After dropping home games 5-0 and 2-1 to a sixth place Chiefs team, the Federal Association came down to the final day as Detroit took care of business in Minneapolis. Virgil Ewing (.285, 17, 101) proved his worth on Monday with a go-ahead single in their 3-2 12-inning win, before John Jackson (6.1 IP, 4 H, B, 4 K) and two others held the Millers scoreless in a 7-0 thrashing on Tuesday. A 7th inning Dick Tucker solo homer finished off the sweep, so all the pressure could have been on the Pioneers.

Or at least it could have been had they not had Frenchy Mack.

What should be the unanimous Allen Award Winner, Mack finished a triple crown season with a commanding complete game victory. With plenty of help from the offense, 12 runs to be exact, Mack was able to get outs quickly, limiting them to 8 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks with 8 strikeouts. This allowed the 24-year-old to finish the season 25-5, leading the Fed in wins, ERA (2.06), ERA+ (223), innings (266.2), strikeouts (288), WHIP (0.98), K/BB (54 FIP-), FIP (2.49), FIP- (54), and WAR (11.2). No matter which way you shake it, he was the most dominant pitcher in baseball, and without him there's now ay the Pioneers season would be continuing.

Dropping the early games cost them home field advantage, as the San Francisco Sailors finished with 98 wins, one more then St. Louis. A clash of two dominant pitching staffs, both teams have the best rotation in their respective associations, and neither of these talented lineups have faced a staff like the one they will this weekend. The Pioneers have the advantage in the rotation and the Sailors in the pen, and even with a star like Bob Bell (.386, 46, 120, 6) and the return of starting center fielder Bill Bather (.290, 14, 35, 6), the Sailors have a deeper lineup. St. Louis will surely be happy with Bather's return on Monday, and he was 4-for-4 with a homer in the pennant clincher. Without him in the lineup, that gap would be larger, and a huge performance like this to finish the season should provide them with plenty of optimism.

In a season of total dominance, eventual Whitney winner Hank Williams officially took home the triple crown in the Continental, surviving a seven RBI outburst from Cougar outfielder Henry Watson (.305, 32, 126, 6). Already a two-time Whitney winner, Williams hit .376/.464/.691 (190 OPS+) for the second place Kings, launching 43 homers with 42 doubles, 128 runs, 128 RBIs, and 97 walks.

One of the best to play the game, this is also the third season in the last five years where Williams has led the Continental in average, on-base, and slugging, and 1962 was his second home run title and second 40th homer season. This was his third season leading in runs, fourth in WRC+ (192), and second in WAR (9.3). Though the 29-year-old would trade plenty of that for a pennant, as he's yet to return since his breakout in 1958. Leading the top offense, as long as he's in the lineup the Kings will be a contender, and despite falling short they should feel confident in their chances next season.



The World Championship Series makes its first stop on the west coast when the Continental Association champion San Francisco Sailors entertain the St Louis Pioneers in game one tomorrow. It will mark an end to nine years of Continental Association dominance by Kansas City and Cleveland and the first time a California based team has won a pennant.

It will be a somewhat familiar foe in the Federal Association flag winning Pioneers. The Sailors and Pioneers each will make their fourth appearance in the WCS since 1931 and amazingly will face each other for the fourth time. That's right - every year the Sailors have been in the WCS over the past 31 seasons, the Pioneers have been there too and neither has faced any other team in the Fall Classic during that time.

Most seem to be leaning towards St Louis, which beat the then Philadelphia based Sailors in 1947 and 1948 before coming up short in 1951, as the favourite. Marc T. McNeil of the Montreal Star calls for the Pioneers to win in six games and Percy Pringle Sr. of the Kansas City Times agrees.

Pringle pontificates "St. Louis in 6. (I) Might be selling the Sailors short but too much (pitchers Frenchy)Mack and (Billy) Hasson. With the 2 days off they might be able to throw those guys 2nd and 1st game respectively. Sailors just don't have the pitching staff to I don't think to match up. But anything can happen."

All of their postseason history comes from Philadelphia but the Sailors actually participated in the first two World Championship Series, back in 1893 and 1894. They lost to the New York Gothams that first year and were defeated by Boston a year later but the Sailors did win it all in 1897, 1928 and 1930 along with their triumph over the Pioneers in 1951.

This is the sixth time the Pioneers have won the Federal Association flag. They made their WCS debut in 1920 when a 25-year-old Max Morris helped them defeat Morris' former team Cleveland. St Louis lost to Montreal in 1921 and then returned to the WCS in 1947 with the first of two consecutive wins over the Sailors.





Wolves Finish At .500 -For the first time in over a decade Toronto's FABL franchise finishes a season in which there are not more losses than wins on the record. The Wolves managed to take 2 of 3 from the visiting Cincinnati Cannons in the final series to complete 1962 with 77-77 record.

Many fans would think that an even record would not be much to celebrate unless you are a long term follower of the Wolves. Seventy-seven wins is most in Toronto since 1948, more importantly the fans are talking about the future with optimism for the first time in well over 10 years.

The Wolves did not take the easy route to the .500 record. In winning the Monday game in large part due to Ed Savage's 5 for 5 game, which ties a club record for hits in a game, the team needed a clutch single from Clyde Fisher that scored Tom Reed to walk off the Cannons 5-4 with 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The next day Cincinnati took full advantage of fielding miscues by Phil Story, Chick Reed and Jesse Taylor to win 9-6 despite being outhit by the home squad 14 to 6. This left to the last game of the season to reach the goal of not running the consecutive losing seasons to 14. The Wolves came out strong scoring runs in every inning they came bat except the seventh, running away with a 14-2 win in a game that meant nothing to the Cannons. Phil Colantuono ran his injury shortened season record to 6-3 to send the 11,904 on hand home happy to see the team's 77th win of 1962.

Now the off-season starts. It is one where the team has plenty of decisions to make before spring workouts begin in February. The team's biggest need is at least one righthanded bat to balance manager Hohlt's lineup as the lefthanded hitting lineup was susceptible to southpaws posting a 14-25 for the year. The bullpen also needs depth which may come from this year's starting staff if some of the one or two the Union League champions starting hurlers from Buffalo can take the giant step from AAA to the FABL. The front office has many tasks ahead of them over the winter to strengthen a team with a promising future.

Brett will now split his duties between the Wolves and Dukes as the NAHC season prepares to start. He will be giving many updates on the Wolves over the winter.


FABL has confirmed plans to expand to a 162 game schedule next season, ending nearly 60 years with the standard 154 game docket. It makes perfect sense to add the extra games as it allows the league to maintain a balanced schedule now that both the Federal and Continental Association's have expanded to 10 teams. Of course, most in the Motor City this morning are lamenting the fact that FABL did not choose to add the extra games for this year.

If they had, most fans - and a number of Dynamos players- are certain that it would be the local nine and not the St Louis Pioneers jetting off to California today to compete in the very first World Championship Game to take place within a Ray Waggoner longball away from the Pacific Ocean.

The Dynamos were the hottest team in the Federal Association after the all-star game but on August 6 they were still a full 12 games behind the Pioneers. St Louis did not slow but a torrid 37-16 closing stretch from Detroit ate in to the Pioneers lead at regular intervals and suddenly with 9 games to play the deficit was a very manageable three games. As we entered the final day of the season yesterday the Dynamos were just a single game back. They did their part as Jim Norris pitched seven terrific innings for his 18th victory of the season and Earl Shields saved his 18th contest as the Dynamos completed a sweep of the Millers in Minneapolis with a 2-1 victory.

Unfortunately the Pioneers, who had dropped back to back games Monday and Tuesday at home to Chicago, righted their ship just in time and blasted the Chiefs 12-3 yesterday. Detroit's dreams of a miracle comeback were gone. The Dynamos had run out of time and their 96 wins - an improvement of 29 over the terribly disappointing showing a year ago- was all for naught. St Louis had held on to win the flag and deny Detroit what could have been its first flag in four years.

"It should have been," said a dejected Paul Anderson in the clubhouse. "Give us another week and I, along with every man in this room, is certain we would have passed them."

"162 games sure would have been nice," echoed rookie sensation Ed MacNaughton who reminded everyone of a young Edwin Hackberry with his showing this season. Unfortunately this edition of the Dynamos was just a year too early.
St Louis deserves credit. It is not like the Pioneers collapsed down the stretch. After all they went 17-10 in September after getting off to such a fantastic start to the season. They are a club loaded with stars and are bound to give the Dynamos fits for years to come.

Yes, we had hope but really we should have known the Pioneers were going to outlast the Dynamos more than a week ago when the San Francisco Sailors clinched the Continental Association crown. You see, the Pioneers and Sailors appear to be joined at the hip. It seems you can't have one in the World Championship Series without the other.

With this years title St Louis and the Sailors have each won four pennants since 1931 and on all four occasions they have each won in the same years. 1947 the Pioneers had that crazy run from worst the previous season to first place and then beat the Sailors in six games in the WCS. A year later they both repeated and once more St Louis prevailed but this time in a sweep. The Sailors got their revenge in 1951 when they held off Cleveland to win their third CA flag in five years. The Pioneers, as we all too well remember, beat the Dynamos in a 1-game playoff to decide the Fed pennant. Detroit would of course go on to win six flags in the next seven years while the Pioneers, after losing to the Sailors in five games, sank to the second division for the next half decade. The Sailors would also struggle and by 1954 they abandoned Philadelphia to the Keystones, and headed for the west coast. The now San Francisco based Sailors finally ended the dominance of Cleveland and Kansas City, who had combined to win 9 straight CA flags, and are back in the WCS for the first time since 1951. It only makes sense, unfortunately for Dynamos fans, that the Sailors once more square off with their old rivals from St Louis.



The Kansas City Kings were reluctant to give 19-year-old SP Johnnie Higgins (will turn 20 during the World Championship Series) a big league outing. He started at A and then moved to AA and finally AAA. On the last game of the year they called him up to the big league squad so he could throw some innings against the Imperials. Since the AAA season ended several weeks ago, Kings management decided to limit the amount of pitches he threw because he had already tossed 199 IP this season. Pitch count was around 70-75 pitches which got him threw 3.2 IP. He only gave up 3 hits, but his control is what he needs to work on the most as he issued 3 walks. That control was a bit better in AAA than in the lower leagues so hopefully he will progress. He didn't give up any runs against New York but we take that with a grain of salt. He will get to go to spring training next season but the odds are is that he will remain at AAA to see if we can work on that control. The kid really wants to be in the big leagues so he has his assignment for the off-season.

If he can get up his scouting report rates pretty high and joining fellow youngsters Allie Boone (Just turn 21 during the season) 10-2 3.36 ERA and Gene Bailey (turned 22 late in the season) 10-4 3.30 ERA and All Star Beau McClellan (turned 30 during the season) 17-10 3.51 that would give the Kings a really solid 1-4. Then plug in a Elmer Sullivan, Freddie Washington or hopefully a better adjusted Jack Halbur and King's fans should feel really good about the future of their rotation.

• The Federal Association batting race came down to the wire. Both Tom Lorang of Washington and St Louis' Bob Bell are officially credited with batting .386 but the Eagles third baseman, who had a 5-hit game on Monday, narrowly wins as his average ends up being .0004 higher than Bell's.
• This will be the fourth time the St Louis Pioneers have won the Federal Association pennant since 1921. In all four of those wins the Continental Association flag went to the Philadelphia/San Francisco Sailors.
• Detroit won 96 games, making this the ninth time in franchise history the Dynamos had 95 or more wins. Each of the other eight seasons, including five in the past decade, that total was good enough to give Detroit the Federal Association pennant, but not this year as the Pioneers won a franchise record 97 games.
• Speaking of wins, for the first time since 1948 the Toronto Wolves did not lose more games than they won in a season. The Wolves beat Cincinnati 14-2 yesterday in the finale to even their record at 77-77, snapping a 13-year run of sub .500 finishes.
• The emergence of Ed Savage gives Toronto fans hope for the future. The 25-year-old rookie hit .442 with 10 HR 36 RBI after being a September callup. The only question is what took the organization so long to promote the 1959 second round pick out of College of Cairo.
• The expansion New York Imperials ended the season with a 4-game losing streak. That left the Imperials record at 38-116, by far the worst among the four expansion teams and the most losses in history. You have to go back to 1890 and the Pittsburgh Miners of the old Century league to find a winning percentage lower than the Imperials .250 mark. Those 1890 Miners went 28-112 for a .200 winning percentage.
• The Imperials finished an almost unfathomable 60 games behind the first place San Francisco Sailors in the Continental Association.

Keystone Arena, Philadelphia, Pa. – Lenny Shafto (46-7-1, 24 KO) vs. Matt Leach (31-6-2, 4 KO) -Lenny Shafto had it right there in front of him. Shafto had a chance to stabilize the welterweight class. At the age of 31, he had the opportunity to successfully defend his title after capturing the belt in June against Dan McMullan. The belt has only been worn by a foreign national three times. Before Shafto, fellow Englishman Jimmy “The Kid” Simpson had 14 title defenses before retiring in 1940. Simpson was the only Welterweight Champion in a 12-year span, between 1933 and the reboot of the class in 1945. Scotland’s Lewis Kernuish defeated Danny Rutledge in 1955 only to lose to Lonnie Griffin in his next fight.

Matt Leach is three years Shafto’s junior, and the New Yorker acted as the home boxer with the bout in Philadelphia. This is technically Leach’s first title fight, but he did brawl with Lonnie Griffin once when Leach was a 24-year-old up-and-comer. Now, Leach is polished and 27 of his 31 wins have gone the distance, so he has plenty of rounds under his belt.

Leach drove home a hook to Shafto’s left eye for the first Big Bopper of the night, which caused swelling almost immediately as the seconds ticked down in the opening round. While Leach had the first big haymaker, Shafto connected on big punches early in the fight and started to build a lead in the early-going. Shafto followed up a dangerous straight right halfway through the second round with a right cross that sent the challenger reeling.

In the third round, Shafto was moving well and used his winning hook to score points and keep Leach at arm’s length. The fourth round brought a dominant round for Shafto, almost as dominant as Leach was in the opening stanza. Shafto mixed up his big punches with a right hand, a left hand, and devastating hook. Each of them left their mark, each of them had the crowd getting behind the champion.

The fifth and sixth rounds had the best back-and-forth action of the entire fight. While Leach opened up the festivities and Shafto carried the next couple of rounds, it was once again the challenger’s turn to swing the fight in his favor. Leach was moving left, getting Shafto to turn slowly to his right. Shafto’s left eye was continuing to puff up, so his peripheral vision was starting to become a problem. Leach planted his right foot and unleashed a cross to Shafto that caused him to stumble backward. An attempted followed up grazed Shafto’s shoulder while Shafto regrouped to attack Leach’s midsection with a hook. A minute later, Shafto worked the body again with a shot just above Leach’s waist and Shafto began to move laterally, getting Leach to miss.

Leach was not moving in behind his punches, which means he was not firing a shot and leaning in for a follow up. Leach was content to punch and wait, a likely tactic he has employed over and over again during his career because of his paltry four knockouts.

When the sixth round began, both fighters met at the center of the ring and began flailing away. Leach got the better of the exchange and Shafto resorted to holding Leach around the waist to minimize his movement. After a clean break, they went back to swinging, with Shafto missing and Leach connecting on hook to the head. Shafto countered with a winning cross, but Leach’s uppercut later in the round was the more memorable punch. Leach tried to follow up this time, but his jab was less than impressive.

It was a tale of two fights. The first half featured big punches, mostly on the part of Shafto. Through eight rounds, the action was even, as the crowd and judges saw it. In fact, looking back at the scorecards, all three judges had the fight dead even through eight rounds.

Both fighters seemed to pace themselves at the expense of action and the endearment of the fans in the seats. Too often, the fighters took a round off and danced around the ring. The fans were into the action, but for anyone who left their seats in some of the later rounds to grab some popcorn or use the restroom, they did not miss much.

Shafto was trying to buy time for his corner to figure out how to reduce the swelling around his left eye. But for Leach, it was a tactic, and it may haunt him in future bouts. Leach did not have the killer instinct we lavish praise upon. It was a “hit and hope” strategy: get in one good hit and hope it is good enough.

Oh, there were times Leach carried the action, such as in the eighth round when he worked Shafto’s midsection, but he was not targeting Shafto’s left eye enough. There was a feeling inside Keystone Arena that he could have ended the match earlier. More body work was featured by Leach in the tenth round, while Shafto was able to carry some of the action in the surrounding rounds.

In Round 13, Leach seemed to get the message and started targeting the left side of Shafto’s face with a couple of hooks. There was a cross that Shafto clearly did not see coming. Yet, Leach went back to trying to knock the wind out of Shafto instead of trying to knock him out. Leach was getting ahead on points in the final rounds, so his tactic was working.

Shafto drew blood with a hard right hand to Leach’s forehead in the middle of the fourteenth round. It was incidental cut, which was patched up rather easily in Leach’s corner between the penultimate and final rounds. The passion overflowed at the end of the round, leading to a continuation of hostilities after the bell rang. Shafto felt the bout slipping away while Leach was angry that he was cut.

The final round did not feature anything new, other than a renewed vigor by both fighters, but the die had been cast. Leach was ahead on points and had very little interest of knocking out Shafto. Shafto looked the worse for wear and was trying to hang on in the hopes that one punch could change the outcome.

The decision was unanimous and Matt Leach (32-6-2) earned the right to hoist the belt as Welterweight Champion. Lenny Shafto (46-8-1) was a game opponent, but his name may get lost in the shuffle of all-time champions. At the age of 31, he might not get another chance at the title.

• Veteran welterweight Harry Peck ran his record to 28-12 with a unanimous decision over Jed Long in Miami.
• Kyle Johnson, said to be one of the better welterweights in Europe, defeated Nicky Dayman for his 40th career win. The 24-year-old Johnson has lost just twice.

• November 1 -Heavyweight champion Walt Phillips, a 25-year-old San Francisco native, who was the surprise winner of a title fight with Harry Pratt in July, makes his first title defense against 26-year-old George Galleshaw. Phillips enters the bout with a 34-7 record. Galleshaw, a native of Syracuse, NY, who held the title for a year and half beginning in 1960, is 34-2-1 with his only two losses to Brad Harris and Bert Parks coming in title fights.

Each of the six North American Hockey Confederation general managers have a busy weekend ahead of them as teams must reduce their active rosters down to 23 players. The preseason slate of games came to an end last night with all six clubs in action. Toronto, which was doubled 6-3 by the Chicago Packers, finished tied with Detroit for top spot at 5-2-0, after the Motors rounded out their exhibition slate with a 4-3 victory over the New York Shamrocks. New York, which finished last for the second straight season a year ago, lost all seven of its exhibition games and that prompted Shamrocks management to cut a number of players who had spent time in the past with the big club immediately, rather than taking the weekend to ponder difficult decisions.

Among the players with NAHC experience cast adrift by New York are defenseman Robert Ling and winger Jack Cameron. Ling, 23, spent the past two seasons on the Shamrocks blueline and had 4 goals and 15 points in 61 games last season. The 24-year-old Cameron split each of the past two seasons between New York and Philadelphia of the HAA, scoring 18 goals in 87 career NAHC games. If neither are claimed by another organization they both could end up in Philadelphia.

The champion Detroit Motors have waived veteran pivot Francis McKenzie. The 35-year-old was a member of five Challenge Cup winning teams in Detroit and is a veteran of 721 NAHC games but he managed just 3 points and appeared in only 20 games last season as age seems to have robbed McKenzie's legs of much of their jump.

The Chicago Packers have waived winger Bob Stack and defenseman Keith McFadden. Stack spent all of 1960-61 in Chicago but played exclusively in the minors with Pittsburgh last year while McFadden saw action in 7 games with the Packers a year ago with the 25-year-old up and down between the HAA and NAHC each of the past four seasons.

Others exposed on waivers include veteran Toronto rearguard Dan Morrison, 30, who had played 217 games with the Dukes over the last seven years, along with Montreal forward Jack Adamle. The 27-year-old was assigned to the Great Western League the past two seasons after spending the previous three with the Vals.

Expect more cuts to come in the next few days as only Toronto has shipped enough players out of training camp to reach the 23-man roster limit.

Back to back Challenge Cup titles can certainly build up fan interest and the Detroit Motors, who often struggled to fill Thompson Palladium on a regular basis, have sold more season tickets for the upcoming season than any other NAHC club. The top five teams all surpassed the 10,000 mark in season ducats. Only the struggling New York Shamrocks, who have only qualified for the playoffs once in the past eight years and are coming off back to back last place finishes, are struggling at the gate. Here is the full list.

• Astronaut Walter Schirra Jr. became the fifth American and ninth human to travel into space as he flew a six-orbit, nine-hour Mercury Atlas 8 mission.
• At least twenty are confirmed dead after a boiler room explosion in a New York Telephone Co. building in Manhattan yesterday.
• Both branches of Congress are moving in high gear this week, trying to clean up a dozen "must" bills and adjourn by Saturday.
• Army and Justice Department officials pondered whether to cancel homecoming weekend at Mississippi A&M as mild disorder and more arrests marked this week the presence of James Meredith at the University.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/WLufZcN.jpeg

October 8th, 1962
 

Game two was all Pioneers, as after failing to solve Charlie Lawson, they had their way with George Fuller (17-10, 3.72, 132). The third year southpaw couldn't get out of the first in his first postseason start, allowing 3 walks, 4 hits, and 5 runs without getting a strikeout. Pulling their co-ace early gave a chance for the pen to salvage the game and him to pitch again sooner,

In a lineup full of stars, it was Dixie Hutchings (.271, 12, 54) who made things happen, as the former Sailor hit home runs in the 1st and 2nd inning of game two. Both came with no men on, and he singled to finish his 3-for-5 outing. Bob Bell (.386, 46, 120), Jerry Smith (.304, 27, 100, 14), Danny Davis (.352, 26, 96), and Paul Watson (.247, 8, 68) all doubled, as the visitors pounded Sailor pitching for 9 runs and 14 hits.

The overlooked Steve Madden (16-10, 3.40, 143) came an out away from a complete game victory, as the league's 5th ranked pitcher contributed an RBI and two singles in the 9-1 win. Evening the series, Madden scattered 5 hits and 5 walks, striking out 4 in his first playoff start. A bases loaded walk scored the only run, but with plenty of early support Madden was able to right the ship quickly.


Everyone knew it would be difficult. The Imperials expansion brothers all struggled. Minneapolis even managed 105 losses, while the Suns and Wranglers both finished 9th. But then there was the debut season of New York's expansion franchise.

Setting CA records for losses 116, lowest win pct, .247, highest ERA 5.91 among others the Imps challenged the question, "is bad baseball better than no baseball?" After some initial excitement, interest waned, attendance dropped as the losses mounted. After all it is quite a trip for baseball starved CA fans from Brooklyn to travel to northernmost Manhattan to watch their team lose. One wonders if Brooklyn fans may start considering the much shorter trip to Queens where the Gothams are at least middling.

Taking a look at this year's team, there isn't much hope for quick improvement. Yes by year's end the rotation was quite a bit younger. Still no one had a winning record and 32 year old Milt Lane's 4.57 led all starters. The only pitcher to have a better than league average ERA was closer Glenn Webb at 2.98.

On the offensive side there were a couple of highlights. As expected Turk Ramsey bashed a good number of homers. His 36 was 4th in the CA. Overall, Turk split time between 1B and LF and finished with a .282 average and a team leading 89 RBI. Also putting in a solid season at the plate was rookie Jack Woods. The Imps lone all-star, Woods hit .282 with 26 homers and 74 RBI. Tommie Williams led the team with a .314 average. We now have standards for future Imps to try surpassing.

On the farm, ranked 13th by OSA, most of the top prospects are years away. At C level Burlington, Number 9 ranked prospect by OSA, George Love hit .282 while teammate Andy Bailey (#73) hit .308. Oh the pitching side at AAA Jersey City Art Roberts managed a 14-12 record.

The Imps will need to continue to draft well and maybe with some experience the current roster can avoid the long losing streaks and pick up a few more wins next season. It's still going to be a long haul, but at least the first season is in the books.


For those that argument that pitching doesn't win championships, I give to you the top 3 teams in team ERA this season. Yes the two World Series teams are in the mix. They also happen to be the 3 winningest teams in the FABL this season.

St. Louis 97-57 3.61 ERA
Detroit 96-58 3.79 ERA
San Fran 98-56 3.83 ERA

They also happen to be the top 3 clubs as far as won/loss record on the season. The CA had a collective 4.54 team ERA and the FA was slightly higher at 4.59 team ERA.

MLB clubs in 1962 had a collective team ERA of 3.96. The FABL clubs with 4 expansion teams certainly raised our average. Two of the clubs we north of 5.75 in Team ERA with Minneapolis at 5.77 and New York Imperials at 5.91


Pittsburgh had an impressive draft, as the Miners hit with the top rated prospect (#4 in the OSA top 200) with the 5th overall pick. They followed that up with the 6th rated prospect in the 2nd round. Then in the 4th round they found the #86 overall rated prospect. Even their 3rd round pick was no slouch either as that player checks in at #101. Pittsburgh will have a great 1962 draft class to use to build up the Miners.

Best value based on where in the 1st round a player was taken has to go to the Philadelphia Keystones with the 19th pick in the 1st round they grabbed the #12 prospect. Besides the Miners pick in the 2nd round, Montreal found the #29 prospect with their pick in the 2nd round (picking 8th in the round).

Shout out to the NY Imperials for grabbing the #73 overall rated prospect in round 3 (pick 3.2) and the LA Stars for grabbing with the 4th round pick (pick 4.16) the #78 overall prospect.

• Appearing in his 7th career postseason, Edwin Hackberry is representing the Continental Association for the first time. Despite the experience, he's 1-for-10 in his first two teams, not yet able to add to his FABL high 33 WCS runs scored. His 31 RBIs are also the most
• If the veteran outfielder is able to hit a home run, he'll tie Bobby Barrell for the most postseason homers. Hackberry currently has 8, and if he can hit his 13th double he'd take that record outright from former teammate Stan Kleminski (.292, 5, 47, 15)
• A source close to the Minutemen front office expressed confidence in how both of their top two picks faired in 1962.1B/OF Bob Schultz (#20) and LHP John McCormick (83th) both rank inside the top 100, and no player selected after them rank ahead. Both are high-upside high school picks who spent their season in Hattiesburg. Schultz hit .279/.445/.384 (104 OPS+) with 4 homers, 27 RBIs, and 20 steals while McCormick was 4-3 despite an outstanding 2.90 ERA (178 ERA+) in his 13 starts

For 15 minutes in Boston it looked like the New York Stars had finally met their match but then the two-time American Football Association champions turned the tables and dominated the hometown Boston Americans 32-17. The victory improves the Stars record to 4-0 and they, along with the West Division leading St. Louis Ramblers, are the only unbeaten teams remaining in the AFA.

There was plenty of excitement at Minutemen Stadium in advance of the Yanks-Stars contest. Boston has not had a winning season since 1956 but the quick 3-0 start coupled with a lackluster September from the park's primary tenant -FABL's Boston Minutemen- had the stadium buzzing as the Americans set to square off against the East Division's other unbeaten team.

The excitement grew as the Americans first series began with back Kevin Sova shredding the Stars defense for 24 yards. Five plays later quarterback Bob McKoon hooked up with Paul Ross on a 19-yard scoring toss that gave Boston an early lead. The volume only escalated when seven-minutes later Bob Callender's four yard push up the middle put the Americans ahead 14-0. New York did cut into the lead with a pair of second period field goals from Cornelius McAlpin but Yanks fans were still pretty confident at the half with their heroes enjoying a 14-6 lead and seemingly in control.

New York has won four AFA titles this decade and the primary reason has been the work of Stars head coach Dolph Ulrich and the bench boss earned his money on this day with a rousing locker room speech and key adjustments at the break. New York was different team in the second half and quickly got the break it needed when McKoon fumbled as he was sacked by Tom Keeney. Keeney recovered the ball at the Boston 20-yard line and two plays later New York quarterback Harris Kummer, making his first start in place of the injured Orlin Youngs, connected with Rusty Drews on a 23-yard touchdown strike to cut the Boston lead to 14-12.

A two-point conversion attempted failed but another Boston fumble gave the Stars an opportunity to take the lead. They needed four plays to do just that with Jeff Colella diving over the line from a yard out to put the Stars up 19-14 and they never looked back, outscoring Boston 26-3 in the second half and improving to 4-0 with the 32-17 victory.

Normally it is the New York offense that gets much of the attention but with Youngs sidelined, it was the defense that stepped up. Keeney, the veteran linebacker in his 10th season in New York was outstanding as was his long-time fellow New York linebacker Billy Board. Rookie defensive end Jerry Van Wagoner, a second round pick out of Lincoln, played the best game of his young career with 7 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. In all the defense forced four Boston turnovers which turned the game in the second half.

While all the attention in St. Louis is on the baseball Pioneers pennant win, the Ramblers football team has quietly strung together four straight wins including a thrilling come from behind 20-17 victory over Los Angeles yesterday. The Tigers led 17-0 midway through the third quarter before the Ramblers exploded for 20 points to pull out the victory, ruining a big game from Tigers star running back Dick Drum, who gained 145 yards and scored a touchdown.

The quick start to the season has the Ramblers thinking playoffs, something that has not happened since 1957. The Ramblers have been around since 1932 but have never won a post-season game in their history, reaching the playoffs just twice in that span.

After losing at home to Detroit in their season opener, the Chicago Wildcats have won back to back games with both coming against the San Francisco Wings. Chicago prevailed 21-9 at Cougars Park a week ago and yesterday the rematch at Golden Gate Stadium yielded similar results as the Wildcats came away with a 23-10 triumph despite the Wings controlling the play for much of the contest. Three San Francisco fumbles led directly to a pair of Paul Chestnut field goals to aid the Wildcats win.

The AFA's two newest teams, second year clubs Houston and Buffalo, each won marking the first time both have tasted victory in the same weekend. The Drillers evened their record at 2-2 as a Craig Oates field goal -his fourth of the game- with 42 seconds remaining gave Houston an 18-17 victory over Kansas City. Buffalo won for the first time this season, beating Cleveland at Forester Field by a 19-9 score. Both expansion clubs went 3-11 in their debut season.

The final contest on the docket saw the Philadelphia Frigates improve to 3-1 with a 37-7 rout over the winless Washington Wasps. The Frigates exposed Washington's secondary weakness as Philadelphia quarterback Jack Osterman threw for 257 yards with both Ed Tunstall and Moose Magruder surpassing the century mark in receiving yardage. The Frigates will face a much tougher challenge next week as they head to New York for a showdown with the unbeaten Stars.

It was a weekend with very little in the way of upsets as collegiate football neared the midway point of its season. The top two schools both had a relatively easy time with section rivals as both top ranked Cumberland and number two Central Ohio scored big victories.

The Explorers ran their record to 5-0 with a 44-3 thrashing of Central Kentucky in Deep South Conference play. It was once again Cumberland's high octane offense that made headlines with backs Henry Virkler and Robert Filas each topping the 100 yard rushing mark while quarterback Steve Peach completed six of eight tosses for 108 yards.

The Aviators are now 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Great Lakes Alliance play following a convincing 29-6 victory in Minnesota over St. Magnus. Larry Babyak had the big run, an 82-yard touchdown gallop in the second quarter, as part of a 154 yard rushing day for the senior from Columbus, OH.

Lubbock State won, but had a tougher time than expected with Arkansas A&T. The Hawks pulled out a 16-6 victory thanks to a late touchdown from Paul Coddington but the lackluster showing dropped the Southwestern Alliance school from third to fifth in the latest rankings.

Leapfrogging Lubbock State were both Penn Catholic and Lane State, each of whom improved to 5-0. The Crusaders moved up from seventh to third after claiming a hard fought 28-25 victory over a previously unbeaten Minns College eleven. Clint Sutter opened the second half with a 102-yard kickoff return to put Penn Catholic ahead for the first time in the game and they hung on for the victory, dropping the Mavericks from fifth all the way down to 19th in the rankings. Lane State held steady at number four after the Emeralds dumped West Coast Athletic Association rival CC Los Angeles 38-17 behind the strength of 3 touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Pat Lamar.

A mild upset in the Deep South as Noble Jones College fell out of the top ten with a 7-3 loss in a defensive struggle in Tallahassee against Western Florida. The Wolves only score came late in the third quarter when quarterback Jim Bussell called his own number and burst through the Colonels line for a 65-yard touchdown run.

The biggest offensive effort of the week came from the other Los Angeles school as sophomore halfback Wes Moore ran for 265 yards and 4 touchdowns to help Coastal California run its record to 3-1 by rolling over Idaho A&M 55-17. Moore had scoring runs of 75,46, 41 and 1 yard.


The bye week could not have come at a better time for the struggling Detroit Maroons. Coming off a 12-2 season, albeit one that ended in another playoff disappointment with the loss to the Chicago Wildcats in the semi-final game, there were high hopes as September arrived.

The season opening 31-28 win over the Wildcats in Chicago kept the positive momentum going and was a small measure of revenge for all of the playoff disappointments the Wildcats have inflicted upon Rollie Barrell's boys through the years. That win, in which Dee Cann threw for 218 yards and two scores, seemed to reaffirm the faith that coach Sam Wiggins has had in the 1961 6th round pick out of Daniel Boone College. Wiggins decision to hand the reins to Cann as a rookie last year, and keep veteran Sled Hicks on the bench was met with plenty of second-guessing but Cann proved he could do the job and led the club to its best regular season showing in decades.

The playoffs are a different story for the Maroons. They always seem to have been trouble. Lost in all the excitement in recent years over multiple titles from the Dynamos and Motors is the fact that the Maroons have not won a playoff game since 1936. And it is not like they haven't had opportunities. Title game losses in 1940, 1944 and again in 1945. Then after the league expanded to a 4-team playoff in 1951 the Maroons had four more chances but came up empty on each occasion. Including the loss last December at Thompson Field to the Wildcats, the Maroons have lost 7 consecutive playoff contests.

Cann can't be blamed for the playoff contest last year. He did throw an interception that led to the opening score in the Wildcats 30-7 victory but did a decent job after getting over the rookie nerves. There is very little likelihood that Hicks would have ended the playoff drought had he been under center.

Cann did struggle in the losses to Los Angeles and New York the past two weeks and that has renewed calls for Sled Hicks to take over. That seems unlikely to happen as for whatever the reason, Coach Wiggins has never been a fan of Hicks.

Selected third overall in the 1958 draft out of Valley State, it appeared the Hicks might just be the quarterback the Maroons have been searching for ever since Dewey Burdett rode off into the sunset nearly twenty years ago. Hicks started nine games as a rookie, won 8 of them, and led the Maroons to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. He threw for 260 yards in the playoff game that year but Detroit's defense could not contain Los Angeles in a 33-23 loss.

It seemed the Maroons were on the rise with Hicks playing a key role but he has been called on to start just two games in the past three years as Detroit first went with Tom Griffin, who is now a backup in Houston, and beginning last year with Cann. It should be noted that Detroit won both of the games Hicks started in 1960 while Griffin was 10-13 overall as a starter in Detroit including an awful three interception day in a 54-10 pounding the Maroons took from Kansas City in the 1960 playoff semi-final game.

Sled Hicks has just never received a fair shake in Detroit but with a crucial game, and a very winnable one, at Houston next Sunday this might be the time to see what Hicks can do. A loss to the second year Outlaws, who are 2-2 and have not looked bat at all this season, and a return to the playoffs is going to be a very difficult uphill battle.
Any hopes the Detroit City College Knights might have entertained about returning to Santa Ana for another New Year's Day classic game were crushed in Chicago yesterday after the Whitney College Engineers, a school that had never beaten the Knights since league stats were first tracked in 1940, shocked DCC 16-0 at Chicago's Cougars Stadium.

It was the Knights second Great Lakes Alliance loss in three weeks, after they fell 26-12 to Western Iowa in mid-September. They are 1-2 in conference play and even if they run the table and manage to beat Central Ohio in their season finale at Thompson Field the Knights will still need help if they are going to have an opportunity to avenge the 27-24 loss they took against Spokane State last New Year's Day.

The news was slightly better for the state's other major college program as St. Ignatius ended a 2-game section losing streak in dramatic fashion with a 14-10 come from behind win over Indiana A&M at Lansing. Steve Schenker was the hero as the Lancers sophomore back broke a 61-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds remaining in the game to provide the margin of difference. It also ended a 4 game losing streak for St. Ignatius against the Reapers.

Next up for each is a non-conference meeting with the Lancers hosting Deep South outfit Northern Mississippi (3-2) while the Knights are heading to Carolina to face North Carolina Tech (2-2) for the first time.

• In a UN speech frequently interrupted by anti-Castro hecklers, Cuba branded as "an act of war" any United States move to impose a naval blockade on the island nation. The speech also challenged chief United States delegate Adlai Stevenson to stand up and give guarantees that the United States plans no attack on Cuba if this is the case.
• The three Western powers protested to the Soviet Union the refusal of East German guards to led a British Army ambulance go to the aid of a man wounded along the wall in East Berlin. Russia refused to accept the protest.
• North Koreans go to the polls today but the ballot will only contain a single slate of deputies nominated by the Communist Party for the nation's Parliament.
• Congress completed and sent to the White House the nearly $4 billion foreign aid bill. The proposal includes authority to lend the International Money Fund $2 billion and other items which run the total up to $6.3 billion.
• The Justice Department says nearly 40% of the 538 marshals called to help quell riots last week at the campus of Mississippi A&M, suffered some sort of injury before tear gas was deployed against the demonstrators. Most of the injured were hit by bottles, bricks and other flying objects.
• Campaigning for mid-term elections, President Kennedy hedge-hopped through the Midwest, arguing the election of any additional Republicans to Congress will bring the Nation's progress to a halt.
• A report, months in the making, challenging the scientific competence and decision-making methods of the Food and Drug Administration will be presented to the Welfare Secretary this week.
  
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Probably my new favorite thread around here, I love the little news reports. Brings this alternate sports universe to life in a way.

October 10th, 1962
 

If you told Sailors fans they piled seven runs off the best pitcher in the world, they'd be on the brink of celebration. I mean, if you can pound one of the best pitchers in the game, you'd be in pretty good shape against anyone else?

Well, the Sailors had to wait until game four to get their chance at Mack, as the first matchup saw the second best pitcher in FABL, Billy Hasson (20-9, 3.11, 185), taking on Sailors stopper Eddie Chapman (8-12, 23, 3.50, 66). A bold decision by the Sailors staff, Chapman made all 68 of his appearances out of the pen, and for the most part, they were pretty good. The only issue is starting games, especially in the postseason is much different, and Chapman was not ready for that. Just one of the first four batters were retired, loading the bases up for Steve Schultz (.302, 31, 117). Schultz took the first pitch for a strike, before ever-so-slightly placing a flyball 339 feet to left, just barely clearing the wall in left.

Going from a sac-fly to a grand slam is a huge change, as even after surviving an error later in the inning, down 4-0 in the first is a tough feat to come back from. Thankfully for the Sailors, Chapman righted the ship, putting up zeros for the next three innings. That would have been the perfect time to let him go, but he was back out in the fifth to face the top of the order. Singles to Bill Bather (.290, 14, 35, 6) and Dixie Hutchings (.271, 12, 54) got things going, and even with Bob Bell (.386, 46, 120, 6) up next, Walt Zecher stuck with his stopper.

It worked, Bell flew out, but when it was time for Jerry Smith (.304, 27, 100, 14), Chapman could not get the double play he needed. Instead, it was another homer, this one worth three, and the 7-0 lead ended Chapman's night. San Francisco went to another Eddie, Eddie Whitney (2-0, 1, 3.10, 11), and continuing with the theme of the night, he allowed a home run of his own. It came to his second batter, as likely Kellogg winner Danny Davis (.352, 26, 96) hit a solo homer to make it 8-0.

In the end, they just needed the first homer, as Billy Hasson was pitched exactly how you'd expect a 3-Time Allen winner to pitch like. His only blemish came in the 9th, when John Kingsbury (.350, 22, 113, 13) turned a leadoff double into a run, the only one they'd get. After 144 pitches, Hasson finished off the complete game, allowing just 7 hits, a run, and 2 walks with 7 strikeouts. In front of the home fans, he did exactly what was needed, and put the Pioneers in great position.


With Frenchy Mack (25-5, 2.06, 288) on the mound, Lou Ormsby must have been very confident in winning. With a triple crown winner taking on 3rd starter Hank Lacey (15-8, 4.10, 143), everything looked to favor the hosts, but once the first pitch was thrown, chaos ensued.

Carlos Jaramillo (.291, 8, 45, 27) started things off with a single, and he got to second on a steal, advancing to third on a bad throw. He was stuck there for an out, but quickly scored when Kingsbury getting the scoring kicked off with a homer. Heinie Spitler (.333, 4, 81, 27) continued things with a walk, and Ernie Carter's (.340, 12, 119, 10) single ended with Spitler at third and Carter thrown out at second. As bad as that was, it was worse for the Pioneers, as Spitler scored the next at bat, and center fielder Bill Bather strained his oblique making the throw, being forced to leave the game.

The Pioneers got one back in the bottom half, as Whitney winner Bob Bell cut the lead to two with a solo shot, but the Sailors attacked Mack again in the second. Opposing pitcher Hank Lacey started the second rally, a solo homer of his own, and before Mack could finish the second, three more runs crossed the board. This made it 7-1, and while Mack did finish the inning, bringing him out for the third seemed unlikely.

In fact, Mack was pinch-hit for, as after back-to-back one-out singles, Paul Watson (.247, 8, 68) scored them both with a triple, bringing up the pitcher spot with a chance for damage. The pinch hitter flew out, but Bather's replacement Ray O'Connor (.231, 2, 27, 4) kept the inning going with a walk, allowing Dixie Hutchings a chance to do damage. He succeeded, doubling home both runners and ending Hank Lacey's night. An error kept the inning going, but Davey Chamberlain (5-4, 4, 3.59, 27) managed to wiggle out of it with their now 7-5 lead in tact.

The lead didn't last long, as glove-first catcher Sam Ruggles (.267, 11, 77) tied the game up with a huge two-run homer. The 4th and 5th were the only scoreless innings, but in the 6th, another two-run homer gave St. Louis the lead. After two quick outs, Bell extended the inning with a walk, and Jerry Smith hit his second homer in as many games.

Again, the lead didn't last long, but before getting to that, we need to recognize the performance Mel Hill (2-1, 1, 5.72, 23) had. He wasn't the first reliever in, but despite not having a great season, the 24-year-old lefty did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Threading together four scoreless innings, he held a top offense to 2 hits and a walk, striking out 2 in a 71-pitch effort. Once he left, the Sailors got back to scoring, as after a quick out the bases were loaded with three singles. Postseason legend Edwin Hackberry (.289, 24, 95, 23) got them within one, and then postseason star John Kingsbury tied the game with an RBI single.

St. Louis couldn't score in the bottom of the eighth, San Francisco couldn't in the top, so the only thing to prevent the game going into extras would be a walk-off in the 9th. To force extras, the Sailors turned things over to Zane Kelley (14-7, 4.49, 114), who had the tough feat of dealing with the 3-4-5. He got Bob Bell to ground out, Jerry Smith too, so Steve Schultz was the last hope. Working the count to 3-2, he extended the inning with a single, and then he got to third on Danny Davis' 0-2 single. This brought up catcher Sam Ruggles, one of the many heroes of the game, and after working the count to 3-1, he snuck a hard groundball between third and short, sending the home fans in a frenzy, as they are a game away from greatness.


All that's left now is one more win, as 23-year-old Steve Madden (16-10, 3.40, 143) will pitch on short-rest to take on 23-year-old Sailors ace Charlie Lawson (16-10, 4.02, 169). Both won their first career playoff start, as Madden won game two and Lawson won the opener. With the rest advantage, the Sailors should be in good shape, but they lost all momentum after blowing a huge early lead. Rumor has it that after their tough loss, Edwin Hackberry led a team meeting, inspiring his squad to leave it on the field like he does each and every game.

• Many at the United Nations seem agreed on is that a meeting between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev, likely to be held at the UN in New York, is highly probable.
• United States pressure on Fidel Castro's Cuba is beginning to get results - producing alarm, anger and cries of "help" from Havana. That is the prevailing judgement in the United Nations as diplomats try to sift propaganda from fact following an abusive speech from the Cuban diplomat.
• Early this morning the Cuban Armed Forces Ministry accused a United States jet fighter of firing nine rockets into Cuban territory. The Castro government has repeatedly charged the US violated its air space but this was the first time a plane was accused of firing.
• Secretary of Defense McNamara returned from meeting in Hawaii with top Army officials in Viet Nam. The Defense Department says the reports from Gen. Harkins, commander of all American forces in South Viet Nam, "are by far the most optimistic made yet." However, McNamara and other Pentagon civilian officials are said to be more cautious in their estimation of the progress of the guerrilla war in South Viet Nam.
• Delayed again. Hopes of adjourning Congress this week were dealt a heavy blow when the House rebuffed a Senate attempt to originate an appropriations bill with the biggest stumbling block being a $5 billion supply bill for the Agriculture Department.
• In California, failed 1960 Presidential candidate Richard Nixon predicted he would be elected Governor of California when they go to the polls on November 6.
  
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October 12th, 1962
 

San Francisco had their backs against the wall, needing to win game five on the road to extend the series. With ace Charlie Lawson (16-10, 4.02, 169) on the mound, they must have liked their chances, especially since he navigated the Pioneer lineup well in game one.

Instead, he was down quick, as after getting a quick first out, he gave up a single to Dixie Hutchings (.271, 12, 54) and a homer to Bob Bell (.386, 46, 120, 6). That lead was short lived, the top of the second started the same way, ground out, single, 2-run homer, with Ray Rogan (.307, 14, 85) tying up the game and giving Lawson a reprieve. He came out with confidence, getting a quick out, but a big swing from Paul Watson (.247, 8, 68) changed the course of the game.

Watson cleared the fence with a monster 401-foot shot, and this time, Lawson could not recover. He walked opposing pitcher Steve Madden (16-10, 3.40, 143), he got to second on a single, and third on a wild pitch, scoring on a two-run single to make it 5-2. San Fran went to the pen, bringing in Davey Chamberlain (5-4, 4, 3.59, 27) who promptly balked Hutchings to third. He finally retired Bob Bell on a ten pitch ground out, but he extended the inning by hitting Jerry Smith (.304, 27, 100, 14). With runners on first and third for Steve Schultz (.302, 31, 117), Chamberlain left one over the plate, allowing the talented slugger to bash one 110+ mph to right center, clearing the bases and extending the lead to five. It almost became 7 on a huge swing from rookie Danny Davis (.352, 26, 96), but he was just under a fastball, caught in left to end the inning.

With plenty of run support, Madden locked in, and on short rest he threw 100 effective pitches. He got all but five of the outs needed, holding the Sailors to those 2 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. 4th starter Charlie Blake (15-10, 4.45, 147) made his first relief outing since 1959, recording two quick outs to end the 8th, and since they got another run in the 6th, with an 8-2 lead they didn't even go to their stopper in the 9th. Instead, 32-year-old righty Bill Davis (0-0, 1, 4.10, 10) was charged with getting the final three outs, and with a ground out and two fly outs, the Sailors went down without a whimper, and a raucous Pioneer Field got to roar in excitement as the 1962 World Championship Series winners stormed the field and celebrated their 4th title and first since going back-to-back in 1947 and 1948.


There were plenty of deserving candidates, but in the end it was outfielder Bill Bather who was named the series MVP. Bather did leave game 4 with injury early, but he was 9-for-18 in the series with a pair of home runs. Personally, I'd side with Jerry Smith, who was 7-for-18 with a double, 2 homers, 5 runs, 6 RBIs, and 3 walks, but Bather was the heart and soul of the Pioneers, and they were not the same without him. He's the only reason Detroit got close at the end, and he made some outstanding catches out in center to save runs.


The WCS is the 5th title for the city of St. Louis, with the most recent win their basketball team in 1960. The other four come from the Pioneers, which now ties St. Louis with Pittsburgh for 11th. Both teams have ways to go before reaching the top 10, but for Pittsburgh it's impressive considering the Miners haven't won since 1901. Their 61 year drought is the longest for any pro franchise, and the only one with more then 50 years since their last title. Of course, plenty of teams haven't won, including St. Louis' football team that is title-less since being founded in 19343.

• President Kennedy signed into law a pair of key bills including a historic trade expansion pack that gives the President vast power to reduce most tariffs, repeal others and forge economic links with the European Common Market.
• Britain's Conservative Government won an overwhelming victory in its plan to take the United Kingdom into the European Common Market.
• The New York attorney who is negotiating for the release of 1,113 Cuban invasion prisoners, left Havana and returned to Miami after his talks with Fidel Castro hit a snag.
• William Knowland, a former US Senator from California who served as Republican leader of the Senate, has called for a full U.S. naval blockade around Cuba. Knowland says that Russian actions in Cuba constitute "a clear violation of the Monroe Doctrine."
• Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy says there may be a great crisis in Berlin within a few weeks, but the United States is ready for it. Kennedy did not specify what type of troubles there might be but he added that "American military strength has increased and we face that possible crisis with confidence."
• Richard Nixon "doesn't want to govern -he wants to dictate," according to Gov. Edmund Brown in a campaign speech as he attempts to retain his position in the upcoming California gubernatorial campaign.
  
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October 15th, 1962
 

While it might feel like it after a ticker tape parade from near where construction on the arch is set to begin in five months down to the Forest Park Avenue stadium on Saturday, the news was not all good for the city of St. Louis. While sports fans in the Gateway City could celebrate Thursday night's World Championship Series clinching victory by their beloved Pioneers, Sunday proved to be much more sobering as the American Football Association Ramblers were knocked off for the first time this season. It was their cross-state rivals from Kansas City that did the honours with the Cowboys riding to a 22-9 victory at Pioneer Stadium yesterday.

In a defensive battle dominated by kickers for three quarters, Kansas City was nursing a 12-9 lead until second year quarterback Jeff Kelly strung together four straight passes in a quick 62-yard drive that culminated in a 16-yard Mike Peel touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining in the game. That score, the only touchdown of the game, gave the Cowboys some breathing room and a 19-9 lead before they added a late field goal to round out the scoring. The win improves the Cowboys season record to 2-3 and spoils a terrific 166 yard rushing day from Ramblers veteran back Dean Turgeon, who took over the league rushing lead with his big outing.

The loss leaves the Ramblers just a half game ahead of the 3-1 Chicago Wildcats for top spot in the West Division. The Wildcats, who dropped their season opener, have reeled off three consecutive victories, including yesterday's 15-7 win on the road over the Los Angeles Tigers. George Hornback ran for 133 yards including a 15-yard touchdown scamper on the opening play of the fourth period to lead the way for Chicago.

Defending West Division regular season champion Detroit evened its record at 2-2 with a 28-0 victory in Houston. Art Heal did most of the heavy lifting rushing for 148 yards while quarterback Dee Cann completed 10 of 19 pass attempts for 191 yards in a game that saw Detroit dominate the total offense by a margin of 373 yards to just 88 for the overmatched Drillers.
There appears to be no stopping the New York Stars, who have outscored their opponents 140-37 and ran their record to 5-0 with a 24-3 victory over the Philadelphia Frigates at Gothams Stadium yesterday. Orlin Youngs, who missed last week with an injury, split time at quarterback with Harris Kummer and the pair combined for 130 yards through the air for the two-time defending AFA champions.

