[Tiger Fan]

1957 IN FIGMENT SPORTS

Arguably the biggest news of 1957 came just two weeks into the year when the results of FABL's Hall of Fame voting was revealed, Bobby Barrell and Fred McCormick were officially Boone County inductees. Not that it was any surprise as it would be nearly impossible to find someone who did not truly believe they would both be admitted in their first year of eligibility but after some lean years that saw only Mel Carroll added over the previous three years, it was great to see Barrell and McCormick get their due.

Both made such a major contribution to the sport over the past few decades and each had some challenges to overcome. For Barrell, it was the terrible gun shot wound he suffered in his mid-twenties that for a spell threatened to derail an incredibly promising career. He overcame the wound and went on to be the greatest homerun hitter not named Max Morris that the sport has ever seen. Barrell is baseball's all-time leader in games played at bats and rbis; is third behind only Powell Slocum and John Dibblee with 3,815 hits and trails only Max Morris with his 639 career round-trippers. He won two triple crowns, made the all-star game a record 13 times, won 5 Whitney Awards and captured the attention of the nation in 1947 when he broke Morris' single season homerun record of 60 by belting 64 homers of his own.

McCormick managed to collect 2,958 hits in just 2,447 games but fans will always be left wondering just what kind of numbers "The Reticent Reaper" could have accumulated had he not been one of the first to join the war effort in 1941 and missed nearly four full seasons of his prime serving in the Army during WWII. He won a pair of Whitney Awards, made 8 all-star games and was one of the best pure hitters the game has seen, finishing with a career .329 batting average.

There was plenty of excitement elsewhere, especially in Washington where the football Wasps ended 20 years without a playoff victory by giving their fans not one, but two, as Washington won the East Division final over Philadelphia before beating San Francisco the following week for the Wasps first American Football Association title. In Boston too there was a mixture of excitement and relief, where the Bees, after a 10 year drought that saw them lose in the finals four times over that span, finally won their 8th Challenge Cup. Detroit may have not won the World Championship Series - the Dynamos fell for the second time in five years to Cleveland- but the Motor City baseball club rebounded from a disappointing second place finish a year ago to win its fifth pennant in the past six years. Were it not for the dreadful August swoon a year ago where a disastrous 9-21 August cost them a flag and a 1-game playoff loss to St Louis in 1951, we could be looking back at a Dynamos team that won seven consecutive pennants. Fight fans in Detroit could also rejoice as local heavyweight hero Joey Tierney regained the ABF world title after losing the crown two years ago.

Chicago had plenty to celebrate as well. In May the cage Wildcats won the Federal Basketball League title for the second time and a months later veteran hurler Al Miller picked up his 300th career victory. Miller may be known as 'The California Kid' but he is Chicago through and through after spending his entire 23 year big league career, save for two years in the Navy during the war, with the Chiefs. And he may not be done as Miller, who won 17 games in 1957 at the age of 41 says he will be back next season.

In the college ranks, Central Ohio won the AIAA baseball World Championship Series, marking the first national title in any sport for the Columbus school while Noble Jones College claimed its fourth grid title after a perfect 11-0 season and Chesapeake State was the surprise winner on the hardwood.

When the calendar turned to 1957, the baseball world stayed quiet, as while there were a few minor transactions, most FABL teams got their shopping finished before Christmas. But as we came closer to another year of Spring Training, the Los Angeles Stars started to get busy. The first move was a rare trade where the main piece was a prospect, as LA targeted the 30th ranked prospect Lou Allen, who the Cannons selected 2nd in the 1953 draft. Ranked as high as 13th by OSA, Allen split time between three levels last season, with the majority of his 112 games (68) coming with the Class B Charleston Seagulls. It was the worst of his three stops, but the now 21-year-old still hit .254/.321/.383 (88 OPS+) with 9 doubles, 4 homers, 5 homers, and 30 RBIs. He showed more power in Class C, where he hit 10 homers in just 159 trips to the plate, showcasing his well above average raw power potential. An impressive defensive center fielder as well, Allen offers a lot of production at the plate, consistently barreling up pitches, and when he puts the ball in the air it'll go to all three fields. While still a few seasons away, the Stars recently cleared center field with the trade of Bob Riggins (.213, 12, 29, 5), and Allen joins highly ranked prospects in Frank Kirouac, Don Hall, and Charlie Sax in a high upside future outfield.

Returning to Cincinnati is a nice two player package headlined by co-Kellogg Winner Johnny Elliot, who hit .356/.418/.528 (169 OPS+) with 15 doubles, 19 homers, and 66 RBIs in an impressive rookie campaign. Elliot also won the Continental batting title, and is expected to fit comfortably between his co-Kellogg winner Fred Lainhart (.335, 9, 71, 21) and Dallas Berry (.246, 26, 82, 13) in a young and improving lineup. Elliot may not have the upside of Allen, but at 25 he's already succeeded against FABL pitching, and he has a dependable mix of contact and power. First base has been a position of weakness for Cincy, as after Chuck Adams held the position for a full decade, Elliot will make six different starters in six seasons. Elliot has a chance to solidify that position for years to come, and they'll also get to add a potential catching option in the twice traded Fred Becvar. A former 12th Rounder of the Sailors, Becvar is one of the top young defensive catchers, and his addition to the system should help the Cannons' low minors pitchers get the most out of their stuff.

Just shy of a month later, the Stars made another major move to bolster the farm, sending long-time shortstop Paul Watson to the St. Louis Pioneers. Taken 15th Overall in 1947, "Mr. Contact" made his debut the next season, and hit a strong .298/.371/.436 (122 OPS+) in an excellent 66 game debut sample. For the next eight seasons, he appeared in 100 or more games for the Stars, ending his career with the organization after 1,164 games. The 30-year-old is an average hitter and shortstop, entering the season with an adjusted league average .266/.306/.411 (100 OPS+) line with 227 doubles, 30 triples, 101 homers, 584 RBIs, and 243 walks. As you'd expect with someone nicknamed Mr. Contact, he almost never strikes out, set down in just 4.8% of his FABL plate appearances. It was down to 4.3 in 1956, but he hit a career worst .241/.280/.352 (80 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 11 homers, and 54 RBIs. It was just his third season with a below average OPS+ and WRC+ (76), but he was an excellent shortstop (9.2, 1.043) and offers a lot more at the plate then Win Hambry (.204, 2, 36) can.

Already acquiring Jerry Smith (.280, 26, 105, 16) from the Cougars and Win Lewis (9-10, 3.45, 86) from the Sailors, St. Louis is looking to get out of the cellar, and they were willing to part with two exciting prospects to add a third quality veteran to the squad. The guy they'll miss most is Carl Bristol, a 20-year-old righty who ranked as the 41st best prospect at the time of the trade. The #1 pick in the 1954 draft, Bristol ranked as high as 9th overall, but dropped a bit in the offseason as his command wasn't as sharp as it could be. 210 of his 229.1 innings came in A ball, where Bristol walked 116 batters (12.2 BB%) and allowed 23 home runs. He's got big strikeout potential, even striking out one more guy then he walked, as the six pitch groundballer has a deep arsenal that he mixes well. The headliner is his change, but his mid 90s fastball is a useful pitch to get ahead of guys, and his hard sinker can erase some of the walks if he has a good defense behind him. A potential mid-rotation starter who's likely to pitch at least some of the season in AA, he could quickly work into the Stars rotation mix, as the current group is a middling group of vets and rookies that have plenty of individual concerns. It's also why there's no surprise they added a second, more closer to FABL ready pitcher with Jack F. Davis, who reached AAA last season. Just inside the top 250, Davis had an excellent season in the Pioneers farm, going 12-5 in Dallas with a 3.32 ERA (140 ERA+), 3.77 FIP (81 FIP-), 43 walks, and 89 strikeouts before a late season callup to Oakland. The 2-3 record is deceptive, as he had an even better 2.96 ERA (154 ERA+), 3.56 FIP (77 FIP-), and 1.22 WHIP in 51.2 innings. The walks (23) and strikeouts (22) came closer, but Davis limited hard contact, and drew the attention of outside organizations. I'd be surprised if he doesn't get a look in a weak Stars staff, as he could eat some innings and provide passable results.

That was all until Opening Day, where this time around we didn't get any exciting trades right before the season started. Despite their brutal collapse, the Detroit Dynamos still opened the season as the favorites, but three other teams were expected to give them a run for their money. Obviously, one includes the champion New York Gothams, but the upstart Boston Minutemen and veteran Chicago Chiefs rosters both have the pieces in place to make some noise. Smart money in the Conti is supposedly on the Sailors, but I don't see anyone coming close to the Foresters. The Cannons are a team to watch, as the addition of Johnny Elliot is huge, and before that they were already looking to turn the corner. And of course, you can't count out the KC Kings, who won 87 or more games four years in a row, and were leading the CA for most of last season.

Early on it was Boston who took the lead, winning 11 of their 14 April games to open the early lead in the Fed. Reigning Whitney Winner Jack Denis launched 5 homers in 14 games and hit .310/.369/.603 (157 OPS+), but he was overshadowed by Rick Masters. The former #1 prospect slashed .331/.419/.679 (191 OPS+) with 6 homers, 16 runs, and 12 RBIs. Marshall Thomas (.367, 4, 21) was outstanding too while Joe Kleman (.393, 2, 12) and Billy Forbes (.383, 2, 5) were both ready to put 1956 behind them. The offense was scoring plenty of runs, and with good starts from John Grimes (1-0, 1.93, 11), Johnny Duncan (2-0, 2.38, 15), and Bill Parkhurst (2-0, 3.21, 14). Foster Sherman (3-0, 3.81, 15) realized all he had to do was give up less runs then the other team, as two of his three starts were games he gave up five runs. Though it was the best start where he didn't get a decision, as Sherman held the Dynamos scoreless on 2 hits, 10 walks, and 8 strikeouts. Through 8, he outdueled two-time Allen Winner Jim Norris (9 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), and was on to start the 9th up 3-1. A leadoff single to Dick Estes is all he got, as after 122 pitches future Hall-of-Famer Harry Barrell went to Doc Griffin to get the last three outs.

Instant relief was not was the skipper received, as Dan Smith (1-2, 2 BB) welcomed the reliever with a single and pinch hitter Pat Petty drew a walk to load the bases. The pitcher spot was next, and Detroit turned to lefty Ivey Henley. Griffin got him to chase on a 3-1 pitch, flying out easily to right, not deep enough to try it. With just one out, the lineup flipped over for Del Johnson (0-3, BB), who got a somewhat painful RBI by being plunked with the bases loaded. With the zero finally off the board, Ralph Johnson had a chance to make things happen, as the new first basemen kept things going with an RBI single. Everyone moved up a base, sending the game tying run to third base. Clearly rattled from the results, Griffin threw four wide to Bill Morrison, allowing Detroit to tie the game without swinging the bat. Edwin Hackberry, who drew walks in all four of his prior plate appearances. He took one pitch for a strike, saving all the action for one last swing. The 7-Time All-Star laced one to center, sending most of the 16,065 happy with an exhilarating 4-run 9th inning walk-off win.

This win might have been what sparked the Dynamos, as they had just got embarrassed on the road by the Miners when the pen fell apart for seven in the 8th. Either that or a 5-1 win in Washington, as the Dynamos were making their approach back to .500 after dropping five of six against the Chiefs (home, 0-3) and Keystones (away, 1-3). The win brought them back to a game below .500, and started an 18-game win streak that turned a .480 win percentage into a ..690 win percentage that led all of FABL on May 30th. This did put them in first place, but the Chicago Chiefs (28-15, 1.5 GB) made it tough for them to pull away from the pack. Both teams ran right by the Gothams (24-18, 5 GB), who dropped all seven head-to-head matchups against the Detroit Dynamos. Breakout starter Eddie Martin (3,1 10 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) was the starter that got hit the hardest, but most of all the talented Gothams offense just could not solve Dynamo pitchers. Hank Estill, who had two, was the only member of the Barrett-Howe-Estill trio to homer, as New York's stars couldn't come up when it mattered most.

In the Conti it was a weird two-team race early on, as the Chicago Cougars (26-14, 0,5 GB) were just a game back of the reigning pennant winning Cleveland Foresters (27-14). who were watching a soon-to-be 40-year-old Rufus Barrell pitching like he was 24 again. Cleveland was scoring runs and preventing them, and with the surprise start from the Cougars one could only wonder what might have been had they not traded most of their better players. The Cougs went 20-9 in May, as the almost 27-year-old Pug White was 5-2 in his 7 starts with a 2.02 ERA (193 ERA+) and 1.05 WHIP. Most impressive might be the 42-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as the former top-5 prospect was starting to look like the elite top-of-the-rotation arm the team was once used to having. Offseason pickup Norm McBride (4-1, 1.65, 33) was looking like a potential Kellogg Winner and Carl Potter (2-1, 2.93, 16) showed signs of his pre-injury form, and when anyone had to turn the game to the bullpen, the lead was usually safe. The pen was not anchored by the now retired David Molina (63-41, 144, 3.42, 413 with CHC), but Arch Wilson (1-0, 7, 1.80, 19) did his best to provide Molina-level service. It was classic Cougar baseball, solid pitching and good enough hitting, and for once their was hope at Cougars Park.

Hope did not last, the Cougars crashed to earth with a 12-20 June, and the Foresters left them in their dust. What Cleveland might not have expected was that the Cincinnati Cannons would get hot, and after starting a home set with the Sailors with a hard-earned 1-0 victory, they passed the Foresters for first place on June 25th. By the end of the month the Cannons were 49-27 and two games clear of Cleveland, as they pitched and hit well in a 24-7 June. Simon Terry (4-0, 1.40, 27) and Jimmy Block (5-2, 2.52, 29) asserted themselves as legitimate rotation candidates while Jake Pearson (4-1, 3.42, 26) continued to deliver at the top of the rotation. At the plate, the 1-2-3 of Fred Lainhart (.320, 1, 13, 3), Johnny Elliot (.360, 9, 24), and Dallas Berry (.284, 8, 22) was causing headaches for pitching staffs everywhere, and there were rumblings that the club was looking to upgrade the infield. As good as their pitching was, the lineup as constructed could not compete with Cleveland's, and a sustained pennant race always comes with unexpected slumps and injuries.

