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Jiggs McGee · 02-17-2022, 11:01 AM

APRIL 14, 1941

SEASON PREVIEW SPECIAL EDITION

WAR, WORRY, WOE BOW AS BASEBALL RULES AGAIN

from the International news Service Wire

Washington, April 14- With President Roosevelt occupying his customary star-spangled box in Columbia Stadium, the Washington Eagles and the Philadelphia Keystones inaugurate an uncertain baseball season today - a season that has no assurance of lasting until World Championship Series time and one in which many players may wind up shouldering guns instead of bats.

Perhaps as many as 20,000 fans, including members of Congress, high government officials and a sprinkling of diplomats will assemble to watch the President toss out the first ball. The Senate and House nominally are in session but under a gentleman's agreement there will be an absence of quorum bells in both chambers.

Mr. Roosevelt is a veteran at the opening proceedings, having officiated at eight previous inaugural contests. As assistant secretary of the navy, Mr. Roosevelt raised the flag at the old Capital Grounds ballpark on opening day in 1917. He was on hand again in an official capacity in 1933, his first spring in the White House, and has missed only one opening day while President.

In 1918 the late Thomas Brennan, owner of the Washington club at the time, helped save baseball from an enforced shutdown in 1918, and his successor, current Eagles boss William Stockdale is hopeful that FABL will be permitted to continue functioning if the nation is involved in war.

Brennan, almost single-handedly, managed to keep FABL operating throughout the first World War despite an order by the army that they shut up shop for the duration. The white-haired Washington mogul made a personal appeal to President Wilson that professional baseball provides a much-need tonic to the morale of the people during times of national stress. Wilson, who used to watch ballgames at the Capital Grounds from an automobile parked in the outfield, countermanded the war department order and the season continued, although with a reduced number of contests.

At present time the war department is not giving any particular thought to the matter of curtailing professional sports if America goes to war, but the threat is always there. Stockdale, however, won't lose a moment in following in Brennan's footsteps and appeal to his friend the President against any military orders calling for a cessation of diamond hostilities. The President, on the basis of his record, is likely to be sympathetic. He doesn't go to the ball game just to win the baseball vote. Unlike Herbert Hoover and Calvin Coolidge - who slipped away after the first few innings, Mr. Roosevelt always likes to stay on hand until the last man is out.

MAJORITY SEE PITTSBURGH-COUGARS WCS

Major newspapers across the country are almost in complete agreement that the Pittsburgh Miners will win their third straight Federal Association pennant while in the Continental the Chicago Cougars are deemed the team to beat but that choice is far from unanimous.

Each spring TWIFB asks a cross-section of major newspapers as well as national prognosticators Jiggs McGee, Dan Barrell of the OSA and The Baseball News Network to forecast how the upcoming season will play out. A total of 14 weighed in with their selections and 12 of the 14, including our own Jiggs McGee, renowned Chicago Herald-Examiner Sports Editor Percy Sutherland and BNN, feel there will be no stopping the Pittsburgh Miners from a third straight Federal Association crown. Only Bob Stewart of the Washington Times-Herald feels the Detroit Dynamos will finally get over the top and win the pennant after three consecutive second place finishes. The other one who did not take Pittsburgh? That would be a voice well worth listening to as Dan Barrell of the OSA was right in both of his pennant calls last season. This time around Barrell is staking his reputation on the Philadelphia Keystones, an immensely talented group of youngsters, being ready to take the next step. No word on if that fact that one of his brothers, Bobby, as the key veteran leader of the Keystones was a deciding reason.

The Continental crown is much more in question of the prognosticators with the pens are to be believed. Half of the group, including both Sutherland and McGee, have the Chicago Cougars winning their first pennant since 1933. The remaining votes are split between defending champion Toronto (3), the New York Stars (2), Brooklyn (1) and Cincinnati (1). The lone vote for the Cannons comes from Barrell while BNN, along with the New York Mirror, both like the Stars to win their second pennant in three seasons.

BNN PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

The Baseball News Network is calling for a rematch of the 1939 World Championship Series with their preseason predictions as the league news guru feels the Pittsburgh Miners and New York Stars will emerge on top in October following the 154 game struggle in each Association.

Over the past decade the Baseball News Network has had a pretty good track record in identifying the pennant winner correctly with their April forecast nearly half of the time. Here is how BNN's predicted champion fared in both the CA and Fed since 1932.

Code:

YEAR    FEDERAL           CONTINENTAL
1941   Pittsburgh  ?    NY Stars	 ?
1940   Detroit    2nd	NY Stars	4th
1939   Pittsburgh 1st   Cleveland	2nd
1938   Chiefs     1st   Brooklyn	1st
1937   Chiefs     3rd   Brooklyn	1st
1936   St Louis   4th   Brooklyn	1st
1935   St Louis   2nd   Brooklyn	2nd
1934   Gothams    1st   Cleveland	1st
1933   Detroit    2nd   Cougars		1st
1932   Detroit    2nd   Sailors		5th

The Miners are pegged to win by a pretty decent margin with the Boston Minutemen slotted in second place. If that plays out it will be Boston's highest finish since their pennant winning 1915 season. Pushing the Philadelphia Keystones down to 6th place seems like possibly the biggest miscall in the Fed, but perhaps BNN is feeling a sophomore jinx might be ahead for the young Philadelphia squad, very much along the lines of the 1939 dip the Toronto Wolves took after a terrific run in the '38 race in the Continental Association. Of course that turned out just fine for Toronto as the Wolves rebounded to win the WCS last October.

Among the individual stats that jump out is the fact that despite forecast big seasons for both Red Johnson and Sal Pestilli, BNN feels that the Dynamos offense will not be able to keep up with Pittsburgh. Interesting too is the absence of any Detroit pitching on the top performer list.

In the Continental BNN sees the New York Stars offense just dominating the loop, scoring over 100 runs more than any other team in the CA and easily overcoming a perceived lack of pitching depth. Jiggs McGee earlier suggested this might be the season Bill Barrett really breaks out and BNN seems to agree although perhaps the biggest turnaround will belong to Toronto third baseman Walt Pack, who is due for big things according to the news network. Final note is how about Dave Trowbridge? No batting crown repeat for the 42 year old by BNN still sees 'Father Time' as one of the best hitters in the game.

