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Tiger Fan · 02-19-2024, 01:31 PM

FEBRUARY 27, 1950

A PLAYER TO WATCH FROM EACH ROUND OF THE RECENT FABL DRAFT

With all the buzz in the baseball world right now, it's easy to forget that not too long ago all 16 FABL teams added 10 players to their respective organizations. With 160 new ballplayers to add to your FABL knowledge, the staff at TWIFS wanted to highlight a player from each round worth knowing.

Cincinnati Cannons
1st Round, 8th Overall: CF Fred Lainhart
School: Pandora
1949: 24 G, .593/.627/.880, 120 PA, 14 2B, 7 3B, HR, 34 RBI, 31 SB
Career: 72 G, .585/.618/.896, 363 PA, 45 2B, 21 3B, 5 HR, 108 RBI, 99 SB

The only reason Fred Lainhart lasted as long as he did is that some FABL organizations had concerns with his signability, as the young outfielder doesn't turn 18 until August, and he's been fielding several offers from top-flight college programs that want to make a run at a title. Set to be a four year starter at his high school in Pandora, Ohio, the lowest Lainhart has hit in a season was .569 as a sophomore, as he reached .593 as both a freshman and junior, and his prep .585/.618/.896 is one of the best triple slashes ever put up. While Lainhart doesn't hit for much power, in fact three of his five homers came in 1948, it's hard to ignore just how exciting the bat is. He's got one of the prettiest swings you'll ever see, and batting titles should be a commonality in his future. He's also one of the fastest guys out there, so even if he does hit the ball on the ground too much, if it's not fielded cleanly, chances are he's on first. Or taking an extra base in the outfield. Or just flat out beating you because that's what he does. This kid has multiple elite tools, and as long as he doesn't get complement, which may be a problem for him, the sky is really the limit. Even with the Cannons extending current center fielder Fred Galloway, and last year's 7th overall pick Dallas Berry spending most of his time as a top 10 prospect, Lainhart will find a way to separate himself from his competition. The sky is the limit for the Ypsilanti, Michigan native, who could end up being the steal of the first round.

Chicago Chiefs
2nd Round, 31st Overall: CF Rod Shearer
School: Plantersville A&M
1949: N/A
Career: N/A

The second round caused a run of pitching, with ten pitchers taken in the first fourteen picks. The guy taken after all those, Rod Shearer, may end up being the best. A townball standout down in Texas, Rod Shearer hasn't spent any time in the college game, but the hard working outfielder enrolled at Plantersville A&M to be eligible for selection in the draft. An athletic center fielder, Shearer is known for his tape-measure home runs -- both the ones that clear the seats, or the ones that keep rolling into the backdrop behind the stadium where his speed makes him tough to catch. The power is his best tool, although he is prone to overswinging. Good pitchers can fool him with the soft stuff, so Shearer will need to demonstrate against organized competition that the strikeouts won't be an issue. He's not a guy who's going to put the ball in play a lot, but when he makes contact it's quality, and his swing is so quick that he can catch up to even a Peter the Heater fireball. Sure, a well placed Papenfus change would make him look like a fool, but you can always teach pitch recognition. There's a lot of risk involved when taking a guy without much of a track record, but after winning a championship, there's no reason not to shoot for the stars.

Toronto Wolves
3rd Round, 40th Overall: SS Charlie Gamble
School: Brooklyn Catholic
1949: 56 G, .302/.362/.452, 282 PA, 9 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 39 SB
Career (COL): 97 G, .287/.347/.458, 490 PA, 16 2B, 13 3B, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 74 SB
Career (HS): 75 G, .438/.496/.689, 387 PA, 24 2B, 16 3B, 9 HR, 92 RBI, 52 SB

A Brooklyn native, Charlie Gamble actually went to high school in Jersey, where he hit .438 with 9 homers, 92 RBIs, and 52 steals in his three seasons as a starter. That was enough to attract the Detroit Dynamos, who grabbed him in the 16th Round three drafts ago. Despite that, the now 20-year-old decided to bet on himself, fulfilling his commitment to the nearby Brooklyn Catholic. You can say his ... gamble ... paid off, as the young shortstop became an extra base machine, wracking up 40 extra base hits with 74 steals in his first two seasons. He moved way up draft boards, and the Wolves decided to grab him 40th overall, 208 picks higher then his first go around. The type of player who plays with his hair on fire, he's always going at 1000%, which his great with his speed and ability to hit the ball hard and often. His effort is what got him to where he is, and now the Wolves have a chance to reap the rewards. Shortstop is set with John Wells, but Gamble has played some second and could shift over if needed.

What may be most interesting, however, is that if the Wolves third rounder makes a FABL roster, not only will he not be the first Charlie Gamble to play in FABL, but not even the first Charlie Gamble who was drafted as a shortstop out of college to make the major leagues. That would be Ohio native Charlie Gamble, who was born in 1899 and was taken 8th overall by the Chicago Cougars 30 drafts before Gamble was named a third rounder. A gifted defender, that Gamble spent eight seasons with the Cougars, hitting .284/.344/.373 (95 OPS+) with 70 doubles, 22 triples, 13 homers, 230 RBIs, and 39 steals. His 63.9 zone rating and 1.098 efficiency is about what you expect from a Cougar shortstop, and 14.3 WAR in 503 games is pretty solid. It will be interesting to see if this new, unrelated Gamble can match or even surpass the production, something the Wolves are betting on when they added him to their system.

Chicago Chiefs
4th Round, 64th Overall: RHP Don Honeycutt
School: DeLand
1949: 11 G, 5-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 55.1 IP, 9 BB, 88 K
Career: 28 G, 11-0, 0.90 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 130.2 IP, 27 BB, 213 K

While the 2nd Round was all about pitching, the 4th was about bats, as it took until the 16th pick before the first 4th round pitcher was selected. That would be Don Honeycutt, who happens to be one of the youngest players in the pool. 17 in November, Honeycutt will pitch his first minor league season as a 16-year-old, as he's graduating in three years to start his pro career earlier. Because of his age, he started just 9 of his 17 outings in '48 before 7 of 11 last season. A three pitch pitcher, Honeycutt has stellar command, as he posted a near 10 K/BB (9.8) in 55.1 innings last season. That went with a second sub 1 ERA and sub 0.85 WHIP, and he followed up a 6-0 year with a 5-0 year. Perfect so far, it'll be interesting to see if the Florida native can keep that up, though I think the Foresters rather see him start all his games as a senior. What has allowed the righty to succeed so far is that he keeps the ball on the ground, and his change up is a superb pitch. It's leaps and bounds better then the rest, so to get into a rotation, he's got to polish up his fastball and sinker. The sinker does do well generating grounders, and he locates both pitches well, but better hitters have been able to hit the hard stuff. There's plenty of risk with any high school pitchers, and Honeycutt may have the biggest divide between risk and reward.

Cincinnati Cannons
5th Round, 68th Overall: RHP Hooks Bloomquist
School: Inglewood
1949: 15 G, 9-2, 1.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 109.1 IP, 42 BB, 168 K
Career: 45 G, 26-6, 1.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 328.2 IP, 130 BB, 520 K

Okay, how can you not love a guy named Hooks Bloomquist?

Not only does he have an S-Tier name, but Bloomquist is a massive strikeout arm who punched out 520 batters in his first three high school season. That equates to a 36.6 K%, and he has a 35+ K% each time out. A lanky 6'3'' righty, Hooks has a deep five pitch arsenal, and all five pitches are potential plus offerings. I like the curve the best, but the change can be a knockout pitch too, while the hard stuff sits in the mid-80s. As great as all this sounds, he has one glaring weakness: there's little to no command right now. Even in high school, he's walking around 9% of the batters he faced, and that's only going to jump when he's stuck facing better bats. But the Cannons are in need of pitching and the upside with Hooks is obvious. It's still early, but he gives off some Bob Arman vibes, a pitcher the Cannons had success with when he was in town. Arman found a way to succeed with subpar command, so it's doable, but there's a lot of work to be done. If he can't get it under control, he could work well in a high leverage pen role, something teams are starting to pay more attention to as the game evolves.

Pittsburgh Miners
6th Round, 81st Overall: C Ike Bell
School: Cartersville
1949: 23 G, .456/.508/.728, 119 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 5 SB
Career: 44 G, .440/.493/.668, 226 PA, 24 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 59 RBI, 12 SB

This is a draft with plenty of players who bear the same name as a former FABL player, so it makes perfect sense that the Miners were the one to take backstop Ike Bell, who shares the name of a once Miner pitcher who was absurdly dominant before his arm fell off. He had a three year stretch where he started 134 games and accumulated 37.8 WAR while leading the league in WAR, K/BB, and FIP- all three years, while also leading in wins twice, ERA, strikeouts twice, and WHIP twice. In total, he threw 2800.2 innings from 1899 to 1906, all with the Miners, while going 202-99 with a 2.02 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, and 1,421 strikeouts. He was worth 77 WAR and will likely remain the FABL All-Time ERA leader the rest of his life.

