OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal

Tiger Fan · 10-20-2025, 12:31 AM

1969 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL
October 28, 1969

A NEW LOOK AS FABL EMBRACES DIVISION PLAY
Four Expansion Teams Boost Baseball to 24 Clubs

1969 marked a monumental change in the sport of baseball. No longer would finishing in first place automatically win a club a league pennant and a trip to the World Championship Series. FABL expanded by four teams, adding two to each association and with 12 clubs in each group the sport introduced divisional play for the first time.

The newcomers were the Baltimore Clippers, Houston Comets, Kansas City Mavericks and Milwaukee Arrows. Just as was the case for the 1962 expansion clubs, their appeared to be some lean years ahead for the latest newcomers, none of whom were competitive in their first season and each finished in last place in their respective divisions.

The Clippers brought big league baseball back to Baltimore for the first time since 1939 when the Cannons fled the city after six straight last place finishes in the Continental Association and moved to Cincinnati. The Clipper nickname is a nod to the early days of the previous Baltimore franchise, which was known as the Clippers around the turn of the century before being redubbed the Cannons. This time around Baltimore found itself in the Federal Association, joining long-running franchise in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington as members of the Fed's East Division.

Houston, which briefly had big league baseball in during the Great Western League's brief dalliance with major league stats, will be known as the Comets and play in the sport's first indoor stadium, the Dalton Dome. The Comets will play in the Federal Association West Division alongside 1962 expansion clubs the Los Angeles Suns and Minneapolis Millers as well as the Chicago Chiefs, Detroit Dynamos and St Louis Pioneers.

The Milwaukee Arrows join the Continental Association and bring the Wisconsin city its first big league ballclub since the Milwaukee Cream Caps played in the old Century League prior to the formation of FABL. The Arrows will join the 1962 expansion New York Imperials as well as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Montreal and Toronto in the Continental Association East Division.

The CA West welcomes baseball back to Kansas City a year after the Kings packed up and moved to Seattle. The Mavericks will be the new Kansas City club and they will compete with the Seattle Kings, Chicago Cougars, Los Angeles Stars, San Francisco Sailors and the 1962 expansion Dallas Wranglers.

*** New Division, Same Old Stars ***

The Los Angeles Stars had the best record in baseball each of the last three years, averaging 110 wins a season. Hard to imagine but the Stars may well have been even better this time around as the once more were the class of the sport during the regular season with their second consecutive 111-51 season. No other club in either association won more than 97 games and the Stars finished a full 20 games ahead of the second place Chicago Cougars in the Continental Association West Division.

All the key stars of the club that entered the season with 3 consecutive pennants and a pair of WCS titles were back including Bobby Garrison (.328,26,93), Ralph Barrell (.275,37,127), Lew Smith (.284,32,106), Bill Bell (.295,14,69) and pitchers Floyd Warner (18-9, 2.78), Bob Hollister (18-9, 2.70), George Dunnigan (18-8, 2.79) and Harry Anderson (15-8, 3.54). The Stars also added young outfielder Mike Stevenson (.284,14,78) who was named the top rookie in the CA and made what already was the best pitching staff in the game even better with a deadline day trade to bring former Allen Award winning 27-year-old righthander Bill Dunlop (19-7, 2.79) over from Boston. It was the biggest July trade and possibly the most one-sided as while Boston received four prospects in return, none are considered to be of the blue chip variety.

The Stars had a slow start to the season but after a 21-7 June (they went 82-32 after June 1) it was clear that the rest of the CA West Division were battling for second place. The Cougars, led by the pitching of Hal Adams (18-7, 2.66) and the bats of Bill Grimm (.287,30,91) and Sam Morrison (.306,12,64) held off San Francisco to claim runner-up status. The Sailors did not finish below .500 in any season during the 1960s but failed to win a World Championship Series, something they have yet to accomplish since the move from Philadelphia in 1954.

The Dallas Wranglers broke the .500 mark for the first time in franchise history after going 84-78. Vean Conrad (18-10, 3.25) was very good in his second full season on the Wranglers mound while outfielder Steve Prather (.341,14,80) won the CA batting crown at the age of 25. In their second season in Seattle the Kings finished with the same record (78-84) as they did a year ago. Hank Williams (.290,39,131) had a bounce back season at the age of 35 after a couple of down years by his lofty standards. Veteran hurler Charlie Rushing (18-10, 3.16) came over from Philadelphia and also had a big step forward from his showing with the Keystones a year ago. The Kings also added shortstop Ben Baker (.277,9,59) to solve a need at that position that has been present since the days of Harry Barrell. The expansion Kansas City Mavericks brought baseball back to the city that lost the Kings to Seattle but it was a long year as the newcomers went just 52-110, but did finish a game ahead of the other CA expansion club in Milwaukee.

*** Montreal Ends 48 Year Post-Season Drought ***

The last time the Montreal Saints played a postseason game Warren Harding was the President, the Montreal Nationals overshadowed the Valiants on the ice in the NAHC and current Saints manager Harry Barrell was an 8-year-old driving his siblings nuts in Egypt, Ga. 1921 was the last time the Saints won a Continental Association title. This wasn't a pennant - they still had the unenviable task of trying to dethrone Los Angeles in the first Association Championship Series- but a division crown was certainly cause for celebration.

Barrell was a Hall of Fame player who knew how to win. He managed Boston to a pair of World Championship Series victories and the Pittsburgh Miners to their first pennant in 26 years before being fired after an 80-82 season a year ago. It took the Saints just two days to sign Barrell to be their skipper and he surrounded himself with people he felt could turn the Saints into winners, such as his bench coach Roger Cleaves, who is related to Harry and the half-brother of three baseball Hall of Famers.

