OCOTBER 13, 1947
GRAYS WIN BIGSBY CUP
The Oakland Grays are the 1947 Bigsby Cup Champions following a 7-1 victory in the decisive 7th game at Grays Baseball Park on Thursday. Outfielder Tom Gibson, who was named series most valuable player after hitting .394 in the tight seven-game set, keyed the game seven win with a 5-for-5 showing at the plate that included a pair of extra base hits, two rbi's and two runs scored. Oakland also benefited from a complete game 8-hitter out of veteran hurler Cy Sullivan.
The Grays, who finished third in the league a year ago, were the regular season champs as they outlasted Dallas by 3 games. The Centurions had taken a 3 games to two lead in the series before Oakland reponded with a pair of wins at home including Jack Goff's 2-hit 1-0 shutout in game six to foce a 7th game.
Oakland took the early lead in the final game when Gibson singled off Dallas starter Ira Hawker with one out in the first inning, moved to third on a base hit from GWL batting champ Frankie Cohen and scored on a passed ball. It would remain 1-0 until the fifth inning when the Grays benefitted from 2 unearned runs in a frame extended because of a miscue by Dallas third baseman Ken Mayhugh.
Gibson delivered an rbi triple to make it 4-0 in the sixth inning and after Dallas finally got on the board with an Al Gross sacrifice fly to plate Jim Honeywood in the top of the 8th, Gibson's rbi single and Frankie Cohen's run scoring double in the bottom of the 8th ended any hopes the Centurions might have had for a comeback.
It is just the third GWL title for the Grays -a franchise that traces its routes back to the birth of the GWL as a minor league in 1904 and the first since they won the pennant in 1923. Perhaps it is fitting that Oakland wins this year as for many seasons the club was the AAA affiliate of the St Louiss Pioneers and both organizations ended long pennant droughts last week.
SAILORS RELEASE ALL-STAR CATCHER
The Continental Association champion Philadelphia Sailors have surprised the baseball world by releasing catcher Woody Stone just days after the completion of the World Championship Series in which they lost in 6 games to the St Louis Pioneers. Stone did not play much in the series -just 3 at bats although he delivered a game winning rbi single in the 10th inning of game two- and the writing has been on the wall ever since the Sailors acquired Solly Skidmore from the Brooklyn Eagles at the trade deadline, relegating Stone to platoon duty.
It is, however, an unprecedented move in FABL history and perhaps the dawn of a new era of fiscal responsibility being exercised by magnates in an effort to cope with rising salaries. It is hard to imagine any other big league ball club has ever released a 31-year-old perfectly healthy player just 3 months after he made the all-star team. Yet, here we are. Stone is a 5-time-all-star and now possibly the most talented player in the prime of his career to ever be released and given the ability to negotiate his next destination.
The question is will there be teams interested in paying what Stone is expected to demand? He is only 31, but he plays a position that certainly wears down the knees and is coming off the worst season offensively of his career. He is going to want a lot of money and in an era when many of the FABL general managers are seeing their available pool of money cut back drastically by owners will there be teams willing to pay that cost?
Clearly the Sailors were not. One other FABL GM that we reached out to confirmed he had talks with Stone but immediately balked when the catcher gave him a number "north of $35,000" as a starting point for negotiations. Could Stone find only a few suitors, or perhaps none at all? Maybe this is the moment that Thomas Bigsby and the coast league are looking for. Will Woody Stone be suiting up in the GWL next season? And will this be the beginning of a new trend of fiscal responsibility in FABL, or the start of an all out bidding war with a ripple effect that sends salaries soaring?
AN ALL-STAR TEAM OF RETIREES
It reads like a who's who of baseball as many big name stars have announced their retirements from the game. They include the ones we knew about such as Jim Lonardo -the 312 game winner the Gothams honoured with a ceremony before his final home start last month- ones that we expected, such as former Cleveland and Boston great Dean Astle who suffered a terrible injury last spring that forced him to miss the entire season, and some surprises such as Cannons slugger Al Wheeler and first baseman Dick Walker, who had been informed by the Cougars he would be released.
Here is a list of the key retirement announcement this week. Since so many of them are worthy of much more than just a sentence or two devoted to their accomplishments in the game we will take a closer look at many of them with individual profiles in the coming weeks.
Boston- Ed Wood and Dean Astle
Brooklyn- Robert Curry
Cougars - Dick Walker
Cincinnati - Al Wheeler and Red Hampton
Montreal - Vic Crawford and Howie Snyder
Gothams - Jim Lonardo
St Louis - Johnny McDowell
The two Montreal players, like Dick Walker with the Cougars, elected to retire rather than be released after their respective clubs informed them that contracts would not be offered for 1948. Crawford and Snyder had deep ties to Montreal as it was the only big league organization each played for. Crawford starts his career in 1931 for the Saints and played 17 seasons with Montreal. The Saints told him there will always be a place for him in the organization for coaching. Snyder played 14 seasons with the Saints. The decision not to offer contracts was the need to open roster spots for new players next season.
