United League Baseball

Superbas Double Up
Brooklyn Builds Seven-Game Lead
Gorman, Burdette, Simmons Dominate in 33-7 Run
BROOKLYN (July 15) -- With only a handful of losses since Memorial Day, the Brooklyn Superbas doubled their lead over Washington this fortnight, as Glen Reed's boys try to take a page out of the Monuments' book and wrap up the pennant early.
   Ace Tom Gorman (16-6, 2.95) emerged as a Cy Young candidate with three solid starts, winning all three and allowing just three earned runs (1.04 ERA). Gorman, 30, is 9-2 with a 2.18 ERA since May 24. Lew Burdette (13-8, 3.69) and Curt Simmons (10-6, 4.15) were also 3-0 in early July. Burdette is now 7-1 in his last 8 starts, and Simmons is 3-0 in 4 starts since his torn elbow ligament on June 19.
   Offensively, the Bas' #2-3 hitters -- Pete Runnels (.387) and Minnie Minoso (.374) -- continue to top the league batting charts. But the star recently has been Gene Woodling, who batted .383 with 12 RBIs and 10 runs in the last 13 games.

"Oisk" Blanks Spiders, 7 Straight Wins
"The Dynasty That Wouldn't Die"
WASHINGTON (July 15) -- Jay "Midas" Kaplan can do no wrong when it comes to choosing his starting rotation. Earlier this season, when Larry Jansen missed six weeks with a strained rotator cuff, his replacement Dave Koslo went 4-0 in his first five starts. And after leaving Steve Gromek, a 27-game winner, off the protected list, some observers howled that the Monuments dynasty was at an end. But, enter Carl Erskine. Kaplan always had a good feeling about "Oisk." He once said that Erskine would be a "huge star" someday. Well the future is now, and the 27-year-old Erskine is picking up right where Gromek left off. "Oisk" won four straight starts in July -- with a minscule 1.30 ERA -- to leap to the top of the league in wins. In matter of two weeks, he moved to the top of the crowded field of Cy Young contenders, which includes Whitey Ford, Tom Gorman, and Herm Wehmeier. "Oisk" is second to Ford in ERA, and leads the league with four shutouts, the last of which was a two-hitter Thursday in San Francisco.
   Erskine was a 26th round pick in the 1951 Initial Draft, spent 1952 in military service in Korea and 1953 with AAA Baltimore. In his rookie campaign last year, "Oisk" posted a 14-13 record and 4.40 ERA in 24 starts, leading all rookies in starts, innings, and wins. He started his sophomore year with a bang, winning April Pitcher of the Month with a 5-0 record and 1.75 ERA.
   Erskine and Koslo have allowed Washington to stay in the race despite a rash of injuries to key pitchers.   On top of Jansen's injury in May, rookie Don Larsen and 1953 Cy Young winner Stu Miller are both out for the season. Yet Washington is still in the race, in second place just seven games back of Brooklyn. And if this season has taught us anything, it is to never count Kaplan's men out.

"The Sphinx" Does It Again
DETROIT (July 15) -- Don "The Sphinx" Mossi is living up to his nickname -- he is hard to figure out. Back on June 1, Mossi made headlines with a two-hit shutout after an 0-5 start and 5.24 ERA. On Thursday, he did it again. After winning just one of his next four starts after June 1, "The Sphinx" fell into a tailspin, losing four straight with an 8.80 ERA, culminating on July 9 at New York, when the Gothams crushed Mossi (11 runs in 6.1 innings) in an 11-2 blowout. Coming into Thursday's start against New York, Mossi was 2-9, 5.08 on the season, and had won just one of his last eight starts. And yet, just five days later, against the same Gothams that handed him his worst defeat of the year, Mossi turned the tables and tossed his second shutout -- this time a two-hit gem that bested Jim Hearn's four-hitter in a 1-0 duel. Catfish Metkovich provided the only run with a solo homer in the fifth inning.
   The win was Detroit's ninth in 12 games. Bob Porterfield put a disastrous 1-10 start behind him with four straight wins, and George Kell snapped out of a .247 June slump with 17 hits in 12 games (.415). b And Ralph Kiner homered in three straight games, and hit six in a nine-game span to extend his home run lead to five over St. Louis' Stan Musial. Kiner has 28 for the year and is on pace to destroy his own single-season HR record of 41 in 1953.
   Their recent winning form has managed to pull the Sound within two games of ninth place San Francisco, but manager Brad McNeely is still under fire from the Board of Directors, who have seen payrolls increase, wins decrease, and fan support dwindle.

