FEBRUARY 18, 1946
WHAT WILL BASEBALL LOOK LIKE IN TWENTY YEARS?
From the TWIFB staff with contributions from local baseball writers
We are entering a crucial period for big-time professional sports. The dawn of a new golden era some say but in football and baseball, with new competition threatening to change the landscape of those sports, the future has possibly never been more uncertain.
The last time baseball faced the competition of multiple leagues fighting for players the sport nearly destroyed itself. Fortunately, William Whitney -the founder of professional baseball- took charge and organized the owners into the partnership that became FABL. It brought half a century of great prosperity for the 16 owners invited to join the big league family, but now newcomers have crashed the party and want their fair share.
The Great Western League appears to be well financed and well organized with Thomas X. Bigsby at it's lead and clearly armed with a well thought out plan. In Bigsby's mind the country is more than big enough to support 24 big league teams and he will set out to prove that in April when the GWL plants its flag in 8 western cities. Bigsby says there will be no raiding of FABL rosters, at least for now, but one has to think that if the pacific eight have their sights set on being a truly major league and on par with the powers of the east, that will change.
And what of FABL. The Continental and Federal Associations surely do not want to cede the west to the GWL. California has always been in their long-term plans and was nearly a reality half a dozen years ago when Dee Rose almost succeeded in his plan to move the Pioneers from St Louis to Los Angeles.
Will the leagues find a peace and perhaps even one day stage a championship series between the champion of the east and the west? Or will it end up turning into a brutal fight, waged with threats, likely legal action and certainly contract dollars that see a number of teams on both sides perhaps fall by the wayside? The next twenty years of baseball have likely never been harder to predict but TWIFB asked some of the nation's top sports scribes to dust off their crystal ball and tell us what they think the structure of game will look like in twenty years and how will their hometown team be impacted.
JIGGS MCGEE TWIFB:- I see a potentially bitter fight ahead but fortunately I believe Thomas X. Bigsby is much more level-headed than most of his extended family before him. There will be some tough days for teams in both leagues but when the dust settles FABL will be left standing but with the addition of four to six of the western clubs. Perhaps a few in the east fall by the wayside during the inevitable salary bidding war that precedes peace but an 18-20 team league that stretches from coast to coast will ultimately be the best thing for the game.
JOHN BRINKER - New York Daily Mirror - I see the Cougars and Chiefs both tied tightly to Chicago, Brooklyn moving to Kansas City and perhaps ultimately the Pacific Northwest and the Stars & Sailors maybe to LA & SF pending what happens with the GWL. That would mean expanding back into NY to replace the Stars.
ERNIE HERR- Cincinnati Post - I feel the Cannons are safe as John Tice has built something that will last and has a new stadium on the way. I am not so sure about Cleveland and maybe even one of the New York area Continental teams. I could see (FABL President) Sam Belton taking the fight to the rebels and moving a couple teams to the west coast similar to what it appears the AFA is planning to combat the Continental Football Conference. In the end the rebel league will fail and a stronger FABL will emerge.
BOB MURPHY- Detroit Times- It really depends on what Bigsby does. I can see him being content to share the country with FABL but I expect he will eventually demand draft rights to all of the western born players for his league and that is something I would be shocked if Belton agrees to. Big league ball belongs in LA and San Francisco and perhaps FABL will regret not letting the two Texas expansion clubs in as that would have made the progression with expansion to California a much easier process than it will now be. As for teams moving, it is hard not to see a few clubs follow the lead of the Cannons and look for a fresh start elsewhere. Washington has been on thin ice for a long-time but the nation's capital is such a key place for a FABL club, moving the Eagles might be a tough sell to the rest of the loop. Cleveland, Montreal and Pittsburgh are in smaller cities and could be moved, especially if FABL wants a foothold in the south like Atlanta or New Orleans.
