DECEMBER 10, 1945
STORM CLOUDS BREWING AS 'OUTLAWS' PLAN CHALLENGE TO FABL
By John Brinker, New York Daily Mirror
t has been over 40 years since the sport of baseball has seen the like: an "outlaw" outfit rising to challenge the status quo. All those years ago it was the Peerless League, whose challenge was a short-lived one but the repercussions of that challenge led to the formation of the Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues shortly thereafter.
Now there is a new (and for now, potential) challenger on the horizon. That horizon lies in the West, where FABL has no presence, aside from minor league affiliations and even those are limited in number. Two owners in the independent Lone Star Association, denied entry into FABL itself, are looking to create a third "major" league to take on Sam Benton and his band of sixteen Merry Men (aka the FABL club owners).
Making matters more dire is the presence of Thomas X. Bigsby, an ex-US Army Colonel with a famous name (some would say infamous) and the wealth of that famous family behind him. Bigsby has made it obvious, without outright speaking it aloud, that he wishes to own a ballclub in Los Angeles, California, home to two Class AAA clubs in the Great Western League, one of which is affiliated with FABL's New York Stars. And it is believed that those Los Angeles Stars are the team upon which Bigsby has lain his eagle eye.
There are reportedly others in this cabal (as Sam Benton has dubbed them) of wealthy individuals seeking to challenge FABL. Two of these so-far unnamed moguls are linked to the GWL's clubs in San Francisco and Oakland, which are also affiliated with FABL clubs (the Philadelphia Sailors & St. Louis Pioneers respectively). The rumor mill, churning at flank speed these days, also mentions the Portland and Seattle clubs of the GWL as likely members of the new, as yet unnamed, circuit. That would increase the membership to seven, begging the question: whither the eighth club (as there will surely be an eighth club) ? Denver, San Antonio, Vancouver and even Mexico City have been mentioned. But no one's talking. Yet.
MAJOR SHAKE-UP!
DYNAMOS, KINGS HAVE NEW GMs, CANNONS LEFT SCRAMBLING
Some surprising news out of Detroit last week set off a chain reaction that left two clubs with new General Managers and a third suddenly scrambling to fill a vacancy. It all started when Freddie Farhat of the Detroit World broke the news that Dynamos owner Powell Thompson had fired DD Martin after a decade of running the Detroit ballclub. Later the same day Thompson announced that his ballclub had hired Tiger Fan away from the Cincinnati Cannons, a club that Tiger Fan had run since 1940 and led to 3 straight Continental Association pennants and a pair of World Championship Series victories.
That left Cincinnati owner John Tice with a hole to fill as his club prepares to try to set a Continental Association record by winning 4 consecutive pennants. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Kings -who had underachieved since Tiger Fan left them after nearly a decade and a half to take the Cincinnati position- acted quickly to sign Martin to a contract. So when the dust settled Martin was in Brooklyn, Tiger Fan in Detroit and the Cannons in limbo. As if there was not enough uncertainty already in the league with all of the players returning from the war, the front office shake-ups have just made things even more unpredictable.
More details on each of the changes are in the following local newspaper articles.
The relationship between Dynamo's Owner Powell Thompson and GM DD Martin has been a rocky one ever since Thompson took over for his late brother Ed "Big Money" Thompson. Powell will never be considered "Big Money" by anyone, and the constant fighting over the budget and making money over winning baseball has finally made what I am about to cover, not a shocker. Today Thompson fired the GM after Martin came into the Dynamo's team offices after having been gone for over 5 weeks. Martin while "on vacation" with his family was still running the club as he was in constant contact with SD Dutch Forrester, but he had never been in to sign his "extension". Those around the club knew that the owner was getting impatient with Martin and some sources say he has even sent out feelers to perhaps find a new GM. Whether that has happened or not, Martin was seen leaving the team offices fairly shortly after 4pm.
I reached out to Martin for comment and he simply stated that the time was right to step away. Martin has stated that he will have more comments and will give us the exclusive interview.
As to where the Dynamo's go now is anyone's guess. Has Thompson already reached a deal to replace Martin? Will Martin retire from baseball or will he find employment elsewhere in the FABL, or even the rumored "Western League". It is noted that Martin is a West Coast guy and more importantly a Pacific NW guy, but also spent his college days in San Diego.
The focus now will be what happens with the Dynamo's. They have a solid farm system with several highly touted prospects ready or near ready to take the stage. Could that and the returning players from military service finally get Detroit that 1st place spot they so covet? The Dynamo's haven't won the Federal Association since 1929 and despite all the fanfare and his best efforts, the Dynamo's didn't reach the summit in Martin's 10+ seasons in charge.
TIGER FAN JOINS DYNAMOS
The Detroit Dynamos wasted no time announcing their new General Manager as Tiger Fan, who guided both Brooklyn and Cincinnati to a total of 7 pennants and 3 World Championship Series victories over the past two decades, has decided to make his first foray in to the Federal Association. The long-time Continental Association General Manager had been in the league since 1925 and Detroit will become the third organization he has been employed by. The position opened when Detroit owner Powell Thompson announced a short time ago that DD Martin -who had headed the club for the past decade- was fired. There had been rumours that Thompson and Tiger Fan had been discussing the move for several weeks but neither would comment one way or another, citing that there was no need to stir up potential wounds in other parties.
