JANUARY 27, 1975
BIG START FOR MICHIGAN AS FABL DRAFT GETS UNDERWAY The state of Michigan may be more known for producing hockey and football players but it took center stage as the FABL rookie draft got underway. Not only did the Detroit Dynamos own the second pick in the draft, but each of the top two players selected have Motor City ties.
The Kansas City Mavericks are no strangers to selecting early in the draft but despite their awful records through the years the 1969 expansion club had never selected first overall until this season. In the previous six drafts the Mavericks owned the second pick twice, selected third twice and the other two occasions they held the fourth pick. Only one of those six selections, 1969 fourth overall choice Irv Hoops, has made it to the big leagues so far but the Mavericks hope they found a gem in Pat Cathcart.
Still not yet 17, the star lefthander for Detroit Southwestern High School, was pegged to go first overall in the TWIFS mock draft and the Mavericks opted to follow script. Cathcart, who went 29-2 with a 1.22 era over 3 seasons at Southwestern High School, is forecast to be a top of the rotation arm but at his young age clearly has some developing to do. Scouts praise his work ethic and baseball IQ and the Mavericks feel they may finally have an ace to front their rotation.
Like Cathcart, the second overall selection also has Michigan ties and they are in Lansing as well as Detroit. The Dynamos selected righthander George Carney out of St. Ignatius College. The 21-year-old becomes the third Lancers player ever selected in the opening round and the highest chose out of St. Ignatius since Cleveland drafted third baseman Jim Adams Jr. first overall in 1941.
The Dynamos state that Carney, who was born in Detroit and played his high school ball in the Motor City, was at the top of their board all along, just ahead of Cathcart. Detroit management feels Carney may be ready for big league duty as soon as September and believe he can be a solid piece to help restore to glory what was the worst rotation in the Federal Association a year ago and may be even weaker this time around.
Carney, who will turn 22 next week, went 13-4 with a 2.68 era playing against elite college competition. Scouts rave about his command and suggest his golden arm will eventually land him at the front of a big league rotation.
Sailors Gamble On Inking Torsiello
The third pick in the draft belonged to the San Francisco Sailors and they went with the man considered to be the best college baseball hitter in the nation. That would be Huntington State third baseman Frank Torsiello, who slotted in at #22 on the TWIFS mock draft. There is no doubt the 22-year-old New Jersey native can hit and field - he slugged .747 with 68 doubles, 23 triples and 32 homers in 133 games over the past two seasons with the Miners- but the worry is that Torsiello has stated that he wants to return to school for his senior year to complete his degree and has a goal of leading Huntington State to the College World Championship Series. It is now up to the Sailors to dangle enough money at Torsiello to convince him to change those plans.
The Chicago Chiefs followed with the fourth selection and they went with outfielder Don Stone. The 22-year-old comes from NW New York State, a smaller college based in Buffalo and may not have been high on all scouts boards but the Chiefs clearly saw something they like in the New York City native. OSA feels Stone can become a well above average defender as a corner outfielder and should develop into a solid power hitter. It appears the Chiefs may be envisioning Stone as the ideal replacement for 36-year-old Joe Siniscalchi, who hit 25 homers for Chicago last year and is now 36 years old. If Stone can develop into anything close to the 5-time all-star Siniscalchi, the Chiefs will be thrilled with their selection.
College Run Continues With Ayers
Four of the first five selections came out of the college ranks after the Cleveland Foresters went with Pete Ayers. The 21-year-old Brooklyn native, like Stone, hails from the New York City area and attended a small college - in this case Owensboro Christian College in Kentucky. Ayers was 15th on the TWIFS mock draft and his terrific movement prompts OSA to suggest the Foresters top selection has the makings of a future ace.
Only 5 times previously had the Foresters selected a pitcher in the top five of the draft. Four of them had terrific careers in Mose Smith, Hiram Steinberg, John Jackson and Larry Beebe. The fifth and most recent one was Bill Morrison, taken with the 5th pick exactly a decade ago in the 1965 draft. Morrison, now 27, is still active and pitching in the Houston Comets system but has only thrown 15 big league innings in his career. The Foresters do seem to like drafting from small colleges as Ayers makes three of their last four first rounders coming out of smaller schools. Infielder Jack Hoyt from East Texas State was their 1972 first rounder and a year later they draft Paul Czerwinski, nephew of the legendary Adrian Czerwinski, out of Plantations College.
