JULY 10, 1944
ROSTERS REVEALED FOR ALL-STAR GAME
Tomorrow night in Washington D.C., the top players in the Federal and Continental Associations will gather to compete in the 12th annual FABL All-Star Game. It promises to be a star studded affair but -as was the case each of the past two seasons- there will be many big names missing as well over 1,200 professional ballplayers -including many big leaguers- continue to serve in the World War.
The biggest surprise had to be the fact that the host Washington Eagles placed 5 players on the Federal Association All-Star Team including three pitchers. The Eagles will be represented by hurlers Del Burns, Dan Everett -who sit first and third for lowest ERA among Fed qualifiers- and Kid Campbell along with veteran third baseman Mel Carrol and outfielder Don Miller. Only Carrol, who had been named four times in the past, has previous All-Star Game experience.
The Chicago Cougars, despite their recent struggles, led the way with 7 players selected to the Continental Association side including veteran third baseman Hank Barnett, who was named for the 7th time in his career. Among the others named from the Cougars was Ben Curtin. It marked the second selection for Curtin, who last appeared in the very first all-star game held at Whitney Park in 1933. Curtin was the winning pitcher on that day.
The Philadelphia Keystones -tops in the Federal Association standings- had 5 players named to the All-Star team tying them with the Washington Eagles for the most from a Federal Association nine. The Philadelphia Sailors of the Continental Association will also send 5 players to the game.
*** NINE FOR BIRD AND BARRELL ***
Chicago Chiefs catcher Tom Bird and outfielder Bobby Barrell of the Keystones will each be making their ninth appearance at an All-Star game. That allows them to tie Detroit's Frank Vance -who is active this year but was not selected as an all-star- for the most appearances all-time. A complete list of players to be named to at least 5 all-star games is in TWIFB's all-star game history section below.
The oldest and youngest selections this season are each making their first ever all-star appearance, and are two of 19 first-time participants. Philadelphia Keystones pitcher Tim Walters is the oldest at 39 years, 269 days. Walters, who is an impressive 7-1 with a 1.35 era pitching exclusively out of the pen for the Keystones, is no stranger to be the oldest something as last year he made his big league debut at the ripe old age of 38. He was first drafted n 1922 by the Chicago Cougars and Ducky Davis of the Cleveland Foresters -the youngest player to be selected this year- was just 2 years old at the time. Davis, who is 6-2 with a 2.71 era this season as a rookie for the Foresters, is exactly one month younger than Chicago Cougars infielder Skipper Schneider. Schneider, by the way, is making his fourth all-star game appearance and is already in his 5th year as an everyday player.
Every FABL club will be represented by at least one player. Here is the breakdown by team and the number of times each member of the 1944 All-Star Game roster has been selected in his career.
1944 ALL-STAR SELECTIONS BY TEAM
COUGARS- 7 Harry Parker (2), Art White (4), Ben Curtin (2), Harry Mead (2), Hank Barnett (7), Skipper Schneider (4), Leo Mitchell (5)
KEYSTONES- 5 Jonah Brown (1), Red Ross (3), Tim Walters (1), Harry Shumate (2), Bobby Barrell (9)
SAILORS- 5 Doc Newell (4), Hannibal Davis (1), Bill Watson (1), Marion Boismenu (2), Frank Covarrubias (1)
WASHINGTON- 5 Del Burns (1), Dan Everett (1), Kid Campbell (1), Mel Carrol (5), Don Miller (1)
PITTSBURGH- 4 Billy Ligons (1), Johnny McDowell (2), Luke Berry (1), Whit Williams (1)
TORONTO- 4 Bernie Johnson (1), Charlie Artuso (2), Hal Wood (1), Chink Stickels (2)
BOSTON- 3 Walt Wells (4), Lew McClendon (3), Pete Day (5)
CINCINNATI- 3 Butch Smith (4), Bob Griffith (1), Sam Brown (3)
CLEVELAND- 3 Ducky Davis (1), George Rotondi (1), Lou Balk (2)
CHIEFS- 2 Tom Bird (9), Ron Rattigan (7)
DETROIT- 2 Joe Henry (1), Gil London (2)
NY GOTHAMS- 2 Ed Bowman (2), Red Johnson (4)
ST LOUIS- 2 Buddy Long (2), Gail Gifford (3)
BROOKLYN- 1 Vernon Ruch (1)
MONTREAL- 1 Jake Hughes (3)
NY STARS- 1 Hank Mittan (1)
ALL-STAR GAME HISTORY
As we prepare for the 12th annual All-Star game the Federal Association leads the series but a win by the Continental nine can lift that loop into a tie for the first time ever. The Feds lead in wins by a 6-5 count mainly on the strength of victories in the first three mid-season classics including an 8-5 win at Chicago's Whitney Park back in 1933, which was the very first All-Star game. Here is a look at the year by year results and a list of the players who have participated in the most all-star contests.
