[Tiger Fan]

SEPTEMBER 19, 1949

WORST TO FIRST!

FORESTERS CLINCH CONTINENTAL FLAG

A most improbable turnaround is complete as the Cleveland Foresters, the laughingstock of baseball for most of the past decade and the worst team in the sport a year ago when they suffered through a 60-94 season, are suddenly the champions of the Continental Association. At 88-58, and 9.5 games up on the second place Montreal Saints with just 8 games remaining, the Foresters have a chance to win as many games this season as they lost a year ago.

It marks the first pennant win for Cleveland since their back-to-back titles in 1934-35 and their first season with a winning record this decade. The Foresters finished 8th six times in the 1940s and never higher than sixth until this year.

Years of struggle are being washed away by an exciting cast of young stars led by the amazing season of Adrian Czerwinski on the mound. The 24-year-old righthander, a 1946 second round pick, suffered through a 4-11 season as a big league rookie a year ago but is the clear Allen Award winner in the CA this time around with a 23-7 record and a sparkling 2.74 era. Czerwinski is not the only breakthrough on the mound. There is John Jackson, a 25-year-old first rounder from the 1942 draft who went 9-9 with a 5.00 era as a rookie last season but is 17-7, 3.23 this time around. Ducky Davis, 28, is in his 6th season with the Foresters but never approaches the 15-7, 2.89 season he is enjoying and then there is Goldie Irwin, a 27-year-old waiver pickup after being casted aside by the Montreal Saints, who is 7-4 with a 3.51 era.

There are breakthroughs at the plate as well with Jim Adams Jr. and Lorenzo Samuels leading the charge. Adams Jr. is finally showing why he was the consensus first overall choice in the 1943 FABL draft with the former St. Ignatius collegiate star batting a career best .321 in his 6th full season with the Foresters although he did miss most of the 1947 campaign with a fractured knee. Samuels, a local Cleveland product selected in the old regional round of the 1941 draft, has caught fire as well. A year ago, he hit just .220 with 5 homers but the first baseman, who received a nice birthday present as the Foresters clinched at least a tie for the pennant on his 27th birthday, is batting .303 with a team leading 24 homers this season.

The Foresters may end up being just one half of a rags to riches story this season as the Chicago Chiefs, a club that finished last in the Federal Association a year ago and won just one more game than the Foresters did last season, is standing tall in the Fed flag race. The Chiefs have a 2-game lead on the second place New York Gothams entering the final two weeks of the season.

Assuming the Chiefs hold on it will be the first time in FABL history to last place clubs have met in the World Championship Series the following season. It will not be their first meeting as the Chiefs and Foresters hooked up in the 1917 WCS with the Whitney's prevailing in six games to win their first World Title. Interesting to note that the two games who by the Foresters were both started by a young pitcher by the name of Max Morris, a player who would go on to have more success as an outfielder.

Wolves Look Toward the Fifties -- As the Wolves have 16 games remaining with a record of 64-74 under rookie Manager Fred Barrell, Brett has plans for a series of articles that look forward to what fans can expect as we move into a new decade.

The articles will assess the 1949 starter at each position along with a look at who is in the system as next in line. With the succession plan Brett will offer some thoughts about the direction for the Wolves. The staff has just presented the owner, Bernie Millard, with plans for the future of the franchise. The report is said to be less than flattering, and Brett has learned that the consensus was that the system needs a general overhaul as there are too many players who are too old with no viable future for Toronto at the FABL level.

Although the Toronto farm system is ranked sixth of sixteen in the FABL, there is going to be a major change in minor league philosophy going forward: specfically players will be pushed to higher levels in a "make it or break it" attitude. Long suffering fans of the AAA Buffalo Nickels will probably see the most difference in the new system. Instead of a team stocked with players that have had at least a cup of coffee in the FABL, the team will now feature players hopefully on their way up rather than on their way down. This should also filter down to the AA and A levels. Brett has learned that one the conclusions in the report was that there will still room for a very limited number of aging veterans to act, in theory, as additional staff in the top three levels but not a roster full of aging players.

