OCTOBER 27, 1947
FIGMENT UNIVERSE GROWS WITH ADDITION OF 3RD ONLINE LEAGUE
Professional basketball is the latest addition to the Figment Sports Universe as 8 general managers are set to assume the reigns in welcoming pro basketball to the Figment stable of online leagues. Basketball, using the Grey Dog Software sim engine of Fast Break Pro Basketball, becomes the third online sport, following in the footsteps of hockey, which recently began its second season as an online league, and the flagship baseball league that has just completed its 22nd season of online play.
Professional Football will be the next sport to compete online at some point in the future but it presently, along with collegiate football and basketball as well as boxing currently exist in a state of pre-play are run on their own without the input of human general managers.
Basketball is far from the wildly successful sport it is today. Rather than a single professional league, it presently is composed of two distinct loops with more of a regional slant to them. The American Basketball Conference is the older of the two leagues and primarily based in the east with the 8 member clubs being as follows:
ABC
East Division:
Boston Centurions
Brooklyn Red Caps
Hartford Patriots
New York Knights
West Division:
Pittsburgh Falcons
Richmond Clippers
Rochester Rockets
Washington Statesmen
The ABC debuted in 1937-38 and the defending champions are the Washington Statesmen, who finally after losing to the East Division winner each of the previous 7 finals claimed the title a year ago with a 3-game sweep of Brooklyn in the best of 5 ABC championship series. Human General Managers will run the Boston, New York and Washington clubs.
The Federal Basketball League, with Detroit Maroons football owner Rollie Barrell playing a key role in its formation, debuted last year with 8 teams as well. It had more of a midwestern slant but has visions of being a national loop, so it did head into ABC territory in addition to adding the first Canadian based pro basketball team. The 8 teams of the FBL are:
FBL
Eastern Division:
Baltimore Barons
Buffalo Brawlers
Philadelphia Phantoms
Toronto Titans
Western Division:
Chicago Panthers
Cincinnati Cyclones
Cleveland Crushers
Detroit Mustangs
Five of the Federal loop teams will be helmed by human GMs. They are Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toronto.
Why are only 8 of the 16 teams run by human general managers? At the moment the league is not taking outside applications for general managers as the plan is for a number of teams to fold and the two leagues eventually merge into one league with anywhere from 8 to perhaps as high as 12 teams. At that point other teams will be made available for human management.
Just as it does with the other sports already, including collegiate basketball, TWIFB will debut today its section covering the two pro loops.
CHIEFS HAVE HALL OF FAME STAFF
If the talent level of the coaching staff is any indication the Chicago Chiefs will be tough to beat next season. They already had a Hall of Famer as a manager in long-time skipper Joe Ward but the 58-year-old rounded out his staff with the addition of two others who are celebrated in baseball's famous Boone County museum. That would Charlie Firestone and John Dibblee who took over as pitching and hitting coaches respectively.
For the 59-year-old Firestone it was simply a change of roles as he switched out from first base coach to overseeing the clubs pitching staff next season after his predecessor Max Wilder left to take the managerial job with the Continental Association's Chicago Cougars. Firestone has a couple of years experience coaching pitchers as he handled that title in El Paso of the Lone Star Association before joining the Chiefs last season, but considering he went 210-103 over an injury shortened 8-year FABL career he should be a natural.
New to the group this year is John Dibblee. Only the legendary Powell Slocum had more hits than the 3,913 that "The Top Cat" delivered over his amazing 26-year-old career with the Chicago Cougars. Dibblee joined the Chiefs organization as the hitting coach at AAA Fort Wayne last season after 9 years in a similar capacity with teams in the Cougars system. He will make his big league coaching debut next April.
As the Kings head into the winter, fans are looking ahead to the winter meetings in Florida, the Rule 5 draft and of course the amateur draft in January. As we prepare for those events we will take a look at the King's projected Opening Day roster and what they might try to do this off-season.
Pitching
Buddy Long who should have been in the top 2 for the Allen Award and probably should have won it, is at the top of the rotation. With Long, Leo Hayden, Johnny Slaney and veteran Harry Carter the Kings have the makings of a very solid rotation. But with Long 33, Slaney 31 and Carter 36 they are going to have to develop some pitchers to get ready to take over in a few years. They have Paul Blyer who while doesn't always post the best won loss records in the minors, appears to be a very capable SP who should be ready to come up sometime next year. The club plans to have him start the year at AAA but if Rusty Petrick who right now is the #5 SP falters at all early, look for the King's to bring Byler up once the calendar hits June.
There was some concern about Leo Hayden and his lack of a standout 2nd season. In his rookie year he was 19-11 with a 2.95 ERA in 278 innings. Last year got off to a rocky start and early season injury. Hayden scuffled to a 12-13 record with a 4.47 ERA. While he was much strong in the 2nd half of the season, the struggles did raise some red flags at least momentarily with the King's management.
Needs - Other than Blyer the King's have 2 other young top 60 pitching prospects in Barney Robinson (#52) and Chick Trillman (#58). Neither will likely be ready for at least 2 seasons so there is not a lot of help there. Jersey City pitchers who will get a chance to show their worth in the spring are LHP Dave Low, LHP Bob Crowley, LHP Jim Kenny is also still hanging around and put up a solid 47 season with Jersey. Could the King's pull off another move? They do have the prospect assets to pull off such a move if they can find the right fit. The question is will they part with some of that prospect capital?
Catcher
This position appears to be well set up for now and the very near future. Frank Reichardt who was acquired from Montreal after the King's picked him up in the rule 5 draft, came on the scene and really solidified his spot on the team. He even took over the starting job and gave the Kings the opportunity to trade C Solly Skidmore for a future 2B in Billy Cady. Reichardt will be backed up by Sam Clarke at least to start the season.