ARCHIE WARD- Chicago Daily News- Plenty can happen in 20 years -- old Archie may not have anything left in the pen -- but baseball will survive and come out stronger then ever. I'd love to see teams out west, but more teams? That's a hard sell for me. There's something perfect about 16... But if anything, this war proved their are more then 384 FABL worthy players and plenty of talented athletes would have been without a job had this new "don't call me a rebel" league trying to spring up. 20 teams in 20 years? Something feels right about that. Just not -- yet.
I think we'll see the league spread apart a bit. One Philly team, two New York teams, one Ohio team, and one Canada team. Maybe Pittsburgh moves elsewhere too. But one thing is for sure: Chicagoans love their baseball. The Chiefs have their history and the Cougars show up in swarms to support their third place squad. I think the on-field product will change. Too many good pitchers and not enough innings to give them. And what happened to home runs? We need more of those! No matter which direction baseball goes, this fan will be happy, but please mighty baseball gods, please! Please tell me 20 years from now the Cougars aren't still stuck on 5! Yes, 10 is too much to ask for, but one in '46, another before the 40s end, and two in the 50s? I'd put my money on that.
Dear West Coast baseball fans,
Have you noticed how often the Easterners bellow “outlaw league” when talking about our visionary new league? Here we are trying to give Americans on the other side of the country a chance to enjoy the nation’s pastime. And they call us “outlaws”. I cry foul! Have the Eastern Elite not heard of the Sherman Anti-trust Act? It’s not new gentlemen, having been passed in 1890 and used successfully to break the Rockefeller stranglehold on the oil business. Oh sure, right now you have the courts of this land in your back pockets working to protect your precious monopoly, but that can’t last long. Can you imagine you being able to escape the actual law another 10 years? Nay, by 1956, I predict that baseball historians will be writing a different story and you’ll be recognized as the bandits.
Or… you could recognize that there are plenty of fans to go around and major league baseball can thrive from the Atlantic to the Pacific and all stops in between. How about a team in Kansas City? The Great Western League has the vision. Do you?
FURIOUS BELTON RIPS EAGLES-GRAYS DEAL
When news broke today of a trade between the FABL's Washington Eagles and the Great Western League's Oakland Grays, FABL President Sam Belton hastily called a news conference and announced that "effective immediately, no transactions of any kind will be permitted between the FABL and the GWL clubs. In no way, shape or form does the Federally Aligned Baseball Leagues office recognize or affirm the Great Western League as anything other than an illegal organization. Henceforth, any FABL club that has business dealings, official or otherwise, with a GWL club, will face severe consequences."
Belton, still scowling, left the podium immediately after reading his statement and took no questions.
If there was any doubt about the official stance of the FABL towards the new baseball circuit in the west, it has now been removed.
The trade, which Washington Eagles Assistant General Manager Bill Hare confirms will be completed because "there were no rules prohibiting transactions with the western clubs at the time we made the move," adding that the deal made perfect sense because Del Burns immediately "regretted his decision to head to Oakland and our guy approached us about returning home."
The 'our guy' Hare was referring to was 30 year old lefthander Del Thomas -no, not the famous Boston Americans quarterback, a different Del Thomas- who grew up in Los Angeles but had spent the past two seasons with the AAA Kansas City Eagles. Thomas heads west and Del Burns, who won 18 games for the Eagles in 1944 and was an all-star, will remain in Washington.
FABL DRAFT CONTINUES
The annual FABL draft is progressing on schedule. Three of the top four selections were pitchers but after that the run on arms slowed with only 7 others going in the other 28 selections that completed the opening two rounds of the draft. There was more of an emphasis on youth as all but 3 of the first rounders came out of the high school ranks. In comparison, a year ago 8 or a full half of the opening round picks were selected from the AIAA. There were few surprises as for the most part the players selected in the opening two rounds had most General Managers nodding in agreement.
There were several trades involving early picks with the biggest news being the Detroit Dynamos decision to trade out of the first overall selection and drop to third while adding former first overall selection Dick Blaszak in the pre-draft deal with the Chicago Chiefs. The Chiefs quickly grabbed everyone's number one in Piedmont University pitcher John Stallings while the Dynamos, after Pennsylvania high school pitcher George Reynolds went second to the Philadelphia Sailors, drafted Tommy Allenby -a high ceiling 18 year old out of New Market, Alabama.
