[Tiger Fan]

1961 IN FIGMENT SPORTS

"Doubling Up" can be considered the theme for the past year in sports. The city of Philadelphia celebrated titles in two sports as the baseball Keystones ended a long pennant drought and the cage Phantoms were the class of the Federal Basketball League. The American Football Association New York Stars doubled up by winning their second consecutive AFA title while the Mississippi A&M Generals accomplished a very rare feat - winning national titles in two sports in the same year as the Generals won their first AIAA basketball tournament in April and followed that up two months later with their first Collegiate World Championship victory. Even a college athlete got in on the doubling theme as Brunswick shortstop Dick Vitt became the first to win back to back Christian Awards as the top college baseball player since Tom Miller did it in 1947-48.

1961 was the end of an era, as this season would be the last time a FABL season saw 16 teams compete for a World Championship Series. For 1962, the Fed and Conti will each see two new organizations, with the Los Angeles Suns and the Minneapolis Millers joining the Fed, and the New York Imperials and Dallas Wranglers join the Conti. An expansion draft is scheduled to kick off 1962, with the new teams getting raid the original eight teams in their association for talent.

Before that, however, we have a season to get through, and the start of the new year sparked a second trade season. In total, five trades involving FABL players were conducted in the year's initial month, starting with a three player trade between the Kings and Sailors.

Kansas City added the big leaguer, picking up outfielder Ben Crawford for a pair of prospects. A four year vet who has experience in all three spots, the now 31-year-old Crawford is coming off his best season yet, hitting .275/.349/.479 (116 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 9 triples, 20 homers, 99 RBIs, 81 runs, 61 walks, and 10 steals. Worth a shade below 4 WAR, Crawford has a nearly average career batting line (.243/.312/.409, 97 OPS+, 98 WRC+), but he has solid power and does well logging doubles and home runs. The speed is good too, leading to some triples and steals, but he has big strikeout issues that usually keep his average low. To acquire Crawford, the Kings sent out their recent 1st Round pick Mike Potter to San Francisco, who was a Southeastern League champion and with great power and an intriguing bat. He's young, 19 in February, so as intriguing as that bat is, he has a lot of development ahead of him, and the Kings want to win now. They tend to have a lot of outfield depth, and considering the second prospect, former 15th Rounder Harry Russell, was nothing more then a thrown in, they sacrificed some future outfield talent to supplement Hank Williams (.324, 40, 127), Charlie Rogers (.312, 16, 94, 12), and Bryan Jeffress (.284, 17, 67).

Crawford wasn't the only outfielder on the move, though he was the only one that had to find a new apartment. That's because Frank Reece (.246, 110, 533, 84) went from the Cougars to the Chiefs, only slightly adjusting his commute to work. The headliner of the axed Red Johnson deal nearly ten years ago, Reece ended up paving out a solid career in Chicago, spending eight seasons as the Cougars everyday center fielder. A former 2nd Round Pick, 1961 will be his 11th season, and the 33-year-old owns a respectable .246/.312/.394 (95 OPS+) batting line with 220 doubles, 57 triples, 110 homers, 533 RBIs, 617 runs, and 84 steals. A skilled defensive outfielder, last season was the first year he produced a sub 1.000 efficiency, and as recently as 1958 he produced a career high 20.5 zone rating (1.076 EFF) in 150 starts in center. In fact, all but two of his nearly twelve hundred FABL starts have came in his typical center.

Stability like that hasn't been found since another former Cougar John Moss started six straight seasons, and he'll join 5-Time All-Star Rod Shearer (.259, 26, 120, 12) and former Cougar draftee Doc Zimmerman (.329, 22, 102, 11) in a very capable alignment. Coming off a 2nd place finish, the Chiefs continued to add quality veterans to a roster that is ready to win now. This made it easier to part with top 100 prospect Ricardo Castillo (and throw in outfielder Blackie Morrison), who the Chiefs made the 25th selection in the 1960 draft. The versatile Panamanian hit well in both Class B (.275, 3, 10, 1) and C (.335, 3, 15, 18) after the draft, playing far better then a guy who turned 19 a week after the season. A really talented hitter, he's already driving the ball consistently, relying on a quick and fluid swing. He hits to all fields and can steal a ton of bases, so whenever he's on base he can cause issues. He projects to have good plate discipline, and even walked at a 18.2% clip, but after the promotion he only got 8 walks in 139 trips to the plate. Playing five positions allowed him to stay in the lineup all season, and his versatility will be appreciated in his new organization.

Toronto then added a pair of top 100 prospects, receiving Bob Campbell (85th) from the Stars for Jackson Scott and Red Richards (114th) before sending a trio of prospects to the Foresters for the 99th ranked Fred Tollefson. Despite the rankings, Tollefson might be the more valuable one, as the 18-year-old backstop is a recent 1st Round pick and catcher is a very thin position. He's among the better prospects, and since he's almost ten years younger then current starter Dixie Williams (.247, 17, 58), there's no one blocking his eventual claim on the starting role. At least 4 or 5 seasons away, Tollefson is a strong defender and solid hitter, one of the few guys who can handle both aspects of the game. He won't hit for much power, maybe 10 or so a season, but he can hit for a high average and has shown strong plate discipline. Pitchers will love to throw to him, and that may include Bob Campbell, who threw a no hitter less then a year after he was drafted in 1958, and has transformed from 6th Rounder mid rotation starter. The 20-year-old groundballer has great raw stuff, but it's far too often that he's missing the zone. Tollefson can help with that, as lesser catchers have struggled with Capmbell's wicked mid 90s sinker. It was a concerted effort by Toronto to trade older prospects for younger ones, as perhaps the rebuilding organization was making decisions with the upcoming expansion in mind.

*** OSA Likes Cleveland, But Not Boston ***

For the rest of the preseason, there was little action, and come April OSA made the bold prediction that the Boston Minutemen would not only not threepeat, but win just 73 games in 1961. Instead, they expected the Pioneers to runaway with the crown, as talented Chiefs and Keystones rosters fought for 2nd. In the Conti, Cleveland continued to be the favorite, as they looked to prove that third time's truly a charm. The Kings will give them a lot of trouble, and I'm sure the Cougars will pretend to be a threat for a portion of the season, but OSA thinks them and the Stars will crack 80 wins as the league feasts on the poor Canadian teams competing to stay out of the gutter.

A late start to the season meant some teams only played five games in April, and the season didn't really feel like it got going until June started. At this point the CA was feasting off the Wolves (15-21), Saints (16-22), AND Cougars (16-23), as the Foresters (26-15) looked to put some distance between themselves and the Stars (21-15) and Kings (21-16). In the Fed, the other Chicago team (21-12) was threatening to runaway with the association, as no one else was more then two games over .500. In fact, Philadelphia (18-16) was the only other team over .500, and they were the only team within four games of the leaders. With it still being very early, the pennant was far from settled, as three teams sat at .500 and a fourth was just one under. And instead of pulling away, they settled around the .500 mark. After getting swept by the second place Keystones, their lead shrunk to half a game, but they managed to hold at least a share of the lead until the 28th of June.

St. Louis (39-28) became the new leader, and opened July their new association lead. The Chiefs (35-27, 1.5 GB), Keystones (35-29, 2.5), and surprisingly, the Eagles (34-31, 4 GB), were all within five games. On the flip side, the Foresters held the top spot for all of June, but a slow start to July let the surprise Stars seize control of first. Led by the Barrell's Charlie and Ralph, they were scoring a ton of runs, and the almost 26-year-old Lou Allen making Stars fans wonder why the organization kept him in AAA for most of the last two seasons. Cleveland quickly reclaimed the game, as the Stars' reign lasted a grand total of one day, and the Foresters (53-31) held the lead to the All-Star game. It got as big as four, halved to two after the Stars (50-32) beat them in the last two games of the first half. The Conti was looking like a two-team battle, as the Kings and Sailors were both 9 out at the break. In fact, the Stars were the only team in either association that was less then four out, as the Pioneers (50-32) held a 4.5 game lead over the Chiefs (44-35) and Keystones (45-36). Both teams would need hot starts after the break, or the pennant race could quickly become out of reach.

ALL-STAR GAME

The 29th edition of FABL's midseason classic returned to the site of the initial all-star game as venerable Whitney Park, host of the first contest back in 1933, once more welcomed the best the sport had to offer. The Chicago sporting mecca played witness to not only the 1933 game, won 8-5 by the Federal stars, but also the 1948 contest in which the Continental Association dominated by an 11-3 score.

This time around the Continental Association prevailed by an 8-5 score to take a 17-12 lead in the series. It was the second consecutive win for the CA and its sixth triumph in the last seven years. The game also saw Cleveland pitcher Adrian Czerwinski selected for the 11th time. The star righthander did not pitch in the game- he had started for the Foresters the previous day in Los Angeles- but his selection makes the Mad Professor one of just nine players to be named to the all-star team at least 11 times.

The game itself saw the Continental stars score three times of Detroit's Paul Anderson in the top of the first inning and they never trailed although the Feds did knot the game at 4 in the fourth inning before the CA pulled ahead for good on an rbi double from Lou Allen in the top of the sixth. The young Los Angeles Stars outfielder would round out the Continental scoring with a 2-run homer in the eighth inning and Allen's two extra-base hits to go with 3 rbi's earned him the player of the game award.

Flag Race Over By All-Star Break For Defending Champs

The pennant race was over. That's how the defending champs felt, as at 37-47 they announced that they were going to sell once play resumed. Most teams didn't take that literal, but sure enough, before the Minutemen played the Eagles in Washington on July 21st, they told Foster Sherman (7-2, 4.12, 60) to go to the home team dugout. A staple of the Minutemen rotation, all but 10 of his FABL innings came in Boston, where he went 71-52 with a 3.79 ERA (112 ERA+), 1.50 WHIP, 683 walks, and 714 strikeouts, Sherman was now an Eagle. Known for some command issues, he led the Fed with 118 walks last season, though that was actually his fewest since his first full season in Boston. Equipped with more talented, younger pitching (though for some reason they've moved reigning Allen winner Don Griffin to the pen), they felt like they would use their lost season as an opportunity to retool.

This first deal, which also saw them move a young catcher, brought in 19-year-old John Swift, who ranked 63rd on the league's prospect list. Taken 3rd by the Eagles in 1960, he hasn't lived up to that hype yet, and there were some in the league who thought the athletic star would give it a go in the outfield too. Instead, Swift has stuck to the mound, where he profiles as a potential #2 pitcher. The six foot lefty has a deep arsenal with an excellent change and curve, while his low 90s sinker generates more grounders then you can count. He worked his way up to A ball, where he was 3-3 with a 3.78 ERA (96 ERA+), 1.54 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 9 starts. An advanced pitcher for his age, we may just be two or three seasons away from the young lefty surpassing Sherman in terms of overall ability.


Washington made another reinforcement that day, but they weren't able to make it to Columbia Stadium in time for the game. The surprise over .500 team, the Eagles improved their depth with righty Walt Staton (2-2, 2.68, 20) and catcher/infielder Del Gaines (.232, 3, 13, 2) coming over from Detroit. While on paper that's not a bad idea, what was is trading the just turned 24-year-old Bill Follis (5-2, 1, 3.83, 59), who was excellent in 12 starts and 4 relief outings. Originally a 7th Round pick of the Dynamos, Fouls didn't last long in that organization, cut less then a month after the draft, and he eventually got to Washington in last year's Rule-5 draft. The rookie was a respectable 9-12 with 2 saves, a 4.63 ERA (92 ERA+), and 83 strikeouts in 138 innings, though he had a high 1.59 WHIP in his 42 appearances (19 starts). Just before being given a second chance in the Motor City Follis was looking like a diamond in the rough, and you could make the case he was better then Staton at this point in his career. Though it could be the appeal of Gaines, who at 24 hit .249/.319/.404 (92 OPS+) parts of three seasons in Detroit, that drew the Eagles to the deal. Mostly as a pinch hitter, he started just 31 of his 162 games, but with his versatility Washington may have thoughts of using him as a rotational guy who can give days off at first, third, short, and even catcher. The power is nice too, and he's already paid Detroit back for taking a chance on him in the 15th Round back in 1954.

What came next possibly rewrote the future for two franchises, as the second place Keystones shipped three top-75 prospects to the Gothams to acquire the ace they've wanted since Lloyd Stevens was dispatched to the Sailors in 1951. That move helped bring a pennant to Philadelphia- but to the Sailors and not the Keystones- and and with adding the highly-skilled Jorge Arellano (9-7, 3.17, 68), the Keystones upgraded the best rotation they've had in years. Just 30, Arellano was once ranked as the top pitching prospect in FABL, and in his mid 20s he showed everybody exactly why. His biggest season came in 1957, where he went 21-8 with a 3.13 ERA (132 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and Association high 202 strikeouts in 279.1 innings pitched. He was named to the All-Star game that season, with this year's inclusion surprisingly his only trip back. In 242 FABL games "Georgie" has gone 102-78 with a 3.78 ERA (113 ERA+), 3.59 FIP (83 FIP-), and 1.33 WHIP. A big strikeout arm, he's set down 1,079 hitters in 1,632.1 innings, and since he's not a power guy, just a guy with great stuff, he keeps the walks manageable (8.5%). Worth an impressive 35.9 wins above replacement, no pitcher taken before or after him (24th) in 1949 has cracked 30, and in the class just the Chiefs duo of Vern Osborne (Gothams, 6th) and Dick Champ (Miners, 22nd) have a chance to take the top spot from him.

Now a member of the Keystones, Arellano will get supported by Harry Dellinger, Marshall Thomas, Buddy Miller, and Lloyd Parker, and with midseason callup Andy Parker looking like a Kellogg contender in limited time, he gets to go from one of the worst offenses to one of the best. New York will feel well compensated, and hope that 19-year-old Charlie Walker can develop into a similar pitcher. Taken in the 3rd Round of the 1960 draft, he was off to a 2-1 start in 4 Class C starts, but the Gothams have aggressively moved him to their Class B affiliate. The hard throwing groundballer has explosive stuff, and I'm sure members of the Gothams lineup would have trouble with his curve. The sinker gets grounders and he does a good job using all five of his pitches. The command will continue to be a work in-progress, but even with no improvements he could be a back-end starter.

Best part is, he's the Glenn Johnson (the fourth prospect in the trade) of the package, as Joe Anderson and Johnny Nelson could be All Stars in the making for the Gothams. Anderson has come close to cracking the top-10, sitting at 17th, and the former 6th pick was crushing it in AA New Orleans. 22 in August, Anderson hit .307/.419/.460 (138 OPS+) in 360 trips to the plate, adding 14 doubles, 7 triples, 6 homers, 34 RBIs, 49 runs, and 53 walks. Eligible for this year's Rule-5 draft, he was blocked at second and the outfield in Philly, and as talented as he may be, he can't help with this year's pennant chase. Still, it's hard to give away batting title potential and his perfect swing, but Keystone GM Frank York understood the price aces fetch.

Nelson was another tough pill to swallow, as the Keystones don't have a long-term option behind the plate. Initially a 2nd Rounder of the Gothams, he was used to acquire Sam Ivey, in a deal that did not go well form the Gothams. Like Nelson, Ivey is back with his original team, as after struggling with the Gothams (10-16, 4.86, 115), he's been good back home. With the better player back, the Gothams regain a quality prospect even if they're one of the few teams set at catcher. He entices enough with huge home run potential. With good discipline and a solid contact tool, the thing determining his big league potential is his defense. 68 of his 91 games have game in AA, where the 22-year-old hit .249/.373/.498 (134 OPS+) with 13 doubles, 16 homers, and 56 RBIs. You don't see many catchers hit like that, and since he'll need to go on the 40 with Anderson, he could be on the big league roster next season. Starting catcher would be surprising, as their incumbent is the graduated #5 prospect and two months younger. Nelson has played at first, however, and with Hank Estill showing some age at 34, they may view him as an option to play first long-term.

With Philadelphia's big acquisition of Arellano, it would have made sense for the St Louis Pioneers to make a move to counter, but the Fed leaders held through the deadline. They led the Keystones by 2 and Washington by 3, and Washington did link up with the Minutemen for a small deal. A few days later, Boston made their fourth move of trade season, moving on from 27-year-old Bud Henderson just a year and a half after acquiring him from the Sailors. It's back to California for Henderson, but further south to Los Angeles where he was sent to the Stars along with 51st ranked prospect Bobby Garrison, for #2 prospect Frank Kirouac. Kirouac, who was expected to anchor the Stars offense for years to come, is an intimidating 6'4'' slugger who LA took 3rd in 1956. A consistent top-10 prospect, Kirouac has almost ascended to the spire, and was crushing it in 80 AAA games. That's where he's spent most of the season, slashing a strong .275/.404/.498 (146 OPS+) with 18 doubles, 15 homers, 45 RBIs, and 56 runs. He walks (59) more then he strikes out (50), and even swiped 7 bases in a 3.5 WAR effort. The defense was decent in center too (3.0, 1.016), and it's easy to see why Boston was so interested. Along with the big power, he'll hit around .300 with an OBP around .400, and as good as Boston has been, they don't really have a natural center fielder. Bill Tutwiler is an amazing hitter, but his defense is excellent in right and pretty poor in center. Kirouac would be a defensive upgrade, and if the Minutemen want to be aggressive, they can roll out a Masters-Kirouac-Tutwiler outfield once he gets all his bags packed.

It's a big loss for the Stars, but Lou Allen has emerged as an excellent slugger in center, and if they want defense, 23-year-old Ed Moore is going to be ready in a season or two and he's a much better defender. They have plenty of offense, but aside from the robbed Allen winner Dewey Allcock (who actually tore his rotator cuff in the Stars first post-trade inning) and first year starter Sy Dunn, there are a lot of holes in the rotation. Henderson, now in his third organization, is in the middle of what should be his sixth consecutive season with an above average ERA+ and FIP-. This started when he went 17-12 with a 2.79 ERA (133 ERA+) and 2.75 FIP (74 FIP-) as a rookie, where despite a 1.27 WHIP, 93 walks, and an association leading 189 strikeouts, he came up short in the Kellogg race. Two years later he led the Conti with 20 wins, and with better run support he could have came close to that this year. An unlucky 7-9, Bud has a tidy 3.65 ERA (120 ERA+) and 3.76 FIP (85 FIP-), making 20 starts with a 1.37 WHIP, 51 walks, and 73 strikeouts. Him and Allcock will form a lethal 1-2 punch, and with potentially seven 20+ home run hitters, they are going to be a legitimate contender this season and in the near future.

*** Keystones Make Move During Dog Days ***

Fueled by their big acquisition of Jorge Arellano, the Philadelphia Keystones were on a mission in August. The team went 6-0 in his starts -Arellano himself was 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA (167 ERA+), 0.98 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts- and didn't lose a single series as the wins kept coming. An outstanding 23-6 for August, they actually didn't reach first place until the second half of the month, as the Pioneers didn't lose a series until the end of August. Unless of course, you count the one game they played (and lost) on the 22nd in Philly. That was an Arellano start, as he (6.1 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 4 K) matched Billy Hasson (7 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 7 K) and put the game in the hands of his pen. They held up, John Gibson of St Louis didn't, as Lloyd Coulter led off the 9th with a single, got to second on a bunt, and then scored on Al Coulter's walk-off single. Not only did that put the Keystones back in first, but it let them stay there, and they finished August with a three game lead. The rest of the Fed couldn't keep up with the red hot hopefuls, as just the Eagles (68-55, 9.5 GB) were within 15 of first.

