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Tiger Fan · 01-13-2022, 11:49 AM

AUGUST 26, 1940

WOLVES EXTEND LEAD WITH 6 STRAIGHT WINS

The Toronto Wolves players have been subjected to derisive chants of 1911! 1911! in enemy ballparks for as long as most of them can remember. Why? Well, 1911 was the last time the Wolves won the Continental Association pennant and despite the fact that half the team was not even born by 1911 and none of the other half were over 8 years old the current crop of Wolves have been forced to wear that pennant drought like a scarlet letter. While none can be faulted for much of the nearly 3 decades of futility, if truth be told many of the current crop of Wolves do have to live with the fact that they have been in this position before - sitting atop the Continental Association as the season winds down - only to come up short. Two years ago it was shaping up to be a dream season for Toronto when, with 9 games to play and a 3 game lead on second place Brooklyn, it quickly transformed into a nightmare. The Wolves endured one of the worst collapses in FABL history by losing 8 of those final 9 contests and ending the season 2 games back, once more prolonging the longest active pennant-less drought in either association.

So here they are again. With a second chance to get things right and much like two years ago the Wolves find themselves in first place and with momentum in their favour thanks to an impressive 6 game winning streak that encompassed most of last week. Among the Wolves recent victims was the previously hot New York Stars, fresh off sweeping a pair from second place but fading Cincinnati. The Stars came into Toronto riding an 11-4 stretch but limped back across the border with their tails between their legs after being swept at Dominion Park. That is nothing new for the two clubs this season as Toronto, almost inexplicably, is an astounding 14-6 vs New York this season. Only Cincinnati, with it's 15-3 head to head mark vs Ohio rival Cleveland, has had a more one-sided relationship in the CA this season.

The question is can Toronto keep it up? 32 games to go. A 3 and a half game lead and 3 decades of disappointment to vanquish. It will be a tense month in Toronto.

FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

Like Toronto in the Continental Association the Pittsburgh Miners turned up the heat on the Federal Association rivals with 8 wins in their last 10 games and have now moved 2 games ahead of the Detroit Dynamos. Pittsburgh won 5 of 7 games last week while Detroit slipped another game back after having to settle on just 4 wins in their last 7 contests. Boston took care of Detroit by winning two of three to start the week but then the Minutemen shot themselves in the foot allowing the New York Gothams to sweep them over the next 3 days. All of the games were close, with Boston dropping two by a single run and the third in extra innings by two runs but they are now 6 games back and one can't help but full this season is going to end like so many others in recent memory, with the Minutemen staying in the race until the final month only to fade as the weather cooled and the pressure heated up.

1941 DRAFT PREVIEW

HIGH SCHOOL HITTERS

In the final section of our 3-part look at the top prospects eligible for the 1941 draft we focus on high school hitters, and like the high school pitchers, there are several very good ones available. Here are the players we feel OSA presently ranks as the top ten high school position players for 1941:

1: OTTO CHRISTIAN - Third base : Walla Walla (WA) High School

The slugging third baseman is drawing comparisons to fellow Pacific Northwest product Red Johnson or Walt Messer, who's non-feeder league record for homeruns in a season Christian equaled with 15 last year. Christian may challenge New York pitching sensation Hiram Steinberg for the number one overall draft slot and, like Steinberg, is already a 3-time High School All-American selection. He has already hit 40 homeruns in 3 years of high school, most of anyone in the post-feeder era and when his career is done next June he likely will be second all-time behind only Roger Landry's 62 between 1913-15 for the most homeruns ever hit by a high school player feeder or draft class created.

Before you go and think Christian (.468,40,123 in 74 HS games) is strictly an all or nothing slugger you should be aware OSA feels he has above average contact potential and could hit for a .310 batting average. The only knock on him is his work ethic is questioned at times plus he can be quite moody. Christian's power will be his ticket to FABL success and you won't find a better high school slugger in this draft class then the 17 year old known along the west coast as 'The Walla Walla Walloper'.

2: JESSE ALVARDO - Outfield : Canarsie High School, Brooklyn NY. Born in Hidalgo, Mexico

Overshadowed in the New York City area by pitching phenom Hiram Steinberg, Alvardo certainly deserves respect as well. He hit 12 homers last season and has 33 in 3 years at Canarsie High to go along with a career .518 batting average. Like Steinberg and Otto Christian, Alvardo has already made the High School All-American team 3 years running as the 3 look to join Wally Fuller as the only player to make the team all four years of his high school career. He has finished among the top high school hitters in the nation each of his four seasons highlighted by a .540 batting average as a freshman.

Born in Mexico but moved to New York City as a young boy, Alvardo is more than just an elite bat. OSA considers him one of the best defensive fielders in the nation. Alvardo is seen as being very quiet and shy but certainly let's his bat do the talking and OSA feels he can be above average as both a contact hitter and a homerun threat. He will be the third player drafted out of Canarsie High following Ron Sexton, a pitcher/1B selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 1938 draft and 1940 11th round pick Sam McCrae, selected by the Toronto Wolves.

3: GORDIE PERKINS - Shortstop : Trumbauersville (PA) High School.

An elite hitter, Perkins has played just two seasons of high school ball but boasts a slash line of .517/.563/.820 over that period. As good as his hitting projects to be, Perkins might even be better with the glove as OSA projects him to be a 'defensive marvel' after he matures. Projected to be an elite shortstop but the knock on Perkins is he doesn't not always put a full effort in and requires plenty of guidance. Whether that is simply because he is bored at the high school level or signs of a bigger problem remains to be seen. Perkins was a High School All-American this past season. His Trumbauersville High teammate, Bill Elicker, a center fielder is also expected to be drafted but certainly much later than Perkins.

4: MAURICE CARTER - First base : Meridian (MS) High School

If there is a trend beyond the incredible talent of the top high school hitters it is questions about their work ethic as Carter is another one who perhaps does not always give his all. He is not afraid to speak his mind and while that works in the high school environment where he is 'Big Moe' there perhaps may not be the same tolerance in a big league clubhouse. That penchant for speaking his mind certainly did not hurt another player who made his mark in the state of Mississippi in former A&M legend Doug "The Mississippi Mouth" Lightbody so perhaps Carter will have the same result. Carter has a quick bat and some feel it might come close to comparing to Lightbody's but the comparison ends there as Carter is also blessed with above average power potential. Off-speed stuff challenges him at times right now but OSA feels he could hit .330 in FABL once he matures. He was honourable mention each of the last two seasons for the High School All-American team and was born on Halloween.

Meridian High School has a great history as it was one of the feeder league schools and even won a National High School title back in 1921 but surprisingly only one player born in Meridian has ever made it to FABL. That would be Joe Chain, an outfielder selected out of college in the first round of the 1911 draft by Pittsburgh. Chain played just 474 FABL games but won a batting title when he led the Fed in hitting with a .332 average in 1916.

