Confessions of a Fan Welcome to our special 1950 Preseason Edition of the Days of Wine and Rojas. This edition has none of our usual features: trade notes, trivia and quotable quote. Instead, we focus on the upcoming season with our manager poll and preseason analysis by our crack team of sportswriters. Manager Poll Only seven managers responded to our manager poll but set forth below is a summary of the results. The poll awards points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and7th place finishes of 7,6,5,4,3,2 and 1 points. The number of 1st place votes are in parenthesis. John McGraw Division Middle Georgia Moundmen 47(5) Gas City Blue Flames 39(1) Sacramento Swedes 35(1) Walla Walla Sweets 31 Dayton Rock Eyes 22 Leconte Lookouts 14 Mawaga Mohawks 8 Connie Mack Division Marlboro Men 46(4) Woods Hole Navigators 42(3) Montreal Barrell 31 Missouri Red Sox 26 Brooklyn Gladiators 23 Hollywood Papparazzi 16 Martian Atomizers 12 ADML 50 THE MCGRAW DIVISION By Peter Reoch This preview will rate each team for hitting, pitching, fielding, as well as every position. The rating system is as follows. 5- Excellent 4- Very Good 3- Average 2- Below Average 1- Poor Middle Georgia Moundmen Yankee Stadium The Moundmen might not only be the best overall team in the McGraw, but in the whole league. There's no reason that they have the potential to win the first World's championship in this new league. They begin this inaugural season with outstanding hitting and pitching. OFFENSE The Moundmen can hit. Led by Kiner, Wertz, Joe DiMaggio, Doerr, Pafko and Seminick, they will probably lead the league in hitting. They have the potential of hitting more than 250 homers as a team. RATING 5 PITCHING This is also a quality aspect of this team. They have probably the best pitching staff in their division and probably the second best overall. Spahn, Brecheen, Gray and Kuzava will keep the Moundmen in every game they play. Because these pitchers are lefthanders, they will do well in their home park of Yankee Stadium. The only problem might be how the pitching staff holds up on the road, as their right-hand pitchers are not as dominating as the lefties but will also probably do very well in this league.RATING 5 DEFENSE The only glaring weakness is their defense. They have adequate but basically below average fielders. Age and lack of speed will play a negative part in reaching any balls in expansive Yankee Stadium.RATING 1 CATCHING Andy Seminick, Rube Walker, Gus Niarhos will do an outstanding job for the Moundmen behind the plate. Seminick will hit and defensively they will all do a good job in handling the pitching staff. RATING 3 FIRST BASE Age and inexperience could cause a problem at this position. Tommy Henrick and the youthful Wayne Belardi will handle the responsibilities at this position. Henrick is a good hitter and should do well with the short fence in right field at Yankee Stadium. RATING 4 SECOND BASE Bobby Doerr is one of the best players around at this position, and he will carry most of the load for Middle Georgia. RATING 5 THIRD BASE Has some good but underrated players with Dillinger, Wahl and Baker doing a quality job for them.RATING 5 SHORTSTOP Roy Smalley will be the main individual to handle all the responsibilities at this position. He will provide stability along with some good play for the Moundmen.RATING 4 LEFTFIELD Ralph Kiner will handle the bulk of the playing time in leftfield. He will hit with power, but tends to be only an average fielder. Still, with some good defensive replacements this position is well care for.RATING 4 CENTERFIELD Nothing more needs to be said than Joe DiMaggio. He will be backed up by Any Pafko a great talent in his own right. The only drawback is the age of DiMaggio.RATING 5 RIGHTFIELD Both Vic Wertz and Tommy Holmes are excellent players and will contribute mightily to the Middle Georgia pennant hopes. Wertz could become an excellent power hitter because of the short distance to the right field fence at the Stadium.RATING 4 Overall this is one of the better teams in the league. They have the potential for winning 59% of their games this year. They will probably win 88 to 92 games this year. TOTAL RATING 45 Walla Walla Sweets Comisky Park The Sweets will have an excellent team this year. They have all the potential for upsetting the Moundmen and claiming the first McGraw Division Pennant. They begin this season with great pitching, hitting and fielding. OFFENSE This is a solid offensive team lead by Rosen, Boone, Torgeson, Groth, Westrum and Schoendienst. They will hit for average and some power. RATING 4 PITCHING This staff is solid and claims many good arms. Led by Simmons, Brazle, Minner and Staley they have the potential of being an outstanding staff. They will be able to pitch quality lefthanders in Yankee Stadium which should help them as they try to