DECEMBER 15, 1947
RECORD BREAKING CONTRACT FOR COAST LOOP
The Great Western League Portland Green Sox have signed a former Philadelphia Sailors player to a record-breaking contract for the loop, but it was not the highly anticipated deal to make Woody Stone one of the highest paid players in the history of the game. Instead, it was Stone's former teammate third baseman Ed B White who put pen to paper inking a deal that will pay the 33-year-old $43,200 for the 1948 campaign.
White is a solid third baseman and will likely be one of the better players in the coast league, but he is hardly a star, hitting a pedestrian .256 in 124 games for the Sailors a year ago -numbers just slightly above his career .249 batting average in 755 big league games. Yet the sum the Green Sox are going to fork over will pay White more than New York Stars third sacker Mack Sutton -who hit 43 homers last year- and just $550 less than the Chicago Cougars are paying three-time all-star Walt Pack.
White was simply fortuitous enough to be available at the right time as the Great Western League -with what feels like an endless stream of money and a burning desire to be considered an equal to FABL- looks to sign any player it can. Those, at least at the moment are few and far between, with White and Stone being rare exceptions only because the Philadelphia Sailors cut them loose feeling the money tied up in the duo would be better invested elsewhere on the diamond.
The big news, a contract for all-star catcher Woody Stone, has not dropped yet but there is great speculation some team in the Great Western loop will pay him more than the $75,000 that triple crown winner and homerun king Bobby Barrell is set to draw from the Philadelphia Keystones. No one is worth the same as Barrell is to a team right now. But the Great Western League is trying anything it can to lure elite players. There are very few that the loop can go after while still recognizing the eastern league contracts.
It feels like it will just be a matter of time before the Coast League - if its present rate of spending continues- convinces a front-line FABL player he can make an awful lot more heading west. It would surely start a major war, and quite possibly legal challenges while most assuredly barring the jumper from FABL for life. But it sure feels like the coast loop has the money to mount a serious challenge to the way the sport has operated for decades.
MELANSON AVENGES ONLY LOSS TO REGAIN BELT IN EDMONDS REMATCH
Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago, Ill. -- Frank “The Tank” Melanson has been stewing for five months, waiting for his chance to get his belt back. The only loss on his ledger was on Independence Day in his hometown of Pittsburgh led to some time of introspection for the former champ with the lasting image of a dejected former champion but hidden in the disappointment was a definite determination to even the score.
After landing on the national scene, he had four successful title defenses, which placed him in a tie for fourth place for the most defenses since the inception of the Middleweight Division in 1909. John Edmonds, entering the ring on Saturday night in his first defense of the Middleweight belt, found another gear in the final third of the fight, earning a TKO in the 14th round. The consensus was that Melanson was ahead in the fight and could have won, but a nasty gash over his right eye caused the referee to stop the fight.
There is symmetry in this rematch. Edmonds is the champion returning home this time, as the Muncie, Indiana, native is about 200 miles from Lakeside Auditorium. Edmonds had his rooting section, but Melanson was a popular champion and had his own contingent that roared throughout the evening.
Edmonds was buoyed by his rousing entrance, entering the ring like a champion, and he took the fight to Melanson late in the first round with two quick shots – a cross and a straight right – that suddenly had Melanson on the ropes. Edmonds dominated the third round with an offensive that also had the former champion reeling, concentrating on the head with combinations and uppercuts.
Melanson announced his candidacy to retake the belt in the fourth and fifth rounds, matching Edmonds punch for punch and making some inroads with a cross and a combo of his own at the end of the fourth. Melanson scored his first Big Bopper of the night with a pivotal combination that stunned the champion.
The combatants traded solid rounds in the sixth and seventh and they took separate approaches. Round 6 was marked by the big hitting of Edmonds, going to another combination and another uppercut, while Round 7 was owned by Melanson. Steady and constant, Melanson fired cross after cross, scoring at will in a dominating seventh round.
The momentum carried over for Melanson into the eighth round when he inflicted the first noticeable damage for either fighter. About halfway through the round, Melanson’s cross – his best weapon in the fight – ironically caught Edmonds above his right eye, which started to bleed. Just when Edmonds started looking for that cross, Melanson switched to jabs and hooks in the ninth and tenth rounds.