Doc Shaw here to take a look at the yearly predictions offered by BNN, the premier national baseball publication. These predictions arrive annually the day before the new season is set to start and typically set off a firestorm of controversy. First off, predictions in general are set up for failure. They are merely a snapshot in time from a perspective. While everyone may know this it does not stop some GM’s from ruthlessly calling for a full scale invasion of the BNN offices for their lack of knowledge, or for others to justify early season selloffs. Upon close inspection you will also find the GM’s that will publicly criticize BNN but secretly hope the predictions ring true because their club was viewed favorably. So if public perception is against the accuracy of the BNN predictions the question is just how inaccurate are these predictions? Let us take a look back at the 1940 version of the BNN predictions.

Let us start with the FA. We will list what BNN had in the first column and their actual finish in the second with win totals attached:

Code:

Pittsburgh   99 	Pittsburgh    92
Detroit      97		Detroit       90
Boston       76		Philadelphia  87
Chicago      76		Chicago       82
St. Louis    73	        Boston        80
Washington   71		Washington    69
Philadelphia 68		New York      59
New York     59	        St. Louis     57

Well what do we see? Well for starters BNN was pretty accurate in a lot of places when it came to win totals and placement. The obvious outliers here were St. Louis and Philadelphia. Remember predictions are a snapshot in time and could not account for the absolute decimation of the St. Louis rotation. It also couldn’t predict the youth movement in Philadelphia panning out with EVERY SINGLE PROSPECT. (No, Doc isn’t jealous at all!)

Let's now look at the CA. Same idea here. BNN predictions and totals and then actual finishes.

Code:

New York     88	        Toronto      88
Toronto      83		Chicago      87
Chicago      79		Cincinnati   84
Philadelphia 79		New York     80
Montreal     75		Philadelphia 80 
Cleveland    74	        Brooklyn     73
Brooklyn     72	        Montreal     71
Cincinnati   68	        Cleveland    53

Once again. While BNN didn’t correctly pick Toronto, they did figure 88 wins would be enough in the CA. BNN absolutely swung and missed on Cleveland. Injuries may have played a role again but OL’ Doc is having a hard time recollecting everything that happened in that distant city right now. Another miss was on Chicago who won 12 more games than predicted. They were another story a bit similar to Philadelphia in the FA where prospects hit (Peter the Heater comes to mind) and it didn’t hurt that John Lawson sold his soul for directions to the fountain of youth. Then the final, obvious, glaring miss was with Cincinnati. The Cannons were predicted to finish dead last but wound up in 3rd place. While BNN missed on this prediction it should be pointed out the Cannons front office is the same from when Brooklyn was the toast of the CA. These guys do not sit still. Moxie Pidgeon played an enormous impact to go along with the rise of Denny Andrews and Mike T. Taylor.

Doc realizes this was only a single look at one years worth of predictions. Still, in conclusion he has a few theories. First, any team that gets struck down by injuries is going to throw the whole prediction thing out of whack. Secondly, BNN is not very good at predicting talent jumps with prospects. That could also have something to do with clubs or BNN not predicting those prospects as bona fide starters when the predictions are made. What it does seem to do pretty well is put the clubs in the correct half of the standings for the most part and get pretty close to a teams win total in most instances. Does this vindicate BNN? Most likely not. Many of our readers will find holes in Ol’ Doc’s ruminations because bashing predictions, well, that is just part of the fun. Now, on with the show. Time to make BNN a scapegoat. Play Ball!!!!

Here is Johnny Bologna's prediction for order of finish in both leagues:
FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

[1]Pittsburgh - Another year, another pennant for Lefty Allen and the boys, but this time, I'll go a step further and predict they'll finally win the title
[2]Philadelphia - While the Miners will have another year in the sun, that sun is rapidly approaching the horizon while the sun is only just rising in Philadelphia. Davey Robicheaux has a chance to make a different in the pennant race - this year.
[3]Detroit - The top three in the Fed can likely end up in any order and I think there will be a drop-off after the top three. Detroit is led by Red Johnson, as he has taken over for Sal Pestilli as the main man in the Motor City.
[4]Chicago - A formidable team with an aging core, the Chiefs will finish in the first division, but they will eventually need to retool to stay there.
[5]New York - The Gothams will take a step forward, similar to the step forward the Keystones took in 1940. The offseason moves allowed them to move ahead and the time has come in their rebuild to show results. The $50,000 infield of Messer-Brewer-Monier-Dalton will be something to watch, especially Dalton, who may join the ranks of elite third-sackers this year.
[6]Boston - While they drop from two straight .500 seasons, they will not drop that far in an ultra-competitive Fed. They have good pitching and a solid infield of its own with 20-year-old Buddy Schneider adding to the established trio Bob Donoghue, Lew McClendon, and Mack Sutton.
[7]Washington - Is Sig Stofer the real deal? It has been the talk of the spring. There is also hope around the corner with Bill Willman potentially breaking camp with the Eagles and Bill Martino one call away in Kansas City.
[8]St. Louis - Heinie Zimmer is the beacon of light at the major league level, but their young pitchers are on the cusp of making their debuts. Mal Bianco, Cal Roe, and Jasper Moore are still in Pioneers camp and each have ERAs below 1.00 in their first three starts.

CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION

[1]Toronto - The defending FABL champs return the exact same team from last year and there is likely improvement from Walt Pack to hit better than .239 and better luck for George Garrison to finish better than 15-15. I think they repeat, but I am picking the Miners to win it all.
[2]New York - One year removed from a championship, their outfield takes a back seat to no one, with Bill Barrett, Chink Stickels, and Lew Seals entrenched in their positions. Plus, Dave Trowbridge, the 42-year-old defending batting champion, is captivating middle-aged men everywhere.
[3]Chicago - Oh, that pitching, the pitching that saw four 14-game winners, which does not even include the talk of Spring Training, Pete Papenfus. My money is on the Cougars running their string of .500 seasons to five straight.
[4]Cincinnati - After a 19-game turnaround last season, they were active in the trade market to try to get even better. Adam Mullins, in the argument for the best catcher in baseball, is a Cannon, along with the potential of young Bill Sohl, are the newest additions to a team that has completely made over their team, unrecognizable from their Baltimore days, just two short years ago.
[5]Brooklyn - Two years removed from a championship, they have fallen further than other recent Continental pennant winners.
[6]Philadelphia - The Keystones cross-town rivals will be without Dutch Sheldon this year with a major elbow injury.
[7]Montreal - Red Bond led the league in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. He is the man the Saints are building around and reinforcements are coming, with 9 top-100 prospects.
[8]Cleveland - Longtime Forester Jack Arabian is a Hall of Famer and his induction might be the highlight of the season, but it can't be worse than last year's 53-101 season, could it?

