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Jiggs McGee · 08-08-2022, 11:45 AM

JUNE 7, 1943

WOLVES TURN TO GET HOT IN CONTINENTAL

A 9-1 stretch has lifted the Toronto Wolves right back into the thick of things in the Continental Association and their timing could not have been better for the run. First place Cincinnati saw it's torrid pace of 13 wins in 14 games come to a crashing halt when the Cannons were swept four straight by the struggling New York Stars. The Cannons did get back on track a little over the weekend in taking 3 of 5 games from the Chicago Cougars. The Cougars salvaged something from the series by taking both ends of a Sunday doubleheader from Cincinnati, much need wins for the Chicago nine after losing seven of their previous 8 games including 3 of 4 in Toronto.

CHIEFS ADD VETERAN JONES FROM CROSS-TOWN COUGARS

The Chicago Chiefs made a move to shore up their second base situation by making a trade with their Chicago neighbours. The Chiefs, with veteran second sacker Sam Orr sidelined for a month, acquired Freddie Jones from the Cougars in exchange for a minor league pitcher and a pair of draft picks.

It is the latest in a long series of trades between the two Chicago-rivals, and one necessitated in part because the Chiefs shipped infielder Hank Barnett to the Cougars last winter. In Jones, the Chiefs add a 33 year old 5-time all-star who was the Federal Association's Whitney Award winner with St Louis in 1935. Jones has been bothered by injuries much of his career and has not been the same player in his 4-plus seasons as a Cougar that he was with the Pioneers but he is still a solid veteran contributor. In return the Chiefs sent their 4th and 5th round draft picks along with Ed Fisler, a 21 year old former 10th round draft pick who was 4-1 with a 3.61 era at Class A Cedar Rapids this season.

JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEAL: Chiefs management immediately compared this move to the deal done in June of 1936 that brought second baseman Pete Layton to the Windy City and helped Chicago win World Championship Series that October and again two years later. I am not sure if Jones can have the same offensive impact that Layton did but he will fill a void created when Sam Orr went down. If Jones gets hot, and he looked very good much of last season, he just might earn a starting spot after Orr returns -either at second or at first base if the Chiefs can't solve their issues in rightfield and elect to move Ron Rattigan from first to the outfield. I like Fisler - OSA says he could pitch his way into a back-end rotation spot- and he looks like a late bloomer. His velocity is up to 95 mph now and he has had several bumps during the past few years. That being said it is certainly a reasonable price to pay to cover an immediate need at second base, and a bargain if Jones can catch lightning in a bottle and flash some of the skills that helped him win a pair of Federal batting crowns early in his career.

From the Cougars side of things it also makes sense. They add a pair of draft picks and a pitcher with a chance at developing in exchange for a player who really had nowhere to play with the Cougars. Clark Car has clearly established himself at second base and it appears the Cougars are more than content to keep Dick Walker at first so when the often-injured Billy Hunter is ready to return at the end of the month Jones might not have seen much playing time with the Cougars at all.

PITCHERS CLAIM BOTH TOP AMATEUR AWARDS

The two major individual amateur award winners have been announced and both are pitchers. The Adwell Award, presented annually to the top high school player in the nation went to Roy Schaub, a 16 year old righthander from St. Joseph's High School in Philadelphia, while the Christian Trophy, presented to the AIAA's top player, will go to Jim Carter from Ellery College.

Schaub had a breakout season in his third year as a starter in the St. Joseph's rotation, positing a 13-0 record with a 0.41 era and a high school record 242 strikeouts. His numbers compared with the outstanding junior season Hiram Steinberg put up two years ago before being selected first overall by the Cleveland Foresters. Steinberg remains one of the game's elite pitching prospects but his path to the big leagues is on hold while he serves in the Navy. Schaub appears to be the clear favourite to go number one next January.

Jim Carter, a Quincy, Ma. native who has spent the last three seasons with Ellery College, was named the Christian Trophy winner, narrowly outpointing Grange College freshman outfielder Bob Riggins. The 21 year old righthander was selected 7th overall by Toronto in the January portion of the FABL draft and then proceeded to record a 12-2 season with a 2.39 while earning first team All-American status. Carter was a second team All-American each of his first two seasons with the Bruins. Despite it's rich history of AIAA baseball, stretching back to 1910 and the feeder league era, Carter is just the second Ellery player to ever be named a first team All-American, joining 1B Harry Hunter who earned that distinction in 1933. And only two other Bruins -outfielders Jim Mason and Harry Clark- were ever named to the second team prior to Carter.

GILETTE TO AIR ALL-STAR CONTEST

For the first time in the history of the All-Star game, play-by-play accounts of the eleventh summer classic to be staged at Parc Cartier in Montreal, the night of July 13, will be sponsored with only one network having the broadcasting privileges. Previous accounts were carried on a sustaining basis, open to all networks.

Radio rights for the 1943 game were sold to the Gillette Safety Razor Company, sponsors of the past four World Championship Series, for $25,000 for exclusive airing over a network of 200 stations in the United States and Canada by Mutual, with shortwave broadcasts to the armed forces all over the world, it was announced by FABL President Samuel Belton. The money will be deposited to the credit of the majors' baseball equipment fund, as will other receipts from the game.

This marks the second time the FABL stars will meet in Canada. The 1937 game was contested in Toronto's Dominion Field with the visiting Federal Association side prevailing 4-2 in a 19-inning marathon. Also, for the first time, the game between the picked teams of the Federal and Continental Associations, will be an exclusively night affair. The 1942 contest started in daylight and finished under the lights but this one will be a 7:05 first pitch. If postponed due to weather, the game will be played at 1:30pm the following day when the broadcast will be given.