Detroit opened a 3.5 game lead over the Chiefs, and it dropped ever-so-slightly to 3 when the All-Star break rolled around. Them and the Cannons both held the same lead, but Detroit had the better record, 54-27 to 55-29. Most of the league was out of it, just the Chiefs (50-29) and Foresters (51-31) within nine games of first. As large as that lead seems, last year shows us that's far from safe, and with two teams taking wins from each other there's always room for a third in a playoff run. The Gothams (44-35) and Minutemen (44-35) can both pitch and hit, and I don't envision the Kansas City Kings (39-40) staying below .500 all season. Both races are wide open, and with the deadline at the end of the month there's still plenty of time for someone to make a big move.

*** All Star Game ***

The 25th annual edition of FABL's All-Star Game was held on July 9 and for the third year in a row the Continental Association prevailed. The final score was 6-3 as the CA stars rallied to erase an early 3-1 lead for the Feds and with the victory the CA takes a 14-11 lead in the series.

Rick Masters of the Boston Minutemen led the hit parade with three, but it was Cleveland's Sherry Doyal claiming the Most Valuable Player award for the second straight season allowing him to join former St Louis and Toronto great, and new Hall of Famer, Fred McCormick as players to win the award twice. Doyal had two hits, including a home run and scored twice.

The CA took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Federal Association starter Al Miller allowed two hits and a walk. Cincinnati's Johnny Elliott had the rbi, singling home Doyal with the first run. Bill Barrett of the New York Gothams evened things up for the Federal Association when he launched a solo homerun off of Cleveland's Adrian Czerwinski, the CA starter on the mound, in the bottom of the first. Barrett made history as it was his 13th all-star game, tying him with Bobby Barrell and George Cleaves for the most appearances.

Jim Norris of Detroit tossed a 1-2-3 second inning and in the home half the Feds got to Cincinnati's Simon Terry for two runs to go up by a 3-1 margin. The scoring came courtesy of three singles of the bats of Joe Reed, Lew Mercer and Jim Norris followed by a sacrifice fly delivered by Edwin Hackberrry.

That would be all the runs the Federal Association would push across the plate but the CA was just getting started. Doyal cut the deficit to 3-2 with a solo homerun off of Jack Miller in the third inning. Montreal's Jim Johnston would deliver a pinch-hit single to tie the game at three in the fifth frame. In the 7th Kansas City Kings infielder Ken Newman smacked a solo homerun off of Pittsburgh's Dick Champ to put the Continental stars up 4-3 and they would round out the scoring in the 8th inning when John Wells of Toronto and Cincinnati's Dallas Berry each delivered rbi singles off of Detroit's Paul Anderson to make the final 6-3.

**** Quiet Time At Trade Deadline ***

Detroit came out of the break hot, as after dropping the first game of the second half 7-4, they ripped off five straight and won 10 of their first 12 games after the brek. That opened up a huge 8 game lead, the most impactful a three game sweep of the Chiefs in Detroit. All three were by a single run, with the sweep capped off with a 11th inning walk-off homer from Bill Morrison. It was Morrison's 20th of the season and second of the game, as the 30-year-old outfielder continues to be one of the top hitters in a very deep Dynamo lineup. This upped his season line to an impressive .284/.344/.515, similar to the .290/.378/.508 (145 OPS+) he hit last season. Responsible for all four of the runs, it's a shame no one else helped, as Jack Halbur (10 IP, 7 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) pitched well enough to win. Considering the Chiefs were the only team within ten games of first, this sweep made it so all seemed lost, as the Dynamos were poised to make their fifth World Championship Series in six seasons.

This made it a quiet deadline, as while there were a few trades in July, there weren't many impactful moves made. Cincinnati made the first semi-significant move, adding veteran righty Joe Quade (2-2, 2.94, 35) to their rotation. He pitched mostly out of the pen for the Miners, but the Cannons are trying to take advantage of their great start and the young rotation now has a battle tested veteran in the five spot they can all learn from. The cost wasn't too much either, but the Miners will receive a useful right handed pitcher and a low minors third basemen. The pitcher, Rex Conner, ranked as the #131 prospect in FABL and was effective for the Cannon's A ball team. Making 17 of his 19 starts their, Conner was 9-6 with a 3.71 ERA (104 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 61 walks, and 78 strikeouts. He has good control and a nice change, and could factor into the Miners rotation in the next few years. Pittsburgh is line for a second straight finish towards the bottom, and they were already happy giving innings to someone else.

Despite being 11 out at the time, the Gothams made headlines as they do, sending a five prospect package to the Pioneers for former 2nd Overall Pick Rex Pilcher and a minor league outfielder. Pilcher, 27, is in the midst of a down season by his standards, hitting just .235/.346/.443 (110 OPS+) in 93 games. He already has 20 home runs, something he's done five seasons in a row, and Pilcher drew 60 walks with 50 runs, and 51 RBIs. Almost seen as a preemptive move to get some insurance in case Bill Barrett starts feeling his age. Pilcher gives the Gothams another big pat to support him, Howe, and Estill, this season and next.

Diving into the prospect return, the two gems are the 21-year-olds Dixie Amodei and Doc Carver, who were teammates on the Gothams Class B team. Amodei spent most of his time in center, and hit a respectable .291/.293/.397 (97 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 4 triples, a homer, and 21 RBIs. The only problem is he doesn't walk, just one of those in 181 PAs, but the former 3rd Rounder is a quick runner who does best when he puts the ball in play. The defense is good too, and he's even got some experience at second, making him a useful and versatile piece who could supplement a contending team. Ranked as the 159th prospect, Amodei was second in the return to Carver, who checked in three spots outside the top 100. Taken a round earlier in 1953, Carver didn't get going until July, and struggled for four seasons in Class C. Still, the prospect pickers are a big fan of his stuff, and believe he'll eventually tighten up his control issues. He was on the right track, as his 7.8 BB% in 23.2 innings was the first time he was below 10%, but the Pioneers will have to push him up a few levels. Of the other three prospects, none were highly ranked, but outfielder Bill Bather reached AAA, and hit .284/.408/.422 (124 OPS+) with 25 runs, 20 RBIs, and 25 walks. A bubble player and team leader, the change of scenery could do him well, and he'll have some semblance of a chance to get regular at bats here as opposed to New York.

Two other Fed teams made moves the day before the deadline, starting with the Minutemen acquiring Pat Todd to replace Ned Adams at third. The 30-year-old Todd was doing a solid job as the Eagles third basemen, hitting .300/.329/.398 (96 OPS+) with 14 doubles, 6 homers, 30 RBIs, and 41 runs. That's much better then the .257/.324/.354 Adams was hitting, so Boston was willing to part with young lefty Eddie Frank to acquire him. Ranked as the 112th prospect, Frank split his time between A and AA, wit his best work coming at the higher level. In 8 starts he was 3-2 with a 1.80 ERA (222 ERA+), 1.22 WHIP, 16 walks, and 32 strikeouts. "Lippy" has an excellent curve, but the level of mastery in his command will determine if he pitches for the Eagles in the future.

More surprisingly, the Stars dealt young catcher Mickey Tucker, who followed a solid rookie season (.233, 15, 42) by hitting .291/.354/.451 (116 OPS+) with 13 homers, 34 runs, and 35 RBIs in his first 84 games. He upped his WRC+ from 99 to 127, and perhaps the Stars wanted to sell high on their former 3rd Rounder. Chicago was willing to part with the 78th ranked prospect Ed Moore for him, sending away the player they took 10th last season. Just 19, he made his way all the way up to AA, where he was 6-for-23 with 2 homers in his first 6 games. A talented hitter who can play decent defense in center, Moore has excellent pitch recognition skills and will hit for a high average, all while threatening pitchers with his above average power. He's a talented 6'6'' slugger who could be a game changing player, but his game is still a major work in progress.

No one made a move on the actual day of the deadline, and Detroit started August up 10.5 games in what was expected to be an easy waltz to the finish. On the other hand, the Ohio teams were battling for first, with the Cannons (65-41) and Foresters (62-40) far ahead of the rest of the association that was more then double digit games out of first. The battle between the two teams became the only excitement in baseball, as aside from individual performances, the battle for the Continental Association was all that provided intrigue.

Through August, the Foresters and Cannons kept going back and forth, setting up the stage for a big series at Tice Memorial Stadium on the 4th and 5th of September. The two teams only had one other game on the 24th, and with Cleveland up a game and a half this was the Cannons chance to take back first. Instead, the Foresters got a big 5-run 6th as they got to Jimmy Block (5.2, 8 H, 6 ER, 6 BB, 1 K) in the opener. Hugh Blumenthal (9 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) finished off the 6-4 victory, and then Cleveland put up seven runs in the first four innings of game two. That was more then enough for July acquisition Lynn Horn, who threw a complete game win with 6 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, and 9 strikeouts in his first start for Cleveland. The loss proved to be the final nail in the coffin, as Cincinnati just couldn't get wins strung together. The Foresters meanwhile, had two four game win streaks, the second of which involved the final game against the Cannons. This time it was Adrian Czerwinski (9 IP, 10 H, ER, 3 BB, 11 K) doing the dismantling, but the Foresters already had everything wrapped up.

Rufus Barrell was the star of the show, as Cleveland's 40-year-old co-ace took home his 4th Allen Award after going 22-11 with a 2.55 ERA (157 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, and 168 strikeouts. Most impressive was his 5.4 K/BB and 2.6 BB%, with the BB% the lowest of a qualified pitcher since the 1944 season. His 10.6 WAR was best among Continental hurlers, and him Czerwinski (19-11, 3.58, 211), and Blumenthal (16-12, 3.10, 168) effectively led the #1 pitching staff. Though it was probably the offense that was the strength, as the 3-4-5 of Sherry Doyal (.318, 20, 102, 8), John Low (.326, 18, 128), and Otis O'Keefe (.291, 19, 103) produced runs all season. Rookie catcher Hal Kennedy (.252, 20, 75) ended up taking the starting job from Larry McClure (.273, 5, 18), although it was McClure who ended up having the better offensive numbers. The surprising part, however, was the dropoff of Tom Carr, as the reigning Whitney Winner hit just .297/.383/.455 (121 OPS+) after his astronomical .341/.430/.559 (181 OPS+) triple slash last year. Still an excellent leadoff hitter, Carr provided Cleveland with 42 doubles, 13 triples, 9 homers, 51 RBIs, 16 steals, 70 walks, and 125 runs. Along with runs, and triples, Carr had the most plate appearances (689), and will look to do the same against the Federal champion Dynamos.

Detroit finished an outstanding 104-50, passing the 100 win mark for the second time in three seasons. Once again, it was on the backs of their tremendous pitching. After taking a year off, Jim Norris seized the Allen Award for a third time, leading the Fed in two of the three triple crown categories. His 175 strikeouts was good enough for third, as Norris finished 22-7 with a 2.50 ERA (157 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 7.5 WAR. He led the Fed in WHIP and innings (288.1) too, and is ready and rested to take on Rufus Barrell in game one. They won't need everyone, but all five of their starters had above average ERAs. Paul Anderson (19-8, 2.57, 156) and Jack Miller (19-11, 3.25, 162) are expected to get the starts, but both Jack Halbur (17-8, 3.88, 138) and Bob Allen (12-6, 3.45, 96) could give quality starts if called upon. Most impressive, however, may be that three members of the lineups finished with exactly 32 homeruns. Edwin Hackberry (.264, 32, 97, 16) is the expected one, but Bill Morrison (.284, 32, 87, 13) set a career high in longballs and the third guy was a complete surprise. That would be 24-year-old Joe Reed, who played just a little too much last year to be considered a rookie. The first time All-Star hit an amazing .325/.384/.555 (150 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 86 runs, 91 RBIs, and of course, 32 home runs. Excellent defense at short (11.4 ZR, 1.057 EFF) helped him record an a team high 8.3 AWR in 135 games. His emergence shifted Stan Kleminski (.304, 5, 56, 15) to second, and he's batting third in the deep lineup. Ralph Johnson (.301, 20, 67, 11) has hit well as the new first basemen, and Dick Estes (.289, 21, 74) might have had his best season at 33. They're going to be a tough test for Cleveland, and likely head into the series as the favorite.

The only team close to either of the division winners was the Cincinnati Cannons, who finished 7 back of Cleveland, as while their offense and pitching was pretty impressive, it just wasn't good enough to slow the Foresters down. Cincy was led by Whitney Winner Dallas Berry, who hit an outstanding .315/.426/.658 (184 OPS+) with 109 runs, 45 homers, 89 walks, and 111 RBIs in 585 trips to the plate. Along with his home runs, Berry led the CA in OBP, slugging, OPS (1.084), WRC+ (195), wOBA (.459), and WAR (10.4), making him the easy choice for the circuit's top hitter. A bit of a three man show, Berry hit behind last year's Kellogg winner Fred Lainhart (.320, 8, 62, 17) and offseason pickup Johnny Elliot (.320, 29, 92), as most rallies were made responsible by this trio. Backstop Art McKinney (.270, 22, 62) impressed as a rookie, earning the Kellogg this year for the Cannons, but he struck out in almost a quarter of his at bats and relies heavily on his home run power. Ralph Hanson (.317, 5, 67, 21) had another good season, splitting his time between left and short, but the bottom of the order needs some reworking if the Cannons want to compete. They have the pitching to do it, as ace Jake Pearson (16-13, 3.83, 136) put together his 4th consecutive 4.5+ WAR season in what was a "down" year by his standards. Veteran Jimmy Block (18-13, 3.15, 141) had the classic late breakout the Cannons have become known for, while Simon Terry (15-8, 3.15, 137) got to the All-Star game at 27.Joe Quade (6-6, 1, 3.39, 69) did a great job stabilizing the back of the rotation, as just veteran Dick Greenhalgh (7-13, 5.33, 93) was easy to get runs off of. With their first 80+ win season since 1950, the Cannons definitely turned heads with their performance this year, and with a few quality offseason moves they could make themselves one of the favorites for 1958.

