[ayaghmour2]

June 3rd, 1930
Chicago Cougars (25-23): 6
Baltimore Cannons (24-23): 9

W: Rabbit Day (8-5)
L: Ace McSherry (4-3)
SV: Lee Drouillard (3)

Our road trip started in Baltimore where the Cannons topped us 9-6 in a close one. John Kincaid went 2-for-5 with 2 runs, a steal, and RBI. Russ Combs was 2-for-5 with a run scored and two driven in. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI's. Bob McCarty was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI. Ace McSherry had a rough start, 4.1 innings with 9 hits, 9 runs, and 7 walks.

June 4th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (26-23): 5
Baltimore Cannons (24-24): 4

W: Dick Lyons (5-6)
L: Ken Carpenter (4-6)
SV: Len Moore (3)

We evened the series up with a close 5-4 victory. Dick Lyons looked good, 8 innings with 9 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), a walk, and 4 strikeouts. Former Cannon Len Moore walked 1 in a scoreless ninth for the save. Russ Combs was 3-for-5 with a triple and RBI. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI's, and a run scored. John Kincaid was 3-for-5 with a run scored. Mack Deal was 1-for-4 with a two run homer. Bill Ashbaugh was 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.

June 5th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (26-24): 4
Baltimore Cannons (25-24): 6

W: Buzz Ham (3-0)
L: Tommy Russell (5-3)

After taking an early 4-0 lead, we slowly let the game get away with us and the Cannons took the finale and the series with a 6-4 win. Bill Ashbaugh went 2-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI's. Ross Combs was 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored, and steal. John Dibblee was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and run scored. George Jordan was 1-for-3 with a sac-fly. John Kincaid was 1-for-4 with a steal and run scored.

June 6th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (27-24): 6
Brooklyn Kings (30-20): 4

W: Dick Kadlec (3-5)
L: Clarence Flanders (0-2)

Our next stop was Brooklyn, where we opened the series with a 6-4 win. Dick Kadlec went the distance, allowing 10 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Fred Barrell went 3-for-4 with a double, 2 runs, and an RBI. Bill Ashbaugh was 2-for-5 with a triple, run scored, and RBI. Vince York was 2-for-5 with a double, run scored, and RBI. John Dibblee was 2-for-4 with a walk and run scored. Bob McCarty was 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI's. Harry Simmons was 1-for-4 with a double and RBI.

June 7th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (28-24): 12
Brooklyn Kings (30-21): 10

W: Chick Meehan (4-2)
L: Jack Wardle (2-2)

Both teams scored in three innings a piece, but the biggest inning was a 5 run 9th where we then could hold off the host Kings in the bottom half. It was a rare rough start for Max Wilder, who allowed 12 hits and 10 runs with 4 walks and just 1 strikeout in 6.2 innings as he watched his ERA jump a full point. Chick Meehan allowed 2 hits and 2 walks in his 2 innings of work. Vince York was 3-for-5 with a homer, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's. John Dibblee was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 3 RBI's. Harry Simmons was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI's. Russ Combs was 2-for-6 with a solo homer and 2 runs scored. George Jordan was 2-for-5 with 3 RBI's. Fred Barrell was 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. John Kincaid was 2-for-5 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Bob McCarty was 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.

June 7th, 1930
Chicago Cougars (29-24): 19
Brooklyn Kings (30-22): 4

W: Dick Lyons (5-6)
L: Jim Langley (8-3)

We exploded for 22 hits (we had 20 the day before) and 19 runs as we set up a sweep of the second place Kings who just recently got swept at home by the Sailors. Former King prospect George Jordan led the charge, 4-for-5 with 2 doubles, a homer, 4 runs, and 6 RBI's. Bill Ashbaugh was 3-for-3 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored. Fred Barrell was 3-for-6 with 3 runs scored. Vince York was 2-for-6 with a homer and 4 RBI's. Mack Deal was 2-for-5 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Art Panko was 2-for-3 with a triple, 2 walks, 2 RBI's, and a run scored. John Kincaid was 2-for-7 with a double, triple, 2 runs, and an RBI. Starter Dick Lyons was 1-for-2 with a run scored, run driven in, and 4(!) sac-bunts. He pitched all 9, allowing 11 hits and 4 runs with 2 strikeouts.

