United League Baseball

"Sad Sam" Tosses No-Hitter
ST. LOUIS (Aug. 2) -- St. Louis lefthander "Sad Sam" Zoldak threw the third no-hitter in United League history today, as the Maroons beat Washington 9-1. Zoldak, the 1951 Cy Young Award winner, struck out four and walked three en route to his 14th win. The Maroons are in a heated chase to catch second place Washington, whom they trail by several games. Ironically, for such a rare feat, Zoldak failed to even earn recognition as Player of the Game. That honor went to Johnny Wyrostek, who singled, doubled, and homered, driving in four runs. Stan Musial was 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. The loser was Larry Jansen, who won Cy Young honors in 1952.
   The last no-hitter was April 14, 1954, when Brooklyn's Tom Gorman shut out Boston. Early Wynn of New York pitched the league's first no-hitter on July 27, 1953.

With Six Weeks to Go, a Two-Horse Race?
BROOKLYN (Aug. 16) -- Gene Woodling drove in 19 runs in 12 games in early August, as Brooklyn kept on winning. The Superbas added a game to their four-game lead over Washington, and put more distance between themselves and Louisville and St. Louis, who now appear poised for a three-way battle for third place with Chicago. Gene Woodling hit .458 in a 12-game span in which he drove in 19 runs, but teammates Minnie Minoso and Pete Runnels dropped out of the batting lead. Runnels fell back below the minimum plate appearances and will be out of the left the lineup for six weeks with bone chips in his shoulder, and Minoso hit just .279 (12-43) to fall a fraction of a point behind Los Angeles' Roy Campanella. Minoso was batting close to .380 at the end of June, but has hit just .272 since.
   Washington recovered from a terrible first week in August to win six straight and pull back within five games. The Monuments were 1-5 in their first six games of the month, including a no-hitter by Sam Zoldak and a pair of shutouts by Chicago. Their was small consolation in the fact that their one win that week was a 10-0 blowout of former Monument Steve Gromek on the 3rd.

Colts Surge to Third Place, But Is It Too Late?
Chicago started August 11-2 and with seven straight wins -- including sweeps at Boston and Washington -- to keep their fading pennant hopes alive. Early Wynn (12-10, 4.97) and Ken Raffensberger (8-11, 4.75) threw back-to-back shutouts in D.C. on the 4th and 5th. Manager Lance Mueller shelled out $6.6 million on the aging starters in the Reentry draft, an investment that has had mixed results. Wynn, 35, won 19 games in 1951 and threw a no-hitter in 1953. "Gus" had a good start with Chicago, going 10-4 through June, but has lost six of his last eight starts. Raffensberger, a former 20-game winner now with his third team, won back-to-back starts for just the second time all year. Chicago appeared to be a solid contender, but beyond the top two of Whitey Ford and Camilo Pascual, the rotation has proven to be a liability.
   In St. Louis, the Steve Gromek trade looks more and more like a disaster as the season goes on. Gromek (27-10 last year), has popped in and out of the Maroon rotation since a 3-7 start. He edged Dick Donovan and Louisville 2-1 on Aug. 9, his first win as a starter since May 30. Lefthanders Billy Pierce (12-12, 3.63) and Sam Zoldak (15-8, 3.43) have been the only fixtures in the rotation, although Spec Shea (7-3, 2.73) has adapted well to his starting role, after 29 relief appearances and 15 saves. New closer Andy "Swede" Hansen has saved nine games in 11 appearances.
   Another team that was in the hunt earlier in the season but now appears to be too far back to make a serious pennant challenge is Louisville. Not that manager Mark Allen is complaining. The Colonels' best season was 14 games under .500 in 1952 (70-84). The secret of Louisville's turnaround can be attributed to a single man: Herm Wehmeier. Until this season, Herm was just another failed Colonel "project." In four seasons by the river, Wehmeier won just 21 games, a total that he is poised to equal by Labor Day. His 19-4 record is by far the best in the brief history of the Louisville franchise, and he ranks third in wins and ERA, making him a legitimate Cy Young candidate. Strikeout artist Johnny Antonelli (12-10, 3.29) has cut his ERA by nearly a point and his R/9 by a point and a half, and ranks sixth in ERA and second in strikeouts. Finally, the offense has been energized by the presence of rookies Bill Skowron (.273-16-58) and Hank Aaron (.345-12-42).