Melanson had Edmonds guessing, but Edmonds caught Melanson with a big punch to open Round 11.
In their last fight, Edmonds had the bigger punches and opened up a cut above Melanson’s right eye that eventually stopped the fight in the 14th round, but Melanson was ahead on points at the time. This fight was actually closer entering the 12th round. Yes, Edmonds provided the puglistic might, but Melanson was better in spurts. It took Melanson a few rounds to find the range.
As Round 12 started, Edmonds’s right eye was puffy and his corner man could not lessen the swelling. Melanson wasted no time aiming for that eye and he connected with a jab and a heavy cross. The bleeding started gushing again almost immediately and just as quickly, referee Tony Weeks ended the fight, making Frank Melanson the once and future champion.
Melanson (33-1-2) becomes the fourth Middleweight Champion to regain his belt and first since Bob Brinkman in 1918. The Technical Knockout was only the seventh of Melanson’s 36 bouts that did not go the distance. Melanson offered about 50% more punches per round than Edmonds, which displayed The Tank’s exemplary hand speed. Edmonds (23-3-0) only landed less than 19 punches per round and connected at a better rate (34.4%). Melanson landed more (23.83 punches/round), but missed more punches per round (55.75) than Edmonds offered (54.75).
After the final bell, there was strong sentiment for a trilogy to break the tie with each man winning one fight. A word to the wise, though: find a neutral site because each fighter lost his homecoming.
BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Edmonds 2-0 (2:11 cross; 2:24 right)
Round 2: Edmonds 1-0 (1:07 combo)
Round 3: Edmonds 1-0 (2:00 uppercut)
Round 4: None
Round 5: Melanson 1-0 (2:09 combo)
Round 6: Edmonds 2-0 (0:11 combo/body; 0:48 uppercut/head)
Round 7: None
Round 8: Edmonds 2-0 (0:44 combo; 1:17 hook/midsection)
Round 9: Edmonds 1-0 (2:06 uppercut)
Round 10: Melanson 1-0 (2:29 cross)
Round 11: Edmonds 1-0 (0:16 cross/face)
Round 12: None
TOTAL: Edmonds 10, Melanson 2
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Jan 10 - Santa Ana Stadium, Los Angeles: World Heavyweight Champ Hector Sawyer vs Dan Miller
- Jan 15- Philadelphia: HW Scott Baker (15-3-2) vs Chris Sullivan (19-4-4)
- Jan 19- Portland, Oregon: WW contenders Mark Westlake (22-2-1) vs Carl Taylor (22-4-2)
- Jan 24 - Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland, OH: World Welterweight champion Harold Stephens (20-3-2) defends his title against Ira Mitchell (19-1)
- Jan 29 - Bigsby Garden, New York: HW contender Mark Fountain (22-4-1) vs Dave Kennedy (28-11-4) and HW contender Roy Crawford (25-3) vs Glenn Hairston (25-8-2)
- Jan 31- Detroit: rising HW Lewis Jones (14-1) vs Marvin Martin (18-10-4)
COWBOYS ROPE IN ANOTHER CFC TITLE
Smash Gothams 42-13
The game plan on defense for the Kansas City Cowboys was simple. Stop Ken Hale and win the ball game. Kansas City had plenty of confidence in its high flying offense led by briliant sophomore quarterback Pat Chappell but the worry was that Hale -a dual threat both with his feet and right arm- might be able to keep pace with the Cowboys attack.
Mission accomplished as the Cowboys harassed Hale all day, holding the back who averaged over 100 yards rushing per game and torched the Cowboys for 231 yards in an October loss at Packer Park to just 64 yards on 16 carries. They also forced mistakes out of the normally unflappable former St Blane Fighting Saint. Hale committed 4 second half turnovers, fumbling twice and being intercepted twice, ending any hopes for a Gothams comeback after the Cowboys built a 14-6 first half lead.
It was vintage Pat Chappell, as the former basketball All-American and 3-sport star at St Magnus, took control of the game as he has done for most of the past two season. Chappell expertly held the reins for the Cowboys offense on the opening series, guiding the club downfield before connecting with Tom Manning for a 35-yard touchdown strike just 3 and a half minutes into the contest.
