[Tiger Fan]

SEPTEMBER 3, 1951

SAWYER SET FOR FAREWELL FIGHT

The illustrious career of Hector "The Cajun Crusher" Sawyer is set to culminate this Saturday at New York's Gothams Stadium, with a final bout that promises to draw a crowd exceeding 50,000. This legendary fighter, who has held the World Heavyweight Championship since January 1940, will enter the ring for the last time with an impressive record of 65-3-1, including 58 knockouts.

At 37 years old, the New Orleans native hopes to cap off his career with a record 18th successful title defense. His opponent, Max Bradley, hails from Merchantville, NJ, and is seen as a rising star in the sport. Bradley, just 24 years old, holds a record of 22-1-1 and is widely expected to be the future of the heavyweight division. However, the vast majority of the spectators will be cheering for Sawyer, hoping to see him conclude his career with a victory.

Regardless of the outcome, Sawyer has declared this will be his final fight. His career, which began in the mid-1930s, saw him rise to prominence with a victory over German strongman Jochen Schrotter in January 1940. That bout, held amidst global tensions, saw Sawyer knock down the favored Schrotter twice in the 15th and final round, the second knockdown resulting in a knockout that cemented Sawyer's place in boxing history.

Throughout his reign, Sawyer has faced and defeated the best the heavyweight division has to offer. His dominance extended beyond American borders, as he and his longtime manager Chester Conley ventured to Europe in 1948 to challenge and overcome international contenders.

Though age may have slowed his reflexes and diminished the power of his punches, Sawyer has shown he still possesses the prowess to dominate in the ring. His last three fights all ended in knockouts: Ben Budgeford in three rounds, Cannon Cooper in eleven, and most recently, a young Brad Harris in the eighth round last December. The last time Sawyer went the distance was six fights ago, in February 1949 in Paris, where he outlasted Alain Noel in a grueling 15-round battle.

Max Bradley, in contrast, has never fought beyond ten rounds, as 15-round bouts are reserved for title fights. Bradley, known more for his speed and agility than for his knockout power, has only two stoppages in his last 16 fights and six in his 24 career bouts. While he is younger and likely faster than Sawyer, the question remains whether Bradley has the punching power to thwart the fairy tale ending many anticipate for Sawyer's storied career.

As the world of boxing awaits this historic fight, one thing is certain: win or lose, Hector Sawyer's legacy as one of the greatest champions in the sport's history is secure. This Saturday at Gothams Stadium, the curtain will fall on an era, and the boxing community will bid farewell to a true legend.

RECENT KEY RESULTS

• Friday in Holyoke, MA., heavyweight Harvey Winter (27-7-1) knocked out Malcolm Harrington (18-12-1) in the 4th round of their bout slated for 10.
• Tuesday in Pittsburgh, middleweight contenders Jim Ward and Dan Drewery clashed with Ward scoring an unanimous decision. At 29-3, the 28-year-old New York City native Ward is not considered one of the top contenders for Mark McCoy's ABF middleweight belt. It marks the second straight defeat for Drewery (27-4-5) and sends the Chicago born fighter spiraling off the list of top middleweight contenders.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• September 8- Gothams Stadium New York: World heavyweight champion Hector Sawyer (65-3-1) faces Max Bradley (22-1-1) in the final fight of his career.
• September 19- New Britain, CT: former welterweight champion Ira Mitchell (25-6) vs Heinie Verplanck (23-7-1)
• September 26- New Bedford, MA: rising heavyweight contender Joey Tierney (23-1) vs Shawn Nance (14-6)
• September 30 - Thompson Palladium, Detroit: former middleweight champion Millard Shelton (31-6) vs Mark Tucker (13-7)
• September 30- Denny Arena, Boston: veteran heavyweight Matt Price (42-13-4) vs Steve Clark (10-2)
• October 5- Bigsby Garden, New York: World welterweight champion Danny Rutledge (24-1-1) defends his ABF title against Britain's Danny Julian (31-3-2)

DYNAMOS SWEEP PIONEERS, EXTEND FED LEAD

The Detroit Dynamos have opened a four and a half game lead on the St Louis Pioneers for first place in the Federal Association after the Motor City club was a very unfriendly host to St Louis on the weekend and swept a 3-game series from the second place Pioneers. Detroit is looking to end a 22 year drought that has not seen the club lead the Federal Association since 1929. The Pioneers, who won back to back pennants in 1947 and 1948 and are looking to win the flag after finishing dead last the previous season for the second time in five years. The defending Federal Association champion New York Gothams are also lurking in the shadows, six games off the pace, but have been treading water of late with a .500 record over their last 16 games.