BOSHART OUT IN BOSTON
After a decade of stability in the manager's role the Boston Minutemen are looking for a new skipper. News filtered out today that the Minutemen have decided not to renew the contract of Bill Boshart, ending the 63-year-old's eleven year tenure that was highlighted by a pair of pennants and a world championship in 1941. After finishing second in 1946, the Minutemen endured their worst season under Boshart this year, finishing 7th in the Federal Association with a 70-84 record. For his career in Boston, Boshart ended with a 861-767 record. He has not given any indication whether he will look for work elsewhere or retire from the game. The Minutemen have not made any announcements on replacement candidates.
TWIFB YEAR-END AWARDS BALLOT
With the World Championship Series decided for another year all that remains of the 1947 season is to hand out the individual hardware. The Federal and Continental Associations will anounce the winners of each of their three individual awards over the next couple of weeks so let's take a look at Jiggs McGee's selections.
Much like the pennant race in the Fed this season, the two major awards in the loop are no contest with a clear cut winner assured of claiming the Allen and Whitney Awards. Let's start with the Whitney, presented annual to the top position player in the loop. Hopefully by now they have already completed engraving Bobby Barrell's name on the trophy for what will be the fifth time in his career. All the veteran Keystones slugger did this year was break Max Morris' homerun record by belting 64 round-trippers and also claimed the triple crown for the second time in his career with a .356 batting average and 143 rbi's. It was not just a Federal Association triple crown win as Barrell led everyone, Federal or Continental Association, in each of those three categories as well as runs with 133.
Much like Barrell, Denny Hern of the World Champion St. Louis Pioneers is a clear choice for the Federal Association Allen Award. Hern rebounded from an awful 1946 in which he was demoted to the minors, by leading FABL in wins with a 25-5 record and a 2.78 era. At least Lloyd Stevens (22-7, 2.91) of the Keystones kept within shouting distance but it is clear that both Hern and Barrell should be unanimous choices, and in Barrell's case it almost feels like no one else should even be on the ballot.
The third trophy in the Federal Association is the Kellogg Award. Presented last year for the first time it goes to the top rookie in each association. Here the Fed will have some competition as it is a pretty close battle between Philadelphia Keystones catcher Roger Cleaves and centerfielder Edwin Hackberry of the Detroit Dynamos. They each play key defensive positions; each made the all-star game and both put up some impressive numbers.
Code:
AGE AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG OBP SLG
CLEAVES 23 493 76 141 27 4 29 91 .286 .340 .533
HACKBERRY 21 610 91 182 28 11 20 94 .298 .390 .479
There is very little to say one clearly deserves the nod over the other. Cleaves hit more homers and higher slugging percentage but Hackberry had more triples and a higher batting average and on-base-percentage. It really is a toss-up and I would split my vote if I could but if I have to select a first and a second place, I will give it too Hackberry with really the only deciding factor being he is two years younger. I would not be upset at all if this one ended in a tie.
The Continental Association leaves some tough decisions for each of its awards. Starting with the Kellogg Award it is easy to see there is a lot to like about Duke Bybee (14-11, 2.91) of the Chicago Cougars and Ollie White (11-7 with a CA best 2.40 era) from Cleveland but the choice is clear. For the second year in a row the top rookie in the CA comes from the Brooklyn Kings and is, at least in my books, Ralph Johnson. After a 25-game trial last September, the 23-year-old outfielder had an outstanding season with a slash line of .318/.414/.543 while finishing third in the CA with 25 homers and second with 108 rbi's.
My choice for the Whitney Award winner in the Continental Association will be Fred McCormick (.321,27,84) of the Toronto Wolves. If he wins it would be McCormick's third Whitney Award since his move to the Wolves from St Louis. There are some very good contenders including Brooklyn rookie outfielder Ralph Johnson, Mack Sutton (.240,43,123) of the Stars who led the CA in both homers and rbi's as well as first baseman Ed Reyes (.338,5,66) who won his third straight Continental batting crown.
The toughest call of the three might be the Continental Allen Award. There are several outstanding candidates including Donnie Jones (16-9, 2.89) of the Chicago Cougars, Win Lewis (17-12, 2.88) of the Philadelphia Sailors and Brooklyn's Buddy Long (20-11, 3.41), who was the only twenty-game winner in the circuit this season. All are good choices and have plenty of merit in being placed at the top of anyone's list but mine will be headed by Eli Panneton (19-11, 3.11) of the New York Stars.
Keystones Round Out Staff --The Keystones major league coaching staff is now complete. Danny Goff has been named the pitching coach and Frank Todd has accepted the role of bench coach under new manager Carl Ames. Goff is an interesting hire because some in the organization felt Goff’s controlling style will not mesh well with Ames’s player-first persona.
In the end, the organization felt that pairing 44-year-old Ames with an older baseball man in the 61-year-old Goff was more important. Both were brilliant players in their day - Goff won 252 games in his 17-year career - and the hope is they will divide and conquer: Ames on the hitting and Goff on the pitching. The marriage may be one of convenience, but the Keystones are betting it will last beyond the honeymoon.
