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02-16-2024, 01:38 PM
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#881 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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February 20, 1950
 FEBRUARY 20, 1950  SAWYER STARTS NEW DECADE WITH EARLY KNOCKOUT OF BUDGEFORD Keystone Arena, Philadelphia, Pa. Saturday, February 18 - How many more times will Hector Sawyer climb inside the ropes? It is becoming increasingly likely that Sawyer will retire a champion. No one in this country or any other has proven an opponent worthy of the belt. Sawyer may still be willing to fight because he honors the history and the integrity of the championship belt. If he were to retire, the title would be vacant and there is no doubt to this intrepid reporter that the belt would change hands to someone less worthy to be called the Heavyweight Champion of the World. It is not for a lack of looking on Sawyer’s part. Sawyer has obliged all combatants. He traveled to Europe to find a worthy adversary only to return to America unblemished and unabashedly still the foremost pugilist on the globe. In the ten years since Sawyer first held the belt over his head in triumph, he has had 14 consecutive successful title defenses. Sawyer is as dominant as any fighter in boxing history, which makes me wonder how many more times Sawyer will fight and also, what more does he have to prove? Sawyer’s opponent, Ben Budgeford, is an Englishman who attended the champion’s fight against Grant Knowles. The Sawyer-Knowles fight went four rounds, which was the length that was talked about as the upper limit for this bout. Budgeford was not thought of as highly as Knowles was heading into that fight. Budgeford has less experience with 14 fewer fights under his belt than Knowles had leading into that 1948 contest. Budgeford was a little green and a veteran fighter should be able to pick him apart. But someone of Sawyer’s ilk? Someone like Sawyer should devastate the challenger. Perhaps it was a mix of Budgeford’s yearning to make his mark while he was upright and part of it might be Sawyer’s veteran’s instinct to pace himself and settle into the fight, but Budgeford dominated the opening round. Budgeford led off the tilt with a straight right to Sawyer’s midsection that seemed to rob the air from his lungs before doubling up on his target with his crushing hook, which was his meal ticket. Sawyer did not mount any kind of rebuttal for the rest of the round and Budgeford clearly won the round. The time in between Round 1 and Round 2 was probably the time when Budgeford should have realized that Sawyer was going to come at him in the next round. Instead, Budgeford tried hard to suppress the smile on his face, almost like the fight was over. He did not notice Sawyer on his stool in his corner. As his trainer shouted instructions – instructions Sawyer already knew – Sawyer glared at Budgeford, never breaking his gaze until the bell rang to start the second round. Sawyer charged Budgeford on offense and looked to control the fight. A quick jab opened the scoring, and aslo opened a cut above Budgeford’s left eye. The round was paused while the physician performed a quick inspection, but the action soon continued. Sawyer did not let up, following his blood-letting jab with an effective uppercut and a cross as Sawyer worked upstairs. Budgeford suddenly found himself against the ropes and taking heavy fire from the champion and while any impairment to his vision did not seem to be a factor, it was not a certainty. He managed to stay on his feet, but just barely at times, as the second round belonged to Sawyer. While the break after the first round seemed to revitalize Sawyer, the break after the second round seemed to rattle Budgeford. Of course, not only does Budgeford have a lot less experience in the ring than Sawyer, but he was also staring down the barrel of the lethal weapons wielded by The Cajun Crusher. Any man would have a lump in his throat in that situation. Sawyer, free of any cobwebs from the opening round and with the momentum in the last round, started the third with the same strategy, which was making a beeline for Budgeford. As though he was standing still, Sawyer unleashed an uppercut that sent Budgeford backward. Sawyer, a man with 55 knockouts to his credit, knows how to finish off an opponent and he was clearly going into close-out mode. Budgeford suffered a rabbit punch from Sawyer, which seemed to be accidental, and referee Tony Weeks paused to admonish Sawyer. The champion would not have cause to purposely go outside the rules and did not want to give Budgeford a chance to collect himself. Once Budgeford did regain his composure, he tried to corner Sawyer, which turned out to be the wrong move. Sawyer was ready to weave his way out of any trouble and back on the offensive with a quick wiggle of his hips. Suddenly, Budgeford was cornered. Sawyer laid a thunderous hook to Budgeford’s jaw, a right that hit Budgeford right on the button and a combination that sent Budgeford reeling to the floor. No one likely could have withstood that barrage and continued. As referee Weeks counted, Sawyer looked out to the crowd. One could not tell if he was savoring the final moments of his time in the sun or if he was finding nourishment to continue his uncharted championship run into the ‘50s. It was over at 2:34 of the third round. Sawyer’s fifteenth title defense was a successful one, producing his 56th knockout and running his amazing record to 63-3-1. He stands alone again atop the boxing world. No impending challengers, no other claims to the title, his work was neat and tidy, all wrapped up in a bow. Budgeford (21-2-0) may return to Great Britain with his tail between his legs, but he took the challenge and there is valor in that. When Sawyer retires, who knows where the title shots will come from. Budgeford might be young enough to get another shot someday and he learned some valuable lessons. One round does not make a fight. A boxer should never, ever take your opponent for granted. And, one final lesson that would be valuable for any opponent of The Cajun Crusher, never doubt the heart of a champion. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: Budgeford, 3-0 (0:11 right/midsection, 0:34 hook/midsection, 1:07 right) Round 2: Sawyer, 3-0 (0:17 jab/left eye, 0:38 uppercut, 1:13 cross/face) Round 3: Sawyer, 6-0 (0:11 uppercut/head, 0:57 left hook/body, 1:11 cross, 2:11 hook/jaw, 2:25 right/chin, 2:34 combo/knockout) TOTAL: Sawyer 9, Budgeford 3  RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
  SHAMROCKS TAKE OVER NAHC LEAD The New York Shamrocks finished last in the six team NAHC a year ago and have not finished higher than fourth place in over a decade but with only 20% of the current season remaining to be played the Shamrocks are surprisingly the class of the NAHC after taking a 1-point lead on Toronto over the weekend by beating the two-time defending Challenge Cup champions 4-1 last night. The last time the Shamrocks finished first was back in 1934-35 when the loop had eight teams and they were in the old American Division. The 1940s have been tough on a New York squad that has failed to surpass the breakeven mark in any season with their best showing of the decade being a 19-19-10 finish in 1941-42. The Shamrocks did make a surprising playoff run two years ago when they knocked off Chicago in the semi-finals but fell in six games to the Dukes in the finals. That win over the Packers was the only playoff series the Shamrocks have won in 14 years. Reaching the playoffs seems a certainty this season but New York has its eyes on a Challenge Cup win, something the Shamrocks have not enjoyed since the spring of 1932. Defense and goaltending have been the strong suits in New York but an outstanding season from veteran center Orval Cabbell (17-41-58) has also helped. The defensive zone success comes as a surprise after the Shamrocks dealt all-star defenseman Bert McColley to Chicago over the summer but the development of 23-year-old Robert Sharpley and the veteran presence of Jerry Finch, who came over from the Packers in the McColley trade, has more than filled the gap left by McColley's departure. Add in the goaltending of 24-year-old Alex Sorrell, who has wrestled the starting job away from Etienne Tremblay with his terrific play, and you have a recipe for success - something not seen on the Bigsby Garden ice in many years. At the other end of the standings sit the struggling Boston Bees, who have lost four straight and only have one victory to show for their last eight games. Injuries have stung the Bees all season long with the latest being the loss of Tommy Hart for the season. the 32-year-old former McDaniels Trophy winner is done for the season after an elbow injury last week. It has been a trying season for the veteran winger, who had just 9 goals and 27 points in 43 games after being among the league leaders with 27 goals and 58 points a year ago. Hart's longtime linemate Wilbur Chandler, who remains the Bees leading scorer this season, went down a couple of weeks ago with a fractured jaw but is said to be recovering ahead of schedule and may return to the lineup before the season concludes.  NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK WEDESDAY FEBRUARY 15 Chicago 2 at Detroit 2: Rookie defenseman Tyson Beddoes scored both Detroit goals as the Motors skated to a 2-2 tie with the Chicago packers. Marty Mahoney, with his 20th of the campaign, and Moose Vezina where the Chicago lamplighters. New York 4 at Boston 1: The Shamrocks have just one loss in their last eleven games and moved to within a point of first place Toronto with a 4-1 road win in Boston. Third period goals from Geoff Hartnell and Orval Cabbell sealed the win after Rusty Mullins and Jim Macek scored for the Shamrocks in the opening frame, in answer to Jacob Gron's early goal which was the only one of 27 Bees shot to elude Greenshirts goaltender Alex Sorrell. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16 Montreal 4 at Toronto 2: The Valiants won their fourth in a row and beat Jack Barrell's Dukes for the second time in less than a week. Clarence Skinner scored twice as the Vals opened up a 4-0 lead and held on for the victory. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18 Montreal 0 at New York 4: The two hottest teams in the league of late met at Bigsby Garden and it was the hosts who kept their run of success going with a 4-0 victory keyed by a 21-save shutout from Alex Sorrell. Alexandre Lapalme scored a pair of the New York goals with Geoff Hartnell adding a goal and an assist. Toronto 4 at Detroit 1: The Dukes managed to stay a point ahead of New York and in first place after a 4-1 win in the Motor City. Terry Russell got the call in net for Toronto and had a strong game for the victory with Les Carlson scoring his league leading 27th goal in the win. The Dukes withstood an early major penalty on Bobbie Sauer but learned afterwards that Sauer will miss 5 games after being suspended by the league. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19 Chicago 3 at Boston 2: A battle between the two clubs sitting outside of the playoffs at the moment went Chicago's way as Jarrett McGlynn, Marty Mahoney and Tommy Brescia scored for the Packers. Both Boston goals came in the third period, and both were off the sticks of defenseman with Bryant Williams and Les Bentley handling the scoring duties. Bentley's came with just over a minute left but even with goaltender Oscar James on the bench for an extra attacker, the Bees could not find the equalizer. New York 4 at Toronto 1: First place was on the line and the New York Shamrocks were on a mission to claim it as Rusty Mullins, Geoff Hartnell and Samuel Coates all scored in the first period to lead the Greenshirts to a 4-1 victory. New York has taken over first place, moving a point ahead of Toronto, after Trevor Parker was the only Dukes goal scorer in a game that saw Shamrocks netminder Alex Sorrell make 30 saves. The two clubs will face off again next weekend with a Saturday contest slated for Bigsby Garden. UPCOMING GAMES MONDAY FEBRUARY 20 Detroit at Montreal WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22 New York at Chicago Toronto at Boston THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 Chicago at New York Montreal at Detroit SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25 Montreal at Boston Toronto at New York SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 Chicago at Detroit New York at Boston  DUKES LEFT LOOKING UP AT SHAMROCKS Toronto falls from the lead in the NAHC after losses in 2 of 3 games played this week. The Valiants, who came into the game 9-4-4 since the calendar changed, provided the opposition Thursday night at Dominion Gardens. Toronto coach Jack Barrell decided to play a hunch by starting Terry Russell between pipes in back to back games for the first time this season. The hunch did not look good early on as Montreal scored just 92 seconds in when Paulie Mosca slammed home a loose puck in Russell's crease. Things did not get any better as Clarence Skinner made 2-0 only 88 seconds later. How dominate the Vals were in the first can be shown in one stat, they outshot Toronto in the first 24-1,. Observers from the press thought the top Barrell's was going to come off. Pat Coulter made three straight loose puck in the crease area goals at 13:15. The ice really did not require cleaning in the Montreal end between periods. For all intents and purposes Montreal salted the game away before the second period was a minute old when Skinner notched his 15th after he was left alone in the slot. Toronto did show a little more life in the last two periods giving Vals netminder Tom Brockers at least a little work to do firing 28 shots on goal. Philippe Dubois and Trevor Parker at least made the final score respectable at 4-2 with a pair of third period goals. Reporters were delayed over a half hour getting into the Dukes room for post game interviews as Barrell had plenty to say to his troops. The Dukes travelled to Detroit on Saturday after a spirited practice on Friday before boarding the train. The first period remained scoreless although not without drama. Barrell had a running dialogue with the ref after he called a 5 minute major on Bobbie Sauer early in the period for a high hit. The Dukes managed to kill the penalty thanks in large part to Terry Russell, making his third straight start, whose trapper robbed the Motors a number of times. Russell made a spectacular glove save on Nick Tardif who was looking at a wide-open net until Russell's glove shot out to trap the puck. In what turned out to be the turning point in the game Toronto lit the red light behind Chasse twice in 19 seconds in the middle of the second. Alex Cameron's 5th followed quickly by Clyde Lumsen made it 2-0 Dukes. Anthony Jacques cut the Toronto lead in half a short time later only to have the league's goal leader with 27, Les Carlson, restore the two goal lead at 13:54. Carlson's goal was a back breaker for Detroit as they never really threatened to get back into the game once Toronto tightened up defensively frustrating the Motors. Luke Brisebois scored early in the final frame for the only goal as the Dukes headed home for a show down against NY with a 4-1 victory. Sunday did not start well and did not get any better as the day went on. The Dukes received a message early from the league office that Bobbie Sauer had been suspended for 5 games as result of the early hit in Detroit. This seemed to affect all the players as they learned of the news when they came to the rink. Sauer's only comment was " I am stunned, the punishment certainly does not fit the crime. All I can do now is help the team in whatever way Coach Barrell deems until I can return to the lineup." Barrell would not comment pregame. The game was a key one, a showdown for first place with New York. It was the Shamrocks who were raring to go as they seemed to feast off Toronto's confusion effectively winning the game in the first by beating Gordie Broadway thrice on 20 shots. Goals by Rusty Mullins, Geoff Hartnell and Samuel Coates made 3-0 after one. Toronto fans had some measure of hope after Trevor Parker got the homeside on the board with his 11th goal of the season in the second period. This brief spurt of energy was all the confused Dukes could muster for the game. Shamrocks center Orval Cabell, who is second in points with 58 this season, scored his 4th goal while up a man to make the final 4-1 and advance the Shamrocks to first place, a point ahead of the Dukes but more importantly, they have 3 games in hand on Toronto. Coach Barrell: "I will come to the Sauer injustice later. First, I will give you my impressions on the games. The Montreal game was an embarrassment, it must have been tough to watch, I know it was from the bench. These guys all read the papers, they had to know that the Vals are red hot. To give up 24 shots in the first leaving Russell to his own devices is unforgivable. To come out that flat tells me the team was looking ahead to the weekend. You cannot do that in this league. We only lost by 2 because Montreal decided not to press, it could have been much, much worse. Detroit, except for the early, unjust call, was better. I decide to go with Terry again for him and the team to regain confidence, I can also tell you now that Gord had been nursing a nagging leg injury for the past month, he needed some time to fully recover. Sunday had the pallor of Bobbie's unjust suspension hanging over team, that really is no excuse, these guys are pros you have to get past the off-ice stuff, play the game. Give the Shamrocks credit they sense we were not ready then made us pay. We are now chasing them, gives us a target to aim for going forward. Now on to the travesty coming out of the Star Chamber called the league office. Again, the same ref must have sent in a top secret report, there was nothing on the game report. The guy is a joke, does not belong in this league, he should be back doing minor hockey games. Again, a guy ducks when he gets a sucker pass then our guy is sent off. I know I will not be privy to the report but if the hit was so egregiously dirty why wasn't Sauer tossed out of the game? I will tell you why. Bobbie is known as a clean player. He does not headhunt. I could give a list of 25 or more guys in the league are 100 times dirtier than Sauer, who use their stick as a weapon. It was a clean hockey play nothing more, nothing less, this ref is looking for any reason to jam us, especially me. I repeat the guy is a joke. All the players know it.  
  BELLS COMPLETE PERFECT REGULAR SEASON For the first time in a decade, the AIAA has an undefeated team heading into the yearend tournament. The Liberty College Bells, led by likely first overall FBL draft pick Luther Gordon, ended their slate of games with a 29-0 mark. The last team to be perfect entering tournament play was the 1939-40 Carolina Poly Cardinals, but they did not finish that way as the Cardinals were bounced in the quarterfinals of the national championship tournament that year. The Bells are an independent, so they have the edge of a fairly easy schedule compared to teams in the major conferences. As a result of their scheduling Liberty College played just five teams that are currently ranked in the top twenty-five and none higher than 17th in the polls. Only 13 of their 29 opponents presently have a winning record. The ranked teams Liberty College beat this season where Academia Alliance schools Brunswick and Pierpont, North Carolina Tech of the South Atlantic Conference, Central Athletic Alliance leader Western State and most recently Frankford State, which the Bells dumped 65-45 yesterday to complete their slate of games. Luther Gordon, last year's AIAA player of the year and the likely winner again this season, scored 20 points in the finale and enters the tournament having already smashed his own single season AIAA scoring record which he set last year with 602 points. Gordon now has 608 on the year. It is a long shot, but Gordon also has a chance at setting a new rebound record. He has 271 after collecting 11 against the Owls yesterday. That gives the senior center from New York City 271 on the season. It will take a long tournament run but if that happens there is a chance that Gordon could approach the record of 323 set by another former Liberty College star, and current Detroit Mustang, Ward Messer two years ago. As for the Bells, they must now sit and wait until the tournament field is announced three weeks from. The independents for the most part finish up their season well in advance of the late section games. It is a near certainty that Liberty College, which has not missed the tournament since the spring of 1935 and reached at least the quarterfinals every year since, will be a number one seed. ***Indiana A&M Tastes Defeat *** There is a chance a second team will also enter the tournament with an unbeaten record, but the Noble Jones College Colonels certainly have their work cut out for them. The Colonels are 23-0 overall and 5-0 in Deep South Conference play but have six grueling section games remaining over the next three weeks. Wins last week over Western Florida and Cumberland improved the Colonels record to 23-0 and allowed them to hang on to the #3 ranking in the polls. In the win over the Wolves on Thursday sophomore guard Charlie Barrell, Noble Jones College's three-sport star, had a career best 21 points. The Colonels, who trail only 29-0 Liberty College and 20-3 Western Iowa in the polls, are the only undefeated team beside the Bells that remains. The final three weeks will be a tough test for the Colonels as they have six games remaining including a visit to Tuscaloosa to face 12th ranked Alabama Baptist and a season ending home game against #19 Central Kentucky. The Alabama Baptist Panthers lost for just the second time this season, falling a game back of Noble Jones College in the Deep South Conference race at 4-1 after dropping a 60-57 decision to Bluegrass State over the weekend. Central Kentucky (19-5) is also 4-1 in Deep South play after the Tigers won road games at Northern Mississippi and Georgia Baptist last week. Indiana A&M's dreams of a perfect season came to a crashing halt Thursday when they were thumped 69-50 on their home court by the Detroit City College Knights. Charlie Orlando, a likely first round pick in the June FBL draft, paced the Knights with 15 points in the upset win. The Reapers have not won the GLA title since 1928-29 and they have their work cut out for them as they are tied with Western Iowa at 9-1. The second ranked Canaries easily handled 10th ranked Whitney College 57-44 on Thursday before running their winning streak to seven games with a 49-44 road win in Milwaukee over Wisconsin State. The lone meeting between the Canaries and the Reapers will take place in Terre Haute on March 9. Out west Rainier College and Redwood have the upper hand in the West Coast Athletic Association race. The Majestics, 19-6 on the season and ranked 6th in the nation, stumbled in Los Angeles on the weekend falling to Coastal California but they still lead the WCAA with a 10-2 record. Redwood, which is ranked 14th and 18-6 overall, is a half game back at 9-2 and the Mammoths, who beat Rainier College at home early in the season, have one more meeting with the Majestics on March 1 but it will be in Puyallup. The last of the "Big Four" conferences is the South Atlantic and the race there is wide open with seven of the 15 schools in the section owning at least five conference wins, led by 6-2 Maryland State. Complete college standings and results can be found here  AIAAtop25Feb20WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17 at #6 Rainier College 67, #15 CC Los Angeles 64 #11 Coastal California 64, at Portland Tech 56 at #25 Lubbock State 63, Red River State 50 SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18 at #1 Liberty College 65, #17 Frankford State 45 #2 Western Iowa 49, at Wisconsin State 44 #3 Noble Jones College 53, at Cumberland 51 #4 Carolina Poly 53, at Richmond State 38 #5 Indiana A&M 58, at Central Ohio 42 at #7 Annapolis Maritime 53, Eastern Virginia 51 at #10 Whitney College 62, St. Ignatius 42 at Lincoln 70, #13 Detroit City College 68 at #16 St. Blane 59, College of Cairo 43 at Mobile Maritime 61, #18 Maryland State 59 #19 Central Kentucky 42, at Georgia Baptist 27 at #22 Western State 49, NW New York State 42 at #23 North Carolina Tech 53, Charleston Tech 43 #24 Pierpont 63, at #20 Brunswick 53 at #25 Lubbock State 75, Darnell State 54 SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19 at #11 Coastal California 60, #6 Rainier College 58 #9 Lane State 75, at Idaho A&M 49 #14 Redwood 59, at Northern California 52 #15 CC Los Angeles 79, at Portland Tech 39 FABL OWNERS SET TO VOTE ON NEW LEAGUE PRESIDENT Owners of the 16 FABL clubs are gathered in Washington DC today to determine a replacement for longtime league President Samuel Belton, who has announced his retirement. The new President is expected to be Omni Scouting Assoication head and former big league ballplayer Dan Barrell but he will need the approval of the owners at vote expected to be held this afternoon. The FABL magnates are also meeting to approve the sale of three franchises and will welcome in former owners of Great Western League clubs in doing so. Colonel Thomas Bigsby, who was the head of the GWL and the owner of its Los Angeles ballclub, is seeking approval to purchase the New York Stars from Al Mielke while the former San Francisco Wings owner Robert 'Red' Perrone is looking for the okay from the league to purchase a 45% share in the Philadelphia Sailors, with existing owner Matilda Johnson to retain 55%. Finally, there is the matter of approving new ownership for the St Louis Pioneers, which has been under league stewardship since former owner Daniel 'Dee' Rose was stripped of his club after being convicted of several tax evasion and fraud charges in both state and federal court. The former owners of the GWL's Houston Bulls and Dallas Centurions, John Mark and Paul Brunett, are expected to be approved with Mark being the majority owner. 
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 2/19/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-19-2024, 12:31 PM
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#882 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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February 27, 1950
FEBRUARY 27, 1950  A PLAYER TO WATCH FROM EACH ROUND OF THE RECENT FABL DRAFT With all the buzz in the baseball world right now, it's easy to forget that not too long ago all 16 FABL teams added 10 players to their respective organizations. With 160 new ballplayers to add to your FABL knowledge, the staff at TWIFS wanted to highlight a player from each round worth knowing. Cincinnati Cannons The only reason Fred Lainhart lasted as long as he did is that some FABL organizations had concerns with his signability, as the young outfielder doesn't turn 18 until August, and he's been fielding several offers from top-flight college programs that want to make a run at a title. Set to be a four year starter at his high school in Pandora, Ohio, the lowest Lainhart has hit in a season was .569 as a sophomore, as he reached .593 as both a freshman and junior, and his prep .585/.618/.896 is one of the best triple slashes ever put up. While Lainhart doesn't hit for much power, in fact three of his five homers came in 1948, it's hard to ignore just how exciting the bat is. He's got one of the prettiest swings you'll ever see, and batting titles should be a commonality in his future. He's also one of the fastest guys out there, so even if he does hit the ball on the ground too much, if it's not fielded cleanly, chances are he's on first. Or taking an extra base in the outfield. Or just flat out beating you because that's what he does. This kid has multiple elite tools, and as long as he doesn't get complement, which may be a problem for him, the sky is really the limit. Even with the Cannons extending current center fielder Fred Galloway, and last year's 7th overall pick Dallas Berry spending most of his time as a top 10 prospect, Lainhart will find a way to separate himself from his competition. The sky is the limit for the Ypsilanti, Michigan native, who could end up being the steal of the first round.1st Round, 8th Overall: CF Fred Lainhart School: Pandora 1949: 24 G, .593/.627/.880, 120 PA, 14 2B, 7 3B, HR, 34 RBI, 31 SB Career: 72 G, .585/.618/.896, 363 PA, 45 2B, 21 3B, 5 HR, 108 RBI, 99 SB Chicago Chiefs The second round caused a run of pitching, with ten pitchers taken in the first fourteen picks. The guy taken after all those, Rod Shearer, may end up being the best. A townball standout down in Texas, Rod Shearer hasn't spent any time in the college game, but the hard working outfielder enrolled at Plantersville A&M to be eligible for selection in the draft. An athletic center fielder, Shearer is known for his tape-measure home runs -- both the ones that clear the seats, or the ones that keep rolling into the backdrop behind the stadium where his speed makes him tough to catch. The power is his best tool, although he is prone to overswinging. Good pitchers can fool him with the soft stuff, so Shearer will need to demonstrate against organized competition that the strikeouts won't be an issue. He's not a guy who's going to put the ball in play a lot, but when he makes contact it's quality, and his swing is so quick that he can catch up to even a Peter the Heater fireball. Sure, a well placed Papenfus change would make him look like a fool, but you can always teach pitch recognition. There's a lot of risk involved when taking a guy without much of a track record, but after winning a championship, there's no reason not to shoot for the stars.2nd Round, 31st Overall: CF Rod Shearer School: Plantersville A&M 1949: N/A Career: N/A Toronto Wolves A Brooklyn native, Charlie Gamble actually went to high school in Jersey, where he hit .438 with 9 homers, 92 RBIs, and 52 steals in his three seasons as a starter. That was enough to attract the Detroit Dynamos, who grabbed him in the 16th Round three drafts ago. Despite that, the now 20-year-old decided to bet on himself, fulfilling his commitment to the nearby Brooklyn Catholic. You can say his ... gamble ... paid off, as the young shortstop became an extra base machine, wracking up 40 extra base hits with 74 steals in his first two seasons. He moved way up draft boards, and the Wolves decided to grab him 40th overall, 208 picks higher then his first go around. The type of player who plays with his hair on fire, he's always going at 1000%, which his great with his speed and ability to hit the ball hard and often. His effort is what got him to where he is, and now the Wolves have a chance to reap the rewards. Shortstop is set with John Wells, but Gamble has played some second and could shift over if needed.3rd Round, 40th Overall: SS Charlie Gamble School: Brooklyn Catholic 1949: 56 G, .302/.362/.452, 282 PA, 9 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 39 SB Career (COL): 97 G, .287/.347/.458, 490 PA, 16 2B, 13 3B, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 74 SB Career (HS): 75 G, .438/.496/.689, 387 PA, 24 2B, 16 3B, 9 HR, 92 RBI, 52 SB What may be most interesting, however, is that if the Wolves third rounder makes a FABL roster, not only will he not be the first Charlie Gamble to play in FABL, but not even the first Charlie Gamble who was drafted as a shortstop out of college to make the major leagues. That would be Ohio native Charlie Gamble, who was born in 1899 and was taken 8th overall by the Chicago Cougars 30 drafts before Gamble was named a third rounder. A gifted defender, that Gamble spent eight seasons with the Cougars, hitting .284/.344/.373 (95 OPS+) with 70 doubles, 22 triples, 13 homers, 230 RBIs, and 39 steals. His 63.9 zone rating and 1.098 efficiency is about what you expect from a Cougar shortstop, and 14.3 WAR in 503 games is pretty solid. It will be interesting to see if this new, unrelated Gamble can match or even surpass the production, something the Wolves are betting on when they added him to their system. Chicago Chiefs While the 2nd Round was all about pitching, the 4th was about bats, as it took until the 16th pick before the first 4th round pitcher was selected. That would be Don Honeycutt, who happens to be one of the youngest players in the pool. 17 in November, Honeycutt will pitch his first minor league season as a 16-year-old, as he's graduating in three years to start his pro career earlier. Because of his age, he started just 9 of his 17 outings in '48 before 7 of 11 last season. A three pitch pitcher, Honeycutt has stellar command, as he posted a near 10 K/BB (9.8) in 55.1 innings last season. That went with a second sub 1 ERA and sub 0.85 WHIP, and he followed up a 6-0 year with a 5-0 year. Perfect so far, it'll be interesting to see if the Florida native can keep that up, though I think the Foresters rather see him start all his games as a senior. What has allowed the righty to succeed so far is that he keeps the ball on the ground, and his change up is a superb pitch. It's leaps and bounds better then the rest, so to get into a rotation, he's got to polish up his fastball and sinker. The sinker does do well generating grounders, and he locates both pitches well, but better hitters have been able to hit the hard stuff. There's plenty of risk with any high school pitchers, and Honeycutt may have the biggest divide between risk and reward.4th Round, 64th Overall: RHP Don Honeycutt School: DeLand 1949: 11 G, 5-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 55.1 IP, 9 BB, 88 K Career: 28 G, 11-0, 0.90 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 130.2 IP, 27 BB, 213 K Cincinnati Cannons Okay, how can you not love a guy named Hooks Bloomquist?5th Round, 68th Overall: RHP Hooks Bloomquist School: Inglewood 1949: 15 G, 9-2, 1.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 109.1 IP, 42 BB, 168 K Career: 45 G, 26-6, 1.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 328.2 IP, 130 BB, 520 K Not only does he have an S-Tier name, but Bloomquist is a massive strikeout arm who punched out 520 batters in his first three high school season. That equates to a 36.6 K%, and he has a 35+ K% each time out. A lanky 6'3'' righty, Hooks has a deep five pitch arsenal, and all five pitches are potential plus offerings. I like the curve the best, but the change can be a knockout pitch too, while the hard stuff sits in the mid-80s. As great as all this sounds, he has one glaring weakness: there's little to no command right now. Even in high school, he's walking around 9% of the batters he faced, and that's only going to jump when he's stuck facing better bats. But the Cannons are in need of pitching and the upside with Hooks is obvious. It's still early, but he gives off some Bob Arman vibes, a pitcher the Cannons had success with when he was in town. Arman found a way to succeed with subpar command, so it's doable, but there's a lot of work to be done. If he can't get it under control, he could work well in a high leverage pen role, something teams are starting to pay more attention to as the game evolves. Pittsburgh Miners This is a draft with plenty of players who bear the same name as a former FABL player, so it makes perfect sense that the Miners were the one to take backstop Ike Bell, who shares the name of a once Miner pitcher who was absurdly dominant before his arm fell off. He had a three year stretch where he started 134 games and accumulated 37.8 WAR while leading the league in WAR, K/BB, and FIP- all three years, while also leading in wins twice, ERA, strikeouts twice, and WHIP twice. In total, he threw 2800.2 innings from 1899 to 1906, all with the Miners, while going 202-99 with a 2.02 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, and 1,421 strikeouts. He was worth 77 WAR and will likely remain the FABL All-Time ERA leader the rest of his life.6th Round, 81st Overall: C Ike Bell School: Cartersville 1949: 23 G, .456/.508/.728, 119 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 5 SB Career: 44 G, .440/.493/.668, 226 PA, 24 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 59 RBI, 12 SB Now the new Ike Bell won't do any of that, but he's a talented catcher who will try to force his way into a FABL lineup. He's got great discipline and some pop, and he could end up a double digit home run hitter. Pittsburgh recently traded starting catcher Homer Guthrie, and while the young Dino Robinson may be there now, he's no lock to remain their in the future. The Miners do have a highly touted prospect in Bob Burge, but he struggled in the CWL and is a bat first guy with some questions behind the plate. If Ike can take advantage of the situation he's in, he can push himself past the former 2nd Rounder, and eventually carve out a career for himself as an everyday catcher. Chicago Chiefs Taken one pick after 100, Eddie Finch was selected by the Keystones, and the West Palm Beach native will have to decide whether he wants to sign or not. A three pitch pitcher, Finch is coming off a 10-1 season and he has now struck out at least 160 hitters in each of his first three seasons. The 6'3'' righty upped his velocity to 87-89 last year, and Finch has been working on his change up this season. His fastball and sinker are both great pitches, but his change is vulnerable and good hitters don't have issues with the hard stuff. He can dominate when he's in the zone though, and he showed it by striking out 483 hitters while walking just 89. That's good for a 5.4 K/BB, but as he advances that's going to drop unless he masters his change. It's the first roadblock in his journey to become a FABL starter, as the hard stuff is tough to hit. He's either going to need to master his command or master his change. Otherwise his future is in the pen, where he could shine in a late inning role.7th Round, 101st Overall: RHP Eddie Finch School: Miami 1949: 16 G, 10-1, 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 109.2 IP, 28 BB, 161 K Career: 45 G, 27-3, 1.19 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 309.1 IP, 89 BB, 483 K Brooklyn Kings The Brooklyn Kings have had plenty of success with Georgia Baptist catchers, as that's where Fred Barrell spend three years there. The same goes for Dutch Miller, who may be one of the best value picks of the draft. Originally a 13th Round selection by the Pioneers out of high school, Dutch Miller has developed into a far better prospect, putting up excellent numbers for the Gators. He's slugged 20 homers and even stole 57 bases, something you don't really see from a catcher. It comes against some of the best college pitchers too, and Miller self looks like the type of catcher who can really help his staff. He may not hit the ball for a high average, but he's been hitting the ball hard and that tends to make good things happen. When paired with a good eye, he's only swinging at pitches he can hit, so while there will be swings and misses it's not going to be from chasing outside of the zone. Catcher is one of the weakest positions for prospects, so there's a chance that he ranks among the top 15 prospects at the position if he can put together a strong junior season.8th Round, 118th Overall: C Dutch Miller School: Georgia Baptist 1949: 51 G, .283/.363/.435, 259 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 28 SB Career (COL): 102 G, .287/.367/.455, 516 PA, 17 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 85 RBI, 57 SB Career (HS): 43 G, .433/.521/.706, 222 PA, 20 2B, 3B, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 12 SB Pittsburgh Miners There's one thing the New York Stars do better then everyone else, and that's acquiring talented Bill's. They have plenty on the active roster and in the farm, and they'll be adding another in the summer when Bill Bailey graduates high school.. Unfortunately for Bailey, his stock has been trending down, as he was excellent as a freshman. The 14-year-old hit an impressive .495/.533/.796 with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 32 RBIs, and 21 steals in 21 games. Bailey's followed that with averages of .462 and .426, and his tallies any many significant categories have dropped each season. That's going to make this spring so important, as a bounce back senior season could cause this pick to be a real winner for the Stars. Bailey's shown an excellent hit tool and could bat around .300 often, and one of the few things he did improve on were his walks and strikeouts. His K% dropped each season (6.5 to 4.9 to 4.2) and his BB% as a freshman (8.4) was slightly lower then the next two seasons (8.9 and 8.5). There's some pressure on Bailey to preform this season, or he might get lost in a system that's led by talented center fielder, top 20 prospect, and last year's 5th pick Eddie Dickey.9th Round, 138th Overall: CF Bill Bailey School: Grand Rapids 1949: 23 G, .426/.478/.723, 118 PA, 13 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 23 SB Career: 68 G, .460/.507/.750, 348 PA, 35 2B, 11 3B, 10 HR, 88 RBI, 69 SB Chicago Cougars The Cougars are known for selecting athletic middle infielders, so its no surprise that they ended the first half of the draft with St. Blane's Dave Hall. A switch hitter from New York, Hall's spent most of his time at short for the Fighting Saints, where scouts expect him to be outstanding. That will make him always appealing as an organizational piece, At the plate he can be a bit too aggressive, which may lead to a low average, but when he puts the ball in play he can make tings happens. As you'd expect with a top defender, he's extremely fast, allowing him to beat out grounders and stretch singles into doubles. If he can learn to take better at bats, he could work his way into a lineup. What makes Hall interesting, however, is the bat may not end up making much difference, as he has the perfect makings of a utility players. Even though the Gothams got a Hall of Famer in Jim Lonardo in the 10th, that's the exception, not the rule, so any sort of value this late is a plus. With Hall's excellent shortstop defense, his speed, and ability to hit from both sides of the plate, he's got all the makings of a utility player. All he has to do is not completely embarrass himself at the plate.10th Round, 158th Overall: SS Dave Hall School: St. Blane College 1949: 54 G, .269/.330/.380, 270 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 34 SB Career: 114 G, .279/.337/.391, 571 PA, 17 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 96 RBI, 71 SB
HOT MONTH HAS SHAMROCKS IN CONTROL OF TOP SPOT IN NAHC The New York Shamrocks had a dominant month to open a 7-point lead on the second place Toronto Dukes atop the NAHC standings. The Shamrocks ended the month on a down note, falling 3-0 in Boston last night, but despite that setback the club went 9-2-1 for the month and are on a 14-3-4 run since early January. Toronto, on the other hand, has stumbled through February with a 5-5-2 record that is eerily reminiscent of the Dukes February struggles a year ago, when a 1-5 stretch knocked them from first to third. It proved to not matter at all last year as the Dukes, despite forfeiting home ice advantage through the playoffs due to their last season struggles, still managed to win their second consecutive Challenge Cup. The Shamrocks goaltending has been their strength all season but in recent weeks it has been a surprise offensive threat that has shaped the club's fortunes. That would be a 31-year-old rookie by the name of Alexandre Lapalme. The winger from Toronto was playing senior hockey at this time last year but after signing a pro contract with minor league Cleveland and scoring 9 goals in his first 20 games in the HAA, Lapalme caught the attention of New York general manager Cooper Law, who purchased Lapalme's contract. Laplame made his debut in November as one of the oldest rookies the NAHC has seen in recent years. He fit in immediately by scoring a goal and adding an assist in his debut and has not looked back. On the season in 43 games Lapalme has 16 goals and 31 points but it is over the last two weeks that he has really caught fire with 6 goals and 5 assists in his last six games and he is a big reason why the Shamrocks are bidding to finish in first place during the regular season for the first time in nearly two decades.   NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 20 Detroit 2 at Montreal 2: A rare Monday night game in the NAHC ends in a 2-2 tie after third period goals from Ian Doyle and Adam Sandford allow the Montreal Valiants to salvage a point from their game with Detroit. The Motors did all of their scoring in a 54 second span of the opening period when Vincent Arsenault and Marsh Spencer each beat Vals netminder Tom Brockers. The result keeps the Motors three points ahead of Montreal in the battle for third place. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22 New York 3 at Chicago 1: The first place Shamrocks extend their lead on second place Toronto to 3 points after Alexandre Lapalme scored twice to lead the Greenshirts past Chicago 3-1. Toronto 0 at Boston 4: Oscar James made 29 saves for his 4th shutout of the season as Boston snapped a five-game losing streak by blanking the second place Dukes 4-0. The game was scoreless for the first 48 minutes until the Bees exploded with goals from four different players in the final frame. Robert Walker, Joe Morey, Willis Beane and Ray Gustafson were the Boston marksmen. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 Chicago 1 at New York 5: For the second night in a row the Shamrocks downed the Chicago Packers. It was New York's fifth straight victory. Alex Lapalme, who scored twice in Chicago last night, had 3 assists to pace the New York offense. Montreal 7 at Detroit 0: Clarance Skinner scored once and added 3 assists while Brett Lanceleve chipped in with 3 helpers as the Valiants blasted the Motors 7-0. Veteran netminder Tom Brockers stopped all 24 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. The win moves the Valiants, who have lost just once in their last 8 games, to within a point of third place Detroit. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25 Montreal 3 at Boston 8: The Valiants squandered an opportunity to overtake idle Detroit for third place as Boston won for the second game in a row. Joe Morey led the way with a 5-point evening as the Bees exploded for four unanswered third period goals to blow open what had been a close game up to that point. Toronto 2 at New York 5: For the second time in six days the New York Shamrocks got the best of the Toronto Dukes. Alex Lapalme continued his hot play of late with 2 goals and an assist to lead New York to a 5-2 victory - the sixth consecutive win for the Greenshirts while Toronto has lost 3 straight and fallen 7 points behind the streaking Shamrocks, who lead the NAHC with 70 points. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 Chicago 2 at Detroit 2: Two struggling teams, both in desperate need of a victory, had to settle for a 2-2 tie at Thompson Palladium last night. The Motors are winless in their last five games and are just two points off a hard-charging Montreal Valiants team in the race for third place. The Packers are in dire straits, with just one win to show for their last seven games and 6 points to make up on Montreal if the Packers are going to reach the playoffs. Marty Mahoney and Tommy Burns, who finally scored his 21st of the season after a ten-game goalless drought, staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old by Tyson Beddoes and Hank Walsh evened things up for the Motors in the second period. Detroit fired 16 shots on Chicago netminder Norm Hanson in the third period and 37 overall, but Hanson shut the door in the final frame to earn a point for his club. New York 0 at Boston 3: It might be too late as the Bees are still 5 points out of the final playoff spot with a dozen games remaining, but Boston is suddenly playing like they were expected to this season with 3 straight victories. The latest one slowed down a New York club that entered the contest on a 6-game winning streak. Oscar James stopped 27 Shamrocks shots for his second shutout of the week and league leading 5th of the season. Willis Beane and John Bentley scored in the opening period and James Smart, with his first of the season, added a second period goal to secure the victory. UPCOMING GAMES WEDNESDAY MARCH 1 Boston at Toronto New York at Detroit THURSDAY MARCH 2 Chicago at Montreal SATURDAY MARCH 4 Boston at New York Montreal at Chicago Toronto at Detroit SUNDAY MARCH 5 Boston at Chicago New York at Toronto DUKES FALL TO SHAMROCKS AGAIN, FADING FAST FROM FIRST A rough week for the Toronto Dukes as the hockey club loses two road games to fall seven points behind the Shamrocks for top spot in the NAHC. The team was in Denny Arena to face a slumping Boston team midweek. The visitors came out skating well in the opening period but they could not find a way to put the disc past Oscar James. That would become the story of the match. Boston played their normal game: hit everything in sight, clog the middle of the ice and clear the front of the net to give James a clear view of all shots. The first two periods were scoreless with Toronto holding a 19-12 advantage in shots on goal. The game was a fast affair, with few stoppages in play or penalties. Only 3 minors were called during the contest, and just one to Boston who are known not to shy away from the rough stuff. In fact, some suggest the Bees very much relish being involved in chippy matches. The home squad outhit the Dukes 38-16 in the game and perhaps that was a factor as Toronto skaters seemed to slow in the third period. One of the two Toronto minors, a Frank Featherstone tipping call, at 7:38 led directly to the first goal of the game. Robert Walker scored with Toronto netminder Terry Russell screened on a wrist shot at 8:20 on a feed from Garrett Kauffeldt with Joe Morey drawing the second helper. Morey doubled the lead 3 and half minutes later on a shot that eluded Russell from the outside on a Bees rush. Try as they might Toronto could not mount any sustained pressure in the Boston end in large part due to the Bees "take the man" style. While pressing with the Dukes net empty Willis Beane scored into an empty cage at 19:07. Ray Gustafson added insult to injury to make the final 4-0 Boston. The Dukes went into Bigsby Gardens Saturday night for a game Barrell was calling "must have." It started much like the Boston game as the first period was tight checking and ended scoreless with Gordie Broadway and the Shamrocks Alex Sorrell each making a couple of saves that could be termed highway robbery on chances from in tight. It did not stay scoreless for long as the flood gates open about halfway through the second. Maurice Charette open the scoring at just past the 8 minute mark when he knocked home a rebound off a Herb Burdette shot to give Toronto its first lead of the week. It did not last long as Paul Tetreault knotted the score for New York two minutes later on shot that beat Broadway cleanly off a faceoff. Charlie Brown was called for interference just shy of the 15 minute mark, which allowed the Shamrocks power play to go to work. New York's 31-year-old rookie Alex Lapalme, who notched 5 points in his previous two games, quicly capitalized with a shot from the left hand circle on a set up from Orval Cabbell. It was Cabbell's league leading 45th assist of the season. While a man down the home squad made it 3-1 when Ryan Kennedy scored at 16:37 of the second but before the middle frame concluded the Dukes narrowed the lead to 3-2 when Les Carlson scored on the same power play just 20 seconds after Kennedy's goal. The Dukes held the play in the Shamrocks' end during the third testing New York's terrific netminder Alex Sorrell 16 times to no avail. Lapalme's 16th of the year with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game was a dagger in the heart of the Dukes and Rusty Mullins added a meaningless empty netter to make final 5-2 Shamrocks, solidifying their hold on first place. Coach Barrell: "No sense crying over spilt milk..time to move forward. You are not going to win many scoring only twice in 2 games. Boston ran us out of the rink midweek. Sometimes you have to take a hit to make a play, other times it is better to dump and chase and in this game that may have been the case. We should have tried to make their defense work instead of getting knocked off the puck in the neutral zone. 4-0 was flattering to them, it was a game that could have went either way, give (Boston goaltender Oscar) James credit, he shut the door. New York was different story, down 2-1 the shorthanded one killed us. We came back to close within one but again could not find a way to tie it up." We have 12 games left time to change some offensive tactics to give the opponents a different look, defensive we are relatively sound just need a save at the right time. Our keepers will rebound to make the key stop."