In the Fed, the Whitney race wasn't as straight forward, as this writer believes a mistake was made. Somehow, Rod Shearer still doesn't have a Whitney, as even a Fed high 10 wins above replacement, a .343/.407/.628 (175 OPS+) batting line, and leading the league in runs scored (120) and driven in (135) still isn't enough. Even after adding his 41 doubles, 37 homers, and 185 WRC+ in an elite 150 game season. Through 7+ seasons, Shearer owns a Hall-of-Fame caliber .301/.379/.583 (160 OPS+) batting line with 270 homers and 914 RBIs, but will have to wait another year as he finished 2nd in voting for the third time. Instead, the award went to Bill Barrett, his 5th, but Barrett made over 100 less PAs then Shearer. Sure, his .389/.479/.727 (220 OPS+) line is something you don't see all that often, and yes he had 39 homers and 124 RBIs himself, but he was awful defensively at both first and left and played so much less then Shearer did. That's not to say Barrett didn't have a Whitney level performance, he certainly did, but the last Fed Whitney winner to play less then 150 games was George Cleaves in 1950, and the catcher's 142 games still topped Barrett's 132. You have to go all the way back to Red Johnson in 1941 to find a non-catcher winner with fewer then 145 games, but I guess this year the voters decided that either games played don't matter any more, or that Barrett was just so dominant in his smaller sample that an exception could be made.

Both the Gothams and Chiefs tried to keep it interesting in the Fed, finishing 91-63, which most years doesn't find you 13 games out of first. Coming off a title, the Gothams may have felt let down, but this team was more then good enough to win a pennant. Along with Barrett, the lineup boasted stars like Earl Howe (.300, 33, 133, 6) and Hank Estill (.286, 39, 111), and supplemental pieces like Joe DeMott (.364, 4, 33, 6), Ed Holmes (.251, 10, 69, 7), and deadline pickup Rex Pilcher (.239, 25, 68) provided the three-headed monster with support. The staff impressed too, led by 21-game winner Jorge Arellano (21-8, 3.13, 202), the ageless wonder Ed Bowman (15-13, 3.50, 136), and the tough to beat Eddie Martin (14-4, 3.17, 107). A front of the rotation that can stack up with any, the back half needed more then Jerry Decker (8-13, 4.90, 103) and John Stallings (11-4, 3, 4.88, 47), but even another ace level pitcher probably wouldn't have been enough to cut the gap. Lucky for them, Detroit won't be able to win 100 games every season, and maybe next year is the Gothams who decide to leave everyone in the dust.

Speaking of ace level pitching, that's what Al Miller gave the Chiefs, as the now 42-year-old put together another Allen worthy season by going 17-14 with a 2.82 ERA (139 ERA+), 2.87 FIP (73 FIP-), and 1.12 WHIP. Miller led the Fed in FIP-, WAR (7.6), and K/BB (2.8), setting down 130 in 271.1 innings. His last four seasons have been nothing short of elite, and the 11-Time All-Star seems poised for a 12th selection in 1958. He got plenty of help in the rotation this year, as even though 1956 ERA champ Vern Osborne (15-7, 4.00, 137) saw his ERA jump, Mel Haynes (18-11, 3.18, 112) had his best season to date at 35, and the Chiefs had a surprise 20-game winner in 20-year-old sophomore Joe Cipolla (20-8, 3.61, 168). The lineup was carried by Shearer, but the top five of George Sutterfield (.279, 7, 64, 22), John Moss (.260, 14, 62), Shearer, Ed Bloom (.250, 13, 68, 13), and Doc Zimmerman (.264, 16, 91) had a knack for producing runs. Like the Gothams, the Chiefs could be next in line to upend Detroit, and are much happier going into next season then most teams that finish double digit out can be.

Most of FABL was under .500 this year, making Boston (83-71) and Kansas City (82-72) the 6th and 7th teams to finish above the mark. Two teams that were expected to compete and finish at least ten games over, they do things a bit differently. Neither team is bad at pitching or hitting, but Boston has the better bats and Kansas City the more reliable pitching. Boston's Rick Masters (.300, 49, 116) came a homer away from 50, breaking the single season home run record of 46 that Jack Denis (.339, 36, 112) set for the team last year. Denis himself hit "just" 36, but between the two there is plenty of power to go around. With protection from George Rutter (.280, 29, 77), Joe Kleman (.300, 12, 67), and Marshall Thomas (.315, 21, 99), there is no shortage of scoring, and they got a nice boost from deadline pickup Pat Todd (..306, 10, 47), who had a 144 WRC+ in 196 post-trade PAs. Billy Forbes (.269, 16, 65, 9) may be the best eight hitter in baseball, and it's hard to get outs on this team. The pitching saw a huge decline from Foster Sherman (14-13, 4.51, 146), who might have just gotten lucky last year, but the now 21-year-old Don Griffin (12-6, 7, 2.73, 95) pitched his way into the rotation at the end of the year, and through most of the season they had solid, if unspectacular, outings from their starting pitching.

Boston would be set with an arm like Beau McClellan, who followed up his breakout 1956 with a better 1947. The 25-year-old ace went 21-9 with a 2.45 ERA (161 ERA+), 1.11 WHIP, and 175 strikeouts, pitching well enough to capture the Allen in most years. With an elite 2.67 FIP (67 FIP-) and just 12 homers and 63 walks, it looked like his ERA was as legit as it gets, but unfortunately Rufus Barrell remembered that earlier in his career he was the game's best pitcher by a longshot. More surprising was Mike Thorpe's (14-12, 2.84, 125) dominance at 35, as Tony Britten (14-12, 3.92, 157) and Fred Washington (12-14, 3.84, 144) were more average then their dominant selves. At the plate, the same could be said for Charlie Rogers (.288, 13, 70, 13) and Ken Newman (.303, 16, 88), though in Newman's case he was still a top-3 third basemen. The Thorpe of the lineup was Bryan Jeffress (.302, 28, 83, 6), who after posting a 155 WRC+ in 372 PAs posted a similar 140 in over 600, forming a tough to get out 1-2 punch with Charlie Rogers. KC is hoping rookie Hank Williams (.275, 3, 20) is more comfortable in a full season, as the lineup will get even longer with him producing at a high level. Like Boston, they should be taken seriously in 1958, as the franchise needs to make up for blowing their huge lead last year.

Looking at the rest of the league, much work is to be done, but there seems to be a clear divide between the good and bad in the Fed. None of the four sub .500 teams won even 70 games, but at some point the Keystones are going to do enough to supplement Buddy Miller (.339, 33, 99). Most of the talent in the Conti is concentrated to the top, but 19-year-old star pitcher George Hoxworth is one of the few top performers on one of the cellar dwellers. The new ace of the Wolves, Hoxworth struck out a league high 262 hitters, finishing 16-16 with a 3.34 ERA (120 ERA+), 2.83 FIP (70 FIP-), and 1.11 WHIP. Unlike most high octane strikeout pitchers, he walked just 7.6% of the batters he faced, and could pitch his way into a historic career..

With a champion still to be crowned, we can't get too far ahead of ourselves, but the fans of the other 14 teams are hoping that the big move they make this offseason is the one that restores their favorite club to baseball relevance.

1957 World Championship Series

Seeing the Cleveland Foresters or Detroit Dynamos in the World Championship Series lately has become an October tradition as predictable as waiting for the leaves to change colour. Only one WCS has been contested since 1949 that did not involve at least one of the pair participating. That would be the 1951 series when the St Louis Pioneers, after eliminating Detroit in a one game tiebreaker playoff for the Federal Association pennant took on the Sailors who were still based in Philadelphia at the time. The Dynamos had won three and played in five series since then while the Foresters had won two and played in four over that nine year stretch. This would be Detroit's fifth appearance in the past six years and Foresters second straight but the only time previously the two had faced each other was in 1953 when the series went the distance and Cleveland emerged victorious. Most of the core on both teams was unchanged from the club's that battled four years ago.

GAME ONE: DETROIT 2 CLEVELAND 1

The opener would be a meeting of the Allen Award winners from each league as Deuce Barrell, after a resurgence at age 39 that saw him go 22-11 for the Foresters, would face Jim Norris, who was 22-7 this season for Detroit. Both pitchers had terrific games but Norris was just a bit better, pitching a masterful complete game in which he allowed just four Cleveland hits and came away with a 2-1 victory. The Dynamos managed just 5 hits off of Barrell, who was replaced for a pinch-hitter in the 8th and one more off of reliever Lynn Horn but the difference was Detroit strung a pair of extra base hits together in the fourth inning. Ralph Johnson hit a 2-out double and Dick Estes followed with a homerun that accounted for all of the Dynamos offense. Cleveland finally broke Norris' shutout bid with two out in the top of the ninth when Sherry Doyal hit a solo homerun but Norris induced a John Low popup to end the game.

GAME TWO:CLEVELAND 5 DETROIT 3

Adrian Czerwinski, who went 3-0 against Detroit in the 1953 series, got the call for game two and once more seemed to have the Dynamos number. The Mad Professor went the distance, allowing 5 hits and fanning 9 as Cleveland evened the series with a 5-3 victory. The Foresters managed just 6 hits but Detroit starter Paul Anderson, prone to wildness his entire career, issued 8 free passes.

Two of those walks came in the second inning and were followed by an rbi single off the bat of John Low to plate the Foresters first run and two innings later the lead was doubled to 2-0 when Otis O'Keefe led off the frame with a homerun. Anderson's sixth inning was a mess as a combination of four walks, a wild pitch and just one base hit, a Low single, gifted the Foresters two more runs and 4-0 lead. Jim Urquhart rounded out the Cleveland scoring with an rbi single in the top of the 8th inning after O'Keefe had led off with a double.

Meanwhile, Czerwinski carried a 2-hitter into the ninth inning before Detroit, trailing 5-0, made the score respectable with singles from Bill Morrison and Stan Kleminski before Edwin Hackberry walloped a 3-run homer over the leftfield fence. Czerwinski would settle quickly and finish off the game with fly outs from Ralph Johnson and pinch-hitter Ivey Henley, a former Forester. The victory would be the 9th WCS win of Czerwinski' career, and that would set a new WCS record.

GAME THREE: DETROIT 9 CLEVELAND 6

The opening two games gave us for the most part some stellar pitching but the third game saw the two teams combine for 15 runs and 29 hits in a 9-6 Dynamos victory. Jack Miller and Hugh Blumenthal were the starting pitchers and despite each surrendering five runs they both lasted into the 8th inning.

Detroit scored first with three second inning singles including a rbi knock off the bat of Tommy Griffin and then added another run in the third when Blumenthal walked Dan Smith with the bases loaded in an inning that saw Detroit score without getting a hit due to four walks and a hit batsman by the Foresters hurler.

Miller, after allowing two hits in the third inning, gifted Cleveland's first run when he uncorked a wild pitch of his own and a second Miller wild pitch, along with three singles allowed the Foresters to score twice in the fourth inning and go up 3-2. The damage could have been worse but Detroit centerfielder Edwin Hackberry prevented a third Foresters run in the inning by throwing out Rudy Minton at the plate.

The score remained 3-2 until the 7th inning when Detroit regained the lead on a two-run Dan Smith homer after Blumenthal had walked Joe Reed to start the inning. After a 1-out single from Bill Morrison in the top of the 8th Blumenthal gave way to reliver Lynn Horn but things just got worse for the Foresters. Joe Reed would single, rookie Dick Tucker would drive in two runs with a double- his first WCS hit- and Bill Swindler would single in another run to make the score 8-3 for the Dynamos.

Cleveland chased Miller in the 8th when the Foresters scored twice on 3 hits and a Hackberry error to cut the Detroit lead to 8-5 but that would be as close as they would get with the teams each adding a run in the ninth inning.

GAME FOUR: CLEVELAND 5 DETROIT 0

The Foresters went back to Deuce Barrell for his second start of the season and the 39-year-old pitched a gem, tossing a complete game 4-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory. Bob Allen was perhaps a surprise as the game four starter for Detroit and Allen had his struggles early, allowing Cleveland to score a run in each of the first two innings.

Allen plunked Cleveland lead-off man Tom Carr and then walked Rudy Minton to start the game. A fielders choice and a groundout accounted for the first Cleveland run while a walk followed by a Gene Curtis double made it 2-0. A lead-off walk to Hal Kennedy caused more trouble for Allen in the fourth inning as back to back singles from Jim Urquhart and Curtis tacked on another Cleveland run and the Foresters picked up two more in the bottom of the fifth. A walk again factored in but this time it was intentional after John Low had delivered a one-out triple but the move backfired when Urquhart followed with a 2-run double.

Meanwhile the closest Detroit came to scoring was in the top of the third when Dan Smith hit a lead-off double but advanced no further as Barrell fanned two that inning. Detroit did not get its second hit of the game until Pat Petty singled with one out in the sixth and the Dynamos never did get another runner into scoring position.

GAME FIVE: CLEVELAND 2 DETROIT 0

As good as Barrell was in game four, Adrian Czerwinski might have been even better on the mound for Cleveland in the fifth game as the Foresters took a 3-2 series lead with a 2-0 victory. Czerwinski limited Detroit to just 3 hits, all singles. He struck out six and did not issue a free pass. Jim Norris was nearly as good for Detroit, allowing just 5 Cleveland hits but the Foresters pushed across a run in each of the third and sixth innings.

The third inning run came from a Sherry Doyal two out double after Tom Carr had drawn a lead-off walk and the run in the sixth was courtesy of Otis O'Keefe's second homerun of the series.

GAME SIX: DETROIT 10 CLEVELAND 9

After two great pitching performance fans were due for another slugfest and they were treated to a wild one in game six as the Dynamos forced a seventh game with a 10-9 victory. Paul Anderson was not was wild on this day, he walked just 2, but he was roughed up for six runs on 9 hits over 6 innings while Hugh Blumenthal again had his troubles, not surviving the sixth inning while also allowing six runs on 9 hits.

Sherry Doyal's rbi double in the first gave Cleveland a quick lead but Detroit responded with a pair of runs of their own in the home half of the opening frame thanks to a pair of walks and a singles off the bats of Joe Reed and Dick Estes. Estes delivered another rbi hit as Detroit scored two more in the third inning to go up 4-1 but the Foresters answered with two runs of their own in the top of the fourth thanks to a Jim Urquhart homer after John Low had single.

Detroit scratched out another run in the fifth inning but Cleveland exploded for 3 runs on 4 hits in the sixth, including doubles from Sherry Doyal and Gene Curtis, to put Cleveland ahead 6-5. A walk, a Stan Kleminski single and a fielders choice allowed Detroit to pull even in the bottom of the sixth and a Del Johnson single, coupled with a Cleveland error put the Dynamos up 7-6 in the seventh. Cleveland answered with a run of their own in the 8th on a Hal Kennedy rbi double and the game was again tied.