The move takes place immediately and with the blessing of Cincinnati owner Mike Tice, who admitted regret that the only general manager he has had since purchasing the Cannons and moving them from Baltimore is leaving, but said he understand the Tiger Fan's desire for a new challenge. Tice also confirmed that the Cannons had not had any talks with Martin. "We have not had time to meet with anyone," said Tice. "Tiger Fan did tell me he wanted to be allowed to pursue other options -due to some interests outside baseball- when we signed our recent contract extension and I gave him permission to do so. He has left this organization in a much better place than when he arrived, and with 3 pennants and two WCS wins so now we will begin a new search for the next General Manager of this great franchise.
The main reason for the move was a surprising one, and according to Tiger Fan it had little to do with baseball. "I am at the stage of my FABL career where I want to branch out into other things and I have been fortunate enough to purchase a small ownership stake in the Detroit Motors hockey franchise. I had hoped to become involved in the day-to-day operation of that club as well as my baseball responsibilities and this position with the Dynamos allows me the ability to do just that. I am also quite certain I will have no problem handling both roles. Mr. (Dynamos owner Powell) Thompson is fully aware of what drew me to Detroit and has assured me I will be given complete support and freedom to do both jobs. He and I also discussed in great detail some ground rules for both of us and I am confident he is a man of his word and has promised me free reign and full control of the baseball operations as long as I work within a budget that he has prescribed. He was very agreeable and to be honest, I think he gets a bad rap in the papers by some of you guys."
*Note that Tiger Fan had his stare fixed directly on Detroit World scribe Freddie Farhat when he uttered that final sentence.
CITY OF CINCINNATI IN SHOCK
That collective gasp that came out of Cincinnati this week when word broke that the Cannons General Manager was leaving could likely have been heard as far away as Detroit. The only GM the Cincinnati club has ever had, one who helped assemble a team that won three straight Continental flags and a pair of World Championship Series, brought in stars like Adam Mullins, Chuck Adams and Al Wheeler, has bolted north and joined the Federal Association Dynamos.
Cannons owner John Tice said all the right things. That he 'understood' and 'accepted' Tiger Fan's decision and reason for moving but deep down the magnate must have been steaming. The GM had just been handed a hefty and much deserved pay hike immediately after the WCS loss to the Philadelphia Keystones. At his GMs urging Tice also okayed big raises to manager Ad Doria, most of his coaching staff and Scouting Director Bill Borland with all working under the assumption the objective was a fourth straight banner - something never before achieved by a Continental nine.
That banner may still very well be a reachable target, but competition will be tougher than ever, and it remains to be seen if the new man Tice brings in to run his organization -whomever that might be- has the same willingness to identify the correct pieces and get the tough deal done in July when the right move can be the difference between winning or losing.
The Cannons can not afford to pause. I believe the search for a new head of the baseball organization is already underway and it certainly needs to be handled quickly. The competition anticipated from Toronto and Chicago is expected to be ratcheted up even higher this season and every decision made over the winter and through the trade deadline can have a gigantic impact on what is anticipated to be -with apologies to all of our former servicemen for the analogy- an all-out war for top spot in the CA this summer. The question is can the Cannons win that battle without their front-office General? A general that we quickly went from comparing to MacArthur or Patton to having it seems much more in common with another General, one who went by the name Benedict Arnold.
My first week here covering the Brooklyn Kings and a lot of change is going on. The Kings have hired former Detroit and Cleveland GM DD Martin to take the reigns of the Kings franchise. Team Owner Daniel Prescott (64) sounded enthused for the first time in several years as he announced the hiring of his new GM. Prescott "It's with great pleasure that I announce the hiring of DD Martin as GM of the Brooklyn Kings. DD will have my full support in helping him guide us back to where we belong, at the top of the CA!."
Martin, who earlier in the week was fired or simply just walked away from the Detroit Dynamo's GM post, appeared to be in good spirits as he addressed the media. Martin stated "First I want to thank Mr. Prescott on this great opportunity here in Brooklyn. This is a great organization and our intention will be to bring the winning tradition back to King's baseball. Unlike when I went to Detroit in 1935, there is a tremendous amount of young talent here in this organization. Our first responsibility here is to get our new Manager Tom Barrell the best coaching and support staff we can. Tom was a Hall of Fame Pitcher and I might even try to coax him out of retirement as we might need a veteran arm and he sure does seem like he can still fire pitches past FABL pitchers. But we will get Tom the best staff we can and then turn our attention to hiring managers and coaches to our affiliated clubs. We have a lot of players that are returning from the war and have almost 250 players in our organization. We are going to have to sit down, and have a serious talk about the players in our system and unfortunately make some tough decisions. Most organizations run with around 170 players and we haven't even gotten to the draft yet. We will make those decisions and prepare to be very active in the Rule 5 draft and be very prepared for the Amateur Draft next month. Thankfully we have a very talented Director of Scouting here in Brooklyn and John Spears and I are going to get to know each other very well over the next month plus."
