All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal - Page 50 (2024)

Tiger Fan

Join Date: Dec 2001

Location: Ontario Canada

Posts: 9,619

OCTOBER 15, 1951

RED REMAINS IN NEW YORK

The deal was immediately met with negative reaction from many sources, including New York fans, who loudly protested that the Gothams had received far too little in return for the 9-time all-star who led the Federal Association in OPS in the season just completed.

There are a couple of different accounts as to why the deal was voided. One suggests that Gothams owner Leland Winthrop, after being deluged by calls to the Gothams office by fans in protest had a change of heart and refused to sign the paperwork making the transaction official. An argument that holds water when you consider that Johnson is now the game's most elite slugger with Bobby Barrell in decline. It also would greatly hinder the Gothams chances of winning what could be a second pennant in three years should they prevail next season.

The other story circulating is that Winthrop did consent to the deal but FABL President Dan Barrell used his powers to void it in the best interests of the sport. While no one would confirm which reason was the true one, a spokesman in the league office, speaking off the record, noted that had Barrell voided the deal it would have been well within his powers and with cause.

"The return is paltry at best," pointed out the source. "If an elite, Hall of Fame-level player is being dealt there better be a Top 10, maybe Top 15 at worst, prospect coming back - and he better be joined by other valuable things too. Quantity over quality doesn't work when we're talking an all-time great on the other side."

If it was Barrell who used his Presidential powers to nullify the trade it would not be a move without precedent. While it would be a first for Barrell, who assumed the role just over a year ago, his predecessor Samuel Belton overturned at least two deals in the past including one involving another superstar slugger, Bill Barrett.

*** Where do Cougars, Gothams Go From Here? ***

One other possibility is looking to make a deal with the Philadelphia Keystones for Hank Koblenz. The Keystones are willing to part with the veteran, who can play first or third base and hit 31 homers a year ago although his batting average dipped to a career low .206. At 35, he is one year older than the typical veteran acquisitions the Cougars look to make as they seem to have found a real sweet spot in acquiring 34 year old corner infielders.

As for the Gothams, it certainly appears the announced tear down and rebuild will not be happening. New York management was going to deal most of its roster but apparently found little in the way of suitable trade partners which may have contributed to the decision to quickly move Johnson, making it some sort of tangible indication New York was serious about dealing. Now that the trade is off, the Gothams might be better served being buyers and look to add a key veteran piece or two in an effort to keep pace with St Louis and Detroit, both of whom having made major upgrades since the All-Star break. It will be interesting to see just what direction the Gothams turn.

"ABSURD. MALIGNANT. MEDDLING"

Furious Owner Lambasts League Office

"Here I thought we were going to have a nice little chat about the rest of the offseason and a hopeful pennant winner in 1952. Instead, you'll get a barrage of juicy snippets you can take to the press!"

For a man prone to hyperbole, this was not one of those instances.

As many around the league know, there was a huge blockbuster agreed upon between the Cougars and the Gothams, sending a trio of their top 100 prospects for slugging first basemen Red Johnson. It was in the rumor mill all postseason, and after it was made official, it hit a snag. The league blocked the trade. Here's some of the best hits:

"I may be one of the newer owners, so it's no surprise I don't have much say in league matters, but I at least always felt like things were fair and simple for everyone involved. Now I heard rumblings about unpopular decisions or matters getting forced through, but up until today, I never would have thought something like this could happen. The overstepping of the commissioners office is un-American. What happened to free-trade? Is every deal going to be scrutinized from now on? Where is the line drawn?"

"I don't know what to say other then voice my displeasure. I'll offer three words: Absurd. Malignant. Meddling. How else can I put it? A gross, miscarriage of justice? Two teams agreed to a deal that the ballclubs felt was mutually beneficial. And then a vocal minority complains and just like that it's done? No discussion. No compromise. Just sorry, not happening."

"The worst part is the hypocrisy. From the league office and the other owners and GMs in the league. People parrot that 'oh prospect rankings don't matter' and 'oh scouting reports don't matter' and 'all that matters is stats' but guess what? The complaints were that we didn't give up one or two top 20 prospects? You know, our future ace who through four starts already has a 9-strikeout game and a shutout, or our new starting center fielder who hit just shy of .300 with 15 walks in his first 73 PAs while shagging flyballs like it's nothing. How many top 20 prospects get traded, ever? Young ace Joe Potts didn't cost one. Back-to-back CA home run leader Bill Barnett didn't cost one. Even young superstar Ralph Johnson didn't cost one. Or Jim Adams Jr. John Moss. Buddy Long. George Cleaves AND Lefty Allen. Bob Arman. You have to go all the way back to 1947 where a 24-year-old already ace Hiram Steinberg and former #1 prospect cost 6th ranked prospect Sherry Doyal and a 1st Round Pick. But yeah, a 34-year-old first basemen needs at least one if not two of them? You're telling me the Cannons are lining up to ship out Dallas Berry and Charlie Barrell for a 34-year-old first basemen? What about the Stars with Eddie Dickey and Jimmy Morris? Maybe, just maybe the Foresters or Sailors part with one of their two top 20 third basemen. But seriously? No one is going to do that."

