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AUGUST 5, 1963

Pioneers Begin to Pull Back Ahead
Inspired by Trade, St. Louis Wins 4 Straight as Detroit Drops 5

Joe Kleman (.286, 10, 60) and Bill Tutwiler (.289, 9, 42, 11) have yet to take an at bat for the Pioneers, but the addition seems to have inspired the rest of the squad, as they took advantage of the Gothams and Minutemen. Their only loss this week came in Frenchy Mack's (14-4, 1.88, 141) start, as the Gothams battered him for 5 runs on 7 hits and a walk. He did strike out 8 in 6.1 innings, and wasn't charged with the loss, but he fell behind Steve Madden (15-4, 2.25, 112) in the win lead. The 24-year-old was dominant in St. Louis' 15-0 win over Boston, twirling a 3-hit shutout with one walk and nine strikeouts. Another excellent individual effort came in their 7-6 win over the Gothams, where Danny Davis (.352, 28, 80, 5) put the team on his back. Going 5-for-6, he scored and drove in 3 runs, knocking his 27th and 28th homer of the season in the one-run win. Though In most games it was the pitching, not the hitting, as aside from Mack, every member of the Pioneers rotation allowed two or fewer earned runs in their starts, including another 3-hit shutout from Billy Hasson (13-4, 3.49, 126). On an excellent run of late, the overqualified #3 walked just 2 and struck out 9, something he's done in three consecutive starts. He's also won his last five decisions, with his last loss his one inning stinker in Detroit.

Detroit had stinkers all week, as after dropping two of three in Washington, they were swept by the surging Keystones. There were very few bright spots in the week, but at least in the opener they put up 10 runs. Errors did a lot of the work, just 4 of the runs they scored were earned, as they were able to survive a bad start from John Jackson (10-4, 3.49, 89). The game's unlikely hero was Jerry Parker (.258, 1, 4), who was 3-for-4 with a homer, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs. The reserve infielder was getting a start in place of Joe Reed (.296, 12, 54, 8), and it's surprising that his production as the only thing stopping Detroit from a winless week. The staff allowed far too many runs, with all but one game seeing them allow 6 or more runs. The sixth was still 5, and the normally stable rotation had trouble keeping runs off the board.

To make one of the pennant races interesting, they'll need to quickly bounce back, as St. Louis can't keep playing at a near perfect pace. They've gotten cold once already, and thins time it's the Dynamos who have the easy schedule. They get the Gothams, Millers, and Suns before hosting the Pioneers in a four game weekend series, there best chance to cut the now wide deficit. They can hope the Pioneers struggle with the Eagles and Keystones on the road, as those were the two clubs that gave the Dynamos their trouble. This is a big week for the pennant race, and the debuts of Kleman and Tutwiler will be highly anticipated.

Washington may now be too far out to make it a three team race, as not only are they 8 games back of the Pioneers, but they lost two key players to injury. One will be for the season, as breakout righty Bob Ball (13-3, 3.03, 126) got the news no young pitcher wants to here: his UCL is torn. A partial tear, his 1964 status is up-in-the-air, but he's pretty much guaranteed to miss Opening Day. 25 in October, Ball has been a highly rated arm since his breakout rookie season, where he was 13-5 with a 2.75 ERA (155 ERA+), 1.20 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 21 starts, but he was more average then great in the two years that followed. Injury aside, 1963 was his best year yet, as in 20 starts Ball finishes 13-3 with a 3.03 ERA (139 ERA+), 3.31 FIP (139 ERA+), and 1.29 WHIP, striking out 126 and walking 58 in 157.2 innings pitched. With the early season end, he's now won exactly 13 games in each of his last three seasons, but was well on his way to set personal bests in wins, FIP, strikeouts, WHIP, and WAR.

Joining him on the IL may be 20-year-old slugger George Whaley (.310, 23, 94, 4), who again is dealing with a nagging injury. A little more severe then the previous ailments, a strained abdominal muscle may cost him three weeks, but it's the type of thing he could play through. The former 1st Overall pick has dealt with similar strains in the past, and it hasn't stopped him from hitting .310/.394/.581 (156 OPS+) on the season. The Eagles have first base depth, as George Fox (.336, 8, 4) could move from his frequent pinch-hit role to every day first basemen, but with wins at a premium, they may vote to have Whaley fight through the pain, especially with their next four games coming against the leading Pioneers.