It looked like we might be in for an offensive show when the Gothams responded with a long drive of their own, culminating in a 3-yard scoring run for Hale, although Jerry Wade missed the extra point. Chappell and the Cowboys quickly responded with a 13-play drive that was prolonged by a key Tommy Cohan 6-yard run an a 4th and one situation and ended in an 18-yard Chappell to Bill Tammaro scoring toss.
The score would remain 14-6 until late in the third quarter when Hale fumbled on his own 22 yard line. The Cowboys recovered and three plays later the lead was 21-6 when Ernie Orr scored on a 12 yard end around. New York still had hope early in the fourth quarter when Jim Rose broke the biggest run of the day for the Gothams, galloping 74 yards on a draw play to reduce the Cowboys lead to 8 points at 21-13.
Unfortunately for the Gothams they had no answer for Chappell, who responded with his third touchdwon toss of the day - a 16 yarder to Doug Stoughton and the score was 28-13. After a three and out for New York, John Backus put the game away for the Cowboys with an 84-yard punt return to make it 35-13. The Cowboys would score once more following a despate third and 7 toss by Hale that was picked off by Mason Matthews and the celebration was on in Kansas City.
It was the Cowboys second straight CFC title game victory over the Gothams and the irony was not lost on Tammaro that, as a heavy favourite a year ago the Cowboys won a tight contest, but this time with many sensing a Gothams win on the heels of New York's shocking victory at Packer Park in October the Cowboys dominated by a wide margin.
In a victorious clubhouse afterwards, speedy Cowboys receiver Bill Tammaro, clutching a cigar and soaked with champagne, danced from player to player shouting "That is what they get for thinking we can be beat!'
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the room Pat Chappell huddled quietly with head coach Pete Walsh, both men looking like they were already planning how to make it three straight titles for the Cowboys.
WASPS AND FINCHES SURIVE WILD AFA FINISH
In one of the most exciting final weeks in American Football Association history the Washington Wasps and Cleveland Finches survived to face each other next weekend in the AFA championship game. It will be the Wasps first ever appearance in the title tilt while the Finches, who have not won the AFA title since 1932, are in the championship game for the first time since 1935 when they were blanked 7-0 by Pittsburgh.
It took the fifth-level tie breaker to give the Finches the edge over the Chicago Wildcats and only happened because Cleveland scored a touchdown with two minutes left to complete a 28-6 win over the Wildcats at Whitney Park yesterday. Both clubs were 9-3, they split their head-to-head series, they were each 6-2 in the division and had identical records against common opponents leaving Cleveland the slight winner on a stat called strength of victory.
Sorting out the winner in the East Division was only slightly less complicated after both Washington and Philadelphia won yesterday to finish at 8-4. They split their season series but the Wasps advance to the title due to a better divisional record. The outcome was in doubt for the Wasps until Bob Krohn connected on a 36-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining in the game to lift Washington to a 17-14 victory over the Boston Americans. In Philadelphia, record setting running back Greg LePage ran for 116 yards to help lead the Frigates to a 35-21 victory over the Detroit Maroons.
The other game on the final day of the regular season had no bearing on the championship matchup but was an imressive showing by St Louis back Tom Mellette, who ran for 95 yards and two scores while passing for a third to lead the Ramblers past the New York Stars 38-14.
It brings to end a record setting year for the AFA as the sport has now firmly embraced the forward pass. The record for most passing yards in a season - a total of 2,045 set by Del Thomas in 1943- was smashed by not just Thomas, who set the new mark with 3,248 yards but also by Pittsburgh's Ken Marston and Gus Brown of Chicago, each of whom threw for over 2,700 yards this year. Thomas also broke his 1943 mark for touchdown throws by one, tossing 26 scoring strikes this season. The completion record was also obliterated by the trio of Thomas, Brown and Marston. Thomas' old mark of 171 set in 1943 is now 221, also held by the famed Boston passer. Of course more passes also meant more intereceptions and while Jeff Proos 1942 record of throwing 40 picks while with Washington withstood the barrage of bombs unleashed this season, both Marston (38) and Brown (36) came close. On the other side of the ball Cleveland's Jim Nielson equaled Thomas 1943 defensive mark of 13 interceptions.
