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Tiger Fan · 10-25-2023, 01:33 PM

DECEMBER 20, 1948

BUILDING A BETTER BALLPARK (TIMES TWO)

The Los Angeles Knights and San Francisco Hawks represent the two largest cities in the Great Western League. League President and Knights owner Thomas X. Bigsby was on-hand yesterday as ground was broken for a new "baseball palace" to be the home of the Knights in 1949. Bigsby Stadium, as the new park will be known, will replace the aged Knights Stadium. Most importantly, in the opinion of Bigsby, is that the new stadium will have 50,000 seats, a vast improvement over Knights Stadium's 17,400 capacity.

"Los Angeles is a major league city," Bigsby stated, "and it deserves a major league venue. Bigsby Stadium will be that venue." In a bit of a surprise, Dee Rose, owner of the Federally Aligned Baseball League's St. Louis Pioneers was in attendance. Bigsby noted that Rose, who owns the Los Angeles Lobos football club and is a native of the City of Angels, was there because the Lobos will also play at Bigsby Stadium.

With the FABL and GWL having (at best) a frosty relationship, Rose's public appearance with Bigsby likely won't sit well with some of the other FABL owners. Asked about this by reporters, Rose smirked and said, "I don't care what those guys say, this is a business decision and has nothing to do with baseball." While that's likely true, firebrands such as Toronto's Bernie Millard are expected to loudly decry Rose's decision to make a public appearance with the "enemy."

Meanwhile, the GWL's other big market is also getting a new ballpark. San Francisco owner Red Perrone broke ground last week on his own 50,000 seat stadium. Golden Gate Stadium will replace the decrepit, though much beloved, Hawks Stadium. Like Knights Stadium, the San Francisco park opened nearly 50 years ago and is both small (17,400) and outdated. Perrone didn't bother with a press conference, he simply broke ground and it took reporters a day or two to figure out what the big construction project underway just south of downtown San Francisco actually was. This was not a surprise: while Perrone has a lot of money and is willing to spend it (see the Woody Stone signing), he avoids the limelight, leaving that to the equally wealthy Bigsby, whose position as league founder and president lends itself very well to promotion.

Both ballparks are expected to open to much fanfare in April of 1949.

Professional Basket Ball may well be the runt of the litter in the world of professional team sports, lagging far behind baseball, football and even hockey, at least in northern climates. However, Rollie Barrell's Federal Cage League may well become the blueprint spots magnates in grid and diamond circles look to as the model to emulate.

It is no secret grid clubs in both the American Football Association and Continenatal Conference have been engaged in an epic, blood-soaked battle of wallets and wits. The struggle for talent on the gridiron has caused these leagues to hemorrhage money, even as they pack the stands.

The root of the issue, my friends, is the ever-swelling player salaries. The endless bidding wars between these two football leagues have left both of them bleeding greenbacks like a stuck pig. Baseball has two leagues to contend with as well but thus far, with the possible exception of the ridiculous bidding war for Woody Stone a year ago, the FABL salary structure has not been impacted because the Coast League has, up to this point, refrained from pursuing college or high school graduates that are selected in the FABL draft and has taken a hands-off approach regarding players under contract to FABL organization. Thus far the Great Western League has been content to live off of FABL's table scraps and make a decent living off 'em.

However the coast magnates may change their tune in the very near future. News out of California indicates that a pair of owners in the Continental Conference and Great Western ball loop are teaming up to bring a pair of state-of-the art stadiums to the west coast. One will be in San Francisco, with Hawks owner Red Perrone leading the charge and the other in Los Angeles where GWL boss Thomas Bigsby has his club, the Los Angeles Knights.

What does this have to do with Rollie Barrell and his basketball league, you ask? Well, Barrell's group -an upstart just a couple of years ago like the Continental Conference and the Great Western League, last summer successfully engineered a merger, or perhaps better described as a takeover, of the American Basketball Conference. The bottom line is there is now one big happy basketball league with 16 teams operating under a single banner, and presumably 16 owners much happier with their bottom line because there is no more petty competition between leagues. Could that be a blueprint for baseball and football?

To be honest, relations between basketball leagues were never as icy as the cold war brewing in the other two sports. But here's a thought: perhaps this friendly handshake could be just what the gridiron game needs. Football, where owners from both leagues have been drowning in red ink, might just see the wisdom in following basketball's example.

Word on the street is that some of the honchos in each of the football leagues have been whispering sweet nothings about the possibility of a merger. And, rumor has it, there's a sit-down in the works between the team owners from both leagues, set to take place right after the Continental Conference title game wraps up next week. Could football be borrowing a page from basketball's playbook? And will baseball be waiting in the wings, ready to follow suit? Only time will tell, folks. Stay tuned, and let's see what the future holds in the realm of professional sports.

DORIA LANDS IN SAN DIEGO

It did not take long for Ad Doria to find new employment as the well-known baseball skipper has joined the San Diego Conquistadors of the Great Western League. The 52-year-old had spent the previous decade in Cincinnati where he piloted the Cannons to three straight Continental Association pennants and back-to-back World Championship Series wins during the war while posting a 681-551 record. Doria was informed last week by the Cannons they would not be renewing his contract and replaced him with Charley McCullough, following a 7th place finish a year ago. It marked the first time Doria's club had not finished in the first division. He will have his work cut out for him with the Conquistadors, who finished dead last in the Great Western loop for the second time in three years.

It is looking like the pitching-rich St Louis Pioneers will welcome another stellar arm to their rotation next year as Ralphie Spires, the 23-year-old top 100 prospect, is looking dominant in the Cuban loop. There is some high caliber competition in the winter league this season, but Spires has certainly stood out. Pitching for the Santiago Scorpions, the 1947 4th round pick out of Grange College has a sparkling 0.79 era and is coming off a complete game shutout.
Despite the great showing, or perhaps because of it since his stock is high, the Pioneers are said to be willing to look at dealing Spires if it helps them address some needs at other positions.
OSA's top ranked prospect is also making some noise on the island, as New York Stars shortstop Ralph Hanson leads the winter loop with a .435 batting average and has shown a bit of power with 2 homers and 12 extra base hits in 15 games.
Big news out of the coast loop with a pair of new 50,000 seat ballparks. Not sure it will do much in the short-term to impact FABL but it clearly helps the Continental Football Conference with a pair of stadiums that rival anything the AFA can display.
Toronto Wolves owner Bernie Millard is clearly the most vocal of the FABL magnates towards the Great Western "rebels" as he calls them, so his statement on the new ballparks for Los Angeles and San Francisco was about what one would expect from Millard who says "Seems like a poor investment to me, why build something to seat 50,000 when the quality of product on the field may entice 10,000. Unless, of course, you are getting money or tax credits from the city and/or State governments to build the park."
San Francisco Hawks owner Red Perrone, who may have had all he can take of Millard, had this to say when asked about the Wolves owner's thoughts. "I do admire what he has done up north with that dog of a team and his basketball club. It will be a real shame when the GWL and FABL unite to form a truly national league that stretches coast-to-coast one day. I'm just not sure if there would be room for teams from Canada at that point. Perhaps Mr. Millard should look at acquiring a hockey team if he wants to stay in the sporting business long term."

WILDCATS WIN AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION TITLE IN DRIVING SNOWSTORM

Perhaps the American Football Association championship game between the Chicago Wildcats and New York Stars should not have been held yesterday at Cougars Park. A driving snow-storm providing a 4-inch fall during the game that completely covered the gridiron eliminated any pretense of a true football test. Postponement would have been in order and fair to all concerned, including players and spectators.

However, do not say that in the presence of any faithful Chicago followers. Wet, cold and uncomfortable though they might have been, they were happy because, on this snow-bound afternoon in the Windy City, all of the other sporting failures this city has seen in recent years were forgotten when the Wildcats won their 6th AFA title and third World Championship Game since the playoff format began in 1933. Note, it is under the insistence of AFA President Jack Kristich that it is a "World" championship and not simply the AFA championship. Few in Chicago would care as their beloved Wildcats were once again the champion, however you describe it, following a dominant 31-0 win that helps atone for the 28-0 beatdown this same Wildcats club absorbed from the New Yorkers in the title tilt two short years ago. Perhaps the victory can also exorcise the many ghosts of missed opportunity that Cougars Park has suffered, courtesy of its primary baseball tenant over the years.