5: FRED LONEY - Shortstop : Totowa (NJ) High School

Add Loney's name to the list of those with questionable work ethic but despite playing just one season of high school ball he likes like he has outstanding potential at the plate. Loney hit .500 as a junior with a .596 on base percentage that ranked 4th in the nation this past season. One OSA scout remarked he could see Loney hitting .350 one day and adds he has a plus-plus eye ceiling. Totowa High also produced 1937 Cleveland 13th round pick Al Cash, a pitcher who spent two seasons in Class C before retiring.

6: FORD WOOD - Second base : Wenona (IL) High School

Finally a guy with a work ethic scouts drool over. Wood always seems to be in the training room after games doing calisthenics and is clearly focused on being the best player he can be. Shows plus contact ability which OSA expects to translate into a high batting average and he is expected to do a good job working the count at the next level. He is 6'0" tall and the scouting service feels power should come and he has 9 homers along with a .431 batting average in 64 career high school games.

7: HAL RENARD - Outfielder : Pittsfield (ME) High School, born in East Machias, Me.

A natural leader with tremendous work ethic, Renard is described as a player who, when the game is on the line, wants to make a difference. He has been a very consistent hitter all three seasons of high school ball and after finishing 6th in the nation as a freshman with a .543 batting average, Renard hit .553 each of the past two seasons and led the nation in that category both seasons. Perhaps surprisingly, he was not named to the High School All-American team his first two years but did make the squad as a junior this past season. After finishing second to current New York Stars outfielder Bill Barrett as a freshman, Renard led the nation in on-base percentage each of the past two seasons and his nickname "The Walking Man" is well earned. He led the nation in walks in 1939 and was second this past season. In fact Renard's three season of high school ball each fall in the top 13 for free passes earned in a season and his 83 for his career already rank 6th all-time in the post-feeder era with him just needing 14 more as a senior to surpass Wally Fuller's record. They played a lot more games back in the feeder era but if Renard simply equals the total of the lowest of his previous 3 seasons he will be number 3 all-time in high school walks, including feeders. He projects to be just the third player ever to walk over 100 times in their high school career, joining Howie Shifflett (1918-21) and Don Summers (1922-24) who each had 121.

OSA sees Renard as an everyday left field who can make an impact on a top-tier team and his shrewd perception and meticulous mechanics should translate into a high batting average. It is expected 3 players from the Pittsfield High team will get drafted this season as catcher Frank Reichardt and centerfielder George Murray are both on OSA's radar. The school is establishing quite a reputation in the state of Maine as pitcher Kip Singleton was an 8th round pick of the Keystones in 1938 and is presently pitching for independent AAA San Diego while outfielder Morrie Matthews was taken in the 19th round by Washington in 1939 but was recently released after suffering a shoulder injury.

8: EDDIE HOWARD - Catcher : St. Joseph (LA) High School, born in Bastrop, La.

The top rated catcher available this season according to OSA, which projects him to be a very sure-handed and reliable player who could hit .330 while drawing 40 walks a year. While scouts do wish he would be just a little more competitive on the field they do love his .535 career high school batting average, which has been good enough to earn him two straight High School All-American nominations after he was honourable mention as a freshman. How good is he at the plate? Here are the top ten single season batting averages for a high school catcher:

Code:

 HIGH SCHOOL CATCHERS
NAME		YEAR	AVG
Cal Morgan	1936	.553
EDDIE HOWARD	1939	.551
Ken Vance	1934	.551
Woddy Stone	1934	.541
EDDIE HOWARD	1938	.535
Pete Casstevens 1935	.527
Bill Van Ness   1934	.525
Bill Bowen	1934 	.521
EDDIE HOWARD	1940	.520
Bill Van Ness	1935	.516

Howard is expected to be the second player born in Bastrop, a small town in Louisiana about 120 miles east of Shreveport, joining Paddy O'Banion, an outfielder that Pittsburgh selected in the 25th round of the 1938 draft. The 20 year old O'Banion is currently in class B Spokane after a nice showing to start the season at the Class C level.

9: BOB MONTGOMERY - Shortstop : Snyder (TX) High School

Last year's draft had very few elite middle infielders but by now you realize that is certainly not the case this time around. Montgomery is possibly one of the most intelligent players in the draft and his high school coach noted "Bob doesn't just listen. He takes notes." He did not play baseball his first two seasons, focusing instead on basketball but gave that up as it became he clear he was not going to grow much past his current 5'7" height. With his small frame (weighs just 145 lbs) Montgomery will have to make a living as a slap hitter but OSA sees that happening as scouts compliment his "loose, quick stroke that works inside the ball." He had no problem making contact against high school pitching as Montgomery's .552 average was second highest in the nation, trailing only fellow junior Hal Renard. That showing at the plate plus a sure-handed glove was good enough to earn the shortstop a spot on the High School All-American squad. Montgomery is following in the footsteps set by Don Reynolds, who is the only Snyder born player to be drafted. Reynolds, a third baseman, was selected in the third round by the New York Gothams in 1926 but advanced only as far as the AA level.

10: LORENZO SAMUELS - First base : West High School, Cleveland, Oh

'The Cuyahoga Crusher' as Samuels is known has the potential to be a middle of the batting order force according to OSA. Outstanding work ethic, the Cleveland native is described as relaxed and confident but aggressive when needed. OSA says he can already handle most fastballs but off-speed stuff can challenge him. He looks like he his trending in a very positive direction as after a middling .434/.524/.657 sophomore campaign in his high school debut, Samuels was an All-American last season following a .488/.571/.905 season that saw him increase his homerun total from 2 to 8. By no means are we comparing Samuels to the legendary Max Morris but the two Cleveland high school products both exhibited similar power growth over their high school careers although so did Doc Dill, another Cleveland high school slugger with similar trajectory but the former 5th round pick never advanced past Class B before retiring in 1935.

A pair of West High players proceeded Samuels in being drafted. Bob U Smith was a first baseman selected in the 19th round by Pittsburgh in 1935 but played just 56 Class C games before retiring while Hank Spiller was selected in the 14th round in June by the Chicago Chiefs. The 18 year old outfielder is presently in Class C but has had only 3 at bats as a pro so far.

HONOURABLE MENTION

There are a number of others that OSA really seems to be high on at this stage so it probably is fitting we mention a few such as as Morrisonville (IL) High School shortstop Win Hamby, centerfielder Rudy Ellison from Evanston(IL) High and Devine (TX) High School centerfielder Paul Porter as all three were honourable mention All-Americans as juniors. Boone (NC) HS shortstop Billy Bryant, Williams (AZ) High outfielder Billy Brown and Gig Taylor, an outfielder from Roosevelt High in Washington DC and the most exciting prospect to come out of the nation's capital since Walt Messer, all stand a solid chance of being January draft picks.

