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Jiggs McGee · 11-07-2022, 11:57 AM

AUGUST 7, 1944

HAVING A BARREL OF FUN IN PHILADELPHIA

The Philadelphia Keystones continue to hold a sizeable lead atop the Federal Association and one only has to look at the team's best player to find out why. Bobby Barrell (.346,34,112) seems to have found another gear at the age of 34 and was named the Federal Association player of the week for the third week in a row, something that perhaps has never happened before. Barrell has hit .446 with 12 homers and 34 rbi's and the Keystones have gone 15-4 over that stretch. On the season he is now on a pace to hit 49 homers. Only 7 times in FABL history has a player hit 50 homers. Barrell did it once before -in 1936- while Max Morris did it 5 times and Joe Masters hit 56 in 1928. The amazing thing and making it truly a Max Morris-like level of dominance for Barrell this season is no other FABL player is on a pace to hit more than 25 round-trippers this year.

The Keystones closest challenger now is the surprising Detroit Dynamos. At 7.5 games back it seems unlikely the Dynamos can catch Philadelphia but Detroit's turn around this season -after winning just 69 games a year ago- has to rank as one of the biggest surprises in the Federal Association especially when you consider the Dynamos dealt their best player, Red Johnson, to the Gothams for a boatload of picks and prospects a year ago.

The big trade of this year's deadline seemed to pay off nicely last week for Cincinnati. The surging Cannons extended their winning streak to 11 games with sweeps of the New York Stars and Philadelphia Sailors and now are just a game and a half behind the first place Chicago Cougars in the Continental Association with Toronto sandwiched in the middle. All-Star catcher Tom Bird had a nice debut, doubling in his first game with the Ohio gunmen and finishing the week with back to back 3 hit games in weekend wins over the Sailors in Philadelphia. Rabbit Day, the other future Hall of Famer to come over in the deadline blockbuster with the Chicago Chiefs, went 7 innings while allowing just 1 run to beat the Sailors Saturday for his 130th win as a Cannon and 316th of his storied career.

The Cannons now return home after an impressive 16-4 road trip but will face a crucial test this week as the Chicago Cougars invade Tice Memorial Stadium for a 4-game series. The Cougars slide continued last week with back-to-back shutout losses at home to Toronto but they did rebound over the weekend and take two of three from Brooklyn. Chicago will now spend the next 3 weeks on the road, clinging desperately by a half game over Toronto to a lead that not that long ago was in double-digits.

1945 DRAFT PREVIEW

PART 3: HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS

A year ago in the "Way Too Early" 1945 mock there were three high school pitchers listed among the top 16 OSA prospects. Only one of them made the new top ten High School pitcher list and the highest rated of the three - Leo Franks out of Sandusky, Ohio- has been forced to give up the sport after elbow troubles prevented him from playing his junior year of high school and is now focusing on earning a college basketball or track scholarship. Al Daniel Jr., who's father spent a decade as a first baseman with the Brooklyn Kings, was 9th overall a year ago but falls out of the top ten even just when listing high school hurlers this time around. That leaves just Russ McLean, a Pittsburgh kid, who was #13 overall on the early list after his sophomore season, to crack our top high school arms list entering their senior year of school.
Here are the three that cracked the overall top 16 list from last August.

Code:


RK     NAME          AGE P     SCHOOL		        HOMETOWN	     OSA REPORT
6   LEO FRANKS        16 P    Sandusky (OH) HS	        Sandusky, MI	    potential to be top of rotation starter
9   AL DANIEL JR.     16 P    Brownsville (TX) HS       Brooklyn, NY	    tools needed to be mid-rotation starter
13  RUSS McLEAN       16 P  Shady Side Acad, Pittsburgh Washington, DC	    solid #3 starter or better

Here are the top ten high school pitchers eligible for the 1945 draft, at least in the eyes of OSA.

1: STEVE DAVIS RHP Brownwood (TX) HS: Davis has front-line starter potential according to OSA and that means he is certainly a possible candidate to be drafted first overall in January. The tall (6'2") Texan has 6 different pitches in his reportoire and while his stuff will never win awards the league scouting service feels he possesses an above average potential for keeping the ball in the park. He went 9-1 with a 1.75 era and a 12.2 K/9 rate this past season, his first in high school ball.

2: JOE HORVATH RHP Oshkosh (WI) HS: Horvath could develop into an impact starter when he matures. His fastball is considered a little below average, topping out at 86 mph, but he overcomes his pedestrian arsenal by painting the black with ease. Horvath went 9-2 with a 1.58 era in his lone college season, fanning 138 and walking 23 in 114 innings of work.

3: TED BEAVAN RHP East HS, Buffalo, NY: In two seasons at East High, Beavan is 19-1 with a 1.16 era and a 13.6 k/9 rate. Tall and thin, he may add velocity to his 87 mph fastball as he fills out but it is his off-speed offerings that standout. OSA feels he can be a mid-rotation piece. Beavan is vying to be the third draft pick out of Buffalo's East High, following Si Crocker -a 1936 Boston fourth round pick who is now in the Army but played 19 big league games- and Hubert Williamson - a 24 year old pitcher taken by the Gothams in the 11th round in 1938 and presently with the independent Amarillo Stars of the Western Baseball League.

4: HARRY LINKER RHP Clifton (TX) HS: It seems like a fair drop off after the top three but Linker should be someone you can trust in the rotation, according to the scouting service. Certainly not a top arm, but much more than just a simple rotation filler. The Dallas native had a strong sophomore season, going 9-1 with a 1.54 era, but dropped off a bit as a junior. Very smart, coaches say he always focuses and concentrates on the right things.

5: RUSS McLEAN RHP Shady Side Academy, Pittsburgh, PA: No one in his draft class will have better intangibles. Great work ethic, very low and always leading the way. The groundball pitcher has four decent pitches with plenty of movement. OSA is not overly commited on his upside but does feel McLean is a worthwhile development project for a future rotation spot. The Washington DC born 17 year old went 16-2 with a 1.06 era in two season of high school ball.

6: MIKE MANN RHP Media (PA) HS: The Brooklyn born righthander has been a starter since his freshman year, compiling a 25-4 record with a 1.45 era in 3 seasons of high school ball. He has an above-average sinker and cutter, but his future success may depend on his subpar change of pace developing. OSA thinks Mann deserves a spot in the rotation eventually, but likely closer to the bottom than the top. Mann joins a growing list of players from Media High School, about an hour away from Philadelphia. Paul Baker and Zane Kelley are both pitchers in the Kings system who attended Media High. Baker was a1942 second rounder while Kelley went in the 7th round a couple of months ago. Both are teammates at the moment in Class C Marshalltown. There is also infielder John Baird, a Gothams 20th round selection in 1941 but presently in the Army Air Corps. Mann will likely not be the only new addition to the group as shortstop Bobby Arnett is also eligible this draft and Gilberto Ocasio is a Cuban born immigrant who just finished his freshman year at the school.

7: JIM WILLIAMS RHP Chiicopee (MA) HS: A frim believer in no pain, no gain Williams is a very hard worker. He is an extreme groundball pitcher who relies on a sinker, curve and circle change but at 6'4" and with a peak velocity of 89 mph already you have to think he should be able to throw some heat as he matures. Right now he lives on the corners and OSA sees him peaking as a #4 starter.

