United League Baseball

Colts Slice Lead
Parnell, Rogovin Find Their Stuff
CHICAGO (July 1) -- Washington's humongous 14-game lead proved to be ephemeral, as the Chicago Colts took advantage of a rare Monuments slump to climb back to within eight games of the league leaders. Chicago is 9-2 since June 16 and gained six games in a matter of two weeks, thanks in large part to Washington's six-game losing streak, their biggest slump of the year. The defending champs opened the season 14-0 and had only lost three games in a row one time all year, a series sweep at home May 14-16 at the hands of the Brooklyn Superbas.
   Ace southpaw Mel Parnell (10-4, 3.06) continues to have a banner year for Chicago, improving even on his 1951 form (19-9, 4.36). "Dusty" was nearly unhittable in late June, going 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA in three starts. Since May 8, Dusty is 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA. Another pitcher bouncing back from a bad year is 28-year-old righthander Saul Rogovin (9-4, 3.52), who was 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA in his last three starts. Rogovin won 18 games in 1951, but lost 18 last year.
   Catcher Yogi Berra was the offensive star of the month. Berra was so hot in late June that he debuted on the batting and RBI charts at #4 and #6 respectively. Yogi hit .500 and drove in 9 runs in his last five games.
   The highlight of the Colts hot streak was a pair of wins over Washington June 26-27. Rogovin shut out the Mons on 7 hits in the first game, in which Berra hit a three-run homer for a 5-0 win. In the second game, Murry Dickson beat Harry Perkowski 4-2, doing it with the bat with a two-run single in the four-run fourth. Washington has scored just 12 runs in its six-game losing streak.

Pee Wee Slumps
Pee Wee Reese, one of the UL's hottest players in April, has slumped in a big way. Reese hit .393 in April, with a .481 OBP and 23 runs. Since May 1 however, the Colts' leadoff man has mustered just 37 hits in 179 at bats (.207), and his OBP has dipped into the mid-200s.

Dark Reds on a Tear
Junior Makes His Mark
ST. LOUIS (July 1) -- St. Louis bounced back from a momentary spell in the lower division with a 9-2 fortnight, moving back into a third place tie after dipping as low as sixth place. The Maroons won seven straight in sweeps of Detroit, Louisville, and Brooklyn, after losing four straight to Washington June 12-15. The pitching star of the last two weeks was undoubtedly Ken Raffensberger, who won all three of his starts with a 1.80 ERA. Sam Zoldak, the 1951 Cy Young winner, returned to the rotation and was 2-1, 4.30 in three starts. "Sad Sam" struggled in his initial stint in April after missing a year to a torn elbow ligament. He was 1-3, 5.85 in his first five starts, prompting manager Timothy J. Smith to assign him to AAA Indianapolis for three starts.
   Vern "Junior" Stephens has stepped it up in June. After a respectable, if not awe-inspiring, start (.268-7-37 in 49 games), Junior got hot in June, batting .326 and co-leading the team with 19 RBI. Campanella also had 19 June RBI, and hit .303 after a .229 April and .259 May. The Maroons are now the league's most prolific offense, averaging 5.2 runs per game, anchored by the fearsome threesome of Musial, Stephens, and Campanella. The 3-4-5 hitters have combined for 43 HR and 168 RBI in 77 games. Stan the Man and Junior rank #1-2 in RBIs, and Campy is one RBI shy of making St. Louis the only team with three 50-RBI men (only St. Louis and Boston have two 50-RBI men).

