NOVEMBER 8, 1943
FABL CLUBS DEVASTED BY WAR DRAFT
After a few weeks of nervous anticipation the worst fears of many a FABL General Manager were realized as the Selective Service hit the sport hard. All of FABL knew the recent decision to make pre-Pearl Harbor fathers now eligible for the draft would have an impact on the sport but likely few club magnates expected it would be this quick or this severe. One could easily make an all-star team out of the latest additions called upon by Selective Service.
Pitchers Lefty Allen, Joe Brown, Gus Goulding, Joe Hancock and Al Miller along with Whitney Award winning catcher Adam Mullins and Pioneers star Heinie Zimmer, infielders Walt Messer, Clark Car, Harry Barrell and Hank Koblenz plus outfielders Fred Galloway, Rip Curry and Carl Howe headline the list of players who were either drafted by the Army or elected to enlist in another branch of the service after being notified their number had come up for selection.
It is hard to imagine which FABL club suffered the worst as nearly every team to a serious hit to it's projected 1944 roster. Here is a team-by-team look at the latest players to join the war effort.
BOSTON- Harry Barrell (.298,3,71) SS: US Army: Barrell was a deadline acquisition who's absence likely means Lew McClendon needs to shift back to shortstop.
BROOKLYN- Tim Hopkins (.237,15,50) 1B: US Marine Corps The only real power threat the Kings had is now gone.
CHIEFS- Gus Goulding (13-14, 3.69) P: USS Navy, Al Miller (16-10,3.29)P US Navy. To make matters worse there are unconfirmed reports that Rabbit Day (7-11, 4.36) is retiring to join the Army as a physical education instructor so the Chiefs pitching staff is in big trouble.
COUGARS- Joe Brown (18-11, 2.51) P: US Army, Clark Car (.283,13,58) 2B US Navy. How many more great young arms can the Cougars lose to the war? Brown follows Donnie Jones and Pete Papenfus. The Cougars also lose Car, who finished second in Whitney Award balloting last month.
CINCINNATI- Adam Mullins (.307,4,56) C:US Naval Reserve, Fred Galloway (.265,2,39)OF: US Coast Guard. Repeating just got an awful lot tougher for the defending champs with the loss of Whitney Award winning catcher Adam Mullins and all-star centerfielder Fred Galloway. Bob Griffith can likely shift from left to center to fill that void but solving the problem now created behind the plate will be a difficult challenge for Ad Doria's club.
CLEVELAND- Cal Howe (.287,1,43) OF: US Army, Bill Carr (.289,2,56) 2B: US Navy. The Foresters did not have a lot of offense to begin with so the loss of these two will hurt.
DETROIT- Rip Curry (.317,8,64) OF: US Army. Just one player leaving from Detroit but the 34 year old's bat will be sorely missed.
MONTREAL- Bert Lass (.274,3,57) OF: US Coast Guard, Charlie Woodbury (.283,10,62) 2B: US Army. The Saints lose their #3 and #5 hitters from an offense that was not overly intimidating to begin with.
NY STARS- Vern Hubbard (16-9, 3.39) P: US Marine Corps. If there was one player the Stars could not afford to lose from an already heavily depleted roster it was likely Hubbard, who was their most dependable starting pitcher.
NY GOTHAMS- Walt Messer (283,17,74) 1B: US Navy, Fritz Reynolds (.274,2,19) SS: US Navy. Obviously Messer's absence will hurt but don't discount the loss of Reynolds as the Gothams middle infield has been devastated by the war. What a difference a little over a year can make. Three quarters of the Gothams Million Dollar infield is working for Uncle Sam for about $15 month each while the final piece - 3B Billy Dalton- is plying his trade in Cincinnati.
KEYSTONES- Hank Koblenz (.271,28,100) 3B: US Navy. Just one player leaving the Keystones but the loss of Koblenz is a major blow. One has to wonder how much his absence batting behind Bobby Barrell will also hurt Barrell's production next year.
