DECEMBER 17, 1945
SCRAMBLE!
GWL Shakeup Leaves FABL Clubs in a Bind
The other shoe has finally dropped - Thomas X. Bigsby has purchased the Los Angeles Stars of the Great Western League and announced he is canceling the club's contract with the New York Stars of the Continental Association. Similar announcements were made in both San Francisco and Oakland, the other two FABL-affiliated clubs in the GWL.
While details of the sale of the SF and Oakland clubs has not yet been disclosed, both the Sailors and Pioneers confirmed they have received letters indicating their erstwhile AAA affiliates desire to cancel their working agreements with their FABL "parents."
This news, while a shock to the system (so to speak) for all three FABL clubs, does not come as a complete surprise and NY Stars owner Al Mielke revealed that he has been in touch with the independent clubs in the Union League about a working agreement. "But don't take this to mean we're accepting this. Our lawyers have already filed suit. We have a contract with Los Angeles and a change in ownership does not change that simple fact," Mielke told reporters.
In the meantime, the rumors of Bigsby heading a group looking to take a conglomeration of western/southwestern teams "Major" to take on the FABL directly, seems to be coming to pass. To say this situation bares watching is an understatement.
RULE FIVE DRAFT TODAY
Bang or Whimper?
The long anticipated return of FABL's Rule Five draft is here with the selection of players deemed not quite good enough to crack an organization's top 40 is set for later today. Normally, even the most ardent of baseball followers has to stifle a yawn when told this draft is occurring but for the better part of a year there has been plenty of hype around this years draft. The reason is simple: nearly every organization is bloated from the feast of talent finally returning to the sport after doing its duty during the war. There is likely to be in excess of 1,500 players available for selection this year. Records have not been kept on the matter but that sure seems like a record smashing total.
Some league executives had warned this will be the biggest Rule Five draft ever. Plenty of key players will change teams and it could change the fortune of a few teams. That was the warning last winter and even over the summer months from a select few but now that the event is upon us, many are changing their tune. There will still be some veteran players made available and perhaps a hidden gem uncovered but now that it is here this Rule Five draft seems to have no more of an impact than the countless others that were held before the war.
A bunch of players may get selected and there appear to be some with plenty of big league experience available, but nothing earth-shattering is expected to happen. Among those who are unprotected are 14 position players with at least 500 career big league games under their belt headed by Jim Beard of the Sailors with 1,245 games played. Outfielders Wally Flowers and Roy Bradley also have over 1,000 games and are technically eligible but each is now a free agent as the Pittsburgh Miners recently released Flowers and Cleveland cut ties with Bradley. Veteran pitchers Merritt Thomas (94-80 career mark) and Karl Wallace (92-80) are in the same boat as each was also recently released.
Players selected in the rule five must spend the entire season on the selecting club's big league roster or be returned to the team from which they were drafted.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Wolves Prepare for the 1945 Rule 5 Draft -As the selection of unprotected players approaches the Mail & Empire will take a quick look at the current state of the Toronto organization. During the war most teams did not carry a full 40-man roster, which came with the associated cost of a FABL contract, since the rule five draft had been suspended for the duration of the conflict. A secondary factor was most teams were trying to trying to find enough players to fill their rosters never mind loading up the secondary rosters too.
The end of WWII has left all teams with the same dilemma. Nearly all teams have too many players, so some tough calls have to be made on which are going to be exposed to a Rule 5 claim. Brett has contacted other team's reporters to try find out what their team is doing before the Rule 5, some are following the same tactic as the Wolves, filling their protected roster from within but others will definitely be hunting for big upgrades just before Christmas. Brett is now unsure whether there will be a cascade of selections or a mere dribble this year.
A look at the Wolves Organization:
Toronto -Players currently on Roster: 31. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: +7
Toronto will probably go into spring training with these 31. Their will be enough competition for roster spots so there will not be the regular bringing in of a few youngsters for a quick look-see early in camp.
Buffalo- AAA -Players currently on Roster: 32. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: +8. Players Available to be selected in Rule 5: 25
Here is where the problem begins, Wolves have to find room for 7 players before the season begins, some will have to clear waivers. If the Nickels lose no one then a total of 15 have to be released or moved down the organization.
