FEBRUARY 17, 1975
COUGARS ADD MORE FIREPOWER For the second time in just over a week the Chicago Cougars have added a veteran all-star bat to their lineup as Andy Babel comes over from Cleveland to join the legendary Tom Lorang, who was acquired from the Washington Eagles last week. The cost, as it was for Lorang, is nothing off of the current Cougars roster but instead a pair of young prospects in pitcher Julio Torres and outfielder Andy Alexander.
Babel, 31, gives the Cougars the corner bat they were seeking. Not a typical homerun hitter as Babel hit just 11 last season and has never socked more than 17 longballs in a year, but he did lead the CA in doubles for the third time in his career with 43 a year ago. The fact that Babel brings along four Diamond Defense awards is merely gravy, it will be his bat perhaps hitting third directly in front of Lorang that has Cougars fans eagerly anticipating the start of spring training in less than a month's time.
Neither Alexander nor Torres were considered elite prospects by OSA with both ranking well outside the scouting services top 100. Alexander, a 20-year-old selected in the second round in 1973 out of a Brooklyn High School, gets solid grades from OSA but they still only listed him 130th on their pipeline. Torres is much further down the list at #243 but did spend his first couple of season following his selection in the fourth round of the 1972 draft in the top 100. The Puerto Rico native went 9-3 with a 3.82 era in A-ball last season.
The Cougars sacrificed some of their future to add a sure-fire hall of famer in Lorang and a very good outfielder in Babel but they by no means emptied the cupboard as they still have five prospects ranked in the top 100 including Bob Hays, an 18-year-old pitcher who is #9 overall. The question now is will the Cougars continue to deal in order to increase their chances of competing with the big three in the Continental Association West Division - which might just be the toughest division in FABL to win in 1975.
For most of my playing career, the Chicago Cougars were something you circled on the schedule only because the train ride was decent and the hot dogs were reliable. They weren’t terrible often enough to draft saviors, and they weren’t good enough to scare anybody. Baseball purgatory is a lonely place, and the Cougars have been renting there since before I learned how to hit a decent cutoff man.
That’s why the last week caught my eye.
Chicago finished 74–88 last season, a distant fourth in a Continental Association West Division that turned into a three-horse sprint. Seattle rode a pitching staff that could make hitters question their career choices, edged out the Los Angeles Stars by a single game, then went on to polish off the World Championship Series. The Stars, meanwhile, are still dangerous even if they’re creaking a bit, the final act of a run that produced seven straight playoff trips and four titles. And Dallas—once the definition of expansion drift—has finally grown into itself, winning 95 games on the strength of the league’s most explosive offense.
Chicago? Chicago watched.
Not anymore.
First came the stunner: Tom Lorang, the Washington Eagles’ franchise face, shipped west. I’ve played against Lorang, and I can tell you this—33 or not, the man can still play. A .282 average, 25 homers, 104 runs driven in, and a 7.8 WAR don’t happen by accident, and they don’t happen to players who are “finished.” He may not be the 9-plus WAR monster who collected Whitney Awards like souvenirs, but he’s still a premium bat and one of the finest third basemen of his generation. Ten Diamond Defense Awards aren’t handed out in cereal boxes.
Washington, of course, is in its usual state of reconstruction—perennial rebuild is a kind description for a franchise that hasn’t won a World Championship Series since 1923—but that’s their business. Chicago’s business was offense, and Lorang fixes a lot of that in one stroke.
Then, before the ink was dry, the Cougars doubled down. Five-time All-Star Andy Babel arrived from Cleveland, and once again Chicago paid in prospects rather than gutting its major league roster. Babel isn’t a home-run derby champion—11 last season—but he led the league with 43 doubles and hit .302 doing it. There’s real value in a man who lives in the gaps, especially when pitchers are terrified of what’s hitting behind him.
Two moves. Two proven bats. And suddenly the Cougars look like a club that knows what it’s missing.
Now the fun part: what does everyone else do?
Seattle probably sleeps the easiest. Their rotation is deep, mean, and reliable, but even dynasties have soft spots. Hank Williams is a legend, a 12-time All-Star, four-time Whitney winner, and nine home runs shy of 500. He’s also 41 and hit .234 last year. Nineteen homers help, but Father Time has a nasty breaking ball. Do the Kings find another bat to protect him, or do they ride history and hope?