"So let me give you some more stats: Frank Reece had a 157 WRC+ in AA and a 208 WRC+. In the 85 games between that? 22 doubles, 15 triples, 12 homers, 67 RBIs, 75 runs. And he just turned 24. Tiner may have struggled a little in a season he fought injury, but he turned 20 in July and has hit a respectable .311/.418/.432 with the Lions since his selection as a first rounder. The average UMVA hitter this year batted .246/.394/.449, and there's plenty of guys coming from college beating up on the teen pitchers. And then there's Isgro, who had a beautiful 2.52 ERA in 14 starts in San Jose before a promotion to Lincoln where it rose to just 2.60 in 9 starts. Shouldn't stuff like this matter? At least that's what we've been told... Look, the people at OSA do tremendous work, but with over 4,000 baseball players you're really going to make them the end all, be all in scouting. I mean they've had some huge misses in the past, let's be honest. Reece a 'second division starter?' Tiner a 'bubble player?' 'Isgro a spot starter?' And they still rank these guys in the offseason top 100? Something isn't adding up here..."

"Here's how I see it: our hard-working, resourceful GM is getting punished for agreeing to a satisfactory deal before the lazy, content with mediocrity GMs had a chance to do some leg work. Even worse, he's getting slandered out there by everyone about 'mind control' and what not. How's he supposed to make trades anymore? Find reasonable offers? Even feel confident signing off on something knowing that because some quick trades happen all the time. It's truly quite sad. I had to meet with him before this to ensure him that I was unphased. He was ready to resign just to finally escape all the animosity. But I convinced him that would just be letting the other guys win. This Cougars organization is a family. From the wonderful people that spend hours of thankless work cleaning the troughs in the bathroom, to franchise icons like Leo Mitchell, Skipper Schneider, Pete Papenfus, and Donnie Jones, to any young Chicagoan who spends his first ball-game at Cougars Park to cheer on the team they choose to support. I'll go to back for each and every one of you. Don't apologize for you Cougar fandom. Your loyalty to your team. Your years of dedication and effort will never go unnoticed. That's more or less our motto here. Work hard, respect the uniform and your opponent, and compete until your last breath."

"This all just blows my mind. Players getting traded quickly is nothing new. Yet when we do it? Outrage!. Remember Rabbit Day? Al Wheeler? Mack Sutton? Where was the outrage then? We finally get luck with a right place, right time deal and then its not allowed. A lot of this is before my time, but where was the outrage when we overpaid for Dave Rankin and Joe Masters? Or Freddie Jones? Or David Molina? I mean so many times deals look good/bad in the moment just for it to turn out the complete opposite way. Baseball is a fickle mistress. No one expects an otherworldly stopper to more then double his ERA. Or an 80-win team to finish with a sub .375 win percentage in one run games. Or a 38-year-old vet with 54 career steals to swipe more bases then anyone who's not a member of his own team. But these are all things that happen. And no one would have guessed it."

"Oh and speaking of Wheeler... Hey Leland? Worst trade of All-Time? Give me a break... What about trading a former 1st Overall Pick, unanimous Hall-of-Famer, and one of three players ever to hit 500 home runs for a *checks notes* 7th Round Pick? We get it, you wish your team had Red Johnson too, but your team giftwrapped the 1944 WCS to the Cannons and then he went on to lead the league in WRC+ the following season. How is Bill May working out for you, huh?"

"Should I be surprised? Maybe not. The league has a history of bullying owners, teams, and cities to get what it wants. Remember the absurd lottery for the supposed "top" players like Adolph Jacobson and Marv Smith that were forced on the team before I got here. Or maybe pushing out owners and backroom deals to steal clubs from cities? Poor Baltimore. Poor Brooklyn. Poor Sailors and Stars fans who live on the east coast. This isn't even the first time we've had a controversial blocking. He may have just retired, but don't forget about Adam Mullins. I never bought that BS about a passport or whatever they 'claim' is the reason the trade didn't happen. It's just like what we witnessed today. A vocal minority whined, and the league office was pushed over."

"And don't even get me started on all the trade controls the league. Can't trade draft picks. Can't trade recently drafted players. Plans of "trade checks" being implemented before this now too? What are we supposed to do on our quests to bring our fanbases championships? Be really bad for a long time and hope we get lucky? Yeah, that's not my style... This is a team in their longest every championship drought and I gave the go-ahead on a huge deal. Parting with three players that internally we really like. And now what am I supposed to do?"

"I still remember the story from one of my first seasons as owner. It was 1947, we were coming off our first -- and I may add only -- season below .500 since 1936, and like this season I gave the okay on a big trade. The player in question was George Cleaves, and a handshake agreement was made with the Miners, but our GM reminded them about the recent league memo complaining about teams not making players available for trade. So even with a potential agreement in place, he mentioned to his counterpart that perhaps Cleaves should be made available. Just give us a courtesy call if you find something that could top the agreed upon offer. That speaks to his character. No mind control. No trying to scam the other team. No ruthlessness to get the most while giving up the least. Just doing the little things to help build a relationship with his peers. And when we were all blindsided by the agreement with the Gothams? Without a single mention back? Not one complaint. Not one peep. Not one rumor or 'anonymous' source complaining about the injustice. Just put his head down. Got to work. And continued to do what he does best: put together a competitive team with tons of talent and plenty of reinforcements on the way."

