OCTOBER 18, 1948
WOLVES PART WAYS WITH MANAGER CALL
After five seasons at the helm of the ballclub, the Toronto Wolves have decided not to retain manager Bob Call. The 56-year-old, who went 401-369 during his tenure in Toronto including 82-72 this season, was not offered a new contract after his deal expired. Call had been a manager in the Wolves system since taking over Class A Davenport in 1935. He guided the Wolves to second place finishes behind Cincinnati in each of his first two seasons with the club, but then slipped to the second division for two years before rebounding with a third place finish this time around.
Wolves owner Bernie Millard had little to say about the decision when asked why Call was let go. "We couldn't come to a mutually satisfactory agreement, time to move on," was the terse respone with Millard adding "we have lots of work to do both on and off the field, Bench Coach Dennis will be more involved in personnel decision for the interim. "
No immediate announcement has come from Toronto management on a replacement but there is heavy speculation that Fred Barrell, the current scouting director of the Detroit Dynamos and a long-time FABL star with Brooklyn, will take the job in February after he finishes his draft duties for the Dynamos. Barrell's brother Jack Barrell is also a coach in Toronto as he is the head-man for the defending NAHC champion Toronto Dukes while another brother, Tom, is the field general for the Brooklyn Kings. It is believed if Fred does indeed take the Wolves job his first game against Tom's Kings will mark the first time in FABL history that two brothers have managed a big league game against each other.
TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN
Wolves Announce Staff Changes For 1949 -Toronto has already begun replacing staff soon after the conclusion of World Championship Series sweep by St. Louis. The news at the FABL level is that neither Manager Bob Call nor the first base coach will be back in the spring.
Word from the front office is that the Wolves were interested in extending Call but "could not come to a mutually satisfactory agreement on either money or term." Call had been with the organization since 1935 going through Davenport, Chattanooga, Buffalo before taking over for Charlie Reed in 1944. in five seasons at the helm Call led to a 401-369 (.521) with two memorable second place finishes in '44, '45.
Insiders say that this may have the right move as it is thought that Call's message had gotten stale, was not being heard in the clubhouse. Baseball fans in Canada are excited if there is any truth at all to the rumours that Wolves are pursuing or have a tentative deal in place to make Detroit's Scouting Director Fred Barrell the next bench boss of the Wolves, joining his brother Jack on the Toronto sports scene.
Brett believes this just the type of big game hunting Owner Bernie Millard revels in although the front office is tight lipped whenever Brett broaches the subject in any conversation. Toronto has hired Lloyd McGowan to take over as 1B coach, McGowan has been with the Cougars 10 years before leaving in 1946. He brings a reputation of being able to handle in-game running with the best but more importantly is a master on teaching infield defense which was identified as a need by the team.
In the system the team did not renew a number of expiring contracts mostly filling those roles through promotion from within the organization. The one highlight was the announcement of the hiring of Clarence Howerton as manager on Tuscaloosa, a day after he retired continuing the Wolves tradition of trying to keep notable players in the organization after their playing days are over in Toronto. Howerton started at C in 1597 FABL games including 1149 for the Wolves putting up career number of .253/.320/.342, 721 RBI with 99 triples for a C along with masterful game management, defense behind the plate. In a team statement "Clarence is what is needed to get our young prospects off on the proper foot in professional baseball, he will teach them right way to play the game. Hopefully he will move up the system with some of his players."
- The Oakland Grays thought they had a deal in place to reunite Danny Goff with his sons. Jack went 17-5 and Danny Jr 15-8 as key pieces in the Grays rotation as the club won its second straight Bigsby Cup. Danny Sr did not have his contract renewed by the Philadelphia Keystones and talked to Grays GM Tom Bird about heading west to join his sons. However, the elder Goff - who won 252 career FABL games- would only accept the managerial job with Oakland. Bird said thanks but no thanks as it is hard to justify making a change with incumbant Bill Hunter celebrating two straight Bigsby Cup wins as Oakland's bench boss.
