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Tiger Fan · 11-09-2023, 12:55 PM

MARCH 7, 1949

SPRING TRAINING OPENS
CITRUS GAMES KICK OFF 1949 SEASON

It's that time of year again, folks, as the 16 FABL clubs dust off their gloves, lace up their cleats, and prepare to play ball. Spring training begins in earnest this afternoon, with the Citrus league set to roll at eight Florida stadiums. Just a few days ago, the Great Western League made its spring debut in locations stretching from Texas to Mexico and across the golden coast of California.

In a surprisingly tranquil offseason, the FABL remained relatively hushed on the trade front—rare for a league known for its offseason fireworks. With the start of spring training, the stage is set for what looks to be a season brimming with fierce pennant races.

The St. Louis Pioneers have hoisted the World Championship Series trophy for two consecutive seasons, boasting a formidable core of starting pitchers. It's likely they'll be the ones to beat this year. Nevertheless, they face stiff competition from the power-packed New York Gothams, the always dangerous Philadelphia Keystones, and the persistent Washington Eagles, all eager to claim the top spot. The Boston Minutemen and Detroit Dynamos, along with the Pittsburgh Miners and Chicago Chiefs, intend to join the fray and perhaps surprise the league.

Across the Continental Association, the Chicago Cougars stand tall as the perennial favorites. But recent history suggests they struggle to meet the lofty expectations set for them each season. With an abundance of talent, Chicago remains a force, yet pennants continue to elude them. The Philadelphia Sailors, reigning champions, should not be underestimated. Meanwhile, the New York Stars, led by four-time Whitney Award winner Bill Barrett, are poised to challenge. New leadership in the form of manager Fred Barrell may breathe new life into the Toronto Wolves. Cincinnati, with a new manager in Charley McCullough, has undergone significant front office changes but the Cannons may face a challenging season due to their aging roster. Montreal and Brooklyn both teeter on the edge of contention but opted for a more conservative approach in the offseason with neither making a major splash on the trade front. And then there's the Cleveland Foresters, a perpetual last-place team that has languished in the cellar longer than a lizard basking in the midday sun.

The Coast loop begins the season with much fanfare after the news of a pair of grand 50,000-seat stadiums set to open next month in the league's two largest markets: Los Angeles and San Francisco. This development underscores the league's assertion of major league status and sets the stage for a new era in west coast baseball.

While rumors of financial struggles linger over some GWL teams, league President Thomas Bigsby waves them off, assuring that the league is in sound financial health. As the 24 big league teams across FABL and the GWL assemble under the sunny skies of the southern states, optimism is in the air. Each club is dreaming of a championship season ahead. It's all bright lights and high hopes as spring opens the door to the months of action to come.

EARLY CALL FROM OSA POINTS TO A THRILLING BATTLE IN CA

Cougars and Dynamos Tabbed as WCS Foes

Every March the OSA releases a preliminary preseason prediction on what they expect the coming season to bring. The league scouting service always notes it is just a snapshot, a rough estimate and does not factor in roster and lineup moves made during spring training and in the days leading up to Opening Day. In other words, the OSA says do not put much stock into these predictions.

That will likely not stop fans in Detroit and possibly Cougars supporters -although they have likely long ago given up on trusting any forecasts involving Cougars winning pennants- from getting just a little more excited about the prospects of the coming season after these early predictions, you know the ones we should ignore, have those two teams set to meet in the World Championship Series. It should be noted that the scouting service made the exact same call in early March a year ago and the Dynamos sank to the second division while the Cougars did what they always seem to do, fall just short of the pennant.

Here is the OSA early March prediction for the 1949 campaign.

HIGH HOPES SOAR AS DYNAMOS SPRING INTO ACTION

Embarking on the journey from the frosty realm of Detroit to the sun-kissed haven of Florida is akin to drifting between two different worlds. Up there among the clouds—metaphorically speaking, of course—a traveler is treated to a sweeping view that encapsulates the stark contrast between the snow-laden north and the palm tree-adorned south.

From the Michigan-Ohio border all the way into the southern reaches of Kentucky or maybe it was Tennessee, the ground below remains cloaked in snow. Save for sporadic clusters of trees, it's a sight of interest solely to Sven, the office's official skier, and absolutely no one else. The aerial observer glances toward the horizon, and for a moment, it's as if they're peering at a snapshot taken at the North Pole—an indelible impression etched against the canvas of the mind.

As the plane cheerfully wings its way onward, the snow begins to wane, the white patches dwindling in size. Only when the last vestiges of snow disappear does the traveler grasp why baseball players, akin to migratory birds, chart their course Southward, fleeing the starkness of the desolate North.

Thus begins another training camp for the 40-odd hopefuls congregated at the Lakeland facility of the Detroit Dynamos, a far warmer haven than the frosty stops in North Carolina endured just a few short years ago when spring baseball dared to unfold north of the Mason-Dixon line—aptly known then as the Belton-Eastman Line.

Most among the Lakeland throng already have a good inkling of their eventual destination. Maybe a depth pitcher could elbow his way onto the final 24-man roster, and there's a skirmish between Crab Crowley and Jackie Harper for the coveted spot behind Rick York's mask. Yet, the real competition unfurls amidst the outfielders vying for the scant 5 or perhaps 6 open slots.

Four new outfield faces grace the spring roster, headlined by Pinky Pierce, the seasoned veteran who spent considerable time in Pittsburgh and was recently liberated from Montreal. Pierce appears a shoo-in to flank rising star Edwin Hackberry in left, but right field teems with contenders. The aspiration is that, amidst the throng in right, Pierce and his compatriots will infuse the Dynamos' lineup with the missing punch from the previous season.

While many within the organization believe that the true window for pennant contention is a couple of years away, optimism abounds. There's a wealth of burgeoning talent—both current and in the farm system—to fortify this belief. Some entertain the thought that a standout season for Pinky Pierce and perhaps Dick Blaszak finally living up to pre-war expectations might propel the local nine into the postseason equation come September. Let's hope those harboring such thoughts don't find themselves as up in the clouds as we were on our southward migration.

Spring camps open today and with it some battles for roster spots in both FABL and the GWL.
One exception is Philadelphia where the Keystones roster is pretty well set. There will be competition for a couple of backup roles in the middle infield, outfield, and catcher. The biggest wild cards are George Polk, who will get a chance to win a spot in the rotation, and Rudy Minton, who will compete with Hans Wright and Frank Covarrubias for a corner infield backup role.
The Detroit Dynamos expect heated competition in the outfield. Edwin Hackberry is clearly set at centerfield but there are four newcomers in trade acquisitions Pinky Pierce and Bill Parker along with rule five selections Walt Dorsey and Ralph Robinson brought in to join a battle that already includes Dick Blaszak, Sid Williams, Eddie Heaton, Tony Mullis and Steve Dunagan.
Detroit added non-roster pitcher Jack Miller to its spring camp and will give the 22-year-old the start in the spring opener against St Louis today. A second round pick out of Red River State last year, Miller looked good in Havana during winter league play but may need some time at AAA before he is ready for the majors.
Cougars brass is very excited for the spring because that means it's almost time for the season to start! Most of our starting spots are set, but there will be a lot of competition for the bench and pen. Regarding being picked first in the CA once again in the early OSA prognosticaion, there is less excitement especially from Chicago scribe Archie Irwin who notes "they have the Cougars every year. I'm convinced it's never happening."
New Toronto manager Fred Barrell is excited to see his new charges. Barrell says he wants to see all 39 in camp at least get into some game action. He says "I have to see them all in both game action along with drills to start formulating a plan for this year as well as the future."
Miners second year skipper Bob Beelman is also optimistic as players gathered in their spring camp in Bradenton. "I know a lot of my guys played over their head the last half of the season, but excited to see what a full season with some of the young results in offensively."

SHAMROCKS SUFFER DEVASTATING LOSSES

The New York Shamrocks will have their work cut out for them if they want to catch the Detroit Motors for the fourth and final playoff spot. Not only did the Shamrocks slide 5 points back of the Motors after collecting just one point in their last 4 outings but they also learned they will be without their top player Orval Cabbell and second line center Laurel Albers for the rest of the regular season.

