FRIDAY OCTOBER 3, 1947
PIONEERS SALVAGE SPLIT ON HOME FIELD
Hern Win Leads Wagon Train Gang to Game Two Victory After Sailors Take Opener
In what has become commonplace these days, the St Louis Pioneers managed to salvage a split on their home field against the Philadelphia Sailors thanks to another Danny Hern victory. The Pioneers ace took control of game two of the World Championship Series and guided his club to victory after the Sailors had claimed the opener 6-4. The Fall Classic now moves eastward, with the next three games set to take place at Sailors Memorial Stadium. If necessary, the series will return to St Louis for games six and seven.
The opener ignited with a hint of a potential rout as three of the first four Pioneers hitters unleashed extra-base hits against Sailors' pitcher Win Lewis. Bill Freeman led off with a scorching triple, followed by Al Tucker's double that brought Freeman home. The young outfielder Larry Gregory then doubled, driving in Tucker and extending the lead to 2-0. Before the inning concluded, Ray Bates also blasted a double, and the crowd at Pioneers Field erupted in jubilation as their team quickly secured a commanding 3-0 advantage.
However, the tides turned, and signs of trouble appeared for the Pioneers in the top of the first inning when Hiram Steinberg, the young pitcher, faced two singles but managed to escape unscathed. Steinberg found himself in a jam again in the second inning, with two more hits allowed. Yet, a swift 6-4-3 double play provided the necessary respite, preventing the Sailors from narrowing the gap.
In the third inning, Steinberg's luck ran out as the Sailors' first four batters greeted him with consecutive hits. Harvey Brown initiated the rally with a single, followed by Les Cunha's double that drove in Brown. Ed Reyes added a single, placing runners on the corners, and Cotton Dillon's single brought home Cunha, advancing Reyes to third base. Solly Skidmore's subsequent double play allowed the Pioneers to concede a tying run, granting some relief to the overwhelmed Steinberg. Rip Lee's fly ball out finally brought an end to the inning.
Both hurlers encountered threats on the basepaths in the fourth inning but managed to escape unscathed. However, Steinberg's fortunes took a downturn in the fifth inning when, after issuing a walk to pinch-hitter Eddie Heaton, he surrendered a colossal 410-foot home run to Cotton Dillon, propelling the Sailors to a 5-3 lead.
The score remained 5-3 until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Larry Gregory ignited hope among Pioneers fans with a lead-off double. Although the Sailors, long into their bullpen with David Molina on the mound, retired the next two Pioneers batters, Homer Mills narrowed Philadelphia's lead to 5-4 with a clutch single that plated Gregory. Walks to Artie Smith and Zip Sullivan loaded the bases, causing palpitations for Sailors manager Steve Basile. However, Molina regained control and induced a deep fly ball from Buck Pusey, extinguishing the threat and preserving the Sailors' slim lead.
In the top of the ninth, a wild pitch from St Louis reliever Tony Dixon allowed the Sailors to add an insurance run. Molina then returned to the mound, swiftly retiring the first two Pioneers batters. However, Larry Gregory etched his name in the World Championship Series record books, matching the feat accomplished by Powell Slocum in 1913 and Erv Smith in 1934, as he smacked his third double of the game. Despite this late attempt at a surge, the Pioneers' hopes of a rally fizzled when Molina induced a ground out from Pioneers catcher Heine Zimmer, sealing the Sailors' 5-4 victory.
The Pioneers desperately needed a split in the series, and they turned to the reliable Danny Hern to deliver the crucial win in Game Two. The 30-year-old left-hander has had a dream season, emerging as a lock for the Federal Association Allen Award after an exceptional 25-5 campaign. Hern's extraordinary performance this year marks a stark contrast to his previous season, in which he failed to secure a single FABL victory. In fact, he had only amassed 22 wins over the preceding three seasons combined. Although this outing might not have been Hern's finest, his club has won an impressive 15 out of 18 games in which he has started since the all-star break, and he did more than enough to secure a victory for the Pioneers.