The Wildcats opened a 10-0 lead at the half and scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the contest out of reach. Chicago was a slight favourite to win the game but for a stretch it looked like neither team would accomplish much of anything due to the heavy snowfall that made even seeing downfield a challenge at times. The Stars had a particularly difficult time as they managed to gain a total of just 4 yards on the first four possessions.

Chicago did not fare much better in the early going but did string together a six-play drive as the first quarter came to an end with the final result being a 13-yard touchdown run by Ralph Manson. The Stars might claim even the weather was against them on this day as the snow let up briefly, allowing mostly clear skies when Gus Brown completed back-to-back passes to Don Foresta and Manson to set up the scoring scamper. As if on cue the snow seemed to pick up again as New York took possession and the only other score before the break was a Bobby Vaughan 24-yard field goal that few in the stands could even see as the snowfall was so heavy at the time.

The snow let up for the most part in the second half but the Wildcats defense, which held New York to just 65 total yards in the first half, did not. Chicago used its ground game to control the clock, holding a 20:30 to 9:30 advantage in possession after the break and simply wore out the overmatched Stars. Touchdowns on each of their final possessions turned the game into a rout, which was truly indicative of the gameplay as New York, which managed just 8 first downs and 169 yards of total offense on the day was never really in the contest at all.

Chicago back Jim Arends, who had a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and was dominant on defense, was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Since the two-division format and the playoff began in 1933 the Wildcats have played in eight of them. Most did not end well for Chicago, but they are now 3-5 with wins in 1941, 1943 and now once more in 1948.

CONTINETAL CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE A WESTERN AFFAIR

It should come as no surprise as they have been consistently the two best teams in the league since the formation of the Continental Football Conference, but the San Francisco Wings and Kansas City Cowboys will meet in the CFC championship game. It will be the first postseason meeting of the two rivals, made possible by the CFC's new playoff format which added a semi-final similar to what the North American Hockey Confederation does. Since the opening round was a crossover where the best of the east met the second-place squad from the west it meant that these two Western Division clubs will play for the title.

The Kansas City Cowboys have won each of the previous two CFC title games but after finishing second to San Francisco in the west this season are only in the playoff due to the expanded format. The Cowboys took advantage of their second chance with a convincing 24-0 victory on the road in New Orleans over the Crescents.

On the west coast the San Francisco Wings, owners of the loop's best record, scored three touchdowns in the first 12 minutes and rolled over the Buffalo Bulls by a 42-14 score. That sets up a rubber match between the Wings, who went 12-2 during the regular season, and the Cowboys, owners of a 10-3-1 record. Each club won at home during their earlier meetings this season. The title game will take place in San Francisco.

To reach the championship game Kansas City relied on two-time league most valuable player Pat Chappell and the Cowboys quarterback did not disappoint. Chappell threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns while powerful running back Mason Matthews rushed for 61 yards while also catching 3 passes for 50 more. The Cowboys offense generated 371 net yards while holding the overmatched Crescents to 114 and just 7 first downs compared to 22 for Kansas City. How dominant was the victory? Only on one play in the entire game did the Crescents snap the ball while in Cowboys territory and that was just barely. They were on the Cowboys 49-yard line on a fourth down that saw the snap sail over the punters head and set up the second Cowboys touchdown.

It took just 4 minutes for the Cowboys to get all the offensive production they would need as a 62-yard bomb from Chappell to Ernie Orr early in the opening period set up a 3-yard scoring pass to Pat Hill. The score would remain 7-0 until Reuben Waltson's 36-yard field goal in the third quarter gave the Cowboys a bit of breathing room before late scores on a Matthews run and an 11-yard Chappell to Bill Tammaro pass put the game away. New Orleans never really threatened to score, punting 12 times and turning the ball over twice.
*** Metcalf Puts on Show at Hawks Stadium ***

In San Francisco it was the Sam Metcalf show as the Wings quarterback passed for 183 yards and two scores while also rushing for 38 yards and a touchdown. Down 21-0 less than 12 minutes into the opening period dashed any hopes the Bulls might have had of clipping the mighty Wings offense and a last second Wings touchdown just before the half crushed the Bulls spirits as well.

Metcalf marched the Wings 72 yards down field on the opening series of the game, completing two nice passes to Wes Mula for 19 and 12 yards respectively with the latter enhanced by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Bulls. The 8-play drive took just 3 minutes and ended in a 7-yard touchdown run by Jimmie Campbell.

Following a quick 3 and out for the Bulls, Metcalf went right back to work and this time it was an 11-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in Metcalf calling his own number for a 6-yard scoring scamper. Things went from bad to worse for the Bulls, when Doug McCasland fumbled the kick-off return and six plays later it was 21-0 after Metcalf threw a short flare to Doug Murphy for the third San Francisco touchdown.

Buffalo did settle down somewhat and took advantage of an interception which gave them a short field to work with and set up Mark Monday's only touchdown pass of the game. As the second period wound down the Bulls scored again to cut the Wings lead to 21-14 with just a minute to play in the half. The Buffalo squad looked ready to snatch the momentum away from their hosts, but any thoughts of a Buffalo comeback were quickly destroyed when Metcalf and Mula connected on a pair of passes in a long but quick drive in the final minute of the half that finished with Mula's 7-yard scoring catch and the lead was back up to 14 points.

The dejected Bulls team, that seemed back in the game just a minute earlier, appeared to lose all will to compete in a second half that saw them come nowhere near the San Francisco end zone while the Wings punctuated their victory with two more scores.

TANK TIPPETT PREDICTION

It is hard to pick against the defending champions, especially a team as talented as the Kansas City Cowboys are. The two clubs each won at home this season and there appears little to separate them. Kansas City has Pat Chappell, but Sam Metcalf has been outstanding. Both have terrific defenses. Both have solid rushers in Mason Matthews of the Cowboys and Rich Garner of the Wings. It is hard to find a pair of ends who can compare to the Cowboys Bill Tammaro and Ernie Orr, but Wes Mula has been having himself quite a season and probably deserves the all-star nod over Tammaro, who missed time early with injury. In short. They are both very good and this game could go either way. Homefield will be the difference, but this might be one of the best football championship games we have ever seen, and that includes the American Association.

PREDICTION: San Francisco 28 Kansas City 27

COLLEGIATE GRID ALL-AMERICANS NAMED

Out of a sizzling season of record crowds, startling upsets and raging controversies over unlimited substitutions, TWIFB again has selected an outstanding All-America football team based on the choices of more than 300 pigskin experts from all sections of the nation. Despite the difficulties of selecting all-round talent, due to the two-platoon system as now employed by many leading schools, our experts were able to single out stars who, in most instances, were outstanding both offensively and defensively under any style of play.

St Blane, ranked behind only Detroit City College as the best in the entire nation, dominated the 1948 selections as the Fighting Saints placed 3 members on the eleven man squad. The National Champion Knights had a single member, and all areas of the country were represented with selections from the East, South, Middle West, Southwest and Far West all making the grade.

Three players were named for the second year in succession including Wally Dotson, the junior from Texas Gulf Coast who was recently awarded with the Christian Trophy as the top player of 1948. The others making their second appearance on the All-American list are Liberty College center George Klavich and St Blane guard Finn O'Boyle, who was this year's winner of the Ipswich Trophy as the top lineman.

LANCERS ADDED TO GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE

St. Ignatius College was granted membership in the Great Lakes Alliance, bringing the powerful athletic league back to ten teams, something it has not had in football since Chicago Poly withdrew prior to the war. The Lancers, who were already limited members and play basketball in the GLA, will become full members after approval was granted at the GLA's winter meeting last week. Pittsburgh State had also applied but there was no mention on the status of the Finches bid.

St Ignatius had sought to join the GLA for football since 1946 but even with acceptance, their entry in the grid loop will be delayed for several years because the GLA football coaches have already drafted section schedules through 1950 and are expected to approve the 1951 and 1952 slate this week, meaning it could be 1953 at the earliest before the Lancers join the conference for football.

BROCKERS SETTLING IN WITH MONTREAL

Vals Win Four of Last Five

It might have taken a few games for him to get comfortable in his new surroundings, but Tom Brockers played like the 4-time Juneau Award winning goaltender he is for the Montreal Valiants last week. Brockers recorded two shutouts in three games last week -just his third and fourth victories in 11 games since joining Montreal in a trade last month with the Boston Bees. Montreal's defense deserves a good share of the credit as Brockers was not heavily tested in either game, facing just 18 shots in a 3-0 win over his former Boston teammates and then only 16 in Sunday's victory by the same score over the New York Shamrocks.

