[Tiger Fan]

OCTOBER 4, 1948

REMATCH!

Pioneers and Sailors Ready For WCS Repeat

Whatever slim hopes the New York Gothams and Chicago Cougars might have had of sneaking into the World Championship Series a week ago were dashed quickly as the St Louis Pioneers and Philadelphia Sailors each held off the challengers to win pennants for the second consecutive season.

The Pioneers entered the week with a 3.5 game lead on the second place New York Gothams as they prepared for a 3-game series in the Big Apple. Three days later the Pioneers were celebrating a sweep and the Gothams and their high-priced payroll of veteran talent were left wondering what went wrong?

The answer to that question was clearly the 3-H club as the trio of Pioneers pitching shut the might Gothams bats down. In the opener Hal Hackney went head-to-head against the best the Gothams have to offer in Ed Bowman and Hackney put an end to debate of who the Allen Award should go to with a masterful 4-hit complete game in a 4-1 St Louis victory that left the Pioneers within one win of a second straight Federal Association flag.

That win came the next day as Danny Hern -the 1947 Allen Award winner who was hampered by injury this season- did enough to beat Buddy Long and the Gothams 4-3 and clinch the crown. A day later Hiram Steinberg put an exclamation point on the pennant with complete game shutout in a 2-0 Pioneers victory.

Meanwhile in the Continental Association the hard-luck Chicago Cougars entered the day just 2-games back of the front-running Philadelphia Sailors. The day ended with the gap at 3 games after the Sailors, keyed by a 4-rbi effort from Marion Boismenu and solid pitching from Al Duster, thumped Toronto 8-0 while in Chicago the Cougars fell apart, losing 11-1 to Brooklyn in one of Pete Papenfus' worst outings of the season after he had been so good the previous 4 starts in helping the Cougars get back into contention.

There was some hope in the Windy City the next day when the Cougars beat Brooklyn while the Sailors were shutout in Toronto, moving the gap back to two games with 3 to play for each club. The Sailors stumbled in Toronto again on Thursday, falling 3-2 but the Cougars failed to take advantage of their opportunity as their old nemesis, one-run losses- reared its ugly head once more in a 3-2 loss in which the Kings got the game winner in the 9th inning. The Sailors then clinched the pennant with a win over Cleveland on Friday, starting yet another off-season of frustration and second guessing for the Windy City Kitties.

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My World Championship Series Prediction...more of the same.

Last season these two clubs met for the World Series and the pitching dominate St. Louis Pioneers won in 6 games. So what has changed, not much. While the Sailors have had another fine season, the pitching just doesn't match up with Pioneers so I don't expect the outcome to be any different (which is likely why it will be). I don't expect the series to return to Philadelphia for the last 2 games so that means Pioneers in 5.

OTHER WCS FORECASTS

Jiggs McGee, TWIFB: The Pioneers pitching is just too strong, especially now that you can add Dick Long to a mix that already features the 3-H club. I always seem to take the Sailors lightly but I just can't see them winning this series and expect a repeat of a year ago when the Pioneers beat Philadelphia in 6 games.

Archie Irwin- Chicago Daily News: Pioneers in five. While the Sailors took advantage of a Stars collapse and the Cougars seemingly never getting going, the Pioneers battled all season long in a dog fight for the Fed crown. All you need in the playoffs is three pitchers, and St. Louis' top there is as good as it gets. The Sailors will struggle to score in what may be a quick series, and even if they can keep the Fed Champs off the board most of the game, Larry Gregory and Al Tucker will eventually come through

Leland Kuenster - Chicago Herald-Examiner: Pioneers in five.

John Brinker - New York Daily Mirror: I like the Pioneers in 5, maybe 6. And yes, I agree we all underestimate the Sailors. I try not to, because their front office does such a solid job to keep them in contention, but teams like the Cougars & Stars have the star power so they get the attention.

JOY IN MONTREAL - SAINTS REACH .500

You would think they won the World Championship Series the way they were celebrating in the streets outside of Parc Cartier yesterday. This had to be the greatest sporting weekend not involving the Montreal Valiants the city has ever seen as the Saints won their final 4 games of the season to end an 18-year run of finishing below .500. Plus it happened on the day after local boxing hero Adrian Petrie shocked the boxing world and great Edouard Desmarais to win the world middleweight title in a controversial decision at the Montreal Arena.

There will be a lot of second-guessing some questionable judging in the Petrie win, but the Saints week has no such shadow hanging over it as the club finished strong. There was little thought at this time last Monday of a .500 season. Far from it as the Saints entered the week with a 75-79 record after a 3-game losing skid had dropped the club's record to 73-77 and derailed nearly all talk of a breakeven season.

Somehow, some way the Saints won all four games- dumping the sliding New York Stars by 8-0 and 5-2 scores before a 10-5 victory over Brooklyn Saturday set the stage for the Sunday miracle. A game in which the Saints scored 3-times in the bottom of the 8th inning against Bob Arman -considered by many to be the second best pitcher in the CA this season- to pull out a 5-3 victory and level their record at 77-77.

Now .500 does not mean a lot in most FABL cities, but the Saints have not had a level or better record since 1930. Heck, the have only finished in the first division three times in the past 18 years. They missed that mark again this year as their record was only good for fifth in the loop but in a city that has not won a Continental Association pennant in 27 years, has not won a Challenge Cup since the old Nationals -a team no longer in existence- did it in 1937 and coming off two consecutive seasons of terrible collapses by the beloved Valiants, a .500 record for the Saints -especially with the way the accomplished it this week- is something to cheer.

Even a pair of weekend preseason loses by the Valiants to the Chicago Packers did little to dampen the excitement level in Montreal. Between Adrian Petrie and the Saints week, maybe things are finally looking up in Montreal. Now if the Valiants could just end their twenty year Challenge Cup drought.