8: DUTCH YOAK LHP La Porte (TX) HS: The third Texas born pitcher on this list might well turn out to be the best one. Houston native Dutch Yoak is a two-time All-American who has go 23-0 with a 0.75 era over the past two seasons and is 31-2, 1.36 as a three year starter. His K/9 last year was 16.0 while lowering his BB/9 to 1.5. High work ethic combined with good size at 6'4" and a fastball that peaks at 89 mph. OSA says his curveball is a weapon and his change-up also will be very solid at it's peak but the scouting service feels home runs (and he has allowed 11 over three high school seasons) will be an issue and feels Yoak is a back of the rotation piece at best. Yoak is following in the footsteps of Bob Saltzman, a La Porte grad who was selected by the Chicago Cougars in round 7 of the 1935 draft. Saltzman never made the big leagues and now, at age 27, is pitching for independent Sacramento of the Great Western League.

9: JIMMY BLOCK RHP Dundee (MI) HS: Detroit native is another high work ethic pitcher with a 3 pitch arsenal. He works on the corners with off-speed offerings designed to induce a lot of ground balls. OSA feels he will likely settle in at the end of the rotation. A three year starter, Block is 25-7 with a 1.47 era and a 10.3 K/9. Detroit's 1935 20th round pick Eddie Duncan, who is presently at AA Akron in the Dynamos system, is also a graduate of Dundee High School.

10: ALEX DRAKE LHP Trenton (NJ) HS: Another pitcher OSA sees as a back of the rotation piece, Drake is said to be very focused, but frustrates easily. Made his high school debut as a junior, going 8-1 with a 1.20 era and a solid 13.4 K/9. There have been several Trenton High grads to play pro ball with the most famous likely being Leon Blackridge, a 4 year big league veteran with Washington and Cleveland who is now in the Air Force. The most famous Trenton, NJ born ballplayer has to be George Blankenship, an 1890s outfielder who had 2155 career hits for the Gothams and St Louis and was a member of three WCS winning New York teams.

HONOURABLE MENTION
CORKY ABAN -RHP - Ottawa (IL) High School
AL DANIELS JR. - LHP - Brownsville (TN) High School
HERSCH WILLIAMS - RHP - West Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia, PA.

Next up we will provide a mock draft of the top 16 prospects according to OSA for the 1945 FABL draft.

WOLVES REPORT CARDS

As July turns to August Brett has decided to issue his first set of report cards for your Toronto Wolves. These are a little later than last year as there were some expectations that the team would be making a trade deal before the deadline to push the team over the top in the chase of the Chicago Cougars. This trade does not appear as though it will happen, rumours around the clubhouse are that the team's brass are looking at slight upgrade at C but are not aggressively in pursuit of this deal. Many FABL teams are in the same situation with the uncertainty of the players serving in Europe. The euphoria of early June immediately after D-Day has cooled, the progress through France into Germany has slowed over the past seven weeks as Allied forces run into stiff resistance from the Reich. It now seems obvious that players will not return to baseball in time to make any difference in the 1944 pennant races. All front offices are now concentrating on the off-season after recent hints from the league executive office that there would probably be no Rule 5 draft in 1945, Wolves are said to have a huge chalkboard setup in one of back offices where they are trying to set their 1945 organization. Staffers have been seen leaving the office to return with more coloured chalk and blackboard chamois, an individual who spoke on the process on the promise of not being identified said to Brett, "The best way I can describe the process is to use an army term, SNAFU."

The Wolves team has had a surprising good first four months of the season spending most of the time in second place chasing the Cougars. Wolves closed the gap to as little as a 1/2 game a week ago after a 9-1 run after the All-Star game coupled with a dramatic Chicago slump. A recent 3-7 run has left the Wolves 2 1/2 back and has also brought Philadelphia, Cincinnati back into the conversation. The Sailors are only a game behind Toronto, the Cannons trail Chicago 4 1/2 games. Toronto has fifty-eight games to play which is five more than Chicago, three more than Philadelphia. Cannons also have fifty-eight to play as the Cannons and Wolves have played the least games in the FABL thus far in 1944.

Brett's Grades:
Manager- Bob Call: A- Call has brought the team to a level higher than any of the pundits predicted for Toronto. His rather unorthodox handling of the SP hopes to pay dividends going down the stretch, Call pulled SP quickly during the beginning the season with the expressed goal of saving these arms for the push in August, September. We will now see if this tactic will pay dividends. A criticism of Call has been his use of the SB, the team has stolen 25 bases but been caught 28 times. Toronto is not a homerun hitting team so moving runners up is a good idea, the question remains "Have the Wolves run themselves out of some victories?" Call has done a good job keeping the clubhouse on an even keel, the team has been very streaky, periods of winning followed by losing a number of games in quick succession.
CATCHERS
Clarence Howerton- B- His offensive contribution, .223/.310/.301, has fallen significantly but his presence, handling of the pitching staff continues at a high level. Expect to see him to continue to get the vast majority of work behind the plate.
Walter Loera- C- Walter was brought in to handle the duties during the doubleheaders team and fans were hoping for more than ..205/.279/.256. Fans may see more of Roscoe Zeiler as the season runs down, Zeiler has been effective in the bullpen, he may have more time for C duties when Ron Coles returns to action.

INFIELDERS
1B- Walter Pack- C After being seriously considered for league MVP Pack has underperformed this season, .264/.326/.409 52 RBI is not even close to expectations of Pack. Can the recent signs of life continue for him?
1B- Al Jensen- A Has done more than expected in his backup role, .310/.360/.390.
2B- Hal Wood- B-Wood's offensive production has been a little above expectations at .306/.377/.419. The problem with Wood has been the twenty-one errors at 2B for this 1943 defensive replacement for Mike Rollinson. Over the All-Star break Wood worked with John Coburn on his infield footwork.
2B-Joe Bell- A Bell, like Jensen, has performed above expectations at .286/.371/.429. Bell was questionable to even head north with the Wolves in March now may see more playing time the last two months of the season at second or third.
3B- Ockie Holliday- C disappointing again in an even numbered year .264/.292/.355. Holliday has also grounded into a team leading thirteen double plays. His defensive work at the hot corner has been consistent but not stellar.
SS- Charlie Artuso- B+ Artuso has rebounded from a disappointing 1943 .279/.352/.406 although he has not provided the number of SB Call would expect from this SB threat. His defense at short is still among the CA's best.
LF- Juan Pomales- B- Pomales' bat has not given the Wolves desired results, .261/.335/.345 45 RBI is not to Pomales' standard. He has been a plus defender in the OF.
CF- Chink Stickles- A- Stickles' first full season had been at least what was expected of the All-Star CF .272/.356/.399 along with 14 OF assists will keep Chink in the everyday lineup. A hope would be more successful stolen base attempts to help the Wolves in the run scoring department.
RF- Gus Hull- A Hull has taken the everyday RF job from Reginald Westfall with a stellar .302/.381/.478 performance in 79 starts in the outfield.

The balance of the roster Ed Marshall, Larry Vestal, Frank Huddleston, all would grade out at C or C-. They are plugged into the lineup occasionally to provide rest but have not made any significant contribution. Huddleston was recently injured, is on the disabled list, Wayne Henderson was recalled from Buffalo which gives Call options with a RHB at first or second.

