NOVEMBER 1, 1948
PRESCOTT OPENS KINGS WALLET
Daniel Prescott may be focused on the transition of his basketball team to a new league after his baby, the American Basketball League, folded after 11 seasons and all of its teams, including Prescott's Brooklyn Red Caps, shifted over to the rival Federal League but the Brooklyn Kings owner still found time to handsomely reward a pair of his star players.
The Kings, in move that is only occasionally seen, bucked the current trend of 1-year contracts by agreeing to 2-year deals with outfielder Ralph Johnson and pitcher Bob Arman. Each is expected to play a key role in the Kings future, which looks bright with 3 consecutive rookie of the year awards going to members of the club.
Johnson, a 24-year-old outfielder, won both the Kellogg Award as top newcomer and the Whitney Award as the Continental Association's best position player in 1947 and followed it up with a second straight all-star season in the recently completed summer while also finishing second behind only the New York Stars Bill Barrett in Continental Association Whitney Award voting. He has signed a deal that will pay him $60,000 in 1949 and a raise to $73,000 the following year. Both years also offer sizeable bonuses should Johnson repeat as an all-star or Whitney winner either campaign. The 1949 base pay will make Johnson the 12th highest paid player in FABL and by far the youngest in that list of a dozen players. Johnson's 1948 salary was $40,950.
Arman, acquired from Cincinnati last winter, led the Kings mound staff with a 17-13 record and his 2.66 era was second only to his former teammate Deuce Barrell among qualifying pitchers in either Continental or Federal Associations. Barrell was a unanimous choice for the Allen Award but Arman finished second in balloting. Arman made $32,000 each of the past two seasons but the new deal with the Kings will pay the 27-year-old righthander $42,000 in 1949 and $49,600 the following season with an Allen Award and all star bonus.
Despite the two big contracts the Kings still rank in the bottom half of FABL in salary costs. Here is how the player payrolls look for each of the 16 ballclubs as well as the twenty highest paid players for 1949.
NO EXPLANATION FOR PACKERS AWFUL START
Should Chicago Packers fans be worried? The Packers, owners of the best regular season record a year ago and the most dominant offense in the league, are sitting in last place without a victory and just one point 6 games into the NAHC season. The latest loss was a 4-0 shutout at the hands of the Toronto Dukes -the second game in a row the Packers failed to score- and a number of veteran Dukes players understand all too well what the Packers are going through.
Three years ago the Dukes owned the best regular season record in the league, notching an astounding 70 points in just 48 games as they seemed well on their way to their third straight Challenge Cup. It was not to be as the Dukes, despite finishing 19 points ahead of the fourth place Montreal Valiants, were swept in 3 games in the semi-finals by their Canadian rivals. The expectation was the Dukes would be on a mission as the 1946-47 season commenced, looking to prove the loss to the Vals was a fluke, but instead they sank to the bottom of the league with a record even worse than the now-defunct but traditionally awful Brooklyn Eagles that year. The story in Toronto does have a happy ending as the Dukes rebounded to win the Challenge Cup last season but there are some worries of a parallel story developing in the Windy City.
The Packers have never won a Challenge Cup but after pushing Boston to the finals two years ago, big things were expected last season. Led by Tommy Burns, the most gifted offensive player in the league, the Packers easily outdistanced second place Boston to finish with the best record in the loop a year ago. But here is where the comparison to the Dukes comes in to play. Like Toronto in 1945-46, the Packers were unceremoniously booted from the playoffs by the 4th place New York Shamrocks - a team that like Montreal three years ago, finished 19 points out of first. It is early and there is plenty of time for a recovery but at 0-5-1 the Packers are looking like they are headed for the same struggles the Dukes encountered after losing a playoff series in which they were heavily favoured.
The worry in Chicago right now for Packers coach Ed Hempenstall is there is no one thing he can point to and say "that is the problem." The offense has dried up with just 9 goals in 6 games and while the big gun, Tommy Burns, has scored half of them he seems well below his usual level of production while his usual sidekicks brother Wes Burns and Monty Mahoney have each yet to register a point and are a combined -14. The defense has struggled and goaltender Norm Hanson, fresh of a Juneau Trophy win as the league's top netminder, has a 4.20 goals against average and a save percentage of just .855.
