[Jiggs McGee]

OCTOBER 16, 1944

THE END OF DAY

COUGARS LAWSON ALSO ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Rabbit Day's return to the Cannons organization was a short one but his contribution will be long remembered in Cincinnati as the club has announced that they will honour Day by retiring his number. Day, who spent the first 7 years of his career with the Cannons when they were based in Baltimore, has announced he is retiring from the game. His numbers speak for themselves: 4 World Championship rings with 3 different organizations. 3 Allen Awards. 321 career victories and he led or tied for the league lead in wins 6 times in his 18 year career and led his loop in strikeouts 9 times. No pitcher who threw a big league baseball after 1921 has more wins that Day amassed and he is 8th all-time in career victories and 6th in strikeouts. The next stop for Day is without a doubt Baseball's Hall of Fame.

John Lawson also officially announced he is retiring at the age of 39 although that was anticipated two years ago when he left for the war effort. A veteran of 2,225 big league games split nearly equally between the New York Stars and Chicago Cougars, he was an 8-time all-star and a 3-time Whitney Award winner. Lawson is one of just 11 players in FABL history to record at least 3,000 career hits.

There were several other big names that also announced the end of their careers including William Jones, who went 195-147 over his career primarily with the Philadelphia Sailors. Frank Crawford (142-104) was a 25 game winner and an Allan Award recepient for Detroit in 1939. Dave Rankin (154-228) was a much better pitcher than his record indicates as he was stuck on some bad teams for much of his career. Toronto lost both Larry Vestal and Ron Coles although neither contributed a lot in recent years and Lyman Weigel (91-83) has stepped down at the age of 40, pitching most recently for the New York Stars.

'44 SEASON JUST ENDED BUT ALREADY PLENTY OF QUESTIONS FOR '45

The smell of champagne has not yet been fully cleaned out of the home clubhouse at Tice Memorial Stadium but already a myriad of questions await the 16 ballclubs that make up the Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues. The biggest one by far is nothing new. It is the same question that has plagued General Managers and team magnates since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Who will leave this winter? For each of the past three seasons baseball teams, both big league and those in the minors, have seen stars plucked away and rosters almost picked clean in some cases as Selective Service comes calling for athletes in the prime of their sporting careers. There finally is an end in sight, as by all accounts the boys are taking the fight both to the Nazis and the Japanese but it is looking like there is still much more work to be done. As a result, it seems unlikely that some, or perhaps none at all, of the pro ball players who have spent the last 1-3 years in the service will be back for the '45 campaign. In fact, as more manpower is required to finish off the job in Europe, the manpower board is ramping up it's call for able-bodied young men and that likely means another large exodus of ballplayers is to come this winter. The tough part for the club admininstrators, although perhaps they are getting used to it now, is they have no idea who or how many more they will lose this winter.

That is by far the biggest question for the year ahead but by no means the only one. There is a long list of things that are on the minds of baseball followers. Here in a special edition of Ten Things I Think with Jiggs McGee is a special column with focus on some of the many questions we have about the 1945 season.

1- Will the Dynamos trade Sal Pestilli? There is still plenty of smoke coming out of Detroit about a potential deal and some have linked the Chicago Cougars as a possible suitor. It seemed impossible to think Detroit would part with the 5-time all-star and Whitney Award winning centerfielder but then again everyone thought there was no way Red Johnson would be traded either. Johnson is in New York with the Gothams and Pestilli remains Dynamos property, with the fact that he is presently employed by the air corps making a trade just a little bit more difficult to arrange.

2- Are the Dynamos for real? Everyone thought it was just a matter of time before Red and Sal led Detroit to a pennant. Three straight second place finishes and then a very solid run in'41 when they finished third but only 4 games out seemed to reaffirm that line of thinking. However, the roof caved in -or more precisely the pitching collapsed- and the Dynamos were awful in '42 and '43. So bad they dealt Red Johnson and began to tear down the club. Six outstanding draft picks were added prior to the 1944 season and the Dynamos -even without Red and Sal and with very little in the way of expectations- rose from the ashes to a second place finish this season. There is no question the long-term future in Detroit is bright because of their draft last January but was this past summer just a fluke or are the Dynamos serious contenders again in '45?