Chattanooga- AA -Players currently on Roster: 23. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: -1. Players Available to be selected in Rule 5: 15
Davenport- Class A -Players currently on Roster: 24. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: 0. Players Available to be selected in Rule 5: 14
Vancouver- Class B -Players currently on Roster: 29. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: +5. Players Available to be selected in Rule 5: 8
Vancouver is a different story for another factor. Owner Bernie Millard is said to be incensed with the possibility that Vancouver is seeking to join an outlaw league being formed on the West Coast that would hamper the financial viability of the Class B franchise. It is said that there is a group putting together a list of Western Canadian cities for possible relocation. If this league does indeed form, like the Peerless and Frontier Leagues of the 1800s, the fallout is unknown but there will undoubtably players from the organization who jump to the new league.
Tuscaloosa- Class C -Players currently on Roster: 33. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: -2. Players Available to be selected in Rule 5: 2
Being under the roster limits means nothing as there will be at least 20 players drafted trying to begin a career when this level begins play in June. Currently there is one player who has to move up or out when the new maximum age of 23 comes into effect this season.
Organization Summary - Players currently on Roster: 169. Over/Under Opening Day Roster Limits: +17. Players Available to be selected in Rule 5: 64
As the fan can see there are interesting times coming for the Wolves. Injuries, losses in Rule 5 or defections may change the number but there is not enough room for everyone currently in the organization. If the front office staff has done their work now, along with during the past number of years, the team should not lose anyone of major significance in December. Undoubtedly the fans will find someone who was left unprotected that will go onto to contribute in the FABL.
- Much ado about nothing. The Rule Five draft won't be as dramatic as feared in past months. Primarily because teams just won't have the roster space for many guys on the 24-man roster come April. For the most part they have too many players to choose from already. That being said don't be surprised if a team or two does draft four or five players as that seems to be the normal practice.
- What is a big deal and suddenly very worrisome for FABL is the news from the coast with 3 teams terminating agreements to ace as AAA affiliates. Is the entire Great West League joining forces with the big boys in the Lone Star loop to form it's own pro league?
- TRIVIA QUESTION: For today let's turn our attention to the minors since there is some newsworthy happenings going on in AAA right now here is a two part question on that level. What team has won the most pennants in AAA baseball? And the bonus question is which team has gone the longest without popping the champagne corks?
THOMAS LEADS AMERICANS TO WIN IN HIGHEST SCORING TITLE GAME
Everyone knew the Boston Americans offense was good, but few likely expected it to be that good. The Detroit Maroons simply had no solution for the potent Boston attack led by quarterback Del Thomas completing 18 of 21 pass attempts and halfback Brian Young galloping for 138 yards in a 56-24 rout for the Americans, giving Boston it's third American Football Association championship.
The Maroons did themselves no favours either, turning the ball over 4 times in the first half and five overall. If there was a moment that Maroons coach Frank Yurik can point to and say that is the turning point it happened early in the second quarter. Detroit was already trailing 14-7 because Brian Clark intercepted a Rich Coleman pass inside Detroit territory to set up one of Boston quarterback Del Thomas' three touchdown passes on the afternoon. This was another interception and a back-breaker as Coleman, on a third and 8 at the Boston 21 yard line when he likely should have settled for a field goal attempt, instead tried to force a pass into double coverage in the end zone to the great Stan Vaught. It was intercepted by Bill Dickinson just beyond the Boston goal line and Dickinson ran it back 101 yards for a touchdown and suddenly a 14-point Boston lead, one from which the Maroons never recovered. A 42-yard Brian Young touchdown run just over 2 minutes later and the rout was on.
The Boston rushing game, with Clark gaining 134 yards on 13 carries and Bulldog Stein adding 79, took over but it was Thomas -the 31 year old Boston quarterback- that earned MVP honours for what may well be the best display of controlled passing ever seen in the AFA. He had the precision of a surgeon the way his passes knifed through openings and landed in the waiting arms of Boston's many pass-catchers. 18 of 21 completions for 215 yards with no interceptions and 3 touchdown strikes. Numbers that will haunt the Maroons for quite some time. And Thomas played no favourites, spreading the wealth by employing 7 different teammates as pass targets -five of whom each hauled in three catches including Tom Molloy for 62 yards and Oscar Sweeney for a pair of scores. Veteran Tom Bowens, or as some Detroit players took to calling Mr. Betsy Barrell, enjoyed the last laugh as well with 3 catches for 55 yards including an early second quarter 15 yard catch and run that gave the Yanks a 14-7 lead at the time.