Hern exhibited great resilience, going the distance while scattering nine hits and preventing the Sailors from scoring until the top of the ninth inning. Marion Boismenu's ground out allowed the Sailors to add a run, driven home by Cotton Dillon after Dillon and Skidmore started the inning with hits.
Larry Gregory, who had a sensational Game One, continued his remarkable performance by launching a home run off Sailors' starter Slick Wesolowski to lead off the second inning. For a while, it seemed like that might be the sole run of the game. Though both teams had numerous baserunners, sustained rallies were nonexistent until the sixth inning when the Pioneers doubled their lead. Once again, it was Larry Gregory spearheading the charge. Following Homer Mills' double, the Sailors in a somewhat perplexing decision, issued an intentional walk to Al Tucker, bringing Gregory to the plate. He promptly singled, plating Mills, but the Sailors managed to prevent further damage, leaving the Pioneers content with a 2-0 advantage.
The Pioneers finally gained some breathing room in the bottom of the eighth inning, exploding for three more runs, two of them unearned due to a Les Cunha mishap. As a result, they entered the ninth inning with a comfortable 5-0 lead. Though Hern's bid for a shutout was foiled, he secured the 5-1 victory, restoring equilibrium for the Pioneers in the series.
- If you did not notice Larry Gregory before the start of the WCS, you certainly have now. The 24-year-old Chicago native is a two-time all-star and put up some consistently strong numbers over his 3 seasons as an everyday player but may have been overlooked as he was "stuck" playing out west. With the national spotlight on him Gregory was outstanding in the first two games of the WCS and is showing that he likely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Barrett, Jesse Alvardo and other top young outfielders.
- Two big questions for game three?
1- Who will the Sailors start? Al Duster or John Henry Johnson?
2-How much will the absence of Bill Freeman hurt the St Louis Pioneers the rest of the WCS? One of only 3 Pioneers with previous WCS experience, Freeman hurt his back in game one, missed game two and will not return to the series. The Pioneers shifted Homer Mills to second base to replace Freeman for the second game with rookie Jackie Washington moving to shortstop and Gary Carmichael replacing Washington at the hot corner.
- Looking ahead to game four will, Steinberg's struggles with the Sailors continue after game one? (7 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K),and will Danny Hern throw another gem when his turn comes up again like he did in the second game? (CG, 9 H, ER, 0 BB, 3 K).
- Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire confirms that the Wolves manager Bob Call has been returned to the fold after agreeing to a one year extension at $16,500. Brett reports that this hardly a huge vote of confidence in Call, more of Millard saying "This is a last chance to start the the turnaround in Toronto," The organization will have holes in it as it appears the entire Nickels staff will be replaced over the winter. Will the vacancies in AAA be filled by promoting from within or will the team look for entirely new leadership in Buffalo?
- There were two FABL center fielders who had enough plate appearances to qualify and had a wRC+ of less than 100: Bill May (94 wRC+, .698 OPS) and Sal Pestilli (76 wRC+, .648 OPS). That Percy Sutherland's math prof nephew who also points out the following:
The qualified batter with the lowest wRC+? Detroit's Dick Blaszak (75 wRC+, .643 OPS).
The qualified batter with the lowest OPS? Brooklyn's Gil London (75.03 wRC+, .637 OPS).
The qualified batter with the lowest AVG? Cougars pcikup from the Gothams Sal Pestilli (.232)
- Cleveland Ollie White was the ERA champion (2.40 ERA). Who was at the other end of the scale? Boston's Art White (5.05 ERA). Art White and Wally Doyle (5.00 ERA) were the two qualifiers with an ERA north of 5.00. Art White's ERA was well-earned as he was only one of two qualifiers with a FIP north of 5.00: Art White (5.41 FIP) and Cookie Myers (5.01 FIP). Next in line was John Stallings (4.82 FIP).
- It is the off-season so he has plenty of time to recover but should the Detroit Dynamos be just a little worried that young shortstop Stan Kleminski's shoulder is not healing as well as expected?
