NOVEMBER 13, 1950
WILD SCRAMBLE SHAPING UP IN AFA AMERICAN CONFERENCE
With only a month of the season remaining, the American Football Association found itself somewhat scrambled up today, with the American Conference playoff berth becoming very murky after a pair of upsets yesterday. The first occurred in Pittsburgh, where the Kansas City Cowboys, led by bruising fullback Mason Matthews, ran all over the host Paladins 24-10, handing the Steel City eleven its first loss of the season. The second happened in St. Louis where the Ramblers were picked apart in the fourth quarter by Los Angeles backup quarterback Charlie Thomas, who threw four touchdown passes in a span of less than ten minutes to propel the Tigers to a 35-28 victory.
The Cleveland Finches, at 7-2 after holding off San Francisco 27-21 yesterday, are now the top dog in the American Conference, but only half game ahead of the 6-2 Cowboys, winners of five straight and suddenly looking like the powerhouse they were in the old Continental loop. Meanwhile, the Ramblers -who seemed in complete control of things just two weeks ago- are now third after back to back losses in Kansas City and yesterday at home to the Tigers.
Speaking of the Tigers, there is even a glimmer of hope for Los Angeles in the National Conference as they are now within 2 games of the front-running Paladins after Pittsburgh was gunned down by the Cowboys yesterday. By a quirk of the scheduling in the first season of a 13 team league, the Tigers and Paladins, despite being division rivals, will not face each other this season but each has three games remaining. Pittsburgh has a home and home series with Washington sandwiched between a trip to Boston while the second place Tigers are on the road against New Orleans and Chicago before ending the season at home against St. Louis.
The American Conference will see the first place Finches host Boston next week and then after a bye week will finish with a home game against Philadelphia and a trip to Boston. Kansas City, which lost to Cleveland early in the season has 4 games remaining: home to New York and Detroit and on the road in Boston and New Orleans. St Louis also has four remaining but three are on the road with stops in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Ramblers lone remaining home contest is two weeks from now against the Wings.
*** Matthews Leading Cowboys Charge ***
The Kansas City Cowboys used to dominate through the air but they have found the ground approach has proven much more successful in the AFA. No wonder when you have a powerfully built bull in the backfield by the name of Mason Matthews. Matthews is more than pure power as the big back has plenty of speed once he hits open field and he proved that at Fitzpatrick Park yesterday with first quarter touchdown runs of 52 and 48 yards to stake the visiting Cowboys to an early lead. In all, the AFA rushing leader this season churned up 124 yards on the ground while also chipping in 84 more on catches from Pat Chappell. Chappell may not be the overwhelming force he was in the CFC but the cagey quarterback still rang up 201 yards passing against Pittsburgh and did not count an interception among his 23 pass attempts. The Paladins have been the class of the AFA up until now and they still have plenty left in the tank, led by an impressive back of their own in John Mecham, who carried the ball 21 times for 154 yards yesterday. One can't help but feel those in attendance may have just be watching a sneak preview of next month's AFA title game.
The St Louis Ramblers have to be wondering what happened. The hosts were up 28-7 in the final minute of the third quarter and Los Angeles quarterback Mark Monday was knocked out of the game. It seemed another certain victory for the Ramblers but someone forgot to tell that to Charlie Thomas. Pressed into action after Monday was injured, all Thomas did was throw 4 touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes of the game, three of them to Rod Hamilton, to lead the Los Angeles Tigers to a 35-28 comeback win and keep their title game hopes alive.
At Forester Field in Cleveland Dane Sutherland and Ben Starry combined on a pair of touchdown passes and the Cleveland Finches, thanks to a late interception in his own endzone by Bill McTigue, held off the San Francisco Wings 27-21. After a slow start the two-time defending league champion Chicago Wildcats extended their winning streak to 3 games as Ricky McCallister passed for 283 yards and two touchdowns while adding an interception and a forced fumble on defense to pace the Wildcats past winless New Orleans 42-7. Long touchdown runs in the final five minutes of the game from Walt Michos an Jackie Charles lifted the Boston Americans to a come from behind 21-10 victory over Philadelphia while in New York the Stars beat Washington by the same 24-13 count that the New Yorkers prevailed by in the Nation's Capital two weeks ago.