Brett will now start his series of articles with a look at the Toronto infield:

CATCHER- The season started with Randy Hendrix and Walter Loera behind the dish to battle it out for the starting position. Unfortunately neither hit, fielded, or managed the pitching staff well this season. Brett thought that given Barrell's background the position would sort itself out but it didn't until the Wolves acquired Harry Pomeroy in the Artuso deal at the trade deadline. At 24 Pomeroy could, under Barrell's guidance, give the Wolves a solid starter far into the middle of the fifties while Cal Yeager develops further at AAA. The pair could partner to give the Wolves a solid catching tandem in the future. Brett expects that at least one of Hendrix and Loera will follow Sam Jordan, John Marsh to the DFA list to free up space on the 40-man allowing the Wolves space before the Rule 5 draft in December.

FIRST BASE - Fred McCormick is a fixture but for how much longer? He will turn 40 the day after the regular season ends, but a season thus far of .296/.381/.445 (113 OPS+) suggests he may have at least one trip around the sun at 1B for the Wolves. Frank Brunch provides a LHB who can spell McCormick although his bat has been cold all season. Tony Ballinger, just 21 and a right handed batter, is one the first whom the Wolves have moved up to AAA with the new ways. In 70 PA for Buffalo he has a line of .355/.429/.435 after tearing up AA in Chattanooga. The scouting department feels that he needs more seasoning in Buffalo but could be ready next summer.

SECOND BASE - Tom Fredrick has been a steady performer all season as .277/.355/.404 suggests at the plate along with rock solid defense at second. He has been the one fielding bright spot in an otherwise dreadful year for the Wolves infield defense. At 33 Fredrick may start to slow and if so then look to Joe DeMott -the other piece in the Artuso trade- perhaps to take over at second. Fans have suggested that Frederick's versatility will be a big benefit going forward playing both the outfield and second base. In the pipeline there is Roy Demonbreun, 21, and showing promise at Davenport. He is slotted to start next season at AA.

THIRD BASE - Hal Wood, 35, is a steady bat with just an acceptable glove at the hot corner. He to is starting to age, and many in the front office think that Joe DeMott may eventually find a home at third. Pat Todd, 22, has the potential to take the position over as early as 1951 after spending a year in Buffalo.

SHORTSTOP - After over a decade of Charlie Artuso manning short, Brett and fans took the position for granted only to find out how important a glove is at short after he moved on to the Chiefs. John Fast was given the first opportunity before his season ending injury. Fast's bat will play at the FABL level but his shoddy work in the field at this time will not allow Barrell to pencil his name in the everyday at short. Part of the reason for the Artuso trade was the selection of John Wells, 18, at first overall in the draft. Wells may be the future at short and he is being fast tracked through the system with a recent promotion to AA after starting in A ball. General feeling is that he is, at minimum, a year away from his FABL debut. Fans at Dominion Stadium may see him in 1951, leaving the question of 1950 in front of Barrell. DeMott is currently manning the position with the same difficulties as Fast. Harry Finney and Frank Frady are also options. Brett thinks neither has the bat to be a viable option also expects at least one, if not both, to be dropped from the 40-man roster at the end of the season. Will the Wolves pursue a short option for SS during the winter?

Brett's next article will look at the outfield in the same manner.

• Red Johnson smacked 4 more homers last week and the Gothams 31-year-old slugger is now just two away from belting 50 this season. Only Bobby Barrell, Max Morris, Joe Masters and Hank Koblenz have reached the half-century mark for homers in a single FABL season. The Gothams have 9 games remaining for Johnson to try and join that group.
• Milestone homers last week for Walt Pack, who hit his 200th for the Cougars, and Montreal's Bill Greene who socked his 100th homerun.
• Detroit's Carl Potter (21-7, 2.03) is a lock for the Federal Association Allen Award but since the All-Star break John Stallings (19-5, 3.42) has been terrific for the Chicago Chiefs. The 24-year-old Stallings is 9-0 with a 3.04 era since July 14.
• Imagine if Potter and Stallings were teammates in Detroit. It could, and should have probably happened as the Dynamos had the first overall pick in 1946 but with a new General Manager hired just prior to the draft and no scouting staff in place the Dynamos brass made the decision to trade down to number 3 in the draft. The Chiefs landed Stallings while Detroit drafted Tommy Allenby (now in the Cannons organization) and received former first overall pick Dick Blaszak, who has been a bust after being shot in the shoulder during the war.
• The Dynamos may also have the Federal Association's Kellogg Award winner as pitcher Jack Miller has gone 10-3 with a 2.61 era since early July and is 13-10, 3.41 on the season. Two of the three previous Fed rookie winners have been Dynamos with Wally Hunter winning in 1946 and Edwin Hackberry in '47. A year ago it was Pittsburgh infielder Irv Clifford that snapped the Detroit dominance.
• With both center fielders hurt the Chiefs put Bill May on the injured list and decided to have super-sub and Rule5 draftee Harry Patterson try his hand at center. So as a starter last week, he hit .476/.500/.667. His defense isn't at Bill May's level, but it looks like he'd at least match Dave Kreiger with the glove (so: playable). Chiefs long-time skipper Joe Ward says he has a feeling that Patterson will be a key piece of the Chiefs over the next few seasons.
• While a pennant is beyond the Montreal Saints grasp this season, the club still has plenty to play for. The Saints lead the Chicago Cougars by 1 game in the race for second place. Montreal has not finished in second or better since their 1921 pennant winning season and the the last time the Saints finished in third was 19 years ago.
• This could be the 12th time the Detroit Dynamos have had to settle for second or third place since their last pennant win back in 1929. The Dynamos are 3.5 back of the Gothams for second place and 2.5 ahead of fourth place Washington in the Federal Association.