The season may be over but there is a lot going on at Cougars Park.
- Expect a busy offseason in Chicago, as the Cougars look to retool on the fly and return to the first division. Calls have already been made, and it would not be surprising if a few trades would be announced before this year's cohort of award winners is finalized.
- Owner Mack Dalmer is one of the few Chicagoans not upset with the season results, and gave his GM a full boost of confidence. Dalmer told reporters in his offseason press conference he had faith in a return to form. "Look, I know the record didn't show it, but it was a good year for me. I'm not upset at all. Everyone is allowed one bad year." When asked about the GMs job security, Dalmer chuckled. "Do you know how much profit I made this year? Over $1 million dollars! Why would I fire the guy who did that for me?" The Peoria native was then asked if this meant a budget increase, and he quickly replied that "the Cougars will have a budge north of a million dollars for the first time since 1943. We can pay to attract a new star."
- Later the club's general manager answered questions for the media, ranging from the roster to the coaching staff. The GM said the priority was finding a superstar on offense to supplement the talented pitching staff, but there would be some subtraction as well. He noted that there "is a guy I have my eye on, but he will be hard to pry away. We will keep our options open as we look to leave 1947 in the rear view mirror. No one is as angry as I am with our failure this season, and we owe it to Cougar fans to bring a competitive ballclub back out for 1948."
- The Cougars have interviewed numerous candidates to replace the now retired Clyde Meyer. One who will not get the job is Jack Lea, who won the Heartland League with the Lincoln Legislators this season. He was a longshost candidate, but the Canadian instead decided to retire on top. Chicago also has to replace assistant GM Bill Homer, who held the position since 1939 after serving as a scout for the Gothams and Stars.
- Numerous former Cougars are scheduled to interview for the Managerial position, with notables being Fred Barrell, Max Wilder, and Hall of Famer John Dibblee. Barrell is not expected to leave the Dynamos front office, spending the past two seasons as the scout, despite Chicago offering to triple his salary.
- Interviews have also been scheduled for Cliff Everett, the Cannons 3rd Base Coach, Hall of Famer and member of the Pioneers champion squad Roger Landry, and former Stars manager Jerry Kant. A final decision is expected next week
MAROONS COLLAPSE, MOTORS FAIL TO START
In the realm of Detroit sports, it's hard to determine which disappointment weighs more heavily on the minds of fans: the Detroit Maroons' second-half collapse at Thompson Field against the Cleveland Finches or the woeful preseason performance of the Detroit Motors hockey club. As a chronicler of the city's sporting endeavors, I must say, it's no easy task covering our local teams. Case in point: the debacle at Thompson Field.
The Maroons showcased a solid first half and seemed poised for a 3-0 start, boasting a comfortable 21-7 lead at halftime. All appeared well, even entertaining, as Maroons coach Frank Yurick allowed the boys to air it out a bit, resulting in Mike Beard's completion of a few passes.
What transpired during the halftime break, however, remains a mystery. Whatever Yurick suggested did not bear fruit. In the span of a mere 3 minutes and 15 seconds, we were subjected to a harrowing spectacle as the Maroons squandered a 14-point lead, ultimately succumbing to a 3-point deficit. It wouldn't be fair to place the blame solely on the coach, for Cleveland's electric back, Tommy Thompson, played a pivotal role in the unraveling of the Maroons' fortunes. Thompson singlehandedly shattered the hopes of over 33,000 Maroons fans in attendance at the hallowed Thompson Field.
Thompson's opening kick return in the second half covered an astounding 97 yards, resulting in a touchdown. To add insult to injury, two plays later, he intercepted a pass intended for Tom Bowens and raced 39 yards to the Detroit 3-yard line before finally being brought down. In the subsequent play, Cleveland found the end zone, knotting the game at a stalemate.
Making matters worse for the devoted fans of Maroons football, Steve Wynkoop chose that inopportune moment to fumble the ball, denying Cleveland another touchdown. However, they still managed to seize the lead, a lead they would not relinquish, with a 29-yard field goal.
So, if you happened to miss a moment while indulging in a hot dog during the halftime interval, you missed witnessing Cleveland score 17 points in approximately 3 minutes. And that was all the scoring, even though Detroit had a chance to at least tie the game in the closing minute. Alas, a holding penalty nullified a 32-yard Beard-to-Bowens connection that would have given the Maroons a first down at the Finches' 25-yard line, with a mere 29 seconds left on the clock.
Certainly, the Maroons displayed moments of brilliance this week, with their passing game providing a refreshing change of pace. However, their lack of discipline, evident in the form of 12 penalties for 134 yards, compared to Cleveland's meager 4 penalties for 27 yards, coupled with questionable decisions in the second half, ultimately cost them the game. In short, they handed victory to their opponents. With an unconventional schedule featuring six home games followed by six on the road, a loss like this may jeopardize their chances of reaching the championship game.