TIGERS PATH TO NATIONAL TITLE LOOKS CLEAR
Led by All-American candidates Pete Capizzi and Gene Trickle the Central Kentucky Tigers football squad can see the finish line in its pursuit of the first national title for the Lexington, KY. school in any of the three major school sports. The Tigers still have plenty of work to do but an impressive 21-6 victory over Northern Mississippi on Saturday improved their record to 9-0 and secured their hold on the top ranking. Standing in their way will be a pair of conference games including the crucial showdown with second ranked Cumberland in Knoxville the day after Thanksgiving. Like the Tigers, the Cumberland Explorers are also in search of their first National title in any major sport and it will likely be decided, along with the Deep South Conference title in just under two weeks time during that game.
Capizzi threw two touchdown passes in the Tigers win over the Mavericks on Saturday while at the same time Cumberland was routing Cookeville State by a score of 43-0 to retain the number two ranking in the poll. Central Kentucky should have an easy time next weekend against non-conference opponent Dakota State while Cumberland will need a win over Mississippi A&M next weekend to keep its title hopes alive.
Should both of the Deep South Conference powers stumble a pair of 8-0 schools in Redwood and Lubbock State are waiting in the wings. The Mammoths blasted Spokane State 51-14 but have a pair of tough games on the horizon with visit from Rome State next weekend followed by their annual showdown with Northern California, 13-10 winners over CC Los Angeles Saturday, set to likely decide a berth in the East-West Classic. Lubbock State moved a step closer to claiming the Southwestern Alliance title with a 17-10 victory over Travis College. The Hawks are off next week but could clinch the section title the following weekend with a win over Red River State.
The Great Lakes Alliance crown is on the line next week when Lincoln College hosts Central Ohio. The Presidents blanked Western Iowa 23-0 to improve to 4-0 in GLA play. The Aviators are 4-1 after downing Wisconsin State 20-14. One other result of note over the weekend was Pittsburgh State won its first game of the season. What was notable was who the Finches beat. They edged St. Blane 14-13 as the Fighting Saints have hit rock bottom and at 2-3-2 are in the midst of their worst season in ages.
WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS
EAST
Pittsburgh State 14 St. Blane 13
Pierpont 40 Ellery 6
Sadler 36 Dickson 3
Liberty College 28 Huntington State 16
Empire State 9 Brunswick 7
Grafton 23 Henry Hudson 13
St. Pancras 21 St. Erasmus 7
Boston State 35 Bigsby College 17
Eastern State 18 Richmond State 14
Conwell College 21 Frankford State 9
Brooklyn State 17 St. Matthew's College 14
Garden State 24 Eastern Virginia 3
SOUTH
Rome State 51 South Valley State 7
Central Kentucky 21 Northern Mississippi 6
Bluegrass State 27 Bayou State 24
Alabama Baptist 33 Mississippi Tech 0
Noble Jones College 24 Western Florida 10
Baton Rouge State 20 Annapolis Maritime 14
Georgia Baptist 21 Alexandria 13
Carolina Poly 16 Cowpens State 7
Cumberland 43 Cookeville State 0
Mississippi A&M 19 Western Tennessee 3
North Carolina Tech 10 Maryland State 9
Miami State 10 Grange College 0
Columbia Military Academy 10 Mobile Maritime 0
Bulein 14 Potomac College 7
Coastal State 37 Commonwealth Catholic 6
Charleston Tech 23 Central Carolina 10
Petersburg 23 Chesapeake State 21
Lexington State 34 Caesar Rodney 3
MIDWEST
Lincoln 23 Western Iowa 0
Detroit City College 20 Indiana A&M 0
St. Magnus 21 Whitney College 9
Central Ohio 20 Wisconsin State 14
St. Ignatius 35 Minnesota Tech 3
Daniel Boone College 23 Boulder State 17
College of Omaha 48 Eastern Kansas 17
Iowa A&M 30 Lambert College 27
Wisconsin Catholic 37 St. Patrick's 14
Northern Minnesota 38 Strub College 13
Dearborn State 24 Central Illinois 16
SOUTHWEST
Oklahoma City State 23 Lawrence State 20
Lubbock State 17 Travis College 10
Darnell State 30 Texas Gulf Coast 3
College of Waco 38 Payne State 20
Abilene Baptist 40 Texas Panhandle 20
Eastern Oklahoma 27 Topeka State 10
Red River State 21 Arkansas A&T 17
