United League of American Base Ball Clubs          est. 1951
 
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Spahn Fractures Skull
'Scary Moments' as Spider Southpaw Knocked Out
SAN FRANCISCO (July 16) -- Spiders ace Warren Spahn was struck in the head by a blistering line drive and for a few moments club doctors feared the worst, as Spahn lost consciousness for nearly ten minutes.  Spahnie was carted off the field in a wheelbarrow and taken to an area hospital, where X-rays confirmed a fractured skull.  The incident happened in the third inning of today's game with the Louisville Colonels.  With the Spiders leading 2-1, Colonels second baseman Nellie Fox ripped a fastball right back up the middle, reducing Spahn's reaction time to nil.  The ball caromed off his temple and Spahn immediately fell to the ground.  Doctors expect it will take six to eight weeks for the skull fracture to heal, pushing Spahn's return to the last few weeks of the season.  Fox was credited with an infield single.
   Though much-maligned as an 'underachiever' in his five years with Boston, Spahn, 34, is the fifth winningest pitcher in United League history with 87.  He climbed two positions on that chart this season, surpassing Stu Miller and Robin Roberts.  He also ranks sixth in strikeouts and shutouts (tied), and is the career leader with 91 complete games.
   Spahn was signed by the Boston Bees in 1940 (the last of five years the Boston NL club used that nickname) and appeared in four games in 1942 before World War II interrupted his nascent career.  Serving with the 276th Engineer Combat Battalion, he was wounded at Remagen, Germany in March 1945.  "After what I went through overseas, I never thought of anything I was told to do in baseball as hard work. You get over feeling like that when you spend days on end sleeping in frozen tank tracks in enemy threatened territory. The Army taught me something about challenges and about what's important and what isn't. Everything I tackle in baseball and in life I take as a challenge rather than work."  Spahn posted an 86-58 record in five seasons with the Braves, and won 21 games in 1947, '49, and '50.  He was one of the few stars (with Musial and Campanella) who stayed in the same city after the disruptions caused by the bankruptcy of both major leagues in 1950 and the deck-shuffling of the United League's Initial Draft.  The first pick (8th overall) of the Boston Beacons, Spahn charateristically welcomed the challenge of being a staff ace in the new 'super' league.  He was 18-18 in his first year, as Boston struggled to a sixth place finish.  He then had three losing seasons out of the next four -- interrupted only by a solid 1953 campaign (21-11, 3.94) -- and became a free agent after the 1955 season.  Signed by San Francisco in the Reentry draft for $9.88 million, Spahnie started slow but is 11-3 since May 6.
   Ironically, Nellie Fox, off whose bat the injurious line-drive was struck, was himself injured in the next half-inning.  Fox hyperextended his elbow on a routine play, his mind apparently distracted by the near-homicide.

Monuments Maintain Lead with 9-3 Homestand
WASHINGTON (July 31) -- The Washington Monuments remain in first place after their winningest fortnight since late May.  The front-running Mons swept Detroit and Los Angeles, and split a pair with St. Louis and four with San Francisco to extend their lead to two games over second place St. Louis.  The Monuments were just a game over .500 (20-19) from June 1 to July 15, but fortunately for them, the Maroons (20-17) blew the chance to overtake them.
   The 12-game homestand got off to an auspicious start, with a pair of shutouts by Larry Jansen and Carl Erkine against Detroit.  Erskine's shutout was his fourth of the year and tenth of his short career.  A few nights later, Jansen pitched another gem, allowing just six hits and an unearned run, but lost to St. Louis 1-0 on 'Sad Sam' Zoldak's four-hit shutout.  Gil McDougald snapped out of a long slump with a .421 average in his last five games.  McDougald hit just .219 in the previous 64 games.  Joe Adcock also came to life in the past week, batting .429 (9-21) with 9 RBIs in five games.  Adcock drove in 35 runs in April and May but suffered recently, batting just .204 with 14 RBIs in the previous 40 games.  Adcock was the hero in Monday's (the 24th) 8-6 win over San Francisco.  Joe was 4-for-4 with 4 RBI.
   Stu Miller continues to struggle (4.60 ERA in last 6 starts), but Jansen and Erskine are picking up the slack.  Jansen had the league's best ERA in July (1.74), and Erskine pitched a pair of shutouts.  The offense has perked up.  In the first half, Washington was fourth in the league, averaging 5.1 runs per game.  In July, the club scored in double-digits four times, averaged 5.5 runs per game, and moved into a first place tie in runs.

'Smiley' Keegan Not Smiling Anymore
Maroon Hurler Joins Gil Coan on DL
ST. LOUIS (July 31) -- Brooklyn isn't the only team suffering from a rash of pennant-threatening injuries.  Though not as acute as the Superbas' woes, St. Louis has lost its starting left fielder and its #4 starter in recent weeks.  The latest incident came on July 27, when Bob "Smiley" Keegan (8-7, 4.72) tore his bicep muscle against Boston.  A spot starter until this season, Keegan established career highs in wins (8), innings (132.2), and strikeouts (72).  The 35-year-old was the Maroons' first round pick in the 1953 Rookie draft and this spring signed to a two-year extension worth $1.12 million per year.  
   Keegan is emblematic of an aging St. Louis pitching staff that has caused manager Timothy J. Smith several, if not many, sleepless nights.  "Sad Sam" Zoldak, despite his present stellar form (15-5, 2.47) and a chance for a second Cy Young, is 36 years old.  Spec "Naugatuck" Shea, though having his finest season, will be 35 this fall.  "Our Ben-Gay budget is through the roof," Smith laments.  But what worries Smith most of all is not his aging rotation, but his lack of quality youngsters coming up through the minors.  For instance, before this season, Dick Donovan had never had an ERA below 4.00 in Triple-A, much less the UL.  Bob Buhl has a Jeckyl-and-Hyde complex.  In the last two seasons with AAA St. Paul, his aggregate ERA is 1.90, but in 30 games with St. Louis over the same period, his ERA is 5.80.
   Amazingly, St. Louis has not drafted a starting pitcher in the Rookie draft since 1953 (Keegan and Buhl).  Of ten pitchers in the Maroons' minor league system, four are over 30.  So despite a league best 3.32 ERA and just 3.7 runs allowed per game, there is a feeling in St. Louis these days that the Maroons had better win the pennant this year; it could be a long time before they get another chance.

Wilhelm: 30 Saves, No Earned Runs
Hoyt Wilhelm extended his shutout streak to 51.1 innings, and has converted 28 consecutive save opportunities.  Both marks are league records.  Wilhelm last allowed an earned run on Aug. 24, and has since compiled 36 saves in 46 appearances.  He has only allowed more than one baserunner once in the last 10 games.  He allowed three unearned runs on April 15, but since then has not allowed a single run -- earned or otherwise -- in 34 games and 37.1 innings.  The streak nearly came to an end on July 6 at New York.  With a 9-8 lead in the ninth inning, Wilhelm came to the mound seeking his 21st save.  With two on and one out, Irv Noren singled to left.  Wally Moon tried to score, but was gunned at the plate by a Minnie Minoso laser beam.  But alas, the earned run streak was not jeopardized; Moon reached base on Connie Ryan's throwing error.

Hodges Hits 200th Home Run
BROOKLYN (July 28) -- With ever a flair for the dramatic, Gil Hodges homered twice today, driving in four of Brooklyn's five runs, to become just the second ULer to slug 200 home runs.  Hodges hit a two-run shot in the fourth off Johnny Antonelli to give the Superbas a 3-2 lead.  He then homered again in the sixth after Louisville had tied the game.  The game was paused and Hodges was presented with a small plaque.