"These poor players. They're the ones that this hurts most. How is Red Johnson supposed to suit up for the Gothams next season knowing that they wanted to tear-down and ship him off? Or Red Bond? Knowing that his team was willing to cast him aside to the bench and now he's supposed to lead them to the playoffs? And Frank Reece? Told he was going to be apart of a great young outfield for seasons to come, just to be moved away. Now he loses out on an opportunity to start right away, and has to re-commit to the team that was ready to move him to make a pennant push."

"But above all, I want to apologize to the Cougar faithful. I am so sorry. You guys have been through so much recently. All the expectations. All the failures. All the disappointment. And what hurts more then this? For one day you thought that finally, finally the decades of suffering and shortcoming were over and you were about to get one of the best hitters in baseball. And just like every other time you get your hopes up they get crushed right back down. Like you don't even matter. Like your happiness has to be approved by those in charge. I will continue to give the team all the money and support they need to be competitive. But for the first time since I took the club from Ben when his health was failing, I'm at a complete loss. I don't know how to make it up to you. And I hope you'll continue making Cougars Park the wonderful baseball palace that some of the game's top players have called home."

"Now Tip, I'll leave you with this. See what I'm holding (waves check)? Here's a blank check. Let me grab my pen here. FABL League Office. Here's my John Hancock. Let's put it in an envelope and send it to headquarters. I know I'm going to get repercussions for this, just fill out the fine on the line right here. But I can't stand by here idly by watching the team I cherish and the fans that, like me, have spent most of their time rooting for, get screwed over like this. I don't care how much it puts me back. I just want the league to know: they woke up a caged beast. I will do everything in my power to bring a title to this great city and I'm sure it's already fired up the hungry twenty four guys we'll break camp with us. They saw the headlines. They heard the complaints. They hate the losing as much as I do."

"It's always felt like the Cougars against everyone. And this pretty much confirms it. Oh well. I can play the villain if I have to."

JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING

Until he was. Mere hours after Gothams and Cougars signed off on a trade sending the Whitney candidate Red Johnson to Chicago, setting off wails of despair amongst the Gothams faithful, their prayers were heard. Impossibly, improbably, Red was staying in New York. The Commissioners office of FABL had denied the trade. Citing, various reason, many of which will likely set off howls of disapproval in major league front offices, the decision was handed down from on high.

No deal. Johnson will remain in New York. Chicago will retain their prospects. It never happened. I contacted Asst GM Tom Johnson for a reaction. He offered that everyone in the team's front office was caught off guard. Plans had already been made, players had been made aware of the deal. And now they are back to square one in their off season plans.

Then again, if the worst thing that happens to a team is that they have to have Red Johnson in the lineup, forgive me if I don't pity them. Still, I heard words like "meddling", and "interference" thrown around the halls in Queens. And maybe one person whispering, "thank goodness".

Yes, it has been a strange weekend.

IRWIN'S AWARDS BALLOT

Federal Whitney Award: LF Larry Gregory (St. Louis Pioneers
.320/.404/.530 (138 OPS+), 679 PA, 118 R, 47 2B, 8 3B, 20 HR, 115 RBI, 6 SB, 86 BB, 152 WRC+, 6.5 WAR)

It was a nice change of pace this season, as for once there really wasn't an obvious surefire unanimous (or should be unanimous) selection for any of the awards. This is great, as it will lead to more baseball discussion while we are all starved for content with the offseason now underway.

With plenty of talented options to pick from, Jesse Alvarado (.311, 39, 134, 16), Red Johnson (.314, 35, 118), and Paul Williams (.321, 19, 103) are the first to come to mind (though there are a ton of worthy choices depending on your stat of choice), I did something I almost never do: picked the best player on the best team. That would be "The Pope of Chicago" Larry Gregory, who was pretty much the only impactful hitter for the Fed champs before 2nd Overall Pick Red Pilcher (.297, 10, 35) came up less the a month after the bat to mash homers for a team starved for offense. Gregory, however, was elite from start to finish, hitting an excellent .320/.404/.530 (138 OPS+) in a Fed high 679 trips to the plate. The 28-year-old left fielder also led with 47 doubles, tallying 20 homers, 115 RBIs, and 118 runs while worth 6.5 wins above replacement. The most impressive thing, however, was his absurd 86-to-27 walk-to-strikeout ratio, as his 4.0 K% was the lowest among Fed hitters. His 152 WRC+ was third among qualified hitters, and his WAR was less then a tenth behind Fed leader Stan Kleminski (.321, 4, 60, 13). A 5-Time All-Star, 2-Time World Champion, and 1-Time WCS MVP, Gregory deserves to add a Whitney to his collection, but with so many similar candidates he may have to settle for just another pennant.

