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Jiggs McGee · 12-22-2022, 07:50 AM

MARCH 12, 1945

GOTHAMS MAY BE TEAM TO BEAT IN FED

No team in all of baseball has had more ups and downs than the New York Gothams. Say what you will about the Gothams but they do not do anything halfway. The Gothams are often the best team in the Federal Association with 5 pennants in the past 15 years but they are also often the worst team in the loop as displayed by the club finishing at least 30 games out of first place six times during that same span. New York has finished 1st, 6th, 7th or 8th in each of the past 15 seasons with only one year -1933 when they came in third- to break that trend. Like we said the Gothams are either very good or very bad. No in between at all.

So after following up a 1942 World Championship Series win with a last place finish in 1943 the Gothams were 7th place last year. Is this the beginning of another long stretch of futility like they endured from 1936-41 when only once did they finish within less than 32 games of top spot? Early indications were that might be the case but those thoughts changed suddenly with the winter news that Harry Carter was back.

Carter was discharged from the Navy due to chronic migranes suffered while serving aboard the USS Wolverine and that might prove to be a major headache to the rest of the Federal Association. With Carter joining Ed Bowman, Jim Lonardo and last season's surprise breakout star in the then-32 year old Jim Baggett, New York suddenly has the best rotation in the Fed. Add in the bat of Red Johnson and perhaps big seasons from Leon Drake and Pete Casstevens and the Gothams might just make another of the their famous worst-to-first turnarounds.

There is one big question mark though and that is in the New York dugout. Ed Ziehl, who has managed them club for the past 17 years is gone -choosing to sell war bonds while his son Eddie serves in the Navy- and that leaves Bud Jameson, with no previous managerial experience, in charge. There will be a lot of pressure on the 40 year old, who was a teammate of many of these Gothams less than two years ago, as he becomes the one to call the shots. The Federal Association has a lot of teams that could make some noise this season and the New York Gothams are certainly one of them.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

Wolves Update as Spring Training Approaches - Toronto brass are now huddled discussing the how to man the organization. Currently there are only 21 players on the Major Roster which means there will be competition for at least one OF position and two backup spots on the infield. On the mound, the bullpen is almost wide open along with one spot in the rotation. Deciding on the number of invitees to spring camp is the first topic of business and after that decisions will need to be made on how many players will be in the system. Currently there are only 131 players under contract to the Wolves, not including 92 in the service.

Early indications are that the Wolves will run the minors on short rosters with the GM's directive being "Push everyone up to highest level we think they can handle, and if they can't handle it then we will find a replacement. With war news getting better in Europe we may be awash in players under contract before the season begins in April. Even if there are setbacks overseas we have players coming in June from the amateur draft. This gives us 3 to 4 months to separate the wheat from the chaff. The minor league managers will be instructed to make it plain to their players that many of them are playing for baseball careers. Time to perform is now."

DEUCE SAYS HE IS READY

We caught up with Deuce Barrell this week when he was in town getting a full medical once over from team doctors and the news is nothing but positive. Cannons trainer George Gorham says recovery is right on schedule and Deuce should be able participate in some game action at the tail end of spring camp and is expected to be fully ready for April 19 when the Cannons open their season at home against Toronto. It has been 11 months since Barrell's elbow fell apart and a tough time for the 27 year old who admits that while he enjoyed cheering his teammates on to their second straight World Championship Series title, "it really hurt not being out there to help." Barrell is also looking forward to having his uncle Tom Barrell as teammate this season.

Despite a 6 cent hike that makes the average ducat at Tice Memorial worth $1.24, the Cincinnati Cannons are reporting brisk sales of season tickets and are projecting an increase of more than 15% over least years sales. Good thing for the Tice family as fielding a championship team is not cheap. The veteran laden Cannons are projected to have the highest payroll in the league, and at over $620,000 it will top last year's costs by more than 120k. The addition of Sam Sheppard and Gail Giffored over the winter added $78,000 to the ledger.
*** OHIO POLY TO CARRY TORCH IN CAGE CHAMPIONSHIP ***

The Ohio Poly Cardinals are the only area team going to the year end collegiate basketball tournament. No Central Ohio, as it was a down year for the Columbus school and really the enitre Great Lakes Alliance. Local outfit Queen City had a solid 17-12 season but the Monarchs missing the tournament is no surprise as the last time the Cincinnati school qualified was 20 years ago. Central Kentucky was there a couple of years ago but hasn't won a tournament game since 1928 while neither Bluegrass State and Grange College have qualified in over a decade.

