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Jiggs McGee · 01-09-2023, 02:15 PM

MAY 21, 1945

SPORTS FACING LAPSE UNLESS JAPS FOLD SOON, ODT WARNS

Sports will 'be lucky' to play out regular schedules this summer and fall, unless Japan quickly folds up, relieving the burden on transportation, says ODT Director J. Monroe Johnson. It already has been demonstrated in redeployment following Germany's defeat, Johnson said today, that the "impact on sports like everything else will be terrific."

Going over the sports situation in an interview, Johnson commented that:
There is a good chance that the World Championship Series may need to be contested entirely in one city and we are considering a tentative recommendation to cancel the FABL all-star game, set for July 10 at Cougars Park in Chicago.

The major horse racing events will be allowed to continue but aside from that virtually all horse travel for track to track will cease.

All college football games must be played on the 'home' field of one of the competing teams. That includes the Rome State-Annapolis Maritime game, played at Baltimore last season as a War Loan feature. The college all-star game in Chicago and similar contests will be out and there is a good chance the New Year's classic games will also need to be scuttled.

"And even if Japan quits by next September, it will be about six months before we recover enough to help anybody," Johnson said. "The only hope is for the Japanese to see the light in the next six weeks or so."

Johnson's remarks struck the sports world like a bucket of ice water.

With the lifting of the ban on horse racing, rescission of the War Department's regulations on 4-F professional athletes and easing other Government restrictions, athletic leaders had felt more optimistic about the future than at almost any other time during the war.

"Everything not dedicated strictly to the war will have to get out of the way and we haven't got time to argue," Johnson emphasized. "No one would be happier that if we could cut all wartime travel restrictions," he added, "but the brutal, inescapable fact is that due to greater transportation demands ahead we must be prepared for further curtailment."

The Pacific coast will be "a particularly acute area" in this country's redeployment of armed forces and some football games out there including the East-West Classic "may be out," Johnson said.

IMPACT OF REDEPOLYMENT ON CLUBS UNKNOWN

Military redeployment with the end of the war in Europe finds baseball confused today - with clubs not knowing whether to make preparations for the return of some of its stars-in-service or adopt a wait and see policy. Buoyed up by the announcement that approximately 1,300,000 men would be discharged during the next 12 months, baseball officials reasonably believed that some players would be among them.

However, it was learned that only a few players have sufficient points to be eligible for discharge and even those might be kept in service for the war against Japan. One of the longest serving ballplayers is Fred McCormick, whom the Toronto Wolves had expected back in their infield before the close of the season, already has been assigned to the recreational program in Europe and many others have been appointed to various Navy and Army ballclubs to help entertain the millions of troops waiting for transport from the European continent. So far there has been no word from military officials either way on when, or if, any ballplayers will be allowed to return to the big leagues.

BARRELL'S BAT CARRIES KEYSTONES ON 9-GAME STREAK

Not that he has ever really cooled off but Whitney Award winning outfielder Bobby Barrell hit a higher gear the past week and a half, batting .530 over a recent 12-game stretch that included a 9-game winning streak for his Philadelphia Keystones. Barrell, who was named Federal Association player of the week for the 23rd time in his career, boosted his season average to .364 with a Fed best 8 homers while also driving in 30 and may be well on his way to becoming the first player to win the triple crown in consecutive seasons since Max Morris did it in 1921-22.

As for the Keystones, well they sit just a game behind first place Detroit after making up 5 games on the leaders during their 9 game winning streak that began with a doubleheader sweep in the Motor City last Sunday and included 4 straight wins in Chicago followed by 3 in St Louis before dropping the back end of a twin bill to the last place Pioneers yesterday afternoon.

Like the Keystones, the road was kind to Toronto and Cincinnati last week as each club got hot and now hold down the top two spots in a Continental Association race that is beginning to separate itself out. Seven wins in their last 8 games has the Wolves up by a game and a half on Cincinnati as the Cannons had to settle for 6 wins in their 8 road contests last week. The Chicago Cougars dropped 3 of 4 to the visiting Cannons on the weekend but are still just 2 games back.

The strong starts Montreal and Brooklyn enjoyed appear to have given way to the grim reality of what was expected this season from the two clubs -a likely spot in the second division. The Kings got off to a strong 10-5 start in April but had dropped 10 of their last 12 before sweeping the Sunday doubleheader in Cleveland. The Saints had won 6 straight over Chicago in the opening week and a half of the season but are 11-17 against everyone else and their pitching staff is struggling.

Here come the Keystones. Now over .500 for the season at 18-14, and just 1 game behind Detroit.

George M Brooks had a bad start to Spring Training and new manager Otto Schmidt relegated him to the bullpen. Gene White essentially won his rotation spot, but after the first couple of weeks, Schmidt wisely put Brooks back in the rotation, where he has gone 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last four starts, all Keystones victories.

Brooks (2.23 season ERA) is the class of the pitching staff to this point, but all five starters have contributed to a FA-best ERA of 2.94 over the first fifth of the season, including a 3.13 ERA by the starters. Another encouraging sign for Philadelphia is their road record and the amount of home games to come. The Keystones are 14-9 away from Broad Street and have only played nine home games. The bad news there is their 4-5 record at home. They will get some home cooking over the next two weeks, kicking off a 15-game homestand with a four-game set on Wednesday against the Chiefs.
*** Melanson is a Fighter To Root For ***

It has been an awful long time since our city hosted a World Title Fight so it is no surprise that tickets for the Archie Rees- Frank Melanson scuffle on June 9 are selling briskly. Sailors Park will be the site and the most surprising thing about the bout may well be that you will likely see an awful lot of Philadelphians pulling for a Pittsburgh guy. That would never wash at Broad Street Park of course, but the folks that frequent Soldiers & Sailors Stadium never encounter those loudmouth Miners fans so they can be forgiven for hitching their wagon to Frank Melanson.

Despite being from Pittsburgh, Melanson really is the kind of guy our city can get behind. He will be a bigtime underdog against The Tadcaster Thunderbolt so he will need all the fan support he can get. Melanson, who turned 28 a couple of weeks ago, never imagined he would be in this position. He has been fighting for nearly a decade, and with some good success but he has spent more time on the factory floor than in the gym -even as his stock as a middleweight began to rise. Melanson has never lost a fight, and his only blemish in 29 pro bouts is draw with Irving Weather in a 6-round bout when he was still a teenager, but he rarely fought anyone of quality. There were a few exceptions of course, such as in 1940 when he won a decision over Detroiter Brooks O'Connor but he drew little attention until he soundly defeated Vic Woodley in 1943.