The Kings draft Dan Smith last year and the 21 year old had a good start to his pro career hitting 270 at AA Knoxville. Look for Smith to move up quickly to Jersey City and could be in Brooklyn some time next year. Playing time is the key for Smith so if Reichardt picks up where he left off last season, don't expect the Kings to rush Smith.
Needs - None really but they will likely draft another backstop in the next draft.
Infield
The Kings have at least 1 starter who will go into camp as the top guy. That would be 1B Chuck Collins who honestly should have gotten more playing time last year. Appearing in 95 games and starting 73, Collins hit 283/350/797 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI's. He is likely a 20-90 guy if he plays everyday and all indications are he will get that opportunity next season. 3B Hank Barnett who has been a great player over his career is clearly winding down. He will return to the Kings at the age of 38 and will be the starter next year as he holds the seat warm for the wonderkid 3B Ken Newman. Many expect Newman to come up sometime next season and he will only be 19. Currently the #4 prospect in the FABL he hit 315/364/802 in his 64 games at class A Springfield. He looks like he will man 3B for the Kings for the next 15+ seasons and be a frequent All-Star. He will start the year at AA Knoxville next season but could be in Jersey City by the end of May.
The middle infield is where the question marks are with the Kings. 2B Gil London has often been maligned for his "soft" bat but he makes up for it with very good defense. With the amount of groundball pitchers the Kings have, London glove has value. But the fact is he is a Punch and Judy hitter who will never be a great hitter. Will the Kings address this spot this season? They have some prospects who are a couple of years away with Bill Cady leading the charge. Cady is not the golve that London is, but his bat looks exciting.
The SS position is also one that is "open" so to speak. Rookie Billy Bryant start out the season hitting well but definitely cooled off as the summer wore on. His defense wasn't what the Kings had hoped for last season, but he is still very young (24) and they expect him to continue to work hard and improve. There is some talk in the spring of working Bryant at 2B as well, especially with the acquisition of Chuck Lewis (prospect #31) from the Chiefs last week. Lewis (21) was rushed to the big leagues late last season and could maybe use some time at AAA. He will go to spring training and along with Bryant will get opportunities to play both SS and 2B.
As mentioned the Kings have 2B Billy Cady who the club is very high on and also has SS Nick Remillard who they feel can be a star in the future. With youngster Lewis and Bryant in front of them do the Kings look to move 1 of them in a deal to address another need? The other scenario is the Kings look to strengthen the middle infield now by acquiring several veteran options that are out there and available? This area is where I could see the Kings try and make a splash this off-season if they can find a player or two that will give them a better chance of competing for the CA crown next season.
Needs - A 2B who can field well and not be an easy out.
Outfield
With LF Juan Pomales being out injured until mid-season, the Kings will have a very youthful looking outfield. Led by surprise Whitney winner and rookie of the year (no surprise) Ralph Johnson in RF, the Kings will welcome back stud CF John Moss and give rookie LF Pat Petty (prospect #25) the starting job. Last year it could be argued that the Kings have the best overall OF in baseball with Pomales, Moss and Johnson. Of course Bobby Barrell skews everything in Philadelphia, but the Kings were confident enough in the players they have to trade Joe Rutherford to Chicago for Lewis. But the Kings look pretty set in the outfield and will hope that Pat Perry can make a case for the Kings to own the Kellogg rookie award for the 3rd straight season.
The club has loads of talented prospects with CF Charlie Rogers (#28), OF/2B Ted Haggarty (#67), OF Fred Miller (#79) and another prospect that the club is high on is Bob Schleusner.
Summary
The Kings future looks bright and after a long period of being in the dark ages after the 3 CA titles and the franchises only World Series win in the last 30's. The decade of darkness might be over. What the Kings do this off-season will likely tell the tale if they are to be truly top contenders for the 48 crown. They could use another starting pitcher and address the 2B hole in particular would be a step in the right direction.
Or the club can play their hand as it is, wait for the youngsters to come up and see if they can find a stop gap solution at 2B (maybe giving London another year). Whatever they do it truly looks like Kings baseball is on the rise.
- Woody Stone is said to be drawing plenty of interest. Cut by the Philadelphia Sailors, the all-star catcher is said to be seeking more than $37,000 to play next season and the Chicago Cougars, New York Gothams as well as the Great Western League's Dallas Centurions are rumoured to be interested.
- Nearly as expensive are the demands of the other everyday player cast aside by the Sailors. That would be third baseman Ed B. White and it sounds like the Brooklyn Kings are eagerly pursuing his services despite the fact they have veteran Hank Barnett and the top third base prospect in the game in Ken Newman on the way.
VALIANTS OFF TO QUICK START
A slow start takes much of the blame for the Montreal Valiants missing the playoffs for the first time in five years last season, but things look much different in the early going this time around. The Vals, under the guidance of new Head Coach Norb Hickey, have won four of their first five games including a split of a home and home series with the two-time defending Challenge Cup champion Boston Bees. That gives the Valiants 8 points in 5 games and a big reason has been the improved play of goaltender Millard Touhey.
The 31-year-old had his struggles in the early going a year ago, and perhaps celebrated too hard a semi-final upset of the Toronto Dukes over the summer. Touhey was out of shape when he arrived at camp and struggled through the worst season of his career. This season it has been a different story for Touhey, who aside from a rough outing in the loss in Boston, has been back at the top of his game.
The Montreal offense has also been coming up big and the addition of Ian Doyle from the Brooklyn Eagles in the dispersal draft has played a big role -something that was only made possible by Hickey's confidence in Touhey. There was some speculation the Vals should select Juneau award winning goaltender Tom Brockers from the Eagles with their first pick in the dispersal draft as there were concerns that Touhey might be on a downward spiral. Grabbing Doyle instead, who shares the league lead in points with teammate Bert Lancelove, has given the Valiants two top level centers in Doyle and Clarence Skinner and, at least in the early going, has given Montreal an offense that is the envy of the league. Doyle is just 23 and does have a knock of being injury-prone and missed half of his rookie season last year but is averaging nearly a point per game in the NAHC while not yet at his peak.