With all the uncertainty in the world, why should there be any sure things in baseball? With another new season on the horizon my fellow reporters around the country are posting their promises as to who will win the pennants and who will be sweeping up the cellar. And believe me more are picking your Gothams for the latter rather than the former. But the old Redhead is here to tell you the times are changing. Patience will be rewarded and better days are close at hand. Now I'm not promising champagne and parades come October, but the days of picking up the FA's scraps are done. First, what I see for your Gothams this season, then my fearless prediction.

Pitching - This will be the teams best staff since the days of Day and Lonardo. While no future hall of famers here, it appears to be a solid, healthy group. Gus Goulding will make all his starts and provide steady dependable innings. Rusty Petrick will show himself to be the first rounder originally selected by the Gothams. If Carter and Ratcliffe can be average, it will give Bunny Edwards time in the 5th slot to work on his control. When Bunny gets that, well, under control, watch out.

Catching - Look for Pete Casstevens to hit about .250 with double digit homers. His offense isn't quite there yet but the 22 year old is already one of the better receivers in the game. Joe Green provides adequate support.

1st Base - There are some predicting a breakout year for Walt Messer. This besides a spring of struggles at the plate. There is some concern that spending time working in left field has affected him at the plate. With the new OF acquisitions Ed Ziehl is considering giving Messer a good long run at his regular 1B position. This means that vet Bud Jameson at 37 will be relegated to pinch-hitting and occasional starts. Reportedly Jameson is not pleased and has spurned offers of a contract to keep him in New York for the remainder of his career.

2nd base - The Gothams are looking for continued improvement from Roosevelt Brewer. Something in the .280 range with 20-25 SB would be a smart guess.

3rd base - Billy Dalton's 1940 season was thrown off track by an early injury. After a breakout '39 season he seemed poised to join the top players in the league. Now coming off
a spring hotter than the Florida sun, Dalton is ready to go. I can see him hitting well over .300 with as many as 30 homers. He will be a joy to watch.

Shortstop - For Mule Monier it all begins and ends with the glove. Touted as a superior defender the 25 year old booted more than his fair share of balls last season. Now with an offseason to clear his head a sounder glove to go with a .270 bat and his share of extra base hits should round out the promised "Infield of the Future".

Outfield - While the infield has been together in the Gothams system for years now, the starting outfield were all somewhere else last spring. In leftfield Hub Parks brings his sterling glove, blazing speed and solid bat to Queens. I look for him to hit near .300 with a good number of doubles. In CF Mel Alvarez, another plus defender had a slow start to his spring but came around at the end. Alvarez could also put up a .300 average with gap power. RF brings another good glove with a bat that is the toughest to predict. Leon Drake had struggled the past two seasons after breaking out as a 25 year old. Now at 32 and coming off a solid spring the Gothams are hoping to see the power his batting practice clouts promise. I still wouldn't expect Leon to hit much over .250, but I think he can go part 20 homers with a good number of doubles.

And now for the prediction. I look at the possibilities, the talented youth ready to break out, the solid vets brought in and I think this team could flirt with .500 ball. Still it's a deep and competitive Fed, so the ol' Redhead is going with - 5th place. Let the games begin.

QUICK HITS

Think baseball is getting hit hard with players being called to military service. It is nothing, at least so far, compared to football, where the coach of one professional club recently lamented "Uncle Sam has outbid me on five regulars for next season. Where will it end?" So far only a pair of pitchers in the Stars Dixie Lee and Rusty Watts of the Cougars have been called to military service but many more are expected to follow.
The minor leagues, including the Great Western League, start their seasons later this week and it is interesting to note that both the top ranked player and pitcher, at least according to OSA, in the GWL are recent demotions from the St Louis Pioneers. 26 year old Buddy Long, who suffered through an 8-21 campaign in St Louis last season, is considered the top hurler with 36 year old Earle Charlton, the former Baltimore Cannon, ranked second. On the batting side of the ledger it is shortstop Ivan Cameron sitting on top. This will actually mark the AAA debut for the 24 year old who jumped right from AA to St Louis two years ago. Cameron hit .251 with the Pioneers last season but was one of the worst defensive shortstops in the league.
With Opening Day comes an updated list of OSA's top prospects. Here are the top 10 according to the league scouting service.
Of that group above, three players will be on Opening Day big league rosters: Mal Bianco, Davey Robicheaux and Chuck Adams. Robicheaux and Adams have been up before with the Keystones star making quite an impression in his brief FABL debut last September. The 24 year old hit .344 with 4 homers in 10 games with Philadelphia. Adams hit .250 in a 20 game trial with the Brooklyn Kings.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL with a quick comment or two on each of the 16 clubs. Just whatever catches Jiggs eye:

BOSTON- There are some worries in Boston that the big teams in the Fed are passing them by and perhaps it is time to tear it down and start over. Word is a slow start to the season might prompt the Minutemen to deal away from their core roster for future assets. Players like Chick Donnelly, Pete Day and Art Spencer as well as anyone over 30 may become available for the right price. Boston hasn't won the Fed since 1915 and while there were some close calls the past few years the club has always seemed to be just a piece or two short.

BROOKLYN- While several Brooklyn pitchers put up some decent spring numbers such as George Scruggs, who went 3-0 with a 1.76 era, I am worried about their pitching once the games start to mean something. Add in the fact that Al Wheeler had another rough spring and last year's outfield sensation Joe Herman struggled as well and this might be a long season for Flatbush fans. There are also big concerns about the Brooklyn offense as they need to find a way to get Jim Lightbody's bat in the lineup. Perhaps not at second base, where is glove is an issue, but maybe the outfield might be an option.

CHIEFS- BNN does not list Rabbit Day in it's collection of top pitchers as part of the preseason predictions and Day is no longer included in OSA's top twenty lists either. Al Miller does slot in nicely in the top five but it is the veteran Day who gets the call on the mound when the Chiefs open their season in Detroit tomorrow. There will be two newcomers to the club in the Opening Day lineup as second baseman Al Haynes, who was acquired from Cleveland over the winter, will lead-off while 33 year old Jim Watson takes over for the departed Cliff Moss in left field. Watson, 33, was a rule 5 pickup from Montreal. Certainly not your usual rule five acquisition- a young player - he is a veteran of 1079 FABL games and a .307 career hitter.

COUGARS- Pete Papenfus is slated to be the Cougars opening day starter against Montreal. Chicago fans have to be thrilled with the prediction BNN has for the 22 year old fireballers season ahead. The news service calls for a 23-18 season with a FABL best 259 strikeouts. They also expect big things out of veteran Jim Lonardo this season but despite that the Cougars are only picked to finish third in the CA pennant race.

