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Tiger Fan · 08-22-2023, 01:29 PM

APRIL 19, 1948

SAILORS LOSE WESOLOWSKI FOR YEAR

The Philadelphia Sailors road to repeating as Continental Association flag winners just became an awful lot bumpier with news that pitcher Slick Wesolowski will need elbow surgery and will miss the entire season. The 28-year-old lefthander, who went 15-11 a year ago was injured in the club's final spring training game on Thursday. Diagnosed over the weekend as bone chips that will require removal, surgery was deemed the only option.

Losing the 28-year-old Wesolowski, who was second on the club in victories last season and made 30 starts, will leave a huge hole in the Sailors rotation although finding quality starting pitchers has always been a strength of the organizations. Win Lewis, who led the club in wins with a 17-12 record is back as is Al Duster, who went 11-12. That likely leaves John Thomas Johnson, Charlie Gordon, Art Hull and Bill Martino to try and fill out the remaining starts although there is a chance 26-year-old rookie Hoppy Johnson, who went 7-10 at AAA Richmond a year ago and was a 1943 first round pick, may step up to fill the void.

Wesolowski was a fifth round pick in 1938 who might have made his Sailors debut in 1943 had he not joined the Navy during the war, costing him 3 years of baseball. He returned prior to the 1946 season and, ranked as a top 20 prospect by OSA, went 11-3 with a 3.06 era in 15 starts as a rookie although he was limited to 15 starts that season due to a sprained ankle that sidelined him 3 months. He made 30 starts last season and went 15-11 with a 3.80 era.

TWIFB FEDERAL ASSOCIATION PRVIEW

The Federal Association flag race is always one full of suspense and usually includes several twists and turns. The St Louis Pioneers emerged out of nowhere in a rags to riches story that saw them climb from the cellar to the penthouse of the loop, unfurling their first flag since 1921. Can the Pioneers repeat like they did in 1920 & 1921, or will another team rise to the top? In our minds anyone of six teams could represent the Federal loop in the World Championship Series so as is often the case we expect a wild ride in the Fed this summer.

TWIFB FEDERAL ASSOCIATION PREDICTIONS

1- NEW YORK GOTHAMS: There is a lot that worries us about the Gothams, in particular how management might react if they happen to get off to a slow start. The three new pitchers they added over the winter should make New York the clear favourite but Lefty Allen, Buddy Adams and Joe Brown have all looked very rusty this spring. If they can perform up to expectations there is more than enough pitching, with Ed Bowman remaining the ace, and the offense can be overwhelming with newcomer George Cleaves joining Red Johnson and Walt Messer. There may be concerns about the outfield, especially center and perhaps a corner slot if Mahlon Strong spends significant time on the disabled list.

2- WASHINGTON EAGLES: The Eagles were the surprise winner a couple of years ago and rallied to finish second last year despite their pitching experiencing a real drop-off from the pennant winning season. Like New York they have plenty of offense with Rats McGonigle, Jesse Alvardo, Sig Stofer and vet Mel Carrol leading the way and if the Gothams stumble the Eagles may be back in the WCS.

3- PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES: After back to back pennants in '44 and '45 the Keystones have seen their record dip each of the past two seasons. There is no question they have the bats to keep up with the Fed leaders but beyond Lloyd Stevens the pitching is just not quite good enough.

4- DETROIT DYNAMOS: The Dynamos core is very young with a trio of 21-year-old in Edwin Hackberry, Carl Potter and Stan Kleminski joined by 25-year-old Del Johnson as the leaders. Detroit spent much of last season in second place before a late slump dropped them behind Washington. The Dynamos have a very bright future but will need a lot of breaks this year to contend. A more likely scenario is a struggle just to stay in the first division of a very deep Federal Association.

5- ST LOUIS PIONEERS: Perhaps we are not giving Danny Hern enough credit, but we just can't see the 31-year-old lefthander duplicating his Allen Award winning season from '47. Hal Hackney and Hiram Steinberg join Hern to give the Pioneers three great starters with youngsters Ralphie Spires and Dick Long - who won 14 games as a rookie last year- give the St Louis club a very bright future on the mound. The Fed will be a battle and with some breaks the Pioneers could easily repeat but we have to put the teams in some sort of an order, so the St Louis club falls to fifth.

6- CHICAGO CHIEFS: The retirement of Gus Goulding and the injury that will keep Al Miller out of the first month of the season was a factor in the decision to drop the Chiefs to 6th. Like we said about St Louis, if John Stallings can take the next step and young outfielders Billy Brown and Joe Rutherford have big years it would not be a huge surprise to see the Chiefs in the race when September hits.

7- BOSTON MINUTEMEN: Boston is an aging club that has some pieces set for the future but contending this season does not seem to be in the cards. In fact, we would place Harry Barrell, the 34-year-old future Hall of Fame shortstop- right at the top of the list of players most likely to be moved to a contender at the deadline.

8- PITTSBURGH MINERS: The Miners are in a full-scale rebuild after dealing George Cleaves and Lefty Allen to the Gothams over the winter. It might be a quick turnaround as the Miners do have some very good prospects in their farm system with 22-year-old middle infielder Irv Clifford leading the way. The worry for this season is the pitching staff looks like it might have trouble with some good AAA outfits, so it may be a long year in the Steel City.

Here is a look at the Federal Association.
1- New York Gothams: Big things are expected in the Big Apple, as the New York Gothams made huge offseason acquisitions, adding walk machine George Cleaves (.313, 9, 63) and ace Lefty Allen (12-13, 3.71, 89) from the Pittsburgh Miners in a huge offseason blockbuster. They then went to add veteran hurlers Joe Brown (13-13, 3.87, 86) and Buddy Long (16-16, 2.89, 95), completely rehauling a rotation that didn't have much behind ace Ed Bowman (18-10, 3.29, 129). Add in incumbents Red Johnson (.319, 43, 116), Walt Messer (.307, 23, 104), Mahlon Strong (.315, 15, 62), and Roosevelt Brewer (.287, 1, 58, 22) and you have a star-studded roster that seems set to secure their first pennant since the 1942 Gothams won it all. Someone to watch for the Gothams is Cecil LaBonte (.271, 2, 16, 8), the talented shortstop who they took 8th overall last summer. Top to bottom, this Gothams team looks like the best in the Fed, but the season is long and they'll need their veterans to stay sharp and healthy. For someone like Mahlon Strong, that's not even possible, but if he can play more then 85 games this season, I think the Gothams will be popping champaign come September.

2-Washington Eagles: Last year looked to be the Eagles year, but the defending Fed champs finished second to the worst-to-first Pioneers. I do think if the Eagles added one of the hurlers the Gothams picked up, they'd be the favorites, but the rotation has plenty of holes. Buckeye Smith (19-9, 2, 3.25, 107) just turned 25 and he's already one of the top young pitchers, but after him and Billy Riley (12-10, 3.69, 86) there are a lot of question marks. They have a somewhat interesting group of veterans who could be average, but the overall upside is limited. Luckily, the offense is as potent as any, from the "Harborcreek Hustler" (.355, 22, 113) and the "Ringer from Stringer" (.258, 25, 109, 18) to the "Hidalgo Kid" (.323, 32, 89, 30) and the "Boardwalk Bopper" (.255, 35, 110), there is no shortage of offensive excitement. Bob Coon (.293, 6, 43) and Paul Wilkerson (.293, 3, 48) have emerged as legit contributors and despite no bat, Jim Sibert (.187, 2, 26) is one of the slickest fielding shortstops. Whether they win the pennant or not, the Eagles will be in it all the way through, and while the window may be closing with a lack of top tier young talent, they are not a team to underestimate. This could lead to some urgency for 1948, and potentially a big blockbuster, but it's nice that the nation's capital can enjoy a quality baseball team again.

