All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal - Page 11

Jiggs McGee · 07-11-2021, 12:00 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 11, 1937: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME THREE

WONDER WHEEL FINALLY STARTS ROLLING

This year's version of the Brooklyn Kings accomplished something no Brooklyn team had ever done before: win two games in a single World Championship Series. The Kings had been to the October showcase 4 times before but lost 4 games to one the first three times before being swept by the Chicago Chiefs a year ago. This time around the Kings actually lead the Series- something else they have never done - as they took a 2 games to one lead on Pittsburgh with a thrilling 6-4 victory at Kings County Stadium last night.

Al Wheeler, who has won 4 Whitney Awards and made 4 All-Star Games, but had been a bitter disappointment in post-season play throughout his career, finally delivered a key hit with the game winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning after the visiting Pittsburgh Miners rallied to tie the contest with 3 runs in the top half of the inning. Wheeler entered the game with a .148 career post-season average including 0-for-8 so far this season, but he broke out a bit with a pair of singles and two rbi's. The big one came when it appeared the Kings might be fading as Pittsburgh finally got to Mike Murphy, who had been cruising and had retired 13 straight Miners before Ray Cochran drew a walk to start the 3-run seventh inning rally that tied the contest at 4. Wheeler's 7th inning single came with two on and none out and plated Joe Perret, who is have a very good post-season for himself after being primarily used as a pinch-hitter during the season. Harry Barrell, who seems to have regained his form after a poor season by his standards, also drove in a run to give Murphy a 6-4 lead. Murphy, who allowed just 4 Pittsburgh hits in the game, went 8 innings before turning the ball over to Del Lyons and Lyons, who tied for the FABL lead in saves this season with 20, had a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win for the Kings.

Jiggs McGee · 07-11-2021, 12:57 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 12, 1937: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME FOUR

KINGS ONE WIN AWAY FROM ENDING THE CURSE

The Brooklyn Kings are the only FABL team never to win a World Championship Series since the trophy was first awarded in 1893. The Kings have won 4 Continental Association pennants prior to this year but came up short against their Federal Association counterparts each time. Many blame the Kings lack of success on a long ago tale that claims a pitcher by the name of Ferdinand Hawkins hexed the club by pledging they would never win a World Championship after Hawkins was unceremoniously released by the team following FABL's first season in 1892. Hawkins, the legend goes, after receiving news of his release told Barnabas Colson, who owned the Kings at that time, that his team would never win a title. Now that was the year before the World Championship was first played (there was no playoff series in 1892, the year the Border Association and Century League merged) and the Kings did actually win pennants in 1912, 1923, 1927 as well as last year but believers in the Curse claimed Hawkins meant a World Championship Series, knowing one was coming the following year, and not merely just a CA pennant.

We will never know for sure as Hawkins passed away close to two years ago and went to his death bed refusing to say anything about Brooklyn, a team he won 191 games for. The Kings tried to extend an olive branch , inviting him to the park a few years back as part of the club's 50th anniversary All-time team but he was said to be in too poor health to travel. Brooklyn also selected his grandson, college catcher Ian Weber in the 9th round of the 1936 draft, in a move many said was designed to try and counter the curse. Since Weber joined the organization the Kings have made two straight appearances in the Series and perhaps now are on the verge of ending the curse, whether it is real or not. For his part young Weber has said he has nothing to say about his grandfather or the curse. "My only focus is on making the big leagues," said Weber recently after helping Class B Tampa to a Southeastern League title.

SHAFFNER TOSSES A 3-HIT SHUTOUT TO LEAD KINGS

Joe Shaffner allowed just 3 Pittsburgh hits and overcame a nearly as impressive performance on the mound from Pittsburgh's Lefty Allen to lead the Brooklyn Kings to a 2-0 lead over Allen's Pittsburgh Miners and gave Brooklyn a commanding 3 games to one lead in the World Championship Series.

"I had a lot to make up for," smiled Shaffner who was obviously much happier following this game than he was after a rough outing in a 7-2 loss to open the Series. "I feel I let the guys down the other day and just wanted to do my part for the team, and our fans. But the work isn't done. We need one more."

Shaffner is the biggest single reason the Kings are even in this position. He has been absolutely outstanding since mid-July, going 12-2 over that span including the two Series games despite missing a month with a sore back. The complete game shutout of Pittsburgh is his 6th such game since September 1st and he was so dominating on this night the Miners had just one runner advance past first base all afternoon.

Lefty Allen, who was outstanding for Pittsburgh in a game one win over Shaffner, had another great outing as well. Allen allowed just 5 hits on the day but the difference was two of them left the yard as Al Wheeler and John Langille each hit solo shots, Brooklyn's first two homers of the series, to account for all of the offense. For Wheeler, it was the second consecutive game he drove in the winning run and helps to slowly erode away the reputation the great slugger has for owning a slumbering bat in October's past.

Trailing 3 games to one in the series the Miners now have no margin for error and may have to play game five without their all-star catcher George Cleaves. The 23 year old, who homered in game three, was forced out of the contest in the top of the first inning when a Shaffner offering plunked him in the knee. Word is that it is only a bruise and Cleaves is adamant he will be taking the field with his teammates for today's fifth game.

NOTES: An unusual fact from this series is that Cleaves has been hit by a pitch just 6 times in his career entering the series, but now has been hit twice in 4 games, both by Joe Shaffner. No other Kings pitcher hit a batter either this season's WCS or last year but Shaffner hit 2 Chicago Chiefs a year ago to go with the two times he has nailed Cleaves this series.

Game five will be a rematch of the second game with Tom Barrell trying to clinch the series against Charlie Stedman. The second game was the one the Miners seemed comfortably in control of until Stedman was relieved by Lou Ellertson in the the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead and the Kings scored 7 times to win the game and even the series.

Jiggs McGee · 07-11-2021, 02:05 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 13, 1937: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME FIVE

THIS IS NEXT YEAR!

KINGS END 45 YEAR OLD CURSE WITH FIRST WCS TITLE

The Brooklyn Kings have done what many of the Flatbush faithful feared was impossible. The have finally won baseball's World Championship Series ending 45 years of failure and putting to rest forever the Curse of Ferdinand Hawkins. The Kings held on to beat a gutsy Pittsburgh Miners squad 6-5 to win the first World title in team history, taking the Miners in 5 games. The official attendance at Kings County Park shows 31,725 of Flatbush's finest were on the premises but years from now you can bet thousands more will claim they were on hand, and many were as Flatbush Avenue became a sea of people dancing from tavern to tavern, some crying tears of disbelief and others in wild celebration as Brooklyn finally joined the other 15 FABL clubs in owning a World Championship Series banner.

In typical Kings fashion the outcome was fully in doubt until the very moment Brooklyn center fielder Bill May wrapped his glove around Cy Bryant's final fly ball out with the tying run perched just 90 feet away from sending the game in extra innings. You would expect nothing less from a Kings team that, while immensely talented, has been incredibly inconsistent and suffered what felt like far more than it's share of bad luck the past three years. Maybe there was something to all the talk of former pitcher Ferdinand Hawkins cursing the club, but that matters no more as the curse has undeniably been lifted but not before giving many long suffering Kings fans plenty more heart palpitations.

It looked like a slugfest right from the get go as George Cleaves, who played for Pittsburgh despite nursing a sore knee after being hit by a pitch the previous game, got the visitors off to a quick start with an rbi single off Brooklyn ace Tom Barrell that plated Bryant, who had previously legged out a 1-out triple.

Brooklyn answered very quickly with 4 runs of their own in the home half of the opening stanza. Joe Perret and Al Wheeler set the table with walks but all the damage came with two out courtesy of a bases loaded 3-run double off the bat of John Langille and then a Fred Barrell two-bagger.

Brooklyn never does anything easily so it should have come as little surprise when the Miners came right back with 2 runs of their own in the top of the second stanza to cut the Kings lead to 4-3 but after that Tom Barrell, who has had his ups and downs in big games in the past, settled enough to retire 13 in a row and get Brooklyn through the middle innings. The Kings even added some insurance, and sent the crowd into a frenzy with 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th to go up 6-3. John Langille, the 26 year old Canadian, was again the instigator of the assault on Pittsburgh pitching, delivering a run scoring single for his 4th rbi of the game and scoring for the second time himself.

Up 6-3 with Tom Barrell cruising everything seemed to be leading to a storybook ending, but those who have read the final pages of the many previous chapters in the story that is the Brooklyn Kings of the past four years knew it felt too good to be true. And it almost was. Pittsburgh scored twice in the top of the 8th inning with all-star catcher George Cleaves again in the center of the action and sent Barrell to the showers. Enter Del Lyons, who has carved out a niche for himself as some kind of relief specialist. The 32 year old is a two-time all-star and has saved 45 games over the past three seasons for the Kings including yesterday's game four. Lyons made in 46 but not without some more drama as while he quickly fanned pinch-hitter Ray Cochran to end the 8th inning, the ninth became an adventure. The Miners lead-off man Henry Clayton hit a pinch-hit single and moved to second on a bobble by the normally sure-handed May in centerfield. Lyons induced two ground ball outs but the second one was sufficient for Clayton to scamper to third. Joe Owens worked Lyons for a full count walk to put runners on the corners bringing Cy Bryant to the plate.

Bryant had a pretty good track record vs Lyons - he was 14-for-46 lifetime against the Brooklyn lefthander. Bryant wasted no time, swinging at the first pitch and many in the crowd, trained from so many heartaches over the years, gasped as the ball sailed out to centerfield. Fortunately for the Kings Bryant got under it just a little bit and it settled in May's glove setting off a celebration 45 years in the making.

There will be plenty of second guessing on the Pittsburgh Miners part. It certainly turned out that the decision in Game Two by Miners skipper Dan Andrew to pull Charlie Stedman, who had been tossing an incredible game, and insert Lou Ellertson, who proceeded to surrender 3 walks, 5 hits and 7 runs, was the turning point in the series. Andrew might also draw some criticism for his decision to start Bill Ketterman over Walker Murphy in the third game especially considering how solid Murphy looked in relief of Stedman in game five. The multitude of managers at home or in the stands always have the benefit of hindsight at it is usually in possession of 20-20 vision so that fact must be remembered and Pittsburgh upper management immediately went on record saying Andrew will be back in the dugout next season. He was recently rewarded with a 3-year contract which was in no small part earned for his terrific job with tape, spit and glue putting a lineup together amidst all the injuries the Miners dealt with during the season.

Brooklyn will also have a number of questions with most centered around Al Wheeler's failure to be the same player in October he has been during the regular season. It is not just this year, Wheeler struggled last season and in his WCS appearance with the Detroit Dynamos. Despite getting 3 hits including a pair of game winning rbi's it seemed time and again Wheeler had a chance to carry the Kings to victory but he failed to do so. Wheeler does have 2 homeruns in 16 career WCS games but he is batting just .179 and was the center of many trade deadline rumours just a few months ago. Could the 4 time Whitney Award (and possibly 5 time if he wins this year) winner be on the move? It seems unlikely, but perhaps more due to the Kings likely being unable to get a suitable piece in return for the slugging outfielder more than any hesitation the club might have in moving Wheeler, who was wildly inconsistent this season.

It was a bad regular season for many of the Kings as much of the club struggled at times during the season but a few of them such as Fred and Harry Barrell atoned for it with solid post-season showings. In fact the entire contingent of Barrell's did very well with Tom not only winning 2 games but also hit .429 in the series and Dan has accomplished so much more with really just one good leg over his career than most players do with two. Dan Barrell always was a natural athlete, even competed in the Olympic decathlon many years ago before a devastating football injury nearly forced the amputation of one of his legs. He became a pet project of Powell Slocum and against the odds worked his way to the major leagues. Brooklyn even nearly lost him when the New York Stars selected him in the rule V draft only to return him to the Kings that spring. Dan went 8-for-16 in the series, delivering several key hits and would have been the MVP were it not for John Langille.

Langille will likely never have to pay for a pint of Prescott Breweries famous Pilsner again in Brooklyn watering holes after he was involved in all 6 Kings runs in the decisive game, driving in 4 and scoring the other two. Langille had at least one hit in each of the 5 games including a big homerun in the 2-0 victory in game four. In all he hit .389 with 5 rbi's and 5 runs scored to claim the Series MVP award. Most of all, he was the major force in lifting the weight of 45 years of frustration and failure off of the franchise.

Enjoy the off-season but the pause will be brief as next year's races have the potential to be even better than the crazy ride that was 1937.

Jiggs McGee · 07-13-2021, 01:04 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 15, 1937: Off-Season Edition

START OF A BUSY OFF-SEASON?

For the first time since 1910 there will not be a winter draft. Prior to 1911 there was no amateur draft and this past season it was shifted to June rather than taking place during the off-season. With that in mind there will certainly be less going on this off-season but there may still be a rash of trades as both associations seemed to be heading into a stretch with perhaps a parity level that has never been seen before.

By this reporter's count there are no fewer than 10 teams that, with the right move or a break or two, could easily claim the World Championship Series next October. We already got a taste of that in the Federal Association this past season and with the rapid improvement of the Chicago Cougars the Continental looks like a four horse race in 1938. The Fed is a 6 teams deep and who knows Detroit might even be there too to make it a seven team battle. It could well be whoever makes the biggest splash on the trade front to address needs over the winter will be the favorite. I like Philadelphia’s chances if Rankin Kellogg still has a great season left in him but if Washington gets an ace and a return to form from Bill Anderson, who showed flashes of his 1936 self down the stretch after a terrible start to the year, they will be tough. Pittsburgh and Chicago too. The Miners did it this year with an injury riddled lineup so imagine what they could accomplish if healthy and the Chiefs are just another dominant Rabbit Day season away from playing October baseball for the second time in three years. Boston and St Louis might need to add something but both have shined at times and Detroit was outstanding the last month and a half of the season. The Dynamos are still a couple of years away but if Red Johnson can approach what Sal Pestilli (.306,33,94) did this season the two, combined with veteran Leon Drake (.280,26,107) the Dynamos power will send shivers down the spines of opposing hurlers.

In the Continental the Brooklyn Kings and Cleveland Foresters had been in class by themselves for a few seasons but the always steady Philadelphia Sailors crashed that party a year ago and came within a tie-breaker game loss of their first pennant since winning 3 straight between 1928-30. Cleveland went into a slump down the stretch but with their pitching you have to think the Foresters will bounce back next season and the rapidly improving Chicago Cougars snuck up on everyone this year and are only forecasted to get better. Brooklyn, with the albatross of never having won finally gone, should be playing much more loose than they have in recent years and have their sights set on being the first FABL team since the 1924-25-26 New York Stars to repeat as World Championship Series winners.

The only problem with those 10 or 11 clubs all thinking they are contenders and looking for upgrades there are very few trade partners left, at least not with assets the big boys would covet who are not prime prospects the rebuilding clubs are unlikely to be willing to part with. So while it seems to make sense there are a number of clubs looking for that one missing pieces, and in most cases it is an arm, there just may not be that much on the market to pick up.

DEALING ALREADY UNDERWAY

The ticker tape is barely settled on the parade route down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn but there has already been plenty of trade talk going on. TWIFB has it on good authority that one of the World Championship Series participants has already agreed to a major trade, details of which will come out in the coming days. Some very good young pitching prospects may be on the move as Baltimore has made it known that either John Edwards(11-19, 4.42) or Rusty Petrick(10-20, 4.46) could be moved for the power bat the young Cannons desperately need and Detroit is said to be willing to move 23 year old Ray McCarthy but surprisingly has put a timetable on getting any potential deal done for the young righthander who struggled with the Dynamos (1-4, 6.21) but looked very good at AAA Newark (9-5, 3.01) last season. The two Baltimore righthanders have drawn a lot of interest. Neither had a great first full season in the big leagues but each is just 21 and have a lot of promise after both spending time in the top ten of the OSA prospect list.

There were a couple of minor deals announced already with both involving the Chicago Cougars. The Cougars added a pair of second round draft picks by shipping pitchers Joe Foote to Boston and Luis Sandoval to Pittsburgh. The 23 year old Foote was originally a 6th round pick of Montreal out of Greensboro High School in 1932 but was moved to the Cougars a couple of years ago. He has yet to make his FABL debut but was 8-12, 2.66 last season which was split between AA and AAA. Foote's future is likely in the back of the Boston rotation. Sandoval, 24, hails from Venezuela and has spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues. He went 1-3, 5.26 in a brief trial with Detroit in 1936 that included a 3-hit shutout of the St Louis Pioneers. Sent to the Cougars last winter in a deal that brought veteran pitcher Hardin Bates to Mo-Town, Sandoval was promoted from AAA midway through the year and was 3-3 with 6 saves out of the Cougars bullpen in the second half. His eventual landing spot might be the bottom of the Miners rotation or at the very least he should provide some depth to the Pittsburgh pitching staff.

MORRIS LEAVING DYNAMOS FOR WASHINGTON?

Perhaps Max Morris' time as a manager will be very brief. Word out of Ohio is Mighty Mo, who retired as a player officially last week but is still listed as the Detroit Dynamos skipper, is considering running for office. The Hall of Famer who ended his career with 711 homers and 3,651 hits announced at a rally in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio that he is throwing his cap into the ring as a possible candidate for the US House Representatives.

There has been no comment from the Dynamos organization but if Morris is indeed stepping away from the game the timing could not be worse for the organization. Detroit is in search of a new bench coach after Ossie Julious announced his work in Detroit was done. The 64 year old spent the past season tutoring Morris but has decided not to return next year. Julious is FABL’s all-time winningest manager (and leader in losses too). Prior to serving last year as bench coach in Detroit to assist rookie manager Morris, Julious spent 31 years as a big league manager with Toronto and Baltimore. His managerial record sits at 2,276-2,418. Julious won 1 World Series 2 CA titles and 1 World Series Championship with the Toronto Wolves.

QUICK HITS

Max Morris was not the only prominent player to retire. It has been known for some time but David Merchant is now officially an ex-ballplayer. The 37 year old finished off his career with 1 at bat for the Philadelphia Sailors. He played all but 16 of his 1782 career games with the Sailors, winning a pair of World Championship Series and twice being named Continental Association Whitney Award winner. The outfielder leaves a legacy that includes 2053 career hits and a .299 lifetime average.
If there is a more interesting story than Jim Kyle's I have yet to hear it. Kyle as you may well know has now won 4 World Championship Titles with 4 different teams and like clockwork he wins one every 3 years. First it was the Philadelphia Sailors in 1928, then it was the Chicago Cougars in 1931 followed by the Cleveland Foresters in 1934 and most recently the 1937 Brooklyn Kings. The great part of this story is he is an otherwise non descript journeyman catcher who has never started more than 61 games in a season and has only 5 career post-season at bats. He has just made a name for himself out of being in the right place at the right time, time and time again. Not bad for a 13th round draft pick out of an Acadamia Alliance school. Only in baseball can something like this happen.
The Philadelphia Sailors continue to have the best record in the modern era (human GMs starting in 1926) with the Brooklyn Kings second. Since 1926 the Sailors and Kings are the only two FABL clubs to win 1,000 games. The Federal Association leading Philadelphia Keystones are close, but presently are 3 shy of that mark. Here are the cumulative standings from 1926-1937.

Spanning the entire history of the World Championship Series, which began in 1893, 18 years after the dawn of professional baseball, the club with the most pennants is the Chicago Cougars with 9, followed by the New York Stars, New York Gothams and Boston Minutemen with 8 each. At the other end of the scale we have the St Louis Pioneers, who only won 2 pennants so far: in 1920 when they also won the World Championship Series and again in 1921. Those two years just happened to be Max Morris' first two years on the shores of the Mississippi after a famous trade from Cleveland.
With the Kings finally getting their first last month every team in FABL has at least one World Championship to crow about but four teams have only the one. They are Brooklyn (1937), Cleveland (1935), St Louis (1920) and Pittsburgh (1901)
every current team has won at least one FABL title in the 20th century. Current WCS droughts going back to the pre-play era: Washington (1923), Montreal (1921), St. Louis (1920), Baltimore (1914), Boston (1912), Toronto (1911) and Pittsburgh (1901).
With the Brooklyn win all five of the baseball playing Barrell brothers have a World Championship ring. Fred was first to the party as the 32 year old catcher won one with the Chicago Cougars in 1931 when he was named Series MVP. Next came Bobby who also was named Series MVP when his Philadelphia Keystones claimed the crown in 1933. Tom, Dan and Harry each won their first last week with Brooklyn while Fred earned his second title on the same team. Family patriarch Rufus of course never got a chance to play in the big leagues because of a serious injury so that just leaves his grandson Rufus II or 'Deuce' as he is better known as next in line to add to the family legacy. Deuce, the 1935 first overall selection of the Baltimore Cannons, went 11-12 with a 3.89 era over 3 levels of minors this season and the #6 overall prospect is projected to have a 1939 arrival in the big leagues.
Other brother acts to get in on the Brooklyn party include the Lightbody boys. Doug, a 1925 first round pick of the Kings who is the longest serving member of the team, is just a role player now but he did go 1-for-2 in a pinch-hitting role this series and earned his first ring in three trips to the WCS with the Kings. His younger brother Frank spent most of his career in Pittsburgh before joining his brother in Brooklyn prior to the start of the 1936 season. Frank still has many friends in the Miners organization but now has bragging rights over them. A younger cousin, Jim Lightbody, is a second baseman in the Kings system and recently celebrated a Class B Southeastern League title with the Tampa Cigar Kings.
Then you have the Pestilli boys. While Sal got all of the attention this season, and rightly so after jumping straight from college to the big leagues and then proceeding to lead the majors in homeruns as a rookie, it was big brother Alf who claimed the hardware. Alf spent 60 games in Brooklyn, batting .258 with 9 homers, and after helping Rochester win it's fourth consecutive Union League crown at the AAA level he rejoined the Kings for the stretch run and the Series. Alf had just 2 plate appearances in the Series but did draw a walk and scored a run in Brooklyn's 8-4 triumph in the second game. There are actually two other Pestilli boys, both of whom turned pro this June. Joe spent the year at Class B Charlotte in the St Louis Pioneers system while the youngest, Tony, joined the Philadelphia Keystones and spent the year in Class C Beaumont of the Gulf States League.
Sal Pestilli's rookie season won't be enough to win him a Whitney Award but he should finish in the top five. Not bad for a player who had no experience above the college level when the season began in April. Sal was just the third player in the modern era to go straight from the campus to the major leagues. His numbers compared very nicely to other two : Freddie Jones and Doug Lightbody. Here is a look at what each of the three did as rookie pro's and perhaps what might be in store for Detroit's Pestilli next season. Note- Lightbody missed half of his rookie year with an injury.
The Brooklyn Kings have announced a 3% increase in ticket prices as the average seat at Kings County to watch the defending champions play next year will go for $1.26. The Chicago Chiefs, who led the league in attendance and nearly smashed the all-time record are planning on a similar amount with average being $1.25. Detroit had cut prices in 19366 to just $0.90 after a disastrous 1935 campaign before raising them 2 cents last year. No word on if there will be another hike at Thompson Field. The Keystones stayed flat in 1937 at $1.10 and were 10th in attendance (902,577) but 5th in gate revenue ($574,976), so their prices were higher than average. But, the Keystones do have some star power and had 11 winning seasons in their last 13.

Jiggs McGee · 07-13-2021, 11:51 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 25, 1937

WINDS OF CHANGE GUST THROUGH DETROIT AND GOTHAM CITY

The expectation was this would be a very busy off-season but news today shocked the baseball world on two fronts. First there came word out of Detroit that the rumours were true: Max Morris was leaving his post as the Dynamos manager to embark on a political career. His replacement was also announced and that was entirely unexpected. George Theobald, minority owner of the club and arguably the most successful manager in league history will take over for Morris in the Detroit dugout. While many fans will be saddened to see Morris leave the game - he also retired as a player at the end of the season - I am sure all who were touched by 'Mighty Mo' wish him great success in wherever his political ambitions lead him.

Politics may have played a role in today's other big off-field news as New York Gothams owner Charles Bigsby announced he is stepping down effective immediately and has sold the ballclub. The Bigsby family is well known in New York, as much for it's nefarious activities over the years as it was for it's baseball club. There are a number of rumours circulating that the owner's hand was forced following the uncovering of something he and his family preferred remained hidden, either by the league, by New York Mayor La Guardia or perhaps by G-Men (and by that I don't mean Gothams players). Nothing has been made public, and expectations are it never will be but the most credible rumour making the rounds is that pressure from NYC mayor LaGuardia’s attempts to crackdown on government corruption might have opened a can of worms Bibsby would have preferred stay buried and an agreement was made that he and his family would fade from public view.

Sources close to Bigsby claim that he has simply tired of the stress and wants to retire. However, it has been noted that men in Bigsby‘s primary line of work don’t typically retire….they expire with the cause usually being lead poisoning.

Fueling the speculation that there must be more to the story was the fact the club has been in the control of the Bigsby family since the formation of the league in 1892 and their involvement in the pro game stretches even further back than that. As result it is extremely surprising that the club has been sold to outside interests and not remained within the family. While it is true that Charles has no children of his own but he does have many cousins or nephews and when asked why he did not award the team to one of them he simply gave a small, sad smile and replied with a terse "No comment."

While little is known about the new owner of the Gothams, Manhattan businessman Leland Winthrop, it is expected that he will be welcomed with open arms by his 15 league associates as even the foulest odor wafting over the Bigsby Oval would be a breath of fresh air compared to the stench that was the Bibsby clan.

The 40 year old Winthrop made his fortune in real estate and while he has no personal connection to the sport, his family certainly does as it was Winthrop's grandfather, an architect by trade, who designed the Gothams home stadium, the Bigsby Bowl. The venue has since been renovated three times. Winthrop was not at the press conference but Bigsby offered this when asked about his successor. "He's a good man, a New Yorker to the core, and I am sure he will be a big part of returning the Gothams to greatness."

WHEELER WINS TIGHTEST WHITNEY AWARD RACE IN YEARS

In what might have been the tightest race for the Continental Association Whitney Award on record the Brooklyn Kings Al Wheeler claimed his third straight Whitney and fifth of his career by narrowly outpointing Chicago Cougars third baseman John Lawson. Whitney finished with 159 points, four more than Lawson accumulated despite the fact that the veteran Cougar garnered 7 first place votes, one more than the slugging Brooklyn outfielder. Two of the other three first place votes went to Wheeler's Brooklyn teammate Frank Vance, who finished third in the balloting with the final one going to fourth place finisher George Dawson of the Cleveland Foresters.

For Wheeler it is his third straight Whitney as he has won in each of the three seasons since joining the Kings, along with Frank Vance, in a 1935 trade from Detroit. Wheeler also won the award while in the Federal Association in 1930 and again in 1932.

The Kings made it a clean sweep of the awards for the third year in a row but this time it was not Tom Barrell joining Wheeler as instead 32 year old Kings lefthander Joe Shaffner won the first Allen Award of his career and the CA's top hurler. Barrell had won the three previous seasons but missed much of this year with an injury. Shaffner, who posted a 20-4 record with a FABL leading 2.32 era received 13 of the 16 first place votes with Cleveland's Sergio Gonzales claiming the other three to finish second.

ALLEN WINS ALLEN

Voters made it pretty clear who they felt the best pitcher was in the Federal Association and with good reason. 23 year old Pittsburgh Miners ace Lefty Allen wins the award named after another great pitcher by the name of Allen. It will be a long time and take a lot more seasons like this one before Lefty ever draws comparisons to Double-Al but he certainly took a step in the right direction this season as the southpaw tied for the FABL lead in wins with 22 and was second in the Federal Association in era with a 3.27 mark but what really set him apart from the rest was his strikeouts. Allen fanned 230 hitters, a total that you need to go all the way back to 1916 in order to have a pitcher surpass it. In fact since Brooklyn's George DiMarzo struck out 227 in 1917 there has only been one other pitcher fan at least 200 before Allen's season this year. That pitcher was Rabbit Day, who finished third in the voting this year by the way, and he struck out a career best 211 in 1930.

The Federal Association Whitney Award winner also had a special season as Washington's Mel Carrol won the award for the first time after hitting .409 with 26 homers and 130 rbi's. The 25 year old third baseman became the first player to hit over .400 since Max Morris last did it in 1925. Carrol received 13 of the 16 first place votes with Frank McCormick of St Louis getting the other 3.

Jiggs McGee · 07-14-2021, 12:02 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 26, 1937 OFF-SEASON

ARMS RACE IN FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

As expected the Federal Association continues to be the hub of trade activity as Boston , Pittsburgh and Chicago all added to their arsenal of pitching by each picking up a talented arm. Detroit also got into the action as the Dynamos continue a very busy off-season with a pair of trades but, unlike the Minutemen, Miners and Chiefs, Detroit was looking for more offense and parted with some good young talent to add it.

There were 4 big deals consummated over the past week. Here they are with a breakdown as to how each affects what is expected to be another very crowded race for the Federal Association pennant next summer.

All three moves were big but one has to think this is the deal that could have the most impact on the balance of power in the Federal Association going forward. The Boston Minutemen added what could be a front of the rotation pitcher in 21 year old John Edwards. The thought of Edwards joining Dick Higgins as co-aces atop the Minutemen rotation instantly gives them a pair that can compete with the dynamic mound duos in Pittsburgh (Lefty Allen and Charlie Stedman) and Chicago (Rabbit Day and Al Miller). Edwards, who by the way was a high school teammate of the Chiefs Miller before being selected 3rd overall by Baltimore in the 1933 draft, went 11-19 with a 4.42 era for a bad Baltimore team this past season. He is 6'5" and extremely durable. Edwards does need to cut down on his walks but that should come as he matures. He was only available because Baltimore has such a deep stable of young pitchers but the Cannons are almost completely void of offensive talent.

This trade helps change that for Baltimore as the cost was hefty for the Minutemen. Ken Mayhugh heads on to his third organization despite still being just 25. Originally drafted in the second round by Brooklyn out of Liberty College in 1932, Mayhugh has developed into a pretty solid third baseman. He made the all-star team this year, batting .299 with a career best 17 homers. His future in Baltimore will likely be at first base the as the Cannons also added 21 year old Denny Andrews in the deal. Andrews was the Minutemen's first round pick, 11th overall out of Maryland State in 1936. He enjoyed a productive rookie pro campaign, advancing thru three levels of minors to finish the season in Class A with a .277 average and 30 homers between his three stops. He was Boston's 5th ranked prospect according to OSA, at #49 overall. Finally the Cannons also get 26 year old minor league corner outfielder Ray White. The former 5th round pick from Opelika State has spent each of the past three seasons at AAA Columbus hitting .313 while averaging 10 homers a season.

It is a big move for both clubs but not without some risk for Boston. Mayhugh looks like a star already and Andrews seems to have loads of potential but the opportunity to land a pitcher with Edwards potential is too hard to pass up.

The Pittsburgh Miners had already made one deal this off-season to add a young arm when they acquired 24 year old Luis Sandoval from the Chicago Cougars. This move is certainly bigger than that as McCarthy seems to have loads of untapped potential but the key will be for the Miners to find a way to help him realize that potential. McCarthy went just 1-4, 6.21 in 7 big league starts with the Dynamos as control was a big problem for him. He fared much better during the time he spent over the summer in AAA Newark and the Miners hope he is ready to break out. The lefthander is 23 so the time to shine is now, although he did lose a full year of development after an elbow injury wiped out his 1936 season. His route to the big leagues has been of the scenic variety as McCarthy was originally a first round pick by St Louis out of high school but the Pioneers released him before his first season and he spent several years bouncing around with various independent teams before Detroit acquired him in 1935. He has the ceiling of an ace so he could be a huge asset to an already solid Pittsburgh rotation but the serious elbow injury does worry some observers.

The deal seems a real departure in strategy for Detroit as the Dynamos youth movement took a pause with the addition of a proven veteran bat in Stewart. The 3-time all-star will be counted on to take a leadership role with Detroit and his powerful bat (.263,23,101) fits in nicely with a rapidly developing homer happy group in Detroit. The lottery pick once again guarantees Detroit two of the top 32 players as they had previously dealt their second one to Brooklyn. Pittsburgh does have a top third base prospect in Spud Bent working his way up the organization but in the meantime Les Tucker might slide over to third with Sandy Grabow taking shortstop duties and Ben Edwards looking solid at second base.

This move came out late last night and the initial reaction around the league was one of surprise. Perhaps it was a knee jerk reaction by Detroit management to an edict issued by ailing owner Eddie Thompson, who desperately craves another pennant but the Dynamos certainly deviated from what has appeared to be their slow steady path to long-term organizational success in favour of a quick hit. There is no doubt that Hank Barnett (.276,19,95) is an above average third baseman but he is well below average with the glove as a shortstop. This move might have made perfect sense for the Dynamos had they not just announced the deal with Pittsburgh to acquire Ed Stewart. To be honest, we at TWIFB are not sure where Detroit plans on playing everyone. Yes, Barnett or perhaps Stewart could shift to second base but they certainly had a serviceable second baseman in Jake Shadoan already. Maybe Detroit has something else planned but right now this move seems to create more questions than answers.

The Dynamos got older with the 28 year old Barnett and 29 year old Stewart and it came at a cost that seems, at least at first glance too expensive. By that we don't mean just the Barnett deal or just the Stewart trade on their own as we like either of them, but both combined seemed to signal trouble, particularly the Barnett deal for the Dynamos. The trade with Montreal just seems redundant - unless Detroit has another move up their sleeve to package either Barnett or Stewart for another piece, ideally a shortstop.

And that is why it worries us the most. It will be great to get both Stewart and Barnett's bats in a lineup that already has Sal Pestilli, Leon Drake and a rising young star in Red Johnson but the trading away of Frank Davis may come back to haunt the Dynamos, and quite likely could hurt them next season. Davis is just 21 and looked very good in the field already. He will be a great addition and loved by Montreal pitchers who have desperately needed a good glove man behind them. Detroit's only real option at shortstop right now appears to be Tip Harrison, a 26 year old minor leaguer who has just 20 games experience as high as AAA and he hit .165 during that 20 game audition in Newark to close out the season. His glove work was decent but certainly not to the level of Davis. Contending in 1938 is really just a pipe dream for a Detroit team with plenty of offense but one that clearly lacks the pitching to compete - now they seem much weaker in the field as well with shortstop being a huge red flag.

There may also be worry about the future of the Detroit rotation with the decision to move their top prospect (McCarthy) and also their 5th best pitching prospect (Wallace). We like the move from Montreal's perspective as while Barnett's bat will certainly be missed, he wanted out of Montreal and clearly was out of his element in the field trying to play shortstop. Davis should slide in nicely at shortstop for the Saints. Wallace might be ready to join the rotation and with the Dynamos first round draft pick (3rd overall) the Saints will likely get another good young pitching prospect. Acquiring Stewart seemed like a very solid move for Detroit but the feeling is the Dynamos should probably have pulled out of the Barnett sweepstakes once they made their move with the Miners. We also can't help but feel Freddie Farhat of the Detroit World is not going to have many kind words to say about this direction either.

The final move in the trade fury saw the Chicago Chiefs attempt to keep pace with the pitching staff additions in Boston and Pittsburgh by going back to New York, the same team they acquired Rabbit Day from during their World Championship 1936 season, to add Day's former Gotham teammate Jim Lonardo. The cost for the 33 year old 3 time Allen Award winning righthander was very reasonable as well with just a mid-level prospect and a first round pick going the other way. First rounders are not what they used to be with the new rules allowing the top 32 prospects each year to enter a lottery of sorts and the prospect, a 21 year old by the name of Charlie Sutton, is ranked around 250th by OSA. Sutton is a former 4th round pick out of a high school in California. He was 13-7 with a 3.68 era at Class B Tacoma after spending his first two pro seasons in Class C.

Lonardo was about the last remaining link from a 1935 Gothams team, where he teamed with Day, that was completely gutted the following season. He apparently had asked to remain in New York for whom he was 162-124 despite a rough 8-19 season last year. Whether it was the decision of Charles Bigsby to sell the club, and Lonardo was said to be very close to the long-time owner, or he just grew tired of losing but either way Lonardo asked to be moved recently. Chicago stepped in quickly, seeing how some of their key rivals had upgraded their pitching, and made the move to add Lonardo to a rotation that will feature 7 Allen Awards between Rabbit Day and Lonardo's 3 each plus one from Jack Beach. The expectation is Lonardo is much better than his record last season on a bad Gothams team indicates and he gives the Chiefs one of, if not the deepest rotations in the Fed.

A MOVE TOO FAR?

(Courtesy of the New York World-Telegram)

New York Gothams fans showed loyalty and continued to support their team when several stars were traded away, breaking up a championship ball club. Fan interest remained intact with a change in ownership. Fans seemed willing to wait for the promised high end prospects to mature. But now? How will Gothams fans respond to the trade of longtime hero Jim Lonardo to division rival Chicago?

Reports are that the former 10th round selection, 3 time Allen winner and Gothams champion will be heading west in exchange for Chicago's first pick in the drafting portion, along with 21 year old Charlie Sutton who was taken in the 4th round of the 1934 draft.

As expected there was no comment coming from new owner Leland Winthrop's office, but speculation is that management was directed to reduce payroll while waiting for the next wave to arrive. If true, this raises a number of questions regarding the future operation of the club. After years of Bigsby control where a "handshake agreement" kept Lonardo in New York, apparently baseball is now just a business at the Oval.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 10/24/1937

King George of England pledges in a speech his government will do all it can to restore peace to China and Spain.
Japan formally apologizes to Britain for airplane attack on a British outpost near Shanghai
Tokyo rejects plan to participate in peace talks aimed at ending the Chinese-Japanese War.
CIO offers plan to join AFL and end years of labor war between the two organizations.

Jiggs McGee · 07-15-2021, 02:00 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

OCTOBER 27, 1937 OFF-SEASON

DYNAMOS DEALING AGAIN

It comes as quite a shock that the busiest team in the Federal Association on the trade front is the Detroit Dynamos. The Dynamos, who had a strong finish to the 1937 season but certainly should have no illusions about contending in 1938 seem to be acting like a club trying to put the finishing touches on a potential pennant winner as they moved another highly touted prospect. This time it was 18 year old catcher Pete Casstevens, who is considered the number 5 ranked prospect by OSA. Casstevens was dispatched to the New York Gothams for 23 year old pitcher Charlie Wheeler and 30 year old backup shortstop Erv Smith.

The move from Detroit's perspective seems puzzling to say the least. Casstevens, the son of former big leaguer Clint Casstevens, was the big prize at the top of the crop of young high school talent in June along with Roosevelt Brown, who coincidentally is also Gotham property. Casstevens is still a couple of years away from even being considered as a big league call-up but that should fit in nicely with the realistic time line for Detroit to contend. Casstevens did struggle in his pro debut, batting just .169 in 77 games at Class C Biloxi but he is also has been called the best catching prospect to come along since T.R. Goins so it is very shocking Detroit would move him.

The Dynamos do get a pretty good young pitcher back in 23 year old Charlie Wheeler, who posted a 7-10 record with a 4.58 era as a rookie with the Gothams. Originally selected 13th overall in the 1935 draft out of Rainer College by the Chicago Cougars, Wheeler joined New York in 1936 in exchange for veteran pitcher Hardin Bates. He peaked at #43 in the prospect rankings and OSA feels he could develop into the type of pitcher that could anchor a rotation so it may well work out okay for the Dynamos, who have made several big moves over the past week.

Detroit also receives Erv Smith as the Gothams continue to divest themselves of anyone over the age of 30. Smith is a slightly below average shortstop both with the bat (.245,0,41) and the glove but he will be an upgrade on what Detroit has presently, which is basically nothing after sending another highly touted prospect in 21 year Frank Davis to Montreal the other day.

Wheeler is likely destined to be a pretty good pitcher but the move, coupled with the perplexing deal with Montreal to add Hank Barnett, seems forced almost as if the club is bowing to pressure from ailing owner Eddie Thompson and trying to do everything it can to win now. If that is truly the case the unfortunate result of that endeavor is not only going to be Detroit will fall well short of being a pennant contender in a tough Federal Association next season, but the Dynamos also seem to be undoing much of the good they have done in rebuilding their system over the past two years. The Detroit General Manager has had great success building a winner in his previous stop at Cleveland so it could quite well be he knows better than those of us in the media but only time will tell if he still has the magic he displayed as head of the Foresters.