PITCHING
SP- Bernie Johnson- A The off-season question of who would takeover from Hancock as the leader of the staff has been answered by [b]Bernie Johnson. His 12-7, 2.57 along with his first All-Star game appearance has given Call a stopper in the starting staff.
SP- Bob Walls- A If Johnson is 1A he is followed closely by Walls at 1B, 11-7, 3.51 gives the team a solid 1-2 combination to hopefully stop any extended losing streaks.
SP-Jimmy Gibbs- B- Gibbs sophomore season has not been close to his rookie year. Have the hitters figured out Gibbs or can he step up down the dog days of August?
SP- Jim Laurita- B Laurita has been a useful, if at times ineffective, in his starting role. Plagued, as many rookies are, by the free pass the team hopes he can show a marginal improvement for the balance of '44.
SP- Chick Wirtz- A- After a sluggish start in a starting role many were worried that his career was over after his struggles in 1943. Wirtz has responded by winning four of his last five starts to even his record at 7-7 along with bringing his ERA under 2 at 1.98. Chick has made a strong case to have Call keep him starting when the schedule allows a four-man rotation, sending either Laurita or Gibbs to the 'pen.
RP- Billy Crosby- B+ A major cog in Call's effort to save the starter's arms Crosby has responded with 13 games saved good for a tie for second in the FABL.
RP- Roscoe Zeiler- B+ As mentioned earlier Roscoe has been an effective arm in the 'pen logging a team high of 46 1/3 inning in relief.
RP- Phil English- B- Crafty aging veteran has preformed when called upon.
RP- Bob McRae- B- Like English McRae has done his job.
There is hope Ron Coles can return in late August after rehabilitating from surgery that will give another arm to give Call another option.

Attendance has dropped by over 17000 fans per game at Dominion Stadium. This is understandable given the increased demands, working hours expected of those on the home front to supply the needed materials to those fighting this seeming unending almost 5 year nightmare of WWII. The Wolves hope to provide fans with meaningful, pennant contending baseball going forward, then possibly fans will find their way to the stadium for a short, well deserved respite from the daily grind.

Welcome home, Cincinnati Cannons - Hard to ask for a more successful road trip than the Cannons just returned from. It started in Brooklyn July 19 with 3 wins in 4 games over the Kings. Then it was up to Montreal for a split with the last place Saints before they waltzed into Cougars Park and took 3 of 4 from the slumping Cougars. Back to New York for 5 wins over the Stars and then the quick trip down to Philadelphia for 3 more victories. 11 straight in all and a road swing that was the best they have likely ever had as the Cincinnati Cannons with a 16-4 record. When the trip started the Cannons were 9.5 back of Chicago. Now it is just a game and a half with a huge four game series with the Windy City Kitties coming up and what a difference a month and a half has made.

The Cannons have gone 31-9 since June 24th despite a rash of injuries that appear to show no sign of quitting. Deuce Barrell has missed the entire year and Vic Carroll's season ended in mid-July. Denny Andrews and his terrific start to the season have been out since mid-May and he won't be back for another two or three weeks. Jack Cleaves has missed some time and had that extended but the good news is he is expected to be ready for the Cougars series. The bad news is defensive whiz Jim Hensley will miss the next two weeks after hurting his neck in a collision yesterday. That means rookie Clifton Smith, who came over as part of the Billy Dalton deal with Boston, will likely get the start at shortstop although there is a chance manager Ad Doria will opt to shift Tony White from second base to short if Jack Cleaves is ready to play second.
*** A BIRD IN THE HAND ***

The Transportation Department might not have been happy but the two newest Cannons arrived in New York early Monday after quickly finding an overnight train from Chicago. They could only secure one sleeper berth so it went to Tom Bird as Rabbit Day had pitched two days earlier against Pittsburgh and would not make his Cannon debut until later in the week. So Bird was at least somewhat rested when he met his new teammates and faced the New York Stars Monday afternoon. He doubled in that game and would have a great week -hitting .381 with 4 extra base hits and driving in 5 runs while providing the type of leadership behind the plate one would expect from a 9-time All-Star and two time World Champion. Day got the start Saturday -his first as a Cannon since he went 21-11 for the 1933 Baltimore version of the organization- and he brought his A-game...or at least what is left of it in his now 40 year old right arm. Day went 7 innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits but did walk 6. There was little pressure on the 316 game winner as the boys staked him to a 4-0 lead before he threw his first pitch of the game and plated 8 more in the 6th inning off of the Sailors.

You can't help but feel like we are playing with house money after the start the Cannons had. It feels like a second straight pennant is very much a possibility and that is such a change from the mood around Tice Memorial even just a month ago. However, there is a lot of baseball left and you have to think the Cougars will turn things around at some point. They are too good of a ballclub not to. But let's just hope it takes them at least one more week to straighten things out. There are plenty of good seats still available at Tice Memorial this week and the Cannons would love to see you show your support as they try to keep that 11 game streak alive.
***CINCY CAGE STAR UNDECIDED ***

Central Ohio and Detroit City College are both nervously awaiting word from big Lonnie Mullins -one of the best high school cagers the Queen City has ever produced. The towering 6'9" 16 year old is preparing for his senior season at Taft High School but says he will make a final decision on where he will attend college "shortly." Mullins did confirm his choices are narrowed down to the two Great Lakes Alliance rivals: the Central Ohio Aviators and the Detroit City College Knights.

Meanwhile Leo Franks, who a year ago was on the TWIFB way to early mock draft shortlist as the top high school pitcher available for the '45 selection period, is also a highly touted cager. Forced to give up baseball after not pitching at all due to elbow troubles, Franks is recovered well enough to once again tun the Sandusky High School offense from his guard position but says baseball is no longer a part of his future. He is believed to be leaning towards Pittsburgh State for his college education but is also said to be considering Elyria.
** TIGERS AND TICE AGREE TO PLAY NICE ***

An agreement has been reached to allow Cincinnati's new AFA entry to play it's home games at Tice Memorial this fall. The grid squad thought that was always the case but a late disagreement on the lease deal with the Cannons owner created some tense talk, but all is well now and the games will be played in Cincinnati. Season tickets also went on sale recently and are said to selling well. The Tigers will compete in the Western Division of the 10 team American Football Association and are set to begin training camp in Lexington next week.

So now we reach the boring part of the season for the non contenders. Two months of wishing the days would go by. The Gothams seem to be in a solid draft position, maybe. A solid improvement on last year's win total seems likely, so...
This is a team waiting for the war to end. No exciting rookies to watch, more a matter of hoping no one gets injured. Gothams fans looking forward to a lineup with Brewer, Monier, Messer and Johnson. Doesn't it seem like we've done this wait for Brewer, Monier and Messer before?

Ed Bowman hoas been just ok this season. I'm sure the losing with a bunch of unknowns behind him doesn't help. Jim Lonardo has tied his career high of 4 shutouts. Jim Baggett has been a pleasant surprise after waiting 7 years for a second big league shot.

In the next week I'll take a look at what's simmering down on the farm. Despite a low system ranking (dead last if you must know) there are a handful of interesting players. Otherwise it's a waiting game until sometime this offseason when ping pong balls or magic beans or whatever, decides the draft positions.