Code:
PAST ALL STAR GAME RESULTS
YEAR LOCATION RESULT WINNING PITCHER MVP
1933 Whitney Park Federal 8 Continental 5 Ben Curtin STL Pete Asher Pit
1934 Riverside Stadium Federal 11 Continental 7 Chick Stout Pit Tom Taylor Cougars
1935 Broad Street Park Federal 5 Continental 2 Art Myers Keystones Freddie Jones StL
1936 Pioneer Field Continental 6 Federal 4 Tom Barrell BKN Dick Walker Sailors
1937 Dominion Field Federal 4 Continental 2 (19) Don Attaway Keystones Don Attaway Keystones
1938 Bigsby Oval Continental 5 Federal 4 (13) Bob Cummings BKN Fred McCormick TOR
1939 Forester Stadium Continental 6 Federal 3 Art White BKN Fred McCormick TOR
1940 Thompson Field Federal 7 Continental 4 Red Hampton Chiefs Billy Woytek Keystones
1941 Kings County Continental 8 Federal 4 Pete Papenfus Cougars Fred Galloway Cincinnati
1942 Fitzpatrick Park Federal 7 Continental 4 Ed Wood BOS Hank Barnett Chiefs
1943 Parc Cartier Continetal 7 Federal 3 Dick Lyons, Cougars Gail Gifford, StL
1944 Columbia Stadium
Code:
MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
9 Frank Vance Detroit
9* Tom Bird Chiefs
9* Bobby Barrell Keystones
8 John Lawson Military Service Cougars
7 Adam Mullins Military Service -Cincinnati
7 George Cleaves Military Service- Pittsburgh
7 Fred McCormick Military Service -Toronto
7 Harry Barrell Military Service- Boston
7* Hank Barnett Cougars
7* Ron Rattigan Chiefs
6 Pablo Reyes Military Service -Pittsburgh
6 Moxie Pidgeon Pittsburgh
5 Fred Galloway Military Service -Cincinnati
5 Joe Hancock Military Service- Toronto
5 Dick Lyons Cougars
5 Al Miller Military Service -Chiefs
5 Freddie Jones Chiefs
5 Sergio Gonzales Military Service -Detroit
5 Lefty Allen Military Service -Pittsburgh
5 Dean Astle Boston
5 Mahlon Strong Pittsburgh
5 Sal Pestilli Military Service -Detroit
5* Mel Carrol Washington
5* Pete Day Boston
5* Leo Mitchell Cougars
*selected to 1944 ASG
COUGARS STUMBLE OPENS THE DOOR IN CONTINENTAL RACE
The Chicago Cougars have come back down to earth in the past two weeks, winning just 3 of their last 16 games and suddenly the talk has shifted from a record-setting season to just trying to hold off the Toronto Wolves. The lead on Toronto, double-digits not too long ago- is down to six games but could have been much less had Toronto not also stubbed it's toe. The Wolves dropped five straight last week at home to Montreal and Brooklyn - a disappointing turn of events for the Dominion Stadium faithful after witnessing their club take two of three from the aforementioned Cougars to close out last week.
The Continental might even become a four team race as the Philadelphia Sailors and Cincinnati Cannons are both charging. The Sailors swept a 4-game weekend series from the Cougars and have won 11 of their last 13 games to move within 7 games of top spot. The Cannons are 9.5 games back and suddenly 3 games over .500 after shaking up the team with a major deal with the Boston Minutemen. Cincinnati enters the all-star break on a 6-game winning streak and have won 14 of their last 17.
In the Federal Association the Philadelphia Keystones enter the break with a 4 game lead on the second place Chicago Chiefs and 4.5 up on Pittsburgh. The Minutemen are just 5 back while St Louis is showing some signs of life at 8.5 off the pace after going 25-12 since the beginning of June.