Ernie Banks Hits in 18 Straight, Colts Skid

Frank House, Washington Prospect, Fractures Skull

Sid Gordon Wins First Colonel POW in a Year

Where Are They Now? (#3s), On the Farm

Where Are They Now? Third-Rounders In this issue, the first of three features, we look at the careers of each team's #3 pick in the UL's Initial Draft (ID) nearly five years ago (and #3 expansion pick 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 Third Round is at the bottom. Also, we will profile each team's top minor leaguer.
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS 60-31 -- 12-3	Initial Draft #3: SS Vern Stephens (.264-23-103, 599 games) After a season and a half with Brooklyn, "Junior" was traded to St. Louis in the deal that brought Tom Gorman to Flatbush. Back at Sportsmans Park, the former Brown came to life with three straight All-Star seasons in which he averaged 24 HR and 98 RBI a year. After last year, the Maroons renewed Stephens for another three years at $8.2M/yr, making him the third-highest paid player in the league. Top Minor Leaguer: SP Bob Purkey (11-4, 3.65, leads AAA in wins, innings, and complete games, turned 26 yesterday, 7/14)
WASHINGTON MONUMENTS 53-38 7 8-6	Initial Draft #3: RF Duke Snider (.284-33-114, 473 games) In 1951, Snider led the league in home runs and slugging and was an All-Star, and he had another 100-RBI season in '52 before shipping off to Korea for military service in 1953. "The Silver Fox" picked up where he left off in 1954, albeit with less playing time, quietly contribuing 23 HR and 84 RBI in 112 games. On June 23, the Duke, whose $5.1M contract expires this year, became the 9th player to reach the 100-HR plateau. Top Minor Leaguer: RF Roman Mejias (.322-24-59, leads AAA with 135 hits, second in HR)
LOUISVILLE COLONELS 50-40 7 9-5	Initial Draft #3: RF Jackie Jensen (.281-26-101, 52 SB, 689 G) Jensen was a singular highlight in the Colonels' otherwise forgettable first four years. He was the 21st overall pick, but in the centerfielder-loaded Initial Draft, was only the sixth pick at his position. A highly-touted prospect, Jackie showed little promise with the Yankees in 1950, hitting only .171 in 45 games, but a year later, as a Colonel, he lifted the first United League Rookie of the Year trophy. Few players have put up the number Jensen has, consistently tallying 25 HR, 100 RBI, 100 runs, and 50 steals a year. He is first in career doubles and stolen bases, second in triples and runs, and ranks in the top seven in hits, homers, and RBIs. Top Minor Leaguer: SS Wayne Causey (.337-4-38, second in AAA in batting, .401 OBP, age 18)
CHICAGO COLTS 49-41 10.5 5-9	Initial Draft #3: CF Bobby Thomson (.280-29-88, 477 G) The "Staten Island Scot" had back-to-back 30-HR seasons in his first two years, and was an All-Star in 1952, but apparently left his sweet swing in the Far East following a year in the Army. In 1954, his average plummeted 30 points and his power numbers were down (.263-18-68), a trend that has continued into 1955. The 30-year-old's $5.1M contract is up this year, putting his future in Chicago in doubt. Top Minor Leaguer: CF Rip Repulski (.286-17-66, born in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, fourth round draft pick in 1953)
ST. LOUIS MAROONS 49-41 10.5 6-8	Initial Draft #3: SP Fred Hutchinson (16-13, 3.53, 158 GS) Hutchinson was the eighth pitcher selected in the Initial Draft, and a principal in the league's first big trade, which sent Roy Campanella to the Maroons. "Stone Face" won 21 games and an ERA title in 1951, and was an All-Star in 1952. He posted ERAs under 3.25 in each of his first three seasons, is the all-time leader with 90 complete games, and ranks fifth with 75 career wins. After his first losing season and a rising ERA in 1954, Hutch was traded to Boston, where he struggled to find his groove and suffered a major injury in July. With an expiring $5.1M contract, the 34-year-old faces likely Reentry in 1956. Top Minor Leaguer: SP Paul Minner (10-4, 3.31, second in AAA in wins and ERA, has 243 IP at big-league level)