- In what's becoming an annual tradition, the Gothams take home September awards when it doesn't matter. Red Johnson takes player of the month and Lou Eaker is FA pitcher of the month. Pat Weakley of Montreal and the Stars Bill Barrett claimed the CA pitcher and hitter awards for last month.
- Dallas hitters left 27 runners on base in game 1 of the Bigsby Cup. And Oakland stranded 27 in game 2.
- The major league baseball season in Japan recently came to an end with the Tokyo Rakisuta Rams claiming their second straight championship.
COUGARS FIRE MEYER
As has been speculated for several weeks the Chicago Cougars have officially terminated the contract of manager Clyde Meyer after 8 seasons at the helm of the Continental Association club. Meyer was informed of the decision in a meeting with the club General Manager on Tuesday -two days after the Cougars terribly disappointing season came to a close with a 5-4 loss in Brooklyn.
The 68-year-old took the reins of the club for the 1940 season and led them to a pennant the next year. Until this season, where the Cougars slumped to 71-83, Meyer finished with 82 or more wins, good for a 684-549 record in Chicago. His .555 winning percentage ranks tied for 4th with Park Wakeham for managers who completed 8 or more seasons. Despite the gaudy numbers, Meyer's tenure in Chicago will be considered one of missed opportunities and underachievement. The Cougars were regularly tabbed to be the best team in the Continental Association by media pundits but time and again came up short of a pennant during Meyer's tenure.
The Cougars are said to have already started their search for a replacement for the 68-year-old Meyer, but club insiders stress that no official hiring will occur until the offseason begins. Some frontrunners include current Cougars bench coach Pete Morris, former Kings bench coach and Chiefs base coach Danny Goff, and former Saints bench coach and Foresters base coach Frank Todd. The Cougars have also shown interest in their former player Fred Barrell, who is currently the scout for the Detroit Dynamos, and Keystones manager Jack Everhart who some believe to be on the hot seat. As other teams make managerial changes more candidates may arise.
Some are expecting Morris, who has been the Cougars bench coach since 1938, to have the inside track on the job, but sources close to the organization believe the team will venture outside of the organization for their new manager.
ANOTHER BARRELL MAY BE LEAVING TOWN
Indications out of the Windy City are Detroit Dynamos scouting director Fred Barrell is on the short-list to replace Clyde Meyer as manager of the Chicago Cougars. Meyer guided the Kitties to a pennant in 1941 before coming up just a little short against Boston in the series that year. Since then, it has been nothing but a series of disappointments for the Cougars, who are consistently pegged as the best team in the Continental loop but year after year fall just short. The dismal 7th place finish this season sealed Meyer's fate and now the Cougars are on the prowl for a replacement.
Barrell certainly seems to possess all the attributes the Chicago nine is likely searching for: A very successful playing career that included pennant wins. A sharp mind, and not just for baseball as Fred played a key role for the State Department during the war and has impressed in his time running the Detroit scouting department. Fred also has ties to the Windy City as he began his big-league career with the Cougars. They Dynamos would certainly miss he if he did decide to move on but the organization has said it will not stand in Barrell's way.
There has been a real family connection between the Brooklyn born, Georgia raised Barrell clan and the Motor City. Rollie Barrell, who briefly was a pro golfer, is the man behind the Detroit Maroons football club and a key player in the formation of the Federal Basketball League in addition to owning the loops local cage club. The city's hockey club had a pretty long connection to the family as well, at least until Jack Barrell was run out of town by Motors owner John Connolley Jr.
*** Mustangs Have No Where to Go But Up ***
We are not to0 far away from Rollie Barrell -Fred's brother and grid/cage baron here in town- launching another season with his fledgling basketball team. The Mustangs stumbled their way through a rough debut campaign in finishing with the worst record in the debut year for the Federal Basketball League. The Mustangs do have some talent, including former Detroit City College star Jack Kurtz who led the team in scoring, but shoddy defense and a lack of depth left them with just 19 wins in 60 games a year ago...and a lot of work to do.