NEW HOME FOR GOTHAMS?

The ink is barely dry on the contract to buy the team but sources indicate there is talk between the new owner of the Gothams, Leland Winthrop, and NYC leadership, including 'master builder' Robert Moses, to build a new stadium in Queens for the Gothams. Possible sites for the Gothams rumoured new home include Flushing Meadow, where the 1939 World's Fair will take place or nearby Astoria Park which has easy access from the recently opened Triborough bridge. This would be a Works Progress Administration project, popularized by President Roosevelt's Second New Deal but the thinking is it is also possibly partial reward for Winthrop as a thank you for ridding the city of the Bigsbys. A formal announcement may hit in the next few days but it certainly sounds like one of the first things real estate mogul Winthrop will do in his new role as owner of the Gothams is to facilitate the end Bigsby Park, which was originally designed by his grandfather.

It also might help explain when the sale of the team seemed to come out of nowhere and was pushed through so suddenly. With the timing of the sale and now the talk of a new ballpark it certainly seems like Winthrop knew of the stadium proposal and the lure of being able to repurpose the land on which the present park stands sounds like a very profitable real estate venture to go along with getting a sweetheart deal from the city to help fund a brand new stadium.

Situated on Broadway, Bigsby Park has been the Gothams home since it's construction in 1876 although it has undergone a pair of renovations since then and with a capacity of 52,450 is the largest stadium in the league.

Jiggs McGee · 07-15-2021, 11:53 AM

TEN THINGS I THINK

WITH JIGGS MCGEE

1-Even though we are 6 months away from opening day I can't help but feel like the Chicago Chiefs may have already clinched the pennant, courtesy once again of an assist from the New York Gothams. Rather than set their sights on a flashy but also very expensive young pitcher the Chiefs pulled an old trick out of their hat and grabbed a former 3-time Allan Award winner from the Gothams. The last time that happened was two years ago when New York liquidated basically everything with a pulse and sent Rabbit Day west. All Day did upon blowing into the Windy City was go 17-1 including a pair of World Championship Series victories to give Whitney's crew their first WCS win since 1917. Now, I am certainly not saying newly acquired Jim Lonardo is by any stretch of the imagination Rabbit Day, but Lonardo - like Day - has won 3 Allan Awards and both are 33 years old. Lonardo is coming off a bad season in New York, but much of the blame for that can be placed on the myriad of minor leaguers he had to call teammates last season. Day too had a down year, at least by his standards. If both pitch like they are capable of then could easily add a 1938 pennant to go with the ones they won together with the Gothams in 1934 and 35.

2-Speaking of the Gothams they already had the best collection of minor league prospects in the game and that was before somehow talking Detroit out of the best catching prospect to come along since perhaps T.R. Goins, or if you live in Pittsburgh you can insert George Cleaves' name here. Either way, New York now owns 5 of the top 15 prospects in the sport right now. Their management team has done a great job accumulating talent but at what many New Yorkers feel is a devastatingly high cost. New York tore apart a back to back pennant winner, trading it for what was a last place finish in 1937 and likely headed that direction again next year. New Yorkers aren't known for their patience and it will take a lot of it to wait for these talented kids to mature but I guess the only one who's patience really matters is new owner Leland Winthrop. So, yes there is a great crop coming but the big question is will the team win enough games the next year or two to keep the current management team employed at the corner of Broadway and West 142nd Street?

3-Actually the Gothams time at that address seems to have an expiration date soon as well with word circulating that part of the deal for Winthrop to take over the team from Charles Bigsby involved the land where the park currently sits being repurposed and a new stadium constructed across the East River possibly at the site near where the 1939 World's Fair is planned. It has been no secret the league, and many in the city of New York, have long wanted the Bigsby family, and it's questionable moral compass, out of the game so I suspect the new stadium plan has secretly been a done deal for sometime now and was the proverbial cherry on top to convince Winthrop to park with some of his many real estate holdings and purchase the team.

4- Word is the new stadium proposal in New York is not the only one that will be constructed in the near future as part of President's Roosevelt's latest 'New Deal.' The WPA, designed to get millions of Americans working, is reportedly going to be the impetus for two additional new ballparks to go along with the new Gothams home. No word on the locations yet but speculation indicates Cleveland may be one of them. The Marshall family has long pushed for a replacement to Forester Field and at one point the contentious subject nearly saw the city lose it's club to Cincinnati.

5- I have no inside information on this one but just a hunch. Washington might also be getting a new stadium. The Captiol Grounds was built in 1907 and is one of just two ballparks with a capacity of less than 30,000. Not that the Eagles have needed more seats as they barely draw 5,500 fans a game as it is. However, a new stadium combined with an exciting group of offensive talent like Mel Carrol and Moxie Pidgeon, might just be the tonic needed to rekindle baseball interest in the Nation's Capital.

6-The CA has been strangely quiet thus far. The Brooklyn Kings appear content to stick with the same group that finally got over the hump and won a World Championship. Kings manager Powell Slocum was spotted about town recently and sounded very confidant of his charges ability to repeat citing the fact that the 500 pound gorilla named 'The Curse of Ferdinand' was finally off their backs as reason alone for his club to have a big year. It is true many of the Kings have gripped the bat pretty tightly in clutch situations in the past so a World Championship ring might be just the trick to help ever so slightly loosen the grip on the bat for the purple monarchs.

6- I am surprised that we have heard nothing from Cleveland or the Philadelphia Sailors so far this off-season and just a couple of small deals for draft picks from the Cougars. With the right move any of the three could vault top the top of the heap in the Continental.

7- The one CA team that did make a move was the Baltimore Cannons. They sent John Edwards, one of their many good young pitchers, to the Boston Minutemen and returned some much needed offensive help instead. I would think this is probably a deal that helped both teams equally. One rival GM expressed concern that Minutemen subtracted offense rather than added to it but Edwards combined with Dick Higgins gives Boston a very imposing top half of the rotation for years to come. The Cannons will miss Edwards in the short term but with Rufus Barrell on the way at some point the hole should be easy enough to plug and Baltimore is now set for corner infielders with 25 year Ken Mayhugh likely shifting from third to first as soon as Denny Andrews, the other piece in the deal that came to Baltimore, is ready for the big leagues.

8-There has been plenty of talk here about the Chiefs and Minutemen pitching but Pittsburgh still has the best starting pitching tandem according to the BNN rankings. Fed Allen Award winner Lefty Allen, who had the highest single season strikeout total in 21 years, is ranked number 1 while veteran teammate Charlie Steadman holds down the third spot on BNN's list of top pitchers.

9-On the position player side it is interesting to note that 8 of the top 10 are from the Federal Association including the top six: Chiefs catcher Tom Bird, St Louis first baseman Fred McCormick, .400 hitter Mel Carrol of Washington, rookie sensation Sal Pestilli of the Dynamos and St Louis outfielder Gail Gifford. Only a pair of Brooklyn Kings in Al Wheeler and Frank Vance break the Feds dominance of the top ten and interestingly enough both Wheeler and Vance have still spent the majority of each of their careers in the Federal Association.

10- With the addition of Jim Lonardo, who is slated to make $20,000 next season, the Chicago Chiefs now have the highest payroll in the league at just over $390,000. Brooklyn is a close second but then there is a bit of a gap down to third place Pittsburgh at $341k. At the other end of the spectrum we have the Toronto Wolves with the lowest payroll at $206,450. Toronto's highest paid player is pitcher Jake Smith, who is slated to make $15,750 next season. There are 46 players in the league who will make more than Smith including 10 Chicago Chiefs. Rabbit Day, at $31,500 per annum, is the highest paid pitcher but he is slated to make $120 less than 5 time Whitney Award winning outfielder Al Wheeler of Brooklyn who has the league's highest salary.

Jiggs McGee · 07-20-2021, 04:33 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

NOVEMBER 22, 1937 Off-season edition

WINTER MEETINGS COME TO AN END WITH ONE FINAL DEAL

FABL's winter meetings may have ended but the trading is likely to continue as several teams are said to shopping some top players. The most notable name is St Louis Pioneers first baseman Fred McCormick. The 28 year old is a four time all-star who always seems to be among the finalists for the Federal Association Whitney Award (he finished second in 1937 voting) hit a career high .373 with 20 homers and 114 rbi's this past season. Originally an 11th round pick of the New York Gothams out of high school in 1927, McCormick made a rapid progression thru the Gothams system but in the winter before his major league debut he was a key piece in a multi-player trade that saw Max Morris leave St Louis for the Gothams. McCormick had an outstanding rookie campaign as a 21 year old in 1931 and has not slowed down, hitting .352 with 106 homers in 1036 career FABL games.

So why are the Pioneers eager to move the humble slugger known as the 'Reticent Reaper'? The main reason is pitching. The Pioneers have come up short in several pennant runs and more often than not a lack of starting pitching has hurt them. Watching the Boston Minutemen, Pittsburgh Miners and Chicago Chiefs - three of their key pennant rivals - each add to their arsenal of arms over the past couple of weeks is likely what pushed the Pioneers to consider parting with McCormick. In addition, St Louis skipper George Sparkman is said to be very confident that 25 year old Zip Sullivan, who made his FABL debut in July, is ready to take on a starting role at first base. Sullivan, who like McCormick was a late round high school pick (in his case round 23 in 1930), has enjoyed success at each level of the minor leagues and hit .317 in 45 plate appearances for the Pioneers in the second half of the season.

The Pioneers have confirmed they are shopping but insist they will only move McCormick to the Continental Association which severely limits the potential trade partners for the club. The Pioneers want a young big league ready arm or two in return but that also limits their potential trade partners especially with Baltimore having recently moved a great young pitcher in John Edwards to Boston. There certainly is a possibility McCormick gets moved but odds are probably even that he is still wearing a Pioneer cap come spring training.

Early speculation around the league is the Cleveland Foresters would be an ideal destination for McCormick, who is an Ohio native. The cost would be expensive and perhaps more than Cleveland would feel comfortable with as it is expected 25 year old Sergio Gonzales, who finished second in CA Allen Award voting after a 20-6, 3.19 season, would be who St Louis would demand in return. It is also not known just how interested the Foresters would actually be as 26 year old Bill Moore (.321,14,86) had a pretty solid season at first base in his Cleveland debut after coming over from Detroit last winter. Philadelphia might be a good option for McCormick but the Sailors only real pitching options to send to St Louis are both older than perhaps the Pioneers want to go. In addition, one has to question if the Sailors would want to part with either of them as both William Jones (20-8, 3.15) and Doc Newell (20-8, 3.67) were key to Philadelphia forcing a one game tie-breaker for the pennant with Brooklyn last year. That leaves Brooklyn and the Chicago Cougars as perhaps the only other possibilities. The Kings may not have the pitcher St Louis craves other than possibly 21 year old Jack Goff, who made his big league debut last season and is the son of team bench coach and former Kings star hurler Danny Goff. The Cougars have a large contingent of prospects and might have a fit in a package that would probably have to include 24 year old Pug Bryan (8-9, 3.69). Baltimore is likely not willing to part with another young pitcher and it is unlikely that Montreal or the New York Stars would want to move a pitcher to add McCormick when they have Vic Crawford (.300,11,89) and Dave Trowbridge (.315,16,69) respectively at first base. Toronto is certainly in need of a first baseman but Joe Hancock (20-14, 3.74) would likely be the cost and Toronto is almost assuredly unwilling to pay that high a price.

CHIEFS ADD BARNETT

The late move out of the winter meetings saw the Chicago Chiefs acquire infielder Hank Barnett from the Detroit Dynamos in exchange for a pair of pitchers. Barnett's stay in Detroit was exceptionally brief as he was acquired by Detroit earlier this month in a surprising move by the Dynamos considering they just added another veteran infielder in Ed Stewart from Pittsburgh. Barnett, who hit .276 with 19 homers for the Saints last season, will be reunited with manager Joe Ward who was the Saints skipper for the first 5 seasons of Barnett's career before being fired and later catching on with the Chiefs.

Ward recently told the Chicago Herald-Examiner how thrilled he was with the move. I'm "Excited to be reunited with Barnett. He'll play 2nd which means Layton will go back to short. And maybe he'll finally get the 30 HR that OSA keeps predicting for him And so the lineup vs righthanders will be as follows:
3B Bob Martin
SS Pete Layton
C Tom Bird
2B Hank Barnett
RF Cliff Moss
1B Ron Rattigan
LF Jim Hampton
CF Bennie Griffith"

The Chiefs will send SP Ron Coles and P Bob Walls to the Dynamo's for Barnett. New Dynamos assistant General Manager Rankin Trull offered his thoughts on the trade to Fast Freddie Farhat of the Detroit World.

"Even though he’s coming off his first big injury, I’m happy to finally land Ron Coles," explained Trull. "I know our GM has been after him since prior to the 33 season when he was still in Cleveland. The other guy, Bob Walls, will add depth and will allow me not to rush anyone into the starting rotation."

Trull did admit it was somewhat of a reactionary move after the Dynamos lost out to Boston in their bid to try and land John Edwards from the Baltimore Cannons. "So while Coles is older (28) than Edwards," continued Trull, "who we were initially after I think this trade will help us. I guess I look at it that we traded SS Davis, SP Wallace and the pick for Coles and Walls. There will be now be some competition now for the rotation this spring with likely Coles, Wheeler, Murphy and Perry clinching spots with Walls, Wood, Beaman and Spencer looking to compete. And who knows maybe there’s another move up our sleeve, the off-season is still young."

Jiggs McGee · 07-23-2021, 04:59 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

DECEMBER 6, 1937 : Off-Season Edition

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MCCORMICK REMAINS WITH PIONEERS

With much fanfare the St Louis Pioneers made it known a few days ago the club would be willing, and almost appeared anxious, to move 28 year old 4-time all star first baseman Frank McCormick. Despite the fact that McCormick has averaged about .360 with 21 homers over each of the past four seasons the Pioneers, perhaps feeling pressure to keep pace with Chicago and Boston who each added a top level starting pitcher over the winter, felt the need to cast McCormick into the trade waters. Instructions were clear as the Pioneers demanded a top quality young arm in return and also made it clear they were only sailing in Continental seas, as the mere mention of meeting McCormick on a Federal Association field would shiver the timbers of the Pioneers front office. Today, despite reportedly receiving several offers the Pioneers hauled McCormick back to the shores of the Mississippi saying there was no deal to be had. It was speculated in this column, correctly as it turned out, there was at least a 50% chance McCormick would still be wearing Pioneer burgundy come April and there is now no reason to dispute that assumption.

The truth is if the Pioneers truly wanted to move McCormick this winter they missed the boat. That opportunity sailed away the moment the Baltimore Cannons dispatched John Edwards to Boston early in the winter meetings. Edwards, you see, was just the type of pitcher St Louis likely coveted when they announced that McCormick was available. Edwards is young - he just turned 22 a couple of months ago, comes with a great resume as a former third overall pick who spent multiple seasons as a top ten overall prospect on the OSA list, has been very healthy thus far in his career and already has proven he can pitch in the big leagues.

The problem the Pioneers faced in shopping McCormick is there is an overwhelming feeling in FABL right now that corner infielders and outfielders are in such great supply even the best of them - and McCormick certainly ranks right up there - are grossly undervalued. Young pitchers, especially the type with the pedigree and seemingly top of the rotation potential like John Edwards has, are in short supply. In fact, the only team that seemed to be in any position to move one of those arms was the Baltimore Cannons, because the Cannons were the one team in the league that had a handful of said assets but were in extremely short supply of offensive talent.

With Baltimore out of the picture the Pioneers really were left with no suitable trading partner. It is likely St Louis hoped to hear from the Chicago Cougars with an offer that included highly touted prospect Pete Papenfus or perhaps from the Cleveland Foresters - a team that suffered a power outage down the stretch and slipped to fourth place - dangling Sergio Gonzales as bait to acquire McCormick. Maybe Toronto with a talented young arm in Joe Hancock but little in the way of a supporting cast might have been on the Pioneers radar. It is not known if any of those teams actually approached the Pioneers with an offer, but it is clear that if they did the three names mentioned above were not included.

What happened is the Pioneers likely found themselves in the same boat the Brooklyn Kings were in last July when they attempted to shop Al Wheeler, who was in the midst of winning his 5th career Whitney Award, in order to land a young arm that could front a rotation. St Louis, like Brooklyn, learned that young pitchers have a perceived value worth more than their weight in gold while proven all-star hitters in what should still be the prime of their careers, are greatly undervalued.

Regardless, the perception is the Pioneers, who have not won a pennant since 1921, have taken another step back in the Fed race. Not by what they did but rather by what they were unable to do. Offense has not been in short supply in St Louis the last few years but the club has felt, and quite accurately most would agree, that their pitching needs an upgrade if the Pioneers are going to aspire to play October baseball. While the rotations of three of the Pioneers main rivals have improved over the winter St Louis has added nothing. With the addition of Edwards the Boston Minutemen now have two young aces in Edwards and Dick Higgins. The Chicago Chiefs added the perfect compliment to Rabbit Day and Al Miller by picking the decaying carcass that is the New York Gothams clean with the addition of Jim Lonardo while the Pittsburgh Miners added a pair of young pitchers with some potential, although that came at the cost of a solid third baseman in Ed Stewart. The bottom line is three of the Pioneers key rivals in what promises to be a tight Federal race again this season upgraded their pitching while St Louis - the team you could argue needed the pitching upgrade the most - has been unsuccessful at least so far.

The story may still have a happy ending for the Pioneers. Brooklyn fans are thrilled that no deal came about for Wheeler as he helped his club end a 45 year curse with their first World Championship title. Perhaps McCormick's bat will do the same for the Pioneers but the club desperately needs big seasons out of pitchers Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee if they are finally going win a pennant - something they have been in contention for but ultimately fell short of each of the past six seasons. Another season of McCormick in the heart of the St Louis lineup is certainly not a bad thing to have so perhaps it will be the deal the Pioneers didn't make that shapes the Fed race this season instead of one that Boston, Chicago or Pittsburgh did make.

CLEAR TO SEE WHO HAS BEEN BUSY THIS WINTER

The following chart really sums up which teams have been active on the trade front over the winter. It is clear that most of the contenders in the Federal Association have been quite busy while many of the Continental Association elite have been very quiet. The big gainer appears to be the Chicago Chiefs with the addition of a pair of veterans in pitcher Jim Lonardo (8-19, 4.25) and third baseman Hank Barnett (.276,19,95). TWIFB has speculated that the addition of the 33 year old Lonardo may be the move that sends the Chiefs back to the World Championship Series as he will likely enjoy a return closer to the form that allowed him to win 162 big league games and 3 Allan Awards now that he has been rescued by the Chiefs from rebuilding New York.

The one team the WAR numbers do not do justice for is the Boston Minutemen. The Minutemen did give up a lot of offense in corner infielder Ken Mayhugh (.299,17,82) but the addition of John Edwards, who was 11-19 as a rookie for Baltimore, gives them a pair of young starters in him and Dick Higgins that ranks right up there with any duo in the league.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 12/06/1937

F.D.R. seeks congress approval on Billions of dollars for housing boom.
Japan prepares to breach Chinese capital of Nanking as war between Far East nations continues
In Shanghai, Japanese troops yielded to demands of US Marines and withdrew from the American defended sector of the city's international settlement.

Jiggs McGee · 07-28-2021, 01:50 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

January 17, 1938: Off-Season Edition

HALL OF FAME ADDS 6 NEW MEMBERS

Baseball's most exclusive club welcomed in 6 new members this week including the founder of FABL William Whitney. Joining Whitney in the 1938 class are John Dibblee, Mike Marner, Woody Trease, Ed Ziehl and George Theobald. They join the original class of five that was announced last year and consisted of Al Allen, Max Morris, Charlie Sis, Powell Slocum and John Waggoner.

Whitney becomes the first non-player to be enshrined. He truly is the founding father of not only FABL but really deserves credit for creating the sport of professional baseball as it was his efforts that were instrumental in the formation of the Century League back in 1876. To further recognize Whitney's impact on the game it was announced last year that the building housing the Hall of Fame will be constructed in Whitney's hometown of Boone County, Illinois. The building is slated to open in 1941.

John Dibblee had 3,913 career hits, all with the Chicago Cougars over a career that spanned from 1906 to 1931 and included 3 World Championships. Only fellow hall of famer Powell Slocum had more hits over his career than Dibblee, who won a pair of Continental Association batting titles and was named the winner of the Whitney Award in 1911. That 1911 season saw Dibblee hit .422 which is the third highest single season total since the turn of the century. Dibblee is FABL's all-time leader in at bats and ranks in the top five in virtually every career offensive category.

Mike Marner won 325 games over an 11 year career primarily with Baltimore but also included stops in Brooklyn, Detroit and Washington. The 325 victories, which is tied with fellow inductee Woody Trease, for 6th most all-time are even more impressive when one considers the fact his career ended at the age of 31. Marner burst on to the scene with Baltimore as a 19 year old in 1907 when he led the CA in wins and ERA. He would lead the CA in wins seven more times in the next 8 years, surpassing the 30-victory mark six times but by the age of 29 his career was basically over. Arm troubles, possibly caused by the strain of throwing over 400 innings in six of his first 9 seasons led to Baltimore releasing him in 1917. He bounced around for the next 3 years including a final season in the minors before retiring following the 1919 campaign. Marner was a member of 3 World Championship winners in Baltimore.

Trease and Marner are not only tied in career victories but also linked by the relative brevity of their careers. Like Marner, Trease was out of baseball at the age of 31 due to arm troubles. He led the Federal Association in wins 5 times and was a key member of a pair of World Championship clubs with Boston. He would win a third title after being dealt to Detroit, pitching in 8 World Championship Series over his career. He is the all-time WCS leader in career games pitched, innings thrown and strikeouts. Trease also holds the rare distinction of being the only FABL player ever to have his father catch a major league game with him on the mound. His dad was Lynwood Trease, a turn of the century star who also managed the Boston club to the 1904 WCS, with Woody as his star pitcher. Like his dad, Woody would go on to have a long minor league managerial career and remains in charge of the San Francisco Hawks, the Great Western League affiliate of the Philadelphia Sailors. He has led the Hawks to 3 GWL titles in the past five years. His son Lyn Trease is a high school senior in California and considered a top prospect for the 1938 draft.

Ed Ziehl was and still remains the face of the New York Gothams. He has been with the organization for over 30 years, first as a player where he appeared in 3025 FABL games and had 3,496 hits to go with a .322 career average and then since 1928 he has been the club's manager. Ziehl won 4 Whitney Awards as a player and led the Federal Association in batting average on 7 occassions. He never played in a World Championship Series but since taking over as skipper he has led the Gothams to four of them including 1935 when the club won it's first WCS since 1896.

The final inductee played over 1400 FABL games but George Theobald is in the Hall because of what he did after his playing career. He has spent 30 years in a big league dugout as manager first with Boston and later Detroit while guiding his clubs to 4 WCS titles which ties him with current New York Stars skipper Bill Craigen for the most WCS wins. Theobald's record 2237 career wins as a manager was recently surpassed by the now-retired Ossie Julious. That should change soon as Theobald, despite being 75 years old, was lured out of retirement by the Detroit Dynamos - a club he is a minority owner of - and back into the dugout following the abrupt retirement of Max Morris a couple of months ago.

It was also announced that the Hall of Fame will add new players each January and that going forward the nominees will be determined by a vote of club executives and media members who cover the league.

CHAMPS HAVE HOLE TO FILL WITH BARRELL'S SUDDEN DEPARTURE

With the sudden announcement that Dan Barrell's playing career is over the Brooklyn Kings are left with a big hole in their lineup. Barrell spent most of the past six seasons patrolling the area around first base at Kings County Ballpark and while his defense was suspect to say the least, he did provide a solid bat in the lineup hitting at a .320 clip for his career. The 33 year old was an all-star in 1936 when he had a career high .354 batting average and helped the Kings to the first of two consecutive Continental Association pennants. He was a key factor in Brooklyn's first ever World Championship Series victory, hitting .500 (8-for-16) as the Kings knocked off Pittsburgh in 5 games last October.

While not entirely unexpected the timing of Barrell's decision did catch the Kings brass off-guard. Brooklyn had known it was just a matter of time before Barrell's knee would give out for good but as the calendar turned to 1938 the Kings had expected the 33 year old to return for at least one more season. Instead Barrell decided the timing was right for him to move into another phase of his baseball life. So where do the Kings go from here?

Brooklyn did make overtures to St Louis last month when the Pioneers talked about the possibility of moving Fred McCormick but in truth the Kings did not have the assets available to get such a deal done. There is a chance they may still explore a trade but the most likely scenario is one of Brooklyn's deep crop of outfielders gets shifted to first base. Doug Lightbody, another aging star who's body is on the verge of failing him, has spent some time at first in the past and might be an option. Veteran Joe Perret is another candidate, as is the chance that Frank Vance makes the shift from third to first, or possibly even rising young star Alf Pestilli. Odds are it won't be Pestilli as the Kings really only need a short-term solution to their first base woes as highly touted prospect Tiny Tim Hopkins continues to work his way up the system.

Brooklyn does not have a deep collection of minor league talent but they do have a pair of top 100 prospects in Joe Herman and Jim Lightbody. Herman may be ready this year and does have some experience at first base while Lightbody, the cousin of Kings outfielders Doug and Frank, projects as a very good young second baseman. Lightbody is likely not ready until 1939 but his arrival could force John Langille back to third base which would free up Frank Vance to play first. In the meantime look for Doug Lightbody and Joe Perret to get plenty of reps at the position in spring training.

QUICK HITS

Near tragedy in Boston as young Minutemen infielder Joe Nichols fell off his roof and there were originally fears he might be paralyzed. Fortunately the diagnosis came back much better but the 25 year old will miss all of the 1938 season with a broken back and a head injury. Doctors are optimistic Nichols may be able to resume his career at some point. The 16th overall selection out of Golden Gate University in 1934 has spent the past two plus seasons in Boston, hitting .278 in 293 games.
The Chicago Chiefs are dealing with an injury setback to 25 year old centerfielder Bennie Griffith. The 1934 fifth overall selection blew out his elbow in August and now there are question on whether he will be ready for opening day. Griffith had a strong season in 1936, hitting .300, but struggled thru an injury plagued campaign last season that limited him to 62 games and a .225 batting average.
Chicago Cougars prospect Bill Scott has decided to retire but says it has nothing to do with the rash of injuries he has suffered in his first 4 seasons of pro ball. The 22 year old, who recently cracked the top 50 prospect list, has decided to quit the game in order to pursue a pro basketball career. Scott was a 1933 7th round pick out of high school and went 5-5 for Class A Lincoln last season despite missing more than 2 months with a bad back. He was a three sport star in high school and by all accounts could have gone on to succeed in any sport when he graduated but he chose baseball. Now he feels he made a mistake and says his heart has always been with basketball.
Boston prospect Joe Sargent has been a rapid riser up the OSA rankings. The 19 year old lefthander who was selected in the 6th round of the 1936 draft by the Minutemen out of nearby Everett (MA) High School has moved up to #30 in the latest top 100 prospect list. He is expected to get a shot at AAA this season despite looking overmatched in A ball as a rookie pro. Boston execs feel he has added some velocity and might be ready for the challenge.
Looks like Bob Worley might get another shot at the big leagues. The Detroit Dynamos acquired the 29 year old former Montreal Saint from Sacramento in the Indy trade window. Worley split last season between Fort Worth of the Lone Star Association and the Great Western League's Sacramento Governors while hitting a professional league high 57 homeruns. He had previously spent parts of six seasons in Montreal batting just .242 with 39 homers in 497 big league games. Montreal's Parc Cartier was not the type to showcase Worley's power and Detroit's Thompson Field is not much better for the lefthanded hitting outfielder. There is some talk the Dynamos may look to move Worley to another team although we are not sure if he has much value as the prodigious power numbers he amassed last season were in two of the more homer friendly minor league parks for lefthanded batters.
Hardin Bates recently returned to the New York Gothams after the club claimed him on waivers from Detroit. Bates won an Allen Award in 1934 and helped the Gothams win the WCS the following year but he has gone 13-28 with an era approaching 6.00 over the past two seasons. He has just turned 31 and will provide some veteran leadership to a very young Gothams team and who knows, maybe he can recapture whatever it is that allowed him to go 75-53 over 161 starts with New York.
Another member of the Gothams 1935 title team is on the move as Gary Harris has ended up in Brooklyn. The 29 year old, who led the Fed in saves (13) and relief appearances (60) in 1936 was picked up by Detroit on waivers and then immediately flipped to Brooklyn for a late round draft pick. Harris has made 168 FABL appearances, all with the Gothams and all in relief, posting a 22-23 career record. He played his high school ball in Brooklyn and was originally selected by Montreal in the 10th round of the 1926 draft.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 01/21/1938

Pope Pius sends a message to German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler that mankind calls for peace, to which Hitler replies he pledges to "honorably and confidently" co-operate with all nations.
The Japanese Cabinet declares it's efforts in the conflict with China must continue to it's "ultimate objective." Editorials in the newspaper Tomiuri warn the United States and Britain must not get involved in the conflict.
In a move aimed at halting the recession and stabilize business President Roosevelt has invited leaders of the largest US industries to the White House for a thorough discussion of business conditions.
There is speculation that FDR is considering supporting the nomination of a woman to the Supreme Court. If it happens Circuit Judge Florence E. Allen would become the first female Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Jiggs McGee · 07-30-2021, 10:52 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

January 21, 1938 - Off-Season Edition

1938 EARLY PREVIEW

Spring training is still over a month away so there might well be more change coming but already a number of very talented ballplayers have switched teams over the winter. As of this writing you have to credit the Chicago Chiefs as doing the most to improve their pennant chances. The Chiefs, winners of the 1936 WCS, have added talented infielder Hank Barnett and veteran pitcher Jim Lonardo with each coming at a very minimal cost and as a result TWIFB has the Chiefs pegged as the early favourites in the Federal Association. While a number of Fed teams were quite busy so far this off-season, the teams in the Continental Association have, for the most part, been slumbering with only Baltimore's move to add slugging corner infielder Ken Mayhugh being considered a major acquisition. The Cannons should be improved this season but still won't challenge for the pennant which we expect will be another tight battle between the two-time defending CA champion Brooklyn Kings and the Philadelphia Sailors, who finished second to Brooklyn both times.

A lot can still change between now and Opening Day but here is how This Week in Figment Baseball sees the races at this point in time.

1-CHICAGO CHIEFS: If Jim Lonardo still has something left in his now 33 year old arm, and we are betting the 3 time Allen Award winner certainly does, the Chiefs rotation will be the best in FABL. Rabbit Day (18-13, 3.23) was inconsistent at times - at least compared to the Rabbit Day we have come to know - and a more solid 1938 is likely in store. Add in his former Gothams teammate Lonardo as well as Al Miller (19-13, 3.49), who's sophomore campaign was a bit of a drop off from his sensational rookie year but still better than 90% of the pitchers in the game, and the Chiefs are a team to be feared. Reuniting ex-Saints infielder Hank Barnett with his old manager in Montreal is another nice move at a cost of 2 pitchers the Chiefs could easily afford. The only concern is centerfield and will Bennie Griffith's elbow hold up but Chicago took steps to address that with the aquisition of another ex-Saint in Bob Worley, who hit 57 homers in the minors last season.
ADDED - Jim Lonardo P (8-19, 4.25), Hank Barnett 2B-3B (.276,19,95), Bob Worley (minor leagues)
LOST - Ron Coles P (8-6, 3.75), Bob Walls P (1-4, 5.40)

2- PITTSBURGH MINERS: The decision to move slugging 3B Ed Stewart was a bit of a surprise but the Miners must feel confident that Ray Cochran (.349,5,34) - a mid-season waiver pickup- can do the job full-time after a strong showing in the second half of 1937. In Sandoval and McCarthy the Miners add a pair of young arms that will round out the rotation this season and will be counted on heavily going forward. The defending champs will have their work cut out for them to keep pace with Chicago while trying to hold off several teams that are hot on their heels.
ADDED - Luis Sandoval P (3-3, 3.46), Ray McCarthy P (1-4, 6.21)
LOST - Ed Stewart 3B (.263,23,101)

3- BOSTON MINUTEMEN: Last season was an incredibly tight race among the top six Federal Association clubs and while we feel Chicago will distance itself from the pack the race for 2nd thru 6th will be just as tight this time around as it was a year ago. The Minutemen picked up 22 year old John Edwards, a pitcher with quite a future ahead of him, from Baltimore over the winter. The cost was heavy in talented young slugger Ken Mayhugh but with Edwards and young ace Dick Higgins the top of the Boston rotation should be set for years to come. It would take an awful lot going right, and much of it centered around often injured first baseman Bob Donoghue staying healthy, for the Minutemen to challenge for the pennant, but they will be right in the mix for second place.
ADDED -John Edwards P(11-19, 4.42)
LOST - Ken Mayhugh 3B (.299,17,82)

4- PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES: While Chicago, Boston and Pittsburgh made moves the Keystones have been very quiet this winter. That might change soon as their are rumours circulating Philadelphia is willing to part with one of it's 3 veteran arms (Art Myers, Ed Baker or Frank Crawford) for offensive help but for no nothing has really changed from the club that finished 2 games back of Pittsburgh a year ago. Without an upgrade it is quite conceivable the Keystones fall to 6th place especially if veteran first baseman Rankin Kellogg (.252,19,80) has another rough start but they could also finish as high as second if things come together.
ADDED - Bobby McHenry OF (.203,0,4)
LOST - Earl Farrar P (1-1, 9.64), Bill Groom OF (.208,0,3),Ed Petty P (0-0, 4.50)

5- WASHINGTON EAGLES: Like Philadelphia, the Eagles have been very quiet this off-season, perhaps feeling their outstanding finish is a sign of things to come next season. Offense is certainly not an issue with probably the best lineup 1-8 in the Fed but their pitching is hit and miss. The big question is which Bill Anderson will show up on the mound for the Eagles? The one who won 20 games in 1936 and finished 1937 by going 4-0 with a 2.05 era or the one who was awful for the first four months of last season? Anderson's performance in 1938 will go a long ways towards determining the Eagles fate.
ADDED - None
LOST - None

6- ST LOUIS PIONEERS: St Louis might have missed it's opportunity to become a true contender this season. The Pioneers stood pat early in the off-season and watched Chicago and Boston each add a quality arm. The Pioneers offense is strong but their pitching is up and down which prompted them to shop all-star first baseman Fred McCormick in hopes of landing an elite young arm. The issue is there are not a lot of those available and the one that was, Baltimore's John Edwards, was moved to one of the Pioneers main competitors a month before St Louis decided to start looking for a trade. There is plenty of offense on the banks of the Mississippi but the question is how far will the arms of Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee take the Pioneers. They have had a few close calls recently including back to back second place finishes in 1934 and 1935 but you can't help but feel the window is slowly closing on this group.
ADDED - None
LOST - Jack Richardson P (5-8, 5.75)

7- DETROIT DYNAMOS: You have to give the Dynamos credit as they made a lot of moves over the winter, and we are only halfway through it. Stewart should help the offense and Wheeler and Coles have the makings of decent pitchers but all eyes in Detroit will be on youngsters Sal Pestilli and Red Johnson. Pestilli is looking to follow up on an all-star rookie season and Johnson is just 20 years old but a very highly anticipated slugger. Detroit won't be in the mix to win a pennant this season but they will be a lot of fun to watch and their offense should be much improved from the team that finished 7th in runs scored last season.
ADDED - Manager George Theobald, Ed Stewart 3B (.263,23,101), Charlie Wheeler P (7-10, 4.58),Erv Smith SS (.245,0,41), Ron Coles P (8-6, 3.75), Bob Walls P (1-4, 5.40), Jack Richardson P (5-8, 5.75),
LOST - Manager/1B Max Morris (.251,9,52), Chuck Murphy P (14-16, 3.78), Ray McCarthy P (1-4, 6.21), Karl Wallace P (2-1, 3.24), Frank Davis SS (.270,1,22), Hardin Bates P (7-13, 5.40)

8- NEW YORK GOTHAMS: You thought last year was bad Gothams fans? Wait until you see what happens this year. The club may be challenged to win 50 games this time around. The only good thing is there is help around the corner as the Gothams have amassed an incredible group of young prospects but most will not be ready until the year after the Gothams new stadium in Astoria Park debuts in 1939.
ADDED - Hardin Bates P (7-13, 5.40)
LOST - Jim Lonardo P (8-19, 4.25), Charlie Wheeler P (7-10, 4.58), Erv Smith SS (.245,0,41), Johnnny McDowell 3B (.305,0,34), Gary Harris P (3-7, 7.80)

The CA was spooky quiet compared to the Federal Association over the winter. The previously mentioned Baltimore Cannons big trade with Boston was the only impact move made.

1- BROOKLYN KINGS: The Kings appeared prepared to send virtually the exact same roster on to the field for 1938 that won the last two CA pennants. That changed slightly with late news that Dan Barrell's bad knee has had enough and the 34 year old has decided to retire. That leaves a hole at first base but the Kings should have little trouble filling it with one of their surplus of outfielders.
ADDED - Gary Harris P (3-7, 7.80)
LOST- Dan Barrell 1B (.305,11,71)

2- PHILADELPHIA SAILORS: The Sailors did add a solid pitcher in Chuck Murphy and while it certainly lacks the excitement of a Jim Lonardo or John Edwards deals, it might be just enough to lift Philadelphia past the Kings. At this point it is likely a toss up between the two teams that finished deadlocked after 154 games a year ago and injuries quite likely will be the deciding factor this time around.
ADDED - Chuck Murphy P (14-16, 3.78),
LOST - David Merchant OF (.000,0,0), Ben Yancy P (0-0, 9.00), John Kincaid 3B (.222,1,25)

3- CHICAGO COUGARS: The Cougars are coming is something we have mentioned for a couple of years now. They took a big step forward last season improving from two straight 6th place finishes to 3rd in 1937. They are likely on the verge of a pennant run and it could be this season if all goes right but perhaps 1939, when they move into a new stadium, will be the year to celebrate for Cougars fans. The devastating injuries to former ace Tommy Wilcox set the franchise way back but his replacement is nearly here. Pete Papenfus is just 19 years old but the best pitching prospect in the game and just might make his big league debut sometime late in the 1938 season.
ADDED - Johnny McDowell 3B (.305,0,34)
LOST - Luis Sandoval P (3-3, 3.46)

4- CLEVELAND FORESTERS: A very quiet off-season so far for the Foresters who seem to be on a downswing as their offensive stars age. There are still a pair of elite pitchers in Dean Astle and Sergio Gonzales so there is always a chance Cleveland catches fire but it is looking like the club is starting to pay the pirce for loading up on talent a couple of years back. It was certainly worth it as they won a pair of pennants and the first World Championship in franchise history but there may be some lean years ahead.
ADDED - NONE
LOST - NONE

5- BALTIMORE CANNONS: The Cannons string of 4 straight last place finishes might finally come to an end as their young pitchers begin to mature and they have finally taken some steps to upgrade their anemic offense. They are still a long ways from making the first division, something the Cannons last accomplished in 1931, but the building blocks are there.
ADDED- Ken Mayhugh 3B (.299,17,82)
LOST- John Edwards P(11-19, 4.42)

6- MONTREAL SAINTS: The addition of Frank Davis should be a huge upgrade defensively for Montreal and will certainly help the worst pitching stats in the CA but the Saints just seem like one of those teams that is forever stuck in the middle of the pack. Montreal has not finished higher than third place in the CA since they won the pennant in 1921 and they have only finished 7th or 8th twice in the past 16 years so what you get is a team that consistently lands in the middle of league. This season won't be much different but an improving Baltimore club likely drops the Saints to sixth.
ADDED - Karl Wallace P (2-1, 3.24), Frank Davis SS (.270,1,22)
LOST - Hank Barnett 3B (.276,19,95)

7- TORONTO WOLVES: Like their Canadian cousins in Montreal the Toronto Wolves have not seen much success over the past couple of decades. In fact, Toronto has the worst record in all of baseball since the modern era (human GMs) began in 1926. The club does have some talent, particularly on the mound in Otis Cook and Joe Hancock and there is some very good talent in the farm system so the current management has the club on the right path. 1939 could be a great season for the Wolves if highly touted prospects George Garrison and Ockie Holliday - each of whom might debut sometime in the second half of the upcoming season - can approach their lofty expectations.
ADDED - NONE
LOST - Birdie Smith P (2-7, 4.64)

8- NEW YORK STARS: Poor pitching and lack of offense are a recipe for disaster and the current group of Stars look like master chefs in that regard. The Stars have two straight 7th place finishes and have not finished last in the CA since 1919 but there is a good chance that streak comes to an end this season. ADDED - None
LOST - Dick Luedtke P (5-5, 5.51), Rollie Beal P (2-8, 6.24), Bobby McHenry OF (.203,0,4)

Jiggs McGee · 08-02-2021, 02:31 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

February 28, 1938 OFF-SEASON

MORE MOVES IN FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

After a fairly quiet off-season up to this point both the St Louis Pioneers and Philadelphia Keystones pulled off major trades a few weeks before the start of spring training. News broke rapidly this morning first from St Louis where it was announced that Frank McCormick (.373,20,97), arguably the best first baseman in the game today, was dispatched to Toronto for a handful of pitchers. Then a short time later the Keystones pulled off a very surprising move, parting with 24 year old third baseman Frank LeMieux (.315,2,79) and veteran pitcher Frank Crawford (9-13, 3.76) in order to add a highly touted prospect out of the Detroit Dynamos system.