No Surprise Keystones Grab Big Bat
Death, taxes and the Keystones loving power bats in the draft are three certainties in a world with very few of those left. Ever since the days of Rankin Kellogg there have been a stream of big-time homerun hitters coming out of Philadelphia. Bobby Barrell, Buddy Miller, Roger Cleaves and more recently Bill Calvin are names that come to mind. There has been a good tradition of power hitters manning the hot corner on Broad Street as well from Hank Koblenz to Jesse Walker and now the hope is Caleb Johnson will one day join that list.
Johnson, a 17-year-old high school player who was born in New York City but moved to Kentucky as a youth and plays his high school ball for the Lebanon Knights was listed 7th in the TWIFS mock draft and selected 6th by the Keystones who have a hole to fill at the hot corner since Walker was dealt to Seattle a year and a half ago.
Keystones fans will have to wait a few years for their potential next big slugger as Johnson will need some time in the minors but when he is a finished product OSA feels he has the highest ceiling imaginable and will be an elite power hitter.
The seventh selection belonged to the Toronto Wolves and the Wolves went with a high school pitcher with their top pick for the third time in the past four years. 1972 choice Gil DeMarco has, at least so far, not progressed as hoped but Billy Lewis, the Wolves 1973 first rounder, is still just 19 and OSA raves about his future. The hope in Toronto is that Gene Anderson, who heard his name called by the Wolves in round one, will eventually be a top of the rotation arm. OSA, the league scouting service fells the Massachusetts born lefthander has all of the tools necessary to accomplish just that. The 17-year-old went 8-1 with a 1.73 ERA for Webster High School and was ranked 10th on the TWIFS mock draft.
The Minneapolis Millers had the eighth selection in the draft which they used on high school centerfielder Sam Mann. The 17-year-old hails from Chicago which has been a hotbed of FABL talent throughout the years. OSA believes Mann can become an elite center fielder on a contender. He was #3 on the TWIFS mock draft.
Selecting 9th was the Chicago Cougars, who opted for New York State high school hurler Tom Brewer. Cougars new scouting director Harry Carr just joined Chicago a few weeks ago and was thrilled to add Brewer, who he says was the number one name on the Cougars draft list. TWIFS had Brewer high as well, ranking him fifth on the December mock draft.
"A groundballing southpaw, he has the perfect profile to survive at Cougars Park," explained Carr, noting that "despite coming from the high school ranks his development risk isn't too high. A four pitch pitcher with an advanced arsenal, the stuff is well above average and his great command makes it even better. An elite change, the ability to keep the ball in the park, and his outstanding work ethic could all culminate in a new ace atop the Cougar rotation led by reigning Allen winner Roger Alford."
Rebuilding Eagles Hope They Landed Shortstop of the Future
The Washington Eagles made it known at the draft that they were rebuilding and stated that all veterans, even the great Tom Lorang were available to discuss in trade. While no trades have occurred in Washington at this writing, they did add what they feel is an eventual replacement for aging shortstop Al Martino with the 10th pick in the draft. That would be Gene Peters who was born in Montreal while his father, former FABL outfielder Johnny Peters, was playing for the Saints. Johnny was also a first round choice, going to the Chicago Cougars with the third pick of the 1945 draft and was once a highly touted prospect but played just 206 big league games. Gene's great grandfather, also named Johnny, has Washington ties as he pitched for the Eagles in 1911 and 1912.
Gene Peters, 17, projects as an above-average everyday big leaguer who should have the defensive acumen to remain a shortstop. He played his high school ball in Lawrenceburg, TN.
The New York Imperials selected 11th and opted for the first catcher to be chosen in the 1975 draft. Harry Lee won't turn 17 until March so he is certainly a long-term project but decent hitting catchers are hard to find and OSA projects that the Dayton, OH., high schooler will hit for a high average once he matures.