The good news is it is a new month and Hempenstall hopes his Packers can put October behind them and focus on a fresh start. They also have 6 days off to work on their issues before beginning a home and home set with the team that began all of their troubles last spring- the unbeaten New York Shamrocks.
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[b] NAHC STANDINGS
GP W L T GF GA PTS
Toronto 7 5 2 0 31 18 10
Boston 6 4 2 0 18 15 8
New York 5 3 0 2 19 9 8
Montreal 7 2 3 2 17 23 6
Detroit 7 2 4 2 19 22 5
Chicago 6 0 5 1 9 26 1
SCORING LEADERS
GP G A PTS
Pollack, Tor 7 5 7 12
Carlson, Tor 7 4 8 12
Sauer, Tor 7 6 4 10
Parker, Tor 7 4 5 9
Vanderbilt, Det 7 6 2 8
Skinner, Mon 7 4 4 8
Greenham, NY 5 3 5 8
Sandford, Mon 7 4 3 7
Galbraith, Tor 7 3 4 7
Tardif, Det 7 2 5 7
GOALIE LEADERS GP W L T ShO GAA
Beliveau, Mon 3 2 1 0 1 1.67
Tremblay, NY 4 2 0 2 1 1.75
Russell, Tor 2 1 1 0 1 2.02
Chasse, Det 2 1 1 0 0 2.53
James, Bos 5 3 2 0 0 2.60
Broadway, Tor 5 4 1 0 0 2.60
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27
New York 3 at 3 Detroit: The Motors and visiting Shamrocks skate to a 3-3 tie allowing New York (2-0-2) to remain unbeaten. Adam Greenham had two assists for the Shamrocks, who received first period goals from Tommy Brescia, Laurel Albers and Robert Sharply to take a 3-0 lead as they outshot the Motors 10-3 in the opening twenty minutes. On the game the Shamrocks had a wide 35-15 margin in shots but Detroit netminder Millard Touhey closed the gates the rest of the way while the Motors pulled even on two goals from Ben Witt and a goal and an assist from Gerald Comeau.
Toronto 5 at 3 Montreal: The defending Challenge Cup champions beat the Vals for the second time in a week thanks to a pair of third period goals -the second into an empty net- from Trevor Parker. In all Parker had 3 on the evening while Quinton Parker added a goal and two assists for the Dukes.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 28
Chicago 0 at 4 Boston: The Packers struggles continue after being shutout 4-0 at Denny Arena. Mark Dyck, who entered the game with only 2 career goals, scored three on this night to ignite the Boston attack. Alex Gagnon had the other Bees marker while Oren James made 25 saves for his second career NAHC shutout.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 30
Montreal 0 at 3 Boston: Back to back shutouts for Bees goaltender Oren James as the Boston club improves to 4-0-1 on the season. Willis Beane opened the scoring in the second period with Ray Gustafson and Mickey Bedard adding insurance goals in the final frame. Boston outshot the Valiants 25-18.
Toronto 6 at 2 Detroit: Quinton Pollack put on a show in Detroit as the Toronto Dukes young star scored 3 times and added a helper to lead the Dukes to their 4th win in 5 games, dumping Detroit 6-2. Bobbie Sauer added two goals for the winners with Dick Zimmerman rounding out the scoring as Toronto doubled Detroit in shots 36-18. Garrett Ferrar and 28-year-old Marsh Spencer, with his first NAHC goal, replied for the Motors.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 31
Chicago 0 at 4 Toronto: The first night of the season with all six teams in action sees more bad news for the Chicago Packers as the remain winless in six games after being shutout for the second game in a row. This time it was Toronto's backup netminder Terry Russell turning aside 28 shots to do the honours. Trevor Parker led the Dukes with a goal and an assist. At 5-2-0, the defending Cup champions are sitting in first place.
Detroit 1 at 4 Montreal: Montreal snapped a two-game losing streak with the Vals second win over Detroit this season. Bert Lanceleve and Clarence Skinner each had a goal and an assist to lead the Montreal attack while Adam Vanderbilt scored his league best 6th goal of the season in a losing cause for the Motors. The win was costly as the Valiants lost star defenseman Bryant Williams with a foot injury that will sideline him up to two weeks.