Big plays proved the difference for New York as safety Rich Hewlett recovered a fumble deep in Frigates territory to set up the first New York touchdown and an Orlin Youngs to Matt Center 46 yard pass play just before the half led to a second Stars major.

Speaking of big plays, a 36-yard field goal by Dana Lawson with 13 seconds left on the clock gave the Boston Americans a 17-16 win over the San Francisco Wings at Golden Gate Park. The victory keeps the 4-1 Americans just a game back of New York heading into their showdown at Minutemen Stadium next weekend. Kevin Soba ran for 112 yards including a 15-yard first quarter touchdown that helped Boston build a 14-0 lead but the Wings kept it close thanks to Howie Roberts 37-yard scoring run late in the second period. A trio of Tom Calkins field goals had the Wings up 16-14 until Lawson's late game heroics which came after a 14-play, 81-yard late game drive from the Yanks.

Elsewhere Brad Kugler returned the opening kick of the game 107 yards for a touchdown as the Pittsburgh Paladins downed winless Washington 17-6 despite the fact the Wasps dominated most of the key offensive stats. Finally, in Buffalo the Red Jackets beat Cleveland for the second week in a row, blanking the Finches 21-0 at Red Jacket Stadium behind a pair of John De Jong touchdown runs. De Jong, a sixth year back out of Redwood University, was named the offensive player of the week for his efforts which included 122 yards on the ground.




The Central Ohio Aviators were dealt a serious blow in their quest for their first-ever collegiate football national title after they were upended by Lubbock State 13-10 in a battle of top ten schools. With backs Paul Coddington and Rich Gingerich each surpassing the 100 yard mark rushing, the hosts from the Southwestern Alliance dominated the time of possession but it took a fourth quarter field goal from Bill Lumley to secure the victory for Lubbock State. The win moves the 5-0 Hawks up to number three in the latest rankings while the Great Lakes Alliance leading Aviators dip to 4-1 and fall from second to tenth. Central Ohio was the only top ten school to come up short this week.

Top ranked Cumberland won for the sixth time as the Explorers, behind three Steve Peach touchdown tosses, took care of business against Arkansas A&T on Saturday with a 24-13 victory on the road in Hot Springs. The Badgers, who were 7-4 a year ago and played in the Oilman Classic, continue to struggle this season as their record falls to 1-4. The Explorers have next Saturday off before finishing their season with section games against Bayou State (2-4), Mississippi A&M (4-1), Bluegrass State (3-2) and Opelika State (4-1). Cumberland's November 10 game in Nashville against Mississippi A&M will likely pose the biggest obstacle for the Explorers to match the 1954 Cumberland squad that went a perfect 11-0. The 15th ranked Generals beat Bayou State 28-19 to improve to 4-1 overall and match the Explorers 3-0 mark in Deep South Conference play.

West Coast Athletic Association leader Lane State moved up to second in the rankings after the Emeralds passed a key test in their bid to play on New Year's Day in Santa Ana for the first time. Lane State did qualify for the 1941 East-West Classic, a game in which they tied Noble Jones College 14-14 but due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the game was shifted to New York that year. Saturday afternoon at home in Eugene, the Emeralds were carried on the back of Harry Menard to a 17-9 victory over visiting Redwood. Menard, a sophomore halfback, scored a pair of touchdowns and ran for 191 yards in the win. The rushing total was 2 yards shy of the school record Menard established in an opening week win over Wisconsin Catholic.

At 4-0 in conference play and with just games remaining against Spokane State, Idaho A&M and in-state rival Portland Tech, Lane State has a pretty clear path to the WCAA title. Coastal California is also unbeaten in section play at 3-0 but does have a tough challenge in Redwood plus their annual season ending game against CC Los Angeles with both of those contests on the road. The Dolphins blasted Darnell State 47-3 in a non-conference game Saturday and are ranked 9th in the latest polls.

Three independents are in the top ten led by 4th ranked Penn Catholic, which beat winless Academia Alliance outfit Pierpont 24-14 on Saturday. Miami State moves up to 6th after the Gulls added to struggling Rome State's woes this season with a 23-13 victory. St. Pancras (6-0) is seventh after the Lions tamed College of San Diego 26-16 on the west coast Saturday evening.

The most dramatic finish among ranked schools occurred in Augusta where Scott Teague kicked two field goals of at least 40-yards each in the final three and a half minutes to enable the Noble Jones College Colonels to pull rank on the Alexandria Generals with a 25-24 victory. There was more good news for Noble Jones College this week as the Colonels revealed that Willie DeMarco, a defensive end out of Pennsylvania that is considered a top ten recruit, has officially committed to the Colonels. DeMarco, who was also being courted by Northern California, Georgia Baptist, Maryland State and Central Ohio, becomes the first top ten recruit to commit to a school for next year.

In other Saturday games of note St Blane (3-2) won for the second week in a row, holding off Minns College 19-17, 6th ranked Chesapeake State upended Georgia Baptist 33-17, Eastern Oklahoma improved to 5-0 and cracked the top ten with a 27-20 win over Payne State in the Midwestern Association opener for both schools, the bad season continues for Detroit City College after the 2-3 Knights were doubled 28-14 on the road by North Carolina Tech while out west Spokane State upended CC Los Angeles 37-20 and Northern California clobbered Idaho A&M 52-6.


The two-time defending Challenge Cup champion Detroit Motors got off to an impressive start with a 5-0 drubbing of the New York Shamrocks in their season opener on Thursday and then three nights later raised a banner to the roof of Thompson Palladium in honour of the franchise's sixth Cup victory. The Detroiters had to settle for a 1-1 tie with the team they defeated to win the Cup last April, the Montreal Valiants, on that night.

In between Detroit was dumped 4-1 in Chicago by the hottest team to start the season - the Chicago Packers. Led by a NAHC best six points in three games from veteran winger Ken York, the Packers were the only team in the league to win each of its first three contests. Defenseman Danny Connaughton scored with just over a minute remaining in the game to give Chicago a 4-3 season opening victory over Toronto on Wednesday. Goaltender Andrew Bomberry turned aside all but one of Detroit's 34 shots in a 4-1 Packers win on Saturday and Bomberry was just as impressive last night in Boston as the Packers beat the winless Bees 4-1.



Toronto 3 at Chicago 4: Ken York scored twice in the opening period and assisted on Chicago's other two goals including Danny Connaughton's game winner with 1:07 remaining in the game to give the Packers a 4-3 win over visiting Toronto in the opening game of the 1962-63 NAHC season.

Montreal 5 at Boston 1: Jocko Gregg scored twice including his 300th career goal to lift the Montreal Valiants to a 5-1 win over the Boston Bees at Denny Arena.

Detroit 5 at New York 0: After the Shamrocks lost all seven of their preseason games, the slump continued as they dropped a 5-0 decision to the defending Challenge Cup champion Motors in their regular season opener. Detroit outshot the Greenshirts 51-15 and to make matters worse for New York, defenseman Robert Ling, who was waived by the Shamrocks and claimed by the Motors, had a goal and an assist against his former team. Charlie Dell stopped all 15 shots he faced for a shutout in his Detroit debut while Colin MacMillan paced the Motors offense with a three point night.

Detroit 1 at Chicago 4: The Packers improved to 2-0 at Lakeside Auditorium with a 4-1 win over Detroit. Ken York, who had 4 points in the opener for Chicago, added another goal in this one while Packers netminder Andrew Bomberry stopped 33 of the 34 Detroit shots he faced.

New York 1 at Montreal 4: The Valiants won for the second game in a row while the Shamrocks losing skid including preseason games was extended to nine with a 4-1 Vals win at the Montreal Arena. Jocko Gregg, who began his career in New York, scored his third of the season for Montreal with Scott Ducek and Jamie Kobel each picking up two points for the winners.

Boston 1 at Toronto 4: The Dukes, who finished with the best regular season record in the league a year ago, rebounded from an opening night loss in Chicago with a 4-1 win over Boston, dropping the Bees to 0-2. Quinton Pollack had a pair of assists while 23-year-old Toronto winger Andrew Williams enjoyed his first career two point night.


Chicago 4 at Boston 1: Two teams heading in opposite directions as the Packers improved to 3-0 while the Bees lost for the third straight outing. Andrew Bomberry made 34 saves in the Chicago net while veteran Packers winger Ray Weller scored twice. The contest marked the NAHC debut for 19-year-old Bruce Callahan. Boston's first round pick, the youngest player in the league this season, did not pick up any points but did manage five shots on goal.

Montreal 1 at Detroit 1: A rematch of the Challenge Cup finals saw the visitors from Montreal take an early lead on a Matt Mercier goal but the Motors answered with a Louis Rocheleau marker midway through the third period in an evenly played game that ended 1-1. Goaltenders Tim Burrows of the Valiants and Detroit's Sebastien Goulet each had a strong game in what was the season debut for both.

Toronto 4 at New York 4: Dixon Butler scored midway through the third period to allow the Toronto Dukes to salvage a point in a 4-4 tie in New York. It ended a 9-game losing streak for the Shamrocks. Mitch Parsons paced the New York attack with two goals while Quinton Pollack enjoyed his second consecutive two assist night. Pollack has yet to score this season but does have 5 helpers.



Toronto's icemen start the 1962-63 season with a win, a loss, a tie not bad but not what fans were expecting from the Dukes under Ari Bear for his third season as headman. The Dukes seemed to leave their legs in the dressing room on Opening Night in Chicago before a packed Lakeside Auditorium. Toronto could not find its way out of their own zone in the first 15 minutes not being able solve the hard forecheck of the Packers. Chicago was all around the Dukes' cage testing Mike Connelly time after time from the slot. Fortunately some of the Chicago shooters had trouble finding the net with shots going either high, wide, or both. The home side finally cashed in after Lou Galbraith was sent off for high sticking when Ken York scored from Mike Homfray, Mark Milot. Chicago increased their lead to 3-0 over the next five minutes with Pete Bernier and York, with his second, both found the twine behind Connelly. The Dukes seemed to wake up after the third goal, they were rewarded a gift they needed with 35 seconds remaining in the period when Mitch Moran deflected a Quinton Pollack pass past a sprawling Andrew Bomberry. If Bear thought the team had found their legs at the end of the first he would not have been able to tell in the middle frame. The Packers dominated the period peppering Connelly with 21 shots while Bomberry face only 4 in twenty minutes. Remarkably there was no scoring as the Packers still held a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. Bear somehow lit a fire under his troops during the intermission. Toronto came out flying in the third narrowing the gap to 3-2 on Joe Pelkey's goal before the 5 minute mark.

The teams trade chances over the next 10 minute with both goaltenders forced to make tough saves. Dukes tied the game when Tim Brooks beat Bomberry with 6:11 left to play. It looked like the Dukes would secure an undeserved point until Danny Connaughton finally beat Connelly, who faced 48 shots on night, with a game winner at 18:53.

Bear put the team through two high tempo, hard skating practices along with a tougher than normal morning skate before their home opener at the Gardens on Saturday night. The 14199 on hand saw the results with Dukes on top of the visiting Bs in all phases of the game skating to a relatively easy 4-1 victory. Toronto was up 3-0 after 40 on goals by Ray MacDonald, Andrew Williams, Jimmy Cooper before Neil Wilson spoiled Connelly's shutout bid early in the third. Spencer Quinn's scored late for the final tally of the game.

It was a quick turnaround for the team with an overnight train trip into NYC to face the Shamrocks in Bigsby Gardens Sunday afternoon. Early on the Dukes seemed no worse for wear going up 2-0 in the first 10 minutes on goals by Williams, Bill Archer before Bruno Legg halved the lead at 13:21 of the first. Toronto restored a two goal advantage early in the second before NY rallied on goals by Chris Lafontaine, Mitch Parsons to send the game into the final 20 deadlocked at 3. Parsons gave the Shamrocks their first lead at 4-3 before the four minute mark of the third. Dukes fought back to escape the Big Apple with a point on a tying goal by Dixon Butler from Pollack at 10:21. That was Pollack's fifth assist of the young season. Both teams teams settled into defensive shell for the balance of the game that ended 4-4.

Coach Bear- " It is still early, lots of work to do in all areas. We seemed to lose focus for extended periods of time in both the road games. I will stress that the game is 60 minutes long we have to work for all 60."


Every season some FABL players, coaches, and executives decide to call it quits, but this season the game is losing two of its most prominent names. Even if one, the retiring of legendary hurler Rufus Barrell, was foretold, it's still a huge loss to the sporting world.

One of the most well-known athletes in the world, Rufus "Deuce" Barrell II pitched for 24 years, making his debut the same year soon-to-be 2-Time Whitney winner Bob Bell (.386, 46, 120, 6) was born in Missouri. All Barrell has done since is win 5 Allen Awards and 3 World Championship Series, selected to 12-All Star games while totaling 359 wins, 2,727 strikeouts, and 120.9 WAR. The 6'4'' lefty threw 5,437.1 innings pitched, worked to a 3.31 ERA (120 ERA+), and made 725 appearances, doing everything in his power to win games, either for the Cannons or Foresters.

When the Hall calls his name, he'll go in as a Cannon, where his name is all over the team leaderboards. He ranks 2nd in wins (216), strikeouts (1,679), shutouts (34), and WAR (74.6), in both cases behind Hall-of-Famer Mike Marner (309, 2,606, 67, 111.8), who threw over 4,000 innings for the Baltimore Cannons and 3rd in starts (417) and complete games (211). Of course, unlike Marner, he had a decade in Cleveland, and even iin Foresters history he's top-10 in wins (7th, 143), WAR (5th, 46.4), starts (7th, 279), shutouts (4th, 22), strikeouts (5th, 1,048), and WHIP (7th, 1.25), while his 2.3 K/BB is best among pitchers with 500 innings. To be as good for as long as Barrell is the perfect combination of luck and natural talent, and it was almost like he had the career of two All-Star level pitchers mixed into one.

When you put it together, you get an All-Time great, as Deuce finishes Top-5 All-Time with 359 wins (3rd), 696 starts (4th), 5,437 innings (5th), 2,727 strikeouts (3rd), and 120.93 WAR (4th), though with all the pitches he threw, his 396 home runs allowed are most of any FABL pitcher. With no active pitcher within 100, it may be a record that's his for a time, but 50 years from now no one is going to remember that. They'll remember start after start where he took the bat right out of opposing hitters hands.

Our other notable retirement comes from the bench, as after one season at the helm of the New York Imperials, Hall-of-Fame player and manager Ed Ziehl announced his re-retirement from baseball. An infielder with 3,496 career hits and 170.5 WAR, the 75-year-old Ziehl ended a decades long hiatus from coaching, leading his New York expansion team to a FABL worst 38-116. Obviously, the blame can't be put on him, this is a guy who won 5 pennants and 2 titles with the Gothams, but those teams had stars and all this team has is Turk Ramsey (.282, 36, 89) and a group of misfits.

It didn't take long for a replacement to be named, as while the job might not have been an enticing one from outside the organization, the Imps will look internally. Going with another former Gothams player and manager won won a pennant, Bud Jameson was named Ziehl's replacement, earning the promotion from bench coach to manager. Bud also took a decade off coaching, but from 1945 to 1952 he was at the helm of the Gothams. Bud won 85 or more games in 6 of his 8 seasons, but don't expect much more then 70 for the new skipper.

Other Notable Retirements
LHP Duke Bybee (40, 147-140, 13, 3.84, 1,216): Pitcher for the Cougars, Saints, and Sailors. Was taken by the Wranglers in the expansion draft, but was injured and out for the season in the spring. Was once ranked among the top pitching prospects in baseball and was an All-Star in 1947 and 1951. A rough 1952 saw the new Cougar front office cast him off, but he carved out a nice career as a useful innings eater.

LF Larry Gregory (39, .296, 173, 1,117, 61): Initially a two-way player who came up with the Stars, but was traded away in an ill-fated deal for Ed Cornett. Made his full season debut with the Pioneers in 1945 where he was named to his first of six All-Star games. Won WCS MVP in 1947 and won the Federal Whitney in 1951. Despite the award and hitting .320/.404/.530 (150 OPS+) with 20 homers, 115 RBIs, and a Fed high 47 doubles, internal tension led to him being benched for the next three seasons.

Eventually, the Pioneers saw the error of their ways, and moved him back to the starting lineup in 1955. He rewarded them with another season with a WRC+ above 125, and he made 100 or more starts through 1960. His offense cratered in 1961, leading him to transition into a bench role. He made just 277 PAs that year and 48 this year, but the well-known veteran got to end his career with his 3rd championship. He was 0-for-2 this time around, but in four postseason trips he hit .386/.485/.595 (194 OPS+) with 2 homers, 10 RBIs, and 11 walks. Gregory ends his career top-10 in Pioneer history for slugging (10th, .449), OPS (9th, .833), at bats (3rd, 3,400), runs (2nd, 1,184), hits (3rd, 2,187), homers (3rd, 173), RBIs (3rd, 1,106), and walks (2nd, 1,091), and is the Pioneers all-time position player leader with 2,306 appearances and 448 doubles. All but 30 of his 2,336 games came in a Pioneer uniform, and there are some within the organization that expect his #16 to be retired by the team.

RHP Wally Hunter (41, 126-95, 35, 4.01, 836; .242, 7, 67): Another guy who came up with the Stars as a two-way player, Wally Hunter debuted for the Stars in 1943, but didn't play again for them as he drafted into the war effort. During that he was involved in a huge trade with the Gothams in January of 1945, shipped off later that August to Detroit in the Sal Pestilli for Jim Lonardo trade. "Big Game" Hunter broke out in 1946, 17-9 with a 2.38 ERA (139 ERA+) in 30 starts, but the Fed walk leader (105) had an up-and-down career. He sort of reached that level again in 1951, but he was more solid then great, and by 33 he was banished to a pen role. Was a big part of the Dynamos dynasty in the 1950s, winning four titles before leaving town. Won the Kellogg as a rookie in '46 and was an All-Star in 1951.

2B Del Johnson (39, .278, 95, 742, 193): Like Wally Hunter, Del Johnson was a 4-time title winner, as the second basemen was a crucial part of their lineup functioning as perfectly as it did. Taken 6th in 1945, he debuted that September, and spent a decade as the Dynamos everyday second basemen. He went to three All-Star games, including during his aged 32-season in 1955 where he hit an excellent .323/.408/.482 (134 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 14 homers, 90 RBIs, and 18 steals. An excellent base stealer, defender, and contact hitter, he also showed out in the playoffs, hitting .330/.423/.453 (142 OPS+) in five series with Detroit. He got two more in Cleveland, where he spent part of 1958, part of 1961, and the two full years between them, but most of it was as a reserve. He spent the last season and a half with the Chiefs, though he was cut early this season. A useful lead-off/#2 hitter, Johnson finished his FABL career with a .278/.348/.393 (103 OPS+) line, adding 193 steals, 326 doubles, and 1,035 runs.

SS Cecil LaBonte (37, .281, 85, 754, 219): Former Gotham first round pick who spent just a month in the minors before debuting with the Gothams in 1947. A quality defender, hitter, and base runner, he was an All-Star at 23 in 1949, and for a six-year period he was a top-3 shortstop. Only problem is he never hit above average in a year after his aged 26 season in 1956, and once he hit 30 almost all his production was gone. Was always a solid defender, even giving decent second base work for the Saints this season. But hitting .201/.239/.276 (32 OPS+) makes it look like you pitch, and hat was all it took for LaBonte to call it quits. Almost a Gotham lifer, he played 1,808 of his 1,981 games in two stints in the Big Apple.

LHP Carl Potter (36, 139-131, 3.54, 1,462): One of the best cases of "What If". Carl Potter burst onto the scene at 19, going 14-11 with a 2.79 ERA (124 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts. He kept that up, continuing to provide the Dynamos with ace-level production, and in 1948 the 22-year-old led the Fed in ERA (2.89) and WHIP (1.20). 1949 was his big breakout, as the already elite Potter delivered one of the best pitching seasons of the decade. The Allen winner led the Fed in wins (22), ERA (1.97), innings (293), WHIP (1.05), and WAR (9.3), and with 162 strikeouts he was so close to a tripe crown.

In 1950, his luck started to change, as after a 20-win season he lost a Fed high 20 games. It wasn't really his fault, his 2.87 ERA (143 ERA+) was outstanding and he did start a Fed high 36 games, leading as well in innings (304.2), strikeouts (177), and WHIP (1.15). Poised for a big year at 25, he felt a pinch in his elbow, leaving his first start of the season. It ended up as the only, as the young ace tore his UCL, and dealt with a lengthy recovery. When he finished, he wasn't nearly the same, as his 4.43 ERA (80 ERA+) was nothing like he's ever shown, the first season with not only a below average mark, but one that wasn't at least 24% above average. After leading the league in WHIP three years running, that was up to 1.56, and the in command Potter walked 100 with just 73 strikeouts. With his age, there was still hope he'd recover, but the Dynamos had no faith. He was moved to the pen, then traded to the Cougars, and he continued to bounce around before his eventual retirement this season.

Including his 30 games with the Minutemen this season, he ended up with 139 FABL wins, which is still a solid mark. But when you consider he had 92 before he turned 25, it's nothing short of disappointing. Injuries ruined what would have been an extremely promising career, and some Dynamo fans still cling on to the Potter of the late 40s they thought would lead their Dynamos to the promise land. Which I guess he did. For one of their titles. Lucky Dynamo fans...

Three players who each contributed to some of the Dynamos six pennants between 1952 and 1958 have retired: Del Johnson, Carl Potter and Wally Hunter.

Johnson, the long-time Detroit second baseman, played in 5 WCS for the Dynamos before moving on to Cleveland and winning two more pennants. He finished with the Chicago Chiefs and ends his career with 1,938 hits in 1,949 games. Johnson broke in with Detroit as a 22-year-old in September of 1945 after being drafted sixth overall out of West Goshen State that same year. He finished second to teammate Hunter in the 1946 Federal Association Kellogg Award voting and would be a three time participant in FABL's all-star game. His 1,732 games in a Detroit uniform are fifth all-time and he also ranks fifth in hits as a Dynamo.

Potter looked like a future hall of famer when he won 79 games before his 24th birthday including a 22-8 Allen Award winning season in 1949. An injury on opening day 1951 derailed his career but Potter still finished with a 139-131 career record, leaving Detroit in 1953 and bouncing around with multiple stints in Boston and with the Chiefs before a brief return to the Motor City. The 4-time all-star was on a pair of Dynamos pennant winners.

Hunter pitched in 9 WCS games over five seasons for Detroit, finishing with a 126-95 career regular season record that began with the New York Stars before he went off to war and continued with 13 seasons in Detroit before stops in Washington and Cincinnati. Hunter won the Kellogg Award in 1946 and was a twenty-game winner on the 1952 Dynamos.
It looks like Badger Rigney has decided to put the Barrell brothers together on the same line. 21-year-old Hobie Barrell, already considered one of the best players in the NAHC as he enters his third season. Hobie is coming off a 79 point season -second only to Toronto living legend Quinton Pollack- and has been a fixture for most of his time in Detroit on the left wing alongside pivot Alex Monette. Monette missed some time last year with an injury and there are some worries that the 29-year-old five time Challenge Cup winner may have slowed a bit.

Rigney scoffs at that notion but perhaps more telling of Rigney's true feelings is the recent move to put Monette on the third line and have him swap places with Benny Barrell. Hobie's older brother is 24 and embarking upon his fifth season with the Motors. Benny has primarily been used in a checking line role but did collect 47 points each of the previous two seasons. Four goals in training camp including a hat trick in a friendly against New York caught the coaches attention and Benny's ice time has increased.

A slow start by Hobie, with no goals and just 1 assist in the first three games, has prompted the coach to put the brothers together on the top line with veteran right winger Jake Clark. Monette will drop to the third line between Pete Stojanov and veteran Louis Rocheleau. Rigney has given no indication if this is a permanent move but both Barrell brothers were looking forward to being linemates when the Motors take the ice Thursday at the Palladium against a hungry Boston Bees club still searching for its first victory.
A week off allowed the Detroit Maroons to get back on track as the local football club halted their two game losing streak. The Maroons offense and its much maligned defense were both humming as the club improved to 3-0 all-time against the sophomore Houston Outlaws with a 28-0 victory.

As great as it was to see Art Heal run for 148 yards and Dee Cann have a strong game under center following a couple of weeks of struggles, the big news was the Maroons defense. A dominant performance to hold Houston to just 88 yards of total offense and force 3 turnovers.

Naysayers can point to the fact that Houston is only a second year club, and won just 3 times a year ago as an expansion outfit, but they entered the game with a 2-2 record including a win over Kansas City the previous week. The big test for the Maroons comes next week when they host the Chicago Wildcats at Thompson Field. Detroit beat Chicago in the season opener but the two clubs have a habit of coming up with road victories in the long-standing series between the pair.

News on Saturday was much worse as this is clearly a lost season for Detroit City College. The Knights lost for the second week in a row and third time in five outings after heading east and being embarrassed 28-14 by North Carolina Tech. It was the Knights first-ever game against the Techsters and one that is best quickly forgotten. It will be a tough test next Saturday when Noble Jones College, always among the best teams in the nation, makes a visit to the Motor City. The 4-1 Colonels are loaded with talent again this year and boast one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, surrendering an average of just 13 points per game.


While neither a .500 nor a 7th place finish would seem like accomplishments to most FABL teams both of these seemed to have given baseball fans on the north end of Lake Ontario hope for the future after years in the dark. With expansion to ten teams in the FA, CA this was the first time since 1956 that three teams finished behind the Wolves in the standings. Toronto improved their record by 18 games over 1961 which is the biggest improvement since a difference in wins of 35 between 1896, 1897 for franchise the has been around for 80 years starting in the old Border Association in 1882. The team had four winning months April (7-6), May (15-14), July (15-10), October (2-1) to go with three losing months June (11-17), which deflated the supporters as Toronto had become famous for collapsing as spring turned to summer over the last decade, August (14-15), September (13-14). After a slow start the pitching staff, in particular the starters, came around to lead the team finishing in the top half of all statistical categories in the CA.

Two things must be mentioned here: 1) Randy Hohlt's stressing fielding helped the pitchers day in, day out by turning hits into outs snuffing out rallies instead of as in the past turning outs into hits or errors, The Wolves were third in the league in fielding, 2) The pitching staff had three significant injuries that skewed the statistics.

Phil Colantuono was limited to 10 starts after an arm injury during the spring, George Hoxworth was out from the end of May due to elbow issues, Jim Jackson missed the entire season due to a shoulder injury. Jackson was being counted for some stability in relief during 1962. The bullpen, which was better but still not good, was led by Zeke Blake who obviously tired down the stretch due to the volume of work. Jackson is not expected back until next July after being injured in March. The hitters kept the Wolves' heads above water until the pitching staff stabilized then faded to what was expected, a team that would have to scratch out every run. Tom Reed led the batters until he received some much needed help in September from Ed Savage, 25, who tore up the league with a line of .442/.513/.797 with 10 HR 36 RBI 21 XBH in 152 PA for an an OPS of 1.281.

Now a quick look forward to 1963:
C- Ty Rusconi fulfilled the role acceptably backed up by Dixie Williams. Al Curtis made an impression after helping Buffalo to their first Union League title in 42 years. Early betting is that Rusconi may move to a fourth OF slot going forward which leaves Carl Clark's future in doubt with the Wolves.

1B- Charlie Harvey was the starter for most of the season until Savage was called up. Tom Reed then moved to first severely diminishing Harvey's playing time. Reed may be at 1B going forward although some staff are of the opinion that Savage should spend the winter with a first baseman's glove learning the position to hopefully reduce his defensive limitations. Two moves, which could be a harbinger of things to come, have already been made with both Rocky Stone, 32, Jake Buck, 34, being DFAd at end of the World Series in a move to free up spaces on the 40-man roster.

2B- Phil Story had a better than expected year at the plate along with providing sound defense. His season has been raising questions about the Roy Demonbreun, who has been with the Wolves since 1954, value to the team going forward.

3B- Clyde Fisher hit .309 with acceptable defense at the hot corner. He was backed up Cal Wells who also can play 1B, SS. Wolves also have Stan Merrick, 20, on the way. Merrick had a line of .335/..407/.546 20 HR in AA. Fans can expect to see him in camp during March. His only drawback is that hits from the left side of the plate. Wolves are desperate for RHB(s) to balance Hohlt's lineup.

SS- Jesse Taylor like his double play partner, Story, surprised a little on the positive side with the bat along with reminding older fans of Charlie Artuso with his defensive ability at short.

LF- OF seems to be strength for the Wolves with young players ready to take on the FABL. Most observers see a platoon in left between Chick Reed, 26, along Frank Hardin, 25, who dominated in AAA before coming to Toronto in July. Two injuries limited Hardin's playing time in the big leagues over the last two months of the season.

CF- Sid Cullen's smooth fielding a in tandem with a some power means center is locked up for a few years unless the oft injured Cullen cannot answer the bell.

RF- Ed Savage's bat will keep him patrolling the grass in right unless he make the transition to 1B which would move Tom Reed back to the OF.
This ends Part One of the Wolves' recap. Look for Part Two in which Brett will preview the pitching staff along with the challenges faced by the team in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. With 28 players available to other teams unless they are put on the 40-man roster. Brett, before he moves to Dukes coverage, sees some tough decisions having to be made in the Wolves' offices before December.

• Frank Seeley, a young New York City born heavyweight is a fighter to keep an eye on. The 21-year-old improved to 7-0-1 with a six-round unanimous decision over Jim Rice in a fight in Rice's hometown of Philadelphia last week.
• Two other rising young heavyweights with strong records met in Washington DC. Colton Matthews, who hails from Richmond, VA., improved to 17-2 with a third round TKO win over Matt Ryan (17-3-1).

• November 1- Heavyweight champion Walt Phillips, a 25-year-old San Francisco native, who was the surprise winner of a title fight with Harry Pratt in July, makes his first title defense against 26-year-old George Galleshaw. Phillips enters the bout with a 34-7 record. Galleshaw, a native of Syracuse, NY, who held the title for a year and half beginning in 1960, is 34-2-1 with his only two losses to Brad Harris and Bert Parks coming in title fights.

• The 87th Congress finally adjourned after giving President Kennedy a substantial part of his New Frontier program.
• Kennedy blasted Republican critics of his Cuban policy, denouncing "self-appointed generals and admirals who want to send someone else's sons to war." A day early Indiana Senator Capehart called during his re-election campaign for military action against Castro's Communist regime in Cuba.
• The United States has assured West Germany that it is determined to maintain the right of civilian and military access to West Berlin against any new Soviet move aimed at isolating the city.
• Communist guerrillas shot down to United States Air Force plans in South Viet Nam, killing at least the three Americans aboard one of the planes.
• Algerian Prime Minister Ben Bella received a red carpet reception on the White House lawn when he arrived for a conference and luncheon with President Kennedy.
• Kennedy will step up an already vigorous stretch of campaigning aimed at rousing supporters of his New Frontier programs to the importance of voting on November 6.
• The Justice Department asked that Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett be fined $100,000 for failing to purge himself of contempt of court in connection with James Meredith's admission to Mississippi A&M.
• A portable device for shocking the heart has proved successful in restoring the "dead" to life, a Baltimore surgeon has announced. The unit, which places electrodes on the chest, may become a new tool for rescue squads and emergency ambulance teams to use on persons who have collapsed, drowned or been electrocuted.
  
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October 22nd, 1962
 

The Boston Americans proved on Sunday that the New York Stars were human after all as the Yanks became the first team in well over a year to beat the Stars. The result, a 13-3 Boston win at Gothams Stadium on Sunday snapped a 17-game winning streak for New York that goes back to mid-September of last season when the Stars, who went 13-1 a year ago before running the table in the playoffs to win their second consecutive AFA championship, fell 9-6 in Pittsburgh in the second game of the season. Since then the Stars won 12 in a row to finish last season and each of their first five games this year. It was also New York's first regular season loss at Gothams Stadium since the final game of the 1957 when Boston also beat them - a string of 28 straight victories.

Entering the game the Stars had turned the ball over just five times in their first five games but Boston forced four New York turnovers on this day. The first one, a fumble from running back Reid McDuffy, proved very costly as it came inside the Stars 20 yard line and just one play after the Americans had kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Three Bob Callender runs later the Yanks lead was extended to 10-0.

New York would get three points back with a field goal of their own late in the second quarter but that would be as close as the Stars could come as another fumble and a pair of Harris Kummer interceptions derailed what little momentum they could muster against a determined Boston defense. The Yanks did not dominate on offense but they avoided mistakes in a contest that was almost a direct opposite of the meeting between the two clubs in Boston two weeks ago. That one saw New York hang on to the ball while the Yanks turned it over 4 times and lost by 15 points.

The Boston win tightens up the East Division race as the season approaches the midway point. The Americans and Stars are both 5-1 with the Philadelphia Frigates, following a 41-17 victory in Pittsburgh yesterday, just a game back. Jack Osterman threw for 132 yards while a pair of Frigates defenders- Bill Kirsch and Link Gossney- each returned an interception for a touchdown in the Frigates romp over the Paladins.
The Chicago Wildcats avenged an opening week loss to the Detroit Maroons with a 27-6 victory at Thompson Field. George Hornback ran for 113 yards and a touchdown while Fred Gunther added 97 on the ground as the Wildcats offensive line overpowered the Maroons for most of the day.

St. Louis started the season with four straight victories but the Ramblers fell for the second time in as many weeks, losing 20-3 to a Los Angeles Tigers club that put the game away with 13 fourth quarter points. George Manes and Dick Drum each ran for touchdowns for the Tigers, who even their record at 3-3.

Elsewhere the Kansas City Cowboys won for the second week in a row. Elvin McGoldrick paced the Cowboys with 2 touchdowns and 182 yards rushing in a 38-17 victory on the road in San Francisco. Charlie Cooney kicked three field goals and Val Forte's only carry of the day was a 24-yard fourth quarter touchdown run as Washington won for the first time this season, beating Cleveland 16-6 while in Houston the two second year teams hooked up with the host Drillers beating the visiting Buffalo Red Jackets 6-0 on a pair of Craig Oates field goals.


The unbeaten ranks among the 111 major AIAA collegiate football programs has been trimmed to six after two more schools went down to defeat for the first time this season on Saturday. The two that were on the wrong end of results this time around were the Miami State Gulls and the Chesapeake State Clippers.

The Gulls, who entered Saturday ranked 6th in the nation, exited the weekend as #17 in the latest polls following a 38-20 loss to Western Florida on the road in Tallahassee. The win for Western Florida returned the 5-1 Wolves to the top ten, a spot they had not occupied since the second week of the season. Like Miami State, Chesapeake State also lost on the road to a 5-1 Deep South Conference team as the Clippers were upended 37-26 by Mississippi A&M in a game that saw Generals senior back Dave Witcher rush for 170 yards and find the end zone on three occasions.

The six remaining undefeated teams hold down the top six positions in the polls, ranking just ahead of Western Florida and 8th seed Mississippi A&M. Another Deep South school leads the way as Cumberland (6-0) continues to top the rankings and has been number one since overtaking Central Ohio six weeks ago. The Explorers had the week off and begin their final stretch of four games against section opponents next Saturday against 2-4 Bayou State.

Lane State (6-0), leaders of the West Coast Athletic Association, also had the week off but the Emeralds - face defending WCAA champ Spokane State (3-3) next weekend as they look to continue their dramatic turn around coming off a 2-8 season a year ago. The Emeralds did slide a spot in the rankings, dropping from two to three as Lubbock State leapfrogged them following a 24-21 victory over Oklahoma City State in a game that required a 16-yard Bill Lumley field goal to decide with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation time.

Penn Catholic holds steady in the fourth spot as the Crusaders become just one of two teams to reach seven victories this season. Kevin Campbell threw for 121 yards and Rick Fowler ran for 112 as the Crusaders overcame a pesky Cleveland State team for a 15-0 victory.

With Chesapeake State and Miami State both losing, St. Pancras skipped ahead two spots this week and the Lions crack the top five for the first time in at least a decade. The Lions, led by a pair of John Anderson touchdown runs, dumped Annapolis Maritime 33-9 in the rain on Saturday to join fellow independent Penn Catholic at 7-0. All eyes in the northeast are glued on November 3 when the Lions and Crusaders are set to met in Philadelphia.

The final unbeaten school is Eastern Oklahoma after the Pioneers ran their record to 6-0 with a 12-0 shutout of Midwestern Association rival Topeka State on Saturday. Eastern Oklahoma is looking to play on New Years Day for the third time in the past five years.

Other games of note saw mixed results in out of conference games for Great Lakes Alliance schools. Tenth ranked Central Ohio (5-1) had little trouble with Queen City as the Aviators won the All-Ohio battle with a 37-3 victory in a game that saw Larry Babyak score three touchdowns and rush for 178 yards. The terrible season for Detroit City College continues as the Knights fell to 2-4 after Noble Jones College easily outpointed DCC 33-13 at Detroit's Thompson Field Saturday. Whitney College (4-2) held off Chicago Poly 14-13 dropping the Catamounts (5-2) out of the top 25 but Western Iowa fell 24-13 in its rivalry game against Iowa A&M leaving both schools at 4-2.

Hugh Brasfield rushed for 167 yards as Travis College nipped Tempe College 24-17. Brasfield, a junior from Philadelphia, MS., leads the nation in rushing with 1,034 yards gained on the ground so far this season. But that was nothing compared to the afternoon John Fahringer had. The Lawrence State senior back gained 334 yards and scored four touchdowns, on runs of 21,24,72 and 90 yards as the Chippewa clobbered Baton Rouge State 79-14. The Red Devils, long-time Deep South Conference doormats, are 0-6 and appear to be headed to their third consecutive winless season.

Normally a meeting between St. Blane and Rome State would be one of the biggest stories of the season but neither school is anywhere near were it once was. They met in neutral ground in Philadelphia on Saturday and it was an entertaining game with the Centurions prevailing 34-28. The result left each of the struggling schools with a middling 3-3 record on the season.

Finally in recruiting news a second top ten prospect has committed to a Georgia school. A week ago Willie DeMarco, ranked 7th overall and second among defensive lineman announced plans to attend Noble Jones College next fall and this week it was Georgia Baptist's turn to celebrate as the Gators landed the best high school receiver in the nation, securing John Wang, a tall end who hails from Florida. The two prize quarterbacks that headline this year's class - Tom McNamara out of Connecticut and Pennsylvania's Dwayne Hathaway- both remain numb on their college plans for next year.


To what should be the surprise of no one, Danny Davis and Ham Flanders were named the Federal and Continental Association Kellogg Award winners, receiving all 20 of the first place votes. Both young stars were first-year All-Stars, and will receive some down-ballot Whitney votes for their dominant offensive performance.

Davis got to take home a Diamond Defense Award and World Championship ring too, giving the recently turned 23-year-old an accolade filled season. Taken 3rd in the 1958 draft, Davis opened the season as the #3 prospect, and all he did was produce 6.5 WAR for a championship team. The Iowa native slashed an elite .352/.415/.599 (154 OPS+) in 149 appearances, good enough for a Whitney in some seasons. When combined with the 34 doubles, 15 triples, 26 homers, 96 RBIs, and 112 runs, he made an impact not only putting the ball in play, but hitting it hard. The only thing he doesn't do, is steal bases, as despite solid speed and stealing ability he was just 2-for-10 on attempts. That's about the only way to get him out, as he even walks (63) about as often as he strikes out (70). A legitimate five tool player, his addition to the Pioneers lineup turned them into a legitimate contender, and while he's not the best, or even the second best. Or maybe even third. But there are plenty of unlucky teams out there who'd build their entire roster around a guy like this.

Flanders was in the quest for .400 for three or four months of the season, before a drop in August and a middling September. This eventually had him fall out of the batting title, finishing second after hitting .361/.425/.603 (160 OPS+) with 35 doubles, 16 triples, 26 homers, 13 steals, 105 RBIs, and 114 runs. While a rookie, 1962 wasn't a debut season, as in 24 games last year he hit a solid .322/.402/.489 (136 OPS+) with 11 extra base hits in just 102 PAs. A former 2nd Rounder of the Cougars, he was acquired straight up for veteran southpaw Andy Logue (11-17, 4.11, 126) just two seasons ago. A huge pickup for the Saints, their middling offense was elevated to the top half, and the 24-year-olds excellent bat gives Montreal their most dangerous hitter in recent memory.

The third iteration of the Diamond Defense Award winners were announced today. Founded in 1960, the award goes to the player in each Association who gave his team the best defensive effort. A full list for each association can be found below:

• Four players were named Diamond Defense winners for the third time in three seasons. Three of them were in the Conti, Hal Kennedy (C), Carlos Jaramillo (SS), and John Kingsbury (LF). The fourth was in the Fed, as all shortstop Diamond Defense awards have gone to Jaramillo and Joe Reed of the Detroit Dynamos
• Manager Walt Zecher's two year run as Sailor's manager ends as GM Larry Link stated "We built a good team for him... I'm just not convinced he could push it over the finish line. Plus I want to bring in my own guy as I inherited him when I took over."
• Replacing Zecher at the helm is 59-year-old Chris Beck. Beck spent 1957 to 1962 as the manager of the AAA Jersey City Uniforms. Before that, he was the bench coach of the Denver Bruins for four years. All ten of his years of coaching have came at the AAA level. In Jersey City, he had just one losing season, this year, and won 82 games both in 1958 and 1961.
• Both Big Apple clubs announced new managers for 1963. The New York Imperials officially named Bud Jameson, their bench coach for 1962, the new manager of the club. On the other side of town, the Gothams named former New York Stars draftee Harry Davis as their new skipper. Jameson spent multiple years as the Gothams manager, while Davis is a rookie manager.
• Only one managerial position remains, as the Cincinnati Cannons have yet to announce who will replace long-time skipper Buddy Baumgart. Baumgart was in charge for a full decade, going 755-785. Buddy failed to lead the Cannons to a pennant, winning 80 or more games in three seasons, but he failed to reach 70 four times.

The Montreal Valiants have yet to lose after two weeks of North American Hockey Confederation action. The Vals opened their season with wins over Boston and New York before tying Detroit eight days ago. The story was much the same this week as the club claimed a pair of 4-3 decisions over Toronto and Boston at the Montreal Arena before travelling to New York last night and claiming a single point in a 1-1 tie with the Shamrocks.

Thirty-five year old winger Jocko Gregg, who scored a career best 73 points two years ago before dropping to 44 last season, seems to have found his form again as the veteran leads the club with 4 goals and three assists through six games. Montreal has been getting scoring from some unlikely sources including rookie Dick Pepe, who has 3 goals and 5 assists in his first six NAHC games despite spending most of his time as the 10th forward. Second line center Scott Ducek and depth defenseman Jamie Koebel have also been collecting points. Nathan Bannister has won all four of his starts in net but he is being pushed by backup Tim Burrows who has been outstanding in his two appearances but has had to settle for a pair of 1-1 ties.

The Valiants will face a test this week as they have a home and home series with the Chicago Packers beginning Tuesday evening in the Windy City. The Packers are 3-2-1 and tied with Detroit for second place.

Chicago 1 at New York 1: The Shamrocks remain winless but they did pick up their second tie of the season, battling Chicago to a 1-1 draw. Wayne Lancien opened the scoring for the hosts in the first period before Chicago's Guy Bernier tied the game in the middle frame. Andrew Bomberry made 32 saves for the Packers while veteran Alex Sorrell stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced in the New York cage.

Boston 1 at Detroit 4 : The Bees dropped to 0-4 on the season with a 4-1 loss in Detroit. Hobie Barrell scored twice -his first two goals of the season- for the Motors while defenseman Robert Ling continues to excel since being claimed on waivers from New York. The 23-year-old, who scored just 4 times in 61 games a year ago, notched his third of the season and an assist for the Motors. As if the slumping Bees need more bad news but they learned they will be without winger Andy Olson for the next week or two after the 23-year-old left the game with an elbow injury.

Toronto 3 at Montreal 4: The surging Valiants remain unbeaten as Jocko Gregg and Dick Pepe scored third period goals to rally past the Toronto Dukes 4-3. Pepe's game winner came on the powerplay with just 15 seconds remaining in the contest. Defenseman Jack Charest, who scored Montreal's first goal, suffered a groin injury in the first period and is likely sidelined until the new year.

Boston 3 at Montreal 4: Another late game winner for the Valiants as Matthew Muir lights the lamp with 43 seconds remaining in the game to lift Montreal to a 4-3 victory over winless Boston. Scott Ducek and Mark Moggy each had a goal and an assist for the winners.

Chicago 2 at Toronto 6: Quinton Pollack and Nick Poulin each had a goal and two assists to lead the Dukes to a 6-2 victory over Chicago and avenge Toronto's loss in the Windy City last week. It was a rough night for Andrew Bomberry in the Packers net, as he allowed six goals on just 23 shots. Ken York had a goal and an assist for the Packers in a losing effort.

Toronto 3 at Boston 3: The Bees finally earn a point as Jesse Mayes scored in the third period to give Boston a 3-3 tie with Toronto and end the Bees five game losing skid to start the season. 40-year-old Quinton Pollack is heating up for the Dukes as he scored twice on this night, after earning 3 points in yesterday's win over Chicago.

Chicago 2 at Detroit 3: Hobie Barrell's third goal of the season, near the midway point of the third period, proved the difference and lifted the Detroit Motors to a 3-2 victory over visiting Chicago. Hobie's brother Benny Barrell and Louis Rocheleau also scored for the Motors while Robert Ling had two more assists and the defenseman is the surprise scoring leader for Detroit with 7 points in 5 games. Randy Katic and Mark Milot replied with second period goals for the Packers who were outshot 39-24.

Montreal 1 at New York 1: The Montreal Valiants have yet to lose in six games this season although they were held to a 1-1 draw by New York. Both goals came on the powerplay in the second period with Chris Lafontaine opening the scoring for the Shamrocks before Charlie Hamblin tied it ten minutes later. Tim Burrows was solid in his second start between the pipes for the Valiants. His first, last Sunday, was also a 1-1 tie.

Toronto finishes the second week of the NAHC season with the same results a win, a loss, and a tie. Toronto now has a record of 2-2-2 to sit in the last playoff spot during the early going. They have scored the most goals, 23, that is tempered by the fact that 18 goals against is the second most in the league. The week began on Thursday in the Montreal Arena facing off against the high flying Vals who are undefeated with a record of 4-0-2. Nicolas Poulin quickly silenced the 15375 on hand with his first goal of the season 39 seconds after the puck drop. Montreal responded quickly on a marker by Jack Charest just after 3 minutes had been played in the game. With the first period just past the halfway mark Tim Amesbury restored the Dukes lead scoring his first of the season setup by linemates Jimmy Cooper, Joe Pelkey. Toronto stretched the lead to two when Poulin's power play marker made it 3-1 at 5:28 of the second before Matthew Muir closed the gap with Nick Landry off for hooking. Montreal had a 5-3 power play just before the goal, Pelkey had just been let out of the box before the goal at 9:49. Vals had a one shot advantage after two, 23-22. Montreal pressed Toronto the entire final frame testing Connelly 15 times in the third. Penalties again plagued Toronto, the Vals had consecutive man advantages in the last half of the third. Just after Ken Jamieson returned to ice Cooper went to the sinbin for high sticking. Nine seconds into the second chance Jocko Greggs goal, his 4th, tied the game at 13:49. Montreal won the game 4-3 went Dick Pepe beat Connelly with 15 seconds left in the game with Montreal's third power play goal of the game. Ari Bear was heard muttering "damn stick penalties killed us."

Coming home to the Gardens on Saturday night the Dukes took care of the Packers in a tight checking affair. Led, as usual, by Pollack's 1G, 2A Toronto scored 4 in the third to make the final 6-2 after leading only 2-1 after 40 minutes of play. The Dukes won but Bear was said to upset in post game remarks to the team Brett has learned, Bear said the win was "more good luck, than good play" Chicago outplayed the home team in many areas of the game. Into Denny Arena Sunday to face the Bs again who are winless in the early season. The game was a wide open affair with 74 total shots on goal, Toronto tested Oscar James 40 times while Justin MacPhee had 34 directed his way. Two goals by Pollack plus one by Own Green had the Dukes leading 3-2 early in third when Jesse Mayea tied the game at 6:21 of the third at 3 which was the way the game ended giving Boston 0-5-1 their first point of the season.

Coach Bear- Early on the games are low scoring, which is not unusual but I have a feeling this trend may continue deep into this season. Look at Detroit, only 8 goals against in 5 games, we see them for the first time this season next Sunday. I saw Jack Barrell the other day on the street we had a good conversation about the team which he still follows closely, he is at every home game. We have to stop taking stupid penalties especially lazy stick infractions. Usually a hooking or tripping penalty is taken because you are caught out of position then try to recover to get back into the play. I invited Barrell to practice on Tuesday, we have 5 days to work on our game."

• Buffalo Bill Mayville improved to 29-3-2 after the Western New York heavyweight stopped Tom Lowe (21-10-1) in a bout in Louisville, KY. last week.
• Another Buffalo born fighter was also in action last week as 32-year-old middleweight Ed Taylor (32-14-16) knocked out John Murray in the fourth round of their bout in Detroit.

• November 1- Heavyweight champion Walt Phillips, a 25-year-old San Francisco native, who was the surprise winner of a title fight with Harry Pratt in July, makes his first title defense against 26-year-old George Galleshaw. Phillips enters the bout with a 34-7 record. Galleshaw, a native of Syracuse, NY, who held the title for a year and half beginning in 1960, is 34-2-1 with his only two losses to Brad Harris and Bert Parks coming in title fights.

• President Kennedy is set to address the nation tonight by television and radio on "a subject of the highest national urgency," believed to be Cuba. White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger told reporters the President had called the National Security Council, the cabinet and congressional leaders of both parties to separate meetings at the White House today.
• Speculation Cuba was the focus of the administration's activities was heightened by United States military activity in the Caribbean area. About 40 ships, 20,000 men and carrier-based aircraft assembled for Navy maneuvers near Puerto Rico.
• In response to the White House announcement, the stock market broke sharply this morning under the heaviest selling since last May's "big drop." Worries over international developments were blamed as triggering the plunge.
• Havana radio called the US military buildup in the Caribbean area "an increase in the policy of aggressive and barefaced provocations against Cuba by the Kennedy Government."
• Fighting over the disputed Himalayan border between China and India has ramped up. Chinese Communists are using tanks on the western end of the Indian border and have launched a new attack on Eastern India near Burma. Prime Minister Nehru declared that the Chinese attack threatened the independence of India, declaring his country is facing a "powerful and unscrupulous opponent."
• Tension mounted in Berlin early in the week but President Kennedy is reported to have sent word to Soviet Premier Khrushchev that he was willing to have an informal talk on the Berlin crisis and other world issues if Khrushchev decided to come to the United States in a few weeks.
  
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October 29th, 1962
 

Most of the award selections this offseason felt obvious. Both Kellogg's were unanimous, as this year's rookie class was stacked with top level talent, but with the Whitney and Allen there was more room for interpretation. I think the right choices were made, and in the case of Frenchy Mack and Hank Williams, they received all twenty first place votes that they deserved.

