OCTOBER 25, 1948
DOUBLE BARRELL AWARD WINS
Rufus Barrell would have been a proud man today. The late Hall of Famer had plenty to be proud of in his 75 years of life but today would have been special as one of his son's won his 6th Whitney Award while a grandson claimed his third Allen Award. We are speaking of Philadelphia Keystones legend Bobby Barrell, who is assured of joining his father in baseball's Boone County museum one day, and Deuce Barrell, the golden-armed lefthander of the Cincinnati Cannons. Joining those two on the awards stage where St Louis Pioneers young ace Hal Hackney, who won the Federal Association Allen Award for the first time and New York Stars sensational outfielder Bill Barrett of the New York Stars, who claimed the Continental Association Whitney Award for the fourth time.
Most of the talk surrounded Bobby Barrell, who has won more Whitney Awards than anyone not named Max Morris. It was a sizeable victory for the 38-year-old outfielder, who led the Fed in homeruns for the 6th time in his career with 44, to go along with 120 rbi's and a .301 batting average, numbers deemed good enough to earn the top spot on 13 of the 16 ballots. Hackney, who led the Federal Association in wins and strikeouts, went 22-11 with a 3.41 era while fanning 218 to easily outpoint Detroit's Carl Potter -the era leader- and the Gothams Ed Bowman to win his first Allen Award. Hackney became just the third Pioneers pitcher to win an Allen but the second in two years following up Danny Hern, who had 1 first place vote this time around. The Federal Association's top rookie was Irv Clifford of the Pittsburgh Miners as Pittsburgh players claimed three of the top four spots on that ballot.
There was little suspense in the Continental Association voting as all three winners were listed number one on each of the 16 ballots. Bill Barrett of the New York Stars led FABL with 130 rbi's and topped the Continental loop in homers with 43 while batting .300. The 28-year-old, who missed three full seasons because of the war, now has three Whtiney Awards in his possession after winning last year as well to go with the pair he won before joining the marines after the 1942 season.
Only Jim Lonardo with 4, has won more Allen Awards than Barrell as Deuce joins his uncle Tom Barrell and Rabbit Day as 3-time winners. He possibly should have a fourth but finished second in a moderately controversial decision when George Garrison outpointed him despite Deuce having more first place votes. Deuce also finished second in the 1946 voting. With an era that hovered below 2 for much of the season before finally settling at 2.15 to go along with a FABL best 23 victories despite pitching for a 7th place club there was no denying Barrell the Allen Award this time around. The Kellogg Award, for top rookie, did not have a lot of competition this season but Brooklyn outfielder Pat Petty (.284,18,93) would be a deserving winner even against stiffer opposition. This was the third season the Kellogg Award was presented and all three of the CA winners have been Kings with Petty following in the footsteps of Ralph Johnson and Leo Hayden.
- The members of the St Louis Pioneers will collect a record $6,772.07 apiece for becoming champions of baseball, it was announced by FABL President Samuel Belton. The vanquished Philadelphia Sailors divided their share of the golden kitty so that each player will receive $4,570.73. Despite the series only lasting four games, crowds of over 60,000 for each of the two contests at Pioneers Field helped boost the total revenue.
- Most Whitney Awards
Max Morris 8
Bobby Barrell 6*
Al Wheeler 5
Bill Barrett 4*
Powell Slocum 4
Ed Ziehl 4
Red Johnson 3*
John Lawson 3
*active
- George Dawson may get one more chance to prolong his career after the Chicago Cougars claimed the 37-year-old shortstop after Washington waived him. The 3-time all-star began his career with Cleveland before moving to Detroit in 1941 and to the Eagles two years later. He is a .297 career hitter in 1,737 FABL games. OSA feels he still has the skills to hit in the big leagues but his defense at shortstop dropped substantially his final two seasons with Washington. He played for 3 pennant winners and won a WCS with the Foresters in 1934.
- The New York Stars gave manager Ken Tannen a vote of confidence, extending his contract two more years. The 49-year-old has been the Stars skipper since 1944, taking over after 5 years as the club's bench coach. Tannan led the Stars to a WCS win in 1946 and has a career record of 397-374 at the helm in New York.
