APRIL 17, 1962
OPENING DAY!
Yesterday we looked at the Federal Association. Today as FABL prepares to throw the first pitches on a historic season that includes four brand new franchises let's take a look at my Continental Association Predictions:
1- Cleveland Foresters: Eventually, the Cleveland Foresters have to win another title, and I think this is the year. Falling to the Fed champs in three consecutive seasons, the Foresters still have the most talented roster in FABL, and with Rufus Barrell (13-11, 3.94, 104) at 44 the time to win him a 4th WCS title may be running short. Jake Pearson (17-7, 3.37, 140) has emerged as the ace in front of the Hall-of-Famers Barrell and Adrian Czerwinski (18-9, 3.54, 163). There's plenty of star power in the lineup as well, led by Whitney winners Earl Howe (.263, 22, 103, 7), John Low (.331, 14, 111), and Tom Carr (.283, 6, 61, 32). It's a shame Paul Williams (.307, 28, 111) can't be included in that group, as the 8-Time All-Star had a few Whitney worthy seasons in his Pittsburgh years. He's one of many talented vets on the roster, with Stan Kleminski (.289, 8, 68, 14), Hal Kennedy (.285, 24, 84), and Sherry Doyal (.298, 15, 64, 4) key contributors on offense. Pound for pound, they have the most talent in either association, but they're far from a guaranteed winner. The pitching staff is susceptible to an injury or a decline in Barrell, plus there are multiple serious contenders thirsty for a pennant. They were almost caught last year, and will have to play a complete season to extend their postseason streak.
2- Kansas City Kings: There are a lot of teams in the Continental who can mount a pennant run, and the Kansas City Kings are one of those teams. A team filled with stars including Ken Newman (.255, 28, 108, 6), Charlie Rogers (.312, 16, 94, 12), and Hank Williams (.326, 39, 121, 7) who have all won Whitneys, and they recently picked up veteran second basemen Al Farmer (.304, 18, 61) from the Cannons. Farmer and 25-year-old shortstop Cal Randall (.284, 13, 68) will form a brand new double play duo, as both guys played elsewhere in 1961. Middle infield has been a relative weakness in Kansas City, and now they have a quality defender in Randall and a top bat in Farmer. On top of that, they'll bring back the Kellogg Winner Pat Davis (.343, 19, 124, 33), who's outstanding at all facets of the game. The only thing stopping them is the pitching, as beyond ace Beau McClellan (11-11, 3.99, 135), they don't have someone you'd trust in game two of a postseason series. McClellan himself doesn't compare to Pearson, Czerwinski, and some of the other top pitchers, but he's an innings eater who's innings are actually at the level you want them to be. But unless 34-year-old Fred Washington (10-11, 5.33, 111) regains his Allen form or 22-year-old Curly Anderson (0-2, 5.17, 14) transforms from "innings eater" into a McClellan type, I can't see them taking home a crown.
3- San Francisco Sailors: After coming up just short last season, there's no reason to think the San Francisco Sailors can't finish on top. Adding to that is the acquisition of Hank Lacey (8-17, 4.99, 122), as the Sailor's new front office worked quickly in acquiring an upgrade for their rotation. Aside from 23-year-old ace Charlie Lawson (13-8, 2.91, 165), there is room for improvement, but adding a decent veteran in Lacey can help hedge their bets. Young fireballer George Fuller (12-10, 4.34, 118) could emerge as a top option as well, but that's about all there is to get excited about in the rotation. The rest is more good then great, so they'll have to rely on the talent of their offense. Granted, 25-year-old shortstop Carlos Jaramillo's (.313, 12, 68, 40) defense at short could make the pitching look a lot better then it is, and his bat is excellent leading off the order. He has a talented double play partner in Heinie Spitler (.302, 9, 87, 11), and the 24-year-old John Kingsbury (.335, 18, 93, 14) is already one of the top outfielders in the league. Complimented by vets like Edwin Hackberry (.243, 16, 70, 18), Ray Rogan (.292, 7, 45), and Herbert Crawford Jr. (.253, 12, 85) they should be able to score plenty of runs.