In the case of Frenchy Mack, the 25-year-old lefty put together one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory. A rare triple crown winner, Mack led his association in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, going 25-5 with a 2.06 ERA (223 ERA+) and 288 strikeouts. Along with those categories, he led the Fed in innings (266.2), WHIP (0.98), K/BB (4.4), FIP- (54), and WAR (11.2), dominating nearly every Federal Association hitter that got in his way. Mack's season got him in the Pioneer record books, as his 2.06 ERA was lowest since 1918, the 25 wins tied the 7th most by a Pioneer pitcher, and his WAR the highest of the century. On top of that, he had the best winning percentage (.833), matching Danny Hern's 25-5 in 1947, and his 288 strikeouts were most in team history. Aside from his awful performance in the WCS, there's no shortage of highlight reel pitches from Mack, and knowing he's atop the Pioneer rotation, it makes them an instant contender.

Mack's teammate Bob Bell was named the Whitney winner, earning 14 of the 20 votes for the Fed's best position player. Bell fits that to a t, as the also 24-year-old won his second straight Whitney. Bell slashed a robust .386/.477/.748 (206 OPS+) with a 211 WRC+, and if he doesn't get hurt he might have had a shot at 50 homers. The slugging middle infielder bashed 46 homers with 120 RBIs, 128 runs, and 28 doubles. Worth an absurd 11.6 WAR in 133 games, Bell beat out the Eagles' star Tom Lorang, who might have had the most under the radar 11 WAR season. Two tenths of a win shy of Bell, Lorang appeared in 151 games for the Eagles, hitting an absurd .386/.475/.688 (193 OPS+) with 35 doubles, 16 triples, 35 homers, 125 RBIs, 131 runs, and 94 walks. In almost any other year, that's a unanimous win, but the 21-year-old Lorang just got unlucky to be in the same association as Bell. A first-time All-Star, the young Lorang is already among the game's most talented players, as he picked up a Diamond Defense award at third and can do pretty much everything except run fast. It's a shame his season ends with nothing, but he's a big reason the Eagles had a great second half, and he should help push them to contention with graduated 5th prospect George Whaley (.321, 21, 63), who could have been a Kellogg candidate had he not came up in mid-July.

On the other side, it was the Whitney that was unanimous, as after flirting with .400 Hank Williams won his third Whitney and first since 1959. One of the best pure hitters in the game, Williams slashed .376/.464/.691 (190 OPS+) with 43 homers, 128 RBIs, 42 doubles, 128 runs, and 97 walks. Just like in his other two Whitney seasons, he led the Conti in all three triple slash categories, and like Frenchy Mack, he won the triple crown with his average, homers, and RBIs. Hammerin' Hank also led in runs, WRC+ (192), wOBA (.482), and WAR (9.3), fully showcasing his greatness. For a time, it looked like him and Dallas Berry (.330, 40, 125, 16) might jockey for the award, but as great as he was, Williams was just better. Dallas took most of the second place votes, and now head-to-head Williams holds a one Whitney advantage.

The most up-for-grabs award was the CA Allen, but it was the same situation, as the Allen and Kellogg played on the same team. The most contested of the votes, five pitchers, including the retired Rufus Barrell (17-9, 4.21, 92) earned a first place vote, with the 13 of the 20 votes going to Kings ace Beau McClellan. One of the best pitchers since his debut at 19 in 1951, McClellan is a 5-Time All-Star and 2-Time runner up, and in '62 he finally got over the hump. The perfect mix of talent and durability, McClellan's 264.1 innings were the most in the association, and he led in wins (17), HR/9 (0.6), FIP- (73), and WAR (7.5). For the seventh straight season he finished with a winning record, starting with back-to-back 20-win campaigns in the mid-50s. While not an overall dominant season, he was able to hold to finally to win the award pitcher's of his capabilities deserve.

• The only Continental pitcher with besides Beau McClellan with multiple first place votes was Toronto ace Arnie Smith. The 22-year-old was the controversial winner of the 1960 Allen, and finished 16-9 with a 3.40 ERA (137 ERA+) in 32 starts this year. His 1.16 WHIP and 201 strikeouts were best in the Continental.
• After handling interviews outside the organization, the Cincinnati Cannons appointed their AAA manager Hal Upton as the club's latest manager. In three seasons with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, Upton won 78 games his first season, 76 his second, and 74 his first. A former pitcher for the Sailors making 57 appearances between 1932 and 1935, Upton will hope that he can break his trend and not win 72 in his first season with the Cannons.
• Both of the pennant winning teams saw their manager take home the Manager of the Year award. Pioneer manager Lou Ormsby won a career high 97 games, increasing his win total in each of his five seasons. Former Sailors manager Walt Zecher has the rarity of winning the award but not being employed, as the long-time minor league pitcher has not had much interest in pursuing a new FABL role this year.

The New York Stars went 17 games without a loss but suddenly have now dropped back to back games. A week ago the Boston Americans snapped the Stars string that had included 28 consecutive wins at home. Yesterday in Detroit, it was the Maroons turn to take care of business against New York and Detroit completely overwhelmed the Stars in a 27-3 victory in which the outcome was never in doubt.

It has been a disappointing season for the Maroons, who went 12-2 a year ago before being upset at home by the Chicago Wildcats in the playoff semi-final. This year the Maroons entered Sunday with a 2-3 record but on this day looked like a championship club right from the start. New York quarterback Harris Kummer's was intercepted on his first play from scrimmage and it took Detroit just three plays for fullback Harmon Harrod to bull his way into the endzone from three yards out to give the Maroons a quick lead. It would be one of two scores on the day for the short yardage specialist our of St. Magnus.

Much of the credit for the Detroit win has to go to their defense, which bent but did not break against the talented Stars squad. Coming up big was third year linebacker Valentine Luker, who seemed to be everywhere on the field on this day, registering a game high 13 tackles. However, credit should also go to much-maligned Detroit quarterback Dee Cann who had a strong game as well. Cann completed 10 of his 21 heaves for 139 yards with the biggest toss being a 23-yard scoring play to Dennis Kamp that put Detroit up 17-3 just before the half.

The New York loss allowed the Boston Americans to replace the two-time defending AFA champs at the top of the East Division as the Yanks ran their record to 6-1 with a 30-3 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Paladins at Fitzpatrick Park. Kevin Sova paced the Boston attack with 131 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns.

The Philadelphia Frigates are now tied with New York for second place in the East after they nipped the Buffalo Red Jackets 27-21. John De Jong ran for 164 yards for the Red Caps but his effort was overshadowed by a 211 yard, 2 touchdown passing day from the Frigates Jack Osterman.

St. Louis halted its two game losing streak and moved back ahead of Chicago atop the West Division after the Ramblers rallied for a 38-27 victory over the Wildcats at Pioneer Field. Kevin Van Hook ran for three scores for the hosts including two touchdowns in a five minute span late in the game that secured the St. Louis victory.

In other action a pair of fourth quarter field goals lifted Houston past Kansas City 19-16. The Drillers victory improved their record to 4-3, already one more win than they accumulated as an expansion team a year ago. AFA leading rusher Dick Drum gained 215 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Los Angeles Tigers downed San Francisco 27-17 in a battle between the two west coast clubs while in the nations capital the visiting Cleveland Finches dumped the Washington Wasps 17-3.
Another unbeaten school has suffered its first loss but this one took overtime as Spokane State upset second ranked Lane State 19-16 and putting the Emeralds chances of a New Years Day trip to Santa Ana in jeopardy. The Indians rallied to force the extra period with a 14-play, 75 yard drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown run by Dave Roberts with 15 seconds remaining in regulation. That tied the game at 13 and in the overtime Spokane State's Gary Blaney kicked a pair of field goals. Dan Pine of the Emeralds was up to the task the first time but was wide right with a 13 yard chip shot that would have prolonged the game.

Spokane State, which represented the West Coast Athletic Association in last year's East-West Classic, put a real damper on the Emeralds hopes of qualifying this year. Lane State is 4-1 in section play and 7-1 overall but no trail Coastal California, which is 3-0 in conference action. The Emeralds loss drops them from 3rd to 13th in the latest collegiate rankings.

Central Ohio moved a step closer to a third trip to Santa Ana in five years as the Aviators improved to 4-0 in Great Lakes Alliance play and 6-1 overall after rallying for a 23-17 victory over Whitney College. The Engineers had led 17-7 at the half before the Aviators made adjustments at the break. Western Iowa beat Minnesota Tech 23-10 to stay within a game of Central Ohio for the GLA lead.
Henry Virkler ran for 188 yards and scored three touchdowns as number one ranked Cumberland improved its record to 7-0 with a convincing 44-3 road victory over Bayou State. The Deep South Conference title may well be decided next Saturday in Nashville as the Explorers host 6-1 Mississippi A&M. The two are tied for top spot in the Deep South at 4-0 after the Generals outscored Opelika State 30-20 on Saturday. The outcome that game may also decide the national champion as the Generals will enter the contest ranked 6th. In five of the last six years the national champion has come out of the Deep South with the lone exception being the Maryland State win a year ago.

Lubbock State may still factor in the national title picture as well but they will likely need Cumberland to be tripped up along the way. The Hawks are, like Cumberland, 7-0 and remain second in the polls after a dominating 41-3 victory over Darnell State in Lubbock. Rich Gingerich ran for 197 yards in the win while Hawks sophomore quarterback threw for a career best 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Fourth ranked Penn Catholic had the week off but third ranked Eastern Oklahoma and number five St. Pancras each remained perfect with victories. The Pioneers topped Tempe College 30-13 while the Lions became the first school to reach 8 wins this season by nipping Abilene Baptist 29-27 in a nail-biter that saw St Pancras kicker Gary Byington boot the winning field goal with just six seconds remaining in the contest.

Ken York is not a newcomer to the North American Hockey Confederation by any stretch of the imagination. The 25-year-old Chicago Packers winger is in his fifth season in the league and has scored at least 20 goals each of the past three years. He was a first team all-star selection a year ago after accumulating 51 points in 68 games. But this season it appears that York may have found yet another gear and is some are drawing comparisons to another legendary Packers scoring star - Tommy Burns.

Burns exploits are the stuff of legends and York has a long ways to go to approach that status but he is off to quite a start in that direction this season. The 1956 third overall draft pick is averaging nearly a goal a game with 8 in the Packers first nine outings and he has 8 assists as well giving him five more points than the next highest scorer in the league. That would be Toronto's ageless wonder Quinton Pollack, a man who has owned the NAHC scoring crown in recent years.

York's best game of the season came last night in New York and happened while his usual center, Pete Bernier, was serving a suspension for an incident in Montreal Saturday night. York scored three times and added two helpers in a 7-4 Chicago win over the New York Shamrocks. Led by York the Packers have gone 5-3-1 and their 29 goals scored is the most in the six team loop.

Montreal 2 at Chicago 1: Charlie Hamblin scored once and assisted on Yan Tremblay's third period winner as the Montreal Valiants held off Chicago 2-1 despite being outshot 26-18 in the game. Mike Homfray had the lone Chicago goal, early in the opening frame on the powerplay. The Valiants remain unbeaten with 5 wins and a pair of ties to start the season.

Detroit 3 at Boston 5: After losing its first five games of the season before getting a tie against Toronto last Sunday, the Boston Bees finally notched one in the win column with a 5-3 victory over visiting Detroit. Neil Wilson, who was named captain just prior to the start of the season, paced the Bees offense with a goal and an assist while 19-year-old rookie Bruce Callahan -the youngest player in the NAHC this season- picked up his first career NAHC goal. Hobie Barrell assisted on all 3 Detroit goals in a losing effort. The Motors outshot the Bees 43-26 but veteran Boston netminder Oscar James followed up a strong effort in Toronto with another terrific outing.

Chicago 4 at Montreal 2: After losing at home to the Valiants four days ago the Chicago Packers returned the favour by picking up a 4-2 victory over the Vals at the Montreal Arena. Ken York, Mark Milot and Pete Bernier each had a goal and an assist to pace the Packers. Bernier learned after the game he will be suspended for the next four Chicago contests due to a dangerous hit to the head in this game. Only York, with 11, has more points for the Packers this season than Bernier's 10.

New York 3 at Toronto 2: Second period goals from Sam Arniel and Chris Lafontaine lifted the New York Shamrocks to their first win of the season. New York did have three ties in its opening five games. Toronto peppered Shamrock goaltender Alex Sorrell with 17 third period shots in what proved to be a futile effort to tie the game. The Dukes had taken a 2-1 lead in the opening stanza.

Toronto 1 at Detroit 2: The Dukes are winless in three games after falling 2-1 in Detroit. Following a scoreless opening period Ben Kantner gave Toronto the lead early in the middle frame with a shorthanded goal but Colin MacMillan evened things with a marker less than ten minutes later. Robert Ling, the waiver wire pickup from New York, continues his hot scoring touch as the Detroit defenseman scored the winner on a point shot with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. Ling scored just 4 times in 61 games for New York last season but already has 4 in 7 games with Detroit.

Chicago 7 at New York 4: It was the Ken York show as the 25-year-old Packers winger scored a hat trick and assisted on two other goals in a 7-4 victory at Bigsby Garden. York now has 16 points, tops in the NAHC and five more than Toronto's Quinton Pollack who is second in the scoring parade. What is even more impressive is York had the big night while his usual center-iceman Pete Bernier was serving the first of a 4 game suspension. Pete's brother, defenseman Guy Bernier, also had a big night for Chicago with a goal and 3 assists.

After 5 days to work on their game Toronto had back to back games on the weekend, home to NY on Saturday then into Detroit for the first meeting of the year on Sunday. At the Gardens on Saturday night the fans were treated to wild start in a fast paced game. Alex Breen was penalized early for holding then got rung up for an additional ten after a heated exchange with the ref. Toronto only needed 22 seconds to capitalize on the power play when Hank Knackstedt, a Saskatoon native, scored on passes from Pollack, Jamieson. Fans barely sat down before Al Blanchette tied the game at 1:22 assisted by Charlie Winquist, Ken Bouvette. Jamieson put the home team ahead 2-1 before the game was 5 minutes old. If fans thought they were in for a high scoring affair were mistaken as both teams tightened up defensively after both coaches were seen addressing the players, with many arm gestures, on the bench.

There was no scoring for over 20 minutes of elapsed time when the Shamrocks Sam Arniel tie the game at 2 when his shot eluded Connelly at 5:02 of the second. In what is becoming an all to frequent habit of Bear's Dukes the team takes a penalty late in a period then pays for it. This time Cooper was called for roughing at 19:36 allowing Chris Lafontaine to score while up a man 8 seconds after the penalty. Toronto mounted a comeback attempt in the third, constantly buzzing around the NY net, by were unable to put the puck behind Alex Sorrell despite firing 17 shots on goal. NY escaped Toronto with a 3-2 victory.

Thompson Palladium was the site of first meeting of 14 between teams that definitely do not like each other in the NAHC. Fans were to see a matchup between the high scoring Dukes matching up with the stifling of checking of the Motors. Toronto tried to impose their will on Detroit in the opening 20 outshooting the Motors 12-7 although neither Sebastien Goulet in the Detroit cage nor MacPhee tending the Dukes' goal saw the red light go on behind them before the ice was resurfaced after the first. Toronto took a lead when Ben Kantner was sent in alone by Poulin while killing a penalty at 4:21 of the second. That was Toronto's second shorthanded goal of the season, probably fitting as they seem to constantly killing penalties. Motors controlled more the play in the second testing MacPhee 11 times. Colin MacMillan evened the score from Zach Roy, Joe Broderick at 12:41 sending the teams off the ice tied at 1 after two periods. Bear's bunch seemed to come out with more determination in the third only to be robbed by Goulet on a number great scoring chances. A bad turnover on a line change allowed Robert Ling, Benny Barrell to go in alone on MacPhee, Barrell slid a pass over to Ling who tapped the disc into a basically open net for the eventual game winner at 10:56.

Coach Bear- "Plain and simple, we have got to quit shooting ourselves in the foot. We lost both games on stupid plays, a penalty against NY, a bad turnover during a line change to Detroit. Those plays are unacceptable to me, wont work in the NAHC. I am seeing a bad trend developing here, teams are constantly beating us in the physical puck battles, that changes immediately, I will tell the players that they have to start winning the puck battles. If you don't want to battle I will find guys who want the puck you can watch from the press box."

Most of the time in the Wolves offices has been spent on working on putting together a list what to do with there 40-man roster. Brett reports they have been burning the midnight oil as he see lights still on in the offices when he is going home after Dukes' games. Some big decisions have to made with only 9 spots open and 24 players available for Rule 5. Some moves are obvious while others are being debated, hotly at times, as to which players should be left unprotected by the Wolves.

In other news two players were selected to the Diamond Defensive team P Arnie Smith, CF Sid Cullen. Randy Hohlt wants more players selected in 1963. George Snow left the organization to sign as pitching coach with the AAA Rochester Rooks. Interviews are under to replace Snow along with a new hitting instructor in Tuscaloosa.

The heavyweight division, as unpredictable as the autumn winds sweeping through Chicago, takes center stage again this Saturday night at the Lakeside Auditorium. Walt Phillips, the 25-year-old San Francisco native who ascended to the throne just three months ago, will make his first title defense against none other than the former champion, George Galleshaw.

Phillips, who claimed the crown in July with a workmanlike unanimous decision over Henry Pratt, steps into the ring against long odds and a man many still consider the best in the division. The heavyweight title, it seems, has become a hot potato, bouncing from one fighter to the next with dizzying speed. Before Pratt lost to Phillips, he himself had toppled Bert Parks, a surprise champion who seized the title from Galleshaw in this very same Chicago venue last December.

Galleshaw, 26 and hailing from Syracuse, New York, reigned as the heavyweight king for nearly two years before his shocking seventh-round knockout loss to Parks. That night in the Windy City, the former champ seemed out of sorts, his once-iron jaw cracked by Parks’ thundering right hand. Since then, Galleshaw has been biding his time, his lone appearance a January bout with Bob Botts that ended in a disappointing draw.

But now, the whispers from Galleshaw’s camp in New York are promising. His handlers say he’s sharper, faster, and fitter than ever before—a man on a mission to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his. Few doubt his chances, particularly given his history with Phillips.

This will be the second time these two warriors square off. Their first encounter, a little over two years ago in Milwaukee, was a lopsided affair with Galleshaw schooling Phillips and cruising to a unanimous decision. That victory propelled Galleshaw to the title, which he captured shortly thereafter with a dramatic tenth-round knockout of Dave Courtney.

Interestingly, Phillips has also faced Courtney, delivering an eighth-round stoppage of the former champ in a ten-round bout late last year. While that win solidified Phillips’ reputation as a rising contender, many still view his championship credentials with a skeptical eye.

Phillips enters this fight with a respectable 35-7 record and 15 knockouts to his name. But Galleshaw, with a record of 34-2-1 and a far longer tenure at the top, is the clear favorite in the eyes of fans and pundits alike.

Come Saturday night, the Lakeside Auditorium will bear witness to either the end of a short-lived reign or the resurgence of a man determined to reclaim his place atop the boxing world. One thing is certain: when the opening bell rings, the heavyweight division will once again take a dramatic turn, its storyline as unpredictable as ever.

• In Baltimore veteran heavyweight Keith Hyde ran his record to 31-14-1 with an 8th round knockout of Dwight Gaines. Hyde has stopped his opponents short of the distance in each of his last six outings.

• November 1- Heavyweight champion Walt Phillips, a 25-year-old San Francisco native, who was the surprise winner of a title fight with Harry Pratt in July, makes his first title defense against 26-year-old George Galleshaw. Phillips enters the bout with a 34-7 record. Galleshaw, a native of Syracuse, NY, who held the title for a year and half beginning in 1960, is 34-2-1 with his only two losses to Brad Harris and Bert Parks coming in title fights.

• A tense week with more than 20 Soviet ships steaming towards Cuba and a possible clash with American warships deployed to block delivery of "offensive military equipment" to the island.
• The Soviet government gave "a serious warning" to the United States and said that President Kennedy's quarantine of Cuba was a step toward thermonuclear war.
• By midweek US naval forces had intercepted a Russian tanker on the Atlantic Ocean but allowed it to proceed to Cuba through the blockade after determining its only cargo was petroleum. At least 12 other Soviet ships had turned back before reaching the blockade, leading to speculation they were carrying offensive weapons.
• Diplomats held little hope Acting UN Secretary General Thant's call for a freeze in the Cuban crisis would succeed.
• Kennedy has shut the door to any negotiations with the Soviet Union over the Cuban crisis until work on the Soviet missiles bases stops and the missiles are made inoperative.
• Copies of a booklet released last year called "You Can Survive an Atomic Attack" detailing what you should do in case of an attack are being widely distributed through the United States.
• India fears a full-scale invasion from advancing Chinese Communist forces as concerns mount the fight would spill over the northeast Himalayan frontier and onto the densely populated plains below.
  
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November 5th, 1962
 

Lakeside Auditorium, Chicago, Ill. – Walt Phillips (35-7-0, 15 KO) vs. George Gallashaw (34-2-1, 26 KO) – Referee: James Duncan

George Gallashaw was a champion who had a chance to stay for a while atop the rankings. He was 25 years old in December of last year and had four successful title defenses under his belt. The heavyweight arrived at Lakeside Auditorium to face Bert Parks and Gallashaw was knocked out in the seventh round, shocking the boxing world.

It is a year later. Parks was a transient champion, and Gallashaw is still only 26. Tonight, Gallashaw walked into the same Chicago arena that saw him unable to rise from the canvas in time to save his reign as king of the heavyweights. With Gallashaw’s age, he would likely not have to wait long for another title shot and 11 months later, that shot arrived.

Gallashaw’s opponent was Walt Phillips, who is a year younger, and his youthful stamina showed in his crowning bout. Phillips won the title in July against Harry Pratt in a fight that hung in the balance entering the fifteenth round. Phillips earned a knockdown in the last round and won in a unanimous decision. He also went the distance against Gallashaw but lost that fight during Gallashaw’s rise to the championship.

Both fighters had energy to burn as they met in the middle of the ring and went right to work. No time for sizing each other up, no time to think. They traded leather seconds into the bout and after the flurry, Gallashaw was trying to land his uppercut. About a minute in, he connected, which forced Phillips to step back and regroup. Phillips began to slow the tempo, keeping away from Gallashaw and stealing a glance at his corner for instruction, but Gallashaw owned the offense in the first round.

Gallashaw’s winning uppercut framed the second round perfectly. The former champion opened the round with two well-placed uppercuts to Phillips’s head, while he ended the round with a big uppercut that stunned the current champion. In between, there was holding, clinching, and Phillips was warned about leaning on Gallashaw’s neck.

The first two rounds went Gallashaw’s way and Phillips had to change the momentum. Phillips was able to do just that by focusing on defending Gallashaw’s offerings and looking for an opening. Gallashaw tried a right to the chest that Phillips blocked. Gallashaw attempted an inside shot, but Phillips turned away to blunt any effect. About halfway through the third round, Phillips connected with an uppercut of his own and followed that up with a right to Gallashaw’s head. Another uppercut had Gallashaw reeling, which put a cap on Phillips’s best round of the night and announced he was there for a long fight.

Gallashaw and Phillips were trying to get the upper hand and referee James Duncan had to activate. Gallashaw had a firm hold on Phillips and would not let go. Phillips retaliated by using his elbows, which caught Duncan’s eye and a point was deducted from Phillips for the infraction. Seconds later, Phillips pulled Gallashaw’s head down into his chest. When attention returned to boxing, Phillips was effective, driving a hook into Gallashaw’s midsection and capped his offense with another heavy hook that wowed the crowd.

The fifth round started well again for Phillips, but Gallashaw won the round with a shot to Phillips’s ribcage that knocked the wind out of the champion and sent him down for a quick one-count. Phillips quickly got to his feet, but the knockdown seemed to affect him psychologically, as his body language said it all as he skulked to his corner with his head down. Phillips recovered to take the sixth round after working the body successfully and capping off his assault with a stiff cross.

Gallashaw turned the tables in the seventh round, starting slow, but by the end of the stanza, Phillips was bleeding and Gallashaw was in control. Gallashaw connected on a right hook to Phillips’s jaw to get Phillips running and offering some feeble resistance with some glancing blows. The right hook was a warm-up for an uppercut that snapped Phillips’s head back with only a few seconds remaining in the round. The uppercut drew blood above Phillips’s right eyebrow, but the cut was at the end of the eyebrow away from the eye, so his vision was not immediately impaired.

The ninth round was the most entertaining round of the night as both fighters were swinging. For Gallashaw, it was a continued assault on the champion, but for Phillips it was his last gasp. Gallashaw targeted the cut, which reopened after a left hook by Gallashaw. The fight was paused while the ringside physician took a quick look. The hook also made the cut a little more dangerous because it opened up in a place that might interfere with Phillips's eyesight.

When the action continued, Phillips landed a cross, followed by a lethal combination to floor the former champion. Gallashaw did not start to get up until Duncan counted to four, but he was up on the ropes at an eight-count. In just 45 seconds, Gallashaw went from looking up at the referee to dropping Phillips to the ground. It was Gallashaw’s weapon of choice in this fight, his uppercut, that caught Phillips on the chin and Phillips fell backward with a thud. Phillips rose quickly, but he had that defeated look on his face. Gallashaw just took Phillips’s best and Gallashaw punched back harder. Both fighters earned a knockdown and tried to close the deal within the final minute of a round that the fans in attendance will talk about for a long time.

The end was near for Phillips, mostly due to the cut, which was becoming a bigger problem, hampering his ability to see out of his right eye. Gallashaw had the confidence to take this fight and started the round with another uppercut. Phillips countered with a strong hook and a winning uppercut of his own. It was a combination from Gallashaw that caught Phillips again and caused his cut to re-open. Referee Duncan called for the physician to take another look and after a short delay, threw his hands in the air, stopping the fight. Gallashaw had the belt back.
Gallashaw (35-2-1) was once again the heavyweight champion of the world, while Phillips (35-8-0) is young enough to potentially get another chance down the line. Phillips is the same age that Gallashaw was when he lost the title last year, so there is plenty of hope in Phillips’s corner.
Over the nine completed rounds in this fight, the judges were in lockstep. Each of them scored each round exactly the same, which was 87-82 in favor of Gallashaw. Both Phillips and Gallashaw connected on roughly the same amount of punches, but the two big differences were the extra knockdown from Gallashaw and the bloody mess that Phillips became from his leaky cut above his eyebrow.

For the once and future champion, Chicago was where Gallashaw lost his title and it was the home of his redemption. The City of the Big Shoulders may just be George Gallashaw’s kind of town after all.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Gallashaw, 1-0 (0:59 uppercut)
Round 2: Gallashaw, 1-0 (2:59 uppercut)
Round 3: Phillips, 3-0 (1:36 uppercut, 1:49 right/head, 2:03 uppercut)
Round 4: Tied, 2-2 (P: 1:24 hook/midsection, 2:36 hook; G: 2:15 right/face, 2:53 uppercut)
Round 5: Tied, 1-1 (P: 0:22 left hook/body; G: 2:57 right/ribs/knockdown #1)
Round 6: Phillips, 1-0 (2:26 cross)
Round 7: Gallashaw, 3-0 (0:48 uppercut, 1:23 hook/jaw, 2:48 uppercut/head)
Round 8: Gallashaw, 2-1 (P: 2:01 left/midsection; G: 0:49 uppercut, 1:18 right/body)
Round 9: Phillips, 3-2 (P: 1:18 cross, 1:51 combo/knockdown #1, 2:18 right; G: 2:43 uppercut/knockdown #2, 3:00 right/head)
Round 10: Tied, 2-2 (P: 0:51 hook, 1:34 uppercut; G: 0:24 uppercut, 2:18 combo)
TOTAL: Gallashaw 14, Phillips 13

• Steve Bradshaw, the Pittsburgh middleweight who came up short in a title shot against Lyman King in May, returned to the wrong but was once again suffered defeat. This time it was Arnie Keller (28-5-1) who scored a majority decision over Bradshaw (30-10-2)
• 38-year-old Davis Owens, who had a couple of opportunities to win the middleweight belt was in action in Newark last week. The Cleveland native scored a unanimous decision over Chris Irwin for his 54th career victory. Owens lost in title fights against Mark McCoy in 1953 and to George Hatchell six years later.

The highly anticipated showdown between Mississippi A&M and Cumberland, called the game of the year in Deep South circles, did not disappoint as the two top ten southern powers wage a spirited battle Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. Cumberland entered the game ranked number one in the nation with a perfect 7-0 record while the Generals, despite plenty of controversy away from football on the Jackson, MS. campus, were 6-1 and ranked sixth in the polls. When the dust settled the Generals were on top, clinging to a 20-16 victory and eyes firmly focused on a Deep South Conference title, something they have not tasted since 1948.

There was little to separate the two schools as while Cumberland had a slight edge in total offense and first downs, their four turnovers in the game evened things out. The contest was tied after each of the opening three quarters. It was 7-7 after 15 minutes as Sandy Kitterman hauled in a 15-yard pass from Generals quarterback Hal Schraufnagel late in the quarter only to see Cumberland come right back a minute later and even the score on a 25-yard Ron Filas touchdown run. They would trade field goals in the second period to leave the field knotted at 10 and after 45 minutes another 3-point kick from each side left it knotted at 13.

Cumberland supporters thought they had the game wrapped up when Chuck Schmid was successful on a 40-yard field goal with just 2:19 remaining to make the score 16-13 for the Explorers but that set up the most exciting play of the afternoon as Generals kick returner Kirk Reese zigged and zagged his way through a mass of green jerseys and appeared headed for the endzone only to be caught on the Cumberland one-yard line. It mattered not as on the next play Mississippi A&M halfback Dave Witcher plowed through the line for the final 3 feet needed and the Generals took the lead 20-16. Cumberland's last ditch effort to regain the lead sputtered out when Henry Virkler, straining to break a tackler had the ball punched out and recovered by the Generals, who simply ran out the remaining 62 seconds on the clock.

With a perfect 5-0 section record all that stands between the Generals and a likely Oilman Classic showdown with top ranked Lubbock State is a home game against Northern Mississippi followed by a trip to Tallahassee to finish the season against Western Florida. Win out and take care of business in Houston on January 1 and the Generals, who won their first national titles in baseball and basketball a year ago, could be celebrated another first - an AIAA national football title.
With the loss by Cumberland the Explorers slide to sixth in the weekly poll. Penn Catholic also lost for the first time this season as the Crusaders fell in another showdown of top ten teams, losing 23-20 to St Pancras. The win by St. Pancras moves the Lions up to number two in the polls. St. Pancras, third ranked Eastern Oklahoma, which beat Northern Minnesota 31-14 in Midwestern Association play, along with Lubbock State are the only remaining unbeaten teams.

The Hawks improved to 8-0 with their fourth victory in Southwestern Alliance play. Lubbock State, which last won a football national title in 1916, has 0-8 Red River State and 6-2 Travis College remaining on its slate of games. The Hawks tamed the Amarillo Methodist Grizzlies 47-15 on Saturday and are looking to earn a berth in the Oilman Classic as SWA champion for the fourth time in the past five years.

Central Ohio and Coastal California each moved a step closer to a New Years date in Santa Ana for the East-West Classic. The Aviators. led by two Larry Babyak touchdown runs and 130 yards on the ground from the senior halfback, dumped Indiana A&M 37-10. The 1958 and 1960 Great Lakes Alliance champions need wins over St. Ignatius at home next weekend and then at Thompson Stadium against Detroit City College to clinch the conference title. Coastal California is also unbeaten in West Coast Athletic Association play but the Dolphins needed a last minute 8-yard Mike Grove touchdown run to nip Portland Tech 21-14. They still have to win a pair of road games against Redwood and local rival CC Los Angeles and one loss Lane State is still nipping at their heels.

In a battle of two of the top quarterbacks in the American Football Association, it was Jim Driver of the St. Louis Ramblers who stood tallest in guiding his club to a 38-23 over the Jack Osterman led Philadelphia Frigates. The Ramblers win keeps St. Louis in top spot in the West Division while the Frigates dip to 5-3 and fall a game back of the two-time defending champion New York Stars in the battle for second place in the East.

Osterman, a third year pro out of College of San Diego, has been named to the All-Star Bowl each of his first two seasons and leads the AFA in passing yardage. The Frigates 1960 first round selection had a solid game Sunday against the Ramblers, throwing for 123 yards and one touchdown, but it was not quite good enough as Driver took center stage.

Driver was also a former first round pick- the Pioneers selected him out of Liberty College in 1959- and he squared off against Osterman in last years All-Pro game. He has been less consistent than his Philadelphia counterpart, and struggled mightily in the Ramblers to Los Angels three weeks ago, but on this day he was at his best. The 24-year-old completed 12 of 20 throws for 190 yards while combining with end William Robertson on three touchdown tosses as the cold, rainy weather at Frigates Stadium had little impact on Driver's passing prowess.
Nothing like a game with the struggling Cleveland Finches to allow the New York Stars to get back on track. The Stars snapped their two game losing skid with a 41-10 drubbing of the Finches in Cleveland's Forester Field. The victory improves the Stars record to 6-2 but they are still looking up at the Boston Americans. The Yanks, led by 195 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Kevin Sova, ran all over San Francisco to the tune of 30-7. That improves Boston's record to 7-1, best in the entire AFA.

It wasn't pretty but the Chicago Wildcats kept pace with St. Louis in the West Division as they scratched out an 11-9 victory over a gritty Houston Drillers squad. Houston led 9-0 at the break on three Craig Oates field goals before the Wildcats battled back with Paul Chestnut kicking three second half field goals for the Wildcats. The difference proved to be when Chicago defensive lineman Joe Bidwell sacked Drillers quarterback Miller Bogert in the Houston endzone for a third quarter safety.

Elsewhere, the Detroit Maroons continue to confound the experts. A week after a stellar performance in a win over New York the Maroons were awful in a 23-10 loss at home to Kansas City. In Los Angeles, Dick Drum ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Tigers to a 30-6 win over visiting Pittsburgh. Finally the Buffalo Red Jackets equaled their win total from their debut season a year ago, scoring 10 fourth quarter points to down Washington 20-13 and run their record to 3-5.


The Montreal Valiants picked up just three of a possible six points last week but they still lead the way as the NAHC steps into its second month of the season. Montreal split a home and home series with Toronto before finishing the week with a 1-1 draw against New York at the Montreal Arena on Saturday. The Chicago Packers, who have lost just once in their last five games, moved within a point of the front runners thanks to a 3-2 road win in Detroit last night. Chicago and Montreal will meet for the third time this season when they face off in Quebec Saturday. The road team won each of the first two meetings between the teams. The Packers will have first line center Pete Bernier back for that game. Th3 28-year-old, who has 10 points in 8 games, has finished serving a four game suspension he received for a vicious hit in the last meeting between Chicago and Montreal.

New York 2 at Chicago 2: A pair of third period goals, including Ken Bouvette's first of the season with just 18 seconds remaining in the game, allowed the New York Shamrocks to pick up a point on the road in a 2-2 tie with Chicago. Corb Maybury scored the other New York marker while Dave Corden and John Lucas were the Packers marksmen. After collecting 5 points in Chicago's win over New York two days prior, Ken York was held off the scoresheet by the Greenshirts.


Montreal 3 at Toronto 6: Dukes coach Ari Bear read his club the riot act after lackluster efforts in weekend losses to New York and Detroit. The tactic appeared to work as the Dukes played a much more inspired brand of hockey and doubled Montreal 6-3. Quinton Pollack is clearly not ready to cede the scoring title to Ken York. Just three days after the Chicago star enjoyed a 5-point night, Pollack did the same against Montreal in this game with a goal and four helpers.

Chicago 1 at Boston 4: After starting the season with 5 straight losses the Bees are showing signs of getting untracked, winning for the second straight game. Oscar James had a big night in the Boston net with 33 saves while Chris Boivin and Jack Gariepy each had two points in the 4-1 victory over the Packers.

New York 1 at Detroit 3: Hobie Barrell scored all three Detroit goals, one in each period, to double his season total and lead the Motors to a 3-1 victory over visiting New York at the Thompson Palladium. Corb Maybury, with his second in as many games, was the lone Shamrocks goal scorer.

Toronto 1 at Montreal 3:Both teams may have been tired after the overnight train ride from Toronto but the Valiants evened the score with a 3-1 victory after falling at Dominion Gardens the previous night. Jim Drury, Matt Muir and Gil Thibault scored for the Vals with Andrew Williams replying for the Dukes.

New York 1 at Montreal 1: Alex Sorrell made 39 saves to help the New York Shamrocks earn a 1-1 tie in Montreal. Matt Mercier opened the scoring in the first period for Montreal before Charlie Winquist got the equalizer in the middle frame. The Valiants still have the best record in the league but have won just once in their last four games.

Detroit 2 at Toronto 6: Nicolas Poulin scored twice as Toronto built a 5-0 lead after forty minutes and coasted to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Motors. Detroit outshot Toronto but former Dukes goaltender Charlie Dell had a rough night against his former team, surrendering 6 goals on 31 shots.

New York 2 at Boston 2: A second straight tie on the weekend for the Shamrocks while the Bees run their unbeaten streak to four games with a 2-2 tie. Bradley Lowenberger got the tying goal midway through the third in a game that saw the hosts outshot by New York 37-20. Charlie Winquist had a goal and an assist for the Shamrocks.

Chicago 3 at Detroit 2: Ken York and J.P. Morisette scored third period goals to lift the Packers past the Motors 3-2 and move Chicago to within a point of first place Montreal. Detroit peppered Chicago netminder Andrew Bomberry with 53 shots but only Colin MacMillan and Emmett Hargreaves were able to solve the Packers goalie.


After a disappointing week in which Coach Bear called out the team in public the players, after a couple of tough practices, seemed to take his words to heart by taking 2 of 3 over the week. The team played twice against the first place Vals starting Wednesday night at the Gardens.

Fans might have doubted if the public scolding had any affect when Montreal took the early lead on the power play on yet another stick penalty by Spencer Quinn. After Jocko Gregg's marker the Toronto offense exploded by put three behind Ned Bannister in a span of 4:03 starting Owen Green at 11:14 followed by Poulin 46 seconds later then Pollack made 3-1 at 15:17. Pollack figured in on all three goals, both Bannister, Connelly needed rest after twenty minutes after respectively making 14 and 12 saves in the period. Vals narrowed the lead to one when Scott Dueck put one over Connelly's shoulder early in the middle frame. With tension growing amongst the fans the Dukes turned the tables on Montreal. Instead of being victim of a late goal Charles Brochu. his first of the year, restored the lead to 2 with a goal at 19:01. The home team took advantage of Vals penalties in the third scoring twice while up 5 skaters to 4. Both goals went on the score sheet as Kantner from Knackstedt, Pollack. Montreal made the score a little more respectable 6-3 with a Jean Tremblay goal at 14:52. Pollack had 5 points on the night.

In a rare scheduling quirk for he NAHC the teams met again the next night in Montreal. Both coaches started their backup keepers with Tim Burrows going for Montreal, MacPhee for the Dukes. Both teams seemed a little tired as the first ended scoreless. Montreal beat MacPhee twice over a 4 minute span in the second to take a 2-0 lead into the room after 40. Toronto seemed to have the momentum when Andrew Williams made it 2-1 with his third of the year at 1:55 of the third until Gil Thibault made it 3-1 104 seconds after the Williams goal. Montreal went to a dump, chase game stopping Dukes at every turn to lock down the win.

In what was termed a big game early in the season the Gardens patrons saw a Detroit, Toronto match on Saturday night. If Dukes were tired with the third game in four nights it did not show. Quinn opened the scoring just over a minute after the opening puck drop. With Mike Connelly constantly making big saves when under pressure the Dukes had a 5-0 lead in the middle of the second on two goals by Poulin, Knackstedt, MacLeod. Detroit tried to rally in the third when goals by Alex Monette, Billy Deruelle made 5-2 with just over three minutes to play. Bill Archer ice a 6-2 win with a late goal in a game where the Dukes were outshot 34-31.
Coach Bear- "Better, putting up 6 against both Montreal, Detroit is a feat. We still have to win more puck battles along with cutting down on the goaltender's workload. We now have a base to work from, good effort overall with three games in four nights."

The front office is somewhat confused when two more coaches were raided from the last place Davenport Dusters. Manager George Brooks left for El Paso to be pitching coach along with Don Porter who becomes the Mission's hitting coach. Replacements are now being interviewed for the open Dusters' jobs.

Owner Bob Smith has to his GM to review salaries being paid to non 40-man roster players. Smith's edict is said be "If they aren't part of the Wolves make their money part of the past."

The 1962-63 Federal Basketball League season got underway last week and the Detroit Mustangs were clearly chomping at the bit. Detroit, which finished a distant second behind eventual playoff champion Toronto in the West Division a year ago, began its season with four consecutive victories.

The Mustangs opened things up against St. Louis on Tuesday night with a 96-69 victory keyed by 31 points from veteran guard Erv Corwin. A night late the venue shifted to St. Louis but the results were much the same with Gary Moore scoring 29 in a 93-84 Mustangs victory over the Rockets. The week continued Saturday with the Mustangs, back home at the Thompson Palladium, topping Boston 91-81 before finishing the busy opening week off with a come from behind 84-82 road win over the reigning East Division champion Centurions.




It won't exactly light the hot stove, but FABL GMs have been working the phones since before the World Championship Series concluded, and the Pittsburgh Miners and Cincinnati Cannons have the pleasure of being the first two teams to agree on a trade this offseason. The Cannons are the ones acquiring the FABL player, picking up veteran righty Eddie Martin for a pair of prospects, with Pittsburgh charged with paying Martin's 1963 salary.

Just a season removed from a strong season with the Montreal Saints, 1962 was a nightmare for Martin, as he was banished to their pen and cut in July. After going 9-14 with a 3.88 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts in a Conti high 34 starts, he made just 3 starts in 19 appearances. This was paired with a lofty 7.68 ERA (59 ERA+) and 2.12 WHIP, emphasizing the struggles he had in 41 innings. After being released, he spent just a few days unemployed, as the Miners were without their top starter Jimmy Blair (2-1, 2.57, 29), and didn't have much success preventing runs. It was a minor league deal, but Martin went straight to Pittsburgh, giving them 11 shaky starts to end the year. His 6.17 ERA (75 ERA+) and 1.74 WHIP were lower, but it was still nowhere near the level he tends to pitch at.

A veteran of ten seasons, Martin was a 13th Round pick of the Gothams, and debuted during the 1953 season out of the pen. He worked his way into the rotation during the 1955 season, and by 1956 he was a regular starter. In total, he threw 952.2 innings as a Gotham, going 62-34 with a 3.46 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 431 strikeouts, solid production for a great pitcher, yet-not-quite-ace pitcher. During the '59 season, the Gothams were struggling and rebuilding, so they shipped Martin to Montreal for current Gothams Frank Landrum (.314, 1, 25, 3) and Red Blanchard (17-8, 4.52, 100). The Saints probably wish they held on to Blanchard, as while he finished the year well (6-5, 3.57, 39), he was awful in 1960, and awful this season. Still, this is a craft vet with 1,518.2 FABL innings and a nice 3.95 ERA (110 ERA+), and the Cannons are an organization that does well fixing veteran pitchers.

Pittsburgh's reward for a rather unsuccessful minor league signing is a pair of prospects, most notably 23-year-old Howie Thomas. Now the 10th ranked prospect in the Miners' system and 136th overall, the 23-year-old projects as a potential back-end starter with at least average movement and control. 22 of his 25 starts this season came in Class B, where last year's 3rd Rounder was 15-3 with a 3.09 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, and 92 strikeouts. The Whitney College alum then skipped Class A, struggling in his short AA sample, and is likely to report to Class A Gary to start next season. An innings eater with a deep seven pitch mix, there's obviously no guarantee he can become as good a pitcher as Martin, but he certainly has more upside then what Martin gave the Miners this year. The stuff needs some work, but there's the foundation of a useful pitcher.

Finishing off the return is unranked third basemen Jack Purdy, a 20-year-old the Cannons grabbed in the 18th Round of the 1960 draft. A glove-first, second, and third prospect, Purdy doesn't do much hitting, producing a pitiful .234/.350/.345 (70 OPS+) line in 59 games for the Class C Quincy Cannons. He does have a good eye, it's his best tool, but his future is that of a fast infielder who can pinch run and cover all four infield positions.


I did a little review of budgets and expenses in the league as there is less noteworthy baseball news in the offseason. While many say money isn't a big deal, for some clubs it is. Below is a listing of clubs and where they are over or under their budgets for 1963 as of the end of October. There are several clubs significantly over budget and the biggest reason (Cincinnati's is huge) is because they have "dead money" being paid to players who are in the minor leagues and not on their 40-man rosters. Most of these guys are well over 30 and some are even over 40.

I added to the bottom of the spreadsheet where clubs are set for their budgets on scouting and player development. Now for some reason, the expansion clubs are all over 'budget" in other expenses. You can spend up to a max of $342,000 between these areas. You can see what you are spending on the spreadsheet picture. Some are at $57,000 combined because they either didn't have budget room or just haven't been updated for the new year.

There is over $1.6 million dollars spent on minor league guys that most likely (since they aren't on your 40-man rosters) will never see the light of day in the big leagues again. So before anyone makes "fire sale" trades, look at the minor league guys on your payroll that are not on the 40-man. I have named them on the below. I would consider cutting some of them before making any crazy trades.

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• This season doesn't have as many notable free agents as last year, but one guy who's demanding a big contract is former Gotham and Eagle outfielder Chief Lewis. A former 11th Round selection of the Gothams, Lewis has over 1,750 games of FABL experience, and won the World Championship MVP in 1956 after hitting .370/.393/.667 (190 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 3 triples, and 5 runs scored. A useful defender, he's been worth exactly 50 WAR since his debut in 1949, and the 36-year-old will enter the new year with a .269/.358/.399 (105 OPS+) career line. Lewis spent the last four and a half season in the nation's capital, and after above average production he hit just .247/.318/.388 (80 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers, 11 steals, 62 RBIs, 61 walks, and 93 runs.
• Two free agent backstops have also caught the eye of FABL clubs, as the Dynamos have met with Dan Smith (.246, 2, 19) and the Cougars have met with Dutch Miller (.233, 3, 19). Both catchers once played for the Kings, with KC releasing Smith when the offseason started and Miller joining the Pioneers from KC just over a year ago in an offseason trade for infielder Cal Randall (.287, 11, 54) and prospect Whitey Gates.

• President Kennedy moved for quick diplomatic action to end the Cuban crisis after Soviet Premier Khrushchev agreed to dismantle Russian nuclear bases in Cuba.
• Word is an extremely stern private letter from Kennedy to Khrushchev appears to have been the catalyst which convinced the Kremlin to get its nuclear rockets out of Cuba.
• Western Europe hailed Russia's retreat in the Cuban crisis as a stunning victory for the United States and greeted it universally with profound relief.
• The stock market also bounced back with a big gain in heavy trading in the day following the announcement that Russia would remove its nuclear bases from Cuba.
• Irked at being bypassed by Khrushchev in talks with the Americans, Fidel Castro is not allowing United Nations inspection of Soviet missile removal, a high UN source says. The Pentagon has confirmed that aerial photos provide clear indications that work is proceeding on dismantling the missiles, however the American delegation to the UN still insists on actual ground inspection of the sites.
• The US and Britain have begun airlifting guns, ammunition and other weapons to India this week, as that country continues to defend itself against Red China.
• NASA launched a flashing light "firefly" satellite into orbit. It's purpose is to measure the size and shape of the Earth in an experiment which could produce more accurate world maps and establish guidelines for tracking men to the moon.
  
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November 12th, 1962
 

With five games remaining the Houston Drillers are suddenly thinking the playoffs might just be a possibility after the second year American Football Association club improved its record to 5-4 with a thrilling last second 25-24 victory over the Los Angeles Tigers yesterday. The Drillers are still a game and a half back of the second place Chicago Wildcats and two behind the West Division leading St. Louis Ramblers but with one more game remaining against each of those clubs their dream of shocking the football establishment and bringing a sophomore squad into the post-season remains very much alive. Not bad for a team that went 3-11 a year ago and was dead last in points scored.

The offense has still struggled at times this season but the emergence of former Chicago Wildcats quarterback Miller Bogert and how he has combined with second year end Randy Renbarger for 29 catches has added a dimension to the offense that was not there in year one of the franchise. The Houston defense is also much improved this time around.

Against Los Angeles yesterday the Drillers had all kinds of trouble in the early going despite being gifted a quick field goal after Tigers back Dick Drum fumbled the ball away on the first play from scrimmage. A pair of long Garrett Bird to John Wilton touchdown passes helped the visitors jump to a 17-3 lead after fifteen minutes but Houston cut the deficit to 17-9 at the half thanks to two more Craig Oates field goals.

The Rams duo of Bird and Wilton did more damage in the third quarter, combining on another scoring play to put the Tigers up 24-12. A year ago the Drillers would have wilted at that point but this time around quarterback Bogert led them on three scoring drives including moving the ball 44 yards in the final 91 seconds to set up Oates' desperation game winning 47-yard field goal as time expired. The ball barely made it over the bar but had just enough steam to give Houston the one point victory. Now to see if the Drillers, who end their season with games in St Louis and Chicago -the two teams they are chasing- have enough steam to reach the playoffs.

The New York football Stars have not looked like the two-time defending champions they were over the last four weeks. Two losses, ending a 17-game winning streak, were followed by a better a showing in Cleveland last week but yesterday's back half of the home and home series with the Finches had Gothams Stadium fans booing the club at half time. New York trailed the 2-6 Finches 10-3 at the break and the catcalls only got louder when the Finches extended that lead to 10 points in the third quarter before the Stars finally decided to shine. A 13-point fourth period that was aided by a Cleveland fumble deep in its own territory allowed New York to salvage a 16-13 victory despite another awful game from Stars quarterback Harris Kummer. The inconsistent Kummer replaced the injured Orlin Youngs under center in late September and despite Youngs being back in the lineup he has remained the starter. Kummer fumbled once and threw three interceptions in the opening 30:15 of yesterdays game, nearly costing the Stars a vital victory. In the three losses, all started by Kummer, the 1960 fifth rounder out of Miami State has thrown 6 interceptions and not a single touchdown pass.

The Stars do have some breathing room for their hold on a playoff spot as they are now two full games ahead of third place Philadelphia after the Frigates were upset 23-9 at home by Pittsburgh. Boston remains atop the East, a game ahead of New York, after the Americans ran their record to an AFA best 8-1 with a 22-13 victory over Buffalo. Kevin Sova ran for 108 yards to push him over the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the third time in his 10-year career with the Yanks.

St. Louis remains a half game up on Chicago atop the West Division. The Ramblers benefitted from a pair of Jeff Pierini touchdown runs in a 38-30 victory over Detroit while the Wildcats had some struggles but did manage to beat the league's worst team, 1-8 Washington, 16-10. The final game on the Sunday docket saw the San Francisco Wings, keyed by Paul Roy's 158 yards on the ground, knocked off the Kansas City Cowboys 29-15 in a meeting of the former Continental Football Conference foes.


With just one more weekend of collegiate football, along with a few stragglers including the annual Rome State-Annapolis Maritime clash set for the following weekend, the key New Years matchups are starting to take shape.

The oldest new years game of them all, the East-West Classic which traces its origin back to 1916 when Travis College beat Ellery 14-0, still has some question marks remaining but it looks like the Central Ohio Aviators will head to Santa Ana for the third time in the past five years. Spencer Carr threw a pair of touchdown passes to help the Aviators fly past St. Ignatius 38-13. All that stands in the way of the 5th ranked 8-1 Central Ohio squad is a trip to the Motor City next weekend for their annual clash with Detroit City College. It has been a down year for the Knights, who dipped to 3-6 overall with 24-17 loss on the road against Lincoln on Saturday, but they are always up for ruining Central Ohio's season. DCC has won four of the last five meetings between the schools. Even if Central Ohio loses they should get the nod over Western Iowa as the best the Canaries can do is finish tied with the Aviators at 6-1 in section play and Central Ohio beat Western Iowa early in the season.