So that leaves the Toledo based Cardinals to carry the banner for the region. Under the leadership of coach Hawk Pizzo, Ohio Poly put together a very impressive 24-7 season but they will face a tough task in the Oklahoma City State Wranglers in their Midwest Region opener on Sunday. There is a big matchup issue in trying to defend Joe Schlegel, a powerful 6'8" center who has started all 4 years with the Wranglers and averaged nearly 12 points and 6 rebounds a game this season. Ohio Poly's top player is Jack Simons, a senior forward who scored at a 10.4 ppg clip this season and has plenty of secondary help in guards Dan Austin and Harold Mata. Ohio Poly's best tournament run came back in 1937 when the school made the title game only to fall short against Brooklyn State.
*** RISING WELTERWEIGHT TO FIGHT HERE ***

One of the many up and comers in the welterweight division will be in town to display his skills at the Cincinnati Auditorium. Ira Mitchell, a 25 year old Chicago-born fighter, is 10-0 and recently made his ring return after more than three years in the Army. He will take on veteran local fighter Steve Landry (30-12-2) on March 24 in a 12 round tussle.

32 TEAM FIELD SET FOR AIAA CAGE TOURNAMENT

Despite finishing second to North Carolina Tech in the South Atlantic Conference standings, the Carolina Poly Cardinals used the strength of a 6-game winning streak to take over top spot in the final college basketball poll of the season. The Cardinals will also claim the top seed in the South Region of the AIAA year end tournament. Carolina Poly (25-4) was rewarded with the number one ranking in the poll despite Western Iowa completing the first perfect season in Great Lakes Alliance play ever recorded. The Canaries won all 16 section matchups and 22 in a row to finish with a 26-3 record on the year.

Western Iowa will be the top seed in the Midwest Region with North Carolina Tech (west) and Annapolis Maritime (east) claiming the other two top seeds for the 32 team tournament which will get underway this weekend. The championship game will be held at Bigsby Garden in New York on April 2. Rainier College, the two-time defending champion, is back and will be the second seed in the west after winning their second straight West Coast Athletic Association conference crown. The Majestics will face the California Catholic Crusaders -winners of the California League with a 19-10 overall record- in the opening round.

BRUNSWICK WINS ACADEMIA ALLIANCE POST-SEASON TOURNEY

Brunswick earned the right to represent the Academia Alliance in the AIAA tournament despite the fact the Knights finished with a 16-16 record on the season and were only third in the conference regular season standings. In a tradition that goes back to the first season of organized college basketball in 1909-10, the Academia Alliance is the only conference to use a single-elimination tournament instead of regular season order of finish to decide who will garner the automatic berth to represent the loop in the AIAA national championships.

The Knights ride to the conference title nearly was derailed in their opening game as they needed Jess Gallardo to sink two free throws with just 3 seconds left on the clock to lift Brunswick to a 46-45 win over George Fox University. Gallardo, a senior guard, had 14 points in that game and 12 more the next day as the Knights upended second seed Dickson 59-56 to reach the title game. Gallardo again led the way in the finals with 18 points as Brunswick beat Sadler 59-52 to win its first conference tournament in 4 years. For their efforts the Knights will be rewarded with a matchup against top seeded Carolina Poly in the opening round of the AIAA championships.
OPENING ROUND
(1) Ellery 40 (8) Henry Hudson 33
(2) Dickson 54 (7) Pierpont 32
(3) Brunswick 46 (6) George Fox 45
(4) Sadler 42 (5) Grafton 34

SEMI-FINALS
Sadler 56 Ellery 46
Brunswick 59 Dickson 56

FINAL
Brunswick 59 Sadler 52

Code:

COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
1. Carolina Poly (53) 25-4 1772 4 South Atlantic Conference
2. Western Iowa (10) 26-3 1701 1 Great Lakes Alliance
3. St. Patrick's (7) 24-5 1645 2 Indy Northeast
4. Annapolis Maritime (2) 26-3 1626 3 Indy South
5. North Carolina Tech 24-6 1494 6 South Atlantic Conference
6. Liberty College 25-4 1479 5 Indy East
7. Rainier College 24-5 1364 7 West Coast Athletic Association
8. Ohio Poly 24-5 1303 8 Indy Midwest
9. Garden State 22-7 1182 9 Liberty Conference
10. St. Martin's College 24-6 1142 10 Indy Northeast
11. Texas Gulf Coast 22-7 1121 12 Southwestern Alliance
12. Noble Jones College 22-7 1003 11 Deep South Conference
13. Mississippi A&M 20-9 882 16 Deep South Conference
14. St. Pancras 22-7 796 15 Indy East
15. CC Los Angeles 20-9 690 13 West Coast Athletic Association
16. Chesapeake State 19-10 639 14 South Atlantic Conference
17. Oklahoma City State 22-7 530 24 Plains Athletic Association
18. St. Blane 20-9 510 18 Indy East
19. Middlesex 22-7 502 19 Indy Northeast
20. Western Florida 20-9 426 17 Deep South Conference
21. Miami State 21-8 322 21 Indy South
22. Plover College 21-8 302 20 Indy Midwest
23. Coastal California 20-10 279 NR West Coast Athletic Association
24. Brooklyn State 19-10 211 NR Liberty Conference
25. Conwell College 21-8 198 22 Indy East
Others Receiving Votes:
Wichita Baptist 22-8 163 Midwestern Association
Great Plains State 20-10 78 Indy Midwest
Dickson 21-10 19 Academia Alliance
Lane State 18-11 17 West Coast Athletic Association
Eastern State 19-10 3 Indy South
Alabama Baptist 20-10 1 Deep South Conference

RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY MARCH 5
#17 Oklahoma City State 49 College of Omaha 42

TUESDAY MARCH 6
none of top 25 scheduled

WEDNESDAY MARCH 7
#12 Noble Jones College 40 Georgia Baptist 39
#13 Mississippi A&M 63 #20 Western Florida 53

THURSDAY MARCH 8
#1 Carolina Poly 61 Cowpens State 40
#2 Western Iowa 35 Indiana A&M 29
#5 North Carolina Tech 45 Maryland State 33
Bronx Tech 46 #9 Garden State 37
#16 Chesapeake State 48 Mobile Maritime 42
#24 Brooklyn State 54 Manhattan Tech 33

FRIDAY MARCH 9
#7 Rainier College 50 Idaho A&M 34
#11 Texas Gulf Coast 60 Lubbock State 26
Spokane State 36 #15 CC Los Angeles 32
#23 Coastal California 32 Redwood 30

SATURDAY MARCH 10
#1 Carolina Poly 60 Central Carolina 40
#2 Western Iowa 47 Detroit City College 40
#5 North Carolina Tech 60 Cowpens State 46
#9 Garden State 68 Brooklyn Catholic 62
#11 Texas Gulf Coast 44 Red River State 28
Alabama Baptist 43 #12 Noble Jones College 40
#17 Oklahoma City State 49 College of Omaha 37
#20 Western Florida 51 Opelika State 34
#24 Brooklyn State 43 Jersey City Tech 36

SUNDAY MARCH 11
no games scheduled: End of Season

MELCHER OF COASTAL CALIFORNIA TOPS BASKETERS AGAIN

Morgan Melcher of Coastal California went on a late season scoring spree with 63 points in his final three games of the season to help him finish in first place in the national collegiate individual high scoring basketball race. It marks the second year in a row the senior guard led the nation in scoring. His 527 points on the year, good for an average of 17.6 per game, easily allowed him to outdistance Jimmy Martens of Tempe College, who ended up second with 444 points.

If the Dolphins can advance a few rounds in the National Championship Tournament Melcher may have a shot at breaking his own record for points in a season (including tournament play) of 586, which he established last season. Coastal California will open the tournament on Sunday against Mississippi A&M.

GLA BARS PROS, PUTS LIMIT OF FOUR SEASONS ON OTHERS

The Great lakes Alliance today clamped down on it's wide-open football eligibility rules in effect since shortly after Pearl Harbor, banning civilians from more than four years' competition and ostracizing professional athletes. The conference Faculty Committee, which had waived most of its eligibility sanctions to capitalize on all available manpower during the war, declared there was need to return "as rapidly as possible towards normal rules and regulations."