So the Kings are going to be led by the fiery Martin who loves to make trades. Can he trade Brooklyn into contention this year? That remains to be seen, but when I asked the GM about that possibility he stated, " We will make deals that we feel are in the best long term interests of the Kings. We are not looking for rental players that will just get us competitive for a few seasons, we are looking to build something here that will bring Brooklyn a championship and also perhaps a new stadium along with it someday."
So what I am sure will be a very busy month for the new GM starts right away. It will be fun to see where the Kings go.
RULE FIVE DRAFT PREVIEW
Here is a team by team look at a few names with previous big league experience that will likely be exposed for selection in the Rule Five draft. Note that teams still have time to make changes so some of those listed below may end up being added to their club's secondary roster.
BOSTON- Outfielder Dave Henry, 2B Joe Nichols, SS Charlie Reed, P Mike Lee
BROOKLYN- Outfielders Joe Herman, Jim Alarie and Hal Reynolds, infielders Jim Alexander and Vince D'Alessandro and pitchers Stumpy Beaman and Hal Lucas.
CHIEFS- Pitcher Sam Vaughn, outfielder Elias Canady and 3B Frank Belair.
COUGARS- Outfielder Bobby Mills and catcher Steve Mountain
CINCINNATI- Pitchers Art Edwards and George DeForest and outfielder Bobby Small
CLEVELAND- Infielders Chuck Harrington and Bill Carr, pitchers Johnny Slaney and Earle Robinson
DETROIT- Outfielder Hub Parks, pitchers Charlie Wheeler, Bobo White, Jimmy Mayse and Pug Bryan
MONTREAL- Pitcher Ben Watkins and outfielder Tony Henrdicks.
NY STARS- Outfielder Dave Haight, catcher Johnny Hopper and former first round pick pitcher Bill Keith
NY GOTHAMS- Pitchers Cy Sullivan and Jim Baggett, infielders Bill Freeman and Don Hallam along with outfielder Nat Drake.
KEYSTONES- shortstop Jake Creel, outfielder Bobby McHenry and pitcher Bud Canfield.
SAILORS- infielders Jim Beard and Hal Carter, catcher Woody Stone and pitchers Scotty Thomas and Hannibal Davis
PITTSBURGH- catcher Don Rogrs and second baseman Hans Stiles.
ST LOUIS- first baseman Zip Sullivan
TORONTO- catcher Homer Betts
WASHINGTON- second baseman Karl O'Reilly, outfielders Bill Morris and Roy Carroll, catcher Paul Brophy and pitcher Tommy Shafer
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
As we approach another Christmas season, finally one without young men dying in a war, Brett will continue his look at the starting to age Toronto nine. The Rule 5 is upcoming shortly although it does not appear that the Wolves will be involved in claiming any of the over 2200 players that are going to be available a week before the visit of Santa Claus. The front office has decided to fill their 40-man roster with talent from within the organization therefore cannot submit a claim on any other player.
Brett, after his look at the possibilities for the 1946 lineup, has noticed a slightly disturbing fact about your Wolves, father time is starting to catch up with the team. The team is not nearly as old as the geriatric squad Cincinnati fielded the last few years, although that has worked for the Cannons this is probably not the way of the future with all the returning players. For all team to successful over the long term younger players should be brought onto the big league roster on an almost continual basis.
Now a look at the probable starters, their ages, FABL seasons along with their probable apprentice:
Catcher- Clarence Howerton (age 36, FABL service 13 years) next in line Walter Loera (27, 2). Loera is not Howerton, yet, but has the potential to make a seamless transition. In the system is Cal Yeager, 19, who is the future according to all reports if the he returns from the Air Force with no harm from his service.
First Base- Fred McCormick (36, 14) followed by Walter Pack (31, 6). With Pack starting at 3B this is not ideal but there are many others on the roster who have the ability to play first along with Pack being subject to unsubstantiated trade rumours. The two biggest question are "At what level and for how long can McCormick stay in the big leagues? Did the war years rob too much from this once sure fired Hall of Famer"? In the system there are high hopes for Luke Oster, 22.
Second Base- As mentioned the Wolves are in a position of strength, they have Mike Rollinson (31,2), Hal Wood (31,5), Wayne Henderson (32, 1) who are being pressed by the #9 prospect John Fast, 22, who could also be the SS of the future. Brett expects management to try to clear this logjam sometime during 1946. There are too many to share effectively playing time, this will be one the big battles during spring training.
Third Base- Walt Pack (31,6) currently backed up by Ockie Holliday (30, 4) with Frank Frady, 25, a 24th round pick who has impressed at every level waiting in the wings. Fans remember the fanfare for Holliday that has never come to fruition, time may be running short for Ockie. Frady is versatile being also able to play the other two middle infield positions.
Shortstop- Charlie Artuso (30, 7) one the few that Wolves have pushed through the system quickly probably has the position sewn up for at the least the next 3-5 years. If age starts eroding his skills Fast or Frady should be ready to step into the void.
Left Field- Juan Pomales (31,5). Will Pomales further improve in the field, at the plate now that most, if not all, his pitching duties will be removed from him?
Center Field- Chink Stickels (34, 8)
Right Field- Hank Giordano (25, <1) the only player under 30 projected to be in Call's everyday lineup.
"Mr. Versatile" Tom Frederick (29, 3) is expected to be playing up to 5 days a week in any of his 5 positions which gives Call a multitude of lineup combinations.
