APRIL 5, 1948
KEYSTONES LOSE BROOKS FOR START OF SEASON
A week ago, it was the Chicago Chiefs losing a topflight pitcher when Al Miller went down with a bad back. Now the Philadelphia Keystones, a team that cannot afford to lose any pitching talent, learned that George M. Brooks will likely be out until mid-May with a sprained ankle. Brooks, the Keystones number two starter behind Lloyd Stevens, went 13-11 with a 3.68 era last season and the 35-year-old is 128-118 over his dozen years of big league ball, all with the Keystones.
Pitching was very thin for the Keystones a year ago as the club slumped to 6th place -its worst showing since 1939- and lacked any sort of consistency from its mound staff beyond Stevens and to a lesser degree Brooks. The good news is Brooks will likely just miss 3, maybe 4 starts but it will mean there will be added pressure on Charlie Waddell and Joe Quade to continue the solid pitching display each has showcased in spring action.
MINUTEMEN SPRING TRAINING UPDATE
Things are heating up in spring training as the Minutemen just finished a 5-1 week to put their spring record at 17-9. Manager Tom Steffen says he has been pleased with the work ethic of the club and acknowledges that he has some tough decisions to make in the next few weeks. That picture is getting a bit clearer as it looks as if Alf Keeter is going to secure one of the last two rotation spots as he keeps impressing Boston brass with every opportunity he has had this spring. That would mean the last spot in the rotation could come down to Andy Howell, Merton Myers or Al Love. It has been reported that Al Love will get a start in the rotation this week. As a group the pitching has been one of the strong points this spring. It will be interesting to see if this will carry over into the regular campaign.
Offensively the club is still looking for a backup catcher as both Jiggs Jackson and Jimmy Wolf continue to stay hot. First base on the other hand is still a black hole which may actually force Steffens hand and start the season with Art Spencer playing first which would open up another utility spot in the lineup and assuredly Hal Renard back to AAA and Dick Gill back to Philadelphia as he was a Rule V selection. Bob Donoghue’s future with the club is certainly on shaky ground, especially if he refuses a demotion. The Minutemen have a few weeks to figure it out and all of this is just speculation on Ol’ Doc’s part anyway.
The picture did get a bit clearer though as Boston trimmed the roster down by nine more players leaving 33 left in camp. Here is a list of transactions:
Optioned Players: C Mel Campbell AA, 2B Frenchy Garceau AAA, 2B Henry Warren AAA
Non-Roster Assignments: CF Dick Helfand AA, CF Wally Dorsey AA, SP Bob Wolf AAA, SP Dutch Day AAA
Rule V Releases: SP Paul Bunning Pittsburgh, SP Carl Fritz New York Stars
A few notes on the above. There was hope that Dick Helfand would make the club and he had plenty of chances this spring but just couldn’t find the barrel enough to stick. Wally Dorsey impressed earlier in camp but has since fallen off pace. As non-roster players it was easy enough to get both players down to a level that will give them a chance to play everyday. Frenchy Garceau had a great year in winter ball and was holding his own this spring. His future may be bright but right now there just isn’t a spot for him on the club. He had to be optioned to Columbus. Dutch Day was the organizational feel good story as he has been a loyal member of the organization for years. With two open rotation spots the hope of many was that Dutch could earn one of those spots. Unfortunately, Day’s spring has been especially brutal and it was clear that it wasn’t going to happen for him. He was sent down to Columbus and will hopefully provide some guidance and leadership to the young guys on that club. This leaves big time prospect Marshall Thomas as the only non-roster player left in camp.
The Brooklyn Kings get a little more serious in spring training and rip off 5 straight wins. SS Billy Bryant had a great week hitting 2 homer runs, one of two 1st inning shots the Kings hit off Deuce in a win over the Cannons 4-2. The other home run was by veteran 3B Hank Barnett.
