JULY 27, 1942
BOWMAN IS 4-F! FAILS PHYSICAL, REMAINS WITH GOTHAMS
Ed Bowman will not be leaving the New York Gothams after all. The 22 year old was called by Selective Service two weeks ago and was supposed to be inducted into the Army Air Corps this morning after a planned ceremony in which he would sign his draft papers on the Gothams Stadium mound yesterday afternoon before their game against Philadelphia. However, word came Saturday that the 22 year old had failed his pre-entry physical and as a result has been classified 4-F, unfit for duty and the signing ceremony was quietly postponed.
News leaked out this morning that Army Doctors apparently heard the swoosh of a leaky heart valve, know in medical circles as a mitral-valve prolapse, when Bowman was examined in his pre-induction physical on Friday. After a second round of tests was conducted Saturday the diagnosis was confirmed and Bowman was declared 4-F. It is not believed to be life threatening and Bowman will still be able to pitch but he will not be permitted to serve in the military, at least not at this point in time.
The timing of the news for the Gothams is outstanding, almost like they added a top flight pitcher at the trade deadline as the club had expected to have to finish the season without Bowman, who is 12-7 with a 3.12 era and has quickly become the Gothams number one option on the mound.
WILL THE TRADE DEADLINE DECIDE THE FEDERAL ASSOCIATION RACE?
With four teams separated by just 2 games at the top of the Federal Association standings one can't help but wonder if one of the four is going to pull the trigger on a deadline trade much the way the Boston Minutemen made a series of deals last July that ultimately lead to a World Championship Series victory. The Minutemen are one of the four in the running this time around, sitting just a half game back of co-leaders Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with the New York Gothams 2 games out of first.
The Chicago Chiefs are in danger of falling completely out of the race thanks to a dreadful 6-12 record since the all-star game including a current losing streak that reached six games after being swept in back to back 3 game series at home by Boston and Pittsburgh. Now 9 games back the Chiefs have, at least so far, been the only Federal Association club to try and add a piece with the addition of Milt Fritz from the cross-town Cougars.
--- PLENTY OF STOPS AND STARTS FOR FRITZ ---
Fritz is an interesting pickup by the Chiefs. He began his career with the organization way back in 1929 so one would immediately think Fritz was much older than 32, but he was only 19 when he broke it. Fritz had two great years in Chicago but was then traded to Brooklyn and won an Allan Award with the Kings in 1931. He was considered one of the best pitchers in the game but at 23 seemed to completely fall apart and was dealt twice in a little over a year. When he struggled with the Gothams in 1934 it seemed his career might be over but he found new life with a return to the Windy City, joining the Chicago Cougars in 1936. He has been forced out of a spot with the Cougars because of their wealth of pitching so was acquired at only the cost of an 8th round pick by the Chiefs.
The move may not help the Chiefs get back in the race this year but the Fritz deal seems like a typically Chiefs move that could pay off very nicely for the organization going forward. In past years the Chiefs have added veteran arms like Rabbit Day, Jim Lonardo and Jack Beach and have received some key starts from each. Fritz has a lifetime 188-151 record and has been down before but picked himself up very nicely. It likely would not be wise to bet against a similar resurgence now that he is back with the Chiefs.
--- CONTINENTAL RACE OVER? ---
The Chicago Cougars must be wondering just what else can they do? The Cougars have been red-hot since the All-Star break, posting a 13-4 record but despite that they have gained just a single game on the New York Stars, who were nearly as hot in going 13-6 over that time. The New York lead is presently 11 games and, while they still have 10 games left head-to-head, you can't help but feel like time is running out on second place Chicago. The Stars own an 8-4 mark vs the Cougars so far this season and, at 16-8 so far in July, are showing no signs of the mid-season swoon that erased their big league a year ago.