The average age of the starters being 31.75 shows the need to keep developing players quickly as age, injuries start to become more common factors for Toronto. For this squad the future is definitely now!
Now, on to the outlook for the Wolves pitching staff in 1946.
Starters- Wolves continue wanting to be a team renown for their pitching prowess. With a prospective starting rotation of controversial 1945 Allen Award winner George Garrison (28,5), Allen Award runner-up in 1943, 3 time 20 game winner Joe Hancock (33, 7), Bob Walls (34, 7), Jim Laurita (26, 1), lefty Chick Wirtz (37, 11) would be a strong set to take the hill against any CA team. The problem with this is the ones who will be left behind if Call goes with these five. Where does this leave Jim Morrison (30, 5), Jimmy Gibbs (29, 2), 1945 breakout performer Cookie Myers ( 29, 1), #19 prospect Jim Carter (23, 1), Ray Bell (26, <1) Carter, Bell still have minor league options not the case with the other three which would mean exposing any or all of them to waivers if they do not cross the border to begin the campaign.
Bullpen- Lou Jayson's (30, 4) return should provide an late inning anchor if Call decides to limit SP early in the season. Bill Ferrell (34, 1) could provide a lefty matchup choice unless Call decides to move Wirtz to the 'pen to keep another starter. Then it come down to a numbers game with the out of options starters plus Billy Crosby (35, 5), George Waller (30, 5) who has been in the service the last 4 seasons, Roscoe Zeiler (29, 2) who also provides a third catching option. Ferrell, Waller still can be optioned to Buffalo although that just starts another cascade down the system. Brett expects Call, new pitching coach Johnny Franklin to start 1946 with a 9-man pitching staff. That would mean at least one, probably more, would have to pass through waivers during the spring.
A further factor is the development of top pitching prospect Jerry York, 24, who the scouting department feel is ready for the big time now but will start the year at AAA. Management has decided on the minor leagues for York who spent most of the last 3 summers in the war before returning last September. York has just under 100 IP in pro ball after being a first round pick in 1942.
Consensus is that the team may try to move pitching before playing in games that count in April. These moves, if made, will probably be for prospects with a number of years of team control. A commodity that may be hard to find on the trade market.
- Quite an eventful week with two GM changes and the three-time defending Continental kingpin now scrambling to fill it's top baseball operations role.
- The Dynamos new boss is a 20 year Continental Association veteran but a stranger to the Federal loop. In a move expected to help address that, Tiger Fan's first act as GM in Detroit was to convince magnate 'Little Money' Powell Thompson to loosen his purse strings and allow the signing of an Assistant General Manager. That job has gone to Harris Dixon, an Academia Alliance educated (at George Fox University) former minor leaguer who spent the past four seasons as the Pittsburgh Miners scouting director.
- Lost in the game of GM musical chairs is more rumblings out of the proposed western based Outlaw League. John Brinker has a story today laying out 7 likely franchise locations and speculates on an 8th. According to Brinker, Thomas X. Bigsby's new loop is lining up franchises in Houston and Dallas as well as Great Western League locales Los Angeles, San Frnacisco, Oakland, Portland and Seattle. It remains to be seen if this loop will actually get off the ground and, if so, to what extent will it threaten the order established by FABL.
- Telegraph, telephone lines are burning up from Wolves offices to Vancouver in an attempt to find out if there is any credibility to the rumours of Vancouver joining the outlaw league as it's 8th team. Owner Bernie Millard has instructed his staff to "Get to the bottom of this, immediately, give him a plan for alternate B location if "These ingrates join the evil cabal fronted by Bigsby!" So much for a quiet holiday season in Toronto.
- Wolves office insiders have told Toronto Mail & Empire columnist Brett Bing that Millard also seems to be busy these days trying to acquire a stake in the Toronto hockey team. Hockey seems to be making real inroads with baseball people as last week it was learned that the new Dynamos GM had purchased a small piece of the Detroit Motors hockey team and his expected involvement with the shiny squad was the predominant factor in his decision to leave Cincinnati for the Dynamos.
- TRIVIA QUESTION: With all of the General Manager turmoil the past week our trivia question focuses on the front-office. How many original General Managers remain in the same jobs they accepted in the winter of 1925.
FRIGATES END SEASON ON A POSITIVE NOTE
Yanks Win Again, Set For Title Game
It has been an awful season for the defending American Football Association champion Philadelphia Frigates but they did end the year on a positive note with a 42-14 thrashing of their rivals from Pittsburgh. The Frigates, who went 8-1-1 a year ago and then beat Detroit in the AFA championship game, got off to a strong 3-1 start this season before the wheels fell off with 5 straight losses until ending on a positive note with yesterday's victory over the Paladins.
Perhaps Philadelphia's lack of success can simply be chalked up to bad luck as, aside from a 35-7 walloping they absorbed in Washington none of the Frigates other 5 losses were by more than 7 points. Frigates quarterback Bob Allen saved his best game of the year for the finale with a 246 yard passing day that included 4 touchdown tosses. The win leaves Philadelphia at 4-6 on the year, tied with Pittsburgh for last place.
