MARCH 3, 1946
SAWYER EXPLODES IN NINTH ROUND TO REMAIN HEAVYWEIGHT KING
Hector Sawyer has seen better days. His body is starting to betray him. He stumbles when he used to rumble. But, on this unseasonably warm late February night in Detroit, the coming Spring weather was a boon to the Cajun Crusher, as he suddenly found his step, his strength, and his will to win in the ninth round against challenger Leo Carmichael to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Sawyer, a frequent practitioner of the knockout, technical or actual, was expected to floor Carmichael, a fighter six years his senior and while Sawyer has 56 fights to his credit compared to Carmichael's 35 bouts, Sawyer had an arsenal that Carmichael could not match. However, a bum ankle suffered by Sawyer during his training for the fight, pushed the fight back two weeks. The money started to come in for Carmichael ahead of the bout, though Sawyer was still favored to win.
Carmichael, the 37-year-old London native, was the #2 contender behind Mark Fountain, who some say should have the next pop at Sawyer for the heavyweight belt. Lightning Leo battled Sawyer over the first eight rounds, and he was not only showing he was game competition, but he was ahead on two of the three judges' cards. Your intrepid reporter had the bout at a draw through eight rounds with three rounds going to each fighter and in two rounds, I had them dead even, which made the ninth round that much more surprising.
It was a night of big punches thrown and few connecting. For the night, Sawyer only landed about 32% of his attempts and Carmichael was only marginally better at 36%. Through eight rounds, both fighters connected on 10 "big" punches that scored points, and it was no surprise the fight was even more than halfway through the scheduled 15 rounds. Carmichael came out boxing in the first round, landing a winning cross only 15 seconds in that stunned the champ. It was not until late in the second round when Sawyer broke through with a good jab. Sawyer found his footing in the fourth with an uppercut late in the round that could have portended worse for the challenger, but the bell rang before Sawyer could capitalize. Carmichael came out fresh in the fifth to carry the fight in the middle rounds, withstanding some good punches to convince the judges in winning the seventh and eighth rounds.
Just when the sellout crowd at Thompson Arena thought this bout was destined to carry deep into the Detroit night, Sawyer had other plans in the fateful ninth round. Sawyer charged Carmichael off the opening bell and landed a hook to Carmichael's midsection that left him gasping for air, followed by an uppercut that did some damage. Sawyer saw a chance to pounce and continued to work the middle before realizing Carmichael's defenses were down. Sawyer left Carmichael reeling with a couple of hard rights up high, culminating in another uppercut. A final combination was enough for Carmichael's corner to throw in the towel and stop the mauling with 32 seconds left in the round. Just like that, the fight was over, and Sawyer was victorious.
The victory moved Sawyer to 53-3-1 with an astounding 48 by knockout, while Carmichael dropped to 30-5-1 and, with the loss, some serious doubts of his relevance going forward. It was the fifth title defense for Sawyer, which is tied for fourth place in the Heavyweight Division since the first champion was officially crowned in 1910, and his time at the top surpassed six years on January 15th, which is the anniversary of his victory over Jochen Schrotter in this very same arena. No other heavyweight has held the belt for this long and while the war had a lot to do with it, he has fended off all comers.
On the horizon for Sawyer are potential tilts against Mark Fountain, ranked as the top heavyweight contender, and the top up-and-comer, Philadelphia's own Scott "The Chef" Baker. Carmichael defeated Cliff Baker, Scott's older brother, but The Chef is lauded as the superior pugilist, and it is only a matter of time before the 26-year-old junior Baker gets his title shot. How many more times before Sawyer’s body truly betrays him? Sawyer is only 31 years of age, but fifty-seven fights take a toll on a man, and the next generation of fighters are fast approaching.
BIRD FLIES TO WESTERN LOOP
You can add the name Tom Bird as another FABL great who has joined the Great Western League and further enhances the legitimacy of Thomas X. Bigsby's new loop. Unfortunately Bird, a 10-time All-Star catcher who may one day earn a plaque in Boone County, will not be on the playing field but rather in the executive office as the 37 year old Californian has signed on to be the first General Manager of the Oakland Grays. Bird, who retired in October after helping the Cincinnati Cannons win their third consecutive Continental Association pennant, is a veteran of 1,451 FABL games but this will be his first try at running a ballclub.