Code:
NAHC Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Montreal 5 4 1 0 8 18 13
Boston 4 3 1 0 6 14 9
Toronto 4 2 2 0 4 10 8
New York 3 1 2 0 2 7 8
Chicago 4 1 3 0 2 8 12
Detroit 4 1 3 0 2 7 14
SCORING LEADERS
NAME GP G A PTS
Lanceleve, Mon 5 5 2 7
Doyle, Mon 5 2 5 7
Walker, Bos 4 4 2 6
Skinner, Mon 5 4 1 5
Lynch, Mon 4 1 4 5
Rupp, Bos 4 1 4 5
Cabbell, NY 3 3 1 4
Haines, Mon 3 2 2 4
Cundiff, Bos 4 2 2 4
Burdette, Mon 4 1 3 4
Chandler, Bos 4 1 3 4
Gron, Bos 4 1 3 4
Mahoney, Chi 4 1 3 4
Bernard, Mon 5 1 3 4
NAHC RESULTS
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22
Boston 6 Montreal 1 : 23 year old Boston rookie Robert Walker had a hat trick and veteran Waldemar Rupp had 4 assists to lead the hometown Bees to a 6-1 victory over Montreal. Walker, who was originaly a first round pick of Chicago, has spent the past 4 seasons in Vancouver before joining the Bees. He also assited on Conn Cundiff's third period goal to make it a four-point night for the newcomer.
New York 3 Toronto 1 : New York scored three third period goals in a span of less than four minutes -two from Orval Cabbell- to rally past Toronto for the Shamrocks first victory of the season. Bert McCalley had the other New York marker, with Cabbell drawing the assist, while Alex Lavalliere had given the Dukes the early lead with a second period goal. Toronto outshot the Greenshirts 31-27 but New York netminder Etienne Tremblay had a big game in net.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 25
Montreal 5 Boston 1 : Home ice proved very friendly as three days after getting hammered by Boston at Denny Arena, the Valiants turned the tables in the Montreal Arena. Clarence Skinner and Bert Lanceleve -each with their third goals of the young season- staked the Vals to a 2-0 first period lead and second period markers off the sticks of Nick Haines, John Cline and Leo Bernard turned it into a route. Jacob Gron had the lone Boston marker.
Chicago 2 Toronto 1 : After starting the season with two losses, the Chicago Packers notch their first win in edging Jack Barrell's Toronto Dukes 2-1 at Dominion Gardens. The Dukes, who took an early 1-0 lead on Alex Lavalliere's 3rd goal of the season, outshot the Packers 37-32 but Chicago netminder Neil Hanson had a strong outing. Mark Brooks and Tommy Burns scored just over a minute apart early in the second period to provide the Packers offense with rookie Derek Gubb assisting on both. Chicago defenseman Ted Stevens was suspended for a boarding major and will miss the Packers game in Boston tomorrow.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
Boston 4 Chicago 2 : A rematch of the Challenge Cup finals saw the hometown Bees rally with 4 unaswered third period markers to beat the visiting Packers 4-2. Jesse Santoro scored late in the first period to give Chicago the early lead and Jarrett McGlynn -with Marty Mahoney notching his second assist of the evening- lit the lamp with just 3 seconds remaining in the second period to put Chicago up 2-0. The late goal, often a morale killer, did just the opposite and inspired the Bees to take control in the third stanza. Wilbur Chandler got things started with his first of the season at the 2:28 mark and Robert Walker would tie the game ten minutes later. Veteran Waldemar Rupp notched the game winner with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game and Garrett Kauffeldt sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Montreal 4 Detroit 1: The Valiants stayed two points ahead of Boston and in sole possession of first place with a 4-1 victory over the slumping Detroit Motors. Bert Lanceleve scored twice for the Vals with Clarence Skinner and Nick Haines adding singles. Arnold Singleton replied with the lone Detroit goal.
UPCOMING REGULAR SEASON GAMES
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29
Detroit at Chicago
Boston at New York
Montreal at Toronto
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1
Detroit at New York
Boston at Toronto
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2
Montreal at Chicago
Boston at Detroit
Toronto at New York
AROUND THE LEAGUE
From Finn LeBec, Boston Globe --The Bees won 2 of 3 this week to move to 3-1-0 on the young season. The highlight was a natural hat trick from rookie Robert Walker in the 6-1 win against the Valiants to put the game away late in the second and early in the third. Tom Brockers has been in net for all 4 games so far and his only poor showing was in the back end of the home-and-home with Montreal. Brockers was torched for five goals in the first two periods of the 5-1 loss, though the Bees defense did him no favors by allowing 43 shots. Brockers has a 2.25 goals against average and a .929 save percentage, both second in the league behind Toronto's Gordie Broadway.
From Dan Urbanski, Detroit Times -- With trips to Chicago and New York plus a home game with Boston on a busy schedule next week, the Detroit Motors are looking like they might be in trouble. The goaltending and defense- the strength of the club a year ago have been terrible. There is no offense to speak of and the mood in the locker room is a mess. Perhaps a little early to be talking about replacing the coach but Mark Moore did himself no favours dropping back-to-back games to Jack Barrell and his seat is certainly getting a little warm.