Lucky for baseball fans, the Fed was still likely to have a pennant race, and the Conti is razor thin. The Foresters (73-51) and Stars (70-49) were neck-and-neck, separated by just half a game at months end, and while not close, the Sailors (67-55, 5 GB) and Cannons (64-56, 7 GB) were at least within double digits. LA got off to a hot start, seizing first with a quick series win, but after losing their ace in his first August start, they lost their replacement ace in his first September start. That would be deadline pickup Bud Henderson, who was not only off to a poor start (2-4, 5.57, 28), but will now have the lengthy rehab process involved with torn elbow ligaments. A game and a half lead would be tough to protect, and the gap between Bud and whoever they'll decide to replace him with is about as large as some of the homers the Barrell boys can hit.

Making matters worse, LA stumbled into a three game set in Cleveland with three straight losses, causing them to enter the crucial series down a game. With the injury it meant an unfavorable pitching matchup too, as Earle Wright to take on 44-year-old Rufus Barrell, who was still going strong despite having teammates that weren't even born when he made his FABL debut. That didn't stop Don Hall from getting the scoring going early, as the former #2 pick hit his 19ht homer of the season. That 1-0 lead would have been nice, but the Cleveland offense quickly backed up their beloved vet. Tom Carr got a first pitch double and then walks loaded the bases for Paul Williams. He just missed one, popping up to the second base side of the outfield, and a double play could help the Stars come out unscathed.

The twin-killing did not happen and instead a wild pitch was what they got, as the first pitch to Earl Howe scooted away from Joe Cook, and the lead disappeared. Howe then doubled, scoring the last two on base, and just like that Cleveland was up 3-1. Hal Kennedy matched Howe with a double of his own, and Kennedy made it 5-1 when he scored on a Don Hall error. Wright finally got out of the inning, but he couldn't finish the second. He game up two more before leaving, and Cleveland added a pair of runs in the 3rd, 6th, and 8th too. The game ended up looking closer then it was, as Vic Richardson had a major league debut that could have been worse then his worst nightmare. Cleveland's 3rd Round selection in 1956, he ranks outside the top 250, and was ambushed for a walk, 6 hits, and 5 runs. Richardson recorded just one out, before 21-year-old rookie Johnny Ogden had no issues getting the last two outs of a 13-7 win. Now 73-54, LA had the same amount of losses as the Foresters, just with four less wins.

First-time All-Star Lou Allen had no trouble early in game two, homering off spot starter Johnny Britton in his first two at bats, and the 26-year-old was responsible for all but one of the Stars runs in an early 4-1 lead. Those were his 32nd and 33rd home runs, and his RBI total got up to 103. But the 4th was an issue for Floyd Warner, who after a leadoff single and fly out, he allowed five consecutive batters to reach. This led to a huge five run inning, quickly flipping the score to 6-4. Cleveland got five more in the six, with three coming on a big swing from Paul Williams during an at bat with Ted Ferguson. Again, with the game out of reach, LA got more runs, this time 3 in the 7th and 2 in the 9th, making their 11-9 loss look closer then it felt.

Now 3 out, LA needed a win to avoid the sweep, and it might have been good they didn't score in the first. This time it was Cleveland who struck first, with Paul Williams' double making it 1-0 early. It felt like it was more of the same, but this time they had their only healthy and effective pitcher, Sy Dunn on the mound. The 22-year-old struggled with his command, walking ten in his start, but he left the game with a 7-4 lead. Homers from Allen and Charlie Barrell were helpful, but Dunn himself had one of four Stars doubles. With two outs in the 8th he handed it off to Hank Myer, who went from being terrible (2-1, 1, 5.14, 44) to almost automatic in the pen. A double play erased his only baserunner, a Cecil Cummings single, and allowed him to lower his ERA to 2.44 and record his 16th save. Avoiding the sweep, the Stars got back within two -- the same amount of games they had remaining with Cleveland.

Those came in over two weeks, meaning they had to at least keep pace with the talented Cleveland squad, but with those teams focused on each other, the San Francisco Sailors decided to start making things interesting. Reeling off wins in 11 of 15 September games, the Sailors got within two games of the leading Foresters. They swept Cleveland in San Francisco, winning a tight 2-1 game before exploding for 14 in the finale. Led by a talented young cast, they had two series against the teams ahead of them, allowing them an opportunity to steal the pennant in the final week. They end their season in Cleveland (3) before home series against the Stars (2) and Foresters (3), setting up an exciting photo finish at the end. Cleveland and LA were within a half game of each other, and had a series of their own in the last week of September. By the time those teams met, the Sailors (82-63) scooted ahead of the Stars (81-63), who were 2.5 games behind the leading Foresters (84-61).

In need of a better performance, the Stars had over 20,000 in the opener, which could be an excellent pitching duel between Jake Pearson and Sy Dunn. That's not how it started, as both offenses got two in the first, and a two-out double from Ralph Barrell in the 2nd made it 3-2 LA. Finally settled in, the starters traded zeros until a Tom Car double tied the game in the 7th. Dunn was able to get out of the inning, finishing his night with 7 strong innings (7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K), but he'd now have to rely on his defense if he wanted his 17th win. Jake Pearson worked around a double in the 7th, and unlike his opponent, he started the 8th. It would have been 8 full innings (6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 5 K) for the 30-year-old, but a Johnny Neal error extended the inning. As punishment, Neal was the one to be taken out in the double switch, as the young Johnny Ogden was brought on to finish the 8th and later start the 9th. His task was retire young leadoff hitter Charlie Sax, something he did on just three pitches.

Hank Myer, who delivered a perfect 8th, got off to a rough start, as Herm Ford singled on the first pitch of the ninth, but after defensive replacement Gene Curtis fouled off a bunt, his second attempt ended up with Ford forced out at second on an excellent play by Ralph Barrell. Stan Kleminski's hustle paid off, as he got on with an infield hit, bringing up slugging shortstop John Low. After taking two pitches wide, he unloaded on a fastball, blasting it 414 feet to right. Though if you thought that was impressive, Paul Williams' encore was even better, as he pounded a get me over fastball 458 feet to left. Dejected, the young Myer was removed from the outing, as September callup Len Trautman was called upon for the final out. He got it, retiring defensive replacement Bob Allie, but the hosts at their work cut out for them.

Ralph Barrell leading off the inning helps, especially if it was a tie game. Down four, they needed more then a leadoff walk. Both Jim Berrien and Lou Allen fell down in the count and each had poor results. Berrien struck out, and Allen erased the lead runner with a dribbler to the pitcher, bringing up breakout infielder Virgil Ewing as the last chance. He pounced on a first pitch breaking ball, singling to the left field gap, with the pitcher's spot ready next. Former Forester Manager Charley McCullough went to Emil Grenier, who gave Ogden all he had. Working the count to 3-2, he fouled off three pitches before grounding to third to end the game.

Desperate for the win to avoid a sweep, Los Angeles went to Carl Johnston, who had the tough task of facing CA win leader Adrian Czerwinski. Making that tougher was a Paul Williams RBI double (1st) and a Gus Melvin home run (2nd), putting Cleveland ahead 2-0 before the Barrell's got to bat. Ralph ended up cutting the lead in half, getting hit on a 2-2 pitch before scoring on a Virgil Ewing double. The run of support seemed to calm Johnston down, as the 23-year-old southpaw finished his night off with five scoreless frames. LA finally broke back through in the 7th, as the Stars were able to bring home Charlie Barrell after his leadoff double. Johnston didn't go back out for the 8th, finishing with 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts, although most importantly free from an undeserved loss. Hoping for a bounce back after last night's debacle, Hank Myer was brought in for the 8th, stranding a two-out single to keep the game tied.

Czerwinski made his way out for the 8th, but perhaps he should have had his night end with 7 strong innings and a no decision. Lou Allen reached on a Gus Melvin error, and after an intentional walk to set up the force. the Foresters relieved their multi-time Allen winner. On again was the young Johnny Ogden, who got Ralph Barrell to roll one over to short. Lucky for the Stars, he beat the throw to first, setting up his cousin to give the Stars a lead. After taking a close pitch, Charlie locked in, and hit the next one right over the left field fence. Unrattled, Ogden got the following two batters to strike out, but that big home run could reshape the pennant race.
Myer did allow a two out walk, but it was an overall painless 9th inning, and were back within three games of the Cleveland. The Sailors were a game and a half back, and after a pair of off days they opened their "final gauntlet" a game and a half back. With six games against the leaders, three on the road and three at home, the Sailors controlled their own destiny in the Continental race.

**** Sailors and Foresters Final Weekend Showdown ****

The race to the finish started with a nice late September Friday in Cleveland, where San Francisco's first time All-Star George Fuller took on 11-Time All-Star Rufus Barrell. Both arms had their missteps early, with Barrell charged with one in the first and the Foresters claiming the lead with a Jerry Tubbs three run homer in the second. Both pitchers settled down, but high-stress, high-pitch innings pushed Fuller out after 5 (4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K), and after Barrell allowed the first man in the 7th (who later scored) to reach base, his night ended with 6+ innings of decent work (4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K). No win for him, as Johnny Ogden couldn't hold the lead, as after retiring the first batter he faced, Chet Harris took him deep to tie the game at three. With a clean inning, Ogden was able to keep San Francisco off the board in the 8th, but the Foresters offense couldn't get anything going either. Neither team scored in the 9th, so extra innings was needed to decide this all important matchup.

Kicking things off was talented young shortstop Carlos Jaramillo, who worked Lynn Horn to a full count before hitting a hard grounder past short for a single. Playing for one, veteran outfielder Edwin Hackberry did something he'd never do in Detroit, bunt over a runner, but with Jaramillo's speed they increased their winning potential exponentially. To the surprise of some, no intentional walk followed, with second year outfielder John Kingsbury forcing Horn to throw six pitches before surrendering the walk. With the force set up, pinch hitter Carl Matthews rolled up what should have been a routine double play ball for the always reliable John Low, but he booted the grounder, his second error in the game. With the bases now loaded, Ray Rogan pounced on the first pitch, breaking the tie with a one run single. The lead expanded when Herbert Crawford Jr. did the same, though the second out came after when Roy Rutter struck out.

The book was closed on the earned runs, but because of the Low error, Horn still needed one more out. His opponent would be Larry McLaren, who after going down 1-2, added another single. Matthews scored and Rogan followed, beating Tommy Henry's throw from center. Horn's night was over, swingman Frank Young entered, but the scoring continued as early game hero Chet Harris made it 8-3 with the fifth single of the inning. Both runners advanced on the throw home, and the lineup turned all the way back to Jaramillo, who scored the go-ahead run. This time his 3-2 count ended in a flyout, but the damage was done and five runs was tough to overcome. Cleveland did try, even loading the bases with two outs, but 25-year-old lefty Zeke Blake got Bob Allie to flyout and end the game. With the win, the Sailors were just a game behind the Foresters in the win column, a half game away from holding first place.

Now with the chance to take over, the Sailors relied on rookie swingman Eddie Chapman to take on third year swingman Sonny Stoyer. Cleveland got off to a hot start, getting runs in the 3rd and 5th, before a leadoff single ended his night. Perhaps another batter would have worked out well, as former Whitney winner Earl Howe welcomed Roy Rice into the day with a double, increasing the lead to 3-0. On the other end, Stoyer was dominant through seven, putting up zero after zero. Then came the 8th, where a leadoff single sparked some light in the Stars. Quickly, Stoyer retired the next two hitters, but Edwin Hackberry extended the inning with a single, and they got on the board with a John Kingsbury RBI single. Both runners advanced on the throw, moving to third and second, and bringing in the oft-used Johnny Ogden for the final out. He got Heinie Spitler down 1-2, but the rookie second basemen tied up the game with a clutch liner through the left side. Ogden was able to bounce back, getting Rogan to fly out, but just like that the miracle Sailors were right back into it.

They sent Davey Chamberlain in for the 8th, using just five pitches to set down the Foresters before some fans returned from a quick late-game concession break. Ogden was back out for Cleveland in the 9th, getting a ground out and strike out before rookie catcher Larry McLaren extended the inning with a single. This brought up the pitcher's spot, and an obvious substitution, with former first rounder Ray Hughes tasked with turning the lineup back over. Like the Foresters in the previous half inning, he wasted no time, pouncing on a first pitch that he drilled to left. Going all the way to the wall, even the tortoise that is McLaren was able to score from and Forester stadium was so quiet you could hear Hughes' roar of excitement as he popped up from his slide at third. Again, Ogden countered allowed run with an easy out, but now the hosts were down to their final three outs.

Tasked with getting those was Gary Pike, as their top two arms Chamberlain and Roy Rice were already used. Pike got a quick ground out, but walked pinch hitter Larry Curtis after he worked the count full, turning the lineup around for Tom Carr, who already had two doubles on the night. As the go-ahead run, Carr singled. With the winning run on base, Pike was in trouble, but he needed just one pitch to get Stan Kleminski to fly out. The game came down to star shortstop John Low, 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a chance to pick up #108 on the season. Pike got ahead of him, getting a whiff and a foul out, before forcing Low out of the zone with a 60-foot sinker. It didn't get far enough away from McLaren, who was able to complete the put out at first and push San Francisco a half game ahead of Cleveland.

A sweep at home would be devastating for the Foresters, who had just one other game (in Chicago on the 3rd) against a team who wasn't the Sailors, and those final three games would be at Golden Gate Stadium. Making matters worse, Cleveland had to face rookie ace Charlie Lawson, who was not only named to the All-Star game, but led the Continental in earned run average. Cleveland had a dependable arm of their own, Jake Pearson, but the offenses couldn't do much against weaker pitching. A pitching duel was expected, and it certainly lived up to it. Both pitchers were scoreless through four, but while Pearson made it five, Earle Howe fire the opening salvo with a homer off Lawson in the 5th. Howe got to him again in the second, doubling home Paul Williams, who led the inning off with a double of his own. Still, the Sailors ace was advertised, allowing just 5 hits and a walk with 3 strikeouts in 8 solid innings. His only hope for a ninth is his offense producing with runners on base. Despite getting ten base runners (6 H, 4 BB) in the first eight innings, they couldn't score a single run. Again in the ninth, runners got on, as down to their final out Chet Harris got himself a pinch-hit double to turn the lineup back over one more time. Carlos Jaramillo kept things going with a single, but Harris held up cautiously as he did not want to get thrown out at home to end the game. Looking to get the platoon advantage, the righty Ron Turner hit for the lefty Edwin Hackberry. Turner held a share of the team RBI leader with John Kingsbury (92), who was waiting on deck. Pearson jumped ahead of the new entrant, and got him to chase a 1-2 pitch, finishing off a huge 8-hit shutout to reclaim first place.

San Francisco got a day off to regroup, and they got an off day to travel home for the last time this year. Half a game back, they had five games against the third and first place teams at Golden Gate Stadium. The Stars came to town 84-65, just a single game behind the Sailors. Both had five games remaining, but LA would need a little help from their hosts to reach Cleveland. They obliged early, as the 23-year-old southpaw Cal Johnston put up zero after zero in a veteran like start. Deadline acquisition Eddie Whitney didn't have the same luck, as Charlie Barrell started the scoring with a solo shot in the 3rd, and the Stars lineup added single runs in the 4th and 5th too. For the 6th the Sailors turned to the pen, and in the 8th Vince Ewing hit his 20th homer of the season.

Johnston continued to deal and was looking to complete his first career shutout. Herbert Crawford Jr. had other ideas, pouncing on a get me over pitch, doubling down the left field line. This triggered Charlie McCullough to make the move, turning things over to young stopper Hank Myer. Myer got Bob Gray to fly out to left, keeping the quick Crawford at second, but rookie catcher Larry McLaren got him there with a line drive to right-center. Up again in a big pinch hitting opportunity was Ray Hughes, this time with one out instead of two. The result was worse, as after taking the first pitch, he grounded into a routine 6-4-3 double play, Meanwhile, San Francisco lost to the Cougars 3-1, as George McKee (2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B) solved The Mad Professor's pop quiz. With Cleveland off on the 4th, whoever won the finale of the Stars/Sailors would enter a tie for first with three games to go.

The win may mean more for Los Angeles, but there's no doubt that San Francisco is the one that needs the win more. With it, pretty much all they have to do is handle the Foresters. Win three and they're in, win two and anything but a sweep form LA and they're postseason bound. From this point on, every start made would be the pitcher's last, so George Fuller finishes his first full season starter with 32 as a Sailor, as he took on former All-Star Floyd Warner. Fuller was the one that pitched like it, as while he limited damage, Wagner was tagged for three in the second while Ray Rogan and Bob Gray went back-to-back in the third. He did end up finishing six, but 7 hits, 5 runs, and 3 walks is tough to win with. On the flipside, Fuller fired off six scoreless, allowing just 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. Carlos Jaramillo made it 6-0 in the 7th with a solo homer, and perhaps mercifully, Don Hall's 25th homer gave the Stars a 9th inning pity homer.

With the Sailor win, they entered the last series of the regular season tied with the Cleveland, setting up the storybook finish to the season every fan dreams that their team can come through in. Almost a playoff before the playoff, the winner of this series would likely win the Continental, as the scrappy San Francisco team had a chance to spoil the dominant Foresters threepeat effort. It would be no easy task, but with home field and a team that refused to lose, I'm sure the mighty Foresters were far more nervous then they showed.

In a rematch of October 1sts game, Jake Pearson once again took on Charlie Lawson, as the Sailors looked to get ahead with their ace. The only issues was their defense was abysmal, as the hosts made four errors in the first five innings. This led to six runs, three of which were earned, and put the Sailors in an early 6-1 hole. They did get two in the six, a Heinie Spitler RBI single and Bob Gray bases loaded walk, but after the runners were promptly stranded. Tom Carr then tripled and scored in the 8th, making it 7-3, as Pearson (8 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 K) once again provided his club with a huge victory. And with Buddy Byrd's walk-off sac-fly in Chicago, the Stars loss too, meaning all the Foresters had to do to make the playoffs was win one more game.

Easy enough, right?

With a 5-Time Allen winner like Rufus Barrell, it might be, and his lineup gave him an early 1-0 lead. He would need more support, as Larry McLaren doubled and scored to tie the game and then take the lead. Herm Ford battled back with an RBI triple to tie the game backup, but the hosts had a quick answer. Bob Gray launched his 20th homer of the season, doubling the Sailors run total, and allowing starter Eddie Chapman (5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 7 K) to exit his start in line for the win. Though win he did not, as after a scoreless frame, Roy Rice allowed Barrell to single to start the 7th. Bringing the lineup back to the top, Tom Carr added a single of his own, and Stan Kleminski bunted both of them over. After a called strike, John Low replaced his pitcher on third, tripling to tie the game up at 4. Low was stranded there, with both Paul Williams and Hal Kennedy flying out, but Rufus was back out for the 7th, but after walking McLaren and Chet Harris he was quickly replaced with Jonny Ogden. Carlos Jaramillo's sac-bunt put both runners in scoring position, giving Edwin Hackberry a chance to retake the lead. He got ahead 3-1, and then lined one past the second basemen to give San Fran the lead. Harris quickly followed McLaren, sliding past the Hal Kennedy tag to make it 6-4. Ogden then caught the talented John Kingsbury looking, but hope was back in the Sailor dugout. Entering form the pen was Davey Chamberlain, who was tasked with getting the final six outs. He ran into little resistance, even striking out Carr and Kleminski to end the game. And since the Stars lost once again, game 154 would officially determine who won the Continental Association.