overtake the Moundmen. RATING 4 DEFENSE This is a solid if not outstanding defense team. Their infield is an excellent core of defense players with solid catching and good if not great outfielders.RATING 4 CATCHING Wes Westrum will carry most of the load for the Sweets. He is an outstanding defense player along with being a good solid clutch hitter. He will be backed up by Astroth and Silvestri. RATING 4. FIRST BASE Is cared for by Earl Torgeson an excellent fielder and a good quality hitter. RATING 4 SECOND BASE The good switch hitting and fielding of Red Schoendienst will give the Sweets adequate coverage at this position. RATING 3 THIRD BASE Al Rosen is probably the best player that the Sweets have. He is an outstanding power hitter as well as a quality defensive player. He is dependable and will produce for the Sweets in a big way. RATING 4 SHORTSTOP Ray Boone is another solid player for this team. Along with Rosen, they probably rate as the best left-side of the infield of any team in the league. RATING 5 LEFTFIELD Gil Coan is somewhat unknown, but he is a solid player that will also contribute to the Sweets pennant hopes. RATING 4 CENTERFIELD John Groth will handle the centerfield responsibilities. He also is somewhat unknown, but is a solid all-around player. RATING 4 RIGHTFIELD A number of players will attempt to be the regular left fielder, with John Wyrostek probably ending up carrying most of the load. He will be backed-up by Clyde Vollmer and Hal Jeffcoat. RATING 4 The Sweets have a really solid chance of being one of the better teams in the McGraw division. They will probably win 54% of their games, ending up with between 81 and 86 wins this year. TOTAL RATING 44 Gas City Blue Flames Sportsman's Park The Blue Flames will have outstanding hitting and defense, but will be only average with their pitching. OFFENSE This team has outstanding players such as Roy Campanella, Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Thomson, Hank Bauer, Luke Easter and Eddie Stanky. They will be one of the best overall hitting teams this year. They will often and they will also hit for power. RATING 5 PITCHING This is a staff with good pitchers, but not with the total quality of some of the other teams. The Blue Flames will be led by excellent quality pitchers including Sain, Brissie, and Raffensberger. After that there are a lot of question marks as to what the rest of the staff might produce. This staff might be involved in a lot of high scoring games. RATING 3 DEFENSE This is the best defensive team in the McGraw division and they could possibly be the best in the whole league. There are good quality and excellent skill through each and every defensive position on the field.RATING 5 CATCHING Roy Campanella is one of the best all-around catchers in baseball. He is an excellent power hitter with great defensive tools behind the plate. He has excellent support from Rosar and Garagolia.RATING 4 FIRST BASE Luke Easter is a very strong power-hitting first baseman. He will help this outstanding offense to score a whole lot of runs. RATING 4 SECOND BASE The little man who plays with a big heart is Eddie Stanky. He will drive you nuts as he helps to keep the Blue Flames opponents off stride. Stanky will be backed up by Danny Murtaugh an excellent ballplayer. RATING 4 THIRD BASE This is a real question mark for this team. Bill Johnson is a very good player, but he has limited playing appearances. Lenhardt and Gustine are unproven and will have to play above their abilities. RATING 1 SHORTSTOP Another player, short in height, but tall in talent, is the Blue Flame shortstop Phil Rizzuto. He will cover everything between his position and the third base foul line. He will also drive the Blue Flames opponents crazy with his bunting ability. A great player who will make many important contributions to his team.RATING 4 LEFT FIELD There are a lot of quality players for this position. Dick Sisler will probably start, with Ostrowski and Lenhardt adding some quality appearances at this position. RATING 4 CENTERFIELD The graceful Bobby Thomson will play an excellent centerfield. Thomson is a great clutch hitter and will cover a lot of ground in center. RATING 2 RIGHTFIELD Hank Bauer will hammer out a lot of hits and will play an excellent defensive right field. He is a quality player that will add a lot more punch to this already strong team.RATING 4 Overall the Blue Flames have the potential for winning 55% of their games. They will probably win between 83-86 games this year. Their hitting will carry them and the key to a championship is whether the pitching can provide enough quality to win. TOTAL RATING 40 Sacramento Swedes Briggs Stadium This is a good team with a lot of potential, but also with a lot of question marks. Their pitching is very strong with question marks about their offense and defense. OFFENSE