The Stars have offense to spare, but their pitching—once the gold standard—has sprung leaks. Floyd Warner is 38, nursing a back that betrayed him in August, and might not be ready when spring camps open. The bigger question is whether the Stars even have the chips to make a move. The farm isn’t what it used to be, and nostalgia doesn’t trade well.
Dallas is the wild card. Their lineup is young and loud, and the future still looks bright. Pitching, though, is the unanswered letter. Can Larry Perry, 32, repeat the best season of his life? Is Pete Rosenbaum—once a can’t-miss prospect, now 27—really the ace of a contender? Or do the Wranglers crack open a thinning system and go shopping?
What Chicago has done, more than anything, is announce itself. The Cougars haven’t seen October baseball since 1941, and they haven’t hoisted a championship since 1931. That kind of drought seeps into the walls. But in one week, they told the rest of the West they’re tired of watching from the platform.
The division was already going to be a knife fight. Now someone’s brought a sharper blade.
And I’ll tell you this, as a former utility infielder who spent a career trying to stay one step ahead of the next kid with better hands: baseball is always more interesting when a long-sleeping club finally decides to wake up.
LA STINGRAYS FINALLY LOSE AGAIN
Chicago Really Seems to Have Stingrays NumberThe secret to beating the Los Angeles Stingrays appears to be the need to wear the green and red of the Chicago Packers. The Stingrays have been the hottest team in the North American Hockey Confederation over the past month and a half, losing just 3 times in 22 games including a streak that saw them go 15-0-1 in a 16 game span. That 16 game streak started after a loss to the Packers on New Years Day and it came to an end at Lakeside Auditorium when the Packers pounded the Stingrays 9-2. All three of Los Angeles' losses in the past 22 games have been at the hands of the Packers.
The good news for the Stingrays, who are 2-4 against Chicago on the season, is they are done with the Packers unless they happen to meet in the playoffs. With 20 games remaining in their season the Packers have a comfortable 12 point lead on both St Louis and Minneapolis atop the Yeadon Division. Los Angeles has 17 left to play but despite their hot play of late, the Stingrays slow start to the season means they are just 5 points ahead of second place Vancouver in the Thomas Division and the Totems have 3 games in hand. Vancouver has been heading the wrong way, however, as the Totems are just 3-9-1 in the last month.
NAHC WEEKLY RESULTS
MONDAY FEBRUARY 10
Minneapolis at St Louis :Yeadon Division rivals Minneapolis and St Louis skated to a 4-4 tie. Defenseman Hugh MacLaren had a goal and two assists to pace the Sawyers while Allan Innes had two points for the Norsemen.
Montreal at Atlanta :Atlanta ended a 3-game losing skid and surprised Montreal 6-3, snapping the Valiant three game winning run. Blazers defenseman Daniel Harris had a huge game, scoring his 25th goal of the season and adding 4 assists in the win.
New York at Toronto :New York has won 3 of its last four games and Toronto has lost 3 of 4 after the Shamrocks edged the Dukes 5-4 at Dominion Gardens. Toronto led 4-2 after twenty minutes but the Shamrocks took the lead with 3 unanswered second period markers including two from Joe Crosby, to claim the two points.
Philadelphia at Quebec :Cliff Graham had a strong game in the Quebec net, stopping 37 of 38 shots to lead the Citadels to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Rogues and extend their lead on fourth place Toronto in the Connelly Division to three points.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 11
Boston at Cincinnati :Boston's unbeaten streak is extended to five games after the Bees downed Cincinnati 4-1. With 79 points on the season, the Bees are first in the entire NAHC.
St Louis at Calgary :Bernie Caldwell had 4 points and Pat Valentine 3 to lead St Louis to a 7-2 romp over the Calgary Grizzlies.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia :The Rogues bounced back quickly from their loss to Quebec the night before, by outscoring Pittsburgh 7-4 with Gary Yeadon leading the way. The 23-year-old had two goals and an assist and now has scored 6 times in his last four games.
Los Angeles at Chicago :The Stingrays incredible 16 game unbeaten streak (15-0-1) came to an abrupt end when the Chicago Packers hammered the Stingrays 9-2. Chicago was also the last team to beat Los Angeles, winning 6-3 on New Year's Day before the Stingrays went on their rampage. Billy Furtado paced the Chicago attack with a hat trick.