Smart money was on the back-to-back pennant winners, as they had none other then Adrian Czerwinski, arguably one of the top-5 if not top-10 pitchers of all time, in the deciding game of the season. They would have loved to have him in Game 1 of the World Series, but instead he had to win today to ensure he'd make his 17th career postseason start. Manager Jim Whitehead wouldn't outrightly state it, but everyone knew that game 154 was all on Czerwinski, who was set to lead the CA with 13 complete games and 4 shutouts. Unusual for him, he found himself in an early deficit, as Carlos Jaramillo started the inning with a single, stole second, got to third on a grounder, and scored on Heinie Spitler's two out single. Cleveland responded quickly with a two-out run of their own, with Jerry Tubbs hitting his 7th to tie the game at 1. Both starters settled in, with the Eddie Whitney completing 5 solid innings with just 3 hits, a walk, a run, and 2 strikeouts.

It was a bold decision to turn it to the pen, as both Roy Rice and Davey Chamberlain threw 2 innings each the previous day. Perhaps scoring a run in the 5th is what made the decision, as with a 2-1 lead they might have felt like they had to protect the lead. Rice again threw a scoreless frame, but Hal Kennedy's 24th homer tied the game back up at 2. That led off the 7th, and Rice did manage to keep the game where it was, but a tie game between Czerwinski and Davey Chamberlain did not seem to favor the home team. The durable vet gets outs and gets them quick, and he can throw 140+ pitches if he absolutely must.

Chamberlain entered the 8th, and he had to deal with the top of the Continental's top lineup. Tom Carr got things going with a walk, and as he tends to do, Stan Kleminski bunted the runner over. With John Low up and a runner in scoring position, the pressure was at an all-time high. After going down 1-2, he fought back with four foul balls in five pitches, before lacing the 9th pitch of the at bat to center. With Carr's speed, scoring was easy, and the Foresters were now six outs away from their third consecutive pennant.

Cleveland wasn't ready to stop either, as Paul Williams was a run producer himself. He got down 0-2, fouling off two pitches after, before taking four straight wide ones to reach base. Now on second, Low was pinch ran for in Gene Curtis, a more skilled baserunner. It turned out it wasn't needed, after getting ahead 0-2, Chamberlain hit the catcher Kennedy to load the bases. Though when Earl Howe hit his 0-2 pitch to deep center, perhaps the skipper Whitehead breathed a little easier, knowing Curtis could easily score to stretch the lead to two. Finally, Chamberlain finished off an 0-2 count, striking out Jerry Hubbs to end the inning.

With the season on the line, the Sailors now needed to score two runs off one of the most experienced and talented pitchers in baseball history, and they had just six outs to work with. After a myriad of defensive moves, the battle-tested ace actually made the cardinal sin of baseball, allowing rookie sensation Heinie Spitler to reach with a leadoff walk. The vet did get the next two guys quick, but he put the tying run on base with a walk of Herbert Crawford Jr. That brought up Larry McLaren, who seems to always be the right guy at the right time. Now with the opportunity to bring his team to the playoffs, he knew he had to come through, and he put a jolt into a 1-0 fastball. It looked good off the bat, but it curved just foul, nearly retaking the lead with a huge homer. Hoping to do it again, he put a good swing into the next pitch, but the professor was prepared, and got him to weakly ground out to short.

Before their final chance, the Sailors had to keep the score where it was, and Chamberlain was asked to do what he couldn't do in the previous inning. More composed, he cut through the 8-9-1 hitter, including a strikeout of Czerwinski, who had no intentions of letting someone else hit for him. With the game on the line, he knew he had to be out there, and more then anything, he wanted to be the guy to get things done.

As it has been in September, Ron Turner was there to pinch hit for the pitcher in the 9th, but after a pair of foul balls he was set down on strikes. The lineup turned over for Carlos Jaramillo, who not only scored both Sailor runs, but was 4-for-4 and a homer away from the cycle. That big hit would have been huge, but he was probably just happy to get on, singling on a tough 3-1 pitch. That made Edwin Hackberry the tying run, going ahead 1-0 before fouling off two pitches right back behind the plate. Starting to lock in, he drove the next pitch to center, but right at the well positioned center fielder Jaramillo remained at first making John Kingsbury the Sailors last chance.

Kingsbury took a change low to start the at bat, but then beat the second one in the dirt, right to defensive replacement Johnny Neal at short. Smooth as silk, he unloaded a laser to first, causing the visiting dugout to spill out with an array of ecstatic Forester players and coaches. Down to the last game, with the tying run up, their star did what he did best, and sent his team to their third consecutive World Championship series.

*** Cleveland Continues as Class of Continental ***

It wasn't as easy at it was the previous two seasons, but the Cleveland Foresters were still clearly the best team in the Continental. Not only did they score the most runs and allow the fewest, but they had players win the Allen and Whitney too. For the Allen, it was a common winner, as regular season hero and 11-Time All-Star Adrian Czerwinski won the award for the 6th time in his career. You could make the argument that teammate, runner-up, and staff-ace Jake Pearson (17-7, 3.37, 140) was actually more deserving, but it's hard to argue with the guy that led the association in wins (18), WAR (6.4), complete games (14), and FIP (3.51). A strong 18-9 in what was tied for an association leading 34 starts, "The Mad Professor" worked to a 3.54 ERA (126 ERA+) with a 1.21 WHIP, 74 walks, and 163 strikeouts. His second win in three seasons, and he completed his 13th consecutive season with 33 or more starts, at least 235 innings, an above average ERA+, and a FIP- of 85 or lower. Regardless of whether he wins his 4th championship or not, the run Czerwinski has continued is legendary, and it's truly going to be a shame when the crafty veteran decides that baseball is no longer for him. Once can only hope it comes after 300, if not 350, wins, as through 13 seasons he has 265 to go with a 3.25 ERA (126 ERA+), 3.19 FIP (77 FIP-), 99 WAR, and 2,122 strikeouts.

Despite his propensity for errors, John Low captured the Whitney, the first in his impressive 10-season career. Selected to his 9th consecutive All-Star game, Low finally earned the elusive accolade. An outstanding hitter and fielder, Low cracked the 7 WAR mark or the third time in his career, worth 7.4 in 149 games. The 32-year-old shortstop slashed an outstanding .331/.419/.530 (142 OPS+) with an elite 152 WRC+. Low logged 80 runs, 48 doubles, 10 triples, 14 homers, 111 RBIs, and 87 walks in a sterling all-around effort. Low's rare mix of offensive and defensive prowess at short is a true rarity in the game, and he's just one of the cogs in the elite lineup. A full season of him, Paul Williams (.307, 28, 111), and Earl Howe (.263, 22, 103, 7) led to 862 runs, but top to bottom everyone could produce. Tom Carr (.283, 6, 61, 32) and Stan Kleminski (.289, 8, 68, 14) excelled at setting the table, and if the 3-4-5 couldn't get it done Hal Kennedy (.285, 24, 84), Cecil Cummings (.281, 11, 62), Sherry Doyal (.298, 15, 64), and Jerry Hubbs (.240, 7, 36) came through when needed. And with the rotation of Pearson, Czerwinski, and Rufus Barrell (13-11, 3.94, 104), beating this team is no easy feat.

San Francisco came about as close as they could, and while still disappointed, rookie manager Walt Zecher should be proud of what his team accomplished. For the first time since 1954, they surpassed the 80 win mark, and with their young talent they might be able to start a streak going. Leading the youth charge is graduated top-50 prospect Charlie Lawson, who made a serious case for the Kellogg. Being 13-8 may have been his undoing, but Lawson led the CA in ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.07), striking out 165 with 73 walks and 29 homers in 238.1 innings pitched. Lawson had a meteoric rise, going from 3rd Rounder last season to a top-10 pitcher, and he was the lone stabilizing force in a rotation that saw a lot of movement. Only George Fuller (12-10, 4.34, 118) started more then 20 games, but seven pitchers made double digit starts. The effectiveness varied, as Duke Bybee (3-5, 5.79, 35) looked like a 39-year-old coming off elbow surgery, and George Reynolds (4-5, 5.27, 71) and Gary Pike (3-5, 3, 5.77, 40) were banished to the pen. On the flip side, young guys like Eddie Chapman (15-4, 8, 3.26, 91) and Clem Pranger (7-5, 6, 3.48, 51) pitched their way into the rotation. If those two can fix up the rotation, they can focus on adding some bats. Heinie Spitler (.302, 9, 87, 11) was a nice development, he rounded out a solid top four. Carlos Jaramillo (.313, 12, 68, 40) would be the best shortstop if John Low didn't exist, and Edwin Hackberry (.243, 16, 70, 18) and John Kingsbury (.335, 18, 93, 14) are capable corner outfielders. Despite his poor end of season pinch hitting, they may want to make room for home run leader Ron Turner (.326, 24, 92), but for now he's stuck rotating from first, left, and right. They may have surprised teams this year, but expect this Sailors squad to have their hand in the pennant race once again.

Los Angeles will hope to be there too, as even after an embarrassing season ending sweep in Chicago, the Stars still finished with their best record since their pennant winning season in '52. If not for fatal injuries, they probably would have won, as losing ace Dewey Allcock (10-4, 3.63, 87) and deadline pickup Bud Henderson (2-4, 5.57, 28; 9-13, 4.08, 101), both of whom might not be ready for Opening Day, spoiled their season. Without those two, they just didn't have the pitching to compete. On the bright side, they have a third quality arm for next year, as 22-year-old Sy Dunn impressed in his first season as a starter. Making 29 starts, Dunn was 16-5 with a 3.34 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.42 WHIP, and 136 strikeouts. Wild at times, Dunn is a live armed righty that hurls six tough pitches at you, some of which can graze triple digits. His sinker is usually in the 96-98 range, and he can roll up a ton of grounders, and assuming the health of Allcock and Henderson, LA will have a lethal 1-2-3. With a lineup that slugs as many homers as they do, even average pitching overall might be enough, as seven guys hit over 20 homers. Leading the charge was Lou Allen (.287, 39, 119) and his 39, and Ralph Barrell (.267, 35, 103) passed 30 too. Rookie middle infielder Virgil Ewing (.329, 21, 112) was a revelation at 26, and guys like Charlie Barrell (.315, 28, 88), Don Hall (.271, 25, 80), Jim Berrien (.306, 22, 61), and even Joe Cook (.221, 23, 68) could change the game with one swing of the bat. With 240 total homers, the clobbered the previous CA home run record, blowing the 1955 Foresters (183) out of the water. It's very early to make 1963 predictions, but if they can keep their pitchers healthy, I'd wager the Stars be the team to finally stop the Foresters' pennant streak.

A little bit further back were the Cincinnati Cannons, who at 80-74 finished 8 behind Cleveland. With a -39 run differential, they didn't really deserve their record. A lot can be blamed on their rotation, as ace hopeful Jim York (7-11, 5.07, 97) fought injury and poor performance, and Jimmy Block (7-11, 5.14, 88) had similar stats without the injury. On the plus side, young guys like Red Cunningham (10-8, 4.51, 87), Charlie Warren (7-3, 3, 3.19, 73), and Jack Meeks (9-12, 1, 4.14, 105) held there own, and the trio is in-line to fill the back of the rotation next season. Steps forward there would be huge, and if the organization has faith in their young pitching, they can shift their offseason focus to fine-tuning the squad. The outfield is strong, with 2-Time Whitney Winner Dallas Berry (.282, 29, 94, 10) the undisputed star, and elite play by former 5th pick and #4 prospect Bonnie Chapin, who also kind of got screwed out of the Kellogg. 24 as of June, Chapin hit a robust .345/.421/.574 (153 OPS+), capturing the batting title and launching 47 doubles, 7 triples, and 22 homers with 111 runs, 84 RBIs, and more walks (70) then strikeouts (55). That duo is among the best in the bigs, which made up for Fred Lainhart's (.265, 4, 47, 12) stark decline in production. They have a ton of power, even if not at the Stars level, with a 30+ homer season from Art McKinney (.259, 34, 101) and big blasts from Al Farmer (.304, 18, 61) and Charlie Ham (.272, 21, 82). The key now is hitting with runners on, and hoping for no more automatic outs, and with just one more table-setter, they could finish among the top three CA teams in terms of run production.

The last Continental team above .500 was the Kansas City Kings, who at 79-75 were back over he breakeven mark after their 8 season stretch was snapped a year ago. 79 wins was still likely a disappointment, but they got to add another Kellogg to an award they've dominated since its inception. 214 hits, 124 RBIs, and 33 steals were what it took for Pat Davis to win the award, as the highly touted top-15 prospect became the 5th King to win the award. The 23-year-old hit a solid .343/.380/.543 (137 OPS+) with 94 runs, 33 doubles, 17 triples, and 19 home runs, turning into a fourth deadly lefty in the KC lineup. A lot of Davis' RBIs were because Hank Williams (.326, 39, 121, 7) batted in front of him, and the duo spent plenty of time driving in Ken Newman (.255, 28, 108, 6), Charlie Rogers (.312, 16, 94, 12), and whoever else managed to get on. As good as those four were, the rest of the lineup really struggled. The always reliable and former Kellogg winner Dutch Miller (.217, 11, 75) had his first bad showing since he won back in '54, and his backup Bob Burge (.290, 6, 32, 4) was the only other above average hitter with more then 200 PAs. The pitching staff had a similar situation, as Beau McClellan (11-11, 3.99, 135), Fred Myers (10-14, 3.73, 119), and Gordon McDonald (9-4, 1, 3.63, 34) all impressed, but the rest of the staff seemed to have prolonged cold spells. Even All-Star stopper Del Lamb (10-6, 18, 4.36, 97) wasn't his normal dominant self, so with a return to form from some of their better pitchers they could push for a pennant. They're probably one solid starting pitcher and one quality regular from being a top team, but the foundation is there to make a sustained run.

The Chicago Cougars never got going, as a 10-18 May threatened to sink their season. The final nail came on June 6th, where star middle infielder Jack Gibson (.290, 15, 44) ruptured his MCL. A devastating injury from someone who has had injury issues in the past, cynical Cougar fans will draw parallels to Billy Hunter, another talented young infielder who could never get past his knee issues. Gibson's loss was irreplaceable, as the 26-year-old will enter 1962 with the 5th most home runs (123) in team history, despite having appeared in less then 500 FABL games. Coming off back-to-back 5 WAR seasons, the former 2nd Rounder was on track to break the team's single season home run record of 47, and with him gone the offense was never quite the same. They finished second to last in runs scored, despite solid seasons from Jerry McMillan (.314, 28, 81, 23), Gene Case (.288, 21, 77, 8), and Henry Watson (.302, 26, 90). Jim Barton (.303, 9, 68) might have taken a step back, going from an All-Star to an average bat with out power, but he's just 25, the oldest of the bunch. Add in a solid rookie season from 22-year-old shortstop Tom Holliday (.291, 4, 57), and the beginning of a young core is forming. They've got the pitching, as Andy Logue (15-11, 3.40, 139) seems to have put it all together, while John Mitchell (8-3, 3.74, 45) and rookie Henry Henderson (9-6, 2, 3.72, 66) are looking like solid young pitchers. Barring a combination of breakouts next season, this team is still ways from contention.

As expected, the Canadian teams were at the bottom, with Montreal (62-92) "winning" the Battle of the Great North. They didn't do much scoring or preventing runs, with very little going right. Eddie Martin (9-14, 3.88, 93) was the only pitcher with an ERA below 4.25 among pitchers with a start, and even in the pen only deadline pickup Chet Baker (5-3, 6, 3.78, 40) was able to get many outs. Offensively they had a little more luck, as Harry Swain (.328, 20, 101, 6) and Andy Gilman (.275, 25, 85) put together solid seasons. With Swain it was expected, but the 92 starts Gilman made were more then his previous three seasons combined. Now 24, the former 4th pick is starting to live up to the hype, and Montreal could quickly be his team. Meanwhile, the Toronto Wolves finished 59-95, and they saw their 21-year-old ace and Allen winner Arnie Smith (6-2, 2.81, 70) tear his labrum in June. Even worse, George Hoxworth (5-16, 5.14, 124) was awful, so what was once expected to be a decades long duo of dominance could fizzle out already. There's more of course, as Sid Cullen (.310, 19, 69) fought injuries again, making Tom Reed (.299, 28, 91, 10) the only above average hitter with more then 450 PAs. Canadian baseball is at a new all-time low, and with expansion set to take talent away from FABL organizations, these two cellar dwellers may not be able to stave off the expansion teams.

*** Fed Flag Race Decided Early ***

Suspense was lacking from the Fed finish, but in early September the Philadelphia Keystones and St Louis Pioneers were neck-in-neck. From the 8th to 10th, the top two teams squared off in St. Louis, and when the Pioneers took two-of-three, they opened up a one game lead. St. Louis ripped off three more wins, adding an extra half game to the lead, giving them a week and a half to stay on top before a big series in Philadelphia.

Philly then started to get hot, winning 7 of 8 to take a two game lead over the ice cold Pioneers. With a two game lead and a four game series, St. Louis still had a chance to put themselves in the driver's seat. They got off to a great start, roughing up Jorge Arellano (4 IP, 11 H, 8 ER) in the opener, as homers from Bill Bather (19) and Bob Bell (36) pushed the Keystone ace out early. Bather hit another homer off Sam Ivey in the 6th, helping the guests cruise to an 11-3 win. With the lead cut to one, the Keystones needed to end their struggles against St. Louis, and with a huge outing from Tom Robinson (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K), they were able to hold onto a tight 2-1 lead.

A double header followed, and while the two teams would play once more in October, this game had huge pennant implications. For St. Louis, a sweep would put them into a tie for first, while a Philly sweep would bring them ever-so-close to their first pennant since 1945. Runs came often in game one, with scoring in four of the first six innings, as the Keystones opened up a nice 5-1 lead. Neither team scored in the 7th, but the Pioneers were making a push in the top of the 8th. Starter Joe Kienle was cruising through 7, but after a leadoff ground out, pinch hitter Steve Schultz made it 5-2 with one swing of the bat. Looking to rebound, Kienle got Bill Bather to hit a grounder, but first basemen Andy Parker booted it, allowing Bather to reach. He got to second on a walk, and with the dangerous Bob Bell up, advanced on a wild pitch. With two runners in scoring position and a feared slugger at bat, momentum was starting to change, and with one swing from the eventual Whitney winner, it was a brand new game in Philly. Bell tied things up with a 383 foot homer to left center, ending Kienle's night, and producing a sort of uneasiness at Broad Street Park.

Reliever Don McKeown was up next, working around a pair of singles, managing to keep the score where it was. The Keystones got to face a new pitcher too, with John Gibson brought in to keep the game tied, but he failed in about as spectacular fashion as you could. Tom Cooprider was his first test, and he hit a solo homer to right center, quickly returning the lead to the home side. Next was a walk to Sam Gallick, and he only got an out after since Ed Thompson bunted him over. Gibson wanted nothing to do with reigning Whitney winner Harry Dellinger, walking him intentionally to bring up second basemen Marshall Thomas. Up 2-1, he lined a single to right, loading the bases for the young Andy Parker. With a chance to make up for his error, he hit one right back to Gibson, allowing him to get the force at the plate. Bases still loaded, now it was another Whitney winner in Buddy Miller, and there was nowhere to put him. Miller fouled off the first offering, but then hit one harmlessly to short.

Or at least it should have been, but defense was optional today, and the 4th Pioneer error made it 7-5 as Cal Randall, who just moved from third to short, couldn't field it cleanly. Bases still loaded, the dangerous Lloyd Coulter had a chance to make things happen, but he rolled over a 3-1 pitch, grounding out meekly to second to strand the runners. McKeown needed five pitches to get the first two outs of the 9th, but Bill Bather worked a eight pitch walk to keep the game alive. With a chance to make up for his error, Randall became the tying run, but all he could muster was a dribbler to Coulter at third, which he casually tossed across the diamond for the win.