Federal Allen Award: LHP John Stallings (Chicago Chiefs)
15-10, 2.57 ERA (162 ERA+), 1.27 WHIP, 263 IP, 111 BB, 134 K, 1.2 K/BB, 3.54 FIP (84 FIP-), 5.7 WAR

Last year Ed Bowman (17-8, 3.25, 122) was the obvious choice, but a brutal September where he was 2-3 with a 5.48 ERA (77 ERA+) and 1.57 WHIP looks to prevent him from getting his third Allen. Other good options include Pioneer co-ace Hal Hackney (18-11, 2.76, 127), Gotham veteran Buddy Long (18-12, 3.73, 66), or Detroit's breakout arms Wally Hunter (12-10, 3.09, 90) and Jack Miller (18-17, 3.49, 120), but I'm going to ride with the guy who dominated nearly all season: John Stallings.

Stallings may not have the wins some of the other contenders do, just 15 in his 33 starts, but he led the Fed in ERA (2.57) and strikeouts (134) in the best season of his young career. Almost destined to be an Allen winner since his selection to kick off the 1946 draft, it's crazy to think this is his sixth big league season, and even if he isn't able to capture the '51 Allen he should be a favorite for seasons to come. If there is a knock on the young lefty, it's the 111 walks, but his 1.27 WHIP is still 4th in the Fed. The most impressive part is his consistency: just one of his six months saw him have an ERA above 3, and at 3.14 it's still lower then all but three Fed pitchers season ERA. And even with a bottom three defense behind him, his .233 opposing average was one of five categories he led his association in. He's not the best pitcher in the Fed, that continues to be Ed Bowman, but Stallings outpitched him and showed no signs of wear after crossing the 200 inning mark.

Federal Kellogg Award: RF Rod Shearer (Chicago Chiefs)
.290/.359/.502 (123 OPS+), 635 PA, 79 R, 33 2B, 12 3B, 21 HR, 104 RBI, 6 SB, 60 BB, 133 WRC+, 5.1 WAR

This is probably the closest to an "obvious" pick, but I can see voters preferring Claude Kade (.304, 12, 72), Danny Taylor (.305, 18, 77), Sam Ivey (13-5, 3.47, 96) or even one of Hank Estill (.300, 10, 46) or Rex Pilcher who came up late, but I just don't see how you beat the 5.1 WAR and 133 WRC+ season from last year's 2nd Rounder Rod Shearer. A personal favorite of mine, Shearer has already emerged as arguably the Chiefs top position player, as he's an extra base machine who looks like a natural out in right field. His .290/.359/.502 (123 OPS+) batting line does not look like someone who first played college baseball last season, and he contributed 66 extra base hits as a mainstay in the Chiefs lineup. He led all Fed rookies in homers, RBIs, slugging, OPS (.861), WAR, hits (164), doubles, triples, total bases (284), extra base hits, OPS+, ISO (.212), WPA (2.06), wOBA (.383), and even steals. The Kellogg should be his, and I think he'll have the biggest margin of win when results are announced.

Continental Whitney Award: 2B Al Farmer (Philadelphia Sailors)
.311/.398/.512 (131 OPS+), 679 PA, 109 R, 27 2B, 17 3B, 19 HR, 85 RBI, 5 SB, 83 BB, 1446 WRC+, 7.0 WAR

This was the hardest pick to make. Do I go with the Kings outfielder who was actually worth more WAR then Ralph Johnson (.317, 24, 92, 7) this year Fred Miller (.345, 19, 105, 19)? What about one of the Foresters young stars in Frenchy Sonntag (.323, 30, 104) or Shery Doyal (.326, 30, 117)? Or you know, one of the 7 WAR stars on the champion Sailors' team in Billy Forbes (.310, 15, 91, 25) or Al Farmer (.311, 19, 85, 5). I mean, you could even go with RBI leader and champion George Rutter (.305, 28, 137, 6) who drove Forbes and Farmer in so often he came one RBI away from Tom Taylor's single season record of 138 in 1929.

Honestly, when starting this writeup I didn't even know who I'd pick, but eventually I settled on former 9th Overall Pick Al Farmer, who had huge breakout at 25. Named the WCS MVP after hitting .444/.500/.667 (196 OPS+) with a double, homer, steal, and 6 RBIs in the five game series win, Farmer was a huge reason the Sailors went from bottom of the barrel to World Champions. Worth an even 7 WAR in 151 games, Farmer slashed an excellent .311/.398/.512 (131 OPS+) and 144 WRC+. Like Gregory and Shearer, Farmer is skilled in the art of extra base hits, providing the champs with 27 doubles, 17 triples, and 19 homers in his 679 trips to the plate. He scored 109 times and drove in 85 runs, walking 83 times in an excellent all-around season. It's funny, he didn't lead the CA in any category, but he does everything to help his team win, from good defense and baserunning to being an impact right handed bat, and with the added benefit of playing for the team that won it all, he'll get my vote in a race I don't know how it will go.

Continental Allen Award: LHP Duke Bybee (Chicago Cougars)
16-9, 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP, 226.1 IP, 76 BB, 104 K, 1.4 K/BB, 3.63 FIP (87 FIP-), 4.5 WAR

Oh Duke... Why couldn't you have just pitched well in September...

