AUGUST 12, 1940
SEEING STARS
The New York Stars are suddenly the hottest team in the Continental Association. After limping through the early stages of 1940, perhaps nursing a World Championship Series hangover, the Stars suddenly seem well equipped to repeat as champs of the Continental. Everything seems to be going right for New York as the Stars aligned perfectly the past couple of weeks. New York won 14 of it's last 17 games and moved from 8.5 games out of first place to within 3 games of the front-running Toronto Wolves. Things were not only going right for the Stars on the field, but off it as well thanks to some tricky financial wrangling and use of the waiver wire the Gothams braintrust managed to free up enough cash to sign their remaining draft holdouts including the first of their three second rounders Newt Cooper, who had demanded a whooping $15,000 to forgo his senior season at American Atlantic University. Cooper, the Stars are relieved to say, is finally under contract and according to OSA the 21 year old outfielder debuts at #49 on the top prospects list. That makes for quite a draft haul for the Stars, with two first rounders Bill "B.B." Barnett (26th on OSA list) and Wally Hunter (38th) and two more second rounders joining Cooper in Bill Grove (250th) and Christian Trophy winner Don Bitters (258th) plus third rounder Jack Bullock (199th) all added to the organization, which now has the 7th deepest minor league system according to the league scouting service.
With Cooper under contract and the club on a roll things seem to be shaping up much like they did last year for the Stars, who ended a four year exile to the second division with a surprising World Championship Series victory over the heavily favoured Pittsburgh Miners. Ageless wonder Dave Trowbridge (.356,7,39) and budding superstar Bill Barrett (.319,8,66) are one again the key pieces of the Stars offense while Billy Riley (13-9, 3.58), George Phillips (12-9, 3.17), Chuck Cole (9-9, 3.06) and sensational rookie Lou Robertson (7-2, 2.34) lead the way on the mound.
Toronto still leads the way as the Wolves, who came close to ending a pennant drought that stretches back to 1911 two seasons ago, try to hold off New York. Toronto has had some success in that regard, thanks to victories in 7 of their last ten games, but a 2-game sweep at the hands of the Stars a couple of weeks ago certainly cut into the Wolves lead. Toronto finishes up a long road trip with a pair of games in Cincinnati to start the week before beginning a 15 game homestand that will include a big 3-game set with the Stars just under two weeks from now.
Cincinnati, to the shock of nearly everyone familiar with baseball, is right in the mix too, with the surprising Cannons sitting in second place at the moment but the feeling is the clock has struck midnight on the young Cannons, who have gone 13-17 since the All-Star break. The next couple of weeks will tell the tale for the upstart Cannons as they, armed with the best home record in the Continental Association, begin a 17 game homestand that will see them play every team in the CA at Monarchs Park over the next 3 weeks. That time frame also poses a crucial test for the rising Stars, as they embark on a 20 game road swing that gets underway tomorrow in Chicago.
FEDERAL ASSOCIATION
The runaway train that is the Detroit Dynamos was slowed last week, but only slightly. The Dynamos, winners of 16 of their last 19, heading into a 3-game series at Whitney Park to begin last week ended up limping out of Chicago following three straight losses to the Chiefs. Rabbit Day (13-8, 3.05) proved he still is at the top of his game with a complete game 2-hitter in a 6-1 win to open the series. Detroit bats did wake up for the next two games but in each case the Dynamos fell a run short, dropping a 6-5 decision Tuesday thanks in no small part to Hank Barnett's (.306,27,72) 3 rbi game for Chicago and then falling 7-6 in 11 innings Wednesday courtesy of a walk-off homer from Cliff Moss (.273,15,43).
Happy to get out of the Windy City the Dynamos returned to their winning ways in St Louis with a 4-game sweep of the Pioneers. It was not enough to allow Detroit to hang on to top spot in the Fed as the Pittsburgh Miners went 4-2 during the week, sweeping Washington before settling for just one victory in 3 games against the young Philadelphia Keystones. Like the Cannons of the Continental Association, the Keystones are hanging around, at just 2.5 games back, but have to be a little disappointed to have taken just one of three from Boston before their solid showing against the Miners. Of course the Minutemen games were on the road and the Keystones will have a chance to settle the score with a 3 game series at home against Boston starting today but then they face another stiff test next weekend when Philadelphia will need another strong showing against the Miners. The Keystones have handled their in-state rivals quite nicely this season in winning 10 of 15 contests, but unlike last weekend when they were in Philadelphia, this time the games will be played at Pittsburgh Fitzpatrick Park.