This offense probably ranks at about the fifth best in the league. They have power and some good contact hitters, but consistency will determine how well this team performs. The Swedes will be led by Snider, Hopp, Glaviano, and Fox. But along with these outstanding players there are some real questions concerning some of the other positions. RATING 3 PITCHING This is one of the biggest strengths for the Swedes. Quality pitchers like Hearn, Raschi, Reynolds, Rush, Shantz, Heintzelman and McDermott will keep them in many of their games. RATING 4 DEFENSE They are basically an average defensive team with some outstanding performers, and some others that are unknowns. RATING 3 CATCHER Pramesa and Tebbetts will share the responsibility for the catching duties of this team. Both are underrated, but they are quality players and will perform well for the Swedes this season.RATING 4 FIRST BASE Johnny Hopp is a quality player and will receive excellent backup from Phillips and Bilko. Hopp is a quality hitter and will be found in the Swede's lineup either at first base or in the outfield. RATING 2 SECOND BASE Nelson Fox is a wonderful player who will be a real spark plug for this team. A pesky hitter and a wonderful defensive player, makes him a key contributor to the Swede's pennant drive this season. RATING 3 THIRD BASE Another position with basically unknown players, who have some excellent skills. Tommy Glaviano will probably do the bulk of the work will help from Kazak, Sommers and Rigney. RATING 4 SHORTSTOP Eddie Joost will carry the load for the Swedes at this position. He is a good player with average skills.RATING 1 LEFTFIELD Dick Kokos and Dale Mitchell provide some excellent abilities for this position. Both will make significant contributions for the Swedes this season. RATING 5 CENTERFIELD One of the greatest center fielders of the game is the "DUKE." Snider has the ability to carry this team on his back and could very well be the key player that leads them to many victories this year. RATING 5 RIGHTFIELD This is a real question mark for the Swedes. Mitchell or Kokos will play this position because of a lack of a really established star for the Swedes. RATING 3 Overall the Swedes will probably win 58% of their games gaining 84-89 wins this season. The pitching staff will carry the load and how far they go depends on how much of a load they can carry.TOTAL RATING 37 Dayton Rock Eyes Polo Grounds This is a team with some excellent players that may not have enough talent to compete with the other outstanding teams in the McGraw Division. With only average hitting and pitching the ability to compete for the top spot may not be a reality for Rock Eyes this season. OFFENSE This is a power laden team who does not have enough hitters who get on base before the big bombers. Gil Hodges, Willie Jones, Dark and Del Ennis will have a big load to carry for this team. RATING 2 PITCHING This staff has some quality pitchers like Roe, Lopat, Stobbs, and Schmitz, but they lack some real depth that they will need to compete in this division this year.RATING 2 DEFENSE This could turn out to be a real problem for the outfielders because of the vast area that must be covered in the Polo Grounds. More speed may have been the number one need that should have been fixed for this team to have a real chance at the top spot. The infield seems to be of a great quality, but the outfield seems to come up a little short of the quality needed to play well in the Polo Grounds. RATING 2 CATCHER Del Rice will handle the bulk of the catching with some excellent back up from Edwards and Howell. RATING 3 FIRST BASE The quality of Gil Hodges makes this a position that the Rock Eyes will not have to worry about. Hodges will provide clutch hitting and outstanding defense for them this year.RATING 4 SECOND BASE Roy Hartsfield will probably get the call for most of the playing time at second. He will be backed up by Mauch and Miksis. RATING 3 THIRD BASE Willie Jones is also a quality player with excellent power, but just average speed and defensive ability. RATING 3 SHORTSTOP Alvin Dark is also one of the best shortstops in baseball. He will do a great job and will lead the team in clutch hits and game winning hits. RATING 4 LEFTFIELD The outfield will be a question mark for the Rock Eyes all year. Whitman and Bell, Mele, or Ennis will play at this position. RATING 2 CENTERFIELD Ray Coleman is not a household name, but he will do a good job for the Rock Eyes at this position. RATING 3 RIGHTFIELD One of the better right fielders in game today is Del Ennis. He will be a key leader and play this position very well this season. RATING 3 Overall the Rock Eyes will win about 45% of their games this year. They will win somewhere between 67-75 games. A number of things would have to break right for this team to make a real run at the title this