Cabbell, who was among the NAHC's leading scorers with 46 points in 49 games, is done for the season after suffering a shoulder injury in the Shamrocks 3-3 tie with Chicago on Wednesday. The news got only worse yesterday when Laurel Albers had his bell rung on a hard hit from Toronto Dukes rearguard Anthony Lehman in the opening period of a game the Shamrocks would lose 2-0. Early word on Albers is he will likely miss the rest of the regular season. Joe Martin's status is also in doubt after the 22-year-old winger, who has 30 points this season, left the same game with an injury. The Shamrocks have six games remaining, one more than Detroit. Included in those contests is one game against the Motors at Bigsby Garden a week from Wednesday.

The Motors are on a roll at the right time with four wins in their last five games after splitting a home and home series with Chicago over the weekend. The split with Detroit, coupled with ties in their two previous games, has left the Packers likely forced to settle for third place as the second place Toronto Dukes have opened a 6-point bulge in the fight for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. After ending February with four straight losses, the month of March has been much kinder to Jack Barrell's club as the Dukes reeled off a 3-game winning streak. First place, which had been Toronto's domain much of the season, now appears out of reach as the Dukes trail Boston by 7 points with just two weeks remaining in the campaign.

Code:

  NAHC STANDINGS
          GP  W  L  T  GF  GA  PTS
Boston    54 32 17  5 171 136  69
Toronto   54 28 20  6 174 149  62
Chicago   55 25 24  6 168 170  56
Detroit   55 22 27  6 176 169  50
New York  54 18 27  9 141 165  45
Montreal  54 19 29  6 136 177  44

SCORING LEADERS GP  G  A  PTS
Pollack, Tor    54 27 35  62
Galbraith, Tor  54 27 30  57
Hart, Bos       51 23 30  53
Chandler, Bos   49 21 32  53
T Burns, Chi    44 33 19  52
Sauer, Tor      54 25 25  50
Witt, Det       52 17 31  48
Cabbell, NY     49 26 20  46
Vanderbilt, Det 52 24 20  44
Skinner, Mon    54 21 23  44
Carlson, Tor    49 12 30  42
Ducharme, CHI   53 17 24  41
Rocheleau, Det  48  6 35  41

GOALIE LEADERS   GP  W  L  T ShO GAA
James, Bos       47 26 16  5  5  2.54
Broadway, Tor    49 24 19  6  4  2.66
Chasse, Det      20  9  9  0  1  2.83
Tremblay, NY     49 15 24  8  2  2.88
Hanson, Chi      40 17 19  4  3  2.94
Brockers, Mon    40 13 23  3  2  2.99
Touhey, Det      35 12 18  4  3  3.22

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS

WEDNESDAY MARCH 2

Boston 1 at 3 Detroit: Rookie Anthony Jacques scored once in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie and then added an assist just 41 seconds later on Alexandre Viens goal to lead Detroit to a 3-1 victory over the first place Bees. It was the Motors third straight win while Boston is winless in its last three. Boston's Tommy Hart left the game with an injury and is expected to miss the next couple of games. Hart was recently named the NAHC's top player for the month of February.

Chicago 3 at 3 New York: Joe Martin of the Shamrocks and the Packers Moose Vezina traded goals early in the third period as their two clubs skated to a 3-3 tie at Bigsby Garden. Bad news for the Shamrocks is scoring leader Orval Cabbell left the game with what is being termed a "major injury."

Toronto 4 at 1 Montreal: The Dukes snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over Montreal keyed by a goal and an assist from each of the top two point gathers in the league in Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith. It was the Valiants third straight defeat.

SATURDAY MARCH 5

Detroit 1 at 2 Chicago: Goals by Max Ducharme and Tommy Burns -with his league high 32nd of the season, lifted the Chicago Packers to a 2-1 win over the Motors in the opener of a home and home series. Vincent Arsenault had the only Detroit marker.

Montreal 1 at 5 Boston: Two goals in each of the first two periods staked Boston to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Valiants, who lost for the 4th consecutive game. John McDonald finally broke Oscar James shutout bid with a goal midway through the third period but Joe Morey responded just over two minutes later to restore the 4-goal cushion for the Bees.

Toronto 7 at 4 New York: Bobbie Sauer scored twice and added an assist while Quinton Pollack also had a 3-point night to lead the visiting Toronto Dukes to a 7-4 victory over the Shamrocks. New York gave backup netminder Alex Sorrell a rare start but he did not survive the second period after allowing 6 Toronto tallies on just 22 shots.

SUNDAY MARCH 6

Boston 2 at 1 Montreal: The weekend home and home series continued for all six teams and in Montreal it was Jacob Gron of the visiting Bees who proved the hero. Gron scored his 12th of the season with just over 9 minutes remaining in the game to snap 1-1 tie and lift the Bees to a 2-1 victory. Nick Prentiss gave Boston an early lead with a first period power play marker before Claude LeClerc evened things for the Vals in the second stanza. Brett Lanceleve assisted on LeClerc's marker, giving the 25-year-old winger at least one helper in each of his past 8 games.

Chicago 4 at 5 Detroit: The Motors are picking the right time to get hot with 4 wins in their last 5 outings extending their hold on the fourth and final playoff spot to five points over 5th place New York. On this day it was a tense 5-4 victory on home ice over the Chicago Packers thanks to Dixon Butler's 2nd goal of the season early in the third period. Both netminders saw plenty of action and Detroit's Millard Touhey along with Norm Hanson of the Packers each had their struggles in the opening frame, a session that saw each club net three goals. Things settled down in the second period which ended knotted at 4 thanks to Vincent Arsenault's second goal of the game, with just 15 seconds remaining in the frame, to even things for the Motors.

New York 0 at 2 Toronto: First period goals from Bobbie Sauer and Herb Burdette stood up as the Dukes completed the weekend sweep of the Shamrocks with a 2-0 victory. Gordie Broadway earned his 4th shutout of the season but Etienne Tremblay was the far busier netminder as Toronto outshot the Shamrocks 41-21.

UPCOMING GAMES
WENESDAY MARCH 9
Boston at New York
Chicago at Montreal
Detroit at Toronto

SATURDAY MARCH 12
Montreal at New York
Toronto at Boston

SUNDAY MARCH 13
Chhicago at Toronto
Detroit at Boston
New York at Montreal

AROUND THE LEAGUE

he magic number for the Bees to clinch the top spot is 6 points with 6 games left. Boston lost to Detroit, but won the home-and-home over the weekend with Montreal. The game against Detroit is particularly troubling because it could be a preview of a semifinal matchup. A rematch set for Sunday in Boston will be important for the Bees' psyche and temperament heading into the second season.
It was a big week for the Motors with 2 wins in 3 games vs Boston and Chicago. Extends their lead over banged up New York to 5 points and 6 on slumping Montreal with two weeks to play. While the Bees may be looking at last week's game as a semi-final preview, the Motors focus is 100% on simply trying to cobble together enough points to make the post-season, an event they have participated in just once in the past four years.
From our new reporter Chicken Little with what sounds like an update on the heavens descending in the Big Apple comes this report from an unnamed Shamrocks executive: "Shamrocks are done. Way too many injuries for us this season. Now missing our top two centers. With Cabbell out until after the playoffs. In this small of a league I'm not sure how much can be done to help a team. Even selling off top players and accepting last place for several years, you don't even know if you can get the players you draft. Still I'm pretty sure Cabbell and a couple others will be available before the draft."
Short memories in the Big Apple as they clearly have forgotten how Cabbell scored 7 goals in 11 games last spring to lead the Greenshirts to the finals. A team like Detroit, which has missed the playoffs three of the past four years and not won a playoff series since the spring of 1942 would love to have the Shamrocks woes.

Dukes Stop Slide; Win Three --The Toronto Dukes returned to winning ways by taking all three games this week, first defeating Montreal midweek then taking both in a home and home against the Shamrocks. The resurgence leaves the club firmly in second place 6 points ahead of Chicago with 6 games left to play.