The 12th choice went to the Baltimore Clippers and they became the fifth team to choose a college player with their first round pick. Mark Whipple, a shortstop out of Rutherford College was the Clippers choice. Twenty-one Rutherford College products had been selected before Whipple but he is just the second Hornet to go in the opening round. The first was Al Cox, an outfielder selected 15th overall by the old Pittsburgh Miners but he played just a handful of big league games. The most famous Rutherford College player would be Dick Estes, a 1945 second round selection of Detroit who spent well over a decade in the big leagues and won four WCS titles.
The Montreal Saints may have landed a gem in Buck Gagnon as some scouts suggest he has the potential to perhaps end up as the best pitcher in his draft class. The 17-year-old Gagnon, who hails from Eugene, OR., was selected 13th by Montreal after being ranked 6th on the TWIFS mock draft.
St Louis followed with Sam White, a high school centerfielder who was listed as the 11th choice on the TWIFS mock draft. The 21-year-old who played his college ball at CC Los Angeles looks like a prototypical lead-off man and reminds some scouts of another great lead-off man in the St Louis outfield: six time all-star Al Tucker who won three batting titles in the 1940s.
With the 15th selection the Cincinnati Cannons made Florida high schooler Otto Taylor the seventh pitcher to be selected in the opening round. There are mixed signals on Taylor with OSA feeling if all breaks right he will end up at the top of the rotation but others feel he may not develop the command of his pitches to become a front-line starter.
Boston selected 16th and went with the top shortstop on the TWIFS mock draft. That would be Texas high schooler Ollie Edwards. The hope in Beantown is Edwards gives them the quality shortstop they have been searching for since Joe Kleman was traded in 1963. Boston Scouting Director Owen Richmond feels Edwards could be one of the best pure hitters of his generation. "As a 16 year old, he will have some way to go," admits Richmond "but he will get every opportunity available to him in Hattiesburg to start his professional career. Of all the SS scouted he was one of the only ones to project any sort of power as well making him especially attractive to the Boston organization."
The Milwaukee Arrows selected college pitcher Willis Amason 17th. The 21-year-old went 17-3 with a 1.86 era over two seasons at American Atlantic playing against top flight competition and may just be ready for the big leagues by September.
The two Texas clubs were up next with the Houston Comets choosing catcher Cal Hill, another college player out of a smaller school in Cookeville State. It marks the second year in a row the Cats had their starting catcher selected in the opening round as Toronto drafted Pat Duffy first overall a year ago. The Dallas Wranglers followed with second baseman Carl Kirby, a high schooler out of Providence, RI.
He becomes the fourth Providence-born player to be selected in the first round following FABL players Bill Greene (1939) and Yank Taylor (1946) along with minor league James Gaubetz who was selected 22nd overall by St Louis five years ago.
Drafting 20th and 21st were the two Los Angeles teams with the Suns opting for outfielder Buck Stewart at 20th and the Stars following with shortstop Ralph Reed. Stewart is just 16 and another of the many Chicago area high schoolers to be selected in the opening round over the years while Reed, 21, hails from New York City and played college ball at Ogdensburg University. Reed is just the third player drafted out of Ogdensburg and is hoping to become the first to make it to FABL.
The New York Gothams selected Bob Spencer, a 17-year-old righthander out of Oil City High School in Pennsylvania with the 22nd pick of the opening round. Spencer was part of the recent TWIFS mock draft, being slotted in at 19th by the magazine. Rounding out the draft was the selections of the two World Championship Series participants as the Seattle Kings selected Buzz Miller before the Atlanta Copperheads closed out the opening round by calling the name of shortstop Bill DeLandro. Miller, a 21-year-old lefthanded pitcher, is another one of the players from small colleges to be drafted in the opening round as he spent the past two seasons with Lawrenceville College in New Jersey while DeLandro is a high school shortstop from Lexington, IL.
DYNAMOS LOAD UP ON ARMS IN 1975 DRAFTThe Detroit Dynamos entered the January draft intent on adding to what is already one of the organization’s deepest collections of young pitching, and early returns suggest they may have done exactly that.
Detroit’s system already includes a trio of OSA Top 100 prospects in Richard Elk, Ed South, and newly signed Abe Hynes, along with two more arms—Harry Trinity and Aaron Cooper—ranked just outside the top 100. It will be late June before the full impact of the 1975 class can be measured, but after five rounds the Dynamos are enthusiastic about what they have added.