SAILORS- Jim Beard (.263,5,64) 3B: US Army. The 30 year old two-time all-star is an underrated player and a fan favourite in Philadelphia.
PITTSBURGH- Lefty Allen (12-10, 3.67) P: US Army. The 29 year old two-time Allan Award winner had a down year -at least by his standards- last season but this is a major loss for the Miners. Disappointing for baseball fans too as the absence may end up costing Allen any chance he might have had at 300 career wins. His career pauses with a 158-97 career mark.
ST LOUIS- Heinie Zimmer (.269,6,46) C: US Navy. Losing Zimmer would be a blow to any team as he ranks just below Adam Mullins, Tom Bird and George Cleaves as one of the best catchers in the game. As of this writing Bird is the only one of the three not involved in the war effort. The bad news for the Pioneers -who were last year's surprise team- is they have no real dependable replacement as their top catching prospect Tucker Ness is also in the Navy. Ben Hand, a third round pick out of Oklahoma City State who struggled in the low minors, does not appear ready so that leaves just Red Bryant and Ed K White -with a combined 115 FABL games- as the options to choose from.
TORONTO- Joe Hancock (20-9, 2.68) P: US Navy. An Allan Award winner and a 5-time all-star who has won at least twenty games 3 times in his career. There is no replacing Hancock but the Wolves can take some small comfort in the fact that they do have some pitching depth.
WASHINGTON-Dilly Ward (.271,4,35) CF: US Navy, George Dawson (.313,3,49) SS: USAAF. A couple of tough losses for the Eagles, who had appeared to perhaps be just a couple of starting pitchers away from serious title contention. Dawson came over from Detroit at the deadline and was outstanding but now the Eagles once more have a gaping hole at the most important infield position.
AMERICANS CLOSE TO CLINCHING EAST
Despite the fact they have three games remaining the Boston Americans are on the verge of clinching the Eastern Division title for the second year in a row. The Americans blasted the Cleveland Finches 28-0 at Minutemen Stadium yesterday to improve to 6-1 on the season. A Boston win in any of their final three games or a single loss by each the other three teams will send the defending league champions back to the AFA title game. Quarterback Del Thomas -the former baseball pitcher- led the way once again for Boston as the veteran threw for 135 yards and 3 touchdowns while also chipping in on the defensive side of the ball with a pair of interceptions.
It is clear the Boston is the class of the east just as Chicago and Detroit remain the powers in the Western Division. The Wildcats improved to a division best 5-2 on the year while ending Pittsburgh's three game winning streak with a 30-7 pasting of the Paladins. The Pittsburgh loss came despite the fact that first overall draft pick and last year's Christian Trophy winner Billy Bockhorst scored his first professional touchdown. It came on a 5 yard scamper in the fourth quarter after the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt. Bockhorst -the star of last season's AIAA National Champion Noble Jones College squad- has had some success running the ball this season but has struggled mightily as a passer.
Detroit kept it's slim championship game hopes alive with a 28-0 win at home over Brooklyn. Marc Orlosky ran for a pair of touchdowns while gaining 103 yards on the ground and added another 133 yards through the air with his passing skills to improve Detroit's record to 4-3-1. The other game between the New York Stars and the combined Philadelphia-St Louis squad saw the two-sides play to a 14-14 draw thanks to a dramatic ending. It looked like a New York win but with 11 seconds left John Michaels was forced to punt for the Stars. The Frigates came hard, desperate for the block and it paid off with Don Hulsey scooping up the ball and rumbling 30 yards into the endzone to tie the game, much to the dismay of shocked Stars fans who pelted the Bigsby Oval field with garbage as the home side dejectedly trotted off the field.