Normally after a tough loss, you have a day to regroup, but instead the teams had about 30 minutes to prep for a rematch. At this point, St. Louis had to win, so putting up zeros for the first six innings was a big no-no. Thankfully, all Philly mustered up on 40-year-old John Thomas Johnson was Dick Christian's 2nd inning RBI single, so 1-0 wasn't a tough deficit to overcome. Still, another zero in the 7th was brutal, and opposing pitcher Jim Cooper decided he needed more run support. With one out and two on, the 27-year-old did something he had never done before: hit a home run. That big blast made it 4-0, so when Cooper left with one out in the 8th, he was inline for his 11th win of the season. In came a second Jim, 20-year-old Jim Elliot, who let St. Louis get on the board with Bob Bell's 38th home run. It was a good start, and St. Louis did get two more in the 9th, but any hope of winning was stamped out when the Bell homer was answered by Lloyd Coulter, who matched Cooper's three-run blast with one of his own. The 7-3 win put Philly 4 up, and with 7 wins in their last 10 games to end it, they cruised to a 97-57 record that put them seven clear of a really good Pioneers team.

For the first time maybe ever, it was pitching and defense, not the high octane offense, that carried the Keystone team. Among qualified hitters, just Harry Dellinger (.306, 36, 96) even hit above .300, but with him, Miller (.298, 36, 113), and Coulter (.263, 35, 91) they had a trio of 30+ homer and 90+ RBI mashers. Rookie Andy Parker (.324, 13, 52) came up late and impressed, with the graduated 6th ranked prospect producing a 148 WRC+ in 112 games. Picking up Arellano (7-2, 2.89, 62; 16-9, 3.05, 130) at the deadline was massive, and likely won them the pennant, but the Keystones had a 3.43 rotation ERA and every member at the end had a sub 4 ERA. Joe Kienle (16-7, 3.25, 100) dropped his ERA almost two points, while William Davis (16-11, 3.47, 149), Tom Robinson (13-9, 3.45, 97), and Jim Cooper (12-4, 3.68, 83) were all excellent. They're all young too, as Arellano is the only one over 30, so this group can stick together for the long haul. Stopper Don McKeown (12-11, 26, 3.05, 117) is another young guy who could start, but he emerged as a clutch game finisher, leading the Fed with 26 saves. This team is deep and seemed to find the missing piece, and should be the odds on favorite even if Cleveland has the postseason experience most teams can only dream of.

St. Louis is probably the 2nd best team in FABL, but they had the unlucky occurrence of catching an outstanding Keystones team in a year they were at their best. 90-64 is usually good enough to win a pennant, and the best they've done since going 91-63 and capturing the 1951 pennant. I alluded to how good Bob Bell could be last year, as a then 22-year-old hit .328/.447/.582 (176 OPS+) after a late July callup, and he somehow managed to match that with a lethal .345/.435/.635 (173 OPS+). The clear Whitney winner led the association in OBP, slugging, OPS (1.070), WRC+ (176), wOBA (.447), and WAR (9.8), as well as more traditional stats like runs (117), homers (39), and RBIs (128). No one could come close to what he did, and on top of all the offensive output, he even swiped 10 bases and won the Diamond Defense award for second base. As long as this guy is in St. Louis, they're going to compete, and it helps having another Whitney winner in Jerry Smith (.289, 34, 103, 14) to compliment him. Add in the elite 1-2-3 of Billy Hasson (19-8, 2.85, 188), who won his third Allen in four seasons, ERA leader Frenchy Mack (7-8, 2.83, 131), and pitching WAR (7.5) leader Steve Madden (14-6, 3.17, 166), and it's honestly mind boggling they aren't a postseason team. Aside from catcher, this team doesn't have any real weakness, and will be one of the early favorites for the 1962 pennant.

There's a rather significant drop after the top two, but the Washington Eagles were still way closer to the top then the bottom. In fact, there were 13 games between them and Philly and them and the Gothams and Chiefs, who finished tied for 4th. At 84-70, the Eagles had their best finish in over a decade, ending a stretch of four straight seasons finishing 7th or 8th. They did so with a strong offense, scoring more runs then any of the non-Keystone teams in the association. A balanced approach, they don't have a true star in the lineup, instead getting production from guys like Jack Thompson (.314, 16, 97), the guy who refuses to walk (2.9 career BB%), 20-year-old sophomore Tom Lorang (.305, 18, 62), who might be a star in the making, and Al Marino (.255, 9, 76, 6), who has emerged as a real quality shortstop. The pitching has a lot of holes, but Jim Stewart (13-8, 3.32, 137) looked like an ace, and Foster Sherman (7-5, 3.79, 45; 14-7, 3.97, 105) provided a stabilizing veteran presence. If Washington is confident in young guys like Bob Ball (13-16, 4.35, 127), Wally Phillips (8-4, 3.53, 66), Carl Levy (12-6, 20, 3.93, 84), and Otto Caudill (10-12, 1, 4.95, 104), they might not need to make a big move, but a second veteran like Sherman could do wonders for their postseason probability.

After an 87 win finish last season, dropping to 71-83 was devastating for the Chicago Chiefs, who seemed like one of the tougher competitors before the season started. A lot of the decline can be attributed to Rod Shearer (.260, 15, 77), who battled middling production and injury in a year where he set many career lows. Though aside from Ed Bloom (.315, 23, 104, 17) and Irv Clifford (.312, 2, 49, 8), he was actually their best hitter. Doc Zimmerman (.267, 8, 81, 13) saw his WRC+ drop 60 points, posting a below average mark (93) for the first time in a full season, and none of the supporting cast stepped up in his place. They did pitch a bit better, with nice seasons from Vern Osborne (10-15, 3.50, 152) and Jack Halbur (12-10, 3.84, 99), but Joe Cipolla (7-12, 4.71, 130) saw his walk and strikeout rates go in the wrong direction, and Dick Champ (12-9, 4.41, 129) was more average then good. The pen was reliable, led by 23-year-old rookie Joe Lancaster (8-4, 15, 3.31, 56), and they have plenty of other talented young arms ready for more of a role next season. Despite the bad record, they don't really need much legwork in the offseason, and can perhaps bank on Rod Shearer being Rod Shearer again to return to contention.

New York however, does have much to do, as despite being tied in the standings with Chicago, they're in a far different spot then the Chiefs. Shedding stars in recent years, the Gothams will be without Ed Bowman (8-16, 4.25, 78) next year, who decided to hang up the spikes after cracking FABL's top-10 win list. With 322 wins, he finished 1 above Rabbit Day, but he still provided average results. I think he had a year left in him, and with 11 wins he could have moved up to 6th All-Time, but instead he'll have to settle for a slew of Gothams records. This includes wins and WAR (141.7) and pretty much every counting stat you could think of. In total, the former #1 prospect hurled 5,418 innings, working to a 3.31 ERA (121 ERA+), 1.24 WHIP, and 2,606 strikeouts. A 2-Time Allen winner and 12-Time All-Star, he'll go down among the greatest pitchers of all time, leaving a gigantic hole in a mediocre rotation. Left at the top is the now 25-year-old Clarence Reimer (12-12, 4.15, 158) a former 15th round pick who was quickly released by the Keystones, and every arm behind him is either young and raw or a middling vet they are hoping they can increase the value of. The offense is thin, and I would expect them to shop Hank Estill (.248, 15, 71) and Rex Pilcher (.260, 21, 64), as they already have young guys contributing there. Otto Pilkerton (.261, 13, 55, 14) looked great in center, capturing the Diamond Defense award and providing average offense, exactly what Frank Arnold (.297, 5, 65) get at the hot corner. Young catcher Tom Brizzolara (.313, 12, 57, 6) has emerged as a top-5 backstop as well, giving them a trio of talented starters 24 or under. The roster is still a work in-progress, but big '62 seasons from this group could push up their contention timeline.

No team was more disappointing this year then the Boston Minutemen, who followed up back-to-back titles with a deadline sell-off. Finishing 69-85, they had their worst year since 1951 where they failed to reach the 60 win mark for the first time since the turn of the century. Everything that went wrong, did, as Rick Masters (.274, 12, 49) was barely replacement level, Ed Wise (.209, 21, 58) barely hit over .200, and Joe Kleman (.262, 10, 72) was a full five runs worse as he didn't do much hitting and produced a negative zone rating (-2.2) for the first time since his rookie season. My vote is that it was the baseball gods punishing them, as for reasons unknown to the baseball community, reigning 20-game and Allen winner Don Griffin (6-7, 25, 3.07, 74) was banished to the pen. Easily their best pitcher, and maybe one of the bests in the game, it was a shocking move that left many around the game stunned. I mean sure, guys like Ray Gonyea (11-16, 4.09, 153) and Bob Hollister (10-11, 3.63, 76) are solid, but there was plenty of room in the rotation behind them. At this point, it seems like he'll remain their stopper, but word around the league is teams are very interested in adding the recently turned 25-year-old to their staff instead.

Rounding out the Fed at 67-87 are the Detroit Dynamos and Pittsburgh Miners. For Detroit, it was a surprise, as they had finished above .500 ten consecutive seasons, and actually had a +4 run differential. Funny enough, it's the offseason sell-off moves that helped them win games, as veteran John Jackson (11-13, 3.15, 121) pitched like an ace at 37, and former top prospect Ray Waggoner (.317, 30, 100) took home this season's Kellogg award. The 25-year-old showed exactly why they parted with Hackberry to get him, as he mashed to the tune of .317/.372/.566 (141 OPS+) and won the team triple crown. He anchored a lineup with a good amount of power, as Bill Morrison (.276, 14, 75, 9), Dick Tucker (.281, 19, 71), Cecil Gregg (.302, 25, 97), Joe Reed (.299, 23, 87, 10), and Lew Mercer (.295, 16, 56, 9) are all threats to go deep. The offense as constructed is pretty solid, and with Jackson, Jim Norris (9-15, 4.08, 137), and Paul Anderson (18-7, 3.27, 113) the rotation looks pretty good too. They're really just one starting pitcher away, and I'd be willing to bet this team finishes much better in 1962.

Pittsburgh was a more fitting last place team, as they finished with fewer then 70 wins for the fifth time in six years. Arguably the worst pitching staff in the game, Ed Power (8-18, 6.13, 86) saw his ERA increase by almost three full runs, and they didn't have a single pitcher throw more then 200 innings. Joe McDowell (15-7, 4.29, 90), the "best" starter on the staff, got close, only two outs away, but there just weren't guys who could give them good innings early in the game. They had the 8th and 9th locked up, as 24-year-old George Kollock (6-7, 22, 3.21, 92) was superb, making it surprising they never gave the former starter a chance in the rotation. They did show more life at the plate, as Frank Selander (.351, 12, 72, 14) won the batting tile and is starting to look like the top-20 prospect he once was. Youngsters Chuck Draper (.263, 14, 63, 16), John Moreland (.328, 10, 109), and Mike Whisman (.269, 15, 84, 9) got on plenty ahead of Selander, and veteran Bill Newhall (.280, 12, 56) put together another good season. The bottom three in the lineup needs some work, but until they can shore up the pitching staff, it won't matter too much. One guy to watch on that end is Jimmy Blair (9-16, 4.37, 107), who had a really nice 3.67 FIP (82 FIP-), but there just isn't enough in hand to expect a postseason run in the near future.

1961 World Championship Series

It's been quite some time since the Philadelphia Keystones played in the World Championship Series. You have to go back 16 years since the Keystones last pennant in 1945. It was the second of two straight flags for Philadelphia and they split back to back WCS appearances against the Cincinnati Cannons with Cincinnati winning in 1944 and the Keystones prevailing the following year. There have been some lean years in the City of Brotherly Love since then as the Keystones went 14 years of never been less than double-digits out of first place until the 1960 season when they trailed front-running Boston by seven games but still ended up fourth.

That changed this time around as the Keystones won a franchise record 97 games, one more than the previous mark established by their 1933 championship team. Like the '33 club which featured Rankin Kellogg in his prime and young Bobby Barrell, this edition of the Keystones has plenty of power. Outfielders Buddy Miller and Harry Dellinger each socked 36 homers with third baseman Lloyd Coulter chipping in with 35.

Unlike the long wait the Keystones had before returning to meaningful October baseball, the Continental Association has pretty much belonged to the Cleveland Foresters over the past decade and a half. The Foresters led the CA for the third year in a row and have won 8 pennants in the past 13 years. Four of the five seasons the Foresters did now lead the Continental Association they finished in second place and their 1958 third place showing was the worst the Cleveland fans have seen since 1949.

That is a far cry from the early history of the franchise as Cleveland did not win its first WCS until 1934, beating only the Brooklyn (now Kansas City) Kings in that regard. For most of the 1940's the Foresters were the bottom of the barrel in the CA, spending nine consecutive years in the second division and finishing higher than seventh place just once. That turned around with a surprising worst to first run in 1949 and the Foresters, led the entire time by Adrian Czerwinski and Sherry Doyal, have never looked back.

While Philadelphia clinched its pennant with nearly two weeks to spare, finishing 7 games ahead of the second place St Louis Pioneers, the Foresters needed every game to prevail in the Continental Association flag race. Cleveland and San Francisco entered the final day of the season tied for first and needed two runs in the top of the 8th inning and a complete game from Czerwinski to hold of the Sailors in the season finale. Los Angeles was also very much in the mix until the Stars were swept in a 3-game season ending weekend series by the Chicago Cougars and finished 3 games off the pace.

GAME ONE: CLEVELAND 5 PHILADELPHIA 3

The first ever meeting between the Keystones and Foresters came with plenty of pressure on the visitors from Cleveland. The Foresters were playing in their third consecutive WCS but had lost in five games to Boston each of the past two years. With Adrian Czerwinski needing rest after pitching the regular season clinching game on Sunday, the Foresters had a solid backup option in 17-game winner Jake Pearson. Philadelphia countered with their number one starter Jorge Arellano, who was the only Keystones hurler with previous WCS experience, having won two starts for the Gothams in the 1956 classic.

Pearson had a tough first inning, walking in the games first run when he issued a free pass to former Forester Lloyd Coulter after a single, a walk and an error. In the third Coulter made his former mates pay again when he delivered an rbi double to plate Andy Parker and put the Keystones up 2-0.

Arellano would cruise along until the top of the sixth when the Foresters bats erupted with three runs. CA Whitney Award winner John Low hit a 1-out triple and after Paul Williams worked Arellano for a free pass, bringing Cleveland catcher Hal Kennedy to the plate. The second pitch to Kennedy was wild and Low raced home to score with Kennedy adding an exclamation point in the form of a 2-run homer to give the Foresters a 3-2 lead.

The Foresters added some insurance with two runs in the top of the ninth off Philadelphia reliever Tom Robinson. A walk, an error and singles off the bats of Otis O'Keefe ad Tom Carr did the damage increasing Cleveland's lead to 5-2. With Johnny Ogden on the hill trying to close out the win for Cleveland the Keystones made a strong effort at a comeback, scoring once and having the bases loaded with two out but Ogden fanned Dick Sheehan to end the game and give Cleveland a 5-3 victory to start the series.

GAME TWO: PHILADELPHIA 7 CLEVELAND 6

16-game winner William Davis took the hill for the Keystones against the winningest lefthander in FABL history. That would be 44-year-old Deuce Barrell, who went 13-11 and now has 342 career FABL wins. Deuce was making his 16th WCS start, one more than teammate Adrian Czerwinski for the all-time lead, but has had his struggles in recent Octobers, going 0-3 with a 10.98 era in four WCS starts over the past two years. Barrell's postseason problems persisted as he did not make it through the fourth inning as the Keystones scored at least once in each of the first four frames and led 5-2 when Barrell was sent to the showers.

Buddy Miller drove in a run in the first inning after Harry Dellinger and Marshall Thomas led off with back to back singles off of Barrell. The damage could have been worse than 1-0 but Cleveland centerfielder Earl Howe threw out a runner at the plate. Barrell surrendered three more singles in the second inning resulting in another Philadelphia run and then two more on two hits in the third put the Foresters behind 4-0.

Cleveland did score a pair in the top of the fourth but Philadelphia answered with Buddy Miller's second rbi single of the game to make the score 5-2. That marked the end of Barrell's day and the Keystones were finally held scoreless for an inning in the fifth frame. It did not last long as the lead was up to 7-2 when Cleveland reliever Sonny Stoyer gave up 3-hits including a two-run double from Lloyd Coulter in the sixth inning.

The score would remain 7-2 until the Foresters rallied in the top of the ninth inning. They scored four times with Paul Williams' 2-run homer doing most of the damage. Down 7-5 wth two out and runners on second and third the Foresters nearly forced extra innings as pinch-hitter Gary Romeo smacked a single. Earl Howe scored from third and Armando Estrada, who represented the tying run, was waived home after starting on second base. Philadelphia rightfielder Buddy Miller delivered a perfect strike to catcher Tom Cooprider and Estrada was gunned down at the plate to end the game and preserve the 7-6 Philadelphia victory.

GAME THREE: PHILADELPHIA 5 CLEVELAND 4 (16 innings)

It would be hard to top the drama of a game-ending play at the plate that evened the series in game two, but the two clubs were up for the challenge as the series shifted to Cleveland for the third game. Adrian Czerwinski made his first start of the season for the Foresters and allowed just 2 singles over the first 7 innings as the hosts built a 3-0 lead. All of Cleveland's scoring came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Keystones reliever Don McKeown walked two batters and then allowed doubles from Paul Williams and Earl Howe.

Czerwinski, tiring, retired the first batter to start the eighth inning but then allowed back to back line drive singles from Dick Sheehan and Tom Cooprider. The Mad Professor induced a fly ball out from Dick Christian and then seemed to be out of the jam when Harry Dellinger hit a ground ball to Foresters shortstop John Low. Low booted the ball and the bases were loaded setting the stage for a Marshall Thomas grand slam that put Philadelphia ahead 4-3 with one swing of the bat.

The Foresters tied the game at 4 in the bottom of the eighth when Hal Kennedy hit a solo shot for his second homerun of the series. The game would remain tied at 4 until the top of the 16th inning when Buddy Miller led off with a single off of Cleveland hurler Earle Turner. Turner then went to a full count on Lloyd Coulter before walking the ex-Forester but was aided by a double play when another former Clevelander in pinch-hitter Jim Urquhart popped out while trying to sacrifice the runners. The play left Lloyd Coulter unable to get back to first base in time and he was doubled up.

Dick Sheehan was issued an intentional walk leaving runners at first and second and Philadelphia catcher Tom Cooprider at the plate. Cooprider deliver an rbi single to plate Buddy Miller from second and that run would stand up, giving the Keystones a 5-4 victory and a two games to one series lead.

GAME FOUR: PHILADELPHIA 6 CLEVELAND 4

Another game with plenty of offense early as both teams scored in the first inning. Back to back doubles from Marshall Thomas and Andy Parker off Cleveland starter Hank Berkowitz gave the Keystones a quick run but a pair of walks issued by Philadelphia hurler Jim Cooper followed by an rbi single off the bat of Hal Kennedy allowed Cleveland to tie it at one in the home half of the first.

Cooper aided his own cause when the Philadelphia pitcher smashed a 2-run homer in the top of the second to give the Keystones a 3-1 lead but Cleveland again responded, this time with 3 runs in the bottom of the third inning on three singles, a walk and a hit batsman to put the Foresters up 4-3.