Obviously striking at age and experience disparity among conference athletes resulting from unrestricted play by 4-F's, the committee limited play by civilians, as such, to four seasons. It also specified that athletes from the Rome State Military and Annapolis Maritime Naval Academies would be considered as civilians. No civilian student who is a professional in any sport will be eligible for conference varsity competition in that sport under the revised rules.

DRAKE WINS BY DQ

Michael Drake escaped with a victory in his heavyweight tussle with Doug Franklin despite being badly outpointed on the night. Franklin couldn't keep his punches up and it cost the 28 year old a decision as he was disqualified in the 10th round of their bout, scheduled for 12, due to being warned for repeated low blows. It snapped a 6-fight winning streak for the Jersey City native, who's camp was incensed with referee's ruling after the bout. Drake looked out of sorts all night in making his return to the ring after a more than 3 year absence during which time he was in the Navy. The native of Lowell, MA. improved his record to 25-10-3 while the loss drops Franklin to 24-5 for his career.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/11/1945

Two key rivers have been crossed as Allied troops continue to take German territory. Elements of the American 1st and 3rd Armies crossed the Rhine less than 10 miles apart between Colbenz and Bonn. Meanwhile, to the east the Red Army broke across the Oder River south of Kuestrin and are within 27 miles of Berlin.
With all of the positive news coming out of Europe, many are speculating Germany is close to surrendering but army officials caution there is still plenty of hard fighting ahead.
Tokyo is reporting that a 77-ship American invasion armada was maneuvering for landing on the southwest tip of Mindanao, the second largest of the Philippine Islands.
15 square miles of war factories, business houses and other buildings in the heart of Tokyo lay in flaming ruins following the heaviest Superfortress raid ever made on Japan.
Industry and C.I.O. members of the War Labor Board are at odds over the basic question of whether wage increases now would be good or bad for postwar American. The CIO is calling for increases now to "prevent the triumph of deflationary forces" but industry members assert that "some deflation is inevitable...real wages, not dollars, are the important thing."