Detroit scored three in the bottom of the eighth as the Dynamos benefited from a 2-run double off the bat of Joe Reed and an rbi single from Dick Estes to make the score 10-7 but the Foresters did not go quietly, scoring twice in the ninth thanks to a pinch-hit homer off the bat of Mike Spear and a triple from Tom Carr, who came home on a ground out. Finally Detroit reliever Jack Halbur fanned Low and Otis O'Keefe to end the game and give Detroit the one run victory.

GAME SEVEN: CLEVELAND 3 DETROIT 1

Unlike when Hugh Blumenthal pitched, runs did not come easy for Detroit against Deuce Barrell and Barrell was called on to make his third start of the series. He would face Jack Miller, who won his game three start but looked shaky at times.

Each survived the first inning without any damage although Miller did issue a lead-off walk to Tom Carr. The second inning was not as forgiving for Miller after he once more allowed the lead-off man to reach base. Otis O'Keefe singled and after Hal Kennedy was fanned O'Keefe advance to second on a Jim Urquhart ground out. Gene Curtis was given an intentional walk so Miller could face Deuce Barrell and the veteran pitcher delivered with the bat, slapping a single to left that plated O'Keefe with the all import opening running of the contest.

The lead was doubled to 2-0 in the top of the fourth when Urquhart hit a solo homerun off of Miller and the score would remain 2-0 as the innings stretched on despite some solid opportunities for the Dynamos to get to Barrell. In the fifth Ralph Johnson worked Deuce for a lead-off walk but was promptly caught attempting to pilfer second base and an inning later Tommy Griffin, who had led off with a double was retired trying to score from third on a Bill Morrison grounder. The Dynamos loaded the bases with two out that inning but Barrell struck out Joe Reed end the threat and keep the score 2-0 for Cleveland.

Detroit finally got a run in the 8th inning when Bill Morrison hit a solo homerun but the Foresters restored their 2-run lead in the top of the ninth when Dynamos reliever Bob Arman dished up a longball to Otis O'Keefe, giving the Cleveland slugger his third homerun of the series. Leading 3-1, Barrell did allow a 2-out single to Dick Estes but Dan Smith hit a flyball out to end the game and give the Foresters a game seven victory in Thompson Field for the second time in four years.

Jim Urquhart, who hit .458 (11-24) with five extra base hits and six rbi's, was named the Most Valuable Player of the series.

FABL OFF-SEASON

The offseason kicked off with a change of scene type trade, as the team with the worst catching group decided to add a 4-Time All-Star to the mix. That would be the Philadelphia Keystones, who are going to attempt to get 1952 to 1956 Tom Cooprider, and not the 1957 Cooprider. In the first five year period, Cooprider had at least a 110 WRC+ while worth at least 3 WAR in four of the five seasons, positioning himself as one of the more reliable all-around catchers in FABL. 1957 couldn't have gone any worse, as the 30-year-old Sailor hit just .195/.263/.278 (47 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 9 homers, and 40 RBIs. It was such a poor performance that is brought his career line down to a just below average .255/.324/.384 (99 OPS+) in 889 FABL games. Even that version of Cooprider would be a welcomed addition over a quickly aged Roger Cleaves (.212, 4, 16) and the continuously below average Artie Smith (.202, 3, 26). Cleaves himself ended up part of the last trade of 1957, as at the beginning of December he was sent to the Chicago Cougars to back up Stan Czerwinski (.215, 20, 69), who might have been pushed to Chicago a year early. Cleaves and a prospect netted Sparky Williams (.262, 3, 33, 2), who the Keystones will add to their bench.

With Cooprider, the Keystones also received cash and a young third basemen from San Francisco, parting with their usual center fielder Herbert Crawford Jr. A former infielder who was part of the Jim Adams Jr. trade back in 1951, Crawford came to the Keystones in '56, and hit a solid .272/.342/.446 (118 OPS+) in 83 games. That total went up to 145 this year, and his .261/.334/.400 (101 OPS+) led to a 110 WRC+. In his two years with the Keystones, he totaled 30 doubles, 30 homers, and 104 RBIs, and he's expected to join Ray Rogan (.301, 10, 62) and Bill Harbin (.235, 15, 49) in the San Francisco outfield. Crawford was the big add, and the Sailors willbe hoping the Bill Guthrie (.261, 28, 85) led offense can do better then a tie for the fewest runs scored next season. Without a star, that could be tough, but they are hoping for a step forward from their 20-year-old rookie Carlos Jaramillo. Now 21, "El Guante" hit just .233/.287/.328 (67 OPS+) as a rookie, but he was a superb defender (15.1 ZR, 1.075 EFF) and projects to be at least a plus contact hitter. He may not end up hitting for much power, but 9 homers isn't too shabby, and he was a strong base stealer in the minors. His defense is huge for the pitching, which aside from defense might be the team's strength, and the front two of Bud Henderson (14-16, 3.19, 194) and George Reynolds (18-10, 3.22, 173) really impressed despite the team's 74-80 finish.

After finishing in second in the Continental Association, once of the most active teams of the winter was the Cincinnati Cannons, who have a young core in place that's battle tested and ready for more then just an 87 win season. The rotation wasn't a weakness by any means, but it got even better with the big acquisition of Doc Clay from Los Angeles. Now 25, Clay is a former 7th overall pick who ranked as high as the 11th best prospect in FABL. He was solid as a rookie in 1956, starting half of his 30 appearances and finishing 6-8 with a save, 2.92 ERA (127 ERA+), and 1.34 WHIP. This year, he started all 33 of his appearances, and was the best pitcher on a last place team. An unlucky 10-13, Clay had an excellent 3.11 ERA (126 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP with 130 strikeouts in 225.2 innings pitched. The four pitch righty may not have elite stuff or command, but he has an excellent feel for his pitches, and excels at generating weak contact on the ground. The 6'5'' righty may not put in the effort that's desired, something that may prevent him from being a true ace, but he's an overqualified #3 in a deep rotation. In a sperate trade with LA, they picked up a second pitcher in Hal Miller (8-10, 19, 3.91, 85), who can help setup All-Star stopper John Gibson (11-7, 21, 1.97, 63) and starter-turned-reliever Paul Williams (5-3, 6, 1.88, 38). It may be very tough to score on trips to Tice Memorial Stadium, and they did the made some of the more significant adds, including a shortstop in Willie Watson (.244, 8, 50), among teams who missed the postseason.

As evidenced by the two trades with the Cannons, the Stars were continuing to sell, with reliable swingman Lou Walker (11-11, 2, 3.44, 77) going to the Gothams in a deal for two prospects. Along with those two guys, they picked up three for Clay and two for Miller, with the most notable prospect surprisingly coming in the Miller trade. Despite being the worst of the three guys traded, the Stars stopper brought in 32nd ranked prospect Cal Johnston, who was taken in the 2nd Round of the 1957 draft. A four pitch starter who just turned 19 in November, some inside the organization think he could crack a poor Stars rotation, as his top notch work ethic has allowed him to make continued improvements in his short time with the Cannons organization. A potential ace, he's got an elite change and nice slider, and with his advanced control and raw stuff he'll rack up the strikeouts. The intimidating 6'4'' lefty has been sitting comfortable in the low 90s, but he's still got time to push higher with his height, build, and age. LA also picked up the 79th ranked prospect Johnny Robarge in the Clay deal, giving them a switch hitting first basemen who has great pop and a solid eye. Clearly still a few years away, the Stars decided to add to their top ranked system, entering the new year with 13 of the game's top 84 prospects.

Pittsburgh made one of the more surprising moves, as after a second consecutive sub-.500 finish, they decided to send their best pitcher Dick Champ, to the Chiefs in a two-for-two trade. Champ, 26, has pitched in parts of four seasons for the Miners, and led the Fed with 69 appearances last season. This year he was strictly a starter, owning a share of the Fed lead with 35 starts. A first-time All-Star, the former 2nd Rounder finished an impressive 21-10 with a 3.37 ERA (119 ERA+), 3.15 FIP (78 FIP-), and 1.34 WHIP. Champ struck out 196 with just 88 walks in 270 innings, functioning as Pittsburgh's only above average starter. A talented five pitch pitcher, he has great stuff and command, and gives an infusion of youth to a rotation led by Al Miller (17-14, 2.82, 130) and Mel Haynes (18-11, 3.18, 112), joining fellow 26-year-old Vern Osborne (15-7, 4.00, 137) in the middle of the rotation, and Champ joins Joe Cipolla (20-8, 3.61, 168) as recent 20-game winners on the staff. It's hard to say anyone is the favorite over the Dynamos, and the Gothams and Minutemen are loaded with talent as well, but the Chiefs have greatly improved their club over the past few seasons and have their best chance of the decade to secure a 6th pennant.

Leading the return for Champ is a 24-year-old outfielder in Frank Selander, who has hit well in parts of three seasons for the Chiefs. Functioning primarily off the bench, he started just 48 of his 187 FABL games, hitting an above average .290/.385/.452 (128 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 11 homers, and 50 RBIs. A former 7th Overall Pick, Selander is an imposing 6'4'' slugger who launched 25 homers in his last minor league season. The lefty does a good job squaring up the ball, connecting with line drive after line drive. As good as Selander is, it's an interesting acquisition for Pittsburgh, as their outfield already features Bill Newhall (.280, 15, 79), Ernie Campbell (.249, 49), and Bill Tutwiler (.339, 5, 41, 6). Selander does have three options left, so he can be relied on as depth, but perhaps he was the best Pittsburgh could do as the Chiefs held firmly to their four top 100 prospects.

Without a major blockbuster, the landscape in 1958 may be similar to 1957, with just a few teams in line for a postseason berth. The Fed seems to be the most competitive, with four top teams, and the Keystones and Pioneers may try to poke their way into the race too. The Foresters seem to have it easier on the Conti, with the Cannons and Kings likely the only road block to their repeat quests, but baseball has a funny way of throwing the unexpected at the unsuspecting.

Maybe 1958 is finally the year for the Chicago Cougars? Haven't heard that one in a while now, have you!

• There were three no-hitters in 1957. The last time that happened was in 1904 when Bill Temple, John Blackburn and John Lefebure each tossed one. This time it was Philadelphia's Sam Ivey in July and then George Reynolds of Toronto on August 27 followed a day later by Detroit's Jim Norris.
• 1957 milestones included Al Miller of the Chicago Chiefs winning his 300th career game, Bill Barrett socked his 400th career homerun and later in the season collected his 2,500th career hit. Barrett would win the Federal Association batting title with a .389 average. He won a pair of CA batting crowns during his days with the New York Stars.
• Bill Barrett also made history by being selected for his 13th all-star game. He joins George Cleaves and Bobby Barrell as the only players named to 13 games. Teammate Ed Bowman was hoping to join him at 13 but Bowman was not selected to the Federal Association team this year.
  

  MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS     
  13*  Bill Barrett    Gothams
  13  George Cleaves   Retired
  13  Bobby Barrell    Retired
  12  Red Johnson      Retired
  12  Ed Bowman        Gothams
  11* Al Miller        Chiefs
  11  Adam Mullins     Retired
  10* Deuce Barrell    Cleveland
  10 Skipper Schneider Retired
  10  Harry Barrell    Retired
  10  Tom Bird         Retired
  *selected to 1957 ASG

• Barrett won his fifth career Whitney Award but first in the Federal Association. The Fed Allen was won for the third time by Jim Norris of Detroit while Deuce Barrell of Cleveland claimed his fourth Continental Association Allen Award but it came 9 years after he last won the Allen. Dallas Berry of Cincinnati won the CA Allen. It was his first. Here are the results of the balloting.
  
  
• There are growing concerns that Charlie Barrell will never reach the heights forecast for the multi-sport star. Injuries derailed his season once again as Barrell missed the final two months of the year with a hamstring injury. Is the wear and tear of playing both professional baseball and basketball too much for the 27-year-old. Barrell has a .327 career batting average and led the CA in hitting in 1955 but has never played more than 117 games in a season.

[size="6"WASPS WIN FIRST AFA TITLE[/size]

It took 21 years, but the Washington Wasps can finally say they are champions of the American Football Association. There have been some lean years and only one previous trip to the title game but the Wasps, behind a 211 yard passing day from veteran quarterback Tommy Norwood and a pair of rushing touchdowns from Jerry Walsh, topped the San Francisco Wings 26-10 in the 1957 AFA championship game.

The Wasps, who last made the playoffs in 1951, would get off to a slow start with two losses in their first three games but a string of three straight weeks when Norwood engineered late scoring drives to give them narrow wins over Boston, Detroit and Philadelphia put the club back on track. Norwood threw for 17 touchdowns, second most in the league, and for the first time in his 10-year career topped the 2,000 yard mark in passing. His favourite target was Jim Edmonds, a gangly 6'6" end in his fifth season who hauled in a league best 57 catches for 1,348. For the former Provo Tech star that yardage total was the second highest single-season total ever recorded with only former Wasp Monte Harriman's 1949 total of 1,404 topping it. The Washington defense, which led the league in sacks and was keyed by lineman Ollie Strauch and linebacker Chris Criswell, placed seven of its starters on the East Division roster for the year end All-Pro Classic.

The Philadelphia Frigates lost twice to Washington early in the season but ended the campaign with a 4 game winning streak which allowed them to join the Wasps in the East Division playoff game. It has been quite a run for the Frigates, who now have made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons and won back to back titles in 1954 and 1955. Little has changed over that time as offense remains the Frigates key to success with quarterback Pete Capizzi (2,054 yds passing, 16 TDs) and halfback Doug Lucy (966 yds rushing) still leading the way. The key newcomer was veteran end Joe Rabon who was signed away from Washington after four productive seasons with the Wasps and promptly became Capizzi's favourite target. The ex-Rome State star had a career best 52 catches and paired nicely with Ed Tunstall (30 catches, 10 TD) as twin receiving targets.

Pittsburgh made a turnaround and finished third with a 7-5 record. It was the Paladins first winning season since making the playoffs in 1952 and helped the memories of going a combined 6-30 over the past three seasons start the fade. The Paladins were in contention for a playoff spot until they suffered back to back losses to Philadelphia and Boston late in the season. The Pittsburgh offense continues to struggle and was the least productive in the AFA this season but the defense led by linebacker Herb Lipe, which had been the league's worst a year ago and dreadful against the run in recent seasons, was much improved. Rookie lineman Darryl Borger, selected first overall out of Wisconsin State, helped in that regard as a big body to clog up the middle.

