[Tiger Fan]

NOVEMBER 15, 1948

PLENTY OF HIGH-END TALENT TO GRACE CUBAN WINTER LEAGUE

In its third season, slated to begin a week from tomorrow, the Cuban Winter League is set to showcase an impressive array of baseball talent, attracting a record number of FABL scouts and management personnel to the island nation. The level of quality among the players sent south by the 16 FABL clubs for the two-month season is unmatched and has generated significant excitement within the baseball community.

Among the players selected to participate are 49 young men who grace the esteemed OSA top 100 prospect list, including five of who have earned spots in the top ten. Leading this elite group that will winter in the Caribbean are each of the top 3 prospects according to OSA in shortstop Ralph Hanson of the New York Stars, Tom Miller, a shortstop from the Washington Eagles, and Ken Newman, a third baseman from the Brooklyn Eagles.

The Matanzas Buccaneers and Santiago Scorpions boast the highest number of top-100 prospects, each fielding an impressive eight promising talents. The Buccaneers, drawing from the Brooklyn Kings and Pittsburgh Miners organizations, and the Scorpions, representing the reigning World Champion St. Louis Pioneers and the Cleveland Foresters, are both primed to make a strong showing in the winter league. The defending league champion Havana Sharks, winners of each of the first two Cuban titles, will once again be supplied talent from the Cincinnati Cannons and Detroit Dynamos.

The depth of talent in this year's winter league has markedly increased since its inception, and according to Fred Barrell, Scouting Director for the Detroit Dynamos, the shift can be attributed to growing confidence within FABL clubs regarding the quality of the Cuban league.

"The first couple of years essentially served as a testing ground," Barrell explained. "We had initial concerns about the talent pool and, more importantly, the playing and living conditions for our players."

Barrell emphasized that the large influx of returning players immediately after the war turned the Cuban loop into a catch-all scenario in its inaugural year (1946), focused more on assessing available talent rather than featuring top prospects in Havana.

This season promises an abundance of top-tier talent, with many players from the winter league likely to grace big league uniforms come opening day in mid-April. Baseball enthusiasts can expect an exciting season as the Cuban Winter League continues to evolve into a vital platform for nurturing and showcasing the stars of tomorrow.

• Three minor roster moves last week as teams begin to prepare for the December 1 Rule Five draft. The Detroit Dynamos added 23-year-old pitcher George Avery to their secondary roster, bringing it to 38, or two shy of the limit. The righthander was a 6th round pick in 1943 who began last season in Class A and finished it at the AAA level, posting a very impressive 17-3 record with a 1.71 era.
• The Gothams secondary roster is up to 39 players after the New York club added pitcher Butch Lindsay and infielder George Lewis. Lindsay, a 23-year-old righthander also player at 3 levels during the season, finishing in AAA. The 1943 16th rounder was 14-9 with a 3.87 era. Lewis, a New York native, is 24 years old and was selected in the 11th round of the 1942 draft. Primarily a second baseman, he played sparingly at AAA Toledo last season, hitting .278 but only getting 72 at bats.

COWBOYS RIDING HIGH IN WEST, CLIP WINGS AGAIN

Billed as the gridiron battle of the century, Sunday's Continental Football Association clash between the Kansas City Cowboys and San Francisco Wings was hardly that, especially for the first thirty minutes. Kansas City built a 21-0 lead before the game was twenty minutes old and led 20-3 at the half. San Francisco added a couple of touchdowns after the break but even when they closed the gap to 24-17 with just under 12 minutes remaining few if any amongst the capacity crowd of 15,000 at Packer Park doubted the Cowboys would win the game.

Pat Chappell was his usual efficient self, completing 15 of 27 passes for 290 yards including 5 catches each for the dynamic duo at end of Bill Tammaro and Ernie Orr. San Francisco tried to pressure Chappell and while they did tackle him for a loss twice, Chappell also often eluded the rush and scampered for a game high 61 yards rushing including a pair of touchdown runs to double his output in that category on the season.

The Cowboys offense is always the big concern of opponents, but it was their defense that completely shut the Wings down in the early going, forcing 5 consecutive punts while allowing the Wings just 1 first down and a total of 13 yards in the first 25 minutes of the game. Meanwhile, Chappell was engineering touchdown drives of 94, 81 and 62 yards over the same time period. San Francisco did have a little more success in the second half, but the Cowboys won the yardage battle 470-263 including more than twice as many (272-114) through the air. On the ground the normally powerful Wings rushing game with 3 backs in the league's top ten in rushing yards on the season, all had their struggles with Rich Garner's meager 18 yards on 7 carries standing out as a source of San Francisco frustration.

The victory moves the 9-1 Cowboys, who were surprised a week ago in a loss at home to New Orleans, another step closer to their third straight CFC title. San Francisco is 9-2 with three games remaining including a chance to try and even the score with Kansas City when the Cowboys visit the west coast city in two weeks' time. In five meetings all-time, the Cowboys are now 4-1 against the Wings with San Francisco's lone victory coming at Hawks Stadium in 1946, which was the first ever meeting between the two clubs.

CRESCENTS CLINCH EASTERN CROWN

While all of the focus was on Kansas City and the Cowboys big game with San Francisco, the New Orleans Crescents were making some history on Sunday. The Crescents officially ended the New York Football Gothams two-year run as East Division champions with a 24-7 victory over the Chicago Comets at Crescent City Stadium. The victory improves New Orleans record to 8-3-1 and means they will play in the Continental Football Conference championship game for the first time in franchise history. It completes a remarkable turned around for a team that finished last a year ago and entered the season with a 6-21-1 all-time record.

