Burdette Dominant as Brooks Surge
BROOKLYN (May 16) -- After his fourth 20-win season in six years in 1960, Lew Burdette's 1961 season got off to a rocky start, to say the least.  The 33-year-old righthander from Nitro, West Virginia was pounded in his first start, allowing 14 hits and 8 runs at Cleveland, and his status for the rest of his season was questioned after he took a line drive to the head on April 10 and missed nearly a month with blurred vision.  GM Glen Reed anticipated a slow gradual recovery, but Burdette's May has been anything but.  Instead, the West Virginian returned to the mound with a renewed focus, tossing four consecutive complete game wins, while allowing just two earned runs in 36 innings (0.50 ERA) to grab the league ERA lead and back-to-back Player of the Week honors, the first player to do so since Louisville's Moose Skowron in 1958.
   Lew's spellbinding hurling led the Bas to a 13-1 run, enabling the defending champs to open up a six-game lead, even as Cleveland (9-5) and Washington (8-6) continue to play winning baseball.  Whitey Ford, Gene Conley, and Bob Miller combined for an 8-0 record during the run, and Bobby Brown hit .396 in 13 games.

Castro Toppled by US-Supported Exile Force
'Bahia de Cochinos' Revolt Ends Marxist Dictatorship
HAVANA (May 16) -- A US-trained invasion force of 1,400 Cuban exiles, led by exiled army officer Carlos Castillo Armas, spearheaded a six-day invasion, supported by USAF air strikes, that toppled Marxist dictator Fidel Castro.  Fanning out from their beachhead at Playa Giron on Bahia de Cochinos (the so-called "Bay of Pigs"), the well-trained, well-equipped, and highly-motivated freedom fighters fanned across the hills of western Cuba, capturing the old colonial city of Trinidad, a den of rabid anti-Castro sentiment, and igniting a revolt across the island that toppled Fidel Castro's corrupt Bolshevik regime in less than a week. 

The invasion began on the morning of May 6, when three flights of Douglas B-26B Invader light bomber aircraft (above) displaying Cuban Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria (FAR - Revolutionary Air Force) markings bombed and strafed the Cuban airfields of San Antonio de Los Banos, Antonio Maceo International Airport, and the airfield at Ciudad Libertad.  Operation Puma, the code name given to the 48 hours of air strikes across the island, effectively eliminated the Cuban air force, ensuring Brigade 2506 complete air superiority over the island prior to the actual landing at the Bay of Pigs.

On May 13, Fulgencia Batista (right) announced on Havana's Union Radio that "last remnants of the illegal Castro cabal have been crushed and Cuba is free again!"  Batista returned to power for a third time.  He first ruled Cuba in 1933-44 and again from 1952 to 1959.  The son of impoverished farmers, Batista worked in a variety of jobs until he joined the army.  The next day in Washington, President John F. Kennedy hailed the successful operation at a Rose Garden press conference.  "Today, thanks to an adept combination of armed intervention, sabotage, and psychological warfare, the forces of freedom have restored liberty and freedom to a long-suffering people.  Tonight, Cubans from Guantanamo to  Pinar del Rio are free again."

Several UL Players Return Home to Spreading Chaos
Several Cuban players in the United League returned home to Cuba to be with their families during the revolt, including Brooklyn's Minnie Minoso and Sandy Amoros, New York's Tony Taylor and Tony Gonzalez, St. Louis' Zoilo Versalles, and San Francisco's Willie Miranda.  Twelve Cuban nationals have played in the United League, including 10 active players and retired pitchers Mike Fornieles and Mike Consuegra.

Banks, Berra Join 200-Homer Club

A Fistful of Suckage
by Sean Holloway
DETROIT (May 16) --
Dr. Klahn:  “Take him to Detroit.”  American spy:  “No!  Not Detroit!” 

Ah, yes – if you didn’t listen closely, you would think that you were watching Zucker’s, Abrahams’ and Zucker’s 1977 classic The Kentucky Fried Movie.  Indeed, DET GM Sean Holloway and the legions of Griffins fans across UL would have done better to watch this timeless John Landis-directed film, particularly the “Fistful of Yen” segment, instead of convincing themselves they had a chance at signing the big fish of this year’s UL Free Agency market.  (Editor’s note:  the Griffins are down to half a legion of fans due to their Bode Miller-esque attempt at playing fundamentally sound baseball over the years.  In fact, this observer would like to point out that at least Bode Miller goes fast and doesn’t fall down a lot – something you can’t say about the Griffins’ starting line-up.)

Before the FA signing period opened, fans had flocked to local downtown pubs and bars near Briggs Field, hoping to toss a few cold ones back and look optimistically to the 1961 Season.  Instead, the DET faithful were left watching potential free agents high-tailing it to other clubs faster than Austrian Cross Country Ski Coach Walter Mayer drove out of Italy.  What began as a love fest turned into another night of Griffins’ fans crying in their beer.

First DET lost Nellie Fox to Chicago’s evil genius Lance “Don’t be a girly-man” Mueller.  DET and CHI made the exact same bids to the highly-coveted second sacker, and Nellie set the stage early by his terse reply to DET’s bids:  “They (CHI) offer me a better organization.”  After that slap in the face, things only got worse, with Gene Woodling following Fox’s verbal dis by quietly bolting for Cleveland despite DET offering more money.  Charlie “Bite this Apple!” Qualls’ team apparently offers something that money can’t even match.

Just when even the most ardent DET fan was about to give up hope, the team landed the offseason’s most sought-after shortstop, Gil McDougald.  The former standout at WAS and STL signed a whopping $6.5 million four-year deal and will now head an infield that –- while by no means the cream of the UL crop –- is heads above the Griffin starters of years ago.

GM Holloway, already planning a discreet getaway from angry DET fans, literally ran into McDougald, who was entering the clubhouse’s press area.  McDougald smiled, helped Holloway to his feet, and said “I’m looking forward to playing with Detroit!”  Upon hearing this, Holloway replied “are you drunk?” before running off again and signing a veritable plethora of non-stars in the hopes of plugging some of the holes on his team.

What can be made out of all of this, and why should you, the UL manager, even care?  First, it’s clear that free agency has toned down the spending spree on contracts.  While teams are not afraid to shell out the green, bidding has been fierce and has caused many managers to think twice before making an offer.  Just when will the old grey Wilhelm throw out his back, and do you want to spend that much for a player who could potentially be done in a matter of weeks?  What if your new power position player gets plunked in the puss by a prime Purkey pitch?  (Editor’s note:  nice alliteration!)  This hasn’t happened with this year’s crop of free agents, but with some of the high-priced dogs like Larry Doby and Gene Woodling on AARP’s waiting list, it makes you wonder just when Commissioner Smith will have to kick-start the Yorkis to get these guys going.  (Editor’s note:  ask Tim about the glory days of Yorkis Perez.)

Second, it’s also painfully obvious that the good players have no desire to be with a team that has historically stunk up the joint.  This won’t mean much to Glen “Satellite of Love” Reed, whose baseball acumen is smoother than the Velvet Underground’s lead singer’s voice, but to those other underperforming teams, beware.