MAY 31, 1943
A SPECIAL DAY! 300 FOR RABBIT
The long anticipated moment when Rabbit Day joined the 300 victory club arrived yesterday as the 39 year old Chicago Chiefs hurler notched his 300th career win. The victory elevates Day into very special company, making him just the 12th player in the history of big league baseball to reach that milestone. It was nothing fancy and certainly not vintage Day, as Rabbit went 6 innings and allowed 7 hits and 2 runs -although just 1 earned- before turning the ball over to the Chicago bullpen to preserve an 8-4 victory in the opener of a twin bill in Washington. The game was important as it keep the high flying Chiefs rolling along -their 10th straight victory that would soon be 11 when they also won the nightcap- but the focus was entirely on Day as nearly all of the sparse - only7,788- crowd at Columbia Stadium cheered Day on despite the fact it was their struggling Eagles, a team that two weeks ago looked like world beaters but has come crashing down to earth of late, that was on the wrong end of this historic outcome.
We have been anticipating Day's 300th victory for a couple of years now and it is a moment that should be savoured. The last time a pitcher celebrated #300 was nearly two decades ago, in 1925 when Hall of Famer Big George Johnson notched win #300 while pitching for the Washington Eagles. Looking ahead it might well be another two decades -before we see a 13th member join that class. For a spell there was talk Milt Fritz might get there one day, but any slim chance he might still have had disappeared entirely when the 33 year old joined the Navy so his career is paused at 190 wins. Lefty Allen has 149 wins now and is just 2 months past his 29th birthday so perhaps he has a chance. Maybe Deuce Barrell in Cincinnati who has 78 wins and not yet turned 26 but that is a long ways out to project.
When asked about the possibility of him being the last 300 game winner baseball will see, Day laughed and said "No, there will be others. I get the game has changed a lot but there will be more. Maybe even him," Day said while pointing a couple of lockers over to teammate Al Miller. The 27 year old Chiefs hurler, who was a co-ace for the Chiefs along with Day for several years and a pair of World Championships has 121 wins under his belt.
There is no doubt that Day's legacy will include an induction in to the game's Hall of Fame, but surprisingly the Hall has only made room so far for 6 of the eleven men to win 300 games ahead of Rabbit. Day is certainly the most successful pitcher of the modern era and the first truly legendary thrower to play his entire career in the human-GM era. He was still a part of the old era when he was drafted - twice actually. The Philadelphia Keystones must live with the mistake of selecting Day in the 27th round of the 1922 draft but then releasing him almost immediately. He went back to high school ball and was taken 5th overall by the then Baltimore Cannons in 1923. Day's big league career would start with the Cannons in 1927 and he would win two of his three career Allen Awards while in the Continental Association. The third would come during that crazy 1936 season when, fresh off leading the New York Gothams to a World Championship Series win the year before, Day was dealt to the Chicago Chiefs and would win the first of two more WCS in Chicago that season. The way things are going this year Day may just get back to the WCS one more time but for now the trophy case at the Day home includes 3 Allen Awards, 3 WCS wins and 4 all-star game selections. Oh, and we are sure as soon as he returns to Chicago that case will need to make room for one baseball celebrating 300 career wins.
HOT AND COLD
Streaking Teams Story in Fed
The Chicago Chiefs stretched their winning streak to 11 games with another sweep over the Washington Eagles, who are no longer flying high atop the Federal Association. The Chiefs and Eagles are the two most extreme examples but the entire top half of the Fed has had a real upheaval that past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago the Washington ball club was enjoying it's best stretch in well over a decade, off to a 20-6 start and winning 8 of their previous 9 games. Chicago, meanwhile, was 15-11 and 5 games off the pace but things changed very quickly. The Eagles ran into some bad luck as they went out west and started a string of 9 straight losses including 4 in Chicago. The problems continued for Washington even at home as, after taking 2 of three from St Louis, the Eagles were swept over the weekend by the Chiefs, who are now the hottest team in baseball.