It was not a pretty effort against the hapless Comets, who fall to 1-11 on the season with the loss, but it got the job done. Chicago struck first, taking advantage of a Dave Kubiak fumble that gave them great field position and led to a 4-yard Garry Leonard to Dick Hunter touchdown pass to put the visitors up 7-0. However, Chicago returned the favour just a few minutes later when Chris Anderson muffed a punt return and the Crescents Ollie Peters alertly fell on the ball. The New Orleans offense could not gain a first down, but Willard Shaw put the home side on the scoresheet with a 33-yard field goal to cut the Chicago lead to 7-3.

Before the first period ended the Crescents had the lead thanks to a pair of big gains. First, rookie quarterback Vince Gallegos and Bo Mandish hooked up on a 34-yard pass play and then Leo Sutherland finished the quick drive off with a 20-yard touchdown gallop. Gallegos and Mandish are becoming quite a duo this season and they combined for a second score midway through the second quarter -this one a 7-yard flare pass. Before the break Gallegos would throw his second touchdown pass of the game, finding Floyd Ellis in the endzone for a 24-7 lead. Nothing amounted scoring-wise in the second half despite the Comets Garry Leonard throwing 5 interceptions after the break.

Elsewhere, Ken Hale ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 121 yards and another score to pace the New York Gothams to an easy 35-14 victory at Dyckman Stadium over their local rivals from Brooklyn. The Gothams excitement of the victory was greatly tempered by news from New Orleans that their two-year hold on the East Division had come to an end. The remaining game saw the hometown Buffalo Bulls top the Los Angeles Lobos 40-24 in what has been a down season for both clubs, each of whom likely had much higher expectations this season.

THOMAS TOSSES FOR 402 YARDS, KELLY SETS CATCH RECORD

Yanks Win Aerial Battle With Pittsburgh

Boston Americans quarterback Del Thomas and end Steve Kelly put on a show at Minutemen Stadium that, had it occurred just a few years ago, would surely have set off air raid sirens. Thomas threw for 402 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Kelly on the receiving end for 233 of those yards to lead the Yanks to a 31-20 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Paladins in one of the most exciting games of the season.

Kelly made 7 catches in all for a new AFA single game record 233 yards and one touchdown. He also found time to run the ball for 42 yards and a second score. The new receiving yards record snaps the old mark of 226 set by Johnny Douglas of the Washington Wasps. Thomas's 402 yards marks just the second time in league history anyone has thrown for more than 400 in a game and trails only the 447 yards that Charley Morrison of the New York Stars threw for last season, ironically against Thomas and the Americans. Thomas threw for 327 in that game, a 30-24 loss to the Stars.

Thomas was not the only busy quarterback on the day as Pittsburgh's Albie Stallworth heaved the ball 39 times, with 16 of them being caught by his teammates for a total of 233 yards. Thomas was 21 of 34 with his completions.

FINCHES REMAIN PERFECT, BUT WILDCATS IN PURSUIT

The Cleveland Finches managed to score just half of the 56 points they amassed in each of their previous two outings, but the four touchdowns they picked up at Pioneer Field Sunday was more than enough to secure an 8th straight victory, topping the Ramblers 28-10. Tommy Thompson led the way for the Birds, with a pair of touchdowns including one on an electrifying 72-yard punt return early in the third period to put the Finches up 14-10 at the time.

The Chicago Wildcats remain a game back of the Finches in the battle for the West Division crown after the Wildcats blanked Detroit 21-0 at Cougars Park. Chicago completely dominated the struggling Maroons, amassing 379 yards compared to just 146 for the Detroit eleven. It was on the ground that the Wildcats excelled with 3 backs topping the half century mark in yardage led by Ralph Manson's 64 yards.

The New York Stars remained within a game of Boston for the Eastern lead after the New Yorkers came up with a dramatic 35-28 victory over the Washington Wasps. With less than a minute left and the game tied at 28, Wasps quarterback Bob Krohn, desperately trying to avoid a safety after miscommunication with his halfback on the handoff, simply made a desperation throw to avoid surrendering two points. He surrendered 6 as the Stars Bob Campagnola grabbed the ball and galloped 10-yards into the endzone for the winning points.

Finally in Philadelphia, the hometown Frigates took advantage of a pair of interception returns for touchdowns to dump Cincinnati 24-6. It was an awful day for Tigers quarterback Bob Allen, who was 3-for-20 on the afternoon. He only threw the two picks but the results from both were disastrous for a Cincinnati club that won its season opener but has lost 8 straight since.

DCC CLOSING IN ON FIRST NATIONAL TITLE

Plenty of teams are waiting in the wings should they stumble, but the Detroit City College Knights looked like world-beaters in another dominant victory -this one by a 37-0 nothing count over a clearly overmatched Indiana A&M eleven. The victory keeps the Knights perfect, at 8-0, and only Central Ohio stands in the way of a second straight perfect season for Detroit City College, which has won 24 consecutive games, and its first national crown.

The Knights opened up a land and air attack in the Motor City that pulverized the defeat groggy Reapers in a game that could have seen the score far worse than its 37-0 count had the Knights not played reserves for nearly the entire second half. The win clinched at least a tie for the Great Lakes Alliance section title with one game remaining- next weekend's annual tussle with the Aviators in Columbus. Central Ohio improved to 6-1-1 overall with a 27-6 victory over Lincoln.