The other big deal was a very rare three team transaction. The Brooklyn Kings dealt the 10th overall pick to the Chicago Cougars in exchange for the 14th pick of the first round, pick 12 in round three and minor league pitcher Gene Madison before then flipping the 14th pick to the Chicago Chiefs for highly touted catcher Solly Skidmore and the Chiefs second round selection.
Here are the round one and two results.
Code:
ROUND 1 DRAFT SELECTIONS
PK TM PLAYER POS AGE SCHOOL HOMETOWN
1 CHI John Stallings P 20 Piedmont Univ. Trussville, Al.
2 PHS George Reynolds P 17 Bethlehem(PA) HS Bethlehem, Pa.
3 DET Tommy Allenby OF 18 New Market(AL) HS New Market, Al.
4 CLE Larry Beebe P 17 Mamaroneck(NY) HS Mamaroneck, NY
5 STL Sherry Doyle OF 18 Landry New Orl HS New Orleans, LA
6 MON Bert Mayes 2B 17 Marion(OH) Elgin HS Zanesville, OH
7 BOS Danny Taylor OF 18 Overland(MO) HS Trenton, NJ
8 TOR Cyrus Goodman P 17 Clarendon (AR) HS Clarendon, AR
9 BOS Yank Taylor OF 18 Pullman HS,Chicago Providence, RI
10 CHC Bob Allen P 17 Sonora (CA) HS Sonora, CA
11 WSH Bill Wise 2B 17 Remsen (IA) HS Remsen, IA
12 NYS Tommy Griffin 3B 20 Mississippi A&M Vicksburg, MI
13 PIT Bill Newhall CF 17 Hollis (OK) HS Hollis, OK
14 CHI Dick Steel OF 18 Dudley (MA) HS Dudley, MA
15 PHS Billy Forbes CF 20 Miami State Louisville, KY
16 CIN Jim Stone 1B 20 Grange College Greencastle, IN
Code:
ROUND 2 DRAFT SELECTIONS
PK TM PLAYER POS AGE SCHOOL HOMETOWN
17 DET Fred Washington P 17 Lincoln (IN) HS Lincoln, IN
18 NYS Joe Wood OF 18 Larimore (ND) HS Sioux Falls, SD
19 BOS Dick Helfand OF 20 Bluegrass State Muldraugh, KY
20 CHC Frank Reece OF 18 Villisca (IA) HS Villisca, IA
21 WSH Larry Jackson 2B 17 Washington HS SF San Francisco, CA
22 MON Ed Whitney OF 20 Brandywine Univ Philadelphia, PA
23 PIT Clint Rogers P 18 Brunswick (GA) HS Lake City, FL
24 TOR Tony Ballinger 1B 18 Eastern HS, Louisville Newport, KY
25 STL Jim McBride OF 20 Coastal State Burlington, NC
26 CLE Adrian Czerwinski P 21 Whitney College Chicago, IL
27 BKN Otis Ballard 2B 18 Williamstown(NJ) HS Wilmington, DE
28 BKN Sam Franklin P 18 Benton Harbor (MI) HS Benton Harbor, MI
29 DET Lew Mercer C 18 Marietta (OH) HS Marietta, OH
30 PHS Cliff Dilley 1B 20 Eastern State Abingdon, VA
31 PHK Bob Gaines C 17 Staten Island New Drop New York, NY
32 CIN Chet Baker P 20 Grange College West Bridgewater, MA
DID CHIEFS LAND THE NEXT RABBIT DAY?
The biggest off-season moment for baseball in the Windy City happened at the draft when the Chiefs pulled off what may turn out to be the heist of the decade. The verdict is obviously out on that and will be for a number of years as the trade with the Detroit Dynamos that made the mighty left arm of John Stallings Chiefs property involved three very young ballplayers but hearing Dan Barrell of the OSA compare Stallings to another great Chiefs pitcher by the name of Rabbit Day leaves Chicago fans feeling giddy about what the future may hold.
