[Jiggs McGee]

JULY 29, 1940

ALL QUIET ON TRADE FRONT

With the trade deadline just two days away very little appears to be happening but that is not for the lack of trying on the part of several clubs. A number of teams are reported to be desperately trying to add pieces at the deadline but each appears to have been stonewalled, at least so far.

The New York Gothams are not by any stretch of the imagination a pennant contender but the Gothams might just be the club most anxious to do something over the next two days although that has changed somewhat after New York reeled off 5 wins last week. Owner Leland Winthrop has demanded something be done and there are fears in the Gothams front office that if something positive does not happen soon long-time manager Ed Ziehl may be out of a job and there is a good chance other members of the club's brain trust might not be that far behind the Hall of Famer and Gotham legend. The big question is does the 5-1 week signal a positive trend for New York side going forward or is it merely just a brief patch of smooth pavement in what has been a pothole filled season for the Gothams?

The Gothams have said their January first round pick and the number one ranked prospect in the game, 20 year old pitcher Ed Bowman, are both in play if New York could somehow land a power hitting outfielder. On the surface it seems like that is an offer that might interest a number of teams but the problem is those with power-hitting outfielders of the sort New York would target are few and far between, and even the club's that do possess them seem unlikely to want to make a move. At the time of this writing only 20 players had hit at least 10 homeruns so far this season and of those 20 just 8 are outfielders. Of the eight you can rule out most of them because they will not be dealt. Detroit will not move Sal Pestilli, the Keystones plan on hanging on to Bobby Barrell for his entire career. I would be very surprised if the Chiefs would consider trading Cliff Moss or the Cougars parting with Leo Mitchell. Cincinnati has said they are not dealing anyone so Moxie Pidgeon is staying a Cannon although late word out of the Queen City has the Cannons possibly reconsidering after a horrid July. Assuming the Cannons come to their senses and decide not to sell any assets that leaves only 3 players left. Montreal's 27 year old all-star Red Bond and a pair of Brooklyn Kings in 32 year old Al Wheeler and 24 year old Joe Herman.

Red Bond seems like a viable target but Montreal appears to have no plans of parting with the 2-time all-star who is batting .334 with 20 homers and 55 rbi's. Bond would be a great fit in New York and as was mentioned in this newspaper last week it really makes sense for the Saints to move either Bond or catcher Adam Mullins as they have a lot of holes and those two are marketable trade pieces that could bring multiple assets back in return. However, Saints management has said neither will be moved, but perhaps New York is just desperate enough to make an offer Montreal cannot refuse.

The other option is Wheeler. The Kings are likely unwilling to part with young Herman (.351,11,43), who is having a breakout season but Wheeler (.260,10,41) seems close to wearing out his welcome at Kings County ballpark. He is a 5-time Whitney Award winner but has had 2 very ordinary seasons so going after him would be a bit of a risk for the Gothams, not to mention the fact they usually avoid players over the age of 30 but with desperate times and all, New York may just be willing to make an exception. It was also suggested last week that young Brooklyn first baseman Tim Hopkins (.282,9,28 in just 46 games) could be an ideal target for New York as well. It is believed the Gothams have reached out to Brooklyn but so far nothing appears to be in the works. Expect Gothams brass to be working the phones like their lives depend on it over the next two days, and judging by recent developments their baseball lives certainly appear to indeed depend on it.

PITCHING
A lot of talk around the league last night about Cleveland's Dave Rankin perhaps being a good fit in Pittsburgh. Lefty Allen has been a workhorse but got banged up a bit last week and will miss a start or two which led to some talk about concerns for the Miners health on the mound. It is usually position players in Pittsburgh we get worried about in that regard but Allen has been sidelined with 3 minor ailments this year and Charlie Stedman, Karl Johnson, Bill Ketterman, Roger Perry, Gene Stevens and the often-injured Chick Stout are all on the wrong side of thirty so there is speculation the Miners are playing with fire if they do not add another veteran arm.

Detroit is dangling Mike Murphy but despite the Dynamos insistence they are willing to deal with anyone you have to believe that if Murphy is on the move the Dynamos would much prefer to see him go back to the Continental Association, where he had spent his entire career before joining Detroit last July. Of course a strong week for Detroit that saw them move to within 2 games of front-running Pittsburgh might have instantly flipped the Dynamos from sellers to buyers.

The Keystones are another team one has to think is anxious to add a pitcher since talented 24 year old Herman Patterson is done for the year.

CHIEFS NEED A SHORTSTOP
The ongoing search for a shortstop continues for the Chicago Chiefs and sources out of the Windy City indicate they may be targeting George Dawson (.247,0,16). The long-time Cleveland Forester is struggling at the plate this season but his work in the field is steady as always and with the offense that would surround him in Chicago, the Chiefs would gladly trade some production with the stick for the steady glove Dawson might provide.