*** Kings Handle Business, Take 2 of 3 from Cougars and Stars ***

Playing at home was huge for the Kings, as they were able to win series against the two teams that come close to their divisional lead. Close is relative now, of course, as Kansas City opens the week 8 up of the Stars and 8.5 up of the Cougars. They don't face either until the end of August, where they'll play the first two of a three game series in LA. Starting the coming week with the Imperials and their surprise four game win streak, they have a very light schedule ahead of them, and that could spell doom for the rest of the association.

The battle for second will take place in LA over the weekend, as the Stars will host the Cougars for four games in three days. Charley McCullough's squad can't focus too much on that, as before they'll have to host the Toronto Wolves for three games. After scoring just 8 runs in Kansas City, they'll need to re-spark the lineup, as Lou Allen (.298, 27, 89) labored through a hitless week and they left a lot of men on base. It's far too early to count out either the Stars or Cougars, but the schedule makers did a huge favor to the Kings by having them play each other. One may beat up on the other, making it easier for the Kings to pull away and capture their fourth pennant since 1954.

FABL Announces Monthly Awards
Two Big Starrs Take Home Batter of the Month

As FABL enters the second to last month of the baseball season, there's a clear gap between the contenders and the rest of the pack, with only two teams in each association within single digits of first place. In fact, just one team, the Detroit Dynamos, is fewer then 8 games out, and unless things change quickly we may have the postseason figured out before we get too far into September.

Part of the reason for this large gap between the top and the rest is Hank Williams (.369, 32, 105), as the triple crown leader captured his second Batter of the Month this season. His best month so far, Williams has hit a lethal .405/.477/.793 (230 OPS+), crushing 10 homers with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 16 walks, 29 runs, and 32 RBIs. Through 109 games, the 6-Time All-Star is now hitting .369/.449/.694 (198 OPS+), overtaking Sailors second basemen Heinie Spitler (.367, 5, 67, 10) in the batting race. Just two hundredths separate the two, and this competition may end up closer then any of the postseason races. Williams, who won his first triple crown and third Whitney last season, is looking like a lock for at least the Whitney, leading the Conti in 15 notable offensive categories including WAR (6.3), hits (152), and OPS (1.143). Coming off back-to-back 20 win months, the Kings and their star look to cruise their way to a pennant.

Kansas City also had the Pitcher of the Month, as a perfect 5-0 July brought Beau McClellan (10-9, 3.63, 126) back over .500 where he belongs. The reigning Allen winner, his 3.72 ERA (113 ERA+) and 1.28 WHIP were actually higher then the marks he put up in June, but the crafty veteran struck out 34 in 46 innings. Riding a seven game win streak, he's thrown 9 or more innings in each of his last eight starts, including a 10-hit, 10-strikeout shutout of the Cougars to start April. After beginning the year 3-9 with a 4.15 ERA, he's now a game-over .500 and owns an impressive 3.63 ERA (116 ERA+), 3.43 FIP (81 FIP-), and 1.16 WHIP in 166 innings pitched. Striking out 126 to just 33 walks, he's continued to display tremendous command, and his 3.8 K/BB would be the highest of his career.

In the Fed, the winner of the top award also won the Rookie of the Month, as Chief outfielder Bob Starr (.302, 15, 47) has been a revelation for his hometown team. Acquired from his other hometown team in the Dick Champ (6-10, 4.61, 73) trade last July, Starr didn't make the Opening Day roster, having to wait until May 14th to make his season and FABL debut. Known more for his glove then the bat, the former 10th Rounder hit everything in July, batting .366/.491/.763 (229 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 10 homers, 25 RBIs, 26 runs, and 22 walks. With an elite eye and above average power, Starr didn't take much time to adapt to FABL pitchers, and is hitting a lofty .302/.393/.560 (151 OPS+) with 11 doubles, 15 homers, 47 RBIs, 49 runs, and 33 walks. In the Conti, that would maybe make him the fifth or sixth best rookie, but in a weaker Fed class he's emerged as a legitimate candidate for the Kellogg. Al Clark (.317, 12, 61) and Bobby Phelps (.262, 22, 48), both outfielders, have gotten more time to add to their counting stats, but among rookies Starr has the highest WAR (3.8) despite not yet being a qualified hitter. Teammate Roy Brandt (6-1, 3.10, 64) or Miner stopper Manny Espinosa (4-8, 19, 2.98, 77) could steal votes away from the bats, but newest star of the Chiefs has positioned himself well to earn hardware at season's end.