The deal saw Chicago trade up from third to first overall just moments before the first pick -long expected to be Stallings- was announced. Chicago also sent former first overall outfielder Dick Blaszak from the Windy City and the Dynamos used the third choice in the draft to select high school outfielder Tommy Allenby. All of the talk was about Stallings as various scouting directors gushed over the great future they anticipated for the two-time All-American from Piedmont University.
It remains to be seen of course, and Blaszak and Allenby might have a lot to say about it, but this deal has the possibility of bringing championships to the Chiefs in a move perhaps as dramatic as the one that landed future Hall of Famer Rabbit Day from the New York Gothams a decade ago.
Allenby is the type of outfielder who could become an elite power hitter, with OSA saying he "has the talent to develop into a franchise cornerstone" but while elite outfielders are not easy to find, they are far easier to acquire that an ace top of the rotation pitcher. Blaszak turned 24 years old over the winter and before the war was in the exact same position Allenby is now - a highly touted slugger with the possibility of a great future. That may no longer be the case for Blaszak -although the Dynamos obviously hope it was just rust after three years in the war and taking a bullet in the shoulder that slowed Blaszak's rookie campaign. The Detroit General Manager knows 'The Polish Hammer' quite well, having drafted Blaszak with the top selection when he was with Cincinnati in 1940, but even if both Allenby and Blaszak reach their lofty expectations this may still turn out to be a deal that haunts the Detroit club for the next 15 years.
*** Skidmore Move Flies Under Radar ***
The acquisition of Stallings dominated all the press coverage in Chicago and let another, perhaps questionable, move by the Chiefs go practically unnoticed. Chicago dealt a potential franchise catcher in Solly Skidmore to the Brooklyn Kings in order to add a late first round selection. Some feel that, like for Blaszak, the war took its toll on Skidmore and he will not be the next Tom Bird, as he had been championed as when he came over from the cross-town Cougars following the 1942 season but joined the Coast Guard a month later, and the timing to move both was perfect for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs are betting that high school outfielder Dick Steel, selected 14th overall with the pick obtained from Brooklyn, will be an elite outfielder and possibly equal to or perhaps even better than Blaszak. A risky move dealing Skidmore but the Chiefs are banking on 21 year old Dino Robinson, an 8th round pick in last year's draft by the Philadelphia Keystones and acquired in the deadline deal for Frank Davis, can develop into their catcher of the future.
JIGGS McGEE'S TAKE: It looks like the Chiefs had a huge win in the deal to acquire Stallings but it really will be a few years before we know for sure. Stallings does seem like the type of pitcher who can follow Eli Panneton's footsteps with the New York Stats and step right into the big league rotation in July, and the Dynamos -if they happen to be in contention still at the point- may learn to regret the deal much sooner than a few years from now. I am a little less enamoured with the decision to deal Skidmore but some scouts are whispering he is not the same level of prospect he was before the war although OSA has him ranked the 50th best prospect (down from a peak of 18th in 1941). If Skidmore lives up to the billing from early in his career this will be a huge addition for the Brooklyn Kings, who have been desperate to find a catcher ever since Fred Barrell started slowing down in the late 1930s.
STRONG RETURNS TO GOTHAMS
The hero of the 1935 World Championship Series is returning home to New York. The Gothams announced at the draft that they had acquired 36 year old first baseman/outfielder Mahlon Strong from the Pittsburgh Miners in exchange for a fifth round pick - one of the few draft picks the New York nine still possessed. For Strong it is a return to where his pro career started as he was an 8th round selection of the Gothams in the 1927 draft and made his big league debut for them at the age of 22 in 1931, hitting .277 with 8 homers in just 69 games. Strong's power was visible right away but also his tendency to be injured as he missed nearly three months of action that rookie season, something that would continue as a trend for most of his career.