Chicago has won 11 straight including 7 over Washington during that stretch and the Chiefs now lead the Fed by 3 full games. Boston has moved into second as the Minutemen have been on a roll as well, riding a 5-game winning streak and victorious in 13 of their last 17 contests. While Boston and Chicago are the Yin, we need a Yang to balance out the Fed along with Washington and lately that distinction has gone to the New York Gothams, who are in the midst of a 1-8 stretch.
The story is much the same in the Continental Association as Deuce Barrell and the Cincinnati Cannons have won 13 of their last 14 games while at the other end of things we have the New York Stars, who have dropped 13 of their last 14.
Next week will be a busy one for FABL with today's Memorial Day double-headers for all plus the usual Sunday twin bill. Add in yesterday's doubleheader and we have a stretch of 11 games in 8 days for all 16 FABL clubs. And the way the streaking is going, who knows what the standings will look like next week.
ALL-AMERCAN SCHAUB WITH A HIGH SCHOOL SEASON TO REMEMBER
If you don't know the name Roy Schaub yet, you should probably familiarize yourself with the 16 year old Philadelphia high school pitching phenom. Schaub, who just completed his junior season at St. Joseph's High, delivered one of the best pitched seasons in high school history. He went 13-0 with a 0.41 era and set a single season modern high school record for strikeouts with 242 in just 132 innings of work.
Schaub was not the only flamethrowing high school pitcher this season as La Porte (Tx.) sophomore lefthander Dutch Yoak also surpassed Hiram Steinberg's single season strikeout mark but finished one shy of Schaub. What makes Schaub's season stand-out is he not only broke the strikeout mark for the non-feeder era, but also posted the highest WAR ever recorded by a high schooler. As you can see below there are some pretty impressive names that the teen surpassed.
Code:
TOP 10 HIGH SCHOOL PITCHER SINGLE SEASON WAR
post-feeder era
1- Roy Schaub 11.2 1943 St. Joseph's HS (Philadelphia, Pa.)
2- Hiram Steinberg 10.1 1940 Washington HS (Brooklyn NY)
3- Hiram Steinberg 9.8 1941 Washington HS (Brooklyn NY)
4- Donnie Jones 9.7 1936 Minneapolis (MN) HS
5- Dutch Yoak 9.5 1943 La Porte (TX) HS
5- Hiram Steinberg 9.5 1939 Washington HS (Brooklyn NY)
5- Rufus Barrell 9.5 1935 Macon (GA) HS
8- Hiram Steinberg 9.3 1938 Washington HS (Brooklyn NY)
9- Rufus Barrell 8.9 1934 Macon (GA) HS
10-Joe Quade 8.8 1940 West Chester (PA) HS
Hiram Steinberg is clearly the measuring stick for high school pitchers but Schaub's 1943 campaign very much rivals what Steinberg did in his junior season. Schaub, who OSA presently calls a future #1 starter, was good his first two season, clearly took a giant step forward and headlines the 1943 High School All-American team. His 0.12 FIP (fielding independent pitching) was the second lowest ever recorded in the post-feeder era.
Here are the 1943 High School All-Americans:
Code:
POS NAME CL SCHOOL
C Joe Robinson Jr Warren (PA) HS
C Ike Perry So Navasota (TX) HS
INF George Brown So Bridgeport (CT) HS
INF Dan Finch So Bowman (SC) HS
INF Joe Lowery Sr Principia (St Louis, Mo) HS
INF Bill Wise Fr Ramsen (IA) HS
INF Mario Schilchegger Sr Millville (NJ) HS
INF Larry Jackson Fr Washington HS (San Francisco)
OF Ben Thompson Jr Yazoo City (MS) HS
OF Sherry Doyle Fr Landry HS (New Orleans)
OF Johnnie Porter Sr Huntington (WV) HS
OF Ray Bates Fr Victoria (TX) HS
OF Ed Duncan Jr Troy (KS) HS
P Roy Schaub Jr St Joseph's HS (Philadelphia)
P Jim Hawkins Sr Oakmont (PA) HS
P Dutch Yoak So La Porte (TX) HS
P Eddie Reynolds Sr Turtle Creek (PA) HS
P Ron Barry Jr Elm Springs (AR) HS
HONOURABLE MENTION
P Cyrus Goodman Fr Clarendon (AR) HS
P Al Daniel Jr. So Brownsville (TN) HS
P Jesse Iverson Fr Mission HS (San Francisco)
C Cal Yeager Jr Lodi (OH) HS
INF Vern Ashford Sr Lancaster (PA) HS
INF Bert Mayes Fr Zanesville (OH) HS
INF Fred Williams So Aurelia (IA) HS
OF Yank Taylor Fr Pullman HS (Chicago, IL)
OF Clyde Parker So Liberty (MO) HS
Three players were named to the High School All-American team for the second consecutive season. They were infielder Mario Schilchegger, outfielder Ben Thompson and pitcher Jim Hawkins.