His career was expected to pick up at that point but the war took away his fighting time. He is color-blind so Melanson was 4-F so he did not go overseas, but he started working in a Pittsburgh factory and fought just once in nearly two years. Then came a 4th round knockout of Andy Hammon in a fight in the Steel City in February which drew some notice. Meanwhile Archie Rees knocked out Tommy Erwin at the Bigsby Garden in March and his handlers were looking for another big payday or two before he headed back across the Atlantic. There were talks with O'Connor's camp and also John Edmonds but it appeared Rees opponent would be Todd Gill - the Hartford pugilist with a 19-1-4 record, a big right hand and an ego that is even bigger. They haggled over money to the point that Rees' camp gave up. Melanson's name was mentioned as well as his unbeaten record and a day later the contract was signed.

Most expect this will just be another easy payday for Rees -just as the Erwin fight in March was- and Gill will likely be next on the agenda before Rees returns to England. Everyone that is except Melanson, who managed to get 3 weeks off work in order to focus solely on the biggest moment of his career. "I'm aiming to win this thing," was one of the few sentences the soft-spoken middleweight uttered during our sit down. So far, no one has proven him wrong before, but the stage is just a little bigger this time and the stakes an awful lot higher.

WOLVES AFTER THE WAR

With all the jubilation, relief sweeping the world after the fall of the Nazi Regime in Europe let's turn our gaze forward and take a look at possibilities for your Wolves if or when players start to return to the team from this global nightmare. Canada has suffered through the war shortages, rationing, extended work hours, fear of the fate of family members since September 1939. Finally there is a ray of light, bringing hope, as the world approaches the end of this long dark tunnel known as World War II. There has already been a small trickle of players returning to baseball from the various branches of the services hopefully this trickle will soon turn into a flood of ball players returning to Canadian or USA based teams in the hope of resuming an interrupted career.

For this exercise we will take a look at Toronto only at the FABL level by position. To go beyond that would be a futile exercise, an attempt to fit all of the current 95 serving players under contract to the Wolves back into the organization would be akin to pounding square pegs into round holes over and over and over again, an exercise in futility. This is a job for the front office staff, some of whom are rewarded handsomely by Owner Millard, but is still a herculean task. You can be sure that this task has been on-going for years, but one can also surmise that the Wolves level of planning has stepped up since last June's D-Day landings with constant revisions being made to the plan. Minor league staff was told over the winter that the season would start with shorter rosters to give players somewhat of a last chance to prove their worth in the organization.

I have made it a point of focusing on what they have when talking the Toronto Wolves pennant prospects, but let's change things up and focus our gaze on a look the 'what ifs' instead of the 'what is' we have concentrated on over the past number of years at Toronto's Major League possible roster:

Catcher: Can Packy Peck reclaim his role as Howerton's tool caddy as he was in 1941 before enlisting in the US Army after the Pearl Harbour attack? With Howerton, 35, starting to age or is the team better off continuing to groom Walter Loera, 26, as the heir apparent behind the plate?

First Base: This is the one all of Toronto, if not all of baseball, is waiting for, the return of Fred McCormick who left baseball just over 4 years ago, 12 May 41, before the USA had officially joined the hostilities. At 35 can this two-time Whitney Award winner return to somewhere even close to his before the war, almost certain first ballot HOF, play or has the war robbed him of his prime playing days? There is no doubt Wolves will give Fred every chance to carry on where he left off in 1941. This move would mean that Walter Pack would move across the diamond to play the hot corner after McCormick has had a chance to work himself back into shape with a stint at Buffalo. When players start to return expect many to start with a short stint in the high minors.

Second Base: This would interesting situation in Toronto, they have two players of proven major league caliber, Hal Wood, Mike Rollinson attached to the military. Both of these players are proven to be at or near .300 hitters. Can either or both be left off the big league roster? What does this mean for Wayne Henderson, 31, who finally got his chance in the big leagues in which he has proved himself even with the obvious decline in over talent in the FABL?

Third Base: As mentioned McCormick's return would probably move Pack to third. Having Ockie Holliday as depth gives a stronger, deeper team.

Shortstop: Charlie Artuso has a hammer lock on this position for the immediately future. Looking further ahead management would be keeping a close eye on John Fast, #6 overall prospect, to monitor, try to quicken his development as the short stop of the future.

When all players start returning the numbers game begins, for everyone added at the top level someone has to leave the roster. Probable players leaving Toronto would be Al Jensen, who helped the team during the war, Frank Huddleston, who, if rumours are true has refused demotion a couple of times over the years, even when the sweetener of coaching job after his retirement was added to the package. Where does this leave Joe Bell who has no options left for an assignment to the minors?

Leftfield: Juan Pomales would be a fan favourite to continue as an everyone starter. With that said what does the team do with "Mr. Versatile" Tom Frederick? Frederick can cover any of the outfield positions along with first or second. Surely there has to be a spot on the big league roster for this two-time all-star.

Centerfield: Chink Stickels, 33, may see more off-days in center with the return of Frederick.

Rightfield: Does Hank Giordano return immediately to right field from the US Army displacing Gus Hull? Hank took over the job in the second half of '42 before his country called, an interesting although another good problem for the Wolves.
Ed Marshall would probably be the odd-man out with the return of players.

Starting Pitchers: How would the fans like to come to Dominion Field knowing that Call would sending one of George Garrison, Joe Hancock, Bernie Johnson, Jim Laurita, or Jim Morrison to the hill to begin the game? This rotation would definitely strike fear into the hearts of the opposition CA hitters although it comes with some downside. Who has to leave the organization? Brett could see Chick Wirtz going to the 'pen which would be welcome this season. What becomes of Bob Walls?

Bullpen: If Wirtz becomes a reliever, shutdown artist Lou Jayson returns to the fold it leaves the quartet of Billy Crosby, Cookie Meyer, Roscoe Zeller, Phil English fighting for one or two roster spots.

I am sure this will spark much debate among the faithful. This is a cautionary tale but one must remember that even if the Toronto roster looks like a powerhouse, on paper, 15 other FABL teams will see the same types of club upgrades with the end of the fighting in the Pacific. There will always be winners and losers in these situations, the major question would be which teams are the biggest winners or losers? The only sure thing is that the overall quality, at all levels, of baseball will be markedly improved for the fans.

I can also foresee the days with a lot of player movement either via the trade route or waive wire acquisitions. The end of fighting will bring about a whole new, better, ballgame.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH BUTCH SMITH?

Cannons fans are asking that question in ever-increasing numbers as Smith continued his awful start to the campaign with perhaps the worst outing of his career last week when he was torched for 7 runs -6 earned- and 11 hits and did not survive the third inning of a 7-5 loss to Montreal. The 33 year old went 19-10 with a 2.19 era in winning the Allen Award as the top pitcher in the Continental Association and the way he stepped up to replace an injured Deuce Barrell as the staff ace may have contributed more to the Cannons second straight World Championship Series win than any other player.