3- Where does Bobby Barrell go from here? At age 33 he had one of the greatest offensive seasons in recent memory and a triple crown performance perhaps as dominant as anything Max Morris has ever posted. Is this the final great season of Barrell's amazing career or is just the beginning of another chapter that sees him dominate like he did before that terrible gunshot wound suffered all those years ago? He is a lock to win his third Whitney Award and may lead the Keystones right back to the WCS next season.

4- A shorter term question. We know Barrell is the Fed Whitney Award winner and it better be unanimous or some reporter will need to provide a urine sample. But what of the other three major individual awards. Did Red Ross do enough to win the Fed Whitney or is there support from Walt Wells, Buddy Long or perhaps even Jim Lonardo? The CA picture could not be more muddy -either on the mound or at the plate. Leo Mitchell won the batting title and had a big year but will voters look to the Cougars collapse and what Chuck Adams did in Cincinnati -leading his loop in homers and rbis- to pick a winner. There was no twenty-game winner in the CA this season so the Allen race is also wide open.

5- The big question in Cincinnati is how many Cannons players qualify for FDR's Social Security Act? They are not quite that old but close. Rabbit Day was expected to retire a year ago but came back as a 40 year old and had a great season. Does he try to stick around one more year and win another dozen or so games to move into the top five all-time in victories and make a run at a 5th WCS title? What about Tom Barrell? His career seemed to be about done when the Cannons added him from Pittsburgh but he ended up being the second half MVP for the team with an 8-2 finish and a win in the WCS. Is that a great way for Tom to go out on top after being just a spare part the past two years in Pittsburgh?

6- Deuce Barrell's future is huge question mark as well. The 27-year old missed the entire season with elbow troubles after winning back to back Allen Awards. He was in the dugout cheering on his mates for the WCS win but also received word he is not likely to be ready for spring training and even his availability on Opening Day next year is in question. And when he does return, will he be the pitcher he was before the injury. One positive is the Cougars Harry Parker missed much of the '43 season with a similar elbow issue and Parker is an Allen Award candidate this time around.

7- While on the topic of Parker's Chicago Cougars club we have to wonder how the collapse will affect them going forward. The Cougars were on a record setting pace in the first half of the season, posting a 50-18 mark (.735) as of late June. But then the wheels fell off, well more than that they crashed and burned with no simple explanation. They just couldn't win anymore and went 35-51 down the stretch including a 10-25 skid that coincided with the Cannons and Wolves rise. Many had them pegged to win the Continental crown this past season and -barring intervention by Selective Service- much the same cast will return so they should be a team to fear in 1945 as well. The question is does that awful second half weigh the team down next season, especially if they happen to get off to a slow start.

8- What to make of the Pioneers? St Louis was a team that had an outstanding second half to the 1943 season and seemed poised to return to the ranks of the contenders in the Federal Association. Instead the Pioneers crashed to the bottom of the Fed, following up an 84 win season with a year in which they lost 87 times. Was it just a one step back type situation and the Pioneers are poised to move forward or are they doomed to remain a second division club in a very competitive Fed loop?

9- Will Cleveland and Montreal ever contend in the Continental? Aside from 1930 when they Saints finished tied for second just two games back, Montreal has not been a serious threat in the CA since the early 1920s. Cleveland used to be good -so good in fact they won two pennants and had 3 straight 90+ win seasons from 1934-36 but they have been 7th or 8th each of the past 5 seasons and there is little too be excited about until top pitching prospects Hiram Steinberg and Richie Hughes return from the war. Their talented young shortstop Jim Adams Jr. missed the final month of the season with an injury. His recovery is essential for the Foresters to eventually become relevant in the CA again.

10- Who wins the draft lottery? This draft class is already exceptionally deep at the top and that is before the final 64 players get added to the class. However, I am not sure there is a clearcut number one at this point with outfielders Bob Riggins and Paul Williams along with infielders Dan Finch and Harry McCue all grading out as potential all-stars according to OSA. So first pick might not be as vital this year as in some past seasons but a top five lottery pick can go a long ways towards securing a potential cornerstone player for a team. The lottery gives everybody except for Cincinnati and the Philadelphia Keystones a shot at one of those top picks. Well, technically the Cannons have a chance as they own Boston's first rounder but it will be intriguing to see how the lottery balls land prior to the January draft date.