At Montreal Arena Wednesday night, Toronto showed something that had been noticeably missing during their recent games as the Dukes came out hitting and skating right from the opening face-off. Both teams play a fast moving, high tempo first period with very few stoppages. The shots thru twenty minutes were 13 to 7 in favour of the visitors who besieged Tom Brockers in the Montreal goal for long stretches. Toronto solved the goaltender twice in the period on markers by Bobbie Sauer Quinton Pollack less than a minute apart. to take a 2-0 lead. Pollack's goal, scored from the high slot with helpers to Lou Galbraith and Mike Navarro was his 26th of the season.

The Vals cut the lead in half with the only goal of the second when Clarence Skinner slammed the disc behind Gordie Broadway on passes from John MacDonald and Brett Lanceleve. It came on one of only 3 shots Broadway faced in the period. Montreal was forced to open up a little in the final frame, and Dick Zimmerman made them pay when the veteran winger got in behind the Vals D to beat Brockers on a breakaway deke after being sprung by Pollack. Montreal continued to press to no avail, and Lou Galbraith scored his 27th into an empty cage with 33 seconds remaining making the final Toronto-4 Montreal-1. The bad news was the Pierre Dubois suffered a severely sprained ankle that will sideline him for at least a month quite probably the balance of the season, Roderick Gunner has been recalled from Cleveland to provide defensive depth.

On to the Big Apple to play the injury-riddled Shamrocks Saturday. The Dukes jumped on the depleted New Yorkers early and often opening up a 3-0 lead before the games was 14 minutes old thanks to a pair of goals from Sauer and one from Navarro. Adam Greenham, on the power play, gave the Bigsby Garden faithful a glimmer of hope when he scored after JC Martel had been sent off for holding and in the second period Gil Corbeil closed the gap to one on another marker with the man advantage.

All that seemed to do was rile up the Dukes, who stormed back with 3 more in the last 9 minutes of the middle period with Al Cote, Alex Lavalliere and Pollack all having their numbers entered in the goal column of the game sheet making 6-2 after two.

Laurel Albers and Paul Tetreault both scored the Greenshirts within 2 with just over 4 minutes remaining to play but Zimmerman put to bed any doubts with goal into an undefended net with 31 seconds left, Toronto-7 NY-4 final.

The teams crossed the border for the return match in Ontario on Sunday before 13,144 relieved fans after the recent losing streak had been halted. It was a rather listless night for both clubs with exception of Shamrocks netminder Etienne Tremblay who faced a barrage of vulcanized rubber, 41 in total for the game. To his credit the only two that got past him were in the opening period. The first goal by a suddenly hot vet in Bobby Sauer, with his 25th, followed by Herbert Burdette his 9th. Broadway turned aside 21 for his 4 clean sheet of the season, putting him just one behind Boston's Oscar James for the league shutout lead.

Coach Barrell: "I am glad our bad times seem to be over. Losing streaks tend to lead to everyone pressing, choking their sticks. The coaching staff had a constant, consistent message "Do your job within our system, nothing more, nothing less." We got into the bad stretch as a team, we got out of it as a a team starting in Montreal. The key to that game, as well as the two with New York was our defensive play. I have stressed all year that being sound without puck leads to chances going the other way. We have 6 games left to secured home ice advantage in the semis, we still have a slim chance to overtake Boston but everything will have to fall our way.

Over the last 6, the emphasis will be on our systems in all three zones. We are going to work on refining our play along with a possibility of few new wrinkles. On the injury front the trainers tell me that Trevor Parker is progressing with a slight chance of being ready for the semis, wire will be taken out of his jaw this week. Dubois has a long way to go before he is even ready to lace on a pair skates. Time to get back to work."

The WashingtonStatesmen split with Red Caps, with each team taking their home game and the week ended with Brooklyn hanging on to a half-game lead in the East. Charles Hooper went for 21 points in the win, but was held scoreless in 25 minutes in the loss. Even more baffling is the Statesmen defeating the Chicago Panthers, 93-62, with Ivan Sisco scoring 6 points in 14 minutes. Third-string center Isiah Solis was fantastic, leading all scorers with 21 points and added 10 rebounds.
Boston's 10-game winning streak was stopped at the hands of Washington last week and has suddenly lost three of four games, as the Centurions try to push towards a potential playoff spot. Boston is 22-25 in sixth place, but the Cents are within two games of fourth place, currently sitting only a game-and-a-half back of Rochester and one game behind Baltimore.
If you think Boston's 10-game heater was impressive, look over to the Western Division where Detroit had a 14-gamer snapped at the start of a four-game road trip. Detroit dropped one to the lowly 13-33 Toronto Falcons, 96-86, after an awful third quarter where the Mustangs were outscored, 34-18. Plenty of Mustang fans were crying foul on the discrepancy of calls going Toronto's way. The Falcons got to the free throw line 45 times compared to 30 for Detroit and the 16 additional points for Toronto from the charity stripe more than made up the 10-point margin. Both C Jack Kurtz and SF Matthew Culpepper fouled out and in all, 57 fouls were called. There was more whistling there than at a construction site! For reference, three of Detroit's 14 straight wins were against the same Toronto team, so perhaps familiarity breeded some contempt as well.
Don't look now, but Philadelphia is 9-1 in its last 10 and they have kept pace with Brooklyn and gained two games on Washington over that time. Philadelphia is five games behind Brooklyn and four-and-a-half in arrears of Washington with 22 to play. In other words, plenty of time for all divisional title hopes to come true. We have thought of Washington and Brooklyn as the "big two" of the East, but we should start thinking of the gargoyle outside the penthouse in the Eastern Division as a three-headed monster.

Code:


FBL STANDINGS
EAST           W  L   PCT   GB
Brooklyn      35 11  .761    -
Washington    35 12  .745   0.5
Philadelphia  30 16  .652   5.0
Rochester     23 23  .500  12.0
Baltimore     22 23  .489  12.5
Boston        22 25  .468  13.5
Hartford      20 25  .444  14.5
New York      14 32  .304  21.0
Syracuse       7 39  .152  28.0

WEST         W  L   PCT   GB
Detroit     32 15  .681    -
Chicago     31 18  .633   2.0
Cincinnati  27 21  .563   5.5
Cleveland   26 21  .553   6.0
Pittsburgh  19 28  .404  13.0
Buffalo     16 30  .348  15.5
Toronto     13 33  .283  18.5

FINAL WEEK OF COLLEGE CAGE CAMPAIGN

Plenty of Section Crowns Remain Up For Grabs

The collegiate basketball season has entered its final week. At this point next week we will know who each of the 32 teams that will comprise the field for the 40th annual AIAA championship tournament but before that happens there are plenty of Conference titles, and with them automatic bids into the tournament, up for grabs.

Here is a look at each of the major conferences and what the week ahead holds.

GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE

The GLA is one of the few conferences where the final week of the season will not impact who wins as the Western Iowa Canaries have already clinched their first section title in four years. The Canaries are 13-1 in section play and 26-1 overall with their lone loss coming to Indiana A&M early in conference play. They still have games remaining with Lincoln and Detroit City College but with a 3-game lead on the second place Reapers (10-4, 21-6) all that remains for Western Iowa is to secure a top seed for the AIAA tournament. Second place Indiana A&M seems a lock for a tournament bid while Central Ohio and Detroit City College (both 19-8) likely need two wins this weekend to ensure their inclusion in the 32-team field.

WEST COAST ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Coastal California (13-2, 25-3) has a 1-game lead on Lane State (12-3, 26-5) with one game remaining for each in conference play. If the Dolphins win at Portland Tech Friday evening, they will a WCAA record 23rd conference crown but it will be their first in six years. A Coastal loss coupled with a Lane State win at home against defending national champion Redwood will give the Emeralds their second section title in three seasons. Lane State beat Coastal California twice head-to-head this season. Both the Emeralds and Dolphins are locks for the AIAA tournament, as is Rainier College (11-4, 22-6) while CC Los Angeles (9-7, 20-9) may just make it four teams from the WCAA claiming tournament berths. The Redwood Mammoths (7-8, 18-11) will likely not qualify and miss out on a chance to defend their national title.

SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE

A battle for top spot between the conference's two top-ten teams in Carolina Poly (10-2, 24-3) and North Carolina Tech (10-3, 24-4) but Central Carolina (9-3, 20-7) might crash the party with a few breaks. All three, as well as Lexington State (8-4, 21-6) seem assured of tournament berths with the Maryland State Bengals (8-4, 18-9) also holding out slim hopes.

As for the conference crown, the Cardinals control their own destiny with two games remaining against Coastal State before finishing on the road at Richmond State. The Techsters have just one game remaining -on the road against Maryland State- but do have the tiebreaker over Carolina Poly thanks to a head-to-head win.

DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE

Each school has two games left with Noble Jones College (7-2, 21-6) holding a one game lead on both Central Kentucky (6-3, 16-12) and Bluegrass State (6-3, 20-7). The only way into the AIAA tournament for the Tigers is to win their second straight section title and to that end Central Kentucky does have the tiebreaker over Noble Jones after beating the Colonels earlier this season.

Mississippi A&M (5-4, 23-4), despite losing four of its last six games, seems a lock for the tournament and the Generals will be joined by the Colonels. Everyone else from the Deep South is likely out of the running for a tourney bid, unless one of the Kentucky schools can find a way to claim the section crown.

ACADEMIA ALLIANCE

The only conference in the entire AIAA to hold a postseason tournament to declare its representative in the AIAA tournament is the Academia Alliance. The Brunswick Knights have won the section tournament three of the past four season and finished with the top regular season record for the third time in five seasons. At 12-2 (19-10 overall) the Knights are the top seed with Dickson (10-4, 14-5) number two.

SOUTHWESTERN ALLIANCE

Texas Gulf Coast (8-3, 22-6), led by potential first round FBL draft pick Vincent Passingham, has clinched the section title with just one game remaining for each school. It marks the 9th straight SWA crown for the Hurricanes, who are expected to be the conferences lone representative in the AIAA tournament.

PLAINS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The section title and the lone AIAA tournament bid for the conference remains very much up for grabs with Eastern Kansas (6-4, 13-14) and Iowa A&M (6-4, 9-18) sharing the lead with 2 games to play. Lawrence State (6-5, 20-8), which needs a lot to go right to make the tournament in the Chippewa do not win the conference, have an outside chance as does College of Omaha (5-5, 10-17) which finishes with games on the road against the two co-leaders. Eastern Kansas is the defending section champion.

LIBERTY CONFERENCE

A new conference created five years ago out of the ashes of the once powerful Northeast Conference appears set to crown the Garden State Redbirds as champion for the fourth time in five seasons. The Redbirds (9-3, 19-8) have a one game lead on a surprising Bigsby College (8-4,21-9) quintet that has played just one AIAA tournament game since 1932. The Gents are coming off a thrilling 51-50 victory over the Redbirds on Saturday that kept their conference title hopes alive. Bigsby College and Garden State both finish with road games against Jersey City Tech (4-8,14-13) and Brooklyn Catholic (7-5,17-10). It is conceivable the Gents could win 23 games this season and still not earn a tournament bid with only the section champion likely to carry on.

Complete AIAA conference standings and stats can be found here

RECENT RESULTS OF TOP TEN TEAMS
TUESDAY MARCH 1
#2 St Blane 66 (Jim Canaday 24) Garden State 55

WEDNESDAY MARCH 2
#6 Lane State 61 (Carl Casswell 17) Northern California 50
#8 Coastal California 56 (Martines and Barnes 12 each) CC Los Angeles 37
#10 Noble Jones College 44 (Ken Avelar 11) Opelika State 43
Mississippi A&M 58 (Greg Randle 17) Alabama Baptist 43

THURSDAY MARCH 3
#1 Western Iowa 67 (Willy Ludwick 22) Wisconsin State 40
Columbia Military Academy 58 #4 Carolina Poly 53 (Bill Florence 11)
#7 North Carolina Tech 58 (Mike Carter 14) Alexandria 47

FRIDAY MARCH 4
#5 Frankford State 47 (Rod Bookman 12) St Pancras 36
#9 Rainier College 58 (Thomas Abbott 16) Redwood 50

SATURDAY MARCH 5
#1 Western Iowa 63 (Willy Ludwick 21) St Magnus 51
#4 Carolina Poly 71 (Bill Florence 18) Petesburg 56
#7 North Carolina Tech 58 (Muzz Hodson 21) Richmond State 41
#10 Noble Jones College 56 (Joseph Bosco 14) Western Florida 49
Bayou State 45 Mississippi A&M 40 -knocked Generals out of top ten

SUNDAY MARCH 6
#6 Lane State 74 (Carl Casswell 24) Spokane State 46
#8 Coastal California 55 (Chris Martines 19) Redwood 47
#9 Rainier College 65 (Don Higgins 15) Northern California 56

ITALIAN MIDDLEWEIGHT HUGO CANIO SET TO MAKE WAVES IN THE USA

Paris, France - The world of boxing may soon see the rise of a new Italian sensation as 22-year-old Milan native Hugo Canio prepares to cross the Atlantic and make his mark in the American boxing scene. Canio, with an impressive record of 13 wins, 2 draws, and zero losses, has garnered the attention of none other than the veteran fight promoter and manager, Chester Conley. Conley, who is best known for managing the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, Hector Sawyer, first spotted Canio while accompanying Sawyer during his European tour.

The young and undefeated middleweight quickly caught the eye of Conley with his raw talent and natural fighting abilities. Conley, who has a keen eye for spotting potential in young fighters, did not waste any time and immediately began negotiations with Canio.

Canio, who hails from the fighting traditions of Italy, is a promising prospect in the crowded middleweight division. He combines his natural power with a fighting spirit that has already made him a rising star in Milan. He is raw but Conley witnessed Canio fight three times while in Europe and believes he is the real thing.

"He might just be the next big star in the middleweight class," proclaimed Conley. "He caught my eye with a fight in England while Hector and I were there. So much so I made a trip to Rome just before Christmas to see him fight again and then set up a third bout for Hugo in Paris."

Conley and Sawyer are flying back to New York this week and it is expected that the young Italian fighter will be in tow.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Mar 12- Bigsby Garden: former WW champ Harold Stephens (21-5-3) vs River Thomas (18-8)
Mar 18- Detroit: World WW champ Mac Erickson (18-0) vs Rudy Perry (27-4)
Mar 26- St Louis: MW Joe Morre (20-4-1) vs Millard Shelton (24-4)
Mar 26- Bigsby Garden, New York: HW Scott Baker (19-3-3) vs Lewis Jones (19-1)
Jun 4- Broad Street Park, Philadelphia: World Middleweight Champ Adrian Petrie (19-1-1) vs Edouard Desmarais (43-2)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/06/1949

A B-50 bomber landed in Texas to mark the completing of the first non-stop flight around the world. The Boeing Superfortress refueled four times in the air.
President Truman received word this week from his economic advisors a report that "business conditions are still very good" and the outlook "promising" as the White House disclosed that Mr. Truman has been holding a series of unpublicized night conferences with business leaders.
The Senate Labor Committee approved the administration labor bill without amendement and sent it to the Senate floor over the bitter protests of Republican members. The bill would repeal the Taft-Hartley Act.
The Senate is in the midst of a filibuster argument with the delay ironicaly over a new rule designoed to curb filibustering permanently.
The United States accused Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov of "misrepresentation and distortion of facts" in reject his protest against an order for expulsion of the Soviet Repatration Commission from the American zone of Berlin.
The Soviets have also made it known they will not recognize the Western German state now being formed under the guidance of the United States, France and Britain.
A former Czechoslovak Army intelligence officer testified that a broad spy network has been started in Europe by the Communists, who rule his country.
At home, the FBI in New York seized a 27-year-old female clerk employed in the foreign agents registration section of the Justice Department and a Russian engineer on the United Nations staff. Both are charged with stealing American secrets.

