Terrific Tom Snaps Skid with No-Hitter
Ward Gets Five Hits in 12-0 Rout
MANHATTAN (June 15) -- Tom Seaver started the year a perfect 4-0, 2.03 in his first seven starts before falling into a tailspin May 13, when he lost the first of six straight starts.  But on June 15, with a 4-6 record and 4.00 ERA, Terrific Tom snapped his skid in style with the 13th no-hitter in UL history: a 12-0 blowout of Cleveland.  Pete Ward, Willie Stargell, Joe Torre, and Vada Pinson each homered, and Ward hit 5-for-5.  The no-hitter came a day after Seaver's teammate Bob Anderson pitched his second straight shutout, a 4-0 win at Boston.  It also set a pair of UL records: it was the third no-hitter pitched by a Manhattan Gray Sox pitcher and the third pitched against the Cleveland Barons/Boston Beacons, prompting tongue-in-cheek proposals to place an asterisk next to no-hitters pitched against Quallsie's hapless hitters.
 
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Brawling Barons Draw League's Ire
CLEVELAND (June 16) -- Two rhubarbs on successive Saturdays have league officials keeping a close eye on the Cleveland Barons, under suspicions that desperate manager Charlie Qualls is employing on-field rioting as a motivational tactic.  Cleveland ranks 11th in both runs and runs against, and came into their June 6 contest at San Francisco in a 4-8 funk.  Spiders' Canadian ace Fergie Jenkins took a 3-hit shutout into the ninth, and struck out Johnny Callison and Wes Parker.  With just Jimmy Wynn standing in the way of career shutout #10, the "Toy Cannon" launched a 391-foot homer to left-center.  When an irate Jenkins beaned Elliott Maddux with the next pitch, the rookie charged the mound, clearing the benches and igniting a "mild melee," in the words of BNN Network News, which was true enough, if by "mild" they mean 50 grown men wailing on each other.  Two or three even managed to land punches.  The league disciplinary office, a heretofore unknown entity, was not amused, wasting no time meting out punishment by slapping both Jenkins and Maddux with 15-day suspensions.  [Seals Stadium is no stranger to violence.  In 1967, a game day promotion, Psychadelic Love Potion Day, turned sour when a peaceful anti-war demonstration turned into unruly, tie-dyed mob riot protesting the trade of Rocky Colavito to Boston (see story).]

One week later in Cleveland, with Dave Morehead on the mound for the Barons, shortstop Gene Alley cranked a two-run shot to give Washington a 3-0 lead.  The next batter happened to be Monuments ace Don Wilson, whom Morehead pegged, prompting both benches to pour onto the field.  Morehead and Wilson were given 5-day suspensions.
 
Mons Pull Ahead
WASHINGTON (June 16) -- The Washington Monuments swept five games with Detroit and won two of three against Boston to open up a six-game lead in the East Division.  The Monuments lead the league in most offensive categories, including on-base percentage, slugging, hits, home runs, and runs scored.  Monument hitters own three of the top four batting averages and rank first and second in RBIs.  The Mons clobbered 43 hits in three straight wins over the Griffins June 2-4, and Bernie Carbo hit 5-for-7 with a pair of homers in two more wins the following week.

Detroit, facing one of the tougher stretches of its schedule, also lost two of three vs. West-leading Chicago and fell seven games back of Washington after being tied for the East division lead on June 1.  Boston, meanwhile, has been wildly inconsistent since losing ace Mike Cuellar for the season with bone chips in his elbow on June 2, winning 4-0 one day and losing 4-0 the next, giving up 11 runs one day and scoring 7 two days later.
 