Finishing up the awards were a pair of Caudills, as Otto (12-6, 9, 3.71, 80) of the Eagles and Dode of the Cougars were named Pitcher and Rookie of the Month in the Fed and Conti respectively. One was expected, but seeing a reliever earn the award is always a shock. Otto Caudill, who has made some starts during the season, picked up a win in half of his 14 appearances this July, a perfect 7-0 with 4 saves, a 1.21 ERA (346 ERA+), 2.27 FIP (54 FIP-), 0.88 WHIP and 23 strikeouts to just 4 walks. His Eagles won 19 games in July, so Caudill either won or saved 58% of their games, clearly deserving of his near perfect pitching. Besides, 29.2 innings is just under 6 innings a start if you made 5, so he was every bit as impressive as any starting pitcher that saw action.

Dode Caudill then led the Cougars to a Conti-best 21-8 record, as his Chicago club made up a full half game on Williams, McClellan, and the Kings. The graduated top-3 prospect kept getting robbed of Player of the Week, finishing his July with an outstanding .390/.467/.602 (185 OPS+) batting line. The type of player who can do it all, Dode collected 35 runs, 5 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 12 RBIs, 17 walks, and 9 steals, worth an even 2 wins above replacement in 29 July games. One of the many Continental rookies playing outstanding baseball in 1963, the former 12th Pick has hit .311/.379/.516 (138 OPS+) through 477 plate appearances. A counting stat aficionado, the Cougar left fielder has accumulated 18 doubles, 11 triples, 16 homers, 48 RBIs, 48 walks, 82 runs, and 17 steals, establishing himself as one of the game's top outfielders in his first FABL season.

Tales From The Den
Trade Deadline Passes, Wolves Stand Pat

Toronto did not make any moves at the trade deadline which is not surprising for the third youngest team in FABL. Rumours were that management was gently probing for upgrades but never got into any serious talks. As Manager Hohlt has often put it to reporters "We have the nucleus of a very, very good team here. It is a young team that shows its age, at times we fail to close the deal by giving up leads late in games. We have to learn to win together avoid turning wins into loses. That is my message to the team before every game. play hard until the final out."

Hohlt still must sleep over the pitching staff that was thought to be the strength of the Wolves in the spring. The starter's ERA ranks 6th (4.39) while the constant carousel in the bullpen is 8th with an ERA closer to 5 than 4. Overall the 'pen has blown almost as games, 17, as they have saved, 20, for the season. Hopefully the last 49 games will allow the relievers to sort themselves out as the team strives to improve on last year's .500 record. Expect Hohlt and his staff to experiment in the last 8 weeks of the season in order to find the proper roles for the pitching staff. Brett has been told off the record that many are pushing for Arnie Smith to be moved to the 'pen as he seems to empty the tank far too early this year for a starter.

The team bounced bounced back after last week's 1-6 record with KC, Chicago sweeping a three games series from Cincinnati before dropping 3 of 4 to Montreal all at Dominion Stadium. After an off-day Monday the Cannons came to town. Lee Loeffler, who started the year as a RP, showed again his forte is as a starter. The bats got Cincy starter early and often scoring 7 off Jack Meeks in the first six innings led by Tom Reed who was 3 for 3 with 3 RBI for the game. Loeffler faltered in the ninth trying to get a complete game, Haygood has to come to get the final out in the 8-3 game. On Wednesday the team got out to a 8-1 lead then hung on to give Medley his 12th win of the season 8-5. Joe Jackson picked up his second save for the Wolves since his return from missing 15 months after arm surgery. As the month turned to August Colantuono pitched 7 scoreless to tie Medley with 12 wins in game where the Wolves scored 6 in their last time to bat to win 11-0 to run the winning streak to 6 when playing the Cannons.

Fans were in a jovial mood when the Saints came to Toronto on Friday. Davidson's undoing this evening was the long ball. Andy Gilman put into the LF seats in the 4th to put the Saints up 2-0. In the next inning after Toronto had narrowed the lead to one Harry Swain put a no-doubter off the bat beyond the CF wall cash in Ham Flanders' walk. That was all the Saints would need, Tom Reed's HR in the sixth, his 14th, would make the final 4-2. On Saturday Arnie Smith's rollercoaster season continued as Hohlt came to get him in the sixth with the score 6-1. Montreal would score 6 more off the bullpen to win 12-4. The first game of the Sunday with two games was another Loeffler start. Neither team generated much at the plate with the Wolves outhitting the Saints 4-3 for the game. The critical play was a Story miscue in the 2nd which allowed a Don Whitehead's 2 run double. Bob Vernon also had a two run triple in 6 as Juan Quintana held Toronto at bay in a 4-2 game for Montreal. Wolves salvaged a lone win in the series by touching up Phil Murry for 7 runs in the first 5 innings to cruise to an 8-2 win with Dixie Williams' driving in 4 with 2 2-run doubles.