Code:
AFA STANDINGS
EASTERN W L T PCT
Boston 6 1 0 .857
Phil-StL 2 2 1 .500
New York 2 3 1 .400
Brooklyn 1 4 0 .200
WESTERN W L T PCT
Chicago 5 2 0 .714
Detroit 4 3 1 .571
Pittsburgh 3 4 0 .429
Cleveland 1 5 1 .167
AFA SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Sunday November 7
Phil-StL 14 New York 14
Boston 33 Cleveland 0
Chicago 30 Pittsburgh 7
Detroit 28 Brooklyn 0
Sunday November 14
Cleveland at Pittsburgh
Chicago at Brooklyn
New York at Boston
Detroit at Phil-StL
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Vaught, Det 69
Littlejohn, Bos 37
McElheny, NY 36
Martins, Bos 30
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
D Thomas, Bos 105-200 1146 14 11
G Brown, Chi 80-149 1087 14 15
Orlosky, Det 56-141 810 5 13
Sevier, Cle 57-125 689 2 25
RUSHING YDS TD
Orlosky, Det 686 4
D Davis, PhS 483 2
Milatz, NY 459 0
Schroeder, Chi 416 1
McElheny, NY 376 6
RECEIVING CAT TD
Vaught, Det 39 6
Martins, Bos 30 4
Sutcliffe, Cle 23 0
Schroeder, Chi 21 2
Littlejohn, Bos 21 6
INERCEPTIONS #
Coleman, Det 8
D Thomas, Bos 8
Vaught, Det 7
G Brown, Chi 7
As if things could not get worse for Indiana A&M's struggling football program. The Reapers are rarely a contender for a Great Lakes Alliance championship but they had a pretty solid 6-4 season a year ago that included wins over Western Iowa and Pittsburgh State. This year, after losing most of their team to graduation or the war effort, they entered Saturday's game against Detroit City College with an 0-7 record. They fell to 0-8 with possibly the most lob-sided score ever recorded in a game involving two GLA schools. The final was 80-0 and the only good news as far as Indiana A&M is concerned is the fact they only have two games remaining in their season.
At the other end of the spectrum we are down to ten unbeaten and untied teams after the San Francisco Tech Unions knocked off Northern California 13-10 to hand the Miners their first loss. SF Tech is now 7-0 and the Unions along with George Fox (8-0), Wisconsin Catholic (7-0), Pittsburgh State (7-0) and Minnesota Tech (6-0) seem to be the best bets to top the rankings at year end.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Noble Jones College 17 Charleston (IL) 14
George Fox 17 Ellery 13
San Francisco Tech 13 Northern California 10
Coastal State 46 Central Carolina 12
Empire State 20 Troy State (NY) 9
Provo Tech 51 Boulder State 0
Brunswick 17 Liberty College 3
Grafton 23 Henry Hudson 3
Del Monte Pre-Flight 31 CC Los Angeles 7
Charleston Tech 22 Carolina Poly 16
Georgia Baptist 21 Bayou State 10
Camp Grant 17 Great Lakes Navy 6
St. Patrick's 55 Conwell College 7
Western Iowa 24 Lincoln 0
Detroit City College 80 Indiana A&M 0
Daniel Boone College 27 Iowa A&M 10
Pierpont 10 Annapolis Maritime 7
College of Omaha 14 Eastern Kansas 6
North Carolina Tech 10 Columbia Military Academy 6
St. Magnus 16 Wisconsin State 3
St. Blane 20 Rome State 0
Pittsburgh State 23 Central Ohio 0
Oklahoma City State 10 Lawrence State 6
Golden Gate University 51 College of San Diego 17
Minnesota Tech 19 Whitney College 0
Arkansas A&T 33 Red River State 17
San Diego Navy 31 Coastal California 0
Darnell State 27 Texas Gulf Coast 0
Amarillo Methodist 30 College of Waco 0
Payne State 27 Eastern Oklahoma 3
Eastern State 13 Maryland State 3
North Carolina Pre-Flight 10 Cowpens State 7
Huntington State 24 Bethlehem College 10
Wisconsin Catholic 45 Iowa Pre-Flight 0
March Field 17 Pomona Ordinance Base 10
Alameda Coast Guard 31 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 7
LOSS OF STARS ADDS INTEREST TO FOOTBALL HEADLINERS
The paper shortage even is being felt by the football customers. There isn't a single ticket available for the St Blane vs St Magnus game next Saturday, nor for the Penn Catholic tussle with St. Patrick's University. Interest in college football has never been higher despite the fact that many of the star players are in the service, including hundreds who left last week after the conclusion of the semester. Despite that, the games are competitive and interest is renewed with a number of surprising performers challenging for the National Title this season. Teams keep losing players -such as Texas Gulf Coast seeing 6 starters leave last week for the Navy, but as long as their are enough available bodies to field teams it appears the fans will keep coming out.