- Not sure there will be a better opportunity for Goff, who did not get it done as pitching coach for the Keystones and his contract was not renewed. His personality also did not mesh well with Keystones manager Carl Ames. Philadelphia Inquisitor Keystones beat writer Joey Mahoney was specifically critical of George Brooks having a down year on Goff's watch, as well as the lack of development of Charlie Waddell and Joe Quade's wild streak (141 walks).
- Mahoney had a particularly stinging barb directed towards Goff in his Inquisitor column: "Not all great players make great coaches."
- Speaking of FABL staff it is interesting that the Pittsburgh Miners did not resign Tom Beaver. Considered one of the best jduges of big league talent in the sport, and stong in assessing amateur players as well, Beaver spent two seasons as the Miners Assistant General Manager but his contract was not renewed.
DETROIT CITY COLLEGE SURVIVES SHOWDOWN WITH ST MAGUNS
Dynamite Detroit City College was given all it could handle in the Motor City by the visitors from Minnesota but in the end the Knights were up to the task, winning a key Great Lakes Alliance showdown over the St Magnus Vikings by a 14-3 score. That win allows DCC to retain undisputed recognition as the top football team in the nation. The Knights took that distinction away from St Blane after the Fighting Saints fell to St Ignatius a week ago and did nothing to cause the pollsters to change their minds on Saturday.
It was the first defeat in four starts for the Vikings, who had climbed to #8 in the rankings entering the game but now slide back out of the top ten. The game was tight with Detroit City College nursing a 7-3 lead in a game that saw a wild series of fumbles and bobbled passes in the second quarter when, in eight successive plays, six ended in miscues. Thereafter the City College defense drew in and throughout the second half the Knights were the masters of every moment on defense. The Vikings defenders did a nice job as well, holding the Detroit City running game in check and were very much in the contest until 5 minutes into the final period when DCC quarterback Paul Erdinger connected with end Ike Richards on a 29-yard touchdown pass to give the Knights an 11-point lead and finally some breathing room.
St Blane, still smarting from the kick in the face they took from the Lancers at home last week, were an ornery bunch as they made the trek west to Nebraska for a meeting with the College of Omaha Raiders. The Fighting Saints took out a week's worth of pent-up frustration at their first loss in nearly 3 years by blasting the Raiders 45-12. From the time that Joe Fulgham went 12-yards on the first scrimmage play there seemed no question of the outcome. St Blane was just too fast, too big and too motivated for the Plains Athletic Association school.
Alabama Baptist dropped from second in the polls after the Panthers were stopped 23-9 by their Deep South Conference rivals Cumberland. The Explorers thrilled a record-breaking home crowd of 48,000 and moved into the top ten by unleashing a smashing running attack that ripped the huge Panthers forewall to smithereens. With the win Cumberland debuts in the top ten at 6th and joins Georgia Baptist, Mississippi A&M and Alabama Baptist to give the Deep South 4 representatives. The Gators and Generals are both 4-0 overall after section wins for each yesterday with Georgia Baptist blanking Opelika State 24-0 while Mississippi A&M took care of Baton Rogue State 21-10.
The Alabama Baptist loss allows North Carolina Tech to take over the second spot in this week's rankings. The Techsters had little trouble with South Atlantic Conference rival Charleston Tech in claiming a 34-0 victory.