The scoring was rounded out in the top of the fifth inning when Philadelphia plated three runs. The first came on a lead-off solo homerun from pinch-hitter Turk Ramsey and the other two came after a pair of walks when Lloyd Coulter delivered a 2-run double. Both bullpens did their jobs after that and the game ended 6-4 for the Keystones, leaving Philadelphia one win away from winning the WCS.

GAME FIVE: CLEVELAND 7 PHILADELPHIA 2

The Foresters did not want to lose the series at home and it would mark the third consecutive season they fell in five games. The game, a rematch of the series opening pitching matchup of Jorge Arellano for the Keystones against Cleveland's Jake Pearson, was tight for five innings with the Foresters holding a 3-2 lead thanks to Paul Williams second homerun of the series. The Foresters added a run in the sixth inning when a wild pitch allowed Earl Howe, who had doubled to score to go up 4-2.

Philadelphia's best chance to pull even in the game came in the top of the seventh when Dick Christian led off with a double and moved to third on a Harry Dellinger single but Marshall Thomas hit into a 2-4-3 double play to end any hopes of a big inning. Cleveland made sure of a return to trip to Philadelphia by plating three more runs in the bottom of the seventh and the Foresters were still alive following a 7-2 victory.

GAME SIX: PHILADELPHIA 5 CLEVELAND 0

Unlike in other WCS starts over the past three years, Deuce Barrell was outstanding for Cleveland for seven innings, scattering 7 hits and making just one mistake - a gopher ball that pinch-hitter Turk Ramsey sent over the rightfield wall in the sixth inning. Barrell left trailing 1-0 as Philadelphia's William Davis was equally good. Davis allowed 6 hits before giving way to reliever Don McKeown. The pair combined on a 7-hit shutout as the Keystones clinched the series with a 5-0 victory.

Barrell was replaced with nobody on and one-out in the eighth and Cleveland reliever Lynn Horn immediately landed in hot water. Harry Dellinger greeted Horn with a single. Marshall Thomas followed with a double to put runners on second and third and a free pass to Andy Parker loaded the bases. For the second time in the series we had a grand slam homerun with this one courtesy of Buddy Miller to put the Keystones ahead comfortably by a 5-0 score. It would end that way and the Keystones had won their franchises 4th World Championship Series while the Foresters had lost in the WCS for the third consecutive season.

Buddy Miller, who hit .375 with a homerun, 6 rbi's and 6 runs scored, was named the series MVP. It was the first taste of post-season action for the 31-year-old three time Whitney Award winner.

OFFSEASON

After the Keystones debunked the "third times a charm" myth, all the focus in the baseball world was on expansion. 1962 would bring the first ever expansion draft, as the 16 FABL organizations that competed for the crown in 1961 had a few months to prepare for one of the biggest advancements of the league. Deemed profitable enough to move to 20 teams, it's a bold move by the league, but one that has been long overdo. Baseball has quickly grown into a national game, and it was clear that there were markets to be tapped. The GWL sparked an interest on the west coach in more competitive baseball, and the relocation of three east coast teams was basically a trial run of viability of baseball on the west of the Mississippi. All three of those teams finished above .500 this season and top-6 in attendance, a resounding success story the league off.

Joining the fray are the Minneapolis Millers, Los Angeles Suns, Dallas Wranglers, and New York Imperials. The first two will compete in the Fed, the last in the Conti, so teams now have to compete against nine others to make it to the postseason. Before all that, the four teams will get to select players from their competitions FABL and AAA rosters. Teams can protect players of course, so don't expect Buddy Miller or Jake Pearson putting on another uniform any time soon. But guys like Bobby Crooks and Charlie Phillips? Who knows! Stars may be born, careers changed, but more importantly, us fans get more of what we love. We get more baseball!

With the shift in the landscape, GMs will go about their business differently, so the trade market was on the quiet side. The Fed runner ups kicked things off, looking to fill their catchers spot with a bounce back candidate. That would be 2-Time All-Star Dutch Miller, who's '61 batting line of .217/.330/.348 (76 OPS+) was nowhere near his .263/.357/.421 (113 OPS+) career line since his debut in 1954. A reliable bat in the seasons prior, as Miller's 84 WRC+ was the first time he produced one below 100. Even in a down year, Miller still drew 79 walks, and despite his personality guys like throwing to him. He's a useful veteran add to the Diamond Defense winner this year Sam Ruggles (.243, 7, 47), who also had the worst season of his career. Then to entice the Kings, they sent infielder Cal Randall (.284, 13, 68) and top-200 prospect Whitey Gates. Randall did start for them some, but with Steve Schultz (.289, 20, 76) and Paul Watson (.245, 12, 52) able to play third and short, they figured it was best to move him instead of one of their top prospects.

Always looking to fill their shortstop position, Kansas City will hope the 25-year-old Randall is the answer. A former 1st Round Pick, "Bucky" ranked as high as 25th on the prospect lists, and 1961 was the first season he got a regular role with the Pioneers. In parts of three seasons he has hit .274/.334/.383 (87 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 17 homers, and 91 RBIs. 598 of his 845 PAs came this season, where he came close to hitting league average (99 WRC+) and developed as a captain on the infield. He could end up having a better season then Miller, and with Bob Burge (.290, 6, 32) hitting really well as the backup for Miller this year, KC might hope he can keep it up in a full-time role. Then with Gates they got a 6'4'' lefty who won't be 21 until next June. His 10 starts in Class B (3-6, 3.64, 51) were excellent, and with a deep five pitch arsenal he could work his way into a big league rotation.

Kansas City then went to upgrade their pen, sending a 20-year-old righty Marty Bean to Toronto for CA save leader Whitey Stewart. Stewart, 30, started all but four of his previous 192 outings, before making an association high 74 appearances this year. His 2-14 record was more about the Wolves being bad then him, as his 4.49 ERA (99 ERA+) was perfectly respectable. He did walk a ton of guys, 67 to be exact, but he hadn't had control issues since he was in his early 20s. In each of the last four seasons he walked less then 10% of hitters, but that jumped to 13.7 in 104.1 innings. A sad outcome for a former #1 pick and prospect, Toronto must think Stewart's best days are behind him. At best, Bean looks like a back-end starter, and Toronto's staff has plenty of holes. Of course, there's always the added factor of the looming expansion draft, and they relied on a lot of young pitchers that they won't want to leave unprotected.

Boston continued to make trades, though the Minutemen fanbase almost rioted when it was announced team home run leader Rick Masters would no longer be wearing a Minutemen jersey. Taken 2nd way back in 1949, the former #1 prospect is just one season removed form winning World Championship Series MVP and hitting .336/.413/.565 (162 OPS+) with 34 homers and a tied for career high 117 RBIs. A former batting title and home run leader, Masters did struggle in 1961, with his .274/.355/.407 (97 OPS+) batting line the worst since his rookie season. His struggled caused his playing time to decrease, and he failed to hit 20 homers for the first time since his 27-game 1952. One of his 12 homers this year was #300, a beautiful blast off Jack Halbur in the first inning of a 3-2 loss. As disappointing as he was this year, it's still a huge shock Boston would even continue parting ways with him, as he just turned 31 and produced six consecutive 5 WAR seasons before this. In his career, Masters has slashed an outstanding .303/.367/.500 (133 OPS+), selected to 6 All-Star games with Boston. Players like that don't come along very often, and the player they got back has no chance of becoming Masters.

In fact, he's almost three years older, as the Minutemen decided to swap one veteran corner outfielder for another. Sure, Bill Newhall hit better this season and has been a quality hitter his whole career, but his peak isn't anywhere near Masters. "The Hollis Hotshot" is more solid then good, with a 122 WRC+ in 457 PAs this year and a 122 WRC+ in 6,063 PAs with the Miners. As productive as that is, Newhall has never hit more then 15 homers in a season, and if you list the top ten seasons between Masters and Newhall there's a lot more for the new Miner then the old one. The advantage he does have is defense, he's good in both corners and can handle center, but when you move on from a fan favorite you send a bad message. And that bad message is amplified when it's perceived as nothing better then a lateral move.

Just a week later the two teams hooked up for another trade, with the Minutemen going after stopper George Kollock with eyes on making him a starting pitcher. Taken 27th in the 1955 draft, Kollock debuted just three years later, and he hasn't gone down since. Primarily a leverage reliever, he did make starts in 1959, though he's been far more effective as a reliever. 1961 was his big breakout, as the just turned 25-year-old made a Fed high 77 appearances. He worked to a 3.21 ERA (138 ERA+) and 1.42 WHIP with 22 saves, 62 walks, 92 strikeouts, and a 6-7 record. One of the hardest throwers in the league, his fastball hits 97, but the real treat is his slider. Righties can't touch it, and he's frozen plenty of lefties from the back door as it clips the zone as it winds by. The stuff is good overall, but in the pen it really shines. The transition back to the rotation may be tough, but with lean years expected they can give him plenty of leeway.

Pittsburgh picks up a pretty solid prospect, adding Boston's recent 1st Round pick Ed Reeves, who sits in the bottom fourth of the top 100 prospect list. After the draft, 53 of his 67 games came in Class C, but he was better in a late season promotion. It was just 52 PAs, but Reeves hit .326/.404/.457 (117 OPS+) with the Class B Arlington Patriots. He has good speed, a good swing, and a good eye, and it's an exciting development project for Pittsburgh. He may never be a star, but he's got the tools to develop into a reliable every day outfielder.

Boston also finished trade season, adding another arm to compete in their rotation. That was World Champion Fred McKnight, who won it with the Keystones. Making an identical 13 starts and relief outings, the now 25-year-old went 8-5 with 2 saves, a 3.87 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, 34 walks, and 69 strikeouts. A veteran of four seasons, McKnight has gone 21-16 with 11 saves, a 4.22 ERA (100 ERA+), 1.45 WHIP, 126 walks, and 223 strikeouts. A former 4th Rounder, McKnight is a six pitch groundballer who excels at keeping the ball in the park. He's more back then middle of the rotation, but the staff finished 7th in runs allowed, and has plenty of room for improvement. joining McKnight is outfielder Howie Taylor, who recently turned 24. Another former 4th Rounder, he's quick and has a good eye, and could quickly replace the guy that will go to Philly. The Keystones got former 9th pick Del Filo, who sandwiched a 426 PAs season with two below 100. Perhaps pushed out of a role in Boston, he's currently lined up to join Harry Dellinger (.306, 36, 96, 38) and Buddy Miller (.298, 36, 113). That's about as good of a pair as it gets, so even average production from Filo will be a plus. He's got a nice .290/.320/.516 (121 OPS+) batting line, adding 36 homers and 99 RBIs in roughly one full season.

Between those two deals the Saints and Pioneers made a prospect swap. Montreal gets the higher ranked prospect, grabbing 94th ranked outfielder Bill Gilman. Coming along way since being a 14th rounder, Gilman has an advanced feel for the zone and should hit for a solid average. He's a strong kid who could end up hitting more home runs, but with his speed he can do damage just by putting the ball in play. That will play well at the Parc Cartier, and he could be a nice table setter at the top of the order. In return, St. Louis picked up lefty slugger Grady Smith, as well as long-time bench warmer Walter Medlin (.255, 1, 6). Smith is the interesting piece, as the 19-year-old ranks just outside the top-100. A former 9th pick, he's now part of his second trade, as he went from the Chiefs to the Saints in the second Dave Price deal. He's lost a little of his prospect shine, but he has a really good swing and projectable power. He's not hitting many homers right now, but St. Louis sees something in him they like, and will look to get that power unlocked.
Change is now on the horizon, with expansion ready and waiting, and the next big move will be the expansion draft itself. Baseball is about to change, hopefully for the better, as teams are ready to march into the grand unknown. New stars will be born, older ones may shine even brighter, and what happens next may surprise even the keenest of baseball minds.

Good bye 16 teams, hello 20!

• Boone County did not add anyone this year as none of the eligible players earned the 80% required to be added to baseball's Hall of Fame. Walt Messer, the longtime New York Gothams outfielder who was in his first year of eligibility came closest but the 8-time All-Star still fell well short, appearing on just 65% of the ballots cast. Joe Hancock, a 294 game winner who played for 4 WCS winning clubs in Toronto and Detroit, headlines the list of 1962 newcomers to the ballot. Here are the 1961 voting results.
  
  
• Deuce Barrell is still going strong at the age of 44 and after a 13-11 season for the Continental Association pennant winning Cleveland Foresters says he will be back for another year. Barrell is now the winningest lefthander in FABL history and third all-time in victories with a career record of 342-213. He is also fourth all-time in strikeouts with 2,635. Deuce continues to impress during the regular season but he has had three successive awful Octobers, going 0-5 in the WCS with an 8.11 era over that stretch including 2 more losses this season to Philadelphia. The 5-time Allan Award winner is just 5-11 in WCS play.
• Barrell and teammate Adrian Czerwinski are tied with 17 WCS starts, more than any other pitcher. Barrell is the loss leader as his 11 are now three more than Woody Trease was tagged with during his career while Czerwinski, at 10-3 in October, is the winningest post-season pitcher.
• Adrian Czerwinski recorded his 250th career win and 2,000 strikeout two weeks apart in May. Other milestones reached this year include Irv Clifford collecting his 2,500th hit, Ken Newman notching his 2,000 hit while Buddy Miller and Rick Masters each surpassed the 300 homerun mark.
• Czerwinski won his record 6th Allan Award this season while Billy Hasson of the St Louis Pioneers won the Federal Association Allen for the third time. The Whitney winners were both first timers as Bob Bell of St Louis earned the nod in the Fed while veteran Cleveland infielder John Low claimed the CA Whitney.
• Czerwinski was also named to the CA all-star team for the 11th time. Only 5 players have been selected more often that the Cleveland ace. Here are the players with the most All-Star game selections.
  

  MOST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS     
  15  Bill Barrett      Retired
  13  George Cleaves    Retired
  13  Bobby Barrell     Retired
  12  Red Johnson       Retired
  12  Ed Bowman         Retired
  11* Adrian Czerwinski Cleveland
  11  Al Miller         Retired
  11  Adam Mullins      Retired
  11 Deuce Barrell      Cleveland
  10 Skipper Schneider  Retired
  10  Harry Barrell     Retired
  10  Tom Bird          Retired
  10* Ken Newman        Kansas City
  *selected to 1961 ASG

• Ed Bowman, one of the names on the All-Star appearance list above, was the most notable retirement announcement. The 42-year-old who spent his entire 20 year career with the New York Gothams called it quits after an 8-16 season. Bowman finishes with a 322-253 record, good enough for 10th on the all-time win list, one ahead of Rabbit Day. Bowman won a pair of Allen Awards and was a member of three Gothams pennant winning clubs including the 1956 team that won the WCS.
• The lone no-hitter thrown in 1961 came in September with 20-year-old Philadelphia rookie Jim Elliott, making just his second big league appearance, turned the trick in a 9-0 win over Detroit. It would be Elliott's only big league start as 1959 second round draft pick's two remaining big league appearances came out of the pen. It was extra special for the rookie as he was born in the Motor City.
• Second year outfielder John Kingsbury (.335,18,93) of the San Francisco Sailors enjoyed a 30-game hit streak that came to an end in late August. The 1955 first rounder, a Canadian-born player from the Toronto area, finished third in the CA batting race behind two other 24-year-olds in Bonnie Chaplin of Cincinnati and Kansas City's Pat Davis. Kingsbury's 30-gamer is the longest since Jim Jenkins hit safely in 35 straight games for the Washington Eagles in 1945.
• Cleveland skipper Jim Whitehead won the Theobald Award as top manager in the Continental Association for the third consecutive season. The Fed award also went to the pennant winning bench boss, with Don Fox of Philadelphia winning his first.
• The Washington Eagles had first pick in the annual FABL draft and they selected George Whaley, an 18-year-old high school third baseman from Providence, RI. Scouts see Whaley, who split his first pro season between Class A and B, as a potential elite big league player. OSA had Whaley 9th in its top prospect list.
• Heading the prospect parade is Frank Kirouac, a 24-year-old outfielder who hit 26 homers and batted .294 splitting the season between AA and AAA. Originally selected third overall out of an Ohio high school by the Los Angeles Stars in 1956, Kirouac was dealt to Boston at the deadline in exchange for pitcher Bud Henderson and 19-year-old first base prospect Bobby Garrison.

EXPANSION COMES TO AFA

FABL and the Federal Basketball League are each eyeing expansion in 1962 but it was the American Football Association that became the first to grow as the AFA, which had been at 12 teams since 1951, added two more members in the Buffalo Red Jackets and Houston Drillers. The loop also increased its schedule to 14 games from 12, which had been the standard for decades.

For Buffalo it was the city's first American Football Association club but they did have a team in the old Continental Football Conferences for its four year run immediately after World War II. The Red Jackets nickname was after a famous Seneca tribe chief who negotiated with George Washington. The Houston club, known as the Drillers, is the first major league sports team for the city since its short-run in baseball's Great Western League. As one might expect from an expansion team, it was tough sledding for both of the newcomers as each finished with a 3-11 record and in last place in their respective divisions.

The New York Stars continued their dominance of the East Division despite the fact that last year's playoff MVP, halfback Larry Moen, announced his retirement before the season began. Rookie Reid McDuffy, a first round pick out of Cumberland proved a more than able replacement and was named offensive rookie of the year after rushing for 949 yards. Second year quarterback Orlin Youngs also had a huge season, throwing for more than 2,500 yards and was named league MVP after guiding the Stars to a 13-1 record, best in the AFA. It marked the third consecutive season that New York had made the playoffs and eighth time in the past ten years. New York which scored more points than any other team in the East Division and surrendered the fewest in the league, finished the season with 12 straight victories after suffering their only loss in week two to Pittsburgh by a 9-6 score.

The Washington Wasps earned the second playoff berth in the East Division, bouncing back from a disappointing 3-9 season a year ago after making the postseason each of the three prior years. The Wasps, who won back to back titles in 1957 and 1958, finished tied with the Pittsburgh Paladins for second at 9-5 but Washington earned the tie-breaker after sweeping their two games with the Paladins during the season. Second year quarterback Robin Hornick had a solid season, especially when connecting with veteran end Jim Edmonds who had 41 catches in his 9th year in the league.

The Paladins got off to a quick 6-2 start but struggled somewhat down the stretch and it was the two poor showings against the Wasps that prevented Pittsburgh from ending a playoff drought that has stretched to 9 years. It was the first winning season in four years for Pittsburgh. Cleveland, at 7-7 was the only other East Division team without a losing record this time around as the Finches finished strong with victories in each of their final three games. Cleveland struggled on offense despite another strong season from veteran halfback Erskine Rizzuto, who ran for more than 1,300 yards for the second straight season.

Philadelphia and Boston each finished at 6-8. The future looks bright for the Frigates as second year quarterback Jack Osterman had a strong season, throwing for a league high 2,780 yards and topped the loop with 24 touchdown heaves. The downfall in Philadelphia was the defense which was arguably the worst in the league. As for Boston, the Americans have been a middle of the pack team for well over a decade and especially struggled in the second half of the season, dropping five of their last six games including a 23-17 defeat to expansion Buffalo.

The last place Red Jackets won just three times but two of their wins came against the playoff bound Washington Wasps. Quarterback Jim Rizzi joined the club after six years in Cleveland and provided veteran leadership while passing for 2,452 yards and 16 touchdowns. Rizzi's favourite target was end Don Ishmael, who spent 8 seasons as a backup in Boston but thrived as a starter with Buffalo, leading the division in receptions with 65. Buffalo landed a gem late in the rookie draft, nabbing St. Magnus linebacker Gary Scruggs in the seventh round. Scruggs went on to be one of the best defenders in the league as a rookie, leading Buffalo with 92 tackles and was named to the All-Pro Classic.