FABL 1943 DRAFT COMES TO A CLOSE

The 16 FABL squads completed their selection of high school and college players last week with rounds 4-10 being finalized. The first three rounds were conducted in April and rounds 11-25 will be auto-drafted on June 22, at which time draftees will be eligible to sign with the organization that selected them.

The fourth round is always interesting because it is the first group of players selected after the college and high school seasons have concluded and there are usually some breakout performances from players that were ignored in the January phase. One of those just might have been Joe Lowry, who was selected by his hometown St Louis Pioneers with the 6th pick of the round. The 18 year St Louis native was a High School All-American and his .522 batting average this season was the 4th highest nationally at the high school level.

Here is the full list of round four selections:

Code:


		ROUND 4 DRAFT PICKS
PICK  TEAM   NAME    		POS AGE  SCHOOL			HOMETOWN
49  Clev   Davey Chamberlain    RHP  21  Warrensburg State       Omaha, NE
50  Wash   Bill Williamson      RHP  18  Columbus HS, Bronx NY	 New York, NY
51  Bkn    Paul Cantin		CF   17  Martinez (CA) HS	 Oakland, CA
52  Det	   Steve Dunagan        CF   21  White Sands University  Peru, IN
53  PhS    Willie Martin	1B   18  Huntsville (AL) HS      Huntsville, AL
54  StL    Joe Lowry		1B   18  Principia HS, St Louis  St Louis, MO
55  Tor    Jack Bowman		SS   21  Portland Tech		 Macon, GA
56  Coug   Bill Holloway	P    20  Lincoln College	 Chicago, IL
57  Mon    Tim G Smith          1B   18  Elmer (NJ) HS    	 Elmer, NJ
58  PhK    Walt Harris		SS   21  Georgia Baptist	 Los Angeles, CA
59  Cin    Ed Haynes Jr.	C    18  Austin (TX) HS		 Austin, TX
60  Pit    Carl Marchini	CF   21  Rolling Hills College   Phoenix, AZ
61  Coug   Jimmy Hairston	LF   18  Bowman (SC) HS		 Columbia, SC
62  Bos	   Doug Harter		SS   21  Topeka State		 Chicago, IL
63  NYS    Bill Gifford		3B   17  San Diego (CA) HS       San Diego, CA
64  NYG    Hal Mayer		RF   21  Marquis College	 Houston, TX

CANNONS INTRODUCE DRAFT CLASS

The Cincinnati Cannons focused entirely on the high school ranks with their 1943 draft class. Club officials say it was not by design but in each case the top player on their board was a high schooler so as a result each of the 7 players the Cannons selected in the human-GM portion of the draft were teenagers.

"It just might help if we lose a number of these guys to the war effort," admitted scouting director Bill Borland. "It was not a plan but the high school guys will obviously be much younger than college picks whenever the world gets back to normal and we receive all of our players back."

Pitching was the focus in the January portion as the Cannons used each of their first 3 selections on right handed high school hurlers. "Again, not by design," explained Borland. "We actually were actively trying to trade up to grab a couple of position players but nothing materialized. And maybe for the best as we are very happy with those three pitchers."

Hal Friedlander was the Cannons top pick, 11th overall, and he put up some pretty good numbers at his Brooklyn area high school. The Cannons sacrificed their fifth round pick in order to trade up 4 spots and ensure they could get the towering 6'4" Californian Johnny Whitter in round two. And for round three the Cannons were very excited to draft a Cincinnati kid, taking St. Xavier High Schooler Charlie Eller. Eller, who went 10-2 with a 1.45 era this season, is a playing the Cannons brass is calling a sleeper and they expect big things out of the homegrown kid.

In round four the Cannons dipped into Texas for Austin high school catcher Ed Haynes Jr. A four year starter at the school his father used to play for and now coaches, Haynes has some power potential and could one day be an above-average big league receiver.

Without a fifth round pick it was a long wait before the Cannons were able to nab 6'5" outfielder Sid Kling in the 6th round. Kling was once considered to be a sure-fire first round pick but he struggled his past two seasons of high school ball in Buffalo and his stock has dropped. The Cannons have followed him since his freshman year and love his size and work ethic so they felt it was well worth the gamble tabbing Kling in round six.

Seventh round pick Lloyd Keeling is another hard worker with limited playing experience as the 18 year old centerfielder played just one season for his high school team in Franklin, Tn. OSA tabbed him as a potential 4th round pick in it's mock and Cannons head scout Bill Bordwell had him as the 39th best position player on his draft board. Keeling has plenty of speed but there is concern if he can hit at the next level. With their final selection the Cannons stayed in Tennessee and chose Lynchburg High School shortstop Tony Page. Cincinnati had traded away it's 9th and 10th round picks.

