Circuit clouts  Official Newsletter of the United League         July 8, 1966
 
   LEAGUE FILE (1/28) · CONTRACTS · TOTAL UL · RULES · OWNERS · CITIES · BALLPARKS · HALL OF FAME
   1965 · 3/1 · 4/1 · 4/16 · 5/1 · 5/16 · 6/1 · 6/16 · 7/1 · 7/8

NEXT SIM
 Fri 2/1 (July 20)
 Rosters due noon ET

 
 UPCOMING SIMS
 
 Fri 2/8 (Aug 1)
 Fri 2/15 (Aug 16)
 

  EAST

W

L

GB

Last  

Cleveland

49

36

--

4-1

Brooklyn

49

37

0.5

4-1

Washington

47

37

1.5

4-1

Detroit

40

44

8.5

3-2

Manhattan

35

50

14

1-4

Boston

32

52

16.5

1-4

  WEST

W

L

GB

Last

Chicago

55

28

--

1-4

San Francisco

46

38

9.5

2-3

St. Louis

42

40

12.5

2-3

Los Angeles

42

41

13

5-0

Dallas

39

45

16.5

2-3

Atlanta

28

56

27.5

1-4

 

 

 

 

 

INJURIES
Duration at least one week

ATL

BOS

BRO
CHI
DAL
DET
MAN



SF
WAS

MR Dave Morehead (7 wk)
LF Norm Siebern (1 wk)
SP Steve Blass (2-3 mo)
SP Dick Donovan (8 wk)
3B Dick Williams (5 wk)
MR D Knowles (6-7 mo)
 C Gene Green (7 wk)
 C Johnny Edwards (3 wk)
SP Dean Chance (6 mo)
RF Felipe Alou (3 wk)
3B Pete Ward (1 wk)
SP Bob Anderson (1 wk)
LF Rocky Colavito (10 mo)
SS Rocky Bridges (6 wk)
MR Monbouquette (4 wk)
 

TRADES


June 1 (134)
BOS gets:

STL '67 4th round pick
STL '67 5th round pick

STL gets:
C Earl Averill (775)

June 16
(135)
ATL gets:

CHI '67 4th round pick
CHI '67 5th round pick

CHI gets:
SS Ed Brinkman (300)

June 16
(136)
ATL gets:

MR Don Ferrarese (590)
C John Stephenson (500)
MR Galen Cisco (500)

STL gets:
CF Paul Blair (1000)
C Ron Brand (500)
 

DICK'S CORNER
Tracking Dick Howser's
Historic Run at .400

Washington's Dick Howser led the league in batting with a .416 average on May 1, after crossing the .400 mark a week earlier.  Few people expected then that April would be his worst month.  Since then, Dick has hit .449 in May (with exactly .500 OBP) and .427 in June.  But July is shaping up to be Dick's biggest month.  In his last six games since going 0-fo-4 against Dallas' Gaylord Perry on June 27, Howser has had two four-hit games and a .577 average (15-26.  Dick already has 146 hits and is on pace to easily shatter his single-season record of 238 hits (1963).



 

 

 

1966 FOUNDER'S CUP
Outlaws Sweep Group

Monuments Win Group B; Colts Crash Out

ST. LOUIS (June 22) -- The Los Angeles Outlaws won all five group games to top Group A and set up a quarterfinal confrontation with upstate rivals San Francisco in the fifth Founder's Cup.  Tens of thousands of indifferent supporters crammed Sportsman's Park -- sipping lukewarm beer to wash down "extra medium" hot dogs -- to witness the UL's most moderately interesting diversion.
     The Outlaws gave up just two runs in their last four games behind stellar outings by Steve Hargan, Johnny Antonelli, Fritz Peterson, and Larry Dierker.  Rookie Peterson blanked Brooklyn with a five-hit shutout in game four, handing the Bas their only defeat.  Jim Gentile hit three home runs in wins over Dallas and St. Louis, and Lew Burdette shut out Chicago 1-0 with a three-hit gem for his 250th career win.  Also in Group A, St. Louis rallied from an 0-3 start to finish third, scoring 23 runs in their last two games, including an eight-run first inning against Chicago in which Whitey Ford hit a grand slam.  Dallas eked in with narrow wins over St. Louis and Boston.  Boog Powell homered twice in the 7-5 win over the Maroons.
     In Group B, Washington and Cleveland each won four of five games, but it was Washington who posted the best run-differential to win the group.  The Mons also handed the Barons their only loss, a 9-2 blowout courtesy of two Ron Santo homers.  Washington's only loss was to San Francisco in game two.  The Spiders routed Atlanta 12-1 and qualified for the knockout round despite losing their last two games.  Detroit's prospects looked dim after a 1-2 start, but the Griffins eked out an 8-6 win over San Francisco in an error-field 13-inning affair and a 4-3 win over Atlanta thanks to a 9th inning homer by Joe Cunningham.
     The most notable absence from the final eight is last year's Cup-winners Chicago, who were shut out twice and only managed one win.