Stars of the Week
Fred Barrell : 26 AB, 13 H, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .500 AVG, 1.115 OPS
Bill Ashbaugh : 19 AB, 10 H, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .526 AVG, 1.257 OPS
Vince York : 29 AB, 9 H, 2 HR, 8 RBI, .310 AVG, .885 OPS

Weekly Summary\
I can get used to winning weeks! I really though we'd do much better against the Cannons then the Kings, but I think we caught Brooklyn at the right time. They were really hot in May and they've now lost six straight. They're a young team like us (although their farm is much better) and I see them as our greatest future threat. They have a young ace in Tommy Wilcox who I was convinced we were going to draft two seasons ago before realizing it was the FA's turn to draft first (they traded for the pick) and a lot of good young hitters.

It was a rough week for the starters as Max Wilder and Ace McSherry had awful starts with Dick Kadlec surprisingly having the best start. The offense was solid all week, but just exploded in game three against the Kings. And it wasn't like it was against a bad pitcher. Langley was 8-2 with a 3.84 ERA before we came to town. Fred Barrell and George Jordan have started to hit better as of late and Barrell becomes the 7th Cougar starter hitting above .300 (.302). Bob McCarty, our 8th hitter, is the lone below and he still sits at .296. Technically, when Kadlec or Russell start we have 8 .300 hitters in the lineup and Art Panko is hitting .313 in 22 at bats so he could sub in for McCarty just so we boast an all .300 hitter lineup (like I will in the finale).

While Wilder fell off the pitching leader boards, Harry Simmons propelled himself to third in the league in batting average (.373) as year two has been even better then his rookie season. Simmons is hitting .373/.411/.459 (112 OPS+) with 2 homers, 6 steals, and 30 RBI's. He's done everything he can to prove he belongs as an FABL starter. This complicates things for Mack Deal, who I may look to move for starting pitching or a prospect at another position.

After finishing the Kings series (hopefully with a sweep), we have a quick trip to New York City to face the Stars (22-31) for four. We then head north of the border for four more with Montreal (25-27) before an off day ends our road trip. I think we can put together another winning week and possibly jump Brooklyn in the standings. At 30-22, they're just one and a half games ahead of us. Philly (38-13) has a now comfortable 8.5 game lead over them, and it'd be naive of me to think we can catch them. I'm more then thrilled with how the season has progressed and it's a refreshing change of pace to (hopefully) not finish in 7th or 8th.

Injury Report
CF Joe Johnson (A Lincoln Legislators): Sprained ankle (2 weeks)
RP Bill Hartfield (A Lincoln Legislators): Returned from the DL
CF Vince Myers (A Lincoln Legislators): Returned from the DL
SS Larry Burns (B San Jose Cougars): Sprained knee (3 weeks)
RP Bob Bliss (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
SP Pete Carey (B San Jose Cougars): Returned form the DL
SP Hal Robinson (B San Jose Cougars): Returned from the DL
SP Roy Byrd (C La Crosse Lions): Returned from the DL

Transactions
Our crosstown partners the Chicago Chiefs claimed Clyde Lincoln off waivers. I'm shocked, but I won't lose any sleep over losing him due to the OOTP minor league DL glitch.

Minor League Report

SP Tom Barrell (A Lincoln Legislators): Probably the most hyped college prospect in the FABL's history, it was obvious that if the Cougars were picking first in 1929, that they would go with Tom Barrell. And since we picked first, Barrell was the #1 pick of the 1929 draft. The 22-year-old has looked good in A ball, going 5-3 with a 3.09 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. He's also hitting an impressive .348/.407/.522 (146 OPS+) with a homer and 2 RBI's in 23 at bats. I've promoting current 1B Charlie Steele to Mobile to let Barrell get reps in the field at first. At the plate he has excellent discipline, average power, and a capable defender. He's a prize on the mound, however, as the 22-year-old lives in the high 90s with his fastball and he has a dependable slider and change to go with it. He's going to strikeout a ton of batters and be one of (if not the best) players in the league.

Amateur Report
The Little Rock HS Pioneers (29-11) took down the Queens HS Islanders (28-12) in the best of three High School Finals. I did a recap of two of Queen's top prospects, and will look at the rest of the potential future draftees on the pennant winning teams:

RF Ed Strong (Queens HS Islanders): An Illinois native, Ed Strong will be eligible for next years draft and I'll have my eye on the slugger. He had a great season, batting .301/.382/.582 (159 OPS+) with 10 homers and 42 RBI's in 178 trips to the plate. The lefty slugger is one of those new breed of all-or-nothing hitters that have started to become popular in the FABL. His power potential is massive, and he can even hold his own in right. He's big, 6'3'', and can't run too well, but his last name is very fitting. He's a really strong player who can muscle balls out of any park.

