eighth round off well, but after retreating into his own corner while having the upper hand, Rutledge’s shrewd tactical talent took over, accepting Burns’s invitation to feed him punches that led to a second knockdown of the challenger. Burns was more stunned than hurt and rose quickly, but it was apparent Burns was living on borrowed time. Rutledge did his part to end the festivities, but it would take another round to close the deal. Early in the ninth round, a combination to the face of Burns was enough for the blood to flow from his nasty cut once again. A pensive Kimmons, seemingly just waiting for another big punch to cause him to stop the fight, threw his hands up at 0:45 of the ninth round and Rutledge had the elusive achievement of a successful welterweight title defense, the first such defense in 354 days. Rutledge (24-1-1) has won two-thirds of his fights by knockout, which is a high percentage for a welterweight fighter, but this was hardly a punch-up. A major cut in a critical area may have helped make the final decision, but Rutledge was in control throughout after an even first round. In fact, Rutledge only gave away one round all night. The 27-year-old is ready to continue his stay on top, while Burns (20-1-0) is young enough to stick around and perhaps make another title run. They may meet again. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: None Round 2: Tied, 1-1 (R: 2:46 hook; B: 2:19 right) Round 3: Rutledge, 2-0 (0:33 left hook/body, 1:24 right/ribcage/knockdown #1) Round 4: None Round 5: Rutledge, 2-0 (0:36 cross, 2:00 cross) Round 6: Rutledge, 3-0 (0:16 uppercut, 1:08 combo, 1:50 combo) Round 7: Burns, 2-0 (0:22 uppercut/face, 1:22 combo) Round 8: Rutledge, 3-2 (R: 1:57 combo/head-body/knockdown #2, 2:14 uppercut, 2:40 hook/head; B: 0:17 combo, 0:31 cross) Round 9: Rutledge, 1-0 (0:41 combo/TKO) TOTAL: Rutledge 12, Burns 5 https://i.imgur.com/u2nvwN5.jpeg RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
GOTHAMS HEATING UP The defending Federal Association champion New York Gothams got off to a slow start with just six victories in their first fifteen games, but just like the June weather they are starting to heat up thanks to a 9-1 run that has the Gothams within 4 games of first place St Louis. Since being swept by Boston in a 3-game series in early May, Bud Jameson's charges have posted a 25-12 mark including last week's run of five straight wins over the Minutemen and the Pittsburgh Miners. St Louis and second place Detroit, which sits 2.5 games ahead of the Gothams, have not shown any signs of letting up but the Gothams, whose offense had struggled somewhat in the early going, is suddenly heating up with the warm June weather. Red Johnson can certainly not be accused of starting slow -the four time Whitney Award winner hit 9 homers and drove in 29 runs in May alone- but he is on fire in June, batting at a .442 clip with four round-trippers and 17 rbi's and we are less than a third of the way through the month. Billy Moody, Ward Messer and George Cleaves have also had strong starts to the month and the June success has been contagious enough to spread to the mound. Lefty Allen had an awful start to the season and was just 1-6 with a 6.75 era as May came to a close. However, two June starts yielded 2 Allen victories and an era for the month of just 2.25 gives hope that Allen has rediscovered the form that allowed him to win 21 games a year ago. *** Two Horse Race in CA *** The Philadelphia Sailors finally showed some signs of slowing down, dropping four of five games to Brooklyn and Chicago to finish off the week. The problem for the Kings and Cougars is while they each had success against the Sailors, the both struggled against last place Toronto last week and as a result failed to gain much ground on the leaders. Even with the late week stumble the Sailors, at 38-16, still own the best winning percentage in either association and lead the second place Cleveland Foresters by 4.5 games. Those two teams are the only CA clubs over the breakeven mark as third place Montreal has dipped below .500 to 27-28, and sits 11.5 games off the pace. Cincinnati is also a game below .500 in a week that saw no one string together a long winning stretch. DYNAMOS MOVE WITHIN A HALF GAME OF FED LEAD The New York Gothams may be the hottest team in the Fed, winning six straight and nine of their last ten, but they still sit four back of the lead. Depending on how the rest of the week goes, they could be looking up at the Detroit Dynamos. Detroit has won 10 of their last 12, moving to just half a game behind the St. Louis Pioneers, who have continued to win on the backs of their good pitching. St. Louis relies on the star power of their rotation, Detroit has continued to get quality outings from guys you wouldn't expect. Sure, Wally Hunter (6-1, 3.12, 31) allowed 10 hits and 8 runs his last time out, but he was almost flawless in his first 8 starts, and Rusty Petrick (6-4, 3.07, 27) snapped his four game losing streak with a 5-hit shutout. Young replacement ace Jack Miller (8-5, 3.50, 44) has allowed 3 or fewer runs in each of his last four starts, and despite his high ERA, the Dynamos have won 9 of the 11 starts Bill Sohl (7-2, 4.46, 29) has made. The offense may not be scoring enough, but they're about to welcome back 15th ranked prospect Jim Gaiter (.269, 1, 9) to what has been a really good infield. Shortstop Stan Kleminski (.317, 2, 22, 4) is starting to break out, posting a career best 132 WRC+ through 48 games. Him, Del Johnson (.291, 3, 19, 15), and Dick Estes (.294, 6, 45) have been above average, and Gaiter will be a huge upgrade on his struggling replacement Tommy Griffin (.200, 2, 14). The more bats they can support Edwin Hackberry (.287, 8, 37, 7) with, the better, and if their young star can take over, Detroit could secure their first pennant since 1929. Detroit is off to start the week, but there schedule may start to get tougher. It's not the teams they play as much as the location, as they're starting a 13 game road-trip with the Miners, Eagles, Minutemen, and Keystones. After that they're off again, but after that they'll have a must watch homestand. They host the Pioneers for two and then the Gothams for three in two days, crucial games they need to win. After a two game stop in Chicago, they again face the Pioneers and Gothams before the All-Star break, this time on the road. These next few weeks will have a great impact on the pennant race, and if Detroit can stay hot, they'll be in great position to capture the pennant. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Show Signs Of Life -In a week of small victories Toronto finally gave their fans something cheer about as the team posted a 4-3 week. After the losing streak was extended to 17 following a 2-1 loss to the Saints on Monday followed by a heartbreaking 4-3 walkoff loss at Cougars Park on Tuesday, the Wolves finally snapped the losing streak with 9-6 win in 12 innings against the Cougars. The hero was Pat Todd who delivered his first career FABL homerun, a 3 run shot in the top half of the 12th. The relief in the clubhouse was palatable, it was as though a massive weight has been lifted from the entire organization's shoulders, Fred Barrell said "I never want to through that again as I am sure no one wants to be on the wrong side of the final score 17 straight times. Credit the players, they found a way to win rather than lose a tight game. Time to go forward, there is generally a game tomorrow." That albatross of 17 straight losses gone, the Wolves went on win 3 of the next 4 by taking one more against Chicago followed by 2 of 3 from the Kings in Brooklyn. This was the first time the team has more wins than losses in a calendar week since the first week of the season in April when they went 2-1. Now the Wolves will return home for the balance of June and try to build on the recent success rather than mired in what some old timers are saying might be the longest losing streak in FABL history. The fans should not be planning for celebrations in October, this is just a small step in a long journey on the road back to respectability in the CA. Brett thinks there are still many tough days ahead for this team, but at least this past week gives both the team and its fans a glimmer of hope. There are still abundant concerns for the short term. While the team only booted the ball four times during the week, John Wells was charged with two scorer's notations of E-6 in one game. Wells may actually start a game in the outfield if clubhouse rumours are to be believed although Brett thinks it is far too early to give up on him at short. Wally Boyer must have gotten wind of Ralph Miller's performances in AAA as he deposited 2 in the seats this week. Questions still are being ask about Ed Reyes who was picked off the waiver wire. Seems he is not the player that the team hoped he would be, a mentor, when they brought him to Toronto. The push to bring Ballinger's bat to the majors is gaining momentum. He went 9 for 22 with 3 HR 8 RBI last week in Buffalo. If the call is made there will not be room for Reyes as Ballinger, Fred McCormick will share duties at first. With a 7-1 week the Gothams serve notice that they are hot and ready to challenge for the division crown. Still four back of St. Louis the team hopes to continue their hot streak this week against two teams challenging for last place. Bud Jameson's squad will play three against Boston followed by a three game set in Philly. Speaking of hot, that would be the perfect description for Red Johnson. After winning BOTM for May, Johnson was just name the POTW for last week. Johnson hit .517 with 3 homers and 11 RBI, raising his season Avg to .304 along with a league leading 50 RBI. Roosevelt Brewer continues to lead the FA with a .370 Avg. Brewer now has company as Flipper Robinson moves into the 3rd place spot with a .332 Avg. Cecil LaBonte will be out a few days with a sore hamstring. The team has indicated that backup Jim Harper will start in his place and no additional moves will be made. Down on the farm George Bundy was Century League POTW hitting .440 with 7 RBI. The 24 year old LF was acquired from Detroit back in 1945 in exchange for Leon Drake. 23 year old Ted Beaven is 7-1 with a 3.27 ERA at AA Reading. A 1945 3rd round selection as a 17 year old, Beaven has had a log climb through the system. After a successful 1950 as a reliever it was decided to give Beaven another shot as a starter. The change seems to agree with him.
BARRELL HEADS NOMINEES FOR CHRISTIAN TROPHY Perhaps the third time will be the charm for Charlie Barrell. Nominated in each of his first two season for the Frank Christian Trophy, presented annually to the top player in collegiate baseball, Barrell came up short both times. He will get one more chance as the number one selection in the FABL draft by the Cincinnati Cannons is once more named as one of the five finalists for the award. Joining the Noble Jones College three sport star on this years ballot are last year's winner Dutch Wilson, now a sophomore at Minnesota Tech, along with three newcomers to nomination in Ohio Poly outfielder Rex Pilcher, a junior who was selected second by the St Louis Pioneers in the FABL draft, Ruston Tech sophomore shortstop Claude Richerson and Jake Pearson, a sophomore pitcher from Bayou State. The winner will be announced next week during the College World Championship Series. He is a brief look at each of the five finalists. CHARLIE BARRELL - Junior, Noble Jones College: 2B The latest member of the first family of Figment sports to make his mark, Charlie is hoping to become the first Barrell to ever win the Christian Trophy. He is a 3-time All-American in baseball who also plays guard on the Colonels basketball team -which had the first perfect season in collegiate cage history in 1949-50 culminating in a national title. In his spare time he is the quarterback of the Colonels football team.Cincinnati selected him first overall in the January portion of the FABL draft and Barrell had another strong season, hitting .295 with 16 homers and 61 rbi's to help the Colonels reach the 16-team Collegiate World Championship Series. JAKE PEARSON - Sophomore, Bayou State: LHP The 20-year-old Little Rock, AR., native made his collegiate debut this season as a sophomore and likely shot up to the top of the 1952 draft board for many FABL scouts after an 11-4, 2.35 campaign for the Cougars. His efforts led Bayou State to the CWCS where they will open against Deep South Conference rival Cumberland on Wednesday.REX PILCHER - Junior, Ohio Poly: OF As the key piece of perhaps the best college outfield ever assembled, Pilcher led the Cardinals to their second straight appearance in the Collegiate World Championship Series. He was a first round pick of the St Louis Pioneers, second overall, in the FABL draft and his Ohio Poly outfield mate Ben Crawford was taken in the second round by the Pioneers. The third member of that stellar outfield is sophomore Bud Swanson but the leader is clearly Pilcher, who hit .297 with 21 homers and 57 rbi's in 51 games this season. A local high school star from Cleveland, Pilcher was twice named to the first team All-America squad and his other season was a second team selection. His line for 3 years of college ball (166 games) .311 with 49 homers and 172 rbi's.CLAUDE RICHERSON - Sophomore, Ruston Tech: SS A native of Mobile, AL., the 20-year-old made his college debut at Louisiana's Ruston Tech this season after being discharged from the Army. It is not one of the elite schools but Richerson has the makings of an elite shortstop following a .301,22,70 season. He is eligible for the 1952 draft. Richerson has FABL ties as his grandfather James Richerson played 22 games for the Chicago Cougars in the 1910s.DUTCH WILSON - Sophomore, Minnesota Tech: OF Known as "Champagne" to his Lakers teammates, the New Hampshire native followed up one of the best seasons in collegiate ball history as a freshman (.372,13,62) with a sophomore campaign that was good enough to earn him a return visit to the AIAA All-American first team. He actually improved his slugging percentage over his freshman year to .650, while hitting .312 with 11 homers and 43 rbi's despite being limited to just 37 games due to an injury. OSA seems Wilson, who is eligible for the 1952 draft, as an elite big league corner outfielder.GALBRAITH REPORTEDLY TURNS DOWN FINAL TORONTO OFFER It is looking like Lou Galbraith will be the most sought after free agent since Millard Touhey and Max Ducharme refused to resign with Montreal several years ago after word trickled out of Toronto that the 23-year-old winger has refused Toronto's latest contract offer. A first team All-Star selection this season and a second team choice each of the previous two years, Galbraith led all left wingers with 53 points this season and was an integral piece on the Dukes top line along with Quinton Pollack and Les Carlson for the past four season. The first overall choice in the 1947 draft, Galbraith seemed on his way to winning the McLeod Trophy as the top rookie at the age of 20 until a February knee injury derailed his debut season. In his four seasons in the league he has already accumulated 216 points and, should the Dukes be unable to convince him to sign before the June 30th deadline, he will clearly be the most sought after free agents. Galbraith won't be the only player of value who may be seeking new employment next month. Four of the six NAHC clubs have at least one player who spent time in the North American loop last season and either has not been resigned or refused to agree to terms. The lone exceptions are the two-time defending Challenge Cup champion Montreal Valiants and the regular season leading New York Shamrocks. There is time for some of the others to be removed from the market by resigning with their current club but if not among those who could be available include veteran Boston defenseman Len Bentley along with fellow rearguards Joe Fleming, 26, of Chicago and 25-year-old Clyde Lumsen of the Toronto Dukes. While Galbraith is the big prize up front other forwards who may collect some interest if not resigned are Boston's John Bentley and Toronto legend Bobbie Sauer, although there are reports Sauer plans to retire after 15 years in the red & white of the Dukes. Below is the full list of unsigned players with NAHC experience this past season. [*]NAHC NOTES -[/b] There were a couple of minor transactions last week. The Chicago Packers inked 22-year-old center Andre Bernier to a 3-year deal. The Montreal native was the Packers second round selection in the 1948 draft and spent the past three seasons under contract to the HAA's Rochester Robins. This past season he had 15 points in 70 games. Meanwhile the Toronto Dukes, with plenty of young goaltending talent decided to clear a contract spot by releasing veteran netminder Ronnie Flanagan. The 34-year-old never did play a game in Toronto, spending the past three seasons with the Cleveland Eries of the HAA, but he did spend much of the 1940s in the NAHC with stops in both New York and Detroit. Flanagan played in just 3 games for Cleveland this past season as the Dukes have a long jam with veterans Gordie Broadway and Terry Russell along with pair of rising young goaltending stars in Scott Renes and Charlie Dell all in their system. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/10/1951
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June 18, 1951
JUNE 18, 1951 SAILORS LOOK ACROSS TOWN FOR PITCHING RELIEF The Philadelphia Sailors tremendous start to the season was dealt a serious blow early this month when Win Lewis blew out his elbow pitching against the New York Stars. Lewis was 5-1 with a 2.83 era and seemed poised to approach or break his previous career high in wins with 17 that he recorded in 1947. He was also a big reason the Sailors were leading the Continental Association. To replace Lewis, who had been serving at the top of the Sailors rotation this year after going 7-14 a year ago but with a still impressive 3.37 era, the Sailors looked no further than the other side of town. The solution, they hope, will be veteran Lloyd Stevens as the 35-year-old moves his home base from Broad Street Park to Sailors Memorial Stadium. The question for the Sailors is which Lloyd Stevens will they be receiving? The one who had three straight winning seasons immediately after returning from three years of military service during the war, or the pitcher who has had his challenges over the past two and a half seasons. Stevens posted back to back 4.96 era seasons in 1949 and 1950 but saw his record go from 11-19 in '49 to 17-11 the following year. The concern is the Sailors will not have the same kind of power-packed lineup that could bail Stevens and his Keystones teammates out of jams like they did a year ago. This season has been a struggle for the Keystones entire roster, but especially so for Stevens who lost his job in the starting rotation after a 2-4, 5.97 start. He has had some success the past month in the Keystones pen but the Sailors clearly acquired the Virginia native to start games, not come out of the pen. The Keystones also sent top-150 prospect Bill J. Martin, an outfielder drafted in the sixth round in 1949 and presently playing at the Class B level to the Sailors but receive a pretty good shortstop prospect in Al Coulter. The 22-year-old California native was a 1947 third round selection who OSA projects to be a solid defensive shortstop with -and this makes him sound like a perfect Keystone- above average power potential. Coulter has spent the past 36 games at AA El Paso, batting .241 but has looked pretty good defensively. DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH With the final 15 rounds draft day tomorrow, the team at This Week in Figment Sports wanted to take a look at a player to watch from each of the first ten rounds. The remaining fifteen rounds will add a few talented players that slipped through the cracks, but most of the top players are patiently awaiting their first professional contracts. The ten players here aren't necessarily the best in the round, or the ones that could be steals, but more the players that have something interesting about them. Whether it's a storyline, a potential high risk/reward type, or just a player with something that stands out, we'll give you a few players you might want to bookmark on their way to becoming the next potential FABL star. Philadelphia Sailors 1st Round, 9th Overall: RHP Don Hillshire School: Buckeye College Blue Knights 1951: 11-1, 115.2 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 18 BB, 184 K Career: 11-1, 115.2 IP, 1.09 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 18 BB, 184 K The competition he faced wasn't great, but the 23-year-old Hillshire flaunted his now polished five pitch mix, winning all but one of his twelve decisions and working to a 1.09 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 184 strikeouts. Not only did Hillshire add additional pitches at Buckeye College, but the Illinois native saw his velocity jump from 84-86 to 90-92, making his fastball and sinker exponentially more effective. While still likely a reach in the first, there is enough to like about Hillshire, who could make his way up to Philadelphia on an accelerated timeline. His long-term viability will be determined by his slider, which projects to be his weapon of choice. It generates a ton of swings with its horizontal movement, and despite being a kitchen sink type guy he projects to have above average command. I'm not yet sold on his future in a FABL rotation, but his stock has skyrocketed since the draft, and with the Sailors history of getting the most out of middling pitchers, Hillshire could fill their rotation and find more success then his talent might suggest. Chicago Chiefs Unlike last year's 2nd Rounder Rod Shearer, don't expect Jim Upchurch to finish his season with the Chiefs, but the Fed's Windy City club may have found their eventual Tiny Tim replacement. He may have hit just .406 as a senior, but he more then doubled his prep totals with 14 longballs. That was tied for first among draft eligible high schoolers, and after topping out at 6 homers when they selected him, the Chiefs may have got a 30+ home run slugger without realizing it. A strong 6'3'' righty, Upchurch showcased his tremendous power potential, and as a righty even if Tiny Tim is still kicking five years from now, they can start out in a platoon until Upchurch is ready to seize the job himself. It's a nice addition for a farm lacking top level talent, and I imagine the only two guys unhappy about Upchurch's power explosion are Don Smith and Roy Nickerson, two of the Chiefs top five prospects who both call first base their home.2nd Round, 22nd Overall: 1B Jim Upchurch School: Haddonfield Bulldawgs Commit School: Queen City Monarchs 1951: .406/.515/.877, 134 PA, 8 2B, 14 HR, 38 RBI Career: .432/.541/.795, 468 PA, 40 2B, 2 3B, 30 HR, 125 RBI Pittsburgh Miners No draft eligible high schooler hit better then the .481/.561/1.028 first year senior Doug Lucas hit, but he's not your every day hit for high average type. In fact, his 1.028 slugging and 1.588 OPS were best in the class, as Lucas mashed 33 extra base hits in just 26 games. My entrant for the early steal of the draft, Lucas is a talented line drive hitter who might start making the Miners' current second basemen Reid McLaughlin start sweating. The 18-year-old already has a veteran presence, both with his bat and the way he holds himself, as his voice will be one of the most important ones in the clubhouse. There's not much he does wrong, as he's good at drawing walks, as legit power, and should hit well above .300 if everything clicks right. His power may end up being more of the extra base variety, then home run, but I can see him in the 15-20 home run range, especially if he debuts in the Fed. He's got the archetype of a rare .300/.400/.500 hitter, and he's got the speed to add in a few stolen bases. The defense is a question mark, but if he keeps hitting like this, he can make as many errors as he wants! Just don't tell his pitchers I said that, okay?3rd Round, 36th Overall: 2B Doug Lucas School: Tallulah Jaguars Commit School: Bayou State Cougars 1951: .481/.561/1.028, 132 PA, 18 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 43 RBI Career: .481/.561/1.028, 132 PA, 18 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 43 RBI Brooklyn Kings When Dick Heard burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 1949, he looked like he was going to be in contention for the #1 selection. A perfect 6-0, Heard struck out 150 hitters in just 68.2 innings, working to a miniscule 0.39 ERA. He had an absurd 55.4 K% and 11.5 K/BB, but the magic Heard had in his first varsity season never lasted. He was solid in 6 starts and relief outings as a junior, 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA and 0.75 WHIP, with a still strong 49.3 K% and 6.8 K/BB.4th Round, 57th Overall: RHP Dick Heard School: St. Patrick's Prep Shamrocks Commit School: Constitution State Senators 1951: 7-2, 95.2 IP, 1.03 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 30 BB, 174 K Career: 17-2, 217.2 IP, 0.74 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 59 BB, 432 K Fully in a starter's role as a senior, he led the Shamrocks with 14 starts, but his ERA shot up all the way to 1.03 and his WHIP to 0.88. While still impressive totals, this is a lot higher then he showed his first two seasons, and along with those, he set personal worsts for K% (42.6), BB% (7.4), K/BB (5.8), and more. The higher inning total may have contributed to some of the drops, though this could work in the Kings' favor. They may take the increase in stamina, even at the cost of his stuff, as even with the strikeout drop he kept the walks similar. The groundballer also added a tick to his fastball and sinker, improving his five pitch mix on the whole. He has the talent to start and the drive to improve, a nice pair that could improve his chance of making a major league rotation. Washington Eagles Another candidate for steal of the draft, hindsight makes it easy to question why John Thomas Gibbs fell so far, as even with the usual rush on pitching, JTG fell to the Eagles in the 5th. He didn't standout as a junior, and was arguably better as a sophomore, but Gibbs led a talented Fighting Saints squad and was one of the few pitchers getting recognition on the league's mock drafts. A three pitch lefty, JTG may not be as polished as the average college starter, but he's got huge upside and could fill a big need in the Eagles pitching staff a few years down the road. A towering 6'5'' sinkerballer who's tough to elevate, his 86-88 heater feels like its in the mid 90s, and whenever you think it's done sinking, it sinks a little more. This will lead to a ton of whiffs and even more grounders to the infield, so even if he doesn't solve his command issues, he has a weapon that can erase rallies quickly. The stuff could be elite, and even FABL starters would have trouble with his sinker today, and I'd wager he'll be ranked above any of the Eagles incumbent prospects. If all breaks right, he'll fill the middle of a FABL rotation, but with stuff like his it's hard to not dream about the Brooklyn native fronting a rotation for a team with their eyes on a pennant.5th Round, 135th Overall: LHP John Thomas Gibbs School: St. Blane College Fighting Saints 1951: 9-5, 132.1 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 69 BB, 160 K Career: 16-9, 239.1 IP, 3.35 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 116 BB, 279 K Cleveland Foresters As if the Foresters needed another center fielder who could hit homers, they got one, picking up switch hitter Joe Sutton in the 6th. After slugging ten homers as a senior, Sutton has seriously considered attending Provo Tech instead, as he'd enter the university with 31 homers in his four seasons at Stephenville. On the younger side, Sutton doesn't turn 18 until August, which makes me think he still has some growing and bulking to go before we really know the depth of his power. No worse then a plus power hitter, it may not matter if it's elite, as he's extremely prone to striking out. That's frustrated his high school coaches, even if he is the best kid on his team, as it could hold him back from reaching his lofty potential. He doesn't always grasp instructions, and it may take more then a few reps for him to really understand what he's doing. But if you're a guy who hits the ball 400+ feet from both sides of the plate, teams will be patient with you, and Cleveland may be the perfect organization for him. With a stacked young outfield on the big league club, there's no reason to rush his development, and they can take the time needed to mold him into a slugger who won't finish half his games 1-for-5 with a homer and four strikeouts.6th Round, 95th Overall: CF Joe Sutton School: Stephenville Indians Commit School: Provo Tech Lions 1951: .439/.504/.869, 121 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 10 HR, 37 RBI Career: .449/.515/.823, 497 PA, 54 2B, 7 3B, 31 HR, 138 RBI Detroit Dynamos With a nickname like "Taters" it's going to be hard to root against Jack Smith being the next Jack Smith to play a FABL game. A three year starter at Marquis College, Smith is expected to join the Dynamos this time around, as he was their 12th Round selection in 1948. Smith initially didn't hit many taters, just one as a freshman, but he added three in each of the next two seasons, finishing with 12 in 155 games for the Minutemen. A specialized player, the type you tend to take the risk on in the later rounds, Smith is a second basemen only with a focus on contact, as he could hit around .300 and bat atop a lineup. It will be interesting to see if his newfound power sticks around, but a second tool would greatly improve Smith's chances of cracking a big league roster. Del Johnson isn't going anywhere soon, so the bench may best in store for Smith. That may be where he's most valuable, as he's a guy you'd want to call upon late in game to get you a clutch hit, and with his athleticism there could be some untapped power potential the Dynamos will hope to unlock.7th Round, 104th Overall: 2B Jack Smith School: Marquis College Minutemen 1951: .309/.360/.457, 267 PA, 13 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 53 RBI Career (COL): .303/.362/.411, 770 PA, 33 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 142 RBI Career (HS): .444/.496/.656, 466 PA, 52 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 111 RBI Toronto Wolves Not only is this not the first time Fred Anderson, who went to Liberty High School in Missouri, was drafted by a FABL organization, but it's not even the first time he was drafted by a Canadian franchise. A 19th Round selection of the Saints after hitting .412 with 13 homers and 96 RBIs as a four year starter, Anderson made the choice to attend the small Ponotoc College in Oklahoma instead of going pro. It seems to have been the right choice, as he excelled for the Indians, and upgraded from a 19th round bonus to an 8th round one. A three year starter, Anderson holds many Ponotoc College records, and becomes the first player from the school to be drafted. He hit 11 of his 26 homers as a junior, batting a strong .272/.363/.405 with 72 runs and 58 RBIs. He scored an even 180 times in three seasons, adding 44 extra base hits, 88 walks, and 143 RBIs. An all around player, he looked really good in right, and spent time in left and center when needed. He's got a great eye, solid pop, and a patient approach, which should allow for a lot of extra base hits. He may not hit for a high average, but he's a solid find in the 8th, and on a team with very little nailed down, he could impress his new organization and work his way up to Toronto in just a few seasons.8th Round, 113th Overall: RF Fred Anderson School: Ponotoc College Indians 1951: .272/.363/.405, 322 PA, 4 2B, 11 HR, 58 RBI Career (COL): .270/.366/.406, 830 PA, 17 2B, 3B, 26 HR, 143 RBI Career (HS): .412/.531/.635, 471 PA, 32 2B, 5 3B, 13 HR, 96 RBI Chicago Cougars A three year starter at Sumter College, Ben Helm had about as consistent of a college career as you can, and it goes beyond the four losses he was dealt each year. Recently 21, his three ERAs fell between 3.37 and 3.76, his WHIPs 1.28 and 1.38, and his K% from 21.9 to 24. One of the things that didn't stay consistent was his BB% and K/BB, setting significant bests of 6.3 and 3.8 as a junior. A five pitch pitcher from Kansas, Helm was one of the few draft eligible college arms that picked up 9 wins, as his improved command allowed him to finish off his college career on a high note. One of the few pitchers who doesn't have an obvious flaw, Helm doesn't have a glowing strength either, unless you consider the potential of his changeup. OSA thinks it could be one of the best out there, giving larger marks to his overall stuff, and he's a polished pitcher who projects as a quick mover. He's consistently in the high 80s with the hard stuff, and he projects as a high floor 5th starter. The organization he's joining is flush with starting pitching depth, but you can never have too many durable innings eater in case your staff finds itself on the IL.9th Round, 135th Overall: RHP Ben Helm School: Sumter College Wildcats 1951: 9-4, 120.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 33 BB, 125 K Career: 25-12, 347.1 IP, 3.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 116 BB, 342 K New York Gothams The "Mr. Irrelevant" of the first phase of the draft, Kid Lipika was one of the many high schoolers to strike out a draft few four times, though as a freshman in 1948 he was set down just twice in 130 trips to the plate. As you might expect, a kid who can avoid strikeouts as good as he can is quite smart, and he's already been offered a full ride to North Carolina Tech if he decides to forego the start of his professional career. A prototypical put-the-ball-in-play type, Lipika prioritizes contact over power, and he went two seasons without a homer. That was broken this year, where he sent two out of the park and tied his career high of 12 extra base hits he set as a freshman. Without much power, his future relies solely on what he does with balls in play, and while not much of a base stealer, his speed helps him take the extra base, something he's always looking to do. The issue, however, is he may not make enough hard contact, leading to a lot of routine grounders and pop flies to the outfield. He's certainly a project pick, but a guy who puts the ball in play and offers plus defense in center is a guy who has a chance to play for a contender.10th Round, 160th Overall: CF Kid Lipika School: Dover Tigers Commit School: North Carolina Tech Techsters 1951: .440/.459/.576, 135 PA, 9 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 35 RBI Career: .439/.477/.556, 522 PA, 35 2B, 6 3B, 5 HR, 127 RBI GOTHAMS GAIN GROUND IN FED The New York Gothams closed to within two and a half games of top spot in the Federal Association after each of the two teams ahead of them in the standings picked the same time for their first prolonged losing streak. Both the front-running St. Louis Pioneers and the second place Detroit Dynamos finished off the week with five straight losses leaving the Pioneers at 39-24 and just a single game ahead of the Dynamos. The losing streaks coincided with the start of long road trips for both the Pioneers and Dynamos. St Louis won the first two games in Philadelphia to start its 20 game excursion to six different cities - only New York is not on the Pioneers upcoming agenda- before falling 4-3 in 11 innings in the series finale. The next stop, in Boston, was far less fruitful for the Pioneers who were beaten four times in three days by the Minutemen. The Dynamos trip is much shorter, lasting just 13 games over two weeks, and while it too got off to a positive start with a 7-1 victory in Pittsburgh, the Detroit squad failed to gain any ground on the struggling St Louis nine after the Dynamos were beaten twice in the Steel City and then swept in a 3-game set in the nation's capital. The Gothams, like the two teams they are looking up at in the standings, embarked on a long road trip and while it was only slightly more prosperous, splitting their six games in Boston and Philadelphia, it did allow them to inch a little closer to the front-runners. The story could have been much different for the New Yorkers had they received a couple of timely hits as two of the Gothams three losses last week came in extra innings. While the Federal Association continues to look like it will provide a long drawn out battle, the Continental Association race may be over by the all-star break. The Philadelphia Sailors, even without injured ace Win Lewis, went 6-1 last week and extended their lead on second place Cleveland to six and a half games. The Sailors will welcome newcomer Lloyd Stevens to their rotation this week and just in time as Cleveland prepares to host the New York Stars in a 3-game set. The Stars are the hottest team in the loop at the moment with eight victories in their last nine outings, a run that has moved them into third place and back to the breakeven point at 30-30, but they still trail the Sailors by 13 and a half games. STEVENS MOVES ACROSS TOWN TO CHASE CHAMPIONSHIP Lloyd Stevens was in the Keystones organization for 17 years and a Keystone at the major league level for 13 years (1939-51), playing parts of 10 seasons and missing three years because of the War. Stevens won his 150th career game in April and for his career, he was 152-118 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 2284-2/3 IP (300 appearances (288 starts)). Stevens was a two-way player coming up through the minor leagues, playing 88 games at 1B, 35 at 3B, and nine games in the outfield. As a hitter, he is a career .267/.338/.376 hitter with 23 HR and 183 RBI in 1291 AB. Stevens is now going to have the chance to play for a championship, something he was not able to experience with the 1944 pennant-winning team and the 1945 FABL Champions. Stevens was hitting his prime as he completed the 1942 season, with a medical deferral keeping him playing in Philadelphia. But, Uncle Sam came calling and Stevens left to served his country. However, Stevens picked up right where he left off when he returned from the War with arguably his best season in 1946 (19-12, 2.25 ERA) and set a personal-best in wins the next season (22-7, 2.91 ERA). Stevens was a rotation anchor from when he joined the big-league club in 1939 to last season, where he still won 17 games, his ninth straight season of double-digit victories. A demotion to the bullpen in May helped him shake off some early season rust, as he went 2-0 with 4 saves in 12 appearances, pitching to a 2.45 ERA. As the Keystones chances in 1951 have sank with the team's record, he was appreciative to not only join a good team, but to stay in Philadelphia. It is a bitter pill for Manager Carl Ames and the rest of the team to swallow, which considers him one of the team leaders. In return, the Keystones are trying to improve at a position they have struggled to fill competently with shortstop Al Coulter. Coulter is a top-100 prospect with good range and a potent bat. He will report to AA New Orleans to start, while Red Ellis, the previous shortstop of the future will have a couple of years to stake his claim to the position. Both Coulter and Ellis can also play second base, and while Billy Woytek is still a force in the Keystones lineup, the future is brighter up the middle than it was yesterday. BREAKING DOWN THE SAILORS TRADE The Philadelphia Sailors added veteran pitcher Lloyd Stevens from the cross-town Keystones in a recent trade precipitated by the injury to Sailors top start win Lewis. From the Sailors perspective this is a gamble, but with the club off to a surprisingly strong start, the sense of striking while the iron is hot is very much the idea. The hope is that the move across town will reignite some of the old magic in Stevens who joins a staff that (with the now-injured Lewis leading the way) currently leads the CA in runs allowed and ERA. The defense behind the staff has also committed the fewest errors in the loop. The team took a hit for the future in parting with youngster Al Coulter who was expected to ultimately replace Rip Lee and now that tag falls on Les Cunha (who is already playing SS regularly) with 3B prospects Amos Peterson and Bob Gray also expected to join a future Sailors infield that already boasts the very talented Al Farmer. A bonus would be found if Bill Martin develops into a good corner outfielder to join the relatively young Billy Forbes and George Rutter in what has turned out to be a good pair beside veteran Cotton Dillon, for whom it is hoped Martin can be a potential replacement down the road. The move also leaves intact the Sailors three best prospects in the aforementioned Peterson and Gray as well as Wayne Cottrill who are ranked #20, #21 and #35 respectively by the OSA. *** Foresters Juggle Lineup With Sonntag Sidelined *** While we're talking about Al Coulter, we have a perfect segue to his brother Lloyd's team: the Cleveland Foresters. Lloyd Coulter is the starting third baseman for the Foresters who are currently the only team within 11 games of the front-running Sailors. The Foresters lost star centerfielder Frenchy Sonntag for three weeks with a strained hamstring. Sonntag was leading the team with 12 HRs and 43 RBIs. To fill the open spot on the roster, Cleveland promoted OF Bill Sikorski. The lineup changes will see Sherry Doyal slide over to centerfield (the benefit of having three CFs in your starting lineup - Joe Wood's the other) against right-handed pitching with Wood and his .955 OPS moving to the #3 spot where Doyal had been. Orie Martinez will play rightfield and hit 7th. Against the lefties, veteran Paul Porter will play in center and hit 7th, with Wood & Doyal (in RF) again hitting 3-4 ahead of catcher Larry McClure and 1B Lorenzo Samuels. The Foresters offense has been potent this season, leading the CA in five categories while ranking 2nd in two others. The pitching has been good as well and though the loss of Sonntag will sting, the timing of his injury at virtually the same time as Win Lewis was lost to the Sailors, gives Cleveland hope of winning a third-straight CA pennant and with it, the chance to win a second consecutive World Championship. TALES FROM THE LAIR Tony Ballinger Called Up, Ed Reyes Released - Even though Monday was an off-day after returning home 10-day, 11 game road trip the Wolves still managed to make news in the FABL. No it was not about the 17 game losing streak they broke last Wednesday in Chicago or about rumoured changes in the front office or among the on-field staff. The news was that the Wolves have cut ties with Ed Reyes, 38, who was claimed off waivers on April 29th. His spot on the roster will be taken by Tony Ballinger. 23, who was impressive in spring training then continued his hot play tearing up the Union League in Buffalo posting .331/.377/.648 13 HR 31 RBI in 155 times to the plate. Ballinger is ranked as the #28 prospect by OMNI scouting organization. Ballinger has worked on his fielding skills, according to internal reports he "will not hurt the team with his glove, although strikeouts are far too common with the big hole in his swing.". He was at Dominion Stadium to workout with the team on Monday afternoon. The team said that Reyes was not happy with his role in Toronto as a left handed pinch hitter with occasional starts to give Fred McCormick a rest. In a statement released the team wished Reyes well in the future, Brett is learning that Reyes had been the source of some tension during the recent road trip by griping about playing time. Sources tell Brett that Reyes was not the player the team thought they were bringing in from Philadelphia. They thought they were getting a part-time player, pinch hitter, whose greatest value would be in mentoring the younger players as the Wolves transition. Reyes was not that player, apparently he had been openly complaining about his lack of at bats in the clubhouse since the middle of May. The final straw probably came Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn when Reyes saw he was not in the starting lineup after going 1 for 4 on Saturday. Reports say that Reyes tore down, ripped up the lineup card then stormed into Fred Barrell's slamming the door shut. An extended, heated argument took place behind closed doors. Reyes was not used Sunday, his locker was cleaned out before the news of his release was made public Monday. Brett thinks Reyes was told of his release late Sunday when the team returned from Brooklyn. He then took his personal belongings out of the clubhouse Sunday night leaving Toronto by train from Union Station early Monday morning to avoid any interviews. When asked about Reyes Fred Barrell tersely said "No comment, Ed is no longer a member of the Wolves organization. Our 1B are Fred McCormick, Tony Ballinger. I met with both of them after today's workout to lay out my plans going forward regarding playing time. Both are on-board with the plan. Fred and Tony will become inseparable, at Fred's insistence Tony will live with the McCormick's until he finds a place of his own . With a 15-36 record changes had to be made, I think this another step forward for the Wolves, along with their fans who have very little to cheer about this season." Brett is told McCormick was told of all the goings on before there was any public release of the transactions. Reyes was not DFA'd because that would just delay the inevitable, he had been quietly shopped around by the GM recently but there were no takers to be found in the FABL. In front of his locker on Monday on a rare comment to Brett, McCormick said "Tony is now my partner at first, I will do everything in my power to make him reach his full potential the same way I was helped during my early days in St. Louis." *** Wolves Start Week Well Then Stumble *** On the field the Wolves began the current homestand taking 2 or 3 from Chicago before hosting the big bats from New York. The Stars swooped in then swept the Wolves in a 3-game weekend series outscoring Toronto 25-4. After the announcement on Monday that the team was cutting ties with Ed Reyes to recall Tony Ballinger from Buffalo, manager Fred Barrell wasted no time getting the 23 year old into the lineup. Ballinger was put in the third spot in the batting order behind Joe DeMott with Kirby Copeland hitting cleanup. Ballinger, who had 4 big league trips to the plate late last fall, walked into the batter's box with a runner on second and one out in the top of the first. In what seems like a fairy tale story Ballinger drove a 3-2 pitch into the seats well over 420 feet from the plate. A 3-run bases clearing double by Copeland in the 3rd allowed George Carter and the Wolves to cruise to a 7-2 win. Harry Phillips, who left the mound with an injury after facing 4 batters, along with Zane Kelley held the Cougars scoreless when Carter was relieved in the sixth. After a loss on Wednesday the Wolves ambushed Chicago starter Duke Bybee for 5 runs in their half of the fifth to tie the game at 5 on route to a 7-6 win. The Stars series started badly for the Wolves when the visitors pushed 4 runs across the plate in the first on Friday then did not get any better over the weekend. The Stars are now 8-2 in their last 10. Wolves have fallen to 17-40 allowing 123 runs more than they scored in 57 games. Against righthanded starter the team is an unbelievably poor 7-33 for the season. Ballinger had an impressive first week putting together a line of .455/.571/.727 in 3 starts. Fred Barrell has not given the media any indication of his plans of the split in games at first base will be between future Hall of Famer Fred McCormick and Ballinger. McCormick, who is also Ballinger's landlord for the time being, was the first to congratulate Tony on the shot he hit on Tuesday. There are continuing concerns about John Wells' work both at the plate along with in the field. Wells is hitting .176 for June along while making 1 or 2 errors per week. Brett is told that Barrell will continue to play Wells at short for the time being in a season that already appears to be lost. Reliever Harry Phillips is on the disabled list for the next two weeks so Bobby Mills has been recalled to give Barrell a lefty choice in the bullpen. Speaking of lefty's there have been promising reports coming from Buffalo on the Les Ledbetter's recent outings, he has lower his ERA by almost two runs in June. With Charlie Zimmerman struggling at 1-6, 4.24 as the only southpaw starter will the diminishing crowds at Dominion stadium soon see a starting lineup that features Copeland, Ballinger and Wells in the field with Ledbetter on the mound? Toronto scouts are continually sending telegrams to the front office with updates on the minor league system players as the Class C team in Tuscaloosa prepares to start their season in early July. Signing a draftees will soon become a top priority to fill out the Gulf States League roster.