MINUTEMEN ADD DEPTH INFIELDER IN DEAL WITH DETROIT
We had a trade last week, which is now a rare occurence in FABL due to the impact the war is having on roster depth and prospects. Hardly a ground-breaker, but the Boston Minutemen added some infield depth with the acquisition of 33 year old Len Jones from Detroit. Jones has not played a lot this season but was hitting .407 (11-for-27). He had spent the past four seasons in Detroit after nearly a decade with the Chicago Chiefs. The Dynamos receive a 5th round pick in the upcoming draft in return.
JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEAL -Just a depth move by Boston but my initial thought was to wonder if perhaps they went after the wrong Jones. The Chicago Cougars were shopping veteran second sacker Freddie Jones (.250,1,5) and asking a 4th round pick for the 33 year old. Freddie is not the player he once was but is still a decent hitter and a proven leader with plenty of experience. Word is the Minutemen tried to get Chicago to bite on an offer for Freddie but had no luck as the Cougars wanted more than Boston was willing to part with. As a result the Minutemen turned their attention to Detroit and Len Jones.
In the long run that decision might prove to be a blessing for Boston. The Minutemen likely got a scare a little over a week ago when Art Spencer's back tightened up. Spencer is a very talented third basemen but the Boston nine lacks depth at the hot corner and if Spencer suffers another injury like the one that cost him 6 weeks last season the Minutemen could be in trouble.
I would think if the Minutemen might have been able to talk the Cougars into a 4th or 5th for Freddie that is a better move if we are simply looking at the player and not factoring in team need. However, Freddie cannot play third base effectively, while Len can, and that becomes very important to the Minutemen who likely prefer not to have to rely on Bud Gustafson as Spencer's possible injury replacement. Len Jones has the flexibility that he can be a plus defender at either third base or second, and if he can chip in a little offense as well it would be a bonus and Len is a .302 career hitter.
Some rumblings circulated that Boston overpaid but I don't think so. Fifth round picks do not pan out all that often and if Len Jones gives the Minutemen a solid spare part at two key positions in their infield it is well worth moving the pick for the safety net Len Jones provides in the event of an injury. The war has robbed FABL of a lot of depth so utilizing a fifth round pick to add some is a wise move for a team that, at least so far, appears it could stay in the Fed race.
- The Cleveland Foresters have announced who they will select to kick off the June portion of the FABL draft. The first three rounds are conducted in January with rounds 4-25 being drafted after the college and high school seasons conclude. With both finished the Foresters, holders of the first selection, have announced they will take 21 year old pitcher Davey Chamberlain. The Omaha native has spent the past three season pitching for Warrensburg State, a small division two school based in Missouri. Chamberlain was 9-5 with a 3.55 era for the Warriors this past season and is 28-13, 3.35 for his three year college career. OSA projects him to be a spot starter.
- Everyone is still waiting to see what, if anything, the Brooklyn Kings do after announcing that a number of veterans including Al Wheeler are on the block. Word is a number of teams are interested in one or more of Wheeler, Harry Barrell or pitchers Bob Cummings, Art White and Bob Ginger.