year. TOTAL RATING 31 Leconte Lookouts Griffith Stadium This is a team that could go either way. Their pitching could be strong enough to provide them with a number of wins, or their weak hitting could cost them a number of wins. Only the season itself will solve the mystery of how well this team will do. OFFENSE This is one of the lowest rated offenses in the league. They have little power and just average to good hitters. Led by Lockman, Reese and Hegan and Chapman they will struggle to score a lot of runs. RATING 1 PITCHING This is a pitching staff with some excellent potential, but they might struggle because of a lack of run support. Led by Wynn, Roberts and Kellner they could be an excellent unit. But they lack depth throughout the staff and that might hurt them in the end. RATING 3 DEFENSE This is one of the team's strengths having probably the second best defense in the McGraw Division. This team is led by Hegan, Cox, Reese, Lockman and Kolloway.RATING 4 CATCHER The Lookouts will have Jim Hegan and Joe Tipton to handle the catching duties. Hegan is a great defensive catcher with average batting skills. RATING 3 FIRST BASE Don Kolloway is an excellent first baseman with help from Hank Arft. This combination provides the Lookouts with a top tandem of players. RATING 4 SECOND BASE Connie Ryan and John Berardino will help to provide excellent coverage for this position for the Lookouts. They have the ability to make some really positive contributions for this team. RATING 4 THIRD BASE Billy Cox may be one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. His only problem is a lack of consistent hitting. He will have Bobby Morgan to provide backup. RATING 3 SHORTSTOP One of the great players at this position is Pee Wee Reese. He also will provide some clutch hitting as well as outstanding defense. Bobby Morgan will also back up Reese.RATING 5 LEFTFIELD Whitey Lockman is an underrated player with excellent abilities. He could provide some excellent hitting for a team that needs all it can get. McCosky and future star Jensen will provide backup for this position. RATING 2 CENTERFIELD Sam Chapman and Dave Philley will share time in centerfield. They will provide just average coverage for this key position. RATING 2 RIGHTFIELD Mike McCormick, Adams and Mullin will share some time in right field. They also will only provide adequately for this position. RATING 1 Overall this team has some quality pitching, and infielders. But the outfield is weak and will probably cost this team a real chance to make a run for the pennant. The Lookouts will probably only win 42% of their games. They will win between 62-70 games. TOTAL RATING 32 Mawaga Mohawks Sportsman's Park This is a team that could very well end up with the worst record in the league. They are consistently last in each evaluated category. This then means it will be a long time until next year. OFFENSE The offense is rated last in the McGraw Division with little power and consistency. Led by Fain, Yost, Woodling and Sievers it could be a long year. RATING 1 PITCHING After you get by Ford there are a lot of names but very little quality. It will be hard for this team to have the consistency they need to really compete for the pennant.RATING 1 DEFENSE This may be the one strength they have on this team. RATING 2 CATCHER Clyde McCullough and Al Evans will share this responsibility for the Mohawks. RATING 2 FIRST BASE Ferris Fain is a quality player that will probably have to carry a lot of the offensive responsibilities for this team.RATING 2 SECOND BASE Cass Michaels will handle most of the responsibilities for this position. Dente and Sisti will provide good backup for Michaels. RATING 2 THIRD BASE Eddie Yost will lead the league in walks and will be on base hoping someone can pick him up. Sisti and Jorgensen will play also. RATING 3 SHORTSTOP Sam Dente will just do an average job for the Mohawks this year. He will be backed up by Sisti. RATING 2 LEFTFIELD Gene Woodling and Johnny Lindell will play in leftfield. Woodling is an excellent player but does not have the needed power to carry this team. RATING 2 CENTERFIELD This will be an interesting call as to who winds up in center. The depth chart has very little hope for this position. RATING 1 RIGHTFIELD Sievers, Wood and Marshall will compete for playing time. They are all below average players and so they will provide little help from this position. RATING 2 Overall the Mohawks will probably win only 36% of their games. They will claim between 54-60 wins this season. This could be a long year but the potential is that they have a leg up on the Mays and mantle sweepstakes for next year. TOTAL RATING 20 So as we look at the ratings here is the summary 45 and over Championship caliber Middle Georgia Moundmen 45 40 and over Definite contender Walla Walla Sweet 44 Gas City Blue Flames 40 35 and