Despite the injuries he helped the Gothams win three pennants and played in two additional World Championship Series with the Pittsburgh Miners. He was MVP of the 1935 Series when the Gothams beat Cleveland, hitting .455 with 2 homers in 5 games but would be dealt to Pittsburgh at the end of a disappointing 1936 season for the Gothams -one in which they purged most of the key pieces of their back to back pennant winners. He spent the past nine seasons in Pittsburgh but only twice was healthy enough to play in more than 115 games. Now, with the Miners lineup crowded due to returnees from the war, Strong returns to where his career started.
JIGGS McGEE's TAKE: A nice low-cost pickup for the Gothams and a feel-good story to see Strong return to New York. He is now 36 and his best days may be behind him but Strong gives the Gothams a veteran pinch-hitter off the bench although word out of New York is the goal is to have strong play every day, health permitting. If he can stay healthy, Strong likely will deliver some key hits for the Gothams this season and makes an already potent line-up even more powerful.
How Strong Can the Line-up Be?
Just when I thought the line-up was set and spring training was going to be a matter of deciding on a couple of reserves and pitchers the Gothams have dropped a surprise on us all.
Returning to New York is one of the most unpredictable, entertaining and infuriating players in all FABL. Mahlon Strong, strong, the powerful, but oft injured rightfielder is coming back to Queens. While an outfield of Messer-Pestilli-Strong looks great on paper, the question is, how often will we actually see that alignment. As has been documented many times, the three time #1 prospect and former 8th round pick has been on the injured list more that 50 times in his career.
Still, when Mahlon plays, Mahlon hits. From day one Strong has lived up to his name, hitting baseballs hard and far. He's second behind manager Bud Jameson with 99 career Gothams homers and has 228 in total, good for 18th all-time. He's the team leader in Slugging and OPS. While his skills have diminished some his bat will give manager Jameson some options. Certainly a lineup with Messer, Johnson, Perstilli and Strong will give opponents sleepless nights. As long as the team isn't expecting more than half a season of games from Strong, having the popular player back in New York will be entertaining.
Current speculation is that the lineup will be Brewer-Messer-Johnson-Pestilli-Strong-Monier-Casstevens-London.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Interview with Wolves Owner Mr. Bernie Millard -The Mail & Empire has secured an interview with the Wolves owner with your reporter Brett Bing. This interview has been planned long before announcement of the GWL as a direct challenge to the FABL. Hopefully this interview will give the reader insights both the inner working of the Wolves organization along the bigger picture of the future of big league baseball.
Mail & Empire: Mr. Millard the burning issue at the moment is Thomas X Bigsby's announcement of a direct challenge to the FABL with the formation of a second major league the GWL. Can you give us your thoughts on this event?
Bernie Millard: Hope you have an abundance of time Brett. I will certainly share my thoughts, opinions on this development. Let us begin with one fact I want to make clear, forming a number of baseball teams into a league then calling it a "major league" does not in fact make it so, going forward never refer to that league as major in my presence. I will call it what it is, the rebel or outlaw league formed outside the guidance of the FABL which is recognized as the governing body of all professional baseball in North American. The FABL president, Sam Belton, with guidance from the FABL owners is the final arbiter of all manners regarding professional baseball. Since this league is outside this guidance is it really even a professional league?
With the new league led by a man who is also a team owner leads directly to questions of conflict of interest. How can one be impartial in a decision that will affect a team that you are owner? This is just one issue I see with trying to form a league with its affiliates in a short time period. Anyone who has joined this had better have deep pockets as the cost of running a baseball organization, properly, is not for those who do not have access to ready cash to cover initial outlays required for a franchise. Owners should be wary of being left holding the bag of major future on-going cash commitments if Bigsby's pipe dream fails, as it undoubtedly will, in the immediate future. Their first legal challenge will be the breaking of signed working agreements with three FABL teams. As I well know from my businesses anytime lawyers are involved costs escalate quickly in short order.