It was another former Pittsburgh Miner that had just as big an impact on the Saints as their new skipper. That would be Dixie Turner (.315,42,133), who Montreal somehow pried away from the Miners at the trade deadline in 1968 (which helps explain why Harry Barrell's club finished below .500 that year). Turner is just 28 years old and earlier this month won his fourth Whitney Award. He is, in short, the kind of superstar player that has eluded the Saints all these years. Add in Jim Smith (.284,27,112), an outfielder acquired from Cleveland over the winter who had a breakout season with the Saints and homegrown products Jim Hendricks (.314,21,87) and Harry Swain (.266,16,70) and suddenly the Saints are an offensive power. The Saints have always seemed to have high end pitching prospects but most never seemed to live up to expectations. That might be changing with the trio of John Roberts (17-13, 2.82), Eddie Watson (14-6, 2.86) and Joe Downing (16-5, 2.45).

As surprising it was to see the Montreal Saints finishing in first place and with their highest winning percentage since 1916, it may have been a bigger shock to see the New York Imperials land in second place in the East Division. The 1962 expansion club had never won more than 73 games before going 89-73 this season. As late as August 26, New York was tied for first place and had dreams of a Miracle Season in 1969 but the Saints pulled away with a 22-5 September. Things are looking up in the Big Apple as 25-year-old third baseman George Love (.286,30,100) is now included in conversations about the best young players in the game and outfielders Bill Anthony (.267,28,82) and Phil Terry (.256,26,75) along with first baseman Dick Vitt (.289,26,108) give the Imperials an offense to fear. On the mound 23-year-old John Alfano (17-9, 3.27), who threw a perfect game a year ago as a rookie is starting to live up to his nickname "Johnny Ace."

The Toronto Wolves were also in the mix for first place, and led at the end of August but an awful 11-20 finish doomed them to third place. There is some talent, led by veteran Sid Cullen (.298,18,65) and Fred Tollefson (.292,13,85), who some call the best catcher in the game today, but more is needed if the Wolves are going to reach the post-season for the first time since 1940.

The Cincinnati Cannons have a pair of terrific young arms in Allan Award winner Marco Middleton (13-15, 2.66) and Joe McCarthy (15-8, 2.38) but the duo should sue for lack of support as the Cannons offense is one of the least productive in either association. Things are still looking bleak in northern Ohio as the Cleveland Foresters continue to struggle in their efforts to build back up after their great stars of the fifties aged out. Young outfielder Andy Babel (.312,17,82) is one piece but there is a long ways to go. Speaking of a long ways to go the expansion Milwaukee Arrows finished with the worst record in baseball and were last in nearly every category whether it be offensive or defensive. A bright spot? 26-year-old pitcher John Thomas (12-6, 2.93) was a gift as the Chicago Chiefs surprisingly waived him in August. He went 6-3 both in the Windy City prior to the move and afterwards once he joined the Arrows.

*** Miners Dig Their Way Back To Top ***

Many expected the Pittsburgh Miners to crash and burn after their much questioned decision to move Whitney Award winner Dixie Turner to Montreal and fire manager Harry Barrell last year but the demise did not happen as the Miners, under new skipper Don Fox, who had success in Philadelphia and won a pair of WCS title with the Keystones, got the team on the right track again in a hurry. Pittsburgh went 96-66 and outlasted the Washington Eagles by three games in a season long battle between the two clubs that ended up as the tightest division race of the season.

Pittsburgh still has a Barrell in Harry's son Reid (.286,15,76) who seemed unaffected by his father's dismissal and proved to be a solid contributor to the most productive offense in the Fed. Other key cogs were Earl Skains (.280,21,82), Mike Whisman (.307,22,98) and catcher Henry Woods (.278,17,101). None could replace the lost production of Turner but together they more than made up for the Whitney Award winners absence. Veteran Bill Scott (18-5, 2.84) and Bud Andrews (15-6, 3.10) along with 25-year-old Jack Kotarski (11-7, 2.51) showed the makings of a solid rotation.

The Eagles, as always, were led by third baseman Tom Lorang (.346,33,98), who won his second Whitney Award and third Fed batting crown. A season ending injury to shortstop Al Marino (.237,10,50) that ended his season in June and may prove more debilitating than it first appeared certainly made keeping pace with Pittsburgh tougher for the Eagles. On the mound Jake Watkins (16-8, 3.16) was a pleasant surprise as the 27-year-old had never won more than two games in a season entering this year.

Many were left scratching their heads when the Boston Minutemen traded pitcher Bill Dunlop to the Los Angeles Stars just prior to the end of July trade deadline. The Stars appear to have sold the Minutemen a collection of trinkets and beads in exchange for a 27-year-old pitcher who already has an Allen Award under his belt. It feels like the kind of move that destroys a franchise for a number of years and Boston simply meandered through a pedestrian 81-81 season. The only positive is it did end a two-year stretch of sub .500 seasons in Beantown.

The bottom half of the Federal Association East Division featured the Philadelphia Keystones, New York Gothams and expansion Baltimore Clippers. The Keystones likely hoped for much more out of the campaign after acquiring three time Allen Award winning pitcher Billy Hasson (17-10, 2.69) from St Louis prior to the season. The 35-year-old certainly can't be faulted for Philadelphia's first losing season since 1959. In fact, their starting rotation had the lowest ERA in the Fed. Unfortunately the Keystones offense seemed to underperform. The Gothams came within a playoff tie-breaker loss to the Chicago Chiefs from reaching the World Championship Series a year ago but little seemed to go right for them in 1969. Even ace Bunny Mullins (14-14, 2.92) finished with the lowest win total of his five year career but that was due to lack of run support and in a year that no Fed pitcher won more than 18 games Mullins was the recipient of his first Allen Award. Baltimore is an expansion club with a long road ahead but they found a gem in Kellogg Award winning third baseman Tony Nino (.281,15,79.