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY
YEAR SCORE VENUE MVP
1945 Boston 56 Detroit 24 Minutemn Stadium Del Thomas, Bos
1944 Philadelphia 30 Detroit 14 Sailors Memorial Ollie Bishop, Phi
1943 Chicago 21 Boston 20 Minutemen Stadium 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
MAROONS GOOD BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Seems That's The Fate of of Detroit Sports
Second best. Nothing new for Detroit sports teams to see the Maroons fall in the highest scoring AFA championship game ever staged. The past decade of Detroit sports has been a non-stop roller coaster of building up our hopes only to crush them and send us crashing down just as we can see the peak.
It is hard to believe but it now has been a decade since the Detroit Maroons last won the American Football Association championship. That's right, it was 1936 when the Maroons topped Pittsburgh 24-7 at Thompson Field to win their fourth AFA title, but first since the championship game format began in 1933. Stan Vaught was a rookie that year and for the only time in his illustrious career he did not lead the loop in catches.
It was also one of those rare times the Maroons got the better of the Wildcats. Chicago would win 5 of the next 8 West Division titles but the Maroons would sneak in there in 1940 -only to fall 20-7 to Brooklyn and again a year ago but were manhandled by the Philadelphia Frigates in the championship contest. If it is wasn't Chicago getting the better of us as the Wildcats did 4 of the last 7 years, it was the winner in the East Division beating on us like a drum, although hard to imagine any of those defeats feeling worse for Maroons coach Frank Yurik than yesterday's 56-24 battering in Boston.
Rollie Barrell's bunch have been good, certainly, but just not quite good enough to be the best. But this is not a problem exclusive to Rollie's gang. It is a city-wide affliction. Think about it. This has been just that kind of decade for the Motor City's sports teams. All those close calls but coming up just short for the Maroons must have rubbed off on their Thompson Field landlords as the Dynamos had more than their share of close but not quite's lately too.
*** Dynamos Came So Close So Often ***
The title drought has been even longer for our baseball heroes as the Dynamos last hoisted the Fed flag way back in 1929 and the entire city had to endure those awful days of the mid-1930s with rock-bottom being the summer of '35 when the Dynamos set a modern record for futility with 111 losses.
Fortunes turned around quickly when youngsters Sal Pestilli and Red Johnson led Detroit out of the dark days with a surprising second place finish in 1938, tantilzing Dynamos denizens with hopes of great things to come. And just like the Maroons with their near misses, the Dynamos brought us right to the brink only to disappoint time and time again. Back to back second place finishes -just a game back of Pittsburgh in '39 and 2 back of those same Miners in 1940. 1941 the Detroiters were third, but only 3 back as both Boston and Pittsburgh dashed our hopes once more. Another second place finish in '44 and third this past season as once more one of out clubs came so tantalizingly close but in the end the local nine came up 4 games short. Four times the Dynamos were the bridesmaid in the Fed race over the past 8 seasons and twice more they were third but just 4 games away from being the best.
*** Local College Affected as Well ***
And these close but no cigar results are not limited to our cities pro teams. Unfortunately the City College Knights have also become afflicted. The Knights have never won a National Title in any of the big three team sports despite being one of the big boys of the AIAA and an original school to compete in each sport including the old baseball feeder leagues. Heck, they have never even been to football's East-West Classic despite some strong seasons the past few years although they finally won the Great Lakes Alliance grid title this year. Unfortunately, even that was not good enough for the East-West Classic selection committee.
Now before this conversation turns into another why did Alabama Baptist get the nod to head west for New Year's over a Detroit City College team that handled all comers save for Rome State -perhaps the great collegiate team ever assembled- lets look at previous examples. The '43 team looked to be the one that could get to Santa Ana but they ran into a red-hot Minnesota Tech eleven that smashed our hopes. In '42 the Knights had to share the crown with Wisconsin State -who they didn't get to play- but at least managed to nab a trip to the Desert Classic -where they were brought back to reality by Bayou State in a 27-17 loss that doomed the Knights to third in the polls behind the two big Georgia schools.