Before you get the feeling that teams abandoned the run altogether the Philadelphia Frigates great back Greg LePage set a rushing record in gaining 1,259 yards this season. He easily smashed Jesse Pratt's 1934 mark of 1,045 with the Pittsburgh Paladins as LePage became just the sixth AFA back to top the 1,000 yard rushing mark in a season.
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AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION FINAL STANDINGS
East Division W L T PCT
Washington 8 4 0 .667
Philadelphia 8 4 0 .667
Boston 4 8 0 .333
Pittsburgh 4 8 0 .333
NY Stars 2 10 0 .167
West Division W L T PCT
Cleveland 9 3 0 .750
Chicago 9 3 0 .750
Detroit 7 5 0 .583
St Louis 5 7 0 .417
Cincinnati 4 8 0 .333
WEEKEND RESULTS
St Louis 38 New York 14
Washington 17 Boston 14
Cleveland 28 Chicago 6
Philadelphia 31 Detroit 25
End of Regular Season
UPCOMING GAMES
SUNDAY DECEMBER 21
AFA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Washington at Cleveland
Code:
FINAL AFA LEADERS
SCORING PTS
Balfour, Bos 93
Watts, Cle 89
Gipson, Chi 66
Holt, Pit 66
Chick, Cin 65
Krohn, Was 64
PASSING COMP-ATT YDS TD INT
D Thomas, Bos 221-397 3248 26 15
Marston, Pit 193-354 2758 15 38
Brown, Chi 195-343 2723 24 36
Colvin, Cle 124-294 1786 17 20
Morrison, NY 109-276 1745 12 27
RUSHING YDS TD
LePage, Phi 1259 8
Mellette, StL 863 7
Herndon, Phi 558 5
Ponder, Was 545 4
Orlosky, Det 533 2
RECEIVING CAT YDS TD
Gipson, Chi 69 1073 11
Ericksen, Bos 51 686 6
Douglas, Was 48 688 5
Holt, Pit 48 750 2
Howard, Det 45 892 3
INERCEPTIONS #
Neilsen, Cle 13
Watson, Was 9
Wynkoop, Det 9
Thompson, Cin 8
Coleman, Det 8
Chick, Cin 8
McCALLISTER WINS CHRISTIAN TROPHY
The St Blane Fighting Saints placed three players on the collegiate football All-American team including quarterback Ricky McCallister who was also named the recipient of the Christian Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player this season. McCallister, who led the Saints to a perfect 9-0 season and in all likelihood their second straight national title, becomes the second St Blane athlete to win the Christian Trophy, following Mike O'Rourke, who claimed the honour in 1943.
The Christian Trophy is named after John Christian, a coaching legend and the brother of Frank Christian, for whom a similar award in college baseball is also presented.
WILL MOTORS BE SOLD OFF FOR PARTS AS TRADE DEADLINE APPROACHES?
The NAHC trading deadline is less than a week away and while midseason moves are not common in the sport, there is some speculation that a front-runner like Montreal, Chicago or Boston might look to add a piece that might help put that club over the top. The season is a long one -especially so with the hike from 48 to 60 games this year- but it certainly appears that both the New York Shamrocks and Detroit Motors will be hard pressed to make the playoffs so there is always the possibility one of those two teams move a veteran piece for the endless optimism of hope for the future a young talent or two can provide.
Looking at last place Detroit perhaps veteran rearguard Shel Herron might be a player targeted by both Chicago and Montreal. Neither the Packers or Vals are in need of an offensive upgrade but a solid top pairing defender may be enough to help either win its first Cup in years -well, forever for Chicago which has never won the Challenge Cup and since 1928 for the Valiants. There has been no word out of the Big Apple but Shamrocks 30-year-old defenseman Bert McCalley might be another name the Packers and Vals are both interested in. The Boston Bees might more have their eyes trained on secondary scoring and a player like Shamrocks great Orval Cabbell seems to fit that bill.
The issue all three contenders might face is whether they are willing to part with enough young assets to draw any interest out of the Shamrocks or Motors. All three of the above mentioned players are fan favourites in their community and long-time members of their resepctive clubs, not to mention the fact that all three wear letters on their jerseys.