The Kings are wondering if the pitcher Vic Carroll they are seeing this spring is real with his 11.7 K/9. Still walking a lot but the stopper role if he can maintain some of those K's is inviting. Carroll has a 0.90 ERA in 10 IP. Expect a lot of moves out of the Kings today as they trim down their spring camp roster. But they also grabbed 2 arms off of waivers that will likely get a quick look this week although with the 40-man roster bloated with pitchers expect some of those arms will be getting set adrift soon. Also it looks like GM DD Martin has won this battle on the immediate future of C Dan Smith. He is being optioned to AAA to start the season, but may remain in camp another week. Joining C Dan Smith heading down to the minors is 19 year old 3B Ken Newman. Newman hit 250 this spring and has a bright future, its just not quite right now.
In a late decision today the Kings elected to say goodbye to veteran pitcher Karl Weiss, who has been told he will not make the club. Weiss came over from Montreal in a trade last year and produced mixed results. The 33 year old hurler was was poor in his 10 starts overall last season but pitched well out of the bullpen. He was hoping to make a case for a bullpen arm this spring but the Kings are choosing to go in another direction. Weiss has a lifetime record of 67-66 with his 1 career save coming last year. His career ERA is 3.98. Speculation is he may land with a club in the Great Western League.
"Peanuts" Louden is in a battle for the last OF spot with John Beaver. Both have very good walk rates but Louden is the more versatile.
Starting a lot of younger players last week did not turn out so good for the Saints with a 0-6 week at spring training. One of the veterans, newcomer Pinky Pierce who arrived from Pittsburgh, looks very happy to be with the Saints with 4 of his 10 spring hits being homeruns. The combination of Pierce and Bert Lass battling for the leftfield job is starting to get somewhere... always good to create competition between two players I believe.
Slugginh prospect Hank Smith has been sent down making the battle for the first base job a two-horse race between Muarice Carter and Luke Weaver. Smith simply needs more time in AAA in the eyes of Saints brass. Minor league veteran Eric Fiore has also been sent down to AAA.
The battle for 2B still wide open. Bob Jennings had a what is hoped to only be a minor injury setback, while nobody between Eddie Logan, Bobo Falvey and Howard Rivers wants to take the lead in the battle for the starting job. It is a similar story in the outfield, where Bill Greene, Lass and Pierce are showing they can play. Sam Clay, second is clearly in the lead as backup/defense 4th player. Then come the rest of the group for another spot between Bill Elkins, Otis Parker, Ernie McCoy and Gig Taylor... one more week befor the big decision happens.
That decision might just involve a trade as the Saints, with a surplus of outfield depth are hoping to move someone -perhaps Otis Parker, Milt Bennett or Ernie McCoy in an effort to solve what appears to be a growing concern at second base.
KEYSTONES CAMP UPDATE
35-year-old RHP George Brooks sprained his ankle and will miss the first 2-3 weeks of the regular season. He is out until early May. But, the rest of the staff is pitching well and Sid Moulton (4.96 ERA, 3.20 FIP) will get another chance to make the rotation. One of the big surprises in camp, Joe Quade, continues to pitch well (1.50 ERA in 24 IP), so Moulton's path to a starting rotation spot will likely go through Pepper Tuttle (3.78 ERA in 16.2 IP) or Jim Whiteley (1.02 ERA in 17.2 IP).
Other surprises in Keystones camp are C Lou Bayer (13-for-38, 3 HR, 10 RBI), who is battling with Chet McCormick to back up Roger Cleaves. 1B Hans Wright (.296-2-5, .949 OPS) has pushed fellow first-sacker Nate Power, who is finally coming around with a 6-for-10 week to move his Spring average to .314. Veteran outfielder Chuck Hood (.326 AVG, .431 OBP) and waiver pick-up Gordon McCarley (1.077 OPS, 7 RBI, 10 BB, 2 SB) are making their case to make the 24-man roster. The two outfielders who have the most to lose here are Wilbur Zimmerman (6-for-42) and Joe Burns (.222/.271/.267 in 45 AB).