 BARRELL LEADS COLONELS CLOSER TO DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE TITLE Sophomore guard Charlie Barrell has only started 8 games in his collegiate career but since taking over for the injured Carrol Larkin the three sport star has made the most of his opportunity. Barrell had a pair of big games helping the Colonels move a little closer to their fourth Deep South Conference title in the past six years and closer to a perfect regular season. The Colonels are now 25-0 overall, including 7-0 in Deep South section play as they bid to join Liberty College as the first schools in a decade to be undefeated entering the national championship tournament. On Wednesday evening in Augusta as the Colonels hosted Northern Mississippi, Barrell came up with two crucial free throws in the final minute to provide the margin of victory in a 52-50 triumph over the Mavericks. On the evening the sophomore, who also excels on the gridiron and the diamond, scored 13 points. Three days later in Athens as the Colonels faced rival Georgia Baptist, Barrell scored 11 points and added 5 rebounds in a 52-33 drubbing of the Gators. The big test for the Colonels comes Wednesday when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face the 11th ranked Alabama Baptist Panthers. The Panthers are 6-1 in section play and 23-2 overall. With just two weeks remaining in the season the winner of the game is the likely champion of the Deep South Conference. A big showdown is looming Wednesday in the West Coast Athletic Association as well with 7th ranked Rainier College and 14th ranked Redwood University tangle. The two clubs are tied for the section lead at 11-2 with each have two games remaining after their upcoming meeting in Puyallup, WA. The first meeting of the two this season saw the Mammoths prevail 76-68 on their home court. Western Iowa and Indiana A&M each won twice last week and continue to be on a collision course to decide the Great Lakes Alliance conference winner when they meet in 10 days. The Canaries, at 22-3 overall and 11-1 in GLA play extended their section winning streak to 9-games with victories over Minnesota Tech and Lincoln last week. Thursday at home Chris Saltzer scored 16 points to pace the Canaries to a 60-52 win over the Lakers and then added 15 more on Saturday in Springfield, IL. to help down the Lincoln Presidents 56-41. Indiana A&M is 23-2 overall and 10-2 in GLA play after splitting a pair of games last week. The Reapers were upset 49-48 in Milwaukee by Wisconsin State on Thursday for their second loss in three games but bounced back with a 65-50 win over Minnesota Tech Saturday. Senior forward J.C. Mitchell, who missed what would have been a game-winning buzzer beater on Thursday made up for it with a career best 26 points in the win Saturday over the Lakers. Complete college standings and results can be found here  WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 at #2 Western Iowa 60, Minnesota Tech 52 at #4 Carolina Poly 53, Mobile Maritime 42 at Wisconsin State 49, #6 Indiana A&M 48 at #8 Whitney College 68, Lincoln 60 at #13 Detroit City College 62, Central Ohio 48 #15 Maryland State 62, at #23 North Carolina Tech 55 #21 Western State 61, at Flint 51 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24 at #9 Coastal California 47, Idaho A&M 25 #12 Lane State 52, at #17 CC Los Angeles 47 SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25 #2 Western Iowa 56, at Lincoln 41 #3 Noble Jones College 52, at Georgia Baptist 33 #4 Carolina Poly 55, at Petersburg 34 at #6 Indiana A&M 65, Minnesota Tech 50 #8 Whitney College 61, at Wisconsin State 56 #11 Alabama Baptist 46, at Opelika State 45 at #13 Detroit City College 67, St. Ignatius 41 at #15 Maryland State 64, Bulein 49 #18 Brunswick 57, at Dickson 48 #19 Pierpont 44, at George Fox 33 #21 Western State 66, at Cuyahoga University 54 at #22 Central Kentucky 58, Bayou State 34 at #23 North Carolina Tech 58, Lexington State 51 SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 at #7 Rainier College 53, Portland Tech 35 #9 Coastal California 54, at #12 Lane State 49 at #14 Redwood 61, Idaho A&M 35 at #16 Frankford State 56, #25 St. Martin's College 35 #17 CC Los Angeles 60, at Spokane State 39 at #24 Queen City 53, Needham 50 
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 2/26/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-20-2024, 03:10 PM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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March 6, 1950
MARCH 6, 1950  BOSTON- The Minutemen finished below .500 last year for the third consecutive season. The last time that happened was in 1927 when they had a losing record for five years in a row. The glory days of the early 1940s are gone and some of the veterans, like Chick Donnelly, Dean Astle and Ed Wood have moved on. Others such as Bill Moore, Rup Curry and Harry Barrell remain but you have to wonder for how long as FABL's top-ranked farm system has plenty of big name prospects on the way. Odds are most of the big ones -names like #1 prospect Rick Masters, shortstop Joe Kleman and outfielder Yank Taylor may still need some more time on the farm meaning the Boston nine this season may look very much like it did a year ago. Change is coming and it is carrying lofty expectations, but for 1950 it looks like another year in the second division before the keys to Minutemen Park get handed to the next generation of talent starting in 1951. CHIEFS- The Chiefs and Cougars have made good use of the city's L-Train through the years, shuttling players back and forth between them and this off-season was no exception. There is plenty of anticipation in Chiefs camp to see if the World Champions can repeat, and ex-Cougars Walt Pack and Carlos Montes will both be counted on. Pack is coming off a down year and at 35 there may be some concern he won't have a bounce back season but the last time the 1945 Whitney Award winning third baseman was traded; he had a huge season. That was in 1947 and if he can approach his performance of either '47 or 1948 the Chiefs may repeat as Federal Association pennant winners for the first time in franchise history. A lineup featuring Pack, Tiny Hopkins, Pete Casstevens and Joe Rutherford may just outshine what the New York Gothams bring to the table. If that happens and the pitching performs like it did a year ago, along with John Stallings taking another step forward the Chiefs may be unstoppable. DETROIT- There has to be temptation in Detroit to go for the quick fix. The pitching staff, led by Allen Award winner Carl Potter, was the best in the Federal Association a year ago and there is more talent arriving this season in the form of Roy Schaub and Bob Haverhill. The offense has lagged behind despite boasting perhaps the best centerfielder in the game in Edwin Hackberry and maybe the top hitting middle infield duo in the league with Stan Kleminski and Del Johnson. Detroit's problem has been finding consistent hitting out of its corner outfielders and first base. The Dynamos toyed with the idea of dealing Schaub for a veteran bat but eventually backed off the notion and will wait for a large group of talented young hitters led by Dino Sharp to develop. That might be a prudent strategy and maybe the Dynamos learned their lesson after trying to make a run a decade ago with a similar group of young talent, but they fell short and watched the pieces they moved that time - names like Pete Casstevens, Red Johnson and Hank Koblenz- excel elsewhere. Maybe everything breaks right and a young outfielder like Joe Fulgham or Bill Morrison hits the ground running but the realistic in me suggests this is another year where the Dynamos hang around the pennant race until August before fading down the stretch. But watch out for this club in two or three years time. NY GOTHAMS- The Gothams should still have the most dangerous offense in the Federal Association and that alone may be enough to win them their first pennant since 1942. If they are going to win with this group it likely has to happen this year. The bats, aside from George Cleaves, are still young enough that the window is wide open but it is closing quickly on a pitching staff that really is not that deep to begin with. Ed Bowman is the ace and very much in his prime but Lefty Allen, Joe Brown and Buddy Long -who combined for a 43-22 record a year ago- will be turn 36 before or during the season. There is no quick fix on the mound if age catches up to any of the three as their top two pitching prospects in Jorge Arellano and Vern Osborne, while both highly touted, are just 19 years old. The offense is good enough that the pitching just has to be average for the Gothams to win the Fed flag. KEYSTONES- We talked about age on the mound in New York. Well, the Keystones may well be enjoying their last season of outfielder Bobby Barrell. Not that the certain future Hall of Famer showed any signs of slowing last year when he hit .289 with 39 homers and 101 rbi's but I guess not leading the league in any of the triple crown categories constitutes an off year for Barrell. He will turn 40 this season and may have a tough time hitting at least his age in homeruns for a fourth year in a row but I would not bet against another dominant season for the Georgia Jolter. The question is Can the Keystones, who slumped to 68-86 a year ago, which was their lowest win total of the past decade, rebound in 1950. The offense is not a concern and may even be better with the expected addition of rookie Don Berry to the Keystones outfield. Like in Gothamland, it is the mound that has kept Keystones fans and management awake at night. Lloyd Stevens suffered through the worst season of his career at the age of 33, going 11-19 with an era nearly two full runs higher than it was the previous season. It might be a year too early for Sam Ivey -their top mound prospect- to be counted on to contribute so unless the Keystones make a move for a quality starting pitcher you have to think they will be a step behind the Chiefs and Gothams. PITTSBURGH- The rebuild is well underway in Pittsburgh but there is still plenty of heavy lifting to be done before the Miners can escape the second division of the Federal Association, a post they have occupied continuously since 1945. This will be another year of growing pains, letting the youngsters develop and there are a few more we may see at some point this season including (finally) a pitcher. Chuck Briggs is 22 years old and coming off a taste of AAA action after being acquired from the Gothams as part of the big late 1947 trade that sent franchise icons George Cleaves and Lefty Allen to the Big Apple. Originally a 7th round pick by the Chiefs out of high school in 1947, Briggs has been traded for now only Cleaves and Allen, but also Pete Casstevens in his career. He has blossomed the past couple of years and cracked OSA's top twenty prospects for the first time last fall. He followed that up with a strong showing in the Cuban Winter League and has to be the most watched youngster in Pittsburgh this year. The question is will he perform well enough in spring training to make the club on opening day or will he need some more time in St. Paul? ST LOUIS- What happened? That is the question Pioneers fans have grappled with all winter after their club, as quickly as it rose from the basement of the Federal Association to win back to back World Championship Series titles, immediately returned to the depths of despair with a dreadful 67-87 season after back to back 90+ wins. The cast was really the exact one that dominated the Federal Association the previous year. It appears everyone overachieved in 1947 and 1948 and greatly underachieved last summer. The 3-H club of Hal Hackney, Danny Hern and Hiram Steinberg imploded, making H-Bomb a more appropriate nickname a year ago and Dick Long was right there with them. The good news is all, except for the 33-year-old Hern, are still in their twenties and can easily rebound. It would not be completely out of the realm of possibility for the Pioneers pitchers to get hot again and lead them right back to the top of the Federal Association, but a more likely scenario is they are fighting with a pack that includes Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington for third through sixth place. If there is a player to watch in spring camp it is Ralphie Spires. The 24-year-old made his big-league debut last September and pitched very well in the Cuban Winter League. Even if the big four arms of the 3-H club and Long perform as hoped, there likely still will be room for Spires in the Pioneers rotation. WASHINGTON- The Eagles are in a rut. Not a bad rut by any means. A bad rut would be the awful Eagles club that had one winning season and plenty of last place finishes between 1928 and 1942. This Eagles club has actually been very good as they followed up the 1946 pennant win - their first since 1925- with three straight seasons of winning between 82 and 84 games. They are a good team but just not quite good enough to be the best in the Federal Association and unfortunately it looks like more of the same for 1950. Injuries hurt last year but the pitching staff is solid, but simply not quite good enough. Any offense with Jesse Alvardo, Sig Stofer and Rats McGonigle will be good but the supporting cast is just not quite good enough to challenge for a pennant. Maybe a full year of Tom Miller, assuming he has no ill effects from the fractured skull he suffered last year, and Bill Wise will help. Maybe young shortstop Tom Perkins and righthander Dick Greenhalgh are ready to make big contributions? If all that happens perhaps they have a shot but in my books the Eagles are good, just not good enough to see October action this year. PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH FEDERAL ASSOCIATION 1- New York Gothams 2- Chicago Chiefs 3- Philadelphia Keystones 4- St Louis Pioneers 5- Detroit Dynamos 6- Washington Eagles 7- Pittsburgh Miners 8- Boston Minutemen NOTES FROM AROUND THE NAHC
 NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK WEDNESDAY MARCH 1 Boston 2 at Toronto 5: A pair of streaks ended as The Toronto Dukes snapped a 3-game losing skid with a win on home ice over Boston, ending the Bees 3-game winning run. Quinton Pollack, Charlie Brown and Luke Brisebois each had 2 point nights to lead a balanced Dukes attack on the evening. New York 4 at Detroit 2:The Shamrocks refused to allow Toronto to gain any ground, doubling Detroit 4-2 at the Thompson Palladium. Third period markers by Jerry Finch and Tony Bell, with his first NAHC career goal, proved the difference, extending the Motors winless streak to 6 games. THURSDAY MARCH 2 Chicago 0 at Montreal 3: Tom Brockers recorded his second shutout in the past three games, stopping 24 Chicago shots in a 3-0 victory over the Packers. Ian Doyle, Paulie Mosca and Clarence Skinner handled the scoring duties for the Vals, who moved into a third-place tie with Detroit following the victory. SATURDAY MARCH 4 Boston 2 at New York 3: Goals by Geoff Hartnell and Samuel Coates, with his second of the game, in the final five minutes of the third period lifted the Shamrocks to a 3-2 victory over Boston. The Greenshirts have won 8 of their last 9 games and continue to lead Toronto by 7 points in the race for first place. Montreal 2 at Chicago 6: Moose Vezina scored twice while Tommy Burns had a goal and two assists to keep the Packers playoff hopes alive. The victory over Montreal snaps a 4-game winless streak and moves the Packers to within 6 points of the Vals and Detroit, who are tied for the final two playoff berths. Toronto 5 at Detroit 3: Les Carlson scored once and added 3 helpers while Lou Galbraith chipped in with 3 assists as the Dukes held off Detroit 5-3. Quinton Pollack had a pair of third period goals to help lead the Dukes, who scored 4 times in the final 18 minutes to earn the two points. SUNDAY MARCH 5 Boston 2 at Chicago 4: The Bees playoff hopes are all but gone while Chicago moves to within 4 points of the final post-season slot with a 4-2 win over Boston. Max Lavigne and Tommy Brescia each had a goal and an assist for the winners. With 3 straight losses the Bees are now 7 points out of fourth place with 9 games remaining. UPCOMING GAMES TONIGHT Detroit at Montreal WEDNESDAY MARCH 8 Boston at Detroit Chicago at New York THURSDAY MARCH 9 Montreal at Toronto New York at Detroit SATURDAY MARCH 11 Detroit at Chicago Montreal at Boston Toronto at New York SUNDAY MARCH 12 Boston at Toronto Chicago at Detroit New York at Montreal DUKES DON'T LOSE, BUT ALSO DON'T GAIN ON SHAMROCKS The Toronto Dukes are running out of time in their quest to regain top spot in the NAHC. The Dukes did their part last week, posting two wins plus a tie in their three games last week but they remain 7 points behind the first place Shamrocks, which did the same. At home midweek the Dukes renewed acquaintances with Boston in what promised to be a hard hitting affair bordering on dirty as the Bees always play right on the edge. Boston was true to form bringing their rugged, body checking style in an attempt to slow, frustrate the high tempo game preferred by the Dukes. Boston also typically attempts to keep all the shots from the outside to give Oscar James easier saves. They accomplished that but only to a degree as the Dukes managed to only 20 shots total for the game but still came away with two points. Toronto needed less than six minutes to open the scoring when defenseman Charlie Brown beat James on a long shot off a pass from Quinton Pollack that seemed to surprise the goaltender. That was after the home team had finished killing off a 5 on 3 for 1:47 in the first 4 minutes of the game. Lou Galbraith upped the lead to two with a power play tip-in off a Rob Painchaud shot with Pollack picking up the secondary assist. Boston was all over the Dukes in the middle frame out shooting them 18-3, much to displeasure of Jack Barrell. With consistent pressure the Bees managed to tie the game as Mark Dyck and Maxime Rheault both beat Terry Russell in a 3 minute span. After what was termed to be a loud, profane chewing out during the intermission, the Dukes carried most of the play in the third. James stood his ground until there were only 62 seconds remaining when Philippe Dubois decided to pinch in, he was found with cross-ice pass from J.C. Martel before he put it in a wide open net to give the Dukes a 3-2 lead. Toronto added two into Boston's empty net to send the 13,950 home happy with a 5-2 victory. Toronto travelled into Detroit to take on the fast fading Motors Saturday in a spirted contest between rivals. Detroit has been slumping for most of 1950. After being securely in second before Christmas they are now tied for the last playoff spot with Montreal, with both teams only 4 points ahead of Chicago. The Motors played the style against the Dukes that most teams have adopted, try to slow Toronto by finishing every check all over the ice. Again the Dukes were out hit by a better than 2 to 1 margin, 26-11 for the game. Terry Russell once more started between the pipes leading many fans to believe that Gord Broadway is still suffering from a lingering leg injury. The Motors has most of the offensive chance in the first 40 minutes with 27 shots on Russell as opposed to 16 shots the Dukes had on Henri Chasse. Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the first on Trevor Parker's 13th and that lead held up until the final minutes of the middle frame when Mike Schlegel scored only his second of the campaign to even things for Detroit. Their were two lengthy bouts in the second with Les Carlson and Graham Comeau squaring off first followed quickly thereafter by the newest Detroit player Bob Pilon dropping the mitts with Alex Lavalliere. No one amongst the almost 17,000 on hand would have predicted the goal scoring in the third period, which began with the contest tied at 1. The Dukes quickly took the lead when Pollack scored from Lou Galbraith and Carlson just under 3 minutes into the period on a Toronto powerplay. The Motors rallied quickly when Moe Treadwell, his 1st of the year, scored while on a man advantage less than two minutes later. Toronto took over the game starting at 9:28 when Carlson with his 29th of the season and then three minutes later he set up Pollack on the rush to make it 4-2. Painchaud made it 5-2 went what was to be a pass banked in off a defenseman. Treadwell's second of the period and year with 33 seconds remaining made the final 5-3. Back home to face the only team the Dukes are trailing in standings on Sunday. The game with the Shamrocks was at a much faster pace than previous two games with both teams skating up and down the ice. Although there were body checks there was not nearly as much hooking and grabbing during the play. Broadway returned to the crease to face the New York shooters. Toronto took the lead in the first with the Shamrocks down two players when Carlson scored his league leading 30th from the usual suspects Pollack and Painchaud. Orval Cabbell put the Shamrocks on his back in the second tying the game before the period was 90 seconds old then putting his team ahead on the power play at 7:53. Unlikely hero Kurt Walz, with some rare powerplay minutes, found the back of the net on a rebound off a Galbraith shot to make the score even at 2. New York pressed hard to win the game, testing Broadway 18 times in the final period, but the Dukes netminder was up to the challenge and Toronto hung on to a 2-2 tie in a highly entertaining game. Coach Barrell: "We dealt with the two teams that tried to run us out of building, we dumped the puck in rather than getting bottled up between the blue lines. I told the team the next call we get from the refs will be the first one. They can blame me, that last tirade I went on not only left me lighter in the wallet it also made sure that the Dukes will not get the benefit of the doubt on any call. I have told the team we are going to have to deal with that fact. It is not going to change anytime soon, you will not see me calling refs over or screaming them, it will worsen an already bad situation. Sauer was good in his return against Shamrocks, we have lost Hoffard until next season with a scary eye injury on a skate cut. The eye doctors tell me he will be fine, in time, when I went to see him in the hospital. They told me it looked worse than it was which is a good thing because it looked really bad. He is out of the hospital now, I would expect to see him around the rink soon. Nine games left to work on refinements to our game." TOURNAMENT PICTURE COMING INTO FOCUS With a week remaining in the collegiate basketball schedule most of the tournament spots, at least among the major schools have been locked up but there still are a few teams that will need a strong final push to qualify for the 32-team field. Three of the number one seeds seem assured with Liberty College and Noble Jones College, both unbeaten, seemingly certain to be number ones in the East and South regions. Indiana A&M's loss to Whitney College on Saturday likely cost the Reapers the Great Lakes Alliance crown as they now trail Western Iowa by two games with two remaining - although the two schools meet Thursday. It appears likely the Canaries will be the top team in the Midwest Region which leaves just the West Region undetermined. Rainer College has the West Coast Athletic Association conference title wrapped up and seems the likely top seed in the West but there may be a chance the Annapolis Maritime, which wrapped up a 27-2 season last week, sneaks in and claims a top seed. The big conferences will be well represented in the tournament as usual. The WCAA seems assured of sending four teams in Rainier College (22-6), Coastal California (22-6), Redwood (20-8) and CC Los Angeles (22-6). Four is also likely the magic number for the Great Lakes Alliance which will send Western Iowa (24-3), Indiana A&M (24-3), Whitney College (22-6) and probably Detroit City College (20-8). If things break right the South Atlantic Conference may have five of its members playing in the tournament. Carolina Poly (23-4), Maryland State (21-6) and Charleston Tech (18-9) are locks with Alexandria (17-10) likely to qualify as well. The big question is Will North Carolina Tech, which counts section losses to Coastal State and Columbia Military Academy as blemishes on its 17-10 record, also be selected. One thing is certain is that defending national champion Lexington State will not be around to try and repeat as the Colonials suffered through a dismal 4-9 conference schedule that left them just 16-12 overall. Other teams that may end up as spectators include St Blane (22-7), Central Ohio (18-9), Frankford State (23-6), Lane State (22-9) and Queen City (24-6). Complete college standings and results can be found here  WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS THURSDAY MARCH 2 at #2 Western Iowa 56, St. Magnus 35 #4 Annapolis Maritime 76, at Commonwealth Catholic 66 at #7 Indiana A&M 56, Lincoln 46 #10 Detroit City College 54, at #9 Whitney College 43 #23 Charleston Tech 63, at #15 Maryland State 53 at #21 Western State 63, North Shore 46 #22 North Carolina Tech 54, at Chesapeake State 46 FRIDAY MARCH 3 at #14 CC Los Angeles 56, #12 Coastal California 35 Northern California 56, at #13 Lane State 53 at #20 St. Blane 72, American Atlantic 37 #24 Queen City 66, at Rock Island 30 SATURDAY MARCH 4 at #2 Western Iowa 54, #10 Detroit City College 52 #3 Noble Jones College 69, at Mississippi A&M 41 #4 Annapolis Maritime 66, at Glover (GA) 58 #15 Maryland State 50, at #6 Carolina Poly 41 at #9 Whitney College 70, #7 Indiana A&M 51 #11 Alabama Baptist 53, at Cumberland 45 #16 Frankford State 50, at Brooklyn State 48 at #17 Brunswick 61, Sadler 56 at #18 Pierpont 47, Henry Hudson 38 at #21 Western State 49, Canton State 43 at #23 Charleston Tech 58, Chesapeake State 50 Opelika State 57, at #25 Central Kentucky 33 SUNDAY MARCH 5 at #5 Rainier College 71, Northern California 63 #13 Lane State 74, at Spokane State 52 at #14 CC Los Angeles 73, #19 Redwood 55
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 3/05/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 02-20-2024 at 03:26 PM. |
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02-21-2024, 08:49 AM
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#884 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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March 7, 1950
An off-day today for TWIFS as we just have a 1-day advance to get our baseball league to the start of spring training. That means no other sports will be advanced until tomorrow when we finish out the week. But there is still some news as we have part two of Jiggs McGee's annual predictions.
