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03-23-2025, 02:15 PM
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#1101 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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July 22nd, 1963
 JULY 22, 1963  Top Three in Conti Begin to Separate Kings, Stars, Cougars All Running Four Game Win Streaks It must be really tough chasing the Kansas City Kings. I mean generally speaking, if you go 7-1 or 6-1 on the week, you're going to make up a lot of games on the leaders. But the Kings? Well they just go 5-2 and stay far enough ahead that you can't make up much ground! Only the Cougars have had much successes against the Kings, as both of Kansas City's losses came to the Chicago team. The hottest team in baseball, the Cougars have won nine of their last ten, and put a beating on the Kings in Chicago. Late inning scoring got the Kings a single win, 5-4 in 10 innings, but the Cougs put up 5 on their former starter Henry Henderson (7-3, 4.18, 33) before pounding Gene Bailey (14-3, 3.27, 104). Almost unbeatable this year, Chicago's offense knocked out the recent Allen frontrunner in the third, stringing together 9 hits, 3 walks, and 8 runs, as the Cougars offense singled him out. During the week, Chicago's offense was unstoppable, as all eight regulars in the lineup had a weekly OPS+ above 140. This includes their two former Kings, as Dutch Miller (.246, 8, 30) was 10-for-25 with a double, triple, 3 homers, 8 RBIs, 5 runs, and 2 walks, while Cal Randall (.256, 7, 43) was 10-for-24 with 2 doubles, a homer, 6 RBIs, 3 runs, and a walk. 6 Cougars hit a total of 11 homers, and they got a huge bump from Dode Caudill (.303, 13, 44, 16), as their graduated top prospect was 18-for-35 with 2 triples, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 13 runs, 3 walks, and 4 steals. Player of the Week worthy, it was a huge boost to the offense, and when paired with the staff that's allowed the fewest runs in the Continental, things have gotten a bit more interesting. But before the Cougars can think about the Kings, they have to pass the Stars, who started their week scoring 9 or more runs in each game. Sure, they lost one 10-9 to the Sailors, but that's all the losing they did this week, outscoring their opponents 69-33 to improve to 63-36. Just three behind the Kings, they've retaken the lead in runs scored for their association on the backs of their dominant lineup. Ralph Barrell (.336, 20, 65, 6) and Lou Allen (.321, 26, 81) may get most of the publicity for their towering blasts, but 20-year-old Bobby Garrison (.314, 13, 68, 11) is only going to get better, Charlie Sax (.304, 3, 33, 8) is hitting 382/.472/.533 (173 OPS+) in July, and first year All-Star Bob Griffin (.331, 9, 58, 4) is at least putting some pressure on the Saints' Henry Woods (.355, 16, 58, 6) for best young catcher. The staff doesn't really compare to the Kings or Cougars, but Floyd Warner (11-3, 3.99, 94) is trying to emerge as the ace, and Sy Dunn (8-5, 3.74, 84), Harry Stout (8-6, 3.62, 111), and Cal Johnston (8-4, 3.75, 81) have really started to turn things around. All young and improving, the best could still be yet to come. With just over a week to the trade deadline, none of the teams at the top seem all that interested in making a move, as all three of these teams have an enviable collection of talent. Each team does have one relative "weakness" that could still be improved. The Kings, despite Hank Williams (.367, 29, 91), just don't hit home runs, as him and Ken Newman (.312, 17, 60, 6) combine for more then half (51.7%) of the teams longballs. The Stars defense is one of the worst, 7th in zone rating and 9th in errors, which has seemed to hurt them late in games and elevate their pens ERA. And then the Cougars, as good as their pitching is, just don't strike many guys out, so if you catch the Conti's top defense on a bad day, you can string runs together. But with how talented, deep, and complete these teams are, it's more impressive that this is really all you can knock them on. It's three pennant worthy teams fighting for just one pennant, and as a baseball fan I'm hoping this race can go down to the wire. *** Dellinger Builds Off Outstanding June, Ties Lorang in WAR Lead at 7.2 *** Just over a month ago, it seemed like the Fed's Whitney race was all but locked up, as Tom Lorang (.374, 20, 72, 8) has provided elite offense and defense to start the season. Granted, he still is, and would probably be the winner if they took votes today, as the 21-year-old superstar is hitting .374/.462/.618 (185 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 10 triples, 20 homers, 72 RBIs, 61 walks, 94 runs, and 8 steals, worth an impressive 7.2 WAR in 99 games. The thing is, now Harry Dellinger (.360, 26, 78, 27) can match that lofty WAR sum that was once on a historic pace, as both are on pace to finish with more then 11 wins above replacement. Dellinger, just 24, doesn't walk nearly as much as Lorang, but his .360/.389/.613 (166 OPS+) line isn't much lower, and he's got arguably the better overall counting stats. In 101 games, Dellinger has 19 doubles, 7 triples, 26 homers, 78 RBIs, 83 runs, and 27 steals, but more importantly, the speedy outfielder and 1960 Whitney and Kellogg winner is playing elite center field defense (10.0 ZR, 1.077 EFF). The reigning Player of the Week is red hot too, coming off a 15-for-33 showing with a double, 3 homers, 4 RBIs, 2 walks, and 7 runs, and since the start of June he's been hitting everything in sight, helping his Keystones go 32-17. We can't forget about the Pioneers, as Bob Bell (.360, 24, 56, 5) and Danny Davis (.356, 25, 70) rank 1st and 3rd in OPS, and then there's Ray Waggoner (.367, 24, 76) of the first place Dynamos, competing with Lorang for a batting title and anchoring the top scoring offense with Joe Holland (.321, 26, 74, 10), who if he didn't have a glaring defensive weakness, could really cloud the overall picture. It seems to be a golden era in FABL, as there is an influx of young, talented players, all looking to secure the game's most prestigious individual award.    Tales From The Den Wolves Score Runs in Bunches In a week in which the team started with a -30 run differential the Wolves went 5-2 by outscoring the opposition 58-26 to finish with a +1 difference in runs. The week did not begin well with the Cougars' completing 3 game series sweep in 2 day by a 9-6 score. The home side led 4-1 after 2 innings before Chicago lit up both Medley and Sam Haygood for 8 runs between from the third to sixth inning to continue the pitching woes for the Wolves. In a visit to Tice Memorial Toronto swept three mid-week games outscoring the Cannons 23-6. The only close game in the set was the opener where Colantuono picked up with 10th win of the year. Colantuono went 7 then left the game leading leading 6-1. Cincinnati attempted a comeback by touching up Fred Clark for 3 runs in an 1 1/3 of work before Blake came into save a 6-4 final. On Wednesday Charlie Davidson was beneficiary of 12 runs on 15 hits, including Chick Reed's 27th HR, allowing only one run over 8 innings before handling the ball to Joe Jackson in the ninth after 127 pitches in a 12-1 final. Arnie Smith was on the mound for the 5-1 win, going 7, to complete the sweep. The run scoring barrage continued when the team returned to Dominion Stadium for a weekend series with Cleveland. On Friday Lee Loeffler's move to the starting rotation looked like a good move by Hohlt. Wolves came out of the blocks fast staking Loeffler to a 9-0 lead after 2 in a game the ended 13-2 with Loeffler pitching into the ninth. Medley was the recipient of all the runs on Saturday in a game where the final score was identical to night before, 13-2. Jesse Taylor was 4 for 5 with 6 RBI being a double short of the cycle. The winning streak ended at 5 on Sunday when it was the Foresters' turn to score often early, they got to Colantuono for 4 in the third, a total of 7 before he left the game in the sixth. Cleveland made the most of their hits in the 7-4 game, Colantuono gave up all 7 runs boosted by 6 walks, the Foresters only had 8 hits for the game. Hohlt's charges now face stiffer competition with a trip into KC for three then on to Chicago for 4 games in a 3 day weekend series. Brett now takes a quick look at the system: Buffalo Nickels: 48-33 First in Union League by 1 game Top Hitter: OF Babe Harris .284/.356/.528 16 HR 43 RBI Top Pitcher: Danny Horne 7-4, 3.11 ERA+ 119 Chattanooga Reliables: 39-42 Fifth League in Dixie League 9 GB Top Hitter: C Jimmy Crozier .343/.439/.686 9 HR 25 RBI Top Pitcher: Harmon Alexander 7-2, 3.42 ERA+ 120 Davenport Dusters: 37-44 Seventh in Heartland League 12 GB Top Hitter: OF Joe Bellamy .269/.415/.423 2 HR 12 RBI Top Pitcher: Hugh Gregg 7-7, 2.85 ERA+150 Vancouver Mounties: 42-41 Sixth in C-O-W League by 13 GB Top Hitter: SS Les Warner .298/.304/.452 6 HR 26 RBI Top Pitcher: Bob Estes 7-2, 2.50 ERA+ 139 Tuscaloosa Tomcats: 9-7 Fourth Gulf States League by 5 GB Top Hitter: OF Carl Stefanski .468/.542/.532 0 HR 11 RBI Top Pitcher: Buck Olson 2-1, 2.35 ERA+ 232 
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 07/21/1963
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03-25-2025, 11:06 AM
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#1102 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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July 29th, 1963
JULY 29, 1963 Pioneers Win 9 Straight, Reclaim First Dynamos Right Behind with Extra Loss and Win They might have lost the second game of a double header with the Pittsburgh Miners, but that was the last time the Pioneers lost since July 18th. Also to the Miners. Then 2-1 in 10 innings, yesterday 6-3 after a 6-3 win in the morning, the loss was their first in the middle of a 14-game homestand. Now 69-34, St. Louis is back to a more familiar spot, as the bats are hitting and the pitchers are pitching. Frenchy Mack (14-4, 1.67, 133) is back to being an immortal, as two starts removed from allowing 8 in a 13-0 beatdown by the Keystones, he spun a shutout in a tidy 1-0 victory. His 6th shutout of the season, he enters a tie with teammate Steve Madden (14-4, 2.38, 103) for the most wins in the Fed, and of course his 1.67 ERA (253 ERA+) is the lowest, but now Mack also leads with 133 strikeouts. Having won the Triple Crown last year, he might not mind too much if Madden ends up with the win lead, but he's a fierce competitor, team leader, and a major reason this Pioneers team isn't going anywhere soon. Setting up an exciting pennant race as we near the end of July, as the best pitching staff looks to tame the best lineup. Plenty gets said about the Pioneers rotation, but their three lefties in the back of the pen have been downright dominant. Led by John Gibson (5-3, 17, 1.77, 29), the pen's 2.95 ERA is slightly lower then the rotation's 3.01, as young arms Doc Greenwood (0-0, 1, 1.29, 14) and Mel Hill (1-1, 1, 1.29, 16) have been lethal, as has journeyman righty Dave Roberts (1-0, 1, 1.98, 11). With how good St. Louis' rotation is, Gibson is the only one who usually gets used, but when it is close, the pen delivers, allowing the Pioneers to post an 18-5 record in one-run games. Detroit couldn't take advantage of two bottom feeders, as they split series with both the Millers and Minutemen. Somehow, Minneapolis crushed the Dynamos 12-6 in game two of a double header, but the schedule gets tougher as their road trip continues. Their next stop is the nation's capital, as the 66-42 Eagles will host the co-leaders for three games. 5.5 back, they're still a threat to enter the pennant race themselves, and with stars like Tom Lorang (.368, 22, 77, 8) and George Whaley (.305, 20, 88, 4), you can go on a win streak quick. Detroit is lucky to avoid Bob Ball (13-3, 3.08, 125), but Owen Lantz (10-2, 2.79, 96) and Jim Stewart (11-5, 3.38, 84) are projected to close out the series. Countering with John Jackson (10-4, 3.02, 84), Earl Shields (12-4, 2.97, 101), and Jim Norris (12-2, 3.55, 97), these should be three real exciting games, and they'll have major postseason implications. The biggest winner may be the Pioneers, as while the Dynamos and Eagles push each other to the brink, they get a pair of squads in the bottom of the standings. Hosting the Gothams for three and the Minutemen for four, they have a chance to pad their record and prepare for tougher road games in August. They'll get Washington and Philly the week of the 5th, and they have eight games with the Dynamos, four in Detroit and four at home. *** Kings Climb, Stars Slips, Cougars Question: KC Stretches Lead to 6.5 *** Cougar fans may have gotten a glimpse of hope when they took two of three from the Kings in Chicago, but ever since Kansas City has been on a mission. After dropping their only series in July, the Kings ran off wins in 9 of 10, opening their lead to 6.5 games before what could be the biggest week of their season. Ready and rested, the Kings will welcome the two teams chasing them, as the Cougars and Stars come in for series. Chicago is the only team that's kept up with the Kings in July, as their 20-7 record is slightly better then the 20-8 Kansas City has put together. This series will determine who has the better month, as the first two games will close the fourth month of the season. Now 64-41, the Cougars have allowed the fewest runs while in a tie for the third most runs scored. A team that does almost everything well, the Cougars play clean baseball, with strong, fundamental defense and a deep pen that takes leads and keeps them. Aside from their early one-run game struggles and an unlucky Arch Wilson (2-7, 1, 3.06, 20) the Cougar pen is even better then St Louis', as theirs actually gets a lot of innings. Their 256 innings is more then double the Pioneers' 128.1, and Wilson's 3.06 ERA (136 ERA+) is the highest on the team. Stopper Pug White (9-3, 18, 2.36, 71) has 95.1 himself, while Earle Turner (3-3, 2, 1.01, 45) and Bob Allen (3-3, 2, 2.69, 30) are both north of 50. In what could be tight, close games, Chicago's stable is more secure, as the Kings tend to rely strictly on Del Lamb (9-2, 11, 3.22, 65) and Fred Myers (3-0, 5, 2.36, 21). Chicago has also seen rookie star-in-the-making Dode Caudill (.314, 15, 46, 16) show out in their stellar July. The 24-year-old outfielder has hit .409/.488/.636 (200 OPS+) with 5 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 12 RBIs, 34 runs, 17 walks, and 8 steals. A true stat sheet stuffer, he does a little bit of everything, gathering 78 runs, 16 doubles, 11 triples, 15 homers, 46 RBIs, 45 walks, and 16 steals. His emergence has really given the Cougars their claws, and it sets up a LA is a completely different club, and having to deal with a more traditional, gritty team, KC will have to completely adjust to a group of bombers who score early and often. Seven of the eight lineup members have double digit homers -- though four have exactly ten -- with the 28-year-old Lou Allen (.310, 27, 87) leading the way with 27. Ralph Barrell (.339, 20, 68, 7) has some of the best raw power in the game, and in year five he's set a career high with 5.2 WAR. You can't just avoid this high-powered duo, as everyone eats in this deep lineup. They were streaky this week, scoring one or two runs in their four losses and nine and eleven runs in the two wins, but when they get in a little run, a pitching staff will really have their hands full. *** 2,000th Hit for Shearer *** Back healthy after an elbow strain, Rod Shearer reached the first of two expected milestones this season, recording his 2,000th career FABL hit. It came in the second off All-Star Joe Kienle (8-2, 2.50, 66), a single with one on in the 2nd inning. He hit his 399th home run three days ago, and after finishing the week he's up to 2,002 hits. All have came in a Chiefs' uniform, as the clubs All-Time homer and WAR (80.5) leader became the 8th player to record 2,000 hits as a Chief. At 34, he's got time to keep adding to that number, but he's got little-to-no change of breaking Bob Martin's record of 3,314. A veteran of 1,832 games, Shearer enters the week with a .252/.341/.456 (110 OPS+) season line, well shy of his .291/.376/.544 (147 OPS+) career line. A common Whitney finalist, he was always the bridesmaid and never the bride, coming close to the prestigious award on many occasions. His best chance was 1954, where he hit .325/.409/.663 (187 OPS+) and led the Fed in runs (129), homers (46), RBIs (133), slugging, OPS (1.072), WRC+ (181), wOBA (.466), and WAR (10.0). What to me was an obvious snub, the award instead went to Buddy Miller (.283, 16, 61, 4), who not only one the year before, but he trailed Shearer in most offensive categories. Miller did have an excellent .351/.408/.608 (173 OPS+), but aside from average and really just hits, Shearer had the statistical advantage. Kings Add Kleminski in Three Prospect Swap After hitting #2,500 with the Cleveland Foresters, Stan Kleminski (.260, 2, 35, 12) will be getting 2,600 with the Kansas City Kings. This is the first real move in a quiet July, as the only trade was a minor deal between Dallas and Pittsburgh that saw the Miners pick up swingman Clarence Miller (2-4, 2, 3.51, 22) for a pair midrange prospects. The Continental leaders are preparing for the worst, as the Kings are worried about the health of their vets and Al Farmer's (.258, 10, 50) ability to play second base. Kleminski is a far superior defender, and even at 36 he's one of the nest and most consistent at the position. If Diamond Defense Awards were around when he came up, he'd have more then one he got two years ago. Set to join his third FABL organization, he may be most valued for his postseason experience, as he's the postseason leader in games (56), at bats (225), and hits (62), and he's 2nd in runs (30) and tied for 1st in doubles (12). Winning four championships with the Dynamos, and competed in 9 of 10 World Championship Series from 1952 to 1961, hitting .276/.344/.378 (96 OPS+) with 22 RBIs, 24 walks, and 17 extra base hits. A little lower then his career .283/.373/.367 (102 OPS+) career line, he's not going to have any nerves should the team reach the postseason, and he'll have a chance to increase his historic counting stats. 1963 is a bit of a down year for Kleminski, as his .260/.357/.328 (80 OPS+) line is the worst since he hit .268/.329/.320 (80 OPS+) as a rookie way back in 1947. His 92 WRC+ is still solid, especially when paired with his always impressive defense, which is what attracted the Kings to him in the first place. Farmer is the better hitter, batting .258/.360/.420 (107 OPS+) this season and .285/.366/.454 (125 OPS+) for his career, but he's long past his days of a capable defender. Plus Ken Newman (.311, 17, 63, 6) has dealt with injuries lately, and adding Kleminski gives the Kings a high quality infield option in case of emergency. He may not play everyday, at least right away, but he could enter a rotation with the rest of the infield, keeping their regular rested while improving the overall team. For Cleveland, they get a three prospect package headlined by young infielder Herb Connelly. 19 in August, the speedy infielder was taken 32nd last draft, and ranks just outside the top-100. He sits at 113 and was the Kings 5th ranked prospect. Off to an excellent start in Class C, Connelly has hit .330/.500/.602 (151 OPS+) with 10 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, 13 RBIs, 27 runs, 29 walks, and 24 steals in just 25 tries. Speed is the real weapon of Connelly's build, but he's a strong hitter and defender too. Defensively, he looks a lot like former King infielder Cal Randall (.256, 7, 46), a rangy infielder with an elite glove, boasting an outstanding arm and excellent double play ability. Then at the plate, he makes consistent, hard contact, and when he puts the ball in play good things happen. His line drives in the gap are easy extra base hits, and anything on the ground puts pressure on the defense. His combination of skills destines him for a regular role, likely at short, and he's probably a bit underrated by the prospect pickers. Completing the package is a pair of minor league pitchers in George Costa and Johnny Campbell. Like Connelly, Costa is a ranked prospect, checking in at 12th in the Kings system and 293rd overall. A 7th Rounder in 1960, he worked his way up to AAA, and has gone 9-6 in 19 starts for the Thunderbirds. Working to a 3.33 ERA (116 ERA+), 3.41 FIP (88 FIP-), and 1.27 WHIP, striking 70 with 58 walks. A four pitch pitcher, he's on the cusp of being FABL ready, and could quickly enter the Foresters rotation. Able to pitch long innings without any obvious weakness makes him a useful arm, and at 21 he's got plenty of time to improve. Same goes for Campbell, who's a full year younger. Taken in the 5th of the 1961 draft, he's also in AAA, where he's made 11 of his 17 starts this season. An even 4-4 he has an elevated 4.41 ERA (88 ERA+) and 1.49 WHIP, but they were much better at AA. A hard-thrower, he sits in the 95-97 range, and can trick hitter with his five pitch mix. Cleveland's pieced together rotation has been okay, but once Adrian Czerwinski (13-4, 2.71, 117) is ready to call it quits, they don't have many options to replace his production, and now they have two more young, impressionable arms to turn into quality starters.   Tales From The Den Wolves Falter on The Road Toronto fans, players, management knew the team was heading for a tough test with a 7 game, 6 day trip into the parks of two of three leaders in the CA, KC then Chicago. The question was "Would the team be up to the challenge"? The short answer was no, the team went 1-6 after a 5-2 the week before to fall 2 games under the .500 mark heading into the trade deadline. Starting on Tuesday in Prairie Park with the Kings as hosts Charlie Davidson kept the game close, for 5 innings. Going into the bottom of six trailing 2-1 Davidson walked the leadoff man, Ken Newman the got Pat Davis to flyout to right. Things went downhill from there as single, single, single led to one run. A the Wolves almost got out of the inning with a close double play in which the runner was called safe at first. Then a wild pitch on a third strike allowed another run. After Charlie Rodgers singled to load the bases Hohlt went to get Davidson bring in Sam Haygood. Haygood then fooled Al Curtis with a pitch that went to the backstop allowing 2 more runs in 6 run inning that the Wolves should have been out of on two occasions. Gene Bailey then cruise to victory to run his record for the season to 15-3. Toronto came close the next night taking a 2-0 lead in the top of 8 before the combination of Campbell, Pepper could not hold the lead. Campbell allowed the Kings to tie the game in the eighth before Rodgers walked off the Wolves in nine with a single off Pepper. The next night the Kings completed the sweep, after Dick Rabkin hit a leadoff HR Hank Williams put a Loeffler offering into the seats with 2 of his mates aboard in the bottom half of the first. Rabkin's shot would be the only time a Wolves' runner crossed the plate off Allie Boone who came away for 6-1 complete game. Into Cougars Park where on Friday Chicago score 4 times in their first trip to the plate on 4 hits, 2 walks off Bill Medley. They could not overcome that deficit as Dick Champ was strong for seven in a game that ended 5-2. On Saturday Wolves jumped out 3-0 on Savage's first inning HR, his 15th. Colantuono, after rocky first in which the Cougars narrowed the gap to one. settled in to make his record 11-6 with a scoring that was the same as the night before, 5-2. Toronto had a chance to salvage the trip with two games on Sunday. Scoring only one run in two games is not a recipe for wins. Davidson pitched well in the first game although Roy Ellis was better for the Cougars. Ellis held the Wolves to 3 hits winning 3-1 in a game neither manager went to the bullpen. In the nightcap John Mitchell gave up 2 more hits than Ellis but one less run. Dode Caudill hit his 15th HR of the year off Smith to open the fourth, adding 2 more later giving the home team a 3-0 advantage, This would be all that Mitchell would need for complete game that ended 4-0. Hohlt told the media "We are close but close is not good enough in this league. Close only counts in horseshoes, tidily winks, hand grenades. We get another chance starting Tuesday with the Cannons coming to town." In the minors Bob Green is making noise after tossing a 104 pitch no-hitter against Charleston Blue Legs on Friday. Nickels only got to Charleston pitching for 2 hits, one being Hardin's 12th HR of the year to give Buffalo a 1-0 win. In other news Adolph Young was POTW in the Gulf States going 13 for 29 (.448) with 4 HR 7 RBI.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 07/28/1963
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03-25-2025, 05:13 PM
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#1103 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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Breaking News!
