As we prepare to embark on a trip through the 1960's, the Figment Universe can expect much to change between now -the dawn of the sixties- and we when go back to live weekly simming in each of the four major professional team sports for the start of the 1969 campaign.
Expansion will be the biggest change and the live sim is expected to resume with four new baseball teams conducting their expansion draft following the 1968 season. That is nine years from now and in that time it is expected that baseball, with four new teams slated to debut in 1962 in addition to the four in advance of 1969, will increase in scope from 16 to 24 clubs. The American Football Association, which presently counts 12 members, the North American Hockey Confederation with six and the Federal Basketball League which at the moment houses 8 franchises, all are expected to double size by the time we return to weekly simming with human General Managers in each of those sports.
While a lot will change in nine years, some of the top young players active today will emerge as stars over the coming years and could still be among the top performers in their respective sports as they hit their early to mid-thirties as we approach the 1970's.
Today, as we wait for the 1960 results, TWIFS takes a look at ten names you might want to watch closely over the next decade as each could still play a key role in his respective sport when the weekly sims return.
HOBIE BARRELL
The Barrell reach extends to all sports and hockey is no different. Hobie is the youngest of two hockey playing sons of former Brooklyn Kings catcher and Toronto Wolves manager Fred Barrell. Older sibling Benny is 21 and made his NAHC debut with the Detroit Motors in 1958-59 after being selected fourth overall in the 1956 amateur draft. By all accounts Hobie is a far better player than his brother, perhaps a generational type talent, but as of this writing he has just turned 18 and is still playing in the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association for the Halifax Mariners. In a league dominated by 19 and 20 year olds, Hobie amassed 90 points in 61 games in 1958-59 and was named a second team all-star. His NAHC future will become much clearer when the draft results are released. The left winger may be bound for Chicago as the Packers finished last in the league this past season and own the first selection in the draft.
RALPH BARRELL
Ralph made his big league debut in 1959 at the age of 19 and hit 19 homeruns in just 85 games, evoking memories of his famous father Bobby Barrell. The Philadelphia born teen is one of two Barrell's on the Los Angeles Stars, joining his 29-year-old cousin Charlie. Injuries, caused perhaps by a number of years playing both professional baseball and basketball, may help Charlie's career end well before 1969 but odds are pretty good that Ralph may be well on his way to joining his father as one of the most feared power hitters the game has ever seen. That is a lot of pressure to put on a 19-year-old but he appears ready to handle it.
STEVE BARRELL
As mentioned above with his cousin Hobie, the Barrell reach is all encompassing and Dan Barrell's youngest son Steve seems well on his way to a terrific pro basketball career. A two-sport star at Chicago Poly, where his father Dan - the former FABL player and briefly league president- now serves as Athletic Director, Steve turned down a chance to play pro football with the Los Angeles Tigers because they wanted to convert the former quarterback to a halfback. Instead he decided to concentrate on basketball after being chosen second overall by the Boston Centurions in the 1958 Federal Basketball League draft. The 22-year-old guard averaged over 14 points a game his debut season and was named FBL rookie of the year for the 1958-59 campaign
MILLER BOGERT
The 23-year-old quarterback led the Chicago Wildcats to their first AFA title in a decade as rookie. What is even more impressive is Bogert was a mere afterthought in the 1958 AFA draft, being selected in the 7th round by the Wildcats out of Bluegrass State. A decade long career is a lot to ask for any football player but Bogert may just buck the odds, and if he does the Wildcats may win a few more titles over the next nine years.
HUGO DYAL
Obviously none of the players participating in college football or basketball will be in the AIAA nine years from now but there is a good chance that Hugo Dyal will still be winning football titles. The 62-year-old head coach of the Northern California Miners football team has built his club into a powerhouse. Under Dyal's guidance the Miners have gone 99-17-1 since 1950, winning 8 West Coast Athletic Association titles including 4 straight as well as each of the past four East-West Classic games. Under Dyal, the Miners are 6-3 all-time playing in Santa Ana on New Years Day.
What has eluded the veteran coach, at least so far, is a national title although they have finished in the top five each of the past four years and were ranked second in 1960 and 1958.
GEORGE HOXWORTH
The Toronto Wolves have been a bad baseball team for what feels like forever. They have been fortunate enough over the years to have some good pitchers and we feel George Hoxworth has a chance to be one of the best in the game. Selected 7th overall in 1956 out of high school, he made his big league debut at 18 and now, four years later, has already won 50 games while still a few months shy of his 22nd birthday. FABL has seen three players win their 300th game in the past three seasons (Al Miller, Deuce Barrell and Ed Bowman) and it may be a while for the next one but we feel come 1969 there may be talk about Hoxworth approaching 300. Toronto will have to turn things around as a team for that to happen but OSA sees the 6'2" righthander playing a major role in that as they tout Hoxworth as someone who could win an Allen Award or two.
ALEX MONETTE
The 26-year-old center of the Detroit Motors has etched his name alongside Quinton Pollack and Tommy Burns as one of the top players in the North American Hockey Confederation. Monette led the NAHC with 82 points in the recently completed 1958-59 season, ending a seven year stretch when only Pollack or Burns could claim that honour. After scoring 4 goals in the Challenge Cup clinching game as a rookie in 1953 the Motors knew Monette was something special. He had over 100 points in each of his final two years of junior and has accumulated 451 points in 433 career NAHC games.
Monette, will be 36 when we go "live" again but may still be playing a key role in the Motor City. He has already helped the Motors win three Challenge Cups and it seems just a matter of time before he breaks Pollack's hold on the McDaniels Trophy as the NAHC MVP.
THE BOSTON MINUTEMEN
We could name the two 23-year-old pitchers from Boston in Don Griffin and Dick Wilson, each twenty-game winners in 1959, but truth is this group looks like it might just be the next powerhouse in the Federal Association. It is hard to find a better pair of young pitchers anywhere and the Minutemen offensive core led by 29-year-olds Rick Masters and Joe Kleman along with Jack Denis, 28, and Ed Wise, 27, looks like it could be around for a while. Topping the Detroit Dynamos six pennants in seven seasons during the 1950s seems unlikely but if allowed to stay together, we may be looking back in 1969 at several Minutemen titles.
HANK WILLIAMS
Just 26-years-old, the Kansas City Kings outfielder has already won back to back Whitney Awards and Continental Association batting titles including hitting .406 in 1959. It is the first .400 season FABL has seen since Mel Carrol did it with Washington in 1937. Williams has 493 hits in just 328 big league games and the local product (he is from Liberal, KS) looks to be on a pace, if he stays healthy, to be one of the best pure hitters the game has ever seen. Don't sleep on his power either as Williams hit 34 homers in 1959 and became just the second player ever to smack 60 doubles in a season. The first was Hall of Famer Dave Trowbridge.
JIM YORK
This one might be a little bit of a reach compared to most of the others but we feel York is a carbon copy of another former collegiate lefthander. He reminds us Detroit's 3-time Allan Award winner Jim Norris. York, 22, does not have an Allen Award yet but he did win the Christian Trophy his junior season at Chesapeake State before being drafted in the second round (same as Norris was) to Cincinnati in 1958. York made his big league debut in 1959, posting a 13-10 record and even threw a no-hitter, something else he shares in common with Norris. OSA feels he still has room to grow and could be a true #1 starter. We are anticipating a long career from the Cannons rising star.