THE SAWYER PLAN: DOMINANT START TO EUROPEAN TOUR
LONDON - A London Auditorium jam-packed with over 50,000 fervent fans bore witness to a display of fistic prowess as Hector Sawyer, the heavyweight colossus, swept through British challenger Grant Knowles in a mere four rounds. The bout, marking the initiation of Sawyer's European expedition, showcased a seasoned champion against a courageous local contender.
At 34 years old and boasting 63 battles in the professional arena, Sawyer's might may have weathered the sands of time, but he remains an indomitable force, etching his name in boxing annals as one of the premier heavyweight pugilists of all eras. Akin to a well-oiled machine, Sawyer's precision was evident from the opening bell.
However, Knowles exhibited grit and determination, resisting the tempestuous onslaught. The opening round swung on a delicate thread, leaving the judges and the American referee, Dunk McGuire, deliberating on its recipient. Yet, as the dust settled, the path to victory became glaringly apparent, with Sawyer seizing command and dominating the next three rounds.
In the second stanza, Knowles tasted the bitter pill of a sharp hook to the cranium, momentarily dimming his vision with celestial fireworks. Sawyer continued to hammer the Englishman's defenses in the third, unleashing a vicious uppercut that carved a deep furrow over Knowles' right brow. As the fourth round unfurled, Knowles, visibly worn and battered, hesitated to rise from his corner, attempting to deflect the inevitable with a claim of a low blow.
Referee McGuire acknowledged the appeal and issued a caution to the champ, yet it merely stoked the fires within Sawyer. Charging forth like a locomotive, he blazed through Knowles' dwindling defenses, raining a barrage of blows. The compassionate intervention of McGuire moments before the final bell likely spared Knowles from a far graver fate.
Sawyer, now proudly boasting a record of 59-3-1, embellished by 11 successful title defenses since his coronation against Jochen Schrotter in January of 1940, sets his sights on the City of Light. Paris beckons, and another challenger awaits, yet to be unveiled. Europe feels the reverberations of the "Sawyer Plan" - a relentless march towards victory, infused with the spirit of revival that echoes amidst the tumultuous backdrop of the Marshall Plan and the unrest unfurling in Berlin and across the continent. The boxing world stands poised for the next act in this transatlantic pugilistic saga.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- 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)
DETROIT CITY COLLEGE RALLIES PAST MINNESOTA TECH
There were bitter dregs for Minnesota Tech but there was a potion of joy for Detroit City College in the Little Brown Jug Saturday evening as the Knights overcame a 7-0 first half deficit to remained unbeaten and win 17-7. The victory, in the rugged battle before a record-breaking Minnesota Tech crowd of 65,130, was he 21st consecutive win for Detroit City.
Detroit City made some serious mistakes in the first half but also made their own breaks and looked like perhaps the finest team in the country over the final 30 minutes of the contest. As usual Paul Erdinger and Ike Richards were the stars of the show for the Knights, with Richards 19 yard scoring catch with just over 4 minutes remaining in the game sealing the win for the Knights, who remain at the top of the collegiate football rankings.
North Carolina Tech holds the second spot in a week where very little changed in the rankings. The Techsters ran all over Bayou State in a 44-14 triumph. St Blane, recovering nicely from their shocking loss to St Ignatius a couple of weeks ago, looked strong as they slashed to a 27-12 victory over stubborn Western Iowa. The Fighting Saints used their ground game almost exclusively against a team fired up before a capacity home crowd looking for an upset victory. St Blane, which was off to a sizzling start on Joe Fulgham's 34-yard touchdown run on their first play from scrimmage, tried only eight passes and completed one. The Saints actually had a net loss of 7 yards with aerials, but their rugged thrusts behind characteristically crisp blocking mowed down the defenders for 4 touchdowns -one in each quarter. Fulgham had 3 of them and 141 of the 372 yards rushing the Fighting Saints accumulated on the afternoon.