11-09-2023, 12:55 PM	#825
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,759	March 7, 1949 MARCH 7, 1949 SPRING TRAINING OPENS CITRUS GAMES KICK OFF 1949 SEASON It's that time of year again, folks, as the 16 FABL clubs dust off their gloves, lace up their cleats, and prepare to play ball. Spring training begins in earnest this afternoon, with the Citrus league set to roll at eight Florida stadiums. Just a few days ago, the Great Western League made its spring debut in locations stretching from Texas to Mexico and across the golden coast of California. In a surprisingly tranquil offseason, the FABL remained relatively hushed on the trade front—rare for a league known for its offseason fireworks. With the start of spring training, the stage is set for what looks to be a season brimming with fierce pennant races. The St. Louis Pioneers have hoisted the World Championship Series trophy for two consecutive seasons, boasting a formidable core of starting pitchers. It's likely they'll be the ones to beat this year. Nevertheless, they face stiff competition from the power-packed New York Gothams, the always dangerous Philadelphia Keystones, and the persistent Washington Eagles, all eager to claim the top spot. The Boston Minutemen and Detroit Dynamos, along with the Pittsburgh Miners and Chicago Chiefs, intend to join the fray and perhaps surprise the league. Across the Continental Association, the Chicago Cougars stand tall as the perennial favorites. But recent history suggests they struggle to meet the lofty expectations set for them each season. With an abundance of talent, Chicago remains a force, yet pennants continue to elude them. The Philadelphia Sailors, reigning champions, should not be underestimated. Meanwhile, the New York Stars, led by four-time Whitney Award winner Bill Barrett, are poised to challenge. New leadership in the form of manager Fred Barrell may breathe new life into the Toronto Wolves. Cincinnati, with a new manager in Charley McCullough, has undergone significant front office changes but the Cannons may face a challenging season due to their aging roster. Montreal and Brooklyn both teeter on the edge of contention but opted for a more conservative approach in the offseason with neither making a major splash on the trade front. And then there's the Cleveland Foresters, a perpetual last-place team that has languished in the cellar longer than a lizard basking in the midday sun. The Coast loop begins the season with much fanfare after the news of a pair of grand 50,000-seat stadiums set to open next month in the league's two largest markets: Los Angeles and San Francisco. This development underscores the league's assertion of major league status and sets the stage for a new era in west coast baseball. While rumors of financial struggles linger over some GWL teams, league President Thomas Bigsby waves them off, assuring that the league is in sound financial health. As the 24 big league teams across FABL and the GWL assemble under the sunny skies of the southern states, optimism is in the air. Each club is dreaming of a championship season ahead. It's all bright lights and high hopes as spring opens the door to the months of action to come. EARLY CALL FROM OSA POINTS TO A THRILLING BATTLE IN CA Cougars and Dynamos Tabbed as WCS Foes Every March the OSA releases a preliminary preseason prediction on what they expect the coming season to bring. The league scouting service always notes it is just a snapshot, a rough estimate and does not factor in roster and lineup moves made during spring training and in the days leading up to Opening Day. In other words, the OSA says do not put much stock into these predictions. That will likely not stop fans in Detroit and possibly Cougars supporters -although they have likely long ago given up on trusting any forecasts involving Cougars winning pennants- from getting just a little more excited about the prospects of the coming season after these early predictions, you know the ones we should ignore, have those two teams set to meet in the World Championship Series. It should be noted that the scouting service made the exact same call in early March a year ago and the Dynamos sank to the second division while the Cougars did what they always seem to do, fall just short of the pennant. Here is the OSA early March prediction for the 1949 campaign. HIGH HOPES SOAR AS DYNAMOS SPRING INTO ACTION Embarking on the journey from the frosty realm of Detroit to the sun-kissed haven of Florida is akin to drifting between two different worlds. Up there among the clouds—metaphorically speaking, of course—a traveler is treated to a sweeping view that encapsulates the stark contrast between the snow-laden north and the palm tree-adorned south. From the Michigan-Ohio border all the way into the southern reaches of Kentucky or maybe it was Tennessee, the ground below remains cloaked in snow. Save for sporadic clusters of trees, it's a sight of interest solely to Sven, the office's official skier, and absolutely no one else. The aerial observer glances toward the horizon, and for a moment, it's as if they're peering at a snapshot taken at the North Pole—an indelible impression etched against the canvas of the mind. As the plane cheerfully wings its way onward, the snow begins to wane, the white patches dwindling in size. Only when the last vestiges of snow disappear does the traveler grasp why baseball players, akin to migratory birds, chart their course Southward, fleeing the starkness of the desolate North. Thus begins another training camp for the 40-odd hopefuls congregated at the Lakeland facility of the Detroit Dynamos, a far warmer haven than the frosty stops in North Carolina endured just a few short years ago when spring baseball dared to unfold north of the Mason-Dixon line—aptly known then as the Belton-Eastman Line. Most among the Lakeland throng already have a good inkling of their eventual destination. Maybe a depth pitcher could elbow his way onto the final 24-man roster, and there's a skirmish between Crab Crowley and Jackie Harper for the coveted spot behind Rick York's mask. Yet, the real competition unfurls amidst the outfielders vying for the scant 5 or perhaps 6 open slots. Four new outfield faces grace the spring roster, headlined by Pinky Pierce, the seasoned veteran who spent considerable time in Pittsburgh and was recently liberated from Montreal. Pierce appears a shoo-in to flank rising star Edwin Hackberry in left, but right field teems with contenders. The aspiration is that, amidst the throng in right, Pierce and his compatriots will infuse the Dynamos' lineup with the missing punch from the previous season. While many within the organization believe that the true window for pennant contention is a couple of years away, optimism abounds. There's a wealth of burgeoning talent—both current and in the farm system—to fortify this belief. Some entertain the thought that a standout season for Pinky Pierce and perhaps Dick Blaszak finally living up to pre-war expectations might propel the local nine into the postseason equation come September. Let's hope those harboring such thoughts don't find themselves as up in the clouds as we were on our southward migration. Spring camps open today and with it some battles for roster spots in both FABL and the GWL. One exception is Philadelphia where the Keystones roster is pretty well set. There will be competition for a couple of backup roles in the middle infield, outfield, and catcher. The biggest wild cards are George Polk, who will get a chance to win a spot in the rotation, and Rudy Minton, who will compete with Hans Wright and Frank Covarrubias for a corner infield backup role. The Detroit Dynamos expect heated competition in the outfield. Edwin Hackberry is clearly set at centerfield but there are four newcomers in trade acquisitions Pinky Pierce and Bill Parker along with rule five selections Walt Dorsey and Ralph Robinson brought in to join a battle that already includes Dick Blaszak, Sid Williams, Eddie Heaton, Tony Mullis and Steve Dunagan. Detroit added non-roster pitcher Jack Miller to its spring camp and will give the 22-year-old the start in the spring opener against St Louis today. A second round pick out of Red River State last year, Miller looked good in Havana during winter league play but may need some time at AAA before he is ready for the majors. Cougars brass is very excited for the spring because that means it's almost time for the season to start! Most of our starting spots are set, but there will be a lot of competition for the bench and pen. Regarding being picked first in the CA once again in the early OSA prognosticaion, there is less excitement especially from Chicago scribe Archie Irwin who notes "they have the Cougars every year. I'm convinced it's never happening." New Toronto manager Fred Barrell is excited to see his new charges. Barrell says he wants to see all 