Now the new Ike Bell won't do any of that, but he's a talented catcher who will try to force his way into a FABL lineup. He's got great discipline and some pop, and he could end up a double digit home run hitter. Pittsburgh recently traded starting catcher Homer Guthrie, and while the young Dino Robinson may be there now, he's no lock to remain their in the future. The Miners do have a highly touted prospect in Bob Burge, but he struggled in the CWL and is a bat first guy with some questions behind the plate. If Ike can take advantage of the situation he's in, he can push himself past the former 2nd Rounder, and eventually carve out a career for himself as an everyday catcher.

Chicago Chiefs
7th Round, 101st Overall: RHP Eddie Finch
School: Miami
1949: 16 G, 10-1, 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 109.2 IP, 28 BB, 161 K
Career: 45 G, 27-3, 1.19 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 309.1 IP, 89 BB, 483 K

Taken one pick after 100, Eddie Finch was selected by the Keystones, and the West Palm Beach native will have to decide whether he wants to sign or not. A three pitch pitcher, Finch is coming off a 10-1 season and he has now struck out at least 160 hitters in each of his first three seasons. The 6'3'' righty upped his velocity to 87-89 last year, and Finch has been working on his change up this season. His fastball and sinker are both great pitches, but his change is vulnerable and good hitters don't have issues with the hard stuff. He can dominate when he's in the zone though, and he showed it by striking out 483 hitters while walking just 89. That's good for a 5.4 K/BB, but as he advances that's going to drop unless he masters his change. It's the first roadblock in his journey to become a FABL starter, as the hard stuff is tough to hit. He's either going to need to master his command or master his change. Otherwise his future is in the pen, where he could shine in a late inning role.

Brooklyn Kings
8th Round, 118th Overall: C Dutch Miller
School: Georgia Baptist
1949: 51 G, .283/.363/.435, 259 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 28 SB
Career (COL): 102 G, .287/.367/.455, 516 PA, 17 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 85 RBI, 57 SB
Career (HS): 43 G, .433/.521/.706, 222 PA, 20 2B, 3B, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 12 SB

The Brooklyn Kings have had plenty of success with Georgia Baptist catchers, as that's where Fred Barrell spend three years there. The same goes for Dutch Miller, who may be one of the best value picks of the draft. Originally a 13th Round selection by the Pioneers out of high school, Dutch Miller has developed into a far better prospect, putting up excellent numbers for the Gators. He's slugged 20 homers and even stole 57 bases, something you don't really see from a catcher. It comes against some of the best college pitchers too, and Miller self looks like the type of catcher who can really help his staff. He may not hit the ball for a high average, but he's been hitting the ball hard and that tends to make good things happen. When paired with a good eye, he's only swinging at pitches he can hit, so while there will be swings and misses it's not going to be from chasing outside of the zone. Catcher is one of the weakest positions for prospects, so there's a chance that he ranks among the top 15 prospects at the position if he can put together a strong junior season.

Pittsburgh Miners
9th Round, 138th Overall: CF Bill Bailey
School: Grand Rapids
1949: 23 G, .426/.478/.723, 118 PA, 13 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 23 SB
Career: 68 G, .460/.507/.750, 348 PA, 35 2B, 11 3B, 10 HR, 88 RBI, 69 SB

There's one thing the New York Stars do better then everyone else, and that's acquiring talented Bill's. They have plenty on the active roster and in the farm, and they'll be adding another in the summer when Bill Bailey graduates high school.. Unfortunately for Bailey, his stock has been trending down, as he was excellent as a freshman. The 14-year-old hit an impressive .495/.533/.796 with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 32 RBIs, and 21 steals in 21 games. Bailey's followed that with averages of .462 and .426, and his tallies any many significant categories have dropped each season. That's going to make this spring so important, as a bounce back senior season could cause this pick to be a real winner for the Stars. Bailey's shown an excellent hit tool and could bat around .300 often, and one of the few things he did improve on were his walks and strikeouts. His K% dropped each season (6.5 to 4.9 to 4.2) and his BB% as a freshman (8.4) was slightly lower then the next two seasons (8.9 and 8.5). There's some pressure on Bailey to preform this season, or he might get lost in a system that's led by talented center fielder, top 20 prospect, and last year's 5th pick Eddie Dickey.

Chicago Cougars
10th Round, 158th Overall: SS Dave Hall
School: St. Blane College
1949: 54 G, .269/.330/.380, 270 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 34 SB
Career: 114 G, .279/.337/.391, 571 PA, 17 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 96 RBI, 71 SB

The Cougars are known for selecting athletic middle infielders, so its no surprise that they ended the first half of the draft with St. Blane's Dave Hall. A switch hitter from New York, Hall's spent most of his time at short for the Fighting Saints, where scouts expect him to be outstanding. That will make him always appealing as an organizational piece, At the plate he can be a bit too aggressive, which may lead to a low average, but when he puts the ball in play he can make tings happens. As you'd expect with a top defender, he's extremely fast, allowing him to beat out grounders and stretch singles into doubles. If he can learn to take better at bats, he could work his way into a lineup. What makes Hall interesting, however, is the bat may not end up making much difference, as he has the perfect makings of a utility players. Even though the Gothams got a Hall of Famer in Jim Lonardo in the 10th, that's the exception, not the rule, so any sort of value this late is a plus. With Hall's excellent shortstop defense, his speed, and ability to hit from both sides of the plate, he's got all the makings of a utility player. All he has to do is not completely embarrass himself at the plate.

Perhaps hoping to mimic the success of hockey's Toronto Dukes, the Toronto Wolves have rebranded their uniforms and logo, choosing to switch from their traditional blue and white garb to a red and black theme that seems to mirror the two-time defending Challenge Cup champions. Toronto owner Bernie Millard personally oversaw the design and feels this wolf logo will make his struggling ballclub look "like killers on the field." Millard, a coal magnate when he is not focused on the Toronto baseball and basketball teams he owns, says rather than the local hockey team, his inspiration for the color change was a desire to have black in the Wolves uniforms. "I like red. And black," said the outspoken 65-year-old, adding "coal is black, you know?"
Staying with Toronto I am just waiting for Bernie Millard to notice that GWL star Clyde Zimmerman, who hit .292 with 55 homers in 4 seasons with the 3-time Bigsby Cup champion Oakland Grays, has been signed by Chicago. The Cougars circumvent the ban on GWL players from returning to FABL because Zimmerman technically never played in FABL. He was a 1940 5th round pick of Montreal but they released him while he was still in Class C the following year and he had been with independent teams ever since. Doubt Milard will take to kindly to the news though.
Zimmerman is believed to be the first player to play in the GWL who has been signed by a FABL club. Whether he plays in the Continental Association remains to be seen as the Cougars do have plenty of outfield depth and there may be a push from some FABL hardliners to void the contract. Detroit Assistant General Manager Harris Dixon said his club toyed with the idea of offering Zimmerman a contract, as well as former Oakland catcher Joe Loyd, but decided it was not worth the potential conflict that might develop with some FABL magnates.
Tom Bird, former General Manager of the Oakland Grays and long-time FABL star, was happy to see his former player get an opportunity. "Zimm was a big piece of what we accomplished in Oakland and I am glad to see him earn a chance." In a clear attack against the FABL magnates decision to ban all former FABL players who appeared in the GWL, Bird added he feels it is a crime what they are doing to the players and suggests someone should take legal action. "I can't see how this can be legal. Denying a man a right to make a living and deprieving fans the opportunity to see some very talented ballplayers." Bird just shook his head when pressed for thoughts on Wolves owner Bernie Millard, who was the most vocal critic of the GWL. "There is a reason players don't want to play in Toronto and I am sure it is pretty easy to figure out what that reason is."

HOT MONTH HAS SHAMROCKS IN CONTROL OF TOP SPOT IN NAHC

The New York Shamrocks had a dominant month to open a 7-point lead on the second place Toronto Dukes atop the NAHC standings. The Shamrocks ended the month on a down note, falling 3-0 in Boston last night, but despite that setback the club went 9-2-1 for the month and are on a 14-3-4 run since early January. Toronto, on the other hand, has stumbled through February with a 5-5-2 record that is eerily reminiscent of the Dukes February struggles a year ago, when a 1-5 stretch knocked them from first to third. It proved to not matter at all last year as the Dukes, despite forfeiting home ice advantage through the playoffs due to their last season struggles, still managed to win their second consecutive Challenge Cup.