FOUNDER'S CUP: GROUP STAGE
 

 

GROUP A

GROUP B

July 1

Boston 6, Chicago 4
Bob Skinner hits 2-run homer off Ray Herbert
Los Angeles 8, St. Louis 7
Willie Jones game-winning 2-run 3B with 2 out in 9th
Brooklyn 6, Dallas 3
Jim Gentile 2-for-3, 2-run HR off Jim Merritt in 3rd
 

Cleveland 8, Atlanta 2
Eddie Mathews 3-for-4, including 3-run HR off Loes
Manhattan 6, San Francisco 3
Willie Stargell two-run double keys 3-run 8th
Washington 11, Detroit 2
Sammy Taylor grand slam in 5th; Santo 3-run HR in 6th

July 2

Brooklyn 6, St. Louis 3
Jim Gentile 2-run homer off Gordon Jones in 8th
Los Angeles 4, Boston 1
Frank Robinson 4-for-4, HR, 4 RBI; Hargan 5.1 shutout IP
Chicago 5, Dallas 4
Bob Allison 3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Spangler 2 RBI
 

Cleveland 10, Manhattan 5
Eddie Mathew 3-4, 6 RBI, grand slam off Bouton in 4th
San Francisco 6, Washington 3
Pete Rose doubled, stole a base and drove in 3 runs.
Detroit 15, Atlanta 4
Four Griffins homered and Charlie Lau drove in 6 runs

July 3

Los Angeles 1, Chicago 0
Johnny Antonelli beat Tom Sturdivant with 3-hit shutout
Brooklyn 10, Boston 8
Jim Hickman homered in first two at-bats off Score
Dallas 7, St. Louis 5
Boog Powell was 4-for-4, including a pair of home runs
 

Washington 5, Manhattan 0
Don Drysdale went the distance for a 7-hit shutout
Cleveland 4, Detroit 0
Earl Francis anchored a 3-hit shutout, Mathews HR
San Francisco 12, Atlanta 1
J.C. Martin walked on water with 4-for-4, 7 RBI game

July 4

 

 

July 5

Los Angeles 2, Brooklyn 0
Rookie Fritz Peterson blanked the Bas on five hits
Dallas 3, Boston 2
Boog Powell (0-0, 3 Ws) scored winner on FC in 8th
St. Louis 13, Chicago 6
8 runs (Whitey Ford grand slam) chased Mossi after 0.1
 

Washington 9, Cleveland 2
Ron Santo 4-for-5, 2 home runs
Detroit 8, San Francisco 6, 13 inn.
Game won on Billy Moran's 2nd error; 10 Es in game
Atlanta 7, Manhattan 5
Joe Morgan homered twice; Siebert falls to 3-10

July 6

St. Louis 10, Boston 7
Wes Covington 3-5, HR, 3 RBI; Don Sutton's 13th win
Los Angeles 4, Dallas 1
Larry Dierker dominant, Hank Aaron 2B and HR
Brooklyn 1, Chicago 0
Lew Burdette's 250th career win is 3-hit shutout gem

Group A W L R-RA
*Los Angeles 5 0 +10
*Brooklyn 4 1 +7
*St. Louis 2 3 +4
*Dallas 2 3 -4
Boston 1 4 -7
Chicago
 
1
 
4
 
-10
 

Cleveland 6, San Francisco 5
Curt Flood 3-5, HR, 3 RBI; Frank Thomas HR off Jenkins
Detroit 4, Atlanta 3
Joe Cunningham homered off Dick Drott in 9th
Washington 9, Atlanta 3
8 runs in last 2 innings (HR: Kirkland, Santo, Mays)

Group B W L R-RA
*Washington 4 1 +24
*Cleveland 4 1 +9
*Detroit 3 2 +1
*San Francisco 2 3 +8
Manhattan 1 4 -10
Atlanta
 
1
 
4
 
-32
 

FOUNDER'S CUP: QUARTERFINALS
 

 
Los Angeles        
         
San Francisco        
         
Brooklyn        
         
Detroit        
         
Washington        
         
Dallas        
         
Cleveland        
         
St. Louis        
         


Jeff Tonole
San Francisco Spiders GM

The Sporting News Interview

Fourth-year GM Jeff Tonole talks about his struggles as the helm of the lowly Spiders, and the sudden and unexpected ascent.