It was a tough week for the Pioneers who had to settle for a split of their two game set with Philadelphia before heading to Thompson Field for Friday's important but not quite yet crucial series opener. Pat Petty, who has been on fire of late with a .378 batting average since August 1, smacked a 3-run homer in the first inning and Jack Miller did just enough to win his 17th game of the season as Detroit held on for a 5-4 victory in the opener. A day later Bob Arman and Tom Buchanan hooked up in a classic pitchers duel that was scoreless until Dan Smith, like Arman and Petty a Brooklyn King when the season began, socked a walk off 2-run homer off St Louis reliever Russ Peeples to provide all the offense in a 2-0 Detroit win. Arman would go the distance surrendering just 4 Pioneers hits. The series finale was a 7-1 run for the hosts as Detroit plated four in the second inning with the bulk of the damage being done by Ralph Johnson's 2-run double and made life fairly easy for Dynamos starter Joe Hancock who, like Johnson, is another of the many mid-season additions that has brought the Detroit club to life.

While the oddsmakers seem to heavily favour the Dynamos, giving them an 89% chance of winning the Federal Association title, Detroit does have a tough schedule with 15 of their final 21 games on the road including 3 more against St Louis next weekend. The Gothams still have six opportunities to beat the Dynamos head to head with an equal number in both Gothams Stadium and Thompson Field remaining. New York will play its final two against St Louis this season at home in the form of a Labor Day doubleheader today. The Gothams will have to complete their season without Lefty Allen after the veteran hurler suffered a serious arm injury in a win over Boston last week.

In the Continental Association the Philadelphia Sailors, riding a 3-game winning streak, have opened up a two and a half game lead on the Cleveland Foresters after the Ohio side dropped three of four games to close out the week.

DYNAMOS DEAL POTENTIAL DEATH BLOW IN FEDERAL ASSOCIATION

When the St. Louis Pioneers came to town, they were a game and a half behind the Detroit Dynamos, who were just dealt back-to-back losses at the hands of the Pittsburgh Miners. This seemed like the perfect time for St. Louis to return the association lead, but the hosts had other ideas.

The Dynamos got off to a quick 3-0 lead, as a red-hot Pat Petty (.279, 12, 59) launched a three run homer off Hal Hackney (14-10, 2.91, 96) in the opening frame, allowing Jack Miller (17-13, 3.24, 89) to do just enough the rest of the way to earn the win. The Dynamos ace, who some consider an Allen candidate, scattered 8 hits, 4 runs, and a walk with 2 strikeouts, picking up his third straight win with exactly one walk and two strikeouts. There wasn't any offense in the second game, as despite throwing nine scoreless innings (4 H, 6 BB, 4 K), Bob Arman (11-11, 4.00, 99) headed back to the dugout in a scoreless tie. Thankfully for him, his battery mate Dan Smith (.269, 13, 66) wasn't having anything of it, and he sent the Thompson Field faithful home with a big two-run homer.

The finale had far less theatrics, as the Dynamos got a big 4-run second led by Ralph Johnson's (.301, 21, 75) two run double, as Detroit cruised to a 7-1 victory to finish off the sweep. The most drama came in the ninth, where Joe Hancock (9-14, 3.58, 83) couldn't quite finish off the complete game, getting 26 of the 27 outs needed. All it took was a four pitch strikeout to end it, allowing the league leaders to open the week with a four and a half game lead over the next closest team.