New York 6 at 1 Boston: The Shamrocks continue to impress and remain the only NAHC team yet to lose this season after a 6-1 win in Boston. Orval Cabbell scored once and added two helpers while Simon Savard chipped in with 3 assists for the Greenshirts, who also received a 2-goal game from Adam Greenham.
NEXT WEEK'S GAMES
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 6
Montreal at Detroit
Toronto at New York
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7
Chicago at New York
Detroit at Boston
The Toronto Dukes sweep the monthly awards with Quinton Pollack and Gordie Broadway the winners. Jack Barrell is pleased with the way October ended with 3 wins although his statement to the media was " We still have many kinks to iron out especially in our end. I am not pleased with our coverage, the breaking out of our end has to be more crisp. Overall we heading in the right direction."
Word around the league is that last year's Challenge Cup hero goaltender Terry Russell has ask to be traded to another NAHC team. Russell says " I believe I can be the starter in this league, being behind Gordie is not going to allow me that chance. I have requested that I be moved if the Dukes find a deal that makes sense."
GM Burns says he will try to accommodate Russell stating "I appreciate Terry's position if I can find a deal to move him I will but the Dukes are not a charity I will not be giving him away although I see a need, along with Jack, for a steady, defensively sound winger."
FINCHES DOMINATE IN TITLE GAME REMATCH
In what appeared to be their most impressive showing of the season, the Cleveland Finches flew into Washington and obliterated their opponents from last year's AFA Championship game, hammering the Wasps 56-9 to improve to a perfect 6-0 on the season. Washington actually struck first when Bob Krohn made a 33-yard field after the two teams combined for four turnovers in the opening four minutes of the contest, but then the Finches took over and it was an unlikely hero. With Jody Moten dealing with an arm issue, Jack Brauner -an unheralded back out of tiny Marquies College who was an 18th round pick of Cincinnati in 1945- stepped up and threw four touchdown passes, including 3 to Roy Carson, to lead the Cleveland rout.
The Chicago Wildcats remain a game back of the Finches for the West Division lead after they blasted the New York Football Stars 42-7 at Cougars Park. Gus Brown was back at quarterback for the Wildcats, replacing rookie Ricky McCallister, and Brown delivered with 3 touchdown passes.
The Stars loss allowed the Boston Americans to take over first place in the East Division with a 4-2 record, 1 game better than New York, after the Yanks bulldozed Cincinnati 31-7. Del Thomas, the Americans All-Pro quarterback who struggled last week in the loss in Detroit, was much better on this afternoon as he completed 17 of 25 pass attempts for 218 yards.
Ken Marston's passes seemed radar-directed and Jerry Doucet ran like a berserk bull as the Pittsburgh Paladins rolled over the Detroit Maroons 21-7 before more than 38,000 fans in the haze of Fitzpatrick Park. Doucet ran for 120 yards and two scores while Marston completed a dozen passes for 161 yards. The victory was the Paladins second consecutive and moves them to 3-3 and into a second place tie with the New York Stars in the Eastern Division. The slumping Maroons drop to 2-5 on the year.
Greg LePage powered his way for 113 yards on the day to help the visiting Philadelphia Frigates snap a 4-game losing streak with a 13-0 shutout of the Ramblers. The game was light on offense as neither team had much in the way of sustained drives and the few that did occur seemed to all end prematurely with turnovers. The game was 6-0 until the closing seconds thanks to a pair of Frank Ellison field goals before Mike Herndon closed out the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run with 4 seconds remaining in the game. The Ramblers had a few chances to put points on the board, but kicker Lyle Medley missed all three of his field goal attempts including a 19-yarder in the opening frame.
CRESCENTS CONQUER BULLS ELEVEN
With the two big guns in the Continental Conference, Kansas City and San Francisco, off this week the focus was squarely on Buffalo's Civic Stadium to see if the visiting New Orleans Crescents could rebound from a pair of blow out losses to the San Francisco Wings over the past three weeks. The Crescents proved more than up to the task, claiming a 41-26 victory before a hostile Buffalo crowd and extend their lead atop the East Division.