MARCH 7, 1950 BROOKLYN- The Kings are a young and exciting ballclub. One with a bright future and young talent at many positions across the diamond. Ralph Johnson is already a superstar and owns two Whitney Awards despite being just 25. Pat Perry and young Charlie Rogers allowed the club to determine that John Moss was expendable in the outfield, and it will be interesting to see how catcher Dan Smith and second sacker Chuck Lewis progress in the second full season for each. Bob Arman and Leo Hayden anchor a rotation that will need to see 15-game winner Joe Potts avoid a sophomore jinx. Much of the attention in camp will be on Ron Berry as the 24-year-old rookie faces plenty of scrutiny in being the key piece in the deal that sent Moss to the Cougars. The lefthander, a 1944 seventh round pick, was solid in AAA last season and in Cuba over the winter but is unproven at the big league level. The Kings are on the rise but not ready to rule the Continental Association just yet. They will be in the mix for the first division in 1950 but may ultimately settle just outside of it this time around. COUGARS- Its a new decade. Maybe that can change the Cougars fortunes. The Continental Association's best club, talent-wise, of the 1940s enters 1950 with that same distinction. Nobody can match the Cougars for the talent they possess and their management team does an outstanding job turning it over. This time it saw Walt Pack and Carlos Montes exit with John Moss and David Molina brought in. Moss was pilfered from Brooklyn for a decent pitching prospect but nothing that the Cougars will miss due to their abundance of depth. Between Moss and Sal Pestilli, Chicago's outfield defense will be so good that they may not need their left fielder to move at all this season. Otto Christian finally gets his chance to play every day at the hot corner with the decision to move Walt Pack to the Chiefs. It will be interesting to see if Christian's batting average can keep up with his power hitting prowess. It does not feel like there is a weak link in the lineup and Moss may be invaluable as a table setter for the likes of Christian, Pestilli, Leo Mitchell and Red Bond. The pitching is outstanding and, as is always the case at Cougars Park it seems, very deep. The Jones brothers, Pete Papenfus and Duke Bybee all could be top of the rotation arms with many teams and it is hoped that Molina will give the Cougars an answer for the problem that has plagued them for years - their shoddy performance in one-run games. It is annual rite of spring for this reporter in picking the Cougars to win the Continental Association. Let's see if the Cougars can finally live up to the billing, something they have not done since 1941. CINCINNATI- Any team with Deuce Barrell anchoring the rotation can be competitive and this team should be much better than the seventh place club it was each of the past two seasons. The problem is many other CA teams can say they are improved as well. The terrible decision a couple of years ago to move Bob Arman to Brooklyn set the club back but there is still some talent remaining on the mound aside from the aforementioned Mr. Barrell. That would include Charlie Griffith, Jim Anderson and Tony Britten, who combined to win 38 game a year ago. The offense is starting to show its age but Mike T. Taylor, Chuck Adams, Denny Andrews and a hopefully healthy Fred Galloway may be enough to have the Cannons challenge to finish on level ground. Add in the terrific glove of Jim Hensley at shortstop and the club should be all right. Unfortunately for Cannons supporters the glory days of last decade are long gone and "all right" in the form of a .500 record would be considered a successful season. CLEVELAND- The Foresters only finished as high as sixth once in the first 9 years of the 1940's before shocking baseball with a pennant last October. Things did not end well with the collapse after winning the first 3 games of the WCS from the Chicago Chiefs but it was still a dream season for the Foresters. The question is can they repeat it? I cannot see any way that Adrian Czerwinski wins 26 games again this season but he is clearly a very good young pitcher and with Ducky Davis and John Jackson the Foresters mound is surpassed in the CA perhaps only by the Chicago Cougars. Corner infielders Jim Adams Jr. and homegrown talent Lorenzo Samuels lead the offense but there is a decent supporting cast. 22 year old second baseman Jim Urquhart may be a Kellogg Award candidate this season if the Foresters can make room for him in their starting lineup. The 1948 first round selection is the closest to big league ready out of a farm system that is loaded with talent. Cleveland will contend again this season but I am not sure if they will get the peak seasons out of so many players like they did last year so a repeat might not be in the cards. A deep system with plenty of talent means the future, which was so bleak for so long on the shores of Lake Erie, looks very bright now for the Foresters. MONTREAL- It has been an awfully long time since the Montreal Saints were relevant. Sure, they finished only 2 games out back in 1930 but that was sandwiched by a pair of seasons that saw them more than 20 games back. The last time Montreal was actually a good team was probably 1925 as the final remnants of their four pennant winners in a seven year span ending in 1921 moved on. But things are changing at Parc Cartier. The Saints won 82 games last season and that was with a terrible year out of Wally Reif. Those 82 victories marked the first time Montreal finished over .500 since 1930. The core group is either very young or just reaching its prime years. I am not sure the last time they had a rotation that could rival the quintet of Pete Ford (17-5, 3.37), Bert Cupid (15-15, 3.41), Pat Weakley (12-10, 4.35), Wally Doyle (12-12, 4.01) and Wally Reif (5-15 but 16-10 the previous season). Gordie Perkins is no longer a secret at shortstop after the 27-year-old was selected to his third all-star game. Otis O'Keefe and Maurice Carter are a pair of outstanding young hitters and Joe Austin was rookie of the year while leading FABL in stolen bases. I can see the Saints challenging right down to the wire for a pennant, and may just emerge with their first flag since 1921 if the Chicago Cougars have another one of their patented collapses. NEW YORK STARS- The Stars have finished fourth in the Continental Association each of the past three seasons. Eli Panneton and Vern Hubbard giving them a terrific pair of arms to head the rotation and with 4-time Whitney Award winning outfielder Bill Barrett along with slugging third baseman Mack Sutton there are some good pieces in the lineup as well. The problem is much of the supporting cast has underachieved and I am not sure that trend won't continue in 1950. Keep an eye on young second baseman Moe Holt and third sacker Earle Haley as perhaps both are ready to make a contribution. Rule Five pickup Dan Finch is also a young third baseman with plenty of promise but he has not played above the Class A level so likely will just be a spare part this season. If Holt can shine and prove to be a good table setter as a leadoff man and the supporting cast all performs up to expectations for a change the Stars could win the pennant. That is likely too much to ask for and perhaps finishing closer to fourth place once again is a more likely scenario. SAILORS- What a strange year it was last season to see both pennant winners collapse so badly. The Sailors mirrored the St Louis Pioneers in that they went from winning just 64 games in 1946 to back-to-back pennant winning seasons with 94 and 91 victories only to collapse to last place with a 67-87 record. So the last four seasons for the Sailors have been last-first-first-last. Who knows what to expect from 1950? I don't think the Sailors are a last place team for 1950 but they certainly do not look like pennant contenders either. Sensing a retooling is necessary the Sailors sent veteran reliever David Molina to the Cougars for some young talent, one piece of which in the form of 26-year-old outfielder Jonny Peters will likely be a fixture in the Sailors outfield this season. TORONTO- Bernie Millard is not a patient man. The biggest question this season might be will Millard give Fred Barrell enough time to mold the team he wants to see on the field at Dominion Stadium or will Millard make a rash decision and can his second year manager before giving him a chance to develop a team? The problem I see right now in Toronto is the Wolves, through both action and inaction, have failed to stay competitive. That is something they definitely were the first half of the last decade with a pennant in 1940 and three straight second place finishes beginning in 1943. Hindsight is always 20/20 but the Toronto squad should likely have hung on to Walt Pack when they dealt him to the Cougars a year after his Whitney Award winning season when Pack, like the entire Wolves team, had a down year. They did move on from Charlie Artuso last season but maybe should have done it earlier and they had numerous opportunities to move Fred McCormick for a boatload of young talent but elected to hang on to the future Hall of Famer. There is nothing wrong with loyalty, and for that they probably should be commended, but the Wolves minor league system, which is not terrible right now, could have been so much better with the return they could have received for McCormick. And I am quite sure the Wolves of last season could still have finished sixth without McCormick's veteran bat. There is still some talent in Toronto but it is getting older. In the infield alone McCormick is now 40, second baseman Tom Frederick is 34 and Hal Wood at the hot corner is 35. Centerfielder Chink Stickels is 38 and at 32, George Garrison is the youngest of their big three arms along with Joe Hancock and Jim Morrison. The Wolves do have 23 year old Pat Todd, part of the Walt Pack deal from all those years ago, ready to step in and maybe Roy Hatch, who had a brief trial last season, is ready to help the rotation but in reality Toronto's top prospects -names like John Wells, Les Ledbetter and Bill Irvin- at still at least two years away. There may be some tough times in Toronto over the next couple of seasons. The question is how much will owner Bernie Millard become involved? PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION 1- Chicago Cougars 2- Montreal Saints 3- Cleveland Foresters 4- New York Stars 5- Cincinnati Cannons 6- Brooklyn Kings 7- Philadelphia Sailors 8- Toronto Wolves
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-22-2024, 01:02 PM
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#885 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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March 13, 1950
MARCH 13, 1950  For the most part good health, aside from the usual minor muscle strains that announce the start of spring, was achieved with two exceptions. Not surprisingly both of the injured were pitchers as Chicago Cougars farmhand Jimmy Ballard, who spent last season in AA ball, likely threw his last pitch in big league camp as Ballard will miss the next three to four weeks with shoulder inflammation and upon his return to good health will likely be farmed out. The other long-term injury will keep Toronto reliever George Walker out of action for the next eight weeks. Walker, who went 4-5 with a 5.48 era in 40 relief appearances for the Wolves last season, was in a battle to hold on to his job after Toronto's pitching endured a tough season a year ago. Elbow troubles are blamed as the cause of the injury to the normally durable Walker, who has not been on the injured list since 1939 although he did miss four years while serving in the Army during the war. The 34-year-old is 26-23 in 204 career appearances for the Wolves.   On the mound we'll have our 3 regulars in Vern Hubbard, Eli Panneton and Jack Wood, but there is a whole gaggle of potential arms gunning for those last two starting rotation spots. Paul Grell and Richie Hughes are the probable favorites with Wally Graves, Bill Chapman, Frank Nichols and Joe Lund bringing up the rear. The secondary pitching is locked up by George Scruggs but after that its anyones game. Nino Marini improved his velocity by a whopping 3 mph this off season and has a good shot of planting himself in the bullpen. And Andy Boyer will make a surprise appearance since he worked so hard to up his game as well. Bill Gifford is ready to bring his A game and may earn himself a small role. But there are so many others fighting for their livelihood! Its going to be exciting for sure!  CANNONS PONDERING YOUTH MOVEMENT AS CAMP COMMENCES Spring Training for the Cincinnati Cannons is underway with the club trying to decide whether to limp along with the oldest team in the majors, or kick everyone to the curb and start fresh with young and inexperienced players. Buzz McIlwain and Max Conrad are 2 young outfielders looking to show off for the big league management, as Gail Gifford and Sam Brown may be seeing their time as Cannons come to an end. McIlwain and Conrad are both just 23 years of age and each hails from the west coast. Neither has had a taste of big league baseball yet but they each performed well for Havana in the Cuban League over the winter. McIlwain was a third round pick out of CCLA in 1947 and is coming off a big season at AA Erie in which he slashed .322/.391/.545. Conrad, selected out high school in the fourth round of the 1945 draft, split last season between A and AA ball. The writing may well be on the wall for the 39-year-old Brown and 38-year-old Gifford, each longtime vets who started a career low games in the outfield in 1949. Long time 2B Charlie Rivera is lacing them up next to Nick Remillard, who is hailed as his replacement and may be making a move for the job sooner rather than later. The 23-year-old Remillard was chosen 6th overall by Brooklyn in the 1944 draft and was dealt to the Cannons in 1947 for fellow minor league middle infielder Billy Cady. Remillard led the Cuban League in hits over the winter after making his AAA debut last September. Besides the automatic start with Rufus Barrell II there are some opportunities available on the Cannons mound. Rule 5 pickup John Berry (no relation to Cannons top pick last year CF Dallas Berry) hopes to stand out this year in a squad of mediocrity. The 24-year-old southpaw was selected from the Philadelphia Sailors system but has not previously pitched above the Class A level. Management hopes that Tony Britten will improve on last years rookie campaign and become a solid #2 option. Britten, 23, went 11-15 with a 4.53 era in his first full season in the big leagues. *** Cyclones May Blow Out of Town *** The Queen City lost the grid Tigers to Los Angeles last fall and now there are concerns that our pro basketball entry may also be near the end of its run. The Cincinnati Cyclones have been barely averaging 2,500 fans at the Queen City Gardens for home games this year and poor attendance is the story for much of the fledgling Federal Basketball League. Many are saying Rollie Barrell's cage loop grew far too quickly - it has 17 teams now- and it is unlikely that many will be back next season. The Cylcones have struggled this season although they did show some recent promise with a five-game winning streak that included victories over Wesst Division leading Detroit and the Buffalo Brawlers. There is worry that the club may fold and leave Cincinnati, which had 3 big league teams at this time last year, with just the Cannons to call our own. There is disappointment on the college cage front as well with news breaking today that the Queen City University will not be a part of the 32-team collegiate tournament field. The Monarchs had a tremendous season, going 24-6 and tying a school record for victories in a season that was set in 1908-09, but they were on the outside looking in when the tournament seedings were announced. Queen City has not played in the year end tournament since 1925. Another local school is also done for the season as up in Columbus they are lamenting Central Ohio's first time missing the tournament in five years. The Aviators struggled to an 8-8 record in Great Lakes Alliance play and were just 18-11 overall, falling short of joining four other GLA teams in the 32-team tournament. The four that did qualify from the conference were conference champ Western Iowa along with Indiana A&M, Whitney College and Detroit City College.  The Opening Day rotations top 4 is pretty much set with Bob Arman, Leo Hayden, Joe Potts and prospect Ron Berry locked in. The #5 and or #6 spot is up in the air as well as the bullpen. The Kings hope that SP Paul Byler will show enough control to nail down the #5 spot, but after that the roster crunch will be in effect as there are at least 5 pitchers out of options. The team will likely go with 9 arms. The Kings have the youngest team in the FABL by more than a full year (Kings average age is 25.95 while Pittsburgh is the next youngest at 27.15). The King's left at AAA are also the youngest team in the FABL as well. Whether youth will be served or if it will be a year of growing pains (likely) with further growth is the optimistic view of club management. While there have been some clouds in the King's organization after comments by team owner Daniel Prescott have been leaked out, manager Tom Barrell stated that on the field with the players and coaches, this organization is in good shape.  TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN The newly bedecked Toronto Wolves go into spring training with more questions than answers. Thirty-nine will report to Dunedin to vie for spots Opening Day. April 18th, hosting the Sailors. Fred Barrell's main areas of concern are three: 1) Shoring up the bullpen which was a minefield in 1949. Rule 5 acquisition Brooks Triplett will be given a long look. Lou Jayson's return from missing all of last season will be a welcome sight. If those two secure spots there will 11 fighting for 2 or 3 spots, Max Boswell, Jim Carter, Jimmy Gibbs, Jim Laurita, George Waller and 41-year-old Chick Wirtz are all out of options making decisions tough for which 9 or 10 are going to head north. There will 6 fighting for 5 spot in the rotation 3 of whom would have to clear waivers to be sent to Buffalo. Jim Morrison is probably secure at the #3 behind George Garrison and Joe Hancock leaving the two Harry's Phillips and Stewart on the bubble. Moving one of them to the 'pen just makes things tighter for pitching spots. 2) The middle infield defense dropped off dramatically after the departure of Charlie Artuso to the Chiefs. Rule 5 pickup Ken Blair has been told be Fred Barrell that the job is his for the taking if he can field, hit above .210 while waiting for the development of John Wells . George Dwiggins, Pat Todd will be given a look at third as eventual successors to Hal Wood, Second is also going to be up for grabs, Tom Frederick, 34, may move to the OF leaving Joe DeMott, John Fast to battle for a starting job. Fred McCormick will be penciled in daily at 1B backed up by either Frank Brunch Jr. or Tony Ballinger, who may be a year away better served by starting everyday at AAA. Competition for infield reserve jobs will be between Frank Frady, Fred Miles, Harry Finney with only Frady out of options. Harry Pomeroy is being counted to to be behind the plate in over 140 games which may leave Walt Loera out in cold. 3) The last question is how many times can Barrell go to the Chink Stickels,38 and Fred McCormick, 40. Will father time finally catch up to these two? Using Frederick as utility man at 3 or 4 positions may be the best short term solution. Barrell's stated goal is a first division finish that writers and fans believe will take wizardry to achieve in 1950. The other question for the front office is do the Wolves go a full rebuilding program or try to piece together a graduated transition?  C-Dino Robinson is likely to assume the full time position after the trade of Homer Guthrie. Youngsters Chet Tinsley and Bob Burge look to be the most likely backups. 1B-Veteran Joe Owens is going to get another crack at it as he looks to add to his lofty hit and run career totals. Thinking he's still good for a .380 or so OBP. Former 1st round pick Jim Flowers has had a rough go at it the last few years, but he still has legit power potential and is young so he'll keep getting chances. 2B-Reid McLaughlin has this sewn up. He wasn't quite as good last year as the year before, but he's a tremendous defender who has some real juice to his bat. 3B-Bob Lopez has turned himself into a very strong defender at the hot corner, but like many players in the Miners organization is pretty much limited to being a very good singles hitter. Top prospects George Scott and Roy Snedden are both being promoted to AA this year and have their sights set on Lopez. SS-Irv Clifford is looking like a vet already. He has good at bats, hits some balls into the gap and is slowly rounding out into a decent defensive shortstop. Mners fans are clearly dreaming of Clifford/McLaughlin being the tandem up the middle through the rest of the 50's. LF-Paul Williams finally broke loose last year and showed glimpses of his tremendous eye at the plate and is adding more and more pop to his bat. Former phenom Jeep Erickson is eager to get back into the good graces of the organization and will fight him for playing time. CF-Ernie Campbell is just average defensively, but he has tremendous bat control and looks like he could hit .320 with dozens of XBH in his sleep. He's tremendously fast but horrible at reading pitchers, so we will continue to limit his stolen base attempts. RF-Charlie J. Williams has put together two pretty impressive seasons at the plate. He looks like a 15-20 home run guy which the Miners really, really need. Youngster Bill Newhall has steadily moved up rung by rung and is due to make his debut this season, and he's likely to be a starter at one of those outfield spots by this time next season. The pitching is a mess and outside of Billy Ligons nobody really has a rotation spot guaranteed and the spring will be used to get a lot of guys opportunities on the mound.  PLENTY OF JOBS UP FOR GRABS AS DYNAMOS BEGIN CAMP 42 players have reported to Dynamos spring training in Lakeland, FL., and there are a number of players fighting for just a few openings. The infield is set with Dick Estes, Del Johnson, Stan Kleminski and Tommy Griffin all back and in their familiar starting roles around the diamond. Utility infielders Bob Montgomery and Joe York are seemingly assured of two roster spots as well, with rule five pickup Johnny Potter, a first baseman, likely claiming the final infield opening as a pinch-hitting specialist. Behind the plate is also set with all-star Adam Mullins and long-time Dynamos catcher Rick York set to go. However, it is on the mound and in the outfield where questions abound. The club will either carry 9 pitchers and six outfielders or 8 pitchers and 7 outfield bats, with a number of players who are out of options very much becoming a factor in the final decisions. On the mound the first six spots are set with Allen Award winner Carl Potter, Bill Sohl, Jack Miller, Dixie Lee, Wally Hunter and Harry Sharp all certain to be on the opening day roster. The club will need a lefthander for the pen and that will either be veteran Dynamos Willie Montgomery or free agent signing John Perkins, who spent a half dozen seasons with the New York Stars before being cut loose. The one, possibly two, remaining spots will be a spring battle between five players who are out of minor league options in Charlie Ashmore, Frank Gordon, Jimmy Long and long-time minor leaguers Al Ahern and Stan Flanders. Further disrupting the battle is the possibility that one of two highly thought of rookies in Roy Schaub and Bob Haverhill may play themselves into a spot as well. The other big battle will be in the outfield where only Edwin Hackberry and Tony Mullis are assured slots. The club is leaning towards giving rookie Joe Fulgham one of the remaining openings which leaves veterans Hal Sharp, Pinky Pierce and Dick Blaszak - all out of minor league options- to battle with Wally Dorsey, Steve Dunagan, Bill Parker and rookie Bill Morrison for the remaining three or four positions. *** Strong Finish Earns DCC Cage Tourney Berth *** It was touch and go much of the way but five wins in their final six games -with the lone loss coming by 2 points to the number two ranked team in the nation- helped the Detroit City College Knights return to the AIAA collegiate basketball tournament for the 16th time in the past 17 years. The Knights finished 22-8, and tied for third with Whitney College in the Great Lakes Alliance, and will draw a tough opponent in their opener in the St. Blane Fighting Saints. Tournament play has not been kind to DCC the past couple of years as they were knocked out in the opening round in each of them. *** Mixed Results at The Palladium *** The Detroit Mustangs continue to roll in Federal Basketball League action. The latest run is a 5-game winning streak that has increased the Detroit quintet's lead on second place Toronto to 5 games. Second year star Ward Messer, who's arrival a year ago turned the fortunes of the franchise around and led the Mustangs all the way to the FBL finals after finishing last each of their first two seasons, continues to be the focal point of the offense. The former Barrette Trophy winner as the best player in college basketball is among the league leaders in points per game (18.1) and rebounds per game (18.8) and combines with center Jack Kurtz (17.9 ppg) for a powerful one-two punch. When the hardwood is lifted, and the ice is the focus at Thompson Palladium things are not nearly going as well. The Motors were the surprise of the league in the first half of the season and were tied for top spot at Christmas but now are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely after back to back losses to Chicago left the Packers tied with the Motors for fourth place. Chicago has seven games remaining, one more than the local outfit. It has just been a terrible second half which has seen Detroit post the worst record in the league since Christmas. Injuries to centers Francis McKenzie and Ben Witt are being blamed as much of the cause as Detroit's offense, which had been the most potent in the league in the first half, has dried up.
AIAA TOURNAMENT FIELD SET Noble Jones Joins Liberty College With Perfect Regular Season The 32-team field is set for the AIAA college basketball championship, which gets underway this weekend and will conclude on Monday April 3 at New York's Bigsby Garden with the crowning of the 41st annual champion of collegiate basketball. Headlining the event will be a pair of schools that each finished the regular season unbeaten, something that had not been done by any school in over a decade. The Liberty College Bells led by Luther Gordon, who is expected to win his second consecutive Barrette Trophy as the top player in the AIAA, finished their season up a few weeks back and breezed through the competition with a 29-0 record. That was good for the top ranking in the nation and the Bells were rewarded with the top seed in the East Region where they will open against the University of New Jersey. The other perfect team just completed its season Saturday as the Noble Jones College Colonels, who reached the AIAA championship game a year ago, downed Central Kentucky 44-27, to finish their season at 29-0. The Colonels won all eleven of their Deep South Conference games, to claim their third section title in the past four years and become the first Deep South Conference squad to run the table in section play since Bayou State went 16-0 back when it was still known as the Great South Conference in 1918-19. For their efforts this season the Colonels will be the top seed in the South Region and will face San Francisco Tech in the opening round. The remaining number one seeds will be Western Iowa and Carolina Poly. The Canaries, who won the Great Lakes Alliance title for the second year in a row and were ranked #2 in the nation with a 26-3 record, claimed the top seed in the Midwest and will open the tournament against Oklahoma City State on Saturday. The Cardinals, who finished a game behind Maryland State in the South Atlantic Conference and were ranked fourth in the nation with a 25-4 record, were a mild surprise to be sent across country where they will be the top seed in the West Region. The Cardinals will open the tournament against Flagstaff State holding down the top western seed that many felt should have gone to West Coast Athletic Association champion Rainier College. The Majestics finish the season ranked 5th in the polls with a 23-6 record and will be sent to the Midwest Region as a number two seed. Here is the tournament bracket and a breakdown of each region.   WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS THURSDAY MARCH 9 #2 Western Iowa 38, at #7 Indiana A&M 35 #4 Carolina Poly 67, at Bulein 45 #8 Whitney College 68, at St. Magnus 53 at #9 Detroit City College 45, Minnesota Tech 38 #15 Maryland State 57, at Central Carolina 53 #20 North Carolina Tech 49, at Alexandria 35 #22 Western State 47, at Fond du Lac 43 ACADAMIA ALLIANCE TOUNRMANET (8) George Fox 50, (1) #18 Pierpont 49 (2) #17 Brunswick 55, (7) Henry Hudson 47 (3) Grafton 48, (6) Sadler 47 (4) Ellery 49, (5) Dickson 48 FRIDAY MARCH 10 #5 Rainier College 57, at Idaho A&M 42 at #14 Coastal California 68, Spokane State 49 #13 CC Los Angeles 73, at Northern California 69 ACADEMIA ALLIANCE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS (4) Ellery 61, (8) George Fox 49 (2) #17 Brunswick 53, (3) Grafton 50 SATURDAY MARCH 11 #2 Western Iowa 62, at St. Ignatius 42 at #3 Noble Jones College 44, Central Kentucky 27 at #4 Carolina Poly 54, Coastal State 39 #7 Indiana A&M 55, at St. Magnus 49 #8 Whitney College 74, at Central Ohio 61 at #9 Detroit City College 61, Wisconsin State 38 at #10 Alabama Baptist 49, Mississippi A&M 41 at #15 Maryland State 50, Petersburg 38 at #20 North Carolina Tech 56, Richmond State 50 at Holland 49, #22 Western State 47 #23 Charleston Tech 55, at Cowpens State 42 at #25 Bluegrass State 61, Opelika State 52 ACADAMIA ALLIANCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (4) Ellery 56, (2) #17 Brunswick 49 END OF REGULAR SEASON DUKES CLOSE TO WITHIN POINT OF LEAD The Toronto Dukes picked the right time to get hot as Jack Barrell's charges have gone 5-0-1 since the calendar flipped to March and made up six points on the suddenly struggling New York Shamrocks in the battle for top spot in the North American Hockey Confederation. Included in the Dukes three wins last week was a 7-3 triumph at Bigsby Garden in a game in which the NAHC's top scorer Les Carlson came up big. The 26-year-old scored three times and added two assists to further the Shamrocks struggles last week. New York entered the week with a 7-point bulge on the second place Dukes but 4 straight losses leaves the Greenshirts just a point ahead with six games remaining in the season for each club. The Montreal Valiants seem to have settled nicely into third place while Detroit Motors collapse continues and the Motors are now tied with the Chicago Packers for the final playoff spot, but the Packers have a game in hand. The struggling Motors lost back to back 2-1 games to the Packers over the weekend and are just 3-14-5 since late January. The season looked like a lost cause for the Packers, who have had their troubles all year, but a five-game winning streak has Chicago fans thinking about the playoffs. The Valiants have turned things around since the new year as they were the worst team in the league on Christmas Day. Heading the other direction is the Detroit Motors who were tied for first on Christmas but have won just 7 times since then and own the worst record in the league from Christmas Day until today.   NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK MONDAY MARCH 6 Detroit 1 at Montreal 4: Adam Sandford scored twice and added an assist as the Montreal Valiants moved ahead of Detroit and into sole possession of third place in the NAHC standings with a 4-1 victory. The victory gives the Vals 59 points on the season, two more than the Motors. WEDNESDAY MARCH 8 Boston 5 at Detroit 2: Jacob Gron and Mark Dyck each scored a pair as the last place Bees dumped slumping Detroit 5-2. Boston built a 4-0 lead through forty minutes and won easily despite being outshot 37-29 in the contest. Chicago 4 at New York 1: The Packers surprised the first place Shamrocks, handing New York just its second loss in its last 10 games. Max Lavigne, set up both times by Moose Vezina, scored a pair of third period goals for the Packers who received an outstanding game between the pipes from Norm Hanson. THURSDAY MARCH 9 Montreal 1 at Toronto 4: Bobbie Sauer and Trevor Parker each scored once and added two assists while Gordie Broadway looked fully recovered from his leg issues in turning aside 33 of the 34 Montreal shots he faced. The win moves the Dukes to within 5 points of first place New York. New York 1 at Detroit 2: The Motors pull back into a third place tie with Montreal after Marsh Spencer and Anthony Jacques each scored in the third period of a 2-1 victory over first place New York. Samuel Coates had the lone New York goal. SATURDAY MARCH 11 Detroit 1 at Chicago 2: It has been a busy week for the Motors, who were playing for the fourth time in six days, and they may have simply ran out of gas. Dixon Butler opened the scoring in the second period but the Packers, who outshot the Motors 35-17, rallied with third period goals from a pair of New York Shamrocks castoffs in Chris Broeke and Tommy Brescia to claim a 2-1 victory. The win moves the Packers to within 2 points of Detroit for the fourth and final playoff berth. Montreal 3 at Boston 2: Nikolas Roch scored once and assisted on the other two Montreal goals in a 3-2 victory over Boston. Rey Sclisizzi and Jimmy Backus were the other Montreal goal scorers while Jacob Gron and Mike Brunell replied for the Bees, who have lost four of their last five games. Toronto 7 at New York 3: A big comeback for the Dukes, who trailed 2-0 after one period and 3-1 midway through the second before scoring 6 unanswered goals to beat New York 7-3 and close the gap between the two in the battle for first place to 3 points. Les Carlson had a big game with 3 goals and 2 assists while Quinton Pollack scored once and added 4 helpers for the Dukes. SUNDAY MARCH 12 Boston 1 at Toronto 2: Toronto improves to 5-0-1 in March and closes to within a point of first place New York after holding off Boston 2-1. Lou Galbraith, with his 24th goal of the season, opened the scoring in the first period and Herb Burdette extended the Toronto lead to 2-0 in the second. Craig Simpson gave Boston some hope with a third period goal but that was the only one of the 34 Bees shots to elude Toronto netminder Terry Russell. Chicago 2 at Detroit 1: The Motors, who were challenging for first place in late December, are now in danger of missing the playoffs entirely after the Packers beat Detroit for the second night in a row by a 2-1 count and pulled even in the battle for the final playoff berth. Moose Vezina and Joe Fleming scored for Chicago while recent free agent pickup Bob Pilon's first NAHC goal accounted for the Detroit scoring. New York 1 at Montreal 4: The Shamrocks struggles continue as New York loses for the fourth time this week and saw its 7 point lead on Toronto shrink to just a single point over the past six days. Nikolas Roch, a 28-year-old midseason pickup from the Cleveland Eries, had his second straight 3-point game in leading the Vals offense with defenseman Shel Herron adding a goal and an assist. Tom Brockers made 35 saves in the Montreal net while Etienne Tremblay had an uncharacteristically rough night in the Shamrocks cage, allowing 4 goals on just 20 shots. UPCOMING GAMES It's been anything but smooth sailing for the Chicago Packers, though as the season is ticking down, the wins are starting to come. Even after losing team goal leader Marty Mahoney, who is nearing a return, the Pack have caught fire, winning each of their last five games. This included back-to-back wins against the Detroit Motors, who are now tied with the Packers for the fourth and final playoff spot.WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 Chicago at Toronto Detroit at Montreal New York at Boston THURSDAY MARCH 16 Montreal at Detroit SATURDAY MARCH 18 Detroit at Boston Montreal at New York Toronto at Chicago SUNDAY MARCH 19 Chicago at Boston Detroit at Toronto New York at Montreal  It's been the work of the goaltenders, who have both been impressive, as the Packers allowed two or fewer goals in each of the five wins. Norm Hanson was responsible for three of them, and he now ranks third in the NAHC in both GAA (2.50) and save percentage (.921), while making the third most saves (1,450) and games played (51) since the season started. Backup netminder Michael Cleghorn hasn't been as great (2.97, .913), but he was up for the test against Boston and Detroit, upping his record from 2-6 to 4-6. For a team that's recently relied on its scoring, it's been a stark contrast this season for the Packers, who don't have a single skater in the top five for points. All-World center Tommy Burns comes close, tied for 6th with 54, ranking 5th in goals (22) and tied for 6th in assists (32), but overall the scoring numbers are down. Just two Packers have more then 15 goals and Burns is the only player with more then the 25 assists of second line center Jarrett McGlynn. Of course, when one thing is going right, something else has to go wrong, as winger Jeremy MacLean left the first 2-1 win over the Motors with groin tightness. Head Coach Ed Hempenstall is holding him out of the lineup in the interim, leaving the Pack without their top two right wingers for a few games. They're hoping him or Mahoney will be back for a big matchup on the 15th with the Toronto Dukes, who sit a single point behind the New York Shamrocks. DUKES CLOSE TO WITHN ONE POINT OF SHAMROCKS Toronto, on a five game undefeated run, have now made it a battle for first in the NAHC with six games remaining on their regular season schedule. The Dukes picked up six points on the struggling New York Shamrocks last week and just as suddenly as they appeared to be doomed to finish in second place, the Dukes are right back in the mix. Toronto trails the New York Shamrocks by just a single point with 6 games remaining for each club including a season-ending showdown between the two rivals at Dominion Gardens on March 26 -the final day of the regular season. Dominion Gardens was host to a Thursday game between the two Canadian teams. The crowd of 14,158 was treated to a highly entertaining fast paced display of hockey. Bobbie Sauer, on his second game back from suspension, brought the crowd to its feet before the game was minute old, scoring from the slot off passes from Trevor Parker and Mike Navarro. It stayed that way until the Valiants tied the game with just over a minute remaining in the first when Adam Sanford notched his 26th after a clean faceoff win by Ian Doyle on a shot that Dukes netminder Gordie Broadway did not appear to see while Montreal was on the powerplay. The second frame was almost a carbon copy of the opener. Up and down the ice the play went with few stoppages forcing both Broadway and Montreal netminder Tom Brockers to be at the top of their game. Toronto's Quinton Pollack scored the lone goal of the middle period on a shot through a screen. Entering the third ahead a goal the Dukes continued to press the Vals and avoided going into a defensive shell. Montreal tried to counterattack but were not able to beat the Dukes goaltender in the final 41:02 of the game. Toronto scored twice with Parker's 14th making it 3-1 just past the 12 minute mark then Lou Galbraith's empty netter made the final 4-1. Bigsby Gardens was the site of matchup between the top teams in professional hockey on Saturday night. Executives at CBC radio are saying it probably was most listened to broadcast of a hockey game in the network's history. The games did not start out well for most Canadian listeners with the Shamrocks jumping out to a two-goal lead before the game was two minutes old. Joe Martin scored at 1:47 then after Charette took an interference call on the ensuing puck drop Jocko Gregg made it 2-0 10 seconds later. The Dukes escaped the first only down two then halved the lead less than a minute into the second period when Parker tipped home a Philippe Dubois shot from the point. The comeback appeared to be short-lived as Simon Savard made it 3-1 for New York just two minutes later but Toronto rallied to tie the game thanks to a couple of power play goals off the stick of Les Carlson. Pollack gave the Dukes a lead that they never relinquish at his third point of the period at 13:52. Carlson's assist also gave him a third point of the period. Pollack's goal seemed to deflate the Shamrocks as the third period was all Toronto. Chad Roy, Carlson with his hattrick goal and Parker with his second of the game, all in the third made the final 7-3 Dukes. Toronto took a quick trip home to host the Bees on Sunday. These two teams have a history of disliking each other both on the ice and in the press. Barrell has been outspoken with his public comments on Boston's "clutch and grab" style. He has been less vocal lately after the Sauer suspension. The game was not as hard hitting as usual probably due to both teams playing the night before. The game was a relatively calm affair. Lou Galbraith beat Boston goaltender Oscar James from a sharp angle while up a man in the first period and Herb Burdette had his number written in the goal column of the game sheet for only the 4th time this season at 6:46 of the second to make 2-0. The balance of the game of played at slow pace with numerous stoppages with the puck being tied up or offside. Craig Simpson finally solved the riddle of Terry Russell in the Toronto cage with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game. The low intensity game ended 2-1 Toronto. Coach Barrell: "We are starting to round into playoff form. Defensively sound except for the opening couple of minutes Saturday which were scary. Glad that we finally solved Brockers who has had our number as of late. We will have home ice advantage in the first round. I would like to secure first overall, the playoffs are a whole new season. We have to hone our play at both ends of the ice over the last six games."
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 3/12/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-23-2024, 12:40 PM
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MARCH 20, 1950 FEW UPSETS AS CAGE TOURNAMENT GETS UNDERWAY The opening round of the AIAA college basketball tournament went pretty much according to script over the weekend as all of the first and second seeds advanced to the round of 16. It marked the first time since the 1942-43 tournament that all eight number one and two seeds survived the opening round. The third seeds did not have it quite so easy as both Coastal California and Maryland State were knocked out in the opening round. The West Region feels like a throwback to the early days of the sport after a pair of Academia Alliance clubs advanced marking the first time since the spring of 1933 that the oldest conference in collegiate basketball placed two teams in the second round. Those two would be Pierpont and Ellery. For the Purple the 61-48 upset of Lane State was their first tournament win since 1925 while the Bruins also knocked out a West Coast Athletic Assocation team, beating Coastal California 60-59 in overtime for their first win in tournament play since 1935. Ellery, a 6th seed that reached the tournament by winning the Academia Alliance post-season tourney, needed a shot from the top of the key by Arnie Hathaway to drop with 13 seconds remaining in overtime to knock out the Dolphins. Hathaway was on fire all game, finding the basket 10 times from the field as part of his game high 24 points. Next up for the Bruins will be Indiana A&M after the second seeded Reapers, led by Orville Courville's 15 points, downed Utah A&M 48-42. Pierpont, which had a surprisingly easy time with Lane State, will have its work cut out for itself Thursday when the Purple tangle with the top seed in the West in Carolina Poly. James Halle scored 17 points and George Bertram added 15 as the Cardinals outlasted a gutsy effort from Flagstaff State, a school that went just 14-16 on the season but won the Southern Border Conference title, 67-61. MIDWEST REGION Like in the West Region, the number three seed in the Midwest was bounced from the tournament in the opening round. That would be South Atlantic Conference champion Maryland State as the Bengals fell by a 62-57 count to Southwestern Alliance champion Lubbock State in what was the Hawks first tournament win in a dozen years. For Maryland State it was just their third-ever appearance in the AIAA tournament, and they have yet to win a tournament game. The Hawks, who were led by 16 points from senior guard Sherwood Stamm in the win over Maryland State, now turn their attention to Rainier College after the second-seeded Majestics had little trouble in a 71-49 blasting of Midwestern Association champ Lambert College. Don Higgins, brother of former FABL pitcher Dick Higgins, and Joe Simpson each scored 17 to lead the Majestics, who reached the National semi-finals two of the past four years and were National Champions in 1940,1943 and 1944. Great Lakes Alliance conference champion Western Iowa, ranked #2 in the nation, is the top seed in the region and the Canaries took care of business in their tournament opener, dumping Plains Athletic Association champion Oklahoma City State 53-34 behind a 19-point showing from senior forward Slim Barner - a likely first round pick in the next Federal Basketball League draft. The Canaries will meet North Carolina Tech in the second round after the 4th seeded Techsters barely survived Miami State, downing the Gulls 42-40. Mike Carter, another potential first round pick in the next FBL draft, led the way for NC Tech with 17 points. EAST REGION The number one team in the nation Liberty College improved to 30-0 on the season with a relatively easy time disposing of 8th seeded University of New Jersey in the opening game in the East Region. With his squad comfortably ahead, star center Luther Gordon left after just 28 minutes but still led the scoring parade with 14 points in the 69-39 rout. Next up for the Bells will be Redwood University after the WCAA school made up for losses by two of its conference brethren in the West Region to Academia Alliance outfits, as the Mammoths downed Brunswick 55-48. Advancing beyond the round of 16 will be a daunting task for Redwood but the future looks bright as a pair of freshman guards led the Mammoths in scoring against Brunswick: Danny Schirf had 15 points while Hank Adkins added 13. The other matchup in the East will be the Deep South Conference against the Great Lakes Alliance as Alabama Baptist and Detroit City College each won as the #2 and #3 seeds. William Dixon had 13 points while Les Lightbody had 7 points and 14 boards to pace the Panthers past Brandywine 51-41 while Charlie Orlando's 17 points led the way for the Knights in their 56-42 victory over St. Blane. The victory ended two consecutive seasons of first round tournament exits for Detroit City College. SOUTH REGION Top seeded Noble Jones College is now 30-0 on the year after the Colonels had little trouble with San Francisco Tech in the opening round in the South Region. 61-44 was the final score with Carlton Hicks and Jim Graybeal each scoring 13 points to pace the Colonels. Annapolis Maritime, as the fifth seed, pulled off a slight upset knocking off 4th seeded Charleston Tech 67-48 in their opening round game. Billy Ambrose and David Williams each had 14 points for the Navigators. There were some tense moments, but second-seed Whitney College held off Garden State 51-47 in a game that had the Redbirds up by 8 points midway through the second half. Sophomore Solly Morris had some key baskets down the stretch and led the Engineers with 14 points. Whitney College will now face CC Los Angeles in a battle of second seed vs third seed in the round of 16. The Coyotes shut down Western State's high scoring guard Williams Wheeler, limiting one of the top scorers in the nation to just 4 points in a 58-38 victory. Junior All-American candidate Henry Piercy scored 20 points to lead CCLA.  SHAMROCKS, DUKES GOING TO WIRE IN RACE FOR TOP SPOT With 3 games remaining in the season for each, just one point separates the New York Shamrocks and the two-time Challenge Cup defending champion Toronto Dukes for first place and the all-important home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Shamrocks, who have not finished first since they led the old American Division in 1932-33, will visit Toronto to play the Dukes next Sunday -the final day of the NAHC campaign. Each club earned 4 points in their 3 games last week to keep the situation identical to what it was entering the week. The Shamrocks visit Chicago Tuesday, host Detroit Wednesday before finishing the season in Toronto on Sunday. The Dukes are on the road for games in Montreal Wednesday and Boston on Saturday before their final meeting with the Shamrocks. Toronto will at least start the week with first line left winger Lou Galbraith on the shelf. Galbraith, who has 25 goals and 61 points playing primarily with league scoring leader Les Carlson and Quinton Pollack, injured his knee in a game last week. He is listed as day-to-day. The order is uncertain, but New York and Toronto will finish one-two, and each will host a semi-final series. The opponents have yet to be determined but the Montreal Valiants seem in good position to finish third as they enjoy a four-point lead on Detroit with three games remaining. Detroit picked up four points last week including a big 3-2 victory in Toronto last night to tighten their grip on fourth place but the Motors, who lead Chicago by 4 points for the final playoff berth, have just two games remaining while the Packers have four to play over the last week of the season.  NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 Chicago 3 at Toronto 6: The Dukes win, coupled with New York's tie in Boston, left Toronto and the Shamrocks tied for first place. The big line led the way for Toronto with Les Carlson scoring twice including his league leading 35th of the season while his linemates Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith each had 3 assists on the evening. Detroit 3 at Montreal 3: After Montreal took a 3-0 lead the visiting Motors rallied for three second period goals to claim a 3-3 tie in Montreal. Nick Tardif led the way for Detroit with two goals just over two minutes apart. The tie moves the Motors into sole possession of the fourth and final playoff spot - one point ahead of Chicago. New York 1 at Boston 1: The Shamrocks had to settle for a single point against last place Boston despite outshooting the Bees 39-20. Simon Savard's powerplay goal in the second period gave New York the lead but Garrett Kauffeldt equaled in the third, also with the man advantage, for the Bees. THURSDAY MARCH 16 Montreal 4 at Detroit 1: Adam Sandford scored his 29th and 30th goals of the season while Tom Brockers made 42 saves as the visiting Valiants downed Detroit 4-1. The victory moves Montreal six points ahead of Detroit and comes close to securing third place for the Vals. SATURDAY MARCH 17 Detroit 1 at Boston 1: A second consecutive 1-1 tie for the Bees, who settle for that result at home against Detroit. Vincent Arsenault opened the scoring for the Motors late in the second period before Mickey Bedard notched the equalizer midway through the middle frame. Montreal 1 at New York 1: Orval Cabbell's 21st goal of the season, three minutes into the third period, earned New York a single point in a 1-1 draw with Montreal. Adam Sandford had given the Vals the lead late in the opening stanza. The story of the game was the goaltending as New York's Alex Sorrell faced 41 Montreal shots while the Shamrocks fired 38 on Tom Brockers in the Valiants net. Toronto 3 at Chicago 2: The Dukes regained first place, pulling a point ahead of New York with a win in the Windy City. Goals by Tommy Burns and Max Lavigne had helped the hosts to a 2-1 lead after forty minutes but Trevor Parker and Lou Galbraith, with his 25th marker of the season, just over a minute apart midway through the third period allowed the Dukes to claim the victory. Trevor Parker had the other Toronto goal with Quinton Pollack drawing two assists to increase his league leading total to 53 helpers. SUNDAY MARCH 18 Chicago 1 at Boston 5: The Packers playoff hopes were dealt a serious blow with a 5-1 loss to last place Boston. Detroit upset Toronto leaving Chicago 4 points back of the Motors for the final playoff spot, but the Packers do have four games remaining while the Motors have just two left to play. Wilbur Chandler was the story on this day as the veteran Boston center scored a natural hat trick in a little over a 4 minute span to pace Boston to the victory. Jacob Gron assisted on each of Chandler's goals. Detroit 3 at Toronto 2: A big win for the Motors playoff hopes and a tough loss for the Dukes as it knocked Toronto out of first place. Adam Vanderbilt's powerplay goal with less than four minutes remaining in the contest snapped a 2-2 tie and lifted Detroit to the victory in a game that the Motors outshot the Dukes 42-21. The win snaps a 3-game losing streak for the Motors against Toronto. New York 5 at Montreal 1: Orval Cabbell had a hat trick and Etienne Tremblay stopped 38 of the 39 Montreal shots he faced to lead the Shamrocks to a 5-1 win over the Valiants. The victory moves New York back into top spot in the standings, a point ahead of Toronto. Ryan Kennedy had three assists for the winners with Simon Savard adding two helpers. UPCOMING GAMES TUESDAY MARCH 21 New York at Chicago WEDNESDAY MARCH 22 Boston at Chicago Detroit at New York Toronto at Montreal SATURDAY MARCH 25 Montreal at Chicago Toronto at Boston SUNDAY MARCH 26 Boston at Montreal Detroit at Chicago New York at Toronto END OF REGULAR SEASON HOCKEY NOTES
DUKES REMAIN ONE POINT ASTERN IN NAHC With three games to play in regular season Toronto is in second place, trailing New York by a single point in the battle for first place and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The two teams meet at Dominion Gardens Sunday to close out the regular season. Last week the Dukes played a home and home with the Packers starting Wednesday in Ontario. The 14,472 on hand witnessed a fast paced game with the two teams trading scoring opportunities testing Gordie Broadway and Norm Hanson a total of 70 times during the 60 minutes with Toronto holding a shot advantage of 37-33 for the game. Chicago got on the board first as Tommy Brescia opened the scoring from the high slot just 3:34 into the contest only to have the Dukes tie it at 1 just over a minute later when Les Carlson scored his 34th of the year from his office just outside the crease. Frank Featherstone gave the Dukes a lead they would not give back on a three way passing play from Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith before the period had reached the halfway point. The second period was scoreless until the last three minutes when defenseman Philippe Dubois made it 3-1 Toronto with Charlie Brown and Pollack, recording his 50th assist of the year, helping out. Chicago rallied quickly when Max Lavigne beat Broadway with a snap shot at to cut the Toronto lead back to one goal just 35 seconds after Dubois' tally. Down one heading into the final period, chasing a playoff spot, the Packers were forced to open up in an attempt to get the equalizer. This made them vulnerable to quick counter attack from the Dukes. Toronto scored twice on turnovers making 5-2 with just just over 9 minutes to go on goals by Maurice Charette and Carlson, who scored his second of the game and 35th of the campaign. Derek Gubb gave the Packers some hope with his 8th to make 5-3 at 13:40. That was as close as Chicago would get as Trevor Parker salted the game away at 16:35, 6-3 final. The two teams suited up again in Lakeside Aud Saturday night. The game was the same style as the Toronto encounter, up and down the ice with slick passing, by both teams. Toronto dominated the opening period outshooting the home side 19-3 although the scoreboard showed the score tied at 1 after 20 thanks in large part to Hanson. Tommy Burns opened the scoring early when he put a shot over Broadway's shoulder at 2:02. With Brescia in the box for tripping the Dukes power play went to work with Parker knocking home a rebound off a Pollack shot. The Packers mounted more offense in the second taking a 2-1 lead to the intermission courtesy of an end-to-end rush by Max Lavigne that he finished with a nifty deke of Broadway. Chicago held the advantage with less than 10 minutes remaining until Parker tied it with his second of the game and 19th of year. After a delay of game call on Pete Moreau which sent the crowd into frenzy, causing a long stoppage to clean the ice of the litter the fans tossed from the stands, Galbraith scored in the dying seconds of the power play. The goal caused another delay to clean the ice after debris again rained down from the stands. Chicago pulled out all the stops in an unsuccessful attempt to salvage a point as the Dukes prevailed by a 3-2 score. Arriving back to Union Station in the wee hours of the morning the Dukes hosted the Motors Sunday. Detroit is desperately trying to hold on to playoff spot since falling off the pace after Christmas. Detroit came out fast playing their regular hard-hitting style. Helped by a steady parade of Dukes to the penalty box -a period in which Toronto took 18 of the 20 penalty minutes handed out- the Motors failed to take advantage of the opportunities but did forcing Terry Russell in the Toronto net to make 11 saves in a scoreless period. Detroit was again buzzing around the Dukes end in the second testing Russell another 18 times. They lit the goal lamp twice on markers by Dixon Butler and Moe Treadwell, who has three of his four career NAHC goals against Toronto, allowing the Motors to head into the final twenty minutes up 2-0. Late in the second period Les Carlson, who is no stranger to the rough stuff, dropped the mitts with Vincent Arsenault after taking exception to some of Arsenault's stickwork. The bout brought the fans to their feet, also seemed to inject some life into the home squad. Early in the third Rob Painchaud pinched in to take a pass from Bobbie Sauer to beat Detroit goaltender Millard Touhey to the short side cutting the Motors lead to 2-1. Down one the Dukes tried to press on the forecheck and it paid off as they managed to tie the game when Sauer converted after Maurice Charette had poke checked a Motors defender sending the puck back to Painchaud who fed Sauer at 14:49. Less than 30 seconds later the man with the red armbands hand went up to call Chad Roy for roughing that started a chorus of boos to cascade down from the 13,918 in the seats. The Motors could smell blood in the water, they moved the puck with precision passing with Graham Comeau and Treadwell combining to find Adam Vanderbilt alone who snapped a shot past Russell. That goal brought down another chorus of boos. Toronto had a golden chance to tie the game when Arsenault was whistled for holding at 17:54 but the Dukes could not find the back of net even while going 6 skaters on 4 and the Motors held on for an important two points. Coach Barrell: "The two games against Chicago were entertaining but a little too wide open for my liking. We have to stop freewheeling. My only comment about the Detroit game is guess who was calling the game? I had better not say anymore or I will probably lighter in the bank account. We have 3 games left; wouldn't 3 wins be nice?"  SPRING TRAINING NOTES
 EDMONDS AND BOGGS EYE GLORY IN MIDDLEWEIGHT BATTLE FOR THE AGES In the hallowed halls of pugilism, a familiar heartbeat is set to return as John Edmonds and Bill Boggs step into the squared circle at Bigsby Garden, vying for the coveted World Middleweight Crown. A title left vacant since the tragic fall of Edouard Desmarais in an October plane catastrophe. Edmonds, the gritty warrior from Muncie, Indiana, brings a storied past to the canvas. His thunderous clashes with Frank Melanson, where he briefly grasped the world title, are etched in boxing lore. The 31-year-old, with a record standing tall at 30-3, has charted a triumphant path back to the spotlight after a Chicago night in 1947 relinquished his grip on the crown. His fists, now seasoned with victories, yearn to etch a new chapter in the middleweight saga. Across from him stands the formidable Bill Boggs, the brash Brooklynite on the cusp of his 25th birthday. A powerhouse adorned with muscle and backed by an unyielding confidence. Boggs, a veteran of the Garden's famed canvas, steps onto a grander stage, the spotlight gleaming on a chance to clinch the world title. With a professional tally of 20-2-1, his unanimous decision over Bobby Hinkle echoes his prowess, yet a draw against the seasoned Adrian Petrie serves as a reminder of the unpredictable dance that is boxing. Edmonds, with a whisper of experience in his corner, assumes the mantle of a slight favorite. However, this impending showdown, a fistic tribute to Desmarais' legacy, pulses with the potential for pugilistic excellence. The Garden, a silent witness to tales etched in leather and sweat, prepares for a night where gloves will pen a new chapter, and the memory of a fallen champion will linger in the air. As the bell tolls, it will herald not just a contest of brawn but a continuation of a legacy—a lineage of middleweights, each leaving their mark on the canvas, and in the heart of a sport that thrives on the rhythm of punches and the echoes of champions past. RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 3/19/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 02-23-2024 at 01:18 PM. |
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02-23-2024, 01:22 PM
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#887 | |
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All Star Starter
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02-25-2024, 08:14 AM
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#888 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-26-2024, 01:37 PM
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#889 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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A little more about the Figment Sporting Universe and How to Join the Fun
There is no sim today, so no new edition of This Week in Figment Sports (TWIFS) but I thought it would be a good time to give some background info on the Figment Universe for those not in our league who have been following along. The Figment sporting universe is the brainchild of our commissioner, who goes by legendsport on these boards and has this website as the main hub for our universe. He is the architect of the universe but there are plenty others involved in the construction as many General Managers from our leagues contribute to these weekly updates.