If that was the case, Cougar co-ace Duke Bybee would be almost guaranteed an Allen award, but after saving his two worst starts for start 27 and 29, he lost his lead in ERA and WHIP, and will now be stuck hoping that voters can look past Adrian Czerwinski's (22-7, 3.26, 127) 20 win season and understand that Lloyd Stevens' (17-7, 4, 3.19, 90) Fed innings shouldn't be forgotten. Personally, I could never vote for a guy that changed associations midway through or a guy just because he won 20 games, but that's just me I guess.

The guy I would vote for is the one who led pitchers that only pitched in the Continental in ERA and WHIP, as well as the only pitcher to only pitch in the Continental with an ERA below 3. With better run support, he could have won 20 games with ease, as Bybee 8 starts where he allowed 3 or fewer inning sand did not get a win. 8 of them! Czerwinski, on the other hand, had 6 starts where he allowed 4 or more runs and still won the game! Win-loss record is not a good way to evaluate pitchers people!

Among all qualified Continental pitchers, Bybee ranked top three in ERA (2nd), wins (t-2nd), shutouts (t-3rd, 3), WHIP (2nd), and ERA+ (2nd), and led in rWAR (7.6), opponent batting average (.218), and quality starts (23). Yes, he had more quality starts then the 22-game winner who made six extra starts. Run support numbers are always interesting to look at as well, as Bybee got 4.4 a game while Czerwinski got a full run more (5.4). It's not surprise he was able to win so many games with such a strong offense, and assuming the pen doesn't blow as many games as ours did, 5.4 runs would be enough based on Bybee's runs in 28 of his 29 starts. Isn't that crazy? He allowed 5 or fewer starts in all but one of his starts? The 29th one he made this season? Only 1 of his 16 wins came in games he allowed 5 runs, while the Cougars average run support in Bybee starts was good enough in exactly 22 of Czerwinski's starts. Hard to win 22 games with the support that Bybee had. That's enough context for me to decide who to pick, but 20 is the magic number to some, and I expect Czerwinski to cement his Hall-of-Fame status with a third consecutive Allen.

Continental Kellogg Award: LHP Ted Coffin (Montreal Saints)
14-9, 3.18 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, 226.2 IP, 99 BB, 110 K, 1.1 K/BB, 3.78 FIP (90 FIP-), 4.1 WAR

This could have been a three man race Elmer Grace played all season and hit .340/.438/.502 (148 OPS+) instead of just 65 games. And it could really have been four if Paul Anderson (11-5, 1, 3.19, 85) pitched out of the rotation all season. Instead, we get Joe Wood (.315, 14, 71) and Ted Coffin (14-9, 3.18, 110), who were both elite. It's almost impossible to separate these two, especially since one pitched and one hit, but in the end, isn't the best ability availability? Wood missed the last month and a half of the season, and in all honesty, that's the only reason the Cleveland Foresters aren't celebrating again. When he played, he was great, slashing .315/.406/.511 (133 OPS+), production you just can't replace. He had 32 doubles, 6 triples, 67 runs, 66 walks, 71 RBIs, and a 148 WRC+ -- all superb stats -- but he didn't see himself on any non-rookie leaderboards.

Coffin, on the other hand, finished third in the CA in ERA, going 14-9 with a 3.18 ERA (131 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts in 226.2 innings pitched. The 25-year-old and former 1st Rounder established himself as a reliable arm for a team that's just barely off contention, and should receive some down ballot Allen votes. He was also a win away from a huge tie for 5th, 4th in WHIP and ERA+, 6th in quality starts (20), and ranked 7th in strikeouts and K/9 (4.4). Like Bybee, he had a rough end to the season, 1-3 with a 5.34 ERA (78 ERA+) in his last 4 starts, but he was superb the first five months of the season and with a still solid FIP (4.09, 98), WHIP (1.19), and K% (12.8), some of the struggles could be attributed to bad luck. It's another really deep class of Continental rookies, and there would be no complaints from me if Wood wins, but Coffin had the best rookie season, and like Wood, will be a building block for his club for seasons to come.

TALES FROM THE LAIR

Millard is said to have listened to these arguments for the first day and a half while everyone had a chance to get things off their collective chests. After the lunch break on the second day, the Wolves magnate is said to have addressed the group telling them in no uncertain terms that this was his management group for 1952 and that they should start looking for collective solutions rather than trying to allocate blame for the past misfortunes of the Wolves.

Millard said he would keep his upper management team together for at least one more year but is expecting substantial improvement both on the field and at the gate for the Wolves in 1952 while implying changes would be made if there was failure to bring results in Toronto. Millard announced that the GM had been extended for 2 years before outlining same clarity on the day to day on field operation of the Wolves to begin in the spring.

Millard told the assembled that going forward that manager Fred Barrell would have the final say on the day to day lineups working in concert with the GM and Dick Dennis. This was significant to Brett as there seemed to be tension in Barrell's office last season often after the GM left a closed door meetings with Barrell and bench coach Dennis. Though unconfirmed, there were many rumours that the GM was meddling with the daily lineups and pitching staff on a far too frequent basis for either Barrell's or Dennis' liking over the past couple of seasons. Millard made it clear that the final say on the daily lineups was now exclusively Barrell's. The GM will focus more on the development of players in the minors with he having the last word on the 25 and 40 man rosters.