With a full month of baseball left to play, it would be foolish to crown the Dynamos champs, but with their excellent trade acquisitions throughout the year, it's their pennant to lose. You might have noticed that five of the six players mentioned all came to Detroit via. trade, and the sixth big add, Mack Sutton (.280, 30, 99), has 12 homers as a Dynamo, a would be career high 17.1 BB%, and an impressive 134 WRC+ after an excellent start to the season with the Stars. They may have mortgaged a lot of talented prospects to get there, but when you have a drought over 20 years and are in position to make that end. You take it.

The Gothams may have fallen to six out, and are without Hall-of-Fame hopeful Lefty Allen (12-9, 4.94, 27) for the rest of the season, but they still have a chance. Their absurd 36 games in 34 days is finally over, and with ample off days in September, they can get hot. They face Detroit six more times in September, enough to bring them back with a lot of luck, and five with the second place Pioneers. This week in particular is a good one for them to get back in it, as they can pass St. Louis with a double header sweep, and cut into the Dynamos lead with a road game sandwiched between two off days.

For the Pioneers, they'll want to knock the Gothams down to stop their losing streak, and they can get a measure of revenge against Detroit over the weekend. If all goes well, they can return the favor with a sweep at home, bringing them right back to where they were before the week ended. If they want to get back in it, they may have to rely on their recent #2 pick Rex Pilcher, who has more then rebounded from a middling debut week. Pilcher hit his 7th homer of the season in the 5-4 loss, now batting .330/.457/.592 (167 OPS+) with 4 doubles, a triple, 25 RBIs, 16 runs, and 19 walks. He may just be 21, but he already looks like a top three right fielder, and aside from Larry Gregory (.314, 15, 90), he's probably the best hitter on the team. It may be too early to talk about legacy, but Pilcher is the type of talent to have one, and he could cement himself with the Pioneers fanbase if he can bash them back to the playoffs.

POLK'S SECOND WIND: 25-YEAR-OLD FINDS HIS STRIDE IN WINDY CITY

Very few teams have been able to solve the Philadelphia Sailors offense. Somehow, George Polk was able to hold them scoreless (7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K) as the Cougars crushed the association leading Sailors 10-0. It was the seventh of now eight starts with three or fewer earned runs by Polk since joining the Cougars in June.

Unceremoniously waived by the Keystones, you can't really blame them too much, as even though the 25-year-old was once ranked among the top-25 prospects in baseball, his FABL career wasn't really smooth sailing. He was decent as a rookie in 1949, going 6-9 with a 4.08 ERA (101 ERA+), but his 1.60 WHIP was elevated and walked (64) more hitters then he struck out (53). Polk struggled in 11 starts last season, and in 9 appearances (6 starts) this year, he was one of the least effective pitchers in baseball. At the time of his waiving, Polk allowed 52 hits, 34 earned runs, 7 homers, and 18 walks with just 14 strikeouts in 36 innings. Not a single Fed team considered submitting a claim, and with a historically bad bullpen, the Cougars felt they couldn't do worse then what they were throwing.

Turns out they had no idea what they had in store for them.

Polk started out in the pen, and threw three scoreless outings to kick off his Cougars career. Then he was called upon in Philadelphia, and that same Sailors offense he held in check this past week put his FABL career in jeopardy once more. He allowed 8 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks, not striking out a single Sailor in four innings of work. He did follow that up with 2.2 scoreless innings, and then got the excellent news that Jim Morrison would be shipped off to New York. That opened up a rotation spot that was expected to go to Bob Allen, but before the trade could become official, someone needed to cover Morrison's start.

That would be Polk, who worked around an error, allowing just two earned runs with 6 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. Polk was then called upon in short rest in what was expected to be his last start, as he was once again saddled with the Sailors. Instead of crumbling like he did in relief, he pitched well enough to win, going 7.2 innings with 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Polk had just one blemish after, allowing three or fewer runs in six of his next seven starts. Every time it looked like he was done, and that Allen would take his spot, he threw an impressive outing to hold his rotation spot. In 77.1 innings post-waiver claim, he's been nothing short of dominant, working to a 2.09 ERA (198 ERA+) and 1.12 WHIP with 26 walks and 33 strikeouts. If qualified, his ERA would lead the CA and his WHIP would be third, as he's pitched far better then his 3-4 record would show.