Reaction around the league was one of surprise as both moves seemed to come out of the blue although reports out of Detroit had been hinting the Dynamos would soon part with one of their solid collection of young sluggers. After being shopped unsuccessfully at the winter meetings it appeared St Louis was going to hang on to McCormick, who is a 4-time all-star and was runner-up for the Federal Association Whitney Award twice in his career including last season.

Word out of the Pioneers organization is the deal occurred only because of the death of former St Louis owner Paul Long Jr., who passed away last month. He took over the team from his dad in 1911 and was instrumental in the move that brought Max Morris to St Louis in 1920 and also the trade that sent Morris to the New York Gtohams in 1931 for a package of prospects that included McCormick. He reportedly overruled any move the Pioneers wanted to make with McCormick at the winter meetings but after his death the club was purchased by coal baron George Sackey, who previously had a minority interest in the team. Sackey, who will likely be far less involved in personnel decisions than his predecessor, gave the go ahead to the St Louis management team and the deal involving McCormick was quickly finalized.

McCormick will certainly be missed in the St Louis lineup but the Pioneers are confident 25 year old Zip Sullivan, who hit .317 in a 39 game trial last season, can step in and fill McCormick's large shoes at first base. The 6'6" Sullivan has had quite a rise through the Pioneers system after originally being selected in the 23rd round of the 1930 draft. He is a solid hitter but the knock on him is perhaps he does not provide the power a team might like in a first baseman. Regardless, it was clear the Pioneers needed to do something drastic in order to remain relevant in the highly competitive Federal Association and this move certainly qualifies as that.

Along with McCormick the Pioneers also dispatched 28 year old backup catcher Clarence Howerton (.343,0,15) north of the border. In return St Louis hopes it added the pitching depth necessary to compete with the other teams that made upgrades at that position over the winter. Coming to the Pioneers from Toronto are major league pitchers Otis Cook (18-12, 3.64) and Jake Smith (12-13, 3.27) along with minor league hurlers Buddy Long and Russ Peeples. In addition the Wolves also sent AA outfielder Les Hendrix to St Louis.

The 31 year old Cook and 28 year old Smith are both lefthanders and should settle into the rotation nicely behind Sam Sheppard (22-15, 4.20) and David Abalo (17-13, 4.27) with Dixie Lee (16-15, 4.53) also in the mix. The prize of the deal might turn out to be the 23 year old Long, who had an impressive 13-11, 2.63 season in AAA Buffalo a year ago. A top 25 prospect, Long might crack the Opening Day roster if he has a solid spring. Hendrix also looks like a good prospect as OSA has him ranked 51st at the moment. He provides well above average defense in center field and should be a solid big league hitter.

The deal is interesting from Toronto's perspective as well. Attendance and offensive production have been an issue for the Wolves and the arrival of the extremely popular McCormick should help on both fronts. There might be some short term pain as Toronto's pitching looks woefully thin this year but it also might open the door for highly touted prospect George Garrison, who was 18-12 at AA a year ago, to make his big league debut.

The Keystones move is perhaps even a bigger surprise than the St Louis trade. There is no question that Hank Koblenz is a terrific young prospect but he is likely not ready to contribute in Philadelphia this season which causes one to wonder if the deal is actually a step back for the Keystones. Philadelphia Assistant General Manager George Mitchell took exception to media speculation that the Keystones were conceding the Fed pennant this season in order to better prepare themselves for the future.

"I wouldn't say we're weaker," Mitchell stated at the press conference introducing Koblenz. "I'd say we are making room for good young arms who can help now and adding a long-term piece that might get here sooner rather than later. LeMieux is a good young player, but you have to give something to get something. We are going for sustained success to stay ahead the game and if that means we have to say good-bye to a 4-win player to get there, we are prepared to do that. We do already have internal options, as Howie Shifflett, Cy Cox, and Rabbit Forrest will all have a chance at 3B, as well as (rookie George) Wright."

Koblenz, who played at three levels last season (B,A and AA) has outstanding power potential and smacked 26 homers in 138 games last year. He is 21 years old and was selected 5th overall in the 1935 draft after an outstanding prep career at Milwaukee (WI) High School.

It was the fact that Koblenz is more a power guy than a get on-base hitter that prompted Detroit to make the move. The Dynamos have a number of power guys already in their lineup and the thought of adding a terrific table setter in the 24 year old LeMieux made perfect sense. The veteran Crawford, who was 70-63 over 7 seasons in Philadelphia, gives the Dynamos a dependable arm to slot into their rotation.

As mentioned above rumours of a deal involving a prospect had been coming out of Detroit the past few days but the move still comes as a surprise with Koblenz being the third outstanding young prospect the Dynamos have dealt this winter, joining highly touted catcher Pete Casstevens, a 19 year old who was sent to the New York Gothams and 21 year old shortstop Frank Davis who was moved to Montreal.

This does look like a deal that will help both teams, at least in the long run. Detroit needed a player like LeMieux to get on base for boppers Sal Pestilli, Leon Drake and Red Johnson to drive home and Crawford does help strengthen their pitching staff. The thinking is Koblenz can become a star in Philadelphia but one can't help but feel, despite the organization's objections, the 1938 version of the Keystones is weaker now than it was a week ago. Not so much by the loss of Crawford as there is young pitching that looks ready in Philadelphia but it will be tough to replace LeMieux if the youngster duplicates his last year numbers. There is also worry the window on the Keystones might be closing as one can't help but think based on prolonged slumps each of the past two seasons that Rankin Kellogg is slowing down rapidly. Perhaps Kellogg is slowing down and the Keystones know it, figuring this move made sense as the club would be hard pressed to duplicate it's second place finish a year ago anyway so the timing was right to take a small step backwards in order to have Koblenz perhaps penciled in as the power-hitting heir to Kellogg.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 02/28/1938

Prime Minister Chamberlain of Britain urges peace talks needed with Italy to prevent war in Europe.
Hitler gave a three-hour internationally broadcast speech in the Reichstag vowing to protect German minorities outside of the Reich and reiterating demands for restoration of German colonies.
Colorado Senator Adams says Hitler's escalation of foreign poliy "will make it easier for Congress to vote a big navy" adding it is advisable the US Navy be big enough to protect both coasts.
China uses Russian supplied planes to bomb Japanese island colony of Formosa.
In entertainment news the comedy duo of Abbott & Costello made their radio debut.

Jiggs McGee · 08-04-2021, 12:54 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

March 28, 1938 - Spring Training

BASEBALL IS BACK!

After what seemed like an exceptionally long winter all is right in the world again (well, unless you look to Europe or the Far East) as spring training is underway. There is plenty of excitement in the air as all 16 teams, well perhaps not the woeful New York Gothams, eye the possibilities the year ahead might bring. For most of them those hopes will be dashed, and for some as early as mid-May, but for others this might finally be "the year" as it was last season for the Brooklyn Kings who claimed their first World Championship title in team history.

Speaking of the Kings, it was a rough first week for the champs. Not in the standings where Brooklyn won 5 of 7 games but it came at a cost as WCS Most Valuable Player John Langille was injured in the second game of the season. Minor league pitcher Herb White also suffered a back injury in the same game and it will sideline the recent pickup from the Pittsburgh organization for two months but all the talk afterwards in the Brooklyn clubhouse surrounded Langille, who will miss a month with a broken finger after being plunked by a pitch from Cleveland farmhand Eddie Amoroso in the 9th inning.

Brooklyn manager Powell Slocum was livid afterwards and it is clear the rivalry with Cleveland is still very much alive despite the Foresters struggles the past two Septembers. "He is barely a triple-A pitcher," shouted Slocum afterwards. "For cripes sake, the bum hit 26 batters last year in the minors. I get Cleveland is not the team they used to be but they have to be better than that. Trotting out some bush leaguer who couldn't hit the plate if he was sittin' at the dinner table."

The Kings and Foresters have had quite a rivalry going as they battled for several pennants in recent years but it turned bitter last season when the Kings took exception to a rolling slide from Charlie Berry that knocked shortstop Harry Barrell out for two weeks last July.

Langille's injury was just one of several that cropped up last week. Pitchers Jim Taylor (12-10, 4.60) of the Boston Minutemen St Louis Pioneers George DeForest (3-0, 4.24) are both out with shoulder troubles. Taylor should be back in a couple of weeks but DeForest will be sidelined for most of the season. Shoulder troubles will also keep New York Stars reliever Tom Fitzgerald (5-3, 2.66) out of the lineup until May.

AROUND THE CAMPS

Here is a quick note or two on some of the spring happenings:

Chicago Chiefs catcher Tom Bird had a breakout season last year with a career best 24 homers, doubling his previous season's output. It looks like the 29 year old might have found yet another gear this season as he smacked 4 round-trippers in his first 5 spring games this time around. Bird shares the early spring homer lead with veteran Cleveland outfielder Dan Fowler.
John Herrick is doing his best to show the Toronto Wolves they made a mistake dealing for all-star first baseman Fred McCormick. Herrick a 29 year old who hit 38 homers in 117 games with AAA Buffalo last season, has hit 3 this spring already including a pair of homers in a 5-0 win over Brooklyn yesterday. Herrick has 5 career homers in 302 regular season big league appearances. As for McCormick, the ex-St Louis Pioneer saw limited action in the opening week, but went 2-for-6 with a homer of his own for the Wolves.
24 year old Art Cascone had a nice start as he tries to stick in St Louis full-time. The outfielder, who was a first round pick in 1934, went 8-for-12 in the opening week to lead all FABL hitters in spring batting. He spent all of 1936 in the St Louis outfield but split last season between the Pioneers, for whom hit hit .262, and AAA Oakland.
Tough opening spring day start for new Detroit pitcher Ron Coles who gave up 10 earned runs on 6 hits, 5 walks in 1.2 innings. Fortunately for Dynamo fans he looked much sharper in his 2nd start throwing 4 shut out innings. On the brighter side Frank Crawford and Roger Perry threw 4 inning shutouts in their first spring starts. This week Coles will take a seat (and go to the bullpen) so we will see Jack Wood and Ben Watkins get a start as both looked good in relief outings in the first week.
Its early but shortstop Gil London is trying to show Detroit management that he is ready now for the big leagues. The 23 year old started all 7 games and went 8-17 including 3 walks with a triple, home run 3 RBI's and 4 runs scored. The Dynamos acquired London from the Philadelphia Sailors in exchange for pitcher Chuck Murphy. London struggled at the dish in AAA San Francisco last season, batting just .214 but his defense was outstanding.
It was a rough spring debut for Peter the Heater as he was shelled for 7 runs, although just 2 earned his debut. But he came back nicely with 4 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit with 4 k’s over his next 2 appearances. Pete Papenfus, the Chicago Cougars 19 year old phenom is now considered the number one prospect by OSA.
The decision by the Kings to sign veteran infielder John Kincaid looks even smarter now that John Langille is sidelined. The Kings plan on giving the 33 year old third baseman a shot at second base until Langille returns. Kincaid has played 1542 FABL games but nearly all of them have been at the hot corner. He was signed as insurance in case Brooklyn needed to move Frank Vance from third to first to replace the retired Dan Barrell.
Joe Perrot and Doug Lightbody, the two Brooklyn outfielders vying for the vacant first base job, each had a slow start at the plate. Perrot was hitting just .143 with Lightbody not faring much better at .154. The expectation does remain that one of the two, likely Perrot, will be at first base when the Kings open their season April 19th against the New York Stars.
The key pieces in the big Boston-Baltimore trade over the winter each got off to slow starts. 22 year old John Edwards, who was 11-19 for the Cannons a year ago, gave up 6 earned runs in 8 innings of work over his first two starts with the Minutemen. Ken Mayhew (.299,17,82), a 26 year old third baseman, went just 3-for-20 in his first week with the Cannons.
Nice week for Mahlon Strong, who is being transitioned from the outfield to first base by the Pittsburgh Miners. The often injured 28 year old went 4-for-10 with 3 homers in the opening week of spring action. Strong's talent has never come in to question, but durability has always been a concern. He was limited to just 29 games a year ago because of several injuries.

JAPANESE LEAGUE JOINS FABL UNIVERSE

Something new for baseball fans this season as a major league has been formed in Japan. The 6-team loop is perhaps a grooming ground for future FABL General Manager's but beyond that it will have no ties to North American baseball. With Japan's clashes with China and Russia and growing tension with Britain and America there will not be any North American players permitted in the league. In fact the league is entirely composed of Japanese born players with one notable exception. Ivan Rustoff is a 21 year old catcher for the Osaka Sailors and was born in Vladivostok, Russia but he grew up in Japan as his family did move across the Sea of Okhotsk to Sapporo, Japan when he was a child.

The Kobe Bulls are favoured in the league which will play a split season schedule. Other teams are the Kyoto Bears, Nagoya Owls, Osaka Sailors, Tokyo Cannons and Yokohama Kingfishers.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 02/28/1938

[LIST][*]British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain says his government "emphatically" disapproves of Germany's invasion of Austria but that "nothing could have prevented this action by Germany unless we and others with us had been prepared to use force to prevent it."[*]Chamberlain made an important foreign policy speech in the British House of Commons, saying Britain would fight for France and Belgium if they were attacked but making no such guarantee for Czechoslovakia. [*]The Japanese government passed the National Mobilization Bill, giving the state dictatorial powers over the economy.[*]1200 die in rebel air raids in Barcelona. It was the most deadly bombing to date in the Spanish War.[*]President Roosevelt has formed a committee focused on loans to industry, particularly small business in an effort to stimulate the American economy.

Jiggs McGee · 08-05-2021, 08:53 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

April 4, 1938 - Spring Training

NO PANIC IN CHICAGO DESPITE CHIEFS SLOW START

Spring training is always full of ups and downs that typically level out once the games begin for real in April. Fans of the New York Stars should not be dreaming of a return to the first division for their club for the first time since 1934 just because the Stars are tied for the best record in the Continental Association after two weeks of spring games. A similar message is ringing out of Whitney Park calling for calm and saying the Chicago Chiefs horrid 3-10 start to spring means nothing in the big picture.

"No worries in Chicago," preaches Chiefs bench boss Joe Ward. "A lot of the runs being given up by the pitching staff have been by arms that will not be going north with the club. Lonardo and Miller have been great. Day had 2 good starts, 1 clunker. Bird hit another home run last week."

That line of thinking certainly makes sense as most clubs are carrying close to a dozen players that will not get a sniff of a big league ballpark this season so results are very much skewed. It is interesting how fans and team managers are so quick to cherry pick the positive information and playdown any negative trends just as Ward did in the quote above with his praise for catcher Tom Bird. Don't get me wrong, Bird is an exceptional ballplayer and possibly the best catcher in the league right now but if Ward deflects his pitching staff's struggles by stating the woes are for the most part confined to players who will end up in AAA then must the same grain of salt not be applied when talking about how Tom Bird leads the majors with 5 homers. We are not singling out Ward here as every skipper does the same but rather just noting how self-filtering the view might be when wearing spring training blinders.

QUICK TOUR AROUND THE LEAGUE

Here are some notes on what is happening with each of FABL's 16 ballclubs this week.
BALTIMORE CANNONS-Rufus Barrell, who has been considered the future of baseball in Baltimore ever since he was selected first overall in the 1935 draft, looks like he might be major league ready judging by his first two spring starts. Deuce gave up 2 runs on 3 hits over 4 innings in losing his spring debut 2-1 to the New York Stars and was even better in his second appearance: limiting the Cleveland Foresters to 2 hits while tossing 4 shutout innings in a 7-2 Cannons win on Thursday. The Cannons have given no indication either way on where Barrell, who split last season between Class B and A, ends up but they certainly have an opening in their rotation following the dealing of John Edwards to Boston.

BOSTON MINUTEMEN- While much of the focus in Boston is on how the rotation will look with newcomer Edwards joining Dick Higgins at the top it would be wise not to overlook Ed Wood. The 29 year old lefthander won 20 games two years ago but slipped to 13-17 last season. Wood began the spring with 2 very solid outings and was not too bad in his third start despite surrendering a 3-run homer to the Chiefs Tom Bird. If Boston is going to come out on top this year in what should be a very tight Federal Association race they will need each of their big 3 pitchers rolling.

BROOKLYN KINGS- John Kincaid looks like he might find new life in Brooklyn after the Kings picked up the 33 year old infielder off the free agent scrap heap a couple weeks before camp began. Kincaid is likely going to start the season at second base with John Langille expected to miss the first week or two recovering from a broken finger. The defending WCS champs should also be very happy with the spring lead-off man Bill May is having. The 25 year old center fielder saw his production dip last season but has come to camp with a great mindset and is one of the hardest workers on the roster. The same optimism is not in place for catcher Fred Barrell. While his defense has never been questioned, Barrell saw his batting average dip by almost 100 points over the previous season and is in an awful funk right now with just 1 hit in 29 spring at bats.

CHICAGO CHIEFS- Tom Bird is the talk of camp and with good reason. The 30 year old catcher has 5 homers and 10 rbi's to go along with a .333 batting average in 8 spring games. He has hit over .300 each of the past three seasons and added power to his repertoire last year with 24 round-trippers. It is hard to argue with OSA who ranks Bird as the top catcher in the game.
Newcomer Jim Lonardo has looked very good in spring action but there may be some concerns about Jack Beach, who has had a rough start. The back-end of the Chiefs staff will get plenty of scrutiny this season as they did lose some depth by moving a couple of pitchers to Detroit to add infielder Hank Barnett over the winter.

CHICAGO COUGARS- The Cougars won 4 of 6 games this week to improve their spring mark to 6-7. The good news in Chicago is the bats started to heat up, especially Ray Ford, who followed up a strong first week with a 8-for-13 week. He doubled three times, homered, scored three times, and drove in four. Carlos Montes was 7-for-16 with a triple, homer, run, two steals, and two RBI's. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-15 with a pair of solo homers while Ivan Cameron was 3-for-10 with a double, two homers, and 4 RBI's.

CLEVELAND FORESTERS- The Foresters had a rough week dropping 5 of 6 games and at 5-8 are now 7th amongst CA teams this spring. The good news is catcher T.R. Goins is having a solid start to the spring which hopefully indicates the 37 year old can rebound from a down season (at least by his lofty standards) last year. Another aging veteran who is relied on heavily to provide offense in 39 year old Charlie Berry. Berry's averaged slipped to .313 a year ago - his lowest season total since 1927 but the Foresters feel he still has plenty to give the club this season.

DETROIT DYNAMOS- There is plenty to look forward to for Detroit fans this season. Red Johnson hopes to be this year's dominant rookie following in the footsteps of Sal Pestilli. Johnson is having a nice start to the spring and will be the everyday first baseman in a much improved infield that also includes veteran trade acquisitions Ed Stewart (.263,23,101 for Pittsburgh last year) at second and ex-Keystone Frank LeMieux (.315,2,79) manning the hot corner. Shortstop might just end up being the domain of rookie Gil London as the 23 year old who was acquired from the Philadelphia Sailors over the winter is having a great camp. Add in an outfield that features Pestilli and Leon Drake and there will be plenty of fireworks at Thompson Field this summer.

MONTREAL SAINTS-Finally some positive momentum for the Saints, who won their last two games after opening the Grapefruit schedule with a 1-10 record. Long time minor leaguer Nellie Dawson is making a bid to stick with the Saints after starting the spring with a .370 batting average. It has been a long road filled with plenty of time in the minors for Dawson, who was selected 13th overall by the Saints back in 1929 but has just 86 big league at bats on his resume.

NEW YORK GOTHAMS- Bud Jameson is certainly not the player he once was but the 34 year old first baseman may have some value off the bench. The longest tenured active Gotham hit 3 pinch-hit homers in the first 2 weeks of spring. Manager Ed Ziehl, now a Hall of Famer, says Jameson will see action with the club this year.
"Bud still can hit lefties so he’ll play some. Dick Canfield looks to have won the battle for first shot on the long side of a platoon. He’s hit for a good average through the minors until he got to Toledo." The Gothams organization had tried to get him to add some power to his game and it messed up his swing. A couple of weeks ago Ziehl told him, “Don’t worry about homers kid, just go hit.” It’s worked so far this spring.

NEW YORK STARS- Thanks to some pretty solid pitching the Stars find themselves tied with Baltimore and Brooklyn for the best spring record among CA teams. Vets Les Zoller and Harry Carter have pitched well but the real surprise so far has been the showing of a trio of youngsters who spent most of last season in AAA. 24 year old Glenn Payne, who spent a little time with the big club last year, along with a pair of 23 year old's in Frank Gordon and Vern Hubbard are all pushing to stick with the big club. Hubbard, a 1932 fourth round pick, is the one who appears to have the highest ceiling of the three. He is presently listed as #34 on the OSA top prospect rankings.

PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES- The good: Third baseman George Wright is having a nice spring and looking to make fans forget about Frank LeMieux who was dealt to Detroit over the winter. The bad: three time Whitney Award winner Rankin Kellogg has just 1 extra base hit (a double) and is batting .250 after 29 spring plate appearances. A strong start from Kellogg is certainly needed in what promises to be a very difficult Fed race.

PHILADELPHIA SAILORS- Chuck Murphy, who the Sailors acquired from Detroit over the winter, had a tough return to the Continental Association. The former Brooklyn King got shelled in his spring debut, allowing 6 hits including a pair of homers and 8 runs against in an inning and a third vs Cleveland. He was a little better his second outing but there may be questions if he can fit it at the bottom of the Sailors rotation. The 28 year old righthander had a career year last season, posting a 14-16 record with a 3.78 era for the Dynamos.

PITTSBURGH MINERS- The Miners won the Fed last season despite playing quite a bit of baseball without Mahlon Strong or George Cleaves. If those two can stay healthy Pittsburgh will have quite an offense. Both are off to a great start this spring with Cleaves hitting .538 after two weeks and Strong batting .375 with 3 homers while he learns how to play first base. Strong's immense talent has never been the issue. The problem is keeping him healthy.

ST. LOUIS PIONEERS-With shortstop Ray Russell sidelined again it becomes even more important for second sacker Freddie Jones to stay healthy. That is easier said than done as Jones has missed close to 100 games over the past two seasons with various injuries. Earl Michael should step in nicely at shortstop in Russell's place but if Jones was to go down as well the Pioneers might have some issues. The Pioneers do have a surplus of starting pitching with 7 pitchers in camp who started at least 10 games last season. Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee were the big three last year and Toronto newcomers Otis Cook and Jake Smith combined to win 30 games for the Wolves. And that is not even counting highly touted 23 year old Buddy Long, who came over with Cook and Smith in the Frank McCormick deal. Long has pitched well in a pair of brief outings this spring.

TORONTO WOLVES- Despite dealing a good chunk of their rotation to St Louis the future on the mound is looking pretty good for the Wolves. 25 year old Joe Hancock, a 20 game winner a year ago, remains the staff ace and has yet to allow a run in 15 spring innings. 22 year old Jim Morrison and 20 year old George Garrison, both former first round picks just like Hancock, are also enjoying solid springs and both might have a chance to head north with the club. Morrison is likely ready after splitting last season between AA and AAA but the Wolves should not overlook Garrison for promotion to the big club. He was 18-12 for AA Chattanooga last season and tossed 4 scoreless innings in his spring debut against Cleveland.

WASHINGTON EAGLES- The Eagles have once again made it known that they would be willing to part with 2B Andy Carter. The 32 year old two-time All-Star missed all but 1 game last season after blowing out his knee on Opening Day. Carter has looked solid in spring play and says the knee is fine but the Eagles seem focused on keeping 25 year old Johnnie Sundberg at second after he took over for Carter last year. Sundberg is younger and likely a better fielder but hard to part with Carter, who hit .359, or nearly 100 points above Sundberg's total last year, when Carter held the spot in 1936. Washington unsuccessfully attempted to shop Carter during the winter meetings but found no takers. Former fifth overall pick George Gilliard might be nearing the end of his rope in Washington. Now 27, the former top ten prospect has made just 5 big league starts in his career and is struggling in camp and likely to be sent back to AAA Kansas City. A myriad of injuries have derailed what once was a very promising career.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 04/04/1938

Vatican newspaper says that the Austrian Bishops' recent declaration to approve Nazism was made without consent of the Pope.
Spanish insurgents are close to gaining control of electrical power for Barcelona while the Spanish Republic, after being overwhelmed in Aragon, attempts to half the insurgents advance at the Segre River in hopes of preventing the vital hydroelectric dams from falling into Francoist hands.
President Roosevelt surrenders on government reform bill, the compromise gives power to Congress which now requires a simple majority, rather than two-thirds vote of both Houses to veto Presidential reorganization orders.
US Oil companies feel "let down" after Washington agreed to continue talks with Mexico aimed at a friendly settlement over oil exportation. Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas signed an order last month expropriating the assets of nearly all foreign oil companies operating in Mexico.

Jiggs McGee · 08-07-2021, 11:52 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

APRIL 11, 1938 : Spring Training

HAS THE PETE PAPENFUS ERA BEGAN?

COUGARS HURLER HEADLINES BUMPER CROP OF YOUNG ARMS

Pete Papenfus will not celebrate his 20th birthday until a week after the season starts but the teenage pitching phenom seems to have all but assured himself a ticket on the train north when the Chicago Cougars depart Florida for their season opener in Cleveland a week from tomorrow. The Cougars knew they had a great one when Papenfus slipped to them at pick 6 of the 1936 FABL draft but I expect even their management team is surprised with the showing from the righthander so far this spring.

Papenfus seemed to have a few jitters as he struggled in the spring opener against the Philadelphia Sailors but after starting that game he has found a home in the Chicago bullpen where his blazing fastball has overwhelmed many a big league hitter already. Papenfus leads all pitchers with 24 spring strikeouts and a whopping 10.1 K/9 ratio. His spring era is down to 2.11 and his ERA+ (one of those newfangled stats of the future) is a very impressive 190. He is turning heads and reminds many of another teenager who took Chicago by storm a decade ago. That is Milt Fritz, who broke in with the cross-town Chiefs but is now a teammate and mentor to 'Peter the Heater' with the Cougars.

Papenfus has stolen the thunder from another former high school phenom and has overshadowed Rufus Barrell II, despite the fact young 'Deuce' is also making a bid to head north next week. Barrell is a year older than Papenfus, selected first overall in the 1935 draft after winning the Adwell Award as the top high school player in the nation. Deuce has looked good so far in a spring trial with Baltimore after posting a 2-1 record with a 3.00 era but the Cannons have so far not revealed their plans as to where Barrell will begin the campaign.

Those two are not the only promising young hurlers expected to have an impact on the sport going forward as two others are also ranked by OSA as among the ten best prospects in the game. One is George Garrison, who was selected by Toronto two picks after Barrell in 1935. Garrison pitched 4 shutout innings in his only spring appearance, is also just 20 years old but it appears the Wolves are going to take it slow with the Piggott, Arkansas native and have him return to AA Chattanooga, for whom he was 18-12 a year ago. Lloyd Stevens, a 22 year old Philadelphia Keystones prospect who did not pitch with the big club in spring action and appears ticketed for AA New Orleans after spending most of last season in A ball. Rounding out pitchers in the top ten prospects is Bunny Edwards, who the New York Gothams selected immediately following Papenfus in the 1936 draft. Edwards, the lone college player in the group, split his first pro season since leaving Red River State between 3 levels of minors and it appears the 22 year old will begin the 1938 season where he finished 1937 - pitching for the AA Jersey City Uniforms.

QUICK HITS

Here is a quick note or two on some of the spring happenings:[LIST][*]The Rankin Kellogg watch continues in Spring Training - His average has inched up to .265, but the bigger concern is only 2 of his 13 hits this Spring have gone for extra bases. We appear to be witnessing the long, slow decline of a great player...still, he'll never have to pay for a drink in his life in Philadelphia[*]Brooklyn management is starting to become concerned that catcher Fred Barrell is heading down the same path as Kellogg. Barrell got another hit this week, but just 1. The freefall continues for the 2-time all-star catcher. Hit .310 with an OPS+ of 111 in 1936 and then dropped to .211 with a 49 OPS+ last season. This spring he is 2-for-39 for a .051 batting average. Fred is not my worst hitting catcher this spring though as Jim Kyle is 1-for-22 (.045)[*]Speaking of Kyle, baseball's good luck charm, he will likely be placed on waivers by the Kings next week as the final spring cuts are made. Kyle has had an incredible run, despite never been more than a journeyman backup catcher. He has played for 4 WCS winners - taking the crown with a CA club every 3rd year. First it was the Philadelphia Sailors in 1928, followed by the Chicago Cougars in 1931, Cleveland Foresters in 1934 and Brooklyn last October.[*]Newcomers Bob Worley and Hank Barnett both were crushing the ball as the Chicago Chiefs got back on track, posting a 4-3 week after starting the spring with 10 losses in their first 13 contests.[*]Things continue to look up for the Detroit Dynamos as spring training week 3 in the books going 4-3. Sal Pestilli hits a couple of more home runs and the club is now 11-9 this spring.

WHAT LOCAL MEDIA IS SAYING

Here are some excerpts from local newspapers on happenings with the teams they cover.

PHILADELPHIA INQUISITOR

With long-time backstop Carl Ames out until late May, Jake Walton will have the first opportunity to shoulder the catching load. The jury is still out on who the second catcher will be, as Cliff Ray and Charlie Logan are still battling it out. All three catchers have hit below .200 this Spring, so Ames will not have the luxury of being nursed back to health. Walt Potter will be still be ticketed for Louisville, as expected, but a hot start there might garner some consideration for the big club as well.
The most impressive arms in camp have been the youngsters John Perkins and Paul Celis. The most disappointing member of the bullpen has been stalwart Don Attaway. Maybe Attaway is just getting into playing shape, but maybe he might be unseated at the back end of games as the go-to short reliever.
Rule 5 pick RF Bobby McHenry has hit for power in the Spring, with his three round-trippers second on the team to Bobby Barrell's four. He has only hit .262, but slugged .548 with a single strikeout in 42 Spring at-bats. The only drama left in the outfield is figuring out the last man, which is currently among three players: Gary Lucas, Grover Lee, and Tiny Adair.

ST LOUIS GLOBE

Heading into the last four games of spring the Pioneers are still carrying 30 players. Rule V pick up P Donie "one N" Sheuermann has been returned to Detroit despite a decent spring showing. That still leaves the team with 13 pitchers and at least four of those have to go. On the other side three more hitters need to move off the active roster. Due to options issues there will likely be some guys that make the team that were out played in spring camp and some guys that deserve to head north will not.

If spring training is any indication, the trade of Frank McCormick will work out for both clubs. The four players that came over from Toronto have all had outstanding spring showings including the two youngsters OF Les Hendrix(.364 BA) and SP Buddy Long(1.17 ERA)

BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE

Some tough cuts coming up for Kings pitchers. Jack Goff has had a nice camp but the 21 year old is a victim of numbers and having options left so he was farmed out to AAA Rochester. The Kings will likely carry 9 pitchers to start before one gets moved when John Langille returns from the DL. Brooklyn has narrowed down the 14 position players who will make the club as 3b Lee Shapiro, who has not played above AA, gets sent to Rochester next week while Jim Kyle will go on the waiver wire.

That leaves 3 pitchers to be farmed out but it will be a very tough decision. Tom Barrell, Joe Shaffner, Mike Murphy, Art White, Bob Cummings and Del Lyons are assured spots but that leaves Curly Jones, Sonny Coleman, Jim Crawford, Garry Harris, Bert Henggeler and Hank Mittan fighting it out for the final 3 slots. All 5 have looked pretty sharp with Jones perhaps being the least impressive, but he is out of options making the decision on him very difficult. Brooklyn did ease the crunch a little by sending a mid-round draft pick to Pittsburgh in order to have the Rule 5 status dropped from Mittan. As a result the club is free to send the 23 year old lefthander, a New York City native, to Rochester. Mittan has looked very impressive in camp and probably deserves a better fate than a ticket to Rochester but he is a victim of circumstance due to the number of pitchers they Kings have who are out of options.

Ab Thomas looks like he won himself a job in Brooklyn with a .439/.465/.683 camp so far. Thomas was Brooklyn's starting CF from 1927-34 before his defense in the middle OF position dipped and Bill May replaced him. He has spent most of his time since then as a corner OF in Rochester and had hit very well with plenty of stolen bases. The spring showing gets the 33 year old back to the big club in a depth OF/PH/PR role.

DETROIT WORLD

Detroit is still carrying 34 players heading into the final 4 games of the spring. The main reason is that Manager George Theobald has seen what he feels is his starting position players enough and they will be golfing and appearing mainly as pinch hitters this week. There are 13 pitchers and questions remain in what the bullpen will look like. SP Hank Spencer again will start the year in the pen most likely so that means either 2 or 3 spots are left up for grabs. A decision has not been made on Rule 5 P David Rivas yet so that will likely come down to the wire.

Manager George Theobald has said recent waiver claim OF Jose Serna will not be activated for the last 4 games of the week but will be taking extra batting practice and working in some simulated situations. He roster spot decision is not do for another week so the club is approaching it with patience (although the feeling is he will be on the 23-man Opening Day roster).

Looking at the lineup for Monday's game, it looks like rookie SS Gil London has made the team and will open the year as the starting SS. What that means for veteran SS Erv Smith remains to be seen. London has hit over 400 all spring.

WASHINGTON HERALD

The injury to Johnnie Sundberg has put an end, at least for now, to trade rumours surrounding veteran second baseman Andy Carter. Carter, who missed all but one game last season due to an injury, has had his bat start to come around and with Sundberg out until mid-May, the 32 year old Carter will have a chance to reclaim the starting second base job, a position he held from 1930-36.

Corner infielder Bill Ashby is hitting an impressive .386 and looks like he might secure a spot as one of the Eagles bench players. Center Fielder Wally Flowers may also end up on the bench as he is being pressured by 23 year old Don Miller. Miller replaced Flowers in center for much of last season and hit .318 after the 30 year old Flowers suffered an ankle injury that cost him half a season. It will be hard to imagine Flower, who hit .339 last year and is a .312 career hitter not in the starting lineup but perhaps not at center, where his defense was suspect prior to the injury.

The battle for the bullpen slots continues but veteran Jack Elder will not be part of it. The 27 year old, who was 3-9 for the Eagles last season, has been demoted to AAA.

PITTSBURGH PRESS

Mahlon Strong is still getting plenty of reps at 1st base as he learns a new position but for the Miners it is a fine-line as they are worried the fragile slugger doesn't play too much and get hurt. Strong's bat seems to be just fine as he has gone 10 for 22, 5 HR, 13 RBI's in spring play.
Chick Stout is back and throwing the ball well after missing the entire season to injury last year. Looks like he’ll slot back into the bullpen for opening day.
Johnny Guzzo is confusing the hell out of Miners skipper Dan Andrew. He's always been horrible with the bat, but nearly Harry Barrell level with the glove. Guzzo was just horrendous last year in the minor leagues hitting the ball but because of the rash of injuries he was called up to Pittsburgh last year and ended up starting 11 games in September and he goes out and hits .375/.371/.594. Then even hits a homer in the world series (his only hit of the series, but still!)
Les Tucker is the presumptive starter at SS, but Guzzo is giving the Miners something to think about with his 7 for 14 spring performance. Even if he just managed to hit .250, his glove is so good he'd make a capable SS especially in a lineup that hopefully can cover up his weak bat.

NEW YORK WORLD TELEGRAM

The Gothams are naturally choosing between mediocre options to round out their 23 man roster. Once again they will try young pitchers in the rotation and see what shakes out. The pen looks solid with Rule 5 pick up Sammy Alger looking solid. With the injury to Charlie DeMars, Ernesto Perez's good spring will get him a roster spot. The most pleasant breakout is 2B Jim Jenkins who has won a starting job with a .378/.405/.676 spring with 3D, 1T and 2HR.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 04/10/1938

President Roosevelt asks Congress for emergency legislation to save railroads from serious financial and operating difficulties.
Roosevelt is reeling at least temporarily as his new deal bill was defeated as 108 Democrats revolted and joined Republicans to bury the measure.
The United State accepted Germany's absorption of Austria and called upon Germany to pay Austria's debt to the US.
Thousands of women joined Spanish government forces in frantic attempt to build new fortifications around Barcelona before the final insurgent offensive begins.
Soviet-Japanese relationship in deeper crisis after Tokyo issued a statement reiterating charges that Russia is aiding China by sending arms, planes and some troops since the beginning of the Chinese-Japanese War.

Jiggs McGee · 08-09-2021, 09:11 AM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

APRIL 18, 1938

OPENING DAY AWAITS!

HIGH HOPES AS A NEW SEASON BEGINS

Opening Day is almost upon us. The time when for many teams when the high hopes cultivated by some spring success come crashing back to reality as many a young spring hotshot has wilted and died under the scrutiny of major league opponents. That being said there is plenty of optimism for much of FABL as the 1938 season gets set to begin. By our count no fewer than 12 teams have at least a fleeting chance at hoisting a pennant and three others - Baltimore, Detroit and Toronto - appear to at least be on the right track. Only the Montreal Saints and the pair of woeful New York City clubs appear to have little going for them this season in the terms of big league baseball.

Despite struggling at times during the spring the Chicago Chiefs remain slight favourites to win their second Federal Association pennant in three seasons but the defending champion Pittsburgh Miners along with Boston, Philadelphia, St Louis and Washington all could be in the running. The Continental Association looks like a toss up between two-time defending pennant winning Brooklyn and the Philadelphia Sailors, who pushed the champs to a playoff tie-breaker -the first in the CA in 2 decades- before finally succumbing. The rapidly improving Chicago Cougars and the aging but still dangerous Cleveland Foresters could also be in the mix.

Even if the Chiefs and Kings might be slight pre-season favourites there are a seemingly endless supply of questions that, depending upon the answers the season gives us, could greatly reshape the races in both associations.