1941 DRAFT PREVIEW
SLIM PICKINGS AMONG COLLEGE CROWD
The most recent FABL draft saw 6 college players selected in the first round highlighted by #2 overall Bill Sohl and #6 John Graves. The year before that half of the first round was from the AIAA led by #1 overall Vic Carroll, #3 Bill Greene and #3 Rats McGonigle. Drafts prior to that also included a large chunk of college draftees but if OSA's early impressions on the 1941 class are to hold true it does not look like the AIAA will be very well represented in the opening round come January. There presently are 74 AIAA players in the 1941 draft (more will come as the class still needs another 59 players to complete it) but at this point it was very difficult finding 10 players that OSA felt could be solid FABL players one day. Here is TWIFB's annual preliminary ranking of the top college talent available for the next draft. As is the case each year this list relies primarily on the OSA scouting report but also takes into account the player's stats from his college career to date.
1: LF HANK EASON - HUNTINGTON STATE
Only Cincinnati fifth round pick Vern Wilson hit more homeruns last season than the 14 that Eason belted. Eason slashed .294/.386/.564 in a breakout season as a sophomore after hitting just 2 homers his freshman year. The son of longtime Montreal Saints and Philadelphia Keystones outfielder Hal Eason, Hank is not quite as tall as his father but looks like he may have that same powerful swing that helped the elder Eason hit 269 career FABL homeruns. A first team All-American selection, the Montreal born Eason projects to have above average power and contact potential and should certainly be in the running for the first college player selected. Huntington State has never had a player selected in the first round, in fact the only Miners player ever drafted in the human GM portion (rounds 1-10) was Bill Hayes, a shortstop chosen by Toronto in the 10th of the 1939 draft.
2: P HANK BURNEY - BAYSIDE UNIVERSITY
The Chicago native headed south to play his college ball in Corpus Christi for Bayside. This was his first season of AIAA ball and the sophomore went 7-5 with a 3.57 era against good competition. TWIFB feels Burney needs to show a lot more to warrant a first round draft selection but OSA feels Burney possesses great talent and seems destined to break out in a starter's role. His four pitch aresenal includes a great slider, decent change and curve but only a fringy fastball. Only one Bayside player has ever been drafted before - that was pitcher Wally Anderson, a 1934 17th round pick of St Louis who never advanced past A ball and is now retired.
3: SS JIM DICKINSON - CALUMET CATHOLIC
Illinois native plays his college ball close to home at Calumet Catholic and has started each of the past two seasons. OSA does not see him as a star player but feels his above average defensive skills and solid batting eye should be enough to make Dickinson a product regular. He has slashed .270/.379/.331 over his two seasons of AIAA action. Power is non existent but if he can make regular contact stands a chance of sticking around long enough to show off his elite glove. He is also one of two Missionaries to make the top ten AIAA prospect list.
4: P WALLY REIF - PIEDMONT UNIVERSITY
Reif tied with second overall pick Bill Sohl for the second most wins in the AIAA last season, trailing only Christian Trophy winner and New York Stars second round selection Don Bitters. It was a breakout season for the Bridgewater, Virginia native after he struggled (4-8, 4.96) as a freshman at Piedmont. This past year he was 10-5, 3.09 and more than doubled his strikeout total to 120 while walking just 27 in 134 innings of work. Piedmont is not a premier school, it plays against good but not great competition, however OSA feels he can start in FABL one day. Reif won't be an ace, likely closer to the bottom of the rotation but he has good control to go with average stuff and a 5 pitch repertoire highlighted by an above average change up. Current Cincinnati third baseman Frank Covarrubias is a Piedmont alum.
5: 2B BILL CADY - WISCONSIN STATE
Wisconsin State has a long history of providing quality big league talent and Cady is the latest to shine for the Brewers. he hit .300 his freshman year and followed that up with a .290 season this time around. OSA loves his hustle and feels he could hit for a .330 batting average if he reaches his potential. Add in good, consistent defense and Cady looks like a frontrunner for an audition as a second baseman.