Given that the major-league pitching staff remains among the weakest in baseball, upgrading on the mound was the clear priority, and Detroit wasted no time. With the second overall pick, the Dynamos selected 20-year-old right-hander George Carney of St. Ignatius, a Detroit native who had been their top target all along. Kansas City used the first pick on another local product, Southwestern High’s Pat Catchcart, allowing Carney to fall into Detroit’s lap.
Scouting director Chuck Cole calls Carney a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, and early expectations are that the right-hander could reach Thompson Field by September at the latest.
Detroit doubled down on college pitching in the fourth round with the selection of Alex Russell, a 20-year-old left-hander from Canton State. Russell lacks Carney’s front-line upside, but Cole believes he profiles as a reliable mid-rotation arm. He is expected to open his professional career at Double-A and could also see Detroit before the season ends.
The Dynamos used their second-round pick on another high-ceiling arm, Massachusetts high school standout Jay Crist. Both OSA and Cole believe Crist has Allen Award potential if he reaches his ceiling, and Cole ranked him 15th overall on his draft board.
Detroit’s fifth-round selection further bolstered an already impressive haul. Seventeen-year-old right-hander Ladd, a Washington state prep product, was rated by OSA as another possible future Allen Award candidate. Cole is slightly more measured but still projects Ladd as a pitcher capable of anchoring a rotation. Development will take time—likely longer than Crist, who is expected to begin in High-A with an outside shot at a September 1976 call-up. Ladd is more realistically viewed as a late-1977 arrival.
The Dynamos did dip into the position-player pool once, selecting 17-year-old catcher Bob McCauley out of Lima (N.Y.) High School. Ranked 28th on Cole’s board, McCauley projects as a potential elite everyday catcher and, with maturity, one of the better offensive players at his position.
With four selections inside Cole’s top 28 and a fifth just outside the top 50, Detroit believes this draft represents a significant step forward for a long-struggling franchise. As always, optimism runs high in late January, and only time will tell how much of that promise ultimately reaches the big leagues.
STARS MUST FIX QB VOID — AND SOON
By Tank Tippett, National Football Columnist
The once-glittering New York Stars have dimmed to barely a flicker after another dismal season, stumbling to a 3–11 finish and earning the AFA’s worst record for the second time in four years. It’s a familiar position: in 1971 the Stars bottomed out at 2–12, held the top pick, and faced the same glaring need they do today — a successor to the fading Jack Osterman.
But without a clear blue-chip quarterback in that ’72 class — and with Osterman lobbying to play one more year before retiring after ’72 — the Stars bypassed the position entirely. They selected safety John Davidson first overall. Davidson has become a steady starter, but the hindsight comparison stings: the first quarterback taken, Chuck Rayford at No. 18 by Cincinnati, just led the Rivermen to an 8–6 season after blossoming in his third year.
New York, meanwhile, has placed its hopes in Dick Cleaves, a sixth-round pick in that same 1972 draft — and the results have been catastrophic. Cleaves finished the ’74 campaign with a league-worst 45.9 passer rating, completing just 39 percent of his throws and tossing more than twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. The Stars finished dead last in both passing and rushing offense, and in 10 of their 14 games they failed to reach double-digit points. That’s not rebuilding — that’s drowning.
Defensively, the Stars remain passable, middle-of-the-pack in most categories. But their offense is so punchless that even modest defensive improvement feels meaningless. There are a few pieces worth liking — most notably rookie halfback Frankie Fletcher, who ran for 871 yards; a competent offensive line; and a receiving corps that mixes veteran savvy (35-year-old Gil Cooper) with potential (Michael Judd). But none of it matters until New York finds someone who can throw a football with authority.
WHO IS THE ANSWER?
Complicating matters: New York does not have a second or a third-round pick, having traded both to Cincinnati last year. That makes the first overall choice absolutely critical.
The safest — and, many argue, smartest — pick on the board is George Haight, Boulder State’s dominant nose tackle and a two-time TWIFS All-American. Haight is as close as this draft gets to a sure thing: a plug-and-play force who could anchor New York’s defensive line for a decade.
But if the Stars again pass on a quarterback at No. 1, they risk more of the same misery. A fortified defense won’t fix an offense stuck in reverse.