Questions like:

Can Rabbit Day and Al Miller regain the form both showed in 1936 when they led the Chiefs to a World Championship? Neither was bad last year but Day did struggle at times and each had a drop-off from their '36 numbers.
What impact will Jim Lonardo have on the pennant race? If he pitches like the Lonardo of old the Chiefs will be in great shape.
Will Bob Worley handle big league pitching in any where close to the fashion in which he mauled minor league hurlers a year ago.
Is John Edwards the missing piece to help Boston claim it's first pennant since 1915 or will the loss of Ken Mayhugh's bat more than counter any pitching gains the Minutemen might get. And will Bob Donohue and Dick Higgins stay healthy all season.
Speaking of health you have to figure the Miners will not be as injury ravaged as they were a year ago when they still won the pennant anyway. Mahlon Strong has looked great again in spring, but he always does when he is healthy.
What kind of season will the Miners get out of new acquisition Jack Cleaves and will he and his brother George both stay healthy all year?
Will all that pitching depth in St Louis finally translate to a playoff berth? The Pioneers are confident the offense can survive the loss of Frank McCormick but they need a big season out of either Otis Cook or Jake Smith and continued success from Sam Sheppard and David Abalo.
The Keystones have to be concerned that this is the beginning of the end for Rankin Kellogg. He and Bobby Barrell have been the face of the franchise for close to a decade but Kellogg's skills has certainly shown signs of erosion. If he drops from superhuman to mere mortal at first base can the Philly offense withstand the drop in production from Kellogg combined with the loss of Frank LeMieux. And what about Bobby Barrell? The Georgia Jolter followed up a career best season in 1936 with the worst year of his career as a 26 year old last year. Granted, Barrell's worst is better than more than 75% of the rest of the league but the Keystones are likely counting on the 1936 version of Barrell to reappear.
Washington had a very quiet off-season. Are the Eagles that confidant that the real Washington club is the one that went 39-20 down the stretch rather than the team that stumbled out of the gate with a 26-42 start to the season last year? Will Andy Carter rebound from the injury that cost him all but one game last year? Can Mel Carrol approach .400 again or was that a once in a lifetime season from the 26 year old third baseman and most importantly what about the pitching? Can Bill Anderson rebound to win twenty like he did two years ago and can Karl Johnson repeat his 20-win season?
Just how good is Detroit's offense? All the pieces seem to be there as the Dynamos were the busiest team in either association this winter adding among others a pair of quality bats in Ed Stewart and Frank LeMieux. Can Sal Pestilli continue the incredible pace he set as a rookie and will Red Johnson be the huge star at the tender age of 20 that many are forecasting for him at some point in his career. And what of the Detroit pitching? There were big changes but are the collection of arms assembled by Detroit brass capable of lifting the team into contention?
What will be the George Theobald factor, if any? No question he is one of, if not the greatest manager of all-time, but at 75 years old can Theobald motivate his charges and withstand the grind of a long season?
Rounding out the Fed we have the New York Gothams, who seemed destined to finish last and may be challenged to win even 50 games. It will be a bad season for New York fans, unless they turn their attention towards Brooklyn, as the Stars and Gothams both seem destined to finish last - something that has never happened before.
The Kings finally got rid of 'The Curse' but now face the challenge of trying to repeat as World Champions and claim their third straight CA Pennant. Brooklyn's hopes rely on the arms of Tom Barrell and Joe Shaffner. If both stay healthy and can pitch like they are capable the club should be fine even with the reduced offense behind the plate as Tom's brother Fred Barrell still looks completely lost at the dish. Not much will change on the champs roster other than Joe Perret will likely shift from the outfield to replace the now retired Dan Barrell at first base.
The Philadelphia Sailors took Brooklyn to a tie breaker last season and like the Kings will return virtually the same roster. Both teams are very close so don't be surprised if it is a key injury that tilts the balance of power in the CA one way or another.
Do the aging Cleveland Foresters bats still have enough left for one more run? Charlie Berry and T.R. Goins in particular as each is rapidly closing in on 40.
Will "Peter the Heater" make fans forget Tommy Wilcox in Chicago? The Cougars have been coming, we have been saying that for a couple of seasons as their vast collection of talented prospects hit the big leagues including possibly Pete Papenfus this year.
Did the Frank McCormick trade lift the Toronto Wolves out of the doldrums of mediocrity? It seems like forever since the Wolves finished in the first division (although they actually were 4th in 1936 but 21 games back) but finally there is a glimmer of hope in Canada's largest city. Joe Hancock is a terrific pitcher and many feel George Garrison and Jim Morrison should start the season in Toronto instead of the minors as the club dealt away much of it's rotation to St Louis to acquire McCormick's bat. Will the extra offense be enough to offset an incredibly shallow pool of pitchers, shallow at least until Garrison and Morrison are allowed to wade in?
It's easy to confuse Montreal and Toronto. The two Canadian clubs have been very similar thru the years with both stuck in the middle of the CA pack for well over a decade. The Saints offense was not too bad last season but their pitching was awful. The big question in Montreal is will a year of development for Jake DeYoung and Bill Ross and the possible appearance of 19 year old Wally Doyle in the big leagues be enough to improve the staff?
The two big questions in Baltimore are will this be the year that Rufus Barrell makes his pro debut and will it be the year the Cannons finally get out of the cellar? Three straight last place finishes should come to an end this season as the Cannons popgun offense finally got itself a potential bopper in Ken Mayhugh and an extra year of development hopefully means big results for Gus Goulding and Rusty Petrick. But come on Cannons, everyone wants to see 1935 first overall pick Deuce Barrell make his big league debut. It would also be nice for Baltimore fans to see a streak of four straight last place finishes finally come to an end.

REUNITES WITH HIS BROTHER IN PITTSBURGH

There were several minor trades over the weekend, most of which were prompted by teams unloading players who were out of options and there will quite likely be a couple of more before Opening Day but there was also one fairly major move as the Pittsburgh Miners helped fill the gap in their infield created with the trade of Ed Stewart to Detroit by dealing away the young pitcher they received in return for Stewart. Ray McCarthy, a highly touted 24 year old who has not as of yet lived up to his lofty billing, was flipped to the Philadelphia Sailors in exchange for second baseman Jack Cleaves.

The deal will allow the 30 year old Jack to be a teammate with his 24 year old brother George for the first time in their careers. The two come from baseball royalty as they are grandsons of legendary manager George Theobald who will get to see plenty of the boys now that the 75 year old is back in the dugout as manager of the Detroit Dynamos. Jack is a two-time all-star who has played a decade with the Sailors and won a pair of World Championship Series. He is a .305 lifetime hitter including batting .302 in 127 games for the Sailors last season.

McCarthy joins his fourth major league organization and has pitched in just 7 FABL games, all with Detroit last season. Originally selected 7th overall by the St Louis Pioneers out of high school in 1932 he was quickly- and inexplicably - released and spent the next four seasons with various independent teams before Detroit acquired him in the 1936 Indy League draft. McCarthy had been projected to get a shot with the Dynamos in 1936 but missed most of that season with an elbow injury before finally making his big league debut last year.

Pittsburgh also reacquired 31 year old third baseman Mickey McCullough in a deal with the New York Stars. McCullough, who hit .266 in 103 games for the Stars last season, was originally a fourth round pick of Pittsburgh in 1925 and made a brief appearance in a Miners uniform in 1931 before being dispatched to New York. In return for McCullough the Miners sent 20 year old minor league pitcher Harry Dorminey to the Stars. The 1935 9th round pick was 9-10 for Class B Spokane last season.

The Week That Was
Current events for the week ending 04/17/1938

Britain and Italy sign a pact that hopefully ends quarrels that might have led to War. London hopes Germany and France consider joining treaty.
Spanish insurgents continue offensive designed to crush outlaying defenses of Barcelona.
Stocks rise in response to FDR's revitalized spending program which calls for a $7 billion dollar recovery program that includes $5 billon of Federal spending.

Jiggs McGee · 08-10-2021, 12:01 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

APRIL 19, 1938

The FABL season gets underway today with a pair of Federal Association contests including the league's traditional opener in Washington where the Eagles will face Lefty Allen and the Pittsburgh Miners with President Roosevelt on hand to throw out the first pitch.

Here are some notes from various local newspapers outlining their club's starting lineups

BALTIMORE NEWS-POST

Baltimore is looking to build off their 1st place finish in spring training with a strong start to the season. There's a balance and talent level throughout the team that's been sorely missing the past few seasons. The 2 biggest questions are "Can Fred Galloway deliver results immediately in CF?" and "Will Conlan's health hold up for a full season?" Galloway beat out CF Whit Williams during spring training and will bat low in the order to get his feet wet. Conlan's had his past 2 seasons shortened by injury, but remains an impactful starter when healthy. The fans and management are more excited then they've been in years!

SS Oscar King (.244,3,42)
LF Jim Mason (.323,12,64)
3B Ken Mayhugh (.299,17,82)
1B Jim Alexander (.283,7,69)
RF Ray White (.290,9,71 in AAA)
CF Frec Galloway (.222,2,15 in AAA)
2B Clark Car (.248,9,71)
C Joe Rainbow (.251,6,46)
ROTATION
Gus Goulding (12-23, 3.88)
Rusty Petrick (10-20, 4.46)
Pinky Conlan (9-8, 2.95)
Art Edwards (4-3, 4.38)

BOSTON RECORD

Word out of Boston is that they feel this year's version of the Minutemen are probably the most balanced team they have fielded in years. The top of the rotation is strong with Higgins and Wood with the hope that Edwards who was acquired in the offseason at a heavy price will develop into a upper rotation player over the course of the season. Montefusco and Hazeltine have both emerged as strong bullpen options. Offensively, the Minutemen are looking for a big year from slugger Bob Donoghue who clubbed 5 homers this spring. During the offseason much had been made about C John Wicklund’s strikeout rate but the club is just fine with him hitting 20 homers and knocking in close to 100 baserunners. At 25, Art Spencer has finally settled into his 3B role and had a solid finish at the plate last year as well as this spring. Boston will once again have Day, Donnelly and Henry patrolling the outfield with solid backups in Waldron and Corvin offering support. Will it be enough to overtake clubs like the Miners, Chiefs, Keystones and Pioneers? Only time will tell as the season is long and oftentimes unpredictable. However, Boston should be in the mix and offer patrons to Cunningham Field an exciting club to root for.
PROJECTED LINEUP
RF Pete Day (.336,14,98)
1B Bob Donoghue (.279,20,77)
CF Chick Donnelly (.284,13,80)
LF Dave Henry (.304,12,78)
C John Wicklund (.255,17,86)
3B Art Spencer (.287,0,19)
SS Lew McClendon (.216,0,1)
2B Ernie Herndon (.271,0,23)
ROTATION
Dick Higgins (8-6, 3.95)
Ed Wood (13-17, 3.74)
Art Keeter (16-13, 4.32)
John Edwards (11-19, 4.42)
Jim Taylor (12-10, 4.60)

BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE

For the most part very easy decisions in setting Brooklyn's 23 man roster. Jim Kyle will go on the waiver wire while 23 year old 3B Lee Shapiro goes back to AAA meaning the only new faces among hitters will be veteran FA pickup John Kincaid as a depth infielder and Ab Thomas returns to Brooklyn as the final OF after a few years exile in Rochester. With starting second baseman and WCS MVP John Langille coming off the injured list in a couple of weeks someone else will have to go and it will likely be a pitcher.

There were a few tough decisions on the mound as Brooklyn decided to carry 9 pitchers instead of the usual 8, at least until Langille returns. Gary Harris, a 30 year old lefthander who did not allow a run in 13 innings of spring work, claimed the extra spot in the pen. He was acquired from Detroit over the winter after the Dynamos claimed him on waivers from the Gothams.

Harris beat out Jim Crawford, who has been designated for assignment and will report to Rochester if he clears waivers, and rule 5 pickup Sonny Coleman, who has been returned to the Sailors. Coleman had a pretty good spring and we would have liked to keep him but just had no room.
Kings Opening Day lineup vs the New York Stars at Dyckman Stadium looks like this:

1- Bill May CF (.275,9,58)
2- Frank Vance 3B (.315,21,86)
3- Joe Perret 1B (.354,9,53)
4- Al Wheeler RF (.303,30,122)
5- Frank Lightbody LF (.338,1,14)
6- Harry Barrell SS (.288,2,52)
7- Fred Barrell C (.211,4,50)
8- Walt Lyaton 2B (.198,1,7)
9- Tom Barrell P (12-6, 3.42)

The Daily Eagle also released it's predicted final standings order for each Association. If accurate we will get a rematch of the 1936 Series between the Brooklyn Kings and Chicago Chiefs. Here is how the Daily Eagle's Jimmy Woods sees it playing out.

Code:


CONTINENTAL		FEDERAL
Brooklyn	1	Chicago
Philadelphia	2	Pittsburgh
Chicago		3	St Louis
Cleveland	4	Philadelphia
Baltimore	5	Boston
Toronto		6	Detroit
Montreal	7	Washington
New York	8	New York

CHICAGO HERALD-EXAMINER

The big question for the Chicago Cougars is what to do with Peter the Heater. Despite 18 walks, Pete Papenfus worked to a sparkly 1.85 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 24.1 Spring innings. His 25 strikeouts were five more then any other pitcher this Spring, and the Cougars GM is at least considering having the teenager and current #1 overall prospect start the season in Chicago. The Cougars are expected to finalize their roster just prior to tomorrow's season opener in Cleveland, so Papenfus will last at least one more day on the roster.

With the cross-town Chiefs, the two hottest bats this Spring were Tom Bird (.321-5-20) and Bob Worley (.308-3-13). Worley's problem, as always, will be strike outs (16.1% in the Spring). But he just needs to bat 8th and play a decent CF. The key to the Chiefs living up to the lofty expectations of a second Federal Association Pennant in 3 seasons lie entirely in the hands of the pitching staff. Newly acquired veteran Jim Lonardo looked particularly strong this spring and is counted on for a big season but what would really cement the crown for the Chiefs would be for Rabbit Day and Al Miller to duplicate their terrific 1936 campaigns.

DETROIT WORLD

Some thoughts on the season from the Dynamos General Manager. "It should be an interesting year this season especially in the Fed. Honestly I’m not sure what to make of Detroit’s chances to move up the ladder. Over in the CA, again Brooklyn and the Sailors look solid, the Cougars are climbing but I was expecting the big deal in the off-season that never materialized. Sadly my former team is aging out and I think the window closed last September. Baltimore should rise some this year but will be tough to crack the first division unless Cleveland crashes."

There is certainly a buzz in Detroit about the Dynamos this season, something that has not been felt for quite some time. Word is at least one national scribe thinks Detroit has a decent chance at making the first division for the first time since 1933.

NEW YORK WORLD TELEGRAM

GOTHAMS STILL LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

When the decision was made in 1936 to break up the underperforming defending champs, previous ownership led fans to believe that the turn around and return to winning would be relatively short. Now the new ownership group is asking fans to be more patient. In a brief statement from owner Leland Winthrop's office the team asks for "a little more time".
"Fans will begin to see the fruits of our system this season. We will have several new young players on the Gothams roster and many more working their way up through the system."

Yes the Gothams have the top ranked farm system and five top 20 prospects. But many are two to three years away from seeing time in New York.

For now fans are more likely to be asked to endure another year in the basement, perhaps even more losing than last seasons team record 100 losses. Instead fans will be entertained by various activities surrounding the last season of the Bigsby Oval, or just The Oval, as Gothams advertisements are referring to their longtime ballpark. Planned events involve a return to the park of many oldtime Gothams, a day to celebrate manager Ed Ziehl's selection for the new Baseball Hall of Fame and many other reminisces of the old grounds. Entertaining the mob with bread and circuses. It will be interesting to see how patient the mob may be.

On the field the team will have a largely different look than 1937's 100 game losers. Youth will prevail with only longtime Gotham Bud Jameson, returning starter Hardin Bates and vet catcher Nick Lake exceeding the 30 year mark. The regular line-up looks to include as many as 5 or 6 rookies each day. Fans should keep in mind that other than 3B Billy Dalton these are now primarily the top prospects, so while they will be younger, they may not be better. The opening day line-up appears to be:

2B Jim Jenkins (.291,0,38 at AAA)
3B Billy Dalton (.200,1,5)
1B Dick Canfield (.273,2,7)
CF Howard Brown Jr. (.312,9,84)
LF Ernesto Perez (.246,8,56 at AAA)
RF John Phillips (.257,6,45)
C Joe Green (.236,0,3)
SS Rabbit Mudd (.266,4,41)

On the hill will be returning starter Jack Snyder (12-11, 4.55), followed by the veteran Bates (7-13, 5.40) and rookies Mule Earl (1-6, 6.50), Ernie Wise (0-4, 8.05) and Nate Spear (0-4, 8.42) who all had brief and rocky looks last season.

PHILADELPHIA INQUISITOR

On paper, the Philadelphia Keystones made some changes on the margins. The core of the team is intact with Rankin Kellogg, Bobby Barrell, Carl Ames, Rip Curry, Ed Baker, and Art Myers expected to play prominent everyday roles and will largely be responsible for the fortunes for the club in 1938. But, look a little deeper and you will find the next generation starting to get their shot. Marshall Strickland has displaced Howie Shifflett and will get significant time, sharing second base with veteran Cy Cox. Jack Gibbons, a late bloomer, has not only raced his way into a roster spot, but he will start at shortstop and bat leadoff. Gene White and John Perkins give manager Tom Vance options from the right side and left side, either in the rotation or in the bullpen. Also, a 23-year-old who seemed to have third base locked up for the better part of a decade was dangled to improve long-term at that position.

Frank LeMieux was the third basemen of the future, then the present, but now, LeMieux is the former starting third baseman of the Keystones, as he was shipped with Frank Crawford to Detroit for prospect Hank Koblenz. George Wright was angling for the starting job with a good Spring, but a late Spring trade, a separate deal with Detroit, netted Don Ward, who will split time with Wright.

One negative with the 12-12 spring schedule was an injury to catcher Carl Ames, who severely sprained his ankle and will be out until late May. Jake Walton, last year’s backup, will mind the store until Ames returns, but the future long-term solution is likely still in the minor leagues or not in the organization yet. Walt Potter (AAA) is the closest to what would be termed a prospect, but he is fourth in line to the catching throne.

Long-time Keystone Frank Crawford is no longer in the fold, but team management had to make room for the next generation of farmhands. Now in the rotation are recent minor leaguers George Brooks and Jim Whiteley, but Gene White should get his first full season in a Keystones uniform. Ed Baker and Art Myers were shopped over the winter, but survived the Reaper’s sickle and Baker will get his sixth consecutive Opening Day cap. In the pipeline are 23-year-old Herman Patterson in Triple-A Louisville, 22-year-olds Lloyd Stevens and Pepper Tuttle in Double-A New Orleans, and 21-year-old Bud Canfield and 22-year-old Hank Beckman in Single-A Allentown.

LINEUP
SS Jack Gibbons
2B Marshall Strickland
1B Rankin Kellogg
CF Bobby Barrell
LF Rip Curry
RF Bobby Many
3B Don Ward
C Jake Walton
BENCH
C Cliff Ray
1B Red Brown
2B Cy Cox
3B George Wright
3B Rabbit Forrest
SS Bob Cleveland
RF Bobby McHenry
ROTATION
SP1 Ed Baker
SP2 Gene White
SP3 Art Myers
SP4 George Brooks
SP5 Jim Whiteley
BULLPEN
ST John Perkins
MR Don Attaway
MR Frank Parsons

PITTSBURGH PRESS

The sports editorial in the Pittsburgh Press this morning:
Children all over Pittsburgh woke up on April 18th, 1938 and threw bleary, rubbed eyes asked their parents, "Is it true? He's actually going to play? He doesn't have a ruptured Achilles tendon? Or an oblique strain? Or a hip flexor strain?"
"Nope, none of those."
"What about a herniated disk? Or a sprained or sore knee? How is his ACL? His ankles?"
"They are all fused together and ready to go."
"So you mean..."
"That's right, son. Mahlon Strong's going to play."

Of course the big question is for how long?

The Miners are very high on Luke Berry's bat but to say they are worried about his defense is a vast understatement. The 1936 4th round pick who grew up east of Pittsburgh in Cressona, Pennsylvania has cracked the top 100 prospect list after a big season with the bat in Class B. It's his glove that concerns the Miners as he had an .829 fielding percentage as a right fielder last season between Class B and C. His bat earned a promotion to Class A Gary where the club plans to try him at first base this season. Miners Scouting Director George Heuer is thrilled to see Berry break the top 100 list and adds "if you factor in how much his defense must be weighing him down, he must be a top 20 prospect with the bat!"

TORONTO MAIL & EMPIRE

In Toronto's continued hopes to finish in the first division, this could/will be a year of transition. FWIW here is how the Toronto nine are going to begin the season:

CF Levi Redding (.298,1,56)
2B Frank Huddleston (.265,12,74)
1B Fred McCormick (.373,20,97)
RF Larry Vestal (.317,8,63)
3B Nick Wallace (.291,8,65)
C Clarence Howerton (.343,0,15)
RF Chuck Allison (.241,3,60)
SS Charlie Artuso (.241,0,9)

All lineups are written, lightly, in pencil, Manager Leitzke (who is also on thin ice) has a pile of erasers and hilroy pencils in his office.

OSA REVEALS 1938 TOP PROSPECT LIST

As it does at this time every year the league scouting agency has released it's Opening Day rankings of the top prospects and minor league systems in the sport. There is very little change at the top of the rankings and as a result the New York Gothams, with 2 players in the top and 5 in the top twenty remain the top rated system in FABL. The Philadelphia Keystones were the only team besides the Gothams to land two players in the top ten and with the addition of 3B Hank Koblenz (#26 on the list) the Keystones move into a tie with the Baltimore Cannons for the second deepest system.

As for the individual players the list remains headed by teenage pitching phenom Pete Papenfus who stands a good chance of opening the season in the big leagues despite his tender age of 19. Papenfus had an outstanding camp for the Chicago Cougars and remains on their active roster on the eve of their opener but Chicago does have to make 3 more cuts prior to game time. The righthander was the 6th overall pick of the 1936 draft and is one of five pitchers on a top ten list equally split between position players and arms. The Federal Association did hold a decided advantage with 7 of the players in the top ten as the only exceptions were a trio of pitchers in Papenfus, Toronto's George Garrison (#3) and Baltimore prospect Rufus Barrell II (#5).

While Papenfus still remains a possibility the only player among the top ten guaranteed to start the season in the major leagues will be Detroit first baseman Red Johnson. The 20 year old Oregon native was selected first overall by the Dynamos in the 1935 draft and made a brief appearance in Detroit as a September call-up last season, hitting .333 with a pair of homers and 10 rbi's in 12 games.

If you are looking for a minor league team to follow perhaps you should look no further than the New Orleans Showboats of the AA Dixie League. Not only does it look like the Showboats will begin the season with a pair of top ten prospects in second baseman Billy Woytek and pitcher Lloyd Stevens on their roster but fans of the Keystones farm club will also witness Hank Koblenz, who is ranked #26th and pitcher Pepper Tuttle, who presently holds down the 42nd spot on the OSA list. According to Showboats manager Cleo Mancini Stevens is a very interesting case. "His numbers are starting to finally catch up to his lofty rankings. But, he was a 3B when he wasn't on the mound early on before we had him focus on his pitching last year. He still pinch hits, but Koblenz is going to be manning 3B on a daily basis in AA New Orleans."

Here are the top ten prospects according to OSA.

JAPANESE LEAGUE UPDATE

Spring training has entered the final week for the six teams in the new Japanese Baseball Association. The Osaka Sailors lead the way with an 18-8 spring mark despite dropping 3 of their last four games. The Sailors are led by a pair of 26 year olds in shortstop Kameji Akutagawa (.317,2,13) and righthander Masakado Goto (6-1, 1.40) each of whom are considered to be among the best players in the league.

Goto won each of his first six starts of spring and was player of the game in each of them before suffering a 4-1 defeat to Tokyo on Saturday to end his streak.

Preseason predictions from Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun see the Kobe Bulls as the class of the league with Osaka and the Kyoto Bears battling it out for second.

The Week That Was
Current events from Tuesday 04/19/1938

New York Mayor La Guardia will cross picket lines at Dyckman Stadium to throw out first ball in Stars opener vs Brooklyn. Stadium and Sporting Centers Union Local 90 of the AFofL protested they are being locked out.
Pickets shut down Buick assembly line in Michigan once more.
The House and Senate swung into rapid action, fast tracking FDR's request for appropriations to combat unemployment and depression.

Jiggs McGee · 08-11-2021, 12:50 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

April 25, 1938

WHEELER & FRED BARRELL LEAD KINGS STRONG WEEK

The defending World Champion Brooklyn Kings got off to a solid 4-2 start to begin the 1938 season and a big part of that success can be attributed to the bats of Al Wheeler and Fred Barrell. Wheeler, who has won the last three Continental Association Whitney Awards and led the loop in homers and rbi's each of those three seasons, got off to his usual start with 3 homers and 11 rbi's in the first six games of this season. His efforts earned him the nod as CA player of the week but Wheeler felt his teammate Fred Barrell deserved the award after the 32 year old catcher led all CA hitters in batting at a .458 clip. It was a much needed strong week for the veteran Kings catcher, who endured a terrible spring training that saw him hit just .064 after an awful 1937 season.

With Barrell and Wheeler rolling the Kings offense averaged over 6 runs a game last week but a couple of subpar pitching performances against what looks like a very strong Montreal offense saddled the Brooklyn side with a pair of losses and left them in a 3-way tie with the Saints and Toronto Wolves for top spot in the CA.

There is also a 3-way tie atop the Federal Association with Detroit, Washington and the Chicago Chiefs all at 4-2. The Chiefs got a pair of wins from ace Rabbit Day to start the season with the second one being the 211th of Day's career, boosting him past Ken Carpenter and Charlie Firestone and into 38th place all-time in career victories. A 16-win campaign from the 33 year old would lift Day into the top thirty. Another Chicago veteran had a big week week as 38 year old infielder Pete Layton went 13-for-26 and captured the Federal Association Player of the Week award. Also worth noting is Chiefs third baseman Bob Martin enjoyed a 5-hit game yesterday to help his club pound St Louis 13-3.

MIXED RESULTS FOR NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES

There were plenty of players debuting with new clubs after a flurry of off-season trades but only some of them enjoyed a pretty solid beginning with their new franchise as others struggled in the early going. Here is a look at how many of them fared in the opening week.

It was a rough week for both Ken Mayhugh and John Edwards - who were swapped in the first big move of the winter meetings. The 22 year old Edwards struggled in his debut on the mound for Boston, pitching 6 innings and surrendering all 7 runs in the Minutemen's 7-0 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday. Edwards was 11-19 for Baltimore last season. Mayhugh, a 26 year old third baseman, was the key piece going the other way but he went just 4-for-25 (.160) in his debut with the Cannons.

Fred McCormick moved from the Federal Association St Louis Pioneers to the CA's Toronto Wolves over the winter and he had little trouble adjusting to CA pitching. The 28 year old first baseman hit .389 for the Wolves and was a big reason for their 4-2 start to the season. The Pioneers will be happy with the debut of 23 year old Buddy Long. The rookie, who was part of the package St Louis acquired for McCormick, went the distance in his big league debut helping the Pioneers to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Chiefs.

Jack Cleaves had a nice start in Pittsburgh where he joined his brother George after a trade from the Philadelphia Sailors for minor league pitcher Ray McCarthy. Cleaves hit .304 - the same as his brother did - this week in his Fed debut.

The Chicago Chiefs are happy with their two key pickups. Veteran pitcher Jim Lonardo allowed just 1 earned run in going the distance in his debut as a member of the home side at Whitney Park. He beat his former club the New York Gothams 6-2. Infielder Hank Barnett, who was traded twice over the winter, also had a strong start in Chicago, batting .360 with a Fed leading 3 homers in week one of the season. Bob Worley, who hit 57 homers in the minors last season, batted .238 in his return to the big leagues but was homerless last week.

Much of the Detroit club is new but the two main pickups had mixed results as ex-Miner Ed Stewart hit .308 with a homer but former Keystone Frank LeMieux batted just .154 in his debut week in Detroit.

Finally Chicago Cougars infielder Johnny McDowell sure looks happy to be out of New York. The 30 year old former Gotham hit .435 with 6 rbi's as the Cougars new lead-off man.

QUICK HITS

Charlie Berry is off to a rough start in Cleveland. The 39 year hit just .154 but his backup at third base was even worse. Hank Stratton went hitless in 12 at bats for the Foresters. Concern in Cleveland as well after Dean Astle had to leave his Opening Day start early with a sore elbow. Fortunately the news on the 28 year old who has won 40 games over the past two seasons is good - he should be back to full health in a week.
Boston celebrated the start of the season by taking 3 of 4 from the Philadelphia Keystones but then proceeded to drop two of 3 against Pittsburgh.
The Keystones stumble out of the gate at 2-5, but don't blame Rankin Kellogg. The Memphis Mauler goes 11-for-28 (.393) with a homer and 7 RBI in Week 1.
The Washington Eagles started this season the way the finished 1937 - with a big performance. The Eagles took two of three from the defending Fed champion Pittsburgh Miners at home to begin the season and then moved on to Philadelphia where they also took two of three. The offensive core of Mel Carroll, Moxie Pidgeon and Sam Brown were all in peak form helping DC score the most runs in of FA for week #1 (6.3 Runs/game average). Only lead-off man SS Jim Beard need to find his form at the plate after hitting just .148 on the week. It looks like 23 year old center fielder Don Miller, who hit .350 to start the season, will take over as the leadoff man. 2B Andy Carter also had a nice week and continues to show no signs of the injury that ended his season on Opening Day last year.
Hitting has never been a concern in Washington as the problem was usually pitching. Karl Johnson and Bill Anderson both pitched well though, combining to go 3-0 and the bullpen, while not needed much, was perfect to start the season. The one concern might be Eddie Quinn who lost first two starts, but there is no panic in the clubhouse as on his first start, an error from 2B Ray cost the game as he gives only 1 ER but lost the game. It was a different story on his second start. Just hopeful he can turn thing around in the second week of season.
The next week or so will tell if the quick start was luck in Washington or not as the Eagles are facing Boston and Pittsburgh over the before facing Chicago Chiefs in the first week of May.
While Pete Layton's bat was certainly doing the job the Chicago Chiefs shortstop struggled in the field. Layton committed 4 errors in the first 4 games, but then he turned in 2 error-free games along with 3 double plays turned. He'll get plenty of time to get his short stop legs after spending much of the past half dozen seasons at second base.

BNN FORECASTS A REMATCH IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

It took some wrangling by the commissioner as OOTP22 for some reason refused to generate preseason predictions for FABL despite doing so for the Japanese League but we finally got them. They were a little too late to make the preseason issue of TWIFB but here they are:

Reaction around the league was obviously mixed with great joy in Brooklyn and Pittsburgh after BNN predicted huge wins by both of the defending pennant winners. The BNN calls always need to be taken with more than just a grain of salt and this year is no different as most experts would be shocked if the Kings and Miners each won by double-digits in their respective associations.

There is quite a bunch up in the middle of the Fed with BNN calling for 5 times to finish with identical 76-78 records so most do agree with the assessment it will be a dogfight in the middle of the league. The suggestion the Miners will win big is clearly dependent upon the club staying healthy - something they failed to do a year ago but still won anyway. The big bat to watch for Miners fans is of course the often-injured Mahlon Strong but newcomer Jack Cleaves is also said to be ready for a huge season after moving across the state following a decade as a Sailor.

The league news service is clearly enamoured with the Brooklyn Kings pitching staff, predicting that the club will allow just 544 runs against this season, or nearly a run a game less than any other club in either association. They are calling on the Brooklyn quartet of Tom Barrell, Joe Shaffner, Art White and Mike Murphy to combine to go 74-34 on the year. While Barrell and Shaffner have combined to win the last four Continental Allen Awards that total seems very unrealistic, but no more so than BNN's assessment that the Philadelphia Sailors will only play .500 ball.

The predictions certainly make for plenty of banter at the barber shop or watering hole but most feel they are not worth the paper they are printed on. So how did BNN do last year? Well they did correctly call Brooklyn edging out the Philadelphia Sailors in the CA but missed on the Fed when they thought the Chicago Chiefs would waltz to a second straight pennant.

While many of the individual player projections end up being very laughable, judging by recent history BNN has done a fairly decent job calling the pennant winners especially in the Continental Association where they have called the correct winner in 4 of the past 6 seasons. They are just 1 for 6 over that time in the Fed, only being successful in identifying the New York Gothams as the 1934 Fed champion. But on 3 of the other 5 occasions their predicted winner in the Fed did come in second.

Here is a look at who BNN predicted to win the pennant over the past six years, where that team ended up as well as who the actual pennant winner was and how BNN thought they would do.

So maybe those who tend to wager a penny or two might do well to look at a Brooklyn-Pittsburgh rematch come October.

JAPANESE LEAGUE SET TO BEGIN PLAY TODAY

The latest addition to the Figment Sporting World, a baseball league involving six professional clubs in Japan, will celebrate the Opening Day of it's inaugural season today. All six clubs will be in action as they begin a split season schedule compromised of 80 games.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 04/24/1938

Japanese government hands over to United State a check for over $2 million as payment of indemnity for sinking an American gunboat off the coast of China.
German officials begin purge of the famed Austrian National Library, removing and burning a large list of what were called "non-Aryan" works.
Spanish insurgents sink a fleet of fishing boats said to be carrying government troops. Meanwhile submarines of Italian design continue to attack merchant ships seeking to convoy supplies to the government in Barcelona.
Henry Ford, who often strenuously opposed to FDR's New Deal, accepted the President's invitation to an informal White House conference where easing the effects of the depression will be discussed.
While workers for Buick and Chevrolet plants continue to strike, General Motors agrees to concessions that may avert a walkout at their Michigan plants.

Jiggs McGee · 08-12-2021, 01:38 PM

THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL

May 2, 1938

BIRD CONTINUES TO SOAR

Tom Bird is a big reason why the Chicago Chiefs are tied for top spot in the Federal Association. The 30 year old catcher is leading the Federal Association in homers with 5 after just two weeks and is second behind only Philadelphia Keystones outfielder Bobby Barrell in both batting average and rbi's. Bird was rewarded with the Federal Association player of the week after going 12-for-22 with 5 homers and 13 rbi's last week including a 3 homer game. Surprisingly the Chiefs lost the game in which Bird socked his 3 longballs, falling 8-6 to Detroit as the Dynamos continue their strong start. Bird's accomplishment marked just the 19th time in FABL history a player enjoyed a 3-homerun contest. His player of the week was the second straight for a Chief as Pete Layton got the nod in the season opening week.

Another big reason for the Chiefs quick start has been newly acquired pitcher Jim Lonardo (2-0, 0.67) who is off to a great start after escaping from New York over the winter. Speaking of great starts the Detroit Dynamos continue to impress after winning 5 of 7 games this past week including taking two of three from the Chiefs in Chicago.

The other surprise team in in the Continental Association and like Detroit, the Toronto Wolves are 9-4 to start the season and have taken 4 of 5 from the Philadelphia Sailors so far. A big test for Toronto will come starting Sunday when the Wolves host the defending World Champion Brooklyn Kings for a three game series.

GOTHAMS FANS WONDERING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN?

If only they kept the band together. How much better off would the Gothams be with this lineup comprised entirely of players from their 1935 World Championship squad? If they would not be the best team in the Fed they would certainly be right in the mix but instead the Gothams could be hard pressed to win 60 games this season after tearing apart a two-time pennant winner of players their management at the time felt were on the downside of their careers.

Code:


WHAT THE 1938 GOTHAMS LINEUP COULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE
POS  NAME		1938 STATS
 C John Wicklund	.320,2,10
1B Bud Jameson		.351,2,8
2B Rabbit Mudd		.343,0,2
SS Erv Smith		.125,0,1
3B Johnny McDowell	.439,0,9
OF Moxie Pidgeon	.407,3,12
OF Mahlon Strong	.348,1,3
OF Tom Taylor		.417,2,5

P Rabbit Day		3-0, 4.44
P Jim Lonardo		2-0, 0.67
P Milt Fritz		2-1, 1.38
P Curly Jones		1-1, 2.70

QUICK HITS

Veteran Chiefs infielder Pete Layton had 7 more hits last week bringing his season total to 20 and his career total over the 2300 mark. Layton sits at 2313, which is good for 30th all-time and third best among active players as the 38 year old trails only Keystones slugger Rankin Kellogg (2636) and Cleveland catcher T.R. Goins (2577). It might be a stretch to get there this season but if Layton sticks around for another year he could become the 22nd member of the 2500 hit club.
A couple of other players are closing in on hit milestones as Dave Trowbridge of the New York Stars is now 13 hits shy of the 2000 mark and Cougars catcher Mike Taylor needs 3 hits to give the 31 year old 1500 for his career.
Tom Taylor of the Chiefs became just the 9th player to hit 230 career homers when he took Jake Smith of St Louis deep yesterday in Chicago's 7-1 win over the Pioneers.
Frank Vance of Brooklyn also homered yesterday - his third of the season - and the 35 year old third baseman is now just 6 shy of becoming the 15th player to hit 200 in his career.
Dick Higgins vs Lefty Allen. A good pitching matchup, you would think. For Boston perhaps as Higgins won the game by the score of 17-0 while Allen failed to survive the second inning for the Miners.
Rad flags going off in Pittsburgh as Mahlon Strong had his hamstring flare up. The often injured slugger says he will just miss a day or two but fans in Pittsburgh are certainly starting to worry as they await what always seems like the inevitable report of a longer injury for Strong.
Keystones even out their record with a 5-2 week. Gene White has won his first three starts (2.67 ERA) and his 19 strikeouts are best in the league. Bobby Barrell is top five in the early going in the glamor categories: 4th in average with a .421 average, tied for 4th in HR with 3, and 2nd in RBI with 16.
Predictions of his demise may have been premature - Bud Jameson is off to a .351/.415/.649 start with 2 homers and 8 RBI for the New York Gothams while splitting 1B duties with rookie Dick Canfield who is hitting a respectable .296/.424/.519 with 2 homers and 8 RBI
Our Chicago bureau compiled this interest stat collection on relievers from last season. It's funny how you can look at something for a long time and not notice everything. Shutdowns and Meltdowns by relief pitchers. How are they calculated? Very simply if a reliever improved their team's chances of winning, they get a Shutdown. If they instead made their team more likely to lose, they get a Meltdown. Last year's leader in shutdowns was Del Lyons of Brooklyn while the Gothams Mac Watters led the league meltdowns.
Code:
```
[b]
The 1937 FABL leaders in Shutdowns:
Del Lyons BKN  	 	- 32
Rudy Fisher PHS  	- 24
Don Attaway PHK  	- 23
Phil English TOR 	- 23
Boyd Harper NYS  	- 22
The 1937 FABL leaders in Meltdowns:
Mac Watters NYG		- 16
Dutch Leverett BAL	- 15
Boyd Harper NYS		- 14
Ike Zuckerman WSH 	- 13
Gary Harris NYG 	- 12
```
Interesting to see Boyd Harper make both lists so the Stars really never knew what they would be getting out of him.
Boston Minutemen outfielder Chick Donnelly has been hot to start the season and extended a hitting streak that stretches back to last September to 21 games and counting. Donnelly is batting .349 with 2 homers and 11 rbi's on the season.
Outfielder Hank Jones of the New York Stars won the CA player of the week for the second time in his career. The 8 year veteran went 12-for-26 last week and is hitting .422 to start the season.
A curious situation is perhaps developing in Brooklyn as young pitcher Bob Cummings was absent from the ballpark over the weekend and skipper Powell Slocum poured gasoline on the fire with his refusal to discuss the situation. "I don't want to talk about it right now," was the only comment Slocum would make. It is poor timing for the Kings, who had starter Art White go down with a hamstring injury that will sideline him until early June. The Kings are worried it might be longer as Tom Barrell suffered a similar injury last season that stretched out to 3 months in duration.

JAPANESE BASEBALL UPDATE
NAGOYA OWLS HOOTING IT UP IN JAPAN

The inaugural season of the JBA got underway last week and the Nagoya Owls began the season with a bang, winning all 4 of their games with no other team better than 2-2 to start the season. It was not overly easy for the Owls, who did win 3 of their contests by just a single run including a 6-5 victory over Yokohama that required extra innings. Nagoya second baseman Yuji Nakamura was named the first player of the week in league history after he went 9-for-16 while driving in 5 runs and scoring 4 to pace his club to it's quick start. Rough news for Yokohama as the Kingfishers learned their best player Eita Yoshioka had a setback on his broken thumb and will now miss 8 more weeks which means the 24 year old will not make his debut until close to the beginning of July.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 05/01/1938

In a surprise announcement of the national budget, the British government substantially boosted income tax to pay for arms, indicating the scale on which Britain is preparing against war. The country also announced plans for a greatly expanded air force.
The American embassy asked the German government for clarification on it's decree authorizing Field Marshal Goerring to "utilize" properties of foreign as well as German Jews.
It was revealed the Nazis had considered a plan to murder their own ambassador to Austria in order to create an "incident" to excuse German interference in the now non-existent country.
The Chinese smashed a new Japanese drive and retaken control of the city of Tancheng as Japan forces suffer heavy casualties.
Railroads approve 15% wage cut across the board in an effort to ease the critical financial condition of the industry. Hourly wages were cut 10% in 1932 in a situation less desperate for railroads than it is today.

