MARCH 19, 1951
SHELTON WINS MIDDLEWEIGHT BELT AFTER TWO LATE KNOCKDOWNS IN UNANIMOUS DECISION
Thompson Palladium, Detroit, Mich. -- John Edmonds (33-3-0, 22 KO) vs. Millard Shelton (30-5-0, 19 KO) – Referee: Denny Nelson
Through 13 rounds of the Middleweight fight in Detroit this evening, it was a toss-up. John Edmonds, the two-time Middleweight Champion, and Millard Shelton, the willing and able challenger for the belt, were trading punches all evening. Neither boxer had scored a knockdown. The only visible damage done was due to an accidental clash of their heads, which caused swelling under Edmonds’s left eye.
Edmonds came into the match on a ten-fight winning streak. His last loss was at the hands of Frank Melanson in a rematch where Edmonds was the reigning Middleweight Champion. Instead of leaving the public consciousness, Edmonds came back to relevance and won the title over Bill Boggs, a title vacated after the tragic accident that took the life of Edouard Desmarais. As champion, Edmonds continued to fight well, winning handily over Hugh Canio and denied Melanson as he returned to the ring.
Millard Shelton is a veteran fighter who has been around the block a couple of times. He has won 19 of 20 fights after an uneven start to his professional career. Shelton has been known to fight dirty when the situation called for it. The lone loss in those 20 bouts was a disqualification due to low blows. Shelton had earned this title shot not only because of recent success, but also because the division is not teeming with strong challengers. The 30-year-old Memphis native’s time is now to try to take the belt away from Edmonds.
The two fighters came to the center of the ring to hear the instructions from referee Denny Nelson, who was officiating his first title fight in his career. Shelton threw the first punch of the night, as they met in the middle of the ring, but the punch glanced off Edmonds’s shoulder and Edmonds counterpunched with a right jab followed by a left hook to the body. Edmonds tried to slow the action down and held on to Shelton. Shelton broke free and started to work the jab.
In the second round, an accidental clash of heads caused swelling that started to become evident under Edmonds’s left eye. This would start to hamper Edmonds in the middle rounds. Edmonds got the better of the action Rounds 3 and 4, but in the fifth round, Edmonds’s eye was noticeably getting worse. Shelton took advantage late in the round with two haymakers in the closing seconds with a hook to the head, followed by an uppercut just before the bell to signal the end of the round.
The bout almost took a turn to a street fight, which would have suited Shelton just fine, as Shelton connected on an uppercut as the bell sounded to end Round 6. The punch touched off an altercation with both fighters not giving an inch and continue to fire away. The corner men for each side jumped into the ring with the rookie referee Denny Nelson working hard to separate the men.
Edmonds was riled up and fought angry, taking the fight to Shelton in Rounds 7 and 8. The champion blitzed Shelton with solid right hands and a hook to the jaw that stunned the challenger. Shelton came back in the rounds that followed, as Edmonds’s right eye was getting worse. It was anyone’s boxing match heading into the 14th round.
The championship hung in the balance, but Shelton removed any doubt in the final two rounds. After a good hook from Edmonds early in the penultimate round, Shelton stopped him in his tracks with a right hand that landed on Edmonds’s chin. It did not look like Edmonds saw that punch coming. Shelton kept coming with a combination that caused Edmonds to drop to the canvas. Edmonds got to his feet on the count of seven.
The final three minutes of the bout saw Shelton dominate and showing he still had energy to finish. With ten seconds left, Shelton landed a perfect hook that dropped Edmonds. The champion could still have been counted out as a ten count would have been just before the final bell. Edmonds stood up as Nelson reached an eight count and while the champion did not look ready to continue, Nelson let it go to the judges’ cards.
Shelton (31-5-0) finished strong and deserved the victory, while the two-time champion Edmonds (33-4-0) lost for the first time in over three years. Shelton was only the fourth-ranked contender entering this bout, so there will be many new contenders vying for a chance. It goes to show how wide open the middleweight division truly is, but on this night, Shelton beat the champion to be crowned the best middleweight in the world.
BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Edmonds, 1-0 (0:43 left hook/body)
Round 2: Shelton, 1-0 (2:39 hook/midsection)
Round 3: Edmonds, 2-1 (E: 0:53 right/ribs, 1:56 elbow/warning; S: 2:22 combo)
Round 4: Edmonds, 2-0 (0:11 hook, 2:13 combo)
Round 5: Shelton, 3-0 (1:14 hook/midsection, 2:46 hook/head, 3:00 uppercut)
Round 6: Shelton, 2-1 (E: 0:30 hook; S: 0:44 uppercut/head, 2:59 uppercut/head)
Round 7: Edmonds, 4-1 (E: 0:48 cross, 1:58 hook/jaw, 2:38 right/head, 2:52 cross/ribs; S: 1:17 cross/face)
Round 8: Edmonds, 2-0 (1:53 hook, 2:42 combo)
Round 9: Shelton, 2-1 (E: 0:20 hook; S: 1:15 uppercut, 2:22 uppercut)
Round 10: Shelton, 1-0 (2:05 left)
Round 11: Shelton, 2-0 (0:13 hook, 1:25 hook/midsection)
Round 12: Shelton, 1-0 (0:32 combo)
Round 13: Edmonds, 3-2 (E: 1:03 uppercut, 2:45 right, 3:00 right/body; S: 1:40 uppercut, 1:54 uppercut)
Round 14: Shelton, 2-1 (E: 0:15 hook; S: 1:31 right/chin, 2:06 combo/head-body/knockdown #1)
Round 15: Shelton, 3-0 (0:13 right/midsection, 1:26 right, 2:47 hook/knockdown #2)
TOTAL: Shelton 21, Edmonds 17
SCORECARD OF SHELTON VICTORY OVER EDMONDS
- March 23, 1951- Dominion Gardens, Toronto- Rising Detroit born heavyweight Joey Tierney (22-0) meets Canadian Dick Kowalski (25-4)
- March 30, 1951- Baltimore, MD - Canadian heavyweight Phil Easton (32-6-2) meets rising local Baltimore fighter Rob Feagin (9-1)
- April 6, 1951- Denny Arena, Boston, MA- middleweight contenders Davis Owens (25-1) and Bill Boggs (22-4-1) meet.
- April 7, 1951- Kansas City, MO- Welterweights Heinie Verplanck (22-6-1) and George "Mr. Sandman" Gibbs (29-6) face each other.
- April 13, 1951- Bigsby Garden New York - HW contenders Lewis Jones (24-3-1) and Max Bradley (20-1-1) square off.
- April 14, 1951- Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago- A pair of Chicago middleweights in Rip Rogers (24-5-1) and Dan Drewery (26-2-5) meet
- April 21, 1951- Baltimore, MD- Heavyweight contender John Jones (18-2-1) vs Irwin Hoffman (19-2-2)
- April 25, 1951- Oakland, Ca. - Canadian heavyweight Ken Yetman (20-2-5) vs Rodney Bruce (25-16-4)
- April 27, 1951 - Buffalo, NY - Middleweight Mark McCoy (23-2) vs Nathan Sears (34-14-3)
PLAYOFF FIELD SET BUT TOP SPOT STILL UP FOR GRABS
The Boston Bees blanked Toronto 1-0 on Thursday to officially clinch fourth place and eliminate the Dukes from playoff consideration but with a week to go in the regular season there is still plenty left to decide. The Bees will finish fourth. That much we know first to third are have yet to be decided although the Detroit Motors, despite a 5-game unbeaten streak, are nearly assured of finishing third. Only three Detroit victories coupled with a pair of losses by the Montreal Valiants in their final two games will boost the Motors into second place. The two clubs would be tied with 83 points but the Motors own the better head to head record.
