OCTOBER 20, 1947
DOUBLE HONOURS FOR KINGS JOHNSON
It may only be the second year that FABL has recognized its top rookie performers, but we have already had a rookie collect a Whitney Award as well as a Kellogg Trophy with news that Brooklyn Kings fine young outfielder Ralph Johnson became the first player in FABL history to win two major awards in the same season. The 23-year-old outfielder was a nearly unanimous choice as the Continental Association's Kellogg Award winner which is presented to the top rookie in the loop. He also laid claim to the Whitney Award as the league's top hitter in earning 9 of the 16 first place votes to easily outpoint Fred McCormick of the Toronto Wolves, who finished second.
The CA Allen Award, for the top pitcher, was a tight race that yielded a surprising result with Donnie Jones of the Chicago Cougars narrowly edging out Win Lewis of the pennant winning Philadelphia Sailors by 2 points despite the fact that Lewis had more first place votes (5) than Jones (4) received.
In the Federal Association the Whitney and Allen balloting went as expected with triple crown winner and new single-season homerun king Bobby Barrell of the Philadelphia Keystones a unanimous choice as was Danny Hern, a 25-game winner for the World Champion St Louis Pioneers, in the Allen Award race.
The top newcomer in the Federal Association went to Edwin Hackberry of the Detroit Dynamos, marking the second year in a row a Dynamo has won the Kellogg Award. Interesting to note that both CA Kellogg winners also come from one team -the Brooklyn Kings.
WHEELER'S LEGACY FAR MORE THAN HOMERS AND HITS
Al Wheeler's retirement announcement last week signals the end of an era in FABL. His more than 500 homers and 3,000 career hits assure Wheeler a plaque in Boone County's hallowed hall. But Al Wheeler is so much more than the sum of his numbers -as amazing as they were.
Wheeler was many things. Certainly a winner as he won 6 pennants and 3 World Championship Series with 3 different organizations. A feared slugger who won a triple crown and 5 Whitney Awards. He also had his slumps, factors that clearly contributed to the reason he was traded so much and likely directly responsible for deals that moved him out of Detroit and out of Chicago after a brief, and very disappointing stint with the Chiefs. But he was something else as well.
Al Wheeler, more than any other player, symbolized the birth of the modern, or human GM era. Wheeler's biggest contribution to the Figment Universe was that his name started it all. Al Wheeler was the very first player selected by a human General Manager in December of 1925. There were others from that class that are still around -Bob Martin and Karl Johnson- plus Jim Lonardo, who joined Wheeler in announcing his retirement last week and will almost certainly join Wheeler in the Hall of Fame some day. But Wheeler was the first.
Max Morris was the great homerun hitter of all-time and spent a good chunk of his career in the modern era. Bobby Barrell may well surpass Morris' career numbers the way he oblitereated Mighty Mo's single season home run total this past summer. However, Barrell arrived a couple of years later and Morris was already established when the modern era began. It was Al Wheeler who was the first and perhaps more than any other athlete in any sport, is the face of the Figment Universe.
After missing out on top candidate and former catcher Fred Barrell, who did not want to leave his scouting job in Detroit, the Cougars pivoted to another former player in Max Wilder. A longtime pitching coach for the Terre Haute Brewers, Fort Wayne Warriors, and most recently the crosstown Chicago Chiefs, Wilder will replace the recently fired/retired Clyde Meyer at the helm of the Cougars.
It won't be his first managerial job, he did manage the Brewers for a season, but it will be the 50-year-olds first FABL managerial experience. Known as a conventional manager, Wilder slightly favors pitching and defense, but with his lineup he likes power, and will get plenty of it with Red Bond, Hal Sharp, Leo Mitchell, and Walt Pack.
Wilder also pitched in 14 big league seasons, and 132 of his 354 career starts came in a Cougar uniform. He was a member of the 1931 Championship team and went 61-45 with a 3.39 ERA (122 ERA+) between 1930 and 1934. In total, Wilder threw 2,701.1 innings with the Cannons, Cougars, Foresters, Kings, Dynamos, Minutemen, and Saints, finishing with a 157-137 record. Wilder struck out 1,116 batters and posted a 3.70 ERA (111 ERA+). Sources close to the Cougars front office where impressed with Wilder's interview and they felt bringing in a former Cougar would go over well with the fanbase. It is reported that he beat out club legend John Dibblee, as well as Roger Landry, Jerry Kant, and Cliff Everett for the job
RUTHERFORD RETURNS TO CHIEFS
The Chicago Chiefs and Brooklyn Kings completed the first trade of the off-season with a familiar face returning to the Chiefs organization. Chicago added 25-year-old outfielder Joe Rutherford from the Kings in exchange for 21-year-old shortstop Chuck Lewis.
Rutherford was the Chiefs first round pick in the 1940 draft and played briefly for Chicago in 1942 before joining the Navy that fall. The Chiefs dealt his rights to Brooklyn with 3 other players in exchange for Al Wheeler and Bob Cummings at the deadline in 1943. Always hovering around the top 50 on the OSA prospect pipeline, Rutherford returned to baseball in 1945 and made the Kings roster the following season. He split last season between Brooklyn and AAA Jersey City as he was trying to find a spot in a crowded Brooklyn outfield. In 488 big league at bats, Rutherford has 9 homers and a .213 batting average.