- The Chiefs, Cannons and Cougars are believed to be three of the teams that have had at least preliminary talks with Brooklyn and likely many other teams have also expressed interest. Now it sounds like there may be another seller on the market as well, perhaps a club with an outfielder to deal that might be a little less costly than Wheeler. The Chiefs and Cannons are both said to be looking for corner outfield help while the Cougars are reported to be coveting a center fielder and a starting pitcher.
- With the busy week ahead (9 games in 7 days) the Chicago Chiefs have decided that rather than disrupting the bullpen, which has been pitching quite well, the Chiefs will be calling up Chief Rogers from Ft Wayne to make the extra start this week. The 35-year-old Rogers was drafted in the 11th round by St. Louis in 1929. He made one start for the Pioneers in 1935. This week's start will be his 2nd FABL appearance.
BIDS FOR NEW PRO GRID FRANCHISE A POSSIBILITY
The American Football Association's second meeting of the year has been called for June 19 and 20 primarily to approve the new schedule and draft an additional 200 collegians, but there's an outside chance one or more petitions for club franchises will be presented then, too.
AFA President Jack Kristich named Chicago as the site for the encore meeting to the April gathering, at which time member teams were unable to agree on a schedule. Kristich is also compiling a list of names of college players graduating between June and October and they will be eligible for teams to choose in the second draft. Three hundred players were selected by the clubs in April.
The possibility the league might be asked to consider granting franchises arose recently when Ted Collins, manager of singer Kate Smith, was reported interested in adding an additional team or perhaps purchasing an existing club should an owner decide not to compete next season. The location of the Collins/Smith bid is not known but the only American city with FABL club and a suitable park but no football team is Cincinnati. Toronto and Montreal are likely not candidates but perhaps Baltimore, which still has a suitable stadium but no big league baseball team after the Cannons moved to Ohio, is another possibility.
OFFICER TRAINING MAY SCRAMBLE GRID FEUDS
If a star football player from Travis College should be sent to Lubbock State to train with the Marines would be then play for the Hawks? If so, would he play against the school for which he had given his all for a couple of years. Such points are being raised as reports indicate Red River State and Travis College will lose most of their experienced gridders because they are not likely to be designated as marine war colleges. The upshoot is a number of schools like Texas Gulf Coast, which was not expected to participate in Southwestern Alliance athletics this year, may be given a new lease and Amarillo State and some of the other also-rans might become top teams.
These reports come from Texas Congressman Albert Thomas of Houston, who quotes Marine Corps officials as saying certain schools in the state would not be designated because they already have naval ROTC units (Travis College and Red River State) or are too crowded with future Army officers (Darnell State) to take care of Marine Training. Amarillo Methodist, Texas Gulf Coast and Lubbock Sate are expected to be designated, meaning some of the star players from Red River State and Travis College are likely to turn up with the Grizzlies, Hurricanes or Hawks in the fall.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 5/30/1943
- The week begins with another huge bombing run by the RAF over Germany. This one, numbering close to 1,000 planes blasted the flood-damaged Ruhr Valley industrial center of Dortmund. Allied air squadrons also lashed docks and airfields on the Italian islands of Pantelleria and Sardinia without meeting serious opposition and would continue pounding Italy all week.
- In response the Germans have sent reinforcements to Sardinia, in expectation of an Allied land attack.
- Prime Minister Churchill is meeting with President Roosevelt in Washington in a conference expected to result in final decisions on the allies strategy, both in Europe and Japan.
- The immediate objective of the Allies appears to be forcing Italy out of the war by inciting revolt, bombing the country into ruins, invasion- or all three. Churchill called on the people of Italy to overthrow their leaders and surrender to the justice of the United Nations before it is too late.
- More labor issues for the President and the war effort, after an unauthorized strike of rubber workers at two Goodyear plants in Akron, Oh. They did comply with FDR's ultimatum they return to work by the end of the week.
- Edsel Ford, president of the Motor Company founded by his father, Henry Ford, died at the age of 49 after being confined to bed with an undulant fever for about a week.