The only other game on the final day of the regular season took place in Boston where the Americans, led by three touchdowns from Tom Molloy, beat the New York Football Stars 20-7. Next up for the Yanks is Sunday's title showdown with Detroit. Tank Tippett takes a look at the matchup in his column below the standings report.
Code:
FINAL AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
EAST DIVISION W L T PCT
Boston 9 1 0 .900
Washington 7 3 0 .700
New York 6 4 0 .600
Philadelphia 4 6 0 .400
Pittsburgh 4 6 0 .400
WEST DIVISION W L T PCT
Detroit 7 3 0 .700
Chicago 5 5 0 .500
Cincinnati 4 6 0 .400
St Louis 2 8 0 .200
Cleveland 2 8 0 .200
SUNDAY RESULT
Boston 20 New York 7
Philadelphia 42 Pittsburgh 14
end of regular season
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY DECEMBER 16
AFA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Detroit at Boston
Code:
FINAL 1945 AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Vaught, Det 108
Douglas, Was 72
Molloy, Bos 60
LePage, Phi 54
Lennon, NYS 52
Littlejohn, Bos 50
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Brown, Chi 137-253 1907 17 14
Krohn, Was 116-200 1738 12 12
D Thomas, Bos 136-221 1510 14 4
Colvin, Cle 102-256 1252 9 19
Anderson, Pit 86-203 1240 11 17
RUSHING YDS TD
B.Young, Bos 885 3
LePage, Phi 812 7
Lautzenheiser, Chi 484 3
Rochman, Was 436 5
Reid, Was 420 7
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Vaught, Det 62 1116 12
Douglas, Was 58 1221 12
Molloy, Bos 46 680 6
Nicholson, Cle 41 596 5
Lautzenheiser, Chi 40 655 5
INERCEPTIONS #
Smith, Was 7
Lautzenheiser, Chi 7
Christensen, Cin 6
Clark, Bos 6
MAROONS, YANKS SEEN AS CLASSIC IN AERIAL DUELING
It will be a battle of veteran experts in aerial warfare as Stan Vaught and the Detroit Maroons travel to Boston to face Del Thomas and the Americans in next Sunday's American Football Association championship game. Both clubs have terrific offenses, and in particular the passing attacks. Thomas threw 14 touchdown tosses and only 4 interceptions and has a quartet of dependable pass catchers led by Tom Molloy but also including Jim Walsh, Johnny Littlejohn and Tom Bowens. The Yanks also boast the league's top rusher this season in Brian Young and a dependable backup in veteran Bulldog Stein. Vaught and his league leading 62 catches for 1,116 yards and 12 scores is the key to the Maroons offense but they also have a strong backfield with multiple rushing threats led by Troy Renton, Dave Buckner, Rick Coleman and Mike Hendrick. Coleman and Hendrick share the quarterbacking duties but each is prone to throwing interceptions.
How the two clubs will perform head to head is a real unknown as they have not faced each other since the opening game of the 1943 season when Boston won in Detroit by a 21-14 score behind a 200 yard, 3-touchdown passing day from Thomas. In fact, the Maroons and Americans have played just that one time since 1941 and only 5 times altogether when both Vaught and Thomas were in the league. Detroit won 42-17 in 1940 and also beat Boston twice in the three previous years.
BOSTON-DETROIT RESULTS SINCE 1937
1937 Detroit 28 Boston 10
1938 Detroit 21 Boston 14
1939 Boston 42 Detroit 37
1940 Detroit 42 Boston 17
1943 Boston 21 Detroit 14
If there is an advantage to be had Sunday it might lie when Boston has the ball as the Detroit defense has been suseptable to the passing game, something exploited by Chicago's Gus Brown in the Wildcats win over the Maroons a little over a month ago. That and homefield advantage makes the Boston Americans the favourite.
TWIFB Prediction: Boston 27 Detroit 17
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
YEAR SCORE VENUE MVP
1944 Philadelphia 30 Detroit 14 Sailors Memorial Ollie Bishop, Phi
1943 Chicago 21 Boston 20 Minutemen Park Freeman Stahlberg, Chi
1942 Boston 24 Chicago 21 Whitney Park Del Thomas, Bos
1941 Chicago 10 New York 7 Whitney Park Dutch Hoffman, Chi
1940 Brooklyn 20 Detroit 7 Thompson Field Don Ludwigs, Bkn
1939 Boston 21 Chicago 14 Whitney Park Leon Fitzgerald, Bos
1938 Brooklyn 9 Pittsburgh 7 Kings County Bill Morrisett, Bkn
1937 New York 34 Chicago 0 Bigsby Oval Tom Jamason, NY
1936 Detroit 24 Pittsburgh 7 Thompson Field Vernon Flowers, Det
1935 Pittsburgh 7 Cleveland 0 Forester Field Harvey Bowman, Pit
1934 Pittsburgh 7 Detroit 0 Thompson Field Hank Greshman, Pit
1933 Rhode Island 21 Chicago 0 North Side Park Harvey Bowman, RI
No Playoff Title Game Prior to 1933
1932 Cleveland Finiches (7-3)
1931 Detroit Maroons and Rhode Island Reds co-champs (12-1-1)
1930 New York Stars (14-2-1)
1929 Detroit Maroons (13-0)
1928 Chicago Wildcats (11-0-2)
1927 Detroit Maroons (10-0)
1926 Chicago Wildcats (13-1-2)
1925 Cleveland Finches (12-1-1)
1924 Toledo Tigers (9-0)
1923 Pittsburgh Pros (12-0)
1922 Evansville Lions (10-1)
1921 Chicago Wildcats (9-1-1)
1920 Youngstown Reapers (7-0)
ROME STATE BACKFIELD DUO HEAD GRID ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS
For the second year in a row the Rome State backfield pair of fullback Chet Donelson and halfback Gus Thompson are All-Americans. The juniors have led the Centurions to 18 straight victories and back to back National Championships. Donelson, a punishing pounder from McColl, S.C., was also named the winner of both the Christian Trophy and the Bryan Award after a dominating season. Thompson, the jitterbug halfback from Los Angeles, won the Bryan Award last season. Joining the duo on the All-America team are two members of the Rome State line -considered the best in the sport- in guard John D. Brown and tackle Jeff Box.