El Paso Methodist 27 NE Nebraska 14
Ferguson 20 McKinney State 0
WEST
Northern California 13 CC Los Angeles 10
Redwood 51 Spokane State 14
Rainier College 27 Portland Tech 13
Lane State 13 Idaho A&M 3
Wyoming A&I 36 Utah A&M 3
Custer College 50 Kit Carson University 17
College of San Diego 45 Queen City 0
Minns College 24 Golden Gate University 23
Tempe College 17 Valley State 10
Colorado Poly 29 Provo Tech 16
Mile High State 34 Cache Valley 7
California Catholic 29 San Clemente 3
San Francisco Tech 28 Sunnyvale 17
West New Mexico State 24 Flagstaff State 3
MOTORS OVERTAKE SLUMPING VALIANTS
After finishing October on a seven game unbeaten streak the Montreal Valiants have had their struggles once the calendar flipped to November. The Vals have just one win to show for five outings this month and count a pair of low scoring losses to the Detroit Motors among their November woes. The Motors, after back to back wins over Montreal and Chicago on the weekend, find themselves in the unusual position of looking down at everyone else in the standings. Detroit, which missed the playoffs a year ago, is a point ahead of second place New York in a very tight battle for top spot in the loop.
The Shamrocks are about the only team that has had success against Detroit in the early going and the New Yorkers have dominated their Motor City foes, winning all 3 meetings between the two. Detroit is 0-3 against the Shamrocks but 8-1-1 against the rest of the NAHC.
NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 8 The Shamrocks improved to 3-0 against Detroit this season with a 3-2 victory secured by third period goals from Simon Savard and Jocko Gregg after the Motors had taken a 2-1 lead in the opening twenty minutes.
Chicago 1 at 1 Toronto: Max Ducharme's first period powerplay goal held up until six minutes into the third when Quinton Pollack, with his 7th of the campaign, evened things for the Dukes.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 9
Boston 5 at 2 Montreal: Tommy Hart scored once and added two assists while the Bees outshot the Vals 40-23 in a 5-2 Boston victory. Backup Brad Carter got the start for the hosts in place of Tom Brockers.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11
Montreal 0 at 2 Detroit: Millard Touhey shut out his former club as the Valiants fell for the third time in four games. Defenseman Spencer Larocque scored the opening goal for Detroit in the second stanza and assisted in Vincent Arsenault's third period insurance marker.
Toronto 3 at 1 Boston: The Dukes have earned at least a point out of six of their last seven games after Quinton Pollack scored twice -his 8th and 9th of the season- to lead Toronto past Boston 3-1.
New York 0 at 1 Chicago: Wes Burns scored his first goal of the season, assisted by his brother Tommy, and that was enough for Norm Hanson, who stopped all 27 Greenshirts shots in a 1-0 Chicago victory. It was just the second win in 13 games this season for the Packers
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 12
Chicago 1 at 2 Detroit: Gil Corbeil scored twice and Millard Touhey stopped 20 of 21 Chicago shots in a 2-1 victory for the Motors, which moved them to the top of the NAHC standings.
Boston 1 at 4 New York: Orval Cabbell scored twice while Jim Macek and Simon Savard each had a goal and 2 assists in the Shamrocks 4-1 win over the visiting Bees.
Montreal 3 at 3 Toronto: Trevor Parker's goal midway through the third period allowed Toronto to salvage a point in a 3-3 draw with Montreal. The Valiants outshot the Dukes 37-24 but veteran Toronto netminder Gordie Broadway had a strong game between the pipes.
UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY NOVEMER 15
Detroit at Toronto
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 16
New York at Montreal
Chicago at Boston
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18
New York at Detroit
Montreal at Boston
Toronto at Chicago
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19
Chicago at Detroit
Boston at Montreal
New York at Toronto
DUKES STRUGGLE BACK TO .500
The Toronto Dukes went undefeated for the week, although it was only one win and two ties to now sit at 4-4-6 in fourth place.