*** Jack is Back ***
You have to wonder if Jack Barrell has had the weekend of October 18 & 19 circled on his calendar from the day he officially took over as the Toronto Dukes head coach. That will be the first regular season meetings between the Dukes and the local ice outfit and might well be the first time Barrell and his former friend John Connelly Jr. are in the same building since Connelly canned Barrell as the Motors bench boss more than two years ago. Supposedly Connelly has admitted he was wrong in fully blaming Barrell for the Motors struggles, but it would be something to be a fly on the wall should their paths cross at the Thompson Palladium in a couple of weeks' time.
The Bigsby Cup, rewarded to the champion of the Great Western League playoff series, is knotted at one after the Oakland Grays and Dallas Centurions split the first two games on the west coast. The Grays, who finished with the top regular season record in the 8-team loop, took the series opener with a 6-5 victory in 11 innings. Larry Colaianni tripled to lead-off the bottom of the 11th and raced home with the winning run on a Hank Grant sacrifice fly. Dallas used two big innings to even the series, doubling the Grays 6-3 in the second game thanks to 3-run outbursts in both the opening inning and the top of the 8th. Don Miller had 4 hits in a losing cause for the Greys while the Centurions win was keyed by 3 scoreless innings from reliever George Hunter. The series now shifts to Dallas for the next three games.
THIS MAY FINALLY BE PACKERS YEAR
The Chicago Packers have been around since 1925 but are the only North American Hockey Confederation club never to win a Challenge Cup. That might change this year as the Packers could be the team to beat as clubs prepare to commence the 1947-48 season.
There are plenty of changes in store for the NAHC this year. They included a longer schedule as the clubs will for the first time complete a sixty-game slate and the playoff semi-final has been extended to a best-of-seven to match the Challenge Cup Final from its old formt of a best-of-five series. There is also one less team as the Brooklyn Eagles folded, dropping the NAHC to six clubs, the NAHC's lowest total since before it abosrbed the USHA in 1926.
The dismantling of the Eagles means a lot of players have found new homes and many deemed talented enough to play in a 7-team loop are not left looking for work in the streamlined 6 club Confederation. That upheaval makes predicting the results for the year ahead an especially daunting task but here is how The Figment Hockey News sees the race shaping up:
FIRST PLACE: CHICAGO PACKERS -The key to the Packers is always a healthy Tommy Burns (30-37-67), but the two-time McDaniels Trophy winner should be entering the prime of his career at age 27 after leading the league in scoring. Their is some concern that his brother Wes Burns (19-19-38) may have lost a step and might be bumped to the second line but Wes still has plenty of talent despite missing games with injury each of the past three seasons. Most of the other faces up front are familar ones with Marty Mahoney (15-33-48) and Ed Delarue (18-24-42) being two of the best. Two newcomers will likely see plenty of ice time in 24-year-old right winger Jeremy MacLean, a 31 point man in Cleveland a year ago, and 25-year-old Leon Seguin -the Packers second round pick in 1941 who average a point a game in Buffalo last season and appears ready to assume a key role in the Windy City.
The Packers defense is led by returnees Jerry Finch (6-19-25), Ted Stevens (3-8-11) and Pete Moreau (9-20-29) and there is some potential with 1945 first rounder Jesse Santoro set to make the jump from the Coast League and Mike Van Tol, a 19-year-old drafted 5th overall in July perhaps ready to be eased into the lineup. Defensive depth might be a concern and the Packers have made it known they would be willing to move one of their deep crop of forwards for a right shooting rearguard. Between the pipes the Packers look very strong with 27-year-old Norm Hanson (24-13-5, 2.56), who established himself as a big-time NAHC netminder last season.