Bobby Barrell won his third straight Federal Association player of the week and is vying to be the first Fed hitter to win the Triple Crown since his mentor and long-time teammate Rankin Kellogg did it for the third and final time of his career in 1933. Al Wheeler and Fred McCormick have turned the trick in the Continental Association since then but only Kellogg, Max Morris (also 3 times) and Fred Roby (in 1894 and as a Keystone) have done it in the Fed.
If they plan on getting back on track there is no time like the present for the Chicago Cougars. Four games in Cincinnati followed by 4 games in Toronto are next up for the team that went 10-19 in July after going 19-10 in June, 21-10 in May and 10-3 in April.
Detroit started it's long road trip out very nicely with a split of two in Chicago followed by sweeping 3 from St Louis, to drop the Pioneers into last place in the Fed. Such a turnaround for both teams as the Pioneers had a tremendous second half to finish second last season and really seemed on the way up while the Dynamos had sent Red Johnson to New York and were coming off two awful seasons after a number of close calls in the pennant race.
The Dynamos are 19-7 since the all-star break, best record in the Fed and second only to Cincinnati's 18-6 mark. At the other end we have the Cleveland Foresters who have hit a wall and are 5-17 since the all-star game. St Louis, at 7-17, is not faring much better.
The Minutemen are reeling following an 0-6 week against Detroit and Washington. Dean Astle saw no action with a day to day injury but even that time off was not enough. His recovery is now unclear so to the IL he goes. Doc Shaw thinks that this brutal week may have been the nail in the Boston coffin.
Not too long ago Chuck Wirtz was 1-6 and sources in Toronto say the Wolves were close to cutting ties with the 36 year old lefthander. Starting with a 5-1 win over Cincinnati on June 20th Wirtz has gone 7-1 and posted a 0.81 era over that stretch.
Eli Panneton went right back to work after being smacked around for the first time in his big league career. The New York Stars rookie gave up 8 runs in a 10-3 loss to Cincinnati a week ago but looked very good this week, allowing just 1 earned run in 8 innings in a win over Montreal to run his record to 5-2 with a 2.02 era. Less than a month as a big leaguer but seems to be a clear choice for the Chicago Writers Rookie Award.
A big week from Tom Landowski of the Brooklyn Kings. The 26 year old rookie, who was a first round pick out of St Magnus in 1940, upped his season average to .253 and doubled his homerun total on the year after going 10-for-19 with 2 longballs in a performance that earned him CA player of the week honours.
The Pittsburgh Miners are excited about the early performance of 21 year old 2B George Darnell. Through 157 PA’s he’s slashing .327/.355/.429.
King Allen has apparently left his hometown of Marietta, Ga. and is on his way west to Los Angeles, which is bad news for the Toronto Wolves. Allen, the Wolves second round pick in the most recent draft, is going to be a Dolphin instead of a Wolf. He is set to enroll and player baseball at Coastal California. All other first and second round picks have been signed.
Brooklyn first rounder Jack "Jolly" Rogers signed and reported to Class C Marshalltown but apparently his deal with the Kings will allow him to attend Kit Carson University as well. He won't be eligible to play baseball for the Mountaineers but the 6'2" outfielder/guard is going to moonlight as a collegiate cager. Rogers is off to a nice start to his pro ball career, batting .301 afer a month in the Upper Mississippi Valley Association.
With the dust settled on the contract signings, Detroit's Edwin Hackberry -selected 3rd overall and one of 4 Dynamos first round picks this year- is numbr one on the OSA top prospect list. Stan Kleminski, Carl Porter and first overall selection Roy Schaub -the other first rounders- all crack the OSA top twenty so it comes as no surprise that Detroit has the top ranked minor league sytem at the moment.

PRO GRID LOOP, WITH 450 SIGNED & BIG TICKET SALES, IS RIDING HIGH

Some 450 pro gridders -a number which compares favorably with prewar turnouts- have begun assembling at various training sites to prepare for the opening of the American Football Association season next month. The Washington Wasps have been working out for a week in San Diego as they make their return after a 1 year hiatus and the Brooklyn Football Kings are scheduled to stsart official practice tomorrow at a college campus in Texas. The Wasps have about 43 players on hand while the Kings are preparing for a trial squad of 60 men -largest in the ten team league.

American Football Association President Jack Kristich reports the largest advance ticket sales in the league's history and officials look forward to a banner season which should easily surpass last seasons average attendance numbers of over 28,000 per game. The league's newest entry -the Cincinnati Tigers- also report they are good to go and will play out of Tice Memorial Stadium -home of the baseball Cannons- have some concerns the club may need to look to a college stadium for a homefield.

The defending champion Chicago Wildcats report they will have 40 players in camp when they open later this week at the campus of Indiana A&M. The Tigers will train at the Lexington, Ky. campus of Central Kentucky University and believe that they should also have roughly 40 players in camp. That is similar to the totals expected by each of the other 6 teams: the Detroit Maroons, Pittsburgh Paladins and the combined St Louis-Cleveland entry in the West joining Chicago and Cincinnati while the east will have the Boston Americans, New York Football Stars and Philadelphia Frigates -who return as a team after a season spent partnering with the Ramblers- joining the Kings and Wasps. The regular season is set to begin on September 17.

MILITARY GRID TILT EYES BIG CITY LOCATION

Collegiate football's super spectacle, the annual Rome State-Annapolis Maritime game, probably will leave the rural hinterlands and come out in it's traditional metropolitan setting this year. No set has yet been set for the service grid classic, scheduled for December 2, but military officials in both Georgia and Maryland have indicated a favorable attitude towards proposals for staging the game in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington or New York.

It is the Navigators 'home' game this season and the choice of the local will be made by the Admirals and lesser lights who run the academy at Annapolis. But the Army Generals at Rome State must concur in all arrangements. The Navy has always been in favor of the crowd-luring type of contest, staged in a metropolis. In the year following Pearl Harbor however, the Army clamped down as did the Office of Defense Transportation and ruled the game should be held either in Annapolis or Rome, Ga., with attendance restricted to residents of the immediate area. That meant instead of the usual crowd of 70,000 or so fans and the colorful fanfare that normally accompanies such a spectacle, the service games in 1942 and 1943 drew under 18,00 customers. It was held in Annapolis two years ago and at Rome last fall.

BIG START FOR ST BLANE IN AIAA CAGE RECRUITING

St Blane University has secured commitments for the 1945-46 season from two of the top ten high school cagers in the nation including Cyril Worley, a 17 year old forward out of Philadelphia. Worley, considered by many to be the best senior who will play on the hardwood this season made his decision to attend St Blane known earlier this week. A day later another highly touted forward, 6'6" Bruce Gard from Baltimore Catonsville High School also confirmed he will joining the Fighting Saints a year from now.

Basketball has been a struggle for the prestigious Pennsylvania university, which has not made the AIAA tournament since 1927-28 and suffered through an awful 11-18 season a year ago but the commitments of Worley and Gard, along with 6'9" center Joshua Samuels, who was a top ten recruit and will join the school as the prize of this year's class speaks of a much better future for the Saints.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 8/06/1944

Quick to the campaign trail, Republican Presidential candidate and current New York Governor Dewey blasted President Roosevelt on his postwar policy, noting the United States cannot "face another period like the Roosevelt depression with 10 million men unemployed continually over a period of 8 years."
In the British House of Commons Prime Minister Churchill continues to see the end of the war is near, staring "that Allied victory in Europe may perhaps come soon."
Russian Government news reports that Warsaw is enveloped in a great pall of smoke and the Germans were apparently putting the torch to the city preparatory to abandoning it to Soviet assault forces that were battling through the eastern suburbs.
German troops reeled back from their last hill defenses less than five miles southwest of Florence as the British threaten to take the Italian city.
Japan is to look much different after the war.
Race wars erupt in Philadelphia with 200 arrested after that city's striking transportation workers vowed to stay off the job "as long as the company uses Negro operators."

