United League Baseball

Mons Unbeaten in First Week of Title Defense
BOSTON (April 12) -- Defending United League champion Washington Monuments opened their title defense with a perfect 7-0 week, including a pair of shutouts. The champs opened at home against 1951 champions, St. Louis. Joe Adcock and newcomer Bob Dillinger each had key run-scoring doubles, to lift last year's Rookie of the Year Stu Miller to a 6-4 win. Miller later authored a 4-hit shutout against New York on Friday. Fittingly, it was Cy Young winner Larry Jansen who threw the season's first shutout: a 2-hit 3-0 win over New York on Wednesday.
Washington's quick start and St. Louis' early five-game deficit prompting Maroons manager Timothy J. Smith to quip, "That's nothing that can't be fixed by a strategically-placed line drive," apparently implying that his team would try to injure one or more of Washington's pitchers. "Hey, all i'm saying is that hard hits up the middle -- I mean real smackers, right through the box -- are a good way to get men on base and produce runs. And if a certain Cy Young winner happens to take one off the noggin... well, like they say, it's a game of inches." Smith was reprimanded for his comments and later steered clear of the controversy by saying "gay people don't like hot weather."

Vinegar Bend Lashes Out at Teammates
By Mark Allen
"Ah's pissed as a weasel in a blender!", said Colonels yo'ng pitcher Vinegar Bend Mizell at th' start of his recent press cornference. "Fust of all, our dadburn manager has me in a relief role while guys who is gittin' shelled git starts!! Ah's out thar bestin' mah chops while a lot of these guys who is arnin' way mo'e than me look like they is gwine through moshuns. Hell, some of them haf even admitted t'me, whuffo' try we is a-gonna git beat ennyways. Wif attitudes like thet ah reckon management needs t'take a serious look at thsi team, dawgone it. ah's gripin' mainly on account o' ah's a pitcher an' our pitchin' sucks which is a-gonna rub off on mah repeetayshun. I've got no complaints on th' offense as they is near th' top in almost all stat's while these other bum pitchers haf us last in dadburn near ev'ryone. A lot of these guys jest is outta shape, mebbe a week o' 2 in mah hometown of Vinegar Bend, Alabama in th' heat an' hoomidity'd toughen them up. ah knows I've probably pissed as a possum in the oven a bunch of them off but eff'n th' shoe fits wears it! Fry mah hide!! Fry mah hide!"

AROUND THE HORN

	WASHINGTON MONUMENTS 7-0 --	Right fielder Jimmy Piersall fizzled in his first week as Duke Snider's stand-in (1-for-9 (.111) in 4 games). But with a team ERA (2.05) a buck-and-a-quarter better than 2nd best Boston (3.27), Duke's 105 missing ribs might be superfluous.
	CHICAGO COLTS 5-2 2	Won first 4 games, all on road. 36-year old (UL) rookie Johnny Lindell hit safely in first six games. Reese 4-5 vs. Detroit Wednesday, 15-30 (.500) for the week. Parnell (1-0, 2.77) and Rogovin (1-0, 2.25), last year's letdowns, both looked sharp.
	DETROIT SOUND 4-3 3	League-high 45 runs in first 7 games (6.4/gm)... Fain .375, 8 RBI... Atwell .370, 8 RBI... Kiner 2 HR, 7 RBI... Porterfield 2-0, 5.06... Robin Roberts (1-0, 0.59) allowed just 1 earned run in 15.1 innings for league-best ERA.
	BOSTON BEACONS 3-4 4	Rough start for Boston youngsters... Mathews .045 (1-22) in first 6 games... Gilliam .185 (5-27)... Mantle .207 (6-29)... "Superchief" Allie Reynolds, 38, beats St. Louis 4-1 April 10.
	LOUISVILLE COLONELS 3-4 4	Allowed 62 runs in 7 games (8.9/gm), suffering 11-6, 13-1, and 14-2 losses. Jackie Jensen .367-4-9 in first week, leads league in HR, RBI, 2nd in OPS... Peanuts Lowrey (.348-1-5) and Hank Sauer (.350-1-5) key contributors.
	BROOKLYN SUPERBAS 2-5 5	Shantz shelled for 7 and 6 runs in first two outings since returning from Korea (0-2, 11.70)... Simmons (1-0, 7.88) fared little better but managed an 8-7 win over Louisville Thursday. Smoky Burgess red-hot in platoon-catcher role, batting .474 (9-19) in 5 games.
	NEW YORK GOTHAMS 2-5 5	Scored 4 runs in 4 straight losses April 8-11, league-low 21 runs in first 7 games (3.0/gm). Biggest slumpers? Doby .154, 2 RBI, Robinson .214, 2 RBI, Wertz 3 RBI. Fornieles 2-0, 4.50 in first 2 starts.
	ST. LOUIS MAROONS 2-5 5	Billy Pierce (0-2, 5.51) and Bob Feller (0-2, 5.52) each lost twice as Maroons stumbled to 2-5 start. Paul Minner impressed with a 5-hit CG against Boston Apr. 9. Vern Stephens was hot with .417, 2 HR, 4 RBI