6: P JUNIUS DAVIES - TALMADGE STATE
One of just 3 sophomores to fan at least 100 hitters this past season (#4 on this list Wally Reif and Bruce Anderson of Bluegrass State were the other two), Davies (8-3, 3.18) took a huge step forward from what he showed as a freshman. He has three pitches led by a plus slider and while OSA feels he needs to cut down on his walks, they think Davies will claim a spot in a FABL rotation one day, but closer to the bottom than the top. The state of Tennessee has produced some pretty good pitchers through the years led by Bill Ross and Frank Ford. Davies hails from tiny Goodlettsville, Tennessee which also produced Clay Bomgardner, a 23 year old minor league catcher drafted in the 20th round by Baltimore in 1935.
7: 3B MULE RICHMOND - ST. PATRICK'S
St. Patrick's is another school with a deep tradition in the AIAA tracing back to the feeder league days. Richmond is the first Shamrocks player ever to be recognized as an All-American twice, making the second team each of the past two seasons. His .307 batting average last season placed him in the top 15 of the entire AIAA. OSA says he has average speed, but good instincts on the base paths. He is a line drive hitter with a repeatable swing but while OSA thinks he can contribute at the FABL level one day, it will likely be more as a supplemental piece than a star.
8: CF GLENN SHEPPERD - CALUMET CATHOLIC
The most famous Calumet Catholic ballplayer presently is Washington Eagles outfielder Jim Hanshaw, a second round selection in 1935. That might change one day as Shepperd joins #3 ranked Bill Cady as Missionaries players on this year's prospect list. Shepperd hit .264 last season but OSA sees the Council Bluffs, Iowa native as potentially a .290 hitter in FABL one day. A strong runner, the 21 year old stole 77 bases over the past two seasons of college ball. OSA thinks he can contribute at the FABL level but won't be a star.
9: P LEE RICHARDSON - OPELIKA STATE
A groundball specialist out of college power Opelika State, the Virginia born lefthander went 7-5 with a 3.45 era in his first season of college ball as a sophomore. While not impressed with his stuff, OSA feels Richardson more than makes up for it with pinpoint control. That command is his ticket to the majors, and he projects as a possible fifth starter. Not so much in recent years but during the feeder era the Wildcats produced some pretty good pitchers led by current Chicago Chief Charlie Bingham and retired stars Jimmy Clinch and Pete Scanlon. The school also won a pair of AIAA World Series in the late 1920s.
10: SS VERLIN ALEXANDER - AMERICAN ATLANTIC
The Missouri native hit a solid .308 last season in his second year with the Pelicans where he was a teammate of this year's second round selection Newt Cooper. There was a good chance they may be teammates again but Cooper just agreed to a contract with the New York Stars so he won't be returning to the Florida school. Alexander is also no stranger to the post draft contract negotiating process. He was selected by Toronto after his senior season at Lexington (MO) High School in the 6th round of the 1938 draft but had his heart set on a college education. His best attribute might just be his work ethic as Alexander is described as a 'baseball rat'. He possesses great speed and is not afraid to take a walk if he doesn't get the pitch he likes. However, OSA is not sold on Alexander ever being starter despite the fact he was a first team All-American selection in June.
We should give honourable mention to a pair of second team All-American outfielders in Eddie Heaton of Amarillo Methodist and Redwood University's Mike Opsal. OSA is not a big fan of either of them but perhaps that will change as each did put up solid numbers in their sophomore season.
Next time we will take a look at who OSA sees as the top high school players available in the 1941 draft.
With still nearly two months until his 31st birthday, Toronto Wolves superstar Fred McCormick has already surpassed the 2,000 career hit plateau. The 2-time reigning Continental Association Whitney Award winner reached the milestone last Tuesday with a 5th inning double off of Merritt Thomas in the Wolves 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Sailors. He would add 6 more hits before the week was over to raise his batting average on the season to .325. It is a far cry from the .399 he hit last season when he won his second batting title and claimed the triple crown - just the second time that has been done in CA history, joining Brooklyn's Al Wheeler who turned the trick in 1935. Wheeler is one of the 69 other players besides McCormick who have surpassed the 2,000 mark.
TALE OF THE TAPE ON FRED MCCORMICK
HIT #1: April 14, 1931 After striking out against Jim Lonardo in the second inning of what would end up being a 13-0 Opening Day loss at home for the St Lois Pioneers against the New York Gothams and then grounding out his second trip to the plate, McCormick slapped a 2-out single in the bottom of the 7th inning for his first FABL hit. It would be the second of only 4 hits the Pioneers would get that day but McCormick would get 212 more hits that season and bat .350 as a rookie.