The Shamrocks goaltending has been their strength all season but in recent weeks it has been a surprise offensive threat that has shaped the club's fortunes. That would be a 31-year-old rookie by the name of Alexandre Lapalme. The winger from Toronto was playing senior hockey at this time last year but after signing a pro contract with minor league Cleveland and scoring 9 goals in his first 20 games in the HAA, Lapalme caught the attention of New York general manager Cooper Law, who purchased Lapalme's contract.

Laplame made his debut in November as one of the oldest rookies the NAHC has seen in recent years. He fit in immediately by scoring a goal and adding an assist in his debut and has not looked back. On the season in 43 games Lapalme has 16 goals and 31 points but it is over the last two weeks that he has really caught fire with 6 goals and 5 assists in his last six games and he is a big reason why the Shamrocks are bidding to finish in first place during the regular season for the first time in nearly two decades.

NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK

MONDAY FEBRUARY 20

Detroit 2 at Montreal 2: A rare Monday night game in the NAHC ends in a 2-2 tie after third period goals from Ian Doyle and Adam Sandford allow the Montreal Valiants to salvage a point from their game with Detroit. The Motors did all of their scoring in a 54 second span of the opening period when Vincent Arsenault and Marsh Spencer each beat Vals netminder Tom Brockers. The result keeps the Motors three points ahead of Montreal in the battle for third place.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22

New York 3 at Chicago 1: The first place Shamrocks extend their lead on second place Toronto to 3 points after Alexandre Lapalme scored twice to lead the Greenshirts past Chicago 3-1.

Toronto 0 at Boston 4: Oscar James made 29 saves for his 4th shutout of the season as Boston snapped a five-game losing streak by blanking the second place Dukes 4-0. The game was scoreless for the first 48 minutes until the Bees exploded with goals from four different players in the final frame. Robert Walker, Joe Morey, Willis Beane and Ray Gustafson were the Boston marksmen.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23

Chicago 1 at New York 5: For the second night in a row the Shamrocks downed the Chicago Packers. It was New York's fifth straight victory. Alex Lapalme, who scored twice in Chicago last night, had 3 assists to pace the New York offense.

Montreal 7 at Detroit 0: Clarance Skinner scored once and added 3 assists while Brett Lanceleve chipped in with 3 helpers as the Valiants blasted the Motors 7-0. Veteran netminder Tom Brockers stopped all 24 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. The win moves the Valiants, who have lost just once in their last 8 games, to within a point of third place Detroit.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25

Montreal 3 at Boston 8: The Valiants squandered an opportunity to overtake idle Detroit for third place as Boston won for the second game in a row. Joe Morey led the way with a 5-point evening as the Bees exploded for four unanswered third period goals to blow open what had been a close game up to that point.

Toronto 2 at New York 5: For the second time in six days the New York Shamrocks got the best of the Toronto Dukes. Alex Lapalme continued his hot play of late with 2 goals and an assist to lead New York to a 5-2 victory - the sixth consecutive win for the Greenshirts while Toronto has lost 3 straight and fallen 7 points behind the streaking Shamrocks, who lead the NAHC with 70 points.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26

Chicago 2 at Detroit 2: Two struggling teams, both in desperate need of a victory, had to settle for a 2-2 tie at Thompson Palladium last night. The Motors are winless in their last five games and are just two points off a hard-charging Montreal Valiants team in the race for third place. The Packers are in dire straits, with just one win to show for their last seven games and 6 points to make up on Montreal if the Packers are going to reach the playoffs. Marty Mahoney and Tommy Burns, who finally scored his 21st of the season after a ten-game goalless drought, staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old by Tyson Beddoes and Hank Walsh evened things up for the Motors in the second period. Detroit fired 16 shots on Chicago netminder Norm Hanson in the third period and 37 overall, but Hanson shut the door in the final frame to earn a point for his club.

New York 0 at Boston 3: It might be too late as the Bees are still 5 points out of the final playoff spot with a dozen games remaining, but Boston is suddenly playing like they were expected to this season with 3 straight victories. The latest one slowed down a New York club that entered the contest on a 6-game winning streak. Oscar James stopped 27 Shamrocks shots for his second shutout of the week and league leading 5th of the season. Willis Beane and John Bentley scored in the opening period and James Smart, with his first of the season, added a second period goal to secure the victory.

UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY MARCH 1
Boston at Toronto
New York at Detroit

THURSDAY MARCH 2
Chicago at Montreal

SATURDAY MARCH 4
Boston at New York
Montreal at Chicago
Toronto at Detroit

SUNDAY MARCH 5
Boston at Chicago
New York at Toronto

DUKES FALL TO SHAMROCKS AGAIN, FADING FAST FROM FIRST

A rough week for the Toronto Dukes as the hockey club loses two road games to fall seven points behind the Shamrocks for top spot in the NAHC. The team was in Denny Arena to face a slumping Boston team midweek. The visitors came out skating well in the opening period but they could not find a way to put the disc past Oscar James. That would become the story of the match.

Boston played their normal game: hit everything in sight, clog the middle of the ice and clear the front of the net to give James a clear view of all shots. The first two periods were scoreless with Toronto holding a 19-12 advantage in shots on goal. The game was a fast affair, with few stoppages in play or penalties. Only 3 minors were called during the contest, and just one to Boston who are known not to shy away from the rough stuff. In fact, some suggest the Bees very much relish being involved in chippy matches. The home squad outhit the Dukes 38-16 in the game and perhaps that was a factor as Toronto skaters seemed to slow in the third period.

One of the two Toronto minors, a Frank Featherstone tipping call, at 7:38 led directly to the first goal of the game. Robert Walker scored with Toronto netminder Terry Russell screened on a wrist shot at 8:20 on a feed from Garrett Kauffeldt with Joe Morey drawing the second helper. Morey doubled the lead 3 and half minutes later on a shot that eluded Russell from the outside on a Bees rush. Try as they might Toronto could not mount any sustained pressure in the Boston end in large part due to the Bees "take the man" style. While pressing with the Dukes net empty Willis Beane scored into an empty cage at 19:07. Ray Gustafson added insult to injury to make the final 4-0 Boston.

The Dukes went into Bigsby Gardens Saturday night for a game Barrell was calling "must have." It started much like the Boston game as the first period was tight checking and ended scoreless with Gordie Broadway and the Shamrocks Alex Sorrell each making a couple of saves that could be termed highway robbery on chances from in tight.

It did not stay scoreless for long as the flood gates open about halfway through the second. Maurice Charette open the scoring at just past the 8 minute mark when he knocked home a rebound off a Herb Burdette shot to give Toronto its first lead of the week. It did not last long as Paul Tetreault knotted the score for New York two minutes later on shot that beat Broadway cleanly off a faceoff. Charlie Brown was called for interference just shy of the 15 minute mark, which allowed the Shamrocks power play to go to work. New York's 31-year-old rookie Alex Lapalme, who notched 5 points in his previous two games, quicly capitalized with a shot from the left hand circle on a set up from Orval Cabbell. It was Cabbell's league leading 45th assist of the season. While a man down the home squad made it 3-1 when Ryan Kennedy scored at 16:37 of the second but before the middle frame concluded the Dukes narrowed the lead to 3-2 when Les Carlson scored on the same power play just 20 seconds after Kennedy's goal. The Dukes held the play in the Shamrocks' end during the third testing New York's terrific netminder Alex Sorrell 16 times to no avail. Lapalme's 16th of the year with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game was a dagger in the heart of the Dukes and Rusty Mullins added a meaningless empty netter to make final 5-2 Shamrocks, solidifying their hold on first place.

Coach Barrell: "No sense crying over spilt milk..time to move forward. You are not going to win many scoring only twice in 2 games. Boston ran us out of the rink midweek. Sometimes you have to take a hit to make a play, other times it is better to dump and chase and in this game that may have been the case. We should have tried to make their defense work instead of getting knocked off the puck in the neutral zone. 4-0 was flattering to them, it was a game that could have went either way, give (Boston goaltender Oscar) James credit, he shut the door. New York was different story, down 2-1 the shorthanded one killed us. We came back to close within one but again could not find a way to tie it up."

We have 12 games left time to change some offensive tactics to give the opponents a different look, defensive we are relatively sound just need a save at the right time. Our keepers will rebound to make the key stop."