*** Maroons Lead Way In West ***

After finishing second in the West Division last year the Detroit Maroons led the West for just the second time since 1946. Hoping to rebound from a humiliating defeat in last years West Division playoff when Kansas City pounded the Maroons 54-10, Detroit raced out to a 10-0 start and had the division title clinched by mid-November. Led by veteran halfback Art Heal, who ran for a league-high 1,627 yards and rookie quarterback Dee Cann, the Maroons put up a whooping 411 points on the season while their defense was the best in the loop at stopping the run.

Chicago won its first five games but could not keep pace with the Maroons. The Wildcats did hang on to claim second with an 8-6 record despite some struggles down the stretch. Late season losses to Kansas City and New York cost the Los Angeles Tigers a shot at the playoffs and they settled for third with a 7-7 mark one game worse than second place Chicago. Los Angeles boasts an impressive offense led by quarterback Garton Bird (2,476 yards passing) and veteran back Dick Drum (1,529 yards rushing) but their defense continues to be the Tigers weak link.

Kansas City won the division a year ago, ending a six-year post-season drought, but the Cowboys failed to build on that as a slow start -one which saw the Cowboys drop 6 of their first 8 ballgames- doomed the club to a fourth place finish at 6-8. They made the surprising decision not to resign veteran quarterback Scott Greenwell, handing the job to rookie Pete Fairfield instead. The Kansas City running game was among the best in the league with both Elvin McGoldrick and long-time star Mike Peel surpassing the 1,000 yard mark but the passing game under Fairfield sputtered.

St Louis, San Francisco and expansion Houston brought up the rear. The fifth place Ramblers missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year while the Wings, who finished sixth with a 4-10 mark, were under .500 for the first time in a decade. Expansion Houston, 3-11, has a lot of work to do but the Drillers have some building blocks on defense as rookie linebacker Jim Griffin was named defensive rookie of the year and was joined by fellow rookie John Padgett, a defensive end, as Drillers selected to the All-Pro Classic.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

No team has won more games over the past decade than the 78-40-2 regular season record of the New York Stars and they topped the AFA with a 13-1 season in the loop's first year with a 14-game schedule. New York was the heavy favourite over the second place Washington Wasps in the East Division playoff game, a contest marking the fourth straight season of playoff football and eighth appearance in the postseason since the league went to a 4-team playoff eleven years ago.

Washington stayed with the defending champs for all of 15 minutes. The first quarter ended with the Stars holding a 3-0 as both defenses came up with some key plays. The second quarter was a different story as the Stars put up 24 points to turn the contest into a rout. New York's second year quarterback Orlin Youngs had some trouble in the first quarter due to a persistent Wasps pass rush but on the first possession of the second quarter Youngs connected for back to back passes of at least twenty yards to drive the Stars to the first touchdown of the game. Rookie halfback Reid McDuffy, who ran for a game high 102 yards on the afternoon, finished off the 13 play drive that traversed 98 yards with a 7-yard run around the right end to account for the first major of the afternoon.

Three plays later the Stars were given a gift when Washington quarterback Robin Hornick threw an interception that veteran Stars defensive back Vic Morrell returned 19 yards to set up a first goal for his club. Two plays later it was suddenly 17-0 as Youngs found end Matt Center on a 4-yard touchdown strike. Before the period ended the New York lead had ballooned to 27-0 as Youngs and Gil Cooper hooked up on a 20-yard touchdown throw and Cornelius McAlpin was good on a 31-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the first half.

The break did nothing to help the Wasps as their offense never did get untracked against the Stars, managing just 198 yards of total offense, barely half that which was accumulated by New York. The final score was 34-3 moving New York to within a victory of repeating as AFA champions.

*** Another Dismal Day For Detroit ***

The Detroit Maroons had a whole year to think about their humiliating showing in the 1960 West Division playoff game, one which saw the Maroons stage a complete collapse in the most lobsided post-season game in AFA history: a 54-10 loss to the Kansas City Cowboys. The Cowboys sputtered this season but the Maroons used that playoff debacle as inspiration, posting a 12-2 record to finish 4 games ahead of second place Chicago in the West Division.

Unfortunately for the Thompson Field faithful, they had to endure a second straight playoff collapse from their local heroes as the visiting Wildcats mauled the Maroons 30-7. Chicago fullback George Hornback rushed for just 30 yards on 12 carries but three of those touches were touchdown runs and all came in the second period as the visitors from the Windy City built a 24-0 lead at the break and coasted to a 30-7 victory.

Detroit fans should have anticipated problems when the Maroons first play from scrimmage resulted in an interception and set up a Wildcats field goal. Like the East Playoff, the West game was just 3-0 after 15 minutes but the game was blown open in the second quarter when the Wildcats scored 21 points. Detroit turned the ball over twice, resulting in Chicago points each time and the Maroons All-Pro back Art Heal could never get untracked. Heal carried the ball 25 times but averaged barely two yards a pick-up and never had a gain of more than 8. The Wildcats were not overly impressive on offense but they did not make mistakes and took advantage of their opportunities leaving the Maroons with plenty of unrealized potential once again. Detroit has not won the AFA title since 1936 and has gone 0-7 in playoff games since then.

*** Stars Shine in Title Tilt ***

The AFA title game matched up the two winningest teams in league history with the Chicago Wildcats own 8 titles including a win in 1959 and the New York Stars six, with their most recent league crown coming last year. It would be New York's third straight appearance in the title game and their fifth meeting for the AFA championship with the Wildcats. Chicago prevailed in 1959, 1948 and 1941 while the Stars only championship game win over Chicago came in 1946 title game.

The Wildcats built an early 10-0 lead on a first quarter field goal from Paul Chestnut and a second quarter 42-yard touchdown run by George Hornback, who had scored three majors in the win over Detroit last week. Hornback's run came a play after Stars quarterback Orlin Youngs was intercepted by Wildcats cornerback Ben Kromer.

Chicago seemed to have all the momentum as New York's next series saw Youngs sacked twice and the Stars forced to punt from deep in their own territory. Chicago appeared to be driving again when halfback Fred Gunther raced for 12 yards on the Wildcats first play and Gunther was off for a big gain on the second play. Then the game turned. After a 17 yard gain Gunther had the ball punched loose by New York defender Vic Morrell and the Stars Rich Hewlett came up with the recovery. The Stars suddenly took over as Youngs found Britt Panos for a 25-yard catch and Gil Cooper for 12 more. Before you knew it New York fullback Ephraim Stanek bulled his way into the endzone from a yard out and the Stars were on the scoreboard.

The first New York score came with 2:24 remaining in the half and it took just 24 seconds for the Stars to score again and take a 14-10 lead. Stars linebacker Galen Cossey, a two-time AFA defensive player of the year, forced a fumble on Chicago's next play from scrimmage and after Cossey recovered the ball, New York half back Reid McDuffy carried the ball twice with the second run being a 19-yard jaunt into the Chicago endzone.

New York was not down as after the Wildcats had a three-and-out the Stars navigated into field goal position in the final minute and Cornelius McAlpin connected from 33 yards out to put New York ahead 17-10 at the break. In a span of 2:22 a 10-0 Chicago lead had turned into a 17 point deficit.

Cossey recovered his second fumble of the day early in the third quarter and that led to another New York touchdown- this one a 16-yard pass from Youngs to Ryne Hardy making the score 24-10. Chicago made it close with a field goal early in the fourth quarter and a long touchdown pass late in the game but could not get into position for a game-tying field goal and the Stars had won their second straight AFA title.

The Stars second consecutive title and fourth championship in the past ten years to go along with 2 other appearances in the title game places them in consideration as one of the best American Football Association teams of all-time. They may not quite yet match the powerhouse Detroit Maroons of the late 1920s and early 1930s or the Wildcats of the late 1930s and 40s that appeared in 8 title games over a 12 year stretch but the current edition of the New York Football Stars is certainly closing in on those two legendary squads.

MARYLAND STATE CLASS OF COLLEGE GRID

It has been quite a couple of years for Maryland State as the Bengals, after winning their first ever AIAA basketball tournament title in the spring of 1960, claimed their first National Title in football in the winter of 1961. Maryland State, with 4 baseball crowns including the most recent in 1943, is one of a select group of schools that now has won national titles in all three major team sports.

The Bengals title this season came after a pair of close calls in recent years as Maryland State was 10-1 in 1960 but finished third behind Georgia Baptist and Northern California. The Bengals also finished third in the 1958 rankings. This year's club, like the squad a year ago, went 10-1 but emerged as the number one ranked team after 48-6 drubbing of Plains Athletic Association champion Oklahoma City State in the Sunshine Classic.

The Bengals were led by the highest scoring offense in the entire AIAA, one which averaged nearly 34 points a game in starting the season with nine consecutive victories. The Bengals calling card was a powerful running game led by junior halfback Mike Moran (1,174 yards) and bruising fullback Bob Butters, who spent most of his time clearing a path for Moran and carried the ball himself just 15 times all season but 13 of them were for short touchdown runs.

Maryland State's most impressive win would be a late September 26-14 triumph over eventual Great Lakes Alliance champion Detroit City College. After non-conference wins over Mile High State and George Fox, the Bengals breezed through their South Atlantic Conference slate until the season finale when it appeared their title hopes may have vanished with a shocking 31-6 loss on the road at Coastal State. The showing in Miami at the Sunshine Classic proved enough to convince the pollsters to place Maryland State at the top of the charts.

As is often the case, the poling system left several schools feeling like they received the short end of the stick. Most notably was Annapolis Maritime, which was 10-0 but struggled to beat Southern Border Conference champion Canyon A&M 25-20 in the Desert Classic. The knock on the naval academy was it played a soft schedule and ended up facing just one team ranked in the final top 25 - #23 Pittsburgh State who the Navigators beat 34-13. Despite missing out on their first National Title the season was a resounding success for Annapolis Maritime in that it included a 44-41 victory over rival Rome State and was a reversal of the Navigators awful 0-10 season from when this senior class were freshman.

Spokane State and Penn Catholic also felt shortchanged by the final ranking as each, like Maryland State, finished with just one loss. The Indians ended Northern California's four-year hold on the West Coast Athletic Association title by defeating the Miners 34-23 and finishing 6-1 in section play. The lone loss was to Rainier College but the Miners also lost their rivalry game with Redwood. What perhaps should have enhanced the Indians case was a thrilling comeback to defeat Detroit City College 27-24 in the East West Classic. The Knights entered the game ranked second and coming off a big win over rival Central Ohio but Spokane State scored 10 points in the final two minutes to pull out the New Year's Day victory. Penn Catholic was also very impressive on New Year's Day, as the Crusaders had little difficulty with Great Lakes Alliance runner-up Central Ohio in the Bayside Classic, posting a 30-10 victory. The Crusaders only loss was an early season defeat at the hands of Miami State and they, like fellow independent Annapolis Maritime, may have been penalized by a schedule that sorely lacked in high end opponents.

In the end the late season loss to Coastal State did not hurt Maryland State as much as one might expect and the Navigators ended up second with the Indians and Crusaders holding down the third and fourth slots. We have to go all the way down to five before we get a Deep South Conference school, marking the first time since 1949 that the Deep South did not place at least one team in the top four. Fifth this year would be the two-time defending champion Georgia Baptist Gators, who ended up 9-2 after a perfect 11-0 season a year ago.

The Gators were one of four schools that finished 5-2 in section play but the conference crown went to Bluegrass State for the first time. The Mustangs went 6-1 in section play, but just 8-3 overall, and may have been aided by a section slate that left both Georgia Baptist and Noble Jones College off their docket this year. The lone section loss for the Mustangs was 38-7 thrashing administered on them by Cumberland. The Explorers finished 6th in the final rankings and 9-2 overall but they dropped successive section games on the road to Georgia Baptist and Northern Mississippi late in the schedule. Recent history has dictated that the conference champions of the Deep South and Southwestern Alliance would meet in the Oilman Classic but the selection committee bucked tradition and opted to invite Cumberland to face SWA winner Arkansas A&T meaning the Mustangs had to settle for a trip to New Orleans and a meeting with Coastal State in the Cajun Classic. Both Cumberland and Bluegrass State would win their classic games and Georgia Baptist nipped Lubbock State in the Lone Star Classic to make it perfect 3-0 New Years Day for the Deep South Conference.

It is also worth noting that Jack Dobbins became the first two-time winner of the Christian Trophy after the American Atlantic senior halfback won the award that he first claimed as a freshman in 1958. Dobbins led the nation with 1,672 rushing yards for the Pelicans this season and finishes his career as the all-time rushing leader in AIAA history with 6,763 yards. The Harrisonville, Mo., native ran for a single season record 2,300 yards as a freshman.

NEW YEARS CLASSIC RECAPS

Entering the East-West Classic in Santa Ana on January 1, the Spokane State Indians and Detroit City College Knights each felt they had a shot at the national title. Maryland State may have entered its Sunshine Classic against Oklahoma City State as the number one ranked team but a loss to Coastal State in their South Atlantic Conference finale opened the door for a number of schools including the duo battling in college football's longest running classic game.

The Indians had ended Northern California's four-year reign as West Coast Athletic Association champs and the Great Lakes Alliance schools were likely relieved as the Miners had won the East-West Classic in each of those four years. Spokane State had never won the big game, losing to Minnesota Tech in their only appearance in 1952. The DCC Knights had never lost in Santa Ana, entering the game with a perfect 4-0 mark with their most recent victory in 1955.

The game was a tight battle with DCC holding a 7-point lead until the Indians staged a 14-play 80-yard drive to tie the game at 24 with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation. With just 23 seconds left and the ball on the Spokane State 49 yard line the Knights opted to go for it on fourth and three, but were stopped. The game appeared headed to overtime but a penalty on the DCC defense with 9 seconds left but Spokane State in position to attempt a long field goal. It was a 40-yarder but Indians kicker John Vaughn had just enough leg to force the ball over the upright and the Indians had pulled off a 27-24 victory.

They would learn later than Maryland State did more then enough to retain the number one ranking with a 48-6 corralling of the Oklahoma City State Wranglers in the Sunshine Classic. The Deep South Conference had three teams playing on New Years Day and each of the three came up with victories. The Cumberland Explorers had a strong second half and led by halfback Ron Filas, won galloped for 148 yards, beat Southwest Alliance champion Arkansas A&T 31-21 in the Oilman Classic. Georgia Baptist and Lubbock State met for the third year in a row. Each of the two previous seasons saw the Gators prevail in the Oilman Classic. This time around the venue was different - the Lone Star Classic in Austin- but the result the same as a late field goal lifted Georgia Baptist to a 23-21. Bluegrass State, which won the Deep South for the first time, settled for a trip to New Orleans where the Mustangs beat Coastal State 24-10. Mustangs junior quarterback Bruce Fitzgerald had a big day in the win. He threw for 37 yards but it was his legs, not his arm, that gave the Eagles fits with Fitzgerald running for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

Elsewhere, six Steve Eilrich field goals help Annapolis Maritime complete a perfect season with a 25-20 victory over Canyon A&M in the Desert Classic and 23 second half points lifted Penn Catholic to a 30-10 victory over Central Ohio in the Bayside Classic. Two Crusaders backs in Rick Fowler and John Hay each topped the 100 yard rushing mark in the game.

MISSISSIPPI A&M WINS COLLEGE CAGE CROWN

The Mississippi A&M Generals had a close call three years ago when they reached the AIAA championship game only to come up short against Detroit City College but this time around the Generals went all the way, topping Lane State in the semi-finals before having no trouble prevailing over another West Coast Athletic Association foe Rainier College in the championship game to win their first AIAA tile in any of the major team sports. It also meant the collegiate basketball tournament had seen a first-time champion crowned in four of the past five seasons.

For much of their existence the Generals were a bottom rung team, winning just a single tournament game in their first 38 years but the past decade has seen basketball take off in Jackson, MS. as the school qualified for the tournament in eight of the last ten and reached the quarterfinals twice in that span in addition to their near miss in April of 1958.

The Generals spent much of the season chasing Redwood for top spot in the rankings after an early season loss to South Atlantic Conference power Carolina Poly. As freshman forward Rich Edwards began to gain experience the Generals started to string wins together -17 in a row to be exact- including victories over ranked teams in Indiana A&M, Rainier College and Deep South Conference rival Alabama Baptist. A mix of youth and veterans jelled with Edwards and fellow frosh forward Bill Goscha complimenting a pair of players who played small roles on the first Generals team to reach the title game. They were center Mike Lyons and guard George Stevens but the leader of the club was the fifth member of the starting unit in junior guard Dave Simons. The San Antonio, TX., native spent his first two seasons as a backup but took on the leadership role in 1960-61 and led the Generals in scoring with nearly 14 points per game.

Mississippi A&M lost twice in section play but their 14-2 conference record was enough to claim their second consecutive Deep South cage crown, although it did require a 60-41 win over Noble Jones College in the regular season finale as the teams entered that contest tied for top spot. At 26-3 entering the tournament the Generals were ranked second in the nation behind WCAA champ Redwood, which was 29-2. The Mammoths were given the top seed in the West Region while the Generals had similar standing in the South. Rounding out the number one seeds were Great Lakes Association co-champions Whitney College in the Midwest Region and the always strong Carolina Poly Cardinals in the East.

As it would turn out the only number one seed that reached the semi-finals was the Generals. Redwood was knocked off by Indiana A&M in the second round, ending a season in which the Mammoths, following two straight appearances at Bigsby Garden, seemed destined to win it all. The Reapers would then fall to Lane State in the West Region final. Carolina Poly also bowed out in round two as the CC Los Angeles Coyotes feasted on the Cardinals before nipping St Blane 50-49 in the East final thanks to a last second bucket from Ralph Peck. Whitney College was humbled in the Midwest final, falling 79-41 to Rainier College which meant there would three schools from the West Coast Athletic Association in the Emeralds, Coyotes and Majestics joining Mississippi A&M in the final four.

Simons scored a game high 16 points as the Generals opened the tournament with a 55-42 victory over 8th seed and Southern Border Conference champion Abilene Baptist. Round two brought a stronger foe in defending national champion Maryland State but the Bengals were no match for Mississippi A&M and were defeated 61-52. The regional final would be Mississippi A&M's first chance to face Detroit City College since the Knights defeated the Generals in the spring of 1958 with the national title at stake. This time it was a trip to the national semi-finals that was up for grabs and number seed Mississippi A&M, led by 11 points from Simons and 10 each from seniors Stevens and Lyons, built a 13 point lead at the half and went on to down the second seeded Knights 64-55.

The semi-final game with Lane State was noted as a showdown between a pair of senior centers who were touted to be Federal Basketball League draft picks a few months later. Sam Pisani of the Emeralds was considered the best big man in the draft but he was being pursued hotly by the Generals Mike Lyons. Pisani exploded for 19 points while Lyons had just 4 but the Mississippi A&M team balanced approach, with freshman Edwards and Goscha each netting 10 points, carried the Generals to a 43-40 victory. The other semi-final was even tighter as Warren Richardson was fouled in the closing seconds while attempting a game winning shot for Rainier College over CC Los Angeles. Richardson sank both of his shots from the charity stripe and the Majestics prevailed 61-59 over the West Coast Athletic Association rivals in a game that saw top ranked pro prospect Jim Stoner score 25 points for the winners.

Stoner had a much tougher time two nights later as the Generals held him to 13 points. Mississippi A&M had a hot start and led by a dozen at the break before going on to a 56-43 victory in the title game. Simons had a game high 15 points while FBL hopeful Lyons left a good final impression on pro scouts with 9 points and 11 rebounds in his final college game.