The New York Stars and Boston Americans tied for fourth with 6-6 records. For the Stars it was just the second time in the past six years that they failed to make the playoffs and was really a tale of two different seasons. New York was dominant early as the Stars got off to a 6-2 start but then proceeded to drop their last four games to fall out of the playoff hunt. The big story in the Big Apple all year was halfback Bryan Mire who rushed for an AFA record 1,649 yards. The fifth year pro was a bit of a surprise last year when he topped the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career and he was practically unstoppable this time around.

The Americans have now had four straight seasons of finishing with at least a .500 record but it was a struggle to get there this season as, after beating Philadelphia in the opener, the Yanks dropped each of their next five games to end hopes of making the playoffs very early. They finished strong with five wins in their final six contests but placing just 3 players on the All-Pro Classic roster (tackle Don Peltz, end Bob Bosco and defender Dick Breland) indicates there is much work to be done.

The Cleveland Finches have only played two playoff games since winning the 1932 AFA title and have not seen the post-season since 1947 so there is even more work required on the shores of Lake Erie. The Finches did go 8-4 two years ago but missed out on the playoffs due to a tie-breaker but this years 3-9 record is more indicative of the trend in Cleveland - a team that went 4-8 a year ago and had back to back 2-10 seasons prior to their near playoff experience in 1955. They have had a lot of high draft picks but most have not panned out quite as well as had been hoped. 1955 first overall selection Jim Rizzi is one who has struggled and the Finches continue to be second guessed for taking the former Darnell State quarterback ahead of Scott Greenwell, who went second that year to Kansas City.

*** Wings Fly High in West ***

The San Francisco Wings were once again the class of the West Division as the defending AFA champions finished with the best record in football this season at 9-3. They did so despite making a major change as long-time quarterback Vince Gallegos left the team prior to the season and while not officially retired, Gallegos is not expected to play again. In his place stepped 1955 first rounder Ben Wilmes, and the former Coastal California signal caller had himself a very good first season as a starter, throwing for 1,956 yards and 16 touchdowns. Wilmes was not technically a rookie but he might as well have been, throwing just 6 passes in the previous two seaons combined. Having a dependable running back like Scott Belt takes much of the pressure off a young quarterback as Belt carried for a career best 1,320 yards and for the second consecutive season found the end zone 9 times. The Wings defense was among the best in the league and was the best against the pass thanks to a secondary that featured All-Pros Tommy Hodges and Cecil Brinerkoff.

The St. Louis Ramblers withstood a mid-season three game losing streak to claim the second playoff berth in the West and finish 8-4. St Louis could have had home field advantage for the postseason had they not lost at home to Kansas City in the regular season finale. Jim Kellogg, the fifth year halfback who ran for more than 1,300 yards each of his first three season but missed nearly half the season a year ago, had to contend with injuries once more. This time Kellogg dressed for 9 games but did manage to cross the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the fourth time in his career. Linebacker Galen Cossey, was named AFA Defensive MVP for the second time in his career and was the key piece for the best defense in the West Division.

Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit finished in a three way for third place as each had their troubles during the season. Five wins represented a marked improvement for a Cowboys team that had endured three straight 2-10 campaigns but so much more was hoped for after Kansas City won three of its first four games. Scott Greenwell well never be the equal of Pat Chappell, but then few will. Despite the obvious need to measure Greenwell against the man he replaced as the Cowboys quarterback, the 1955 second overall draft pick is putting together the beginnings of a very solid career. He threw for a career low 1,814 yards this season but was much more accurate and cut down on his interceptions. The Cowboys improved despite the fact that workhorse running back Mike Peel may be slowing down in his fifth AFA season. The former Christian Trophy winner out of Spokane State missed two games and ran for just 864 yards, the first time he has failed to top the 1,000 yard mark.

Chicago, which made the playoffs three of the last four seasons, had a dreadful start. The Wildcats nipped Los Angeles 23-21 in their opener but the allowed Kansas City to score two late field goals and beat they 34-31 in week 2, starting a string of six straight losses from which the Wildcats could not recover. The story was much the same in Detroit as the Maroons also began the season 1-6 and have not finished above .500 since their last sojourn into the playoffs in 1951. The Detroit offense, led by controversial quarterback Sam Burson who threw for a league best 2,344 yards and dependable halfback Art Heal, who rushed for 1,212 and his fifth straight season topping the 1,000 yard mark, is strong but as has been the case for a few years now the Detroit defense remains a big problem.

That left the Los Angeles Tigers in last place at 2-10 a year after winning just 3 games. It is quite a collapse for the club that finished .500 or better each of the four previous seasons but there may be some signs of hope as quarterback Charlie Kittredge, drafted third overall out of Tempe College, threw for 1,837 yards and was named the AFA offensive rookie of the year.

[size="5"AFA PLAYOFFS[/size]

The playoffs were pretty much uncharted territory for the Washington Wasps, who had last played a postseason game six years ago and had never won one. Philadelphia, on the other hand, was playing in its fifth straight postseason and had won back to back AFA titles in 1954 and 1955. The game was a meeting of two of the top three offenses in the league but it was the Washington defense that set the tone early. The Wasps pressured Philadelphia quarterback Pete Capizzi, sacked him twice in the early going and forced a pair of Frigates fumbles that helped Washington race out to a 17-0 lead before the Frigates finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown just before the half.

The second half saw Washington dominate the time of possession, holding a wide advantage in that category as backs Jerry Walsh and Rodger Donohue each carried the ball 22 times on the afternoon for a combined 261 yards. The Frigates got to within five points when Sam Reiter ran for his second touchdown of the day but a late Charlie Cooney field goal sealed the 29-21 victory for the Wasps and finally gave the franchise- which had been around since 1938- its first playoff win.

San Francisco was the defending AFA champion and despite the fact they had little success in the red zone as the Wings had to settle for four Earl Neese field goals and scored just one touchdown, it was enough to claim a 19-10 victory over the visiting St Louis Ramblers.

The championship game saw Washington get on the scoreboard first as their opening drive led to a 24-yard field goal from Charlie Cooney. Aided by a pair of Wasps penalties and a couple of Ben Wilmes pass completions, the Wings took the lead late in the first period when Scott Belt capped a 7-play, 55 yard drive with a 13 yard scoring run.

Wings young quarterback Wilmes, who replaced veteran Vince Gallegos at the start of the season, made a mistake early in the second quarter when he had a pass intercepted by Wasps linebacker Chris Criswell, who had gone five years without picking off a pass. Criswell's timely pick set up a 6 yard scoring run by Jerry Walsh to put the Wasps ahead 10-7. The two clubs would trade field goals and the visitors led 13-10 at the break.

The key moment of the game came in the third quarter when the Wasps strung together three successive plays with big ground gains to take a 20-10 lead. The Wings created their own mess as an unnecessary roughing penalty on defensive lineman Doug Bailey gave the Wasps life and nullified what would have been a punt out of their own endzone. Instead they had a fresh set of downs at their own 20 yard line and the Wasps backs took over. First Rodger Donohue gained 30 yards when he broke a run up the middle. Jerry Walsh, who ran for a game high 92 yards on the day, took over from there, powering his way for 11 yards on the next play and then immediately followed that up with a 38-yard touchdown run. San Francisco could not recover, and the Wasps tacked on a pair of fourth quarter field goals to make the final score 26-10 and give Washington its first football title.

[size="6"FRESHMAN BACK LEADS NOBLE JONES TO PERFECT SEASON[/size]

Led by possibly the best freshman halfback that Deep South Conference has ever seen, the Noble Jones College Colonels ran the table, compiling a perfect 11-0 record and winning their first national grid title since 1942. The back in question was Jeff Zwiefel, a fresh faced 18-year-old from New York who ran for 1,560 yards -third highest total in the nation- and won both the Christian Trophy and Bryan Award. With Zwiefel and fellow freshman Garrett Snyder, who threw for 780 yards and 14 touchdowns, in their backfield the Colonels averaged nearly 34 points a game and seemed to get better each week as the season wore on. It seems clear that Colonels longtime Coach Dick Donnelly may just have a powerhouse on his hands for the next couple of years.

The Colonels went 7-0 in Deep South play including a 27-20 win over reigning national champion Bayou State in November. The Colonels completed the regular season with dominant performances against Mississippi A&M (41-13) and Northern Mississippi (45-3) with Zwiefel rushing for 186 yards and scoring 4 touchdowns against the Mavericks.

On New Years Day the Colonels went to Dallas to face Southwestern Alliance champion Travis College in the Oilman Classic. Zwiefel was held to 83 yards and Snyder only passed for 28 but he did throw a 12 yard touchdown pass to Lewis Schutt in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter to clinch the 23-9 victory.

Noble Jones College was not the only team to finish with a perfect record. East coast independent Liberty College also went undefeated winning all 11 of its games culminating in a 29-21 win over Plains Athletic Association champion Lawrence State (8-3) in the Sunshine Classic. The Bells had trailed 21-17 entering the fourth quarter but rallied with 13 unanswered points in the final seven minutes to secure their 11th victory of the season. The Bells, who own three college football national titles with their most recent one coming in 1952, felt they should have had a fourth but in truth their schedule was not as grueling as that of the Colonels and the voters agreed, leaving the Bells second. Interestingly enough the Bells, like Noble Jones College, were led by a terrific young back as well. Jacob Tallent ran for 954 yards after winning the Christian Trophy a year ago as a freshman. Tallent was slowed by an injury this season but senior Ike Southard stepped up, rushing for more than 1,200 yards, and combined with Tallent to give the Bells one of the most productive backfields in the game. The real strength of the Bells was their defense led by senior linemen Don Biermann and Johnny Rolf, which held its opposition to just 12.8 points per game, 9th lowest in the nation.

West Coast Athletic Association champion Northern California finished third in the final polls as the Miners went 9-2 including a win over Minnesota Tech in the East-West Classic, snapping a 6-year losing skid at Santa Ana for the WCAA. Northern Cal lost their season opener by a 38-31 count at home to Noble Jones College. It was Zwiefel's college debut and the Colonels back gained 165 yards in a wild game that saw each team surpass 300 yards in rushing offense. The other loss came in the season finale when they fell 30-9 to rival Redwood but Miners bounced back with a hard fought 28-21 win over Minnesota Tech on New Years Day.

The Lakers and Detroit City College each finished 6-1 in Great Lakes Alliance play and both ended up 8-3 overall. Minnesota Tech and the Knights did not face each other this year and the Lakers were given the East-West Classic berth for just the second time. Detroit City College did get an invitation to play on New Years Day for the fifth year in a row but it would be in Texas instead of California as the Knights faced a Dickson team that was a perfect 7-0 in Academia Alliance play just two years after they struggled through a three-win season. The Maroons moved up to 6th in the final rankings after a dominant win that saw them blast Detroit City College 37-7 behind a five touchdown day from Dickson halfback Ham Creighton.

Eastern Oklahoma finished 10-1 and ranked fourth in the final poll after the Pioneers, who won the Midwestern Association title, dumped Southern Border Association champion Canyon A&M 45-17 in the Desert Classic. Coastal California, runners up in the West Coast Athletic Association moved up to fifth in the final poll with a 37-24 win over Mobile Maritime in the Bayside Classic. Dan Orr returned a kickoff 98 yards for one Dolphins touchdown in the game and a punt 59 yards for another score. Things may finally be looking up for Coastal California as their 10 wins equals the total the team accumulated in the previous two years combined and gave them back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1948-49.

[size="6"CHARLESTON TECH WINS COLLEGE CAGE TOURNEY[/size]

The spring of 1957 gave us a surprise champion in college basketball as the Chesapeake State Clippers claimed their second ever AIAA cage tournament title. The Clippers, who won it all for the first time back in 1930-31, became the first school from the recently formed Middle Atlantic Conference to win a championship when they nipped heavily favoured West Coast Athletic Association champs Redwood 50-49 in the title game.

The Clippers lacked a dominant star player and had low expectations after losing their two best players to graduation following a surprise run to the regional final in last year's tournament. Those expectations were lowered further when North Carolina Tech easily beat the Clippers in their preseason tournament opening game leading to a dreadful 1-3 start for Chesapeake State.

They did bounce back with 8 wins in a 9 game span heading into their conference schedule, where their 13-3 record gave the Clippers their first title in the now 4 year old conference. The Mid-Atlantic, as the section was dubbed, was really just a collection of cast-offs as the bulky South Atlantic Conference slimmed down in 1953 with the top 8 schools deciding to jettison the bottom eight just as the section had down in football three years earlier.

Chesapeake State was one of the better basketball schools of the cast-offs but had won just a single tournament game in the previous eight seasons. The Clippers finished the regular season ranked 19th in the nation at 22-7 but pulled off an amazing comeback to rally past Charleston Tech -one of the 8 SAC schools that spurned the Clippers- in the opening round of the East Region. The Admirals led by 23 at the half but Chesapeake State exploded for 51 points in the final twenty minutes and rallied for a 68-67 victory led by senior forward Tom Connors 20 points and 10 rebounds. Charleston Tech lost despite the fact that Barrette Trophy winning All-American guard John Bruecker, who led the nation in scoring, had 21 points for the Admirals in the game.

Next up for the Clippers was Deep South Conference champion Alabama Baptist, the top seed in the region. Connors again had a big game, scoring 18 points, while fellow senior Abe Stanley added 17 as Chesapeake State upset the Panthers 57-50. Academia Alliance champion Brunswick, which had knocked off the #2 seed in the region in Central Ohio in the opening round, was up next and this game needed overtime to determine a winner. The Clippers outscored the Knights 13-5 in the extra period to claim a berth in the national semi-finals with a 67-59 victory behind 22 points from Connors and 18 from Stanley.

The other three schools to advance to Bigsby Garden in New York for the final weekend were all ones you would expect including two-time defending national champion Carolina Poly. The Cardinals would face West Coast Athletic Association winner Redwood in the semi-finals and the Mammoths had a mammoth game, building a 21-9 first half lead on the Cardinals and rolling to a 58-32 victory. The Clippers would play the WCAA runners-up in Coastal California in the second semi-final. The Dolphins, may have won just 1 AIAA title but were participating in their record 17th trip to Bigsby Garden for the national semi-finals. As so often has happened, Coastal California left New York disappointed once more with the Clippers building a 9 point lead at the break and extending it to claim a 59-37 victory. Stanley and Connors once more led the way as the pair combined for 34 points.