Bish Resigns in New York
Weimer Takes Over as Youngest GM
NEW YORK (June 16) -- After two and a half seasons as the head of the New York Gothams, GM Gregory Bish stepped down today. Bish was one of the United League's "founding eight" owners, and led the Gothams to a 188-181 (.509) record during his tenure. The club posted nearly identical records in its first two seasons, going 76-78 and landing in fifth place in 1951, and improving a game and a position last year. The club has been hot this season, despite the absence of superstar Ted Williams. The club has been battling for second place, and was 35-31 and tied for second when Bish tendered his resignation. Bish's biggest move as Gothams GM was trading the popular Gil Hodges to Brooklyn for speedy outfielder Larry Doby. Hodges has excelled in his old home, Ebbets Field. But the trade was favorable to the Bronxmen as well. Doby hit 23 home runs with 89 RBI in his first year at Yankee Stadium, and despite hitting just .248, managed to compile a .393 OBP with the league's second highest walk total (118). His range in center field and his speed addressed Gotham weaknesses.
   Jeremy Weimer, 18, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, becomes the United League's youngest GM. Jeremy, whose last name is *not* pronounced "WEE-mer" and who answers to "Weims", said it felt "weird" being so young in this league, adding that he just moved out of home last week. Weims inherits one of the youngest pitching staffs. Twenty-one-year-old Mike Fornieles (10-4, 3.25) has earned the ace job in his sophomore year, but Billy Loes (5-6, 5.35) has had trouble sustaining his rookie form. Ewell Blackwell (7-7, 4.11) was the club's only 20-game winner, but he has sputtered to a 7-7 mark at the half-way mark of this campaign.

NEW DRAFT LOTTERY PROPOSAL

AROUND THE HORN

	WASHINGTON MONUMENTS 52-25 -- 3-8	x
	CHICAGO COLTS 44-33 8 8-2	Sliced Washington's lead from 14 to 8 games.
	NEW YORK GOTHAMS 40-37 12 5-6	x
	ST. LOUIS MAROONS 40-37 12 9-1	x
	BROOKLYN SUPERBAS 38-39 14 5-6	Gil Hodges (24) and Gene Woodling (22) led the league in RBIs in the month of June...
	BOSTON BEACONS 35-42 17 4-7	x
	DETROIT SOUND 31-46 21 5-6	x
	LOUISVILLE COLONELS 28-49 24 4-7	x

