NOVEMBER 3, 1946
CHICAGO SCRIBES DISH OUT DEFENSE AWARDS
Plenty of familiar names dominate the collection of 1946 members of the Premier Defenders Team as selected by the Chicago Sportswriters Guild. It marks the fifth time Percy Sutherland of the Chicago Herald-Examiner and his cohorts have selected the nine FABL athletes they believe are the top defensive players at their respective positions. There was no presentation made in 1944 but in each of the five seasons since the award's inception in 1940 the third base position has been occupied by Tommy Wilson of the St Louis Pioneers and this year is no exception.
Wilson is the only player to be selected each of the five years and Sutherland explains it is well desereved. "There are flashier third basemen than Wilson," conceedes the Windy City writer, "but if a ball is hit in his general vicinity, it's an out."
Ron Rattigan had been the first baseman each of the first four times the award was presented but that changed this year with his move to the outfield, allowing Cincinnati's Chuck Adams to be a first time winner. "Even if Rattigan had stayed at 1B all season he wouldn't have won," explaned Sutherland. "He really lost a step this season, and Adams had a really good season at first."
Other first time winners are Washington outfielder Jesse Alvardo and St Louis pitcher Hal Hackney. Skipper Schneider of the Chicago Cougars was named the shortstop for the 4th time while his twin brother Buddy makes his third appearance at second base. Buddy's Boston teammate Pete Day is also a three-time winner in rightfield, while Fred Galloway of the Cannons and Pete Casstevens of the Gothams earn the nod for the second time each.
ANOTHER QUIET OFF-SEASON AHEAD?
It has been a couple of years since FABL has seen some major trades take place between the end of the World Championship Series and the completion of the annual winter meetings and this year is not looking like it will change that trend.
There have been no moves made at all in the more than 3 weeks since the regular season came to an end. Sure there were the usual January moves a year ago involving draft picks but the closest thing to a blockbuster we had last winter was the move the Chicago Cougars made to add veteran Hal Sharp from St Louis. The year before trading was also sparse over the winter with the Cincinnati Cannons move to add Gail Gifford and Sam Sheppard from St Louis was the only off-season move involve high end talent. The deals are still happening in-season as teams make deadline moves to battle for pennant positioning but there is one key reason why the trade market seems to have gone into hibernation in recent winters.
The reason is there are just so many more talented players available now that all the big names have returned from the war. Teams do not have those holes they need to fill with a mid-level player. In fact it is very much a surplus of those very good but not quite great performers. The Washington Eagles have talked about moving a middle infielder -perhaps George Dawson but more likely Al Gross or Jim Jenkins. Few takers seem to be emerging.
The Chicago Cougars might have a little more luck in their plans to shop Billy Riley, a 32 year old who had an impressive 17-7 record a year ago, as there always seems to be a need somewhere for a quality established starting pitcher, but even in this case there appears to be little chatter at this stage about a deal in the works.
It is more than just the surplus of talent returning from the war. There are other factors in play as well. One is finances with a number of clubs feeling a post-war cash crunch there are simply less club owners willing to authorize a move that brings additional contract expenses to the organization, especially if it is not the type of player who can greatly enhance the chances of a pennant and the accompanying World Championship Series gate revenue.
A final reason might well simply be the way the league is positioned at the moment. It has been a trend in recent years and now, perhaps more than ever, parity is a factor. There are simply very few teams that are clearly not going to compete next season that have established veterans they would consider moving for youth. Most of the veteran talent in places like Brooklyn, Cleveland, St Louis and Detroit has already been moved and unless a team like Pittsburgh or Toronto suddenly decides it needs to focus on rebuilding there may not be many impact-type players available that an owner would be willing to allow his General Manager to add for a full season's cost.
The dam may burst, especially if a George Cleaves, Lefty Allen, Fred McCormick or Joe Hancock became available but the more likely scenario if any of those players are moved it is done in July when teams have a far better idea of just how competitive they will -or won't- be.
The winter meetings start in 10 days but the popular train of thought is there will not be much leaving the station once again this time around.