*** Pioneers Class of the West ***

One draw of the divisional format is the expectation that more teams will be in contention in September but had their still been a single division we would have been looking at yet another Federal Association tie-breaker as the West Division St Louis Pioneers finished at 96-66, an identical record to their East Division counterparts in Pittsburgh.

Things are changing in St Louis as the Pioneers parted with a long-time piece of their starting rotation, dealing Billy Hasson to Boston prior to the season, but Frenchy Mack (14-8, 3.29) is still around. Or at least Pioneers fans hope he will be after Mack suffered a devastating arm injury in October and is expected to miss the entire 1970 season. Doc Carver (18-9, 2.86) had a strong season elevated to the number two starter behind Mack. The Pioneers offense may not have a superstar -although Bob Bell (.301,18,89) might still qualify for that description- but it does have consistent production throughout the lineup from the likes of lead-off man Don Barker (.285,12,60), Sam Peterson (.270,8,77), John Richards (.255,23,76), Danny Davis (.259,23,80) and newcomer Quinton Vincent (.296,16,100), who came over from Philadelphia in the Hasson trade.

A strong June put the Chicago Chiefs in the drivers seat but they crashed with a rough July and August, going 26-29 over that span and could not keep pace with the Pioneers. Age may be a concern going forward as pitchers Don Hillshire (15-10, 2.87) and Vern Osborne (11-14, 4.35) are 41 and 38 years of age respectively.

The two 1962 expansion clubs in the Minneapolis Millers and Los Angeles Suns finished in a three way tie with the Detroit Dynamos for third place at 78-84. For the Millers it equaled their best ever victory output and established a new high water mark for the Suns. For Detroit it was a sixth straight season of sub-.500 showings and to make matters worse many questioned the decision to deal shortstop Ben Baker to Seattle in exchange for second baseman Bill Austin. Both are comparable but Baker was one of the top defensive shortstops in the Fed and now that position is a black hole for the Dynamos as newcomer Pat Miller (.273,16,76) can hit but his glove looks like a big liability for a team that is trying to develop confidence in its young arms now that veterans John Jackson and Bud Henderson retired. Last week Dynamos manager Lyn Trease also left after four seasons at the helm. He elected not to renew his contract and was replaced by the relatively unknown Jim Dirks, a 45-year-old former minor league pitcher who had never managed at any level of pro ball.

The Houston Comets finished last but their 65 win season was the best among the new expansion clubs. They do have a marquee player in 27-year-old infielder George Whaley (.254,21,64). The expansion draft selection was the first overall pick of the 1961 FABL draft and was a three-time all-star with the Washington Eagles. 22-year-old pitcher Heinie Schmidt (12-11, 3.27) may also be one to watch. The former top 100 prospect was snatched from the Montreal Saints system in the expansion draft and enjoyed a solid rookie campaign with the Comets.

MILESTONES AND OTHER NOTABLES
AWARDS

The Whitney Awards had a pair of familiar names as winners. In past seasons Tom Lorang and Dixie Turner seemed to regular battle it out for the Federal Association Whitney but with Turner traded to Montreal last July it allowed each of them to collect a Whitney. Turner (.315,42,133) won his first Continental Association Whitney and fourth overall in his first full season in Montreal while Lorang (.346,33,98), the Washington Eagles star third baseman, claimed his second Federal Association Whitney and has finished second in the balloting 4 times.

Bunny Mullins (14-14, 2.92), the New York Gothams 25-year-old ace, won his first Allen Award after finishing second each of the past two seasons. In the Continental Association, Cincinnati's 26-year-old Marco Middleton (13-15, 2.66) won his third Allen Award despite having a losing record.

The Kellogg Award for top rookie went to Baltimore Clippers 24-year-old third baseman Tony Nino (.281,15,79) in the Federal Association and outfielder Mike Stevenson (.284,14,78) of the Los Angeles Stars in the Continental. Both rookie winners have Louisiana connections as well as being late round picks who blossomed. Stevenson, 23, was a 1968 7th round pick of the Stars out of Bayou College while Nino was selected from Cincinnati in the expansion draft after originally being a 15th round selection of the Chicago Cougars out of a New Orleans high school in 1963.

By this point we might as well rename the Continental Association Theobald Award to the Charley McCullough Trophy. The veteran Los Angeles Stars skipper was named Manager of the Year in the CA for the fifth consecutive season and seventh time overall. Don Fox, in his first year at the helm of the Pittsburgh Miners after Harry Barrell's dismissal, led the Miners to top spot in the Federal Association East Division and won his third Theobald Award. He had previously won twice during his 12-year stretch as the Philadelphia Keystones bench boss.

HALL OF FAME

For the second consecutive season none of the players on the Hall of Fame ballot received enough support to be elected. Leo Mitchell, who has been on the ballot since 1960, came the closest with 74.9% of the ballots submitted listing his name. It was the highest total Mitchell had ever received but still shy of the 80% required for induction.

NO-HITTERS

1969 gave us two no-hitters and both were thrown against expansion teams. Ralph Cooper of Cleveland no-hit the Milwaukee Arrows in August and a month later the Chiefs Vern Osborne turned the trick against Baltimore. The no-hitter was also the 215th victory of the 38-year-old Osborne's career.

3000 HITS
Edwin Hackberry, San Francisco

2500 HITS
Rod Shearer, Chicago Chiefs

2000 HITS
Jerry McMillan, Chicago Cougars

300 HOME RUNS
Tom Lorang, Washington

300 STOLEN BASES
Carlos Jaramillo, San Francisco
Harry Dellinger, Philadelphia

2500 STRIKE OUTS
Jorge Arellano, Philadelphia
Beau McClellan, Seattle

200 WINS
Pug White, Chicago Cougars
Frenchy Mack, St Louis

[size="6"] 1969 FABL ALL-STAR GAME
Federal Association Wins For The 6th Consecutive Year

The all-star game made its first appearance in Baltimore as the expansion Clippers were the host. A new venue but the same old result as the Federal Association stars again dominated - winning by a 9-2 count to run their victory streak to six years. Bob Bell of the St Louis Pioneers was the MVP. Bell delivered a pinch-hit 3-run double in the fifth inning and finished with five rbi's and a run scored.