over Solid but some questions Sacramento Swedes 37 30 and over Longshot too many holes Leconte Lookouts 32 Dayton Rock Eyes 31 25 and down Major rebuilding project Mawaga Mohawks 20 THE CONNIE MACK DIVISON By John Laburda There are so many "What if's" in this division, I anticipate a serious cat fight for both the playoff positions and the title. Managing skill should have a significant effect , since many of these teams are comparable in overall talent. There appears to be no truth to the rumor that the league champion will be given a new DeSoto, however. MARLBORO MEN - The pick of the litter, so to speak, in a very tight division. In terms of overall offense, they are neck-and-neck with the Navigators with the Paparazzi not far behind. The MM's, however, have a slightly better running game than the other two, and for that reason I give them the nod for the #1 spot. Braves Field is a pitcher's park, and the Men have (again, with the Navigators) the most talented staff. Middle infield defense (Coleman can field, but doesn't have range - Carrasquel is just the opposite) is just average, and the bullpen depth could be a problem if the starting pitching should falter. The near future looks acceptable if not overwhelming, except for the infield (other than Kell). WOODS HOLE NAVIGATORS - Like the Men, this is a team whose power could be a bit blunted by playing in a pitcher's park, but the effect will be the same on the opposition. That should be in the Navs favor, with their strong pitching staff. The bullpen shows average depth, the defense is adequate, with the possible exception of Big Klu. The outfield arms are below average as a group, and the opposition should be able to run on the Nav catchers (but this is 1950, so it's less of a problem). I like their chances in a short playoff series with Marlboro. Pitching and catching look good for the next few years, other areas will need to be addressed. MONTREAL BARREL - Just a tick below the MM's and Navs, both in pitching and offense, this is a prime "what if" team. It would not take a great deal of overachieving on the part of Montreal to be right there at the end. Their running game is the only one in the division equal to the Men. Overall they do not have the power pitching of the other two teams, but their bullpen is deeper, led by Konstanty. Their catchers are a defensive liability, middle infield is just average, but the outfield could be strong depending on who gets playing time. Musial and Hank Thompson should have lots of fun hitting in Crosley Field. Pitching and outfield will be solid for the next few years. HOLLYWOOD PAPARAZZI - A good hitting team made better by playing in Wrigley Field, the Paps should rivals the Men and the Navigators in overall hitting stats, although they should strike out more. However, their starting pitching is not of the same caliber, and the bullpen is thin. The overall defense has no glaring holes, but outside of Danny O'Connell, no all-star defenders, either. Al Zarilla and Eddie Robinson should thrive in this environment. The future looks bright for the Fighting Fotographers, especially the pitching staff which looks better for 51. BROOKLYN GLADIATORS - Playing in The Mistake on The Lake should bring a big grin to Walt Dropo (if he doesn't freeze to death in April). If any of his Gladiator cohorts decide to join the power parade, this could become a dark horse team. Unfortunately what Municipal Stadium giveth in power, it taketh away in average, and this team is a bit strikeout prone. The pitching here is pretty decent, just a cut below the leaders, although the pen may get overworked. Crandall is solid behind the plate, the outfield is excellent defensively - the infield has great range but does make errors. The immediate future looks best at 2B and with the pitching staff. MISSOURI RED SOX - Boston would be thrilled to field a defensive team like this in Fenway. Sid Gordon and Jackie Robinson don't need any offensive help, but get it here (and Larry Doby can hit anywhere). Although not a big base stealing group, the Sox make pretty good contact.,Unfortunately, this is not a power pitcher group, and they will allow the opposition the same luxury. The defense will be tested quite often in a tough park to defend. Outside of a deficit at catcher, this is definitely a team to be watched in the next few years. MARTIAN ATOMIZERS - What can you say about a team that plays it's home games in gravity boots? Put Ebbetts Field on Mars - and you get Coors on fast-forward! The Atoms will hit a goodly number of dingers, but they strike out a lot. A bigger problem should be that their own staff will give up more than their share of big flies. Not bad defensively, but not a big running game nor flame throwers in the pen. The Martian outfield should be solid for the future, catching and the staff OK for the next few years.