Code:


		CINCINNATI CANNONS DRAFT PICKS
RD PK   NAME    	POS AGE SCHOOL			HOMETOWN
 1 11 Hal Friedlander	RHP  18 Pelham (NY) HS		Brooklyn, NY
 2  7 Johnny Whitter	RHP  18 Rodeo (CA) HS		San Francisco, CA
 3 11 Charlie Eller	RHP  18 St Xavier HS,Cincinnati Cheviot, OH
 4 11 Ed Haynes Jr.	C    18 Austin (TX) HS		Austin, TX
 6 11 Sid Kling		LF   18 McKinley HS, Buffalo    Buffalo, NY
 7 11 Lloyd Keeling	CF   18 Franklin (TN) HS	Franklin, TN
 8 11 Tony Page         SS   18 Lynchburg (TN) HS       Lynchburg, TN

The Gothams are now 7th in the Federal Association and self-described as a mess. Perhaps they take that old saying 'If you aren't first, you are last' a little too literally. Rarely average, the Gothams have alternated stretches of playing pennant-winning baseball with time spent trying to stay out of the Federal Association cellar. Any chance history repeats itself? The last time New York won the WCS (1935) they followed it up with a terrible start that resulted in them selling everything that wasn't nailed down and spending the next 6 years starting over.
It was a tough week for the Boston Minutemen. First they lose outfielder Joe Watson (.294,0,11) for 6 weeks and then two days later pitcher Dean Astle (5-2, 2.42) goes down with an elbow issue. He, too, is likely out 6 weeks.
Bad news on the injury front for the Montreal Saints as well. Ed Baker is out for 5 months. The veteran pitcher was 6-2 before the injury... it means Wally Reif or Jimmy Mayse will get a chance to start in FABL.
Johnny Bologna of the Philadelphia Inquisitor breaks down the Keystones for us: A hectic 9-game week for the Keystones was ultimately successful, mainly for the 4-game sweep against the Chiefs. The ship is righted at 24-24. Previous visits to the .500 mark have been brief this season and the pre-All Star Break schedule looks tough, with just 6 of the 33 games before the break taking place on Broad Street. The rest of June has a five-game set in Pittsburgh, eight games against Washington (4 home, 4 away), six games against Boston with four at Cunningham, and a game in Detroit. Washington and Boston are currently ahead of the Keystones in the standings, which will undoubtedly look different in a month.
The Eagles are 7-0 vs Detroit this season but 0-7 vs Chicago.
A 7-2 week against the bottom feeders from Detroit and New York allowed the Eagles to get back on track. Washington is 29-20 on the year, just a half game back of the Chicago Chiefs. The Eagles started 20-6 but went through a miserable 2-12 stretch that included those 7 losses to the Chiefs.
Mel Haynes, a key piece in the deal that sent Hank Barnett from the Chiefs to the Cougars, looked solid in his AAA debut last week. The 21 year old righthander may find his way to the big leagues with the Chiefs before the season is out.
Don't look now but Sam Sheppard is 10-1 and seems a lock for his first all-star game appearance since 1937. Sheppard went 28-7 and won the Allen Award in 1935 and followed that up with 2 more twenty-win seasons. However, from 1938 until last season he was 35-49 and lost his spot in the Pioneers rotation. Be quite a story if he could win another Allen Award after such a drop-off.
The Chicago Cougars just cannot beat Toronto. They are 1-7 on the year vs the Wolves but 26-14 against everyone else in the Continental Association.
Great story of a guy given a second chance because of all the losses to the war effort. Jim Mason was a 1937 all-star with the Cannons but struggled in '38 and Stars took him in the rule 5. He did not stick there and was released by Cincinnati when he was returned to them. Mason then sat out the next 4 seasons before signing with the Chiefs in February. They waived him before he played but the Cannons needed OF depth in AAA so they signed him to a minor league deal in May. After 4 years out of the game Mason is slashing .341/.407/.500 at AAA and on the verge of a promotion to Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Cannons were very happy to land Sid Kling with their 6th round pick. A couple of years ago Kling Buffalo high school outfielder looked like a likely first round pick but he regressed the past couple of seasons and fell in the rankings dramatically. "Like any 6th rounder he is a risk" said Cannons Scouting Director Bill Bordwell, "but we have been tracking Sid since his freshman year." Kling has all the intangibles in great size -he is 6'5"- and is smart with a tremendous work ethic. The Cannons hope he can get beck on track once he turns pro.
The Pittsburgh Miners hope they landed a steal with their 6th rounder. Louis Price, a high school catcher out of Oregon who has committed to Northern Mississippi, was projected as a top ten selection by the Miners scouting staff headed by Harris Dixon.
Staying in the 6th round, the Washington Eagles drafted a player by the name of Cincinnatus Williams. A New York born third baseman who has committed to Freemont State if he doesn't turn pro, will become the first player in pro baseball history with the first name of Cincinnatus. Really seems like a kid that should have been selected by the Cannons though.
Line of the week: Pittsburgh Press sportswriter Denton Fox, when noticing shortly after Cincinnatus Williams was selected that the Miners were delaying in making their pick noted "they are searching for Pittsburghus Jones in the draft register."

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL to see how each of the first round selections from January fared this spring in the high school or college ranks.

BOSTON- Frankie Gonnella 3B- 14th overall: Gonnella was a first team All-American last season and followed that up with second team honours this time around in his last of 3 years starting for Canton State. Set career bests in all 3 slash categories (.314/.405/.521) and is a player OSA feels could hit .310 in FABL one day.

BROOKLYN- Pat Petty LF - 3rd overall: Petty put up decent (.480/.565/.776) but not overwhelming numbers at Duluth High School in his only season there but OSA sees immense potential for the 18 year old outfielder saying he "has the highest ceiling imaginable as an elite outfielder". He was listed #2 behind first overall pick Jim Adams Jr. on the latest OSA mock.

CHIEFS- Joe Davis 1B - 8th overall: A 4-year starter at Boston's Copley High School, Davis slashed .500/.559/.674 this season. It was his lowest performance in each of those categories and while he certainly can hit perhaps there is concern he lacks the power to play first base in the big leagues as OSA did not include him in it's 5-round mock. He likely reminds Chiefs brass of Ron Rattigan and there seems little doubt Davis can make contact. His .519 career batting average is 25th all-time among high schoolers with at least 60 games played.