Toronto's stay a home was short. They now head out to LA for three then try to avenge last week's series sweep in KC. A good test for the Wolves.

• Monthly awards get most of the spotlight, but the Continental may have had the most unlikely winner to date. Despite still hitting .217/.251/.304 (47 OPS+) after the unlikely week, Bill Jenkins (.217, 5, 33) doubled his season WRC+ after going 10-for-19 with a triple, 4 homers, 9 RBIs, 6 runs, 2 walks, and not a single strikeout. Jenkins, who entered the week with a homer and 54 strikeouts isn't getting any Kellogg consideration, and the Sailors backstop was demoted before Larry McLaren (.229, 4, 8) fractured his rib and hit the IL. Jenkins has gotten most of the time since, though San Francisco did bring up 34-year-old Tom Naismith for his FABL debut. The former Cannons 24th Rounder was 0-for-2 in his first, and so far only, FABL game.
• In the Fed it was a less surprising selection, as the anchor of the Minneapolis lineup Cecil Cummings (.296, 14, 59) was rewarded for his efforts in a 4-3 week. Cummings, a speculative trade candidate, was 14-for-29 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 6 runs, 10 RBIs, and a steal. In 110 games, the 27-year-old has now hit .296/.324/.453 (101 OPS+) with a 111 WRC+, 24 doubles, 14 homers, and 59 RBIs, as the Millers are now just two wins away from 30.
• Long-time utility man Ralph Hanson (.182, 4) continued the trend of veterans reaching 2,000 hits this season, but for the 36-year-old it took far longer then expected. Just 10 away when the season started, it took all the way until July 31st as he hasn't played well or often for Montreal this year. Taken 2nd by the then New York Stars in 1945, Hanson debuted in '49 and has appeared in 1,886 FABL games with a pair of All-Star selections. Never quite able to live up to his lofty ceiling, he still managed the 2,000 hits and 36.3 WAR, owning a career .295/.338/.419 (109 OPS+) batting line. Recently 36, he's shown no indications of retiring, but now that he reached the milestone hit total, he may be more willing to hang up the spikes.
• Saints writer Marc T. McNeil took a look at the Continental Kellogg race, which may be tough for Saint backstop Henry Woods (.360, 19, 69, 6) to hold on to: "This year the Kellogg award in the CA will be difficult to choose from -- doubt we will get unanimous choice!:

  • CF Mark Boyd from CIN leads rookie in HR and BB but lower BA
  • C Henry Woods from MON leads in many categories like BA, OBP, OPS+ second in HR and RBI
  • RF Otis Haldelmann from SFS lead in RBI, third in BA and HR
  • LF Dode Caudill from CHC leading in Runs, SB, and Hits

  Interesting race until end of season!"
• Things have gone from bad to worse for the Cannons, as not only are they riding a nine game losing streak after getting swept by the Imperials, but they will be without star outfielder Bonnie Chapin (.349, 25, 76) for the remainder of the season. A first-time All-Star, Chapin tore his labrum, and will spend approximately 5 months recovering. It also ended his hit streak at 23, as he left in the 7th of an 0-for-2 effort with a walk. Functioning as the regular center fielder, Chapin was hitting a career best .349/.417/.607 (165 OPS+) with a pristine 178 WRC+. Add in 24 doubles, 25 homers, 76 RBIs, and 86 runs, he was in the middle of what could have been his best season to date. Lucky for the Cannons, they have plenty of outfield depth, allowing star rookie Mark Boyd (.279, 25, 59) to move from the dirt to the grass. Now 56-63, they're closer to last (14.5 GA) then first (25.5 GB), and they have the chance to try out a variety of players before the season ends.
• A pair of shutouts started the week, with Boston's Dee Britton (4-14, 2, 4.97, 104) besting the Millers and the Chiefs' John Thomas (8-8, 3.63, 103) holding down the Miners. For Britton it was a nice change of pace, as the swingman hasn't faired too well this season. In 116 innings he has 17 starts and 12 relief outings, and the 5-hit, 1-walk, 10-strikeout shutout lowered his ERA below 5 for the first-time since mid-June. Thomas, however, as been excellent in his aged-20 season, now 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA (116 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts in 19 starts. Both pitchers have outstanding stuff with somewhat frequent control lapses, but both Fed clubs are extremely hopeful for their young arms.
• The week also ended with a shutout too, as the Imperials beat the floundering Cannons 3-0. It was the first shutout for a pitcher drafted by the Imperials, as 22-year-old John Billops (1-2, 1, 5.43, 43) held the ice-cold Cincinnati lineup to 4 hits, striking out 6 without a walk. Just his 6 start of the season, last year's 13th Rounder has thrown 56.1 innings across 9 appearances, and despite a 5.43 ERA (78 ERA+), he's got a strong 3.84 FIP (91 FIP-) and 2.5 K/BB in his rookie season.
• Though it couldn't be all good for the Imperials, as despite a four game win streak, they still loss towards the end. 26-year-old infielder Delos Smith (.256, 4, 16) hit the IL with a fractured foot, expected to miss at least the next three weeks. Starting to get more time at short, Smith was hitting .256/.290/.400 (81 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 16 RBIs. Acquired from the Cougars last winter for veteran righty Bob Allen (5-3, 2, 2.58, 32), Smith was looking to establish himself in a wide-open Imperial infield.
• Montreal returned Rule-5 Pick Harry Phillips (.208, 2, 4) to the LA Suns, as the talented glovemen just could not hit enough. Batting just .208/.276/.208 (31 OPS+) in 58 PAs, he'll get a chance to re-establish himself in a weaker system, but returning to the FABL level will be a challenge. A former 7th Rounder of the Kings, he does have a reasonable .258/.331/.344 (91 OPS+) line in 83 AAA games.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 08/04/1963