Special Edition: Deadline Blockbuster! Buzzer Beater at Deadline! Pioneers Add Pair of Bats to Fuel Repeat Quest At 69-34, the St. Louis Pioneers are percentage points ahead of the Detroit Dynamos, and this major acquisition gives them a chance to match Detroit's top scoring offense. At shortstop, Paul Watson (.244, 5, 26) has struggled in his retirement tour, and in center they just loss the injury prone Bill Bather (.292, 13, 40, 12), leaving two obvious areas for improvement. Just a few hours before the deadline, they agreed to acquire All-Stars Joe Kleman (.286, 10, 60) and Bill Tutwiler (.289, 9, 42, 11) in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Minutemen. Having already announced they were in a rebuilding phase, Boston continues to build their farm, but it's still a surprise to see a talent like Kleman leave town. Having turned 33 on the 27th, nearly every one of his 1,533 appearances with the Minutemen came as the team's shortstop. It's the only thing the former 14th overall pick has known, and he got to win back-to-back titles with the team that drafted him. In the midst of another quality season, Kleman was hitting .286/.338/.443 (106 OPS+), providing 27 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homers, and 60 RBIs for the seventh place Minutemen. That's not much lower then his .306/.349/.439 (112 OPS+) career line, and he'll enter his Pioneer career less then 125 hits away from 2,000. A mainstay in the Boston lineup, he ranks top-10 in team history in runs (7th, 843), hits (5th, 1,885), doubles (3rd, 332), homers (6th, 139), RBIs (5th, 811) and RBIs. Earlier in his career he was among the best defensive shortstops as well, but the range isn't quite what it used to be. With an outstanding defensive shortstop in Bob Bell (.357, 24, 59, 5), they can protect him some, and take advantage of his elite glove. He won't make many fielding errors and turns a ton of double plays, which will fair him well once he shifts to second. A move both for now and the future, Kleman gives the Pioneers a high quality middle infield option until 46th ranked prospect Rich Hood is ready. Tutwiler is no slouch either, as the almost 31-year-old outfielder has been a top hitter since his 1956 debut. A veteran of 918 games, Tutwiler owns a career .304/.422/.480 (144 OPS+) batting line and his 144 WRC+ is one point lower then Jerry Smith's (.230, 13, 37) career mark. Like Smith, his season line is much lower then his norm, but at .289/.393/.459 (126 OPS+) he's still well above average. The former Miner and Minutemen outfielder added 22 doubles, 8 triples, 9 homers, 42 RBIs, 63 runs, 66 walks, and 11 steals. While not a center fielder, he's played solid right field defense, and seems like the best option to take in St. Louis. This will allow Smith to play left and Danny Davis (.342, 26, 73, 5) center, at least until Bather is healthy again. Bob Wilson (.210, 1, 6, 1), Grady Smith (.194), and Ray O'Connor (.195, 2, 7, 1) haven't offered any sort of offense at all, but Wilson or O'Connor can help upgrade the defense late in game. A Bather injury almost cost the Pioneers last season, and with Tutwiler they'll look to avoid that costing them here. Boston's return centers around 22-year-old Frank McCarroll, who ranks as the 25th best prospect in FABL. Recently promoted to AAA, the former 9th Overall pick hit .296/.377/.556 (149 OPS+), and managed 7 doubles and homers with 17 runs, 19 RBIs, and 13 walks in just 27 games. His .285/.407/.477 (148 OPS+) line in 54 AA games is just as impressive, and he had a matching 154 WRC+ at each level. Potentially FABL ready, he has an excellent eye and is a threat on the bases, but a team like St. Louis can't really afford to let him try and figure things out in a pennant race. He doesn't make nearly enough contact, leading to a lot of strikeouts and likely a low average, but his projected power may eventually make up for it. Where he ends up is yet to be determined, but he is positioned to enter the Boston Minutemen as their 2nd ranked prospect, trailing just #3 Bill Dunlop. The Minutemen also pick up the Pioneers second ranked pitching prospect, adding AAA southpaw Joe Lee. 6th in the system and 162nd overall, the former 3rd Rounder is another near FABL option, but there's not an inch of room in the Pioneers rotation. Boston, meanwhile, has only gotten success from Opening Day acquisition Andy Logue (6-10, 3.87, 72), allowing Lee a chance to pitch his way into a team's future plans. A seven pitch pitcher with nice stuff, he has a sinker and cutter in the 93-95 range that look quicker due to the slider and curve. Both are tough to make contact on, and could allow Lee to strike out an above average number of hitters. In AAA he struck out 71 in 126.1 innings, going 4-5 in 18 starts. His 3.35 ERA (118 ERA+), 3.21 FIP (81 FIP-), and 1.29 WHIP are all impressive too, but GWL hitting falls way short of FABL hitting. Better hitters will take advantage of his underdeveloped control, but his stuff and leadership already give him the floor of a useful swingman to stash on the edge of your roster.
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03-26-2025, 11:04 AM
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#1104 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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August 5th, 1963
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.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 08/04/1963
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 03-26-2025 at 12:03 PM. |
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03-27-2025, 10:28 AM
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#1105 |
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Hall Of Famer
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August 12th, 1963
AUGUST 12, 1963 Eagles Sweep Pioneers, Pull Within Five Dynamos Win Series with Gothams and Millers, Move Within Game and a Half Just when the Pioneers started to put some ground between them and the pack, they let the Bell-less Eagles sweep them out of town. St. Louis had some scoring in the opening double header, 5 runs in each game, which is normally more then enough with their staff. Only problem is errors from new shortstop Joe Kleman (.284, 11, 64, 4) and old shortstop Ramon Tejada (.218, 5, 18) cost ace Frenchy Mack (14-5, 1.85, 151) the game, as 5 of the 6 runs he allowed were unearned. Then in the finale, spot starter Bill Davis (4-2, 4.97, 45) was abused, 12 hits, 8 runs, and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts in 5 innings, allowing the Eagles to cruise to victory. Both Tom Lorang (.364, 24, 88, 8) and Alex Wilson (.320, 8, 61) put in four-hit efforts, with three coming from Al Clark (.315, 12, 63), Al Marino (.278, 9, 48), and Ed Holt (.299, 1, 17). Close wins of 5-4 and 4-2 let the Eagles finish off the sweep, opening the door for their own run at the crown. Ironically, the next series went opposite ways, as the Pioneers took two of three from the Keystones and after extending their win streak to five, Washington dropped the final two with the new-look Minutemen. Boston quickly debuted lefty Joe Lee (2-0, 3.24, 12), who came over in the Kleman trade. A former 3rd Rounder, he beat the Suns (9 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) and Eagles (7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6), going well over 100 pitches to pick up the victories. A big addition for the team ranked 10th in starter's ERA, Lee gives Andy Logue (7-11, 3.89, 86) some support in the rotation, while trademate Fred McCarroll took over in center. Not as effective as Lee, the 26th ranked prospect was 4-for-19 with a pair of runs, walks, and RBIs. Other debuts include shortstop Del Robinson (.353, 3) this week and third basemen Adam Byrd (.224, 1, 6) last week, as Boston skipper Bill Freeman has been quick to play with his new toys. Robinson is the only homegrown option, a former 4th Rounder, as Byrd came over at the '61 deadline from Washington. The youth movement has brought some excitement to Minutemen stadium, and the Eagles were the first contender to face their youthful roster. Detroit was able to make up for their weekend sweep by the Keystones, as they battled back with series wins against the Gothams (2-1) in New York and Millers (3-1) in Detroit. By beating the now 32-86 Minnesota club, they officially eliminated them from the postseason, as on August 11th the season became too short for them to make up their 45.5 game deficit. On pace to pass the Imperials 116 loss season with 119, they're actually 7-4 in August and need just three more wins to tie their season high in 1963. The starters even pitched relatively well this week, with none of the starts seeing more then 4 runs allowed. Most of the offense was the issue, especially in the Dynamo series, but almost-35-year-old Dick Sheehan (.309, 4, 46) has done well to turn things around. One of the top players of the week, he was 9-for-19 with 4 doubles, 7 RBIs, 3 walks, and 2 runs scored, now hitting .309/.378/.415 (108 OPS+) on the season. Of course, it takes more then that to change a team's fortunes, but there is some hope that the Millers can avoid setting a new record for ineptness.   Tales From The Den Toronto Successful During First Half of Road Trip The Wolves have not been unsuccessful on the road this year, 30-32, even so this week was a step forward as they took 4 of 6 from the top two teams in the CA, LA Stars, KC Kings. After a long flight to the west coast Colantuono took the mound on a clear Tuesday night. He battled Stars' starter Floyd Warner who left in the seventh with the score tied at four. Fans in Bigsby Stadium were surprised when Colantuono did not come out for the ninth, after only 98 tosses, with Hohlt choosing to go with Jim Jackson. Jackson sat Garrison down on strikes then walked Garrison on 4 pitches before line drive singles by Howard then Ed Moore walked off the Wolves 5-4. The next night Jesse Taylor lead a 13 hit attack with 3 RBI when Charlie Davidson tossed fifth complete game of '63 running his record to 9-7 with final score being 8-3 Wolves. In the series finale Toronto exploded for 2 in the sixth, 4 in 7, two more in the eighth to win going away 11-3. The only downside was that Arnie Smith's tank emptied after 6 with his team leading 5-2, Pepper had to come for the final 3 innings. On to Kansas City for the second time in two weeks. In the opening game gene Bailey again toyed with the Wolves limiting them to 5 hits in another complete game for win number 18 of the season. Bailey threw 145 pitches in this 11 strikeout performance. On Saturday night before 27912 on hand Phil Story hit his 12th of the year driving in Medley to tie the game at 2. The game went into extras with Dixie Williams taking Henry Henderson's offering out of the park when pinch hitting for Taylor. Jim Jackson sealed the 3-2 win with a 1,2,3 tenth. On Sunday Colantuono bettered his Tuesday effort against the Stars by shutting out the Kings, with no help 3-0, making his record 13-6. All three runs came off solo homers by Tom Reed, Chick Reed, Sid Cullen continuing the Wolves surprising long ball parade in 1963. Wolves visit Cleveland then SF this week to complete the trip. In moves Zeke Blake will rejoin the relievers in Cleveland with Stan Boone heading back to the Nickels. In another move Wolves first round pick Jack Goodman will suit up for Davenport after posting a .301/.305/.462 line in 35 games in Vancouver with no errors in 106 chances at short.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 08/11/1963
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 03-27-2025 at 10:30 AM. |
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03-28-2025, 11:04 AM
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#1106 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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August 19th, 1963
AUGUST 19, 1963 Pioneers, Dynamos Split Four in Detroit Four More Scheduled Over the Weekend in St. Louis Two of the biggest series of the season started last week as the second place Dynamos hosted the first place Pioneers. Just a game separating the two Federal powerhouses, the opener saw a typical Frenchy Mack (15-5, 1.87, 158), 8 innings, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts, while new Pioneer and leadoff man Bill Tutwiler (.293, 5, 4; .289, 9, 47, 15) made himself useful to the new team. The awesome outfielder was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, walk, 2 runs, and 4 RBIs, as his 6 runs were more then the 2 Detroit got in a 9-2 loss. The Dynamos did bounce back on Saturday, as Allen hopeful Steve Madden (16-5, 2.52, 119) did not keep pace with Mack, tagged for 9 hits, 7 runs, and 3 walks in 3.1 innings. It was Madden's first start of the season without a strikeout, as he's even gone 9 or more on three separate occasions. That day he wasn't sharp, as crucial offseason acquisition Joe Holland (.317, 33, 94, 11) blasted his 33rd home run and Whitney candidate Ray Waggoner (.371, 30, 94) was 4-for-5 with a triple. With the series all evened up, Sunday saw a double header, with the first game seeing Billy Hasson (14-5, 3.43, 140) and John Jackson (11-4, 3.58, 97) square off in a close one. St. Louis took an early 1-0 lead in the 2nd, but things fell apart in the bottom of the sixth. Errors from Danny Davis (.338, 31, 93, 6) and Bob Bell (.341, 29, 75, 6) contributed to three runs, with just one charged to the starter Hasson. He gave up a second earned run in the 7th, allowing the Dynamos to take a 4-1 lead. In the top of the 8th, Jackson started to get into some trouble, as Hasson himself started things off with a single. Jackson walked Jerry Smith (.264, 20, 60, 6) and Bob Bell (.341, 29, 75, 6) to load the bases and end his night. With two outs, Bill Follis (7-7, 15, 4.66, 73) needed to preserve the three run lead, but the first-year stopper couldn't stop the bleeding. Steve Schultz (.325, 30, 89) ripped a liner to center, scoring Hasson and Smith, and just like that the Pioneers were within one. That's were they'd stay, as new second basemen Joe Kleman (.246, 1, 2, 1; .281, 12, 68, 4) grounded out to end the inning. Hasson had no trouble in the bottom half, so St. Louis had one more chance for victory. They would not get it, as Hollis stranded a pinch-hit single, completed a 4-3 win where neither team had an extra base hit. Now in an even tie, the guests needed to win to reclaim sole possession of first, calling on second year standout Danny Daniels (14-9, 2.93, 143) to bring his club to victory against the hard throwing Earl Shields (14-6, 3.51, 129). Daniels had a somewhat shaky start, 6 innings with 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts, but he was given plenty of support before he left. Down 2-1 in the 6th, St. Louis rallied for 6 off Shields, with a Kleman double and Smith grand slam comprising the entirety of the rally. It was Kleman's second double of the game, and he finished 4-for-5 and a single short of the cycle. He helped push Shields out of the game, 6 hits, 7 runs, and 4 walks despite 8 strikeouts in 5.2 innings, as Detroit surprisingly went back to Follis with the game out of reach. Despite an inning and a third in game one, he ate up 3.1 to finish the 10-4 loss, allowing 7 hits, 3 runs, and a walk with 2 strikeouts. Before these two teams meat again, the Dynamos will be on the road in Chicago, while the Pioneers will head home to host the Suns. Both have an off-day to travel on Monday, but the schedule vastly favors the Pioneers. Hosting LA, who's the second Fed team to be eliminated, they welcome in a 42-82 ballclub that ranks 9th in runs scored and allowed. Aside from third basemen Bill Burke's (.307, 21, 69) breakout at third, the defensive wizardry of 24-year-old infielder Bill Bell (.267, 11, 60, 18), and a quality campaign from control artist Grant Davis (6-6, 4.05, 87), little has gone right out west. But in the Windy City, the Chiefs are 66-59 and capable of getting hot at any time, even if they've been treading water the last month or so. Chicago has welcomed a few talented rookies to the roster, as Rookie of the Month Bob Starr (.299, 18, 55) has torn the cover off the ball and graduated 15th ranked prospect Roy Brandt (8-1, 3.02, 77) has emerged as a weapon on the mound. This will be a tough matchup for the Dynamos, and a slip up on the road could make a pennant chase even harder then it already is. *** Kings and Stars Red Hot with 6, 5, Game Win Streaks *** In their last 10 games, both the Kansas City Kings and Los Angeles Stars are 8-2, as whenever LA tries to make up ground in the pennant race, the Kings just keep on winning. 9.5 games separate the two, as the Kings have been playing .700+ ball since the calendar flipped to June. Now 86-38, the Kings have eliminated both the Imperials (41-84) and Wranglers (35-88), and seem poised to fade the other seven teams that still have a "chance" at taking their crown. The Kings were perfect this week, sweeping the Wranglers and Foresters, with their only series loss of the month hosting the Wolves the week before. In July the lone loss was a three game set in Chicago, while in June they lost a series to the Sailors in KC. To find a sweep, you have to go all the way back to May 21st to 23rd, when the Cincinnati Cannons delivered a blow to the home fans, dropping the Kings to 24-18 and a game and a half out of first. Ever since, it's been almost only winning for Kansas City, as triple crown leader Hank Williams (.377, 36, 115) is ready to etch his name into history yet again. The 30-year-old slugger is almost unstoppable, hitting a meteoric .377/.459/.706 (203 OPS+) through 121 games. Add in 31 doubles, 6 triples, 36 homers, 115 RBIs, 71 walks, and 104 runs and you can already see the Whitney award in his future, and if the Kings continue to run away with the association, there's no good reason he shouldn't be unanimous. As good as Ken Newman (.309, 22, 80, 6) and Pat Davis (.312, 10, 67, 34) are, this team is nothing without Williams, and the rest of the CA will have to learn how to top this unstoppable force. For LA, they have to find a way to sabotage the Kings when they're playing the bottom feeders in the association, as they only have three more games against the leaders. A still strong 76-47, they now have 7 of their 8 lineup members with 11 homers, led by Lou Allen (.289, 29, 99) who's just a homer away from a second 30/100 season. Ed Howard (.316, 12, 49) has been a nice add to the lineup, as the utility man as earned the starting second base spot, shifting veteran Charlie Barrell (.261, 8, 47) to a reserve role. No longer the star he once was, even a regular season from him wouldn't be enough to catch the Kings, as offense hasn't been the problem. They've just been stuck having a good year when someone else is great, but there's no signs of defeat coming from Charley McCullough's clubhouse. As long as there are games left on the schedule, there is a chance, and the Stars will try to do everything they can to extend the pennant race.   Tales From The Den Rollercoaster Ride Continues For Wolves Toronto returned to Canada for a week before heading out again not returning home until Labour Day for a doubleheader with New York Imperials. The reference to a ride at the fair was that the team swept a series this week before being swept to finish a 3-3 week. After travelling home Monday the team got their bats going early on Tuesday, Ed Savage hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first off Cleveland starter Sonny Stover. Davidson pitched just well enough for 7 innings to win his 10th of the season 6-4. The next evening the game was close until the Wolves' batted around in the fifth scoring 5 times on 3 hits, 3 walks with the big hit being Al Curtis' base clearing double off Ike Johnson. Arnie Smith matched Davidson for wins in this 10-0 whitewash. The talk amongst the fans post game was the fact that Smith came out of the game in the seventh again obviously tiring despite being ahead 7-0. Toronto ran their winning streak to 5 on Thursday. Cleveland tied the game at 2 in the top of the ninth before Dick Rabkin sent the 12469 in attendance home happy with a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning, his 4th HR in 1963. The winning streak came to an end on Friday with Sailors coming out on top of a pitching between Zane Kelley, Bill Medley by a 3-2 score. Medley was good helped by 3 double plays. Kelley was just a little better on this evening. On Saturday afternoon the Wolves lost 7-4 on a game where they had 13 hits, 4 more than SF. The score was secondary news to the fact that Phil Colantuono left the mound with an arm injury in the fifth. Initial reports are that he will head to the DL for two weeks which may end any hopes of an Allen Award. Colantuono chances might be slim with a 13-7 record even though his 2.62 ERA leads the CA. Favourites for the Allen in the CA look to be Gene Bailey or the ageless wonder Adrian Czerwinski. Sailors completed the weekend sweep with an 11 inning 8-5 victory spoiling Chick Reed's CA record tying record for hits in an extra inning, 6. Reed was 6 for 6 with 5 RBI including his 30 HR of 1963. This was another example of the bullpen failing to protect a lead. Davidson handed the ball to Jackson in the eighth with his team ahead 4-1. Sam Barnes HR led a comeback in the 9th to send the game to extras tied at 4. Zeke Blake got hung with the loss after he and Pepper were tagged for 4 runs in the eleventh. Phil Story was POTW with a 13-22 (.591) week. Jack Goodman's first week in A ball was a rough, going 4 for 25 although one of hits was a HR.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 08/18/1963