3- St. Louis Pioneers: I didn't buy the Pioneers last year, and I still don't buy them this year. Sure, pennants fly forever, but it's really hard to believe they were the most talented team last year. No one is going to make the mistake of looking over them this year, and while I don't have them atop the association, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they finish the season in first. Initially I expected them to be one of four title contenders, but I think they round out the top of the Fed. The 3-H's may be the best trio in the association (I'm biased, sue me! Can't say the league!), as reigning Allen winner Danny Hern (25-5, 2.78, 127), Hal Hackney (16-11, 3.95, 199), and Hiram Steinberg (19-9, 3.11, 82) could conceivably all win 20 games this year. But as good as they are, if any of them get hurt or regress, they could be in big trouble. Dick Long (14-8, 4.01, 104) was solid last season and should be the distant #4, but the rest of the bunch doesn't excite. And like the staff, the lineup is top heavy, as they'll have to lean heavily on Heinie Zimmer (.265, 8, 61), Larry Gregory (.295, 17, 101), and Al Tucker (.328, 13, 96). Don't expect much from Bill Freeman (.327, 4, 69), Ray Bates (.320, 3, 50), Zip Sullivan (.296, 3, 23), and Gary Carmichael (.250, 2, 27, 6), who all had well timed breakouts at second, first (Ray and Zip), and third. The depth may come back to bite them, but that's okay! They just won it all and have a legit superstar prospect, George Atkins (#5 prospect), who may quickly fill their largest hole in center. Luck was on their side last season, but sometimes lightning strikes twice, and St. Louis is a legit contender.

4-Philadelphia Keystones: A lot went wrong for the Keystones last season, as they spoiled a 221 WRC+, 12.1 WAR season from All-Universe outfielder Bobby Barrell (.356, 64, 143), and while I don't consider the Keystones legit contenders, any team with a player of Barrell's caliber can make plenty of noise. But like the Pioneers, the Keystones are very top heavy. Lloyd Stevens (22-7, 2.91, 97) is one of the game's best pitchers, but he's the only reliable arm in the rotation. Sure, Charlie Waddell (10-14, 4.43, 118) was a top 10 prospect and looks like he could be good, but it hasn't clicked yet. And yes, at one point Pepper Tuttle (6-12, 1, 5.17, 64) and Jim Whiteley (6-7, 4.06, 57) looked like reliable starters, but both ended last season in the pen. .Barrell has protection in the lineup with Hank Koblenz (.282, 50, 125), Roger Cleaves (.286, 29, 91), Billy Woytek (.272, 13, 61), and Davey Robicheaux (.282, 14, 42), but Cleaves is the only one who provides much on defense. That hurt the staff last season, and could continue in 1948. Even the normally steady Frank Davis (.229, 6, 47) struggled at short, and they didn't have much in center. You can never count out Bobby Barrell, and as he gets up there in years, the Keystones may move mortgage some of the future if they're still in it at the deadline. I think the top three are a bit too good at the moment, but there's plenty of reason to believe Bobby has another pennant run in him.

5-Detroit Dynamos: Very few teams boast both the quantity and quality on the big league roster that the Dynamos have, but they may be a season away from being a legit title contender. That's not to say they can't surprise, as reigning Kellogg winner Edwin Hackberry (.298, 20, 94, 11) burst onto the scene last year with a monster season and ace Carl Potter (14-13, 2, 3.06, 174) is already one of the league's premier strikeout pitchers at 21. Add in quality youngsters Del Johnson (.293, 5, 38, 10), Stan Kleminski (.268, 1, 41), Dick Estes (.272, 20, 82), Tommy Griffin (.273, 33), and Wally Hunter (6-5, 4.29, 47), and there are plenty of breakout eligible players. The Dynamos will be an interesting team to watch in the summer, as if they start strong they could look to add around veterans Dixie Lee (12-10, 3.44, 50), Bill Sohl (6-13, 1, 4.12, 80), and Sid Williams (.313, 13, 56, 13). Reversely, if they get off to a tough start that trio may find themselves on the block. to make room for some of their younger guys. 1949 may be the start of the Dynamos new core, which should keep them competitive in the 1950s.

6-Chicago Chiefs: At one point I thought the Chiefs would be one of the legit contenders to the pennant. But then Gus Goulding (15-11, 3.77, 88) decided missionary work was more important than baseball. And while that wasn't quite the nail in the coffin, losing ace Al Miller (17-14, 3.10, 120) for the first two months of the season might be. This puts a lot of pressure on veteran Charlie Bingham (14-15, 2, 4.11, 67), former #1 pick John Stallings (10-10, 3.45, 94), and offseason acquisition Mel Haynes (1-2, 2.62, 22). Haynes was one of many recent acquisitions as the Chiefs look to be competitive, adding Joe Rutherford (.211, 6, 29), Pete Casstevens (.253, 26, 76), Tim Hopkins (.255, 37, 127), Artie d'Alessandro (.278, 7 ,70), and Tommy Wilson (.251, 3, 52) to the lineup. There is plenty of talent on this team, and with a really bad team likely losing 100+ games, they could still finish above .500 even if they finish in 6th. I wouldn't write the Chiefs off, as their GM has done a good job with low cost acquisitions. One thing that will be different in the Windy City is no Ron Rattigan (.266, 12), who was moved to the Kings after being used only in a part-time roll last season. He spent 13 seasons with the Chiefs and hit an impressive .296/.378/.449 (131 OPS+) with 167 homers and 915 RBIs.

7-Boston Minutemen: Yes, the Chiefs were hit hard by pitching losses. But nothing compares to the Minutemen. Rotation stalwarts Ed Wood (8-15, 4.97, 41) and Dean Astle (11-6, 1.57, 41) both hung up the cleats after a disappointing 7th place finish -- the lowest they have finished since 1933. To avoid that this year, they'll need big seasons from Ray Dalpman (15-7, 3.37, 80), John Edwards (10-16, 4.02, 104) and Duke Hendricks (8-16, 1, 4.32, 90), although there is room for a young hurler to seize a rotation spot and blossom. Will that be top 30 prospect Alf Keeter? Or former 1st Rounder Andy Howell? Or someone completely off our radar or one with veteran experience? Johnny Harry (7-4, 11, 2.38, 34) did an excellent job stopping last season, and he could move to a full-time starting role despite being 33. Pitching is what will hold them back, as the lineup is very good. Billy Dalton (.297, 19, 79) and Harry Barrell (.307, 6, 57, 6) may both finish the season at 34, but they're still top players. Buddy Schneider (.276, 3, 59) has all the talent of his brother, but still hasn't quite put everything together. And corner outfielders Joe Watson (.293, 7, 69) and Pete Day (.285, 8, 58, 15) are still excellent towards the end of their careers. Even if this is a lost year for Boston, the future is very bright, as Yank Taylor (#6 prospect), Dick Helfand (#51 prospect), and Danny Taylor (#90 prospect) will form a deadly outfield and 19-year-old second basemen Marshall Thomas (#18 prospect) has star written all over him. It may be a long season in Beantown, but the Minutemen pride themselves on being part of pennant races, and they won't be sitting at the bottom for very long.