Noble Jones College doubled Carolina Poly 6-3 yesterday at Golden Gate Stadium in San Francisco in the opener of the best-of-three championship series to crown the best team in college baseball. The Colonels were led by 3-hits, including a 2-run double off the bat of Charlie Barrell in their series opening victory over the Cardinals. Noble Jones College, which reached the finals last year only to be swept by Eastern State, can wrap up the first baseball title in school history with a victory today. If the Cardinals win this afternoon, they will force a deciding game Tuesday. Carolina Poly has never won a college baseball title but did reach the finals of the tournament in both 1946 and 1947. PILCHER NAMED CHRISTIAN TROPHY WINNER Ohio Poly outfielder Rex Pilcher capped off a stellar season that saw him help lead the Cardinals to the second round of the AIAA collegiate world championship series by being named the winner of the Frank Christian Trophy as the top player in collegiate baseball. The 21-year-old two-time first team All-American, and also named once to the second team, was drafted second overall by the St. Louis Pioneers in the FABL draft. Know as 'The Buckeye Bomber', the Cleveland native hit 49 homers in three seasons of collegiate ball including 21 this year as a junior. He outpointed Claude Richerson of Ruston Tech, Bayou State pitcher Jake Pearson, last year's Christian Trophy winner Dutch Wilson of Minnesota Tech and Noble Jones College star Charlie Barrell to win the award. Barrell, the first overall draft pick of the Cincinnati Cannons, was a finalist each of his three years and is believed to be the first player ever named as a finalist for the Christian Trophy three times without winning the award at least once. Don't feel too bad for Barrell- he is a three-time first team All-American, has already won an AIAA basketball national title and has Noble Jones College up 1-0 in the best-of-three baseball world championship series finals against Carolina Poly. HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICANS AND ADWELL AWARD FINALISTS NAMED Four repeat winners highlight the 1951 High School baseball All-American team which was unveiled last week. The repeat winners include Pennsylvania catcher Stan Czerwinski, whose brother Adrian had a repeat of his own last season in winning his second straight Continental Association Allen Award while leading the Cleveland Foresters to a World Championship Series victory. The younger Czerwinski is a junior at Pittsburgh's Carrick High School and has plans of following his brother to the big leagues but not before a stop at Whitney College, for whom Adrian was a second team collegiate All-American in 1945. Others to earn back to back selection on the high school list this season are Massachusetts high school pitcher Mike Fresh, who is also the favourite to win a second straight Adwell Award as the top player in high school ball, along with infielders Dick Green and Al Beck. Green, a senior from Central City High in Kentucky, was selected 8th overall in the January phase of the FABL draft by the Philadelphia Keystones and some have him tabbed as the next Rankin Kellogg. Beck, the star of the Womelsdorf (PA) Cougars ball team is also a senior and was selected by the Cleveland Foresters with the 15th overall selection of the FABL draft. Beck is also said to be weighing a college offer from Baton Rogue State. Here are the All-Americans and honourable mentions for the 1951 high school baseball season. The Adwell Award has been presented each year since 1934 to the athlete voted to be the best high school baseball player in the nation. Its winners read like a who's who of FABL with such names as Walt Messer, Deuce Barrell, Pete Casstevens, Bill Barrett and Hiram Steinberg among the previous winners. Mike Fresh, a pitcher from Whitman (MA) High, who the award last season, joining Messer and Steinberg as the only sophomore winners. Fresh is considered the favourite to win again this year and join a very select list of multiple time winners. Here are the five finalists for the Adwell Award. JIM BACCARI - Outfield, Walton HS, Brooklyn, NY, Junior: Baccari (.444,13,34) led the nation in slugging percentage and was second in OPS slashing .444/.549/1.033 in 23 games MIKE FRESH - Pitcher, Whitman (MA) HS, junior: A two-time High School All-American selection, the 15-year-old righthander led the nation with a 0.49 era while going 9-0 with 189 strikeouts and 24 walks. He also posted a FIP of 0.00 for the second consecutive season allowing Fresh to join former first overall draft pick Les Ledbetter as the only high school pitchers in the post-feeder era to have two seasons with a 0.00 FIP. WILL HAPP - Pitcher, Torrington (CT) HS, sophomore: Happ enjoyed a terrific freshman season but was even better this year as a sophomore, going 11-0 with a 0.68 era while fanning 182 and walking 17. Nicknamed 'Flamethrower' for a fastball that already reaches 90 mph, the youngster was among the national leaders in most major pitching categories. ELMER HOFFMAN - Outfield, Wagoner (OK) HS, Junior: Hoffman (.443,15,43) led the nation in homers and was tied for third in rbi's while also being among the leaders in batting average and slugging percentage. DOUG LUCAS - Second Base, Tallulah (LA) HS, Senior: The Pittsburgh Miners may have got one of the steals of the draft with the selection of Lucas (.481,11,43) in the third round. The 18-year-old played just the one season of high school ball but that did not stop him from leading the nation in WAR and OPS while finishing third in doubles and slugging percentage. SAWYER WILL FIGHT ONE MORE TIME World Heavyweight Champion Hector Sawyer, arguably the best fighter in the history of the sport, has broke his six months of silence on the matter and confirmed he will make one more defense of the title he has held since 1940 before finally riding off into the sunset of retirement. Sawyer, flanked as always by his long-time promoter Chester Conley, told a large gathering of reporters in New York last week that he will fight for one last time in the coming months. Full details were not revealed but Conley confirmed the bout will take place at Gothams Stadium on a Saturday in either late August or early September and the opponent has yet to be determined. The New York Gothams, the regular tenant at the stadium that bears their name, are on the road August 18th and for three Saturday's in September meaning the fight will take place on either the 8th, 15th or 29th of September if it is not held in mid-August. Sawyer, who won the title by upsetting German strongman Jochen Schrotter in Detroit in January of 1940, is the longest-standing world champion in any division, both in time duration and number of consecutive successful title defenses with 17 and counting. Here is a list of his title fights and opponents. Through it all Sawyer has only been knocked down once in his career as champion. That came against Irish Pat Harber in their 1947 fight. WHO WILL FACE SAWYER IN CHAMP'S SWAN SONG? There is much speculation as to who will get the chance to fight Hector Sawyer in The Cajun Crusher's final professional bout. The longtime champ has confirmed he will retire after one last fight, to be staged at Gothams Stadium in New York sometime in August or September. Most of the speculation centers on Joey Tierney, the 23-year-old Detroit fighter with a perfect 23-0 career mark as the likely opponent. Adding fuel to the speculation is the fact that Tierney is handled by Chester Conley, the same promoter who guided Sawyer to fame, or rode on his coattails depending upon who you ask. Tierney looks close to being ready for a title shot and will get a chance to prove it on the 29th of this month when he faces another good young heavyweight in the form of Evan Rivers. The fight will take place in Tierney's backyard of Detroit as Thompson Palladium will be the venue. The delay in announcing the opponent may well be that Sawyer and Conley are waiting to ensure Tierney beats Rivers and is still undefeated for his potential matchup with Sawyer. Others believe that Conley wants to hold off on a title shot for Tierney and instead let his young fighter wait until after Sawyer vacates so that Tierney could potentially swoop in and claim the belt when it becomes open. If that is the case than Max Bradley, the pride of Merchantville, NJ who owns a 21-1-1 record that includes wins over highly touted fighters Lewis Jones and John Jones (not related). Tommy Cline, with his victory over Brad Harris -Sawyer's most recent opponent- earlier this month stands as another possibility. One of Tierney, Bradley and Cline - three young stars on the rise- is the likely opponent should Sawyer want to face someone he has not defeated before. It seems unlikely he would want to face Brad Harris or Lewis Jones -two younger fighters he has already defeated but he may go a different route and choose an experienced fighter from his past, maybe a Cannon Cooper or Roy Crawford. There are a number of options for his final outing, and at least for the moment neither Sawyer nor Conley are willing to give away any hints. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
DRAFT LOOKS TO BE DEFENSE HEAVY Teams looking for a potential franchise level defense may be in luck when the NAHC General Managers gather in Montreal next month to conduct their annual amateur player draft. Much like a year ago when five of the six first round selections were rearguards, the crop of 18-year-olds eligible for the 1951 draft is also heavily skewed in favour of defensemen. While there is no consensus on who should go number one, there are six defenseman vying for that distinction. Most have leadership skills as five of the six: Guy Bernier of Saint John, Nick Corriveau of Sherbrooke, Bobby Fuhrman of Trois-Rivieres, Ben Voyechek of the Brantford Blue Legs and Verdun's Jake Wilson all served as team captains this season. A sixth in the running for the top selection, Guillaume Thibault, was an assistant captain for the Halifax Mariners this season. Going by production alone it seems that Fuhrman, a 19-year-old from Ottawa, ON., is the likely choice to go number one. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association this past season after finishing third in league scoring with 101 points in 64 games. However, like each of the others that the Chicago Packers, who will select first, are considering there are question marks surrounding Fuhrman. He has offensive skills to be sure, but the worry is that he may shy away from the physical side of the game and is said to be injury-prone although that can be disputed as he did not miss a game in two seasons of junior play. One who likely won't shake the injury-prone reputation at the draft is Bernier. An 18-year-old who hails from Chateauguay, QC., that may have been the projected top pick entering the current season, had 28 points in 25 games for Saint John before his season came to an end when he suffered a serious concussion in November and has not skated since. It does not seem to be a deep draft for forwards but three that may go in the opening round are Halifax Mariners right winger Hubert Labbe, Jean Label of Trois-Rivieres and Scott Girard of Saint John. All three missed substantial time with injuries this season that does add an element of risk to selecting them. The one goaltender who may sneak into the first round is Mike Connelly, a 19-year-old from Colwood, BC, who backstopped the Brantford Blue Legs to the league playoff title this season.
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June 25, 1951
With back to back wins Monday and Tuesday the Carolina Poly Cardinals won their first ever AIAA college baseball championships. The Cardinals had dropped Sunday's opening game in their best-of-three final 6-3 to Noble Jones College before rallying with back to back victories. It marked the second straight season that Charlie Barrell and the Colonels reached the finals in the 16 team championship tournament only to come up just short.
Monday saw the Cardinals battle back from the brink with 2 runs in the top of the eighth inning to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Colonels and prolong the series. Junior shortstop Owen Collins was the hero, driving in 3-runs including an 8th inning sacrifice fly that plated Hal Smith with the tying run. Collins had also hit a two-run homer off Noble Jones College starting pitcher Lou West in the third inning. It was Collins third homerun of the tournament and part of the reason the 21-year-old New York City native was named the Most Valuable Player of the event. Collins, who had 10 rbi's during the week, drove in two more in a 6-1 victory in the deciding game but the story was the Cardinals pitcher as starter Jack Knudson, an 8th round pick of the Detroit Dynamos and freshman Jackie Montrose combined on to allow just 3 hits from Noble Jones College in the game. MINERS PICK LUCAS NAMED TOP HIGH SCHOOL BALLPLAYER The 1951 Adwell Award, presented annually to the athlete voted as the top high school ballplayer in the country, went to a Pittsburgh Miners draft pick but not without some minor controversy. Doug Lucas, a senior second baseman from Tallulah, LA., was named the winner of the award despite the fact that junior pitcher Mike Fresh -who won the Adwell last year as a sophomore- received the most first place from the six member panel. Lucas, who led the nation in OPS and was among the leaders in batting average, doubles and slugging percentage, was the first name on just one ballot but did appear second on four others and was the only player to be noted on all six ballots. That gave him a slight advantage over Fresh, a pitcher from Whitman, MA., who went 9-0 with a 0.49 era. Lucas because the first Louisiana High School player to win the award and the first second baseman. He and 1945 winner Ralph Hanson, now with the New York Stars are the only middle infielders ever to be named Adwell winners. The Adwell Award is named after Red Adwell, a legendary high school pitcher out of Alabama in the early days of the sport who would also be a Pittsburgh Miners draft pick. Adwell, taken 8th overall in the 1913 FABL draft, won just one game for the Miners but enjoyed success with the Chicago Chiefs and Philadelphia Keystones, fashioning a 134-128 career big league mark. https://i.imgur.com/s6fkvSB.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/Etxi5L4.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/EaoV7S5.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/Xv9TJW5.jpg TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Endure Yet Another Tough Week -Toronto's baseball club won only 1 of 7 at home in another dismal week. Toronto lost 3 of 4 to Montreal before being swept in a weekend series by Brooklyn who have now won their last 8. The Wolves are now 3-10 on the current homestand and mirred in a five game losing streak. The only win of the week was 7-3 on Tuesday in a game where the Saints scored 3 in the top half of the first - a surprising and rare comeback usually this year's Wolves do not rebound from a deficit but instead are far more likely to cough up a lead than come from behind in a game. Jerry York, 4-5 3.28, picked up the only W of the week. York has been the club's best starter this season as George Garrison ( 2-10 4.38) and Joe Hancock (3-6 4.34) have both struggled, especially since the calendar turned to June. York's losing record is more a sign of lack of run support than it is of his pitching - the team is only scoring an average of 2.9 runs in his starts. The only Toronto starter getting less run support than York is Garrison who is getting the backing of only 2.3 runs per start. There are far more questions than answers for the club. On the positive side Wally Boyer has bounced back in June after a horrid start at the plate to bring his season line to .240/.330/.394 along with playing above average defense in CF on the worst overall fielding team in the FABL. Tony Ballinger put two more into the Dominion Stadium seats last week. The team is hitting .238 combined, getting on base less than 3 in times in 10. There are many calling for the replacement of Hitting Coach Huck Monahan, team batting average has dropped from .263 last season to this year's number. His message to the hitters is not reaching home in the last year of his contract, replacing a coach mid-year except from within is generally a difficult task so Huck may last the season. Fans can expect to see former OF Larry Vestal as part of the staff in '52 barring a huge jump in hitting during the next three months. Fred Barrell wants the team to become competitive each and every day, He firmly believes that a record of 18-46 is not indicative pf the team's talent level but acknowledges the need of help in the bullpen. Fred says "We are not built to outscore many teams day in, day out. We have to quit throwing away games in the late innings." There is growing concern that former bullpen ace Lou Jayson has reached the end of the line. He is almost a forgotten arm in an area that Wolves desperately need help. Buzz around the front office is that Les Ledbetter is finally showing the long awaited promise of a future staff leader in AAA, Discussions are being held as to whether or not it make sense to have Ledbetter join the team when they head out next week with a possible start in Cincinnati during a 4th of July doubleheader. The team is now making offers to this year's draft class as Class C is about to begin.
DUKES CUT TIES WITH FEATHERSTONE In a move clearly aimed at creating open contract slots to bring in new talent, the Toronto Dukes have cut two players including 26-year-old defenseman Frank Featherstone. The veteran of 222 NAHC games appeared in the 1949-50 All-Star game but spent most of last season in Cleveland, suiting up for just 4 games with the Dukes. The British Columbia native was Toronto's first pick, 7th overall in the 1944 NAHC draft and made his debut two years later as a 20-year-old. He would play for a pair of Dukes Cup winners but missed most of the post-season both wins due to injury. In all, the defense-first rearguard at 28 goals and 86 points in a Toronto uniform. Last season he did not score but had 3 assists in 4 games with the Dukes, while playing 57 contests and notching 32 points with the HAA's Cleveland Eries. Also released was long-time minor league defenseman Greg Goodfellow. The 26-year-old was a fourth round pick of the Dukes in 1944 but did not sign with Toronto until last summer after spending five years with the Syracuse Lancers of the HAA. Toronto inked him to a two-year deal and Goodfellow spent the year in Cleveland, scoring 3 times and adding 19 assists for the Eries. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/24/1951
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July 2, 1951
JULY 2, 1951 SUTTON RETURNING TO DETROIT The Detroit Dynamos, desperate to upgrade their offense in order to remain competitive in a tough Federal Association race, turned to a familiar face in an effort to add more firepower to their struggling offense. That would be former Dynamos third sacker Mack Sutton, who was re-acquired today by the Dynamos from the New York Stars just over five years after the Detroit ballclub moved Sutton to the Big Apple. The trade sees one of Detroit's many talented young pitching prospects head to a New York club that has had its struggles on the mound this season. The prospect would be Hub Armstrong, a 22-year-old 1947 sixth round selection who has prospered as he progressed through the Detroit system. Now getting his first taste of AAA, where Armstrong is 5-5 with an impressive 3.20 era through 11 starts, the #36 prospect as ranked by OSA appears to be not far away from being ready for his big league debut. In Sutton, the Dynamos hope they have added a righthanded power bat that will jump start an offense that has for the most part struggled since his departure five years ago. That is not to say Sutton's absence was the reason for Detroit's offensive failures - it is an immensely talented group he is joining with names like Edwin Hackberry, Stan Kleminski, Del Johnson, Dick Estes and the latest acquisition Pat Petty. However, it is also a group that many feel has underachieved and seems to have too much talent even prior to adding Sutton to sit dead last in the Federal Association in runs scored. A new hitting coach is also rumoured to be arriving in Detroit as Jim Webb, who has held the job since 1938, is said to be on the way out. Regardless of who ends up coaching the hitters, for this trade to be successful the Dynamos will need Sutton, who is batting .293 with 17 homers and 48 rbi's this season, to be the missing piece needed to get the Dynamos scoring runs. With Detroit's Thompson Field having short leftfield porch it seems tailor-made for a pull hitting uppercut swinger like Sutton. However, most observers also expected more production out of Pat Petty and he has struggled since joining Detroit, almost as if there is a general malaise that takes over when hitters put on the Dynamos lightning bolt. Dynamos brass says it has several other irons in the fire and may not be done dealing yet as the club, sensing a window to compete even with the year-long absence of injured pitching ace Carl Potter, looks to be making a hard push to snap the longest streak without a pennant win in the Federal Association, one that goes back to 1929. The winningest active FABL pitcher just became the 27th player in league history to collect 250 victories on the mound. Lefty Allen, the 37-year-old New York Gothams southpaw, had plenty of run support as he pitched 7 and a third innings before giving way to the Gothams pen in a 13-3 drubbing of the Chicago Chiefs that improved his season mark to 5-6. Allen, who owns two Whitney Awards and five all-star game selections from his days with the Pittsburgh Miners, joins Charlie Stedman and Denny Wren in a tie for 25th all-time in victories. Only 13 pitchers have ever reached the 300-victory plateau. ALL-STAR BALLOT Here are my choices for the starters for next week's FABL All-Star Game. [size="4"]Federal Association[/zie] Catcher: For as long as I remember, and likely for the next decade, you can pretty much pencil in the last name "Cleaves" when voting for the Federal Association All-Star catcher. Like the 12-times before, George Cleaves (.280, 10, 29) is the obvious selection, leading all balloted catchers in WRC+ (141) and WAR (2.6). He's shown no signs of slowing, but sooner or later Roger Cleaves (.226, 12, 42) will snag a selection away from his half-brother, and Arlie Smith (.286, 3, 36) deserves some recognition for his surprising season that has helped the Pioneers hold the Fed lead.First Base: If you have 20 homers before the All-Star break, like Red Johnson (.300, 20, 64) does for the Gothams, it's hard to not vote them as an All-Star starter. Like his teammate George Cleaves, he leads balloted players in WRC+ (158) and WAR (2.6), but it shouldn't take away from the great seasons from Dick Estes (.300, 10, 57), Tim Hopkins (.261, 15, 42), and Rudy Minton (.287, 10, 46), but they just can't match what "Big Timber" has done so far. Second Base: One of the toughest positions to pick, there are about five guys I think you could consider here. Tom Jeffries (.305, 5, 42) may deserve it, but I just can't keep giving nods to the third place Gothams. I'd call you crazy if you said that Frank Kirchner (.304, 2, 38), not Jim Adams Jr. (.270, 5, 28, 8), would have the highest WAR (2.2) from the big Foresters/Pioneers trade, but he's hit .304/.397/.400 (105 OPS+) with a 118 WRC+, 18 extra base hits, and an impressive 43-to-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio. It was either him, Jeffries, or Del Johnson (.286, 4, 25, 15), and I gave the slight edge to Kirchner for being the better defender then Jeffries and the better hitter then Johnson. Baseball is funny sometimes, isn't it? Third Base: Yes, Hank Koblenz (.226, 17, 49) has been one of the most feared sluggers for years, but like a lot of Keystones he's not playing up to his potential. This makes it a lot easier to select Ed Bloom (.273, 4, 25, 9), who has the best combination of offense and defense among third basemen so far. Just 23, Bloom has legit star potential, featuring a 127 WRC+ and 3.1 zone rating (1.030 EFF) at third. It should be the first of many selections for Bloom, who's on pace to draw 140 walks in a 5 WAR season. Shortstop: The margins between Harry Barrell (.311, 1, 24, 9) and Stan Kleminski (.333, 2, 26, 5) are razor thin. Both are well above average hitters and fielders, the fielding edge to Barrell and the batting edge to Kleminski, and you could even make the case that Irv Clifford (.344, 2, 34, 7) deserves the starting spot because his 144 WRC+ is something you just don't see from shortstops. But since his defense has been below average and Kleminski's WRC+ isn't far off (139), Clifford's offense isn't enough to push him over. The final decision between Barrell and Kleminski came to Barrell's ten previous selections, and this season was a perfect year to give the breakout Kleminski his first selection. Left Field: If you hit .329/.431/.619 (170 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 6 triples, 13 homers, 46 RBIs, and a 180 WRC+, you deserve to be an All-Star. I don't care how good Larry Gregory (.299, 11, 57), Jesse Alvarado (.284, 19, 66, 6), and Paul Williams (.317, 12, 48) have been. Ben McCarty should be starting in left for the Fed. Center Field: In a normal season, Ernie Campbell (.315, 2, 24) and his 128 WRC+, 2.6 WAR, and 32 extra base hits would be enough for the selection. But in 1951, he's not even close. The decision is between young star Edwin Hackberry (.284, 13, 46, 8) and veteran star Rats McGonigle (.325, 8, 34, 8) who have both been worth 3.1 wins above replacement. Both have been excellent hitters, but with a 174 to 140 WRC+ edge for Rats, "The Ringer from Stringer" gets the vote from me. Right Field: I wish FABL regulations allowed us to vote for three outfielders instead of a specific, left, right, and center fielder, but instead I'm stuck picking between a group of middling right fielders while one of the many guys I listed already is stuck at home. A lot of this is caused by an early Bobby Barrell (.245, 3, 6, 2) injury, lasting just 27 games this season, so I'm going to go with a potential first time All-Star in Charlie J. Williams (.295, 8, 39). He's having a bit of a down season, but he has an elite 5.1 K% and is on a 39 double pace for the season. Starting Pitcher: There's never enough spots for pitching on the All-Star rosters, and it's almost impossible to pick just three. The easy choice is Ed Bowman (9-2, 2.71, 63), who has been selected in each of the last eight seasons, and again deserves the selection this year. He's on pace for another 20-win season and he ranks top three in all three triple crown categories, including his Fed leading 63 strikeouts. Consideration went out to Wally Hunter (8-3, 2.87, 42), Buddy Long (11-3, 3.29, 29), Hiram Steinberg (8-6, 2.82, 42), and Juan Tostado (7-4, 2.73, 38), but I used the final two spots on John Stallings (7-7, 2.48, 57) and Hal Hackney (9-5, 2.69, 58). The poor record may work against Stallings, but he's been one of the most dominant pitchers this season, with a 11.2 K% and 1.27 WHIP. Hackney has been even better, with a 1.17 WHIP and 58 strikeouts that are second to just Bowman. I wish all these guys could get in, but there's never enough room. Relief Pitching: Jiggs may not have voted for relievers, but that won't stop me! A lot of times there aren't deserving candidates, but the Pioneer's Russ Peeples (6-3, 9, 2.62, 23) is a clear exception. He's thrown 65.1 innings, a decent sized sample, and owns an excellent 167 ERA+, 2.77 FIP (63 FIP-), and is throwing at a 3 WAR pace. No one else has a candidacy as influential as him, but I'll use my second slot on Steve Groves (2-4, 6, 2.98, 17), who in 48.1 innings has helped keep games close for the Gothams. If only I could instead vote Juan Tostado... Continental Association Catcher: Last year Larry McClure (.260, 4, 36) rightfully ran away with the catcher spot in the Continental, but he's in somewhat of a sophomore slump that leaves the field wide open. You could still make the case for McClure, Solly Skidmore (.281, 4, 32), or Dan Smith (.269, 9, 42), who are all having solid, if unspectacular, years, but I'm going with the Saints Jess Garman (.225, 10, 36). The average might be low, but he's walking (35) twice as often as he strikes out (16), and his 10 homers lead all Conti catchers. It's more impressive when you consider the 24-year-old plays half his games at the spacious Parc Cartier, as he's the only Saint to hit double digit homers the week before the break.First Base: This might have been the easiest choice for me to make. Sure, Chuck Collins (.303, 13, 46) is having a re-breakout and reigning home run leader Bill Barnett (.274, 12, 39) is on pace for another 25 home run season, but neither can match Cougar slugger Red Bond (.338, 17, 45). He ranks third in homers and OPS (1.023) in the CA, and his .338/.417/.606 (167 OPS+) batting line leads all first basemen. It's crazy that this year's selection will be only the 4th time Bond has represented the CA in the midsummer classic. Second Base: Okay, I lied. This is the easiest choice. The Sailors' Al Farmer (.360, 11, 45) is the main reason they may enter the break up double digits, as the 25-year-old has more then double the WAR (4.6) of any other second basemen. He's been an extra base machine, contributing 15 doubles, 13 triples, and 11 homers, scoring 67 times, driving in 45, and drawing 30 walks. He's two points off the batting title and leads the CA in slugging (.619) and OPS (1.041) and looks to be the runaway Whitney winner for 1951. It also helps that no other second basemen is really standing out, though Joe Austin (.270, 5, 29, 10) and Jim Urquhart (.298, 1, 31, 16) could earn the nod in a weaker year. Charlie Rivera (.275, 3, 27, 6) would have a case too if he played more. Third Base: Considering he was just traded to the Dynamos, it feels weird picking Mack Sutton (.294, 18, 51), but he leads Conti third basemen in nearly every important category. Only Lloyd Coulter (.299, 11, 37) has a higher batting average, as Sutton has the highest OBP (.407), leads all third basemen in slugging (.558) by over 100 points, and has more homers, RBIs, and WAR (3.4) with the best WRC+ (157). I still can't believe the Stars moved him, but their pitching is weak, and the 39th ranked prospect Hub Armstrong is a potential #2 they could insert into their rotation today if they wanted to. For those who wouldn't want to vote for someone in the other association, Coulter or Luke Weaver (.267, 8, 49) are deserving candidates. Shortstop: At shortstop, you really only have two choices. There's former #1 prospect Ralph Hanson (.328, 3, 22, 11), who's hit great in his first full season as a starter, but he's been awful defensively and will miss the game with a high ankle sprain anyways. And then there is 8-Time All-Star Skipper Schneider (.248, 2, 28, 16), who hasn't really hit, but is tied for second with 16 steals and is in the midst of another otherworldly defensive season at short (11.1 ZR, 1.097 EFF). If Hanson was healthy, I'd probably go against the player I covered for many years in Chicago, but we want to see guys who can actually play in the game. Cleveland fans may point to Eddie Morris (.323, 4, 28), who's been productive in the eight spot, but he's a similar hitter to Hanson and an even worse defender. I see the case for him, but shortstop is a position where defense really matters, and with no standout candidate, give me the elite glove over the above average bat! Left Field: The CA is absolutely loaded with outfield talent, and seven of the eight teams offer a representative with a WRC+ above 120. There are even two above 140, the Cannons Mike T. Taylor (.333, 14, 48, 15) and the Forester's Joe Wood (.309, 9, 49) ,and it's almost impossible to pick between them. Taylor has an elite power/speed mix while Wood actually knows how to take a walk. But this is an All-Star game, and the fans want homers and steals, not walks, so I have to go with the veteran Taylor. His 151 WRC+ is hard to ignore, and the 33-year-old has a chance to break many personal bests this season. Wood, who's just 23, probably has a chance to make it as a reserve, but the early Kellogg favorite will have no shortage of opportunities to add an All-Star game selection to his trophy case. Center Field: This could have been a three horse race had Frenchy Sonntag (.311, 12, 43) stayed healthy, as even though he'll return in time for the game, he has just 180 PAs while the other frontrunners have 300 or more. That would be Billy Forbes (.323, 7, 54, 15) and Charlie Rogers (.362, 3, 37, 13), who both have WRC+ above 140 and are on a pace to surpass 8 wins above replacement. Both are even playing excellent defense, so I can't use that to break the tie, making this arguably the toughest call yet. In the end, I had to go with Forbes, who walks more and plays for the team leading the association. It's not fair to Rogers, sure, but it's just nice seeing the Sailors center fielder healthy and dominating, as he continues to show why he's one of, if not the best, center fielders in the game today. Right Field: I'm not sure what's wrong with Ralph Johnson (.288, 12, 39), who has almost no chance of being the CA WAR Lord for a fifth consecutive season, but the 3-Time Whitney Winner is playing more like an average outfielder then the bonafide star we've grown to know and love. Even if he was, it's hard to outperform Sherry Doyal (.352, 14, 64), who has hit .352/.443/.585 (160 OPS+) with a 177 WRC+, 23 doubles, 14 homers, and 64 RBIs in his first season as a right fielder. It should be the second selection for Doyal, who may give Al Farmer a run for his money in the Whitney if the Foresters can somehow close the gap between them and the leaders. Starting Pitching: Let's get it out of the way. I'm voting for Duke Bybee (8-4, 2.64, 50). I can't pass up the Cougars best pitcher this season, as he leads all CA SPs in WHIP (1.07), BB/9 (2.2), and quality starts (13), and he's top five in more things that aren't worth listing. I also have to go with reigning Allen winner Adrian Czerwinski (11-3, 2.72, 63), who's aiming for the elusive threepeat that got Tom Barrell into the Hall-of-Fame. "The Mad Professor" is the first CA hurler to double digit wins, and he's doing pretty much everything right as he's emerged as one of the best pitchers in the world. The hard part is picking a third, as it would have been Win Lewis (5-1, 2.83, 34) has he not blown out his elbow. There are too many guys who have been great, from Cougar co-aces Pete Papenfus (6-5, 3.04, 69) and Donnie Jones (9-4, 3.41, 66) to Jerry York (4-6, 3.34, 45) and Mickey Mills (5-7, 3.24, 48), who deserve far more than their records who. But I have to give it to a 1940 All-Star who has defied all expectations this season, Lou Robertson (7-3, 3.02, 41), as he's been lights out starting games for the first time since 1942. How many pitchers go from pen fodder on the waiver wire to a legit starter with a 3.02 ERA (145 ERA+) and 3.53 FIP (80 FIP-). I'm telling you, there's something in the water in Philly! Relief Pitching: Rightfully, the CA save leader David Molina (4-7, 10, 7.42, 13) isn't eligible for the ballot, as he's walked 37 batters in 40 innings and allowed runs in 11 of his first 18 outings and 14 of the 34 in the season. He's who I would have expected to pick here, but instead, I can go with two swingmen who have actually started some games. Jackie James (2-4, 8, 3.00, 22) has been excellent for the Sailors, and like with Robertson, he came off waivers from the Brooklyn Kings this offseason. He has an even 3.00 ERA (146 ERA+) as both a starter and reliever, with most of his time coming out of the pen. The other is Pete Ford (5-4, 3.08, 38), who has started 7 of his 20 games for the Saints while functioning as either a shutdown reliever or a reliable starter. While a lot of the starters I listed above are far more worthy, at least James and Ford have both pitched a fair amount of innings and done well in the roles they were put in. CHARLIE BARRELL DEBUTS AT #4 ON OSA PROSPECT PIPELINE Looks like OSA, the league scouting service, agrees wholeheartedly with the Cincinnati Cannons that Charlie Barrell was the right choice at #1 in the FABL draft. The Noble Jones College three sport star, who turns 21 the day after the all-star game, quickly agreed to a minor league deal with the Cannons last week and was immediately slotted in as the fourth best prospect according to the OSA. The Los Angeles born second baseman, son of late football star and movie Tarzan Joe Barrell, was a 3-time baseball All-American at Noble Jones College while also excelling on the basketball court, where he helped the Colonels to a perfect season and a national title his sophomore year. He spends his fall throwing pigskins as the quarterback of the Colonels grid squad. Rumours suggest part of the deal was that the Cannons would allow Barrell to leave the club in September and return to school for his senior season of football and basketball, but it is not known if that plan changes should Charlie make it to the big leagues by then. While a handful of players through the years have gone straight from the college campus to the majors, including pitchers John Stallings and Eli Panneton, it is not known yet whether the same is in store for Charlie or if he will begin his pro career at one of the Cannons minor league affiliates. Three other early signings to manage to crack the OSA top twenty-five prospects led by New York Gotahms 16th overall selection Jim Allen, an outfielder from Opelika State-Montgomery who sits 7th on the prospect list this morning, Kentucky high school first baseman Dick Green selected 8th overall by the Philadelphia Keystones is 17th. At 22nd on the list is 18-year-old outfielder Hank Williams who was drafted with the fifth pick by the Brooklyn Kings and slotting it at #25 is Hugh Ferebee, an 18-year-old centerfielder from Texas that was the Chicago Chiefs first pick, 12th overall. Here is a look team-by-team at some of the early signings. BOSTON- Top early round signing so far is Roy Rogan, a centerfielder out of St. Francis (OH) College who was a fourth round selection. The Minutemen, already loaded with talented young outfielders, have to be happy to see Rogan listed at #78 on the OSA pipeline. First rounder Mike Quigley, a Chicago born high school pitcher, is also signed but ranks just outside the top 100 at #110 on the OSA list. BROOKLYN- The big news in Brooklyn is first rounder Hank Williams is signed and the 18-year-old debuts at #22 on the OSA list. Second round selection Alex Hafer, an 18-year-old lefthander is also signed and ranks 178th on the OSA list. Also of note is 3rd round selection Howdy Bloom, an 18-year-old catcher who is signed and ranked at #194 by OSA while 8th rounder Charlie Davis, a pitcher out of a California high school is also signed and slots in at #253 on the scouting service list. CHIEFS- As mentioned above 18-year-old San Antonio, TX. centerfielder Hugh Ferebee was the Chiefs first rounder selection and OSA has him as their 25th best prospect. Second rounder Jim Upchurch, a high school first baseman makes the OSA list at #122. COUGARS- The Cougars have yet to come to terms with any notable draft picks. CINCINNATI- The big news is Charlie Barrell is signed and #4 according to the OSA list of best prospects in the game. The question is where will Charlie make his debut and is skipping the minors and going straight to Cincinnati a possibility. Second round selection Tom Wood, a high school first baseman has not signed yet but third rounder Joe Schorr, an 18-year-old pitcher from Jackson, OH., is and ranked #225 by OSA. CLEVELAND- Four Foresters draftees rank in the top 230 by OSA highlighted by first rounder Al Beck, a high school second baseman that is 48th on the scouting service list. Second rounder Bob G. Murphy, a shortstop is 140th and maybe overshadowed by third round selection Herb Mills. Mills, an 18-year-old first baseman cracks the OSA top 100 at #95. 