St Ignatius, which handed the Fighting Saints their first loss in nearly 3 years two weeks ago, was at it again as the Lancers ended any hopes Liberty College might have had for a perfect season with a 14-14 tie that also dropped the 3-0-1 Bells out of the top ten in the rankings.
Central Ohio was the beneficiary of the Liberty College stumble as the Aviators managed to climb into the top ten on the heels of their 31-0 thumping of Great Lakes Alliance foe Wisconsin State in Columbus. Only their opening week 6-6 with Daniel Boone College keeps the Aviators from a perfect record, as they can count wins over Western Iowa, Indiana A&M and a disappointing Coastal California squad to run their season mark to 4-0-1.
The first football expedition ever sent by Rome State to Brunswick,NJ marked a black day for the host Brunswick Knights. Striking at the flanks with a speed that could not be contained, using the pass more liberally than heretofore and putting on the greater pressure in the line, the Centurions removed Brunswick from the dwindling list of unbeaten teams with a squarely earned 29-14 triumph.
Georgia Baptist and Mississippi A&M are two of the few schools that do remain perfect with each improving to 5-0 and holding strong to their positions firmly in the middle of the top ten poll. The Gators moved to 4-0 in Deep South section play -tied with the Generals for top spot- with an easy 29-3 win over Western Florida. Playing in Memphis, the Generals used the hot Southern sun as an ally to beat down Commonwealth Catholic 27-6 and remain one of the nine remaining unbeaten and untied schools. Those final eight, all 5-0 on the year are Henry Hudson, Mississippi A&M, Georgia Baptist, Detroit City College, Maryland State, North Carolina Tech, Texas Gulf Coast, Texas Panhandle and Kit Carson University.
WEEKEND RESULTS
EAST
St. Blane 27 Western Iowa 12
Rome State 29 Brunswick 14
Liberty College 24 St. Ignatius 24
Grafton 20 Dickson 13
Pierpont 23 Annapolis Maritime 17
Pittsburgh State 21 Indiana A&M 7
Henry Hudson 24 Sadler 13
Ellery 51 Constitution State 7
Garden State 34 Bethlehem College 20
Empire State 14 St. Patrick's 10
St. Matthew's College 34 Brooklyn State 10
Boston State 10 Bigsby College 10
SOUTH
Noble Jones College 17 Miami State 10
Alabama Baptist 21 Northern Mississippi 17
Georgia Baptist 29 Western Florida 3
Mississippi A&M 27 Commonwealth Catholic 6
North Carolina Tech 44 Bayou State 14
Charleston Tech 21 Western Tennessee 9
Cumberland 16 Cookeville State 0
Baton Rouge State 28 Opelika State 0
Bluegrass State 33 George Fox 7
Alexandria 37 Eastern State 31
Huntington State 14 Lexington State 12
Carolina Poly 21 Chesapeake State 0
Central Carolina 28 Spartanburg Baptist 7
Richmond State 20 Salamanca State 0
Bulein 6 Mobile Maritime 0
Central Kentucky 21 Wisconsin Catholic 20
Maryland State 17 Potomac College 0
Petersburg 14 Hampden-Sydney 10
Columbia Military Academy 10 Coastal State 0
MIDWEST
Detroit City College 17 Minnesota Tech 7
St. Magnus 54 St. Pancras 0
Central Ohio 31 Wisconsin State 0
Lincoln 13 Whitney College 10
Lawrence State 30 College of Omaha 10
Boulder State 52 Eastern Kansas 0
Daniel Boone College 37 Iowa A&M 9
Colorado Poly 27 Lambert College 14
Northern Minnesota 27 Dearborn State 14
Cleveland 34 Laclede 28
SOUTHWEST
Lubbock State 21 Darnell State 0
Travis College 21 Red River State 7
Texas Gulf Coast 27 Sunnyvale 7
College of Waco 24 Valley State 14
Texas Panhandle 44 South Valley State 13
Oklahoma City State 28 Amarillo Methodist 17
Eastern Oklahoma 23 Conwell College 0
FAR WEST
Coastal California 14 Redwood 6
Northern California 24 Rainier College 9
Portland Tech 28 Spokane State 7
Lane State 21 CC Los Angeles 14
Idaho A&M 26 Custer College 7
Kit Carson University 69 Payne State 27
Flagstaff State 14 Colorado Valley State 14
Provo Tech 33 Wyoming A&I 14
Cache Valley 21 Utah A&M 7
Canyon A&M 23 Commerce State 7
Mile High State 13 Golden Gate University 13
FINCHES ROUT OHIO RIVALS 49-0
There seems to be no slowing down the Cleveland Finches as the defending American Football Association champions destroyed their in-state rivals from Cincinnati 49-0 yesterday in what was the Jody Moten and Dave Nicholson show. The veteran Cleveland quarterback and his favourite pass catching partner connected on 4 touchdown throws, three in an 8-minute span of the second quarter, to improve to 5-0 on the season. Counting last season's championship game the Finches have now won 9 consecutive football games.