The training staff has recommended that both Larry Vestal (.280,2,45) and Juan Pomales remain on the DL for at least another week. Their plan will be followed by Wolves management and word is that Vestal has also has not responded well to treatment. The Wolves are in no rush to breakup a winning formula, also the extra week will dovetail nicely into roster expansion, A case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it...".

Fred McCormick seems to be heating up for the stretch run .366/.469/.476 in August. Walter Pack has bounced back from his early season woes with the bat but is still struggling at the hot corner. Charlie Artuso has responded nicely to his contract extension with a OPS+ of 169 in August. Toronto also extended George Garrison in an attempt to give the team some cost certainty going forward in the '40s.

Now if the team could quit rolling over to the f!@*ing Kings! Toronto is 5-12 vs Brooklyn this season. It is bringing back memories of the 1938 September collapse, which is not discussed but is in the back of everyone's mind in the clubhouse. Hopefully it was a learning experience and the team has grown, matured over the last two seasons.

QUICK HITS

Red Johnson's 25th homer of the season for Detroit on Saturday against Lloyd Stevens and the Keystones was already the 500th hit of his career.
The Chiefs Ducky Jordan still can't get his average above .190, but Chicago has discovered that he plays a pretty solid second base defensively. It's looking like having positional flexibility will give him his only hope of remaining on a roster.
Speaking of Chicago, veteran catcher Tom Aiello made his annual request for more playing time. Aiello is a good catcher but he won't play much as long as Tom Bird is ahead of him on the depth chart. Aiello came over from Brooklyn--along with Ron Rattigan--in that big October 1930 trade that sent Milt Fritz to the Kings. The Chiefs also picked up Brooklyn's 1st round pick in that deal, which they turned into...Boliver Jim Smith. That part didn't work out.
The Chiefs just cannot win on the road. 4-10 on this current trip with another 4 games remaining. Chiefs are 28-37 away from home this season.
Boston finally has a big series against Detroit, taking two of three only to suffer the embarrassment of being swept by the New York Gothams at home.
Not to just bring up Johnny Guzzo every week, but the Pittsburgh Miners infielder is now ranked as the 20th best position players in the FABL by the OSA. It's hard to fathom that's true, even if it's driven by a crazy power run for the short stop. This is the same guy that hit .139/.184/.262 in 261 AAA at bats in '37.
The Keystones tried to claw back some of their losses from the previous week, as they went 5-2. Pittsburgh and Detroit continue to put some space between the rest of the competition. Congratulations to Bud Canfield for his first league win, a 8-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Gothams. The injury bug continues to bite, as rookie Henry Shaffer will miss the rest of the year with a strained forearm. Gene White will return to the rotation to take Shaffer's spot, while Canfield will get the chance to pitch out the season in the rotation.
Keystones prospect Chet McCormick leapfrogged Glen Sexton, as McCormick has been tearing it up in Allentown (A) and Sexton is progressing, but Philadelphia management did not want to rush him to AAA. McCormick is already a 6-win player this year and is too good for that level at this point. Plus, McCormick is older. Since the move to AAA, McCormick is struggling, going 3-for 27, but he will get the starts to play his way out of it.
The Dunk Scott trial experience is not turning good after one week in Montreal. On the other side in AAA, Del Bruce was promoted from AA to replace him at 1B and that was a success as Minneapolis still winning no matter which player I add to this lineup. Something in the Midwest air. The 1930s weren't a good decade for the Lumberjacks, but Minneapolis has a rich history in the Century League with 7 pennants.
Waiver pick RP Eddie Hite still on fire with no earned run in 10 IP since he joined Montreal. The Kings have had little trouble claiming failed veterans and turning them into great relievers so probably fitting the lose one on waivers. Al Colby and Hal Galvin were both old waiver guys that came to Brooklyn and had some very good seasons in the Kings pen. Saves aren't a thing yet but those 2 are both in top 6 all time and Del Lyons - while not a waiver pickup but a homegrown King - is rising on that list too with his 11th save of the season and 123rd of his career recently. He and the Stars Boyd Harper, who is 15 saves ahead of him are both chasing Stan Waters career mark of 164 saves. Still, Eddie Hite would have helped the Kings had they hung on to him.
Toronto Wolves are 14-6 vs the defending champion Stars this season but amazingly just 5-12 vs Brooklyn. In apparently now predictable fashion they swept 3 from New York this week with their only loss coming in their only game vs the slumping Kings.
It was a bad week for the Cannons as they go 2-4 and fall 3.5 back of Toronto. Good news is they are still in second place thanks to winning 2 of 3 from Cougars and Moxie Pidgeon finally got his first homerun since July 25th to reach 18 on the year but much of Cincinnati's offense is ice cold and Deuce Barrell got rocked twice. Cannons are 7-6 on a homestand that was supposed to give them a little buffer before a tough September road trip but that is not going according to script.

A BALLAD OF THE BARRELL BROTHERS COMPANION PIECE

For anyone not familiar with the Ballad of the Barrell Brothers dynasty story by legendsport I suggest if you are following this report you absolutely have to check it out. It chronicles the life and times of the first family of Figment sports, the Barrell clan. The latest installment provided a detailed account of a national amateur baseball championship game involving one of Rufus Barrell's grandchild and several other plyers who eventually went on to play pro ball. It is 1935 in at the time of that report so here is some information on career progression of each of the players mentioned in the write-up.

You should all be very familiar with Deuce Barrell and Red Johnson if you are reading this but because Jiggs McGee loves his prospect reports here is some info on the players mentioned (including Deuce and Red) that participated in that 1935 NAU championship series between the Farmers Union club of Atlanta and the Columbian Club of Oregon.

FARMERS UNION OF ATLANTA

DEUCE BARRELL: Deuce did indeed get drafted ahead of Red Johnson, going first to Johnson's second selection, and to his grandfather's dismay it was the Baltimore Cannons that selected him. Certainly that choice likely played a key role in the Barrell patriarch's decision to come out of a very brief retirement and take the role as scouting director for the Cannons following their sale to Cincinnati businessman John E. Tice. As for Deuce, he was a High School All-American in both 1934 & 1935 (the first two years the team was named) and won the Adler Award as the National High School player of the year in 1935, beating out Red Johnson for honour. He had a rough start in the minors as he was hurt his first season but progressed to A ball in 1937 as a 19 year old and by the following season he was in Baltimore. It was a rough beginning with a bad Cannons team as Deuce went 1-9 with a 6.15 era in 11 starts as a rookie. His first and only big league win that season came against Chicago on August 7th, a 10-3 victory in which the 20 year old allowed just 2 earned runs on 7 hits and went 2-for-3 at the plate with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Last season was much better for Deuce as he posted a 15-11 record with a 4.03 despite the fact the Cannons once again finished last - for the fifth consecutive season - in the Continental Association. This year brought a move to Cincinnati, a number of new players, a new Hall of Fame pitching coach and a legendary manager as well as his grandfather as Scouting Director of the club. The Cannons are challenging for first place in late August and Deuce is a big reason why with a 14-8 record and a 3.48 era plus a CA leading 112 strikeouts. He made his first All-Star game appearance this year as well.