On Wednesday night 13,654 were treated to quite a display of tending goal by Gordie Broadway and Ned Hanson in a battle against the Chicago Packers. Broadway faced 27 shots only getting beat once when Max Ducharme's wrist shot on the power play lit the lamp behind the Dukes cage just past the five minute mark of period one. The Packers would enjoy 4 more man advantages during the game with no success. Toronto again had lots of chances to beat Hanson, who turned aside 31 of 32, but only Pollack, with his 7th of the season, beat him in the third in a 1-1 tie. The Dukes seemed to step up their hitting game doling out 31 during the game. Every Packer player knew a hit was coming when they touched the puck.
Into Denny Arena for the third time this season to face the Bs on Saturday night. These two teams played their regular game: tight checking, hard hitting with no quarter given by either team. All four goals of the game were scored in the middle period. Dukes got 3 of the 4 including 2 more by Pollack along with Bobby Sauer's 2nd of the season in a 3-1 win. It again was chippy affair with stick penalties galore. Broadway outdueled Oscar James in the Boston net for his 4th win of the season. Broadway has played every minute in the Dukes crease leaving fans still awaiting Charlie Dell's NAHC debut.
Back home Sunday to host the high flying Vals from Montreal. If the fans thought that this would be a game for Dell were probably glad Barrell did not start him. The Dukes brought out their hitting game again but were not able to slow the visitors. Broadway was spectacular in net making 34 saves in a 3-3 tie. Dukes again came from behind in the third to tie the game on a goal from Trevor Parker, who was sent alone by Pollack on Brad Carter with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.
Coach Barrell- "Better week defensively, but we are really snake bit with the puck. I cannot tell how may times this season I have said "That's in" only to have a pad, stick, or glove rob one of our shooters. I am a little concerned that we still have given more goals than we have scored even with Gordie stopping better than 9 of 10 shots. He has stopped over 400 pucks in only 14 games. The offense will come, we have too many natural goal scorers to be denied going forward. We do need some secondary scoring. We will work on few new offensive zone wrinkles this week in practice. We usually spend very little time working on attacking zone plays, it seems to be time to change that philosophy."
ROCKETS BLAST TO TOP OF WESTERN DIVISION
The Rochester Rockets are certainly enjoy life in the Western Division of the Federal Basketball League. It is very early of course, but the Rockets -who finished 7th in a crowded and talented Eastern Division a year ago- are off to a 3-1 start after switching allegiances to the Western group this time around.
The Rockets opened the season against new regional rivals Buffalo and Toronto and came away with three wins in four outings against their new division mates. The opened in Buffalo and rookie Carl Casswell used that evening to prove that there was far more than just Luther Gordon to come out of last year's draft. The second overall selection, an All-American at Lane State, was overshadowed by the larger than life Gordon in college and on draft day, but he scored 19 points and added 10 boards in his pro debut to help the Rockets past the Brawlers 84-74. Rochester fell to league finalists Toronto in the Rockets home opener at the Rochester Auditorium but responded with wins over Buffalo and Toronto to end the week and find themselves leading the west.
Gordon, who may have been the most anticipated debut in FBL history, did not disappoint in his first pro game. The two-time collegiate player of the year had 15 points and 18 rebounds but it was hardly enough as his Chicago Panthers were tamed 80-60 by the Philadelphia Phantoms. The Panthers began with 4 straight losses before finally getting in the win column with a 98-75 victory over Buffalo yesterday, a game in which Gordon -who leads the FBL in scoring average after two weeks as a pro- had 32 points. That was not even Gordon's high water mark as the former Liberty College star had 35 in a loss to Toronto earlier in the week.
LIBERTY COLLEGE WINS WEST COAST CLASSIC
They are certainly not the Liberty College Bells teams of recent years. The ones that relied on either Ward Messer or Luther Gordon, who claimed 3 Barrette Trophy's as AIAA national player of the year between them. No one will ever mistake Kenny Pieper, the senior tasked with taking over as the Bells big man in the middle after six seasons of Messer and Gordon carrying the mail, as an All-American candidate but Pieper and the Bells are off to an impressive 4-0 star in this new era thanks to hard work and a much more balanced game.