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03-31-2025, 12:01 PM
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#1107 |
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Hall Of Famer
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September 2nd, 1963
Editor's Note: Sim accidentally went two weeks instead of one, so this issue will cover two weeks
SEPTEMBER 2, 1963 Pioneers Hold 1.5 Game Lead to Open Final Month Detroit Close in Second, Washington 4 Out in Third The Dog Days of August have come and went, and with just one month left in FABL's regular season, there is still a lot to be determined. Sure, most involve the league leaders and All-Time loss record, but the Federal Association is far from settled. Each of the top three have won five of their last ten, and all three enter the week within five games of first place. St. Louis has the advantage, holding the slim game and a half lead over Detroit, those two don't play again this year, and they'll get their last series against the Eagles this coming week. Just two games, both in St. Louis, it's sandwiched by what should be two easy series wins with the Millers, who are now tied with the Dallas Wranglers for most FABL losses at 98. St. Louis has not gotten what they bargained for with Joe Kleman (.257, 3, 12, 1; 280, 13, 72, 4), who hasn't really done much hitting or pitching since coming over from Boston. Bill Tutwiler (.288, 2, 9, 5; .289, 11, 51, 16) has done what he's needed to, leading off the lineup well, but fellow Bill, Bather (.292, 13, 40, 12), will be returning to the roster this week, potentially re-shaping the Pioneer lineup that could use a bit of a boost. The pitching continues to be great, even if French Mack (17-5, 2.05, 174) no longer holds a sub-2 ERA, but he's leading all three triple crown categories, and will be counted on for multiple, commanding starts as he looks to repeat as an Allen winner, Federal Association pennant winner, and World Champion. Detroit has the best chance of stopping them, with just one fewer win and two more losses, but they'll have a tougher schedule. They have six more with the Eagles, three in both spots, including their final series of the year from the 27th to 29th. The Dynamos will hope that by then Washington is no longer in the running, as the hosts could take advantage of a talented team that's given up. The flip of the Pioneers, ranked 1st in runs scored and 5th in runs allowed, they can score on anyone, as the 3-4-5 of Ray Waggoner (.369, 32, 106), Joe Holland (.306, 35, 103, 11), and Virgil Ewing (.294, 21, 108) are already all at the 100 RBI mark. All three sluggers were picked up in trades, as it seems like every move Detroit makes ends up working out for them. That's why some were confused when Detroit stayed silent at the deadline, believing they had enough to get to the finish line. Still more then capable of pulling off the pennant, it may have been worth adding an extra arm, as they don't really have a solid #5 and Paul Anderson (12-11, 4.67, 92) has allowed 4 or more runs in each of his last 8 starts and 10 of 11. An upgrade to the pen could have helped too, as they do not have guys who can lock down the late innings. Ironically, that's something Washington does great, as their team win leader is actually stopper Otto Caudill (15-8, 12, 3.69, 95). The recently turned 24-year-old has been a weapon when called upon, as he's even started 7 of his 56 appearances this season. With a combined 27 wins and saves, he's secured plenty of wins for his club, working to a strong 3.69 ERA (115 ERA+) with 95 strikeouts in 136.2 innings. Having a reliable stopper like that has somewhat made up for the loss of breakout ace Bob Ball (13-3, 3.03, 126), which has opened up the door for veteran journeyman Frankie Raymond (0-0, 3.60, 12). Like Detroit, an extra arm could have done them well, but with games against both of the teams ahead of them, they cannot be counted out. George Whaley (.305, 27, 107) is back and healthy while Tom Lorang (.369, 29, 103, 9) continues to make his case for the Whitney. With loads of talent, a better lineup then St. Louis, and a better staff then Detroit, as well as ample opportunity to take down those ahead of them, part of me wants to believe that the long pennant drought in the nation's capital may finally be finished. *** Kings Remain Double Digit Clear in Continental Race *** It's surprising when a team above .500 is already eliminated in early September, but with how good the Kansas City Kings are, that's exactly what happened to the 70-69 Cannons, and is about to be a reality for the 69-68 Wolves. At 94-42, the Kings are the first and only FABL team with 90 wins, and have won at least as many games as every Kings team excluding the Brooklyn squads that won 97, 95, and 98 games in 1934, 1935, and 1936. On pace to shatter the team record, they also have a chance to have less losses then the 98-56 '36 team, as even with 162 teams their current pace has them losing just 50 games, something the Kings haven't done since the Border Association joined FABL. It's a shame for the Stars and Cougars, as at 84-52 and 82-54, they're both playing .600 ball. In the Fed, they'd be just 3.5 and 5.5 games out, still manageable with with four weeks to go in the season. Instead, the two teams should avoid just going through the motions until the season ends, as the battle for second can be somewhat entertaining too. The difference between 16th and 18th isn't too much, but neither of these teams play each other. In fact, the Cougars have to deal with the Kings in each of the last two weekends, including three at Prairie Park to end the year. You would hope the team would play for pride, or at least their individual statistics, as they have two guys within single digits of 100 RBI seasons and a pair of outfielders a homer away from 20. And at least in Chicago, Gene Case (.292, 30, 96, 14) has given every indication that he will play in all 162 of the Cougars games this season. LA won't face the Kings, making it really tough to make up the ten games between them and the leaders. They'll have to rely on the Cougars beating the Kings late in the year, while Lou Allen (.285, 31, 105), Ralph Barrell (.331, 28, 85, 9), and Bobby Garrison (.327, 17, 97, 13) look to feast on Continental pitching. Aside from a slow start in April, the Stars have been winning all year long, losing no more then 11 games in a month. The biggest boost to the stars was the return of Dewey Allcock (11-3, 3.98, 72), as he was outstanding in August. The 25-year-old was 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA (122 ERA+), 1.35 WHIP, 5 walks, and 18 strikeouts, and the Stars have won 9 of his last 10 starts. For the Stars offense, you just need to keep the opponents to 4 or fewer runs, and you'll have someone produce the runs a pitcher needs for the win. It's a shame there's only one postseason spot available in each association, as this team is good enough to be a pennant winner. *** Millers and Wranglers Hope to Avoid FABL Loss Record *** With the increase in the schedule to 162 games, it was likely we'd see a new FABL loss record set, and now both the Minneapolis Millers and Dallas Wranglers have a chance to lose more then the 116 games the New York Imperials lost last season. No Federal team has lost more then the 112 the 1890 Pittsburgh Miners lost, and with 98 losses and 24 games to go they'll need to be at their best to avoid it. To avoid the Fed record, Minneapolis would need to go 11-13, which is similar to how they did in August (13-15). After their miserable start to the year, the Millers need to go 7-17 to finish with 115 losses. Since the now #1 prospect Frank Bradshaw (.276, 7, 26, 6) has went from draft to lineup, Minneapolis has looked like a more complete team, going 25-44 (.313), and once Bradshaw got going in August, they were actually beating teams. He hit .291/.371/.509 (127 OPS+) with 4 doubles, 6 homers, 12 RBIs, 14 walks, 25 runs, 2 steals, and a triple, he was exactly what they were missing. Bradshaw and John Edwards (.265, 3, 43) may one day be a feared combo, but for now the Millers will need more then just Dick Sheehan (.314, 7, 60) and Cecil Cummings (.287, 15, 67) to produce runs. Dallas has won one fewer game, so they'd have to go 8-17 to avoid the 116 losses their expansion and association counterparts set last season. Dallas has been in a free-fall, losing 25 of their 28 August games before beating the Sailors 4-3 to start September. They went 1-19 against the Sailors, Kings, Cougars, and Stars during August, the lone win a Ken Hudson (.232, 20, 54) walk-off at Norris Stadium. Hudson has given the Wranglers their second 20-homer season in franchise history, matching the mark he hit in 114 games last season. It doesn't look like there will be a third, as Chuck Armstrong (.239, 10, 47) is second on the team with just ten. Devoid of power, their offense doesn't offer too much of anything, and with a patchwork rotation it's no surprise they've lost as many games as they have. Kings Sweep August Awards If you could believe it's possible to go better then 21-9, the Kings did just as so, as after a crowded 30 game July they won 21 of 27 August contests. Running away with their association, Kansas City took all three monthly awards, deserved recognition for their special season. Who else but Hank Williams, as baseball's best hitter is certainly August's best hitter too? Attempting to run away with the triple crown, the soon-to-be four time Whitney winner hit .418/.496/.682 (208 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 6 homers, 18 RBIs, 18 runs, and 16 walks. Now hitting .381/.463/.702 (203 OPS+) with 38 homers and 122 RBIs, Williams has comfortable leads in all three categories, and his resume includes 111 runs, 35 doubles, 79 walks, and 8.3 WAR. What should be a unanimous Whitney winner, he leads plenty of CA categories, and he'll now get a chance to add a pennant to his trophy cabinet. Pitchers took the other awards, as Beau McClellan (14-10, 3.26, 156) and Johnnie Higgins (11-7, 3.34, 141) were Pitcher and Rookie of the Month. Like Williams, McClellan won in July too, as he was 5-0 with a 3.72 ERA (114 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts. In August he was just 5-1, but the overall body of work was impressive. He had a sterling 1.44 ERA (295 ERA+), 2.25 FIP (52 FIP-), and 0.88 WHIP, striking out 40 with just 4 walks in 50 dominant innings. The reigning Allen winner now has a matching 130 ERA+ in 207 innings with a month to go, but his 4.2 K/BB would shatter his personal high of 2.9 from last season. No longer leading the top ranked staff, he still pitches like an ace, and despite some control problems Johnnie Higgins is too. The rookie was a perfect 4-0 in 6 starts, working to a 3.38 ERA (126 ERA+) and 1.10 WHIP, also striking out 40 in 45.1 innings. He did walk 15, but he's worked around free passes all season, and in a weaker rookie class would be the odds on favorite for a Kellogg. This month he was great, but Henry Woods (.340, 21, 81, 7) is already arguably the best catcher in FABL, while Dode Caudill (.315, 19, 65, 21), Ed Savage (.299, 20, 77), Mark Boyd (.286, 31, 82), and Otis Haldeman (.306, 21, 110, 6) all have serious cases. *** Fed Leading Pioneers Capture 2 of 3 Awards *** St. Louis doesn't have any rookies playing serious time, so the best they could do here was win Batter and Pitcher of the Month. If I gave you three guesses, you'd probably get both wrong, as it was Jerry Smith (.271, 21, 66, 7) and Charlie Blake (12-9, 4.36, 150) who won for the Pioneers. A three week injury during the season might have done Smith well, as he struggled before hitting the IL and might have been at risk of losing playing time with Bather returning. Smith had an excellent August, hitting .365/.434/.595 (168 OPS+) as his team finished 17-13. Contributing 8 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBIs, 30 runs, 16 walks, and 3 steals, he helped his club stay on top, the perfect third for Bob Bell (.347, 35, 92, 8) and Danny Davis (.340, 37, 112, 9). Blake was then the surprise winner of the staff, as the 25-year-old right won all five of his decisions in August. The Pioneers did lose his 4th start, as Mel Hill (2-3, 2, 2.38, 25) blew the 6-4 lead delivered to him in the 9th. Blake worked to a 3.26 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts, coming an out away from 50 innings. Like Smith, he had a slow start to the season, and he got some poor bad batted ball luck earlier in the year. A supreme talent, he struck out 14 Dynamos in a 6-3 complete game win, which could end up being one that secures them a pennant. With a 3.63 FIP (84 FIP-) compared to a 4.36 ERA (98 ERA+), his best could be yet to come, and manager Lou Ormsby knows he can trust Blake when it's his turn in the rotation. Rookie of the Month was again awarded to Bob Starr (.303, 20, 63), who seems to be the next star in the Chiefs lineup. Batting third in a lineup that contains Ed Bloom (.293, 11, 52, 36) and Rod Shearer (.248, 11, 72, 4), Starr hit .308/.423/.542 (154 OPS+) with 5 doubles, a triple, 6 homers, 19 RBIs, 22 walks, and 2 steals. Turning 23 on the 9th, Starr didn't debut until May 14th, yet he's still managed 15 doubles, 20 homers, 63 RBIs, 69 runs, and 55 walks. Acquired last July in a two player package for Dick Champ (8-11, 4.44, 90), Starr graduated as the 61st ranked FABL prospect, and has always been known for his elite eye. If he had enough plate appearances to qualify, his 14.2 BB% would be tied with Minutemen second basemen Ed Wise (.186, 25, 55, 6) for fourth in FABL. He does have his flaws, as strikeouts will always be a part of his game, making him a three true outcome player. His game will see a lot of homers, walks, and strikeouts, but so far he's found enough gaps at Whitney Park.   Tales From The Den A Look At The Wolves As the final 4 weeks of the 1963 season play out Brett takes a look at this season then speculates of the moves forward for Toronto. This season has been neither a step forward nor a step back although the team has not made as much headway as the fans, front office, Randy Hohlt hoped for in the spring. At 69-68 with 25 games to play the Wolves have been a middle of the pack team for the entirety of 1963. The team has been, to use one of Hohlt's favourite terms, inconsistent going on short winning streaks followed by losing streak of equal or longer length. A perfect example of this was when the team went on their longest undefeated string of the year from May 2- 8, 7 games, then 8 of 9 before dropping 2 to the Imperials followed by two more to the Kings. Wolves have dropped 5 straight on three different occasions that killed any momentum the team had before the losses. Fans are glad to see that the years of "Swoon in June, die in July" should be behind the Wolves, now the expectations are that the team stays in a pennant race during September. That is not going to be the case this year with the team 25 1/2 games behind KC. Part of the problem with the team is they are not taking advantage of the teams below them in the standings. For the year Wolves have a combined record of 24-22 when playing Dallas, New York, Montreal where they should be making up games on the CA leaders. Are they taking these teams far too lightly? The Wolves did not expand their roster by much when the rosters expanded to 40 in September. This makes sense for the young team as they will continue to go with their regulars in the field down the stretch building their experience in the FABL. The only roster additions were made in the area of most need, the bullpen, with Wilson Pearson, Stan Boone summoned from Buffalo where the Nickels are trying to repeat as Union League champions. Buffalo has a couple of bats that could be upgrades in the future, management has decided that they are better off fighting for a league title with regular play than playing sporadically for the Wolves. They will given a chance to highlight their talents for the brass next spring. Brett will now look at the team's performance in the three major categories, hitting, pitching, defense: Hitting: Overall the team has fared better than expected at the plate. They are still in the bottom half of the CA in most stats in the CA with a team line of .264/.317/.425 with the pleasant surprise being the long ball. Wolves have knocked 165 balls over the fence in fair territory third most in the CA. Sid Cullen .309/.364/.490 20 HR 64 RBI, Ed Savage .299/.389/.502 20 HR 77 RBI have performed to projections. The surprises this season have been Chick Reed .307/.317/.513 32 HR 83 RBI along with Phil Story's .295/.374/498 49 RBI 13 SB. Reed has cooled a little in August he may get a little rest in September as Hohlt experiments with lineups. A disappointment this year has been Tom Reed's .233/.314/.406 16 HR 64 RBI. Many are wondering if the transition to 1B has caused the 4 time All-Star troubles in the batter's box. Or is he slowing down at age 32? This is his worst year at the plate since becoming a regular in 1952. Pitching: What was supposed the leading force in the Wolves move forward has been in one word, bewildering, to everyone that follows the team. A team that overall was supposed to at or near the top of the league in pitching has been anything but, the Wolves are near the bottom in most pitching statistics. A SP ERA of 4.27 with the bullpen at 4.74 is not even near the expected contributions from the staff. Walks have been the biggest issue, opponents have received a free pass 469 times in 1963. Three pitchers have been at or above early season conjecture, Phil Colantuono 13-7, 2.62, Bill Medley 14-11, 3.65, Charlie Davidson 11-8, 4.03 are leading the rotation. The problem has been the two projected leaders, Arnie Smith 11-9, 4.55 and George Hoxworth 3-7, 8.45 have fallen far short of the mark. Smith has been raising concerns all season that he tires after 5 or 6 innings forcing Hohlt to the 'pen. Many have speculated that Smith's future may be as a relief arm. Hoxworth has been sent to AAA twice in '63 has had a season to forget from Opening Day. Colantuono is currently injured with a biceps strain not responding to treatment. He may be shutdown for the balance of the season. The bullpen is a disaster form bottom to top. For the Wolves to progress the entire staff must be better in the future. Fielding: As has been Hohlt's demand from Day One on the job the Wolves will be sound in the field. They now are with the exception of Savage in right. Hohlt has him constantly working on his defense, progress has been excruciatingly slow with every ball hit to him becoming an adventure usually with not a good result. Savage's bat is needed but at what price in the field? The old laments from the fans that he defense was killing the pitchers is now gone. The pitcher's are causing their own woes in 1963.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 09/01/1963
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 04-03-2025 at 12:04 PM. |
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04-03-2025, 12:09 PM
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#1108 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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September 9th, 1963