We did see a major deal last season when struggling Toronto and New York combined to send playmaking pivot Laurel Albers to Broadway in exchange for steady rearguard Phillippe Dubois but a big midseason deal feels more than exception than the rule in the NAHC.
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NAHC Standings
TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA
Chicago 23 14 8 1 25 85 60
Montreal 23 14 8 1 25 76 70
Boston 22 11 10 1 23 65 56
Toronto 24 11 12 1 23 68 78
New York 22 8 13 1 17 62 67
Detroit 22 7 14 1 15 53 78
SCORING LEADERS
NAME GP G A PTS
T Burns, Chi 23 18 13 31
W Burns, Chi 23 10 21 31
Mahoney, Chi 22 11 19 30
Chandler, Bos 22 9 13 22
Cabbell, NY 21 14 7 21
Pollack, Tor 22 10 11 21
Albers, NY 22 6 15 21
Skinner, Mon 23 9 11 20
Sauer, Tor 22 9 10 19
Lanceleve, Mon 23 9 10 19
Lynch, Mon 18 7 12 19
Hart, Bos 21 9 9 18
Haines, Mon 19 6 12 18
Gregg, NY 17 8 9 17
Carlson, Tor 21 6 11 17
Galbraith, Tor 24 6 11 17
GOALIE LEADERS
NAME GP W L T ShO GAA
James, Bos 7 4 2 1 1 2.00
Brockers, Bos 15 7 8 0 0 2.74
Tremblay, NY 13 5 7 0 1 2.78
Hanson, Chi 18 9 8 1 0 2.85
Carter, Det 7 1 4 0 0 2.90
Touhey, Mon 21 13 8 0 1 3.15
Broadway, Tor 22 9 11 1 1 3.18
Sorrell, NY 11 3 6 1 2 3.31
Chasse, Det 17 6 10 1 0 3.70
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10
Boston 3 at 1 Chicago: Chicago entered the game riding a nine-game unbeaten streak while the Bees limped into the Windy City on a 3-game losing streak....so of course both streaks ended with rookie goaltender Oscar James turning aside 28 of the 29 Packers shots in a 3-1 Bees victory. Tommy Burns scored his league high 16th of the season to keep his point-streak going at 11 games while Jacob Gron had a goal and an assist for the visitors.
Toronto 3 at 1 Detroit: Dukes coach Jack Barrell is now 4-1 against his former team as second period goals from rookies Lou Galbraith and Dick Zimmerman -5th of the season for each- lifted Toronto to a 3-1 victory.
Montreal 4 at 1 New York: Montreal completed a sweep for the visiting clubs on this night with a 4-1 decision giving the Valiants their third straight win. Ian Doyle, Doug Lynch, Max Ducharme and Spencer Larocque scored for the Vals, who moved two points clear of Chicago for sole possession of first place.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 11
New York 4 at 5 Montreal: A sweep of the home and home series as Wayne Augustin and Ian Doyle score third period goals as Millard Touhey and the Valiants hold off the Shamrocks 5-4. Augustin had a 3 point evening for the winners.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 13
Chicago 6 at 3 Detroit: After being derailed by Boston on Wednesday, the Chicago Packers got back on the winning side of the ledger with a 6-3 doubling of Detroit. Tommy Burns scored twice, giving him points in 12 straight games while his brother Wes had a goal and 2 assists and Marthy Mahoney -the third member of the highest scoring line in the league- added two helpers. Chicago peppered beleagured Motors goaltender Henri Chasse with 59 shots.
New York 1 at 2 Toronto: First period goals from Lou Galbraith and Trevor Parker stood up as the Dukes handed slumping New York its fourth straight loss. Laurel Albers had the lone Shamrocks marker midway through the third period with Gordie Broadway bolting the door the rest of the way in the Dukes cage.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 14
Toronto 1 at 3 Boston: A long train ride overnight to Boston likely left the Dukes a little flat-footed in the early going as Robert Walker and Mickey Bedard scored in the first period to put the Bees up 2-0 in a game they would win by a 3-1 margin. Les Carlson gave Toronto hope in the second period but the Bees ice with an early third period powerplay marker off the stick of Tommy Hart.