12-22-2022, 07:50 AM	#595
Jiggs McGee All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 677	March 12, 1945 MARCH 12, 1945 GOTHAMS MAY BE TEAM TO BEAT IN FED No team in all of baseball has had more ups and downs than the New York Gothams. Say what you will about the Gothams but they do not do anything halfway. The Gothams are often the best team in the Federal Association with 5 pennants in the past 15 years but they are also often the worst team in the loop as displayed by the club finishing at least 30 games out of first place six times during that same span. New York has finished 1st, 6th, 7th or 8th in each of the past 15 seasons with only one year -1933 when they came in third- to break that trend. Like we said the Gothams are either very good or very bad. No in between at all. So after following up a 1942 World Championship Series win with a last place finish in 1943 the Gothams were 7th place last year. Is this the beginning of another long stretch of futility like they endured from 1936-41 when only once did they finish within less than 32 games of top spot? Early indications were that might be the case but those thoughts changed suddenly with the winter news that Harry Carter was back. Carter was discharged from the Navy due to chronic migranes suffered while serving aboard the USS Wolverine and that might prove to be a major headache to the rest of the Federal Association. With Carter joining Ed Bowman, Jim Lonardo and last season's surprise breakout star in the then-32 year old Jim Baggett, New York suddenly has the best rotation in the Fed. Add in the bat of Red Johnson and perhaps big seasons from Leon Drake and Pete Casstevens and the Gothams might just make another of the their famous worst-to-first turnarounds. There is one big question mark though and that is in the New York dugout. Ed Ziehl, who has managed them club for the past 17 years is gone -choosing to sell war bonds while his son Eddie serves in the Navy- and that leaves Bud Jameson, with no previous managerial experience, in charge. There will be a lot of pressure on the 40 year old, who was a teammate of many of these Gothams less than two years ago, as he becomes the one to call the shots. The Federal Association has a lot of teams that could make some noise this season and the New York Gothams are certainly one of them. TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN Wolves Update as Spring Training Approaches - Toronto brass are now huddled discussing the how to man the organization. Currently there are only 21 players on the Major Roster which means there will be competition for at least one OF position and two backup spots on the infield. On the mound, the bullpen is almost wide open along with one spot in the rotation. Deciding on the number of invitees to spring camp is the first topic of business and after that decisions will need to be made on how many players will be in the system. Currently there are only 131 players under contract to the Wolves, not including 92 in the service. Early indications are that the Wolves will run the minors on short rosters with the GM's directive being "Push everyone up to highest level we think they can handle, and if they can't handle it then we will find a replacement. With war news getting better in Europe we may be awash in players under contract before the season begins in April. Even if there are setbacks overseas we have players coming in June from the amateur draft. This gives us 3 to 4 months to separate the wheat from the chaff. The minor league managers will be instructed to make it plain to their players that many of them are playing for baseball careers. Time to perform is now." DEUCE SAYS HE IS READY We caught up with Deuce Barrell this week when he was in town getting a full medical once over from team doctors and the news is nothing but positive. Cannons trainer George Gorham says recovery is right on schedule and Deuce should be able participate in some game action at the tail end of spring camp and is expected to be fully ready for April 19 when the Cannons open their season at home against Toronto. It has been 11 months since Barrell's elbow fell apart and a tough time for the 27 year old who admits that while he enjoyed cheering his teammates on to their second straight World Championship Series title, "it really hurt not being out there to help." Barrell is also looking forward to having his uncle Tom Barrell as teammate this season. Despite a 6 cent hike that makes the average ducat at Tice Memorial worth $1.24, the Cincinnati Cannons are reporting brisk sales of season tickets and are projecting an increase of more than 15% over least years sales. Good thing for the Tice family as fielding a championship team is not cheap. The veteran laden Cannons are projected to have the highest payroll in the league, and at over $620,000 it will top last year's costs by more than 120k. The addition of Sam Sheppard and Gail Giffored over the winter added $78,000 to the ledger. * OHIO POLY TO CARRY TORCH IN CAGE CHAMPIONSHIP * The Ohio Poly Cardinals are the only area team going to the year end collegiate basketball tournament. No Central Ohio, as it was a down year for the Columbus school and really the enitre Great Lakes Alliance. Local outfit Queen City had a solid 17-12 season but the Monarchs missing the tournament is no surprise as the last time the Cincinnati school qualified was 20 