Onto the bigger question of Major League baseball on the west coast. With that concept I am in total agreement. There should, will be top flite baseball in the west but it must be brought there in an orderly manner. Travel and scheduling logistics are one of the first hurdles to overcome, with the advancements made in air travel, unfortunately mostly because of the war, I see that as not nearly as big a factor as it was only 5 years ago. My front office team is now studying the economics of purchasing a team airplane to eliminate the need of our Pullman coach as the method of travel. Every team in the FABL I believe will convert to this method of transportation before 1950.
There second question that must be answered is how to get proper major league teams to west coast locations. Is it relocation of existing teams with their infrastructure or expansion of the league or a combination of both? I have been in contact with all the other owners along with Sam Belton to form a committee to study this then come up with a plan with definite milestones to bring FABL big league baseball to the west in an orderly manner. The west coast population deserves baseball at a major level not what is being brought by this outlaw league, which will be of inferior quality to what is already present in their cities. I have offered my services as chair of this group to bring the game across North America in a proper timeframe.
Mail & Empire: Thank you Mr. Millard that seems like a progressive plan to give the fans what they want in the immediate future. Now on to the question most fans have, what are your expectations for the 1946 team?
Bernie Millard: My expectations are what they have been since 1940. Bring the Toronto fans a high level of entertaining baseball at Dominion Stadium that culminates in World Championship Series victory parade down Bay Street in October. We have the players, management, both on and off the field, in place to accomplish this lofty goal. We have been close over the war years but have not yet been able to close the deal, yet. Cincinnati has foiled the team's fine efforts over the past three years. As you have pointed out I was not very pleased with my upper management group last summer, when we met in July they were given carte blanche to acquire what they felt was need to secure a pennant. They obviously did not deliver to the fans.
As you have written about the team is beginning to age, this group has to fend off challenges from the Cannons, Cougars. possibly other teams strengthened by returning war vets. My instructions to management is to deliver the fans what they deserve, a CA title. Along with this continue development of the next group of Wolves. The front office team does a good job of finding, developing future talent but sometimes, I feel, at the expense of the current season. I would like to see more rapid promotion of some the future stars. I want both current success and a solid future. The team will be a contender in '46 unless many unforeseen mishaps derail the Wolves.
Mail & Empire: How do see the Wolves in the Fifties?
Bernie Millard: Along with all owners, we have a passion for baseball. My goal is bring an entertaining brand of baseball to Dominion Stadium by putting the proper baseball people in place to make this happen over the years. I think we will see changes to the FABL, baseball in the west whether through expansion or relocation, possibly a longer schedule, travel by air rather than ground. There will be new stars of the game but along with a strong staff Toronto Wolves will continue to be a leading team in the CA. Will the post war years bring in enough revenue that a new site could be built to house the team?
Mail & Empire: One last question, we have been hearing about your interest in the Toronto hockey team. Any comments?
Bernie Millard: My sports passion for the Toronto teams has been fueled since I acquired the Wolves so yes I have made inquiries about a stake in the hockey club. I would like to see if there are experiences from either team that could make both franchises stronger as the fans in Toronto deserve in the long run.
- The Toronto Wolves found a taker for infielder Joe Bell, sending the 30 year old second baseman to the Brooklyn Kings in exchange for minor league outfielder Wally Boyer. Bell has spent the past 4 seasons as a back-up infielder in Toronto, batting .251 in 231 big league games. The 20 year old Boyer, a third round pick in 1943 is not considered a high end prospect, slotting in at 173rd on the current OSA prospect pipeline.
- TRIVIA QUESTION: John Stallings becomes the fourth college pitcher in the post-feeder era to be drafted first overall. Can you name the three others taken with the top pick since the feeders were discontinued. As a bonus question, can you name the five college pitchers selected first overall during the feeder era?
LIBERTY COLLEGE CLOSES IN ON TOP SEED IN EAST
It is looking like a safe bet that the Liberty College Bells will be a number one seed in the collegiate championship tournament and perhaps make another trip to New York City for the National Semi-Finals in early April. The Bells were knocked out in the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons after falling in the semis the previous year. Those are results nearly every school in the nation would be proud to list on it's resume but not Liberty College. The Philadelphia school expects to win the national crown every year and owns three titles in the past decade with the most recent one coming in the spring of 1942.