Moten has emerged as a dominant quarterback this season, seemingly out of nowhere but he has been a backup with the Finches for each of the past two years and actually began his pro career in 1941 once his college days at Arkansas A&T were down, but he missed 5 seasons while in the Navy during the war. He is one of just two backs who have thrown for over 1,000 yards already this season, joining Boston's Del Thomas, and leads the AFA with 16 touchdown tosses. Nicholson has been with the Finches since 1945 and leads the AFA with 25 receptions including a league-high 7 scoring catches.
It has been quite a turnaround for the Finches, who did not win more than 2 games in a season from 1941 to 1945 and had to rely on merging with the St Louis Ramblers just to field enough players to get through the 1944 campaign. More often than not a losing team, the Finches only division title since the format began in 1933 was in 1935 when they lost the title game to Pittsburgh. That of course changed last year with the championship game win over Washington. It was the third AFA title for the Finches, who were a power for a stretch in the sport's early days and won the AFA title in 1925 and 1932.
The Chicago Wildcats remain a game back of the Finches for the West Division lead after narrowly escaping Philadelphia with a 16-14 triumph over the Frigates, who fall to 1-4. Christian Trophy winner Ricky McCallister got his third straight start in place of Gus Brown at quarterback for the Wildcats and while he was underwhelming as a passer, completing just 9 of 24 attempts for 87 yards with 2 interceptions, he did rush for a team high 69 yards and scored the game's opening touchdown to remain unbeaten as a starting quarterback -and that includes his entire college career as well.
Detroit caught Del Thomas on a bad day as the Maroons, led by Marc Orlosky's 135 yards rushing and 3 touchdown passes from Mike Beard, dumped the Boston Americans 26-10. Thomas, the 3-time AFA Most Valuable Player passed for just 147 yards, a low total by his standards, and did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season.
Archie Rawlings and Jack Swihart teamed up for a 43-yard touchdown pass with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game to lift the New York Stars to a 14-7 victory over the St Louis Ramblers. Both clubs are now 3-2 on the season with Ramblers sitting third in the West Division while the Football Stars are tied with Boston for top spot in the East.
Pittsburgh won for the second time in three weeks as Ken Marston and Jerry Doucet put on an offensive display against the visiting Washington Wasps. Marston completed 16 of 28 pass attempts for 237 and 2 scores while Doucet ran for 102 yards and scored twice on the ground to lead the Paladins to a 34-14 triumph. The game was tight with Washington nursing a 1-point lead until the final 7 minutes when the Paladins erupted for three touchdowns to claim the victory.
The collapse for Washington was quick and very much of their own doing as two fumbles less than a minute apart turned the game around. First it was Bob Krohn coughing up the ball after he was sacked deep in his own territory while clinging to a 1-point lead. Faced with a first and goal at the Wasps 6-yard line it took just 1 play for Marston to find Mike Krumpke in the endzone and the Paladins had a 20-14 lead with 6:42 to play. Jim Ponder would then fumble on the Wasps next play from scrimmage and two plays later Marston connected with Bill Langan for an 11-yard score. Marston would recover another Krohn fumble less than a minute later giving the Wasps 3 turnovers in just over 2 minutes. Late in the game Doucet would and an insurance score on a 23-yard run to make the final 34-14 for the Paladins.