The Wedge Report --How quickly fortunes can change. In this case for the positive for most New York sports fans. Just a short time ago the Gothams were coming off a disappointing season, the Knights were in the midst of a 10 game losing streak and mired in last place, the same position as the ice hockey Shamrocks.
Now the Gothams have made a series of bold moves and are favorites to take the FA title in the upcoming 1948 season. Sure there are nagging concerns about the veteran pitchers this spring, but I'm here to tell you that's nothing to worry about. Vets know their routines and are only concerned with getting their arms ready for the games that count.
On the hardcourt the Knights have been on fire since their long drought and have moved into a tie for second, four back from the leaders with 9 games to play. Quite a turnaround.
Speaking of which, those last place Shamrocks eventually edge their way into a playoff spot and now find themselves in a best of 7 series with Toronto for the league championship. Ice hockey fans are besides themselves as the recently lowly Shamrocks may have found a four leaf clover at just the right time.
And suddenly the New York sports world is a much brighter place for their fans.
- Any truth to rumours circulating around the NAHC that the Chicago Packers players were replaced by Chicago Cougars for their playoff series with New York? Looks like the Cougars are not the only Windy City outfit that can't seem to close the deal. Hockey's Packers were the dominant team in the NAHC this year and seemed a solid bet to win their first ever Challenge Cup, but the Packers pulled a Cougars-type move and came up short despite lofty expectations, falling to the 4th place New York Shamrocks in the opening round of the Challenge Cup playoffs.
- What on earth is going on with those veteran hurlers in Gotham? Lefty Allen and Buddy Long both with spring ERA’s over 6! Joe Brown's is high too. And with a vet catcher like Cleaves. New York columnist Red Wedge says the club is expecting a return to norm when it matters.
- Veteran Joe Herman's bid to stick with the Detroit Dynamos has hit a snag. The 32-year-old 1B/OF had a rough season last year and was close to being released over the winter but the Dynamos invited him to camp and he has played very well. Unfortunately, Herman hurt his elbow last week and will head to the injured list instead of the Dynamos 24-man roster. He is likely out until mid-May.
SHAMROCKS WIN GAME FIVE, DUKES SWEEP IN SHOCKING SEMIS
The Challenge Cup playoffs were thrown for a bit of a loop when the third place Toronto Dukes swept the second place Boston Bees in their semi-final series, but it came as a complete shock that the Dukes will face the New York Shamrocks in the finals after the Shamrocks rallied to knock off the mighty Chicago Packers in five games.
This final will mark the first time that the Dukes and Shamrocks have ever met with the Challenge Cup on the line. Toronto has won 6 Cups and been to the finals three times in the previous 5 years, while the Shamrocks had not reached the finals since 1935-36 and have not won a Cup since 1932.
The Dukes had little trouble in their series with a short-staffed Boston Bees squad. Toronto took the series opener 2-1 a little over a week ago and followed that up with a second straight road win in doubling Boston 4-2 last Monday. The Dukes broke the game open with three third period goals to make a winner for the second straight game out of backup goaltender Terry Russell. Russell, filling in for Gordie Broadway who it was later revealed is battling a flu virus, completed the sweep with a 4-1 win on Dominion Gardens ice Wednesday. Bobbie Sauer continued his hot play with a goal and an assist as the Toronto captain scored in each game and had 4 goals in the series.
The Toronto win was a mild upset, perhaps even less so when you consider one of Boston's best players in first line winger Tommy Hart missed the series, as did center Robert Walker and defenseman Willis Beane although the Dukes were missing players as well including goaltender Broadway and rookie scoring sensation Lou Galbraith.
The big upset was New York's surprising victory over the Chicago Packers - a team that finished the regular season with 19 more points than the Shamrocks and was led by the most dangerous first line in the league. The series opener was a 4-0 Packers victory and it looked like they would have an easy time of things but New York shocked a Lakeside Auditorium crowd of 17,329 with a 4-3 victory in game two to even the series. Orval Cabbell scored twice to pace the New York attack as the Shamrocks put 4 goals past Packer goaltender Norm Hanson despite doubled in shots by a 32-16 margin.