LEAGUE UNVEILS CHANGES TO DRAFT PROCESS
FABL President Sam Belton announced the league is making some changes to the way FABL will conduct it's amateur player draft going forward. Here are the points made in Belton's press release followed by some breakdown afterwards:
- [1]We will be installing a draft lottery
[2]We will no longer have two separate drafts. All the drafting in the league will be done at once, in the offseason (likely in January) so you won't actually see the final year stats for the players while drafting to allow for some developmental changes because the draft pool is too easy to read (or you guys are too good at reading it).
[3]The Regional round will be removed so all players are eligible to all teams in each round.
[4]The lottery will apply to rounds 1 and 2 only using the same order for each, based on results of the lottery. Round 3 and beyond will be based on order of finish as we've had before. So bad teams will get the top picks starting in round 3.
[5]The draft pool will be full for the current class and the next class (400 players in each) at the time of the January draft. So there won't be any no-stat guys.
[6]Draft leagues will be added beginning in the 1946 season. Think of them as AAU/College Summer League type leagues. This will allow the top guys to generate some additional stats that include fielding statistics.
The news came as a surprise to many FABL General Managers but for the most part was well received and by many considered a welcome change. There had often been concern about the possibility teams would give much less than a full effort in the second half of a season in which they were no longer in contention -with an eye only on improving their draft standing. The first point on that list - the installation of a draft lottery- will curtail the so-called 'tanking' to a great degree. It will also mean teams at the bottom of the standings will in many cases be putting in a full effort to improve their draft position rather then the current system, which while not specifically encourages tanking, does next to nothing to penalize it.
The lottery, which as mentioned just applies to the opening two rounds, will give the 14 non-pennant winners a better chance to draft higher based upon how much they improved over the previous seasons won-lost record.
Here is an example from Belton:
Quote:
We retain the alternating odd/even for each Association (Fed #1 overall in even years and Continental #1 overall in odd years), so this is effectively two lotteries run in an identical manner.
Pennant winners pick 15 & 16 and are not eligible for lottery.
Chances are determined by won/loss differential of most recent season to previous season. So if you won 10 games more than the previous season your differential is +10. Better differential = better lottery odds. This is designed to encourage teams to try to improve while not punishing teams who stay reasonably stagnant (whether good, bad or middling) and penalizing rapid drops. The goal is to encourage teams to try to win as much as possible.
Random.org will be used to determine the draft order using the "list randomizer"
The teams will be put in a list, with multiple entries for some teams as listed below:
3 entries - Best & 2nd-best differential
2 entries - 3rd & 4th-best differential
1 entry - 5th thru 7th-best differential
Total of 13 entries, meaning the Best & 2nd best have a 23% chance of winning, the 3rd & 4th teams have about a 15% chance and the others have about a 7.6% chance.
The 8th team is the pennant winner and they are excluded.
An example of what this would have looked like for 1944:
FEDERAL
3x WASH +21
3x STL +15
2x CHI +5
2x PHI -4
1x DET -7
1x PIT -13
1x NYG -33
EXC BOS PENNANT
CONTINENTAL
3x TOR +15
3x PHS +8
2x CLE +5
2x CHC +2
1x BKN -3
1x MON -4
1x NYS -35
EXC CIN PENNANT
|
Drafting everyone in January as opposed to just the opening three rounds as was the current practice should add another degree of unpredictability to a draft process that has seen the more astute FABL club executives become almost too-good at distinguishing between future stars and those college/high school standouts that may have peaked as amateurs.
The other big news was the league is working on a partnership either with the AIAA or AAU for one or two summer leagues. These would be showcase events of some sort, possibly entries by state or region, to allow the 400 prospects eligible for the upcoming draft (and perhaps those from future drafts as well) to showcase their skills outside of the school league environment and against the best of the best amateur prospects. It is something the league had hoped to implement much earlier but the manpower and travel concerns of the war has delayed this. The hope is the war is over and the summer loop (or loops) can be up and running in 1946.
*** NAYSAYERS SAY TRADING IS DOOMED ***
There has been some negative feedback, mainly out of the New York market, that this will be the end of trading. Most proponents of the idea feel this is an ill-informed and completely inaccurate assessment. First round picks will always have great value and depending on the situation they may even be more valuable in trade.