In between the two shutout wins the Valiants fell 4-2 in Detroit but with 4 victories in their last five outings perhaps this is the start of things turning around for a Montreal team that started last season 16-9-3 and challenging for first place last New Years Day, only to fall into a terrible slump. From January 2 last season until December 11 this year the Vals have posted a 13-31-6 record, and the biggest problem may well have been the goaltending. Millard Touhey shoulder much of the blame last year and was allowed to leave for Detroit. That left the Vals with a big hole between the pipes until the November 15 deal that brought Brockers in. It took a few games with a couple of tough outings for the 33-year-old but if the last few games are any indication, Coach Norb Hickey now has a goalie he can rely on and with tightened up defense the Montreal Valiants may just return to the playoffs, a destination they fell short of last spring.

Code:

  NAHC STANDINGS
          GP  W  L  T  GF  GA  PTS
Toronto   26 15  8  3  91  68  33
Boston    24 13  9  2  72  63  28
Detroit   25 11 11  3  87  76  25
New York  23 10  8  4  63  63  24
Montreal  23  9 11  3  63  75  21
Chicago   25  7 17  1  64  95  15

SCORING LEADERS GP  G  A  PTS
Pollack, Tor    26 15 18  33
Galbraith, Tor  26 13 15  28
Cabbell, NY     23 16 11  27
Sauer, Tor      26 13 14  27
Vanderbilt, Det 23 14 12  26
Tardif, Det     25 10 16  26
Carlson, Tor    23  5 21  26
T Burns, Chi    19 17  7  24
Parker, Tor     26 11 12  23
Witt, Det       25  9 14  23
Rocheleau, Det  23  5 17  22
Sandford, Mon   23  9 11  20
Skinner, Mon    23  9 11  20

GOALIE LEADERS   GP  W  L  T ShO GAA
Chasse, Det      11  6  4  0  1  2.26
Broadway, Tor    22 12  7  3  2  2.55
Tremblay, NY     21  9  8  4  2  2.59
James, Bos       20 10  8  2  3  2.61
Brockers, Mon    13  5  6  1  2  2.66
Hanson, Chi      18  4 13  1  1  3.46
Touhey, Det      12  4  7  1  1  3.73

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15

Boston 0 at 3 Montreal: The last time Tom Brockers faced his former club he barely lasted half the game before getting pulled after allowing 5 Boston goals, but this time Brockers was perfect in net for the Montreal Valiants. The veteran netminder turned aside all 18 Bees shots for his first shutout with his new club in a 3-0 Montreal win. Wayne Augustin led the Vals offense with a goal and 2 assists.

Chicago 2 at 1 Detroit: A rare win this season for the struggling Packers who outshot Detroit 40-30 and claimed the 2-1 victory thanks to Ed Delarue's third period goal after Wes Burns and the Motors Francis McKenzie traded first frame markers.

New York 1at 3 Toronto: The Dukes are unbeaten in five and the Shamrocks winless in 5 after Toronto's 3-1 victory at Dominion Gardens. All the excitement happened in the final period as Etienne Tremblay and Gordie Broadway kept it scoreless through the opening two stanzas. Dick Zimmerman, Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith were the Toronto marksmen with Tommy Brescia notching the Greenshirts goal.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 18

Montreal 2 at 4 Detroit: Three goals in the first period helped Detroit down the visiting Valiants 4-2 and snap Montreal's three game winning streak. Spencer Larocque and Graham Comeau led the way for the Motors with 2 points each.

Toronto 1 at 3 New York: After losing 3-1 in Toronto three days ago, the Shamrocks return the favour on Bigsby Garden ice with a 3-1 win over their own over the Dukes. Toronto's Quinton Pollack opened the scoring early in the second period but Simon Savard and Orval Cabbell replied in the same frame for New York. Robert Sharpley rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter with 2 seconds remaining in the contest.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 19

Chicago 1 at 5 Boston: A year ago this matchup would be circled on the calendar well in advance but not so much this time around. This one went as one might expect from a glance at the standings beforehand as the Boston Bees clubbed the Chicago Packers 5-1 behind 3 point nights from Tommy Hart and Ray Gustafson along with a pair of goals off the stick of Robert Walker.

Detroit 4 at 4 Toronto: Spencer Larocque's shorthanded goal early in the third period allowed the Motors to even the score with a 4-4 draw in Toronto. Herb Burdette staked the Dukes to a first period lead before the two clubs combined for 6 goals, including another one from Burdette, in a wild second period.

New York 0 at 3 Montreal: Tom Brockers might just be heating up in the Montreal net as the newest Valiant notched his second shutout in 3 games although the Montreal defense deserves much of the credit for limiting the Shamrocks to just 16 shots on the night. Clarence Skinner scored twice in the second period and Wayne Augustin sealed the victory with an empty netter in the final minute.

UPCOMING GAMES
TUESDAY DECEMBER 21
Boston at Detroit

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 22
Chicago at New York
Montreal at Boston

THURSDAY DECEMBER 23
Boston at Chicago
Montreal at New York
Toronto at Detroit

Dukes Streak Ends --Toronto's undefeated streak ends at 5 with the Dukes going 1-1-1 for the week. On home ice Wednesday night the Dukes brought the streak to 5 with a 3-1 win over New York in another fast paced, tight checking game in front of 13,649. The first two periods were played in almost record time with each team thwarting the other's offense, most of the play between the blue lines with very few whistles stopping the action.

In the third Dick Zimmerman, from Trevor Parker and JC Martel, opened the scoring on a seemingly innocent shot from a sharp angle that handcuffed Shamrocks netminder Etienne Tremblay before the period was 4 minutes old. The Shamrocks equalized 4 minutes later when Tom Brescia beat Gordie Broadway from in tight after a quick pass from Jim Macek. Quiton Pollock restored the lead with his 14th as he banged home a rebound on Les Carlson's shot for the game winner at 12:29. The Shamrocks could not solve Broadway to tie the game and Lou Galbraith salted the contest away with a empty netter with only 4 seconds remaining.

The streak came to an end when the two teams renewed acquaintances in Bigsby Gardens Saturday night. In a chippy affair Pollock opened the scoring early in the second from the slot, a deflection that Tremblay has no chance to save. Simon Savard tied the score on shot from the point that seemed to deflect off a Duke in front of the net then elude Broadway. Orval Cabell, the league's hottest marksman, was sprung on breakaway on a pass from Bert McCalley then deked Broadway to put the Shamrocks ahead with only 20 seconds left in the period. Dukes had chances to tie in the third but Tremblay shut the door. Defenseman Robert Sharpley tallied into an empty cage at 19:58 to round out the scoring.

Back home for a Sunday afternoon encounter with the Motors, the Dukes seem to have the game in hand storming out to 3-0 lead before the game was 25 minutes old on markers from Herb Burdette, Parker and Galbraith. The team then fell into their old ways taking a few penalties allowing the Motors lethal power play to dent the twine thrice before the end of the second. Burdette's second of the game, shorthanded, allowed the Dukes to enter the dressing room up 4-3. Detroit's special teams were the key as Spencer Larocque tied the game early in the third shorthanded with Arnold Singleton in the box for hooking. The Dukes continued to pour rubber at Detroit goaltender Andy Backlund but could not find the back of the net in a game that ended 4-4 with Detroit's special team notching all 4 goals.

The Duke's dressing room was like a morgue when reporters were let in after Coach Barrell's reportedly profanity laced comments to the team. Common comment from the players was "We let that one get away, we handed them a point, a gift-wrapped Christmas present."

Coach Barrell's comments: " The two games against New York were fine, even the loss on Saturday, we played the game the right way - opportunistic, fast skating, tight checking. You all see what happens when the players start to believe the press clippings, start to take shortcuts against the Motors. For the first half of the game, we were fine then we self-destructed. When I was first hired here, I had a sign painted with 2-foot letters hung so it is the first thing that draws the players attention when they enter the dressing room. All you guys have seen it but for the fans it says "HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN'T WORK HARD!" I reminded the players of the words on that sign after the Motors game embarrassment before a big home crowd. I might have spiced up the language a little to make sure I was getting my point across. We have a game Wednesday at Detroit. I expect the team to redeem itself with hard work and attention to detail. I will then give the team a couple of days off for Christmas."