Lewis was the Chiefs second round pick in June out of Darnell State and made his big league debut in September by hitting .244 in a 14-game trial after a dominating couple of months in AA. OSA had him ranked as the #38 prospect recently.
JIGGS McGEE's TAKE -A move that addresses needs for both teams and helps the Chiefs retrieve a player they have always been very high on. Rutherford has underperformed and the time is really now for him to prove he can be a productive big league outfielder. Brooklyn had too much in the way of young outfield talent so returning to Chicago is a big opportunity for Rutherford. The Kings felt they lacked depth in the middle infield and Lewis will now likely battle Billy Bryant to see who ends up at shortstop and who needs to shift to second base. OSA loves Lewis' potential and the scouting service seems to draw a real comparison to Harry Barrell if Lewis can progess as hoped.
You have to expect a good chance the Chiefs will make another move over the winter to address the shortstop position as I am not sure they are sold on veteran Tommy Wilson as the long-term answer.
Well the speculation is over. Brooklyn GM DD Martin and King's owner Daniel Prescott have hammered out a 4 year contract extension between the club and their general manager. While rumors were running rampant in Cleveland with a recent gathering of "old friends" between the GM and Cleveland owner Rick Marshall. Both the Foresters owner and Martin who are old college buddies shot down the chatter as just a meeting of old buddies.
In extending his deal with the Kings, Martin signs a 4 year contract at $20,000 per year. This places Martin in a tie with several other GM's at that amount and only trailing the Chicago Cougars GM in yearly salary.
In speaking with Martin he seemed happy with the deal. "My intention when I came to Brooklyn was to come in and help this organization rekindle its winning ways. This season things came together quicker than we had anticipated and we were in a pennant race until the last days of the season. While we might be ahead of the initial time schedule that we drew up, it doesn't mean we are going to rush to make deals that are in a short term nature."
When I asked Martin about the deals he made 10 years ago in Detroit to try and speed the Dynamos to a FA title (one they never achieved). The GM said what happened in Detroit was we tried to rush things. We had an owner who I greatly respected in "Big Money" Ed Thompson who was gravely ill. We really wanted to give him and the fans of Detroit a Federal and World Series winner. This situation is Brooklyn is completely different. We have pieces of a puzzle and we have more pieces on the way. We made tremendous improvements this season, no doubt. But I will be clear, while we will be active this year and in the market to improve the club in key spots, we will not give away any of our top tier prospects.
When asked if a truly ace SP were to become available and if it would take 3B Ed Newman to get the deal done, Martin shot this back. "The only place young Mr. Newman will be going is to spring training with us. He will compete for a spot on the team and if he is good enough to be an everyday starter at 19 in the big leagues, he will come north with us. If we feel he and the Kings would be better served with some time at Jersey City, that is where he will be. That young man is about as untradeable a player as I have seen. He is much like the youngster we had in Detroit in Hackberry. He was highly sought after and as you can see I didn't trade him and neither did the current Dynamo front office. He is likely your FA Kellogg award winner this past season."
When I asked about the moves that we could see from the Kings this off-season, Martin announced that the club had just completed a deal with the Chicago Chiefs. The Chiefs sent 1947 2nd round draft pick SS Chuck Lewis (21) and the #31 prospect in the FABL to the Kings for OF Joe Rutherford. Martin stated "That is the kind of deal we are looking to make. Joe Rutherford is a fine young player, but we had a surplus of talented youngsters in our outfield ranks. This trade will help solidify our middle infield for years to come. These are the type of deals that we will look to make." When I asked about other needs the GM shared this. "We are always on the lookout for another rotation arm. I feel strongly that sometime next season rookie Paul Blyer will be up with us. But in the meantime we will look for another arm to help us continue to improve our staff. We just had veteran RP Robert Curry (40) retire. While we have some young pitchers in our system to fill in we will look to see what is out there and possibly available.
Now that the 47 season is officially over I asked the GM what they were working on. "We have a lot of work to do. We had several of our minor league coaches retire and we are also making some changes. We hope to have most of those things worked out over the next month. We are constantly preparing for the draft. While we do not know where our top 2 picks will be in the first two rounds, we obviously hope they will be high up in those rounds. While depending on where we fall we could trade down for more picks or possibly use a pick to acquire a pitcher. I don't see us moving out of the 1st round unless it is for someone truly exceptional. Scouting Director John Spears is working hard as we all are in our draft evaluations. With the Rule 5 draft coming up we have internal players that we need to make decisions on and see if there are any players that we would take a chance on giving a roster spot to on next years club. A club which we hope will be a contender for the CA title."
One final question that I had for the GM was this. Are you glad the contract is behind you and that you are staying in Brooklyn? Martin smiled and said "I am more than pleased. It was never really in doubt that I was staying, which is why we didn't make a big deal out of it. Mr. Prescott and I were discussing it and had things well in hand mid-year. It was just the dotting of the I's and crossing of the T's to get done and we just sat down and finished it. Why didn't we do it earlier? Well things got a little busy and we both got excited in the performance of the club the last several months. Not going to say we forgot about it, but it was certainly not as pressing as trying to get this club to the top of the CA. That is something that we hope to do in the very near future."