DAY BY DAY
Tuesday, June 16 NO GAMES
Wednesday, June 17 DET 7, BRO 4 - Kiner 2 HR, Pakfo 2 RBI; Jackson 3-4, Woodling 2B, 3B, 2 RBI BOS 3, WAS 2 - Spahn 8.0, 2 R, Mathews 4-4, Mantle HR, 2 RBI; Lollar HR STL 5, NYG 1 - Pierce 3-hit CG, Red 2-3, 2 RBI, Throneberry 2-4, 2 R in debut CHI 8, LOU 1 - Parnell 4-hit CG, Berra 4-4, 3 RBI, Bell HR, 2 RBI, Lockman 2 RBI
Thursday, June 18 BRO 9, DET 8 - Hodges 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, Joost HR, Minoso 2-5, SB; Fain 3-5, 4 RBI WAS 5, BOS 3 - Perkowski 8.0, 3 R, Adcock 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Mathews HR, 2 RBI STL 10, NYG 2 - Raffensberger 6-hit CG, Coan 3-3, HR, 4 RBI, Pesky 3 RBI, Stan 3 R CHI 5, STL 3 - Avila 3-5, 2 RBI, Berra 2 RBI; Bauer HR, 2 RBI
Friday, June 19 BRO 10, DET 1 - Hutchinson 4-hit CG, Woodling 5-5, HR, Hodges HR, 3 RBI BOS 5, WAS 3 - Bickford 8.0, 3 R, Jethroe 3-3, SB, Mantle 2 RBI; Dillinger 2-3, SB NYG 8, STL 5 - Blackwell 8.0, 1 ER, Ginsberg 3-4, HR, 5 RBI, Doby 3 R, SB CHI 6, LOU 2 - Ford 8.1, 2 R, RBI, Westlake 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 5-run 9th
Saturday, June 20 BRO 9, NYG 5 - Burgess 3-run HR, Jackson 3-4, Woodling 2-5, 2 R, SB; Robinson HR WAS 9, LOU 6 - 5-run 9th, Dillinger 3-5, Lollar, Slaughter 2 RBI; Easter 3-5, HR CHI 3, BOS 2 - Rogovin 8.0, 5 H, 2 R, Berra 3-4, Rosen 2-run HR in 4th, Bell 2-3, RBI STL 7, DET 3 - Zoldak 9-hit CG, Musial 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, Dom 2-4, 2 RBI, SB
Sunday, June 21 NYG 4, BRO 2 - Fornieles 8.0, 2 R, 7 W, 6 K, Wertz 2-4, 2 RBI; Hodges 2-4, HR WAS 6, LOU 1 - Jansen 7-hit CG, Garagiola 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, Goodman 3-5 CHI 7, BOS 4 - Westlake 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, Ryan 2-4, 2 RBI, Dickson 2-4; Mathews HR STL 2, DET 1 - Pierce 8.0, 6 H, 1 R, 6 K, Stephens, Wyrostek RBI; Roberts 5-hit CG L
Monday, June 22 BRO 8, NYG 7 - 3-run 9th: O'Connell HR, 3 RBI, Hodges 3-4; Robinson 3-5, HR LOU 10, WAS 3 - Houtteman 8.0, 3 R, Sauer 3-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI, Dark 3-4, 3 RBI CHI 11, BOS 1 - Parnell 6-hit CG, 0 ER, 2-4, 2 RBI, Berra 3-4, HR, 5 RBI, Avila 3 RBI STL 5, DET 4 - Stephens 2-4, 2 RBI, Musial HR, 2 R; Kiner 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, Irvin HR
Tuesday, June 23 DET 3, WAS 2 - Porterfield 8.0, 6 H, 2 R, Atwell HR, 2 RBI; Gordon HR, 2 RBI BOS 5, BRO 3 - Bickford 8.0, 5 H, 3 R, Mueller, Kuenn 2 RBI; Hodges HR, 2 RBI STL 8, LOU 2 - W Jones HR, 4 RBI, Red 3-4, 2 R, Law inj; Bauer 2-4, HR NYG 7, CHI 3 - Wynn 9-hit CG, Doby 3-4, 2 RBI, Wertz HR, 2 RBI; Reese HR, 3 RBI
Wednesday, June 24 DET 5, WAS 4 - Fain 3-4, Elliott, Atwell 2 RBI; Gordon 3-5, 2 2B, Slaughter 3-5, 3B BOS 9, BRO 7 - Simpson 3-5, HR, 5 RBI, Mantle 3-4, HR, Zernial HR; Reiser 3-4 STL 4, LOU 2 - Zoldak 8.0, 4 H, 2 R, 2-3, Musial HR, Dom 2-3; Branca 8-hit CG L NYG 4, CHI 2 - Blackwell 8.0, 6 H, 2 R, Wertz 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, Robinson 2 R
Thursday, June 25 NO GAMES
Friday, June 26 CHI 5, WAS 0 - Rogovin 7-hit SHO, 3 W, 5 K, Berra 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, Avila 2-4, HR STL 18, BRO 7 - Campy 5-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, Stephens 4-5, 4 RBI, Ennis, W Jones 3 RBI NYG 7, DET 3 - Church 8-hit CG, 7 K, Cox 2 HR, 3 RBI, Thomas 3-4, Boudreau 2 RBI LOU 5, BOS 3 - Antonelli 8.0, 3 R, 11 K, Jensen, Sauer 2 RBI; Simpson 4-5
Saturday, June 27 CHI 4, WAS 2 - Dickson 8.0, 2 R, 2 RBI, Ryan 2-3, Mays 2-4, 2 R, Klu, Garagiola 2-3 STL 7, BRO 1 - Raffensberger 6-hit CG, Dom 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, Campy 2 RBI DET 3, NYG 0 - Gray 8.0, 7 H, 0 R, Kiner 2-3, RBI, Kell 2-4, RBI, Metkovich 2 R LOU 4, BOS 3 - Garver 8.0, 7 H, 3 R, Sauer, Fox HR, 2 RBI; Haddix 5-hit CG L
Sunday, June 28 NO GAMES
Monday, June 29 BRO 4, WAS 1 - Gorman 8.2, 3 H, 1 R, 2-4, Joost 3-run HR in 2nd; Mays HR CHI 6, STL 1 - Parnell 7-hit CG, Gernert 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, Westlake HR, 2 RBI, Rosen HR LOU 9, NYG 2 - Houtteman 6-hit CG, 12 K, Collins 3-3, 3 RBI, Jensen HR, 2 RBI DET 3, BOS 2 (11) - Kell 3-5, GWHR in 11th, Porterfield 9.0, 2 R, Marion 2-3
Tuesday, June 30 - Saturday, July 3 NO GAMES