Redwood, which entered the finals with a 31-5 record, and had beaten both North Carolina Tech and Whitney College during early round games in the tournament, was the clear favourite at tip-off. The Mammoths looked like they might run away with the game when they took an early 15-5 lead but the Clippers battled back and trailed by just 3, 26-23, at the half. Redwood led by 5 points with four minutes later but Chesapeake State again fought back and took a 50-49 lead with 13 seconds left after Bob Balinger, who shot just 1-for-7 from the field, was fouled and made good on his only two free throw attempts of the contest. The Mammoths did get a chance to win the game but a last second shot by Albert Haberman failed to drop and the Clippers hung on for the one-point victory.

[center][size="6"[B]CENTRAL OHIO WINS COLLEGE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES/B][/size]
The Central Ohio Aviators won their first ever national championship in any team sport after the Aviators baseball team rallied to beat North Carolina Tech two games to one in the College World Championship Series finals. An original baseball entry dating back to the feeder leagues and 1909, the Aviators had qualified for the tournament three times previously since the 16-team elimination tournament format was adopted in 1947 but they had been eliminated in the opening round each time.

They opened this year's event with a dominant 8-1 thrashing of Lubbock State behind a 3-run homer off the bat of sophomore outfielder Johnny Pitts. They followed that up with a 4-3 win over Charleston Tech in the second round as Aviators junior hurler Ben Williams outpitched the Admirals All-American freshman Dan Ferguson. Round Three saw the Aviators down Wisconsin Catholic 5-1 as second baseman Joey Morgan, who would be named the tournament's most valuable player, had 4 hits and drove in three of the Central Ohio runs.

That set up the best-of-three final with North Carolina Tech after the Techsters, champions in 1935, upended CC Los Angeles 6-2 in the other semi-final. Tech took the opener by a 3-2 score thanks to an 8th inning two-run double off the bat of shortstop Danny Campbell but Central Ohio evened the series with a 7-2 victory as Williams won for the second time in the tournament. The third game saw Morgan drive in both Central Ohio runs with a third inning sacrifice fly and an 8th inning rbi single that snapped a 1-1 tie and proved the margin of victory as the Aviators prevailed 2-1 in the deciding game.

MAJOR TRADE AT END OF SEASON HIGHTLIGHT OF HOCKEY YEAR

No matter what might have transpired during the 1956-57 North American Hockey Confederation season, the biggest story of the year was saved for after the campaign was concluded as news broke in late June that the Chicago Packers had traded legendary center Tommy Burns to the Toronto Dukes. Sure, Burns is 37-years-old and clearly nearing the end of a brilliant career, but he was healthy enough to play in all 70 games for the first time in five years and his 84 points were good enough to rank second in the NAHC, behind only his new teammate Quinton Pollack.

Opposing teams around the league must be shaking in fear at the thought of the two best players in the league being teammates next season and Toronto is the early favourite to hoist what would be its record 11th Challenge Cup victory come next April.

Burns had a 20 game point scoring streak this season and became the first player in NAHC history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau, but he refused to extend his contract with the Packers before being dealt to the Dukes in exchange for Toronto's first round pick in the July entry draft, veteran minor league center Luke Brisebois and 20-year-old forward Jean-Pascal Morissette, who played junior hockey in Halifax this past season after being selected by Toronto in the third round of last year's draft.

BEES WIN CHALLENGE CUP AFTER TIGHT REGULAR SEASON BATTLE

It took very little time to determine who the four playoff teams would be as Detroit, Toronto, Boston and Chicago quickly distanced themselves from the struggling Montreal Valiants and New York Shamrocks but there was still plenty of excitement as the four contenders battled for positioning all season long. When the dust settled the Detroit Motors, winners of two of the last three Challenge Cups, finished with the best regular season record, but just a single point ahead of Toronto with Boston four back and Chicago only five points out of first place. It marked the third consecutive season those four clubs filled all of the playoff spots. In reality the race for first was not quite that close as the Detroit Motors had a hot streak in February to extend their lead on Toronto to 9 points but then the Motors fell apart in the final two weeks, collecting just two points out of their last five games while Toronto won five of its final six in a desperate push to catch Detroit that fell just short.

The Motors were led by Alex Monette (33-42-75) who, at the age of 23, firmly established himself as the best young forward in the game and was a finalist for the McDaniels Trophy while winning the Yeadon Trophy for gentlemanly play. Between Monette's offensive exploits and the work of veteran goaltender Henri Chasse (36-21-8, 2.25) the Motors seemed well positioned going forward. Chasse, 34, won his second straight Juneau Trophy as the top goaltender in the NAHC and set a new league record for victories in a season with 36. The supporting cast in Detroit once more featured forwards Lou Barber (17-30-47), Adam Vanderbilt (25-22-47), Nick Tardif (14-29-43) and rearguard Tyson Beddoes (9-16-25).

Toronto has had its troubles with Detroit in the playoffs the last couple of seasons so the Dukes desperately wanted home ice advantage in case they met the Motors in the finals once again. Toronto did fall a point short but perhaps made a statement with back to back wins over Detroit in a season ending home and home series the final weekend. There was no Tommy Burns just yet - that would not happen until the summer- but Quinton Pollack (46-47-93) was more than enough to help the Dukes once more finish tops in the league in goals. Pollack's 46 led the loop and were just one shy of the NAHC record that he co-holds with Burns and early Boston star Bert Cordier. Pollack's 93 points were the third highest of all-time, trailing only himself as in 1952-53 the Toronto star scored 99 points and a year ago he had 95. Those numbers made selecting Pollack for his fifth straight McDaniels Trophy -and sixth overall- as league MVP a rather straightforward process.

No other Dukes player managed even half of Pollack's point total as Lou Galbraith was second with 46 points while Trevor Park added 45. Scott Renes (34-17-13, 2.39) was two wins shy of Detroit netminder Chasse but Renes total was also good enough to surpass the previous record.

The Boston Bees finished third, tying Chicago on the final day of the regular season to ensure they finished a point ahead of the fourth place Packers. Boston had the stingiest team defense in the NAHC, surrendering a league low 163 goals during the season as Oscar James (32-20-14, 2.28) reestablished himself as the clear number one between the pipes in Beantown. James started 66 of the 70 games as Pierre Melancon spent most of the season watching from the bench. Youngsters Jimmy Ricks (26-35-61) and Jean Lebel (17-35-52) established themselves as the offensive leaders but 39-year-old Wilbur Chandler (17-27-44) played all 70 games for the first time in his career and proved he could still contribute. Veteran defenseman Mickey Bedard (14-25-39) joined Rucks on the first all-star team.

Few realized this would be the end of Tommy Burns (34-50-84) 17 year career in the Windy City and he certainly made his final year a memorable one, trailing only Quinton Pollack in the scoring race and his 84 points were just one shy of his career high set five years ago. It will be interesting to see how the Packers supporting cast fares next season without their lead actor but Max Lavigne (24-29-53), Max Ducharme (22-28-50) and 24-year-old defenseman Guy Bernier (14-34-48) were all very impressive this year. Bernier was named a first team all-star while Ducharme, Burns and defenseman Phil Stukas (9-28-37) all made the second team. The Packers still have questions in net as longtime number one Michael Cleghorn was sent down to Pittsburgh early in the season and 22-year-old Allen Hocking (24-19-10, 2.54) was given a vote of confidence as the new starter.

It was another lost season for both Montreal and New York as each finished more than 40 points behind first place Detroit and the Vals were 36 points out of a playoff spot with their fifth place finish. There is some talent in the Montreal lineup, most notably 24-year-old defenseman Jean Tremblay (12-25-37) and his brother Yan Tremblay (7-22-29), who is a year older, but there just is not enough talent to go around. Big things were expected out of goaltender Nathan Bannister (9-29-10, 3.01) when he was selected second overall by the Valiants in the 1949 NAHC draft but he is now 27 and has yet to live up to the billing after five seasons in Montreal. To make matters worse for the Vals, 21-year-old Charlie Oliphant Jr., considered the top prospect in the league by OSA, missed the second half of the season with minor league affiliate Syracuse after suffering an arm injury.

New York finished last for the second straight year and their 41 points was the lowest total seen since the league expanded to a 70-game schedule eight years ago. Jim Macek (20-32-52) led the Greenshirts in scoring and was one of the few bright spots this season. The team also parted ways with long-time captain Orval Cabbell, who announced his retirement before the season after scoring a career worst 16 points a year ago.

PAIR OF SEMI-FINAL UPSETS IN PLAYOFFS

Unlike each of the previous two years when Boston met Detroit and Toronto faced Chicago, they mixed things up this time around with the Motors claiming top spot and meeting with the Packers in one semi-final while the second place Dukes squared off with the third place Boston Bees.

Both series were full of excitement and each went the distance, both with the lower seed prevailing. Detroit struggled down the stretch, going winless in its last five regular season games, but the Motors got back on track in the playoff opener as Alex Monette scored 18 minutes into overtime to lift the hosts to a 4-3 victory. Chicago would even things up in game two as Max Ducharme scored twice to help the Packers double Detroit 4-2. Games Three and Four at Chicago's Lakeside Auditorium were also split with the Packers winning game three 5-2 behind a pair of Bill LaChance goals but Detroit drew even with a 2-1 win the next night after Lou Barber and Emmett Hargreaves scored in the first period for the Motors.

Barber had a goal and an assist as Detroit dumped Chicago 4-1 in game five and moved to within one victory of a chance to defend their Challenge Cup win of a year ago. The Packers stayed alive with a 2-1 victory on home ice in game six and then dominated game seven in a 4-1 win. Defenseman Guy Bernier was the her with three goals and an assist to lift the Packers to the finals for the first time in four years.

In the other series the Toronto Dukes found themselves in a lot of trouble early, dropping each of the first two games at home with both ending in a score of 2-1. The opener saw Joe Martin, who was acquired from the Shamrocks before the season began, score both Boston goals and in game two it was Mike Brunell and John Bentley handling the Bees offense. Quinton Pollack scored the lone Toronto goal in each of the two games.

Toronto bounced back in game three with Quinton Pollack scoring twice in the fist period to put the Dukes ahead but John Meger, another former Shamrock who was rookie of the year in 1954-55, scored twice for the Bees to send the game into overtime. Ken Jamieson won it for the Dukes, beating Oscar James a little under five minutes into the extra period. Game Four finished just 1-0 as Charles Brochu's first period goal for Toronto stood up and goaltender Scott Renes stood on his head as the Dukes evened the series.

It was Oscar James turn to shine in game five as the Dukes lost for the third time on home ice, falling 3-0 with Jmes stopping all 28 shots he faced and Meger, Martin and Jimmy Rucks handling the Boston scoring. Toronto kept the trend of the road team winning every game alive with a 3-2 victory in game six that needed double overtime to decide. Veteran winger Lou Galbraith notched the winner with his first goal of the series coming 45 seconds into the second overtime.

Game Seven would see Boston score three times in a five minute span in the second period to win for the fourth time on Dominion Gardens ice in the series. The final score was 5-2 as Brett Lanceleve had a pair of goals and Neil Wilson had a goal and two assists to propel the Bees back to the finals for the fourth time this decade.

*** Challenge Cup Finals ***

Boston had not won the Cup since 1947 despite reaching the finals four times since then. This would be the Bees fifth crack at it and they had come up short against Chicago in the spring of 1952 when the Packers won their first, and so far only Challenge Cup.

Chicago dominated puck possession in the opener, firing 41 shots on Boston netminder Oscar James but the only one of those shots to elude him was Jeremy MacLean's first period tally. Boston managed just 20 shots on the Chicago net but scored three times with Jimmy Rucks and John Bentley lighting the lamp in the second period and David Scarpone adding an insurance marker late in the third to mark the first time the Bees won at Denny Arena in this playoff year.

Game Two also ended 3-1 in Boston's favour as Joe Martin and Neil Wilson scored just 40 seconds apart early in the second period to open the scoring. Derek Gubb got one back for Chicago late in the middle frame but that was as close as the Packers would get before Mickey Bedard finished off the scoring for Boston in the third period.

The third game was a classic as it stretched more than 115 minutes before the host Chicago Packers finally pulled out a 2-1 victory when Tommy Burns set up Max Lavigne with the winner at the 15 minute mark of the third overtime. Guy Bernier, with his fifth of the playoffs, scored early in the second period for Chicago and Jimmy Rucks evened things up four minutes later before both goaltenders shut the door for the next three periods. Oscar James faced 62 Chicago shots while Allan Hocking stopped 56 of the 57 he faced from Boston.

Fortunately for both teams they had a couple of days off after the marathon game three. The fourth game also finished 2-1 but in Boston's favour and did not require overtime. Rucks scored on the power play a little under six minutes into the game to give Boston an early lead but Mike Homfray tied the score for the Packers before the opening stanza concluded. Six seconds into the second period Wilbur Chandler scored his second goal of the playoffs and that would stand up as the winner in a 2-1 Boston lead that put the Bees up three games to one in the series.

The Packers stayed alive with a 3-2 win in game five despite the fact Boston took a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. Max Lavigne and Pete Moreau each had a goal and an assist for the visiting Packers to allow the series to return to the Windy City.

Tommy Burns gave the Packers fans some hope early in game six when he scored but few suspected it would be Burns final goal in a Chicago uniform as he would be dealt to Toronto just a couple of months later. Veterans Wilbur Chandler and Garrett Kauffeldt had put the visiting Bees up 2-1 before the period would end. It would also end the scoring for the night as the Bees held on for a 2-1 Cup clinching victory despite the fact Chicago outshot Boston 27-18 over the final forty minutes.

The Cup win was the first for Boston in decade but also the 8th time the organization has captured the oldest and most prestigious trophy in sports. Only Toronto, with 10, has won more often.