COWBOYS AND WINGS WIN IN ROUTS
The fact that the Kansas City Cowboys and San Francisco Wings are head and shoulders above everyone else in the Continental Football Conference was pounded home again yesterday with each club continuing its winning way with impressive victories. The Cowboys, who have lost just 3 times 38 games since the CFC debuted in 1946, improved to 8-0 on this campaign with a 38-21 victory over the New York Gothams, the club they beat in each of the two CFC championship games. Meanwhile the Wings, who have been chasing Kansas City since the loop began, improved to 8-1 this season with a dominant 62-24 victory over the New Orleans Crescents.
In Kansas City it was another brilliant performance in the illustrious career of Pat Chappell, who passed for four touchdowns to lead the Cowboys past the visiting Gothams. The sharpshooting T-formation quarterback of the unbeaten Cowboys hit his elusive, sure-fingered receivers with 16 completions for a staggering 369 yards and the dazed Gothams secondaries just couldn't doing anything about it.
The automatic Cowboys quarterback was a little slow getting started as each of his first three pass attempts fell incomplete before he connected with Ernie Orr for a 12-yard gain on the Cowboys second series. A 16-yarder to Bill Tammaro, back in good health after a lengthy injury, led to the first Kansas City score and they would not slow down, putting up points in every period. Tammaro, as usual, was Chappell's favourite target, making 6 grabs for 172 yards including a pair of scoring catches.
In San Francisco, the normally pass-minded Wings decided to focus on the ground game against a New Orleans club that had started the season with 4 straight wins but has now dropped three of its last four games. With Vince Gallegos under center, the Crescents raced out to a 21-7 lead before the Wings overpowering ground game wore the New Orleans defense down. San Francisco would find the end zone 5 times in the second half while blanking the Crescents after the break to secure the 62-24 rout. Four of the second half scores and 7 overall came from the run, with the Wings amassing 421 yards on the ground, by a committee of 10 different ballcarriers led by Rich Garner's 94 yards.
Elsewhere, Mark Monday had perhaps his best game of what has been a rough season for the Buffalo Bulls and their quarterback. Monday threw for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the Bulls beat Los Angeles 34-21 on the coast. It was just the second win of the season for Buffalo, and once more Dave Karaszewski played a key role. The Buffalo back ran for 113 yards while also making 5 catches for 156 yards. Finally in the Windy City, Doug Pastirik ran for 70 yards and was a force on defense to lead the visiting Brooklyn Kings past the Chicago Comets 38-21.
CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE SET FOR WAR WITH AFA
If the American Football Association wants war "it's war the AFA will have," declared Dee Rose, the outspoken owner of the Los Angeles Lobos of the Continental Football Conference.
"But I'll bet there'll either be peace -and soon- or everybody will go broke," forecasted the Lobos boss, whose team is in third place in the eight team CFC's Western Division. "And I'll tell you this, the Continental Conference will be playing again in 1949 and it will continue to play as an 8-team league, and the eighth team will be the Chicago Comets. Let the American Conference chew on that for a while."
Rose's statement indicated that new backing is available for the stuggling Comets, whose owners reportedly have decided not to run next season.
There had been concern about the state of the Continental loop after word recently came out that the owner of the AFA's New York Stars claimed his counterparts with the Brooklyn football Eagles, Daniel Prescott, stood to lose $200,000 this season but Rose laughed it off, noting "everybody's been saying that about us for the last two years and we didn't get huffy. The bottom line is the entire ownership group, and (CFC President) Bob Motgomery were committed to seeing the Continental Conference prosper.
Rose also asserted that the Comets, "our admitted weakness," were as good or stronger than "their poorest team, the Pittsburgh Paladins." He noted strong crowds in Buffalo and with the New York Gothams, mentioning they were even with Stars while adding that "Kansas City and San Francisco, two of our strongest clubs are better than any team in the AFA."