The Keystones fell short in Game 7 and lost the Series, giving way to a Cincinnati Cannons team with lots of offense and solid veteran pitching. In the end, if you look at the statistics, it should not have been that close. Cincinnati had a 31-18 edge in runs scored during the series, but the series turned on just a few key moments. Two of those moments occurred in Game 7 and it made a big difference.

The first moment came in the first inning, with runners on first and second, Bobby Barrell lined a single to left field, which scored Chuck Hood, but Harry Shumate was thrown out going from first to third on the base hit. The run held up until the home sixth, when Series MVP Chuck Adams hit a two-run homer to right to give Cincinnati a lead it would not relinquish. The second moment came in the eighth. With two out and one run already in, Charlie Enslow smashed an opposite field double down the left field line, scoring Marshall Strickland, but Enslow got greedy and was thrown out at third to end the inning with Philadelphia trailing, 5-3. That would be the best opportunity for the Keystones the rest of the way. The Series ended with the tying run at the plate, Harry Shumate on deck, and Bobby Barrell in the hole, but Chuck Hood grounded into a fielders choice to officially coronate the Cincinnati Cannons as champions.

Aggressive base running was a staple of this Keystones team. The Keystones led the league in stolen bases with 79 and the team speed made up for the relative lack of thump in the lineup once you looked past Bobby Barrell. But, while they lived by the sword, in Game 7, they died by it. Keystones manager John Heydon left Red Ross in face the the top of the order for the fourth time. Heydon said, "Ross had 23 wins this year and another one in this Series. He is our best pitcher and he deserved a chance to figure it out."

Harry Shumate led the way with a .423 average, Bobby Barrell hit .308, but they only hit one home run apiece, occurring in the same inning of a blowout Game 6 loss. They could not string enough hits together. The starting rotation was beleaguered during the series. Heydon's decision to go with a three-man rotation may not have been the best strategy, especially when the fourth starter-turned-bullpen arm Jim Whiteley pitched 6-1/3 scoreless innings and former starter-turned-stopper Herman Patterson threw 7-2/3 shutout innings and finished each of the Keystones three victories.

The Keystones will have all winter to replay these last seven games. In this reporter's opinion, they may be back sooner than later and they may hoist the trophy the next time they get to the play for the championship. The war has sapped the team of a lot of the young talent in the organization and the veterans have taken them far, but the future for 1945 and beyond is still bright and when the youngsters return from the war -- whenever that is -- it might give the team a shot of enthusiasm and hope for the years that follow.

Philadelphia Keystones Manager John Heydon retires after championship near-miss - Heydon surprised everyone the day after the Game 7 loss, as the 66-year-old decided to retire after one season with the cross-town Keystones after a 6-1/2-year stint with the Sailors. Heydon was brought on to take a team that averaged 83 wins a year for the last couple of seasons to the next level. He did just that, but after a 91-win 1944 season and three more in a heartbreaking WCS loss, The press assembled to cover the final day of lockers being cleaned out and players saying their goodbyes until the Spring (or maybe longer, depending on the ongoing war).

Heydon was asked about his sudden decision to retire despite signing a 2-year contract last offseason. "I had every intention of getting one more shot at this thing." Heydon had won at three previous minor league stops, but never won the brass ring, getting as close as second-place finishes with the Sailors behind the Brooklyn Kings juggernaut in 1936 and '37 before winning the pennant this year. At 66, he was not too old to manager another year. The reason was a lot more personal and makes you realize that baseball is just a game, a welcome diversion from the happenings of the outside world.

"My son John, Jr., was battling the Nazis in northern France and we recently received the news of his passing. We were told he fought valiantly, taking on enemy fire while others in his company were able to find cover and, in the ensuing firefight, successfully moved forward toward the German border. I have to tend to matters at home. The Keystones are in great hands. It has been my pleasure to manage this team for these fans, who really supported us all year."

Heydon follows a Keystones tradition of managers retiring after pennant wins, albeit under very different circumstances. Columbus Tuck retired after the 1933 season when the Keystones won the Fed and went on to win the WCS. Len Cooper did the same after the 1927 Keystones victory in the WCS. Heydon could not complete the feat and we will never know if the 1945 Keystones would have given Heydon the chance to go out the same way. But, Heydon said it all with his last words to the press: "Some things are just bigger than baseball."