8-Pittsburgh Miners: The FABL pundits almost never agree on anything. But one thing we all believe is that the Pittsburgh Miners are going to finish in last. They lost 96 games with George Cleaves and Lefty Allen. Can you imagine how many they'd lose without them? That's what we get to find out this year, as Pittsburgh is rebuilding for the first time since the early 30s. The future is bright, as they rank 2nd in the farm rankings and have 10 of the top 100 prospects, but the big league roster won't be doing much. This opens up playing time for some journeymen vets and young guys, and they'll be allowed to fail on their feet. With little nailed down expect plenty of roster movement. The youth movement started last year, as highly touted youngsters Reid McLaughlin (.242, 4, 40, 7) and Ernie Rockey (.250, 1, 10) debuted last season. They seem to be the only "safe" guys, but I expect Dino Robinson (.280, 4, 36), who was part of the Cleaves/Allen blockbuster, will be playing regularly. I'm hoping at some point we also see Irv Clifford (#2 prospect) and Jim Flowers (#32 prospect), with a slight chance of seeing another piece of the blockbuster, Ernie Campbell (#23 prospect), patrolling the outfield. The staff is pieced together with uninspiring arms, but they may have something in Adam Grayson (0-12, 1, 6.68, 31), who was an All-Star in 1946. Billy Ligons (11-15, 4.12, 94) could be appealing to a contender in need of a durable innings eater and they have a trio of 25-year-olds (Dave Low, Charley Pierce, and Gene Madison) in the middle part of the top 500 prospect list who could get an extended look in the rotation. It's a new era of Miners baseball, and while the fans may not enjoy it now, the lean years may be what's needed to finally break their 47 year title drought.

MOTOR CITY HOPES PINNED ON DYNAMOS

It has not been a winter to remember for Detroit sports fans. Nothing seems to have gone right for the city's heroes. The grid Maroons got things started off with a terrible collapse down the stretch costing the club a shot at the American Football Association West Division crown. At the same time the ice Motors were sliding to the bottom of the NAHC standings and although they made a late charge Jack Connelly's boys failed to make the playoffs for the third time in the past four years and finished dead last in the six team loop for the first time in over a decade. The Federal Basketball League entry -the Mustangs- were riding high early in the cage season but a late collapse has Rollie Barrell's team looking like it will miss the playoffs for a second straight year.

Even the college ranks were affected by the general malaise that has overtaken the Detroit sports scene. True, the Detroit City College Knights did cap a perfect season with their second straight win in the East-West Classic but the excitement was quickly tempered with the disappointing news that St Blane, and not DCC, was crowned National Champions. The cage Knights suffered another early exit in the AIAA tournament after a disappointing 8-8 run in section play.

So all of that leads us to the Dynamos being our last hope for great success from a local outfit. There is much to be excited about as the Dynamos are a talented young ballclub with lots of upside potential. Edwin Hackberry and Wally Hunter are back to back Kellogg Award winners as the league's top rookie. Carl Potter and Stan Kleminski both display poise and talent far beyond their 21 years of age and there is more talent on the way. A title this year is likely far too much to ask, even as a reward for a city that has suffered the past years like Detroit has.

The last time the city of Detroit celebrated a pro sports title was in the spring of 1939 when the Motors won their first and only Challenge Cup title. The Maroons have been to title games since then but always seem to come up short and have not won an AFA crown since 1936 while the Dynamos frustrations stretch back even further...1929 was the last time Detroit was the best in FABL. There is plenty of optimism for the Dynamos but few are willing to even suggest a pennant is in the club's future this season. But it can't be any worse than what we have witnessed on the court, grid and ice over the past few months, can it?

GWL COMMENCES THIRD CAMPAIGN

The Great Western League threw out the opening pitching on its highly anticipated third season as a major league last week. There was plenty of controversy and much complaining from the magnates that own the 16 FABL ballclubs after the coast loop's San Francisco Hawks paid veteran catcher Woody Stone a record contract just shy of $100,000 for the upcoming season. As a result its comes as little surprise that all eyes were glued on the Bay Area when the Hawks opened their season with a 2-1 victory over Houston in their season opener.

There was plenty of attention focused on Stone, who has been through a whirlwind of a year: one that saw him lose his starting job as the Philadelphia Sailors in the second half of last season despite making his 5th all-star appearance earlier that summer. He then celebrated a World Championship Series victory with his teammates but spent most of the series glued to the dugout bench. Shortly after the Series the Sailors released him, feeling the money he demanded for 1948 was better spent in other ways. That set off a bidding war that included a few FABL ballclubs but quickly narrowed to three GWL teams with the Hawks winning out over Portland and Dallas but at a cost of $96,000 a year -more than any other player in the game has ever received for a season of baseball.

FABL magnates felt such lavish sums would surely be the end of the sport as we know it but both FABL and the GWL were still standing as Stone took the field on Wednesday in the GWL opener. He did not disappoint with an afternoon that included the game-winning home run - a 7th inning solo shot that proved the difference in a 2-1 San Francisco win over the Houston Bulls. Stone would finish the opening series batting just 2-for-10 but his Hawks took two of three from Houston and are nested nicely in second place trailing only Bay-Area rival and defending Bigsby Cup winning Oakland after the Grays started the season with 3 wins in 4 outings.

A sign of things to come? The Chicago Cougars finally won a pennant. It was only the Citrus League title but the Cougars were a dominant 27-9 in spring play, finishing 4 wins ahead of the Sailors and 5 up on the Keystones and Minutemen for the best spring mark.
The sting of the ice Shamrocks loss to Toronto in the Challenge Cup finals will wear off quickly in the Big Apple. Fans are excited as the Gothams, Stars and Kings all seem to be legitimate pennant contenders this season. So excited reports John Brinker of the New York Daily Mirror that a huge crowd greeted the Gothams train when it arrived from Florida last week. Fans have clearly been reading the press clippings around the league, many of which are calling for a Gothams pennant.
The Chicago Chiefs are set for Opening Day. The toughest cut was Angel Lopez. Veteran Red Ross will open the season as the 5th starter, and Lopez was sent to Fort Wayne so he could pitch regularly. There were rumblings that Bill May was losing his job in the Chiefs outfield. So the 35-year-old needed a good Spring to show, at the very least, that he wasn't dead yet. He delivered: .378/.446/.578 and led all spring batters with 12 extra base hits.
Leo Franks of Pittsbugh State was named an AIAA second team All-American in basketball last week. The name may be familiar to FABL scouts as Franks, a Sandusky, Oh., native was a highly touted high school baseball pitcher who was named #6 on a "Way to Early Mock Draft" in 1943 after completing his sophomore season at Sandusky High. He suffered a devastating arm injury that winter that forced him to give up baseball and concentrate fully on basketball.

DUKES WIN THREE STRAIGHT TO CLAIM CUP

The Toronto Dukes capped a Cinderella season going from the worst record in the league a year ago to Challenge Cup champions after they rallied with 3 straight victories to top the New York Shamrocks 4 games to two in the Cup final. The Cup win ends a two-year Boston hold on the chalice and is the third title in 5 years for the Dukes, who now have won the Cup 7 times -tied with Boston for the most all-time.