Losses in Detroit and Cleveland at least temporarily slowed down the high-flying Toronto Falcons. The Falcons, who rebounded from the loss in Cleveland Thursday with a 104-96 victory over the Crushers at Dominion Gardens on Saturday, have won 10 of their last 12 games and closed to within 3.5 games of Detroit, which has led the West Division pretty much all the way this season. James Chew had a career high 28 points in Saturday's victory and he, along with rookie Major Belk, give the Falcons a solid backcourt. The talent under the basket was never in doubt with vets Lon Porter and Max Lucia playing key roles in the Falcons resurgence.
Cincinnati's faint hopes of a playoff spot in the Western Division are still alive and after three straight wins, the most ardent fans in the Queen City are starting to openly believe in the Cyclones. And perhaps with good reason after 2 of their 3 wins this week were against teams in the top four in the West - including Detroit, 77-76 (Messer held to 7 points on 2-for-12 shooting) and Buffalo (the team they're chasing), 82-76 with a rousing fourth-quarter comeback. Cincinnati trailed 62-56 entering the fourth quarter. The Cyclones won behind Moses Stancil's 29 points and 21 rebounds.
The Philadelphia Phantoms hope a 104-85 win over Baltimore last night ends what has been just an awful stretch for the club. The Phantoms were challenging for top spot in the East but now have fallen to 6th place after they lost 11 of their previous twelve games entering play yesterday. It is not hard to see where things went wrong for the Phantoms. A January 31st loss to the Brooklyn Red Caps started the slide and was the game that both guard Jerry Hubbard, who leads the FBL in assists per game, and center Clark Kellogg were both knocked out of the game with injuries. Neither has played since and Hubbard, who is the biggest loss, likely won't be ready to return from a separated shoulder for close to another three weeks. By then the Phantoms may not have even a ghost of a chance of making the playoffs.
Another struggling club continues to be the Chicago Panthers. This has been a nightmare season for the Panthers, who are healthy again but have lost three straight and 12 of their last 14 games.

BARRELL LEADS COLONELS CLOSER TO DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE TITLE

Sophomore guard Charlie Barrell has only started 8 games in his collegiate career but since taking over for the injured Carrol Larkin the three sport star has made the most of his opportunity. Barrell had a pair of big games helping the Colonels move a little closer to their fourth Deep South Conference title in the past six years and closer to a perfect regular season. The Colonels are now 25-0 overall, including 7-0 in Deep South section play as they bid to join Liberty College as the first schools in a decade to be undefeated entering the national championship tournament.

On Wednesday evening in Augusta as the Colonels hosted Northern Mississippi, Barrell came up with two crucial free throws in the final minute to provide the margin of victory in a 52-50 triumph over the Mavericks. On the evening the sophomore, who also excels on the gridiron and the diamond, scored 13 points. Three days later in Athens as the Colonels faced rival Georgia Baptist, Barrell scored 11 points and added 5 rebounds in a 52-33 drubbing of the Gators.

The big test for the Colonels comes Wednesday when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face the 11th ranked Alabama Baptist Panthers. The Panthers are 6-1 in section play and 23-2 overall. With just two weeks remaining in the season the winner of the game is the likely champion of the Deep South Conference.

A big showdown is looming Wednesday in the West Coast Athletic Association as well with 7th ranked Rainier College and 14th ranked Redwood University tangle. The two clubs are tied for the section lead at 11-2 with each have two games remaining after their upcoming meeting in Puyallup, WA. The first meeting of the two this season saw the Mammoths prevail 76-68 on their home court.

Western Iowa and Indiana A&M each won twice last week and continue to be on a collision course to decide the Great Lakes Alliance conference winner when they meet in 10 days. The Canaries, at 22-3 overall and 11-1 in GLA play extended their section winning streak to 9-games with victories over Minnesota Tech and Lincoln last week. Thursday at home Chris Saltzer scored 16 points to pace the Canaries to a 60-52 win over the Lakers and then added 15 more on Saturday in Springfield, IL. to help down the Lincoln Presidents 56-41.

Indiana A&M is 23-2 overall and 10-2 in GLA play after splitting a pair of games last week. The Reapers were upset 49-48 in Milwaukee by Wisconsin State on Thursday for their second loss in three games but bounced back with a 65-50 win over Minnesota Tech Saturday. Senior forward J.C. Mitchell, who missed what would have been a game-winning buzzer beater on Thursday made up for it with a career best 26 points in the win Saturday over the Lakers.

Complete college standings and results can be found here

WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23
at #2 Western Iowa 60, Minnesota Tech 52
at #4 Carolina Poly 53, Mobile Maritime 42
at Wisconsin State 49, #6 Indiana A&M 48
at #8 Whitney College 68, Lincoln 60
at #13 Detroit City College 62, Central Ohio 48
#15 Maryland State 62, at #23 North Carolina Tech 55
#21 Western State 61, at Flint 51

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24
at #9 Coastal California 47, Idaho A&M 25
#12 Lane State 52, at #17 CC Los Angeles 47

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25
#2 Western Iowa 56, at Lincoln 41
#3 Noble Jones College 52, at Georgia Baptist 33
#4 Carolina Poly 55, at Petersburg 34
at #6 Indiana A&M 65, Minnesota Tech 50
#8 Whitney College 61, at Wisconsin State 56
#11 Alabama Baptist 46, at Opelika State 45
at #13 Detroit City College 67, St. Ignatius 41
at #15 Maryland State 64, Bulein 49
#18 Brunswick 57, at Dickson 48
#19 Pierpont 44, at George Fox 33
#21 Western State 66, at Cuyahoga University 54
at #22 Central Kentucky 58, Bayou State 34
at #23 North Carolina Tech 58, Lexington State 51

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26
at #7 Rainier College 53, Portland Tech 35
#9 Coastal California 54, at #12 Lane State 49
at #14 Redwood 61, Idaho A&M 35
at #16 Frankford State 56, #25 St. Martin's College 35
#17 CC Los Angeles 60, at Spokane State 39
at #24 Queen City 53, Needham 50

RECENT KEY RESULTS

At Chicago's Lakeside Auditorium last night Scott 'The Chef' Baker cooked up an 8th round TKO win over Joe White (27-14-3). Baker, the 30-year-old Philadelphia born heavyweight, improves to 22-4-3 with the victory.
In San Francisco 25-year-old heavyweight contender Tommy Cline knocked out one of the top young fighters on the west coast, ending Mark Green's (15-3) evening with a flurry of blows in the third round of their bout that was slated for 10. Cline is 17-2 and seems ready to be a possible opponent for world champion Hector Sawyer.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

Tonight - Richmond, Va - veteran Boston heavyweight Roy Crawford (30-5) vs Denny Smith (11-8-3)
Feb 28- Bigsby Garden, New York - Welterweight contender Artie Neal (27-8-1) vs Jammer McDonald (13-11-3)
Mar 13 - Los Angeles, Ca. - rising young heavyweight Joey Tierney (17-0) faces Maurice Woods (13-6)
Mar 24- Bigsby Garden, New York - John Edmonds will face Bill Boggs for the world middleweight title, made vacant by the tragic death of former champ Edouard Desmarais in an October plane crash.
Mar 25 - San Francisco, Ca. - unbeaten 22-year-old heavyweight Brad Harris (16-0-1) faces his toughest test to date with a 10-rounder against veteran Matt Price (37-10-4)
Apr 8- Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland- World Welterweight champion Mac Erickson (21-0) defends his title in a rematch with Mark Westlake (27-5-1)

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 2/26/1950

Soft Coal rationing has begun in some areas as the Government prepares for its court ordered crackdown on John L. Lewis and striking United Mine Workers for failing to end the nation-wide coal strike. The contempt trial begins today as the 370,000 mine workers strike now enters its fourth week.
Violence erupted on the picket lines in Kentucky as two operators of a coal company in that state were beaten and equipment was damaged by a band of about 100 men.
The Chairman of the Senate's special investigations subcommittee says they would consider investigating any charges laid before it by Senator McCarthy, Republican, Wisconsin, who insists there are 57 card-carrying Communists in the State Department.
American businessman Robert Vogeler was sentenced by a Hungarian court to 15 years in prison on spy charges.
The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. All State Department staff in that country have been instructed to leave Bulgaria as soon as possible.
Russia has set up a separate Navy Ministry in her drive to build up sea power to match her strength on land.
A top Government officials told Congress the United States must not waver in economic aid to Western Europe if it is to win the cold war. Secretary of State Acheson was speaking before a joint session of Senate and House committees on foreign affairs.
The Labor Party of Prime Minister Attlee won a slim majority in voting for Britain's new House of Commons.