Here are the 1945 All-Americans
Code:
Pos All-Americans Class Hometown School
QB Willie Hubbard SO Hoover, AL Alabama Baptist
HB Gus Thompson JR Los Angeles, CA Rome State
HB Ed Lukela JR Honolulu, HI Golden Gate University
FB Chet Donelson JR McColl, SC Rome State
E Mark Hartmann JR Severna Park, MD Annapolis Maritime
T Jeff Box SR Austin, TX Rome State
G Bob Etienne SR Columbus, OH Central Ohio
C Billy Underwood SR Tallahassee, FL Alabama Baptist
G John D. Brown SR Nashville, TN Rome State
T George Kleinman SO Camden, NJ Pierpont
E Dennis Ondriezek JR Amarillo, TX Travis College
END OF A FOOTBALL ERA IS MARKED
Except for a crop of classic games on New Years Day, games lacking distinction without Rome State or Annapolis Maritime and which technically belongs to the next year, anyway, the 1945 collegiate football season has come to a close. So, too, has wartime football. There is a tendency to roll eyes toward the skies and murmer thanks for the latter blessing. But this is no to be critical. Football during the war years was strange, hybrid sport, but it remained football -although slightly artifical- and fans who like the game should be grateful to those who carried on in the face of prohibitive odds.
A complete collapse of America's second "national" pastime might well have orrurred had it not been for some die-hard football people, who carried on with 4-F's and 'teen-agers and who turned heads aside when prewar eligibility requirements were discussed.
We call the wartime football hybrid and strange and ariticial advisedly, because from week to week followers of teams found strangers in the lineups due to Army and Navy transfers. For some teams there was nothing like a 'set' lineup. Navy V-12 youngsters constantly were being moved, for instance, and in time of war not even a great peacetime game, such as football, could influence such transfers. But football was perpetuated. Even some of the colleges and universities which did not have ROTC, nor NROTC, championed on the sport. In some cases, it mean fearful lickings, but some hung on.
*** Rome State Should Top Field Again in 1946 ***
For the last two years Rome State and Annapolis Maritime have been the dominant teams of the land and the Centurions perhaps one of the best elevens ever assembled. The question which is being asked by many fans now is "How long will this last?"
It's doubtful if anybody knows the answer, but a fair guess is that our service academies won't be shoved out of the championship picture as often, nor as early, as during the past. For one thing, Rome State's core of cadets and Annapolis Maritime's brigade of midshipmen are larger than ever before in history. For another, there is, at long last, an appreciation placed upon competitive atheletics by brass and braid which hitherto failed to recognize wholeheartedly the merits of sports.
A guess at this time as to which team will be national champion in 1946 must include Rome State. Barring withdrawals from the military academy, the Centurions still has one of the greatest college backfields of all time- Thompson and Donelson- returning for one more year. Rome State has won 18 straight contests but other schools will begin catching up and all of the contenders will have a much larger pool of talent to draw on now that the wartime demands have eased.
COLONELS OFF TO FAST START
Noble Jones College is certainly known as a football school with a pair of National Championship and a Christian Trophy winner in Billy Bockhorst over the past 7 years. They also have a rich history as one of the original feeder league baseball programs but basketball had never been much more than an afterthought at the Augusta, Ga. school. That could be changing as the Colonels, who have never advanced even as a far as the quarterfinals in the AIAA cage tournament, are off to a 4-0 start to the season and ranked in the top ten in the polls, something that has been a very rare occurance throughout the years.
The foundation of a successful program was laid last season when the Colonels won the Deep South Conference title for just the 4th time in nearly 30 years. They also won a tournament game for just the third time in school history when they nipped Wichita Baptist by a single point in the opening round only to fall to mighty Rainier College the following game. This season they are off to a 4-0 start that included back to back wins over ranked teams in Lincoln College and North Carolina Tech.
Relying entirely on local recruits from Georgia and northern Florida, the Colonels may be a team to watch as new starter Blondy Wilborn, a junior guard, has meshed perfectly with returnees Charles Lark, Darrel Hanson and Curly Traylor to give the Colonels four solid shooters. The one hole in the lineup might be the big man in the middle but 6'10" freshman Ken Avelar is pushing junior Dwain Daves and if one of them can establish himself in the post, Noble Jones College might just win a few tournament games come March.