CINCINNATI- The final rosters made for some tough calls for the Cannons brass. The club was very impressed with Nick Wallace but just had no room for the 34 year old on the roster so he was waived. If he clears the team would welcome him to Indianapolis. There was also a lot of discussion regarding the mound situation as many within the organization felt Jim Anderson should not have been farmed out. The 25 year old Anderson, who was 2-4 with a 2.80 era with Cincinnati last season, still had options left while vets Roger Perry and Donie Scheuermann did not. That proved the difference as new manager Ad Doria wants to see a little more from the two hurlers before he makes a final decision. One will be gone almost assuredly as prize prospect Bill Sohl was sent down but promised he would be back in Cincinnati after a couple AAA starts, assuming all went well.

CLEVELAND- All indications are it will be another long season for the Foresters but there is still some talent on this club. Most notably third baseman Mel Carrol, who despite his lowest batting average since his 1935 rookie season, still managed to hit .332 a year ago. Carrol would command a lot on the trade market, as would Dean Astle, but so far the club has made no indications of plans to shop any of it's older stars. The Foresters will get a good one in June when they get high school pitching phenom Hiram Steinberg under contract, but their farm system is still one of the thinnest in FABL.

DETROIT- The Dynamos added catcher Mike Burkholder from the New York Stars for a 10th round draft pick. The 34 year old will serve as John Wicklund's backup, a role he is quite familiar with spending the past 4 seasons primarily as the number two man behind the plate with the Stars. Detroit tried both Clem Bliss and Cliff Ray in that role last year but both were released over the winter.

MONTREAL- It comes as no surprise that the Saints minor league system remains the best in FABL, and that is before their large haul of 1941 draft picks join the league in June. Bill Greene, 11th overall according to OSA, will start the season with the big club despite hitting just .129 in spring action. Greene did get a brief taste of FABL action last year, batting .217 with a pair of homers in 20 games with the Saints.

NY STARS- While there are plenty of questions about the pitching depth the Stars are hoping their offense can carry the club back to the top of the Continental Association. Tough to find a better outfield trio than Chink Stickels, Bill Barrett and Lew Seals and it will certainly be interesting to see how Dave Trowbridge follows up his batting title win last season. Trowbridge will turn 43 years of age in August.

NY GOTHAMS- Confidence in Gotham land is much higher than it has been in recent years. A lot of that has to do with the praise heaped on young first baseman Walt Messer from OSA head honcho Dan Barrell but also from the fact that the Gothams feel they finally have a pitching staff they can count on, something that has been absent since their WCS winning 1935 season when Rabbit Day and Jim Lonardo toed the rubber for the New Yorkers. They certainly don't have a Day or a Lonardo in this group but Gus Goulding is a solid top of the rotation option.

KEYSTONES- Tough to see a Keystones fixture in Carl Ames get handed his walking papers. The 38 year old has been with the Keystones since 1925 and played in well over 1,800 career games. Hopefully Ames decided to stay in the game and maybe finds a coaching job in the organization.

SAILORS- Very minimal changes for the Sailors, who finished 5th but just 8 games back a year ago. Just one new position player in the opening day lineup against Cincinnati tomorrow. That would be left fielder Joseph Mills, a 26 year old rule 5 pickup from Cleveland who spent most of last season in AA. Mills, originally a Foresters first round pick out of Carolina Poly in 1937, had a dominant spring batting .421 to earn the starting nod. There are three new pitchers led by Lee Marshall, a 26 year old who spent 1939 with the Sailors after being a rule five pickup but was in the minors last year. He will get a shot as the fifth starter while bullpen additions Fritz Bach and Hannibal Davis await their big league debuts. Davis is another rule five pickup, coming over from Boston. Bach has had a long journey to the big leagues. The 27 year old was drafted 8th overall by the Sailors in 1932 and has been in their system ever since, spending each of the past 4 years at AA Providence.

PITTSBURGH- Not sure if it is possible to overshadow the spring that new Pittsburgh pitcher George Phillips enjoyed (allowing just one run in 16 and a third innings) but Miners manager Dan Andrew sure turned some heads with his statement this week. Andrew says he expects Pinky Pierce to lead the club in homers this season and finish top five in FABL. I agree the 27 year old is a talented ballplayer but I am not sure if he is ready to make that big of a jump this season. Pierce has played in 199 career FABL games and did it 14 homers last year in the equivalent of roughly half a season's worth of at bats.

ST LOUIS- The youth movement is in full swing in St Louis as 4 rookies head north with the team including three in key roles. 22 year old shortstop Luke Micheals earned the starting job after a strong spring despite never playing above the AA level before while pitchers Jasper Moore and Mal Bianco are set to make their big league debuts this week. The Pioneers backup catcher, Red Bryant, is also in the big leagues at age 26 for the first time in his career. Plus you have starting first baseman Jim Vaughn and 24 year old lefthander Danny Hern with less than a year of big league experience under their belt.

TORONTO- The Wolves return virtually the exact same club that won the first WCS for the franchise since 1911. There are few weak spots on the team and the pitching trio of Joe Hancock, George Garrison and Bernie Johnson is among the best in the game but with both Chicago and Cincinnati adding all-star hitters to their lineups, one has to wonder if the Wolves should have looked for another big bat as well.

WASHINGTON- It has been several years since there has been as much chatter about baseball in the nation's capital as there has been this spring and that is entirely because of one player. Sig Stofer. The 24 year old slugging first baseman belted 7 homers in the spring after hitting 11 in just 111 at bats last season after coming over from the Keystones in a deadline deal. Stofer did slow down a bit in April after a terrific first couple of weeks in Citrus League play but he has created a buzz in the nation's capital. The question is can the man known as The Boardwalk Bopper live up to the hype?

The Week That Was
Current events from 4/14/1941

British forces forced to retreat in Greece as German advance continues.
Under pressure from Nazi tanks in Libya, British forces were unable to break through the Nazi lines and have began to evacuate from the port city of Tobruk by sea. That is the version being reported from Berlin, while London states a German tank attack on Tobruk was repulsed with "severe losses" to the Nazis and that the "situation has been completely restored."
Berlin also claims the Yugoslav army was almost totally wiped out, adding just a small 'remnant' was retreating into the mountains near the Adriatic coast.
Japan regards their newly signed "neutrality" treaty with Russia as a blow to the United States. They believe it secures Japan's northland defenses, enabling the government to devote more attention elsewhere with many expecting a bolder attitude toward America being the result.
It will be a scorcher in New York for the Stars opener with the Brooklyn tomorrow as the mercury soared to an all-time high of 83 degrees at 2pm. It was also 83 in Washington for the Eagles game with the Keystones today in which President Roosevelt is expected to throw out the first ball.