Free agency offers little relief. The best of an underwhelming group includes former Pittsburgh starter Levi Robinson and longtime Denver signal-caller Don Atwell, now a journeyman option. Better than Cleaves? Probably. A long-term answer? Probably not.
Which brings the focus squarely back to the draft — weak though it may be at the top. There are quarterbacks available, just none with the polish or pedigree usually required of the first overall pick.
- Harold Robinson (Detroit City College) – A winner, steady and competitive, with back-to-back East-West Classic appearances.
- Allen McAlister (St. Blane) – Brilliant in his title-winning sophomore season, erratic as a senior with a tendency toward interceptions.
- Joe Thomas (Iowa A&M) – A rising darkhorse with terrific decision-making skills.
- John Owens (Columbia Military Academy) – The surprise of the group, finishing second nationally with 1,721 yards, though scouts question the competition he faced.
None is a slam dunk. But all are better than sticking with Cleaves.
A PROUD HISTORY – AND A NEW YORK WARNING
The Stars’ lineage is rich: four NFL championships between 1952 and 1961, a proud run that made them one of pro football’s signature franchises. But they haven’t won a playoff game since that ’61 title, and across the Hudson, the New York Titans are rising fast — louder, flashier, and suddenly more competent.
In a city where second place is often indistinguishable from last, the Stars cannot afford another misstep. They need a quarterback — any quarterback with a future — and they need him now.
The first pick in the draft won’t repair everything in New York. But the wrong one could doom them to another wasted decade.
STINGRAYS TURNING SEASON AROUNDWhen the Los Angeles Stingrays started the season 7-17-7 and had two different stretches where they lost four games in a row it certainly seemed like they would miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. However, they have turned things around lately, going 10 games without a loss and are 10-1-2 since a December 27th loss in Chicago. Those 22 points since December 28 have vaulted the Stingrays into second place in the Thomas Division and they are now within five points of division leading Vancouver although the Totems do have four games in hand.
One big reason for the turnaround has been the play of center Alvin Yardley. The 27-year-old seven year veteran has picked up 17 points in the past 11 games to lead the Los Angeles offense. Goaltenders Daniel Fulton and rookie Bill Simpson have pretty much been alternating starts and each has stepped up his performance during the past month.
Los Angeles was the only team in the NAHC to win three games last week as the Stingrays opened by stealing two points in Atlanta on Monday, trimming the Blazers 2-1 despite getting outshot 40-21. They followed that up with a pair of road wins over original six teams in Chicago and New York.
The Stingrays have not lost since January 1 but they will face a tough test tomorrow night when they begin a 6-game homestand by welcoming the defending Challenge Cup Champion Philadelphia Rogues. The Rogues have been nearly as hot as Los Angeles over the past month and are 5-0-1 in their last six games. Philadelphia is 2-1-1 vs Los Angeles this season.
NAHC WEEKLY RESULTS
MONDAY JANAUARY 20
Calgary at Detroit : Yves Dagenais had two goals and three assists while Charlie Rodgers and Alfie Schmirler each had four points as the Detroit Motors hammered Calgary 9-2. It was the Grizzlies fifth straight loss and they are winless in eight.
Los Angeles at Atlanta :Alain Ducharme's 9th goal of the season, midway through the third period, snapped a 1-1 tie and lifted the Stingrays to a 2-1 road victory over the Blazers. Los Angeles rookie goaltender Bill Simpson was outstanding in stopping 40 of the 41 shots he faced.
TUESDAY JANUARY 21
Cincinnati at Boston : The Bees snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-0 shutout of Cincinnati. Andy Agar scored twice while Eddie Lafluer and Matt Brophey each had 3 points. Alex Daoust earned his first shutout of the season and 31st of his career for Boston.
Toronto at Calgary : Calgary lost for the sixth consecutive game after Ollie Perreault's goal and assist helped Toronto tame the Grizzlies 3-2. Perreault got the game winner, his league leading 36th of the season, early in the third period.
Montreal at Detroit :A sensational game from Dick Gallamore in the Detroit net was not enough as the visiting Montreal Valiants nipped the Motors 2-1 while outshooting Detroit 42-18. John Partridge and Charles Thibeault scored for the Valiants, who halted a four-game losing skid.