THE CONTINENTAL ASSOCIATION ALLEN AWARD: A CLEAR WINNER OVERLOOKED
The voting for the Continental Association Allen Award has left many of us scratching our heads in disbelief, perhaps questioning the judgment of some of my esteemed colleagues who cast ballots. While Donnie Jones of the Chicago Cougars ultimately emerged as the recipient, I can't help but feel that the true victor was unjustly overlooked.
Let's analyze the statistics once again. Jones certainly had a commendable season, finishing with a 16-9 record and a 2.89 ERA. No one can deny the talent he displayed on the mound, especially considering the Cougars' struggles. However, when we closely examine the numbers, it becomes evident that there was at least one pitcher more deserving of this prestigious award.
Look no further than Win Lewis of the pennant-winning Philadelphia Sailors to start. Lewis compiled a nearly identical record to Jones, going 17-12, but boasted a superior ERA of 2.88. Not only that, he received the most first-place votes with five. These numbers speak volumes about Lewis's dominance on the mound and his impact on a team that clinched the pennant.
Eli Panneton of the New York Stars also had a strong case for the award. With a 19-11 record and a 3.11 ERA, he showcased his consistency and ability to keep his team competitive. Panneton received 48 points and secured two first-place votes, further highlighting his impact as a top-tier pitcher.
Lastly, Buddy Long of the Brooklyn Kings deserves recognition for his remarkable performance. Long finished with a Continental Association best 20-11 record and a 3.41 ERA, providing stability to his team's rotation. Although he received fewer points than the others, with 35, he managed to secure two first-place votes, indicating the acknowledgment of his talent by some of the voting panel.
Considering all the evidence, it is this writer's opinion that Win Lewis should have prevailed as the rightful recipient of the CA Allen Award. His superior ERA and higher first-place vote count, demonstrate his excellence on the mound and the recognition he rightfully deserved. While Donnie Jones had a solid season, it is disheartening to see his achievements overshadow those of Lewis and other deserving candidates.
In the end, the subjectivity of voting can sometimes lead to questionable results. The oversight of Lewis's exceptional pennant-leading performance should not go unnoticed. It is crucial to acknowledge the true standout performers and ensure that they receive the recognition they have earned through their outstanding contributions on the field.
HACKBERRY CLAIMS ROOKIE HONOUR
Another reaffirmation of just how luminous the Detroit Dynamos future is arrived a couple of days ago when news broke that outfielder Edwin Hackberry has been named the top rookie in the Federal Association. That makes it two-for-two for Detroiters in the Kellogg Award balloting as pitcher Wally Hunter claimed the bauble a year ago in the first season of balloting. Not only did Hunter win a year ago but Detroit teammate Del Johnson finished second. This time around Dynamos did not finish one-two but shortstop Stan Kleminski picked up a couple of votes leaving Detroit as the only Fed club with two players garnering some attention.
I am sure there will be plenty of debate in Philadlephia that the Keystones talented young catcher Roger Cleaves should have won the award but Cleaves finished a fairly distant second. My ballot admittedly had a little hometown bias as I did put Hack first and Cleaves second but to be honest I felt the results would have been much closer.
*** BOWENS BEATS OLD MATES BUT SO DOES BARRELL ***
A couple of reunions over the weekend but only one went as hoped for Detroit sports fans. The grid Maroons welcomed Boston to Thompson Field in the first game from Maroons end Tom Bowens against his old mates. Bowens was very much up to the challenge and had a season best 5 catches including a touchdown grab as the Maroons prevailed 28-20.
This column has not been kind to Frank Yurick's pound it on the ground strategy in an era when the foward pass is becoming an increasingly effective weapon but Yurick mixed things up a little at the old ballyard yesterday with very impressive results. The focus was still very much on the running game -I can't see Frank ever abandoning that approach- but the Maroons mixed in just enough passing from Mike Beard to keep the Yanks defenders from crowing the line. The result was more running room, and a total of 254 yards spread between seven backs, as well as 127 yards thru the air. It was a big win for the 3-1 Maroons who welcome Cincinnati and Pittsburgh to town the next two weeks before they spend the final six weeks of the campaign on the road.
The reunion at the Palladium was not nearly as happy a one for Motors supporters as John Connelly's ice warriors were slapped twice by former coach Jack Barrell and the Toronto Dukes. The falling out that led to the divorce between the owner and his long-time bench boss was a bitter one, and well-documented, but Connelly has softened his stance over the past year and come to realize that much of the trouble that led to Barrell's departure was brought on by Connelly's own meddling. The two were reported to be cordial during their brief meeting but you can bet, despite both men denying it, the weekend home and home with the Dukes meant very much to each of them. And Connelly's boys are now 0-2 against the Barrell-led Dukes.