While third place is unlikely for Montreal, the Valiants do not want to settle for second. They are just a single point behind the New York Shamrocks in the fight for first place after gaining 3 of a possible 4 points in a weekend home and home series between the two. The Valiants have two games remaining -against Detroit Wednesday and Toronto Sunday- with both on the road. The Shamrocks, seeking their second straight regular season title, have three to play with road contests in Toronto Wednesday and Boston Saturday before finishing the season at Bigsby Garden against the Bees on Sunday.
NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK
WEDNESDAY MARCH 14 Chicago 1 at 5 Toronto : The Dukes kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-1 win on home ice over the Chicago Packers. Trevor Parker scored twice with Maurice Charette added 3 assists for the winners.
THURSDAY MARCH 15
Chicago 4 at 6 Montreal : Montreal moved to within 3 points of the New York Shamrocks for first place with their 8th win in the last nine games. Six different Vals scored in the 6-4 win with defenseman Shel Herron enjoying a 3 point night.
Detroit 4 at 2 New York : Detroit doubled the Shamrocks 4-2 thanks to three goals in the final 10 minutes of the game. Lou Barber, Louis Rocheleau and Brock Ternovatsky each had 2 point nights for the winners.
Toronto 0 at 1 Boston : Boston clinched fourth place and officially eliminated Toronto from the playoff picture with a 1-0 victory keyed by a 23 save performance from Oscar James. It was his 6th shutout of the season and third in his last four starts against Toronto. Alex Gagnon scored the Bees goal, shorthanded, in the first period.
SATURDAY MARCH 17
Montreal 4 at 3 New York : Nikolas Roch scored a powerplay goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game to lift Montreal to a 4-3 win over the Shamrocks and allowed the Vals to close to within a point of New York for first place. Wayne Augustin had 3 assists in a game that saw the Greenshirts forced to use rookie Freddy Hubbs in net because Alex Sorrell and Etienne Tremblay were both feeling under the weather.
Detroit 2 at 1 Boston : Detroit won for the fourth straight game, clinching at least third place and leaving the Bees forced to settle for fourth. Spencer Larocque and Louis Rocheleau scored for the Motors, who outshot Boston 37-19.
Toronto 3 at 3 Chicago : With the playoffs out of reach for both clubs, Toronto and Chicago skated to a 3-3 tie. Lou Galbraith scored twice for Toronto.
SUNDAY MARCH 18
Boston 2 at 3 Detroit : Detroit beat Boston by a goal for the second time in three nights to keep their very slim hopes of catching Montreal for second place alive. Ben Witt had a goal and an assist for the winners.
New York 2 at 2 Montreal : Alexandre Lapalme scored with just 2 second remaining in regulation to allow the Shamrocks to salvage a 2-2 tie with Montreal and keep New York's slim one-point lead on the Valiants for first place. Robert Sharpley opened the scoring for New York in the second period before Brett Lanceleve and Ian Doyle scored for the Vals in the third period of a game that New York outshot Montreal 37-18.
Chicago 1 at 1 Toronto : A second straight tie between the Dukes and Packers. Miles Norman gave Toronto the lead in the second period before Marty Mahoney finally solved Dukes goaltender Scott Renes midway through the final frame in a game that Chicago outshot Toronto 42-24.
UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY MARCH 21
Montreal at Detroit
New York at Toronto
Boston at Chicago
SATURDAY MARCH 24
New York at Boston
Detroit at Chicago
SUNDAY MARCH 25
Chicago at Detroit
Boston at New York
Montreal at Toronto
END OF REGULAR SEASON
DUKES ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFFS
In a disappointing season Toronto's NAHC hockey team was officially eliminated from the playoff picture last week. The elimination marked just the second time since 1940 that the Dukes have failed to make the playoffs. It perhaps adds a small strand of optimism if we remember that the last time the Toronto hockey club missed the playoffs (1946-47) they followed that up with back to back Challenge Cup wins.