It was a most improbable Cup final as few, if any, expected Toronto and New York to be dueling after they duo upset the Boston Bees and Chicago Packers in the semi-finals. The Packers, who led pretty much wire to wire during the regular season, somehow were knocked off in 5 games by a Shamrocks team that finished fourth. The Dukes upset was only slightly less surprising as despite the Bees being without one of their top players in Tommy Hart, Toronto swept them with veteran backup goaltender Terry Russell filling in for Gordie Broadway who missed the entire playoffs with a viral infection.

Things looked bleak for new coach Jack Barrell and his charges after the Dukes fell behind the Shamrocks 2 games to one with a 6-0 shellacking in game three but Toronto quickly regrouped and evened the series with a 5-2 victory on Bigsby Garden ice in game four. Russell, who had surrendered 6 goals in each of the two previous losses and had many thinking he might not win another game, was outstanding and made 40 saves in a key bounce-back game. 32-year-old veteran Herb Burdette, who missed most of last season with an injury, continued to prove his worth to the Dukes with a goal and two assists to lead the offense.

Back in Toronto for game five it was Burdette who once more led the way, scoring twice and adding two helpers to key a 7-2 Toronto rout. Quinton Pollack, the top rookie a year ago in Brooklyn, also played a key role with a goal and 3 assists while Les Carlson scored twice in the Toronto victory.

With New York on the ropes the Dukes pulled out all the stops in game six and it took just 22 seconds for Alex Lavalliere to open the scoring with goal after a nifty three way passing play involving Pollack and Phillippe Dubois. Tommy Brescia evened the score for the Shamrocks early in the second period but Burdette was once more up to the challenge and restored the Dukes lead only 3 minutes later. Trevor Paker's shorthanded goal 6 minutes into the third period delivered a dagger to the hearts of Shamrock fans and made the score 3-1. Joe Martin got one back for the Greenshirts but Toronto dominated play in the final stanza and held on for a 3-2 victory before parading around the Bigsby Garden ice with the Challenge Cup.

WINNING STREAK HAS CRUSHERS ON CUSP OF PLAYOFF

The hottest team in the Federal Basketball League is the Cleveland Crushers and with a 6-game winning streak they may just sneak past the Detroit Mustangs and into the final playoff spot in the FBL's West Division. The Crushers picked up a crucial 83-75 victory over the Mustangs early in the week and followed that up with a surprising 90-73 road win at Lakeside Auditorium over the first place Chicago Panters. That win moves the Crushers a half game ahead of Detroit in the fight for the third and final playoff berth. The Crusher play in Cincinnati on Wednesday, but the playoff berth will quite likely come down to the result of the season ending game between Cleveland and the Mustangs in Detroit on Thursday.

The East Division is set with Philadelphia claiming top spot and a bye in the opening round as Baltimore will face Buffalo. The Chicago panthers get the bye in the West while Cincinnati will take on either Cleveland or Detroit.

The American Basketball League admits all 8 of its teams to the playoffs and the East Division matchups are set with first place Brooklyn set to face fourth place Hartford while New York will meet Boston. The slumping Boston Centurions finally snapped their 6-game losing streak with a win over Brooklyn last week. Washington and Richmond are assured first and second in the West and home court advantage for the opening round but Pittsburgh and Rochester are still battling it out for third and fourth place. The Falcons have a busy week with 3 games remaining including two against Richmond while the Rochester Rockets have their work cut out for them as they close out the season with a pair of games at home to Washington. The Statesmen, who won the league title last season, are riding a 13-game winning streak.

Code:


FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS
EAST          W  L   PCT   GB
Philadelphia 32 15  .681   -
Baltimore    26 20  .565   5.5
Buffalo      22 25  .468  10.0
Toronto      12 34  .261  19.5

WEST          W  L   PCT   GB
Chicago      32 15  .681   -
Cincinnati   22 24  .478   9.5
Cleveland    20 26  .435  11.5
Detroit      20 27  .426  12.0

SCORING LEADERS         PPG
Irvin Mudd, PHI        21.7
Larry Yim, BUF         20.4
Richard Campbell, CHI  20.0
Jamel Porter, TOR      19.1
David Reed, DET        18.2
Jack Kurtz, DET        17.9
Danny Hendon, PHI      16.6
Jack Hirst, BAL        16.2
George Kelley, CLE     15.8
Nestor Patterson, BAL  15.3

Code:


AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST          W  L   PCT   GB
Brooklyn     36 22  .621    -
New York     30 27  .526   5.5
Boston       27 30  .474   8.5
Hartford     22 35  .386  13.5

WEST          W  L   PCT   GB
Washington   47 11  .810    -
Richmond     26 32  .448  21.0
Pittsburgh   21 36  .368  25.5
Rochester    21 37  .362  26.0

SCORING LEADERS         PPG
James Phillips, HAR     19.6
Ivory Mitchell, BKN     19.4
John Rodrigez, HAR      18.9
Stewart Hurlburt, RIC   18.7
Morgan Melcher, BOS     18.7
Norm Yates, RIC         18.5
Ivan Sicsco, WAS        18.3
Charles Hooper, WAS     18.0
Terry Flowers, ROC      17.4
Augie Schleicher, PIT   17.4

MESSER WINS BARRETTE AWARD

College basketball handed out its awards last week and it comes as little surprise that Liberty College forward/center Ward Messer was named winner of the Barrette Award. The trophy, named after longtime Coastal California coach Art Barrette, is presented annually to the player judged to be the best in the AIAA. Messer, who's older brother Walt is an all-star outfielder for the New York Gothams, finished second in the nation in both points per game with an average of 16.2 and was third in rebounds per game with an average of 9.8.

The former Washington DC high school star at McKinley Tech, led the Bells to a 25-8 season and to the East Regional Finals of the AIAA tournament where they fell 56-50 to eventual national champion Redwood. Messer, who helped Liberty reach the national title game as both a sophomore and a junior, was named a first team All-American selection for the second straight year.

Joining Messer as first team All-Americans were seniors Lon Nissen of Whitney College, Charles Gunter of Lincoln and Kevin Francis of Brunswick as well as Carolina Poly junior Major Belk.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

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 4/18/1948

After 29-days the coal strike was settled after John Lewis won $100 monthly pensions for the members of the United Mine Workers but failed to save himself from an order to stand trial for contempt of court in defying return to work orders.
The House has approved more than $2 billion in additional funding to expand the Air Force.
President Truman renewed his demand for immediate enactment of anti-inflation controls, declaring that "the strength and vitality of our economy are being undermined by inflation."
Harold Stassen followed up a win in Wisconsin with victory in the Nebraska Republican presidential primary.
Allied intelligence reports say that the Russians have been increasing their strength in Germany, mostly with secret police units.
The Columbian government announced it has broken off relations with Soviet Russia in the wake of revolutionary riots that killed 300 persons, smashed at least 1,000 stores and ruined many of Bogota's proudest churches. Two Russians were among 13 foreign agents arrested in connection with the 3 days of devastation.
Brazil says it foiled a plot to duplicate the Columbian revolts in Rio De Janeiro, but not until after the explosion of an army arsenal that killed 23. Brazil says the target of the explosion was its War Minister, Gen. Canrobert Pereira da Costa, but he left the vicinity less than an hour before the blast.
Congress was warned an outbreak similar to that in Columbia was possible in the United States.
Jewish sources say 2,000 Jewish fighters have scored a "decisive victory" over the Arab volunteer army in Northern Palestine.