Speculation has begun on Heydon's replacement. Top candidates are long-time minor league lieutenant Al Wavra, who has been in the organization since 1930 and has won five league titles, though the most recent win was in 1939. He is currently the manager at AAA Louisville. There is also a groundswell of support for current bench coach, and Keystones legend, Carl Ames to take over the reins. Ames retired in 1941 and has spent the last three years as bench coach.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

The Toronto Wolves had Ron Coles, Larry Vestal call it a career. Coles just returned from after missing 15 months with shoulder surgery. Call had Coles arm in the pen for the stretch run after a short rehab assignment in Buffalo. Coles himself admitted " I just don't have what it takes anymore. Time to move on." Coles spent just over 12 years in the FABL about half as a starter before moving to the 'pen in Detroit and Toronto. Ron was a member of two championship teams, 1936 with the Chiefs again in 1940 with Toronto.

Larry Vestal also had a 12 year career in the FABL, coming to Toronto in a December 1935 trade with Washington. Was a three time All-Star 1936, 1937, 1941 compiling a slash line of .288/.366/.425 in 6157 plate appearances. He was a key cog in the Wolves 1940 championship team. Vestal's bat lost some of its quickness beginning in '42 so much so that the last two seasons have been spent as an occasional starter. Always a fan favourite Vestal will be missed both by the fans and for his demeanor in the clubhouse. Vestal, it is rumoured, has been offered a job in the organization.

JERSEY RETIREMENT FITTING TRIBUTE FOR DAY

He only won 6 of his amazing 321 career FABL victories as a Cincinnati Cannon but the organization's announcement that Day's #23 will be retired by the club is a very deserving recognition. Day was a Cannons legend long before the club moved from Baltimore to Cincinnati and won 129 games and 2 Whitney Awards in his first tour with the franchise. In all he pitched for three organizations and won a WCS title with each of them, finishing his career with a Cannons title and will be forever remembered in Cincinnati for his amazing 4-hit shutout win in Game Two of the seies. Rabbit Day is a certain Hall of Famer and now will join Thomas Watkins and Powell Slocum as the only players to have their numbers retired by the organization.

*** CANNONS JOIN SELECT GROUP ***

Don't expect the Cannons brass to rest on their laurels next season. To a man everyone in the front office is offering the same thought "The job is not done." The job in question is to make history and join the 1924-26 New York Stars as the only teams to win 3 consecutive World Championship Series. Amazingly no one else has ever done. In fact the Cannons are now in a pretty exclusive group of teams that won 2 in a row. Only 8 teams have managed to win back to back WCS titles and the Cannons are just the third team to do it since 1908.
They are:
1895-96 New York Gothams
1899-1900 Chicago Cougars
1903-04 Boston Minutemen
1905-06 New York Stars
1907-08 Baltimore Clippers
1918-19 Detroit Dynamos
1924-26 New York Stars (3 in a row)
1943-44 Cincinnati Cannons

Three in a row will be very difficult as both the Chicago Cougars and Toronto Wolves are expected to be very good once again and the Philadelphia Sailors might also be a factor. Aside from Day, the Cannons do expect to have the exact same cast intact and the pitching staff will hopefully get a huge lift in a healthy Deuce Barrell and Vic Carroll. After the miracle turnaround this season I think it is unwise to say anything is beyond the Cannons grasp.

*** CALL ME A HOMER BUT ADAMS GETS MY VOTE ***

There is a lot of hot air blowing out of the Windy City about how Leo Mitchell deserves the Whitney Award this season. I don't buy it. Mitchell had a great year and won the batting title but I would place both Marcel Boismenu of the Sailors and our own Chuck Adams ahead of him. True that Mitchell was one of the few Cougars that did not completely collapse during their disasterous second half but Adams carried the Cannons offense for much of July and always seemed to deliver the key hit when needed in big games this season. His CA leading 23 homers and being the only player in baseball not named Barrell to drive in 100 runs gets him my votre.

The pitching award was a tough call but again I am going with the hometown hero and taking Butch Smith but ever so slightly over Harry Parker of the Cougars. He won't get much support but I could easily make a case -and have previously in this column- that Tom Barrell was the Cannons MVP and as such I am putting him third on my Allan Award ballot.