11-07-2022, 11:57 AM	#559
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	August 7, 1944 AUGUST 7, 1944 HAVING A BARREL OF FUN IN PHILADELPHIA The Philadelphia Keystones continue to hold a sizeable lead atop the Federal Association and one only has to look at the team's best player to find out why. Bobby Barrell (.346,34,112) seems to have found another gear at the age of 34 and was named the Federal Association player of the week for the third week in a row, something that perhaps has never happened before. Barrell has hit .446 with 12 homers and 34 rbi's and the Keystones have gone 15-4 over that stretch. On the season he is now on a pace to hit 49 homers. Only 7 times in FABL history has a player hit 50 homers. Barrell did it once before -in 1936- while Max Morris did it 5 times and Joe Masters hit 56 in 1928. The amazing thing and making it truly a Max Morris-like level of dominance for Barrell this season is no other FABL player is on a pace to hit more than 25 round-trippers this year. The Keystones closest challenger now is the surprising Detroit Dynamos. At 7.5 games back it seems unlikely the Dynamos can catch Philadelphia but Detroit's turn around this season -after winning just 69 games a year ago- has to rank as one of the biggest surprises in the Federal Association especially when you consider the Dynamos dealt their best player, Red Johnson, to the Gothams for a boatload of picks and prospects a year ago. The big trade of this year's deadline seemed to pay off nicely last week for Cincinnati. The surging Cannons extended their winning streak to 11 games with sweeps of the New York Stars and Philadelphia Sailors and now are just a game and a half behind the first place Chicago Cougars in the Continental Association with Toronto sandwiched in the middle. All-Star catcher Tom Bird had a nice debut, doubling in his first game with the Ohio gunmen and finishing the week with back to back 3 hit games in weekend wins over the Sailors in Philadelphia. Rabbit Day, the other future Hall of Famer to come over in the deadline blockbuster with the Chicago Chiefs, went 7 innings while allowing just 1 run to beat the Sailors Saturday for his 130th win as a Cannon and 316th of his storied career. The Cannons now return home after an impressive 16-4 road trip but will face a crucial test this week as the Chicago Cougars invade Tice Memorial Stadium for a 4-game series. The Cougars slide continued last week with back-to-back shutout losses at home to Toronto but they did rebound over the weekend and take two of three from Brooklyn. Chicago will now spend the next 3 weeks on the road, clinging desperately by a half game over Toronto to a lead that not that long ago was in double-digits. 1945 DRAFT PREVIEW PART 3: HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS A year ago in the "Way Too Early" 1945 mock there were three high school pitchers listed among the top 16 OSA prospects. Only one of them made the new top ten High School pitcher list and the highest rated of the three - Leo Franks out of Sandusky, Ohio- has been forced to give up the sport after elbow troubles prevented him from playing his junior year of high school and is now focusing on earning a college basketball or track scholarship. Al Daniel Jr., who's father spent a decade as a first baseman with the Brooklyn Kings, was 9th overall a year ago but falls out of the top ten even just when listing high school hurlers this time around. That leaves just Russ McLean, a Pittsburgh kid, who was #13 overall on the early list after his sophomore season, to crack our top high school arms list entering their senior year of school. Here are the three that cracked the overall top 16 list from last August. Code: RK NAME AGE P SCHOOL HOMETOWN OSA REPORT 6 LEO FRANKS 16 P Sandusky (OH) HS Sandusky, MI potential to be top of rotation starter 9 AL DANIEL JR. 16 P Brownsville (TX) HS Brooklyn, NY tools needed to be mid-rotation starter 13 RUSS McLEAN 16 P Shady Side Acad, Pittsburgh Washington, DC solid #3 starter or better Here are the top ten high school pitchers eligible for the 1945 draft, at least in the eyes of OSA. 1: STEVE DAVIS RHP Brownwood (TX) HS: Davis has front-line starter potential according to OSA and that means he is certainly a possible candidate to be drafted first overall in January. The tall (6'2") Texan has 6 different pitches in his reportoire and while his stuff will never win awards the league scouting service feels he possesses an above average potential for keeping the ball in the park. He went 9-1 with a 1.75 era and a 12.2 K/9 rate this past season, his first in high school ball. 2: JOE HORVATH RHP Oshkosh (WI) HS: Horvath could develop into an impact starter when he matures. His fastball is considered a little below average, topping out at 86 mph, but he overcomes his pedestrian arsenal by painting the black with ease. Horvath went 9-2 with a 1.58 era in his lone college season, fanning 138 and walking 23 in 114 innings of work. 3: TED BEAVAN RHP East HS, Buffalo, NY: In two seasons at East High, Beavan is 19-1 with a 1.16 era and a 13.6 k/9 rate. Tall and thin, he may add velocity to his 87 mph fastball as he fills out but it is his off-speed offerings that standout. OSA feels he can be a mid-rotation piece. Beavan is vying to be the third draft pick out of Buffalo's East High, following Si Crocker -a 1936 Boston fourth round pick who is now in the Army but played 19 big league games- and Hubert Williamson - a 24 year old pitcher taken by the Gothams in the 11th round in 1938 and presently with the independent Amarillo Stars of the Western Baseball League. 4: HARRY LINKER RHP Clifton (TX) HS: It seems like a fair drop off after the top three but Linker should be someone you can trust in the rotation, according to the scouting service. Certainly not a top arm, but much more than just a simple rotation filler. The Dallas native had a strong sophomore season, going 9-1 with a 1.54 era, but dropped off a bit as a junior. Very smart, coaches say he always focuses and concentrates on the right things. 5: RUSS McLEAN RHP Shady Side Academy, Pittsburgh, PA: No one in his draft class will have better intangibles. Great work ethic, very low and always leading the way. The groundball pitcher has four decent pitches with plenty of movement. OSA is not overly commited on his upside but does feel McLean is a worthwhile development project for a future rotation spot. The Washington DC born 17 year old went 16-2 with a 1.06 era in two season of high school ball. 6: MIKE MANN RHP Media (PA) HS: The Brooklyn born righthander has been a starter since his freshman year, compiling a 25-4 record with a 1.45 era in 3 seasons of high school ball. He has an above-average sinker and cutter, but his future success may depend on his subpar change of pace developing. OSA thinks Mann deserves a spot in the rotation eventually, but likely closer to the bottom than the top. Mann joins a growing list of players from Media High School, about an hour away from Philadelphia. Paul Baker and Zane Kelley are both pitchers in the Kings system who attended Media High. Baker was a1942 second rounder while Kelley went in the 7th round a couple of months ago. Both are teammates at the moment in Class C Marshalltown. There is also infielder John Baird, a Gothams 20th round selection in 1941 but presently in the Army Air Corps. Mann will likely not be the only new addition to the group as shortstop Bobby Arnett is also eligible this draft and Gilberto Ocasio is a Cuban born immigrant who just finished his freshman year at the school. 7: JIM WILLIAMS RHP Chiicopee (MA) HS: A frim believer in no pain, no gain Williams is a very hard worker. He is an extreme groundball pitcher who relies on a sinker, curve and circle change but at 6'4" and with a peak velocity of 89 mph already you have to think he should be able to throw some heat as he matures. Right now he lives on the corners and OSA sees him peaking as a #4 starter. 8: DUTCH YOAK LHP La Porte (TX) HS: The third Texas born pitcher on this list might well turn out to be the best one. Houston native Dutch Yoak is a two-time All-American who has go 23-0 with a 0.75 era over the past two seasons and is 31-2, 1.36 as a three year starter. His K/9 last year was 16.0 while lowering his BB/9 to 1.5. High work ethic combined with good size at 6'4" and a fastball that peaks at 89 mph. OSA says his curveball is a weapon and his change-up also will be very solid at it's peak but the scouting service feels home runs (and he has allowed 11 over three high school seasons) will be an issue and feels Yoak is a back of the rotation piece at best. Yoak is following in the footsteps of Bob Saltzman, a La Porte grad who was selected by the Chicago Cougars in round 7 of the 1935 draft. Saltzman never made the big leagues and now, at age 27, is pitching for independent Sacramento of the Great Western League. 