Toronto loses two close ones at home as they are held to one goal in each game. Wednesday night's encounter with New York treated the 12,233 in attendance to a fast paced, close checking game. After a scoreless first Alex Lavalliere put the Dukes on top with a goal 2 minutes into the second assisted by Philippe Dubois and Herb Burdette. It appeared that the single marker might hold up until the Shamrocks Orval Cabbell decided to take over the game scoring twice, assisting on a third goal in a span of just over 3 and a half minutes giving the New Yorkers to a 3-1 victory. Quinton Pollock suffered a 30 stitch gash when clipped by a skate on a tripping penalty in the third period. Pollock will continue to dress but wear a helmet until the sutures are removed, he said "The scar will add more character to my face, this is part of playing hockey."
On the traditional Saturday night game at Dominion Gardens the Dukes again opened the with Lavalliere's third halfway through the first only again to be victimized be two quick goals in the second by Chicago as Mark Brooks and Tommy Burns tallied 81 seconds apart give the Packers a 2-1 lead which they hung on to for their victory of the '47-48 season. Norm Hanson stood on his head turning away 36 Toronto shots including 15 in the final period as the Dukes pulled out all stops in an attempt to get the equalizer.
Coach Barrell said " As I said the team still has lots of work to do, we tend to give up the possession of the puck too easily, the guys probably deserved a better fate than two losses although you are not gong to win many games scoring only one goal a game in the NAHC."
On the injury front Roderick Gunner suffered a serious shoulder injury that will probably keep him out the entire month of November. With no return in sight for either Chad Roy or Syl Beam the Dukes summoned Rob Painchaud from the Eries, he will be on the gamesheet for Wednesday's game against Montreal. The only good news is that Dick Zimmerman was given the "Good to go" from the training staff.
WEST RACE REMAINS THREE WAY TIE
The Chicago Wildcats, Cleveland Finches and Detroit Maroons continue to roll along in the AFA West Division. Each of the three won yesterday to improve their season marks to 4-1 and are rapidly separating themselves from the Cincinnati Tigers and St Louis Ramblers.
Let's start our round-up with the most exciting game of the weekend, at least it is if you are a fan of the passing game. Two of the AFA's best in Boston's Del Thomas and Gus Brown of the Chicago Wildcats hooked up in New England and combined for 600 passing yards. No stats are kept but that may well be an AFA single game record. The visitors from the Windy City prevailed by a 39-17 margin Brown throwing for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns. Thomas threw for 357 yards in the game but only two scores as the Americans sank to 1-4 on the season.
In Detroit the emphasis was much more on the ground game and defense with the Maroons blanking the visiting Cincinnati Tigers 17-0 while Cleveland kept pace with a 24-10 victory over the Washington Wasps. The only East Division team with 4 victories is the think run first, second and third Philadelphia Frigates who shutout St Louis 14-0 behind another big game from Greg LePage. The AFA's rushing leader gained 131 yards on the ground, marking the fourth time in five outings this season he has topped the century mark.
We will save the wildest finish of the week for last as the New York Stars scored three touchdowns in the final 4:25 of the game to beat Pittsburgh 48-28. This after the Paladins had entered the final period trailing 27-7 and scored three touchdowns of their own to take the lead. Proving the forward pass is not always the weapon you might want it to be, Paladins quarterback Ken Marston threw six interceptions to increase his league leading total to 23 on the season and is well ahead of pace of breaking the record of 35 co-held by Sam Boettcher (now with New Orleans in the CFC) and Don Powelson, which each ended up with in 1942.
Code:
AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Philadelphia 4 1 0 .800
Washington 3 2 0 .600
Pittsburgh 2 4 0 .333
Boston 1 4 0 .200
NY Stars 1 4 0 .200
West Division W L T PCT
Detroit 4 1 0 .800
Cleveland 4 1 0 .800
Chicago 4 1 0 .800
Cincinnati 2 4 0 .333
St Louis 1 4 0 .200
WEEKEND RESULTS
New York 48 Pittsburgh 28
Chicago 39 Boston 17
Philadelphia 14 St Louis 0
Cleveland 24 Washington 10
Detroit 17 Cincinnati 0
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2
St Louis at Cleveland
Philadelphia at Boston
Pittsburgh at Detroit
Chicago at Washington
New York at Cincinnati
Code:
AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
LePage, Phi 36
Gipson, Chi 36
Chick, Cin 33
Renton, Det 30
Ericksen, Bos 30
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
D Thomas, Bos 102-176 1533 14 6
Marston, Pit 97-177 1342 8 23
Brown, Chi 77-140 1056 11 13
Taylor, Phi 43-95 706 7 5
Colvin, Cle 46-120 661 6 11
RUSHING YDS TD
LePage, Phi 597 6
Mellette, StL 322 2
Ponder, Was 298 1
Orlosky, Det 261 2
Rochman, Was 222 1
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Ericksen, Bos 28 396 5
Gipson, Chi 26 346 6
Tisdale, Pit 22 378 2
Howard, Det 21 328 3
Gilbert, Cin 19 322 1
E Johnson, Bos 19 254 2
INERCEPTIONS #
Neilsen, Cle 7
Chick, Cin 6
Hensel, Cle 4
Hemingway, NY 4
Coleman, Det 4
Thompson, Cin 4
Watson, Was 4
COWBOYS SURVIVE SHOWDOWN WITH SAN FRANCISCO
Ernie Orr had 7 catches for 152 yards including a pair of touchdown grabs to lead the Kansas City Cowboys to a 24-21 victory over the San Francisco Wings in a crucial CFC West Division matchup. The victory improved the Cowboys record to 6-2 and keeps them a game ahead of the surging Los Angeles Lobos, who downed New Orleans 26-14 yesterday.
Pat Chappell threw for 191 yards in all with Orr, who leads all CFC ends with 8 touchdown catches on the season, getting the bulk of the attention. The Cowboys passing duo overshadowed a terrific game from Wings halfback Rich Garner, who carried the ball 17 times for 139 yards.