After a dream 1944 season, 1945 has been a nightmare for the 33 year old former third round pick out of Sadler College. He has never had a worse stretch in his 8 year big league career than the 0-5, 5.01 start to this seson. This after winning at least 17 games four of the previous 5 seasons.

What has gone wrong is painfully obvious, and Cannons brass remain hopeful the laws of average will take over and things will balance out for righthander. Smith is walking a few more batters than last season, but is well below his career average in that category. He is actually fanning more this year than he did in any of this three previous seasons. He has allowed only 2 homeruns and is not on a pace noticeably higher than previous seasons. The difference is base hits. Balls that did not get through last year are finding holes this time around. A year ago opposition batters hit just .237 against him on balls batted in to play. That was the lowest total among pitching qualifiers in the CA and even better than his solid .261 career number in that mark. But this year through his first 50 innings it has ballooned to .337, a full 100 points higher.

Jack Cleaves is now spending most of the time at second base with Tony White in the Army. Cleaves is not an elite defender by any stretch of the imagination at this stage of his career, and certainly not of the caliber that White was playing half the games at second base last season but surely that can't be the issue. None of the other Cannons pitchers have noticed major increases in opposition hits. The problem, at least at this stage of the season, is Smith's alone.

One of those fancy 'modern' stats dreamed up by Percy Sutherland's nephew at Whitney College is called Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP. Without boring you on the details it is a calculation to determine how a pitcher should perform with an average defense behind him. Here is where the ray of hope shines through for Ad Doria and the Cannons coaching staff. According to that number Smith's era should be 3.24, not quite as good as the 3.00 in that category his Allen Award winning campaign yielded, but good enough for the Cannons brass to likely try and weather the storm a little longer and keep Smith in the rotation.
*** Un-Barrell-able For Opponents ***

Speaking of the rotation, do you think Ad Doria has finally realized that Tom Barrell does not like pitching out of the pen. As a Cannon starter, the veteran righthander is 15-5 with a 2.65 era. Out of the pen his era is 5.28. Doria confirms that Tom will stay in the rotation for the long haul. Speaking of Barrell, his nephew Deuce tossed a 3-hit shutout in his second start of the season, blanking Chicago 1-0 in a terrific pitching duel with Rusty Petrick that lowered Barrell's era to under 1.00.
*** Tigers Having Trouble Rounding Out Squad ***

Cincinnati Tigers head coach Jack Conn insists its nothing to worry about but does admit the club is not seeing many signed contracts returned from players in anticipation of the 1945 American Football Association season. "It's a league-wide concern, from what I hear," admits the veteran coach as he looks forward towards the expansion Tigers second season. "Not just us, but everyone seems to say the same thing. But I am confident we will have a full roster come camp in August."

No key contributors have opted out as of yet, but several fringe players from last year's club that posted an impressive 4-6 mark in its debut have stated they are not returning to play football in 1945. "A couple of guys landed some pretty decent jobs and feel that is better for them in the long term," admitted Conn before adding "and to be honest I can't blame that all for doing what they feel is best for their families."

Add in the impact of the war and Selective Service, which claimed a couple of more players last December, along with competition for talent from two proposed new rival leagues and it is easy to see why filling the training camp roster might be a little more difficult for all AFA clubs this season.

Conn has towed the league line in saying the Continental Football Conference has not had an impact but privately admits that is the reason many players remain unsigned. Those in the know say the CFC clubs have deep pockets and are not afraid to throw some pretty big contracts in an effort to lure players to jump leagues.
*** Cardinals Flying South To Texas ***

The Queen City basketball squad has confirmed it will not play in a pre-season tournament when the AIAA hits the hardwood in November. The Monarchs, who went to California last year for the West Coast Classic, revealed that they did not get an invitation to any of the early cage tournaments. Ohio Poly -fresh off that outstanding run to the national title game in April- has been invited and will participate in one of the early tournaments for the first time in 3 years. The Cardinals are heading to Houston where they will take part in the Heart of Texas pre-season showdown.

It might be a rebuilding year for the Toledo school as three starters - leading scorer Jack Simons as well as point guard Dan Austin and forward Everett Rambo- are lost to graduation, which means 72 year old coach Hawk Pizzo will have his work cut out for him. Pizzo is hoping for big things from towering center Scottie Franks and junior forward Billy Archer, a Cincinnati native who played sparingly his first two seasons but according to Pizzo "shows great promise."