SECOND PLACE: BOSTON BEES - The Bees have won each of the last two Challenge Cups and stand to only get better this season with the return of goaltender Tom Brockers (15-22-8, 2.74) after the 31-year-old spent the past three seasons in Brooklyn. The 4-time Juneau Trophy winner returns but will have plenty of competition in net as the Bees also return last year's starter Pierre Melancon (22-8-8, 2.57) -who won his first Juneau- and a highly touted 24-year-old rookie by the name of Oscar James.
The Boston defense may not overwhelm you with talent, but it is steady and has depth with six solid returning regulars led by Len Bentley (6-11-17), Willis Beane (4-15-19) and Conn Cundiff (4-13-17). There is also a chance that 22-year-old Mickey Bedard, the Bees 3rd round selection in 1944 who had 27 points in Buffalo last season, is ready to make the jump to the NAHC and just might vie for a spot in the Bees top two pairings.
Boston's big duo of Wilbur Chandler (19-30-49) and Tommy Hart (30-23-53) may get a new right winger this season as there may be some concerns about 32-year-old Waldemar Rupp (10-24-34) holding on to his spot on the top line. 21-year-old Garrett Kaufeldt is a newcomer who may got a shot or Jacob Gron, a 24-year-old who had 21 points in 19 games last season but missed more than half the campaign with injuries. There is plenty of depth up front especially with the addition of youngsters Robert Walker and Alex Gagnon from the coast league.
THIRD PLACE: DETROIT MOTORS - The Motors snapped a two-year playoff drought with a third-place finish last season but ran into injuries on the blueline and were quickly dispatched by a far superior Chicago outfit in the semi-finals. Third year coach Mark Moore builds his team from the blueline out and has two of the best rearguards in the league in Shel Herron (10-20-30) and Bryant Williams (6-14-20). Add in Joe Todd (9-17-26) and Alex Viens (3-9-12) and they have a decent second pairing but there is some concern about depth now that veterans Bernie Dunton and Phil Denman were granted their releases after each voice displeasure about reduced ice time last year. The goaltending will be solid as long as Henri Classe (21-16-10, 2.60) stays healthy. Brad Carter is the backup, but he only played 1 game each of the past two seasons.
It is the offensive side of things were the Motors made the biggest changes and there could be as many as five new faces in the group of Detroit forwards this season. Start with highly touted youngster Adam Vanderbilt, Detroit's 3rd round pick in 1944 who led the HAA with 63 points last season and add Randy Emond, a 25-year-old who was a point a game performer in Buffalo. There is also 22-year-old winger Hank Walsh (7-18-25), who was selected from Brooklyn in the dispersal draft as well as rookies Nick Tardif and first round pick Ben Witt. The returnees include top scorer Graham Comeau (20-26-46), Garrett Ferrar (20-17-37) and captain Miles Barfield (12-21-33). Competition for spots up front in Detroit will be fierce and the Motors might just make a second straight trip to the playoffs.
FOURTH PLACE: MONTREAL VALIANTS - Only the Brooklyn Eagles scored less often than the Vals last season but the addition of Ian Doyle (11-8-19) from the Eagles might help a team that's pieces were likely much better than their collective result a year ago. Doyle will need to stay healthy- the 23-year-old has already earned a reputation of being fragile- but if he does the center ice position looks very solid with Claude Skinner (18-17-35) and Rey Sclisizzi (10-7-17) joining Doyle in the middle. Youngsters Adam Sandford, who missed nearly all of last season with an injury, Brett Lanceleve (8-20-28), Nick Haines (8-19-27) and veteran captain Doug Lynch (8-14-22) all will be counted on to rebound from down years.
Blueline depth behind Leo Bernard (4-13-17) and Isaac Finnson (7-9-16) might be a concern unless second year man John McDonald (1-7-8) and newcomer Spencer Larocque can step up. The big question mark in Montreal revolves around 31-year-old goaltender Millard Touhey (14-22-4, 3.31). Such a key piece of the Valiants surprising upset of Toronto in the 1946 semi-finals, Touhey reported to camp a year ago out of shape and never really recovered in posting the worst numbers of his career. There was some speculation that the Valiants would select Tom Brockers in the dispersal draft, but they went with Doyle, giving their veteran goaltender a vote of confidence.