We typically sim five days a week (Mon-Fri) and with every sport advancing at the same time by one calendar week -which is why the TWIFS updates generally appear once a day during the week. The first online league was FABL -our baseball league- which began in 1876 as a solo sim that our commissioner quickly advanced to the end of the 1925 season, at which point our 16 human General Manager's took over. We are now spring training of 1950 and many of the original GMs remain in the league. Legendsport had been simming other sports along with the baseball and in the early 1940s those other sports went live as well. Presently our hockey league - the North American Hockey Confederation- is in its first season with FHM10 after having human GMs for three seasons with FHM9. We also have a pro basketball league - called the Federal Basketball League- which is in its third season as an online league using Fastbreak Pro Basketball. It traces its pre-play history back to the mid-1930s. Finally, there is the professional football league, called the American Football Association. Because of the way the game was played in this era and the lack of a suitable sim with online capability and the ability to replicate pre-1960 football the AFA currently is a solo sim project ran alongside the rest of the universe and update weekly using a game engine called Second and Ten football. There are other sports to fill out the universe as well that are solo simmed along. They include college football (using an excel based program that generates results) and college basketball (using Fastbreak College Basketball) as well as boxing which uses Title Bout that used to be offered here on the OOTP site. SPORTS ARE FICTIONAL, EVERYTHING ELSE IS REAL At some point in the early days of Figment our commissioner made the point known to all that everything outside of sports in this universe will be just as it was in real life. That explains why many of our best athletes missed up to 4 seasons serving during WWII and why we include the weekly news section at the bottom of each edition of TWIFS. All of the sports in Figment will be fictional - players, teams, venues, executives- but everything will be designed to closely resemble real life. That is why we had legendary hitters by the names of Max Morris (who hit 711 homers in our sim) and Rankin Kellogg, whose career was cut short by illness (think Ruth and Gehrig). We have two baseball teams based in New York (the Gothams and Stars) and one in Brooklyn (the Kings), we have six teams in our professional hockey league, we have a dominant heavyweight champion by the name of Hector Sawyer (think Joe Louis) and we have the most famous venue in sports being Bigsby Garden in New York City named after an infamous family in early baseball history that still has ancestors shaping the sport now. We had a rebel football league called the Continental Football Conference that existed from 1946-49 before folding a couple of months ago with three of its teams including the mighty Kansas City Cowboys led by coach Pete Walsh and quarterback Pat Chappell (think Cleveland Browns) join the AFA for next season. There were some differences too. For example, in our universe the Great Western League (our version of the AAA PCL) decided to follow the CFC's footsteps and declare itself a "major" league. It, like the CFC, recently folded with the teams disbanding or returning to AAA status but not until after large multi-purpose stadiums were built in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Each will house an AFA team but there is already speculation that one of our New York ballclubs (the Stars) and one of the two Philadelphia teams (the Sailors and Keystones) will move west in the near future. Or perhaps FABL will expand beyond its current 16 team structure. I mentioned our college system which is called the AIAA (American Intercollegiate Athletic Association) and is our version of the NCAA. Like the pro teams, all of our colleges are fictional but upon close inspection you can surmise which real life school many of them are based on. UNIVERSE HAS PLENTY OF TIE-INS TO UNITE SPORTS The centerpiece of the Figment universe is the Barrell family with members having their hands in all of our sports. They might be the only piece of the universe that is perhaps just a little too incredulous for a real-life counterpart although perhaps the Conacher family might come close. You can read about the Barrell clan here in a dynasty thread that has been going since around the time of inception of the league. Barrell's are involved in all of the major sports in one capacity or another but there are plenty of other connections and just the right number of brother combinations, father and son combos and two-sport stars to feel like it is realistic. Many of our GMs run teams in the same city in multiple sports to add to the immersion and many interesting storylines that cross sports have developed over the years. OPENINGS IF YOU WISH TO JOIN As just mentioned, many of our GMs run clubs in multiple sports- I am the GM of the Detroit Dynamos (baseball), Mustangs (basketball) and Motors (hockey) and will take the Maroons (football) as soon as football welcomes human GMs- but there is no requirement to participate in all sports. Some of our GMs write articles for TWIFS and some just make occasional posts on our slack channel that can be incorporated into articles done by myself or others but there is also no requirement to do so. If you are interested in joining one or more of the leagues send our commissioner legendsport a message. If you are enjoying following along in this thread and like watching sports history unfold I am sure you are the type of GM we would love to welcome to the league. 
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 02-26-2024 at 02:06 PM. |
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02-26-2024, 03:25 PM
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#890 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NC
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Wow! This universe is massive! Awesome. I was not aware that you guys were active in other sports, too.
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Fan of LSU sports (especially baseball and football), New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, and Atlanta Braves (Dale Murphy for the HOF!). Current dynasties: Fallout 4's Commonwealth Baseball Organization Completed dynasty: Fallout: New Vegas' Mojave Baseball League Uniforms: My custom uniforms |
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02-27-2024, 01:47 PM
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#891 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
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March 27, 1950
MARCH 27, 1950 WILD SUNDAY EVENING CLEARS UP NAHC PLAYOFF PICTURE SHAMROCKS FINISH FIRST, PACKERS SNEAK INTO PLAYOFFS For the first time since 1933 the New York Shamrocks finished in first place. The Shamrocks, who have not won a Challenge Cup since 1932, will have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs after they held off the Toronto Dukes for top spot in the North American Hockey Confederation as the regular season came to a close. New York, led by the best goaltending tandem in the league in Etienne Tremblay and Alex Sorrell, and dominant season out of veteran forward Orval Cabbell, whose 80 points finished one shy of the league lead held by Toronto's Les Carlson, finished two points ahead of the Dukes for top spot. The outcome was in doubt until last night when in the final game of the regular season the Shamrocks held the Dukes to a 4-4 tie, clinching first place in the process. New York will now prepare for the Chicago Packers, a team that needed a furious late season rally to edge out the Detroit Motors for fourth place and the final playoff berth. There was plenty of excitement last night in addition to the first place showdown as the Packers and Motors entered the day tied for fourth and were set to meet in the Windy City with a playoff berth on the line. Chicago, which won 3 of its final four games to sneak into the playoffs, downed Detroit 5-3 to set up their meeting with the Shamrocks. The Chicago-New York series will be a rematch of the playoffs two years ago and the Packers will be looking for revenge. Chicago had the best record that season and seemed on a path to win their first-ever Challenge Cup but the 4th place Shamrocks upended the Packers in a best-of-five series, winning it in 5 games. This year will be a best-of-seven and the Packers will be the underdog this time around. The second place Dukes will meet the Montreal Valiants in the other semi-final as the third place Vals return to the playoffs after a three year absence. The last time they were in the postseason the Vals, who finished fourth, swept the first place Dukes in the semi-finals before going on to force Boston to six games before ultimately falling short in a bid for their first Challenge Cup win since 1928. Toronto has won the last two Challenge Cup titles.  NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK TUESDAY MARCH 21 New York 1 at Chicago 3: The Packers close to within two points of Detroit for fourth place with a 3-1 victory over New York that keeps the Shamrocks slim hold on first place at just one point over Toronto. Ex-Shamrock Bert McColley scored once for the Packers and got into a fight with former teammate Joe Martin in the Chicago victory. WEDNESDY MARCH 22 Boston 3 at Chicago 2: Mark Dyck's third period goal, his 20th of the season, lifted Boston to a 3-2 victory over Chicago and prevented the Packers from pulling into a fourth-place tie with Detroit. The Bees fired 53 shots at Chicago goaltender Michael Cleghorn. Detroit 3 at New York 5: Orval Cabbell scored twice while Joe Martin and Alexandre Lapalme each had a goal and an assist to lead the Shamrocks to a 5-3 victory over Detroit and increase New York's lead on Toronto to 3-points in the battle for first place. Toronto 2 at Montreal 11: Paulie Mosca scored 4 times and Jimmy Backus twice to lead the Montreal Valiants past Toronto 11-2 in a game that saw the Vals score six times in a span of less than 14 minutes in the second period. SATURDAY MARCH 25 Montreal 2 at Chicago 3: The Packers beat Montreal 3-2 thanks to a third period goal from Tommy Burns, which allowed them to pull into a tie with Detroit for the final playoff spot. Chicago hosts Detroit tomorrow in the regular season finale for each. Toronto 3 at Boston 3: The Dukes kept their chances for finishing in first place alive with a 3-3 tie on the road in Boston. Toronto is two points behind New York but holds the tiebreaker with more victories heading into the showdown between the two clubs tomorrow night at Dominion Gardens. SUNDAY MARCH 26 Boston 1 at Montreal 4: The only game on the night that will not impact the playoff matchups as third place Montreal downed last place Boston 4-1 behind a 32 save effort from Tom Brockers. Adam Sandford had a goal and an assist to pace the Valiants attack. It was Sandford's 32nd goal of the season, second behind only Toronto's Les Carlson who had 37. Detroit 3 at Chicago 5: Winner advances to the playoffs as Detroit and Chicago entered the game tied for fourth place. The Motors scored twice before the game was 4 minutes old but the Packers responded with 4 goals before the opening period was over and went on to win 5-3 behind two goals off the stick of Max Ducharme and 3 assists from Tommy Burns. Detroit, which was tied for first place at Christmas, collapsed in the second half of the season while the Packers rallied after a slow start to the campaign. New York 4 at Toronto 4: The Dukes needed a win to claim first place but the Shamrocks did just enough to earn a tie. Toronto trialed 4-2 when Orval Cabbell scored shorthanded for the Shamrocks early in the third period. The Dukes managed to tie the game on a pair of Rob Painchaud markers but could not get the go-ahead goal and will now settle for second place and playoff date with the Montreal Valiants.  DUKES FORCED TO SETTLE FOR SECOND PLACE Following a week in which the team had a loss and then two ties, the Toronto Dukes finish up the NAHC regular season 2 points behind New York in the fight for first place. Toronto, in search of third consecutive Challenge Cup win, a feat that has only been accomplished once when the 1941-43 Boston Bees won three in a row, will open the playoffs against the Montreal Valiants this week. Last Wednesday the Dukes travelled to Montreal with their hopes of a regular season crown still within sight. Toronto fans will hope the outcome and style of play in that game is far different from what they anticipate from the playoff matchup. On Wednesday both teams decided to put defense on the back burner in wide open affair before almost 15,000 in Montreal Arena. The Valiants opened a 2-0 lead before the 17 minute mark on goals by Isaac Finnson and Pat Coulter before Les Carlson made it 2-1 on the power play with only 17 seconds remaining in the first. The second period was probably the worst 20 minutes the team played during the entire 1949-50 campaign. Montreal scored 6 times- 4 on Gordie Broadway who was lifted then 2 more on Terry Russell to have the scoreboard read 8-1 Montreal after two. The humiliation continued in the final 20 with Montreal scoring 3 more to a lone response from the Dukes. Paul Mosca ended the game 4 goals for Montreal in an 11-2 win. After a couple of hard practices the Dukes were visitors in Denny Arena Saturday night. Boston played the way they always do against Toronto, hard hitting trying to slow the pace of the game at all times. For the game the Bees dominated in all three key areas: shots, hits and puck possession. Even though the home team dominated most the play each team managed to score once in each period for a game that finished in a 3-3 tie. That result left the Dukes 2 points behind the Shamrocks when they met at Dominion Gardens on Sunday the last day of the regular season. In a close checking first period of yesterday's crucial game the home team took a 1-0 to the intermission on a goal by Quinton Pollack, his 17th, assisted by Charlie Brown and Lou Galbraith who returned from injury after missing the two road games. New York found their skating legs in the middle frame, carrying most of the play. They managed to open up a 2-1 lead on goals by Sam Coates and Rusty Mullins before Carlson tied the game at two at 14:42. With less than a minute remaining Alexandre Lapalme put the visitors up 3-2 after 40. Toronto's hopes seemed to be lost when Shamrocks scoring leader Orval Cabbell made it 4-2, shorthanded, at 3:54. Rob Painchaud, who has been regularly contributing to the offense, brought the Dukes to within one on the power play 37 seconds after Cabbell's goal. Painchaud was not done yet, he tied the game at 7:52 giving the Dukes hope of finishing in first place tie. Try as they might neither team could manage another goal as the game ended in 4-4 tie giving the Shamrocks the regular season title. Playoffs will begin next week with New York hosting Chicago who edged out Detroit on the final day for the last playoff spot, Toronto will host Montreal in the other series. Coach Barrell: "I hope we got that out of our system, that was the worst week of the season, by far. We were outplayed in all three games lucky to come away with 2 points. Time to get ready for the playoffs, we definitely have something to prove to Montreal after the beating they hung on us last week." EDMONDS WINS VACANT MIDDLEWEIGHT BELT A SECOND TIME IN DECISION OVER BOGGS Bigsby Garden, New York, N.Y. – It was five months ago when a Transatlantic plane crashed in the Azores. Since then, the boxing world has mourned, and the French have grieved their biggest sports star since World War II. Edouard Desmarais was a star and a personable man to all who met him. The middleweight champion died while on top of the division, but the belt must pass on to the next champion. Tonight, in the mecca of boxing that saw Desmarais defeat Frank Melanson in their third and final fight, the middleweight division put their next foot forward. John Edmonds, standing in the champion’s corner for the bout, has a history that nearly intertwined with Desmarais. Edmonds and Desmarais hold the distinction of being the only two fighters ever to lose to Frank “The Tank” Melanson. Desmarais beat him twice, but both fighters defeated Melanson to win the middleweight title. Edmonds never did face Desmarais, as Melanson regained the belt from Edmonds before faltering against the Frenchman, but it was natural for the Desmarais rooting section to pull for Edmonds. In the blue corner stood Bill Boggs, a local kid from Brooklyn, who has done everything but call Bigsby Garden his home gym. Boggs is 24 years old, while Edmonds is the ripe old age of 31 and a veteran of 10 more professional fights. Boggs’s fans did not have far to travel, but it was an even showing of cheers for both men in a slow, measured march to the ring. The last time we saw Edmonds in a title fight, his stamina was more remarkable than his power. Edmonds was relatively reserved against Melanson in their rematch, though his reputation coming up the ranks was a fighter who packed a big punch. Boggs does not have the experience, but he has a similar reputation that a young Edmonds earned in outmuscling his competition. The handicappers were split, but most agreed that the longer the fight lasted, the more it favored Edmonds because of his experience and stamina. As the bout started, both fighters slowly circled each other, almost to the point of antagonizing the crowd. About a minute into the round, before a single punch was thrown in anger, the catcalls were raining down from the opinionated New York crowd. Just then, Edmonds opened the proceedings by landing a big hook to stagger Boggs and force a clinch between the two fighters. After being separated, Boggs executed a three-punch combination to answer Edmonds as the first round wore on. The second round started slowly, but a costly mistake by Boggs led to the only knockdown of the night. Boggs was off balance after Edmonds went to work with a nice uppercut followed by a jab to keep Boggs at bay. Boggs tried to score with a punch and missed badly, putting him in an awkward position as Edmonds offered an overhand right that caught Boggs just right. Boggs was not flat on his back, but he did drop to a knee as Vince Todd, tonight’s referee officiating his first title fight, began his count. Boggs reached his feet at the count of three and signaled he was fine to continue. A hard right hand from Edmonds almost caused a similar knockdown just before the end of the round, as Boggs’s knee bowed and narrowly missed the canvas. All three judges scored the second round 10-8 for Edmonds in his strongest round. Edmonds built on his lead in the next couple of rounds, fighting defensively with some scoring punches, but not allowing Boggs to penetrate his defenses. Boggs changed his mentality in the middle third of the fight and went on the offensive to start the sixth round. Edmonds was clocked by a winning hook from Boggs about midway through the round that gave Boggs some of his trademark swagger back in front of his home fans. Boggs went to the body and looked to control the round. This momentum carried into the seventh round, as Boggs started quickly with a straight right and as he chased his opponent around the ring, Boggs started to taunt Edmonds, challenging him to come at him. Late in the round, after a flurry of punches, some swelling was evident under Edmonds’s right eye. If Boggs was going to win the bout, he had momentum on his side, but time was wasting away. In the eighth round, Edmonds used his hook, which was his most trusted weapon on this night, to turn the tables on Boggs. The hook shook Boggs up, causing him to protect his side, spin away from trouble and think twice before offering any punishment. Edmonds was happy to let his lead speak for itself as Boggs retreated into a shell. The fans, on the other hand, were vocal in their displeasure of a title fight essentially grinding to a halt with clinching and defensive boxing. The unrest in the crowd was palpable, as after the bell sounded to end the ninth round, there was more punching in the crowd than the previous three minutes in the ring! Both fighters started to suffer swelling on their faces and while it did not seem that this bout was an exhibition of puglistic excellence, it was enough to say they had both been in a fight. Edmonds used this part of the fight to try to capitalize on Boggs’s face swelling up and though Edmonds was not in great shape, he knew how to fight under those circumstances. In fact, Boggs did not have any big boppers between from Round 11 until a minute into the final round. Edmonds built his lead on the early knockdown and outlasting Boggs in these last rounds. When the final bell sounded to end Round 15, it was a foregone conclusion that Edmonds would be ahead on points. Each judged awarded about two-thirds of the rounds to Edmonds and he won comfortably, regaining his claim to the middleweight belt. The Bigsby Garden crowd applauded the win, but they were nonplussed with the quality of the fight. They expected more punching, more power, more everything. What they received was a tactical win by an experienced boxer than seemed to neutralize an exhuberant youngster. Edmonds (31-3-0) does not have the flash of Desmarais, the everyman quality of Melanson, or the cockiness of Boggs, whose record fell to 20-3-1 with the loss. Edmonds can survive and advance and he did just that on a night where the departed were deeply mourned and the boxing world started to move on. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: Tied, 1-1 (E: 1:04 hook; B: 1:42 combo) Round 2: Edmonds, 3-1 (E: 1:49 uppercut/head, 2:29 overhead right/knockdown, 2:56 straight right; B: 1:15 hook/body) Round 3: Edmonds, 1-0 (0:34 cross/face) Round 4: Edmonds, 1-0 (2:37 uppercut) Round 5: Tied, 1-1 (E: 1:50 uppercut; B: 0:55 hook/head) Round 6: Boggs, 2-1 (E: 1:58 cross; B: 1:27 hook/head, 2:22 right/midsection) Round 7: Boggs, 2-0 (0:13 straight right, 2:18 hook) Round 8: Edmonds, 1-0 (1:33 hook/side) Round 9: Tied, 1-1 (E: 2:13 hook; B: 2:34 straight right) Round 10: Boggs, 1-0 (0:22 combo) Round 11: Edmonds, 1-0 (0:37 hook/head) Round 12: Edmonds, 2-0 (0:42 cross, 2:18 hook/midsection) Round 13: Edmonds, 2-0 (0:22 hook/jaw, 1:25 cross) Round 14: None Round 15: Boggs, 1-0 (1:05 right/head) TOTAL: Edmonds 15, Boggs 10  RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
FEW SURPRISES BUT STILL A HISTORIC CAGE FINAL FOUR Three of the four number one seeds have qualified for the National Collegiate basketball semi-finals and the lone exception in the group set to gather at New York's Bigsby Garden this week is Indiana A&M, which entered the event as the number two seed in the West Region. Despite the lack of upsets this has been a history making tournament as for the first time since the inception of the AIAA in 1909 there will be an undefeated team in the semi-finals. Two of them in fact as both Liberty College and Noble Jones College enter the semi-finals with unblemished 32-0 records. No school has ever advanced past the quarterfinals with a perfect record and even then, it has only happened twice as the 1939-40 Carolina Poly Cardinals and the 1921-22 CC Los Angeles Coyotes each bowed out in the quarterfinals with what was their first loss of the season. The fourth team to join the Reapers, Bells and Colonels in Saturday's semi-final will be the Western Iowa Canaries making it two teams from the Great Lakes Alliance to advance that far for the fourth time this decade. The Canaries won the GLA title and finished the regular season ranked second in the nation, behind only Liberty College who they will face in the opening semi-final on Saturday. The second semi-final pits the other GLA club in Indiana A&M against the Deep South Conference champions from Noble Jones College who are making their second consecutive appearance in the championship weekend. EAST REGION Liberty College, which has won the AIAA tournament 3 teams with the most recent title coming in 1941-42 but has reached the final four three times since then, had an easy time on the road to New York. They opened the tournament nine days ago with a dominating performance in a 69-39 victory over the University of New Jersey and did not slow down last week. Luther Gordon, the clear choice to win his second consecutive Barrette Trophy as the AIAA's Most Valuable Player, scored 19 points while Scott Basile added 14 in a 61-52 win over Redwood University on Friday to set up a showdown between the two players favoured by the OSA to be the top two Federal Basketball League draft picks this summer - Gordon and Detroit City College forward Charlie Orlando. That game played yesterday afternoon in Hartford's Constitution Hall to determine the champion of the East Region saw Gordon add another 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds in a 64-56 victory for the Bells. Orlando had a strong game for the Knights, scoring a team high 15 points but his club was clearly outclassed by the undefeated Bells. MIDWEST REGION Western Iowa knocked off North Carolina Tech 50-42 in the round of sixteen on Thursday thanks to 11 points from Chris Saltzer and 10 from George Sommer while Lubbock State, the sixth seed in the region, surprised Rainier College 60-57 in the other game. The Hawks luck ran out in the regional final as Canaries star Slim Barner, a senior forward, had 17 points and 9 rebounds to lead Western Iowa to a 55-46 victory over the Southwestern Alliance champions. SOUTH REGION Noble Jones College had just as easy a time reaching the national semi-finals as fellow unbeaten Liberty College did. The Colonels started a week and a half ago with a 61-44 victory over 8th seed San Francisco Tech and followed that up with a 61-50 win over Annapolis Maritime on Thursday. Mike Miller, the highly touted Colonels homegrown center led the way with 18 points while sophomore guard Charlie Barrell -a three sport star- added 14 points. Two days later CC Los Angeles, which had dumped Whitney College by 19 points in the other Thursday game, kept Miller and Barrell in check, holding the duo to a combined 2 points but the Colonels had plenty of other weapons at their disposal in a 51-40 victory. Arnie Noonan led the way for Noble Jones College on this day with 12 points while Carrol Larkin, the senior guard whose injury paved the way for Barrell to join the starting lineup, returned to the lineup and scored 10 points off the bench. WEST REGION The story in the West Region was Pierpont as the Purple became the first team from the Academia Alliance conference to reach the quarterfinals since George Fox University accomplished that feat in 1933. Fresh off a 61-48 victory over Lane State in the opening round, Pierpont dominated the region's top seed Carolina Poly in the second half of a wild game on Thursday. The Cardinals led 31-23 at the break before the Purple exploded for 52 points in the second half to pull out a 75-68 upset victory. The dream ended quickly on Saturday when Pierpont proved no match for Indiana A&M as the Reapers pulled away in the second half to win 62-57 behind an 18 point effort from center Nate Jones. The Reapers had taken care of the other Academia Alliance team in the region, dropping Ellery 59-50 on Thursday in a game that saw sophomore forward Ollie Courville score a career-high 25 points for the Reapers. Complete tournament results can be found here  Only five schools in AIAA history have ever posted perfect regular season records including two this season in Liberty College and Noble Jones College. The two schools are headed on a collision course that may see them meet in the national championship game one week from today. Each will have to survive Saturday meetings to do so and if either is successful, they would be just one win away from becoming the first team in history to have a perfect season culminate in a national title. The only team to come close and win the National Championship was the 1924-25 Whitney College Engineers, who went 34-1 to win the title with their lone loss that season being a conference defeat in February to Minnesota Tech. Here are the five teams to enter the AIAA tournament without a regular season defeat.   SPRING TRAINING NOTES
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN As the fans in Toronto suffer through the last vestiges of winter Brett brings thoughts of spring to Mail & Empire readers. With the NAHC playoff and spring just around the corner Brett takes a look at the Wolves as they continue preparations in Florida for the 1950 season. Early impressions are that the batters are ahead of the pitcher as is normal in the early days of spring training. The Wolves have split their first 12 games with Chink Stickels and Hank Giordano leading the way at the plate. Pat Todd and Fred Miles are making a case to stay in the FABL which may lead to some tough decisions for skipper Fred Barrell and his staff in the three weeks remaining before the team's season opener at Dominion Field against the Sailors. Here is a quick look by position at a possible starting lineup in a new decade for the Wolves: Catcher - Harry Pomeroy will probably get most of the work behind the dish. Cal Yeager may give Barrell a semi platoon alterative with his LHB. If Yeager does go north of the border with the team it would mean exposing Randy Hendrix to waivers which may not be something the team is willing to do at this time. Yeager may be better served for the future by going back to AAA in Buffalo. First Base - Will be Fred McCormick's job, how many games can he coax out of his 40 year old body? Tony Ballinger is making heads turn in camp although he may be in the same boat as Yeager with his development progressing at a faster pace by starting daily in Buffalo. That would leave Frank Brunch Jr. as McCormick's caddy along with a LHB pinch hitting bat. Second Base- Early in Florida it seems that last year's starter Tom Frederick is destined to be an everyday player but at all 3 outfield positions along with some infield duties. This leaves Joe DeMott, John Fast and Frank Frady in a battle for the everyday job. Fred Miles may be caught in the numbers/options game. Third base- Incumbent Hal Wood, 35, seems to have a lock on the job. The backup, if not Todd or George Dwiggins who are probably both going to start the season on the USA side of Lake Ontario, has lots of options for Barrell including DeMott and Frady. Can Wood like McCormick coax 140+ games out of his aging body? Shortstop- This is a major concern; Rule 5 selection Ken Blair is off to a slow start at the plate through 6 starts. A line of .125/.176/.125 is not going to enough to stay with the Wolves no matter how good his glove is at short. If Barrell goes back to one of Frady, Fast, DeMott, or Harry Finney he knows defensively the team will suffer. Barrell's best case is that Blair's bat comes out of hibernation in short order. John Wells, touted to be the future, will not be ready until at the earliest 1951 after a disappointing stint in Cuba. If Blair is returned expect the Wolves front office to exhaust every possibility to find at least an FABL worthy player to man SS. Leftfield- Early indications are that Barrell will go with a 4 guys for 3 positions rotation. Wally Boyer is the front runner for the majority of starts in left. Centerfield - Chink Stickels, 38, is off to an exceptional start in defying age this spring. Odds are that this will not continue fans should expect to see Boyer quite often in center with Stickels moving to left. Frederick will also see games in all 3 OF positions. Curt Brooks' future is up in the air. Rightfield- Giordano is also off to a white-hot start after a lackluster 1949. Could he be a candidate for comeback player of the year in the CA? Starting Pitchers - The team has gone through the rotation twice thus far in the spring. George Garrison, Joe Hancock and Jim Morrison seem secure as the top 3 with Jerry York, Harry Stewart, Harry Phillips fighting for the other 2 spots. York got off to a very slow start in '49 is showing signs of the same this spring. Phillips has taken the early lead for the 4 slot in the rotation. Relief Pitchers- The Achilles heel last season is wide open this spring. The return of Lou Jayson should help steady things in the coming campaign. The Wolves other Rule 5 pick Brooks Triplett is having early troubles which has Barrell and pitching coach Johnny Franklin constantly scratching their heads. The 'pen along with the middle infield are a wide open competition this spring. Fans may be surprised at the 8 or 9 pitchers debuting on April 17th along with the 15 or 16 batters. Early predictions from the so called "experts" are calling for difficult season for the Toronto squad after the demise of the GWL. Owner Bernie Millard, one of the leaders of the FABL in "give no concessions to those rebels" will not accept an also ran baseball team in Toronto given the success of the both the Dukes and Falcons in the other two professional leagues in Ontario's capital. Now that it seems that his troubles with the UMW are past in his coal business the Wolves front office staff is expecting more involvement along with demands from Millard. It promises to be an interesting summer in Toronto for baseball fans.