Minneapolis at Pittsburgh :Third period goals from Allan Inness and Norm Blakeley lifted Minneapolis to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Sentinels.
Quebec at Washington : Quebec has a 7-game unbeaten streak on the go following the Citadels 3-1 road win in Washington.
San Francisco at New York :Al Blanchette had a goal and an assist to help San Francisco past the New York Shamrocks 5-2. New York is struggling of late with just one win in their last seven games as they try to hold off Washington for third place in the Dewar Division and make the playoffs for the first time since 1960.
Chicago at Philadelphia :Pat McGibbon scored his 6th goal of the season with less than four minutes remaining in the game to earn a point for the Packers in a 3-3 tie with the Philadelphia Rogues. The result ended a 4-game winning streak for the defending Challenge Cup champion Rogues.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22
Los Angeles at Chicago :Julien Ouellet scored once and added 3 assists to help the Los Angeles Stingrays past Chicago by a 6-4 score. The Stingrays have not lost since New Year's Day and are riding a 9-game unbeaten streak.
Toronto at Cincinnati : Jack Nicholas set up the tying goal and scored the game-winner as the Cincinnati Ironclads shaded the Toronto Dukes 3-2.
THURSDAY JANUARY 23
Washington at Philadelphia : The Rogues are unbeaten in six games following a 6-1 drubbing of the visiting Washington Federals. Brian Forsyth scored twice for the winners with Mike Hendricks and Duke Dawson each collecting 3 points.
Los Angeles at New York : :Los Angeles continued its hot play by doubling the Shamrocks 6-3. The Stingrays are 9-0-1 in their last ten games. Julien Ouellet and Pierre Lamothe each scored twice for Los Angeles.
Montreal at Calgary :Alex Wilkins turned aside all 28 Montreal shots to pace Calgary to a 3-0 victory over the Valiants. Montreal is slumping with 5 losses in its last six outings.
St Louis at Pittsburgh :Pittsburgh and St Louis skated to a 3-3 tie with Frank Melrose assisting on all three Sentinels goals.
FRIDAY JANUARY 24
Atlanta at Toronto : Ollie Perreault scored his 38th goal of the season but it was not enough to lead Toronto to a victory. The Dukes blew a 3-1 lead as David Pederson scored twice to help Atlanta rally for a point in a 3-3 tie.
Pittsburgh at St Louis:A day after skating to a tie in Pittsburgh the Sawyers and Sentinels completed a home and home series at the Gateway Center. Hugh MacLaren's 17th goal of the season helped the hometown Sawyers claim a 4-2 victory.
Philadelphia at San Francisco : Philadelphia has six wins and a tie in its last seven games after downing the Gulls 3-1 on the west coast. Gary Yeadon assisted on all three Rogues goals, two of them off the stick of Adam McPherson who now has 35 on the year.
Washington at Chicago :The Yeadon Division leading Packers stumbled at home with a dreadful showing in a 7-4 loss to Washington. Burt Fenwick scored three times in the first period to help the Federals get off to a quick start.
Montreal at Vancouver :Another loss for the injury-riddled Valiants who fell 3-2 in Vancouver and are 2-9-0 for the month. Pat Ferguson had a goal and an assist, along with a first period fight, for the Totems, who own the best record in the Thomas Division.
Boston at New York : It is always an entertaining matchup when rivals Boston and New York hook up. The Bees usually have the upper hand and they did again on this night as Mark Berg scored his 19th and 20th of the season to lead Boston to a 4-1 victory.
SATURDAY JANUARY 25
Vancouver at Minneapolis : Al Ferguson stopped all 27 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. Anthony Baptiste, with his 27th, and Scott Cox were the goal scorers in a 2-0 win for the Norsemen.
Boston at San Francisco :Don Colas ad Ryan Desmarais staked San Francisco to a 2-0 lead and strong netminding from Gene Harvey helped the Gulls hold on to edge the Bees 2-1.
SUNDAY JANUARY 26
St Louis at Minneapolis : The Sawyers have three wins and a tie in their last four games following a 7-3 drubbing of Minneapolis. Marty Mosset scored three times in the third period with James Hughes assisting on each of them to put the game away for the Sawyers.