John Brinker of the New York Mirror is one scribe who certainly subscribes to that theory. " I do think it's true that it might, depending on the situation, be easier now to get top pick in a trade," explains Brinker. "Wait til draft time when the order is known and make the trade then. Let's say Washington (to pick a name out of the hat) has a tremendous season and finishes 2nd with a bonus in the lottery for improvement and pulls the #1 pick. The GM might think, "If I had one more piece..." and be willing to trade for Pestilli instead of drafting a HS kid who won't be a big leaguer for several seasons."
It remains to be seen how these new changes will play out in the long run. Perhaps they will need to be tinkered with again but part of the success of FABL is it's ability to reinvent itself when challenges are presented. A lottery for pre-determined players did not work as well as had been hoped but it gave way to the birth of the Janaury portion of the draft. The next step is aimed at eliminating the temptation to tank and keep the challenge and unpredictability of stats-only baseball intact for General Managers. If it needs tweaking after a few season trial the league will most assuredly act accordingly and the league will once more evolve.
Congrats to the three Minutemen who were elected to the All-Star team. Lew McClendon will start for the FA at SS. Pete Day will come off the bench and most likely get some time in RF and Walt Wells may see some time in relief. In their first week in Boston, Buster Farrar hit a home run but is otherwise hitting .231, Alf Pestilli is at .222 with 4 RBI's, Roger Perry is 1-0 with 5k's to zero walks and Billy Dalton is hitting .185. Boston is not overly concerned with the slow starts as the team finished 5-3 on the week and currently own a 44-40 record. they sit 5 games back in the FA. With it being All-Star week the Minutemen have a chance to reset their rotation as they gear up for a big three game series against Philadelphia to start the second half of the season.
There is a lot of love in Philadelphia with the Keystones and Sailors 1-2 in this week's Power Rankings. A 5-3 week for the Keystones stake them to a 4-game lead over the Chiefs in the Fed at the All-Star Break, including a one-hitter for Jim Whiteley, who gave up a single with one out in the 6th, walked three others, but thanks to three double plays, only faced one over the minimum. Whiteley closes the first half with an 8-6 record and a 3.06 ERA.
Five Keystones have been named to the Federal Association All-Star Team including three pitchers on the Fed's top pitching staff, which has compiled a 2.95 team ERA. The ace of the staff, Red Ross (11-4, 2.49 ERA), was definitely a deserving nod, but the remarkable selections were bullpen arm 39-year-old Tim Walters (7-1, 1.35 ERA) and Rule 5 middle reliever-turned-fifth starter Jonah Brown (4-2, 1.88 ERA in 76.2 IP).
Brown does not qualify for the ERA title in the Fed, but he falls only 5.1 innings short, so he may qualify in the next couple of weeks. Washington's Del Burns leads the Fed at 2.01 ERA and Harry Parker of the Cougars leads all of baseball at 1.96. Walters debuted last year as a 38-year-old freshman after toiling in the Keystones minor league system for 18 years.
Walters seemed stuck at AAA Louisville and after 10 seasons, it looked like this is where his career would stall out. But, after 569 appearances, he finally made it to the big leagues, but as a reliever, which is a bit surprising since 430 of those minor league appearances were starts. "After all these years, I thank the Keystones for giving me a chance and believing in me", Walters said. "But more than that, I thank my family for sticking by me and allowing me to chase my dream."
On the hitting side, Bobby Barrell earned his ninth All-Star selection and his path to the major leagues was the direct opposite of Walters. Two short years in the minors allowed him to leap to the big club coming out of Spring Training from AA New Orleans in 1931 and, year 14 of his Keystones career has been a year of milestones for the Georgia Jolter. Barrell has picked up his 350th home run, 2500th hit, and 1500th RBI in the first half, leading the Keystones to a tremendous start to the season.
Finally, Harry Shumate has had an under-the-radar season, but he is a sudden contender for the Fed batting title at the end of the first half. Shumate only trails Washington's Mel Carrol in the batting race and only trails him by three points, hitting a hefty .345. Shumate finished with a flourish, earning multi-hit games in five of his last six contests.