9: JIMMY BLOCK RHP Dundee (MI) HS: Detroit native is another high work ethic pitcher with a 3 pitch arsenal. He works on the corners with off-speed offerings designed to induce a lot of ground balls. OSA feels he will likely settle in at the end of the rotation. A three year starter, Block is 25-7 with a 1.47 era and a 10.3 K/9. Detroit's 1935 20th round pick Eddie Duncan, who is presently at AA Akron in the Dynamos system, is also a graduate of Dundee High School. 10: ALEX DRAKE LHP Trenton (NJ) HS: Another pitcher OSA sees as a back of the rotation piece, Drake is said to be very focused, but frustrates easily. Made his high school debut as a junior, going 8-1 with a 1.20 era and a solid 13.4 K/9. There have been several Trenton High grads to play pro ball with the most famous likely being Leon Blackridge, a 4 year big league veteran with Washington and Cleveland who is now in the Air Force. The most famous Trenton, NJ born ballplayer has to be George Blankenship, an 1890s outfielder who had 2155 career hits for the Gothams and St Louis and was a member of three WCS winning New York teams. HONOURABLE MENTION CORKY ABAN -RHP - Ottawa (IL) High School AL DANIELS JR. - LHP - Brownsville (TN) High School HERSCH WILLIAMS - RHP - West Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia, PA. Next up we will provide a mock draft of the top 16 prospects according to OSA for the 1945 FABL draft. WOLVES REPORT CARDS As July turns to August Brett has decided to issue his first set of report cards for your Toronto Wolves. These are a little later than last year as there were some expectations that the team would be making a trade deal before the deadline to push the team over the top in the chase of the Chicago Cougars. This trade does not appear as though it will happen, rumours around the clubhouse are that the team's brass are looking at slight upgrade at C but are not aggressively in pursuit of this deal. Many FABL teams are in the same situation with the uncertainty of the players serving in Europe. The euphoria of early June immediately after D-Day has cooled, the progress through France into Germany has slowed over the past seven weeks as Allied forces run into stiff resistance from the Reich. It now seems obvious that players will not return to baseball in time to make any difference in the 1944 pennant races. All front offices are now concentrating on the off-season after recent hints from the league executive office that there would probably be no Rule 5 draft in 1945, Wolves are said to have a huge chalkboard setup in one of back offices where they are trying to set their 1945 organization. Staffers have been seen leaving the office to return with more coloured chalk and blackboard chamois, an individual who spoke on the process on the promise of not being identified said to Brett, "The best way I can describe the process is to use an army term, SNAFU." The Wolves team has had a surprising good first four months of the season spending most of the time in second place chasing the Cougars. Wolves closed the gap to as little as a 1/2 game a week ago after a 9-1 run after the All-Star game coupled with a dramatic Chicago slump. A recent 3-7 run has left the Wolves 2 1/2 back and has also brought Philadelphia, Cincinnati back into the conversation. The Sailors are only a game behind Toronto, the Cannons trail Chicago 4 1/2 games. Toronto has fifty-eight games to play which is five more than Chicago, three more than Philadelphia. Cannons also have fifty-eight to play as the Cannons and Wolves have played the least games in the FABL thus far in 1944. Brett's Grades: Manager- Bob Call: A- Call has brought the team to a level higher than any of the pundits predicted for Toronto. His rather unorthodox handling of the SP hopes to pay dividends going down the stretch, Call pulled SP quickly during the beginning the season with the expressed goal of saving these arms for the push in August, September. We will now see if this tactic will pay dividends. A criticism of Call has been his use of the SB, the team has stolen 25 bases but been caught 28 times. Toronto is not a homerun hitting team so moving runners up is a good idea, the question remains "Have the Wolves run themselves out of some victories?" Call has done a good job keeping the clubhouse on an even keel, the team has been very streaky, periods of winning followed by losing a number of games in quick succession. CATCHERS Clarence Howerton- B- His offensive contribution, .223/.310/.301, has fallen significantly but his presence, handling of the pitching staff continues at a high level. Expect to see him to continue to get the vast majority of work behind the plate. Walter Loera- C- Walter was brought in to handle the duties during the doubleheaders team and fans were hoping for more than ..205/.279/.256. Fans may see more of Roscoe Zeiler as the season runs down, Zeiler has been effective in the bullpen, he may have more time for C duties when Ron Coles returns to action. INFIELDERS 1B- Walter Pack- C After being seriously considered for league MVP Pack has underperformed this season, .264/.326/.409 52 RBI is not even close to expectations of Pack. Can the recent signs of life continue for him? 1B- Al Jensen- A Has done more than expected in his backup role, .310/.360/.390. 2B- Hal Wood- B-Wood's offensive production has been a little above expectations at .306/.377/.419. The problem with Wood has been the twenty-one errors at 2B for this 1943 defensive replacement for Mike Rollinson. Over the All-Star break Wood worked with John Coburn on his infield footwork. 2B-Joe Bell- A Bell, like Jensen, has performed above expectations at .286/.371/.429. Bell was questionable to even head north with the Wolves in March now may see more playing time the last two months of the season at second or third. 3B- Ockie Holliday- C disappointing again in an even numbered year .264/.292/.355. Holliday has also grounded into a team leading thirteen double plays. His defensive work at the hot corner has been consistent but not stellar. SS- Charlie Artuso- B+ Artuso has rebounded from a disappointing 1943 .279/.352/.406 although he has not provided the number of SB Call would expect from this SB threat. His defense at short is still among the CA's best. LF- Juan Pomales- B- Pomales' bat has not given the Wolves desired results, .261/.335/.345 45 RBI is not to Pomales' standard. He has been a plus defender in the OF. CF- Chink Stickles- A- Stickles' first full season had been at least what was expected of the All-Star CF .272/.356/.399 along with 14 OF assists will keep Chink in the everyday lineup. A hope would be more successful stolen base attempts to help the Wolves in the run scoring department. RF- Gus Hull- A Hull has taken the everyday RF job from Reginald Westfall with a stellar .302/.381/.478 performance in 79 starts in the outfield. The balance of the roster Ed Marshall, Larry Vestal, Frank Huddleston, all would grade out at C or C-. They are plugged into the lineup occasionally to provide rest but have not made any significant contribution. Huddleston was recently injured, is on the disabled list, Wayne Henderson was recalled from Buffalo which gives Call options with a RHB at first or second. PITCHING SP- Bernie Johnson- A The off-season question of who would takeover from Hancock as the leader of the staff has been answered by [b]Bernie Johnson. His 12-7, 2.57 along with his first All-Star game appearance has given Call a stopper in the starting staff. SP- Bob Walls- A If Johnson is 1A he is followed closely by Walls at 1B, 11-7, 3.51 gives the team a solid 1-2 combination to hopefully stop any extended losing streaks. SP-Jimmy Gibbs- B- Gibbs sophomore season has not been close to his rookie year. Have the hitters figured out Gibbs or can he step up down the dog days of August? SP- Jim Laurita- B Laurita has been a useful, if at times ineffective, in his starting role. Plagued, as many rookies are, by the free pass the team hopes he can show a marginal improvement for the balance of '44. SP- Chick Wirtz- A- After a sluggish start in a starting