Should the Knights stumble North Carolina Tech, St Blane, Mississippi A&M and perhaps even Rome State are all waiting in the wings to snatch the number one ranking. The Techsters made a solid case for the top spot with a thrilling 13-10 victory over 8th ranked Maryland State. St Blane had it its struggles on Saturday but did just enough to stop a gutsy effort from St Magnus in blanking the Vikings 16-0. Mississippi A&M remained perfect with a dramatic 7-6 victory over Cumberland, dropping the Explorers out of the top ten rankings. Meanwhile Rome State has quietly flown under the radar this season, but the Centurions are now 7-0-1 after having little difficulty disposing of Pierpont 34-13.

SECTION TITLE UPDATE

Here is a quick look at the battles remaining in each of the major collegiate football conferences.
ACADEMIA ALLIANCE: A loss to Brunswick (which had earlier been beaten by Henry Hudson) puts the Grafton Scholars on the hot seat. Henry Hudson at 5-1 is done its section slate and the Scholars have one game remaining. That would be next weekend against the Ellery Bruins. A Grafton win gives them the section crown on the basis of their win over Henry Hudson. A loss or a tie for the Scholars and title goes to the Henry Hudson Explorers.

DEEP SOUTH CONFERNCE: Big wins for Mississippi A&M over Cumberland and Noble Jones College over Opelika State keep each of them perfect in section play. The Generals have their annual rivalry game with Northern Mississippi on November 27 as their only stumbling block. The Colonels have their rivalry match with Georgia Baptist on the same date but with the extra win the Generals will get the title. A Mississippi A&M loss opens the door for the Colonels, but things will get complicated if the Generals and Colonels both lose.

GREAT LAKES ALLAINCE: No surprise but it comes down to Detroit City College and Central Ohio in Columbus next weekend. A Knights victory earns not only their third straight GLA crown but also a likely national title while a Central Ohio win could leave a 3-way tie for top spot if St Magnus can get by Lincoln. DCC will not be going to a Classic Game, meaning St Magnus will earn the berth in the East-West Classic with a win over the Presidents. Central Ohio goes if the Aviators upset the Knights.

WEST COAST ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: The other representative in the East-West Classic could be Portland Tech, Lane State or Northern California. The Magpies finish with a game against the Emeralds on Saturday but the winner will get the coveted spot in Santa Ana only if the Miners lose or tie against their rivals from Redwood next weekend.

SOUTHWESTERN ALLIANCE: Travis College (4-1), Lubbock State (3-0-1) and Texas Gulf Coast (3-1) are all in the mix. The Bucks have one game remaining against Darnell State. The Hawks hold the tie-breaker on Travis College thanks to a head-to-head win but they have two games remaining as they play the Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes next weekend before finishing up against Red River State. The Hurricanes only loss was to Travis College and after they play Lubbock State next week they will finish against Amarillo Methodist on November 27.

SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERNCE: The sheer number of teams and lack of a focused schedule makes this one much more of a complicated race to sort out. North Carolina Tech survived a tough game with Maryland State on Saturday to remain 4-0 in section and 8-0 overall. The Techsters have two games remaining with one of them in conference against Carolina Poly so they control their own destiny and are likely to head to New Orleans for New Years to play in the Cajun Classic.

WEEKEND RESULTS
EAST
Rome State 34 Pierpont 13
St. Blane 16 St. Magnus 0
Henry Hudson 19 Annapolis Maritime 12
Brunswick 34 Grafton 10
Ellery 28 Dickson 14
George Fox 26 Sadler 26
Garden State 21 Bigsby College 7
Commonwealth Catholic 14 Richmond State 14
Liberty College 44 Conwell College 0
St. Patrick's 31 Brooklyn State 14
Empire State 17 St. Pancras 7
Penn Catholic 23 St. Matthew's College 0
Eastern State 23 Huntington State 3

SOUTH
North Carolina Tech 13 Maryland State 10
Mississippi A&M 7 Cumberland 6
Georgia Baptist 23 Alabama Baptist 7
Noble Jones College 30 Opelika State 6
Northern Mississippi 21 Bayou State 7
Miami State 16 Western Tennessee 3
Central Kentucky 24 Western Florida 3
Bluegrass State 41 Hamman 0
Charleston Tech 14 Strub College 0
Alexandria 52 Mobile Maritime 0
Chesapeake State 14 Petersburg 13
Lexington State 3 Central Carolina 0
Coastal State 27 Cowpens State 6
Carolina Poly 32 Potomac College 2
Columbia Military Academy 21 Payne State 20

MIDWEST
Detroit City College 37 Indiana A&M 0
Central Ohio 27 Lincoln 6
Minnesota Tech 19 Western Iowa 13
Whitney College 24 Pittsburgh State 10
St. Ignatius 20 Iowa A&M 3
Wisconsin State 24 Wisconsin Catholic 0
Northern Minnesota 23 Laclede 7
Lawrence State 42 Eastern Kansas 10
Daniel Boone College 30 Boulder State 7
Lambert College 10 South Valley State 3
Ohio Poly 45 Topeka State 28

SOUTHWEST
Texas Gulf Coast 27 Arkansas A&T 14
Travis College 17 Amarillo Methodist 13
Texas Panhandle 40 Valley State 28
Lubbock State 20 Baton Rouge State 9
Red River State 20 Darnell State 10
Oklahoma City State 38 College of Omaha 7
Abilene Baptist 44 Canyon A&M 10
Kincaid 41 El Paso Methodist 23