4- Cincinnati Cannons: I can't really put my finger on exactly why, but I have this itch that the Cincinnati Cannons are going to have a huge season. Dallas Berry (.282, 29, 94, 10) had an excellent spring, and seems to return to his 10 WAR form after producing "just" 5.8 in his 6th All-Star season. One of the top hitters in the game, he has a new sidekick in 24-year-old Bonnie Chapin (.345, 22, 84, 6), who won the batting title as a rookie and was worth more WAR (6.1) in 12 fewer games. Completing the outfield could be 23-year-old Joe Case (.314, 24, 82, 11), who excelled in a 90 game sample last year. If he can join the level of Berry and Chapin, they can really carry the lineup. In a pitcher friendly park, they then just need passable results from the pitching, and ace Jim York (7-11, 5.07, 97) is just a year removed from a 20-win season. If he returns to form and 21-year-old Charlie Warren (7-3, 3, 3.19, 73) take a step forward, they could eat enough innings at the top of the rotation to allow Paul Williams (7-7, 10, 4.64, 96) to eat the rest of the innings. One more name to keep an eye on is Red Cunningham (10-8, 4.51, 87), a 22-year-old looking to reclaim a rotation spot in 1962. On top of that, he's shown promise out in the outfield, with a bat decent enough to fill in as a 4th outfielder. With a high 90s fastball, he's best served on the mound, and his development could help propel the Cannons in a surprise pennant run.
5- Los Angeles Stars: If we were ranking pitching staffs, the Stars might be first, as LA's Continental team has Dewey Allcock (10-4, 3.63, 87) and Bud Henderson (9-13, 4.08, 101) who both pitched on Opening Day last season. The only issue is now both are injured, though the 24-year-old Allcock can start throwing today. Robbed of the 1960 Allen, I'm hoping the baseball gods fixed his shoulder, as before he tore his rotator cuff he was the most exciting pitcher in baseball. A rare mix of command and stuff, he was an old-fashioned starter who ripped off big complete game wins, and if he can't do that now baseball is worse off for it. That also makes the Stars' pennant chances hazy, but 22-year-old Sy Dunn (16-5, 3.34, 136) did his best in last season's pennant race to keep LA in it, and they have a plethora of young big league pitchers who can help them win both now and in the future. The lineup is top-heavy, with the Barrell's Charlie (.315, 28, 88) and Ralph (.267, 35, 103) among the Stars in Hollywood. Lou Allen (.287, 39, 119), Virgil Ewing (.329, 21, 112), and Don Hall (.271, 25, 80) are all talented young sluggers, and if this pitching staff was healthy, I'd consider placing them ahead of the Foresters in the standings.
6- Chicago Cougars: A young team on the rise, nearly every important member of the Cougars offense is on the right side of 30, and all the top players are under 25. 24-year-old Canadian Jerry McMillan (.314, 28, 81, 23) is coming off a 20/20 season, and 23-year-olds Gene Case (.288, 21, 77, 8) and Henry Watson (.317, 26, 90) have already established themselves as reliable regulars. A third 23-year-old, shortstop Tom Halliday (.291, 4, 57, 5) was excellent as a rookie, and he was above average at the plate and in the field. They could have another young star behind the plate, as 24-year-old Chappy Sanders won the starting job and will make his debut on Opening Day. Unfortunately, they're without their best player, as All-Star Jack Gibson tore his MCL last June and may miss all of this season as well. If the slugger was healthy, they could have made an outside run for the pennant, but instead they'll be on the outside looking in. Where they have quality young in the lineup, the pitching is still developing, and they're relying on a collection of middle rotation arms led by Andy Logue (15-11, 3.40, 139) and Hank Walker (10-11, 4.63, 123). A guy to keep an eye on is 26-year-old Roy Ellis (11-13, 4.45, 139), who had an excellent spring and led the Conti in K/BB (2.6) last season. He has a nice stuff/control combo that can continue to improve, and by the season's end he may push his way to the front of the rotation.