The game was a delight for fans of the forward pass as both clubs kept the airspace above Civic Stadium crowded. Mark Monday, who has had his ups and downs this year for the Bulls, threw the ball 42 times, completing 17 of them for 321 yards and while he topped Crescents rookie Vince Gallegos in all three of those categories, the former Bayou State star threw a pair of touchdown passes, one more than Monday managed. Despite the aerial antics it was the running of Bo Mandish that made the Crescents winners for the sixth time this season. The electrifying back carried the ball just 7 times but every time you turned around it seemed he was past the Bulls line and deep into the secondary. Mandish galloped for 106 yards and scored twice off the rush, while also scoring on a 31-yard catch and run with Gallegos that put the visitors up 28-13 just before the break.
New Orleans' 6-wins is best in the Eastern Division, three more than both Brooklyn and New York after the Kings lost and the Gothams won on Halloween. At Kings County, Los Angeles back Jackie Wendt did most of the damage in a 17-13 Lobos victory. Wendt threw for 169 yards and one touchdown while running for 127 yards and another score. Across town at Dyckman Stadium it was as one-sided a game as you will see with the Gothams jumping out to a 34-0 lead at the break over the hapless Chicago Comets before putting on the breaks in the second half and settling for a 37-0 whitewashing. Ken Hale ran for two scores and passed for a third while gaining 119 yards on the ground and 101 through the air.
MONTGOMERY, CONTINENTAL HEAD, URGES END OF PRO FOOTBALL WAR
A cigar-smoker from way back, Lt. Commander Ben Montgomery, Continental Football Conference President, on Thursday said he was willing to switch to a pipe — a peace pipe. In an eloquent speech at the weekly luncheon-meeting of The Football Writers Guild at Toots Shor's, Ingram deplored the "war" that exists between his circuit and the old-established American Football Association.
"With dignity and on a common footing," he declared, "I am ready to talk peace with anyone, anyplace, anytime."
Calling the situation "stupid and childish," Sutherland offered a solution to the problem that confronts both major professional grid leagues, whose financial difficulties have been aired time and again in recent days. Before proceeding, however, the Continental commander insisted that the Continental Conference is "financially strong today than ever," that "average attendance is higher," and that no matter what develops "the conference will have representation in 1949 in the same eight cities as in 1948."
The three main points of the Sutherland "peace plan" include 1- a common draft, 2- coordination of schedules and 3- a world championship play-off. "These can be worked out in five minutes if all concerned have the will to do it," he said.
*** Game Hurt by Warfare ***
"I have been connected with athletics for forty-six years," said Sutherland. "Two of these years have been with the professionals. I have always maintained that the nearest thing to war in peacetime is football and warfare does not do the game a bit of good."
He then went to explain his stand, emphasizing that the club owners might committ hara-kiri if they persist in carrying on the "war." He maintained that amicable settlement would preserve the integrity of all and that two-league set-up would avoid a monopoly, while keeping faith with the fans and the players.
Homer Bentley, influential AFA owner of the Washington Wasps, said "No comment" when told of Sutherland's proposition. "Anything to be said must be said our league president, Jack Kristich. Kristich did not respond to requests for his thoughts on the matter.
WEEK OF UPSETS IN COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL
It was Saturday of upsets in the south as four of the top ten schools entering the weekend tasted defeat, including a pair for the first time this season. Falling from the ranks of the unbeaten were Georgia Baptist and Texas Gulf Coast while Cumberland and Alabama Baptist each saw their stock in the top ten drop.
The big news came from the Southwestern Alliance where Travis College may have put an end to Texas Gulf Coast's hopes for a perfect season after the Bucks upended the Hurricanes 31-24 before the largest crowd ever to witness a SWA conference game. Wally Dotson, the terrific Texas Gulf Coast halfback who was an All-American selection a year ago as a sophomore, was at his best on this day in accounting for 18 of the Hurricanes 24 points but it was not enough to lift his team to victory. Dotson ran for two scores as part of his 87 yards rushing and kicked a 24-yard field goal as well as all three points after touchdowns. The victory for Travis College puts them 3-0 in section play and in good position to claim their second straight section title.