The Cougars have always had a knack for developing pitchers, and it looks like Polk is the next name in a list that keeps getting longer, with scouts in the organization starting to believe he may be the third best arm they own. The rotation is once again back in a logjam, as with the top ranked pitching prospect in Allen coming up for roster expansion, Chicago has six capable hurlers composing the league's top rotation. Now that Polk has established himself as a potential top arm, expect some sort of trade in the offseason, as the Cougars continue their never ending quest for the big bat that finally puts them over the edge.

Up until about a month ago the obvious choice for the Federal Association Allen Award would have been New York Gothams veteran Ed Bowman. However, pausing today to look at the pitching leader boards, it could be a contentious Allen vote in the Fed. Stallings (14-9, 2.52) boasts the loops lowest earned run average and recently leapfrogged ahead of Bowman (15-6, 2.96) for the strikeout lead with 112, two more than the Gothams ace.

It was quite an August performance from the Chiefs 26-year-old southpaw : 4-0 with a 2.74 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 46 innings with 1 home run allowed. In fact, if Stallings had had 1 more start, he may have edged out Detroit's Jack Miller for the pitcher of the month.

Miller has been strong for Detroit but it is the Dynamos offense is really clicking. Ex-Brooklyn Kings Pat Petty and Ralph Johnson look really good hitting in Detroit. It's been more than two decades since the Dynamos last won the Fed but I think it's Detroit's pennant to lose right now.

*** Chiefs Offense Coming Along ***

The Chiefs have two batters in the top 10 for slugging, neither of which is Tim Hopkins: Joe Rutherford and Rod Shearer. Rutherford is also an easy pick for the club's MVP this season. I've been waiting for this version of Rutherford to appear. Something seemed to have clicked for him in June. Since June 1st: .311 with a 1.006 OPS. 170 wRC+, 18 home runs, 10 stolen bases. 14% walk-rate, 6% k-rate.

We might look back at the acquisition of John Moss this summer to be key to the 1952 Chiefs. In his age 29 season, Moss is the oldest starter in the outfield, which has moved from a liability to a strength: Rutherford (149 wRC+) / Moss (140 wRC+) / Shearer (131 wRC+).

And for the Chiefs overall the offense, which started out as a big liability, as been getting better all summer.

Through the end of May:

Since June 1st:

And there is more. 24-year-old Don Smith is stuck behind Hopkins at first, but he's had a nice rookie season in a part-time role: .314/.355/.835, 2 home runs, wRC+ 108.

A .500 season may prove to be too high a hill to climb this season -the Chiefs are 10 games below the break even mark at 61-71 but a 25-24 record since the all-star break certainly gives cause for optimism as we gaze ahead towards the 1952 campaign.

The Fall of Bill Barrett. What has happened to the crown jewel of our lineup? Is it just a symptom of the falling Stars, or is it more endemic on the personal level. Granted, his OPS is merely average, and both wRC+ and OPS+ are slightly below average. But his WAR is abysmal compared to other seasons. Even his BatR is in the negatives. We are searching for answers. Perhaps the clubhouse has been chock full of too many negative nancies. Perhaps his shoes just don't fit quite right. But whatever it is, his baseball heart needs to grow at least 3 times, and fast before the Grinch steals baseball from New York.

Look at the stats. Is 31 the new 41? Is he done? Can he recover next season? The Stars have planned on the four-time Whitney Award winning outfielder playing at least the rest of the decade. Is this a cruel joke he is playing on new owner Thomas X Bigsby? Is there secret tension in the background between the two? Maybe just a nagging injury he's keeping mum about? The investigation continues and we hope this is just a one off year and he bounces back to at least above average next season.

Mr. Bigsby Goes to Washington- The rumour mill has been churning out talk of the Stars bolting for the west coast ever since Thomas X. Bigsby bought the club. They cooled for a while but grew more heated late last month after the Stars owner was spotted eating lunch in a fancy Washington DC restaurant with FABL President Dan Barrell. Bigsby quickly moved to quash any rumours he was at the league office for anything more than just routine league business but where there is smoke, there is often fire.