02-17-2022, 11:01 AM	#360
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	April 14, 1941 - Season Preview APRIL 14, 1941 SEASON PREVIEW SPECIAL EDITION WAR, WORRY, WOE BOW AS BASEBALL RULES AGAIN from the International news Service Wire Washington, April 14- With President Roosevelt occupying his customary star-spangled box in Columbia Stadium, the Washington Eagles and the Philadelphia Keystones inaugurate an uncertain baseball season today - a season that has no assurance of lasting until World Championship Series time and one in which many players may wind up shouldering guns instead of bats. Perhaps as many as 20,000 fans, including members of Congress, high government officials and a sprinkling of diplomats will assemble to watch the President toss out the first ball. The Senate and House nominally are in session but under a gentleman's agreement there will be an absence of quorum bells in both chambers. Mr. Roosevelt is a veteran at the opening proceedings, having officiated at eight previous inaugural contests. As assistant secretary of the navy, Mr. Roosevelt raised the flag at the old Capital Grounds ballpark on opening day in 1917. He was on hand again in an official capacity in 1933, his first spring in the White House, and has missed only one opening day while President. In 1918 the late Thomas Brennan, owner of the Washington club at the time, helped save baseball from an enforced shutdown in 1918, and his successor, current Eagles boss William Stockdale is hopeful that FABL will be permitted to continue functioning if the nation is involved in war. Brennan, almost single-handedly, managed to keep FABL operating throughout the first World War despite an order by the army that they shut up shop for the duration. The white-haired Washington mogul made a personal appeal to President Wilson that professional baseball provides a much-need tonic to the morale of the people during times of national stress. Wilson, who used to watch ballgames at the Capital Grounds from an automobile parked in the outfield, countermanded the war department order and the season continued, although with a reduced number of contests. At present time the war department is not giving any particular thought to the matter of curtailing professional sports if America goes to war, but the threat is always there. Stockdale, however, won't lose a moment in following in Brennan's footsteps and appeal to his friend the President against any military orders calling for a cessation of diamond hostilities. The President, on the basis of his record, is likely to be sympathetic. He doesn't go to the ball game just to win the baseball vote. Unlike Herbert Hoover and Calvin Coolidge - who slipped away after the first few innings, Mr. Roosevelt always likes to stay on hand until the last man is out. MAJORITY SEE PITTSBURGH-COUGARS WCS Major newspapers across the country are almost in complete agreement that the Pittsburgh Miners will win their third straight Federal Association pennant while in the Continental the Chicago Cougars are deemed the team to beat but that choice is far from unanimous. Each spring TWIFB asks a cross-section of major newspapers as well as national prognosticators Jiggs McGee, Dan Barrell of the OSA and The Baseball News Network to forecast how the upcoming season will play out. A total of 14 weighed in with their selections and 12 of the 14, including our own Jiggs McGee, renowned Chicago Herald-Examiner Sports Editor Percy Sutherland and BNN, feel there will be no stopping the Pittsburgh Miners from a third straight Federal Association crown. Only Bob Stewart of the Washington Times-Herald feels the Detroit Dynamos will finally get over the top and win the pennant after three consecutive second place finishes. The other one who did not take Pittsburgh? That would be a voice well worth listening to as Dan Barrell of the OSA was right in both of his pennant calls last season. This time around Barrell is staking his reputation on the Philadelphia Keystones, an immensely talented group of youngsters, being ready to take the next step. No word on if that fact that one of his brothers, Bobby, as the key veteran leader of the Keystones was a deciding reason. The Continental crown is much more in question of the prognosticators with the pens are to be believed. Half of the group, including both Sutherland and McGee, have the Chicago Cougars winning their first pennant since 1933. The remaining votes are split between defending champion Toronto (3), the New York Stars (2), Brooklyn (1) and Cincinnati (1). The lone vote for the Cannons comes from Barrell while BNN, along with the New York Mirror, both like the Stars to win their second pennant in three seasons. BNN PRESEASON PREDICTIONS The Baseball News Network is calling for a rematch of the 1939 World Championship Series with their preseason predictions as the league news guru feels the Pittsburgh Miners and New York Stars will emerge on top in October following the 154 game struggle in each Association. Over the past decade the Baseball News Network has had a pretty good track record in identifying the pennant winner correctly with their April forecast nearly half of the time. Here is how BNN's predicted champion fared in both the CA and Fed since 1932. Code: YEAR FEDERAL CONTINENTAL 1941 Pittsburgh ? NY Stars ? 1940 Detroit 2nd NY Stars 4th 1939 Pittsburgh 1st Cleveland 2nd 1938 Chiefs 1st Brooklyn 1st 1937 Chiefs 3rd Brooklyn 1st 1936 St Louis 4th Brooklyn 1st 1935 St Louis 2nd Brooklyn 2nd 1934 Gothams 1st Cleveland 1st 1933 Detroit 2nd Cougars 1st 1932 Detroit 2nd Sailors 5th The Miners are pegged to win by a pretty decent margin with the Boston Minutemen slotted in second place. If that plays out it will be Boston's highest finish since their pennant winning 1915 season. Pushing the Philadelphia Keystones down to 6th place seems like possibly the biggest miscall in the Fed, but perhaps BNN is feeling a sophomore jinx might be ahead for the young Philadelphia squad, very much along the lines of the 1939 dip the Toronto Wolves took after a terrific run in the '38 race in the Continental Association. Of course that turned out just fine for Toronto as the Wolves rebounded to win the WCS last October. Among the individual stats that jump out is the fact that despite forecast big seasons for both Red Johnson and Sal Pestilli, BNN feels that the Dynamos offense will not be able to keep up with Pittsburgh. Interesting too is the absence of any Detroit pitching on the top performer list. In the Continental BNN sees the New York Stars offense just dominating the loop, scoring over 100 runs more than any other team in the CA and easily overcoming a perceived lack of pitching depth. Jiggs McGee earlier suggested this might be the season Bill Barrett really breaks out and BNN seems to agree although perhaps the biggest turnaround will belong to Toronto third baseman Walt Pack, who is due for big things according to the news network. Final note is how about Dave Trowbridge? No batting crown repeat for the 42 year old by BNN still sees 'Father Time' as one of the best hitters in the game. Doc Shaw here to take a look at the yearly predictions offered by BNN, the premier national baseball publication. These predictions arrive annually the day before the new season is set to start and typically set off a firestorm of controversy. First off, predictions in general are set up for failure. They are merely a snapshot in time from a perspective. While everyone may know this it does not stop some GM’s from ruthlessly calling for a full scale invasion of the BNN offices for their lack of knowledge, or for others to justify early season selloffs. Upon close inspection