The South Atlantic Conference earned bragging rights over the Deep South after the two big North Carolina schools each prevailed over Deep South opponents. It was not a surprise to see #2 ranked North Carolina Tech improve to 6-0 on the season with a hard-fought 9-7 victory over Cumberland, which had a fine showing despite the defeat and remains in the top ten. What was a big shock was that Georgia Baptist saw its perfect record go out the window with a 13-11 loss to a middle of the pack Carolina Poly team. The Gators remain in the top ten which is more than can be said for both Central Ohio, losers to St Magnus by a 10-6 score, and the previously mentioned Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes.
In their place Maryland State, which is now 6-0 after a narrow 19-17 victory over Miami State, joins the top ten for the first time this season as does Noble Jones College after the Colonels knocked off Alabama Baptist 16-10. The Colonels, playing precisely and hitting hard, struck quickly in the first quarter for two touchdowns and made that lead stand up. It also makes the Deep South Conference championship picture look very crowded with the Colonels, at 3-0 in section play, one of 4 unbeaten teams along with Mississippi A&M (5-0 in conference), Georgia Baptist (4-0) and Cumberland (2-0) with a big game between the Gators and Explorers on the slate for next Saturday.
Top ranked Detroit City College extended its winning streak to 22 games by blasting Lincoln 40-0 in the Motor City. St Blane had nearly as easy a time in Baltimore on Saturday as Joe Fulgham and Dane Sutherland each ran for two scores in the Fighting Saints 34-3 victory over a struggling Annapolis Maritime squad. The other service academy, Rome State, enjoyed a big Saturday afternoon showing in Georgia against Chesapeake State as the Centurions blanked the Clippers 38-0 in front of a crowd in Rome, Ga. that included 10,000 Boy Scouts.
WEEKEND SCORES
EAST
St. Blane 34 Annapolis Maritime 3
Henry Hudson 28 Brunswick 24
Grafton 40 George Fox 27
Garden State 24 Ellery 23
Dickson 14 St. Patrick's 0
Erie 31 Strub College 16
Empire State 10 Liberty College 3
Pierpont 27 Lexington State 7
Pittsburgh State 14 Lakeview (OH) 6
Sadler 30 Eastern State 20
Commonwealth Catholic 44 Coastal State 7
Penn Catholic 24 Northern Minnesota 16
Boston State 17 St. Pancras 17
Bethlehem College 28 Bigsby College 17
SOUTH
Rome State 38 Chesapeake State 0
North Carolina Tech 9 Cumberland 7
Noble Jones College 16 Alabama Baptist 10
Carolina Poly 13 Georgia Baptist 11
Mississippi A&M 37 Bayou State 10
Baton Rouge State 21 Northern Mississippi 3
Maryland State 19 Miami State 17
Bluegrass State 28 Opelika State 0
Central Kentucky 27 Queen City 10
Eastern Virginia 17 Potomac College 16
Western Florida 7 Bulein 6
Alexandria 31 Central Carolina 0
Cowpens State 35 Charleston Tech 0
Huntington State 14 Columbia Military Academy 14
Richmond State 23 Petersburg 3
Conwell College 13 Frankford State 6
Western Tennessee 27 Vanderburgh 10
Erskine 24 Mobile Maritime 3
MIDWEST
Detroit City College 40 Lincoln 0
St. Magnus 10 Central Ohio 6
Minnesota Tech 20 Indiana A&M 16
Western Iowa 14 Wisconsin State 9
Whitney College 30 Wisconsin Catholic 6
St. Ignatius 27 Lane State 21
Daniel Boone College 54 Eastern Kansas 7
Lawrence State 13 Eastern Oklahoma 0
Topeka State 26 Payne State 21
Lambert College 51 Lawrence State-Larned 17
Laclede 13 Salamanca State 10
SOUTHWEST
Travis College 31 Texas Gulf Coast 24
Arkansas A&T 21 Darnell State 10
Red River State 21 College of Waco 0
Amarillo Methodist 14 Lubbock State 14
Oklahoma City State 34 Iowa A&M 10
Texas Panhandle 38 Abilene Baptist 20
El Paso Methodist 34 Harvey College 17
Gunnison State 31 Flagstaff State 27
FAR WEST
Coastal California 28 Northern California 7
CC Los Angeles 27 College of Omaha 10
Redwood 10 Rainier College 0
Spokane State 34 Idaho A&M 14
Custer College 28 Utah A&M 6
Sunnyvale 24 San Francisco Tech 7
Tempe College 31 Valley State 23
Colorado Poly 24 Miners College 9
Mile High State 17 St. Matthew's College 14
South Valley State 38 San Clemente 0