An ape-sized monkey wrench got thrown into the other half of the East-West Classic as Coastal California was surprised 26-9 by Redwood on Saturday. That leaves the Dolphins and Lane State tied with 5-1 section records atop the West Coast Athletic Association. Both schools wrap up their section schedule with rivalry games next week as the Emeralds host Portland Tech while the Dolphins travel across town to face CC Los Angeles. If both win or both lose it will come down to conference presidents to determine who will represent the conference as they did not face each other this season.

The other highly anticipated classic game is the annual showdown in Houston which almost always involves the champions of the Southwestern Alliance and the Deep South Conference. This year it quite likely will determine the national champion as well since it appears the SWA champ will be number one ranked and 9-0 Lubbock State Hawks while the third ranked and 8-1 Mississippi A&M Generals control their own fate in the Deep South. The Hawks have a tough task ahead next weekend as they wrap up against 17th ranked Travis College with the winner going to the Oilman Classic. A&M faces Western Florida in their finale and with wins over both Cumberland and Georgia Baptist- the two schools within a game of them in conference play- should be assured their first conference title since 1948.

In other games of note over the weekend St. Pancras held on to the number two ranking and finished its season with a perfect 10-0 record after edging St Blane 27-25. The Lions were forced to play most of the game without senior quarterback Ray Leathers, who was knocked out of the game in the second quarter but not before he combined with Steve Wilson on a 76-yard touchdown pass that put St. Pancras up 14-0 early in the game. With 28 of them, Leathers -a four year starter- owns the Lions career touchdown pass record. He will be sidelined a couple of weeks but assuming that St. Pancras accept a classic invite Leathers is expected to be healthy for that game.

Eastern Oklahoma wrapped up the Midwestern Association title with a 27-10 win over Ferguson on the road in Houston. It is the Pioneers third conference title since 1957 and they look to do something they could not accomplish each of the two previous conference winning years - finish an undefeated season. The Pioneers went 10-1 in both 1957 and 1959. This year they are 9-0 and set to face Rome State in their season finale next week before likely heading to the Sunshine Classic in Miami for New Years. In 1959 Eastern Oklahoma was 10-0 entering the Sunshine Classic but fell 26-23 to Daniel Boone College, denying the school what could have been its first national title in any of the three major team sports.

Rome State has had its struggles this season but the Centurions did improve to 5-3 with a 37-10 victory over Wisconsin Catholic on Saturday. In addition to Eastern Oklahoma next weekend the Centurions play Annapolis Maritime in Philadelphia in two weeks. The Navigators fell 19-7 to Boston State and own a 3-5 record.

Cumberland bounced back from the loss to Mississippi A&M two weeks ago that all but ended the Explorers national championship hopes. They improved to 8-1 and are likely off to New Orleans for the Cajun Classic after beating Bluegrass State 21-16 on Saturday. Georgia Baptist may have something to say about the trip to Louisiana for New Years as the Gators are 7-2 following a 36-17 romp over Central Kentucky but they have a road game against rival Noble Jones College (6-3) to wrap up their season this coming Saturday.

Chesapeake State clinched the loosely aligned group of Atlantic schools that separated from the South Atlantic Conference a decade ago. The Clippers are 8-1 and ranked 9th after winning a showdown for the conference title with Alexandria by a wider than expected 31-10 margin. Mile High State is 8-1 and ranked 7th after the Falcons clinched the Rocky Mountain Athletic Alliance with a 70-0 lambasting of winless Colorado Poly. George Fox University climbed into the top twenty and clinched the Academia Alliance section title with a 27-14 victory over Sadler. The Plains Athletic Association title will be on the line Saturday when Eastern Kansas host Lawrence State. Both schools are 4-1 in section play and each is ranked in the top twenty.

Don't look now but the hottest team in the NAHC is suddenly the Boston Bees. That's right! The same Bees team that started the season with five straight losses has more than turned the corner. The Bees have done a full 180 are suddenly on a roll, with three straight wins last week to extend their unbeaten streak to six games.

Boston started the week by rallying with two unanswered goals in the final 13 minutes of Wednesday's game in Chicago, allowing them to nip the front-running Packers 5-4. On Saturday in the friendly confines of Denny Arena, Jimmy Rucks scored twice to pace the Bees to a 3-2 win over Detroit and last night was the Jake Stockman show as the Bees veteran winger scored three times and added an assist in a 6-4 win on home ice over the Montreal Valiants. Stockman was a very unlikely scoring star as he now has 5 goals in 11 games, equaling his output in 67 outings a year ago.

Despite the sudden turnaround the Bees are still mired in fifth place but they are just 3 points out of a tie for second. While things have been going well of late for Boston, the Montreal Valiants are heading in the opposite direction. The Vals were unbeaten in their first seven games and sitting in first place but since then they have won just once in their last seven contests and are in the midst of a three game losing streak.

Boston 5 at Chicago 4: Things are suddenly looking up for the Bees, who are now unbeaten in five games after a 5-4 victory in the Windy City. Defenseman David Bertrand scored twice and added an assist for the Bees while Neil Wilson also enjoyed a three point evening.

Toronto 4 at New York 1: Charles Brochu cored twice in the third period as the Toronto Dukes down struggling New York 4-1. The Shamrocks have won just once all season and are winless in their last six.

Detroit 3 at Montreal 1: After a scoreless first period the visiting Detroit Motors put three pucks past Tim Burrows in the middle frame and dumped Montreal 3-1 while outshooting the Vals 43-23. Alex Guindon, Robert Ling and Benny Barrell handled the scoring for Detroit while Roy Forgeron broke Sebastien Goulet's shutout bid midway through the third period.

Detroit 2 at Boston 3: Another win for the suddenly hot Bees as Jimmy Rucks second of the game, midway through the second period, stood up as the game winner. The two clubs alternated scoring in an opening frame that ended 2-2 with Alex Monette and Hobie Barrell scoring for Detroit while Rucks and Neil Wilson were the Boston marksmen.

Chicago 4 at Montreal 2: The Vals slide continued as Jocko Gregg scored twice for Montreal, but it was not enough as the Packers doubled their hosts 4-2. Ken York, with his league leading 11th of the season, Pete Bernier, John Lucas and Tommy Gordon handled the scoring for Chicago.

New York 3 at Toronto 7: A wild third period at Dominion Gardens as the Toronto Dukes beat Alex Sorrell five times to rally for a 7-3 victory over the Shamrocks. Quinton Pollack and Ben Kanter each had a goal and three assists for the winners while rookie Hank Knackstedt enjoyed his first career two goal game and added a pair of helpers for good measure.


Montreal 4 at Boston 6 :As talked about in the main article this week it was game between two teams heading in opposite directions of late. The Bees beat Montreal 6-4 and are now unbeaten in six while Montreal has lost each of its last three contests. Jake Stockman had the hat trick and an assist for Boston while Montreal's Scott Ducek also had a productive night, scoring once and assisting on each of the Valiants other three goals.

Toronto 4 at Chicago 4: A thriller at Lakeside Auditorium as Toronto and Chicago skated to a 4-4 draw. Goals by Mike Homfray, Mark Milot and Danny Connaughton helped the Packers take a 3-1 lead after twenty minutes but Toronto got one back late in the second when Tim Brooks found the back of the net. That gave the Dukes momentum to start the third and it took just forty-two seconds for Toronto to take the lead on quick goals from Andrew Williams and Brooks with his second of the game. The Packers earned the tie thanks to Randy Katic's third of the season just over eight minutes later.

Detroit 4 at New York 0: There have only been two shutouts in the NAHC so far this season and both were perpetrated by Detroit goaltenders against the Shamrocks. Charlie Dell blanked the Greenshirts in the season opener and on this night it was Sebastien Goulet making 24 saves in a 4-0 Detroit victory. Hobie Barrell, with his team high eighth goal of the season, Charles Beauregard, Alex Guindon and Colin MacMillan scored for the Motors, who are now in a 3-way tie with Toronto and Montreal for second place - two points back of Chicago.


After uninspired performances two weeks ago when Coach Bear publicly called out the team the Dukes seem to have received the coach's message. The Dukes won 2 against the Shamrocks then fought the new NAHC leaders to a draw in Chicago. Beginning Wednesday in Bigsby Gardens the Dukes dropped the puck before a smallish mid-week crowd.

The first 20 was a wide open affair, surprising as the Shamrocks usually try to the games tight due to their lack of scoring punch, Dukes had 15 shots on Sorrell while Connelly made 10 saves, The only goal of the period was off the stick of Owen Green, his third, from Brochu and Poulin on the power play at 6:36. The Shamrocks turned the second period into their style of play, tight checking with little time or space for the any Duke who possessed the disc. The score remained 1-0 after 40 minutes. In the final frame Toronto tried to breakout up the middle rather than along the boards which seem to catch NY defenders off guard. Before they adjusted the Dukes had a lead of 4-0 on a man advantage goal by Knackstedt followed by two off Charles Brochu's stick who had a 3 point game. Toronto then tried to protect Connelly's shutout. It was to no avail, Chis Lafontaine 5th of the season spoiled the whitewash bid with just over 3 minutes to play.

The same two teams suited up in the Gardens on Saturday night. There was a little more edge to the game with bodies flying all over the ice. Knackstedt continued his recent hot play opening the scoring at 8:54 while up a man. The lead lasted just over 2 minutes, Mitch Parsons knotted the score at 1 with Cody MacLeod watching from the penalty box. The Shamrocks controlled the play for a large part of the middle frame. To shock of the 14091 on hand the visitors went up 3-1 on goals by Corb Maybury, Wayne Lancien with less than 5 minutes to play in the second. A slashing minor to Alex Kalmakoff at 17:16 turned the tide of the game. Kantner capitalized quickly setup by Knackstedt, Pollack. NY left the ice up 3-2 with 20 minutes to play. Shamrocks got hit by a tidal wave of goals as Pollack, Green, Knackstedt, MacDonald turned a one goal deficit into a three goal lead before the third was four minutes old. MacDonald added another goal against a dispirited squad to make the final 7-2.

After another Saturday overnight train trip the Dukes dropped the puck in Lakeside Auditorium before a raucous crowd of almost 16000. Packers have been hot of late taking over first place from the suddenly slumping Vals of Montreal. The train trip did not seem to bother Cody Macleod who beat Dick Crane who misjudged an innocent looking shot early in the first. Penalties gave the Packers an opportunity, Mark Homfay tied the game with Knackstedt off for interference then went up one less than a half minute later on a goal by Mark Milot with Pollack off for the same infraction. Danny Connaugton completed a nightmarish 53 seconds when he made it 3-1 at 14:49. Brett though the top of Ari Bear's head was going to come off after the third goal. The game settled into a up and down ice game with few high danger scoring chances until Tim Brooks halved the Packers lead with 104 seconds left in the second period. Toronto turned the tables on Chicago with a little of the own medicine by scoring twice in the first minute of the third. Andrew Williams scored 30 seconds into the period then Tim Brook's second of the game gave the Dukes a 4-3 lead 12 seconds later silencing the crowd. Both teams were very conservative in their play for the remainder of the game. Randy Katic was able to salvage a point for the Packers when he found the back of net at 8:54. Teams left the ice with both garnering a single point.

Coach Bear- "We are playing well although we still have periods when we are running around that cost us in a major way. We really have to tighten up defensively, the goaltenders are facing far too much rubber. We have only two home games this week so we can work a little details of our system."


The 1962-63 season is off and running and while I preface this by saying it is early, there is no denying a couple of things:

• The Detroit Mustangs are the Class of the League: The Mustangs started the season 4-0 before winning two of three this past week to stand at 6-1, three full games ahead of second-place Chicago in the Western Division. This week, Toronto snapped the Mustangs perfect start with a 109-98 win, but Detroit avenged the defeat with two home wins against the Falcons later in the week, 93-81 and 80-65, to push its home record to 4-0 on the young season. Erv Corwin led the Mustangs to both wins, scoring 26 points and adding 10 rebounds in the first victory, while the shooting guard poured in 22 and 17 in the second win. Corwin is averaging 22.7 points to hold a paper-thin lead in the scoring race with Bill Melton of the Rockets only a tenth of a point behind.
• The Washington Statesmen are Relevant Again: After being crowned the Team of the Decade in the 1950s and winning its most recent title in 1958-59, the Statesmen have not qualified for the playoffs in two of the last three years and have not won a game in the postseason since that Finals win against Detroit. Washington has started 4-2 after an 0-6 preseason. Four of the games have been against Philadelphia and the Phantoms are responsible for both losses. In a two-game set in Philadephia, Jim Stofer put up a goose egg in the 79-66 loss, as he was 0-for-8 in 43 minutes, but he rebounded to score 16 in the 91-81 win on the back end. Ron Davies led the way for Washington in the win with 20 points, going 8-for-8 at the free throw line, as the team went 19-for-20 from the charity stripe.
• Luther Gordon has Disappeared: All-Time great Luther Gordon is on the Chicago Panthers roster for the 13th season, but he has not appeared in any of the Panthers first five games. The 2-3 Panthers have kept Gordon firmly attached to the bench, but they may want to see what Gordon still has in the tank. Gordon, the 11-time All-Star with seven scoring titles and five MVP awards on his resume, has a career scoring average of 21.7 points, but his game has slipped over the last two seasons, averaging a career-low 16.4 points last season. Perhaps starting every game over the last two years has taken a toll on his body, but he still made the All-League Second Team and All-Defensive Second Team. For a player with exactly 300 Player of the Game awards in his 793 league appearances, he might have more to give.

The first collegiate basketball poll of the season has a decided slant towards the South Atlantic Conference and more precisely the state of North Carolina. The Carolina Poly Cardinals, winners of six national tournament titles including three in the past nine years, are the top ranked team in the preseason poll with their long-time rivals North Carolina Tech coming in at number two. The collegiate cage season tips off this week.

Carolina Poly did lose a pair of starters to graduation but their returnees including All-South Atlantic Conference guard Bob Bucher, a junior, and second team All-SAC selection Dooley Bessette. The Cardinals were knocked out in the second round of the AIAA tournament a year ago.

Fans in Raleigh are suggesting this might be the Techsters year as North Carolina Tech returns all five starters from last seasons team that qualified for the AIAA tournament but was knocked out by Central Ohio in the opening round. Included in the returnees is All-SAC first team center Earl Arsenault who may be a candidate for All-American status as a senior. The Techsters have won the national tournament four times including three years in a row in the early 1920s but are on a championship drought that stretches back to 1933 when they famously met Carolina Poly in the title game and won 30-24.

Rounding out the top five are a pair of Great Lakes Alliance schools in Indiana A&M and Central Ohio as well as Rainier College from the West Coast Athletic Association. Adding to the high hopes for the South Atlantic Conference are Maryland State and defending conference champion Charleston Tech as both the Bengals and Admirals are ranked in the top ten.

• Harry Pratt, who had a brief twirl as the heavyweight champion before losing to Walt Phillips in July, returned to the ring for the first time since that defeat. The 27-year-old knocked out Louie Doyle in the first round of their bout in Santa Ana, CA. to run Pratt's record to 30-5.
• Norm Robinson, one of the top heavyweight contenders, knocked out Artie Wilson in the 5th round of their bout slated for ten in Detroit last week. The 27-year-old Los Angeles native was a perfect 26-0 when he got a title shot against George Galleshaw in October of 1960. Galleshaw beat Robinson by a TKO and Robinson would also lose his next outing - falling on points to Bert Parks. However, since then he has won three straight, all by knockout and at 29-2 is likely not far off from getting another shot at the title.
• 25-year-old Rudy Bentley scored a 9th round TKO over Tim Larsen in Atlanta last week. Bentley, a Dallas native, is 25-9-2 after the win.

• The baseball world is mostly quiet as teams are focused on the draft, but teams are still looking to trade. Washington has announced they are looking for a center fielder. After moving on from Chief Lewis (.247, 14, 62, 11), the expectation is that utility man Al Marino (.226, 8, 42) would get most of the time in center. A natural shortstop, the 24-year-old has appeared in 115 or more games in each of his four FABL seasons. Most of his appearances and starts came at short in 1962, but he played a fair amount of left and center with a few games in the corner infield.
• On the flip side, the Chiefs are looking to sell and get younger. No center fielder option, but both ace Vern Osborne (13-11, 5.30, 126) and 6-Time All-Star second basemen Irv Clifford (.279, 66) were mentioned by name among the veterans available.
• When reached for comment, Chiefs' assistant GM was quoted saying that while they'd consider moving most players, but franchise cornerstones Ed Bloom (.284, 12, 53, 10) and Rod Shearer (.305, 20, 88, 13) are untouchably. "Both Ed and Rod are great ambassadors for the club, and we fully intend for them to finish off their historic careers in Chicago.
• TWIFS head baseball columnist Archie Irwin fully intends to vote both into the Hall-of-Fame once they call it quits, and imagines they will get plenty of support from the rest of the league, pointing to their placement on the team's leaderboard. Both have claims to the best hitter in team history, with Bloom the career OBP leader (.431) and Shearer the top slugger (.547). They're all over the lists, both top 10 in OPS (Shearer: 1st, .925; Bloom: 3rd, .876), WAR (1st: Shearer, 78.5; 4th: Bloom, 6.73), games (4th: Bloom, 1,895; 8th: Shearer, 1,755), runs (Bloom: 2nd, 1,314; Shearer: 5th, 1,200), hits (Bloom: 7th, 2,003; Shearer: 8th, 1933), doubles (Bloom: 5th, 370; Shearer: 6th, 309), triples (Shearer: 5th, 104; Bloom: 6th, 101), homers (Shearer: 1st, 388; Bloom: 7th, 138), RBIs (Shearer: 1st, 1,435; Bloom: 7th, 824), and walks (Bloom: 1st, 1,558; Shearer: 3rd, 849).
• Neither owns a FABL record, but Bloom ranks 6th All-Time. He drew 101 walks to lead the Fed, completing his 12th consecutive season with more then 100. 35 in February, two 100 walk seasons would put him at 1,758, 11 behind Dick Walker (1,769) for second. Max Morris (1,772) is three more, giving Bloom a legitimate chance to set and shatter the FABL record.

• India has asked the United States for planes to aid in their border war with Red China. The planes would be part of the arms aid America is giving India's efforts to expel the Chinese Communist invaders from the Himalayan borderlands they have seized. India has hostilities escalated over the weekend.
• President Kennedy spent much of the weekend reviewing negotiation plans in the Cuban crisis with his chief advisors and negotiators. The meetings, conducted under a cloak of secrecy, included the three-man team responsible for carrying on negotiations with Soviet representatives at the United Nations in New York.
• The United Nations Congo Command is threatening action against secessionist Katanga's Air Force after reports of bombings over the weekend.
• The British defense minister says that his country will carry out an underground nuclear weapons test in the near future. He called the test something that was "required for essential military purposes."
• A televised appearance of Alger Hiss on a program entitled "The Political Obituary of Richard Nixon" was met with a flood of phoned and telegraphed protests, cancellation of the program by several ABC stations and picketing of network studios. Nixon, who lost his battle for Governor of California last week to incumbent Pat Brown, did not comment but his press secretary said the program "set a new low in undistinguished reporting."
• Typhon Karen -described as the worst tropical storm in Guam's history- left one person dead, injured hundreds and caused an estimated $100 million in damage.
• The world she tried so unceasingly to better said good bye to Eleanor Roosevelt last week, as the widow of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, passed away and was buried in grave beside that of her husband.
  
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November 19th, 1962
 

It should be just a formality now as invitations will not be officially extended for the New Years Day Classic games until the completion of next weekend's short slate of AIAA football games but it appears we will get a true national champion as top ranked and undefeated Lubbock State is expected to face second ranked and 9-1 Mississippi A&M in the Oilman Classic. The Houston event has traditionally featured the champions of the Southwestern Alliance and the Deep South Conference and there is no reason to expect that to change this time around.

The Lubbock State Hawks clinched their fourth SWA title in the past five years and are one victory away from winning their first football national championship since the 1916 Hawks squad shared the honours with Liberty College. A quick start in which they scored 17 points in the first 13 minutes powered the top ranked Hawks past conference rival Travis College Saturday afternoon. The victory put the Hawks in position to become the first SWA school to finish undefeated since the 1947 Travis College Bucks and they could become the conference's first national champion since the 1953 Bucks.

Standing in Lubbock State's way of all of those things will be Mississippi A&M. The Generals stumbled early, dropping a September game to American Atlantic but then reeled off eight straight victories including a 20-16 win over then number one ranked Cumberland two weeks ago and finally with a hard fought 26-23 victory over Western Florida Saturday to clinch the Deep South Conference with a 7-0 section record and 9-1 overall. Dave Witcher, who leads the nation with 1,716 yards rushing, had another big game as he punished the Wolves defenders for 200 yards on Saturday. It seems a lock that the winner of the Mississippi A&M - Lubbock State game will be declared the national champion. The Generals have never won a college football title but did win their first national titles in both basketball and baseball a year ago.

St. Pancras might feel it deserves consideration for the number one ranking but the Lions slid one spot from two to three in the latest polls despite finishing with a 10-0 record. St Pancras was idle on Saturday and is waiting anxiously for a New Years Day invitation.

The East-West Classic, the oldest of the college classic games, will see Central Ohio face Lane State after each had conference clinching victories Saturday. The Great Lakes Alliance champion Aviators are ranked fourth with a 9-1 overall record and a perfect 7-0 in conference play following a 21-10 victory over Detroit City College. The Aviators started slow and trailed 10-0 at the half, before quarterback Spencer Carr, who threw for 114 yards and one touchdown, took over after the break. They will face Lane State which also needed a fourth quarter rally to edge Portland Tech 17-14 as well as having Coastal California's hopes of a trip to nearby Santa Ana get dashed when the Dolphins were knocked off 24-17 by rival CC Los Angeles. Lane State has not played in the East-West Classic since 1941 while Central Ohio, which lost to Northern California in 1960 and 1958 is making its sixth appearance. The Aviators only win came against Coastal California in the 1944 game.

In other games of note Cumberland ended its season with a 37-17 victory over Opelika State. The fifth ranked Explorers finish 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Deep South action and are expected to be invited to New Orleans for the Cajun Classic. Lawrence State survived a scare but held on to beat in-state rival Eastern Kansas 23-20 to clinch the Plains Athletic Association and move up to seventh in the polls. Another loss for St Blane as the once proud Fighting Saints settled for a 5-5 season following a 23-10 loss to ninth ranked Texas Gulf Coast. The other powerhouse of the 1940s. Rome State, ruined Eastern Oklahoma's dreams of a perfect season by downing the Pioneers 24-21 thanks to a Kim Honeycutt field goal late in the fourth quarter. The Centurions are 6-3 and will finish their season next weekend in Philadelphia when they met Annapolis Maritime in their annual season ending game. The Navigators took their frustrations with a 4-5 season out on Wisconsin Catholic, clobbering the Cavaliers 66-0.

PHILADELPHIA – For eight glorious years, Rome State had the last word in the annual showdown between the nation’s two premier service academies. The Centurions owned the Navigators, besting them in every way imaginable—grind-it-out slugfests, high-scoring shootouts, even the occasional laugher. Then last season happened.

Annapolis Maritime, tired of being the punching bag, finally turned the tide in an unforgettable 44-41 overtime thriller, snapping the streak and sending Rome State back to barracks with the bitter taste of defeat for the first time since 1952. It was the kind of loss that sticks in the craw of every Centurion, and you can bet they’ve been counting the days to this one.
When the two clubs square off Saturday at Soldiers and Sailors Stadium, revenge will be on the menu. And though neither squad has set the world on fire this season, the Navigators somehow find themselves a 1.5-point favorite despite a pedestrian 4-5 record. Sure, they walloped Wisconsin Catholic 66-0 last week, but this is Rome State they’re facing—an outfit that, at 6-3, is a cut above the usual fare.

True, these aren’t the Centurions of old, the juggernaut that steamrolled foes in the ‘40s and early ‘50s. But don’t let last year’s 4-6 stumble fool you—this bunch still knows how to throw its weight around. They handled a tough St. Blane team earlier in the season and just last week knocked Eastern Oklahoma from the unbeaten ranks.

The Navigators, of course, are defending their hard-earned triumph from a year ago. But one win doesn’t erase a decade of dominance, and Rome State has no intention of letting this rivalry tilt the other way. The way I see it, the Centurions take control early and don’t look back.
Tank’s Take: Rome State 30, Annapolis Maritime 14.
The East Division playoff race tightened up just a little bit as both the first place Boston Americans and second place New York Stars lost on Sunday. The Americans fall to 8-2 after being upended at home 20-6 by Philadelphia, allowing the Frigates to improve to 6-4 and move within a game of second place New York after the 7-3 Stars were shocked by Washington.

In Boston the visiting Frigates blew open a defensive struggle with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to claim the 20-6 victory. Dave Prather scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, with two of their final three games against 2-6-1 Cleveland, put themselves in position to reach the playoffs for the second time in three years. The playoff battle may come down to the final game of the season, one that sees the Frigates host the New York Stars after the two-time defending league champs were upset 19-10 by a Washington Wasps club that entered the game with just one win all season.

The picture in the West remained unchanged as the third place Houston Drillers are desperately hoping St Louis or Chicago stumble. All three won on Sunday with the first place Ramblers extending their record to 8-2 with their fourth consecutive win. St Louis downed the Detroit Maroons 30-17 as Dean Turgeon and Kevin Van Hook combined for 264 yards rushing to lead the Ramblers offense. Chicago is 7-2 following a hard fought 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Cowboys while the second year Drillers kept their playoff hopes alive, improving to 6-4 with a 13-7 victory over Buffalo.

The other two games this weekend saw San Francisco, led by a pair of Joe Perdue touchdown passes, dump Los Angeles 27-14 despite Dick Drum's 189 yard rushing day for the Tigers while in Cleveland a 35-yard field goal from A.J. Hazen in the closing seconds allowed the Finches to earn a 13-13 tie with visiting Pittsburgh. Fifteen minutes of overtime solved nothing giving us the first tie game of the year.

Ken York had another dominant week as the NAHC's leading point getter this season added five more goals and seven points to his totals in three games this week. York, who had a hat trick earlier in the season as part of a five point night against New York, earned the chapeaus again for the second time this season with a 3-goal, 1 assist effort in Wednesday's 5-5 tie in Detroit. He scored twice and collected an assist three nights later in New York but once more the Packers had to settle for just a single point despite playing the last place team. On Sunday York was held off the scoresheet for just the fourth time this season as the Packers -you guessed it- tied once more. This one was 3-3 against the Montreal Valiants.

In all, Chicago has now tied each o his last four games and after collecting 12 points in 10 October games the Packers have slowed with just two wins in their last nine games. They are still picking up some points, as they did earn ties in 5 of those nine outings but they have allowed the Detroit Motors to tie them for top spot in the NAHC.

Detroit 5 at Chicago 5: Ken York scored three times in the third period to allow the Chicago Packers to battle back and earn a tie at home against Detroit. The Motors scored four times in the middle frame after Chicago had the only two goals of the first period. York, who leads the NAHC in scoring, also had an assist on Ray Weller's first period marker. It was York's second hat trick this season and he now has 14 goals.

Boston 5 at New York 5: It was also a 5-5 tie at Bigsby Garden as the hosts fought back from a 5-3 deficit. 10 different players scored in the game as the Bees extended their unbeaten streak to eight games.

Montreal 3 at Toronto 1: Ben Kantner gave the Toronto Dukes the early lead but two goals from Roy Forgeron, who also assisted on Jocko Gregg's 11th of the season, lifted Montreal to a 3-1 victory over their hosts. Nathan Bannister was terrific in the Vals net, making 36 saves as Toronto outshot the Valiants 37-22.

Chicago 6 at New York 6: Another high scoring tie game for both the Packers and Shamrocks who each followed up 5-5 draws on Wednesday with a 6-6 game in their meeting at Bigsby Garden. The two clubs combined for 11 goals in the first forty minutes before things settled down in the third period as New York's Corb Maybury's second of the game was the only third period tally. Pete Bernier paced the Packers with a goal and 3 helpers. Chicago has now tied each of its past three games.

Detroit 5 at Toronto 1: The Detroit Motors moved to within a point of first place Chicago as Colin MacMillan scored twice and Alex Guindon added three assists in a 5-1 road win over Toronto.

Detroit 2 at Boston 1: The Motors moved into a first place tie with Chicago following a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bees. Hobie Barrell set up both Detroit goals, courtesy of his brother Benny Barrell and defenseman Robert Ling. Jimmy Rucks was the lone Boston shooter to beat Detroit netminder Charlie Dell.

Montreal 3 at Chicago 3: A fourth consecutive tie for the Packers, this one 4-4 in Montreal, allowed Detroit to catch Chicago for top spot. Phil Stukas scored his first two goals of the season to lead the Packers with John Trumbull also hitting the scoresheet for the first time this season for the hosts. Montreal's goals came from Trent Dundas, Jeff Gaudreault and Matthew Muir.

Toronto 1 at New York 2: The Shamrocks are unbeaten in three games, following up a pair of ties with a 2-1 win at home over Toronto, handing the Dukes their third consecutive loss. Toronto also lost veteran defenseman Jimmy Cooper for up to two months with an injury. All the scoring came in the middle frame with Charlie Brown starting it for the Dukes before Greenshirts Alex Kalmakoff and Byron Redmond replied. Alex Sorrell has had some struggles this season but the 36-year-old New York goaltender was very good on this night, making 31 saves.


Over the years one constant in Toronto has been the ability of the Dukes to find the opposition's net. That constant has deserted the team over the past week when the Dukes lost all three games including two at the Gardens. In each game Toronto only managed to find the back of the net once in each match although much of the credit for that goes Ned Bannister, Sebastien Goulet, Alex Sorrell who tended goal. Starting on Wednesday on a cool crisp evening the Gardens played host to the slumping skaters from Montreal. The first period offered no sign of the scoring troubles to come when the Dukes had 19 shots on goal being robbed time and again by Bannister who only allowed one past him a power play goal by Ben Kanter from Pollack at 8:18. Connelly was much busier in the middle stanza after only being called upon to make 5 saves in the first. Valiants tested him 11 times in the second with two lighting the lamp twice in quick order during the middle of the period. Roy Forgeron's second of the campaign knotted the score at 11:39 followed less than two minutes later when Jocko Gregg scored the eventual game winner at 13:28. In the third the Vals bottled up the home team at every turn content to sit on the lead. It worked as Roy Forgeron found an empty Toronto goal with 26 ticks remaining on the clock to make the final 3-1.

A noisy, big crowd was on hand Saturday night with the Motors in town. Unfortunately for the 14,512 in attendance their team came out flat. In one of their most lopsided losses of the year. The Motors outshot the Dukes 47-29 along with hitting anything that moved in a blue jersey. Detroit went up 2-0 in the first on goals by Colin MacMillan, Robert Ling with Alexandre Guindon assisting on both, Detroit had many more good scoring chances on MacPhee. MacPhee was besieged again in the second facing 18 shots, Dukes were lucky to be down only 3-0 after two with only MacMillan's second of the game finding the twine. Brochu brought some life into the building when he narrowed the lead to two with goal 90 seconds into the final period. Motors were having nothing to do with a Dukes late charge. Nick Tardif restored the 3 goal lead just 14 seconds after Brochu's goal. Pollack's nephew Hobie Barrell rounded the scoring making it 5-1 with his tenth of the year. Dressing room was closed to reporters after the game while Bear tore a strip off his team before boarding the train to New York.

Toronto had a little more spirit on Sunday in Bigsby Gardens against the low scoring, tight checking Shamrocks. Toronto controlled the puck, play for most of the game. After a scoreless first Charlie Brown put the Dukes in the lead with his second of the year at 8:51. Goals by Alex Kalmakoff, Byron Redmond gave NY a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes despite being outshot 23-11. Sorrell, aided by his team, kept the goal column of the game sheet clean in the third period giving the Shamrocks only their second win of 1962-63.

Coach Bear- "Our scoring drought does not bother me, that happens, we will start scoring again soon. A lack of effort like we had on Saturday is a bigger issue. You always don't have your best game, that is no excuse not work hard during a game. Jimmy Cooper will be out a lineup until the New Year with his shoulder injury. We have work to do before taking on the Packers in Chicago on Thursday."

• The Boston Centurions started slowly, but a five-game winning streak has put Boston (7-3) on top in the East by a half-game over Washington. Boston has done well in feasting on New York, sweeping three straight against the Knights two weeks ago, while Washington won two of three against New York this past week. The game that Boston picked up is now the difference between first and second place in the division. Boston has won two in a row against Philadelphia. The common denominator has been Bert LaBrecque, who was the star against New York and he was a man among boys in Thursday night’s 67-62 home win against Philadelphia, accounting for 30 out of the Centurions 67 points.
• Washington almost let the Knights pull off an unlikely win at the end of Monday night’s game at Chelsea Arena in New York. Washington went ice cold from the field and only managed eight points in the fourth quarter, but the Knights, who trailed by 11 points entering the final stanza, could not get over the hump and lost by three, 70-67. New York used that momentum in a complete romp over the Statesmen, 99-76, behind 28 points from Howie Farrell and 24 points from Ken Robinson. The rubber match in Washington was a tight one that flowed similarly to the first game, a Washington lead and a Knights comeback in the fourth quarter that fell short. The Statesmen have a chance to get back on top in the East as Washington and Boston will meet four straight times starting on Wednesday night. All four games will be at the National Auditorium in our nation’s capital.
• St. Louis has won a couple of games in a row to try and shake their early-season doldrums. The Rockets lost five of six to start the year, but in the race that might be best suited for who can stay out of the Western Division cellar this season, the Rockets have taken the last two of four straight meetings with the Chicago Panthers. The two losses were routs, but St. Louis’s two wins have gone down to the wire. In what Rockets fans are hoping can be looked back on as a turning point, St. Louis roared back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit on Thursday to blow past a visibly tired Panthers squad, 75-72. The offense of Bill Melton (19 points) was offset by the solid defensive play of Solly Morris, who picked up seven rebounds in 17 minutes and was a +8 while he was on the floor. The next night in Chicago, St. Louis was down by seven at the half, but the Rockets doubled the Panthers output in the third quarter, 20-10, on their way to an 80-73 win. Morris was the Player of the Game with 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench to head a front court that was all in double figures.

It was a big week in Columbus. Not only did the Central Ohio Aviators football team return from Detroit with a 21-10 win over the DCC Knights to clinch a berth in the East-West Classic, but the Aviators basketball squad also had plenty to celebrate as they won the prestigious Jack Easton Tip-Off Classic in Boston.

The tournament, named after the man credited with founding the sport, saw the Aviators sweep through the event with wins over American Atlantic, Charleston Tech and College of Cairo. Just for good measure they finished off the week with a 57-45 victory in Holland, MI., over the Holland Dutchman. Central Ohio entered the week ranked fourth in the AIAA preseason top twenty-five and the 4-0 showing, coupled with losses by Indiana A&M and preseason number one Carolina Poly, allowed the Aviators to earn the top spot in the first regular season poll of the year.

Carolina Poly was in New York City along with powers Indiana A&M, Lane State and Georgia Baptist. Lane State, which was ranked 9th in the preseason poll, beat both the number one and number three teams. First the Emeralds, led by Jack McDaniel's 11 points, knocked off the Reapers 50-45 in the opener of the Bigsby Garden event, and then followed it up with 45-33 with over the top ranked Cardinals in the title game. A&M bounced back with a 60-36 drubbing over Georgia Baptist, the only unranked school in the four team field, in the consolation game as senior John Caffrey, a potential All-American candidate, led the way with 18 points.

The other major preseason tournament took place in Chicago. The Preseason AIAA showcase was won by Rainier College as the Majestics beat Liberty 59-46 in the opener and then downed Bayou State 58-42 in the title game of the four team field. Rainier College and Lane State, the West Coast Athletic Association rivals from the Pacific Northwest, are ranked third and fourth in the weekly AIAA poll. With 3-0 Redwood and Coastal California, which plays its opener against Great Plains State on Wednesday also highly ranked the WCAA has four of the top nine teams.

• Bert Parks, who gained some level of fame for knocking out George Galleshaw a year ago to win the heavyweight title before losing to Harry Pratt in his first title defense, was in action last week. The 26-year-old California fighter fought for the second time in two months on the east coast, scoring a unanimous decision over Elvin Caldwell in Jersey City last week. Parks is 31-10-2 for his career.
• Former middleweight champion George Hatchell returned to the ring for the first time since losing his latest title shot to Lyman King in September. The 30-year-old Hatchell, who held the title from 1955-1957 and again in 1958-59, won by unanimous decision over another ring veteran by the name of Hugo Canio. Canio, is one of the last links to Hector Sawyer still active. He was a young fighter in Italy discovered by Sawyer and his manager Chester Conley during a post-war tour. Canio was brought back to New York will promises from Conley he would one day be the world middleweight champion.
  
  It never happened although Canio did get two chances at the belt, falling to both Mark McCoy and George Quisenberry. The 36-year-old did get the win on this night, outpointing Hatchell for his 49th career win against 11 losses and 3 draws.

Since the start of the offseason, the Chicago Cougars have been looking to help improve their catching situation, and a deal materialized this past week when they signed 1954 Kellogg winner and 2-Time All-Star Dutch Miller to a deal just south of $50,000. A nine year veteran, there was a time when Dutch was one of the best catcher's in the game, and he was consistently an above average hitter his first seven seasons in Kansas City.

The 8th is when things started to change, as Dutch hit just .217/.330/.348 (81 OPS+) with a career high 18.2 K%. He's always had his strikeout issues, with a lot of his at bats ending in walks, strikeouts, and extra base hits, but it was his first FABL season hitting below .250. It ended up being his final season in KC, as last offseason he was shipped to the Pioneers for infielder Cal Randall (.287, 11, 54) and a prospect. This ended a career of over 1,000 games with the team that drafted him in the 8th Round of the 1950 draft. The vet hit an impressive .263/.357/.421 (114 OPS+) with 194 doubles, 124 homers, and 676 RBIs, and at one point, was looking to challenge fellow King and Georgia Baptist alum Fred Barrell for placement towards the top of the Kings catching leaderboards.

Expecting the trade to be a turnaround for him, it instead ended up with a reserve role, as Dutch failed to reach 500 PAs for the first time in his career. In fact, he couldn't even get 200, as he hit just .233/.364/.374 (88 OPS+) in 66 games. He matched that career high 18.2 K%, and even though he came home with a World Championship Series ring, the rest felt like a wasted year.

Now, Dutch gets a chance to fight for a starting catching job again on a team with their eyes set on contention. Catching was a weak spot for the Cougars, who finished tied for 4th and 86-68, as they gave most starts to 25-year-old rookie Chappy Sanders. A former 2nd Round pick of of the Eagles, Chappy got off to an awful start to the season, but finished with a .247/.309/.393 (80 OPS+) batting line in 502 PAs. Like Dutch, he has some issues putting the ball in play, but both are solid defenders who play good defense and hit the ball hard. Chappy gathered 21 doubles, 14 homers, 53 runs, and 66 RBIs, and was worth 1.3 WAR in his rookie season. Early indications from the Cougar front office is Dutch will have the inside edge for the starting job, but him and Chappy will both have every chance to earn the Opening Day spot.


An area that the Wolves seem to have strength, depth is pitching. Previously mentioned injuries did curtail some the effectiveness during 1962. The starters were strong with the 'pen being hit and miss especially evident as Zeke Blake tired noticeably down the stretch. Having Blake appeared in a league leading 75 games which probably was too heavy a workload for the crafty lefty. As Brett has reported earlier the main talk in the Wolves offices is other the number of players, many under 25, available in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. This is more evident than when looking at the Union League champs Buffalo Nickels. All ten of the pitchers that finished the season in Buffalo are eligible if not moved to the 40-man roster. The only two that are obvious to expose are Mike Emerson, 33 along with Don Dillard, 28. The other eight all of have cases to be protected, it appears that at least three maybe four may become victims of a numbers game forced upon the management team.

Arnie Smith, who returned after missing the last half of '61 with a shoulder injury, led the team in wins with 16. At 22 with already one Allen Award win Smith could anchor the rotation for years to come.
Phil Colantuono returned in August to win 6 of 9 decisions. The 26 year old should be a solid #2. Bill Medley, 22, was 12-11, 3.54 (131 ERA+) in his first full season in Toronto. This gives Hohlt a solid top of the rotation.

George Adams, 23, who had a tough start in Toronto before being sent back to Buffalo. He rebounded nicely in September going 1-2, 4.58 with a FIP of 3.88 is given a inside shot at the #4 slot in 1963. The last slot or possibly two spots look to be a battle between 3 starters from Buffalo Jimmy Blair, 22, 13-9 2.53 in 28 AAA starts, Charlie Davidson 14-8 2.85 while starting 27 games for Buffalo, or Danny Home who went 13-3 3.03 in 27 Buffalo starts. All three are RHP which would mean that the the entire rotation would be righties.

This would move Lee Loeffler. 35, to assist Blake in the 'pen along with probably Wilson Pearson. 28, Jimmy Pepper, 27, who started 24 games in 1962, Sam Haygood, 23, to fill out a 'pen with a possible challenge from Buffalo's Stan Boone. This leaves the 30+ year olds on thin ice, Rex Dzuik, Fred Clark, Hank Griffith on thin ice although one of Clark, Griffith may be saved due to being south paws. There is also a possibility that a a youngster from Buffalo could stick around with the relief corps.

Overall the future of the staff is bright. brighter if Hohlt can coax more out of his defense backing the staff.

Late breaking news: Wolves Management announces that the following have been released from organization Hank Griffith, 32, Ray Words, 34, Joe Jones, 32, Harvey Nimz, 32, Jake Buck, 34, Jerry Flynn, 29, Rocky Stone, 32 all of whom were carrying major league contracts. Rex Dzuik was also designated for assignment.

• Dutch Miller wasn't the only former Kings catcher to sign, as the Dynamos brought back Dan Smith on a minor league deal. Unlike Dutch, he has a harder path to playing time, and has a better chance of being cut then making the Opening Day roster. Smith will make $46,400 if he makes the roster, and can opt-out after the 30th day of the regular season if he is not added to Detroit's 40.
• Waivers have been mostly quiet, but the Imperials claimed 1B/OF Bill Ingraham off waivers from their expansion counterpart Millers. Despite making just 36 starts, Ingraham appeared in 118 games, hitting .257/.328/.363 (74 OPS+) with 8 doubles, 4 homers, and 26 RBIs.
• Hall-of-Fame voting opens during the week, with the official ballot revealed on November 23rd.

• President Kennedy welcomed German Chancellor Adenauer to the White House as they discussed the impact of the Soviet backdown in Cuba on the longstanding dispute with Moscow over Berlin.
• Soviet Premier Khrushchev has sent Kennedy a heavily-conditioned and presently unacceptable offer to remove 35 or more Russian bombers from Cuba. The rockets may be gone but uncrating and assembling of Russian aircraft in Cuba continues. One of Khrushchev's conditions was that the U.S. withdraw from Guantanamo Naval Base. The White House called the conditions "impossible to accept."
• Fidel Castro once more threatened to shoot down US planes flying over Cuba but the United States gave word its reconnaissance flights will continue and will have necessary protection.
• Saturday three pro-Castro Cubans accused of conspiring to commit sabotage where seized by the FBI in New York along with a cache of explosives and incendiary bombs.
• Chinese Communists have launched a massive attack on Indian troops at the east end of the Himalayas.
• Astronaut Gordon Cooper Jr. was selected as the pilot for the next United States manned space flight - a 24-hour orbital mission slated for April.
• It was reported that President Kennedy has donated his entire $100,000 annual salary to charity. This will duplicate the procedure of Herbert Hoover more than three decades ago.
  
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November 26th, 1962
 

The collegiate football regular season came to an end with a light final weekend schedule that was highlighted by the annual clash in Philadelphia between the two major service academy teams. The Rome State Centurions avenged a loss to Annapolis Maritime last year by holding off the Navigators 22-20 in a game that was decided by the foot of Kim Honeycutt when the senior Centurions kicker was successful on a 31-yard field goal attempt with 56 seconds remaining in regulation.

Rome State led 19-10 entering the final period before Rudy Althoff returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown to give the Navigators life. Johnny Brown put the sailors ahead 20-19 with a 45-yard field goal with a little less than four minutes left to play before Rome State's winning boot. Brown had a chance to win the game for Annapolis Maritime in the closing seconds but his desperation 48-yard field goal did not have the distance to clear the goal posts and the Centurions celebrated their 9th win over Annapolis Maritime in the past ten years.

Rome State finishes the season with a 7-3 record, a big step up from their awful 4-6 season a year ago while for the Navigators it is the end of a very disappointing 4-6 season a year after the posted their first perfect 10-0 campaign in school history.

Coastal California climbed back into the top twenty five after the Dolphins rebounded from a loss last week to rival CC Los Angeles with a narrow 23-20 victory over Commonwealth Catholic. Wes Moore ran for 142 yards for the Dolphins, scoring two touchdowns including the game winner on a 39-yard run with just 45 seconds left in the game.

There was also a late comeback for Liberty College as the Bells Earl Brown connected on a 45-yard field goal late in the game to give Liberty College a 23-20 victory over Oklahoma City State. Elsewhere, North Carolina Tech thumped Garden State 27-7 and Queen City outlasted Wisconsin Catholic 37-34 in overtime.

All eyes will be focused on Houston as the much anticipated showdown between undefeated and number one ranked Lubbock State and second ranked Mississippi A&M while the main course of a busy New Years Day of college football. The Hawks are favoured by 4 points to win the Oilman Classic but they have a less than stellar record on recent New Years Day games. Lubbock State has played in a Classic Game each of the past four years but lost in each of those games including a 23-21 defeat at the hands of Georgia Baptist last year in the Lone Star Classic. Prior to that the Hawks had lost three straight Oilman Classic games and also fell to St. Blane in the 1956 Lone Star Classic. The last time Lubbock State prevailed on New Years was back at the end of the 1955 season when they nipped Miami State 13-10 in the Lone Star Classic.

Mississippi A&M, which won its first Deep South Conference title since 1948, has not played on New Years since that 1948 season when they beat Texas Panhandle 38-3 to win the Oilman Classic. It seems a near certainty that the winner of this game will be the national champion.

Fans of St. Pancras may feel that if Mississippi A&M upends Lubbock State than perhaps the Lions will deserve the national title should they beat Lawrence State in the Sunshine Classic. St. Pancras enters the game with a 10-0 record and under that scenario would be the only unbeaten team in the nation. This will mark the first Classic game ever for the Syracuse school and they are almost certain to crack the top ten for the first time in school history. Lawrence State, ranked 6th after a 9-1 season and a Plains Athletic Association title, will be making its fourth appearance in the Miami classic game with the most recent one being a 16-3 victory over South Valley State following the 1957 season.

Fourth ranked Central Ohio and 10th ranked Lane State will meet in the East-West Classic in a battle of two schools with 9-1 records. It will be the third time in five years the Aviators have won the Great Lakes Alliance and made the trip to Santa Ana for New Years Day but they have lost each of the previous two and are 1-4 all-time in the East-West Classic. The Emeralds won the West Coast Athletic Association title for the first time since 1941 when they beat Eastern State in the East-West Classic. That game was held in New York due to fears of an attack on California by the Japanese shortly after Pearl Harbor. The only other East-West Classic for Lane State was the 1939 game when they tied Noble Jones College 14-14.

The Cajun Classic will feature 5th ranked Cumberland, which was ranked number one for much of the season until the Explorers suffered their only loss of the year to Mississippi A&M. Cumberland puts its 9-1 record on the line against 19th ranked Cowpens State (7-3), champions of the South Atlantic Conference.

The other Classic matchups see 8th ranked Chesapeake State (9-1) meet 9th ranked Texas Gulf Coast (8-2) in the Bayside Classic, 9-1 Eastern Oklahoma square off with Georgia Baptist (8-2) in a battle of teams ranked 11th and 12th and finally in El Paso, Tx. it will be 7th ranked Mile High State (9-1) facing local favourite El Paso Methodist (8-2) in the Desert Classic.

The Boston Americans moved a step closer to finishing in first place in the American Football Association East Division since 1955 while the St. Louis Ramblers won for the fifth week in a row and have their eyes on the franchises first-ever West Division title.

The Ramblers still have plenty of work to do as their lead is just a half-game over a Chicago Wildcats team that has been nearly as hot as the Ramblers. The St. Louis performance was not pretty yesterday at Pioneer Stadium but they got the job done as they downed visiting San Francisco 12-3 for their fifth straight victory. The Ramblers moved the ball effectively, at least until they reached the redzone as quarterback Jim Driver threw for 103 yards while backs Dean Turgeon and Kevin Van Hook combined for 198 yards on the ground. Despite that, the Ramblers did not find the endzone and had to rely on the leg of Ted Bingaman, who was successful on each of his four field goal attempts, to provide the margin of victory.

Next up is a crucial game as the Ramblers head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Wildcats, who are just a half game back of front running St. Louis. The Ramblers started their current five game winning streak with a 38-27 victory over Chicago but that one was at Pioneer Stadium. Chicago has not lost in four games since that battle including a 16-14 road win over Kansas City yesterday that was not decided until Paul Chestnut made good on a 42-yard field goal in the final minute.

Third place Houston is 7-4 and still clinging to its playoff hopes as the second year franchise continued its impressive run with a 17-14 victory in Detroit yesterday. The Drillers win spoiled a 163-yard rushing day for veteran Detroit halfback Art Heal.
The East Division leading Boston Americans have some added breathing room after they bounced back from a loss in Philadelphia last week by rallying to beat struggling Washington 17-7. Bob McKoon's fourth quarter pass to Jack Amodeo put Boston ahead and Kim Ashe returned a Washington fumble for added insurance in the final minute. The Americans are 9-2 and now two full games ahead of the second place New York Stars after the Stars lost a game they were heavily favoured in for the second consecutive Sunday.

A week ago it was Washington and this time it was Buffalo that upended the two-time defending AFA champs. Turnovers were once more New York's undoing in absorbing a 28-6 defeat at the hands of the Red Jackets, but this time it was fumbles and not interceptions. Harris Kummer did get picked off once but the Stars lost four fumbles including three that were coughed up by back Reid McDuffy.

The Philadelphia Frigates, fresh off a win over first place Boston, missed a big opportunity to pull even with New York but instead the Frigates remain a game behind at 6-5 after losing 23-13 in Cleveland to the Finches. The two clubs will meet again this week in Philadelphia.

In the other game yesterday the Los Angeles Tigers downed Pittsburgh 34-20 to keep their slim playoff chances alive. End Tony Riat had a big game for the winners, catching five Garton Bird passes for 104 yards including a 7-yard touchdown strike just before the half.


Last year it was first ballot member Joe Hancock who etched his name into baseball history, as the long-time Wolf and Dynamo was included on 92.3% of the ballots submitted by FABL sports writer. This year, no first ballot player seems to have a chance, but 1963 should be the year of Walt Messer. After posting 65% on two ballots, the career Gotham will look to earn votes elsewhere, though with such a consistent career, he shouldn't have to do much convicting.