*** Motors Stalled ***
Now, let's shift our focus to the Palladium, where the news is no better. No, I am not referring to the pitiable basketball team known as the Mustangs, who bumbled their way through an abysmal inaugural season. The true concern lies with Jack Connolly's ice warriors, the Detroit Motors. Astonishingly, they endured a winless preseason, securing only a solitary point in a tie with the Montreal Valiants last week.
Granted, one must exercise caution in placing excessive weight on preseason performances across all sports. Nevertheless, there are ominous signs suggesting that the Motors may struggle as they drop the puck on the regular season this Wednesday at the Palladium against the formidable Chicago Packers.
Let's start with Henri Chasse. What ails the 24-year-old goaltender who performed exceptionally well in the past couple of seasons? His performance during training camp was abysmal, prompting us to ponder whether it's time to reach out to Boston in an attempt to acquire one of the three top-notch netminders owned by the Bees.
Furthermore, an unmistakable rift has emerged within the team's locker room. Although last year's atmosphere was far from ideal, as a few players failed to see eye to eye, the team managed to win some games, which alleviated tensions. However, a recent incident involving a rookie defenseman has fractured the camaraderie. To achieve anything positive this season, the Motors must embark on a swift start. I shall reserve final judgment until we witness the team competing in regular season games that truly impact the standings. Yet, at present, I hold grave concerns about the upcoming campaign.
*** End of a "Wonder"-ful Career ***
We must make note of the news that Al Wheeler -the Wonder Wheel who helped the Dynamos to their most recent pennant back in '29 and won five more flags with Brooklyn and Cincinnati- has reached the end of the road. 516 home runs, 3248 hits, 2014 rbi's, a triple crown in 1935 and 5 Whitney Awards is quite a legacy. Wheeler announced his retirement yesterday with the next stop clearly the Hall of Fame.
- Big changes ahead in Boston. Not only are Dean Astle and Ed Wood -with more than 400 FABL victories between them- both retired but the Minutemen join the Chicago Cougars on the manager hunt as the club elected not to resign Bill Boshart after a decade at the helm of the team.
- Woody Stone was not the only player cut loose by the Sailors as they opted not to resign starting third baseman Ed B. White either. White started 123 games at the hot corner and hit .256. He was reportedly asking for more thatn $30,000 next season. With replacements available the Sailors opted to let him walk. A bold but likely very smart decision in both cases as it certainly frees up a lot of money for the defending CA champs to address other needs.
- It wasn't just players retiring as former Chicago Cougars manager Clyde Meyer has opted to return home to Virginia and retire from the game rather than seek another position. An even more-beloved Chicago sports figure is also retiring as legendary Chicago Herald-Examiner sports editor Percy Sutherland has decided to step away from his typewriter for good.
- The new sports boss at the Herald-Examiner is Leland Kuenster and he -following in Sutherland's tradition- made his awards ballot public today. Kuenster likes Danny Hern and Buddy Long for the Allen Awards, Bobby Barrell and Fred McCormick for the Whitney Award and favours Ralph Johnson and Jack Cleaves in the Kellogg voting for top newcomer.
- Percy Pringle Sr. of the Brooklyn Eagle is very similar in his call, making just two changes as he prefers Detroit's Edwin Hackberry over Cleaves for the Fed Kellogg Award and like Mack Sutton as his CA Whitney winner ahead of Fred McCormick.
- With the retirements of Walker, Wheeler, and Lonardo, Bob Martin becomes the league's elder statesman. Martin also debuted in 1928, which means that there are no active players who debuted prior to human GMs for the 1926 season.
PARITY IS THE NEW BUZZWORD IN THE AFA
There appears to be no clear cut dominant team in the American Football Association. The two divisions have rarely felt as completely up for grabs as they do right now. Parity has taken over the league with every team have suffered at least one loss in their first three games and only the New York Stars still searching for their first victory. The games have for the most part been close as well with 9 of the 16 contests to date decided by a touchdown or less. Competitive football is great for the fans and great for the sport, especially at the box office were early reports have been extremely favourable and now that baseball is over things are only expected to continue to improve.
The Detroit Maroons and Philadelphia Frigates each started the weekend at 2-0, as the only remaining unbeaten teams, but neither finished Sunday that way. The Maroons lost in dreadful fashion, allowing 17 unanswered second half points from the visiting Cleveland Finches to drop a 24-21 decision in front of a stunned gathering of more than 33,000 fans at Thompson Field. There were some positives for the Maroons as their passing game finally showed some signs of life but that was tempered by the second half collapse. Philadelphia had no such fade as the Frigates were simply outplayed by Gus Brown and the Chicago Wildcats 27-14. Brown threw for 320 yards and the Chicago defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns while also limiting Greg LePage, the league rushing leader to 53 yards after he topped the century mark each of the two previous games including 178 last Sunday.