SHAMROCKS LEAD WAY WHILE PACKERS HAVE EARLY STRUGGLES
Two weeks into the NAHC season just a single point separates the top five teams with the surprising New York Shamrocks at the top of the heap. The Shamrocks are 2-0-1 thanks in no small part to some solid goaltending from the duo of ice veteran Etienne Tremblay, who blanked Boston this week, and young Alex Sorrell. The Shamrocks have not overwhelmed offensively, as only second year winger Sam Furr has scored twice this season, but they enjoy a 1-point lead on Detroit, Toronto, Boston and Montreal.
The one team not mentioned above was the Chicago Packers who, quite surprisingly, are still looking for their first victory. The Packers only point in four outings came from a tie against Montreal in their second game as they have had their struggles particularly on the back-end in the early going. Norm Hanson, the Juneau Trophy winner as top goaltender last season, has had a rough start and presently owns just a .849 save percentage -worst in the loop. Tommy Burns does have 3 goals but the rest of the vaunted Chicago offense has struggled and what is more troubling is the Packers lost all 4 games on home ice. They will venture away from Lakeside Auditorium this season for the first time on Thursday when they begin a string of 3 road games in Boston with the hopes a change of scenery will get them untracked.
Code:
[b] NAHC STANDINGS
GP W L T GF GA PTS
New York 3 2 0 1 10 5 5
Detroit 4 2 2 0 13 9 4
Toronto 4 2 2 0 16 13 4
Boston 3 2 1 0 10 9 4
Montreal 4 1 1 2 10 14 4
Chicago 4 0 3 1 9 18 1
SCORING LEADERS
GP G A PTS
Vanderbilt, Det 4 5 2 7
Carlson, Tor 4 3 4 7
Sauer, Tor 4 4 2 6
Tardif, Det 4 2 4 6
Hart, Bos 2 3 2 5
Galbraith, Tor 4 3 2 5
Sandford, Mon 4 3 2 5
Skinner, Mon 4 2 3 5
Pollack, Tor 4 1 4 5
Singleton, Det 3 3 1 4
T Burns, Chi 4 3 1 4
Chandler, Bos 3 2 2 4
Greenham, NY 3 1 3 4
Lanceleve, Mon 4 1 3 4
McGlynn, Chi 4 1 3 4
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20
Boston 5 at 2 Chicago: Tommy Hart had the hat trick to lead the Boston Bees past the Chicago Packers 5-2. Hart scored one of 3 Bees first period goals and then added 2 more in the middle stanza and the visitors opened a 5-1 lead. Veteran Tom Brockers made 27 saves in his first start of the season.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 21
Montreal 1 at 7 Toronto: A capacity crowd of 14,010 was on hand to as the defending Challenge Cup champions made their home debut in fine fashion, by blasting their rivals from Montreal 7-1. Les Carlson scored twice and added a pair of assists while Quinton Pollack had 3 helpers for the winners, who also saw rookie defenseman Charlie Brown get his first two career NAHC goals. The Vals, with ties in their opening two games of the season, remain winless.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 23
Montreal 2 at 0 Detroit: Detroit drops to 1-2 while the Valiants get their first victory in a big effort from Pat Beliveau as the rookie goaltender notched his first career shutout. It was an important win for the Vals, who parted ways with veteran netminder Millard Touhey over the summer, leaving big question marks about their situation in net. Touhey, who signed with Detroit, was at the other end of the ice and played well but came up short. Both goalies were busy as Detroit outshot the Vals 38-35 but only Adam Sandford and John Cline, both of Montreal, could bulge the twine.
Toronto 3 at 2 Chicago: Toronto won its second straight while the struggling Packers dropped to 0-3-1. First period goals from Quinton Pollack and Bobbie Sauer put the visitors up 2-0 before the clubs traded second stanza markers with Jarrett McGlynn scoring for the Packers and Lou Galbraith replying for Toronto. McGlynn set up Leon Seguin for a third period goal but Chicago, despite outshooting the Dukes 37-21, was unable to get the equalizer past Gordie Broadway.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 24
Boston 0 at 3 New York: After a six-day break the Shamrocks were back in action and remained unbeaten in 3 games this season as Etienne Tremblay blanked the Bees 3-0. It was a quiet evening for the veteran Shamrocks netminder, who faced just 15 Boston shots including only 4 in each of the first two periods. After a scoreless first period, rookie Alfie Dennis scored his first career NAHC goal in the second period with Simon Savard and Joe Martin adding third period tallys for the Shamrocks.