7- Toronto Wolves: Despite their questionable pitching acquisition, the Toronto Wolves still have a lot of talented arms, but like the Stars injuries have taken their toll. "The King" Phil Colantuono (15-10, 4.35, 172) got hurt in the second half of the spring, expected to miss the next 3-4 months with forearm inflammation. On top of that, 22-year-old ace and Allen winner Arnie Smith (6-2, 2.81, 70) tore his labrum last June, and there's no guarantee he returns to the ace he was prior. With these two question marks, it's hard to envision a pennant run from Toronto, but they could at least win the Canada cup. George Hoxworth (5-16, 5.14, 124) should be able to put his awful 1961 behind him, and both Tom Reed (.299, 28, 91, 10) and Sid Cullen (.310, 19, 69) are excellent outfielders. Joining them could end up being top-20 prospect Ed Savage, a 2nd Round selection in 1959 who hit .315/.414/.511 (164 OPS+) in 86 AAA games last season. There's still more building to be done, but the Wolves have a nice young core that has staying potential.
8- Montreal Saints: Montreal's drop to the bottom of the standings was quick, and even in the spring they couldn't keep up with the expansion clubs. Last season was rough, as Jim Montgomery (19-14, 5.48, 112) has seen his pitching talent vanish with a second brutal season, and Phil Murry (8-17, 5.36, 100) has followed a similar path. The only thing that went right was Eddie Martin (9-14, 3.88, 93), as the 34-year-old managed to rebuild some trade value. Him and Garland Phelps (.286, 10, 76) could fetch a decent haul if Montreal decides to sell, as neither is likely to be part of their next contender. If they really wanted to tear down, 28-year-old Harry Swain could fetch a huge return, but he's young enough to be effective when they have more pieces to surround him. Right now, him and the 24-year-old Andy Gilman (.275, 25, 85) do a lot of the heavy lifting, but they may have some help in 1B/2B Ham Flanders (.322, 1, 16, 1). The 23-year-old debuted last season to solid results, and he got most of the reps at first this spring. He's no star, but exactly the type of player Montreal needs to collect before they can return to winning records.
9- New York Imperials: Neither of the expansion teams are any good, but the Imperials have something the Wranglers do not: Turk Ramsey. One of the best sluggers in FABL, Ramsey's 7 spring homers were tied for 2nd in FABL, and the 1961 Champion hit 37 homers in 122 AAA games two seasons ago. Just 26, he has a lot of home run hitting seasons in him, and could work his way up the new franchise's home run leaderboards quickly. The former 6th Rounder swings too much, but when he does make contact, it goes far. He launched 9 homers in just 125 PAs last season with the Keystones, and should quickly pass his 14 career home runs this year. There's a lot of spare parts behind him, but he's got a few decent vets with Gordon McDonald (9-4, 1, 3.63, 34), Willie Dieter (.210, 5, 12), and Eddie Webb (1-1, 1, 4.12, 16). The Imps don't have the youth of a team like LA, but they have a few future pieces in 24-year-olds Jim Lang (.35) and Delos Smith (.287, 4, 14), the latter of which was acquired from the Cougars for expansion pick Bob Allen (7-13, 4.71, 84). The 25-year-old Bob Roberts gives them a young option in the rotation, but for now it's mostly castoffs that will give up a lot of runs.