*** DOSE OF REALITY FOR TIGERS ***

After a completely unexpected 2-0 start the Cincinnati Tigers ran into a hot quarterback in Billy Bockhorst. The hero of the 1942 college football season for National Champion Noble Jones College had a rough rookie season but looked dominant in leading the Pittsburgh Paladins past the Tigers in AFA action yesterday. We knew there would be growing pains for infant franchise and should just be happy they started with a couple of wins as the next 3 weeks will be exceptionally tough with trips to Detroit, Chicago and Boston on the agenda and even when they return home again on November 12 it will be for their second meeting with the Maroons.

*** AVIATORS FLYING HIGH ***

There is growing support for The Pride of Parma to win the Christian Trophy this season. He will have some stiff competition on Rome State running machine Gus Thompson, but Central Ohio quarterback Jimmy Rhodes is the key reason a 2-6-1 Aviators grid squad a year ago is off to a 3-0 start this season after impressive wins over Great Lakes Alliance foes Western Iowa and Wisconsin State. Next up is a Great Lakes Naval Base team that is 4-0-1.

With vets retiring and more kids moving up it could be an interesting offseason for the New York Gothams. And now with the return of a lot of players just a season away teams may start maneuvering to avoid too much of a logjam. A busy winter? We'll see. The Gothams are open for business. Our goal is to position ourselves for the return of the military guys. Picks and players available. Will take back military players, prospects or vets in areas of need. (SP, CF, 3B)

• Doc Shaw of the Boston Globe summed up the Federal Association Whitney ballot perfectly when he wondered in his column if he "was the only one that wanted to only vote for Barrell for the Whitney and move on." It was a dominant season - one of the most dominant ever compared to his competition- for Barrell and clearly if there ever was an unanimous choice for an award it would be the Keystones slugger.
• If, or rather when, Barrell wins it will be the third Whitney for the 34 year old, tying him with his mentor and former teammate Rankin Kellogg. Only Max Morris (8), Al Wheeler (5), Powell Slocum and Ed Ziehl (4 each) have won more Whitneys.
• The other 3 award races promise to be very interesting with several viable options for each. The Fed Allen Award looks like a battle between Red Ross, Walt Wells and Buddy Long with Jim Lonardo likely also gaining some support. The CA hurler picture is just as murky with Butch Smith, Bernie Johnson, Jim Kenny, Harry Parker and Bob Walls all worthy of consideration while the Whitney in the Continental has 3 serious candidates in Marion Boismenu, Leo Mitchell and Chuck Adams.
• OSA updated it's prospect rankings and no surprise that the top minor league system belongs to the Detroit Dynamos with 3 of their 1944 draft picks cracking the top ten led by outfielder Edwin Hackberry as the number one prospect in the game according to the scouting service.
  Here is the latest top ten according to OSA
  

  	   TOP TEN OSA PROSPECTS
  #  POS  NAME		ORGANIZATION   AGE
  1  CF  Edwin Hackberry  Detroit		18
  2  P   Hal Hackney*	St Louis	23
  3  P   Duke Bybee*	Cougars		22
  4  P   Jerry York*	Toronto		23
  5  SS  Stan Kleminski   Detroit		17
  6  P   Richie Hughes*   Cleveland	21
  7  CF  George Rutter	Sailors		18
  8  SS  John Fast*	Toronto		21
  9  P   Carl Potter	Detroit		18
  10 P   Hiram Steinberg* Cleveland	22
     * serving in military

BOCKHORST LVING UP TO POTENTIAL

It may have taken a little while but the Pittsburgh Paladins are starting to see the payoff of drafting Billy Bockhorst first overall two years ago. Fresh off a Christian Trophy winning season in which he lead Noble Jones College to an undefeated campaign and a national title, Bockhorst was expected to be an immediate star in the AFA and lead the Pittsburgh eleven to success. They did improve a year ago with the rookie Bockhorst at the helm - going from a 1-9-1 year before he arrived to a 4-6 record last year. Bockhorst had his moments but was very inconsistent and had some awful outings as well inlcuding three starts when he threw 5 interceptions in each of them.