Are Cannons back in Continental Race? - It seems unlikely as they are still 9.5 games back of the front-running Chicago Cougars but considering less than two weeks ago Cincinnati was 17.5 back you have to think there is a chance. The Cannons started gaining ground thanks to the combination of a hot streak -one in which they enter the All-Star break on a 14-3 tear- and a complete change of fortunes for the Cougars -who have dropped 13 of their last 16 during a long and troubling road trip. Sweeping a three game series against their rivals from the Windy City at Tice Memorial Stadium gave this run a jump start but one can't help but wonder about the big deal that sent Billy Dalton and four of his mates east to Boston.
One school of thought is that in hindsight Cannons should not have made that deal -as enticing as Bob Arman and the other young newcomers might be for Cincinnati's future- because the quick turnaround now has the team within shouting distant of what was considered an impossibility just two short weeks ago -a return trip to the World Championship Series. Yes, Cincinnati likely would have been even stronger with Dalton at third base, but you can't complain about the job 36 year old Nick Wallace (.264 avg) has been doing in his first 14 FABL games since 1940.
However, before jumping on the idea the deal was bad for this season let's take a moment a consider the fact that perhaps it was the shake-up itself that prompted the remaining Cannons to suddenly start playing with passion. When you turn over more than 20% of your big league roster -5 players went to Boston- it tells everyone left that management was not happy. Suddenly skipper Ad Doria is pleased as punch and everything has gone right the past couple of weeks. All-Star Butch Smith and Vic Carroll have been outstanding on the mound and even Tom Barrell is showing glimpses of the 1934 version of himself after three straight strong outings.
The bats are booming too. Sam Brown is hitting .410 this month after coming back from his latest minor injury and Johnny Potter -only called up because of the trade- is 3-for-7 as a pinch-hitter while recently recalled Ed Sala -again because of the trade sending Buster Farrar to Boston- is hitting .353 since his promotion.
Will it continue? Odds are not in our favour as the Cannons of 1944 are neither as good as they have been the past two weeks or as bad as they were the first two months of the season but it is nice to see the team playing inspired baseball once again after moping through the first couple of months where the focus was more on Deuce Barrell's absence than what is still a pretty solid ballclub. A pennant is a long-shot as there are still three teams ahead of them and a long ways to go but it should would be nice to get back in the race.
CANNON FODDERCongratulations to Butch Smith (10-5, 2.14) on his 4th selection to the CA all-star team. Joining him in Washington for tomorrows 12th annual tussle will be outfielders Sam Brown (.360,3,18) and Bob Griffiths (.287,4,37). It will be Brown's first appearance as a CA star but he did play in the game twice for the Federal Association and is thrilled to be able to return to his old home park in Washington. Griffiths is making his first appearance as an all-star.....All of the draft picks except for 8th rounder Frank Thiel is signed in Cincinnati and it is believed Thiel will put pen to paper this week. Considering the Cannons did not have a pick until the 5th round the club is very happy that 5th rounder Jim Hall is 162nd on the OSA prospect list, 7th rounder Gabby Marlowe is 209th and trade pickup Karl Berggren from Boston checks in at #170....Speaking of contracts and scouting, the Cannons have announced that Bill Bordwell, who became their scouting director a year ago when Rufus Barrell retired, has signed a two-year extension with the club.
-The Toronto Wolves after going 5-9 over the last two weeks have missed a golden opportunity to put pressure on the front running Cougars. There are a few grizzled vets that should be looking over their shoulders as the team tries to regroup over the All-Star Game break. After disappointing results from the recent amateur draft the Wolves began moves to improve their system that overall have a a 157-172 record for 1944. There were a total of five players released from the organization along with a number of players moved up to new teams.
This has left the organization with roster sizes from AAA- C of 24/24/23/24/34. Rumours around the front office, clubhouse is that this just the beginning of the restructuring of the minor league system. Ask for comments the team spokesman said "The Wolves have taken this hiatus in the Figment schedule to make moves in the organization." When ask if this was anticipation of possible war returnees this summer the answer was one word "Yes".
Changes To Draft Procedure Once AgainIf you fell you have the league's draft situation figured out, forget it. Change is coming. For the second, or would that be third, time in a decade the powers that be are changing the way that young players are acquired by FABL organizations. A draft lottery is back, but different than last time. The regional draft is moving to round two, but the regions are changing. For more conservative management types as we have in Queens, this is all so much change for no good reason. I've asked around in the Gothams offices and have only received off the record remarks for fear of retribution for criticizing the league powers.