10- Dallas Wranglers: Unlike their expansion counterparts, the Dallas Wranglers have a good young pitcher, as the 25-year-old Butch Abrams (0-0, 1, 2.84, 11) seems to have won a rotation spot to start the season. The former Pioneer made 20 or more starts from 1956 to 1960, but was pushed out last season due to St. Louis' dominant young staff. Now with Dallas, Abrams is the exciting young pitcher, surrounded by lottery ticket guys like Hank Berkowitz (5-3, 3.00, 46) and Sid Moulton (8-7, 4.22, 72). The lineup isn't in good shape either, as their best hitter might be 38-year-old John Fast (.220, 3, 31), who's coming off the worst season in his 15-year-career. A veteran of 1,785 games, the Pennsylvania native is stateside for the first time in his career, as he was drafted by the Wolves and traded to Montreal after his 7th FABL season. The switch hitting veteran could lead a lineup with a ton of holes. There's no guy to be wary of and no youngster who can make a huge impact, but someone like Ed Thompson (.429, 1, 1) or Ray Hughes (.182, 1, 10, 1) will step up now that they're given an opportunity to play regularly. There will be lean years, but for a big state that has been left out of FABL for so long, just having a team will be a huge win down in Texas.
OSA PREDICTS KEYSTONES-STARS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Here are the opening day predictions as made by the OSA, official scouting service of FABL.
TODAY IS OPENING DAYFans are lining up at the turnstiles and getting ready for another great year. Welcome to another exciting baseball season. Everyone is ready to sit back, munch on a hot dog and get this thing started! The first pitches of the new season will be tossed today in stadiums all across the country. Included in the home openers will be the first ever FABL game played in Texas and in Minnesota as two of the four new expansion teams open at home. That would be the Dallas Wranglers and Minneapolis Millers. The other two new clubs - the Los Angeles Suns and New York Imperials- get their inaugural campaign underway on the road. Opening Day games are as follows:
Pittsburgh Miners @ St. Louis Pioneers
New York Gothams @ Philadelphia Keystones
Washington Eagles @ Minneapolis Millers
Chicago Chiefs @ Detroit Dynamos
Los Angeles Suns @ Boston Minutemen
Kansas City Kings @ San Francisco Sailors
Los Angeles Stars @ Toronto Wolves
New York Imperials @ Chicago Cougars
Cleveland Foresters @ Montreal Saints
Cincinnati Cannons @ Dallas Wranglers
GRIFFIN’S HANDS AND HIS MOUTH PROVIDED SOME GREAT MEMORIES
“He just stood there.” Such was the prevailing sentiment after watching Lonnie Griffin’s brief time in the ring last week against now-champion Dan McMullan. Ink has been spilled on how poor the showing was, and I have not come to bury Griffin. Grudgingly, I have come to praise him.
Lonnie Griffin was a four-time champion. He put the welterweight division on the front page when he fought because he was a showman, a loudmouth with a penchant for the sensational that earned him the nickname “Loudmouth Lonnie”. His bluster knew no bounds. For a division that was dormant during World War II and went through a time of transient champions in the few years after, the welterweight class saw some stability with Mac Erickson and Danny Rutledge and was beginning to find its feet.
Griffin’s entrance into the national consciousness was in a title bout against Danny Rutledge in March of 1954. Griffin was brash and, in the days leading up to that fight, he disrespected Rutledge with his comment that he was going to show the world who the real champion was. This enraged Rutledge and he was disqualified because of a blatant foul in the 12th round.
The rematch was relatively quiet, and Griffin lost the belt to Rutledge, but 11 months later, he won it back, which became a running theme in his career. Lewis Kernuish was the champion before his bout with Griffin, but left a loser, as Griffin hoisted the welterweight belt for a second time when a nasty cut proved too tough to overcome for the Scottish champ. Griffin earned revenge on Rutledge to win the rubber match in the trilogy in July of 1956, but Rutledge was way past his prime as Griffin knocked the former champion down seven times.
Griffin seemed to be more lucky than good, as his victories did not win over many naysayers. He was certainly challenged by his next foe and it brought out the best in him, though not initially.