Code:
COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Mobile Maritime (56) 3-0 1778 1 South Atlantic Conference
2. Rainier College (14) 6-0 1725 2 West Coast Athletic Association
3. Western Iowa (2) 4-0 1654 3 Great Lakes Alliance
4. Liberty College 7-1 1551 6 Independent
5. CC Los Angeles 4-0 1525 7 West Coast Athletic Association
6. Coastal State 3-0 1423 8 South Atlantic Conference
7. Noble Jones College 4-0 1402 9 Deep South Conference
8. Rome State 2-0 1221 10 Independent
9. Brooklyn State 5-1 1176 13 Liberty Conference
10. Texas Gulf Coast 4-0 1084 12 Southwestern Alliance
11. Coastal California 5-0 1065 11 West Coast Athletic Association
12. Miami State 6-1 1028 4 Independent
13. North Carolina Tech 4-1 983 5 South Atlantic Conference
14. Redwood 4-0 938 20 West Coast Athletic Association
15. Bluegrass State 3-0 794 NR Deep South Conference
16. Central Ohio 4-1 731 21 Great Lakes Alliance
17. Spokane State 2-0 714 24 West Coast Athletic Association
18. Lincoln 3-1 471 NR Great Lakes Alliance
19. Elyria 5-1 283 NR Independent
20. Brookland 6-1 275 15 Independent
21. Detroit City College 3-2 264 16 Great Lakes Alliance
22. Cumberland 4-1 258 NR Deep South Conference
23. Provo Tech 4-1 133 NR Rocky Mountain Athletic Alliance
24. Lane State 1-2 126 17 West Coast Athletic Association
25. Jersey City Tech 4-1 99 19 Liberty Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Freemont State 4-1 93 Midwestern Association
Alabama Gulf Coast 5-1 86 Independent
Great Plains State 5-3 65 Independent
Iowa A&M 4-1 63 Plains Athletic Association
Orrville 5-1 54 Independent
Flagstaff State 4-1 49 Southern Border Association
Berwick 4-1 47 Keystone Alliance
University of New Jersey 4-1 45 Eastern Six
Georgia Baptist 3-1 41 Deep South Conference
Erie 4-1 30 Keystone Alliance
Columbia Military Academy 2-1 19 South Atlantic Conference
Canyon A&M 4-1 19 Southwestern Alliance
RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY DECEMBER 3
#15 Bluegrass State 50 Red River State 37
#21 Detroit City College 41 Georgia Baptist 31
Bayou State 30 #24 Lane State 27
TUESDAY DECEMBER 4
#4 Liberty College 64 Pierpont 36
#5 CCLA 45 California Catholic 38
#12 Miami State 58 Dickson 39
#18 Lincoln 47 Bliss College 35
#19 Elyria 53 Conwell College 51
Hamman 44 #20 Brookland 42
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 5
#15 Bluegrass State 52 Chesapeake State 48
THURSDAY DECEMBER 6
#2 Rainier College 46 Gates University 33
#7 Noble Jones College 51 #13 North Carolina Tech 38
#10 Texas Gulf Coast 62 Baton Rogue State 36
#19 Elyria 43 Bigsby College 39
Capital (MS) University 39 #21 Detroit City College 27
#23 Provo Tech 46 Freemont State 34
FRIDAY DECEMBER 7
#4 Liberty College 47 Potomac College 23
#9 Brooklyn State 57 Bayou State 54
#12 Miami State 45 Glover(GA) 34
#14 Redwood 33 North Carolina Atlantic 28
#16 Central Ohio 49 Western Florida 38
#20 Brookland 48 Northern Mississippi 25
Armstrong 51 #25 Jersey City Tech 42
SATURDAY DECEMBER 8
no ranked teams scheduled
SUNDAY DECEMBER 9
Bulein 45 #12 Miami State 37
#13 North Carolina Tech 41 Topeka State 29
#14 Redwood 43 California Catholic 33
#19 Elyria 60 Alexandria 44
#25 Jersey City Tech 49 Western State 46
DESMARAIS WINS EURO TITLE
The long anticipated meeting of two of the best middleweight fighters in Europe the past decade finally occurred and the bout did not disappoint. Jean Desmarais remained perfect as he scored a solid unanimous decision over Archie Rees in London over the weekend to lay claim to the European Middleweight Title. The win improved the Frenchman's career mark to 36-0 but the outcome was very much in doubt early as Rees, looking to atone for losing the world title to Frank Melanson in Philadelphia over the summer, came out like a man on a mission.
The first round was a bit of a feeling out process for the two veterans, who had seemed destined to meet over a half dozen years earlier had the Nazis not made other plans. Each fighter landed a few scoring shots but it appeared Rees had been simply waiting for the right moment to find a hole in Desmarais defenses. That hole came in the second round when Desmarais left himself open after being perhaps a little too ambitious with a big right hook. Rees take advantage of the opening and caught Desmarais with a vicious body blow, quickly following it with a combination that floored the winded Frenchman.
Desmarais looked stunned as the wild, mostly pro-Rees crowd howled in delight, but he was able to beat the count. Rees would find the same opening three rounds later and down went Desmarais for a second time but he again was back on his feet before referee Hubert Earle could finish his ten count.