COUGARS- Tommy Seymour P - 13th overall: This was the first year of organized ball for the 18 year old from Kansas. He was 8-2 with a 1.59 era with a very good K/9 ratio, one that rivals top young Cougar arms Pete Papenfus and Donnie Jones during their high school days. OSA still believes he can be a #2 starter but one has to think the Cougars had hoped for just a little more development as he failed to crack the OSA 5 round mock draft.

CINCINNATI- Hal Friedlander P - 11th overall: Like Seymour, Friedlander is a high school arm with just one year experience who failed to crack the OSA mock. The 18 year old Brooklyn native went 7-2 with a 1.13 era this season and a solid 13.1 K/9. OSA feels he not an ace but is ticketed for the middle of the rotation one day.

CLEVELAND- Jim Adams Jr. SS - 1st overall: It's hard to say Adams disappointed when he was named a first team All-American this season and remains at the top of the OSA mock draft but his slash numbers were the lowest of his three year college career. Not sure of that should raise concern with Foresters brass or it was just a case of the pressure getting to Adams a big, as OSA still feels he is a future all-star.

DETROIT- Alf Keeter P - 4th overall: Keeter's first year of high school ball as an 18 year old senior was a very good one as he posted a 10-1 record with a 1.45 era for Redeemer High in New Orleans. Not quite All-American numbers but still a solid performance and OSA feels his ceiling is at the front of the rotation.

MONTREAL- Luke Weaver 3B - 9th overall: OSA feels Weaver profiles as a potential elite third baseman on a contending team and placed him in the top five of their mock draft. His one and only season of college ball at American Atlantic saw Weaver slash .297/.357/.506 while tying for 10th in the AIAA with 9 homeruns.

NY STARS- Jock Stone 3B - 15th overall: Like Weaver, Stone had just the one season of college ball but he was at one that plays in a very low division in Meade College. So while Stone's slash numbers .311/.423/.492 and 11 homeruns might look better than Weaver's the competition level likely indicates they are inflated. OSA loves his defense but concedes Stone likely needs work to be anything more than an average contact hitter at the next level.

NY GOTHAMS- Tommy Kelley OF - 16th overall: Just one season of high school ball for the 18 year old from Dexter, Mi. His slash numbers were not overly impressive .432/.519/.580 especially the slugging number considering he is a corner outfielder. OSA is also concerned about his hustle and defensive potential but did like Kelley enough to place him in the top half of the first round in their mock draft.

KEYSTONES- Johnnie Porter CF - 10th overall: Was an Adwell Award finalist and a High School All-American after tying for the lead in homers with 9 while slashing .455/.555/.909. Not a bad performance for his only season of high school ball. Perhaps understating things, OSA feels he can be a reliable big league hitter while placing him third overall on it's most recent mock draft.

SAILORS- Hoppy Johnson P - 5th overall: The Charleston Tech righthander is a 3-year starter but saved his best season for last going 8-2, 2.09 with 130 k's in 99 innings. Missing a few starts bumped him to the second team All-American squad behind fellow junior Jim Carter and cost him a chance at the Christian Trophy. Despite missing those starts he was 4th in K's but first in K/9 with a 10.4. He also led the nation in FIP, ERA and opponents batting average. OSA is calling him a future number 2 starter for most teams.

PITTSBURGH- Jim Hawkins P - 12th overall: The Oakmont, Pa. native was named to the High School All-American team for the second straight season and had a great year overall, going 9-0, 0.48 ERA, 167 K, 14 BB. His 0.23 FIP is second best this season and 5th lowest all-time.

ST LOUIS- Homer Mills SS - 6th overall: Lauded by many as the steal of the first round when the Weston College junior slipped to the Pioneers at 6th. Perhaps other GM's knew something as Mills did see a drop in production his draft year and OSA feels while he can play in the big leagues, he will be more a supplement than a star.

TORONTO- Jim Carter P - 7th overall: The Ellery College star had a great junior season, posting a 12-2 record, 2.39 ERA with 133 k's in 132 innings. Carter led the nation in Wins and WAR, was third in K's, second in FIP, ERA and opponents batting average and was rewarded with the Christian Trophy as the AIAA's top player, making him the third Wolves pick to win a Christian Trophy, joining Sam Orr (1927) and Joe Hancock (1933). Carter looks like another very good arm for Toronto to add to it's strong collection of pitchers and OSA calls him a future top of the rotation candidate. His numbers very much remind one of Hancock and if he can approach that type of career the Wolves will be very happy.

WASHINGTON- Bob Newcomer C - 2nd overall: Newcomer was a second team All-American at Cesar Rodney in 1942 but his numbers slipped in his draft year. He slashed .297/.410/.423 but all 3 of those lines were down from his 3 year career average. OSA still feels he can be an above-average everyday big league player but the 20 year old likely seemed a much surer bet to accomplish that at this time last year than perhaps he does today.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 6/06/1943

[LIST][*]As the Axis, a victim of war nerves, braces for the start of the long anticipated Allied European invasion, RAF flyers continue to bomb German targets. Below is map of areas the allies are focusing on.

[*]The French Naval squadron of at least 8 warships interned at Alexandria since the fall of France in 1940 has joined the Allies and adds to the naval strength in the Mediterranean.[*]Prime Minister Churchill stopped in North Africa on his way back to London from his American trip, presumably to give final orders to Allied armies for an invasion of Europe that now can be expected momentarily.[*]With all organized resistance on Attu Island crush, American forces are now in a position to launch direct attacks on the Japanese homeland.[*]Drastic US action is expected as John L Lewis and the 530,000 members of his United Mine Workers Union defied the Government by halting work in coal fields for the second time in 31 days.