The Los Angeles Lobos, who have won 4 straight, completed a home and home sweep of New Orleans by beating the Crescents for the second week in a row. Don Penna booted 4 field goals in the 26-14 win while Lobos quarterback John Fuchs had good success with long passes, completing 9 of 17 attempts for 212 yards as he is closing in on Chappell for the league passing lead.
The New York Gothams also won for the fourth week in a row as Dave Bradley ran for a 50 yard touchdown and had a 61-yard interception return for another score in a 37-7 rout over the Chicago Comets. The other game saw Buffalo score a touchdown in the final minute to nip Brooklyn 31-27 after the Kings had scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to take the lead.
Code:
CONTINTENTAL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L T PCT[/b]
NY Gothams 6 2 0 .750
Buffalo 5 4 0 .556
Brooklyn 2 6 0 .250
New Orleans 1 7 0 .125
WEST W L T PCT
Kansas City 6 2 0 .750
Los Angeles 5 3 0 .625
San Francisco 4 4 0 .500
Chicago 4 5 0 .444
WEEKEND RESULTS
New York 37 Chicago 7
Los Angeles 26 New Orleans 14
Buffalo 31 Brooklyn 27
Kansas City 24 San Francisco 21
UPCOMING GAMES
FRIDAY OCTOBER 31
Chicago at Brooklyn
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2
New Orleans at New York
San Francisco at Los Angeles
Kansas City at Buffalo
Code:
CFC LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Karaszewski, Buf 72
Penna, LA 69
Wade, NY 65
Hale, NYG 60
Higman, Buf 56
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
Chappell, KC 101-195 1780 17 12
Fuchs, LA 88-176 1652 7 12
Monday, Buf 110-222 1524 15 14
Boettcher, NO 122-240 1427 7 16
Walker, Chi 79-157 1088 7 12
RUSHING YDS TD
Hale, NYG 937 9
Garner, SF 639 2
Stone, SF 575 2
Rose, NYG 570 6
Karaszewski, Buf 519 10
Matthews, KC 500 3
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Pruitt, NO 41 454 3
Mula, SF 36 338 7
Breig,Chi 35 546 3
Orr, KC 34 652 8
Tammaro, KC 29 533 2
INERCEPTIONS #
Dutton, Chi 6
Yardley, Bkn 5
Layton, Buf 4
J Smith, Chi 4
Backus, KC 4
MacRae, KC 4
DCC MOVES TO TOP OF TWIFB GRID POLL
A dominating 69-10 crushing of Minnesota Tech on Saturday has helped the 5-0 Detroit City College Knights leapfrog St Blane and move to the top spot in the latest grid rankings. The Fighting Saints also prevailed, but just barely as they held off a pesky Western Iowa eleven by a 17-10 score.
All of the talk in the midwest over the weekend was of just how powerful the DCC ground game was with its single wing offense. Bill Howlin and Johnny Matthews piled up yards at will against an overwhelmed Lakers squad and whenever the defenders tried to crowd the line Paul Erdinger would flip a pass over them for a big gain. It marked the second straight loss for a Lakers team that had looked very good to start the season with wins over Rainier College, College of Omaha and St Magnus.
Meanwhile, St Blane looked anything but dominant in barely surviving 17-10 at home against Western Iowa. The only thing that saved the Fighting Saints from a tie was a Canaries fumble on the St Blane 4-yard line on a first and goal with just under two minutes remaining.
*** Mixed Results For Service Teams ***
Rome State continues to pile up the victories as the Centurions improved to 5-0 and actually showed a few signs of looking like the Rome State club of the past few years in an impressive 31-7 dismantling of Henry Hudson University. The same could not be said for Annapolis Maritime which was pounded by Pierpont at Soldiers and Sailors Stadium in Philadelphia. The Purple left the Navigators black and blue as they whacked the 4-F's (standing for fussing, fighting, feuding and fumbling) eleven 34-3. Pierpont improved to 4-0 with the win and slipped into the rankings while the Navigators are a disappointing 1-3-1 and have little relief in sight with a date with St Blane on tap next weekend.
Elsewhere the two Los Angeles powers remained perfect on the season. Coastal California looked very sharp in bettering Northern Cal, which like the Dolphins entered the contest unbeaten. Coastal California prevailed on the road with a 24-13 while CCLA welcomed Texas Gulf Coast to Santa Ana and scored a solid 16-7 victory.