Bird joins Hall of Famer Ed Ziehl, who has signed on to manager Bigsby's Los Angeles Knights club, as the two most recognizable names in the league. The fact that the league really has very few big name ballplayers causes many, primarily in the east of course, to scoff and say the loop may call itself 'major league' but it might be hard pressed to beat some AA clubs in the FABL system.
There are certainly some recognizable players that have joined the new 8-team circuit but most, like Jake Shadoan, Ed Stewart, Doc Love and Lou Balk -all former FABL all-stars- are clearly on the downside of their careers. Pitching especially appears to be thin in the new league with Bill Anderson of San Diego, Karl Wallace and Bob Cummings in Los Angeles and new Oakland Gray Larry Brown being the best known.
The Great Western League has been content thus far to grab the cast-offs that FABL tosses its way but the new loop has clearly worried the established league from the east, at least if Sam Belton's tirade last month after hearing the Washington Eagles had agreed to a trade with Oakland is any indication. Belton, and the FABL club magnates seem to know the ineviatable war between the leagues for players is coming. It's just a matter of time before the outlaws from the west demand a seat at the dinner table, rather than be content to fight over the eastern league's scraps. And adding big names like Tom Bird and Ed Ziehl go a long ways towards establishing credibility for when the much anticipated battle begins.
The excitement of the Great Western League shedding its amateur status has yet to wear off with baseball fans from Texas to the Pacific, when San Francisco owner Red Perrone struck yet another victory for the new league. The “outlaw league” as it is being referred to out east, has unfairly been referred to as an abomination in the eyes of the FABL gatekeepers. While these sanctimonious revisionists continue to congratulate themselves on “inventing” the modern game of baseball, the GWL has been quietly going about its business since 1904. Now Perrone has announced that Joe Masters, the former legendary third baseman for the Chicago Chiefs, will be the general manager of the Hawks as they enter their first season as a top level club. This announcement has assuredly rankled the elitist groups back east because it further legitimizes the GWL as a top level league.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Every family that makes their home west of the Mississippi River has their own migration story and the Masters’ are no different. The Masters, who are of Anglo-Scotch descent, found their way to California after leaving Pennsylvania with “gold fever” in the late 1840’s. Although the Masters family never hit it rich, the family eventually settled in San Francisco where Joe’s father George Masters was born in 1874. George Masters never played the game that his son would one day excel at, but he was a firm believer in taking risks and chasing dreams. It was clearly a family trait. George married Emma Boyle in 1894 when he was just 20 years old and they welcomed their first of three children (Joe) in 1899. Things couldn’t have been better for the Masters family. George had a job with Levi Strauss Co. and Emma was expecting their second child when the world came to an end on April 18th 1906. The earthquake claimed the lives of 3,000 people and essentially leveled the city. Joe was all of six years old but shared “it was one of the earliest memories of his life.” There is nothing like a catastrophe to bring people together, and that is exactly what happened in the aftermath of the great quake. George, along with thousands of others, dove in head to help rebuild the city. Along the way George became recognized for his diligent efforts and would eventually dip his toe into politics and become a member of the San Francisco City Council some years later.
BIRTH OF A STAR
From a baseball perspective the GWL was set to begin its third season in 1906 and the Wrens, as they were known until 1926, had to play all of their contests on the road for an entire season. It should be noted that the club was allowed to play as the home team on the road if it was originally scheduled as such. Still, the earthquake of 1906 sent a promising franchise back several years. It didn’t matter though, as a young Joe Masters caught the baseball bug when they returned to the city in 1907. When Joe and his friends weren’t playing ball in the sandlot, they were trying to sneak into Wrens’ games for free. At some point Joe caught the attention of manager Bill Badway, who made Joe the club's bat boy for home games, allowing Joe’s baseball education to really begin in earnest. Joe’s favorite player, a first sacker named George Eadie, took a liking to the young energetic bat boy and taught him the tricks of the trade. Not many 11 year olds get this sort of tutelage at such a young age.
Admittedly, I will submit that if a player wanted to make a name for himself in the game of baseball in the teens, the place to go was out east. So when Liberty College in Pennsylvania offered Joe an opportunity to play for them, George Masters was all too quick to advise his son to take advantage of the opportunity. After a successful college run the Chicago Chiefs were impressed enough to take Joe with the 11th overall pick in the 1920 FABL draft. After about a year and a half in the minors, the Chiefs would purchase the 22 year olds contract and let him settle into Whitney Park for the next dozen years. It is universally accepted that Max Morris is the greatest player to ever play the game of baseball. Yet, even the “Mighty Mo” would have to tip his cap to some of the achievements from Masters. Baseball fans are well aware that Max Morris owns the top three single season home run spots on the list. Did you know that Joe Masters was number four on that list with 58 home runs in 1928? Did you know that nobody in the history of the game has knocked in more runners in a single season than Joe Masters? (195 in 1928) For a five season period from 1928-1932 Joe Masters is in the conversation as the best ballplayer not named Max Morris. This is the man that will be leading the San Francisco Hawks in 1946.
THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS
Other than a brief stint in Detroit (which lasted 36 games in 1936) Joe spent his entire career in Chicago as a member of the Chiefs or Cougars. Joe met his wife and started his family (he has two strapping lads that have the makings of ballplayers one day) in Chicago but when his father fell ill, it was time to return home. Joe packed up his family and returned to the city of his birth, the place that started his amazing baseball journey. A place where his earliest memory was tragedy, to return to a tragedy in a different form. The last days of the man that taught him to take risks, follow his dreams, and be there for others. With the return of his son, George was able to hang on for a few more years but eventually left this earth in August 1945. He was survived by his wife Emma, his son Joe and two daughters, along with a host of grandchildren. After the passing of his father Joe did not immediately take his family back to Chicago. Joe’s boys were eight and six when the family returned to San Francisco in 1942. By the time George Masters passed his boys had hit an impressionable age where they identified with San Francisco more than they did with Chicago. Combined with his mother getting up in age, his sisters' families established in the city, Joe just couldn’t uproot his family again.
A RED DAY
The Perrone family originally made their money in the ship building business in Toledo Ohio on the banks of Lake Erie. William Perrone (father to the Hawks current owner) saw an opportunity to enter into a damaged market out west after the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco. The move paid off and decades later the company, (Perrone Lines under his son’s ownership) was able to maneuver themselves into an enviable position to accept government contracts during the second world war, and become a key part of the “Arsenal of Democracy” building vessels to battle in the Pacific Theater. William’s son John (nicknamed ”Red” for his hair color) was an avid baseball fan as a youth, but didn’t have the talent to play past a high school secondary level. Sometimes the inability to play can drive a person to love the game even more. When the opportunity arose to purchase the San Francisco club, Red jumped at it. When Thomas Bigsby started meeting with owners looking to garner support to shed the GWL’s amateur status Red Perrone was all ears. This was his opportunity to make it to “the big time”. After listening to Bigsby, Red felt he needed to make a splash and what bigger way to do that then reaching out to the best player to ever lace them up from the city of San Francisco.
THE PERFECT STORM
It would be wrong of me to report that Joe Masters is looking to stick it to the FABL. After all, he was accepted and contributed to that world. For as much of a son of San Francisco as he is, he cannot possibly understand what we have gone through in the last few months in regards to the defamation of our league's character. When Red Perrone reached out to him with the GM offer Joe was honestly humbled without knowing what the politics were behind the scenes. This was evident in his first press meeting outside his new office at Hawk’s Stadium. When asked if he feels like he is betraying the FABL by taking the job to lead the Hawks his response was wholly innocent. “I don’t have any idea about all of that. I know I love baseball and I love my family. Some of my fondest memories are acting as a bat boy for this club. My family loves it here in this city. I love baseball and San Francisco, what more can a fella ask for?” Well Mr. Masters, I understand why you are humble, but I do not have to operate under those same constrictions. You are a well placed, (and appreciated) weapon of legitimacy.
- The were a number of minor deals made during the draft with the previously discussed Mahlon Strong trade from Pittsburgh to the New York Gothams, where Strong's career began, being the biggest one.
- Brooklyn was busy adding a couple of infielders in Joe Bell -who came over from Toronto last week- and more recently 31 year old third baseman Gary Carmichael, who was aquired from the New York Stars over the weekend for 19 year old minor league righthander Harry Trinity and a 7th round draft pick.
- Yank Taylor was not the only son of a former big league slugger to be selected in the opening 8 rounds of the draft. Taylor went to the Boston Minutemen 9th overall and some feel he has the potential to approach the great career his dad Tom did with the Sailors, Cougars, Gothams and Chiefs. The other one had far less fanfare but Dick Fowler -son of long-time Cleveland Forester outfielder Dan Fowler- had his named called by the Philadelphia Keystones with the 15th selection of round six.