MORE OF THE GREAT CANNONS DYNASTY HAS DEPARTED
Tom Barrell, Jack Cleaves, Tom Bird and now Red Hampton and Al Wheeler. Slowly, piece by piece the key components of the Cannons great title run teams are moving on. Many are finding success in new roles and new locations such as Barrell doing a bang up job of leading the Brooklyn Kings back to respectability as their skipper, or Bird recently winning a Bigsby Cup as the General Manager in Oakland. Much of the Cannons title winning staff has also departed with Rufus Barrell retiring again -we think this is for the last time as most of us have likely lost count how many times Barrell has said he is done with the sport that has consumed his life only to return a short time later. The other three co-architects of the Cannons power teams in the legendary George Theobald, super scout Bill Bordwell and their first General Manager Tiger Fan have also departed. Bordwell sneaking away over the weekend in the dark of night to the Chicago Cougars of all places, was not a move the Cannons had seen coming and will certainly have a big impact on their upcoming plans for the draft. His absence will be felt but not on the field in Cincinnati, at least not this season. In that respect it is the departure of Al Wheeler that will have the biggest short-term impact as "The Wonder Wheel" has decided to hang up the cleats for good at age 39 and his next stop will be the Hall of Fame.
So where does that leave the Cannons? The are a resilient bunch, having retooled often -both during their run of titles and after. A lot of observers counted them out recently, claiming they were too old and had dealt away too much of their future to win those three flags. Surely a down period would follow.
That was not the case in 1947 as new names emerged to fill some holes and the existing veteran talent continued to perform. The emergence of Bob Arman (17-11, 3.49) and Charlie Griffith (18-8, 3.66) certainly aided in the run that fell just short of another pennant. The good news is there is more talent on the way, led by a 21-year-old pitcher named Tony Britten who looks set to fill the void in the rotaton created with Hampton's departure. And not far behind are outfielder Bill Mikelson and first baseman Jim Stone, a pair of 22-year-olds that are perhaps being brought along a little too slowly playing in Class B last season, but should arrive in Cincinnati in a couple of years at the latest.
The veterans that remain are, for the most part, not that old. Catcher Adam Mullins is 35 and no clear replacement exits and outfielder Sam Brown is 36 but coming off a terrific season. The rest of the core: Deuce Barrell and Chuck Adams are both 30 years of age. Denny Andrews and Jim Hensley 31. Fred Galloway is 32. All are veterans yes, but hardly considered old.
There is a lot of competition in the CA right now so pennants are harder than ever to come by, but it is clear the Cannons can still be in the running for the foreseeable future. It has become clear that this club was not built just to win 3 straight pennants from '43 to '45 and then fade away, but rather to be a contender for many years to come.
*** Tigers Theft Specialist a Perfect Fit ***
The grid Tigers started slowly with a pair of losses but have won their last two games although the offense continues to be a cause for worry. One reason for their success has been the addition of Bob Chick. The Veteran halfback was added from the Chicago Wildcats over the summer but not to adress the offensive deficiencies. No, the dimmunitive 27-year-old was aquired for his defensive skills, especially as a ball hawk. He has proved his worth in that regard with 6 interceptions in his first 4 games and is on pace to perhaps break Del Thomas' 1943 record 13 picks.
A Rhode Island native who played his college ball at Commonwealth Catholic, Chick had a 3 interception game as a Chicago rookie in 1942 and finished that season with 6, but missed the next three seasons while in the Army. He returned to the Wildcats last year but only as a reserve and had just 1 interception. Given an opportunity to play regularly with Cincinnati, Chick has fit perfectly into Coach Jack Conn's defense-first philosphy and perhaps can help the fourth year franchise complete its quest for its first winning season.
*** Cage Cyclones Looking For Improved Season ***
The struggling Cincinnati Cyclones, our local entry in the Federal cage loop, are hard at work preparing for their second season. All in all it was not a bad initial foray into pro basketball for the Cyclones, who finished 3rd in the four team Western Division with a 25-35 record. Attendance was a concern as the Queen City Garden, which usualy approaches a full house when the college outfit is playing, barely hit 25% capacity last season but owner Gregg Johnson feels fans will come as the club establishes itself.
A local collegiate hero or two would certainly help as the starting five last season featured two New Yorkers, a pair of California kids and top scorer David Honey, who hails from St Louis and played his AIAA ball at Northern Minnesota. Persuading a local kid like former Queen City star Early Cruz or one of the several Central Ohio, Bluegrass State and Lexington State lads who dot the rosters of the eastern circuit clubs to return home might increase the interest in the local pro cage club.
- Congratulations to Ralph Johnson of the Brooklyn Kings on winning both the Whitney and Kellogg Awards in the CA. The Kellogg was well deserved but Johnson was third at best in the Whitney voting in my opinion. Fred McCormick and Mack Sutton were clearly more desriving in mind.
- John Brinker of the New York Daily Mirror weighs in with his thoughts on the FABL awards. "The voting always surprises me. McCormick should have won the CA Whitney. Long or Panneton probably should have been the Allen winner in the CA. No way a 16-win pitcher who only made 30 starts should get it (I know, I know, wins don't matter, blah, blah, blah). I had Cleaves over Hackberry - it should have at least been closer. They were nearly identical in OPS & OPS+ with Cleaves slightly ahead and Cleaves was a catcher (which brings fewer PAs due to rest needs) with more HRs (a glamour stat). That vote should have been close to 50/50. Bobby & Hern were no-brainers as was Johnson for Kellogg in the CA, at least we got those right.
- Percy Pringle Sr from the Brooklyn Eagle: "Well I suppose I am biased but I truly think that Long was either 1st or 2nd in the Allen voting. I get his ERA is a little higher and that is what seems to have the highest weight. As far as McCormick and Johnson, I would take Johnson. He had more extra base hits, more runs, more RBI's with the average and on base about the same. Some of the new stats are also very similar. I get Johnson got more at bats but that isn't his fault. Still I voted Sutton 1st, Johnson and then Mac.