07-11-2021, 12:00 AM	#201
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: 1937 World Championship Series Game Three THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 11, 1937: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME THREE WONDER WHEEL FINALLY STARTS ROLLING This year's version of the Brooklyn Kings accomplished something no Brooklyn team had ever done before: win two games in a single World Championship Series. The Kings had been to the October showcase 4 times before but lost 4 games to one the first three times before being swept by the Chicago Chiefs a year ago. This time around the Kings actually lead the Series- something else they have never done - as they took a 2 games to one lead on Pittsburgh with a thrilling 6-4 victory at Kings County Stadium last night. Al Wheeler, who has won 4 Whitney Awards and made 4 All-Star Games, but had been a bitter disappointment in post-season play throughout his career, finally delivered a key hit with the game winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning after the visiting Pittsburgh Miners rallied to tie the contest with 3 runs in the top half of the inning. Wheeler entered the game with a .148 career post-season average including 0-for-8 so far this season, but he broke out a bit with a pair of singles and two rbi's. The big one came when it appeared the Kings might be fading as Pittsburgh finally got to Mike Murphy, who had been cruising and had retired 13 straight Miners before Ray Cochran drew a walk to start the 3-run seventh inning rally that tied the contest at 4. Wheeler's 7th inning single came with two on and none out and plated Joe Perret, who is have a very good post-season for himself after being primarily used as a pinch-hitter during the season. Harry Barrell, who seems to have regained his form after a poor season by his standards, also drove in a run to give Murphy a 6-4 lead. Murphy, who allowed just 4 Pittsburgh hits in the game, went 8 innings before turning the ball over to Del Lyons and Lyons, who tied for the FABL lead in saves this season with 20, had a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win for the Kings. Attached Images __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-11-2021, 12:57 AM	#202
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: 1937 World Championship Series Game Four THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 12, 1937: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME FOUR KINGS ONE WIN AWAY FROM ENDING THE CURSE The Brooklyn Kings are the only FABL team never to win a World Championship Series since the trophy was first awarded in 1893. The Kings have won 4 Continental Association pennants prior to this year but came up short against their Federal Association counterparts each time. Many blame the Kings lack of success on a long ago tale that claims a pitcher by the name of Ferdinand Hawkins hexed the club by pledging they would never win a World Championship after Hawkins was unceremoniously released by the team following FABL's first season in 1892. Hawkins, the legend goes, after receiving news of his release told Barnabas Colson, who owned the Kings at that time, that his team would never win a title. Now that was the year before the World Championship was first played (there was no playoff series in 1892, the year the Border Association and Century League merged) and the Kings did actually win pennants in 1912, 1923, 1927 as well as last year but believers in the Curse claimed Hawkins meant a World Championship Series, knowing one was coming the following year, and not merely just a CA pennant. We will never know for sure as Hawkins passed away close to two years ago and went to his death bed refusing to say anything about Brooklyn, a team he won 191 games for. The Kings tried to extend an olive branch , inviting him to the park a few years back as part of the club's 50th anniversary All-time team but he was said to be in too poor health to travel. Brooklyn also selected his grandson, college catcher Ian Weber in the 9th round of the 1936 draft, in a move many said was designed to try and counter the curse. Since Weber joined the organization the Kings have made two straight appearances in the Series and perhaps now are on the verge of ending the curse, whether it is real or not. For his part young Weber has said he has nothing to say about his grandfather or the curse. "My only focus is on making the big leagues," said Weber recently after helping Class B Tampa to a Southeastern League title. SHAFFNER TOSSES A 3-HIT SHUTOUT TO LEAD KINGS Joe Shaffner allowed just 3 Pittsburgh hits and overcame a nearly as impressive performance on the mound from Pittsburgh's Lefty Allen to lead the Brooklyn Kings to a 2-0 lead over Allen's Pittsburgh Miners and gave Brooklyn a commanding 3 games to one lead in the World Championship Series. "I had a lot to make up for," smiled Shaffner who was obviously much happier following this game than he was after a rough outing in a 7-2 loss to open the Series. "I feel I let the guys down the other day and just wanted to do my part for the team, and our fans. But the work isn't done. We need one more." Shaffner is the biggest single reason the Kings are even in this position. He has been absolutely outstanding since mid-July, going 12-2 over that span including the two Series games despite missing a month with a sore back. The complete game shutout of Pittsburgh is his 6th such game since September 1st and he was so dominating on this night the Miners had just one runner advance past first base all afternoon. Lefty Allen, who was outstanding for Pittsburgh in a game one win over Shaffner, had another great outing as well. Allen allowed just 5 hits on the day but the difference was two of them left the yard as Al Wheeler and John Langille each hit solo shots, Brooklyn's first two homers of the series, to account for all of the offense. For Wheeler, it was the second consecutive game he drove in the winning run and helps to slowly erode away the reputation the great slugger has for owning a slumbering bat in October's past. Trailing 3 games to one in the series the Miners now have no margin for error and may have to play game five without their all-star catcher George Cleaves. The 23 year old, who homered in game three, was forced out of the contest in the top of the first inning when a Shaffner offering plunked him in the knee. Word is that it is only a bruise and Cleaves is adamant he will be taking the field with his teammates for today's fifth game. NOTES: An unusual fact from this series is that Cleaves has been hit by a pitch just 6 times in his career entering the series, but now has been hit twice in 4 games, both by Joe Shaffner. No other Kings pitcher hit a batter either this season's WCS or last year but Shaffner hit 2 Chicago Chiefs a year ago to go with the two times he has nailed Cleaves this series. Game five will be a rematch of the second game with Tom Barrell trying to clinch the series against Charlie Stedman. The second game was the one the Miners seemed comfortably in control of until Stedman was relieved by Lou Ellertson in the the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead and the Kings scored 7 times to win the game and even the series. Attached Images __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-11-2021, 02:05 PM	#203
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: WCS edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 13, 1937: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES GAME FIVE THIS IS NEXT YEAR! KINGS END 45 YEAR OLD CURSE WITH FIRST WCS TITLE The Brooklyn Kings have done what many of the Flatbush faithful feared was impossible. The have finally won baseball's World Championship Series ending 45 years of failure and putting to rest forever the Curse of Ferdinand Hawkins. The Kings held on to beat a gutsy Pittsburgh Miners squad 6-5 to win the first World title in team history, taking the Miners in 5 games. The official attendance at Kings County Park shows 31,725 of Flatbush's finest were on the premises but years from now you can bet thousands more will claim they were on hand, and many were as Flatbush Avenue became a sea of people dancing from tavern to tavern, some crying tears of disbelief and others in wild celebration as Brooklyn finally joined the other 15 FABL clubs in owning a World Championship Series banner. In typical Kings fashion the outcome was fully in doubt until the very moment Brooklyn center fielder Bill May wrapped his glove around Cy Bryant's final fly ball out with the tying run perched just 90 feet away from sending the game in extra innings. You would expect nothing less from a Kings team that, while immensely talented, has been incredibly inconsistent and suffered what felt like far more than it's share of bad luck the past three years. Maybe there was something to all the talk of former pitcher Ferdinand Hawkins cursing the club, but that matters no more as the curse has undeniably been lifted but not before giving many long suffering Kings fans plenty more heart palpitations. It looked like a slugfest right from the get go as George Cleaves, who played for Pittsburgh despite nursing a sore knee after being hit by a pitch the previous game, got the visitors off to a quick start with an rbi single off Brooklyn ace Tom Barrell that plated Bryant, who had previously legged out a 1-out triple. Brooklyn answered very quickly with 4 runs of their own in the home half of the opening stanza. Joe Perret and Al Wheeler set the table with walks but all the damage came with two out courtesy of a bases loaded 3-run double off the bat of John Langille and then a Fred Barrell two-bagger. Brooklyn never does anything easily so it should have come as little surprise when the Miners came right back with 2 runs of their own in the top of the second stanza to cut the Kings lead to 4-3 but after that Tom Barrell, who has had his ups and downs in big games in the past, settled enough to retire 13 in a row and get Brooklyn through the middle innings. The Kings even added some insurance, and sent the crowd into a frenzy with 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th to go up 6-3. John Langille, the 26 year old Canadian, was again the instigator of the assault on Pittsburgh pitching, delivering a run scoring single for his 4th rbi of the game and scoring for the second time himself. Up 6-3 with Tom Barrell cruising everything seemed to be leading to a storybook ending, but those who have read the final pages of the many previous chapters in the story that is the Brooklyn Kings of the past four years knew it felt too good to be true. And it almost was. Pittsburgh scored twice in the top of the 8th inning with all-star catcher George Cleaves again in the center of the action and sent Barrell to the showers. Enter Del Lyons, who has carved out a niche for himself as some kind of relief specialist. The 32 year old is a two-time all-star and has saved 45 games over the past three seasons for the Kings including yesterday's game four. Lyons made in 46 but not without some more drama as while he quickly fanned pinch-hitter Ray Cochran to end the 8th inning, the ninth became an adventure. The Miners lead-off man Henry Clayton hit a pinch-hit single and moved to second on a bobble by the normally sure-handed May in centerfield. Lyons induced two ground ball outs but the second one was sufficient for Clayton to scamper to third. Joe Owens worked Lyons for a full count walk to put runners on the corners bringing Cy Bryant to the plate. Bryant had a pretty good track record vs Lyons - he was 14-for-46 lifetime against the Brooklyn lefthander. Bryant wasted no time, swinging at the first pitch and many in the crowd, trained from so many heartaches over the years, gasped as the ball sailed out to centerfield. Fortunately for the Kings Bryant got under it just a little bit and it settled in May's glove setting off a celebration 45 years in the making. There will be plenty of second guessing on the Pittsburgh Miners part. It certainly turned out that the decision in Game Two by Miners skipper Dan Andrew to pull Charlie Stedman, who had been tossing an incredible game, and insert Lou Ellertson, who proceeded to surrender 3 walks, 5 hits and 7 runs, was the turning point in the series. Andrew might also draw some criticism for his decision to start Bill Ketterman over Walker Murphy in the third game especially considering how solid Murphy looked in relief of Stedman in game five. The multitude of managers at home or in the stands always have the benefit of hindsight at it is usually in possession of 20-20 vision so that fact must be remembered and Pittsburgh upper management immediately went on record saying Andrew will be back in the dugout next season. He was recently rewarded with a 3-year contract which was in no small part earned for his terrific job with tape, spit and glue putting a lineup together amidst all the injuries the Miners dealt with during the season. Brooklyn will also have a number of questions with most centered around Al Wheeler's failure to be the same player in October he has been during the regular season. It is not just this year, Wheeler struggled last season and in his WCS appearance with the Detroit Dynamos. Despite getting 3 hits including a pair of game winning rbi's it seemed time and again Wheeler had a chance to carry the Kings to victory but he failed to do so. Wheeler does have 2 homeruns in 16 career WCS games but he is batting just .179 and was the center of many trade deadline rumours just a few months ago. Could the 4 time Whitney Award (and possibly 5 time if he wins this year) winner be on the move? It seems unlikely, but perhaps more due to the Kings likely being unable to get a suitable piece in return for the slugging outfielder more than any hesitation the club might have in moving Wheeler, who was wildly inconsistent this season. It was a bad regular season for many of the Kings as much of the club struggled at times during the season but a few of them such as Fred and Harry Barrell atoned for it with solid post-season showings. In fact the entire contingent of Barrell's did very well with Tom not only winning 2 games but also hit .429 in the series and Dan has accomplished so much more with really just one good leg over his career than most players do with two. Dan Barrell always was a natural athlete, even competed in the Olympic decathlon many years ago before a devastating football injury nearly forced the amputation of one of his legs. He became a pet project of Powell Slocum and against the odds worked his way to the major leagues. Brooklyn even nearly lost him when the New York Stars selected him in the rule V draft only to return him to the Kings that spring. Dan went 8-for-16 in the series, delivering several key hits and would have been the MVP were it not for John Langille. Langille will likely never have to pay for a pint of Prescott Breweries famous Pilsner again in Brooklyn watering holes after he was involved in all 6 Kings runs in the decisive game, driving in 4 and scoring the other two. Langille had at least one hit in each of the 5 games including a big homerun in the 2-0 victory in game four. In all he hit .389 with 5 rbi's and 5 runs scored to claim the Series MVP award. Most of all, he was the major force in lifting the weight of 45 years of frustration and failure off of the franchise. Enjoy the off-season but the pause will be brief as next year's races have the potential to be even better than the crazy ride that was 1937. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-13-2021, 01:04 AM	#204
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 15, 1937: Off-Season Edition START OF A BUSY OFF-SEASON? For the first time since 1910 there will not be a winter draft. Prior to 1911 there was no amateur draft and this past season it was shifted to June rather than taking place during the off-season. With that in mind there will certainly be less going on this off-season but there may still be a rash of trades as both associations seemed to be heading into a stretch with perhaps a parity level that has never been seen before. By this reporter's count there are no fewer than 10 teams that, with the right move or a break or two, could easily claim the World Championship Series next October. We already got a taste of that in the Federal Association this past season and with the rapid improvement of the Chicago Cougars the Continental looks like a four horse race in 1938. The Fed is a 6 teams deep and who knows Detroit might even be there too to make it a seven team battle. It could well be whoever makes the biggest splash on the trade front to address needs over the winter will be the favorite. I like Philadelphia’s chances if Rankin Kellogg still has a great season left in him but if Washington gets an ace and a return to form from Bill Anderson, who showed flashes of his 1936 self down the stretch after a terrible start to the year, they will be tough. Pittsburgh and Chicago too. The Miners did it this year with an injury riddled lineup so imagine what they could accomplish if healthy and the Chiefs are just another dominant Rabbit Day season away from playing October baseball for the second time in three years. Boston and St Louis might need to add something but both have shined at times and Detroit was outstanding the last month and a half of the season. The Dynamos are still a couple of years away but if Red Johnson can approach what Sal Pestilli (.306,33,94) did this season the two, combined with veteran Leon Drake (.280,26,107) the Dynamos power will send shivers down the spines of opposing hurlers. In the Continental the Brooklyn Kings and Cleveland Foresters had been in class by themselves for a few seasons but the always steady Philadelphia Sailors crashed that party a year ago and came within a tie-breaker game loss of their first pennant since winning 3 straight between 1928-30. Cleveland went into a slump down the stretch but with their pitching you have to think the Foresters will bounce back next season and the rapidly improving Chicago Cougars snuck up on everyone this year and are only forecasted to get better. Brooklyn, with the albatross of never having won finally gone, should be playing much more loose than they have in recent years and have their sights set on being the first FABL team since the 1924-25-26 New York Stars to repeat as World Championship Series winners. The only problem with those 10 or 11 clubs all thinking they are contenders and looking for upgrades there are very few trade partners left, at least not with assets the big boys would covet who are not prime prospects the rebuilding clubs are unlikely to be willing to part with. So while it seems to make sense there are a number of clubs looking for that one missing pieces, and in most cases it is an arm, there just may not be that much on the market to pick up. DEALING ALREADY UNDERWAY The ticker tape is barely settled on the parade route down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn but there has already been plenty of trade talk going on. TWIFB has it on good authority that one of the World Championship Series participants has already agreed to a major trade, details of which will come out in the coming days. Some very good young pitching prospects may be on the move as Baltimore has made it known that either John Edwards(11-19, 4.42) or Rusty Petrick(10-20, 4.46) could be moved for the power bat the young Cannons desperately need and Detroit is said to be willing to move 23 year old Ray McCarthy but surprisingly has put a timetable on getting any potential deal done for the young righthander who struggled with the Dynamos (1-4, 6.21) but looked very good at AAA Newark (9-5, 3.01) last season. The two Baltimore righthanders have drawn a lot of interest. Neither had a great first full season in the big leagues but each is just 21 and have a lot of promise after both spending time in the top ten of the OSA prospect list. There were a couple of minor deals announced already with both involving the Chicago Cougars. The Cougars added a pair of second round draft picks by shipping pitchers Joe Foote to Boston and Luis Sandoval to Pittsburgh. The 23 year old Foote was originally a 6th round pick of Montreal out of Greensboro High School in 1932 but was moved to the Cougars a couple of years ago. He has yet to make his FABL debut but was 8-12, 2.66 last season which was split between AA and AAA. Foote's future is likely in the back of the Boston rotation. Sandoval, 24, hails from Venezuela and has spent parts of two seasons in the big leagues. He went 1-3, 5.26 in a brief trial with Detroit in 1936 that included a 3-hit shutout of the St Louis Pioneers. Sent to the Cougars last winter in a deal that brought veteran pitcher Hardin Bates to Mo-Town, Sandoval was promoted from AAA midway through the year and was 3-3 with 6 saves out of the Cougars bullpen in the second half. His eventual landing spot might be the bottom of the Miners rotation or at the very least he should provide some depth to the Pittsburgh pitching staff. MORRIS LEAVING DYNAMOS FOR WASHINGTON? Perhaps Max Morris' time as a manager will be very brief. Word out of Ohio is Mighty Mo, who retired as a player officially last week but is still listed as the Detroit Dynamos skipper, is considering running for office. The Hall of Famer who ended his career with 711 homers and 3,651 hits announced at a rally in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio that he is throwing his cap into the ring as a possible candidate for the US House Representatives. There has been no comment from the Dynamos organization but if Morris is indeed stepping away from the game the timing could not be worse for the organization. Detroit is in search of a new bench coach after Ossie Julious announced his work in Detroit was done. The 64 year old spent the past season tutoring Morris but has decided not to return next year. Julious is FABL’s all-time winningest manager (and leader in losses too). Prior to serving last year as bench coach in Detroit to assist rookie manager Morris, Julious spent 31 years as a big league manager with Toronto and Baltimore. His managerial record sits at 2,276-2,418. Julious won 1 World Series 2 CA titles and 1 World Series Championship with the Toronto Wolves. QUICK HITS Max Morris was not the only prominent player to retire. It has been known for some time but David Merchant is now officially an ex-ballplayer. The 37 year old finished off his career with 1 at bat for the Philadelphia Sailors. He played all but 16 of his 1782 career games with the Sailors, winning a pair of World Championship Series and twice being named Continental Association Whitney Award winner. The outfielder leaves a legacy that includes 2053 career hits and a .299 lifetime average. If there is a more interesting story than Jim Kyle's I have yet to hear it. Kyle as you may well know has now won 4 World Championship Titles with 4 different teams and like clockwork he wins one every 3 years. First it was the Philadelphia Sailors in 1928, then it was the Chicago Cougars in 1931 followed by the Cleveland Foresters in 1934 and most recently the 1937 Brooklyn Kings. The great part of this story is he is an otherwise non descript journeyman catcher who has never started more than 61 games in a season and has only 5 career post-season at bats. He has just made a name for himself out of being in the right place at the right time, time and time again. Not bad for a 13th round draft pick out of an Acadamia Alliance school. Only in baseball can something like this happen. The Philadelphia Sailors continue to have the best record in the modern era (human GMs starting in 1926) with the Brooklyn Kings second. Since 1926 the Sailors and Kings are the only two FABL clubs to win 1,000 games. The Federal Association leading Philadelphia Keystones are close, but presently are 3 shy of that mark. Here are the cumulative standings from 1926-1937. Spanning the entire history of the World Championship Series, which began in 1893, 18 years after the dawn of professional baseball, the club with the most pennants is the Chicago Cougars with 9, followed by the New York Stars, New York Gothams and Boston Minutemen with 8 each. At the other end of the scale we have the St Louis Pioneers, who only won 2 pennants so far: in 1920 when they also won the World Championship Series and again in 1921. Those two years just happened to be Max Morris' first two years on the shores of the Mississippi after a famous trade from Cleveland. With the Kings finally getting their first last month every team in FABL has at least one World Championship to crow about but four teams have only the one. They are Brooklyn (1937), Cleveland (1935), St Louis (1920) and Pittsburgh (1901) every current team has won at least one FABL title in the 20th century. Current WCS droughts going back to the pre-play era: Washington (1923), Montreal (1921), St. Louis (1920), Baltimore (1914), Boston (1912), Toronto (1911) and Pittsburgh (1901). With the Brooklyn win all five of the baseball playing Barrell brothers have a World Championship ring. Fred was first to the party as the 32 year old catcher won one with the Chicago Cougars in 1931 when he was named Series MVP. Next came Bobby who also was named Series MVP when his Philadelphia Keystones claimed the crown in 1933. Tom, Dan and Harry each won their first last week with Brooklyn while Fred earned his second title on the same team. Family patriarch Rufus of course never got a chance to play in the big leagues because of a serious injury so that just leaves his grandson Rufus II or 'Deuce' as he is better known as next in line to add to the family legacy. Deuce, the 1935 first overall selection of the Baltimore Cannons, went 11-12 with a 3.89 era over 3 levels of minors this season and the #6 overall prospect is projected to have a 1939 arrival in the big leagues. Other brother acts to get in on the Brooklyn party include the Lightbody boys. Doug, a 1925 first round pick of the Kings who is the longest serving member of the team, is just a role player now but he did go 1-for-2 in a pinch-hitting role this series and earned his first ring in three trips to the WCS with the Kings. His younger brother Frank spent most of his career in Pittsburgh before joining his brother in Brooklyn prior to the start of the 1936 season. Frank still has many friends in the Miners organization but now has bragging rights over them. A younger cousin, Jim Lightbody, is a second baseman in the Kings system and recently celebrated a Class B Southeastern League title with the Tampa Cigar Kings. Then you have the Pestilli boys. While Sal got all of the attention this season, and rightly so after jumping straight from college to the big leagues and then proceeding to lead the majors in homeruns as a rookie, it was big brother Alf who claimed the hardware. Alf spent 60 games in Brooklyn, batting .258 with 9 homers, and after helping Rochester win it's fourth consecutive Union League crown at the AAA level he rejoined the Kings for the stretch run and the Series. Alf had just 2 plate appearances in the Series but did draw a walk and scored a run in Brooklyn's 8-4 triumph in the second game. There are actually two other Pestilli boys, both of whom turned pro this June. Joe spent the year at Class B Charlotte in the St Louis Pioneers system while the youngest, Tony, joined the Philadelphia Keystones and spent the year in Class C Beaumont of the Gulf States League. Sal Pestilli's rookie season won't be enough to win him a Whitney Award but he should finish in the top five. Not bad for a player who had no experience above the college level when the season began in April. Sal was just the third player in the modern era to go straight from the campus to the major leagues. His numbers compared very nicely to other two : Freddie Jones and Doug Lightbody. Here is a look at what each of the three did as rookie pro's and perhaps what might be in store for Detroit's Pestilli next season. Note- Lightbody missed half of his rookie year with an injury. The Brooklyn Kings have announced a 3% increase in ticket prices as the average seat at Kings County to watch the defending champions play next year will go for $1.26. The Chicago Chiefs, who led the league in attendance and nearly smashed the all-time record are planning on a similar amount with average being $1.25. Detroit had cut prices in 19366 to just $0.90 after a disastrous 1935 campaign before raising them 2 cents last year. No word on if there will be another hike at Thompson Field. The Keystones stayed flat in 1937 at $1.10 and were 10th in attendance (902,577) but 5th in gate revenue ($574,976), so their prices were higher than average. But, the Keystones do have some star power and had 11 winning seasons in their last 13. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-13-2021, 11:51 AM	#205
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 25, 1937 WINDS OF CHANGE GUST THROUGH DETROIT AND GOTHAM CITY The expectation was this would be a very busy off-season but news today shocked the baseball world on two fronts. First there came word out of Detroit that the rumours were true: Max Morris was leaving his post as the Dynamos manager to embark on a political career. His replacement was also announced and that was entirely unexpected. George Theobald, minority owner of the club and arguably the most successful manager in league history will take over for Morris in the Detroit dugout. While many fans will be saddened to see Morris leave the game - he also retired as a player at the end of the season - I am sure all who were touched by 'Mighty Mo' wish him great success in wherever his political ambitions lead him. Politics may have played a role in today's other big off-field news as New York Gothams owner Charles Bigsby announced he is stepping down effective immediately and has sold the ballclub. The Bigsby family is well known in New York, as much for it's nefarious activities over the years as it was for it's baseball club. There are a number of rumours circulating that the owner's hand was forced following the uncovering of something he and his family preferred remained hidden, either by the league, by New York Mayor La Guardia or perhaps by G-Men (and by that I don't mean Gothams players). Nothing has been made public, and expectations are it never will be but the most credible rumour making the rounds is that pressure from NYC mayor LaGuardia’s attempts to crackdown on government corruption might have opened a can of worms Bibsby would have preferred stay buried and an agreement was made that he and his family would fade from public view. Sources close to Bigsby claim that he has simply tired of the stress and wants to retire. However, it has been noted that men in Bigsby‘s primary line of work don’t typically retire….they expire with the cause usually being lead poisoning. Fueling the speculation that there must be more to the story was the fact the club has been in the control of the Bigsby family since the formation of the league in 1892 and their involvement in the pro game stretches even further back than that. As result it is extremely surprising that the club has been sold to outside interests and not remained within the family. While it is true that Charles has no children of his own but he does have many cousins or nephews and when asked why he did not award the team to one of them he simply gave a small, sad smile and replied with a terse "No comment." While little is known about the new owner of the Gothams, Manhattan businessman Leland Winthrop, it is expected that he will be welcomed with open arms by his 15 league associates as even the foulest odor wafting over the Bigsby Oval would be a breath of fresh air compared to the stench that was the Bibsby clan. The 40 year old Winthrop made his fortune in real estate and while he has no personal connection to the sport, his family certainly does as it was Winthrop's grandfather, an architect by trade, who designed the Gothams home stadium, the Bigsby Bowl. The venue has since been renovated three times. Winthrop was not at the press conference but Bigsby offered this when asked about his successor. "He's a good man, a New Yorker to the core, and I am sure he will be a big part of returning the Gothams to greatness." WHEELER WINS TIGHTEST WHITNEY AWARD RACE IN YEARS In what might have been the tightest race for the Continental Association Whitney Award on record the Brooklyn Kings Al Wheeler claimed his third straight Whitney and fifth of his career by narrowly outpointing Chicago Cougars third baseman John Lawson. Whitney finished with 159 points, four more than Lawson accumulated despite the fact that the veteran Cougar garnered 7 first place votes, one more than the slugging Brooklyn outfielder. Two of the other three first place votes went to Wheeler's Brooklyn teammate Frank Vance, who finished third in the balloting with the final one going to fourth place finisher George Dawson of the Cleveland Foresters. For Wheeler it is his third straight Whitney as he has won in each of the three seasons since joining the Kings, along with Frank Vance, in a 1935 trade from Detroit. Wheeler also won the award while in the Federal Association in 1930 and again in 1932. The Kings made it a clean sweep of the awards for the third year in a row but this time it was not Tom Barrell joining Wheeler as instead 32 year old Kings lefthander Joe Shaffner won the first Allen Award of his career and the CA's top hurler. Barrell had won the three previous seasons but missed much of this year with an injury. Shaffner, who posted a 20-4 record with a FABL leading 2.32 era received 13 of the 16 first place votes with Cleveland's Sergio Gonzales claiming the other three to finish second. ALLEN WINS ALLEN Voters made it pretty clear who they felt the best pitcher was in the Federal Association and with good reason. 23 year old Pittsburgh Miners ace Lefty Allen wins the award named after another great pitcher by the name of Allen. It will be a long time and take a lot more seasons like this one before Lefty ever draws comparisons to Double-Al but he certainly took a step in the right direction this season as the southpaw tied for the FABL lead in wins with 22 and was second in the Federal Association in era with a 3.27 mark but what really set him apart from the rest was his strikeouts. Allen fanned 230 hitters, a total that you need to go all the way back to 1916 in order to have a pitcher surpass it. In fact since Brooklyn's George DiMarzo struck out 227 in 1917 there has only been one other pitcher fan at least 200 before Allen's season this year. That pitcher was Rabbit Day, who finished third in the voting this year by the way, and he struck out a career best 211 in 1930. The Federal Association Whitney Award winner also had a special season as Washington's Mel Carrol won the award for the first time after hitting .409 with 26 homers and 130 rbi's. The 25 year old third baseman became the first player to hit over .400 since Max Morris last did it in 1925. Carrol received 13 of the 16 first place votes with Frank McCormick of St Louis getting the other 3. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-14-2021, 12:02 PM	#206
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 26, 1937 OFF-SEASON ARMS RACE IN FEDERAL ASSOCIATION As expected the Federal Association continues to be the hub of trade activity as Boston , Pittsburgh and Chicago all added to their arsenal of pitching by each picking up a talented arm. Detroit also got into the action as the Dynamos continue a very busy off-season with a pair of trades but, unlike the Minutemen, Miners and Chiefs, Detroit was looking for more offense and parted with some good young talent to add it. There were 4 big deals consummated over the past week. Here they are with a breakdown as to how each affects what is expected to be another very crowded race for the Federal Association pennant next summer. All three moves were big but one has to think this is the deal that could have the most impact on the balance of power in the Federal Association going forward. The Boston Minutemen added what could be a front of the rotation pitcher in 21 year old John Edwards. The thought of Edwards joining Dick Higgins as co-aces atop the Minutemen rotation instantly gives them a pair that can compete with the dynamic mound duos in Pittsburgh (Lefty Allen and Charlie Stedman) and Chicago (Rabbit Day and Al Miller). Edwards, who by the way was a high school teammate of the Chiefs Miller before being selected 3rd overall by Baltimore in the 1933 draft, went 11-19 with a 4.42 era for a bad Baltimore team this past season. He is 6'5" and extremely durable. Edwards does need to cut down on his walks but that should come as he matures. He was only available because Baltimore has such a deep stable of young pitchers but the Cannons are almost completely void of offensive talent. This trade helps change that for Baltimore as the cost was hefty for the Minutemen. Ken Mayhugh heads on to his third organization despite still being just 25. Originally drafted in the second round by Brooklyn out of Liberty College in 1932, Mayhugh has developed into a pretty solid third baseman. He made the all-star team this year, batting .299 with a career best 17 homers. His future in Baltimore will likely be at first base the as the Cannons also added 21 year old Denny Andrews in the deal. Andrews was the Minutemen's first round pick, 11th overall out of Maryland State in 1936. He enjoyed a productive rookie pro campaign, advancing thru three levels of minors to finish the season in Class A with a .277 average and 30 homers between his three stops. He was Boston's 5th ranked prospect according to OSA, at #49 overall. Finally the Cannons also get 26 year old minor league corner outfielder Ray White. The former 5th round pick from Opelika State has spent each of the past three seasons at AAA Columbus hitting .313 while averaging 10 homers a season. It is a big move for both clubs but not without some risk for Boston. Mayhugh looks like a star already and Andrews seems to have loads of potential but the opportunity to land a pitcher with Edwards potential is too hard to pass up. The Pittsburgh Miners had already made one deal this off-season to add a young arm when they acquired 24 year old Luis Sandoval from the Chicago Cougars. This move is certainly bigger than that as McCarthy seems to have loads of untapped potential but the key will be for the Miners to find a way to help him realize that potential. McCarthy went just 1-4, 6.21 in 7 big league starts with the Dynamos as control was a big problem for him. He fared much better during the time he spent over the summer in AAA Newark and the Miners hope he is ready to break out. The lefthander is 23 so the time to shine is now, although he did lose a full year of development after an elbow injury wiped out his 1936 season. His route to the big leagues has been of the scenic variety as McCarthy was originally a first round pick by St Louis out of high school but the Pioneers released him before his first season and he spent several years bouncing around with various independent teams before Detroit acquired him in 1935. He has the ceiling of an ace so he could be a huge asset to an already solid Pittsburgh rotation but the serious elbow injury does worry some observers. The deal seems a real departure in strategy for Detroit as the Dynamos youth movement took a pause with the addition of a proven veteran bat in Stewart. The 3-time all-star will be counted on to take a leadership role with Detroit and his powerful bat (.263,23,101) fits in nicely with a rapidly developing homer happy group in Detroit. The lottery pick once again guarantees Detroit two of the top 32 players as they had previously dealt their second one to Brooklyn. Pittsburgh does have a top third base prospect in Spud Bent working his way up the organization but in the meantime Les Tucker might slide over to third with Sandy Grabow taking shortstop duties and Ben Edwards looking solid at second base. This move came out late last night and the initial reaction around the league was one of surprise. Perhaps it was a knee jerk reaction by Detroit management to an edict issued by ailing owner Eddie Thompson, who desperately craves another pennant but the Dynamos certainly deviated from what has appeared to be their slow steady path to long-term organizational success in favour of a quick hit. There is no doubt that Hank Barnett (.276,19,95) is an above average third baseman but he is well below average with the glove as a shortstop. This move might have made perfect sense for the Dynamos had they not just announced the deal with Pittsburgh to acquire Ed Stewart. To be honest, we at TWIFB are not sure where Detroit plans on playing everyone. Yes, Barnett or perhaps Stewart could shift to second base but they certainly had a serviceable second baseman in Jake Shadoan already. Maybe Detroit has something else planned but right now this move seems to create more questions than answers. The Dynamos got older with the 28 year old Barnett and 29 year old Stewart and it came at a cost that seems, at least at first glance too expensive. By that we don't mean just the Barnett deal or just the Stewart trade on their own as we like either of them, but both combined seemed to signal trouble, particularly the Barnett deal for the Dynamos. The trade with Montreal just seems redundant - unless Detroit has another move up their sleeve to package either Barnett or Stewart for another piece, ideally a shortstop. And that is why it worries us the most. It will be great to get both Stewart and Barnett's bats in a lineup that already has Sal Pestilli, Leon Drake and a rising young star in Red Johnson but the trading away of Frank Davis may come back to haunt the Dynamos, and quite likely could hurt them next season. Davis is just 21 and looked very good in the field already. He will be a great addition and loved by Montreal pitchers who have desperately needed a good glove man behind them. Detroit's only real option at shortstop right now appears to be Tip Harrison, a 26 year old minor leaguer who has just 20 games experience as high as AAA and he hit .165 during that 20 game audition in Newark to close out the season. His glove work was decent but certainly not to the level of Davis. Contending in 1938 is really just a pipe dream for a Detroit team with plenty of offense but one that clearly lacks the pitching to compete - now they seem much weaker in the field as well with shortstop being a huge red flag. There may also be worry about the future of the Detroit rotation with the decision to move their top prospect (McCarthy) and also their 5th best pitching prospect (Wallace). We like the move from Montreal's perspective as while Barnett's bat will certainly be missed, he wanted out of Montreal and clearly was out of his element in the field trying to play shortstop. Davis should slide in nicely at shortstop for the Saints. Wallace might be ready to join the rotation and with the Dynamos first round draft pick (3rd overall) the Saints will likely get another good young pitching prospect. Acquiring Stewart seemed like a very solid move for Detroit but the feeling is the Dynamos should probably have pulled out of the Barnett sweepstakes once they made their move with the Miners. We also can't help but feel Freddie Farhat of the Detroit World is not going to have many kind words to say about this direction either. The final move in the trade fury saw the Chicago Chiefs attempt to keep pace with the pitching staff additions in Boston and Pittsburgh by going back to New York, the same team they acquired Rabbit Day from during their World Championship 1936 season, to add Day's former Gotham teammate Jim Lonardo. The cost for the 33 year old 3 time Allen Award winning righthander was very reasonable as well with just a mid-level prospect and a first round pick going the other way. First rounders are not what they used to be with the new rules allowing the top 32 prospects each year to enter a lottery of sorts and the prospect, a 21 year old by the name of Charlie Sutton, is ranked around 250th by OSA. Sutton is a former 4th round pick out of a high school in California. He was 13-7 with a 3.68 era at Class B Tacoma after spending his first two pro seasons in Class C. Lonardo was about the last remaining link from a 1935 Gothams team, where he teamed with Day, that was completely gutted the following season. He apparently had asked to remain in New York for whom he was 162-124 despite a rough 8-19 season last year. Whether it was the decision of Charles Bigsby to sell the club, and Lonardo was said to be very close to the long-time owner, or he just grew tired of losing but either way Lonardo asked to be moved recently. Chicago stepped in quickly, seeing how some of their key rivals had upgraded their pitching, and made the move to add Lonardo to a rotation that will feature 7 Allen Awards between Rabbit Day and Lonardo's 3 each plus one from Jack Beach. The expectation is Lonardo is much better than his record last season on a bad Gothams team indicates and he gives the Chiefs one of, if not the deepest rotations in the Fed. A MOVE TOO FAR? (Courtesy of the New York World-Telegram) New York Gothams fans showed loyalty and continued to support their team when several stars were traded away, breaking up a championship ball club. Fan interest remained intact with a change in ownership. Fans seemed willing to wait for the promised high end prospects to mature. But now? How will Gothams fans respond to the trade of longtime hero Jim Lonardo to division rival Chicago? Reports are that the former 10th round selection, 3 time Allen winner and Gothams champion will be heading west in exchange for Chicago's first pick in the drafting portion, along with 21 year old Charlie Sutton who was taken in the 4th round of the 1934 draft. As expected there was no comment coming from new owner Leland Winthrop's office, but speculation is that management was directed to reduce payroll while waiting for the next wave to arrive. If true, this raises a number of questions regarding the future operation of the club. After years of Bigsby control where a "handshake agreement" kept Lonardo in New York, apparently baseball is now just a business at the Oval. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 10/24/1937 King George of England pledges in a speech his government will do all it can to restore peace to China and Spain. Japan formally apologizes to Britain for airplane attack on a British outpost near Shanghai Tokyo rejects plan to participate in peace talks aimed at ending the Chinese-Japanese War. CIO offers plan to join AFL and end years of labor war between the two organizations. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-15-2021, 02:00 AM	#207
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL OCTOBER 27, 1937 OFF-SEASON DYNAMOS DEALING AGAIN It comes as quite a shock that the busiest team in the Federal Association on the trade front is the Detroit Dynamos. The Dynamos, who had a strong finish to the 1937 season but certainly should have no illusions about contending in 1938 seem to be acting like a club trying to put the finishing touches on a potential pennant winner as they moved another highly touted prospect. This time it was 18 year old catcher Pete Casstevens, who is considered the number 5 ranked prospect by OSA. Casstevens was dispatched to the New York Gothams for 23 year old pitcher Charlie Wheeler and 30 year old backup shortstop Erv Smith. The move from Detroit's perspective seems puzzling to say the least. Casstevens, the son of former big leaguer Clint Casstevens, was the big prize at the top of the crop of young high school talent in June along with Roosevelt Brown, who coincidentally is also Gotham property. Casstevens is still a couple of years away from even being considered as a big league call-up but that should fit in nicely with the realistic time line for Detroit to contend. Casstevens did struggle in his pro debut, batting just .169 in 77 games at Class C Biloxi but he is also has been called the best catching prospect to come along since T.R. Goins so it is very shocking Detroit would move him. The Dynamos do get a pretty good young pitcher back in 23 year old Charlie Wheeler, who posted a 7-10 record with a 4.58 era as a rookie with the Gothams. Originally selected 13th overall in the 1935 draft out of Rainer College by the Chicago Cougars, Wheeler joined New York in 1936 in exchange for veteran pitcher Hardin Bates. He peaked at #43 in the prospect rankings and OSA feels he could develop into the type of pitcher that could anchor a rotation so it may well work out okay for the Dynamos, who have made several big moves over the past week. Detroit also receives Erv Smith as the Gothams continue to divest themselves of anyone over the age of 30. Smith is a slightly below average shortstop both with the bat (.245,0,41) and the glove but he will be an upgrade on what Detroit has presently, which is basically nothing after sending another highly touted prospect in 21 year Frank Davis to Montreal the other day. Wheeler is likely destined to be a pretty good pitcher but the move, coupled with the perplexing deal with Montreal to add Hank Barnett, seems forced almost as if the club is bowing to pressure from ailing owner Eddie Thompson and trying to do everything it can to win now. If that is truly the case the unfortunate result of that endeavor is not only going to be Detroit will fall well short of being a pennant contender in a tough Federal Association next season, but the Dynamos also seem to be undoing much of the good they have done in rebuilding their system over the past two years. The Detroit General Manager has had great success building a winner in his previous stop at Cleveland so it could quite well be he knows better than those of us in the media but only time will tell if he still has the magic he displayed as head of the Foresters. NEW HOME FOR GOTHAMS? The ink is barely dry on the contract to buy the team but sources indicate there is talk between the new owner of the Gothams, Leland Winthrop, and NYC leadership, including 'master builder' Robert Moses, to build a new stadium in Queens for the Gothams. Possible sites for the Gothams rumoured new home include Flushing Meadow, where the 1939 World's Fair will take place or nearby Astoria Park which has easy access from the recently opened Triborough bridge. This would be a Works Progress Administration project, popularized by President Roosevelt's Second New Deal but the thinking is it is also possibly partial reward for Winthrop as a thank you for ridding the city of the Bigsbys. A formal announcement may hit in the next few days but it certainly sounds like one of the first things real estate mogul Winthrop will do in his new role as owner of the Gothams is to facilitate the end Bigsby Park, which was originally designed by his grandfather. It also might help explain when the sale of the team seemed to come out of nowhere and was pushed through so suddenly. With the timing of the sale and now the talk of a new ballpark it certainly seems like Winthrop knew of the stadium proposal and the lure of being able to repurpose the land on which the present park stands sounds like a very profitable real estate venture to go along with getting a sweetheart deal from the city to help fund a brand new stadium. Situated on Broadway, Bigsby Park has been the Gothams home since it's construction in 1876 although it has undergone a pair of renovations since then and with a capacity of 52,450 is the largest stadium in the league. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-15-2021, 11:53 AM	#208
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	Ten Things I Think -November 1, 1937 TEN THINGS I THINK WITH JIGGS MCGEE 1-Even though we are 6 months away from opening day I can't help but feel like the Chicago Chiefs may have already clinched the pennant, courtesy once again of an assist from the New York Gothams. Rather than set their sights on a flashy but also very expensive young pitcher the Chiefs pulled an old trick out of their hat and grabbed a former 3-time Allan Award winner from the Gothams. The last time that happened was two years ago when New York liquidated basically everything with a pulse and sent Rabbit Day west. All Day did upon blowing into the Windy City was go 17-1 including a pair of World Championship Series victories to give Whitney's crew their first WCS win since 1917. Now, I am certainly not saying newly acquired Jim Lonardo is by any stretch of the imagination Rabbit Day, but Lonardo - like Day - has won 3 Allan Awards and both are 33 years old. Lonardo is coming off a bad season in New York, but much of the blame for that can be placed on the myriad of minor leaguers he had to call teammates last season. Day too had a down year, at least by his standards. If both pitch like they are capable of then could easily add a 1938 pennant to go with the ones they won together with the Gothams in 1934 and 35. 2-Speaking of the Gothams they already had the best collection of minor league prospects in the game and that was before somehow talking Detroit out of the best catching prospect to come along since perhaps T.R. Goins, or if you live in Pittsburgh you can insert George Cleaves' name here. Either way, New York now owns 5 of the top 15 prospects in the sport right now. Their management team has done a great job accumulating talent but at what many New Yorkers feel is a devastatingly high cost. New York tore apart a back to back pennant winner, trading it for what was a last place finish in 1937 and likely headed that direction again next year. New Yorkers aren't known for their patience and it will take a lot of it to wait for these talented kids to mature but I guess the only one who's patience really matters is new owner Leland Winthrop. So, yes there is a great crop coming but the big question is will the team win enough games the next year or two to keep the current management team employed at the corner of Broadway and West 142nd Street? 3-Actually the Gothams time at that address seems to have an expiration date soon as well with word circulating that part of the deal for Winthrop to take over the team from Charles Bigsby involved the land where the park currently sits being repurposed and a new stadium constructed across the East River possibly at the site near where the 1939 World's Fair is planned. It has been no secret the league, and many in the city of New York, have long wanted the Bigsby family, and it's questionable moral compass, out of the game so I suspect the new stadium plan has secretly been a done deal for sometime now and was the proverbial cherry on top to convince Winthrop to park with some of his many real estate holdings and purchase the team. 4- Word is the new stadium proposal in New York is not the only one that will be constructed in the near future as part of President's Roosevelt's latest 'New Deal.' The WPA, designed to get millions of Americans working, is reportedly going to be the impetus for two additional new ballparks to go along with the new Gothams home. No word on the locations yet but speculation indicates Cleveland may be one of them. The Marshall family has long pushed for a replacement to Forester Field and at one point the contentious subject nearly saw the city lose it's club to Cincinnati. 5- I have no inside information on this one but just a hunch. Washington might also be getting a new stadium. The Captiol Grounds was built in 1907 and is one of just two ballparks with a capacity of less than 30,000. Not that the Eagles have needed more seats as they barely draw 5,500 fans a game as it is. However, a new stadium combined with an exciting group of offensive talent like Mel Carrol and Moxie Pidgeon, might just be the tonic needed to rekindle baseball interest in the Nation's Capital. 6-The CA has been strangely quiet thus far. The Brooklyn Kings appear content to stick with the same group that finally got over the hump and won a World Championship. Kings manager Powell Slocum was spotted about town recently and sounded very confidant of his charges ability to repeat citing the fact that the 500 pound gorilla named 'The Curse of Ferdinand' was finally off their backs as reason alone for his club to have a big year. It is true many of the Kings have gripped the bat pretty tightly in clutch situations in the past so a World Championship ring might be just the trick to help ever so slightly loosen the grip on the bat for the purple monarchs. 6- I am surprised that we have heard nothing from Cleveland or the Philadelphia Sailors so far this off-season and just a couple of small deals for draft picks from the Cougars. With the right move any of the three could vault top the top of the heap in the Continental. 7- The one CA team that did make a move was the Baltimore Cannons. They sent John Edwards, one of their many good young pitchers, to the Boston Minutemen and returned some much needed offensive help instead. I would think this is probably a deal that helped both teams equally. One rival GM expressed concern that Minutemen subtracted offense rather than added to it but Edwards combined with Dick Higgins gives Boston a very imposing top half of the rotation for years to come. The Cannons will miss Edwards in the short term but with Rufus Barrell on the way at some point the hole should be easy enough to plug and Baltimore is now set for corner infielders with 25 year Ken Mayhugh likely shifting from third to first as soon as Denny Andrews, the other piece in the deal that came to Baltimore, is ready for the big leagues. 8-There has been plenty of talk here about the Chiefs and Minutemen pitching but Pittsburgh still has the best starting pitching tandem according to the BNN rankings. Fed Allen Award winner Lefty Allen, who had the highest single season strikeout total in 21 years, is ranked number 1 while veteran teammate Charlie Steadman holds down the third spot on BNN's list of top pitchers. 9-On the position player side it is interesting to note that 8 of the top 10 are from the Federal Association including the top six: Chiefs catcher Tom Bird, St Louis first baseman Fred McCormick, .400 hitter Mel Carrol of Washington, rookie sensation Sal Pestilli of the Dynamos and St Louis outfielder Gail Gifford. Only a pair of Brooklyn Kings in Al Wheeler and Frank Vance break the Feds dominance of the top ten and interestingly enough both Wheeler and Vance have still spent the majority of each of their careers in the Federal Association. 10- With the addition of Jim Lonardo, who is slated to make $20,000 next season, the Chicago Chiefs now have the highest payroll in the league at just over $390,000. Brooklyn is a close second but then there is a bit of a gap down to third place Pittsburgh at $341k. At the other end of the spectrum we have the Toronto Wolves with the lowest payroll at $206,450. Toronto's highest paid player is pitcher Jake Smith, who is slated to make $15,750 next season. There are 46 players in the league who will make more than Smith including 10 Chicago Chiefs. Rabbit Day, at $31,500 per annum, is the highest paid pitcher but he is slated to make $120 less than 5 time Whitney Award winning outfielder Al Wheeler of Brooklyn who has the league's highest salary. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-20-2021, 04:33 PM	#209
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL NOVEMBER 22, 1937 Off-season edition WINTER MEETINGS COME TO AN END WITH ONE FINAL DEAL FABL's winter meetings may have ended but the trading is likely to continue as several teams are said to shopping some top players. The most notable name is St Louis Pioneers first baseman Fred McCormick. The 28 year old is a four time all-star who always seems to be among the finalists for the Federal Association Whitney Award (he finished second in 1937 voting) hit a career high .373 with 20 homers and 114 rbi's this past season. Originally an 11th round pick of the New York Gothams out of high school in 1927, McCormick made a rapid progression thru the Gothams system but in the winter before his major league debut he was a key piece in a multi-player trade that saw Max Morris leave St Louis for the Gothams. McCormick had an outstanding rookie campaign as a 21 year old in 1931 and has not slowed down, hitting .352 with 106 homers in 1036 career FABL games. So why are the Pioneers eager to move the humble slugger known as the 'Reticent Reaper'? The main reason is pitching. The Pioneers have come up short in several pennant runs and more often than not a lack of starting pitching has hurt them. Watching the Boston Minutemen, Pittsburgh Miners and Chicago Chiefs - three of their key pennant rivals - each add to their arsenal of arms over the past couple of weeks is likely what pushed the Pioneers to consider parting with McCormick. In addition, St Louis skipper George Sparkman is said to be very confident that 25 year old Zip Sullivan, who made his FABL debut in July, is ready to take on a starting role at first base. Sullivan, who like McCormick was a late round high school pick (in his case round 23 in 1930), has enjoyed success at each level of the minor leagues and hit .317 in 45 plate appearances for the Pioneers in the second half of the season. The Pioneers have confirmed they are shopping but insist they will only move McCormick to the Continental Association which severely limits the potential trade partners for the club. The Pioneers want a young big league ready arm or two in return but that also limits their potential trade partners especially with Baltimore having recently moved a great young pitcher in John Edwards to Boston. There certainly is a possibility McCormick gets moved but odds are probably even that he is still wearing a Pioneer cap come spring training. Early speculation around the league is the Cleveland Foresters would be an ideal destination for McCormick, who is an Ohio native. The cost would be expensive and perhaps more than Cleveland would feel comfortable with as it is expected 25 year old Sergio Gonzales, who finished second in CA Allen Award voting after a 20-6, 3.19 season, would be who St Louis would demand in return. It is also not known just how interested the Foresters would actually be as 26 year old Bill Moore (.321,14,86) had a pretty solid season at first base in his Cleveland debut after coming over from Detroit last winter. Philadelphia might be a good option for McCormick but the Sailors only real pitching options to send to St Louis are both older than perhaps the Pioneers want to go. In addition, one has to question if the Sailors would want to part with either of them as both William Jones (20-8, 3.15) and Doc Newell (20-8, 3.67) were key to Philadelphia forcing a one game tie-breaker for the pennant with Brooklyn last year. That leaves Brooklyn and the Chicago Cougars as perhaps the only other possibilities. The Kings may not have the pitcher St Louis craves other than possibly 21 year old Jack Goff, who made his big league debut last season and is the son of team bench coach and former Kings star hurler Danny Goff. The Cougars have a large contingent of prospects and might have a fit in a package that would probably have to include 24 year old Pug Bryan (8-9, 3.69). Baltimore is likely not willing to part with another young pitcher and it is unlikely that Montreal or the New York Stars would want to move a pitcher to add McCormick when they have Vic Crawford (.300,11,89) and Dave Trowbridge (.315,16,69) respectively at first base. Toronto is certainly in need of a first baseman but Joe Hancock (20-14, 3.74) would likely be the cost and Toronto is almost assuredly unwilling to pay that high a price. CHIEFS ADD BARNETT The late move out of the winter meetings saw the Chicago Chiefs acquire infielder Hank Barnett from the Detroit Dynamos in exchange for a pair of pitchers. Barnett's stay in Detroit was exceptionally brief as he was acquired by Detroit earlier this month in a surprising move by the Dynamos considering they just added another veteran infielder in Ed Stewart from Pittsburgh. Barnett, who hit .276 with 19 homers for the Saints last season, will be reunited with manager Joe Ward who was the Saints skipper for the first 5 seasons of Barnett's career before being fired and later catching on with the Chiefs. Ward recently told the Chicago Herald-Examiner how thrilled he was with the move. I'm "Excited to be reunited with Barnett. He'll play 2nd which means Layton will go back to short. And maybe he'll finally get the 30 HR that OSA keeps predicting for him And so the lineup vs righthanders will be as follows: 3B Bob Martin SS Pete Layton C Tom Bird 2B Hank Barnett RF Cliff Moss 1B Ron Rattigan LF Jim Hampton CF Bennie Griffith" The Chiefs will send SP Ron Coles and P Bob Walls to the Dynamo's for Barnett. New Dynamos assistant General Manager Rankin Trull offered his thoughts on the trade to Fast Freddie Farhat of the Detroit World. "Even though he’s coming off his first big injury, I’m happy to finally land Ron Coles," explained Trull. "I know our GM has been after him since prior to the 33 season when he was still in Cleveland. The other guy, Bob Walls, will add depth and will allow me not to rush anyone into the starting rotation." Trull did admit it was somewhat of a reactionary move after the Dynamos lost out to Boston in their bid to try and land John Edwards from the Baltimore Cannons. "So while Coles is older (28) than Edwards," continued Trull, "who we were initially after I think this trade will help us. I guess I look at it that we traded SS Davis, SP Wallace and the pick for Coles and Walls. There will be now be some competition now for the rotation this spring with likely Coles, Wheeler, Murphy and Perry clinching spots with Walls, Wood, Beaman and Spencer looking to compete. And who knows maybe there’s another move up our sleeve, the off-season is still young." __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