Passing was never his strong suit in college and Bockhorst could always be counted on to do more with his legs than his arm but that might just be changing. He has looked every bit the pro quarterback in leading the Paladins to a solid start and was a dual threat in their 17-10 win over Cincinnati yesterday. It was a game in which the true impact of Bockhorst skills was felt as the second year pro had a rare double-century: passing for 122 yards while rushing for 102 in the victory. Oh, and he also added a 25 yard field goal and kicked a pair of extra points so perhaps Bockhorst is actually a triple threat. The victory moves the Paladins into a second place tie with the expansion Tigers at 2-1, a half game back of the Detroit Maroons, who were idle this week.

Elsewhere, it has not been a good start to the season for either of the two participants in last year's championship game. There are likely signs of worry in Boston as the Americans fell for the second straight week and are 0-2. Bunky O'Neill's bunch looked uninspired in absorbing a 39-14 pasting from the Washington Wasps. The champion Chicago Wildcats were in the same boat entering the game but fans in the Windy City are finally breathing a little easier as the Wildcats ended their two game losing streak with a win in their home debut, pounding the combined Cleveland-St Louis entry 44-7.

The New York Football Stars and Brooklyn Kings traditionally play some very low-scoring affairs and Sunday was no different as Jerry McElheny's 1 yard run in the second quarter accounted for all the scoring in a 7-0 Stars victory.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
EAST DIVISION   W  L  T  PCT
Philadelphia	2  0  0  1.000 
New York	2  0  0  1.000
Washington	1  2  0  .333
Boston		0  2  0  .000
Brooklyn	0  3  0  .000

WEST DIVISION   W  L  T  PCT
Detroit		3  1  0  .750
Pittsburgh	2  1  0  .667
Cincinnati	2  1  0  .667
Chicago		1  2  0  .333
Clev/StLouis	1  2  0  .333

SUNDAY'S RESULT
Washington 39 Boston 14
Pittsburgh 17 Cincinnati 10
New York 7 Brooklyn 0
Chicago 44 Clev/StL 7

UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY OCTOBER 22
Washington at Philadelphia
Clev/StL at New York
Brooklyn at Boston
Cincinnati at Detroit

AFA LEADERS
SCORING		  PTS
Vaught, Det	   44
LaPage, Phi	   30
Owen, Det	   24
Lautzenheiser, Chi 18
Douglas, Was	   18
McElheny, NY	   18

PASSING		COMP-ATT  YDS   TD INT
Bockhorst, Pit   24-59    428    1   5
Coleman, Det     29-75    421    5  12 
Richards, Was    21-43    278    2   7
D Thomas, Bos    25-53    246    0   7     

RUSHING		  YDS  TD
McElheny, NY      232   3
Scharfenberg, Det 209   0
LePage, Phi   	  192   4
Buckner, Det      184   1

RECEIVING	CAT  TD
Vaught, Det      25   5
Douglas, Was     17   3
Hooper, Bkn      13   1
Martins, Bos     12   0

INERCEPTIONS	 #
Sutcliffe, ClSL   5
Renton, Det       3
Fykes, Cin        3
Benjamin, Phi     3

SERVICE ELEVENS CONTINUE HOT STREAK

Rome State and Annapolis Maritime continued their winning ways with each recording a convincing victory again this week. The Centurions received another big game from halfback Gus Thompson and fullback Chet Donelson as they hammered Pittsburgh State 53-0 to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Navigators are also 3-0 after they beat Carolina Poly by a 23-13 count. Both schools jumped out to the front of what is still a fairly long list of potential National Champions. That list includes St Blane as the Fighting Saints blanked Grafton 20-0 to up their record to 3-0. The three big teams from the Deep South Conference are also all 3-0 after Noble Jones College, Georgia Baptist and Cumberland all won on Saturday.

In the Middle West there may be a new team to watch beyond Minnesota Tech and Detroit City College. That would be Central Ohio as the Aviators are a perfect 3-0 with a 25-7 win over Wisconsin State on Saturday. Quarterback Jimmy Rhodes is throwing his hat in the ring of potential Christian Trophy candidates with another outstanding game that saw him throw a pair of touchdown passes and make two interceptions while on the defensive side of the ball.