- To replace Max Wilder, who took the manager position with the Cougars, the Chiefs are expected to name Charlie Firestone pitching coach. Firestone spent 1947 coaching first base for the Chiefs.
PACKERS OFF TO SLOW START
Perhaps there is just something they don't like in Chicago about high expectations. The diamond Cougars failures when tabbed as the team to beat are well documented over the years and now the Chicago Packers -pegged as the top team in the NAHC by many- may have caught the same disease that has plagued the Windy City Kitties. It is only two games so hardly a drop in the frozen ocean of a season that lies ahead but Packers are 0-2 after opening the campaign with losses in Detroit and Montreal.
The season opener on Wednesday in the Motor City saw the Packers fire 42 shots on Detroit netminder Henri Chasse, but the 25-year-old who had been struggling in the preseason was up to the task on this night as he almost singlehandedly orchestrated a 3-2 Motors win despite the Detroiters managing only 18 shots on target of their own. The Packers moved on to Montreal for a Saturday night date with the Valiants and this time it was not a hot goaltender that stymied the Chicago side but rather a pair of third period goals from former Brooklyn Eagle Ian Doyle to help the Vals double the Packers 4-2.
There is certainly no cause for panic yet at the Lake Side Auditorium. In fact the Aud will not be open for business for anothr week and a half as first a circus and then the local basketball outfit will keep the building busy while the Packers travel to Toronto and Boston next weekend before finally playing on friendly ground when they get their rematch with Detroit on October 29.
The two Candian clubs each missed the playoffs last season but both are off to quick starts this time around with new coaches overseeing activities. The Toronto Dukes, who sank from the top of the league the previous season to the bottom, welcomed Jack Barrell back to the NAHC with a pair of wins against the club he used to coach in the Detroit Motors. Meanwhile, Norb Hickey- who was cast aside by the Dukes despite winning a pair of Challenge Cups- resurfaced in his hometown of Montreal and started things off nicely with wins over New York at Chicago.
Code:
NAHC Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Toronto 2 2 0 0 4 8 3
Montreal 2 2 0 0 4 8 5
Boston 1 1 0 0 2 3 1
Detroit 3 1 2 0 2 6 10
New York 2 0 2 0 0 4 7
Chicago 2 0 2 0 0 4 7
SCORING LEADERS
NAME GP G A PTS
Doyle, Mon 2 2 2 4
Sauer, Tor 2 2 1 3
Zimmerman, Tor 1 1 2 3
Burdette, Tor 2 1 2 3
Lynch, Mon 2 1 2 3
Sclisizzi, Mon 2 1 2 3
Bernard, Mon 2 0 3 3
Martin, NY 2 0 3 3
Pollack, Tor 2 0 3 3
NAHC RESULTS
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15
Detroit 3 Chicago 2 :The league opener saw Detroit goaltender Henri Chasse prove that a bad training camp was of little concern, as the Motors netminder turned aside 40 shots while Detroit, which managed only 18 of its own, held on for a 3-2 victory with defenseman Shel Herron leading the way for the Motors with 2 assists and solid work on the blueline.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 16
Montreal 4 New York 3 : Norb Hickey's debut as head coach in Montreal went very well. Doug Lynch staked the hometown Valiants to a 1-0 lead just 40 seconds into the game and despite a late push from the Greenshirts, the Vals held on for a 4-3 victory. Lynch and Rey Sclisizzi each had a goal and an assist for the Valiants while newcomer Ian Doyle had a pair of helpers. Millard Touhey stood tall in the Montreal net with 35 saves.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18
Montreal 4 Chicago 2 : The Packers scored the opening goal and added one midway through the second period but each time Clarence Skinner responded with a goal for the Vals to leave the game knotted at 2 after 40 minutes. The third period belonged to Ian Doyle as the former Brooklyn Eagle scored twice to secure the second straight victory for the Vals and dop Chicago to 0-2.
Toronto 5 Detroit 1 : A big night for Jack Barrell as the former Detroit coach makes his debut behind the Toronto bench by facing his old team. The Dukes dominated in a 5-1 win with Quinton Pollack, another ex-Eagle, notching three assists while Dick Zimmerman had a 3 point night as well. The only down note was Zimmerman suffered a fairly serious facial cut in the closing minutes and will miss a few days.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Boston 3 New York 1 : The defending champs started the night by raising a record 7th Challenge Cup banner to the roof of the Denny Arena and then went out to score once in each period, on goals by Tommy Hart, Craig Simpson and Conn Cundiff, to beat the visiting New York Shamrocks 3-1. Rookie Simon Savard had the lone Shamrock tally in his NAHC debut.
Toronto 3 Detroit 2 :Perhaps the only thing Jack Barrell enjoyed more than winning his Toronto debut was beating the Detroit Motors -and owner John Connelly Jr.- in their own building as the Dukes to a 3-2 decision to sweep the weekend home and home series with the Motors. Barrell chose the high road afterwards, making no waves with his former employer in noting that "every win is meaningful." Bobbie Sauer scored twice for the Dukes including the game winner just over a minute into the third period to give Toronto a 3-2 victory. Most of the scoring came in the opening twenty minutes as the clubs left the ice after the first stanza deadlocked at 2. Sauer and Kurt Walz notched the Dukes markers while Joe Todd and Graham Comeau responded for the Motors, who drop to 1-2 on the season with the loss.