[/code]

08-08-2022, 11:45 AM	#489
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	June 7, 1943 JUNE 7, 1943 WOLVES TURN TO GET HOT IN CONTINENTAL A 9-1 stretch has lifted the Toronto Wolves right back into the thick of things in the Continental Association and their timing could not have been better for the run. First place Cincinnati saw it's torrid pace of 13 wins in 14 games come to a crashing halt when the Cannons were swept four straight by the struggling New York Stars. The Cannons did get back on track a little over the weekend in taking 3 of 5 games from the Chicago Cougars. The Cougars salvaged something from the series by taking both ends of a Sunday doubleheader from Cincinnati, much need wins for the Chicago nine after losing seven of their previous 8 games including 3 of 4 in Toronto. CHIEFS ADD VETERAN JONES FROM CROSS-TOWN COUGARS The Chicago Chiefs made a move to shore up their second base situation by making a trade with their Chicago neighbours. The Chiefs, with veteran second sacker Sam Orr sidelined for a month, acquired Freddie Jones from the Cougars in exchange for a minor league pitcher and a pair of draft picks. It is the latest in a long series of trades between the two Chicago-rivals, and one necessitated in part because the Chiefs shipped infielder Hank Barnett to the Cougars last winter. In Jones, the Chiefs add a 33 year old 5-time all-star who was the Federal Association's Whitney Award winner with St Louis in 1935. Jones has been bothered by injuries much of his career and has not been the same player in his 4-plus seasons as a Cougar that he was with the Pioneers but he is still a solid veteran contributor. In return the Chiefs sent their 4th and 5th round draft picks along with Ed Fisler, a 21 year old former 10th round draft pick who was 4-1 with a 3.61 era at Class A Cedar Rapids this season. JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE ON THE DEAL: Chiefs management immediately compared this move to the deal done in June of 1936 that brought second baseman Pete Layton to the Windy City and helped Chicago win World Championship Series that October and again two years later. I am not sure if Jones can have the same offensive impact that Layton did but he will fill a void created when Sam Orr went down. If Jones gets hot, and he looked very good much of last season, he just might earn a starting spot after Orr returns -either at second or at first base if the Chiefs can't solve their issues in rightfield and elect to move Ron Rattigan from first to the outfield. I like Fisler - OSA says he could pitch his way into a back-end rotation spot- and he looks like a late bloomer. His velocity is up to 95 mph now and he has had several bumps during the past few years. That being said it is certainly a reasonable price to pay to cover an immediate need at second base, and a bargain if Jones can catch lightning in a bottle and flash some of the skills that helped him win a pair of Federal batting crowns early in his career. From the Cougars side of things it also makes sense. They add a pair of draft picks and a pitcher with a chance at developing in exchange for a player who really had nowhere to play with the Cougars. Clark Car has clearly established himself at second base and it appears the Cougars are more than content to keep Dick Walker at first so when the often-injured Billy Hunter is ready to return at the end of the month Jones might not have seen much playing time with the Cougars at all. PITCHERS CLAIM BOTH TOP AMATEUR AWARDS The two major individual amateur award winners have been announced and both are pitchers. The Adwell Award, presented annually to the top high school player in the nation went to Roy Schaub, a 16 year old righthander from St. Joseph's High School in Philadelphia, while the Christian Trophy, presented to the AIAA's top player, will go to Jim Carter from Ellery College. Schaub had a breakout season in his third year as a starter in the St. Joseph's rotation, positing a 13-0 record with a 0.41 era and a high school record 242 strikeouts. His numbers compared with the outstanding junior season Hiram Steinberg put up two years ago before being selected first overall by the Cleveland Foresters. Steinberg remains one of the game's elite pitching prospects but his path to the big leagues is on hold while he serves in the Navy. Schaub appears to be the clear favourite to go number one next January. Jim Carter, a Quincy, Ma. native who has spent the last three seasons with Ellery College, was named the Christian Trophy winner, narrowly outpointing Grange College freshman outfielder Bob Riggins. The 21 year old righthander was selected 7th overall by Toronto in the January portion of the FABL draft and then proceeded to record a 12-2 season with a 2.39 while earning first team All-American status. Carter was a second team All-American each of his first two seasons with the Bruins. Despite it's rich history of AIAA baseball, stretching back to 1910 and the feeder league era, Carter is just the second Ellery player to ever be named a first team All-American, joining 1B Harry Hunter who earned that distinction in 1933. And only two other Bruins -outfielders Jim Mason and Harry Clark- were ever named to the second team prior to Carter. GILETTE TO AIR ALL-STAR CONTEST For the first time in the history of the All-Star game, play-by-play accounts of the eleventh summer classic to be staged at Parc Cartier in Montreal, the night of July 13, will be sponsored with only one network having the broadcasting privileges. Previous accounts were carried on a sustaining basis, open to all networks. Radio rights for the 1943 game were sold to the Gillette Safety Razor Company, sponsors of the past four World Championship Series, for $25,000 for exclusive airing over a network of 200 stations in the United States and Canada by Mutual, with shortwave broadcasts to the armed forces all over the world, it was announced by FABL President Samuel Belton. The money will be deposited to the credit of the majors' baseball equipment fund, as will other receipts from the game. This marks the second time the FABL stars