6 of the Cougars last 8 losses came by one run, giving them 30 one-run losses in 52 attempts. This led to an expected record with four more wins then the actual record, causing the only FABL team with a run differential above 100 (+109) to fall short of the postseason.

In the past seven seasons, the Cougars have underperformed their expected record by an average of five wins. And while Tom Taylor's Continental Association single season home run record was not broken, his Cougar single season home run total was broken, as Sal Pestilli hit three homers in his last four games, giving him 33 on the season. That's two more then the 31 Taylor hit in 1934, but it was not enough to qualify Chicago for the postseason.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Toronto finishes at 82-72, an 8-game improvement over 1947 bringing in 1,727,646 fans into Dominion Stadium only topped in 1943 when just under 2 million attended games as a getaway from the war news.

Owner Bernie Millard thinks the team should provide more value to the fans. "Although the team improved to the first division not bringing the faithful a pennant since 1940 is an unsatisfactory return to Torontonians. My staff will spend the off-season attempting to rectify that situation."

Brett Bing will soon being doing hopefully a series of articles starting with a post mortem of this season then moving on an in-depth assessment of the system. Wolves were led this season by McCormick, Stickels offensively, how much longer to these two grey beards keep up that pace? Pitching is a little less concerning at the big league level but is always a concern. Toronto had the best post ASG in the CA at 44-28 after a disappointing 38-44 start.

ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING FINISH TO DYNAMOS SEASON

For the second year in a row the Detroit Dynamos had strong spring and early summer only to shoot themselves in the foot down the stretch. A year ago it was the 11 straight losses to end a season in which Detroit by all rights should have finished in second place but had to end up settling for a third place tie. This year the collapse, while not as dramatic, began much earlier as the Dynamos were 3 games over .500 and just 4.5 out of first place on August 1 but went just 22-35 the rest of the way to finish a very disappointing 10 games under the breakeven point and in 6th place in the Federal Association.

The start of the slump very much coincided with the month and a half that Edwin Hackberry spent on the sidelines with a back issue but that only further illustrates the need for the Detroit nine to greatly upgrade its offense. The pitching was very good - only pennant winning St Louis surrendered less runs than the Dynamos- and the good news is there is a lot of young arms in the minors that are not that far away from contributing.

Finding a spot for Jack Miller, the 22-year-old second round pick out of Red River State, who did not look out of place in a late season promotion to AA, might be a bit of a challenge but a good problem to have as Miller seems ready to contribute next year. At #20 on the OSA list, Miller is the highest ranking Dynamos pitching prospect and the most likely to see time with the big club next season but the Dynamos also have Fred Washington, Roy Schaub and Jack Halbur all ranked in the scouting service's top 100 list.

With that kind of depth it might make sense for the Dynamos to part with a young arm or two - but certainly not Carl Potter or even Wally Hunter despite the latter's struggles in his sophomore season. The challenge is finding a power bat or two that can help improve the worst offense in the Federal Association. The core is there with Hackberry, Dick Estes, Del Johnson and Stan Kleminski to build around but improvement or an upgrade out of the corner outfield positions and catcher where Rick York had an awful season must be a priority if the Dynamos hope to be a serious contender next season.

*** Maroons Finally Get a Win ***

After two very disappointing efforts to start the season Frank Yurick's boys finally delivered an acceptable effort. They were not dominant by any stretch, and still have a lot of holes, but it is clear the Maroons are at least better than one team in the AFA this season. That would be the 0-2 Pittsburgh Paladins, who the Maroons downed 38-14 at Thompson Field yesterday.

On the college front Thompson Field witnesses a defensive struggle Saturday but Detroit City College's defense came up big in a 9-0 victory over Portland Tech. That is no small achievement as, while the Magpies are not a championship quality club, the do feature one of the best college quarterbacks in the game this season in senior Tommy Norwood. Norwood had some impressive throws but the Knights were not to be denied their 19th consecutive victory, improving to 2-0 on the young season.

*** Motors Reviving in Tune-Up Games ***

The Detroit Motors displayed some very inspired efforts as new coach Badger Rigby had the club working well on the weekend with three straight wins over Boston to improve to 3-1-0 in exhibition contests. The games do not mean much at this point but the mood in camp does feel different this season with Rigby exhibiting an intensity that certainly differs from ex-bench boss Mark Moore's more laid-back approach.

The addition of Millard Touhey to press incumbent Henri Chasse for the netminding job certainly appears to be working as the two veterans each played very well splitting the 4 pre-season starts. Chasse had a win and a loss but a very solid .934 save percentage while the ex-Montreal Valiant Touhey won both of his starts and posted a solid .925 save percentage.

The Kings overachieved in 1947 and definitely underachieved in 1948. Going from 82-72 to 72-82 the real Kings are likely right in the middle at 500. Biggest cause of this years decline was the pitching. While Bob Arman put together a great season, he was undone by mainly a lack of run support, which is odd considering the Kings were 2nd in the league in offense. Most likely it was untimely hitting. The rest of the starting staff was simply not good enough to compete. SP Leo Hayden has had 2 disappointing seasons following his breakout rookie of the year campaign (12-13 4.47 ERA in 47 and 10-14 4.66 ERA in 48). Johnny Slaney did not follow up on his strong performance from last year going just 7-11 4.65. Rusty Petrick has proven he is the answer after posting a 4.92 ERA as a starting pitcher this year.

You will see the kids come up next season in the rotation with Joe Potts (3-1 3.23 ERA in September) and Paul Byler (3-1 2.12 ERA in September) joining Arman and likely Hayden. The Kings will be looking for starting pitching but most teams are and with the new rules in place it will be difficult to find. John Roberts might get a crack as well although his September was not one to remember 0-2 1 save 7.32 ERA.