FAR WEST
Coastal California 20 Rainier College 0
Portland Tech 14 CC Los Angeles 0
Redwood 19 Custer College 0
Northern California 33 Spokane State 0
Provo Tech 27 Lane State 24
Idaho A&M 33 Stratton 3
Kit Carson University 58 San Clemente 7
California Catholic 34 Tempe College 34
Mile High State 34 Cache Valley 7
San Francisco Tech 27 College of San Diego 27
Flagstaff State 31 Gates University 14
Sunnyvale 20 Golden Gate University 17
Wyoming A&I 31 Western Montana 14
Colorado Poly 29 Utah A&M 0

BEES DEAL BROCKERS TO VALS

The Montreal Valiants appear to have solved their goaltending mess with the acquisition of four time Juneau Award winning netminder Tom Brockers from the Boston Bees. The deal, announced late last night after Brockers had spent the evening on the visitor's bench at the Montreal Arena watching the Bees edge the Vals 3-2, will see defenseman Bryant Williams heading to Beantown.

The deal, while a costly one for the Vals, makes perfect sense for both teams. Boston had a surplus of goaltending and the Valiants were desperate for a netminder after letting Millard Touhey go over the summer.

Brockers is now 33 years old but still considered a very solid goaltender and brings a wealth of experience to the Vals, who had been struggling mightily with former Detroit Motors backup Brad Carter in net. There had been talk in Boston almost from the moment the Bees brought Tom Brockers back to the city where he enjoyed his greatest success when he was selected in the dispersal draft of players from the folded Brooklyn Eagles franchise. That was a year and a half ago and came on the heels of Pierre Melancon leading the Bees to a Challenge Cup title for the second time, something Brockers had accomplished 3 times while also winning the Juneau Trophy as the loop's top netminder on 4 occasions. The Calgary native, known as "King Bee" burst on to the NAHC scene in in 1938-39 when he became the first, and so far, only goaltender to win the McLeod Trophy as the league's top rookie while also winning his first Juneau Trophy. A year later he led the Bees to the Challenge Cup Finals where they fell to Toronto but the following season, he and the Bees began a 3-year-run as Cup champions. In the summer of 1945, he became embroiled in a contract dispute that resulted in Brockers going to the sad-sack Brooklyn Eagles, for whom he played 3 seasons before the club folded, bringing him back to Boston.

The Bees spent last year juggling 3 goaltenders on their roster with Melancon, Brockers and a very impressive youngster by the name of Oscar James with the result being that Melancon did not appear in a single game last season. James is expected to see most of the action going forward for Boston with Melancon a more than capable backup.

Williams is a 29-year-old defenseman who now moves on to his fourth NAHC team and third in less than a year. He broke in with the Toronto Dukes and won a pair of Challenge Cups with the club before moving on to Detroit for the 1946-47 campaign. He spent a season and a half with the Motors and was a stalwart on the blueline but Detroit, lacking offense and in a rebuild, sent Williams and fellow top pairing rearguard Shel Herron to the Vals for three young prospects including recent first round pick Francis McKenzie. Now Williams, a veteran of 362 NAHC games and with 47 goals and 134 assists on his resume, moves on to the Bees. His Boston debut may be delayed a few days as Williams is nursing a minor foot injury he suffered on Halloween night against Detroit.

  NAHC STANDINGS
          GP  W  L  T  GF  GA  PTS
Toronto   10  7  3  0  45  30  14
Boston     9  6  3  0  30  27  12
Detroit   11  5  5  1  43  34  11
New York  10  4  4  2  34  33  10
Montreal  11  4  5  2  34  40  10
Chicago   11  2  8  1  29  51   5

SCORING LEADERS GP  G  A  PTS
Pollack, Tor    10  9 10  19
Carlson, Tor    10  4 12  16
T Burns, Chi    11 12  3  15
Vanderbilt, Det 11 11  4  15
Galbraith, Tor  10  6  9  15
Tardif, Det     11  4 10  14
Sauer, Tor      10  9  4  13
Sandford, Mon   11  8  5  13
Parker, Tor     10  6  6  12
Skinner, Mon    11  5  7  12
Rocheleau, Det  11  4  8  12
Witt, Det       11  4  8  12

GOALIE LEADERS   GP  W L T  ShO GAA
Russell, Tor      4  2 1 0   1  2.09
Beliveau, Mon     5  2 2 0   1  2.63
James, Bos        8  5 3 0   2  2.94
Touhey, Det       8  3 4 1   0  3.00
Tremblay, NY      9  3 4 2   1  3.23
Broadway, Tor     7  5 2 0   0  3.32
Carter, Mon       7  2 3 2   0  4.11
Hanson, Chi       6  0 5 1   0  4.19
Cleghorn, Chi     4  2 2 0   0  5.13

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 10

New York 4 at 7 Chicago: It took until their 8th game of the season, but the Chicago Packers finally earned their first victory. It came with backup Michael Cleghorn in net, filling in for the injured Norm Hanson. Jeremy MacLean had a 4-point night including a pair of goals while Wes Burns, who notched his first two points of the season Sunday, added 3 more assists in the win. Orval Cabbell had 2 goals and a helper for the Shamrocks.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11

Boston 5 at 2 Detroit: Boston earned revenge for falling at home to Detroit the previous Sunday by returning the favour with a 5-2 win at Thompson Palladium. Wes Chandler scored twice for the Bees, who outshot the Motors 44-29.