Code:
AIAA COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL TOP TEN
RK SCHOOL LW WEEKEND RESULT
1 Detroit City College (5-0) 2 W 69-10 over Minnesota Tech
2 St Blane (4-0) 1 W 17-10 over Western Iowa
3 Coastal California (5-0) 3 W 24-13 over Northern Cal
4 Rome State (5-0) 4 W 31-7 over Henry Hudson
5 CCLA (5-0) 5 W 16-7 over Texas Gulf Coast
6 Travis College (6-0) 7 W 19-3 over Red River State
7 Liberty College (6-0) 6 W 27-24 over Huntington State
8 Georgia Baptist (4-0-1) NR W 26-0 over Mobile Maritime
9 Pierpont (4-0) NR W 34-3 over Annapolis Maritime
10 Lawrence State (5-0) NR idle
Dropped out:
Northern Cal lost 24-13 to Coastal California
Brunswick lost 17-14 to Sadler
Alabama Baptist lost 14-3 to Noble Jones College
WEEKEND SCOREBOARD
MAJOR GAMES
Detroit City College 69 Minnesota Tech 10
St. Blane 17 Western Iowa 10
Rome State 31 Henry Hudson 7
Sadler 17 Brunswick 14
Liberty College 27 Huntington State 24
Pierpont 34 Annapolis Maritime 3
Dickson 21 Grafton 7
Coastal California 24 Northern California 13
CC Los Angeles 16 Texas Gulf Coast 7
Georgia Baptist 26 Mobile Maritime 0
St. Patrick's 21 St. Pancras 7
North Carolina Tech 24 Western Florida 0
St. Magnus 13 Indiana A&M 3
Portland Tech 30 San Francisco Tech 13
Rainier College 20 Redwood 0
Lane State 34 Stratton 3
Pittsburgh State 19 Central Ohio 17
Whitney College 13 Lincoln 13
Central Kentucky 17 St. Ignatius 7
Bayou State 14 Bluegrass State 3
Chesapeake State 16 Maryland State 14
Noble Jones College 14 Alabama Baptist 3
Mississippi A&M 37 Arkansas A&T 7
Commonwealth Catholic 21 Penn Catholic 9
Empire State 17 Ellery 7
Eastern Oklahoma 34 Lambert College 13
Cowpens State 7 Carolina Poly 7
Daniel Boone College 24 Iowa A&M 3
Spokane State 21 Custer College 0
Travis College 19 Red River State 3
Darnell State 23 Lubbock State 9
Oklahoma City State 10 Amarillo Methodist 7
Baton Rouge State 24 Opelika State 3
OTHER RESULTS
Columbia Military Academy 17 Coastal State 7
Western Tennessee 17 Cleveland 0
Northern Minnesota 38 Strub College 16
St. Matthew's College 40 Bigsby College 0
Miami State 24 Potomac College 6
Canyon A&M 7 El Paso Methodist 3
Valley State 27 South Valley State 6
Boulder State 13 Colorado Poly 9
Utah A&M 28 Cache Valley 7
New York Maritime 19 Brooklyn State 7
Spartanburg Baptist 23 Bulein 13
Abilene Baptist 21 Northern Mississippi 10
Snake River State 21 Western Montana 3
College of Omaha 23 Eastern Kansas 21
Payne State 16 Kit Carson University 13
Petersburg 34 Hampden-Sydney 21
Garden State 47 Bethlehem College 7
Golden Gate University 40 California Catholic 10
Frankford State 20 Conwell College 13
Cumberland 37 Cookeville State 0
College of Waco 17 Mile High State 7
Provo Tech 17 Wyoming A&I 14
Eastern State 17 Alexandria 7
Lexington State 14 Central Carolina 14
Topeka State 65 Flagstaff State 0
Richmond State 34 Boston State 19
Wisconsin State 23 Wisconsin Catholic 17
George Fox 26 Hampden 0
Laclede 30 Salamanca State 21
PRO LOOPS TIP-OFF PRESEASON GAMES
The two professional basketball leagues each began their season last week with exhibition action. The regular season, which will be the 11th campaign for the American Basketball Conference and second season for the Federal Basketball League, gets underway November 4. The OSA scouting service began with baseball but branches out to cover many sports including basketball. It has provided a prediction for the upcoming season in each league. Here is how the OSA feels each league will shape up in the coming season.
AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERNCE
Predicted Order of Finish
East Division:
1. Boston Centurions
2. Brooklyn Red Caps
3. New York Knights
4. Hartford Patriots
West Division:
1. Washington Statesmen
2. Richmond Clippers
3. Rochester Rockets
4. Pittsburgh Falcons
All-league Team:
C - Ivan Sisco (Washington)
PF - Derick Weigel (Boston)
SF - Gerald Carter (Boston)
SG - Michael Fricke (Brooklyn)
PG - Ivory Mitchell (Brooklyn)
MEET THE ABC TEAMS
BOSTON CENTURIONS -(last year 4th in east 13-31) The Centurions have been a bad team for their entire existence, never winning more than 14 games in a season. Derick Weigel (at CC Los Angeles), Morgan Melcher (at Coastal California) and Gerald Carter (at Western Iowa) all had outstanding collegiate careers and will be counted on heavily, but the big hope is rookie Long Werth - two time national player of the year at Miami State- can elevate the Centurions to contender status.
BROOKLYN RED CAPS - (last year first in east 36-8, lost finals to Washington) The Red Caps, owned by Brooklyn Kings magnate Daniel Prescott, lead the ABC with 5 championships overall but they came up just short last season in falling to Washington, ending their run of 4 straight titles. A deep and talented team, they are led by the backcourt duo of Ivory Mitchell and Michael Fricke, who combined for nearly 40 points a game.
HARTFORD PATRIOTS - (last year second in east 26-18): The Patriots are a relatively new club, debuting in 1944-45 and making the playoffs for the first time last season. A trio of former CC Los Angeles Coyotes stars lead the Patriots. They are 30 year old center Jim Phillips, 30-year-old guard David Nations and 26-year-old forward Joe Quintana.
NEW YORK KNIGHTS - (last year third in east 16-28): The Knights have been around since the leagues inception in 1937-38 and won a title in their third season but it has been lean times since although they did return to the playoffs last year after a six season absence. They have a balanced offense led by big men Don Marlow and Thomas Dwyer.
PITTSBURGH FALCONS - (last year third in west 15-29): The Falcons impressed with a playoff spot in just their second year of existence. Augie Schleicher is as talented a big man as you will find outside of Washington's Ivan Sisco and big things are hoped for from second year forward David Bobo, who had a very impressive collegiate career at Garden State.
RICHMOND CLIPPERS - (last year second in west 19-25): This will be the fourth season for the league's southernmost team. The Clippers are led by Norm Yates, who is entering his fourth season after a stellar college career at St Ignatius and veteran Ohio Poly center Leon Reed, who averaged over 20 rebounds last season. Keep an eye on rookie Waylon Orlick. The former Liberty College standout -he led the Bells to back to back appearances in the national title game- may not see a lot of action as a rookie but is one to watch for down the road.