UPCOMING REGULAR SEASON GAMES
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22
Montreal at Boston
New York at Toronto
SATURDAY OCTOBER 25
Boston at Montreal
Chicago at Toronto
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
Chicago at Boston
Montreal at Detroit
AROUND THE LEAGUE
DUKES OFF TO WINNING START
From Brett Bing, Toronto Mail & Empire -- The Dukes get off to a good start with two wins over the Motors. Gordie Broadway, who just signed a two-year extension, made 29 saves in a 5-1 Saturday night victory in the home opener before a raucous crowd of 14.316 at Dominion Gardens. First overall selection Lou Galbraith scored his first two goals of NAHC career while Quinton Pollock, acquired in the Brooklyn dispersal draft, chipped in with 3 helpers along with being +5 for the game. After an overnight train trip to a Sunday afternoon contest at the Thompson Palladium captain Bobby Sauer netted two goals in a 3-2 Dukes victory. It was a chippy affair with Lavalliere, Arsenault dropping the mitts in the second followed by Lavalliere, again, Comeau squaring off with about seven minutes remaining in the game. Coach Barrell says he was impressed with the defensive effort in both games in front of Broadway, Russell but cautioned "It is still very early, the Motors seemed to be in a state of disarray. We have still a lot of work to do."
On the injury front winger Dick Zimmerman missed the Sunday encounter after getting clipped with a high stick on Saturday night, he expected to miss both games at home this week against the Shamrocks on Wednesday then the Packers come to town on Saturday.
From Archie Irwin, Chicago Daily News --The Packers are in unfamiliar territory after dropping the first two games of the season. Same goes for Tommy Burns, who has just one point (a goal) to start the season. Last year the star center averaged 1.4 points per game. One of the few bright spots was rookie forward Leon Seguin, who scored a goal in each of his first two NAHC games.
From Sam Fincher, New York World Telegram --After a solid preseason, the Shamrocks get off to a rocky start, losing both games.
From Marc T. McNeil, Montreal Star --It's early, but the first two games already are looking much better than last season for the Valiants. Two very solid wins.
ST BLANE, ROME STATE WIN BIG WHILE DCC SURVIVES TOUGH TEST
The St Blane Fighting Saints put on a show for a capacity crowd in Latrobe, Pa. Saturday afternoon as they blasted the College of Omaha Raiders 51-0 in a game that had all of the Saints starters confined to the bench for the second half. Five different Saints players shared in the scoring, but All-American quarterback Ricky McCallister certainly still managed to get his share of the glory. The senior threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third in the opening 15 minutes of the game and then gave way to the second string after the Saints built a 28-0 lead just a minute into the second period.
It was a similar story in Rome, Ga. as Rome State overwhelmed Chesapeake State 31-3, marking the Centurions 30th win, with 1 tie, in their past 32 games. It was the Rome State ground game, usually rushing behind the dominant blocking of Joe Jackman, that carried the game to the Clippers.
In other key games the Detroit City College Knights remained perfect, but it took a big effort from backs Bill Howlin and Johnny Matthews, who combined for 196 yards rushing and all three touchdowns in the Knights 21-17 win over a spirited St Magnus eleven at Vikings Stadium in St. Paul, Mn. St Magnus may be 0-4 on the season but the Vikings have played each of their opponents tough. The West Coast Athletic Association section schedule was in full swing with the two Los Angeles schools -CCLA and Coastal California- each improving to 2-0 in the conference and 4-0 overall. The Coyotes chopped down Redwood by a 41-6 count while in the northwest it was a much tighter affair that saw the Dolphins barely survive the trip to Eugene with a 10-7 win over the Lane State Emeralds. The difference in the game on a wet, muddy field where few could get traction was a 71-yard touchdown catch by Clete Paulson early in the fourth quarter to lift the Dolphins the victory.
Liberty College continues to impress as the Bells had no trouble at all handing St Pancras 34-3. Brunswick improved to 4-0 with 17-14 win over struggling Annapolis Maritime while Pierpont is looking to be a real challenger for the Knights in Acidemia Alliance action after the Purple upended Henry Hudson University 23-0 to improve to 3-0.