MOVES SO FAR
Only two deals have been made so far, both over a week ago and both involved the Detroit Dynamos sending a struggling player away to a Federal Association rival while adding nothing that will help their pennant chances this season.

Both Alf Pestilli and Ed Stewart made their debuts with new teams this week and neither went well. Pestilli started 6 games for the Chiefs but went just 1-for-18 while Stewart did manage a triple and scored two runs against his former club in the Miners 12-5 win over Detroit on Tuesday, that would be the only one he got as he finished his first week with Pittsburgh by going 1-for-12.

WILD RIDE AHEAD FOR BOTH PENNANT RACES

Great races are shaping up in both Associations this season as 11 teams are presently within 5.5 games of top spot. In the Federal Association Detroit has new life after the Dynamos won 5 straight games including a pair over front-running Pittsburgh. Detroit is just 2 games back of the Miners with Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago also in the mix. The Cincinnati Cannons continue to slide in the Continental Association but even with a 4-game losing streak the Cannons are still just a game back of the Toronto Wolves. With the slumping Wolves dropping 7 of 9 the Continental has quickly become a 6-team race. The third place Philadelphia Sailors are 11-4 since the All-Star break while the Cougars, with 8 wins in their last 10 games, and Brooklyn, sporting a 10-6 record since the break, have also closed in. The hottest team in the CA at the moment just might be the defending champion New York Stars, winners of 6 straight and 7 of their last 8.

All the excitement at the top has left just 5 teams with little chance of contending. None of those remaining five squads are closer than 16.5 games off the pace in their respective Associations. Those five aside, it looks like we could be in for two really fantastic pennant races this season.

Pinky Pierce is complicating things a bit in Pittsburgh. The corner OF/1B has really come into his own in his age 27 season. The scouting reports on him now are glowing, Miners scout George Heuer thinks Pierce is a premier left fielder with major power and patience, and the OSA thinks he could be a starting left fielder on any team, and has 40 home run power. Pierce's stats in limited time this year seem to back up the scouting reports. In 44 games, 19 starts and 106 plate appearances, Pierce is slashing .330/.406/.615, good for a 168 OPS+. It took a while but Price is finally living up to the potential he showed in 1931 when Pittsburgh made him their second round pick.

The problem is finding places for him in the lineup. Joe Owens has had left field locked down in Pittsburgh the last 8 seasons and Lew Seals is an excellent defensive right fielder with power, speed and patience that is hard to keep on the bench. First base is manned by Mahlon Strong, who has finally stayed mostly healthy this year, but his bat isn't quite at the level it has been the last few years, but he's not a guy who is going to be taken out of the starting lineup if he's healthy.

Don't expect a move this week before the deadline but the development of Pierce could give the Miners options going forward, and allowing them to move a Lew Seals or Joe Owens this offseason to bolster their pitching staff or the the minor league system.

GOTHAMS BRASS BREATHES SIGN OF RELIEF FOR NOW

What a difference a week makes! Certainly no one is expecting the Gothams to continue to go 5-1 each week, but only a week ago GM Tom Ward was pulling out his hair dialing GMs across the league desperately looking for a trade. And just a week ago manager Ed Ziehl could be heard mumbling in the tunnels under the new stadium, wondering if his time in New York was nearly over. Then, like magic, a week of solid pitching, timely hitting and the emergence of Pete Casstevens has Ziehl smiling and Ward putting aside his rolodex. As for Casstevens, his contact numbers have been improving, but if his habit in the minors at each new level is any indication then his .412/.474/.529 week is cause for celebration. Level after level Casstevens would struggle, only to eventually break out in plus .400 weeks that showed he was comfortable at the plate.

In minor league news, Ed Bowman and Ed Funkhouser have been promoted to A level Albany where they will join recent acquisition Billy Seawood and last week's minor signee Ray Kirchner in a solid rotation.