39 in camp at least get into some game action. He says "I have to see them all in both game action along with drills to start formulating a plan for this year as well as the future." Miners second year skipper Bob Beelman is also optimistic as players gathered in their spring camp in Bradenton. "I know a lot of my guys played over their head the last half of the season, but excited to see what a full season with some of the young results in offensively." SHAMROCKS SUFFER DEVASTATING LOSSES The New York Shamrocks will have their work cut out for them if they want to catch the Detroit Motors for the fourth and final playoff spot. Not only did the Shamrocks slide 5 points back of the Motors after collecting just one point in their last 4 outings but they also learned they will be without their top player Orval Cabbell and second line center Laurel Albers for the rest of the regular season. Cabbell, who was among the NAHC's leading scorers with 46 points in 49 games, is done for the season after suffering a shoulder injury in the Shamrocks 3-3 tie with Chicago on Wednesday. The news got only worse yesterday when Laurel Albers had his bell rung on a hard hit from Toronto Dukes rearguard Anthony Lehman in the opening period of a game the Shamrocks would lose 2-0. Early word on Albers is he will likely miss the rest of the regular season. Joe Martin's status is also in doubt after the 22-year-old winger, who has 30 points this season, left the same game with an injury. The Shamrocks have six games remaining, one more than Detroit. Included in those contests is one game against the Motors at Bigsby Garden a week from Wednesday. The Motors are on a roll at the right time with four wins in their last five games after splitting a home and home series with Chicago over the weekend. The split with Detroit, coupled with ties in their two previous games, has left the Packers likely forced to settle for third place as the second place Toronto Dukes have opened a 6-point bulge in the fight for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. After ending February with four straight losses, the month of March has been much kinder to Jack Barrell's club as the Dukes reeled off a 3-game winning streak. First place, which had been Toronto's domain much of the season, now appears out of reach as the Dukes trail Boston by 7 points with just two weeks remaining in the campaign. Code: NAHC STANDINGS GP W L T GF GA PTS Boston 54 32 17 5 171 136 69 Toronto 54 28 20 6 174 149 62 Chicago 55 25 24 6 168 170 56 Detroit 55 22 27 6 176 169 50 New York 54 18 27 9 141 165 45 Montreal 54 19 29 6 136 177 44 SCORING LEADERS GP G A PTS Pollack, Tor 54 27 35 62 Galbraith, Tor 54 27 30 57 Hart, Bos 51 23 30 53 Chandler, Bos 49 21 32 53 T Burns, Chi 44 33 19 52 Sauer, Tor 54 25 25 50 Witt, Det 52 17 31 48 Cabbell, NY 49 26 20 46 Vanderbilt, Det 52 24 20 44 Skinner, Mon 54 21 23 44 Carlson, Tor 49 12 30 42 Ducharme, CHI 53 17 24 41 Rocheleau, Det 48 6 35 41 GOALIE LEADERS GP W L T ShO GAA James, Bos 47 26 16 5 5 2.54 Broadway, Tor 49 24 19 6 4 2.66 Chasse, Det 20 9 9 0 1 2.83 Tremblay, NY 49 15 24 8 2 2.88 Hanson, Chi 40 17 19 4 3 2.94 Brockers, Mon 40 13 23 3 2 2.99 Touhey, Det 35 12 18 4 3 3.22 LAST WEEK'S RESULTS WEDNESDAY MARCH 2 Boston 1 at 3 Detroit: Rookie Anthony Jacques scored once in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie and then added an assist just 41 seconds later on Alexandre Viens goal to lead Detroit to a 3-1 victory over the first place Bees. It was the Motors third straight win while Boston is winless in its last three. Boston's Tommy Hart left the game with an injury and is expected to miss the next couple of games. Hart was recently named the NAHC's top player for the month of February. Chicago 3 at 3 New York: Joe Martin of the Shamrocks and the Packers Moose Vezina traded goals early in the third period as their two clubs skated to a 3-3 tie at Bigsby Garden. Bad news for the Shamrocks is scoring leader Orval Cabbell left the game with what is being termed a "major injury." Toronto 4 at 1 Montreal: The Dukes snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over Montreal keyed by a goal and an assist from each of the top two point gathers in the league in Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith. It was the Valiants third straight defeat. SATURDAY MARCH 5 Detroit 1 at 2 Chicago: Goals by Max Ducharme and Tommy Burns -with his league high 32nd of the season, lifted the Chicago Packers to a 2-1 win over the Motors in the opener of a home and home series. Vincent Arsenault had the only Detroit marker. Montreal 1 at 5 Boston: Two goals in each of the first two periods staked Boston to a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Valiants, who lost for the 4th consecutive game. John McDonald finally broke Oscar James shutout bid with a goal midway through the third period but Joe Morey responded just over two minutes later to restore the 4-goal cushion for the Bees. Toronto 7 at 4 New York: Bobbie Sauer scored twice and added an assist while Quinton Pollack also had a 3-point night to lead the visiting Toronto Dukes to a 7-4 victory over the Shamrocks. New York gave backup netminder Alex Sorrell a rare start but he did not survive the second period after allowing 6 Toronto tallies on just 22 shots. SUNDAY MARCH 6 Boston 2 at 1 Montreal: The weekend home and home series continued for all six teams and in Montreal it was Jacob Gron of the visiting Bees who proved the hero. Gron scored his 12th of the season with just over 9 minutes remaining in the game to snap 1-1 tie and lift the Bees to a 2-1 victory. Nick Prentiss gave Boston an early lead with a first period power play marker before Claude LeClerc evened things for the Vals in the second stanza. Brett Lanceleve assisted on LeClerc's marker, giving the 25-year-old winger at least one helper in each of his past 8 games. Chicago 4 at 5 Detroit: The Motors are picking the right time to get hot with 4 wins in their last 5 outings extending their hold on the fourth and final playoff spot to five points over 5th place New York. On this day it was a tense 5-4 victory on home ice over the Chicago Packers thanks to Dixon Butler's 2nd goal of the season early in the third period. Both netminders saw plenty of action and Detroit's Millard Touhey along with Norm Hanson of the Packers each had their struggles in the opening frame, a session that saw each club net three goals. Things settled down in the second period which ended knotted at 4 thanks to Vincent Arsenault's second goal of the game, with just 15 seconds remaining in the frame, to even things for the Motors. New York 0 at 2 Toronto: First period goals from Bobbie Sauer and Herb Burdette stood up as the Dukes completed the weekend sweep of the Shamrocks with a 2-0 victory. Gordie Broadway earned his 4th shutout of the season but Etienne Tremblay was the far busier netminder as Toronto outshot the Shamrocks 41-21. UPCOMING GAMES WENESDAY MARCH 9 Boston at New York Chicago at Montreal Detroit at Toronto SATURDAY MARCH 12 Montreal at New York Toronto at Boston SUNDAY MARCH 13 Chhicago at Toronto Detroit at Boston New York at Montreal AROUND THE LEAGUE he magic number for the Bees to clinch the top spot is 6 points with 6 games left. Boston lost to Detroit, but won the home-and-home over the weekend with Montreal. The game against Detroit is particularly troubling because it could be a preview of a semifinal matchup. A rematch set for Sunday in Boston will be important for the Bees' psyche and temperament heading into the second season. It was a big week for the Motors with 2 wins in 3 games vs Boston and Chicago. Extends their lead over banged up New York to 5 points and 6 on slumping Montreal with two weeks to play. While the Bees may be looking at last week's game as a semi-final preview, the Motors focus is 100% on simply trying to cobble together enough points to make the post-season, an event they have participated in just once in the past four years. From our new reporter Chicken Little with what sounds like an update on the heavens descending in the Big Apple comes this report from an unnamed Shamrocks executive: "Shamrocks are done. Way too many injuries for us this season. Now missing our top two centers. With Cabbell out until after the playoffs. In this small of a league I'm not sure how much can be done to help a team. Even selling off top players and accepting last place for several years, you don't even know if you can get the players you draft. Still I'm pretty sure Cabbell and a couple others will be available before the draft." Short memories in the Big Apple as they clearly have forgotten how Cabbell scored 7 goals in 11 games last spring to lead the Greenshirts to the finals. A team like Detroit, which has missed the playoffs three of the past four years and not won a playoff series since the spring of 1942 would love to have the Shamrocks woes. Dukes Stop