This year's club is 26-1 with only a pair of games remaining on its schedule, but both are against ranked opponents in #21 St Patrick's and #19 Frankford State, although both of those will be held in Philadelphia. The Bells boast a deep roster led by senior All-American candidate Win Dupre, who leads the club with 10.6 points per game but has plenty of support in that category from the likes of Waylon Orlick (8.1), Michael Allen (7.2) and Morty Knighten (6.9). All three are juniors and when you add sophomore center Ward Messer (6.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) in to the mix it is clear the Bells will be a force well beyond this year.
The other three top seeds may still be hotly contested. In the south the choice is likely between 19-2 Mobile Maritime and 21-3 Miami State. There is a good chance one of the southern schools gets shifted to the west in order to be a number one seed but a strong finish by CCLA might just secure the top western seed for the Coyotes. Western Iowa appeared to be the favourite in the midwest but that was before the Canaries stumbled in a loss at home to Wisconsin State on Thursday.
LAST OF UNBEATEN'S FALLS
Collegiate basketball has never seen a team go unbeaten for the entire season and that trend will continue after Coastal State -the last of the unbeatens this year- saw its winning streak to start the season come to an end after 18 victories with a 55-48 loss to Mobile Maritime a week and a half ago. Mobile Maritime had also enjoyed a long run of being perfect this season but the Middies suffered two losses in a one week span in late January.
There were some other big section showdowns two weeks ago as well including one in the midwest that saw Western Iowa run it's overall record to 17-2 and temporarily move up to the #2 ranking in the nation behind Liberty College with a 52-42 win over 10th ranked Central Ohio keyed by a 12 point, 7 assist evening from Canaries senior guard Joe Hampton. However, a loss at home to Wisconsin State last week dropped the Canaries back down to 5th in the rankings.
Code:
COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Liberty College (72) 26-1 1800 1 Independent
2. Mobile Maritime 19-2 1681 4 South Atlantic Conference
3. Miami State 21-3 1645 6 Independent
4. Coastal State 20-2 1583 3 South Atlantic Conference
5. Western Iowa 18-3 1541 2 Great Lakes Alliance
6. CC Los Angeles 20-3 1442 7 West Coast Athletic Association
7. Great Plains State 19-5 1349 8 Independent
8. Rainier College 18-4 1271 5 West Coast Athletic Association
9. Texas Gulf Coast 20-2 1242 11 Southwestern Alliance
10. Garden State 17-4 1169 9 Liberty Conference
11. Central Ohio 17-4 1033 10 Great Lakes Alliance
12. Brooklyn State 16-6 1019 14 Liberty Conference
13. Annapolis Maritime 21-5 930 13 Independent
14. Lane State 15-7 891 12 West Coast Athletic Association
15. St. Magnus 17-4 773 15 Great Lakes Alliance
16. St. Blane 20-7 682 16 Independent
17. Detroit City College 14-7 615 20 Great Lakes Alliance
18. St. Martin's College 17-6 552 17 Independent
19. Frankford State 20-6 483 NR Independent
20. Orrville 20-6 431 18 Independent
21. St. Patrick's 17-10 428 25 Independent
22. Redwood 15-7 269 21 West Coast Athletic Association
23. Spokane State 15-7 222 23 West Coast Athletic Association
24. Whitney College 15-6 176 NR Great Lakes Alliance
25. Berwick 16-5 62 22 Keystone Alliance
Others Receiving Votes:
Quaker College (CA) 17-6 26 California League
Payne State 16-6 25 Midwestern Association
Coastal California 15-8 24 West Coast Athletic Association
Amarillo Methodist 16-6 12 Southwestern Alliance
Carolina Poly 13-8 10 South Atlantic Conference
Utah A&M 17-6 5 Rocky Mountain Athletic Alliance
Harper College 19-7 5 Independent
Rome State 17-8 3 Independent
Eastern State 18-8 1 Independent
MONDAY FEBRUARY 11
#20 Orrville 50 Huntington State 41