Montreal 1 at 4 Chicago: First place was at stake as the Chicago Packers pulled even with Montreal for top spot after a 4-1 victory in which the Packers exploded for 3 games in the final stanza. Wes Burns, with his league-high 21st assist, was the only member of the Packers big trio to get on the scoresheet, bringing an end to brother Tommy Burns 12-game scoring streak. Ed Delarue, Jeremy MacLean, Jarrett McGlynn and Mike Van Tol were the Chicago marksmen with Leo Bernard the only Toronto goal scorer.
Detroit 3 at 1 New York: The battle to escape the basement went to New York as the host Shamrocks snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over a Detroit team that is 2-6-1 in its last 9 games and now has lost 3 straight. Jim Macek opened the scoring for Shamrocks midway through the first with Laurel Albers notching a powerplay marker in the second before Detroit's Doug Yeadon and the Greenshirts Sam Furr traded third period goals. It was the first of the season for the 35-year-old Yeadon, a member of a family with a rich tradition dating back to the creation of west coast loop, and one gets the feeling his days are numbered in Detroit.
UPCOMING REGULAR SEASON GAMES
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17
Detroit at Chicago
Boston at New York
SATURDAY DECEMBER 20
Boston at Montreal
Detroit at Toronto
SUNDAY DECEMBER 21
Detroit at Boston
Toronto at Chicago
Montreal at New York
PANTHERS TAKE OVER FED WEST LEAD
The defending Federal Basketball League champion Chicago Panthers have taken over top spot in the loop's West Division after knocking off Detroit 108-85 in the first meeting of the season between the two clubs. The 8-4 Panthers jumped out to a 34-20 lead in the opening quarter and cruised to victory at Lakeside Auditorium Saturday behind a 25-point effort from Richard Campbell and 20-points from Rich McEachern. The Mustangs, who finished with the worst record in the loop a year ago, got off to a quick start with five wins in their first six games but things have turned south since then as the Detroit quintet has lost 5 of its last six outings.
The Baltimore Barons continue to lead the East Division, but managed just a split of a home and home series with third place Buffalo last week. The Brawlers won a low scoring affair at the Buffalo Fieldhouse on Tuesday before the barons returned the favour with a 76-69 victory Saturday evening.
Things remain tight atop both divisions in the American Basketball Conference as the Eastern loop has not seen any team dominate in the early going. Daniel Prescott's powerful Brooklyn Red Caps organization has enjoyed plenty of success through the years and bottlers are a half game up on Boston in the East Division thanks to a 100-74 victory over the Centurions on Thursday evening. Ivory Mitchell -the pride of Cranford, NJ- had the hot hand on that night pouring in 25 points for the winners.
It was a rough week for the Richmond Clippers as the West Division leaders fell to both Pittsburgh and Rochester during a brief road swing. That allowed the defending league champion Washington Statesmen to creep a little closer with a pair of wins in three outings last week.
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FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT GB
Baltimore 10 2 .833 -
Philadelphia 8 4 .667 2.0
Buffalo 6 8 .385 5.5
Toronto 1 12 .083 9.0
WEST W L PCT GB
Chicago 8 4 .667 -
Detroit 6 6 .500 2.0
Cleveland 5 6 .455 2.5
Cincinnati 5 7 .417 3.0
SCORING LEADERS PPG
Danny Hendon, PHI 21.3
Richard Campbell, CHI 18.8
Lary Yim, BUF 18.8
Jack Hirst, BAL 17.8
David Reed, DET 17.6
George Kelley, CLE 16.9
Jamel Porter, TOR 16.8
Mike Trapp, TOR 16.5
Herb Hobbs, CLE 16.2
Jack Kurtz, DET 15.7
AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT GB[/b]
Brooklyn 9 6 .600 -
Boston 8 6 .571 0.5
Hartford 6 8 .429 2.5
New York 4 8 .333 3.5
WEST W L PCT GB
Richmond 8 6 .571 -
Washington 6 5 .545 1.0
Pittsburgh 8 7 .533 1.0
Rochester 5 8 .385 2.5
SCORING LEADERS PPG
James Phillips, HAR 19.9
Morgan Melcher, BOS 19.5
Ivory Mitchell, BKN 18.9
Augie Schleicher, PIT 18.9
Stewart Hurlburt, RIC 18.6
John Rodrigez, HAR 18.3
Gerald Carter, BOS 18.0
Norm Yates, RIC 17.9
Ivan Sisco, WAS 17.4
Max Lucia, PIT 17.1
[/code]
RISE OF THE WEST
It is certainly not a new trend that three of the top five schools and four of the top 12 in this week's AIAA college rankings come from the West Coast Athletics Association. A year ago six WCAA schols finished in the top twenty-five and each of those six were selected to be part of the 32-team tournament field. It used to be the Great Lakes Alliance and the old Northeast Conference that dominated the polls. The Northeast broke up and all the former members with the exception of Liberty College -which plays as an independent- have seen a drop-off. The GLA is still very much a power but one can argue the biggest growth in the sport is taking place out west.