1969 PLAYOFFS

For the first time FABL had a second round of playoffs as the Association Championship Series, or ACS, made their debut following the introduction of division play. The Federal Association series had the Pittsburgh Miners and St Louis Pioneers facing each other after both finished at the top of their respective divisions with a 96-66 record. Head to head they were nearly as even with the Pioneers winning 8 of the 15 regular season meetings between the duo.

The ACS in the Fed proved to be a one-sided affair as the Pioneers swept the best-of-five series in three straight games. Bob Bell was the hero of the opener as the St Louis veteran smacked a pair of triples to pace the Pioneers to a 5-3 victory. Frenchy Mack was not at the top of his game but went 5 innings, allowing 3 Pittsburgh runs, for the victory. Jack Kotarski took the loss for Pittsburgh.

Two big innings, a three run first inning and a 5-run outburst in the bottom of the 8th proved the difference in game two as the Pioneers won by an 8-6 score and two days later in Pittsburgh the visiting Pioneers would complete the sweep with a 4-3 victory. The win sent St Louis to its fourth World Championship Series of the decade.

On the Continental side the Los Angeles Stars were heavy favourites over a Montreal Saints team make its first post-season appearance in 48 years. Montreal got off to a great start in the road in the ACS opener, plating a pair of runs in the top of the first inning courtesy of a Dixie Turner two-run homer off Stars starter Floyd Warner. However, Los Angeles would answer quickly with four runs of their own in the home half of the opening inning, with Lew Smith's 3-run longball doing the majority of the damage. Los Angeles would go on to win 7-4.

The second game saw the Saints once again score a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and this time it led to a victory as Montreal starter Jack Kessler held Los Angeles off the scoreboard for seven innings. Meanwhile Dixie Turner homered for the second time in as many games to put the Saints up 3-0. The Stars did score a pair in the 8th but that was as close as they could get, and Montreal evened the series with a 3-2 victory.

They shifted to Canada for a high scoring third game that saw Dixie Turner go 3-for-5 with two more homers, 3 rbis and 3 runs scored. It would not be enough as the Stars, with seven of the eight regulars in the lineup getting at least one hit, pulled out an 8-7 victory.

Los Angeles closed out the series with an 8-5 win in the fourth game, and the big news was Dixie Turner did not homer. He actually went 0-for-5 but still hit .294 with 4 homers and 6 rbi's in the series. Lew Smith and Bobby Garrison each drove in six for the Stars in the series while catcher Bob Griffin hit .471 with a pair of homers.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Los Angeles was making its fourth consecutive trip to the Fall Classic and looking for its third win in that span. The two teams had met in the 1964 series, where St Louis prevailed in five games for their third straight WCS win. This was the Pioneers first trip back to the WCS since that 1964 win.

GAME ONE

The series opened in St Louis and the Stars Bob Hollister tossed a gem, going the distance while scattering four hits -all singles- and earning a 4-0 shutout victory. Frenchy Mack was nearly as strong for St Louis. Mack allowed just four hits in his eight innings of work, but they included a rbi triple from Ed Bogan in the third inning, where the Stars took a 2-0 lead. Hollister not only pitched his way to victory, but he also added some insurance in the form of a solo homerun in the top of the ninth for the final Los Angeles run.

GAME TWO

The Pioneers answered in a big way with a 7-1 victory in the second game. Doc Carver went 8 innings for the victory while the Pioneers bats got to former Boston pitcher Bill Dunlop, who was making his first career WCS start for the Stars. Dunlop allowed 5 runs; all earned over seven innings of work. Quinton Vincent's three-run homer in the bottom of the first set the tone for the Pioneers.

GAME THREE

To the west coast we go for game three and the Pioneers forgot to pack their bats. Floyd Warner pitched a 3-hit complete game shutout while St Louis starter Red Kline had an awful evening, allowing 9 runs (8 earned) on 8 hits in five plus innings of work. Bill Bell and Ed Bogan each homered while Ed Moore had 3 hits, drove in two and scored twice in the 10-0 rout.

GAME FOUR

The series was turning into a laugher as the Stars pounded St Louis for the second game in a row, pummeling the Pioneers 13-3. Moore had another two hits, including a homer and drove in 4 runs. Bob Griffin had 3 hits, scored three runs and drove in two while Bell had a three-hit game as well.

GAME FIVE

The series ended with another lobsided game as the Stars won 10-4 to take the series in five games, outscoring St Louis 38-14 in the process. The Pioneers actually led 4-1 after three and a half innings but injury was added to insult in the series. Quite literally unfortunately for the Pioneers who watched ace pitcher Frenchy Mack grimace in pain after a third inning offering. The 32-year-old six-time Allen Award winner's career may be in doubt after he was diagnosed with a torn UCL and expected to miss the entire 1970 season.

The Mack injury just drained the energy from the Pioneers and Los Angeles pulled even with 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth off St Louis reliver John Hunt. That opened the floodgates as the final was 10-4 with Ed Moore smacking 3 hits: a double, a triple and a homerun and driving in 5 in the clinching win.

Moore was named the series MVP - he hit .500 (10-for-20) in the series with 3 homers and 12 rbi's. It was one shy of Charlie Berry's record 13 rbi's in the 1934 WCS for the Cleveland Foresters, but that one went seven games.

