Sporting Justice by Miriam Wright

Author:Miriam Wright [Wright, Miriam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Published: 2023-08-21T20:00:00+00:00

Challenging the Ontario Baseball Association

Despite the setbacks with the Chatham Industrial Baseball League, the All-Stars gained new energy as they turned to the OBA playoffs. In late August, they met Tilbury Motors for their five-game series to decide which team would advance to the OBA playoff round. An article in the Chatham Daily News claimed that the All-Stars were playing better than they had all season.57 The All-Stars’ series with Tilbury was well-matched. The series went to five games, with the All-Stars finally taking the Kent County Baseball League Intermediate A championship.58 As the All-Stars advanced to the OBA playoffs, the author of a Chatham Daily News article on the team was optimistic about their chances, claiming that “the Stars have been playing smart baseball lately and deserve encouragement in their effort to go places along the O.B.A. championship trail.”59 When the All-Stars entered the OBA playoffs, they quickly defeated Leamington and LaSalle in two games straight.60 As the playoffs advanced, both Shognosh and Chase performed well on the mound. Cartier remarked after a game with LaSalle, “If Shaugnosh [sic] can toss a few more games like he did Sunday and if Chase can remain anywhere close to recent form, the Stars’ chances in O.B.A. will rocket to a new high…”61

When the All-Stars reached the OBA semi-finals with Aylmer, Ontario, they faced what could have been their biggest challenge of the playoffs. The Aylmer Laundrymen were the defending Intermediate A champions, and anticipation was high. Len Harding, however, was confident when he spoke to the press before the series, saying he was starting Chase on the mound.62 He claimed, “The big fellow has been plenty hot in our recent playoffs and we’re sure he can take care of Aylmer. All the boys are in good condition and ready for their toughest opponents of the season.” The All-Stars ended up taking the series in two close games. In the first, which the All-Stars took 7–6, the reporter covering the game commended Chase for “pitching his head off” and getting the game’s first home run.63 In the second game with Aylmer, the Chatham Daily News claimed, “Something heroic happened in practically every inning.”64 The reporter was speaking to the umpires who claimed the game was “the classiest Intermediate A baseball performance they had seen in years.” The All-Stars were looking strong as they prepared for their final series against the Meaford Knights. In fact, Cartier predicted the All-Stars would ultimately take the championship as, “Few rate the Northern representatives as strong as Aylmer.”65

Fig. 8.2 • The registration sheet for the OBA playoffs for 1939 (note: “1935” was written on the document, but the list is for 1939). All teams entering the OBA playoffs had to get names and signatures of players who would take part in the playoffs. Not all players on the list would attend every game, but they had to be on the list to be eligible to play. Several players on this list, including Bill Henson, Andy Harding, and Gerald Browning were also members of the Junior team, the Red Sox.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.