Elsewhere, the Washington Wasps nipped Pittsburgh 30-24 behind 3 touchdown passes from Bob Krohn and a 126 yard ruhsing day by Jim Ponder. Del Thomas was up to his usual magic through the air in Boston, as the veteran quarterback threw for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Boston to a 21-14 victory over the winless New York Stars while in Cincinnati the hometown Tigers dumped St Louis 24-7.
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Philadelphia 2 1 0 .667
Washington 2 1 0 .667
Pittsburgh 2 2 0 .500
Boston 1 2 0 .333
NY Stars 0 3 0 .000
West Division W L T PCT
Detroit 2 1 0 .667
Cleveland 2 1 0 .667
Chicago 2 1 0 .667
Cincinnati 2 2 0 .500
St Louis 1 2 0 .333
WEEKEND RESULTS
Chicago 27 Philadelphia 14
Cleveland 24 Detroit 21
Washington 30 Pittsburgh 24
Boston 21 New York 14
Cincinnati 24 St Louis 7
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Boston at Detroit
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
Cleveland at St Louis
Washington at New York
Cincinnati at Chicago
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Chick, Cin 26
Gipson, Chi 24
LePage, Phi 18
Renton, Det 18
Herndon, Phi 18
Ericksen, Bos 18
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
D Thomas, Bos 66-111 952 9 4
Marston, Pit 54-92 760 5 13
Brown, Chi 46-89 637 6 9
Taylor, Phi 35-70 575 6 3
Krohn, Was 27-61 389 3 8
RUSHING YDS TD
LePage, Phi 345 3
Ponder, Was 225 1
Mellette, StL 196 1
Rochman, Was 164 0
Doucet, Pit 152 0
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Tisdale, Pit 18 326 2
Gilbert, Cin 17 295 1
Gipson, Chi 17 200 4
Ericksen, Bos 15 154 3
INERCEPTIONS #
Chick, Cin 6
Neilsen, Cle 3
Hensel, Cle 3
Marston, Pit 3
Henson, Cin 3
Coleman, Det 3
SHOCK IN THE CFC AS COWBOYS LOSE AGAIN
The Kansas City Cowboys lost just once in the first 19 games of the franchise but suddenly they have fallen in two consecutive weeks. To make matters even more surprsing in the Contintenal Football Conference's West Division the Chicago Comets-winnings of just 1 game in the inaugural season a year ago- are suddenly 4-3 and tied with San Francisco just a half game back of the Cowboys. Kansas City was upset at home by the East Division leading New York Gothams and fell again yesterday, dropping a 23-17 decision at Packer Field to the visiting Los Angeles Lobos. In San Francisco, the Comets won for the third time in four weeks, and did so convincingly as the Chicago eleven built a 28-0 first half lead and cruised to a 38-14 victory over the shocked Wings.
In other action the New York Gothams, coming off the high of an upset win in Kansas City, kept the party rolling with a 47-0 blasting of the Brooklyn Kings while Dave Karaszewski ran for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns to carry Buffalo past the New Orleans Crescents 34-13.
Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L T PCT[/b]
NY Gothams 5 2 0 .714
Buffalo 4 3 0 .571
Brooklyn 1 5 0 .167
New Orleans 1 5 0 .167
WEST W L T PCT
Kansas City 4 2 0 .667
San Francisco 4 3 0 .571
Chicago 4 3 0 .571
Los Angeles 3 3 0 .500
WEEKEND RESULTS
Buffalo 34 New Orleans 13
Chicago 38 San Francisco 14
New York 47 Brooklyn 0
Los Angeles 23 Kansas City 17
UPCOMING GAMES
FRIDAY OCTOBER 17
Buffalo at Brooklyn
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Los Angeles at New Orleans
Chicago at Kansas City
Code:
CFC LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Karaszewski, Buf 60
Hale, NYG 54
Wade, NY 52
Penna, LA 51
Higman, Buf 43
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Chappell, KC 77-147 1429 13 9
Fuchs, LA 70-140 1304 5 10
Monday, Buf 86-175 1177 12 10
Boettcher, NO 91-179 1075 5 12
Hale, NYG 45-89 953 9 6
RUSHING YDS TD
Hale, NYG 865 8
Rose, NYG 511 5
Garner, SF 500 2
Stone, SF 494 2
Karaszewski, Buf 422 8
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Mula, SF 33 325 6
Breig,Chi 31 463 3
Pruitt, NO 28 319 2
Tammaro, KC 24 479 2
Orr, KC 23 469 4
INERCEPTIONS #
Dutton, Chi 5
Layton, Buf 4
Carroll, SF 3
J Smith, Chi 3
Yardley, Bkn 3
Backus, KC 3
MacRae, KC 3
CHAPPELL PROVES HE IS HUMAN
Since its inception last year, Pat Chappell and the mighty Kansas City Cowboys have set the standard of excellence in the Continental Football Conference. Their remarkable 13-1 record, crowned by a victory over the New York Gothams in the inaugural CFC title game, was a testament to their dominance. Chappell, the shining star of the Cowboys, led the charge and rightly claimed the coveted title of the league's best player.