In what was becoming a foregone conclusion became reality with a win, a loss, along with two ties in four games over a five day span. At home to the Packers on Wednesday the Dukes kept their faint hopes alive with a 5-1 victory over the basement dwellers from Chicago. Three goals in the opening frame were the key to the win. Les Carlson had two after Trevor Parker opened the scoring with a short handed effort less than three minutes into the game. After a fairly high paced opening 20 minutes the game settled into slow, methodical game for the final 40 with the home team carrying the play but not taking a lot of chances offensively. Alex Lavalliere made it 4-0 near the midpoint of the game before Tommy Burns, his 24th, beat Gordie Broadway for the only time in the game with 66 seconds remaining in the second. Broadway made 23 saves on 24 shots for the evening. Trevor Parker scored his second of the game, 16th of the campaign midway through the final stanza as the fans started to head for home with the score 5-1.
At Denny Arena the next night every one of the 14,108 on hand knew the importance of the game for Toronto as Boston was the club they were desperately chasing for fourth place. Neither team took any chance of being caught out defensively the entire game. With the Dukes on a power play Alex Gagnon was sent in alone on Broadway when sprung by Jacob Godin. Gagnon deked the Toronto netminder then deposited the disc into a wide open cage. No one knew but this would be the only time the red light turned on behind either goal in this game. Toronto could not generate any high quality scoring chances around Oscar James' cage. James got his 6th shutout of the season, including two in a row facing the Dukes, with 23 saves and the Dukes were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Toronto started a home and home series with Chicago on Saturday night. The disappointment of the loss to the Bees was evident in the way that the Dukes played at Lakeside Auditorium. After a scoreless first both teams scored twice in the second. Jarrett McGlynn and Jeremy MacLean made it 2-0 Packers before Lou Galbraith and Les Carlson tied the game at 2 before the second intermission. Galbraith put the visitors ahead with his second of the night before Ed Delarue scored with just six minutes left to make the final 3-3. Toronto was outshot by Chicago 39-24 for the game.
Toronto again came out listless on Sunday as again the Packers took the game to the Dukes. Toronto actually held a 1-0 lead on a goal by Miles Norman in the second. The lead was strictly due to Scott Renes heroics in net. After making 33 saves in the first two periods Marty Mahoney finally got a puck past Renes at 7:47 of the third in a game that ended 1-1. Renes made 41 stops during the game 18 more than the 23 made by Norm Hanson in the Packers net.
Barrell- "I would like to apologize to the fans for an unsuccessful season. The team underperformed throughout the entire year which means I did not do my job. With all the talented goal scorers on this team I am confounded by the fact we have only scored 161 times in 68 games. Defensively we have been good but not great, but our goals against have been inflated by a number of blowout losses. We have two games left against Montreal then New York. I want the guys to play with pride in an attempt to influence the final standings. Then it will be time to figure out what has to change before we head north in September...and change is necessary. These results are unacceptable to give our fans. I have to be better for the team to be better next season."
ROUGH AIAA TOURNAMENT TO BE A THREE SEED
Three of Four #3 Seeds Knocked Out in Opening Round
The 42nd annual American Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament got underway on Saturday and while each of the eight number one and two seeds moved on, it was a tough weekend for three seeds. Three of the teams ranked #3 in the four regions of the event were upset by sixth seeds with the lone exception being Whitney College. The results spelled out bad news for Charleston Tech, Dickson and North Carolina Tech in a weekend that, aside form those 3-6 matchups, went pretty much according to script.
The East Region followed the script perfectly as each of the four higher seeds advanced led by #1 Carolina Poly. The Cardinals flew out to a 25 point halftime lead on NW Pennsylvania and coasted to a 56-36 victory keyed by 20 points by senior forward Mel Turcotte. Next up for Carolina Poly will be the defending national champion Noble Jones College Colonels. The #4 seed was taken to overtime by Frankford State but a 10-0 run to begin the extra period lifted the Colonels past the Owls 71-61 behind 16 points from Carlton Hicks and 15 from Charlie Barrell.
Second seed Brunswick overcame a 20-point evening from University of New Jersey sophomore forward Jim Russell to beat the Warriors 56-47 while David Griffin's set shot from the top of the key with 26 seconds remaining proved the difference in Whitney College's 52-50 victory over an upset minded Mississippi Tech team that was making its AIAA tournament debut.