Something triggered in Desmarais at the point. Instead of hanging on to survive the round, he took the fight to Rees. That continued in round six when it was Archie's turn to hit the canvas. Rees appeared more surprised than hurt when he took a moment to get his bearings before rising, but it would be like it was a different fight from that point on. Desmarais was in complete control -the opening that Rees exploited seemed no longer to be present- and it was Rees just trying to hang on. The Tadcaster Thunderbolt was struck to the ground again the 14th round but did recover and survived to the scorecards despite being completely outclassed in the 14th and 15th rounds. All 3 judges were in complete agreement, scoring the bout an identical 144-138 in Desmarais favour.
***End of Line For Rees ***
Desmarais stated after the fight he would like to take his perfect record to the United States and get a shot at Frank Melanson's world title but Melanson will have to survive a rematch with Todd Gill first. The two had battled to a draw in October and seemed assured of agreeing on a rematch, likely in May.
Rees, on the other hand, may just be finished as a big time fighter. He did not address reporters after the bout but one has to suspect that after back to back losses to Melanson and Desmarais, Rees is unlikely to get a chance to regain the World Title he held from 1941 until last June. Rees is now 35-6-1 for his career.
FOUNTAIN'S RICH TITLE SHOT IN BALANCE
New York Mark Fountain has been moving along the border of ring success in the big time for quite a well. It feels like just a matter of time for Fountain to get his chance against Hector Sawyer and it seemed a foregone conclusion that fight would take place last summer. That is until Leo Carmichael changed Fountain's plans when the veteran Englishman knocked out Fountain in his hometown at Bigsby Garden last March. The K.O. left Fountain with headaches and wobbly legs for a couple of months, keeping the 27 year old out of the gym until early summer. Once fit he went west to Los Angeles to get what Fountain termed a fresh start and was back in the ring and back on top with a 10 round decision over Emmett Seals on the coast.
Now back home in New York, Fountain once again appears to be just one victory away from a shot at the title. Standing in his way will be another fighter with one eye firmly focused on Hector Sawyer. That would be Matt Price, the powerful Tampa pugilist who also has something to prove. Price is 27-4-4 for his career but is coming off a 10-round draw with Eugene Morse last June. It was a fight Price had won until he got sloppy looking for the knock out and was caught by the veteran California southpaw, who sent Price to the canvas in the 9th round of a 10 round point, securing the points needed to raise some doubt in the minds of the judges.
Fountain and Price meet at Bigsby Garden Saturday night. Odds are good the winner's next bout will be for the World Title.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Dec 15 Mark Fountain (19-2-1 #1 HW contender) vs Matt Price (27-4-4, #4 HW contender) Heavyweight contenders in New York at Bigsby Garden
- Dec 18 Wayne Dunn (25-6, #4 WW contender) vs Mitchell McFadden (22-2-1) welterweight in St Louis
- Dec 20 Brooks O'Connor (19-3-2, #4 MW contender) vs Bob Hinkle (11-4) middleweight in Miami
- Dec 20 Ben 'Baby Face' Bishop (21-2-1, #5 MW contender) vs Harold Stephens (14-3-2) middleweight in Pittsburgh
- Dec 30 George Gibbs vs Jeff Wolf in Washington DC. Gibbs (14-0) and Wolf (11-1) are top young welterweights
- Feb 8 Hector Sawyer (52-3-1) defends his World Heavyweight title against Leo Carmichael (30-4-1, #2 HW contender) in Detroit
- Mar 9 Dennis O'Keefe (19-1) vs Carl Taylor (19-2-2) for vacant World Welterweight Title in New York at Bigsby Garden
- TBA (in May) Frank Melanson (29-0-2) defends his World Middleweight Title in a rematch with Todd Gill (20-1-5, #2 contender) at Sailors Memorial Philadelphia
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/09/1945
- Mounting labor resistance doomed President Truman's search for 'patriotic' peace in the General Motors strike. The Auto Workers Union said it would be at least a week before striking employees vote on whether act on the President's back-to-work appeal.
- The House went ahead with plans to approve Truman's labor-management peace program despite violent opposition from organized labor. In response the CIO mobilized it's full membership for a battle to defeat Truman's plan to have Congress appoint fact-finding bodies in major labor disputes.
- The United States is going ahead with withdrawal of American forces from Iran despite Russia's refusal to accept a Jan. 1 deadline for evacuating Soviet troops.
- On the fourth anniversary of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, General George C Marshall testified that defenders of Hawaii, if they had been properly alerted, "could have disorganized, if not stopped, the Japanese attack." The Congressional investigative committee on the matter was also told that messages had been intercepted four hours before the attack instructing Japanese diplomats in Washington to end conferences with the United States.
- The US, Britain and Russia are set to meet next week to discuss atomic energy and make an effort to eliminate the threat of atomic warfare.
TRIVIA ANSWER: How many General Managers remain at the same job they accepted in the winter of 1925, starting the modern era of FABL baseball. The answer is 4: Chicago Cougars, New York Gothams, Philadelphia Keystones & Philadelphia Sailors. Three other general managers have been continuously employed in the league since that date but have worked for multiple teams.