PIONEERS, FORESTERS MAKE CHANGES AT TOP
After each finished in last place in their respective associations this season the St Louis Pioneers and Cleveland Foresters now have something else in common as both have decided to hire new General Managers.
The Cleveland Foresters have appointed Buzz Borton, a former minor league pitcher who spent a decade as the head executive with the Austin Violets in the Lone Star Association as their new head of baseball operations. The 51 year old Burton, who guided the Violets to a pair of Lone Star titles, will be tasked with turning a Cleveland franchise around that has been the worst in FABL this decade. The Foresters have finished no higher than seventh in the Continental Association since falling just short of a pennant in 1939 but the club does have a solid core of young talent led by pitchers Richie Hughes, Hiram Steinberg and second baseman Jim Adams Jr.
The Pioneers also turn to a former Lone Star Association executive to try and change their fortunes. Tom Johnson most recently spent a year in the Great Western League with Sacramento but before than led Fort Worth to back to back Lone Star pennants. A former big league infielder, the 57 year old spent parts of five seasons with the New York Gothams, appearing in 348 FABL games as a player. He will be tasked with trying to get the Pioneers back to the World Championship Series, something they have not appeared in since the early days of Max Morris with the franchise in 1921. St Louis has finished second in the Federal Association three times since 1934 including a surprising run in the 1943 campaign but the Pioneers were last this season for the second time in the past three years.
- Full details have not yet been released but there is word that FABL is going to sponsor and supply players to a new winter baseball league to take place on the island nation of Cuba. Preliminary talk indicates it will be a loop that FABL clubs can send some of their top AA and AAA prospects as well as those with limited big league experience and allow them to fine-tune their skills in advance of perhaps earning a job with the major league club at spring training.
- It appears the loop will contain six teams in its initial season, which is expected to get underway in the next month or two, and reports are indicating that in addition to players, some FABL clubs may also provide the managers for the Cuban clubs.
- It will be FABL's first foray outside of Canada and the United States. The Great Western League has added some Mexican minor league teams as part of its structure but all indications are FABL will not allow GWL players to participate in this winter league.
- A pair of second basemen are now looking for work after the Washington Eagles cut Al Gross and the Chiefs dropped Elmer Hutchins. Gross hit .316 with the Federal Association pennant winning Eagles in a season split between the big club and AAA Kansas City. The 35-year old Hutchins started 97 games for the Chiefs last season, batting .247. Both are likely earmarked for the Great Western League.
ROME STATE, ST BLANE ON COURSE FOR NEXT WEEKENDS SHOWDOWN
The top two teams in the nation are poised to meet in New York next week as #1 ranked Rome State squares off against #2 St Blane. The Centurions stretched their three year winning streak to 25 games with an impressive 34-0 triumph over Huntington State in Rome, Ga. The game marked the final on campus appearance for Rome State's touchdown twins Gus Thompson and Chet Donelson as well as the Centurions other seniors. Each scored once in the win over Huntington State with Donelson's major coming on an impressive 45-yard dash through left tackle in the second period while Thompson contributed one by taking a 7-yard pass reception in the corner of the endzone.
St Blane improved to 5-0 with a win over the other service academy, dropping struggling Annapolis Maritime by a 34-19 count before 45,000 fans at Baltimore's Banner Field. The Fighting Saints had overwhelming firepower, gaining 444 yards of offense and reeling off 27 first downs in outclassing the Navigators inexperienced squad, which continued to be hurt by fumbles although, ironically, Annapolis Maritime mishandled the ball fewer times than the unbeaten St Blane squad on this day. The Fighting Saints committed seven fumbles of which the Navigators recovered 4. St Blane recovered just 2 Annapolis Maritime fumbles.