Campy Steps Up MVP Drive
LOS ANGELES (Aug. 16) -- Outlaws catcher Roy Campanella had a red-hot July, with a 36 RBIs in 28 games, but has have an even hotter August so far. The former Maroon, 32, is batting .487 (19-39) and slugging .846 with 13 RBI in 13 games. For the year, Campanella now leads the league in batting (.351), RBI (103), OBP (.424), and slugging (.638). The former Brooklyn Dodger set a UL record on July 5 with 9 RBIs in a game against San Francisco and on August 13 he collected his 500th RBI, become just the second player to reach that plateau in UL history.
   Since Minnie Minoso's push for .400 fizzled out, Campanella has emerged as the favorite to win this year MVP award. Last season, Campy was second in the league in slugging and RBIs, and third in OPS and was an MVP candidate, only to lose out to teammate Stan Musial.

Features of "The Frank" (Part 2)
by Glen Reed
BROOKLYN (Aug. 15) -- The new Beauty of Brooklyn Heights is winning praise from baseball fans of all stripes, and deservedly so. But in the final analysis, the new park will be defined by what takes place between the white lines -- and what a yawning expanse it is. Left center is profoundly unforgiving -- the Death Valley of the United League. Brooklynites themselves have taken to calling the gaping maw of the left field power alley "Hodge's Lament," because beloved slugger Gil Hodges is sure to feel the Frank's bite, and will never again wear the league home run crown.
   And it's not just righty power numbers that are likely to suffer -- from the lip of grass kissing the manicured infield dirt to the deepest reaches of the outfield, this is baseball's "Green Mile." This patch of verdant grass is home to Richie Ashburn, who patrols this stretch of greensward with the ruthless efficiency of a batting average executioner. Water covers two-thirds of the earth's surface; it's said that Richie covers the other third. His cannon of an arm has rung up an impressive tally of impudent baserunners, and fans now tally Richie's victims on "Jim Weaver Wall" in right.

Where Are They Now? (#2s)