Pitching Coach Earl Scott has come under fire from the fans as the Kings walked the most batters in the CA with FABL leading 704 free passes. That is a number that is going to have to improve, if the King's truly want to contend. Another number that is going to have to improve is the King's performance in 1-run games. At 17-28 that is the worst 1-run record in the CA and basically ties the Chicago Chiefs mark of 13-24. Both are 11 games under 500 but the Chiefs "win" by having a lower percentage. The King's bullpen was 6th in the CA and while Bob Wall was outstanding during the first 2 months of the season. His performance dropped in June/July to that of just average and in August and September it was dreadful. P Clarence Barton's best role still seems to be as a RP (2.72 ERA) but with this club he might end up as the #5 SP next spring (he had a 4.02 ERA in 15 starts).

Its clear the King's have their work cut out for them if they want to reach the top of the CA anytime soon. The question is will they find any willing trading partner to work with.

GRAYS TAME BULLS 8-0 TO EVEN BIGSBY CUP

The short-staffed Oakland Grays, led by a 2-hit complete game from Cy Sullivan, evened the Bigsby Cup championship at one victory apiece following an 8-0 win Saturday. The victory, before a paltry crowd of just 6,859 fans at Grays Ballpark, allowed the hosts to get back on even footing after dropping the series opener by a 4-3 score the previous day. In the opener Jim Bob Jones -the former Detroit Dynamos hurler- went the distance on the hill for the Bulls, who drew first blood in the series despite finishing 10 games back of the defending Bigsby Cup champion Grays during the regular season.

Houston, which will host the next 3 games beginning with today's contest, only reached the playoff series because of a tie-breaker after finishing the regular season tied with the San Francisco Hawks for second place at 85-69. The tiebreaker went to the Bulls based on their 13-9 advantage in head to head contests with the Hawks this season.

Oakland, already reduced to 23 men on its playoff roster because of an injury setback to Bob Griffith, received more bad news when another outfielder left game one with a season ending injury. That would be Don Miller, who hit .352 on the season but was limited to just 101 games because of several injuries this season. Jim Mayfield replaced Miller in right field for game two and delivered a pair of hits but the Grays will be down to 22 players for the remainder of the series.

• A big final week of the season secured the first Federal Association batting crown of his career for veteran Pittsburgh outfielder Joe Owens. The 36-year-old led the way most of the season but was caught just over a week ago by Al Tucker of the St Louis Pioneers. However, Owens went 7-for-11 last week including a 3-for-3 game in the finale against Washington to finish the season with a .359 average -best in either association and .008 ahead of Tucker, who was the top hitter in the Fed in 1943.
• For the fourth year in a row Ed Reyes of the Philadelphia Sailors led the Continental Association in batting average. The 35-year-old hit .341 this season.
• Al Haynes, who spent some time with the Chicago Chiefs, Cleveland Foresters and New York Stars, who the Great Western League batting title after hitting .381 for the Seattle Thunderbirds this season.
• Tom Taylor's Continental Association homerun record is safe for another year after Bill Barrett, like the rest of the New York Stars, slumped down the stretch. Barrett did not homer since September 10 so he finished with 43, one shy of the CA standard set by Taylor as a rookie with the Philadelphia Sailors in 1928.
• Barrett also finishes one homer shy of Bobby Barrell for the FABL lead this season. The Keystones slugger hit 44 a year after setting a new single season mark with a 64 homerun campaign.
• There was much debate, most of it divided along association lines between newsmen in the Fed and CA over who had the best pitching staff in baseball this season. A good argument was made for the Chicago Cougars deep staff but John Brinker feels the edge goes to the Fed champion Pioneers. Brinker pens "As far as this year goes, I believe the Pioneers are the best rotation in baseball. We need to account for the fact that the Pioneers opposition is entirely separate from the teams in the CA. By the measures of FIP & WAR, the Pioneers are the best in FABL. Historic? I don't know - there have been some really, really good rotations. But, for me, this is the best staff in FABL for 1948:
  
• Lots to like in the second half out of the Pittsburgh Miners who finish with a 6 game improvement over last year! Wouldn’t have expected that midway through the season. 43-38 after July 1st. Miners plans are to definitely try to beef up the pitching staff a bit, but pretty optimistic going into ‘49.
• The news was not so good for the Chiefs, who slipped to last place and were a dreadful 25-47 after the break -worst record post All-Star Game in either Association.

PETRIE DISHES DESMARAIS A CONTESTED DEFEAT BEHIND FRIENDLY JUDGES

Montreal Arena, Montreal, Que. – Edouard Desmarais (42-1, 33 KO) vs. Adrian Petrie (17-1-1, 9 KO) – Referee: Hubert Earle
Edouard Desmarais, the powerful Frenchman looking to reign as the Middleweight Champion, took his belt to Canada to embark on his first title defense. The Desmarais camp landed in the capital of French Canada, Montreal in the francophone province of Quebec, intent on making some new fans and expand his global brand across the Atlantic. Americans were already familiar with Desmarais in his triumph to win the middleweight title in Philadelphia in July. Now, it was Les Canadiens who had a chance to witness his presence in a title fight.

To drum up additional interest from a city rarely mistaken for a boxing hotbed, the challenger was Adrian Petrie, a local boxer from Montreal, but he was recently ranked as the #4 challenger in the division. He is only 25 and you could say he is on the rise, but 31-year-old Detroit native Brooks O’Connor was passed over for Petrie’s title shot.