QUICK HITS

• Lefty Allen recently became the second youngest pitcher in well over two decades to record his 100th career victory but in the same game Allen tweaked his back and was forced to miss the All-Star game. It was the second minor injury the normally very healthy Pittsburgh hurler has suffered this season and last week he had another one. This time it's a tender shoulder and it is only expected to cause him to miss just a start or two. The worry, expressed in print by long-time Chicago Herald-Examiner scribe Percy Sutherland is could this be a sign that Allen is starting to break down at age 26? Allen did not suffer so much as a cold over each of the two previous seasons and has never had a serious injury since making his big league debut in 1935. However, as Sutherland correctly points out there is a lot of mileage on Allen's left wing, as he has started pretty much every fourth day for the past 4 seasons. He is a workhorse, but he has started more games and pitched more innings than any other player since the start of the 1937 season. Factor in all the strikeouts he notches and it is clear no one in baseball has thrown as much as the Pittsburgh ace the past four seasons. Is that starting to take a toll?
• The Keystones fell off the beam with a 2-4 week, but Pittsburgh also struggled, so still 2.5 games back. Detroit and Boston are advancing with Chicago to make that an aforementioned 5-team race. Philadelphia fell victim to the big inning, as they surrendered four runs or more in an inning five times. The Keys were outscored 39-20 in six games this week. Bad start to a 15-game road trip that will take the Keystones to New York this week, Detroit this weekend, and Boston early next week.
• Big 3 game series with Pittsburgh for the Chicago Chiefs at Whitney Park starting tomorrow. 23-year-old Sam Vaughan is being recalled from Fort Wayne, and he will start the series opener, followed by Day and Miller as the Chiefs take their best shot at cutting this 5.5 game deficit in half.
• The Eagles top prospect Jim Douglass has been optioned back to AAA to make room for returning players Leon Blackridge and Dan Everett, who have been on the injury list since June and May, respectively. During his cup of coffee, Jim showed some promise, posting a 3.81 ERA across 28 July innings pitched; but it was not enough to forestall his demotion to Kansas City.
  The reason for his demotion, along with making room for the returning Everett(Who, despite his shaky start to the season, is believed to be a better option for the remainder of the year), is because, like a good steak, Douglass needs a bit more Kansas city seasoning before being served to the fat cats in Washington.
• 3 more hits this week for Doug Lightbody in his quest for 2,000. He is up to 1,972 and hitting .385 in hid brief time with the Keystones. Inquisitor scribe Johnny Bologna points out that if Lightbody can average 3 hits a week, he will be right about 2,000 at season's end. No data available but the expectation is it is a very rare occurrence for teammates to reach 2,000 in the same season but the Keystones may just have a pair as longtime catcher Carl Ames reached that milestone last month.
• Look at Hank Barnett--7 home runs in in July to catch Detroit's Sal Pestilli for the lead. Barnett (.279,23,58) has always been a great player but seldom garners much enthusiasm from Whitney Award voters. He did finish third in the balloting in 1938 but that is the only top three finish for the 11 year veteran. If he keeps up the pace he is on you have to think he will draw serious consideration this year.
• The Chiefs are wishing they could skip Boston entirely as the Minutemen are 12-5 vs Chicago after sweeping the Chiefs on their home turf last week. Normally Chicago struggled with Boston last year as well, going 8-14 against them but the previous two seasons the Chiefs dominated the Minutemen going 29-15 over that span.
• Only highlight for the reeling Toronto Wolves was a 6 RBI game by Walt Pack (.248,11,56) in a 11-10 win over the Cougars yesterday, including a grand slam in the 6-run 9th. Reporters around the team are circulating stories about Manager Hank Leitzke being on thin ice yet again, there are rumours that he has alienated many players and his act is getting old. Being in the last year of his contract is not helping his cause. Upcoming series in Brooklyn, who have destroyed the Wolves this season, as usual, could be a tipping point. Toronto is 4-9 vs Brooklyn this season. One other piece of good news for Toronto is that pitcher Phil English returned after an extended DL stay, picking up a win in the high scoring affair, it is hoped he bring some clubhouse stability, focus during the final two months. At 36 his career may be coming to an end.
• Montreal added Eddie Hite after the Kings, perhaps surprisingly, waived him. The 37 year old has spent most of the past decade in the minors but was 5-1 with a 1.99 era this season before the Kings gave him his walking papers. The Saints GM compared the signing to one he made while in Washington when he brought in Leo Proctor. Certainly not a star but the 37 year old Proctor has been and remains a steady piece of the Eagles bullpen.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/28/1940

• Britain ignored Hitler's peace proposal but an announcement to speed up production at arms factories across England certainly hints as to what Prime Minister Winston Churchill's response to the Nazis is.
• The die is cast says Hitler as Germany launches an all-out air assault on British ports, airfields and a naval base after Britain fails to respond to Hitler's peace plan. Heavy fighting over the skies of much of Britain continued all week.
• To aide the war effort Britain has boosted the nation's income tax to an unprecedented rate of 42.5% in order to help meet an emergency war budget equaling $13,868,000,000 (US).
• Despite the surrender of France, French sailors and ships that had arrived in British ports prior to the armistice between France and Germany are fighting alongside the British against the Nazis.
• While news filters in of a merchant ship from Panama being sunk by a Nazi U-boat, President Roosevelt is working to prop up Latin American trade by asking Congress for an emergency $500 million loan for purchases of Latin American surpluses as the first step against totalitarian economic penetration in the New World.
• The US adds petroleum, scrap iron and scrap metal to the list of products it will no long ship to Axis Powers and President Roosevelt also pledges to deliver 3,000 more plans monthly to Britain.
• Tokio urged the United States to reconsider including Japan in it's embargo on oil and scrap iron, as such a move would seriously aggravate Japanese-American relations.
• The US denounces Baltic grab by Soviet Russia. Acting Secretary of State Summer Welles called Russia's absorption of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania "deliberate annihilation."
• Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain entered hospital to undergo an operation. No details were released as to the reason for the operation on the 71 year old, who stepped down as Prime Minister just 3 months ago.