"At least this time it's not all our fault. Although I hear there was no love in some places for our Red Johnson deal."
"Simply put, if we're going to have a draft make it straight forward. Let the weaker teams use their picks as they see fit to improve their teams."
"Here we go again. Who can plan for the future when the rules keep changing? Can't we just run our teams the way we'd like to without interference?"
On the record the teams Asst GM, Frank Escoe, summed up the organization's public stance, "It is what it is. We'll do our jobs and work withing the rules the best way we can. It won;t do any good to complain. This organization has done well creating winners, whatever the rules."
From my seat I see fewer deals as teams are less certain of what they'll receive. Hopefully the boys will be home from Europe and the Pacific soon enough to fill out rosters.
- Gail Gifford (.313,3,26) of the St Louis Pioneers has extended his hitting streak to 26 games and counting. That equals the Keystones Bobby Barrell, who hit safely in 26 straight games earlier this season, for the longest streak since Ron Rattigan of the Chiefs had a 34-gamer back in 1941. Gifford had 15 hits in 8 games last week and also learned he would be playing in his third all-star game.
- When was the last time a FABL club had the batting average leader and the pitcher with the lowest ERA in his association but that team was still in last place? Likely never but at this point that is where the Washington Eagles find themseleves. Sitting at the bottom of the Fed despite the fact Mel Carrol (.348,3,32) sits atop the batting parade while Del Burns (10-6, 2.01) had the lowest ERA in the loop. And Dan Everett (6-4, 2.19) sits third in ERA.
- Disappointing to see that neither Rabbit Day nor Jim Lonardo made the Fed All-Star squad.
- The New York Stars and Chicago Cougars made a minor league trade last week. The Cougars add another late roun draft pick -something they have had great success hoarding in recent years- in exchange for a AAA player. In this case it is shortstop Bill Graham, a 26 year old out of Bluegrass State and a former 4th round pick of the Chicago Chiefs in 1938, going to the Stars for a 7th round draft pick. Graham, who was acquired by the Cougars in 1938, has spent the past year and a half in AAA, batting .252 this season for the Milwaukee Blues. He is a solid defensive middle infielder and Stars, who are expected to give Graham is big league debut next week, hope he can hit enough to stick around in New York.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Here is an updated for each FABL squad on their recent draft picks:
BOSTON- No first round pick this year and they dealt second rounder Karl Berggren to Cincinnati recently so as expected Boston does not have a single top #100 prospect. Of the group just drafted -all have been signed- 5th round pick SP Virgil Harris checks in at #166 on the OSA list.
BROOKLYN- The Kings are thrilled to see top pick Nick Remillard debut at #12 on the OSA prospect list. The high school shortstop from Nashville is pegged as the next Harry Barrell for the Kings.
CHIEFS- The Chiefs didn't have a first round pick, but have hopes for their second rounder Willie Barth, a high school pitcher out of Lancaster, Pa. They are still waiting on him to put pen to paper. Ted Marcom, a 4th-round catcher, checks at 277 on the OSA list and is the highest player signed by the club so far.
COUGARS- First rounder Bert Rogers agreed to a deal with the Cougars this week. The 12th overall pick, a 17 year old lefthander, is a local boy and debuts quite nicely at #73 on the prospect pipeline. Round four pick Mike Thorpe -who is 176th on the OSA list- is another arm as the Cougars continue to stockpile loads of young pitching talent.
CINCINNATI- Everyone except for 8th rounder Frank Thiel is signed in Cincinnati, and Thiel should sign soon. Considering the Cannons did not have a pick until the 5th round the club is very happy that 5th rounder Jim Hall is 162nd on the prospect list, 7th rounder Gabby Marlowe is 209th and trade pickup Karl Berggren from Boston checks in at #170
CLEVELAND- First rounder Joe Robinson is not yet signed but the Foresters did agree to terms with second round selection Earle Haley. The 18 year old shortstop was chosen 18th overall and debuts at #51 on the OSA prospect list.
DETROIT- The wealth of talent acquired in this draft has all signed. That would be six of the first 19 picks and includes pitcher Roy Schaub, taken first overall as well as outfielder Edwin Hackberry, shortstop Stan Kleminski, pitcher Carl Potter, catcher Red Rodgers and third baseman Lou McCright. Potter leads the way according to OSA, which ranks him the 13th best prospect in the league right now. Schaub is 24th, Rodgers 81st and McCright is 179th. Hackberry and Kleminski just signed today and have not yet been ranked by OSA.