At boxing’s Mecca, Bigsby Garden, Griffin and Ellis met in October 1956 for the first of four bouts. Ellis won the match and, of course, there was controversy. This was the write-up from my Bologna on Boxing year-end retrospective from that year:
“Controversy seems to follow Griffin. Maybe it is because of his big mouth. Griffin protested wildly after his final fight of the year, one in which he lost his belt. At Lake Erie Arena in Cleveland, Eugene Ellis put a hurting on Griffin in the fifth round that was consequential. All three judges scored the fifth round a dominating 10-8 in favor of the challenger, who scored the only knockdown of the fight. After a respite in his corner, Griffin’s situation did not improve. The onslaught continued and there was a serious concern for Griffin’s health. Griffin was still in the fight, which was dead even through five rounds on all three cards, as we later found out, but referee Barry Yeats saw something ominous in how open Griffin left himself to power punches on a regular basis. Yeats called the fight late in the sixth round and while 1957 might bring a rematch, Griffin openly wondered to the press if Yates was in the bag for Ellis (30-3-1) and the two were in cahoots to rob him of his title.”
The loss by technical knockout affected Griffin greatly and he lost his next fight to sink deeper into the abyss, with many wondering if his career was over. However, just two fights later, the lack of depth in the welterweight class gave him another title shot against Ellis the following August, and he won the belt for a third time, winning by split decision. Ellis won the rematch in December on the strength of three knockdowns carrying him to a unanimous decision over Griffin.
This is where the story becomes one of redemption. Anyone would have thrown in the towel, ridden off into the sunset. Griffin kept fighting. He matured as a fighter, as a man. Griffin started to win and did not stop, earning another chance after eight straight victories against the man who vanquished him twice before. In June of 1961, Griffin and Ellis met again at Bigsby Garden for a fourth time. Griffin won by unanimous decision for his finest moment as a professional.
After two successful title defenses, he did not show up in this last fight against Dan McMullan. His body of work showed much more than a one-round fight where Griffin did not lay a glove on his opponent. Griffin fought 13 times with the belt on the line and was 9-4 in those fights. He won the belt four times and lost the belt four other times, as well as five times where he stepped into the ring and left the ring with his belt around his waist.
Griffin’s place in history is secure as the second-best welterweight since World War II behind Eugene Ellis. He had defeated Ellis twice and Danny Rutledge twice. Rutledge might want to lay claim to the second-best welterweight since Jimmy “Kid” Simpson, but Griffin edges him out in my opinion. Mark McCoy and George Quisenberry have been the best the middleweights have had to offer since Ray Pizzuto spent nine years atop the division in the 1920s. Of course, no one has ever been better than Hector Sawyer in any weight class and Joey Tierney is second among heavyweights.
Based on his last showing, there have been many calls for his retirement. Griffin is 30 years old, but we would all be foolish to count him out. While I do not think a fifth title will ever materialize, he was fighting well before this last bout. I would want to see how he shows in his next bout, if there is one, to gauge whether he should really hang up the gloves.
Whenever Griffin does call it quits, he will leave behind him a lot of memories, not only with his hands, but with his showmanship.
APRIL 16 BOXING RESULTS
Miami - WW John Wallace (24-2-1) unanimous decision over Tom McMillion (1-2), 6 rounds
Los Angeles- MW Joe Vaughan (8-7-1) split decision over Lee Ray (8-7), 10 rounds
New Orleans- WW Charlie Puder (14-2) majority decision over Skip Austin (3-8-5), 6 rounds
Brooklyn- MW Tom Martin (3-0-1) unanimous decision over Jim Street (1-3), 6 rounds
Baltimore- HW David Hanson (2-1) unanimous decision over Paul Mills (2-12-1), 6 rounds
The DAY That Was
Current events from 4/16/1962
- Secretary of State Rusk was reported to be moderately satisfied after the first of his talks on Berlin with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin.
- After consulting with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Senator Kefauver announced he expects hearings on steel industry pricing practices to begin in about six weeks. Kefauver has proposed legislation for some Government regulation of basic industry prices.
- The Senate Public Works Committee approved authorization of and immediate $600 million public works program to reduce existing unemployment.
- Army Engineers have been authorized to rebuild more than 3 miles of beach dunes just south of Rehoboth Beach, Del. The area was destroyed by a March storm.