6th rounder Joe Sutton, a high school outfielder, is 230th on the OSA list. DETROIT- Detroit's top two picks are both signed, and both highly thought of by OSA. First rounder Dick Tucker, a shortstop, sits 27th on the scouting service list while second rounder Jim Norris, a college pitcher out of East Texas State adds to the Dynamos deep collection of pitching prospects with his appearance at #53 on the OSA list. Also of note is another college pitcher, Jack Knudson of the AIAA champion Carolina Poly Cardinals is 158th on the OSA list after being selected in the 8th round by the Dynamos. 4th rounder Freddy Barrell, son of the Toronto manager and former Brooklyn standout catcher Fred Barrell, is signed but was not ranked in the top 500 by OSA. MONTREAL- Saints first round choice Bob Porter has not yet signed but high school pitcher Andy Loque, their second round selection is under contract and ranked at #238 by OSA. Third rounder Joe Morgan, fifth round pick Charlie Earl and sixth rounder Jackie Quinn are all signed but did not crack the top 500. NY STARS- A nice surprise for the Stars is seeing Frank Brown, a high school pitcher from Philadelphia that they selected in the 7th round, debut inside the top 500 at #386 on the prospect rankings. The only one of their first five selections to sign quickly was third round selection George Bernard, an 18-year-old outfielder. Bernard debuted #171 on the OSA list. NY GOTHAMS- The Gothams have to be thrilled to see first round pick Jim Allen, a college outfielder, join 1950 first overall selection Earl Howe inside the top ten. Third round selection Zeb Stevens, an 18-year-old righthander, is signed and #213 on the OSA list. Second round choice Art Becker and fourth rounder Joe Roettger remain unsigned. KEYSTONES- Dick Green, an 18-year-old first baseman some are tabbing as the next Rankin Kellogg, is signed and the 8th overall pick has debut comfortably inside the top twenty five prospects at #17 on the OSA list. Second round selection Jack Cornell has not yet agreed to a contract but shortstop Tommie Williams, the Keystones third round selection, has signed and is #248 on the OSA list. SAILORS- Perhaps some disappointment as pitcher Don Hillshire, the Sailors first round pick, debuts at only 251st on the OSA rankings. The news is somewhat better for catcher Dixie Williams as the Sailors second round choice slots in at #170 on the OSA list. The news is not all bad as Ray Hill, a centerfielder out of Alabama Baptist, cracked the top 10 at #96 despite being a 6th round draft pick and pitcher Bud Henderson, chosen in round three, is #102 on the prospect pipeline. 8th round selection Cliff Seiler, a catcher also cracked the top 200 at #184. PITTSBURGH- No Miners draft picks have signed as of yet. ST LOUIS- No Pioneers draft picks, including #2 overall Rex Pilcher, have signed as of yet. TORONTO- The struggling Wolves desperately need an influx of talent and early indications are this draft will certainly help in that regard as each of their top two picks are signed and cracked the OSA 100. First round selection Jim Montgomery, a high school pitcher out of Michigan, slots in at 80th on the scouting service list while second rounder Larry Curtis, a college outfielder from West Goshen State, proves to be the big find as the 22-year-old is 31st in his first OSA ranking. The news was not so good on third round selection Bill Crawford as the high school third baseman did not crack the top 500 but 7th round Harvey Nimz, a centerfielder did at #462 on the OSA prospect pipeline. WASHINGTON- No Eagles draft picks have signed as of yet. GRACE PROMOTED TO BIG CLUB The Chicago Cougars have announced that 82nd ranked prospect Elmer Grace will have his contract purchased from AAA Milwaukee for the coming week. The 24-year-old shortstop has excelled in the Cuban Winter League, and is hitting .290/.400/.435 (139 OPS+) with a 150 WRC+ in 57 games at Milwaukee. The former 4th Rounder added 12 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 32 runs, 39 walks, and 27 RBIs, and will enter the Cougars lineup as the everyday second basemen. This pushes George Sutterfield (.263, 6, 30, 12) to the hot corner, and ends the second stint in the organization for Hal Wood. Wood, recently 37, was acquired in a six-player deal with the Wolves last season, has seen his production completely plummet this season. He's hit just .235/.332/.296 (67 OPS+) in 64 games, a far cry from the .312/.401/.487 (125 OPS+) he post4ed last season. In 1,341 FABL games, mostly with Toronto, he owns a .294/.364/.388 (112 OPS+) career line with 1,280 hits, 234 doubles, 32 triples, 37 homers, and 553 RBIs. The Cougars made early offers to only three of their draft choices, but none have agreed to terms as of yet. That is good news for the incumbent Class C Lions who have a little more time to show off why they deserve their roster spots. The Class C season gets underway tomorrow. TALES FROM THE LAIR Better Week For Wolves -The Wolves go 2-3 for the week to end June at 9-19 which is not good but better than the 6-24 record the team posted in May. The two victories came in a three game series while playing Cincinnati. First it was an 8-6 win on Monday to snap a 5 game losing streak in a game in which both Kirby Copeland, Hank Giordano had 3 RBI. Charlie Zimmerman was the winner helped by Zane Kelly who posted his FABL save. After losing on Wednesday 5-1 the bats came alive again in the rubber match of the series in a high scoring 7-5 win for the Wolves led by Wally Boyer's 5th HR of the year along with Tony Ballinger's 3 for 4 effort. Toronto played host to CA leading Philadelphia for a short two game weekend series. In a story that is becoming all to familiar to the team, fans of the Wolves the game was tied 2-2 going into the ninth after George Garrison had worked out of continual jams through 7. Jimmy Gibbs pitched a clean 8th inning before giving up 3 straight singles uncorking a wild pitch then a 3-run homer to Cotton Dillon with 2 out to lose 6-2. Before heading out for a 21 game road trip that includes 3 twin bills, interrupted by the mid-summer classic, the Wolves were one hit by Charlie Gordon who ran his record to 9-5 with complete game 4-0 shutout. There is news throughout the minors. The Wolves signed seven recent draftees. Pitchers Willie Banks and Herm Loncar both 21, along with 18-year-old Jim Montgomery, Toronto's first round pick, will begin their professional journey in Tuscaloosa along with 18 year old's 3B Bill Crawford, SS Phil Allen and college OFers in Harvey Nimz and Larry Curtis. CF Carl Clark, 2B Dick Webb were named Player of Week in the Dixie and Heartland Leagues respectively. The biggest news is that first overall pick in '47 Les Ledbetter will join the Wolves staff in Cleveland. In his five seasons in the minor leagues, including two in the Cuban Winter League, Ledbetter has an overall of record of 38-51 with a 5.08 era. He has struggled in a season and a half at AAA until the past month in which he posted a 3-0 record win 5 starts with a miniscule 0.73 ERA mostly by cutting down his free pass rate. The move to the next generation continues in Toronto. Manager Fred Barrell "With his start to the season all indications were that we would not see Ledbetter until 1952. Then in June things turned around in a very positive way for him. We kept getting reports that he has "finally figured it out" with his last start against Charleston on Thursday clinching the deal. He went into the eighth giving up only one run on 8 hits with 8 strikeouts but more importantly only 1 walk on 102 pitches. With our upcoming trip it makes sense for him to start his, hopefully long, FABL career on the road with a little less pressure on him. He will not be pitching on a contending team so he can find his way over the summer. I would caution fans that there will most likely be ups and downs for Les as he faces the best hitters on the planet, we have confidence he will find his way by improving over the summer. I expect to use him twice this week as starter in the backend of both doubleheaders Wednesday in Cincy then again Sunday to face the Sailors." HELP ARRIVES FOR STRUGGLING OFFENSE It will be interesting to see if the newest Dynamo who also happens to be a former Dynamo is voted to the Continental Association All-Star team. That would be third baseman Mack Sutton, who spent some time in Detroit half a dozen years ago and now returns following a trade with the New York Stars. Sutton leaves the Stars as the current CA homerun leader with 20 and will be counted on to provide some much needed offense for the local nine. The Dynamos also quietly made a hitting coach change, discarding Jim Webb after 14 years in the role - many of those with the Detroit offense getting the blame for the club's failure to compete for a flag. The blame, or credit with a little luck and maybe some big help from Sutton, will now rest on the shoulders of Andy Williams. Williams is 63 years old and a baseball lifer. He was never a great player but lasted over a decade in the big leagues as a third baseman despite a .235 career batting average. Most of his time was spent on the bench, watching and learning. After his playing days were done, he managed in the minors for a stretch, and won a Southeastern League title one year, before joining the Pittsburgh Miners as their hitting coach in 1939. He helped the Miners win a pair of pennants and spent more than a decade in Pittsburgh before being let go following the 1949 season. After a year and a half out of the game he is back and will be counted on to help get the Dynamos offense firing. *** My Federal Association All-Star Ballot *** The all-star game is just 8 days away as the best in the game are set to gather in Toronto, a city that lately has been home to the worst in the game, commonly known as the Wolves. Our Federal Association stars halted a 4-game losing skid with a win over the best of the Continental Association last year in New York. Here is who I feel should be in the starting lineup for the Fed at Dominion Stadium next Tuesday. CATCHER: This might have been a more difficult choice had Boston's Bill Van Ness not been injured earlier this month but even if he was healthy I think I would still be taking Gothams great George Cleaves to lead my team. Cleaves (.280,10,29) is not having a great year but still gets my pick in a position that is sorely lacking in depth across the loop. FIRST BASE: Our own Dick Estes, the Chiefs Tiny Tim Hopkins, Sig Stofer in Washington and a rising young star in Boston's Danny Taylor speak of the depth at this position but the pick has to be Gothams slugger Red Johnson (.300,20,64) SECOND BASE:Call me a homer but I am going with the Dynamos Del Johnson (.286,4,25) as my selection although a case could certainly be made for a number of others like Tom Jeffries, Artie D'Alessandro and Frank Kircher, who has been a real surprise in St Louis this season. SHORTSTOP: Harry Barrell or Stan Kleminski. A part of baseball royalty or the breakout season we have been waiting for from the 24-year-old Detroit shortstop. I want to pick Kleminski (.333,2,26) but who knows how many more chances Harry Barrell (.311,1,24) will get to start an all-star game. Kleminski is on the team but let's give the start to future Hall of Famer Barrell. THIRD BASE: If I could newest Dynamo Mack Sutton (.294,18,51) would get a write-in vote but I can't so instead it will be another New York Gotham in Roosevelt Brewer (.346,1,32) LEFT FIELD: Larry Gregory had a slow start in St Louis but is coming on, just not quick enough to supplant Boston' Ben McCarty (.329,13,46) from being my choice. CENTER FIELD: Say what you want about Rats McGonigle in Washington or the season Ernie Campbell is putting up in Pittsburgh but the choice is obvious. Edwin Hackberry (.284,13,46) of Detroit is the clear pick in my mind. RIGHT FIELD: Wish I could shift Gregory or McGonigle to left but based on the names on the ballot my choice is yet another member of those dreaded Gothams: Flipper Robinson (.305,5,47) PITCHER: We are allowed to select three starting pitchers and it is a tough choice but I will go with a pair of Gothams in Buddy Long (11-3, 3.29) and Ed Bowman (9-2, 2.71) along with Detroit's Wally Hunter (8-3, 2.87) but there were at least 3 others I wanted to select. KEYSTONES INK TOP DRAFT PICK First round pick Dick Green has signed with the Keystones, debuting at #17 on the prospect list. Offers have been made to the top five Keystones selections, with Green, third-round selection SS Tommie Williams, and fifth-round pick 1B Win Davis signing their deals and reporting to camp. It is open speculation where Green will start his professional career, but Williams and Davis will be ticketed for Class C Beaumont. Green, like Williams and Davis, are fresh out of high school, but team officials have told us that Green will be on the fast track to the major leagues. There is an easy opening at first base in Bakersfield (B), but Allentown (A) is a likelier destination with New Orleans (AA) not being ruled out yet. The farm system has risen to #3 in the rankings on the strength of these signings, as well as CF Buddy Miller, who has moved from the 12th-best prospect in the league before the season to #2 in the latest rankings, only trailing Earl Howe of the Gothams. Time for a change? Floundering is not the right word. A team that's is in third place 3.5 games out as we near mid-season isn't floundering. However a team that has spend the past three weeks losing as much, or more, than they win, has issues. Getting swept by one of your close competitors is a sign of trouble. And there is one place to point all your fingers on this Gothams teams. Pitching. Something has to change. Too many games have been given away. The team leading the FA in most hitting categories cannot win consistently. Ed Bowman (9-2, 2.71) is having another stellar season. Buddy Long (11-3, 3.29) is having his best year since coming over from Brooklyn in 1948. Steve Groves is having his usual strong season in the pen. And that's about it. The Gothams can hit enough to cover Joe Brown's league average stuff, but too often Lefty Allen or Jimmy Maness surrender more than even the Gothams stacked lineup can handle. Then there's the remainder of the pen. Sam Jordan and Johnny Waits, surrendering leads, or Lou Eaker not setting up Groves. Something has to give. Word I'm hearing is that moves will be made within the organization in addition to a strong effort to bolster the rotation via trade, before the deadline. Would the Gothams use some of that offense in a deal for pitching? With past GM Tom Ward back in the front office, anything is possible. Notes - Lefty Allen did manage a win this week, number 250 for his career.
TORONTO TRIO HIGHLIGHTS NAHC FREE AGENTS Expect there to be plenty of interest in a trio of now former Toronto Dukes as NAHC clubs begin to bid on players with expired contracts. That list of free agents is headed by Lou Galbraith, the 23-year-old first-team All-Star left winger who refused to sign with the Toronto Dukes. The Dukes are said to be still looking at making a last ditched effort to get the Winnipeg native who scored 53 points on Toronto's top line with Quinton Pollack and Les Carlson to return to Toronto but they will now likely face bidding competition from each of the five other NAHC teams. Galbraith is not the only key contributor to the Dukes back to back Challenge Cup wins of a few years ago. Defenseman Clyde Lumsen and veteran center Bobbie Sauer also did not resign. Sauer is 36 and said to be contemplating retirement after an injury plagues campaign that limited him to just 24 games last season but will likely have teams lining up for his services should he decide to return. Lumsen, 25, was a 1945 fourth round pick who has patrolled the Dukes blueline for the past six seasons. Earlier in the week another experienced Toronto defenseman in Frank Featherstone was released. Both are expected to find employment with another NAHC club although the Dukes may also try to reenter the bidding for Lumsen. Others available to the highest bidder are expected to be 35-year-old Boston defenseman Len Bentley, a 5-time Cup winner, and 34-year-old Bees winger Joe Morey who struggled this season with just 7 points in 30 games. Morey was a key contributors on 4 Challenge Cup winning Boston teams and was the NAHC's top point producer in the 1945-46 season. Several veteran Chicago Packers are also now free agents including Wes Burns, older brother of Packers captain Tommy Burns. The 34-year-old Burns, who appeared in just 20 games for the Packers last season scoring 10 points, may draw some interest but -much like Morey and Sauer- his best days are clearly behind him. Chicago could not or decided against resigning 26-year-old defenseman Joe Fleming along with a pair of 27-year-old forwards in David Rankin and Chris Broeke. Fleming will likely draw the most interest as a steady middle-pair defender. Detroit has not resigned a pair of forwards in Bob Kelly and Gil Corbeil. Kelly, 27, spent the entire year with the Motors but was in and out of the press box appearing in 39 games while tallying 8 points. Corbeil, the former New York Shamrock, was outright released last week after collecting 9 points in 39 games for Detroit during a season split between the big club and the Buffalo Bears of the HAA. New York does not have any unsigned players testing free agency while Montreal only has minor league goaltender Pat Beliveau, a 26-year-old who was originally a 6th round pick of Detroit in 1944 and has primarily played for Syracuse of the HAA but did appear in 15 games for the Valiants between 1947 and 1949. https://i.imgur.com/cOwueSl.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/O4dytfw.jpg TWIFS QUARTERLY BOXING RANKINGS https://i.imgur.com/TniNqA4.jpeg RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/01/1951
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July 9, 1951 All-Star rosters revealed
The best of baseball will gather in Toronto tomorrow evening for the 19th annual all-star game but forgive fans if they are confused and think it is a rematch of last year's World Championship Series. The reason for the mistake is understandable when you consider the fact that the defending World Champion Cleveland Foresters and reigning Federal Association pennant winning New York Gothams each will be sending seven players to Toronto.
Five of the Gothams attendees will be starting the game as the fans voted Gothams catcher George Cleaves along with infielders Red Johnson, Tom Jeffries and Roosevelt Brewer to the starting lineup while New York manager Bud Jameson, who will pilot the Fed entry, called on his ace Ed Bowman to be the starting pitcher although that might change as Bowman threw 120 pitches Sunday in a 5-2 win over Detroit for his 11th victory of the season. Cleveland manager Pinky Howard, who will guide the Continental entry, will also have some familiar faces in the starting lineup as catcher Larry McClure and outfielder Sherry Doyal were both voted to begin the game and two-time Whitney Award winner Adrian Czerwinski is the slated starting hurler for the CA. That, too, may change as Czerwinski also pitched yesterday in a win at Cincinnati. Every team had at least one player selected with only the New York Stars assured of not having a representative appear in the game. Shortstop Ralph Hanson, the only Star named to the Continental squad, still has not recovered sufficiently from a sprained ankle suffered two weeks ago and will not play in the game. ALL-STARS BY TEAM CLEVELAND- 7 Adrian Czerwinski (2), Larry McClure (2), Jim Urquhart (2), Lloyd Coulter (1), Eddie Morris (1), Frenchy Sontag (1), Sherry Doyal (2) NY GOTHAMS- 7 Ed Bowman(9), Buddy Long (6), Steve Groves (3), George Cleaves (13), Red Johnson (9), Tom Jeffries (2), Roosevelt Brewer (2) BROOKLYN- 6 Joe Potts (1), Roy Schaub (1), Dan Smith (1), Chuck Collins (1), Charlie Rogers (1), Ralph Johnson (5) DETROIT- 4 Wally Hunter (1), Del Johnson (2), Stan Kleminski (1), Edwin Hackberry (5) SAILORS- 4 Jackie James (1), Solly Skidmore (3), Al Farmer (1), Billy Forbes (2) ST LOUIS-4 Hal Hackney (2), Russ Peeples (2), Frank Kirchner (1), Larry Gregory (5) COUGARS-3 Duke Bybee (2), Pete Papenfus (5), Red Bond (4) PITTSBURGH- 3 Irv Clifford (2), Paul Williams (1), Charlie J Williams (1) BOSTON- 2 Eddie Whitney (1), Ben McCarty (2) CINCINNATI- 2 Chuck Adams (2), Mike T. Taylor (2) MONTREAL- 2 Wally Doyle (1), Pete Ford (1) KEYSTONES- 2 Sam Ivey (1), Roger Cleaves (4) WASHINGTON- 2 Juan Tostado (1), Rats McGonigle (6) CHIEFS- 1 John Stallings (2), NY STARS- 1 Ralph Hanson -injured (1) TORONTO- Jerry York (1) CLEAVES TIES ALL-STAR GAME SELECTION RECORD Looking at the make-up of the All-Star Game rosters one can't help but feel like a changing of the guard is occurring in baseball. So many of the great names that seemed to be fixtures of mid-summer classic games in the best are conspicuous by their absence. Names like Adam Mullins, Harry Barrell, Sal Pestilli, Mel Carrol, Fred McCormick and of course Bobby Barrell were overlooked this time around as while all are still active, they are in or approaching the twilight of their careers. There was one notable exception and that would be 37-year-old George Cleaves, who remains the dean of the FABL catching fraternity. The long-time Pittsburgh Miner is now a New York Gotham, and has been for five years now, but is consistently the best catcher in the game, even with his half-brother Roger Cleaves nipping at his heels. With the exception of the three seasons George missed while serving in WWII, he has not been absent from an all-star game since 1940 and this year marks the 13th time Cleaves has been selected to play for the Federal Association squad. His first All-Star game appearance came in the 1934, the second year of the spectacle and now with 13 selections he is tied with Bobby Barrell for the most all-star game selections in FABL history. SECOND TIME TORONTO WILL HOST MID-SUMMER CLASSIC The 1951 all-star game, set for Dominion Stadium in Toronto tomorrow night, will mark the third time the game has been contested on Canadian soil and the second time at Dominion Stadium. The 1937 contest- the fourth all-star game- is also the longest on record as it took 19 innings for the Federal Association stars to double the Continental side 4-2 in a game that was tied at one until the Feds plated three in the top of the 19th frame. The CA nearly extended it further, scoring once and having Jack Cleaves of the Philadelphia Sailors ground into a game ending double play with the bases loaded. The only other Canadian all-star game was in 1943 when Montreal's Parc Cartier played host to a 7-3 win for the Continental stars. The series itself is tied at nine victories apiece as we prepare for the 19th annual installment of the July baseball showcase. The Continental Association won four straight between 1946 and 1949 to take the series lead for the first time but the Federal stars evened the series with a 4-0 victory a year ago at New York's Gothams Stadium. That game was a pitchers duel for eight scoreless innings before one swing of the bat - a grand-slam homer from Gothams slugger Red Johnson off of Donnie Jones of the Cougars ended the evening. PILCHER SIGNS WITH PIONEERS AND ROCKETS TO TOP OF PROSPECT PIPELINE Rex Pilcher has signed with the St Louis Pioneers and the second overall pick in the 1951 FABL draft was immediately named the top prospect in baseball according to the OSA. The 21-year-old from Ohio Poly, who last month was named the winner of the Christian Trophy as the top player in college baseball, is being counted on to help St. Louis fans forget Sherry Doyal - the all-star outfielder the Pioneers dealt to Cleveland in the trade that brought Hiram Steinberg to the Pioneers. No word yet from St Louis management as to where the Buckeye Bomber will begin his pro career but some are speculating he may debut in AAA. First overall selection Charlie Barrell, a three-time finalist for the Christian Trophy and now #6 on the prospect rankings, made his debut with the Cannons organization at Class B. Barrell, the 20-year-old three sport star from Noble Jones College, hit .267 while smacking 2 homers in his first 7 games of pro ball. Other signings last week include third overall selection Bob Porter, as the high school third baseman agreed to terms with the Montreal Saints. Porter also cracked the top ten in the OSA rankings, debuting just ahead of Barrell at #5 on the list. Chicago Cougars 11th overall selection Jack Craft, a third baseman who just turned 18 last week, is 36th on the scouting service rankings while a second Cougar, Oklahoma born teen age pitcher Allie Eddy -their second round selection- also cracks the top 100 at #71. The Pittsburgh Miners lead the way with three signings this week that make the OSA 100. The first is Sam Fitchett, the #6 in the draft and the first pitcher selected, is #60 on the OSA list while third rounder Doug Lucas, an infielder from Louisiana who won the Adwell Award as the top high school player this year, cracks the top 100 at #74. Finally the Miners second round selection, high school second baseman Wayne Jackson, is ranked at #93 by the OSA. Other new signings to make the top 100 are California teen Doc Clay, a righthanded pitcher from San Francisco that was the 7th selection of the opening round by the New York Stars and is listed at #55 by the scouting service, along with Gothams second rounder Art Becker, a college outfielder who claims the 78th spot. Cannons second round Tom Wood, a high school first baseman is 80th and Boston second rounder Sam Hannah, a college first baseman debuts at 89th on the scouting service list, two spots below the Minutemen's fourth round pick college outfielder Ray Rogan who signed last week and is 87th on the OSA list. Don't look now but your Montreal Saints are the hottest team in baseball. The All-Star break probably could not have come at a worse time but the Saints enter the break riding high thanks to a 9 game winning streak. There is still much work to be done if the club is going to join the Philadelphia Sailors and Cleveland Foresters in a flag race - Montreal trails the front running Sailors by nine and a half games still and is seven and a half back of the Foresters but now there is hope. There is also plenty of good news. Let's start with word that pitchers Wally Doyle and Pete Ford both been selected to make the trek to Toronto and play in the all-star contest, a first for each of them. Then there is the positive news on the injury front that outfielder Bill Greene is finally in good health again after missing three weeks with a muscle strain. Greene will be sharing the load in CF with Bill Elkins, although both are struggling this season to get a decent batting average. In right field Ed Whitney is getting the regular roster spot of late and starting to build some confidence, batting .286 with 7 round-trippers. Starting pitcher Bert Cupid is doing much better recently which helps explains the last winning streak. Aside from the 3-day interruption for the all-star break, this Montreal winning streak came at just the right moment in the season as the Sailors are in slump (2-8 in last 10 games). Meaning their lead on Montreal dropped from 15 games to its present 9.5 in a very short time. Yes, there still is a long way to go, but the last week is turning that up/down season into a potential exhilarating second half for Montreal fans. On the draft prospect side the news is also good as 1st round selection Bob Porter, a third baseman out of a St. Louis area high school, signed with the team last week and promptly appeared as the#5 ranked prospect on the OSA list. Montreal did not assign him to any minor league team yet, but talks is they may try him with their A Evansville team to start. Several other prospects signed with the team and most of them will take the road of Dubuque or Mobile to start their pro career. Some minor league baseball players currently in the system will be without a team by the end of the week to find a place for this new collection of young baseball players joining Montreal's organization. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Start Slow Finish Strong -The Wolves began a lengthy trip away from Dominion Stadium, which will host the All-Star Game, by dropping two to Cleveland then taking 2 of 3 in Cincinnati before, surprisingly, taking 3 of 4 from the slumping Sailors in Philadelphia. The three wins came after dropping the series opener Friday at Sailors Memorial Stadium including a doubleheader sweep on Sunday. The last game was a wild affair, finishing 12-10 after the Wolves scored 7 in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 10. That gave the team a winning record, 5-4, during a busy week. There also were costs to the week with both CF Wally Boyer, SP Charlie Zimmerman suffering back injuries severe enough to be put on the disabled list that will force them both to remain in Toronto while the team travels to Montreal and New York after the game between the Federal and Continental best on Tuesday. Highlights on the pitching staff were back to back complete games by both George Garrison, 1-0 in the first game Sunday, and Joe Hancock in a 7-3 win over the Sailors on Saturday. Zane Kelley is seemingly taking over as the "go to" arm in the 'pen. Les Ledbetter made two starts, the first was satisfactory while the second was one of the "tough outings" Manager Barrell said to expect as he finds his way. Ledbetter had control issues pitching on Sunday, walking 4 to go along with 7 hits in 3 IP. The team won both games so Ledbetter's record is still 0-0 in the FABL. Jerry York was the only Wolves player selected to the All-Star game on Tuesday which was fitting, he has pitched far better than 5-6 record would indicate of his 1951 performance. At the plate Tony Ballinger continues to prove he was ready for the big time with most other hitters struggling during the first week of July. Young John Wells' continues to struggle both at the plate and in the field with many fans calling for his demotion to Buffalo. Brett thinks that he should stay with the Wolves, hopefully he warms with the weather, as he has nothing left to prove in the minors. With Boyer out of action the door seemed to be opened for Ralph Miller to be summoned until he hurt his shoulder in Buffalo. Tom Davis, a 7th round pick in '47, who has posted .322/.427/.535 9 HR 36 RBI in 241 PA will be called up. He does not provide the range in CF Miller would so he may go into LF with Copeland in CF, Giordano in RF. Brett is hearing that SP George Garrison is being pursued by other teams. At 33 Garrison's recent performances may attract interest from pennant hopefuls. He is one of few the Wolves may be interested in moving at the trade deadline. The Sailors have come back to the pack, their lead has shrunken to 2 over Cleveland with Montreal, riding a 9 game winning streak, closing fast. The FA looks like a battle between Detroit, St. Louis, Gothams and Washington during the second half. The Wolves have shown in recent years that they are willing to trade veterans to contenders given a return of youngsters close to being big league ready, Toronto's FABL roster may get yet younger after the trade deadline. Fred Barrell thinks the team may have turned a corner, the fans can expect a better final three months from the Wolves. Expect to see lots of lineup experiments from the manager to find the right combinations.