Next up a look at the Prospect Pipeline and then the 1969 recap from the gridiron.

10-20-2025, 12:31 AM	#1150
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,788	1969 baseball recap 1969 IN FIGMENT BASEBALL October 28, 1969 A NEW LOOK AS FABL EMBRACES DIVISION PLAY Four Expansion Teams Boost Baseball to 24 Clubs 1969 marked a monumental change in the sport of baseball. No longer would finishing in first place automatically win a club a league pennant and a trip to the World Championship Series. FABL expanded by four teams, adding two to each association and with 12 clubs in each group the sport introduced divisional play for the first time. The newcomers were the Baltimore Clippers, Houston Comets, Kansas City Mavericks and Milwaukee Arrows. Just as was the case for the 1962 expansion clubs, their appeared to be some lean years ahead for the latest newcomers, none of whom were competitive in their first season and each finished in last place in their respective divisions. The Clippers brought big league baseball back to Baltimore for the first time since 1939 when the Cannons fled the city after six straight last place finishes in the Continental Association and moved to Cincinnati. The Clipper nickname is a nod to the early days of the previous Baltimore franchise, which was known as the Clippers around the turn of the century before being redubbed the Cannons. This time around Baltimore found itself in the Federal Association, joining long-running franchise in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington as members of the Fed's East Division. Houston, which briefly had big league baseball in during the Great Western League's brief dalliance with major league stats, will be known as the Comets and play in the sport's first indoor stadium, the Dalton Dome. The Comets will play in the Federal Association West Division alongside 1962 expansion clubs the Los Angeles Suns and Minneapolis Millers as well as the Chicago Chiefs, Detroit Dynamos and St Louis Pioneers. The Milwaukee Arrows join the Continental Association and bring the Wisconsin city its first big league ballclub since the Milwaukee Cream Caps played in the old Century League prior to the formation of FABL. The Arrows will join the 1962 expansion New York Imperials as well as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Montreal and Toronto in the Continental Association East Division. The CA West welcomes baseball back to Kansas City a year after the Kings packed up and moved to Seattle. The Mavericks will be the new Kansas City club and they will compete with the Seattle Kings, Chicago Cougars, Los Angeles Stars, San Francisco Sailors and the 1962 expansion Dallas Wranglers. * New Division, Same Old Stars * The Los Angeles Stars had the best record in baseball each of the last three years, averaging 110 wins a season. Hard to imagine but the Stars may well have been even better this time around as the once more were the class of the sport during the regular season with their second consecutive 111-51 season. No other club in either association won more than 97 games and the Stars finished a full 20 games ahead of the second place Chicago Cougars in the Continental Association West Division. All the key stars of the club that entered the season with 3 consecutive pennants and a pair of WCS titles were back including Bobby Garrison (.328,26,93), Ralph Barrell (.275,37,127), Lew Smith (.284,32,106), Bill Bell (.295,14,69) and pitchers Floyd Warner (18-9, 2.78), Bob Hollister (18-9, 2.70), George Dunnigan (18-8, 2.79) and Harry Anderson (15-8, 3.54). The Stars also added young outfielder Mike Stevenson (.284,14,78) who was named the top rookie in the CA and made what already was the best pitching staff in the game even better with a deadline day trade to bring former Allen Award winning 27-year-old righthander Bill Dunlop (19-7, 2.79) over from Boston. It was the biggest July trade and possibly the most one-sided as while Boston received four prospects in return, none are considered to be of the blue chip variety. The Stars had a slow start to the season but after a 21-7 June (they went 82-32 after June 1) it was clear that the rest of the CA West Division were battling for second place. The Cougars, led by the pitching of Hal Adams (18-7, 2.66) and the bats of Bill Grimm (.287,30,91) and Sam Morrison (.306,12,64) held off San Francisco to claim runner-up status. The Sailors did not finish below .500 in any season during the 1960s but failed to win a World Championship Series, something they have yet to accomplish since the move from Philadelphia in 1954. The Dallas Wranglers broke the .500 mark for the first time in franchise history after going 84-78. Vean Conrad (18-10, 3.25) was very good in his second full season on the Wranglers mound while outfielder Steve Prather (.341,14,80) won the CA batting crown at the age of 25. In their second season in Seattle the Kings finished with the same record (78-84) as they did a year ago. Hank Williams (.290,39,131) had a bounce back season at the age of 35 after a couple of down years by his lofty standards. Veteran hurler Charlie Rushing (18-10, 3.16) came over from Philadelphia and also had a big step forward from his showing with the Keystones a year ago. The Kings also added shortstop Ben Baker (.277,9,59) to solve a need at that position that has been present since the days of Harry Barrell. The expansion Kansas City Mavericks brought baseball back to the city that lost the Kings to Seattle but it was a long year as the newcomers went just 52-110, but did finish a game ahead of the other CA expansion club in Milwaukee. * Montreal Ends 48 Year Post-Season Drought * The last time the Montreal Saints played a postseason game Warren Harding was the President, the Montreal Nationals overshadowed the Valiants on the ice in the NAHC and current Saints manager Harry Barrell was an 8-year-old driving his siblings nuts in Egypt, Ga. 1921 was the last time the Saints won a Continental Association title. This wasn't a pennant - they still had the unenviable task of trying to dethrone Los Angeles in the first Association Championship Series- but a division crown was certainly cause for celebration. Barrell was a Hall of Fame player who knew how to win. He managed Boston to a pair of World Championship Series victories and the Pittsburgh Miners to their first pennant in 26 years before being fired after an 80-82 season a year ago. It took the Saints just two days to sign