TSN: After years of futility despite a roster packed with Hall of Famers, how does it feel to be in second place?
JT:
First, let me note that the Spiders roster has only become "packed" with alleged future Hall of Famers in the last few seasons, and many of them are still young and developing. Combine that with an ineffective and inattentive general manager who ran the team into the ground in the years following the "Miracle of '59" championship season, and it's no surprise that the Spiders have been a model of misanthropy for the last half a decade.

Consequently, I'm stunned and a little overwhelmed by the success the team has had so far this season. To a certain extent, the team seems to be right on schedule in terms of the rebuilding process we began in 1963 -- our patience in developing young pitchers is starting to pay dividends, and we're also seeing the benefits of our emphasis on speed, contact hitting, and defense. But my expectations for this season were for modest improvement -- get a little closer to .500 while our young guys gain some valuable experience. And that was before we lost perennial team MVP Rocky Colavito to injury for the season. So, to be sitting in second place, nine games over .500, at the midpoint of the season, without our best player, is a pleasant surprise, to say the least.

TSN: Which player has surprised you the most this year?
JT: There have been a lot of surprises -- 1B Willie McCovey looking like the second coming of Colavito, SP Fergie Jenkins stepping right out of the draft and becoming the staff ace, and 3B Pete Rose finally fulfilling the promise he showed sporadically over the last three years. But I think the biggest surprises have been two overlooked guys -- IF Tony Taylor and OF Russ Snyder. Taylor was a free agent pickup in the off-season to provide some infield depth, but he was pressed into the starting lineup after Clete "Last Year Was A Career Year, Not A Breakout Year" Boyer struggled at the plate. Taylor is on pace to set career highs in average, OBP, RBIs, and runs while playing solid defense at SS. Snyder, who took over the starting job in right field after Billy Williams tore an abdominal muscle in the third game of the season, exemplifies what has made the team successful -- good contact hitting, excellent baserunning, and smart defense.

TSN:
What will it take to sustain and build on the success and bring another pennant to the Bay?
JT: Mostly, we need to follow the path we're already on. We are a very young team, so there is ample room for further development and improvement across the roster. Success on the field has also boosted attendance by more than double, which should put us in a more favorable financial position in the coming years. That, in turn, should give us more flexibility to add depth and quality veterans, both of which will likely be necessary to make a serious run at a second league title.  It also helps that two-thirds of the Chicago Colts' roster will be retiring in the next couple of years. . .

TSN: Finally, how bad does Gerry Arrigo have to get before you send his ass back to Seattle?
JT: 
At first glance, Arrigo's stats (9.47 ERA, 2.11 WHIP, .303 OAVG) look pretty horrendous, but much of the damage was done in just a handful of appearances in games that were already blowout losses. That said, with the team actually in the thick of a divisional race for the first time in seven years, we can't afford to be overly patient with a guy still finding his way around big-league hitters. And with young stud Paul Lindblad waiting in the wings in AAA, Arrigo may soon find himself in a Cadillac heading north at 110 per.

 


Doug Aiton
Washington Monuments GM

The Sporting News Interview

The eighth-year GM talks about Dick Howser, a new ballpark, and bringing back the glory days of D.C. baseball.


TSN: Rarely has a pitching staff had so many rookies and improved so much.  What has been the key to their success?
DA: In previous years, we concentrated on the  rotation and ignored the bullpen.  This year, we drafted arms in depth, and the difference has been telling.  We haven't had a proper relief ace since we let Bob Chakales walk a few years back, but Jack Aker has been lights-out.  That, and the resurgence of Bob Veale - we always knew that Larsen and Drysdale would give us solid campaigns, but Bob's resurgence has really delighted us.

TSN: Dick Howser has maintained a .400 average since April 22 and is batting .436.  What do you put the odds of him hitting .400 for the year?
DA: Howser has a great shot at it -- it requires sustained excellence, but he came close in '63 having had a much worse start.  It's worth putting Howser's achievements in context - no-one other than Howser has ever hit even .365 in UL history, and he's done it twice already - his '63 season when he hit .393 is a full 30 points better than his nearest competitor in the history of the UL.  He'll be the only player in league history to have put together 4 .350+ seasons back-to-back, and the only player bar Hamner to have even threatened to do that.  What's even more amazing is that he walks as well - he's the only player ever to have put up an OBP over .460, and the only player ever to have two seasons with an OBP above .450.  All this at Griffith Stadium!  He's won three gold gloves, and stolen over 350 bases.  It's possible that when he waltzes off with the MVP he'll finally be appreciated as the superstar he is.