Detroit 5 at 2 Toronto: Adam Vanderbilt scored his league leading fourth and fifth goals of the season to pace the Detroit Motors to a 5-2 win over the Dukes. Henri Chasse, relegated to backup status with the addition of Millard Touhey, looked strong in the Motors net in his first start of the season.
NEXT WEEK'S GAMES
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27
New York at Detroit
Toronto at Montreal
THURSDAY OCTOBER 28
Chicago at Boston
SATURDAY OCTOBER 30
Montreal at Boston
Toronto at Detroit
SUNDAY OCTOBER 31
Chicago at Toronto
Detroit at Montreal
New York at Boston
MESSER LOOKS RIGHT AT HOME IN DETROIT AS FBL PRESEASON BEGINS
It is only preseason but if the first two games are any indication, it looks like Ward Messer will have little trouble adapting to professional basketball. The national collegiate player of the year last season and a two-time All-American at Liberty College was selected second overall by the Detroit Mustangs over the summer. The Mustangs have had a rough couple of seasons in the Federal Basketball League, despite being owned by a key league founder in Rollie Barrell, but they looked very good in a pair of preseason contests.
Messer scored 18 points and added 15 rebounds in his debut, am 81-78 victory over the New York Knights on Tuesday. A day later the Detroit quintet was in Buffalo where Messer had a dominant 22 point, 22 rebound showing in a 104-96 win over the Brawlers. he has a long ways to go with famous New York Gothams slugger Walt Messer as a sibling, but Ward is certainly doing his best to become as talented an athlete as his famous brother.
First overall selection, former Texas Gulf Coast forward Darren Fuhrman, had a little tougher time with the Syracuse Titans. The club, which was forced out of Toronto when Bernie Millard bought the old Pittsburgh Falcons franchise and secured a lease to use Toronto's Dominion Gardens, started the season with 3 straight losses. Fuhrman, who does not have a great supporting cast around him, averaged just 6.5 points per game in those contests.
Code:
PRESEASON FBL STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT
Washington 4 0 1.000
Brooklyn 2 1 .667
Hartford 2 2 .500
Rochester 2 2 .500
Philadelphia 1 1 .500
Boston 1 2 .333
New York 0 2 .000
Baltimore 0 3 .000
Syracuse 0 3 .000
WEST W L PCT
Cleveland 3 0 1.000
Chicago 2 0 1.000
Detroit 2 0 1.000
Pittsburgh 2 1 .667
Toronto 1 2 .333
Buffalo 1 3 .250
Cincinnati 0 2 .000
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 10/24/1948
- Israel accepted a UN offer to arrange peace talks with Egypt on the fighting in the Negeb. However, she rejected a cease-fire proposal. By week's end Egypt and Israel had accepted a truce but heavy fighting continued with Palestine.
- The United States demanded that the UN turn the deadlocked atomic energy problem over to the five great powers and Canada for direct negotiation.
- Six neutral nations on the Security Council have called on Russia to lift the Berlin blockade at once. The Western powers, who accused Russia of endangering peace, were asked to lift their counter blockade of the Soviet zone, agree by November 20 that the Russian-sponsored mark be the sole currency for Berlin and to meet with Russia in a foreign minister's council November 30 to thrash out the whole problem of Germany.
- General strikes continue in France, particularly the coal industry, bringing that country closer to martial law.
- A band of Korean soldiers, reportedly to be Communist led, revolted in Southern Korea and killed or captured 100 policemen in two towns leading to a pitched battle in the extreme southern part of Korea. Meanwhile, Moscow reports that "Soviet troops have begun to evacuate various parts of Northern Korea and the population is giving them a magnificent farewell."
- On the campaign trail it is believed that Pennsylvania's key 35 electoral votes, the largest bloc in any state outside of New York, are safely in the bag for Gov. Dewey, the Republican Presidential candidate.