TOM HENDERSON: Deuce's old high school rival was drafted the same year as Barrell (1935) but lasted until the third round when the New York Stars selected him. After a couple seasons in the Stars system he was dealt to the Gothams in the off-season prior to the 1939 season along with Jim Birdwell (who would later be traded to Washington for a first round pick) in exchange for infield prospect Constantine Peters (who has also been on the move since by being dealt to Detroit).

Now 23, Henderson is ranked 173rd on the OSA list and is presently at AAA Toledo after a promotion from AA earlier this season. He has yet to make his FABL debut but it is likely just a matter of time before the Gothams give him a shot, although his 5-11, 5.89 showing at Toledo this season has not helped his case.

DAVEY ROBICHEAUX: The #7 overall prospect took a while to get there but did finally get into college, spending one very productive season at Bay State where he earned All-American honours and then was selected 6th overall by the Philadelphia Keystones in the 1939 draft. The third baseman hit .360 in half a season at AA New Orleans last year and has spent this year in AAA with Louisville, batting .243 with 6 homers in 117 games. The challenge the Keystones have is where to play the 23 year old when he gets the call to Philadelphia. They have Hank Koblenz at third base and Hans Wright at first so Robicheaux is learning the outfield in hopes the big league call will come soon.

EDDIE COBB: The Tennessee born first baseman elected to play college ball at Springfield State and after three fairly productive seasons with the Tigers he was drafted in the 8th round in 1938 by Boston. Not a highly touted prospect according to OSA (he did not crack the top 500 list) Cobb has nonetheless proceeded nicely through the Minutemen system. He spent most of the second half of 1938 in Class A, moved up to AA last year where he hit .284 with 17 homers. That prompted Boston to advance Cobb to AAA this season and while he has struggled with a .223 average he has shown some pop with 10 homers and 36 extra base hits in 119 games. With Bob Donoghue ahead of him it will be tough to see much action in Boston at any point soon.

COLUMBIAN CLUB

Manager ENOCH WEST: The Eugene, Oregon native played just one season of FABL, going 17-18 as a 24 year old righthander for the 1905 Washington Eagles. He did won 20 games the following season but it was at Class A Wichita. West did get a couple of tryouts with Baltimore but never pitched in the big leagues again although he did spend over a decade bouncing around the minors.

RED JOHNSON - Selected one slot after Deuce by Detroit in the 1935 draft. There were plenty of rumours, although much of it brought on by writers such as Jiggs McGee pleading for the Cannons brass to trade down with Detroit and grab Johnson plus another asset since they had so much pitching and so little young offensive talent at the time. Perhaps it was at the silent nudging from Rufus Barrell, who privately did not want his grandson stuck in the mess that was Baltimore at the time, that prompted Jiggs to be so vocal about the need for a move. Although Jiggs proposal that the Cannons select Barrell and then trade him to Detroit for Johnson and the Dynamos first round pick the following season might have been a very sound move for the Cannons. That of course did not happen and Johnson, along with Sal Pestilli who was the player the Dynamos selected with their first round pick the following year, have lifted Detroit to the role of serious pennant contender with two straight second place finishes and they are right there as we approach the final month of this season. Johnson was good right from his FABL debut as a 19 year old with Detroit - he went 2-for-3 with 2 walks in his first game and 2 games later hit his first career homerun (off future teammate Frank Crawford). Since then he has led the Fed in walks twice, hit 73 homers and just collected his 500th career hit in only 433 games. With a month to go in the season he is leading the Fed in batting with a .345 average so I guess the Detroit Dynamos are very happy with the trade they didn't make, regardless if they were ever considering it or not.

DON SCHNEIDERMAN - Hailing from Salem, Oregon Schneider spent just 1 season at Rainier College where the third baseman hit .258 this season as a junior before being selected by Detroit in the 11th round recently. He started his pro career at Class C Biloxi two months ago and is doing quite well to date, batting .313 with 2 homers in 49 games. Smallish for a third baseman at 5'8", 160 lbs OSA does not see him being more than a journeyman and, as Detroit's 70th ranked prospect, Schneiderman sits well outside the OSA top 500 at the moment.

VIC FRAZIER - Another Portland native, the now 22 year old went to Kit Carlson University before being selected by the then Baltimore based Cannons in the 4th round of the 1939 draft. He has not yet joined Deuce on the big club but was recently promoted to AA Erie and is ranked 119th on the current OSA prospect list.

BILL SOHL - A 16 year old pitcher at the time, the Portland native who outdueled Deuce 1-0 in that game will soon become a teammate of Barrell's as he was drafted second overall by the Cannons last January. He is presently with his old Columbian club teammate Vic Frazier at AA Erie and is off to a nice 6-3 start with a 3.84 ERA after 9 professional starts. He had an impressive college career, pitching 3 seasons at Lane State and was a first team All-American selection as well as a finalist for the Christian Trophy this past season. OSA presently has the 21 year old ranked as the #4 overall prospect.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/25/1940

British troops have fully withdrawn from Somaliland, conceding it to the Italians.
In documents released by the Secretary of the US Navy, Adolf Hitler's blitz-conquests of Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg and France are described as "military masterpieces." With great secrecy and incredible speed, the Nazi leader built up a unique military machine, besides which all other armies in the world were obsolete says the report.
The rock of Gibraltar flamed like a volcano after raiding war planes dropped bombs on the fortress guarding the western gate of the Mediterranean.
Fighting intensifies in the air over London as the Nazi air attack picks up again, while long range heavy artillery guns blast across the English Channel from both sides.
The future of US relations with Germany rode threw mine-strewn, bomber patrolled North Atlantic waters today with nearly 900 American war refugees aboard an Army transport ship. The United States issued a statement that it expects the vessel "will not suffer molestation by any action undertaken by the German armed forces." Previously the German government warned it could not be "responsible" for the safety of the ship travelling through dangerous waters.
Another prediction of a German attack upon the United States if Britain is defeated. This one coming from the US Ambassador to France as he urged the nation to adopt conscription and send aid to the British fleet.
The United States is close to agreeing to a deal to assume control of all British naval and air bases in the Western Hemisphere. The proposal would see the US transfer war ships to the Royal Navy in exchange the Americans would take over British bases in Newfoundland and several Caribbean locations with 99 year rent-free leases.
New York City is preparing for the military draft, as Mayor La Guardia announces a plan to replace drafted city policemen with war veterans.
The House has approved mobilization of the National Guardsman and army reserves paying the way for the roughly 400,000 enlisted men to be sent any place in the Western Hemisphere and possessions of the United States including the Philippine Islands.
Wall Street, despite wearing Wilkie buttons, is receiving word that the odds are 7 to 5 in favour of President Roosevelt being re-elected.