The series shifted to New York for the third game and the Packers regained control with a convincing 5-2 victory behind a solid performance from their big line. Marty Mahoney and Tommy Burns each had a goal and an assist while Wes Burns earned a pair of helpers. Despite being on the brink of elimination the Shamrocks did not fold as Etienne Tremblay and Norm Hanson hooked up in a goaltender's duel. Scoreless at the end of regulation with Chicago outshooting New York 28-24, it took just 2:08 of overtime for the Shamrocks to prolong their season and force a decisive 5th game. Laurel Albers was the hero, scoring the game's only goal with assists to Orval Cabbell and Jocko Gregg to send the series back to the Windy City.
The visting Shamrocks, clearly on a high to have pushed Chicago to the brink, came out blazing in the opening period of game five. The visitors outshot Chicago 15-8 in the opening stanza but neither side could score. Midway through the second period Orval Cabbell staked the Shamrocks to the lead and 8 minutes into the third Jocko Gregg made it 2-0. Chicago, showing no quit, finally beat Tremblay when Moose Vezina lit the lamp just over two minutes later but late goals from Cabbell and Tommy Brescia completed the shocking series upset with a 4-1 New York win. A capacity crowd of 17,329 filed quietly out of Lakeside Auditorium in complete shock, as their Packers took a page out of the Chicago Cougars playbook and fell short despite lofty expectations of the city claiming its first-ever Challenge Cup victory. That will have to wait at least another year as the surprising final will pit the 4th place Shamrocks against the third place Toronto Dukes.
DUKES ADVANCE TO NAHC FINAL
The Toronto Dukes advanced to league final in a surprising sweep of the Boston Bees. After taking the Saturday night 2-1 the Dukes took the second game at Denny Arena 4-2 on Monday night. The game entered the third period with the visitors down 2-1 thanks to 2 goals by Waldemar Rupp in another fast paced game. Captain Bobby Sauer's second goal of the game, third of the series knotted the score less than a half minute into the period. To that point the Bs had outshot the Dukes 30-18 but again Russell was outstanding in the Dukes crease. After Sauer's marker the Dukes seemed to find another gear both offensively along with in their own zone. Kurt Walz gave Toronto the lead at the 6:04 mark of the third followed by Alex Lavalliere at 10:06. Then it was "Kitty bar the door" as the Dukes checked the Bs into submission to take the game 4-2. Terry Russell turned away 34 in the Dukes net.
Two nights later at Dominion Gardens the Dukes completed the improbable sweep of Boston in front of 14972 onlookers. After a scoreless first the home squad erupted for 3 in the second by Lumsen, Pollack, Sauer with only one reply from Boston's Simpson. Sauer's 4th of the series seem to deflate the Bs as it was scored with just 3 seconds remaining in the stanza. Boston tried to mount a comeback in the third but again Terry Russell stood tall in the Toronto cage for the third straight game. Russell made 28 saves in the game for a total of 89 in the series. Les Carlson scored an empty netter to salt away the series with a 4-1 score.
Toronto fans are in a state of semi-shock at the upset over Boston. Jack Barrell is already devising a plan to shut down the Shamrocks 3-head monster Cabell, Albers, Gregg. after going 5-6-1 against NY in the regular season. Sid Beam is ready to return after missing the season due an eye injury but will not dress in the final. Lou Galbraith is recovery amazing quickly from knee surgery, there is a chance he could be back late in the series.
AIAA CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE A WEST COAST AFFAIR
The West Coast Athletic Association will be assured of winning the AIAA tournament championship after section members CC Los Angeles and Redwood University each won on Saturday to advance to tonight's title game. It marks the second time in the 39 year history of the tournament that a pair of WCAA clubs reached the finals, following up on the 1939-40 title game when Rainier College beat Lane State.