- The new regime in Detroit made a couple of staff moves this week, replacing their pitching coach at both Detroit and AAA Newark. Out are 4 year Detroit veteran Charlie Head and Johnny Ambler, who had been coaching in the Detroit system the past six years. In their place the Dynamos added 64 year old Bill West, who won 291 games for Washington during a 14 year big league career and spent several seasons as the Cannons pitching coach when they were based in Baltimore. Big Bad Bill will handle the staff in Detroit while Ben Duffield, a 49 year old who most recently worked with the Richmond Rebels of the Union League, will join Newark.
- TRIVIA QUESTION: We are seeing a rash of former FABL playing stars taking on GM and manager jobs in the Great Western League but that is really nothing new. Today's trivia question is which current or former Great Western League manager won the most games as a FABL pitcher?
SAWYER RALLIES FOR WIN TO RETAIN CROWN
Outdueled Much of Bout Until Vintage Sawyer Moment
Hector Sawyer is likely a very relieved man after putting in 3 of the best minutes of his career to pull a victory when it was looking like this might be the end of the line for the great heavyweight. Perhaps only Sawyer's long-time manager Chester Conley felt more relieved than Sawyer after his meal ticket dominated the 9th round Saturday night, claiming a technical knockout victory over veteran Englishman Leo Carmichael to retain his World Heavyweight Title.
The first 8 rounds at Thompson Arena gave every indication there would be a new champion crowned as Carmichael, building on a dominant first round, took the fight to Sawyer and seemed to have a solid lead. There was no indication that Sawyer had much of the powerful magic he displayed in days gone by left in the tank but suddenly in the 9th round he was a changed man. It was like the Hector Sawyer of 5 years ago, when he was in his prime, was back and the 31 year old went to work right from the opening bell of the ninth, and what would prove to be the final round on this evening.
Sawyer quickly caught the 37 year old Carmichael with a wicked hook to the midsection that clearly hurt and perhaps broke one of Carmichael's ribs and then Sawyer followed up with a uppercut before turning into a human windmill reigning blows down on Carmichael. Another shot to the body doubled over the challenger and was followed by a crushing hook and one could quickly tell this was not going to end well for Carmichael.
The pro-Sawyer crowd in Detroit, which had been very quiet for a title fight up to that point, suddenly came to life as the champ continued to blast Carmichael with the challenger putting up no opposition. After nearly 30 seconds of the Cajun Crusher firing away and referee Hubert Earle looking just about to step in it was Carmichael's corner that decided their man had abosrbed enough punishment -throwing in the towel with 30 seconds remaining in the 9th round of the bout that was scheduled for 15.
Afterwards, it would be revealed two of the judges had Carmichael with a comfortable lead while the third had scored the fight even -though many observers, if being honest, would say that third judge must have been watching a different fight from the rest of us.
*** Will the Real Hector Sawyer Please Stand Up ***
The victory improves Sawyer's record to 53-3-1 and is his 5th successful defense since knocking out German Jochen Schrotter in this same Thompson Arena just over six years ago. Sawyer has not looked good since resuming his pro ring career nearly exactly one year ago, but he has now succeeded in 4 straight title defenses although, with the exception of Carmichael, the quality of his opponents has been lacking.
There had been some worries he was looking much older and much slower than perhaps one would expect from a 31 year old with the abilities that Sawyer possesses and that was very much the case again on this night in the early going against Carmichael. However, he changed a lot of minds with perhaps the second best round of his life -surpassed only by that 15th round 6 years ago when he knocked out Schrotter to win the title. Where it came from, and why it has not been on display before are certainly questions deserving answers but the more important one is what will Hector Sawyer do from here? He came very close to losing his title on this night. A younger fighter than Carmichael might well have finished off the job. He will have quite some time to think about as Conley hinted afterwards that his star fighter will likely not return to the ring until late in the fall.
*** Rutledge Impresses in Knock Out Win ***
Danny Rutledge, the battling welterweight who knocked out Mac Erickson in a tremendous battle in England on the undercard of the that big Archie Rees title fight in September of 1944 -which also saw Sawyer as part of the event- in what was billed as the Allied Welterweight championship, is out of the Army and was back in the ring in Detroit on the undercard of the Sawyer title fight.
The 21 year old Louisville, KY., native was in his first pro bout since he fought in Portland nearly a year ago just prior to being shipped to the Phillipines, and he looked at the peak of his game with a second round knock out of Gus Young. The victory puts Rutledge's record at 3-0 as a professional.