Washington's 4 game winning streak came to an end Wednesday night with an 89-64 loss in Rochester but the Statesmen rebounded with an 89-80 win in Hartford yesterday that saw Ivan Sisco and Charles Hooper each score 22 points and combine for 40 rebounds in the win.
With six wins in their last seven games the Brooklyn Red Caps are on the rise. The Caps beat New York and Rochester, both at Flatbush Gardens this week, and are now just a game out of top spot in the East Division.
Philadelphia continues to slide as the Phantoms split their two games last week but have dropped 5 of their last 7 after a 10-2 start to the season.
The big news in the West Division is the Chicago Panthers have lost two in a row. A losing streak is very rare for the Windy City cagers but they fell 80-77 at home to Pittsburgh as Norm Yates score 30 points for the Pilots Wednesday evening and then followed that up with a 99-89 loss in Buffalo which featured two of the best players in the league going head-to-head. Neither disappointed as Larry Yim had 31 points and 25 rebounds for the Brawlers while Richard Campbell scored 36 and added 17 boards in a losing cause for the Panthers, who opened a 5-game road trip with that loss in Buffalo.
The hottest team in the Federal loop right now is the Cleveland Crushers, who extended their winning streak to 6 games with 3 victories last week. They began with a sweep of a home and home set with Toronto and followed it up with a dominating 88-55 win over Buffalo on Saturday.
At the other end of the picture we have the Syracuse Titans, who have lost 15 in a row and are 1-18 on the season.

Code:


FBL STANDINGS
EAST           W  L  PCT  
Washington    13  5  .722
Rochester     12  5  .706
Brooklyn      12  6  .667
Philadelphia  12  7  .632
Baltimore      9  8  .529
Hartford       8 10  .444
Boston         7 12  .368 
New York       5 12  .294
Syracuse       1 18  .053 

WEST         W  L   PCT  
Chicago     13  4  .765
Cleveland   11  6  .647
Detroit     10  6  .625
Buffalo      8  8  .500
Cincinnati   8  9  .471
Toronto      6 12  .333
Pittsburgh   5 12  .294

FIGHTING SAINTS WIN SHOWDOWN WITH NOBLE JONES

For the second time this season the St Blane Fighting Saints knocked off a team in the top ten of the collegiate cage rankings. On November 27 the victim was Carolina Poly, as the Saints handed the Cardinals -who are still ranked #5 in the latest poll- their first and only loss so far this season. On Wednesday they did it again, claiming a hard-fought 58-54 decision over Noble Jones College, knocking the Colonels off their perch at #8 in the rankings and sliding them down to the 16th spot after what was Noble Jones College's second loss to a top 25 club this season.

Like most teams that face the Fighting Saints, the Colonels simply had no answer for the St Blane depth. The Pennsylvania school can beat a team so many ways and even when Noble Jones College's big guns perform, they still have a tough time. Joe Basco had a game high 16 points for the Colonels and guard Artie Noonan added 14 but they were no match for a St Blane club that has so much scoring depth. On this night it was Cy Worley pacing the Saints with 15 points while Jim Canaday and Josh Samuels also hit double-digits. Strength on the boards is St Blane's other advantage over most schools, with the trio of Worley, Samuels and center Brian Threadgill combining for 30 rebounds, which was the same total the entire Colonels club could muster. The 47-30 edge on the boards led to many second chance points and ultimately proved the difference in the game.

Looking ahead the Fighting Saints have just two more games before the calendar flips to 1949 and both should be very winnable. They begin with Bronx Tech (4-3) tomorrow night as part of one of the famous Bigsby Garden cage doubleheaders before heading to Ohio to meet the 3-5 Orrville Oaks on December 30.
*** No Changes at Top of Rankings ***

The Fighting Saints win over Noble Jones College, their only game last week, did not change their standing in the top twenty-five as the voters kept St Blane third behind Western Iowa and Liberty College. The Canaries lone game was an easy 71-43 victory over Academia Alliance outfit Grafton while the 10-1 Bells also played just once with the result being a 56-46 triumph over Richmond State.

The changes were all in the back half of the top ten with Lane State and the previously mentioned Noble Jones College sliding out. The Emeralds record slid to 8-2 with an upset loss to East Missouri Seminary on Monday night before rebounding with a win over Kansas Agricultural Friday evening in Eugene.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS INVOLVING TOP 10 TEAMS
MONDAY DECEMBER 13
#6 North Carolina Tech 45 (Mike Carter 11 pts) Michigan Lutheran 32
#7 Mississippi A&M 58 (Billy Bob Leveau 14 pts) Miami State 50
East Missouri Seminary 71 Lane State 54 (knocked Lane State out of top 10)
Noble Jones College 47 (Ken Avelar 12) St Martin's College 37

TUESDAY DECEMBER 14
#5 Carolina Poly 51 (Mel Turcotte 13) Valley State 41

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15
#2 Liberty College 56 (Simon Buchanan 17) Richmond State 46
#3 St Blane 58 (Cy Worley 15) #16 Noble Jones College 54 (Joe Basco 16) dropped Colonels out of top 10
#4 Frankford State 63 (David Aponte 19) St Martin's College 50
#7 Mississippi A&M 41 (Micah Shurman 10) Dickson 34
#9 Utah A&M 50 (Carl Brim 12) Cumberland 38
#10 Indiana A&M 50 (Ollie Courville 11) College of Cairo 34

THURSDAY DECEMBER 16
#5 Carolina Poly 65 (James Halle 19) Boulder State 45
#6 North Carolina Tech 48 (Chris Hermann 13) St Matthew's College 34
#8 Detroit City College 43 (Orlando and Bratton 12 each) Queen City 39

FRIDAY DECEMBER 17
#1 Western Iowa 71 (Willy Ludwick 17) Grafton 43
#4 Frankford State 63 (Aponte and Murray 14 each) Berwick 47

SATURDAY DECEMBER 18
#9 Utah A&M 56 (Frosty Chenoweth 11) Boulder State 46

SUNDAY DECEMBER 19
#5 Carolina Poly 53 (James Halle 16) Three Rivers State 42
#6 North Carolina Tech 53 (Mike Carter 22) Cumberland 51
#10 Indiana A&M 55 (JC Mitchell 17) Capital (MS) University 36

SPLIT RESULTS FOR THE BAKER BOYS

An entertaining boxing card at the Pittsburgh Arena saw the Baker brothers go 1-1 on the night. Scott Baker, just a few days before his 29th birthday made the trip up from his hometown of Philadelphia and brought along his big brother Cliff to fight on the same card.

Scott looked impressive in claiming a unanimous decision victory over David Kramer (23-9-3) to run his record to 19-3-2. Baker may just revive talk of a title shot whenever Hector Sawyer decides to bring the heavyweight belt back to this continent. There had been rumblings of such a chance more than two years ago but a tough loss to Roy Crawford followed by a broken hand forcing him to take the loss in bout with Chris May put an end to the title chatter. It may just be back now.

Meanwhile, big brother Cliff Baker, now 38 at the end of his rope, hopped into the ring against Daron Ross but was outpointed. The Baker boys each had their father and trainer, former ABF middleweight champ Battling Billy Baker making the night a real family affair.

There was also a big fight in Washington as Millard Shelton outpointed Brooks O'Connor in a 10-round battle of a pair of high-end middleweights that was televised all along the east coast as part of the new Columbia Broadcasting boxing deal.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Dec 23 - Denny Arena, Boston: HW Cannon Cooper (24-4-1) vs Ron Wilson (22-11-5)
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)
Feb 19- Paris, France: World HW champ Hector Sawyer (59-3-1) vs Alain Noel (44-11-2)
Mar 18- Detroit: World WW champ Mac Erickson (18-0) vs Rudy Perry (27-4)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/19/1948

The UN Assembly in Paris ended with a stern warning to Western nations from Russia. The Soviet delegate declared this session would be described in history as one which took further steps toward a policy of wrecking international co-operation.
Israel's bid for membership in the United Nations failed to win Security Council approval.
Information about the Norden bombsight and possibly the proximity fuse was involved in military secrets believed to have been stolen from the Army in 1938 and given to Soviet agents, a member of the House Committee on Un-American Activities disclosed Friday.
President Truman asked Congress to raise the pay of cabinet officers from $15,000 to $25,000 a year and to increase salaries of other top-level government officials.
14 aides to Argentine President Juan Peron, including the head of police, have been arrested and charged with defrauding the government of a sum which may exceed $2.4 million in US dollars.
A baby who some day may be king of England was christened with a big name last Tuesday - Prince Charles Phillip Arthur George of Edinburgh.