WINGS FLY PAST LOBOS

Exploding for two touchdowns in each the second and third periods, the San Francisco Wings racked up a 35-0 victory over the Los Angeles Lobos in the Continental Football Conference's California Classic over the weekend. A crowd of 52,800 saw the Wings win their third consecutive game to start the season while the Lobos dipped to 1-2.

While the visitors from Southern California had the edge in time of possession, it was the hosts from the north who outgained their counterparts 379-287 on the afternoon and dominated on the scoresheet. While he did not find the endzone, Wings halfback Ernest Key was the difference in the game, carrying the ball 19 times for 142 yards. Sam Metcalf completed 11 tosses including 3 for scores while passing for 145 yards. Wes Mula once again was Metcalf's favourite target as the duo connected 7 times for 117 yards and a pair of scores.

San Francisco struck early with a 54 yard, 10-play drive on their opening series that culminated in a 1-yard toss from Metcalf to John DeLucia. The Lobos had a chance to get on the board late in the opening frame but Stan Spearin's 22-yard field goal attempted missed its mark. A pair of Lobos interceptions in the second quarter each gave the Wings outstanding field position and both led to scores giving the Wings a commanding 21-0 lead at the break.

The victory leaves San Francisco and Kansas City tied for top spot in the seven team loop with identical 3-0 records. The Cowboys rode the right arm of Pat Chappell to victory at Packer Park yesterday as the Kansas City quarterback threw for 312 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead his charges to a 33-14 triumph over the New York Football Gothams. It was a typical day at the office for the man many consider to be the top passer in the sport as Chappell completed 20 of 36 tosses to move the Cowboys down the field effortlessly. Powerful fullback Mason Matthews also had a strong day for the winners, bulling his way for 79 yards on 17 carries.

Take away a late 70 yard touchdown run by Gothams back Nate Tyson and the New Yorkers managed just 96 yards from scrimmage on the day with Randy Thomas completing just 3 of 12 pass attempts for 27 yards. The Gothams are now 1-1 on the season.

The other game on the CFC docket last week took place on Thursday as the New Orleans Crescents went into Whitney Park and handed the hapless Chicago Comets their fourth straight loss. The final was 28-7 making it the closest the Comets have come to victory this season but in reality Chicago was never in the game. Crescents back Lee Sutherland ran for the first of his three touchdowns on just the second play the visitors had from scrimmage and they never looked back. New Orleans evens its record at 2-2 with the victory as the Crescents prepare for their home opener next weekend - a rematch with a San Francisco club that outscored them 49-21 in the season opener.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION SET FOR THURSDAY KICK-OFF

While the upstart Continental Conference has had a 3-week head start in getting its fourth campaign up and running, the American Football Association finally gets in on the act this weekend as all 10 teams will see action as the loop commences its 30th season of action.

The league, which began in 1920 with 14 teams although many where in smaller midwest centers like Akron, Dayton and Syracuse, saw the Youngstown Reapers go a perfect 7-0 to win the first league title. Two of those 14 clubs were the Cleveland Finches and Chicago Wildcats, who remain active in the same cities today. A year later the Rochester franchise was transferred to Detroit and the Maroons were born and other teams would come and go until the league settled at 10-teams following the conclusion of World War II.