08-22-2023, 01:29 PM	#773
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,779	April 19, 1948 APRIL 19, 1948 SAILORS LOSE WESOLOWSKI FOR YEAR The Philadelphia Sailors road to repeating as Continental Association flag winners just became an awful lot bumpier with news that pitcher Slick Wesolowski will need elbow surgery and will miss the entire season. The 28-year-old lefthander, who went 15-11 a year ago was injured in the club's final spring training game on Thursday. Diagnosed over the weekend as bone chips that will require removal, surgery was deemed the only option. Losing the 28-year-old Wesolowski, who was second on the club in victories last season and made 30 starts, will leave a huge hole in the Sailors rotation although finding quality starting pitchers has always been a strength of the organizations. Win Lewis, who led the club in wins with a 17-12 record is back as is Al Duster, who went 11-12. That likely leaves John Thomas Johnson, Charlie Gordon, Art Hull and Bill Martino to try and fill out the remaining starts although there is a chance 26-year-old rookie Hoppy Johnson, who went 7-10 at AAA Richmond a year ago and was a 1943 first round pick, may step up to fill the void. Wesolowski was a fifth round pick in 1938 who might have made his Sailors debut in 1943 had he not joined the Navy during the war, costing him 3 years of baseball. He returned prior to the 1946 season and, ranked as a top 20 prospect by OSA, went 11-3 with a 3.06 era in 15 starts as a rookie although he was limited to 15 starts that season due to a sprained ankle that sidelined him 3 months. He made 30 starts last season and went 15-11 with a 3.80 era. TWIFB FEDERAL ASSOCIATION PRVIEW The Federal Association flag race is always one full of suspense and usually includes several twists and turns. The St Louis Pioneers emerged out of nowhere in a rags to riches story that saw them climb from the cellar to the penthouse of the loop, unfurling their first flag since 1921. Can the Pioneers repeat like they did in 1920 & 1921, or will another team rise to the top? In our minds anyone of six teams could represent the Federal loop in the World Championship Series so as is often the case we expect a wild ride in the Fed this summer. TWIFB FEDERAL ASSOCIATION PREDICTIONS 1- NEW YORK GOTHAMS: There is a lot that worries us about the Gothams, in particular how management might react if they happen to get off to a slow start. The three new pitchers they added over the winter should make New York the clear favourite but Lefty Allen, Buddy Adams and Joe Brown have all looked very rusty this spring. If they can perform up to expectations there is more than enough pitching, with Ed Bowman remaining the ace, and the offense can be overwhelming with newcomer George Cleaves joining Red Johnson and Walt Messer. There may be concerns about the outfield, especially center and perhaps a corner slot if Mahlon Strong spends significant time on the disabled list. 2- WASHINGTON EAGLES: The Eagles were the surprise winner a couple of years ago and rallied to finish second last year despite their pitching experiencing a real drop-off from the pennant winning season. Like New York they have plenty of offense with Rats McGonigle, Jesse Alvardo, Sig Stofer and vet Mel Carrol leading the way and if the Gothams stumble the Eagles may be back in the WCS. 3- PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONES: After back to back pennants in '44 and '45 the Keystones have seen their record dip each of the past two seasons. There is no question they have the bats to keep up with the Fed leaders but beyond Lloyd Stevens the pitching is just not quite good enough. 4- DETROIT DYNAMOS: The Dynamos core is very young with a trio of 21-year-old in Edwin Hackberry, Carl Potter and Stan Kleminski joined by 25-year-old Del Johnson as the leaders. Detroit spent much of last season in second place before a late slump dropped them behind Washington. The Dynamos have a very bright future but will need a lot of breaks this year to contend. A more likely scenario is a struggle just to stay in the first division of a very deep Federal Association. 5- ST LOUIS PIONEERS: Perhaps we are not giving Danny Hern enough credit, but we just can't see the 31-year-old lefthander duplicating his Allen Award winning season from '47. Hal Hackney and Hiram Steinberg join Hern to give the Pioneers three great starters with youngsters Ralphie Spires and Dick Long - who won 14 games as a rookie last year- give the St Louis club a very bright future on the mound. The Fed will be a battle and with some breaks the Pioneers could easily repeat but we have to put the teams in some sort of an order, so the St Louis club falls to fifth. 6- CHICAGO CHIEFS: The retirement of Gus Goulding and the injury that will keep Al Miller out of the first month of the season was a factor in the decision to drop the Chiefs to 6th. Like we said about St Louis, if John Stallings can take the next step and young outfielders Billy Brown and Joe Rutherford have big years it would not be a huge surprise to see the Chiefs in the race when September hits. 7- BOSTON MINUTEMEN: Boston is an aging club that has some pieces set for the future but contending this season does not seem to be in the cards. In fact, we would place Harry Barrell, the 34-year-old future Hall of Fame shortstop- right at the top of the list of players most likely to be moved to a contender at the deadline. 8- PITTSBURGH MINERS: The Miners are in a full-scale rebuild after dealing George Cleaves and Lefty Allen to the Gothams over the winter. It might be a quick turnaround as the Miners do have some very good prospects in their farm system with 22-year-old middle infielder Irv Clifford leading the way. The worry for this season is the pitching staff looks like it might have trouble with some good AAA outfits, so it may be a long year in the Steel City. Here is a look at the Federal Association. 1- New York Gothams: Big things are expected in the Big Apple, as the New York Gothams made huge offseason acquisitions, adding walk machine George Cleaves (.313, 9, 63) and ace Lefty Allen (12-13, 3.71, 89) from the Pittsburgh Miners in a huge offseason blockbuster. They then went to add veteran hurlers Joe Brown (13-13, 3.87, 86) and Buddy Long (16-16, 2.89, 95), completely rehauling a rotation that didn't have much behind ace Ed Bowman (18-10, 3.29, 129). Add in incumbents Red Johnson (.319, 43, 116), Walt Messer (.307, 23, 104), Mahlon Strong (.315, 15, 62), and Roosevelt Brewer (.287, 1, 58, 22) and you have a star-studded roster that seems set to secure their first pennant since the 1942 Gothams won it all. Someone to watch for the Gothams is Cecil LaBonte (.271, 2, 16, 8), the talented shortstop who they took 8th overall last summer. Top to bottom, this Gothams team looks like the best in the Fed, but the season is long and they'll need their veterans to stay sharp and healthy. For someone like Mahlon Strong, that's not even possible, but if he can play more then 85 games this season, I think the Gothams will be popping champaign come September. 2-Washington Eagles: Last year looked to be the Eagles year, but the defending Fed champs finished second to the worst-to-first Pioneers. I do think if the Eagles added one of the hurlers the Gothams picked up, they'd be the favorites, but the rotation has plenty of holes. Buckeye Smith (19-9, 2, 3.25, 107) just turned 25 and he's already one of the top young pitchers, but after him and Billy Riley (12-10, 3.69, 86) there are a lot of question marks. They have a somewhat interesting group of veterans who could be average, but the overall upside is limited. Luckily, the offense is as potent as any, from the "Harborcreek Hustler" (.355, 22, 113) and the "Ringer from Stringer" (.258, 25, 109, 18) to the "Hidalgo Kid" (.323, 32, 89, 30) and the "Boardwalk Bopper" (.255, 35, 110), there is no shortage of offensive excitement. Bob Coon (.293, 6, 43) and Paul Wilkerson (.293, 3, 48) have emerged as legit contributors and despite no bat, Jim Sibert (.187, 2, 26) is one of the slickest fielding shortstops. Whether they win the pennant or not, the Eagles will be in it all the way through, and while the window may be closing with a lack of top tier young talent, they are not a team to underestimate. This could lead to some urgency for 1948, and potentially a big blockbuster, but it's nice that the nation's capital can enjoy a quality baseball team again. 