The Bells went to California to start the post-Gordon era came back with some hardware in the form of a West Coast Classic preseason tournament title. They opened the 8-team field with an impressive 57-36 victory over host Redwood University in a game that saw 3 Bells score in double figures with guard Billy Phillips and forward Ole Avery leading the way with 14 each. Avery took charge of the offense once more with a game high 13 points in a 52-44 win over Hampden in the second round. The tournament final put them up against Mississippi Tech and it was Pieper who displayed some of the skills he may have absorbed watching Messer and Gordon over the past three seasons as the senior, who had never started a game before the West Coast Classic, scored a career best 20 points in a 56-48 victory over the Cougars.
Before returning home with the championship trophy the Bells made a quick stop in New Jersey where, despite looking tired from their cross-country trek, the Bells beat Sadler 54-50 with yet another player stepping up to lead the offense. That would be Bernie Stainbrook, a sophomore who is also new to the starting lineup. Stainbrook, who played sparingly and averaged just a point a game a year ago, had a career best 16 to lead the charge against the Bluecoats.
With a schedule that includes just a pair of teams presently ranked in the top 25, the Bells may just get enough wins to start their new era with another berth in the tournament that matters most and keep a streak of AIAA tournament appearances that goes back to 1934 alive.
NO PERFECT SEASON FOR COLONELS THIS TIME
Noble Jones College will not duplicate its perfect season - a first in the four-and-a-half-decade history of AIAA basketball- after the Colonels lost to Central Ohio in the second round of the Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic. They needed overtime to beat lightly regarded Brookland in the opening round and were simply overwhelmed by a deep Aviators attack that saw four members of the Great Lakes Alliance squad hitting double-digits in points led by sophomore Lee Woolridge's 18 in a 67-59 Aviators victory. Charlie Barrell, who was back at guard after playing forward in the opener, led the Colonels scoring parade for the second game in row with 15 points.
The Colonels did hang around New England after being eliminated from the Boston tournament, nipping host Commonwealth Catholic 61-59 after Carlton Hicks scored the winning bucket late in the game. Hicks had 14 points while sophomore Jim Graybeal led the way with 19 for the Colonels, who dip from 6th in the opening AIAA poll to 11th this week.
MAJESTICS TOP CANARIES IN SOUTHERN TOURNAMENT FINALE
The King of the South proved to be from the west coast as Rainier College wore down Western Iowa 44-40 in the championship game of the Atlanta tournament that saw a pair of top ranked teams square off. The Majestics, behind 15 points from T.J. Grimm and 10 from Don Higgins won a tight defense struggle over the Great Lakes Alliance reigning champions. Darryl Baugher, a preseason All-American candidate, led Western Iowa with 9 points and 10 rebounds.
The Majestics dominated the opening round game of the 4-team field, blasting Central Maryland 81-36 behind 22 points from Grimm and 16 from Doc Daniels. Western Iowa had an equally easy time with Holland, dumping the Dutchmen 56-39 with Baugher, Leo Beck and Dick Landry all reaching double figures in points. The Majestics are number one in the current collegiate poll with the Canaries falling to 9th with the loss to Rainier College after being number one a week ago.
PRESEASON TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RESULTS
BIGSBY FESTIVAL: Queen City 52 Western Florida 51
HEART OF TEXAS: Lubbock State 66 Central Kentucky 57
JACK EASTON TIP OFF CLASSIC: Northern California 73 Central Ohio 68
KING OF THE SOUTH: Rainier College 44 Western Iowa 40
PRESEASON AIAA SHOWCASE: Carolina Poly 71 Lane State 52
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: CC Los Angeles 48 Lexington State 30
WEST COAST CLASSIC: Liberty College 56 Mississippi Tech 48
WINDY CITY FESTIVAL: Darnell State 59 Eastern Oklahoma 52
Complete college cage results can be found
here
WINTER LEAGUE ROSTERS UNVEILED
Opening pitch in the Cuban Winter League looms closer with the news today of the rosters for each of the eight teams that will compete beginning next week for the title in the fifth season of the loop. FABL clubs partner up with one Federal Association team and one Continental Association club each providing prospects to one of the eight Cuban organizations. There were a few changes in the partner agreements this time around but the same eight Cuban clubs will compete to dethrone the Manzanillo Palms, who won the East Division for the third time and finally beat the Havana Sharks for the league title. The Sharks had claimed three of the four previous West Division titles and won the first two Cuban Championship games.