The GM is said to be already started on his new focus. There are rumours that George Garrison is generating interest around the league and the 33-year-old he may have pitched for the last time as a member of the Wolves. In a short statement from his office, the Wolves GM said the team may look much different for the fans by the opening of the season in 1952.

Searching for new hitting coach in Toronto along with a manager in AAA has already started with candidates being interviewed in Toronto.

• Normally the big talk right after the WCS is centered on who retired but this year it is more about who did not retire. Sure a few long-time stars called it quits, names like Adam Mullins, Marion Boismenu and Gail Gifford but the big news is that Bobby Barrell will return to the Philadelphia Keystones
• Along with Barrell others who decided to stick around include 42-year-old Fred McCormick returning to Toronto in search of 48 more hits to reach the 3,000 mark. Charlie Bingham is 41 but will be back with the Chicago Chiefs. 40-year-old Bill Moore returns to Boston and 39-year-old Joe Owens will be back with Pittsburgh. Mel Carrol, the last player to hit .400 in a season, says he will be back with Washington but it sounds like the Eagles are trying to convince the 39-year-old he should retire before the club is forced to release him.
• The Chicago Cougars still have to fill their third base coach vacancy, with an eye on former big leaguer Mahlon Strong, but they did replace first base coach Danny Clark, who spent one season at the position. His replacement is George Howell, a former 12th Round pick of the Brooklyn Kings who spent one minor league season with the Omaha Cowboys of the Heartland League. Howell, who agreed to a two year contract, is said to be excellent when it comes to in-game running decisions, and he does an outstanding job teaching infield, outfield, and catching defense. The former catcher is expected to be a huge add to a team that led the CA in stealing, as he's developed a real sense of knowing when to send runners

FOURTH QUARTER COMEBACK LEADS WASPS TO VICTORY

Norwood, the All-American quarterback in his fourth season out of Portland Tech, had his struggles on the day completing just 8 of 21 throws for 126 yards but was up to the task when needed, engineering a 54-yard drive late in the game that culminated in a 16-yard toss to Snodgrass for the game winning score. Halfback Jim Lyster enjoyed a big day for the 3-0 Washington club, gaining 128 yards on the ground to give him a league high 440 on the season.

The Pittsburgh Paladins kept pace with the Wasps and share the East Division lead at 3-0 following their third straight road win, this one a hard fought 7-3 triumph over the Boston Americans. All of Pittsburgh's offense came on the Paladins first play from scrimmage as John Mecham plowed over for a 1-yard touchdown just 1:55 into the game after Bobby Leonard's electric punt return of 53 yards saw the speedy end hauled down just short of scoring the opener himself. The host Americans dominated the game, claiming 18 first downs while allowing just two for the visitors and had a huge advantage in total offense of 339 yards compared to just 55 for the Paladins but Boston could not push the ball over the Pittsburgh goal line with a second period field goal from Neville Caron accounting for all of the Boston scoring. The game illustrated just how reliant the Paladins are on back Wally Dotson, who missed the game with an injury. Dotson, who remains doubtful for next week's game in Philadelphia with a knee injury, gained 221 yards in the first two games of the season but without him the Paladins were held to just 48 yards on the ground and due to the lack of a ground threat Pittsburgh quarterback Dusty Sinclair was under siege all day, completing just 1 of 12 throws for 7 yards.

The Kansas City Cowboys are the only unbeaten team in the West Division after winning their third straight road game, 24-7 over the New York Football Stars. Ted Armstrong, a little known fifth year reserve who did not score a touchdown at all last season, had two of them in the first half Sunday. Armstrong caught a 17-yard scoring toss from Pat Chappell to open the scoring late in the first quarter and had a 2-yard touchdown run late in the second period to help the Cowboys build a 17-0 lead at the break. Mason Matthews, who ran for over 200 yards a week ago, was held in check by the Stars defense. The burly fullback carried the ball 10 times but managed just 24 yards. It was a different story for halfback Pat Hill, who gained 125 yards on the ground for the winners on just 13 carries.

The Detroit Maroons often win in Chicago and Sunday was no exception as the Maroons, led by Doug Stevens 153 yards on the ground, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to double their host 20-10. Rookie defensive back Jack Hurley had the big play for the Detroit eleven, intercepting a Fred Wilhelm pass in the fourth quarter just moments after the Maroons had taken a 13-10 lead. Hurley's 33-yard return set up terrific field position and led to the final Detroit touchdown.

Stu Hubbard ran for three touchdowns and 108 yards in total as the St Louis Ramblers shocked a capacity crowd at Bigsby Stadium in Los Angeles with a 28-9 taming of the LA Tigers. St Louis just rambled all over the Tigers defense with Nat Oldham carrying the ball 30 times for 164 yards to join Hubbard in the century club for the day. Both West Division clubs are now 1-2 on the campaign.

Finally, in Philadelphia Ray Angello's 2-yard return of an Ed Paulson fumble with 12 minutes remaining in the game proved the difference and was the only touchdown of the day in Cleveland's 10-3 win over the Philadelphia Frigates. Paulson, who had a rough day at quarterback for the Frigates in completing just 2 of 11 passes for 23 yards, was sacked on successive plays by Jack Cornett, with the second one jarring the ball loose to set up Angello's heroics. The East Division rivals each sit with 1-2 records.