FABL officials say that the shortage of balls and bats at the youth level has become so acute that it endangers the future of baseball. They plan to appeal to the Government for assistance because, in the words of Philadelphia Keystones owner Edward Meachum "this scarcity of playing equipment is being felt by the kids, cutting right at the very roots of the game." High School and sandlot coaches in various parts of the country have written to the majors for help. Many are down to a few battered leftover balls and patched up bats.
Plenty of plaudtis coming in for Ben Turner after the long-time Cleveland Foresters pitcher announced this would be his final season. A pair of his former GM's spoke highly of him with the current Stars boss fondly remember Turner's career best 22 win season to help lead Cleveland to a second straight pennant in 1935 and the current Detroit GM talking about how he tried to acquire Turner after he left the Foresters for the Motor City. Selected by the Cougars in the 9th round of the 1926 FABL draft, Turner was traded twice as a minor leaguer but spent his entire big league career with the Foresters. At press time he is 3 wins shy of 150 for his career with a 147-155 record.
When looking back at the two Foresters pennants in the mid-30s', many talk about key offensive pickups that netted Max Morris, T.R. Goins and Charlie Barry but a 1931 trade with the Gothams proved to be very crucial to the Foresters run. That was a deal that saw them send Joe Perret to the Big Apple in exchange for 3 prospects including a pair of pitchers by the names of Ben Turner and Dean Astle. Turner would go 30-11 over those two pennant seasons while Astle went 33-19. Both were minor league prospects at the time of the trade. The trade did not hurt New York too badly either, as the Gothams were Cleveland's opponent both years and Perret, while traded to Brooklyn before the '35 campaign, did play a big role on the '34 Gothams.
Add 39 year old Gene Stevens to the list of veterans planning on retiring at the end of the season, when it is anticipated most of the players off to war will return. Stevens has spent the past six season in Pittsburgh after beginning his big league career with 8 years pitching for the New York Stars. He is 108-97 for his career including 1-2 for the Miners this season.
he Chicago Cougars have announced that current 24th ranked prospect George Oddo will have his contract purchased, and will be set to debut against the Cannons on May 27th. The 22-year-old righty was superb in six starts for AAA Milwaukee, allowing two or fewer runs in each start. Oddo is a prefect 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA (279 ERA+), 0.83 WHIP, 15 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. Cougar Manager Clyde Meyer hopes the former 8th Rounder is ready to stick, and he'll likely hold the five spot throughout the rest of the season.
From Brett Bing in Toronto: The Wolves enjoyed their visit into the Big Apple going 7-1 against the Kings, Stars. Call and Nichols lean on Juan Pomales to hopefully right the ship in the 'pen,. Pomales shows his value as a two-way performer as he picks up two wins, saves another without giving up a run in 9 2/3 innings. Walt Pack earns POTW honours with a .484/.529/.774 slash line in NYC. With the war travel rules still in effect the schedule has the Wolves at home for their next 25 games they do not leave Toronto until mid-June. What follows is a 24 game road trip that lasts until the All-Star Game.
Marc McNeil of The Montreal Star notes an interesting fact this season on the Saints... SP Karl Weiss is showing a 5-0 record in 7 starts. Filling in for DeYoung or feeling the pressure of players coming back from the war soon? He needs to play on the edge to keep the spot in the rotation. Because when Doyle, Cupid, Reif coming back it will leave little space for a spot in starting 5. Also, waiver pick SP Ben Watkins is holding the fort for DeYoung showing 2-0 record with 17 IP in 2 starts. He was lucky with good run support in both games, but good enough to get the win. the 35 years old veteran will get another start next week.
Stars hurler Dixie Lee has proven the war hasnt slowed him down one bit. Currently on a hot streak to start the season 5-0 in 7 games. So far all 5 wins have been complete games including a 10 inning 2-1 win over Cincinnati.
The Chicago Chiefs ran into a buzz saw into Philadelphia last week. Since dropping both ends of a doubleheader to the Minutemen on May 6th, the Keystones are 11-3. The good news for Chiefs fans is The Polish Hammer is back! After a month in Fort Wayne where he hit .337/.394/.533, Dick Blaszak is on his way back to Chicago.
A better week for the New York Gothams, who take 3 of 4 from Pittsburgh before splitting a 4-game series with Washington. Rookie manager Bud Jameson is hoping the Gothams could just string two good weeks together. If so, they might move into the top half of the FA. There is some optimism in the organization as they have some young pitchers doing well in the minors. Not so much on the offensive side, except 1B which is kind of pointless for them with Red Johnson expected to stick around for a while.

COLLISION BETWEEN COLLEGE AND PRO FOOTBALL SERIOUS

A storm is brewing as a battle between college and pro football may soon batter the grid sport. At the eye of this event is the men expected to soon return from war duty. Many will still have college eligibility left, leaving as freshman and sophomores to join the military. They will return much older than the average student but will still have plenty of eligibility to suit up for old Rah Rah Tech. The issue is with the Continental Football Conference now ready to join the American Football Association at the play for pay table, these top-flight former Army and Navy will have choices to make.

The college coaches who lost them to the war effort as underclassmen, hoped to have these men available again - perhaps as early as this fall. But with the pros also in the mix the college bosses are seeing where many a promising gridder no longer will leave his footprints on the campus grass. Instead the lure of a decent paycheck might be too much to turn down.

The college ranks believe these men should be graduated before moving over to the pro ranks. The pros take the angle that any number of these servicement are not going back to college but will be out to make all the money they can get. The pro argument is that if one club doesn't hustle to sign these stars, some other club from their own or a rival league will.
*** Many Don't Plan to Return to College ***

We put this problem up to Col. Eskie Clark, well known for his deep interest in college sport, now one of the leaders in promoting war athletics for several million servicemen in Europe and the South Pacific.

"It's a difficult situation," Col. Clark said. "We all know that any number of good football players, now in the Army and Navy, will want to play pro football when released from war duty and make all the money they can. Many have married. A good number have other financial obligations. Many have no idea of returning to college. But I think this choice should be left to the individual player. He shouldn't be approached by pro scouts when he has one, two or even three college years left. He shouldn't be over-proselyted. But if he decides that he isn't going back to college, then the pro management with whom he might be connected should take up the matter with his college athletic director and work the problem out."

"No one can blame any of these returning or discharged fighting men from making their own choice. They all are entitled to handle their own future. Many who now are only in the very early 20s in reality are much older than the average person of 25. But I don't believe in the pros raiding with big offers. That easily might affect their judgement. I'm for the servicemen making their own choice without pressure."

A quiet week in the ring with only two fights of note. On Tuesday night in Brooklyn, 27 year old welterweight Dale Roy claimed a technical knockout win over Jeff Wolf. Roy, a Binghampton, NY native who was declared 4-F by the military and has been working in the Brooklyn shipyards throughout the war, has been pretty active the past few years and improved his mark to 19-5 with 14 wins coming by stoppage. For the 28 year old Wolf it was his return to the ring after a 4-year absence during which time the New York native was in the Coast Guard. Many felt Wolf had a bright future before the war but he looked very rusty in the bout with Roy, one that he was favoured in. Wolf is now 10-2 for his professional career.

The other bout was the headline event in a rather pedestrian card at the small stage in Bigsby Garden this week with journeyman heavyweight Len Black destroying Willie Snook with a first round knockout. Black, a 35 year old native of Florida is 18-17-3 while Snook falls to 23-12. It marked the second time in just over 2 months that the Owensboro, Ky. 30 year old was the victim of an early knockout.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 5/20/1945

Japanese resistance on Okinawa finally showed the first signs of cracking yesterday as US 10th Army Marines and soldiers threw their full weight against strong enemy defenses along the five-mile line in the bloody struggle that has taken over 48,000 and Japanese lives and 8,310 Americans. Okinawa remains a crucial objective due to it's strategic proximity to China, Formosa and the Japan home islands.
The rift over Poland appears wider after Russian Premier Stalin outlined his demands of what his government wants in any reorganization of the Polish Government. Stalin expressed believe the Polish question could be solved "by agreement among the Allies," but only on the fulfillment of certain conditions that Russia would not waver on.
The Anglo-American dispute with Yugoslavia over its occupation of parts of Italy and Austria grew more serious when the United State flat out rejected the Yugoslav proposal for a settlement, declaring it would not work. This just a few hours after the Allied Commander in chief in the Mediterranean theater, charged that Marshall Tito was attempting to establish Yugoslav claims in Italy by the use of force. Both the United States and Britain have held that the border dispute must be fixed at the peace table.
Strict secrecy surrounding another surrendered Nazi submarine which arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire this week. Heavy baggage, mysterious passengers and the escort of five navy technicians lent support that it was headed for Japan when overtaken by the navy. Speculation abounds that it carries Nazi war secrets for the Japanese. There were two Japanese passangers aboard the U-boat but they had committed hari-kari, according to the Germans, after the decision to surrender was made.
Positive news as the United States, Britain and Russia are close to an agreement on how to occupy Germany.