And, unfortunately, a shift to the west coast for the ballclub makes sense in many ways. Los Angeles is a huge untapped market that proved it can support big league baseball during the brief reign of Bigsby's west coast loop. Air travel is commonplace now so playing in Los Angeles is not the trek it once was in the days before the war and perhaps most damaging to the hopes of the Stars staying put is Bigsby already has a state of the art 50,000 seat stadium -one that bears his name- and plays host to the Los Angeles Tigers of the American Football Association but is clearly in need of a baseball tenant much bigger than the Stars AAA affiliate.

I am afraid there is much more pressing matters for Stars fans to worry about. Well, beyond the awful state of the club this season and the terrible campaign our greatest player is enduring. Brooklyn is losing its ballclub a month from now. Let's hope our beloved Stars are not rushing out of the Big Apple right behind them.

TALES FROM THE LAIR

[b]Wolves Have a Week of Twos-[/bToronto finishes a road trip, in which they were 6-11, with four games in New York City. In the Wolves last visit to Kings County Park Tom Barrell's Kings bested Fred's Wolves 10-5 in a game that featured 4 triples, 4 homeruns and very little pitching in front of 8,048 paying customers.

On to Dyckman Stadium where the Stars won the first contest of the three game set in another slugfest, 9-6 i a game that had Tony Ballinger tie a Continental Association record. Not a good however, as Ballinger was 0 for 5 being sat down on strikes all 5 times to tie the record for strikeouts in a CA game. The Wolves then went on another 2 game winning streak taking the last two games from the Stars by counts of 8-2 and 4-2. The remarkable thing about those two games was that neither George Garrison nor Les Ledbetter needed help from the bullpen. Both pitched complete games Garrison in 117 tosses, Ledbetter used 127. In the second win Ledbetter overcame 4 errors, 3 on the infield.

Philadelphia, the CA leaders, took care of any thoughts of tying or setting a season long winning streak by taking both games of a short weekend series 8-2, 7-2. The Wolves finish a brief 4 game stay at home with the traditional Labour Day doubleheader hosting the Sailor chasing Cleveland Foresters at Dominion Stadium today.

This week was a week of 2 game streaks: 2 losses, 2 wins, followed by 2 more losses. Fans can take solace in the fact the losing streaks were only two although they enter the holiday on one such streak.

Wolves management decided to call only one player up, at present, after rosters were expanded for the balance of the season. Charlie Zimmerman, who was on a conditioning assignment in AAA, was added to the rotation. Brett is told the there may be a couple of outfielders brought to Toronto from Buffalo when the team returns next week after a 6 games in 5 day trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

And just as an extra kick in the pants the schedule makers finish the Gothams endless stretch of games with a doubleheader this Monday. Then finally, a day of rest. And it can't come a day too soon as the tired looking bunch stare at a 6 game deficit. A difficult but not impossible hill to climb in September.

Things won't be easy as veteran Lefty Allen has a career threatening arm injury. Allen has been shut down for this season and the team won't know until next spring if the 257 game winner will be able to resume his march to the Hall of Fame.

Jerry Fordham has been recalled from Toledo to start game 2 of today's doubleheader. With Jim Morrison's injury persisting, Ted Beaven will also get a start this week.

Red Johnson won another POTM award, hitting .380 with 8 homers, 24 RBI and 28 Runs scored. Johnson continues to lead the FA with 32 homers, 107 RBI and a .993 OPS.

On the Farm - Eddie Martin of Toledo won the Century League Player of the Week award after hurling 2 shutouts.