TEXAS GULF COAST UPSETS ST BLANE

"Cribbed" into obscurity before the season began, Rome State's depleted football forces may fumble their way into football oblivion. The reorganized Centurions, still striving for their first victory, dropped their third straight Saturday, bowing 16-13 to a less than stellar Grafton Scholars eleven. No longer the powerful squad that rode high on the nation's gridirons before the cheating scandal eliminated some forty football players from the military academy last August, the 1951 Rome State outfit fumbled five times in the first half alone against Grafton. Twice the Scholars were gifted an easy score on short yardage after these butter-fingered tactics had gifted Grafton the ball.

The other service academy also tasted defeat as Red River State rode the passing combination of Bob Turner and Mike Little to a 17-0 victory over Annapolis Maritime. Turner and Little combined for a scoring pass in each half to lead the Rowdies to their first win in three starts while the Navigators also drop to 1-2 on the year.

Maryland State claimed a spot in the latest top ten poll after the Bengals dumped previously unbeaten Noble Jones College by a 21-6 score. Charlie Barrell had been very good at quarterback for the Colonels in their three victories but struggled on this day, completing just 3 of 13 throws. Number one ranked Cumberland had an easy time of things in a 45-0 drubbing of Western Tennessee while second ranked St. Ignatius continued to impress with a 44-7 win over Wisconsin Catholic.

1951 NAHC SEASON PREVIEW

Among the dark horses, Toronto stands out as a possible challenger, with a big season by Quinton Pollack capable of pushing the Dukes back into contender status.

The scoring race will likely see Chicago's Tommy Burns challenged by Pollack and Chandler. The top defenseman in the league is generally considered to be Boston's Mickey Bedard with his Bees teammate Conn Cundiff and veteran Packers rearguard Bert McColley also in the running. Among goaltenders, the battle for the Juneau Trophy may be contested between Boston's Oscar James and the Detroit Motors duo of Touhey and Henri Chasse.

MUCH BETTER START FOR PACKERS
Courtesy of the Chicago Daily News

The Packers are above .500! And they're scoring goals!

After a miserable season that was probably the worst in franchise history, it's a huge breath of fresh air to see the Chicago Packers 2-1 after the opening week and tied for first place with Toronto and Montreal. Even better, the goals are starting to find the back of the net, as after going weeks and even months without scoring three goals in a game, the Packers put up 12 in a four day stretch, including a vintage Tommy Burns hat-trick in a 5-2 win over the Shamrocks. The 31-year-old all-world center already has 4 goals and an assist in early goings, and he shares the early point lead with Marty Mahoney on the team.

Formerly linemates, Mahoney has now taken on a new line with talented center Jarrett McGlynn and second year winger Stanley Royce. Mahoney has scored twice and assisted on three goals, starting to look like the excellent point producer that once shared time with the Burns brothers. They do still spend time together on the power play, one of his goals was assisted solely by Burns, and the perennial playoff contenders are trying to show early on that last year was just a fluke. First year head coach Chad Fillman was quoted on how "proud he was of his team" that has already "shown fight to the last minute." Up 3-1 in the opener against Montreal, they kept on attacking and trying to score, adding a 4th goal to finish it when they could have just skated to the finish. The young defense has held up well early, with great performances from recent first rounders Phil Stukus and Mike Van Tol, but Fillman knows the job is far from done. They can't let this momentum go to waste.

Boston 1 at 1 Detroit : Wilbur Chandler's goal just 12 seconds into the third period was the only one of 50 Boston shots to elude Motors netminder Millard Touhey but it was enough to allow the Bees to leave the Thompson Palladium with a single point in a 1-1 tie with Detroit. Nick Tardif scored the lone Motors goal, coming on the powerplay early in the opening frame.

Chicago 4 at 1 Montreal : Two teams with something to prove met at the Montreal Arena for the season opener. The Valiants started the evening with a ceremony to raise their second consecutive Challenge Cup championship banner to the ceiling of the building but it was admist concerns that an 0-6-1 exhibition season had fans worried about the Vals chances for a three-peat. Chicago needed a strong start after a terrible campaign a year ago left the Packers in last place with one of the worst showings in recent NAHC history. The Packers came out flying, outshooting the Vals 18-5 in the opening period and 39-21 overall enroute to a 4-1 victory. Marty Mahoney had a goal and two helpers will Tommy Burns added two points for the winners.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 13

Boston 1 at 4 Montreal : A much better showing by the defending champs as Clarence Skinner, Rey Sclisizzi and Paulie Mosca all scored in the first period and Montreal coasted to a 4-1 victory over the visitors from Boston. Garrett Kauffeldt scored with less than two minutes remaining in the game to spoil Tom Brockers shutout bid with Adam Sandford adding an empty net goal in the closing seconds.