HIT #500: July 16, 1933 After missing 6 weeks with a sprained ankle (the only injury of more than a week in duration so far in his career) McCormick got hot batting .385 in June that year and continued the torrid pace into July which allowed him to earn a spot in the very first all-star game. McCormick grounded out against Tommy Wilcox as a pinch-hitter in that game but just over a week later he had 3 hits in an 8-2 win at home over Washington. The last of those three hits, a 6th inning single off of George McMannis, was the 500th of his career and came while he was still just 23 years old.
HIT #1,000: September 18, 1935 Another 3-hit game for McCormick led him to reach the 1,000 hit mark just over 2 years following his 500th. This one was a third inning rbi double off of Bill Ross in what would end up being a 14-10 loss for the Pioneers to the Philadelphia Keystones and occurred during a pennant race in which the Pioneers would come up just short, finishing 2 games back of the Gothams, who would go on to beat Cleveland to win the World Championship Series that season. St Louis won 7 of it's last 10 games that September but the Gothams did the same to hold the lead. McCormick was a big reason for the Pioneers success down the stretch, hitting .450 in the final 10 games of the season. In fact McCormick, who finished with a .369 average that season, hit .413 over the final two months of the season.
HIT 1,500: May 24, 1938 McCormick's 1,500 came as part of yet another 3-hit game. This one was less than two months into his time in Toronto and was the middle of three McCormick hits in the Wolves 5-3 victory over the Saints in Montreal. Hit #1499 came in the first inning off of Montreal's George Thomas and was part of a 3-run rally to stake the Wolves Joe Hancock to an early lead. McCormick flew out to lead off the third inning before hitting a one-out double off of Thomas in the fifth for his milestone marker. McCormick would come around to score, putting Toronto up 4-2 at the time. Just for good measure he would add a lead-off single, again off Thomas, in the top of the 7th for hit number 1,501. After finishing second or third three times in Federal Association Whitney Award voting McCormick would finally win his first trophy that season (and add a second one last year) while also claiming his first batting crown as he led the Continental Association with a .367 average.
CAN HE REACH 3,000?
3,000 will be a challenge for McCormick but he is showing no signs of slowing down so it is quite conceivable he could get there, perhaps as early as 1946 which would make him 37 years old. Only 10 players have reached 3,000 for their career and only 8 if you discount pre-FABL (which began in 1892) stats. Here are the active players with over 2,000 career hits and a pair that are close to that mark and perhaps still might have a shot at 3,000.
Code:
ACTIVE CAREER HIT LEADERS
NAME TEAM HITS AGE
John Lawson CHC 2,662 37 yrs, 290 days
Jim Hampton CHI 2,430 38 yrs, 351 days
Dave Trowbridge NYS 2,388 42 yrs, 4 days
Frank Vance DET 2,327 38 yrs, 74 days
Al Wheeler BKN 2,325 32 yrs, 283 days
Charlie Barry BOS 2,323 41 yrs, 193 days
Bob Martin CHI 2,297 33 yrs, 155 days
Moxie Pidgeon CIN 2,117 33 yrs, 219 days
Bud Jameson NYG 2,037 36 yrs, 146 days
Jack Cleaves PIT 2,031 33 yrs, 80 days
Carl Ames PHK 2,018 37 yrs, 189 days
Lou Kelly * 2,009 38 yrs, 196 days
Fred McCormick TOR 2,006 30 yrs, 314 days
Dick Walker PHS 1,935 33 yrs, 338 days
Bobby Barrell PHK 1,928 30 yrs 21 days
*Kelly is a free agent, released by the Cougars
earlier this season.
Looking at the above list it is clear that McCormick has the best shot out of those on this list. He has averaged well over 200 hits a season and has not yet shown any signs of slowing down. Key also is the fact that McCormick has been very healthy throughout his career.
Bobby Barrell of the Philadelphia Keystones might be the player with the next best chance of reaching 3,000 but the fear is Barrell is starting to slow down. Barrell averaged around 200 hits a year for the first seven seasons of his career, but he has averaged 168 hits over the past two seasons and may not even reach that mark this year. Like McCormick, Barrell has been healthy so given enough time he might get to 3,000 but, while neither are a sure thing, McCormick is likely the much smarter bet.