Montreal 7 at 3 Chicago: The celebration in Chicago was short-lived as a day after scoring 8 times in their first win of the season they give up 7 and fall 7-3 to visiting Montreal. There was some good news for the Packers as Tommy Burns scored twice. For the winners it was Clarence Skinner leading the way with 3 points while Claude LeClerc scored twice to give Valiants goaltender Brad Carter his first win for the club.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13

New York 2 at 5 Montreal: Back-to-back wins for the Valiants for the first time this season as Adam Sandford scores a pair of powerplay goals in the second period to key the victory. Etienne Tremblay has struggled this week in the New York cage, allowing 5 goals in this one on just 20 shots.

Toronto 4 at 8 Chicago: A week between games left the Dukes rusty as Tommy Burns stole the show for the Packers. The great centericeman had 4 goals, tying a modern day record, and an assist to carry Chicago to its second win in the last three games. Marty Mahoney, who has been quiet all season, had a breakout game with 2 goals and an assist.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 14

Boston 3 at 2 Montreal: Montreal's modest two-game winning streak came to an end with a 3-2 loss at home to the Bees. Joe Morey and Connor Mikaelson scored third period goals to prove the difference in the game after the two clubs entered the final frame tied 1-1 but the big story was saved for after the contest when it was revealed the Vals had acquired goaltender Tom Brockers, who was the backup on this night, from Boston in exchange for defenseman Bryant Williams.

Chicago 0 at 5 Detroit: The Motors opened the season with a 6-1 win over Chicago and had another dominant win on this night, as Millard Touhey turned aside all 25 Packers shots for his 17th career NAHC shutout but first with Detroit. Nick Tardif and Leon Rocheleau paced the Motors attack with 3 points each while Adam Vanderbilt scored twice to give him 11 on the season, second only to the Packers Tommy Burns, who has 12.

New York 2 at 5 Toronto: New York lost for the third time this week as Larry Galbraith had two goals and two assists to help the Toronto Dukes to a 5-2 victory. The Dukes have won 5 of their last 6 games and enjoy a 2-point lead on Boston atop the NAHC standings.

UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17
Boston at Toronto
Chicago at Montreal
Detroit at New York

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20
Toronto at Boston

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 21
Boston at New York
Chicago at Toronto
Detroit at Montreal

AROUND THE LEAGUE

• Toronto's Bobbie Sauer was held scoreless against New York on Sunday evening, ending a 13-game point streak going back to last season. Despite Sauer not getting on the scoresheet, the Dukes won 5-2.
• Chicago's Tommy Burns became the latest to tie the NAHC modern (post-1940) record for goals in a game. Gerry Johnson of Boston was the first to accomplish the feat in December of 1940 while Burns had his 4 goal outing in an 8-4 victory over Toronto on Saturday. Burns also had an assist in the game. The modern points record is 7, set by Tommy's brother Wes Burns in a game last season.

BEES MOVE FAN FAVOURITE BROCKERS

Deal Should Help Club in Long Run

Fern LeBec, Boston Globe -The Bees traded from a position of strength and needed to get better on the blue line, especially after that 8-4 loss to Detroit. Ralph Chilton was a minus-5 in that game and will get demoted to Springfield. Bryant Williams is day-to-day with a foot contusion and should make his debut in the next week or two. Williams has played 7 of Montreal's first 8 games, scoring a goal and adding three assists.

An anonymous source not approved to speak on the internal deliberations of this deal said that Len Bentley's sluggish start was a direct response to his recent play. Brockers's (1-0-0, 2.59 GAA, .909 SV% in 2 GP) return to Boston was great for fans and the locker room, as he was a valued member of the great Cup-winning teams earlier in the decade. But, the 33-year-old was blocking Pierre Melancon, whose last appearance was in the game where the Bees last hoisted the Cup.

Brockers fell into the Bees' laps in the Brooklyn dispersal draft that offseason and the maturing Oscar James split time with Brockers ever since. Now, the 22-year-old Melancon, developing in practice and learning at the knee of the King Bee, can turn it loose again in the nets, spelling James (3-3-0, 3.26 GAA, .881 SV%, 2 ShO), who will continue to start for Boston. James has been up-and-down, but continues to have Boston's utmost confidence.

CAGE CAMPAIGN COMENCES

Pros Unified as Federal Loop Doubles Its Size

The new look expanded Federal Basketball League completed its first full week of play and if that small sample of games so far is any indication the holdover clubs who became the Federal League just over two years ago will fare just fine against the established teams from new defunct American Basketball Loop.

Top spot in the East Division is shared by one of the former ABC clubs in the Rochester Rockets and one of the original Federal clubs just commencing its third season in the professional ranks in the Philadelphia Phantoms. It was the Phantoms who knocked off the powerful Washington Statesman - an ABC club that was a perfect 6-0 in the preseason- in the season opening game as a pair of Phantoms in Danny Hendon and Lindsay Mackey each scored 18 points in an 86-76 victory. The Phantoms won each of their first five games before dropping a hard-fought 94-91 decision at home to the defending ABC champion Brooklyn Red Caps Saturday despite a 29-point effort from Hendon.

The Red Caps, owned by ABC founder Daniel Prescott, were the dominant team in the old league as they won five of the last six league titles. However, it was mixed results for the Prescott Five in the opening days of their foray into the Federal League. Things started well enough with a dominating 103-67 over their long-time rival Boston Centurions but they then lost twice before rebounding with three straight wins to run their record to 4-2.