years ago. Central Kentucky was there a couple of years ago but hasn't won a tournament game since 1928 while neither Bluegrass State and Grange College have qualified in over a decade. So that leaves the Toledo based Cardinals to carry the banner for the region. Under the leadership of coach Hawk Pizzo, Ohio Poly put together a very impressive 24-7 season but they will face a tough task in the Oklahoma City State Wranglers in their Midwest Region opener on Sunday. There is a big matchup issue in trying to defend Joe Schlegel, a powerful 6'8" center who has started all 4 years with the Wranglers and averaged nearly 12 points and 6 rebounds a game this season. Ohio Poly's top player is Jack Simons, a senior forward who scored at a 10.4 ppg clip this season and has plenty of secondary help in guards Dan Austin and Harold Mata. Ohio Poly's best tournament run came back in 1937 when the school made the title game only to fall short against Brooklyn State. * RISING WELTERWEIGHT TO FIGHT HERE * One of the many up and comers in the welterweight division will be in town to display his skills at the Cincinnati Auditorium. Ira Mitchell, a 25 year old Chicago-born fighter, is 10-0 and recently made his ring return after more than three years in the Army. He will take on veteran local fighter Steve Landry (30-12-2) on March 24 in a 12 round tussle. 32 TEAM FIELD SET FOR AIAA CAGE TOURNAMENT Despite finishing second to North Carolina Tech in the South Atlantic Conference standings, the Carolina Poly Cardinals used the strength of a 6-game winning streak to take over top spot in the final college basketball poll of the season. The Cardinals will also claim the top seed in the South Region of the AIAA year end tournament. Carolina Poly (25-4) was rewarded with the number one ranking in the poll despite Western Iowa completing the first perfect season in Great Lakes Alliance play ever recorded. The Canaries won all 16 section matchups and 22 in a row to finish with a 26-3 record on the year. Western Iowa will be the top seed in the Midwest Region with North Carolina Tech (west) and Annapolis Maritime (east) claiming the other two top seeds for the 32 team tournament which will get underway this weekend. The championship game will be held at Bigsby Garden in New York on April 2. Rainier College, the two-time defending champion, is back and will be the second seed in the west after winning their second straight West Coast Athletic Association conference crown. The Majestics will face the California Catholic Crusaders -winners of the California League with a 19-10 overall record- in the opening round. BRUNSWICK WINS ACADEMIA ALLIANCE POST-SEASON TOURNEY Brunswick earned the right to represent the Academia Alliance in the AIAA tournament despite the fact the Knights finished with a 16-16 record on the season and were only third in the conference regular season standings. In a tradition that goes back to the first season of organized college basketball in 1909-10, the Academia Alliance is the only conference to use a single-elimination tournament instead of regular season order of finish to decide who will garner the automatic berth to represent the loop in the AIAA national championships. The Knights ride to the conference title nearly was derailed in their opening game as they needed Jess Gallardo to sink two free throws with just 3 seconds left on the clock to lift Brunswick to a 46-45 win over George Fox University. Gallardo, a senior guard, had 14 points in that game and 12 more the next day as the Knights upended second seed Dickson 59-56 to reach the title game. Gallardo again led the way in the finals with 18 points as Brunswick beat Sadler 59-52 to win its first conference tournament in 4 years. For their efforts the Knights will be rewarded with a matchup against top seeded Carolina Poly in the opening round of the AIAA championships. OPENING ROUND (1) Ellery 40 (8) Henry Hudson 33 (2) Dickson 54 (7) Pierpont 32 (3) Brunswick 46 (6) George Fox 45 (4) Sadler 42 (5) Grafton 34 SEMI-FINALS Sadler 56 Ellery 46 Brunswick 59 Dickson 56 FINAL Brunswick 59 Sadler 52 Code: COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL RANKINGS # Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference 1. Carolina Poly (53) 25-4 1772 4 South Atlantic Conference 2. Western Iowa (10) 26-3 1701 1 Great Lakes Alliance 3. St. Patrick's (7) 24-5 1645 2 Indy Northeast 4. Annapolis Maritime (2) 26-3 1626 3 Indy South 5. North Carolina Tech 24-6 1494 6 South Atlantic Conference 6. Liberty College 25-4 1479 5 Indy East 7. Rainier College 24-5 1364 7 West Coast Athletic Association 8. Ohio Poly 24-5 1303 8 Indy Midwest 9. Garden State 22-7 1182 9 Liberty Conference 10. St. Martin's College 24-6 1142 10 Indy Northeast 11. Texas Gulf Coast 22-7 1121 12 Southwestern Alliance 12. Noble Jones College 22-7 1003 11 Deep South Conference 13. Mississippi A&M 20-9 882 16 Deep South Conference 14. St. Pancras 22-7 796 15 Indy East 15. CC Los Angeles 20-9 690 13 West Coast Athletic Association 16. Chesapeake State 19-10 639 14 South Atlantic Conference 17. Oklahoma City State 22-7 530 24 Plains Athletic Association 18. St. Blane 20-9 510 18 Indy East 19. Middlesex 22-7 502 19 Indy Northeast 20. Western Florida 20-9 426 17 Deep South Conference 21. Miami State 21-8 322 21 Indy South 22. Plover College 21-8 302 20 Indy Midwest 23. Coastal California 20-10 279 NR West Coast Athletic