The big change in Montreal is behind the bench as the Vals jumped at the chance to sign Montreal native and two-time Challenge Cup winning coach Norb Hickey after he was let go by Toronto last April.
FIFTH PLACE: TORONTO DUKES - The Dukes promise to be a much different team than the one that collapsed from first place two years ago to last place in the 1946-47 season. Jack Barrell, the ex-Dukes star who had great success coaching briefly in the coast league after a falling out with Detroit owner Jack Connelly Jr., is back in the NAHC and will be behind the Dukes bench.
Toronto may well be the most improved team in the league -at least upfront- with the addition of rookie of the year Quinton Pollack (30-17-47) from Brooklyn and 19-year-old phenom Larry Galbraith, who scored 19 goals for Buffalo last season, with the first pick in the rookie draft. Add in dependable captain Bobbie Sauer (24-22-46), veteran winger Herb Burdette, who missed most of last season with a rib injury, and rising stars Les Carlson (10-11-21) and Tony Parker (14-15-29) and the Dukes should contend for a playoff spot.
Gordie Broadway is 33 years old but still one of the top goaltenders in the league and backup Terry Russell should be able to give Broadway the occasional day off. Defense was the big problem last year and Toronto did address it somewhat with the addition of 25-year-old Chad Roy (2-10-12) from Brooklyn. However, the club still looks thin in that position beyond J.C. Martel (3-7-10) and young Fred Featherstone (6-10-16).
SIXTH PLACE: NEW YORK SHAMROCKS - The Shamrocks made the playoffs last season for the first time since 1941-42 and we are not saying they won't do that again this year. Chicago and Boston seem to be the class of the league but beyond that any of the four remaining clubs, with the right breaks and avoiding key injuries, could easily make the post-season. We do need to pick someone for last place and based on the talent on hand that team is the Shamrocks for 1947-48.
New York has a couple of very talented young goaltenders in Alex Sorrell and Freddy Hubbs. Each may have a bright future but for now the netminding chores fall to 25-year-old Etienne Tremblay (16-19-6, 2.81), who is not a bad netminder but likely the least accomplished among the NAHC starters between the pipes this season. In front of him is 30-year-old captain Bert McCalley (3-18-21), who may well be the best defensive defenseman in the league, but beyond him depth is a concern. That depth may not be too far away as Robert Sharpley (2-10-12), a 21-year-old who saw regular action as a rookie with Brooklyn last year, looks to have a bright future and second year man Paul Tetreault (6-12-18) also appears to have great potential.
Like on the blueline with McCalley, the Greenshirts boast one of the best forwards in the game in 29-year-old Orval Cabbell (23-22-45). There is good center ice depth with Laurel Albers (9-21-30) and sophomore Adam Greenham (13-19-32). On the wing the Shamrocks added former Eagle Sam Coates (10-22-32) to a group that included Tommy Brescia (14-22-36) and 20-year-old Joe Martin (7-9-16), who missed half the season after a scary injury in which his leg was lacerated by a skate blade. Big things are expected from first round draft pick Jim Macek but perhaps not for a year or two. Like on the blueline there is some talent, and what appears to be a bright future, but depth might be a concern in the season ahead.
EXHIBITION GAMES
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1
New York 3 Montreal 2 at Syracuse, NY
Boston 7 Detroit 2 at Hershey, Pa.
Chicago 6 Toronto 1 at St Catharines, Ont.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 2
Chicago 4 Toronto 2 at Hamilton, Ont
New York 4 Detroit 1 at Philadelphia, Pa.
Boston 4 at Montreal 2
UPCOMING GAMES
SATURDAY OCTOBER 4
Montreal vs Chicago at Pittsburgh, Pa.
Detroit vs Boston at Springfield, Ma.