The WCAA used to really just have two powerhouses -the Los Angeles based schools Coastal California and CCLA. From 1923 when the conference was formed until 1942-43 only one time did the Dolphins or Coytoes fail to win the league title. But then the northwest started to rise with Rainier College winning 3 straight WCAA titles and back to back National Titles. Now Lane State has joined the party as the Emeralds won the WCAA title last year for the first time since they disprupted the Los Angeles dominance with a win in 1928-29.
The WCAA scholls have enjoyed success on the national level because of the dramatic increase over the past decade in west coast players. The San Francisco Bay Area has become a hotbed for high school talent and throughout the league the coast section rosters are dominated by western kids. #2 ranked Rainier College is led by a pair of Washington state natives in Johnny Stockman and Rollie Golvan -both of whom are a big reason the Majestics are off to an 8-0 start and ranked second. CCLA is 6-0 and all but one of their players are from in-state including senior guard and top scorer Gerald Cheek. It is the same story throughout the conference and will likely only continue as a glance at the top 13 high school recruits includes four from California along with Portland, Or. center Doyt Durante. It is clear the coast clubs which have already combined for 31 trips to the Bigsby Garden for the National Semi-finals along with 8 national titles, will only become more powerful as we go forward.
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AIAA COLLEGIATE CAGE RANKINS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Western Iowa (46) 4-0 1773 1 Great Lakes Alliance
2. Rainier College (26) 8-0 1753 2 West Coast Athletic Association
3. CC Los Angeles 6-0 1607 4 West Coast Athletic Association
4. Whitney College 5-0 1593 3 Great Lakes Alliance
5. Coastal California 3-0 1509 5 West Coast Athletic Association
6. Great Plains State 8-0 1446 7 Indy
7. Carolina Poly 5-1 1351 8 South Atlantic Conference
8. Mississippi A&M 6-1 1262 10 Deep South Conference
9. Detroit City College 4-1 1131 6 Great Lakes Alliance
10. Western State 6-0 1119 15 Central Athletic Alliance
11. Chesapeake State 3-0 1041 13 South Atlantic Conference
12. Redwood 3-1 909 17 West Coast Athletic Association
13. Holland 4-0 883 14 Central Athletic Alliance
14. Lubbock State 8-1 867 19 Southwestern Alliance
15. North Carolina Tech 5-1 842 16 South Atlantic Conference
16. Indiana A&M 4-1 706 21 Great Lakes Alliance
17. Central Ohio 6-2 531 NR Great Lakes Alliance
18. Pittsburgh State 7-1 472 NR Indy
19. Northern Minnesota 8-1 425 NR Indy
20. Texas Gulf Coast 4-2 377 25 Southwestern Alliance
21. Johnston Tech 8-1 335 NR Indy
22. Noble Jones College 8-2 221 NR Deep South Conference
23. St Andrews College 5-1 218 NR Indy
24. Annapolis Maritime 5-1 156 NR Indy
25. Bayou State 3-2 152 NR Deep South Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Needham 6-1 145 Indy
Coastal State 5-1 129 South Atlantic Conference
Travis College 5-1 91 Southwestern Alliance
Lane State 5-2 74 West Coast Athletic Association
St. Ignatius 4-1 52 Great Lakes Alliance
Lambert College 7-2 49 Midwestern Association
Alabama Baptist 4-1 46 Deep South Conference
Northern California 3-1 34 West Coast Athletic Association
Centerville 3-1 28 Keystone Alliance
Brunswick 6-2 27 Academia Alliance
Darnell State 4-1 24 Southwestern Alliance
Wisconsin State 2-1 18 Great Lakes Alliance
MONDAY DECEMBER 8
at #24 Annapolis Maritime 58, Cleveland 34
at #2 Rainier College 53, St. Martin's College 34