Chicago 3 at 4 Toronto : Four second period goals, including a pair from Alex Lavalliere lifted the Toronto Dukes past the visiting Chicago Packers 4-3 at Dominion Gardens. Frank Featherstone and Quinton Pollack also scored for the Dukes while Joe Fleming, rookie Sam Furr and Ed Dalarue replied for the Packers.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 14

Montreal 4 at 3 Boston : The Valiants complete a home and home sweep of Boston with a 4-3 victory at Denny Arena. Brett Lanceleve and Lee Webb staked Montreal to a first period lead and rookie Kip Bedard made it 3-0 before the Bees replied with 3 second period goals of their own. Jimmy Backus got Montreal's second marker of the middle frame sandwiched amongst the Bees markers to round out the scoring.

New York 2 at 5 Chicago : Tommy Burns scored 3 times to power the Chicago Packers to a 5-2 win over New York in the Shamrocks first game of the season. Marty Mahoney and Bert McColley also lit the lamp for the winners while Geoff Hartnell and Jim Macek were the Shamrocks snipers.

Toronto 4 at 2 Detroit : A big night from Quinton Pollack powered the Toronto Dukes past Detroit. Pollack scored three times and assisted on Lou Galbraith's goal as the Dukes doubled the Motors 4-2. Ben Witt and Hank Walsh replied for the Motors, who were outshot 43-30. Detroit has allowed 93 shots in two games this season.

BALTIMORE SELECTS BOOKMAN WITH TOP PICK IN FBL DRAFT

Bookman, a second team All-American last season and a third team selection his junior season, hails from South Amboy, NJ. The guard started 122 games over four seasons for the Owls and averaged 11.4 points per game and 4.4 assists as a senior. The Philadelphia Phantoms selected Mel Turcotte, a forward from Carolina Poly with the second choice while Rainier College guard Don Higgins, younger brother of former FABL pitcher Dick Higgins, was drafted third by the Cleveland Crushers.

Here is a look at the two players selected by the Chicago Panthers in the Federal Basketball League draft. They stayed close to home with both of their selections coming from schools in the Great Lakes Alliance.

1st Round, 4th Overall: PG Tommy Henry: Detroit City College

The Panthers may have missed out on the top three guys they were targeting, but are still happy to have landed guard Tommy Henry with the 4th pick in the draft. An athletic guard from Detroit City College, he was a three year starter and first team All-Conference selection as a senior, when he averaged 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Known for his solid defense and his ability to run up and down the court, Henry gives the Panthers a near ready starting guard to improve the overall depth of the roster. He won't be taking Joe Hampton's job anytime soon, but he can give Hampton needed time off during close games. A guy who does almost everything okay, he doesn't really have a weakness, and he could fill in as a starter in a pinch. Aside from Hampton, Chicago does have another excellent point guard in Efrain Boland, but the 25-year-old played a solid amount of small forward last year and may move to that position to get more minutes. Hart also has some experience at the two, and could compete with Boland or current starter Larry Serrano for minutes there.

2nd Round, 14th Overall: PF David Vigil: Lincoln

The draft really seemed to thin out by time the second round started, but again the Panthers focused on an athletic player. Taken from the Lincoln Presidents of nearby Springfield, Illinois, the 7'2'' Vigil played center and is a former Illinois High School All American where he starred at Chicago's Von Steuben High. A strong interior rebounder, Vigil may not see much playing time with Luther Gordon, Richard Campbell, and Cory Myers getting most of the minutes down low. More of a project pick, he grabbed 7.8 boards a game with 9 points, and for his size is a really good free throw shooter. He offers good defense in the post, and is really tough for the little guys to shoot over. Due to the work his overall game needs, he may not see the court much, but the Panthers staff is hoping he can add muscle and take a bench role a few seasons out.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• October 18- Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: former middleweight champion John Edmonds (34-4) meets contender Davis Owens (25-3)
• October 23- Buffalo, NY: rising welterweight Brian Pierce (18-4-1) faces Clarence Broderick (12-6-1)
• October 23- Oakland, CA.: veteran welterweight Artie Neal (30-10-1) meets California native Jamie Rotz (40-13)
• October 26- Keystone Arena, Philadelphia: heavyweight contenders John Jones (20-2-1) and Tommy Cline (19-4) square off.
• October 27- Pittsburgh, PA: welterweight Ben Burns (20-1) returns to ring for first time since his losing his shot at the title to champ Danny Rutledge in June. Burns will square off with John Bolton (22-6-2)
• October 30- Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: former welterweight champ Mac Erickson (22-5) meets Dave Sullivan (28-13-1).

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending October 14, 1951

• By a 300-19 margin the House passed a $4.4 billion dollar appropriation bill, chiefly for military construction and the Atomic Energy Commission.
• Wholesale arrests throughout the country by the FBI resulted in the seizure of more than $1 million worth of missing government property, primarily from military installations.
• US and Communist liaison officers met twice in the past couple of days and are said to have made progress towards reopening peace talks in Korea. Hopes were quickly dashed a day later when the Reds accused Allied fighter planes of strafing the proposed peace talk site, killing a Korean boy and wounding another.
  

  

• Revolutionaries struck with bombs and gunfire in Argentina and Venezuela, but both were quickly crushed by swift counterblows from military leaders.
  

  

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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

Columnist- The Figment Sporting Journal

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