Association 24. Brooklyn State 19-10 211 NR Liberty Conference 25. Conwell College 21-8 198 22 Indy East Others Receiving Votes: Wichita Baptist 22-8 163 Midwestern Association Great Plains State 20-10 78 Indy Midwest Dickson 21-10 19 Academia Alliance Lane State 18-11 17 West Coast Athletic Association Eastern State 19-10 3 Indy South Alabama Baptist 20-10 1 Deep South Conference RESULTS INVOLVING RANKED TEAMS MONDAY MARCH 5 #17 Oklahoma City State 49 College of Omaha 42 TUESDAY MARCH 6 none of top 25 scheduled WEDNESDAY MARCH 7 #12 Noble Jones College 40 Georgia Baptist 39 #13 Mississippi A&M 63 #20 Western Florida 53 THURSDAY MARCH 8 #1 Carolina Poly 61 Cowpens State 40 #2 Western Iowa 35 Indiana A&M 29 #5 North Carolina Tech 45 Maryland State 33 Bronx Tech 46 #9 Garden State 37 #16 Chesapeake State 48 Mobile Maritime 42 #24 Brooklyn State 54 Manhattan Tech 33 FRIDAY MARCH 9 #7 Rainier College 50 Idaho A&M 34 #11 Texas Gulf Coast 60 Lubbock State 26 Spokane State 36 #15 CC Los Angeles 32 #23 Coastal California 32 Redwood 30 SATURDAY MARCH 10 #1 Carolina Poly 60 Central Carolina 40 #2 Western Iowa 47 Detroit City College 40 #5 North Carolina Tech 60 Cowpens State 46 #9 Garden State 68 Brooklyn Catholic 62 #11 Texas Gulf Coast 44 Red River State 28 Alabama Baptist 43 #12 Noble Jones College 40 #17 Oklahoma City State 49 College of Omaha 37 #20 Western Florida 51 Opelika State 34 #24 Brooklyn State 43 Jersey City Tech 36 SUNDAY MARCH 11 no games scheduled: End of Season MELCHER OF COASTAL CALIFORNIA TOPS BASKETERS AGAIN Morgan Melcher of Coastal California went on a late season scoring spree with 63 points in his final three games of the season to help him finish in first place in the national collegiate individual high scoring basketball race. It marks the second year in a row the senior guard led the nation in scoring. His 527 points on the year, good for an average of 17.6 per game, easily allowed him to outdistance Jimmy Martens of Tempe College, who ended up second with 444 points. If the Dolphins can advance a few rounds in the National Championship Tournament Melcher may have a shot at breaking his own record for points in a season (including tournament play) of 586, which he established last season. Coastal California will open the tournament on Sunday against Mississippi A&M. GLA BARS PROS, PUTS LIMIT OF FOUR SEASONS ON OTHERS The Great lakes Alliance today clamped down on it's wide-open football eligibility rules in effect since shortly after Pearl Harbor, banning civilians from more than four years' competition and ostracizing professional athletes. The conference Faculty Committee, which had waived most of its eligibility sanctions to capitalize on all available manpower during the war, declared there was need to return "as rapidly as possible towards normal rules and regulations." Obviously striking at age and experience disparity among conference athletes resulting from unrestricted play by 4-F's, the committee limited play by civilians, as such, to four seasons. It also specified that athletes from the Rome State Military and Annapolis Maritime Naval Academies would be considered as civilians. No civilian student who is a professional in any sport will be eligible for conference varsity competition in that sport under the revised rules. DRAKE WINS BY DQ Michael Drake escaped with a victory in his heavyweight tussle with Doug Franklin despite being badly outpointed on the night. Franklin couldn't keep his punches up and it cost the 28 year old a decision as he was disqualified in the 10th round of their bout, scheduled for 12, due to being warned for repeated low blows. It snapped a 6-fight winning streak for the Jersey City native, who's camp was incensed with referee's ruling after the bout. Drake looked out of sorts all night in making his return to the ring after a more than 3 year absence during which time he was in the Navy. The native of Lowell, MA. improved his record to 25-10-3 while the loss drops Franklin to 24-5 for his career. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 3/11/1945 Two key rivers have been crossed as Allied troops continue to take German territory. Elements of the American 1st and 3rd Armies crossed the Rhine less than 10 miles apart between Colbenz and Bonn. Meanwhile, to the east the Red Army broke across the Oder River south of Kuestrin and are within 27 miles of Berlin. With all of the positive news coming out of Europe, many are speculating Germany is close to surrendering but army officials caution there is still plenty of hard fighting ahead. Tokyo is reporting that a 77-ship American invasion armada was maneuvering for landing on the southwest tip of Mindanao, the second largest of the Philippine Islands. 15 square miles of war factories, business houses and other buildings in the heart of Tokyo lay in flaming ruins following the heaviest Superfortress raid ever made on Japan. Industry and C.I.O. members of the War Labor Board are at odds over the basic question of whether wage increases now would be good or bad for postwar American. The CIO is calling for increases now to "prevent the triumph of deflationary forces" but industry members assert that "some deflation is inevitable...real wages, not dollars, are the important thing." __________________ Lead Columnist of The Figment Sporting Journal The Scripture of Sports Last edited by Jiggs McGee; 12-22-2022 at 10:59 AM.