Success always seemed to follow Chappell. From his days as an All-American in basketball at St. Magnus to his exceptional baseball skills, he also proved himself to be one of the greatest quarterbacks the Great Lakes Alliance has ever witnessed. His triumphant transition to the professional ranks after a hiatus due to the war led to a season of sheer dominance, culminating in a CFC championship. The start of this season appeared no different, with four consecutive victories and Chappell's continued stellar performances.
However, the tides suddenly turned last week. In a shocking upset on their home turf, the Cowboys suffered their first-ever defeat, with Chappell completing a mere 12-of-26 passes for 177 yards. Most importantly, he threw an interception in the Gothams' end zone with just over four minutes remaining, extinguishing the Cowboys' hopes of staging a comeback from a 13-10 deficit.
Initially, many considered it a fluke, one of those unfortunate occurrences that happen from time to time. After all, the Gothams boast one of the league's finest defenses, and the Cowboys stumbled once last season in San Francisco. Furthermore, even on an off day, Chappell's performance outshines that of most other quarterbacks.
Yet, it wasn't a fluke. It happened again yesterday. While Chappell had only thrown four interceptions in the first four games, all resulting in victories for the Cowboys, he was intercepted twice against New York and three times against the Los Angeles Lobos in yesterday's contest. Despite the reigning league MVP managing to surpass 200 passing yards, his accuracy faltered yesterday, completing just 14 of his 34 attempts.
The former St. Magnus three-sport star began the game on a sour note, throwing an interception on the opening drive. Five plays later, the visiting Lobos capitalized and secured an early 7-0 lead. Chappell's second interception early in the second quarter led to a Lobos field goal, further extending their advantage to 10-7. Although the third interception did not directly result in Los Angeles points, it effectively dashed any hopes of a Kansas City comeback, as they faced a nine-point deficit at the time.
These back-to-back losses showcase an unprecedented and uncharacteristic downfall for Chappell. Yet, let's not sound the alarm bells just yet. Chappell undeniably remains among the finest in the sport, and interceptions are an inherent risk of the forward pass, although he throws far fewer than most. It is simply a realization that perhaps Pat Chappell is, after all, merely human. Nonetheless, next week's game against Chicago has assumed a newfound level of importance, offering a chance for redemption.
OUTRUSHED SAINTS WHIP WHITNEY COLLEGE 24-10 ON McCALLISTER's PASSES
Outrushed and outfought for four full quarters, St Blane's football Saints defeated Whitney College's battling Engineers Saturday only because quarterback Ricky McCallister threw pass after pass straight into the arms of his receivers. There were comments out of St Blane last week that they lacked a consistent ground attack and Saturday's result proved they weren't kidding.
The Saints had a net gain of only 89 yards by rushing, compared to Whitney College's 148. Time after time the Engineers defense busted through to tackle Saints backs for losses or only very short gains. McCallister, though was a problem Whitney College could not engineer a solution for. The tall Pittsburgh native passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third with a 26 yards scamper that accounted for the Saints only big ground gain of the afternoon. The victory, while less than impressive, over a team that won just once a year ago and is now 1-2 this season, improves the Saints record to 2-0.
*** DCC Rolls Again, Mashing Pittsburgh State 48-0 ***
If there is a replacement for preseason #1 St Blane at the top when the first collegiate grid poll of the season arrives next week it might well be the Detroit City College Knights. Held in check for the first 17 minutes, the thundering Knights smoothered Pittsburgh State under 7 touchdowns in the last three periods for a runaway 48-0 victory at Thompson Field. It was the Knights third straight top heavy triumph as they look to the start of Great Lakes Alliance section play next weekend with a game against St. Magnus.
The Knights dominated the same Pittsburgh State club that had played Lincoln close to even and did not look completely out of place on the field against St Blane, gave the packed partisan DCC crowd a slight scare by holding the Knights mighty offense in check for the first 17 minutes, but the throng wasn't disappointed in the end. Early in the second period Paul Erdinger, the talented DCC quarterback, flipped a short pass to halfback Johnny Matthews that was quickly turned into a 70-yard touchdown and Detroit City College rolled from there.
*** Service Teams Triumph ***
Both Rome State and Annapolis Maritime came away victorious on the weekend. Playing at the Bigsby Oval in New York, Rome State put on a show that reminded fans of Centurion clubs of the recent past in thumping Lincoln College 30-7. It was once again a group effort by the cadets, who relied on a backfield by committee to wear down the visitors from the midwest and run the Centurions record to 3-0 on the campaign. After starting the season with a loss and a tie, the Navigators finally found a winning course as Annapolis Maritime survived a tough battle with Carolina Poly to down the Cardinals 13-3.