Barrell to be their skipper and he surrounded himself with people he felt could turn the Saints into winners, such as his bench coach Roger Cleaves, who is related to Harry and the half-brother of three baseball Hall of Famers. It was another former Pittsburgh Miner that had just as big an impact on the Saints as their new skipper. That would be Dixie Turner (.315,42,133), who Montreal somehow pried away from the Miners at the trade deadline in 1968 (which helps explain why Harry Barrell's club finished below .500 that year). Turner is just 28 years old and earlier this month won his fourth Whitney Award. He is, in short, the kind of superstar player that has eluded the Saints all these years. Add in Jim Smith (.284,27,112), an outfielder acquired from Cleveland over the winter who had a breakout season with the Saints and homegrown products Jim Hendricks (.314,21,87) and Harry Swain (.266,16,70) and suddenly the Saints are an offensive power. The Saints have always seemed to have high end pitching prospects but most never seemed to live up to expectations. That might be changing with the trio of John Roberts (17-13, 2.82), Eddie Watson (14-6, 2.86) and Joe Downing (16-5, 2.45). As surprising it was to see the Montreal Saints finishing in first place and with their highest winning percentage since 1916, it may have been a bigger shock to see the New York Imperials land in second place in the East Division. The 1962 expansion club had never won more than 73 games before going 89-73 this season. As late as August 26, New York was tied for first place and had dreams of a Miracle Season in 1969 but the Saints pulled away with a 22-5 September. Things are looking up in the Big Apple as 25-year-old third baseman George Love (.286,30,100) is now included in conversations about the best young players in the game and outfielders Bill Anthony (.267,28,82) and Phil Terry (.256,26,75) along with first baseman Dick Vitt (.289,26,108) give the Imperials an offense to fear. On the mound 23-year-old John Alfano (17-9, 3.27), who threw a perfect game a year ago as a rookie is starting to live up to his nickname "Johnny Ace." The Toronto Wolves were also in the mix for first place, and led at the end of August but an awful 11-20 finish doomed them to third place. There is some talent, led by veteran Sid Cullen (.298,18,65) and Fred Tollefson (.292,13,85), who some call the best catcher in the game today, but more is needed if the Wolves are going to reach the post-season for the first time since 1940. The Cincinnati Cannons have a pair of terrific young arms in Allan Award winner Marco Middleton (13-15, 2.66) and Joe McCarthy (15-8, 2.38) but the duo should sue for lack of support as the Cannons offense is one of the least productive in either association. Things are still looking bleak in northern Ohio as the Cleveland Foresters continue to struggle in their efforts to build back up after their great stars of the fifties aged out. Young outfielder Andy Babel (.312,17,82) is one piece but there is a long ways to go. Speaking of a long ways to go the expansion Milwaukee Arrows finished with the worst record in baseball and were last in nearly every category whether it be offensive or defensive. A bright spot? 26-year-old pitcher John Thomas (12-6, 2.93) was a gift as the Chicago Chiefs surprisingly waived him in August. He went 6-3 both in the Windy City prior to the move and afterwards once he joined the Arrows. * Miners Dig Their Way Back To Top * Many expected the Pittsburgh Miners to crash and burn after their much questioned decision to move Whitney Award winner Dixie Turner to Montreal and fire manager Harry Barrell last year but the demise did not happen as the Miners, under new skipper Don Fox, who had success in Philadelphia and won a pair of WCS title with the Keystones, got the team on the right track again in a hurry. Pittsburgh went 96-66 and outlasted the Washington Eagles by three games in a season long battle between the two clubs that ended up as the tightest division race of the season. Pittsburgh still has a Barrell in Harry's son Reid (.286,15,76) who seemed unaffected by his father's dismissal and proved to be a solid contributor to the most productive offense in the Fed. Other key cogs were Earl Skains (.280,21,82), Mike Whisman (.307,22,98) and catcher Henry Woods (.278,17,101). None could replace the lost production of Turner but together they more than made up for the Whitney Award winners absence. Veteran Bill Scott (18-5, 2.84) and Bud Andrews (15-6, 3.10) along with 25-year-old Jack Kotarski (11-7, 2.51) showed the makings of a solid rotation. The Eagles, as always, were led by third baseman Tom Lorang (.346,33,98), who won his second Whitney Award and third Fed batting crown. A season ending injury to shortstop Al Marino (.237,10,50) that ended his season in June and may prove more debilitating than it first appeared certainly made keeping pace with Pittsburgh tougher for the Eagles. On the mound Jake Watkins (16-8, 3.16) was a pleasant surprise as the 27-year-old had never won more than two games in a season entering this year. Many were left scratching their heads when the Boston Minutemen traded pitcher Bill Dunlop to the Los Angeles Stars just prior to the end of July trade deadline. The Stars appear to have sold the Minutemen a collection of trinkets and beads in exchange for a 27-year-old pitcher who already has an Allen Award under his belt. It feels like the kind of move that destroys a franchise for a number of years and Boston simply meandered through a pedestrian 81-81 season. The only positive is it did end a two-year stretch of sub .500 seasons in Beantown. The bottom half of the Federal Association East Division featured the Philadelphia Keystones, New York Gothams and expansion Baltimore Clippers. The Keystones likely hoped for much more out of the campaign after acquiring three time Allen Award winning pitcher Billy Hasson (17-10, 2.69) from St Louis prior to the season. The 35-year-old certainly can't be faulted for Philadelphia's first losing season since 1959. In fact, their starting rotation had the lowest ERA in the Fed. Unfortunately the Keystones offense seemed to underperform. The Gothams came within a playoff tie-breaker loss to the Chicago Chiefs from reaching the World Championship Series a year ago but little seemed to go right for them in 1969. Even ace Bunny Mullins (14-14, 2.92) finished with the lowest win total of his five year career but that was