07-23-2021, 04:59 AM	#210
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL DECEMBER 6, 1937 : Off-Season Edition [ MCCORMICK REMAINS WITH PIONEERS With much fanfare the St Louis Pioneers made it known a few days ago the club would be willing, and almost appeared anxious, to move 28 year old 4-time all star first baseman Frank McCormick. Despite the fact that McCormick has averaged about .360 with 21 homers over each of the past four seasons the Pioneers, perhaps feeling pressure to keep pace with Chicago and Boston who each added a top level starting pitcher over the winter, felt the need to cast McCormick into the trade waters. Instructions were clear as the Pioneers demanded a top quality young arm in return and also made it clear they were only sailing in Continental seas, as the mere mention of meeting McCormick on a Federal Association field would shiver the timbers of the Pioneers front office. Today, despite reportedly receiving several offers the Pioneers hauled McCormick back to the shores of the Mississippi saying there was no deal to be had. It was speculated in this column, correctly as it turned out, there was at least a 50% chance McCormick would still be wearing Pioneer burgundy come April and there is now no reason to dispute that assumption. The truth is if the Pioneers truly wanted to move McCormick this winter they missed the boat. That opportunity sailed away the moment the Baltimore Cannons dispatched John Edwards to Boston early in the winter meetings. Edwards, you see, was just the type of pitcher St Louis likely coveted when they announced that McCormick was available. Edwards is young - he just turned 22 a couple of months ago, comes with a great resume as a former third overall pick who spent multiple seasons as a top ten overall prospect on the OSA list, has been very healthy thus far in his career and already has proven he can pitch in the big leagues. The problem the Pioneers faced in shopping McCormick is there is an overwhelming feeling in FABL right now that corner infielders and outfielders are in such great supply even the best of them - and McCormick certainly ranks right up there - are grossly undervalued. Young pitchers, especially the type with the pedigree and seemingly top of the rotation potential like John Edwards has, are in short supply. In fact, the only team that seemed to be in any position to move one of those arms was the Baltimore Cannons, because the Cannons were the one team in the league that had a handful of said assets but were in extremely short supply of offensive talent. With Baltimore out of the picture the Pioneers really were left with no suitable trading partner. It is likely St Louis hoped to hear from the Chicago Cougars with an offer that included highly touted prospect Pete Papenfus or perhaps from the Cleveland Foresters - a team that suffered a power outage down the stretch and slipped to fourth place - dangling Sergio Gonzales as bait to acquire McCormick. Maybe Toronto with a talented young arm in Joe Hancock but little in the way of a supporting cast might have been on the Pioneers radar. It is not known if any of those teams actually approached the Pioneers with an offer, but it is clear that if they did the three names mentioned above were not included. What happened is the Pioneers likely found themselves in the same boat the Brooklyn Kings were in last July when they attempted to shop Al Wheeler, who was in the midst of winning his 5th career Whitney Award, in order to land a young arm that could front a rotation. St Louis, like Brooklyn, learned that young pitchers have a perceived value worth more than their weight in gold while proven all-star hitters in what should still be the prime of their careers, are greatly undervalued. Regardless, the perception is the Pioneers, who have not won a pennant since 1921, have taken another step back in the Fed race. Not by what they did but rather by what they were unable to do. Offense has not been in short supply in St Louis the last few years but the club has felt, and quite accurately most would agree, that their pitching needs an upgrade if the Pioneers are going to aspire to play October baseball. While the rotations of three of the Pioneers main rivals have improved over the winter St Louis has added nothing. With the addition of Edwards the Boston Minutemen now have two young aces in Edwards and Dick Higgins. The Chicago Chiefs added the perfect compliment to Rabbit Day and Al Miller by picking the decaying carcass that is the New York Gothams clean with the addition of Jim Lonardo while the Pittsburgh Miners added a pair of young pitchers with some potential, although that came at the cost of a solid third baseman in Ed Stewart. The bottom line is three of the Pioneers key rivals in what promises to be a tight Federal race again this season upgraded their pitching while St Louis - the team you could argue needed the pitching upgrade the most - has been unsuccessful at least so far. The story may still have a happy ending for the Pioneers. Brooklyn fans are thrilled that no deal came about for Wheeler as he helped his club end a 45 year curse with their first World Championship title. Perhaps McCormick's bat will do the same for the Pioneers but the club desperately needs big seasons out of pitchers Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee if they are finally going win a pennant - something they have been in contention for but ultimately fell short of each of the past six seasons. Another season of McCormick in the heart of the St Louis lineup is certainly not a bad thing to have so perhaps it will be the deal the Pioneers didn't make that shapes the Fed race this season instead of one that Boston, Chicago or Pittsburgh did make. CLEAR TO SEE WHO HAS BEEN BUSY THIS WINTER The following chart really sums up which teams have been active on the trade front over the winter. It is clear that most of the contenders in the Federal Association have been quite busy while many of the Continental Association elite have been very quiet. The big gainer appears to be the Chicago Chiefs with the addition of a pair of veterans in pitcher Jim Lonardo (8-19, 4.25) and third baseman Hank Barnett (.276,19,95). TWIFB has speculated that the addition of the 33 year old Lonardo may be the move that sends the Chiefs back to the World Championship Series as he will likely enjoy a return closer to the form that allowed him to win 162 big league games and 3 Allan Awards now that he has been rescued by the Chiefs from rebuilding New York. The one team the WAR numbers do not do justice for is the Boston Minutemen. The Minutemen did give up a lot of offense in corner infielder Ken Mayhugh (.299,17,82) but the addition of John Edwards, who was 11-19 as a rookie for Baltimore, gives them a pair of young starters in him and Dick Higgins that ranks right up there with any duo in the league. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 12/06/1937 F.D.R. seeks congress approval on Billions of dollars for housing boom. Japan prepares to breach Chinese capital of Nanking as war between Far East nations continues In Shanghai, Japanese troops yielded to demands of US Marines and withdrew from the American defended sector of the city's international settlement. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 07-23-2021 at 05:24 AM.

07-28-2021, 01:50 PM	#211
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL January 17, 1938: Off-Season Edition HALL OF FAME ADDS 6 NEW MEMBERS Baseball's most exclusive club welcomed in 6 new members this week including the founder of FABL William Whitney. Joining Whitney in the 1938 class are John Dibblee, Mike Marner, Woody Trease, Ed Ziehl and George Theobald. They join the original class of five that was announced last year and consisted of Al Allen, Max Morris, Charlie Sis, Powell Slocum and John Waggoner. Whitney becomes the first non-player to be enshrined. He truly is the founding father of not only FABL but really deserves credit for creating the sport of professional baseball as it was his efforts that were instrumental in the formation of the Century League back in 1876. To further recognize Whitney's impact on the game it was announced last year that the building housing the Hall of Fame will be constructed in Whitney's hometown of Boone County, Illinois. The building is slated to open in 1941. John Dibblee had 3,913 career hits, all with the Chicago Cougars over a career that spanned from 1906 to 1931 and included 3 World Championships. Only fellow hall of famer Powell Slocum had more hits over his career than Dibblee, who won a pair of Continental Association batting titles and was named the winner of the Whitney Award in 1911. That 1911 season saw Dibblee hit .422 which is the third highest single season total since the turn of the century. Dibblee is FABL's all-time leader in at bats and ranks in the top five in virtually every career offensive category. Mike Marner won 325 games over an 11 year career primarily with Baltimore but also included stops in Brooklyn, Detroit and Washington. The 325 victories, which is tied with fellow inductee Woody Trease, for 6th most all-time are even more impressive when one considers the fact his career ended at the age of 31. Marner burst on to the scene with Baltimore as a 19 year old in 1907 when he led the CA in wins and ERA. He would lead the CA in wins seven more times in the next 8 years, surpassing the 30-victory mark six times but by the age of 29 his career was basically over. Arm troubles, possibly caused by the strain of throwing over 400 innings in six of his first 9 seasons led to Baltimore releasing him in 1917. He bounced around for the next 3 years including a final season in the minors before retiring following the 1919 campaign. Marner was a member of 3 World Championship winners in Baltimore. Trease and Marner are not only tied in career victories but also linked by the relative brevity of their careers. Like Marner, Trease was out of baseball at the age of 31 due to arm troubles. He led the Federal Association in wins 5 times and was a key member of a pair of World Championship clubs with Boston. He would win a third title after being dealt to Detroit, pitching in 8 World Championship Series over his career. He is the all-time WCS leader in career games pitched, innings thrown and strikeouts. Trease also holds the rare distinction of being the only FABL player ever to have his father catch a major league game with him on the mound. His dad was Lynwood Trease, a turn of the century star who also managed the Boston club to the 1904 WCS, with Woody as his star pitcher. Like his dad, Woody would go on to have a long minor league managerial career and remains in charge of the San Francisco Hawks, the Great Western League affiliate of the Philadelphia Sailors. He has led the Hawks to 3 GWL titles in the past five years. His son Lyn Trease is a high school senior in California and considered a top prospect for the 1938 draft. Ed Ziehl was and still remains the face of the New York Gothams. He has been with the organization for over 30 years, first as a player where he appeared in 3025 FABL games and had 3,496 hits to go with a .322 career average and then since 1928 he has been the club's manager. Ziehl won 4 Whitney Awards as a player and led the Federal Association in batting average on 7 occassions. He never played in a World Championship Series but since taking over as skipper he has led the Gothams to four of them including 1935 when the club won it's first WCS since 1896. The final inductee played over 1400 FABL games but George Theobald is in the Hall because of what he did after his playing career. He has spent 30 years in a big league dugout as manager first with Boston and later Detroit while guiding his clubs to 4 WCS titles which ties him with current New York Stars skipper Bill Craigen for the most WCS wins. Theobald's record 2237 career wins as a manager was recently surpassed by the now-retired Ossie Julious. That should change soon as Theobald, despite being 75 years old, was lured out of retirement by the Detroit Dynamos - a club he is a minority owner of - and back into the dugout following the abrupt retirement of Max Morris a couple of months ago. It was also announced that the Hall of Fame will add new players each January and that going forward the nominees will be determined by a vote of club executives and media members who cover the league. CHAMPS HAVE HOLE TO FILL WITH BARRELL'S SUDDEN DEPARTURE With the sudden announcement that Dan Barrell's playing career is over the Brooklyn Kings are left with a big hole in their lineup. Barrell spent most of the past six seasons patrolling the area around first base at Kings County Ballpark and while his defense was suspect to say the least, he did provide a solid bat in the lineup hitting at a .320 clip for his career. The 33 year old was an all-star in 1936 when he had a career high .354 batting average and helped the Kings to the first of two consecutive Continental Association pennants. He was a key factor in Brooklyn's first ever World Championship Series victory, hitting .500 (8-for-16) as the Kings knocked off Pittsburgh in 5 games last October. While not entirely unexpected the timing of Barrell's decision did catch the Kings brass off-guard. Brooklyn had known it was just a matter of time before Barrell's knee would give out for good but as the calendar turned to 1938 the Kings had expected the 33 year old to return for at least one more season. Instead Barrell decided the timing was right for him to move into another phase of his baseball life. So where do the Kings go from here? Brooklyn did make overtures to St Louis last month when the Pioneers talked about the possibility of moving Fred McCormick but in truth the Kings did not have the assets available to get such a deal done. There is a chance they may still explore a trade but the most likely scenario is one of Brooklyn's deep crop of outfielders gets shifted to first base. Doug Lightbody, another aging star who's body is on the verge of failing him, has spent some time at first in the past and might be an option. Veteran Joe Perret is another candidate, as is the chance that Frank Vance makes the shift from third to first, or possibly even rising young star Alf Pestilli. Odds are it won't be Pestilli as the Kings really only need a short-term solution to their first base woes as highly touted prospect Tiny Tim Hopkins continues to work his way up the system. Brooklyn does not have a deep collection of minor league talent but they do have a pair of top 100 prospects in Joe Herman and Jim Lightbody. Herman may be ready this year and does have some experience at first base while Lightbody, the cousin of Kings outfielders Doug and Frank, projects as a very good young second baseman. Lightbody is likely not ready until 1939 but his arrival could force John Langille back to third base which would free up Frank Vance to play first. In the meantime look for Doug Lightbody and Joe Perret to get plenty of reps at the position in spring training. QUICK HITS Near tragedy in Boston as young Minutemen infielder Joe Nichols fell off his roof and there were originally fears he might be paralyzed. Fortunately the diagnosis came back much better but the 25 year old will miss all of the 1938 season with a broken back and a head injury. Doctors are optimistic Nichols may be able to resume his career at some point. The 16th overall selection out of Golden Gate University in 1934 has spent the past two plus seasons in Boston, hitting .278 in 293 games. The Chicago Chiefs are dealing with an injury setback to 25 year old centerfielder Bennie Griffith. The 1934 fifth overall selection blew out his elbow in August and now there are question on whether he will be ready for opening day. Griffith had a strong season in 1936, hitting .300, but struggled thru an injury plagued campaign last season that limited him to 62 games and a .225 batting average. Chicago Cougars prospect Bill Scott has decided to retire but says it has nothing to do with the rash of injuries he has suffered in his first 4 seasons of pro ball. The 22 year old, who recently cracked the top 50 prospect list, has decided to quit the game in order to pursue a pro basketball career. Scott was a 1933 7th round pick out of high school and went 5-5 for Class A Lincoln last season despite missing more than 2 months with a bad back. He was a three sport star in high school and by all accounts could have gone on to succeed in any sport when he graduated but he chose baseball. Now he feels he made a mistake and says his heart has always been with basketball. Boston prospect Joe Sargent has been a rapid riser up the OSA rankings. The 19 year old lefthander who was selected in the 6th round of the 1936 draft by the Minutemen out of nearby Everett (MA) High School has moved up to #30 in the latest top 100 prospect list. He is expected to get a shot at AAA this season despite looking overmatched in A ball as a rookie pro. Boston execs feel he has added some velocity and might be ready for the challenge. Looks like Bob Worley might get another shot at the big leagues. The Detroit Dynamos acquired the 29 year old former Montreal Saint from Sacramento in the Indy trade window. Worley split last season between Fort Worth of the Lone Star Association and the Great Western League's Sacramento Governors while hitting a professional league high 57 homeruns. He had previously spent parts of six seasons in Montreal batting just .242 with 39 homers in 497 big league games. Montreal's Parc Cartier was not the type to showcase Worley's power and Detroit's Thompson Field is not much better for the lefthanded hitting outfielder. There is some talk the Dynamos may look to move Worley to another team although we are not sure if he has much value as the prodigious power numbers he amassed last season were in two of the more homer friendly minor league parks for lefthanded batters. Hardin Bates recently returned to the New York Gothams after the club claimed him on waivers from Detroit. Bates won an Allen Award in 1934 and helped the Gothams win the WCS the following year but he has gone 13-28 with an era approaching 6.00 over the past two seasons. He has just turned 31 and will provide some veteran leadership to a very young Gothams team and who knows, maybe he can recapture whatever it is that allowed him to go 75-53 over 161 starts with New York. Another member of the Gothams 1935 title team is on the move as Gary Harris has ended up in Brooklyn. The 29 year old, who led the Fed in saves (13) and relief appearances (60) in 1936 was picked up by Detroit on waivers and then immediately flipped to Brooklyn for a late round draft pick. Harris has made 168 FABL appearances, all with the Gothams and all in relief, posting a 22-23 career record. He played his high school ball in Brooklyn and was originally selected by Montreal in the 10th round of the 1926 draft. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 01/21/1938 Pope Pius sends a message to German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler that mankind calls for peace, to which Hitler replies he pledges to "honorably and confidently" co-operate with all nations. The Japanese Cabinet declares it's efforts in the conflict with China must continue to it's "ultimate objective." Editorials in the newspaper Tomiuri warn the United States and Britain must not get involved in the conflict. In a move aimed at halting the recession and stabilize business President Roosevelt has invited leaders of the largest US industries to the White House for a thorough discussion of business conditions. There is speculation that FDR is considering supporting the nomination of a woman to the Supreme Court. If it happens Circuit Judge Florence E. Allen would become the first female Supreme Court Associate Justice. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 09-26-2021 at 08:42 PM.

07-30-2021, 10:52 AM	#212
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL January 21, 1938 - Off-Season Edition 1938 EARLY PREVIEW Spring training is still over a month away so there might well be more change coming but already a number of very talented ballplayers have switched teams over the winter. As of this writing you have to credit the Chicago Chiefs as doing the most to improve their pennant chances. The Chiefs, winners of the 1936 WCS, have added talented infielder Hank Barnett and veteran pitcher Jim Lonardo with each coming at a very minimal cost and as a result TWIFB has the Chiefs pegged as the early favourites in the Federal Association. While a number of Fed teams were quite busy so far this off-season, the teams in the Continental Association have, for the most part, been slumbering with only Baltimore's move to add slugging corner infielder Ken Mayhugh being considered a major acquisition. The Cannons should be improved this season but still won't challenge for the pennant which we expect will be another tight battle between the two-time defending CA champion Brooklyn Kings and the Philadelphia Sailors, who finished second to Brooklyn both times. A lot can still change between now and Opening Day but here is how This Week in Figment Baseball sees the races at this point in time. 1-CHICAGO CHIEFS: If Jim Lonardo still has something left in his now 33 year old arm, and we are betting the 3 time Allen Award winner certainly does, the Chiefs rotation will be the best in FABL. Rabbit Day (18-13, 3.23) was inconsistent at times - at least compared to the Rabbit Day we have come to know - and a more solid 1938 is likely in store. Add in his former Gothams teammate Lonardo as well as Al Miller (19-13, 3.49), who's sophomore campaign was a bit of a drop off from his sensational rookie year but still better than 90% of the pitchers in the game, and the Chiefs are a team to be feared. Reuniting ex-Saints infielder Hank Barnett with his old manager in Montreal is another nice move at a cost of 2 pitchers the Chiefs could easily afford. The only concern is centerfield and will Bennie Griffith's elbow hold up but Chicago took steps to address that with the aquisition of another ex-Saint in Bob Worley, who hit 57 homers in the minors last season. ADDED - Jim Lonardo P (8-19, 4.25), Hank Barnett 2B-3B (.276,19,95), Bob Worley (minor leagues) LOST - Ron Coles P (8-6, 3.75), Bob Walls P (1-4, 5.40) 2- PITTSBURGH MINERS: The decision to move slugging 3B Ed Stewart was a bit of a surprise but the Miners must feel confident that Ray Cochran (.349,5,34) - a mid-season waiver pickup- can do the job full-time after a strong showing in the second half of 1937. In Sandoval and McCarthy the Miners add a pair of young arms that will round out the rotation this season and will be counted on heavily going forward. The defending champs will have their work cut out for them to keep pace with Chicago while trying to hold off several teams that are hot on their heels. ADDED - Luis Sandoval P (3-3, 3.46), Ray McCarthy P (1-4, 6.21) LOST - Ed Stewart 3B (.263,23,101) 3- BOSTON MINUTEMEN: Last season was an incredibly tight race among the top six Federal Association clubs and while we feel Chicago will distance itself from the pack the race for 2nd thru 6th will be just as tight this time around as it was a year ago. The Minutemen picked up 22 year old John Edwards, a pitcher with quite a future ahead of him, from Baltimore over the winter. The cost was heavy in talented young slugger Ken Mayhugh but with Edwards and young ace Dick Higgins the top of the Boston rotation should be set for years to come. It would take an awful lot going right, and much of it centered around often injured first baseman Bob Donoghue staying healthy, for the Minutemen to challenge for the pennant, but they will be right in the mix for second place. ADDED -John Edwards P(11-19, 4.42) LOST - Ken Mayhugh 3B (.299,17,82) 4- PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES: While Chicago, Boston and Pittsburgh made moves the Keystones have been very quiet this winter. That might change soon as their are rumours circulating Philadelphia is willing to part with one of it's 3 veteran arms (Art Myers, Ed Baker or Frank Crawford) for offensive help but for no nothing has really changed from the club that finished 2 games back of Pittsburgh a year ago. Without an upgrade it is quite conceivable the Keystones fall to 6th place especially if veteran first baseman Rankin Kellogg (.252,19,80) has another rough start but they could also finish as high as second if things come together. ADDED - Bobby McHenry OF (.203,0,4) LOST - Earl Farrar P (1-1, 9.64), Bill Groom OF (.208,0,3),Ed Petty P (0-0, 4.50) 5- WASHINGTON EAGLES: Like Philadelphia, the Eagles have been very quiet this off-season, perhaps feeling their outstanding finish is a sign of things to come next season. Offense is certainly not an issue with probably the best lineup 1-8 in the Fed but their pitching is hit and miss. The big question is which Bill Anderson will show up on the mound for the Eagles? The one who won 20 games in 1936 and finished 1937 by going 4-0 with a 2.05 era or the one who was awful for the first four months of last season? Anderson's performance in 1938 will go a long ways towards determining the Eagles fate. ADDED - None LOST - None 6- ST LOUIS PIONEERS: St Louis might have missed it's opportunity to become a true contender this season. The Pioneers stood pat early in the off-season and watched Chicago and Boston each add a quality arm. The Pioneers offense is strong but their pitching is up and down which prompted them to shop all-star first baseman Fred McCormick in hopes of landing an elite young arm. The issue is there are not a lot of those available and the one that was, Baltimore's John Edwards, was moved to one of the Pioneers main competitors a month before St Louis decided to start looking for a trade. There is plenty of offense on the banks of the Mississippi but the question is how far will the arms of Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee take the Pioneers. They have had a few close calls recently including back to back second place finishes in 1934 and 1935 but you can't help but feel the window is slowly closing on this group. ADDED - None LOST - Jack Richardson P (5-8, 5.75) 7- DETROIT DYNAMOS: You have to give the Dynamos credit as they made a lot of moves over the winter, and we are only halfway through it. Stewart should help the offense and Wheeler and Coles have the makings of decent pitchers but all eyes in Detroit will be on youngsters Sal Pestilli and Red Johnson. Pestilli is looking to follow up on an all-star rookie season and Johnson is just 20 years old but a very highly anticipated slugger. Detroit won't be in the mix to win a pennant this season but they will be a lot of fun to watch and their offense should be much improved from the team that finished 7th in runs scored last season. ADDED - Manager George Theobald, Ed Stewart 3B (.263,23,101), Charlie Wheeler P (7-10, 4.58),Erv Smith SS (.245,0,41), Ron Coles P (8-6, 3.75), Bob Walls P (1-4, 5.40), Jack Richardson P (5-8, 5.75), LOST - Manager/1B Max Morris (.251,9,52), Chuck Murphy P (14-16, 3.78), Ray McCarthy P (1-4, 6.21), Karl Wallace P (2-1, 3.24), Frank Davis SS (.270,1,22), Hardin Bates P (7-13, 5.40) 8- NEW YORK GOTHAMS: You thought last year was bad Gothams fans? Wait until you see what happens this year. The club may be challenged to win 50 games this time around. The only good thing is there is help around the corner as the Gothams have amassed an incredible group of young prospects but most will not be ready until the year after the Gothams new stadium in Astoria Park debuts in 1939. ADDED - Hardin Bates P (7-13, 5.40) LOST - Jim Lonardo P (8-19, 4.25), Charlie Wheeler P (7-10, 4.58), Erv Smith SS (.245,0,41), Johnnny McDowell 3B (.305,0,34), Gary Harris P (3-7, 7.80) The CA was spooky quiet compared to the Federal Association over the winter. The previously mentioned Baltimore Cannons big trade with Boston was the only impact move made. 1- BROOKLYN KINGS: The Kings appeared prepared to send virtually the exact same roster on to the field for 1938 that won the last two CA pennants. That changed slightly with late news that Dan Barrell's bad knee has had enough and the 34 year old has decided to retire. That leaves a hole at first base but the Kings should have little trouble filling it with one of their surplus of outfielders. ADDED - Gary Harris P (3-7, 7.80) LOST- Dan Barrell 1B (.305,11,71) 2- PHILADELPHIA SAILORS: The Sailors did add a solid pitcher in Chuck Murphy and while it certainly lacks the excitement of a Jim Lonardo or John Edwards deals, it might be just enough to lift Philadelphia past the Kings. At this point it is likely a toss up between the two teams that finished deadlocked after 154 games a year ago and injuries quite likely will be the deciding factor this time around. ADDED - Chuck Murphy P (14-16, 3.78), LOST - David Merchant OF (.000,0,0), Ben Yancy P (0-0, 9.00), John Kincaid 3B (.222,1,25) 3- CHICAGO COUGARS: The Cougars are coming is something we have mentioned for a couple of years now. They took a big step forward last season improving from two straight 6th place finishes to 3rd in 1937. They are likely on the verge of a pennant run and it could be this season if all goes right but perhaps 1939, when they move into a new stadium, will be the year to celebrate for Cougars fans. The devastating injuries to former ace Tommy Wilcox set the franchise way back but his replacement is nearly here. Pete Papenfus is just 19 years old but the best pitching prospect in the game and just might make his big league debut sometime late in the 1938 season. ADDED - Johnny McDowell 3B (.305,0,34) LOST - Luis Sandoval P (3-3, 3.46) 4- CLEVELAND FORESTERS: A very quiet off-season so far for the Foresters who seem to be on a downswing as their offensive stars age. There are still a pair of elite pitchers in Dean Astle and Sergio Gonzales so there is always a chance Cleveland catches fire but it is looking like the club is starting to pay the pirce for loading up on talent a couple of years back. It was certainly worth it as they won a pair of pennants and the first World Championship in franchise history but there may be some lean years ahead. ADDED - NONE LOST - NONE 5- BALTIMORE CANNONS: The Cannons string of 4 straight last place finishes might finally come to an end as their young pitchers begin to mature and they have finally taken some steps to upgrade their anemic offense. They are still a long ways from making the first division, something the Cannons last accomplished in 1931, but the building blocks are there. ADDED- Ken Mayhugh 3B (.299,17,82) LOST- John Edwards P(11-19, 4.42) 6- MONTREAL SAINTS: The addition of Frank Davis should be a huge upgrade defensively for Montreal and will certainly help the worst pitching stats in the CA but the Saints just seem like one of those teams that is forever stuck in the middle of the pack. Montreal has not finished higher than third place in the CA since they won the pennant in 1921 and they have only finished 7th or 8th twice in the past 16 years so what you get is a team that consistently lands in the middle of league. This season won't be much different but an improving Baltimore club likely drops the Saints to sixth. ADDED - Karl Wallace P (2-1, 3.24), Frank Davis SS (.270,1,22) LOST - Hank Barnett 3B (.276,19,95) 7- TORONTO WOLVES: Like their Canadian cousins in Montreal the Toronto Wolves have not seen much success over the past couple of decades. In fact, Toronto has the worst record in all of baseball since the modern era (human GMs) began in 1926. The club does have some talent, particularly on the mound in Otis Cook and Joe Hancock and there is some very good talent in the farm system so the current management has the club on the right path. 1939 could be a great season for the Wolves if highly touted prospects George Garrison and Ockie Holliday - each of whom might debut sometime in the second half of the upcoming season - can approach their lofty expectations. ADDED - NONE LOST - Birdie Smith P (2-7, 4.64) 8- NEW YORK STARS: Poor pitching and lack of offense are a recipe for disaster and the current group of Stars look like master chefs in that regard. The Stars have two straight 7th place finishes and have not finished last in the CA since 1919 but there is a good chance that streak comes to an end this season. ADDED - None LOST - Dick Luedtke P (5-5, 5.51), Rollie Beal P (2-8, 6.24), Bobby McHenry OF (.203,0,4) __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 07-30-2021 at 11:16 AM.