The war took a pair of peak seasons from Messer, but in each season of his sixteen seasons he had an OPS+ and WRC+ above 100. One of the top sluggers of his time, he hit 20+ homers 13 times, 30+ 7 times, and a career high 41 homers in 1948. An 8-Time All-Star, Messer finished his career with exactly 1,500 RBIs and more walks (887) then strikeouts (598). Add in 430 homers, 358 doubles, and a .299/.363/.501 (138 OPS+) career line, and you have one of the most disciplined and dangerous sluggers. Doing it for just one team is impressive too, as the former 2nd Overall pick is the organization's home run and RBI leader, with his name all over the leaderboards. For FABL, he has the 7th most homers and 12th most RBIs, and when you're that high on the league leaderboards, your name deserves to be enshrined with the best of the bests.

Here are the other ten guys joining Messer, looking to join the company of the game's elite:

C Pete Casstevens (3rd, 14%): .248/.319/.409 (102 OPS+), 7,885 PA, 871 R, 271 2B, 19 3B, 274 RBI, 1,060 RBI, 754 BB, SB, 100 WRC+, 45.5 WAR: 4-Time All-Star catcher for the Gothams and Chiefs. Won two titles, one with both franchises. Skilled defender with some pop and a great eye.

RHP George Garrison (3rd, 41.3%): 234-199, SV, 3.34 ERA (119 ERA+), 3.21 FIP (80 FIP-), 4,017.2 IP, 1,283 BB, 1,797 K, 1.31 WHIP, 96.0 WAR: 1945 Allen Winner and 7-Time All-Star who played for the Wolves and Gothams, winning a ring with both teams. For over a decade, formed a dominant 1/2 punch with the recently elected Joe Hancock. 3-Time 20-game winner.

RHP Charlie Griffith (1st): 101-89, 10 SV, 4.03 ERA (97 ERA+), 4.17 FIP (105 FIP-), 1,858 IP, 770 BB, 659 K, 1.45 WHIP, 16.3 WAR: One of two surprise first ballot candidates. A somewhat uninspiring career, Griffith was a solid arm for the Cannons who missed three seasons due to the war. Most of his innings came after 1950, and he spent time with the Minutemen and Keystones as well.

LHP Jim Kenny (1st): 96-108, 46 SV, 4.01 ERA (100 ERA+), 3.85 FIP (96 FIP-), 1,601.2 IP, 526 BB, 513 K, 1.40 WHIP, 19.7 WAR: The other surprising first ballot option, Jim Kenny was elite for two seasons with the Kings, but then he dealt with the war and plenty of movement. He got time with the Cougars, Keystones, Miners, and Eagles. Each time, two separate stints. I guess that's pretty cool!

LF Leo Mitchell (4th, 23.7%): .322/.368/.442 (127 OPS+), 9,629 PA, 1,313 R, 356 2B, 46 3B, 205 HR, 1,170 RBI, 639 BB, 106 SB, 129 WRC+, 46.7 WAR: One of the most consistent FABL hitters, Leo Mitchell produced a WRC+ of 125 or better for nine consecutive seasons. After two below average ones, he put up three more, and aside from his 13 game sample at 42, he finished off with three more above average seasons. Robbed of two Whitney awards, he was selected to 8-All Star games and the career Cougar is the franchise home run leader. He also had a notable season in 1951, where at 38 he stole more bases (34) then the nine prior.

RHP David Molina (3rd, 32.3%): 99-78, 253 SV, 3.29 ERA (117 ERA+), 3.51 FIP (91 FIP-), 1,273 IP, 646 BB, 835 K, 1.38 WHIP, 13.0 WAR: A pioneer pitcher who proved that an elite stopper can make a huge difference. Selected to 6 All-Star games and pitched with the Sailors and Cougars. His 253 saves are the most in FABL history, and would be higher had he not missed three seasons serving his country. Led the Conti in saves in 9 of his 12 seasons.

C Adam Mullins (8th, 49.0%): .304/.393/.420 (127 OPS+), 6,993 PA, 848 R, 389 2B, 39 3B, 78 HR, 811 RBI, 909 BB, SB, 130 WRC+, 56.0 WAR: A top-5 catcher who was never the best due to some Hall-of-Famers, but always useful for his team. Part of two major blockbusters, the first after a trade was held up due to a player not wanting to move to Canada. An 11-Time All-Star, Mullins won the 1943 Whitney before serving his country for two years. In Montreal and Cincinnati, he was only an above average hitter, but later in his career with Detroit and Brooklyn, all the years of catching caught up to him. Crazy he's failed seven times when he has arguments for being a first ballot selection.

CF Sal Pestilli (4th, 19.0%): .271/.326/.464 (118 OPS+), 8,572 PA, 1,169 R, 271 2B, 153 3B, 311 HR, 1,222 RBI, 645 SB, 205 SB, 116 WRC+, 68.7 WAR: When he was being scouted out of college, scouts thought Pestilli would be an all-time great. Skipped the minor leagues and quickly looked like won, even winning a Whitney in his second season. Was selected to 9 All-Star games, but after serving his country, never quite looked the same. A rare power/speed combo, he spent time with the Dynamos, Gothams, Cougars, and Saints, still hitting 300 homers despite expectations for him to do so much more.

SS Skipper Schneider (3rd, 16.0%): .277/.330/.367 (98 OPS+), 9,180 PA, 989 R, 390 2B, 8 13B, 69 HR, 955 RBI, 685 BB, 149 SB, 96 WRC+, 88.4 WAR: One of the greatest defenders in FABL history, Skipper Schneider was a mainstay at the top of the CA shortstop leaders during his career, putting together a rare +54 zone rating in 1945. The 10-Time All-Star accumulated an absurd 407.5 zone rating at short, and his 1.100 efficiency at the position explains he was 100% better then the average shortstop. Add that with an average bat, and it's a shock he's gotten so few votes so far. Spent his whole career with the Cougars.

RF Al Tucker (5th, 40.3%): .323/.377/.426 (125 OPS+), 9,098 PA, 1,068 R, 341 2B, 31 3B, 150 HR, 1,205 RBI, 735 BB, 5 SB, 122 WRC+, 38.5 WAR: 6-Time All-Star and 2-Time World Champ who spent his entire career with the Pioneers. Won three batting titles and spent a decade and a half as a key contributor of the Pioneers lineup. Hit well over .300 for his career and 11 times in 14 full seasons.

Most of these guys have cases, some more then others, but each writer is only allowed to select five players for their ballot. TWIFS head baseball columnist Archie Irwin will continue to make his ballot public, and before votes are due in early January, other writers may share their thoughts and selections as well.

• Cleveland claimed Ukrainian pitcher Rex Dziuk off waivers from Toronto. 33, Dzuik debuted in 1952 with the Miners, playing there until 1957, where he was 9-11 with a Fed high 23 saves. The Wolves traded for him in the offseason, where he spent the last five seasons. For his career, he's 61-45 with 94 saves, a 4.11 ERA (106 ERA+), 1.52 WHIP, and 457 strikeouts.
• One of the teams with very little on their 40, Dzuik will make 30 for the Foresters, who may be extremely active in the coming Rule-5 draft. Once he is added, only the Minutemen (24), Millers (27), and Keystones (29) have fewer then 30 protected players, while none of the twenty FABL teams have a full 40.
• Sticking with Cleveland, there are rumblings that they are engaged with top free agent outfielder Chief Lewis (.247, 14, 62, 11). The outfield is full with Sherry Doyal (.308, 26, 101, 6), Tom Carr (.299, 4, 83, 29), and Earl Howe (.264, 28, 94, 6), but the Foresters have never been shy about adding quality players to fill their bench.
• Chicago Cougar fans may have a tough time picking who they want on their Hall of Fame ballot. Five of the eleven players spent at least three full seasons on the Cougars, while Leo Mitchell and Skipper Schneider spent the entirety of their careers, draft to retirement, in Cougar threads.
• Along with Mitchell and Skipper, only Wally Messer can make this claim, though Al Tucker only played in FABL with the Pioneers. It's easy to forget, but he was selected by the Saints in the 3rd Round of the 1931 draft. If Tucker is inducted, he will be part of a rare swap of Hall of Famers, as him and Heinie Zimmer were traded for Hall-of-Famer Tom Bird, Jim Honeywood, and Jake DeYoung.

With a seven game unbeaten streak the Detroit Motors are suddenly the hottest team in the North American Hockey Confederation. The Motors, who won each of the past two Challenge Cups, have won five and tied two of their last seven games and have moved into first place in the NAHC, four points ahead of second place Montreal- the team Detroit beat in the Cup Finals last spring.

The Motors strength has been their defensive work and goaltending as Detroit's duo of Charlie Dell and Sebastien Goulet have been the talk of the league with a combined goals against average of 1.95, a half goal better than any other team in the league. Detroit has been impressed enough with the 34-year-old Dell, who was acquired from Toronto over the summer, that they offered him a one year contract extension. Dell never got the chance to be the number one guy in Toronto and was expendable because the Dukes had such goaltending depth, but he appears to have found a home in the Motor City.

Boston 8 at New York 1: After Boston's eight game unbeaten streak was snapped with a loss to Detroit on Sunday, the Bees came out with a vengeance on this night, firing 44 shots at the New York net and blasting the Shamrocks 8-1. Jimmy Rucks scored a hat track while Neil Wilson added a goal and an assist for the Bees, who led 4-0 after twenty minutes and 8-0 after forty.

New York 4 at Boston 1: Boston blew out the Shamrocks in New York last night but the Greenshirts earned a measure of revenge with a 4-1 road victory of their own at Denny Arena. Sam Arneil's first period goal stood up until Luke Mongeau evened things up for the Bees just under three minutes into the final frame. New York caught fire with goals from Sam LePage, Mitch Parsons and Ken Bouvette to claim the victory despite being outshot 47-25. It was Joe Echum's NAHC debut as the 31-year-old goaltender finally reached the show after a decade toiling in the minors.

Toronto 4 at Chicago 0: There had been workers in the Toronto papers about the Dukes lack of scoring of late but goalie Mike Connelly ensured the Dukes did not need much offense on this night. Connelly stopped all 27 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season as the Dukes blanked the Chicago Packers 4-0. Quinton Pollack scored for Toronto, but it was just his 6th of the season - a low total by his lofty standards- while Charles Brochu had a pair of assists.

Montreal 1 at Detroit 1: Waiver wire pickup Robert Ling, cast aside by the New York Shamrocks, continues to be the biggest surprise of the season for the Detroit Motors as the 24-year-old defenseman scored his 8th goal of the season, two more than he managed in 107 career games with New York. It was the only puck the Motors put past Nathan Bannister in the Montreal net as both he and Detroit's Sebastien Goulet had strong games between the pipes. Ling scored in the first period on the power play but Jim Drury equaled things for Montreal with an even strength marker in the middle frame.

Detroit 1 at Chicago 0: Detroit is unbeaten in six while Chicago is winless in six after Charlie Dell and the Motors blanked the Packers 1-0. Alex Guindon scored the only goal of the game early in the third period as Andrew Bomberry was outstanding in the Chicago net.

Boston 3 at Montreal 7: Montreal moved a point ahead of Chicago and into second place with a convincing 7-3 victory on home ice over the visiting Boston Bees. Dick Pepe scored once and added three assists for the Valiants, who also benefitted from three helpers courtesy of defensive stalwart Mark Moggy. Jack Adamle, in just his second game in Montreal this season after starting the year in Syracuse, scored twice as did Tony Delvecchio. Montreal is 2-0-2 in its last four games

New York 1 at Toronto 0: The Dukes offensive shortage was mentioned earlier in the week and it cropped up here as despite outshooting the Shamrocks 32-20, the Dukes lost 1-0 at Dominion Gardens. Marc-Antonio Huot scored on the powerplay in the first period for the only goal of the game. Shamrocks veteran Alex Sorrell earned his first shutout of the season and the 47th of his career. The Dukes have lost four of their last five games and scored only three times in those four defeats.

Toronto 3 at Boston 2: The Boston Bees took a 2-0 lead on visiting Toronto thanks to goals from Jesse Mayea and Jean Lebel before Ken Jamieson took over for Toronto. The veteran Dukes forward scored the final three goals of the game - a natural hat trick- to salvage a win for the Dukes. Dukes fans hope that gets the 32-year-old out of a slump that had seen him score just twice in Toronto's first 18 games.

Chicago 1 at Detroit 4: Seems to be no slowing down the Motors, who topped visiting Chicago 4-1 to run their unbeaten string to seven games. The Packers have dropped three in a row and are winless in six. Hobie Barrell, Robert Ling -who continues his torrid pace with his 9th of the season from the blueline-, Zach Roy and Charles Beauregard had the Detroit goals while Guy Bernier was the only Packer to beat Charlie Dell in the Detroit net.

Montreal 1 at New York 3: Things are looking up for the Shamrocks, who have won three in a row and have just one loss in their last seven outings. They ended Montreal's four-game unbeaten streak with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Valiants. Fred Gallatin, James O'Reilly and Sam LePage scored for the winners with Adam Scanlan's first of the season being Montreal's only reply.

After a tough week trying to find the back of the net the Dukes snapped their losing streak starting in the Lakeside Aud Thursday night. Against the Packers before 15545 the teams played a closer to the vest game than has been the norm for the Dukes this season. A tight checking first 20 ended scoreless with neither Connelly nor Andrew Bomberry being forced to make tough stops. The visitors opened the scoring early in the second after Stukas returned to the penalty box to finish his roughing call when Andrew Williams beat Bomberry from in tight off a Poulin rebound.

Before the period was half over Knackstedt notched another man advantage goal from Brochu, Pollack. One of the turning points of the game came after Tim Brooks was assessed a major for a head shot with 2:16 left in the second. Leading by two Toronto managed to hold the Packers off the scoresheet for the entire five minutes, helped out when Morissette made it 4 on 4 after a tripping call early in the third. . Chicago pressed but could not beat Connelly, two goals in the final minute, one by Amesbury into an empty net then Pollack with 11 seconds remaining in the game. Connelly picked up the first star of the game making 27 saves for his first shutout of the year.

Toronto returned to Dominion Gardens to host the suddenly hot Shamrocks. NY took the lead early in the first when Marc-Antoine Huot converted passes from Fred Gallatin, Alex Breen after Knackstedt had been sent off for interference, a call Bear vehemently disagreed with in both words and actions behind the bench. Shamrocks know they are not gifted with offense so they finish every check while trying to force the play to the outside. They also effectively clear rebounds, a fact that Dukes fans witnessed on this night. Dukes controlled the puck, the tempo of the game but were not able to get many high quality shots from dangerous areas of the 32 on Alex Sorrell. After shutting out Chicago the Dukes were blanked 1-0 by Sorrell for his first whitewash of the year.

Denny Arena was the site of the Sunday game between the Bs and Dukes. The team's train was held up on the way into Boston by a derailment. The team did not arrive into South Station until after 9:00 with a grumpy group of players. The team seemed sluggish to start the game, they were victimized by Jesse Mayea's fourth goal of the season 8:16 into the game in a period in which Boston outshot Toronto 14-7. Dukes found their legs in the second after Jean Lebel put the Bs up 2-0 Ken Jamieson had two goals in the final six minutes to the tie the game going into the third. Boston could have been in worse shape after 40 minutes had it not been for Oscar James' heroics been the pipes in a period where the shots were 19-2 for Toronto. The final 20 was relatively tight checking with both teams looking for an opening to break the tie. Dukes finally got the chance they needed when Jamieson completed his hattrick tapping in a loose rebound at 14:01, this was way the game ended with the Dukes capturing the two points 3-2.

Coach Bear- " I had a feeling early this year that goals were going to tough to come by, it has proven out six weeks into the season. Look at Detroit, they are in first allowing less than two goals a game. Most year a team allowing 2.6 goals a game would be a force not struggling to get to .500 as we are through 20 games. We lead the league in goals for but it looks like we have to tighten down a little bit when we are defending, our goaltenders are playing well we just have to make it a little easier on them by taking care of rebounds limiting second chances. One game in November in Montreal with a goal of going into December with an even record."

The Wolves are busy finalizing their additions to the protected 40-man roster. The team had Rex Dzuik claimed off waiver by Cleveland after placing pitchers Danny Horne, Jimmy Blair, Charlie Davidson, Bob Campbell on the 40-man. Toronto now has 8 open spots on the 40-man inside word is that they will fill at least 5 or 6 more spots before the upcoming Rule 5 draft.

Full Court Press: November 19-25, 1962

• Boston and Washington have played three of their four straight head-to-head games in Washington, with the Centurions coming out ahead twice before Washington won the most recent meeting. If Washington can split the series with a win tomorrow night, the Statesmen can push to within a half-game of the Cents for first place. As it stands now, Boston is a game-and-a-half in front at week’s end. Boston’s starting five all scored in double figures led by center George Stevens in an 89-72 victory on Wednesday. Point guard Steve Barrell turned in a triple-double with 21 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in an 86-68 win on Friday. On Sunday afternoon, the third game proved to be a defensive struggle with Washington coming out on top, 69-47. Ossie Waid racked up 24 points and 15 rebounds in the win, which saved Washington from losing three straight and further panicking the home crowd. The first three games each had over 6,000 fans in attendance, but each game ushered in a little less, telling a tale of a frustrated fan base that was just getting used to a return to relevance.
  
• Detroit and Toronto faced off seven straight times in what felt like a playoff series. Each team won three before Detroit took the rubber match. Since that game, Toronto is doing its best to match Detroit game for game. The Mustangs are red-hot and off to a 10-3 start with four consecutive wins in the bank including both contests this week. The Falcons have reeled off three straight victories since playing Detroit to pop above .500 for the first time all year at 8-7. Toronto had a clean sweep this week over St. Louis in a pair of matchups and a game in Chicago. Fred Lillard averaged 25 points last week, boosting his candidacy in the scoring race to second place at 22.5 points per game. Lillard trails the Knights Howie Farrell by a half-point.
  
• Toronto’s four-game streak is tied with New York for the longest current streak in the league. With their most recent win, the 8-7 Knights are above break-even for the first time this season. All four of the wins on this streak have been against Philadelphia. Howie Farrell averaged 25.8 points during the streak, but 30-year-old Lee Maroney has emerged as a scoring threat this season. Maroney is now getting consistent starts for the first time in his eighth pro season, all with the Knights. In 15 games – 14 starts – this year, he has averaged 15.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per contest. This week was Maroney’s coming out party. In Thursday night’s 90-84 win against the Phantoms, Maroney set a career high with 30 points to go with 19 rebounds, which tied a personal best. In Sunday’s 81-78 victory, Maroney helped pad the 53-to-44 rebounding lead for New York in the game with another 19 boards and he supplemented Farrell’s 25 points with 17 points of his own.

After skipping the slate of preseason tournaments North Carolina Tech made its collegiate basketball season debut last week with a road win in Hartford, downing Constitution State 58-48 behind the hot hand of junior Joe Darnell. The 6'7" forward makes an imposing team when joined by senior All-American candidate Earl Arsenault, who plays center and is measured at a towering 6'11". Darnell scored 17 points and the duo combined for 16 rebounds in what proved to be a fairly easy time with the Senators. The Techsters led 27-13 at the half before taking the foot off the gas in the second half.

That victory convinced the pollsters to move North Carolina Tech up a spot to number one in the rankings. The preseason number two leapfrogs idle Central Ohio. The Aviators, who were crowned champions of the prestigious Jack Easton Tournament 10 days ago and are 4-0, will not return to action until December 7.

Central Ohio's Great Lakes Alliance rival Whitney College also tipped off its season last week. The preseason number seven has climbed up to third in the rankings with victories over Brooklyn State and Maumee State. The Engineers senior guard duo of Luke Pfingsten and Dan Munger each scored 14 points in the season opening 63-54 win over the Bears in Gary, IN., last Tuesday and they followed that up with a Thursday night trip to Toledo where they blasted the Maumee State Millers 67-35.

Lane State, which is credited with the best freshman recruiting class led by guard Red McKinnon, holds strong at number four in this weeks poll. The Emeralds had a pair of impressive wins two weeks ago in winning the Preseason Tournament of Champions which included wins over two ranked teams in Indiana A&M and preseason number one Carolina Poly, were off last week but they return to action tonight with a trip to Missouri to face the Lambert College Stags.

Redwood, which like Lane State competes in the West Coast Athletic Association, rounds out the top five as the Mammoths a win in the 8-team West Coast Classic preseason event with a 55-43 victory over George Fox University to improve to 4-0.

• Former World Heavyweight Champion Steve Leivers claimed a fifth round knockout win over Kyle Wynn in London, England. It marked the 33-year-old's 50th career victory against just 3 defeats. Leivers gained fame seven years ago when he beat Joe Brinkworth to claim the world title and then successfully defended it against the great Joey Tierney before eventually surrendering the belt to Brad Harris. Leivers had another shot at the belt a year and a half ago but came up short against George Galleshaw, prompting a return to his native England.

• December 22- World Middleweight champion Lyman King puts his perfect 40-0 record on the line against former champion George Quisenberry in Los Angeles. King beat Quisenberry to claim the tile last January in New York and made successful defenses against Steve Bradshaw in May and George Hatchell in September. Quisenberry, a 27-year-old Canadian, held the title for nearly two and a half years before falling to King. He waited eight months after the loss to King before returning to the ring, knocking out Billy Randall in September to improve to 39-2-3.

• President Kennedy finished his inspection of the atomic firepower of the 1st Armored Division in Fort Stewart, GA., by telling reporters he expressed the hope that a new round of East-West disarmament negotiations will end "the upward spiral of weapons competition."
• The Castro government offered to allow UN inspection of Soviet withdrawal of offensive weapons but only if the UN confirms the dismantling of bases from which counter-revolutionaries are operating against the Castro regime.
• India rejected the key provision of Communist China's proclamation of a cease-fire in the Himalayas. The plan called for Peking to keep its troops deep in Indian territory, something that India says it cannot allow.
• At the same time, huge US military transport planes were airlifting supplies to Indian troops near the border area.
• Something that has never happened before in the history of the French republic. Charles de Gaulle won a comfortable majority of the 482-member National Assembly. While it may be a normal occurrence elsewhere in the world, no party has ever had a majority in France.
• A group of young Republicans have condemned leaders of their party for supporting the campaigns of "segregationist" candidates in the South.
  
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December 3rd, 1962
 

Something had to give as the St. Louis Ramblers entered Sunday's game at Cougars Park in Chicago. The Ramblers were riding high on a five game winning streak while the host Chicago Wildcats had won four in a row. It was the Ramblers who blinked, falling 27-10 to the Wildcats and allowing Chicago to pull a half game ahead of St. Louis atop the West Division standings.

The Wildcats are 9-2 and have home games against Los Angeles and Houston sandwiched around a trip to the nations capital to face the Washington Wasps. St. Louis dips to 9-3 and their two remaining games will be next Sunday at home to Houston and then, after a bye week, they finish on the west coast at San Francisco. The Houston Drillers, the surprising second year club that won again Sunday to improve to 8-4 are also in the mix but they have a tough finish with road games in both St. Louis and Chicago to close out their sophomore campaign.

In Chicago, the two clubs played fairly even on Sunday with Wildcats holding the edge in time of possession because of a heavy emphasis on backs Fred Gunther and Bobby Ellington, who each carried the ball 16 times and combined for 240 yards on the ground. St. Louis had their star back Dean Turgeon, who gained 134 yards, going full steam ahead and quarterback Jim Driver threw for 113 yards.

The two clubs traded field goals on their opening series of the game before Gunther came up with the Wildcats first big play - a 23-yard touchdown run late in the opening period to put Chicago up 10-3. Driver engineered the Ramblers longest drive of the game early in the second quarter, a 12-play, 94-yard sojourn that was capped by a 2-yard scoring run from Pete Hylton to knot the game at 10.

It appeared the two clubs would head to the break tied but that changed with the Wildcats other big play of the afternoon. This one was perpetrated by the Chicago defense as safety Rich Onks in full stride stepped in front of St. Louis tight end Bob Frances to intercept a Driver pass and Onks did not stop until he ended up in the St Louis endzone with a 23 yard interception return for a score.

Trailing 17-10 the Ramblers did have an opportunity for a long field goal on their first series after the break but Ted Bingaman did not have the leg to hit from 40 yards out. Six minutes later Paul Chestnut was successful on his second field goal attempt of the day increasing the Wildcats lead to 20-10 and Chicago would put the game away midway through the final period with a short Mike Zupancic to Dorn Eisenman touchdown pass.

The Wildcats now control their destiny and seem well positioned to make the playoffs for the third time in four years and sixth time in a decade.
The surprising Houston Drillers are also in control of their playoff destiny after the club, winners of just 3 games as an expansion team a year ago, ran its record to 8-4 with a dominating road performance that saw them blast the Los Angeles Tigers 30-7 and snuff out the Tigers faint playoff hopes.

Quarterback Miller Bogert, who was a starter for two seasons in Chicago, had another big game for the Drillers, throwing for a workmanlike 105 yards in a mistake free game that also saw Bogert call his own number and run for a 1-yard touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Most of the running duties were handled by Phil Patton, an ex-Pittsburgh Paladin, who had his best game as a Driller, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers were forced to play the game without their star running back Dick Drum, as the AFA's leading rusher is likely done for the season after suffering a sprained ankle last week. To keep their playoff hopes alive Houston must beat St. Louis next week to pull into a second place tie with the Ramblers.

East Division leading Boston had a bad day as the Americans were upended 20-10 at home by the Pittsburgh Paladins. With two games to play the Yanks still enjoy a game and a half lead on the New York Stars, who were idle yesterday. The Philadelphia Frigates missed a glorious opportunity to close on the 7-4 Stars, who they host next week. Philadelphia is now 6-6 after losing for the second week in a row to Cleveland, this one by a 19-10 score. The Frigates are spiraling with four losses in their last five games.

Elsewhere the San Francisco Wings beat Detroit 28-19 in a battle of the bottom two teams in the West Division, while a similar matchup in the East saw the Washington Wasps win for the second time in three weeks but just the third time all year, knocking off the Red Jackets in Buffalo by a 21-9 count.

The AIAA collegiate football All-American team was unveiled this week with three players who will play in the game that will decide the national title named to the squad. That game will be the Oilman Classic on New Years Day featuring the undefeated and number one ranked Lubbock State Hawks against the 9-1 and second ranked Mississippi A&M Generals.

Dave Witcher, the Generals senior halfback who led the nation in rushing during the regular season, headlines the squad and is the favourite to win the Christian Trophy as the top collegiate football player. The 22-year-old originally from Memphis, TN., is expected to be making his presence felt on Sundays next year.

A pair of Lubbock State Hawks also earned the nod. They are senior kicker Bill Lumley, who was also named an All-American as a freshman in 1959, and sophomore end Red Cuyler, who caught six touchdown passes this year. Here is the complete All-American team.

No player who has spent the season exclusively on defense is believed to have ever scored twenty goals in an NAHC season. The closest we have come is Garrett Ferrar of the Detroit Motors, who scored twenty in the 1948-49 campaign but he often moved from his normal spot on the blueline to fill in at forward when the Motors were short staffed up front.

That might just change this season as already, just 21 games into the 70 game campaign, new Detroit rearguard Robert Ling is already halfway to twenty goals. Ling, is not the only big shooter on the blueline as New York's Chris Lafontaine has seven goals so far but the 24-year-old Lafontaine will be slowed by an injury that will sideline him possibly until the New Year.

Ling is a Detroit Motors blueliner this season in part because of Lafontaine. Faced with a pair of offensive-minded 24-year-old rearguards the Shamrocks tried to sneak Ling through waivers in order to assign him to the minors but Detroit grabbed him when he became available. Ling has proven to be exactly what Detroit coach Badger Rigney was looking for: a quarterback to run his powerplay and unleash a big shot from the point. Six of Ling's 10 goals have come with the man advantage but before you think he is all offense, it is important to note that Ling is tied for the lead among all defensemen in the league with a plus/minus rating of 9.

There is a lot of hockey to play but with 18 points on the season Ling currently can count himself as one of the top ten point producers in the league this season. Not bad for a player who went undrafted out of junior, was waived by an NAHC team and only scored six times in his first 107 NAHC games.

Chicago 7 at Boston 2: The Packers snapped a seven game winless streak in a big way as John Turnbull scored three times and added an assist to lead Chicago past Boston 7-2, making it four straight losses for the streaky Bees. Pete Bernier also scored twice for the winners while NAHC scoring leader Ken York assisted on two of the Chicago goals.

New York 4 at Detroit 1: The New York Shamrocks ended Detroit's seven game unbeaten streak and extended their own streak of victories to four with a 4-1 road win at Thompson Palladium. Alex Sorrell had a big game in the Shamrocks net, making 35 saves while Chris Lafontaine and Mike Parsons each had two points.

Toronto 4 at Montreal 3: Charles Brochu had two goals and an assist while defenseman Tim Brooks scored the other two Toronto goals to lead the Dukes past Montreal 4-3. Jack Adamle is doing his best to show the Valiants he belongs in the NAHC. The 27-year-old winger had a goal and an assist giving him 7 points in 6 games since his promotion from Syracuse.

Chicago 2 at Montreal 3: Mark Moggy had a goal and two assists while Nathan Bannister made 39 saves to help the Montreal Valiants edge the Chicago Packers 3-2. Jean Trembly opened the scoring but before the first period was over the Packers led 2-1 on goals from Archer Cook and Matt McGrath. Scott Ducek evened things in the second period before Moggy got the game winner just before the midway mark of the final frame.

Boston 3 at Toronto 3: Third period goals from Charles Brochu and Hank Knackstedt, each with their seventh marker of the campaign, allowed the Dukes to salvage a point at home in a 3-3 tie with Boston. Owen Green had the other Toronto goal while Brad Lowenberger, Neil Wilson and Jack Gariepy were the Bees marksmen. Boston snapped a four game losing streak with the tie.

Montreal 4 at Boston 3: The Bees are winless in six and fall five points behind fifth place New York with a 4-3 loss on home ice to Montreal. Jack Adamle scored on the power play for the only goal of the third period to provide the Valiants with the margin of victory. It was Adamle's second of the game. Neil Wilson scored twice in a losing cause for the Bees.

New York 2 at Chicago 2: New York has earned 13 points in its last nine games after tying Chicago 2-2 at Lakeside Auditorium. Charlie Winquist and Alex Breen scored for New York with J.P. Morisette and Danny Connaughton replying for the Packers. Chicago outshot New York 44-22 and Connaughton's equalizer, set up by Morissette, came with 37 seconds left in the game and goaltender Andrew Bomberry on the Chicago bench for an extra attacker.

Toronto 3 at Detroit 5: Veteran Nick Tardif is not the goal scorer he once was but the 36-year-old notched a pair of third period goals to lift Detroit to a 5-3 victory over Toronto and keep the Motors in first place, two points ahead of Montreal. Tardif also earned an assist on defenseman Robert Ling's 10th goal of the season.


Toronto neither gained nor lost position in the NAHC standings over the past week. The team had one of each a win, a loss, and a tie. The week started with a trip in Montreal to meet the second place Vals. The game started off quickly with Tim Brooks staking the Dukes to a quick 1-0 lead before the game was two minutes old. Jamie Koebel killed any Dukes momentum less than a minute later with a goal assisted by Yan Tremblay, Jack Adams at 2;56. After the fast start the game settled in pace a tight checking, low chance affair, typical of the 1962-63 season. Dukes were able to get a second puck past Bannister when Charles Brochu, who suddenly is getting more chances, potted his 5th from Fuhrman, Poulin at 14:56. The game stayed 2-1 until Dick Pepe's 5th tied the score at 13:53 of the second, which was a chippy period with lots of clutching, grabbing, stickwork. Heading into the final twenty minutes deadlocked both teams seemed content to wait for chances rather than pressing the matter. The waiting paid off for Toronto when Tim Brooks' shot crossed the goal line at 11:39. Less than two minutes later Brochu completed his 2 goal, 3 point night when he was left unchecked to put away passes from MacLeod, Knackstedt. Trailing by two Montreal was forced to open up a little, with under 5 minutes to play Jack Adamle made it 4-3. Connelly slammed the door shut for the last 4 minute allowing the Dukes to get .500 for the season.

Toronto began December with a home game against the last place Bees. Boston has had an up and down season although they gave the Dukes all they could handle this evening. This game was a direct opposite of the game in Montreal on Thursday, wide open with Oscar James, Jack MacPhee forced to make save after save. In the first the Bs were all over the Dukes at every turn. Fans were breathing a sigh of relief that the Dukes were only down 1-0 at the intermission on Bradley Lowenberger's marker. MacPhee made 22 saves in the first. Owen Green made it 1-1 with a short handed marker at 6:20 of the second. It was a cheap shorty as it was one second after Boivin stepped on the ice while both teams were down a man. Neil Wilson restored Boston's lead at 8:09 form Pierre Paquette, Maxime Larouche. After two periods shots on goal were Boston-38, Toronto-17. Boston took a two goal lead before all fans had got back to their seats with the second shorthanded goal of the game by Jack Gariepy at 0:08. Toronto was still on the power play when Brochu made it a one goal game 17 seconds after Garpiey's marker. Boston seemed to try to sit on their lead with over 19 minutes to play, Trying to protect a lead with that much time left usually does not work out well. Dukes continued to press then were able to tie the game at 14:03 with Knackstedt beating James with a hard wrist shot. The game ended 3-3 with Bear praising MacPhee's 45 save performance.

Into Detroit to take the league leading Motors on Sunday for the Dukes third game in four nights. In the first the Dukes again came out the gate slowly having to rely on Connelly to hold down the fort as they were outplayed, out shot 16 to 5 in a scoreless first. Toronto did not find their game until they down 2-0 on goals by Darcy Sill and Robert Ling, a waiver wire find in the off-season. Dukes finally woke up dominating the last half of the second coming back to tie the score on power play goals off the sticks of Pollack, Williams. In the third Detroit sunk Toronto in the opening 4 minutes with two goals by Nick Tardif followed by Anthony Beauchemin to make it 5-2. Bill Archer's goal made the final 5-3 in another game where the netminder for the Dukes was constantly under pressure facing 39 shots.

Coach Bear-"Three games in four nights is no excuse. Again we have a about a five minute period in which we run around aimlessly then pay the price. Detroit ambushed us at the start of the third, we have to stop running around, it leads to nothing good. With the holiday season approaching we have to get back to basics get away from heroics. We have a new slogan "Forecheck, backcheck, pay cheque"".

Wolves have set there 40-man roster at 36. The work will begin after the Rule 5 draft. It is no secret the team is looking for a RHB if available in the draft. If not available they may then go to trade market before ST.

Full Court Press: November 26-December 2, 1962

• Toronto inflicted an instant dose of revenge to Detroit in back-to-back meetings this past week. After Detroit took four of seven straight meetings, the schedule-makers sought it wise to give them another two head-to-head matchups. After all, they meet 24 times during the regular season and you have to get them in sometime, though the teams will not meet again for six weeks. In the first matchup at Dominion Gardens, it was the usual suspects with Fred Lillard’s 23 points and Bill Spangler’s 19 points, six assists and four steals, as Toronto won the turnover battle, 20-13, and the one on the scoreboard, too, 83-75. The dynamic duo did it again the next night in Toronto’s 93-80 win, with Spangler taking the lead with 28 points and seven steals, while Lillard poured in 26 points. When the dust settled, Detroit is 10-6 and Toronto is 10-7 with the Falcons riding a five-game winning streak and the Mustangs dropping three straight.
  
• Four weeks after declaring Detroit as the class of the league, we can pass that moniker to the Boston Centurions. Boston has the league’s best record at 14-4 and even more impressive is its 6-1 record on its season-high 10-game road trip. The whirlwind trip brought the Cents to Washington, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia this week and Boston won them all. The average margin of victory this week was 14.3 points with three games where Boston kept its opponents to under 70 points. Boston utilized its front court to beat the Statesmen, as Bert LaBrecque (21 points), Wally Moorehead (18 points, 17 rebounds), and George Stevens (18 and 14) accounted for 57 points in a 78-58 victory. Point guard Steve Barrell took center stage with 22 points in Chicago and 24 tallies against New York, while LaBrecque led the way with 26 points against the Phantoms. LaBrecque is one of the seven players in the league currently averaging more than 20 points (20.1 ppg).
  
• The Statesmen of the preseason are rearing their ugly heads, as the clashes with the Centurions left them the worse for wear. Washington lost all three games this week to drop to .500 at 8-8. It wasn’t just the 20-point loss to Boston that gave the Cents three of four wins head-to-head. On Friday night, Washington was thumped in Philadelphia, 102-65. Washington was a sieve defensively, allowing Philadelphia to shoot 53% from the floor. Washington could not hold on to the ball, with Washington turning the ball over 26 times, compared to 15 for Philadelphia.
  
• Washington did not move the ball well, amassing only 13 assists, which was dwarfed by the Phantoms 37 helpers. Washington was undisciplined in permitting Philadelphia to get to the foul line 21 times while the Statesmen were 3-for-8 from the line. If this is the kind of games Washington will serve up, they will be hunting for the cellar rather than the penthouse.

As the college basketball season starts to hit up, pro teams in the Federal Basketball League are already working on their draft list for next summer's FBL college senior draft. According to OSA, which handles league scouting in each of the four major team sports, there are plenty of big men likely to hear their names called in the opening round of the draft. OSA says five of the top ten draft eligible seniors are centers led by Earl Arsenault of North Carolina Tech. Arsenault's teammate, Bob Terwillinger is also highly ranked, sitting at fifth on the OSA preliminary list and as the number one guard. Here are the OSA top twenty for the draft and the top twenty college players without regard to what their draft class is. (note: only players completing their senior season are eligible for the FBL draft.

• The Chicago Cougars worked out contracts for two of their notable players for the 1964 season. The larger of the two deals went to 27-year-old pitcher Roy Ellis, who will again make the $100,000 he is making this season. A four year vet, Ellis had his best season in 1962, going 10-7 with a 3.83 ERA (118 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, and 147 strikeouts. His 2.8 K/BB was two ticks higher this year then when he led the CA last season.
• Tom Halliday signed the other deal, with the 24-year-old also matching his $65,000 contract in 1936 for 1964. One of the top defensive shortstops in the league, he accumulated an impressive 20.6 zone rating at shortstop this season. The bat slipped in his second season as a starter, but he's quick and great at putting the ball in play.

• December 22- World Middleweight champion Lyman King puts his perfect 40-0 record on the line against former champion George Quisenberry in Los Angeles. King beat Quisenberry to claim the tile last January in New York and made successful defenses against Steve Bradshaw in May and George Hatchell in September. Quisenberry, a 27-year-old Canadian, held the title for nearly two and a half years before falling to King. He waited eight months after the loss to King before returning to the ring, knocking out Billy Randall in September to improve to 39-2-3.

• Russia has started removing its bomber planes from Cuba. The Defense Department says it has confirmation that the first of a reported 35 twin-jet Soviet bombers "are in the process of being withdrawn."
• American Ambassador to the UN Adali Stevenson says there is nothing accurate about a Saturday Evening Post article picturing him as disagreeing privately with President Kennedy's firm policy and decision to impose a naval blockade on Cuba during the crisis.
• Prime Minister Nehru told parliament in India that while the Chinese Communists may have thinned out the advance units of their invasion armies, they certainly do not appear to have any plans of withdrawal.
• Nearly all of the remaining American troops in Thailand have been removed. They were rushed into that country last May to deter a Communist threat from neighbouring Laos.
• Federal Marshals are meeting to map a strategy for the invasion of Mound City, South Dakota where zealous townsfolk and farmers threaten "another Mississippi" to keep from turning over Government records they have locked in a barricaded building. It stems from concerns the townsfolk have over last years move of the county Agricultural Stabilization Service from Mound City to the larger center of Herreid.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/qpJEDI7.jpeg

December 10th, 1962
 

It has been five years since a team went entire season without losing on the road but the Houston Drillers are one win away from accomplishing just that. More astounding is that if the Drillers can somehow find a way to beat first place Chicago in two weeks they will accomplish something that was unthinkable when the season began, make the playoffs as a team in just its second season in the American Football Association.

The sophomore Drillers have been astounding, following up a 3-11 debut season with a stellar run that has them at 9-4 and riding a five game winning streak after a huge 31-23 victory over the Ramblers in St Louis yesterday. That leaves both clubs tied for second with 9-4 records with one game remaining for each. There will be some time to ponder the suspense as both teams have a bye next week before finishing their seasons on December 23. The Ramblers will travel to San Francisco to play the 4-8 Wings while the Drillers face a stiff test in the Chicago Wildcats, who lead the entire AFA with a 10-2 record. The Drillers lost 11-9 at home to Chicago just prior to embarking on the five game winning streak that ignited their playoff aspirations.

It was a wild afternoon at Pioneers Stadium yesterday as the Ramblers, thanks in part to a pair of Phil Patton touchdown runs and a St Louis fumble, built a 28-7 lead at halftime and held on for a 31-23 victory. Chicago, which still has two games remaining, moved a step closer to clinching the best record in the AFA and homefield for the championship game should they advance to it, narrowly survived a visit from the Los Angeles Tigers to Cougars Park but escaped with a 29-24 victory.

Boston and New York both secured their places in the East Division. The Americans improved to 10-3 and clinched top spot in the division with a 20-10 doubling of Cleveland while the Stars, who have had their ups and downs this year in their quest for a third consecutive league championship, downed Philadelphia 13-3 to end the Frigates faint playoff hopes.

Elsewhere Jeff Kelly threw for 199 yards to lead the Kansas City Cowboys past the Detroit Maroons 24-10, and in Buffalo a Mike LaBarbera 33-yard field goal on the final play of the game lifted Pittsburgh to a 20-17 victory over the Red Jackets.


Well, folks, it's that time of year again when the nation's finest collegiate gridiron warriors pack up their leather helmets—figuratively speaking, of course—and head west for the granddaddy of them all, the East-West Classic. On New Year’s Day, the mighty Aviators of Central Ohio and the plucky Emeralds of Lane State will clash at Santa Ana Stadium, where 100,000 roaring fans will witness what promises to be a battle for the ages.

Now, the history books tell us that neither of these squads has had much luck in this grand spectacle. Central Ohio has made five previous trips to sunny California and walked away victorious just once—back in ’44 when they toppled Coastal California to complete a perfect season. Their other appearances? Heartbreakers, including two losses in the last four years to Northern Cal. Lane State, meanwhile, has only seen the Classic twice, tying Noble Jones College in ’39 before pasting Eastern State in a 28-0 shutout two years later. That one was played out east in old Bigsby Stadium due to war jitters, but this time the Emeralds are back where the real action happens.

While this is their first meeting in Santa Ana, these two outfits aren’t exactly strangers. They’ve butted heads three times in the past decade, and if those games are any indication, fans are in for a slugfest. In their last scrap back in '59, Lane State defended their home turf with a 9-3 victory—a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal 4-6 campaign. The year before, it was all Central Ohio, with bruiser Swat Deskins steamrolling his way to 134 yards as the Aviators blanked the Emeralds 23-0. And back in '56, Central Ohio strolled into Eugene and pitched another shutout, this time 19-0, behind a breakout game from then-sophomore Scott Deskins.

This time around, both squads are 9-1 and eager to prove they belong among the nation's elite. The Aviators check in at No. 4, while Lane State sits at No. 9. Both teams boast stout defenses, capable runners, and young quarterbacks calling the signals. For Central Ohio, it’s Spencer Carr, a steady-handed sophomore who started all 11 games as a freshman and has improved with age like a fine bourbon. He’s been efficient—681 yards passing, a 61% completion rate, and just two picks. On the other side, Lane State’s Pat Lamar was on a tear before a knee injury sidelined him in the Emeralds’ lone loss of the season to Spokane State. Since then, he’s been a question mark, and if he can’t go, the burden falls on junior Rick Plummer. And let’s just say Plummer has been about as reliable as a paper raincoat—0-for-30 in pass attempts this season.

If Lamar is out, Lane State will need a monster day from their backfield, headlined by sophomore workhorse Harry Menard. The young dynamo has piled up 1,366 yards and crossed the goal line 13 times this season. Freshman Mike Bond has provided a solid one-two punch, adding 803 yards and nine scores. Defensively, the Emeralds lean on a seasoned trio of linebackers, led by seniors Larry Randolph and Hi Sattler, with junior Alan Stathes joining them to form a brick wall.

The Aviators, however, have a veteran stopper of their own in senior linebacker Ron Barchus, who will be starting his 36th and final game in Central Ohio blue and white. Offensively, the ground attack is more committee-style, with Larry Spruance (771 yards) and Larry Babyak (910 yards) shouldering the load. A wild card to watch? End Mike Bailey, who often lines up in the backfield and has been a sneaky effective runner. And when Carr does air it out, he’s got a pair of trusty targets in seniors Dave Williams and Jim Squire, who have combined for 55 catches and six touchdowns.

The Prediction - The boys in Vegas have Central Ohio as a five-point favorite, and that seems about right. But if Lamar is sidelined, this one could get ugly fast. With both teams at full strength, I’d expect a hard-nosed, down-to-the-wire brawl, but I have to give the edge to the Aviators. They’re battle-tested, they’re due for some Santa Ana success, and they’ve got a quarterback they can trust. When the dust settles, I see Central Ohio celebrating a long-awaited Classic victory, breaking their three-game losing skid in the big one.

TANK TIPPETT PREDICTION: Central Ohio 17, Lane State 10.

The Detroit Motors have opened a nine point lead on second place Montreal after a sizzling start to December that has seem the two-time defending Challenge Cup champions reel off five consecutive victories. The Motors may have had some questions about goaltending, OSA felt they had the weakest netminding tandem in the league, but both returnee Sebastien Goulet (7-1-3, 2.00) and veteran pickup Charlie Dell (9-5-0, 2.22) have been outstanding and Detroit has yielded by a wide margin the fewest number of goals against in the league. Detroit has gone 10-1-2 in its last thirteen games.

The Detroit Motors will take on the best of the NAHC tonight at Thompson Palladium in the 14th annual all-star game. The tradition of having the defending Challenge Cup champions take on a collection of league stars first began in 1950-51, a year after the players from the six teams were simply divided into two squads for a Red vs Blue game to benefit charity. It will mark the fifth time the Motors have faced the all-stars including last year when the NAHC team beat the Motors 4-1. Detroit 1-1-2 against the all-star team.

Boston 5 at Chicago 4: Boston outshot the Chicago Packers 42-23 but needed a late third period goal from Jean Lebel to sneak out a 5-4 victory and snap a 6-game winless streak for the Bees. Chicago continues to struggle with just one win in their last eleven outings.

Detroit 2 at New York 1: Detroit was all over the Shamrocks, outshooting New York 37-19 but ran into a tough goaltender in Alex Sorrell. The Motors did just enough to win as Nick Tardif scored in the first period and defenseman Robert Ling, with his 11th of the season, got the winner late in the third after Ben Jacobs had equalized for New York in the middle stanza.

Montreal 2 at Toronto 2: The Valiants and Dukes skated to a 2-2 tie with Bill Archer and Hank Knackstedt handling the scoring for the hosts from Toronto while Tony Delvecchio and Colton Keil were the Montreal marksmen.


Boston 4 at Detroit 7: The lone Thursday night contest featured plenty of scoring, not something the Motors have allowed much of lately. Boston beat Sebastien Goulet four times, marking only the fourth time in 23 games this season the Motors have surrendered more than three goals against. It was not enough to stall the Motors winning streak as Detroit fired seven pucks past Boston's Oscar James. It was a wild third period that saw the two clubs combine for eight goals including two from veteran Detroit winger Louis Rocheleau, who also had two assists on the evening.


New York 1 at Boston 1: The game was scoreless for more than 56 minutes but each team notched one in the final four minutes of the third period. Bruno Legg gave the visiting Shamrocks the lead but Mathieu Harnois tied the game for Boston with 43 seconds remaining.

Detroit 5 at Montreal 2: Charles Beauregard and Colin MacMillan each had a goal and two assists for the Motors but the big story once again was defenseman Robert Ling. The 24-year-old rearguard scored two more goals and added an assist, giving him 13 goals and 23 points. He is second behind only Chicago's Ken York in goals and fifth in points while threatening to rewrite the record book for defenseman scoring. Both of Ling's goals on this night came from goalmouth scrambles as he continues, at the urging of Detroit coach Badger Rigney, to almost act like a fourth forward when the opportunity presents itself.

Chicago 1 at Toronto 4: Three first period goals and some terrific netminding from Mike Connelly was all the Dukes needed to down Chicago 4-1. The victory snapped a three-game winlees streak for the Dukes while the Packers fall to 0-3-1 in December.


Montreal 3 at Chicago 6: A big game from the big line lifted the Chicago Packers to a 6-3 win over Montreal. League scoring leader Ken York scored once and added three assists while his linemates also had productive nights: Pete Bernier scored twice and added an assist while Derek Noel had a goal and a helper.

Toronto 2 at Detroit 3: Another win for the Motors, who have prevailed in seven of their last eight games. Hobie Barrell, Jack Chapman and Ty Boulet scored for Detroit with Benny Barrell collecting two assists. The two Toronto goals both came in the third period courtesy of Ken Jamieson and Andrew Williams. Sebastien Goulet had a strong game in the Detroit net, making 36 saves. Quinton Pollack did get an assist for Toronto -his first point in three games- but the Dukes center's scoring slump continues. Pollack has found the back of the net just twice in the last 13 games.

Boston 0 at New York 3: Alex Sorrell stopped all 30 Boston shots for his second shutout of the season. Ken Bouvette scored twice for New York while Mitch Parsons added a goal and an assist. Things have been looking up for the fifth place Shamrocks who have gone 6-2-4 in their last twelve games.


Toronto's hockey team continues to march in place in the NAHC. Another week of a win, loss. tie sees the Dukes in third only because they have played one less game than Chicago. That being said the team is only a single point behind Montreal for second. The standings are bunched with only two points between second and fifth place. The only team that has been making hay as the league moves into the third month of the season are the Detroit Motors, on a 5 game undefeated streak, having built a ten point lead to hold first with approximately a third of the season in the books.

Montreal was in town to start the week in the Gardens. The fans saw the hometown heroes jump out to an early lead when Archer opened the scoring 80 seconds in the game putting a juicy rebound past Bannister. Dukes seemed to have some jump early on keeping up the pressure on the Vals in the first. Bannister was the main reason the first ended with the Dukes only up one. Montreal effectively turned the tables on Toronto for the final 40 minutes of the game pouring 31 shots on MacPhee in the Toronto net after only managing 4 in the opening frame. Bannister was not nearly as busy after the first only facing 16 shots on goal. The Dukes ran into penalty trouble in the second taking all 5 minors called in the period including a period of 22 second in which Montreal held a two-man advantage. Montreal, thanks to MacPhee, only managed a single goal on the 5 power plays by Tony Del Vecchio at 11:28 on which Colton Keil chipped in with first point of the season. Montreal continued to pressure the Dukes in the third. Keil completed what was a memorable night for him giving his club a lead at 6:02 much to the displeasure of the 12825 on hand. A smattering of boos were heard from the stands after the goal. The catcalls may have woke the Dukes up as they seemed to play with a little more intensity after allowing the Montreal to take the lead. Knackstedt's, who had been sent to the sin bin thrice in the game, 8th of the season salvaged a point that most fans were muttering was undeserved on their way out of the building.