WEEKEND RESULTS
EAST
St. Blane 45 College of Omaha 12
Rome State 38 Dickson 13
Liberty College 31 Huntington State 0
Henry Hudson 38 Pierpont 14
Pittsburgh State 35 Wisconsin Catholic 10
Commonwealth Catholic 16 Penn Catholic 10
Brunswick 27 St. Pancras 13
Grafton 23 Empire State 13
Sadler 27 Garden State 18
Ellery 17 St. Patrick's 3
Boston State 10 Conwell College 3
St. Dominic (PA) 31 Brooklyn State 26
SOUTH
Cumberland 23 Alabama Baptist 9
North Carolina Tech 34 Charleston Tech 0
Mississippi A&M 21 Baton Rouge State 10
Noble Jones College 28 Bayou State 17
Georgia Baptist 24 Opelika State 0
Northern Mississippi 33 Queen City 0
Richmond State 17 Chesapeake State 0
Bulein 17 Spartanburg Baptist 13
Bluegrass State 24 Central Kentucky 14
Lexington State 13 Eastern State 13
Alexandria 21 Petersburg 15
Cowpens State 27 Strub College 0
Central Carolina 7 Mobile Maritime 5
Maryland State 10 Carolina Poly 0
Western Florida 55 Chase 7
Western Tennessee 22 Charleston (IL) 9
MIDWEST
Detroit City College 14 St. Magnus 3
Minnesota Tech 14 Lincoln 6
Central Ohio 24 Indiana A&M 0
Western Iowa 21 Whitney College 10
Wisconsin State 16 George Fox 14
St. Ignatius 39 Valley State 10
Daniel Boone College 30 Annapolis Maritime 7
Lambert College 16 Central Illinois 7
Lawrence State 21 Potomac College 6
Northern Minnesota 23 Miami State 23
Boulder State 14 Iowa A&M 10
Topeka State 20 Cache Valley 16
Laclede 23 Brockhurst 13
SOUTHWEST
Texas Gulf Coast 17 Red River State 14
Travis College 51 Arkansas A&T 7
Darnell State 21 Amarillo Methodist 10
Texas Panhandle 28 Utah A&M 3
Lubbock State 20 College of Waco 7
Oklahoma City State 40 Eastern Kansas 3
South Valley State 24 Abilene Baptist 23
Uvalde College 41 El Paso Methodist 0
Canyon A&M 30 Wichita Falls State 10
FAR WEST
Northern California 26 Lane State 10
Portland Tech 13 Coastal California 0
Redwood 17 CC Los Angeles 7
Spokane State 26 Rainier College 14
Sunnyvale 34 California Catholic 6
Tempe College 37 Flagstaff State 14
Wyoming A&I 23 Colorado Poly 19
Western Montana 20 Custer College 10
Payne State 21 St. Matthew's College 10
San Francisco Tech 13 Eastern Oklahoma 7
Provo Tech 23 Mile High State 7
Kit Carson University 31 Golden Gate University 12
DEFENDING CHAMPS IMPROVE TO 4-0
Finches Only Unbeaten Team Remaining in AFA
The Cleveland Finches fell just below the 31 points they scored in each of their opening three victories to start the American Football Association season but that did not stop the defending league champions from improving to 4-0 with a 28-21 victory on the road at Gothams Stadium over the New York Football Stars. It was a tight contest that could have gone either way but in the end the defending champs proved strong enough to claim the victory.
Jody Moten had some struggles early with a pair of interceptions, but the Cleveland passer settled down and threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, just outshining Archie Rawlings of the Stars, who threw for 3 New York scores. The turning point came midway through the third frame when Dan Cole of New York fumbled the football and Cleveland's Jim Nielsen scooped it up before running 29 yards into the Stars endzone for a touchdown that put the Finches up 21-7 at the time.
St Louis and Chicago, both 3-1, are hot on the Finches tail in the battle for the West Division lead. The Ramblers, perhaps taking some motivation from the diamond Pioneers back-to-back World Championship Series titles, are playing inspired football with 3 straight victories including yesterday's 21-14 comeback win in Cincinnati. The Tigers did all their damage in the first period with a pair of rushing touchdowns before the Ramblers got going with a 69-yard drive that culminated in a 4-yard run for Walt Heinrich. It would turn out to be the only carry for positive yardage on the afternoon for the rookie from Whitney College. Turnovers would lead to a pair of second half scores, including a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown by Owen Threadgill that tied the contest in the third quarter, as the Ramblers beat Cincinnati for the second time this season.
The Chicago Wildcats, who lost at home to Cleveland two weeks ago, are also 3-1 after a 28-14 doubling of the Pittsburgh Paladins in Ricky McCallister's first AFA start. Taking over for Gus Brown at quarterback, the Christian Trophy winning former St Blane quarterback threw a pair of first quarter touchdown passes to get the Wildcats off to a quick start. It was far from a dominant day for the star of St Blane's perfect season a year ago, but he completed 10 of 23 passes for 143 yards while also carrying the ball three times for 18 yards.