Kit Carson University 54 Oklahoma Methodist 0
Portland Tech 23 Golden Gate University 0
Provo Tech 19 Boulder State 0
Wyoming A&I 37 Cache Valley 10
Canyon A&M 23 Ferguson 14
FEDERAL CAGE LEAGUE: A NEW ERA BEGINS TOMORROW
As the clock ticks towards the dawn of the fourth Federal Basketball League season, a palpable sense of change and excitement infuses the air. The league, now a consolidated entity after a summer of seismic shifts, stands at the brink of a fresh chapter, promising a season unlike any seen before. Basketball enthusiasts await with bated breath as the pro cage game finds newfound unity and harmony.
In contrast to the gridiron battles of the American Association and the Continental Conference, or the ongoing skirmish between FABL and the renegades from the coast league in baseball, basketball emerges as a beacon of concord. The once-divided courts are now merged into a singular entity, putting an end to the fractious discord that previously marred the sport's landscape. However, beneath this veneer of unity, the embers of rivalry still smolder, especially for Daniel Prescott, the founding patriarch of the American Basketball League and owner of the Brooklyn Red Caps. The recent power play executed by Rollie Barrell and Bernie Millard during the offseason has clearly left Prescott seething.
In a bygone era, Barrell and Prescott stood as comrades, kindred spirits in the endeavor to establish a professional cage league in the twenties. Though the economic downturn dashed those aspirations, Barrell chose to divert his focus to the Detroit Maroons, his pro football outfit. On the other hand, Prescott, concurrently running the Brooklyn Kings baseball team, persisted in his quest for a basketball league. This vision endured, weathering the storm of player shortages during the war, and as the conflict concluded, the league appeared poised for success. Yet, the tide of success brought a new battle, akin to the struggles witnessed in football and baseball. Men fueled by financial dreams birthed a rival league, sowing the seeds of contention.
Barrell re-entered the basketball realm prior to the 1946-47 season, uniting with semi-pro club owners predominantly from the Midwest to initiate the Federal Basketball League. Unlike the contentious football turf wars, the FBL initially staked its claim in markets unoccupied by the decade-old American League. A tenuous truce prevailed, leading to a shared collegiate draft pool and minimal player exchanges between the leagues. This détente, likely attributed to the previous association between Prescott and Barrell, steered clear of an all-out war that could have jeopardized both leagues.
However, the status quo was upended last spring when Bernie Millard, the fervent owner of FABL's Toronto Wolves, orchestrated a paradigm-shifting maneuver. Millard's acquisition of the ABL's Pittsburgh Falcons and their subsequent move to Toronto, a city already hosting the FBL's Toronto Titans, set off a chain reaction. Millard, a vocal critic of the Great Western League in baseball, orchestrated the migration of three other ABL owners to join the Federal League. Amid clandestine negotiations and power plays, the ABL bowed out, its eight clubs, including Prescott's Brooklyn Red Caps, embracing the Federal Basketball League.
Amidst the bruised egos and lingering animosity, basketball now emerges from the shadows of fragmentation that have plagued its sporting counterparts. The dawn of this new era, united under a single league, promises an enthralling season. Tomorrow evening, the super-sized Federal Basketball League will burst into action, featuring a slate of seven exciting games. Among them, a clash of titans as Prescott's Red Caps, the reigning champions and stalwarts of the former ABL, go head-to-head against their arch-nemesis, the Boston Centurions. Simultaneously, in a battleground resonant with anticipation, the Washington Statesmen, perhaps the most gifted squad in the league, fresh from an impeccable 6-0 preseason, journey to Philadelphia to lock horns with one of the original FBL squads, the Philadelphia Phantoms.