01-09-2023, 02:15 PM	#607
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	May 21, 1945 MAY 21, 1945 SPORTS FACING LAPSE UNLESS JAPS FOLD SOON, ODT WARNS Sports will 'be lucky' to play out regular schedules this summer and fall, unless Japan quickly folds up, relieving the burden on transportation, says ODT Director J. Monroe Johnson. It already has been demonstrated in redeployment following Germany's defeat, Johnson said today, that the "impact on sports like everything else will be terrific." Going over the sports situation in an interview, Johnson commented that: There is a good chance that the World Championship Series may need to be contested entirely in one city and we are considering a tentative recommendation to cancel the FABL all-star game, set for July 10 at Cougars Park in Chicago. The major horse racing events will be allowed to continue but aside from that virtually all horse travel for track to track will cease. All college football games must be played on the 'home' field of one of the competing teams. That includes the Rome State-Annapolis Maritime game, played at Baltimore last season as a War Loan feature. The college all-star game in Chicago and similar contests will be out and there is a good chance the New Year's classic games will also need to be scuttled. "And even if Japan quits by next September, it will be about six months before we recover enough to help anybody," Johnson said. "The only hope is for the Japanese to see the light in the next six weeks or so." Johnson's remarks struck the sports world like a bucket of ice water. With the lifting of the ban on horse racing, rescission of the War Department's regulations on 4-F professional athletes and easing other Government restrictions, athletic leaders had felt more optimistic about the future than at almost any other time during the war. "Everything not dedicated strictly to the war will have to get out of the way and we haven't got time to argue," Johnson emphasized. "No one would be happier that if we could cut all wartime travel restrictions," he added, "but the brutal, inescapable fact is that due to greater transportation demands ahead we must be prepared for further curtailment." The Pacific coast will be "a particularly acute area" in this country's redeployment of armed forces and some football games out there including the East-West Classic "may be out," Johnson said. IMPACT OF REDEPOLYMENT ON CLUBS UNKNOWN Military redeployment with the end of the war in Europe finds baseball confused today - with clubs not knowing whether to make preparations for the return of some of its stars-in-service or adopt a wait and see policy. Buoyed up by the announcement that approximately 1,300,000 men would be discharged during the next 12 months, baseball officials reasonably believed that some players would be among them. However, it was learned that only a few players have sufficient points to be eligible for discharge and even those might be kept in service for the war against Japan. One of the longest serving ballplayers is Fred McCormick, whom the Toronto Wolves had expected back in their infield before the close of the season, already has been assigned to the recreational program in Europe and many others have been appointed to various Navy and Army ballclubs to help entertain the millions of troops waiting for transport from the European continent. So far there has been no word from military officials either way on when, or if, any ballplayers will be allowed to return to the big leagues. BARRELL'S BAT CARRIES KEYSTONES ON 9-GAME STREAK Not that he has ever really cooled off but Whitney Award winning outfielder Bobby Barrell hit a higher gear the past week and a half, batting .530 over a recent 12-game stretch that included a 9-game winning streak for his Philadelphia Keystones. Barrell, who was named Federal Association player of the week for the 23rd time in his career, boosted his season average to .364 with a Fed best 8 homers while also driving in 30 and may be well on his way to becoming the first player to win the triple crown in consecutive seasons since Max Morris did it in 1921-22. As for the Keystones, well they sit just a game behind first place Detroit after making up 5 games on the leaders during their 9 game winning streak that began with a doubleheader sweep in the Motor City last Sunday and included 4 straight wins in Chicago followed by 3 in St Louis before dropping the back end of a twin bill to the last place Pioneers yesterday afternoon. Like the Keystones, the road was kind to Toronto and Cincinnati last week as each club got hot and now hold down the top two spots in a Continental Association race that is beginning to separate itself out. Seven wins in their last 8 games has the Wolves up by a game and a half on Cincinnati as the Cannons had to settle for 6 wins in their 8 road contests last week. The Chicago Cougars dropped 3 of 4 to the visiting Cannons on the weekend but are still just 2 games back. The strong starts Montreal and Brooklyn enjoyed appear to have given way to the grim reality of what was expected this season from the two clubs -a likely spot in the second division. The Kings got off to a strong 10-5 start in April but had dropped 10 of their last 12 before sweeping the Sunday doubleheader in Cleveland. The Saints had won 6 straight over Chicago in the opening week and a half of the season but are 11-17 against everyone else and their pitching staff is struggling. Here come the Keystones. Now over .500 for the season at 18-14, and just 1 game behind Detroit. George M Brooks had a bad start to Spring Training and new manager Otto Schmidt relegated him to the bullpen. Gene White essentially won his rotation spot, but after the first couple of weeks, Schmidt wisely put Brooks back in the rotation, where he has gone 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last four starts, all Keystones victories. Brooks (2.23 season ERA) is the class of the pitching staff to this point, but all five starters have contributed to a FA-best ERA of 2.94 over the first fifth of the season, including a 3.13 ERA by the starters. Another encouraging sign for Philadelphia is their road record and the amount of home games to come. The Keystones are 14-9 away from Broad Street and have only played nine home games. The bad news there is their 4-5 record at home. They will get some home cooking over the next two weeks, kicking off a 15-game homestand with a four-game set on Wednesday against the Chiefs. * Melanson is a Fighter To Root For * It has been an awful long time since our city hosted a World Title Fight so it is no surprise that tickets for the Archie Rees- Frank Melanson scuffle on June 9 are selling briskly. Sailors Park will be the site and the most surprising thing about the bout may well be that you will likely see an awful lot of Philadelphians pulling for a Pittsburgh guy. That would never wash at Broad Street Park of course, but the folks that frequent Soldiers & Sailors Stadium never encounter those loudmouth Miners fans so they can be forgiven for hitching their wagon to Frank Melanson. Despite being from Pittsburgh, Melanson really is the kind of guy our city can get behind. He will be a bigtime underdog against The Tadcaster Thunderbolt so he will need all the fan support he can get. Melanson, who turned 28 a couple of weeks ago, never imagined he would be in this position. He has been fighting for nearly a decade, and with some good success but he has spent more time on the factory floor than in the gym -even as his stock as a middleweight began to rise. Melanson has never lost a fight, and his only blemish in 29 pro bouts is draw with Irving Weather in a 6-round bout when he was still a teenager, but he rarely fought anyone of quality. There were a few exceptions of course, such as in 1940 when he won a decision over Detroiter Brooks O'Connor but he drew little attention until he soundly defeated Vic Woodley in 1943. His career was expected to pick up at that point but the war took away his fighting time. He is color-blind so Melanson was 4-F so he did not go overseas, but he started working in a Pittsburgh factory and fought just once in nearly two years. Then came a 4th round knockout of Andy Hammon in a fight