*** West Still Belongs to Chicago ***

Prescott was visibly upset after the Red Caps squandered an 8-point lead at the half and fell 111-102 to Detroit last week. Rollie Barrell did not accompany the Mustangs to Brooklyn for the game but the two, who formally were partners and good friends -even created the first attempt at a pro cage league together in the 1920's- found themselves at odds when Barrell's Federal League lured 4 teams from Prescott's loop which quickly led to the downfall of the American Conference over the summer. Prescott, who blames Barrell and Toronto Falcons owner Bernie Millard for instigating the collapse of his 12-year-old loop, desperately wanted his club to thump the Detroiters, but it was not to be. A rookie with New York ties named Ward Messer, younger brother of baseball Gothams star Walt Messer, had a coming out party at Flatbush Gardens as he erupted for 32 points and 17 rebounds to key the Mustangs victory.

There is plenty to be excited about in Detroit for the Mustangs after their 3-1 start and Messer's tremendous debut but it the Chicago Panthers do not seem like they will concede the division easily. The Panthers won the inaugural FBL playoff title before falling in 7 games to the Baltimore Barons a year ago, but they were clearly the class of the West Division both seasons. The Buffalo Brawlers have shifted from the FBL East to the West and the Toronto Falcons have joined from the ABC so there will be some new competition for the Wildcats, not to mention improved teams in Detroit and Cleveland.

The Panthers began the season with 4 straight victories, all with Pittsburgh ties. The Panthers won a pair at home from the Toronto Falcons, Bernie Millard's team that played in Pittsburgh last season, while also taking both ends of a home and home series from the winless Pittsburgh Pilots, who were an ABC club based in Richmond a year ago.

FBL STANDINGS
EAST         W  L  PCT  
Rochester    5  1  .833
Philadelphia 5  1  .833
Hartford     4  1  .800
Brooklyn     4  2  .667
Washington   3  3  .500
Baltimore    2  3  .400
Syracuse     1  5  .167
New York     0  5  .000
Boston       0  6  .000

WEST         W  L  PCT  
Chicago      4  0 1.000
Cleveland    4  1  .800
Buffalo      3  1  .750
Detroit      3  1  .750
Pittsburgh   2  3  .400
Cincinnati   1  3  .250
Toronto      0  5  .000

DID YOU KNOW- Gerald Carter, Boston's all-star guard that was the first overall selection in the 1944 ABC draft, still holds the collegiate record for most points in a single game. His senior year at Western Iowa Carter scored 39 points in a 54-42 intersectional game against College of Cairo. He took 27 of his team's 48 shots that day and only one other Canaries player scored more than 2 points. That would be Joe Hampton, who currently plays for the Chicago Panthers, who had 6 points that night. Carter, who was national freshman of the year three years earlier, finished third in the nation in scoring average that season while leading the Canaries to the Great Lakes Alliance title for the second year in a row. The leading collegiate scorer that year was Carter's current Boston teammate Morgan Melcher, who played for Coastal California.

COLLEGIATE CAGE SCHEDULE UNDERWAY

TWIFB Predictions For the 1948-49 Cage Campaign

College football may be entering the home stretch but that just means it is time to start focus on AIAA cage play as the basketball season gets underway with some preseason tournaments. It is a long campaign that will not end until a national champion is crowned at Bigsby Garden in New York on April 4 and there are plenty of candidates fighting for bragging rights. Here is a look at ten teams that TWIFB feel have a strong chance of winning it all in this, the 40th season of AIAA basketball.

1- WESTERN IOWA CANARIES: The Canaries have consistently been a top ten club but have never won the National Title although they did reach the championship game in the spring of 1939. A year ago, they finished second behind Central Ohio in the Great Lakes Alliance with an 11-5 section record (24-7 overall) but after beating Holland University in the opening round of the tournament they were upset by Perry State College in round two.

This season's club looks to have plenty of talent with only one starter from a year ago lost to graduation. Senior forward Willy Ludwick is the player to focus on and is on the short list for All-American status this season and may just be the best pro prospect for next year's FBL draft. Fellow senior Charlie Maynard, also a forward, and GLA conference freshman of the year last Darryl Baugher give the Canaries probably the best frontcourt in the GLA, if not the nation.

2- ST BLANE FIGHTING SAINTS: Last year was supposed to be the Fighting Saints year, but things came crashing down when senior center Joshua Samuels, a likely first round FBL pick, blew out his knee in the second game of the season. Samuels was granted a medical redshirt and is back this year although there is some worry the knee injury may have zapped him of some of his effectiveness. Cyril Worley is a senior forward out of Philadelphia who may just be an All-American at seasons end and will be in high demand by pro scouts. Senior guard Jim Canady, junior forward Brian Threadgill bring plenty of experience and while he was not highly recruited, Fighting Saints head coach Taffy Ensign is high on freshman guard Gus Booth.

There were a lot of lean years in Tyrone and football will always overshadow a basketball program that went 17 years without a tournament appearance but under Ensign has qualified each of the past three. If Samuels is fully recovered the Fighting Saints may spend the final weekend of the cage season at Bigsby Garden.

3- CC LOS ANGELS COYOTES: National Champions 3 years ago and finalist last year, like all of the top schools in the West Coast Athletic Association, the Coyotes seem to save their best basketball for March and April. The WCAA is unforgiving as teams beat up each other thru the slate of section games in January and February and as a result the Coyotes have not won a section title since 1941-42.