Where Are They Now? Second-Rounders In this week's second installment we look at the careers of each team's #2 pick in the UL's Initial Draft (ID) (and #2 expansion picks for Los Angeles and San Francisco). After each player's name is his 154-game average. An assessment of the best and worst picks of the Second Round is at the bottom.
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS 77-43 -- 9-5	Initial Draft #2: CF Larry Doby (.279-23-96, 643 games) Doby has the distinction of being just the third outfielder drafted (after Mays and Williams), and proved his worth by scoring 100 runs his first three seasons, then driving in 100+ in 1954. He also drew about 100 walks a year, which has much to do with his career .400 OBP, a category he lead in 1954. Doby has also picked up two Gold Gloves and an All-Star along the way. In April 1952, he was traded to New York in the "Gil Hodges' homecoming" trade. A herniated disc in his back truncated his 1955 season. He missed more than two months with the injury, and at age 30, his $6.2M contract is up for renewal in the fall.
WASHINGTON MONUMENTS 72-48 5 8-6	Initial Draft #2: SP Larry Jansen (19-10, 3.40, 164 GS) No pitcher taken in the Initial Draft has been a better investment than Larry Jansen. The righthander won 20 games three years in a row ('52-54) and finished in the top five in ERA all four seasons. A two-time All-Star and 1952 Cy Young winner, he is the UL's all-time win leader (with 92), and is third in complete games and shutouts. A rotator cuff injury and higher than usual ERA will likely end Jansen's string of 18+ win seasons, and his $6.3M contract expires this year.
CHICAGO COLTS 65-54 11.5 11-2	Initial Draft #2: C Yogi Berra (.293-25-101, 636 games) Roy Campanella has captured more headlines, but Chicago's Yogi has been a consistent performer and probably the league's second best catcher for five seasons. Yogi was named the Colts franchise player in 1951 and is a two-time Gold Glove. His best year was 1951, when he nearly led the Colts to the pennant with a .324 average, 32 HR, and 109 RBI -- all career highs. Berra is currently having his best season since '51, and looks forward to the next two years in Chi-Town.
ST. LOUIS MAROONS 64-54 12 6-7	Initial Draft #2: SP Billy Pierce (17-10, 3.44, 176 GS) Pierce has anchored the Maroon rotation since 1952 and tallied 63 wins in the last three seasons. He has 350 more strikeouts than any player in UL history (1,176). He set the league record with 343 whiffs in 1954, the year he won the Cy Young with a 24-6 record and 2.42 ERA. Barring his rookie year, when he was just 23, he has won 18+ games every season, and has never lost more than 12.
LOUISVILLE COLONELS 65-55 12 6-8	Initial Draft #2: CF Richie Ashburn (.290-2-53, 57 SB, 537 G) A 23-year-old Ashburn had a league-leading 190 hits, 49 stolen bases, and 96 runs in 1951, but never again reached his full potential. Traded to Brooklyn after a year in Korea, a shoulder injury limited his production in 1953 , but he consistently hit over .290 and was among the stolen base leaders. But despite his solid numbers, in the crowded field of star-caliber centerfielders, Ashburn never stood out, and has never won a Gold Glove nor an All-Star nomination.
NEW YORK GOTHAMS 59-62 18.5 6-9	Init. Draft #2: 2B Jackie Robinson (.332-23-92, 32 SB, 643 G) If a United League Hall of Fame opened tomorrow and only one player were enshrined, it would be Jackie Robinson. Jackie is a three-time batting champion, four-time All-Star, and 1952 Most Valuable Player. His .332 average is the best in league history, and he recently became the first player to surpass 800 career UL hits. He hit .371 in 1951, and .362 in '52, when his 202 hits set a UL record. He won his record fourth straight All-Star nomination in 1954 despite missing the last month of the season with a torn bicep. In 1954, he got a three-year contract at $9.25M, making him the highest-paid player in the league.
LOS ANGELES OUTLAWS 56-63 20.5 8-6	Expansion Draft #2: SP Art Houtteman (12-15, 4.76, 84 GS) Houtteman was a Korean-War returnee in 1952 and was selected by Louisville in the second round of that year's deep Reentry draft. He started 39 games in 1952 but was relegated to a lesser role in subsequent seasons, before being drafted by Los Angeles in the 2nd round of the expansion draft. After a rough start (1-0, 5.65 in 3 starts), he suffered an arm injury, and after recovering, was reassigned to AAA Dallas.
BOSTON BEACONS 54-66 23 6-8	Initial Draft #2: CF Mickey Mantle (.297-24-101, 688 games) Mantle, age 18 in 1951, was a great long term investment, and at 22 his best years are still ahead of him. So it should come as no surprise that the "Commerce Comet" hasn't fully realized his potential (for instance, only exceeding 25 HR or 100 RBI once in four seasons). Having said that, he still ranks in the top 10 all-time in batting, hit, home runs, and average. In 1953, Mantle won the MVP Award, with a .321 average, 32 HR, and 121 RBI, and he's on pace to top those numbers in 1955.
SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS 45-75 32 5-9	Expansion Draft #2: Ewell Blackwell (15-13, 4.67, 145 GS) Blackwell was a 9th round pick in the Initial Draft in '51. In four seasons in New York he tallied 59 wins. His best year was 1952, when he went 20-6 with a 4.02 ERA. He was 17-5 in 1954 despite an even higher ERA (4.44), thanks in part to one of the best run supports in the league (6.2). "The Whip" was the expansion Spiders' #2 pick. He was signed for $3.5M, but has had disappointing year (7-16, 4.99), partly because he pitched through a 4-week bicep injury, rather than spending time on the DL to recover.
DETROIT SOUND 41-78 35.5 5-10	Initial Draft #2: RF Ralph Kiner (.271-39-119, 709 games) Kiner has been a run-producing machine since joining the inaugural Sound in 1951. He has hit 35 or more home runs in what will be five years running, 100+ RBI all but one year (a mere 97 in 1952), and 100 runs and 100 walks in every season. He has led the league in walks every UL season, led the league in OBP and RBIs twice, and SLG and OPS once. He is the all-time leader in HR, RBI, BB, and R.
	Hindsight is indeed 50/50, but with the benefit of four and a half seasons it is possible to make some assessments about the quality of the selections made in the Second Round of the Initial Draft. Best pick: Larry Jansen, Washington Jansen was the 16th overall pick, and just the sixth pitcher, but he stands head and shoulders above those drafted before him, and indeed probably ranks as the top pitcher in the United League's short history. Honorable mention: Jackie Robinson, New York Robinson is the league's only four-time All-Star and three-time batting champ. He will go down as the league's best hitters in the first half-century, and he did it all after his 32nd birthday. Worst pick: Richie Ashburn, Louisville Unlike the 1st and 3rd rounds, none of the 2nd-rounders were total duds, so choosing a 'worst' pick is relative. Ashburn hasn't had a bad career, but in the rarified company of his 2nd-round compatriots, his numbers just don't stack up. His .337 career OBP is worse than half the league's current leadoff hitters, and he has never scored more than 100 runs, walked more than 50 times, nor won a Gold Glove.