 The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 3/26/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-28-2024, 01:14 PM
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#892 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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April 3, 1950
APRIL 3, 1950 PERFECTION! BUT WHO WILL IT BE? BELLS AND COLONELS BOTH ENTIRE AIAA TITLE TILT UNDEFEATED Since the AIAA began its annual national championship tournament in the spring of 1910 no school has ever gone through the entire season and tournament with a perfect record. That will change tonight but the question remains which school will it be as both Liberty College and Noble Jones College enter the title game at Bigsby Garden in New York with perfect 33-0 records. For the Liberty College Bells there is a rich history: an independent school that is appearing in the tournament for the 30th time and is making its 7th trip to the championship game with 3 previous wins including the most recent in 1941-41, there is a rich history of success. The Bells reached the title game in the first-ever tournament way back in March of 1910 but came up short in losing 33-31 to Henry Hudson University. The Noble Jones College Colonels, on the other hand, are a much more recent addition to college basketball's elite. The Deep South Conference champions did not win their first tournament game until the spring of 1941 but made it all the way to the championship game for the first time in school history last season. The Colonels lost a heartbreaker by a single point, falling 52-51 to Lexington State last spring but are back for another attempt at the school's first-ever National Title. Each followed up a perfect regular season with four relatively easy victories in the tournament to arrive here tonight. The Bells had little trouble disposing of the University of New Jersey, Redwood and Detroit City College in the East Region before downing the #2 ranked team in the nation -in the form of the Western Iowa Canaries- by a 67-50 score in semi-final action Saturday. Liberty College built a 15-point first half lead, quickly removing any suspense from the contest. Surprisingly, the Canaries did a good job minimizing the effectiveness of Luther Gordon, Liberty College's dominant center who will likely win his second consecutive player of the year award in the coming days. Gordon, who led the nation in scoring and broke his own AIAA season record for points, was held to just 9 on this night but did manage to haul in 11 rebounds. Instead, it was two other seniors who led the scoring parade for the Bells as guard Scott Basile had 18 while forward Darrell Madrid chipped in with 11 points. The Colonels path to the title was nearly as easy as Noble Jones College, looking to avenge its title game loss from a year ago, followed up its perfect 29-0 regular season with wins over San Francisco Tech, 6th ranked Annapolis Maritime and CC Los Angeles in the South Region before taking care of business against 7th ranked Indiana A&M on Saturday. The Colonels lead was just six at the break and was more than doubled at 49-36 when the final whistle sounded. The guard duo of Artie Noonan and sophomore Charlie Barrell each had double-figures on the scoresheet led by Noonan's 14. Barrell, who also excels at baseball and is the quarterback of the Colonels football team, only claimed a starting job late in the season when senior Carrol Larkin went down, but played so well that he is starting and splitting time with Larkin now that the senior guard is healthy again. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW MILLER INJURY MAKES BELLS FAVOURITE Going into the game one would think that Liberty College seemed to have the edge just because they have so many offensive weapons including a dominant center in Luther Gordon. Some might counter that Noble Jones College's defense, one which allowed the second fewest points in the nation this season, may be able to contain the Bells but that thinking went out the window with news that Mike Miller will miss the game with a concussion. Miller, a 7'1" senior center from Athens, GA., seemed like the type of player that may just be able to contain Gordon but with Miller on the sideline that job now falls to Tod Fee, an untested junior with exactly one career start in his three-year AIAA career. Fee, who got the call Saturday against Indiana A&M when it was learned that Miller could not go, scored 4 points and had 7 rebounds in 33 minutes against the Reapers but Nate Jones, the Indiana A&M center, is no comparison to Gordon. Perhaps the Colonels will assign Jim Graybeal, their sparkling 6'7" freshman, to cover Gordon but the forward will be giving up 5 inches to Gordon and there is a potential issue that Fee will not be mobile enough to handle senior Edgar Stillwell, who averaged 10.1 ppg for the Bells this season. There is no easy answer for Noble Jones College, but matching up against the Bells is something that no AIAA team has had much success with this season. For the Colonels to pull off an upset you have to think that the guard trio of Artie Noonan, Charlie Barrell and Carrol Larkin will need to score a lot of points, and at the same time minimize the contribution of Liberty College's backcourt led by Scott Basile.   SHAMROCKS NEED OVERTIME TO TOP PACKERS IN PLAYOFF OPENER Samuel Coates scored just eight seconds into overtime to help the New York Shamrocks draw first blood in their semi-final series with the Chicago Packers, claiming a 3-2 victory on Bigsby Garden ice in the series opener Friday. While much of the focus in Manhattan was centered on the collegiate basketball championship weekend, the Shamrocks continued to excite a city with hopes of witnessing the local ice outfit winning its first Challenge Cup in nearly two decades. New York had the best record in the NAHC, another rarity that has not occurred since 1933, and the Shamrocks outplayed the fourth place Packers in the opener of their best-of-seven series but needed extra time to collect the victory. It was an inspired Shamrocks team that came out flying in the opening frame, outshooting the visitors from the Windy City 16-9 but forced to settle for a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard after twenty minutes. Derek Gubb, who had just 9 goals in 61 regular season games, had the hot hand for the Packers with both of their markers on this evening. Gubb opened the scoring just shy of twelve minutes into the game when his shot from the top of the circle eluded Shamrocks goaltender Alex Sorrell. The Greenshirts would pull even with two and a half minutes remaining in the frame when Robert Sharpley's point shot through traffic hit a body in front of Packers goaltender Norm Hanson and deflected right on the stick of Alexandre Lapalme. The New York rookie was at a sharp angle, but his quick release found the back of the net to even the game. After a scoreless second period the teams again traded goals in the third period with Simon Savard scoring for New York while standing behind the Packers net. Savard was trying a centering pass, but it deflected off the stick of a Packers defender and careened into the net passed a surprised Hanson. Gubb would tie the game just 4 minutes later when he banged in a rebound of a Marty Mahoney shot for his second of the contest. Both teams had some very good opportunities to break the stalemate over the final 14 minutes of regulation but Hanson and Sorrell each made some big stops to keep the game knotted at 2. Hanson was outstanding in the Chicago net for three periods, being the busier of the two netminders by a wide margin as he faced 46 New York shots in regulation time, but he will be the first to admit the overtime marker should not have beaten him. Coates, a 26-year-old winger who netted 12 during the regular season, took just 8 seconds to score the winner as Orval Cabbell won the opening faceoff back to Tony Bell and the defenseman hit a streaking Coates just outside the Chicago blueline. Coates raced past a flat-footed Pete Moreau on the Chicago defense and deked Hanson for one of the quickest overtime goals in NAHC history. With the AIAA championship game going tonight at Bigsby Garden, game two of the series will be played Tuesday before the clubs make the trek west to Chicago for games three and four on Friday and next Monday at Lakeside Auditorium.  VALIANTS UPSET DUKES IN SERIES OPENER The Montreal Valiants did all their scoring in the third period as they rallied on the road to upset the Toronto Dukes 3-1 in the opening game of their best of seven semi-final series. Montreal, which was making its first playoff appearance since the Valiants upset a heavily favoured Dukes team in the semi-finals three years ago before nearly upsetting Boston for what would have been the Vals first Challenge Cup since 1928, stayed even with the Dukes all game despite falling behind early. Toronto defenseman J.C. Martel, who scored just 3 times during the regular season, gave the home side an early lead when he blasted a shot from the top of the circle past Montreal netminder Tom Brockers just over 13 minutes into the contest. Bobbie Sauer and Trevor Parker earned the assists on Martel's tally which, as the game dragged on, looked like it might be the only goal of the game. Montreal outshot Toronto 12-10 in the opening period but Gordie Broadway stood tall in the Dukes cage. In the second period it was the other veteran netminder, Montreal's Tom Brockers, turn to shine as Toronto peppered the Valiants netminder with 16 shots in the middle stanza but failed to find a hole in Brockers' armor. After forty minutes the shots were 26-19 in Toronto's favour but the Vals took over in the third period, especially after Shel Herron snuck in unattended from the point and banged a rebound of a Bert Lanceleve shot past Broadway to tie the game at 9:39 of the third period. Energized, the Vals poured on the pressure and less than two minutes late Pat Coulter was alone in the slot and beat Broadway low to his stick side to give Montreal the lead. Toronto would manage just six shots in the period and Isaac Finnson iced the victory for the visitors with an empty-net goal with 9 seconds remaining. Finnson and Herron, who each scored in the contest, were terrific on defense for the Vals and completely shut down Toronto's big trio of Quinton Pollack, Les Carlson and Lou Galbraith. The Dukes top line got plenty of shots in the game -they combined for 17 of them- but few were considered to be high quality scoring chances and when they did arise, Brockers was more than ready to shut the door. Game Two will be Wednesday in Toronto before the series shifts to Montreal for the third and fourth games of the series.  JACK BARRELL'S POST-GAME COMMENTS AFTER LOSS IN SERIES OPENER Coach Barrell: "Quite the game, typical playoff game. Usually with tight checking the result often comes down to which club converts on their chances. Tonight Montreal did, and we failed to as a team. Both tenders played to the top of their game. Brockers was just a little better although Broadway gave us every opportunity to win. Montreal did a good job of forcing us wide, tying up our sticks in front of the net. They cleared any rebounds Brockers gave up, We were so close to taking control of the game in first. The series is a long way from over but there is a sense of urgency Wednesday night. We could have won that game but should've, could've, would've do not count. What counts are the goal numbers on the scoreboard. I don't see any reason to change our strategy or style - we just have to work a tad harder at both ends. I expect the team to come out flying. We just disappointed a sellout crowd. We need to control the tempo early and press for an early marker to give Montreal something to think about. They are full of confidence at the moment. I also listened to the opener of the other series in New York...looks like that was same type of game with Shamrocks squeaking out a win. DYNAMOS OFFENSE REMAINS OUT OF JUICE Is it too early to start to panic? The Detroit Dynamos have lost 18 of their 25 Citrus loop outings - far and away the worst spring record in all of FABL- and the problems look unchanged from a year ago when the least productive offense in the league could not be overcome by the best pitching in the loop. The arms look pretty good again this spring with Allen Award winning ace Carl Potter leading the way. The bats, on the other hand, are ice cold and performing like they had been left on the ice surface at Thompson Palladium rather than in the Florida sunshine. Yes, it is only spring, and these games mean nothing in the big picture but only 3 Dynamos hitters - vets Hal Sharp and Pinky Pierce along with surprising rookie outfielder Bill Morrison- are hitting over .267 and a number of players who will be counted on heavily this summer are presently batting below their weight. Third baseman Tommy Griffin is batting .171. Adam Mullins and Rick York, the catching tandem, are hitting a combined .137. Infielders Stan Kleminski and Del Johnson are also struggling. In 6 games last week the Dynamos plated just 9 runs in games they lost by scores such as 2-1 (twice), 3-2 and 3-0. Pitching is not the problem. A lack of offense is and was what kept the Dynamos from remaining in the race last year. Management was rumoured to be looking to pull the trigger on a deal for a big bat over the winter, but the transaction failed to materialize, and the front office seemed to be content to wait for the young talent to develop. Opening day is now just 15 days away and while it seems unlikely a major move will happen before the lid-lifter against the New York Gothams at Thompson Field on April 18, it will be interesting to see just how long management will be willing to stand pat if the bats remain ice cold. Manager Dick York is saying all the right things, noting that top players like Edwin Hackberry, who is batting .256 in the spring, will be ready when it matters, but given the Dynamos struggles at the plate a year ago one has to wonder if even York himself buys what he is saying. Excuse Detroit fans if they are getting impatient. The Dynamos have not won a pennant since 1929 - the longest drought in the Federal Association- and they have been in a rebuild for what feels like a decade and a half. Add in the awful state that the grid Maroons are in right now with a 4-20 record over their past two seasons and the complete collapse of the ice Motors, who went from first place on Christmas Day to missing the playoffs entirely with a loss to Chicago on the final day of the regular season, and you can understand why patience may be in short supply for area sports fans these days. Rollie Barrell, who runs both the woeful Maroons and our local cage outfit, is carrying all of the city's hopes right now with his Mustangs who remain the class of the Federal cage loops West Division after reaching the title game a year ago. Although the Mustangs rank a distant fourth on the pecking order in terms of local popularity it is nice to see at least one local outfit enjoying some success. Heavens know the Dynamos are long overdue for some success of their own. SPRING TRAINING NOTES
 
 Here are the quarterly rankings of the top fighters in each of the three divisions recognized by the American Boxing Federation.  ERICKSON AND WESTLAKE SET FOR WELTERWEIGHT DUEL The forthcoming Saturday night spectacle at Lake Erie Arena in Cleveland promises fistic fireworks as Mac Erickson and Mark Westlake prepare to rekindle their welterweight rivalry. A contest laden with anticipation, whispers among ringside pundits hint at a potential changing of the guard in the division. Erickson, the undefeated 29-year-old ABF World Welterweight champion, walks into the squared circle under the shadow of skepticism. The echo of his previous encounter with Westlake resonates—a November meeting marred by a controversial accidental head butt in the second round. The clash left Westlake bleeding profusely, a cut that proved too much for his corner to staunch. In a twist of fate, with Westlake ahead on the scorecards, referee Ernest Byrd halted the bout in the seventh round, declaring Erickson the victor to an uproar of dissent from both the crowd and Westlake's corner. The aftermath was a maelstrom of questions and discontent. Insults and objects rained into the ring, and Westlake's corner clamored for answers that never materialized. Erickson, to his credit, swiftly consented to a rematch, setting the stage for a redemption narrative that fight fans in Cleveland eagerly await. Notably, Byrd, the center of controversy in their prior meeting, will be absent. Jerry Rowe, a seasoned official with four title bouts under his belt, steps into the role of arbiter for this pivotal clash. Erickson's pristine 20-0 record, coupled with four successful title defenses since his conquest of Harold Stephens two years ago, paints him as a formidable force. In contrast, Westlake, at 27-5-1, seeks to reclaim past glory after briefly holding the welterweight title in 1946. A defeat to Stephens in his first title defense punctuated that chapter, adding a layer of redemption to his narrative. As the stage is set, and the arena hums with anticipation, fight fans brace for a night that might etch new lines in welterweight history—a night where the echoes of controversy fade, and the resounding crack of leather on flesh decides the rightful owner of the coveted championship. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/02/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 02-28-2024 at 01:45 PM. |
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02-29-2024, 02:03 PM
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#893 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
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April 10, 1950
APRIL 10, 1950 NOBLE JONES COLLEGE WINS NATIONAL CAGE CROWN Colonels Surprise Liberty College in Title Game to Complete Perfect Campaign The Noble Jones College Colonels made history not only for winning the school's first ever national championship in basketball but also for becoming the first team in the 41 year history of the AIAA basketball tournament to finish with an unbeaten record after outscoring Liberty College 65-60 in Monday's championship game at Bigsby Garden. It was a historic night as both schools entered the game with perfect 33-0 records - an accomplishment that had never happened before with one team let alone two. The game was also expected to be a final showcase of the legendary collegiate career of Bells center Luther Gordon. With Noble Jones College outstanding freshman pivot Mike Miller sidelined with a concussion many expected Gordon, who set an AIAA single season scoring record a year ago and then broke it this season, to dominate the game. Instead, Gordon was held to just 8 points, nearly 12 below his season average, as the swarming Colonels defense and solid outside shooting proved too much for Gordon and the Bells to overcome. It was the summit for a Noble Jones College squad that wallowed in obscurity for most of three decades before rising to prominence over the past five seasons and reached the national championship game for the first time last year only to fall to Lexington State. Liberty College, long a darling of the college cage circuit, is now dealing with some Bigsby Garden demons of its own. The Bells last won the AIAA title in 1942 -their third National Crown- but since them have come up empty despite eight consecutive years of reaching at least the quarterfinals and three losses in the past five seasons, including Monday, in the national title game. Early in the contest it looked like it might be a fourth title for Liberty College as the Bells got off to a quick start when Edgar Stillwell hit a couple of early baskets and Luther Gordon, attempting to set the tone, dunked the ball over inexperienced Noble Jones College center Tod Fee, who was starting in place of the injured Mike Miller. Colonels coach Al Bynum quickly called a timeout and whatever he said to his troops worked as the Colonels regrouped and by the middle of the first half had taken an 18-17 lead and never trailed again in the game. The score at the break was 38-32 and a hot start to the second half increased the lead quickly to 19 points. Perhaps the defining moment of the victory came in the opening minute of the second half when Fee, who was expected to be the Colonels weak link, stole the ball from Luther Gordon and went in uncontested for a layup to put the Colonels up 42-32 at that point and a few second later blocked a Luther Gordon shot attempt sending the Colonels off for another bucket. Fee, the junior whose only two career AIAA starts came in the last three days, scored just 6 points on the evening but more importantly combined with Jim Graybeal to hold Gordon -the likely winner of his second straight Barette Trophy as AIAA MVP- to just 8 points. A late charge by Liberty College allowed the Bells to close to within 5 points with a minute and a half remaining but that would be as close as they would get and for the third time in the last five seasons the Bells would fall in the AIAA championship game. The Noble Jones College defense was among the best in the nation, and they rose to the occasion on this day, keeping the Bells offense which led the nation in points per game by a wide margin in check. The credit for the victory needs to also be shared with Colonels ability to hit shots away from the basket. With the towering Gordon and imposing forward Edgar Stillwell clogging up the middle, the Colonels relied on their guard for much of the offense. Charlie Barrell, a rising star on the diamond and gridiron as well as the court, made 6 of his 10 attempts from the field and scored a game high 15 points despite splitting time with senior Carroll Larkin, who added 14 and was named the player of the game. Barrell, a sophomore with a famous name that draws attention everywhere he goes, had spent most of his freshman season sitting on the bench and was forced to be content with coming off the bench this year but that changed when Larkin was injured in January. Pressed into the starting lineup the quarterback of the Colonels football team and second baseman on their baseball club that qualified for the AIAA Collegiate World Championship Series, was suddenly a key focal point in the arena as well and responded with outstanding play that has perhaps made him a better pro prospect in basketball than either of the other two sports. Of course, he still has plenty of time to decide his future path, and perhaps time to make more trips to both the AIAA National Basketball Championship Game and the Collegiate World Championship Series. As a three-sport star his time to celebrate with his basketball teammates is short. The Colonels baseball team has already begun its season and will be expecting Barrell in their starting lineup this weekend.    BIG ROAD WIN IGNITES DUKES HOPES The two-time defending champion Toronto Dukes climbed back up from the mat after being floored twice at home by the Montreal Valiants, as Toronto cut the Vals lead to two games to one with a dramatic comeback at the Montreal Arena Friday evening to pull out a 3-2 victory. Things looked bleak for Jack Barrell's club when Clarence Skinner set up third period goals from Cory Findlay and Isaac Finnson to put Montreal ahead 2-1 with just 10 minutes remaining in regulation time. Already trailing 2-0 in the series after falling twice at home, the Dukes could not afford to go down three games and the dug deep and pulled out the victory. Trevor Parker knotted the contest at 2-2 with a little over six minutes remaining when he redirected a J.C. Martel point shot past Montreal netminder Tom Brockers. The mood soured quickly on the Toronto bench and coach Jack Barrell looked like he was going to blow a gasket when Mike Navarro took a hooking penalty with 3:55 left to play. Instead of the Vals capitalizing on the power play it was Toronto that came up with what would prove to be the game winning goal as Clyde Lumsen's shorthanded marker, assisted by Parker, gave the Dukes renewed hope in the series with a 3-2 victory. The Valiants still lead the series two games to one with game four set for tomorrow night at the Montreal Arena. The big difference for Montreal in game three was the absence of winger Brett Lanceleve. The 26-year-old who tallied 18 goals and 43 points during the regular season played well in games one and two despite dealing with a broken bone in his foot. The foot swelled up on him before the third game to the point where he could not get his foot into his skate without extreme pain and Lanceleve was forced to sit out the contest after picking up a point in each of the first two games. With the talented winger on the shelf the Valiants lack of depth was exposed as that meant Paulie Mosca had to move up the first line alongside Clarence Skinner and Adam Sandford. The trio played well with Skinner drawing two assists and Sandford one but the trickledown effect severely weakened Montreal's other lines. The club is hopeful Lanceleve will be able to dress for game four. Montreal had won the series opener 3-1 thanks to a big game from Vals rearguards Shel Herron and Isaac Finnson and Wednesday's game two was a wide-open back and forth affair that ended 5-4 in favour of the visitors from Montreal. The Vals outshot Toronto 45-27 on that evening and were led by two goals from Ian Doyle with Skinner and Pat Coulter each adding a goal and an assist. Game Four will be played tomorrow night in Montreal.  SHAMROCKS ON VERGE OF SWEEPING PACKERS The New York Shamrocks can complete a sweep of the Chicago Packers with a victory at Lakeside Auditorium tonight. The Greenshirts took a commanding 3 games to none lead in the best-of-seven semi-final series by doubling up the Packers 6-3 Friday evening in Chicago. 30-year-old rookie Geoff Hartnell and Jim Macek each had a goal and two assists to pace the New York attack wile a stifling Shamrocks defense limited the Packers to just 19 shots on New York goaltender Etienne Tremblay. Tremblay was making his first start of the playoffs after Alex Sorrell covered the crease in both wins in the Big Apple. The opener at Bigsby Garden was the tightest of the three games thus far with Samuel Coates scoring just 8 seconds into overtime to lift the Shamrocks to a 3-2 victory. Last Tuesday in New York, playing on sloppy ice that was still soft because of the court being laid over it for the college basketball title game the night before, Orval Cabbell scored once and added an assist as the Shamrocks spotted Chicago a 1-0 first period lead before battling back to win by a 3-1 score. Cabbell, who finished second in the league scoring race with 80 points during the regular season, leads all playoff performers with 5 points on 2 goals and 3 helpers.   SCORING CHAMP CARLSON IGNORED IN MCDANIELS NOMINEES The NAHC announced the three finalists for each of its major awards and surprisingly league scoring champion Les Carlson was overlooked for the McDaniels Trophy. Carlson led the league in points with 81 and goals with 37 but was bypassed in favour of Tommy Burns, Orval Cabbell and Quinton Pollack. Burns, who won 3 straight McDaniels Trophy's before losing out to Pollack last season, had a down year by his standards. The 30-year-old Chicago Packers center scored 26 goals and 38 assists for 64 points, good for 5th in the NAHC scoring parade. The 32-year-old Cabbell, who finished with one point less than Carlson on 27 goals and 53 helpers, led the New York Shamrocks to the best record in the league. The last time a New York Shamrocks players was named league MVP was way back in 1926 when Chris Schneider claimed the honours. The final nominee is Toronto center Quinton Pollack, who won his first McDaniels Trophy last season. The 27-year-old played on the Dukes top line with Carlson and Lou Galbraith, scoring just 17 goals but adding a league high 58 assists to give him 75 points on the season. New York netminder Alex Sorrell is the likely favourite to be named the winner of the Juneau Trophy presented to the top goaltender. The award is presented in memory of early era Montreal Valiants goaltender Al Juneau, who tragically died in 1925 after suffering a fractured skull when his head hit the ice following a collision with a teammate. Sorrell is the only one of this year's nominees who has not won the award before, but the 24-year-old had a breakout campaign in his third season with the Shamrocks, leading the league in goals against average while posting a 20-11-14 record. Sorrell will get competition from Oscar James of the Boston Bees, who won the Juneau last season and 1947-48 winner Norm Hanson of Chicago. James, 26, was 17-24-12 with a 2.40 goals against average while playing for the last place Boston Bees while leading the NAHC with 5 shutouts. The 29-year-old Hanson posted a 20-22-13 record with a 2.54 GAA for the Packers. The final major individual award is the McLeod Trophy, presented annually to the top rookie in the NAHC. Detroit Motors forwards have won it each of the past two seasons and the Motors have a nominee again this year in 21-year-old winger Lou Barber. Selected first overall by the Motors in the 1948 NAHC amateur draft, Barber apprenticed for two seasons in Toledo before joining the Motors this year. In 58 games he had 11 goals and 26 points for 37 points. The other nominees are both New York Shamrocks in 22-year-old defenseman George Collingsworth and 25-year-old forward Rusty Mullins. Collingsworth, a 1947 4th round selection, did not make a huge offensive contribution with just 3 goals and 11 assists in 62 games but he helped solidify the best defensive club in the league. Mullins led all players eligible for the McLeod Trophy with 16 goals and 38 points. A 1944 second round draft pick of New York, Mullins spent six seasons with Springfield of the HAA before getting the call to the NAHC this year. RECORD SETTING SEASON FOR DUKES DUO With the expansion to a 70-game schedule this season it does not come as much of a surprise that some new records were set but that does not mean that Toronto Dukes teammates Les Carlson and Quinton Pollack are not worthy of recognition for putting up some big numbers. Carlson picked up 81 points this year, one more than New York's Orval Cabbell, to win the scoring title and he also smashed a two-decade old record in the process. Prior to Carlson's big showing, which came in a campaign in which he dressed for 69 games, the previous single season points record was 80 established by Bert Cordier of the Boston Bees in a year in which the second year forward also set the record for goals in a season with 47. Cordier's mark game in a 44-game season and his goal total was equaled two years ago by Chicago's Tommy Burns in a season that saw Burns appear in 54 games. Toronto center Quinton Pollack shattered the NAHC single season assist mark with 58 helpers this season. Boston's Wilbur Chandler was the previous record holder, when he notched 45 assists in 45 games during the 1944-45 season. Pollack played in 67 games this year.  DUKES TRAIL MONTREAL IN SEMI-FINAL SERIES After losing twice at home to start their semi-final series with Montreal, the Toronto Dukes were in deep trouble. It got even deeper when the Vals scored twice in the third period of game three to go up by a 2-1 score only to see the Dukes come alive and salvage their playoff lives with a late game comeback to narrow the Valiants lead in the best-of-seven series to two games to one. On Wednesday night before another standing room only crowd the visitors came to the rink looking to follow up an upset victory over the Dukes with another win in game two. Montreal took the play to Toronto early in the first and were rewarded. It was Clarence Skinner who opened the scoring just before the period was half over when a centering pass deflected off a defenseman past Toronto netminder Gordie Broadway. Just over a minute later Ian Doyle made it 2-0 Montreal when he jumped in from the point to take a pass from Pat Coulter then snap a wrist shot into the top corner to quiet the crowd. Mike Navarro brought some life back to Dominion Gardens when he tapped home a rebound off a Bobby Sauer shot to make it 2-1 with the three goals coming in a span of less than four minutes. The Dukes got a little overaggressive searching for the equalizer and while pressing to tie it up got caught on a counter attack ending with Brett Lanceleve beating Broadway from linemates Skinner and Adam Sanford at 17:25. Discussion in the stands between the periods was on how the Vals were checking, hitting the Dukes to a standstill with no room to move. Before the middle period was 3 minutes old Philippe Dubois was found in the slot by Quinton Pollack and beat Tom Brockers cleanly cutting the Vals lead back to one goal at 3-2. Toronto again got hemmed in their own zone, and after several failed clearing attempts Doyle scored his second of the game on a rebound after Broadway had robbed Cory Findlay. The third period began with Montreal up by two but Navarro's second of the night halved the margin at 10:33 only to have Coulter restore the two goal lead 62 seconds later. This one coming once again after the Dukes failed to get the puck out of their own end. Montreal continued to try to bottle up the Dukes by eliminating time and space for the home side's skaters. Les Carlson sent Pollack in alone when he chipped a pass off the boards. Pollack made no mistake deking Brockers before tucking the puck into the open net. Instead of going into a defensive shell to protect a one goal lead Montreal continued to forecheck Toronto into submission taking a 2-0 series lead back to Montreal with 5-4 victory in a game they outshot the Dukes 45-27. The Vals tried to take a stranglehold on the series at home Saturday night before nearly 17,000 in a packed to the rafters Montreal Arena. Montreal stayed with what was working, taking the play to Toronto. Only some outstanding saves from Broadway kept the first period scoreless with Montreal controlling puck possession holding a 12-5 advantage in shots on goal. The second period was more even with Toronto starting to shake off some tight checking Vals. Dukes had some chances while Rey Sclisizzi was serving 2 minutes for boarding but failed to light the red lamp. A minute after the penalty was over the Dukes finally got some luck when Maurice Charette's centering pass hit Brockers' pad as he moving across the crease then went behind him. That lone goal stood up as the only marker until just over two minutes into the third period. The Vals Cory Findlay notched the equalizer as the defenseman cruised in from the point after Sandford had intercepted a pass then moved the disc over to Skinner who found Findlay at the top of the circle. Findley scored just 4 goals during the regular season but made no mistake on this shot, cleanly beating Broadway and knotting the score at 1-1. Both teams played with sense of cautious urgency until Isaac Finnson's shot almost took the roof off the building when his screen shot beat Broadway exactly halfway through the period. Toronto, sensing their season slipping away from them and being urged on by a very vocal head coach Jack Barrell, threw caution to the wind and opened up the attack. The Dukes were rewarded as Trevor Parker tied the game at 13:46 went he knocked in a rebound off a point shot from J.C. Martel. The Montreal Arena fans got to their feet when Navarro was sent off for hooking at 16:05, giving the home club a man advantage for two minutes or less. The Vals power play had chances but it was Toronto that scored the go-ahead goal when Dukes penalty killer Alex Cameron stole a pass then fed Parker who found defenseman Clyde Lumsen cruising down the middle of the ice. Lumsen faked a shot then snapped a shot over Brockers' shoulder to give the Dukes a lead 3-2 while shorthanded, silencing the crowd. Toronto hung on, not even allowing the Vals the pick possession to pull the goaltender, to earn their first victory and give themselves life in the series. Coach Barrell: "We are extremely lucky to be in this series. Give Montreal full credit, they have bottled us up at every turn. At home on Wednesday, they took the entire game to us in their 5-4 win which was flattering to our team. Everyone knew we had to win Saturday. After Navarro got sent off, I was thinking "Just hold on for overtime." Then Cameron went deep on the kill stole the puck, when Lumsen decided to pinch I thought I was going to have a stroke. I don't know how Parker found him, then he had the presence of mind to fake Brockers down to open the top of the cage which he did not miss. That is when I started to breathe again behind the bench. Going forward we have to come up with a way to combat their forecheck before Tuesday, but I have some ideas." WESTLAKE GETS HIS REVENGE IN REMATCH FOR WELTER BELT OVER ERICKSON Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland, Ohio – Rage. Unresolved, seething rage. Mark Westlake has been a man consumed by this rage for these past five months ever since his loss to Mac Erickson in a welterweight title shot and a pushing for an attempt to regain the belt he once hoisted. Back in November, Erickson won with a technical knockout in the seventh round, but the overzealous referee in that bout, Ernest Byrd, called the fight too early. And so, Westlake, bloodied and angry from the bout, trained and set his sights on a possible rematch. The rematch was swift in its scheduling and on this early Spring evening on the banks of Lake Erie, Westlake got his measure of revenge. Westlake was all business as he entered the ring. He knew what it took to be a champion, as he was the second welterweight title holder since World War II. He also knew what it was like to be denied at his first attempt, as the welterweight division “play-off” after the weight class was reset set up a meeting with Carl Taylor that he lost. Taylor lost to the eventual champion Jackhammer O’Keefe, but Westlake rose to be O’Keefe’s next opponent and Westlake did not miss that chance. Here was another chance for Westlake, a second chance to become World Welterweight Champion a second time. The first round was all Westlake. He charged Erickson and quickly went on the offensive, pouring in a couple of uppercuts that immediately caused Erickson to change his tactic. In the first meeting between these two pugilists, a head-butt deemed accidental caused Westlake to leak, eventually leading to the fight being called in the seventh round. Just 39 seconds in, Erickson head-butted Westlake again. Accidental or not, it was too timely to be coincidental. The referee was chosen carefully for this bout. Experienced ring man Jerry Rowe, who was very familiar with the welterweight division, officiating his third title fight, admonished the champion. It was one of three cautions Rowe issued to Erickson, as Erickson was looking to bend rules whenever possible. Erickson tried to get in an extra shot on Westlake while being separated by Rowe in the third round and he also used his shoulder illegally in Round 13. Meanwhile, after the head-butt, Westlake was not affected, and he continued to focus on his mission. Westlake started strong in the second round with a big hook that seemed to shake the champion, but Erickson found his footing with a big jab that stopped Westlake in his tracks. Erickson offered another power punch, landing a cross that caused Westlake to stumble, but he managed to rebound with a scoring cross of his own before the close of the round. Erickson was starting to miss with regularity in the third, which frustrated him and allowed Westlake to take advantage. An attempted hook by Erickson glanced off Westlake’s shoulder and the challenger worked inside with a right cross into Erickson’s breadbasket. A wild swing by Erickson missed everything and Westlake leaned into a hook on the side of Erickson’s head. Later in the round, an attempted combination from Erickson that was well-defended by a crouched Westlake led to an uppercut just before the closing bell. It was the failed attack by Erickson and the effective counterattack by Westlake that permitted the challenger to build a lead. Sure, Erickson had his moments. Erickson showed up for the fourth round energized and Westlake could not capitalize on Erickson’s inaccuracy. Erickson missed with an uppercut, did not get a lunging right to hit its target and failed to land a jab. While Westlake was defending and retreating, Erickson caught up to him and executed a nice uppercut to send Westlake back against the ropes. Winded, Erickson could not take further advantage and Westlake was able to regain his footing, but the champion won his first round of the night. The eighth round was Erickson’s best, as he went on the offensive. Both boxers landed haymakers, but Erickson has the advantage in a punch-up and Westlake learned his lesson that round. Erickson tried to turn the tide with a combination and a couple of hooks that nearly felled the challenger. Westlake was trying to regain his legs and he was starting to come unglued and started moving just in time to slip some hard shots and survive. The eleventh round was starting the same way until Erickson missed one too many times and Westlake was finally able to right himself in the last half of the round with a combination, followed by a jab and a hard right to keep the champion honest. By now, there was visible swelling on Erickson’s face after taking the ritual punishment from Westlake and though Erickson connected on some pivotal punches, Westlake did not look the worse for wear. Westlake cruised to the finish, as Erickson went for broke and came up empty. Westlake knew he had the bout in the bag. There was no premature stoppage this time around. Despite Erickson’s first-round head-butt, over the length of the fight, it was the champion who looked battered. Westlake (28-5-1) persevered and channeled that rage to recapture of the welterweight title. Mac Erickson (21-1-0), the man who just a short time ago was anointed the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport, was reduced to a flailing mess at the hands of Mark Westlake in his first professional loss. The bout was marked by Erickson’s failed attempts at landing any crushing blows on Westlake. It is a wonder how Erickson was able to complete 15 rounds considering his missed an average of over 100 punches per round! With all of those misses, Westlake was able to pace himself, offering less than half of the punches Erickson did and landing almost twice as many. Erickson’s camp will likely ask Westlake’s camp for the same courtesy he extended in scheduling a quick rematch. It will be up to Westlake and his management if he wants to grant Erickson a rubber match. In the meantime, it will be Erickson’s turn to lay in wait for his next chance. BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS Round 1: Westlake, 2-0 (1:07 hook/ribs, 1:51 uppercut) Round 2: Tied, 2-2 (E: 0:56 jab, 1:55 cross/face; W: 0:33 hook, 2:36 cross) Round 3: Tied, 1-1 (E: 2:28 uppercut; W: 1:30 right) Round 4: Tied, 1-1 (E: 2:07 uppercut; W: 0:54 combo) Round 5: Westlake, 1-0 (1:27 right/body) Round 6: Tied, 1-1 (E: 1:50 left hook/body; W: 0:42 cross) Round 7: Westlake, 2-1 (E: 0:14 uppercut; W: 0:59 combo, 1:12 hook/head) Round 8: Erickson, 3-2 (E: 0:43 combo, 1:10 hook/head, 1:52 hook/midsection; W: 0:20 right, 1:27 uppercut) Round 9: Westlake, 4-2 (E: 1:51 right/head, 2:26 combo; W: 0:19 cross, 0:40 uppercut/head, 1:00 uppercut, 2:09 hook/head) Round 10: Westlake, 1-0 (0:20 uppercut) Round 11: Erickson, 3-1 (E: 0:24 combo, 0:44 uppercut, 2:39 hook/jaw; W: 1:39 combo) Round 12: None Round 13: Erickson, 1-0 (2:52 combo/midsection) Round 14: Westlake, 2-0 (0:21 right/chin, 1:57 right/midsection) Round 15: None TOTAL: Westlake 20, Erickson 15  RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
 Manager Jim Cator is readying for his third full season in charge, and he has been trimming the roster over the past couple of weeks, approaching the final list of 24 players who will open the season at Parc Cartier against the Brooklyn Kings one week from tomorrow. That being said there still are a number of position battles that will need to be sorted out over the final five days in Florida before the club makes the long trek north. One such duel is for the backup catcher job as Jess Garman and Jack Spahr are battling to see who the caddy for starter Homer Guthrie will be. In the infield, battles wage between Bob Jennings, Eddie Logan, Hank Smith, and Luke Weaver for the backup spots. Youngster Leo Vega, a 23-year-old third baseman with some promise, is still in camp to get few more at bats in the big leagues, but he is almost assuredly ticketed for AAA Syracuse in the coming days. The outfield also still has question marks for the backup positions between Sam Clay, Billy Mulligan and Zeke Johnsson. Several players were informed last week that they have been given a train fare to Syracuse. All have options left so there is no danger of losing any of them on waivers. They include catcher Carroll Furnish, first baseman Ben Rogers along with outfielders Jerry Richardson and Paul Cantin. Having their AAA ball clubs in Syracuse next summer, it may ease the move of players which is a welcome change from the long-time affiliation with Minneapolis. The pitching squad been reduced to 12 players for the conclusion of camp. The big question is Will Ted Coffin will be staying in the majors to start the season? Everybody feels the 24-year-old lefthander who was drafted in the first-round way back in 1944 is ready to make his big league debut, but the rotation is quite legit in for the Saints and there may not be any room for Coffin. If Wally Reif chased away the ghosts that haunted him last season, and he is getting good camp innings so far, the rotation may end up quite similar to last year with Bert Cupid, Pat Weakley, Wally Doyle, Wally Reif and Pete Ford continuing their claim on the five starting pitcher roles. If Coffin stay in Montreal, it will surely be in bullpen and as an emergency/doubleheader starter. Fans are anxiously waiting for the season predictions with Montreal having its best spring camp in decades!  SPRING TRAINING NOTES
 The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/09/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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03-01-2024, 03:08 PM
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APRIL 17, 1950 SURPRISING VALIANTS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS Eliminate Dukes, Take Series Lead on Shamrocks The Montreal Valiants are three victories away from lifting the Challenge Cup for the first time since the spring of 1928. The Valiants disposed of the two-time defending champion Toronto Dukes with surprising ease in the semi-finals, taking the best of seven series in just one game over the minimum before continuing their strong playoff performance with a 4-2 victory over the first place New York Shamrocks in the Greenshirts backyard last night. The victory, on Bigsby Garden ice to start the best of seven series with the most famous trophy in sports awaiting as the prize, was also accomplished with relative ease as second period goals from Clarence Skinner, Paulie Mosca and Ian Doyle vaulted the Vals into a 3-1 lead and that was all the offense veteran Cup-savvy Montreal goaltender Tom Brockers needed in his 26 save performance in the opener. Unlike most of the Vals, who did make a run to the finals three years ago but have not played a post-season game since, the 34-year-old Brockers has a plethora of playoff experience from his days in Boston where he won 3 Challenge Cups and played in 37 playoff games. Brockers had one outing where he struggled - the lone loss to Toronto- but bounced back with a terrific game immediately after that and did not miss a beat after suffering a nasty cut to his ear when a deflected puck clipped the side of his head in last Thursday's deciding game of the Toronto series. Last night in the opener of the finals the two clubs, both of whom missed the playoffs a year ago, started slowly like championship boxers feeling each other out in the opening round of a title tilt. The play was fairly even with each club putting 9 shots on net and the Shamrocks perhaps having a few more decent scoring opportunities including a point-blank opportunity in the slot for New York's Jim Macek who was a victim of Brockers' larceny on the play. Montreal had plenty of opportunities in the second period, but it was the Shamrocks who scored first when Orval Cabbell ripped a wrist shot short side over the blocker of Brockers from the left circle just shy of the 3 and a half minute mark. The Vals quickly equalized when Clarence Skinner banged in a rebound of an Adam Sandford shot less than two minutes later. Montreal had several good scoring chances that Shamrocks netminder Etienne Tremblay stymied, but it was a seemingly harmless shot from near the goalie that gave the Vals a lead they would not relinquish. Paulie Mosca, who would later add two assists and was named the game's first star, just fired the puck from a bad angle and it somehow sneaked between Tremblay's pads to make the score 2-1. Mosca then set up Ian Doyle for a backdoor tap in with 3 minutes remaining in the period to make the score 3-1. Doyle and Mosca have worked well all playoffs on a line with Pat Coulter to give Montreal secondary scoring and the trio combined on a fourth goal for the Vals midway through the third period with Coulter netting his 4th of the playoffs. Shamrocks rookie Alexandre Lapalme quickly answered to get that one back for the Shamrocks but they did not mount any serious pressure the rest of the way and the final score ended up 4-2 for the visitors. The series will continue Wednesday evening at Bigsby Garden with game two before shifting to Montreal for the third game on Saturday. CHALLENGE CUP NOTES:
  SEMI-FINAL RECAP The Montreal Valiants upset the first place Toronto Dukes in the semi-finals three years ago and in their first trip back to the playoffs since that season the Vals upended Toronto again. The fact that Dukes, who had won the previous two Challenge Cups, finished second to New York this season rather than at the top of NAHC did little to soften the blow to Toronto hockey fans who perhaps should have seen the upset loss coming. The Dukes had struggled down at times down the stretch and Montreal had hammered Toronto 11-2 in a game just over a week before the playoff series was set to begin. The Vals stole the first two games in Toronto to wrestle away home ice advantage for the series. Shel Herron was dominant on defense and scored once while assisting on a second Montreal goal in a 3-1 victory in the series opener and center Ian Doyle would score twice as Montreal held off the Dukes 5-4 in the second game. Toronto appeared back on track when Trevor Parker had two points and defenseman Clyde Lumsen scored the game-winning goal shorthanded late in the third period of a 3-2 Dukes victory but that would be the only win Jack Barrell's club would get to enjoy in the series. Games four and five each ended in identical 4-3 scores with Shel Herron picking up two assists and Brett Lanceleve scoring once despite playing on a broken foot to give Montreal the fourth game and leave Dukes Coach Barrell scratching his head after his charges outshot the Vals 52-29 but lost for the third time in the series. Game four was also the only one that required overtime with defenseman Lee Webb emerging as the unlikely hero. As is often the case in overtime a bad break determines the winner and that happened on this night as Webb just threw the puck towards the net, and it hit a Toronto player and deflected past a surprised Gordie Broadway. For Webb, who scored just once in the regular season, it was his first career playoff goal in his 9th post-season game. Toronto outshot Montreal again in game five and Quinton Pollack scored twice but it was not enough for Toronto as Jimmy Backus emerged as the hero for Montreal. The 25-year-old rookie winger, getting his first exposure to playoff hockey as a professional after six seasons of missing the playoffs with Springfield of the HAA, scored the series winner with 5 minutes remaining in the third period. He was setup by Pat Coulter, another 25-year-old seeing playoff hockey for the first time this year. Coulter had a dominant game scoring once and assisting on two others in the 4-3 victory that ended the Dukes dreams of a third straight Challenge Cup win. The New York Shamrocks, fresh off the best record in the NAHC after missing the playoffs a year ago, swept the Chicago Packers in four straight games but the Packers, who rallied to finish fourth with a win over Detroit on the final day of the regular season, did manage to take the Greenshirts to overtime twice. Game One needed only 8 seconds of extra time for Samuel Coates to end it with deke of Packers netminder Norm Hanson to give New York a 3-2 win. Orval Cabbell scored once and added an assist in the second game as the Shamrocks prevailed 3-1. Game Three saw Geoff Hartnell and Jim Macek each score once and add two helpers as New York doubled the Packers 6-3 at Chicago's Lakeside Auditorium. In game four the Packers took a 2-1 lead in the first period but Macek tied the game for Chicago in the second and after a scoreless third stanza it took just 2:38 of overtime for Cabbell to get the game-winner, his third of the series, while Chicago's Ed Delarue was serving a slashing penalty. SEASON OVER AS DUKES BOW OUT IN FIVE TO MONTREAL Toronto's hope of bringing a third straight Challenge Cup home ended with a crash. The team was eliminated from the playoffs in five games by the Montreal Valiants who will go on to face the New York Shamrocks in the league final. After the Dukes dramatic win on Saturday night in Montreal to cut the deficit to two games to one the Dukes had hoped to be able to build on that in game four. The teams returned to the ice on Tuesday night to entertain 16.635 rabid fans in Montreal Arena for the fourth game of the series. Jack Barrell had said he had ideas on how to counter the tight checking of the Vals. Whatever the change was it seemed to work as Toronto controlled the puck in the first period peppering Brockers with 19 shots in the opening 20 minutes. The visitors opened the scoring at 2:56 when Parker snapped home a shot on passes from Chad Roy and Bobby Sauer. Brett Lanceleve, rumoured to be playing on broken foot, evened the score at 7:21 when he was left alone in front of Dukes netminder Gordie Broadway, who was called upon far less than Brockers for the period and game. The second period was a little tighter than the first with Toronto holding a 11-9 shot advantage with both teams scoring a goal. Mike Navarro gave the Dukes a 2-1 lead at 4:02 only to have Jimmy Backus tie the game at the twelve minute mark. In the third Sanford sent the crowd into a frenzy when he snapped in the puck after Broadway had made a kick save, one of only 6 shots by the Vals in the period. Toronto kept pressing, keeping the fans on their feet to applaud Brockers who continued to stymie Dukes shooters. Brockers made a number of acrobatic saves until Galbraith poked home a rebound with only 77 seconds remaining in regulation time. That set up overtime which was tight checking along with lasting late into the night. It lasted until 13:35 when Lee Webb skated the puck in then while trying to feed it into the slot his pass hit Painchaud's stick deflecting into the Toronto net. Montreal wins 4-3 in a game where Brockers made 49 saves. A quick turnaround had the teams back in Dominion Gardens Thursday night. The game was very similar to the Tuesday game. Toronto could handle the Montreal forecheck to generate chances only to have Brockers shut the door. Montreal's ClarenceSkinner scored the only goal of the first when he was setup in the slot on a pass from Paulie Mosca. Doug Zimmerman tied the game just 24 seconds into the second on the powerplay off a drop pass from Trevor Parker who had been sent in by Herb Burdette. Shel Herron restored Montreal's lead when his long shot dipped under Broadway's trapper at 4:52 but once more the Dukes pulled even as Quinton Pollack found a loose puck in the crease to tie the game at 2 which was the score when the teams went to dressing rooms after 40. Pat Coulter's go ahead goal at 5:18 of the third period forced the Dukes to open up in an attempt to stave off elimination. Pollack again found a loose puck to tie the game at 14:47. The fans began thinking of a comeback in regulation or overtime to force a Game 6. Those thoughts did not last long as right off the center ice face-off following Pollack's second goal, Montreal's Jimmy Backus cruised into the Dukes end to snap a shot into the top corner. That deflated the team along with the crowd. Toronto's season ended with Broadway on the bench for an extra attacker in a second 4-3 Montreal victory for 4-1 series win. Coach Barrell: "Give Montreal full credit they beat us soundly, when we finally figured out their forecheck we could not get the puck behind Brockers. Shamrocks are in for a hard test in the final. The guys in the room are down right now but we had a good regular season, we will be back with something to prove next season." The staff and I have a lot of work to do preparing for the upcoming draft along with some other off-season work. We will meet with all the players shortly to give them a summer program before we meet in the Porcupine in September. Give these guys credit. We have gone from 48 to 60 to 70 games in 3 seasons. I have learned things that may lead to changes in our practice schedule. After I wrap up the hockey odds and ends, I look forward to following our family in the FABL. I think Dan is in for a learning experience (Dan Barrell is the new President of FABL), I am sure I will be talking with Fred (Fred Barrell is manager of the Toronto Wolves baseball team) on handling players." WILD FINAL FEW DAYS FOR EAST DIVISION PLAYOFF PICTURE The Washington Statesmen know they will finish the 1949-50 Federal Basketball League season with the best record in the league for the second year in a row and they will have a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. The Statesmen, at 49-17, have a three-victory bulge on West Division leader Detroit for top spot overall after they went into the Motor City and thrashed the Mustangs 90-75 on Friday night. What the Statesmen do not know is who else will be joining them as the three playoff teams from the East Division. It could not get much tighter as New York, Brooklyn and Baltimore play musical chairs to claim the two seats available to qualify for the East Division semi-final. The Knights and Red Caps are both 43-23 on the year with 2 games remaining for each of them. Trying to muscle their way in are the Baltimore Barons, who sit a half game back at 42-23 with 3 contests remaining on their dance card. What makes it very interesting is two of the Barons three remaining games are against Brooklyn and New York. The Barons visit New York tonight and then host Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Knights will finish off their slate with a road game in Hartford Wednesday evening while Baltimore visits Hartford Thursday and Brooklyn closes out its season in Rochester in Thursday evening. The West Division playoff picture is far less murky. Detroit is first and will play the winner of Toronto and Cleveland in the best-of-seven West Division final. The Falcons have 2 games remaining and need just one victory or a Cleveland loss in one of their final three contests to allow the Falcons to claim second place and homecourt advantage in the series. We will get a playoff preview on Thursday when the Falcons host the Crushers in the season finale for each. Head-to-head this season the Crushers and Falcons are deadlocked at 3 wins apiece. *** Injuries May Play Role in West Playoff Picture *** Both Toronto and Detroit suffered a major blow last week when a key piece in the backcourt of each team went down. Falcons rookie guard Major Belk, who was averaging nearly 9 points a game and 8.2 assists suffered a serious ankle injury that not only ends his season but puts the former Carolina Poly All-American's status for the start of next season in doubt as well. Detroit lost veteran guard Israel Slusher, whose 9.9 assists per game is second behind only Philadelphia's Jerry Hubbard in the FBL this season, with a broken jaw. Slusher, a 29-year-old who was contributing 12.5 points a game to the Detroit offense is hoping he can return in just over two weeks which gives the Mustangs hope that he will be available at least midway through the West Division final. 