Can Singer Win Triple Crown?
Unhittable Colts Ace 12-1 After 5 Straight Wins
CLEVELAND (June 16) -- Any doubts about Bill Singer's ability to return from season-ending elbow injury can safely be put to bed; the 25-year-old righthander is off to one of the best starts in UL history.  "Sing Sing" is 6-0 in seven starts since May 5, compiling a microscopic 0.92 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.  Actually, if you give him a mulligan for his 8-2 drubbing by Dallas on May 5, Singer is 12-0 with a 1.18 ERA in his other 14 starts.  His 1.55 overall ERA ranks second only to Bob Anderson, he is tied with Steve Carlton for the most strikeouts, and his 12 wins are four more than any other hurler in the circuit. 

No pitcher has come close to the Triple Crown since Johnny Antonelli in 1956.  Johnny A led the league with 24 wins and edged Billy Pierce by a single strikeout, but finished 0.02 behind Carl Erskine in ERA.

Singer's dominance has overshadowed the excellent mound work of sophomore righty Bill Champion, who has one five straight starts since entering the rotation on May 20, extending his unbeaten streak to 10 starts.

Maris to Chicago
Injured Clemente Heads South
Chicago GM Lance Mueller on the Clemente-Maris trade: "Adding a left handed power bat to the CHI lineup had been on my radar from the beginning of the season. Glen and I had had a brief talk about Maris before the season started but had decided to see how the season went before agreeing to put our heads together again on the subject later in the season. I think we were both a bit surprised to find our teams in their current position in the standings at this point in the season and that made it easier for Glen to consider trading one of the best hitters in UL history. I put a pretty good package offer on the table and it only took a couple of days of back and forth fine tuning to settle on a deal we were both happy with. Maris was definitely my prime target and the Colts are thrilled to add his power to our roster and his defense to our outfield. As for Glen, I think he was happy with getting capable players and prospects at a variety of positions while also adding a 1st round pick in the future as he tries to quickly retool for a run at the Western division title. The Colts have also enjoyed having Roberto Clemente on our squad but we felt the opportunity to add Maris to our lineup was too good to pass up."

YOU Get A Pitching Staff! YOU Get A Pitching Staff… EVERYBODY Gets A Pitching Staff!!
by Charlie Qualls
“Adventures In Teenage Punditry” contest winner Oprah Gail Winfrey offers her thoughts on the state of United League pitching. Ms. Winfrey is a sixteen-year-old East Nashville High School junior. In addition to being a beauty pageant contestant, she is an honor student already making headway on a career in broadcast journalism. She is also a die-hard Colts fan.

Goldenarms
By Oprah Gail Winfrey
A cooler breeze is blowing from seemingly loftier mounds. Pitching coaches are carrying themselves with a little more pomp & pep. GM’s everywhere can seem to do no wrong when putting together pitching staffs. I dreamed last night that someone gave me a car just for showing up to the taping of a TV show. Is that what it’s like for managers with all these gifted young arms? Has the new decade brought a new sense of purpose? Or do the signs spell out the beginning of a pitcher’s era? Yes, we’ve heard the premature proclamation before. After all, these things have a way of balancing themselves out, right? Most critics are reserving judgment, as there’s two-thirds of the season yet to be played. But that’s no fun.

However, as the season rolls into summer, inexperience may be more of a factor than fatigue as there are many new names on the top ten most wanted list (ERA). You’ve heard their names, you just never feared them before: Niekro, Koosman, Reed, Wilson? To say Chicago’s Bill Singer (12-1, 1.55) is having a breakout year calls to mind a vision of Frankenstein waking up in a dog house.  Maroon man Don Sutton’s 1969 breakout was interrupted by injury, but he’s back to prove it was no fluke. Late-twenty-ish rookie Jack Billingham is the freshest face on the scene and a serious draft day coup for Doc Clemons and his Texans. Bob Anderson and Pedro Ramos are representing the old timers well, but missing are usual suspects Johnny Podres and Gene Conley. Podres is testing mediocrity waters, but watch for a strong finish. Con Air was flying high before being dashed to the SEI rocks, resulting in a medical procedure that’s really starting to freak out Tommy John. El Federale Mike Cuellar is no stranger to pitching leader boards, but a 2.66 ERA barely squeaks him into the top ten.