New York at Toronto
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
Chicago vs New York at Buffalo, NY
Montreal vs Detroit at Windsor, Ont
Toronto at Boston
Code:
NAHC Preseason Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Boston 2 2 0 0 4 11 4
Chicago 2 2 0 0 4 10 3
New York 2 2 0 0 4 7 3
Montreal 2 0 2 0 0 4 7
Toronto 2 0 2 0 0 3 10
Detroit 2 0 2 0 0 3 11
DUKES LOSE ROY FOR SEASON
A tough break for the Toronto Dukes as the club learned that Chad Roy will miss most, if not all of the season with a back injury he suffered Thursday night in Hamilton during the Dukes preseason tilt with the Chicago Packers. The 25-year-old British Columbia native was being counted on to play a key role on the Toronto blueline after he was acquired in the dispersal draft of former Brooklyn Eagles players. The much-travelled Roy, who had stops in Boston and Chicago before joining the Eagles midway through the 1945-46 campaign, had 2 goals and 10 assists for Brooklyn in 44 games last season.
SADLER DOWNS ELLERY IN MID-WEEK ACADEMIA GRID GAME
A rare midweek collegiate football for the Academia Alliance conference saw the Sadler Bluecoats open their season on a winning note, dumping Ellery 30-13 in Cranston, Rhode Island. The two schools finished at the bottom of the section table a year ago with Sadler's only conference win coming at the Bruins expense last season. The loss levels Ellery's record this year at 1-1 after the Bruins blanked Constitution State on Saturday, which made for a quick turnaround to last night's contest.
*** Saints Set For Debut ***
Rome State, about which there was much question, passed its opening test with flying colours last week. Now the spotlight shifts to defending National Champion St Blane, which replaced the Centurions as the ruler of college football in 1946, swings into action for the first time this season as the highlight of the upcoming weekend slate. The Fighting Saints, who went 8-0-1 to end Rome State's two year hold on the title, make the short trip from Tyrone, Pa. to the Steel City to face Pittsburgh State at Fitzpatrick Park Saturday. The Finches, who went 5-3-1 a year ago, lost their opener 16-13 on the road against Lincoln last Saturday. It will be a special moment for Fighting Saints quarterback Ricky McCallister as the All-American last year as a junior, suits up in his hometown.
Pittsburgh State is far cry from the Finches of old, however, they did show commendable defensive stubborness in holding Great Lakes Alliance power Linclon College to a 16-13 count and may be strong enough to make the Saints labor a bit.
Football's first October Saturday also presents an Academia Alliance engagement between Brunswick and George Fox as well as a double handful of other good games including another challenge for Rome State as the Centurions face Boulder State. Dixie's main attraction will be North Carolina Tech's appearance against Travis College in San Antonio with all eyes on the Bicks star quarterback Dusty Sinclair. Deep South Conference showcases focus on stirring up a Louisiana-Georgia rivalry with Baton Rogue State against Georgia Baptist while Noble Jones College takes on Bayou State.
One team that might be in for a chill this week is the CC Los Angeles Coyotes. Their hand picked travelling squad of 40 football players arrived in Minnesota today in preparation for their game against St. Magnus tomorrow. More than one Coyote player could be seen blowing on his hands as the temperature topped out at 47 degrees today and much the same is expected tomorrow - quite a contrast to the high temperatures in which the Coyotes had been practicing and playing in for the past month. CCLA will look to start 2-0 against Great Lakes Alliance clubs after dumping Western Iowa 20-6 last week. The Vikings hope to turn things around after falling to Central Kentucky 17-7 last week.
COWBOYS LOOK FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT VICTORY
The Kansas City Cowboys continue to be the class of the Continental Football Conference. Led by a tremendous aerial attack the Cowboys have won 18 of the 19 games they have played since the CFC was formed, including last season's title contest and a 4-0 start this year. The latest victory came last weekend and was a 34-14 drubbing of the Chicago Comets. Reigning league most valuable player Pat Chappell threw for 351 yards and completed 14 passes including four for scores. Three of those passes were to end Ernie Orr -- all touchdowns. Orr caught a 19-yarder to open the scoring less than five minutes into the game (pictured above). Orr outran the defense for a 69-yard score less than five minutes later. Chappell connected a third time on an 80-yard catch-and-run in the opening seconds of the second quarter to give Kansas City a 21-7 lead. However, in the final 44 minutes, Orr was only targeted once - a 10-yard catch called back because of a penalty. It appears all he does is catch touchdowns.