10-25-2023, 01:33 PM	#812
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,817	December 20, 1948 DECEMBER 20, 1948 BUILDING A BETTER BALLPARK (TIMES TWO) The Los Angeles Knights and San Francisco Hawks represent the two largest cities in the Great Western League. League President and Knights owner Thomas X. Bigsby was on-hand yesterday as ground was broken for a new "baseball palace" to be the home of the Knights in 1949. Bigsby Stadium, as the new park will be known, will replace the aged Knights Stadium. Most importantly, in the opinion of Bigsby, is that the new stadium will have 50,000 seats, a vast improvement over Knights Stadium's 17,400 capacity. "Los Angeles is a major league city," Bigsby stated, "and it deserves a major league venue. Bigsby Stadium will be that venue." In a bit of a surprise, Dee Rose, owner of the Federally Aligned Baseball League's St. Louis Pioneers was in attendance. Bigsby noted that Rose, who owns the Los Angeles Lobos football club and is a native of the City of Angels, was there because the Lobos will also play at Bigsby Stadium. With the FABL and GWL having (at best) a frosty relationship, Rose's public appearance with Bigsby likely won't sit well with some of the other FABL owners. Asked about this by reporters, Rose smirked and said, "I don't care what those guys say, this is a business decision and has nothing to do with baseball." While that's likely true, firebrands such as Toronto's Bernie Millard are expected to loudly decry Rose's decision to make a public appearance with the "enemy." Meanwhile, the GWL's other big market is also getting a new ballpark. San Francisco owner Red Perrone broke ground last week on his own 50,000 seat stadium. Golden Gate Stadium will replace the decrepit, though much beloved, Hawks Stadium. Like Knights Stadium, the San Francisco park opened nearly 50 years ago and is both small (17,400) and outdated. Perrone didn't bother with a press conference, he simply broke ground and it took reporters a day or two to figure out what the big construction project underway just south of downtown San Francisco actually was. This was not a surprise: while Perrone has a lot of money and is willing to spend it (see the Woody Stone signing), he avoids the limelight, leaving that to the equally wealthy Bigsby, whose position as league founder and president lends itself very well to promotion. Both ballparks are expected to open to much fanfare in April of 1949. Professional Basket Ball may well be the runt of the litter in the world of professional team sports, lagging far behind baseball, football and even hockey, at least in northern climates. However, Rollie Barrell's Federal Cage League may well become the blueprint spots magnates in grid and diamond circles look to as the model to emulate. It is no secret grid clubs in both the American Football Association and Continenatal Conference have been engaged in an epic, blood-soaked battle of wallets and wits. The struggle for talent on the gridiron has caused these leagues to hemorrhage money, even as they pack the stands. The root of the issue, my friends, is the ever-swelling player salaries. The endless bidding wars between these two football leagues have left both of them bleeding greenbacks like a stuck pig. Baseball has two leagues to contend with as well but thus far, with the possible exception of the ridiculous bidding war for Woody Stone a year ago, the FABL salary structure has not been impacted because the Coast League has, up to this point, refrained from pursuing college or high school graduates that are selected in the FABL draft and has taken a hands-off approach regarding players under contract to FABL organization. Thus far the Great Western League has been content to live off of FABL's table scraps and make a decent living off 'em. However the coast magnates may change their tune in the very near future. News out of California indicates that a pair of owners in the Continental Conference and Great Western ball loop are teaming up to bring a pair of state-of-the art stadiums to the west coast. One will be in San Francisco, with Hawks owner Red Perrone leading the charge and the other in Los Angeles where GWL boss Thomas Bigsby has his club, the Los Angeles Knights. What does this have to do with Rollie Barrell and his basketball league, you ask? Well, Barrell's group -an upstart just a couple of years ago like the Continental Conference and the Great Western League, last summer successfully engineered a merger, or perhaps better described as a takeover, of the American Basketball Conference. The bottom line is there is now one big happy basketball league with 16 teams operating under a single banner, and presumably 16 owners much happier with their bottom line because there is no more petty competition between leagues. Could that be a blueprint for baseball and football? To be honest, relations between basketball leagues were never as icy as the cold war brewing in the other two sports. But here's a thought: perhaps this friendly handshake could be just what the gridiron game needs. Football, where owners from both leagues have been drowning in red ink, might just see the wisdom in following basketball's example. Word on the street is that some of the honchos in each of the football leagues have been whispering sweet nothings about the possibility of a merger. And, rumor has it, there's a sit-down in the works between the team owners from both leagues, set to take place right after the Continental Conference title game wraps up next week. Could football be borrowing a page from basketball's playbook? And will baseball be waiting in the wings, ready to follow suit? Only time will tell, folks. Stay tuned, and let's see what the future holds in the realm of professional sports. DORIA LANDS IN SAN DIEGO It did not take long for Ad Doria to find new employment as the well-known baseball skipper has joined the San Diego Conquistadors of the Great Western League. The 52-year-old had spent the previous decade in Cincinnati where he piloted the Cannons to three straight Continental Association pennants and back-to-back World Championship Series wins during the war while posting a 681-551 record. Doria was informed last week by the Cannons they would not be renewing his contract and replaced him with Charley McCullough, following a 7th place finish a year ago. It marked the first time Doria's club had not finished in the first division. He will have his work cut out for him with the Conquistadors, who finished dead last in the Great Western loop for the second time in three years. It is looking like the pitching-rich St Louis Pioneers will welcome another stellar arm to their rotation next year as Ralphie Spires, the 23-year-old top 100 prospect, is looking dominant in the Cuban loop. There is some high caliber competition in the winter league this season, but Spires has certainly stood out. Pitching for the Santiago Scorpions, the 1947 4th round pick out of Grange College has a sparkling 0.79 era and is coming off a complete game shutout. Despite the great showing, or perhaps because of it since his stock is high, the Pioneers are said to be willing to look at dealing Spires if it helps them address some needs at other positions. OSA's top ranked prospect is also making some noise on the island, as New York Stars shortstop Ralph Hanson leads the winter loop with a .435 batting average and has shown a bit of power with 2 homers and 12 extra base hits in 15 games. Big news out of the coast loop with a pair of new 50,000 seat ballparks. Not sure it will do much in the short-term to impact FABL but it clearly helps the Continental Football Conference with a pair of stadiums that rival anything the AFA can display. Toronto Wolves owner Bernie Millard is clearly the most vocal of the FABL magnates towards the Great Western "rebels" as he calls them, so his statement on the new ballparks for Los Angeles and San Francisco was about what one would expect from Millard who says "Seems like a poor investment to me, why build something to seat 50,000 when the quality of product on the field may entice 10,000. Unless, of course, you are getting money or tax credits from the city and/or State governments to build the park." San Francisco Hawks owner Red Perrone, who may have had all he can take of Millard, had this to say when asked about the Wolves owner's thoughts. "I do admire what he has done up north with that dog of a team and his basketball club. It will be a real shame when the GWL and FABL unite to form a truly national league that stretches coast-to-coast one day. I'm just not sure if there would be room for teams from Canada at that point. Perhaps Mr. Millard should look at acquiring a hockey team if he wants to stay in the sporting business long term." WILDCATS WIN AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION TITLE IN DRIVING SNOWSTORM Perhaps the American Football Association championship game between the Chicago Wildcats and New York Stars should not have been held yesterday at Cougars Park. A driving snow-storm providing a 4-inch fall during the game that completely covered the gridiron eliminated any pretense of a true football test. Postponement would have been in order and fair to all concerned, including players and spectators. However, do not say that in the presence of any faithful Chicago followers. Wet, cold and uncomfortable though they might have been, they were happy because, on this snow-bound afternoon in the Windy City, all of the other sporting failures this city has seen in recent years were forgotten when the Wildcats won their 