The Montreal Saints have hit a wall, going just 7-14 in July, and are in danger of falling below the .500 mark after a terrific start to the season that saw them sitting in second place at 42-34 when June came to an end. The starting pitching, aside from Wally Doyle, has struggled this month and despite the efforts of Jake Hughes and Bert Lass of late, the offense has also crashed.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
WOLVES HIT THE SKIDS!-- After coming out of the All-Star break with a 3-1 record the Toronto Wolves have gone on to a CA worst of 3-9 since the break and now are mired in 6th place. The team is still struggling to score runs with the number of one run losses mounting, now at a FABL leading 23. Of all the regular starters only one, Tom Frederick (106), is above league average in OPS+. Ockie Holliday, OPS+ 37, continues his sophomore season long slump. Although Toronto is one of only three teams with a positive run differential (+8) in the CA that number is skewed by some unexpected high run scoring games including an 11-4 victory over the Kings on Saturday. In that game Ockie had an unheard total of 10 LOB.
The offense was dealt a major blow this week when Reginald Westfall strained his back. Westfall is leading the team in RBI (47), tied for lead in in HR (4!) but will spend the next weeks on the DL. Westfall's injury has opened the door for Hank Giordano, the team's first pick in the 1939 draft. Giordano will begin his big league career in RF platoon with Gus Hull. As a RHB he will give manager Charlie Reed more options against LHP. Wolves management showed their faith in both Reed and pitching coach Art Nichols by inking both to 2-year contract extensions. Wolves faithful are currently calling for HC Charlie Armine's head, rumour around the team is that there is an active search on-going for a new face in that role.
IN THE SYSTEM: Giordano's promotion has allowed Dick Penwell move up from Chattanooga where he has been tearing it up, slashing .327/.369/.540 with 15 HR 64 RBI, surprising for an 18th round pick in 1936. Fans are hoping to see Giordano and Penwell possibly flanking Frederick in Dominion Stadium in the not to distant future. Jerry York's short tenure has ended in Vancouver after only 21 1/3 innings with 18K, only 3 BB, 1.12 WHIP, he will move up to class A and join the Davenport rotation next week.
- Not the news that the Cleveland Foresters wanted to hear but the future of the franchise is done for the year. Hiram Steinberg, the 19 year old pitcher who rewrote the high school record books before being selected first overall by the Foresters in the 1941 draft, will need surgery to fix up his elbow. The only 3-time winner of the Adwell Award, presented to the nation's top high school ballplayer, Steinberg was 4-3 with a 2.63 era in 8 starts at Class A and seemed to be on the verge of a promotion to AA after starting the season in Class B. The Foresters, and likely all of baseball, hope he makes a full recovery and is good to go next spring.
- The woes continue for Detroit with the latest news being that Sergio Gonzales is done for the year and perhaps his career as big leaguer is in jeopardy. The 30 year old has had a rough season (2-9, 7.93) but it was made even worse when he suffered a serious elbow injury less than a year after he had surgery on the elbow. Word is he may not be healed up in time for spring training next season. Not to pile on Foresters fans but the surgery Gonzales had last August is the same type Hiram Steinberg is set to undergo.
- After a solid start to the season the St Louis Pioneers have faded from the race but that didn't stop them from playing spoiler last week. The Pioneers took 2 of 3 from Pittsburgh- with both wins coming in extra innings- before ruining Boston's weekend by taking two of three from the Minutemen. 25 year old Denny Hern (13-5, 3.15) continues to impress on the mound, allowing just 1 earned run over 8 innings in a 3-2 win over Boston yesterday which helped Pioneers fans breathe easy after Hearn left his previous start early with a finger blister.
- The Cannons may not be firing much but Deuce Barrell certainly is. The Cincinnati ace improved to 17-3 with a 2.05 era after a pair of wins last week including an 11-inning 1-0 complete game shutout of Brooklyn. Deuce leads the big leagues with a 120 strikeouts and is within 25 of his career best set two years ago.
- Tough break for the Cannons losing pitcher Frank Porter for the year. The 5th round pick was our highest ranked '42 draftee according to OSA at #58 but in his third pro start he hurt his back and will miss at least two months. They aren't getting a lot of love from OSA but our first round pick Howie Harris (4-0, 3.52) and 7th round Dizzy Danforth (4-1, 1.80) are both exceeding expectations as 18 year old's at Class C.