in the Steel City in February which drew some notice. Meanwhile Archie Rees knocked out Tommy Erwin at the Bigsby Garden in March and his handlers were looking for another big payday or two before he headed back across the Atlantic. There were talks with O'Connor's camp and also John Edmonds but it appeared Rees opponent would be Todd Gill - the Hartford pugilist with a 19-1-4 record, a big right hand and an ego that is even bigger. They haggled over money to the point that Rees' camp gave up. Melanson's name was mentioned as well as his unbeaten record and a day later the contract was signed. Most expect this will just be another easy payday for Rees -just as the Erwin fight in March was- and Gill will likely be next on the agenda before Rees returns to England. Everyone that is except Melanson, who managed to get 3 weeks off work in order to focus solely on the biggest moment of his career. "I'm aiming to win this thing," was one of the few sentences the soft-spoken middleweight uttered during our sit down. So far, no one has proven him wrong before, but the stage is just a little bigger this time and the stakes an awful lot higher. WOLVES AFTER THE WAR With all the jubilation, relief sweeping the world after the fall of the Nazi Regime in Europe let's turn our gaze forward and take a look at possibilities for your Wolves if or when players start to return to the team from this global nightmare. Canada has suffered through the war shortages, rationing, extended work hours, fear of the fate of family members since September 1939. Finally there is a ray of light, bringing hope, as the world approaches the end of this long dark tunnel known as World War II. There has already been a small trickle of players returning to baseball from the various branches of the services hopefully this trickle will soon turn into a flood of ball players returning to Canadian or USA based teams in the hope of resuming an interrupted career. For this exercise we will take a look at Toronto only at the FABL level by position. To go beyond that would be a futile exercise, an attempt to fit all of the current 95 serving players under contract to the Wolves back into the organization would be akin to pounding square pegs into round holes over and over and over again, an exercise in futility. This is a job for the front office staff, some of whom are rewarded handsomely by Owner Millard, but is still a herculean task. You can be sure that this task has been on-going for years, but one can also surmise that the Wolves level of planning has stepped up since last June's D-Day landings with constant revisions being made to the plan. Minor league staff was told over the winter that the season would start with shorter rosters to give players somewhat of a last chance to prove their worth in the organization. I have made it a point of focusing on what they have when talking the Toronto Wolves pennant prospects, but let's change things up and focus our gaze on a look the 'what ifs' instead of the 'what is' we have concentrated on over the past number of years at Toronto's Major League possible roster: Catcher: Can Packy Peck reclaim his role as Howerton's tool caddy as he was in 1941 before enlisting in the US Army after the Pearl Harbour attack? With Howerton, 35, starting to age or is the team better off continuing to groom Walter Loera, 26, as the heir apparent behind the plate? First Base: This is the one all of Toronto, if not all of baseball, is waiting for, the return of Fred McCormick who left baseball just over 4 years ago, 12 May 41, before the USA had officially joined the hostilities. At 35 can this two-time Whitney Award winner return to somewhere even close to his before the war, almost certain first ballot HOF, play or has the war robbed him of his prime playing days? There is no doubt Wolves will give Fred every chance to carry on where he left off in 1941. This move would mean that Walter Pack would move across the diamond to play the hot corner after McCormick has had a chance to work himself back into shape with a stint at Buffalo. When players start to return expect many to start with a short stint in the high minors. Second Base: This would interesting situation in Toronto, they have two players of proven major league caliber, Hal Wood, Mike Rollinson attached to the military. Both of these players are proven to be at or near .300 hitters. Can either or both be left off the big league roster? What does this mean for Wayne Henderson, 31, who finally got his chance in the big leagues in which he has proved himself even with the obvious decline in over talent in the FABL? Third Base: As mentioned McCormick's return would probably move Pack to third. Having Ockie Holliday as depth gives a stronger, deeper team. Shortstop: Charlie Artuso has a hammer lock on this position for the immediately future. Looking further ahead management would be keeping a close eye on John Fast, #6 overall prospect, to monitor, try to quicken his development as the short stop of the future. When all players start returning the numbers game begins, for everyone added at the top level someone has to leave the roster. Probable players leaving Toronto would be Al Jensen, who helped the team during the war, Frank Huddleston, who, if rumours are true has refused demotion a couple of times over the years, even when the sweetener of coaching job after his retirement was added to the package. Where does this leave Joe Bell who has no options left for an assignment to the minors? Leftfield: Juan Pomales would be a fan favourite to continue as an everyone starter. With that said what does the team do with "Mr. Versatile" Tom Frederick? Frederick can cover any of the outfield positions along with first or second. Surely there has to be a spot on the big league roster for this two-time all-star. Centerfield: Chink Stickels, 33, may see more off-days in center with the return of Frederick. Rightfield: Does Hank Giordano return immediately to right field from the US Army displacing Gus Hull? Hank took over the job in the second half of '42 before his country called, an interesting although another good problem for the Wolves. Ed Marshall would probably be the odd-man out with the return of players. Starting Pitchers: How would the fans like to come to Dominion Field knowing that Call would sending one of George Garrison, Joe Hancock, Bernie Johnson, Jim Laurita, or Jim Morrison to the hill to begin the game? This rotation would definitely strike fear into the hearts of the opposition CA hitters although it comes with some downside. Who has to leave the organization? Brett could see Chick Wirtz going to the 'pen which would be welcome this season. What becomes of Bob Walls? Bullpen: If Wirtz becomes a reliever, shutdown artist Lou Jayson returns to the fold it leaves the quartet of Billy Crosby, Cookie Meyer, Roscoe Zeller, Phil English fighting for one or two roster spots. I am sure this will spark much debate among the faithful. This is a cautionary tale but one must remember that even if the Toronto roster looks like a powerhouse, on paper, 15 other FABL teams will see the same types of club upgrades with the end of the fighting in the Pacific. There will always be winners and losers in these situations, the major question would be which teams are the biggest winners or losers? The only sure thing is that the overall quality, at all levels, of baseball will be markedly improved for the fans. I can also foresee the days with a lot of player movement either via the trade route or waive wire acquisitions. The end of fighting will bring about a whole new, better, ballgame. WHAT IS WRONG WITH BUTCH SMITH? Cannons fans are asking that question in ever-increasing numbers as Smith continued his awful start to the campaign with perhaps the worst outing of his career last week when he was torched for 7 runs -6 earned- and 11 hits and did not survive the third inning of a 7-5 loss to Montreal. The 33 year old went 19-10 with a 2.19 era in winning the Allen Award as the top pitcher in the Continental Association and the way he stepped up to replace an injured Deuce Barrell as the staff ace may have contributed more to the Cannons second straight World Championship Series win than any other player. After