Slide; Win Three --The Toronto Dukes returned to winning ways by taking all three games this week, first defeating Montreal midweek then taking both in a home and home against the Shamrocks. The resurgence leaves the club firmly in second place 6 points ahead of Chicago with 6 games left to play. At Montreal Arena Wednesday night, Toronto showed something that had been noticeably missing during their recent games as the Dukes came out hitting and skating right from the opening face-off. Both teams play a fast moving, high tempo first period with very few stoppages. The shots thru twenty minutes were 13 to 7 in favour of the visitors who besieged Tom Brockers in the Montreal goal for long stretches. Toronto solved the goaltender twice in the period on markers by Bobbie Sauer Quinton Pollack less than a minute apart. to take a 2-0 lead. Pollack's goal, scored from the high slot with helpers to Lou Galbraith and Mike Navarro was his 26th of the season. The Vals cut the lead in half with the only goal of the second when Clarence Skinner slammed the disc behind Gordie Broadway on passes from John MacDonald and Brett Lanceleve. It came on one of only 3 shots Broadway faced in the period. Montreal was forced to open up a little in the final frame, and Dick Zimmerman made them pay when the veteran winger got in behind the Vals D to beat Brockers on a breakaway deke after being sprung by Pollack. Montreal continued to press to no avail, and Lou Galbraith scored his 27th into an empty cage with 33 seconds remaining making the final Toronto-4 Montreal-1. The bad news was the Pierre Dubois suffered a severely sprained ankle that will sideline him for at least a month quite probably the balance of the season, Roderick Gunner has been recalled from Cleveland to provide defensive depth. On to the Big Apple to play the injury-riddled Shamrocks Saturday. The Dukes jumped on the depleted New Yorkers early and often opening up a 3-0 lead before the games was 14 minutes old thanks to a pair of goals from Sauer and one from Navarro. Adam Greenham, on the power play, gave the Bigsby Garden faithful a glimmer of hope when he scored after JC Martel had been sent off for holding and in the second period Gil Corbeil closed the gap to one on another marker with the man advantage. All that seemed to do was rile up the Dukes, who stormed back with 3 more in the last 9 minutes of the middle period with Al Cote, Alex Lavalliere and Pollack all having their numbers entered in the goal column of the game sheet making 6-2 after two. Laurel Albers and Paul Tetreault both scored the Greenshirts within 2 with just over 4 minutes remaining to play but Zimmerman put to bed any doubts with goal into an undefended net with 31 seconds left, Toronto-7 NY-4 final. The teams crossed the border for the return match in Ontario on Sunday before 13,144 relieved fans after the recent losing streak had been halted. It was a rather listless night for both clubs with exception of Shamrocks netminder Etienne Tremblay who faced a barrage of vulcanized rubber, 41 in total for the game. To his credit the only two that got past him were in the opening period. The first goal by a suddenly hot vet in Bobby Sauer, with his 25th, followed by Herbert Burdette his 9th. Broadway turned aside 21 for his 4 clean sheet of the season, putting him just one behind Boston's Oscar James for the league shutout lead. Coach Barrell: "I am glad our bad times seem to be over. Losing streaks tend to lead to everyone pressing, choking their sticks. The coaching staff had a constant, consistent message "Do your job within our system, nothing more, nothing less." We got into the bad stretch as a team, we got out of it as a a team starting in Montreal. The key to that game, as well as the two with New York was our defensive play. I have stressed all year that being sound without puck leads to chances going the other way. We have 6 games left to secured home ice advantage in the semis, we still have a slim chance to overtake Boston but everything will have to fall our way. Over the last 6, the emphasis will be on our systems in all three zones. We are going to work on refining our play along with a possibility of few new wrinkles. On the injury front the trainers tell me that Trevor Parker is progressing with a slight chance of being ready for the semis, wire will be taken out of his jaw this week. Dubois has a long way to go before he is even ready to lace on a pair skates. Time to get back to work." The WashingtonStatesmen split with Red Caps, with each team taking their home game and the week ended with Brooklyn hanging on to a half-game lead in the East. Charles Hooper went for 21 points in the win, but was held scoreless in 25 minutes in the loss. Even more baffling is the Statesmen defeating the Chicago Panthers, 93-62, with Ivan Sisco scoring 6 points in 14 minutes. Third-string center Isiah Solis was fantastic, leading all scorers with 21 points and added 10 rebounds. Boston's 10-game winning streak was stopped at the hands of Washington last week and has suddenly lost three of four games, as the Centurions try to push towards a potential playoff spot. Boston is 22-25 in sixth place, but the Cents are within two games of fourth place, currently sitting only a game-and-a-half back of Rochester and one game behind Baltimore. If you think Boston's 10-game heater was impressive, look over to the Western Division where Detroit had a 14-gamer snapped at the start of a four-game road trip. Detroit dropped one to the lowly 13-33 Toronto Falcons, 96-86, after an awful third quarter where the Mustangs were outscored, 34-18. Plenty of Mustang fans were crying foul on the discrepancy of calls going Toronto's way. The Falcons got to the free throw line 45 times compared to 30 for Detroit and the 16 additional points for Toronto from the charity stripe more than made up the 10-point margin. Both C Jack Kurtz and SF Matthew Culpepper fouled out and in all, 57 fouls were called. There was more whistling there than at a construction site! For reference, three of Detroit's 14 straight wins were against the same Toronto team, so perhaps familiarity breeded some contempt as well. Don't look now, but Philadelphia is 9-1 in its last 10 and they have kept pace with Brooklyn and gained two games on Washington over that time. Philadelphia is five games behind Brooklyn and four-and-a-half in arrears of Washington with 22 to play. In other words, plenty of time for all divisional title hopes to come true. We have thought of Washington and Brooklyn as the "big two" of the East, but we should start thinking of the gargoyle outside the penthouse in the Eastern Division as a three-headed monster. Code: FBL STANDINGS EAST W L PCT GB Brooklyn 35 11 .761 - Washington 35 12 .745 0.5 Philadelphia 30 16 .652 5.0 Rochester 23 23 .500 12.0 Baltimore 22 23 .489 12.5 Boston 22 25 .468 13.5 Hartford 20 25 .444 14.5 New York 14 32 .304 21.0 Syracuse 7 39 .152 28.0 WEST W L PCT GB Detroit 32 15 .681 - Chicago 31 18 .633 2.0 Cincinnati 27 21 .563 5.5 Cleveland 26 21 .553 6.0 Pittsburgh 19 28 .404 13.0 Buffalo 16 30 .348 15.5 Toronto 13 33 .283 18.5 FINAL WEEK OF COLLEGE CAGE CAMPAIGN Plenty of Section Crowns Remain Up For Grabs The collegiate basketball season has entered its final week. At this point next week we will know who each of the 32 teams that will comprise the field for the 40th annual AIAA championship tournament but before that happens there are plenty of Conference titles, and with them automatic bids into the tournament, up for grabs. Here is a look at each of the major conferences and what the week ahead holds. GREAT LAKES ALLIANCE The GLA is one of the few conferences where the final week of the season will not impact who wins as the Western Iowa Canaries have already clinched their first section title in four years. The Canaries are 13-1 in section play and 26-1 overall with their lone loss coming to Indiana A&M early in conference play. They still have games remaining with Lincoln and Detroit City College but with a 3-game lead on the second place Reapers (10-4, 21-6) all that remains for Western Iowa is to secure a top seed for the AIAA tournament. Second place Indiana A&M seems a lock for a tournament bid while Central Ohio and Detroit City College (both 19-8) likely need two wins this weekend to ensure their inclusion in the 32-team field. WEST COAST ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Coastal California (13-2, 25-3) has a 1-game lead on Lane State (12-3, 26-5) with one game remaining for each in conference play. If the Dolphins win at Portland Tech Friday evening, they will a WCAA record 23rd conference crown but it will be their first in six years. A Coastal loss coupled with a Lane State win at home against defending national champion Redwood will give the Emeralds their second section title in three seasons. Lane State beat Coastal California twice head-to-head this season. Both