GENERALS PREVAIL ON DIAMOND

It turned out to be a double celebration for Mississippi A&M as the Generals followed up their first collegiate basketball national title with another first for the school - a College World Championship Series title. It also meant that seniors George Stevens, a starting guard on the Generals cage club and a backup middle infielder on the ball team, along with sophomore Tommy McCaulley, a backup forward on the basketball team and pitcher on the Generals baseball team, became what is believed to be the first athletes to win AIAA national titles in two different team sports in the same year. Neither are considered solid pro prospects in either sport.

ROOKIE PHENOMS LEAD MOTORS AND VALS TO SUCCESS

A year ago the Montreal Valiants endured the worst season an NAHC club has completed since the schedule expanded to seventy games as they finished with just 34 points. The one benefit to their collapse after making the playoffs each of the two previous seasons is the Valiants were rewarded with the first overall pick in the NAHC amateur player draft. It was an ideal year to be drafting number one as two of the best prospects the game has seen in years were available in Halifax Mariners forward Hobie Barrell and offensively gifted rearguard Mark Moggy, who played his junior hockey in Sherbrooke for the Industrials.

The toughest decision for the Valiants was deciding which of the two super prospects to select with the first pick and which to leave to the Detroit Motors, who slumped to fifth in 1959-60 after making the playoffs each of the previous seven years. In the end, Montreal decided to build around the blueline and drafted Moggy, leaving the playmaking winger Barrell to the Motors. Both teams prospered with the newcomers in the lineup as each made the playoffs this time around.

It was Toronto, however, that once more was the class of the league during the regular season. Longtime coach Jack Barrell - who is new Detroit winger Hobie Barrell's uncle- had moved on, opting for retirement but Ari Bear, promoted from the HAA's Cleveland Eries, guided the Dukes to an 86 point campaign, identical to the total Toronto accumulated in Barrell's final season. Mike Connelly (28-22-9, 2.77) reclaimed the starting job in net after struggles a year ago as a sophomore but the real strength for the Dukes was its blueline that featured Dewar Trophy winning defenseman Jimmy Cooper (13-29-42) and fellow first team all-star selection Tim Brooks (8-22-30) along with steady veteran Bobby Fuhrman (11-9-20) even though the later missed 15 games with an injury.

Up front Quinton Pollack (34-49-83) continued to build his impressive resume as the 38-year-old ended Detroit's Alex Monette's two year hold on the scoring title by leading the NAHC in points for the seventh time in his career and also claimed his seventh McDaniels Trophy as the loop's Most Valuable Player. Tommy Burns (29-25-54) had a terrific year as well, but at age 40 the NAHC's career scoring leader deciding to walk away, announcing his retirement after the season.

The Montreal Valiants, led by rookie rearguard Moggy, finished a surprising second with 78 points, 8 behind the Dukes. It marked the Valiants highest placing in the standings since they finished second a decade ago before going on to win their second consecutive Challenge Cup. There would be no Challenge Cup win this time around, but the future looks might brighter in "la belle province" with the arrival of Moggy. Just 19, he won the McLeod Trophy as top rookie and was also named a second team all-star following a 38 point regular season. With Moggy, along with veterans Jean Tremblay (10-11-21) and Gil Thibeault (8-21-29), patrolling the blueline and a strong showing from 31-year-old netminder Nathan Bannister (28-22-9, 2.77) another Cup win may not be far off. Veterans Jocko Gregg (34-39-73) and Jean's brother Yan Tremblay (26-26-52) along with the emergence of 24-year-old Roy Forgeron (16-46-62) in his second season in the NAHC give the Vals some offensive pop.

Detroit finished third, three points back of the Valiants as once more the big story was Alex Monette (40-42-82). The 28-year-old failed to win his third straight scoring title -he finished a point back of Toronto's Pollack- but Monette found himself a sidekick as rookie Hobie Barrell was very impressive even though his NAHC debut was delayed until January. Barrell (20-19-39) was limited to just 30 games because of a shoulder injury suffered in training camp but once he was pronounced fit for duty he quickly showed why he was considered to be the best offensive player to join the league since Pollack. Once Barrell arrived the Motors caught fire, posting a 15-7-8 with the rookie in the lineup and easily secured themselves a playoff berth.

Barrell, who grew up in Detroit while his father Fred, the former FABL catcher, was scouting for the Detroit Dynamos, had a familiar face in the Motors dressing room as his 23-year-old brother Benny Barrell (17-30-47) had a career best point title in his third season in Detroit. Sprinkle in 35-year-old captain Nick Tardif (15-29-44) and young center Zach Roy (14-24-38) and the Motors have the most offensive depth they have seen in years. They were also very good in their own end as well even if 38-year-old Henri Chasse did not play every game for the fourth consecutive season. Chasse (27-17-9, 2.39) had played nearly 300 consecutive games but clearly benefited from the rest this time around, leading the NAHC in goals against average and was rewarded with the third Juneau Trophy of his career.

The Chicago Packers snuck into the playoffs with their second consecutive fourth place finish. They needed a 4-3 victory over the defending champion Bees in Boston on the final day of the regular season to nose out the Bees for the final playoff slot. Lakeside Auditorium was buzzing all year as the Packers "Kid Line" of 23-year-old John Trumbull (22-35-57) between a pair of 24-year-old wingers is Ken York (31-31-62) and Archer Cook (18-30-48) gave the club its best trio since the Burns brothers and Marty Mahoney over a decade ago.

A Challenge Cup hangover plagued Boston as the Bees never could get untracked. They were looking like a playoff berth would happen until mid-March when leading scorer Jimmy Rucks (30-28-58) went down with back troubles. Boston stumbled with out their all-star winger, going 1-6-1 in their final eight games and allowing Chicago to overtake them for the final playoff slot.

There was hope in New York after the Shamrocks made the playoffs a year ago for the first time since 1954, but they endured an awful season and finished in last place for the fourth time in the past six years. Goaltender Alex Sorrell (14-34-7, 3.59) had little support but it is looking increasingly obvious that the 35-year-old's best days are behind him. New York surrendered far and away the most goals against and had little in the way of offense, a combination that clearly leads to a dreadful 44 point season.

1960-61 NAHC PLAYOFFS

For the second year in a row the Toronto Dukes finished with the best record in the NAHC and opened the playoffs as heavy favourites to defeat the fourth place Chicago Packers. A year ago the Packers shocked Toronto and won the series in six games. Dukes star forward Quinton Pollack seemed to determined to ensure that would not happen again as the league MVP scored twice and added two assists in a 6-2 Toronto victory in the series opener. Chicago did rebound to take the second game by a 2-1 score after Conn Maguire found the back of the net with a shot six and a half minutes into overtime but the Dukes answered with a 7-3 victory in game three, one in which Pollack had two more goals and added an assist.

Game four saw the Dukes take a 3-0 lead early in the third period on a goal by former Packer Tommy Burns but Chicago responded with 5 unanswered goals in the final 16 minutes to even the series with a 5-3 victory. Two nights later the Packers went up 3 games to two in the series with a 4-2 victory on the road at Dominion Gardens. Toronto forced a seventh game after Mike Connelly stopped all 34 Packers shots in a 3-0 Dukes win in game six but Chicago completed its second straight series upset of Toronto with a 6-3 doubling of the Dukes in game seven. Ken York scored twice to lead the Chicago attack with John Trumbull adding three assists.

The other semi-final saw the second place Montreal Valiants facing the Detroit Motors. It was highly anticipated as a showdown between the two stellar rookies in Montreal's all-star teenage defenseman Mark Moggy and Detroit's new scoring sensation Hobie Barrell. Barrell got the upper hand in the series opener, assisting on both Detroit markers as the Motors prevailed 2-1. Moggy had also picked up a point, setting up Jocko Gregg's first period powerplay tally that had given the Vals an early lead.

Game two was another tight battle but once more Barrell played a major roe. Hobie assisted on two goals from Alex Monette, including the game winner with less than three minutes to play, to give Detroit a 3-2 victory and a sweep of the opening two games in Montreal. The series shifted to Detroit for game three and the Motors dominated, winning 5-1 as Hobie Barrell had another goal and his older brother Benny Barrell also scored and added an assist for Detroit.

Montreal did stay alive in the series with a third period rally in game four. Matt Mercier and Matthew Muir each scored in the third period to give the Valiants a 2-1 win and send the series back to Quebec. The Valiants hopes would be dashed at home as Hobie Barrell set up all three Detroit goals, including two from Monette, in a 3-1 series clinching win for the visitors. In all, Hobie Barrell had seven points in the seven game series but he was just getting started.

*** Challenge Cup Finals: Detroit vs Chicago ***

This was Chicago's second straight trip to the finals but the Packers, who have only ever won the Challenge Cup once -in 1952- had never faced Detroit with the Cup on the line. The Motors were looking for their fourth Cup win in the past eight years. The matchup was a bit of a shock as it did not include either the first or second place team from the regular season.

The series opener was surprisingly wide open with five goals scored in the opening period and after sixty minutes the teams were tied at five. Louis Rocheleau thought he notched the game winner with 3:46 left in regulation but Archer Cook replied for the Packers less than a minute later. Veteran Detroit center Alex Monette had a five point hight and set up the game winner just over eight minutes into overtime when he fed Hobie Barrell for the winning goal. Detroit had fired 51 shots on Chicago goaltender Andrew Bomberry including nine in the extra frame.

The hosts also prevailed in game two as Hobie Barrell had a goal and two assists while Robert Kennedy scored twice in another dominating offensive performance by the Motors, who won 5-2. Chicago evened the series with two wins at Lakeside Auditorium. Game three was a 3-2 Motors victory in a game that should have been easier than that for the visitors as Detroit outshot the Packers 34-17 but Motors goaltender Henri Chasse seemed to be fighting the puck. Monette and Hobie Barrell each had a goal and an assit to pace the Detroit offense.

The fourth game also saw the Windy City squad badly outshot but they claimed a 6-3 victory to stay alive in the series. Chicago's winning effort was bolstered behind the strength of a two-goal evening from Ken York.

Up 3 games to one the series shifted back to Thompson Palladium in Detroit for the fifth game with the Motors looking to celebrate a Cup win on home ice. Detroit goaltender Henri Chasse had his difficulties in the two games in Chicago but he was stellar on this night, turning aside all 24 Packers shots for his first shutout of this playoff year after notching five of them when he last saw post-season action two years ago. Detroit once more dominated play, outshooting Chicago 47-24 in a convincing 6-0 victory. Benny Barrell scored his second of the playoffs just over a minute into the game and the Motors would score twice in each stanza and celebrations began in the stands at the Palladium very early.

Winning never gets old, even for rabid Detroit sports fans who in the past decade have witnessed their hockey heroes win 4 Challenge Cups and their beloved baseball club claim six pennants. The baseball Dynamos may be heading for a rebuild but the hockey team looks like it may be the cause of plenty of championship parades in the coming years thanks to the emergence of Hobie Barrell, who paced all playoff performers with 17 points in 10 games, to partner with 28-year-old pivot Alex Monette.

HOCKEY NOTES

• The league bid farewell to Tommy Burns as the great Chicago and Toronto center announced his retirement. Longtime Montreal Valiants forward Ian Doyle also called it quits.
  
  
• There have been some talented brother combinations in the NAHC with the best known duo likely being the Burns brothers, Tommy and Wes, in Chicago. Detroit has what could be a brother act to rival the Packer pair in rookie Hobie Barrell, who led the NAHC in playoff scoring as a 20-year-old and his 24-year-old brother Benny, who showed solid improvement in this, his third season with the Motors. They are the sons of former big league baseball catcher Fred Barrell.
  
  
• Hobie & Benny Barrell are not the only relatives of a former NAHC star to make his mark this season. Barrell's, nephews of former Toronto Dukes star and later coach Jack Barrell, are teammates in Detroit. Meanwhile Charlie Oliphant Jr., son of the long-time Toronto Duke by the same name, appears to have finally established himself as a key piece with the Montreal Valiants. The 25-year-old has bounced back and forth between the Vals and Syracuse of the HAA the past couple of season but maybe in Montreal full-time now after scoring 10 goals and 18 points after being promoted for the final 29 games of the regular season.
• Toronto may have had a disappointing end with a second straight semi-final loss to the Chicago Packers but it perhaps can be explained a bit more when news leaked after the playoffs that second line center Ken Jamieson was playing with a broken hand and veteran top-four defenseman Bobby Fuhrman was skating pretty much on one leg due to an ankle problem.
• The Syracuse Lancers beat Pittsburgh in six games to win their second Hockey Association of America playoff title in the past three years.
• Justin MacPhee, who had an outstanding rookie season at age 26 in net for Toronto a year ago, one in which he won both the McLeod Trophy as rookie of the year and the Juneau Trophy as top goaltender, found himself back in the minors with Rochester where he claimed the Harry Seymour Trophy as the top netminder in the HAA. Toronto still owns his NAHC rights but it appears the Dukes have decided to go with Mike Connelly instead of MacPhee despite the fact the Rochester goalie has now won goalie of the year in all three professional leagues (the Great West Hockey League being the third) and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. He was goalie of the year in the CAHA in 1953-54 and twice won the GWHL nod while playing for Tacoma.
• The Seattle Emeralds ended the Portland Ports two-year reign as GWHL champs, knocking off the Ports four games to two in the best-of-seven league final.
• On the strength of the scoring of the "Killer B's", 20-year-old forwards Charles Bozek and Graham Beaton, the Kitchener Roosters won their first CAHA title. The Roosters finished with the best regular season record in the league and then went on to down the East Division leading Verdun Argonauts in 5 games in the best-of-seven Canadian junior championship series. Bozek led all playoff performers with 27 points in 10 games while Beaton finished second with 21 points. Both are undrafted by NAHC clubs and eligible to be signed as free agents.
• There is no player that compares to last year's top two draft picks Mark Moggy and Hobie Barrell that will have an immediate impact in the NAHC but there are a couple of talented forwards in this year's draft class. The favourite to go first overall is winger Earl Muirhead of the St. Thomas Pachyderms but Kingston Cadets center Julian Mooney may overtake him. Both have high potential but neither is considered close to being ready for regular duty in the NAHC next season.

ROCKETS SOAR AGAIN IN 60-61

For the third consecutive season the St Louis Rockets owned the best regular season record in the Federal Basketball League. The defending playoff champs have set the pace in the loop's West Division for seven of the past eight seasons, going back to their days in Rochester before the club was moved to the larger market in the Midwest. A hard working defense that led the FBL in steals and forced turnovers, the Rockets also boasted a pretty solid offense led by veteran center Rick Sims (21.4 ppg) and forward Wayne Wyrick (13.9 ppg). Joining the mix this season were a pair of newcomers in Bill Melton and Charlie Glidewell. Both were rookies in the eyes of the league but neither were new to the pro game. Melton was 26 years old and was originally drafted out of Coastal California in 1958 while Glidewell was 29 and had been cut in training camp five times by four different teams before finally catching on in St Louis. A star at Carolina Poly in the early 1950s, he had played only semi-pro league games since 1954 but the point guard ran the Rockets offense with the ease of a seasoned veteran.

The only team that has challenged the Rockets in the West in recent years has been the Detroit Mustangs and once more the Mustangs were the only outfit to stay close, finishing 5 games behind the Rockets league best 55 wins. The Mustangs have had some success against the Rockets in the post-season but have not led the division during the regular campaign in a full decade. The key to Detroit's success was owning the most productive offense in the league led by the backcourt duo of Erv Corwin and Lew Bayne. Corwin averaged 20 points per game for the first time in his seven year career while Bayne, a local Detroit product who went to Chicago to play his AIAA ball at Whitney College, averaged nearly 17 points per contest in his fifth season as a pro.

As has been the case for three years now the Chicago Panthers and Toronto Falcons were left in the dust, and forced to battle it out for the third and final playoff berth in the West Division. The Panthers, who have not missed out on postseason action since the spring of 1952, finished the regular season on a dreadful 4-12 run but it was still enough to nose Toronto out by two games in a race that moved at a snail's pace as the Falcons closed the season with just 7 victories in their final 22 outings. The woeful Falcons finished with a 28-52 record -worst in the loop for the sixth consecutive season. Chicago still revolves around 33-year-old Luther Gordon, who was named league MVP for the fifth time despite averaging a career low 18.8 points per game while the Falcons seem to finally have some pieces to build around as after years of dreadful draft day decisions they finally look like they landed a winner in first overall pick Jim Bromberg. The 23-year old was a second team All-American at Detroit City College as a senior and averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.8 assists in his debut with the league's lone Canadian entry. Bill Spangler, another former first overall, also had a big year north of the border with a career best 21.8 points per game earning him a spot on the All-League first team.

While the West Division has been strictly a two-team race between St. Louis and Detroit in recent years, the East has witnessed three different teams finishing atop the division over the past three years. This time it was the Philadelphia Phantoms, who last topped the section four years ago, taking their turn. The Phantoms dominated their three eastern rivals, finishing with a 52-28 record and a 13 game lead over second place Boston. Just like the West Division pace setters in St Louis, the Phantoms did not place a player on the All-League first team but veteran center Mel Turcotte (17.7 ppg, 13.1 rpg) headed up the second squad. The offense was solid, but no team surrendered fewer than the 71.7 points the Phantoms allowed their opponents to average.

The Boston Centurions finished second for the second year in a row as the arrival of guard Steve Barrell three years ago continues to pay dividends. The Centurions had finished last in the division four straight seasons and had not finished with a .500 or better record since 1951-52 until Barrell's breakout year as a sophomore. The second overall pick of the 1958 draft was bypassed in the draft by Toronto but has been a huge reason for the turnaround in New England. T.J. Grimm was somewhat surprisingly waived by Philadelphia prior to the season and immediately fit in perfectly as Barrell's backcourt mate in Boston with Grimm, a two-time first team All-American and AIAA champion at Rainier College nearly a decade ago, averaging more than 15 points a game in his debut campaign with the Centurions.

The Washington Statesmen finished third, returning to the postseason after missing out on a playoff berth last year for the first time ever as a member of the Federal Basketball League. Washington was led by league scoring leader Fred Lillard (24.0 ppg) and a breakout season from Doc Daniels (19.8), a 29-year-old who was an everyday starter for the first time in his career. That left the New York Knights on the outside looking in as they finished last in the East Division, 3 games back of Washington. New York, as always, was led by star forward Howie Farrell (22.5 ppg) but lacked secondary scoring.

FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

The Washington Statesmen defeated Boston in a meaningless game to end the regular season but had no luck against the second place Centurions in the opening round of the East Division playoffs. Boston swept the best-of-five series beginning with a 76-61 victory in the opener behind a 27-point effort from forward Bert LaBrecque. Game two was a little closer, finishing 72-60, with LaBrecque continuing his hot play. The Centurions fourth year forward scored 28 points. A shift to the nation's capital for the third game did little to slow LaBrecque, who scored 29, or the Centurions who completed the sweep with a 78-72 win.

Boston found the second round against Philadelphia much more challenging as the Centurions dropped the opener 83-67 but did battle back with three straight victories and were on the verge of reaching the league finals for the second year in a row. Boston never managed to get that fourth win of the series as the Phantoms took game five 71-58 thanks to Mel Turcotte's 15 point, 12 rebound effort. Game six was all Turcotte as the veteran center had 33 points and Philadelphia thumped Boston on their home court by a 77-64 margin.

With back to back wins forcing a seventh game, Keystone Arena in Philadelphia was buzzing in anticipation as the Phantoms were on the verge of their first trip to the league finals since the spring of 1957. The Centurions defense held Turcotte in check, limiting him to 12 points on the night, but Philadelphia still took a 14 point lead into the half and would go on to win 79-73.