It took three field goals from Eric Balfour in the fourth quarter, including the winner with less than 3 minutes on the clock, but the Boston Americans held off the visiting Philadelphia Frigates 23-20 to run their record to 3-1, best in the East Division. Del Thomas threw for 320 yards and a pair of first half scores to lead the Yanks attack.
The final game of the weekend saw the Washington Wasps even their record at 2-2 with a 24-20 victory over the struggling Detroit Maroons, a team that is off to a 1-4 start with 3 losses already at Thompson Field. Detroit had the lead at the break, but a Monte Harriman 12-yard interception return for a score put Washington up 24-17 late in the third quarter and the Wasps held on for the win thanks in no small part to interceptions on each of Detroit's final two possessions of the game. Trying Mike Beard instead of Rich Coleman at quarterback this week did nothing to help Rollie Barrell's failing team as Beard was picked off 7 times in the game.
KANSAS CITY STOPS BUFFALO 14-0 FOR 7TH WIN
Automatic Pat Chappell pitched two touchdown passes as the champion Kansas City Cowboys notched their seventh straight Continental Football Conference triumph with a 14-0 victory over the Buffalo Bulls. The two aerial-minded clubs threw a total of 58 passes with the Cowboys completing 11 of 25 for 145 yards while Buffalo fired 33 forwards and connected on just 10 of them for 126 yards.
Chappell was not his usual sharp self on a dull, rainy afternoon and finished far below his typical yardage totals and success rate, but nevertheless his throwing arm made the difference as the Cowboys went through their 16th straight CFC game without a defeat.
The slick conditions clearly played havoc with both offenses but, after a scoreless opening period, the Bulls had a chance to take the lead midway through the second when Monday engineered what would be their longest drive of the day. It lasted 10 plays and began on their own 41-yard line but stalled out with incompletions on third and fourth downs from the Cowboys 5-yard line.
Spirits lifted by the strong defensive stand, Chappell marched the Cowboys 95 yards for the opening touchdown, connecting with Mason Matthews for a pair of big gains on pass plays of 37 and 19 yards before finding Doug Stoughton on a 4-yard toss for the touchdown. Chappell engineered another drive early in the second half that culminated in a 12-yard heave to Matthews and that would be more than enough offense for the victory.
***Gallegos Return Lifts Crescents ***
After missing each of the last two games and watching his team lose badly in both, rookie quarterback Vince Gallegos returned to the lineup for the New Orleans Crescents and led his team to a 45-21 win over the Lobos in Los Angeles. Gallegos was a man on a mission, completing 19 of 27 passes for 328 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Crescents are now a perfect 5-0 with the rookie from Bayou State running the offense, but 0-2 without him.
Sam Metcalf had his typical strong day for the San Francisco Wings, throwing for 234 yards to lead his club to a 35-7 victory over the New York Gothams at Dyckman Stadium. The Wings are 7-1 as they continue their chase of the Kansas City Cowboys, something they have been doing each of the past two years as well.
The final CFC game of the weekend saw the Chicago Comets claim their first victory of the year. On the road in Brooklyn, the Comets doubled the grid Kings 42-21 behind 4 touchdown passes from Garry Leonard including a pair where he teamed up with Marsh Schroeder.
SHAMROCKS OFF TO QUICK START
The New York Shamrocks seem out to prove that last year's surprise upset of the Chicago Packers in the semi-finals was no fluke as they looked strong with a win and a tie to start the North American Hockey Confederation season, which dropped the puck last week. The Shamrocks were aided by the fact both games were at home and against the two clubs that failed to make the playoffs last year, but they began with a tie against Montreal followed by a victory over Detroit.