Desmarais won the belt in July with a fifth-round TKO of Frank Melanson and Petrie’s last action was second-round knockout of journeyman Larry Jones. As these two men squared off, Desmarais did not expect a long, drawn-out battle with Petrie, sure of himself and his plans for world pugilistic domination. Petrie, seven years Desmarais’s junior, wanted to use his foot speed to put him in good positions to throw his hands.

Just as in every fight, it rarely goes according to plan, which is to say this was a more even matchup that most fans thought. The pro-Petrie crowd yelled for him at every turn, urging him on all night. Desmarais and Petrie traded rounds over the first four rounds of the bout, with Desmarais opening well and Petrie countering with his uppercut early in the second round to set the tone for a long evening.

A couple of punishing hooks late in the third hit Petrie low then high to keep the Canadian guessing what was coming next. Midway through the sixth round, both fighters landed vicious crosses to score points, but each of them withstood the blows none the worse for wear. Petrie continued to go to his cross and landed a dandy in the seventh that stunned the champion and caused his left eye to start to swell. In the ninth, another cross from the challenger left Desmarais gasping for air.

Halfway through the fight, it appeared that Petrie had somewhat of a narrow lead. Desmarais knew he had to turn it on soon and the tenth round was arguably his best round. The visible vestiges of Petrie’s cross on Desmarais’s swollen left eye, the title-holder walked into a Petrie uppercut, potentially because of an inability to see it coming. However, the power punch did not have its desired effect. It seemed to energize the champion, who suddenly went on the offensive.

An assortment of hooks, crosses, and uppercuts put the challenger on the ropes and caused some swelling of his own to the left eye of Petrie. Petrie was losing the power on his punches and tried to use his legs to get out of trouble, but Desmarais hunted him across the ring as Round 10 ended.

Petrie started strong in the eleventh round, but Desmarais came on the final minute and both fighters slugged it out with seconds left, giving everything they had. This was a fight no one expected to be as entertaining as it was turning out to be and the crowd that would normally cheer for the usual tenants of Montreal Arena were applauding the valiant effort by the two combatants. The next round was essentially the reverse of the eleventh, as Desmarais owned the first half of the round before Petrie came on strong.

Petrie tried to put Desmarais away with uppercuts, but Desmarais stayed on his feet and both fighters left good final impressions as they went to the judges, but what was to come is what boxing aficionados will be talking about for decades to come.

Both Canadian judges, as well as the American referee, scored the fight as narrow as possible while still being able to declare a winner. All three cards read 143 to 142, but both Canadian arbiters gave the fight to Montreal’s own Adrian Petrie. Referee Hubert Earle scored it 143-142 in favor of Desmarais, but once the split decision was announced in Petrie’s favor, the ring canvas and apron went from an admiring acknowledgement of a hard night’s work to a fracas, only this was not between the two pugilists. Desmarais was too exhausted to participate, but his camp sprung into action.

Desmarais’s manager leaped off the apron to confront the judges. The now-former champion’s corner man rushed to join him, at first to play the peacemaker, but soon to join the French chorus. The referee, fresh from pulling grown men apart for 45 minutes, had to work overtime. The highly partisan crowd started to close in on the group and became hostile to anyone bleu, blanc, et rouge. Fists were flying and some in the crowd resorted to more underhanded tactics until the gendarme arrived and restored some semblance of order.

In this intrepid reporter’s opinion, the fight could have gone either way. The difference was a punch here, a punch there, a perceived effect that might be overblown. Bias is unavoidable, whether intentional or not, but it was not a good look for a sport that has taken it on the chin lately when it comes to match-fixing at the lower rungs of the sport’s ladder.

As the dust cleared, Desmarais (42-2-0) will travel back to Paris without the belt he was so sure he would retain after his North American tour. In the meantime, we have a new middleweight champion for the second straight bout. He is Adrian Petrie (18-1-1) a young 25-year-old Montrealer ready to take his seat in the champion’s corner but with a lot to prove to the boxing world that he can win outside the friendly confines of Montreal and their sympathetic judges.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Desmarais, 1-0 (2:39 right)
Round 2: Petrie, 2-0 (0:50 uppercut/head, 2:59 hook/head)
Round 3: Desmarais, 3-1 (D: 2:15 left hook/body, 2:36 hook/head, 2:56 cross; P: 1:12 hook)
Round 4: Petrie, 1-0 (2:39 right/body)
Round 5: Tied, 1-1 (D: 2:34 hook/body; P: 2:17 combo)
Round 6: Petrie, 2-0 (1:55 cross, 2:21 hook)
Round 7: Petrie, 3-2 (D: 0:21 combo, 2:49 hook; P: 0:39 cross, 1:27 cross/head, 1:41 cross/head)
Round 8: Desmarais, 1-0 (1:35 left)
Round 9: Petrie, 2-0 (0:36 right/side, 1:25 cross)
Round 10: Desmarais, 3-1 (D: 0:59 hook/head, 1:12 hook, 1:46 uppercut; P: 0:17 uppercut)
Round 11: Petrie, 4-1 (D: 2:59 uppercut; P: 0:32 hook/jaw, 0:45 right/head, 2:26 right/chin, 2:42 right)
Round 12: Desmarais, 1-0 (0:30 hook)
Round 13: Petrie, 2-0 (1:42 right/midsection, 2:20 uppercut)
Round 14: Petrie, 2-1 (D: 2:05 right/head; P: 0:46 uppercut, 1:34 hook/midsection)
Round 15: None
TOTAL: Petrie 21, Desmarais 14

CONTROVERSY ENGULFS MIDDLEWEIGHT THRILLER; BOXING BOARD INITIATES INQUIRY

October 2, 1948 MONTREAL- The ringing echoes of boxing gloves meeting flesh have barely faded, yet a tempest of dispute swirls around the World Middleweight title bout that transpired in Montreal this weekend. Canadian Adrian Petrie, the hometown hero, emerged with a surprising split decision victory over the reigning World Champion, Edouard Desmarais of France. The reverberations from this unexpected upset have now rattled the corridors of the American Boxing Federation.