3- St. Louis Pioneers: I didn't buy the Pioneers last year, and I still don't buy them this year. Sure, pennants fly forever, but it's really hard to believe they were the most talented team last year. No one is going to make the mistake of looking over them this year, and while I don't have them atop the association, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they finish the season in first. Initially I expected them to be one of four title contenders, but I think they round out the top of the Fed. The 3-H's may be the best trio in the association (I'm biased, sue me! Can't say the league!), as reigning Allen winner Danny Hern (25-5, 2.78, 127), Hal Hackney (16-11, 3.95, 199), and Hiram Steinberg (19-9, 3.11, 82) could conceivably all win 20 games this year. But as good as they are, if any of them get hurt or regress, they could be in big trouble. Dick Long (14-8, 4.01, 104) was solid last season and should be the distant #4, but the rest of the bunch doesn't excite. And like the staff, the lineup is top heavy, as they'll have to lean heavily on Heinie Zimmer (.265, 8, 61), Larry Gregory (.295, 17, 101), and Al Tucker (.328, 13, 96). Don't expect much from Bill Freeman (.327, 4, 69), Ray Bates (.320, 3, 50), Zip Sullivan (.296, 3, 23), and Gary Carmichael (.250, 2, 27, 6), who all had well timed breakouts at second, first (Ray and Zip), and third. The depth may come back to bite them, but that's okay! They just won it all and have a legit superstar prospect, George Atkins (#5 prospect), who may quickly fill their largest hole in center. Luck was on their side last season, but sometimes lightning strikes twice, and St. Louis is a legit contender. 4-Philadelphia Keystones: A lot went wrong for the Keystones last season, as they spoiled a 221 WRC+, 12.1 WAR season from All-Universe outfielder Bobby Barrell (.356, 64, 143), and while I don't consider the Keystones legit contenders, any team with a player of Barrell's caliber can make plenty of noise. But like the Pioneers, the Keystones are very top heavy. Lloyd Stevens (22-7, 2.91, 97) is one of the game's best pitchers, but he's the only reliable arm in the rotation. Sure, Charlie Waddell (10-14, 4.43, 118) was a top 10 prospect and looks like he could be good, but it hasn't clicked yet. And yes, at one point Pepper Tuttle (6-12, 1, 5.17, 64) and Jim Whiteley (6-7, 4.06, 57) looked like reliable starters, but both ended last season in the pen. .Barrell has protection in the lineup with Hank Koblenz (.282, 50, 125), Roger Cleaves (.286, 29, 91), Billy Woytek (.272, 13, 61), and Davey Robicheaux (.282, 14, 42), but Cleaves is the only one who provides much on defense. That hurt the staff last season, and could continue in 1948. Even the normally steady Frank Davis (.229, 6, 47) struggled at short, and they didn't have much in center. You can never count out Bobby Barrell, and as he gets up there in years, the Keystones may move mortgage some of the future if they're still in it at the deadline. I think the top three are a bit too good at the moment, but there's plenty of reason to believe Bobby has another pennant run in him. 5-Detroit Dynamos: Very few teams boast both the quantity and quality on the big league roster that the Dynamos have, but they may be a season away from being a legit title contender. That's not to say they can't surprise, as reigning Kellogg winner Edwin Hackberry (.298, 20, 94, 11) burst onto the scene last year with a monster season and ace Carl Potter (14-13, 2, 3.06, 174) is already one of the league's premier strikeout pitchers at 21. Add in quality youngsters Del Johnson (.293, 5, 38, 10), Stan Kleminski (.268, 1, 41), Dick Estes (.272, 20, 82), Tommy Griffin (.273, 33), and Wally Hunter (6-5, 4.29, 47), and there are plenty of breakout eligible players. The Dynamos will be an interesting team to watch in the summer, as if they start strong they could look to add around veterans Dixie Lee (12-10, 3.44, 50), Bill Sohl (6-13, 1, 4.12, 80), and Sid Williams (.313, 13, 56, 13). Reversely, if they get off to a tough start that trio may find themselves on the block. to make room for some of their younger guys. 1949 may be the start of the Dynamos new core, which should keep them competitive in the 1950s. 6-Chicago Chiefs: At one point I thought the Chiefs would be one of the legit contenders to the pennant. But then Gus Goulding (15-11, 3.77, 88) decided missionary work was more important than baseball. And while that wasn't quite the nail in the coffin, losing ace Al Miller (17-14, 3.10, 120) for the first two months of the season might be. This puts a lot of pressure on veteran Charlie Bingham (14-15, 2, 4.11, 67), former #1 pick John Stallings (10-10, 3.45, 94), and offseason acquisition Mel Haynes (1-2, 2.62, 22). Haynes was one of many recent acquisitions as the Chiefs look to be competitive, adding Joe Rutherford (.211, 6, 29), Pete Casstevens (.253, 26, 76), Tim Hopkins (.255, 37, 127), Artie d'Alessandro (.278, 7 ,70), and Tommy Wilson (.251, 3, 52) to the lineup. There is plenty of talent on this team, and with a really bad team likely losing 100+ games, they could still finish above .500 even if they finish in 6th. I wouldn't write the Chiefs off, as their GM has done a good job with low cost acquisitions. One thing that will be different in the Windy City is no Ron Rattigan (.266, 12), who was moved to the Kings after being used only in a part-time roll last season. He spent 13 seasons with the Chiefs and hit an impressive .296/.378/.449 (131 OPS+) with 167 homers and 915 RBIs. 7-Boston Minutemen: Yes, the Chiefs were hit hard by pitching losses. But nothing compares to the Minutemen. Rotation stalwarts Ed Wood (8-15, 4.97, 41) and Dean Astle (11-6, 1.57, 41) both hung up the cleats after a disappointing 7th place finish -- the lowest they have finished since 1933. To avoid that this year, they'll need big seasons from Ray Dalpman (15-7, 3.37, 80), John Edwards (10-16, 4.02, 104) and Duke Hendricks (8-16, 1, 4.32, 90), although there is room for a young hurler to seize a rotation spot and blossom. Will that be top 30 prospect Alf Keeter? Or former 1st Rounder Andy Howell? Or someone completely off our radar or one with veteran experience? Johnny Harry (7-4, 11, 2.38, 34) did an excellent job stopping last season, and he could move to a full-time starting role despite being 33. Pitching is what will hold them back, as the lineup is very good. Billy Dalton (.297, 19, 79) and Harry Barrell (.307, 6, 57, 6) may both finish the season at 34, but they're still top players. Buddy Schneider (.276, 3, 59) has all the talent of his brother, but still hasn't quite put everything together. And corner outfielders Joe Watson (.293, 7, 69) and Pete Day (.285, 8, 58, 15) are still excellent towards the end of their careers. Even if this is a lost year for Boston, the future is very bright, as Yank Taylor (#6 prospect), Dick Helfand (#51 prospect), and Danny Taylor (#90 prospect) will form a deadly outfield and 19-year-old second basemen Marshall Thomas (#18 prospect) has star written all over him. It may be a long season in Beantown, but the Minutemen pride themselves on being part of pennant races, and they won't be sitting at the bottom for very long. 8-Pittsburgh Miners: The FABL pundits almost never agree on anything. But one thing we all believe is that the Pittsburgh Miners are going to finish in last. They lost 96 games with George Cleaves and Lefty Allen. Can you imagine how many they'd lose without them? That's what we get to find out this year, as Pittsburgh is rebuilding