Code:
TWIFB AIAA FOOTBALL TOP TEN RANKINGS
# SCHOOL REC LW
1 Rome State 7-0 1
2 St Blane 5-0 2
3 Cumberland 5-0-1 5
4 Detroit City College 5-1 6
5 Bayou State 5-0-1 7
6 Travis College 6-1 9
7 Noble Jones College 5-1 3
8 Pierpont 5-0 nr
9 Commonwealth Catholic 5-0 nr
10 CC Los Angeles 6-0 10
WEEKEND COLLEGIATE GRID RESULTS
EAST
St. Blane 34 Annapolis Maritime 19
George Fox 38 Grafton 0
Henry Hudson 14 Brunswick 14
Commonwealth Catholic 69 Bigsby College 0
Liberty College 33 Brooklyn State 0
Pierpont 54 Sadler 6
Dickson 24 Garden State 7
St. Patrick's 38 Ellery 6
Richmond State 44 Maryland State 3
Frankford State 24 Harrisburg State 3
Chesapeake State 20 Coastal State 7
Empire State 20 Eastern Virginia 7
Petersburg 21 Eastern State 13
Potomac College 14 St. Matthew's College 3
St. Pancras 10 Conwell College 0
SOUTH
Rome State 34 Huntington State 0
Alabama Baptist 27 Noble Jones College 20
Georgia Baptist 20 Carolina Poly 17
Cumberland 24 North Carolina Tech 0
Central Kentucky 30 St. Ignatius 0
Bayou State 35 Mississippi A&M 0
Miami State 20 Penn Catholic 16
Bluegrass State 20 Opelika State 6
Lexington State 17 Central Carolina 3
Columbia Military Academy 13 Mobile Maritime 13
Cowpens State 16 Western Tennessee 9
Northern Mississippi 45 Paducah State 0
Charleston Tech 23 Alexandria 14
MIDWEST
Detroit City College 20 Minnesota Tech 0
Lincoln 21 Western Iowa 3
St. Magnus 21 Central Ohio 9
Wisconsin State 20 Whitney College 17
Indiana A&M 17 Pittsburgh State 6
Topeka State 16 Wichita Baptist 7
Eastern Kansas 17 Iowa A&M 9
College of Omaha 24 Daniel Boone College 10
Lawrence State 20 Eastern Oklahoma 9
Northern Minnesota 28 Wisconsin Catholic 3
Laclede 31 South Dakota Tech 10
SOUTHWEST
Red River State 34 College of Waco 0
Travis College 14 Texas Gulf Coast 0
Payne State 30 Queen City 0
Oklahoma City State 20 Amarillo Methodist 7
El Paso Methodist 26 Tempe College 21
Arkansas A&T 7 Darnell State 0
Valley State 28 Abilene Baptist 24
South Valley State 27 Texas Panhandle 24
Canyon A&M 14 Flagstaff State 6
WEST
CC Los Angeles 41 Golden Gate University 17
Coastal California 20 Portland Tech 3
Lane State 27 Redwood 13
Northern California 9 Spokane State 6
Utah A&M 14 Wyoming A&I 0
Custer College 40 Idaho A&M 0
Kit Carson University 30 Western Montana 17
Sunnyvale 23 San Francisco Tech 19
Provo Tech 33 Boulder State 0
EAST-WEST CLASSIC PACT MAY BE RUSHED FOR JANUARY 1
Los Angeles -Football observers here, generally taking for granted a West Coast Athletic Association- Great Lakes Alliance East West Classic tieup, speculated on one major topic: Can such a pact be signed and sealed in time for the first game next New Years Day, or will the battle have to wait until 1948?
One faction insisted it could, if the GLA accelerated its machinery for gaining approval of the proposal -which apparently originated unofficially among certain members in the conference. The proposal then must also be approved by the Coast conference. Speaking off the record, one official high in both WCAA and intercollegiate circles predicted faculty heads would sanction it in general.
One point was agreed. Official action one or the other must be taken by the second or third week in November, else the WCAA might find itself out on a limb in signing an outstanding team from other regions not already snapped up by rival Classic games.