And of course when it comes to cage talk, one needs just mention February of 1943 when it seemed the Knights were poised to make a deep run in the annual collegiate basketball tournament and were one of those favoured to perhaps win it all only to see in the span of a week their best player and top scorer in the nation -Roman Sollars- join the Navy and another key starter -Andrew Bennett- suffer a season-ending injury and the team was knocked out in the quarterfinals. DCC has never won an AIAA tournament but they reached the Bigsby Garden semi-finals twice in the past ten years. But then, at least over the past decade, that has been the Detroit way. Often good, but never quite good enough.
DETROIT - NOT QUITE GOOD ENOUGH THE LAST DECADE
DYNAMOS
1938 - win 94 games but second behind Chicago
1939 - win 93 games but second 1 game back of Pittsburgh
1940 - win 90 games but second 2 games back of Pittsburgh
1941 - finish third, 4 games back of first place Boston
1944 - finish second behind Philadelphia
1945 - finish third, 4 games back of first place Philadelphia
MAROONS
1945 - lost AFA title game 56-24 to Boston
1944 - lost AFA title game 40-14 to Philadelphia
1941 - late season loss to Chicago left them second in West Division
1940 - lost AFA title game at home 20-7 to Brooklyn
1937- two losses and a tie in final 3 weeks while Chicago won its last six to knock Detroit out of west lead
DCC KNIGHTS
1945 - Football team lost only to Rome State but bypassed for Alabama Baptist for East-West Classic
1943-44 - basketball lost in quarterfinals
1943 - Football team missed out on East-West Classic and GLA title with 10-0 loss to Minnesota Tech
1942-43 - heavily favoured basketball lost in round of 16 when top player left for the Navy two weeks before tournament
1942 - Football team finished third in nation after losing Desert Classic to Bayou State
1941-42 - basketball team lost in national semi-finals
1941 - Football team won the GLA but overlooked for East-West Classic and did not get a New Year's Day game.
1938-39 - basketball team lost in quarterfinals
1935-36 - basketball team lost in national semi-finals
Classic Game slate for New Years Day.
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CLASSIC LOCATION TEAMS
East-West Santa Ana,Ca Alabama Baptist 9-0 Golden Gate University 6-1
Lone Star Austin, Tx Detroit City Coll. 9-1 Travis College 10-0
Sunshine Miami, Fl Miami State 10-0 St Blane 8-2
Cajun New Orleans,La Eastern State 7-2 Eastern Oklahoma 8-0
Desert El Paso, Tx South Valley State 6-0-1 Central Ohio 7-1-1
Oilman Houston, Tx Payne State 7-2-1 Noble Jones College 8-2
Bayside Tampa, Fl Maryland State 7-2 St Patrick's 6-1-2
BASKETBALL-DAFFY NEW YORK PACKING GARDEN FOR CONTESTS
New York, Dec 17--This basketball-daffy town plays host to 14 visiting college fives from all over the Nation within the next two weeks and capacity crowds are expected to jam Bigsby Garden for the seven double-headers on the holiday program. The big arena has attracted gatherings averaing better than 18,000 for five twin-bills so far this season. The seven holiday cards already are virtual sellouts and are counted on to draw an aggregate of 126,000 court customers.
Last season the Garden rang up a record total of 299,734 fans and an average of 16,652 for its 18 sessions and this year, with 21 double-headers scheduled, the old mark is certain to tumble. The holiday schedule gets underway tomorrow night with 4th ranked Liberty College taking on Armstrong while Annapolis Maritime meets Ellery in the nightcap. Other visiting teams invading the Garden over the next two weeks include Carolina Poly, St Blane, Pittsburgh State and Coastal California.
JERSEY CITY TECH REBOUNDING FROM GAMBLING SCANDAL
One of the biggest surprise teams in the early going this season has been the Jersey City Tech Wizards. The school made news for the wrong reasons last season when 4 players were kicked off the team following a point-shaving incident involving some New York City gambling kingpins. It led to a complete overhaul of the Wizards program after it was learned that one of the 4 players -the ringleader of the scandal- was not even a student at the university, having forged his paperwork to be on the team.