for the first time since the early 30s. The future is bright, as they rank 2nd in the farm rankings and have 10 of the top 100 prospects, but the big league roster won't be doing much. This opens up playing time for some journeymen vets and young guys, and they'll be allowed to fail on their feet. With little nailed down expect plenty of roster movement. The youth movement started last year, as highly touted youngsters Reid McLaughlin (.242, 4, 40, 7) and Ernie Rockey (.250, 1, 10) debuted last season. They seem to be the only "safe" guys, but I expect Dino Robinson (.280, 4, 36), who was part of the Cleaves/Allen blockbuster, will be playing regularly. I'm hoping at some point we also see Irv Clifford (#2 prospect) and Jim Flowers (#32 prospect), with a slight chance of seeing another piece of the blockbuster, Ernie Campbell (#23 prospect), patrolling the outfield. The staff is pieced together with uninspiring arms, but they may have something in Adam Grayson (0-12, 1, 6.68, 31), who was an All-Star in 1946. Billy Ligons (11-15, 4.12, 94) could be appealing to a contender in need of a durable innings eater and they have a trio of 25-year-olds (Dave Low, Charley Pierce, and Gene Madison) in the middle part of the top 500 prospect list who could get an extended look in the rotation. It's a new era of Miners baseball, and while the fans may not enjoy it now, the lean years may be what's needed to finally break their 47 year title drought. MOTOR CITY HOPES PINNED ON DYNAMOS It has not been a winter to remember for Detroit sports fans. Nothing seems to have gone right for the city's heroes. The grid Maroons got things started off with a terrible collapse down the stretch costing the club a shot at the American Football Association West Division crown. At the same time the ice Motors were sliding to the bottom of the NAHC standings and although they made a late charge Jack Connelly's boys failed to make the playoffs for the third time in the past four years and finished dead last in the six team loop for the first time in over a decade. The Federal Basketball League entry -the Mustangs- were riding high early in the cage season but a late collapse has Rollie Barrell's team looking like it will miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Even the college ranks were affected by the general malaise that has overtaken the Detroit sports scene. True, the Detroit City College Knights did cap a perfect season with their second straight win in the East-West Classic but the excitement was quickly tempered with the disappointing news that St Blane, and not DCC, was crowned National Champions. The cage Knights suffered another early exit in the AIAA tournament after a disappointing 8-8 run in section play. So all of that leads us to the Dynamos being our last hope for great success from a local outfit. There is much to be excited about as the Dynamos are a talented young ballclub with lots of upside potential. Edwin Hackberry and Wally Hunter are back to back Kellogg Award winners as the league's top rookie. Carl Potter and Stan Kleminski both display poise and talent far beyond their 21 years of age and there is more talent on the way. A title this year is likely far too much to ask, even as a reward for a city that has suffered the past years like Detroit has. The last time the city of Detroit celebrated a pro sports title was in the spring of 1939 when the Motors won their first and only Challenge Cup title. The Maroons have been to title games since then but always seem to come up short and have not won an AFA crown since 1936 while the Dynamos frustrations stretch back even further...1929 was the last time Detroit was the best in FABL. There is plenty of optimism for the Dynamos but few are willing to even suggest a pennant is in the club's future this season. But it can't be any worse than what we have witnessed on the court, grid and ice over the past few months, can it? GWL COMMENCES THIRD CAMPAIGN The Great Western League threw out the opening pitching on its highly anticipated third season as a major league last week. There was plenty of controversy and much complaining from the magnates that own the 16 FABL ballclubs after the coast loop's San Francisco Hawks paid veteran catcher Woody Stone a record contract just shy of $100,000 for the upcoming season. As a result its comes as little surprise that all eyes were glued on the Bay Area when the Hawks opened their season with a 2-1 victory over Houston in their season opener. There was plenty of attention focused on Stone, who has been through a whirlwind of a year: one that saw him lose his starting job as the Philadelphia Sailors in the second half of last season despite making his 5th all-star appearance earlier that summer. He then celebrated a World Championship Series victory with his teammates but spent most of the series glued to the dugout bench. Shortly after the Series the Sailors released him, feeling the money he demanded for 1948 was better spent in other ways. That set off a bidding war that included a few FABL ballclubs but quickly narrowed to three GWL teams with the Hawks winning out over Portland and Dallas but at a cost of $96,000 a year -more than any other player in the game has ever received for a season of baseball. FABL magnates felt such lavish sums would surely be the end of the sport as we know it but both FABL and the GWL were still standing as Stone took the field on Wednesday in the GWL opener. He did not disappoint with an afternoon that included the game-winning home run - a 7th inning solo shot that proved the difference in a 2-1 San Francisco win over the Houston Bulls. Stone would finish the opening series batting just 2-for-10 but his Hawks took two of three from Houston and are nested nicely in second place trailing only Bay-Area rival and defending Bigsby Cup winning Oakland after the Grays started the season with 3 wins in 4 outings. A sign of things to come? The Chicago Cougars finally won a pennant. It was only the Citrus League title but the Cougars were a dominant 27-9 in spring play, finishing 4 wins ahead of the Sailors and 5 up on the Keystones and Minutemen for the best spring mark. The sting of the ice Shamrocks loss to Toronto in the Challenge Cup finals will wear off quickly in the Big Apple. Fans are excited as the Gothams, Stars and Kings all seem to be legitimate pennant contenders this season. So excited reports John Brinker of the New York Daily Mirror that a huge crowd greeted the Gothams train when it arrived from Florida last week. Fans have clearly been reading the press clippings around the league, many of which are calling for a Gothams pennant. The Chicago Chiefs are set for Opening Day. The toughest cut was Angel Lopez. Veteran Red Ross will open the season as the 5th starter, and Lopez was sent to Fort Wayne so he could pitch regularly. There were rumblings that Bill May was losing his job in the Chiefs outfield. So the 35-year-old needed a good Spring to show, at the very least, that he wasn't dead yet. He delivered: .378/.446/.578 and led all spring batters with 12 extra base hits. Leo Franks of Pittsbugh State was named an AIAA second team All-American in basketball last week. The name may be familiar to FABL scouts as Franks, a Sandusky, Oh., native was a highly touted high school baseball pitcher who was named #6 on a "Way to Early Mock Draft" in 1943 after completing his sophomore season at Sandusky High. He suffered a devastating arm injury that winter that forced him to give up baseball and concentrate fully on basketball. DUKES WIN THREE STRAIGHT TO CLAIM CUP The Toronto Dukes capped a Cinderella season going from the worst record in the league a year ago to Challenge Cup champions after they rallied with 3 straight victories to top the New York Shamrocks 4 games to two in the Cup final. The Cup win ends a two-year Boston hold on the chalice and is the third title in 5 years for the Dukes, who now have won the Cup 7 times -tied with Boston for the most all-time. It was a most