One of the original franchises, the Chicago Wildcats, are the defending champions after the Wildcats nipped Cleveland to win the West Division title before shutting out the New York Stars 31-0 to win their 6th AFA championship. Coming off an 11-1 season and led by one of the best linemen to ever play the game in Bus McLean, not to mention a legendary head coach in former Navy Lt. Commander Carl Boon, the Wildcats may once again be the team to beat. The Chicago eleven should draw a stiff challenge in the West Division once more from the Finches while in the East Division the Philadelphia Frigates, who won their first and only AFA championship in 1944, may be the team to beat. The Frigates have a powerful offense led by Greg LePage, who topped 1,000 yards rushing last season, and quarterback Jim Taylor.

   AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME HISTORY
YEAR    SCORE			   VENUE		   MVP
1948  Chicago 31 New York 0       Cougars Park       Jim Arends, Chi
1947  Cleveland 24 Washington 17  Forester Field     Dave Nicholson, Cle
1946  New York 28 Chicago 0       Dyckman Stadium    Paul Watts, NY
1945  Boston 56 Detroit 24        Minutemen Stadium  Del Thomas, Bos
1944  Philadelphia 30 Detroit 14  Sailors Memorial   Ollie Bishop, Phi
1943  Chicago 21 Boston 20        Minutemen Stadium  Freeman Stahlberg, Chi
1942  Boston 24 Chicago 21        Whitney Park       Del Thomas, Bos
1941  Chicago 10 New York 7       Whitney Park       Dutch Hoffman, Chi
1940  Brooklyn 20 Detroit 7       Thompson Field     Don Ludwigs, Bkn
1939  Boston 21 Chicago 14        Whitney Park       Leon Fitzgerald, Bos
1938  Brooklyn 9 Pittsburgh 7     Kings County       Bill Morrisett, Bkn
1937  New York 34 Chicago 0       Bigsby Oval        Tom Jamason, NY
1936  Detroit 24 Pittsburgh 7     Thompson Field     Vernon Flowers, Det
1935  Pittsburgh 7 Cleveland 0    Forester Field     Harvey Bowman, Pit
1934  Pittsburgh 7 Detroit 0      Thompson Field     Hank Greshman, Pit
1933  Rhode Island 21 Chicago 0   North Side Park    Harvey Bowman, RI

1932	Cleveland Finches (7-3) 
1931    Detroit Maroons and Rhode Island Reds co-champs (12-1-1)
1930    New York Stars (14-2-1)
1929    Detroit Maroons (13-0)
1928    Chicago Wildcats (11-0-2)
1927    Detroit Maroons (10-0)
1926    Chicago Wildcats (13-1-2)
1925    Cleveland Finches (12-1-1)
1924    Toledo Tigers (9-0)
1923    Pittsburgh Pros (12-0)
1922    Evansville Lions (10-1)
1921	Chicago Wildcats (9-1-1)
1920    Youngstown Reapers (7-0)

PRESSURE ON YURIK AND MAROONS AS AFA SEASON SET TO BEGIN

It is hard to believe as the American Football Association prepares to lift the lid on its 30th anniversary campaign next weekend that the Detroit Maroons are going on 13 years without a league title. Once of of the most feared outfits in the sport -winners of 3 titles in a 5 year span as the roaring twenties became the turbulent thities- the Maroons were still a force in the early forties. They may not have won it all since 1936 but with an aerial attack featuring Dewey Burnett throwing the ball to legendary end Stan Vaught, Maroons coach Frank Yurick guided the club to West Division titles in 1940, 1944 and 1945.

The knock on Yurick back then was he did not use his gifted quarterback and talented receivers enough, preferring to grind it out on the ground and it cost the Maroons in the big games. Still, you have to give credit to Yurik for leading Detroit to the championship game more times than any other club in the first half of the decade.

That changed in 1946 when Vaught, who never did see eye to eye with the penny-conscious and pass averse coach, finally had seen enough and retired for the final time. Burnett had also left, departing a couple of years earlier and the Maroons suddenly no longer had a high-flying offense and were forced to play Yurik's preferred style of grinding it out on the ground. The problem was that the Maroons lacked a dominant backfield.