Toronto at Atlanta : The Dukes held off Atlanta 5-4 with Sam DaSilva leading the way with two goals and an assist. Dukes star and Ollie Perrault was held off the scoresheet for the third time in the past four games.
Washington at Detroit :Yves Dagenais had 3 assists to take over sole possession of the NAHC scoring lead as Detroit downed Washington 5-1. Charlie Rodgers added 3 points for the Motors while Tom Jenks scored twice.
San Francisco at Vancouver :San Francisco is winless in 5 games after falling 5-1 in Vancouver. Scott Phillips and Scott Spencer led the Totems victory with three points each.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 12
Washington at Quebec : Ron Griffin scored his 16th goal of the season midway through the third period to lift the Quebec Citadels to a 3-2 victory on home ice over the Washington Federals.
San Francisco at Chicago : The Yeadon Division leading Chicago Packers received goals from 4 different players as they dumped the San Francisco Gulls 4-1.
Boston at Vancouver :Boston is unbeaten in six games after the Bees blanked Vancouver 2-0. Joel Pearce and Mark Berg were the goalscorers while 23-year-old rookie Jim Goodrunning earned his first career NAHC shutout. Goodrunning was named goaltender of the year in the Hockey Association of America with Springfield last season.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13
Minneapolis at Calgary : Tom Rowley moved into the NAHC goal scoring lead with a hat trick to help the Minneapolis Norsemen past Calgary 6-5.
Cincinnati at Montreal : Clyde Raines collected his 600th career NAHC point after collecting two assists in Montreal's 8-3 drubbing of the Cincinnati Ironclads. Valiants defenseman Mark Moggy scored twice and add two assists.
Quebec at St Louis :Quebec is on a 3-game winning streak, with each victory coming by just a single goal following a 5-4 road win in St Louis. Ron Griffin scored twice and added an assist for the Citadels. It was Griffin's second two-goal game in succession. The 21-year-old rookie, who scored 72 goals in junior last year, has 18 goals in 42 games this season.
New York at Detroit :It was the Milt Young show in the Motor City as the New York Shamrocks forward scored four times and added an assist to propel his club to a 5-4 victory over Detroit.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14
Vancouver at Philadelphia : Adam McPherson had a hat trick while linemate Gary Yeadon chipped in with two goals to lead the Philadelphia Rogues to a 8-2 victory over Vancouver. The third member of Philadelphia's Scotch Line, Glenn McKenzie, picked up four assists.
Pittsburgh at Washington :In a battle between the bottom two teams in the Dewar Division, the Washington Federals, led by a 23-save shutout from Dave Harkins, blanked Pittsburgh 3-0.
Detroit at Toronto :In a season that has both struggling to reach the playoffs, the longtime rivals renewed hostilities at Toronto's Dominion Gardens but it was the visitors from Detroit who prevailed 3-2. It was also a matchup between the top two scorers in the NAHC but neither made a splash as Detroit's Yves Dagenais was held off the scoresheet and Toronto's Ollie Perreault earned just one assist.
Montreal at Atlanta :Atlanta kept pace with Detroit at the bottom of the Yeadon Division with a 2-0 shutout of Montreal. Mitch Sweet and Ray Dupuis each scored their 21st goals of the season while Randy Kelleher was perfect in net for his fourth shutout of the season.
Boston at Los Angeles :Two of the hottest teams in the league met at the LA Events Center. The Stingrays rebounded from a loss to Chicago with a 7-5 victory over Boston. The Stingrays have lost just 3 times in the last 22 games while Boston had been unbeaten in six entering the contest. Alvin Yardley scored his 41st goal of the season and added two assists to pace the Stingrays.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15
New York at San Francisco : Veteran Shamrocks defenseman Chris Lafontaine played in his 1,000 career NAHC game. He scored once to help New York skate to a 3-2 victory over the Gulls.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati :Brad Wall made 32 saves for his second shutout in 8 days to help Cincinnati past Pittsburgh 5-0.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 16
New York at Montreal :Pete Fortin scored twice and Mark Moggy had two assists as Montreal doubled the New York Shamrocks 6-3. The win leapfrogs the Valiants past Quebec and back into second place in the Connelly Division while the Shamrocks fall four points behind Cincinnati in the duel for second in the Dewar Division.