Moxie Pidgeon is a long shot, but does have a chance but will need longevity. At the beginning of last season Al Wheeler might have looked like as safe a bet as McCormick but the Wonder Wheel has fallen off the tracks the last couple of years and chances now seems remote that he will get to the 3,000 mark. The same can be said for Jack Cleaves as a recent spat of injuries have really slowed him down. His brother George already has 1,116 and is just 26 years old but being a catcher one has to think that there is little chance his body will stand up long enough to get to the 3,000 mark and perhaps even 2,000 will become difficult. Only 2 catchers - TR Goins (2622) and current Keystones catcher Carl Ames (2018) ever recorded even as many as 1800 career hits.
It is too bad that Cleveland's Mel Carrol did make his debut until he was 23 years old. Carrol, who will turn 29 in November, has 1,244 career hits so far while averaging well over 200 a season. McCormick had a 2 year head start on Carrol, debuting at 21, and recorded 421 hits during those two seasons. Add that to his total plus assume the pace continues the next couple of years and Carrol could have been in the exact same situation as McCormick now finds himself, with over 2,000 hits before his 31st birthday.
Starting at 21, staying healthy and consistent as a long as possible are key to making a run at 3,000. McCormick still has a long ways to go, but his pursuit of 3,000 will be one of the interesting stories to follow over the next half dozen seasons.
- Another year, another season ending injury for Nate Spear. 3rd consecutive year with a multi-month IL visit.
- Leon Drake didn't let a change of uniforms affect his play. No sir, he went 4-23 with a homer, keeping his average right there in the .190's. It will be interesting to see what his reception is when the team returns home Wednesday.
- The Walt Messer LF experiment hit a pot hole in week two with Walt struggling at the plate (3/21 .143), and in the field, 3 errors and a couple of misjudged fly balls
- What happened to Hal Roberts? Acquired in the offseason from the Stars where he'd produced big numbers at AAA (.269 with 31 HR), this season he started in NY and struggled (.136-3-8) in 34 games before going to AAA Toledo and falling apart (.087-0-8) in 44 games.
BIG MONTH AND A HALF AHEAD FOR SURPRISING CINCINNATI CANNONS
This has been an incredible season for baseball in Cincinnati. Heck, just having FABL finally right a nearly half century old wrong and place a club in the Queen City would have been good enough. I say would have been because, while expectations were practically nil when the Cannons officially escaped the purgatory that was Baltimore and came to Cincinnati, no one expected the Cannons to be a .500 club, never mind a pennant contender as we approach the middle of August. But here we are. The former laughing stock of professional baseball found a new lease on life on the banks of the Ohio River and shocked the baseball world by leading the Continental Association, after 5 consecutive last place finishes, as late as Independence Day.
Things of course have not gone well since then, the team has stumbled thru a 13-17 stretch since the All-Star break, but the Cannons are still within 2.5 games of first place as they return home to the friendly confines of Monarchs Field for the next 17 games. With a 33-19 record at the ballpark named after the AAA club that vacated the city to make room for the Cannons, they own the best home record in the Continental Association. With 2 games against the front-running Wolves first up on a docket for a home stretch that will see the Cannons face all 7 of their CA rivals this feels like a perfect opportunity for the club to prove the first three months of the season, and especially that amazing 24-5 month of May, were not a fluke. Finishing off an 8-10 road trip with 4 victories in their last 5 contests perhaps gets the club in the right mindset to regain the lead. It won't be easy, that is for certain as Toronto is hot and the defending champion New York Stars, who are in town for a pair next week, are on fire but this season has been an improbable dream come true for Cincinnatians - who's to say it can't continue.
In order for it to do so the Cannons will need their bats booming once again. The offense has cooled, especially Moxie Pidgeon, who is so crucial to the club's success. Pidgeon (.333,17,78) is homerless since July 25th and batting just .160 for the month of August. Fortunately the pitching has been strong including recently promoted rookie Jim Anderson (1-1, 1.89). Deuce Barrell (13-6, 3.04) is healthy and pitching better than he ever has and the same can be said for Butch Smith (14-7 3.01), who celebrated his 29th birthday on Saturday. Both attribute their success this season to the outstanding work that pitching coach and FABL Hall of Famer George Johnson has done.
With the Cannons amazing turnaround this season they are playing with house money as even a .500 finish would greatly exceed preseason expectations but veteran manager George Theobald and his staff have the club, and the Queen City, desiring much more than merely a .500 season. For that to happen the Cannons needs to finish this month strong as they have a tough September schedule that will see them play 18 of their final 26 games on the road including 3 in Toronto to end the season. Wouldn't it be something if those 3 games decided the Continental Association pennant?