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12
#1 Liberty College 61 Michigan Lutheran 40
#7 Great Plains State 63 Dudley 37
#13 Annapolis Maritime 40 Dickson 31
#21 St Patrick's 50 Penobscot State 38
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13
#2 Mobile Maritime 55 Springfield State 42
#3 Miami State 52 American Atlantic 17
#19 Frankford State 49 Smithfield College 38
Eastern State 47 #20 Orrville 32
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14
#1 Liberty College 52 El Paso Methodist 37
##4 Coastal State 39 Cowpens State 28
#7 Great Plains State 35 Eastern Oklahoma 24
Bronx Tech 62 #10 Garden State 54
Wisconsin State 55 #5 Western Iowa 52
Indiana A&M 59 #11 Central Ohio 57
#12 Brooklyn State 52 Jersey City Tech 35
#15 St Magnus 45 Lincoln 26
#17 Detroit City College 51 Minnesota Tech 43
#21 St Patrick's 54 Johnston Tech 36
#24 Whitney College 42 St Ignatius 35
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15
#6 CCLA 44 #22 Redwood 34
#14 Lane State 54 #8 Rainier College 48
#9 Texas Gulf Coast 54 Arkansas A&T 25
#19 Frankford State 38 Brunswick 30
Northern California 37 #23 Spokane State 36
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16
#1 Liberty College 54 Penn Catholic 50
#2 Mobile Maritime 42 Central Carolina 30
#5 Western Iowa 54 Indiana A&M 46
#9 Texas Gulf Coast 48 Red River State 41
#10 Garden State 44 Manhattan Tech 32
#11 Central Ohio 47 Wisconsin State 39
#12 Brooklyn State 57 Bigsby College 48
#15 St Magnus 39 St Ignatius 36
#17 Detroit City College 54 Lincoln 41
#20 Orrville 63 Central Maryland 45
#24 Whitney College 59 Minnesota Tech 58
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 17
#6 CCLA 49 Coastal California 26
#23 Spokane State 42 #8 Rainier College 34
#13 Annapolis Maritime 55 College of Cairo 25
Idaho A&M 41 #14 Lane State 32
#19 Frankford State 53 Bliss College 45
#22 Redwood 38 Northern California 28
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Feb 22 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 2/17/1946
- The power strike has crippled much of the country, including New York City where all businesses and amusement places were forced to close for a couple of days delaying the famous dog show that was slated for Bigsby Garden last week.
- However, good news for the weekend as the steel strike was settled on Friday and that is expected to start a chain reaction ending other strikes including the long running auto industry dispute as GM and the union returned to the bargaining table.
- The United Nations Assembly Committee voted to establish temporary UN headquarters in New York City, winning out over San Francisco.
- Russia used it's UN veto for the first time, overruling an American proposal for negotiation of the demand by Syria and Lebanon that French and British troops be withdrawn immediately.
- Congress extended the deadline for the Pearl Harbor investigation to June 1. Hearings are expected to wrap up next week, allowing four months for completion of the report.
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have rounded up an international espionage ring that had access to "secret and confidential information" of the Canadian Government. A cabinet minister identified the Soviet Union as the country for whom the ring was spying.
TRIVIA ANSWER: The three pitchers selected first overall out of the college ranks since the feeder leagues ended were Bobo White (1934 by Washington out of St Blane), Vic Carroll (1939 by Cincinnati out of Richmond State) and Bob Arman (1942 Boston out of Bluegrass State).
As a bonus here are the 5 college pitchers taken first overall in the feeder era: Dick Dover (1918 by Brooklyn out of Dickson), Tommy Wilcox (1928 by Brooklyn out of Liberty College), Tom Barrell (1929 by the Cougars out of Georgia Baptist), Curly Jones (1932 by the Gothams out of Henry Hudson) and Joe Hancock (1933 by Toronto out of Henry Hudson).