SAWYER WILL FACE BRADLEY IN FINAL BOUT September 8 in Gothams Stadium The legendary Hector Sawyer has confirmed his final fight as a professional boxer will be against the number one contender in the latest This Week in Figment Sports boxing rankings. That would be Max Bradley, a 24-year-old from Merchantville, New Jersey, who scored a clear decision over Roy Madison a little less than two weeks ago. At 22-1-1, Bradley will be facing by far the biggest challenge of his young career - although he did beat highly ranked contender Lewis Jones recently, and will be venturing into a spotlight few have ever seen shine so brightly on a boxing ring. The focus of course will be on Sawyer as the legendary heavyweight, one who has held the ABF World Title for more than a decade, enters the ring for the final time in his historic career. Sawyer is 65-3-1 and has successfully defended his world title 17 times before. He has fought and beaten anyone who has dared consider himself a contender, but now at age 36 will an up and comer like Bradley be able to wear down the champ and put a damper on his goodbye fight. As previously announced the bout will take place in New York's Gothams Stadium and will be fought on September 8. Regardless of the outcome it is sure to be the fight of the year simply because it marks the end -one way or another- of Sawyer's legendary reign at the top of the boxing world. *** Middleweight Crown to Be Decided Friday *** Almost lost in the hoopla surrounding Sawyer is a reminder that there will be a world middleweight title fight this week. It will take place on Friday under the lights at Cincinnati's Tice Memorial Stadium as Millard Shelton makes his first defense since upsetting John Edmonds in Detroit to win the title in March. The Memphis native is 31-5 and considered a slight favourite to beat Mark McCoy, a 22-year-old from Kansas City with a 24-2 career record. It will be the first ABF title fight contested in the Queen City. SHELTON MIDDLEWEIGHT DEFENSE SET FOR FRIDAY Clearly Millard Shelton does not suffer from triskaidekaphobia as the ABF world middleweight champion had no qualms about setting the date for his first title defense to this Friday. That would be Friday the 13th and Memphis Millard will face young Mark McCoy for 15 rounds or less in the open air of Cincinnati's Tice Memorial Stadium. Many are still shocked that Shelton beat John Edmonds to win the middleweight crown in March but here he is, set to face an up and comer out of Kansas City by the name of Mark McCoy in what will be the first championship fight ever contested in the Queen City ballpark. It had originally been slated to take place last Friday but a scheduling conflict with the stadiums primary tenants, the Cincinnati Cannons, prompted the bout being bumped back a week. Shelton knocked Edmonds down in both the 14th and 15th rounds to score a victory over the former champ at Thompson Palladium in Detroit on March 17. After the bout, the 30-year-old slow talking Tennessean seemed as shocked as nearly everyone else in attendance that he was the new champion. There had been some call for a rematch with Edmonds but that will have to wait at least until the fall as McCoy, a 22-year-old from Kansas City who stopped Nathan Sears in April to run his record to 24-2, will be the opponent in Shelton's first attempt to defend his crown. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/08/1951
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July 16. 1951
JULY 16, 1951 ALL-STAR GAME OVERSHADOWED BY TRADING FRENZY Dynamos, Kings Make 13 Player Blockbuster, Cougars Conduct 3 Deals The gathering of baseball elite in Toronto for the all-star game saw the General Manager's take center stage in a wild trading frenzy which involved 23 players in four separate trades. The Chicago Cougars were the busiest club as they were involved in three different trades but it was the huge thirteen player deal that involved two All-Star game participants and a boatload of prospects that stole the show. That deal saw the Brooklyn Kings send 27-year-old three time Continental Association Whitney Award winner Ralph Johnson and fellow all-star game participant Dan Smith, a 26-year-old catcher, to Detroit along with 30-year-old pitcher Bob Arman. In exchange the Kings received what looks like Detroit's entire farm system. Going to Brooklyn will be five top-100 prospects in 18-year-old outfielder Ralph Capriotti (OSA#24), 22-year old outfielder John Morrison (#46) rookie big league pitchers Fred Washington (#50) and Walt Staton (rule five pickup) plus 19-year-old phenom Beau McClellan (#98) who has looked good at AAA this season. Brooklyn also adds 25-year-old pitcher Jack Entringer (#262), who has seen some limited time in Detroit and minor leaguers Elmer Saunders (#267), a 22-year-old catcher, Chet Harris (#201), a 24-year-old shortstop along with 20-year-ol pitcher Larry Rush (#157). Finally veteran catcher Adam Mullins, an 11-time All-Star rounding out his career, will also move to Brooklyn. The deal dramatically changes the future for both clubs. The Kings, in the middle of a lameduck season as they play out the string in their final season in Brooklyn before relocating to Kansas City next season, suddenly have a minor league system that is the envy of the league and while they are likely to suffer in the short-term, may just be a powerhouse for a decade as the young stars mature. Detroit, which has not won a pennant since 1929 and has endured a number of second place finishes and plenty of rebuilds along the way, is suddenly looking like a team that may just have the offense to compete with the Gothams and the pitching to match the St Louis Pioneers. Some might criticize this deal as too costly for Detroit's future but a look at Detroit's roster shows all of the key players, save for the recently acquired Mack Sutton are still on the right side of age 30. *** Cougars Deals Overshadowed *** The Brooklyn-Detroit trade overshadowed what was a very busy day for the Chicago Cougars, who were involved in three transactions earlier in the day. The first move saw the Cougars deal away veteran starting pitcher Jim Morrison in exchange for another all-star game participant. That would be Steve Groves, a very consistent relief pitcher that the Gothams will ship to the Midwest along with 22-year-old top 100 prospect Bert Preble, a centerfielder putting up some strong numbers in AAA but suddenly expendable with recent draft picks Jim Allen and Art Becker joining top-five prospect and 1950 first overall selection Earl Howe as the Gothams outfield of the future. The hope in Chicago is Groves can plug the hole in what has been a very leaky bullpen for the Windy City Kitties after David Molina's collapse this season. The Gothams are looking for Morrison, the long-time Toronto Wolves lefthander who was dealt to Chicago at the deadline last year, to provide some consistency to the back of the New York rotation. Trade number two for the Cougars saw them connect with a regular trade partner in the cross-town Chicago Chiefs. The Cougars dealt John Moss, a 29-year-old centerfielder who has looked very good at times but very bad at others, to the Chiefs in exchange for a trio of prospects highlighted by top-100 pitcher Bobby Crooks, a 19-year-old 1949 second round pick who is enjoying a solid season in Class B. Also going to the Cougars 19-year-old outfielder Curt Neville and 20-year-old catcher Johnny Hook. The Chiefs seem to have given up on the notion that their strong hitting rookie Rod Shearer has the chops to play center so the acquisition of Moss allows Shearer to shift to a corner outfield spot. The final deal for the Cougars was one that was sure to make Detroit resident Mrs. Schneider very happy as two of her baseball playing triplets are now teammates. Buddy Schneider, long-time Boston second baseman, has been dealt to the Cougars and likely will now for a middle infield duo with his brother Skipper, the Cougars shortstop. The move clears a spot in Boston for another of the terrific Minutemen prospects to play regularly. That would be Marshall Thomas, a top-15 prospect and 1947 first round pick expected to be called up from AAA. Minor leaguers Jim Williams and Cecil Burr will join the Boston organization. BREAKING DOWN THE BIG DEAL Wow. That's about all I could muster for the fist ten minutes after I got word that the arguably the most talented position player in all of baseball, Ralph Johnson, was packing his bags to go from Brooklyn to Detroit. In a whopping 13 player deal that sent Johnson, catcher Dan Smith, and pitcher Bob Arman to Detroit, the Dynamos may have just became the WCS favorite. Finally out of the gutter in runs scored, Johnson should help them stay out of it, as even in a "down" season he's hitting .304/.390/.478 (122 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 13 homers, and 46 RBIs. Selected to the All-Star game in each of his five seasons and a winner of three Whitney Awards, all Continental Association pitchers took a huge collective sigh of relief, as the 4-Time WAR Lord and consistent top finisher will no longer feast on them. Getting a player of this caliber is a huge win, regardless of cost, and the Dynamos were also able to get a really good battery with Smith and Arman. Catcher and outfield were the only two areas of weakness for Detroit, and even though their pitching staff has allowed the fewest runs in the association, they needed an experienced pitcher. Arman's 4.99 ERA (87 ERA+) is on the high side, but he has a much better 4.23 FIP (97 FIP-) and is one of the top strikeout arms. That's one thing the Dynamos don't have, as they rank 6th in strikeouts with no Carl Potter to set guys down on strikes. For Brooklyn, I can't believe they'd be willing to trade Johnson, but when you get a monster package in return, I can sort of understand it. Brooklyn has so many outfielders, that even after trading John Moss, Pat Petty, and Johnson in the past two years, they have a 22-year-old leadoff man with a 141 WRC+, a 23-year-old former 3rd Rounder hitting well over .300 with a double digit homer pace, and a 24-year-old named Bob Craig who's hit .342/.440/.474 (135 OPS+) in limited time. None of these guys come close to Johnson, though Charlie Rogers (the leadoff guy) is starting to look like a top-3 center fielder, but with so many young guys coming back they may be in better shape for the future. Detroit wins now, especially if they capture an elusive pennant, but along with veteran backstop Adam Mullins, they emptied the cupboard to get to where they are. Dynamos farmhands now account for 4 of the Kings top 7 prospects, headlined by the 22nd Ranked Ralph Capriotti who went 3rd Overall last draft. I think the best piece added might actually be Beau McClellan, a recently turned 19-year-old southpaw who is 7-7 with a 3.24 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts through 16 starts at AAA. He's got three good pitches and is pretty much FABL ready. With so many pieces coming back, Brooklyn has a pretty good shot to develop a star out of the package, but I don't think they'll be able to find someone as good as Ralph Johnson. Most players just don't come close. DOMINANT OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE LEADS CA TO ALL-STAR TRIUMPH The Federal Association usually is the one with the gaudy power numbers each season but in Tuesday's All-Star Game it was the Continental stars that embraced the long ball and rolled to a convincing 8-4 victory over the Feds in the 19th annual edition of baseball's mid-summer classic. It was also a rare moment for Toronto fans to see a home team record a victory as Dominion Stadium played host to the game and saw the CA take a 10-9 lead in the series. Chuck Adams of the Cincinnati Cannons, Billy Forbes of the Philadelphia Sailors and Cleveland's Lloyd Coulter all homered to pace the Continental attack with Coulter, who went 2-for-4 with three rbi's being named the game's Most Valuable Player. Duke Bybee of the Chicago Cougars earned the victory while the loss went to Federal Association starter Ed Bowman of the Gothams. The Continental Association struck quickly with the game's opening run. After Cleveland ace and two-time Allen Award winner Adrian Czerwinski retired the Federal batters in order to open the game, CA lead off man Mike T. Taylor greeted Fed starter Ed Bowman with a lead-off triple to start the bottom of the first inning. The Cincinnati outfielder would score the opening run on an rbi double off the bat of Sailors young second sacker Al Farmer, who was making his all-star debut. An inning later another Cincinnati Cannons star made the score 3-0 when Chuck Adams hit a two-run homer off Bowman after Eddie Morris had worked the Gothams ace for a two-out walk. The score would remain 3-0 until the Fed bats, which managed just two hits through the first five frames, finally got going. Rats McGonigle and George Cleaves, who had each singled earlier, hit back to back triples off Wally Doyle, who had entered the game to face McGonigle after Red Johnson walked. Before Pete Papenfus finally stopped the bleeding the CA lead was down to a single run at 3-2. The Continental stars answered with a run of their own in the home half of the sixth inning. Lloyd Coulter of Cleveland drove the run in after Chuck Collins was walked and Sherry Doyal hit by a pitch. All of this happened with nobody out but Hal Hackney settled down and got out of the jam without any further damage thanks in no small part due to back to back strikeouts of Frenchy Sontag and Ralph Johnson. The Federal Association cut the deficit back to a single run at 4-3 in the top of the seventh when Gothams slugging first basemen Red Johnson delivered a sacrifice fly but the Continental bats broke the game open in the bottom of the inning. Billy Forbes started a 3-run rally with a lead-off homer that ended Hal Hackney's day on the mound. Wally Hunter of Detroit fared no better as Sherry Doyal hit an rbi double before his Cleveland teammate Lloyd Coulter followed with a 2-run homer and suddenly the CA lead was extended to 7-3. The Feds did use another triple - this one off the bat of Boston's Ben McCarty to inch to within 3 runs in the top of the eighth inning but once more the CA had an answer. A throwing error by Detroit shortstop Stan Kleminski, playing out of position at third base for the Feds, led to Charlie Rogers scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the 8th to restore the 4-run Continental lead at 8-4. It would end that way as the lone Toronto Wolves representative on the Continental All-Star team took care of business in the ninth inning, allowing only a two-out walk to Paul Williams as he closed out the 8-4 victory. NOTES: Duke Bybee becomes the fourth Cougar pitcher to be the ASG winner, following Pete Papenfus (1941), Dick Lyons (1943) and Donnie Jones (1949). Ed Bowman loses the ASG a year after being named its MVP. Only once has the Continental Association scored more than 8 runs in a game. That was in 1948 when they prevailed 11-8. The CA did reach 8 once before - 1941 at Kings County when they doubled the Fed s 8-4, same score as this game. The four triples hit in the game is a new All-Star record as is three by one team which the Fed accomplished despite losing 4-2. The previous mark had been three triples hit in the 1943 game when Gail Gifford, Dick Walker and Jimmy Hensley each legged a three-bagger out. SAINTS WIN STREAK FINALLY SNAPPED AT 13 It went under the radar with all of the focus on the big trades and the all-star game but the Montreal Saints quietly won 13 consecutive ballgames and are closing to making the Continental Association flag chase a three team race. After starting July with 13 wins in a row the Saints dropped the back-end of a twin bill against Philadelphia yesterday but are now within 6.5 games of the front-running Sailors with the two-time defending champion Cleveland Foresters wedged in between the two. Montreal has a big couple of weeks ahead as they finish their three-game series with the Sailors today and will also play in Philadelphia twice next week. The Saints big stretch ahead will also include 8 games against Cleveland over the next 13 days. The New York Gothams made things tougher on themselves with a rough return after the all-star break. The Gothams dropped four of five to Washington and Philadelphia and now find themselves 6.5 games back of St Louis with the new-look Detroit Dynamos just a game behind the front-running Pioneers. Gothams brass has been talking, and reportedly very active in their search for more pitching, but it remains to be seen if the recent slump will impact the club's willingness to part with any of its key prospects. TIGER FAN PULLS PAGE OUT OF HIS OLD PLAYBOOK Last week will long be remembered as a key point in the history of the Detroit Dynamos. The question is will it be looked back on fondly as the day the Dynamos took the final steps towards ending a pennant drought that is 22 years and counting, or will it be another in a serious of miscues that saw the Detroit club part with future superstars like Red Johnson, Hank Koblenz, Pete Casstevens and Al Wheeler. It was a massive 13 player trade with Brooklyn that I am sure by now you know all the particulars about, and undoubtedly have an opinion one way or another. It is eerily reminiscent of that famous 1934 deal between the two clubs that sent future Hall of Famers Al Wheeler and Frank Vance from a sinking Detroit ship and saw they lead Brooklyn to what was finally the Kings first World Championship. Ironic perhaps too is that fact that the same two general managers, Tiger Fan and DD Martin, were involved in that trade just as they were this one. The two were on opposite sides back then and it was the Dynamos looking to rebuild and the Kings hoping to finally bring a winner to Brooklyn. Tiger Fan has never been afraid to make big trades. The Wheeler-Vance deal may have been his biggest in Brooklyn but there were plenty of others. When he moved on to Cincinnati he rejuvenated a horrible team that had just moved from Baltimore and through a series of big moves guided the Cannons to three straight flags. Since he joined Detroit five years ago, there has not been a big trade. Some had wondered if the magic was gone and questioned if his approach was just too patient for a team that feels like it has been rebuilding more often than not since that famous 1934 trade. Well, Dynamos fans, the rebuild is over. The farm system has been gutted but that is the price to pay when you want to bring in two all-stars, one of whom may just have been the best player in the Continental Association and has three Whitney Awards to back up that statement. All those prospects that had been acquired threw shrewd drafting by Tiger Fan and his predecessor the aforementioned Martin, are now gone. Are the Dynamos in a heap of trouble if the moves are not enough to hold off St Louis and New York and win the Fed flag this year. *** Flag is Goal, But Multiple Titles Remains Objective **** Yes, it will be disappointing if Detroit cannot prevail this season but hardly the end of the world. Remember, the Dynamos best pitcher- Allen Award winning 24-year-old Carl Potter has missed the entire season after blowing his arm out on opening day. Club officials are confident Potter will be back and as good as ever next season which really should give Detroit an even better chance to win it all in 1952. The prospects are gone but this team is still quite young and very well positioned for the future. How so, you ask? Well, here is a position by position breakdown of the new-look Dynamos. CATCHER: A weak link with the always underachieving Rick York is suddenly a strength with the addition of 25-year-old Dan Smith from Brooklyn. OSA lists Smith as the third best catcher in the game and he is an all-star in this his third big league season. York is now merely a capable backup, a role he is much better suited for, and while the team lacks an elite prospect at the position, Smith buys them plenty of time to develop one. FIRST BASE: Dick Estes, who recently turned 27, had a breakout season last year and is a two-time all-star hitting his peak. The plan was to move Estes back to the outfield and give 21-year-old rookie Dino Sharp, the 1948 third overall pick and a top twenty OSA prospect, the first base job but now Sharp becomes a backup and a pinch-hitter until such time he proves to be better than Estes. And that time may be rapidly approaching. Perhaps they platoon down the road or Estes eventually moves to the outfield but the Dynamos are set at first for at least a decade. SECOND BASE:Del Johnson is 28, just played in his second all-star game, and is the second best second baseman in the league according to OSA. For insurance the Dynamos have Dick Tucker, their first round draft pick (4th overall) this year who has a bright future and can play second base, shortstop or third base. SHORTSTOP: Stan Kleminski is just 24 and already in his fifth full season and considered by OSA to be the third best shortstop in the game. Dependable veteran Bob Montgomery is a solid backup and the future is covered with Tucker or 18-year-old Walter Watters. THIRD BASE: Mack Sutton, the power hitting 34-year-old just acquired from the New York Stars gives the Dynamos the best third baseman in the league according to OSA. Highly touted youngster Jim Gaiter is just 22 and lost his starting job when Sutton arrived by should be the long term solution at the hot corner. OUTFIELD: Edwin Hackberry is just 24 and already a five-time all-star. Newly acquired Ralph Johnson turned 27 last month and has also made 5 all-star appearances while winning 3 Continental Association Whitney Awards. I am not sure it matters who the third guy is in the outfield with these two but it is likely going to remain 26-year-old Pat Petty, another ex-King who arrived on opening day and so far has been slow to adjust to the Federal Association but there are hopes that will change. Detroit does like a pair of teenagers still in the system in Harl Smith and Harry Swain plus there are hopes that one of Joe Fulgham or Bill Morrison, both 23, may develop. If not the Dynamos are not worried as good outfielders are fairly easy to find. Superstar outfielders are much more difficult but Detroit now has two of them in Johnson and Hackberry. Ralph Capriotti and John Morrison, a pair of top prospects are gone and someday both may be as good as Hackberry and Johnson, but that was the cost needed to be paid to improve the team now. PITCHING: The Dynamos burned through a lot of potential the past year with deals sending away a plethora of big name prospects. Schaub, Armstrong, McClellan, Washington and Staton are five that all one day could be franchise aces. But the Dynamos needed to deal from their strength- which was pitching to address a weakness. Carl Potter will be back next year and hopefully return to the form that saw him win 92 games before his 25th birthday. Having a healthy Potter is essential for the Dynamos plans going forward although the emergence of 25-year-old Jack Miller, the resurgence of 29-year-old Wally Hunter and two dependable veterans in Bill Sohl and newcomer Bob Arman certainly help. The depth is certainly not what it was due to the trade but already there are signs of replacements coming. Jim Norris, a college pitcher selected in the second round last month is ranked 56th by OSA on the prospect pipeline and 8th rounder Jack Knudson, from Carolina Poly, cracked the top 200. Both looked very good in their debuts at AA so perhaps they will quickly develop into the back end of the rotation depth the club will now be looking for, as Sohl, Arman and Petrick -all over age 30- begin to age. *** Club Hopes To Remain Strong Long Term *** The core is young and the Dynamos brass sees no reason why they will not be a contender for many years to come in the Federal Association. There is a bit of risk in hoping that Potter returns at his peak next season, but if that happens the Dynamos mound staff will be in good shape. Maybe the Kings see all of these great prospects develop and become a dominant team, but the Dynamos would be just fine dealing with them in the World Championship Series for years to come. Of course, Detroit needs to win that first one and end a long drought, before thinking about multiple years of October baseball. In a move that sent shockwaves through the entire FABL, the Brooklyn Kings and Detroit Dynamos completed a blockbuster deal. The Kings sent 3-Time Whitney Award winning RF Ralph Johnson, All-Star C Dan Smith and SP Bob Arman to Detroit for a plethora of prospects. What is interesting is these 2 teams and GM’s hooked up on a blockbuster of a deal early in the 1935 season when Detroit sent RF Al Wheeler, 3B Frank Vance and SP Jack Beach to Brooklyn for a boatload of draft picks and prospects. In hindsight with the now Hall of Famer Wheeler and the very productive Vance, the Kings easily won that deal. What is also interesting is while the clubs and GM’s involved where involved in the '35 deal, the GM’s have switched teams back in the 45 off-season. But in both cases Martin traded the current major league players for the draft picks or prospects. So why did the 41-41 Kings make this move? It’s been noted that new Kings owner Chester Coleman, 45 was on the road with the Kings and held meetings with GM Martin and also met with Cincinnati owner John Tice. What was said in those meetings has only been speculation but the meetings with Tice were in regard to how he managed to move the Cannons from Baltimore to Cincinnati so successfully. During the press conference of today’s deal, GM Martin stated that he and Coleman spoke very opening and honestly about the future of the club and its prospects for being a profitable and successful club in the coming years in Kansas City. With the Kings at .500 and 13 games out of first in the Continental Association, the reality of the season was setting in. There was a lot of hopes for this season at the beginning of the year, but a middling start of the season saw the Kings at 26-34 and in 7th place only ahead of the woeful Toronto Wolves. While the club has gone 15-7 over the weeks heading into the All-Star game in Toronto, they have only made up 2 games on the surprisingly front-running Philadelphia Sailors. But Martin stated it wasn’t just the Sailors lead that led to this deal. “All season we have felt that we were perhaps lacking an arm that could help us be in serious contention. With our season numbers that, to me, has proven to be true. We have been in talks with several teams in regard to proven veteran starting pitchers, but as the season bore on and progress wasn’t made, we’ve decided that our future isn’t now. We had to address our needs and put this club in the best position possible to bring this organization a pennant. Despite our best efforts that will likely not be this season in Brooklyn and for that I apologize to the many fans who have supported us all these years.” I was able to speak with team owner Chester Coleman about his thoughts on the season and the deal that was announced. “I know some people in baseball will be outraged, some fans will be hurt and many will question why we have made this move," explained Coleman. "The answer is simple. I asked my GM if we could contend as is with the Cleveland Foresters, who I believe to be the best team in baseball. He said while he had hoped so at the beginning of the season, he did not feel the club as is would get past the Foresters in the near future. That’s why today we did this deal.” When I asked Mr. Coleman about his meetings in Cincinnati and Boston with the respective owners of those clubs, he stated it was just merely him picking the minds of some great organizations. Learning how the FABL works and how those clubs are successful organizations. Finally I asked the owner about the status of his front office and field staff since most are out of contract at the end of the season. Coleman stated “ Anytime a new owner steps into a business there is often a period of evaluation, planning and making sure you have the right people in the right seats in your organization. If this were a bus, you want to have the right driver for that bus if you want to get to the destination you set out to. I have met with our GM and I believe he knows where I want this organization to go. I wanted to ensure that the seat was filled with the right person, that will be comfortable with my club vision. I feel that me and DD are on that same direction now and I have given him a contract extension to stay with us as we move to Kansas City. We will now together go through and quickly determine that we have the right people, in the right seats to succeed in our organization's mission. Today we made a huge step in securing a profitable future for this organization.” So according to Coleman and Martin the Kings future is bright and set, just not the future of the Brooklyn Kings final season in Brooklyn. It will be interesting to see how the attendance goes the rest of the season. My guess is there will be less than 6,000 at the games next week. GOTHAMS DROP WHILE DETROIT MAKES A BIG ADDITION The Gothams were happy to add Jim Morrison to help steady their rotation. A group of 5 solid veterans should be enough with such a strong lineup. Then it happened news of Detroit landing Ralph Johnson sent people running through the Gothams offices. "Why weren't we in on Johnson" was heard more than once. Rest assured, you team was not sleeping. Offers were made. Brooklyn preferred the larger package of players from Detroit. So now, 6 and a half out, what should the team do? "We will continue to pursue any player who can have a positive impact on our major league club", Assistant GM Tom Johnson assured us. Apparently everyone is on the table in an effort to return to the Championship Series. Notes - Last year's first round selection Earl Howe has been promoted and will join this year's top pick, Jim Allen, in the AAA Toledo outfield. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Close to Wins -After the short break for the All-Star Game the Wolves resumed the road trip that will keep them away from Dominion Stadium for another week. The team travelled east to meet the scalding hot Saints for a Thursday to Saturday series. Montreal ran their winning streak to 12 by taking all three games at Parc Cartier by one run, 7-6, 7-6, 4-3. The Wolves were close but unfortunately for the team close only counts in horseshoes, tiddlywinks, hand grenades. In the FABL the only thing counted in the standings are win and losses. After the three in Quebec there was no rest as the team travelled to begin 6 games in New York beginning with a Sunday twinbill at Dyckman Stadium. The Toronto bats came alive in the first game. Wolves won 12-8 with a 4 RBI game by John Wells who went 3 for 5 helped in large part by Kirby Copeland's 4 for 5 effort. Spirits were dampened when Joe DeMott had to helped from the field after a collision at home in bottom of the second. Early reports are that he may be done for the season with a broken wrist. In the night cap Ledbetter was strong for six before things unraveled in the seventh. Leading 1-0 Ledbetter was touched up for 4 runs on 4 hits with the big one being a bases clearing triple by Newt Cooper in what turned out to be a 4-1 win by the Stars. Fred Barrell " A tough week, I continue to seek progress probably too slow for the fans. We will turn into a winner when we start making the one-run games wins instead of losses. We are 6-13 in games decided by a single run, top level teams find a way to win the close ones. Losing DeMott's lefthanded bat probably for the balance of the season is a tough pill to swallow, right handed pitchers are 13-43 against the team this year. Someone else will now be at the hot corner. Into Brooklyn to face Tom's much different team after the blockbuster trade with Detroit" Brett is learning that Pat Todd will be given a chance at third although there are discussions taking place about moving Wells to third. Wells has made 22 errors at short in 48 games. Brett has been told that a deal with George Garrison going to the Kings did not materialize before Brooklyn waived the white flag in the CA in the trade with the Dynamos. Toronto still could become involved in deals now the trade window has been thrown wide open. FA teams may be looking to counter the bold Detroit move.