Detroit started last week with its woes on the road and woes against the Chiefs, dropping three straight to Chicago and now are just 5-9 vs the dreaded Chiefs on the year. The Dynamos started last week at with a 23-27 road record and 27 games left to be played away from Thompson Field. In my opinion the Dynamos had to at a minimum go 14-13 on the road to have any shot at winning the Fed.
So off to Chicago with hopes of winning at least 1 game but they were quickly washed away losing all 3 and the last 2 by just 1-run. Dropping the road record to 23-30 and I must admit sitting on the train to St Louis for 4 games, things were not looking good. But somehow the Dynamos went in and reversed their road woes by sweeping the free falling Pioneers. The 4-3 record for the week means they have just 20 road games left on the season as they head back home for games against New York, Chicago (ugh they've been a pain all season) and Washington. Currently in the middle of a 35 straight day period of games (playing 36) without a day off. With travel such a stretch can exhaust even the best of teams.
QUICK HITS
- Toronto finishes up it's current road trip with 2 in Cincy trying to extinguish any flame of hope for the Cannons. Important home stand coming up for the Wolves but then again I guess all games are important/relevant to the pennant chase with with 6 teams over .500 and within 6 1/2 games of the CA lead.
- News on the injury front wasn't what the Wolves training staff had hoped for, there has been no upgrade on the status of either Larry Vestal or Juan Pomales, each of whom have relatively minor injuries but each is now expected to take 3 more weeks to heal.
- He's hit just .247/.311/.298 (63 OPS+) with a homer and 38 RBIs while recording a -14.2 zone rating and .916 efficiency at short, but 24-year-old Ivan Cameron of the St Louis Pioneers is the only player to start every game (111) for his team this season. Chick Donnelly (Boston), Pablo Reyes (Pittsburgh), and Fred Galloway (Cincinnati) come close, starting 109 of their team's 110 games in center. Cameron's teammate and usual double play partner Artie d'Allessandro has appeared in all 111 Pioneer games, but two have came off the bench
- Disappointment in Boston as the Minutemen took 2 of 3 against Philly but then went and got whacked in Washington. Missed a solid opportunity to close the gap and ended up dropping 2 more games in the standings. Boston will try again this week as the schedule is exactly the same just where we play the clubs is opposite.
- As the Fed teams continue to beat each other up, the Keystones oblige by losing 2 of 3 in Boston before coming home and taking 2 of 3 against Pittsburgh. Pepper Tuttle loses two during the week to drop to 11-7 on the season, while Hank Koblenz hits another 3 homers to bring his total to 25 on the year. After going hitless last week, Doug Lightbody nabs 3 hits to inch to 1,975 hits, including a 2-for-3 day with an RBI in the 5-0 win over the Minutemen. In that game, Lloyd Stevens snapped a three-game losing streak with a three-hit shutout.
- The Miners are going to play 20 games in 20 days at home in the Fitz, and every single Fed team will come visit them. The Miners currently have a half game lead so this is their chance to create a little space in the standings before September.
- Percy Sutherland correctly points out that the overall sense you are getting this season is that the top 5 clubs in the Fed will continue to beat each other up all season long. So it'll come down to whether anyone can get on an extended run.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/11/1940
- Italian forces in great strength are concentrating in the desert frontier of North Africa after British and Italian planes fought the biggest aerial battle of the war in Africa.
- A high ranking Nazi official claims Germany is close to launching a secret weapon and new methods of modern warfare, never seen before, against Britain.
- Belgium is asking the United State for relief help as 8 million Belgians face famine but Britain warns any supplies sent to conquered European countries merely aide the German war machine. Britain is blockading the entire European coast.
- India was promised 'free and equal partnership' in the British Commonwealth as Britain sought to unify the greatest possession of her empire for an amassing of manpower and wealth against Germany and Italy.
- President Roosevelt proposed that Congress and State Legislators enact companion legislation "dealing with subversive activities, things which slow up or break down our common defense program," as concerns remain regarding espionage attempts by Axis powers.
- Opponents to the draft bill in the Senate are insisting the matter be put to a public vote. Senator Wheeler (D-Mont) says 'if proponents of conscription feel that it is necessary to have the draft to save democracy, they ought to be willing to submit the question to the people because that would be the democratic way to ascertain the public viewpoint."
- Dr Frederick A Cook passed away at the age of 75. His claim of discovery of the North Pole precipitated an early 20th century world-wide controversy when Admiral Robert E. Perry also made a similar announcement a week after Cook in 1909.