The Detroit Mustangs and Chicago Panthers had squared off in the playoffs for six straight seasons with Detroit winning five of them so it came as little surprise that the Mustangs took the opening West Division series in four games. The opener at Thompson Palladium was a shooting gallery as Detroit, led by Lew Bayne's 33 points, outscored the Wildcats, paced by Luther Gordon's 28 points, 104-96. Game two saw both defenses tighten up and it went right down to the wire with the visiting Panthers winning 74-73 thanks to a late basket from Bob Christensen, who had 17 points on the day.

That would prove to be the high point of the series for the Panthers, who dropped the next two games at home to lose the series. Game four was a 79-71 Mustangs win despite 26 points from Luther Gordon while the fourth game ended 89-76 for Detroit with Mustangs center Jack Briones setting the pace with 28 points.

That set up for the third year in a row a West Division final between St Louis and Detroit. The Mustangs had prevailed two years ago but the Rockets came out on top last season before going on to defeat Boston in the championship series. St Louis took a quick two games to none lead with a pair of wins at the St Louis Event Center. The opener was 90-82 behind 33 points from Rockets center Rick Sims and a wild fourth quarter that saw the two teams combine for 62 points in the period. Erv Corwin led game two scorers with 24 points but his Mustangs came up on the short end of an 83-76 result with Sims scoring 22 and adding 11 boards while his front-court partner Wayne Wyrick scored 21 and collected 13 rebounds in the victory.

A series shift to Detroit did nothing to slow the Rockets as St Louis, led once more by 30 points from Sims, tamed the Mustangs 80-72. Detroit prevented the sweep with a 98-90 win in the fourth game despite another 30 point showing from Sims but any hopes of a comeback disappeared early in game five when St Louis outscored Detroit 34-14 in the opening quarter and went on to win by seven to secure a return to the finals.

*** Championship Series ***

The Philadelphia Phantoms and St Louis Rockets had never met in the playoffs before game one, but each had finals experience over the past decade. The Phantoms won their only title in 1952-53 and made the finals four years later only to come up short against Chicago. St Louis won it all last year and also in 1954-55 while losing to Washington in the spring of 1956.

The series was primarily a showdown between two of the top centers in the league in Philadelphia's Mel Turcotte and Rockets pivot Rick Sims. Both brought their A-game in the opener as Turcotte scored 20 points and added 15 rebounds but he was overshadowed by Sims as the St Louis star scored 30 points and contributed 17 boards. However Turcotte got the last laugh as his Phantoms stole the series opener in St Louis by a 74-69 score.

Game two would also go to the visitors but it was a surprise switch that caught the Rockets off guard. Turcotte shifted to forward and scored 11 points while hauling in 17 rebounds but the man he swapped positions with - Dan Holland- was the story of the night. The 23-year-old rookie from Carolina Poly had the night of his young career, scoring 38 points to pace the Phantoms to a 94-85 win and allowing them to return to Philadelphia up two-nothing in the series.

Holland stayed at center for game three and scored 23 points while Turcotte had 21 and the Phantoms had the Rockets on the ropes with a 79-62 triumph. However the win was tempered when Turcotte was injured late in the game. The diagnosis was a broken finger and he would not return in the series.

There would be no title celebration at Keystone Arena following game four as the Rockets, led by 23 points from Sims, avoided the sweep with an 83-63 victory over a Philadelphia team struggling to adapt without Turcotte. Byrd Summers and Freddy Timms split Turcotte's minutes with Summers having some success but Timms was overmatched.

Game five saw the Rockets feeling they might have a chance to comeback as Turcotte was again sidelined. St Louis entered the fourth quarter with a 4-point lead before Dan Holland took over, scoring 11 of his game high 27 points in the final eight and a half minutes of the game to lead the Phantoms to a 74-66 victory. Holland also had 19 rebounds in the contest and his 18.9 ppg and 12.7 rpg during the post-season earned the rookie the Federal Basketball League playoff MVP award and led the Phantoms to their second ever FBL title.

A MOST UNLIKELY CHAMPION

The biggest story in the world of boxing in 1961 was perhaps the biggest upset the sport had ever seen in a heavyweight title fight. A middle of the road 25-year-old Los Angeles native by the name of Bert Parks went from being a near unknown to the holder of the greatest individual title in professional sports when he shockingly knocked out defending champion George Gallashaw in the 7th round of their fight in Chicago.

Entering the fight it is unlikely that even Parks himself expected to win. Gallashaw, a 25-year-old from Syracuse that some were classifying as at least an equal of Joey Tierney in his prime and perhaps could one day be mentioned in the same breath as Hector Sawyer, was 34-1 and had not needed to go the distance in his previous six fights. Most expected another short night for champion as Parks was merely a warm body to fill a spot when negotiations with several other prominent fighters fell threw.

Somehow, no one told Parks as the challenger, who was 28-8-2 but other than Norm Robinson the previous January, had not beaten any fighter of high standing. Parks actually looked very good early, winning each of the first three rounds as Gallashaw got off to a very sluggish start. That changed in round four as Gallashaw started to find his rhythm and in the fifth round he had Parks in big trouble, prompting many to suspect the fight would be over very shortly. It was, but not how anyone expected. Galleshaw dominated the sixth but Parks hung on and then continued to do the same in the early moments of the seventh round. One moment changed everything. Galleshaw, sensing a chance to end things, loaded up for a big hook but ended up walking into a Parks uppercut and was out before he hit the ground. Referee Johnnie Addie's count had reached nine before Galleshaw even showed signs of stirring and a second later Parks was a very improbable world champion.

The other two divisions were much more predictable. Canadian middleweight George Quisenberry continued his dominance but nearly stumbled in May when he faced a veteran Dutch fighter by the name of Ferdinand De Best. De Best nearly lived up to his name on this night but the 35-year-old could only manage a tie. Shockingly, rather than remain in North America for a rematch, De Best returned to Europe where he fought once more before announcing his retirement. Quisenberry scored an easy win over Italian turned New Yorker Huge Canio in his final fight of the year and has held the title since the fall of 1959.

Seattle welterweight Eugene Ellis finally lost his belt, as his longtime rival Lonnie Griffin got the best of him in a title fight for the second time. The pair have battled four times, three of them with the title on the line, and each has one twice. Odds are good there will be a fifth meeting sometime in 1962.

If 1960 was a vote for the youth movement, 1961 was a swing of the pendulum back to expertise and grizzled experience in at least one weight class. The welterweight division had been owned by Eugene Ellis through seven successful title defenses and at the age of 30, he was still the king of the welterweights.

Lonnie Griffin was the last welterweight to hoist the belt before Ellis and that was three years ago. In fact, the belt has passed between Griffin and Ellis exclusively since Griffin defeated Lewis Kernuish in 1956. Griffin and Ellis clashed for the fourth time in their storied histories. Ellis had won two of the previous three and since their last fight, neither has lost with Griffin winning all eight of his recent fights and Ellis has gone 7-0. Between the two of them, they have won 80 of 91 prior professional matches. The bout took place at Bigsby Garden, appropriate for the importance of the fight.

Griffin started fast and landed a key uppercut in the first round that set the tone. Ellis staggered backwards, but Griffin could not take further advantage. Ellis threw a solid hook that rattled Griffin late in the second round, but that was all Ellis could muster before the end of the round. The third round continued the pattern of one crowning punch late in the round to decide the round, as well as the inability to turn that punch into a sequence that led to more.

Griffin took control of the bout in the tenth round where he showed how little the first nine rounds affected him. Griffin kept his feet light as he dipped and darted all around the ring but stood his ground as he ripped an uppercut to Ellis’s head, knocking him to the canvas. Ellis reached his feet after a seven-count but made it to his corner just 15 seconds later. Only 19 seconds after the 11th round began, Ellis had to pick himself up off the floor again after another uppercut. Those two punches from Griffin sealed Ellis’s fate.

The fight went the distance and referee Barry Yeats called Griffin’s name first to announce the new champion. It was a feeling Griffin felt three times before, as he set a record by being the first boxer of any weight class to acquire a title belt four different times.
Griffin was unencumbered by Ellis as he disposed of journeyman Ernie Black with a ninth-round TKO before a “Christmas Eve-Eve” battle with Carl Rondinelli and the Italian showed very well. Griffin (40-5-1) was up on the cards through 13 rounds and the champion dominated the 14th round, peppering Rondinelli upstairs and downstairs, scoring a knockout at 2:56 of the round.

In the heavyweight division, George Gallashaw had a head of steam coming into the year and looked like he would breeze through his opponents this year. First up was Bill Mosley, who had eight losses coming into his title shot. The bout was closer than expected and in the eighth round, Mosley floored Gallashaw with a right cross. Gallashaw woke up in time to win the fight in the 14th round, earning two separate knockdowns and referee Laurence Cole stopped the fight in the final seconds of the stanza.

Gallashaw faced former Heavyweight Champion Steve Leivers, who last visited the Champion’s corner four years ago. The fight did not last long, but not because Gallashaw was so devastating. Gallashaw won by disqualification on a blatant low blow in the fifth round that was seemingly triggered by nothing in particular. A rematch against Dave Courtney was next for an August date at Thompson Field in Detroit. Gallashaw had his finest bout of the year as he used a cross and an uppercut to knock Courtney down in consecutive rounds and referee Frank Blakeslee had seen enough in the fifth round, calling a technical knockout for the champion.

December opened with Gallashaw’s last fight of the year against virtual unknown Bert Parks, the 25-year-old Los Angeles native who had a 28-8-2 record entering the bout. Gallashaw took the fight to Parks early, but Parks announced his arrival in the sixth round with a right hand that stunned the champion early in the round and another right that almost had Gallashaw’s knee touching the canvas. Gallashaw tried to reassert himself in the seventh and all was well until Parks connected with a hook that snapped Gallashaw’s head back.

In boxing, all it really takes is one punch. The right punch could change everything. With 1:38 gone in the seventh round, Parks unleashed a vicious cross that hit Gallashaw just right. Referee Johnny Addie started counting and it took Gallashaw to a count of nine to start moving, which was way too late. Parks knocked out the champion and picked up one very special present under his Christmas tree: a heavyweight title belt.

George Quisenberry was the only champion to hold on to the belt the entire year, and therefore won the Bologna Boxer of the Year Award for 1961. Quisenberry is the second two-time winner, joining Eugene Ellis, who won it for the second time last year. Quisenberry is the first back-to-back winner of the award. Cases could have been made for Lonnie Griffin, for his long pursuit and his victory over Ellis, as well as Bert Parks and his out-of-nowhere upset victory, but this award is for the best boxer for the entire year and only Quisenberry was truly the best from January to December.

Quisenberry won early thanks to an accidental head butt against Johnny Barton that went to the cards in the fifth round, as Barton was unable to continue. In May, Quisenberry battled Ferdinand de Best to a draw and as fight fans awaited the inevitable rematch, the 35-year-old de Best decided to return back to Holland.

The final fight of the year for Quisenberry was an October win against Hugo Canio, who was in his third title fight without tasting a middleweight championship. The fight went the distance, and it will almost definitely be Canio’s final major bout. The bright spot for Canio was the fifth round, where he pummeled Quisenberry and knocked him down twice, including a nine-count that came very close to ending Quisenberry’s reign. Those were the only two times either fighter fell to the canvas. Quisenberry was accurate and his punches caused Canio to develop a mouse under his right eye very early in the fight.

After a year that saw two longtime rivals fight again, a major upset in another title fight and a champion that just barely held on to his belt all year, it was an unpredictable year in boxing.

FROM THE LOCAL PAPERS

Tales From The Manor: Dukes Again Finish First Bow Out in the Semi-Final -Toronto hockey fans knew this season was going to be different after Jack Barrell retired as head coach in June. The Dukes reached into their system to promote Ari Bear, 56, to be the bench boss after spending the last half of the 1959-60 in Cleveland.

Bear inherited a strong team from Barrell, he also brought in a game with a little more edge to it for the Dukes witnessed by their 738 PIM in the regular season: only Detroit with 755 had more time in the sin bin during the season. Bear also revamped the power play with the Dukes leading the league by a wide margin in power play goals with 54, 10 more than Montreal, converting on better than 1 in 5 chances with the man advantage.

The Dukes were again led offensively by Quinton Pollack, 38, who led the NAHC in scoring putting together a 34-49-83 season to edge out Alex Monette by a single point after Monette led the league in goals with 40. Pollack again missed 6 games due to injury. Tommy Burns, who has announced his retirement at 41 following the season, had another fine year playing against many players half his age with 29-25-54 which was good for 7th in goals, a tie for 10th in points.

Going forward Burns' presence on the ice and in the room will be missed by Bear and his staff. More of the burden down the middle will fall to Ken Jamieson, 31, who seems ready for a bigger role after a 1960-61 season where his 22-39-61 placed him 6th in scoring race. In a head scratching move in many way the Dukes let last year's star in net, Justin MacPhee leave the team as a free agent. No team in the NAHC, inexplicably, signed MacPhee the First Team All-Star goaltender in 1959-60, who ended up signing the HAA's Rochester Robins where he had a 38-20-9 record with a 2.18 GAA. He is again a free agent who might be a hot commodity this summer. It was not all gloom and doom between the pipes as Mike Connelly held down the fort leasing the NAHC with 33 wins in 60 starts with a 2.71 GAA a 91.1% save percentage. He was spelled occasionally by Charlie Dell leaving the Dukes as one the strongest tandems in the league.

After losing their season opener 3-1 in Montreal to the surprising Vals, who finished second in the regular season with 78 points, the team won 10 of the next 11 games. The Dukes only had one small bump on the trip to first place in the regular season with a 39-23-8 record good for 83 points. Between January 29- February 5th they loss 4 in a row including two to Detroit, who finished 3rd then rode a hot playoff streak to the Challenge Cup.

Toronto went into the playoff to face the Chicago Packers who finished 4th with 70 points, 3 more than the Cup defender from Boston. The series started with the Dukes dominate in the first game when a 4 goal third period led to a 6-2 win. The second game was probably not what Bear wanted from his charges when the Packers got some life with 2-1 win in OT thanks to a 34 save performance from rookie Andrew Bomberry, a former Dukes farmhand, with Conn Maguire's winner in the first extra frame. Toronto seemed to reestablish control of the series with hot start in the Lakeside Aud scoring three in the first skating to an easy 7-3 victory solving Bomberry early and often in game three. Things got ugly for the Dukes in the fourth game with a collapse in the third. Leading 3-0 with 16 minutes to go the Packers struck for 5 straight markers including a natural hattrick from Ken York to drive the 16920 on hand into a frenzy tying the series at 2.

The hangover from that game seemed to affect the Dukes in the fifth game as the visitors got out to 4-0 lead in the Gardens before making it close with two in the last seven minutes. Back to Chicago with Packers looking to win the series at home. Connelly brought his A game, despite being outshot 34-22 the Dukes forced a deciding game with a 3-0 whitewash. Toronto fans believed that the team would wrap up the series then go on to face the Motors in the final, but the young Packers had other ideas. Ken York opened the scoring at 23 seconds setting the tone for the game. Riding a 3-1 lead after 20 the Packers held off the Dukes' Pollack who twice brought the team back to with one goal by scoring a pair in the third, but Chicago went on to claim game seven 6-3 with two goals in the third which silenced the Gardens crowd, sent the Dukes to the sidelines for the summer.

Coach Bear- "A successful regular season, the guys bought into my changes to the system at both ends of the ice. For some strange reason we changed our style in the playoffs. We have to be a tough team on the puck, we tried to finesse our way through Chicago. Losing Tommy to retirement opens an opportunity for a young guy to step into the lineup. In camp I will stress being a tough team to play against each and every night, we will take away open ice in all zones by finishing every check. We will have an edge to our game."

Tales From The Den: Wolves Continue Freefall to FABL Cellar in 1961 --If there are any redeeming features of the 1961 Wolves someone else will have to point them out to this writer. The team went through the season, finishing 59-95, without a winning month and ended up with the worst record in baseball. The closest the Wolves got to a breakeven month was a 4-5 record in April followed by 11-16, 10-19, 11-16. 10-18, 12-15. 1-6 in October when the season could not end fast enough for the fans.

At the plate the team was abysmal with lowest numbers in the FABL in all three categories that contribute to the slash line with a team line of .242/.312/.377 scoring only 634 runs over 154 games or 4.1 runs per game. At the plate the leader once more was Tom Reed, an All-Star, with a season of .299/.377/.540 28 HR 91 RBI. Reed, 30, seems destined to suffer through a career as big bat on a lousy team, many fans wonder how much better he would be with some support from teammates. The only other bat worth mentioning was CF Sid Cullen, 25, who started the season in Buffalo then fought off a back injury in May that cost him two months to post a .310/.371/.545 line with 19 HR in 95 games along with solid defense in CF.

If they had pitching the team may be able to be at least competitive in the CA. That was not the case as the Toronto staff ERA was just slightly better than their Canadian counterparts, the seventh place finishers Montreal Saints. Phil Colantuono led the staff a 15-10, 4.35 while leading the CA in strikeouts with 172. The rest of the starters struggled with high touted George Hoxworth never getting untracked (5-16, 5.14) while walking almost as many as he sent down on strikes. Whitey Stewart, 30, was moved the bullpen where he led the CA in saves with 22 despite a record of 2-14, 4.49 with 10 blown saves. Stewart has since been dealt to Kansas City.

If there was one glimmer of hope in a dismal summer it was that the team improved slightly in the field going from horrid to just bad. This is of small consolation if the team is neither scoring runs nor preventing the opposition from crossing the plate.

Expansion is coming to the FABL in 1962 with new CA teams coming to New York and Dallas. The team now has to set its protected roster for the upcoming expansion draft. With Minneapolis, Los Angeles joining the FA the FABL will go through its first expansion from 16 to 20 teams. Wolves fans are hearing rumours of a major shakeup in the front office in which Bernie Millard make do a complete cleaning of the decision makers after 13 straight losing seasons.

The team has fallen upon hard times with improvement required throughout the system to bring the team back to respectability, the feeling amongst the faithful is that they are going hear the refrain they heard far too often over the last decade, "This going to take time to fix the problems." Fans are secretly hoping that Wolves will be able to finish at least ahead of the newcomers but many think this not a lead pipe cinch. Most feel there are far too many areas that the Wolves are below FABL standard to insure they can finish ahead of New York and Dallas if either of those two draft wisely to stock their new teams.

The Year That Was
Current events from 1961

• Jan 3- President Eisenhower announces the United States has severed all diplomatic relations with Cuba.
• Jan 17- In his farewell address, President Eisenhower warns of the increasing power of a "military-industrial complex and how it can shape public policy.
• Jan 20- John F. Kennedy is sworn in as the 35th President of the United States and Lyndon B. Johnson as his Vice-President.
• Feb 15- President Kennedy warns the Soviet Union not to interfere with United Nations efforts in the Congo.
• Apr 17- The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba begins, but fails two days later.
• May 5- Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard Mercury-Redstone 3
• May 25- Kennedy announces to Congress his goal to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade.
• Jun 4- Kennedy and Khrushchev meet for two days in Vienna, discussing nuclear tests, disarmament and Germany.
• Sep 25- Black voting rights activist Herbert Lee is murdered by a Mississippi state representative.
• Oct 27- A standoff between Soviet and American tanks in Berlin heightens Cold War tensions.
• Nov 18- President Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam.
• Dec 11- The Vietnam war officially begins, as the first American helicopters arrive in Saigon along with 400 U.S. personnel.