6th AFA title and third World Championship Game since the playoff format began in 1933. Note, it is under the insistence of AFA President Jack Kristich that it is a "World" championship and not simply the AFA championship. Few in Chicago would care as their beloved Wildcats were once again the champion, however you describe it, following a dominant 31-0 win that helps atone for the 28-0 beatdown this same Wildcats club absorbed from the New Yorkers in the title tilt two short years ago. Perhaps the victory can also exorcise the many ghosts of missed opportunity that Cougars Park has suffered, courtesy of its primary baseball tenant over the years. The Wildcats opened a 10-0 lead at the half and scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the contest out of reach. Chicago was a slight favourite to win the game but for a stretch it looked like neither team would accomplish much of anything due to the heavy snowfall that made even seeing downfield a challenge at times. The Stars had a particularly difficult time as they managed to gain a total of just 4 yards on the first four possessions. Chicago did not fare much better in the early going but did string together a six-play drive as the first quarter came to an end with the final result being a 13-yard touchdown run by Ralph Manson. The Stars might claim even the weather was against them on this day as the snow let up briefly, allowing mostly clear skies when Gus Brown completed back-to-back passes to Don Foresta and Manson to set up the scoring scamper. As if on cue the snow seemed to pick up again as New York took possession and the only other score before the break was a Bobby Vaughan 24-yard field goal that few in the stands could even see as the snowfall was so heavy at the time. The snow let up for the most part in the second half but the Wildcats defense, which held New York to just 65 total yards in the first half, did not. Chicago used its ground game to control the clock, holding a 20:30 to 9:30 advantage in possession after the break and simply wore out the overmatched Stars. Touchdowns on each of their final possessions turned the game into a rout, which was truly indicative of the gameplay as New York, which managed just 8 first downs and 169 yards of total offense on the day was never really in the contest at all. Chicago back Jim Arends, who had a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and was dominant on defense, was named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Since the two-division format and the playoff began in 1933 the Wildcats have played in eight of them. Most did not end well for Chicago, but they are now 3-5 with wins in 1941, 1943 and now once more in 1948. CONTINETAL CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE A WESTERN AFFAIR It should come as no surprise as they have been consistently the two best teams in the league since the formation of the Continental Football Conference, but the San Francisco Wings and Kansas City Cowboys will meet in the CFC championship game. It will be the first postseason meeting of the two rivals, made possible by the CFC's new playoff format which added a semi-final similar to what the North American Hockey Confederation does. Since the opening round was a crossover where the best of the east met the second-place squad from the west it meant that these two Western Division clubs will play for the title. The Kansas City Cowboys have won each of the previous two CFC title games but after finishing second to San Francisco in the west this season are only in the playoff due to the expanded format. The Cowboys took advantage of their second chance with a convincing 24-0 victory on the road in New Orleans over the Crescents. On the west coast the San Francisco Wings, owners of the loop's best record, scored three touchdowns in the first 12 minutes and rolled over the Buffalo Bulls by a 42-14 score. That sets up a rubber match between the Wings, who went 12-2 during the regular season, and the Cowboys, owners of a 10-3-1 record. Each club won at home during their earlier meetings this season. The title game will take place in San Francisco. To reach the championship game Kansas City relied on two-time league most valuable player Pat Chappell and the Cowboys quarterback did not disappoint. Chappell threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns while powerful running back Mason Matthews rushed for 61 yards while also catching 3 passes for 50 more. The Cowboys offense generated 371 net yards while holding the overmatched Crescents to 114 and just 7 first downs compared to 22 for Kansas City. How dominant was the victory? Only on one play in the entire game did the Crescents snap the ball while in Cowboys territory and that was just barely. They were on the Cowboys 49-yard line on a fourth down that saw the snap sail over the punters head and set up the second Cowboys touchdown. It took just 4 minutes for the Cowboys to get all the offensive production they would need as a 62-yard bomb from Chappell to Ernie Orr early in the opening period set up a 3-yard scoring pass to Pat Hill. The score would remain 7-0 until Reuben Waltson's 36-yard field goal in the third quarter gave the Cowboys a bit of breathing room before late scores on a Matthews run and an 11-yard Chappell to Bill Tammaro pass put the game away. New Orleans never really threatened to score, punting 12 times and turning the ball over twice. * Metcalf Puts on Show at Hawks Stadium * In San Francisco it was the Sam Metcalf show as the Wings quarterback passed for 183 yards and two scores while also rushing for 38 yards and a touchdown. Down 21-0 less than 12 minutes into the opening period dashed any hopes the Bulls might have had of clipping the mighty Wings offense and a last second Wings touchdown just before the half crushed the Bulls spirits as well. Metcalf marched the Wings 72 yards down field on the opening series of the game, completing two nice passes to Wes Mula for 19 and 12 yards respectively with the latter enhanced by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Bulls. The 8-play drive took just 3 minutes and ended in a 7-yard touchdown run by Jimmie Campbell. Following a quick 3 and out for the Bulls, Metcalf went right back to work and this time it was an 11-play, 92-yard drive that culminated in Metcalf calling his own number for a 6-yard scoring scamper. Things went from bad to worse for the Bulls, when Doug McCasland fumbled the kick-off return and six plays later it was 21-0 after Metcalf threw a short flare to Doug Murphy for the third San Francisco touchdown. Buffalo did settle down somewhat and took advantage of an interception which gave them a short field to work with and set up Mark Monday's only touchdown pass of the game. As the second period wound down the Bulls scored again to cut the Wings lead to 21-14 with just a minute to play in the half. The Buffalo squad looked ready to snatch the momentum away from their hosts, but any thoughts of a Buffalo comeback were quickly destroyed when Metcalf and Mula connected on a pair of passes in a long but quick drive in the final minute of the half that finished with Mula's 7-yard scoring catch and the lead was back up to 14 points. The dejected Bulls team, that seemed back in the game just a minute earlier, appeared to lose all will to compete in a second half that saw them come nowhere near the San Francisco end zone while the Wings punctuated their victory with two more scores. TANK TIPPETT PREDICTION It is hard to pick against the defending champions, especially a team as talented as the Kansas City Cowboys are. The two clubs each won at home this season and there appears little to separate them. Kansas City has Pat Chappell, but Sam Metcalf has been outstanding. Both have terrific defenses. Both have solid rushers in Mason Matthews of the Cowboys and Rich Garner of the Wings. It is hard to find a pair of ends who can compare to the Cowboys Bill Tammaro and Ernie Orr, but Wes Mula has been having himself quite a season and probably deserves the all-star nod over Tammaro, who missed time early with injury. In short. They are both very good and this game could go either way. Homefield will be the difference, but this might be one of the best football championship games we have ever seen, and that includes the American Association. PREDICTION: San Francisco 28 Kansas City 27 COLLEGIATE GRID ALL-AMERICANS NAMED Out of a sizzling season of record crowds, startling upsets and raging controversies over unlimited substitutions, TWIFB again has selected an outstanding All-America football team based on the choices of more than 300 pigskin experts from all sections of the nation. Despite the difficulties of selecting all-round talent, due to the two-platoon system as now employed by many leading schools, our experts were able to single out stars who, in most instances, were outstanding both offensively and defensively under any style of play. St Blane, ranked behind only Detroit City College as the best in the entire nation, dominated the 1948 selections as the Fighting Saints placed 3 members on the eleven man squad. The National Champion Knights had a single member, and all areas of the country were represented with selections from the East, South, Middle West, Southwest and Far West all making the grade. Three players were named for the second year in succession including Wally Dotson, the junior from Texas Gulf Coast who was recently awarded with the Christian Trophy as the top player of 1948. The others making their second appearance on the All-American list are Liberty College center