you will also find the GM’s that will publicly criticize BNN but secretly hope the predictions ring true because their club was viewed favorably. So if public perception is against the accuracy of the BNN predictions the question is just how inaccurate are these predictions? Let us take a look back at the 1940 version of the BNN predictions. Let us start with the FA. We will list what BNN had in the first column and their actual finish in the second with win totals attached: Code: Pittsburgh 99 Pittsburgh 92 Detroit 97 Detroit 90 Boston 76 Philadelphia 87 Chicago 76 Chicago 82 St. Louis 73 Boston 80 Washington 71 Washington 69 Philadelphia 68 New York 59 New York 59 St. Louis 57 Well what do we see? Well for starters BNN was pretty accurate in a lot of places when it came to win totals and placement. The obvious outliers here were St. Louis and Philadelphia. Remember predictions are a snapshot in time and could not account for the absolute decimation of the St. Louis rotation. It also couldn’t predict the youth movement in Philadelphia panning out with EVERY SINGLE PROSPECT. (No, Doc isn’t jealous at all!) Let's now look at the CA. Same idea here. BNN predictions and totals and then actual finishes. Code: New York 88 Toronto 88 Toronto 83 Chicago 87 Chicago 79 Cincinnati 84 Philadelphia 79 New York 80 Montreal 75 Philadelphia 80 Cleveland 74 Brooklyn 73 Brooklyn 72 Montreal 71 Cincinnati 68 Cleveland 53 Once again. While BNN didn’t correctly pick Toronto, they did figure 88 wins would be enough in the CA. BNN absolutely swung and missed on Cleveland. Injuries may have played a role again but OL’ Doc is having a hard time recollecting everything that happened in that distant city right now. Another miss was on Chicago who won 12 more games than predicted. They were another story a bit similar to Philadelphia in the FA where prospects hit (Peter the Heater comes to mind) and it didn’t hurt that John Lawson sold his soul for directions to the fountain of youth. Then the final, obvious, glaring miss was with Cincinnati. The Cannons were predicted to finish dead last but wound up in 3rd place. While BNN missed on this prediction it should be pointed out the Cannons front office is the same from when Brooklyn was the toast of the CA. These guys do not sit still. Moxie Pidgeon played an enormous impact to go along with the rise of Denny Andrews and Mike T. Taylor. Doc realizes this was only a single look at one years worth of predictions. Still, in conclusion he has a few theories. First, any team that gets struck down by injuries is going to throw the whole prediction thing out of whack. Secondly, BNN is not very good at predicting talent jumps with prospects. That could also have something to do with clubs or BNN not predicting those prospects as bona fide starters when the predictions are made. What it does seem to do pretty well is put the clubs in the correct half of the standings for the most part and get pretty close to a teams win total in most instances. Does this vindicate BNN? Most likely not. Many of our readers will find holes in Ol’ Doc’s ruminations because bashing predictions, well, that is just part of the fun. Now, on with the show. Time to make BNN a scapegoat. Play Ball!!!! Here is Johnny Bologna's prediction for order of finish in both leagues: FEDERAL ASSOCIATION [1]Pittsburgh - Another year, another pennant for Lefty Allen and the boys, but this time, I'll go a step further and predict they'll finally win the title [2]Philadelphia - While the Miners will have another year in the sun, that sun is rapidly approaching the horizon while the sun is only just rising in Philadelphia. Davey Robicheaux has a chance to make a different in the pennant race - this year. [3]Detroit - The top three in the Fed can likely end up in any order and I think there will be a drop-off after the top three. Detroit is led by Red Johnson, as he has taken over for Sal Pestilli as the main man in the Motor City. [4]Chicago - A formidable team with an aging core, the Chiefs will finish in the first division, but they will eventually need to retool to stay there. [5]New York - The Gothams will take a step forward, similar to the step forward the Keystones took in 1940. The offseason moves allowed them to move ahead and the time has come in their rebuild to show results. The $50,000 infield of Messer-Brewer-Monier-Dalton will be something to watch, especially Dalton, who may join the ranks of elite third-sackers this year. [6]Boston - While they drop from two straight .500 seasons, they will not drop that far in an ultra-competitive Fed. They have good pitching and a solid infield of its own with 20-year-old Buddy Schneider adding to the established trio Bob Donoghue, Lew McClendon, and Mack Sutton. [7]Washington - Is Sig Stofer the real deal? It has been the talk of the spring. There is also hope around the corner with Bill Willman potentially breaking camp with the Eagles and Bill Martino one call away in Kansas City. [8]St. Louis - Heinie Zimmer is the beacon of light at the major league level, but their young pitchers are on the cusp of making their debuts. Mal Bianco, Cal Roe, and Jasper Moore are still in Pioneers camp and each have ERAs below 1.00 in their first three starts. CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION [1]Toronto - The defending FABL champs return the exact same team from last year and there is likely improvement from Walt Pack to hit better than .239 and better luck for George Garrison to finish better than 15-15. I think they repeat, but I am picking the Miners to win it all. [2]New York - One year removed from a championship, their outfield takes a back seat to no one, with Bill Barrett, Chink Stickels, and Lew Seals entrenched in their positions. Plus, Dave Trowbridge, the 42-year-old defending batting champion, is captivating middle-aged men everywhere. [3]Chicago - Oh, that pitching, the pitching that saw four 14-game winners, which does not even include the talk of Spring Training, Pete Papenfus. My money is on the Cougars running their string of .500 seasons to five straight. [4]Cincinnati - After a 19-game turnaround last season, they were active in the trade market to try to get even better. Adam Mullins, in the argument for the best catcher in baseball, is a Cannon, along with the potential of young Bill Sohl, are the newest additions to a team that has completely made over their team, unrecognizable from their Baltimore days, just two short years ago. [5]Brooklyn - Two years removed from a championship, they have fallen further than other recent Continental pennant winners. [6]Philadelphia - The Keystones cross-town rivals will be without Dutch Sheldon this year with a major elbow injury. [7]Montreal - Red Bond led the league in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage. He is the man the Saints are building around and reinforcements are coming, with 9 top-100 prospects. [8]Cleveland - Longtime Forester Jack Arabian is a Hall of Famer and his induction might be the highlight of the season, but it can't be worse than last year's 53-101 season, could it? With all the uncertainty in the world, why should there be any sure things in baseball? With another new season on the horizon my fellow reporters around the country are posting their promises as to who will win the pennants and who will be sweeping up the cellar. And believe me more are picking your Gothams for the latter rather than the former. But the old Redhead is here to tell you the times are changing. Patience will be rewarded and better days are close at hand. Now I'm not promising champagne and parades come October, but the days of picking up the FA's scraps are done. First, what I see for your Gothams this season, then my fearless prediction. Pitching - This will be the teams best staff since the days of Day and Lonardo. While no future hall of famers here, it appears to be a solid, healthy group. Gus Goulding will make all his starts and provide steady dependable innings. Rusty Petrick will show himself to be the first rounder originally selected by the Gothams. If Carter and Ratcliffe can be average, it will give Bunny Edwards time in the 5th slot to work on his control. When Bunny gets that, well, under control, watch out. Catching - Look for Pete Casstevens to hit about .250 with double digit homers. His offense isn't quite there yet but the 22 year old is already one of the better receivers in the game. Joe Green provides adequate support. 