• The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner published its copyrighted story, "Black Muslim Founder Exposed as a White", declaring that W. D. Fard, who had started the black nationalist organization in 1930, had actually been a white man named Wallace Dodd. The Herald-Examiner story included photographs supplied by the FBI, but Fard's successors at the Nation of Islam denied the story as a hoax.
• Maxime A. Faget, Engineering and Development Director for MSC's Space Vehicle Design Branch, enlisted North American Aviation to study modifications to the basic Apollo spacecraft that would extend its capabilities to function in orbit for missions of up to 100 days— more than three months— without resupply. Faget's objective was a space laboratory for a three-person crew, with an orbital altitude of between 160 kilometres (99 mi) and 480 kilometres (300 mi), and light enough to be launched on a Saturn IB rocket. Two separate vehicles were under consideration, an Apollo command module and a command module and separate mission module to be used as living quarters.
• The Peerage Act 1963 received royal assent in the United Kingdom, opening membership in the House of Lords to women, and to more than the 16 members of the peerage of Scotland. In addition, the Act allowed an hereditary peer to disclaim his automatic membership among the Lords, which would clear the way for Alec Douglas-Home to become a member of the House of Commons, then Prime Minister.
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 180 was adopted, calling upon Portugal to recognize the right of the peoples of its colonial empire to self-determination and independence. The United Kingdom, the United States and France, three of the five permanent members of the Council, abstained.
• Dr. Arturo Illia was formally elected as President of Argentina by that nation's electoral college, receiving 261 of the 576 votes. Minutes later, former President Arturo Frondizi was released by the military government that had deposed him on March 29, 1962.
• The "Protocol to Amend the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air signed at Warsaw on 12 October 1929", commonly known as the Hague Protocol, came into effect on August 1st.
• The United States amended its Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) for nuclear war for the first time, altering the original plan that had been in place since July 1, 1962.
• The U.S.-launched Syncom 2, launched on July 26, was successfully lifted to an altitude of 22,500 miles (36,200 km) and achieved a speed of 6,880 miles per hour (11,070 km/h) in order to keep pace with the Earth's equatorial rotational movement of 1,040 miles per hour (1,670 km/h), becoming the first Earth-made object to achieve geosynchronous orbit. Syncom 2 remained fixed at a point near the equator and over Brazil.
• Stephen Ward, 50, English osteopath and a central figure in the Profumo affair, died three days after taking an overdose of barbiturates. In his suicide note, he wrote, "It's a wish not to let them get me. I'd rather get myself."
• The Beatles performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the 275th, and final time, nearly 18 months after their first appearance on the club's stage on February 9, 1961.
• At 5:00 in the morning on August 4th, Haiti was invaded from the Dominican Republic by an army of 500 Haitian rebels seeking to overthrow the dictatorship of President Francois Duvalier, commonly referred to as "Papa Doc". The rebel forces crossed the border from the Dominican town of Dajabón to strike at Ouanaminthe, moving across the Rivière du Massacre/Rio Dajabón.
• The African Development Bank (AfDB) was created by agreement of the leaders of 33 African nations meeting in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.