George Klavich and St Blane guard Finn O'Boyle, who was this year's winner of the Ipswich Trophy as the top lineman. LANCERS ADDED TO GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE St. Ignatius College was granted membership in the Great Lakes Alliance, bringing the powerful athletic league back to ten teams, something it has not had in football since Chicago Poly withdrew prior to the war. The Lancers, who were already limited members and play basketball in the GLA, will become full members after approval was granted at the GLA's winter meeting last week. Pittsburgh State had also applied but there was no mention on the status of the Finches bid. St Ignatius had sought to join the GLA for football since 1946 but even with acceptance, their entry in the grid loop will be delayed for several years because the GLA football coaches have already drafted section schedules through 1950 and are expected to approve the 1951 and 1952 slate this week, meaning it could be 1953 at the earliest before the Lancers join the conference for football. BROCKERS SETTLING IN WITH MONTREAL Vals Win Four of Last Five It might have taken a few games for him to get comfortable in his new surroundings, but Tom Brockers played like the 4-time Juneau Award winning goaltender he is for the Montreal Valiants last week. Brockers recorded two shutouts in three games last week -just his third and fourth victories in 11 games since joining Montreal in a trade last month with the Boston Bees. Montreal's defense deserves a good share of the credit as Brockers was not heavily tested in either game, facing just 18 shots in a 3-0 win over his former Boston teammates and then only 16 in Sunday's victory by the same score over the New York Shamrocks. In between the two shutout wins the Valiants fell 4-2 in Detroit but with 4 victories in their last five outings perhaps this is the start of things turning around for a Montreal team that started last season 16-9-3 and challenging for first place last New Years Day, only to fall into a terrible slump. From January 2 last season until December 11 this year the Vals have posted a 13-31-6 record, and the biggest problem may well have been the goaltending. Millard Touhey shoulder much of the blame last year and was allowed to leave for Detroit. That left the Vals with a big hole between the pipes until the November 15 deal that brought Brockers in. It took a few games with a couple of tough outings for the 33-year-old but if the last few games are any indication, Coach Norb Hickey now has a goalie he can rely on and with tightened up defense the Montreal Valiants may just return to the playoffs, a destination they fell short of last spring. Code: NAHC STANDINGS GP W L T GF GA PTS Toronto 26 15 8 3 91 68 33 Boston 24 13 9 2 72 63 28 Detroit 25 11 11 3 87 76 25 New York 23 10 8 4 63 63 24 Montreal 23 9 11 3 63 75 21 Chicago 25 7 17 1 64 95 15 SCORING LEADERS GP G A PTS Pollack, Tor 26 15 18 33 Galbraith, Tor 26 13 15 28 Cabbell, NY 23 16 11 27 Sauer, Tor 26 13 14 27 Vanderbilt, Det 23 14 12 26 Tardif, Det 25 10 16 26 Carlson, Tor 23 5 21 26 T Burns, Chi 19 17 7 24 Parker, Tor 26 11 12 23 Witt, Det 25 9 14 23 Rocheleau, Det 23 5 17 22 Sandford, Mon 23 9 11 20 Skinner, Mon 23 9 11 20 GOALIE LEADERS GP W L T ShO GAA Chasse, Det 11 6 4 0 1 2.26 Broadway, Tor 22 12 7 3 2 2.55 Tremblay, NY 21 9 8 4 2 2.59 James, Bos 20 10 8 2 3 2.61 Brockers, Mon 13 5 6 1 2 2.66 Hanson, Chi 18 4 13 1 1 3.46 Touhey, Det 12 4 7 1 1 3.73 LAST WEEK'S RESULTS WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15 Boston 0 at 3 Montreal: The last time Tom Brockers faced his former club he barely lasted half the game before getting pulled after allowing 5 Boston goals, but this time Brockers was perfect in net for the Montreal Valiants. The veteran netminder turned aside all 18 Bees shots for his first shutout with his new club in a 3-0 Montreal win. Wayne Augustin led the Vals offense with a goal and 2 assists. Chicago 2 at 1 Detroit: A rare win this season for the struggling Packers who outshot Detroit 40-30 and claimed the 2-1 victory thanks to Ed Delarue's third period goal after Wes Burns and the Motors Francis McKenzie traded first frame markers. New York 1at 3 Toronto: The Dukes are unbeaten in five and the Shamrocks winless in 5 after Toronto's 3-1 victory at Dominion Gardens. All the excitement happened in the final period as Etienne Tremblay and Gordie Broadway kept it scoreless through the opening two stanzas. Dick Zimmerman, Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith were the Toronto marksmen with Tommy Brescia notching the Greenshirts goal. SATURDAY DECEMBER 18 Montreal 2 at 4 Detroit: Three goals in the first period helped Detroit down the visiting Valiants 4-2 and snap Montreal's three game winning streak. Spencer Larocque and Graham Comeau led the way for the Motors with 2 points each. Toronto 1 at 3 New York: After losing 3-1 in Toronto three days ago, the Shamrocks return the favour on Bigsby Garden ice with a 3-1 win over their own over the Dukes. Toronto's Quinton Pollack opened the scoring early in the second period but Simon Savard and Orval Cabbell replied in the same frame for New York. Robert Sharpley rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter with 2 seconds remaining in the contest. SUNDAY DECEMBER 19 Chicago 1 at 5 Boston: A year ago this matchup would be circled on the calendar well in advance but not so much this time around. This one went as one might expect from a glance at the standings beforehand as the Boston Bees clubbed the Chicago Packers 5-1 behind 3 point nights from Tommy Hart and Ray Gustafson along with a pair of goals off the stick of Robert Walker. Detroit 4 at 4 Toronto: Spencer Larocque's shorthanded goal early in the third period allowed the Motors to even the score with a 4-4 draw in Toronto. Herb Burdette staked the Dukes to a first period lead before the two clubs combined for 6 goals, including another one from Burdette, in a wild second period. New York 0 at 3 Montreal: Tom Brockers might just be heating up in the Montreal net as the newest Valiant notched his second shutout in 3 games although the Montreal defense deserves much of the credit for limiting the Shamrocks to just 16 shots on the night. Clarence Skinner scored twice in the second period and Wayne Augustin sealed the victory with an empty netter in the final minute. UPCOMING GAMES TUESDAY DECEMBER 21 Boston at Detroit WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 22 Chicago at New York Montreal at Boston THURSDAY DECEMBER 23 Boston at Chicago Montreal at New York Toronto at Detroit Dukes Streak Ends --Toronto's undefeated streak ends at 5 with the Dukes going 1-1-1 for the week. On home ice Wednesday night the Dukes brought the streak to 5 with a 3-1 win over New York in another fast paced, tight checking game in front of 13,649. The first two periods were played in almost record time with each team thwarting the other's offense, most of the play between the blue lines with very few whistles stopping the action. In the third Dick Zimmerman, from Trevor Parker and JC Martel, opened the scoring on a seemingly innocent shot from a sharp angle that handcuffed Shamrocks netminder Etienne Tremblay before the period was 4 minutes old. The Shamrocks equalized 4 minutes later when Tom Brescia beat Gordie Broadway from in tight after a quick pass from Jim Macek. Quiton Pollock restored the lead with his 14th as he banged home a rebound on Les Carlson's shot for the game winner at 12:29. The Shamrocks could not solve Broadway to tie the game and Lou Galbraith salted the contest away with a empty netter with only 4 seconds remaining. The streak came to an end when the two teams renewed acquaintances in Bigsby Gardens Saturday night. In a chippy affair Pollock opened the scoring early in the second from the slot, a deflection that Tremblay has no chance to save. Simon Savard tied the score on shot from the point that seemed to deflect off a Duke in front of the net then elude Broadway. Orval Cabell, the league's hottest marksman, was sprung on breakaway on a pass from Bert McCalley then deked Broadway to put the Shamrocks ahead with only 20 seconds left in the period. Dukes had chances to tie in the third but Tremblay shut the door. Defenseman Robert Sharpley tallied into an empty cage at 19:58 to round out the scoring. Back home for a Sunday afternoon encounter with the Motors, the Dukes seem to have the game in hand storming out to 3-0 lead before the game was 25 minutes old on markers from Herb Burdette, Parker and Galbraith. The team then fell into their old ways taking a few penalties allowing the Motors lethal power play to dent the twine thrice before the end of the second. Burdette's second of the game, shorthanded, allowed the Dukes to enter the dressing room up 4-3. Detroit's special teams were the key as Spencer Larocque tied the game early in the third shorthanded with Arnold Singleton in the box for hooking. The Dukes continued to pour rubber at Detroit goaltender Andy Backlund but could not find the back of the net in a game that ended 4-4 with Detroit's special team notching all 4 goals. The Duke's dressing room was like a morgue when reporters were let in after Coach Barrell's reportedly profanity laced comments to the team. Common comment from the players was "We let that one get away, we handed them a point, a gift-wrapped Christmas present." Coach Barrell's comments: " The two games against New York were fine, even the loss on Saturday, we played the game the right way - opportunistic, fast skating, tight checking. You all see what happens