With 9 new players, Jersey City Tech is off to a 5-1 start. None of the opponents they have beaten are top teams although they did surprise North Carolina Atlantic 42-37 last week. The Wizards are currently ranked 22nd in the polls and while no one expects it to last, new coach Mark O'Brien and his charges are enjoying it while they can.
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COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Mobile Maritime (64) 5-0 1789 1 South Atlantic Conference
2. Rainier College (5) 7-0 1704 2 West Coast Athletic Association
3. Western Iowa (2) 5-0 1624 3 Great Lakes Alliance
4. Liberty College (1) 9-1 1602 4 Independent
5. CC Los Angeles 6-0 1547 5 West Coast Athletic Association
6. Coastal State 4-0 1430 6 South Atlantic Conference
7. Brooklyn State 6-1 1292 9 Liberty Conference
8. Texas Gulf Coast 6-0 1230 10 Southwestern Alliance
9. Coastal California 7-0 1203 11 West Coast Athletic Association
10. Miami State 7-1 1181 12 Independent
11. North Carolina Tech 4-1 1109 13 South Atlantic Conference
12. Redwood 5-0 1022 14 West Coast Athletic Association
13. Central Ohio 5-1 958 16 Great Lakes Alliance
14. Noble Jones College 6-1 945 7 Deep South Conference
15. Rome State 3-1 740 8 Independent
16. Elyria 6-1 579 19 Independent
17. Provo Tech 6-1 507 23 Rocky Mountain Athletic Alliance
18. Iowa A&M 6-1 479 NR Plains Athletic Association
19. Detroit City College 4-2 446 21 Great Lakes Alliance
20. Cumberland 5-1 428 22 Deep South Conference
21. Freemont State 5-1 332 NR Midwestern Association
22. Jersey City Tech 5-1 307 25 Liberty Conference
23. Garden State 4-2 229 NR Liberty Conference
24. St. Magnus 4-1 187 NR Great Lakes Alliance
25. Bluegrass State 4-1 128 15 Deep South Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Berwick 4-1 80 Keystone Alliance
Canyon A&M 4-1 62 Southwestern Alliance
Spokane State 3-1 60 West Coast Athletic Association
Georgia Baptist 3-1 55 Deep South Conference
Meade 4-1 54 Keystone Alliance
Amarillo Methodist 3-1 37 Southwestern Alliance
Fond du Lac 3-1 27 Central Athletic Alliance
Empire State 3-1 27 Liberty Conference
RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY DECEMBER 10
#1 Mobile Maritime 58 Baton Rogue State 41
#4 Liberty College 48 Harrisburg State 37
#8 Texas Gulf Coast 51 Oklahoma City State 41
#14 Noble Jones College 48 Whitney College 40
#17 Provo Tech 47 Wichita Baptist 44
TUESDAY DECEMBER 11
#2 Rainier College 33 Kit Carson University 42
#3 Western Iowa 55 Lambert College 52
#7 Brooklyn State 48 St Patrick's 47
#13 Central Ohio 59 Holland 51
#15 Rome State 36 Flint 33
#22 Jersey City Tech 42 North Carolina Atlantic 37
#24 St Magnus 60 Wisconsin Catholic 44
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12
#5 CCLA 29 Quaker College (CA) 28
#18 Iowa A&M 49 Eastern Oklahoma 42
#23 Garden State 53 Ellery 45
#25 Bluegrass State 51 Oklahoma Bible College 48
THURSDAY DECEMBER 13
#12 Redwood 36 Lincoln 28
#14 Noble Jones College 38 Maryland State 32
#16 Elyria 44 Cuyahoga University 35
#20 Cumberland 47 Glover(GA) 38
#21 Freemont State 46 Colorado Poly 36
FRIDAY DECEMBER 14
#4 Liberty College 77 Valley State 42
#9 Coastal California 49 Bayou State 45
#10 Miami State 49 Lane State 43
#17 Provo Tech 52 El Paso Methodist 41
SATURDAY DECEMBER 15
#5 CCLA 46 Flagstaff State 36
#8 Texas Gulf Coast 42 Capital(MS) University 27
Queen City 48 #25 Bluegrass State 40
SUNDAY DECEMBER 16
#1 Mobile Maritime 49 Laclede 35
#6 Coastal State 35 Eastern State 28
#9 Coastal California 50 Gates University 40
Payne State 47 #14 Noble Jones College 27
Cuyahoga University 62 #15 Rome State 54
#18 Iowa A&M 52 Central Illinois 40
#19 Detroit City College 51 Orrville 45
#23 Garden State 68 University of New Jersey 34
FOUNTAIN DOES ENOUGH TO WIN
But Many Question if Enough for Title Shot
Mark Fountain may be listed as the nations number one ranked heavyweight contender but you wouldn't think it from watching his 10-round victory over Matt Price Saturday night at Bigsby Garden. Both are supposed to be threats to Hector Sawyer but by their showing in this one you would say that neither could knock your Aunt Minnie off a pair of ice skates as the bobbed and weaved for 10 rounds, while rarely just slugging it out, through a fight that each should have been desperate to win as it appeared likely the victor would next step in the ring with the World Title on the line.