HOCKEY NOTES

• Not only did Boston win the Challenge Cup but the Bees Hockey Association of America affiliate Springfield claimed the minor league playoff title. The Hornets, who won for the third time this decade, beat the defending league champion Philadelphia Rascals in five games in the finals.
• 22-year-old Springfield forward Marc-Antoine Huot became the first pro hockey player to score 50 goals in a season. Huot, who was undrafted out of junior and his NAHC rights are unowned, scored three times in the final two games of the season to finish right on the dot with 50 goals. He had 45 goals his final year of junior with the Brantford Blue Legs.
• The Portland Ports won their first Great West Hockey League playoff title in four years but it was their fourth championship in the last 8 years.
• The top junior team for the third time in the past five season was the Verdun Argonauts, who beat the Saint John Saints in the finals.
• Charlie Winquist of St. John was the first pick in the NAHC draft a year ago. The 19-year-old, who played his junior hockey for Saint John, spent the entire season with the New York Shamrocks, scoring 9 goals and adding 24 assists.
• Benny Barrell, nephew of Toronto Dukes coach Jack Barrell and son of former FABL star Fred Barrell, was drafted fourth overall by the Detroit Motors. A fractured wrist limited the teen to 39 games with Hull of the CAHA this season, but Barrell did score 37 goals and 80 points despite the short season.
• While the Tommy Burns trade claimed most of the headlines it was not the only deal made immediately after the season. The Montreal Valiants shipped 33-year-old forward Wayne Augustin (8-17-25) to New York in exchange for veteran defenseman Wilson Gammond, who spent most of the past season on the injured list but did appear in 5 games for the Shamrocks.

1956-57 Season in Review - Luther Gordon has just about everything a professional basketball player could have. Everything except perhaps the most important thing. Gordon had an otherworldly collegiate career at Liberty College, where he was a man among boys, averaging 45.4 points in his senior year. The first pick in the 1950 FBL Draft, Gordon was touted as a potential generational star. In his first seven seasons, he proved the pundits were right on the money.

Gordon has led the league in scoring six times, including this year, when his 25.2 points were his highest total since he burst onto the scene as a rookie averaging 25.7 points in 1950-51. Gordon has been named an MVP twice, the All-League First Team five times – the Second Team in his other two seasons – and has made the All-Star Team every year. In fact, on a game-by-game basis, no one has been more dominant. Gordon has been named Player of the Game in 201 out of his 473 combined games in the regular season and postseason.

However, one summit has eluded him: a championship. Gordon’s Chicago Panthers have never been able to put it all together. First, Gordon did not have a supporting cast. When the roster had talent, the injury bug bit down hard. This season, Chicago had the supporting cast and stayed relatively healthy. The “Two Charlies” continued to impress, with Charlie Orlando (16.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg) having his best year since his first year in Chicago four years ago and Charlie Barrell (14.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) finished third on the team in scoring and rebounding behind Gordon and Orlando.

Chicago had their challenges, as in past seasons, but this year, the Panthers were able to rise above the adversity. Gordon missed seven weeks with a torn ligament in his foot he suffered in a loss to Detroit in late November. Orlando was injured in early April with a knee injury later diagnosed as patellar tendinitis and missed the entire playoffs. Barrell’s absence was his own decision, as the two-sport star’s first love of baseball won out over basketball and he left for Los Angeles Stars training camp in early March, also missing out on the playoffs.

The Panthers suffered more early in the season without Gordon than late in the season without the Two Charlies. Without Gordon, the Panthers sputtered with a 10-10 record, but after Barrell decamped for Los Angeles, Chicago won 18 of 22 games, while Chicago lost only once in the last six regular season games.

Chicago (46-26) firmly entrenched itself in second place after a 17-2 run in February and March took them from a .500 start to a team with championship aspirations. Chicago could not overtake the Rochester Rockets (48-24), who won their fourth straight division title and won 48 games for the third consecutive year, but the Panthers did get to within a single game of the Rockets on April 9th.

Rochester had a changing of the guard with long-time Rocket Marlin Patterson, who after 540 starts in 540 appearances entering this season, took on a sixth-man role, only starting two of 72 games and averaging less than half of his career 16.0 points-per-game average. Patterson’s scoring per 36 minutes were comparable, but the physical toll of nine seasons throwing elbows made Patterson more effective off the bench. Taking Patterson’s place was Wayne Wyrick, who broke out in his fourth professional season. Wyrick started the other 70 games that Patterson did not, and finished second in scoring at 17.9 points per game behind Billy Bob McCright (18.6 ppg, 12.1 rpg), who stayed healthy all year and played in all 72 games.

Detroit (36-36) finished 12 games off the pace, but since three of four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, the Mustangs were comfortably in the playoff field by 24 games over last place Toronto (22-50).

In the Eastern Division, the Washington Statesmen (45-27) were the defending league champions and won their division for the third straight year, the 12th time in their history, and the seventh time since moving to the Federal Basketball League in 1948-49. Joey Rose (17.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg), who came to prominence last season at the age of 28, led the team in scoring and tied veteran Ernie Fischer for the team lead in rebounding. Hank Adkins, who has provided a steadying presence in the backcourt, has not missed a game in three seasons while averaging 16.5 points. However, 1956 Playoff MVP Barry McCall fell out of favor, only appearing in 39 games and starting in seven of them. George Sommer (9.4 apg, 1.5 stl/g) and Ed Jordan got the bulk of the playing time.

The New York Knights (40-32) finished five games off the pace, but it was close until early March when Washington pulled away on a nine-game winning streak to start the month. Larry Yim had another solid season, as his time with the Knights has now surpassed his time with the Buffalo Brawlers. Yim is not the scorer, the rebounder, or the shot blocker he once was in Western New York, but he still ranked in the top ten in rebounding (7th at 11.1 rpg) and blocks (3rd at 2.5 blk/g), while scoring 14.7 points a game, which was 15th in the league.

Philadelphia (29-43) had an awful regular season, but managed to qualify for the playoffs, as Boston (22-50) was worse. For the Phantoms, they were hit with injuries to their two best players. Mel Turcotte missed two months with a broken arm and Darren Fuhrman was out for two months with a concussion. Fuhrman returned by the end of January, while Turcotte returned with a few games remaining in the regular season. Both were healthy for the playoffs and the Phantoms were ready for the uphill battle.

The Phantoms made quick work of the Knights, winning the first two on the road, 86-68 and 81-76, before completing the sweep at home, 84-79. In Game One, Larry Yim had an uncharacteristically absent performance with eight points and five rebounds. Yim gradually improved each game, but it was not enough. Meanwhile, Darren Fuhrman had a great series, going for 27 in the opener and 23 in the clincher. In between, guard T.J. Grimm registered a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Washington was well-rested and won the first two games in the Eastern Semifinal, but Philadelphia took care of business at home for the next two games. The pivotal Game Five in Washington was tight, but Philadelphia opened up a lead in the third quarter and held on behind Mel Turcotte’s 25 points. Philadelphia was able to close out the series at home, holding Washington to 29% shooting and only six fourth quarter points. The Statesmen ended their hopes for a repeat in meek fashion as Philadelphia punched its ticket to the Finals in the hopes of a second title in five years.

The Western Division playoffs started off with Chicago facing Detroit and it was over almost before the series began. Ward Messer was back in a starting role this season for the Mustangs, but just seven minutes into Game One, Messer sprained his knee and left the game without scoring a point. Messer came back to play 21 minutes off the bench in Game Three, but he was compromised and victimized defensively. But, the story was the unexpected play of Chris Rogerson.

Rogerson was an undrafted free agent, originally signed by Rochester in 1953-54 and spent a month with the Rockets, but he was cut before he appeared in a game. Chicago signed Rogerson the next year and he appeared in seven games, averaging a little over five minutes a game. He graduated to a regular bench role last season, appearing in all 72 games, but he was pressed into the starting lineup this year when Gordon went down and scored 20 points in a game four times in his absence. When Orlando was lost for the season, Rogerson entered the starting lineup with confidence. His best games were against Rochester, where he scored 24 in a win and 27 in a loss.

Against Detroit in the three-game sweep, Rogerson scored 21, 23, and 27 points. In the Western Final, Gordon took control, as Rochester tried to contain both big men. In his prime, Patterson would have been up for the assignment, but Wyrick plays more of a finesse game than that of a bull in a China shop. Chicago shot poorly from the floor in the two games in Rochester, resulting in low-scoring Rochester wins where Chicago was unable to surpass 60 points. Billy Bob McCright led the Rockets with 20 and 19 points in Games One and Two.

Gordon was determined to turn the tide of the series in Game Three at Lakeside Auditorium, as he scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the 67-55 win. Gordon deposited another 27 points in the 75-67 victory that evened the series. In Game Five, Rogerson was in foul trouble, leading Larry Jurgielewicz to make a difference, scoring 11 points and hauling in nine rebounds in 27 minutes, but Gordon still owned the headlines with 34 points in the 80-65 win to go up in the series, three games to two.

Rochester had a 45-44 lead to start the fourth quarter of Game Six in Chicago, trying to force a seventh game. McCright had a game-high 24 points, but Rogerson had the biggest game of his career, scoring 20 points and blocking five shots as Chicago came from behind in the game and clinched a berth in the FBL Finals to send the Lakeside crowd into a frenzy.

Philadelphia entered the FBL Finals with a mediocre 18-18 home record and a rough 11-25 record on the road, but the Phantoms were a different team than the one fans saw during the regular season. The Phantoms frontcourt was healthy, which included Turcotte and Fuhrman, but Gordon was a scoring machine that was just warming up.

Gordon scored 38 points on 18-for-26 shooting, adding 12 rebounds for good measure, in Chicago’s 85-74 Game One victory. Gordon poured in 34 points, leading the way again for the Panthers, whose hot shooting was contagious. Chicago shot 44% from the field in Game One and 42% in Game Two’s 83-69 Panthers win.

When Gordon only managed 20 points in Game Three in Philadelphia, the rest of the team picked him up to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, 86-75. The team shot 47.5% from the floor and there were four Panthers in double figures, with point guard Doug Burford falling a point shy of a triple-double (11 assists, 10 rebounds). The Phantoms won Game Four, 74-66, and it was not the front court, but point guard T.J. Grimm’s 20 points helped extend the series, if only for another game.

Game Five became a coronation, both for the Luther Gordon’s personal resume and the Panthers first title since the inaugural FBL season in 1946-47. It was the highest scoring game of the series with 172 points scored, but it was a tight game. The game was still in the balance entering the fourth quarter, which Chicago holding a tenuous 65-63 lead, but the Panthers hung on. Gordon dropped 35 points and Rogerson chimed in with 22 points. Turcotte countered with 27 points to lead the Phantoms, but Fuhrman struggled, scoring only 14 points on 7-for-19 shooting.

Gordon was officially named the Playoff MVP, though he was unofficially named the Most Valuable Player after Game Three, when the series victory was all but assured. Gordon (23.6 ppg) had a five-point edge on anyone else in playoff scoring, with Mel Turcotte (18.6 ppg) finishing in second place.

TIERNEY BACK ON TOP, ELLIS CONTINUES TO RULE WELTERWEIGHTS

It was a long and winding road back, one that spanned nearly two years, but Joey Tierney is once more the heavyweight champion of the world. Tierney had taken the crown in the spring of 1952 after Hector Sawyer retired and held the belt until September of 1955 when he was upset in his hometown of Detroit by Englishman Joe Brinkworth. Tierney would travel to Europe to get another chance at the title a year later, but was badly beaten by another British fighter in Steve Leivers, who had defeated Brinkworth a few months earlier.

That seemed like it might have been the last chance for the now 30-year-old Detroit boxing star, especially when he lost a non-title bout to Brad Harris shortly after falling to Leivers. However, Tierney would soon get another opportunity after Harris, his longtime rival from Akron, OH, had upset Leivers to win the title. Harris would make his first defense against Tierney in June.

The June bout, held at the Lake Erie Arena in Cleveland, was classic encounter between two old foes who knew each other well. It went back and forth and when the dust settled there was no winner. One judge scored the bout dead even while the other two each had it as a one point victory, but one called if for the champ and the other for Tierney. The duo had already met three times before, with each winning once to go with the recent draw, and it was quickly decided to stage a fourth fight. This one was held in Pittsburgh in September and once more the title was on the line. There was no doubt of the outcome on this night as Tierney floored his old foe four times. There was no quit in Harris as he went the distance but it was a decisive victory for Tierney, who hoisted the championship belt for the first time in two years.

A familiar name is finally the middleweight champ of the world. Yohan Revel followed in the footsteps of his idol, the late former champ Edouard Desmarais and became the second French fighter to win the middleweight title. He did so by knocking out Mark McCoy in the fifth round of an October fight in Boston. McCoy, who held the title for a spell early in this decade, had claimed the crown in December of 1956 when champion George Hatchell was disqualified in their title fight. Hatchell would get a rematch but it turned quickly into a brawl and for the second fight in a row McCoy was declared the victor after Hatchell was disqualified. McCoy would also score a TKO victory over veteran Italian fighter Hugo Canio on July before losing the crown to Revel.

Only the welterweight division had consistency as Seattle fighter Eugene Ellis made four successful defenses of the title he claimed by beating Lonnie Griffin in the autumn of 1956.

For boxing fans, 1957 had one title fight a month except for April and December. Fans were treated to familiar foes locking horns in the heavyweight and middleweight divisions. The heavyweight belt’s European sojourn ended, but the middleweight belt returned to the Old World.

We start in the middleweight division, where two-time champion Mark McCoy won his belt back in December, 1956 against George Hatchell after Hatchell was disqualified for low blows. The rematch in March was in McCoy’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, and it was a foul-filled brawl with a similar outcome. Hatchell was up to his old tricks when he was caught leaning on McCoy’s neck just 30 seconds into the bout, earning a warning from referee Johnny Galloway. In the third round, McCoy was admonished for his rabbit punches. The sixth round found both fighters trying to bend the rules, as Hatchell was hitting below the belt and McCoy was firing away at Hatchell’s kidneys.

Oh, there was legal boxing, too. McCoy caught Hatchell on a fine uppercut that sent the challenger sprawling to the canvas in the 14th round. The partisan crowd was behind McCoy all night and he looked to have a slim lead going into the final round. As the round began, McCoy was holding Hatchell, who proceeded to lean in with his shoulder. Even though the offense was not the worst defense of the evening, Hatchell already had two warnings against him, so Referee Galloway had seen enough as Hatchell had broken the rules one too many times. Galloway disqualified Hatchell and declared McCoy the winner.

McCoy moved to face Hugo Canio, the Italian who had his title shot over seven years earlier at Bigsby Garden against John Edmonds. Canio had lost 7 of 30 bouts since that night and it did not go much better for him against McCoy, falling in the 10th round by technical knockout.

McCoy’s next opponent was an old one. Yohan Revel, the Frenchman who took McCoy the distance in December 1951, was up next. Revel and McCoy’s previous opponent, Canio, both fought for the middleweight belt in 1951, both lost. But, since their losses, Canio had struggled, while Revel had success, winning 26 of 27 fights since bowing to McCoy, so earned another title shot.