Washington at Atlanta :Andrew Cleverly scored twice for Washington as the Federals shaded Atlanta 6-5 despite veteran Ray Dupuis scoring a pair of his own and collecting an assist for Atlanta.
Detroit at Cincinnati :Detroit outshot Cincinnati but fell 5-2 thanks to Alan Porter's 2 goals -giving him 31 on the season- and solid goaltending from the Ironclads Brad Wall, who stopped 40 of 42 shots.
MAULERS SPLIT WITH WINNIPEG, TRAIL BY THREEThe Milwaukee Maulers closed some ground on league-leading Winnipeg last week, trimming the Falcons’ advantage in the Continental Hockey League standings to three points. Milwaukee split a two-game set with Winnipeg and added a victory over New York to finish the week at 33-15-5, good for 71 points—three back of the Falcons, who sit at 74 with a game in hand.
The week began Monday night in Milwaukee, where Winnipeg handled the Maulers for the fourth time in five meetings this season, skating to a 6–3 victory behind a four-assist performance from league scoring leader Tim Moore. The win pushed the Falcons’ cushion to seven points, but Milwaukee responded later in the week with a 6–4 victory over the New York Eagles to halt the slide.
Winnipeg stumbled on Thursday in Houston, where Gil Martel blanked the Falcons 3–0, and the setback proved costly. Returning home, Winnipeg was again turned away, this time by the Maulers, who earned a 6–3 road win led by a pair of goals from Scott Crawley. The defeat marked the first time since the opening week of October that the Falcons had dropped back-to-back games and cut their lead over Milwaukee to three points.
YOUNG STAR SHINES IN WINNIPEG
Despite the recent stumbles, Moore continues to be the brightest light in the CHL, even overshadowing the league’s million-dollar attraction, Hobie Barrell. Barrell has scored more goals, but Moore leads the league with 74 assists, and his 108 points through 54 games have him on a record-setting pace.
Moore’s rise is emblematic of why the CHL was needed in the first place. As recently as eight years ago, there were just six major-league hockey teams, leaving countless players buried in senior or minor leagues. Moore was one of them. A late bloomer from Alberta, he was deemed too small for major junior hockey and overlooked entirely by NAHC clubs even after that league doubled in size.
Moore worked in the oil fields of northern Alberta while playing senior hockey, and it was there that Winnipeg scouts finally took notice. When the CHL launched three years ago, the Edmonton Huskies initially pursued him, but Moore was reluctant to leave a high-paying job for a fledgling league. After a record-breaking season in the Alberta Senior League, interest around the CHL intensified.
Winnipeg secured his rights, and Moore debuted with the Falcons last season at age 23. He adapted immediately, finishing second in league scoring with 122 points and earning unanimous Rookie of the Year honors behind only Ottawa’s Barrell.
Now in his second season, Moore has taken another leap forward, teaming with Swedish import Mattias Jacobsson to power the league’s most explosive offense. With a third of the season still to play, the duo has already combined for 76 goals and 198 points.
BARRELL’S ATHLETICS VERY MUCH IN PLAYOFF HUNT
With the top two teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs along with two wild cards, the Ottawa Athletics appear well positioned for postseason play. The Central Division’s third-place club has 68 points through 56 games—19 more than the third-place team in either of the other two divisions.
Barrell picked up four assists in an early-week win over Baltimore but was held off the scoresheet in road losses at New York and Edmonton. He has gone four games without a goal but still leads the CHL by a wide margin with 54 on the season.
Elsewhere, the Cleveland Immortals remain atop the East Division despite a mixed week that included a shutout of Houston, a loss to Kansas City, and a tie with Denver. Cleveland holds a two-point edge over second-place New York. In the West, the Denver Peaks lead reigning champion Edmonton by two points in another tightly contested race.
PHANTOMS TAKE ATLANTIC LEADOther than the spring of 1973 when the Philadelphia Phantoms, after finishing third in the Atlantic and just .500 overall, suddenly got hot in the playoffs and made a run to the league finals only to come up short against St. Louis, there has been little to cheer about in recent years when the basketball court is on the Liberty Center floor. Having hockey's Philadelphia Rogues win the Challenge Cup last spring further pushed basketball to the back burner in a city that got used to winning in the early 1960s when the Phantoms were crowned FBL champion three times.