In other action Coastal California's rolicking Dolphins gave a spectacular display of defensive prowess and did just enough when they had the ball to blank Central Ohio 10-0 in Columbus. The Dolphins are 3-0 and sure to give CC Los Angeles a battle for bragging rights in the west. The Coyotes had their first section game of the season and passed the test with flying colours, blanking Portland Tech 24-0. Liberty College is also 3-0 after the Bells pounded Brooklyn State 45-0
WEEKEND RESULTS
MAJOR GAMES
St. Blane 24 Whitney College 10
Rome State 30 Lincoln 7
Liberty College 45 Brooklyn State 0
Pierpont 17 Grafton 15
St. Patrick's 12 Penn Catholic 7
Henry Hudson 24 George Fox 7
North Carolina Tech 17 Cowpens State 0
Annapolis Maritime 13 Carolina Poly 3
Detroit City College 48 Pittsburgh State 0
Coastal California 10 Central Ohio 0
CC Los Angeles 24 Portland Tech 0
St. Ignatius 17 Spokane State 10
Minnesota Tech 17 St. Magnus 10
Indiana A&M 20 Western Iowa 14
Northern California 21 Wisconsin State 17
Idaho A&M 13 Lane State 9
Rainier College 14 Golden Gate University 3
Opelika State 32 Western Florida 21
Alabama Baptist 65 Strub College 0
Opelika State 32 Western Florida 21
Georgia Baptist 27 Alexandria 0
Noble Jones College 13 Central Kentucky 3
Bluegrass State 13 Mississippi A&M 0
Bayou State 27 Darnell State 14
Cumberland 37 Western Tennessee 0
Travis College 48 Oklahoma City State 0
College of Waco 23 Payne State 21
Arkansas A&T 20 Lubbock State 7
Red River State 26 Baton Rouge State 7
Texas Gulf Coast 24 Eastern Oklahoma 0
OTHER RESULTS
Commonwealth Catholic 42 Eastern Kansas 0
Maryland State 20 Petersburg 0
Amarillo Methodist 14 Miami State 0
Bigsby College 14 Boston State 10
Ellery 22 Narragansett 3
Mobile Maritime 16 Edgemoor 3
Mile High State 23 Colorado Poly 7
Brunswick 14 Empire State 7
Central Carolina 23 Spartanburg Baptist 7
Abilene Baptist 41 Valley State 16
Western Montana 34 Kamehameha College 7
Lawrence State 48 Brookings State 0
Wisconsin Catholic 45 Northern Minnesota 20
San Francisco Tech 34 Northern Mississippi 21
Boulder State 26 Daniel Boone College 20
Iowa A&M 17 College of Omaha 6
Kit Carson University 35 Stratton 6
South Valley State 27 El Paso Methodist 20
Charleston Tech 28 Coastal State 7
Gunnison State 14 Flagstaff State 3
Gates University 37 Tempe College 10
Sadler 21 Garden State 17
St. Matthew's College 17 Laclede 3
Sunnyvale 20 Redwood 10
Columbia Military Academy 13 Bulein 0
Salamanca State 10 New York Maritime 10
St. Pancras 7 Conwell College 7
Provo Tech 17 Utah A&M 3
Cache Valley 17 Custer College 17
Eastern State 24 Dickson 0
Lexington State 17 Potomac College 14
Canyon A&M 10 Texas Panhandle 0
Huntington State 52 Baron College (PA) 3
Topeka State 23 Lambert College 7
Richmond State 24 Chesapeake State 6
Wyoming A&I 26 Miners College 14
PUCK DROPS ON NAHC SEASON WEDNESDAY
There is plenty of excitement on the streets of Chicago as talk has finally drifted away from the utter disappointment the Cougars were all season and the two-week slump that began in late July and destroyed the Chiefs hopes. Instead, all that could be heard in the local watering holes was banter about the Packers and how strong they look. "This might finally be the year," was the most commonly uttered phrase next to "Can I have another?" in the taverns last week as there is great optimism that the local ice outfit might just finally win its first Challenge Cup.
Training camp did nothing to dissuade talk that started to build over the summer and reached a crescendo when The Figment Hockey News tabbed the Packers as the team to beat this year. A 6-1 camp record has fans expectations hitting a fever pitch as the Packers prepare to open the season for real Wednesday night in Detroit.
The mood is much different at Thompson Palladium in Detroit where the Motors never got their engine started during the tune-up games. Detroit lost six of it's seven games, salvaging only a single point in a 1-1 draw with Montreal in Port Huron, Mi. on Tuesday. The Motors finished up with a lackadaisical effort in a 3-0 whitewashing at the hands of the Packer Thursday night and now must somehow regroup and get things going this week. That might be a lot easier said than done as there seem to be a lot of problems in Detroit due to some locker-room incidents although a few victories always does wonders for team morale. The bigger concern is what has happened to Detroit goaltender Henri Chasse. So good a year ago, the 24-year-old Quebec native suddenly looks like he would be challenged to stop a beach ball, and the defense -most notably veteran Bryant Williams- has been not much better in front of him.