will meet in Canada. The 1937 game was contested in Toronto's Dominion Field with the visiting Federal Association side prevailing 4-2 in a 19-inning marathon. Also, for the first time, the game between the picked teams of the Federal and Continental Associations, will be an exclusively night affair. The 1942 contest started in daylight and finished under the lights but this one will be a 7:05 first pitch. If postponed due to weather, the game will be played at 1:30pm the following day when the broadcast will be given. FABL 1943 DRAFT COMES TO A CLOSE The 16 FABL squads completed their selection of high school and college players last week with rounds 4-10 being finalized. The first three rounds were conducted in April and rounds 11-25 will be auto-drafted on June 22, at which time draftees will be eligible to sign with the organization that selected them. The fourth round is always interesting because it is the first group of players selected after the college and high school seasons have concluded and there are usually some breakout performances from players that were ignored in the January phase. One of those just might have been Joe Lowry, who was selected by his hometown St Louis Pioneers with the 6th pick of the round. The 18 year St Louis native was a High School All-American and his .522 batting average this season was the 4th highest nationally at the high school level. Here is the full list of round four selections: Code: ROUND 4 DRAFT PICKS PICK TEAM NAME POS AGE SCHOOL HOMETOWN 49 Clev Davey Chamberlain RHP 21 Warrensburg State Omaha, NE 50 Wash Bill Williamson RHP 18 Columbus HS, Bronx NY New York, NY 51 Bkn Paul Cantin CF 17 Martinez (CA) HS Oakland, CA 52 Det Steve Dunagan CF 21 White Sands University Peru, IN 53 PhS Willie Martin 1B 18 Huntsville (AL) HS Huntsville, AL 54 StL Joe Lowry 1B 18 Principia HS, St Louis St Louis, MO 55 Tor Jack Bowman SS 21 Portland Tech Macon, GA 56 Coug Bill Holloway P 20 Lincoln College Chicago, IL 57 Mon Tim G Smith 1B 18 Elmer (NJ) HS Elmer, NJ 58 PhK Walt Harris SS 21 Georgia Baptist Los Angeles, CA 59 Cin Ed Haynes Jr. C 18 Austin (TX) HS Austin, TX 60 Pit Carl Marchini CF 21 Rolling Hills College Phoenix, AZ 61 Coug Jimmy Hairston LF 18 Bowman (SC) HS Columbia, SC 62 Bos Doug Harter SS 21 Topeka State Chicago, IL 63 NYS Bill Gifford 3B 17 San Diego (CA) HS San Diego, CA 64 NYG Hal Mayer RF 21 Marquis College Houston, TX CANNONS INTRODUCE DRAFT CLASS The Cincinnati Cannons focused entirely on the high school ranks with their 1943 draft class. Club officials say it was not by design but in each case the top player on their board was a high schooler so as a result each of the 7 players the Cannons selected in the human-GM portion of the draft were teenagers. "It just might help if we lose a number of these guys to the war effort," admitted scouting director Bill Borland. "It was not a plan but the high school guys will obviously be much younger than college picks whenever the world gets back to normal and we receive all of our players back." Pitching was the focus in the January portion as the Cannons used each of their first 3 selections on right handed high school hurlers. "Again, not by design," explained Borland. "We actually were actively trying to trade up to grab a couple of position players but nothing materialized. And maybe for the best as we are very happy with those three pitchers." Hal Friedlander was the Cannons top pick, 11th overall, and he put up some pretty good numbers at his Brooklyn area high school. The Cannons sacrificed their fifth round pick in order to trade up 4 spots and ensure they could get the towering 6'4" Californian Johnny Whitter in round two. And for round three the Cannons were very excited to draft a Cincinnati kid, taking St. Xavier High Schooler Charlie Eller. Eller, who went 10-2 with a 1.45 era this season, is a playing the Cannons brass is calling a sleeper and they expect big things out of the homegrown kid. In round four the Cannons dipped into Texas for Austin high school catcher Ed Haynes Jr. A four year starter at the school his father used to play for and now coaches, Haynes has some power potential and could one day be an above-average big league receiver. Without a fifth round pick it was a long wait before the Cannons were able to nab 6'5" outfielder Sid Kling in the 6th round. Kling was once considered to be a sure-fire first round pick but he struggled his past two seasons of high school ball in Buffalo and his stock has dropped. The Cannons have followed him since his freshman year and love his size and work ethic so they felt it was well worth the gamble tabbing Kling in round six. Seventh round pick Lloyd Keeling is another hard worker with limited playing experience as the 18 year old centerfielder played just one season for his high school team in Franklin, Tn. OSA tabbed him as a potential 4th round pick in it's mock and Cannons head scout Bill Bordwell had him as the 39th best position player on his draft board. Keeling has plenty of speed but there is concern if he can hit at the next level. With their final selection the Cannons stayed in Tennessee and chose Lynchburg High School shortstop Tony Page. Cincinnati had traded away it's 9th and 10th round picks. Code: CINCINNATI CANNONS DRAFT PICKS RD PK NAME POS AGE SCHOOL HOMETOWN 1 11 Hal Friedlander RHP 18 Pelham (NY) HS Brooklyn, NY 2 7 Johnny Whitter RHP 18 Rodeo (CA) HS San Francisco, CA 3 11 Charlie Eller RHP 18 St Xavier HS,Cincinnati Cheviot, OH 4 11 Ed Haynes Jr. C 18 Austin (TX) HS Austin, TX 6 11 Sid Kling LF 18 McKinley HS, Buffalo Buffalo, NY 7 11 Lloyd Keeling CF 18 Franklin (TN) HS Franklin, TN 8 11 Tony Page SS 18 Lynchburg (TN) HS Lynchburg, TN The Gothams are now 7th in the Federal Association and self-described as a mess. Perhaps they take that old saying 'If you aren't first, you are last' a little too literally. Rarely average, the Gothams have alternated stretches of playing pennant-winning baseball with time spent trying to stay out of the Federal Association cellar. Any chance history repeats itself? The last time New York won the WCS (1935) they followed it up with a