The GLA champion will likely be Detroit City College, with a 5-0 section record including a win over second place Lincoln (4-1). The West Coast Athletic Association will likely come down to the annual late season tussle between CCLA and Coastal California. Portland Tech was in the mix but the Magpies lost to the Dolphins 20-3 on Saturday, ending their hopes of a perfect in conference record.
ROAD WINS KEEP YANKS, WASPS ATOP AFA
The Boston Americans and Washington Wasps each improved to 5-1 on the season with road victories yesterday. The duo are co-leaders atop the East Division and tied for the best record in the American Football Assocation.
Boston had a tough time with Bob Holt and the St Louis Ramblers but used a couple of big scoring plays to scratch out a 14-7 victory. After Holt put the home club up 7-0 with a first quarter touchdown, Boston quarterback Del Thomas connected with Ed Johnson on 58 yard touchdown pass to knot the contest in the second quarter. Mike Beard had just one carry all afternoon for the Yanks but made the most of it, lugging the ball 50 yard fr a third period score that proved the margin of victory.
The Washington Wasps had a much easier time beating up on winless Pittsburgh 35-9 at Fitzpatrick Park. Bob Krohn was the big star for Washington as the quarterback threw for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the rout. Johnny Douglas had 7 more catches for Washington including his 50th of the season.
Detroit won it's fourth in a row, blanking the Wildcats 24-0 at Chicago's Whitney Park to give the Maroons a share of the West Division lead at 4-2. The Maroons were led by their running game with Mark Orlosky, Mark Belles and Troy Renton each scoring a touchdown to hand the Wildcats their 4th loss in the last five games.
Cleveland kept pace with Detroit, although at 4-2-1, the Finches have played one more game than the Maroons, after prevailing in a low scoring game in Cincinnati by a 10-7 score. In the other game on the Sunday docket the Philadelphia Frigates snapped a 4-game losing skid with a 17-14 victory over the visiting New York Football Stars. A 32-yard touchdown run by Nick Kobza with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game provided the Frigates their victory as they once more were forced to play without their top back Greg LePage.
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Boston 5 1 0 .833
Washington 5 1 0 .833
NY Stars 3 3 0 .500
Philadelphia 2 4 0 .333
Pittsburgh 0 5 1 .000
West Division W L T PCT
Detroit 4 2 0 .667
Cleveland 4 2 1 .667
Cincinnati 3 3 0 .500
Chicago 2 4 0 .333
St Louis 2 5 0 .286
WEEKEND RESULTS
Washington 35 Pittsburgh 9
Cleveland 10 Cincinnati 3
Detroit 24 Chicago 0
Philadelphia 17 New York 14
Boston 14 St Louis 7
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10
Chicago at Washington
Cincinnati at Boston
Philadelphia at New York
St Louis at Pittsburgh
Detroit at Cleveland
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Renton, Det 82
Holt, StL 46
Krohn, Was 45
Douglas, Was 42
Milatz, Cle 38
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Colvin, Cle 78-186 1205 9 15
Krohn, Was 84-150 1081 12 4
Taylor, Phi 68-128 940 3 16
Brown, Chi 54-151 813 3 10
D Thomas, Bos 52-109 757 4 5
RUSHING YDS TD
Holt, StL 558 4
Frum, Chi 324 2
Watts, Cle 320 1
Belles, Det 306 3
Renton, Det 282 7
Schepis, Cin 282 2
Gunther, NY 282 3
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Douglas, Wash 50 677 7
Molloy, Bos 22 274 1
Nicholson, Cle 20 384 2
Akerly, NY 19 205 2
Gilbert, Cin 18 292 0
INERCEPTIONS #
Kelly, Bos 7
Holt, StL 5
Thompson, Cle 4
Molloy, Bos 4
Patane, Chi 4
Gill, NY 4
CFC IS A TWO-HORSE RACE BETWEEN COWBOYS AND WINGS
The Kansas City Cowboys and San Francisco Wings continue to distance themselves from the pack in the inaugural season of the 8 team Continental Football Conference. The two West Division powers rank 1-2 in offense, defense and are tied for the best record in the league at 8-1 after each posted lobsided victories on Saturday.
