Flashback Friday: 1966 Second Half Preview

The 1966 Appleton Foxes were in their first season as an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The partnership began with a bang as the Foxes went 42-19 to clinch a playoff spot. They finished 4-1/2 games in front of Burlington to win the first half pennant.

John L. Paustian took a look the players on that team as the Foxes prepared for the second half of the season. This article appeared in the June 26, 1966 edition of The Sunday Post-Crescent.

Abarbanel Is Not a Headache Remedy!

Abarbanel sounds more like a headache remedy than a fast-rising young baseball player.

The truth of the matter, though, is that Mickey Abarbanel is in the business of giving batters headaches - not curing them.

And the young (20) left-hander is highly skilled at his art - in fact, one of the best propellers of a baseball that the Fox Cities Foxes have had in their 9-year history.

A few days before the 1966 Midwest League season started, Foxes manager Stan Wasiak put Abarbanel on the spot by referring to him as "My Sandy Koufax." Thus far, Abarbanel has been matching Koufax in about everything, except salary.

The 6-foot rookie leads the league in strikeouts with a sizzling pace of more than 1-1/2whiffs per inning (1.6, to be exact) and has been among the ML's leaders in victories and earned-run average. He has fanned almost four times as many as he has walked.

Abarbanel, according to Wasiak, throws just as hard as Koufax but lacks Sandy's experience.

Pennant Fever

Abarbanel gave Foxes' fans their first attack of pennant fever on the season's opening day - when he stopped Decatur - and neither his momentum nor the team's was slowed as Fox Cities led the way through practically all the first half of the split season.

Today, all ML clubs start even again. The Foxes will begin their quest of the second-round title at Goodland Field against Burlington, the 1965 champion.

Abarbanel may or may not eventually shine with the super-star magnitude of Koufax, but he' probably settle for being a successor to one of the outstanding southpaws that have dotted the roster of the parent Chicago White Sox through the years. They include Thornton Lee, Billy Pierce, Juan Pizzaro, and Gary Peters.

However, Abarbanel knows that before he can aspire to the "big time," he will have to continue to impress in his apprenticeship on the Class A level. Thus far, he's been doing it with an uncommon zeal, matching or exceeding the feats of such former Fox Cities southpaw starters as Pat Gillick, Henry King, and Dave McNally.

When Abarbanel held Wisconsin Rapids hitless May 28, he became the first Foxes pitcher ever to turn in a 9-inning no-hitter. Emmanuel Fitzgerald authored a previous Foxes no-hitter - but that game went for only seven innings.

Unlike the lamentable situation cited in a familiar beverage jingle, the Foxes "are not out of pitching when they're out of Abarbanel." Wasiak can turn, with confidence, to Fred Rath and Steve Kokor - the right-handed rookie counterparts to Abarbanel - or to experienced southpaws Andy Rubilotta and Jerry Nyman, or, of course to the crafty, and ever-reliable reliever, Willie Hooker.

The entire staff, in fact, has been so efficient in stifling the opposition that anyone with an ERA of more than 2.00 has been in danger of being drummed out of the mound corps. The staff's ERA for the first 315 innings of the season was a spectacular composite of 1.91. If that pace is continued, the all-time ML record of 2.65 (set by Burlington last year) will be shattered.

The 1966 torandic trio is reminiscent of the Foxes' rookie crop of 1960 when such pitchers as Dean Chance and Arne Thorsland were on the firing line. Rath, Kokor, and Abarbanel all have good control to go along with their speed and sharp curves.

Through the first seven weeks of the season, each of the trio had lost only one decision, and their combined record was 22-3. The club's single-season victory record (14 by Tim Sommer in 1964) is, needless to say, in danger.

Rath knocked on the door to the hall of fame before Abarbanel - in fact, he had the door pushed nearly open. But Quad Cities spoiled his no-hit bid with two out in the ninth.

Rath worked 38 innings in the Florida Rookie League in 1965, and his record (2-2) and ERA (5.68) didn't begin to measure up to the fast pace he's setting this year.

The 22-year old Rath, a powerfully-built (6-3, 198) athlete played baseball for Baylor University and also captained the Bears' track team. The little Rock, Ark. native has had a 1-year Marine Corps sting.

Rath is understandably proud of his hitting and his bat - which beat out a near-.400 tattoo for most of the first-round play - has helped the Foxes' cause considerably.

Kokor, just as tall as Rath but not quite as husky (at 180) hailed from the California town that Jack Benny spiffed for years - Cucamonga. Batters, however, have found nothing funny in the way he fires a baseball.

Kokor, who is only 19, pitched for the 1964 national champions of American Legion ball. He has been averaging nearly a strikeout an inning and has about a 2-to-1 ratio between strikeouts and walks.

Abarbanel once struck out 22 men in a game while pitching for Monmouth College, in New Jersey, and he was given All-American team listing. He still attends Monmouth in the off-season.

Other rookie pitchers who have been part of the Foxes' pennant push are Greg Bennett, Larry Frasier and Tim McLain (now on the disabled list).

Pitching excellence on a White Sox farm club should be no great surprise since hurling has been the parent team's long suit for years.

But, the Chisox are naturally casting anxious eyes to their farm system for some sign of hitters that could, in the near future, beef up their woefully weak offense.

Jones Pace-Setter

Thus far, Foxes' batting pace-setters have been the veteran star, "Deacon" Jones, who is a player-coach; and Bill Melton, who is making a robust comeback after a .196 season in the Florida State League last year.

The Foxes have three rookies - Jim Maness, Jay Peterson, and Al Kristowski - who have teamed with first-baseman Jones in the infield and have shown some hitting potential. The 21-year old Maness played 46 games in the Florida Rookie League last season by still qualifies for the "rookie" label. The 6-foot Maywood, Ill. resident was named the all-star shortstop in Florida last season but has played third base primarily with the Foxes.

Petersen, who has just turned 23, is a University of Iowa baseball product. Listed as a third baseman, Petersen got a chance to play shortstop for the Foxes quite by accident and became an overnight hit at that position. He has the strongest arm of a number of players Wasiak has tried there. Petersen led the ML in the runs-batted-in column in the early weeks of the season.

The 5-9 Kristowski, besides carrying an effective glove at second base, has proved to be one of the best leadoff men in the circuit. The 22-year-old Kristowski lives in South Bend, Ind.

Thus far, Ron Lolich's main claim to fame is that he is the cousin of Detroit pitcher Mickey Lolich. But, the White Sox have hopes that the lefty (6-1, 200 pounds) outfielder will make a name for himself. Only 19, Lolich lives in Portland, Ore.

A speedy rookie outfielder, Tom Cottrell, was also a Foxes regular until an injury sidelined him. While playing for San Fernando Valley State College in 1964, he had five home runs in a 6-game span and was third in the nation with nine homers for the season.

Other rookies on the Foxes roster include utility players Doug Adams and Al Fitzmorris, who have played key roles at a number of positions in a number of games.

NOTES:

The 1966 Foxes wound up the season with a 2.56ERA. The record ERA of 2.65 wasn't quite "shattered", but it was more than enough.

The Foxes won the1966 MWL All-Star game over a squad of Midwest League All-Stars on July 18 at Goodland Field by a score of 1-0.

The Foxes also won the 1966 pennant. They defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels in Game Three of a best-of-three Championship Series.