MONTREAL- The Saints are still working on signing their top two picks. Pitcher Ted Coffin was taken 8th overall and is said to be considering an offer from Cookeville State but is expected to eventually sign with the Saints. Same for Eddie Logan, a second baseman taken in round two, but Gates University is pushing hard to try and get the San Francisco born Logan to stay on the west coast. Third rounder Cliff Berwald, a New York state native, did sign.
NY STARS- Eli Panneton is signed and on his way to the Big Apple. The 4th overall pick is going straight from Aberdeen College to the big leagues and debuts at #17 on the OSA list. The Stars are still trying to sign their second, third and fourth rounders.
NY GOTHAMS- Trades sent the Gothams first and second round picks away but they did get regional round selection Charlie Hoffman signed. An 18 year old pitcher out of Clinton High in The Bronx, he debuts as #215 on the OSA list.
KEYSTONES- So much for "impossible". Righthander Rick Dixon signed with the Keystones on a $9,300 deal. Dixon had verbally committed to Bayside University, but took the money offered by the Keystones and a potential fast rise through the lower minors despite his young age. The Keystones plucked him in the regional round, as Dixon was born in Philadelphia and moved to Honey Brook at a very young age, which is over 50 minutes from Broad Street Park. Dixon was 30-1 in three high school seasons at Honey Brook High School. Six draftees signed on the dotted line, but#11 overall pick Ben Thompson remains unsigned. Third-round pick centerfielder Harry Bennett had the highest debut of any of the signees at #244.
SAILORS- One down, one to go as far as the Sailors two big pitchers. First rounder George Rutter, taken 10th overall, is signed and debuts at #57 on the OSA list. Second rounder Lee Ahlstrom is still being heavily courted by St Magnus in his home state of Minnesota but the Sailors believe the 18 year old righthander will sign soon.
PITTSBURGH- Pittsburgh has signed top pick Jim Flowers (17 year old 5th overall pick) but he is not yet ranked by OSA, as he just agreed to terms this morning. Second rounder Charlie J Williams, an 18 year old centerfielder, is also signed and ranked 160th by OSA.
ST LOUIS- First rounder Dave McCraw, an 18 year old middle infielder from New York City has not signed yet as national champion Grange College is courting him as well. Second rounder Al Monroe, an outfielder from College of Waco, is signed but OSA says he falls outside of their list of the top 500 prospects.
TORONTO- Things could not have gone much worse for Toronto. Round one pick Cal Yeager, a high school catcher from Ohio, checks in at just 152nd on the OSA prospect list. But at least he signed. The Wolves lost both their second rounder King Allen (to Coastal California) and third rounder Frank Williams Jr. (Long Island Maritime) to college ball.
WASHINGTON-Tough week for the Eagles as none of their first 7 picks have signed yet. You need to go to 8th rounder Whitey Spence, an outfielder from Erie, Pa. before you get to a signed Eagles draft pick. It is expected first rounder Jim Sibert will sign but second round selection Jackie Garner says he is going to Northern Mississippi and fourth rounder Gene Ryan is being heavily courted by Bayou State.
A week ago we talked about a Pro Football League set to start on the west coast in August. Well, there is more competition for Jack Kristich and the American Football Association as the other pro grid hopeful claims it is close to be set for a 1945 start. Here are the details from the Associated Press:
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 7/09/1944
- American forces struck southward along a 40-mile front in western Normandy in a new offensive launched in driving rain.
- Hitler has removed Marshal Karl von Rundstedt as surpeme command of the breached Atlantic Wall defenses.
- Allies troops broke open the German defenses across the 160-mile belt of the Italian peninsula and captured the key highway center of Siena on the road to Florence.
- German troops continue to pull back on the Eastern Front, and the Red Army is rolling through Poland, advancing at the rate of one mile a hour.
- For the second time US bombers hit targets on Japan's main islands, blasting the great Japanese home naval base of Sasebo and once again hit industrial plants at Yawata, which was the target of the first B-29 attack on Japan 3 weeks ago.
- US Army intelligence officers have confirmed that the Japanese were using poison gas against Chinese defenders.