08-02-2021, 02:31 PM	#213
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: Off-Season edition THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL February 28, 1938 OFF-SEASON MORE MOVES IN FEDERAL ASSOCIATION After a fairly quiet off-season up to this point both the St Louis Pioneers and Philadelphia Keystones pulled off major trades a few weeks before the start of spring training. News broke rapidly this morning first from St Louis where it was announced that Frank McCormick (.373,20,97), arguably the best first baseman in the game today, was dispatched to Toronto for a handful of pitchers. Then a short time later the Keystones pulled off a very surprising move, parting with 24 year old third baseman Frank LeMieux (.315,2,79) and veteran pitcher Frank Crawford (9-13, 3.76) in order to add a highly touted prospect out of the Detroit Dynamos system. Reaction around the league was one of surprise as both moves seemed to come out of the blue although reports out of Detroit had been hinting the Dynamos would soon part with one of their solid collection of young sluggers. After being shopped unsuccessfully at the winter meetings it appeared St Louis was going to hang on to McCormick, who is a 4-time all-star and was runner-up for the Federal Association Whitney Award twice in his career including last season. Word out of the Pioneers organization is the deal occurred only because of the death of former St Louis owner Paul Long Jr., who passed away last month. He took over the team from his dad in 1911 and was instrumental in the move that brought Max Morris to St Louis in 1920 and also the trade that sent Morris to the New York Gtohams in 1931 for a package of prospects that included McCormick. He reportedly overruled any move the Pioneers wanted to make with McCormick at the winter meetings but after his death the club was purchased by coal baron George Sackey, who previously had a minority interest in the team. Sackey, who will likely be far less involved in personnel decisions than his predecessor, gave the go ahead to the St Louis management team and the deal involving McCormick was quickly finalized. McCormick will certainly be missed in the St Louis lineup but the Pioneers are confident 25 year old Zip Sullivan, who hit .317 in a 39 game trial last season, can step in and fill McCormick's large shoes at first base. The 6'6" Sullivan has had quite a rise through the Pioneers system after originally being selected in the 23rd round of the 1930 draft. He is a solid hitter but the knock on him is perhaps he does not provide the power a team might like in a first baseman. Regardless, it was clear the Pioneers needed to do something drastic in order to remain relevant in the highly competitive Federal Association and this move certainly qualifies as that. Along with McCormick the Pioneers also dispatched 28 year old backup catcher Clarence Howerton (.343,0,15) north of the border. In return St Louis hopes it added the pitching depth necessary to compete with the other teams that made upgrades at that position over the winter. Coming to the Pioneers from Toronto are major league pitchers Otis Cook (18-12, 3.64) and Jake Smith (12-13, 3.27) along with minor league hurlers Buddy Long and Russ Peeples. In addition the Wolves also sent AA outfielder Les Hendrix to St Louis. The 31 year old Cook and 28 year old Smith are both lefthanders and should settle into the rotation nicely behind Sam Sheppard (22-15, 4.20) and David Abalo (17-13, 4.27) with Dixie Lee (16-15, 4.53) also in the mix. The prize of the deal might turn out to be the 23 year old Long, who had an impressive 13-11, 2.63 season in AAA Buffalo a year ago. A top 25 prospect, Long might crack the Opening Day roster if he has a solid spring. Hendrix also looks like a good prospect as OSA has him ranked 51st at the moment. He provides well above average defense in center field and should be a solid big league hitter. The deal is interesting from Toronto's perspective as well. Attendance and offensive production have been an issue for the Wolves and the arrival of the extremely popular McCormick should help on both fronts. There might be some short term pain as Toronto's pitching looks woefully thin this year but it also might open the door for highly touted prospect George Garrison, who was 18-12 at AA a year ago, to make his big league debut. The Keystones move is perhaps even a bigger surprise than the St Louis trade. There is no question that Hank Koblenz is a terrific young prospect but he is likely not ready to contribute in Philadelphia this season which causes one to wonder if the deal is actually a step back for the Keystones. Philadelphia Assistant General Manager George Mitchell took exception to media speculation that the Keystones were conceding the Fed pennant this season in order to better prepare themselves for the future. "I wouldn't say we're weaker," Mitchell stated at the press conference introducing Koblenz. "I'd say we are making room for good young arms who can help now and adding a long-term piece that might get here sooner rather than later. LeMieux is a good young player, but you have to give something to get something. We are going for sustained success to stay ahead the game and if that means we have to say good-bye to a 4-win player to get there, we are prepared to do that. We do already have internal options, as Howie Shifflett, Cy Cox, and Rabbit Forrest will all have a chance at 3B, as well as (rookie George) Wright." Koblenz, who played at three levels last season (B,A and AA) has outstanding power potential and smacked 26 homers in 138 games last year. He is 21 years old and was selected 5th overall in the 1935 draft after an outstanding prep career at Milwaukee (WI) High School. It was the fact that Koblenz is more a power guy than a get on-base hitter that prompted Detroit to make the move. The Dynamos have a number of power guys already in their lineup and the thought of adding a terrific table setter in the 24 year old LeMieux made perfect sense. The veteran Crawford, who was 70-63 over 7 seasons in Philadelphia, gives the Dynamos a dependable arm to slot into their rotation. As mentioned above rumours of a deal involving a prospect had been coming out of Detroit the past few days but the move still comes as a surprise with Koblenz being the third outstanding young prospect the Dynamos have dealt this winter, joining highly touted catcher Pete Casstevens, a 19 year old who was sent to the New York Gothams and 21 year old shortstop Frank Davis who was moved to Montreal. This does look like a deal that will help both teams, at least in the long run. Detroit needed a player like LeMieux to get on base for boppers Sal Pestilli, Leon Drake and Red Johnson to drive home and Crawford does help strengthen their pitching staff. The thinking is Koblenz can become a star in Philadelphia but one can't help but feel, despite the organization's objections, the 1938 version of the Keystones is weaker now than it was a week ago. Not so much by the loss of Crawford as there is young pitching that looks ready in Philadelphia but it will be tough to replace LeMieux if the youngster duplicates his last year numbers. There is also worry the window on the Keystones might be closing as one can't help but think based on prolonged slumps each of the past two seasons that Rankin Kellogg is slowing down rapidly. Perhaps Kellogg is slowing down and the Keystones know it, figuring this move made sense as the club would be hard pressed to duplicate it's second place finish a year ago anyway so the timing was right to take a small step backwards in order to have Koblenz perhaps penciled in as the power-hitting heir to Kellogg. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 02/28/1938 Prime Minister Chamberlain of Britain urges peace talks needed with Italy to prevent war in Europe. Hitler gave a three-hour internationally broadcast speech in the Reichstag vowing to protect German minorities outside of the Reich and reiterating demands for restoration of German colonies. Colorado Senator Adams says Hitler's escalation of foreign poliy "will make it easier for Congress to vote a big navy" adding it is advisable the US Navy be big enough to protect both coasts. China uses Russian supplied planes to bomb Japanese island colony of Formosa. In entertainment news the comedy duo of Abbott & Costello made their radio debut. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-02-2021 at 02:38 PM.

08-04-2021, 12:54 PM	#214
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: March 28, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL March 28, 1938 - Spring Training BASEBALL IS BACK! After what seemed like an exceptionally long winter all is right in the world again (well, unless you look to Europe or the Far East) as spring training is underway. There is plenty of excitement in the air as all 16 teams, well perhaps not the woeful New York Gothams, eye the possibilities the year ahead might bring. For most of them those hopes will be dashed, and for some as early as mid-May, but for others this might finally be "the year" as it was last season for the Brooklyn Kings who claimed their first World Championship title in team history. Speaking of the Kings, it was a rough first week for the champs. Not in the standings where Brooklyn won 5 of 7 games but it came at a cost as WCS Most Valuable Player John Langille was injured in the second game of the season. Minor league pitcher Herb White also suffered a back injury in the same game and it will sideline the recent pickup from the Pittsburgh organization for two months but all the talk afterwards in the Brooklyn clubhouse surrounded Langille, who will miss a month with a broken finger after being plunked by a pitch from Cleveland farmhand Eddie Amoroso in the 9th inning. Brooklyn manager Powell Slocum was livid afterwards and it is clear the rivalry with Cleveland is still very much alive despite the Foresters struggles the past two Septembers. "He is barely a triple-A pitcher," shouted Slocum afterwards. "For cripes sake, the bum hit 26 batters last year in the minors. I get Cleveland is not the team they used to be but they have to be better than that. Trotting out some bush leaguer who couldn't hit the plate if he was sittin' at the dinner table." The Kings and Foresters have had quite a rivalry going as they battled for several pennants in recent years but it turned bitter last season when the Kings took exception to a rolling slide from Charlie Berry that knocked shortstop Harry Barrell out for two weeks last July. Langille's injury was just one of several that cropped up last week. Pitchers Jim Taylor (12-10, 4.60) of the Boston Minutemen St Louis Pioneers George DeForest (3-0, 4.24) are both out with shoulder troubles. Taylor should be back in a couple of weeks but DeForest will be sidelined for most of the season. Shoulder troubles will also keep New York Stars reliever Tom Fitzgerald (5-3, 2.66) out of the lineup until May. AROUND THE CAMPS Here is a quick note or two on some of the spring happenings: Chicago Chiefs catcher Tom Bird had a breakout season last year with a career best 24 homers, doubling his previous season's output. It looks like the 29 year old might have found yet another gear this season as he smacked 4 round-trippers in his first 5 spring games this time around. Bird shares the early spring homer lead with veteran Cleveland outfielder Dan Fowler. John Herrick is doing his best to show the Toronto Wolves they made a mistake dealing for all-star first baseman Fred McCormick. Herrick a 29 year old who hit 38 homers in 117 games with AAA Buffalo last season, has hit 3 this spring already including a pair of homers in a 5-0 win over Brooklyn yesterday. Herrick has 5 career homers in 302 regular season big league appearances. As for McCormick, the ex-St Louis Pioneer saw limited action in the opening week, but went 2-for-6 with a homer of his own for the Wolves. 24 year old Art Cascone had a nice start as he tries to stick in St Louis full-time. The outfielder, who was a first round pick in 1934, went 8-for-12 in the opening week to lead all FABL hitters in spring batting. He spent all of 1936 in the St Louis outfield but split last season between the Pioneers, for whom hit hit .262, and AAA Oakland. Tough opening spring day start for new Detroit pitcher Ron Coles who gave up 10 earned runs on 6 hits, 5 walks in 1.2 innings. Fortunately for Dynamo fans he looked much sharper in his 2nd start throwing 4 shut out innings. On the brighter side Frank Crawford and Roger Perry threw 4 inning shutouts in their first spring starts. This week Coles will take a seat (and go to the bullpen) so we will see Jack Wood and Ben Watkins get a start as both looked good in relief outings in the first week. Its early but shortstop Gil London is trying to show Detroit management that he is ready now for the big leagues. The 23 year old started all 7 games and went 8-17 including 3 walks with a triple, home run 3 RBI's and 4 runs scored. The Dynamos acquired London from the Philadelphia Sailors in exchange for pitcher Chuck Murphy. London struggled at the dish in AAA San Francisco last season, batting just .214 but his defense was outstanding. It was a rough spring debut for Peter the Heater as he was shelled for 7 runs, although just 2 earned his debut. But he came back nicely with 4 scoreless innings allowing just 1 hit with 4 k’s over his next 2 appearances. Pete Papenfus, the Chicago Cougars 19 year old phenom is now considered the number one prospect by OSA. The decision by the Kings to sign veteran infielder John Kincaid looks even smarter now that John Langille is sidelined. The Kings plan on giving the 33 year old third baseman a shot at second base until Langille returns. Kincaid has played 1542 FABL games but nearly all of them have been at the hot corner. He was signed as insurance in case Brooklyn needed to move Frank Vance from third to first to replace the retired Dan Barrell. Joe Perrot and Doug Lightbody, the two Brooklyn outfielders vying for the vacant first base job, each had a slow start at the plate. Perrot was hitting just .143 with Lightbody not faring much better at .154. The expectation does remain that one of the two, likely Perrot, will be at first base when the Kings open their season April 19th against the New York Stars. The key pieces in the big Boston-Baltimore trade over the winter each got off to slow starts. 22 year old John Edwards, who was 11-19 for the Cannons a year ago, gave up 6 earned runs in 8 innings of work over his first two starts with the Minutemen. Ken Mayhew (.299,17,82), a 26 year old third baseman, went just 3-for-20 in his first week with the Cannons. Nice week for Mahlon Strong, who is being transitioned from the outfield to first base by the Pittsburgh Miners. The often injured 28 year old went 4-for-10 with 3 homers in the opening week of spring action. Strong's talent has never come in to question, but durability has always been a concern. He was limited to just 29 games a year ago because of several injuries. JAPANESE LEAGUE JOINS FABL UNIVERSE Something new for baseball fans this season as a major league has been formed in Japan. The 6-team loop is perhaps a grooming ground for future FABL General Manager's but beyond that it will have no ties to North American baseball. With Japan's clashes with China and Russia and growing tension with Britain and America there will not be any North American players permitted in the league. In fact the league is entirely composed of Japanese born players with one notable exception. Ivan Rustoff is a 21 year old catcher for the Osaka Sailors and was born in Vladivostok, Russia but he grew up in Japan as his family did move across the Sea of Okhotsk to Sapporo, Japan when he was a child. The Kobe Bulls are favoured in the league which will play a split season schedule. Other teams are the Kyoto Bears, Nagoya Owls, Osaka Sailors, Tokyo Cannons and Yokohama Kingfishers. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 02/28/1938 [LIST][]British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain says his government "emphatically" disapproves of Germany's invasion of Austria but that "nothing could have prevented this action by Germany unless we and others with us had been prepared to use force to prevent it."[]Chamberlain made an important foreign policy speech in the British House of Commons, saying Britain would fight for France and Belgium if they were attacked but making no such guarantee for Czechoslovakia. []The Japanese government passed the National Mobilization Bill, giving the state dictatorial powers over the economy.[]1200 die in rebel air raids in Barcelona. It was the most deadly bombing to date in the Spanish War.[]President Roosevelt has formed a committee focused on loans to industry, particularly small business in an effort to stimulate the American economy. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal* The Scripture of Sports

08-05-2021, 08:53 PM	#215
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: April 4, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL April 4, 1938 - Spring Training NO PANIC IN CHICAGO DESPITE CHIEFS SLOW START Spring training is always full of ups and downs that typically level out once the games begin for real in April. Fans of the New York Stars should not be dreaming of a return to the first division for their club for the first time since 1934 just because the Stars are tied for the best record in the Continental Association after two weeks of spring games. A similar message is ringing out of Whitney Park calling for calm and saying the Chicago Chiefs horrid 3-10 start to spring means nothing in the big picture. "No worries in Chicago," preaches Chiefs bench boss Joe Ward. "A lot of the runs being given up by the pitching staff have been by arms that will not be going north with the club. Lonardo and Miller have been great. Day had 2 good starts, 1 clunker. Bird hit another home run last week." That line of thinking certainly makes sense as most clubs are carrying close to a dozen players that will not get a sniff of a big league ballpark this season so results are very much skewed. It is interesting how fans and team managers are so quick to cherry pick the positive information and playdown any negative trends just as Ward did in the quote above with his praise for catcher Tom Bird. Don't get me wrong, Bird is an exceptional ballplayer and possibly the best catcher in the league right now but if Ward deflects his pitching staff's struggles by stating the woes are for the most part confined to players who will end up in AAA then must the same grain of salt not be applied when talking about how Tom Bird leads the majors with 5 homers. We are not singling out Ward here as every skipper does the same but rather just noting how self-filtering the view might be when wearing spring training blinders. QUICK TOUR AROUND THE LEAGUE Here are some notes on what is happening with each of FABL's 16 ballclubs this week. BALTIMORE CANNONS-Rufus Barrell, who has been considered the future of baseball in Baltimore ever since he was selected first overall in the 1935 draft, looks like he might be major league ready judging by his first two spring starts. Deuce gave up 2 runs on 3 hits over 4 innings in losing his spring debut 2-1 to the New York Stars and was even better in his second appearance: limiting the Cleveland Foresters to 2 hits while tossing 4 shutout innings in a 7-2 Cannons win on Thursday. The Cannons have given no indication either way on where Barrell, who split last season between Class B and A, ends up but they certainly have an opening in their rotation following the dealing of John Edwards to Boston. BOSTON MINUTEMEN- While much of the focus in Boston is on how the rotation will look with newcomer Edwards joining Dick Higgins at the top it would be wise not to overlook Ed Wood. The 29 year old lefthander won 20 games two years ago but slipped to 13-17 last season. Wood began the spring with 2 very solid outings and was not too bad in his third start despite surrendering a 3-run homer to the Chiefs Tom Bird. If Boston is going to come out on top this year in what should be a very tight Federal Association race they will need each of their big 3 pitchers rolling. BROOKLYN KINGS- John Kincaid looks like he might find new life in Brooklyn after the Kings picked up the 33 year old infielder off the free agent scrap heap a couple weeks before camp began. Kincaid is likely going to start the season at second base with John Langille expected to miss the first week or two recovering from a broken finger. The defending WCS champs should also be very happy with the spring lead-off man Bill May is having. The 25 year old center fielder saw his production dip last season but has come to camp with a great mindset and is one of the hardest workers on the roster. The same optimism is not in place for catcher Fred Barrell. While his defense has never been questioned, Barrell saw his batting average dip by almost 100 points over the previous season and is in an awful funk right now with just 1 hit in 29 spring at bats. CHICAGO CHIEFS- Tom Bird is the talk of camp and with good reason. The 30 year old catcher has 5 homers and 10 rbi's to go along with a .333 batting average in 8 spring games. He has hit over .300 each of the past three seasons and added power to his repertoire last year with 24 round-trippers. It is hard to argue with OSA who ranks Bird as the top catcher in the game. Newcomer Jim Lonardo has looked very good in spring action but there may be some concerns about Jack Beach, who has had a rough start. The back-end of the Chiefs staff will get plenty of scrutiny this season as they did lose some depth by moving a couple of pitchers to Detroit to add infielder Hank Barnett over the winter. CHICAGO COUGARS- The Cougars won 4 of 6 games this week to improve their spring mark to 6-7. The good news in Chicago is the bats started to heat up, especially Ray Ford, who followed up a strong first week with a 8-for-13 week. He doubled three times, homered, scored three times, and drove in four. Carlos Montes was 7-for-16 with a triple, homer, run, two steals, and two RBI's. Leo Mitchell was 7-for-15 with a pair of solo homers while Ivan Cameron was 3-for-10 with a double, two homers, and 4 RBI's. CLEVELAND FORESTERS- The Foresters had a rough week dropping 5 of 6 games and at 5-8 are now 7th amongst CA teams this spring. The good news is catcher T.R. Goins is having a solid start to the spring which hopefully indicates the 37 year old can rebound from a down season (at least by his lofty standards) last year. Another aging veteran who is relied on heavily to provide offense in 39 year old Charlie Berry. Berry's averaged slipped to .313 a year ago - his lowest season total since 1927 but the Foresters feel he still has plenty to give the club this season. DETROIT DYNAMOS- There is plenty to look forward to for Detroit fans this season. Red Johnson hopes to be this year's dominant rookie following in the footsteps of Sal Pestilli. Johnson is having a nice start to the spring and will be the everyday first baseman in a much improved infield that also includes veteran trade acquisitions Ed Stewart (.263,23,101 for Pittsburgh last year) at second and ex-Keystone Frank LeMieux (.315,2,79) manning the hot corner. Shortstop might just end up being the domain of rookie Gil London as the 23 year old who was acquired from the Philadelphia Sailors over the winter is having a great camp. Add in an outfield that features Pestilli and Leon Drake and there will be plenty of fireworks at Thompson Field this summer. MONTREAL SAINTS-Finally some positive momentum for the Saints, who won their last two games after opening the Grapefruit schedule with a 1-10 record. Long time minor leaguer Nellie Dawson is making a bid to stick with the Saints after starting the spring with a .370 batting average. It has been a long road filled with plenty of time in the minors for Dawson, who was selected 13th overall by the Saints back in 1929 but has just 86 big league at bats on his resume. NEW YORK GOTHAMS- Bud Jameson is certainly not the player he once was but the 34 year old first baseman may have some value off the bench. The longest tenured active Gotham hit 3 pinch-hit homers in the first 2 weeks of spring. Manager Ed Ziehl, now a Hall of Famer, says Jameson will see action with the club this year. "Bud still can hit lefties so he’ll play some. Dick Canfield looks to have won the battle for first shot on the long side of a platoon. He’s hit for a good average through the minors until he got to Toledo." The Gothams organization had tried to get him to add some power to his game and it messed up his swing. A couple of weeks ago Ziehl told him, “Don’t worry about homers kid, just go hit.” It’s worked so far this spring. NEW YORK STARS- Thanks to some pretty solid pitching the Stars find themselves tied with Baltimore and Brooklyn for the best spring record among CA teams. Vets Les Zoller and Harry Carter have pitched well but the real surprise so far has been the showing of a trio of youngsters who spent most of last season in AAA. 24 year old Glenn Payne, who spent a little time with the big club last year, along with a pair of 23 year old's in Frank Gordon and Vern Hubbard are all pushing to stick with the big club. Hubbard, a 1932 fourth round pick, is the one who appears to have the highest ceiling of the three. He is presently listed as #34 on the OSA top prospect rankings. PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES- The good: Third baseman George Wright is having a nice spring and looking to make fans forget about Frank LeMieux who was dealt to Detroit over the winter. The bad: three time Whitney Award winner Rankin Kellogg has just 1 extra base hit (a double) and is batting .250 after 29 spring plate appearances. A strong start from Kellogg is certainly needed in what promises to be a very difficult Fed race. PHILADELPHIA SAILORS- Chuck Murphy, who the Sailors acquired from Detroit over the winter, had a tough return to the Continental Association. The former Brooklyn King got shelled in his spring debut, allowing 6 hits including a pair of homers and 8 runs against in an inning and a third vs Cleveland. He was a little better his second outing but there may be questions if he can fit it at the bottom of the Sailors rotation. The 28 year old righthander had a career year last season, posting a 14-16 record with a 3.78 era for the Dynamos. PITTSBURGH MINERS- The Miners won the Fed last season despite playing quite a bit of baseball without Mahlon Strong or George Cleaves. If those two can stay healthy Pittsburgh will have quite an offense. Both are off to a great start this spring with Cleaves hitting .538 after two weeks and Strong batting .375 with 3 homers while he learns how to play first base. Strong's immense talent has never been the issue. The problem is keeping him healthy. ST. LOUIS PIONEERS-With shortstop Ray Russell sidelined again it becomes even more important for second sacker Freddie Jones to stay healthy. That is easier said than done as Jones has missed close to 100 games over the past two seasons with various injuries. Earl Michael should step in nicely at shortstop in Russell's place but if Jones was to go down as well the Pioneers might have some issues. The Pioneers do have a surplus of starting pitching with 7 pitchers in camp who started at least 10 games last season. Sam Sheppard, David Abalo and Dixie Lee were the big three last year and Toronto newcomers Otis Cook and Jake Smith combined to win 30 games for the Wolves. And that is not even counting highly touted 23 year old Buddy Long, who came over with Cook and Smith in the Frank McCormick deal. Long has pitched well in a pair of brief outings this spring. TORONTO WOLVES- Despite dealing a good chunk of their rotation to St Louis the future on the mound is looking pretty good for the Wolves. 25 year old Joe Hancock, a 20 game winner a year ago, remains the staff ace and has yet to allow a run in 15 spring innings. 22 year old Jim Morrison and 20 year old George Garrison, both former first round picks just like Hancock, are also enjoying solid springs and both might have a chance to head north with the club. Morrison is likely ready after splitting last season between AA and AAA but the Wolves should not overlook Garrison for promotion to the big club. He was 18-12 for AA Chattanooga last season and tossed 4 scoreless innings in his spring debut against Cleveland. WASHINGTON EAGLES- The Eagles have once again made it known that they would be willing to part with 2B Andy Carter. The 32 year old two-time All-Star missed all but 1 game last season after blowing out his knee on Opening Day. Carter has looked solid in spring play and says the knee is fine but the Eagles seem focused on keeping 25 year old Johnnie Sundberg at second after he took over for Carter last year. Sundberg is younger and likely a better fielder but hard to part with Carter, who hit .359, or nearly 100 points above Sundberg's total last year, when Carter held the spot in 1936. Washington unsuccessfully attempted to shop Carter during the winter meetings but found no takers. Former fifth overall pick George Gilliard might be nearing the end of his rope in Washington. Now 27, the former top ten prospect has made just 5 big league starts in his career and is struggling in camp and likely to be sent back to AAA Kansas City. A myriad of injuries have derailed what once was a very promising career. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 04/04/1938 Vatican newspaper says that the Austrian Bishops' recent declaration to approve Nazism was made without consent of the Pope. Spanish insurgents are close to gaining control of electrical power for Barcelona while the Spanish Republic, after being overwhelmed in Aragon, attempts to half the insurgents advance at the Segre River in hopes of preventing the vital hydroelectric dams from falling into Francoist hands. President Roosevelt surrenders on government reform bill, the compromise gives power to Congress which now requires a simple majority, rather than two-thirds vote of both Houses to veto Presidential reorganization orders. US Oil companies feel "let down" after Washington agreed to continue talks with Mexico aimed at a friendly settlement over oil exportation. Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas signed an order last month expropriating the assets of nearly all foreign oil companies operating in Mexico. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-05-2021 at 08:56 PM.

08-07-2021, 11:52 AM	#216
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: April 11, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL APRIL 11, 1938 : Spring Training HAS THE PETE PAPENFUS ERA BEGAN? COUGARS HURLER HEADLINES BUMPER CROP OF YOUNG ARMS Pete Papenfus will not celebrate his 20th birthday until a week after the season starts but the teenage pitching phenom seems to have all but assured himself a ticket on the train north when the Chicago Cougars depart Florida for their season opener in Cleveland a week from tomorrow. The Cougars knew they had a great one when Papenfus slipped to them at pick 6 of the 1936 FABL draft but I expect even their management team is surprised with the showing from the righthander so far this spring. Papenfus seemed to have a few jitters as he struggled in the spring opener against the Philadelphia Sailors but after starting that game he has found a home in the Chicago bullpen where his blazing fastball has overwhelmed many a big league hitter already. Papenfus leads all pitchers with 24 spring strikeouts and a whopping 10.1 K/9 ratio. His spring era is down to 2.11 and his ERA+ (one of those newfangled stats of the future) is a very impressive 190. He is turning heads and reminds many of another teenager who took Chicago by storm a decade ago. That is Milt Fritz, who broke in with the cross-town Chiefs but is now a teammate and mentor to 'Peter the Heater' with the Cougars. Papenfus has stolen the thunder from another former high school phenom and has overshadowed Rufus Barrell II, despite the fact young 'Deuce' is also making a bid to head north next week. Barrell is a year older than Papenfus, selected first overall in the 1935 draft after winning the Adwell Award as the top high school player in the nation. Deuce has looked good so far in a spring trial with Baltimore after posting a 2-1 record with a 3.00 era but the Cannons have so far not revealed their plans as to where Barrell will begin the campaign. Those two are not the only promising young hurlers expected to have an impact on the sport going forward as two others are also ranked by OSA as among the ten best prospects in the game. One is George Garrison, who was selected by Toronto two picks after Barrell in 1935. Garrison pitched 4 shutout innings in his only spring appearance, is also just 20 years old but it appears the Wolves are going to take it slow with the Piggott, Arkansas native and have him return to AA Chattanooga, for whom he was 18-12 a year ago. Lloyd Stevens, a 22 year old Philadelphia Keystones prospect who did not pitch with the big club in spring action and appears ticketed for AA New Orleans after spending most of last season in A ball. Rounding out pitchers in the top ten prospects is Bunny Edwards, who the New York Gothams selected immediately following Papenfus in the 1936 draft. Edwards, the lone college player in the group, split his first pro season since leaving Red River State between 3 levels of minors and it appears the 22 year old will begin the 1938 season where he finished 1937 - pitching for the AA Jersey City Uniforms. QUICK HITS Here is a quick note or two on some of the spring happenings:[LIST][]The Rankin Kellogg watch continues in Spring Training - His average has inched up to .265, but the bigger concern is only 2 of his 13 hits this Spring have gone for extra bases. We appear to be witnessing the long, slow decline of a great player...still, he'll never have to pay for a drink in his life in Philadelphia[]Brooklyn management is starting to become concerned that catcher Fred Barrell is heading down the same path as Kellogg. Barrell got another hit this week, but just 1. The freefall continues for the 2-time all-star catcher. Hit .310 with an OPS+ of 111 in 1936 and then dropped to .211 with a 49 OPS+ last season. This spring he is 2-for-39 for a .051 batting average. Fred is not my worst hitting catcher this spring though as Jim Kyle is 1-for-22 (.045)[]Speaking of Kyle, baseball's good luck charm, he will likely be placed on waivers by the Kings next week as the final spring cuts are made. Kyle has had an incredible run, despite never been more than a journeyman backup catcher. He has played for 4 WCS winners - taking the crown with a CA club every 3rd year. First it was the Philadelphia Sailors in 1928, followed by the Chicago Cougars in 1931, Cleveland Foresters in 1934 and Brooklyn last October.[]Newcomers Bob Worley and Hank Barnett both were crushing the ball as the Chicago Chiefs got back on track, posting a 4-3 week after starting the spring with 10 losses in their first 13 contests.[]Things continue to look up for the Detroit Dynamos as spring training week 3 in the books going 4-3. Sal Pestilli hits a couple of more home runs and the club is now 11-9 this spring. WHAT LOCAL MEDIA IS SAYING* Here are some excerpts from local newspapers on happenings with the teams they cover. PHILADELPHIA INQUISITOR With long-time backstop Carl Ames out until late May, Jake Walton will have the first opportunity to shoulder the catching load. The jury is still out on who the second catcher will be, as Cliff Ray and Charlie Logan are still battling it out. All three catchers have hit below .200 this Spring, so Ames will not have the luxury of being nursed back to health. Walt Potter will be still be ticketed for Louisville, as expected, but a hot start there might garner some consideration for the big club as well. The most impressive arms in camp have been the youngsters John Perkins and Paul Celis. The most disappointing member of the bullpen has been stalwart Don Attaway. Maybe Attaway is just getting into playing shape, but maybe he might be unseated at the back end of games as the go-to short reliever. Rule 5 pick RF Bobby McHenry has hit for power in the Spring, with his three round-trippers second on the team to Bobby Barrell's four. He has only hit .262, but slugged .548 with a single strikeout in 42 Spring at-bats. The only drama left in the outfield is figuring out the last man, which is currently among three players: Gary Lucas, Grover Lee, and Tiny Adair. ST LOUIS GLOBE Heading into the last four games of spring the Pioneers are still carrying 30 players. Rule V pick up P Donie "one N" Sheuermann has been returned to Detroit despite a decent spring showing. That still leaves the team with 13 pitchers and at least four of those have to go. On the other side three more hitters need to move off the active roster. Due to options issues there will likely be some guys that make the team that were out played in spring camp and some guys that deserve to head north will not. If spring training is any indication, the trade of Frank McCormick will work out for both clubs. The four players that came over from Toronto have all had outstanding spring showings including the two youngsters OF Les Hendrix(.364 BA) and SP Buddy Long(1.17 ERA) BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE Some tough cuts coming up for Kings pitchers. Jack Goff has had a nice camp but the 21 year old is a victim of numbers and having options left so he was farmed out to AAA Rochester. The Kings will likely carry 9 pitchers to start before one gets moved when John Langille returns from the DL. Brooklyn has narrowed down the 14 position players who will make the club as 3b Lee Shapiro, who has not played above AA, gets sent to Rochester next week while Jim Kyle will go on the waiver wire. That leaves 3 pitchers to be farmed out but it will be a very tough decision. Tom Barrell, Joe Shaffner, Mike Murphy, Art White, Bob Cummings and Del Lyons are assured spots but that leaves Curly Jones, Sonny Coleman, Jim Crawford, Garry Harris, Bert Henggeler and Hank Mittan fighting it out for the final 3 slots. All 5 have looked pretty sharp with Jones perhaps being the least impressive, but he is out of options making the decision on him very difficult. Brooklyn did ease the crunch a little by sending a mid-round draft pick to Pittsburgh in order to have the Rule 5 status dropped from Mittan. As a result the club is free to send the 23 year old lefthander, a New York City native, to Rochester. Mittan has looked very impressive in camp and probably deserves a better fate than a ticket to Rochester but he is a victim of circumstance due to the number of pitchers they Kings have who are out of options. Ab Thomas looks like he won himself a job in Brooklyn with a .439/.465/.683 camp so far. Thomas was Brooklyn's starting CF from 1927-34 before his defense in the middle OF position dipped and Bill May replaced him. He has spent most of his time since then as a corner OF in Rochester and had hit very well with plenty of stolen bases. The spring showing gets the 33 year old back to the big club in a depth OF/PH/PR role. DETROIT WORLD Detroit is still carrying 34 players heading into the final 4 games of the spring. The main reason is that Manager George Theobald has seen what he feels is his starting position players enough and they will be golfing and appearing mainly as pinch hitters this week. There are 13 pitchers and questions remain in what the bullpen will look like. SP Hank Spencer again will start the year in the pen most likely so that means either 2 or 3 spots are left up for grabs. A decision has not been made on Rule 5 P David Rivas yet so that will likely come down to the wire. Manager George Theobald has said recent waiver claim OF Jose Serna will not be activated for the last 4 games of the week but will be taking extra batting practice and working in some simulated situations. He roster spot decision is not do for another week so the club is approaching it with patience (although the feeling is he will be on the 23-man Opening Day roster). Looking at the lineup for Monday's game, it looks like rookie SS Gil London has made the team and will open the year as the starting SS. What that means for veteran SS Erv Smith remains to be seen. London has hit over 400 all spring. WASHINGTON HERALD The injury to Johnnie Sundberg has put an end, at least for now, to trade rumours surrounding veteran second baseman Andy Carter. Carter, who missed all but one game last season due to an injury, has had his bat start to come around and with Sundberg out until mid-May, the 32 year old Carter will have a chance to reclaim the starting second base job, a position he held from 1930-36. Corner infielder Bill Ashby is hitting an impressive .386 and looks like he might secure a spot as one of the Eagles bench players. Center Fielder Wally Flowers may also end up on the bench as he is being pressured by 23 year old Don Miller. Miller replaced Flowers in center for much of last season and hit .318 after the 30 year old Flowers suffered an ankle injury that cost him half a season. It will be hard to imagine Flower, who hit .339 last year and is a .312 career hitter not in the starting lineup but perhaps not at center, where his defense was suspect prior to the injury. The battle for the bullpen slots continues but veteran Jack Elder will not be part of it. The 27 year old, who was 3-9 for the Eagles last season, has been demoted to AAA. PITTSBURGH PRESS Mahlon Strong is still getting plenty of reps at 1st base as he learns a new position but for the Miners it is a fine-line as they are worried the fragile slugger doesn't play too much and get hurt. Strong's bat seems to be just fine as he has gone 10 for 22, 5 HR, 13 RBI's in spring play. Chick Stout is back and throwing the ball well after missing the entire season to injury last year. Looks like he’ll slot back into the bullpen for opening day. Johnny Guzzo is confusing the hell out of Miners skipper Dan Andrew. He's always been horrible with the bat, but nearly Harry Barrell level with the glove. Guzzo was just horrendous last year in the minor leagues hitting the ball but because of the rash of injuries he was called up to Pittsburgh last year and ended up starting 11 games in September and he goes out and hits .375/.371/.594. Then even hits a homer in the world series (his only hit of the series, but still!) Les Tucker is the presumptive starter at SS, but Guzzo is giving the Miners something to think about with his 7 for 14 spring performance. Even if he just managed to hit .250, his glove is so good he'd make a capable SS especially in a lineup that hopefully can cover up his weak bat. NEW YORK WORLD TELEGRAM The Gothams are naturally choosing between mediocre options to round out their 23 man roster. Once again they will try young pitchers in the rotation and see what shakes out. The pen looks solid with Rule 5 pick up Sammy Alger looking solid. With the injury to Charlie DeMars, Ernesto Perez's good spring will get him a roster spot. The most pleasant breakout is 2B Jim Jenkins who has won a starting job with a .378/.405/.676 spring with 3D, 1T and 2HR. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 04/10/1938 President Roosevelt asks Congress for emergency legislation to save railroads from serious financial and operating difficulties. Roosevelt is reeling at least temporarily as his new deal bill was defeated as 108 Democrats revolted and joined Republicans to bury the measure. The United State accepted Germany's absorption of Austria and called upon Germany to pay Austria's debt to the US. Thousands of women joined Spanish government forces in frantic attempt to build new fortifications around Barcelona before the final insurgent offensive begins. Soviet-Japanese relationship in deeper crisis after Tokyo issued a statement reiterating charges that Russia is aiding China by sending arms, planes and some troops since the beginning of the Chinese-Japanese War. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-07-2021 at 11:56 AM.