SP Joe Diefenderfer (Queens HS Islanders): Eligible for this years' draft, the southpaw bounced back from a rough junior season, going 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 46 innings. He's more of a swingman then a regular starter, but his career 3.43 (125 ERA+) and 1.48 WHIP aren't terrible, but his solid sophomore season seems like more of a peak then a baseline. He does do a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, but his sinker sits in the low to mid 80s. He can also throw a curve, slider, change, and forkball so he does do a good job mixing his pitches, but none of them are really that good. He's a late round pick at best, but will likely remain undrafted.

SP Ellis Allison (Queens HS Islanders): As a sophomore, Ellis Allison looked to be a future star, going 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA (211 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. He saw his strikeouts plummet to 13 the year after, but his 1.85 ERA (179 ERA+) and 1.09 WHIP were extremely impressive. And while his strikeouts came back this year, with 40 in 46.1 innings, his ERA rose to 3.88 (103 ERA+) and his WHIP jumped to 1.42. Like Diefenderfer, he's a sinker baller who keeps the ball on the ground, but he does throw a little bit harder. He could end up a decent late round pick due to his slump, but Allison is a lottery ticket at best.

SP Dixie Lee (Little Rock HS Pioneers): The ace of a solid staff, this was the first season for junior Dixie Lee. He went 5-3 with a 2.94 ERA (136 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. In the spring, he added a slider to his curve, change, and fastball. He doesn't throw too hard, but he gets a lot of swings and misses as he can bury his change up. After winning the championship this season, a strong senior year can propel Lee of draft boards as he looks to build his stock in his senior season.

1B Tony Hussey (Little Rock HS Pioneers): He's listed as a first basemen, but he's probably better as a starting pitcher. The sophomore went 5-0 with a 2.64 ERA (152 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts in 7 starts for the Pioneers while hitting .365/.365/.397 (106 OPS+) with 10 RBI's in 63 at bats. The southpaw has a really good curveball to go with a changeup and mid 80s fastball. At the plate, however, he really doesn't look like he does anything all that special. He's just 15, so he has a lot of time to add velocity before he become draft eligible, but like any prep pitcher, he could turn into a total scrub at any moment if his strong performance was just a lucky run.

SP Bert Finkelstein (Little Rock HS Pioneers): Another two way player, the southpaw Bert Finkelstein was 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA (210 ERA+), 1.09 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts with just 3 walks in 37.2 innings. He wasn't as good at the plate, hitting .320/.346/.320 (81 OPS+) with 3 RBI's, but he started at first in the postseason for the Pioneers. He's a small pitcher, 5'9'' 140, and he throws a low 80s cutter with a slider and change. Another youngster, the sophomore has a long time to grow and turn into a more reliable starter as I think his success might be short lived.

SP Tom Dunn (Little Rock HS Pioneers): Another sophomore starter, Dunn added a change up in March to his fastball and curve. The fastball can touch 88, and he's probably the reason Little Rock won it all. He went 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 4 starts, including 6 innings in the game three win. He had a great regular season too, going 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA (140 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts in 50.1 innings. Dunn might be the best of the Little Rock rotation, as he racks up the strikeouts and was dominate in the games that mattered most. The righty also throws much harder then his teammates, and has the stuff of a reliever with the stamina of a starter.

SS Ducky Jordan (Little Rock HS Pioneers): The "Hot Springs Hotshot" Ducky Jordan is the best hitter on the team, but he actually missed the entire postseason with a fractured foot. While on the field, he hit .354/.441/.500 (154 OPS+) with 12 steals and 21 RBI's in his debut season. The switch hitter as a ton of talent including plus contact skills and excellent plate discipline. He's an excellent base runner, and where he lacks in home run power, he makes up in gap-to-gap power. The switch hitter sprays line drives all around the diamond. As long as he heals from his injury, Jordan will be crucial in the title defense and he'll look to build on a solid season.

LF Jerry Sorenson (Little Rock HS Pioneers): Jerry Sorenson really isn't that good of a baseball player. The junior hit just .192/.266/.295 (67 OPS+) last season with a homer and 12 RBI's. This year, his average wasn't very good (.212), but he had an impressive enough 122 OPS+. He decided to swing as hard as he could at any pitch in the zone, and launched 13 homers and drove in 29 RBI's. The power surge led to an increase in walks (11 to 23) and strikeouts (20 to 61) as the lefty developed into one of the best sluggers in the league. He also greatly improved his defense from a -8.2 ZR to a +1.4 in left. I don't really know what to make of him, but anyone who can hit the ball as hard and far as he can deserves a second look.