Aside from Detroit, and perhaps Toronto which has already lost two regulars for most, if not all of the season, there is a lot of optimism throughout the league. The New York Shamrocks have had some injuries of their own, but the Greenshirts went 5-1-1 in the preseason and are thrilled with the play of 21-year-old rookie Simon Savard, who tallied four goals in six games and seems to have earned himself a spot in the lineup. The Shamrocks will open their season Friday in Montreal while the Dukes get things going Saturday when they host Detroit. The two-time defending Challenge Cup champion Boston Bees will be the final team to start the season -holding off until Sunday when they will raise their record 7th Cup winning banner to the roof of Denny Arena before hosting the Shamrocks.
Code:
NAHC Preseason Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Chicago 7 6 1 0 12 28 14
New York 7 4 1 2 9 19 13
Boston 7 4 3 0 8 22 24
Toronto 7 2 3 3 7 23 21
Montreal 7 2 4 1 5 17 20
Detroit 7 0 6 1 1 10 27
PRESEASON SCORING LEADERS
NAME GP G A PTS
Burdette, Tor 6 4 8 12
T Burns, Chi 7 7 2 9
Chandler, Bos 7 5 3 8
Hart, Bos 7 3 5 8
Savard, NY 6 4 3 7
Sauer, Tor 5 4 3 7
EXHIBITION RESULTS
THURSDAY OCTOBER 9
Chicago 4 Toronto 2
Montreal 1 Detroit 1
New York 5 Boston 1
FRIDAY OCTOBER 10
Montreal 2 Boston 1
Chicago 3 Detroit 0
New York 1 Toronto 1
end of preseason schedule
UPCOMING REGULAR SEASON GAMES
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15
Chicago at Detroit
THURSDAY OCTOBER 16
New York at Montreal
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18
Chicago at Montreal
Detroit at Toronto
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
New York at Boston
Toronto at Detroit
AROUND THE LEAGUE
MORE BAD NEWS FOR DUKES
Beam to Miss Season
The Toronto Dukes have suffered a second long-term injury in training camp with news that veteran winger Syl Beam has suffered a serious eye injury after being clipped with a stick while colliding with an opponent in Friday's preseason finale against the New York Shamrocks. Beam joins veteran rearguard Chad Roy who is out long-term with a back injury.
A broken wrist sidelined Beam much of last season, limiting the Ottawa native to just 26 games and a career low 17 points. He was entering his fifth season with the Dukes after starting his career with the New York Shamrocks.
VALS LEAD LEAGUE DUCAT RACE
The rabid Montreal fanbase loves it's Valiants win or lose and despite missing the playoffs last season the club leads the NAHC in season ticket sales. The Valiants are one of two clubs to announce the season ticket totals have surpassed the 10,000 mark as Montreal is joined by excited Chicago fans hoping this might finally be the Packers year to win the Cup.
SEASON TICKET SALES
Montreal...11,308
Chicago....10,519
Boston..... 9,421
Toronto.... 9,262
New York... 6,632
Detroit.... 6,207
MESSER EXPECTED TO FOLLOW BROTHER INTO PRO SPORTS
Walt Messer may soon not be the only professional athlete in his family. The 29-year-old is a 3-time all-star who patrols the outfield for the New York Gothams but there has been plenty of talk the past few years about Messer's younger brother Ward, a center/forward for the powerful Liberty College basketball team. Ward was an All-American last season as a junior and is on the short-list of favourites to win the Barrette Award as the top player in collegiate basketball for the upcoming season. He is also a likely candidate to be considered for the first overall pick in the next professional basketball draft.
With support in the pro game growing (and an online pro league be added in the near future) TWIFB has asked OSA's basketball division to help assess the top collegiate talent that will be on the pro club's radar. As we progress through the season, TWIFB will update the list and focus on some of the top candidates but to get started here are the top 35 seniors heading towards the start of the collegiate cage campaign.
Messer tops the list, but two to keep a close watch on are Ziggy Rickard and Josh Samuels. Rickard is a smooth shooting guard who like Messer, was a first team All-American selection as a junior. The Central Ohio star, who hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the name most often mentioned as a possible alternative to Messer for the number one selection. Samuels is a fast-rising name to keep an eye on, especially if St Blane turns out to be as good as expected. The Fighting Saints have never had much success on the hardwood but that changed after a couple of solid recruiting classes netted the New York native Samuels and junior Cy Worley, a forward out of Philadelphia who is expected to be a top prospect in the 1949 pro draft.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Oct 30: New Britain, Ct: welterweight contender Ira Mitchell (19-1) vs Kevin Jackson (20-7)
- 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)
- Nov 15: Paris, France: Edouard Desmarais (38-1) defends his European Middleweight Title against Yohan Revel (13-0)
- 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 the week ending 10/13/1947
- Fiery debate has left the United Nations Political Committee set for a showdown choice between the United States and Soviet Russia over the subject of the explosive Balkans issue.
- The United States accepted in principle a proposal for the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab nations while also agreeing to help the United Nations preserve "internal law and order" during a recommended two-year transition phase.
- The armies of 5 Arab nations started moving after the Arab League called on the Arab world to defend Palestine from Zionism with men and money.