01-13-2022, 11:49 AM	#331
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,774	August 26, 1940 AUGUST 26, 1940 WOLVES EXTEND LEAD WITH 6 STRAIGHT WINS The Toronto Wolves players have been subjected to derisive chants of 1911! 1911! in enemy ballparks for as long as most of them can remember. Why? Well, 1911 was the last time the Wolves won the Continental Association pennant and despite the fact that half the team was not even born by 1911 and none of the other half were over 8 years old the current crop of Wolves have been forced to wear that pennant drought like a scarlet letter. While none can be faulted for much of the nearly 3 decades of futility, if truth be told many of the current crop of Wolves do have to live with the fact that they have been in this position before - sitting atop the Continental Association as the season winds down - only to come up short. Two years ago it was shaping up to be a dream season for Toronto when, with 9 games to play and a 3 game lead on second place Brooklyn, it quickly transformed into a nightmare. The Wolves endured one of the worst collapses in FABL history by losing 8 of those final 9 contests and ending the season 2 games back, once more prolonging the longest active pennant-less drought in either association. So here they are again. With a second chance to get things right and much like two years ago the Wolves find themselves in first place and with momentum in their favour thanks to an impressive 6 game winning streak that encompassed most of last week. Among the Wolves recent victims was the previously hot New York Stars, fresh off sweeping a pair from second place but fading Cincinnati. The Stars came into Toronto riding an 11-4 stretch but limped back across the border with their tails between their legs after being swept at Dominion Park. That is nothing new for the two clubs this season as Toronto, almost inexplicably, is an astounding 14-6 vs New York this season. Only Cincinnati, with it's 15-3 head to head mark vs Ohio rival Cleveland, has had a more one-sided relationship in the CA this season. The question is can Toronto keep it up? 32 games to go. A 3 and a half game lead and 3 decades of disappointment to vanquish. It will be a tense month in Toronto. FEDERAL ASSOCIATION Like Toronto in the Continental Association the Pittsburgh Miners turned up the heat on the Federal Association rivals with 8 wins in their last 10 games and have now moved 2 games ahead of the Detroit Dynamos. Pittsburgh won 5 of 7 games last week while Detroit slipped another game back after having to settle on just 4 wins in their last 7 contests. Boston took care of Detroit by winning two of three to start the week but then the Minutemen shot themselves in the foot allowing the New York Gothams to sweep them over the next 3 days. All of the games were close, with Boston dropping two by a single run and the third in extra innings by two runs but they are now 6 games back and one can't help but full this season is going to end like so many others in recent memory, with the Minutemen staying in the race until the final month only to fade as the weather cooled and the pressure heated up. 1941 DRAFT PREVIEW HIGH SCHOOL HITTERS In the final section of our 3-part look at the top prospects eligible for the 1941 draft we focus on high school hitters, and like the high school pitchers, there are several very good ones available. Here are the players we feel OSA presently ranks as the top ten high school position players for 1941: 1: OTTO CHRISTIAN - Third base : Walla Walla (WA) High School The slugging third baseman is drawing comparisons to fellow Pacific Northwest product Red Johnson or Walt Messer, who's non-feeder league record for homeruns in a season Christian equaled with 15 last year. Christian may challenge New York pitching sensation Hiram Steinberg for the number one overall draft slot and, like Steinberg, is already a 3-time High School All-American selection. He has already hit 40 homeruns in 3 years of high school, most of anyone in the post-feeder era and when his career is done next June he likely will be second all-time behind only Roger Landry's 62 between 1913-15 for the most homeruns ever hit by a high school player feeder or draft class created. Before you go and think Christian (.468,40,123 in 74 HS games) is strictly an all or nothing slugger you should be aware OSA feels he has above average contact potential and could hit for a .310 batting average. The only knock on him is his work ethic is questioned at times plus he can be quite moody. Christian's power will be his ticket to FABL success and you won't find a better high school slugger in this draft class then the 17 year old known along the west coast as 'The Walla Walla Walloper'. 2: JESSE ALVARDO - Outfield : Canarsie High School, Brooklyn NY. Born in Hidalgo, Mexico Overshadowed in the New York City area by pitching phenom Hiram Steinberg, Alvardo certainly deserves respect as well. He hit 12 homers last season and has 33 in 3 years at Canarsie High to go along with a career .518 batting average. Like Steinberg and Otto Christian, Alvardo has already made the High School All-American team 3 years running as the 3 look to join Wally Fuller as the only player to make the team all four years of his high school career. He has finished among the top high school hitters in the nation each of his four seasons highlighted by a .540 batting average as a freshman. Born in Mexico but moved to New York City as a young boy, Alvardo is more than just an elite bat. OSA considers him one of the best defensive fielders in the nation. Alvardo is seen as being very quiet and shy but certainly let's his bat do the talking and OSA feels he can be above average as both a contact hitter and a homerun threat. He will be the third player drafted out of Canarsie High following Ron Sexton, a pitcher/1B selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round of the 1938 draft and 1940 11th round pick Sam McCrae, selected by the Toronto Wolves. 3: GORDIE PERKINS - Shortstop : Trumbauersville (PA) High School. An elite hitter, Perkins has played just two seasons of high school ball but boasts a slash line of .517/.563/.820 over that period. As good as his hitting projects to be, Perkins might even be better with the glove as OSA projects him to be a 'defensive marvel' after he matures. Projected to be an elite shortstop but the knock on Perkins is he doesn't not always put a full effort in and requires plenty of guidance. Whether that is simply because he is bored at the high school level or signs of a bigger problem remains to be seen. Perkins was a High School All-American this past season. His Trumbauersville High teammate, Bill Elicker, a center fielder is also expected to be drafted but certainly much later than Perkins. 4: MAURICE CARTER - First base : Meridian (MS) High School If there is a trend beyond the incredible talent of the top high school hitters it is questions about their work ethic as Carter is another one who perhaps does not always give his all. He is not afraid to speak his mind and while that works in the high school environment where he is 'Big Moe' there perhaps may not be the same tolerance in a big league clubhouse. That penchant for speaking his mind certainly did not hurt another player who made his mark in the state of Mississippi in former A&M legend Doug "The Mississippi Mouth" Lightbody so perhaps Carter will have the same result. Carter has a quick bat and some feel it might come close to comparing to Lightbody's but the comparison ends there as Carter is also blessed with above average power potential. Off-speed stuff challenges him at times right now but OSA feels he could hit .330 in FABL once he matures. He was honourable mention each of the last two seasons for the High School All-American team and was born on Halloween. Meridian High School has a great history as it was one of the feeder league schools and even won a National High School title back in 1921 but surprisingly only one player born in Meridian has ever made it to FABL. That would be Joe Chain, an outfielder selected out of college in the first round of the 1911 draft by Pittsburgh. Chain played just 474 FABL games but won a batting title when he led the Fed in hitting with a .332 average in 1916. 