*** Four Mismatchs In South ***
None of the four opening round games in the South Region were close with #2 seed Coastal California's 76-44 beatdown administered on the Flint Foxes being the most lobsided. Chris Martines, candidate for National Player of the Year, led the way for the Dolphins with 21 points despite sitting out the final 10 minutes since the contest was well in hand. Next up for Coastal California, which has only missed the tournament once in 42 years but also never won a national title, will be Dickson after the Academia Alliance quintet shocked #3 seed Central Ohio 51-33 in the opening round.
The other side of the South bracket will see Opelika State meet Detroit City College. The top seeded Wildcats, champions of the Deep South Conference, had three players score in double-figures led by Larry Carter's 14 points in a 58-48 win over Brooklyn State. The Bears led by 3 at the half and by one with less than eight minutes remaining but Opelika State finished the game on a 18-7 run. Fifth seed Detroit City College needed a strong second half as well, outscoring the Chesapeake State Clippers by 16 in the second half to claim a 57-47 victory.
*** Baugher Scores 15 to Lead Western Iowa ***
The Midwest Region saw the nation's number one ranked team get off to a slow start but when the dust settled the Western Iowa Canaries dumped 8th seed Abilene Baptist 52-33. Darryl Baugher, a potential first overall selection in the June Federal Basketball League draft, led the Canaries with 15 points. Western Iowa will now prepare for St. Blane after the Fighting Saints, behind 16 points from Wayne Wyrick, rallied to upset #4 seed and Academia Alliance regular season champions Ellery 57-54. Wyrick was the hero by stealing a pass to set up the winning basket and then, after grabbing his game high 7th rebound, he sank two free throws with 7 seconds remaining to ice the victory.
Second seeded CC Los Angeles scored 42 points in the opening half and waltzed to a 63-39 victory over Lubbock State. The Coyotes spread the scoring around as Tripp Ruby had 14 points, Henry Piercy 12 and Gus Barnett 10 to lead the way. Next up for the Coyotes is upset minded Lambert College after the Missouri school surprised third seed North Carolina Tech 59-50 thanks to a 42-29 run in the second half. Junior guard Walker Smith keyed the Stags offense with an 18 point game.
*** Majestic Start For Rainier College ***
The most dramatic game came in the 4-5 matchup in the West Region. Mobile Maritime went 42 minutes between times it lead its game with rival Alabama Baptist but the Middies somehow prevailed 73-70 in overtime. Bill Van Buskirk led all opening round scorers in this tournament with 28 points as the Middies rallied from a 31-19 deficit at the break and sent the game into overtime with a basket with just 3 seconds remaining in regulation. They trailed all game as Alabama Baptist opened the contest with a 10-2 run and Mobile Maritime never pulled even until that Rip Hawkins bucket with 3 seconds remaining. The took their first lead since scoring the opening basket of the game when Van Buskirk put them up 68-66 a minute and a half into the extra period and went on to outscore the Panthers 9-6 in the five minute overtime.
Next up for the 4th seeded Middies will be the Rainier College Majestics, who are looking for their fourth AIAA title since the spring of 1940. The Majestics started slow but finished strong in a 55-40 victory over Quaker College to open the West Region. The other round of sixteen game in the West Region will see Indiana A&M face Utah A&M. The second seeded Reapers, with Ollie Courville a surprise early return from injury, beat Oklahoma City State 56-48 as Courville scored 10 points less than three weeks after suffering a broken collarbone. Utah A&M raced out to an early lead against Charleston Tech and continued the dominance of 6th seeds over #3's with a 65-44 victory over the Admirals. Senior David Campbell was successful on 9 of his 14 field goal attempts to lead the Aggies with 22 points.