1st Base - There are some predicting a breakout year for Walt Messer. This besides a spring of struggles at the plate. There is some concern that spending time working in left field has affected him at the plate. With the new OF acquisitions Ed Ziehl is considering giving Messer a good long run at his regular 1B position. This means that vet Bud Jameson at 37 will be relegated to pinch-hitting and occasional starts. Reportedly Jameson is not pleased and has spurned offers of a contract to keep him in New York for the remainder of his career. 2nd base - The Gothams are looking for continued improvement from Roosevelt Brewer. Something in the .280 range with 20-25 SB would be a smart guess. 3rd base - Billy Dalton's 1940 season was thrown off track by an early injury. After a breakout '39 season he seemed poised to join the top players in the league. Now coming off a spring hotter than the Florida sun, Dalton is ready to go. I can see him hitting well over .300 with as many as 30 homers. He will be a joy to watch. Shortstop - For Mule Monier it all begins and ends with the glove. Touted as a superior defender the 25 year old booted more than his fair share of balls last season. Now with an offseason to clear his head a sounder glove to go with a .270 bat and his share of extra base hits should round out the promised "Infield of the Future". Outfield - While the infield has been together in the Gothams system for years now, the starting outfield were all somewhere else last spring. In leftfield Hub Parks brings his sterling glove, blazing speed and solid bat to Queens. I look for him to hit near .300 with a good number of doubles. In CF Mel Alvarez, another plus defender had a slow start to his spring but came around at the end. Alvarez could also put up a .300 average with gap power. RF brings another good glove with a bat that is the toughest to predict. Leon Drake had struggled the past two seasons after breaking out as a 25 year old. Now at 32 and coming off a solid spring the Gothams are hoping to see the power his batting practice clouts promise. I still wouldn't expect Leon to hit much over .250, but I think he can go part 20 homers with a good number of doubles. And now for the prediction. I look at the possibilities, the talented youth ready to break out, the solid vets brought in and I think this team could flirt with .500 ball. Still it's a deep and competitive Fed, so the ol' Redhead is going with - 5th place. Let the games begin. QUICK HITS Think baseball is getting hit hard with players being called to military service. It is nothing, at least so far, compared to football, where the coach of one professional club recently lamented "Uncle Sam has outbid me on five regulars for next season. Where will it end?" So far only a pair of pitchers in the Stars Dixie Lee and Rusty Watts of the Cougars have been called to military service but many more are expected to follow. The minor leagues, including the Great Western League, start their seasons later this week and it is interesting to note that both the top ranked player and pitcher, at least according to OSA, in the GWL are recent demotions from the St Louis Pioneers. 26 year old Buddy Long, who suffered through an 8-21 campaign in St Louis last season, is considered the top hurler with 36 year old Earle Charlton, the former Baltimore Cannon, ranked second. On the batting side of the ledger it is shortstop Ivan Cameron sitting on top. This will actually mark the AAA debut for the 24 year old who jumped right from AA to St Louis two years ago. Cameron hit .251 with the Pioneers last season but was one of the worst defensive shortstops in the league. With Opening Day comes an updated list of OSA's top prospects. Here are the top 10 according to the league scouting service. Of that group above, three players will be on Opening Day big league rosters: Mal Bianco, Davey Robicheaux and Chuck Adams. Robicheaux and Adams have been up before with the Keystones star making quite an impression in his brief FABL debut last September. The 24 year old hit .344 with 4 homers in 10 games with Philadelphia. Adams hit .250 in a 20 game trial with the Brooklyn Kings. AROUND THE LEAGUE Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL with a quick comment or two on each of the 16 clubs. Just whatever catches Jiggs eye: BOSTON- There are some worries in Boston that the big teams in the Fed are passing them by and perhaps it is time to tear it down and start over. Word is a slow start to the season might prompt the Minutemen to deal away from their core roster for future assets. Players like Chick Donnelly, Pete Day and Art Spencer as well as anyone over 30 may become available for the right price. Boston hasn't won the Fed since 1915 and while there were some close calls the past few years the club has always seemed to be just a piece or two short. BROOKLYN- While several Brooklyn pitchers put up some decent spring numbers such as George Scruggs, who went 3-0 with a 1.76 era, I am worried about their pitching once the games start to mean something. Add in the fact that Al Wheeler had another rough spring and last year's outfield sensation Joe Herman struggled as well and this might be a long season for Flatbush fans. There are also big concerns about the Brooklyn offense as they need to find a way to get Jim Lightbody's bat in the lineup. Perhaps not at second base, where is glove is an issue, but maybe the outfield might be an option. CHIEFS- BNN does not list Rabbit Day in it's collection of top pitchers as part of the preseason predictions and Day is no longer included in OSA's top twenty lists either. Al Miller does slot in nicely in the top five but it is the veteran Day who gets the call on the mound when the Chiefs open their season in Detroit tomorrow. There will be two newcomers to the club in the Opening Day lineup as second baseman Al Haynes, who was acquired from Cleveland over the winter, will lead-off while 33 year old Jim Watson takes over for the departed Cliff Moss in left field. Watson, 33, was a rule 5 pickup from Montreal. Certainly not your usual rule five acquisition- a young player - he is a veteran of 1079 FABL games and a .307 career hitter. COUGARS- Pete Papenfus is slated to be the Cougars opening day starter against Montreal. Chicago fans have to be thrilled with the prediction BNN has for the 22 year old fireballers season ahead. The news service calls for a 23-18 season with a FABL best 259 strikeouts. They also expect big things out of veteran Jim Lonardo this season but despite that the Cougars are only picked to finish third in the CA pennant race. CINCINNATI- The final rosters made for some tough calls for the Cannons brass. The club was very impressed with Nick Wallace but just had no room for the 34 year old on the roster so he was waived. If he clears the team would welcome him to Indianapolis. There was also a lot of discussion regarding the mound