WEEKEND RESULTS
Rome State 53 Pittsburgh State 0
St. Blane 20 Grafton 0
Central Ohio 25 Wisconsin State 7
Liberty College 14 Frankford State 10
Annapolis Maritime 23 Carolina Poly 13
Detroit City College 42 St. Magnus 3
Minnesota Tech 38 Daniel Boone College 20
George Fox 17 Henry Hudson 0
Noble Jones College 38 Central Kentucky 7
Georgia Baptist 34 Opelika State 0
Great Lakes Navy 61 Bliss College 0
St. Patrick's 17 Penn Catholic 0
Lincoln 40 Western Iowa 6
Indiana A&M 43 College of Omaha 0
Whitney College 31 Iowa Pre-Flight 31
Iowa A&M 51 Lawrence State 0
Pierpont 13 Richmond State 0
Cumberland 48 Western Florida 0
Travis College 31 Oklahoma City State 20
Bayou State 16 Darnell State 14
Red River State 14 Baton Rouge State 6
Maryland State 9 Huntington State 7
Payne State 55 College of Waco 13
Commonwealth Catholic 38 Elmhurst College 9
Mountainview State 27 Mile High State 7
Alabama Baptist 59 Reuben College 0
Canyon A&M 28 Amarillo Field 21
Northern California 24 College of San Diego 3
Coast Guard 16 Troy State (NY) 7
Brunswick 10 Empire State 6
Boulder State 24 Provo Tech 14
Lambert College 21 Wichita Baptist 3
Lubbock Field 27 Beaumont Hospital 3
Wisconsin Catholic 30 Chesterton 10
St. Ignatius 21 Eastern Kansas 3
Northern Mississippi 40 Arkansas A&T-Monticello 0
Arkansas A&T 14 Norman Naval Air Station 14
North Carolina Tech 20 Cherry Point Marines 0
Eastern State 30 North Carolina Pre-Flight 0
Charleston Tech 13 Salisbury Christian 0
Edgemoor 17 Charleston (IL) 13
Randolph Field 37 Texas Gulf Coast 0
Hampden-Sydney 17 Petersburg 14
Second Air Force 58 South Valley State 0
Coastal California 40 Golden Gate University Pre-Flight 6
Eastern Virginia 28 St. Pancras 21
Conwell College 27 Bigsby College 13
CC Los Angeles 27 Golden Gate University 0
Cache Valley 31 Idaho Marines 10
Cowpens State 23 Alexandria 0
Rainier College 34 Whitman 0
Fort Warren 27 Snake River State 21
Alameda Coast Guard 16 March Field 14

TALENT NO WORRY TO NEW GRID LOOP

The promoter of the new United States Football League say he is not worried about any lack of player talent for the 10 teams with plans to start next fall. Roland D. Payne, the Pittsburgh-based organizer of the proposed circuit, said that replies from questionnaires sent to some 1,500 members of most college and service teams in the country "indicate there'll be plenty of material available."

"We are operating in competition with, not opposition, to the American Football Association and we believe there's enough room for one than one major league," Payne said.

BOXING RESULTS

Middleweight fighter John Johnson ran his record as a pro to 14-2 with a 7th round TKO of Dan Hartley in a fight in Los Angeles on October 15. It was the 29 year old St Louis native's first pro bout since July of 1941 but the second time he had a lengthy layoff. Johnson made his debut as a 19 year old in 1934 and won his first six bouts but dropped out of the boxing scene and did not resurface again until late 1938. He had some potential in his early days and may well be a pugilist to watch but certainly not a serious contender for the middleweight crown.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 10/15/1944

• One thousand US planes, greatest air fleet ever massed in the Pacific, launched an all-out assault today against Japan's island fortress of Formosa on the northern approaches to the Philippines. The attack reportedly destroyed 35 Japanese ships and 221 warplanes.
• General Eisenhower expressed "complete confidence to see this war through to final victory" but warned that, while victory is certain, "we have a hard job ahead" noting that the if the Gestapo pistol were not now being held at the back of the German people and soldiers, there would not be enough Germans resisting to prolong the war.
• A congressional battle over American participation in the new League of Nations is expected as President Roosevelt committed his administration to a plan "to establish solid foundations of the peace organization without further delay and without waiting until the end of the hostilities." Opponents want it postponed until after the final peace treaties are signed.
• Despite previous Democratic reports that President Roosevelt would make no campaign speeches in public halls, party leaders today are reported confident he will refute Governor Dewey's assertions that his administration is "tired" with a speaking tour that may equal FDR's travels in 1932 and 1936.