McCOY OUTLASTS SHELTON IN A TIGHT, PHYSICAL AFFAIR TO WIN THE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE Tice Memorial Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio: Millard Shelton (31-5-0, 19 KO) vs. Mark McCoy (24-2-0, 12 KO) ,Referee: Ernest Byrd -- To call Millard Shelton a surprise champion would be an understatement. Shelton excelled when it mattered most in his last fight against John Edmonds, when he turned it on during the final two rounds to win the middleweight belt. Shelton has won 20 of his last 21 bouts, but the fact remains he is a 5-loss champion, which is rare. Challenging Shelton for the title is Mark McCoy, a 22-year-old fighter from Kansas City who has piled up a lot of victories – and two losses – in his young career. You would expect the lights to be too bright for a young fighter trying to capture the middleweight championship, but the busy fight log shows the potential poise, which would be rare of a man his age. Another rarity is the location of the bout. Cincinnati is hosting its first title fight and there were some concerns that enough fans would fill the large venue, Tice Memorial Stadium, which holds 50,000 fans for baseball. There was no need for worry. The fans showed up and created a wonderful backdrop on a warm midsummer night. The only thing about this title fight that is common or expected is the presence of referee Ernest Byrd, who is a veteran of six title fights. Byrd has officiated championship fights in all three weight classes, raising the arms of Hector Sawyer, Mac Erickson, and Harold Stephens in victory. Some of the fans wondered if Shelton even showed up for the first round. McCoy made a solid first impression on the fans in attendance with a veteran move in the opening seconds. If McCoy aimed to frustrate Shelton, who has a short temper and a reputation in his earlier days of fighting dirty, McCoy was winning on that score early. McCoy clinched and forced Byrd to break them apart, earning some shouts from Shelton before the action really got going. McCoy followed up the gamesmanship with an assortment of punches, the best of which were a couple of uppercuts that stunted anything Shelton could offer. Late in the second round, Shelton finally arrived, breaking through with a couple of big punches. With about 45 seconds left in the round, Shelton landed a heavy uppercut and added a hook and a crushing cross in the final seconds to take the round. Over the course of the bout, Shelton had several major shots, but McCoy was methodical, he was tactical, and he did not let those haymakers do any significant damage. McCoy regrouped well in the third round, once again carrying the action, sticking, moving, and clinching. Shelton continued to be agitated by this and Byrd admonished him late in the round for leaning on McCoy’s neck. McCoy left Shelton a calling card a few seconds later with a hook before the bell signaled the end of the round, so McCoy could not capitalize on a reeling champion. McCoy was clearly in front during the fourth round and gave way to Shelton’s offense in the fifth round. Late in the sixth round, Shelton tried to tie up McCoy and to show that turnabout was fair play, it was McCoy that leaned on Shelton’s neck, which brought a warning from referee Byrd. It was at about this time when Shelton was visibly confounded with the overwhelming majority of his punches not reaching its intended target. Halfway through the fight, McCoy was building a lead on his body of work, and he build his lead on his solid hook. A lot of McCoy’s punches were not stunners, but more like a steady drum throughout the fight, and Shelton kept falling prey to those punches. The judges were noticing. Shelton was starting to get desperate early in the ninth round, operating with an open hand that referee Byrd caught. If a rookie referee was legislating this fight, Shelton might have had a longer leash, but Byrd was able to keep the cheap shots to a minimum, awarding five fouls in all. McCoy gave as good as he got, as he was called for three of those warnings, including a low blow late in the twelfth round. Shelton made his move in the final third of the fight. He had nothing to lose and packed as much power as he could. Shelton mixed a winning uppercut with hooks to the head and ribs, dominating from the middle of the tenth round and throughout the eleventh rounds. Shelton did enough to make the late rounds matter, but Shelton likely spent all of his bullets trying to get close. Unlike Shelton’s last fight when he showed up when it mattered most, essentially winning the fight in the last two rounds with knockdowns, Shelton’s peaks were not as high as that last fight and he looked spent entering the fourteenth round. McCoy fought defensively and Shelton could not pierce the challenger’s stout defense. In the final round, Shelton delivered an uppercut that earned oohs and aahs in the crowd, but he could not follow it up with anything of substance, which gave McCoy a breather and a chance to compose himself. McCoy pushed forward and threw a cross of his own that buckled Shelton’s knees and Shelton needed to hang on to the ropes to avoid a knockdown. McCoy won the last round and felt he did enough to win. But, much like a jury trial, you never really know until the decision is handed down. Reading the judges’ cards, the fight was indeed in the balance after thirteen rounds, but each card gave the last two rounds to McCoy, which produced a unanimous decision for the challenger. McCoy (25-2-0), at 22 years old, was the Middleweight Champion of the World. Shelton (31-6-0), eight years older and by some pundits an accidental champion, was dejected and had a tough time accepting defeat, though everyone else knew it to be true. With six losses, it is hard to believe Shelton will get another chance to prove himself. McCoy was much more precise with his punches, connecting on almost 44% of his punches, compared to a paltry 15% by Shelton. McCoy also landed an average of more than nine additional punches per round, while Shelton offered almost twice as many punches. Shelton kept it close with his 22 Big Boppers compared to only nine for McCoy. As McCoy departed the ring, the world changed for him in an instant. Boxing from a young age and rising up the ranks, he never dreamed to get a chance for the belt so soon. The timing was right, and he took full advantage. McCoy still has his whole life – and his championship reign – ahead of him. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: McCoy, 1-0 (1:33 combo) Round 2: Shelton, 2-0 (2:16 uppercut, 2:59 cross) Round 3: McCoy, 3-1 (S: 2:20 combo; M: 0:22 right, 0:37 combo, 2:57 hook) Round 4: Tied, 1-1 (S: 2:17 left hook/body; M: 0:42 cross) Round 5: Shelton, 3-0 (1:52 cross, 2:23 cross/face, 2:42 right/ribs) Round 6: None Round 7: Shelton, 1-0 (1:30 uppercut/head) Round 8: Shelton, 2-1 (S: 0:12 cross/face, 2:40 hook/head; M: 2:20 right) Round 9: Shelton, 1-0 (1:03 uppercut/side) Round 10: Tied, 2-2 (S: 1:22 uppercut, 2:00 left; M: 0:22 left/midsection, 0:42 hook/midsection) Round 11: Shelton, 4-0 (0:11 right/midsection, 1:27 hook/head, 1:40 hook/ribs, 2:02 uppercut) Round 12: None Round 13: Shelton, 3-0 (1:41 uppercut, 2:06 hook/jaw, 2:46 hook) Round 14: Shelton, 1-0 (2:25 right/body) Round 15: Tied, 1-1 (S: 0:33 uppercut; M: 1:12 cross) TOTAL: Shelton 22, McCoy 9 https://i.imgur.com/3e9L3Ky.jpeg RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/15/1951
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July 23, 1951
JULY 23, 1951 FORESTERS SLOW DOWN SAINTS, TAKE CA LEAD The Cleveland Foresters are back in a position that has been very familiar for them of late - top spot in the Continental Association. The Cleveland nine, which won each of the last two CA flags, tracked down the Philadelphia Sailors over the weekend and now have a half game lead on Philadelphia. The Sailors, so dominant to start the season, have been in a freefall this month, posting just a 7-16 record in July after losing just 16 games total for the months of May and June combined. The Sailors were 53-20 overall in July 1 but since then have won just 6 of their last 22 games and saw what was a 9-game lead on Cleveland to start the month evaporate to the point where the Sailors are no longer in first place, a position that had held nearly since opening day. The Foresters are red-hot, posting a 17-7 record since June 30th including taking three of four on the road in Montreal over the weekend, slowing down the Saints who had entered the series with Cleveland with a 16-2 mark for the month. Montreal's slight stumble leaves the Saints 7 games out in the Continental Association. In the Federal Association, the souped-up Detroit Dynamos offense - with Mack Sutton, Ralph Johnson and catcher Dan Smith now in the lineup- has won 10 of its last 12 but may still have its hands full with a determined St Louis Pioneers squad that has gone 10-3 since the all-star break. The two squads are in a virtual deadlock for top spot in the Fed and while the Pioneers have not made any changes as of yet -the trade deadline is a week away- they are getting a shiny new addition this week with the quick promotion of Christian Trophy winning and second overall draft pick Rex Pilcher after just three weeks in AAA. The New York Gothams continue to threaten to make the Fed a three-team race, ending the week on a six-game winning streak and still threatening to make more deals for pitching even after adding veteran southpaw Jim Morrison from the Chicago Cougars at the all-star break. Morrison was impressive in his Gothams debut, going the distance in a 6-2 victory over the last place Pittsburgh Miners. *** Gothams Have Difficult Deadline Decision *** There is a week remaining until the trade deadline and that could alter the picture in the Federal Association. The Dynamos, having jettisoned most of their farm system are not expected to make any more moves and it does not seem likely the Pioneers have anything big planned. The question is whether the Gothams, who have a good collection of high end prospects, are going to make any changes. New York management seems to think the club needs more pitching but adding an arm of the quality they are hoping to find will likely me they need to part with their top pitching prospect in Jorge Arellano and at least one of their two top-ten outfield prospects. The Dynamos deal with Brooklyn certainly raised the bar as to what the value of a truly elite player goes for in terms of prospects. The question is are the Gothams willing to pay that price and, if so, can they find a suitable target to trade for. As long as I can remember, the city of Philadelphia has been known as the city of brotherly love. But Chicago is trying to give them a run for their money. Just when it looked like there would be no more brother duo on the Packers, as the legendary, yet cup-less, duo of Tommy and Wes Burns played their last game together, Chicago's ice team added a new pair of brother's to the organization. This time it is on the defensive side, as the Packers made Guy Bernier the first pick of the 1951 draft, before adding his older brother Marc with the first pick in the second round. The Bernier brothers didn't play amateur hockey together, but after years of playing together as kids, they now have a chance to suit up on the blue line together in Chicago. Guy is the more highly touted prospect, and was the consensus top player available in the pool, but there were some concerns that his major concussion would cause him to fall in the draft. Word from inside the Packers' organization is that while they are worried about future head injuries, the rest of his body is durable. He shouldn't have any susceptibility to ailment's so long as he uses his head to think, not check, and there are no ill effects to his skillset. Before the injury he started 25 games as the Saint John Saints captain, recording 14 goals and assists in 25 games. What makes Guy so exciting is his slapshot, he has an excellent shot from the point, and since he can shoot the puck so far unprepared defenses may loosen up when he has the puck far from the net. He's not a fighter, but Guy gets excellent physical marks as well, allowing him to play a lot of minutes without losing energy, and he can lockdown the right side of the rink on even the longest of powerplays. Marc, however, is a completely different type of defensemen, as while Guy will get all the style points, Marc is a big bruising old school defensemen who focuses on checking and shot blocking and seems to always be in the right place at the right time. Lining up on the left, he's not as lethal as a shooter, but he can hit some far shots himself, while his passing and puck handling skills can be used to set his teammates up. He has excellent physical traits himself, and should be able to avoid injury better then most. Along with being a year older, Marc is closer to the NAHC then Guy, though both are projected to be a year out. If they each reach their potential, the Packers will have the top defense in the league, as they already boast two excellent duos in Bert McColley and Pete Moreau and Jesse Santoro and Mike Van Tol. Former 1st Rounder Phil Stukus is ready for a bigger role now as well, giving Chicago seven excellent options on the blue line. Chicago's rink team isn't the only one to announce as brotherly duo either, as during the Cougars retooling they reunited a pair of brothers that hadn't played together since their high school days. Long a target of the Cougars general manager, Buddy Schneider was finally brought to the Windy City, joining star shortstop Skipper Schneider in the Cougars middle infield. Buddy, acquired for prospects Cecil Burr and Jim Williams, has been a Cougar target ever since Skipper emerged as the Cougar's regular shortstop. It took over a decade, but the brother's formed a lethal defensive middle infield on July 17th against the Sailors in a 5-2 Cougars win. It was the only of four games Buddy failed to get a hit, as the struggling All-Star seemed reinvigorated by the reunion. Buddy went 5-for-10 with 2 walks, 2 doubles, a triple, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs, as well as his first home run of the season. He hasn't struck out in any of his first 16 plate appearances as a Cougar, and if all goes well, the Schneider brothers will play out the rest of their career with the Cougars, just like the Jones Brothers have on the mound. CHICAGO'S NEWEST BROTHER ACT DRAFTED BY PACKERS https://i.imgur.com/GQKv6mP.jpeg TALES FROM THE LAIR Brett Looks At Wolves Stats Post ASG -It comes as no news to any Wolves fan that the team has struggled so far this season with a 26-57 record already 27 games out of first. The fires of hope during the spring have long since been extinguished and the stark reality of a struggling team, worst in the FABL thus far, has set in for Toronto. Brett will now look at the team based on their statistics in a season that has just past the All-Star Game: HITTING Batting Average- .244 (8th in CA) Leader Cleveland .284 On Base Percentage- .306 (8th) Cleveland .362 Slugging Percentage- .347 (8th) Philadelphia Sailors.437 On Base + Slugging- .653 (8th) Cleveland .788 WAR- minus 1.8 (8th) Cleveland 17.57 wOBA- .296 (8th) Cleveland .358 Runs- 314 (8th) Philadelphia 504 Hits- 698 (8th) Cleveland 900 Extra-Base Hits- 188 (7th Tied) Philadelphia Sailors 283 Home Runs-38 (8th) New York Stars 109 Base on Balls- 254 (8th) Montreal 418 Strikeouts- 352 (3rd) Cincinnati 311 Stolen Bases-31 (7th) Chicago Cougars 70 Base Running- +6.2 (3rd) The above shows how poorly the team as a whole does at the plate. The only thing they do well is avoid striking out, take the extra base when the do get a hit. PITCHING AND FIELDING It is evident that the team does not hit, pitch, or field very well. As brave a face as the front office puts on the team's future fans may well be in store for a few more years of futility at Dominion Stadium. The Wolves are trying to turn over their roster, which is necessary, but the question is who will replace the veterans with a minor league system ranked 12th of 16. There are some bright lights for the future such as 1B Tony Ballinger. Shortstop John Wells is projected to be a force, at present he is struggling both at the plate and in the field. Will he turn things around for the balance of 1951? Pitcher Les Ledbetter, like Wells a former first overall draft selection, is another question mark for the future. The minor league teams do heave some players that show promise but it remains to be seen just how many of those will turn potential into FABL talent?ERA- 4.92 (8th) Cleveland 3.78 Starter's ERA-4.74 (8th) Chicago Cougars 3.53 Bullpen ERA-5.33 (7th) Cleveland 2.90 Runs- 456 (7th tied) Philadelphia Sailors 381 WAR- 8.7 (7th) Cleveland 15.53 Hits- 825 (7th) Chicago Cougars 727 Opponents Batting Average-.284 (8th) Chicago Cougars .252 BABIP- .292 (8th) Chicago Cougars .265 HR Allowed-76 (5th) Philadelphia Sailors 51 Base on Balls-345 (6th) Montreal 316 Strikeouts-309 (8th) Cleveland 392 Defensive Efficiency- .691 (7th) Chicago Cougars .717 Zone Rating- minus 15.8 Chicago Cougars +18.8 The best fans can hope for is steady, even if slow, improvement of the team unless the youngsters on the current Wolves take quick major step forward in the very near future. If not the next 2 or 3 seasons could be the same as last year and the current one. At present there are no quick fixes just dark clouds on the horizon for the team. *** Wolves Stumble Home *** Toronto's baseball team returns to Dominion Field for the first time since Dominion Day after going 7-14 on their latest road trip. The last week started on a high note with a 5-2 win against the Stars. Unfortunately that was only win of the week as the team lost the next six. In their next to last visit to Kings County Park all three losses were by a run, 5-4 in 10, 5-4, 6-5 when the Kings walked it off on Ralph Bailey's 2-run homer with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth off Otis Porter. On to Cougars Park for a weekend series in Chicago where Les Ledbetter kept the first game close. With the score knotted at 2 in the eighth, Sal Pestilli took Ledbetter deep on a line drive that barely cleared the left field wall to give the Cougars a 4-2 victory. Duke Bybee then toyed with the Wolves in 12-0 game on Saturday before Johnnie Jones cruised to a 6-2 score to wrap up the series before a crowd of better than 25,000 on a comfortable Sunday afternoon for the fans. Toronto is now 27-63 and an organization with more questions than answers. Most the team can hope for is that some answers will become self evident in the last 10 weeks of 1951. In July only Tony Ballinger, Kirby Copeland have shown any production at the plate. Ballinger has line of .317/.403/.524 3 HR 12 RBI in 14 starts while Copeland has put up .354/.376/.512 3 HR 13 RBI in twenty games in the starting lineup. On the other end of the scale are Hank Giordano's .156/.207/.234 in 82 times to the plate, John Wells' .183/.222/.200 in 63 at bats with only one hit for extra bases not to mention his continuing struggles in the field. Wally Boyer will return to the lineup starting Tuesday against the Stars. The mound work is slightly better with Zane Kelley seeming to settle into an expanded bullpen role, George Garrison is pitching better although not getting results. Les Ledbetter is falling victim to one bad inning in most of his starts generally caused by serving a pitch that ends up in the seats. He has been touched up for 5 HR in 24 1/3 innings. Otis Porter was sent to Buffalo after the walk-off in Brooklyn. Ray Hatch will move into Harry Phillips' rotation spot as Barrell continues to search for the proper roles in the bullpen.
NEW RULE MAKES DRAMATIC CHANGE TO FREE AGENCY The North American Hockey Confederation unveiled a surprising new rule on July 1, bringing the sport in line with the way the other major sports handle the rights of players with expiring contracts. The old method, which dictated that if a player with an expiring contract failed to sign an extension before July 1 he would be free to negotiate with the other five teams in the league, has fallen by the wayside and now only the players former team, unless the club trades or renounces his rights, is free to sign him. This move brings the NAHC in line with the way FABL, the American Football Association and the Federal Basketball League handle expiring contracts. However, the timing is questioned in light of a recent steps by a Senate Investigating Committee to look at how baseball handles player rights and that sports continuing anti-trust exemptions. The move pays immediate dividends for the Toronto Dukes, who had just a week ago seemingly lost all-star winger Lou Galbraith and dependable defensemen Clyde Lumsen and Frank Featherstone after all three refused to resign with Toronto for next season. The trio now must decide whether to return to the Dukes or sit out the season and go play senior hockey. Several other players were immediately impacted by the ruling including Boston defenseman Len Bentley and Joe Fleming of the Chicago Packers. (EDITOR'S NOTE: In FHM9 unsigned guys became free agents on July 1. Now with FHM10 in our online league their rights remain with their original club after July 1 when unsigned, eliminating free agency as they can not sign anywhere else unless the original team renounces their rights. An improvement that works much better for our online league.) THE CAPTAIN CALLS IT QUITS As the Toronto's baseball fans are witnessing the transition of the team as older players leave or retire. The Dukes faithful are about to witness something similar for the hockey club. In a short announcement from the team office the public was informed of the retirement of former captain Bobby Sauer at 36 years old. Sauer did not issue a statement, he is believed to be with his family at their summer cottage in the Muskoka's. Brett talked to Jack Barrell who said "Bobby went out on his own terms while still nearly at the top of his game. This season was tough on him, as you age you don't bounce back from injury as fast as you once did in your youth. Everything hurts more for a longer period. The broken elbow was the straw that broke the camel's back, I know he was having trouble getting flexibility back in the arm. He told me about a week ago he would not be back in camp in the fall. I told him it was probably the right move, we have all seen guys who try to hang on for too long. They are a mere shell of the their former selves, it is at times hard tow watch. Bob went out the right time, Right now I would suggest leaving him alone to start his new career. He would be an asset to any team, he may go into coaching which makes me smile. He will see the other side of the game if that is what he does in his future." OLIPHANT'S SON LOOKS LIKE TOP JUNIOR PROSPECT A familiar name may appear at the top of the draft list when the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association conducts its midget draft. That would Charlie Oliphant Jr., son of the former star player by the same name who led the league in scoring three times while with the old Ottawa franchise. Junior is a 15-year-old left winger who played his youth hockey in Canada's capital and is a likely high first round pick in the upcoming junior draft. The CAHA is the feeder league for pro hockey with the NAHC drafting players once they turn 18. Other players vying to be selected first overall by the Kitchener Roosters, who own the top pick in the 12 team loop include Ken Hardy, a defenseman from Richmond, BC., Amherst, NS, born winger Dean Boylan and Sam Arniel, a rearguard who hails from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. NATIONAL CHAMPION DOLPHINS TO PLAY IN PRESEASON AIAA SHOWCASE The Coastal California Dolphins, who after 13 previous unsuccessful trips to the National Semi-Finals finally won their first AIAA basketball championship in April, have committed to open the 1951-52 season in Chicago as part of the annual Pre-season AIAA Tip-Off Tournament. Joining the Dolphins in the four team field set for early November will be the Central Ohio Aviators, Charleston Tech Admirals and Lambert College Stags. The Dolphins, who finished with a 28-6 record last year and downed Western Iowa -the number one team in the nation- by a 70-62 score in the national title game, will be looking to start life without Chris Martines as the forward from Torrance, CA., who was a first team All-American and finished second in the nation averaging 18.8 ppg, has graduated and will likely be playing in the Federal Basketball League next season. Coastal California does return its next three highest scorers in guard Tookie Brown and forwards Rankin Egbert and Gary Moore along with point guard Herm McShane, who had a very impressive freshman season and started all 34 games as a newcomer. Incoming freshman include Albie Bechtold, a 6'6" forward-center from San Francisco who was ranked the top high school player in the state of California last year. Central Ohio had a terrific recruiting class, third in the nation according to OSA behind only Carolina Poly and Chesapeake State, and the Aviators expect to be much improved from their .500 season in Great Lakes Alliance play and 20-10 overall that ended prematurely with a first round loss to Dickson in the AIAA tournament. They will be led by a pair of juniors in Lee Woolridge and Charlie Stark, who were the schools top two scorers a year ago as sophomores. A pair of Indiana born recruits including #2 overall John Walser along with Howie Farrell, who was #31 on the recruiting charts, will add more young talent to the Aviators cause. Lambert College and Charleston Tech both made the 32-team tournament field a year ago. The Stags won the Midwestern Association with an 11-3 section record (25-6 overall) and upset North Carolina Tech in the opening round of the tournament before falling to CC Los Angeles. The Admirals tied for second in the South Atlantic Conference and were 22-8 overall but were upset by Utah A&M in the opening round of the tournament. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/22/1951
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July 30, 1951
JULY 30, 1951 GOTHAMS CREEP CLOSER TO FA LEAD An 11-2 run, including 5 victories in 7 outings last week, has allowed the New York Gothams to move another step closer to first place in the Federal Association. The defending champions, who added veteran pitcher Jim Morrison to their staff in their lone deadline trade move, are now just 4 games back of the front-running St Louis Pioneers. Morrison has won all three of his Gothams starts since coming over from the Chicago Cougars on July 16 in exchange for all-star reliever Steve Groves and a minor leaguer. The 36-year-old looked very impressive stopping Pittsburgh 6-2 in his New York debut and followed that up with 8 and a third innings of shutout ball in a 4-0 blanking of Washington. His start yesterday against Pittsburgh was a rocky one with Morrison lasting just 5 innings and allowing 7 earned runs but he still was given credit for the victory as the Gothams offense bailed him out in a 10-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Miners. The St Louis Pioneers, with prize rookie Rex Pilcher making his big league debut, went 3-2 last week on a road trip to Pittsburgh and Washington. Pilcher struggled at the plate, batting just .143 but did hit his first FABL homerun. The Pioneers long road trip continues with stops in Boston and Philadelphia this week before it concludes with a big six days beginning August 7 when the Pioneers play two in Detroit followed by four in New York. The Detroit Dynamos went 3-3 last week and presently sit a half game back of St Louis in second place. The Dynamos mortgaged much of their future to bring three-time Whitney Award winner Ralph Johnson, along with catcher Dan Smith and pitcher Bob Arman from Brooklyn a week after they acquired slugging third baseman Mack Sutton from the New York Stars. Sutton (.330,6,26 in 26 games) has been everything hoped and has ignited the previously struggling Detroit offense but both Johnson (.255,3,6) and Smith (.200,0,1) have been slow to find their groove after two weeks with the Dynamos. Arman is 1-2 with a 3.79 era. In the Continental Association a 4-2 week has the defending World Champion Cleveland Foresters sitting a game and a half ahead of the second place Philadelphia Sailors. The Sailors have run aground since the all-star break, going just 8-11 after owning the league's best first half record. Third place Montreal is 7 back after splitting a 4-game weekend series in Cleveland and still has hopes of joining the pennant chasing fray. CATCHING UP WITH FIRST ROUNDERS Here is a look at what each of the first round picks from June are up to after a month in the professional ranks. BOSTON- 10th selection Mike Quigley, a high school righthander from Chicago, is pitching for Class C Hattiesburg where he is 2-1 with a 5.40 era in 4 starts for the Top Hats. BROOKLYN- 5th overall selection Hank Williams, a high school outfielder from Kansas, is hitting .306 after 17 games for Class B Tampa. CHIEFS- Texas born high school outfielder Hugh Ferebee was selected 12th by the Chicago Chiefs and assigned to Waterloo of the Class C Upper Mississippi Valley League. In 22 games he is hitting just .184 but does have 5 homeruns. COUGARS- The Cougars selected high school third baseman Jack Craft with the 11th pick and assigned him to Class C. A later signing he has played just 14 games and his batting only .163 but has shown some power with 3 homers. CINCINNATI- First overall draft pick Charlie Barrell may be bored being stranded in Class B when there was some speculation before the draft that he might to straight from the campus of Noble Jones College to Tice Memorial Stadium. In 23 games with Charleston of the Southeastern League he is batting just .235 but does have 6 homeruns. CLEVELAND- 17-year-old second baseman Al Beck, selected with the 15th pick, is at Class B Savannah where he has had some early struggles at the plate, batting just .191 DETROIT- 18-year-old infielder Dick Tucker, drafted 4th overall, is struggling at the plate in Class B, batting just .111 after 18 games. MONTREAL- Third overall selection Bob Porter is off to a strong start in Class A. The 17-year-old is hitting .338 through 17 games at Evansville. NY STARS- Doc Clay, a high school pitcher from San Francisco, was the 7th overall selection and is 1-3 with a 5.74 era at Class C. Clay just picked up his first win last week in his best outing so far, allowing 2 runs on just 1 hit -he walked 8- while going 7 and 2/3. NY GOTHAMS- 23-year-old outfielder Jim Allen, drafted with the 16th and final pick of the opening round, was fast tracked directly to AAA and seems to be handling it with relative ease, batting .306 in 22 games for Toledo. KEYSTONES- The Keystones decided to challenge 18-year-old first baseman Dick Green, assigning the Tennessee native to Class A. He has struggled a little at the plate, batting just .233 and after 24 games is still looking for his first professional home run. SAILORS- One of the oldest players in the draft, 23-year-old pitcher Don Hillshire began his pro career in AAA and is 3-2 with a 2.02 era. Hillshire looks like he stands a very good chance of being called up by the Sailors in September if not earlier. PITTSBURGH- Sam Fitchett, the first pitcher selected at #6, is 0-2 with a 7.15 era through 3 starts at Class C Jackson. ST LOUIS- #2 overall Rex Pilcher became the first from his draft class to make it to FABL and homered in his debut last week, but otherwise struggled at the plate going 2-for-14. He hit .300 with 2 homers in 13 games at AAA prior to his recent promotion. TORONTO- Perhaps surprisingly the Wolves are using their number one pick (13th overall) Michigan high school righthander Jim Montgomery, almost exclusively in relief, giving the teen just one start. Montgomery is at Class C Tuscaloosa where he is 1-1 with 6 saves for the Tomcats and owns a 7.08 era after 13 appearances. WASHINGTON-Buster Scott, a California-born 18-year-old, was selected 14th and the righthander is 2-0 with a 4.05 era after three starts for Pensacola of the Class C Gulf States League. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Continue Listless Performance at Home -Toronto manages only two wins in six games before home crowds last week, taking just one from the New York Stars and Chicago Cougars in a 3-game series with each. Before George Garrison got his fourth win of the year against eleven losses on Wednesday by tossing a 4 hitter for a 3-1 win the Wolves had handed the Stars a victory on Tuesday. Toronto made 4 errors in that series opening game and even though Joe Hancock pitched well enough to win, the defense let him down in a 3-2 defeat dropping Hancock's mark for the season to 4-10. The team continues to beat itself as it has countless times over this season. In the series finale with the Stars, rookie Les Ledbetter again gave up a big inning, surrendering 4 New York runs in the second inning of what proved to be a 7-5 loss. After the Cougars won 6-2 on Friday night the Wolves did something that has rarely happened this season: they came from behind to win 6-5 in 11 on Saturday. Trailing 5-1 after 5 innings Toronto scored twice in the sixth and plated 2 more to tie in the 8th frame before scoring the winning run in the 11th on a throwing error by Cougars LF Leo Mitchell allowing Hank Giordano to score the winning run. In that game Kirby Copeland tied a team record for hits in a game going 5-for-5 with 4 singles and a double. Leaky defense cost Hancock again on Sunday when the team made 2 errors leading to unearned runs in a 6-3 loss. For the week the team has 12 errors in 6 games with only one errorless game. As July is about to turn to August fans are beginning to stay away in droves with many saying it is time to trade any asset to tear the team down and start from scratch. It takes two teams to trade. Toronto has been quietly shopping players but has not found a trading partner willing to match the team demands. Fans may be watching the same players for August until the callups come in September. In the system there are a few bats coming, arms are lacking in the minors. Expect Manager Fred Barrell to keep putting out younger lineups and sit veterans in the hope of learning on the job for the balance of 1951. One piece of good news from the farm as Buffalo Nickels RHP Lou Burrows no hit the Newark Aces Friday night. He is now 5-6, 3.62 for the season. At 24 he may be part of the future in Toronto. The New York Gothams continue to grind away, lopping another game off their deficit and now trailing Federal Association leading St. Louis by four games. The team won 5 of 7 this past week and will have the final day of July off before playing every day of August. Newcomer Jim Morrison is 3-0 now. Morrison learned what it's like to have the league leading offense behind you. The vet gave up 7 runs over 5 innings in yesterday's first game of a doubleheader and still registered the win in a 10-8 contest. Walt Messer continued his hot hitting with a .364, 4 homer week. Rookie Hank Estill (.330, .944 OPS) is going to receive more starts subbing for slumping Roosevelt Brewer. Brewer has hit .228 for the month of July and with the Gothams finding no suitable deal for the infielder, he will now be sharing 3B with the 24-year-old Estill. This year's first round pick Jim Allen is hitting .305 at AAA, his first stop in pro ball.