After two days off in which Bear put the team through two tough practices stressing defense zone coverage along with the breakout the Packers came to town. Bear's message seemed to be forgotten when Dave Corden gave Chicago the lead after at 1:29 on a give away that hung Connelly out to dry with no chance. The early deficit led to something not often seen from the Dukes this season, a goal explosion, with three in just under 10 minutes starting with Williams on a tip at 5:16 then Jamieson on a rebound at 12:36 followed by Amesbury's deflection at 16:09. Leading 3-1 in the second the team again ran into a rash of penalties in which they were fortunate enough to kill all three to head into the third still up by 2 goals in a period where Connelly turned aside 18 shots. Toronto scored the only goal in the final twenty with Nick Landry getting his first of the year from Knackstedt, Amesbury with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Connelly again was the big reason the Dukes go the two points making 33 saves while Dick Crane had a tough evening between the pipes for Chicago.

For the second Sunday in a row the Dukes went into Thompson Palladium to face Detroit. Pollack took a questionable roughing call after the opening puck drop, which incensed Bear who came within an eyelash of picking up a bench minor, allowing his Hobie Barrell to score his 12th before the game was a half minute old. In a chippy game in which each team had had 8 power plays Jack Chapman made it 2 zip at 5:26. The next 37 minutes saw no scoring even with an almost constant parade to the penalty box. Early in the third Ty Boulet had his number entered in the goal scoring column of the game sheet for the first time this year making it 3-0. Ken Jamieson continue his recent hot streak by breaking Goulet's shutout at 7:49 with Deruelle serving time for hooking. Williams closed the gap to one at 13: 56, that was a close as Toronto would get on this night in a 3-2 final.

Coach Bear- "We are going to implement a new defensive system this week. It will be simplified as it seems the reads guys are making in our zone are not consistent opening up too many chances for the opposition. The goaltending, thankfully, has been superior this year. At least 50% of our points are due to either Mike's or Justin's work in net. We cannot ride that train indefinitely, the skaters have to help them out. Detroit has built an early lead. We have to play much, much better to chip into their lead. Time for a hot streak.

The guys have to watch their sticks. We seemed to have gotten the reputation of a dirty team with the stick, whether or not deserved is not open for debate, it is the way it is at the moment. The refs are giving us no breaks we have to give them no reasons to make the call."

Full Court Press: December 3-9, 1962

• There are three current streaks in the FBL that tell the story of the past week. In the Western Division, the Toronto Falcons just refuse to lose. Their winning streak has reached eight games, and they are two-and-a-half games clear of Detroit. Toronto has the best home record in the league at 8-1 and while the attendance is at about 30% capacity, there is clearly something to see at Dominion Gardens. The eight-game streak over the last three weeks have been at the expense of the Rockets and Panthers with three wins each against those teams and two big wins against the Mustangs. The big matchup lurking is an inter-divisional battle in Boston next Saturday night against the 16-5 Centurions. Toronto boasts two 20-point scorers, which no other team can do. Fred Lillard leads the league at 23.0 points per game, while Bill Spangler has come on and stands sixth at 20.8 per contest.
  
• Speaking of the Mustangs, they have gone the other way. After a season that started with four wins in a row and 10 of 13 in the win column, Detroit has lost six in a row, including all three against the Rockets with an average margin of 11 points per loss. Why have the Mustangs not been able to win lately? Detroit has not been taking care of the ball, they have not been disciplined, and they have struggled defensively. Detroit is last with the most fouls committed per game (18.5), next to last in turnovers (19.1) and last in points allowed (83.2). Early in the season, the Mustangs were able to outscore the competition, and they still lead in points per game (87.4). Just look at the three games against St. Louis. Over the three games, Detroit averaged 18 turnovers a game, two more turnovers than the Rockets committed. Detroit was called on almost six fouls a game more than St. Louis, while the Rockets – a 40.2% shooting team this season – shot 45.8%, 47.6%, and 42.4% from the floor in their three wins.
  
• Washington has lost six straight and eight of nine after a hot start. The Statesmen’s 8-11 record has sunk the team into third place. To be fair, five of those eight losses were against the best team in the league in Boston though all those losses came at home. On the bright side, Washington is 4-1 at home against teams other than Boston, but that is of small comfort to a reeling Statesmen squad. Washington is not a high-scoring team, placing next-to-last in points per game (74.4) and field goal percentage (36.6%). The Statesmen also have a very stagnant offense, as their 19.6 assists per game is only better than Chicago. Only two Statesmen are in double figures with forward Ossie Waid the clear “go-to” man at 19.7 points a game and guard Ralph Peck at 11.4. If the news wasn’t bad enough, Peck hurt his knee early in Sunday’s 69-50 loss to Boston. The diagnosis was communicated by coach David Honey at practice this morning that Peck is going to miss the rest of the season with a ligament tear in his knee.
  
• In college news, preseason number one North Carolina Tech is making the prognosticators look smart with a 4-0 start. They were number one before taking the court, slipped to number two through no fault of their own, and they now have 49 of the 72 first-place votes in the Media Poll. NC Tech is 15th in RPI, which ranks based on a team’s performance and their strength of schedule. Lane State is off to a more impressive start, standing fourth in the Media Poll and fourth in RPI after winning its first five games of the season.

Baseball last notable event of 1962, the Rule-5 draft is scheduled to take place tomorrow, December 11th, as the 20 FABL clubs have a chance to poach their rivals for potentially big league ready talent left off a team's 40-man roster. The teams have a gentleman's agreement to get 40-man rosters finalized the night before the draft, so a few teams frantically filled up their roster with minor leaguers. The Minutemen, Gothams, and Foresters added a combined 30 players, as most teams enter the draft with a pretty stacked secondary roster. The latter both have full 40-man rosters, while the Sailors filled their 40-man up with six position players.

That means that only 17 teams will be able to participate, with all but Minneapolis capped by the number of free 40-man roster spots they have available to them. The Millers will get to add 10 players -- the maximum amount of selections -- but with only 27 spots filled they have more open spots then rounds of the draft. For an expansion team, an opportunity to add talent for the cost of a 25-man roster spot is an excellent opportunity, and I'd expect each of the four fledgling franchises to raid their new rivals in an effort to uncover a hidden gem or three.

There are a few notable prospects up for grabs, including 47th ranked prospect and former 1st Rounder George Wagner. Corner outfielders are not always highly sought after, but the 22-year-old slugger hit .308/.410/.602 (176 OPS+) with 27 homers and 68 RBIs in 91 AAA games. Wagner's exclusion from the Sailors secondary roster was a surprise, and I'd bet the former 8th pick would be one of the first players selected. There's a few FABL vets available as well, including Imperials infielder Red Ellis, who made 281 PAs and at 35, and veteran pitchers Jimmy Morris and John Thomas Johnson, both of who made appearances this past season and signed minor league deals with the Cougars.

• Last year's Rule-5 draft saw just two players selected, but this season expect at least two teams to select more then two players. Both players selected managed to survive the season with their team. Third basemen Clyde Fisher went from the Chiefs to the Wolves, starting 133 of his 138 appearances. Almost all of it came at the hot corner, and the 23-year-old hit a solid .309/.375/.453 (107 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 12 homers, and 63 RBIs while offering excellent defense.
• Boston also took right hander Otey Stevens from the Kansas City Kings, trotting him out 34 times, with 22 of those starts. Now 25, the righty has great stuff, and despite a 6-11 record had a 4.11 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts.

• December 22- World Middleweight champion Lyman King puts his perfect 40-0 record on the line against former champion George Quisenberry in Los Angeles. King beat Quisenberry to claim the tile last January in New York and made successful defenses against Steve Bradshaw in May and George Hatchell in September. Quisenberry, a 27-year-old Canadian, held the title for nearly two and a half years before falling to King. He waited eight months after the loss to King before returning to the ring, knocking out Billy Randall in September to improve to 39-2-3.

• Oscar Woodings, the 34-year-old British middleweight who battled George Quisenberry to a draw when the Canadian was world champion nearly three years ago before losing a unanimous decision in the rematch, was back in the ring last week in his native England. Woodings scored a decision over Sheridon Mobbs to run his career mark to 53-3-2.

• The Minuteman missile, after 22 months of testing, officially became part of the United States wartime bombing power after twenty of the nuclear-tipped missiles were declared ready for war duty in their underground, concrete silos in Montana. Each missile is programmed for a specific target and has its own guidance system.
• India's Prime Minister says that Red China's cease-fire and withdrawal maneuver may only be a trick and warned his front-line troops that fighting might flare up again in the Himalayas. The withdrawal came after Prime Minister Nehru rejected Peking's terms for settlement of the border conflict.
• The head of United Nations operations in the Congo warned Katanga's President Moise Tshombe that the UN intends to take whatever steps are necessary to reunite the Congo. The government of Belgium has pledged to support the UN and the central Congolese government should they attempt to end the Katangese secession through force.
• British troops, more than 700 strong, have launched an attack on rebel forces on the British protected island of Borneo after the insurgents had attacked Brunei's rich oil installations.
• The GOP National Committee drafted a formal resolution claiming that President Kennedy's administration "was stalled in indecision" when Republican spokesmen were calling for elimination of the Communist military base on Cuba at the start of the crisis.
• 16 bodies have been recovered and the search continues for 21 more following the collapse of a Pennsylvania coal mine about 50 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/NwGC8FN.jpeg

December 24th, 1962
 

The Houston Drillers’ remarkable second season reached new heights Sunday as they secured a spot in the American Football Association playoffs with a commanding 23-13 road victory over the West Division champion Chicago Wildcats. The win was the Drillers’ sixth in a row and solidified their place as one of the league’s top teams heading into the postseason.

“Making the playoffs is nice,” said quarterback Miller Bogert, “but we have much more in mind.”

Bogert, a former Wildcat who set a modern football record with 27 touchdown passes in 1960, has been the catalyst for Houston’s resurgence. After injuries limited him during the Drillers’ difficult 3-11 expansion season, he returned to full strength in 1962 and led the team to a 10-4 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark on the road.

Houston’s late-season push included five consecutive road victories, highlighted by wins over the St. Louis Ramblers—who finished just one game out of a playoff spot—and the 11-3 Wildcats.

Chicago was without its starting quarterback, Chip Finch, who suffered a dislocated knee the previous week. With Finch sidelined, the Wildcats turned to backup Mike Zupancic, who struggled mightily, completing only two of ten passes for 12 yards.

Bogert, on the other hand, delivered when it mattered, completing 17 of 27 passes for 174 yards and a key 21-yard touchdown strike to Bill Castell just before halftime. That score gave Houston a 10-7 lead and helped erase an earlier miscue when Bogert’s pass was intercepted and returned 49 yards for a Chicago touchdown by defensive back Joe Massaro.

Houston’s defense dominated, holding Chicago to just 1-for-11 on third down conversions. Defensive end John Padgett was particularly disruptive, sacking Zupancic four times and recording three additional quarterback hits.

The Drillers also found success on the ground, with halfback Phil Patton delivering a standout performance. Cast off by Pittsburgh, Patton has flourished in Houston’s system, and his 134-yard effort on 19 carries—including a 27-yard touchdown run in the third quarter—sealed the victory.

With the win, the Drillers will face the Wildcats again next Sunday in the AFA West Division Finals. Houston has already proven they can beat Chicago once—now, they’ll need to do it again to keep their dream season alive.
The Boston Americans set a franchise record for victories in a season, capping off an 11-3 campaign and their first playoff berth since 1955 with a 23-10 victory over the Philadelphia Frigates. Next up for the Americans will be a date with the second place New York Stars. The Stars, winners of each of the last two AFA championship games, had some ups and downs this season including a pair of two game losing streaks but finished off the campaign with three consecutive victories including a 33-0 blasting of Buffalo yesterday. Boston and New York split their two regular season contests with each club prevailing on the road.

Elsewhere the St Louis Ramblers playoff hopes were snuffed out following a 24-17 loss on the road in San Francisco. The Ramblers need a win to force a tiebreaking scenario with the Houston Drillers for the second playoff slot in the West Division but a late touchdown drive gave the Wings the victory and ended the Ramblers post-season hopes.

Jerry Walsh ran for 141 yards to secure the league rushing title and lead the Washington Wasps to a 42-7 pounding of the Pittsburgh Paladins. The Wasps join Buffalo and Detroit tied for the worst record in the league, all at 4-10. The Red Jackets were blanked by the New York Stars as mentioned earlier while Detroit downed Los Angeles 19-5 on the west coast. Los Angeles Tigers linebacker Greg Reed had 9 tackles in the season finale against Detroit allowing the fifth year pro to set a modern AFA record for tackles in a season 158. That gave him one more than Detroit's Scott Cross 1952 total of 157.

In the final game of the weekend Elvin McGoldrick ran for 143 yards and a touchdown to lead the Kansas City Cowboys past the Cleveland Finches 31-10.


Los Angeles Arena, Los Angeles, Ca. – Lyman King (41-0-0, 24 KO) vs. George Quisenberry (39-2-3, 17 KO) – Referee: Dunk McGuire

George Quisenberry is the two-time reigning Bologna Boxer of the Year, but he opened 1962 losing the Middleweight Championship to Lyman King. The belt has looked like it has fit King for a lot longer than 11 months. King has acquitted himself very well since taking the title in January. He has not dropped a single professional fight and entered the fight ready to put the cherry on top of a Bologna Boxer of the Year award himself.

After the January loss, Quisenberry did some soul searching. While he never said he was thinking of hanging up the gloves, he wanted to take stock of his professional career and re-commit himself to his craft. Quisenberry re-entered the ring in September and won his bout by knockout, declaring himself ready for a rematch with King.
The lead-up to this fight was billed as the “Fight of the Decade” with a long-time former champion and an undefeated current titleholder. One would expect a fight of this magnitude to be held in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, or Chicago, but Los Angeles hosted this fight, continuing a Manifest Destiny of sorts with title fights heading westward. This year, there have been championship fights in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Now, the biggest sporting events have reached the West Coast, with the San Francisco Sailors hosting the World’s Championship Series in the FABL.

Even the referee was experienced. Dunk McGuire, an old hand who first judged a title fight almost 15 years ago, was selected for the assignment. The scene was set with Tinseltown types in their fancy dress. It was more of a red carpet than a slab of concrete where folding chairs seated the well-heeled. Movie stars and the who’s who of Hollywood were rubbing elbows with sports legends like the great Bobby Barrell, who attended the bout and had a ringside seat next to his son Ralph and his nephew Charlie, both members of the Los Angeles Stars.
In the mix of the fur coats and cigars, McGuire grabbed the microphone has it was lowered from above and called the fighters to the center of the ring. King and Quisenberry had fought before and were familiar with each other, but they still strained to hear and stay attentive with the buzzing crowd.

King came out smoking in the first round, tattooing Quisenberry right away. He started with an uppercut and a couple of hooks to make his statement, while the challenger was just missing with his offerings. After a clinch, Quisenberry tried to make hay, but connected on a low blow, which earned a warning from McGuire. Quisenberry started fast in the second round with an uppercut of his own, but King withstood that punch and connected late on an uppercut and a hard hook that almost caused Quisenberry to drop a knee to the canvas.

Quisenberry took the third and fourth rounds and the pivotal change in momentum happened about a minute into the third round when he drilled King with a straight right hand. King was floating around the ring, and that punch stopped him in his tracks. King was not the same for the rest of the round, as Quisenberry landed a combo and a hook before the end of the round. King returned to the corner with some visible swelling under his right eye. In the fourth round, Quisenberry continued to capitalize with another right and another combo.

Entering Round Five, as both fighters could lay claim to two rounds, but King’s eye stood to become a problem going forward. With every punch in the vicinity, there was worry for King’s eye getting worse. With every punch that King could potentially slip, another fan was convinced he could not see the next one coming. With a long way to go, King had to survive long enough to get his own punches in.

King had a good sixth round and a good eighth round. In between, Quisenberry dominated the seventh round, as the second half of that round proved to be some of Quisenberry’s finest work on the night. Quisenberry landed an uppercut that gave King a vacant look in his eyes. Another uppercut left King gasping for air. On a night that neither fighter earned a knockdown, the fight would be won in the trenches, inch by inch.
King tried to move ahead in the ninth round, connecting on a couple of nice punches, but Quisenberry was able to deflect and defend well. Quisenberry held the line until he found some rhythm midway through the tenth, letting a couple of hard jabs loose before he capped his assault with a hook. King worked upstairs and downstairs in the eleventh round, unleashing a hard right hand to the head while also burying a shot in Quisenberry’s ribs that seemingly knocked the wind out of the challenger.
Quisenberry’s favorite punch on the night was his jab, which he landed over 150 times in the bout. Not only did the jab set up other punches, but it was effective on its own as a culminating shot to score big points. The biggest punch in the twelfth round was a jab by Quisenberry that stunned the champion. In the thirteenth round, King barely saw a stinging uppercut by Quisenberry, though referee McGuire did not think to pause the fight to have the ringside physician take a closer look.

Quisenberry thought he did enough to win the fight. King did as well, with the added adversity of his swollen eye that his corner could not calm down in the second half of the fight. The fans were divided as well. Leaving it in the hands of the judges, no one knew what was going to happen.

Two of the three judges called the fight a draw, 143-143, while the third judge called it for Quisenberry, 145-142. The draw satisfied no one and a third fight was basically in the offing as the players’ camps departed the ring. For King (41-0-1), it was the first blemish on his record and while he left the ring with the belt, the only reason he kept the belt was because he survived an early battering at the hands of Quisenberry (39-2-4). Quisenberry was not able to go for the kill at a few critical moments in the fight and could not take advantage of King’s swollen eye.
Did this fight live up to the “Fight of the Decade”? Absolutely, though the next fight of the decade is only a few months away.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: King, 1-0 (1:29 hook/side)
Round 2: King, 3-1 (K: 1:23 cross, 2:25 uppercut, 2:39 hook/head; Q: 0:19 uppercut)
Round 3: Quisenberry, 3-0 (1:04 right, 1:37 combo; 2:48 hook)
Round 4: Quisenberry, 2-0 (0:51 right, 1:58 combo)
Round 5: King, 1-0 (1:06 uppercut)
Round 6: None
Round 7: Quisenberry, 2-0 (1:47 uppercut; 2:43 uppercut)
Round 8: Quisenberry, 3-2 (K: 2:41 uppercut/head, 2:57 left; Q: 0:11 right/head, 0:54 right/jaw, 2:27 left)
Round 9: King, 1-0 (1:15 hook/midsection)
Round 10: Quisenberry, 1-0 (1:56 hook/head)
Round 11: King, 2-0 (1:20 right/head, 2:14 right/ribs)
Round 12: Quisenberry, 2-1 (K: 1:37 left hook/body; Q: 0:33 right/ribs, 1:51 jab)
Round 13: Quisenberry, 1-0 (1:09 uppercut)
Round 14: King, 1-0 (0:56 cross/face)
Round 15: None
TOTAL: Quisenberry 15, King 12

• 31-year-old Lenny Shafto, who ever so briefly held the welterweight title last summer, has returned to his native England and was back in action for the first time since August loss to Matt Leach in what was his first title defense. Shafto knocked out Spaniard Jose Alfaro in the 8th round of a bout in London last week.

Well, here we are again, folks. Another New Year's spectacle is almost upon us, and this one has all the makings of a classic. When No. 1 meets No. 2, the old "Game of the Century" talk starts bubbling up, and it’s no different this time as the unbeaten Lubbock State Hawks take on the surging Mississippi A&M Generals in the Oilman Classic down in Houston. With the nation’s top two teams squaring off, there’s more than just bragging rights on the line—this one’s got a national title hanging in the balance.

Lubbock State has steamrolled its way through the Southwestern Alliance, flexing its muscle week after week with a punishing ground game and a defense that gives up yards about as willingly as a banker parts with a dollar. Their lone close call came early in the season when they edged East-West Classic-bound Central Ohio 13-10. Since then, it’s been a steady march toward perfection, with a suffocating defense and a backfield duo that has given opposing coaches nightmares.

Lubbock State Quarterback Tom Bosak is as steady as they come, completing 55 of 103 passes for 837 yards, seven touchdowns, and just a single interception. But make no mistake—this team is built on the legs of senior Rich Gingrich and junior Paul Coddington. Gingrich, a workhorse with 1,344 yards on the ground, softens up defenses while Coddington delivers the knockout punch—his 1,026 yards and 14 touchdowns prove he knows how to find the end zone. Add in sophomore end Red Cuyler, who has hauled in 20 passes for 503 yards and six scores, and you've got an offense that keeps defenses guessing.

But the real key to Lubbock State’s dominance has been its ball-hawking defense. The Hawks seem to have a knack for jarring the ball loose at the most opportune times, and the veteran trio of linebacker Tom Wilson and safeties Brett Morrison and Thurman Weimer leads a unit that has made a habit of stuffing even the most potent rushing attacks. That should come in handy against a Mississippi A&M squad that leans heavily on the run.

The biggest question for the Hawks? Whether they can finally shake off their New Year’s Day woes. They’ve claimed four of the last five Southwestern Alliance titles but have nothing to show for it in Houston, dropping three straight Oilman Classics to Deep South opponents before last year’s letdown in the Lone Star Classic. Their last taste of national glory came all the way back in 1916 when they shared the top spot with Liberty College. Could this be the year they stand alone?

While Lubbock State has been a regular on the big stage, Mississippi A&M is the upstart, the Cinderella story nobody saw coming. The Generals entered the year as an afterthought in the Deep South Conference, but after an upset victory over heavily favored Cumberland, they find themselves on the doorstep of history. A win here would not only secure their first football national championship but cap off a banner stretch for A&M athletics—the school captured its first AIAA basketball and baseball titles in 1961.

At the heart of the Generals’ rise is their thunder-and-lightning backfield of Dave Witcher and Gary Bender. Witcher, a senior, led the nation in rushing with 1,716 yards and found paydirt 18 times. If he gets rolling, watch out. Bender, a junior, is no slouch himself, chewing up 1,309 yards this season. Mississippi A&M keeps it simple—run, run, and run some more. And with sophomore quarterback Hal Schraufnagel throwing only when absolutely necessary (just 52 attempts all season, 30 completions, zero interceptions), it’s safe to say this offense won’t be airing it out in Houston.

Defense is where Mississippi A&M hopes to turn the tide, and they’ve got the horses to do it. Junior pass-rusher Clinton Bucy is a one-man wrecking crew, racking up six sacks, while senior linebacker Reuben Spell is the kind of sure tackler that can shut down an opposing run game before it ever gets started.

The Prediction: So what gives? Can Lubbock State finally exorcise its New Year’s demons, or is Mississippi A&M destined to complete its fairy-tale run? The oddsmakers have Lubbock State as a four-point favorite, likely due to the Hawks playing close to home, but something about this game smells like an upset. The Hawks haven’t faced a runner as explosive as Witcher all season, and if he gets loose, A&M could control the tempo from start to finish. I like the Generals to pull off the shocker in a bruising battle.

TANK TIPPETT PREDICTION: Mississippi A&M 20, Lubbock State 17.


I'd be surprised if even half these guys last until Opening Day, but FABL GMs were active in this year's Rule-5 draft, with 11 teams selecting a combined 27 players. The Chiefs and Dynamos selected four each, while the Miners and Sailors both lost six. After seeing just two players selected last season, you'd have to combined the last few to come close to the action we saw this year. With expansion happening after the Rule-5 draft last year, most teams had more stocked organizations, but after losing a lot of depth, teams were more willing to take a chance this year on young talent outside the organization.

Leading the way was the New York Imperials, who took 23-year-old lefty Bob Brown with the drafts first pick. A member of the Imperials Continental expansion partner Wranglers, Brown was selected in last year's expansion draft from Toronto. The former 4th Round pick debuted at 21 for the Wolves in 1961, so if he makes the Opening Day roster it won't be for a FABL debut. With 73.2 innings of experience, he has a 5.86 ERA (78 ERA+) and 1.79 WHIP, walking 48 with 53 strikeouts. His 1-8 record in 23 games (10 starts) leaves a lot to be desired, and he struggled on the Wranglers' AAA team too. 9-13 in 30 starts, he had a 4.69 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, and 107 strikeouts in 194 innings pitched. Despite that, there's a lot to like about Brown, who has a lethal fastball/changeup mix. The fastball tops out at 97, and he's had no issues overpowering hitters when he's in the zone. The stuff is great, and he maintained a strong 8.0 BB%. Giving up 40 home runs is going to ruin anyone's ERA, and if he can just figure a way to keep the ball in the park, he could end up the Imps best starter this season.

Another notable player came with the 6th pick, as 46th ranked prospect George Wagner was the 4th player selected. Going from the Sailors to the Minutemen, the former 8th overall pick now has a chance to patrol the outfield with graduated #2 prospect Frank Kirouac (.279, 21, 90, 8). With a full 40, the Sailors couldn't make room for Wagner, who split time between AA and AAA. Great at both levels, he hit .364/.490/.584 (194 OPS+) in AA and .308/.410/.602 (176 OPS+) in AAA. He spent more time there, 91 to 45 games, but the AAA time is more impressive even with the lesser triple slash. In 415 PAs he cracked 27 homers, good for sixth in the league despite a shorter season. A talented slugger, there wasn't room for him in either corner this season, and now he has a shot to earn an Opening Day job with the Minutemen.

A complete list of players selected can be found below:

Round 1
Round 1, Pick 1 - New York Imperials: RP Bob Brown from the Dallas Wranglers.
Round 1, Pick 4 - Los Angeles Suns: 2B Ray Fowler from the Pittsburgh Miners.
Round 1, Pick 5 - Montreal Saints: SP Leo McDonald from the San Francisco Sailors.
Round 1, Pick 6 - Boston Minutemen: LF George Wagner from the San Francisco Sailors.
Round 1, Pick 8 - Chicago Chiefs: SP Ed Funk from the Boston Minutemen.
Round 1, Pick 9 - Toronto Wolves: LF Tom Sexton from the Pittsburgh Miners.
Round 1, Pick 12 - Philadelphia Keystones: SP Buddy Adams from the San Francisco Sailors.
Round 1, Pick 13 - Chicago Cougars: 2B Pete Meany from the Washington Eagles.
Round 1, Pick 15 - Cleveland Foresters: SP Marty Czyzewski from the Chicago Cougars.
Round 1, Pick 17 - Kansas City Kings: C Art Biggs from the Pittsburgh Miners.
Round 1, Pick 18 - Detroit Dynamos: SP Harl Thompson from the San Francisco Sailors.
Round 2
Round 2, Pick 1 - New York Imperials: SP Charlie Christianson from the San Francisco Sailors.
Round 2, Pick 5 - Montreal Saints: 3B Harry Phillips from the Los Angeles Suns.
Round 2, Pick 6 - Boston Minutemen: SP Mario Saucedo from the Chicago Cougars.
Round 2, Pick 8 - Chicago Chiefs: RF John Howard from the Pittsburgh Miners.
Round 2, Pick 13 - Chicago Cougars: LF Ray Dotson from the Detroit Dynamos.
Round 2, Pick 15 - Cleveland Foresters: LF Dave Merrill from the Los Angeles Stars.
Round 2, Pick 17 - Kansas City Kings: C Lyman Chandler from the Pittsburgh Miners.
Round 2, Pick 18 - Detroit Dynamos: CF Glenn Johnson from the New York Gothams.
Round 3
Round 3, Pick 1 - New York Imperials: SP Bill Moody from the San Francisco Sailors.
Round 3, Pick 5 - Montreal Saints: LF Dom Hudson from the Kansas City Kings.
Round 3, Pick 6 - Boston Minutemen: SP Eddie Fox from the Los Angeles Stars.
Round 3, Pick 8 - Chicago Chiefs: 2B Don Kinney from the Pittsburgh Miners.
Round 3, Pick 17 - Kansas City Kings: C Stan Richardson from the Los Angeles Stars.
Round 3, Pick 18 - Detroit Dynamos: CL Art Andrews from the New York Gothams.
Round 4
Round 4, Pick 8 - Chicago Chiefs: SP Bobby McGough from the Chicago Cougars.
Round 4, Pick 18 - Detroit Dynamos: LF Yank Taylor from the Boston Minutemen.


Looking to free up some salary space, the Washington eagles parted with two quality bench pieces to acquire two prospects, a FABL bench bat, and a lot of cash. The most notable player involved is first basemen Joe Holland, who turned 25 in late September and despite seeing his playing time slip away, is an excellent hitter. A four year player, he's started over 100 games just once in his career, but he's a career .289/.387/.506 (137 OPS+) hitter with 65 doubles, 65 homers, and 227 RBIs. Last season was his first with a WRC+ below 135, as he hit just .262/.360/.438 (103 OPS+), ceding playing time to superstar rookie George Whaley (.321, 21, 63, 5), who matched Holland's career best in homers in just 69 games.

Holland, who was taken 1st in the 1956 draft, will go to Detroit with another former high pick, Brad Keylon. Keylon was 4th in 1953, and had a nice five year run as the starter before Howdy Oakes (.322, 13, 78) took over this season. Keylon, 31, has had an above average OPS+ in each of his six FABL seasons, hitting above .300 in five of his six seasons. This includes a .337 that won the 1959 Fed batting title, and Keylon was an All-Star in each of his five seasons starting. Even in a limited role this year, he hit a productive .333/.391/.470 (119 OPS+), but the now 22-year-old Oakes hit a much better .322/.411/.527 (138 OPS+), while also offering better defense. Keylon's availability has been known for some time, and those in the Dynamos organization have voiced interest in him since he was first made available.

Holland and Keylon may have hoped for a starting role once they were informed of their trade, but it appears instead both will move into a rotational role for Detroit. As good as Holland is as a hitter, being a first base only limits his value, and he's certainly not going to displace superstar Ray Waggoner (.355, 30, 109). Instead, Holland is expected to join a rotation between Waggoner and the three outfielders -- Cecil Gregg (.302, 19, 110, 10), Ed McNaugton (.314, 13, 72, 30), and Bill Morrison (.304, 10, 51, 11) -- while also providing depth should Morrison, or another outfielder, get hurt during a pennant race. Keylon meanwhile will compete with Lew Mercer (.209, 7, 51, 7) for the starting job, who is no 35 and coming off arguably the worst season of his career. If his best day's are surely behind him, Keylon is an improvement on backup Ed Holt (.312, 1, 18), who they picked up on waivers in April, and included in this swap.

Washington's priority was saving money, shedding around $200k, but they also added the Dynamos 9th ranked prospect Glenn Johnson. Taken in the Rule-5 draft, Johnson is a recently turned 26-year-old who the Eagles will have to keep on the roster all season, else he'd be returned to the Gothams. A former 8th Rounder of the Keystones, he was part of the big package for Jorge Arellano (15-9, 4.03, 156), and spent his 1962 season with the Gothams AAA club, hitting .232/.345/.472 (124 OPS+) with 20 doubles, 25 homers, and 66 RBIs. An excellent gap hitter, Johnson should rack up the doubles, and he's got the raw power for home run stop. Right now, he just doesn't make enough contact, as he's often swinging and missing at strike three. With great defense, he'll be able to stick in center, and OSA thinks he's got pop to hit over 30 homers in a season. He doesn't share the youth of most prospects, but he's an interesting piece, and there's much more room for him in Washington's outfield then Detroit's.

The Eagles also picked up $50,000 in cash and AAA righty Virgil Farrell, who was added to the 40 to protect his selection in the Rule-5 Draft. While not a highly rated prospect, he does have a nice fastball/splitter mix, and he did well in a swingman role with the Newark Aces. Recently 25, Farrell was 5-5 with 4 saves, a 2.68 ERA (139 ERA+), and 1.27 WHIP, walking 65 with 83 strikeouts. Acquired by the Dynamos as a minor league free agent, he's returning to the organization that took him 10th in 1956, but decided not to keep him after the draft. Six years later he's back, and will offer cheap depth to a team with a lot of quality young pitchers.

The rumored deal between the Foresters and Chief Lewis was made official a few days after the Rule-5 draft, as the longtime Gotham and Eagle outfielder will earn a $90,000 contract as a member of the Cleveland Foresters. A former 11th Round selection of the Gothams, Lewis debuted in 1949, and has appeared in each season since. A veteran of 1,783 FABL games, the 1956 World Championship Series MVP owns a career .269/.358/.399 (105 OPS+) batting line with 376 doubles, 115 triples, and 92 home runs. Lewis added 1,134 runs, 689 RBIs, and 949 walks, swiping 216 bases and accumulating exactly 50 wins above replacement.

1962 was a bit of a down year for Lewis, as he snapped a streak of three consecutive above average offensive seasons. 37 before Opening Day, he hit just .247/.318/.388 (80 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 62 RBIs, 61 walks, and 93 runs. He did slug 14 homers, reaching double digits for the first time in his career, but with just 11 steals he snapped a streak of five consecutive seasons with 20 or more steals. A streak that didn't snap was walking more then he struck out (54), something he's done every year since he became a regular in 1952. That level of discipline is huge, and with his eye, defense, and baserunning, he's a complete player that can provide a talented Foresters team with plus-level depth. He's elite defensively in right, and can handle third, second, and center well too. With a crowded outfield, expect him to move around plenty, but if an injury strikes they'll be able to overcome it.


Trade action hasn't been too often in the 1962 offseason, but we got two deals from the Eagles right before the end of the year. This time it was smaller, as the Wolves sent minor league outfielder Al Clark to the Eagles for defensive specialist Dick Rabkin. Just 23, the middle infielder debuted in 1961, and spent all of the 1962 season in Washington. Splitting time between second and short, he made 550 trips to the plate, hitting a useful .293/.331/.402 (87 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 10 homers, and 69 RBIs. A light hitter, 10 homers is actually a bit of surprise, as Rabkin is generally more of a singles hitter. He doesn't have a great eye either, just 30 walks to 88 strikeouts, but his value doesn't come from his impact at the plate. Instead, he offers outstanding defense at both second and short, something Toronto prioritizes. Both incumbents Phil Story (.274, 10, 60, 8) and Jesse Taylor (.277, 14, 73, 16) are excellent defenders, and they have another young infielder to join them. With an option left, the hard working Rabkin could be sent down and kept as depth, as Toronto looks to get more out of his bat.

For Rabkin, it's not the first time he's been traded, as the former 13th overall pick was once property of the Detroit Dynamos organization. He spent just six months with the Dynamos, traded to the Eagles for John Herron and Ed Patzer. Now the return is 22-year-old Al Clark, an excellent defensive outfielder who Washington could have taken in the Rule-5 draft. Not FABL ready, trading for him instead works better, as they'll be able to stash the former 9th Rounder in the minors. Like Rabkin, he's also been traded before, going from the Keystones to Wolves with Charlie Davidson for former #1 pick Les Ledbetter. A natural center fielder, Clark is great in all three spots, something you can't say about the Eagles current outfield. They all hit better, but Clark has tremendous range, and works the count well. Ranked as the 212th best FABL prospect, Clark hit .236/.359/.374 (96 OPS+) in AA, adding 13 doubles, 11 homers, and 76 walks. Projected as a fourth outfielder, he's a useful bench option, and since the Eagles were looking to move on from Rabkin, it was a nice low-risk pickup that could at least be an excellent fourth outfielder.


You could almost hear although you could certainly sense the felling of relief that the Wolves had no one plucked from their organization during the annual Rule 5 draft. This draft opens up drafted players mostly with 4 or 5 professional experience who have yet been put on protected 40-man roster. There are some other way in which players qualify for Rule 5 such as a player signed as a free agent who is not on the 40-man. There was a true sense the 4 expansion teams that entered the FABL last season the Rule 5 would be a busy draft. The surprise was that there were only 78 players picked in 4 rounds. Sources tell Brett that were shocked that they did not lose any players along with the Imperials, Wranglers, Suns, Millers not being busier overall in this draft. Wolves expected to lose a number of players off the Buffalo roster where there were 13 players exposed, 12 of whom were under 30.

The Wolves did make on selection, Tom Sexton, a 27 year old 1B/OF who was taken from Pittsburgh's AAA affiliate in St. Paul. He could fill the need for power hitting bat from the right side after a year where he has a line of .277/.307/.500 with 32 HR 108 RBI. Sexton was a first round selection, 8th overall, by the Chiefs in 1953 out of high school in Canton, Ohio.

The front office is now taking a short break for the holidays. The word around the office is that now they know what they have plans for Spring Training can begin in earnest, mostly figuring out which minors leaguers to invite to main camp. Looking at the roster overall the gap will be as stated earlier, mostly in the pitching staff both in the starting rotation, along with the bullpen. Brett expects that all of starters Jimmy Blair, Charlie Davidson, along with relievers Stan Boone, Bob Campbell from Buffalo's championship team to be in spring camp fighting for big league jobs. Lee Loeffler is being rumoured to be moving to the 'pen should there will probably be at least one spot in the rotation open to start 1963. In relief it would appear that only Zeke Blake, Loeffler are guaranteed jobs so at least two spots are to be contested for the trip north in April.
In the field most jobs appear to be secure for the end of 1962 with a starting lineup looking something like this:

C- Rusconi with Curtis or Williams as backup. Rusconi can also serve as a 4th OFer which give other options to Hohlt.
1B- Reed with Sexton being given lots of chance to prove himself in the spring. Sexton has to remain on the Wolves roster or be return to Pittsburgh.
2B- Phil Story with Koval as backup
3B- Fisher with Wells in reserve
SS- Taylor
LF- If Reed moves to first then Carl Clark, Fred Hardin would battle for the starters role. Hardin's injury history is causing some level of concern.
CF- Sid Cullen
RF- Ed Savage who impressed in September. Wolves fans have to hope that the positive from the bat offset the negative impact in the field.

The OF changes dramatically if Rusconi is both C, backup OF.
All of this is speculation at this point with injuries, trades changing the plans as they occur over the next three months. Trades are said to already be in the works

• As you'd expect with a team that one the pennant, the Sailors were hit hard in the Rule-5 draft. It wasn't for a lack of trying, they packed up their 40-man roster to the max, but they still lost six players. This includes the highly touted slugger George Wagner and 23-year-old righty Leo McDonald, with the latter an option to crack the Saints Opening Day rotation.
• To make room for their Rule-5 selections, one of the players the Foresters DFA'd was Otis O'Keefe. Less useful with Chief Lewis now in the mix, O'Keefe will be looking for somewhere else to continue his 14-year career. O'Keefe hit a decent .282/.368/.453 (104 OPS+) in 280 PAs this season, and owns a .276/.356/.418 (114 OPS+) line in 1,901 games with the Saints and Foresters. A consistent hitter, he's had a sub 90-WRC just once, sub 100 just three times, and owns 286 doubles, 70 triples, 182 homers, 975 runs, 929 RBIs, and 840 walks.
• Washington's activity on the trade market was alluded to most of the offseason, as they've been both shopping depth pieces and targeting center fielders. In both of their deals, they were able to save a little cash while acquiring talented defensive outfielders in both deals.
• TWIFS head columnist announced his Hall-of-Fame ballot, explaining how it was "almost impossible" to select "just five players" on a worthy ballot full of stars. Irwin continued by saying "as a Chicago sportswriter I couldn't help but vote for Leo Mitchell and Skipper Schneider, and it brought me great pain to leave off talented stopper David Molina this year."
• Irwin continued by explaining how FABL should right the wrong of the last two votes, leaving Walt Messer short of qualification for the hall. "The reason the ballot is so crowded is we refuse to let in some of the great's of the game. Walt is one of the best sluggers in the game, and the hall feels empty without him.
• Finishing the ballot is George Garrison and Adam Mullins, but Irwin realizes those two may have to wait a little longer. "When you're under the 50% mark, it's hard to get a big bump at once. Both are truly deserving candidates, but we'll need voters to shift the way they select who's deserving if these multi-time All-Stars will get their named enshrined with the greats of the game."

A way to slow down the Detroit Motors was finally discovered. Combine all of the best players in the league into one team. That worked as the two-time defending Challenge Cup champs were dumped 4-1 by the NAHC Stars in the annual all-star game. That result, although it will not count in the official standings, snapped a five game winning streak for the Motors and was one of just two December games the club has lost as they prepare for a Christmas/Boxing Day home and home showdown with the Toronto Dukes. The Motors, who lead the NAHC with 42 points in 30 games, have a six-point bulge and three games in hand on the second place Chicago Packers. Not counting the All-Star game, Detroit is 8-1-1 on the month. The Packers had some struggles early in the month but the team that boasts of the top two scorers in the NAHC in Ken York and Pete Bernier has six wins and a tie in its last seven games.

As for the All-Star contest, York continued his point production setting up a pair of goals for the All-Stars in their 4-1 victory. Chicago's Danny Connaughton, Charles Brochu and Nick Poulin of Toronto and Boston's Jimmy Rucks scored for the all-stars while Alex Guindon had the lone Detroit marker. Defense was never a consideration in the wide-open affair that saw just one minor penalty called as the NAHC stars outshot Detroit 81-45. Detroit's Sebastien Goulet played just 30 minutes but faced 52 shots. Goulet was beaten just twice while Charlie Dell allowed one goal on the 28 shots he saw with the final NAHC tally into an empty net.

Boston 1 at Chicago 2: Oscar James made 43 saves to nearly still a game for the Boston Bees, who were outshot 45-14 by Chicago. Ray Weller and John Trumbull scored for the winners with Luke Mongeau netting the lone Boston goal.


Boston 3 at Detroit 8: A big night for a number of Detroit Motors with Alex Monette leading the way with a goal and 3 assists in an 8-3 thrashing of Boston. Benny Barrell, Jake Clark and Darcy Sill each had 3 points while veteran Motors captain Nick Tardif scored twice.

Toronto 2 at Montreal 5: Defenseman Mark Moggy scored once and added an assist in the opening period as Montreal took a 2-1 lead after twenty minutes and went on to win 5-2 for its third straight victory. The Dukes are winless in four.


Chicago 4 at Montreal 1: The Packers are unbeaten in six games after a 4-1 road victory in Montreal. Conn Maguire and Pete Bernier each had a goal and an assist with both Ken York and John Lucas collecting two helpers.

New York 3 at Toronto 3: The injury riddled Shamrocks had a 5-day break to try and get healthy and they returned to action with a 3-3 draw in Toronto. Quinton Pollack scored his 8th of the season with just over four minutes remaining in the game to earn the single point for the hosts.


Toronto 4 at Boston 3: Charlie Brown had three assists including one on Joe Pelkey's third period game winner as the Dukes trimmed Boston 4-3.

Montreal 1 at Detroit 3: The Motors improved to 8-1-1 in December with a 3-1 victory over Montreal. Alex Guindon had two assists to lead the Detroit attack with all four goals coming in the third period including Hobie Barrell's 17th of the season for the Motors.

Chicago 4 at New York 2: Chicago won its fourth consecutive game as they try to keep pace with Detroit. Randy Katic had a goal and an assist to lead the Packers who fired 68 shots on beleaguered New York netminder Alex Sorrell.


Toronto's struggles on the ice continue as children await the arrival of Santa Claus. The Dukes fans, players, staff are wishing for a winning streak to close out 1962 extending into 1963 under the tree, Over the last five games the team has posted a record of 1-2-2 with the only win coming in the last game which snapped a two week winless streak. The team is now clinging on to the last playoff spot by two points over the NY Shamrocks. Fans are trying to remember the last time the team was fighting for a playoff berth going into the New Year. The team is still below the breakeven point with a record of 11-13-7 for 29 points in 32 games.

The common refrain on the streets is "What's wrong with the Dukes?"

The last five games began at home with the Bs in town on a Saturday night. Bear had been reworking the defensive system over the 5 days off before the game. The work seemed to pay off as the team looked more sound in their own zone. On this night Connelly was not left to own devices for extended periods of time due to defensive zone lapse or turnovers. For the first time in December a Toronto netminder faced less than 30 shots in a game. The games was a low event affair with both teams clogging up the ice limiting chances. Each team scored in each period in a game that ended 3-3. Brooks, Williams, Brochu registered the goals for the home side while Gariepy, Bertrand with two replied for Boston. Bertrand's goals were back breakers for Toronto as one was score in the last minute of the middle frame the tying goal was score on the power play with 4:20 left in the game.

A true test of the Bear's new system would come the next night at the Lakeside Aud against the high flying Packers led in scoring by Ken York, Pete Bernier. Toronto held the high scoring Packers to only 3 holding both York, Bernier off the score sheet, Dukes took a 2-1 lead early in the third on Brochu's 9th from Pollack. Chicago was not to be denied, with Brooks off for holding Matt McGrath knotted the score at on pretty passing play that left MacPhee no chance. McGrath was not finished, he scored the game winner less than eight minutes later at 13:30 making the final Chicago 3, Toronto 2. Winless in three the Dukes travelled to Montreal to be tested by the Vals. Tim Amesbury gave the Dukes an early 1-0 lead, unfortunately that was the last lead of the game for the visitors. Montreal scored 4 straight Drury, Moggy, Adamle, Gregg to make it 4-1 before the game was 25 minutes old. Amesbury's second of the night made it 4-2 before Thibault finished the scoring with less than three minutes left in the game. With the winless streak now at five the Dukes sought break the streak with the Shamrocks visiting Dominion Gardens. In a surprisingly wide open game with NY, who usually play a stifling checking game, shots on goal totaled 71 with NY testing Connelly 37 times, Like the Boston game each team tallied once in every period. This time it was the Dukes who tied the game late with Pollack's 8th while skating 5 on 4 at 15:47 of the third. Concern over the winless streak was evident on the concourse between periods and also on the bench as players often had their heads down on the bench between shifts.

Denny Arena was the site in which the Dukes finally picked up 2 points in a game for only the second in December. Boston did not make it easy. Lou Turner, a callup from Cleveland, opened the scoring while up a man at 5:38. It was Turner's first NAHC goal after a junior career with the Verdun Argonauts. Spencer Quinn gave the Dukes a 2-1 lead after 20 in response to Drolet's goal that had tied the game. There were also 3 goals in the second with Boston scoring twice to leave the score deadlocked at 3 after 40 minutes of play. The third period was tight checking with neither team able to break through the other's defense until another callup, Joe Pelkey put the disc past James with under 7 minutes to play. MacPhee kept the puck out of the net over the remaining time to left the losing burden from the team's shoulders. The dressing room was as joyous post game as it has been in a long, long time.

Coach Bear-" This has been been a very trying first half of the season. We play well for 40 to 50 minutes a game then get burnt during those 10 to 15 minute lapses. I cannot remember when the we had a full 60 minute game without lapses. The win was big, guys were starting to choke their sticks pressing for goals, we had not been scoring the big goal at the right time before tonight. Maybe that will turn the tide. Two big games coming up, home and home with Detroit starting Christmas Day in the Gardens then in Detroit on Boxing Day. We have to be ready to go for a full 60 against the Motors. This could a season turning point."

Full Court Press: December 10-23, 1962

• It has been a full month since the Detroit Mustangs have emerged victorious. The losing streak has now reached 11 games and the Mustangs that were hot to start the year are now looking up at not only Toronto, but also St. Louis. Speaking of St. Louis, the Rockets have faced the Mustangs seven times in Detroit’s losing streak and that has single-handedly propelled the Rockets to second place and a 15-11 record. Detroit did not just lose all seven games against St. Louis, the average losing margin was 14.9 points and only one of those losses were by less than 10 points. A bright spot for Detroit is first-round draft pick Jack Salyer returned against Philadelphia on Saturday night and dropped 20 points to tie teammate Dick Murray to lead Detroit in scoring, but Detroit still lost, 76-70. In the same game, leading scorer Erv Corwin only managed eight points on 4-for-17 shooting for his only single-digit performance of the season to date.
• Boston keeps on winning and the Centurions are threatening to run away and hide in the Eastern Division. The lead over New York is now nine games, as Boston won seven of eight in the last fortnight. The only loss was an uncharacteristically absent performance in New York in an 82-62 loss, its only loss in four head-to-head matchups over the last two weeks. Wally Moorehead wore the goat horns for Boston, going 4-for-12 from the field for eight points and turned the ball over six times. The Cents redeemed themselves twice since then, as Boston won the next night in the Big Apple, 82-61, and won back at Denny Arena on Sunday, 98-76, where Boston shot an amazing 49.5% from the field. Overall, it has been hard to find any fault with this bunch, who lead the league in rebounding (51.3/game, blocked shots (6.2/game), and the Centurions have the top scoring defense in the league, allowing only 70 points a game.
• Toronto still leads the Western Division, but the edge is now only a half-game on St. Louis and both teams faced off twice in the past three days. The anticipated matchup of the top two men on the scoring leaderboard did not come to fruition. Toronto’s Fred Lillard, who leads the league with a 22.4-point scoring average, held up his end of the bargain, but St. Louis’s Bill Melton (21.4 ppg) missed both matchups with a broken finger. Melton should return to action in the next week or two. St. Louis won at home, 76-71, on Friday night, while Toronto returned the favor to win its home game, 89-82. Solly Morris, in the lineup for the injured Melton, matched Lillard with 20 points and paced everyone with 14 rebounds in only his eighth start of the season. Two nights later, Lillard had his revenge, winning the scoring battle against Morris, 34-23, as Toronto used a 32-14 second quarter to pad a lead in a game the Falcons won by seven points. The Rockets will spend the next two weeks playing Detroit three times and Toronto twice, while the Falcons have four dates with the last place Chicago Panthers. The smart money is on the Falcons widening its lead and strengthening its hold on the top spot in the West.

Redwood University has enjoyed plenty of success in rest years with 10 straight trips to the AIAA tournament and two West Coast Athletic Association titles in the past three years. It would have been three straight had the Mammoths not missed out on last year's section tittle due to a tiebreaker with Lane State as each went 12-4 but the Emeralds won their head to head meeting.

Redwood had plenty of offensive firepower a year ago and they have only improved in that department this season as the Mammoths are leading the nation in scoring with an average of 67.1 points per game, which is clearly helping to fuel their 10-0 start that has Redwood ranked 3rd in the current AIAA top twenty-five.

The scoring this season has come primarily from a pair of new starters in Len Urbaniak and Ron Bohall. Urbaniak, a junior guard, averaged 6 points per game off the bench a year ago but has stepped up nicely to replace the graduated Jim Paul - a second round pick of Philadelphia in the summer FBL draft. Urbaniak is leading the team in scoring averaging more than 14 points per game including a career 21 in a recent win over Canyon A&M. Bohall is a true freshman, a Los Angeles native considered to be one of the top twenty recruits in the country. He immediately stepped into a starting role at small forward and is averaging 13.4 points per game, which leads all freshman in the nation. Bohall scored 19 points in the Mammoths lone game last week, a 70-48 crushing of Cache Valley.

It is early but the impressive start has Redwood supporters thinking about a return trip to Bigsby Garden in March. Redwood, winners of the 1947-48 National Championship, reached the national semi-finals in back to back years in the spring of 1959 and 1960.

Central Ohio, which beat Elyria 51-30 in its lone game last week, leaped over the Mammoths and back into second in the weekly rankings. Like the Aviators, preseason number one North Carolina Tech is a perfect 7-0 and the Techsters, who posted victories over St Gordius and Springfield State last week, continue to hold down the number one ranking.