TSN: Bob Veale is 8-0 in the five games before and three after his All-Star Game debacle.  How does he manage to mentally block out what must have been a traumatizing experience?
DA: Bob's a strong character, but I think that all pitchers understand that some days you just don't have your best stuff.  Bob got Hank Aaron out, then his control just started to waver a little, and if you lose your radar against hitters of that quality, well, bad things will happen.  Heck, talking to Bob, he blames Ron Santo and Terry Fox.  Who was catching?  Torre?  Yeah, I guess he blames him too!

TSN: A few years back there were rumors about a new ballpark in D.C.  Are Griffith Stadium's days numbered?
DA: We've been going back and forth on a new stadium for the Monuments for some time.  We love Griffith Stadium -- the history and the memories --  but it's no doubt harder to retain or attract batters with the rather pitcher-friendly confines, and it certainly requires a makeover.  We need to make the Monuments cash-rich again before we can start thinking about that, however; there was a moment when we had the money and the will, but when it came down to Willie Mays or a flashy new ballpark, we chose the former.  I can assure all D.C. baseball fans that there are no plans to move the franchise, and encourage them to come out to Griffith to cheer us through this pennant race, hopefully to our first championship since the golden era!

 

   


 

 

EAST DIVISON

BOSTON FEDERALS

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

CLEVELAND BARONS

x
 

x

x

DETROIT GRIFFINS

MANHATTAN GRAY SOX

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS

x
 

x

x

WEST DIVISON

ATLANTA HILLTOPPERS

CHICAGO COLTS

DALLAS TEXANS

B
 

x

x

LOS ANGELES OUTLAWS

ST. LOUIS MAROONS

SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS

x
 

x

x

LEAGUE LEADERS
(through games of June 30)

BATTING AVERAGE

HOME RUNS

RBI

VORP

RUNS / GAME

Dick Howser, WAS

.431

Jim Cunningham, DET

.367

Joe Torre, MAN

.348

Lou Brock, SF

.339

*M Throneberry, DAL

.324

Granny Hamner, MAN

.322

*Harvey Kuenn, CLE

.319

Jim Gentile, BRO

.316

*Rocky Bridges, WAS

.314

Curt Flood, CLE

.314

 

 

 

 

Harmon Killebrew, ATL

24

Bob Allison, CHI

22

Mickey Mantle, BRO

21

Frank Robinson, LA

20

Hank Aaron, LA

17

Roger Maris, STL

17

Ed Bailey, CHI

16

Orlando Cepeda, BOS

16

*Willie McCovey, SF

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ron Santo, WAS

65

Harmon Killebrew, ATL

64

Willie Mays, WAS

64

Ernie Banks, CHI

58

Orlando Cepeda, BOS

58

Willie McCovey, SF

58

Mickey Mantle, BRO

54

*Roger Maris, STL

53

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick Howser, WAS

64.0

Lou Brock, SF

42.1

Bob Allison, CHI

36.8

Joe Torre, MAN

33.9

Jim Gentile, BRO

33.2

Frank Robinson, LA

32.8

Ron Santo, WAS

32.4

*Norm Cash, CHI

30.8

Mickey Mantle, BRO

29.7

*H Killebrew, ATL

29.4

 

 

 

 

WASHINGTON

5.4

CHICAGO

5.2

SAN FRANCISCO

4.9

BROOKLYN

4.9

ATLANTA

4.8

ST. LOUIS

4.5

DETROIT

4.5

DALLAS

4.4

BOSTON

4.3

MANHATTAN

4.2

LOS ANGELES

4.1

CLEVELAND

3.7

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

WINS

STRIKEOUTS

VORP

RUNS ALLOWED / GAME

Johnny Podres, CLE

2.21

Gene Conley, BRO

2.45

Johnny Antonelli, LA

2.56

Earl Francis, CLE

2.59

Fergie Jenkins, SF

2.76

Dave Boswell, DAL

2.91

*Ray Herbert, CHI

3.10

Whitey Ford, STL

3.12

Don Sutton, STL

3.20

*Stan Williams, ATL

3.21

 

 

 

 

Don Sutton, STL

12

Fergie Jenkins, SF

11

Earl Francis, CLE

10

Ray Herbert, CHI

10

Don Larsen, WAS

10

Don Mossi, CHI

10

Fred Newman, SF

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whitey Ford, STL

182

Bob Friend, CLE

140

Don Sutton, STL

123

Sandy Koufax, DET

119

Don Drysdale, WAS

116

Johnny Kucks, BRO

116

Johnny Podres, CLE

115

Herb Score, BOS

113

Bob Gibson, DET

112

Don Mossi, CHI

108

 