- But it is another 18 year old, although he turns 19 in two weeks, that is really turning heads in the Cannons organization. Joe Beckstrom, our 4th round pick out of a San Francisco high school last year, began the season in Class B and went 7-10, 2.32 with a 121 era+. The call to Class A Camden came a week ago and all Beckstrom did in his two starts was toss two consecutive complete game 5-hit shutouts. Not sure how he did not win player of the week in the Middle Atlantic League and even OSA is shunning him. Beckstrom was ranked 57th on the prospect list on opening day but despite some very good numbers as an 18 year old in both B and a brief taste of A ball he has slipped to 85th on the prospect service's list.
- What's held the Chiefs back this season is the pitching staff, which is aging out. That's to be expected, and were it not for the war, the next generation of pitchers would be arriving in Chicago: Ralph Kendall, Bob Crowley, Lou Eaker. They should all be in Chicago or Fort Wayne not somewhere in North Africa. No argument on that fact but remember there are a number of teams in the same boat. Think the Cougars would be much closer to the Stars if Pete Papenfus was still pitching or about Cincinnati if they had Charley McCullough and Mike T. Taylor in the lineup.
1943 DRAFT PREVIEW - PART 1: COLLEGE PLAYERS
It is time for TWIFB's annual series showcasing the top draft eligible players from next year's rookie crop. As always, our summer list will be broken down into three parts with the first one focusing on college players and the next two on high school pitchers and finally position players.
A year ago we talked about the two premier shortstops in Jim Adams Jr. and Homer Mills being the college players to watch for out of this class. Not a lot as change, although we have reversed the order of the two of them and added an Academia Alliance pitcher by the name of Jim Carter to the elite group. At this stage the two shortstops are still the cream of the crop but Carter merits watching next season. Beyond those three there is a fair drop-off although catcher Bob Newcomer is bidding to make the big three college players into a foursome.
Here are the AIAA players that make the TWIFB top ten after consulting with sources at the OSA:
1- HOMER MILLS SS: Weston (OH) College- OSA loves Mills and feels if everything breaks right he will make multiple trips to the all-star game. He is said to have a smooth swing, excellent strike zone recognition and should be an above average defender. His .320 batting average as a sophomore was 4th highest in the nation while he was also tied for the AIAA homerun lead with 11 last season and led all college hitters with a 2.6 WAR. Mills was a first team All-American selection last season, repeating the honour he also earned as a freshman. Last summer we had Mills number two among college players but he showed enough this season to leapfrog Jim Adams Jr.
2- JIM ADAMS JR. SS: St Ignatius- Adams Jr. was number one on our college list a year ago but slipped a little this season (.315,4,25). OSA still feels Adams, the son of former Keystones and Toronto shortstop Jim Adams, projects to be an elite big league shortstop. Very athletic with pure speed, Adams may end up being a better hitter than Mills. Adams was a second team All-American as a freshman but did not make the list this past season.
3- JIM CARTER RHP: Ellery College- A groundball specialist who uses a tricky sidearm delivery, Carter is projected to be a frontline starter by OSA. A two-time second team All-American selection he is 19-5 with a 2.10 era over two seasons with the Bruins.
4- BOB NEWCOMER C: Ceasar Rodney- OSA likes the catcher from Auburn, Maine and feels he has plenty of talent both at the plate and behind it. He hit .311 last season with 9 homers, numbers good enough to make him a second team All-American selection.
5- HOPPY JOHNSON RHP: Charleston Tech- Hoppy had a nice improvement on his freshman numbers, posting a 7-2 record with a 2.52 era in 14 starts with the Admirals. OSA feels Johnson's explosive stuff can help him settle in as a mid-rotation starter in FABL once he matures. It does not appear to be a deep group of college pitchers so expect Johnson to be a mid-first round selection based on the way FABL GM's value arms.
6- WALT HARRIS SS: Georgia Baptist- A Los Angeles native who came east to play his college ball. Harris put up average numbers (.267,2,31) in his first season with the Gators but it might just be his glovework that gets him to the big leagues. A clear number three and well behind the two elite college shortstops in this draft but OSA feels he could be a second division starter someday.
7- FRANKIE GONNELLA 3B: Canton State- Very consistent, Gonnella hit .305 in each of his two previous seasons and has some power with 21 homers in 115 career AIAA games. He was named a first team All-American selection this year and OSA says he has above average contact skills, a smooth swing with quick hands and good pitch recognition.