Calgary at Minneapolis :Minneapolis halted a 4-game winless skid in a big way, blasting Calgary 7-0. Al Ferguson had 23 saves for the shutout while Norm Blakeley scored twice and NAHC goalscoring leader Tom Rowley collected his 45th goal of the season and added 2 helpers.
BARRELL TAKES OVER CHL SCORING LEAD
Winnipeg Star Moore Suffers Neck InjuryIt was a busy week for Hobie Barrell as the captain of the Ottawa Athletics took over the scoring lead in the Continental Hockey Association but also found himself suspended for one game after an incident against Toronto on Friday night. Barrell, who delivered a vicious blindside hit on the play, will sit out the Athletics game in Ottawa against Edmonton tomorrow night.
Barrell had two assists in the opening period of the Athletics 4-2 victory over Toronto but got involved twice with truculent Toronto winger Rick Hodge in the second period. Barrell took a high sticking penalty after Hodge had laid him out with what was deemed by the referee to be a clean hit and just minutes after serving his time in the box blasted Hodge into the boards from behind well away from the puck. Hodge collects penalty minutes in bunches but Barrell entered the game with just 48 minutes in penalties before adding 17 to his total in that game.
Much better known for scoring points than collecting penalty minutes, Barrell's two assists before his second period expulsion lifted him into the CHL scoring lead with 117 points through 65 games, one more than Winnipeg's Tim Moore. Moore suffered a serious injury when he was clipped by a skate blade in the neck and could be sidelined for an extended period of time. If so, it will be a serious blow to Winnipeg's hopes of finishing first overall as the second-year star had 39 goals and a CHL leading 77 assists at the time of his injury.
As for Barrell, his Athletics remain third in the Central Division, 7 points back of the front-running Falcons and five behind the expansion Milwaukee Maulers. Barrell led the CHL in scoring each of its first two seasons of existence and his 1,422 combined career points between the NAHC and CHL trails only former Toronto Dukes legend and current New York Eagles coach Quinton Pollack.
ARE THE ROCKETS IN TROUBLE? For most of the past six seasons, the St. Louis Rockets have set the standard in the Western Conference, riding John Brantner’s historic scoring and a model of consistency to three league championships. Brantner is still doing his part — the 31-year-old forward leads the Federal Basketball League at 38.4 points per game, more than ten clear of Philadelphia’s Jewel Albert — but for the first time in years the Rockets are starting to look… human.
As recently as early January, St. Louis stood at 24-11 with the best record in the FBL. Since then, the Rockets have stumbled through a 9-10 stretch that has opened the door for both Houston and Minneapolis in what had long been St. Louis’ private domain atop the Midwest Division.
The warning signs were flashing when the Rockets arrived home last Friday carrying a four-game losing streak — an almost unheard-of occurrence for a club that has turned the Gateway Center into one of the league’s most intimidating buildings. All four losses came away from home, and one of them was especially jarring: a defeat at the hands of a Los Angeles Condors team mired at the bottom of the Western Conference.
That road record is the heart of the concern. St. Louis remains virtually unbeatable at home, boasting a dominant 25-2 mark. Away from the Gateway Center, however, the Rockets have been a different team entirely, managing just eight wins in 27 tries. Road victories are scarce across the league — no FBL club is above .500 away from home — but this represents a dramatic departure from the Rockets’ own recent history. A year ago, during a season that ended with the league’s best overall record, St. Louis went an astonishing 34-7 on the road. Two seasons ago, they were nearly as effective at 29-12.
Longtime Rockets coach Jason Watson admits he’s searching for answers. The roster is largely unchanged, the approach the same, yet the results have swung sharply once the Rockets leave town. “We’re doing the same things,” Watson said earlier this week. “They just haven’t translated outside our building.”
St. Louis did offer a reminder of its pedigree on Friday night, blasting Pacific Division-leading Seattle 108-69 in a lopsided home win that briefly quieted the doubts. But there will be little time to savor it. The Rockets head back out on the road immediately, beginning a three-game trip that includes a rematch with the Emeralds tonight at Rainier Pavilion.
For years, the question around the Rockets was who could catch them. Now, with Houston and Minneapolis closing fast, the more pressing question may be whether St. Louis can rediscover the road form that once made them the most feared team in the league — or whether this season marks the beginning of a changing of the guard.