CC Los Angeles will be looking to become the first school to win 5 AIAA basketball tournaments after the Dolphins, led by 23 points from senior guard Gerald Cheek, beat Alabama Baptist 58-50 in Saturday's opening semi-final at Bigsby Garden. The Panthers dominated the opening 20-minutes and led 35-25 with 16 minutes left in the second half before the Dolphins took over and outscored the Panthers 33-15 down the stretch.
Redwood University, which won its very first WCAA conference title this year after going 12-2 in section play and 28-5 overall, was in a back and forth battle with Southwest Alliance champion Texas Gulf Coast all game before finally pulling out a 58-56 victory. A pair of juniors paced the Mammoths with Punch Perez scoring 15 points while Timmy Adams added 14. Senior Dusty Cardin led the way for the Hurricanes with a 14 point effort.
It will be the second meeting of the season between the Coyotes and the Mammoths. CC Los Angeles won the first meeting in early February by a 58-50 score, snapping a 7-game winning streak for Redwood, which lost just twice in conference play. Both losses came in Los Angeles as they fell 65-56 to Coastal California on March 5 but have won 6 in a row since then including tournament wins over University of New Jersey, Brunswick, Liberty College and most recently the Hurricanes.
BARONS CLOSE GAP ON PHANTOMS
The Baltimore Barons remained alive in their quest for first place in the Federal Basketball League's East Division but have little margin for error. The Barons beat Toronto twice last week while the first place Philadelphia Phantoms dropped a pair of games to the Buffalo Brawlers allowing Baltimore to close to within 3.5 games of first place. The Barons have seven games remaining in their season including 3 against the Phantoms, who have six left on their docket. At stake is home court advantage in the early playoff rounds as both are assured of post-season play since the Federal loop admits the top three clubs in each division.
The Chicago Panthers have long since clinched top spot in the west but there is going to be an interesting stretch battle between Cincinnati, Detroit and Cleveland for the other two western post-season berths. The Cyclones and Crushers each have 5 games remaining to play while the Detroit Mustangs, who missed the playoffs last year, have 7 games left but all 7 are on the road including trips to both Cincinnati and Cleveland. The Mustangs will have to try to make the playoffs without their point guard Israel Slusher, who will miss at least six of the final seven with a sprained knee.
Code:
FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT GB
Philadelphia 29 13 .690 -
Baltimore 25 16 .610 3.5
Buffalo 20 23 .465 9.5
Toronto 9 33 .214 20.0
WEST W L PCT GB
Chicago 31 12 .721 -
Cincinnati 20 23 .465 11.0
Detroit 18 23 .439 12.0
Cleveland 17 26 .395 14.0
SCORING LEADERS PPG
Irvin Mudd, PHI 21.5
Richard Campbell, CHI 20.0
Larry Yim, BUF 20.0
Jamel Porter, TOR 19.2
David Reed, DET 18.0
Jack Kurtz, DET 17.7
Danny Hendon, PHI 16.7
Jack Hirst, BAL 16.4
George Kelley, CLE 16.0
Nestor Patterson, BAL 15.7
RED CAPS GAIN SOME BREATHING ROOM
The Brooklyn Red Caps beat the New York Knights in convincing fashion last night, claiming a 92-57 victory and at least temporarily slowing the Knights charge up the American Basketball Conference East Division standings. The win snaps a 3-game winning streak that saw the New Yorkers beat Brooklyn once and Boston twice and now leaves the Centurions and Knights each 4.5 games back of the front-running Red Caps. There are still three weeks to play in the ABC schedule and all four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs but finishing first ensures a team of home court advantage through to the finals. The West Division has turned into a route as the Washington Statesmen continue their quest for a second straight league title. The Statesemen have clinched the West Division title after beating Pittsburgh twice last week.