5: FRED LONEY - Shortstop : Totowa (NJ) High School Add Loney's name to the list of those with questionable work ethic but despite playing just one season of high school ball he likes like he has outstanding potential at the plate. Loney hit .500 as a junior with a .596 on base percentage that ranked 4th in the nation this past season. One OSA scout remarked he could see Loney hitting .350 one day and adds he has a plus-plus eye ceiling. Totowa High also produced 1937 Cleveland 13th round pick Al Cash, a pitcher who spent two seasons in Class C before retiring. 6: FORD WOOD - Second base : Wenona (IL) High School Finally a guy with a work ethic scouts drool over. Wood always seems to be in the training room after games doing calisthenics and is clearly focused on being the best player he can be. Shows plus contact ability which OSA expects to translate into a high batting average and he is expected to do a good job working the count at the next level. He is 6'0" tall and the scouting service feels power should come and he has 9 homers along with a .431 batting average in 64 career high school games. 7: HAL RENARD - Outfielder : Pittsfield (ME) High School, born in East Machias, Me. A natural leader with tremendous work ethic, Renard is described as a player who, when the game is on the line, wants to make a difference. He has been a very consistent hitter all three seasons of high school ball and after finishing 6th in the nation as a freshman with a .543 batting average, Renard hit .553 each of the past two seasons and led the nation in that category both seasons. Perhaps surprisingly, he was not named to the High School All-American team his first two years but did make the squad as a junior this past season. After finishing second to current New York Stars outfielder Bill Barrett as a freshman, Renard led the nation in on-base percentage each of the past two seasons and his nickname "The Walking Man" is well earned. He led the nation in walks in 1939 and was second this past season. In fact Renard's three season of high school ball each fall in the top 13 for free passes earned in a season and his 83 for his career already rank 6th all-time in the post-feeder era with him just needing 14 more as a senior to surpass Wally Fuller's record. They played a lot more games back in the feeder era but if Renard simply equals the total of the lowest of his previous 3 seasons he will be number 3 all-time in high school walks, including feeders. He projects to be just the third player ever to walk over 100 times in their high school career, joining Howie Shifflett (1918-21) and Don Summers (1922-24) who each had 121. OSA sees Renard as an everyday left field who can make an impact on a top-tier team and his shrewd perception and meticulous mechanics should translate into a high batting average. It is expected 3 players from the Pittsfield High team will get drafted this season as catcher Frank Reichardt and centerfielder George Murray are both on OSA's radar. The school is establishing quite a reputation in the state of Maine as pitcher Kip Singleton was an 8th round pick of the Keystones in 1938 and is presently pitching for independent AAA San Diego while outfielder Morrie Matthews was taken in the 19th round by Washington in 1939 but was recently released after suffering a shoulder injury. 8: EDDIE HOWARD - Catcher : St. Joseph (LA) High School, born in Bastrop, La. The top rated catcher available this season according to OSA, which projects him to be a very sure-handed and reliable player who could hit .330 while drawing 40 walks a year. While scouts do wish he would be just a little more competitive on the field they do love his .535 career high school batting average, which has been good enough to earn him two straight High School All-American nominations after he was honourable mention as a freshman. How good is he at the plate? Here are the top ten single season batting averages for a high school catcher: Code: HIGH SCHOOL CATCHERS NAME YEAR AVG Cal Morgan 1936 .553 EDDIE HOWARD 1939 .551 Ken Vance 1934 .551 Woddy Stone 1934 .541 EDDIE HOWARD 1938 .535 Pete Casstevens 1935 .527 Bill Van Ness 1934 .525 Bill Bowen 1934 .521 EDDIE HOWARD 1940 .520 Bill Van Ness 1935 .516 Howard is expected to be the second player born in Bastrop, a small town in Louisiana about 120 miles east of Shreveport, joining Paddy O'Banion, an outfielder that Pittsburgh selected in the 25th round of the 1938 draft. The 20 year old O'Banion is currently in class B Spokane after a nice showing to start the season at the Class C level. 9: BOB MONTGOMERY - Shortstop : Snyder (TX) High School Last year's draft had very few elite middle infielders but by now you realize that is certainly not the case this time around. Montgomery is possibly one of the most intelligent players in the draft and his high school coach noted "Bob doesn't just listen. He takes notes." He did not play baseball his first two seasons, focusing instead on basketball but gave that up as it became he clear he was not going to grow much past his current 5'7" height. With his small frame (weighs just 145 lbs) Montgomery will have to make a living as a slap hitter but OSA sees that happening as scouts compliment his "loose, quick stroke that works inside the ball." He had no problem making contact against high school pitching as Montgomery's .552 average was second highest in the nation, trailing only fellow junior Hal Renard. That showing at the plate plus a sure-handed glove was good enough to earn the shortstop a spot on the High School All-American squad. Montgomery is following in the footsteps set by Don Reynolds, who is the only Snyder born player to be drafted. Reynolds, a third baseman, was selected in the third round by the New York Gothams in 1926 but advanced only as far as the AA level. 10: LORENZO SAMUELS - First base : West High School, Cleveland, Oh 'The Cuyahoga Crusher' as Samuels is known has the potential to be a middle of the batting order force according to OSA. Outstanding work ethic, the Cleveland native is described as relaxed and confident but aggressive when needed. OSA says he can already handle most fastballs but off-speed stuff can challenge him. He looks like he his trending in a very positive direction as after a middling .434/.524/.657 sophomore campaign in his high school debut, Samuels was an All-American last season following a .488/.571/.905 season that saw him increase his homerun total from 2 to 8. By no means are we comparing Samuels to the legendary Max Morris but the two Cleveland high school products both exhibited similar power growth over their high school careers although so did Doc Dill, another Cleveland high school slugger with similar trajectory but the former 5th round pick never advanced past Class B before retiring in 1935. A pair of West High players proceeded Samuels in being drafted. Bob U Smith was a first baseman selected in the 19th round by Pittsburgh in 1935 but played just 56 Class C games before retiring while Hank Spiller was selected in the 14th round in June by the Chicago Chiefs. The 18 year old outfielder is presently in Class C but has had only 3 at bats as a pro so far. HONOURABLE MENTION There are a number of others that OSA really seems to be high on at this stage so it probably is fitting we mention a few such as as Morrisonville (IL) High School shortstop Win Hamby, centerfielder Rudy Ellison from Evanston(IL) High and Devine (TX) High School centerfielder Paul Porter as all three were honourable mention All-Americans as juniors. Boone (NC) HS shortstop Billy Bryant, Williams (AZ) High outfielder Billy Brown and Gig Taylor, an outfielder from Roosevelt High in Washington DC and the most exciting prospect to come out of the nation's capital since Walt Messer, all stand a solid chance of being January draft picks. The training staff has recommended that both Larry Vestal (.280,2,45) and Juan Pomales remain on the DL for at least another week. Their plan will be followed by Wolves management and word is that Vestal has also has not responded well to treatment. The Wolves are in no rush to breakup a winning formula, also the extra week will dovetail nicely into roster expansion, A case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it...". Fred McCormick seems to be heating up for the stretch run .366/.469/.476 in August. Walter Pack has bounced back from his early season woes with the bat but is still struggling at the hot corner. Charlie Artuso has responded nicely to his contract extension with a OPS+ of 169 in August. Toronto also extended George Garrison in an attempt to give the team some cost certainty going forward in the '40s. Now if the team could quit rolling over to the f!