• An airlift bringing freedom to 1,113 Cubans captured after the Bay of Pigs invasion 20 months ago is underway with hopes all the captives would be in the United States by tomorrow. Leading them off the first plane to land at Homestead Air Force base near Miami was the Washington lawyer who had aided in negotiations with Cuba for their release.
• Tension are heating in the Congo as university students in Katanga shouting "Down with Kennedy" stormed into the grounds of the United States consulate, ripped down the American flag and broke all the windows. It was in response to the announcement in New York that the US will supply more military equipment to bolster the United Nations campaign to end Katanga's secession.
• Prime Minister Macmillan faces a nation disturbed and divided over his decision to switch Britain's H-bombs from its air force to submarines and to link this deterrent with North Atlantic Treaty organization. Meanwhile France began a study of the American offer to provide Polaris missile carriers for France's embryonic nuclear strike force.
• Russia has called Kennedy's offer of the Polaris missiles to both England and France a pretext for turning NATO into the fourth atomic power.
• Russia has dropped Valerian Zorin, its hardline negotiator, as head of its United Nations delegation. Zorin was apparently tripped up by the Kremlin's soft-line switch in the Cuban crisis.
• A longshoremen strike has tied up shipping operations all along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. President Kennedy's call for the union to postpone the walkout for 90 days went unheeded.
  
  https://i.imgur.com/QoU418y.jpeg

January 7th, 1963
 

HOUSTON, Jan. 1—The Lubbock State Hawks, behind a bruising ground attack and opportunistic defense, stormed past the Mississippi A&M Generals, 37-20, in the Oilman Classic, capturing their first national championship since 1916 and completing a perfect 11-0 season in front of 75,504 spectators at Rice Stadium.

With none other than President Kennedy looking on from the stands, the highly anticipated battle of No. 1 versus No. 2 was decided almost as soon as it began. The Generals, champions of the Deep South Conference, were undone by costly early miscues, and the Hawks wasted no time in taking full advantage, racing out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead that all but sealed the outcome before the game had even settled into its rhythm.

Mississippi A&M halfback Doug Witcher, the nation’s leading rusher and a consensus All-American, gave the Generals faithful reason for hope early. His 46-yard gallop ignited a promising drive to the Lubbock State five-yard line on his club’s opening possession. But hope turned to disaster when Gary Bender, A&M’s other star back, was met with a thunderous hit from Hawks defender Bill Paul, jarring the ball loose. Paul emerged from the scramble with the pigskin, and the game’s momentum shifted irrevocably.

The Hawks wasted no time capitalizing. On the very next play, Lubbock State speedster Rich Gingerich broke free on an electrifying 84-yard sprint before being dragged down at the A&M eight. Three plays later, Paul Coddington bulldozed his way into the end zone from two yards out, putting the Hawks ahead 7-0.

The Generals' next possession fared no better. A sophomore miscue by fullback Mike White resulted in another fumble, and once again the Hawks pounced. Gingerich, a thorn in the side of the A&M defense all afternoon, ripped off another big run—this one for 17 yards—setting up a one-yard dive by Tom Pennington that doubled the lead to 14-0.

Lubbock State’s defense continued to smother the Generals, forcing an errant field goal attempt from A&M’s Bill Wyss. The Hawks answered in familiar fashion, riding the hard-nosed running of Gingerich and Coddington to another score, with the latter powering in for his second touchdown of the opening frame. Before the first quarter was through, the scoreboard read 21-0, and the Oilman Classic had already turned into a coronation.

Witcher attempted to breathe life into the Generals with an eight-yard touchdown run early in the second period, and Wyss tacked on a field goal to narrow the deficit to 21-10. But that was as close as the Generals would get. Gingerich continued to torment the Mississippi A&M defense, finishing the day with 164 rushing yards, outpacing even the heralded Witcher, who managed 144 yards in a losing effort.

Lubbock State delivered the final dagger late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Wayne Brown, filling in for the injured Tom Bosak, connected with All-American end Red Cuyler on a dazzling 64-yard touchdown strike, capping a masterful performance by the Hawks and extending the lead to 37-13. A late A&M touchdown proved little more than window dressing as the final seconds ticked away on a game that had long been decided.

Following their dismal showing, Mississippi A&M plummeted in the final rankings, falling from No. 2 to No. 7, while Lubbock State’s triumph secured their place atop the college football world. On this New Year’s Day, the Hawks were undeniable, unrelenting, and ultimately, undisputed national champions.


SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 1— For the sixth consecutive year, the West Coast Athletic Association reigned supreme in the East-West Classic, as the Lane State Emeralds turned back the Central Ohio Aviators, 20-13, before a packed house of nearly 100,000 at the Santa Ana Coliseum. In a contest marked by punishing ground play and opportunistic defense, the Emeralds leaned on their workhorse back Harry Menard to keep their conference’s streak alive and deny the Great Lakes Alliance yet again.

Central Ohio, seeking its first East-West Classic triumph since 1941, fought valiantly but was ultimately undone by costly turnovers and an inability to contain Menard, who carried the Emeralds to victory with a staggering 38 carries for 156 yards. The clinching moment came with just over three minutes remaining, when Emeralds safety Warren Diehl intercepted Aviators quarterback Spencer Carr at midfield. From there, Menard methodically chewed up the clock, never allowing the Aviators another opportunity.

The game began with Central Ohio executing a meticulous 17-play drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes before Amby Bauman split the uprights with a 27-yard field goal to put the Aviators ahead 3-0. Lane State responded in kind, marching downfield on a similarly grinding possession that ended with Dan Pine’s 11-yard field goal. The Emeralds eschewed a risky fourth-and-inches attempt from the Central Ohio four, opting instead for sure points.

The contest’s decisive play occurred early in the second quarter. Attempting just his second pass of the game, Carr was intercepted by Lane State’s Dennis Baatz, who returned it 43 yards untouched to give the Emeralds a 10-3 advantage. The Aviators answered with a punishing nine-play drive exclusively on the ground, capped by a one-yard dive from Larry Spruance to level the score at 10 apiece. Yet, Lane State reclaimed the lead just before halftime when Pine converted his second field goal of the day, making it 13-10 at the break.

The waning moments of the first half provided no shortage of drama. Lane State’s ball security faltered, coughing up a fumble deep in its own territory. Yet, Central Ohio’s hopes for a go-ahead score before the break vanished just as quickly, as the Aviators fumbled the ball back on the very next play. With that, a relieved Lane State squad trotted to the locker room clutching a three-point lead.

The Emeralds delivered the decisive blow on the opening possession of the second half. A bruising 75-yard march downfield saw Menard take control, carrying nine times for 60 yards—including the final three for a touchdown—pushing the Emeralds ahead 20-10.

Central Ohio’s last gasp came with 5:44 left in the game, as Bauman’s second field goal, this one from 28 yards, trimmed the deficit to seven. The Aviators’ defense responded, forcing a crucial stop to give their offense one last chance. But Carr, under pressure and looking to rally his squad, was intercepted once more—this time by Diehl, who sealed the Emeralds’ triumph. With Menard grinding out first downs, the final minutes melted away, leaving the Aviators helpless to stop the inevitable.

Pre-game speculation suggested Lane State might struggle without star quarterback Pat Lamar, who was sidelined with an injury. Yet, the Emeralds never needed to put the ball in the air, as their relentless rushing attack proved unstoppable. Backup quarterback Rick Plummer merely directed traffic as the Emeralds attempted no passes throughout the contest. Central Ohio knew exactly what was coming—Menard, again and again—but could do nothing to slow the sophomore sensation.

Menard’s dominance made him the obvious choice for Most Valuable Player, and Emeralds fans are already buzzing about what the next two seasons might hold for their budding star. For now, though, Lane State celebrates another East-West Classic crown, another triumph for the West Coast, and another year of heartbreak for the Great Lakes Alliance.

If not for one stumble against Mississippi A&M supporters of Cumberland University feel the Explorers could be celebrating a national championship today. There is, of course, no guarantee the Explorers would have fair any better than the Generals did in Houston against Lubbock State but the Explorers can take solace in the fact they finished the season on a winning note and as the number two ranked team in the nation following a hard fought 13-9 victory over an underrated Cowpens State Fighting Green squad.

Ron Filas ran for 110 yards and the only touchdown of the game while his backfield mate Henry Virkler gained 104 yards on the ground to power Cumberland to the victory and complete a 10-1 season giving Cumberland its fourth top ten finish in the past five years and highest showing since the 1955 edition of the Explorers also went 10-1 and finished number two in the polls.

Any possible claims out of Syracuse that the St. Pancras Lions deserve a share of the national championship were silenced quickly when the Lions bid for a perfect season came to an end in the Florida sunshine as Lawrence State proved too much to handle and outscored the Lions 30-20. Sophomore St. Pancras running back John Anderson had a huge game, rushing for 193 yards including a 73-yard touchdown gallop in the second quarter but it was not enough as the Chippewa had plenty of big plays of their own in pulling off a mild upset in the Sunshine Classic.

Despite the disappointing conclusion that saw the Lions tumble from 2nd to 9th in the final rankings it was still quite a run for a St. Pancras team that went 5-5 each of the previous two seasons and had never played on New Years Day before.

Elsewhere Chesapeake State scored 21 fourth quarter points to help the Clippers beat Texas Gulf Coast 43-27 in the highest scoring Bayside Classic ever played. In Dallas, the Georgia Baptist Gators scored a touchdown in each of the four quarters as they went on to beat Eastern Oklahoma 31-6 in the Lone Star Classic. It was the Gators second straight New Years win in the Lone Star Classic. Finally in El Paso an Al West 42-yard field goal with one minute remaining in the game lifted El Paso Methodist to a 27-24 victory over Mile High State in the Desert Classic. It was the victorious Bandits first ever appearance in their hometown classic game.


The Lubbock State Hawks completed a perfect football season with their 37-20 victory over Mississippi A&M in the Oilman Classic. It also made the Hawks part of an exclusive group of schools that had won national titles in two major team sports in the same calendar year. In fact this was only the second time that it happened and ironically, the first was accomplished by the Generals just a year ago when Mississippi A&M won both the Collegiate baseball World Championship and the AIAA national basketball tournament.

The Hawks basketball team beat Lane State 63-55 to win the school's first collegiate cage title last March. It has been quite a start to the decade for the Southwestern Alliance school as in an even rarer run of multi-sport success the Lubbock State baseball team was crowned winners of the AIAA collegiate World Series just two years ago.

Collegiate football first crowned a national champion in 1906. Basketball held its first AIAA championship tournament in 1909 and baseball followed with the inaugural Collegiate World Championship Series the following year. Here is a year by year list of AIAA football champions and of titles won by schools in the three major team sports.



CHICAGO– If last week’s triumph was a statement, this week’s was a resounding declaration: the Houston Drillers are for real. The upstart second-year franchise, fresh off an 11th-hour playoff berth, marched into Cougars Stadium for the second straight Sunday and left with another stunning victory over the heavily favored Chicago Wildcats. This time, the prize was far greater – a berth in next week’s American Football Association Championship Game against the Boston Americans.

A year ago, the Drillers limped to a 3-11 record in their inaugural season. Now, after a dramatic 24-20 win over Chicago, they stand one victory away from completing one of the most improbable turnarounds in league history.

Leading the charge was none other than former Wildcat quarterback Miller Bogert, a man Chicago let walk in the 1961 expansion draft. On this cold December afternoon, Bogert came back to haunt his former club, authoring a masterful fourth-quarter rally that lifted Houston from the brink of defeat to the heights of glory.

The Drillers struck first, with Bogert orchestrating a methodical 75-yard opening drive, punctuated by a 12-yard touchdown scamper from Phil Patton. The Houston faithful who made the trip roared their approval, but the Wildcats quickly answered. Chicago leaned on its ground attack, with hard-nosed Fred Gunther setting the table before bruising fullback George Hornback crashed into the end zone from four yards out. Paul Chestnut’s 35-yard field goal just before halftime gave Chicago a 10-7 edge at the break.

Houston evened the score late in the third quarter with a Craig Oates chip-shot field goal, but no sooner had the Drillers settled than Jim O’Hearn electrified the hometown crowd. The Wildcats speedster took the ensuing kickoff 97 yards to the house, surging Chicago back in front, 17-10.

Chestnut’s second field goal early in the final frame widened the gap to 10 points. With the Wildcats seemingly in control and the clock dwindling, Houston’s hopes rested squarely on Bogert’s shoulders – and the former Chicago signal-caller delivered. First, he launched a 54-yard scoring strike to rookie end Randy Renbarger, cutting the deficit to three. Then, with time slipping away and the Drillers facing fourth down deep in their own territory, Bogert found Marc Hyde to keep the drive alive.

With the air thick with tension, Bogert calmly guided his club down the field, threading a critical 17-yard completion to Dan Hackbarth before capping the drive with a one-yard toss to Hyde for the go-ahead touchdown with a mere 25 seconds remaining.

The Wildcats, stunned into silence, mustered no response in their final possession. As the final whistle blew, the Drillers erupted in jubilation. Houston – a club that just last year was the league’s doormat – now stands on the precipice of a championship.

Next stop: Boston, where the red-hot Americans await. But for tonight, the Drillers will savor the sweetest victory in franchise history.

BOSTON– The New York Stars' two-year grip on the American Football Association title is no more. Before a raucous crowd at Minutemen Stadium, the Boston Americans turned back their longtime rivals with a convincing 26-10 victory, securing their first trip to the championship game in 17 years. Next week, they will face the upstart Houston Drillers, the second-year club that stunned the Chicago Wildcats in the West Division final.

Despite the final margin, Sunday’s showdown was a closely contested battle on the stat sheet. The Stars actually outgained the Americans in total offense, 254 yards to 244. Both teams struggled on third downs, with New York converting just 3-of-17 attempts and Boston faring only slightly better at 3-for-15. Neither club turned the ball over, and time of possession was nearly even. But when the game’s biggest moments arrived, it was Boston that seized them.

The opening quarter saw little movement, but the Americans edged ahead 6-0 on a pair of Dana Lawson field goals. Early in the second quarter, Boston broke through with the game’s first touchdown, a one-yard scoring pass from Bob McKoon to Steve Spanbauer. The drive was powered by a trio of punishing runs—Bob Callender ripped off gains of 13 and 16 yards, sandwiched around a 12-yard burst from Kevin Sova.

New York responded just before the half, marching downfield on the strength of their ground game but finishing due to the arm of Harris Kummer. He connected with Matt Center for 14 yards before firing a 10-yard touchdown strike to Ryne Hardy, pulling the Stars within 13-7 at the break. It would be one of only six completions for Kummer on the afternoon, as he finished 6-for-22. McKoon, however, did not fare much better, going just 5-for-16 through the air.

A scoreless third quarter kept tensions high before New York’s Cornelius McAlpin booted a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth, slicing Boston’s lead to 13-10. But the Americans wasted no time responding. Lawson drilled his third field goal of the contest, restoring the lead to six.

Then, with under five minutes remaining, Boston delivered the knockout punch. Jack Amodeo, a name long known for his game-changing speed, fielded a punt and sliced through New York’s coverage for a dazzling 65-yard touchdown return. The Minutemen Stadium crowd erupted, sensing the moment Boston had waited 17 years for.

As the final whistle blew, the Americans celebrated a long-awaited return to the AFA title game. Standing in their way now is a Houston squad riding a wave of momentum. The championship showdown is set – and Boston has been waiting a long time for it. The victory sends Boston to the league championship game for the first time since 1945, when the great Del Thomas guided the Yanks to their third AFA title in a seven year span.

The early line has the Americans as three point favourites. The two clubs did not meet this season and did not play each other a year ago so this will be the first ever game between Boston and Houston.


Can things get any worse for the beleaguered Detroit Maroons? An late game collapse against San Francisco at home two weeks ago had fans pelting the field with projectiles and their accuracy certainly surpassed that of Art Heal, who was forced to step in at quarterback after injuries sidelined both Dee Cann and Spencer Hicks. You can't fault Heal for the loss - he is one of the best halfbacks to play the game in this city but would never pretend to be a quarterback. Blame Maroons management for failing to quickly sign a replacement when they knew both were out.

Fans exiting the stadium could be heard voicing the opinion that the time has come for a change and one at the very top. Rollie Barrell is a near legend here in the Motor City but after divesting himself of the cage Mustangs recently to focus entirely on the Maroons, there are calls for him to sell the club. Detroit used to be one of two flagship franchises of the AFA -along with the Chicago Wildcats- but the Maroons club that won five AFA titles in the first 14 years of the league have not won one since 1936 and are 0-6 in playoff games since then.

Sure they made the playoffs in two of the last three years, but they lost in the West Division final both times including last year when they went 12-2 during the regular season and were favourites against the dreaded Wildcats in a game played at Thompson Stadium.

They made the playoffs in 1958 but followed that up with a 4-8 season. This year they followed up their back to back playoff appearances with another dreadful four win season and they can't seem to even lose properly. Entering the season finale two weeks ago with a league worst 3-10 record and halfback Heal once more assigned the QB duties, all the Maroons had to do was lose in Los Angeles and they would lock up the top pick in the AFA draft. For some reason the Tigers looked like they had no interest in winning either and the Maroons escaped California with a 19-5 victory. The problem is that gives them a 4-10 record, tied with Washington and Buffalo so they quite possibly will pick third instead of first in the draft.

Rollie Barrell has done an awful lot for this city and this columnist does not feel he should go. But the Barrell family needs to make changes. Certainly General Manager John Curtis has worn out his welcome and perhaps head coach Sam Wiggins, who has held the job since 1955, also needs to depart. All that has saved their jobs in the past has been the occasional strong season, like the 12-2 campaign in 1961, that pops up only to have any hope quickly snuffed out in the playoffs. There have been too many bad seasons sprinkled into the mix: The Maroons have won 6 or less games in five of Wiggins eight seasons at the helm.

Maroons fans have watched the Dynamos become the class of FABL, the Motors win five Challenge Cups in recent years and even Barrell's Mustangs won a Federal Basketball League title. Detroiters have been spoiled in recent years, but not by their grid entry as the Maroons for far too long a time have been leaving Detroit football fans feeling blue.



It may have been a little overdo, but on his third attempt, legendary Gotham slugger Walt Messer was inducted into the Hall of Fame. After getting 65% in back-to-back votes, Messer received 86.7% of the votes, becoming the 52nd player immortalized. A veteran of 2,200 games, Messer was a career .299/.363/.501 (138 OPS+) hitter with 358 doubles, 430 homers, 1,500 RBIs, 1,338 runs, and 887 walks. Worth 61.9 WAR, Messer never had a FABL season with an OPS+ or WRC+ below 100, spending sixteen seasons as one of the games most feared hitters.

An 8-Time All-Star and 2-Time World Championship winner, he was named WCS MVP in 1942, a season he hit .297/.349/.497 (144 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 27 homers, and 88 RBIs. His best year came in 1948, where Messer hit 41 homers and drove in 111 runs with a matching Fed high 111 runs scored. He hit .304/.379/.545 (147 OPS+), worth 5.5 WAR. One of four 5 WAR seasons, he also had three with a WRC+ above 150, and despite his extreme level of consistency, he was never really in the running for a Whitney. Currently the hitting coach of the New York Imperials, he was the model of consistency, not missing more then a week aside from his two years in the Navy. This allowed him to rank all over his team's leaderboard, top-10 in slugging (7th), OPS (10th, .864), WAR (6th, 61.7), games (2nd), runs (4th), hits (2nd, 2,518), doubles (4th), and walks (5th), while owning the team record for homers and RBIs.

Coming up close to the requisite 80% was 8th year man Adam Mullins, who led the rest of the pack with 68.9%. His best showing since 1959 and an improvement over 10% from last season, Mullins has two more seasons left. Getting as close as 75%, it should be a matter of time before the 11-Time All-Star gets inducted, but for now the Memphis native has to wait another year. A veteran of 1,692 games, Mullins ranks top-10 among FABL catchers in average (5th, .304), OBP (6th, .393), OPS (7th, .813), games (7th), hits (4th, 1,827), doubles (3rd, 389), walks (4th, 909), and WAR (5th, 56.02).

Toronto enters 1963 by making a trade along with paring down their roster further after the conclusion of the recent Rule 5 draft. The trade sent OF Al Clark, 22, from Chattanooga to the Eagles in exchange for middle infielder Dick Rabkin. 23, Rabkin who is reputed to be a slick fielder who can handle either second or short. Originally drafted by the Dynamos in the first round, 13th overall, he was traded to Washington at the end of the '57 season for RP John Herron, SS Ed Patzer. Rabkin debuted in the FABL at the end of 1959 then bounced around the Eagles system before appearing in 147 games last season starting 138 with 96 at short along with 42 at second. A little stronger at second he still gives Hohlt a reliable fielding option at either position with the added bonus of hitting from the right side of the plate. He seems also to be able to contribute at the dish with a '62 line of .293/.331/.402 with 35 XBH in 550 trips to the plate.

Going the other way was Clark who came to the Wolves in a 1961 off-season trade along with Charlie Davidson that sent Les Ledbetter to the Keystones who had drafted Clark in the 9th round of the '58 draft. Clark is a superior OF defensively although his bat was slow to come around in AA last season. Front office has told Brett that when Rabkin became available they had to inquire but even with the depth they have in the minors Clark was a tough decision to make to complete the deal. In a statement released by the team the welcome Rabkin to Canada while wishing Clark success in the future. Hohlt is said to be pleased with the addition of good fielding option in the infield. He is said to be hoping that infield coach Tanza Miyake working with Rabkin in camp will add to his defensive value.

In a corresponding move with the trade the team announced that both 2B Roy Demonbreun, 34, along with LF Carl Clark, 35 have been released in what appears to be a cost cutting move. Demonbreun has been with the Wolves since 1954 mostly in a bench role appearing in 709 games most as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement never starting more than 80 games. Clark to the Wolves in a trade with the Brooklyn Kings in 1951 after being draft in the second round of the 1945 draft by the Chicago Cougars, Like Demonbruen, Clark was mainly a backup of recent after being the starter LF or CF in 1953, '54, '56. Brett has been told that these moves were considered before the Rule 5 then came to reality after not losing any players in Rule 5. The organization wishes both success in future endeavours in pro ball.

• Hovering around the 50% vote for the Hall was Sal Pestilli (53.7), George Garrison (47.9), and Leo Mitchell (49.1). All three got their highest vote total, but still fall well short of the 80%. Each has legitimate cases, as Pestilli was a rare power/speed combo, Garrison was a surefire ace for 15 years, and Leo Mitchell was as consistent a hitter as it gets.
• A surprise from the voting was the lack of support for Skipper Schneider, commonly believed to be one of the game's top defensive players. His 26.2% voting share was his highest in three tries, but his 88.4 ranks 8th among shortstops and he had a 96 WRC+ in over 9,000 FABL PAs.
• Four players dropped off the ballot, with David Molina (7.5), Pete Casstevens (5.0), Jim Kenny (2.2), and Charlie Griffith (0.0) all failing to grab 10% of the vote. Molina dropping off is a shame, as he was the first traditional stopper and saved a FABL high 253 games in his time with the Sailors and Cougars.
• The Minneapolis Millers claimed both players that the Cleveland Foresters waived. The first was Otis O'Keefe (.282, 9, 31), who should have a shot to earn a starting outfield job. A 14-year vet who's career has been spent with the Saints and Foresters, O'Keefe has hit .276/.356/.418 (114 OPS+) with 182 homers and 929 RBIs. He'll be joined by soon-to-be 38-year-old Tommy Miller, who made his FABL debut after 18 seasons in the minors. Miller started 11 of his 17 outings, going 3-5 with a 5.31 ERA (88 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 20 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 81.1 innings pitched.
• Minneapolis was one of the few teams unaffected by the Rule-5 draft, as the expansion team did not participate by selecting or losing a player. This is despite a 40-man spot that had 12 openings, though two are expected to be filled by O'Keefe and Miller.

With two wins over the weekend, each by just a single goal, the Chicago Packers are now riding a ten-game unbeaten streak, one that has seen them post eight victories and moved to within three points of the Detroit Motors for top spot in the North American Hockey Confederation standings. While Ken York and Pete Bernier, who sit one-two in the NAHC scoring parade, have continued to put points up at a high level, the Packers have also benefited of late from secondary scoring with the most notable contribution coming from third year forward Randy Katic.

The 23-year-old scored over 100 points in his final season of junior but has been slow to embrace an offensive role in the Windy City, scoring just 4 times as a rookie and adding nine goals last season. He started slow this year as well with four goals in his first 31 games but over the last five games the third line winger has scored four goals including a pair in a 4-3 victory over Toronto on Saturday. His linemates have also been very productive for a third line with center John Trumbell collecting 6 points in the last eight games and right winger Mark Milot recently enjoyed a 3-game goal scoring streak which doubled his season total.

The annual NAHC player poll, where players are asked to rate their teammates and opponents in a number of categories, has been released. One notable absence, and perhaps a sign that age is catching up with him is Quinton Pollack. The Toronto captain is still having a solid season and is fourth in the NAHC in scoring, but Pollack is also now 40 years old. Here are the winners of the recent player poll.
New York 1 at Boston 4: The Boston Bees scored three times in the first period to help them snap a four-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory over New York. Jean Lebel, Jack Gariepy and Mitchell Cook had staked the Bees to a 3-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old. Fred Gallatin got one back for the Shamrocks late in the frame but that would be as close as they would come. Nick Quinn rounded out the Boston scoring with a third period goal.

Montreal 1 at Chicago 1: The Valiants snapped a 2-game losing streak and only slowed the red-hot Packers, who entered the game with four consecutive wins, by earning a 1-1 tie. Both goals came in the opening period with Ken York notching his 21st of the season on the powerplay for Chicago before Tony Delvecchio tied the game. Nathan Bannister faced 38 shots in the Montreal net.

Toronto 3 at Detroit 4: The two rivals opened a holiday home and home series in the Motor City with hosts winning 4-3 behind a 2-goal, one assist performance from Hobie Barrell. Quinton Pollack scored his 9th of the season for the Dukes.


Detroit 4 at Toronto 5: A wild first period in the Boxing Day rematch as Detroit scores three times in the first 4:27 of the game but Toronto answers with three of their own in a less than 3 minute span a short time later. When the dust settled the Motors led 4-3 at the end of the opening period thanks to three goals and an assist from Alex Monette. Toronto would escape with the two points after Nick Poulin tied the game in the second period and Cody MacLeod notched the game winner in the third on a Quinton Pollack assist. Pollack also scored, giving him three goals in his last four games, as a part of a three point night for the Toronto captain. It was just the second loss in the last 11 games for Detroit.


Boston 5 at New York 3: The Bees beat New York for the second time this week, as Nick Quinn scored twice in a 5-3 Boston victory. It was the first time Boston has won back to back games since the win three straight from November 7-11.


Detroit 1 at Montreal 3: Montreal scored all three of its goals in the opening period and handed Detroit its second straight loss. Nathan Bannister made 42 saves for the winners while Roy Forgeron scored once and added an assist. Recent call-up due to injuries Remi Robert, scored his first career NAHC goal for the Motors.

Chicago 4 at Toronto 3: The Packers outshot Toronto 48-28 but barely hung on for a 4-3 victory on the road at Dominion Gardens. Randy Katic scored twice while Conn Maguire had a goal and an assist for the Packers, who are unbeaten in nine games.


Boston 2 at Chicago 3: Make it 10 straight without a loss for the Packers who benefited from defenseman Guy Bernier's game winner with less than four minutes remaining. Guy's brother Pete Bernier assisted on that goal and scored once himself in the victory. The win moves Chicago within three points of idle Detroit for first place but the Motors do have three games in hand.

Montreal 3 at New York 5: New York snapped a 4-game winless streak with a 5-3 victory at Bigsby Garden over visiting Montreal. It also moved the Shamrocks back to within two points of Toronto for fourth place. Alex Kalmakoff scored once and added two assists for the Shamrocks.

*note the online NAHC and football's AFA are taking a slightly different sim schedule than the rest of the Figment Universe to not slow the pace too much for the online baseball league.


Toronto's hockey team enters the New Year clinging to the final playoff spot in the NAHC after losing two of three to the top two teams. Detroit hosted a Christmas Day matchup with 13794 on hand to witness the rivalry. Dukes again started strong then fell asleep, a far too common occurrence this season. Hot handed Ken Jamieson gave the visitors the lead before the game was two minutes old. Then the Dukes began a parade to the penalty box taking 4 straight minors with Spencer Quinn tacking on a misconduct after his tripping call. After Alex Monette evened the score the Motors took a 3-1 lead with two goals by Hobie Barrell while skating with a man advantage. After the early goal the puck never seemed to leave the Toronto end in the first as Connelly faced 29 shots.

After a tongue lashing by Ari Bear his charges mounted a stronger middle frame controlling more of the play outshooting Detroit 11-5 with the only goal allowed by their old teammate Charlie Dell coming off a shot by Pollack with 72 seconds left in the period. In the third Connelly again faced a heavy workload facing 15 more shots for a game total of 49. Dukes felt they had a comeback chance until Jock Doctorow found the back of the net with 6 and a half minutes to play on a pass from Barrell who had 3 points in the game. Mitch Moran beat Dell with 69 seconds to play making the final 4-3 Detroit, a score that flattered the Dukes.

The same two teams met less than 24 hours later in the Gardens before a large Boxing Day crowd of close to 15000. The Dukes had their sleepy spell early in this game. Doctorow plus two by Alex Monette, the second while on the penalty kill, had Detroit up 3-0 before the 5 minute mark. It seems the crescendo of boos reigning down on the team from the stands where like an alarm clock going off for Toronto. Knackstedt made it 3-1 from Jamieson at 7:13 then only 12 seconds later Lou Galbraith, an almost forgotten man this season, narrowed the gap to one with his 1st of the season. Dukes completed the comeback before the period was half over when Pollack's 10th beat Goulet at 9:56. After six goals in the first 10 minutes, against a usually stingy Motors team, Monette completed his natural hattrick with a power play goal at 13:04. He had a goal at even strength, one while shorthanded, and on the power play all in the first period. Both teams continued the wide open play in the second with the goaltender facing a total of 28 shots in the second period alone, the only goal was by Poulin to tie the game at 4. That was one of ten shots the Dukes had in the second, Connelly was left unprotected often. Detroit had 34 shots on goal through 40 minutes. Detroit ran into penalty trouble in the third taking 4 of the 6 whistled by the ref. The home crowd witnessed a full comeback letting out a deafening cheer when Cody MacLeod, recently returned from injury, netted the eventual game winner at 6:07, a Dukes 5-4 victory despite being outshot 45-27.

After a moral boosting win on Wednesday night the Packers were in Toronto Saturday night. Dukes did not have the jump the fans expected after the midweek comeback. Randy Katic's two goals in the first gave the high scoring Packer the lead going into the first intermission. Knackstedt gave the fans some life early in the second before Conn Maguire. Ken York with league leading 22nd in the final minute made it 4-1 after two. Connelly again kept the score close in the third despite again facing 48 shots for the game. Mitch Moran's 3rd while up a man at 16:07 gave the crowd hope. With Connelly pulled for an extra attacker Brochu made it 4-3 with 12 seconds to play. Too little, too late as Chicago left town with 2 more points.

Coach Bear- "I am at a loss to explain our lapses game in, game out we dig a hole for ourselves every game. We were lucky to get one win in those three games giving up almost 50 shots on goal in each. Time to get back to work to bring better results in 1963."


Full Court Press: December 24, 1962 – January 6, 1963

• As the regular season hits the halfway point, two teams are separating themselves from the pack. The Boston Centurions are far and away the best team in the FBL at 28-6. The Cents are 15-1 at home, hold an 11-game lead on second place New York, and are on an eight-game winning streak. The main victim has been the second-place Knights, who have fallen four times in those eight games, which has expanded Boston’s lead in the division. Remember: Boston started the season 2-3, so the Centurions are 26-3 since early November. Their scoring differential is seven points better than any other team in the league, as Boston averages 9.9 more points than it allows.
• Leading the Western Division is the Toronto Falcons, who have a similar home record (14-2) as Boston, but that is where the similarities end. Toronto only leads the West by 3-1/2 games and while Boston is 13-5 away from Denny Arena, Toronto is 7-10 in America. Toronto has recently taken advantage of a bottom-dwelling Chicago team with three straight wins to push the Falcons to a four-game winning streak. St. Louis was in first place as recently as December 27th, but the Falcons four-game winning streak coincided with Rockets four-game losing skein. I have a feeling the margin will be slimmer by the end of January, as Toronto has six games during the remainder of the month against Detroit, while St. Louis has six games against last-place Chicago.
• Looking at the league leaders, the amount of 20-point scorers in the league has dwindled to four, with Mustangs guard Erv Corwin and Boston forward Bert LaBrecque barely qualifying at 20.1 points a game. The scoring title is Fred Lillard’s to lose. The Toronto forward has reached 23 points a game, and only Howie Farrell of the Knights is anywhere close at 21.3 per contest. Lillard and Bill Spangler (19.5 ppg) make the most potent duo in the league. Rebounding leader Bob Christensen of the Panthers and the Statesmen’s Ossie Waid are the only player in the top ten in both scoring and rebounding. Christensen leads the way with 13.9 rebounds per game and contributes 17.6 points per game, while Waid is seventh in scoring at 18.5 a game and tenth in boards at 9.5 per contest. Frank Black of the Mustangs leads the league in assists by a country mile with his 11.0 helpers per game almost three ahead of Philadelphia guard Dave Woods (8.3). Barrell is a point guard, and while he is third in the league in assists at 8.2 per game, he boasts 14.9 points and 10.1 rebounds a game, the only guard among the eight players in double figures in rebounds.

Here are the champions and top five contenders in each of the three major weight classes as well as the title fights contested for the American Boxing Federation World Title in the past year.
https://i.imgur.com/BUky08C.jpeg

• Italian welterweight Carl Rondinelli claimed a unanimous decision in Rome over Abel Daalerop last week. The 28-year-old Rondinelli had a title shot against Lonnie Griffin early last year but was knocked out by the champ in the 14th round.
• Canadian middleweight Byron Gowing knocked out Clyde Davis in the 7th round of their bout at Bigsby Garden last Thursday. Gowing is 26-6-2 with the victory while Davis, a local New York City product, dips to 25-9-1.

• Jan 23- World Welterweight Champion Matt Leach makes his first title defense against John Wallace (28-3-1) in Baltimore. Leach (32-6-2) claimed the title with an unanimous decision over Lenny Shafto in September.
  Feb 9 - George Galleshaw (35-2-1), back as heavyweight champion after scoring a TKO win over Walt Phillips last fall, will make a title defense in Cleveland against Will Flowers. Galleshaw,a 27-year-old native of Syracuse, NY, was world champ previously for nearly two years before falling to Bert Parks in December of 1961. Flowers (26-4-1), who hails from Phoenix, AZ., and is 26 years of age, is getting his first title shot.
• Feb 27- The highly anticipated rematch between World Middleweight champion Lyman King and former champ George Quinsenberry is set for February 27 at New York's Bigsby Garden. The pair met in Los Angeles in early December and fought to a majority draw, prompting the call for a rematch. King, a 26 year old Oakland, CA., native is unbeaten with a 41-0-1 record and has held the title since he took it from Quisenberry in January of last year in a bout also held at Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry, a 28-year-old Toronto native, has held the world title twice previously and now will look to gain it a third time in his third meeting with King. Quisenberry is 39-2-4 entering the bout.

• President Kennedy returned to the White House following a two week vacation and has summoned congressional leaders of both parties to meet with him tomorrow. White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger says the President called the meeting to preview his state of the union address set for Wednesday and to discuss the legislative program he will submit to the new Congress.
• The President is expected to face a hard battle from Congress in his efforts to put through the domestic part of his New Frontier program.
• After UN forces stopped their advance in Katanga, President Tshombe is being given a chance to invite a bloodless United Nations occupation of his war capital of Kolwezi and thus ensure a place of power for himself in a reunified Congo.
• The military government of Peru arrested 300 alleged Communists and charged Moscow and Havana with directing a subversive plot against Peru.
• Soviet Premier Khrushchev will go to East Berlin this month for a Communist Party meeting. Khrushchev has called for a solution of the Berlin problem and also said a United Nations command should replace the Allied occupation forces in West Berlin.
  
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January 21st, 1963
 

BOSTON – The fairy tale came to an end for the Houston Drillers, as the Boston Americans proved too much for the upstart Texas club, capturing the American Football Association Championship with a hard-fought 27-20 victory before a raucous crowd at Minutemen Stadium.

For Boston, the triumph ends a 17-year title drought, securing their first championship since 1945. Led by the bruising backfield tandem of Bob Callender and Kevin Sova, along with timely passing from steady-handed quarterback Bob McKoon, the Americans stormed back in the second half to claim their fourth league crown.

It was a battle from the outset, with Houston—playing in just its second season—showing the same grit that carried them from a 3-11 debut last year to the title game. The Drillers, who had not lost a road game all season, took a 20-17 halftime lead, but the Americans responded with a second-half surge to bring the championship back to Boston.

MOMENTUM SHIFTS EARLY
The Drillers seized an early opportunity when McKoon, pressured by AFA sack leader John Padgett, hurried a pass that was intercepted by Houston’s John Wickman. With the ball deep in Boston territory, Houston settled for a Craig Oakes field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

Boston wasted no time responding. Following an exchange of punts, Callender ripped off a 29-yard dash, and McKoon connected with Steve Spanbauer for a 19-yard gain. On the next play, Sova barreled through the Drillers’ line for a 21-yard touchdown, giving the Americans a 7-3 advantage.

Houston’s troubles mounted when quarterback Miller Bogert forced a throw to tight end Ken Weiland, only for Boston’s William Cosgrove to step in front for a 47-yard interception return touchdown. Just like that, the Americans had a 14-3 lead.

DRILLERS SHOW FIGHT
The resilient Drillers clawed back. Bogert orchestrated a 75-yard march, capped by a dazzling 32-yard touchdown run from Phil Patton to close the first quarter with Boston up 14-10.

Boston extended the lead to 17-10 with a Dana Lawson field goal, but Patton again led the Houston charge, breaking off a 41-yard gallop and later plunging into the end zone from seven yards out to tie the game at 17. Just before halftime, Oakes drilled a 41-yard field goal, sending Houston into the break with a surprising 20-17 lead.

BOSTON TAKES CONTROL
The second half belonged to the Americans. After a stalled Houston drive, Boston mounted an 80-yard touchdown march, with Callender punching it in from a yard out. A clutch 33-yard completion from McKoon to Paul Roos on third down kept the drive alive, proving to be a pivotal moment in the contest.

With the Drillers’ offense sputtering under championship-game pressure, Lawson’s 42-yard field goal pushed Boston’s lead to 27-20 midway through the final quarter.

Houston had one last chance. Bogert and Patton engineered a final drive, moving to the Boston 14-yard line with 1:56 to play. After a short Dan Hackbarth run and two incompletions, the Drillers faced fourth-and-seven. Bogert scrambled, searching for an open target, but Boston’s secondary held firm. He dumped it off to Bill Casteel, but the play fell four yards shy of the marker. Boston took over and ran out the clock.

HISTORIC SEASON FOR HOUSTON
Though the Drillers’ season ended in disappointment, their meteoric rise from league doormat to championship contender will be remembered as one of the most remarkable turnarounds in football history. Houston has set the bar for expansion teams everywhere.

For the Americans, it is a long-awaited return to glory. Seventeen years of frustration are washed away as Boston, at last, hoists the championship trophy once more.


Chesapeake State halfback Stover Swinney has been named the winner of college football's top individual award, the Christian Trophy. The senior from Baton Rouge, LA., was a three year starter for the Clippers and gained 1,677 yards this season -third highest total in the nation. He was also second in the country with 24 rushing touchdowns including scoring three of them, while gaining 109 yards in the Clippers 43-27 victory over Texas Gulf Coast in the Bayside Classic. Chesapeake State finished the season with a 10-1 record and was ranked fourth in the final collegiate poll.

There was some mild surprise that Swinney was selected ahead of Mississippi A&M back Dave Witcher, who had led the nation in rushing with 1,860 yards. Others in the running for the award were Lawrence State quarterback Harvey Long, Travis College halfback Hugh Brasfield and Lane State halfback Harry Menard.

The Ipswich Trophy, presented annually to the player judged to be the top lineman in the AIAA, went to a Georgia Baptist Gator for the second time in four years. Bill Urton, a 21-year-old junior tackle who hails from Plano, TX., was named the winner, following in the footsteps of former Gator Don Lair, who won the Ipswich in 1959.


The Detroit Motors are banged up but continue to lead the way in the North American Hockey Confederation. The two-time defending Challenge Cup champions have a six point lead on second place Chicago and have played three less games than the Packers. Chicago and Detroit own identical 12-5-3 records over their last twenty games and the third place Montreal Valiants, losers of each of their last two games including a 5-0 shutout at the hands of Detroit, are struggling to keep pace.

Detroit's defense and outstanding goaltending from the duo of Charlie Dell and Sebastien Goulet has been the key to their success but the offense is starting to come around as well, in particular Hobie Barrell, who has scored 7 goals in his last six games and with 27 on the season has taken over the NAHC lead in that category.

Not all is well as injuries have certainly taken a bite out of the Motors. Barrell is said to be nursing a virus right now and his status for Thursdays game against Montreal is uncertain. The more serious ailments have struck Barrell's longtime centerman as 29-year-old Alex Monette suffered a serious back injury two weeks ago and is likely done for the season. Monette had 32 points in 36 games at the time of his injury and the veteran of 647 NAHC games and 5-time Challenge Cup champion will surely be missed. Hobie's brother Benny Barrell (11-22-33) has taken over on the top line in Monette's absence. The other big loss was defenseman Anthony Beauchemin, who has been sidelined for well over a month with a torn hamstring. There is hope in Detroit that Beauchemin may return to the lineup as early as next week.


After the major mechanical breakdown of the presses at the Mail & Empire which halted the paper for almost three weeks fans are finally again able to read their newspaper. While most diehard fans are keeping up with the Dukes through radio and television broadcasts along with radio commentary Brett will supply a summary of the first three weeks of 1963. The summary will be weekly from Monday to Sunday to follow the NAHC schedule more closely. For the 10 games in the period Dukes had a record of 4 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties which leaves them still in fourth place 4 points behind Montreal for third while 5 points clear of Boston for the final playoff spot with 26 games remaining in their regular season schedule.
The New Year got off to good start with the team playing 4 games in the period from 1-6 Jan 63 with wins in Boston, Chicago, a tie in NY with only home game being a loss to the Bs. The week was a topsy-turvey one where the Dukes outshot NY, Chicago but Boston controlled the puck in the two games between the teams. Toronto scored 16 goals while allowing 13 with almost half of the goals against coming in the loss at Dominion Gardens when Boston won 6-3 in the worst effort of the week.

Toronto was undefeated from 7-13 Jan beating the Packers for the second time in 4 days 3-2 at home. Then in a game on Saturday again at home in which Detroit over doubled the Dukes in shots they salvaged a point in a 2-2 tie thanks again to Connelly's spectacular play between the pipes. At Denny Arena on Sunday the team ran the unbeaten streak to 4 when again goaltending, this time by MacPhee allowed the team to escape Boston with a 3-3 tie.

This past week the Dukes lost both road games, 2-1 in Montreal in a tight check affair where Toronto received 32 minutes in penalties with both Pollack, Brochu receiving 10 minute misconducts while Montreal only being called for 3 minors. The Saturday night game with Chicago was the opposite of the Montreal game with a total of 12 goals scored in 60 mins. Toronto broke a 4-4 tie after 40 minutes with three in the third for a 7-5 victory , for their third straight win over the Packers, in a game where they tested Bomberry 47 times while Connelly was beaten 5 times on 25 shots. The last game before the resuming of Mail & Empire publication was a 6-3 loss to Charlie Dell led Detroit.

A look at statistical categories for the Dukes:
GF- 142 (3rd) with team leaders having 15 (Pollack, Brochu, Knackstedt)
GA- 133 (4th)
Shots- 1321 (5th)
Shots Against- 1442 (2nd most)
Shot Blocked- 723 (2nd most)
Give Away/Take Away Margin- minus 23 (2nd worst)
PIM/G- 9.25 (2nd most)
PP %- 23.1 (3rd)
PPG- 34 (2nd)
PK %- 80.1 (4th)
SHG- 5 (tied 1st)



Full Court Press: January 7-20, 1963

• We have talked a lot about the division leaders: Boston in the East and Toronto in the West. Most of the race has already been won, especially in the case of the Centurions, who own a 9-1/2-game lead. The developing story is the fight for second place in both divisions. Staying in the East, New York and Philadelphia are tied at 21-19. Philadelphia has won four straight to pull into that second-place tie with the most recent victory coming at home against New York, 76-65. Philadelphia kept its winning ways alive with a 24-10 fourth quarter to turn a 55-52 deficit into an 11-point win. The three forwards for the Phantoms were 21-for-44 from the floor, with Percy Carner putting up 18 points, Dan Holland scoring 17 points with 7 blocked shots, and Mel Turcotte adding 13 points and 15 rebounds. The two teams will meet four times in the next five games, which will all take place over the next 10 days.
  
• The St. Louis Rockets did not lose any ground to the Toronto Falcons over the past couple of weeks, but they must be looking over their shoulder. The Rockets still trail the Falcons by 3-1/2 games, but the Rockets are 3-7 in their last 10 while the Detroit Mustangs are getting too close for comfort. Detroit is 8-2 in its last ten and stand only four games out. Detroit had a 12-game losing streak that put their record at 10-15 but slowly they have made their way back winning nine of its last 12, snapping an eight-game winning streak with a 101-89 loss in Toronto on Friday night. Jack Salyer valiantly scored 27 points in the loss, which is a new high for the 22-year-old rookie out of Carolina Poly. Since making his debut on December 22nd, Salyer has averaged 17.8 points in 14 games.
  
• Both fights for second place have the cushion of likely not missing out on the playoffs. Last place is getting farther and farther away for the top three in the Eastern and Western Divisions. Washington (11-26) is already 18 games out of first, having dropped 21 of 24 games. The only win since Christmas was an 83-75 win in Boston for the Cents fourth home loss of the season. Ossie Waid and veteran Ed Jordan scored 30 points each. The game marked a career high for Jordan, a two-time FBL Champion with the Statesmen. Chicago (8-30) is even worse off, 11-1/2 games behind third place Detroit. The Panthers have lost 15 of their last 17 games and those two wins came against the Rockets, including Saturday night, when Chicago turned a six-point fourth-quarter deficit to a 72-69 victory. Bill Knick led all scorers with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

• Walt Phillips returned to the ring for the first time since his title loss to George Galleshaw in November. The heavyweight scored a 6th round knockout of Matt Ryan last week in Boston and is now 36-8. Phillips won the ABF world heavyweight title from Harry Pratt last summer but fell to Galleshaw in his first title defense.
• George Hatchell, who had two runs as middleweight champion of the world, and is just five months removed from a tight split decision loss to Lyman King in another title effort, looked out of sorts in absorbing his third consecutive defeat. 24-year-old New Orleans pugilist Guy Williams (23-7-2) outpointed the 34-year-old Hatchell in a bout in Chicago last week. Hatchell also came up on the short end of a decision against Hugo Canio in November following his title bid loss to King. Hatchell's record now stands at 43-10-2.
• Veteran Toledo, OH., welterweight Ernie Black, who had a title shot against Lonnie Griffin a year and a half ago, was back in the ring last week, but came out on the wrong end of a decision to Peter Mortensen in a fight in Seattle. Black is now 40-11-1 as a professional.
• Another Ohio born fighter had better luck as heavyweight Jim Hatfield improved to 27-6-2 with a first round knockout of Chet Billings in Santa Ana, CA.

• Jan 23- World Welterweight Champion Matt Leach makes his first title defense against John Wallace (28-3-1) in Baltimore. Leach (32-6-2) claimed the title with an unanimous decision over Lenny Shafto in September.
• Feb 9 - George Galleshaw (35-2-1), back as heavyweight champion after scoring a TKO win over Walt Phillips last fall, will make a title defense in Cleveland against Will Flowers. Galleshaw,a 27-year-old native of Syracuse, NY, was world champ previously for nearly two years before falling to Bert Parks in December of 1961. Flowers (26-4-1), who hails from Phoenix, AZ., and is 26 years of age, is getting his first title shot.
• Feb 27- The highly anticipated rematch between World Middleweight champion Lyman King and former champ George Quinsenberry is set for February 27 at New York's Bigsby Garden. The pair met in Los Angeles in early December and fought to a majority draw, prompting the call for a rematch. King, a 26 year old Oakland, CA., native is unbeaten with a 41-0-1 record and has held the title since he took it from Quisenberry in January of last year in a bout also held at Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry, a 28-year-old Toronto native, has held the world title twice previously and now will look to gain it a third time in his third meeting with King. Quisenberry is 39-2-4 entering the bout.

• In a cost-cutting move, the San Francisco Sailors released seventeen players, including former 10th overall pick Mike Quigley, former 12th pick Jimmy Isgro, and longtime bench bat Roy Rutter. None of the seventeen played in FABL this season, and will have a chance to latch on with another organization on a minor league contract. The transactions saved around $100,000.
• A source in the Sailors organization mentioned the moves were the result of a directive from team owner Jack Danek. The demanding and controlling new team owner is reported to be running a tighter ship then his predecessor.
• The Eagles and Chiefs did similar moves, cutting six players a piece. One of the more surprising cuts was 25-year-old third basemen Del Gaines, who slugged 27 homers in AAA for the Eagles this season. Prior to this season, Gaines spent three seasons in FABL, batting .239/.309/.415 (95 OPS+) with 16 homers and 58 RBIs with the Detroit and Washington.
• On the Chiefs side, the most notable cut was 38-year-old veteran Gene Burton, who's been a sparingly used bench bat in his tenure. Selected by the Chiefs in the 9th Round of the 1942 Draft, Burton went straight to the service and made his minor league debut in 1946. He debuted at 26 in 1950, appearing in each of the next six seasons. After a four year stretch in the farm, he surfaced for games the past two seasons, but seems unlikely to find a FABL home for 1963.

• President Kennedy delivers his State of the Union address, focusing on civil rights, the economy, and the Cold War.
• Kennedy predicts only "moderate gains" for the economy this year, even if Congress moves fast to cut taxes, but he adds prompt action on the administration's tax-cut program would serve as "insurance" against a recession and would boost the nation to future prosperity.
• Among the biggest additions to Kennedy's budget proposal, which goes to Congress late this month, is a massive five-year aid-to-education program of more than $6 billion.
• The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Arizona v. California, determining water rights for Western states and reinforcing federal authority over water distribution.
• George Wallace is inaugurated as Governor of Alabama, delivering his infamous "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" speech.
• Soviet Premier Khrushchev has raised hopes for a nuclear test ban after offering to permit two or three inspections on Soviet territory each year.
• This comes a day after the Soviets boasted that although they withdrew 40 missiles from Cuba "we have put up 80 or perhaps 120 somewhere else."
• A coup attempt against the government of Iraq fails, leading to a crackdown on opposition forces.
• United Nations forces moved peacefully into Kolwezi and the military action to reintegrate Katanga with the rest of the Congo seemed virtually at an end.
• A pop group known as The Beatles make their first television appearance on Thank Your Lucky Stars in the UK, gaining widespread attention.
  
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February 4th, 1963
 

Baltimore Coliseum, Baltimore, Md. – Matt Leach (32-6-2, 4 KO) vs. John Wallace (28-3-1, 14 KO) – Referee: Mark Nelson

Matt Leach is used to going the distance. In 32 professional fights, only an eighth of them ended in a knockout win. Usually, the low number of knockouts mean an inability to put other fighters away, but if one is optimistic, it could mean the boxer is skilled at winning over judges in full-time matches. For Leach, it has been the latter, as the welterweight from New York captured the belt in September with a victory over Lenny Shafto.

A few months later, Leach found himself in the ring with John Wallace in the champion’s first title defense. The fans in Baltimore are not used to title fights with this bout being the fourth in memory held in “The Monumental City”. In an interesting bit of trivia, all four of them have been for the welterweight belt. The most famous of these fights was the clash of undefeated Mac Erickson and Danny Rutledge in 1949, which Erickson won in a unanimous decision.