• Sad news for the Gothams as Lefty Allen's season is over. He was hurt late in a 3-2 victory over Boston, his 12th win of the season, last week. For the 37-year-old two-time Allen Award winner that was his 257th career victory, tying him with turn of the century Boston star Jim Dixon for 23rd all-time in FABL wins
• Speaking of Gothams milestones, 33-year-old Red Johnson hit two more homers last week giving him 32 on the season and moving Big Timber to within 6 homers of the 450 mark. Time is running out for Johnson to get there this season but he will eventually join Max Morris, Bobby Barrell, Al Wheeler and Rankin Kellogg as the only players to ever hit at least 450 round trippers.
• There is good news on the Bobby Barrell front. Doctors suggest Barrell is just a week away from being able to return to the lineup. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer has been sidelined with a back issue since mid-May. Hitting just .245 with only 3 homers in the 27 games he has played this season, there is heavy speculation that Barrell will not return next season despite the fact that he did sign a one-year extension for the 1952 season two weeks after his injury was diagnosed.
• The Chicago Cougars announce that for roster expansion the team has recalled 8th ranked prospect Jerry Smith and 11th ranked prospect Bob Allen. Smith has spent 114 games between Little Rock and Milwaukee, tallying 34 doubles, 15 triples, 17 homers, 77 RBIs, 102 runs, 80 walks, 16 steals, and 8.2 WAR, Allen has also spent time between the two levels, making 21 starts and finishing 14-5 with 104 strikeouts in 174 innings pitched. Allen was particularly dominant in the Century League, working to a 1.68 ERA (196 ERA+) and 1.03 WHIP in 80.1 innings pitched. Both highly touted prospects are expected to make their debut in the coming week
• Detroit is not just leading the Federal Association. The Dynamos are also enjoying success in the high minors, although most of it came before the trades stripped their system. Still AAA Newark is up by 7 games atop the Union League and AA Akron, riding the 10-0, 3.32 performance of second round pick Jim Norris, leads the Eastern Association by 5 games but are in the midst of a big series with the second place Reading Coal Barons.
• Veteran Cincinnati Cannons outfielder Gail Gifford has informed the club that this will be his final season. The 39-year-old outfielder, who starred for a decade in St Louis before playing a key role in the Cannons third consecutive pennant when he was acquired prior to the 1945 season, has accepted a job to join the Cannons radio broadcast team next season.

BEES SIGN TEEN FIRST ROUND PICK

It looks like the Boston Bees will carry two teenagers on their roster this season as 1951 first round selection Ben Voyecheck has been signed to a contract. The defenseman, along with 1950 first overall choice Manny Coutu, a left winger who signed last week, do not turn twenty until after January 1 so both are likely ineligible for the minor leagues and both will be required to spend the entire season in the NAHC or be released.

Voyechek, described as an old school defenseman with strong skating skills and hockey sense, spent the past two seasons with the Brantford Blue Legs of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, serving as that club's captain. He was hobbled by injuries both seasons and suited up for just 41 games a year ago, scoring 8 goals and adding 34 assists. The Bees selected the Sudbury, ON., native with the 4th pick in this years NAHC entry draft.

Coutu, a Toronto native whose signing was announced last week, was the first overall choice in the 1950 draft after scoring 125 points two years ago for the St. Thomas Pachyderms of the CAHA. Returned to junior last year, Coutu played in 64 games and amassed 82 points including 34 goals.

Voyechek is not the only current year draft pick to sign in the NAHC. The New York Shamrocks inked sixth overall selection Sam Ritchie to a deal last week as well. Ritchie, a Hamilton, ON., native who had 58 points for the Kingston Cadets last season, is twenty years old already so he will not be required to spend the entire season on the Shamrocks roster as he is eligible for assignment to the minor league Hockey Association of America.

In other signing news this week the Detroit Motors announced that forwards Louis Rocheleau and Vincent Arsenault have each been signed to 3-year contract extensions. Rocheleau, 25, was the 1948-49 McLeod Trophy winner as the top rookie in the NAHC but missed all but one game the following season due to injury. He was healthy last year and picked up 37 points in 68 games, earning a spot on the NAHC team roster for the league All-Star Game against the defending Challenge Cup champions from Montreal. Arsenault is 24 and played all 70 games a year ago, scoring 16 goals and collecting 35 points before adding two more goals in 4 playoff games last spring.