SEPTEMBER 9, 1963 Pioneers Win Five Straight Extend Association Lead to Five Four Games Taking advantage of a mini-homestand, the St. Louis Pioneers swept both the Washington Eagles and Minneapolis Millers, improving to 94-51 on the season and an absurd 55-17 at Pioneer Park. St. Louis' star-studded squad actually had trouble early in the week, dropping two of three to the Millers in Minneapolis, but it was just a minor speed bump on what could culminate in a second consecutive Federal Association. As he does so often, Bob Bell (.356, 37, 96, 9) led the charge, as the star middle infielder took home Player of the Week in the Fed. Moving over to short after the acquisition of Joe Kleman (.287, 3, 20; .286, 13, 80), there has been no decrease in offensive production, as Bell put on a show this week. 15-for-29, he added 3 doubles, 2 homers, 4 RBIs, 3 walks, 10 runs, and a steal. A third Whitney would be tough, but Bell has hit an outstanding .356/.435/.644 (180 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 10 triples, 37 homers, 96 RBIs, 108 runs, 74 walks, and 9 steals. His 9.1 WAR is still just under a win shy of his third consecutive double-digit WAR season, and his 192 hits are a career high. He can set a few other personal bests, but for the award, he'll have competition even within. That comes from 23-year-old Danny Davis (.344, 39, 115, 10), who decided that sophomore slumps just do not apply to high-upside superstars like himself. Leading the Fed with 39 homers and 115 RBIs, the-soon-to-be 24-year-old has hit an excellent .344/.392/.649 (169 OPS+) with 32 doubles, 10 triples, 10 steals, and 103 runs scored. When Bill Bather (.285, 13, 41, 12) hit the IL, it was Davis who shifted to center to cover, and now the 2-Time All-Star is back in his customary left. With him, Bather, and Bill Tutwiler (.296, 2, 13, 6; .291, 11, 55, 17) going left to right with August Batter of the Month Jerry Smith (.261, 22, 69, 8) giving first base a go. All but 2 of his career first base appearances have came in this season, as the now 35-year-old will move where he has to be to keep his bat in the lineup. With 17 games left in the season, 9 at home and 8 on the road, the Pioneers are firmly in the driver's seat. The first eight are on the road, visiting the Gothams (4), Miners (3), and Suns (1), before they host the Gothams (4), Keystones (2), and Miners (3) to finish things out. Having already finished up with the two teams within single digits of them, it should be an easy cruise to the postseason, as they can rely on their big bats and front four of Frenchy Mack (17-5, 2.09, 182), Steve Madden (16-8, 2.95, 137), Billy Hasson (16-7, 3.15, 167), and Danny Daniels (16-10, 3.26, 161) to take them through the finish line. *** Kings Win Seven Straight, Magic Number Falls to 4 *** It's been known for most of the season, but we're now just four decisions away from it becoming official. The Kansas City Kings are the 1963 Continental Association champions. With a 15.5 game lead over the Stars, they just need a combination of four Stars losses and Kings wins, something that could be completed in their road series against the Cannons. Away for four, including a Monday double header, four wins is all it would take, but if the Stars can't handle hosting the Sailors, KC may just need a win or two on the road to settle it. More interesting then the pennant race is the triple crown race, as Hank Williams continues to lead in average (.383), homers (40), and RBIs (129). Average seems to be locked up, the next closest hitter is Heinie Spitler (.361, 6, 87, 12), but the Sailors star tore his PCL and will miss the rest of the season. Even if Hank goes 0-for-his-next-39, he'd have a slight batting average lead over Spitler, and I think unless he's forced to go up to bat without a bat, that is just not possible. Closer is the home run and RBI race, as Williams has two more homers then Jack Gibson (.286, 38, 101) and seven more RBIs then Otis Haldeman (.319, 23, 122, 6). In both cases, a PA advantage helps Williams, as the only reason Gibson isn't leading homers is a midseason injury, and Williams has almost 50 more PAs then Haldeman. He should be able to survive in RBIs, but this is Gibson's third time hitting 38 or more homers, and he's already got 5 in his last 7 games.   Tales From The Den Wolves Officially Eliminated in CA It was only a matter of time, this week the chances of Toronto advancing to the World Championship Series became zero. Kansas City will represent the CA against the best the FA has to offer in October barring a collapse of epic proportions over thew next three weeks. The Kings will probably set a record for most wins during the regular season currently held bey the 1895 NY Gothams who posted a record of 105-35. Granted, a 162 game schedule allows for a higher win total even with that the Kings are on pace to win 114. They are currently tied for 8th most wins in a season all-time. This is a team that will be remembered in FABL history, Kings lead the CA 15 1/2 games with a magic number of 4 on September 9th with 19 games to play. The Wolves who are all auditioning for 1964 roles had a good week at 5-2 starting with a doubleheader sweep on Labour Day at Dominion Stadium. In the first game Medley won his 15th of the season by a 10-2 score in the a game that was put away with a 5 run seventh led by Clyde Fisher's 3 run shot. In the nightcap before a crowd of almost 12000 Hoxworth pitched well for a second straight start since returning from AAA in 4-3 game for the Wolves. The last two starts, both wins, have lowered Hoxworth's FABL ERA in 1963 from an ungodly 9.06 to a just awful 7.68 in 68 IP. It is not much progress, the staff will take any glimmers of hope from Hoxworth at this point in the season. In a scheduling oddity after an off-day Tuesday the LA Stars came to town for a short two game series before heading to NY. Wolves won their fourth straight on a complete game by Davidson when again the turning point was in the seventh scoring 3 on a Joe Parker round tripper gave the margin of victory in the 4-1 final. Sam Haygood was given a start by Hohlt to replace Colantuono that did not work out well. Haygood left in the fifth after allowing 6 runs on 7 hits in a game that ended 8-4 Stars. Colantuono's return from injury is a good sign, even better as Medley will miss his next start will a sprained knee. Wolves were in Dyckman Stadium for a weekend series with the Imperials before returning home on Monday. Friday evening Toronto won a 1-0 game that gave Smith a 12-9 record. Again he could only go 6 in what is becoming a topic of discussion in the front office. Smith will have a conditioning program to follow during the winter in the hopes that 6 innings will not be the end of the line for him in 1964. Loeffler gave up a run in each of the first three innings on Saturday then one more in the eighth before being relieved by Campbell. Wolves could only score 3 in a game in which NY won their 46th of the season. The series finale on Sunday Medley cruised to his 16th win of the year before hurting his knee. The final was 11-1 with Medley driving in 3 with a bases clearing double in 6. On his second double of the day he came up lame after sliding into second. Hohlt's team will be challenged this week with 8 games at home in 7 days with Chicago then KC supplying the opposition.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 09/09/1963
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04-04-2025, 01:32 PM
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#1109 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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September 16th, 1963
SEPTEMBER 16, 1963 Kings Officially Crowned Champions Shatter Team Win Record with 105 and Counting For most of the season, it felt like the Kansas City Kings were going to win the Continental Association, and on September 15th, it became official. That's when the Kings split a double header in Toronto, eventually ending the Stars season despite a perfect 7-0 week. At 93-58, they've won their most games in a season since a 96-58 pennant winning finish in 1952, though their .623 win percentage will likely finish higher then the .616 they have this season. You have to credit the Stars for not giving up, fighting until the bitter end, but just like the eight teams behind them in the standings, they just weren't enough of a match for a talented Kings team. Said talent took a minor hit this week, as 20-game winner Gene Bailey (21-4, 3.06, 173) will be shut down for two weeks as he nurses a sore shoulder. Bailey's 220.1 innings this season are a career high, and the 23-year-old righty has looked to keep the Allen award in the family. While there is no clear front-runner, Bailey has a serious case, 21-4 with a 3.06 ERA (138 ERA+), 3.42 FIP (80 FIP-), and 1.30 WHIP. He has 173 strikeouts to just 91 walks, and looked to be a lock for 200 had he stayed healthy. Tied for 2nd in strikeouts, he'll likely drop out of the top-3, but with a 4-win lead over Cleveland's Adrian Czerwinski (17-8, 3.11, 171), he has a good chance to secure the most wins among CA pitchers. What makes the Kings so good is that even if Bailey's injury was more severe, they have the arms to cover, from last year's Allen winner Beau McClellan (16-10, 3.05, 179) to Kellogg candidate Johnnie Higgins (13-7, 3.19, 149), while the pen has gotten great results from Del Lamb (11-3, 21, 2.75, 89) and Fred Myers (4-1, 5, 2.42, 29) late in game. It's hard to score on this team and hard to keep them off the board, and with no real weakness the eventual Fed leader will have plenty of trouble in the postseason. Of course, no Kings story is ever complete without a Hank Williams (.377, 42, 135) watch, as the eventual Whitney winner is looking to pull away with the triple crown. He might have been just 7-for-27, but he added 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 walks, 3 runs, and 6 RBIs. He's now three homers above Jack Gibson (.289, 39, 104) and 9 RBIs clear of Otis Haldeman (.319, 24, 126, 6). Making things easier on Williams, Gibson is dealing with some knee soreness, and will be shut down for the rest of the season. This secures a second category via. injury for Williams, as now all he has to focus on in the next two weeks is recording more RBIs then Haldeman. *** Pioneers Win 4 Straight, Magic Number Down to 6 *** Who plays Kansas City is still up for grabs, but it's looking more and more like the defending champion Pioneers will get another chance to bring a title home. If they hold on to their 5.5 game lead over both Washington and Detroit, it would set up the first All-Missouri World Championship Series, setting up a clash between two teams that are less then 250 miles apart. St. Louis has been great since Bill Bather's (.293, 13, 43, 12) return on the 2nd, winning 11 of 15 games to improve to 99-53. A win away from their first 100 win season in team history, their .651 win percentage is better then the .630 from last season, which is their best mark this century. Bather himself hasn't been that dangerous, but his presence in the lead-off spot really lengthens the Pioneers lineup. From 1-7, there's nothing but All-Stars, and as poor of a hitter as Sam Ruggles (.237, 9, 59) is, he's the unsung hero of the pitching staff. Arguably the best blocker and one of the best pitch framers, everyone that throws to him raves about his control of the game, with Billy Hasson (16-8, 3.12, 170) crediting Ruggles for helping him right the ship this season. Hasson has been one of the most consistent and talented pitchers since his debut as a starter in 1958, but towards the end of May his ERA was in a territory he isn't used to: above 4. Since that date, he's yet to allow more then 4 earned runs in a start, and he's been extremely good in September as his team looks to get to the finish. 2-1 in 3 starts, he holds a 1.04 ERA (408 ERA+) and 0.92 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and 5 walks, dominating most of the hitters that get in his way. They did take a blow to the staff, as the struggling Steve Madden (17-8, 2.90, 144) is dealing with a mild calf strain, exiting a 6-4 win over the Miners in after just five pitches. In the four starts that came before the injury, he had games with 8 and 5 earned runs, and even in a 2-run start he walked 6 and took the loss in a 3-1 game. A week or so off of throwing could return him to his ace-level form, as the 24-year-old is too talented to have many more starts like he's put together lately.   Tales From The Den Wolves Split At Home Against Tough Opposition Although late in the season with the a CA title out of sight this past week was an important one for Toronto's baseball team. They were to play 8 games in seven days against two of the top three teams in this year's CA. If this was a school test the Wolves passed with a high mark splitting both series with the Chicago Cougars then the CA's dominate force in 1963, the Kansas City Kings. Chicago was in town from Monday to Thursday, the fans were treated to four good games as the autumn weather starts to provide crisp, cool evenings at Dominion Stadium. On Monday Chicago outhit Toronto 10-4 with Hoxworth continually pitching out of jams into the seventh. Ed Savage has put the home side up 1-0 with his 22nd HR of the year in the second only to be countered by Henry Watson's two run shot in the 4th off a Hoxworth pitch that caught too much of the plate. The game was decided by the bullpens. With the score knotted at 2 the Cougars ran across the winning run when Watson's single off Jim Jackson drove in Jack Gibson who had reached on a Taylor error then scored on a wild throw from Chick Reed. On Tuesday Chicago again won a one-run game 4-3 in 11 innings, helped again by Wolves errors, when Chappy Sanders cashed in Pete Meany's double off Wilson Pearson. A three run seventh helped Wolves win 5-2 with Fisher's double being the key hit driving in two runners who has been walked by Ken Stone. The next afternoon was a 16 inning 4:38 minute marathon that Chick Reed ended with a single driving in Gus Koval to make the score 6-5 as the sun was sinking beyond the right field wall giving the Wolves a series split. On Friday Toronto won their third straight 3-2 on 2 run single by Cal Wells in the eighth in an inning in which the Wolves got 2 of their 4 hits in the game off reliever Del Lamb. Kings turned the tables on Saturday when the rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 when Hank Williams went deep for the 41st time off Hoxworth in the eighth, The Sunday double header was split, with the first game being a wild 25 hit affair which Toronto won 11-9 with a 7 run sixth where Wolves sent 10 men to plate on 4 hits, 2 walks, one hit batter. The big blow was Chick Reed's 23rd, a 3 run long ball. Kings got revenge in the second game despite being out 11-6 when the game ended 3-2 with Bill Medley returning from sprained knee after 8 days off. Medley probably deserved a better fate in this game. Wolves now need 3 more wins in the their final 10 games beginning Monday with Dallas in town. If the team gets to .500 it will be the first time since 1944, 1945 seasons that Toronto finishes with a record of .500 or better in consecutive seasons.
 CLUBS BUSY WITH PRE-DRAFT ROSTER MOVES Each of the six North American Hockey Confederation clubs spent the week making some final roster moves in preparation for the upcoming amateur player draft. The Detroit Motors were the busiest of the teams, inking five players to new deals while parting ways with 31-year-old defenseman Jimmy Pappin. Pappin is a veteran of 321 NAHC games, all with the Motors, but spent last season in the minors with the Buffalo Bears of the Hockey Association of America. He still had two years left on his contract with Detroit but was deemed expendable to make room for 24-year-old Brooks Lochead, who had spent the past four seasons on an HAA deal with the Cleveland Eries. Lochead is expected to compete for a role on the Detroit blueline this season. The Motors also signed free agent forwards Cody Walsh and Jack Dennyson as well as extending contracts to goaltender Ben Nachbaur and Jimmy Nonis, both of whom were on Detroit's protected list. Nachbaur was CAHA goalie of the year in his final season of junior hockey with the London Lions and has spent the past two seasons with the Hollywood Stars of the Great West Hockey League. Highly touted, many had felt when the 22-year-old eventually signed with Detroit he would be immediately installed as the number one netminder but a serious knee injury ended his season last December and there are now some concerns it may have affected him long term. Nachbaur will compete with holdovers Charlie Dell and Sebastien Goulet for a role with the big club. Walsh, Nonis and Dennyson are likely ticketed for Buffalo this season but both are expected to compete for roles in Detroit in the near future. Nonis, 20, was Detroit's second round pick in the 1961 draft and scored 83 points in 62 games with Verdun while serving as the Argonauts captain last season. Both Walsh, 26, and Dennyson, 23, were undrafted but have each enjoyed some success in the minors. Dennyson was with Buffalo, Detroit's farm team, the past three seasons so he will stay in the same location but will now be under contract to the parent club. ***Dukes Sign Four *** The Toronto Dukes were also quite active last week as they added two new players to the organization while inking two others to new deals. The newcomers are both junior graduates as Toronto signed two forwards they selected in the 1961 draft. Both were from the Kingston Cadets junior club in center Bruce Eskes, Toronto's second round choice in 1961 along with winger Rocky Moutrey, who was the Dukes third rounder that year. Moutrey had 89 points in 61 games for junior Cadets last season while Eskes had 77 points. Toronto also signed forward Lou Turner and rearguard Don Roeszler to new deals. Turner, 24, split last season between the Dukes and Cleveland, scoring 6 times and adding 13 assists in 42 games with the big club. Turner had a strong playoff as well, adding 6 points in 12 games to help Toronto win the Challenge Cup. Roeszler is 23 years old and made his NAHC debut by playing in four games with the Dukes last season. He also stuck around for the playoffs, appearing in all 12 games and scoring his first NAHC goal. The Boston Bees added a player that may just crack their blueline as a 20-year-old. Pierre Bastien may need half a season in the minors but he is a huge acquisition after being released by the Montreal Valiants, who drafted Bastien third overall last summer. He spent last season in junior hockey with the Trois-Rivieres Trappers. Scouts feel he has a very high ceiling. Finally, the Chicago Packers agreed to terms with their 1961 second round pick. Ben Boimistruck is a 20-year-old forward who was a finalist for the CAHA MVP award last year, a season in which he accumulated 78 points and 121 penalty minutes as captain of the Saint John Saints. He averaged a point a game in the junior loop playoffs to lead the Saints to the league title. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 09/15/1963
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04-15-2025, 12:11 PM
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#1110 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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September 23rd, 1963
SEPTEMBER 23, 1963 Missouri Championship on Horizon Pioneer Magic Number Down to Two Only five games remain on the schedule of the 103-54 St. Louis Pioneers, the first ever 100-win Pioneer team. Whether they will be the 7th Federal Association pennant winner is still up for grabs, but with a magic number of just two, it seems like just a formality at this point. In fact, if the Washington Eagles weren't as hot as they are, St. Louis would already have the season locked up. With a perfect 5-0 week, they did all they could to stay in the race, cutting the still lengthy deficit to 4.5 games. Needing to play perfect the rest of the way, they pretty much have to win all six games left on their schedule, with three in Minneapolis and three in Detroit to end the season. Even with winning all six, they'd need the Pioneers to win one or fewer games just to have a chance, something that doesn't seem too likely when you have five starting pitchers with an average or better ERA+, as well as the only two 40-home run hitters in the Federal Association. That would be Bob Bell (.339, 40, 107, 9) and Danny Davis (.351, 40, 127, 10), who both homered in a 6-2 win over the Suns. Both Whitney candidates, they'll fight for the home run lead with each other while Davis looks to hold on to his 3 RBIs lead. Two of the top young players in the league, neither is over 25, and while it's not their primary positions, Bell can play short and Davis can play center. Elite bats at premium positions are few and far between, and having players of this caliber is exactly why St. Louis is in prime position to defend their World Championship in 1963.   Tales From The Den Wolves Clinch a .500 Record For 1963 With five games remaining in the 1963 season Toronto clinched one of their unwritten goals for the season, an at least .500 record. The 81st win of the season happened during a series sweep at home of the struggling Dallas Wranglers. On a chilly Monday evening the Wolves won 7-6 on a walkoff sac fly off Tom Reed's bat in a game that went back and forth all night, the game winning RBI was Reed's 70th of season in an overall down season for the veteran. The next evening despite being outhit 11 to 9 Toronto was able to cash in on their chances to secure a 6-1 victory. Lee Loeffler pitched a complete game despite scattering the 11 hits the only one for extra bases was a HR by Tom Leisher's in the eighth. The key for Loeffler was surrendering only one base on balls. The sweep was completed with 8-3 win when Bob Campbell snuffed out an attempted rally by the Wranglers in seventh before the Wolves tacked on 4 insurance runs in their half of eight. It was good thing win 81 came before the team went to Cincinnati for two games in three days, Dates are often left open at the end of the season in case their are makeup games needed due to rainouts. On Friday the Wolves sent 10 men to the plate scoring 6 with Chick Reed knocking in half of the runs with his 35th long ball of 1963. At that point Toronto led 6-2, the Cannons chipped away at the lead for the rest of the night finally emerging with a 7-6 win when the bullpen blew another save chance although starter Bill Medley was far from the top of his game. You could see the frustration on Hohlt's face as the team was giving away the game. The team seemed to be thinking of that loss two nights later when the entire team seemed to be just going through their paces. Cincy capitalized on the uninspired Wolves cruising to a 10-0 whitewash. Toronto is currently in a 5th place tie with the Cannons. They want to finish in solo fifth as they complete their road schedule with two in Chicago before coming home to wrap up the season with three with Cincinnati. The minor league season concluded this week. Here is a summary of the Wolves' system: Buffalo Nickels - 73-67 5th in Union League 6 GB Chattanooga Reliables - 70-70 5th in the Dixie League 13 GB Davenport Dusters - 65-75 7th in the Heartland League 16 GB Vancouver Mounties - 72-68 6th in C-O-W 17 GB Tuscaloosa Tomcats - 36-26 4th in Gulf States League 10 GB The entire scouting staff is in Toronto putting together final evaluations of players along with projections of who should be slotted where in 1964.