8- JIM WATERS OF: Maryland State- His numbers tailed off a bit last season in comparison to his freshman year but OSA feels his bat and hustle should make him a front-runner for a starting outfield job. Has tremendous work ethic.
9- JIMMY SNYDER SS: Central Illinois- Has all the intangibles- great leadership potential, work ethic and is very smart. Hit .300 over his two college seasons but has been overshadowed by Mills and Adams Jr. at shortstop. Good defense, solid eye and a good knack for barreling the ball with a compact, clean swing.
10- JOHNNY THACKER C: Columbia Military Academy- Like Snyder, Thacker is praised for his smarts and leadership skills. He was a second round pick of Washington's in 1940 but elected to go to military school, which likely means anyone who drafts him will need to be patient as Thacker is likely off to the service before beginning his pro baseball career. Was ranked 12th overall in our mock first round for the 1943 class conducted last August.
Next up we look at the top 10 high school pitchers.
COLLEGES GIVEN GO-AHEAD FOR CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL
They're going to play football on the west coast in the fall. It may be a different brand than formerly, what with a general reshuffle of coaches and uncounted numbers of young stalwarts having joined the colors, but it'll be football, anyway, and John J. Fan and his good wife Jennie are very pleased about it.
The assurance that the war will not interfere with scheduled games in California's colleges and universities came yesterday from Gov. Culbert L. Olson, who announced that Lt. Gen. John L. Dewitt, chief of the Western defense command, had granted his approval.
Olson said Dewitt had told him the Army had no objection to the contests as long as military regulations are complied with. These include facilities for speedily dousing lights and night games and agreement by the schools to cancel games on short notice in event of "a change in the military situation."
No mention was made of limiting crowds. The 5,000 limit hasn't been generally observed anyway, and baseball crowds, for instance, frequently exceed that figure. No official word was made on the East-West Classic New Year's Game, which last year was transferred from the west coast to New York City. But the way it now looks, the game is likely to be brought back to southern California.
- Until very recently George Fox University football aspirants weren't even supposed to look seriously at a ball until mid September, but you'd never guess it to watch the lads in action under the broiling sun that currently is baking these parts. The Reds, and other Academia Alliance schools, have taken a much serious approach towards athletics in recent years. Pierpont, at 6-1-1, was the class of the loop a year ago and it probably is a good thing the Reds are out early. George Fox stumbled through a 2-4-2 campaign in 1941.
- Friends of John Brainard confide that the real reason the grid Kings coach joined the Navy was to strike back at the Nazis who've been making systematic raids on the Scotland town where his aged mother lives. Brainard built a home for her several years ago and she took in a brood of infant war refugees.
- Navy aviation cadets in tough pre-flight training courses are wondering why such a to-do is made about learning to swim, especially with a lot of name coaches teaching it. Well, the Navy tells you every flyer represents a $37,000 investment in training and equipment when he joins the front line....and if he's forced down- or shot down- that's a lotta cocoanuts floating around in the ocean. And if he can swim just long enough to be picked up, that's just like money in the bank.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/26/1942
- British forces in Africa have captured more than 6,000 Axis prisoners in the last ten days, blasted enemy grounded planes in one of the greatest surprise attacks of the desert war and maintained the initiative on the desert front.
- Soviet troops were forced to retreat from the Rostov front to avoid being encircled by the Germans. Russia is massing it's reserve hart along the Don River in an attempt to slow the Nazi advance.
- US fliers successfully sank two Japanese warships off the coast of China and stepped up bombing of the Japanese landing force in New Guinea. Reports also say the April bombing raid on Tokio killed 600 Japanese war workers and was very successful at achieving it's goal of crippling Japanese war production.
- The week ended with news that US subs, striking in Japanese waters, have blasted six more enemy ships including a modern destroyer.
- President Roosevelt warned Congressional leaders that the United States faces the most disastrous economic upset in history unless the present price control system is scrapped for an ironclad prohibition against wage and price increases.
- The FBI raided 120 homers of Germans and Italians, seizing firearms, cameras and short wave radios denied to enemy aliens under a Presidential proclamation. Among the items found was blueprints and an aerial photograph of a steel plant as well as design plans for a submarine torpedo. Similar arrests in New York netted aerial photos of that city along with detailed pictures of defense plants.