 

 

 

Johnny Podres, CLE

40.0

Whitey Ford, STL

33.9

Earl Francis, CLE

33.8

Fergie Jenikins, SF

31.3

Johnny Antonelli, LA

31.0

Don Sutton, STL

29.7

Gene Conley, BRO

25.9

Pedro Ramos, DET

25.5

Steve Barber, CLE

25.3

*Stan Williams, ATL

24.9

 

 

 

 

CLEVELAND

3.5

CHICAGO

3.8

ST. LOUIS

4.1

BROOKLYN

4.1

LOS ANGELES

4.2

SAN FRANCISCO

4.5

DETROIT

4.8

WASHINGTON

4.8

DALLAS

4.9

BOSTON

4.9

MANHATTAN

5.1

ATLANTA

6.4

 

MILESTONES

Ernie Banks, CHI
400th home run (June 16), #3 all-time
Eddie Mathews, CLE
1,000th walk (June 25), #4 all-time
Gene Conley, BRO
250th win (June 19), #3 all-time
Lew Burdette, BRO
250th win (July 6), #4 all-time
 

 


 

 

 



 

BATTER OF THE MONTH

PITCHER OF THE MONTH

ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

APR

Tony Perez, STL

APR

Don Sutton, STL

APR

Art Shamsky, BOS

MAY

Frank Robinson, LA

MAY

Don Sutton, STL (2)

MAY

Paul Schaal, ATL

JUN

Harmon Killebrew, ATL

JUN

Gaylord Perry, DAL 

JUN

Fergie Jenkins, SF 

JUL

 

JUL

 

JUL

 

AUG

 

AUG

 

AUG

 

SEP

 

SEP

 

SEP

 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

4/11

Roger Maris, STL            

6/13

Johnny Callison, ATL

8/8

 

4/18

Bill Freehan, BOS

6/20

Lou Brock, SF

8/15

 

4/25

Dick Howser, WAS

6/27

Ron Santo, WAS

8/22

 

5/2

Bob Allison, CHI

7/4

Ron Santo, WAS (2)

8/29

 

5/9

Willie McCovey, SF

7/11

 

9/5

 

5/16

Jim Gentile, BRO

7/18

 

9/12

 

5/23

Dick Howser, WAS (2)

7/25

 

9/19

 

5/30

Hector Lopez, DAL

8/1

 

9/26

 

6/6

Paul Schaal, ATL

 

 

 

 

 
   
   

United League Champions

West East

Most Valuable Player

Cy Young Award

Rookie of the Year

1951

ST. LOUIS MAROONS

   

Ralph Kiner, DET

Sam Zoldak, STL

Jackie Jensen, LOU

1952

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS

   

Jackie Robinson, NYG

Larry Jansen, WAS

Stu Miller, WAS

1953

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS

   

Mickey Mantle, BOS

Stu Miller, WAS

Smoky Burgess, BRO

1954

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS

   

Stan Musial, STL

Billy Pierce, STL

Ed Bailey, LOU

1955

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

   

Roy Campanella, LA

Tom Gorman, BRO

Gene Conley, BRO

1956

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS

   

Ralph Kiner, DET

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

Frank Robinson, LA

1957

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

STL

BRO

Granny Hamner, BRO

Gene Conley, BRO

Roger Maris, BOS

1958

LOUISVILLE COLONELS

LOU

BRO

Willie Mays, WAS

Carl Erskine, WAS

Orlando Cepeda, NYG

1959

SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS

SF

BRO

Granny Hamner, BRO

Gene Conley, BRO

Vada Pinson, LA

1960

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

LOU

BRO

Hank Aaron, LOU

Gene Conley, BRO

Joe Gibbon, NYG

1961

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

CHI

BRO

Granny Hamner, BRO

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

Dick Howser, WAS

1962

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

CHI

BRO

Granny Hamner, BRO

Johnny Antonelli, LOU

Tom Tresh, LA

1963

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

CHI

BRO

Ernie Banks, CHI

Gene Conley, BRO

Boog Powell, DAL

1964

BROOKLYN SUPERBAS

CHI

BRO

Mickey Mantle, BRO

Whitey Ford, WAS

Pete Ward, MAN

1965

CHICAGO COLTS

CHI

CLE

Ernie Banks, CHI

Johnny Podres, CLE

Dick Allen, DET