 YANKS OPEN DEFENSE OF AFA TITLE WITH WIN Reigning American Football Association Most Valuable Player Kevin Sova picked up exactly where he left off last season as the veteran halfback ran for 168 yards and a touchdown to pace the Boston Americans to a 34-13 victory in the opening week of grid action. The Yanks, who beat the cinderella Houston Drillers in the title game last December to win their first AFA title in 18 years, used their powerful running game to tame the Wildcats with Bob Callender joining Sova by surpassing the century mark in ground gains. Callender found the endzone twice will carrying the ball for 104 yards. The Boston ground exploits nullified a fairly strong game from third year Wildcat quarterback Chip Fitch, who threw for 212 yards on the afternoon.In other opening week action the Cleveland Fitches held off the Washington Wasps 17-13 while Buffalo rallied from a 13-0 third quarter deficit to upset the hometown Philadelphia Frigates by the same 17-13 count. Orlin Youngs completed just 5 of 17 pass attempts but two were for touchdowns to give the New York Stars a 21-5 win on the road over the Pittsburgh Paladins. In Detroit, Pie Sullivan ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns to help the hometown Maroons rout visiting Kansas City 34-0 while on the west coast the St Louis Ramblers had little trouble with the Los Angeles Tigers in claiming a 34-6 victory. The league's other two teams - the San Francisco Wings and the defending West Division champion Houston Drillers- will open their seasons next weekend.   CUMBERLAND RALLIES TO BEAT TRAVIS COLLEGE IN AIAA OPENER The opening weekend of college football is usually reserved for mismatches as top schools traditionally handpick a cupcake opponents to ease into the schedule but there was one game that certainly 'bucked' that trend with the Travis College Bucks slated to face the Cumberland Explorers, a showdown between a pair of preseason top ten schools.Both the Explorers, one of the powers in the mighty Deep South Conference and the Bucks, who have their eyes set returning to the top of the Southwestern Alliance after a couple of lean years, have claimed a national grid crown in the past decade and each was highly touted by the preseason prognosticators this time around. Cumberland entered the showdown ranked third in the nation behind only Central Ohio and Georgia Baptist while Travis College held down the ninth slot. The game lived up to its billing as Cumberland, playing on their home turf in Knoxville, Tennessee, rallied with 13 unanswered points in the second half to double Travis College 20-10. R.J. Walker, a highly touted freshman out of Jeffersonville, IN., made his presence felt with 118 yards on 25 carries to pace the Explorers. Cumberland struck first when fullback Ron Filas used a second effort to bull his way over the goal line on a 1-yard plunge to cap an impressive 78-yard Explorers drive on their first possession of 1963. The Cumberland offense would find the going much tougher the rest of the opening half, picking up just three first downs and never threatening to add points to their opening score. The Bucks, on the other hand, had a couple of decent drives including one that culminated in a 22-yard John Shaw field goal with 3:34 remaining in the second quarter to cut the Cumberland lead to 4 points. Two plays later, senior Bucks defensive end Jacob Schoonover ploughed through the Cumberland line like a hot knife through butter and crushed Cumberland quarterback John Powell to the ground, jarring the ball loose in the process. It was the biggest of a day filled with big plays from the senior defender, and when the dust settled Travis College had a first and goal on the Cumberland 3-yard line. It took just one play for the Bucks to take the lead on a Hal Graves three yard run making the score 10-7 in favour of the visitors at the half. It look little time for Cumberland to retake the lead however as right out of the break the Explorers navigated their way 75 yards down the field on the opening possession of the third quarter, one that was capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from junior halfback Henry Virkler, who had rushed for over 1300 yards in each of his first two seasons. From their the Cumberland defense took over and did not allow the Bucks to penetrate past the Explorers 39-yard-line the rest of the way. A pair of Jim Griffin field goals added some breathing room to make the final score 20-10. Cumberland moved ahead of idle Georgia Baptist, their Deep South rival into second in the rankings with the victory while the Bucks slipped out of the top ten to land in the twelfth slot. *** Mustangs Fall, St Blane Survives Scare *** The only other ranked team to taste defeat on Saturday was Bluegrass State as the Mustangs, who entered the game ranked 19th, were knocked off by College of Waco by a 27-14 scare. St Blane, which entered the week ranked 9th, fell out of the top ten but did salvage a victory, winning a wild contest with Penn Catholic by a 39-36 score thanks to a 65-yard Dwayne Hathaway to Jim Whitehead touchdown pass with two minutes remaining in the game. It came after the Crusaders had scored three consecutive touchdowns to overtake the Fighting Saints and erase would seemed like a comfortable 15 point lead late in third period.Other results among ranked schools included Minnesota Tech, co-favourite along with top ranked Central Ohio in the Great Lakes Alliance, going down to Texas and emerging with a 30-10 victory over Amarillo Methodist. 15th ranked Canyon A&M destroyed Northern Minnesota 76-0. 19th ranked El Paso Methodist had little trouble winning in Cleveland, taming the Tigers 36-3. Redwood beat Lambert College 37-9, Cowpens State topped St. Pancras 28-17 while Lawrence State outscored Bayou State 17-10. *** Another Challenge For Cumberland *** Top ranked Central Ohio and #3 Coastal California both kick-off their campaigns next week. The Aviators will look to hand Bluegrass State its second loss while the Dolphins make the short trip to San Jose to face Minns College. Number 4 Georgia Baptist also stages its season opener when the Gators welcome Texas Panhandle to Athens.The two big games to keep an eye on each see a pair of top ten schools squaring off. Cumberland, after the big win over Travis College, faces another big challenge at home as the Explorers will entertain 10th seeded College of Omaha. Meanwhile Minnesota Tech, ranked 5th, returns to Minneapolis and will welcome 8th ranked Noble Jones College. It will make just the second time the two schools have faced each other.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 09/22/1963
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 04-15-2025 at 02:33 PM. |
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04-16-2025, 12:48 PM
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#1111 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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September 30th, 1963
SEPTEMBER 30, 1963 Hold The Presses! We Need 163! Eagles Force Payoff With 11-Game Win Streak If I believed in journalistic curses, I'd still blame this publication for the Cougars blowing their 2-0 WCS lead in 1933 over the Philadelphia Keystones. And then of course, I'd have to blame myself for something that's never been done before: a 163rd game. It's somewhat ironic that the first season with 162 games ends up with a playoff, the first since 1951, when the St. Louis Pioneers were again tied, this time with the Detroit Dynamos. St. Louis came out on top that time, before eventually losing to the Sailors in the WCS 4-1, but this time it is much different. St. Louis winning the Fed seemed like a lock, and all they had to do was win two of their last five games. All at home. Where the Pioneers were 58-18 (.763). Instead, the only win they could get was from Triple Crown winner Frenchy Mack (20-6, 2.07, 211). Securing his second with a dominant 1-hit, 9-strikeout shutout, Mack helped lead the Pioneers to a 9-0 win over the Miners, finishing 20-6 with a 2.07 ERA (205 ERA+), 2.49 FIP (58 FIP-), and 1.10 WHIP, striking out 211 with just 73 walks as he was worth 9.2 WAR in 243.1 innings. If Steve Madden (18-9, 2.83, 162) could have done the same, we wouldn't be where we are, instead relying on 3-Time Allen Winner Billy Hasson (17-8, 3.18, 176) to tame the hottest team in baseball. Winning 11 straight, the Washington Eagles have gone on a historic run, erasing a 5.5 game deficit from September 16th. This includes two major wins over the third place Dynamos, crushing them 15-5 and 17-0 in Detroit. That 17-0 game ended the regular season, as Owen Lantz's (16-3, 2.54, 164) had an even better start then Mack. Matching his single hit, he also had a single walk, striking out 10 to keep the Eagles hope alive. Without ace Bob Ball (13-3, 3.03, 126), and now rookie righty Tom Arencibia (10-5, 3.68, 107), Lantz has stepped in effortlessly to the ace role, but he'll have to watch from the sidelines for game 163. Washington will have to rely on 21-year-old Les Wilson (6-4, 4.11, 69), who has made 17 starts in his rookie season. With a 3.56 FIP (84 FIP-) that's much lower then his 4.11 ERA (103 ERA+), he's definitely been unlucky, but he's had some command issues that a dangerous lineup can exploit. They may have been quiet this week, but Danny Davis (.354, 40, 129, 11) and Bob Bell (.337, 42, 116, 9) are bonified stars, and from 1 to 7 there is little to no weakness. The Bills Bather (.284, 13, 44, 22) and Tutwiler (.302, 3, 19, 8; .293, 12, 61, 19) set the table for Davis, Bell, and Steve Schultz (.304, 31, 95), usually a winning strategy and a recipe for run production. St. Louis even won 11 of the 18 matchups with the Eagles this season, but Washington now has all the momentum, and it could lead to one of the more exciting one game playoffs as two 104-win teams go head-to-head for the crown. *** Hank Williams Wins Triple Crown *** It's official! Hank Williams is the Triple Crown winner once again! Official now, 30-year-old slugger Hank Williams won this second consecutive Triple Crown, batting .374 with 44 homers and 141 RBIs. Set to be the unanimous Whitney Winner as well, Williams hit .374/.454/.696 (199 OPS+) -- all bests in the Continental. Williams led in WAR (9.2), hits (219), extra base hits (92), OPS+, ISO (.323), WPA (8.12), and wOBA (.478), and while they didn't lead, 39 doubles, 126 runs, and 87 walks are all really impressive. It's all what you expect from a legitimate superstar, and he'll get his first chance for postseason baseball. Kansas City gets an extra day of rest while they wait for the play-in game to finish, and that extra day could make a huge difference. Ace Gene Bailey (21-4, 3.06, 173) is still dealing with shoulder soreness, potentially endangering his chance to make multiple starts in the WCS. A guy who had a chance for a pitching triple crown, he hit the IL with the most wins and strikeouts, while his ERA was still in reach of first. Instead, he was passed up in strikeouts, Montreal's Bob Nelson (9-16, 4.07, 188) ended up leading the Conti, but he was the only arm in his association to reach the 20 win mark. His 3.06 ERA (138 ERA+) was less then twenty points way from teammate Jack Halbur (16-5, 2.88, 129) for the ERA lead. Thankfully, having pitchers like Halbur and reigning Allen winner Beau McClellan (17-10, 3.07, 187) helps lighten the load, and still makes them the favorite even if one of the top young pitchers in the game can't get healthy in time.   Tales From The Den Wolves Close Out 1963 In Style Toronto finishes their 1963 campaign with a record of 85-77 for the team's most wins since 1945. Granted the team has eight extra games to play with schedule expansion to 162, in terms of winning percentage, .525, this is Wolves best season since 1948's record of 82-72, .532, in terms of winning record. To put this in context the team had a record that summed to 723-817 (.469) for the decade of the Fifties. This season is no small achievement in Randy Hohlt's second year as bench boss who said during a short interview after the last game that "We are moving forward, the key will be to continue to move in the same direction not take a step back next season. I hope the we have proved something to the fans, next year I would like to see more fans in Dominion cheering the team's success, hopefully the attendance in '64 will be into seven figures. We want to provide a team that make a good way to spend an evening for a family from April to September although some of those early or, late season evenings are a little chilly. I want all of our supporters to focus on the future, sure we finished in fifth 27 games out, no one was derailing the KC train this season they won the CA by 15 games. Planning for 1964 begins now, we still have a ways to go become a legitimate contender in the CA." In final week of the season the week did not start out well. The team was shutout for the second straight game at Cougars Park when Ken Stone registered win 13 for the year giving up only 5 hits in his 6th complete game waltzing in 8-0 game. To add insult to injury Jesse Taylor broke his hand when an inside fastball by Stone hit him in the second ending Taylor's season. Taylor had a better season at the plate than expected posting a .261/.300/.420 with 21 HR to add to his defensive value at short where he reminds older fans of Charlie Artuso from the Wolves glory years during the war. That would the Wolves' final loss of the year. The next evening George Hoxworth finished a disappointing 5-8, 6.67 season in 17 starts in a 5-3 win. The team has another season ending injury when Charlie Wells went down with a back injury running to first after a single in the second. The other significant event was Arnie Smith's first FABL save, Smith was sent to the 'pen for the final week to see if that is a better fit for him after struggling with conditioning in his 32 starts. With Cincinnati hot on their heels for 5th place the Wolves swept their final series from the Cannons by scores of 6-1, 6-3, 9-5. Highlights during the series were Bill Medley, after a substandard last start, picking up his team leading 17th win in a complete game on Friday striking out 10 in a 2 hitter. On Saturday Davidson tried to replicate Medley's feat but came one out short when he gave up 3 in nine after entering with a 6 -0 lead handing the ball to Bob Campbell who secured his 8th save to tie Zeke Blake for the team lead. In the season's final game Phil Colantuono pitched all 9 only because he was 9-0 after 8 thanks to Phil Story's 2 HR, giving him 17 total, along with his 30th double. Story had 6 RBI in a 9-5 final as the lights went out at Dominion Stadium until next April. While the baseball world prepares for the game 163 in Fed between St. Louis, Washington for the right to face KC in the Series the Wolves brain trust will gather to chart the course forward in 1964. Brett will provide a season overview from the Wolves along with thoughts for the future before the Dukes return to the ice taking over the Toronto sports scene.  Kings Ready for Whoever is Next By Archie Gouldie KC plays a sub team the last 3 games to avoid injury. One of the subs got an injury William Buttry and will miss the playoffs. Also missing the playoffs will be sentimental favorite OF Ralph Johnson as his request to be placed on the post season roster apparently was declined by the league office (not the end of the world). Bill Guthrie who I have been trying to get out of town for 2 seasons (despite the fans love for him) will take the 25th man role for the playoffs. More trouble on the injury front is SP Gene Bailey's return. What was a 2 week injury has now got an undetermined return time (no setback indicated). Maybe the a saving grace is the extra game in the FA will give us another day to hope he is ready. Right now he was scheduled to pitch game 3, but that appears to be a game time decision. LF Charlie Rogers ends the regular season sitting on 543 career doubles, good for 12th place all time. He is 3 doubles short of moving into the top 10 tie with Powell Slocum and Vic Crawford. 1B/OF Hank Williams finished what presumably will be his 4th Whitney Award Season leading the CA in batting average 374, Hits 219, HR 44, RBI's 141, with 126 runs (4 off the leaders), while also leading in OB% 454 Slugging % 696 OBS% 1.150. Kings set a record with 112 wins in the FABL (107-47 in 154 games). Giving the old adage teams win 50, lose 50 a season but its what you do in the other 62 games that matter.
WASPS STING YANKS IN AFA GRID ACTION The Washington Wasps took advantage of the opportunities they were given and the result was a decisive 30-10 victory over the defending champion Boston Americans on the road in Minutemen Stadium Sunday. A pair of interceptions hurt Boston including one deep in Washington territory late in the first quarter while the Wasps lead was just 7-0 and it turned out to be a 10-point swing as the Wasps drove for a field goal. Washington's offense was not overwhelming but did enough at the right time to easily knock off the defending champs as Wasps quarterback Pat Roberts threw a pair of touchdown passes and kicker Charlie Cooney was perfect on his three field goal attempts. Both clubs record now sits at 1-1.There are three teams atop the East Division with 2-0 records including the New York Stars. The Stars handed Philadelphia its second straight loss as Reid McDuffy rank for 139 yards and a touchdown in the New York's 24-14 victory over the Frigates. The Cleveland Finches are also 2-0 after winning a defensive struggle on the west coast in downing San Francisco 10-3. The third team atop the East is the Buffalo Red Jackets after they blasted the Los Angeles Tigers 30-10. Two teams in the West Division remain unbeaten including the Detroit Maroons, who rallied from a 10-3 halftime deficit to be beat Houston 13-10 on Sunday. The other is the St Louis Ramblers who led by Fred Gunther's 82 yards rushing and 38 yards receiving, tamed the Chicago Wildcats 26-14. The final game of the weekend saw the Pittsburgh Paladins even their record at 1-1 with a 31-20 victory over winless Kansas City.  AVIATORS AIR GAME TOO MUCH FOR BLUEGRASS STATE The Central Ohio Aviators showed why their are the number one ranked college football team in the nation after a dominating performance in their season opener in Columbus, a 38-6 victory over a Bluegrass State team that has lost back to back games against top ranked opponents.A pair of sophomores both making their first collegiate starts were the key to the Aviators success through the air as quarterback Russ Burgess completed 10 of 18 tosses for 182 yards and 4 touchdowns. Two of the scoring plays, and a total of 103 passing yards overall, were to Gene Mello. As good as Central Ohio is expected to be this year, many feel they are just getting started as the club is dominated on both sides of the ball by sophomores with plenty of talent. In addition to Burgess and Mello, they also include backs Dan Crocker and Bob Norris, who combined for 127 yards on the ground, ends Danny Pierce and Greg Oakes, who each were on the receiving end of a Burgess touchdown throw, and linebacker George Werner, who seemed to be everywhere on this day in leading both clubs with 12 tackles. Next week should pose a stern test for the young Central Ohio stars as they will open their Great Lakes Alliance slate on the road against a Minnesota Tech team that was considered a co-favourite with the Aviators for the section crown. The Lakers beat Amarillo Methodist in their opener but stumbled on Saturday in Georgia, falling 19-6 to Noble Jones College. Elsewhere, Cumberland held strong at #2 in the polls with a 34-6 win over College of Omaha, marking the Explorers second straight week with a win over a team that entered the game ranked in the top ten. Wes Moore ran for 102 yards and John Stoltzfus threw a pair of touchdown passes as third ranked Coastal California opened its season with a 32-3 victory over Minns College. Fourth ranked Georgia Baptist had a slow start but scored 28 second half points to down Texas Panhandle 35-3 while Cowpens State moved into the top five with the Fighting Green's second straight road victory - this one a 48-6 pounding of Pierpont.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 09/29/1963
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 04-16-2025 at 12:49 PM. |
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04-17-2025, 04:57 PM
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#1112 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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September 30, 1963
WEEK THREE OF FOOTBALL MINNESOTA TECH GROUNDS AVIATORS IN GLA SHOWDOWN Central Ohio's time at the top of the college football pile ended very quickly and the Aviators hopes of a fourth trip to Santa Ana for East-West Classic in the past six years was also dealt a crushing blow after suffering a 26-6 loss to Minnesota Tech in the section opener for the two schools.The Aviators ended the contest ranked number one in the nation but as an illustration of the wonkiness small samples provide in the rankings ended the weekend outside of the top twenty-five. Minnesota Tech, which is no slouch is now ranked 15th following a contest that saw the Lakers being considered Central Ohio's biggest adversary in its conference title quest. Lakers quarterback Ed Corsetti threw a pair of short touchdown passes to Dave Lundeen in the second quarter to help the hosts take a 16-6 lead into the break. The Aviators passing game, so dominant in a win over Bluegrass State a week ago, struggled mightily and their ground game could not overwhelm a strong Minnesota Tech defense. *** Deep South Leads The Way *** The top of the polls are now dominated by the Deep South Conference as schools from that section hold each of the top three slots in the latest ranking. Cumberland moved up one spot into number one after the Explorers improved to 3-0 with a third straight victory over an opponent that entered the week ranked in the top ten. This time it was the Western Florida Wolves that were victimized by the Explorers in the conference opener for both schools. Cumberland scored 24 unanswered points to start the game and rolled to a 34-7 victory. Junior back Henry Virkler added two more touchdowns to give him five already this season.The two Georgia schools in the Deep South also staged their conference openers this week. Georgia Baptist, which won back-to-back National Titles in 1959 and 1960, dumped Mississippi A&M 28-9 and moved up two places from fourth to second in the current rankings. Noble Jones College, which won back-to-back National Titles in the two years prior to the Gators pair of crowns, is now number three after the Colonels, led by a combined 248 yards on the ground from the backfield duo of Steve Thurber and Mark Frederick, downed Northern Mississippi 23-3 on Saturday. Other notable results from the weekend included Payne State improving to 3-0 and fourth in the polls with a 34-3 drubbing of Valley State while Coastal California is fifth after downing Northern Cal 30-17 in the West Coast Athletic Association opener for each school. St. Blane fell out of the top twenty-five after the Fighting Saints were upset 22-19 in overtime by Commonwealth Catholic.  MAROONS, FINCHES SURPRISE LEADERS IN AFA Few would have expected that after three weeks of the 1963 American Football Association that the only two remaining unbeaten teams would be the Cleveland Finches and the Detroit Maroons. Each is coming off a season in which they won just four games, but both already have enjoyed three victories this season. Detroit has not won a playoff game since 1936, and Cleveland has not even appeared in the postseason since winning the 1947 AFA championship game.That is not to suggest the quick starts by each will cause that trend to reverse itself this year although fans of the Finches have to have some feeling of optimism after their heroes knocked off the defending champion Boston Americans 21-14 on Sunday. This comes following victories at home over Washington and on the road in San Francisco. All of the scoring at Forester Field came in the opening half as Cleveland was carried to victory on the back of its star halfback Rebel Johnstone who had a breakout year a season ago in his fourth AFA season when he ran for over 1,300 yards. Johnstone is charting the same course this year after a dominant 172-yard effort against the Americans. Detroit has made a habit of strong starts, but the Maroons have often stumbled in the second half of the season and the Maroons will play six of their final seven games on the road. For those reasons you can forgive Motor City fans from getting too excited after the club opened the campaign with three straight victories at Thompson Field. The latest was a 29-14 win over an 0-2 San Francisco Wings club that was highlighted by another solid outing from quarterback Sled Hicks. A polarizing figure in the Motor City, Hicks has looked at times but often finds himself in the bad books of Maroons coach Sam Wiggins and as a result entered the season with just 3 starts in the past four seasons after leading the Maroons to the playoffs as a rookie in 1958. In other action the Washington Wasps may have lost to Cleveland in their season opener but have posted back-to-back victories over two recent East Division powers in Boston and New York. The Wasps 21-6 victory at home over New York knocked the Stars from the ranks of the unbeaten. St Louis also suffered its first defeat of the campaign after the Ramblers dropped a 17-11 decision to the Philadelphia Frigates. Houston evened its record at 1-1 with 27-10 win at home over the Los Angeles Tigers. A late Pete Fairfield to Roy Camper touchdown pass lifted Kansas City to its first win of the season as the Cowboys edged Chicago 28-21 and finally the Pittsburgh Paladins held off Buffalo 20-16 to saddle the Red Jackets with their first loss of the season. 