a dream 1944 season, 1945 has been a nightmare for the 33 year old former third round pick out of Sadler College. He has never had a worse stretch in his 8 year big league career than the 0-5, 5.01 start to this seson. This after winning at least 17 games four of the previous 5 seasons. What has gone wrong is painfully obvious, and Cannons brass remain hopeful the laws of average will take over and things will balance out for righthander. Smith is walking a few more batters than last season, but is well below his career average in that category. He is actually fanning more this year than he did in any of this three previous seasons. He has allowed only 2 homeruns and is not on a pace noticeably higher than previous seasons. The difference is base hits. Balls that did not get through last year are finding holes this time around. A year ago opposition batters hit just .237 against him on balls batted in to play. That was the lowest total among pitching qualifiers in the CA and even better than his solid .261 career number in that mark. But this year through his first 50 innings it has ballooned to .337, a full 100 points higher. Jack Cleaves is now spending most of the time at second base with Tony White in the Army. Cleaves is not an elite defender by any stretch of the imagination at this stage of his career, and certainly not of the caliber that White was playing half the games at second base last season but surely that can't be the issue. None of the other Cannons pitchers have noticed major increases in opposition hits. The problem, at least at this stage of the season, is Smith's alone. One of those fancy 'modern' stats dreamed up by Percy Sutherland's nephew at Whitney College is called Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP. Without boring you on the details it is a calculation to determine how a pitcher should perform with an average defense behind him. Here is where the ray of hope shines through for Ad Doria and the Cannons coaching staff. According to that number Smith's era should be 3.24, not quite as good as the 3.00 in that category his Allen Award winning campaign yielded, but good enough for the Cannons brass to likely try and weather the storm a little longer and keep Smith in the rotation. * Un-Barrell-able For Opponents * Speaking of the rotation, do you think Ad Doria has finally realized that Tom Barrell does not like pitching out of the pen. As a Cannon starter, the veteran righthander is 15-5 with a 2.65 era. Out of the pen his era is 5.28. Doria confirms that Tom will stay in the rotation for the long haul. Speaking of Barrell, his nephew Deuce tossed a 3-hit shutout in his second start of the season, blanking Chicago 1-0 in a terrific pitching duel with Rusty Petrick that lowered Barrell's era to under 1.00. * Tigers Having Trouble Rounding Out Squad * Cincinnati Tigers head coach Jack Conn insists its nothing to worry about but does admit the club is not seeing many signed contracts returned from players in anticipation of the 1945 American Football Association season. "It's a league-wide concern, from what I hear," admits the veteran coach as he looks forward towards the expansion Tigers second season. "Not just us, but everyone seems to say the same thing. But I am confident we will have a full roster come camp in August." No key contributors have opted out as of yet, but several fringe players from last year's club that posted an impressive 4-6 mark in its debut have stated they are not returning to play football in 1945. "A couple of guys landed some pretty decent jobs and feel that is better for them in the long term," admitted Conn before adding "and to be honest I can't blame that all for doing what they feel is best for their families." Add in the impact of the war and Selective Service, which claimed a couple of more players last December, along with competition for talent from two proposed new rival leagues and it is easy to see why filling the training camp roster might be a little more difficult for all AFA clubs this season. Conn has towed the league line in saying the Continental Football Conference has not had an impact but privately admits that is the reason many players remain unsigned. Those in the know say the CFC clubs have deep pockets and are not afraid to throw some pretty big contracts in an effort to lure players to jump leagues. * Cardinals Flying South To Texas * The Queen City basketball squad has confirmed it will not play in a pre-season tournament when the AIAA hits the hardwood in November. The Monarchs, who went to California last year for the West Coast Classic, revealed that they did not get an invitation to any of the early cage tournaments. Ohio Poly -fresh off that outstanding run to the national title game in April- has been invited and will participate in one of the early tournaments for the first time in 3 years. The Cardinals are heading to Houston where they will take part in the Heart of Texas pre-season showdown. It might be a rebuilding year for the Toledo school as three starters - leading scorer Jack Simons as well as point guard Dan Austin and forward Everett Rambo- are lost to graduation, which means 72 year old coach Hawk Pizzo will have his work cut out for him. Pizzo is hoping for big things from towering center Scottie Franks and junior forward Billy Archer, a Cincinnati native who played sparingly his first two seasons but according to Pizzo "shows great promise." FABL officials say that the shortage of balls and bats at the youth level has become so acute that it endangers the future of baseball. They plan to appeal to the Government for assistance because, in the words of Philadelphia Keystones owner Edward Meachum "this scarcity of playing equipment is being felt by the kids, cutting right at the very roots of the game." High School and sandlot coaches in various parts of the country have written to the majors for help. Many are down to a few battered leftover balls and patched up bats. Plenty of plaudtis coming in for Ben Turner after the long-time Cleveland Foresters pitcher announced this would be his final season. A pair of his former GM's spoke highly of him with the current Stars boss fondly remember Turner's career best 22 win season to help lead Cleveland to a second straight pennant in 1935 and the current Detroit GM talking about how he tried to acquire Turner after he left the Foresters for the Motor City. Selected by the Cougars in the 9th round of the 1926 FABL draft, Turner was traded twice as a minor leaguer but spent his entire big league career with the Foresters. At press time he is 3 wins shy of 150 for his career with a 147-155 record. When looking back at the two Foresters pennants in the mid-30s', many talk about key offensive pickups that netted Max Morris, T.R. Goins and Charlie Barry but a 1931 trade with the Gothams proved to be very crucial to the Foresters run. That was a deal that saw them send Joe Perret to the Big Apple in exchange for 3 prospects including a pair of pitchers by the names of Ben Turner and Dean Astle. Turner would go 30-11 over those two pennant seasons while Astle went 33-19. Both were minor league prospects at the time of the trade. The trade did not hurt New York too badly either, as the Gothams were Cleveland's opponent both years and Perret, while traded to Brooklyn before the '35 campaign, did play a big role on the '34 Gothams. Add 39 year old Gene Stevens to the list of veterans planning on retiring at the end of the season, when it is anticipated most of the players off to war will return. Stevens has spent the past six season in Pittsburgh after beginning his big league career with 8 years pitching for the New York Stars. He is 108-97 for his career including 1-2 for the Miners this season. he Chicago Cougars have announced that current 24th ranked prospect George Oddo will have his contract purchased, and will be set to debut against the Cannons on May 27th. The 22-year-old righty was superb in six starts for AAA Milwaukee, allowing two or fewer runs in each start. Oddo is a prefect 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA (279 ERA+), 0.83 WHIP, 15 walks, and 26 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. Cougar Manager Clyde Meyer hopes the former 8th