The first indications of trouble came at the tail end of the 1946 season when the Maroons lost four of their final five games to finish with just their second losing season since 1927. They rebounded with a 7-5 record the following season but, like 1946, excitement about the '47 campaign was greatly tempered after a dreadful stretch run that saw the Maroons fall out of the race by dropping three of their final four games.

A year ago there was no late season collapse to contend with. Yurick's charges were consistent, but that was not a good thing as they were consistently bad and finished with the worst record in team history, going 2-10. Only the AFA's inaugural 1920 campaign -their only season in Rochester, New York before Rollie Barrell purchased the Maroons and shifted them to the Motor City- did the club ever win less games in a season. (The 1920 Rochester Maroons went 1-5-1 in the first season of the AFA).

*** Plenty of Holes on '49 Roster ***

There is much that needs fixing for the club this season. Let's start with the defense where the Maroons surrendered 23.9 points per game last season. Only the Cincinnati (now Los Angeles) Tigers and Pittsburgh Paladins allowed more against and Detroit's run defense was a major weakness for opponents to exploit. Add in a popgun offense which managed to score just 14.1 points per game, more than only the sad-sack Cincinnati Tigers, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Mike Beard is a terrific person, but simply not a big-time pro quarterback. Same goes for Rich Coleman, who has been a decent defensive back over the years and gallantly attempted to handle the passing duties on offense but was clearly out of his element. The "Marks" in Marc Orlosky and Mark Belles are accptable ballcarriers but each lacks explosiveness which contributes greatly to the fact that the Maroons 3.5 yards per carry a year ago was the lowest in the league.

There are holes everywhere that need plugged but judging by the performance at camp the past month, the answers did not arrive in time to warrant much optimism about the coming season. Coach Yurik claims he is optimistic about the campaign ahead and praises the arrival of ex-Wisconin State back Dutch Van Houten, noting the newcomer had a great connection with end Danny Maynard in camp while adding that Orlosky looked quicker this season and predicted big things from the veteran halfback.

The pessimist, or perhaps it is the realist in me, says "I just don't see it" but for now I will give Yurik a much deserved benefit of the doubt. I can't help but wonder as I scan the Los Angeles roster how the Tigers were able to pry away talented Texas-born quarterback Dusty Sinclair and back Dennis Rea from Chicago, where both were blocked on the depth chart, yet the Maroons failed to make a pitch for either of them. Many would have felt much better about the Maroons chances this season with those two in the Motor City. Instead they are both part of what may just be a strong Tigers club on the west coast. And the Tigers were the only team the Maroons were better than last season. We will find out quickly just what Frank Yurik and the Maroons have in store for the upcoming campaign as they open the season Friday night as part of the AFA's Los Angeles in debut. A win over the Tigers won't prove this season is going to be as successful as Yurik predicts, but it will certainly be a small step in the right direction.

CC LOS ANGELES OFF TO SOLID START

The CC Los Angeles Coyotes are looking to make amends for a dreadful 1948 season that saw the school finish with just one section victory and a 2-7 overall record. The 1949 Westwood model, a revamped machine with a single wing, powered to convincing 45-7 victory over Lane State in Santa Ana to mark the season opener for both schools.

After winning the West Coast Athletic Association title two years ago with a perfect section record and an 8-1-1 mark overall in which their only loss came to Detroit City College in the East-West Classic, the Coyotes imploded last season when they were shut out 3 times and held to 7 points or less in two other games during their worst season in well over a decade. The 45 points against the Emeralds Saturday, a team that beat CCLA 21-14 last season for its first win over the Coyotes since 1941, perhaps signals a return to contention for the Coyotes, who scored just 55 points total in their 7 losses last season.

The Coyotes charged out of the gate with vicious blocking and tackling that led to a parade of injured Emeralds leaving the field most of the time. Senior halfback Gary Styles paced the offensive assault, scooting 64 yards for a second quarter score on a run from scrimmage and running a punt back 62 yards, nine short of a touchdown, in the first period. The Emeralds entered the game with high hopes after upsetting the Coyotes last year and talked all week of repeating the task, but the Lane State squad looked like a golfer who had left his best game on the practice time. Overworked halfback Pete Roberts turned in a solid effort for the visitors from the state of Oregon but he had far too little support.