ROCHESTER ROCKETS - (last year 4th in west 10-34): Like Pittsburgh, the Rockets are embarking on their third season in the league. They won 10 games each of their first two years but the addition of 6'8" rookie Marlin Patterson to a young team that has rising stars in Terry Flowers and Stephen Rubaclava gives hope for the future.
WASHINGTON STATESMEN- (last year first in west 41-3, swept Brooklyn in finals): The Statesmen have been the class of the west division for years, reaching the finals each of the last 9 seasons, but only winning a pair of titles. The first came in 1939-40 and was followed by losses in the next 7 finals, including four straight to Brooklyn, until they finally prevailed over the Red Caps last season. Center Ivan Sisco broke out with a dominant season last year as the Carolina Poly grad averaged 31.2 points per game -nearly 10 more than runner up Augie Schleicher of Rochester.
FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
Predicted Order of Finish
Eastern Division:
1. Baltimore Barons
2. Toronto Titans
3. Philadelphia Phantoms
4. Buffalo Brawlers
Western Division:
1. Cleveland Crushers
2. Chicago Panthers
3. Detroit Mustangs
4. Cincinnati Cyclones
All-league Team:
C - Cory Myers (Chicago)
PF - Antione Hoelscher (Baltimore)
SF - Nestor Patterson (Baltimore)
SG - Michael Trapp (Toronto)
PG - Bobby Ray Cornett (Baltimore)
MEET THE FBL TEAMS
BALTIMORE BARONS- (last year 1st in East 38-22, lost finals 4 games to 3 to Chicago). OSA is very high on the Barons this season, calling on three of them -forwards Antonie Hoelscher and Nes Patterson along with guard Bobby Ray Cornett to be All-League selections.
BUFFALO BRAWLERS- (last year 2nd in East 34-26) The Brawlers lured former CC Los Angeles star Larry Yim to move from Rochester of the ABC to the Federal League. With Yim joining Tony Gallup, who was second team all-league last season, and former St. Patrick's star David Shane, who averaged 18.7 ppg as a rookie last year, the Brawlers have plenty of size and talent to battle under the rim.
CHICAGO PANTHERS - (last year 1st in West 39-21, won league title) The Panthers were loaded with big men last year with center Cory Myers claiming the league MVP and he was joined on the All-League first team by Richard Campbell, who led the FBL in scoring. Both Myers and Campbell were lured west from Brooklyn prior to last season and the Panthers added another big time talent from the ABC in Joe Hampton - a 24-year-old Western Iowa grad who was the top rookie in the eastern loop last season.
CINCINNATI CYLCONES - (last year 3rd in West 25-35) David Honey, a 6'8" forward out of Northern Minnesota, was the Cyclones leader last season. The club did not make a lot of changes and OSA feels they may slide to the bottom of the West Division.
CLEVELAND CRUSHERS- (last year 2nd in West 37-23) Young George Kelly out of Chesapeake State and veteran Herb Hobbs, who spent three season with Richmond before the war, were the Crushers leaders last season and be counted on heavily again this year.
DETROIT MUSTANGS- (last year 4th in West 19-41) The driving force behind the formation of the FBL was Mustangs owner Rollie Barrell. His league passed its first test with flying colours but the same could not be said for his team as the Mustangs had the worst record in the new loop. Jack Kurtz, who starred at Detroit City College, is the team's top player and rely's heavily on the leadership of one of the oldest players in the loop. That would be 6'8" center Manuel Nelson, who at age 38 hauled in more than 21 rebounds per game a year ago.
PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS -(last year 4th in East 20-40) Center Carl Kellogg, along with forwards Anderson Pond and Danny Hendon were the big names on the Phantoms last season. There is hope that guard Jerry Hubbard, a 26-year-old lured over from Washington, can be the quarterback their offense needs.
TORONTO TITANS - (last year 3rd in East 28-32) Jamel Porter led the Canadian entry with 22 ppg last season but it was guard Jared Dionne who was named an all-star after a solid first season as a pro out of Columbia Military Academy.
Code:
FBL PRESEASON STANDINGS
EASTERN W L PCT
-----------------------------------
Baltimore 2 2 .500
Philadelphia 2 2 .500
Toronto 1 2 .333
Buffalo 0 2 .000
WESTERN W L PCT
-----------------------------------
Chicago 4 0 1.000
Cleveland 2 1 .667
Cincinnati 1 2 .333
Detroti 1 2 .333
Code:
ABC PRESEASON STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT
------------------------------------
Brooklyn 2 0 1.000
Boston 1 1 .500
New York 0 2 .000
Hartford 0 3 .000
WEST W L PCT
------------------------------------
Pittsburgh 3 0 1.000
Rochester 1 0 1.000
Washington 1 1 .500
Richmond 1 2 .333
1947 AIAA PREVIEW
GLA, WCAA CLASS OF CAGE CROP
The Whitney College Engineers will be out to prove that their national collegiate cage crown claimed last season was no fluke. The Engineers, who beat Liberty College 4-47 in the title game last season, handing the Bells their second straight loss in the national finals, are well positioned to win it all again this time but they may not be the best team even in their own conference.
That distinction falls to Western Iowa, at least in the TWIFB preseason collegiate cage predictions. The Great Lakes Alliance looks to have plenty of talent once again this season with Canaries our pick to nose out the Engineers for the section title. Central Ohio and Detroit City College may also have something to say about who prevails in the GLA. However, before you start thinking the Great Lakes schools have taken over as the top dog in the AIAA, please turn your gaze west were the West Coast Athletic Association may send half a dozen teams to the 32-team tournament.
Here are the teams that TWIFB sees as the 10 best in collegiate basketball this season:
1- WESTERN IOWA: Last year 24-9, tied for third in Great Lakes Alliance. Lost to Liberty College in national quarter-finals. The Canaries are nearly always in contention for the GLA section title and have not missed the AIAA tournament in a decade. The backcourt duo of John Walker and Donovan Knowles return but the other three starters have graduated. Western Iowa relies on a team approach without a superstar player although newcomers Willy Ludwick, a junior, and freshman Darryl Baugher may make a large contribution right away.