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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04-18-2025, 11:57 AM
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#1113 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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October 3rd, 1963
OCTOBER 3, 1963 Instant Classic! Extra Game Needs Extra Innings It's only fitting, right? If 162 games weren't enough to separate the top two teams in the Fed, surely 9 innings wouldn't be either? Exciting from the beginning, Billy Hasson (17-8, 3.28, 181) took on Eagles stopper Otto Caudill (17-10, 14, 3.91, 112), as Washington was hoping a collection of arms could help keep the Pioneers off balance. Unfortunately, the plan failed quickly, as homers from Jerry Smith (.261, 24, 77, 8) and Steve Schultz (.304, 32, 98) netted the hosts a pair of runs in the 1st and 3rd, while Washington was able to knock one out off Hasson, though Howdy Oakes' (.315, 20, 104) twentieth homer was of the solo variety. They then got their second run in the 4th, as Alex Wilson (.320, 13, 93) doubled and later scored. Washington went to the pen in the fifth, as Caudill left with just as many runs allowed as innings pitched. He wouldn't get a loss, however, as the Eagles offense woke up in the 6th. After pitching well most of the game, Hasson ran into some struggles, allowing three singles on four pitches. Trusting Hasson, Lou Ormsby left him out to get him out of the jam of his own making. Instead, all three runs ended up scoring, and when Hasson finally finished the sixth, his Pioneers were down 5-4. It increased to 7-4 in the seventh, as 6th ranked prospect Harry Johnson (1-0, 2.35, 5) showed his inexperience. With one on and two out, he forgot that you really shouldn't try to sneak ahead of Tom Lorang (.378, 35, 128, 10) who absolutely clobbered a get-me-over pitch, extending the lead with a 400-foot 2-run blast. His offense helped him quickly, matching the two runs in the bottom half, as the Pioneers drew back within one with two innings to go. Neither team got any scoring in the 8th, and since Washington couldn't score in the 9th, they'd have a one run lead to preserve. The only problem? They used their stopper in the first four innings. Enter Dick Adams Jr. (10-5, 9, 2.60, 50), who kept them scoreless in the 8th, and at least has plenty of late inning experience this year. Now, he had to try and finish off the Pioneers and cap off an improbable pennant run. The task? Find a way to get Bob Bell (.339, 43, 117, 9), Steve Schultz (.304, 32, 98), and Danny Davis (.350, 40, 130, 11) out without allowing a run. Easier said then done, right? Right. Bell ruined things right away, tying the game up with a high fly ball that just barely cleared the left field wall. Washington quickly got the pen going, as Adams got a quick ground out, but went to arm number five for the last two outs. Lou Curry (2-1, 3.79, 15) got them, but just like the season, extra time was needed. Ten wasn't enough either, both Curry and John Gibson (8-7, 22, 2.50, 57) got quick 1-2-3 innings. Mel Hall (3-4, 2, 2.97, 27) came out for the top of the 11th and kept Washington off the board. In the bottom half, they called upon minor league pickup and 2-Time Allen Winner Tony Britten (0-1, 5.40, 0), putting their season in the hands of a guy who made just one regular season appearance in his aged 37 season. He had some issues, a single and a walk, but again, the top two teams went scoreless in an extra frame. The 12th came and saw Hill come back out, getting two outs before a George Whaley (.300, 34, 128, 6) single. It didn't last long, he was quickly caught stealing second, erasing what would have been the go-ahead run. Now the ball was back in the Pioneer court, as they saw Britten on the mound once again. He got two quick outs, but could not get the third, as reserve shortstop and in-game replacement Aeneas Bouloukos (.250) with all of six FABL in-game appearances this season singled to keep things going. Rattled, Britten lost command, walking pinch-hitter John Sander (.338, 5, 20), and setting up a chance to be a hero for Bill Tutwiler (.304, 3, 20, 8; .294, 12, 62, 19) to make the entire trade worth it. With one swing of a bat, he did, and while it wasn't a towering blast, a 3-2 line drive was enough, allowing the speedy Bouloukos to race home from second. Sliding in to home, the benches quickly emptied, as the Pioneer players mobbed Bouloukos, Tutwiler, and anyone the rowdy players could get their hand on. With the roaring of the crowd, celebration of the fans, and chaos at Pioneer park, championships were again back on the menu.  This was the first extra inning tiebreaker, but the sixth overall. Below is the competitors, who won, and what year:  *** Previewing the WCS *** After the extra game, a 105-win team will look to take on a 112-win team for the 1963 World Championship Series. It hasn't been long for the Pioneers, don't forget they won last season, but it's hard to bet against the Kings. They haven't gone too long without an appearance themselves, but they came up short in '54, '55, and '58, all against the Dynamos, and haven't won since 1937. That was between two WCS losses, and their only nine attempts. Tenth times a charm? St. Louis, meanwhile, wins most of the time they're there, including back-to-back wins in '47 and '48. This is their third time making back-to-back postseason appearances, and the seventh time they won the pennant, as with the Pioneers good things tend to come into pairs. Here's a look a the positional breakdown between the teams: Catcher: This might be the weakest combined position for the two stacked clubs. You can have the bat of Bob Burge (.290, 7, 56) or the glove of Sam Ruggles (.230, 9, 62). I'm calling this one a Wash First Base: He may not have been a first basemen since this season, but Jerry Smith (.261, 24, 77, 8) is a 10-Time All-Star and former Whitney winner with a 145 career WRC+. Only thing is no one is as good as Hank Williams (.374, 44, 141), who won his 2nd Triple Crown and will win his 4th Whitney. Kings with a major advantage over everyone who isn't Hank Williams. Second Base: A position filled for both teams by trade, unless you still consider Al Farmer (.265, 17, 86, 5) the starter. Stan Kleminski (.311, 1, 14, 3; .272, 3, 49, 15) came over from the Foresters, and boasts more playoff experience then anyone. Easy to add to his historical records. A gifted defender, he hit well since coming over. St. Louis added shortstop Joe Kleman (.290, 5, 33; .287, 15, 93) from Boston, moving him to an unfamiliar second. He's a better hitter, even if he didn't hit too well post-trade, while Kleminski has the edge with the glove. It's hard to pick, but since the Kings also have Farmer, I'll give a Slight Edge to Kings. Third Base: I do like Steve Schultz (.304, 32, 98). I really do. Strong defender, talented slugger, a real impact player. But Ken Newman (.304, 26, 97, 9). That's a three-time Whitney winner with 11 All-Star selections. This year included. He's got the pop and glove, just with an elite eye too. This one goes to Kings, but Schultz is legit. Shortstop: One of the Kings weakest positions, Bill Denney (.220, 5, 48) is just a pretty glove with no bat. Good eye, good speed, good range. But a 67 WRC+. Multiply by 3 and you get 201, eight points lower then Bob Bell's (.339, 43, 117, 9) 209 in his Whitney season last year. It was "just" 178 this season as Bell was elite once again, and effortlessly shifted from the right side of second to the left. Pioneers x 3. At least. Left Field: Happy birthday Danny Davis (.350, 40, 130, 11)! Hope you enjoy being the best left fielder at 24! One of just four hitters to reach 40 home runs, Davis is already a star in year two, and one of the best players in the game. Even a Hall-of-Famer who may end up the league's double leader in Charlie Rogers (.277, 8, 67, 13) can't compare. Pioneers. Center Field: This is one of the closest matchups. Do you want the youth, elite glove, and elite eye of Tom Hicks (.281, 7, 54, 18)? Or the experience, elite glove, and elite eye of Bill Bather (.282, 13, 44, 12)? Oh yeah, and they both missed time with injury this season. Can't choose between them? Me either! Wash. Right Field: Another position St. Louis filled at the deadline, Bill Tutwiler (.304, 3, 20, 8; .294, 12, 62, 19) was as advertised for the Pioneers, crushing a 143 WRC+ that's right in line with his career 144 mark. But as good as he is, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Pat Davis (.319, 12, 84, 40) might be better, leading the Conti with 40 steals while offering outstanding defense and a hoard of extra base hits. Tutwiler is a great hitter, probably better then Davis, but Davis just does so much more. Kings. Rotation: This seems unfair. I mean the Kings rotation is elite. Even if Gene Bailey (21-4, 3.06, 173) can't pitch, they have Beau McClellan (17-10, 3.07, 187), Jack Halbur (16-5, 2.88, 129), and Allie Boone (12-7, 3.33, 163), but St. Louis is just on another level. Frenchy Mack (20-6, 2.07, 211) is the best pitcher in baseball, and on literally any other team, Steve Madden (18-9, 2.83, 162) or Billy Hasson (17-8, 3.28, 181) would be the best pitcher on the staff. And Danny Daniels (17-11, 3.40, 173) is trying to join them. This might be the best rotation of all time. Or at least until 1964 where either Charlie Blake (13-10, 4.25, 182) or Harry Johnson (1-0, 2.35, 5) becomes the breakout arm. Pioneers. Pen: Both teams have a lot of quality high leverage arms, but John Gibson (8-7, 22, 2.50, 57) is as lock-down as it gets. St. Louis has a deep collection of lefties, with him, Doc Greenwood (1-1, 2, 3.38, 32), and Mel Hill (3-4, 2, 2.97, 27), but KC has a dominant southpaw of their own in Del Lamb (11-4, 24, 2.82, 93). Righties Fred Myers (4-1, 5, 2.30, 31) and Washington (2-1, 3.50, 21) transitioned well to the pen, but St. Louis has the advantage with overpowering stuff. Pioneers. Prediction: These are two really good teams, but one was able to cruise and the other had to fight. I think this helps the more rested team, and Kansas City is just too deep. They do everything well and it's about time Hank Williams gets his ring. Kings over Pioneers in 5. Tales From The Den A Look Forward For The Wolves[/CENTER] Brett will take a look forward at the Wolves by taking a look back. He will assess the 1963 season for the hitters, pitchers, then the system in a series of articles. First the bats: C- Al Curtis Started 81 games after being recalled from Buffalo in early May. Curtis is a viable option in '64 after slashing .263/.298/.386 with 25 XBH 52 RBI in 362 trips to the plate. If he improves his defense Al can be counted on for between 100-120 starts in '64 1B- Tom Reed The move to 1B seemed to affect Reed's bat more than his glove. Starting 97 games, along with 35 OF starts, at first he provided above average defense. His performance at the plate were career lows in all 3 slash line stats at .228/.314/.409 driving in less than 80 RBI for the first since he became a starter in 1955. Hopefully the bat will bounce back next year as he knows his home for the rest of his time in the FABL is at first. The Wolves probably made a good shifting him at age 32 may add a couple of years to his time in the FABL. 2B- Phil Story was a pleasant surprise at the plate in '63 posting .286/.361/.492 17HR 66 RBI while occupying the leadoff spot most days. He is a superior defender at second who can also move to short when needed by the manager. If he can improve his base stealing stats, 13 successes in 20 attempts, the Wolves will have a multifaceted threat at leadoff. 3B- Cal Wells, Clyde Fisher basically split roles at third in a platoon. Batting stats were almost equal for the two with Fisher having an edge with the glove. Expect the platoon to continue next season if both remain with the team. SS- Jesse Taylor's work with both the bat and glove will be a hard player to remove for Hohlt's daily lineup. A defensive wizard at short he also contributed with bat .261/.300/.429 21 HR 64 RBI although he went back to the dugout 121 times when retired on strikes. LF- Chick Reed's season was a tale of two halves. Before the ASG he was one the top hitters in the CA before fading in the second half of the season. Hohlt would definitely sign up for another season of .304/.313/810 35 HR 98 RBI even with below average defense in left. CF- Sid Cullen, barring injury, will probably be patrolling CF for the Wolves into the next decade. He covers more than his fair share of ground in the OF many times covering for his less than fleet afoot partners in the outfield. He continues to hit for average with his 4th straight year over .300 finishing '63 at .310/.365/.488 with career highs in both HR, 23, RBI. 74. He is another who many fans thing should be given more rein to steal bases. RF- Ed Savage's bat keeps him in the lineup. How do you take .288/.380/.481 23 HR 89 RBI out of the lineup despite being a statue in right? If Savage can become even a little less awful in RF he will be a force in the CA. He constantly works on his fielding but the results have not yet been seen from his work. Hohlt started replacing him late innings at the end of the season due to his being too much of a defensive liability. Bench- Dixie Williams is an adequate second C. Ty Rusconi's versatility will probably guarantee him a spot on the roster even if only a late inning defensive replacement. Joe Parker's right hand bat along with glove at first should keep him the FABL. His bat came around towards the end of season after a tough start in Toronto. Dick Rabkin gives Hohlt a good option if either Taylor or Story need a night off with a .293/.316/.425 7 HR 33 RBI line in 275 plate appearances from he right side. Gus Koval may not have much of a future in Toronto. Next time Brett will look at the biggest disappointment of 1963, the pitching staff. WASPS STING STARS AGAIN For the second week in a row the Washington Wasps proved to be too much for the New York Stars. After winning 21-6 at home last Sunday, the Wasps went into Gothams Stadium and staged a strong fourth quarter comeback to complete the season sweep of their East Division rivals with a 20-17 victory. At 3-1, the Washington team that went just 4-10 a year ago, now finds itself tied with Cleveland for top spot in a very competitive East Division, one in which none of the seven teams presently own a losing record. Washington will face a stiff test next weekend with a trip to Detroit to play a Maroons team that was idle Sunday and now finds itself, at 3-0, the only team in the AFA yet to suffer a loss this season.As for Sunday's game at Gothams Stadium, the hosts entered the final period with a 17-10 lead only to see Washington rally for the win. The game winning touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter and was keyed by two big plays. The first a 30 year run by backup halfback Charlie Stensrud to help set up Pat Roberts' second touchdown throw of the afternoon, a 20-yarder to Jim Edmonds. Roberts, in his first year as the Wasps number one option at quarterback, completed 10 of 20 tosses for 181 yards but more importantly he did not make any mistakes. Roberts has yet to throw an interception in his 144 pass attempts as a pro. Cleveland, which like Washington won just four times last year, had its luck run out after starting the season with three straight victories. The Finches had an awful first quarter, allowing 4 Philadelphia touchdowns and could not recover, dropping a 31-13 decision at home to the visiting Frigates. Doug Lucy, the veteran halfback who has been a fixture in the Frigates backfield for over a decade, scored three first quarter touchdowns and ran for 173 yards. Boston got back on track as the defending league champion Americans snapped their two game losing streak with a 24-0 shutout win on the road in Pittsburgh. Kevin Sova ran for 203 yards to lead the Boston attack. Any hopes of a follow-up to their Cinderella season of a year ago when the second year Houston Drillers went from 3-11 in their inaugural season to 10 wins and a trip to the AFA championship game seem to be rapidly dissipating. The Drillers are now 1-2 after dropping a 21-10 decision at Pioneer Field to the St. Louis Ramblers. The other two games, both on the west coast, saw the Chicago Wildcats and San Francisco Wings each pick up their first victory of the season. The Wildcats outscored winless Los Angeles 41-26 while the Wings downed Kansas City 30-17.  DEEP SOUTH POWERS CONTINUE TO SET COLLEGIATE GRID PACE For the second week in a row the top three schools in the nation all hail from the Deep South Conference as Cumberland, Georgia Baptist and Noble Jones College improved their cumulative records to a combined 10-0. All three of them have won two National Collegiate Grid titles in the past decade and each posted another impressive win over section opponents on Saturday.The most impressive victory belonged to top ranked Cumberland as the Explorers ran their mark to 4-0 with a 93-6 drubbing of perennial Deep South doormat Baton Rogue State. Now beating the Red Devils is no big accomplishment- Bayou State has not won a football game in nearly four years- but to surrender 93 points to a section rival is a new low point for the Louisiana school. R.J. Walker ran for 267 yards and four touchdowns despite the fact he did not play at all in the fourth quarter but Henry Virkler filled in well with 148 yards and 4 touchdowns of his own. In all, Explorers backs discovered more land than Lewis & Clark, by reeling off 517 yards against a Baton Rogue State team that clearly should not remain in the Deep South Conference. The scores in Georgia were far more reasonable as the Georgia Baptist Gators held steady at number two in the polls with a 27-0 whitewashing of Bluegrass State (1-3) while Noble Jones College remains third and, like their cross-state rivals, 3-0 following a 19-6 win over Bayou State (2-2). Spots four and five on the latest rankings belong to the West Coast Athletic Association after both Coastal California and Portland Tech posted victories. The Dolphins moved up one slot to fourth after Alan Callow threw for 140 yards and two touchdowns to lead Coastal California to a 34-10 road win over Spokane State. Portland Tech moved up to fifth from 13th a week ago after the Magpies had little trouble disposing of Idaho A&M by a 45-5 count. Payne State slipped from fourth to 8th despite the fact the Mavericks improved to 4-0, but they had their struggles and needed a late touchdown to nip Lubbock State(1-2) 27-24. Texas Gulf Coast held strong at number six after the Hurricanes ran their mark to 3-0 with a 27-10 road win over Southwestern Alliance rival Darnell State (0-3).  The Week That Was Current events from the week up to 10/02/1963
Last edited by ayaghmour2; 04-18-2025 at 06:12 PM. |
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04-20-2025, 01:19 PM
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#1114 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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October 6th, 1963
OCTOBER 6, 1963 Missing: Kings Offense Reward: Lifetime Pass at Prairie Park Perhaps it was the fact they had three days between games. Perhaps it was the lack of meaningful baseball in over a month. Or perhaps it was just one simple fact: Frenchy Mack and Steve Madden are the two best pitchers in baseball. It was foolish of me to think this would be a quick series in favor of the Kings, as I clearly needed to be reminded of that when the two pennant winners squared off in St. Louis. It was a classic Mack attack to start 70th World Championship Series, as the duel between 1962 Allen Winners did not disappoint. Mack's command allowed him to quiet the Hank Williams (.374, 44, 141) led lineup. By not walking anyone, he was able to work around 9 hits, as 8 strikeouts led to the 3-0 shutout. Kansas City got their hits, including a pair from postseason hit leader Stan Kleminski (.311, 1, 14, 3; .272, 3, 49, 15), but they didn't have the timely hits they needed. Beau McClellan (17-10, 3.07, 187) made just one mistake, as Danny Davis (.350, 40, 130) took him deep with two on and two outs in the sixth. That ended up being his last inning, and it had half of his hits allowed (6) and all the runs. Like Mack, he didn't walk a hitter, and the 31-year-old southpaw set down six in the defeat.  Madden didn't get the shutout, but like Mack he picked up a complete game victory. Striking out 9, he allowed 5 hits, a run, and 4 walks, with just Charlie Rogers' (.277, 8, 67, 13) double causing damage. Most importantly, Madden stifled Williams, 0-for-4 with three men left on base. On offense, Bill Tutwiler (.304, 3, 20, 8; .294, 12, 62, 19) was perfect, 4-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs, and an RBI. Acquired from Boston, he's been a huge upgrade over Dixie Hutchings (.266, 6, 23), and you can certainly argue that the Pioneers don't make the playoffs without him. 1-for-4 with a run scored in the opener, him and Danny Davis (1-3, 2 RBI, 2B) have been highly productive at the plate, responsible for most of the runs the Pioneers have scored so far.  