@ing Kings! Toronto is 5-12 vs Brooklyn this season. It is bringing back memories of the 1938 September collapse, which is not discussed but is in the back of everyone's mind in the clubhouse. Hopefully it was a learning experience and the team has grown, matured over the last two seasons. QUICK HITS* Red Johnson's 25th homer of the season for Detroit on Saturday against Lloyd Stevens and the Keystones was already the 500th hit of his career. The Chiefs Ducky Jordan still can't get his average above .190, but Chicago has discovered that he plays a pretty solid second base defensively. It's looking like having positional flexibility will give him his only hope of remaining on a roster. Speaking of Chicago, veteran catcher Tom Aiello made his annual request for more playing time. Aiello is a good catcher but he won't play much as long as Tom Bird is ahead of him on the depth chart. Aiello came over from Brooklyn--along with Ron Rattigan--in that big October 1930 trade that sent Milt Fritz to the Kings. The Chiefs also picked up Brooklyn's 1st round pick in that deal, which they turned into...Boliver Jim Smith. That part didn't work out. The Chiefs just cannot win on the road. 4-10 on this current trip with another 4 games remaining. Chiefs are 28-37 away from home this season. Boston finally has a big series against Detroit, taking two of three only to suffer the embarrassment of being swept by the New York Gothams at home. Not to just bring up Johnny Guzzo every week, but the Pittsburgh Miners infielder is now ranked as the 20th best position players in the FABL by the OSA. It's hard to fathom that's true, even if it's driven by a crazy power run for the short stop. This is the same guy that hit .139/.184/.262 in 261 AAA at bats in '37. The Keystones tried to claw back some of their losses from the previous week, as they went 5-2. Pittsburgh and Detroit continue to put some space between the rest of the competition. Congratulations to Bud Canfield for his first league win, a 8-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Gothams. The injury bug continues to bite, as rookie Henry Shaffer will miss the rest of the year with a strained forearm. Gene White will return to the rotation to take Shaffer's spot, while Canfield will get the chance to pitch out the season in the rotation. Keystones prospect Chet McCormick leapfrogged Glen Sexton, as McCormick has been tearing it up in Allentown (A) and Sexton is progressing, but Philadelphia management did not want to rush him to AAA. McCormick is already a 6-win player this year and is too good for that level at this point. Plus, McCormick is older. Since the move to AAA, McCormick is struggling, going 3-for 27, but he will get the starts to play his way out of it. The Dunk Scott trial experience is not turning good after one week in Montreal. On the other side in AAA, Del Bruce was promoted from AA to replace him at 1B and that was a success as Minneapolis still winning no matter which player I add to this lineup. Something in the Midwest air. The 1930s weren't a good decade for the Lumberjacks, but Minneapolis has a rich history in the Century League with 7 pennants. Waiver pick RP Eddie Hite still on fire with no earned run in 10 IP since he joined Montreal. The Kings have had little trouble claiming failed veterans and turning them into great relievers so probably fitting the lose one on waivers. Al Colby and Hal Galvin were both old waiver guys that came to Brooklyn and had some very good seasons in the Kings pen. Saves aren't a thing yet but those 2 are both in top 6 all time and Del Lyons - while not a waiver pickup but a homegrown King - is rising on that list too with his 11th save of the season and 123rd of his career recently. He and the Stars Boyd Harper, who is 15 saves ahead of him are both chasing Stan Waters career mark of 164 saves. Still, Eddie Hite would have helped the Kings had they hung on to him. Toronto Wolves are 14-6 vs the defending champion Stars this season but amazingly just 5-12 vs Brooklyn. In apparently now predictable fashion they swept 3 from New York this week with their only loss coming in their only game vs the slumping Kings. It was a bad week for the Cannons as they go 2-4 and fall 3.5 back of Toronto. Good news is they are still in second place thanks to winning 2 of 3 from Cougars and Moxie Pidgeon finally got his first homerun since July 25th to reach 18 on the year but much of Cincinnati's offense is ice cold and Deuce Barrell got rocked twice. Cannons are 7-6 on a homestand that was supposed to give them a little buffer before a tough September road trip but that is not going according to script. A BALLAD OF THE BARRELL BROTHERS COMPANION PIECE For anyone not familiar with the Ballad of the Barrell Brothers dynasty story by legendsport I suggest if you are following this report you absolutely have to check it out. It chronicles the life and times of the first family of Figment sports, the Barrell clan. The latest installment provided a detailed account of a national amateur baseball championship game involving one of Rufus Barrell's grandchild and several other plyers who eventually went on to play pro ball. It is 1935 in at the time of that report so here is some information on career progression of each of the players mentioned in the write-up. You should all be very familiar with Deuce Barrell and Red Johnson if you are reading this but because Jiggs McGee loves his prospect reports here is some info on the players mentioned (including Deuce and Red) that participated in that 1935 NAU championship series between the Farmers Union club of Atlanta and the Columbian Club of Oregon. FARMERS UNION OF ATLANTA DEUCE BARRELL: Deuce did indeed get drafted ahead of Red Johnson, going first to Johnson's second selection, and to his grandfather's dismay it was the Baltimore Cannons that selected him. Certainly that choice likely played a key role in the Barrell patriarch's decision to come out of a very brief retirement and take the role as scouting director for the Cannons following their sale to Cincinnati businessman John E. Tice. As for Deuce, he was a High School All-American in both 1934 & 1935 (the first two years the team was named) and won the Adler Award as the National High School player of the year in 1935, beating out Red Johnson for honour. He had a rough start in the minors as he was hurt his first season but progressed to A ball in 1937 as a 19 year old and by the following season he was in Baltimore. It was a rough beginning with a bad Cannons team as Deuce went 1-9 with a 6.15 era in 11 starts as a rookie. His first and only big league win that season came against Chicago on August 7th, a 10-3 victory in which the 20 year old allowed just 2 earned runs on 7 hits and went 2-for-3 at the plate with an rbi and 2 runs scored. Last season was much better for Deuce as he posted a 15-11 record with a 4.03 despite the fact the Cannons once again finished last - for the fifth consecutive season - in the Continental Association. This year brought a move to Cincinnati, a number of new players, a new Hall of Fame pitching coach and a legendary manager as well as his grandfather as Scouting Director of the club. The Cannons are challenging for first place in late August and Deuce is a big reason why with a 14-8 record and a 3.48 era plus a CA leading 112 strikeouts. He made his first All-Star