Desmarais' camp raises an accusing finger, alleging the two Canadian judges engaged in some dubious scorecard recalculations to favor their compatriot in his hometown arena on that fateful Friday night. The referee, Hubert Earle hailing from New York, saw the fight similarly close but deemed the champ the victor by a narrow margin of one point.

Tensions flared, and Desmarais' manager vented his fury in the post-fight press conference, lambasting the judges' decision as "terrible." The third round, particularly contentious, saw one judge awarding it to Petrie, contrary to the consensus of many, including the watchful eyes of former world champion Frank Melanson, who graced the Montreal Arena with his presence.

Melanson, ever the statesman, acknowledged the closeness of the battle, yet suggested that in most cases, a closely contested bout should tip in favor of the reigning champion. He emphasized the necessity of unequivocally proving one's superiority over the titleholder.

This skirmish in the ring has opened a rift that reaches beyond the ropes. Accusations of fight fixing, a nefarious specter that has plagued boxing in recent years, now stain the hallowed canvas. It is crucial to underline that neither of the combatants, Petrie nor Desmarais, is under suspicion. Both exhibited their pugilistic prowess, making this decision an agonizing task.

The American Boxing Federation, guardian of fistic integrity, remains tight-lipped, acknowledging only the routine evaluation of all ring officials in the wake of any title outcome. However, their silence does not veil the consideration given to the accusations levied by Team Desmarais.

If impropriety is uncovered, a rematch or even a result reversal could be in the offing, unprecedented in the Federation's storied 40-year history. Presently, Adrian Petrie stands as the middleweight champion, but the tempestuous aftermath of this clash could yet reshape the boxing landscape. The future remains uncertain, shrouded in the mists of inquiry. Desmarais and Melanson, though, seem destined still to square off again at Bigsby Garden in the new year, seeking not the World Title, but those precious bragging rights that accompany pugilistic excellence. Unless a seismic ruling shakes this foundation, a tale of redemption looms large.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• Oct 15- Denny Arena, Boston: HW contender Roy Crawford (27-3) vs Todd MacKinney (26-10-1)
• Oct 17- Washington DC: Former MW champ John Edmonds (25-3) vs Eric Deal (9-8-1)
• Oct 22- London, Eng: World Heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer (58-3-1) defends his title against Grant Knowles (31-4-1)
• Oct 29 - Los Angeles: MW Nick Harris (23-5-1) vs Ron Davis (7-3-2)
• Jan 8 - Bigsby Garden: MW Frank Melanson (33-2-2) vs Edouard Desmarais (42-2)

FIGHTING SAINTS CRUSH PITT STATE TO RETURN TO TOP OF POLLS

St Blane unleashed a versatile football powerhouse against Pittsburgh State and rolled over the Finches 40-14 before a sell-out crowd at Fitzpatrick Park, all of which went away convinced that the Saints could have scored 100 points if they had chosen to do so. The first stringers spent the second half basking in the sunlight on the bench after roaring out to a 31-0 lead at the break, having done more than enough to convince voters that the two-time defending National Champions once more deserved a seat at the head of the table as the first collegiate poll of the season was unveiled.

Quarterback Dane Sutherland and end Bobby Leonard combined for a pair of first quarter passing scores but once more it was the ground game that did most of the damage for the victors. St Blane rumbled and dashed for 285 yards rushing including a second straight 100+ yard day for senior Joe Fulgham, who gained 117 on the ground -all in the opening 30 minutes.

Rome State, which had little difficulty stopping Eastern Virigina 43-7, is narrowly ahead of Detroit City College in second place in the rankings. The Knights had some difficulty getting going but in the end managed to extend their football winning streak to 19 games with a 9-0 victory over Portland State. Despite failing to put any points on the board, the Thompson Field crowd certainly came away with plenty of respect for Magpies passer Tommy Norwood, who perhaps deserved a better fate after a solid aerial display.

Other games of note included a shocking upset from the west as lightly regarded Idaho A&M stunned CC Los Angeles 35-21, dropping the Coyotes record to 1-2 in the process. The news was not much better for the other Los Angeles team as the Coastal California Dolphins saw their record evened at 1-1 following a 17-6 loss in Columbus to an alert, fast-striking Central Ohio eleven.

In Academia Alliance play Henry Hudson University doubled Dickson 20-10 while Grafton won a shootout with Pierpont by a 33-28 margin. It marked the first defeat in section play for the Purple since falling to George Fox University in 1943. Brunswick is off to a 2-0 start after the Knights sophomore dominated roster had little trouble with Annapolis Maritime in a 33-6 triumph in Baltimore.

The South Atlantic Conference earned some bragging rights over its neighbours from the Deep South after Carolina Poly and North Carolina Tech each came up with victories. The Cardinals dumped Cumberland 14-3 while the Techsters, despite several turnovers, had a surprisingly easy time of things in Georgia while downing Noble Jones College 24-3. The news was not all bad for the Deep South section as Alabama Baptist, Georiga Baptist and Mississippi A&M all improved to 2-0 and claimed positions in the top ten rankings. The Panthers needed a late score to top Bluegrass State 20-13. The Gators struck twice with lighting-like suddenness in the first quarter and tightened up defensively in the third and final periods to take care of Baton Rogue State 17-3 while the Generals downed Central Kentucky 21-10.