at #21 Johnston Tech 43, Texas Panhandle 38
TUESDAY DECEMBER 9
#17 Central Ohio 53, at Bliss College 26
#16 Indiana A&M 54, at College of Cairo 46
#10 Western State 39, at Constitution State 28
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 10
at #2 Rainier College 54, NW New York State 39
#3 CC Los Angeles 51, at Lincoln 25
#19 Northern Minnesota 47, at College of San Diego 31
at #6 Great Plains State 43, Oklahoma City State 42
#18 Pittsburgh State 58, at Cumberland 54
THURSDAY DECEMBER 11
#10 Western State 53, at Allentown State 44
#25 Bayou State 51, at Payne State 43
FRIDAY DECEMBER 12
at #24 Annapolis Maritime 44, Fond du Lac 34
#14 Lubbock State 49, at #9 Detroit City College 44
#23 St Andrews College 36, at Mile High State 29
at #22 Noble Jones College 47, St. Patrick's 34
at #18 Pittsburgh State 46, Provo Tech 38
#19 Northern Minnesota 38, at San Francisco Tech 34
at #21 Johnston Tech 47, Spokane State 41
SATURDAY DECEMBER 13
at #11 Chesapeake State 40, Grange College 37
#12 Redwood 45, at Hartford Wesleyan 30
#25 Bayou State 57, at Wisconsin Catholic 50
SUNDAY DECEMBER 14
#20 Texas Gulf Coast 43, at Baton Rouge State 32
at #9 Detroit City College 41, Huntington State 38
at #22 Noble Jones College 53, College of Omaha 50
at #17 Central Ohio 55, Topeka State 44
at #6 Great Plains State 48, Northern Mississippi 34
#10 Western State 56, at Glover (GA) 47
at #19 Northern Minnesota 39, St. Magnus 37
at #23 St Andrews College 36, East Missouri Seminary 35
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/14/1947
- Republican leaders in Congress announced agreement on a four-point anti-inflationary program which they expect to pass before this session of Congress adjourns for the Christmas holidays. President Truman blasted the plan as inadequate and insisted his 10-point plan he gave Congress three weeks ago would do the job of curbing the rising cost of living.
- The administration submitted to Congress proposed legislation which would permit the rationing of meat, gasoline and other commodities.
- A House Armed Services Subcommittee warned that one or two atom bombs dropped in the San Francisco Bay area probably would be enough to "cripple, perhaps fatally, all American activities in the Pacific."
- Bitter clashes over the partition of Palestine continue into their second week as Britain reveals plans to surrender her Palestine mandate May 15, paving way for the Arab and Jewish states to come into being on June 1.
- A "no-quarter" economic war between the United States and Soviet Union for Europe appears a certainty as Britain and France look to Secretary of State Marshall to take in lead in ending a deadlocked conference of the Big Four Foreign Ministers.
- The Soviet government broke off trade talks with France and accused the French government of acts "hostile and contrary to the spirit of alliance and mutual assistance" between the two countries.
- Communist labor leaders gave every indication that they intend to defy a cabinet ultimatum ordering Frances 2 million strikers back on the job or feel the militant wrath of their government.
- Jeep-borne police riot squads, swinging clubs, charged surging crowds in the heart of strike-bound Rome, as throngs chanted the Communist anthem, "Red Flag."
- As the last American soldiers were withdrawn from Italy, President Truman warned that if that nation's freedom is threatened "directly or indirectly" the United States will consider "appropriate measures."
- Czechoslovakia obtained an agreement from Russia for grain as "part of a payment" for withdrawing from the Marshall plan.