As bleak as it may look for the Kings, it's far from over, as all three of the next games will be on the West side of Missouri. Plenty of times the road team goes down 2-0 on the road, just to win most or all the games back at home. This team is too talented to be held down like this for long, and it's not like the pitching hasn't done what they've had to. The pitching matchups are undecided for both teams, with the only likelihood that Allie Boone (12-7, 3.33, 163) will pitch for the Kings in game three. Gene Bailey (21-4, 3.06, 173) is still dealing with a sore shoulder, so they may want to pivot and start Kellogg candidate Johnnie Higgins (15-7, 3.02, 161). St. Louis then has two aces to pick from, as both Billy Hasson (17-8, 3.28, 181) and Danny Daniels (17-11, 3.40, 173) are both ready and rested. Hits will not be easy to come by, and it would not be the least bit surprising if we have another pair of pitching duels. Tales From The Den A Look Forward Part Two Brett's second in a series will take a look at what was supposed to the strength of the Wolves, pitching especially the starters. That did not turn out to be the case, the expected leaders of the starting staff Arnie Smith, George Hoxworth both had a subpar season though it must be said both Phil Colantuono, Bill Medley had better seasons than expected in 1963. Without those two anchoring a hit and miss rotation Toronto would have been nowhere close to 85 wins. The bullpen of which not much was expected performed lower than the lowest expectations, The relief corps was an unmitigated disaster driving both Hohlt, Max Monell to experiment with different roles none of which seemed to produce desired results. Starters: The team used a total of 8 starters for the season will Jimmy Pepper, Sam Haygood getting spot starts during heavy portions of the schedule. The six that started 156 games between them can be divided into three categories, good, to expectation, under performing. First the good: Bill Medley- Led the team with a 17-12, 3.54 record in 31 starts tossing 228.2 innings. The best year in the FABL for the 3rd round pick in 1958. Hohlt hopes Medley's best is still to come as he enters his 3rd season in Toronto fulltime in 1964. Phil Colantuono- Was amongst the CA leaders in many pitching categories despite missing three weeks due to injury during the season. He finished the year with a 16-8, 2.89 record. Many think that 20 wins were certainly possible if he had 35 starts rather than missing 5 or 6 due to an arm injury. Colantuono who will turn 27 next week will start his 5th full season in Toronto during 1964 after being selected 3rd overall out of high school in 1954. Injuries are of some concern going forward. Now, at expectation: Charlie Davidson- This is probably a harsh evaluation of the the rookie performance who was acquired via with the Keystones during the 1961 off-season. He started 31 games posting a record of 13-9, 4.03 in just over 212 innings. Control was his big issue with 99 BB, along with 21 HR allowed in 1963. If Monell can work with him on these issues the future will be bright for the 23 year old. Lee Loeffler- Loeffler was slotted for bullpen coming into the season, Hoxworth's difficulties forced him into the rotation. The 36 year old gave the team average performance in 13 starts after not performing well in relief. He should move back to the 'pen next year to give Hohlt options as his career winds down in the FABL. Not even close: Arnie Smith- Smith, who was the 4th selection in the 1958 draft, was a disappointment with only 1 CG in 33 starts, down 10 from 11 CG in 1962. He did have a 12-9 record but the ERA was up almost a run at 4.37. Smith ran out of gas after 6 innings in almost every start forcing Hohlt to eat up innings with a substandard bullpen. Smith, a two time All-Star, needs to stretch out starts to return to his elite level in the CA. George Hoxworth- His season started poorly then went downhill finishing with a 5-8, 6.67 record. It was so bad that he was sent out twice to AAA in the season. He will be 26 next season . The 7th pick in the 1956 draft will be the one of the biggest question marks in camp next spring. Bullpen: By far the Achilles heel of the team in 1963 with the third worst ERA in the CA, 4.50. Nothing seemed to work all year long for a team that blew 20 save chances, while only saving 33 to go along with a 13-18 record where the reliever was part of the decision. This has be an area of improvement going forward for the team. Insiders tell Brett the all spots in the bullpen are up for grabs during the spring. Brett expects that the team will go after a quality RP in the off-season unless they find a player in their system to provide a late inning arm. WOLVES CONTINUE TO FEAST ON COLONELS The Western Florida Wolves have had their ups and downs in Deep South Conference action through the years but one thing has remained pretty consistent over the past decade and that would be their mastery over the Noble Jones College Colonels. The two schools have faced each other six times in the past eight years and Western Florida has won five of those games including a 19-13 triumph Saturday in Tallahassee that moved the Wolves up to 10th in the national rankings and dropped the previously unbeaten Colonels from third to outside of the top 25.A 74-yard touchdown pass from Stan Markiewicz to Mike Curran midway through the fourth quarter proved the difference on Saturday and keeps Western Florida in the hunt for something they have never won - a Deep South Conference championship. The Wolves are 2-1 in section play and do face a very tough task three weeks from now when they travel to Athens for a meeting with a Georgia Baptist squad that always seems to give the Wolves fits. Cumberland and Georgia Baptist are both 3-0 in section play and ranked one-two in the nation after each of the Deep South powers came up with another conference win Saturday. The top ranked Explorers were led by another big game from freshman halfback R.J. Walker, who ran for 181 yards and two scores in Cumberland's 31-17 victory over winless Central Kentucky. Georgia Baptist had a little tougher go of things but four Billy Lovell field goals helped the Gators to a 19-10 road win over previously undefeated Opelika State. The loss by Noble Jones College allowed Texas Gulf Coast to move from sixth to third in the rankings after the Hurricanes offense blew away Amarillo Methodist by a score of 37-22 in Southwestern Alliance play. Coastal California and Portland Tech, both from the West Coast Athletic Association, round out the top five as each improved to 4-0 on the season. The Dolphins had little trouble with Idaho A&M, winning 53-24 in a game that saw Coastal junior back Wes Moore rush for 234 yards. The Magpies had a non-conference game on the road and needed a late touchdown to dispose of Eastern Oklahoma 13-6. In other action of note Rome State, which has had some lean years recently but is trying to improve on a solid 7-3 season that may have signaled the start of a turnaround for the Centurions, improved to 4-0 on the year with a resounding 41-3 thrashing of Lambert College. The military academy has found itself a star in sophomore halfback Paul Gholson, who ran for 168 yards in the victory and is tied with Cumberland's Henry Virkler for top spot with 9 rushing touchdowns. Minnesota Tech and St. Ignatius continue to impress in Great Lakes Alliance play. The two schools are both ranked in the top twenty and share the conference lead with 3-0 section records. The Lakers, who upset preseason number one Central Ohio earlier in the season, improved to 4-1 overall by doubling Lincoln College 26-13 while the Lancers are a surprising 5-0 overall after knocking off Indiana A&M 27-16 Saturday. Central Ohio can still not be counted out in its bid to return to Santa Ana and the East-West Classic on New Years Day for the second year in a row, despite the fact they dug themselves a hole with the loss to Minnesota Tech. The Aviators will need the Lakers to stumble but they easily handled St. Magnus on the road in St. Paul with a 38-14 win to improve their record to 2-1 in GLA play and 3-1 overall.   LAST OF AFA UNBEATENS FALL AS MAROONS LOSE And then there were none. Entering Sunday's action the Detroit Maroons were the last of the 14 American Football Association teams yet to taste defeat. When the dust settled at Thompson Field the Maroons lost that distinction as a motivated Washington Wasps eleven held the Detroit offense in check all game and came away with a 23-6 victory.Washington Wasps Knock Off Detroit 23-6 The turning point would be a less than four minute stretch to start the fourth quarter when a previously tight 9-6 defensive struggle was busted open with two quick Washington touchdowns. First it was Pat Roberts finding Jim Edmonds for a 25-yard touchdown pass three plays after a short punt left the visitors with outstanding field position. After the teams exchanged punts the play that sealed the win for the Wasps occurred as Detroit quarterback Sled Hicks, who had a rough day through and through, tried to force a pass to Ike Coughlan but rookie Washington defensive back Bob Jay alertly stepped in front of Coughlan to grab the ball and raced 44-yards for his first AFA touchdown. Jay, a third round pick out of Georgia Baptist, has helped solidify a Washington defense that has impressed this season. The rookie nabbed his first career interception in the season opener and now has a touchdown to go with it. Detroit has three wins in its first four games but Hicks' inconsistency has long been a problem and fans may already be calling for Dave Owen -the first overall pick in the AFA draft- to get his first start next week when the Maroons travel to Los Angeles to face the winless Tigers. Hicks has shown flashes of brilliance since leading the Maroons to a playoff berth as a rookie in 1958 but his inability to string several strong games together has seen him spend most of the time since then holding a clipboard on the sideline. Hicks looked very good in the first three wins this season but was awful against Washington. The Detroit loss allowed the St. Louis Ramblers to overtake the Maroons by a half game for top spot in the West Division. Dean Turgeon ran for 131 yards and Brian Boss threw for 194 as the Ramblers had little difficulty in beating the winless Tigers 44-13. Washington is tied with Cleveland at 4-1 for top spot in the East Division. The Finches had their hands full with Pittsburgh but a 41-yard A.J. Hazen field goal with less than two minutes remaining in the game proved the difference in a 10-7 Cleveland victory. In other Sunday AFA action Chicago won for the second week in a row after starting the season with three consecutive defeats. The Wildcats rallied to beat Kansas City 17-14. Miller Bogert threw for 178 yards and a touchdown to pace the Houston Drillers to a 13-0 victory over the San Francisco Wings. Reid McDuffy ran for 129 yards and a score as the New York Stars dumped suddenly struggling Boston 31-10 while the Buffalo Red Jackets ran their record to 3-1 with a 20-14 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Frigates.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 10/06/1963
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04-22-2025, 11:04 AM
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#1115 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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October 13th, 1963
OCTOBER 13, 1963 How Sweep It Is! Pioneers Bewilder Kings in Quick WCS Mopping Ha! Imagine thinking the Kings would win this early! Couldn't be me... In a historical show of dominance, the St. Louis Pioneers pitching staff allowed just 7 runs in a 4 game sweep of the 112-win Kansas City Kings. The series never came back to St. Louis, or even ace Frenchy Mack (20-6, 2.07, 211), as the Pioneers came in and handled business. Game three saw a duel of young pitchers as second year lefty Danny Daniels (17-11, 3.40, 173) took on first year lefty Johnnie Higgins (15-7, 3.02, 161), though both offenses got off to quick starts. After Higgins got the first Pioneer out, Jerry Smith (.261, 24, 77, 8) singled then stole second, though it mattered little as Bob Bell (.339, 43, 117, 9) drew a walk. Neither stayed there long, as slugger Steve Schultz (.304, 32, 98) snuck a grounder between second and first to plate the game's first run. Bell scored on a sac-fly and then Schulz became the 3rd run on Joe Kleman's (.290, 5, 33; .287, 15, 93) RBI double. That was all the scoring in the first half, but the hosts quickly battled back with Hank Williams' (.374, 44, 141) first and only postseason home run. It was of the two run variety, and the Kings got two more in the third. Pat Davis (.319, 12, 84, 40) doubled and then Williams singled, giving the Kings runners on the corner with just one out. Instead of trying for the double play, Daniels thought he could pick Williams off, but the throw got away from Smith at scored Davis. Williams got to second, reached third on a grounder, and then scored when Daniels tried to get Al Farmer (.265, 17, 86) to chance a pitch out of the zone. Instead of getting the strikeout, Williams was able to scamper home, and since Farmer ended up grounding out, it was a run that may not have happened. Lucky for the Pioneers, Daniels locked right back in, and delivered zero after zero. So did Higgins, and after seven the game was still stuck at 4-3 Kings. Glenn Carney went to the pen to start the 8th, turning to the generally reliable Del Lamb (11-4, 24, 2.82, 93) for the final six outs. Instead, the stage might have gotten to him, as he allowed a single to Bell to start the inning, and then a passed ball got the reigning Whitney to second. Lamb got Schultz swinging, but Danny Davis (.350, 40, 130, 11) tied the game with a triple to right. Setting up a double play, they walked Kleman, to bring up center fielder Bill Bather (.282, 13, 44, 12). Lamb tried to get ahead early, and Bather made him pay, giving the guests a 7-4 lead with a 348-foot fly ball to right. Now in a rough predicament, Lamb quickly got the catcher and pitcher out to end the inning, but the Kings were in major jeopardy. Six outs away from going down 3-0, they finished with more double plays (2) then hits (1), as the Continental champs could not capitalize off the 25-year-old Daniels. Like Mack and Madden, he spun a complete game win, scattering 6 hits, 4 runs, and 5 walks as he struck out 3.  Game four was all Pioneers, as they took an early 1-0 lead on Bob Bell's second inning solo home run. From that point on, they didn't look back, with both Steve Schultz and Jerry Smith hitting home runs of their own. Schultz's was a two run shot, and they got their 4th of 5 runs in the 6, where both Davis and Bell provided back-to-back doubles. Billy Hasson was dominant, so dominant that he managed to cap off the sweep with a fourth complete game win. The veteran of the staff, he struck out 6 with just 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), and a walk. Always in command, it really should have been 5-1, as Hank Williams scored the second run on what should have the been final out of the game. He was just 1-for-4, but aside from doubles from Charlie Rogers (.277, 8, 67, 13) and Pat Davis (.319, 12, 84, 40) they did not do nearly enough to create any runs.  As fair as it would be to just name the entire rotation the WCS MVP, the only thing preventing Frenchy Mack (9 IP, 9 H, 8 K) from receiving the honor was no game five. Instead, it was Danny Davis, who turned 24 during Game 1. That's when he hit a memorable three-run blast, as the Pioneers started the sweep with a 3-0 victory. The reigning Kellogg winner finished the series 6-for-14 with 4 runs, 2 doubles, the homer, 7 RBIs, and a walk. And in a series where St. Louis made an error in every game, he provided steady and solid defense, avoiding any mistakes while making all the plays he should have. This is now the 5th World Championship Series victory for St. Louis, and the second time in three attempts the franchise repeated. Winning a franchise high 105 games, it's a peaceful postseason after a chaotic regular season, as they dropped four of their last six to fall into a one-game playoff with a red hot Eagles team. Perhaps surviving extra innings prepared them for the intrastate series, as they quickly took care of business in a commanding display. Tales From The Den Wolves Top Prospects Brett, in the third part of his series, takes a look at the system. The system is the future of the team. The Wolves overall are a young team, fifth youngest in the FABL at an average age of just over 27 along with being the youngest team in AAA. Now a look at players Toronto fans could be seeing in the future (by OSA rankings): 1. Jack Goodman- SS- Ranked at 9 overall Goodman appears to be a wizard at SS. He was the Wolves first round pick this past summer the seventh player selected in June. He split his time between Vancouver where he posted .301/.305/.462 in 35 games before moving to Davenport to finish the summer. His line dropped to .237/.328/.441 in 134 trips in A ball. Goodman, 20, will probably start in A next year as the report is that his bat needs work. 2. Joe Glenn- RHP- His OSA rank is 23rd after being the Wolves second selection in June. He finished the year in Vancouver with 9 starts for 4-2, 3.11 record. Another project who needs further development in the system with promise in a few years. 3. Marty Bean- RHP- The prospect closest to the big leagues Bean was acquired from KC during the off-season 2 years ago. He jumped from A to AAA this year skipping a stop in Chattanooga. After going 5-3, 2.33 in 15 starts Bean should be displaying his talents in Wolves camp next February where he needs work on control. He is ranked #53. 4. Fred Tollefson- C- First of two catchers that OSA likes for Toronto Fred was acquired in a deal with Cleveland in January 1961 after the Foresters had taken him in the first round the previous summer. He still needs work on his bat after completing moving from B to A to AA in '63. He shows some pop in his bat, a decision whether he starts at AA or AAA will have be made in the spring for this currently ranked 57th prospect. 5. Elmer Pierce- C- Pierce was the Wolves first pick in 1959 who seemed to stall in Vancouver spending parts of 3 seasons on the west coast. He moved up to AA this year giving the Reliables a strong catching tandem. At 22 Pierce is probably the choice to go to Buffalo in 1964 to leave Tollefson to take the duties in AA. Pierce, ranked 69th, has the added advantage of versatility, he can play all three OF positions. 6. Mel Bahr- OF- Bahr has toiled in the system for 4 seasons with modest results. His biggest asset is his ability to draw a walk. He needs work both at he plate and in the field before this 88th ranked player can move further than AA in the system. 7. Carl Stefanski- OF- Taken 87th overall in June Stefanski surprised most by posting a .327/.437/.449 line Tuscaloosa. While outside the top 100 he may prove worthwhile in the future if he continues to develop in Vancouver next summer. 8. Willie Day- INF- Day who turn 19 next week was selected 26th by the Wolves in 1962. He has time, his hit tool needs a lot of work before he can move past B ball. He did hit .330 in rookie ball this past summer after struggling in Vancouver. 9. Bruce Hunt- 2B/SS- A former first round pick Hunt has made it to Buffalo where he continue to hit with power but not for average during the last half of 1963. Hunt, 22, needs work on putting the ball into play before he can move any further in the system. Scouts continue to tout his ability to be a utility player as he has ranked as high as 41st by OSA. 10. Bill Carpenter- RHP- Sixth overall pick in 1962 Carpenter seemed to be taking an express train to the FABL before blowing out his arm in second start for Chattanooga this past April. If he recovers from surgery he could move up this season. If not he could join a long list of "What might have been" if not for injury. CENTURIONS WIN AGAIN TO IMPROVE TO 5-0 It has been an awful long time since a Rome State-St Blane football game had as much riding on it as next weekend's tussle between the two traditional college grid powers in New York City. The Centurions and Fighting Saints dominated the AIAA landscape in the years of and just after World War II but both have had some struggles since then. Rome State in particular as the military academy dipped to 4-6 two years ago before rebounding with a seven win season. Now the Centurions are ranked 8th in the nation at 5-0 and a victory over St. Blane next Saturday would leave Rome State well positioned for its first unbeaten season since the 1949 Centurions went 8-0-1.Even if they do run the table a national title, something Rome State has not celebrated since their back to back wins in 1944 and 1945, is still likely too tall an ask as they would need a number of powerful teams such as Cumberland, Georgia Baptist and Texas Gulf Coast to all get tripped up, but an unbeaten campaign would firmly put the struggling military academy football program back on the map. The Centurions, led by dependable quarterback Bob Burnett and an electrifying pair of sophomore backs in Paul Gholson and Don Tallent, improved to 5-0 with a 29-13 victory in Florida over Miami State. Tallent and Gholson once more led the way, combining for 261 yards on the ground and are both among the top rushers in the nation. St. Blane, which improved to 4-1 with a 27-6 win at Latrobe, PA. over Minns College Saturday, will be the stiffest test left on the Centurions slate. The two staged many exciting battles in the past and anticipation is high for next Saturday's contest at Gothams Stadium. Assuming they can get by the Fighting Saints, Rome State should be heavily favoured over three of its next four opponents in McKinney State, Wisconsin Catholic and Eastern Oklahoma on what has been a lighter than usual slate for the cadets. The finale will be the annual game in Philadelphia against Annapolis Maritime. The Navigators are always up for the Rome State game but have won just one of the last six meetings between the two schools and are a disappointing 1-3 this season. *** No Change At Top as Deep South Powers Win *** Cumberland and Georgia Baptist remain ranked one-two in the nation after each defeated a non-conference opponent on Saturday. The top ranked Explorers ran their record to 6-0 with a 16-7 victory over Arkansas A&T while Jack Forsythe threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns to lead the number two ranked Gators to a 31-21 victory over Chesapeake State. Georgia Baptist is now 5-0.Portland Tech was impressive enough in it's 40-13 drubbing of Rainier College in West Coast Athletic Association play that the Magpies climbed two spots in the polls and are now ranked third. Texas Gulf Coast, which beat Wisconsin State 26-18 to improve to 5-0 dipped from third to fourth while the Magpies WCAA rival Coastal California is down one to fifth after the Dolphins needed a late touchdown to barely defeat 1-4 Darnell State 14-13.  COWBOYS CORRALL RAMBLERS It was certainly not the first choice of sports fans in Kansas City but they could take some solace in the fact that the American Football Association Cowboys gained a small measure of revenge on St Louis for the World Championship Series sweep suffered by their baseball brethren as the Cowboys beat the Ramblers 13-10 yesterday in the first of back to back games between the Missouri rivals.The baseball Kings were outclassed on the diamond by the Pioneers but on the grid it was a different story as a Kansas City Cowboys club that has had its struggles this season, improved to 2-4 by holding off the Ramblers. It was a defensive struggle and the Cowboys defense was certainly up to the challenge, holding St. Louis to just 147 yards of total offense. The lone St Louis touchdown came on a punt return. The St Louis loss tightens things up in the West Division but the Ramblers do hold on to sole possession of first place after the Detroit Maroons fell for the second week in a row. The Maroons were upset by the Los Angeles Tigers 17-15 on the west coast, allowing the hosts to claim their first victory of the year after starting the season with 5 consecutive losses. Houston is tied with Detroit for second at 3-2 after the Drillers handed New York its third loss in the past four weeks. Phil Patton ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns while also picking up 60 yards receiving to lead the Drillers to a 21-10 victory. In other games Sunday the Pittsburgh Paladins, behind a 134 yard rushing, two touchdown day from Swat Deskins, edged the Buffalo Red Jackets 24-10. Boston scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to snap Washington's 4-game winning streak in the Americans 16-6 victory over the Wasps while the Chicago Wildcats outscored visiting San Francisco 37-20.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 10/13/1963
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04-23-2025, 12:53 PM
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#1116 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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October 20th, 1963