improbable Cup final as few, if any, expected Toronto and New York to be dueling after they duo upset the Boston Bees and Chicago Packers in the semi-finals. The Packers, who led pretty much wire to wire during the regular season, somehow were knocked off in 5 games by a Shamrocks team that finished fourth. The Dukes upset was only slightly less surprising as despite the Bees being without one of their top players in Tommy Hart, Toronto swept them with veteran backup goaltender Terry Russell filling in for Gordie Broadway who missed the entire playoffs with a viral infection. Things looked bleak for new coach Jack Barrell and his charges after the Dukes fell behind the Shamrocks 2 games to one with a 6-0 shellacking in game three but Toronto quickly regrouped and evened the series with a 5-2 victory on Bigsby Garden ice in game four. Russell, who had surrendered 6 goals in each of the two previous losses and had many thinking he might not win another game, was outstanding and made 40 saves in a key bounce-back game. 32-year-old veteran Herb Burdette, who missed most of last season with an injury, continued to prove his worth to the Dukes with a goal and two assists to lead the offense. Back in Toronto for game five it was Burdette who once more led the way, scoring twice and adding two helpers to key a 7-2 Toronto rout. Quinton Pollack, the top rookie a year ago in Brooklyn, also played a key role with a goal and 3 assists while Les Carlson scored twice in the Toronto victory. With New York on the ropes the Dukes pulled out all the stops in game six and it took just 22 seconds for Alex Lavalliere to open the scoring with goal after a nifty three way passing play involving Pollack and Phillippe Dubois. Tommy Brescia evened the score for the Shamrocks early in the second period but Burdette was once more up to the challenge and restored the Dukes lead only 3 minutes later. Trevor Paker's shorthanded goal 6 minutes into the third period delivered a dagger to the hearts of Shamrock fans and made the score 3-1. Joe Martin got one back for the Greenshirts but Toronto dominated play in the final stanza and held on for a 3-2 victory before parading around the Bigsby Garden ice with the Challenge Cup. WINNING STREAK HAS CRUSHERS ON CUSP OF PLAYOFF The hottest team in the Federal Basketball League is the Cleveland Crushers and with a 6-game winning streak they may just sneak past the Detroit Mustangs and into the final playoff spot in the FBL's West Division. The Crushers picked up a crucial 83-75 victory over the Mustangs early in the week and followed that up with a surprising 90-73 road win at Lakeside Auditorium over the first place Chicago Panters. That win moves the Crushers a half game ahead of Detroit in the fight for the third and final playoff berth. The Crusher play in Cincinnati on Wednesday, but the playoff berth will quite likely come down to the result of the season ending game between Cleveland and the Mustangs in Detroit on Thursday. The East Division is set with Philadelphia claiming top spot and a bye in the opening round as Baltimore will face Buffalo. The Chicago panthers get the bye in the West while Cincinnati will take on either Cleveland or Detroit. The American Basketball League admits all 8 of its teams to the playoffs and the East Division matchups are set with first place Brooklyn set to face fourth place Hartford while New York will meet Boston. The slumping Boston Centurions finally snapped their 6-game losing streak with a win over Brooklyn last week. Washington and Richmond are assured first and second in the West and home court advantage for the opening round but Pittsburgh and Rochester are still battling it out for third and fourth place. The Falcons have a busy week with 3 games remaining including two against Richmond while the Rochester Rockets have their work cut out for them as they close out the season with a pair of games at home to Washington. The Statesmen, who won the league title last season, are riding a 13-game winning streak. Code: FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS EAST W L PCT GB Philadelphia 32 15 .681 - Baltimore 26 20 .565 5.5 Buffalo 22 25 .468 10.0 Toronto 12 34 .261 19.5 WEST W L PCT GB Chicago 32 15 .681 - Cincinnati 22 24 .478 9.5 Cleveland 20 26 .435 11.5 Detroit 20 27 .426 12.0 SCORING LEADERS PPG Irvin Mudd, PHI 21.7 Larry Yim, BUF 20.4 Richard Campbell, CHI 20.0 Jamel Porter, TOR 19.1 David Reed, DET 18.2 Jack Kurtz, DET 17.9 Danny Hendon, PHI 16.6 Jack Hirst, BAL 16.2 George Kelley, CLE 15.8 Nestor Patterson, BAL 15.3 Code: AMERICAN BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS EAST W L PCT GB Brooklyn 36 22 .621 - New York 30 27 .526 5.5 Boston 27 30 .474 8.5 Hartford 22 35 .386 13.5 WEST W L PCT GB Washington 47 11 .810 - Richmond 26 32 .448 21.0 Pittsburgh 21 36 .368 25.5 Rochester 21 37 .362 26.0 SCORING LEADERS PPG James Phillips, HAR 19.6 Ivory Mitchell, BKN 19.4 John Rodrigez, HAR 18.9 Stewart Hurlburt, RIC 18.7 Morgan Melcher, BOS 18.7 Norm Yates, RIC 18.5 Ivan Sicsco, WAS 18.3 Charles Hooper, WAS 18.0 Terry Flowers, ROC 17.4 Augie Schleicher, PIT 17.4 MESSER WINS BARRETTE AWARD College basketball handed out its awards last week and it comes as little surprise that Liberty College forward/center Ward Messer was named winner of the Barrette Award. The trophy, named after longtime Coastal California coach Art Barrette, is presented annually to the player judged to be the best in the AIAA. Messer, who's older brother Walt is an all-star outfielder for the New York Gothams, finished second in the nation in both points per game with an average of 16.2 and was third in rebounds per game with an average of 9.8. The former Washington DC high school star at McKinley Tech, led the Bells to a 25-8 season and to the East Regional Finals of the AIAA tournament where they fell 56-50 to eventual national champion Redwood. Messer, who helped Liberty reach the national title game as both a sophomore and a junior, was named a first team All-American selection for the second straight year. Joining Messer as first team All-Americans were seniors Lon Nissen of Whitney College, Charles Gunter of Lincoln and Kevin Francis of Brunswick as well as Carolina Poly junior Major Belk. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS 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 4/18/1948 After 29-days the coal strike was settled after John Lewis won $100 monthly pensions for the members of the United Mine Workers but failed to save himself from an order to stand trial for contempt of court in defying return to work orders. The House has approved more than $2 billion in additional funding to expand the Air Force. President Truman renewed his demand for immediate enactment of anti-inflation controls, declaring that "the strength and vitality of our economy are being undermined by inflation." Harold Stassen followed up a win in Wisconsin with victory in the Nebraska Republican presidential primary. Allied intelligence reports say that the Russians have been increasing their strength in Germany, mostly with secret police units. The Columbian government announced it has broken off relations with Soviet Russia in the wake of revolutionary riots that killed 300 persons, smashed at least 1,000 stores and ruined many of Bogota's proudest churches. Two Russians were among 13 foreign agents arrested in connection with the 3 days of devastation. Brazil says it foiled a plot to duplicate the Columbian revolts in Rio De Janeiro, but not until after the explosion of an army arsenal that killed 23. Brazil says the target of the explosion was its War Minister, Gen. Canrobert Pereira da Costa, but he left the vicinity less than an hour before the blast. Congress was warned an outbreak similar to that in Columbia was possible in the United States. Jewish sources say 2,000 Jewish fighters have scored a "decisive victory" over the Arab volunteer army in Northern Palestine. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 08-22-2023 at 02:18 PM.