Here is a look at some of the top FABL prospects on each of the eight Cuban entries this winter:
EASTERN DIVISION
Camaguey Coyotes: (Boston & Brooklyn)-The Boston Minutemen have the top farm system in FABL these days and many of those top prospects will be on display in Cuba over the next couple of months including OSA's #1 overall Rick Masters. OSA pegs Masters as FABL ready in 1952 so this will be a good test for him and fellow 20-year-old top ten prospect Joe Kleman. The shortstop's doubleplay partner will be another highly touted Minutemen prospect in Marshall Thomas, a 22-year-old second baseman who will likely get a good look in spring training from the Minutemen. There is also outfielder Danny Taylor but the 23-year-old who is also a top twenty OSA prospect appears likely to play first base in Camaguey. The big name for Brooklyn fans to watch is Jackson Scott, a 25-year-old lefthander who had a brief taste of big league action in 1949.
Holguin Hawks: (Keystones & Sailors)- 1948 fifth overall selection Buddy Miller is a top twenty OSA prospect and the centerfielder will be looking to make a good impression on the Keystones after enduring some struggles at Class A last season. George Reynolds and Gordon McDonald are both former first round picks by the Philadelphia Sailors. Reynolds made his big league debut last season.
Manzanillo Palms: (Gothams & Stars)- 18-year-old Earl Howe, the Gothams top prospect, is not here but likely will be next season. Gothams fans will still want to keep an eye on their other prize youngster. That would be 23-year-old third baseman Hank Estill, a 1948 first rounder, who spent last season in Class A but looks to have a very bright future, and may even challenge for a job with the defending Federal Association pennant winners next season. The other name to watch is Chief Lewis. The 24-year-old outfielder hit .343 after a late season promotion and started all 7 WCS games for the Gothams. For the Stars, keep an eye on top seventy prospects Gene Curtis and Paul Anderson. Curtis is a 20-year-old third baseman who will likely be forced to play shortstop because of Estill's presence while Anderson is a 24-year-old lefthander.
Santiago Scorpions: (Cincinnati & St Louis)- The Cannons had plenty of success when affiliated with Havana but now move to Santiago. There is some pretty good talent coming along including second baseman Nick Remillard and outfielder Max Conrad. The other Cannons prospect to watch is Tommy Allenby. The third overall selection in 1946 is best known as the player the Detroit Dynamos drafted after they traded away the right to select John Stallings. Allenby never found his way to the Motor City and was dispatched to Cincinnati in the Adam Mullins deal a year and a half ago. He had a ton of potential out of high school but, so far at least, has failed to live up to it. For St Louis, a team desperate for offense at the big league level, it is actually a pitcher we are most interested in following. That would be Ralphie Spires, who is now 25 years old and maybe showed signs of being a late bloomer with a strong season at AAA Oakland last year. Also watch for 1947 second round pick George Atkins to show what he can do. The 21-year-old centerfielder spent some time in Santiago two years ago and made his big league debut for the Pioneers in September, hitting a respectable .281. He is ranked #4 by OSA and the Pioneers are hoping he can help fans forget that the club dealt Sherry Doyal to the Cleveland Foresters.
WESTERN DIVISION
Cienfuegos Crocodiles: (Chiefs & Cougars)- The two Chicago clubs combined on the 1948 Western Division championship squad; the only time Havana failed to win the division. The focus here will be squarely on Bob Allen as the 22-year-old Cougars pitching phenom makes his first appearance in Cuba and is looking to prove to Cougars brass that they need to make a place for him on a loaded big league pitching staff. 22-year-old centerfielder Jerry Smith is another Cougars top ten prospect and a 1947 first rounder. He debuted at AA midway through last season and will be watched closely in Cuba. Rod Shearer heads the list of Chiefs prospects as the 22-year-old outfielder, who was a second round pick in June and hit .412 in a brief September stint in the Windy City, will be one to keep an eye on. Shearer is listed #3 on the latest OSA prospect report. The top Chiefs pitching prospect on the club will be Bobby Crooks, a second round selection 1949 who is just 19 years old and slides in near the bottom of the OSA top 100.