when the players start to believe the press clippings, start to take shortcuts against the Motors. For the first half of the game, we were fine then we self-destructed. When I was first hired here, I had a sign painted with 2-foot letters hung so it is the first thing that draws the players attention when they enter the dressing room. All you guys have seen it but for the fans it says "HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN'T WORK HARD!" I reminded the players of the words on that sign after the Motors game embarrassment before a big home crowd. I might have spiced up the language a little to make sure I was getting my point across. We have a game Wednesday at Detroit. I expect the team to redeem itself with hard work and attention to detail. I will then give the team a couple of days off for Christmas." Washington's 4 game winning streak came to an end Wednesday night with an 89-64 loss in Rochester but the Statesmen rebounded with an 89-80 win in Hartford yesterday that saw Ivan Sisco and Charles Hooper each score 22 points and combine for 40 rebounds in the win. With six wins in their last seven games the Brooklyn Red Caps are on the rise. The Caps beat New York and Rochester, both at Flatbush Gardens this week, and are now just a game out of top spot in the East Division. Philadelphia continues to slide as the Phantoms split their two games last week but have dropped 5 of their last 7 after a 10-2 start to the season. The big news in the West Division is the Chicago Panthers have lost two in a row. A losing streak is very rare for the Windy City cagers but they fell 80-77 at home to Pittsburgh as Norm Yates score 30 points for the Pilots Wednesday evening and then followed that up with a 99-89 loss in Buffalo which featured two of the best players in the league going head-to-head. Neither disappointed as Larry Yim had 31 points and 25 rebounds for the Brawlers while Richard Campbell scored 36 and added 17 boards in a losing cause for the Panthers, who opened a 5-game road trip with that loss in Buffalo. The hottest team in the Federal loop right now is the Cleveland Crushers, who extended their winning streak to 6 games with 3 victories last week. They began with a sweep of a home and home set with Toronto and followed it up with a dominating 88-55 win over Buffalo on Saturday. At the other end of the picture we have the Syracuse Titans, who have lost 15 in a row and are 1-18 on the season. Code: FBL STANDINGS EAST W L PCT Washington 13 5 .722 Rochester 12 5 .706 Brooklyn 12 6 .667 Philadelphia 12 7 .632 Baltimore 9 8 .529 Hartford 8 10 .444 Boston 7 12 .368 New York 5 12 .294 Syracuse 1 18 .053 WEST W L PCT Chicago 13 4 .765 Cleveland 11 6 .647 Detroit 10 6 .625 Buffalo 8 8 .500 Cincinnati 8 9 .471 Toronto 6 12 .333 Pittsburgh 5 12 .294 FIGHTING SAINTS WIN SHOWDOWN WITH NOBLE JONES For the second time this season the St Blane Fighting Saints knocked off a team in the top ten of the collegiate cage rankings. On November 27 the victim was Carolina Poly, as the Saints handed the Cardinals -who are still ranked #5 in the latest poll- their first and only loss so far this season. On Wednesday they did it again, claiming a hard-fought 58-54 decision over Noble Jones College, knocking the Colonels off their perch at #8 in the rankings and sliding them down to the 16th spot after what was Noble Jones College's second loss to a top 25 club this season. Like most teams that face the Fighting Saints, the Colonels simply had no answer for the St Blane depth. The Pennsylvania school can beat a team so many ways and even when Noble Jones College's big guns perform, they still have a tough time. Joe Basco had a game high 16 points for the Colonels and guard Artie Noonan added 14 but they were no match for a St Blane club that has so much scoring depth. On this night it was Cy Worley pacing the Saints with 15 points while Jim Canaday and Josh Samuels also hit double-digits. Strength on the boards is St Blane's other advantage over most schools, with the trio of Worley, Samuels and center Brian Threadgill combining for 30 rebounds, which was the same total the entire Colonels club could muster. The 47-30 edge on the boards led to many second chance points and ultimately proved the difference in the game. Looking ahead the Fighting Saints have just two more games before the calendar flips to 1949 and both should be very winnable. They begin with Bronx Tech (4-3) tomorrow night as part of one of the famous Bigsby Garden cage doubleheaders before heading to Ohio to meet the 3-5 Orrville Oaks on December 30. * No Changes at Top of Rankings * The Fighting Saints win over Noble Jones College, their only game last week, did not change their standing in the top twenty-five as the voters kept St Blane third behind Western Iowa and Liberty College. The Canaries lone game was an easy 71-43 victory over Academia Alliance outfit Grafton while the 10-1 Bells also played just once with the result being a 56-46 triumph over Richmond State. The changes were all in the back half of the top ten with Lane State and the previously mentioned Noble Jones College sliding out. The Emeralds record slid to 8-2 with an upset loss to East Missouri Seminary on Monday night before rebounding with a win over Kansas Agricultural Friday evening in Eugene. LAST WEEK'S RESULTS INVOLVING TOP 10 TEAMS MONDAY DECEMBER 13 #6 North Carolina Tech 45 (Mike Carter 11 pts) Michigan Lutheran 32 #7 Mississippi A&M 58 (Billy Bob Leveau 14 pts) Miami State 50 East Missouri Seminary 71 Lane State 54 (knocked Lane State out of top 10) Noble Jones College 47 (Ken Avelar 12) St Martin's College 37 TUESDAY DECEMBER 14 #5 Carolina Poly 51 (Mel Turcotte 13) Valley State 41 WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15 #2 Liberty College 56 (Simon Buchanan 17) Richmond State 46 #3 St Blane 58 (Cy Worley 15) #16 Noble Jones College 54 (Joe Basco 16) dropped Colonels out of top 10 #4 Frankford State 63 (David Aponte 19) St Martin's College 50 #7 Mississippi A&M 41 (Micah Shurman 10) Dickson 34 #9 Utah A&M 50 (Carl Brim 12) Cumberland 38 #10 Indiana A&M 50 (Ollie Courville 11) College of Cairo 34 THURSDAY DECEMBER 16 #5 Carolina Poly 65 (James Halle 19) Boulder State 45 #6 North Carolina Tech 48 (Chris Hermann 13) St Matthew's College 34 #8 Detroit City College 43 (Orlando and Bratton 12 each) Queen City 39 FRIDAY DECEMBER 17 #1 Western Iowa 71 (Willy Ludwick 17) Grafton 43 #4 Frankford State 63 (Aponte and Murray 14 each) Berwick 47 SATURDAY DECEMBER 18 #9 Utah A&M 56 (Frosty Chenoweth 11) Boulder State 46 SUNDAY DECEMBER 19 #5 Carolina Poly 53 (James Halle 16) Three Rivers State 42 #6 North Carolina Tech 53 (Mike Carter 22) Cumberland 51 #10 Indiana A&M 55 (JC Mitchell 17) Capital (MS) University 36 SPLIT RESULTS FOR THE BAKER BOYS An entertaining boxing card at the Pittsburgh Arena saw the Baker brothers go 1-1 on the night. Scott Baker, just a few days before his 29th birthday made the trip up from his hometown of Philadelphia and brought along his big brother Cliff to fight on the same card. Scott looked impressive in claiming a unanimous decision victory over David Kramer (23-9-3) to run his record to 19-3-2. Baker may just revive talk of a title shot whenever Hector Sawyer decides to bring the heavyweight belt back to this continent. There had been rumblings of such a chance more than two years ago but a tough loss to Roy Crawford followed by a broken hand forcing him to take the loss in bout with Chris May put an end to the title chatter. It may just be back now. Meanwhile, big brother Cliff Baker, now 38 at the end of his rope, hopped into the ring against Daron Ross but was outpointed. The Baker boys each had their father and trainer, former ABF middleweight champ Battling Billy Baker making the night a real family affair. There was also a big fight in Washington as Millard Shelton outpointed Brooks O'Connor in a 10-round battle of a pair of high-end middleweights that was televised all along the east coast as part of the new Columbia Broadcasting boxing deal. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Dec 23 - Denny Arena, Boston: HW Cannon Cooper (24-4-1) vs Ron Wilson (22-11-5) 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) Feb 19- Paris, France: World HW champ Hector Sawyer (59-3-1) vs Alain Noel (44-11-2) Mar 18- Detroit: World WW champ Mac Erickson (18-0) vs Rudy Perry (27-4) The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 12/19/1948 The UN Assembly in Paris ended with a stern warning to Western nations from Russia. The Soviet delegate declared this session would be described in history as one which took further steps toward a policy of wrecking international co-operation. Israel's bid for membership in the United Nations failed to win Security Council approval. Information about the Norden bombsight and possibly the proximity fuse was involved in military secrets believed to have been stolen from the Army in 1938 and given to Soviet agents, a member of the House Committee on Un-American Activities disclosed Friday. President Truman asked Congress to raise the pay of cabinet officers from $15,000 to $25,000 a year and to increase salaries of other top-level government officials. 14 aides to Argentine President Juan Peron, including the head of police, have been arrested and charged with defrauding the government of a sum which may exceed $2.4 million in US dollars. A baby who some day may be king of England was christened with a big name last Tuesday - Prince Charles Phillip Arthur George of Edinburgh. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 10-25-2023 at 01:44 PM.