WEEKEND RESULTS
MAJOR GAMES
St. Blane 51 College of Omaha 0
Liberty College 34 St. Pancras 3
Rome State 31 Chesapeake State 3
Detroit City College 21 St. Magnus 17
St. Ignatius 20 Iowa A&M 3
Northern Mississippi 41 Strub College 0
Lincoln 20 Minnesota Tech 10
Indiana A&M 22 Pittsburgh State 14
Whitney College 40 Boston State 13
Wisconsin State 23 George Fox 16
Western Iowa 19 Central Ohio 7
Alabama Baptist 10 Cumberland 3
Baton Rouge State 13 Mississippi A&M 13
Bluegrass State 13 Central Kentucky 0
Eastern Oklahoma 13 Noble Jones College 10
Georgia Baptist 30 Opelika State 0
Bayou State 29 Commonwealth Catholic 20
Carolina Poly 26 Maryland State 7
North Carolina Tech 24 Richmond State 16
Charleston Tech 23 Western Florida 0
Coastal California 10 Lane State 7
CC Los Angeles 41 Redwood 6
Northern California 28 Spokane State 3
Portland Tech 20 Rainier College 7
Pierpont 23 Henry Hudson 0
Sadler 17 Empire State 0
Grafton 16 Ellery 13
Dickson 19 St. Patrick's 3
Brunswick 17 Annapolis Maritime 14
Texas Gulf Coast 16 Red River State 16
Travis College 41 Arkansas A&T 3
Amarillo Methodist 14 Darnell State 3
OTHER RESULTS
Mobile Maritime 20 Bulein 17
Miami State 27 Chase 0
El Paso Methodist 30 Uvalde College 6
Texas Panhandle 24 Valley State 16
Tempe College 21 Flagstaff State 7
College of Waco 20 Lubbock State 10
Western Tennessee 31 Shreveport State 14
Boulder State 26 Utah A&M 9
Mountainview State 21 Colorado Poly 14
Central Carolina 31 Hampden-Sydney 0
Payne State 14 St. Matthew's College 3
Abilene Baptist 47 South Valley State 9
Idaho A&M 27 Stratton 13
Lawrence State 24 Oklahoma City State 7
New York Maritime 19 Hudson Valley State 17
Daniel Boone College 13 Eastern Kansas 0
Custer College 10 Western Montana 3
Kit Carson University 24 Golden Gate University 16
Petersburg 20 Alexandria 13
Garden State 45 Brooklyn State 0
Laclede 38 Lambert College 17
San Francisco Tech 35 Wisconsin Catholic 30
College of San Diego 17 Sunnyvale 3
Conwell College 24 Trescott College 7
Mile High State 14 Provo Tech 13
Eastern State 52 Lexington State 7
Cowpens State 7 Potomac College 0
Canyon A&M 31 Wichita Falls State 3
Huntington State 42 Bigsby College 0
Topeka State 20 Abilene Methodist 3
Cache Valley 31 Wyoming A&I 30
Penn Catholic 34 Northern Minnesota 30
FIGHTING SAINTS TOP FIRST COLLEGIATE GRID POLL
Just as they were at the start of the season, the St Blane Fighting Saints are ranked as the top collegiate football team in the nation after the release of the first TWIFB top ten poll. The Saints, coming off a dominating 51-0 performance against College of Omaha, have a slim lead on Detroit City College at the top of the chart. A year ago those two schools finished the final year end rankings in the exact same order.
A trio of coast squads make our list with 4-0 Coastal California leading the charge. The Dolphins nipped Lane State 10-7 Saturday after posting previous victories over Central Ohio, Red River State and Spokane State. A good test for the fish will come next week when they face Northern California, which slots in at #8 on the initial chart.
Rome State is certainly not the team it was in previous seasons but the Centurions are 4-0 after pounding the ball against Chesapeake State in a 31-3 rout. Here are the top ten:
TWIFB COLLEGIATE TOP 10
1- St Blane (3-0)
2- Detroit City College (4-0)
3- Coastal California (4-0)
4- Rome State (4-0)
5- CCLA (4-0)
6- Liberty College (4-0)
7- Travis College (5-0)
8- Northern California (5-0)
9- Brunswick (4-0)
10-Alabama Baptist (4-0-1)
WILD FINISH IN ST LOUIS GOES TO FINCHES
A dramatic finish in St Louis has the Cleveland Finches in a 3-way tie for the lead in the AFA's West Division following a 24-19 win over the Ramblers. Trailing 19-14 with just over two minutes left Finches would score 10 points to pull out the victory over the 1-3 St Louis eleven. The winning score came after St Louis botched a snap on a punt attempt, suddenly giving the Finches life with a first and goal on the St Louis 4-yard line. It took just one play as Phil Colvin found Roy Carson in the endzone for what would prove to be the winning score with a late field goal added for insurance.
At Pittsburgh's Fitzpatrick Park it was a battle of land vs air. The visiting Philadelphia Frigates bulled their way to a 33-27 victory over the host Paladins as league rushing leader Greg LePage ran for 121 yards and 3 touchdowns. LePage's big game nulified a terrific day from Pittsburgh quarterback Ken Marston, who threw for 333 yards and a touchdown.
In Detroit, Tom Bowens had five catches including a touchdown grab as his new team beat the Boston Americans 28-20, a club Bowens starred for before 'retiring' at the end of the 1945 season. Del Thomas had another big game for Boston with 224 passing yards and two touchdowns but Detroit's balanced ground game, and some steady work from quarterback Mike Beard proved to much for the Yanks.
The Washington Wasps routed the still winless New York Football Stars 33-0 while Chicago also ran up the score at Whitney Park where the Wildcats pounded Cincinnati 42-7 with 6 different Chicago players finding the end zone.