Fountain, the 28 year old New York born pugilist scored a majority decision over Matt Price on Saturday but it left many scratching their heads at why Fountain did not deliver more. It was a 10-round decision with two of the adjudicators calling a narrow victory for Fountain with the third feeling it was a dead heat. What was a near unanimous decision from those in attendance was the feeling the bout lacked the intensity that would have been expected by two fighters with a title opportunity seemingly hanging in the balance. Neither fighter appeared to make an effort to take charge as each seemed more worried of making a mistake than making a difference in the meetng.
It was Fountain's first appearance back in the Garden since the beating he took from Brit Leo Carmichael in March and because of that result it is the Englishman preparing to square off against Sawyer for the belt in February while Fountain is left trying to prove he is worthy of a title opportunity. After this result, with Sawyer in the crowd and looking less and less interested as the bout progressed, one has to question whether Fountain was hurt a lot more seriously than first indicated when Carmichael knocked him silly 9 months ago.
Fountain needed much of the summer to get his head straight and his legs back and while all accounts from the coast say he looked just fine in a decision over Emmett Seals in Los Angeles in August, he did not appear to be the same fighter who was 18-1-1 before entering the ring against Carmichael early last year.
Price's effort was also a disappointment as the Tampa Terror had his second straight bad result. He fought to a draw in a bout in Philadelphia last summer with Eugene Morse that he should have won easily and now looked almost disinterested against Fountain in Saturday's loss. Price was considered a contender for the title but the past six months has soured many on his future.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- 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 WW contender) vs Harold Stephens (14-3-2) welterweight in Pittsburgh
- Dec 30 George Gibbs vs Jeff Wolf in Washington DC. Gibbs (14-0) and Wolf (11-1) are top 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 Tite in New York at Bigsby Garden
- TBA (in May) Frank Melanson (29-0-2) defends his World Middleweight Title in a rematch wth Todd Gill (20-1-5, #2 contender) at Sailors Memorial Philadelphia
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/16/1945
- General George Patton is in serious condition with a spinal injury and head wounds after an army truck hit his car in Mannheim, Germany. Doctors report that Patton has suffered a fractured neck vertebra and is paralyzed from the third cervical vertebra. By weeks end Patton had shown enough improvement to be flown back to the United States.
- Another walk-out threat for General Motors as an additional 25,000 employees are set to join the more than 175,000 who have been off the job for 20-days in a wage dispute. The company and the United Automobile Workers are back at the negotiation table.
- There is also a growing threat of a steelworkers stike with more than 800,000 ready to walk off the job if necessary to win a $2 a day pay increase.
- The Secretary of Labor told Congress that the nation is in 'critical need' of President Truman's fact-finding labor program.
- An American military court sentenced 36 Germans to hang for participating in mass murders while serving as officials and guards at the Dachau concentration camp.
TRIVIA ANSWER: The Milwaukee Blues of the Century League lead the way with AAA titles as the Chicago Cougars top farm club has won 16 of them including the last 3 straight. However, five of the Blues titles come from before the turn of the century when they were known as the Cram Caps. Next up we have independent Portland with 12 Great Western League crowns followed by St Paul of the Century loop with 10.
The longest current pennantless drought in AAA belongs to the Buffalo Nickels. We could technically say it is the Jersey City Uniforms who have not won a title since 1904 but that was in the AA Eastern Association and they did not move up to AAA until 1940.