NO SLOWING STEAMERS DOWNAnother week in the Continental Basketball League this season simply means three more victories for the Cincinnati Steamers. The league powerhouse ran its mark to 43-10 and remains on a record setting pace following three road wins last week. The Steamers improved to 18-9 away from the Queen City Arena, a location where they are practically unbeatable with a 25-1 home mark. With an East Division lead that has now reached 13 games on the second place Philadelphia Mariners, the Steamers may well clinch the division crown before the start of March.
The Steamers have won 16 of their last 17 games after wins in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Baltimore last week. Bob Baldwin and Ivan Hobart each had 20 points to start the week with a 121-105 win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. A day later it was an offensive explosion from Doc Oney, who had 51 points and 16 rebounds in a 162-149 shootout victory over Philadelphia, and they closed the week with a 126-114 victory in Baltimore. This time it was guard Phil Brouwer's turn to take the spotlight as he poured in 31 points. The Steamers did play the week without starting center Benny Zimmerman, who will miss about a month with a knee injury sustained the previous week, but it does not seem to matter as the Steamers simply have too much depth for the rest of the CBL.
KNIGHTS REMAIN AT TOP OF CAGE POLLThe Detroit City College Knights continue to hold down top spot in the weekly college basketball rankings after improving to 19-2 overall and 7-1 in Great Lakes Alliance play. DCC opened their week with a Thursday evening trip to Lansing and convincing 74-58 victory over the St Ignatius Lancers in a victory keyed by a 20-point, 7 rebound performance from senior center Chuck Carpenter. On Saturday they Knights entertained their top rival in the Central Ohio Aviators, and despite a 21-point showing from Aviators forward Tommy Tibbetts, the hosts prevailed 75-64.
Detroit City College has been ranked number one nearly the entire season, only surrendering the top spot for a brief period to Baton Rouge State, and currently shares the Great Lakes Alliance lead with Indiana A&M. The 6th ranked Reapers are 18-3, including 7-1 in conference play and are the only GLA squad to beat Detroit City College. Indiana A&M had an impressive week with road wins over a pair of ranked opponents in Whitney College and Western Iowa to run their winning streak to 7 games. The Reapers lone conference loss came in their opener when they were upset at home by the Western Iowa Canaries.
Maryland State remains second in the rankings despite the fact that the 20-3 Bengals lost two consecutive conference games at home last week. They were knocked off 73-64 by 13th ranked and conference leading Charleston Tech Admirals on Thursday before losing a heartbreaker 67-65 Saturday on Carolina Poly. The 4th ranked Cardinals were led by the game of his life from senior guard Danny Russo, who hit on 11 of 15 attempts from the floor to help his club improve to 19-3 on the season.
Third ranked Baton Rouge State beat Alabama Baptist and Opelika State to run their record to 19-2 but at 6-2 in Deep South Conference play, they trail 5th ranked Northern Mississippi by a game. The Mavericks are 18-3 overall and 7-1 in section play following home wins over Bayou State and Central Kentucky.
Coastal California continues to set the pace in the last of the big four conferences as the Dolphins thumped city rival CC Los Angeles 62-30 yesterday afternoon to improve to 7-1 in West Coast Athletic Association play and 22-2 overall. The 8th ranked Dolphins led 10th ranked Lane State by a game for the WCAA lead.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 02/16/1975
- President Ford unveils major tax cut proposal to fight recession, calling for billions in personal and business tax relief to jump-start a slowing economy and rising unemployment.
- Congress sharply divided over Ford’s tax and spending plan, with Democrats warning that cuts favor business while offering too little immediate relief for jobless workers.
- South Vietnam’s military position worsens amid renewed communist advances, heightening concern in Washington over the consequences of reduced U.S. aid.
- Rockefeller Commission expands probe into CIA activities, as new testimony fuels public unease about domestic surveillance and intelligence abuses.
- OPEC maintains firm oil pricing policy, frustrating hopes for early energy relief as North American consumers continue to face high fuel and heating costs.
- Patty Hearst defense renews claims of coercion and psychological duress, signaling an aggressive strategy ahead of the closely watched federal trial.
- Canada confronts slowing growth and stubborn inflation, with Ottawa weighing stronger federal intervention as economists warn of a prolonged downturn.