DAY BY DAY
Monday, April 6 WAS 6, STL 4 - Adcock 2-4, 3 RBI, Dillinger 2-4, 2 RBI; Campanella 3-run HR in 8th CHI 5, BRO 3 - Parnell 8.0, 7 H, 3 R, 2-4, 2 RBI, Avila 2-4, RBI; Jackson 3-3 DET 11, LOU 6 - Fain HR, 3 RBI, Kiner 2-3, HR, 3 R, Kell 3 RBI, Metkovich 3-5, 3 R BOS 6, NYG 1 - Lopat 8-hit CG, 1 R, Torgeson 3-4, 3B, Mantle 2 RBI; Busby 3-4
Tuesday, April 7 WAS 7, STL 2 - Gromek 4-hit CG, 2 R, Mays HR, 4 RBI, Gordon HR, 2 RBI CHI 7, BRO 2 - Newcombe 6-hit CG, 2 R, Avila HR, 2 RBI, Reese 2-4, 2 SB DET 13, LOU 1 - Atwell 3-6, Irvin 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, Kiner, Priddy, Marion 2 RBI NYG 7, BOS 6 - Doby GW 2-run single in 9th, Fornieles 5-hit CG, RBI, Wertz 2-4
Wednesday, April 8 WAS 3, NYG 0 - Jansen 2-hit SHO, 5 K, Slaughter 2-4, Kluszewski 2-4 BOS 4, STL 3 - Torgeson 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Stephens 3-3, Ennis 2 RBI LOU 8, BRO 6 (10) - Jensen, Fox RBIs in 10th, Lowrey HR, 3 RBI; Ashburn 3-5, 2 RBI CHI 6, DET 3 - Ford 8.0, 5 H, 3 R, 10 K, Reese 4-5, SB, 2 RBI, Rosen 2-4, 2 RBI
Thursday, April 9 WAS 5, NYG 3 - Goodman 2-4, 2 RBI, Kluszewski 2-4; Robinson 2-4, HR STL 5, BOS 1 - Minner 5-hit CG, 7 K, Campanella 2 RBI, Musial 2-4, RBI BRO 8, LOU 7 - 5-run 8th, Jackson 3-5, 3 RBI, Joost 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Jensen 4-4, 2 HR CHI 6, DET 4 - Bell GW pinch 2-run HR in 9th, Berra 3-4, HR; Fain 2 RBI
Friday, April 10 WAS 2, NYG 0 - Miller 4-hit SHO, 1 W, 10 K, Klu, Garagiola PH, RBI BOS 4, STL 1 - Reynolds 8.1, 4 H, 1 R, 7 K, Zernail 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, Kuenn 3-4 BRO 14, LOU 2 - Doerr GSHR, 5 RBI, Jackson HR, 3 RBI, Hodges 3-5 DET 6, CHI 4 - Pafko GW PH 2-run single in 8th, Priddy 3-3, Atwell 2-4, 3 RBI
Saturday, April 11 WAS 4, NYG 1 - Gromek 8.0, 4 H, McDougald GW 3-r 2B in 8th; Blackwell 4-hit CG STL 5, BOS 2 - Raffensberger 7.2, 2 R, 8 K, Campy HR, 3 RBI, Stephens HR, 2 RBI LOU 10, BRO 2 - Garver 9-hit CG, 0 ER, 12 K, Jensen 3-5, HR, Bauer 3-5 CHI 7, DET 4 (12) - 4-run 12th, Reese 3-6, 2 RBI, Avila 2-4; Priddy 3-6
Sunday, April 12 DET 4, BRO 3 - Atwell 2-5, GW 2-run single in 9th, Metkovich 2-4, RBI; Woodling 4-4 LOU 9, CHI 8 - 5-run 9th off Newcombe/Ostrowski, Valo 3-5, HR, 3 R WAS 6, BOS 5 (12) - Gordon GWRBI, Slaughter, Mays 2 RBI; Zernial 3-5, HR NYG 9, STL 3 - Fornieles 9-hit CG, Wertz 3-5, 3 RBI, Thomas 2 RBI