Notable results elsewhere included Penn Catholic travelling well as the Crusaders ventured down to Dallas and returned with a 14-10 victory over the host Darnell State Legislators. Noble Jones College scored twice in the opening half and then their defense shutdown Bulein in a 14-3 triumph for the Colonels over the Hornets. The Mississippi A&M Generals scored a commanding 51-27 victory over Knoxville while Lawrence State used a powerful ground attack to run all over Amarillo Methodist in a 45-30 victory for the Chippewa. Nick Maves and Mason Murphy led the Lawrence State attacking, each running for a pair of scores while Murphy also threw a 17-yard touchdown pass.

WEEKEND RESULTS
EAST
Penn Catholic 14 Darnell State 10
Petersburg 31 Northern Pennsylvania 17
Cowpens State 38 Strub College 6
Huntington State 50 Baron College (PA) 21

SOUTH
Noble Jones College 14 Bulein 3
Mississippi A&M 51 Knoxville 27
Central Kentucky 37 Mississippi Tech 0
Coastal State 44 Charleston (IL) 10
Richmond State 42 Ferguson 27
Quantico Marines 21 Chesapeake State 17

MIDDLEWEST
Iowa A&M 34 Dubuque 6
Lambert College 55 Brookings State 7
Central Illinois 34 Fond du Lac 0
Wisconsin Catholic 51 Great Plains State 10
Queen City 34 Kit Carson University 34

SOUTHWEST
Travis College 24 College of Waco 7
Abilene Baptist 79 McKinney State 3
White Sands 31 El Paso Methodist 20
Canyon A&M 27 Commerce State 14
Lawrence State 45 Amarillo Methodist 30
Texas Panhandle 41 Utah A&M 0
Payne State 65 Everman State (TX) 7

FAR WEST
CC Los Angeles 45 Lane State 7
Redwood 33 Minns College 3
Rainier College 27 Provo Tech 10
Spokane State 14 Cache Valley 3
Golden Gate University 30 Portland Tech 24
Northern California 26 Sunnyvale 13
Colorado Poly 13 Mountainview State 2
Mile High State 17 Miners College 10
Idaho A&M 52 Willamette Valley State 34
Custer College 24 South Dakota Tech 7
College of San Diego 21 San Francisco Tech 20
Gates University 27 Flagstaff State 17
Wyoming A&I 27 Snake River State 7

SHAMROCKS GRAB QUEBEC BORN DEFENDER FIRST OVERALL IN NAHC DRAFT

The New York Shamrocks have big skates to fill on defense after the spring trade that saw their captain, veteran rearguard Bert McColley dealt to the Chicago Packers. The hope among the Shamrocks crew is that eventually Griffin Dufrense will be the one to fill that hole on the blueline. The 19-year-old native of Bagotville, Quebec was selected first overall by the Shamrocks in the NAHC rookie draft.

Dufrense will almost assuredly play this season in the Canadian Junior League and is probably a couple of years away from being ready to join the Greenshirts. Until then New York will have to count on Jerry Finch, one of the pieces they added in the McColley trade, to fill the void on the blueline. New York also received Chicago's first and third round draft choices in the deal. The first rounder, fifth overall, was used to select another Quebec born youngster in right winger Bill Lachance.

After the Shamrocks elected to take Dufrense, the second overall selection belong to Montreal and the Valiants were likely thrilled to land goaltender Nathan Bannister. The 19-year-old Sudbury, On. native was tabbed by many as the best player available in the draft and will likely be the eventually replacement for veteran Tom Brockers with the Vals. By going second overall, Bannister becomes the highest drafted goaltender since the NAHC began its rookie draft in 1941.

The Detroit Motors followed with the third selection and looked to upgrade their blueline with the addition of Emmett Hargreaves, a left shooting defenseman who hails from Kenora, Ont. The two-time defending Challenge Cup champions followed with the announcement that Ken Jamieson, a center from Regina, would be their choice. Following the Shamrocks second pick of the opening round in Bill Lachance, the Boston Bees rounded out the first round with the decision to go with right winger Vince Banks, who was a teammate of goaltender Nathan Bannister in Sudbury last season.

Most teams had four picks this year, but the Chicago Packers were the lone team with two, sending their 1st and 3rd Round picks to the New York Shamrocks in the blockbuster acquisition of bruising defensemen Bert McColley. Unfortunately the Packers were saddled with two left wingers, as the defensemen they were hoping would fall was taken one pick before their final selection, leaving them with a choice of two left wingers.