Havana Sharks: (Detroit & Toronto)- Under a partnership between Detroit and Cincinnati the Sharks enjoyed great success with 3 division titles and a pair of pennants in the past four years but the Cannons have switched their base to Santiago and the Toronto Wolves have taken over. There is some talent in this group but maybe a lack of depth. The high end names are shortstop John Wells, who made his debut at 19 with the Wolves last summer and will be concentrating on improving his work in the field. Les Ledbetter is, like Wells, a former first overall draft pick but development has been slower than the Wolves have hoped for from the 22-year-old who struggled in AAA last season. Detroit provides a trio of highly touted pitchers led by Cuban loop veteran Fred Washington, who made his FABL debut in September, and also includes 18-year-old Beau McClellan. 21-year-old third baseman Jim Gaiter looked very good as a late season callup at third base by the Dynamos and he will play regularly for the Sharks.
Matanzas Buccaneers: (Montreal & Pittsburgh)- The Miners rebuild is coming along and three of their prize prospects will be on display for the Buccaneers. They include outfielders Roy Snedden and Bill Newhall and first baseman George Scott, each of whom is listed in the twenties on the OSA prospect pipeline. The big name for Montreal fans is Ted Coffin, a 1944 first rounder who made his big league debut on the mound for the Saints in September.
Santa Clara Stallions: (Cleveland & Washington)- It will be interesting to see if Dick Greenhalgh can dominate in this league. The 24-year-old is making his third appearance in Cuba and has pitched in Washington each of the past two seasons. The Eagles are desperately hoping he takes a big step forward this season and Cuba would be a great place to start. The Foresters, winners of the last two Continental Association flags, are loaded with youth at the big league level but there is even more on the way including outfielders Joe Wood and Stump Patterson, both top 25 OSA prospects. Keep an eye on George Brown, a 24-year-old first baseman whose path to the big leagues is likely blocked by Lorenzo Samuels but had a breakout season in AAA with 22 homers and may draw some interest on the trade market if there is no room for him with the Foresters.
TALES FROM THE LAIR
Selections Made For Players Going to Cuba :The Toronto Wolves have announced the players that will be going to the Cuban Winter League to further their development. The Wolves have changed their partner along with location for this season beginning the third week of November. Prior to this season the Wolves have shared a team in Camaguey with Boston Minutemen. Now they will partner with the Detroit Dynamos on a club based in the capital, Havana, on a team known as the Sharks. The players who will be members of the Sharks from the Toronto system are:
Tony Ballinger 1B- He has been working on his power stroke in Florida after being a September callup. He will probably play in 1951 at Buffalo given the fact McCormick will return to the Wolves. At 23 he projects to be the 1B going forward in Toronto.
Roy Demonbreun 2B- After being acquired in a trade with the Kings in '47 he has been a good fielding at 2B. 3B player with a lackluster bat. A bit of a surprise selection Demonbreun is rumoured to be going to the OF to improve his versatility, this will be a big test for his future.
Ralph Miller OF- Draft in the fifth round in June Miller has had a very impressive start to his pro career. Cruised through three levels during the summer. Hit .409/.533/1.000 in just 6 games in Alabama before heading to Vancouver where 17 games was enough for a move to Davenport after slashing .315/.479/.463. He proved he could hit a A ball putting up .315/.431/.476 in 40 games. He is destined for Chattanooga to start next spring at AA.
Bob Mills OF- Another selection that was bit of a surprise, Mills has been in the organization since being taken 288th in the 1945 draft. He has yet progress past A ball although he shown both a good glove and bat. Brett thinks this signals that the Wolves scouting staff has convinced the GM that Mills should move up the organization.
John Wells SS- Enough has been written about Wells. The Wolves made an "on paper" roster move with Wells transferring to the Buffalo roster to insure he could go Cuba for a second winter.