OCTOBER 13, 1963 WILDCATS EXTEND WINNING STREAK TO FOUR Thanks to the most prolific passing game in the league the Chicago Wildcats are suddenly the hottest team in the American Football Association. Chicago struggled through a very slow September, dropping each of their first three games, but they have rebounded nicely with four straight victories.The latest was a 44-23 thumping of a Detroit Maroons club that has also had a turn around. The Maroons won their first three games of the season but have fallen apart recently with three straight losses including Sunday's embarrassment at Thompson Field. The Wildcats passing game, led by third year starter Chip Fitch, has been on fire in recent weeks. Fitch leads the league by a wide margin in passing yards and his two favourite targets, Jim O'Hearn and Denny Haywood, are one-two in receiving yardage. Fitch passed for 249 yards against Detroit and after throwing three scoring passes Sunday, leads the league with 11 touchdown tosses. Add in the steady running of dependable veteran George Hornback to keep defenses honest and it is easy to see why opposing teams are struggling to contain the Chicago offense. Chicago is still looking up at both Houston and St Louis in the West Division standings. The Drillers, surprise participants in the league title game a year ago in just their second season of existence, dumped San Francisco 27-7 Sunday to improve to 4-2, a half game up on Chicago. St Louis leads the way as the 5-2 Ramblers avenged their loss in Kansas City last Sunday by beating the Cowboys 27-3 in the rematch in St Louis. Washington scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to rally past visiting Cleveland 20-13 and take over top spot in the East Division. Defending AFA champion Boston is also in the mix after the Americans outscored Philadelphia 20-13 to run their record to 4-3. In other action the New York Stars held off Pittsburgh 28-20 while the Los Angeles Tigers nearly blew a 17-0 halftime lead but outlasted Buffalo 20-19 thanks to a 39-yard fourth quarter field goal from Bill Beaver.  CENTURIONS TALLENT TOO MUCH FOR ST BLANE Rome State climbed over perhaps its biggest hurdle in a bid to bring the Centurions back to the status the military academy enjoyed on the gridiron in the years during and shortly after World War II. The sophomore backfield duo of Don Tallent and Paul Gholson were simply too much for St. Blane to handle as they pair combined for 232 yards rushing in leading the Centurions to a 17-7 victory before a sold-out crowd at New York's Gotham Stadium.St Blane struck first as the Fighting Saints, led by a stellar halfback of their own in Floyd Hale, methodically marched 68 yards on a 19-play drive that took up nearly eight minutes to start the opening quarter. It culminated in a 5 yard Hale touchdown run but that would be all the points the Fighting Saints would accumulate on the afternoon. St Blane did miss an opportunity to increase its lead but a 27-yard field goal attempt from Mike Senior sailed wide right early in the second period. The Centurions struggled on their first possession but, behind a steady diet of rushes from Tallent and Gholson that were reminiscent of the glory days of another great Rome State backfield duo in Christian Trophy winning backs Gus Thompson and Chet Donelson, eventually wore down the St Blane defense. A trio of long runs from Tallent set up the first Rome State score, a 2 yard pass from Bob Burnett to Roy Dowdy and just four minutes later a Fighting Saints fumble gave Rome State terrific field position which was cashed in on thanks to Gholson's 1 yard plunge over the line to put the Centurions ahead 14-7 at the break. George Clampitt would round out the scoring with the only points of the second half coming on his 30-yard field goal for Rome State. The win runs Rome State's record to 5-0 and returns the Centurions to the top five in the college football rankings for the first time since 1951. With none of their final four opponents (McKinney State, Wisconsin Catholic, Eastern Oklahoma and Annapolis Maritime) sporting a record currently over .500 there is plenty of talk about the Centurions perhaps winning their first national title since 1945. *** No Changes At The Top *** Rome State climbing to fifth was the only change this week at the top of the polls. Number one ranked Cumberland was idle as the 6-0 Explorers prepare for a trip to Louisiana and a meeting with Deep South Conference for Bayou State (3-3) next Saturday. Georgia Baptist held strong at number two after the 6-0 Gators had little trouble with a road win in Utah, topping Cache Valley 38-10. The Gators will face a stiff test next Saturday as they return to conference play and will host 9th ranked Western Florida (5-1). The Wolves downed in-state rival Miami State 20-7 on Saturday.Third ranked Portland Tech used its overpowering ground game to handle Boulder State with ease in a torrential rain storm in the Pacific Northwest. Seniors Chris Moore and Barney Kaiser each surpassed 150 yards rushing in what ended up as a 38-0 rout for the 6-0 Magpies. Dick Bruns rushed for 5 touchdowns as #4 Texas Gulf Coast rolled over Valley State 53-10. Other scores of note included Central Ohio (5-1) clobbering local rival Queen City 79-7 as Dan Crocker rushed for 285 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Aviators. Commonwealth Catholic, American Atlantic and Potomac College and Commonwealth Catholic each remained unbeaten at 6-0. The Knights beat College of San Diego 27-3 while the two Atlantic schools, both called the Pelicans, each scored 23 points Saturday: American Atlantic with a 23-13 victory over Boston State while Potomac College dumped Eastern State 23-7. Noble Jones College fell for the second week in a row as the Colonels, who had been ranked in the top five a couple of weeks ago, were upended at Thompson Field 16-10 by Detroit City College.  SHAMROCKS, VALIANTS SWAP PROSPECTS The decision by New York to part ways with Ferguson is surprising to say the least. The Ancaster, ON., native is still only 20 and has some maturing to do but he was expected to be the replacement for longtime Shamrocks star Alex Sorrell, a two-time Juneau Trophy winner, who announced his retirement over the summer. Ferguson was likely not ready to step into the number one role but might have pushed longtime Shamrocks backup netminder Daniel Duco for playing time and clearly would have been the long-term solution between the pipes in New York. Instead, the Shamrocks seem to now have major issues in net and it is hard to imagine Duco being the goalie that would lead the long struggling franchise- New York has made the playoffs just once in the past decade- back to respectability. The return for trading a potential franchise goaltender was underwhelming. Boisvert has started each of the past three seasons for the Kitchener Roosters and played 31 games in the CAHA as a 16-year-old which is quite an impressive feat in a loop dominated by 19 and 20 year old players. However, scouts are not overwhelmed by his pro potential and he was selected 16th by Montreal last month, being the best of what was considered a very weak draft for goalies. Carmichael, taken in the second round 10th overall in the most recent NAHC draft, may turn out to be a very good defensive-minded rearguard. He had 15 points in 57 games for Sherbrooke last season. The Shamrocks will need Carmichael to develop into a solid pro otherwise this may be looked back at as one of the worst trades made by an often bumbling New York management over the past decade. The deal likely means Ferguson remains in junior as while there was a strong chance he would crack the New York lineup as a backup goaltender, there is very little likelihood that happens in Montreal where the Valiants have two outstanding netminders in 33-year-old Nathan Bannister and 30-year-old Tim Burrows. Bannister is a three-time Juneau Trophy winner including last season and Bannister would quite likely be the starter with at least four of the other five NAHC teams. It does give the Vals the luxury of bringing Ferguson along slowly and perhaps ensuring he maximizes his development, something that might not have happened in the Big Apple. MOTORS FIND NEW COACH The surprising retirement due to health reasons of Badger Rigney had left the Detroit Motors struggling to find a replacement for their legendary coach but they hope they found the right man in former Detroit defenseman Harry Remington.The 38-year-old has spent the past two seasons coaching senior hockey in Western Canada following a nine-year career patrolling the Motors blueline during which time he played in 476 NAHC games and was a member of three Challenge Cup winning teams. A hard-working player who commanded the respect of teammates and foes alike, Remington was drafted by Detroit in 1944 but it took him six years in the minors before he made his NAHC debut in the fall of 1950. His entire NAHC career was spent playing for Rigney coached teams and he calls the former Detroit coach his mentor. Rigney, 65, led the Motors thru the franchises most successful era, winning 5 Challenge Cups in his 14 years at the helm of the club. His 497 regular season coaching wins are the most among modern era bench bosses and his 5 Cup wins are tied with former Detroit and Toronto coach Jack Barrell along with legendary Boston coach Max Dewar for the most coaching titles since 1940.  Mr. 163: Eagle Slugger Appears in All Scheduled Games -- And then One When the FABL season expanded to 162 games, it was almost a guarantee that a new FABL games played record would be set. What wasn't expected is that the number of games would be 163. During the first 162 games of the season, two first basemen managed to appear in all 162, but since the Pioneers slumped before their sweep and the Eagles looked like they couldn't lose, one of those two first basemen got to set the game record on his own. With an amount that would be hard to break in normal circumstances, the second year slugger ended up starting 160 of the 163 of the Eagles games this season. Fighting through injury to make almost every appearance, the now 21-year-old hit an outstanding .300/.393/.566 (151 OPS+) with 34 doubles, 14 triples, 34 homers, 128 RBIs, 115 runs, and 98 walks. Clearly the extra work did little to limit his offensive production, and he rewarded his medical staff for the faith they put in him to play through three injuries. In the Continental, Cougar first basemen Gene Case appeared in all 162 games, so while he won't get a share of the FABL, he'll get to hold the Continental games record for the time being. A third year lefty, Case started 157 of the Cougars 162 games, each time coming on as a pinch hitter when he got the rare day out of the starting lineup. A few years older at 25, he took full advantage of his playing time, slashing .284/.388/.535 (144 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 9 triples, 34 homers, 108 RBIs, 108 runs, and 98 walks. Somewhat similar numbers to Whaley, the main difference was the 19 steals, but both young sluggers are skilled when it comes to walking, producing runs, and picking up bases. Expect both to make a push for 162 next year, while other's try to join the exclusive club. *** Remembering Mr. 161 *** 13 players appeared in 161 games this season, and now 41 of the top 42 most games played in a season have come in 1963. The 42nd? That came exactly 40 years ago. Now if you're thinking, "wait, didn't the season used to be 154 games? How could someone else get so many games?" As it seems is the answer often: FABL's scheduling quirks. Back in 1913, there was a little known outfielder named Paul McDowell who played for the St. Louis Pioneers. Debuting in 1908, he started 147 of his 148 appearances, hitting a poor .196/.256/.257 (76 OPS+) in 620 PAs, but with excellent center field defense (16.1 ZR, 1.031 EFF) he still put together a 3 WAR season. Looking for a better bat, he was sent down to the minors, making a return as a bench bat in 1912. In 1913, he reclaimed the starting center field job, paving the way for a historic feat little may remember. As we saw this year with the Pioneers, it's not all that often where FABL teams will have large discrepancies between games played during the beginning and middle of the season. This year, the Pioneers were behind the rest of the league, playing very few games early in the season, which was the opposite of the 1913 Pioneers. They had a ton of games early and often, and the elite defender started nearly all of them. By July 13th, he started all 86 of his appearances, hitting a respectable .207/.269/.365 (87 OPS+) once you factor in his excellent defense. But on a team battling for last place they didn't really need a glove first outfieler. I'm not sure the Keystones did either, they'd be competing with the Pioneers, but they parted with Rudy Travers, a young infielder they just drafted in the 7th round the season before, to acquire the gifted gloveman McDowell. Placed in center again, McDowell started all his appearances for the Keystones, who were way behind the Pioneers in terms of games played. St. Louis had just 67 games left on the year, while McDowell played in each of the Keystones remaining 75 games. It was awful, McDowell hit just .192/.239/.303 (60 OPS+), but he did something no one has ever done before: Appear in more then 154 games. In fact, the Keystones played 2 fewer games then the Pioneers and 3 fewer then the first place Eagles, so there was a chance for McDowell to get into more games. Instead, he appeared in 161 games, seven more then you'd expect the schedule to allow, and a record that little knew or even realize was ready to be broken this season. In the 49 seasons after McDowell's, the most managed was 157, and perhaps it was because McDowell was no longer in the league. Banished to the minors in 1914 he was cut in 1915 after winning a minor league title, and since he was unsigned at 35, the historical footnote retired after the 1916 season. Whaley's record isn't expected to last 50 years, it will be easier for someone to get 163 or even 164 now compared to the jump from 154 to 161, but it's still an impressive feat in its own right. Between a pennant race, injuries, and a rise in overall quality, Whaley's feat may have been more impressive, but FABL's scheduling quirk gave us an unlikely hero and a fun story as we look to entertain ourselves during the long and cold offseason.
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 10/20/1963
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04-24-2025, 11:26 AM
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#1117 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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GATORS WIN DEEP SOUTH SHOWDWON WITH WESTERN FLORIDA The Georgia Baptist Gators bid for at least a share of the Deep South Conference title was boosted with a strong showing in a key game against Western Florida as the second ranked Gators bumped the Wolves out of the top ten with a 31-21 victory in Athens. Charlie Radley and Don Williford each ran for a pair of touchdowns to pace the Georgia Baptist attack and run the Gators record to 7-0.Georgia Baptist is still chasing Cumberland in the polls as the Explorers also improved to 7-0 and held on to number one in the polls following a 27-3 victory on the road at Bayou State. Cumberland and Georgia Baptist are tied for top spot in the Deep South Conference and each has three section games remaining but they will not face each other this season. Third ranked Portland Tech held on to its unbeaten record but the Magpies had their hands full with Redwood, nipping the California school 13-6. The big test comes next week and likely decides who represents the West Coast Athletic Association in Santa Ana on New Year's Day as Portland Tech travels to Los Angeles to face Coastal California. The Dolphins are 6-0 and ranked 6th after blasting Rainier College 41-6 Saturday. Texas Gulf Coast and Rome State also improved to 7-0 and remain ranked fourth and fifth. The Hurricanes had three touchdowns in the second quarter and then held on to beat Red River State 26-20 in Southwestern Alliance action while the Centurions thumped McKinney State 49-0.   WASPS CONTINUE TO SET PACE IN AFA EAST Bud Buckwalter ran for 93 yards while Robin Hornick threw for a 137 to lead the Washington Wasps to a 19-9 victory over the Buffalo Red Jackets in American Football Association action. The win improves the Wasps record to 6-2, tops in the loop, and keeps them a game ahead of both Boston and New York in the fight for top spot in the East Division.The Boston Americans and New York Stars both won on Sunday. In Boston, Bob McKoon threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Yanks past Pittsburgh 31-6 while in Houston the visiting Stars prevailed in a defensive struggle, downing the Drillers 6-3. Other Sunday action saw the Philadelphia Frigates outscore Cleveland 38-20, San Francisco dumped Kansas City 27-6 and Detroit snapped its three game losing skid with a 41-10 taming of the Los Angeles Tigers. Next weekend's big game will see the West Division leading St Louis Ramblers travel to the Windy City to face the Chicago Wildcats. Both teams had the week off and the Wildcats, who have won four consecutive games, will be looking to rebound from an early season 26-14 loss in St Louis during the first meeting between the two.  ANNUAL LOOK AT TOP HOCKEY TALENT A total of seven players, including a pair of goalies are given the top grade of five-stars. They include two members of the reigning NAHC Challenge Cup champion Toronto Dukes in netminder Mike Connelly and ageless wonder Quinton Pollack, who turned 40 years old during the summer but is showing no signs of slowing down. The Chicago Packers and Montreal Valiants also had a pair of five-star players with the final one being league scoring champ Hobie Barrell of the Detroit Motors. Here are all players the scouting service grades as 3-star or better. 
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04-25-2025, 11:20 AM
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#1118 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 2,999
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October 21st, 1963
OCTOBER 21, 1963 World Championship Series Stars Lead Award Winners Frenchy Mack, Hank Williams Both Capture Consecutive Award by Unanimous Vote There was little surprise when it came to the votes casted by FABL writers, as you could make the case that each major award had the "favorite" for said award come home with it. In the case of the Fed Allen and the Whitney Kellogg, it was a unanimous selection, and anything less would have made a mockery of democracy. Both were triple crown winners, as Frenchy Mack went 20-6 with a 2.07 ERA (205 ERA+), 2.49 FIP (58 FIP-), 1.10 WHIP, 211 strikeouts and 9.2 WAR, while Hank Williams hit an excellent .374/.454/.696 (199 OPS+) with 39 doubles, 9 triples, 44 homers, 141 RBIs, 126 runs, 87 walks, and a 9.2 WAR. Both absolutely dominated the competition all season and were crucial parts of the pennant winners. For the Fed Whitney and Conti Allen, there were a few players to pick from, but in the end it was Tom Lorang and Gene Bailey getting the call. Lorang got off to a red-hot start, posting a full 3 WAR in May with a 247 WRC+. Leading the Fed in all three triple slash categories and his 11.7 WAR, Lorang hit .378/.461/.650 (191 OPS+) while fueling the Eagles major breakout. His Eagles may have fell short despite a heroic effort and 104-win season, but Lorang's overall value is immense and without him the Eagles wouldn't have come close. Bailey was cruising to the Allen himself, but a mid September injury cut his season short and cost him a chance for a Triple Crown of his own. An outstanding 21-4, he led the Conti in wins and groundball percentage (0.55), working to a 3.06 ERA (138 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP, and 173 strikeouts. Lorang captured 16 first place votes and Bailey 15, both securing a large portion of the first place votes as voters were in near agreement. Along with major award winners, the two pennant winners took home Manger of the Year, with Lou Ormsby and Glenn Carney taking home the non-player awards. For Carney it makes sense, his team was the favorite, won a franchise high 112 games, and captured the pennant by 15 games, but in the Fed Ormsby feels a little undeserving. Sure, the Pioneers won the pennant and title, but they did the same last season. But in the nation's capital, third year manager Roger Cleaves improved the Eagles' win total by nearly 20 games, almost pulling off a historic comeback against a team with a lot more talent. *** Phelps, Woods, Win Tight Kellogg Race *** Where there was less agreement is in the Kellogg races, specifically the showdown between talented Federal outfielders who both decided that Robert was not the name they preferred. Winning by 1 first place vote and 5 total points, Keystone slugger Bobby Phelps was rewarded for playing more, as the 21-year-old appeared in 152 of the Keystones 162 games. Hitting a strong .265/.346/.522 (130 OPS+), Phelps crushed 37 longballs, tallying 58 total extra base hits with 83 runs, 90 RBIs, and outstanding left field defense. The counting stat advantage gave him the edge over Chiefs' center fielder Bob Starr, who hit .284/.388/.507 (136 OPS+) with 19 doubles, 4 triples, 22 homers, 80 runs, 84 RBIs, and 69 walks, with his elite defense in center. In the end, it was starting his season in Fort Worth, and then spending a few weeks in Chicago on the bench, that stopped the three true outcomes Chicagoan from stealing the award from the Opening Day #1 prospect. In the Continental, it was another Chicago outfielder that was named runner up, as Dode Caudill came short of Montreal backstop Henry Woods. Despite Caudill's late-season surge, Woods held on to become the second Saint in as many years to win. Securing 12 first place votes to 7, the 21-year-old hit an outstanding .338/.402/.557 (151 OPS+) with 30 doubles, 26 homers, and 93 RBIs, making a legitimate case for the top catcher in FABL, and easily top-3. A hard worker and strong defender, he was worth a tenth of a win shy of 7 WAR, two tenths above Caudill for most among rookies. Appearing in 160 games, the 24-year-old outfielder stuffed the stat sheet with 29 doubles, 17 triples, 26 homers, 23 steals, 67 walks, 83 RBIs, and 130 runs, leading the CA in runs and triples. Far from the only talented rookies this season, Otis Haldeman (.320, 25, 138, 7), Johnnie Higgins (15-7, 3.02, 161), and Mark Boyd (.276, 33, 90) were all outstanding, and in another year any of these five guys would have ran away with the prize. *** Diamond Defense Winners Announced *** Baseball's newest award was announced for the fourth time, and now just one player has been named to the top defense team in each of the four seasons. To the surprise of little, that would be all-world defender Carlos Jaramillo (.290, 9, 64, 35) was named the top defensive shortstop in the CA yet again. Always at the top of the defensive leaderboards, he led all shortstops with a 34.6 zone rating and 1.134 efficiency. He was one of three Conti players entering the year with three selections, but both Hal Kennedy (.335, 24, 81) and John Kingsbury (.318, 21, 120, 10) coming up short. The only Fed player with three selections was Joe Reed (.280, 21, 77, 8), but this season the Dynamos shortstop ceded the award to slick fielding Eagle Al Marino (.292, 14, 81). The full list of Diamond Defense Award winners is below: Federal Association: P: Steve Madden, STL C: Sam Ruggles, STL (3) 1B: Joe Holland, DET 2B: Bob Bell, STL 3B: Tom Lorang, WAS (2) SS: Al Marino, WAS LF: Bobby Phelps, PHI CF: Otto Pilkerton, NYG (2) RF: Buddy Miller, PHI (3) Continental Association: P: George Fuller, SFS C: Bill Jenkins, SFS 1B: Ham Flanders, MON 2B: Bill Vernon, MON 3B: Clyde Fisher, TOR SS: Carlos Jaramillo, SFS (4) LF: Don Berry, CIN CF: Sid Cullen, TOR (3) RF: Earl Howe, CLE
RAMBLERS COOL OFF WILDCATS WITH 38-17 WINDY CITY WIN The Chicago Wildcats entered Sunday's game at Cougars Park with the St Louis Ramblers riding high on a four-game winning streak but the visitors made a statement early and rolled to a 38-17 victory over an outgunned Wildcats eleven.Chicago's passing game had been so strong the past four weeks but Wildcats quarterback Chip Fitch and his mates looked lost against the Ramblers defense. Fitch completed just 4 of 17 passes as St Louis beat Chicago for the second time this season. The Ramblers running game helped them open an early 14-3 lead and never slowed down as Brian Boss threw for 212 yards while their backfield led by Dean Turgeon and Pete Hylton added 283 more on the ground. The victory runs the St Louis record to 6-2, best in the entire AFA. Detroit and Houston both won yesterday to keep within shouting distant of the Ramblers. The Maroons and Drillers are each at 5-3 after Detroit upset East Division leading Washington 16-6 while Houston needed overtime to nip Kansas City 22-16. The defending AFA champion Boston Americans moved to 6-3 and tied with Washington for the East lead following a 31-21 victory over Philadelphia in a game that saw Yanks back Bob Callender run for 144 yards and two touchdowns. In other action the Cleveland Finches dumped Pittsburgh 23-6, Buffalo topped New York 19-9 and Los Angeles withstood a late San Francisco rally to hold off the Wings 24-21.  HURRICANES CLINCH SWA CROWN The Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes appear poised to make their first ever appearance in the Oilman Classic after they clinched the Southwestern Alliance title with a 24-3 victory over Travis College on Saturday. That boosts the Hurricanes section record to 5-0 with one more conference game yet to be played. Texas Gulf Coast also has an outside chance at winning its first national title since 1935. The Hurricanes are 8-0 and ranked third behind Deep South Conference rivals Cumberland and Georgia Tech. While the bid has not yet formally been extended, the Oilman Classic traditionally features the champions of the Deep South and Southwestern Alliance which means the January 1 game may well be a showdown between Hurricanes and either the Explorers or Gators and that quite probably means the winner of that game is crowned national champion. Cumberland and Georgia Baptist each improved to 8-0 and 5-0 in conference play with section victories on Saturday. The Explorers, led by R.J. Walker's 172 yards on the ground, downed Mississippi A&M 24-6 while the Gators pounded conference doormat Baton Rouge State 58-3. Cumberland's remaining two games are on the road against Bluegrass State before finishing at home against Opelika State while Georgia Baptist hosts Central Kentucky before finishing on the road against their in-state rivals from Noble Jones College. Cumberland and Georgia Baptist do not face each other so if all goes according to plan they will share the Deep South Conference champion and then it will be up to the Oilman Classic to decide which team to invite to Dallas for New Year's Day. Coastal California also has its sights set on a long-awaited return trip to Santa Ana for the East-West Classic. The Dolphins beat Portland Tech 21-3 Saturday to improve to 5-0 in West Coast Athletic Association play. They finish WCAA play with road games against Redwood and CC Los Angeles but seem well positioned for their first appearance in the East-West Classic since 1944. The victory over the previously unbeaten Magpies moves the Dolphins up two slots in the polls to fourth and drops Portland State from third to twelfth. Minnesota Tech looks well positioned to earn its third trip in the past seven years to Santa Ana. The Lakers dumped cross-town rival St. Magnus 20-7 to improve to 5-0 in Great Lakes Alliance play (7-1 overall) and now just 2-6 Whitney College and 4-4 Indiana A&M stand in their way of winning the GLA crown. If they stumble, Central Ohio - which had its hopes dashed early with a September loss to the Lakers- is waiting in the wings. The Aviators defeated Indiana A&M 20-6 Saturday and are 7-1 overall with section games against St. Ignatius and Detroit City College remaining.   |
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