due to lack of run support and in a year that no Fed pitcher won more than 18 games Mullins was the recipient of his first Allen Award. Baltimore is an expansion club with a long road ahead but they found a gem in Kellogg Award winning third baseman Tony Nino (.281,15,79. * Pioneers Class of the West * One draw of the divisional format is the expectation that more teams will be in contention in September but had their still been a single division we would have been looking at yet another Federal Association tie-breaker as the West Division St Louis Pioneers finished at 96-66, an identical record to their East Division counterparts in Pittsburgh. Things are changing in St Louis as the Pioneers parted with a long-time piece of their starting rotation, dealing Billy Hasson to Boston prior to the season, but Frenchy Mack (14-8, 3.29) is still around. Or at least Pioneers fans hope he will be after Mack suffered a devastating arm injury in October and is expected to miss the entire 1970 season. Doc Carver (18-9, 2.86) had a strong season elevated to the number two starter behind Mack. The Pioneers offense may not have a superstar -although Bob Bell (.301,18,89) might still qualify for that description- but it does have consistent production throughout the lineup from the likes of lead-off man Don Barker (.285,12,60), Sam Peterson (.270,8,77), John Richards (.255,23,76), Danny Davis (.259,23,80) and newcomer Quinton Vincent (.296,16,100), who came over from Philadelphia in the Hasson trade. A strong June put the Chicago Chiefs in the drivers seat but they crashed with a rough July and August, going 26-29 over that span and could not keep pace with the Pioneers. Age may be a concern going forward as pitchers Don Hillshire (15-10, 2.87) and Vern Osborne (11-14, 4.35) are 41 and 38 years of age respectively. The two 1962 expansion clubs in the Minneapolis Millers and Los Angeles Suns finished in a three way tie with the Detroit Dynamos for third place at 78-84. For the Millers it equaled their best ever victory output and established a new high water mark for the Suns. For Detroit it was a sixth straight season of sub-.500 showings and to make matters worse many questioned the decision to deal shortstop Ben Baker to Seattle in exchange for second baseman Bill Austin. Both are comparable but Baker was one of the top defensive shortstops in the Fed and now that position is a black hole for the Dynamos as newcomer Pat Miller (.273,16,76) can hit but his glove looks like a big liability for a team that is trying to develop confidence in its young arms now that veterans John Jackson and Bud Henderson retired. Last week Dynamos manager Lyn Trease also left after four seasons at the helm. He elected not to renew his contract and was replaced by the relatively unknown Jim Dirks, a 45-year-old former minor league pitcher who had never managed at any level of pro ball. The Houston Comets finished last but their 65 win season was the best among the new expansion clubs. They do have a marquee player in 27-year-old infielder George Whaley (.254,21,64). The expansion draft selection was the first overall pick of the 1961 FABL draft and was a three-time all-star with the Washington Eagles. 22-year-old pitcher Heinie Schmidt (12-11, 3.27) may also be one to watch. The former top 100 prospect was snatched from the Montreal Saints system in the expansion draft and enjoyed a solid rookie campaign with the Comets. MILESTONES AND OTHER NOTABLES AWARDS The Whitney Awards had a pair of familiar names as winners. In past seasons Tom Lorang and Dixie Turner seemed to regular battle it out for the Federal Association Whitney but with Turner traded to Montreal last July it allowed each of them to collect a Whitney. Turner (.315,42,133) won his first Continental Association Whitney and fourth overall in his first full season in Montreal while Lorang (.346,33,98), the Washington Eagles star third baseman, claimed his second Federal Association Whitney and has finished second in the balloting 4 times. Bunny Mullins (14-14, 2.92), the New York Gothams 25-year-old ace, won his first Allen Award after finishing second each of the past two seasons. In the Continental Association, Cincinnati's 26-year-old Marco Middleton (13-15, 2.66) won his third Allen Award despite having a losing record. The Kellogg Award for top rookie went to Baltimore Clippers 24-year-old third baseman Tony Nino (.281,15,79) in the Federal Association and outfielder Mike Stevenson (.284,14,78) of the Los Angeles Stars in the Continental. Both rookie winners have Louisiana connections as well as being late round picks who blossomed. Stevenson, 23, was a 1968 7th round pick of the Stars out of Bayou College while Nino was selected from Cincinnati in the expansion draft after originally being a 15th round selection of the Chicago Cougars out of a New Orleans high school in 1963. By this point we might as well rename the Continental Association Theobald Award to the Charley McCullough Trophy. The veteran Los Angeles Stars skipper was named Manager of the Year in the CA for the fifth consecutive season and seventh time overall. Don Fox, in his first year at the helm of the Pittsburgh Miners after Harry Barrell's dismissal, led the Miners to top spot in the Federal Association East Division and won his third Theobald Award. He had previously won twice during his 12-year stretch as the Philadelphia Keystones bench boss. HALL OF FAME For the second consecutive season none of the players on the Hall of Fame ballot received enough support to be elected. Leo Mitchell, who has been on the ballot since 1960, came the closest with 74.9% of the ballots submitted listing his name. It was the highest total Mitchell had ever received but still shy of the 80% required for induction. NO-HITTERS 1969 gave us two no-hitters and both were thrown against expansion teams. Ralph Cooper of Cleveland no-hit the Milwaukee Arrows in August and a month later the Chiefs Vern Osborne turned the trick against Baltimore. The no-hitter was also the 215th victory of the 38-year-old Osborne's career. 