However, the crescendo of the early season unfolds Sunday night in Detroit, as the Red Caps, under Prescott's banner, square off against Barrell's Mustangs. The tension is palpable, a silent reminder of the past, of shattered dreams, and resolute rivalries. Rollie Barrell will most certainly be in the building that evening but there has been no word on whether Daniel Prescott will accompany the Red Caps. Oh, to be a fly on the wall if those two cross paths in the halls of the Thompson Palladium.
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FINAL PRESEASON FBL STANDINGS
EAST W L PCT
Washington 6 0 1.000
Brooklyn 5 1 .833
Rochester 4 2 .667
Philadelphia 3 3 .500
Boston 3 3 .500
Hartford 3 3 .500
New York 1 5 .167
Baltimore 1 5 .167
Syracuse 1 5 .167
WEST W L PCT
Chicago 6 0 1.000
Cleveland 4 2 .667
Detroit 4 2 .667
Cincinnati 2 4 .333
Pittsburgh 2 4 .333
Toronto 2 4 .333
Buffalo 1 5 .167
SAWYER’S EUROPEAN DEBUT A SMASHING SUCCESS IN JOLLY OLD ENGLAND
London Arena, London, England – Hector Sawyer stood on the eastern shore of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. The Cajun Crusher had seen all there is to see on the western shore. Sawyer pummeled any challengers available and rather than rest on his substantial laurels, he wanted to see what the rest of the world had to offer in the way of competition.
Those laurels include 58 wins in 62 bouts, an astounding 52 by knockout. No one could lay a glove on Sawyer’s heavyweight belt and at the risk of getting bored or quitting the fight game altogether, this European sojourn motivated him to press forward in his quest to be the greatest champion in boxing history.
Sawyer has held the heavyweight title for almost nine years, which is the longest in ABF history dating back to 1910, but the time at the top was prolonged because of World War II. However, if he succeeded in defeating Great Britain’s consensus top heavyweight, Grant Knowles, The Cajun Crusher would be tied for the most successful title defenses with eleven.
Knowles had his home crowd behind him, but any fight fan in attendance on Saturday night at London Arena knew he was a major underdog. Bettors were more interested in how many rounds Knowles would last since few took the bait of a potential Knowles victory.
To say Sawyer was a bit overconfident was an understatement. Sawyer switched to southpaw about a round into the fight for a while. Maybe it was to keep Knowles guessing. Maybe it was to keep himself amused. Either way, the first round could simply be explained as the sizing up of to two fighters who had never saw the other fight.
The real boxing began in the second round, when Sawyer picked up the pace. An early uppercut 11 seconds into the stanza drew a reaction but a second attempted uppercut was defended well by the British challenger. Knowles retaliated with a combination that sent Sawyer backward towards the ropes. Sawyer recovered to take the round, but Knowles acquitted himself well to the combat.
Undeterred, Sawyer managed to open a gash on an uppercut that caught Knowles flush early in the third round. The blood from the cut was flowing freely from his right eyebrow almost immediately and ran into Knowles’s eye. Sawyer went to the cross and scored well with it because Knowles had a hard time picking up the arriving assault with those types of punches coming from the side. Sawyer continued to work inside and easily penetrated Knowles’s defenses.
In the fourth round, Sawyer’s pace picked up and there was a renewed sense of urgency after his strategic discussion with his trainer between rounds. The time was now to end the fight. Sawyer delivered another uppercut and worked upstairs. Knowles’s upper half began to sway like a piñata as his legs were wobbly and uncertain. His eyes started to glaze over. Sawyer did not need an engraved invitation, launching a fusillade of missiles directed at Knowles’s head.
By the final seconds of Round 4, Knowles could not even offer a withering defense. In the eyes of Dunk McGuire, who had seen this type of domination before when he officiated the Sawyer fight against Dan Miller in Southern California this past January, waved off Sawyer with eight seconds left in the round to stop the fight. McGuire said later when questioned on why he stopped the fight so close to a break in the action, “Sawyer’s next punch could have killed [Knowles]. I was protecting that man’s life at that point.”