situation as many within the organization felt Jim Anderson should not have been farmed out. The 25 year old Anderson, who was 2-4 with a 2.80 era with Cincinnati last season, still had options left while vets Roger Perry and Donie Scheuermann did not. That proved the difference as new manager Ad Doria wants to see a little more from the two hurlers before he makes a final decision. One will be gone almost assuredly as prize prospect Bill Sohl was sent down but promised he would be back in Cincinnati after a couple AAA starts, assuming all went well. CLEVELAND- All indications are it will be another long season for the Foresters but there is still some talent on this club. Most notably third baseman Mel Carrol, who despite his lowest batting average since his 1935 rookie season, still managed to hit .332 a year ago. Carrol would command a lot on the trade market, as would Dean Astle, but so far the club has made no indications of plans to shop any of it's older stars. The Foresters will get a good one in June when they get high school pitching phenom Hiram Steinberg under contract, but their farm system is still one of the thinnest in FABL. DETROIT- The Dynamos added catcher Mike Burkholder from the New York Stars for a 10th round draft pick. The 34 year old will serve as John Wicklund's backup, a role he is quite familiar with spending the past 4 seasons primarily as the number two man behind the plate with the Stars. Detroit tried both Clem Bliss and Cliff Ray in that role last year but both were released over the winter. MONTREAL- It comes as no surprise that the Saints minor league system remains the best in FABL, and that is before their large haul of 1941 draft picks join the league in June. Bill Greene, 11th overall according to OSA, will start the season with the big club despite hitting just .129 in spring action. Greene did get a brief taste of FABL action last year, batting .217 with a pair of homers in 20 games with the Saints. NY STARS- While there are plenty of questions about the pitching depth the Stars are hoping their offense can carry the club back to the top of the Continental Association. Tough to find a better outfield trio than Chink Stickels, Bill Barrett and Lew Seals and it will certainly be interesting to see how Dave Trowbridge follows up his batting title win last season. Trowbridge will turn 43 years of age in August. NY GOTHAMS- Confidence in Gotham land is much higher than it has been in recent years. A lot of that has to do with the praise heaped on young first baseman Walt Messer from OSA head honcho Dan Barrell but also from the fact that the Gothams feel they finally have a pitching staff they can count on, something that has been absent since their WCS winning 1935 season when Rabbit Day and Jim Lonardo toed the rubber for the New Yorkers. They certainly don't have a Day or a Lonardo in this group but Gus Goulding is a solid top of the rotation option. KEYSTONES- Tough to see a Keystones fixture in Carl Ames get handed his walking papers. The 38 year old has been with the Keystones since 1925 and played in well over 1,800 career games. Hopefully Ames decided to stay in the game and maybe finds a coaching job in the organization. SAILORS- Very minimal changes for the Sailors, who finished 5th but just 8 games back a year ago. Just one new position player in the opening day lineup against Cincinnati tomorrow. That would be left fielder Joseph Mills, a 26 year old rule 5 pickup from Cleveland who spent most of last season in AA. Mills, originally a Foresters first round pick out of Carolina Poly in 1937, had a dominant spring batting .421 to earn the starting nod. There are three new pitchers led by Lee Marshall, a 26 year old who spent 1939 with the Sailors after being a rule five pickup but was in the minors last year. He will get a shot as the fifth starter while bullpen additions Fritz Bach and Hannibal Davis await their big league debuts. Davis is another rule five pickup, coming over from Boston. Bach has had a long journey to the big leagues. The 27 year old was drafted 8th overall by the Sailors in 1932 and has been in their system ever since, spending each of the past 4 years at AA Providence. PITTSBURGH- Not sure if it is possible to overshadow the spring that new Pittsburgh pitcher George Phillips enjoyed (allowing just one run in 16 and a third innings) but Miners manager Dan Andrew sure turned some heads with his statement this week. Andrew says he expects Pinky Pierce to lead the club in homers this season and finish top five in FABL. I agree the 27 year old is a talented ballplayer but I am not sure if he is ready to make that big of a jump this season. Pierce has played in 199 career FABL games and did it 14 homers last year in the equivalent of roughly half a season's worth of at bats. ST LOUIS- The youth movement is in full swing in St Louis as 4 rookies head north with the team including three in key roles. 22 year old shortstop Luke Micheals earned the starting job after a strong spring despite never playing above the AA level before while pitchers Jasper Moore and Mal Bianco are set to make their big league debuts this week. The Pioneers backup catcher, Red Bryant, is also in the big leagues at age 26 for the first time in his career. Plus you have starting first baseman Jim Vaughn and 24 year old lefthander Danny Hern with less than a year of big league experience under their belt. TORONTO- The Wolves return virtually the exact same club that won the first WCS for the franchise since 1911. There are few weak spots on the team and the pitching trio of Joe Hancock, George Garrison and Bernie Johnson is among the best in the game but with both Chicago and Cincinnati adding all-star hitters to their lineups, one has to wonder if the Wolves should have looked for another big bat as well. WASHINGTON- It has been several years since there has been as much chatter about baseball in the nation's capital as there has been this spring and that is entirely because of one player. Sig Stofer. The 24 year old slugging first baseman belted 7 homers in the spring after hitting 11 in just 111 at bats last season after coming over from the Keystones in a deadline deal. Stofer did slow down a bit in April after a terrific first couple of weeks in Citrus League play but he has created a buzz in the nation's capital. The question is can the man known as The Boardwalk Bopper live up to the hype? The Week That Was Current events from 4/14/1941 British forces forced to retreat in Greece as German advance continues. Under pressure from Nazi tanks in Libya, British forces were unable to break through the Nazi lines and have began to evacuate from the port city of Tobruk by sea. That is the version being reported from Berlin, while London states a German tank attack on Tobruk was repulsed with "severe losses" to the Nazis and that the "situation has been completely restored." Berlin also claims the Yugoslav army was almost totally wiped out, adding just a small 'remnant' was retreating into the mountains near the Adriatic coast. Japan regards their newly signed "neutrality" treaty with Russia as a blow to the United States. They believe it secures Japan's northland defenses, enabling the government to devote more attention elsewhere with many expecting a bolder attitude toward America being the result. It will be a scorcher in New York for the Stars opener with the Brooklyn tomorrow as the mercury soared to an all-time high of 83 degrees at 2pm. It was also 83 in Washington for the Eagles game with the Keystones today in which President Roosevelt is expected to throw out the first ball. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 02-17-2022 at 11:38 AM.