2- REDWOOD UNIVERISTY: Last year 20-10, fifth in West Coast Athletic Association. Lost to Liberty College in opening round of tournament. The Mammoths have never won a WCAA title and long been overshadowed by their conference rivals CCLA, Coastal California, Lane State and Rainier College, but many are suggesting this will be Redwood's time to shine. All five starters from last season return including top scorer Punch Perez and guard Levi Gibson, who may just end up being a first team All-American this season.
3- WHITNEY COLLEGE: Last year won the national title, 27-8 , second to Central Ohio in Great Lakes Alliance. The Engineers, a surprise national champion a year ago, have lost their leading scorer in Ruben Gilbert to graduation but the other four starters return including Lon Nissen, a center who may be the best big man in the GLA. Interesting note is Whitney College has won two national titles, and is the only GLA school to ever be crowned national champion.
4- ST BLANE: Last year 25-6, lost to Whitney College in second round of tournament. Unlike on the gridiron, the cage Fighting Saints have experienced very little success. In fact last year gave the school its only win in the tournament, although it was just the fourth appearance for St Blane. Coach Taffy Engisn has been building for this season, with a great core group led by senior center Josh Samuels and junior forward Cy Worley -both potential All-Americans.
5- CC LOS ANGELES: Last year 24-9, tied for second in the West Coast Athletic Association, lost to Central Ohio in the national quarterfinals of the tournament. CCLA has never had a losing season, owns 4 AIAA titles and has missed the tournament just once since 1915. Despite reaching the regional final a year ago, the season was a disappointment after their national title team of two years ago. Four starters are gone from last year's club with only James Aker (4.5 ppg) returning although center Gary Wieland did start a number of games a year ago due to injuries. The big question is who will replace Jumbo Hinman, a scoring machine who was a third team All-American a year ago. The expectation is guard Gerald Cheek will establish himself as the Coyotes leader and, if he is successful, the Coyotes will make another deep tournament run.
6 - CAROLINA POLY: Last year 24-4, tied for first in the South Atlantic Conference. Lost to Detroit City College in the second round of the tournament. Last season was a disappointment with the tournament loss to DCC in a year the Cardinals had eyes on claiming a second national championship in three years and fourth overall. Instead, they made an early exit in the tournament. Leader Paul Cowans has graduated but Major Belk and Max Kent, guards who combined to average over 16 points a game, both return. Add in freshman forward Mel Turcotte as well as James Halle (8.1 ppg) and this could be the year the Cardinals get their fourth title.
7- RAINIER COLLEGE: Last year 23-7, tied for second in West Coast Athletic Association. Upset by Tempe College in opening round of the tournament. The loss to Tempe College was a bitter disappointment to long-time Majestics coach Red Bennett, who has guided the school to three AIAA championships. This year's team returns a lot of talent, with junior center Tommy Abbott expected to play a major role.
8- BAYOU STATE: Last year 23-8. 4th in the Deep South Conference. Lost to Central Ohio in second round of tournament. The Cougars 23 wins was their highest total in a season in twenty years and this years squad should be even better. Big things are expected from seniors Scott Winter and Tip Burnett -both of whom are pre-season All-American selections. The Cougars also have a pair of very solid big men returning in Billy Bob McCright and Cory Hunt.
9- LIBERTY COLLEGE: Last year 30-4. The independent school led the nation in wins and topped the 30-victory mark for the third time this decade. Unfortunately for the second year in a run the Bells lost in the national title game, falling to CCLA two years ago and Whitney College last season. The team is led by Ward Messer -brother of New York Gothams slugger Walt Messer- and a first team All-American last season as a junior. Most of his supporting cast has graduated but the Bells, always one of the top recruiters in the nation, have plenty of new talent to step up.
10- TEXAS GULF COAST: Last year 21-9, who Southwestern Alliance title. Lost to Detroit City College in first round of tournament. The Hurricanes have built quite a program over the last decade and are now regulars in the AIAA tournament and the top 25 rankings. This might be the best team they have ever had with 4 starters returning including preseason All-American Darren Fuhrman. Nearly an entire homegrown roster - 13 of their 15 players hail from the Lone Star state with the other two from Louisiana- they are the class of the southwest.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Brooklyn Catholic Bulldogs
Brunswick Knights
Central Ohio Aviators
Coastal California Dolphins
Detroit City College Knights
Frankford State Owls
Indiana A&M Reapers
Lexington State Colonials
Mississippi A&M Generals
Noble Jones College Colonels
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 10/26/1947
- The names of 16 screenwriters dismissed by Warner Bros. studio as "un-American" were disclosed as the House Committee on Un-American Activities got off to a stormy start in its inquiry into Communist influence in Hollywood.
- Congress was confronted with a demand from President Truman for quick action to preserve prosperity at home and prevent a debacle abroad -but rumblings from the Republican majority indicated rough going for the adminstration program.
- Britain banned tobacco imports from the United States and announced new cuts in food imports as the government warned that economic collapse would probably mean the end of British democracy.
- Senator Flanders, Republican of Vermont, predicts that food prices will be the primary issue of next year's Presidential campaign.
- A key member of the Communist Party Central Committee told the 9 nations represented at the recent Poland Conference that the Soviet Union "will put out all efforts in seeing that the Marshall Plan is not realized."
- Brazil has severed diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia following repeated Russian press attacks aimed at the second largest country in the Western Hemisphere.
- The bodies of more than 6,200 American servicemen -the first of the nation's WWII dead to be returned from Europe, arrived in New York's now flower-strewn harbor.