WEEKEND COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL RESULTS
MAJOR GAMES
Rome State 43 Eastern Virginia 7
Brunswick 33 Annapolis Maritime 6
Detroit City College 9 Portland Tech 0
St. Magnus 31 Whitney College 3
St. Blane 40 Pittsburgh State 14
Central Ohio 17 Coastal California 6
Liberty College 34 Frankford State 3
Grafton 33 Pierpont 28
Henry Hudson 20 Dickson 10
Sadler 37 Ellery 7
St. Patrick's 21 St. Pancras 6
St. Matthew's College 14 Commonwealth Catholic 6
Penn Catholic 28 Strub College 0
Carolina Poly 14 Cumberland 3
North Carolina Tech 24 Noble Jones College 3
Georgia Baptist 17 Baton Rouge State 3
Alabama Baptist 20 Bluegrass State 13
Northern Mississippi 10 Lubbock State 7
Minnesota Tech 37 College of Omaha 19
Oklahoma City State 23 Darnell State 10
Mile High State 28 Eastern Oklahoma 17
Mississippi A&M 21 Central Kentucky 10
Richmond State 25 Cowpens State 0
Indiana A&M 14 Western Iowa 0
Lincoln 20 Wisconsin State 14
Iowa A&M 20 Eastern Kansas 14
Lawrence State 20 Boulder State 14
Red River State 24 Bayou State 3
Idaho A&M 35 CC Los Angeles 21
Lane State 17 Rainier College 3
Spokane State 21 Redwood 14


OTHER RESULTS
St. Pancras 30 Western State 6
Western Tennessee 48 Cookeville State 6
Northern Minnesota 20 Wisconsin Catholic 3
Miami State 21 Chase 16
Daniel Boone College 37 Laclede 10
Utah A&M 24 Pacific Fleet 15
Columbia Military Academy 19 Bulein 7
Tempe College 38 Gates University 17
Amarillo Methodist 24 Arkansas A&T 17
Scranton State 20 Boston State 13
Northern California 32 Golden Gate University 10
Coastal State 13 Charleston Tech 0
Colorado Poly 34 Cache Valley 20
Western Florida 30 Payne State 10
New York Maritime 16 Brooklyn State 9
Opelika State 28 Ruston Tech 7
Maryland State 41 Caesar Rodney 3
St. Ignatius 51 Kamehameha College 0
Pacific Coast 19 Custer College 9
Fort Bliss 27 El Paso Methodist 17
Canyon A&M 27 McKinney State 7
Iowa Northern 27 Lambert College 10
Mobile Maritime 20 Charleston (IL) 6
Garden State 17 Empire State 17
Sunnyvale 38 San Clemente 6
Texas Gulf Coast 14 College of Waco 3
Hampden 22 Bigsby College 21
Travis College 48 South Valley State 3
Provo Tech 41 Valley State 3
Eastern State 14 Chesapeake State 6
Alexandria 21 Potomac College 6
Erie 21 Lexington State 7
Huntington State 27 Conwell College 24
Topeka State 10 Central Illinois 6
Wyoming A&I 49 Pueblo State 6
George Fox 41 Constitution State 10
Kit Carson University 45 San Francisco Tech 13

THOMAS LEADS YANKS TO COMEBACK WIN

The Boston Americans got off to a very slow start but once they kicked into gear the New York football Stars had no chance. Forced to play at Commonwealth Catholic Stadium because the baseball Minutemen were playing out the string at the stadium that bears their name, the Americans looked like they were late for the ball game after allowing the Stars to build a quick 14-0 lead. Boston did eventually get its bearings straight and the Yanks exploded for 30 unanswered points to claim a 30-14 victory and improve to 2-0 in the young American Football Association season.

Del Thomas made a mistake early as his pass on the opening series of the game was intercepted and returned 37 yards for a New York touchdown by Bob Campagnola. Thomas, a 3-time AFC All-Pro and perhaps the best quarterback around not named Chappell, was also intercepted on his second and third series before suddenly flipping a switch and being the quarterback Boston fans have come to expect. On the day the Yanks ace threw for 326 yards by completing 26 of his 36 tosses as the Americans took over control of the game. The win leaves the Americans as the only unbeaten team in the Eastern Division despite the fact the season is just two weeks old.

The Philadelphia Frigates and Washington Wasps are each 1-1 after the Frigates rallied for 21 points in the final 17 minutes to down the host Wasps by a 35-20 score. Greg LePage, who set a league rushing record a year ago, ran for 121 yards while Frigates quarterback Jim Taylor threw for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns.

After a pair of bad performances to open the season the Detroit Maroons finally got untracked, blasting the visiting Pittsburgh Paladins 38-14 before more than 30,000 at Thompson Field. End Dan Howard paced the Maroons offense with a pair of touchdown catches as part of his 9 receptions for 1165 yards while Mark Belles ran for 79 yards and two scores. At 0-2, the Paladins are the only AFA team still searching for its first victory.

In what was a party atmosphere spent chanting Pioneers much more than it was Ramblers, nearly 43,000 jammed Pioneers Field in St Louis to get an early celebration in before their ballclub opens the World Championship Series in Philadelphia Wednesday after clinching their second straight Federal Association pennant. It was a perfect day at the ballyard as fans learned late in the game via the public address announcer that Pioneers had prevailed in Chicago for their 91st victory of the season while in front of them the often woeful Ramblers looked like world beaters in easily handling the visiting Cincinnati Tigers by a 23-7 count.

John Johnson was the man of the afternoon for the Ramblers, as he was all over the field on defense with 6 tackles and 3 interceptions, including one he returned 42 yards for the opening score of the game. Johnson, who spends most of his time on offense clearing a path for Gene Heaston or Tom Mellette, also found time to add an offensive score on a 5 yard run in the fourth quarter.

This week's AFA menu includes a special Monday night affair with the Chicago Wildcats heading to Cleveland to meet the Finches this evening. Each club claimed a victory in their season opener last week.