Since then, aside from the '73 run the Phantoms have failed to win a playoff series since 1966. Judging by their play of late that might just change this season as the Phantoms have been the hottest team in the FBL of late and have gone 11-3 since Christmas Eve. They have plenty of competition in the Atlantic Division with the always dangerous New York Knights and the Boston Centurions but Philadelphia, aided by a 111-100 win over the Centurions last Monday, have taken over top spot in the Atlantic Division.
GAINING STEAM! There appears to be no slowing the Cincinnati Steamers done as the Continental Basketball League squad has won nine consecutive games and 19 of their 21 to open an eight and a half game lead on second place Pittsburgh in the East Division. At 36-9 the Steamers are on pace to match the 1970-71 Dallas Drillers CBL record 62 victories.
Cincinnati had a busy week with four games and they started things off last Tuesday night with a close call in Philadelphia. A late rally was needed to edge the Mariners 137-133 in a game that saw forward Johnnie Carden lead the way with 41 points. There was far less suspense the rest of the week as the Steamers returned home for three games. On Wednesday, despite a game high 30 points from San Diego's John Jenkins, Cincinnati led nearly wire to wire in a 121-108 victory over the Breakers. Thursday it was the hapless New Jersey Demons, owners of the worst record in the CBL, in town and the Steamers built a 26 point lead through three quarters before taking the foot of the gas and winning by 20. Saturday night the Portland Pioneers provided the opposition and it quickly turned into a laugher as Cincinnati outscored the visitors 41-19 in the opening quarter and coasted to a 135-104 victory.
While there is little in the way of a race in the East, the Denver Bighorns - who knocked off the Steamers in a league final that went the full seven games a year ago- are trying to keep pace with the San Antonio Outlaws. The Outlaws, led by CBL scoring leader Bill Fairchild, have won five of their last six, and are 3 games ahead of the defending champs.
BATON ROUGE STATE FALLS TO RIVALSNoble Jones College's historic 1949-50 team will stand on its own for at least another year after the final undefeated team of the 74-75 campaign. The Colonels, led by Charlie Barrell and Mike Miller, went a perfect 34-0 that year, capping the season off by handing Luther Gordon's previously unbeaten team its first loss in the national championship game. That was the first and only season an AIAA club has gone undefeated throughout the season.
This year it was the Baton Rouge State Red Devils, like Noble Jones College a member of the Deep South Conference, that were perfect through their 13 game non-conference slate and won their section opener last Wednesday on the road over Alabama Baptist. However, Saturday afternoon against their Louisiana rivals from Bayou State the Red Devils tasted defeat for the first time, falling 63-61. It was nearly a surprise comeback as the Red Devils trailed 62-54 with a little over two minutes remaining in regulation and had a chance to tie but Rick Mendoza's contested layup attempt as time expired failed to drop.
The loss drops the Red Devils down one spot in the rankings, falling to third as Maryland State, which is 16-1 overall and 2-0 in South Atlantic Conference play leapfrogs Baton Rouge State. Detroit City College still leads the polls after the Knights improved to 14-1 with wins over Minnesota Tech and Wisconsin State to open their Great Lakes Alliance slate. Both wins were quite convincing as senior guard Harry Gilmour scored 14 to key a 61-51 Thursday night road win over the Lakers and them followed that up two days later with 22 points in their home opener, a 70-46 drubbing of the Brewers.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 01/26/1975
- The U.S. Senate voted 82-4 to establish its own special committee to investigate the CIA, with Frank Church of Idaho as the chairman.
- Ford administration faces mounting pressure to accelerate anti-recession policies, with labor unions and business leaders urging immediate action to stabilize jobs and prices.
- Congress debates expanded unemployment aid and public works programs, reflecting growing concern over persistent job losses and declining industrial output.
- OPEC ministers meet in Vienna, hinting at potential production limits, spurring anxious coverage in North American papers about energy costs and economic fallout.
- New evidence emerges in the Patty Hearst case, as federal authorities announce further charges against alleged SLA members, keeping the high-profile story on front pages.
- South Vietnam reports new losses to advancing North Vietnamese units, reinforcing U.S. media concerns about the long-term stability of the Saigon government.