 HOPES OF DETROITERS SADDLED TO MUSTANGS It has not been easy being a Detroit sports fan for well over a decade. The Dynamos last won a pennant in 1929. The Motors won their only Challenge Cup a decade later in the spring of 1939. The grid Maroons -once the pride and joy of the city- have not won the American Football Association championship game since 1936. And it gets worse as the Maroons just fired the only coach the franchise has ever known after a pair of disastrous 2-10 seasons. The Motors were in first place on Christmas Day yet somehow missed the playoffs and the Dynamos, who have a terrific pitching staff, couldn't hit the Gulf of Mexico if they fell out of a boat near Tampa. This spring has been a nightmare, giving fans little hope the longest streak without a pennant in the Federal Association will be broken anytime soon. Yet there is a glimmer of positive news circulating through the city these days. The other local pro franchise, one that is often overlooked and lucky to draw more than 3,000 fans to a game, is the class of its league. That would be the Detroit Mustangs of the Federal Basketball League. The FBL is the brainchild of local sporting entrepreneur Rollie Barrell, who owns the Mustangs and is the majority owner of the Maroons and they reached the FBL championship game a year ago and look to be in good position to do it again this season. The Mustangs are the best kept secret in town as the cage league has had to scratch and claw for recognition in most centers, not just here in Detroit. Fans should take notice as the Mustangs are a high scoring club - the most offensive oriented in the loop- and play an exciting brand of basketball led by a young superstar in Ward Messer, whose brother just happens to hit homeruns for the New York Gothams for a living, and a local hero in former Detroit City College star Jack Kurtz. Messer and Kurtz are each averaging a little over 17 points a game and beating up on the rest of the West Division, having clinched first place and with it a bye to the league semi-finals. Sure, it's not FABL or the American Football Association. Heck, it's not even on par with the NAHC but the Federal cage circuit may just deliver a long overdue professional sports championship to a city that has gone far too long without one. GORDON WINS SECOND STRAIGHT BARRETTE TROPHY All-America Selections Announced It comes as little surprise that for the second year in a row Liberty College center Luther Gordon has been named the winner of the Art Barrette Trophy. Named after the legendary Coastal California coach and presented annually to the player judged to be the best in collegiate basketball, Gordon becomes just the third player in AIAA history to win the award twice following in the footsteps of Long Werth, who won it with Miami State in 1946 and 1947 and legendary St. Patrick's Shamrocks star George Winter, who won in 1925 and 1926. Gordon's win also marks the third consecutive season a Liberty College Bells center won the award as Ward Messer earned the honour in 1948, the year before Gordon -a junior college transfer- arrived in Philadelphia. Messer is currently starring for the Detroit Mustangs of the Federal Basketball League after he was selected second overall in the 1948 FBL draft. Gordon is expected to be the first overall selection in the summer when the FBL drafts the current crop of graduating seniors. Gordon rewrote the AIAA record books, debuting as a junior after two years at a New York City community college, and scored a record 602 points that season, smashing the old mark of 586 set by Morgan Melcher when he was with Coastal California in 1943-44. Gordon also hauled in 286 rebounds, which was the 7th highest all-time single season total. He went on to smash his own points record with 677 this season while also collecting 312 rebounds, making him just the 6th player in AIAA history to top the 300 mark. Gordon's 677 points this season were 174 more than his nearest competition and he was a big reason why the Bells made it all the way to the AIAA championship game with an unbeaten record. The season would end on a down note as Liberty College fell 65-60 to Noble Jones College in the title game 14 days ago. Joining Gordon as a first team All-American selection was his Liberty College teammate Scott Basile making the duo the first teammates to earn the honour since the Detroit City College duo of Roman Sollars and Andrew Bennett were named to the 1942-43 team. Basile, a senior guard who grew up in Philadelphia, finished second in the nation in steals while averaging 12.5 points per game. Also being named to the first team were forwards Carl Casswell of Lane State and Alvin Martin from Texas Gulf Coast, both seniors. The lone junior on the team was Maryland State Bengals guard Lenny Olsen. The National Coach of the Year was Al Bynum of the AIAA champion Noble Jones College Colonels. The 48-year-old Tennessee native joined the Colonels two seasons ago and promptly led his team to the championship game a year ago. They fell just short last season, but Bynum regrouped and coached the Colonels to a perfect 34-0 campaign -the first time in AIAA history that has happened- culminating in the title win over Liberty College, which also entered the championship contest without a loss. Below is the complete list of college basketball award winners and the first team All-Americans.    SPRING TRAINING NOTES
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/16/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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03-04-2024, 01:08 PM
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#895 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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April 18, 1950: Opening Day Special Edition
APRIL 18, 1950 OPENING DAY SPECIAL EDITION COUGARS-GOTHAMS ARE FLAG FAVORITES A new baseball season, and a new decade for the sport, gets underway later today with all 16 FABL clubs seeing action including the traditional opener at Columbia Park where President Truman will be on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Washington Eagles and Pittsburgh Miners get things underway. As is always on the case on opening, this column is dedicated to telling you how the upcoming campaign will play out. Federal Association No team sports the star power of the New York Gothams. Red Johnson (.304, 52, 137). Walt Messer (297, 35, 122). George Cleves (.321, 19, 76). Ed Bowman (18-11, 2.69, 139). Lefty Allen (17-8, 3.76, 59). And you know what: I'm going to say it. Cecil LaBonte (.332, 10, 75, 37) is a star too. I'm not sure how they didn't win the Fed last year, but this Gothams team has some of the best players in the game right now. But as the Chicago Chiefs proved last year, maybe depth is more important in a 154 game sample, and the Gothams just don't have it. The farm is starting to produce some reinforcements, as they have top 50 prospects Hank Estill and Bert Preble ready to replace some of the weak lengths. The biggest question, however, lies in the rotation, as they're projected to start the season with Joe Brown (13-7, 3.80, 84) and Lou Eaker (5-7, 4.35, 45) ahead of Lefty in the rotation, and former 20-game winner Buddy Long (13-7, 1, 3.63, 31) seems to have lost his rotation spot in favor of Eaker and Jerry Decker (12-6, 4.00, 65). If the pitching holds up, the Gothams are going to be tough to beat, as their offense has a good chance to score the most runs in the Fed this year.New York Gothams Chicago Chiefs The hardest thing in sports is to repeat as champion, and the Chicago Chiefs will have their work cut out for them in their repeat attempt. The Chiefs were one of the few teams to acquire reinforcements in the offseason, acquiring veterans Walt Pack (.253, 13, 54) and Carlos Montes (.242, 5, 25, 5) in separate trades with the crosstown Cougars, though Montes' debut will be delayed four weeks as the often-injured center fielder strained his hamstring in the final week. But since the Chiefs have plenty of depth, the injury isn't too tough to handle, as they're not a team that relies on any one player. Sure, Tiny Tim Hopkins (.284, 38, 128) can change the game with a single swing of the bat, but he doesn't have to do it by himself. The slugger will follow a tough 1-2-3 in Joe Rutherford (.280, 23, 98, 12), Pack, and Billy Brown (.225, 12, 48). Pete Casstevens (.238, 29, 99) is still one of the top catchers in the game and I'm excited to see what longtime Wolf Charlie Artuso (.234, 8, 74) can do in his first full season out of Toronto.The rotation provides plenty of innings, bringing back four 200 inning starters. Former 1st Overall Pick John Stallings (20-5, 3.26, 170) has blossomed as an ace at just 24, taking the reigns from longtime ace Al Miller (16-9, 4.12, 96) who will turn 35 this September. As good as he looks for his age, no one does age better then knuckle Charlie Bingham (14-12, 3.78, 65). He was never the best pitcher, or even in the conversation, but as a 39-year-old he was setting career bests. He's not flashy, though he gets the job done, but I think unless the Chiefs can add an impact arm or get a big breakout from former 10th Rounder Johnny Duncan, they're going to come up just short. Detroit Dynamos There are so many ways you can go after what I believe is a clear top two, though the Fed is known for its tendency to develop into an all-out bloodbath. One team that should be involved in the pennant race is the Detroit Dynamos, though the organization is a little worried about run support. The pitching is led by a potential first ballot Hall of Famer in Carl Potter (22-8, 1.97, 162), who at 23 has 79 FABL victories and is coming off a season where he led the Fed in wins, ERA, innings (293), WHIP (1.05), and WAR (9.3). No one comes near him in quality, but former second overall pick Bill Sohl (14-14, 3.73, 99) seems to have found himself a home and the recently turned 24-year-old Jack Miller (14-11, 3.56, 75) took home the Kellogg Award last year for best rookie in the association. That's a pretty impressive front three, and it could become four depending on the progress of former first pick Roy Schaub (0-1, 8.53, 2), who pitched well in AAA (15-14, 2.71, 124) before making one start for the Dynamos in September.They have a very young offense that has struggled for stretches, though 23-year-old Edwin Hackberry (.309, 32, 99, 18) is not one of them. He led position players in WAR (8.1) and is coming off a 104 walk and run season. Not only is he a gifted hitter, he's an impressive athlete and is probably the best defensive outfielder that isn't suiting up for the Cougars this season. He had to do a lot himself last season, as the talented double play duo of Del Johnson (.270, 11, 65, 12) and Stan Kleminski (.278, 4, 48) wasn't as lethal as expected. Returns to form from them would be huge for the Dynamos success, as well as a step forward from third basemen Tommy Griffin (.307, 5, 60), who broke out in year three as a 24-year-old last year. Rounding out the infield is Dick Estes (.291, 14, 52), but the converted outfielders hasn't provided the thump they've expected from him. If none of this group steps up, the Dynamos will have to rely on veterans Pinky Pierce (.244, 3, 14), Hal Sharp (.273, 7, 36), and the potential husk of Adam Mullins (.244, 4, 48). Detroit feels like a team that's a step away from a contender, and that could come from a big acquisition or a group improvement from their youth. Philadelphia Keystones For the first time in my career, I questioned the talent of Bobby Barrell (.289, 39, 108). I mean, he's going to be 40 this year, and at some point you got to slip?Well, to see if my mind was starting to go, I bought a ticket to his spring debut against the Dynamos. As I was getting to my seats, he quickly grounded out, clearly frustrated with himself. Even worse, he went down 0-2 his next time up. With two on! Though just as I was ready to be concerned, Bobby did what he does best. He fought, worked the count to 3-2. And then pounced. Sure, it wasn't the 400+ feet moonshots we've gotten used to, but he easily cleared the fences, making the day of a young Keystone fan in attendance. 106 homers away from Max Morris' FABL record, I'm really hoping Bobby gets to it, and if he keeps hitting like he does, the Keystones will be in contention for a pennant. Last year they posted their lowest win total since 1939, but I'm expecting big things from the Georgia Jolter and his teammates. They have one of the only catchers who's not just good for a catcher, Roger Cleaves (.264, 18, 57), and despite an uncharacteristically low average last season, Hank Koblenz (.216, 44, 121) is one of the premier sluggers with a decent glove at third too. Slugging first basemen Nate Power (.257, 15, 43) is in for a big season, and Philly has enough power to slug with anyone. The pitching is a little weak, but I have to imagine Lloyd Stevens (11-19, 4.96, 84) is going to return to form after suffering through a season that was leaps and bounds worse than every season since his rookie year. A big year could be coming for 24-year-old George Polk (6-9, 4.08, 53) who impressed as a rookie, and a few scouts I've talked to from OSA think Jim Whitley (16-10, 4.07, 113) is one of the top 20 pitchers in the game. They're a little thin after that, but with last year's 2nd Rounder Sam Ivey in AA, they could have reinforcements by midseason. I think he's still a season away, but the top 30 prospect could end up as the last piece of their rotation. The team may still be a year off, but I think Bobby has at least three left in him, and the Keystones should be able to capitalize off his record chase with a competitive team. St. Louis Pioneers A year ago there were discussions on a threepeat and a potential all-time great stuff.Then everything went wrong. The decline was just as swift and unexpected as the climb, as aside from franchise icon Al Tucker (.362, 14, 86) and his #2 Larry Gregory (.312, 16, 106), everyone struggled. Hal Hackney (15-17, 5.01, 178) was either walking guys or allowing homers. And sometimes both. Danny Hern's (13-18, 4.04, 115) defense let him down more times than he can count, Hiram Steinberg's (11-16, 4.57, 109) walk percentage jumped over three percent, and Dick Long (9-14, 5.56, 79) finally got exposed for the pitcher he was. I don't expect anything from him, former second pick Tom Buchanan (6-10, 3.79, 56) should be taking his starts, but I would not be surprised if the 3-Hs are all in contention for the Allen again this year. That rotation is great, and with steady production from Ray Bates (.333, 1, 39, 13), Homer Mills (.290, 10, 83), and Heinie Zimmer (.263, 6, 73), they might be able to cook something nice. The issue is they're going to need a lot to go right for them, including on the injury front. There isn't much depth aside from back-of-the rotation, but if they're replacing one of the aces for any length of time it's going to be a major downgrade just because of how impressive the shoes they have to step in are. Still, I think they're equal parts contender and equal part pretender, making them one of the toughest teams to project out of the gate. Washington Eagles Another team with a big gap between floor and ceiling, the Washington Eagles have an interesting mix of youth and veterans. This is most notable in their middle infield, as both Bill Wise (.345, 24) and Tom Miller (.267, 3, 32) are coming off major season ending injuries, and they have to fend off last year's first rounder Tom Perkins who hit .333/.391/.381 in the spring and spent plenty of time a top the lineup. It's a good one to be atop, as they got some serious southpaw sluggers in Rats McGonigle (.287, 30, 112, 13), Jesse Alvarado (.291, 31, 119, 32), and Sig Stofer (.270, 31, 90), with the trio each having their own creative nickname (The Ringer from Stinger, The Hidalgo Kid, and The Boardwalk Bopper). Then there's the "The Harborcreek Hustler" Mel Carrol (.305, 11, 56), though he's lost a step at 38. As good as the lineup is, they can only go as far as their rotation. A rebound is needed for Buckeye Smith (8-8, 4.51, 64), who missed almost two months with a pair of injuries and followed up two excellent seasons with two rough ones. The rest of the staff is on the other side of 30, though Billy Riley (12-4, 3.91, 52) is one of the most consistent starters, Dan Everett (11-9, 3.08, 80) can be effective in shorter outings, and Juan Tostado (15-5, 2.50, 35) had an insane breakout at 31 despite just under 60 FABL innings spread between 1941 and 1948. The best path for Washington may be staying close to the pack, and then pouncing on whatever is available at the deadline while most are too conservative to act.Pittsburgh Miners As you expect with young teams that have been dismantled, expectations and win totals are low. No, not Dave Low (7-10, 9, 3.69, 38), who earned himself a rotation spot with a strong showing in a swingman/stopper role last year, though he is indictive that the process is starting to bear fruit. One of the younger teams in the league, the Miners seem to have the offense down, especially when it comes to hitting for high averages, but the pitching is what they struggled with. Low will get a chance to prove he belongs in the rotation, but the only starter part of the long-term picture right now might be former top-10 prospect Pat Wolter (7-9, 4.00, 79), who showed flashes of being the real deal in his 22 starts. Most importantly, he held his own most trips out, something only him and veteran Billy Ligons (8-12, 4.13, 41) can say among rotation members last year. The Miners did add a young, MLB ready pitcher in Harry Beardsley, who will enter the season as the #5 starter, and there might be a reinforcement coming midseason in top 10 prospect Chuck Briggs, who has been reassigned to AAA St. Paul after making six starts last season.They may now be in a position to tap into their young talent to add a long-term piece, as the lineup is filled with quality. The outfield is a particular strong group, with top three hitters Ernie Campbell (.331, 1, 64, 5), Charlie J. Williams (.309, 11, 78), and Paul Williams (.244, 1, 20) effective FABL hitters in their 20s. Then there's 1948 standout Jeep Erickson (.253, 6, 39), who drew offseason trade interest despite a pronounced sophomore slump. The double play duo of Irv Clifford (.304, 72, 13) and Reid McLaughlin (.280, 2, 55, 12) getting plenty of mileage, with McLaughlin making the argument that he's the top second basemen in the game. Eventually franchise legend Joe Owens (.312, 5, 50) will be replaced with Dick Steel, who the Miners got along with Briggs and others in the ransom for Cleaves and Allen, though Owens is just a year removed from a batting title and had plenty of life at 37 last year. With a deep farm and plenty of talented young players, the future is really bright in the steel city, even if there maybe a few more lean years ahead of the franchise that has seen more WCS sadness than any other. Boston Minutemen There are rumors from Minutemen camp that a youth movement will commence, and it might be worth it for the 1941 Champions. Not only do they have the top farm system, but I can't remember the last time a team had so many guys in the top ten, as at one point all four of Rick Masters, Joe Kleman, Yank Taylor, and Marshall Thomas were considered among the top ten prospects in any organization. Those four are plenty to build around, and there are pieces left on the squad that could reinforce the farm further. Veteran pitchers Ray Dalpman (14-10, 3.94. 78) and Duke Hendricks (13-11, 4.37, 84) would bring back noticeable hauls, and a team in need of a slugger would give plenty for someone like Billy Dalton (.240, 25, 73) to handle the hot corner in the short-term. Former 3rd Pick John Edwards (7-14, 4.88, 78) could interest with a rebound to start the year, and while I doubt they'd break up their slick fielding duo of Harry Barrell (.308, 4, 61, 8) and Buddy Schneider (.267, 5, 60) teams could dangle prospect capital to snatch them.But if the Minutemen decide to stand pat, they already have a lot of youth playing important roles. Alf Keeter (12-14, 3.46, 83) was an All-Star and might be their best pitcher already, while Ben McCarty (.337, 23, 81) is coming off an offensive explosion where he hit 50 extra base hits, drew 76 walks, and produced a 172 WRC+ in just 475 trips to the plate. It's tough to expect that level of production from him again, but he could end up as one of the tougher outs in the Fed. 25-year-old Dick Helfand (.250, 10, 46) is penciled in for another season in center, while fellow 25-year-old and Rule-5 Jack Shea could get a full season of starts on the mound. While I don't want to spell doom and gloom, 1950 seems like a transition season for the Minutemen, and it could be their first last place finish since 1933. Continental Association Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Chicago Cougars are the most talented and deep team in the Continental Association. And it's really not even close. All five of their starting pitchers had ERAs below 2.50 in the spring, and projected #5 Johnnie Jones (15-13, 3.55, 101) would crack the top three in any rotation that hasn't won two pennants in the last three years. Looking at the roster as a whole, they have 45 All-Star selections among 15 players, as well as three Allens and a Whitney.. Though you know what 23 of the 24 players lack?Chicago Cougars A World Championship. That's the goal this year as nearly every year, and after a third second place finish in four seasons, the Cougars had the most active offseason of the 16 FABL organizations, with the big moves bringing in the best defensive outfielder around, John Moss (.271, 11, 74), and perhaps the best FABL stopper ever David Molina (8-11, 22, 3.53, 76) in a deals that sent away notable ranked prospects Ron Berry (Brooklyn) and Johnny Peters (Philly). But this is not the first time the Cougars have been the odds-on favorite, as each season they find a unique way to come up short. Generally, it's not showing up when things matter most, and the front office is hoping the local kid can help them steal the close ones they tend to drop. Molina has led the CA in games, saves, and games finished four years running. With a rotation as good as there's, and someone who's almost a guaranteed win if he has the lead, it's going to be very tough to win if your pitching staff has a tough day. Montreal Saints Things were different at the Parc Cartier last season. For the first time in almost twenty years, the Montreal Saints finished with a winning record. And they did it with the bat.This new look Saints team is loaded with young talent, led by arguably the best all-around shortstop Gordie Perkins (.303, 8, 63, 5), who is coming off an outstanding season where he produced a 130 WRC+ and 14.8 zone rating (1.065). One thing that has affected him is injuries, and his season ended early with an arthritic elbow. If they want to capture their first pennant since 1921, they need at full season from their star, but for once they have the supporting cast to protect him. Maurice Carter (.300, 28, 118) has emerged as one of the top sluggers in the game and he led all Continental Association hitters with 118 RBIs. Joe Austin (.310, 5, 62, 53) and Otis O'Keefe (.293, 17, 97) had superb rookie seasons, and their Bill's Elkins (.268, 2, 37) and Green (.265, 12, 79, 15) should compete against each other for an outfield spot in the All-Star game. They even brought in Homer Guthrie (.283, 3, 42) if 23-year-old catcher and former top 100 prospect Jess Garman (.243, 18) isn't quite ready to play everyday. There's no real weakness in this lineup, and if they played in the Fed where the stadiums were smaller, they'd probably end up on top. What may make it tough for them to over come Chicago is their rotation, as after talented ace Bert Cupid (15-15, 3.41, 81) there are some question marks on the pitching staff. The talent is there, but each pitcher has their concerns. Pat Weakly (12-10, 4.35, 72) has dealt with injuries off and on since his debut, and when he's not 100% the walks rise and the strikeouts fall. The Wally's Reif (5-15, 7.05, 66) and Doyle (12-12, 4.01, 103) are equal parts scrub and equal parts stud. And then there's Pete Ford (17-5, 3.37, 84), who will have all eyes on him to see if his breakout season is legit. None of these four are a sure thing, and if someone gets hurt, they might have to rely on the yet-to-debut Ted Coffin, another high risk, high reward pitcher who has flashed ace potential. Plus, the Saints have always had issues beating the Cougars, and the reason they finished third instead of second is because Chicago had the better head-to-head record. That's not to say they should be taken lightly, as this is clearly a team on the rise that's poised to make noise as he kick of the 1950s. New York Stars The Gothams aren't the only team in the Big Apple to have stars, as there are few that shine brighter than Bill Barrett (.300, 37, 104). The superstar and 4-Time Whitney Winner led the CA in homers and slugging (.549), and while 98 walks seem impressive, it was his lowest total since he was twenty. In fact, last year as a whole was a "down" season for Barrett, and he was still one of the most valuable players in the game. As long as he's in New York, they have a shot at the pennant, and their rotation is now one of the bests in the association. Vern Hubbard (18-7, 3.15, 71) doesn't get talked about enough for how good he is, and Eli Panneton (13-14, 3.93, 97) is one of the most reliable arms out there. The back three isn't great, but Jack Wood (14-15, 3.36, 100) has managed to defy age and I know Richie Hughes (8-13, 3.83, 109) is just one adjustment away from regaining his All-Star form. Even better, the staff will get plenty of support from sluggers Bill Barnett (.296, 25, 75), Jack Welch (.245, 20, 72), and Mack Sutton (.252, 30, 94). The Stars are a team that can put up runs fast, and they may be a Bill Chapman or Dick Rutledge breakout away from another pennant.Cleveland Foresters No one foretold the meteoric rise of the Cleveland Foresters, that lasted all the way until they were up 3-0 in the World Championship Series. I'll be honest, I think that was their best chance, as everything clicked for them last season. Adrian Czerwinski (26-7, 2.88, 77) had one of the most miraculous turn arounds that earned him a much deserved Allen Award and Jim Adams Jr. (.326, 12, 88, 7) actually stayed healthy enough to lead the CA in hits (189). That's not to say they're devoid of talent, as Ducky Davis (16-7, 2.89, 82) is a very good pitcher and 1947 ERA leader Ollie White (12-12, 4.24, 129) has some of the best stuff for southpaws. And then there's Lorenzo Samuels (.309, 26, 88), who mashed his way to a 171 WRC+ in 475 trips to the plate. Whether he can come close to that again is a mystery, but he gets to bat with Adams on base a ton, and that's sure to improve your chances. Without any adds, it's hard to see them defending their pennant, but I don't think this is a team that's going to be finishing close to the bottom anytime soon. There's a ton of young talent ready and waiting, and then they can really be a force.Brooklyn Kings A team that seems to be a season away from contention, the Kings may have the player of the 50s in Ralph Johnson (.321, 27, 102, 6). The 25-year-old captured his second Whitney after leading the CA in runs (110), walks (108), OBP (.427), OPS (.976), WRC+ (172), wOBA (.433), and WAR (9.0). He's one of many young players, with 29-year-old Bob Arman (11-15, 4.06, 149) likely to be the oldest player to make an impact this season. He leads a solid rotation with Leo Hayden (15-12, 3.50, 92) and Joe Potts (15-10, 3.56, 86), and they are now joined by 21st prospect Ron Berry, who they picked up from the Cougars in the John Moss (.271, 11, 74) deal. Part of the reason they were willing to part with Moss in the first place was another top prospect (24th) in Charlie Rogers (.356, 3, 5) who debuted a few months after his 20th birthday. They have plenty of depth with him, Pat Petty (.299, 12, 76), and a third top 25 (20th) prospect Fred Miller (.250, 2, 8), with a larger need in the rotation as most else is filled. Chuck Lewis (.298, 16, 87) emerged as a top three second basemen and they have plenty of young guys to fill the infield around him. If the young guys all take a step forward, the Kings could make a surprise run, but if I was a betting man I think they're going to return to the playoffs a few times this decade.Philadelphia Sailors As unexpected as the Foresters rise was, the Sailors fall matched it, as they went from back-to-back pennants to bottom of the association. The trade of David Molina could signal a deadline sell off, with plenty of tantalizing pieces in Win Lewis (8-15, 3.99, 91), Ed Reyes (.355, 6, 63), Marion Boismenu (.314, 1, 45, 11), Al Duster (10-13, 4.45, 82), Charlie Gordon (9-16, 4.31, 73), and Harvey Brown (.299, 2, 60, 25). This could make some room for any number of young players to join Billy Forbes (.246, 11), Joe Scott (.281, 14, 81), and Al Farmer (.263, 3, 47) in regular roles. There's already plenty of options already on the 40-man roster, including offseason pickup Johnny Peters, top 50 prospect George Rutter, Jerry Keith, and Gordon McDonald. All it might take is a quick reset for the always competitive Sailors, who hadn't finished last since 1920. Though they could still make some noise this season, as the Sailors have been known to get the most out of their players.Cincinnati Cannons A team filled with veterans who might have their best games behind him, they are expected to continue their rebuild, with pretty much everyone not named Rufus Barrell (14-14, 3.47, 121) available. The outfield has the most enticing pieces, with 6-Time All Star Fred Galloway (.295, 2, 26) and breakout former 1st Rounder Mike Taylor (.325, 13, 74, 11). Then at the corners they have two grizzled corner infielders in Chuck Adams (.273, 21, 90) and Denny Andrews (.256, 10, 64), and Jim Anderson (13-14, 4.81, 104) and Charlie Griffith (14-14, 3.91, 73) on the mound. None have particularly high value right now, but with a strong start to the season they could fetch a pretty penny. But aside from the two outfielders, the most in demand piece may be Jim Hensley (.229, 5, 48). He's not the greatest hitter, though he's posted seven consecutive seasons with a zone rating above 20 (!!) at shortstop. Guys like that don't grow on trees, and when you have a career 96 WRC+ to go with it, you could do far worst at short. As the Cannons continue their youth movement, we may see some major moves, but what will be most interesting is the progress of young righty Tony Britten (11-15, 4.53, 83). The former 7th Ranked prospect has shown flashes of dominance, and Cannons fans are hoping this is the season he puts it all together.Toronto Wolves Someone has to finish last, and this year I think it's going to be the Toronto Wolves, as even a new fiery logo isn't going to be enough to turn this group into a contender. That's what Toronto was for most of the last decade, one that started with them winning their third FABL title. It may be time for the Wolves to tear down, though despite Charlie Artuso (.234, 8, 74) going to the Chiefs, they've shown no real inclination that Fred McCormick (.297, 13, 82), Hal Wood (.315, 6, 81), Chink Stickels (.241, 5, 39, 12), George Garrison (12-13, 2.87, 126), Joe Hancock (16-10, 3.47, 79), and Jim Morrison (16-8, 3.38, 91). That's a solid core, but they're all getting up there in years and they don't have much support behind them. Jerry York (5-11, 4.75, 69) really struggled last year and I don't think top 10 prospect Les Ledbetter is ready for his FABL debut. Hank Giordano (.241, 5, 39, 12) is coming off a rough season himself, and if they want to compete, they'll need a big year from him and Tom Frederick (.278, 7, 58, 10), but I just think too much needs to go right for them to make an impact on the pennant chase this time around.FINALLY THE YEAR FOR COUGARS? OSA SEES CHICAGO ROUT THE CA AND FACE DETROIT IN WCS FABL's official scouting agency, the OSA, has fully boarded the Chicago Cougars express this season and feel the Cougars will win the Continental Association pennant race by double-digits in the first season of the new decade. If so, it will be the end of nearly a decade worth of frustration as the Cougars, nearly always tabbed by many pundits as the team to beat in the CA, always seemed to find a way to come up short. OSA is calling for the Cougars, led by a dominant pitching staff, to finish with 91 victories this season - a full 10-games ahead of the second place New York Stars and tabs them to face another pitching heavy club in the Detroit Dynamos in the 1950 World Championship Series. Now before fans in the Windy and Motor Cities go and get too excited it is likely best that we point out that a year ago the scouting service say the New York Stars winning the CA and Detroit finishing in a tie with the Philadelphia Keystones for top spot in the Federal Association. The two actual World Championship combatants - the Cleveland Foresters and Chicago Chiefs- were each tabbed to finish last in their respective associations by the OSA. In fact, the OSA has not successfully picked the Federal Association champion since it successfully forecast the Pittsburgh Miners to win the 1939 crown. The group formerly headed by Dan Barrell, who has now taken a seat in the FABL President's chair replacing the retired Sam Belton, has been marginally more successful with its Continental Association forecasts as the scouting service did successfully call three Continental flag races correctly last decade with the most recent being in 1945 when it was right to name the Cincinnati Cannons as the premier club in the loop. But let's not let all the facts put a damper on the excitement for Cougars and Dynamos fans. They both could certainly use some. The Cougars are long overdue for some good luck and some pennant success. True, the longtime media darlings have likely won six to eight of them if you celebrate on Opening Day when the predictions arrive but in reality, it has been since 1941 when the Cougars, who consistently seem to have the most talent in the Continental Association, last had the most victories in a CA season. Even then, they came up short in the WCS, a bauble they have not hoisted since 1931. The drought is even longer in Detroit where the Dynamos have not won a pennant since 1929 -only the Montreal Saints of the CA have gone longer without a flag- and have endured two unsuccessful, at least so far for the second one, rebuilds. There is no doubting the quality of the Detroit mound staff, it was the best in the Fed a year ago, but the offense was non-existent, and little has changed on the Detroit roster aside from the fact that the young talent, led by Edwin Hackberry, is a year older. It is Hackberry, the 23-year-old who has already appeared in 3 all-star games, that the OSA is forecasting big things for in the coming season. Not has big as the hopes heaved on the heavy bat of Hank Koblenz of the Philadelphia Keystones. OSA is suggesting that Hard-Boiled Henry will swat 68 homer this season - or 4 more than the record set in 1947 by Koblenz teammate Bobby Barrell. Koblenz did blast 50 himself three years ago and swatted 44 last season so it is not out of the realm of possibility but 68 just seems like too lofty a target even for Koblenz. As for the defending champion Chicago Chiefs and Cleveland Foresters, who were each picked to finish last a year ago? OSA still has no respect for the Foresters, figuring a return to the cellar of the Continental Association is in the cards for Cleveland. It does give the Chiefs a little more respect but places them middle of the pack in the Federal Association. Here is how the OSA forecasts the 1950 races.  COUGARS AND GOTHAMS IN SERIES IS CONSENSUS A poll of sports writers from several major cities suggests we are headed for a rematch of the 1931 World Championship Series with the Chicago Cougars representing the Continental Association against the New York Gothams from the Federal Association. Six sportswriters, along with the OSA, responded with predictions and all but one of those six feel the Cougars will finally live up to preseason expectations and win the Continental flag for the first time since 1941. Of course the Cougars have been the media favourite nearly every season since '41 but always found way to come up short despite having what is considered the best lineup in the CA on paper. The Gothams are loaded with power and if the back half of the rotation can hold up they could be the team to beat in what always seems to be a long, drawn out battle for the Fed flag. Five of the seven respondents see the Gothams emerging on top with Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire, who was also the lone voice against a Cougars win in the CA, went against the grain in the Fed as well in tabbing the defending champion Chicago Chiefs to repeat. The other vote against the Gothams came from the OSA, which likes the Detroit Dynamos. The scouting service also picked the Dynamos to win the Fed a year ago, but they ended up fading down the stretch and finished third. Here is what the writer's across the league are predicting.  RELEASED BY GOTHAMS, STRONG LANDS IN PORTLAND Will Be Player-Manager For GWL Green Sox After nearly two decades, over 2,200 hits, nearly 300 homeruns and more injuries than anyone can count Mahlon Strong's big league baseball career has come to an end. Strong will not disappear entirely as the 41-year-old slugger and the New York Gothams mutually agreed to end his contract with the club in order to allow Strong to head west and become the manager of the now-AAA again Great Western League's Portland Green Sox. Strong, who made his minor league debut in 1928 after being selected in the 8th round by the Gothams the previous year, says he his playing days are not done yet and he will act as player-manager for the Green Sox for at least this season. Strong's numbers, which include 1,900 career games, 2,242 hits and 279 homeruns, could have been so much more impressive had he only managed to stay healthy. In his 19 big league seasons he only managed to pay more than 120 games 4 times and was limited to less than 100 contests in ten of his 19 years. Despite that, the Miami-area native still managed to be named to the all-star team five times and played in 27 World Championship Series games over five seasons with the Gothams and Pittsburgh. He began and finished his career with the Gothams and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1935 World Championship Series -the only one of his 5 appearances that he was on the winning team. When the Gothams, after a rough start to the 1936 season, purged many of their stars who led them to a WCS win the previous season Strong was one of the casualties. He was dispatched to Pittsburgh and would play nine seasons with the Miners, helping them to a pair of Federal Association pennants. With Pittsburgh powerhouse of the late 1930s just a faded memory, Strong was sent back to the Gothams prior to the 1946 season where he joined a powerful lineup that was considered a series title threat but fell just short, finishing second each of the past two seasons. After a season in which he was limited to just 80 games, partly due to injury and in part due to declining skills, it was clear that Strong's time in New York was at its end, so he jumped at the opportunity to stay in the game with the opportunity on the west coast.  DAY IS DONE IN BOSTON The final few cuts of spring are always agonizing for FABL ballclubs and perhaps none were more difficult this year than the Boston Minutemen deciding to part ways with Pete Day. The 38-year-old had been a fixture in the Boston outfield since 1934 although age and a rising group of young outfield talent caught up to him last season, limiting Day to just 155 at bats in what proved to be his swan song. In all, he played 2,239 games in the big leagues -all in a Boston uniform- and finished just 2 shy of 2,600 hits for his career. There is always a chance that Day, who was a seven-time all-star who won the Federal Association Whitney Award in 1943, will catch on with another club but that seems unlikely especially after he struggled last year, batting just .226, and had even less success at the plate during the recent slate of Citrus loop games. After starring for three seasons in the outfield for Lincoln College, Day was selected in the second round of the 1932 draft by the Cleveland Foresters. A top 100 prospect immediately, Day never got a chance to play in Cleveland as he was dealt along with Ed Wood and Art Spencer, who both would team with Day in Boston for years, in exchange for outfielder Dan Fowler at the deadline in 1933. Day made his big league debut the following season and was selected to the all-star team as a rookie. Six more all-star game appearances would follow, and Day helped the Minutemen to pennants in 1941 and 1943, hitting .327 in 13 career WCS games and being a key piece of the 1941 World Champion Boston squad. Day is one of just 39 players in FABL history to surpass the 2,500 hit plateau and he is in the top-25 all-time in career plate appearances, walks and runs scored. He is the Minutemen franchise career leader in many major offensive categories although he did finish 18 hits shy of long-time teammate Chick Donnelly.  TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN The Toronto Wolves off-season commitment to getting younger is not showing yet at the top level. Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire tells us the Wolves' have the oldest Opening Day pitching staff in the FABL with an average age of 32.79 some what skewed by the only southpaw in the 'pen being 41 year old Chick Wirtz. At the plate they are the sixth oldest at 30.21 with Fred McCormick, 40 raising the average slightly, I didn't do the math but median age looks to be 29. The youth movement is evident at AAA being the youngest team. Is this the year that youth may be served in Toronto or will it 1951? Second year skipper Fred Barrell is going to have his work cut for him handling the Wolves geriatric squad, espcecially when you consider cantankerous owner Bernie Millard wants a .500 season. *** Barrell, McCormick Continue Hall of Fame Careers *** Just looking at Fred McCormick and Bobby Barrell as they approach the end of their storied careers. Barrell is a no doubt first ballot HOFer, McCormick is close. McCormick ranks 5th all time in On Base % ,427. Slugging Barrell is 3rd at .547, McCormick 4th with .536. OPS McCormick 3rd .963, Barrell 8th with .921. WPA Barrell is 2nd 81.88 chasing Kellogg's 83.72 with McCormick 3rd 76.60. ISO Barrell is 4th .234. In wOBA McCormick's .429 is 4th in history. Barrell's wRC of 2256.93 is 4th. In hits Barrell may pass Max Morris' 3,651 to move into 3rd this season. Barrell's needs 34 doubles to take the all-time lead at 602, McCormick could move into 2nd or 3rd this year. Barrell will probably not get the 107 HR needed to pass Morris so he will probably retire in second place. He will probably move into 3rd during 1950 in games played, passing Al Wheeler's 2951 and Barrell will just continue to pad his lead in AB. Needs 561 PA to erases Dibblee's record of 13260. Barrell trails Morris by 121 RBI for a career, would not bet against that happening in 1950. McCormick will probably retire 6th in free passes. Counting stats will continue to improve for both, rate stats may decline. Every time I look at McCormick I think of what could have been has WWII not intervened taking away 3+ prime years. 