TITLE GAME PREVIEW IN NEW ORLEANS TOMORROW?

A rare Continental Football Conference Tuesday evening game looks to be a perfect matchup to tide sports fans over on a quiet prelude to the start of baseball's World Championship Series the following day. The game is very highly anticipated as it will involve the league's only two remaining unbeaten teams in the Kansas City Cowboys and the New Orleans Crescents, both 4-0 on the campaign, and it may just be a preview of the league championship game in December.

It is little surprise the mighty Cowboys are riding high atop the Western Division. Cowboys Coach Pete Walsh was a proven winner at Noble Jones College, where he led the Colonels to a national title in 1942 and, after a stint running the Great Lakes Naval Academy grid program during the war, Walsh joined the Cowboys prior to the CFC's debut in 1946. Since then all he has done as a coach is guide the Cowboys to a 31-3 record and two consecutive Continental Conference league titles.

His job is clearly made easy with former St Magnus three-sport star Pat Chappell, who may well be the best quarterback on the planet these days and winner of two straight CFC Most Valuable Player awards, as his quarterback running a high-powered offense that includes bruising fullback Mason Matthews and a pair of sure-handed ends in Bill Tammaro and Ernie Orr. Matthews is leading the league with 420 yards rushing while Chappell has passed for 10 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions while throwing for 937 yards in the four Cowboys victories this season, and that is with both Tammaro and Orr sidelined with injury much of the time. Orr is healthy and expected to play against the Crescents but Tammaro, who has missed all but the season opener, remains questionable for the game.

New Orleans, in stark contrast, is very much a surprise to enter this game unbeaten. The Crescents won just 3 games each of their first two seasons in the league but are a completely different club this season with rookie quarterback Vince Gallegos leading the way. Gallego has had some trouble avoiding turnovers, which was a major problem for his predecessor Sam Boettcher, who threw a CFC worst 29 picks a year ago, but the former Bayou State star has been improving each game and made some key throws. The receiving duo of end Bill Pruitt and halfback Bo Mandish lacks the pedigree of the Cowboys bevy of stars but it is clear that things are clicking this season for the Crescents. However, naysayers will point to the easy start to the schedule for the Crescents, which has included a pair of games with the struggling New York Gothams as well as Brooklyn at home and a weak Chicago Comets team on the road, as a sign New Orleans' record is inflated by an easy go of things from the schedule-maker. That will change tomorrow, and with the rest of the sports world at a standstill waiting for the start of the WCS, you can bet all eyes will be focused on New Orleans as the Crescents prepare for a challenge like they have certainly not seen so far this year.

GRID KINGS WIN WILD ONE IN BUFFALO

Fans of high scoring, wide open football had a treat in Buffalo yesterday afternoon although with most of the 31,850 in Civic Stadium on a chilly but clear day cheering for the hometown Buffalo Bulls the day ended in heartbreak after the visiting Brooklyn Kings returned a fumble for a touchdown with just 15 seconds remaining in what would be a thrilling 47-46 victory for the Kings. The win evens Brooklyn's record at 2-2-1, good for second place behind only undefeated New Orleans in the Eastern Division while the last place Bulls slump to 1-4.

It was a back-and-forth affair as the Kings opened a 13-0 lead in the first period thanks to John Mecham running for one touchdown and connecting with Doug Pastirik on a 6-yard toss for another. Meecham would scamper for a 44-yard score early in the second stanza to extend the lead to 20-0 but Buffalo would get some life with a 1-yard plunge for a score from Pete Steele at the midway mark of the period. Buffalo's Walt Stewart brought the fans to their feet just before the break with an electrifying 62-yard punt return late in the half but at the break the Bulls trailed 20-12 due to a pair of missed converts from Don Parmenter.

Each team would add two more touchdowns in the third period and when Brooklyn rookie back Bill Howlin ran for a 14-yard score to give the Kings a 40-26 lead early in the final period it appeared the Bulls hopes for victory were long gone. However, Buffalo tied the game with a pair of quick touchdowns including Walt Stewart's second punt return score of the day -this one for 45 yards- and with just over 6 minutes remaining the game was knotted at 40 as the fans sensed another big comeback from a Buffalo team that has made a habit of close finishes over the past couple of seasons.

On Brooklyn's next possession Doug Pastirik fumbled the ball deep in his own territory and the Bulls Pete Steele pounced on it. Two plays later the Bulls had their first lead of the game after a 7-yard scoring run from Doug McCasland with less than 4 minutes remaining in the contest. The fact that Don Parmenter's bad day of kicking continued with yet another missed extra-point -he missed 3 on the day- did little too dampen the spirits of the now giddy crowd. The excitement only increased when the Bulls defense stopped Brooklyn on a 4th down deep in Buffalo territory with just 30 seconds left on the clock but the joy quickly transitioned to agony when Bulls quarterback Mark Monday fumbled the next snap and Brooklyn's Paul Widmer scooped it up and sauntered into the Buffalo endzone to tie the game at 46 with 15 seconds left. Bill Rice split the uprights with his extra-point attempt and the Kings had an improbable 47-46 victory that left fans speechless.

METCALF CARRIES (AND PASSES) WINGS TO WIN IN WINDY CITY

Sam Metcalf's passes, coupled with a strong running game outside the tackles, gave the San Francisco Wings a 42-7 victory over the winless Chicago Comets Friday evening. Metcalf, who has guided the coast Wings to a 5-1 start, ran for a pair of touchdowns while also throwing for a score in the victory before more than 31,000 fans at Whitney Park. The Wings ground game, which shredded the Comets defense for 398 yards, proved far too much for the Windy City club to handle.