Next up for the Cowboys is a Sunday rematch of last year's title tilt when they host the New York Gothams. The Gothams lead the East Division with a 3-2 record but were beaten 3 times by the Cowboys last season. Tonight's lone game in the CFC sees the Chicago Comets entertain the Brooklyn Football Kings.
Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L T PCT[/b]
NY Gothams 3 2 0 .600
Buffalo 2 3 0 .400
Brooklyn 1 3 0 .250
New Orleans 0 4 0 .000
WEST W L T PCT
Kansas City 4 0 0 1.000
San Francisco 4 1 0 .800
Los Angeles 2 2 0 .500
Chicago 2 3 0 .400
UPCOMING GAMES
TONIGHT
Brooklyn at Chicago
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
San Francisco at New Orleans
Buffalo at Los Angeles
New York at Kansas City
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Washington 1 0 0 1.000
Philadelphia 1 0 0 1.000
Pittsburgh 1 1 0 .500
Boston 0 1 0 .000
NY Stars 0 1 0 .000
West Division W L T PCT
Detroit 1 0 0 1.000
Cleveland 1 0 0 1.000
St Louis 1 0 0 1.000
Chicago 0 1 0 .000
Cincinnati 0 2 0 .000
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY OCTOBER 5
St Louis at Detroit
New York at Philadelphia
Chicago at Cleveland
Cincinnati at Washington
Pittsburgh at Boston
WEEKLY FIGHT RECAP
French middleweight Yohan Revel ran his record to 14-0 with a first round technical knockout of Kai Wacher in a Paris bout that was slated to go 10 rounds. With the victory, Revel has confirmed his next fight will be against fellow Frenchman Edouard Desmarais with the European Middleweight Title at stake. Desmarais may be well known to American fight fans as he suffered his only defeat as a professional at the hands of Frank 'The Tank' Melanson in Boston thirteen months ago. It was Melanson's third title defense of the world crown, which he lost to John Edmonds in July.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Oct 30: New Britain, Ct: welterweight contender Ira Mitchell (19-1) vs Kevin Jackson (20-7)
- Nov 15: Paris, France: Edouard Desmarais (38-1) defends his European Middleweight Title against Yohan Revel (14-0)
- Oct 31: New York, NY: rising heavyweight Jack Tierney (8-0) vs Larry Duncan (2-1)
- Oct 31 -London, Eng: former world middleweight champ Archie Rees (38-7-1) vs Glenn Root (13-19)
- Dec 12 - Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: World Middleweight Champ John Edmonds (23-2) rematch with Frank Melanson (32-1-2)
- Jan 10 - Santa Ana Stadium, Los Angeles: World Heavyweight Champ Hector Sawyer vs Dan Miller
The Week That Was
Current events from 10/03/1947
- President Truman informed congressional leaders today that emergency funds for aiding Europe cannot be provided without congressional action - possibly a special session.
- An increasingly violent anti-American campaign by Russian press and radio was predicted by United States officials examining Moscow's propaganda line, noting a Russian magazine attack comparing Truman with Hitler indicates a decision to pull out all the stops.
- Bulgaria has accused the United States of deliberately exaggerating the Balkan disturbances to "supply good excuse to transform Greece into an armed camp of the United States."
- Argentina and Canada were elected by the United Nations Assembly to sit on the Security Council for two-year terms but the contest for a third seat was indecisive on the first ballot. A last-minute switch eliminated Czechoslovakia and left Soviet Ukraine and India competing in a second ballot run-off, but that was also unsuccessful as neither approached the two-thirds majority needed for selection.