Rounder is ready to stick, and he'll likely hold the five spot throughout the rest of the season. From Brett Bing in Toronto: The Wolves enjoyed their visit into the Big Apple going 7-1 against the Kings, Stars. Call and Nichols lean on Juan Pomales to hopefully right the ship in the 'pen,. Pomales shows his value as a two-way performer as he picks up two wins, saves another without giving up a run in 9 2/3 innings. Walt Pack earns POTW honours with a .484/.529/.774 slash line in NYC. With the war travel rules still in effect the schedule has the Wolves at home for their next 25 games they do not leave Toronto until mid-June. What follows is a 24 game road trip that lasts until the All-Star Game. Marc McNeil of The Montreal Star notes an interesting fact this season on the Saints... SP Karl Weiss is showing a 5-0 record in 7 starts. Filling in for DeYoung or feeling the pressure of players coming back from the war soon? He needs to play on the edge to keep the spot in the rotation. Because when Doyle, Cupid, Reif coming back it will leave little space for a spot in starting 5. Also, waiver pick SP Ben Watkins is holding the fort for DeYoung showing 2-0 record with 17 IP in 2 starts. He was lucky with good run support in both games, but good enough to get the win. the 35 years old veteran will get another start next week. Stars hurler Dixie Lee has proven the war hasnt slowed him down one bit. Currently on a hot streak to start the season 5-0 in 7 games. So far all 5 wins have been complete games including a 10 inning 2-1 win over Cincinnati. The Chicago Chiefs ran into a buzz saw into Philadelphia last week. Since dropping both ends of a doubleheader to the Minutemen on May 6th, the Keystones are 11-3. The good news for Chiefs fans is The Polish Hammer is back! After a month in Fort Wayne where he hit .337/.394/.533, Dick Blaszak is on his way back to Chicago. A better week for the New York Gothams, who take 3 of 4 from Pittsburgh before splitting a 4-game series with Washington. Rookie manager Bud Jameson is hoping the Gothams could just string two good weeks together. If so, they might move into the top half of the FA. There is some optimism in the organization as they have some young pitchers doing well in the minors. Not so much on the offensive side, except 1B which is kind of pointless for them with Red Johnson expected to stick around for a while. COLLISION BETWEEN COLLEGE AND PRO FOOTBALL SERIOUS A storm is brewing as a battle between college and pro football may soon batter the grid sport. At the eye of this event is the men expected to soon return from war duty. Many will still have college eligibility left, leaving as freshman and sophomores to join the military. They will return much older than the average student but will still have plenty of eligibility to suit up for old Rah Rah Tech. The issue is with the Continental Football Conference now ready to join the American Football Association at the play for pay table, these top-flight former Army and Navy will have choices to make. The college coaches who lost them to the war effort as underclassmen, hoped to have these men available again - perhaps as early as this fall. But with the pros also in the mix the college bosses are seeing where many a promising gridder no longer will leave his footprints on the campus grass. Instead the lure of a decent paycheck might be too much to turn down. The college ranks believe these men should be graduated before moving over to the pro ranks. The pros take the angle that any number of these servicement are not going back to college but will be out to make all the money they can get. The pro argument is that if one club doesn't hustle to sign these stars, some other club from their own or a rival league will. * Many Don't Plan to Return to College * We put this problem up to Col. Eskie Clark, well known for his deep interest in college sport, now one of the leaders in promoting war athletics for several million servicemen in Europe and the South Pacific. "It's a difficult situation," Col. Clark said. "We all know that any number of good football players, now in the Army and Navy, will want to play pro football when released from war duty and make all the money they can. Many have married. A good number have other financial obligations. Many have no idea of returning to college. But I think this choice should be left to the individual player. He shouldn't be approached by pro scouts when he has one, two or even three college years left. He shouldn't be over-proselyted. But if he decides that he isn't going back to college, then the pro management with whom he might be connected should take up the matter with his college athletic director and work the problem out." "No one can blame any of these returning or discharged fighting men from making their own choice. They all are entitled to handle their own future. Many who now are only in the very early 20s in reality are much older than the average person of 25. But I don't believe in the pros raiding with big offers. That easily might affect their judgement. I'm for the servicemen making their own choice without pressure." A quiet week in the ring with only two fights of note. On Tuesday night in Brooklyn, 27 year old welterweight Dale Roy claimed a technical knockout win over Jeff Wolf. Roy, a Binghampton, NY native who was declared 4-F by the military and has been working in the Brooklyn shipyards throughout the war, has been pretty active the past few years and improved his mark to 19-5 with 14 wins coming by stoppage. For the 28 year old Wolf it was his return to the ring after a 4-year absence during which time the New York native was in the Coast Guard. Many felt Wolf had a bright future before the war but he looked very rusty in the bout with Roy, one that he was favoured in. Wolf is now 10-2 for his professional career. The other bout was the headline event in a rather pedestrian card at the small stage in Bigsby Garden this week with journeyman heavyweight Len Black destroying Willie Snook with a first round knockout. Black, a 35 year old native of Florida is 18-17-3 while Snook falls to 23-12. It marked the second time in just over 2 months that the Owensboro, Ky. 30 year old was the victim of an early knockout. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 5/20/1945 Japanese resistance on Okinawa finally showed the first signs of cracking yesterday as US 10th Army Marines and soldiers threw their full weight against strong enemy defenses along the five-mile line in the bloody struggle that has taken over 48,000 and Japanese lives and 8,310 Americans. Okinawa remains a crucial objective due to it's strategic proximity to China, Formosa and the Japan home islands. The rift over Poland appears wider after Russian Premier Stalin outlined his demands of what his government wants in any reorganization of the Polish Government. Stalin expressed believe the Polish question could be solved "by agreement among the Allies," but only on the fulfillment of certain conditions that Russia would not waver on. The Anglo-American dispute with Yugoslavia over its occupation of parts of Italy and Austria grew more serious when the United State flat out rejected the Yugoslav proposal for a settlement, declaring it would not work. This just a few hours after the Allied Commander in chief in the Mediterranean theater, charged that Marshall Tito was attempting to establish Yugoslav claims in Italy by the use of force. Both the United States and Britain have held that the border dispute must be fixed at the peace table. Strict secrecy surrounding another surrendered Nazi submarine which arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire this week. Heavy baggage, mysterious passengers and the escort of five navy technicians lent support that it was headed for Japan when overtaken by the navy. Speculation abounds that it carries Nazi war secrets for the Japanese. There were two Japanese passangers aboard the U-boat but they had committed hari-kari, according to the Germans, after the decision to surrender was made. Positive news as the United States, Britain and Russia are close to an agreement on how to occupy Germany. __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 01-09-2023 at 02:33 PM.