02-19-2024, 01:31 PM	#882
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,855	February 27, 1950 FEBRUARY 27, 1950 A PLAYER TO WATCH FROM EACH ROUND OF THE RECENT FABL DRAFT With all the buzz in the baseball world right now, it's easy to forget that not too long ago all 16 FABL teams added 10 players to their respective organizations. With 160 new ballplayers to add to your FABL knowledge, the staff at TWIFS wanted to highlight a player from each round worth knowing. Cincinnati Cannons 1st Round, 8th Overall: CF Fred Lainhart School: Pandora 1949: 24 G, .593/.627/.880, 120 PA, 14 2B, 7 3B, HR, 34 RBI, 31 SB Career: 72 G, .585/.618/.896, 363 PA, 45 2B, 21 3B, 5 HR, 108 RBI, 99 SB The only reason Fred Lainhart lasted as long as he did is that some FABL organizations had concerns with his signability, as the young outfielder doesn't turn 18 until August, and he's been fielding several offers from top-flight college programs that want to make a run at a title. Set to be a four year starter at his high school in Pandora, Ohio, the lowest Lainhart has hit in a season was .569 as a sophomore, as he reached .593 as both a freshman and junior, and his prep .585/.618/.896 is one of the best triple slashes ever put up. While Lainhart doesn't hit for much power, in fact three of his five homers came in 1948, it's hard to ignore just how exciting the bat is. He's got one of the prettiest swings you'll ever see, and batting titles should be a commonality in his future. He's also one of the fastest guys out there, so even if he does hit the ball on the ground too much, if it's not fielded cleanly, chances are he's on first. Or taking an extra base in the outfield. Or just flat out beating you because that's what he does. This kid has multiple elite tools, and as long as he doesn't get complement, which may be a problem for him, the sky is really the limit. Even with the Cannons extending current center fielder Fred Galloway, and last year's 7th overall pick Dallas Berry spending most of his time as a top 10 prospect, Lainhart will find a way to separate himself from his competition. The sky is the limit for the Ypsilanti, Michigan native, who could end up being the steal of the first round. Chicago Chiefs 2nd Round, 31st Overall: CF Rod Shearer School: Plantersville A&M 1949: N/A Career: N/A The second round caused a run of pitching, with ten pitchers taken in the first fourteen picks. The guy taken after all those, Rod Shearer, may end up being the best. A townball standout down in Texas, Rod Shearer hasn't spent any time in the college game, but the hard working outfielder enrolled at Plantersville A&M to be eligible for selection in the draft. An athletic center fielder, Shearer is known for his tape-measure home runs -- both the ones that clear the seats, or the ones that keep rolling into the backdrop behind the stadium where his speed makes him tough to catch. The power is his best tool, although he is prone to overswinging. Good pitchers can fool him with the soft stuff, so Shearer will need to demonstrate against organized competition that the strikeouts won't be an issue. He's not a guy who's going to put the ball in play a lot, but when he makes contact it's quality, and his swing is so quick that he can catch up to even a Peter the Heater fireball. Sure, a well placed Papenfus change would make him look like a fool, but you can always teach pitch recognition. There's a lot of risk involved when taking a guy without much of a track record, but after winning a championship, there's no reason not to shoot for the stars. Toronto Wolves 3rd Round, 40th Overall: SS Charlie Gamble School: Brooklyn Catholic 1949: 56 G, .302/.362/.452, 282 PA, 9 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 39 SB Career (COL): 97 G, .287/.347/.458, 490 PA, 16 2B, 13 3B, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 74 SB Career (HS): 75 G, .438/.496/.689, 387 PA, 24 2B, 16 3B, 9 HR, 92 RBI, 52 SB A Brooklyn native, Charlie Gamble actually went to high school in Jersey, where he hit .438 with 9 homers, 92 RBIs, and 52 steals in his three seasons as a starter. That was enough to attract the Detroit Dynamos, who grabbed him in the 16th Round three drafts ago. Despite that, the now 20-year-old decided to bet on himself, fulfilling his commitment to the nearby Brooklyn Catholic. You can say his ... gamble ... paid off, as the young shortstop became an extra base machine, wracking up 40 extra base hits with 74 steals in his first two seasons. He moved way up draft boards, and the Wolves decided to grab him 40th overall, 208 picks higher then his first go around. The type of player who plays with his hair on fire, he's always going at 1000%, which his great with his speed and ability to hit the ball hard and often. His effort is what got him to where he is, and now the Wolves have a chance to reap the rewards. Shortstop is set with John Wells, but Gamble has played some second and could shift over if needed. What may be most interesting, however, is that if the Wolves third rounder makes a FABL roster, not only will he not be the first Charlie Gamble to play in FABL, but not even the first Charlie Gamble who was drafted as a shortstop out of college to make the major leagues. That would be Ohio native Charlie Gamble, who was born in 1899 and was taken 8th overall by the Chicago Cougars 30 drafts before Gamble was named a third rounder. A gifted defender, that Gamble spent eight seasons with the Cougars, hitting .284/.344/.373 (95 OPS+) with 70 doubles, 22 triples, 13 homers, 230 RBIs, and 39 steals. His 63.9 zone rating and 1.098 efficiency is about what you expect from a Cougar shortstop, and 14.3 WAR in 503 games is pretty solid. It will be interesting to see if this new, unrelated Gamble can match or even surpass the production, something the Wolves are betting on when they added him to their system. Chicago Chiefs 4th Round, 64th Overall: RHP Don Honeycutt School: DeLand 1949: 11 G, 5-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 55.1 IP, 9 BB, 88 K Career: 28 G, 11-0, 0.90 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 130.2 IP, 27 BB, 213 K While the 2nd Round was all about pitching, the 4th was about bats, as it took until the 16th pick before the first 4th round pitcher was selected. That would be Don Honeycutt, who happens to be one of the youngest players in the pool. 17 in November, Honeycutt will pitch his first minor league season as a 16-year-old, as he's graduating in three years to start his pro career earlier. Because of his age, he started just 9 of his 17 outings in '48 before 7 of 11 last season. A three pitch pitcher, Honeycutt has stellar command, as he posted a near 10 K/BB (9.8) in 55.1 innings last season. That went with a second sub 1 ERA and sub 0.85 WHIP, and he followed up a 6-0 year with a 5-0 year. Perfect so far, it'll be interesting to see if the Florida native can keep that up, though I think the Foresters rather see him start all his games as a senior. What has allowed the righty to succeed so far is that he keeps the ball on the ground, and his change up is a superb pitch. It's leaps and bounds better then the rest, so to get into a rotation, he's got to polish up his fastball and sinker. The sinker does do well generating grounders, and he locates both pitches well, but better hitters have been able to hit the hard stuff. There's plenty of risk with any high school pitchers, and Honeycutt may have the biggest divide between risk and reward. Cincinnati Cannons 5th Round, 68th Overall: RHP Hooks Bloomquist School: Inglewood 1949: 15 G, 9-2, 1.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 109.1 IP, 42 BB, 168 K Career: 45 G, 26-6, 1.45 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 328.2 IP, 130 BB, 520 K Okay, how can you not love a guy named Hooks Bloomquist? Not only does he have an S-Tier name, but Bloomquist is a massive strikeout arm who punched out 520 batters in his first three high school season. That equates to a 36.6 K%, and he has a 35+ K% each time out. A lanky 6'3'' righty, Hooks has a deep five pitch arsenal, and all five pitches are potential plus offerings. I like the curve the best, but the change can be a knockout pitch too, while the hard stuff sits in the mid-80s. As great as all this sounds, he has one glaring weakness: there's little to no command right now. Even in high school, he's walking around 9% of the batters he faced, and that's only going to jump when he's stuck facing better bats. But the Cannons are in need of pitching and the upside with Hooks is obvious. It's still early, but he gives off some Bob Arman vibes, a pitcher the Cannons had success with when he was in town. Arman found a way to succeed with subpar command, so it's doable, but there's a lot of work to be done. If he can't get it under control, he could work well in a high leverage pen role, something teams are starting to pay more attention to as the game evolves. Pittsburgh Miners 6th Round, 81st Overall: C Ike Bell School: Cartersville 1949: 23 G, .456/.508/.728, 119 PA, 14 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 5 SB Career: 44 G, .440/.493/.668, 226 PA, 24 2B, 3B, 6 HR, 59 RBI, 12 SB This is a draft with plenty of players who bear the same name as a former FABL player, so it makes perfect sense that the Miners were the one to take backstop Ike Bell, who shares the name of a once Miner pitcher who was absurdly dominant before his arm fell off. He had a three year stretch where he started 134 games and accumulated 37.8 WAR while leading the league in WAR, K/BB, and FIP- all three years, while also leading in wins twice, ERA, strikeouts twice, and WHIP twice. In total, he threw 2800.2 innings from 1899 to 1906, all with the Miners, while going 202-99 with a 2.02 