The Packers organization was still quite happy with their second rounder, as while they wouldn't have taken Hugh Lambert in the first round, he was near the top of the board for second round picks. A 19-year-old from Vancouver, Lambert profiles as a top second liner on the left side. He's not the worst choice to lead a team, but cup chasers would want a more talented player leading their offense. 4th Rounder Gene Dalton isn't nearly as exciting, and there is a chance he remains unsigned for a while. A strong showing in the junior leagues could change that, but with him an open contract slot may be more appealing.

RECENT KEY RESULTS

• Monday night in Philadelphia a pair of highly respected middleweights met with Jim Ward (21-3) scoring a split-decision victory in a 10-rounder with Kevin Rawlings (22-5). Ward is a 26-year-old New Yorker ranked just outside the top ten in his weight class and slowed what had been a strong rise from Rawlings, an Oshawa, Canada native who had won each of his previous nine decisions.
• Veteran heavyweight Allen Bailey (39-7-2) knocked out Nick Brooks (17-8-2) in the fourth round of their bout Monday evening in Hartford, Ct.
• Thursday in Cincinnati Todd Gill, who fought a pair of famous title fights with Frank Melanson including a draw in their first meeting back in 1945, suffered his second straight loss, losing a 10-round decision to Don Henderson. The 36-year-old Gill is now 26-8-6 and nearing the end of the line. He has not been the same fighter since taking a 15th round TKO loss in the rematch with Melanson.
• Adrian Petrie, the Quebec fighter who won the world middleweight title on questionable circumstances late last year from Edouard Desmarais but then lost to the Frenchman in June, was back in action on Thursday at New York's Bigsby Garden. It was a major event with rising star Bill Boggs providing the opposition and the pair slugged it out for 10 rounds with neither coming up on top as the judges declared the bout a draw. The 26-year-old Petrie is now 19-2-2 while the Brooklyn native Boggs, 24, is 19-2-1.
• Last night in Atlantic City veteran heavyweight Bob Hinkle (24-8) scored a unanimous decision victory over Marshall McBride (27-7-1).

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• Sep 21- Thompson Palladium, Detroit: HW Tommy Cline (14-2) vs Lloyd Grange (14-2-1)
• Sep 23- Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago: WW contenders Carl Taylor (27-6-2) vs Ira Mitchell (22-4)
• Oct 8 - Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago - World HW champion Hector Sawyer (61-3-1) defends his title against Lewis Jones (20-1-1)
• Oct 18- Bigsby Garden, New York City - rising middleweights Tommy Campbell (22-2-1) vs Davis Owens (19-0)
• Oct 21- Chesapeake Arena, Baltimore- Welterweight contender Danny Rutledge (17-1) vs Rudy Perry (28-5-1)
• Oct 25- National Auditorium, Washington DC - middleweights Bobby Price (22-4) vs Millard Shelton (25-5)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 9/18/1949

• A 30% cut in the dollar value of the British pound sterling hit the British public like a blow in the face and caused financial turmoil all over the world. The Labor government made the move as a desperate gamble to save the nation from threatened bankruptcy, hunger and misery, slashed the worth of the pound from $4.03 US to $2.80. Banks in Britain were closed for the day as was the London Stock Exchange and those in many other European countries.
• As the week progressed, 19 other nations devalued their currency, causing market chaos and soaring prices for gold and commodity stocks.
• John L. Lewis and the coal miners walked off the job again, going on strike with the cry "No pension, no work" in protest of the suspension of pension and welfare fund payments.
• By weeks end, after urging from President Truman, the steel workers agreed to a temporary truce to allow for further negotiations, promising they will return to work immediately and delay the strike until October 1.
• Brig.Gen. Carlos Romulo of the Philippines was elected President of the United Nations and immediately challenged the 59 delegations to make this "the peace assembly."
• US Secretary of State Acheson told the UN that he believes that East-West differences can be ended peacefully, but warned that a solution will not be quick or easy.
• China called on the UN to act swiftly to prevent communism from engulfing China and the entire Far East. For the first time, China also charged that Russia was directing the Chinese Communists.
• A game changer over the weekend as President Truman announced that "we have evidence that within recent weeks, an atomic explosion occurred in the USSR." His statement indicated that the Russians have made an atomic bomb although he did not say so specifically.