DEFENSE DOMINATES NAHC DRAFT The focus was clearly on the blueline as each of the first three selections and five of the first seven picks made in the 1951 NAHC amateur player draft were defenseman. A trio of captains from their respective junior teams highlighted the start of the draft with Guy Bernier, Bobby Fuhrman and Ben Voyecheck being the first three names called. Bernier, an immensely talented Quebec native who served as captain for the Saint John Saints, was selected first overall by the Chicago Packers. He was enjoying a breakout season as an 18-year-old in his second season in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, scoring 28 points in his first 25 games before a concussion in November ended his season. He may not be cleared to return to the ice for the start of training camp so it seems likely the Packers will have the youngster spend another season with the Saints. Selecting second the Toronto Dukes opted for Bobby Fuhrman, a 19-year-old Ottawa native who was the captain of the Trois-Rivieres Trappers and was named the most valuable player in the CAHA after picking up 101 points this season. A terrific playmaker and offensive quarterback from the point, Fuhrman's 145 assists over the past two seasons are the most in the CAHA during that span. The third choice went to the Boston Bees and they opted for smooth-skating Ben Voyechek, a 19-year-old left shooting defenseman who captained the Brantford Blue Legs to the CAHA title this par season. Detroit broke the trend of defenseman being selected by opting for Halifax Mariners winger Hubert Labbe, the player OSA had at the top of its mock draft. Like actual number one selection Bernier, there are medical questions surrounding the 19-year-old from Longueuil, QC as Labbe was limited to just 16 games last season. The Detroit Motors liked has 63 point rookie campaign two seasons ago and Motors scouts felt that, while his potential is highly volatile, if he lives up to out Labbe could become an outstanding player. The two-time defending Challenge Cup champion Montreal Valiants went back to the blueline by selecting Gil Thibault, a teammate of Labbe's with the Halifax Mariners. The 19-year-old had 58 points in 62 games. Rounding out the opening round was the regular season champion New York Shamrocks, who opted for Sam Ritchie, a winger from the Kingston Cadets. Ritchie, whose best asset is his skating ability, tallied 58 points in 60 games last season. Worth noting is the fact that in the second round the Chicago Packers drafted Marc Bernier from Verdun. Bernier is the older brother of the Packers first round selection Guy Bernier. Marc had 9 goals and 27 points last season while playing for the Argonauts. Here are the complete results of the 1951 NAHC Draft. CAROLINA POLY HAS TOP CAGE RECRUITING CLASS Led by top twenty recruits Ron Davies and Merritt Norcross, the Carolina Poly Cardinals have landed the top collection of high school seniors according to the final class rankings released by scouting service OSA. The number one recruit in the nation, New Orleans born guard Doug Burford, headed west to Rainier College but his presence was not enough to help the Majestics crack the top five which sees the Cardinals leading the way, followed by Chesapeake State, Central Ohio, Detroit City College and shockingly Academia Alliance powerhouse Dickson College. Carolina Poly stayed close to home for most of its newcomers with only Davies, a New York City born guard, from out of state. Davies is listed at #10 on the scouting service recruit rankings and will be joined in Durham this fall by Merritt Norcross, a forward from Charlotte who finished 19th on the OSA list. Center Hank Haines, from Asheville, NC, also cracked the top fifty list and guard Emerson Carter, another Charlotte native ranked #119th by the scouting service, rounds out their recruited freshman for the 1951-52 collegiate cage season. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 7/29/1951
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August 6, 1951
AUGUST 6, 1951 DYNAMOS BEAT TRADE DEADLINE WITH ANOTHER DEAL Saints Surprise Participant in a CA Move It is a wonder the Detroit Dynamos have enough players remaining in their organization to field five minor league teams after the toll the trade deadline has taken on their prospects. One went to the New York Stars, 10 to Brooklyn along with an aging catcher in Adam Mullins if you include the opening day move to add Pat Petty and now three more have been dealt to Toronto in a deadline beating move to add veteran pitcher Joe Hancock to the Dynamos staff. Hancock is 38 years old and clearly far removed from the zenith of his career, which would be 1939 when he won the Continental Association Allen Award. This year has been a struggle for the six-time all-star, with a 4-11 record and a 4.14 era but shoddy defense and an abysmal run support of less than 3 per game certainly should shoulder much of the blame. The Dynamos are hoping the groundball specialist still has enough left in the tank to look more like the pitcher who went 13-9 with an ERA just a shade about 3.00 a year ago once he has the best defense in the Federal Association backing him up. Detroit had little left in the way of elite prospects, the system cleaned out in deals to add the bats of Mack Sutton, Ralph Johnson and Dan Smith along with 30-year-old hurler Bob Arman, so they parted with a 26-year-old arm off their big league roster and a pair of younger prospects. The 26-year-old is George Avery, who has not received a lot of respect from OSA scouting but is 30-9 with a 2.57 era over parts of four seasons in AAA and has not allowed a run in 5 innings of relief work since his recent promotion to the big leagues. Also heading to the Wolves organization are pitcher Bill Sweet and catcher Bob Longstreth. Both were with Detroit's Class A affiliate. Sweet is a 23-year-old righthander originally selected by the Chicago Cougars in the 7th round of the 1946 draft while Longstreth, 21 and a third round selection in the 1950 draft, was batting .271 in 80 games with Terre Haute. *** SAINTS SURPRISE WITH ADDITION OF PESTILLI *** The only other deadline day deal involving contenders came as a surprise when nine time all-star Sal Pestilli was traded to the Montreal Saints by the Chicago Cougars. The fact that Pestilli was moved was only a mild surprise as the Cougars, 14.5 games out and in the midst of another season of disappointment, had been trying to move a veteran although most of their focus seemed to be on unloading either first baseman Red Bond or outfielder Chubby Hall. The big surprise was the fact that the destination for Pestilli turned out to be Montreal and not a team like the New York Gothams, or even Brooklyn for that matter as the Kings also made no secret they wanted a veteran bat for their outfield. In the end the price was deemed too heavy by the Kings, as they decided against parting with any of their large collection of young talent for what in the words of one Brooklyn source was not a prudent acquisition for a team that was "going nowhere this year and for an extra ping pong ball (in the draft later) it just didn't feel worth it." That assessment is accurate as the Kings certainly stand no shot at a Continental flag and the only place they are going is to Kansas City at the conclusion of the season. The Gothams may or may not have been involved in talks for Pestilli. Their manager Bud Jameson had lamented early on deadline day the fact that the Gothams had tried but had simply been unable to get things done and while not mentioning Pestilli by name it seemed that New York assistant General Manager Tom Johnson was describing the former Gotham star perfectly when he asked around the league for "an aging star who might like one more run at a title, especially if they haven't won one, and wouldn't mind being a bench bat?" In the end it was the surprise news, coming just hours before the deadline that the Montreal Saints had acquired Pestilli in a desperate hope to catch both the Philadelphia Sailors and Cleveland Foresters for the Continental crown, a bauble that has eluded the Quebecois nine since 1921- the longest drought of any team in either association. The Saints, hopes buoyed by a 21-7 July run, may find even with Pestilli the task of making up 7 games on two teams a little beyond their grasp, but give them credit for reaching high in trying to make what seemed an impossible task at the beginning of July a reality. The cost was steep and may prove to be one that Saints brass regrets down the road as Montreal sends the Cougars a pair of top 100 prospects in return. Going to the Windy City Kitties organization are 22-year-old outfielder Herm Kocher, formerly a first round selection of the Keystones in 1947 and presently ranked #80 by OSA on its prospect pipeline, and 21-year-old Pug White, a lefthander selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 1948 draft and currently number 98 on the scouting service prospect list. Neither receives a glowing scouting report from OSA this year but they became additional pieces in the Cougars prospect cabinet, one that always seems to be fully stocked and among the best in either loop. The question is will the addition of Pestilli, a 35-year-old outfielder batting just .242 with 8 homers in 50 games who has dealt with both back and elbow problems this season, be enough in itself to allow the Saints to end their long October drought? And assuming Pestilli can remain healthy the rest of the way, how does that impact Joe Austin, the pepper pot table setter at the top of the Saints order who had been playing centerfield in recent weeks? Saints fans remember all too well the injuries to Austin and Maurice Carter that caused a strong pennant push a year ago to crash and burn down the stretch and perhaps just the security of having Pestilli waiting in the wings was the peace of mind Montreal management craved this time around. The Foresters and Sailors in the CA and the Gothams and Pioneers in the Fed all were unwilling or unable to make moves to improve at the deadline. The Dynamos and Saints - two clubs that have gone the longest in each association without a flag- each hope their aggressive deadline deals can lead to October baseball for a pair of long suffering fanbases. FED RACE REMAINS UNCHANGED IN LAST TEN DAYS Each of the three pennant hopefuls in the Federal Association have won seven of their last ten outings, meaning the St Louis Pioneers remain at the top of the heap, a game up on the Detroit Dynamos and four ahead of the New York Gothams. The Dynamos latest veteran acquisition, 38-year-old pitcher Joe Hancock, had a strong outing in his Federal Association debut. The former Toronto Wolves ace doubled Pittsburgh 6-3 in his first start in the Fed but the buzz in the Motor City was focused on Ralph Johnson as the former Brooklyn King enjoyed his best stretch of games since being moved to Detroit in that 13 player blockbuster deal three weeks ago. The 27-year-old outfielder looked like a three-time Whitney Award winner with a .348 batting average and 6 rbi's last week raising his Detroit totals to .286,4,12 in 21 games. Johnson's week, while solid, was far from player of the week worthy. That honour was bestowed on Pioneers rookie slugger Rex Pilcher as The Buckeye Bomber, in just his second week in the big leagues, batted .423 with 3 homers and 10 rbi's, clearly easing any concerns the Pioneers might have had that they promoted him too early after a tough first week for the second overall selection in the June draft. The week ahead promises to be very interesting in the Federal Association. The Pioneers will play in Detroit twice to open the week before moving on to New York for a 4-game set at Gothams Stadium. St Louis will be short-handed as smooth fielding but light-hitting shortstop Win Hamby suffered an elbow injury in a game last week, ending his season. There is some good news for the Pioneers as Frank Kirchner, who missed two weeks with a hip injury, returned to the lineup last week and did not miss a beat, batting .304 in the six games he played. Meanwhile in the Continental Association the Philadelphia Sailors, who stumbled a little after the all-star break, are back on track and extended their lead on second place Cleveland to two and a half games after going 7-0 against the Chicago Cougars and New York Stars last week. The Foresters faced the same two opponents last week but managed to come out on top in just 3 of their 7 contests. The Montreal Saints ended their losing streak at 4 games with wins in each of their last five, but sit 7.5 games behind the Sailors. Sal Pestilli went 3-for-19 (.158) in his first five games with Montreal. FED RACE HEATS UP OVER NEXT TWO WEEKS As the deadline came and went, the three teams atop the Federal Association now must hope that all the pieces they need for a pennant are in place, as it will be very hard to make any major additions to the squads they start August with. St. Louis in particular may wish trades were open for just one more week, as after deciding against a shortstop upgrade in the Cougars' Elmer Grace (.343, 2, 16), they saw their regular shortstop Win Hamby (.219, 3, 36) suffer a season ending injury. With no natural shortstop ready and waiting, it may end up being the difference in a race that could be decided by the thinnest margins, but the hope is Homer Mills (.307, 1, 19) can return to the position he spent plenty of time at in the minors. They have a tough task, fending off the Dynamos and Gothams, who sit one and four games behind them. Whether it will make it easier or harder, those are the only two teams the Pioneers face for the next two weeks, allowing them to completely control their own destiny. Each week it's two with Detroit and four with New York, this week on the road, next week at Pioneer Field, as they attempt to go worst-to-first for the second time in five years. With 66 wins, they've already surpassed their season win total from last season, and will match their 1949 mark with their next win. Even with some bad ERA luck for ace Danny Hern (12-8, 4.52, 67), who's 3.80 FIP (88 FIP-) is far prettier then his ERA, St. Louis' pitching has gotten them to where they are. Both Hiram Steinberg (10-7, 2.92, 64) and Hal Hackney (13-7, 2.40, 78) have been dominant, with Hackney in particular a frontrunner for what would be his second Allen Award. Former 2nd Overall Pick Tom Buchanan (8-4, 3.65, 57) is having a breakout year at 28, giving St. Louis a front four that can match up with anyone else in the game. Even better, the St Louis offense is scoring a lot more in the second half, up to second in runs scored with big seasons from Larry Gregory (.313, 14, 77, 4), Ray Bates (.343, 5, 38), and Frank Kirchner (.309, 2, 55), who has somehow outplayed trade partner Jim Adams Jr. (.268, 6, 37, 9) who's been able to draw 75 walks and score 74 runs. Add in recent 2nd Overall Pick Rex Pilcher (.325, 4, 14), who already has a 5-hit game and Player of the Week after just two weeks in the St. Louis, and the Pioneers have all the pieces to compete. The only issue for them, is so does Detroit, as the active Dynamos have made numerous additions to their roster. They only play the Gothams twice, with series against the Eagles and Chiefs when they're not playing their top competition, much easier tasks for the All-Star laden squad. No longer a bottom feeder lineup, Detroit made big deals for Ralph Johnson (.301, 17, 58, 5) and Mack Sutton (.292, 24, 82), adding Dan Smith (.245, 9, 47) and Bob Arman (8-10, 4.54, 84) with Johnson in a major thirteen player deal that sent ten players to the Brooklyn Kings. The last add was longtime Wolf Joe Hancock (5-11, 4.11, 60), who won over 200 games in Toronto and has 6-All Star selections in his 14 year career. Hancock gives them a veteran presence with experience in the postseason, leading a strong rotation that has seen big years from Wally Hunter (12-4, 2.68, 67) and Jack Miller (12-12, 3.48, 78). The lineup now really has only one hole, 21-year-old Dino Sharp (.241, 4, 16), but he's the 15th ranked prospect and offers plenty of pop in the eight spot. He's the only Dynamo regular with a WRC+ below 100, and if he can't pick things up, they have veteran Tony Mullis (.254, 3, 24) and the former 15th ranked prospect Jim Gaiter (.260, 7, 29) on the bench to replace him. Then of course there is the uncharacteristically quiet New York Gothams, who despite attempting to make a big acquisition, had to settle for just Jim Morrison (8-8, 3.79, 47). Morrison has won all four of his Gothams starts while working to a 3.10 ERA (135 ERA+) and 1.07 WHIP, but there were rumors they had their eyes set on bigger targets. One of those was Continental home run leader Red Bond (.306, 24, 71), who the Cougars tried their hardest to move, but the 38-year-old veteran would rather waste away on a second division team then sit on the bench behind Red Johnson (.312, 26, 88). Lucky for the reigning pennant leaders, they are the team that needed acquisitions the least, as they have a ton of star power and a four game deficit isn't too much to make up. Along with the two teams ahead of them, the Gothams have five with the Chiefs, and no one has had any success stopping their top ranked offense. Billy Moody (.277, 12, 46) has been a pleasant surprise a top their lineup, setting the table for the big boppers like Johnson, George Cleaves (.302, 14, 39), and Walt Messer (.283, 21, 62). 29th ranked prospect Hank Estill (.292, 5, 18) has been one of the best rookie hitters despite just 128 PAs, and Cecil LaBonte's (.300, 3, 42, 5) 99 WRC+ is the only sub-100 in the lineup. The 25-year-old still provides plus defense at short, and while maybe they could have used a natural center fielder or a big corner outfield bat to replace Flipper Robinson (.294, 7, 65, 6), they have all the firepower they need to keep up with the teams above them. None of them have Ed Bowman (13-4, 2.56, 93) either, and while the Gothams could have used an extra arm, that could instead come in the form of a rebound from Lefty Allen (9-8, 5.05, 22). The next two weeks will have huge impacts on the Federal pennant race, but I don't see any of these three teams slowing down. They're at the top for a reason, and I don't see anyone separating from the pack. Neutral fans should be in for a show in August and September, with plenty of baseball drama in store as we look to crown the next pennant winner. This is going to be a fun one! The Cougars are set to call up 61st ranked prospect Frank Reece from AAA to replace Sal Pestilli in center field. A former 2nd Round Pick, Reece hit .333/.397/.550 (145 OPS+) in AA, but upped that to an even better .340/.375/.642 (187 OPS+) in AAA. He had WRC+ of 158 and 206, with 22 doubles, 15 triples, 12 homers, 67 RBIs, 32 walks, and 7 steals between the two levels. There was consideration in bringing up 7th ranked prospect Jerry Smith, who is hitting a slightly lower .295/.386/.523 (158 OPS+) in AAA, but word around the Cougars front office is they want him and top ranked pitching prospect Bob Allen to join the team together. Allen has been dominant in his last three AAA starts, with a no-hitter and just 1 run in his last 27 innings, but 25-year-old waiver claim George Polk has impressed since coming over from the Keystones. In 40 innings he has a 2.92 ERA (141 ERA+) and 1.23 WHIP, and has earned himself a few more starts with his quality pitching. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Deal Hancock To Dynamos -In a late deal at the deadline Toronto moved a mainstay of the Wolves starting rotation since 1936: the first overall selection in 1933, Joe Hancock. A fan favourite for his 15 years in Toronto Joe led the CA in wins three times, 1937 (20), 1938 (22), 1943 (20). He was the league leader in strikeouts 3 straight years starting in 1937 along with being a 6 time All-Star. One remarkable stat that often goes unnoticed is in the first season affected by WWII, 1942, Hancock only allowed one HR in 286 2/3 innings of work. Overall in a Wolves uniform he pitched 3394 2/3 innings with a 204-162 record with a 3.30 ERA. He leaves the Wolves organization with the third most victories for the team, third in games, quality starts and innings pitched, second in starts and strikeouts. Joe may see a HOF plaque with his name on in the future. In return the Wolves received some much needed young pitching help. George Avery, 26, a righty will move into the starting rotation next week, he pitched 3 time in relief this week giving up no runs. Also included in the deal were Bill Sweet, 23, who is a groundball pitcher who will move into the Davenport rotation for the balance of the A season along with a 3rd round pick in 1950, a catcher by the name of Bob Longstreth. The 22-year-old is said to have a bat with some pop who will also report to Davenport. Brett has learned from his front office sources the deal with Detroit came together quickly with Hancock agreeing to move before the paperwork was submitted to the league offices. Detroit is trailing St. Louis by only one game in the FA came looking for a starter to push them over the top. He made his first start with his new team on Friday in Pittsburgh pitching into the 8th winning 6-3. The Wolves continue their recent trend of trading aging mainstays but only to contenders for another shot at a title in waning FABL years. Hancock told Brett that he was fine with the deal and that he understood the reasoning of the team. He said, as the consummate pro he has always been, "Time to help Detroit to a championship.". The team statement thanked Hancock for his contributions over 13 years in a Wolves uniform interrupted by war service in 1944-45. The mantle of leading the pitching staff on and off the field falls to George Garrison, 33, who was rumoured to be subject of trade talks before the Hancock move to the FA. Garrison will now probably remain with the Wolves to anchor the rotation in the coming years while the youth develops for the team. On the field the Wolves historically bad season continues, going 1-6 by losing 3 of 4 to Brooklyn then all 3 to the Saints over the weekend. Losses continue to add up in the all to familiar pattern of blowing leads late, not hitting or kicking the ball to lose games. The only highlight of the week has Les Ledbetter's first big league victory on Tuesday over the Kings. He pitched into the seventh only giving up 2 runs on 8 hits striking out 6, more importantly walking no one. He avoided walks along with the big inning which has been his undoing early during his time in Toronto. Speaking of historically bad the team at 30-73, .291 winning percentage is rivalling only the Border Association Wolves of 1890 in racking up losses. That team went 40-100 (,286). If this team does win 15 of its final 51 they will have the lowest winning percentage ever of a Wolves team in history. That is a winning percentage of .294 might be a tough task for a team on a 5 game losing streak. Now the team will have a goal, avoid being the worst team in Toronto baseball history. JOHNSON UNLIKELY HERO FOR SAILORS John Thomas Johnson, who started the season in the Sailors bullpen, has opened some eyes with his first two starts since being inserted into the rotation. In his first start against the Kings, he tossed a six-hit shutout and fanned eight in a 9-0 Sailors victory on July 29. He followed that up on six days later with a second complete game in a tight 3-2 win over the Stars, allowing two runs (both on solo homers) but surrendering just five hits while walking three and striking out four. If you're scoring at home, that's 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in two starts. Can he keep it up? Well, the Sailors have won seven straight and nine of ten to reclaim the top spot with a 2.5 game edge on Cleveland. *** Foresters Outfield Leads the Way *** While everyone tends to focus (for good reason) on Adrian Czerwinski as he seeks another Allen Award with a 14-4, 3.14 record thus far, the real story in Cleveland has been the play of the club's trio of flycatchers. Each of Sherry Doyal, Joe Wood and Frenchy Sonntag came up as highly-touted centerfielders. Doyal is the one patrolling the big pasture, flanked by Wood in left and Sonntag in right. And all three are having outstanding seasons at the plate. Doyal leads the way with a .329 average, 22 homers and 86 RBIs - those numbers are 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in the Continental this season as Doyal flirts with a potential Triple Crown. Sonntag missed a few weeks due to injury but has still belted 20 HRs and has 69 RBIs with a .329 average. Wood, the rookie amongst the group of youngsters, has a .304-12-65 line. Here's a scary thought - the only Forester hitter older than 25 is Lorenzo Samuels and the only 25-year-old is Eddie Morris, both of whom are likely to be replaced by Stump Patterson & John Low respectively within a season. On the pitching side, Czerwinski's 26, Larry Beebe is 23, Ollie White is 27 and Gordie Irwin (29) and Ducky Davis (30) are the "old men" - this is a team that if the pitching is reasonably decent is going to be a headache for other CA clubs for a while. The Montreal Saints added Sal Pestilli to the roster trying to boost the starting nine in to pennant winning position. The 35-year-old, who owns a Whitney Award and nine all-star game invitations, was acquired from the Chicago Cougars at the trade deadline. With that move, Joe Austin returns full time to second base while Pestilli will cover center field as the Saints hope to make up what now sits as a 7.5 game deficit behind first place Philadelphia in the Continental Association flag race. Some positive news this week as pitcher Ted Coffin gets rookie of the month award while Otis O'Keefe was named the batter of the month in the CA for July. Coffin is getting more confident as season progress (12-5, 3.02 ERA). But with all this great news, highlighted by a 5-2 week, Montreal still 7.5 games behind as the Philadelphia Sailors seemed to have returned to their winning ways. Pestilli is not the only newcomer in the starting lineup as Saints skipper Jim Cator has decided to give the starting first base job to Hank Smith. The 1945 first round pick, 11th overall, has always been a backup since being with Montreal, caddying for starting first baseman Maurice Carter. This season, Carter is struggling a lot, and his offensive stats went way down compare to the last two years. After three seasons of 20+ HRs, Carter only got 8 this season with a batting average in the .230s. Back in time, in 1947, Hank Smith was playing well in AAA to be ready to become the next "Red Bond" of Montreal, but when the Saints made a trade to bring Maurice Carter from Washington at trade deadline and to finish the season, Smith was relegated to the second choice at first base. Carter finished the season batting well enough and got the starting job for each of the last three season, putting up more than decent numbers until this year. During that time, Smith played as a substitute for Carter, more often against lefty pithchers and as a regular pinch hitter. Now this has changed... This is now Hank Smith's time at 1B in Montreal and time to see if he can perform well enough to keep Carter on the bench. "Finish strong and get the job next season" is probably what is in Hank Smith head at the moment. In the opinion of many around the ball club, the leash is short for Smith, because Montreal drafted many prospects at this position in the last few years and some of them will be hitting the door in Montreal soon. Here is the list of first base prospects in the Montreal organization: AAA Bill Duckworth (OSA #46), AAA Ben Rogers (SA #225), AA Andy Green (OSA #127), A Andy Bonner (OSA #96) and B Gilberto Ocasio (OSA #194). Overall, Saints are on a 5-win streak, entering a 13 games stretch playing exclusively against the Stars and the Cougars in the next two weeks. Every Montreal fan will have an idea of how September will look like depending how good or bad the Saints perform during that stretch! I have discussed in the past the breakout season John Stallings is having. Another Chiefs pitcher having the best season of his career is 32-year-old Ernie Espanoza. Espanoza spent the entire 1950 season in the Chiefs bullpen. After getting a chance to start in early May, Espanoza has made the most of that opportunity, He has an ERA+ of 121 and is on pace for 4.1 WAR (his previous high was 2.9 in 1949). On Saturday in Washington, Espanoza threw a one-hitter to beat the Eagles 6-0. There is more to like about the Chiefs, certainly more than their current 50-58 record might indicate. 23-year-old rookie Bill Kline had his best start a little over a week ago in a 1-0 loss in Philadelphia. Kline's only misstep was allowing a solo home run to Rudy Minton in the 3rd inning. Ed Bloom now has an even 900 PA in the FABL: .286/.418/.388 with an OPS+ of 116. 30 doubles, 7 triples, 10 home runs, and 18 stolen bases. Here's to the Chiefs lead-off hitter for the next decade. Here are some nice numbers on the Chiefs rebuild. This is cool image of a rebuild. 6 of the top 7 run producers in Chicago this season are additions from the last few seasons (Hopkins being the holdover). Thinking about, Rutherford was acquired the year after Hopkins. And Hopkins was acquired in 46. So all 7 were acquired in the past 5 seasons. Actually it is all eight I guess, if you count D'Alessandro, who was acquired in the same season as Hopkins. Looking to the future Chiefs 2nd round pick Jim Upchurch hit 7 home runs in his first 23 games for Class C Waterloo after slugging 3 in a game against Marshalltown. Upchurch and 1st round pick Hugh Ferebee have combined for 12 home runs in their 3 weeks in Waterloo. The Chiefs have a chance to make an impact on the Federal Association pennant race. It should be an interesting couple of weeks for the cub: 12 games, all against either New York (5) or Detroit (7). NOW THE PENNANT RACE BEGINS All the deals have been made, four months of separating the contenders from the rest are over, and it's time to get down to business. August finds your New York Gothams four off the lead, but just two in the loss column. Yes, August also brings the annual focus on the "loss column". The next two weeks should go a long ways towards determining whether the Gothams will close that gap. 10 of the next 15 games are against league leading St. Louis or second place Detroit. A couple of series against Chicago are mixed in to catch your breath. This week closes with St. Louis in town for 4 games. Time to start juggling rotations for the best matchups. One new weapon, New York's only deadline move, is Jim Morrison. The 36-year-old acquired from the Cougars moved to 4-0 as a Gotham. Morrison has a 3.10 ERA since moving to Queens. As hot as the weather - Walt Messer hit .333 with 9 homers and 20 RBI in July. He missed out on batter of the month honors, but ace Ed Bowman did take the FA pitcher award for July. Red Johnson continues to lead the FA in homers and RBI with 26 and 88. Team Owner Chester Coleman introduced a Missouri native Bob Gould as the Kings new Asst GM. Many speculate that Gould is someone who will be the owners personal "voice" in the office of the owner. After some thought, Manager Tom Barrell has accepted a 2-year contract to remain with the Kings. Barrell in his 6th season has a 421-457 with the Kings. That record is greatly effected by the first season record in which the Kings finished 61-93 in the 1946 season. itting coach Milo Kimble and 1B Coach Elmer De Gray have accepted offers to return while pitching coach Karl Johnson is already signed for the new year. The feeling is that bench coach Jim Dudkiewicz will likely retire at the end of the year as he has indicated he isn't interested in moving to Kansas City to remain the bench coach. Speculation is that the Kings will promote Tampa Manager Don Fox to be the Kings bench coach for the 1952 season. Fox has already signed a 2-year extension to keep managing in the organization, but thoughts are that Fox is highly regarded by the King's front office. No mention if longtime Brooklyn Scouting Director John Spears will be returning. On the field3B Ken Newman 22 has been on a tear since July 1st. Since July 1st Newman has hit 360/467/971. He has 10 extra base hits with 17 RBI's and 20 runs scored in this games. Newman appears to be cementing himself as the King's long term #2 hitter. Rumor has it the Kings were set to ship LHP Jackson Scott to Washington for a mid-level minor league 3B prospect, but midnight struck before the teams could get the paperwork finalized. DALTON INJURY OPENS DOOR FOR CAREER MINOR LEAGUE Boston loses Billy Dalton for 6 weeks causing a domino effect of moves throughout the Minutemen's' system. Fred Williams gets called up to the club not because of performance but simply because there is literally nobody else to bring up. I can imagine the conversation from Columbus manager Ben Hatfield...Fred Williams standing in front of the visitors locker in St. Paul after a 2-1 loss. He went 1-4 in the game raising his average to .203, not even 20 points above his playing weight as equipment manager/bench coach Monty Hackworth alerts Williams that "Hatty" wants a word with him. Williams looks up at the ragged uniform hanging in his locker wondering if this is it? Is the dream over at 24? Is this the last day he will ever be able to call himself a pro ballplayer? With a heavy exhale of his breath Fred turns and walks into the office to face the music. "Hatty" is sitting at the desk in a tank top style undershirt more yellow than the original white it was. There is a thin line of smoke coming off the Chesterfield Hatty has in the corner of his mouth and a can of red, white and blue is already open on the desk. "Hey Fred, will you close the door? I have some news for you." As Fred closes the door and turns, Hatty gets right to the point. This will be quick and easy Fred thought. That's good, I don't need to be treated like a kid. I'm not getting the job done, but man, I wish they would at least give me another chance in AA before sending me back to Iowa. As Fred was playing out his own fate he totally tuned out the fact that Hatty was talking until he heard the word "Boston". Snapping out of his funk Fred replied "Wait, what did you say Hatty?" Hatty shakes his head and says "You got corn in your ears boy? I said Billy Dalton is out and you are the next man up. You are going to Boston, they bought your contract." Dumbfounded, Fred tried to reply before Hatty cut him off "I thought that...." "You thought you were being released, and to be honest kid, that day may have been coming. But baseball works in weird ways sometimes. Sometimes one man's loss is another man's opportunity. And this is a good opportunity for you. They tell me that Billy is going to be on the shelf for at least six weeks. You will be a reserve, but you will have a good month and a half to show them something kid. Some ball players never get that chance. Hell kid, I never got out of "A" ball. So save the tears for another day and put your mind on how you are going to impress these guys up there. Your going to the big time Fred, go out there and celebrate with the fellas for a minute and pack your bags. Good luck Fred, make us proud."