The Week That Was Current events from 4/17/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 03-04-2024 at 01:12 PM. |
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03-05-2024, 11:00 AM
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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April 24, 1950
APRIL 24, 1950 BROCKERS LEADS VALS TO SERIES LEAD Montreal Leads New York 2-1 in Cup Battle Tom Brockers knows a thing or two about the pressures of playing in the Challenge Cup Finals. The veteran goaltender led the Boston Bees to three consecutive Cup wins a decade ago and he put all of that experience to work in game three of this year's finals, making 37 saves to lead his Montreal Valiants to a 5-1 victory over the New York Shamrocks and a 2 games to one lead in the best of seven series with the most famous trophy in sports on the line. The Shamrocks outshot the Valiants 38-27 in the game including a dominant first frame which saw Brockers forced to make 20 saves. Despite badly outplaying Montreal in the opening period the Shamrocks found themselves trailing by a 2-0 score. The hometown Vals scored twice on New York's Etienne Tremblay in the opening 20 minutes despite managing just 5 shots on goal. Both Montreal markers were in tight from plays in the crease so it may be difficult to fault Tremblay but it should be noted that the Shamrocks skaters blocked more shots (6) than Tremblay stopped (3) in the opening period. It took more than 15 minutes for the first goal of the game when Adam Sandford banged in a rebound of a Paulie Mosca shot on what was just the second and third shots on goal of the period for the Vals. Less than two minutes later Sandford got an assist as Jimmy Backus' 4th goal of the playoffs with a perfect backdoor pass that Tremblay had no chance on. The Shamrocks flurry of shots finally paid off just over five minutes into the second period when Alfie Dennis notched his first of the playoffs but any hopes of a comeback by the Greenshirts were quickly dashed when Ian Doyle scored twice, both set up by Backus, in a less than 3 minute span midway through the middle stanza. Doyle leads all playoff scorers with 5 goals and 9 points. You could see the Shamrocks bench completely slump after that goal and from that point on the Vals carried the bulk of play. Sandford would score his second of the game with less than five minutes remaining in the middle frame to put the Valiants up by four and that would be the end of the goalscoring for the night. The third period was scoreless and the Valiants celebrated a 5-1 victory on Montreal Arena ice that gave them a two games to one series lead with the fourth game set for tomorrow night in Montreal.  The news was much better for the Shamrocks in game two. After dropping the series opener at home by a 4-2 score to the surprising Valiants, who were fresh off an upset win over favoured Toronto in the semi-finals, the hosts -who had swept Chicago in four games in their opening round series- rebounded with a 3-1 victory in the second game. New York delighted the crowd of well over 16,000 at Bigsby Garden with an impressive first period that saw the Shamrocks carry the play and take a 2-0 lead on goal from Geoff Hartnell and Simon Savard. Montreal got one back in the middle frame when Adam Sandford, who is having a terrific playoff, set up Jimmy Backus for the rookie's third goal of the post-season. That would be as close as the Vals would get with New York defenseman Jerry Finch adding an insurance marker early in the final period.  This has been quite a run for the Valiants, a club that has not sipped from the Challenge Cup since 1928 and has come up short in each of their four trips to the finals since then including three years ago when they, despite finishing fourth, shocked Toronto before pushing Boston to six games in the final series. The steadying influence of the veteran Brockers has been a key reason for Montreal's post-season push but there have been plenty of other star players emerge including 34-year-old defenseman Shel Herron. Like Brockers, Herron has Cup experience, seeing significant time on the Detroit blueline early in the last decade when the Motors lost back to back Challenge Cup Finals to Brockers and the Bees. It has been a while for Herron, who had only played 12 post-season games since 1942 entering this year's playoff but has been a key force on the Montreal defense. The Shamrocks, who had the best regular season record in the league this season and dominated the season series with Montreal in going 8-2-4, are far from finished in this series but they clearly need to solve Brockers and come up with a victory tomorrow night to avoid going down 3 games to one in the series.  NAHC NAMES ALL-STARS FOR 1949-50 SEASON It comes as little surprise that the top three teams in the standings dominated the players selected to the NAHC all-star teams for the recently completed regular season. It was a changing of the guard of sorts with only two holdovers returning as first team all-stars from the six selected a year ago. That would be the high scoring Toronto Dukes duo of Quinton Pollack and Les Carlson who each are named to the first team for the second consecutive season. The third member of the Dukes top line, left winger Lou Galbraith, was named to the second team. Carlson led the NAHC in points by establishing a new single season record with 81 including a league-high 37 goals. Pollack led the NAHC with 58 assists and was third in the scoring parade with 75 points while Galbraith tallied 25 goals and 62 points despite missing 11 games with injuries. The New York Shamrocks led the way in placing four players on the list with goaltender Alex Sorrell and defenseman Ryan Kennedy each being named to the first team while forwards Orval Cabbell and Simon Savard were second team selections. Sorrell split the goaltending duties in New York with Etienne Tremblay, posting a 2.25 goals against average and an NAHC best .925 save percentage. The Montreal Valiants tied Toronto with three all-stars led by first-team selection Adam Sandford after the 27-year-old winger had a breakout season, scoring 32 goals and 68 points. Defensemen Isaac Finnson and Shel Herron were named to the second team. Herron was a first team selection in 1946-47, the first season that All-Star teams were recognized. Rounding out the all-stars were a pair of Chicago Packers with defenseman Bert McColley, who was a second team selection while with New York last year and a first team choice the previous year, earning first team honours in his debut year with the Packers after the 32-year-old was acquired from New York during the summer. Packers netminder Norm Hanson made the second team. Hanson was a first team selection two years ago.  EAGLES FLYING HIGH AS BASEBALL GETS UNDERWAY Five wins in their first six games has the Washington Eagles off to a quick start as FABL makes its return. The Eagles were led by a monster of a week from Jesse Alvardo as the 27-year-old 4-time all-star outfielder batted .455 with 5 homers and 13 rbi's to lead his club to a 3-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Miners before heading to Philadelphia and taking two of three from the Keystones. Surprisingly, Alvardo's 5 homeruns in six games does not lead baseball. That distinction belongs to Keystones catcher Roger Cleaves, who hit 6 homers in 7 games. Despite Cleaves big back, the Keystones managed to win just three times in the opening week. Bad news came early for the Boston Minutemen, who lost veteran third baseman Billy Dalton for two months after the 35-year-old suffered a knee injury in just the fourth game of the season. There was also bad news in Detroit, but it came in the form of an awful start after the Dynamos, tabbed as the team to beat in the Federal Association by OSA this season, saw their pitching staff -which was the best in the loop a year ago- implode and drop four of five games to the Gothams and Pioneers. Carl Potter, who went 22-8 with a FABL best 1.97 era to win the Fed Allen Award, had a rough start in dropping each of his first two starts while posting a 4.24 era. The Chicago Cougars, as usual picked as the class of the Continental Association, suffered through a 3-3 season. The pitching continued its fine showing from the spring with a great effort including Donnie Jones hurling a pair of complete game shutouts, but the Cougars appeared to leave their bats in Florida, scoring a CA low 15 runs. It is the Brooklyn Kings, who scored a Continental Association best 40 times -15 runs more than the next highest team- that jumped into first place early with a 5-2 start.   HOME TEAMS HOLD SERVE AS CAGE PLAYOFFS GET UNDERWAY The Brooklyn Red Caps and Toronto Falcons each have commanding two games to none lead in the best-of-five Federal Basketball League quarterfinal series after each won twice on home court last week. They now will be tasked with closing out their respective series and advancing to the semi-finals where the first place Washington Statesmen and Detroit Mustangs await. The Red Caps, defending FBL champions, have been the hottest team in basketball down the stretch, winning 19 of their last 22 games to rally and claim one of the three playoff berths in the East Division. They earned second place with a win on the final day of the season to finish one game ahead of the New York Knights, who had lost their season finale the previous evening. That victory allowed the Red Caps to have home court advantage in the series between the two and Brooklyn won both games fairly easily. The opener Friday night saw the Red Caps make a statement early in outscoring the visiting Knights 23-7 in the opening quarter and then coasting to an 84-58 victory led by 15 points and 12 rebounds from Loren Kamp. New York kept the score close for the opening quarter the following evening, trailing by just a single point after 12 minutes but the Red Caps stretched that lead to 11 points with a strong second period and would win 71-61 as Ivory Mitchell, who owns seven playoff MVP awards from his time in the ABC and the win last year in the Federal loop, led the way with 18 points and 15 rebounds for the winners. The Knights are now faced with the difficult task of beating Brooklyn in three consecutive games. Brooklyn had a three game losing streak just once this season although it was started with a January 18 loss to New York. In the West the first place Detroit Mustangs are hoping the series between Toronto and Cleveland goes the distance as the Mustangs await clearance for guard Israel Slusher to return to action after suffering a broken jaw late in the regular season. Team doctors say Slusher, who finished second in the league in assists per game, is about a week away from being given the go-ahead. The Toronto Falcons need just one more win to advance after sweeping a pair from the Cleveland Crushers over the weekend at Dominion Gardens. League scoring leader Ziggy Rickard had 27 points for the Crushers in the series opener but it was not enough to prevent the Falcons from winning 94-79. David Bobo, with 23 points, and Lon Porter, with 18, led the Falcons offensive output. Rickard again led all scorers with 26 points the following evening, but the result was the same, a 98-78 victory for Toronto with Porter scoring 20 points and adding 15 boards to lead the Falcons.
 NO SURPRISE: GORDON TOP DRAFT PROSPECT To the surprise of absolutely no one the final OSA rankings of collegiate basketball players eligible for this summer's Federal Basketball League draft is headed by Luther Gordon. The two-time Art Barrette Trophy winning center from Liberty College's arrival in the Federal cage loop has been eagerly anticipated by pro scouts since his days at a New York City junior college, before joining the Bells prior to the start of last season. The clear choice as the number one pick set a collegiate scoring record a year ago as a junior and then smashed that mark this season as a senior, leading Liberty College to an undefeated regular season and all the way to the AIAA championship game where they fell to fellow unbeaten Noble Jones College. It is no secret Gordon will be the first name called in the draft, but it remains to be seen by which team. The expansion St Louis Steamers finished with the worst record in the league but there are questions about whether the Steamers, and several other teams, will be around next year. It is no secret the four year old pro cage loop is struggling financially and some fear that as many as 8 of the 17 franchises may not be active next October when the season starts again. It is a draft considered deep on centers and forwards but very low on quality guards with the top ranked guard, Jackie Bratton of Detroit City College, sitting only at #10 on the list. Each of the top five are big men capable of pounding the boards for rebounds and muscling for points inside, led by Gordon but there are some nice consolation prizes for teams that do not get the number one pick. Below are the top 24 pro prospects for this year's draft as well as an early look at the leading candidates for the next three years. 
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/23/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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03-07-2024, 02:05 PM
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#897 |
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Hall Of Famer
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May 1, 1950
MAY 1, 1950 A VALIANT EFFORT Montreal Valiants Snap 22-Year Title Drought With Cup Win The Montreal Valiants beat the New York Shamrocks four games to one in the Challenge Cup Finals, ending a 22-year-drought for the Montreal squad and giving the Vals their first NAHC title since 1928. It marked the fourth title overall for the Vals, and sixth for the Quebec city as the now defunct Montreal Nationals won a pair of Cups in the 1930s. Only Toronto, with 8, and Boston, 7, have lifted the Cup more often than the Valiants but it has certainly been a longtime coming to claim that fourth title. The Shamrocks, who had the best regular season record in the loop, remaining stuck on 3 Cups. Although the Shamrocks have not won a Cup since 1932, they did reach the finals in two of the past three years. The story all playoffs has been the play of veteran netminder Tom Brockers in the Montreal net and that was very much the case last Tuesday in a 3-1 Valiants victory that gave Montreal that same 3-1 margin lead in games. Brockers stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced including 16 saves in a wild third period when the Shamrocks desperately tried to get back into the game after falling behind 3-0. Adam Sandford had opened the scoring for the Vals just over 4 minutes into the contest and before the six-minute mark it was 2-0 as Paulie Mosca added to the Montreal lead. Before the opening frame was in the books Adam Doherty beat New York netminder Etienne Tremblay on the powerplay and the score was 3-0 for the hosts. It remained that way through a scoreless second period but after Montreal defenseman Shel Herron took a hooking penalty early in the third period the Shamrocks finally solved Brockers. Orval Cabbell, who would lead all playoff performers in scoring, notched his 5th of the postseason on the powerplay at 2:20 of the final period. The Shamrocks were all over the Vals in the final frame, outshooting Montreal 17-6, but Brockers stood tall to preserve the victory.  Montreal saved their best performance of the series for the final game and by its conclusion the Valiants were parading the Challenge Cup around the Bigsby Garden ice after securing a 5-3 victory in a spirited effort that saw the Vals outshoot New York by a wide margin for the first time in the series. Once more it was the Valiants who struck first as Herron found the back of the net with a point shot for his third goal of the playoffs with just over 3 minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Cabbell would tie the game midway through the second period, redirecting a Geoff Hartnell shot past Brockers but Montreal quickly responded when Adam Sandford scored from the sideboards on a shot that Tremblay likely should have stopped. It is hard to second guess the Shamrocks but after that goal there were plenty of catcalls from the Bigsby Garden faithful, and much speculation as to why Alex Sorrell, who had an outstanding regular season and was 2-0 in the series against Toronto, did not start any of the games against the Valiants. Less than two minutes into the third period the Valiants went up 3-1 when Robert Stevens scored his first of the playoffs. It was a shot from the slot after a nifty setup from Wayne Augustin. Two minutes later it was 4-1 when Augustin scored from the side of the net on a quick shot that snuck through the New York netminder. Orval Cabbell, with his playoff best 7th goal, followed quickly by Jim Macek, proved that perhaps Brockers was human after all and cut the Montreal lead to just a single goal with 13 minutes remaining in the third period to give New Yorkers some hope. Montreal controlled much of the play and had the better scoring chances the rest of the way, but it remained 4-3 until Augustin iced the victory with his second of the period and playoffs, scoring into an empty net with 10 seconds remaining and Tremblay on the bench for an extra attacker.   FALCONS UPSET MUSTANGS IN SERIES OPENER Washington Snaps Knights 3-Game Winning Streak in East A 28-point effort from Ward Messer was not enough to slow down the Toronto Falcons as the visitors dumped Messer's Detroit Mustangs 106-94 in the opening game of their best of seven West Division Final. Messer's big night was countered by a trio of high scoring Falcons with Lon Porter collecting 26 points, Paul Marchetti 24 and Max Lucia 19 to help the Falcons steal homecourt advantage for their series with the win at Thompson Palladium. The Toronto quintet pulled away in the final quarter as the Mustangs entered the last period with a 2 point lead but were outscored 30-16 in the final frame with the key being a 15-2 Toronto run early in the fourth quarter. The big star for the Falcons had to be Paul Marchetti, as the former Detroit City College guard scored 24 points and added 7 rebounds while looking right at home on a court he played often on during his college days. Marchetti only started one game during the regular season but has filled in admirably in the playoffs, replacing injured rookie sensation Major Belk, established a new career high with his 24-point outing. The Falcons advanced to the finals after being pushed the full 5-games by the Cleveland Crushers in the opening round with each team winning on their home court. *** Statesmen Dominate in Opening Win *** The Washington Statesmen never trailed after the midway point of the opening quarter as the club with the league's best regular season record drew first blood in the East Division final with a convincing 90-71 victory over the visiting New York Knights. Erich Smith, a 30-year-old guard who has started just 17 games in his 7 year career but pressed into a starting role after the late season injury to Reid Wilkinson, made the most of his opportunity by scoring a game high 18 points. The Statesmen victory snapped a 3-game winning streak for the Knights, who had fallen behind in the East Division semi-final by dropping the first two games to defending league champion Brooklyn before roaring back with three straight victories including a 71-62 victory on the road at Bigsby Garden in the deciding game.
 MESSER OF MUSTANGS NAMED TOP PLAYER The Federal Basketball League announced its award winners last week, handing out its regular season trophies and naming the All-League team. The top player was Ward Messer, the Detroit Mustangs star who was rookie of the year a year ago after being selected second overall out of Liberty College. Messer, who is the younger brother of New York Gothams outfielder Walt Messer, averaged 18.4 points per game and 18.6 rebounds per contest in playing all 68 games and helping the Mustangs to the best record in the West Division. The top rookie also came from the west as Toronto guard Major Belk, who was among the assist leaders in the league while averaging 8.9 points per game, claiming the honours. Belk, who starred at Carolina Poly before being selected second overall by the Falcons in the draft, suffered a season ending knee injury last month that may keep him out of action for the early part of next season as well. The coach of the year and top general manager each came from the Washington Statesmen, who had the best record in the FBL for the second year in a row. Coach Daniel Carter has been with the Statesmen since 1941 and was named coach of the year in the old American Basketball Conference on four occasions. The All-League first team is headed by Cleveland Crushers forward Ziggy Rickard, who led the FBL in scoring average with 23.3 points per game. Larry Yim of Buffalo is also on the team. The Brawlers center averaged 23.1 ppg and an FBL best 20.6 rebounds per contest. Detroit's Messer and a backcourt of Ivory Mitchell and Morgan Melcher complete the team. Mitchell is a 10-year veteran who has been selected to the all-league first team in either the ABC or Federal loop all 10 seasons of his career. He was also named ABC MVP 7 times and playoff MVP on 7 occasions including last season when he led the Brooklyn Red Caps to their first FBL title. Melcher just completed his fifth season with the Boston Centurions and was a second team All-League selection a year ago.  TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Wolves Rebound To Finish April On 3-Game Win Streak - After getting swept in their first road series in Cincinnati to end last week, the Toronto Wolves started this week in Cleveland's Forester Stadium. Joe Hancock snapped a 4-game losing streak in Cleveland as the veteran pitched into the eighth inning while surrendering only 4 hits in 5-0 whitewash of the Foresters. The Wolves got out to an early lead for Hancock, scoring 3 times in the top of the first frame thanks in part to a throwing error by Cleveland outfielder Orie Martinez. Chick Wirtz finished the game off after Barrell took the ball from Hancock. Barrell seems satisfied early in the season to pull his starter at the first sign of tiring on the mound. After an off day the teams met again Wednesday afternoon on a dull, dreary day that threatened rain the entire game. Jim Morrison, with assistance for Jimmy Gibbs, again kept the home team from scoring in 2-0 Toronto win. The game was scoreless going in to the eighth when the Wolves pushed two across on 2 hits, 3 walks and 1 error leaving the bases loaded when catcher Harry Pomeroy flied out to end the inning. Gibbs then made short order of the Cleveland bats to pick up his second save of the year. The Toronto runs came on a Hal Wood rbi single -one of three hits in the game for the Wolves third baseman- and a bases loaded walk to Wally Bower from Cleveland starter Ollie White. The team then flew into Philadelphia for another short 2 game series with the Sailors. Jerry York, again struggled with his control, walked 5 to go along with 4 hits giving up the only 3 runs the Sailors would need to win 3-2. This proved to be only loss for the Wolves during the week as George Garrison righted the ship on Friday going 8 innings allowing only 2 hits although he walked 3, in 4-0 victory. Harry Pomeroy hit the Wolves first homerun of the year off Art Hull in the second. This remains the only round tripper the Wolves have during 1950. Coming home to Dominion Stadium almost 24000 braved near freezing temperatures to witness Hancock's second pitching masterpiece of the week. The 37-year-old righthander pitched into the seventh inning before being lifted, probably due primarily because of the cold temperatures and skipper Barrell not wanting to take any chances with his veteran. Jim Carter came in to lock down a 3-1 victory in which John Fast's second inning rbi triple was the big blow. Toronto only had 6 hits during the game, one more than Cincinnati managed, but the Cannons had trouble in the cold making 4 errors. Back to the park on Sunday afternoon with little warmer conditions but a wet afternoon as Barrell handed the ball to Harry Stewart for his second start of the year. Stewart was chased early last Friday by the Cannons, but this time he had more control pitching into the eighth allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, and more importantly long term only walking 2 Cannons. Stewart was relieved by Jimmy Gibbs after giving up a run scoring triple in the 8th inning that allowed Denny Andrews to cut the Wolves lead to 4-3, which is how the game ended. Toronto's big inning was the seventh when Chink Stickels, Fast and Hank Giordano all doubled in succession, after Wood reached on a walk. Fred McCormick hit the Wolves fourth two-bagger of the inning erasing a 2-1 Cannons lead. The bad news was that Giordano suffered a torn groin legging out his double and he is said to be out until at least the end of July. Giordano was off to a good .297/.366/.378 start. This injury will require a major lineup reshuffle for Barrell. Kirby Copeland may get the call from Buffalo. Early in the season the Wolves, as expected, are near the bottom of the CA in offense with a team line of .232/.360/.322. The OBP being boosted by patience at the plate resulting in 55 BB led by McCormick and Wood each with 9. For a team that would have to be led by pitching and defense to be successful, early results are giving fans hope for 1950. The team has an ERA of 2.68 holding opponents to a .208 batting average. The biggest early improvement has been in the field, they are leading the CA in converting balls put in play into outs at an almost 78% clip. It is very early, but the signs are encouraging for the team. Buffalo fans, who have suffered for years with mediocre teams, seem to enjoy the new younger Nickels who are 7-5. Top prospect John Wells is turning heads with his .476/.488/.524 start. Copeland, who may be headed to Toronto has started with a line off .366/.447/.585. Also encouraging is Les Ledbetter's start, in 16.1 IP he has an ERA of 1.65 with 17 strikeouts and only 3 walks.  Welch was just getting started as he hit .304 in a thrilling 7-game World Championship Series victory over the Federal Association pennant winning Washington Eagles with 6 rbi's including a pair in a 4-2 victory in game seven. His impressive rookie season combined with solid numbers each of his next two seasons, capped with an All-Star team selection in 1948, had the Stars expecting him to be a cornerstone in left field for many years. However, his 1949 campaign, with a career worst .245/.334/.412 slash line has New York management more than a little worried. This year has also given indications of more struggles as Welch had difficulty making contact in Florida and is off to a terrible start with a .192 batting average through the first two weeks of the season. Sure, he can still mash a ball (only in multiple of 10s mind you), but overall, he's become quite the disappointment just as quickly as he was a pleasant surprise when he first burst on to the scene four years ago. Welch has now lost his full-time role and will share the outfield with Newt Cooper and Elijah Bourdeau, who is back after a long exile to AAA, to see if someone can emerge as the player to plug the leak in left field. Will Welch return to form entering what should be his prime years, or will he lose his slot to a couple 30 something vets? Only time will tell.   
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 4/30/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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03-08-2024, 01:05 PM
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#898 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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May 8, 1950
MAY 8, 1950 EAST CAGE CHAMPION STATESMEN WAIT FOR TITLE FOE Able to avoid their longtime nemesis in the Brooklyn Red Caps, the Washington Statesmen had a fairly easy time reaching the championship series of the Federal Basketball League and now await the winner of the western series between the Detroit Mustangs and Toronto Falcons. Detroit leads that series three games to two. The Statesmen have long been overshadowed by their Brooklyn rivals, first in the old American Basketball Conference and now in the Federal loop. A year ago, the Washington quintet finished with the best regular season record in the sport only to come up short in the playoffs as the Red Caps beat them before defeating Detroit to win Brooklyn's seventh title. Dating back to the ABC, the Statesmen have played in the title series 10 times but have lost 8 of them with the five most recent finals losses, and the semi-final loss a year ago, all coming at the hands of the Red Caps. Fortunately for Washington cage fans, the New York Knights knocked off Brooklyn in the opening round but then proved to be no match for a talent rich Statesmen team. Washington needed just five games to win the best-of-seven affair culminating with a 95-80 victory before a capacity crowd of 10,000 fans at DC's National Auditorium. Ivan Sisco, who also had 19 rebounds, and Charles Hooper led the way in the deciding game with 21 points each. Each are in the top five in playoff scoring and top ten in playoff rebounds but the key to the Statesmen's success may well be guard Blake Brooks, another seasoned playoff expert, who is leading the league in assists while also scoring close to 10 points a game. New York clearly had no answer for the Washington depth and now it will be up to either Detroit or Toronto to attempt to slow down a determined Statesmen team. The Mustangs can wrap up their series with a road victory in Toronto tonight after winning 105-84 Saturday evening at Detroit's Thompson Palladium. As usual it was league MVP Ward Messer and veteran center Jack Kurtz who led the way for the Mustangs. Kurtz had 22 points while Messer, who leads the FBL in playoff scoring average, added 20. This after the Mustangs stole game five at Toronto's Dominion Gardens by an 81-76 margin despite a mammoth 31 point, 22 rebound effort by the Falcons Lon Porter. Complete pro basketball results and standings are available here. 
BOSTON BATS LEAD TO SURPRISING START I think the Boston Minutemen must have taken my predictions to heart! Not even a strained MCL to star third basemen Billy Dalton can get in Boston's way, as the explosive Minutemen offense have won 10 of their last 11, scoring nearly 40 more runs than any other FABL offense. Though the star of the offense is less surprising, as 26-year-old outfielder Ben McCarty has been just as effective as last season. The lefty outfielder followed up his .337/.447/.591 (178 OPS+) 1949 line with a somehow even higher .360/.426/.651 (186 OPS+) mark, producing a 193 WRC+ and 1.4 WAR, while appearing in 22 of Boston's 23 contests to start the season. He already has 10 doubles, 5 homers, 29 RBIs, 19 runs, and 12 walks, as aside from speed and defense, two things he's never done well, McCarty is excelling in each facet of his game. McCarty hasn't had to do it all himself, as 40-year-old Rip Curry (.388, 1, 15) is turning back the clock, triplet Buddy Schneider (.381, 2, 23, 1) is hitting the best he has since his 1940 debut, Harry Barrell (.318, 10, 4) is still Harry Barrell, and even rookie replacement Aaron Jones (.286, 1, 12) has put up his best Billy Dalton impression. The only thing in their way right now is their rotation, as they've allowed more runs then any other team has scored. The saving grace for Boston has been their stopper, Johnny Harry, who has a 1.10 ERA (356 ERA+) and 0.55 WHIP in his first 16.1 innings. He's helped keep the struggling Ray Dalpman (2-1, 5.02, 13) and Duke Hendricks (2-1, 8.10, 10) over .500, and FABL teams are starting to learn that a reliable guy like Harry at the back of your pen can help you pick up some wins you may not have gotten otherwise.    JOHNNIE JONES IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY For the first time in his FABL career, Johnnie Jones will hit the IL with a minor bout of back stiffness. It should cost the 31-year-old lefthander just two weeks, coming in his 145th career start. The elder Jones was off to a strong start before exiting after two against the Sailors, going 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA (201 ERA+) and 1.29 WHIP with 18 walks and strikeouts. In his absence, 174th ranked prospect Zane Kelley will return from Milwaukee to replace Johnnie in the rotation. It's not the only injury affecting the Cougars this week, as star outfielder Sal Pestilli will miss two weeks as well with chronic back soreness. It's the most serious injury he's suffered since 1939, as perhaps the 34-year-old is over exerting himself somewhat in right. He was off to a solid start himself, hitting .314/.388/.414 (119 OPS+) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 RBIs, 9 walks, and a CA high 6 steals. No word has been sent on who will replace Pestilli on the roster, but manager Max Wilder expects Chubby Hall and Don Lee to pick up extra at bats. Rumors around the organization are that former GWL star Clyde Zimmerman will be the next man up, as he's hitting .304/.341/.494 (123 OPS+) with 4 homers, 4 steals, and 17 RBIs in his return to affiliated ball. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Toronto's Rollercoaster Season Continues - After returning from the road the Toronto nine go only 2-5 for the week at home. Chicago Cougars, perennial favourites in CA, swept into town to sweep the Wolves. On Monday after the visitors had jumped out to 5-1 lead the Wolves got to within one run in the sixth after staging a two out bases-empty rally. Barrell decided to send starter Jim Morrison back out to the mound for the seventh, that proved costly in hindsight, as the Cougars pushed 3 more runs across the plate before Lou Jayson came in to relieve Morrison. Chicago cruised to 9-6 win. Tuesday featured Jerry York's best outing of the season, by far, going 8, only surrendering 2 runs. Unfortunately, his mound opponent was Johnnie Jones who tossed a complete game two-hitter even though he walked eight Wolves. York's best was followed by George Garrison's worst outing, constantly in trouble George gave up 6 runs on 12 hits not making it out of the sixth. Cougars won easily by a 6-1 margin to leave Ontario above .500. Next team in were the powerful Stars of New York. The first game of the set was a hit fest. Paced by Wally Boyer's 4-for-5 day, Toronto managed 14 hits off two pitchers. Joe Hancock started, he pitched in and out of jams leaving in the seventh with the scored tied at 2. The Wolves took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of 7 thanks to 3 hits and an error. Jimmy Gibbs came in then promptly gave up 3 runs on 4 hits including 3 doubles reminding fans present of the disaster that was the 1949 Wolves bullpen. Jim Carter came for the ninth, retiring the Stars batters 1,2,3 and setting the stage for a for a walk off for the Wolves as 4 straight singles by Boyer, John Fast, Chink Stickels and Hal Wood aided in no small part by a throwing error by Bill Barrett in which the New York slugger overthrew the cutoff man. After a 4-run rally to tie the game in the eighth Lou Jayson got tagged with a loss on Friday when Jack Welch took him deep in the ninth for 5-4 Stars win. Saturday the bullpen again took a loss in a 4-2 win by the Stars when Mack Sutton teed off on Jim Laurita for a two-run blast in the top of the tenth. The Barrell bothers renewed their rivalry on Sunday with Fred taking home a 6-2 victory from Tom's Kings. Jerry York picked up his first win of the year. The series with the first place Kings will conclude with games today and tomorrow before Montreal comes into town. Toronto's SS Harry Finney is dealing with a wrist injury that started when he jammed it sliding into third in the Chicago series. Brett's sources tell him there is a spirited debate going on whether or not it is time for John Wells to debut in Toronto. The 19-year-old is tearing it up in Buffalo posting a line of .436/.456/.491 (161 OPS+) in 57 PA. Detractors say give him time, this is a small sample, he still needs a little work on his fielding, no sense rushing him to the FABL.
GOALTENDERS SORRELL, JAMES HIGHLIGHT LIST OF UNSIGNED PLAYERS First team all-star goaltender Alex Sorrell and 1948-49 Juneau Award winner Oscar James are both said to be looking for a change of scenery. The two goaltenders head a list of a number of NAHC players whose contracts have expired and have been either unwilling or unable to negotiate an extension with their present employer. Sorrell is just 24 years old and coming off an outstanding season when he led the NAHC in goals against average and helped the New York Shamrocks to the best regular season record in the league. Sorrell, who made just $1,700 this past season, is believed to be upset that he did not play in the Challenge Cup finals- a series New York lost to Montreal in five games- as the Shamrocks opted to go with veteran Etienne Tremblay throughout the series. James is 26 and posted a 17-24-12 record with a 2.38 goals against average in what was a trying season for the Boston Bees. Both Sorrell and James are among the three finalists for the Juneau Trophy, awarded annually to the league's best goaltender. Other key players who may be available to sign with the highest bidder on July 1 include defenseman Jesse Santoro, a 24-year-old who missed the entire season with a knee injury, as well as Chicago winger Moose Vezina, 28, who had 11 goals and 28 points this season. The Shamrocks also appear ready to let 23-year-old winger Jocko Gregg (13-14-27) and 31-year-old Alexandre Lapalme, who had 18 goals and 38 points in 56 games as a rookie, move on as well. NAHC teams still have until June 30 to try and reach a contract agreement with unsigned players, should they wish to retain them. The Detroit Motors have already confirmed they will not be extending an offer to long-time Detroiter Garrett Ferrar. The 35-year-old, who plays both forward and defense, spent the entire season in Buffalo despite being one of the highest paid players in the organization. Ferrar made $15,500 to suit up for the HAA Buffalo Bears on the final year of a five-year deal he inked in 1945. Ferrar suited up for more games (400) than any other Motors player during the last decade, amassing 278 points. He is not expected to be offered a contract by another NAHC club.   HISTORY BECKONS AS SAWYER EYES 16th CONSECUTIVE DEFENSE In the annals of pugilism, July 4th promises to etch a new chapter as the venerable Hector Sawyer readies for his 16th consecutive defense of the World Heavyweight title. Gotham Stadium in New York City will bear witness to this momentous occasion, marking Sawyer's opportunity to match the feat of 1920's welterweight titan, George Grainger, in defending a world title 16 consecutive times without a defeat. The Cajun Crusher's opponent on this historic night will be none other than Cannon Cooper. Sawyer's initial claim to the heavyweight throne transpired on January 15, 1940, in a clash against the formidable Jochen Schrotter. A thunderous knockout in the 15th round extinguished Schrotter's near four-year reign. The champ's legacy is further bolstered by a more than four-year hiatus during World War II, rendering him the record holder for the longest duration anyone has held an American Boxing Federation world title in any division. The selection of Cooper as Sawyer's adversary raises mild eyebrows, considering the Rockford, IL., pugilist's recent controversial loss to Dan Miller in Brooklyn. Cooper, aged 29, boasts a professional record of 30-5-1 and is set to contend for his inaugural shot at the heavyweight belt. Sawyer, now at the seasoned age of 36, stands on the precipice of retirement, and speculation is rife, especially if he triumphs over Cooper in July. Insiders close to the champion hint at an impending curtain call, with the quest to surpass Grainger's 16 consecutive title defenses with a 17th of his own emerging as the driving force for one last hurrah. George Grainger, a youthful 24 and a World War I veteran, commenced his welterweight dominance in 1919, dispatching Little Lenny Werner in the second round. An eight-year reign of terror ensued, encompassing 15 triumphant title defenses. However, in 1927, New York's Tim McCord delivered Grainger's sole career stoppage, knocking him out in the 12th round of their 16th title defense. McCord, a 29-year-old with a 29-6-2 record, secured the title shot against the odds but relinquished it in his first defense. For Grainger, contemplation of a comeback lingered but ultimately gave way to retirement, sealing a chapter in boxing lore. Now Sawyer is set to step into the ring to rewrite that historic book.  UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
 HUNTINGTON STATE JOINS SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE For the first time in its history Huntington State University will be part of a conference after the long-time independent school announced plans to join the South Atlantic Conference. The switch will be effective September and the start of football season with the Miners joining the SAC for all team and individual sports including basketball and baseball. The addition swells the SAC ranks to 17 schools for football and baseball with 16 competing in the conference in basketball. Based in Morgantown, West Virginia, Huntington State is a perfect fit for the South Atlantic Conference. The Miners have exceled on the diamond in recent years, reaching the AIAA collegiate world championship series each of the past two seasons. In 1948 they fell to new conference rival Coastal State in the semi-finals (the final was an all-SAC affair that year with Coastal State sweeping Carolina Poly in two games to win the Eagles first national baseball championship. A year ago, the Miners reached the finals with victories over powerhouses Grange College and Bluegrass State but came up short in the finals, losing two straight to Lane State. Success has not come as easy for the Miners on the gridiron or in the gym. The Huntington State basketball team has never won a tournament game and only was selected for the 32-team field once in their history. In the season just concluded the Miners went 17-12 and are 635-563 all-time. They have fared a little better in football over the years and finished 7-4 last season and are 48-32-6 since 1941. Huntington State's best showing came in 1947 when the Miners went 8-2 and finished ranked tenth in the year end polls. They were not selected for a Classic Game that season and have never appeared in one.  The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/07/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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03-11-2024, 01:10 PM
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#899 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,715
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May 15, 1950
MAY 15, 1950 FALCONS EARN SPLIT IN NATION'S CAPITAL Federal Cage Title Series Tied at One Win Apiece The Toronto Falcons are nothing if not resilient. After finishing dead last in the West Division a year ago the Falcons started this season with just 4 wins in their first 12 games. They eventually put things together with a strong second half of the season and finished in second place. They barely held off the Cleveland Crushers, led by FBL scoring champ Ziggy Rickard to win their opening round playoff series and then rallied from a 3-games-to-2 deficit with wins in game six and seven of the West Division final to knock off the defending western champion Detroit Mustangs thanks to a dominant defensive performance in the deciding game. They won that seventh game despite the fact that they were without three starters from their lineup. Next up for Toronto is the Washington Statesmen, owners of the best regular season record in the FBL for two years running and a club that had little trouble disposing of the New York Knights in the previous round. Game One of the finals was a learning experience for the Falcons. That is really all it could be after they absorbed a 90-58 beatdown in a game that was over nearly before it started after the hosts jumped out to a 35-14 lead in the first eleven minutes. Toronto center Lon Porter looked lost out there, scoring just 7 points and collecting only 4 rebounds while watching Statesmen pivot Ivan Sisco light him up for 22 points and 12 boards. Toronto guards David Bobo and Paul Marchetti, both injury replacements, each struggled with Marchetti only successful one 1 of 13 shots he heaved at the Washington cage. Depth forward Darrell Cox, only in the game because the score was so lobsided, was the only Falcons player to reach double-figures in points as he more than doubled his previous career best with 11 points. The lessons were learned quickly as Toronto rebounded with a 92-88 victory in game two to accomplish what they needed to do - steal a game from Washington in the National Auditorium, a building the Washington squad had gone 33-5 in this season entering the game. Lon Porter learned his lessons as the center bounced back from his awful showing two nights before with team leading 26 points and 14 rebounds. Sisco still got his points for the Statesmen - 31 to go along with 17 rebounds- but it was not enough to stop a Toronto attack that saw injury replacements come up big. Marchetti, filling in for injured rookie of the year Major Belk at guard, had 19 points. Anthony Frank, pressed into the starting lineup after Max Lucia went down late in the Detroit series, also had 19 while Bobo scored 11 splitting time with starter James Chew, who is working his way back in shape after suffering a broken foot. Saturday's second game was very much in doubt as time wound down. With just over 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter the Statesmen held a slim 74-73 lead but that is when the Falcons went on a tear. Successive baskets by Porter, Marchetti and Frank had Toronto ahead by 5 points just over a minute later. Toronto forward Jumbo Hinman had a quiet game, but he came up big with 6 minutes left when he made a shot from the baseline and then quickly stole the ball to set up an easy basket for Marchetti to increase the Falcons lead to 7 with less than five minutes to play. Toronto stretched it to 11 when Bobo made an easy layup with 4:11 to play and the Statesmen saw the game slipping away. Washington did mount a late charge, but it was a case of too-little, too-late and the Falcons would fly home with the series deadlocked. The series now shifts to Toronto for games three and four, where the Falcons hammered Washington 104-77 in early April during what was Washington's only visit to Dominion Gardens this season. It will be hard to beat against the Falcons, who have overcome every challenge thrown at them so far this season.  