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Philadelphia 3 1 0 .750
Washington 3 1 0 .750
Pittsburgh 2 3 0 .400
Boston 1 3 0 .250
NY Stars 0 4 0 .000
West Division W L T PCT
Detroit 3 1 0 .750
Cleveland 3 1 0 .750
Chicago 3 1 0 .750
Cincinnati 2 3 0 .400
St Louis 1 3 0 .250
WEEKEND RESULTS
Detroit 28 Boston 20
Philadelphia 33 Pittsburgh 27
Cleveland 24 St Louis 19
Washington 33 New York 0
Chicago 42 Cincinnati 7
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
Pittsburgh at New York
Chicago at Boston
St Louis at Philadelphia
Washington at Cleveland
Cincinnati at Detroit
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
LePage, Phi 36
Chick, Cin 33
Renton, Det 30
Gipson, Chi 30
Allen, Pit 24
Ericksen, Bos 24
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
D Thomas, Bos 82-141 1176 12 6
Marston, Pit 78-134 1093 6 17
Brown, Chi 59-110 813 7 11
Taylor, Phi 40-84 644 6 3
Colvin, Cle 33-89 521 5 10
RUSHING YDS TD
LePage, Phi 466 6
Mellette, StL 274 2
Ponder, Was 266 1
Claiborne, Det 196 0
Rochman, Was 192 1
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Gipson, Chi 21 273 5
Ericksen, Bos 20 227 4
Tisdale, Pit 19 344 2
Gilbert, Cin 19 322 1
Howard, Det 17 228 2
INERCEPTIONS #
Chick, Cin 6
Neilsen, Cle 4
Hensel, Cle 4
Marston, Pit 3
Henson, Cin 3
Coleman, Det 3
Thompson, Cin 3
Watson, Was 3
COWBOYS BACK ON TRACK WITH BIG WIN
After two straight losses at Packer Park the Kansas City Cowboys had seen enough. Quarterback Pat Chappell, who failed to lead the club to comeback victories in the two surprising losses, needed no such comeback this time as his Cowboys took out their frustrations over the past two weeks on the Chicago Comets to a tune of 42-7. It was far from a dominating day for the reigning CFC most valuable player as Chappell threw for just 160 yards and was intercepted 3 times. He did team up with Ernie Orr for a pair of touchdown passes and Cowboys defense did the rest, forcing 6 Comets turnovers and blocked a punt that was returned 19 yards by Collie Lovas for a touchdown.
The Cowboys win keeps them a game ahead of San Francisco atop the West Division with a showdown with the Wings on the west coast set for Sunday. Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lobos won for the third time in the past four games as the coast eleven scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to trim New Orleans 28-27 in the Cresecent City while in Brooklyn the Kings won for just the second time this season, beating Buffalo 28-6.
Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L T PCT[/b]
NY Gothams 5 2 0 .714
Buffalo 4 4 0 .500
Brooklyn 2 5 0 .286
New Orleans 1 6 0 .143
WEST W L T PCT
Kansas City 5 2 0 .724
San Francisco 4 3 0 .571
Los Angeles 4 3 0 .571
Chicago 4 4 0 .500
WEEKEND RESULTS
Brooklyn 28 Buffalo 6
Los Angeles 28 New Orleans 27
Kansas City 42 Chicago 7
UPCOMING GAMES
FRIDAY OCTOBER 24
New York at Chicago
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
New Orleans at Los Angeles
Brooklyn at Buffalo
Kansas City at San Francisco
Code:
CFC LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Karaszewski, Buf 60
Penna, LA 55
Hale, NYG 54
Wade, NY 52
Higman, Buf 49
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Chappell, KC 90-172 1589 15 12
Fuchs, LA 79-159 1440 6 11
Monday, Buf 96-198 1318 13 12
Boettcher, NO 106-212 1241 7 13
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
Matthews, KC 436 3
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Mula, SF 33 325 6
Breig,Chi 33 496 3
Pruitt, NO 33 367 3
Tammaro, KC 29 533 2
Orr, KC 27 500 6
INERCEPTIONS #
Dutton, Chi 6
Layton, Buf 4
J Smith, Chi 4
Yardley, Bkn 4
MacRae, KC 4
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 10/19/1947
- A bomb exploded in the compound of the United States consulate in Jerusalem, injuring two, and police blame it on the Arab undergound organization Jihad. It is believed a reprisal for the US stand on Palestine partition.
- A Communist offensive directed at winning ultimate control of Germany appeared to be intensified this week. Many observers believe Communists regard the control of Germany as the key power struggle in Europe on the theory that whoever controls Germany will control most of the continent.
- The US and Russia appear headed for another clash in the United Nations Assembly, this time over the knotty issue of Korea's future. Little hope is given for the Soviets accepting an American proposal to have the UN undertake observation of a step-by-step proposal to give Korea back to the Koreans.
- Congress must consider the Marshall plan without delay. That is the opinion of nine members of the House on their arrival from a tour of Europe and the Middle East. "The committee reports a sick and saddened world" said a statement drafted by the chairman of the group.
- New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey still appears to be the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination but the pack is said to be gaining on him one year before the presidential election.
- Mine union boss John Lewis' power seems to be waning. The AFL stripped him of the title of vice-president at its annual general meeting.
- A 21,000 square mile piece of western Utah is bidding to secede from the state and establish its own autonomous district of Shangri-La so the people can "live and act how they want." The matter is being presented to Congress for the area to become its own state due to Utah's strict laws that the head of the group says, "don't protect our morals but hurt our business."