THURSDAY'S GAMES
MIDWST REGION
(1) #1 Western Iowa (28-2) vs. (5) St. Blane (20-10)
(2) #6 CC Los Angeles (24-6) vs. (6) #17 Lambert College (25-5)
EAST REGION
(1) #3 Carolina Poly (26-4) vs. (4) #11 Noble Jones College (24-7)
(2) #10 Brunswick (26-7) vs. (3) #8 Whitney College (22-8)
FRIDAY'S GAMES
WEST REGION
(1) #2 Rainier College (25-5) vs. (4) #21 Mobile Maritime (22-8)
(2) #9 Indiana A&M (23-7) vs. (6) #15 Utah A&M (25-5)
SOUTH REGION
(1) #7 Opelika State (27-3) vs. (5) #20 Detroit City College (20-10)
(2) #5 Coastal California (24-6) vs. (6) #22 Dickson (22-10)
- The Rochester Rockets are back in top spot in the West Division after winning all three of their games last week and six of their last seven. All three wins came at the Rochester Auditorium beginning with a win over Cleveland. That was followed with victories over Detroit in which they held the Mustangs to just 27% shooting and over Toronto last night. While Rochester was winning, the Chicago Panthers continued their recent struggles. Chicago had 3 games against Buffalo over the past eight days and came out on the short end in two of them. The Brawlers actually won three in a row, making it the first time all season the West Division stragglers won back to back games.
- There is some speculation that rookie sensation Luther Gordon may be starting to tire. Gordon is finding that a pro season is much more of a grind than a 30 game college sked. He did score 27 points in the win over Buffalo eight days ago but in his other three most recent games managed just 18,14 and 16 points. Only 8 times in 51 games this season has Gordon scored less than 20 in a game.
- The Detroit Mustangs probably want to keep playing Chicago. After winning 7 straight, including four against the Panthers, the Mustangs lost a nailbiter 108-106 at home to Toronto thanks to a 39 point effort from the Falcons Lon Porter. Detroit then followed it up with road losses in Rochester and to lowly Buffalo, dropping them behind Toronto in the fight for the third and final playoff spot in the West Division.
- The East Division leading Washington Statesmen had their seven game winning streak snapped in the back half of a home and home with New York over the weekend. Playing two in a row at Bigsby Garden, the Statesmen took the opener 77-74 with Ivan Sisco leading the way with 30 points but a night later they feel in overtime 93-82. Sisco had 33 that night but it was not enough to overcome the Knights, a team that has handed Washington each of its last three defeats.
SPRING INJURY BUG BITES EAGLES
Rats! All-Star to Miss Start of Season
It is the one thing FABL managers fear the most every spring as they try to balance enough playing time for their stars to be in peak form come opening day without be injured in a meaningless game. The Washington Eagles somehow crossed that line Friday afternoon and as a result their hopes of getting off to a quick start in the upcoming season were dealt a setback after news broke that five time all-star outfielder Rats McGonigle broke a bone in his hand after being a hit by a pitch in a spring game.
The 32-year-old was hit by an offering from New York Gothams hopeful Alfie Barnes in the second inning of a game the Gothams would ultimately prevail by a 6-0 score. Afterwards the focus was entirely fixed upon the banged up appendage of McGonigle and x-ray's confirmed the Eagles worst fears: the bone was broken and McGonigle is not expected to be able to make his 1951 regular season debut until early May. The eight year veteran hit .266 with 31 homers and 109 rbi's a year ago while leading the Federal Association in walks drawn.
McGonigle's injury was not the only serious one sustained last week. In fact, it was not even the only serious one dealt to the Eagles. Earlier in the week Bill Haile, a 25-year-old likely ticketed for AAA Kansas City, suffered a back injury that will shut him down for the final four weeks of spring action.
Cincinnati outfielder Mike T. Taylor, who missed close to half of last season with back problems of his own, is on the shelf again. The Cannons are expected to shut the 1949 all-star down for the rest of spring training after Taylor tweaked his back while fielding a ball in a 7-5 victory over Toronto on Wednesday. The club is hopeful a few weeks rest will have Taylor back in game shape but whispers in the Cannons front-office suggest some serious worries after the same issue limited the Mississippi native to just 85 games a year ago.