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/05/1951
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August 13, 1951
DYNAMOS TAKE OVER FEDERAL LEAD We're halfway through the gauntlet setup between the three Federal Association contenders, and it's clear who put themselves in the best position. That would be the Detroit Dynamos, who went from one back to three in front, as the trade boosted squad had little trouble during the week. With the benefit of being home and only playing two games against their competition, the Dynamos swept through the week, knocking the Pioneers out of first before sweeping the Chiefs in a three game set. A pair of one run victories over Mel Haynes (3-8, 5.95. 25) helped them against the Chiefs, while Joe Hancock's (6-11, 3.88, 63) 6-hit shutout with no walks an 3 strikeouts in the opener with the Pioneers gave them the momentum they needed to extend their win streak to six. Hancock has won both his starts in Detroit, allowing just 12 hits, 3 runs, and a walk with 7 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched. The Dynamos offense wasn't even their sharpest this week, but April pickup Pat Petty (.274, 8, 47), who was at risk of losing his starting spot, has started to heat up. The former King picked up Player of the Week in the Fed, hitting an impressive .667/.696/1.190 in 23 trips to the plate. Petty added 3 doubles, at triple, 2 homers, 5 runs, and 6 RBIs. He's coming off his best month in July, hitting .259/.439/.424 (126 OPS+) with 4 homers and 11 RBIs, now up to .274/.411/.419 (117 OPS+) in 96 games. What's made him so useful this season is the walks -- he's drawing them at a 18.6% clip -- which ranks third among all FABL hitters. Detroit draws a lot of walks, 3rd in the Fed, and that will only continue to rise the more Mack Sutton (.293, 25, 86) plays. One of their deadline acquisitions, he has one more walk (78) then Petty (77) with a healthy 16.5 BB%. It's always good to get on base when you're trying to score runs, and with guys like Sutton, Dick Estes (.308, 13, 71), Ralph Johnson (.302, 18, 61, 5), and Edwin Hackberry (.267, 23, 79, 11), all who are capable run producers, the more guys on base, the better. The only way this week could have gone worse for the Pioneers, is if they lost the finale in New York, as they lost their first five games of the week before their top three of George Atkins (), Frank Kirchner (), and Ray Bates () decided enough was enough. The trio combined to go 6-for-16 with 5 runs, 5 RBIs, 3 walks, 2 doubles (Kirchner), and a triple (Bates), helping the Pioneers win their first game in eight attempts 8-5. They couldn't have picked a worse time to slump, as after leading the Fed they dropped to third, half a game behind the Gothams and three and a half shy of Detroit. Their starting pitching got hammered, with each starter allowing four or more runs, with the most embarrassing loss a 14-1 blowout where Cecil LaBonte (.315, 3, 49, 5), Roosevelt Brewer (.313, 1, 42, 13), and Walt Messer (.284, 24, 76) drove in three or more runs a piece. The Gothams had 15 hits, 10 singles and 5 doubles, as Tom Buchanan (8-5, 4.01, 57) wasn't able to complete the second inning. It won't get any easier either, but they do have two off days coming up to hopefully get the team back on track. They'll be home for the week as well, hosting Detroit for two before New York is in town for three games in four days. Lucky for the Pioneers, those two teams play each other while they're off, as the Dynamos will be hosting the Gothams before coming to town. Best case for the Pioneers is a split, they can't fall any further in the loss column, and with a big week at home they can find themselves right back on top of the association. And while Detroit might have had the best week, the Gothams are still the hottest team in the Fed, as before the finale loss to St. Louis they won then in a row. They swept through the Chiefs, starting with a Buddy Long (15-5, 3.14, 46) shutout and finishing with a tight 8-7 win where they took the lead on a two-run single from Tom Jeffries (.306, 8, 60) in the 8th. He finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, a crucial piece of the victory. The Gothams did have the benefit of being at home this week, and will now venture to Detroit, Chicago, and of course, St. Louis, as they continue their title defense. Jim Morrison (9-9, 3.89, 52) finally lost his first start as a Gotham, St. Louis got 7 runs (6 earned) off 8 hits and 3 walks in 5.2 innings to snap the streak, but he's still got a 3.67 ERA (115 ERA+) and 1.25 WHIP in his 6 starts. The Gothams are going to need big starts from him, Long, and ace Ed Bowman (14-4, 2.53, 97) in what could be their toughest week of the season. Looking at the other association, it's not as much of a three horse race as the Fed, but the Montreal Saints are now just 6.5 games out of first, and have been better in their last ten then the teams they're chasing. They've lost just one series since July 24th, as the Chicago Cougars took two of three from them to open the week. They rebounded quickly with two of three from the Stars, and have now won 8 of their last 11. New Saint Sal Pestilli (.254, 8, 29, 13) went 9-for-25 in his second week in Montreal, adding a triple, steal, and 6 runs. He had a big 3-for-4 day with 3 runs against his former team in the Saints lone win in Chicago, and Sal had a big 4-for-6 with a steal and 3 more runs as the Saints secured at least a split in their four game set hosting the Stars. They have their work cut out for them, but with four more against the Stars and three with the Cougars, both teams well under .500, they can make up some more ground in the pennant race. Cleveland and Philly play one game in Cleveland to start the week, the last time they see each other until September. The Sailors are holding a game and a half lead, and will likely send Lloyd Stevens (11-7, 4, 3.53, 53) out to start. The veteran who spent most of his time on the other side of town has had a huge breakout for the Sailors, helping ease the loss of Win Lewis (5-1, 2.83, 34) a bit. In 12 starts after the trade, he's 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, 24 walks, and 37 strikeouts. The 35-year-old former Allen Winner has really helped cleanup a rotation with a lot of question marks, and it will have another one as "ace" Charlie Gordon (11-8, 3.98, 74) is dealing with back spasms that haven't healed right. No word has been given if he will need an IL stint, but they have three guys in their pen who have made seven or more starts. The Foresters have a big decision to make, as with an off day tomorrow, they can either start ace Adrian Czerwinski (15-4, 3.10, 90) on short rest or swingman John Jackson (7-7, 9, 3.77, 40) who was recently inserted to the rotation. Czerwinski is looking to do what might be the "easiest" way to get in to the Hall-of-Fame, winning three straight Allen Awards, and he's shown on multiple occasions he can handle starts without the regular five days of rest. Easily the class of their rotation, no one can come close to his numbers, though with the excellent outfield of Sherry Doyal (.327, 22, 86), Frenchy Sonntag (.335, 21, 78), and Joe Wood (.302, 13, 66) whoever pitches will have plenty of run support. It's a long season and plenty can happen, but it's not hard to wager that this coming game in Philadelphia is one of the biggest games they'll play all year. And in big games, you need big game players. No one fits that bill more then "The Mad Professor." He's the guy that holds this team together. And he's the guy they'll have to lean on if they want a chance to repeat as champs. MCCULLOUGH RETIRES AS PLAYER, WILL REMAIN SKIPPER IN CINCINNATI PRESS RELEASE FROM CINCINNATI CANNONS: In a heartfelt announcement, Charley McCullough, the Cincinnati Cannons' player-manager, has declared his retirement from playing, effective immediately. McCullough, known for his defensive prowess and sharp eye at the plate, leaves behind a legacy of dedication and resilience. Over his career, McCullough played 748 games, maintaining a .244 batting average with a remarkable .369 on-base percentage. Despite hitting only two home runs, his disciplined approach at the plate led to just 149 strikeouts in 2,256 at-bats, showcasing his keen eye for the strike zone. McCullough's defensive skills earned him the reputation of a glove-first second baseman, a role in which he excelled throughout his career. McCullough's journey with the Cannons began in Baltimore, and he remained a steadfast member of the team through its move to Cincinnati in 1940. His standout moment came in 1941 when he earned an All-Star selection, a testament to his skill and dedication to the game. As he transitions fully into his managerial role, McCullough's influence on the field will be missed, but his leadership off the field promises to continue guiding the Cannons. The entire organization and its fans extend their heartfelt thanks to Charley McCullough for his invaluable contributions and unwavering commitment to the team. https://i.imgur.com/byuW5rc.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/4EIuJfI.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/MKYK9g2.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/HhKbU5d.jpg DYNAMOS TAKE OVER TOP SPOT A six game winning streak could not have come at a better time for the Detroit Dynamos, a team that suddenly finds itself in a spot it has occupied all too rarely for the past couple of decades - at the top of the Federal Association. There is much work to be done for the club to stay there as both the New York Gothams and St Louis Pioneers remain very much in the mix. There are also the ghosts of so many close calls since Detroit last hoisted the Fed flag in 1929. Second place finishes in 1932 and 1933 before the sell-off of Al Wheeler and Frank Vance prompted a complete rebuild. Rebuild attempt one when the Dynamos finishes in second place three years in a row including just a single game back of Pittsburgh in 1939 and two behind the Miners in 1940. After a drop to the second division the Dynamos were back and challenging in 1944 when they finished second and in 1945 when they were third but just four games behind the pennant winning Philadelphia Keystones. Even as recently as two years ago the Dynamos finished just 7 games off the pace but truth be told were never really a true pennant contender that year. Yes, there has been plenty of close calls that ended with very disappointing conclusions to campaigns through the years. That, of course, just naturally leads to the fear of another near miss being what is instore for Dynamos supporters going forward but perhaps this year is different. The batting order from one thru eight is possibly the best a Detroit club has ever fielded with newcomers Ralph Johnson and Mack Sutton adding to a solid young core led by Edwin Hackberry, Dick Estes and the doubleplay combo of Stan Kleminski and Del Johnson. The pitching staff also seems to be in high gear, which is a shock when you consider the club's ace, Carl Potter, has not pitched since blowing out his arm on opening day. Back-to-back wins over St Louis last week moved the club ahead of the Pioneers, who had a rough week in losing 5 straight to the Dynamos and New York before bouncing back against the Gothams yesterday. After surpassing the Pioneers, the Dynamos did something against Chicago that perhaps makes us think that this really is the year. Friday evening at Thompson Field the Dynamos rallied from a 4-1 deficit by scoring once in each of the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th innings to pull out a 5-4 victory and then a day later, after allowing the Chiefs to plate 5 runs in the top of the 9th and go up 9-8, the Dynamos rallied again. Jim Gaiter tied the contest with a key pinch-hit rbi single and then Pat Petty, aided by a throwing error, drove in the winning run in the 10th. There was far less drama yesterday as the Dynamos scored 4 times in the opening frame and cruised past Chicago 7-4, stretching the current Detroit winning streak to six games. It is a big week ahead as Red Johnson and the New York Gothams come to town for two games beginning this evening. New York is just as hot as the Dynamos are and trail Detroit by just 3 games. After this series is over the two clubs will still have six September meetings to look forward to but a sweep of the two games with New York and then to win two more in St Louis beginning Wednesday would certainly help nervous Detroit fans feel just a little more at ease. HERE COME THE GOTHAMS A 10 game winning streak, a 7-1 week and the Gothams have tracked down St. Louis. Now they need to do it all again as they go to Detroit for two, then close out the week in St. Louis with a 4 game set. The story this week was pitching as each starter, save Joe Brown who was bailed out by the offense, turned in a strong performance. Jim Morrison ran his Gothams record to 5-0 before stumbling in the Sunday game against St. Louis. Red Johnson continues his push for a 5th Whitney Award moving to 3rd in the FA with a .320 average to go with his league leading 29 homers and 95 RBI. One issue for the team is SS Cecil LaBonte coming up lame running out a double in Sunday's game. The injury is listed as day to day, but the team will call up young infielder Harry Murray as insurance. Light-hitting Jim Harper is expected to get most of the work in LaBonte's absence. Starting what will be a week with 8 games in 7 days, the Gothams trail only Detroit, by three games. On the farm - The teams high ranking for farm systems is showing on the field as both AA Reading and A Albany lead their leagues. Even AA Toledo, while trailing red hot Milwaukee by 13 games, has a vey respectable 59-47 record. At AAA Jim Allen continues to show no trouble in pro ball, now hitting .329. A FINAL SURPRISE FOR THE ELDER STATESMAN It was a very warm, uncharacteristically humid, July night in Boston as Rip Curry made his way up Forsyth Street. The Minutemen just finished up a brutal 1-11 road trip to start the post All-Star stretch of their season. While it was good to be home Rip wondered how much longer he would actually call Boston home? With the Minutemen being his third professional team, Rip had become accustomed to reading the writing on the wall. The first one though, definitely took him by surprise. Imagine being drafted 13th overall, playing in a city for six seasons, amassing over 1000 hits to wake up one morning and realize that the Keystones, from the city of brotherly love, had just dealt you to Detroit who cared more about their war-time economy than their ballclub. That was the slap in the face wake up call that Rip had not expected. As Rip turned north on Hemenway Street he recalled who he was dealt for. Some kid named Greenwood, I think. Eddie, yea, that was it, a center fielder. He lost some time in the service though. God bless him. I think he finished out in California somewhere. Come to think of it, the other guy they dealt me for served as well, the pitcher, Abingdon. He’s still in Philly. I'm four for ten against the poor bastard. Rip chuckled at his ability to always remember who he had success against. I wasn’t much of a fan of Detroit, I thought I should have played more to be honest, but we made the most of it. Still, when they traded me to Boston I wasn’t sad to say goodbye. As Rip continued down Hemenway street he thought. That was the Pestilli deal! Oh yea, the GM over there had a real fascination with bloodlines, like having a famous last name guaranteed you anything! They even sent Artie White, a four time All-Star, over with me in that deal. Artie was at the end for sure, and let's face it, they probably thought the same about me, but Pestilli had been hiding behind that damn last name his whole career. And here I am, still kicking at 41. As Rip made his final turn onto Gainsborough the concrete monstrosity blotted out the night sky. There it was, Minuteman Stadium, the steel and rivet future of baseball stadium construction. Even on an off day, the stadium was still busy as it housed the central nervous system of the organization. Three levels above Gate G, the lights always seemed to be on. As Rip approached, the night attendant emerged from the shadows. “Hiya Rip, how are you tonight?” “I’m good Frankie, how about yourself” “Well, other than my wife and kids, I can’t complain” “How many are you up to now?” “That I know about?….probably four” as Frankie broke out into a broad smile. “Well, they can’t all hate you right?” “Naw, only when they don’t need something.” Rip gave Frankie a good natured smile and nod as Frankie added “He is waiting for you up there. You wanna take the lift?” “Naw, I don’t want you to work too hard tonight, I’ll take the ramp, I’m an athlete ya know.” “So they say Rip, have a good one.” Rip gave a smile as he turned and proceeded up the ramp to the office of the GM. This wasn’t the first time Rip had been in this office. The last time though was a few years ago to accept a plaque in recognition of his 2000th career hit. Tonight though, Rip was sure he wasn’t receiving another plaque. As Rip entered the office the Boston GM was looking out a window that went from the floor to the ceiling at the quiet field below him. “Hey Rip, thanks for coming. Pour yourself a drink if you like?” as he gestured toward the bar on the wall by the entrance. Rip, never one to pass up a chance at good bourbon, helped himself to a healthy three fingered pour with a single cube. “Rip, you are a lifer, you know what this is about right?” “Let’s see…You are paying me 46k, I’m not playing and when I do I’m not hitting. So you guys are looking to kick me to the scrap heap. Am I close?” With a quick chuckle the Boston GM replied “Yea, you are close”. Before Rip could add another condescending remark Boston’s GM continued with “Rip you aren’t some country hayseed, there are only 63 players in the history of this league that have more hits than you do. That deserves respect. I know I’m a baseball exec, but I was a baseball fan first if you can believe it, and I wanted to treat you with a bit of dignity. Disarmed by the sentiment, Rip shifted from cutting sarcasm to a more honest approach. “No, I understand. What do you have on your mind?” “Well, I can’t “legally” say what I did but I may have made a call to Philadelphia to alert them that we may be putting one of their favorite son’s on waivers. And they may have said they were interested in bringing a certain player back.” Humbled, Rip replied. “That was a mighty fine thing to do there boss” “My pleasure, you know this is a business, but when we can do something right by a player, I like to think we try to make that happen. I mean, if you aren’t claimed you can technically go down to Columbus and help the young guys. Although, I’m pretty sure that isn’t something you are interested in doing. You want to play, not mentor." With a finger left in his drink Rip replied “It’s not how I would like to go out, but the way you have treated me makes me at least consider it. I appreciate the organization for treating me like a person.” Rip stared into his drink swirling around the fast melting cube as the GM poured himself a generous glass of scotch. “What’s going through your head now Rip?” “Just thinking about the journey is all.” “What was the best part?” “Being 25 years old and hitting .370 which was good enough to out hit Bobby Barrell. Bobby B. was the best player I have ever played with or against. To be better than him for one season was something special.” “That is a good one. What is the regret?” “Not winning a title. Like every ballplayer, you want to finish on top at least once.” “Well, ballplayers good enough to call it their career. I’m an exec and I would give it all up to be good enough to play for a single season. We all have our roles though” As Rip tossed back the last of his drink he said “I appreciate how you have done yours. I’m going to leave you now and find my way out. Thank you though.” As Rip made his way to the door one more question made his way to his ears before he could turn the door handle. “Rip, I have one last question. Is Rip your given name?” “No it ain’t. Why do you ask?” “I don’t know, Rip is a unique name, but there is a prospect out of California with the same first and last name. He isn’t a jr. though, and I know you are a private guy but…..never mind. Just a coincidence I bet” Rip looked from the door knob back to the GM and then to the far wall of the room. “Remember when you asked about my biggest regret?” “Yea, I remember” “I was 25, I out hit Bobby Barrell for a season, I was on top of the world, I wasn’t cut out for fatherhood at the time. He was born in Philly but his Mom quickly moved to California when she realized I wasn’t the one. At 25 I didn't get it, now it haunts me. He has my name, but he doesn’t have my name. It was a masterstroke on her part.” With that Rip quietly left his glass on the bar and walked out of the office. The three level walk down the ramp was maybe the longest in the history of his life. When he reached the bottom Frankie asked “Am I gonna miss you Rip?” “If you like me as a ballplayer, then probably yes Frankie”. “As a ballplayer? What the hell more is there?” “Probably everything Frankie.” “What the hell does that mean?” “Nothing Frankie, Rip loves you, have a good night.” As Rip walked off into the night Frankie shouted “You too Rip! You are one of the best!” On August 5th 1951 the Philadelphia Keystones claimed Rip Curry off of waivers. The other Rip Curry hit .458 as a high school sophomore last season.
RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/12/1951
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August 20, 1951
AUGUST 20, 1951 FORESTERS BACK ON TOP OF CA Six wins in their last seven games has the Cleveland Foresters back on top of the Continental Association as the Ohio Nine presses for its third straight CA pennant. Cleveland's Ohio neighbours did them a favour over the weekend as the Cincinnati Cannons paraded into Sailors Memorial Stadium and took three of four games from Philadelphia. That puts the Foresters back in front, a game and a half ahead of the Sailors. The news was not all good for Cleveland, however, as the club will be without outfielder Joe Wood for at least a month after the 23-year-old suffered a shoulder injury the day before he was named Player of the Week in the Continental Association. Wood, a favourite for the Kellogg Award as top rookie in the Continental loop, is batting .315 with 14 homers and 71 rbi's on the season. In the Federal Association the St Louis Pioneers regrouped nicely after dropping five of six to Detroit and New York two weeks ago. The Pioneers, home to face the same two clubs this week, split a pair with the first place Dynamos before winning three of four against the Gothams over the weekend. That allows St Louis to slip past New York and back in to second place in the Fed, a game and a half back of the Dynamos. Detroit and third place New York split a series to start the week but both had troubles with Chicago. The Gothams lost two to the Chiefs before continuing to struggle in St Louis while the Dynamos came up short against Chicago in three of their four weekend games at Whitney Park. As I was hoping last week, the Foresters pushed ace and Allen hopeful Adrian Czerwinski on short-rest in their quick one game series with the first place Sailors, and "The Mad Professor" did not disappoint in his lecture. He schooled fellow ace Charlie Gordon (11-10, 4.31, 76), earning his league leading 16th win with a complete game victory. Not only did Czerwinski allow just 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts, but he dealt some damage of his own, hitting a two-run homer off Gordon in the 6thto give the team a 5-1 lead. Cleveland cruised to a 9-3 victory that brought them within half a game of first, as Joe Wood (.315, 14, 71) more then made up for his error with a 4-for-4 night where he came a triple away from the cycle, scoring 3 times and driving in 2. The Foresters won the next three, but when it came to a double header with the Wolves, everything went wrong in the opener. Not only did the Wolves tag Czerwinski (6 R, 5 ER) and Hank Berkowitz (5 ER) for 11 runs, but their lineup took a major hit. Wood was on track for another four hit game, already 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, but when he tried to throw out Kirby Copeland (.309, 7, 57, 7) on Pat Todd's (.222, 1, 13) go-ahead single in the 6th, he winced in pain and had to be taken out of the game. The diagnosis wasn't good, Wood's right shoulder was inflamed, and the Foresters expect him to miss a month of action. Paul Porter (.327, 1, 12, 2), who replaced him in left and started the second half of the double header, is expected to replace him in the lineup against lefties, while former All-Star Ivey Henley is coming up from Rochester to get the starts against righties. Both are decent options as fourth outfielders, but neither offer what "The Sioux Falls Sensation" can do. In most outfields, Wood's 148 WRC+ would lead the group, but in Cleveland's star studded trio he's the only guy below 160. With the best lineup in the association, you would think they could absorb the loss, but in what's turned into a back-and-forth battle, losing a star for an extended time can make a world of difference. Philadelphia, who entered the week atop the association and is now a game back, is already without their best pitcher, and if they can stay healthy they could get right back to where they were. Their lineup is just as deep as Cleveland's, led by 5+ WAR youngsters Al Farmer (.313, 15, 65) and Billy Forbes (.300, 9, 68, 21), with quality bats in the one through seven spot. Second year outfielder George Rutter (.307, 19, 109, 5) is the first and only player to reach 100 RBIs on the season, and with the heating up Joe Scott (.303, 11, 69) behind him, they may now have the stronger two through five until Wood is back. Even Montreal, who is still hanging around at six and a half back, can take advantage of the Wood injury, as Pat Weakly (11-8, 4.47, 83) and Wally Doyle (12-7, 3.60, 102) will have one less slugger to face when the Foresters come to town for a quick two game set. The Sailors and Saints are 2nd and 3rd in runs scored, as offense continues to reign supreme in the Continental. On the Federal side, the Gothams cooled off as quickly as they heated up, dropping six of their last seven including a rough double header in St. Louis. The long stretch of games may be taking its toll, New York hasn't rested since the last day of July, and they're in the middle of 36 games in 34 days. I don't think I've ever seen a team play more games then days in a month, that's what New York has to deal with in August, and their rough road trip has them four games behind the Dynamos as they retreat to third. Their rotation took a beating, with five games where their starter allowed five or more runs, including the great Ed Bowman (14-5, 2.67, 105) who was on the wrong side of Jack Miller's (14-13, 3.31, 83) 3-hit, 3-walk, and 0-strikeout shutout. It was the Dynamos ace second straight complete game win without a strikeout, as the week prior he bested the other team Detroit is trying to stay above. The Pioneers got their revenge on the two teams that were ahead of them in the standings, as they used their off days to return to second; a game and a half out of the lead. They have three more off days before the month ends, and they'll get a nice break from the Dynamos and Gothams with a homestand where they'll see Boston (3), Pittsburgh (2), Washington (2; DH), and Philadelphia (2) before ending the month back in Detroit. The back of their rotation has struggled, and the lineup wasn't even that great this week, but all they really needed was Larry Gregory. The anchor of their lineup reached 5 WAR on the season with a 12-for-22 week, providing St. Louis with 4 doubles, a triple, a homer, 3 RBIs, 5 walks, and 6 runs. The fact that he wasn't named Player of the Week is criminal, especially considering the winner Hank Estill saw his Gothams contained by Gregory's Pioneers, but it's hard to be mad at the guy who was 12-for-23 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 7 RBIs. Gregory has been hot since June, and if the Pioneers want to reclaim the lead, he can't slow down. But for now it's the Dynamos who set the pace, and they just made temporary ace Joe Hancock (7-12, 3.92, 71) the second $100,000 man. He picked up his third win in four starts, already one away from his total with the Wolves, coming an out away from a complete game win against the Chiefs. That was surprisingly the only game Detroit took from what was a struggling Chicago club, as after splitting with the Gothams and Pioneers they dropped three of four to the team they swept out of Detroit last week. The offense couldn't get going, just five runs in the three losses, as star center fielder Edwin Hackberry (.260, 23, 83, 12) has gone ice cold and Mack Sutton (.281, 25, 88) had a brutal 3-for-27 week to drop his August triple slash to .167/.295/.242 (42 OPS+). They need these two to heat up if they want to keep leading the way, as they have twelve more games against their two closest competitors, who just like in the standings, rank 2nd and 3rd behind them in runs against. Isn't that something? The high offense Fed has the top three pitching teams leading the way, while the larger park pitching Conti has the top three batting teams setting the pace. Got to love pennant race baseball! TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Officially Eliminated in CA in 1951 - In news that was just a matter of time the Toronto Wolves were eliminated from any hope of a pennant on August 19th. While it is no surprise that they have no chance at a flag, the team is 34-83 after all, to be eliminated with six weeks left in the season is embarrassing to the fans along with all connected to the organization. After showing signs of actually being an FABL team during the first full week of August by going 3-3 that euphoria soon turned to anguish for the team. Following a 13-4 drubbing of the Foresters nine days ago the team quickly loss 7 straight before winning the opening game of a Sunday doubleheader in Cleveland 11-4. This was the one win in eight games played for the week. The Wolves completed a twenty game homestand last Tuesday -one in which they won only six times- and are now on the road until September 1st. Starting the road trip in Philadelphia George Garrison looked good until the rains came in the fifth only allowing 1 hit in five innings of work. The rain delay of 69 minutes would not allow Garrison to continue with the score tied at 1. On came Ray Hatch, who allowed 6 runs on 5 hits, 5 walks in 2+ innings of work, game over 7-1 Sailors. Hatch's next outing may be for Buffalo unless the team stands pat until roster expansion when they come home in September. Before the Sunday win the Wolves played the Foresters tight, Phillips lost 2-0 to Ducky Davis who tossed a two hitter on Friday, On Saturday Larry Beebe did one better to Jerry York, holding Toronto to one hit in a 1-0 game. Three hits in two games does not equal wins. At the plate in August, not withstanding the two games in Cleveland, some the hitters are starting to hit. Wally Boyer has a line of .318/400/.515 in August along with Finney's .351/.415/.474. Bouncing back at the plate is John Wells who is still struggling in the field although he has looked better, more comfortable at 3B with a line of .439/.431/.439, nice numbers but no XBH. Pitching is still a mystery. The team finds far more ways to lose games than it does to win games. The fans who show up to Dominion Stadium, attendance is down 20%, are probably in for a rough ride for the 16 remaining home dates. KEYSTONES CLOSING IN ON FIRST DIVISION The Keystones are a game and a half behind fourth-place Washington in an attempt to climb into the first division. Philadelphia is 57-63 with the season turning for good on an 18-game losing streak, but despite a horrid May, the Keystones have managed to stay competitive and a shot at a top-four finish is something to shoot for. The beleaguered pitching staff has held together, rising to sixth place in earned run average as a staff (4.70), while the starting rotation also ranks sixth (4.43), after spending most of the first half in dead last in the Fed. The five best starters of the season for Philadelphia are currently taking the ball every fifth day, led by rookie All-Star Sam Ivey (9-3, 3.18 ERA). Ivey has enjoyed 4.9 runs per game of run support while the ace of the staff entering this season, Jim Whiteley, has only been given 2.8 runs per game. Consequently, Whiteley has a 5-13 record (4.35 ERA). Andy Lyon, acquired by trade from Montreal in the offseason, has been 6-1 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 starts since entering the rotation, but the biggest shot in the arm for the improved rotation has been Sid Moulton. The former top-50 prospect had settled into a career of relief after not quite earning a starting spot, but through 14 starts, Moulton is 7-6 with a 3.25 ERA . He has won four of his last five starts and five of seven. Moulton has led the team with three shutouts, including two straight blankings in late July and early August against Chicago, 1-0, and New York, 2-0. A 2-6 week drops the Gothams to 4 back of the league lead. In a reverse of the previous week the rotation each took a turn getting whipped by the competition. Now that the Gothams have a spell not playing the teams above them, they need to win and hope for help. Cecil LaBonte's hip is feeling better. He'll be back in the line-up allowing the team to send Harry Murray back to Toledo. Murray hit just .143 in his short stay in the majors. In his place the team has called up George Bundy who was leading the Century League with 19 homers and 84 RBI while only a point off the league lead with a .319 average. Bundy should give the team some potential pop off the bench. Rookie Hank Estill was the FA player of the week. Estill has been edging out longtime infielder Roosevelt Brewer for starts at the hot corner and rewarded manager Bud Jameson with a .522-2-7 week. Estill probably won't have enough appearances to challenge for the league rookie award but he is showing the talent that made him a first round pick in 1948. Just promoted to AAA OF/1B George Bundy was named the Century League player of the week.
CUMBERLAND TOPS PRESEASON AIAA GRID POLL The Cumberland Explorers, one of three schools from the Deep South Conference to crack the preseason top ten, are considered the team to beat in collegiate football this season. The Explorers finished second in the nation behind section rival Central Kentucky a year ago and finished with a 10-0-2 record after tying Darnell State in the Lone Star Classic on New Year's Day. The third school from the Deep South Conference to be included in the top ten is the Alabama Baptist Panthers, who are coming off a 10-2 season that included a win over Wyoming A&I in the Oilman Classic. St. Ignatius, the independent school that will join the Great Lakes Alliance for football in a couple of seasons, is the surprise number two in the rankings followed by defending GLA champion Central Ohio. The Aviators fell 27-23 to Rainier College in the East-West Classic in Santa Ana on New Year's Day but expect big things this season with Christian Trophy winning halfback Jack Kress, now a senior, returning. Rounding out the top five are 1949 National Champion Oklahoma City State at number four followed by the Northern California Miners. Last season's national champions, the Central Kentucky Tigers, are 6th in the rankings to start the 1951 campaign. The Tigers, who tied Cumberland for the only blemish on their 11-0-1 record in a season that concluded with a 31-24 victory over Oklahoma City State in the Cajun Classic, will be without Ipswich Trophy winning lineman Gene Trickle, who has graduated, but All-American quarterback Pete Capizzi returns to lead the Tigers offense in his senior season. The 1951 season kicks-off the weekend of September 14-15 but few schools of note, aside from Central Kentucky which hosts Cookeville State on the 15th, will see action until the following weekend. Here is the This Week in Figment Sports preseason top ten. DUKES STILL UNABLE TO SIGN GALBRAITH The Toronto Dukes did manage to resign one of their three veteran players who had threatened not to return to the team but the primary target, all-star winger Lou Galbraith remains a holdout. Galbraith, 23, who had 53 points and played all 70 games last season is said to be considering his options, as is 25-year-old defenseman Clyde Lumsen. Neither has much in the way of options as the alternative to not signing with the Dukes for each is to either retire from the game or go play senior hockey. Toronto did get the third regular who refused an extension last spring to finally agree to a deal. That would be 26-year-old defenseman Frank Featherstone, who spent nearly all of last season in the minors with Cleveland. Featherstone had been regular on the Dukes blueline for their two recent Challenge Cup winning clubs. He agreed to a 3-year-deal at $3,000 per season. Boston also managed to sign a few players who had been dragging their feet. Len Bentley, a 35-year-old defenseman who had 13 points in 50 games last season, agreed to a one year deal for $12,500 while 24-year-old winger John Bentley, no relation to Len, signed a two-year deal after scoring 32 points and accumulating a league leading 120 penalty minutes last season. The Chicago Packers also are breathing easier after they inked Joe Fleming to a 3-year deal worth $6,116 per season. The 26-year-old rearguard suited up for 64 games last season and had 7 goals and 18 points. SHAMROCKS DRAFT DRAWS RAVES The NAHC's recently completed entry draft saw the Chicago Packers select defenseman Guy Bernier with the first overall draft choice but the OSA, the league scouting service, suggests the best draft belonged to the club that picked sixth. That would be the New York Shamrocks, who selected three forwards with their picks in Kingston Cadets left winger Sam Ritchie in the opening round followed by his Kingston teammate Bump MacWilliam, a right winger, in round two and winger Sammy Antoski from the St. Thomas Pachyderms in the third round. The OSA ranks the six draft classes this way: https://i.imgur.com/ZVGgBuo.jpeg Meanwhile the Kitchener Roosters made Charlie Oliphant Jr. the top pick in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association draft, which was held last week. the 16-year-old left winger is the son of the former Ottawa and Toronto star by the same name and, while his NAHC draft year is still a couple of seasons away, is expected to be a first round pick when he becomes eligible in the summer of 1953. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/19/1951
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August 27, 1951
AUGUST 27, 1951 BARRELL BOLTS CANNONS, RETURNS TO COLONELS That large sigh of relief you heard coming out of Augusta was football fans of Noble Jones College after being informed that their star quarterback, and basketball star, is returning to campus this week and will be under center when the Colonels grid eleven opens its season September 22 at home against Potomac College. Barrell and his Colonels teammates will be hoping to improve upon a dreadful 3-8-1 campaign a year ago. Despite assurances last winter when he was selected first overall in the FABL draft that Barrell vowed to return to college for his senior season and play both football and basketball for the Colonels, there were fears that he might change his mind should the Cannons fast track him to the Continental Association. That did not happen as Barrell instead begin a whirlwind tour with whistlestops at nearly every Cannons minor league affiliate. Two weeks in Class B Charleston followed almost inexplicably by a week long demotion to Class C Burlington before being moved up to AA Erie for seven days and finally the past two weeks in AAA Indianapolis. Despite looking bored in the low minors, Barrell still smacked 11 homers in 47 games at all levels and after conquering AAA pitching with a .405 batting average in 12 games he decided to honour his commitment to Noble Jones College and return to school for his senior season. Barrell is expected to rejoin the Cannons organization in late March or April after the collegiate basketball season is completed. Barrell said he was "pleased with his performance" in minor league baseball this season, where he played at four different levels (B, C, AA and AAA), and put up eye-popping numbers at each stop. He also noted that he is "fine with waiting til 1952 to make my debut with the Cannons," showing the young man has no shortage of self-confidence. Barrell is a member of FABL royalty. He is the son of the late Joe Barrell, former pro boxer and football player as well as having played Tarzan on the silver screen. His mother is the actress Dorothy Bates and he is the half-brother of current Cannons star Rufus "Deuce" Barrell. He is also nephew to FABL President Dan Barrell, Keystones star Bobby Barrell and Minutemen shortstop Harry Barrell. SHOWDOWN IN MOTOWN Fed Leaders Meet This Weekend Another big week lies ahead in the hotly contested battle for the Federal Association pennant. Thompson Field in Detroit will be the venue as the first place Dynamos host the second place St. Louis Pioneers in a 3-game weekend series. The Dynamos went 5-3 during a busy past seven days to add another half game to their lead, which sits at two full games, over the Pioneers who were forced to settle for a 4-3 week. The third place New York Gothams are now 5 and a half games off the pace after going 3-4 over the past seven days. The Gothams were red hot early in the month with a 10 game winning streak but have cooled recently with just 4 wins in their last 14 outings. The Dynamos and Gothams each suffered a key injury loss last week. For Detroit, centerfielder Edwin Hackberry (.256,23,83) will miss most of the next week with an arm injury while Gothams pitcher Jim Morrison, who has gone 5-2 since being acquired from the Chicago Cougars, will miss a start or two after suffering a muscle strain. Things are even tighter at the top of the Continental Association where the Philadelphia Sailors, thanks to a three-game winning streak over the weekend, are sitting a mere half game ahead of the two-time defending flag waving Cleveland Foresters. The Montreal Saints had hopes of joining the fray but four losses in their last five games have pushed the Saints eight games back. They perhaps have a last gasp this week as Montreal prepares to host the Sailors for a 3-game series at Parc Cartier beginning tomorrow afternoon. OSA LOOKS AT TOP 1952 DRAFT CANDIDATES Jiggs McGee is in semi-retirement, spending his summers in the cheap seats at Toronto's Dominion Stadium watching his favourite minor league club and his winters down south, but that does not mean that TWIFS will not partner up with the OSA to look at some of the top candidates for the 1952 FABL draft. Our report will not be as detailed as McGee's past previews but below we take a look at the sixteen players that based upon information provided by the OSA are presently expected to comprise the opening round of the draft, although scouts can uncover a lot of warts, and some hidden gems, between now and the New Year. This draft looks to have some very good pitching prospects and potentially an elite catcher, a commodity that has been in short supply in recent years. Before we talk about the pitching lets begin with that catcher that scouts are so excited about. He has name well known to FABL fans already as his brother is a two-time Allen Award pitcher. That would be Adrian Czerwinski and the elite catcher is 17-year-old Stan Czerwinski. Czerwinski is actually the youngest of three ballplaying brothers from Pittsburgh as Paul, the oldest sibling is now retired but spent a decade in the Foresters system. OSA feels Stan profiles as a potential elite catcher on a contending team and while he may not go first overall, he certainly should end up in the top half of the opening round as there are a lot of teams in need of a potential franchise catcher. There is one worry that FABL General Managers may have regarding Czerwinski. He is smart as a whip and like his brother Adrian who went to Whitney College, it is not hard to imagine Stan going the college route as well. Their father, a physics professor at Pittsburgh State who did some work on the atom bomb project during the war, is certainly trying to steer Stan to college. Our list below will only show one name ahead of Czerwinski and that would be a player who has no interest in college ball. Mike Fresh's mind tends to wander when thinking of all things except for throwing a baseball and that is something the 16 year old does better than anyone else in the current draft class. A two-time All-American at Whitman High School in Massachusetts, Fresh is 18-0 with a 0.34 era through two seasons of high school ball. He was the Adwell Award winner as the top high school ballplayer in the country as a sophomore and a finalist in 1951 as a junior. OSA says once drafted Fresh will be among the best starting pitcher prospects in any organization. Other pitchers that seem sure bets to first round picks include a trio of 17-year-olds in George Griffin, who plays his high school ball in New Jersey, Baltimore's Ted Kukulski and Jack Kessler from Ohio. There are also a pair college arms to watch closely this draft in Red Sheridan and Jake Pearson. Sheridan, who pitches for Darnell State, was a first-team All-American his freshman year while Pearson, a Bayou State junior, was the first-team All-American pitcher this past season. Others expected to be drafted very high include a pair of centerfielders in Texas high schooler Dizzy Franz and John Samuel, a 17-year-old from Monrovia, Ca., known as "Hollywood". Like so many other drafts this one has some players with family connections to the sport. Czerwinski, as mentioned above, will be the first to be called but Jack Day, son of Hall of Famer Rabbit Day, a third baseman who is playing high school ball in California now that his famous father is retired, might just sneak into the first round as well. There is a Barrell available as well. That would be Capital Academy in Washington DC third baseman Mike Barrell, who is the son of former FABL player and current league President Dan Barrell. Mike is far from being a blue chip can't miss prospect like many of his uncles and cousin's, but he is still a lock to be selected in January when the opening 10 rounds are completed. Here is the Mock First Round of the 1952 FABL draft based on OSA scouting assessments. Wolves Look A Little Better -Toronto managed to pick up 3 wins in 7 attempts during the second week of 17-game, 16-day road trip. More losses than wins is never a good thing for a team, but this week the club was a 3-2 before a Sunday doubleheader at Kings County Park. The week started in Chicago with 3 in Cougars Park where on Tuesday Les Ledbetter ran into his nemesis, the big inning, twice. Ledbetter surrendered 5 runs in the 4th inning and 4 more in the 6th frame before manager Fred Barrell mercifully came get him in 12-3 game. The Wolves managed their only win of the series in a 4:18 marathon where they prevailed 5-4 in 16 innings scoring the winning run on a wild pitch. Duke Bybee shutout the Wolves 4-0 on a 4-hitter as a good bye present before the Wolves moved into Montreal to do something odd for 1951. The Wolves swept a series with the Saints by scores of 4-2 and 3-2. It was a short series but every little highlight in this wretched season gives fans a little hope. On the team's last ever visit to Brooklyn, the Kings took both ends of a twinbill 3-1, 5-2. Wolves again were not able to extend a winning streak past two games. Toronto's longest winning streak of the year is 3 games when they bested the Sailors on July 7th, then swept a Sunday doubleheader on the 8th. As August comes to an end with the team's last game ever in Kings County Park followed by a visit the Stars, the Wolves would have to win 4 straight to give them the most victories in month, 11, for 1951. On the mound a few positives as Zane Kelley has shone in his new role with more responsibility and Lou Jayson has had his first effective month in a long, long time. The George's, Avery and Garrison, have been solid starting games even though walks for both do not signal long term success unless they cut down on free passes. At the plate August has been a good month for Tony Ballinger, Wally Boyer and John Wells. Ballinger now leads the team with 11 HR providing their only legitimate power bat. This total is in only 227 times to the plate. He has probably replaced his landlord as the starter at 1B. Boyer has finally started to hit, so much so he has been moved to the leadoff spot by Barrell, along with providing solid defense in the OF between two slow footed partners. Wells is hitting .351 in August along with performing better in the field. When the Wolves return home in September expect Barrell to continue with lineup experiments, players are playing for their 1952 jobs. There may be help coming for at least an audition when rosters expand next week. Brett has learned that the discussion is whether to call players up for part time duty or allow them to finish their season in the minors with regular playing time. TORONTO TALES Brett has decided to update his update his reporting on all three professional teams based in Toronto. Tales from the Lair -Last season was a trying one for the Wolves followers. Most entered the winter thinking that 1950 would be a low point, the team had bottomed out and 1951 would be the start of climb to contention in CA. If that was the thinking of the fanbase, think again as 1951 will vary likely to be a worse season. After 117 games the Wolves sport a record of 34-83 meaning they will have to win 21 of the 37 games left on the schedule to reach the 1950 win total. That would be a winning percentage of .567 which is very unlikely for a team that has won only 29% of the games so far in 1951. The team is by far the worst in the FABL, inept in all three area of the game pitching, hitting and defense. They are by far the worst at batting the ball as some hitting statistics suggest that the lineup in Buffalo would yield better results in terms of winning games than those suiting up in Wolves colours. There are only few pitching staff that contribute less to team success than Toronto's, 4 to be exact all from the heavier hitting Federal Association. The starting staff has had it's ups and downs but to most fans when Fred Barrell goes to the relievers a quiet hush falls over the crowd. The fans never know what if going to happen but it is clear no late game lead is safe and the Wolves have turned seemingly sure wins into heartbreaking losses far too often in 1951. It is almost like Barrell is handing a live grenade to the incoming pitcher. Defensively the team is far too porous, a problem compounded on a team that cannot hit their weight. Pitchers try to get a little to cute to avoid putting balls in play due to the shoddy defense. The thought was at the end of last season that giving a chance for Finney, Wells and DeMott to play together would lead to a sound team around the infield. That has not be the case, at least not yet. DeMott is out with a broken bone in his wrist but before the injury he was not in the running for any fielding awards although his bat has been sorely missed while he mends from the injury. The biggest problem is up the middle where most ground balls go off the bat. At 2B Harry Finney is an average FABL defender with 8 errors in 334 chances, not spectacular but steady in the field. The glaring problem is at short, mainly John Wells, who coming out of high school was touted as a superior defender. That has not proved to be accurate thus far for the 20 year old who has been pushed quickly to the highest level of baseball. He has made 27 errors in 415 chances in 1951 which is bad although slightly improved from 1950. Management constantly preached patience with Wells, it is evident that his work in the field or lack thereof affects his performance at the plate. Fans are getting short on patience with Wells. In the outfield Wally Boyer covers ground in center but not enough to make up for the lack of range of corner outfielders Kirby Copeland and Hank Giordano. One slow footed corner outfielder can be hidden, but not two on the corners. Lately Brett has been hearing more and more that the clubhouse in feuding as the losses mount, a bad team fighting amongst themselves is a very bad sign. Has Fred Barrell lost control of the team, can he can guide this gang through the last six weeks of 1951? Owner Bernie Millard, who has kept his meteoric temper under control at least in public, has not issued any external criticism of the 1951 Wolves. Does Millard still believe that he has the right staff in place? Internally Brett is told that Millard has not as quiet constantly questioning decisions as attendance drops. Fans are beginning to stay away from Dominion Stadium in droves with attendance down almost 20% from last year's which was the lowest total post war. If Millard starts seeing revenue flying away he may be forced to institute changes throughout the organization. Brett has two questions for the off-season after this second consecutive lost season for the Wolves: How much change to the roster is required over the winter? Change is obviously needed but how deep will the cuts be, how many veterans do the Wolves walk away from in the winter? Only one that seems safe is Fred McCormick who probably will retire at season's end. Is Fred Barrell the right manager to bring the team into a new era? The team needs pitching in the worst way, do they trade some young prospects or promote from within to bring the fans what they want in Toronto? Brett thinks this winter will be one of much soul searching for the entire organization. Tales from the Manor -As the second Barrell brother, Jack, prepares to head north for another training camp in the Porcupine area with the Dukes hockey club he also has a team with a disappointing 1950-51 season to bounce back from in the NAHC. After a falling from 2nd place to out of the playoffs in 5th the Dukes have much to prove to their followers beginning in October. The team has lost Bobby Sauer to retirement along with not yet having signed LW Lou Galbraith to a contract for the upcoming season. The Dukes began last season with an extended road trip due to problems with the ice making equipment at Dominion Gardens. The trip did not go well which seemed to set the stage for the entire season. Granted injuries did not help the team, Sauer was limited to 24 games in his final season. The big loss was Quinton Pollack was knocked out cold in a Feb 21st game, the concussion was serious enough to keep him out for the balance of the Dukes' season. Before the injury Pollack had put up 28 goals 27 assists for 55 points in 56 games. No doubt the loss of these two centermen severely hampered the team's performance but Jack Barrell refuses to use that as an excuse for missing the playoffs. Barrell says "Injuries are part of the game. You have to have depth, we did not, then our season ended early out of contention for the Cup which Montreal has now won two years in a row. No excuses we have to better, finishing 5th is not acceptable to the team or the fans. We will be ready to go for our home opener on October 13th facing Chicago. Should be a good Saturday night for the fans," When Brett looks at the current published Dukes roster it shows 2 goaltenders, Broadway, Renes, 11 rearguards and 12 forwards. As much a Barrell stresses the defensive side of the game there is no way the team will be carrying that many defensemen Opening Night. Brett thinks that Ken Jamieson and Bob Crone, who are currently shown on the Cleveland Eries roster will be in camp then quite possibly be part of the team introductions on October 13th. Another possibility is Joe Camposano being converted from defense to winger during camp. The Eries captain has experience at right wing, Camposano could be a useful piece to cover injuries at either forward or on the back end if kept on the 4 man reserve squad practicing, travelling with the team. The Dukes are less than two months from another NAHC season beginning with preseason games starting in 5 weeks. The priority at present is having Galbraith put pen to paper, sources are telling Brett that the Dukes are should finalize a two-year deal with the winger in the coming week. That will allow Barrell to have options with lines in camp. One thing that Brett feels that Jack must do before the team hits the ice up north is to have a air clearing private team meeting amongst the players. There were constant whispers last winter of a divided dressing room with different factions fighting amongst themselves to the determent of the team. Barrell must get all the grievances out in the open then resolve them before the team hits the ice. The team has to be going forward with everyone pulling in the same direction, infighting will just lead to more problems. Pollack and Les Carlson have to step up to be true team leaders now that Sauer is out of the picture. Pollack is in a tough position as Barrell's son-in-law, he has to get past that hurdle to become a true team captain. Barrell has the experience to solve this issue but it cannot be left to fester, get it out in the open early then solve the issues. Brett's other question is whether Barrell may have the Dukes open up the offense a little more to provide more goals rather than icing a tight checking, chance limiting squad. Tales From the Nest -Toronto's most successful team is also the weak sister among the three pro teams. The Bernie Millard owned Falcons have reached the Federal Basketball League final during the past two seasons and are, as usual, going through their off season in a quiet business-like manner. The team is beginning to build their fan base in the city. Their winning ways are in stark contrast to the struggles of both the Wolves and Dukes. While the team may never attracted the fanfare of the other two they are slowly getting more coverage from the media in Toronto. Falcons are offering a different avenue for the sports fan's dollar at a time when the city desperately wants a winner.