Where It’s At
Today:
As of June 16, there were seven UL teams with full staff ERA’s under 3.50. The league worst currently belongs to Cleveland with 4.04, respectable for a team in the early stages of rebuilding, unless you're grading on a curve. Only two teams finished 1969 with sub 3.50 ERA’s, five landed on the ugly side of 4.00.
Yesterday:
You want bigger picture? Pitching has been improving steadily since the dawn of time (1951 for our purposes) starting with what has stood as the worst showing for pitchers in their inaugural season (4.77). 1968-1969 saw the best one-year jump in overall league ERA, from 4.23 to 3.90. Current league ERA: 3.51. The best pitching year (until ’69) was actually spread throughout three eerie seasons ('63 - '65) when the league ERA was exactly 3.92 three years in a row. However, those were the salad days when Podres, Conley and John Antonelli had things well in hand, with help from old friends Whitey and Mossi.
Yesterday Pt. 2:
Coincidentally(?), 1969 saw the installment of a fifth starter to everyone's rotation. This move should have theoretically diluted the pitching pool with weaker arms, resulting in higher overall ERA's. But extra rest, a closer eye on pitch counts and less pressure could be an unforeseen factor in the improvement of pitching across the board. As one former UL slugger quipped, "Yeah, those pansies sure do get a lot of rest these days."
Tomorrow:
UL scouts surmise that sixteen of the top twenty prospects are pitchers, fourteen of those are starters. Perhaps the UL's popularity is drawing more youths into its orbit. Or maybe it's just the ever-deepening pockets of all the clubs that attracts the top-notch athletes. Even the worst minor league player is taking home 300K a year. As a Black woman in America, I may never see $300 thousand in my lifetime.
 
Stag Party
The most dramatic turn around thus far belongs to the Chicago Colts. The staff that finished 11th in ERA in 1969 with 4.29, currently leads the UL with a 2.82 staff effort. After disappointing showings last season, starters Bill Singer and Ron Reed are exploding into the type of ace-like contributors they were drafted to be. Wilbur Wood’s wobbled between stellar and smeller, but his overall numbers are improving steadily. Barely legal Bill Champion (8-0, 2.20) is the league’s latest “5th rounder makes good” poster child. However, GM Lance Mueller’s keeping a cool head, he knows how quickly fortunes can change in this game. Still, having the number one staff has got to be a little exciting. Said Mueller, “Let's just say I've got a tingle in my protective cup area that I haven't felt in a few years, but that could just be the herpes acting up.”

Oprah’s Big But…
I think Mr. Mueller made some great moves to put the Colts in a position to compete. But his pitching staff is a delicate operation. No margin for error or injury. There’s a dry wind coming in from Kansas City, not many starter options or prospects. And Johnny Kucks and Billy O’Dell’s bag of tricks may be a little light these days, though they’ve been dependable innings eaters, which reminds me, I’m starving…

And In The End…
I spoke to Commissioner Timothy J. Smith by phone, and he assured me there's nothing hinky going on. Baseballs are not heavier, mounds have not been raised. The UL's "one strike and we rip your nuts off" policy regarding drugs has to be steering players away from exploring pharmaceutical enhancements. Also, despite my exuberance, Mr. Smith still won’t call what’s happening with UL pitching an “era.” He sees more of a trend: “The teams are more tightly grouped in terms of runs allowed.  Fewer outliers or very good or very bad pitching teams, which suggests that pitching quality is distributed fairly evenly. . . So maybe the trend is more balance in the distribution of pitching talent.  Gone are the days of the top 5 pitchers coming from 2 teams.” And of course he’s rightfully reserving full assessment until the end of the season.  But that’s no fun.

Now if someone wants to make a case that it’s actually hitters that are getting worse, feel free to tell them.