The high-flying Cowboys offense scored 6 touchdowns in a 45-0 blowout win over the New Orleans Crescents. Tommy Cohan scored 3 of the Cowboys majors, two on a pair of one-yard plunges in the fourth quarter after catching a 14 yard scoring pass from Pat Chappell in the opening stanza of the contest. San Francisco was equally impressive in its 42-14 breaking of the Buffalo Bulls highlighted by 3 touchdown passes from quarterback Sam Metcalf. The Bulls were lead by a strong game from Don Parmenter in defeat, rushing for 70 yards including a 46 yard score for the Bulls first touchdown and a 38 yard return of a Wings fumble for the second Buffalo touchdown.
In Sunday's action the New York Grid Gothams moved into top spot in the East Division with a 31-7 victory over their neighbours from Brooklyn. Ken Hale led the way for the Gothams with 75 yards rushing from scrimmage to go along with a 93 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The other game was on the west coast where the Los Angeles Lobos moved above .500 by handing the woeful Chicago Comets their 8th loss of the season in a 17-7 final.
Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L T PCT[/b]
NY Gothams 3 3 2 .500
Brooklyn 4 5 0 .444
Buffalo 3 5 0 .375
New Orleans 2 7 1 .222
WEST W L T PCT
San Francisco 8 1 0 .889
Kansas City 8 1 0 .889
Los Angeles 4 3 1 .571
Chicago 1 8 0 .111
WEEKEND RESULTS
San Francisco 42 Buffalo 14
Kansas City 45 New Orleans 0
Los Angeles 17 Chicago 7
New York 31 Brooklyn 7
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10
New Orleans at Buffalo
Los Angeles at Brooklyn
Chicago at Kansas City
San Francisco at New York
Code:
CFC LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Walston, KC 78
Gilliam, SF 63
J Wendt, BKN 48
Littlejohn, LA 45
Matthews, KC 42
Garner, SF 42
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Chappell, KC 79-145 1385 15 5
J Wendt, BKN 104-222 1262 8 10
Metcalf, SF 67-131 1001 13 5
Fuchs, LA 74-126 850 10 9
Mecham, CHC 60-156 823 4 14
RUSHING YDS TD
Matthews, KC 605 4
Stone, SF 542 2
Parameter, Buf 493 3
J Wendt, BKN 472 7
Hale, NY 380 1
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
D Smith, BKN 25 348 2
Mula, SF 22 298 5
Pruitt, NO 20 201 1
Robinson, NY 18 242 2
Britton, BKN 16 214 2
Loveless, NO 16 174 1
INERCEPTIONS #
Corbin, SF 6
Engle, KC 5
Backus, KC 4
Yardley, NO 4
REDWOOD WINS PRESEASON AIAA TOURNAMENT
The Redwood Mammoths were the surprise winner of the first collegiate basketball tournament of the season. The West Coast outfit upset heavily favoured Liberty College 36-35 in the opening round of the four team event and then went on to top Brunswick 39-22 in the championship game. The Knights reached the finals with a 51-36 win over Brooklyn State.
Often overshadowed by West Coast Athletic Association foes CCLA, Coastal California, Rainier College and Lane State, the Mammoths did make the AIAA year end tournament last March for just the second time in 25 years. Sophomore guard Punch Perez had 12 points in their opening win over the Bells, a game in which they held Liberty's Ward Messer to just 7 points and 3 rebounds. In the win over Brunswick it was Levi Gibson -with 9 points- and Nestor Tyus -with 8- leading the way. Meanwhile, Messer had a much better showing in the consolation game, scoring 10 points and adding 13 rebounds in a 53-44 victory over Brooklyn State.
Two more preseason tournaments take place next weekend before the college cage season kicks into full gear starting November 11.
SAWYER SET TO FACE FOUNTAIN IN NEW YEAR
World Heavyweight Champion Hector Sawyer will face top contender Mark Fountain in his next title defense. That is the word from Chester Conley, Sawyer's long-time manager, who told reporters the bout will take place at Thompson Arena in Detroit on January 18th.