TOURNAMENT FIELD SHAPING UP
With two weeks remaining until the field is selected for the annual collegiate basketball tournament it appears that at least two of the four number one seeds are set. 28-1 Liberty College, the top ranked team in the nation, will surely grab the number one seed in the East Region. The Bells have completed their season, posting wins over ranked opponents St Patrick's and Frankford State to end with a 28-1 record.
Western Iowa, which has 4 tough Great Lakes Alliance games remaining has the inside track and seems likely to be the top choice in the midwest. The other two spots are a little less certain but it appears that both Mobile Maritime (23-2) and Miami State (23-4) may each be a number one seed - with one staying home in the South Region and the other one moving to the West although CC Los Angeles (23-3), with 4 games remaining and eyes on the West Coast Athletic Association crown, may take the top spot in the West with a strong finish to it's season.
Some prominent schools are on the bubble including St Blane, Coastal California, Noble Jones College and Detroit City College. If Coastal California misses the tournament, and at 17-9 at the moment they may be on the outside looking in, it will be the first time in the 37 year history of the AIAA that the Dolphins have not qualified for the championship tournament. With ranked opponents Rainier College and Lane State still on their docket, plus games with Idaho A&M and Northern California to round out WCAA section play, the Dolphins could keep the streak alive but it likely takes at least three victories in their final four games.
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COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Liberty College (72) 28-1 1800 1 Independent
2. Mobile Maritime 23-2 1689 2 South Atlantic Conference
3. Miami State 23-4 1675 3 Independent
4. Western Iowa 19-6 1564 5 Great Lakes Alliance
5. CC Los Angeles 23-3 1546 6 West Coast Athletic Association
6. Coastal State 22-4 1327 4 South Atlantic Conference
7. Garden State 21-4 1321 10 Liberty Conference
8. Texas Gulf Coast 23-2 1314 9 Southwestern Alliance
9. Rainier College 20-5 1246 8 West Coast Athletic Association
10. Great Plains State 20-7 1175 7 Independent
11. Lane State 18-7 1053 14 West Coast Athletic Association
12. Central Ohio 19-6 1034 11 Great Lakes Alliance
13. Brooklyn State 19-6 1025 12 Liberty Conference
14. Annapolis Maritime 21-6 822 13 Independent
15. St. Martin's College 21-6 762 18 Independent
16. Whitney College 18-7 712 24 Great Lakes Alliance
17. St. Patrick's 19-11 588 21 Independent
18. St. Blane 21-8 566 16 Independent
19. St. Magnus 19-6 476 15 Great Lakes Alliance
20. Frankford State 20-7 408 19 Independent
21. Detroit City College 17-8 372 17 Great Lakes Alliance
22. Payne State 20-6 249 NR Midwestern Association
23. Orrville 20-7 223 20 Independent
24. Utah A&M 21-6 190 NR Rocky Mountain Athletic Alliance
25. Berwick 19-6 110 25 Keystone Alliance
Others Receiving Votes:
Quaker College (CA) 20-6 68 California League
Amarillo Methodist 17-8 21 Southwestern Alliance
Rome State 19-8 15 Independent
Brunswick 18-9 14 Academia Alliance
Harper College 20-8 12 Independent
Bayou State 16-9 11 Deep South Conference
Noble Jones College 17-8 3 Deep South Conference
Coastal California 17-9 3 West Coast Athletic Association
Spokane State 16-9 3 West Coast Athletic Association
Central Carolina 17-9 2 South Atlantic Conference
Iowa A&M 18-8 1 Plains Athletic Association
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/02/1946
- Elements within the American, British and French governments were accused of deliberately fostering Big Four disunity in an apparent effort to create a three-Power Western bloc against Russia.
- The United States has proposed to Britain and France that the 3 powers join in denunciation of the Franco regime in Spain and recommend the establishment of a 'caretaker government' to succeed it.
- The Administration's two key leaders in the fight against inflation dispute estimates of the Federal Reserve Chairman that the new wage-price policy will boost living costs another 10 percent.
- The end of the GM strike, which has now dragged on over 100 days, is now finally reported to be in sight.
- President Truman has vowed to cut food supplies in America in an effort to help feed a starving Europe.
TRIVIA ANSWER - Which former or current GWL manager has the most wins as a FABL pitcher: The answer is Hall of Famer Woody Trease, who went 325-185 for Boston and Detroit and then would enjoy a long stint as a manager including a decade in San Francisco where he won a record 7 GWL championships and is second all-time in wins as a manager in the western loop with a 781-549 career record as a bench boss.