The Motors looked very strong in the preseason, posting a league best 6-1 record, and that carried on to their regular season opener when they blasted the Chicago Packers 6-1 in the Windy City. Detroit looks like it may have some rising scoring stars, something they woefully lacked last season, in Adam Vanderbilt and Nick Tardif. Vanderbilt had three points in the opener and scored both Detroit goals in yesterday's loss to New York while Tardif, who was named the loop's top rookie a year ago, had 2 points in each of the opening two games.
Code:
[b] NAHC STANDINGS
GP W L T GF GA PTS
New York 2 1 0 1 7 5 3
Detroit 2 1 1 0 5 3 2
Boston 1 1 0 0 5 4 2
Montreal 2 0 0 2 7 7 2
Chicago 2 0 1 1 5 10 1
Toronto 1 0 1 0 4 5 0
SCORING LEADERS
GP G A PTS
Vanderbilt, Det 2 3 2 5
Tardif, Det 2 2 3 5
Sandford, Mon 2 2 2 4
Skinner, Mon 2 2 2 4
Greenham, NY 2 1 3 4
T Burns, Chi 2 3 0 3
Chandler, Bos 1 2 1 3
Cabbell, NY 2 1 2 3
Finch, Chi 2 0 3 3
Vies, Det 2 0 3 3
Williams, Mon 2 0 3 3
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13
Detroit 6 at 1 Chicago: The season opened with the defending regular season champion Chicago Packers hosting the Motors, who had finished last a year ago. Detroit was coming off the best record in the preseason while the Packers had plenty to prove after a quick exit in the semi-finals of last season's playoffs. This one was all Detroit as the visitors won by a convincing 6-1 score with youngsters Adam Vanderbilt and Nick Tardif leading the way with three points each while veteran winger Arnold Singleton scored twice. The lone Packer to beat Detroit's new netminder Millard Touhey was an expected one with three time McDaniels Trophy winner Tommy Burns being the one to break Touhey's shutout bid.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 14
Montreal 3 at 3 New York: Adam Greenham's powerplay marker with 1:24 remaining in the game allowed the Shamrocks to salvage a 3-3 tie before 10,757 fans at Bigsby Garden in their home opener. Greenham also had an assist for the winners while Bert Lanceleve led the Valiants attack with a goal and a helper of his own. Montreal outshot the Greenshirts 39-21 but Etienne Tremblay stood tall in the New York crease. Ex-Detroit backup netminder Brad Carter had 18 saves and seemed to struggle in his Vals debut.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 16
Montreal 4 at 4 Chicago: Chicago is still looking for their first win after skating to a 4-4 draw with Montreal as the Vals earn their second straight tie. Tommy Burns had two more goals for Chicago after scoring the Packers only marker in their season opening loss to Detroit. Defenseman Jerry Finch had two assists for the winners while Bryant Williams and Claude LeClerc led the Vals with 2 points each.
Toronto 4 at 5 Boston: A wild game in Boston as the host Bees opened a 5-0 lead after 40 minutes only to see the defending Cup champions roar back, but fall just short, with 4 goals in the third period. Wilbur Chandler had the hot stick for the Bees with 2 goals and an assist while Bobbie Sauer had a goal and an assist to pace Toronto.
SUNDAY OCTOMBER 17
Detroit 2 at 4 New York: A combative opening period saw New York take a 2-1 lead before adding two more in the second stanza and claim a 4-2 victory. Second year winger Sam Furr scored twice for the winners while vets Orval Cabbell and Tommy Brescia added singles. Adam Vanderbilt replied with both Detroit tally's, each assisted by reining rookie of the year Nick Tardif.
NEXT WEEK'S GAMES
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20
Boston at Chicago
THURSDAY OCTOBER 21
Montreal at Toronto
SATURDAY OCTOBER 23
Montreal at Detroit
Toronto at Chicago
SUNDAY OCTOBER 24
Boston at New York
Detroit at Toronto
SAWYER SET FOR FIRST EUROPEAN DEFENSE
Hector Sawyer's European tour has been going on for well over a month now, but it finally gets underway for real as the man who has held the World Heavyweight title longer than anyone else and may well be the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time steps into the ring in Europe for the first time in a sanctioned professional bout. It will, however, not be Sawyer's first bigtime fight on European soil as he fought numerous exhibitions in England and Italy while in the Army.