The big news out of Los Angeles this summer was that the Coyotes, after head coach Bill Belden retired, went out and convinced longtime Redwood University bench boss Kirk Hasty to leave the Mammoths and head south to CCLA. Normally not a huge thing as the Coyotes job is one of the prestige schools in the AIAA but Hasty had just won the national title and been named AIAA coach of the year a few months prior to the move.

It will take some work from Hasty as the Coyotes graduated four starters including Gerald Cheek, who was selected 4th overall by the Buffalo Brawlers in the FBL draft. There is always plenty of talent on the way up at CCLA and this year's group will be led by sophomore Cornelius Porter, the only returning starter with support from senior guard Dave Mertens and junior forward Erv Johnson.

4- LIBERTY COLLEGE BELLS: Not many schools can lose the best player in the nation like the Bells did when Ward Messer graduated and still be one of favourites for the national title the following season. But the Philadelphia college is not most schools. The Bells have 3 AIAA titles in the last 13 years and have only failed to advance to at least the quarterfinals once in that time frame. Messer is gone to the FBL's Detroit Mustangs but in his place is newcomer Luther Gordon. It would not be a stretch if the junior - he spent two years in a New York junior college after academic problems kept him out of a top school two years ago- is a first team All-American and perhaps even gives Liberty College back-to-back Barrette Award winners as national player of the year. He is simply that good. Add junior forward Edgar Stillwell, out of Detroit, and homegrown Philadelphia born guard Scott Basile to the mix and the Bells look ready for another deep tournament run.

5- RAINIER COLLEGE MAJESTICS: Red Bennett arrived at Rainier College in 1937 and the Majestics, far from majestic prior to Bennett's arrival, have not missed the AIAA tournament since, winning the whole thing 3 times including back-to-back titles in the spring of 1943 and 1944. The school, and Bennett, have something to prove this season after a pair of quick exits from the tournament the past two years.

Three starters return led by outstanding senior center Thomas Abbott and Don Higgins, brother of former FABL pitcher Dick Higgins, who was very good as a freshman a year ago.

6- NORTH CAROLINA TECH TECHSTERS: It might be a stretch ranking the Techsters in the top ten this year as they have missed the tournament each of the past two years. Prior to that they had been a powerhouse in the South Atlantic Conference, making back-to-back appearances in the National Semi-Finals and a that regularly went deep in the tournament including 4 titles.

This year the Techsters will go as far as the shooting of Mike Carter can take them. Now a junior, the Washington DC native scored more than 13 points a game last season and may contend for the AIAA scoring title this time around. Another DC native, junior center Muzz Hodson and senior forwards Sidney Williams and Chris Hermann make for a strong supporting cast.

7- MISSISSIPPI A&M GENERALS: Second year coach Marion Cohen joined the Generals a year ago after leading Huntington State to their first-ever tournament appearance and promptly guided A&M to its first tournament win since 1922. With only Kenny Roberts, who was a first-round pick of the Baltimore Barons over the summer, not returning Cohen has a deep group of talent to work with. Junior center Billy Bob Leveau looks like a future pro player and will combine with senior forward Micah Shuman and senior guard Greg Randle to give Cohen plenty of options on offense.

8- COASTAL CALIFORNIA DOLPHINS: While West Coast Athletic Association rivals seem to regularly win AIAA tournaments, the Dolphins -despite being the coast's most successful school in the regular season for decades- continue to be snakebit. In the 40-year history of the AIAA tournament, the Dolphins have missed the event only once. They have reached the semi-finals 13 times and played in 3 national championship games but have never won it despite winning the WCAA section title a record 22 times.

The Dolphins stand for stability. They have only had two head coaches since 1914 starting with the legendary Art Barrette -winningest coach in AIAA history- and then current coach Dick Gist, who took over when Barrette retired in 1941. Big things are expected from sophomore forward Chris Martines along with guards David Barnes and Tony Lincoln. All three are local products and if freshman big man Rowdy Becker, out of Portland, Oregon and stolen away from Rainier College and Lane State, can contribute the Dolphins may have an outstanding season.

9- CAROLINA POLY CARDINALS: The Cardinals and North Carolina Tech always seem to be battling for top spot in the South Atlantic Conference, although Lexington State is also on the rise. What might give the Cardinals an edge this season is the deeply talented trio of Mel Turcotte, James Halle and Major Belk. Belk, a senior out of Nashville, was a first team All-American a year ago and is the odds-on favourite to be the first guard selected in next year's Federal Basketball League draft. A tremendous perimeter defender and outstanding passer, he can also score and averaged 11.2 points per game as a junior. Halle, a junior, is a good complement as his backcourt mate while the 6'10" Turcotte is a force on the boards.

10- TEXAS GULF COAST HURRICANES: The Hurricanes just graduated a terrific forward in Darren Fuhrman, who was selected number on the FBL draft by the Syracuse Titans. You might think losing the top pro draft pick would doom the Hurricanes to a down season but there is plenty more talent in Houston as forward Vincent Passingham and center Jess Aitken are both potential first draft picks next year and Passingham might just give the Hurricanes back-to-back first overall picks. Just the sheer size of the two 6'9" Texas-born big men will cause matchup problems for other teams in the Southwest Alliance, but when you add junior guard Alvin Martin, who was a freshman All-American, to the mix they will give other teams fits. Robert Hennessy took over as head coach during the summer when James Stamp left for Mobile Maritime but that should all for the team to keep its continuity and bid for its 9th straight Southwestern Alliance section title.