terrible start that resulted in them selling everything that wasn't nailed down and spending the next 6 years starting over. It was a tough week for the Boston Minutemen. First they lose outfielder Joe Watson (.294,0,11) for 6 weeks and then two days later pitcher Dean Astle (5-2, 2.42) goes down with an elbow issue. He, too, is likely out 6 weeks. Bad news on the injury front for the Montreal Saints as well. Ed Baker is out for 5 months. The veteran pitcher was 6-2 before the injury... it means Wally Reif or Jimmy Mayse will get a chance to start in FABL. Johnny Bologna of the Philadelphia Inquisitor breaks down the Keystones for us: A hectic 9-game week for the Keystones was ultimately successful, mainly for the 4-game sweep against the Chiefs. The ship is righted at 24-24. Previous visits to the .500 mark have been brief this season and the pre-All Star Break schedule looks tough, with just 6 of the 33 games before the break taking place on Broad Street. The rest of June has a five-game set in Pittsburgh, eight games against Washington (4 home, 4 away), six games against Boston with four at Cunningham, and a game in Detroit. Washington and Boston are currently ahead of the Keystones in the standings, which will undoubtedly look different in a month. The Eagles are 7-0 vs Detroit this season but 0-7 vs Chicago. A 7-2 week against the bottom feeders from Detroit and New York allowed the Eagles to get back on track. Washington is 29-20 on the year, just a half game back of the Chicago Chiefs. The Eagles started 20-6 but went through a miserable 2-12 stretch that included those 7 losses to the Chiefs. Mel Haynes, a key piece in the deal that sent Hank Barnett from the Chiefs to the Cougars, looked solid in his AAA debut last week. The 21 year old righthander may find his way to the big leagues with the Chiefs before the season is out. Don't look now but Sam Sheppard is 10-1 and seems a lock for his first all-star game appearance since 1937. Sheppard went 28-7 and won the Allen Award in 1935 and followed that up with 2 more twenty-win seasons. However, from 1938 until last season he was 35-49 and lost his spot in the Pioneers rotation. Be quite a story if he could win another Allen Award after such a drop-off. The Chicago Cougars just cannot beat Toronto. They are 1-7 on the year vs the Wolves but 26-14 against everyone else in the Continental Association. Great story of a guy given a second chance because of all the losses to the war effort. Jim Mason was a 1937 all-star with the Cannons but struggled in '38 and Stars took him in the rule 5. He did not stick there and was released by Cincinnati when he was returned to them. Mason then sat out the next 4 seasons before signing with the Chiefs in February. They waived him before he played but the Cannons needed OF depth in AAA so they signed him to a minor league deal in May. After 4 years out of the game Mason is slashing .341/.407/.500 at AAA and on the verge of a promotion to Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Cannons were very happy to land Sid Kling with their 6th round pick. A couple of years ago Kling Buffalo high school outfielder looked like a likely first round pick but he regressed the past couple of seasons and fell in the rankings dramatically. "Like any 6th rounder he is a risk" said Cannons Scouting Director Bill Bordwell, "but we have been tracking Sid since his freshman year." Kling has all the intangibles in great size -he is 6'5"- and is smart with a tremendous work ethic. The Cannons hope he can get beck on track once he turns pro. The Pittsburgh Miners hope they landed a steal with their 6th rounder. Louis Price, a high school catcher out of Oregon who has committed to Northern Mississippi, was projected as a top ten selection by the Miners scouting staff headed by Harris Dixon. Staying in the 6th round, the Washington Eagles drafted a player by the name of Cincinnatus Williams. A New York born third baseman who has committed to Freemont State if he doesn't turn pro, will become the first player in pro baseball history with the first name of Cincinnatus. Really seems like a kid that should have been selected by the Cannons though. Line of the week: Pittsburgh Press sportswriter Denton Fox, when noticing shortly after Cincinnatus Williams was selected that the Miners were delaying in making their pick noted "they are searching for Pittsburghus Jones in the draft register." AROUND THE LEAGUE Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL to see how each of the first round selections from January fared this spring in the high school or college ranks. BOSTON- Frankie Gonnella 3B- 14th overall: Gonnella was a first team All-American last season and followed that up with second team honours this time around in his last of 3 years starting for Canton State. Set career bests in all 3 slash categories (.314/.405/.521) and is a player OSA feels could hit .310 in FABL one day. BROOKLYN- Pat Petty LF - 3rd overall: Petty put up decent (.480/.565/.776) but not overwhelming numbers at Duluth High School in his only season there but OSA sees immense potential for the 18 year old outfielder saying he "has the highest ceiling imaginable as an elite outfielder". He was listed #2 behind first overall pick Jim Adams Jr. on the latest OSA mock. CHIEFS- Joe Davis 1B - 8th overall: A 4-year starter at Boston's Copley High School, Davis slashed .500/.559/.674 this season. It was his lowest performance in each of those categories and while he certainly can hit perhaps there is concern he lacks the power to play first base in the big leagues as OSA did not include him in it's 5-round mock. He likely reminds Chiefs brass of Ron Rattigan and there seems little doubt Davis can make contact. His .519 career batting average is 25th all-time among high schoolers with at least 60 games played. COUGARS- Tommy Seymour P - 13th overall: This was the first year of organized ball for the 18 year old from Kansas. He was 8-2 with a 1.59 era with a very good K/9 ratio, one that rivals top young Cougar arms Pete Papenfus and Donnie Jones during their high school days. OSA still believes he can be a #2 starter but one has to think the Cougars had hoped for just a little more development as he failed to crack the OSA 5 round mock draft. CINCINNATI- Hal Friedlander P - 11th overall: Like Seymour, Friedlander is a high school arm with just one year experience who failed to crack the OSA mock. The 18 year old Brooklyn native went 7-2 with a 1.13 era this season and a solid 13.1 K/9. OSA feels he not an ace but is ticketed for the middle of the rotation one day. CLEVELAND- Jim Adams Jr. SS - 1st overall: It's hard to say Adams disappointed when he was named a first team All-American this season and remains at the top of the OSA mock draft but his slash numbers were the lowest of his three year college career. Not sure of that should raise concern with Foresters brass or it was just a case of the pressure getting to Adams a big, as OSA still feels he is a future all-star. DETROIT- Alf Keeter P - 4th overall: Keeter's first year of high school ball as an 18 year old senior was a very good one as he posted a 10-1 record with a 1.45 era for Redeemer High in New Orleans. Not quite All-American numbers but still a solid performance and OSA feels his ceiling is at the front of the rotation. MONTREAL- Luke Weaver 3B - 9th overall: OSA feels Weaver profiles as a potential elite third baseman on a contending team and placed him in the top five of their mock draft. His one and only season of college ball at American Atlantic saw Weaver slash .297/.357/.506 while tying for 10th in the AIAA with 9 homeruns. NY STARS- Jock Stone 3B - 15th overall: Like Weaver, Stone had just the one season of college ball but he was at one that plays in a very low division in Meade College. So while Stone's slash numbers .311/.423/.492 and 11 homeruns might look better than Weaver's the competition level likely indicates they are inflated. OSA loves his defense but concedes Stone likely needs work to be anything more than an average contact hitter at the next level. NY GOTHAMS- Tommy Kelley OF - 16th overall: Just one season of high school ball for the 18 year old from Dexter, Mi. His slash numbers were not overly impressive .432/.519/.580 especially the slugging number considering he is a corner outfielder. OSA is also concerned about his hustle and defensive potential but did like Kelley enough to place him in the top half of the first round in their mock draft. KEYSTONES- Johnnie Porter CF - 10th overall: Was an Adwell Award finalist and a High School All-American after tying for the lead in homers with 9 while slashing .455/.555/.909. Not a bad performance for his only season of high school ball. Perhaps understating things, OSA feels he can be a reliable big league hitter while placing him third overall on it's most recent mock draft. SAILORS- Hoppy Johnson P - 5th overall: The Charleston Tech righthander is a 3-year starter but saved his best season for last going 8-2, 2.09 with 130 k's in 99 innings. Missing a few starts bumped him to the second team All-American squad behind fellow junior Jim Carter and cost him a chance at the Christian Trophy. Despite missing those starts he was 4th in K's but first in K/9 with a 10.4. He also led the nation in FIP, ERA and opponents batting average. OSA is calling him a future number 2 starter for most teams. PITTSBURGH- Jim Hawkins P - 12th overall: The Oakmont, Pa. native was named to the High School All-American team for the second straight season and had a great year overall, going 9-0, 0.48 ERA, 167 K, 14 BB. His 0.23 FIP is second best this season and 5th lowest all-time. ST LOUIS- Homer Mills SS - 6th overall: Lauded by many as the steal of the first round when the Weston College junior slipped to the Pioneers at 6th. Perhaps other GM's knew something as Mills did see a drop in production his draft year and OSA feels while he can play in the big leagues, he will be more a supplement than a star. TORONTO- Jim Carter P - 7th overall: The Ellery College star had a great junior season, posting a 12-2 record, 2.39 ERA with 133 k's in 132 innings. Carter led the nation in Wins and WAR, was third in K's, second in FIP, ERA and opponents batting average and was rewarded with the Christian Trophy as the AIAA's top player, making him the third Wolves pick to win a Christian Trophy, joining Sam Orr (1927) and Joe Hancock (1933). Carter looks like another very good arm for Toronto to add to it's strong collection of pitchers and OSA calls him a future top of the rotation candidate. His numbers very much remind one of Hancock and if he can approach that type of career the Wolves will be very happy. WASHINGTON- Bob Newcomer C - 2nd overall: Newcomer was a second team All-American at Cesar Rodney in 1942 but his numbers slipped in his draft year. He slashed .297/.410/.423 but all 3 of those lines were down from his 3 year career average. OSA still feels he can be an above-average everyday big league player but the 20 year old likely seemed a much surer bet to accomplish that at this time last year than perhaps he does today. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 6/06/1943 [LIST][]As the Axis, a victim of war nerves, braces for the start of the long anticipated Allied European invasion, RAF flyers continue to bomb German targets. Below is map of areas the allies are focusing on. []The French Naval squadron of at least 8 warships interned at Alexandria since the fall of France in 1940 has joined the Allies and adds to the naval strength in the Mediterranean.[]Prime Minister Churchill stopped in North Africa on his way back to London from his American trip, presumably to give final orders to Allied armies for an invasion of Europe that now can be expected momentarily.[]With all organized resistance on Attu Island crush, American forces are now in a position to launch direct attacks on the Japanese homeland.[]Drastic US action is expected as John L Lewis and the 530,000 members of his United Mine Workers Union defied the Government by halting work in coal fields for the second time in 31 days. [/code] __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal* The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-08-2022 at 11:48 AM.