The night was over and the English fight fans saw a dominating performance that everyone expected to see. The pageantry of a championship title fight in Great Britain was something to behold, a level not seen since Herm Murphy held the title in the 1930s. For his role in bringing championship boxing to London and giving the crowd a reason to cheer, Knowles (31-5-1) can be proud. Meanwhile, Sawyer (59-3-1) tied the record for most successful title defense (11) on British soil and may look to break the record in Europe as well. The Old World represents a new world for Sawyer, an American bringing goodwill with an uppercut to match.
BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: None
Round 2: Tied, 1-1 (S: 1:57 hook/head; K: 1:13 combo)
Round 3: Sawyer, 3-0 (1:08 cross, 1:54 cross/face, 2:30 right/head)
Round 4: Sawyer, 3-0 (1:46 combo, 2:34 uppercut, 2:47 combo)
TOTAL: Sawyer 7, Knowles 1
HARRIS HALTS DECLINE WITH KO WIN IN COAST BOUT
Nick Harris, a good but never quite good enough fighter from Cranston, RI, got back to winning ways in the ring when he fractured Ron Davis's nose with a steaming left and knocked him out in the 10th and final round of a bout in Hollywood Friday evening. For Harris it was the 34-year-old's 24th victory to go along with 5 defeats and a draw in a fight career that dates back to his debut in 1936. It also ends a two-fight losing streak in which Harris looked very old and very slow in each of his losses and many speculated the end of his career was near.
Davis is not much more than a professional sparring partner so this result does little change the thinking that Harris should realize it is perhaps time to walk away from the sport that -save for an interruption during the war- has been his life for more than a decade. More than any other athlete, the end can come quickly for a pro boxer and sometimes with terrible consequences if he fails to realize his skills have abandoned him.
Harris cut his teeth in the New York boxing scene alongside another young New Englander named Todd Gill in the late 1930s. He and Gill, who is also seeing his career wind down, were considered two of the best middleweights on the east coast in the period before and shortly after the war. Each had an opportunity for the World Title with a shot against Frank Melanson but they differ in result as while Gill would beat Frank the Tank before losing his briefly held title in a rematch, Harris came up short in his one opportunity at the title, losing a unanimous decision at Bigsby Garden a year and a half ago. A loss that perhaps started the wheels in motion hurtling towards the end of his career.
Harris insists he still has a few more fights left in him, but they likely should be restricted to opponent's of Ron Davis' class.
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- 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)
- Nov 26- Baltimore, MD: HW Pete Sanderson (35-9-2) vs Jerry French (25-12-3)
- Nov 30- Portland, OR: rising WW Danny Rutledge (15-0) vs Scott Sorensen (23-9-2)
- Nov 30- St Louis: former WW champ Harold Stephens (21-5-2) vs Dale Roy (31-6)
- 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 10/31/1948
- Russia has told the UN Security Council it is prepared to veto a small-power compromise resolution on the Berlin crisis if it is brought to a vote.
- American delegate John Foster Dulles told the UN Political Committee that Russian action before the world peace agency was part of "a general effort to extend the power of Soviet Communism throughout the world."
- Soviet Prime Minister Stalin shot back, accusing the US, Britain and the so-called neutral states of the UN Security Council of supporting a policy which can lead to the "unleashing of a new war."
- The Palestine problem became a prime issue in the Presidential campaign after President Truman issued a formal statement reiterating his support of a Democratic platform pledge of "full recognition to the State of Israel." Gov. Dewey, who refused to comment on Truman's statement, but his campaign manager observed that the President "is making politics" of an issue important "to the peace of the world."
- Truman launched his final bid for victory tomorrow by spending last week campaigning in Chicago, New England and New York. Reports are Dewey is confident of victory, so much so that he is giving study to possible cabinet appointments.
- In a late week speech Gov. Dewey promised speedy action to block the advance of Communism in Asia if he is elected.
- A poll released Friday suggests that Gov. Dewey is assured of winning Tuesday's presidential election.