MUSTANGS STUMBLE IN CAGE PLAYOFFS Should we expect any different the way things have been going of late for Motor City sports teams? The Detroit Mustangs, our only hope this year after the Motors collapse, the Dynamos struggles to score runs and the Maroons failure to change with the times and embrace the forward pass, came up short and snatched defeat from what should have been a second straight trip to the Federal Basketball League finals. Coming off the high of a road win in game five to go up three games to two on an injury-depleted and seemingly beaten Toronto Falcons club, the Mustangs somehow lost both game six and seven and now must watch as the Falcons go on to represent the West Division against the mighty Washington Statesmen. I suppose you can excuse the game six loss as the Falcons, a proud bird, refused to be eliminated in their own nest, pulling out a 92-79 victory to send the series back to Detroit. The key to the loss at Dominion Gardens was the Mustangs inability to get going early. Perhaps they felt the series was already over as the Detroit crew let Toronto build a 12-point lead in the opening period - a lead they could not recover from. But the Mustangs game seven performance was inexcusable. One of the best shooting teams in the league suddenly went ice cold as Detroit was successful on just 24% of its attempts from the field. Detroit threw up 82 shots and Detroit fans were ready to throw up after the Mustangs were successful on just 20 of them. Detroit was much better from the charity stripe but scoring only 20 baskets, especially from a team that led the entire league in points and field goals during the regular season - a campaign that saw the Mustangs sink on average more than 36 buckets from the field per game. The shooting bug infected everyone. Jack Kurtz is a local legend - a former star with Detroit City College who joined the Mustangs when Rollie Barrell created the FBL four years ago. He will be the first to tell you is 5-for-22 showing, including more misses from right under the basket than anyone would care to count, was simply unacceptable. Guard Israel Slusher was just as bad, hitting on just 4 of his 19 shot attempts and even league MVP Ward Messer was not immune to the shooting slump, as he made just 2 of 10 shot attempts. The Falcons were beat up with two starters out and ripe for the picking, but the Mustangs picked the worst possible day to come up with their poorest effort of the season. It is a heartbreaking loss for Coach James Williams and his charges but hopefully a learning experience as this Mustangs club seems built to contend for several years yet. But this game seven showing is going to hurt for a very long time. MOTOR CITY MUSINGS -- There has been no official confirmation from majority owner Rollie Barrell, not anyone else associated with the Detroit Maroons football club but it is a near certainty that the head coach of the club next season will be Tom Bowens. The former star end from the Boston Americans, who finished out his career with the Maroons before taking a job as an assistant to head coach Frank Yurik, is expected to put an increased emphasis on the passing game in Detroit. Under the recently dismissed Yurik's command, the Maroons were woefully behind the times in that regard. It will be interesting to see if the Maroons land a high-profile passer, either in the college draft or perhaps from one of the defunct Continental Football Conference clubs. The diamond Dynamos continue to be a disappointment as the club sank to 8-19 -worst mark in either association- and they are already 11 games back of first place Washington. And it is only mid-May. The offense is still unable to accomplish much of anything -no team in the Fed has scored fewer runs this season- and now the starting pitching, best in the loop a year ago, has fallen off a cliff. Only St Louis has a higher earned run average as a pitching staff than the Dynamos 4.47 total. Yes, it is only mid-May but at 11 games out and dead last, one has to surmise the Dynamos flag drought will stretch to 23 years come October. The ice Motors had a terrible second half and missed the playoffs, but the club will not be interested in signing Oscar James, who appears unlikely to resign with the Boston Bees. James was a finalist for the Juneau Trophy this year and won it the previous season but when asked about interest in the netminder, Detroit head coach Badger Rigney quickly replied, "We have two very good goaltenders here in Detroit and do not have the need nor the desire to acquire a third one." Rigney is said to be quite happy with the performances of Henri Chasse and Millard Touhey, who split the Detroit netminding duties last season. Young Detroit native Bill Sloan, who is rising up the ranks in the heavyweight division, has landed his toughest opponent yet as the 21-year-old is going to face Brit Ben Budgeford in Newark two weeks from tonight. Sloan is 18-1 since turning pro at the age of 18 and is coming off a unanimous decision victory over ring veteran Nathan Conley. Budgeford will be quite the test as the 23-year-old is picking up the pieces after being knocked out in the third round of a February title fight against the legendary Hector Sawyer. Sawyer may well have softened the Englishman, who is 21-2 for his career, up for Sloan but it might just be a bigger test that the Detroiter is ready for. Our city's other big hope in the heavyweight division is, of course, Joey Tierney. The 22-year-old, who is managed by Chester Conley, is still on his western tour that began with a March knockout of Maurice Woods in Los Angeles. Conley has not scheduled Tierney's next outing, but it will be on the west coast as Tierney, who is 18-0, has continued to train in California and may be looking at a shot against Conley's most famous fighter for the heavyweight title, perhaps as early as this winter. TORONTO TALES The Mail & Empire is going to trial a new type of article about the Toronto teams in the major professional leagues by Brett Bing. The thought is that these articles will give a brief overview along with thoughts on the Wolves, Dukes and Falcons road ahead with possible moves for the teams. The frequency and format of this article will depend on the readers acceptance of the articles. The suggestions, thoughts brought may be general or more specific dependent on the team. The Wolves portion will be known as Tales From The Lair with the main focus being on the FABL club. The Wolves have started 1950 with a 9-10 record over 3 weeks following a pattern of a bad week followed by a good week. It is no secret, even to a casual observer, that this is a team in transition. Manager Fred Barrell has his hands full trying to piece together lineups to insure his aging veterans get enough rest. There are many questions starting with when and how fast does the team begin phasing out the old to bring in the new? Is this going to be this season that John Wells, Les Ledbetter come to Toronto or will the team give prospects another season of development time at AAA? How much influence will Bernie Millard, who owns both the Wolves and the cage Falcons, have on the speed of the Wolves transfer? Can he convince the fans to keep showing up to watch a team that will undoubtably struggle at times? Most insiders believe that the Wolves must begin the transition this season. The experts also seem to agree in their belief that Fred Barrell, along with the staff he has assembled, are the right people to finish the development of the players at the FABL level. On the downside, allowing the youth to grow into their roles would probably lead to many trying nights for the fans. This writer thinks the team will take a measured approach. They started the process in earnest over the winter, revamping the way they are handling their minor system with a focus to push players up the chain faster. This may take a year to prove its value. At the big league level the team has proven that if they pitch and defend well they can remain relevant in the Continental Association. Doing those two tasks well are essential for the club's short-term success as producing runs will be a challenge for the year. Some of the transition has begun with news that rookie outfielder Kirby Copeland was recently called up to Toronto. This is cover for Hank Giordano's injury, which will sideline him past the All-Star Game. Brett is told that the scouting staff will be constantly on the move this summer, sending detailed weekly telegraphed reports to Scouting Director Art Willis who will then meet with the GM and, if the team is at home, manager Barrell in order to get their input on making moves throughout the system. What remains to be seen is if any of the veterans will be traded away. Are the Wolves going to rebuild or retool? *** No Parade This Year Down Yonge Street for Dukes *** The Dukes update will Tales From The Manor. The team had a successful regular season only to be unceremoniously ran out of the playoffs in just 5 games gy the eventual Challenge Cup winning Montreal Valiants. Coach Jack Barrell is preparing for the upcoming amateur draft, The biggest news thus far is that it seems Alex Lavalliere, 24, does not want to return to Toronto. It also appears that Herb Burdette will not be back, so there will be at least a couple of jobs up for grabs in the fall. In their system, Brett highlights goaltender Charlie Dell, who currently with Toledo, and forward Ken Jamieson as the prize prospects. Jamieson, the club's top draft pick last year is just 20 but many believe he may be ready to step into the NAHC next season after 36G, 69A season in St. John's Jr. A. Rearguard Darrell Yardley will probably be in Cleveland next season after toiling for a dysfunctional team in Windsor Jr. A this past winter. Brett wants to see if Jack Barrell discontinues or at least tones down attacks on the officials next season. Brett thinks that it cost Les Carlson a nomination for MVP. Brett is betting that Jack does not change, with the Dukes coach likely intent on continuing the "Us against the League" way to motivate the team. The last team featured will be the FBL Falcons in the Tales From The Nest. Newcomers on the Toronto sports scene, they are currently involved in the Federal Basketball League finals with the Washington Statesmen after upsetting the Detroit Mustangs. The team is led by Lou Porter, Max Lucia and rookie guard Major Belk who was their first pick in the last draft. Belk may miss a sizeable portion of the next season a torn Achilles tendon and Lucia went down in game six of the Detroit series and is not expected to play at all in the finals. The story of the Falcons has been injuries this season, and how they overcame them to turn around a dismal first season in Toronto. The team is becoming more popular, as their popularity increases so will the Mail & Empire coverage.  Martin stated that he values promoting a winning attitude in the minor leagues while coaching up young players who can some day join the team league club. The organization has made numerous player changes especially at Tampa in the last few weeks and Scouting Director John Spears has his eyes on the draft. Looking around the league it is obvious that New York Stars outfielder Jack Welch just needed a fire lit under him as he was named CA Player of the Week. This after Welch was blasted by New York Mirror writer Artie Mortimer for his struggles last season and a slow start this year just a couple of weeks ago. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Go 3-4 Before Heading Out On The Road - The Wolves had a losing week at home before leaving Toronto for the remainder of May with a record of 12-14. The week started with George Garrison's second straight rocky start. After holding the Brooklyn Kings in check for the first 4 innings, Garrison ran into trouble in the fifth when his control left him allowing Brooklyn to score 4 times on 3 hits and 2 walks to take a 5-1 lead. Barrell sent Garrison back out for the sixth where he allowed 2 more runs before Chuck Wirtz came in only to give two more on Pat Petty's long home run as Brooklyn cruised to an 11-3 win. A day later was a much different story as Joe Hancock continued his impressive start to 1950 going into the seventh in a 5-0 victory on Tuesday to allow the Wolves to take the series 2 games to 1. Wirtz redeemed himself in relief securing the shutout. The Montreal Saints then came to town for a short two game series. The Saints are off to a slow start, although they did get healthier taking both midweek games. In the first game neither starter was particularly effective although Pat Weakley did stick around long enough for his first victory of the year. Toronto's Jim Morrison did not make it out of the fifth before giving up six in a 8-5 Montreal win. The second game was low scoring which is the type of game the Wolves anemic offense needs to have a chance. Unfortunately Toronto could not push any runs across for Jimmy Gibbs as the Saints Wally Doyle scattered 8 hits in a complete game 2-0 shutout, Wolves bats showed some signs of life in the first game of 3 game series with the Cleveland Foresters to conclude the homestand. Every starting position player registered at least one base knock in 12 hit 9-7 victory. The key hit was a two-run single by John Fast in seven after Cleveland had taken a 7-6 lead. Garrison returned to form Saturday tossing a 2-1 complete game victory, notching the first complete game of the year by a Wolves hurler. John Fast was again the hero driving both runs with a double in the fourth. Joe Hancock did all he could to pitch Toronto to a sweep on Sunday afternoon. He went 8 giving up only 2 runs , both unearned in the second on miscues by Harry Pomeroy and Chink Stickles. Toronto put themselves into a position to win the game after scoring 2 in the eighth, to take a 3-2 lead, on two bases loaded walks by Cleveland's John Jackson. Lou Jayson came into in an attempt to lock down the game, an error by Frady at short then 3 straight walks allow Cleveland to tie the game before winning it in the tenth on an Eddie Morris single off Jim Laurita after the Wolves had erased a lead off triple by Paul Porter when he tried to score on McClure's grounder to short. The crowd off almost 23,000 went home disappointed. Toronto fans will not see the Wolves live again until the first of June with the Cougars in town. The only bright spots at the plate are Hal Wood's .352/.422/.451 line with Frank Frady making a case for more playing time with his bat. Frady's problem, as it has always been, is work in the field. Barrell may be forced to make some moves in the rotation if Morrison (1-3, 4.88) and Jerry York (1-3, 5.34) do not show signs of improvement on the road trip.  
CABBELL NAMED TOP PLAYER AS NAHC HANDS OUT HARDWARE New York Shamrocks veteran center Orval Cabbell was recognized as the NAHC's most valuable player after an outstanding season that saw the 32-year-old captain notch 27 goals and 80 points while suiting up for all 70 games this season. Cabbell, who finished 1 point behind Toronto's Les Carlson for the NAHC scoring lead, was presented the McDaniels Trophy as the loop's top player last week. Cabbell, who has played his entire NAHC career in New York, wins the McDaniels Trophy for the first time in his career. Cabbell becomes the first Shamrocks player to be named league MVP since Chris Schneider won it in 1925-26. Quinton Pollack of Toronto, last year's winner, and Tommy Burns of the Chicago Packers, who has won the award three times in his career, were the other finalists. The Shamrocks also claimed their first Juneau Trophy in quite some time as Alex Sorrell was named the league's top netminder. The last New York goaltender to win the Juneau Trophy was Sam Jordan in 1934-35. As for Sorrell, he claimed the starting job in New York this season after two years as Etienne Tremblay's understudy and the 24-year-old posted a 2.29 goals against average with a league best .925 save percentage. Sorrell played in 45 of the Shamrocks 70 games, posting a 20-11-14 record with 3 shutouts. Surprisingly, he played just two games in the playoffs and none in the finals where New York fell in five games to Montreal as Shamrocks coach David McClune elected to start Tremblay. Despite the playoff slight, Sorrell has reupped with the Shamrocks, signing a 3 year contract last week. Oscar James of the Boston Bees, who won the Juneau Trophy last year, and Norm Hanson of Chicago, the winner two years ago, were the other nominees for the Juneau. The Shamrocks had two of the three nominees for rookie of the year in forward Rusty Mullins and defenseman George Collingsworth but New York was denied a sweep of the awards when Detroit's Lou Barber was named the rookie of the year. Barber, who wins the McCleod Trophy in recognition of his fine season, one which saw the 21-year-old right winger score 11 goals and earn 37 points in 56 games. The win by Barber marks the third consecutive season a Detroit forward has won the McCleod Trophy as he follows in the footsteps of Louis Rocheleau and Nick Tardif.  NAHC OFF-SEASON NEWS The New York Shamrocks came to terms on new contracts for three key contributors to their first place showing this past season. Goaltender Alex Sorrell along with rearguards Ryan Kennedy and Mark Theriault each inked three year extensions with the Greenshirts. Sorrell, 24, had the best save percentage in the NAHC last season and was recently announced as the winner of the Juneau Trophy. His deal is for three years and will pay the goaltender $4,300 per season. The 27-year-old Kennedy spent 3 seasons with the Brooklyn Eagles before joining the Shamrocks in 1947 when the Eagles folded. He had a career high 9 goals along with 19 assists this season and signed a three year deal worth $5,200 per season. Theriault is 24 years of age and coming off a season where he had 8 points in 46 games. He was part of the trade that sent Shamrocks captain Bert McColley to the Chicago Packers a year ago and Theriault's new deal will pay him $4,500 for each of the next three seasons. The Chicago Packers also made a move last week, signing Vincent Marios to a three year deal for $1,900 per season. The 22-year-old center/left winger had a tryout with the Shamrocks last fall, appearing in a pair of preseason games, but was did not make the New York roster and spent the season playing senior hockey in his native Quebec. Originally a 1946 fifth round selection, Marios spent three seasons with the Shamrocks HAA farm club in Philadelphia before being released by the organization last October.  CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT: GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE The Great Lakes Alliance is the oldest athletic conference in the country and was formed in the late 1890s, so it predates even the formation of the AIAA, which was created in 1906. A ten team conference for its entire history in basketball, the GLA only made one change throughout that time. That happened in the summer of 1922 when Chicago Poly dropped out of the conference and was replaced by St. Ignatius in basketball only. To this day the Lancers are only a partial member as they compete in basketball and baseball but not football, although that will change in the fall of 1953 as St. Ignatius will become the 10th GLA football school in that year. Surprisingly GLA teams have only won 7 national championships in the three major team sports with the most recent one being the perfect football season for the Detroit City College Knights in 1948. Chicago Poly, when it was a member in 1916-17, and Whitney College twice, including four years ago, are the only conference members to win basketball titles despite the fact the GLA has been well represented in tournament play over the years. Many feel the lack of post-season basketball success can be blamed on the fact that the section schedule is so grueling and the GLA schools wear each other out before the tournament rolls around. In baseball, GLA schools won three national titles in the early days but since the feeder system was abandoned for the expanded structure in 1933 only two GLA schools - the 1939 St. Magnus Vikings and 1943 Detroit City College Knights- have finished a season ranked in the top ten and the GLA has only won one game in the college World Championship Series since it expanded to a 16-team format in 1946. FABL's first overall draft pick in 1943, Jim Adams Jr., played his college ball in the GLA with St. Ignatius. Former GLA stars Freddie Jones and his brother Al Jones (both from Central Ohio) along with St. Magnus alum Bob Coon have won Frank Christian Awards as the collegiate baseball player of the year. Another notable former GLA star is Pat Chappell, widely regarded as the best player in the now-defunct Continental Football Conference and quarterback of the Kansas City Cowboys. Chappell was a three-sport star at St. Magnus and was an All-American in basketball. Three GLA athletes have won the Art Barrette Trophy, presented to the top player in collegiate basketball. They are Orlin Nardone (Detroit City College 1912), Jimmy McGrady (Chicago Poly 1914) and Richard Harvey (St. Ignatius 1935). Dozens in addition to Chappell have been named basketball All-Americans over the years include current Federal Basketball League stars Ziggy Rickard (Central Ohio), Norm Yates (St. Ignatius) and Roman Sollars (Detroit City College). Football award winners include Ed Watson (Detroit City College 1940), Harry Claiborne (Minnesota Tech 1941) and Jimmy Rhodes (Central Ohio 1944). Each won the football Christian Trophy as the AIAA most outstanding player. Here are the member schools of the GLA. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/14/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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May 22, 1950
MAY 22, 1950 STATESMEN RALLY TO WIN FEDERAL CAGE CROWN Defeat Undermanned Toronto Club in Game Seven The Washington Statesmen climbed out from the shadows in a big way, rallying to win their first Federal Basketball League title and third franchise championship in a long history that had more than its share of disappointments. The Statesmen did so by overcoming a three games to two deficit to the undermanned, but incredibly resilient Toronto Falcons. The series win, keyed by a tremendous playoff from post-season MVP Ivan Sisco, helped erase memories of many failed seasons in the nation's capital. The Statesmen, who trace their history back to the birth of the old American Basketball Conference in 1937, had participated in 10 straight ABC championship series but lost eight of them. A year ago, after the ABC was absorbed by the Federal loop, the Statesmen were the class of the league, finishing with the best regular season record, but were unceremoniously knocked off by their old ABC nemesis Brooklyn in the semi-finals. Brooklyn, which had beaten Washington five times in the ABC finals, bowed out to New York in the opening round this year and the path was clear for the Statesmen to navigate their way to a title. It was not without its bumps as while Washington had little trouble with the New York Knights in the semi-finals, the Toronto Falcons gave the Statesmen all they could handle in the title series. Toronto pushed the Statesmen to the brink despite missing rookie of the year Major Belk and scoring star Max Lucia for the entire series and losing the heart of the team in center Lon Porter to a broken arm in the early moments of game six. Had those three been healthy the final outcome might well have been very different. *** Toronto Takes Series Lead at Home *** As it was, even short-staffed the Falcons took a 3-2 series lead back to Washington for the sixth game. Toronto earned a split of the opening two games at National Auditorium and then took a two games to one series lead with an impressive 84-71 victory on their home court last Monday. The Falcons blew the game open with an impreesive run the third quarter. Toronto started that stretch trailing by a point at 45-44 two minutes into the third frame but seven minutes later the Falcons led by 14 and never looked back. Big center Lon Porter, the former first team All-American at Alabama Baptist, and backup guard David Bobo -also an All-American in college- who was still getting the bulk of the minutes with James Chew not fully recovered from his broken foot, led the way with 23 points each. A day later the Statesmen proved they would not go quietly as Washington turned the tables on their hosts with a dominant stretch of their own. Toronto ended the third period with a 7 point lead but the Statesmen rallied to take a 1-point lead at 73-72 with 5:38 remaining. The Falcons would score just four more points the rest of the way and Washington would cruise to an 83-76 victory thanks to a career night from Charles Hooper, who had 29 points and 26 rebounds for the visitors. Resilience is a word that has been used often this playoff to describe the Falcons and it was the apt description for their showing in game five. The final game of the season for Dominion Gardens was one Toronto fans would well remember as the Falcons flew out to a 48-26 lead at the break and easily won by twenty points. Porter had 16 points and 16 rebounds and sub Anthony Frank -replacing Max Lucia who went down late in the Detroit series- also scored 16 points while chipping in with 14 boards.  ***Statesmen Prevail at Home *** Washington has been almost unbeatable at National Auditorium over the years but there was no margin for error as game six began. The moment that quite likely decided the series happened just over 4 minutes into the game when Lon Porter fell awkwardly after he collided with Washington's Blake Brooks. Porter landed on his right arm and immediately cried out in pain. The arm would turn out to be broken, ending Porter's series and as it would turn out, making it just one injury too many for the Falcons to overcome. Give Toronto credit as despite falling behind by as many as 11 points early in the third period, the Falcons battled back to take a 3-point lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Toronto led by a point with just over a minute left in the game, but a pair of late Washington buckets evened the series with a 78-75 Washington victory. Ivan Sisco, no longer pestered in his every move by Lon Porter, exploded for 25 rebounds while scoring a game high 21 points. Saturday's deciding seventh game saw another Toronto reserve pressed into a starting role come up with a big effort. That would be Antony Frank who had 27 points but despite a strong start for the undermanned Falcons, Washington just wore them down and prevailed by an 84-78 count. Sisco, once again unencumbered by Porter, had the freedom to do whatever he pleased and he poured in 28 points while adding 18 rebounds to secure his old on the playoff MVP award.    OFFENSE THE NAME OF THE GAME IN BROOKLYN A little over a month into the season, Brooklyn has been the king of the Continental, off to an excellent 21-14 starts, good enough for a game and a half lead over the surprisingly dominant pitching staff of the Cincinnati Cannons. And while the Cannons have done it on the backs of Rufus Barrell (3-3, 2.42, 26), Jim Anderson (2-1, 2.22, 20), Charlie Griffith (3-3, 2.04, 19), and Tony Britten (3-2, 2.26, 17), the Kings have had a far different strategy: Hit the ball harder and farther then anyone else! Brooklyn has mashed at the plate, so not only do they lead the CA with 167 runs, but they top their circuit in slugging (.403), OPS (.737), WAR (6.5), hits (324), extra base hits (101), and of course, home runs (30), while ranking top four everywhere else aside from strikeouts (7th, 145) and steals (8th, 3). A lot of the offensive success can be attributed to superstar slugger Ralph Johnson, as the reigning Whitney winner has mashed to the tune of .344/.446/.641 (185 OPS+) while starting all 25 of the Kings games so far. The 25-year-old leads the CA with 10 homers, and his OBP, slugging, OPS (1.087), WAR (2.3), total bases (84), ISO (.298), wOBA (.474), and OPS+ are all best in his association. And he's done it without much help, as he's one of just three regulars with an OPS+ and WRC+ above 100. The other two are sophomore's Ken Newman (.320, 2, 19) and Dan Smith (.287, 5, 15), who have decided that sophomore slumps are overrated. The youth and star power at the top will bring plenty of excitement for Kings fans, who haven't captured a pennant since their run of three consecutive pennants ended unceremoniously with a 7th place finish in 1939. They've been winning games without key contributors like Chuck Lewis (.262, 3, 16), Pat Petty (.250, 4, 33), and Chuck Collins (.235, 3, 9) playing up to their standards, while 20-year-old center fielder Charlie Rogers (.252, 1, 15, 2) is going to get better with experience. What may end up holding them back from cruising to the finish line is their pitching, which ranks tied for 6th in runs against. Ace Bob Arman (4-4, 5.51, 30) has been dreadful, allowing five or more runs in each of his last five starts, while Leo Hayden (5-2, 4.55, 26) has erased all the positive improvements he developed from last season. Joe Potts (4-2, 3.10, 25) has been solid after being the second runner up in the Kellogg Award, but the real surprise has been the emergence of southpaw Ron Berry. Ranked as the 21st best prospect to start the season, Berry was acquired in the somewhat controversial deal that sent elite defensive outfielder John Moss (.235, 1, 10) to the Windy City, and he's quickly proved the Kings GM right, as he's excelled through his first seven big league starts. That includes an impressive 7-hit shutout over the Sailors, in what was his third consecutive complete game win with two walks and four strikeouts. The 24-year-old is 5-2 with a stellar 2.53 ERA (160 ERA+) through 57 innings. There is some expectation for regression, as a 0.73 K/BB is not easy to maintain success with, and Berry needs to avoid these 6+ walk starts he's found himself in. He's done that three times, including in both his losses, though the other four starts have seen three or fewer. If he can hone in his command, the Kings rotation will be more then good enough with their offense, and like many FABL teams recently, their pennant could come quicker then first expected.   MITCHELL A SHINING LIGHT IN COUGARS OFFENSE The only thing keeping the Cougars remotely competitive at the plate is Leo Mitchell, who's minor injury has kept him from qualifying from the batting lead. His .458 batting average is 50 points higher then any qualified FABL hitter, and the 37-year-old veteran has hit an outstanding .458/.505/.602 (201 OPS+) in 93 trips to the plate. Known for high strikeout totals, he's managed to draw the same amount of walks (9) as strikeouts, and his 9.7 K% would be the first time in a season he struck out in less then 10% of his trips to the plate. Of course, the Cougars real strength is their pitching, and no one has been throwing the ball in 1950 better then the Cougars ace Donnie Jones. The 30-year-old former Allen Winner was a Red Bond drop at first base away from his third shutout of the season, as he allowed just 3 hits and walks with 4 strikeouts in a close 2-1 victory over the Toronto Wolves. Jones is now 5-2 in his decisions with a 1.71 ERA (230 ERA+), 0.86 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts. The Cougars will welcome back his brother, Johnnie (2-1, 1.93, 18), and former Whitney winner Sal Pestilli (.314, 4, 6) for the second game in a home series with the last place Cleveland Foresters. Cleveland crushed the Cougars 13-3 on Sunday, snapping a much needed five game win streak, so the home nine will have to quickly right the ship to avoid the quick sweep. Johnnie will make the start after his first career injured list stint, with Pestilli penciled in to the two spot whether Ollie White (1-3, 6.21, 29) or Gordie Irwin (2-2, 3.07, 7) is handed the ball. TALES FROM THE LAIR Wolves Swept in Chicago, Take Three of Four in the Big Apple - The first week of the road trip began poorly for the Toronto Wolves as the Chicago Cougars swept a midweek series taking two by a single run while the other was a blow out. On a cool, chilly Tuesday a good crowd witnessed a pitching duel between Jim Morrison and George Oddo, who eventually got his third victory of the year. After Toronto managed to tie the game at 3 in the sixth on John Fast's second homerun, which ties him for the club lead, Morrison could not not get the third out in the eighth. He gave up 2 walks before skipper Fred Barrell came to get him and then handed the ball to Lou Jayson who promptly surrendered a line drive single to Skipper Schneider on a 2-2 count driving in Moss for the winning run. A day later both teams scored runs in the first frame with Chicago leading 3-2 going into the second inning. From there things got messy for the Wolves, they scored one more run for the game while the Cougars tacked on 8 more for an 11-3 win. Leo Mitchell, Red Bond each drove in 3, both were topped by Eddie Howard's 4 RBI. Rumours are that this game may lead to Jim Carter being DFAd as Harry Phillip's rehab assignment is set to end in Buffalo and Carter was lit up for 5 runs on 4 hits in only two-thirds of an inning. On Thursday in the series finale Jerry York pitched well enough to win but didn't as Donnie Jones held the Wolves to only 3 hits to win his fifth of the year 2-1. On to New York City to play 4 games in 3 days against two teams. On Friday both the Brooklyn Kings and Wolves has their hitting shoes on. Toronto out hit Brooklyn 11-8 in a 9-5 win. Toronto scored 6 in the sixth, batting around on Bob Arman. George Garrison managed to get his 4th win of the season along with his second complete game, even after giving up 4 runs in 7 innings although by then the game was well in hand with the Wolves leading 9-1. Joe Hancock ran his record to 5-0 on another game in which the Wolves banged out 11 safeties in a 6-4 win where the Wolves never trailed allowing Jayson to pick his first save since 1948. Crossing into a different borough for a Sunday twin bill with the Stars. In the first game Toronto built up a 6-1 lead after 3 only to give it all back. In the end it was a positive outcome but it took 10 innins before Harry Pomeroy's sac fly drove in Harry Finney, who had hit a lead off pinch-hit triple. In the night cap Barrell's team scored 4 in the first only to blow another big lead. Leading 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, but then the Stars struck for 4 including 3 off Laurita who came into relieve Jimmy Gibbs. THe result was the Stars split the day with an 8-5 win. Handing the ball to the 'pen continues to be like handing a live grenade to a pitcher. After taking 3 of 4 in New York the team heads back across the border to face the Saints before travelling to Cleveland for 4 games in 3 days. With the cage Falcons losing in the Federal Basketball League championship Game 7 Bernie Millard has been quoted that he wants to see the Wolves emulate some of that success in the FABL. Latest minor league scuttlebutt is that many are pushing for John Wells to join the big club when they return home on June 1. Everyone, including Fred Barrell, is replying to questions about Wells with a terse "No Comment". How long with the team keep the #2 overall prospect down on farm? His line in Buffalo through 32 games, 31 starts is .330/.363/.392 along with improvement in the field.
MOTORS SET TO SIGN REMMINGTON IN ANOTHER MOVE TO UPGRADE BLUELINE The Detroit Motors are expected to announce the long overdue signing of Harry Remington in the latest move to completely remake the Motors corps of blueliners. Remington was originally selected by Detroit in the second round of the 1944 NAHC draft but has spent the past seven seasons playing for the Philadelphia Rascals of the HAA on a minor league contract to that club. Detroit had made overtures in the past, but the timing was not right. That has changed as Remington, who was the Rascals captain last season, has said he is interested in joining Detroit. With Remington expected to sign a long-term deal that will reportedly pay the 25-year-old Vancouver native in excess of $15,000 a year it becomes the latest move that has seen to Motors completely revamp their defensive core over the past couple of seasons and do so at great cost. Early in the season the club signed 26-year-old Tyson Beddoes from Cleveland of the HAA for a 3 year deal at $16,000 per season and followed that up by signing Brock Ternovatsky, a 29-year-old who had began the season with Pittsburgh of the HAA. Ternovatsky will make $14,500 each of the next two seasons. Add in the pair of 24-year-olds in Spencer Larocque and Devin Butler, each of whom recently completed their second full season with the club, and the future on the blueline looks much brighter than it has in recent years. Larocque and Butler were both acquired from the Montreal Valiants organization in the December 1947 deal that moved veteran defensive stalwarts Bryant Williams and Shel Herron to Montreal. Butler, who had 8 goals and 24 points in his sophomore NAHC season, is still a bargain with a year remaining on his deal at a club friendly $2,400 a year while Larocque, who had 23 points, recently inked a four-year extension at $14,500 per annum. In net the Motors have a pair of solid veteran goaltenders in Millard Touhey and Henri Chasse, and they are loaded with young talent up front including the past three NAHC rookies of the year in Lou Barber, Nick Tardif and Louis Rocheleau. Despite lacking a truly elite centerman the club does have plenty of offensive depth and now the Motors hope they can ice a defense to match next season.  CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT: WEST COAST ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Our look at the major conferences in collegiate sports continues with the West Coast Athletic Association. Formed in 1922 when there was a major shift in collegiate sports on the west coast. After years of resisting, and even attempting to form its own conference, City College of Los Angeles finally agreed to join a conference. It would be the newly formed West Coast Athletic Association, although in reality it was pretty much a rebranding of the Pacific States Conference with a couple of new additions including the Coyotes. The WCAA had great success, particularly on the hardwood where the Coastal California Dolphins were dominant. The Dolphins cage teams of the 1920s may well have been the greatest college program ever assembled as under legendary coach Art Barrette, they won 11 consecutive conference titles starting in 1916 and would win 17 over a 21 season stretch. The Dolphins could never win the big one however as, despite reaching at least the semi-finals of the annual AIAA tournament 11 times over that 21 year run, Coastal California never did win a national championship on the hardwood. While Coastal California has yet to win a national title in basketball they have been named national champions in football five times, although one (in 1924) was a co-championship shared with Pierpont. Only the wins in 1929, 1931 and 1932 are officially recognized as the Brunson Poll to determine an AIAA football championship was not in effect prior to 1928 and earlier titles were award retroactively. The champion of the WCAA hosts the annual East-West Classic football game, held on January 1 each year in the huge stadium at Santa Ana, California. Northern Cal has won each of the last two East-West Classics. The Dolphins, as one might expect based on their national title success, have won the most East-West Classics -tasting victory six teams although none since a 1938 win over Carolina Poly and they have played in the game only once since then. That was in 1944 when they fell 24-17 to Central Ohio. Even though the Dolphins could never win the big one in basketball, there were still plenty of spring championship moments through the years for the WCAA. CC Los Angeles and Rainier College each won the title game at Bigsby Garden in New York three times while Redwood University and former conference member Custer College also each claimed victory once. Four times the Art Barrette Trophy winner, presented to the top player in collegiate basketball, has gone to a member of the conference. Rainier College's Gary Harrison won for his 1943-44 season with a trio of CCLA Coyotes preceding him. They were Johnny Brown (1928-29), John Livingston (1939-40) and Francis Schulman (1941-42). On the diamond the WCAA has not enjoyed a lot of success nationally, but that has changed in the last few years with the rise of the Lane State Emeralds. Led by All-Americans Tom Perkins, a shortstop selected in the first round by the Washington Eagles last year who made his big league debut earlier this month, and Frankie Williams, who was also an Eagles draft pick, the Emeralds won the Collegiate World Championship Series in 1947 and again last year. They also reached the title game in 1946, after knocking off a surprising CCLA team in the semi-finals that year and were semi-finalists in 1948. Prior to the Emeralds rise no WCAA school had ever won a national title in college baseball, even dating back prior to the formation of the conference.  EDMONDS SET FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT DEFENSE SATURDAY John Edmonds will waste little time before stepping into the ring to defend the middleweight title he reclaimed in March as the champion will face young Italian challenger Hugo Caino Saturday evening at Bigsby Garden. Edmonds, who briefly held the belt in 1947 when he beat Frank Melanson but lost in the rematch, regained the title with a unanimous decision over Bill Boggs at the New York boxing mecca in late March. The belt had been vacant after world champion Edouard Desmarais tragic death in a plane crash last fall. Edmonds boasts a career record of 32-3 and the 31-year-old native of Muncie, IN., should be an overwhelming favourite to defeat the relatively unproven Italian. Caino, who now fights out of New York after being discovered by Hector Sawyer's manager Chester Conley during their European tour in 1948, is unbeaten in 19 fights as a professional, including three previous outings on this side of the Atlantic. Just 23 years of age, many feel the young middleweight is overextending his reach in taking a match with the champion at this stage of his career, but the blustery Conley insists his fighter "will be ready."  RECENT KEY RESULTS
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS
The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/21/1950
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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