BaseballWorld War II Chronicle

World War II Chronicle: July 3, 1941

Chris Carter

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George Fielding Eliot column on page nine… Sports section begins on page 10… Grantland Rice column on page 11… Bobo Newsom and Van Lingle Mungo grew up next to each other in South Carolina before becoming big leaguers and they are discussed on page 13. Newsom won two games for the Tigers in the 1940 World Series, but has led the American League in losses four times during his career, losing 20 games in three seasons. Few players will bounce around more in their career than Newsom, who plays for nine clubs in his 20 years. His transactions:

  • 1929: Purchased by the Brooklyn Robins1 from the South Atlantic League’s Macon Peaches
  • April 1931: Purchased by the American Association’s Kansas City Blues from the Robins
  • Sept. 1931: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft from the Southern Association’s Little Rock Travelers
  • Oct. 1933: Drafted by the St. Louis Browns from the Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft
  • May 1935: Purchased by the Washington Senators from the Browns
  • June 1937: Traded by Washington along with Ben Chapman to the Boston Red Sox for Mel Almada, Rick Ferrell, and Wes Ferrell2
  • Dec. 1937: Traded by the Red Sox with Red Kress and Buster Mills to the Browns for Joe Vosmik
  • May 1939: Traded by the Browns with Beau Bell, Red Kress and Jim Walkup to the Detroit Tigers for Mark Christman, George Gill, Bob Harris, Vern Kennedy, Chet Laabs and Roxie Lawson
  • March 1942: Purchased by the Senators from Detroit
  • Aug. 1942: Purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Senators
  • July 1943: Traded by Brooklyn to the Browns for Archie McKain and Fritz Ostermueller
  • Aug. 1943: Brooklyn buys him back from the Browns
  • Dec. 1943: Traded by Washington to the Philadelphia Athletics for Roger Wolff
  • June 1946: Released by the Athletics
  • June 1946: Signed as a free agent by Washington
  • July 1947: Purchased by the New York Yankees from Washington
  • Feb. 1948: Released by the Yankees
  • April 1948: Signed as a free agent by the New York Giants
  • June 1948: Released by the Giants
  • April 1949: Signed as a free agent by Washington
  • June 1949: Released by Washington
  • June 1952: Signed as a free agent by the Athletics
  • Nov. 1953: Released by the Athletics
Newsom won 30 games for the Pacific Coast League’s Los Angeles Angels (the Cubs’ AA affiliate) in 1933

Both ballplayers will be named to four All-Star teams. Mungo will spend the 1944 season in the Army, but doesn’t leave the States and is medically discharged.

1: Brooklyn has gone by many names: the Superbas (1899-1910), Trolley Dodgers (1911-12), the Dodgers (1913), Robins (1914-31), then back to the Dodgers. 19th Century nicknames include the Athletics, Bridegrooms, Grooms, and Grays.
2: Rick and Wes Ferrell are brothers. Rick is inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

Evening star. (Washington, D.C.), 3 July 1941. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1941-07-03/ed-1/

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