East Prevails in Inaugural All-Star Game
Mantle Homer Lifts East to 4-3 Win    BOX LOG
by Charlie Qualls
CLEVELAND (June 22) -- It was a rare sight in Cleveland Municipal Stadium: A packed house and a party atmosphere.  Some seats literally had to be dusted off for the United League’s Inaugural East-West All-Star Showdown.  On the field
before the game, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Eddie Mathews posed for photographers.  The former “M&M” Boys offered a bittersweet reminder of what might have been in Cleveland.  Also making a homecoming of sorts was Billy Pierce, who thrilled the fans here for over a season-and-a-half before moving on to greener pastures.
   Once the game began, the party continued in the stands, but on the field it was all business with most of the players getting their first look at a national audience.
   The West wasted little time getting on the board, taking a 1-0 advantage at the expense of three-time Cy Young Award recipient Gene Conley.  L.A.’s Frank Robinson kicked things off with a two out double.  Colonel mash man Hank Aaron followed with a tricky bounder that bounced off Orlando Cepeda’s glove at first base, scoring Robinson.
   The bottom of the second brought a chance for Cepeda to erase his run scoring error.  He promptly singled and scored on a Mickey Mantle home run, a line shot that barely cleared the fence, giving the East a 2-1 lead.
   A combination of long ball and small ball landed the East stars a two spot in the bottom of the third.  Billy Pierce’s first offering of the inning found the sweet spot of Bob Allison’s bat, then found the outfield stands moments later.  The Boston Bomber’s 385 foot souvenir put the East up by a tally of 3-1.  Next, Washington’s Dick Howser bunted his way onto the basepaths which was followed by a heads-up base running play, advancing to third on a Granny Hamner single.  When Howser’s teammate Willie Mays stepped into the box, he had runners at the corners with no outs and a serious threat to put this game out of reach.  However, Mays hit into an uncharacteristic double play, scoring Howser from third.
    The East could only muster three scattered baserunners the rest of the way. West pitchers Willard Schmidt, Art Mahaffey, Don Mossi, Steve Ridzik and Ray Narleski took an inning each and showed why they were
deserving of All-Star honors.  It would be up to the East’s pitching corps to make the 4-1 lead hold up.
    The West bats chipped away at the deficit, crossing the plate once in the top of the fifth.  Colt star Don
Demeter doubled to the gap off Brooklyn phenom Jim Perry.  Demeter was then pushed to third on Albie
Pearson’s ground ball out to the right side.  With one out in the inning, Dallas’ young slugger Boog Powell picked up the RBI with his ground out to short.  East 4, West 2.
    The Westside bats were silent until the the top of the eighth inning.  Unfortunately, the West bench had
been depleted of position players, and reliever Steve Ridzik had to fend for himself with the lumber.  Ridzik grounded out, despite working the count to 2-0.  Willie Jones singled with one out, followed by a Roman
Mejias fly ball out that failed to move the runner along.  Next was Mr. Colt himself Ernie Banks with a chance to knot the game.  Banks merely singled, but Willie Jones showed alertness on the basepaths going to third base, prompting a futile throw and allowing Banks to stride into scoring position.  Texan Frank Thomas stepped to the plate with two outs and first base open, but with Roger Maris on deck, the East stars opted to gamble with Thomas.  It didn’t pay off as Thomas stroked a single sharp enough to score Jones, but too sharp to score Banks, who held up at third.  Boston’s Chris Short was brought in to face Maris, coaxing him into a fly ball out and ending the West’s biggest rally treat of the evening.  Short and Monument closer Bob Chakales made quick work of the West in the top of the ninth, nailing down a 4-3 East victory.
   Cleveland’s Turk Farrell chalked up the win by virtue of being in the game at the right time.  Chakales earned the save.
   Mickey Mantle can add “All-Star MVP” to his ever growing list of accomplishments, as his two-run blast was the difference in the game.
  All in all, fans were elated to witness history in the making, and were treated to a darn good game as well.
 

West All-Stars 2B Luis Aparicio (STL)  C Joe Torre (STL) 1B Frank Robinson (LA) LF Hank Aaron (LOU) SS Ernie Banks (CHI) 3B Harmon Killebrew (SF) RF Roger Maris (STL) CF Don Demeter (CHI)  P Billy Pierce (CHI)

East All-Stars SS Dick Howser (WAS) 2B Granny Hamner (BRO) CF Willie Mays (WAS) 1B Orlando Cepeda (BOS) RF Mickey Mantle (BRO) LF Frank Howard (DET) 3B Eddie Mathews (CLE)  C Johnny Romano (WAS)  P Gene Conley (BRO)

Monuments Poised to Defend Founder's Cup
CLEVELAND (June 30) -- Barely a week after the UL's first All-Star Game, Cleveland will again play host to a league-wide pageant, this time the second staging of the Founder's Cup tournament.  All 12 UL teams will compete in the 10-day event, beginning with a five-game round robin group stage followed by a single-elimination knockout phase.  The Washington Monuments won the inaugural Cup in Dallas a year ago, when Don Larsen led the four-time UL champions to a 4-3 win over the Louisville Colonels.
 

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Boston Obtains Three-Time Cy Winner
by Shawn Martin
BOSTON (AP) – In what could be called a blockbuster move, the UL's Louisville Colonels have traded 3-time Cy Young winner Johnny Antonelli to the Boston Federals for a package of prospects.   The deal breaks down like this:  Boston will send C Tom Haller (who was their 1st round pick from 1962), along with 2B Ron Hunt and SP Bob Heffner (their two 3rd-round draft picks from this past year's draft), OF prospect Al Luplow, and their 3 rd round draft pick for the 1964 draft to Louisville for Johnny Antonelli and Louisville's 4th round pick for 1964.  "Getting a guy like Antonelli onto our squad is the first step into fixing our #1 problem so far in 1963 – pitching," GM Shawn Martin stated during a press conference at Fenway Park, "Johnny is a proven winner, a class act, and will be a pillar of strength for our young starters Gibbon and Short."   On the Colonels' end, this move marks the end of a 10-year era in Louisville, as their career-leader in most team pitching categories moves on to Beantown.
     Boston is currently 19 ½ games behind perennial stalwart Brooklyn in the East Division, while Louisville is 6 games under .500 in 5th place in the West.  "This is not necessarily a move for this year only," Martin warned, "We fully expect Johnny to re-sign with us and finish his storied career in a Federals' uniform.   Maybe he's the stone that could catapult us over the proverbial hump that's referred to as 'Superbas'."  Antonelli's current contract expires at the end of this season.  Most media pundits that we spoke to stated that a Bob Friend/Antonelli/Chris Short 1-2-3 combo could help the Feds chip away at that intimidating Brooklyn lead.
     Antonelli, now 33 years old, actually started his career in Brooklyn, as their 1st round draft choice (#3 overall) in 1953.  He was traded to Louisville for Richie Ashburn before spring training began that year, and spent 10 full years in a Colonels uniform, compiling a 209-107 career record with a 3.04 ERA and a 3-to-1 K/BB ratio.  He collected his 3000th career strikeout in May of this year, and ranks in the top ten in most of the UL's career pitching marks.  Currently, he sits at 5-9 in 18 starts, along with a 3.49 ERA and 127 K's in his 131.2 IP.  His best season by most standards, was his 1961 campaign in which he won 30 games with a 2.78 ERA in 343.2 IP (with 23 CG).  Boston GM Martin finished, "When I told my management staff to look for someone in the Antonelli mold, I didn't really think we could actually get Antonelli.  A lot of the credit for this trade has to go with our scouting department for solid draft strategies over the last few years."