role many were worried that his career was over after his struggles in 1943. Wirtz has responded by winning four of his last five starts to even his record at 7-7 along with bringing his ERA under 2 at 1.98. Chick has made a strong case to have Call keep him starting when the schedule allows a four-man rotation, sending either Laurita or Gibbs to the 'pen. RP- Billy Crosby- B+ A major cog in Call's effort to save the starter's arms Crosby has responded with 13 games saved good for a tie for second in the FABL. RP- Roscoe Zeiler- B+ As mentioned earlier Roscoe has been an effective arm in the 'pen logging a team high of 46 1/3 inning in relief. RP- Phil English- B- Crafty aging veteran has preformed when called upon. RP- Bob McRae- B- Like English McRae has done his job. There is hope Ron Coles can return in late August after rehabilitating from surgery that will give another arm to give Call another option. Attendance has dropped by over 17000 fans per game at Dominion Stadium. This is understandable given the increased demands, working hours expected of those on the home front to supply the needed materials to those fighting this seeming unending almost 5 year nightmare of WWII. The Wolves hope to provide fans with meaningful, pennant contending baseball going forward, then possibly fans will find their way to the stadium for a short, well deserved respite from the daily grind. Welcome home, Cincinnati Cannons - Hard to ask for a more successful road trip than the Cannons just returned from. It started in Brooklyn July 19 with 3 wins in 4 games over the Kings. Then it was up to Montreal for a split with the last place Saints before they waltzed into Cougars Park and took 3 of 4 from the slumping Cougars. Back to New York for 5 wins over the Stars and then the quick trip down to Philadelphia for 3 more victories. 11 straight in all and a road swing that was the best they have likely ever had as the Cincinnati Cannons with a 16-4 record. When the trip started the Cannons were 9.5 back of Chicago. Now it is just a game and a half with a huge four game series with the Windy City Kitties coming up and what a difference a month and a half has made. The Cannons have gone 31-9 since June 24th despite a rash of injuries that appear to show no sign of quitting. Deuce Barrell has missed the entire year and Vic Carroll's season ended in mid-July. Denny Andrews and his terrific start to the season have been out since mid-May and he won't be back for another two or three weeks. Jack Cleaves has missed some time and had that extended but the good news is he is expected to be ready for the Cougars series. The bad news is defensive whiz Jim Hensley will miss the next two weeks after hurting his neck in a collision yesterday. That means rookie Clifton Smith, who came over as part of the Billy Dalton deal with Boston, will likely get the start at shortstop although there is a chance manager Ad Doria will opt to shift Tony White from second base to short if Jack Cleaves is ready to play second. * A BIRD IN THE HAND * The Transportation Department might not have been happy but the two newest Cannons arrived in New York early Monday after quickly finding an overnight train from Chicago. They could only secure one sleeper berth so it went to Tom Bird as Rabbit Day had pitched two days earlier against Pittsburgh and would not make his Cannon debut until later in the week. So Bird was at least somewhat rested when he met his new teammates and faced the New York Stars Monday afternoon. He doubled in that game and would have a great week -hitting .381 with 4 extra base hits and driving in 5 runs while providing the type of leadership behind the plate one would expect from a 9-time All-Star and two time World Champion. Day got the start Saturday -his first as a Cannon since he went 21-11 for the 1933 Baltimore version of the organization- and he brought his A-game...or at least what is left of it in his now 40 year old right arm. Day went 7 innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits but did walk 6. There was little pressure on the 316 game winner as the boys staked him to a 4-0 lead before he threw his first pitch of the game and plated 8 more in the 6th inning off of the Sailors. You can't help but feel like we are playing with house money after the start the Cannons had. It feels like a second straight pennant is very much a possibility and that is such a change from the mood around Tice Memorial even just a month ago. However, there is a lot of baseball left and you have to think the Cougars will turn things around at some point. They are too good of a ballclub not to. But let's just hope it takes them at least one more week to straighten things out. There are plenty of good seats still available at Tice Memorial this week and the Cannons would love to see you show your support as they try to keep that 11 game streak alive. *CINCY CAGE STAR UNDECIDED * Central Ohio and Detroit City College are both nervously awaiting word from big Lonnie Mullins -one of the best high school cagers the Queen City has ever produced. The towering 6'9" 16 year old is preparing for his senior season at Taft High School but says he will make a final decision on where he will attend college "shortly." Mullins did confirm his choices are narrowed down to the two Great Lakes Alliance rivals: the Central Ohio Aviators and the Detroit City College Knights. Meanwhile Leo Franks, who a year ago was on the TWIFB way to early mock draft shortlist as the top high school pitcher available for the '45 selection period, is also a highly touted cager. Forced to give up baseball after not pitching at all due to elbow troubles, Franks is recovered well enough to once again tun the Sandusky High School offense from his guard position but says baseball is no longer a part of his future. He is believed to be leaning towards Pittsburgh State for his college education but is also said to be considering Elyria. TIGERS AND TICE AGREE TO PLAY NICE * An agreement has been reached to allow Cincinnati's new AFA entry to play it's home games at Tice Memorial this fall. The grid squad thought that was always the case but a late disagreement on the lease deal with the Cannons owner created some tense talk, but all is well now and the games will be played in Cincinnati. Season tickets also went on sale recently and are said to selling well. The Tigers will compete in the Western Division of the 10 team American Football Association and are set to begin training camp in Lexington next week. So now we reach the boring part of the season for the non contenders. Two months of wishing the days would go by. The Gothams seem to be in a solid draft position, maybe. A solid improvement on last year's win total seems likely, so... This is a team waiting for the war to end. No exciting rookies to watch, more a matter of hoping no one gets injured. Gothams fans looking forward to a lineup with Brewer, Monier, Messer and Johnson. Doesn't it seem like we've done this wait for Brewer, Monier and Messer before? Ed Bowman hoas been just ok this season. I'm sure the losing with a bunch of unknowns behind him doesn't help. Jim Lonardo has tied his career high of 4 shutouts. Jim Baggett has been a pleasant surprise after waiting 7 years for a second big league shot. In the next week I'll take a look at what's simmering down on the farm. Despite a low system ranking (dead last if you must know) there are a handful of interesting players. Otherwise it's a waiting game until sometime this offseason when ping pong balls or magic beans or whatever, decides the draft positions. Bobby Barrell won his third straight Federal Association player of the week and is vying to be the first Fed hitter to win the Triple Crown since his mentor and long-time teammate Rankin Kellogg did it for the third and final time of his career in 1933. Al Wheeler and Fred McCormick have turned the trick in the Continental Association since then but only Kellogg, Max Morris (also 3 times) and Fred Roby (in 1894 and as a Keystone) have done it in the Fed. If they plan on getting back on track there is no time like the present for the Chicago Cougars. Four games in Cincinnati followed by 4 games in Toronto are next up for the team that went 10-19 in July after going 19-10 in June, 21-10 in May and 10-3 in April. Detroit started it's long road trip out very nicely with a split of two in Chicago followed by sweeping 3 from St Louis, to drop the Pioneers into last place in the Fed. Such a turnaround