the Emeralds and Dolphins are locks for the AIAA tournament, as is Rainier College (11-4, 22-6) while CC Los Angeles (9-7, 20-9) may just make it four teams from the WCAA claiming tournament berths. The Redwood Mammoths (7-8, 18-11) will likely not qualify and miss out on a chance to defend their national title. SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE A battle for top spot between the conference's two top-ten teams in Carolina Poly (10-2, 24-3) and North Carolina Tech (10-3, 24-4) but Central Carolina (9-3, 20-7) might crash the party with a few breaks. All three, as well as Lexington State (8-4, 21-6) seem assured of tournament berths with the Maryland State Bengals (8-4, 18-9) also holding out slim hopes. As for the conference crown, the Cardinals control their own destiny with two games remaining against Coastal State before finishing on the road at Richmond State. The Techsters have just one game remaining -on the road against Maryland State- but do have the tiebreaker over Carolina Poly thanks to a head-to-head win. DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE Each school has two games left with Noble Jones College (7-2, 21-6) holding a one game lead on both Central Kentucky (6-3, 16-12) and Bluegrass State (6-3, 20-7). The only way into the AIAA tournament for the Tigers is to win their second straight section title and to that end Central Kentucky does have the tiebreaker over Noble Jones after beating the Colonels earlier this season. Mississippi A&M (5-4, 23-4), despite losing four of its last six games, seems a lock for the tournament and the Generals will be joined by the Colonels. Everyone else from the Deep South is likely out of the running for a tourney bid, unless one of the Kentucky schools can find a way to claim the section crown. ACADEMIA ALLIANCE The only conference in the entire AIAA to hold a postseason tournament to declare its representative in the AIAA tournament is the Academia Alliance. The Brunswick Knights have won the section tournament three of the past four season and finished with the top regular season record for the third time in five seasons. At 12-2 (19-10 overall) the Knights are the top seed with Dickson (10-4, 14-5) number two. SOUTHWESTERN ALLIANCE Texas Gulf Coast (8-3, 22-6), led by potential first round FBL draft pick Vincent Passingham, has clinched the section title with just one game remaining for each school. It marks the 9th straight SWA crown for the Hurricanes, who are expected to be the conferences lone representative in the AIAA tournament. PLAINS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION The section title and the lone AIAA tournament bid for the conference remains very much up for grabs with Eastern Kansas (6-4, 13-14) and Iowa A&M (6-4, 9-18) sharing the lead with 2 games to play. Lawrence State (6-5, 20-8), which needs a lot to go right to make the tournament in the Chippewa do not win the conference, have an outside chance as does College of Omaha (5-5, 10-17) which finishes with games on the road against the two co-leaders. Eastern Kansas is the defending section champion. LIBERTY CONFERENCE A new conference created five years ago out of the ashes of the once powerful Northeast Conference appears set to crown the Garden State Redbirds as champion for the fourth time in five seasons. The Redbirds (9-3, 19-8) have a one game lead on a surprising Bigsby College (8-4,21-9) quintet that has played just one AIAA tournament game since 1932. The Gents are coming off a thrilling 51-50 victory over the Redbirds on Saturday that kept their conference title hopes alive. Bigsby College and Garden State both finish with road games against Jersey City Tech (4-8,14-13) and Brooklyn Catholic (7-5,17-10). It is conceivable the Gents could win 23 games this season and still not earn a tournament bid with only the section champion likely to carry on. Complete AIAA conference standings and stats can be found here RECENT RESULTS OF TOP TEN TEAMS TUESDAY MARCH 1 #2 St Blane 66 (Jim Canaday 24) Garden State 55 WEDNESDAY MARCH 2 #6 Lane State 61 (Carl Casswell 17) Northern California 50 #8 Coastal California 56 (Martines and Barnes 12 each) CC Los Angeles 37 #10 Noble Jones College 44 (Ken Avelar 11) Opelika State 43 Mississippi A&M 58 (Greg Randle 17) Alabama Baptist 43 THURSDAY MARCH 3 #1 Western Iowa 67 (Willy Ludwick 22) Wisconsin State 40 Columbia Military Academy 58 #4 Carolina Poly 53 (Bill Florence 11) #7 North Carolina Tech 58 (Mike Carter 14) Alexandria 47 FRIDAY MARCH 4 #5 Frankford State 47 (Rod Bookman 12) St Pancras 36 #9 Rainier College 58 (Thomas Abbott 16) Redwood 50 SATURDAY MARCH 5 #1 Western Iowa 63 (Willy Ludwick 21) St Magnus 51 #4 Carolina Poly 71 (Bill Florence 18) Petesburg 56 #7 North Carolina Tech 58 (Muzz Hodson 21) Richmond State 41 #10 Noble Jones College 56 (Joseph Bosco 14) Western Florida 49 Bayou State 45 Mississippi A&M 40 -knocked Generals out of top ten SUNDAY MARCH 6 #6 Lane State 74 (Carl Casswell 24) Spokane State 46 #8 Coastal California 55 (Chris Martines 19) Redwood 47 #9 Rainier College 65 (Don Higgins 15) Northern California 56 ITALIAN MIDDLEWEIGHT HUGO CANIO SET TO MAKE WAVES IN THE USA Paris, France - The world of boxing may soon see the rise of a new Italian sensation as 22-year-old Milan native Hugo Canio prepares to cross the Atlantic and make his mark in the American boxing scene. Canio, with an impressive record of 13 wins, 2 draws, and zero losses, has garnered the attention of none other than the veteran fight promoter and manager, Chester Conley. Conley, who is best known for managing the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, Hector Sawyer, first spotted Canio while accompanying Sawyer during his European tour. The young and undefeated middleweight quickly caught the eye of Conley with his raw talent and natural fighting abilities. Conley, who has a keen eye for spotting potential in young fighters, did not waste any time and immediately began negotiations with Canio. Canio, who hails from the fighting traditions of Italy, is a promising prospect in the crowded middleweight division. He combines his natural power with a fighting spirit that has already made him a rising star in Milan. He is raw but Conley witnessed Canio fight three times while in Europe and believes he is the real thing. "He might just be the next big star in the middleweight class," proclaimed Conley. "He caught my eye with a fight in England while Hector and I were there. So much so I made a trip to Rome just before Christmas to see him fight again and then set up a third bout for Hugo in Paris." Conley and Sawyer are flying back to New York this week and it is expected that the young Italian fighter will be in tow. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Mar 12- Bigsby Garden: former WW champ Harold Stephens (21-5-3) vs River Thomas (18-8) Mar 18- Detroit: World WW champ Mac Erickson (18-0) vs Rudy Perry (27-4) Mar 26- St Louis: MW Joe Morre (20-4-1) vs Millard Shelton (24-4) Mar 26- Bigsby Garden, New York: HW Scott Baker (19-3-3) vs Lewis Jones (19-1) Jun 4- Broad Street Park, Philadelphia: World Middleweight Champ Adrian Petrie (19-1-1) vs Edouard Desmarais (43-2) The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 3/06/1949 A B-50 bomber landed in Texas to mark the completing of the first non-stop flight around the world. The Boeing Superfortress refueled four times in the air. President Truman received word this week from his economic advisors a report that "business conditions are still very good" and the outlook "promising" as the White House disclosed that Mr. Truman has been holding a series of unpublicized night conferences with business leaders. The Senate Labor Committee approved the administration labor bill without amendement and sent it to the Senate floor over the bitter protests of Republican members. The bill would repeal the Taft-Hartley Act. The Senate is in the midst of a filibuster argument with the delay ironicaly over a new rule designoed to curb filibustering permanently. The United States accused Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov of "misrepresentation and distortion of facts" in reject his protest against an order for expulsion of the Soviet Repatration Commission from the American zone of Berlin. The Soviets have also made it known they will not recognize the Western German state now being formed under the guidance of the United States, France and Britain. A former Czechoslovak Army intelligence officer testified that a broad spy network has been started in Europe by the Communists, who rule his country. At home, the FBI in New York seized a 27-year-old female clerk employed in the foreign agents registration section of the Justice Department and a Russian engineer on the United Nations staff. Both are charged with stealing American secrets. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 11-09-2023 at 01:12 PM.