08-09-2021, 09:11 AM	#217
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: April 18, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL APRIL 18, 1938 OPENING DAY AWAITS! HIGH HOPES AS A NEW SEASON BEGINS Opening Day is almost upon us. The time when for many teams when the high hopes cultivated by some spring success come crashing back to reality as many a young spring hotshot has wilted and died under the scrutiny of major league opponents. That being said there is plenty of optimism for much of FABL as the 1938 season gets set to begin. By our count no fewer than 12 teams have at least a fleeting chance at hoisting a pennant and three others - Baltimore, Detroit and Toronto - appear to at least be on the right track. Only the Montreal Saints and the pair of woeful New York City clubs appear to have little going for them this season in the terms of big league baseball. Despite struggling at times during the spring the Chicago Chiefs remain slight favourites to win their second Federal Association pennant in three seasons but the defending champion Pittsburgh Miners along with Boston, Philadelphia, St Louis and Washington all could be in the running. The Continental Association looks like a toss up between two-time defending pennant winning Brooklyn and the Philadelphia Sailors, who pushed the champs to a playoff tie-breaker -the first in the CA in 2 decades- before finally succumbing. The rapidly improving Chicago Cougars and the aging but still dangerous Cleveland Foresters could also be in the mix. Even if the Chiefs and Kings might be slight pre-season favourites there are a seemingly endless supply of questions that, depending upon the answers the season gives us, could greatly reshape the races in both associations. Questions like: Can Rabbit Day and Al Miller regain the form both showed in 1936 when they led the Chiefs to a World Championship? Neither was bad last year but Day did struggle at times and each had a drop-off from their '36 numbers. What impact will Jim Lonardo have on the pennant race? If he pitches like the Lonardo of old the Chiefs will be in great shape. Will Bob Worley handle big league pitching in any where close to the fashion in which he mauled minor league hurlers a year ago. Is John Edwards the missing piece to help Boston claim it's first pennant since 1915 or will the loss of Ken Mayhugh's bat more than counter any pitching gains the Minutemen might get. And will Bob Donohue and Dick Higgins stay healthy all season. Speaking of health you have to figure the Miners will not be as injury ravaged as they were a year ago when they still won the pennant anyway. Mahlon Strong has looked great again in spring, but he always does when he is healthy. What kind of season will the Miners get out of new acquisition Jack Cleaves and will he and his brother George both stay healthy all year? Will all that pitching depth in St Louis finally translate to a playoff berth? The Pioneers are confident the offense can survive the loss of Frank McCormick but they need a big season out of either Otis Cook or Jake Smith and continued success from Sam Sheppard and David Abalo. The Keystones have to be concerned that this is the beginning of the end for Rankin Kellogg. He and Bobby Barrell have been the face of the franchise for close to a decade but Kellogg's skills has certainly shown signs of erosion. If he drops from superhuman to mere mortal at first base can the Philly offense withstand the drop in production from Kellogg combined with the loss of Frank LeMieux. And what about Bobby Barrell? The Georgia Jolter followed up a career best season in 1936 with the worst year of his career as a 26 year old last year. Granted, Barrell's worst is better than more than 75% of the rest of the league but the Keystones are likely counting on the 1936 version of Barrell to reappear. Washington had a very quiet off-season. Are the Eagles that confidant that the real Washington club is the one that went 39-20 down the stretch rather than the team that stumbled out of the gate with a 26-42 start to the season last year? Will Andy Carter rebound from the injury that cost him all but one game last year? Can Mel Carrol approach .400 again or was that a once in a lifetime season from the 26 year old third baseman and most importantly what about the pitching? Can Bill Anderson rebound to win twenty like he did two years ago and can Karl Johnson repeat his 20-win season? Just how good is Detroit's offense? All the pieces seem to be there as the Dynamos were the busiest team in either association this winter adding among others a pair of quality bats in Ed Stewart and Frank LeMieux. Can Sal Pestilli continue the incredible pace he set as a rookie and will Red Johnson be the huge star at the tender age of 20 that many are forecasting for him at some point in his career. And what of the Detroit pitching? There were big changes but are the collection of arms assembled by Detroit brass capable of lifting the team into contention? What will be the George Theobald factor, if any? No question he is one of, if not the greatest manager of all-time, but at 75 years old can Theobald motivate his charges and withstand the grind of a long season? Rounding out the Fed we have the New York Gothams, who seemed destined to finish last and may be challenged to win even 50 games. It will be a bad season for New York fans, unless they turn their attention towards Brooklyn, as the Stars and Gothams both seem destined to finish last - something that has never happened before. The Kings finally got rid of 'The Curse' but now face the challenge of trying to repeat as World Champions and claim their third straight CA Pennant. Brooklyn's hopes rely on the arms of Tom Barrell and Joe Shaffner. If both stay healthy and can pitch like they are capable the club should be fine even with the reduced offense behind the plate as Tom's brother Fred Barrell still looks completely lost at the dish. Not much will change on the champs roster other than Joe Perret will likely shift from the outfield to replace the now retired Dan Barrell at first base. The Philadelphia Sailors took Brooklyn to a tie breaker last season and like the Kings will return virtually the same roster. Both teams are very close so don't be surprised if it is a key injury that tilts the balance of power in the CA one way or another. Do the aging Cleveland Foresters bats still have enough left for one more run? Charlie Berry and T.R. Goins in particular as each is rapidly closing in on 40. Will "Peter the Heater" make fans forget Tommy Wilcox in Chicago? The Cougars have been coming, we have been saying that for a couple of seasons as their vast collection of talented prospects hit the big leagues including possibly Pete Papenfus this year. Did the Frank McCormick trade lift the Toronto Wolves out of the doldrums of mediocrity? It seems like forever since the Wolves finished in the first division (although they actually were 4th in 1936 but 21 games back) but finally there is a glimmer of hope in Canada's largest city. Joe Hancock is a terrific pitcher and many feel George Garrison and Jim Morrison should start the season in Toronto instead of the minors as the club dealt away much of it's rotation to St Louis to acquire McCormick's bat. Will the extra offense be enough to offset an incredibly shallow pool of pitchers, shallow at least until Garrison and Morrison are allowed to wade in? It's easy to confuse Montreal and Toronto. The two Canadian clubs have been very similar thru the years with both stuck in the middle of the CA pack for well over a decade. The Saints offense was not too bad last season but their pitching was awful. The big question in Montreal is will a year of development for Jake DeYoung and Bill Ross and the possible appearance of 19 year old Wally Doyle in the big leagues be enough to improve the staff? The two big questions in Baltimore are will this be the year that Rufus Barrell makes his pro debut and will it be the year the Cannons finally get out of the cellar? Three straight last place finishes should come to an end this season as the Cannons popgun offense finally got itself a potential bopper in Ken Mayhugh and an extra year of development hopefully means big results for Gus Goulding and Rusty Petrick. But come on Cannons, everyone wants to see 1935 first overall pick Deuce Barrell make his big league debut. It would also be nice for Baltimore fans to see a streak of four straight last place finishes finally come to an end. REUNITES WITH HIS BROTHER IN PITTSBURGH There were several minor trades over the weekend, most of which were prompted by teams unloading players who were out of options and there will quite likely be a couple of more before Opening Day but there was also one fairly major move as the Pittsburgh Miners helped fill the gap in their infield created with the trade of Ed Stewart to Detroit by dealing away the young pitcher they received in return for Stewart. Ray McCarthy, a highly touted 24 year old who has not as of yet lived up to his lofty billing, was flipped to the Philadelphia Sailors in exchange for second baseman Jack Cleaves. The deal will allow the 30 year old Jack to be a teammate with his 24 year old brother George for the first time in their careers. The two come from baseball royalty as they are grandsons of legendary manager George Theobald who will get to see plenty of the boys now that the 75 year old is back in the dugout as manager of the Detroit Dynamos. Jack is a two-time all-star who has played a decade with the Sailors and won a pair of World Championship Series. He is a .305 lifetime hitter including batting .302 in 127 games for the Sailors last season. McCarthy joins his fourth major league organization and has pitched in just 7 FABL games, all with Detroit last season. Originally selected 7th overall by the St Louis Pioneers out of high school in 1932 he was quickly- and inexplicably - released and spent the next four seasons with various independent teams before Detroit acquired him in the 1936 Indy League draft. McCarthy had been projected to get a shot with the Dynamos in 1936 but missed most of that season with an elbow injury before finally making his big league debut last year. Pittsburgh also reacquired 31 year old third baseman Mickey McCullough in a deal with the New York Stars. McCullough, who hit .266 in 103 games for the Stars last season, was originally a fourth round pick of Pittsburgh in 1925 and made a brief appearance in a Miners uniform in 1931 before being dispatched to New York. In return for McCullough the Miners sent 20 year old minor league pitcher Harry Dorminey to the Stars. The 1935 9th round pick was 9-10 for Class B Spokane last season. The Week That Was Current events for the week ending 04/17/1938 Britain and Italy sign a pact that hopefully ends quarrels that might have led to War. London hopes Germany and France consider joining treaty. Spanish insurgents continue offensive designed to crush outlaying defenses of Barcelona. Stocks rise in response to FDR's revitalized spending program which calls for a $7 billion dollar recovery program that includes $5 billon of Federal spending. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

08-10-2021, 12:01 PM	#218
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: April 19, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL APRIL 19, 1938 The FABL season gets underway today with a pair of Federal Association contests including the league's traditional opener in Washington where the Eagles will face Lefty Allen and the Pittsburgh Miners with President Roosevelt on hand to throw out the first pitch. Here are some notes from various local newspapers outlining their club's starting lineups BALTIMORE NEWS-POST Baltimore is looking to build off their 1st place finish in spring training with a strong start to the season. There's a balance and talent level throughout the team that's been sorely missing the past few seasons. The 2 biggest questions are "Can Fred Galloway deliver results immediately in CF?" and "Will Conlan's health hold up for a full season?" Galloway beat out CF Whit Williams during spring training and will bat low in the order to get his feet wet. Conlan's had his past 2 seasons shortened by injury, but remains an impactful starter when healthy. The fans and management are more excited then they've been in years! SS Oscar King (.244,3,42) LF Jim Mason (.323,12,64) 3B Ken Mayhugh (.299,17,82) 1B Jim Alexander (.283,7,69) RF Ray White (.290,9,71 in AAA) CF Frec Galloway (.222,2,15 in AAA) 2B Clark Car (.248,9,71) C Joe Rainbow (.251,6,46) ROTATION Gus Goulding (12-23, 3.88) Rusty Petrick (10-20, 4.46) Pinky Conlan (9-8, 2.95) Art Edwards (4-3, 4.38) BOSTON RECORD Word out of Boston is that they feel this year's version of the Minutemen are probably the most balanced team they have fielded in years. The top of the rotation is strong with Higgins and Wood with the hope that Edwards who was acquired in the offseason at a heavy price will develop into a upper rotation player over the course of the season. Montefusco and Hazeltine have both emerged as strong bullpen options. Offensively, the Minutemen are looking for a big year from slugger Bob Donoghue who clubbed 5 homers this spring. During the offseason much had been made about C John Wicklund’s strikeout rate but the club is just fine with him hitting 20 homers and knocking in close to 100 baserunners. At 25, Art Spencer has finally settled into his 3B role and had a solid finish at the plate last year as well as this spring. Boston will once again have Day, Donnelly and Henry patrolling the outfield with solid backups in Waldron and Corvin offering support. Will it be enough to overtake clubs like the Miners, Chiefs, Keystones and Pioneers? Only time will tell as the season is long and oftentimes unpredictable. However, Boston should be in the mix and offer patrons to Cunningham Field an exciting club to root for. PROJECTED LINEUP RF Pete Day (.336,14,98) 1B Bob Donoghue (.279,20,77) CF Chick Donnelly (.284,13,80) LF Dave Henry (.304,12,78) C John Wicklund (.255,17,86) 3B Art Spencer (.287,0,19) SS Lew McClendon (.216,0,1) 2B Ernie Herndon (.271,0,23) ROTATION Dick Higgins (8-6, 3.95) Ed Wood (13-17, 3.74) Art Keeter (16-13, 4.32) John Edwards (11-19, 4.42) Jim Taylor (12-10, 4.60) BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE For the most part very easy decisions in setting Brooklyn's 23 man roster. Jim Kyle will go on the waiver wire while 23 year old 3B Lee Shapiro goes back to AAA meaning the only new faces among hitters will be veteran FA pickup John Kincaid as a depth infielder and Ab Thomas returns to Brooklyn as the final OF after a few years exile in Rochester. With starting second baseman and WCS MVP John Langille coming off the injured list in a couple of weeks someone else will have to go and it will likely be a pitcher. There were a few tough decisions on the mound as Brooklyn decided to carry 9 pitchers instead of the usual 8, at least until Langille returns. Gary Harris, a 30 year old lefthander who did not allow a run in 13 innings of spring work, claimed the extra spot in the pen. He was acquired from Detroit over the winter after the Dynamos claimed him on waivers from the Gothams. Harris beat out Jim Crawford, who has been designated for assignment and will report to Rochester if he clears waivers, and rule 5 pickup Sonny Coleman, who has been returned to the Sailors. Coleman had a pretty good spring and we would have liked to keep him but just had no room. Kings Opening Day lineup vs the New York Stars at Dyckman Stadium looks like this: 1- Bill May CF (.275,9,58) 2- Frank Vance 3B (.315,21,86) 3- Joe Perret 1B (.354,9,53) 4- Al Wheeler RF (.303,30,122) 5- Frank Lightbody LF (.338,1,14) 6- Harry Barrell SS (.288,2,52) 7- Fred Barrell C (.211,4,50) 8- Walt Lyaton 2B (.198,1,7) 9- Tom Barrell P (12-6, 3.42) The Daily Eagle also released it's predicted final standings order for each Association. If accurate we will get a rematch of the 1936 Series between the Brooklyn Kings and Chicago Chiefs. Here is how the Daily Eagle's Jimmy Woods sees it playing out. Code: CONTINENTAL FEDERAL Brooklyn 1 Chicago Philadelphia 2 Pittsburgh Chicago 3 St Louis Cleveland 4 Philadelphia Baltimore 5 Boston Toronto 6 Detroit Montreal 7 Washington New York 8 New York CHICAGO HERALD-EXAMINER The big question for the Chicago Cougars is what to do with Peter the Heater. Despite 18 walks, Pete Papenfus worked to a sparkly 1.85 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 24.1 Spring innings. His 25 strikeouts were five more then any other pitcher this Spring, and the Cougars GM is at least considering having the teenager and current #1 overall prospect start the season in Chicago. The Cougars are expected to finalize their roster just prior to tomorrow's season opener in Cleveland, so Papenfus will last at least one more day on the roster. With the cross-town Chiefs, the two hottest bats this Spring were Tom Bird (.321-5-20) and Bob Worley (.308-3-13). Worley's problem, as always, will be strike outs (16.1% in the Spring). But he just needs to bat 8th and play a decent CF. The key to the Chiefs living up to the lofty expectations of a second Federal Association Pennant in 3 seasons lie entirely in the hands of the pitching staff. Newly acquired veteran Jim Lonardo looked particularly strong this spring and is counted on for a big season but what would really cement the crown for the Chiefs would be for Rabbit Day and Al Miller to duplicate their terrific 1936 campaigns. DETROIT WORLD Some thoughts on the season from the Dynamos General Manager. "It should be an interesting year this season especially in the Fed. Honestly I’m not sure what to make of Detroit’s chances to move up the ladder. Over in the CA, again Brooklyn and the Sailors look solid, the Cougars are climbing but I was expecting the big deal in the off-season that never materialized. Sadly my former team is aging out and I think the window closed last September. Baltimore should rise some this year but will be tough to crack the first division unless Cleveland crashes." There is certainly a buzz in Detroit about the Dynamos this season, something that has not been felt for quite some time. Word is at least one national scribe thinks Detroit has a decent chance at making the first division for the first time since 1933. NEW YORK WORLD TELEGRAM GOTHAMS STILL LOOKING TO THE FUTURE When the decision was made in 1936 to break up the underperforming defending champs, previous ownership led fans to believe that the turn around and return to winning would be relatively short. Now the new ownership group is asking fans to be more patient. In a brief statement from owner Leland Winthrop's office the team asks for "a little more time". "Fans will begin to see the fruits of our system this season. We will have several new young players on the Gothams roster and many more working their way up through the system." Yes the Gothams have the top ranked farm system and five top 20 prospects. But many are two to three years away from seeing time in New York. For now fans are more likely to be asked to endure another year in the basement, perhaps even more losing than last seasons team record 100 losses. Instead fans will be entertained by various activities surrounding the last season of the Bigsby Oval, or just The Oval, as Gothams advertisements are referring to their longtime ballpark. Planned events involve a return to the park of many oldtime Gothams, a day to celebrate manager Ed Ziehl's selection for the new Baseball Hall of Fame and many other reminisces of the old grounds. Entertaining the mob with bread and circuses. It will be interesting to see how patient the mob may be. On the field the team will have a largely different look than 1937's 100 game losers. Youth will prevail with only longtime Gotham Bud Jameson, returning starter Hardin Bates and vet catcher Nick Lake exceeding the 30 year mark. The regular line-up looks to include as many as 5 or 6 rookies each day. Fans should keep in mind that other than 3B Billy Dalton these are now primarily the top prospects, so while they will be younger, they may not be better. The opening day line-up appears to be: 2B Jim Jenkins (.291,0,38 at AAA) 3B Billy Dalton (.200,1,5) 1B Dick Canfield (.273,2,7) CF Howard Brown Jr. (.312,9,84) LF Ernesto Perez (.246,8,56 at AAA) RF John Phillips (.257,6,45) C Joe Green (.236,0,3) SS Rabbit Mudd (.266,4,41) On the hill will be returning starter Jack Snyder (12-11, 4.55), followed by the veteran Bates (7-13, 5.40) and rookies Mule Earl (1-6, 6.50), Ernie Wise (0-4, 8.05) and Nate Spear (0-4, 8.42) who all had brief and rocky looks last season. PHILADELPHIA INQUISITOR On paper, the Philadelphia Keystones made some changes on the margins. The core of the team is intact with Rankin Kellogg, Bobby Barrell, Carl Ames, Rip Curry, Ed Baker, and Art Myers expected to play prominent everyday roles and will largely be responsible for the fortunes for the club in 1938. But, look a little deeper and you will find the next generation starting to get their shot. Marshall Strickland has displaced Howie Shifflett and will get significant time, sharing second base with veteran Cy Cox. Jack Gibbons, a late bloomer, has not only raced his way into a roster spot, but he will start at shortstop and bat leadoff. Gene White and John Perkins give manager Tom Vance options from the right side and left side, either in the rotation or in the bullpen. Also, a 23-year-old who seemed to have third base locked up for the better part of a decade was dangled to improve long-term at that position. Frank LeMieux was the third basemen of the future, then the present, but now, LeMieux is the former starting third baseman of the Keystones, as he was shipped with Frank Crawford to Detroit for prospect Hank Koblenz. George Wright was angling for the starting job with a good Spring, but a late Spring trade, a separate deal with Detroit, netted Don Ward, who will split time with Wright. One negative with the 12-12 spring schedule was an injury to catcher Carl Ames, who severely sprained his ankle and will be out until late May. Jake Walton, last year’s backup, will mind the store until Ames returns, but the future long-term solution is likely still in the minor leagues or not in the organization yet. Walt Potter (AAA) is the closest to what would be termed a prospect, but he is fourth in line to the catching throne. Long-time Keystone Frank Crawford is no longer in the fold, but team management had to make room for the next generation of farmhands. Now in the rotation are recent minor leaguers George Brooks and Jim Whiteley, but Gene White should get his first full season in a Keystones uniform. Ed Baker and Art Myers were shopped over the winter, but survived the Reaper’s sickle and Baker will get his sixth consecutive Opening Day cap. In the pipeline are 23-year-old Herman Patterson in Triple-A Louisville, 22-year-olds Lloyd Stevens and Pepper Tuttle in Double-A New Orleans, and 21-year-old Bud Canfield and 22-year-old Hank Beckman in Single-A Allentown. LINEUP SS Jack Gibbons 2B Marshall Strickland 1B Rankin Kellogg CF Bobby Barrell LF Rip Curry RF Bobby Many 3B Don Ward C Jake Walton BENCH C Cliff Ray 1B Red Brown 2B Cy Cox 3B George Wright 3B Rabbit Forrest SS Bob Cleveland RF Bobby McHenry ROTATION SP1 Ed Baker SP2 Gene White SP3 Art Myers SP4 George Brooks SP5 Jim Whiteley BULLPEN ST John Perkins MR Don Attaway MR Frank Parsons PITTSBURGH PRESS The sports editorial in the Pittsburgh Press this morning: Children all over Pittsburgh woke up on April 18th, 1938 and threw bleary, rubbed eyes asked their parents, "Is it true? He's actually going to play? He doesn't have a ruptured Achilles tendon? Or an oblique strain? Or a hip flexor strain?" "Nope, none of those." "What about a herniated disk? Or a sprained or sore knee? How is his ACL? His ankles?" "They are all fused together and ready to go." "So you mean..." "That's right, son. Mahlon Strong's going to play." Of course the big question is for how long? The Miners are very high on Luke Berry's bat but to say they are worried about his defense is a vast understatement. The 1936 4th round pick who grew up east of Pittsburgh in Cressona, Pennsylvania has cracked the top 100 prospect list after a big season with the bat in Class B. It's his glove that concerns the Miners as he had an .829 fielding percentage as a right fielder last season between Class B and C. His bat earned a promotion to Class A Gary where the club plans to try him at first base this season. Miners Scouting Director George Heuer is thrilled to see Berry break the top 100 list and adds "if you factor in how much his defense must be weighing him down, he must be a top 20 prospect with the bat!" TORONTO MAIL & EMPIRE In Toronto's continued hopes to finish in the first division, this could/will be a year of transition. FWIW here is how the Toronto nine are going to begin the season: CF Levi Redding (.298,1,56) 2B Frank Huddleston (.265,12,74) 1B Fred McCormick (.373,20,97) RF Larry Vestal (.317,8,63) 3B Nick Wallace (.291,8,65) C Clarence Howerton (.343,0,15) RF Chuck Allison (.241,3,60) SS Charlie Artuso (.241,0,9) All lineups are written, lightly, in pencil, Manager Leitzke (who is also on thin ice) has a pile of erasers and hilroy pencils in his office. OSA REVEALS 1938 TOP PROSPECT LIST As it does at this time every year the league scouting agency has released it's Opening Day rankings of the top prospects and minor league systems in the sport. There is very little change at the top of the rankings and as a result the New York Gothams, with 2 players in the top and 5 in the top twenty remain the top rated system in FABL. The Philadelphia Keystones were the only team besides the Gothams to land two players in the top ten and with the addition of 3B Hank Koblenz (#26 on the list) the Keystones move into a tie with the Baltimore Cannons for the second deepest system. As for the individual players the list remains headed by teenage pitching phenom Pete Papenfus who stands a good chance of opening the season in the big leagues despite his tender age of 19. Papenfus had an outstanding camp for the Chicago Cougars and remains on their active roster on the eve of their opener but Chicago does have to make 3 more cuts prior to game time. The righthander was the 6th overall pick of the 1936 draft and is one of five pitchers on a top ten list equally split between position players and arms. The Federal Association did hold a decided advantage with 7 of the players in the top ten as the only exceptions were a trio of pitchers in Papenfus, Toronto's George Garrison (#3) and Baltimore prospect Rufus Barrell II (#5). While Papenfus still remains a possibility the only player among the top ten guaranteed to start the season in the major leagues will be Detroit first baseman Red Johnson. The 20 year old Oregon native was selected first overall by the Dynamos in the 1935 draft and made a brief appearance in Detroit as a September call-up last season, hitting .333 with a pair of homers and 10 rbi's in 12 games. If you are looking for a minor league team to follow perhaps you should look no further than the New Orleans Showboats of the AA Dixie League. Not only does it look like the Showboats will begin the season with a pair of top ten prospects in second baseman Billy Woytek and pitcher Lloyd Stevens on their roster but fans of the Keystones farm club will also witness Hank Koblenz, who is ranked #26th and pitcher Pepper Tuttle, who presently holds down the 42nd spot on the OSA list. According to Showboats manager Cleo Mancini Stevens is a very interesting case. "His numbers are starting to finally catch up to his lofty rankings. But, he was a 3B when he wasn't on the mound early on before we had him focus on his pitching last year. He still pinch hits, but Koblenz is going to be manning 3B on a daily basis in AA New Orleans." Here are the top ten prospects according to OSA. JAPANESE LEAGUE UPDATE Spring training has entered the final week for the six teams in the new Japanese Baseball Association. The Osaka Sailors lead the way with an 18-8 spring mark despite dropping 3 of their last four games. The Sailors are led by a pair of 26 year olds in shortstop Kameji Akutagawa (.317,2,13) and righthander Masakado Goto (6-1, 1.40) each of whom are considered to be among the best players in the league. Goto won each of his first six starts of spring and was player of the game in each of them before suffering a 4-1 defeat to Tokyo on Saturday to end his streak. Preseason predictions from Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun see the Kobe Bulls as the class of the league with Osaka and the Kyoto Bears battling it out for second. The Week That Was Current events from Tuesday 04/19/1938 New York Mayor La Guardia will cross picket lines at Dyckman Stadium to throw out first ball in Stars opener vs Brooklyn. Stadium and Sporting Centers Union Local 90 of the AFofL protested they are being locked out. Pickets shut down Buick assembly line in Michigan once more. The House and Senate swung into rapid action, fast tracking FDR's request for appropriations to combat unemployment and depression. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-10-2021 at 02:28 PM.

08-11-2021, 12:50 PM	#219
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: April 25, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL April 25, 1938 WHEELER & FRED BARRELL LEAD KINGS STRONG WEEK The defending World Champion Brooklyn Kings got off to a solid 4-2 start to begin the 1938 season and a big part of that success can be attributed to the bats of Al Wheeler and Fred Barrell. Wheeler, who has won the last three Continental Association Whitney Awards and led the loop in homers and rbi's each of those three seasons, got off to his usual start with 3 homers and 11 rbi's in the first six games of this season. His efforts earned him the nod as CA player of the week but Wheeler felt his teammate Fred Barrell deserved the award after the 32 year old catcher led all CA hitters in batting at a .458 clip. It was a much needed strong week for the veteran Kings catcher, who endured a terrible spring training that saw him hit just .064 after an awful 1937 season. With Barrell and Wheeler rolling the Kings offense averaged over 6 runs a game last week but a couple of subpar pitching performances against what looks like a very strong Montreal offense saddled the Brooklyn side with a pair of losses and left them in a 3-way tie with the Saints and Toronto Wolves for top spot in the CA. There is also a 3-way tie atop the Federal Association with Detroit, Washington and the Chicago Chiefs all at 4-2. The Chiefs got a pair of wins from ace Rabbit Day to start the season with the second one being the 211th of Day's career, boosting him past Ken Carpenter and Charlie Firestone and into 38th place all-time in career victories. A 16-win campaign from the 33 year old would lift Day into the top thirty. Another Chicago veteran had a big week week as 38 year old infielder Pete Layton went 13-for-26 and captured the Federal Association Player of the Week award. Also worth noting is Chiefs third baseman Bob Martin enjoyed a 5-hit game yesterday to help his club pound St Louis 13-3. MIXED RESULTS FOR NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES There were plenty of players debuting with new clubs after a flurry of off-season trades but only some of them enjoyed a pretty solid beginning with their new franchise as others struggled in the early going. Here is a look at how many of them fared in the opening week. It was a rough week for both Ken Mayhugh and John Edwards - who were swapped in the first big move of the winter meetings. The 22 year old Edwards struggled in his debut on the mound for Boston, pitching 6 innings and surrendering all 7 runs in the Minutemen's 7-0 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday. Edwards was 11-19 for Baltimore last season. Mayhugh, a 26 year old third baseman, was the key piece going the other way but he went just 4-for-25 (.160) in his debut with the Cannons. Fred McCormick moved from the Federal Association St Louis Pioneers to the CA's Toronto Wolves over the winter and he had little trouble adjusting to CA pitching. The 28 year old first baseman hit .389 for the Wolves and was a big reason for their 4-2 start to the season. The Pioneers will be happy with the debut of 23 year old Buddy Long. The rookie, who was part of the package St Louis acquired for McCormick, went the distance in his big league debut helping the Pioneers to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Chiefs. Jack Cleaves had a nice start in Pittsburgh where he joined his brother George after a trade from the Philadelphia Sailors for minor league pitcher Ray McCarthy. Cleaves hit .304 - the same as his brother did - this week in his Fed debut. The Chicago Chiefs are happy with their two key pickups. Veteran pitcher Jim Lonardo allowed just 1 earned run in going the distance in his debut as a member of the home side at Whitney Park. He beat his former club the New York Gothams 6-2. Infielder Hank Barnett, who was traded twice over the winter, also had a strong start in Chicago, batting .360 with a Fed leading 3 homers in week one of the season. Bob Worley, who hit 57 homers in the minors last season, batted .238 in his return to the big leagues but was homerless last week. Much of the Detroit club is new but the two main pickups had mixed results as ex-Miner Ed Stewart hit .308 with a homer but former Keystone Frank LeMieux batted just .154 in his debut week in Detroit. Finally Chicago Cougars infielder Johnny McDowell sure looks happy to be out of New York. The 30 year old former Gotham hit .435 with 6 rbi's as the Cougars new lead-off man. QUICK HITS Charlie Berry is off to a rough start in Cleveland. The 39 year hit just .154 but his backup at third base was even worse. Hank Stratton went hitless in 12 at bats for the Foresters. Concern in Cleveland as well after Dean Astle had to leave his Opening Day start early with a sore elbow. Fortunately the news on the 28 year old who has won 40 games over the past two seasons is good - he should be back to full health in a week. Boston celebrated the start of the season by taking 3 of 4 from the Philadelphia Keystones but then proceeded to drop two of 3 against Pittsburgh. The Keystones stumble out of the gate at 2-5, but don't blame Rankin Kellogg. The Memphis Mauler goes 11-for-28 (.393) with a homer and 7 RBI in Week 1. The Washington Eagles started this season the way the finished 1937 - with a big performance. The Eagles took two of three from the defending Fed champion Pittsburgh Miners at home to begin the season and then moved on to Philadelphia where they also took two of three. The offensive core of Mel Carroll, Moxie Pidgeon and Sam Brown were all in peak form helping DC score the most runs in of FA for week #1 (6.3 Runs/game average). Only lead-off man SS Jim Beard need to find his form at the plate after hitting just .148 on the week. It looks like 23 year old center fielder Don Miller, who hit .350 to start the season, will take over as the leadoff man. 2B Andy Carter also had a nice week and continues to show no signs of the injury that ended his season on Opening Day last year. Hitting has never been a concern in Washington as the problem was usually pitching. Karl Johnson and Bill Anderson both pitched well though, combining to go 3-0 and the bullpen, while not needed much, was perfect to start the season. The one concern might be Eddie Quinn who lost first two starts, but there is no panic in the clubhouse as on his first start, an error from 2B Ray cost the game as he gives only 1 ER but lost the game. It was a different story on his second start. Just hopeful he can turn thing around in the second week of season. The next week or so will tell if the quick start was luck in Washington or not as the Eagles are facing Boston and Pittsburgh over the before facing Chicago Chiefs in the first week of May. While Pete Layton's bat was certainly doing the job the Chicago Chiefs shortstop struggled in the field. Layton committed 4 errors in the first 4 games, but then he turned in 2 error-free games along with 3 double plays turned. He'll get plenty of time to get his short stop legs after spending much of the past half dozen seasons at second base. BNN FORECASTS A REMATCH IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES It took some wrangling by the commissioner as OOTP22 for some reason refused to generate preseason predictions for FABL despite doing so for the Japanese League but we finally got them. They were a little too late to make the preseason issue of TWIFB but here they are: Reaction around the league was obviously mixed with great joy in Brooklyn and Pittsburgh after BNN predicted huge wins by both of the defending pennant winners. The BNN calls always need to be taken with more than just a grain of salt and this year is no different as most experts would be shocked if the Kings and Miners each won by double-digits in their respective associations. There is quite a bunch up in the middle of the Fed with BNN calling for 5 times to finish with identical 76-78 records so most do agree with the assessment it will be a dogfight in the middle of the league. The suggestion the Miners will win big is clearly dependent upon the club staying healthy - something they failed to do a year ago but still won anyway. The big bat to watch for Miners fans is of course the often-injured Mahlon Strong but newcomer Jack Cleaves is also said to be ready for a huge season after moving across the state following a decade as a Sailor. The league news service is clearly enamoured with the Brooklyn Kings pitching staff, predicting that the club will allow just 544 runs against this season, or nearly a run a game less than any other club in either association. They are calling on the Brooklyn quartet of Tom Barrell, Joe Shaffner, Art White and Mike Murphy to combine to go 74-34 on the year. While Barrell and Shaffner have combined to win the last four Continental Allen Awards that total seems very unrealistic, but no more so than BNN's assessment that the Philadelphia Sailors will only play .500 ball. The predictions certainly make for plenty of banter at the barber shop or watering hole but most feel they are not worth the paper they are printed on. So how did BNN do last year? Well they did correctly call Brooklyn edging out the Philadelphia Sailors in the CA but missed on the Fed when they thought the Chicago Chiefs would waltz to a second straight pennant. While many of the individual player projections end up being very laughable, judging by recent history BNN has done a fairly decent job calling the pennant winners especially in the Continental Association where they have called the correct winner in 4 of the past 6 seasons. They are just 1 for 6 over that time in the Fed, only being successful in identifying the New York Gothams as the 1934 Fed champion. But on 3 of the other 5 occasions their predicted winner in the Fed did come in second. Here is a look at who BNN predicted to win the pennant over the past six years, where that team ended up as well as who the actual pennant winner was and how BNN thought they would do. So maybe those who tend to wager a penny or two might do well to look at a Brooklyn-Pittsburgh rematch come October. JAPANESE LEAGUE SET TO BEGIN PLAY TODAY The latest addition to the Figment Sporting World, a baseball league involving six professional clubs in Japan, will celebrate the Opening Day of it's inaugural season today. All six clubs will be in action as they begin a split season schedule compromised of 80 games. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 04/24/1938 Japanese government hands over to United State a check for over $2 million as payment of indemnity for sinking an American gunboat off the coast of China. German officials begin purge of the famed Austrian National Library, removing and burning a large list of what were called "non-Aryan" works. Spanish insurgents sink a fleet of fishing boats said to be carrying government troops. Meanwhile submarines of Italian design continue to attack merchant ships seeking to convoy supplies to the government in Barcelona. Henry Ford, who often strenuously opposed to FDR's New Deal, accepted the President's invitation to an informal White House conference where easing the effects of the depression will be discussed. While workers for Buick and Chevrolet plants continue to strike, General Motors agrees to concessions that may avert a walkout at their Michigan plants. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports

08-12-2021, 01:38 PM	#220
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	This Week in Figment Baseball: May 2, 1938 THIS WEEK IN FIGMENT BASEBALL May 2, 1938 BIRD CONTINUES TO SOAR Tom Bird is a big reason why the Chicago Chiefs are tied for top spot in the Federal Association. The 30 year old catcher is leading the Federal Association in homers with 5 after just two weeks and is second behind only Philadelphia Keystones outfielder Bobby Barrell in both batting average and rbi's. Bird was rewarded with the Federal Association player of the week after going 12-for-22 with 5 homers and 13 rbi's last week including a 3 homer game. Surprisingly the Chiefs lost the game in which Bird socked his 3 longballs, falling 8-6 to Detroit as the Dynamos continue their strong start. Bird's accomplishment marked just the 19th time in FABL history a player enjoyed a 3-homerun contest. His player of the week was the second straight for a Chief as Pete Layton got the nod in the season opening week. Another big reason for the Chiefs quick start has been newly acquired pitcher Jim Lonardo (2-0, 0.67) who is off to a great start after escaping from New York over the winter. Speaking of great starts the Detroit Dynamos continue to impress after winning 5 of 7 games this past week including taking two of three from the Chiefs in Chicago. The other surprise team in in the Continental Association and like Detroit, the Toronto Wolves are 9-4 to start the season and have taken 4 of 5 from the Philadelphia Sailors so far. A big test for Toronto will come starting Sunday when the Wolves host the defending World Champion Brooklyn Kings for a three game series. GOTHAMS FANS WONDERING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN? If only they kept the band together. How much better off would the Gothams be with this lineup comprised entirely of players from their 1935 World Championship squad? If they would not be the best team in the Fed they would certainly be right in the mix but instead the Gothams could be hard pressed to win 60 games this season after tearing apart a two-time pennant winner of players their management at the time felt were on the downside of their careers. Code: WHAT THE 1938 GOTHAMS LINEUP COULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE POS NAME 1938 STATS C John Wicklund .320,2,10 1B Bud Jameson .351,2,8 2B Rabbit Mudd .343,0,2 SS Erv Smith .125,0,1 3B Johnny McDowell .439,0,9 OF Moxie Pidgeon .407,3,12 OF Mahlon Strong .348,1,3 OF Tom Taylor .417,2,5 P Rabbit Day 3-0, 4.44 P Jim Lonardo 2-0, 0.67 P Milt Fritz 2-1, 1.38 P Curly Jones 1-1, 2.70 QUICK HITS Veteran Chiefs infielder Pete Layton had 7 more hits last week bringing his season total to 20 and his career total over the 2300 mark. Layton sits at 2313, which is good for 30th all-time and third best among active players as the 38 year old trails only Keystones slugger Rankin Kellogg (2636) and Cleveland catcher T.R. Goins (2577). It might be a stretch to get there this season but if Layton sticks around for another year he could become the 22nd member of the 2500 hit club. A couple of other players are closing in on hit milestones as Dave Trowbridge of the New York Stars is now 13 hits shy of the 2000 mark and Cougars catcher Mike Taylor needs 3 hits to give the 31 year old 1500 for his career. Tom Taylor of the Chiefs became just the 9th player to hit 230 career homers when he took Jake Smith of St Louis deep yesterday in Chicago's 7-1 win over the Pioneers. Frank Vance of Brooklyn also homered yesterday - his third of the season - and the 35 year old third baseman is now just 6 shy of becoming the 15th player to hit 200 in his career. Dick Higgins vs Lefty Allen. A good pitching matchup, you would think. For Boston perhaps as Higgins won the game by the score of 17-0 while Allen failed to survive the second inning for the Miners. Rad flags going off in Pittsburgh as Mahlon Strong had his hamstring flare up. The often injured slugger says he will just miss a day or two but fans in Pittsburgh are certainly starting to worry as they await what always seems like the inevitable report of a longer injury for Strong. Keystones even out their record with a 5-2 week. Gene White has won his first three starts (2.67 ERA) and his 19 strikeouts are best in the league. Bobby Barrell is top five in the early going in the glamor categories: 4th in average with a .421 average, tied for 4th in HR with 3, and 2nd in RBI with 16. Predictions of his demise may have been premature - Bud Jameson is off to a .351/.415/.649 start with 2 homers and 8 RBI for the New York Gothams while splitting 1B duties with rookie Dick Canfield who is hitting a respectable .296/.424/.519 with 2 homers and 8 RBI Our Chicago bureau compiled this interest stat collection on relievers from last season. It's funny how you can look at something for a long time and not notice everything. Shutdowns and Meltdowns by relief pitchers. How are they calculated? Very simply if a reliever improved their team's chances of winning, they get a Shutdown. If they instead made their team more likely to lose, they get a Meltdown. Last year's leader in shutdowns was Del Lyons of Brooklyn while the Gothams Mac Watters led the league meltdowns. Code: [b] The 1937 FABL leaders in Shutdowns: Del Lyons BKN - 32 Rudy Fisher PHS - 24 Don Attaway PHK - 23 Phil English TOR - 23 Boyd Harper NYS - 22 The 1937 FABL leaders in Meltdowns: Mac Watters NYG - 16 Dutch Leverett BAL - 15 Boyd Harper NYS - 14 Ike Zuckerman WSH - 13 Gary Harris NYG - 12 Interesting to see Boyd Harper make both lists so the Stars really never knew what they would be getting out of him. Boston Minutemen outfielder Chick Donnelly has been hot to start the season and extended a hitting streak that stretches back to last September to 21 games and counting. Donnelly is batting .349 with 2 homers and 11 rbi's on the season. Outfielder Hank Jones of the New York Stars won the CA player of the week for the second time in his career. The 8 year veteran went 12-for-26 last week and is hitting .422 to start the season. A curious situation is perhaps developing in Brooklyn as young pitcher Bob Cummings was absent from the ballpark over the weekend and skipper Powell Slocum poured gasoline on the fire with his refusal to discuss the situation. "I don't want to talk about it right now," was the only comment Slocum would make. It is poor timing for the Kings, who had starter Art White go down with a hamstring injury that will sideline him until early June. The Kings are worried it might be longer as Tom Barrell suffered a similar injury last season that stretched out to 3 months in duration. JAPANESE BASEBALL UPDATE NAGOYA OWLS HOOTING IT UP IN JAPAN The inaugural season of the JBA got underway last week and the Nagoya Owls began the season with a bang, winning all 4 of their games with no other team better than 2-2 to start the season. It was not overly easy for the Owls, who did win 3 of their contests by just a single run including a 6-5 victory over Yokohama that required extra innings. Nagoya second baseman Yuji Nakamura was named the first player of the week in league history after he went 9-for-16 while driving in 5 runs and scoring 4 to pace his club to it's quick start. Rough news for Yokohama as the Kingfishers learned their best player Eita Yoshioka had a setback on his broken thumb and will now miss 8 more weeks which means the 24 year old will not make his debut until close to the beginning of July. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 05/01/1938 In a surprise announcement of the national budget, the British government substantially boosted income tax to pay for arms, indicating the scale on which Britain is preparing against war. The country also announced plans for a greatly expanded air force. The American embassy asked the German government for clarification on it's decree authorizing Field Marshal Goerring to "utilize" properties of foreign as well as German Jews. It was revealed the Nazis had considered a plan to murder their own ambassador to Austria in order to create an "incident" to excuse German interference in the now non-existent country. The Chinese smashed a new Japanese drive and retaken control of the city of Tancheng as Japan forces suffer heavy casualties. Railroads approve 15% wage cut across the board in an effort to ease the critical financial condition of the industry. Hourly wages were cut 10% in 1932 in a situation less desperate for railroads than it is today. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 08-12-2021 at 01:40 PM.