GALBRAITH, LUMSEN SIGN WITH DUKES Mission accomplished on the Toronto Dukes most pressing task this off-season as Lou Galbraith has put pen to paper and inked a 2-year deal with the club. There had been plenty of worry when the 23-year-old left winger who made the post-season All-Star team had refused to negotiate with the team and was headed elsewhere. A change in league rules quickly closed a loophole that would have allowed Galbraith, and others, to be free to shop their services around to the highest bidder leaving the winger with no choice but to resign in Toronto or sit out the season. Galbraith, who has been named to the first or second all-star team each of the past three seasons, had 18 goals and 53 points while suiting up for all 70 of Toronto's games last season. His new deal will pay the 23-year-old $14,000 per season. Toronto also resigned defenseman Clyde Lumsen after the 25-year-old had threatened to sit out the season rather than resign with the club. Lumsen, who had 15 points in 64 games last season, signed for 3 years at $10,500 per season. Boston was also busy as the Bees reupped winger Joe Morey on a 1-year deal. The 32-year-old played in just 30 games last season and tallied just 7 points a year after scoring 38 points for the club. Morey won the NAHC scoring title in 1945-46. The Bees also signed 19-year-old Manny Coutu to a contract. The first overall selection of the 1950 NAHC draft had 82 points last season for the St. Thomas Pachyderms junior club, after scoring 125 points in his draft year. RUTLEDGE WILL FACE JULIAN IN TITLE DEFENSE World Welterweight boxing champion Danny Rutledge has set the date for his next title defense. The 27-year-old Kentucky native will step into the famous ring at New York's Bigsby Garden on Friday October 5 where he will face Englishman Danny Julian. Rutledge has held the title since February when he outpointed Ira Mitchell to take the belt away from the veteran Chicago pugilist. He followed that up with a 9th round TKO win over Ben Burns in June which marked Rutledge's first title defense. Rutledge has long been in the boxing spotlight, drawing plenty of attention shortly after his 20th birthday when, while still in the Army, he fought that famous battle in England before thousands of soldiers and sailors with Mac Erickson. Rutledge won that fight but would suffer the first, and so far only loss of his career as a professional when Erickson, world champion at the time, got his revenge in 1949. Rutledge is 21-1-1, having to accept a majority draw with Heinie Verplanck shortly after his loss to Erickson. That led to a six-fight winning streak that included wins over former champions Dennis O'Keefe and Mark Westlake before he outpointed Mitchell to win the title. Julian, a 32-year-old who hails from Leicester, England, was 26-1-1 when he first left Europe for America. His performance in the new world has been up and down with wins over Erickson, George Gibbs and Verplanck among the highlights but he also suffered losses to both Mitchell and Rudy Perry. It was the recent wins over Erickson in May and Verplanck in early July that earned Julian his first shot at the title. Julian is bidding to become just the second European fighter to own the welterweight title, attempting to following in the footsteps of fellow Englishman Jimmy 'Kid' Simpson who held the welterweight crown from 1933-40. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/27/1951
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September 3, 1951
SAWYER SET FOR FAREWELL FIGHT The illustrious career of Hector "The Cajun Crusher" Sawyer is set to culminate this Saturday at New York's Gothams Stadium, with a final bout that promises to draw a crowd exceeding 50,000. This legendary fighter, who has held the World Heavyweight Championship since January 1940, will enter the ring for the last time with an impressive record of 65-3-1, including 58 knockouts. At 37 years old, the New Orleans native hopes to cap off his career with a record 18th successful title defense. His opponent, Max Bradley, hails from Merchantville, NJ, and is seen as a rising star in the sport. Bradley, just 24 years old, holds a record of 22-1-1 and is widely expected to be the future of the heavyweight division. However, the vast majority of the spectators will be cheering for Sawyer, hoping to see him conclude his career with a victory. Regardless of the outcome, Sawyer has declared this will be his final fight. His career, which began in the mid-1930s, saw him rise to prominence with a victory over German strongman Jochen Schrotter in January 1940. That bout, held amidst global tensions, saw Sawyer knock down the favored Schrotter twice in the 15th and final round, the second knockdown resulting in a knockout that cemented Sawyer's place in boxing history. Throughout his reign, Sawyer has faced and defeated the best the heavyweight division has to offer. His dominance extended beyond American borders, as he and his longtime manager Chester Conley ventured to Europe in 1948 to challenge and overcome international contenders. Though age may have slowed his reflexes and diminished the power of his punches, Sawyer has shown he still possesses the prowess to dominate in the ring. His last three fights all ended in knockouts: Ben Budgeford in three rounds, Cannon Cooper in eleven, and most recently, a young Brad Harris in the eighth round last December. The last time Sawyer went the distance was six fights ago, in February 1949 in Paris, where he outlasted Alain Noel in a grueling 15-round battle. Max Bradley, in contrast, has never fought beyond ten rounds, as 15-round bouts are reserved for title fights. Bradley, known more for his speed and agility than for his knockout power, has only two stoppages in his last 16 fights and six in his 24 career bouts. While he is younger and likely faster than Sawyer, the question remains whether Bradley has the punching power to thwart the fairy tale ending many anticipate for Sawyer's storied career. As the world of boxing awaits this historic fight, one thing is certain: win or lose, Hector Sawyer's legacy as one of the greatest champions in the sport's history is secure. This Saturday at Gothams Stadium, the curtain will fall on an era, and the boxing community will bid farewell to a true legend. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
DYNAMOS SWEEP PIONEERS, EXTEND FED LEAD The Detroit Dynamos have opened a four and a half game lead on the St Louis Pioneers for first place in the Federal Association after the Motor City club was a very unfriendly host to St Louis on the weekend and swept a 3-game series from the second place Pioneers. Detroit is looking to end a 22 year drought that has not seen the club lead the Federal Association since 1929. The Pioneers, who won back to back pennants in 1947 and 1948 and are looking to win the flag after finishing dead last the previous season for the second time in five years. The defending Federal Association champion New York Gothams are also lurking in the shadows, six games off the pace, but have been treading water of late with a .500 record over their last 16 games. It was a tough week for the Pioneers who had to settle for a split of their two game set with Philadelphia before heading to Thompson Field for Friday's important but not quite yet crucial series opener. Pat Petty, who has been on fire of late with a .378 batting average since August 1, smacked a 3-run homer in the first inning and Jack Miller did just enough to win his 17th game of the season as Detroit held on for a 5-4 victory in the opener. A day later Bob Arman and Tom Buchanan hooked up in a classic pitchers duel that was scoreless until Dan Smith, like Arman and Petty a Brooklyn King when the season began, socked a walk off 2-run homer off St Louis reliever Russ Peeples to provide all the offense in a 2-0 Detroit win. Arman would go the distance surrendering just 4 Pioneers hits. The series finale was a 7-1 run for the hosts as Detroit plated four in the second inning with the bulk of the damage being done by Ralph Johnson's 2-run double and made life fairly easy for Dynamos starter Joe Hancock who, like Johnson, is another of the many mid-season additions that has brought the Detroit club to life. While the oddsmakers seem to heavily favour the Dynamos, giving them an 89% chance of winning the Federal Association title, Detroit does have a tough schedule with 15 of their final 21 games on the road including 3 more against St Louis next weekend. The Gothams still have six opportunities to beat the Dynamos head to head with an equal number in both Gothams Stadium and Thompson Field remaining. New York will play its final two against St Louis this season at home in the form of a Labor Day doubleheader today. The Gothams will have to complete their season without Lefty Allen after the veteran hurler suffered a serious arm injury in a win over Boston last week. In the Continental Association the Philadelphia Sailors, riding a 3-game winning streak, have opened up a two and a half game lead on the Cleveland Foresters after the Ohio side dropped three of four games to close out the week. https://i.imgur.com/0IggSUe.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/uCHZpH7.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/toSkTAN.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/ukCXBOt.jpg DYNAMOS DEAL POTENTIAL DEATH BLOW IN FEDERAL ASSOCIATION When the St. Louis Pioneers came to town, they were a game and a half behind the Detroit Dynamos, who were just dealt back-to-back losses at the hands of the Pittsburgh Miners. This seemed like the perfect time for St. Louis to return the association lead, but the hosts had other ideas. The Dynamos got off to a quick 3-0 lead, as a red-hot Pat Petty (.279, 12, 59) launched a three run homer off Hal Hackney (14-10, 2.91, 96) in the opening frame, allowing Jack Miller (17-13, 3.24, 89) to do just enough the rest of the way to earn the win. The Dynamos ace, who some consider an Allen candidate, scattered 8 hits, 4 runs, and a walk with 2 strikeouts, picking up his third straight win with exactly one walk and two strikeouts. There wasn't any offense in the second game, as despite throwing nine scoreless innings (4 H, 6 BB, 4 K), Bob Arman (11-11, 4.00, 99) headed back to the dugout in a scoreless tie. Thankfully for him, his battery mate Dan Smith (.269, 13, 66) wasn't having anything of it, and he sent the Thompson Field faithful home with a big two-run homer. The finale had far less theatrics, as the Dynamos got a big 4-run second led by Ralph Johnson's (.301, 21, 75) two run double, as Detroit cruised to a 7-1 victory to finish off the sweep. The most drama came in the ninth, where Joe Hancock (9-14, 3.58, 83) couldn't quite finish off the complete game, getting 26 of the 27 outs needed. All it took was a four pitch strikeout to end it, allowing the league leaders to open the week with a four and a half game lead over the next closest team. With a full month of baseball left to play, it would be foolish to crown the Dynamos champs, but with their excellent trade acquisitions throughout the year, it's their pennant to lose. You might have noticed that five of the six players mentioned all came to Detroit via. trade, and the sixth big add, Mack Sutton (.280, 30, 99), has 12 homers as a Dynamo, a would be career high 17.1 BB%, and an impressive 134 WRC+ after an excellent start to the season with the Stars. They may have mortgaged a lot of talented prospects to get there, but when you have a drought over 20 years and are in position to make that end. You take it. The Gothams may have fallen to six out, and are without Hall-of-Fame hopeful Lefty Allen (12-9, 4.94, 27) for the rest of the season, but they still have a chance. Their absurd 36 games in 34 days is finally over, and with ample off days in September, they can get hot. They face Detroit six more times in September, enough to bring them back with a lot of luck, and five with the second place Pioneers. This week in particular is a good one for them to get back in it, as they can pass St. Louis with a double header sweep, and cut into the Dynamos lead with a road game sandwiched between two off days. For the Pioneers, they'll want to knock the Gothams down to stop their losing streak, and they can get a measure of revenge against Detroit over the weekend. If all goes well, they can return the favor with a sweep at home, bringing them right back to where they were before the week ended. If they want to get back in it, they may have to rely on their recent #2 pick Rex Pilcher, who has more then rebounded from a middling debut week. Pilcher hit his 7th homer of the season in the 5-4 loss, now batting .330/.457/.592 (167 OPS+) with 4 doubles, a triple, 25 RBIs, 16 runs, and 19 walks. He may just be 21, but he already looks like a top three right fielder, and aside from Larry Gregory (.314, 15, 90), he's probably the best hitter on the team. It may be too early to talk about legacy, but Pilcher is the type of talent to have one, and he could cement himself with the Pioneers fanbase if he can bash them back to the playoffs. POLK'S SECOND WIND: 25-YEAR-OLD FINDS HIS STRIDE IN WINDY CITY Very few teams have been able to solve the Philadelphia Sailors offense. Somehow, George Polk was able to hold them scoreless (7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K) as the Cougars crushed the association leading Sailors 10-0. It was the seventh of now eight starts with three or fewer earned runs by Polk since joining the Cougars in June. Unceremoniously waived by the Keystones, you can't really blame them too much, as even though the 25-year-old was once ranked among the top-25 prospects in baseball, his FABL career wasn't really smooth sailing. He was decent as a rookie in 1949, going 6-9 with a 4.08 ERA (101 ERA+), but his 1.60 WHIP was elevated and walked (64) more hitters then he struck out (53). Polk struggled in 11 starts last season, and in 9 appearances (6 starts) this year, he was one of the least effective pitchers in baseball. At the time of his waiving, Polk allowed 52 hits, 34 earned runs, 7 homers, and 18 walks with just 14 strikeouts in 36 innings. Not a single Fed team considered submitting a claim, and with a historically bad bullpen, the Cougars felt they couldn't do worse then what they were throwing. Turns out they had no idea what they had in store for them. Polk started out in the pen, and threw three scoreless outings to kick off his Cougars career. Then he was called upon in Philadelphia, and that same Sailors offense he held in check this past week put his FABL career in jeopardy once more. He allowed 8 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks, not striking out a single Sailor in four innings of work. He did follow that up with 2.2 scoreless innings, and then got the excellent news that Jim Morrison would be shipped off to New York. That opened up a rotation spot that was expected to go to Bob Allen, but before the trade could become official, someone needed to cover Morrison's start. That would be Polk, who worked around an error, allowing just two earned runs with 6 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. Polk was then called upon in short rest in what was expected to be his last start, as he was once again saddled with the Sailors. Instead of crumbling like he did in relief, he pitched well enough to win, going 7.2 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Polk had just one blemish after, allowing three or fewer runs in six of his next seven starts. Every time it looked like he was done, and that Allen would take his spot, he threw an impressive outing to hold his rotation spot. In 77.1 innings post-waiver claim, he's been nothing short of dominant, working to a 2.09 ERA (198 ERA+) and 1.12 WHIP with 26 walks and 33 strikeouts. If qualified, his ERA would lead the CA and his WHIP would be third, as he's pitched far better then his 3-4 record would show. The Cougars have always had a knack for developing pitchers, and it looks like Polk is the next name in a list that keeps getting longer, with scouts in the organization starting to believe he may be the third best arm they own. The rotation is once again back in a logjam, as with the top ranked pitching prospect in Allen coming up for roster expansion, Chicago has six capable hurlers composing the league's top rotation. Now that Polk has established himself as a potential top arm, expect some sort of trade in the offseason, as the Cougars continue their never ending quest for the big bat that finally puts them over the edge. Up until about a month ago the obvious choice for the Federal Association Allen Award would have been New York Gothams veteran Ed Bowman. However, pausing today to look at the pitching leader boards, it could be a contentious Allen vote in the Fed. Stallings (14-9, 2.52) boasts the loops lowest earned run average and recently leapfrogged ahead of Bowman (15-6, 2.96) for the strikeout lead with 112, two more than the Gothams ace. It was quite an August performance from the Chiefs 26-year-old southpaw : 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 46 innings with 1 home run allowed. In fact, if Stallings had had 1 more start, he may have edged out Detroit's Jack Miller for the pitcher of the month. Miller has been strong for Detroit but it is the Dynamos offense is really clicking. Ex-Brooklyn Kings Pat Petty and Ralph Johnson look really good hitting in Detroit. It's been more than two decades since the Dynamos last won the Fed but I think it's Detroit's pennant to lose right now. *** Chiefs Offense Coming Along *** The Chiefs have two batters in the top 10 for slugging, neither of which is Tim Hopkins: Joe Rutherford and Rod Shearer. Rutherford is also an easy pick for the club's MVP this season. I've been waiting for this version of Rutherford to appear. Something seemed to have clicked for him in June. Since June 1st: .311 with a 1.006 OPS. 170 wRC+, 18 home runs, 10 stolen bases. 14% walk-rate, 6% k-rate.We might look back at the acquisition of John Moss this summer to be key to the 1952 Chiefs. In his age 29 season, Moss is the oldest starter in the outfield, which has moved from a liability to a strength: Rutherford (149 wRC+) / Moss (140 wRC+) / Shearer (131 wRC+). And for the Chiefs overall the offense, which started out as a big liability, as been getting better all summer. Through the end of May: https://i.imgur.com/mc8pP7h.jpeg Since June 1st: https://i.imgur.com/E6Eglhb.jpeg And there is more. 24-year-old Don Smith is stuck behind Hopkins at first, but he's had a nice rookie season in a part-time role: .314/.355/.835, 2 home runs, wRC+ 108. A .500 season may prove to be too high a hill to climb this season -the Chiefs are 10 games below the break even mark at 61-71 but a 25-24 record since the all-star break certainly gives cause for optimism as we gaze ahead towards the 1952 campaign. The Fall of Bill Barrett. What has happened to the crown jewel of our lineup? Is it just a symptom of the falling Stars, or is it more endemic on the personal level. Granted, his OPS is merely average, and both wRC+ and OPS+ are slightly below average. But his WAR is abysmal compared to other seasons. Even his BatR is in the negatives. We are searching for answers. Perhaps the clubhouse has been chock full of too many negative nancies. Perhaps his shoes just don't fit quite right. But whatever it is, his baseball heart needs to grow at least 3 times, and fast before the Grinch steals baseball from New York. Look at the stats. Is 31 the new 41? Is he done? Can he recover next season? The Stars have planned on the four-time Whitney Award winning outfielder playing at least the rest of the decade. Is this a cruel joke he is playing on new owner Thomas X Bigsby? Is there secret tension in the background between the two? Maybe just a nagging injury he's keeping mum about? The investigation continues and we hope this is just a one off year and he bounces back to at least above average next season. Mr. Bigsby Goes to Washington- The rumour mill has been churning out talk of the Stars bolting for the west coast ever since Thomas X. Bigsby bought the club. They cooled for a while but grew more heated late last month after the Stars owner was spotted eating lunch in a fancy Washington DC restaurant with FABL President Dan Barrell. Bigsby quickly moved to quash any rumours he was at the league office for anything more than just routine league business but where there is smoke, there is often fire. And, unfortunately, a shift to the west coast for the ballclub makes sense in many ways. Los Angeles is a huge untapped market that proved it can support big league baseball during the brief reign of Bigsby's west coast loop. Air travel is commonplace now so playing in Los Angeles is not the trek it once was in the days before the war and perhaps most damaging to the hopes of the Stars staying put is Bigsby already has a state of the art 50,000 seat stadium -one that bears his name- and plays host to the Los Angeles Tigers of the American Football Association but is clearly in need of a baseball tenant much bigger than the Stars AAA affiliate. I am afraid there is much more pressing matters for Stars fans to worry about. Well, beyond the awful state of the club this season and the terrible campaign our greatest player is enduring. Brooklyn is losing its ballclub a month from now. Let's hope our beloved Stars are not rushing out of the Big Apple right behind them. TALES FROM THE LAIR [b]Wolves Have a Week of Twos-[/bToronto finishes a road trip, in which they were 6-11, with four games in New York City. In the Wolves last visit to Kings County Park Tom Barrell's Kings bested Fred's Wolves 10-5 in a game that featured 4 triples, 4 homeruns and very little pitching in front of 8,048 paying customers. On to Dyckman Stadium where the Stars won the first contest of the three game set in another slugfest, 9-6 i a game that had Tony Ballinger tie a Continental Association record. Not a good however, as Ballinger was 0 for 5 being sat down on strikes all 5 times to tie the record for strikeouts in a CA game. The Wolves then went on another 2 game winning streak taking the last two games from the Stars by counts of 8-2 and 4-2. The remarkable thing about those two games was that neither George Garrison nor Les Ledbetter needed help from the bullpen. Both pitched complete games Garrison in 117 tosses, Ledbetter used 127. In the second win Ledbetter overcame 4 errors, 3 on the infield. Philadelphia, the CA leaders, took care of any thoughts of tying or setting a season long winning streak by taking both games of a short weekend series 8-2, 7-2. The Wolves finish a brief 4 game stay at home with the traditional Labour Day doubleheader hosting the Sailor chasing Cleveland Foresters at Dominion Stadium today. This week was a week of 2 game streaks: 2 losses, 2 wins, followed by 2 more losses. Fans can take solace in the fact the losing streaks were only two although they enter the holiday on one such streak. Wolves management decided to call only one player up, at present, after rosters were expanded for the balance of the season. Charlie Zimmerman, who was on a conditioning assignment in AAA, was added to the rotation. Brett is told the there may be a couple of outfielders brought to Toronto from Buffalo when the team returns next week after a 6 games in 5 day trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia. And just as an extra kick in the pants the schedule makers finish the Gothams endless stretch of games with a doubleheader this Monday. Then finally, a day of rest. And it can't come a day too soon as the tired looking bunch stare at a 6 game deficit. A difficult but not impossible hill to climb in September. Things won't be easy as veteran Lefty Allen has a career threatening arm injury. Allen has been shut down for this season and the team won't know until next spring if the 257 game winner will be able to resume his march to the Hall of Fame. Jerry Fordham has been recalled from Toledo to start game 2 of today's doubleheader. With Jim Morrison's injury persisting, Ted Beaven will also get a start this week. Red Johnson won another POTM award, hitting .380 with 8 homers, 24 RBI and 28 Runs scored. Johnson continues to lead the FA with 32 homers, 107 RBI and a .993 OPS. On the Farm - Eddie Martin of Toledo won the Century League Player of the Week award after hurling 2 shutouts.
BEES SIGN TEEN FIRST ROUND PICK It looks like the Boston Bees will carry two teenagers on their roster this season as 1951 first round selection Ben Voyecheck has been signed to a contract. The defenseman, along with 1950 first overall choice Manny Coutu, a left winger who signed last week, do not turn twenty until after January 1 so both are likely ineligible for the minor leagues and both will be required to spend the entire season in the NAHC or be released. Voyechek, described as an old school defenseman with strong skating skills and hockey sense, spent the past two seasons with the Brantford Blue Legs of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, serving as that club's captain. He was hobbled by injuries both seasons and suited up for just 41 games a year ago, scoring 8 goals and adding 34 assists. The Bees selected the Sudbury, ON., native with the 4th pick in this years NAHC entry draft. Coutu, a Toronto native whose signing was announced last week, was the first overall choice in the 1950 draft after scoring 125 points two years ago for the St. Thomas Pachyderms of the CAHA. Returned to junior last year, Coutu played in 64 games and amassed 82 points including 34 goals. Voyechek is not the only current year draft pick to sign in the NAHC. The New York Shamrocks inked sixth overall selection Sam Ritchie to a deal last week as well. Ritchie, a Hamilton, ON., native who had 58 points for the Kingston Cadets last season, is twenty years old already so he will not be required to spend the entire season on the Shamrocks roster as he is eligible for assignment to the minor league Hockey Association of America. In other signing news this week the Detroit Motors announced that forwards Louis Rocheleau and Vincent Arsenault have each been signed to 3-year contract extensions. Rocheleau, 25, was the 1948-49 McLeod Trophy winner as the top rookie in the NAHC but missed all but one game the following season due to injury. He was healthy last year and picked up 37 points in 68 games, earning a spot on the NAHC team roster for the league All-Star Game against the defending Challenge Cup champions from Montreal. Arsenault is 24 and played all 70 games a year ago, scoring 16 goals and collecting 35 points before adding two more goals in 4 playoff games last spring. BUFFALO FOLDS, DROPPING FBL TO TEN TEAMS The Federal Basketball League has lost another team with word that the Buffalo Brawlers have decided to fold up shop and will not participate in the upcoming season. Despite finishing with a league worst 15-51 record, the Brawlers were middle of the pack in FBL attendance with an average of 3,046 fans attending each game. Club owner Duane Berrios cited rising costs and the fact that while attendance was in line with the league average, rental fees at the 10,000 seat Buffalo Fieldhouse made it impossible for the team to survive when the nine year old stadium was barely 30% full. It is unknown what will happen to the Brawlers players and in particular 28-year-old center Larry Yim, who was an All-League First Team selection this year, marking the third time the league leader in rebounds was named a first team all-star. Daniel Prescott, the renegade former owner of the Brooklyn Red Caps, who bolted the FBL two years ago to start his own barnstorming circuit but not before purchasing the contracts of players on five other FBL clubs that folded that year, is said to have already approached Barrios about purchasing the contracts of Yim and several other Brawlers starters. Federal League President Rollie Barrell said that while he was disappointed to see Buffalo leave the league, he felt the FBL as a whole was strong and that he felt the loop was "making inroads with fans" and could see very prosperous years ahead for the pro cage league. Barrell had no comment on Prescott or what might happen to the players under contract to the Buffalo ballclub. TURCOTTE HEADS LIST OF CAGE DRAFT PROSPECTS Now that the situation involving the Buffalo Brawlers has been sorted out the Federal Basketball League is expected to conduct its annual draft of collegiate seniors in the coming weeks. According to FBL founder Rollie Barrell, the draft had been on hold while the Buffalo franchise tried to figure out a way to continue operations. Buffalo would have owned the first selection but their decision to fold is expected to result in the Baltimore Barons, owners of the second worst regular season record last season, to now own the first selection. There is no sure-fire superstar along the lines of Luther Gordon or Ward Messer in this draft but there is some talent at the top of the first round. Whoever selects first it is expected to be a decision between Mel Turcotte and Darryl Baugher as to which name is called at the top of the draft although there is some support for Frankford State guard Rod Bookman. Turcotte, a New York City native who led Carolina Poly to a South Atlantic Conference title and the quarterfinals of last year's AIAA tournament, may be the best player available but the 3rd team All-American may not be the best fit for the Barons, who drafted another big forward two years ago in St Blane's Josh Samuels and they have dependable veteran Jack Hirst manning the pivot position. Center Darryl Baugher is another option for the first pick and the Chicago native led Western Iowa all the way to the national title game before falling to Coastal California. Baugher was a second team All-American selection and the four-year starter for the Canaries looks like he might evolve into a terrific defender and rebounder. The longshot to go first overall is Rod Bookman. A guard out of Frankford State who joined Baugher as a second team All-American selection, the New Jersey native looks to have an engine that won't quit and projects to be a very good playmaker with outstanding quickness and defensive instincts.
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