In the opening week of spring play the Boston Minutemen lost veteran lefthander Joe Sargent, who went 5-12 in 30 starts last season, with shoulder troubles that are expected to sideline him until at least August while Pittsburgh reserve infielder Lou Hooker's season ended very early when he suffered a broken kneecap in the club's fourth spring game.
- The Montreal Saints sent few players down to their minor league camp. Marc T. McNeil of the Montreal Star reports no major surprises among the demotions. He adds that the Saints have told reporters that they plan to start playing the regulars are fair bit more beginning this week, especially on the mound where the next round of starters will include Bert Cupid, Pat Weakley and the Wally's - Doyle and Reif. Few surprises so far but Montreal manager Jim Cator noted that among those he has been impressed with are OF Rube Hutt, 3B Leo Vega, and rule 5 pickup Pete Woodward. No real surprise in the pitching department as Tom Fisher and Ted Coffin are battling for one of the open spot of 6th starter or long relief to replace Andy Lyon, who was dealt to the Keystones over the winter..
- Leland Kuenster of the Chicago Herald Examiner checks in from Chiefs camp where he notes that Johnny Duncan was working on improving his cut fastball over the winter. The reports from the scouts say that his progress was outstanding. Through 3 starts this spring, Duncan has thrown 11 innings with 7 hits, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 0 runs. And infielder Len Stewart, who converted to catcher in the off-season, is hitting .368/.429/579 and now has the inside track to backup Casstevens.
- Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire tells us that Wolves fans -along with Toronto sports fans in general- are not liking the way the spring of 1951 is shaping up for their pro teams. The Dukes are not going to the playoffs and the Wolves are 4-9 to start the spring including a recent 13-3 loss to Cleveland. A number of players have already been optioned out to Buffalo including Les Ledbetter who had been lees than effective in two outings. Only spring training highlight thus far is the team has only between charged with five miscues in tune-up games. A few players seem to have forgotten their bats in particular Wally Boyer who has started 1 for 17 with a line of .059/.333/.059 thanks to 7 BB, while Frank Brunch is 1 for 18. The basketball Falcons are attempting to hold on to a NBL playoff spot, the only light in a dismal Toronto sports scene.
- The Detroit Dynamos have been very impressed with rule five selection Walt Staton. The 24-year-old righthander, taken from the Stars organization where he went 19-8 in AA last year, has pitched 7 scoreless spring innings and appears to be on track for a spot on the Detroit pitching staff. Staton was the second of two pitchers selected by Detroit in the rule five draft. First rounder Joe Horvath has struggled with his control and is on the verge of being returned to Pittsburgh.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/18/1951
- Two Russian made jets collided while pursuing an American flyer, resulting in a fiery spectacle that stole the Korean war spotlight early in the week.
- American troops returned to Seoul in large numbers, searching the rubble filled streets of the old South Korea capital for hideout Communist soldiers. As the week came to a close American troops overwhelmed Communist forces in a roaring artillery duel and crashed ahead for new gains, winning an important road hub 20 miles south of Parallel 38.
- As a maze of evidence about quick profits in steel and ship sales by groups involved in Reconstruction Finance Corp. loans, left Senators with the question of a still bigger inquiry by a special commission instead of Congress into the dealings of the RFC.
- Senator Taft unleashed an all-out attack on the Truman Administration, accusing it of political corruption over the RFC and declaring charges of Reds-in-Government were whitewashed.
- Noted gambler Frank Costello challenged the Senate Committee investigating crime to produce evidence that he runs a national crime syndicate. The committee has accused him of running a major crime ring that stretches from New York to New Orleans.
- President Truman is set to create a new 18-man Wage Stabilization Board even without a formal agreement between labor and management as to the board's powers.
- Millions of people in Northern Europe were terrified by a violent shuddering of the earth's crust which some thought might have been caused by an atomic-sized explosion inside Eastern Germany. It turned out to be an earthquake, one of the most severe ever recorded in Germany.