This long awaited fight will finally see Sawyer squaring off with a top ranked contender after nearly two years of facing opponents much further done the list. Fountain, and several other top fighters, had accused Sawyer of 'dodging them' while noting they felt the champ had lost a bit from his long layoff during the war.
Conley disputes that notion, pointing to the fact there were negotiation issues with Fountain's handlers in the past and that both Leo Carmichael and Jochen Schrotter -Sawyer's two most recent opponents- were well respected veterans deserving of an opportunity face Sawyer.
Sawyer, 32, is 54-3-1 over a career that saw him claim the heavyweight title in 1940 by knocking out Schrotter in the very same Detroit arena he will soon make his 7th title defense against Fountain. Sawyer scored a 14th round TKO win in his rematch with Schrotter in New York City in August at one of the most attended fights ever staged. Fountain, a New York native, was pushing for this fight to also be in the Big Apple but Conley demanded a neutral venue for his New Orleans born fighter.
The 28 year old Fountain will enter the ring with a 20-2-1 career mark having not fought since last June when he won a unanimous decision over Matt Price. Fountain's only loss since war was in his return to the ring after a 4 year absence - getting knocked out by Leo Carmichael in the 11th round of a bout that Conley said would have earned Fountain a title shot a year ago had he prevailed.
In fight action this past week rising young welterweight Danny Rutledge ran his record to 5-0 with a first round knockout of Clayton Johnson in a bout slated for 6 rounds in Fall River, Ma. The Kentucky born Rutledge is best known for his fight against another young star in Mac Erickson while both were in the service. Rutledge, who was 20 at the time of their fight two years ago, knocked out Erickson in the 12th round of their fight to win what was dubbed the Allied Welterweight Championship at the time.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Nov 12- Oakland, Ca: Welterweight contender Carl Taylor (20-3-2) vs Ben 'Babyface" Bishop (23-3-1)
- Nov 18- New Orleans, La: rising welterweight Ira Mitchell (14-1) vs Phil Bradley (5-2)
- Nov 22- Milwaukee, Wi: Welterweight contender Rudy Perry (21-3-1) vs John Jackson (12-5)
- Nov 27- Minneapolis, Mn: Heavyweight contender Dan Miller (31-7-1) vs John Phillips (8-1)
- Dec 18- Waterbury, Ct: Heavyweight contender Scott "The Chef" Baker (15-1-2) vs Chris May (24-5)
- Dec 26- Jacksonville, Fl: Heavyweight contender Roy Crawford (22-2) vs Robby King (15-10)
- Dec 26- Brooklyn, NY: Welterweight Wayne Dunn (28-7) vs Pietrek 'Soda' Popinski (8-6)
- Jan 18- Detroit, Mi: World Heavyweight Champ Hector Sawyer (54-3-1) faces top contender Mark Fountain (21-2-1)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/03/1946
- Egypt, long a contender against British forces within her boundaries, called for the United Nations to guarantee the countries of the strategic Middle East against domination by the great superpowers. This after British Prime Minister Attlee denied flatly that his foreign secretary had pledged Britain to acknowledge Egyptian sovereignty over the Sudan.
- President Truman reiterated his belief that steps should be taken to insure immediate substantial immigration of refugee Jews into Palestine.
- The US has informed the Romanian government it could lose American recognition of it unless its promises to hold 'free and unfettered' elections are carried out.
- Secretary of State Byrnes is meeting top War and State Department officials from Germany for consultation before the start of discussions of a German peace settlement with the Russian, British and French Foreign Ministers.
- The Democrats have 67 seats locked up with unopposed candidates against only 10 assured for the Republicans in Tuesday's battle of ballots for control of the House. The Senate will have at least 15 new faces Tuesday as six incumbents were defeated for renomination and nine others are not making the race. Thirty-five Senator ships with be decided. Early indications see Republicans to control both the House and Senate because of a revolt of rank and file voters against the Democratic administration.