for both teams as the Pioneers had a tremendous second half to finish second last season and really seemed on the way up while the Dynamos had sent Red Johnson to New York and were coming off two awful seasons after a number of close calls in the pennant race. The Dynamos are 19-7 since the all-star break, best record in the Fed and second only to Cincinnati's 18-6 mark. At the other end we have the Cleveland Foresters who have hit a wall and are 5-17 since the all-star game. St Louis, at 7-17, is not faring much better. The Minutemen are reeling following an 0-6 week against Detroit and Washington. Dean Astle saw no action with a day to day injury but even that time off was not enough. His recovery is now unclear so to the IL he goes. Doc Shaw thinks that this brutal week may have been the nail in the Boston coffin. Not too long ago Chuck Wirtz was 1-6 and sources in Toronto say the Wolves were close to cutting ties with the 36 year old lefthander. Starting with a 5-1 win over Cincinnati on June 20th Wirtz has gone 7-1 and posted a 0.81 era over that stretch. Eli Panneton went right back to work after being smacked around for the first time in his big league career. The New York Stars rookie gave up 8 runs in a 10-3 loss to Cincinnati a week ago but looked very good this week, allowing just 1 earned run in 8 innings in a win over Montreal to run his record to 5-2 with a 2.02 era. Less than a month as a big leaguer but seems to be a clear choice for the Chicago Writers Rookie Award. A big week from Tom Landowski of the Brooklyn Kings. The 26 year old rookie, who was a first round pick out of St Magnus in 1940, upped his season average to .253 and doubled his homerun total on the year after going 10-for-19 with 2 longballs in a performance that earned him CA player of the week honours. The Pittsburgh Miners are excited about the early performance of 21 year old 2B George Darnell. Through 157 PA’s he’s slashing .327/.355/.429. King Allen has apparently left his hometown of Marietta, Ga. and is on his way west to Los Angeles, which is bad news for the Toronto Wolves. Allen, the Wolves second round pick in the most recent draft, is going to be a Dolphin instead of a Wolf. He is set to enroll and player baseball at Coastal California. All other first and second round picks have been signed. Brooklyn first rounder Jack "Jolly" Rogers signed and reported to Class C Marshalltown but apparently his deal with the Kings will allow him to attend Kit Carson University as well. He won't be eligible to play baseball for the Mountaineers but the 6'2" outfielder/guard is going to moonlight as a collegiate cager. Rogers is off to a nice start to his pro ball career, batting .301 afer a month in the Upper Mississippi Valley Association. With the dust settled on the contract signings, Detroit's Edwin Hackberry -selected 3rd overall and one of 4 Dynamos first round picks this year- is numbr one on the OSA top prospect list. Stan Kleminski, Carl Porter and first overall selection Roy Schaub -the other first rounders- all crack the OSA top twenty so it comes as no surprise that Detroit has the top ranked minor league sytem at the moment. PRO GRID LOOP, WITH 450 SIGNED & BIG TICKET SALES, IS RIDING HIGH Some 450 pro gridders -a number which compares favorably with prewar turnouts- have begun assembling at various training sites to prepare for the opening of the American Football Association season next month. The Washington Wasps have been working out for a week in San Diego as they make their return after a 1 year hiatus and the Brooklyn Football Kings are scheduled to stsart official practice tomorrow at a college campus in Texas. The Wasps have about 43 players on hand while the Kings are preparing for a trial squad of 60 men -largest in the ten team league. American Football Association President Jack Kristich reports the largest advance ticket sales in the league's history and officials look forward to a banner season which should easily surpass last seasons average attendance numbers of over 28,000 per game. The league's newest entry -the Cincinnati Tigers- also report they are good to go and will play out of Tice Memorial Stadium -home of the baseball Cannons- have some concerns the club may need to look to a college stadium for a homefield. The defending champion Chicago Wildcats report they will have 40 players in camp when they open later this week at the campus of Indiana A&M. The Tigers will train at the Lexington, Ky. campus of Central Kentucky University and believe that they should also have roughly 40 players in camp. That is similar to the totals expected by each of the other 6 teams: the Detroit Maroons, Pittsburgh Paladins and the combined St Louis-Cleveland entry in the West joining Chicago and Cincinnati while the east will have the Boston Americans, New York Football Stars and Philadelphia Frigates -who return as a team after a season spent partnering with the Ramblers- joining the Kings and Wasps. The regular season is set to begin on September 17. MILITARY GRID TILT EYES BIG CITY LOCATION Collegiate football's super spectacle, the annual Rome State-Annapolis Maritime game, probably will leave the rural hinterlands and come out in it's traditional metropolitan setting this year. No set has yet been set for the service grid classic, scheduled for December 2, but military officials in both Georgia and Maryland have indicated a favorable attitude towards proposals for staging the game in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington or New York. It is the Navigators 'home' game this season and the choice of the local will be made by the Admirals and lesser lights who run the academy at Annapolis. But the Army Generals at Rome State must concur in all arrangements. The Navy has always been in favor of the crowd-luring type of contest, staged in a metropolis. In the year following Pearl Harbor however, the Army clamped down as did the Office of Defense Transportation and ruled the game should be held either in Annapolis or Rome, Ga., with attendance restricted to residents of the immediate area. That meant instead of the usual crowd of 70,000 or so fans and the colorful fanfare that normally accompanies such a spectacle, the service games in 1942 and 1943 drew under 18,00 customers. It was held in Annapolis two years ago and at Rome last fall. BIG START FOR ST BLANE IN AIAA CAGE RECRUITING St Blane University has secured commitments for the 1945-46 season from two of the top ten high school cagers in the nation including Cyril Worley, a 17 year old forward out of Philadelphia. Worley, considered by many to be the best senior who will play on the hardwood this season made his decision to attend St Blane known earlier this week. A day later another highly touted forward, 6'6" Bruce Gard from Baltimore Catonsville High School also confirmed he will joining the Fighting Saints a year from now. Basketball has been a struggle for the prestigious Pennsylvania university, which has not made the AIAA tournament since 1927-28 and suffered through an awful 11-18 season a year ago but the commitments of Worley and Gard, along with 6'9" center Joshua Samuels, who was a top ten recruit and will join the school as the prize of this year's class speaks of a much better future for the Saints. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 8/06/1944 Quick to the campaign trail, Republican Presidential candidate and current New York Governor Dewey blasted President Roosevelt on his postwar policy, noting the United States cannot "face another period like the Roosevelt depression with 10 million men unemployed continually over a period of 8 years." In the British House of Commons Prime Minister Churchill continues to see the end of the war is near, staring "that Allied victory in Europe may perhaps come soon." Russian Government news reports that Warsaw is enveloped in a great pall of smoke and the Germans were apparently putting the torch to the city preparatory to abandoning it to Soviet assault forces that were battling through the eastern suburbs. German troops reeled back from their last hill defenses less than five miles southwest of Florence as the British threaten to take the Italian city. Japan is to look much different after the war. Race wars erupt in Philadelphia with 200 arrested after that city's striking transportation workers vowed to stay off the job "as long as the company uses Negro operators." __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 11-07-2022 at 03:16 PM.