BUFFALO FOLDS, DROPPING FBL TO TEN TEAMS

The Federal Basketball League has lost another team with word that the Buffalo Brawlers have decided to fold up shop and will not participate in the upcoming season. Despite finishing with a league worst 15-51 record, the Brawlers were middle of the pack in FBL attendance with an average of 3,046 fans attending each game. Club owner Duane Berrios cited rising costs and the fact that while attendance was in line with the league average, rental fees at the 10,000 seat Buffalo Fieldhouse made it impossible for the team to survive when the nine year old stadium was barely 30% full.

It is unknown what will happen to the Brawlers players and in particular 28-year-old center Larry Yim, who was an All-League First Team selection this year, marking the third time the league leader in rebounds was named a first team all-star. Daniel Prescott, the renegade former owner of the Brooklyn Red Caps, who bolted the FBL two years ago to start his own barnstorming circuit but not before purchasing the contracts of players on five other FBL clubs that folded that year, is said to have already approached Barrios about purchasing the contracts of Yim and several other Brawlers starters.

Federal League President Rollie Barrell said that while he was disappointed to see Buffalo leave the league, he felt the FBL as a whole was strong and that he felt the loop was "making inroads with fans" and could see very prosperous years ahead for the pro cage league. Barrell had no comment on Prescott or what might happen to the players under contract to the Buffalo ballclub.

TURCOTTE HEADS LIST OF CAGE DRAFT PROSPECTS

Now that the situation involving the Buffalo Brawlers has been sorted out the Federal Basketball League is expected to conduct its annual draft of collegiate seniors in the coming weeks. According to FBL founder Rollie Barrell, the draft had been on hold while the Buffalo franchise tried to figure out a way to continue operations. Buffalo would have owned the first selection but their decision to fold is expected to result in the Baltimore Barons, owners of the second worst regular season record last season, to now own the first selection.

There is no sure-fire superstar along the lines of Luther Gordon or Ward Messer in this draft but there is some talent at the top of the first round. Whoever selects first it is expected to be a decision between Mel Turcotte and Darryl Baugher as to which name is called at the top of the draft although there is some support for Frankford State guard Rod Bookman. Turcotte, a New York City native who led Carolina Poly to a South Atlantic Conference title and the quarterfinals of last year's AIAA tournament, may be the best player available but the 3rd team All-American may not be the best fit for the Barons, who drafted another big forward two years ago in St Blane's Josh Samuels and they have dependable veteran Jack Hirst manning the pivot position.

Center Darryl Baugher is another option for the first pick and the Chicago native led Western Iowa all the way to the national title game before falling to Coastal California. Baugher was a second team All-American selection and the four-year starter for the Canaries looks like he might evolve into a terrific defender and rebounder.

The longshot to go first overall is Rod Bookman. A guard out of Frankford State who joined Baugher as a second team All-American selection, the New Jersey native looks to have an engine that won't quit and projects to be a very good playmaker with outstanding quickness and defensive instincts.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 9/02/1951

• After Gen. Ridgeway flat out called the Communist claims an Allied plane had attempted to murder the Communist delegation a complete fabrication, the Communists rejected the UN Far East leaders claims but left the door open for a possible resumption of peace talks.
• A day later the United Nations officially charged that the Reds staged the air raid on the Kaesong peace talks using their own planes.
• Red forces continue to arrive along the front, apparently preparing for a major offensive.
• A mixed team of American, Britons and South Koreans captured a Russian jet plane from its watery grave 100 miles inside the Communist lines. The plane, a MIG-15, is now under study at the Wright-Patterson Air Experimental Base in Dayton, OH.
• Reports out of Iran suggest the United States may be willing to manage the oil refineries on behalf of Britain and Iran, which remain in a stalemate in their dispute over the Anglo-Iranian Oil company.
• The United States is not expected to be as friendly to India after Prime Minister Nehru's refusal to sign a US backed peace treaty with Japan.
• President Truman described as a pity and misplaced economy when asked about the Congressional cuts in funds for the foreign aid program. The President says he will do all he can to restore the cuts, but conceded it looked rather hopeless now.
• A national copper strike across the country enters its sixth day. It has shut off 95 percent of the production of this strategic defense metal.