New England League - Semi-pro League During The Early 1940s

Semi-pro League During The Early 1940s

The New England League was revived in May, 1941 as a semi-pro league with eight franchises. By semi-pro it meant players were paid for their services but usually maintained a "day job" and were free to cut their own deals. Many players were in the military assigned to nearby bases, including some major league players (often playing under an assumed name). Many players had professional experience but were 'back home' working defense jobs or coaching in academia. Football Hall of Famer/Major League umpire and NBA coach Hank Soar sometimes played for Pawtucket. Pawtucket's No. 1 pitcher in 1945 was "Ralph Wilson," in reality once and future Major league pitcher Randy Gumpert.

The teams in 1941 were the New Bedford (Massachusetts) Whalers, which relocated to Cranston, Rhode Island on July 31 (no known team name), Pawtucket (Rhode Island) Slaters, Lynn (Massachusetts) Frasers, Worcester (Massachusetts) Nortons, Woonsocket (Rhode Island) Marquettes, Quincy (Massachusetts) Shipbuilders, Fall River (Massachusetts), and Manchester (New Hampshire) Dexters. Pawtucket won the championship.

1942 saw seven teams take the field but one, the Fitchburg Blue Sox, dropped out early in the season. Pawtucket, Lynn, Manchester, Worcester, Quincy and Woonsocket all returned and Pawtucket again won the championship in October when the best-of-7 series against Manchester was halted after five games due to poor weather. In the middle of the championship series the Slaters hosted a game against the Boston Red Sox in front of over 9,000 fans.

Pawtucket played their first game at the new Pawtucket Stadium (now McCoy Stadium) on July 5 against Lynn with over 6,000 fans in attendance. However, being the first game in a new stadium is only part of the story that night. The previous game against Lynn, a week earlier in Pawtucket at their former Armistice Blvd field, erupted into a players brawl that spilled over into the stands and involved fans and the police. The first game at the new stadium was anticipated as being Round 2! Prior to the game that night the Slaters had played a day game in Woonsocket.

By 1943, with the war affecting life in general, the League operated with just four teams. Pawtucket, Woonsocket and Quincy were back and joined by the Providence Frigates of Cranston. However, having fewer teams did not make for a dull season. From 1941 to 1945 the member teams always played other teams in addition to League teams. Major League teams, Negro League teams, famous barnstorming teams and military teams with many major league players all found their way into New England League ballparks. For example, Pawtucket, with once and future major league players such as Danny MacFayden, Bob Whitcher, Ted Olson and Ed Murphy, hosted the Philadelphia Phillies (actually Blue Jays at the time), Boston Braves, New York Black Yankees, and in other years teams such as the Havana All-Stars, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston Colored Giants, House of David and the Brooklyn Dodgers. And then there were the military teams they played both home and away: the Coast Guard All-Stars, Fort Devens, Camp Endicott Seabees, New London Coast Guard, Boston Coast Guard, New London Submariners and so on.

Providence, who defeated Pawtucket for the championship in 1943, changed ballparks in 1944 moving from Cranston Stadium to Municipal Stadium in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Joining them were Pawtucket, Lynn, Woonsocket and Quincy. Lynn bested Pawtucket 3 games to 2 for the 1944 championship.

In 1945 Cranston returned to the fold joining Pawtucket and Lynn, the return of the Worcester Nortons and two new teams: the New London Diesels and the Lawrence Millionaires.

The Cranston Firesafes defeated Pawtucket for the championship, 4 games to 1.