ERA (146 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, and 1,421 strikeouts. He was worth 77 WAR and will likely remain the FABL All-Time ERA leader the rest of his life. Now the new Ike Bell won't do any of that, but he's a talented catcher who will try to force his way into a FABL lineup. He's got great discipline and some pop, and he could end up a double digit home run hitter. Pittsburgh recently traded starting catcher Homer Guthrie, and while the young Dino Robinson may be there now, he's no lock to remain their in the future. The Miners do have a highly touted prospect in Bob Burge, but he struggled in the CWL and is a bat first guy with some questions behind the plate. If Ike can take advantage of the situation he's in, he can push himself past the former 2nd Rounder, and eventually carve out a career for himself as an everyday catcher. Chicago Chiefs 7th Round, 101st Overall: RHP Eddie Finch School: Miami 1949: 16 G, 10-1, 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 109.2 IP, 28 BB, 161 K Career: 45 G, 27-3, 1.19 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 309.1 IP, 89 BB, 483 K Taken one pick after 100, Eddie Finch was selected by the Keystones, and the West Palm Beach native will have to decide whether he wants to sign or not. A three pitch pitcher, Finch is coming off a 10-1 season and he has now struck out at least 160 hitters in each of his first three seasons. The 6'3'' righty upped his velocity to 87-89 last year, and Finch has been working on his change up this season. His fastball and sinker are both great pitches, but his change is vulnerable and good hitters don't have issues with the hard stuff. He can dominate when he's in the zone though, and he showed it by striking out 483 hitters while walking just 89. That's good for a 5.4 K/BB, but as he advances that's going to drop unless he masters his change. It's the first roadblock in his journey to become a FABL starter, as the hard stuff is tough to hit. He's either going to need to master his command or master his change. Otherwise his future is in the pen, where he could shine in a late inning role. Brooklyn Kings 8th Round, 118th Overall: C Dutch Miller School: Georgia Baptist 1949: 51 G, .283/.363/.435, 259 PA, 8 2B, 3B, 8 HR, 42 RBI, 28 SB Career (COL): 102 G, .287/.367/.455, 516 PA, 17 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 85 RBI, 57 SB Career (HS): 43 G, .433/.521/.706, 222 PA, 20 2B, 3B, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 12 SB The Brooklyn Kings have had plenty of success with Georgia Baptist catchers, as that's where Fred Barrell spend three years there. The same goes for Dutch Miller, who may be one of the best value picks of the draft. Originally a 13th Round selection by the Pioneers out of high school, Dutch Miller has developed into a far better prospect, putting up excellent numbers for the Gators. He's slugged 20 homers and even stole 57 bases, something you don't really see from a catcher. It comes against some of the best college pitchers too, and Miller self looks like the type of catcher who can really help his staff. He may not hit the ball for a high average, but he's been hitting the ball hard and that tends to make good things happen. When paired with a good eye, he's only swinging at pitches he can hit, so while there will be swings and misses it's not going to be from chasing outside of the zone. Catcher is one of the weakest positions for prospects, so there's a chance that he ranks among the top 15 prospects at the position if he can put together a strong junior season. Pittsburgh Miners 9th Round, 138th Overall: CF Bill Bailey School: Grand Rapids 1949: 23 G, .426/.478/.723, 118 PA, 13 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 23 SB Career: 68 G, .460/.507/.750, 348 PA, 35 2B, 11 3B, 10 HR, 88 RBI, 69 SB There's one thing the New York Stars do better then everyone else, and that's acquiring talented Bill's. They have plenty on the active roster and in the farm, and they'll be adding another in the summer when Bill Bailey graduates high school.. Unfortunately for Bailey, his stock has been trending down, as he was excellent as a freshman. The 14-year-old hit an impressive .495/.533/.796 with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homers, 32 RBIs, and 21 steals in 21 games. Bailey's followed that with averages of .462 and .426, and his tallies any many significant categories have dropped each season. That's going to make this spring so important, as a bounce back senior season could cause this pick to be a real winner for the Stars. Bailey's shown an excellent hit tool and could bat around .300 often, and one of the few things he did improve on were his walks and strikeouts. His K% dropped each season (6.5 to 4.9 to 4.2) and his BB% as a freshman (8.4) was slightly lower then the next two seasons (8.9 and 8.5). There's some pressure on Bailey to preform this season, or he might get lost in a system that's led by talented center fielder, top 20 prospect, and last year's 5th pick Eddie Dickey. Chicago Cougars 10th Round, 158th Overall: SS Dave Hall School: St. Blane College 1949: 54 G, .269/.330/.380, 270 PA, 8 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 34 SB Career: 114 G, .279/.337/.391, 571 PA, 17 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 96 RBI, 71 SB The Cougars are known for selecting athletic middle infielders, so its no surprise that they ended the first half of the draft with St. Blane's Dave Hall. A switch hitter from New York, Hall's spent most of his time at short for the Fighting Saints, where scouts expect him to be outstanding. That will make him always appealing as an organizational piece, At the plate he can be a bit too aggressive, which may lead to a low average, but when he puts the ball in play he can make tings happens. As you'd expect with a top defender, he's extremely fast, allowing him to beat out grounders and stretch singles into doubles. If he can learn to take better at bats, he could work his way into a lineup. What makes Hall interesting, however, is the bat may not end up making much difference, as he has the perfect makings of a utility players. Even though the Gothams got a Hall of Famer in Jim Lonardo in the 10th, that's the exception, not the rule, so any sort of value this late is a plus. With Hall's excellent shortstop defense, his speed, and ability to hit from both sides of the plate, he's got all the makings of a utility player. All he has to do is not completely embarrass himself at the plate. Perhaps hoping to mimic the success of hockey's Toronto Dukes, the Toronto Wolves have rebranded their uniforms and logo, choosing to switch from their traditional blue and white garb to a red and black theme that seems to mirror the two-time defending Challenge Cup champions. Toronto owner Bernie Millard personally oversaw the design and feels this wolf logo will make his struggling ballclub look "like killers on the field." Millard, a coal magnate when he is not focused on the Toronto baseball and basketball teams he owns, says rather than the local hockey team, his inspiration for the color change was a desire to have black in the Wolves uniforms. "I like red. And black," said the outspoken 65-year-old, adding "coal is black, you know?" Staying with Toronto I am just waiting for Bernie Millard to notice that GWL star Clyde Zimmerman, who hit .292 with 55 homers in 4 seasons with the 3-time Bigsby Cup champion Oakland Grays, has been signed by Chicago. The Cougars circumvent the ban on GWL players from returning to FABL because Zimmerman technically never played in FABL. He was a 1940 5th round pick of Montreal but they released him while he was still in Class C the following year and he had been with independent teams ever since. Doubt Milard will take to kindly to the news though. Zimmerman is believed to be the first player to play in the GWL who has been signed by a FABL club. Whether he plays in the Continental Association remains to be seen as the Cougars do have plenty of outfield depth and there may be a push from some FABL hardliners to void the contract. Detroit Assistant General Manager Harris Dixon said his club toyed with the idea of offering Zimmerman a contract, as well as former Oakland catcher Joe Loyd, but decided it was not worth the potential conflict that might develop with some FABL magnates. Tom Bird, former General Manager of the Oakland Grays and long-time FABL star, was happy to see his former player get an opportunity. "Zimm was a big piece of what we accomplished in Oakland and I am glad to see him earn a chance." In a clear attack against the FABL magnates decision to ban all former FABL players who appeared in the GWL, Bird added he feels it is a crime what they are doing to the players and suggests someone should take legal action. "I can't see how this can be legal. Denying a man a right to make a living and deprieving fans the opportunity to see some very talented ballplayers." Bird just shook his head when pressed for thoughts on Wolves owner Bernie Millard, who was the most vocal critic of the GWL. "There is a reason players don't want to play in Toronto and I am sure it is pretty easy to figure out what that reason is." HOT MONTH HAS SHAMROCKS IN CONTROL OF TOP SPOT IN NAHC The New York Shamrocks had a dominant month to open a 7-point lead on the second place Toronto Dukes atop the NAHC standings. The Shamrocks ended the month on a down note, falling 3-0 in Boston last night, but despite that setback the club went 9-2-1 for the month and are on a 14-3-4 run since early January. Toronto, on the other hand, has stumbled through February with a 5-5-2 record that is eerily reminiscent of the Dukes February struggles a year ago, when a 1-5 stretch