Revel cashed in that chance and showed a wily caginess throughout the bout, taking the fight to McCoy, culminating in a fateful fifth round that made you sure that somewhere, Edouard Desmarais was smiling. Revel made his hero proud, knocking McCoy down twice in the round, the second time for good, to win and end the year taking the middleweight title belt back to France with him, an entire country by his side.

In the heavyweight division, Steve Leivers ended 1956 with a head of steam and Boxer of the Year honors. Leivers looked set to spend some time with the championship belt in his possession. In February, the reign of Leivers was over and it all happened in less than three minutes.

Leivers entered his fight with Brad Harris with a 32-0-1 record and 26 of his 32 wins were by knockout. Less than two minutes into the first round, Leivers issued a combination that floored Harris. Leivers came close to ending the fight in the first round, but Harris survived until the bell sounded. In the fifth round, Leivers was dominant again. Taking the action to Harris from pillar to post, Leivers delivered an uppercut that landed on Harris’s chin for a second knockdown in the fight. The first time, Harris was up after an eight count from referee Mickey Vann, but this time, Vann counted to nine before Harris signaled he could continue.

Coming off a 10-8 round, Leivers did not expect Harris to go for broke, but perhaps he should have. Harris met Leivers at ring center and quickly landed a devastating uppercut that put the champion back on his heels. Harris sidestepped each of Leivers attempts while making him pay when he left himself open on his follow-through. Harris used great ring management, pinning Leivers into a corner and not letting him out. Harris looked like a completely different fighter, and so did Leivers. Harris was going for it all late in the round, but before he could connect for a crowning shot, Referee Vann waved his arms and called the fight.

Fans at Keystone Arena in Philadelphia were up in arms, especially since Leivers had controlled the fight and the end of the round was only 20 seconds away, but the decision stood. Harris, the Akron, Ohio, native, brought the Heavyweight Championship home. Waiting for him was Joey Tierney, the previous long-time champion who could not get past Leivers but wanted another shot.

Tierney and Harris faced off in June in Cleveland at Lake Erie Arena. Tierney hails from Detroit, so there was a divided grandstand. The two combatants engaged in one of the best matches you would ever want to see. The bout featured two heavyweights, with their stinging power punches, knocking each other down twice, and Tierney needed to rally in the late rounds to close the lead Harris built in the middle rounds. In the end, the decision went to the judges and one had the fight for Harris, one had it for Tierney, and the other scored it a draw, which was the final determination. A rematch was almost guaranteed, and one was granted in September at Pittsburgh Arena a couple of hours southeast of Cleveland.

Tierney was perhaps a little better conditioned for the fight, as the fans saw Tierney take control about halfway through the bout. Tierney owned all four knockdowns on the night and his early ones in the second and fourth rounds set the tone, but his two-knockdown 14th round helped cement the unanimous decision. Tierney (42-5-2) was once again the Heavyweight Champion.

The only division that provided any stability was the welterweight division. Eugene Ellis selected fighters that averaged six losses entering bouts with Ellis in 1957. While the public was ready for another battle with Lonnie Griffin, Ellis seemed to dodge Griffin throughout the year. Griffin was very talkative to the press and Ellis brushed off any questions that came his way about the former champion.

Ellis is the youngest champion as the calendar turns to 1958, as the 25-year-old is the best of the young guns in the welterweight ranks. Griffin is only 24, which is hard to believe after the commotion he has generated makes one think he has been around for years. Ted Emerson and Chris Thomas, both victims of Ellis this year, are only 24. The one-time dominance of 33-year-old Danny Rutledge, who is still working at his craft, is over.

The two most impressive victories for Ellis this year were his first of the year against Emerson and his last of the year against Brian Pierce. The Emerson bout was nip and tuck through the first seven rounds and Emerson had scored a knockdown in that seventh round. But Ellis did not look back. He began to dominate the fight and ended with a flourish: a three-knockdown 11th round that featured a cross, a combo, and a body shot that in different ways knocked the will and the wind out of the challenger. Emerson was seemingly lifeless, even as referee Vic Green reached his ten-count.

Ellis ended the year strong with a 13th round TKO against Brian Pierce. Ellis was in control throughout, knocking Pierce down in the opening round to set the tone. In the last round, Ellis was about to knock Pierce down a fourth time, but referee Gary Rosato caught a limp Pierce before he reached the canvas and called the fight.

The other wins for Ellis were a little less than impressive, but they were wins, nonetheless. Ellis had little trouble with Thomas, but Thomas took Ellis the distance and lost for the seventh time, so Thomas is hardly an elite fighter. The other win was against Danny Julian, who briefly entered the national consciousness when he was pummeled by Danny Rutledge in 1951, was knocked out in the 12th round by Ellis.

In a year of transition, Ellis stands alone as the only wire-to-wire champion and his 4-0 record gives him the 1957 Bologna Boxer of the Year.

FROM THE LOCAL PAPERS

Tales From The Manor: Dukes Lose in Semis, Big News For 1957-58 - The Toronto Dukes were not nearly the dominant force they were a year ago, as the 19656-57 edition finished the regular season in second place a point behind Detroit. The race for first was not as close as the one point separating the Motors from the Dukes might indicate simply because the Motors lost their last 3 games in the season after clinching the regular season title while Toronto won their last 4 heading into the playoffs.

This Dukes team exploded from the gate, going 8-0-2 to start the season before slumping in November. From November 10th to 25 the team was winless in 6, 0-4-2 to bring everyone back into the race for first. The playoff qualifiers were not in doubt from December on, as it was clear that Detroit, Toronto, Boston and Chicago would be in the race for the Challenge Cup with Montreal, New York on the outside looking in. Each of the four playoff teams finished over .500 on the season leaving Montreal (16-41-13, 45 points) and New York (15-44-11, 41 points) languishing well behind.

Quinton Pollack again led the league in goals with 46 and points with 93, finishing 9 points ahead of Tommy Burns' (34-50-84) atop the scoring race There will be more on Burns later. Three teams scored more than 200 goals -Detroit, Boston and Toronto- in what was a much higher scoring season. Detroit's Henri Chasse was again the top netminder with a record of 36-21-8, 2.25 although he was hotly pursued by Boston's Oscar James 32-20-14, 2.28 and Scott Renes 34-17-13, 2.39. Jack Barrell went back to riding the Number One goaltender with Renes starting 64 games giving Charlie Dell the nod on only six occasions from October to March. James led the NAHC in goaltender games with 66, followed closely by Chasse with 65 and Renes' 64. This was a throwback to postwar years where the #1 keeper played the vast majority of a team's games.

The playoff began in what most fans thought was just a preview to a rematch between the Motors and Dukes in the final. However both Chicago and Boston had other ideas. The Bees invaded the Gardens on the last day of March to begin their semi-final series flying taking the opener 2-1 thanks to two goals by Joe Martin with the first coming before a half minute has been played in the series. Boston held Toronto to only 4 shots in the third period when the Dukes were trying to send the game to an extra period. Three nights later the thoughts in the crowd turned from "James stoned us in the first game." to "We're in big trouble." when the visitors took the second game again by the same 2-1 margin checking the Dukes' scorers at every turn then applying pressure on Renes in the Toronto goal. Boston held a 36-20 advantage in shots on goal to head home up two games.

Quinton Pollack was not about to let the Dukes go meekly into the off-season when he scored twice in the first seven minutes of the third game on April 6th sandwiched between John Meger's tally for Boston. Meger leveled the score in the second sending the game to overtime after a scoreless third thanks in large part to the efforts of both James and Renes. Ken Jamieson, who had a disappointing regular campaign, vaulted his team back into the series when he beat James at 4:37 into overtime on passes from Les Galbraith and Trevor Parker.

With Denny Arena packed to the rafters on April 6th the fans saw a superior display of puck stopping at both ends. Claude Brouchu, who joined the Dukes in December from Cleveland, scored in last two minutes of the opening period. This was to be the only time the red goal light was lit in the game with Renes turning aside all 27 shots he faced in 1-0 series tying win before almost 16,000. This game was not without injuries as Pollack strained his foot in the second period. He continued in the game, the full extent of the of the injury was not known until he took his skate off after the game. The foot swelled up so much that Pollack would not return to ice during the series.

Barrell was forced to juggle his lineup with Pollack out for Game 5 at home. In the game the Dukes new lines seemed just a little off and Meger again scored to put the Bees up one on the power play at 16:29 of the first. That would be all that Oscar James would need to give his team the series lead 3-2. Boston added two late goals, one into an empty net, to win 3-0. Game Six continued the trend of the visiting team winning. Toronto veteran Lou Galbraith scored 45 seconds into extra time to tie the series at 3 on a night in which Renes made 48 stops in 3-2 victory.

In Game Seven Tim Amesbury, a first round pick in 1954 who made the team out of camp, seemed to give the Dukes a needed left when he put Toronto up 2-0 with his second goal of the game at 5:40 of the second. Boston suddenly found their legs beating Renes thrice, twice off Brett Lanceleve's stick, in the final 6 minutes of the period. Boston was not done, finding the twine behind Renes twice in the third to skate to an easy 5-2 win along with the series 4-3 ending the Dukes' season.

In the other series the revitalized Packers, led by 37 year old Tommy Burns, took games 6 and 7 to defeat the defending champs from Detroit 4 games to 3. With the two top seeds knocked out the semis Boston won the Challenge Cup first day of May with a 2-1 victory in Game Six. There was big news just before the draft when Toronto acquired Tommy Burns from Chicago sending center Luke Brisebois, the rights to center Jean-Pascal Morissette, along their first round pick to the Packers. Many fans do not see the logic in acquiring a soon to be 38 year old center who may have two seasons remaining in his storied career.

Coach Barrell- "We had an up and down season with an unsatisfactory end when the Bees took us out in seven. The news now is, of course, all about the Burns trade. When we looked at our organization we agreed that we had enough players on their way up to make the move. Burns will big asset both on and off the ice, he is a pro's pro. We got older which is not always a good thing except if you got older with Tommy Burns. I would not want to be a coach trying to figure out how to stop a line centered by Pollack followed by a Burns line let alone the power play. I think the Dukes fans are in for a treat in the fall."

Tales from The Den: Under New On-Field Management Wolves Regress in '57 - Toronto changed the on-field management over the winter thinking the team would make a move forward under new daily direction. It did not work and after the team fell to 66-88, barely avoiding the CA basement finishing 7th only a game ahead of the LA Stars, the next to go was General Bill Terry as his six year run in Toronto came to an end in October.

The team, under newly minted manager Jake Beck who was hired in April, had only one winning month during the season going 8-5 in April, What followed was frustration for the fans: 8-21 in May, 13-16 in June, 14-17 July, 11-15 August and 12-14 September totaling 66-88 for the year. That finish is 10 games worse than the Wolves performance each of the previous two years. It was a far cry from the improvement to first division the fans were looking for in 1957. It is now 10 years since the Wolves finished over .500 and the fans displeasure was shown with attendance dropping by over 140,000, falling far short of Owner Bernie Millard's dreams of returning to over a million passing through the turnstiles at Dominion Stadium.

The problems with the team were numerous in all areas. Hitters, with a few very exceptions, did not hit. Pitchers, especially the starters could not get anyone out and fielders could not catch a cold. At the plate Tom Reed, 26, again led the club in most hitting categories posting a line of .280/.346/.470 25 HR 82 RBI. Five time All-Star Gordie Perkins was limited to 67 games due to injuries, and the knee injury he suffered in August is expected to cost him at least the first two months of the 1958 season. Perhaps for Perkins it may be time for him to retire as it seems clear that his 35 year-old body cannot any longer stand the rigors of the FABL season. No one else in an anemic attack was even at league average in offensive ability.

The starting staff is young with exception of Augie Hayes Jr., 37, who was the only starter with a winning record 9-6. George Foxworth made his big league debut at 19 went 16-16, 3.34 in 283 1/3 innings. There are concerns that may have been too many innings for a pitcher not yet 20. There is hope for the future with a staff of Jim Montgomery, 25, Whitey Stewart, 26, Hank Lacey, 25 if all live up to their expectations from the scouts. Long an area of concern, the bullpen, improved ranking second in CA with a cumulative ERA of 3.61 but it was often too late when Beck took ball from the starter. Defensively the only thing the Wolves were good at was turning outs into hits or baserunners. Only two fielders, Reed and John Wells, fielded their position with anything approaching big league competence.

New GM George Thomas, who has had success in the GWL, certainly has his hands full with a midrange minor league system. The road to bringing the Wolves back to being relevant in the CA looks to be a very bumpy one, full of twists and turns. The fans, a shrinking number, may have their patience tested again in 1958. Many fans are now openly hoping that Bernie Millard divests himself of the team. They think it is time for a new owner, time to be rid of the controversial Millard, who may not be hurting the situation but he certainly is not helping the Wolves turnaround.

This year's HOF voting brought back memories of past glory in Toronto when Fred McCormick was elected joining Bobby Barrell and following Mel Carrol's induction a year ago. The only thing that fans did not understand is that neither McCormick nor Barrell were unanimous selections, begging the question "What do you have to do to be named on all ballots?"

The Year That Was
Current events from 1957

• Jan 20- President Eisenhower and VP Richard Nixon are inaugurated for a second term.
• Mar 7- Congress approves the Eisenhower Doctrine on assistance to Communist-threatened foreign regimes.
• Mar 13- The FBI arrests Jimmy Hoffa and charges him with bribery.
• Mar 22- A 22-year-old Elvis Presley buys Graceland.
• June 15- Oklahoma celebrates its semi-centennial statehood by burying a brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere in a time capsule to be opened 50 years later in 2007.
• Jun 27- Hurricane Audrey demolishes Cameron, LA., killing 400.
• Jul 16- John Glenn flies an F8U supersonic jet from California to New York in 3 hours, 23 minutes, setting a new transcontinental speed record.
• Aug 21- President Eisenhower announces a 2-year suspension of nuclear testing.
• Sep 4- Gov. Faubus of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to prevent the "Little Rock Nine" African American students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School.
• Sep 24- President Eisenhower sends federal troops to Arkansas to provide safe passage to Little Rock High School for the nine students.
• Oct 4- Leave it to Beaver premiers on CBS
• Oct 21- The US military sustains its first combat fatality in Vietnam.
• Nov 7- The Gaither Report calls for more American missiles and fallout shelters.
• Nov 25- President Eisenhower suffers a stroke. It greatly affects his speech but he recovered quickly.