This fight would not last long, much to the chagrin of the assembled crowd. As the two combatants met after the opening bell, Leach started his opening salvo with a poorly executed punch that he rethought halfway through the offering. This left him open for a well-executed hook to the head, feigned as a body shot, and Wallace was off and running. This was the only punched that Wallace landed that had any consequence.
Leach quickly refocused and started to put together a steady diet of jabs and he mixed in a cross and a hook as the denouement of his assault. Wallace took the punishment but hung in there. His need to defend greatly outweighed his ability to punch back. Leach was a champion with 40 professional fights on his docket, eight more than Wallace.

Before the fight, Wallace said he wanted to start fast, but he could not come up with anything after Leach connected on his first punch. They say a plan is great until someone gets punched in the mouth. Wallace’s plan turned to mush very quickly.

That axiom proved itself again in the second round. Wallace defended a combination and an uppercut, but a jab got through and Wallace started covering up again. Leach snapped the jab and Wallace’s defenses melted away. The uppercut was effective and tactically, Leach was looking for his opening. He noticed Wallace drop his gloves ever so slightly and Leach seized the moment. Leach threw a hook, which landed right on Wallace’s chin.

Wallace struggled to reach his feet, as referee Mark Nelson counted to seven. The challenger’s knees were wobbly. Leach had a killer instinct on this night he has not previously shown in the past. He saw the opportunity to end the fight quickly and while Wallace was still dazed, Leach drilled Wallace with an uppercut and unleashed another hook with nasty intent. Less than thirty seconds after the first knockdown, Wallace was looking up at the ceiling again and this time, he was not going to get up in time.
Nelson counted Wallace out and Leach had an uncharacteristically early night. Leach (33-6-2) was barely touched as by my count, only six punches from Wallace landed. Wallace could not claim he was not ready. After all, he got the first punch in. It was apparent that Wallace (28-4-1) was no match for the champion, at least not at this stage in his career.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Wallace, 1-0 (0:22 hook/head)
Round 2: Leach, 2-0 (1:10 hook/chin/knockdown #1, 1:45 hook/knockdown #2)
TOTAL: Leach 2, Wallace 1

• Bill Mosley, who came up short in a heavyweight tile shot two years ago, won his fifth fight in a row and improved his record to 38-9-2 with a 6th round knockout of Wendell Pace in New Orleans. Pace, a New York City native, has fought some big names in his career including Walt Phillips and Gil Sheffield and has won forty fights but never got a title shot and at age 32 appears to be near the end of the line.
• 23-year-old Dan Bowden, who looked to be on the rise in the welterweight ranks, stumbled to his second straight loss after the Madison, WI. southpaw was knocked out in the 10th and final round of his bout with Dave Clarke.
• West Coast welterweight Roger Lewis continues to impress as the 25-year-old ran his record to 19-2-2 with a unanimous decision over Patrick Graham.

• Feb 9 - George Galleshaw (35-2-1), back as heavyweight champion after scoring a TKO win over Walt Phillips last fall, will make a title defense in Cleveland against Will Flowers. Galleshaw,a 27-year-old native of Syracuse, NY, was world champ previously for nearly two years before falling to Bert Parks in December of 1961. Flowers (26-4-1), who hails from Phoenix, AZ., and is 26 years of age, is getting his first title shot.
• Feb 27- The highly anticipated rematch between World Middleweight champion Lyman King and former champ George Quinsenberry is set for February 27 at New York's Bigsby Garden. The pair met in Los Angeles in early December and fought to a majority draw, prompting the call for a rematch. King, a 26 year old Oakland, CA., native is unbeaten with a 41-0-1 record and has held the title since he took it from Quisenberry in January of last year in a bout also held at Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry, a 28-year-old Toronto native, has held the world title twice previously and now will look to gain it a third time in his third meeting with King. Quisenberry is 39-2-4 entering the bout.

Along with being a champion, Boston Americans running back Kevin Sova also took home the MVP award. A ten year veteran, Sova led the champions in regular season rush yards (1,538) and touchdowns (9), averaging 5.3 yards per game. The 27-year-old Carolina Poly graduate effectively shared the backfield with Bob Callender, rushing for 900+ yards in five of the last six seasons.

There was some belief that Dick Drum would take home the award, as the LA back was named Offensive Player of the Year. Missing out on three games might have cost him the MVP award, as he had an extra touchdown over Drum, and was about 100 yards shy of Sova's rushing yards. The team's record might have worked against him too, as at 6-8 the Titans were never really in the playoff race.


It's hard to ask for a much worse start to the season, as the already struggling New York Shamrocks have not been able to get into the win column so far. After a tight 4-3 loss to the rival Bees in Boston, the Shamrocks have dropped 11 of their last 14 contests, with half of those 14 games decided by three or more goals. To find their last win, you have to go all the way back to December 30th, and they've only one three game since December 1st.

A lot of the struggles can be blamed on the defense legendary goalie Alex Sorrell fighting for his life in the net. Despite an impressive 11.05 goals saved above average and a .915 save percentage, the Shamrocks have allowed a league high 164 goals with a league worst -62 goal differential. Sorrell has nearly 300 more saves then the next closest goalie, and the guy in second has played just one fewer game then him. Sorrell's save percentage still ranks 3rd among NAHC netminders despite having the highest GAA among goalies who have played more then 5 games.

New York's blue line isn't without talent, there's some solid players, but compared to the other six teams they have more backliners then front. Captain Fred Gallatin (5, 13, 18) is still effective approaching 30, and youngsters Chris LaFontaine (9, 8, 17) and Victor Klenk (2, 8, 10) could be a dependable 2nd line combo, but they're without a real bruiser tandem who can give 20+ minutes a game. 1963 is already a lost season, and if the Shamrocks want to poke their way back into the four team playoff space, they will need to tighten up their defense as they look to build around young wingers Johnny Hawker (1, 4, 5) and Alex Kalamakoff (8, 12, 20).


Toronto's hockey fans are dismayed as the team starts the last two months of the season one point behind Boston for the final post season berth. After a hot start to 1963 the team garnered only two points in the last six games of the month. After losing to the Motors on the 20th the team hosted Montreal on Wednesday in a game where the Dukes had no jump. The team showed a little spirit in the second period after falling behind by 2 goals by Jamieson, Williams brought the game back to even. Less than a minute after William's goal Mark Moggy restored the Vals lead that seemed to take all the wind out of the Dukes' sails. Down one with 20 minutes left the Dukes could not get out of their own way managing only 3 shots on Tim Burrows in the period. Montreal skated to an easy 5-2 win on third period goals by Pepe, Del Vecchio.

The next night the team was in Boston to start back to back games with the Bs. Again the team came out flat falling behind the rejuvenated Boston club who struggled early in the season. Toronto was down 2-0 after one, 4-2 after two periods. In a game in which the Dukes were never in; Boston skated to a simple 6-2 win. The line of Quinn, Amesbury, Williams had a particularly bad night going -4 for the game. The two teams met again on Saturday night in the Gardens for a game that many fans were calling a "must win" for the Dukes. Knackstedt's early goal in the first gave the crowd some hope although it proved to be the only time the red light went on behind James on this night. jake Stockman's 13th tied the game in the first, then he added his second of the night at 12:43 of the second stanza. That would prove to be the game winner. Pierre Paquette made it 3-1 before the third period was a minute old. There was no push back from the home team, much to the disappointment of those in the stands, Drolet added an empty netter to give Boston all 4 points in the two games.

With the losing streak now at 4 Toronto went into Bigsby Gardens on Sunday. The team seemed to skate better during the game which came down to a duel between netminders MacPhee, Alex Sorrell. The first two periods failed to see any goal scoring which each goaltender turning aside 20 shots. Miles DiGiuseppe who has only dressed for 8 Shamrocks games gave NY the lead with his first goal, point of the season at 6:21 of the third after Sorrell had robbed Toronto shooters time and again early in the third. Dukes must be given some credit for not letting up, they finally solved the Sorrell riddle with 3:57 left in the game went Brochu converted passes from Pollack, Brooks to escape with a tie.

Dukes ran their winless streak to six with the team's last game in January. In this game each team scored in the first period. Jack Adamle brought the 15490 in attendance to their feet when he deflected a pass from Tremblay behind Connelly at 11:30. Just over two minutes late Lou Turner, who is up from Cleveland, scored his 2nd NAHC goal of the year on the power play from Williams, Amesbury. This proved to be the only goals of the game as it settled into low offense event dump, chase game. The only excitement after the first period in a game that ended in 1-1 draw was when John McDonald, Turner dropped the mitts to engaged in spirited battle with both landing haymakers.

The six games without a win came to end at home against NY on the team's first game in February. Toronto was all over the Shamrocks for all 60 minutes after the puck drop. Jimmy Cooper opened the scoring at 0:22, a sign of things to come in the game. Turner, again on while up a man, along with Pollack made 3-0 after one. Turner, who has recently been a sparkplug, made 4-0 with a shorthanded goal early in the second followed by Amesbury to stretch the lead to 5 after 40 minutes of play. Pollack completed the scoring in the third for a 6-0 final in a game that the Dukes had 50 shots on Sorrell. Connelly registered second shutout of the year by making 22 saves.

Hoping to build on the win the teams was off to thew Windy City to face a team they had beaten in their last four meetings. The Packers had other ideas, A goal by Noel staked the Packers to a lead before Pollack, who seems to regained his scoring touch in '63, tied the game just into the second half of the first. The game was tied at 1 until Conn Maguire was found by Connaughton left alone in front Connelly with just over six minutes left in the game. Dukes pressed to get the equalizer to no avail, after Poulin was assessed a hooking minor Lavigne put the game out of reach at 17:53 on the power play, Packers break their losing streak to Toronto winning 3-1.

Coach Bear- "Remember the hole I talked about? It is now deeper. We have 19 games left to fight our way into the playoffs. It is simple, we just have to play better hockey shift in, shift out, game in, game out."


Full Court Press: January 21-February 3, 1963

• The injury list is a cavalcade of stars this week. The Rockets Bill Melton is out for a week with a sprained ankle. St. Louis will miss his 20.5 points per game, which is tied for second in the league. The man Melton is tied with, Philadelphia’s Howie Farrell has already been out for two weeks and will miss another 1-2 weeks with a sprained ankle as well. Toronto’s number two man, Bill Spangler has missed the last three weeks with a broken foot and he should return in about a week. Boston has a huge 10-game lead in the Eastern Division, but a couple of impactful Centurions are on the injured list. Steve Barrell is in the middle of a month-long injury prognosis, as he suffered a stress fracture in his foot. Teammate George Stevens has another couple of weeks to recover from a torn abdominal muscle suffered in mid-January.
• While the personnel might be a bit different on the court these days, the standings are not. Boston still is the prohibitive favorite to earn the Divisional Semifinal bye in the East, while Philadelphia and New York will battle for the next couple of months to see which team will hold the home-court advantage. The Phantoms (24-22) are 10 games out and the Knights (24-23) are 10-1/2 games back.
• Toronto still leads Detroit and St. Louis and the gap has not changed much at all. The Falcons (28-18) are 3-1/2 games in front of Detroit (24-21), as both teams are 6-4 in their last 10 contests. St. Louis (23-21) is in third place, four games behind Toronto and a half-game in arrears of the Mustangs.

• Releases continued, this time with the Cleveland Foresters responsible for most of them. Among the 12 Foresters cut, all but one were position players, and none played for the Foresters this season. Among the notable cuts was former Cougar 1st Rounder Biff Tiner, who was 1-for-5 with a walk at 23 in 1954.
• Kansas City made a cut too, ending their two season run with John Wells (.230, 2, 23, 2). Wells, the 1st pick of the 1949 draft, was once expected to be an inner-circle Hall-of-Famer, his struggles after being rushed to Toronto hampered his development. Acquired in the 1960 offseason for outfielder Frank Hardin (.239, 1, 8), Wells got into 187 games with the Kings, hitting .262/.343/.375 (89 OPS+). This was similar to his line in Toronto, where he hit .262/.325/.381 (95 OPS+) from 1950 to 1960. In his 1,393 game FABL career, Wells owns 182 doubles, 42 triples, 92 homers, 477 RBIs, and 45 steals.
• Free agent infielder Del Gaines is reportedly weighting offers from two FABL organizations. The 25-year-old was recently released by the Eagles, and has been panned by some as an off the bench slugger with upside for baserunning and defense.
• The Chicago Cougars have announced they are looking to trade from their pitching depth, with veteran hurlers Andy Logue (11-17, 4.11, 126) and Hank Walker (10-9, 4.39, 107) available for trade. Chicago finished 2nd in runs against and 3rd in starter's ERA, and are looking to use their pitching depth to make room for younger members or upgrade the offense.

• The U.S. State Department reports that North Vietnamese forces are increasingly active in South Vietnam, signaling deeper American involvement in the region.
• Canada's cabinet fell apart as Defense Minister Douglas Harkness, an advocate of nuclear weapons for Canada, resigned and indicated that dissolution of Parliament is near. Harkness says he quit over differences with Prime Minister Diefenbaker. Harkness strongly feels Canada should add nuclear warheads to the four weapons systems that the country has acquired.
• US Defense Secretary McNamara had told Canada that Soviet bomber threat is "quite limited" but declined to justify his refusal of nuclear weapons to be provided to Canada from the United States.
• US Undersecretary of State George Ball has called for a ban on all foreign contributions to American political campaigns. Ball notes the State Department has not found these activities to present any serious problems but worries they might become such in the future.
• The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed by Congress, prohibiting poll taxes in federal elections.
• Charles de Gaulle has vetoed the United Kingdom’s entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), dealing a blow to British diplomatic efforts.
• The first successful test flight of the Boeing 727 takes place, marking a major advancement in commercial aviation.
  
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February 18th, 1963
 

George Gallashaw, the current and past Heavyweight Champion, is back in the saddle and his first title defense of his second reign atop the division was a February matchup on the banks of Lake Erie against Will Flowers. Flowers was not expected to be a serious foil for Gallashaw, but he did boast a 26-4-1 record with 19 of those 26 wins coming by knockout.

Gallashaw first won the heavyweight title belt in 1960 at Lake Erie Arena against Dave Courtney and that was not lost on Gallashaw in the lead-up to this bout. His love affair with Cleveland in this fight, which takes place less than a week before Valentine’s Day, is apparent. The fans have always responded to Gallashaw’s love in kind.

The champion got off to a fast start in the first round. Just 28 seconds into the match, Gallashaw landed a big hook to start the festivities. Flowers looked shaken. After a combination in the middle of the round, the crowd roared its approval. Before the end of the round an uppercut and a hook sent Flowers reeling. Flowers was mostly missing his spots and he took his lumps in the opening stanza.

The domination displayed by Gallashaw in the first round made the first few seconds of the second round all the more surprising. Flowers caught Gallashaw with an uppercut in a few seconds into Round Two, which stunned Gallashaw more than hurt him. Nevertheless, it was a knockdown. Gallashaw jumped to his feet after the count of two from referee Frank Santore. Flowers capitalized on a stunned champion adding a right hand, a combination, and an uppercut to his arsenal.
Flowers had another big round in the third which resulted in another knockdown. Once again, a hard shot that landed flush caused Gallashaw to drop to a knee. Referee Santore started counting at Gallashaw stood up before the count began. The decidedly pro-Gallashaw fans at Lake Erie Arena took notice that this could be a rough night. No fewer than eight Big Boppers were landed by Flowers in Rounds Two and Three combined.

With a couple of knockdowns to his ledger, the confidence of Flowers rose by the minute. Gallashaw had his fans behind him, and he started to put together the building blocks of a comeback. He worked quickly in the fourth round with a hook that put Flowers back on his heels. A right cross from Gallashaw caught Flowers in the face, but Flowers’s reaction was to go on the offensive, making for a spirited back and forth. Gallashaw got the better of the action and took Round Four.

The fifth round was similar, both in Gallashaw’s better run of play and in Flowers’s spirited response. Through eight rounds, the bout was relatively even and neither fighter looked like they had a single mark on them, which is exceedingly rare for a heavyweight tilt.

If this fight was a play the first three rounds represented the challenger’s tough test for the champion. Act Two would be the return to form for Gallashaw, righting the ship in equalizing the match. The third and final act would contain wild swings of emotion and a sudden ending.
Each of the final four rounds in this bout was lopsided and three of those rounds belonged to Gallashaw. In Rounds Nine, Eleven, and Twelve, Gallashaw was clearly the aggressor. Flowers was cornered, staggered, stunned, and on his last legs. Before the end of the ninth round, Flowers’s right eye started to experience some swelling. Round 10 was Flowers's last gasp, although Gallashaw started strong with a three punch combination.

Flowers surprised Gallashaw with a cross that almost dropped the champion. Flowers switched hands and connected with the left, then began to work the body. Gallashaw's legs buckled, but he managed to stay upright. He showed in the tenth round that he can take several punches and maintain his balance.
Gallashaw was relentless in the eleventh round, firing on all cylinders. In fact, he was punching anything that he could possibly reach, hitting high and hitting low. Referee Santore cautioned him about a potential low blow, but that did not deter the champion. The swelling in Flowers's right eye was starting to caused him to miss punches that were coming in from the side. After this round, it looked like it was only a matter of time before Gallashaw would hold on to the belt, unless Flowers changed the course of the bout.

Flowers did try to go on the offensive to start the twelfth round, but that lasted about 20 seconds. Gallashaw tried to corner Flowers and landed punches while he had him trapped. Midway through the round, an uppercut by Gallashaw snapped Flowers’s head straight back an uppercut a few seconds later caused Flowers's head to bob. Gallashaw was targeting Flowers's head and the swelling looked much worse than it did only a few minutes before. With a couple of seconds left in the round, Referee Santore paused the match to have the ringside physician examine Flowers. It seemed that Santore was intent on stopping the fight and just wanted the physician to give his okay because after a very quick deliberation, Santore signaled a technical knockout for Gallashaw.
On the judges’ cards, the fight was scored dead even by all three judges ten rounds. The momentum was clearly on Gallashaw’s side from that point until the fight was called, but if the fight was not called, Flowers still would have had a chance. The swollen eye played as much of a part as anything.

Gallashaw (36-2-1) came away with the victory and he looked very good at times. However, he was not supposed to have this much trouble with Flowers (26-5-1) and many questioned if Gallashaw’s best days were behind him. He is only 27 years old, but the two-time champion needs to protect himself better and not allow himself to be dominated for rounds at a time. Rounds Two and Three may haunt Gallashaw until his next fight, maybe until he wins again.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Gallashaw, 3-0 (0:28 hook, 1:13 right, 2:21 uppercut)
Round 2: Flowers, 5-0 (0:16 uppercut/knockdown #1, 0:33 right/chin, 1:06 combo, 1:19 uppercut, 1:53 hook)
Round 3: Flowers, 3-0 (1:21 right/knockdown #2, 2:27 uppercut, 2:51 cross/midsection)
Round 4: Gallashaw, 3-0 (0:17 hook/head, 1:04 cross/face, 2:57 left hook/body)
Round 5: Gallashaw, 2-1 (G: 0:48 hook, 1:56 combo; F: 1:38 right/body)
Round 6: None
Round 7: None
Round 8: Flowers, 1-0 (1:05 cross)
Round 9: Gallashaw, 3-0 (1:18 hook/head, 1:34 hook/jaw, 2:50 combo)
Round 10: Flowers, 5-1 (G: 0:12 combo; F: 1:03 cross, 1:21 left, 1:43 cross, 2:11 cross, 2:24 right/head)
Round 11: Gallashaw, 4-0 (0:37 hook, 0:51 hook, 1:53 hook/midsection, 2:07 hook)
Round 12: Gallashaw, 5-1 (G: 1:08 hook/ribs, 1:21 cross, 1:46 uppercut/head, 2:25 hook/head, 2:58 right/head/TKO; F: 0:13 right/ribs)
TOTAL: Gallashaw 21, Flowers 16

Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland, Ohio – George Gallashaw (35-2-1, 27 KO) vs. Will Flowers (26-4-1, 19 KO) – Referee: Frank Santore

• Imposing French heavyweight Jean-Marc Durand improved to 41-3 with a second round knockout of Brit Dwayne Channing in a bout in London last week. Durand, widely considered the top European heavyweight this side of Steve Leivers, has repeatedly said he has no interest in coming to North America to fight.

• Feb 27- The highly anticipated rematch between World Middleweight champion Lyman King and former champ George Quinsenberry is set for February 27 at New York's Bigsby Garden. The pair met in Los Angeles in early December and fought to a majority draw, prompting the call for a rematch. King, a 26 year old Oakland, CA., native is unbeaten with a 41-0-1 record and has held the title since he took it from Quisenberry in January of last year in a bout also held at Bigsby Garden. Quisenberry, a 28-year-old Toronto native, has held the world title twice previously and now will look to gain it a third time in his third meeting with King. Quisenberry is 39-2-4 entering the bout.

While most of the season the hasn't been too much separation between 2nd and 5th, as we continue in February there appears to be three distinct chunks in the NAHC. The first is the top dogs, as Detroit, Montreal, and Chicago are all within four points of first. The Motors hold the lead, 69 points in 54 games, while both the Valiants and Packers have 65 in 56. Detroit appears to have the inside lane into a conference crown, though they have started to slow down some.

What separates these three from the rest is that each of these teams has at least one star player. For the leaders, it's 21-year-old winger Hobie Barrell, who's been one of the most productive players since his debut in 1960. In 51 games this year he has 33 goals and 32 assists, with his goals and 65 points. Hobie is the only skater with more then 25 goals on the season, and the only player with more then 30 assists to score more then 20 goals. Doing all of this at a young age can only make you wonder just how good he can get, and for a team that's more deep then off-the-charts talented, a phenom like Hobie has been and will continue to be a difference maker. Losing star defensemen Anthony Beauchemin (7, 25, 32) is a tough blow, and these next few weeks are crucial if they want to stay on top.

Montreal is best when it comes to defense, as their goalie duo of Nathan Bannister (20-14, 2.78, .914) and Tom Burrows (7-4, 2.01, .936) is best on the ice, and they have star defensemen in veterans Gil Thibault (3, 9, 12) and Jean Tremblay (8, 22, 30), and the youngster Mark Moggy (7, 34, 41). Like Hobie, Moggy debuted in 1960, and is still just 21. Unlike your average defensemen, Moggy is a skilled offensive player too, equipped with expert passing, a hard shot, and elite puck-handling. In 70 games last season he had 15 goals and 31 assists, and he leads all defensemen in both assists and points (41). The offense isn't too shabby either, as center Scott Dueck (16, 36, 52) is having an excellent sophomore season leading the top line.

Though it might be Chicago who has the most talent, as they have elite players all across the board. Center Pete Bernier (19, 42, 61) leads all skaters in assists while his 61 points are second only to Hobie in Detroit. Plenty of those assists are feeding star winger Ken York (25, 29, 53), who's 4th in points and 2nd to Hobie in goals scored. The 25-year-old York puts up the most shots too, and when he's in front of the goal he's automatic. Scoring threats parade up and down the lineup, with Matt McGrath (15, 12, 27), J.P. Morissette (12, 26, 38), and two-way defender Guy Bernier (11, 20, 31) all legitimate point producers. Bernier, Danny Connaughton (10, 13, 23), and John Lucas (5, 16, 21) anchor an excellent defense, and with some improvement between the sticks, the Pack can take over the top spot.

Toronto and Boston form the next group, as with a 51 point tie they'll be fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot. Boston has an extra game, but at this point, it's anyone's spot. For the Dukes to make it theirs, they'll need star center Quinton Pollack (20, 39, 59) to continue his dominance, as while it's no 92 point season like last year, he is not looking 40 when he laces up his skates. An elite netminder like Mike Connelly (13-15, 2.92, .910) is usually a plus, but 31-year-old missed a lot of time this year and hasn't matched his dominant 1960 season (33-20, 2.71, .911). Similar to Detroit, they live and die by their star, but they don't have the same level of depth the Motors boast. Boston meanwhile has two top offensive players, the now healthy Neil Wilson (9, 21, 30) and Jimmy Rucks (22, 26, 48), but they let in too many goals and would be further back had it not been for an eight game win streak in January.

In the cellar is the Shamrocks, who only have the first pick of the draft to look forward to. Still winless in 1963, their 33 points are almost exactly half of the Valiants and Packers total. Their only non-loss in February is a 4-4 tie to the Packers, and their star goalie Alex Sorrell (9-30, 3.39, .910) is dealing with nausea -- unrelated to the team's disgusting play as of late. Not a single player has topped 30 points on the season, less then Hobie's goals, and Ken York has more goals then all but two Shamrocks have points. The roster needs a lot of work, but injured winger Johnny Hawker (1, 6, 7) and rookie winger Alex Kalamakoff (8, 16, 24) are the first two building blocks. The defense is a mess, though you can rely on captain Fred Gallatin (7, 14, 21) and I like the offense Chris LaFontaine (9, 8, 17) can provide, but an overhaul is needed as they're set for three consecutive last place finishes.



As the regular season winds down the Toronto Dukes continue the to struggle in the NAHC. After showing signs of life early in '63 the team has had poor performance after poor performance over the last month. The team has 14 games to play currently sit tied with Boston for fourth spot with 51 points. The only bright spot for Toronto fans is that they have a game in hand on the Bs. The last two weeks has been a replay of the Dukes play for the entire season.

After five days off to work on something new the team was swept in two games over the weekend. Starting at home against the Vals the fans saw their team keep it close, for the first period. Amesbury, who is now gone for the season with a broken leg, opened the scoring at 9:44. Montreal replied with two of their own by Tremblay, Drury before Brochu tied the game at 2 in the last minute of the first twenty. In the first each netminder, Bannister for Montreal, Connelly in Dukes net made 9 saves on 11 shots. The second period was quick with no goals or any penalties called by referee. It almost put the fans to sleep with only 11 total shots on goal with Montreal getting six. The third period was all downhill for the Dukes, they were outplayed in every facet by Montreal. The skaters left Connelly undefended time after time. Matt Mercier scored the eventual winner at 3:04 while Jim Drury added salt to the wound scoring two in the final five minutes to make the final 5-2 Montreal. Dukes left the ice surface to loud boos from the remainder of the 13349 who paid to gain admission to the Gardens.

Down Highway 401 to Detroit for a Sunday game with the Motors. Both teams played a run and gun game with both getting 39 shots for the game. The difference in the game was Goulet had a better game than MacPhee. Detroit scored the only two in the first then went up three before Knackstedt gave Toronto a glimmer of hope when he beat Goulet with 10 seconds left before the second intermission. Zack Roy made it 4-1 while Detroit had a 2 man advantage just before the 6 minute mark of the third. When Lou Turner then Poulin scored 36 seconds apart in the ninth minute fans listening on the radio began to think comeback. All hopes of the comeback were quashed 19 seconds after Poulin had made it 4-3. Jake Clark beat MacPhee with a floater to finish the scoring in a 5-3 Motors win before almost 14000.

Riding another three game losing streak the Motors came to the Gardens on Wednesday for a mid-week game. Toronto took a 2-0 lead to the dressing room after a penalty filled first on goals by Brooks then Jamieson on the power play. Hobie Barrell, who is now the scoring leader in the NAHC, notched his 33rd of the year while Jamieson was serving time for roughing. Knackstedt's 18th restored the two goal lead before the end of the second. Andrew William's made it 4-1 with 13:21 to play leaving the fans thinking that the team would escape the night with two points. Charlie Brown's hooking penalty gave the Motors power play a chance, they took full advantage of the situation with Guindon making 4-2 at 10:08. The stands got noticeably quieter after Jake Clark made 4-3 at 12:56 on another defensive breakdown by the Dukes in their own zone.

With 3 and half minutes to play MacDonald got whistled for tripping allowing Zack Roy to salvage a point with 7th of year at 17:53. Toronto fans again expressed their displeasure with the result when the game ended 4-4.

The Dukes finished the last two weeks with a home and home series with NY. In Toronto on Saturday Mike Connelly again basically stole a win for his mates in a 3-2 victory. The highlight for the Dukes was Pollack's 20th early in the first which is another milestone for the 40 year old. The teams met less than 24 hours later in another wide open game in which the Dukes played a little better although taking penalties allowed the Shamrocks to score twice on five man advantages. Dukes gladly accepted the two points in a 5-3 win that extended the Shamrocks winless streak to 20. NY's last win was 5-3 in Montreal on December 30th, Since then they have gone 0-16-4 for 4 points of a possible 36.

Coach Bear- "I guess being tied for 4th is better than being in 5th. I have challenged the team to get get 19 points in the last 14 games. A tough but not impossible task for this group, We will see if they are up to the challenge, the fans are understandably upset with our results this year. We have to get them back on our side."


Full Court Press: February 4-17, 1963

• While the view has not changed for any teams in either division, the Mustangs must be frustrated. Detroit is 7-3 in its last 10 games, making a midseason push towards the top of the standings. Toronto has matched the Mustangs, game for game, and Detroit has not gained any ground. Detroit lost one game against each of the teams in the division and none sting as much as the 91-82 loss in Chicago two weeks ago. Chicago outscored Detroit, 25-15 in the final period, to open up a deadlocked game and turn it the Panthers way.
• Philadelphia and New York split their recent four-game set to keep the standings exactly as they were before those games were played. The Phantoms are 10-1/2 games out and the Knights are a game farther behind. Each game served up a different hero on both sides. New York’s Tim Jacobus scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Ken Robinson dropped 23 points in the Knights 80-72 win to kick off the series. Another eight point win (79-71) as the scene shifted to Philadelphia. Center Rankin Egbert was the player of the game (12 points, 11 rebounds), but Simon Fausey had 12 points to go with four steals in a game where the Knights won the turnover battle, 24-14. Philadelphia got their revenge in New York, where Dave Woods led the way with 21 points and it was the Phantoms turning the ball over only 14 times, compared to 28 for New York in the 86-78 Philadelphia win. Dan Holland spoiled Howie Farrell’s return, as Holland’s 22 points and Mel Turcotte’s 18 points and 19 boards helped justify a 54-40 rebounding advantage for Philadelphia in the only comfortable win of the series, 88-71.
• Detroit and St. Louis will meet four times in the next two-and-a-half weeks, so there will be ample opportunity for one team to take advantage of the other. Detroit has an extra game against division-leading Toronto, which could mean one of two things: either Detroit controls its own destiny a bit more than St. Louis or Detroit has a better chance of losing and falling into third place.

• Del Gaines didn't have to spend too much time in free agency, as he was picked up on a minor league deal by the New York Gothams. 26 not long after he signed the contract, he'll get $31,200 if he makes the 40-man roster, and will have the option to opt out after 30 days if he does not get placed. Gaines will be in camp when spring training starts in March, looking to replace 25-year-old incumbent Walt Bantle, who hit .306/.332/.376 (88 OPS+) with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers, and 32 RBIs in his debut year.
• A chance to start for the Imperials may have been enough for Gaines to choose New York as his new home, as the Chicago Cougars were reported to have offered a fully-guaranteed deal, though the value fell short of $30,000. Third base is an area of weakness in Chicago, but replacing a two-time Diamond Defense winner in Mooney Vetter (.272, 12, 64) is a more difficult task.
• The Chicago Chiefs continue to look for trading partners, placing multiple players on the trade block. This includes some of their more notable players, but also new Rule-5 additions as they look to trim their roster prior to camp starting. Most teams have had quiet offseasons, but this is an opportunity for one of the newer expansion teams to upgrade their 25-man roster.

• Russia has affirmed ties with Red China. President Khrushchev declared that when the time comes for communism to bury capitalism, the Soviet Union and Communist China together will throw in the last spadeful of earth.
• The United States has issued a trade embargo against Cuba, further tightening economic restrictions on Fidel Castro’s government.
• The House Investigators Committee was told that Communist violence in Latin America may well be stepped up in the months ahead and that the Castro regime has shifted its emphasis to one of open encouragement of terror as a principle weapon.
• U.S. officials report that Vietnam is becoming a growing concern, with increasing American military advisors stationed in the region.
• The Kennedy administration proposes the Civil Rights Act of 1963, aiming to end segregation and racial discrimination in public places.
• The Soviet Union announces that it will reduce troop numbers in East Germany, seen as a small but significant move in Cold War diplomacy.
• Five persons were arrested in Paris after a plot to shoot French President Charles de Gaulle in broad daylight Friday was uncovered. The plot was linked to the outlawed European Secret Army.
  
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March 11th, 1963
 

QUISENBERRY A 3-TIME WINNER IN HANDING KING FIRST LOSS
FEBRUARY 27, 1963 – Bigsby Garden, New York, N.Y. – Lyman King (41-0-1, 24 KO) vs. George Quisenberry (39-2-4, 17 KO) – Referee: Ernest Byrd

When George Quisenberry won his first two titles, he was a young man. In 1958, he was 23 years old when defeated Yohan Revel, the Frenchman, and he was 24 when he won it back against Mark McCoy. A little over a year ago, Quisenberry fell in a title defense for the second time against Lyman King, then a largely unknown boxer. King has had a busy year at the top of the boxing world, though he has lived dangerously.

After defeating Quisenberry, King dominated in his first title defense but struggled in a split decision against former champ George Hatchell and had to settle for a majority draw against Quisenberry in December. Just over two months later, the rematch for the “Fight of the Decade” was set.
Quisenberry has vanquished foes before. He defeated Hatchell, who took Quisenberry’s title away the first time, and he had a chance to vanquish King tonight.

The third fight in this trilogy had unparalleled hype. This fight was at Bigsby Garden in New York, while the last fight was in Los Angeles. From coast to coast, fight fans have been treated to championship boxing and this match was no different. The crowd in New York was every bit as wild and loud as the crowd in Los Angeles. Instead of Hollywood types, the luminaries in New York were musicians, actors, wizards of Wall Street, and politicians.

Quisenberry was ready for the start of the fight and did not waste any time finding King. Quisenberry faked a right and ripped a left hook, followed by a couple of body shots and an uppercut, all within the first few seconds of the fight. King found his footing and stood his ground, firing a hook to Quisenberry’s head that sent Quisenberry back. The fans were into it early, yelling for both fighters.

After one round, Quisenberry and King saw the work ahead of them. Neither would bend or break and after two previous fights between them. In the second round, Quisenberry had the run of play and cashed in a bonus that would help him all night. Quisenberry landed a stiff cross that stunned King and almost caused him to take a knee. However, the punch did cause some swelling around King’s left eye.

In Round Three, King changed it up by getting the first punch in, a strong right that he buried into the ribs of Quisenberry. But that was it for King this round. Quisenberry connected on a right hook that worsened the swelling already established and King needed some help between rounds in trying to reduce the swelling.

King’s left eye became a target and Quisenberry was narrowing his focus on that eye with a surgeon’s precision. The punishment inflicted during the fourth and fifth rounds put King on his heels and the area around his left eye started to balloon. With about a minute left in Round Five, King started to rustle. King blocked a hook and countered with a hook of his own that scored points. Another well-placed hook got the crowd into it, trying to will King into this fight that seemed fairly even after one round.

King went to the hook again to try to break out of Quisenberry’s spell in the sixth round. Quisenberry stopped him cold with a right hand that pushed King back towards the ropes. King almost knocked the wind out of Quisenberry with a left to the ribs to essentially win the round for the champion. The next two rounds were all Quisenberry, as he connected with regularity and King rarely mounted much of a defense. The eye swelling was getting worse and worse, with King’s cornermen not being able to do much to lessen it. The second half of the fight would be a significant hill to climb for the champion, even without any knockdowns to Quisenberry’s credit.

In the eleventh round, King mounted a charge, but his punches did not have much steam on them and Quisenberry seemed content to play defense and wait King out. Quisenberry went back to tactically taking the heart out of any hopes King would win the fight. After a strong twelfth round, Quisenberry went for the win in the thirteenth. Quisenberry cut off an escape route, cornering King and unleashing a violent right that caught King in his side. Quisenberry followed with a hook to the eye that King did not see coming and he crumpled to the canvas. No one in attendance knew how King reached his feet, but at the count of eight from referee Ernest Byrd, King was back up and Byrd judged him able to continue.

It did not improve King’s chances, as Quisenberry was well ahead on points by this time in the fight. King needed one punch with enough power in the right spot to send Quisenberry to his demise. The punch never came. King went out with a whimper rather than a scream.

All three judges saw the fight the exact same way. It was about as lopsided a decision as you could get. Each judge had 13 rounds scored in favor of Quisenberry and only two rounds in the bag for King. It was a dominant performance on most metrics, including knockdowns, Big Boppers, total punches connected, and damage done with those punches.

Quisenberry scored the only knockdown in the fight and King barely made it to his feet in the thirteenth round. Quisenberry connected on 28 haymakers compared to only five for King. Quisenberry connected on almost four times the offerings that King did. King had a swollen eye for most of the fight, with the significance of that swelling increasing in the second half of the fight.

King (41-1-1) fought valiantly, but he was outclassed on this night. In the Mecca of boxing, Quisenberry (40-2-4) won the belt for the third time, holding it high, and daring anyone to snatch it back again.

BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Quisenberry, 2-1 (K: 0:51 hook/head; Q: 0:12 left hook/body, 2:24 combo)
Round 2: Quisenberry, 4-0 (1:34 hook, 2:04 cross, 2:30 uppercut/head, 2:46 hook)
Round 3: Quisenberry, 2-1 (K: 0:42 right/ribs; Q: 1:32 cross/face, 2:18 hook)
Round 4: Quisenberry, 3-0 (0:22 hook, 0:51 hook/head, 2:01 uppercut)
Round 5: Quisenberry, 1-0 (0:52 hook/jaw)
Round 6: King, 2-1 (K: 1:24 hook, 2:25 left/midsection; Q: 1:42 right)
Round 7: Quisenberry, 2-0 (0:39 combo, 1:27 hook)
Round 8: Quisenberry, 3-0 (0:44 right/midsection, 1:31 hook/midsection, 2:24 uppercut)
Round 9: None
Round 10: Quisenberry, 2-0 (0:12 uppercut, 2:19 uppercut)
Round 11: Tied, 1-1 (K: 0:26 hook/head; Q: 0:12 uppercut)
Round 12: Quisenberry, 2-0 (1:10 hook/midsection, 2:24 right/body)
Round 13: Quisenberry, 2-0 (0:23 right/side, 0:41 hook/knockdown #1)
Round 14: Quisenberry, 1-0 (0:39 right/head)
Round 15: Quisenberry, 2-0 (0:55 combo, 1:25 cross)
TOTAL: Quisenberry 28, King 5

• Oscar Woodings, the great British middleweight who fought two famous title fights with George Quisenberry a few years ago, earning a draw in the first before losing a tight decision in the rematch, has to decided to retire. The 33-year-old went out in style last week, scoring a unanimous decision over Niven Stonehouse in a bout in Liverpool that raised Woodings career record to 53-3-2. The pair of fights with Quisenberry in Canada were the only time Woodings ever entered a ring on this side of the Atlantic.
• Billy Dvorak, a highly touted 22-year-old out of Maryland ran his record to 11-0 with a unanimous decision over Kel Shelby in Union City, NJ last week. Dvorak, while still raw, appears to be well on the path towards a shot at the world welterweight title.

• May 3- Welterweight champion Matt Leach will face former champion Eugene Ellis in Houston. Leach, a 29-year-old New York City native, is 33-6-2 and will making his second defense since winning the title from Lenny Shafto last September. The 32-year-old Ellis, 46-6-1 alternated with Lonnie Griffin as welterweight champ for much of the last half of the 1950s. The two staged many thrilling battles for the crown but Ellis has not had a title shot since losing for the last time to Griffin two years ago. It will be the first time the Seattle native faces Leach.
• June 20- Heavyweight Champion George Galleshaw will put his title on the line against former champion Steve Leivers at Bigsby Garden in New York City. Galleshaw held the title for 18 months beginning in 1960 before losing it in a shocking upset to Bert Parks but he regained the crown last November and successfully defended his title in February against Will Flowers. Galleshaw enters the fight with a 36-2-1 record. Leivers, 34, held the title for a spell in the mid-1950s, taking it from another Englishman Joe Brinkworth and making two successful defenses before losing to Brad Harris in 1957. He is 43-2-1 and will be facing Galleshaw for the first time.

With six games remaining he has work cut out for him, but after netting his 41st goal of the season, the Motors superstar is six shy of the NAHC goal lead, and seven away from setting the record. Currently held by Bert Cordier (29/30), Tommy Burns (47/48), and the still-active Quinton Pollack (52/53), no skater has surpassed 46 goals in a season. He's also 8 points away from being the second player to reach 90 points in a season, something Pollack has managed four times.

Averaging over a goal a game is tough for anyone, but in four games from the 2nd to the 9th of March, Hobie knocked in six, and in the six games between January 6th and January 24th, he lit the lamp seven times, so it's not like the 21-year-old has an impossible task ahead of him. Sure, if the Motors lock up the top seed, they may want to take it easy with their top scorer, but working in his favor is their next opponent. On the 14th, the Motors play the porous defense of the New York Shamrocks. They've faced plenty of times this season, with Hobie averaging around a goal a game. This includes a hat trick on November 1st, and he's scored in 7 of his last 8 games against New York.

Even if the young Barrell can't reach the historic milestone, he's the easy leader in goals and points, as no one else has more then 30 goals or 70 points. His 82 points are already most by a Motor in a full season, while he's three goals shy of Alex Monette's 44 in the 58/59 season. His 45 assists last season were most in team history, so if Hobie can reach 45 goals, he'll be the sole leader in Motors history for single-season points, assists, and goals.


Detroit may still be at the top of the NAHC standings, but no team is as hot as the Montreal Valiants. Winners of four of their last five and just one loss since February started, the Vals are an impressive 31-19-14, equating for 76 points in 64 games. 64 is now how many the Motors and Packers have too, as all three teams are within six points of each other. Still anyone's game, securing the first seed this year is of upmost importance, as the 2 and 3 teams are going to have to square up in what should be a huge clash of talent.

Who the leaders will play is yet to be determined, as with one extra game and one extra win, the Bees hold a slight two game advantage in the standings. Despite generally having a lot lower point totals then the leaders, the 4th seed has had some success in the postseason, so it's not like whoever takes the top seed will have an automatic win. Still, homefield advantage throughout the way is huge, and expect the Motors to do everything in their power to win each game remaining.


When the weather starts to warm in March Toronto sports fans are generally talking around the water cooler about the first round NAHC opponent with a casual eye on the Wolves spring training. This spring is far different, the talk now is not about who but if the Dukes will have a playoff series. The mood of Toronto diehard hockey fans is dark as the team that finished first the last 3 seasons along with not missing the playoffs since 1950-51 now has to put together a strong finish in their last six games against tough opponents or the ice will be coming out of Dominion Gardens until fall.

Ari Bear led team finished strong at the end of February after the two wins over NY they outplayed Montreal by a wide margin then ran into a hot goaltender. In a game where Toronto outshot the visitors 52-25 only a goal by Joe Pelkey with less that two and a half minutes to play allowed the team to get a point in a 3-3 tie. Ned Bannister was unbelievable in the Vals net robbing Toronto time after time including making 24 of his 49 saves in the second period, Boston came into town on Saturday night in what was a 4 point game. Toronto again held a wide margin in offensive chance only to run into another hot goaltender. The only scoring was in the opening frame with Jack Gariepy giving the Bs the lead before Jamieson's 16th on the power play tied the score before the end of the period. While the Dukes continued to buzz the Boston net they could put the puck behind Joe Echum who had the best game of his rookie season. To finish the month with 4-3-3 record the Dukes managed a 6-3 victory over Chicago. After a high scoring first that ended 3-3 the Dukes scored the last three of the game in which both Ray MacDonald, Quinton Pollack each had 3 markers.

Toronto began March running their unbeaten streak to seven with a relatively easy 4-1 win over the Shamrocks. After a scoreless first Toronto score 2 in each of the second then third period with NY only able to put one over Connelly's goal line. It is almost if the team cannot stand success. The roof started to cave-in beginning with an important game in Boston the night after the victory over NY. The tables were turned for this game as Boston controlled the puck for the majority of the game. Boston led after the first 1-0, with MacPhee making 18 saves, before Brochu's 20th made the score 1-1 after 40 minutes of play. Boston took the game over in the third with Nick Quinn score at 3:29 then Paquette made it 3-1 with 7 minutes to play, Voyechek added an empty netter in a 4-1 game. The same teams drooped the puck again in Toronto on Wednesday night. Everyone knew this was a must win for the Dukes but they lost. After Brown opened the scoring in the first Boston scored three straight by Quinn, Neil Wilson twice before Poulin made it 3-2 before the end of the second period. Again the Bs won the third period with two goals by Stockman, Gariepy to give Boston all 4 points in these two important games. Adding insult to injury then lost two games over the past weekend 6-3 to Detroit at home, in a game they were not in after the first period. They followed this with a 5-3 loss in Chicago on Sunday to leave them trailing Boston by a single point with ix to play.

Ari Bear has not be available to media of late as he struggles with finding the formula to salvage the season. Toronto's six to play are at Montreal, home to Chicago, in NYC, home to Montreal, finishing the season with a home and home set with Detroit starting in Toronto on the 23rd. Boston has five to play with 4 at home twice to the Packers along with Montreal, NY. Their only road game is against the Shamrocks.


Full Court Press: February 18-March 10, 1963:

• Just because Toronto has been in front for most of the season does not mean St. Louis and Detroit have stopped trying to take over the top spot. Both the Rockets and the Mustangs have inched closer to the Falcons, with the deficit for the two teams now at 2-1/2 games. Toronto has 20 games remaining on its schedule with 13 games against either the Rockets (8 games) or the Mustangs (5 games). Meanwhile, five of the last nine games of the season for St. Louis and Detroit will be against each other.
• Philadelphia has started to put a little bit of distance between itself and third-place New York over the last couple of weeks. The two teams are three-and-a-half games apart, thanks in part to the Phantoms five-game winning streak. Three of those games during the streak have been against first-place Boston. In yesterday’s 76-73 win over Boston at home, the Phantoms withstood 28 points from Steve Barrell, who was also 10-for-10 at the free throw line, while Percy Carner led Philadelphia with 23 points, making 11 of the team’s 30 field goals.
• Chicago has officially been eliminated from the playoffs, guaranteeing the Panthers would finish in the cellar a full five weeks before the end of the regular season. Chicago (13-48) also has a 2-1/2-game edge on Washington (15-45) for the worst record in the league, which is also the race for the number one pick in the 1963 Draft. Chicago is 21 games behind the Rockets and Mustangs with only 19 games left. Washington is still mathematically alive, but that will be short-lived, as the Statesmen are 16 games out of third place with 20 games remaining.

As Toronto residents along with many fans across the country see the weather begin to break free of winter's cold grip many are worried about the Dukes missing the NAHC playoffs for the first time in over a decade others are beginning to look forward to Wolves' season. As the team comes together in Florida for spring training many questions face the club in 1963. Brett outlines a few of them here:

Can the Wolves continue to move forward?: After a 22 game improvement to reach a .500 record for the first time since 1948 many are thinking the team could be a contender. Manager Hohlt along with front office staff are cautioning fans that the move towards the top of the CA will take time. Teams like San Francisco, Kansas City, Cleveland will continue to present a stiff challenge for the Wolves. The team wants to continue progressing this season, more importantly not take a step backwards after more than a decade of misery for the team and fans.

What will the Pitching Staff Look Like in '63?: One thing that Toronto seems to blessed with is a young talented pitching staff. If the five starters are Smith, Colantuono, Medley, Hoxworth, Adams the oldest would be Colantuono at 26 which is surprising young for a FABL staff. Pressing those five for big league jobs are three from Buffalo, Union League Champions in '63, all of whom are 22 Jimmy Blair, Charlie Davidson, Danny Horne. They will certainly be in Wolves camp to audition for big league roles, trying to impress both Hohlt and Pitching Coach Max Monell. If nothing else the three provide depth against injuries that are sure to occur as with Hoxworth missing two thirds of the 1962 season. The bullpen is a bigger concern for the staff as witnessed last season when Zeke Blake tired after the All-Star break. The worst kept secret over the winter is the move of Lee Loeffler, 35, to the bullpen to provide another option for Hohlt. The other 4 returnees will face challenges from Buffalo's Stan Boone, Bob Campbell. There will fierce competition for jobs in the bullpen before the start of regular season in LA against the Stars on April 9th.

Has The Team Found a RHB To Balance The Lineup?: The biggest moves the team made in the off-season were to acquire bats that were right handed. Tom Sexton, a first round pick in 1953, was claimed form Pittsburgh during the Rule 5 draft while 2B/SS Dick Rabkin came to the Wolves via a trade with Washington. Hopefully both give Hohlt flexibility in what was a a heavily left handed hitting team in 1962. Rabkin also has a good glove which Hohlt highly values. One of the keys to the improvement was the stride forward in defensive play, not giving the opposition free runs. Expect Hohlt to demand more from his fielders in 1963.

The team has other questions that will sort themselves out over the spring. Fans are expecting to see an overall youngish teams on the rise. Some insiders are saying that the team should take advantage of the young pitchers to make an aggressive move to acquire a homerun hitter to protect Tom Reed in the order.

• With Spring Training a week around the corner, excitement is in the air for all twenty clubs. For one of the ones without but last year, Minneapolis may get a treat, as team management announced that their first ever draft pick would be given every chance to earn the starting center field job. Taken 3rd in the most recent draft, the 18-year-old hit .223/.326/.334 (86 OPS+) in AAA, and he's already one of the toughest guys to strikeout. He had just 25 in 344 PAs, drawing 35 walks with 11 doubles, 5 triples, and 4 home runs.
• Last season, center field was handled most often by 34-year-old vet Dick Sheehan (.321, 9, 63), but he is not cut out to be a center fielder. The former Gotham and Keystone outfielder can shift over to either left or right, allowing the 6th Ranked Edwards to continue at his natural centerfield.
• Fresh off a tittle, the Pioneers aren't satisfied, and are looking to add to the mix at shortstop. With Paul Watson (.247, 8, 68) entering the season at 36, it is one of the few positions of weakness of a championship caliber team. The only other shortstop option on the 40 is former 4th Rounder Aeneas Bouloukos, who was 0-for-4 in a cup of coffee this fall.

• A billion dollar spaceport is being constructed on a stretch of coastal dune and swamp 200 miles north of Miami. Just north of Cape Canaveral and officially known as "Complex 39," it is expected to be the springboard from which men will leap moonward late in the 60s and then deeper into space in subsequent years.
• Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visits East Berlin and reaffirms Soviet support for East Germany, increasing Cold War tensions.
• Some 2,000 Russians are reported to be aboard a Soviet liner, sailing away from Havana. Whether they were civilians or soldiers and their destination was not revealed but the United States had said nearly two weeks ago that the Kremlin assured it several thousand Russian military men will be withdrawn from Cuba.
• The Pentagon released a report that long range Soviet reconnaissance jets flew over four US Navy aircraft carriers at sea. Sources say the report was released to disarm any Russian propaganda bomb before it was dropped.
• The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Gray v. Sanders, establishing the principle of "one person, one vote" and striking down Georgia’s county unit system as unconstitutional.
• The Dominican Republic held its first democratic elections since the assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1961.
• Mount Agung in Bali, Indonesia, erupts violently, killing thousands and devastating surrounding villages.
• The Beatles release their first number-one hit in the UK, Please Please Me, marking the beginning of their rise to international fame.
  
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