Sawyer, who has held the World Title since knocking out German Jochen Schrotter in Detroit in 1940, will be looking for his 60th victory as a professional when he faces Englishman Grant Knowles in London Friday evening. Little is known of Sawyer's latest opponent beyond the fact that he is reported to be the best heavyweight in Great Britain at this time and said to own a 31-4-1 career record.
BOSTON BOMBER TOO MUCH FOR MacKINNEY
Veteran Boston heavyweight Roy Crawford continues to wait patiently for a chance at the world title, and as he approaches his 30th birthday, it is beginning to feel like he may never get the chance to meet the man he has had his sights set on for several years. That would be Hector Sawyer, the long-time heavyweight champion of the world who is presently cavorting across Europe with his ABF world belt in hand.
To pass the time and clearly to take out some frustration Crawford took out his frustrations Friday night at Denny Arena on veteran New York pugilist Todd MacKinney. The local fight fans love the Boston Bomber, so the joint was packed, and the fans were wild celebrating every moment of the bout but in reality, it appeared to a more trained eye to be no better than a sparring match for Crawford, who had his way with a clearly inferior opponent. Crawford likely, had he been so inclined, could have ended the bout much earlier but he decided to put on a show for 7-rounds before finishing off his 38-year-old opponent with a powerful flurry in the seventh round. The win runs Crawford's impressive record to 27-3 while MacKinney is 26-12-1 and likely at the end of his boxing rope.
EDMONDS BUCKING FOR SHOT AT PETRIE
John Edmonds, who briefly held the middleweight belt last year after upsetting and then losing in the rematch to Frank Melanson, made no secret he feels he deserves a shot at current champ Adrian Petrie. Speaking after knocking out Eric Deal in the sixth round of a bout scheduled for 10 at Washington's National Auditorium last night, Edmonds called on Petrie's camp for a meeting.
"I am one of the top contenders in the division and with Melanson and the Frenchman tied up it makes perfect sense that I be given the title shot," Edmonds declared after looking barely winded in the easy win over Deal that ran the 30-year-old Muncie, In., native's record to 26-3.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- 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)
- Nov 3 - Memphis, TN: MW John Baker (20-5-1) vs Mark McCoy (13-0)
- Nov 16- Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: HW Joey Tierney (12-0) vs Gil Hilliard (24-8-2)
- Jan 8 - Bigsby Garden: MW Frank Melanson (33-2-2) vs Edouard Desmarais (42-2)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 10/17/1948
- Russia broke its silence on the Berlin crisis in the UN Security Council talks, but only to say that while it was "very skilled" maneuvering on the part of the acting Council President to secure promises from the US, Britain and France to provide more information on the Berlin blockade, it was "naive to believe the Soviet Union would swallow this bait" as Russia refused to discuss the matter.
- President Truman announced on the weekend at $14.4 billion dollar military budget for next year, $2 billion more than this year, and he ordered a "vigorous" Army and Air Force reserve training program which caught defense officials by surprise.
- 1,000 striking French workers barricaded themselves inside a Paris-area auto plant and refused to leave. They welded the doors shut and are keeping the plant manager as a hostage.
- The interim Palestine mediator told the United Nations that he believes the "time is ripe for a settlement" in the Holy Land and he believes both sides would accept a reasonable UN proposal for peace.
- Senator Ball, Republican of Minnesota, received the indorsement of Gov. Dewey -and a splattering from an overripe tomato- as the Dewey campaign train paused at Albert Lea, Minnesota. The vegetable was hurled from a crowd of about 3,500 and came just days after Dewey was struck with a tomato at a speech in Illinois.
- Campaigning in Indiana, President Truman told a crowd of workers that his Republican opponent is "ducking the issue" of a higher minimum wage. Truman announced plans if elected that he and the Democratic Party propose to raise the minimum wage from its current 40 cents to 75 cents.