knocked them from first to third. It proved to not matter at all last year as the Dukes, despite forfeiting home ice advantage through the playoffs due to their last season struggles, still managed to win their second consecutive Challenge Cup. The Shamrocks goaltending has been their strength all season but in recent weeks it has been a surprise offensive threat that has shaped the club's fortunes. That would be a 31-year-old rookie by the name of Alexandre Lapalme. The winger from Toronto was playing senior hockey at this time last year but after signing a pro contract with minor league Cleveland and scoring 9 goals in his first 20 games in the HAA, Lapalme caught the attention of New York general manager Cooper Law, who purchased Lapalme's contract. Laplame made his debut in November as one of the oldest rookies the NAHC has seen in recent years. He fit in immediately by scoring a goal and adding an assist in his debut and has not looked back. On the season in 43 games Lapalme has 16 goals and 31 points but it is over the last two weeks that he has really caught fire with 6 goals and 5 assists in his last six games and he is a big reason why the Shamrocks are bidding to finish in first place during the regular season for the first time in nearly two decades. NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK MONDAY FEBRUARY 20 Detroit 2 at Montreal 2: A rare Monday night game in the NAHC ends in a 2-2 tie after third period goals from Ian Doyle and Adam Sandford allow the Montreal Valiants to salvage a point from their game with Detroit. The Motors did all of their scoring in a 54 second span of the opening period when Vincent Arsenault and Marsh Spencer each beat Vals netminder Tom Brockers. The result keeps the Motors three points ahead of Montreal in the battle for third place. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22 New York 3 at Chicago 1: The first place Shamrocks extend their lead on second place Toronto to 3 points after Alexandre Lapalme scored twice to lead the Greenshirts past Chicago 3-1. Toronto 0 at Boston 4: Oscar James made 29 saves for his 4th shutout of the season as Boston snapped a five-game losing streak by blanking the second place Dukes 4-0. The game was scoreless for the first 48 minutes until the Bees exploded with goals from four different players in the final frame. Robert Walker, Joe Morey, Willis Beane and Ray Gustafson were the Boston marksmen. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 Chicago 1 at New York 5: For the second night in a row the Shamrocks downed the Chicago Packers. It was New York's fifth straight victory. Alex Lapalme, who scored twice in Chicago last night, had 3 assists to pace the New York offense. Montreal 7 at Detroit 0: Clarance Skinner scored once and added 3 assists while Brett Lanceleve chipped in with 3 helpers as the Valiants blasted the Motors 7-0. Veteran netminder Tom Brockers stopped all 24 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. The win moves the Valiants, who have lost just once in their last 8 games, to within a point of third place Detroit. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25 Montreal 3 at Boston 8: The Valiants squandered an opportunity to overtake idle Detroit for third place as Boston won for the second game in a row. Joe Morey led the way with a 5-point evening as the Bees exploded for four unanswered third period goals to blow open what had been a close game up to that point. Toronto 2 at New York 5: For the second time in six days the New York Shamrocks got the best of the Toronto Dukes. Alex Lapalme continued his hot play of late with 2 goals and an assist to lead New York to a 5-2 victory - the sixth consecutive win for the Greenshirts while Toronto has lost 3 straight and fallen 7 points behind the streaking Shamrocks, who lead the NAHC with 70 points. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 Chicago 2 at Detroit 2: Two struggling teams, both in desperate need of a victory, had to settle for a 2-2 tie at Thompson Palladium last night. The Motors are winless in their last five games and are just two points off a hard-charging Montreal Valiants team in the race for third place. The Packers are in dire straits, with just one win to show for their last seven games and 6 points to make up on Montreal if the Packers are going to reach the playoffs. Marty Mahoney and Tommy Burns, who finally scored his 21st of the season after a ten-game goalless drought, staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old by Tyson Beddoes and Hank Walsh evened things up for the Motors in the second period. Detroit fired 16 shots on Chicago netminder Norm Hanson in the third period and 37 overall, but Hanson shut the door in the final frame to earn a point for his club. New York 0 at Boston 3: It might be too late as the Bees are still 5 points out of the final playoff spot with a dozen games remaining, but Boston is suddenly playing like they were expected to this season with 3 straight victories. The latest one slowed down a New York club that entered the contest on a 6-game winning streak. Oscar James stopped 27 Shamrocks shots for his second shutout of the week and league leading 5th of the season. Willis Beane and John Bentley scored in the opening period and James Smart, with his first of the season, added a second period goal to secure the victory. UPCOMING GAMES WEDNESDAY MARCH 1 Boston at Toronto New York at Detroit THURSDAY MARCH 2 Chicago at Montreal SATURDAY MARCH 4 Boston at New York Montreal at Chicago Toronto at Detroit SUNDAY MARCH 5 Boston at Chicago New York at Toronto DUKES FALL TO SHAMROCKS AGAIN, FADING FAST FROM FIRST A rough week for the Toronto Dukes as the hockey club loses two road games to fall seven points behind the Shamrocks for top spot in the NAHC. The team was in Denny Arena to face a slumping Boston team midweek. The visitors came out skating well in the opening period but they could not find a way to put the disc past Oscar James. That would become the story of the match. Boston played their normal game: hit everything in sight, clog the middle of the ice and clear the front of the net to give James a clear view of all shots. The first two periods were scoreless with Toronto holding a 19-12 advantage in shots on goal. The game was a fast affair, with few stoppages in play or penalties. Only 3 minors were called during the contest, and just one to Boston who are known not to shy away from the rough stuff. In fact, some suggest the Bees very much relish being involved in chippy matches. The home squad outhit the Dukes 38-16 in the game and perhaps that was a factor as Toronto skaters seemed to slow in the third period. One of the two Toronto minors, a Frank Featherstone tipping call, at 7:38 led directly to the first goal of the game. Robert Walker scored with Toronto netminder Terry Russell screened on a wrist shot at 8:20 on a feed from Garrett Kauffeldt with Joe Morey drawing the second helper. Morey doubled the lead 3 and half minutes later on a shot that eluded Russell from the outside on a Bees rush. Try as they might Toronto could not mount any sustained pressure in the Boston end in large part due to the Bees "take the man" style. While pressing with the Dukes net empty Willis Beane scored into an empty cage at 19:07. Ray Gustafson added insult to injury to make the final 4-0 Boston. The Dukes went into Bigsby Gardens Saturday night for a game Barrell was calling "must have." It started much like the Boston game as the first period was tight checking and ended scoreless with Gordie Broadway and the Shamrocks Alex Sorrell each making a couple of saves that could be termed highway robbery on chances from in tight. It did not stay scoreless for long as the flood gates open about halfway through the second. Maurice Charette open the scoring at just past the 8 minute mark when he knocked home a rebound off a Herb Burdette shot to give Toronto its first lead of the week. It did not last long as Paul Tetreault knotted the score for New York two minutes later on shot that beat Broadway cleanly off a faceoff. Charlie Brown was called for interference just shy of the 15 minute mark, which allowed the Shamrocks power play to go to work. New York's 31-year-old rookie Alex Lapalme, who notched 5 points in his previous two games, quicly capitalized with a shot from the left hand circle on a set up from Orval Cabbell. It was Cabbell's league leading 45th assist of the season. While a man down the home squad made it 3-1 when Ryan Kennedy scored at 16:37 of the second but before the middle frame concluded the Dukes narrowed the lead to 3-2 when Les Carlson scored on the same power play just 20 seconds after Kennedy's goal. The Dukes held the play in the Shamrocks' end during the third testing New York's terrific netminder Alex Sorrell 16 times to no avail. Lapalme's 16th of the year with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game was a dagger in the heart of the Dukes and Rusty Mullins added a meaningless empty netter to make final 5-2 Shamrocks, solidifying their hold on first place. Coach Barrell: "No sense crying over spilt milk..time to move forward. You are not going to win many scoring only twice in 2 games. Boston ran us out of the rink midweek. Sometimes you have to take a hit to make a play, other times it is better to dump and chase and in this game that may have been the case. We should have tried to make their defense work instead of getting knocked off the puck in the neutral zone. 4-0 was flattering to them, it was a game that could have went either way, give (Boston goaltender Oscar) James credit, he shut the door. New York was different story, down 2-1 the shorthanded one killed us. We came back to close within one but again could