HONOURABLE MENTION
Annapolis Maritime Navigators
Frankford State Owls
Lane State Emeralds
Lexington State Colonials
Noble Jones College Colonels
St Magnus Vikings

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
C Luther Gordon Jr   Liberty College
F Willy Ludwick Sr   Western Iowa
F Cy Worley     Sr   St Blane
G Mike Carter   Jr   North Carolina Tech
G Major Belk    Sr   Carolina Poly

EARLY TOURNEYS MARK START OF COLLEGIATE CAGE CAMPAIGN

Bells win Tournament of Champions

The Luther Gordon era has officially arrived as the junior college transfer easily filled the shoes of departed AIAA player of the year Ward Messer in his first two games for the Liberty College Bells. Gordon averaged 23.5 points to lead the Bells to the title in the prestigious Tournament of Champions event that opened the collegiate season last Sunday and Tuesday. It was a dominating showing from the 20-year-old Brooklyn native, who was considered the number one recruit in the nation both last year and two years prior when coming out of high school. He struggled academically back then and spent the past two seasons at a New York Community college, but it was clear right from the start he is going to be one of the best players in the major collegiate ranks this season.

Liberty College seems to have perfected the high-tempo offense introduced to the school last season when Harley Burda arrived from Golden Gate to be the schools new head coach. Gordon led the way with 20 points in an 82-60 triumph over Bayou State in the tournament opener and then scored 27, while adding 10 rebounds, in Tuesday's 77-51 victory over a highly touted North Carolina Tech team. The Techsters had beaten Texas Gulf Coast 63-57 in their opener. Next up for Gordon and the Bells will be a game tonight in Philadelphia against Academia Elite power Brunswick before they visit Bethlehem College on Thursday.

*** Rainier College Wins Preseason AIAA ***

The Rainier College Majestics had little trouble coming out on top in the Preseason AIAA Chicago showcase, which rivals the Tournament of Champions for the top early season event. It marked the fourth year in a row the Majestics had claimed a preseason banner, taking the Preseason AIAA showcase in 1945 as well as last week, while winning the Tournament of Champions in 1946 and the King of the South event last November.

Thomas Abbott and Syl Kellogg each had 10 points to pace the Majestics in a 56-30 victory over Garden State to open the event before they claimed the title with a 55-38 drubbing of the Brunswick Knights in the final of the four-team event. Kellogg had 17 points in the championship game, which came after Brunswick downed Detroit City College 54-45 in the other semi-final.

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B]OTHER TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RESULTS[/B]
Bigsby Festival: Frankford State 41 Travis College 28
Jack Easton Boston Tip-Off: Hamman 61 Redwood 59
Heart of Texas: Piedmont University 59 Lubbock State 49
King of the South: Valley State 45 Cache Valley 40
West Coast Classic: Golden Gate 58 Lane State 53
Windy City Festival: Chicago Poly 61 Ellery 56

PETRIE WILL MAKE FIRST DEFENSE AGAINST MORSE

Adrian Petrie, who claimed the World Middleweight title in a controversial split-decision victory over Edouard Desmarais has confirmed his first title defense will take place in February and will be held in Toronto. The 25-year-old Montreal native, who also holds the title of Canadian Middleweight champion, will face veteran pugilist Danny Morse at Toronto's Dominion Gardens on Friday January 28.

The fight will take place three weeks after former champs Desmarais and Frank Melanson meet for the third time in a highly anticipated rubber match. Petrie, who's split decision win in his hometown over Desmarais prompted the American Boxing Federation to request a rematch with Desmarais be scheduled but the Frenchman declined and elected to face Melanson in what he is calling his final North American fight.

Petrie is a solid fighter whose reputation may have been sullied by the fallout after complaints of wrongdoing from Desmarais camp, but he remains one of the top-rated middleweights in the world and while Morse may pose a bit of a challenge it is a fight the 25-year-old Canadian should win. The 35-year-old Morse has been fighting professionally since he was 19 and owns a 35-8-1 record as a professional, but the New York City native seems a surprising choice for a title shot, one the reeks of Petrie's handlers trying to ensure an easy win for their fighter before he must face a test against Frank Melanson or one of the other truly elite middleweights.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• 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)
• Jan 28- Dominion Gardens, Toronto: World MW champ Adrian Petrie (18-1-1) vs Danny Morse (35-8-1)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/14/1948

• With a Democratic majority President Truman will be able to get "anything he wishes from the new Congress if he wishes it hard enough," House Speaker Martin declared.
• In the strongest action taken thus far by the United Nations in the Balkans dispute their Political Committee voted to condemn Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia for helping the Communist rebels in Greece.
• Russia claims the US is planning a surprise attack, asking the US delegates at the UN meeting in Paris "You are preparing a Pearl Harbor for the Soviet Union, aren't you?" while also claiming the Americans are planning to use the atom bomb against Moscow and other key Soviet cities.
• Israel formally asked the UN truce headquarters to investigate reports that British troops have entered Trans-Jordan and Palestine, a charge the British deny.
• The vast German coal, iron and steel industries will revert to German ownership in the "near future" the British and American military governments have announced.
• The greatest battle in Chinese history -involving more than 1 million men by government estimate- raged north of the Yangtze with Communist troops having a slight numerical advantage.
• A new type of jet propulsion for submarines was described in Los Angeles by the Navy for the first time. It is said that torpedoes already have been driven at more than 100 miles an hour.