Code:
AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT GB
Brooklyn 31 21 .596 -
Boston 26 25 .510 4.5
New York 26 25 .510 4.5
Hartford 22 33 .407 10.0
WEST W L PCT GB
Washington 40 11 .784 -
Richmond 26 27 .491 15.0
Pittsburgh 18 32 .360 21.5
Rochester 17 33 .340 22.5
SCORING LEADERS PPG
James Phillips, HAR 20.0
Ivory Mitchell, BKN 19.2
Morgan Melcher, BOS 19.1
Stewart Hurlburt, RIC 19.0
John Rodrigez, HAR 18.7
Norm Yates, RIC 18.4
Charles Hooper, WAS 18.0
Ivan Sicsco, WAS 17.8
Terry Flowers, ROC 17.2
Gerald Carter, BOS 16.8
CALIFORNIA CHAMP DQ'D AGAINST TOP CANADIAN
Dan Miller, who fought and lost to Hector Sawyer for the World Heavyweight Championship at Santa Ana Stadium in January before the largest crowd ever to witness a professional fight, has lost for the second time in less than two months, falling to Canadian champ Daniel Huot. The Oakland fighter was disqualified for repeated flagrant violations and handed the loss by referee James Duncan -who really had no choice in the matter- despite the fact Huot spent nearly as much time on the ground as he did on his feet.
Miller knocked down the Montreal fighter 6 times before the bout was stopped in the 9th round when Miller, who had already been docked points twice and cautioned 3 times, before Duncan disqualified him for holding and hitting one last time. Miller had no comments after the bout but it was clear he could have won easily had he not resorted to multiple violations. Despite the outcome, Miller does remain in the latest rankings of the top fighters in each weight category.
One fighter who fell out of the list is Carl Taylor, after the welterweight who twice had title shots but lost each time, was defeated in a split decision last week by Willis May. It is Taylor's third straight loss beginning with the title defeat at the hands of Harold Stephens last August and continuing with a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of former champ Mark Westlake in January.
Here are the latest TWIFB boxing rankings:
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Apr 5 -Waterbury Ct: former WW champ John Edmonds (23-3) vs John Moore (13-13-1)
- Apr 24- Denny Arena, Boston: World WW champ Harold Stephens (21-3-2) defends his title against Mac Erickson (16-0)
- Apr 24- Denny Arena, undercard: HW Cannon Cooper (23-3-1) vs Roy Madison (10-5-2)
- Apr 28- San Francisco: WW Ira Mitchell (19-2) vs Joe Simpson (7-5-1)
- Apr 29- Philadelphia Keystone Arena: HW Scott Baker (16-3-2) vs Chris Sullivan (19-6-4)
- Apr 29- Atlantic City: WW Rudy Perry (25-4-1) vs Greg Wall (4-4-1)
- June 12 - Gothams Stadium: World HW champ Hector Sawyer (57-3-1) defends his title against Steve Case (19-1-2)
- Jul 10 - Sailors Memorial: World MW champ Frank Melanson (33-1-2) defends his title against Edouard Desmarais (40-1)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 4/04/1948
- Coal Union boss John Lewis ignored a subpoena to appear before President Truman's Board of Inquiry into the coal strike. He eventually agreed but so far has not responded to a Court Order demanding the striking miners return to work.
- The House added Spain to the list of countries eligible for the European Recovery Program -the first major change in the $6.2 billion foreign aid bill. Two days later Spain was removed after President Truman "utterly opposed" the inclusion of Sapin.
- As the week came to an end the House approved the foreign aid bill with the Senate expected to approve it quickly.
- The House also passed the $4.8 billion tax cut bill over President Truman's veto, by a vote of 311-to-88. It also goes to the Senate.
- The chief United States delegate to the UN is set to ask the world body to order a truce in Palestine after 40 more were killed when a train was blown up.
- Russia moved to block access to Berlin from the west by train, but the United States and Britain quickly reopened the route as the political games over control of the German city continue to escalate.
- General Eisenhower will stick to his position of political non-availability in spite of proposals made by two sons of FDR that he become a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.