AIAA HARDWOOD PREDICTIONS FOR 1943-1944
Here are five teams to watch that TWIFB experts feel will be in contention for the AIAA basketball championship this season.
1: NORTH CAROLINA TECH - There should be quite a battle for state bragging rights between the Techsters and South Atlantic Conference rival Carolina Poly. The Tech program has been on a real upswing under Coach Andrew Conley, who took the school to the National Semi-finals three years ago. They lack a single dominant player but have a deep roster with guard Nestor Patterson (12.5 ppg) as their senior leader.
2: WESTERN IOWA - The Canaries are in what is considered the toughest conference in the AIAA but if they can survive the Great Lakes Alliance season they may make a long tournament run. The veteran team is led by seniors Gerald Carter (14.3 ppg) and Noe Lussier (7.6 ppg) and expect for pro baseball prospect Joe Hampton (5.1 ppg) to take a big step forward in his sophomore campaign. They reached the National Semi-Finals a year ago. Can this be the year they win their first AIAA championship?
3: LIBERTY COLLEGE - The Bells won the National crown two years ago and have won three of them in the past decade. The Northeast Conference is a tough one with Garden State, Brooklyn State and St Patrick's all capable of contending for the National Title. The conference is also on shaky ground as in-fighting between a number of schools indicating this might just be the final year of their union.
4: CAROLINA POLY - The Cardinals are led by their long-time coach Sterling Westgard -who actually had a brief taste of professional baseball with the Brooklyn Kings in the early 1900s. Now 64 years old, the Cardinals would like nothing better than to claim a National Title for their long-time bench boss. Junior forward Terry Flowers (6.7 ppg) seems poised for a breakout season and is a pre-season All-American selection.
5: COASTAL CALIFORNIA - The Dolphins are ranked number one in the nation to start the season and are a school that always seems to be in the year-end tournament. They will have plenty of competition in the West Coast Athletics Association from defending champion Rainier College and their rivals from CC Los Angeles.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREDICTIONS
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Western Iowa Canaries
ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
C Jack Kurtz Detroit City College
F Terry Flowers Carolina Poly
F Gary Harrison Rainier College
G Norman Yates St Ignatius
G Lionel Rice Whitney College
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
C Long Werth Miami State Gulls
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/07/1943
- Another mine strike, this time over a half a million miners walked off the job on Monday. This walkout last just a couple of days before they returned to work. The War Labor Board has begun studying a wage contract between the Government and the Mine Workers Union.
- The Red Army offensive continues as they smashed through the last German defenses on the Perekop Isthmus and drove into Crimea.
- Next stop for Moscow is Austria, as the Russians pledge to fight the Germans there with the public declaration designed to incite revolt within the country.
- American warships defeated and chased a Japanese surface force that attempted to interfere with invasion operations in the Solomons.
- General H.H. Arnold, commander of the Army Air Forces says the Army's giant new superbomber -heavily armed "battleships of the air powered to fly at very high altitudes"- will be ready to make raids on Tokio in the very near future.
- Duesseldorf and Cologne are the latest targets of RAF nighttime raids on Nazi targets.