Cal Yeager C- A first round pick in 1944 Brett fells that this is an audition for the backup role behind Harry Pomeroy. At 24 Yeager will battle Randy Hendrix in the spring for trip to Toronto.
Lou Burrows P- This will be his second trip to Cuba the first being in 1946. Burrows, like Mills, is probably playing for a spot on the 40-man roster as he eligible in Rule 5.
George Carter P- Part of the Hal Wood trade to the Cougars last summer Carter was impressive in Buffalo. Another 24 year old general consensus is that he will probably at least start next summer in Buffalo.
Les Ledbetter P- Another player who has received plenty of ink in the Mail & Empire Brett is told that he may start in the bullpen. Could this be a pathway to Toronto as a fireman in the dumpster fire 'pen at Dominion Stadium?
Charlie Zimmerman P- Another deadline acquisition Zimmerman was selected 34th in 1948. An impressive winter along with ST could see him in Toronto next summer.
Brett has also been told the Wolves are considering a number of players that may be designated for assignment therefore removed from the 40-man roster, Winds of change are blowing in Toronto
RECENT KEY RESULTS- A quiet week with only one fight of moderate note. That would be in Detroit where Evan Rivers, a 21-year-old from Oklahoma, ran his record to 17-1-3 with a unanimous decision over Lyle Wilson
UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS- Nov 18- Bigsby Garden, New York: British welterweight Danny Julian (29-2-1) vs Rudy Perry (29-6-1)
- Nov 24- Bigsby Garden, New York: World Welterweight Champion Dale Roy (37-7-1) defends his title against Ira Mitchell (26-5)
- Nov 25- Keystone Arena, Philadelphia: Welterweight contenders Danny Rutledge (21-1-1) vs Mark Westlake (28-7-1)
- Dec 2 - Vancouver, BC: Canadian heavyweight Ken Yetman (19-2-5) vs Bruce Kendall (9-9
- Dec 9 - Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland: World Heavyweight Champion Hector Sawyer 64-3-1 defends his title against Brad Harris (19-0-1)
- Dec 16- Cincinnati, OH: British heavyweight Ben Budgeford (22-3) vs contender Lewis Jones (23-3-1)
- Dec 19- Thompson Palladium, Detroit: Rising Detroit born heavyweight Joey Tierney (21-0) faces Dick Martin (20-12-3)
- Dec 20- Dominion Gardens, Toronto: Canadian middleweight champ Kevin Rawlings (25-6) defends his national title against Larry Barry (22-9-1)
- Dec 22- Flatbush Gardens, Brooklyn: Italian middleweight Hugo Canio (18-1-2) faces Denny Palmer (29-9)
- Dec 23- Baltimore, MD: welterweight contenders Willis May (25-7-2) and Heinie Verplanck (21-6-1) meet.
- Dec 23- Los Angeles, CA: unbeaten welterweight Ben Burns (18-0) faces ring veteran Steve Landry (46-19-4)
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/12/1950
- Hot contests in the big population States brought out a heavy early vote and pointed to a record pileup of ballots. When the dust settled the Democrats barely held the Senate 49-47. The Democrats will continue to control the House of Representatives despite Republican gains of at least 25 seats.
- In his victory speech, Republican Senator Taft of Ohio, demanded a thorough look at American commitments to defend Western Europe. Taft said one question to be answered is whether Western Europe "can really be defended" against Russian atomic attacks which might destroy ports and cut off American armies from their supplies.
- The United States has called for the United Nations Security Council to require the Mao Tze-Tung regime of Red China to withdraw its forces from Korea. This after Gen. MacArthur formally reported to the Council that Chinese Communist troops had crossed into Korea and were fighting UN troops.
- China's increased presence in Korea gave Wall Street a bad case of war nerves as stock prices took a heavy plunge and major commodities for future delivery shot ahead on the Nation's various exchanges.
- As the week drew to a close, Korean fighting fronts were ominously quiet as attention shifted to diplomatic fronts. The UN Security Council has asked China to respond to charges of throwing tens of thousands of troops into the war in its final stages and those troops seemed to have pulled back to await further orders.
- Tibet has appealed to the United Nations for aid and intervention against the invading Chinese Communists.
- Japan is being quietly rearmed by America to meet the challenge of Communist expansion in Asia.