3000 HITS Edwin Hackberry, San Francisco 2500 HITS Rod Shearer, Chicago Chiefs 2000 HITS Jerry McMillan, Chicago Cougars 300 HOME RUNS Tom Lorang, Washington 300 STOLEN BASES Carlos Jaramillo, San Francisco Harry Dellinger, Philadelphia 2500 STRIKE OUTS Jorge Arellano, Philadelphia Beau McClellan, Seattle 200 WINS Pug White, Chicago Cougars Frenchy Mack, St Louis [size="6"] 1969 FABL ALL-STAR GAME Federal Association Wins For The 6th Consecutive Year The all-star game made its first appearance in Baltimore as the expansion Clippers were the host. A new venue but the same old result as the Federal Association stars again dominated - winning by a 9-2 count to run their victory streak to six years. Bob Bell of the St Louis Pioneers was the MVP. Bell delivered a pinch-hit 3-run double in the fifth inning and finished with five rbi's and a run scored. 1969 PLAYOFFS For the first time FABL had a second round of playoffs as the Association Championship Series, or ACS, made their debut following the introduction of division play. The Federal Association series had the Pittsburgh Miners and St Louis Pioneers facing each other after both finished at the top of their respective divisions with a 96-66 record. Head to head they were nearly as even with the Pioneers winning 8 of the 15 regular season meetings between the duo. The ACS in the Fed proved to be a one-sided affair as the Pioneers swept the best-of-five series in three straight games. Bob Bell was the hero of the opener as the St Louis veteran smacked a pair of triples to pace the Pioneers to a 5-3 victory. Frenchy Mack was not at the top of his game but went 5 innings, allowing 3 Pittsburgh runs, for the victory. Jack Kotarski took the loss for Pittsburgh. Two big innings, a three run first inning and a 5-run outburst in the bottom of the 8th proved the difference in game two as the Pioneers won by an 8-6 score and two days later in Pittsburgh the visiting Pioneers would complete the sweep with a 4-3 victory. The win sent St Louis to its fourth World Championship Series of the decade. On the Continental side the Los Angeles Stars were heavy favourites over a Montreal Saints team make its first post-season appearance in 48 years. Montreal got off to a great start in the road in the ACS opener, plating a pair of runs in the top of the first inning courtesy of a Dixie Turner two-run homer off Stars starter Floyd Warner. However, Los Angeles would answer quickly with four runs of their own in the home half of the opening inning, with Lew Smith's 3-run longball doing the majority of the damage. Los Angeles would go on to win 7-4. The second game saw the Saints once again score a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and this time it led to a victory as Montreal starter Jack Kessler held Los Angeles off the scoreboard for seven innings. Meanwhile Dixie Turner homered for the second time in as many games to put the Saints up 3-0. The Stars did score a pair in the 8th but that was as close as they could get, and Montreal evened the series with a 3-2 victory. They shifted to Canada for a high scoring third game that saw Dixie Turner go 3-for-5 with two more homers, 3 rbis and 3 runs scored. It would not be enough as the Stars, with seven of the eight regulars in the lineup getting at least one hit, pulled out an 8-7 victory. Los Angeles closed out the series with an 8-5 win in the fourth game, and the big news was Dixie Turner did not homer. He actually went 0-for-5 but still hit .294 with 4 homers and 6 rbi's in the series. Lew Smith and Bobby Garrison each drove in six for the Stars in the series while catcher Bob Griffin hit .471 with a pair of homers. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Los Angeles was making its fourth consecutive trip to the Fall Classic and looking for its third win in that span. The two teams had met in the 1964 series, where St Louis prevailed in five games for their third straight WCS win. This was the Pioneers first trip back to the WCS since that 1964 win. GAME ONE The series opened in St Louis and the Stars Bob Hollister tossed a gem, going the distance while scattering four hits -all singles- and earning a 4-0 shutout victory. Frenchy Mack was nearly as strong for St Louis. Mack allowed just four hits in his eight innings of work, but they included a rbi triple from Ed Bogan in the third inning, where the Stars took a 2-0 lead. Hollister not only pitched his way to victory, but he also added some insurance in the form of a solo homerun in the top of the ninth for the final Los Angeles run. GAME TWO The Pioneers answered in a big way with a 7-1 victory in the second game. Doc Carver went 8 innings for the victory while the Pioneers bats got to former Boston pitcher Bill Dunlop, who was making his first career WCS start for the Stars. Dunlop allowed 5 runs; all earned over seven innings of work. Quinton Vincent's three-run homer in the bottom of the first set the tone for the Pioneers. GAME THREE To the west coast we go for game three and the Pioneers forgot to pack their bats. Floyd Warner pitched a 3-hit complete game shutout while St Louis starter Red Kline had an awful evening, allowing 9 runs (8 earned) on 8 hits in five plus innings of work. Bill Bell and Ed Bogan each homered while Ed Moore had 3 hits, drove in two and scored twice in the 10-0 rout. GAME FOUR The series was turning into a laugher as the Stars pounded St Louis for the second game in a row, pummeling the Pioneers 13-3. Moore had another two hits, including a homer and drove in 4 runs. Bob Griffin had 3 hits, scored three runs and drove in two while Bell had a three-hit game as well. GAME FIVE The series ended with another lobsided game as the Stars won 10-4 to take the series in five games, outscoring St Louis 38-14 in the process. The Pioneers actually led 4-1 after three and a half innings but injury was added to insult in the series. Quite literally unfortunately for the Pioneers who watched ace pitcher Frenchy Mack grimace in pain after a third inning offering. The 32-year-old six-time Allen Award winner's career may be in doubt after he was diagnosed with a torn UCL and expected to miss the entire 1970 season. The Mack injury just drained the energy from the Pioneers and Los Angeles pulled even with 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth off St Louis reliver John Hunt. That opened the floodgates as the final was 10-4 with Ed Moore smacking 3 hits: a double, a triple and a homerun and driving in 5 in the clinching win. Moore was named the series MVP - he hit .500 (10-for-20) in the series with 3 homers and 12 rbi's. It was one shy of Charlie Berry's record 13 rbi's in the 1934 WCS for the Cleveland Foresters, but that one went seven games. Next up a look at the Prospect Pipeline and then the 1969 recap from the gridiron. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 11-07-2025 at 03:02 PM.