BOSTON BEACONS 43-48 17 5-9	Initial Draft #3: SP Eddie Lopat (13-16, 4.67, 105 GS) One of the oldest early picks in the Initial Draft (age 31), lefthanded junkballer Eddie Lopat -- like ace Warren Spahn -- proved to be major disappointment. After a rough first season (13-17, 4.68), Lopat had a solid 1952, posting a 3.61 ERA and 17 wins. But since then, Lopat is 9-18 with a 5.93 ERA in 34 starts. At age 36 and sucking up $5M a year at AAA Philadelphia, "Steady Eddie" is certain to be the first Beacon cut loose at contract time this fall. Top Minor Leaguer: SP Arnie Portocarrero (5-4, 3.40, third in AAA in ERA and strikeouts, 148 K in 121.2 IP)
NEW YORK GOTHAMS 43-48 17 6-8	Initial Draft #3: 1B Gil Hodges (.255-37-108, 676 games) After a solid 1951 with New York, the ex-Dodger returned to Brooklyn in the Larry Doby deal in 1952 and proceeded to earn an All-Star selection, with the first of two 40-HR seasons. Hodges has ranked in the top four in longballs in each of his four seasons, which include three 100-RBI/100-run campaigns. He has had three 6-RBI games and is second only to Ralph Kiner in career home runs (164) and RBIs (476). Top Minor Leaguer: RF Hal Jeffcoat (.330-6-49, 5th in AAA in batting and OBP, fifth season in AAA, bought a house in Cleveland)
LOS ANGELES OUTLAWS 40-50 19.5 7-7	Expansion Draft #3: SP Steve Gromek (18-10, 3.26, 158 GS) Gromek was only Washington's 8th round selection in the 1951 Initial Draft, but went on to become one of the top pitchers in the league. He won 16 games in 1951 and won more every year, peaking at 27 in 1954, making him the cream of the crop in the 1955 expansion draft. He was drafted by Los Angeles and then traded to St. Louis for what became the core of the Outlaws team (Roy Campanella, "Puddin' Head" Jones et al). Gromek, 35, has seen a precipitous decline in 1955, from a Cy-Young-esque season with the Monuments to a spot starter/mop-up role with the Maroons. Despite his present woes, he remains the only player other than Jackie Robinson to be selected to the All-Star team all four seasons, and is second in career wins (86) and shutouts (14). Top Minor Leaguer: RF Johnny Blanchard (.251-26-88, leads AAA American Association in HR and RBI)
SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS 34-57 26 4-11	Expansion Draft #3: 2B Jerry Priddy (.274-5-65, 671 games) Priddy was a 13th round selection in the Initial Draft, but by 1954 he had one of the best resumes of any second baseman in baseball, hitting .313 with 73 RBIs and a .388 OBP, and winning a Gold Glove to boot. Though his offense has suffered in San Francisco, Priddy leads all second basemen in total chances, double plays, and range factor. Top Minor Leaguer: SP Herb Score (5-3, 2.98, leads AAA in ERA and strikeouts, 179 K in 99.2 IP, 16.2 K/9)
DETROIT SOUND 31-58 28 9-5	Initial Draft #3: SP Bob Porterfield (13-13, 4.05, 160 GS) Porterfield won 16 games two years in a row, and had the league's lowest WHIP in 1952 (1.03), and has been a solid, if not spectacular, workhorse in the Sound's rotation. He has posted ERAs under 4.00 every year since 1951, and his losing records of recent years reflect more on the lack of support from his teammates than his own performance. His 70 complete games rank him 4th all time. Top Minor Leaguer: 1B Joe Cunningham (.298-18-48, third in AAA in slugging (.551), and runs (64))
	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 Third Round of the Initial Draft. Best pick: Jackie Jensen, Louisville The stats don't lie, and despite the relative obscurity of playing in rural Kentucky, few players have achieved Jensen's success and consistency, and in so many facets of the game. If you look up "five-tool player" in Webster's, there is a picture of Jackie. Scary thing is, the kid is still only 28 years old. Honorable mention: Vern Stephens, Brooklyn Other players have posted better power numbers, but no middle infielder comes close to what Junior Stephens has accomplished in his UL career. Worst pick: Ed Lopat, Boston Among the Third Rounders, no player landed flat on their face a la Mickey McDermott, but "Steady Eddie" Lopat came the closest. Apart from a few shining moments in 1952, Lopat has never earned his $5.0M price tag, and no player -- not even Warren Spahn -- has caused manager Charlie Qualls as much grief.