Ernest Key was the big man on campus for the visitors with a total of 134 yards gained on the day with his 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter being the shortest of his 7 carries. Rich Garner and Glenn Carroll may have failed to find the endzone but each also contributed at least 50 yards to the Wings ground game with Metcalf and Sam Gerst teaming up for another 55 yards and 3 scores between them.

Despite the strong start to the season, one that included only a somewhat surprising loss to the New York Gothams after a very slow start at Hawks Stadium that afternoon, the Wings -like the rest of the CFC are left being considered as second-class citizens because of the large presence of the Kansas City Cowboys in the Western Division. It will be a long wait before the Wings get a chance to prove their mettle against the Cowboys as the two clubs will not meet for the first time until a November 14 date in the midwest before the rematch two weeks later on the coast so until then the Wings will have to be content being considered the second best club in the Western Division.

MOTORS OFF TO QUICK START

The Detroit Motors, led by a fast start from young center Francis McKenzie, had a strong opening week of NAHC preseason action with 3 wins in 4 outings, all coming at the expense of the Boston Bees. However, new Detroit coach Badger Rigney, who takes over a last place team, cautions that these are tune-up games and mean nothing in the big picture.

"It is great to see a young guy like Francis (McKenzie) gain some confidence with a couple big games," noted Rigney, "but this is all about getting guys ready for the grind of the season and we clearly did not see the best Boston has to offer."

McKenzie, who was acquired from Montreal last December as part of the deal that sent veteran defensemen Shel Herron and Bryant Williams to the Valiants, spent most of last season in the minors after being drafted 2nd overall by the Vals. He scored once in his first preseason game and then exploded with a 5-point night, including a hat trick in a 6-2 triumph over the Bees last night.

The most important thing right now is staying healthy and Boston and Detroit both failed in that regard. The Bees will be without 32-year-old winger Jim Morey for at least a month after the veteran assistant captain broke his hand last week. Morey had 50 points in 53 games a year ago. Detroit, meanwhile, lost the services of defenseman Spencer Larocque for at least the opening few games of the season after the 22-year-old suffered a sprained ankle last week in a game with Boston. Larocque, another piece of the big deal last December with Montreal, had 23 points in 37 games following the trade after starting the season with just 6 points in 21 games as a rookie with the Valiants.

Like Detroit, the Chicago Packers had a 3-1 start to their preseason slate. Chicago did suffer an injury to Juneau Trophy winning goaltender Norm Hanson but fortunately it is just minor. The 28-year-old netminder dislocated a finger on his catching hand but should be back in time for the Packers regular season opener in Detroit a week from Wednesday.

PRESEASON RESULTS
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 29
Montreal 4 at 3 Detroit - Rey Sclisizzi (2G), Hank Walsh (2G,1A)
Boston 5 at 0 Chicago -Tom Brockers (26 saves) Robert Walker (2G 1A)
New York 0 at 3 Toronto - Gordie Broadway (28 sv), Dick Zimmerman (2G)

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago 4 at 0 New York - Michael Cleghorn (29 saves)
Detroit 6 at 2 Boston - Louis Rocheleau (3A)
Toronto 1 at 4 Montreal - Alex MacDonald (1G, 1A), Rey Sclisizzi (2G)

SATURDAY OCTOBER 2
Montreal 2 at 6 Chicago - David Rankin (2G, 1A)
Boston 1 at 4 Detroit - Henri Chasse (36sv)
New York 5 at 4 Toronto - Sam Coates (2A), Les Carlson (2A)

SUNDAY OCTOBER 3
Detroit 6 at 2 Boston Francis McKenzie (3G,2A) Vince Arsenault (1G,2A)
Toronto 6 at 3 New York - Bobbie Sauer (2G,2A) JC Martel (1G,2A)
Chicago 6 at 1 Montreal - Larry Seguin (2A)

UPCOMING GAMES
TOMORROW
Montreal at Toronto
Boston at Chicago
New York at Detroit

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7
Montreal at New York
Detroit at Chicago
Toronto at Boston

FRIDAY OCTOBER 8
Boston at Montreal
New York at Toronto
Chicago at Detroit
end of preseason schedule

AROUND THE LEAGUE

• The Toronto Dukes are a little concerned about the number of goals given thus far in the tune-up games. Bobby Sauer is off to a hot start 3G, 3A, team is showing a bit of truculence with RW Les Carlson leading the way with 11 hits Coach Barrell wants the D-men to take the body more often, finish their checks in the defensive zone.
• The Detroit Motors have brought veteran minor league winger Marsh Spencer into camp. The 28-year-old has spent the past 8 seasons with the Cleveland Eries and is coming off a career best 16 goal, 37 point season for the HAA club. Spencer, who was a Detroit farmhand in his younger days, had an assist in is preseason debut against Boston over the weekend but may face some stiff competition in his efforts to make the Motors regular season roster.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 10/03/1948

• United Nations Assembly delegates cheered British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin following a speech in which he launched a blistering attack on the Soviet Union saying the Russians alone would be responsible if a new World War was to occur.
• France has joined the United States and Britain in blaming Russia for the Berlin crisis, which appears headed to a UN Security Council airing.
• Russia counters by accusing the United States of seeking war and said the Americans have no monopoly on the atom bomb.
• A forthcoming report from the House Committee on Un-American Activities will shed light on efforts of Soviet-directed spies to steal atomic bomb secrets.
• The head of the CIO United Electrical Workers refused to tell the House Labor Subcommittee whether he is a member of the Communist Party and he charged that the chairman of the committee "stands for everything that is evil."
• Freshly back from his western trip President Truman leaves Washington again Wednesday for a four-day stumping tour carrying him into Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York while Republican candidate Dewey plans on addressing the tense foreign situation from his stop in Utah as he continues to campaign in the west.