game appearance this year as well. TOM HENDERSON: Deuce's old high school rival was drafted the same year as Barrell (1935) but lasted until the third round when the New York Stars selected him. After a couple seasons in the Stars system he was dealt to the Gothams in the off-season prior to the 1939 season along with Jim Birdwell (who would later be traded to Washington for a first round pick) in exchange for infield prospect Constantine Peters (who has also been on the move since by being dealt to Detroit). Now 23, Henderson is ranked 173rd on the OSA list and is presently at AAA Toledo after a promotion from AA earlier this season. He has yet to make his FABL debut but it is likely just a matter of time before the Gothams give him a shot, although his 5-11, 5.89 showing at Toledo this season has not helped his case. DAVEY ROBICHEAUX: The #7 overall prospect took a while to get there but did finally get into college, spending one very productive season at Bay State where he earned All-American honours and then was selected 6th overall by the Philadelphia Keystones in the 1939 draft. The third baseman hit .360 in half a season at AA New Orleans last year and has spent this year in AAA with Louisville, batting .243 with 6 homers in 117 games. The challenge the Keystones have is where to play the 23 year old when he gets the call to Philadelphia. They have Hank Koblenz at third base and Hans Wright at first so Robicheaux is learning the outfield in hopes the big league call will come soon. EDDIE COBB: The Tennessee born first baseman elected to play college ball at Springfield State and after three fairly productive seasons with the Tigers he was drafted in the 8th round in 1938 by Boston. Not a highly touted prospect according to OSA (he did not crack the top 500 list) Cobb has nonetheless proceeded nicely through the Minutemen system. He spent most of the second half of 1938 in Class A, moved up to AA last year where he hit .284 with 17 homers. That prompted Boston to advance Cobb to AAA this season and while he has struggled with a .223 average he has shown some pop with 10 homers and 36 extra base hits in 119 games. With Bob Donoghue ahead of him it will be tough to see much action in Boston at any point soon. COLUMBIAN CLUB Manager ENOCH WEST: The Eugene, Oregon native played just one season of FABL, going 17-18 as a 24 year old righthander for the 1905 Washington Eagles. He did won 20 games the following season but it was at Class A Wichita. West did get a couple of tryouts with Baltimore but never pitched in the big leagues again although he did spend over a decade bouncing around the minors. RED JOHNSON - Selected one slot after Deuce by Detroit in the 1935 draft. There were plenty of rumours, although much of it brought on by writers such as Jiggs McGee pleading for the Cannons brass to trade down with Detroit and grab Johnson plus another asset since they had so much pitching and so little young offensive talent at the time. Perhaps it was at the silent nudging from Rufus Barrell, who privately did not want his grandson stuck in the mess that was Baltimore at the time, that prompted Jiggs to be so vocal about the need for a move. Although Jiggs proposal that the Cannons select Barrell and then trade him to Detroit for Johnson and the Dynamos first round pick the following season might have been a very sound move for the Cannons. That of course did not happen and Johnson, along with Sal Pestilli who was the player the Dynamos selected with their first round pick the following year, have lifted Detroit to the role of serious pennant contender with two straight second place finishes and they are right there as we approach the final month of this season. Johnson was good right from his FABL debut as a 19 year old with Detroit - he went 2-for-3 with 2 walks in his first game and 2 games later hit his first career homerun (off future teammate Frank Crawford). Since then he has led the Fed in walks twice, hit 73 homers and just collected his 500th career hit in only 433 games. With a month to go in the season he is leading the Fed in batting with a .345 average so I guess the Detroit Dynamos are very happy with the trade they didn't make, regardless if they were ever considering it or not. DON SCHNEIDERMAN - Hailing from Salem, Oregon Schneider spent just 1 season at Rainier College where the third baseman hit .258 this season as a junior before being selected by Detroit in the 11th round recently. He started his pro career at Class C Biloxi two months ago and is doing quite well to date, batting .313 with 2 homers in 49 games. Smallish for a third baseman at 5'8", 160 lbs OSA does not see him being more than a journeyman and, as Detroit's 70th ranked prospect, Schneiderman sits well outside the OSA top 500 at the moment. VIC FRAZIER - Another Portland native, the now 22 year old went to Kit Carlson University before being selected by the then Baltimore based Cannons in the 4th round of the 1939 draft. He has not yet joined Deuce on the big club but was recently promoted to AA Erie and is ranked 119th on the current OSA prospect list. BILL SOHL - A 16 year old pitcher at the time, the Portland native who outdueled Deuce 1-0 in that game will soon become a teammate of Barrell's as he was drafted second overall by the Cannons last January. He is presently with his old Columbian club teammate Vic Frazier at AA Erie and is off to a nice 6-3 start with a 3.84 ERA after 9 professional starts. He had an impressive college career, pitching 3 seasons at Lane State and was a first team All-American selection as well as a finalist for the Christian Trophy this past season. OSA presently has the 21 year old ranked as the #4 overall prospect. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/25/1940 British troops have fully withdrawn from Somaliland, conceding it to the Italians. In documents released by the Secretary of the US Navy, Adolf Hitler's blitz-conquests of Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg and France are described as "military masterpieces." With great secrecy and incredible speed, the Nazi leader built up a unique military machine, besides which all other armies in the world were obsolete says the report. The rock of Gibraltar flamed like a volcano after raiding war planes dropped bombs on the fortress guarding the western gate of the Mediterranean. Fighting intensifies in the air over London as the Nazi air attack picks up again, while long range heavy artillery guns blast across the English Channel from both sides. The future of US relations with Germany rode threw mine-strewn, bomber patrolled North Atlantic waters today with nearly 900 American war refugees aboard an Army transport ship. The United States issued a statement that it expects the vessel "will not suffer molestation by any action undertaken by the German armed forces." Previously the German government warned it could not be "responsible" for the safety of the ship travelling through dangerous waters. Another prediction of a German attack upon the United States if Britain is defeated. This one coming from the US Ambassador to France as he urged the nation to adopt conscription and send aid to the British fleet. The United States is close to agreeing to a deal to assume control of all British naval and air bases in the Western Hemisphere. The proposal would see the US transfer war ships to the Royal Navy in exchange the Americans would take over British bases in Newfoundland and several Caribbean locations with 99 year rent-free leases. New York City is preparing for the military draft, as Mayor La Guardia announces a plan to replace drafted city policemen with war veterans. The House has approved mobilization of the National Guardsman and army reserves paying the way for the roughly 400,000 enlisted men to be sent any place in the Western Hemisphere and possessions of the United States including the Philippine Islands. Wall Street, despite wearing Wilkie buttons, is receiving word that the odds are 7 to 5 in favour of President Roosevelt being re-elected. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 01-13-2022 at 02:45 PM.