not find a way to tie it up." We have 12 games left time to change some offensive tactics to give the opponents a different look, defensive we are relatively sound just need a save at the right time. Our keepers will rebound to make the key stop." Losses in Detroit and Cleveland at least temporarily slowed down the high-flying Toronto Falcons. The Falcons, who rebounded from the loss in Cleveland Thursday with a 104-96 victory over the Crushers at Dominion Gardens on Saturday, have won 10 of their last 12 games and closed to within 3.5 games of Detroit, which has led the West Division pretty much all the way this season. James Chew had a career high 28 points in Saturday's victory and he, along with rookie Major Belk, give the Falcons a solid backcourt. The talent under the basket was never in doubt with vets Lon Porter and Max Lucia playing key roles in the Falcons resurgence. Cincinnati's faint hopes of a playoff spot in the Western Division are still alive and after three straight wins, the most ardent fans in the Queen City are starting to openly believe in the Cyclones. And perhaps with good reason after 2 of their 3 wins this week were against teams in the top four in the West - including Detroit, 77-76 (Messer held to 7 points on 2-for-12 shooting) and Buffalo (the team they're chasing), 82-76 with a rousing fourth-quarter comeback. Cincinnati trailed 62-56 entering the fourth quarter. The Cyclones won behind Moses Stancil's 29 points and 21 rebounds. The Philadelphia Phantoms hope a 104-85 win over Baltimore last night ends what has been just an awful stretch for the club. The Phantoms were challenging for top spot in the East but now have fallen to 6th place after they lost 11 of their previous twelve games entering play yesterday. It is not hard to see where things went wrong for the Phantoms. A January 31st loss to the Brooklyn Red Caps started the slide and was the game that both guard Jerry Hubbard, who leads the FBL in assists per game, and center Clark Kellogg were both knocked out of the game with injuries. Neither has played since and Hubbard, who is the biggest loss, likely won't be ready to return from a separated shoulder for close to another three weeks. By then the Phantoms may not have even a ghost of a chance of making the playoffs. Another struggling club continues to be the Chicago Panthers. This has been a nightmare season for the Panthers, who are healthy again but have lost three straight and 12 of their last 14 games. BARRELL LEADS COLONELS CLOSER TO DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE TITLE Sophomore guard Charlie Barrell has only started 8 games in his collegiate career but since taking over for the injured Carrol Larkin the three sport star has made the most of his opportunity. Barrell had a pair of big games helping the Colonels move a little closer to their fourth Deep South Conference title in the past six years and closer to a perfect regular season. The Colonels are now 25-0 overall, including 7-0 in Deep South section play as they bid to join Liberty College as the first schools in a decade to be undefeated entering the national championship tournament. On Wednesday evening in Augusta as the Colonels hosted Northern Mississippi, Barrell came up with two crucial free throws in the final minute to provide the margin of victory in a 52-50 triumph over the Mavericks. On the evening the sophomore, who also excels on the gridiron and the diamond, scored 13 points. Three days later in Athens as the Colonels faced rival Georgia Baptist, Barrell scored 11 points and added 5 rebounds in a 52-33 drubbing of the Gators. The big test for the Colonels comes Wednesday when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face the 11th ranked Alabama Baptist Panthers. The Panthers are 6-1 in section play and 23-2 overall. With just two weeks remaining in the season the winner of the game is the likely champion of the Deep South Conference. A big showdown is looming Wednesday in the West Coast Athletic Association as well with 7th ranked Rainier College and 14th ranked Redwood University tangle. The two clubs are tied for the section lead at 11-2 with each have two games remaining after their upcoming meeting in Puyallup, WA. The first meeting of the two this season saw the Mammoths prevail 76-68 on their home court. Western Iowa and Indiana A&M each won twice last week and continue to be on a collision course to decide the Great Lakes Alliance conference winner when they meet in 10 days. The Canaries, at 22-3 overall and 11-1 in GLA play extended their section winning streak to 9-games with victories over Minnesota Tech and Lincoln last week. Thursday at home Chris Saltzer scored 16 points to pace the Canaries to a 60-52 win over the Lakers and then added 15 more on Saturday in Springfield, IL. to help down the Lincoln Presidents 56-41. Indiana A&M is 23-2 overall and 10-2 in GLA play after splitting a pair of games last week. The Reapers were upset 49-48 in Milwaukee by Wisconsin State on Thursday for their second loss in three games but bounced back with a 65-50 win over Minnesota Tech Saturday. Senior forward J.C. Mitchell, who missed what would have been a game-winning buzzer beater on Thursday made up for it with a career best 26 points in the win Saturday over the Lakers. Complete college standings and results can be found here WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 at #2 Western Iowa 60, Minnesota Tech 52 at #4 Carolina Poly 53, Mobile Maritime 42 at Wisconsin State 49, #6 Indiana A&M 48 at #8 Whitney College 68, Lincoln 60 at #13 Detroit City College 62, Central Ohio 48 #15 Maryland State 62, at #23 North Carolina Tech 55 #21 Western State 61, at Flint 51 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24 at #9 Coastal California 47, Idaho A&M 25 #12 Lane State 52, at #17 CC Los Angeles 47 SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25 #2 Western Iowa 56, at Lincoln 41 #3 Noble Jones College 52, at Georgia Baptist 33 #4 Carolina Poly 55, at Petersburg 34 at #6 Indiana A&M 65, Minnesota Tech 50 #8 Whitney College 61, at Wisconsin State 56 #11 Alabama Baptist 46, at Opelika State 45 at #13 Detroit City College 67, St. Ignatius 41 at #15 Maryland State 64, Bulein 49 #18 Brunswick 57, at Dickson 48 #19 Pierpont 44, at George Fox 33 #21 Western State 66, at Cuyahoga University 54 at #22 Central Kentucky 58, Bayou State 34 at #23 North Carolina Tech 58, Lexington State 51 SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 at #7 Rainier College 53, Portland Tech 35 #9 Coastal California 54, at #12 Lane State 49 at #14 Redwood 61, Idaho A&M 35 at #16 Frankford State 56, #25 St. Martin's College 35 #17 CC Los Angeles 60, at Spokane State 39 at #24 Queen City 53, Needham 50 RECENT KEY RESULTS At Chicago's Lakeside Auditorium last night Scott 'The Chef' Baker cooked up an 8th round TKO win over Joe White (27-14-3). Baker, the 30-year-old Philadelphia born heavyweight, improves to 22-4-3 with the victory. In San Francisco 25-year-old heavyweight contender Tommy Cline knocked out one of the top young fighters on the west coast, ending Mark Green's (15-3) evening with a flurry of blows in the third round of their bout that was slated for 10. Cline is 17-2 and seems ready to be a possible opponent for world champion Hector Sawyer. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS Tonight - Richmond, Va - veteran Boston heavyweight Roy Crawford (30-5) vs Denny Smith (11-8-3) Feb 28- Bigsby Garden, New York - Welterweight contender Artie Neal (27-8-1) vs Jammer McDonald (13-11-3) Mar 13 - Los Angeles, Ca. - rising young heavyweight Joey Tierney (17-0) faces Maurice Woods (13-6) Mar 24- Bigsby Garden, New York - John Edmonds will face Bill Boggs for the world middleweight title, made vacant by the tragic death of former champ Edouard Desmarais in an October plane crash. Mar 25 - San Francisco, Ca. - unbeaten 22-year-old heavyweight Brad Harris (16-0-1) faces his toughest test to date with a 10-rounder against veteran Matt Price (37-10-4) Apr 8- Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland- World Welterweight champion Mac Erickson (21-0) defends his title in a rematch with Mark Westlake (27-5-1) The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 2/26/1950 Soft Coal rationing has begun in some areas as the Government prepares for its court ordered crackdown on John L. Lewis and striking United Mine Workers for failing to end the nation-wide coal strike. The contempt trial begins today as the 370,000 mine workers strike now enters its fourth week. Violence erupted on the picket lines in Kentucky as two operators of a coal company in that state were beaten and equipment was damaged by a band of about 100 men. The Chairman of the Senate's special investigations subcommittee says they would consider investigating any charges laid before it by Senator McCarthy, Republican, Wisconsin, who insists there are 57 card-carrying Communists in the State Department. American businessman Robert Vogeler was sentenced by a Hungarian court to 15 years in prison on spy charges. The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. All State Department staff in that country have been instructed to leave Bulgaria as soon as possible. Russia has set up a separate Navy Ministry in her drive to build up sea power to match her strength on land. A top Government officials told Congress the United States must not waver in economic aid to Western Europe if it is to win the cold war. Secretary of State Acheson was speaking before a joint session of Senate and House committees on foreign affairs. The Labor Party of Prime Minister Attlee won a slim majority in voting for Britain's new House of Commons. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles