[Tiger Fan]

MARCH 13, 1950

After a long winter break the 16 FABL clubs returned to the diamond last Tuesday, starting a new decade of baseball with spring training action in Florida. The Washington Eagles and Chicago Cougars each got off to quick starts with five victories in their first six games, but wins are less of a focus than staying healthy and getting ready for opening day, which arrives on April 18.

For the most part good health, aside from the usual minor muscle strains that announce the start of spring, was achieved with two exceptions. Not surprisingly both of the injured were pitchers as Chicago Cougars farmhand Jimmy Ballard, who spent last season in AA ball, likely threw his last pitch in big league camp as Ballard will miss the next three to four weeks with shoulder inflammation and upon his return to good health will likely be farmed out. The other long-term injury will keep Toronto reliever George Walker out of action for the next eight weeks. Walker, who went 4-5 with a 5.48 era in 40 relief appearances for the Wolves last season, was in a battle to hold on to his job after Toronto's pitching endured a tough season a year ago. Elbow troubles are blamed as the cause of the injury to the normally durable Walker, who has not been on the injured list since 1939 although he did miss four years while serving in the Army during the war. The 34-year-old is 26-23 in 204 career appearances for the Wolves.

Man what a doozy of a spring this will be for New York! 41 players have hit the facility and only 24 will survive the cuts. We have our obvious players; Barrett, Barnett, Sutton, Welch, Atwood... But that leaves second base, shortstop and centerfield in contention. There will be a competition between Ed Holmes and newcomer Moe Holt trying to eek out that second base slot. And at shortstop we have old man Joe Angevine and Paul Watson with a battle of the bats to determine who will rise to the top there. Centerfield brings us the delicate Bob Riggins and venerable Newt Cooper fighting it out there. In the mix we also have Ralph Hanson vying for one of those three spots as well since hes so talented just about everywhere in the field. Management expects this to be Hanson's break out year and he could supplant anyone. We also have hopefuls Earle Haley and freshly acquired Dan Finch as possible dark horses sliding in at third base over Sutton.

On the mound we'll have our 3 regulars in Vern Hubbard, Eli Panneton and Jack Wood, but there is a whole gaggle of potential arms gunning for those last two starting rotation spots. Paul Grell and Richie Hughes are the probable favorites with Wally Graves, Bill Chapman, Frank Nichols and Joe Lund bringing up the rear. The secondary pitching is locked up by George Scruggs but after that its anyones game. Nino Marini improved his velocity by a whopping 3 mph this off season and has a good shot of planting himself in the bullpen. And Andy Boyer will make a surprise appearance since he worked so hard to up his game as well. Bill Gifford is ready to bring his A game and may earn himself a small role. But there are so many others fighting for their livelihood! Its going to be exciting for sure!

CANNONS PONDERING YOUTH MOVEMENT AS CAMP COMMENCES

Spring Training for the Cincinnati Cannons is underway with the club trying to decide whether to limp along with the oldest team in the majors, or kick everyone to the curb and start fresh with young and inexperienced players. Buzz McIlwain and Max Conrad are 2 young outfielders looking to show off for the big league management, as Gail Gifford and Sam Brown may be seeing their time as Cannons come to an end.

McIlwain and Conrad are both just 23 years of age and each hails from the west coast. Neither has had a taste of big league baseball yet but they each performed well for Havana in the Cuban League over the winter. McIlwain was a third round pick out of CCLA in 1947 and is coming off a big season at AA Erie in which he slashed .322/.391/.545. Conrad, selected out high school in the fourth round of the 1945 draft, split last season between A and AA ball. The writing may well be on the wall for the 39-year-old Brown and 38-year-old Gifford, each longtime vets who started a career low games in the outfield in 1949.

Long time 2B Charlie Rivera is lacing them up next to Nick Remillard, who is hailed as his replacement and may be making a move for the job sooner rather than later. The 23-year-old Remillard was chosen 6th overall by Brooklyn in the 1944 draft and was dealt to the Cannons in 1947 for fellow minor league middle infielder Billy Cady. Remillard led the Cuban League in hits over the winter after making his AAA debut last September.

Besides the automatic start with Rufus Barrell II there are some opportunities available on the Cannons mound. Rule 5 pickup John Berry (no relation to Cannons top pick last year CF Dallas Berry) hopes to stand out this year in a squad of mediocrity. The 24-year-old southpaw was selected from the Philadelphia Sailors system but has not previously pitched above the Class A level. Management hopes that Tony Britten will improve on last years rookie campaign and become a solid #2 option. Britten, 23, went 11-15 with a 4.53 era in his first full season in the big leagues.

*** Cyclones May Blow Out of Town ***

The Queen City lost the grid Tigers to Los Angeles last fall and now there are concerns that our pro basketball entry may also be near the end of its run. The Cincinnati Cyclones have been barely averaging 2,500 fans at the Queen City Gardens for home games this year and poor attendance is the story for much of the fledgling Federal Basketball League.

Many are saying Rollie Barrell's cage loop grew far too quickly - it has 17 teams now- and it is unlikely that many will be back next season. The Cylcones have struggled this season although they did show some recent promise with a five-game winning streak that included victories over Wesst Division leading Detroit and the Buffalo Brawlers. There is worry that the club may fold and leave Cincinnati, which had 3 big league teams at this time last year, with just the Cannons to call our own.

There is disappointment on the college cage front as well with news breaking today that the Queen City University will not be a part of the 32-team collegiate tournament field. The Monarchs had a tremendous season, going 24-6 and tying a school record for victories in a season that was set in 1908-09, but they were on the outside looking in when the tournament seedings were announced. Queen City has not played in the year end tournament since 1925.

Another local school is also done for the season as up in Columbus they are lamenting Central Ohio's first time missing the tournament in five years. The Aviators struggled to an 8-8 record in Great Lakes Alliance play and were just 18-11 overall, falling short of joining four other GLA teams in the 32-team tournament. The four that did qualify from the conference were conference champ Western Iowa along with Indiana A&M, Whitney College and Detroit City College.

The Brooklyn Kings invited 43 players to spring camp (38 on the 40-man roster). Most of the everyday lineup is set, but there are position battles for bench spots and particularly in the pitching department. Dan Smith and Frank Reichardt return as the backstops but 1B could be a battle with Chuck Collins trying to regain the spot that many felt was his, but he hasn't held it. Pat Perry will be working at 1B a lot if Collins doesn't claim the starting spot. Perry will be working in LF as well as rookie Fred Miller will try and show what he can do in the big leagues. Most eyes will be on CF Charlie Rogers (21) who the Kings feel is the leadoff man they have been looking for with speed and also a very good defensive CF. He will have a lot to live up to with the trade of CF John Moss to Chicago which brought back P Ron Berry. 2B/SS Chuck Lewis again will combine with SS/2B Billy Bryant as no one appears ready to replace Bryant in the lineup anytime soon. Bryant has been working on his defense and the coaches and scouts are raving that he is looking for a breakout season with the leather. 3B Ken Newman (21) who hit .293 as a rookie, looks to improve on that mark his 2nd year in the Bigs. Of course the OF is anchored by 2-time Whitney winner RF Ralph Johnson.

The Opening Day rotations top 4 is pretty much set with Bob Arman, Leo Hayden, Joe Potts and prospect Ron Berry locked in. The #5 and or #6 spot is up in the air as well as the bullpen. The Kings hope that SP Paul Byler will show enough control to nail down the #5 spot, but after that the roster crunch will be in effect as there are at least 5 pitchers out of options. The team will likely go with 9 arms.

The Kings have the youngest team in the FABL by more than a full year (Kings average age is 25.95 while Pittsburgh is the next youngest at 27.15). The King's left at AAA are also the youngest team in the FABL as well. Whether youth will be served or if it will be a year of growing pains (likely) with further growth is the optimistic view of club management.

While there have been some clouds in the King's organization after comments by team owner Daniel Prescott have been leaked out, manager Tom Barrell stated that on the field with the players and coaches, this organization is in good shape.

TALES FROM THE WOLVES DEN

The newly bedecked Toronto Wolves go into spring training with more questions than answers. Thirty-nine will report to Dunedin to vie for spots Opening Day. April 18th, hosting the Sailors. Fred Barrell's main areas of concern are three:

1) Shoring up the bullpen which was a minefield in 1949. Rule 5 acquisition Brooks Triplett will be given a long look. Lou Jayson's return from missing all of last season will be a welcome sight. If those two secure spots there will 11 fighting for 2 or 3 spots, Max Boswell, Jim Carter, Jimmy Gibbs, Jim Laurita, George Waller and 41-year-old Chick Wirtz are all out of options making decisions tough for which 9 or 10 are going to head north. There will 6 fighting for 5 spot in the rotation 3 of whom would have to clear waivers to be sent to Buffalo. Jim Morrison is probably secure at the #3 behind George Garrison and Joe Hancock leaving the two Harry's Phillips and Stewart on the bubble. Moving one of them to the 'pen just makes things tighter for pitching spots.

2) The middle infield defense dropped off dramatically after the departure of Charlie Artuso to the Chiefs. Rule 5 pickup Ken Blair has been told be Fred Barrell that the job is his for the taking if he can field, hit above .210 while waiting for the development of John Wells . George Dwiggins, Pat Todd will be given a look at third as eventual successors to Hal Wood, Second is also going to be up for grabs, Tom Frederick, 34, may move to the OF leaving Joe DeMott, John Fast to battle for a starting job. Fred McCormick will be penciled in daily at 1B backed up by either Frank Brunch Jr. or Tony Ballinger, who may be a year away better served by starting everyday at AAA. Competition for infield reserve jobs will be between Frank Frady, Fred Miles, Harry Finney with only Frady out of options. Harry Pomeroy is being counted to to be behind the plate in over 140 games which may leave Walt Loera out in cold.

3) The last question is how many times can Barrell go to the Chink Stickels,38 and Fred McCormick, 40. Will father time finally catch up to these two? Using Frederick as utility man at 3 or 4 positions may be the best short term solution.

Barrell's stated goal is a first division finish that writers and fans believe will take wizardry to achieve in 1950. The other question for the front office is do the Wolves go a full rebuilding program or try to piece together a graduated transition?

Going into the season, here's how the position battles are shaping up for the Miners:

C-Dino Robinson is likely to assume the full time position after the trade of Homer Guthrie. Youngsters Chet Tinsley and Bob Burge look to be the most likely backups.

1B-Veteran Joe Owens is going to get another crack at it as he looks to add to his lofty hit and run career totals. Thinking he's still good for a .380 or so OBP. Former 1st round pick Jim Flowers has had a rough go at it the last few years, but he still has legit power potential and is young so he'll keep getting chances.

2B-Reid McLaughlin has this sewn up. He wasn't quite as good last year as the year before, but he's a tremendous defender who has some real juice to his bat.

3B-Bob Lopez has turned himself into a very strong defender at the hot corner, but like many players in the Miners organization is pretty much limited to being a very good singles hitter. Top prospects George Scott and Roy Snedden are both being promoted to AA this year and have their sights set on Lopez.

SS-Irv Clifford is looking like a vet already. He has good at bats, hits some balls into the gap and is slowly rounding out into a decent defensive shortstop. Mners fans are clearly dreaming of Clifford/McLaughlin being the tandem up the middle through the rest of the 50's.

LF-Paul Williams finally broke loose last year and showed glimpses of his tremendous eye at the plate and is adding more and more pop to his bat. Former phenom Jeep Erickson is eager to get back into the good graces of the organization and will fight him for playing time.

CF-Ernie Campbell is just average defensively, but he has tremendous bat control and looks like he could hit .320 with dozens of XBH in his sleep. He's tremendously fast but horrible at reading pitchers, so we will continue to limit his stolen base attempts.

RF-Charlie J. Williams has put together two pretty impressive seasons at the plate. He looks like a 15-20 home run guy which the Miners really, really need.

Youngster Bill Newhall has steadily moved up rung by rung and is due to make his debut this season, and he's likely to be a starter at one of those outfield spots by this time next season.

The pitching is a mess and outside of Billy Ligons nobody really has a rotation spot guaranteed and the spring will be used to get a lot of guys opportunities on the mound.

PLENTY OF JOBS UP FOR GRABS AS DYNAMOS BEGIN CAMP

42 players have reported to Dynamos spring training in Lakeland, FL., and there are a number of players fighting for just a few openings. The infield is set with Dick Estes, Del Johnson, Stan Kleminski and Tommy Griffin all back and in their familiar starting roles around the diamond. Utility infielders Bob Montgomery and Joe York are seemingly assured of two roster spots as well, with rule five pickup Johnny Potter, a first baseman, likely claiming the final infield opening as a pinch-hitting specialist. Behind the plate is also set with all-star Adam Mullins and long-time Dynamos catcher Rick York set to go.

However, it is on the mound and in the outfield where questions abound. The club will either carry 9 pitchers and six outfielders or 8 pitchers and 7 outfield bats, with a number of players who are out of options very much becoming a factor in the final decisions.

On the mound the first six spots are set with Allen Award winner Carl Potter, Bill Sohl, Jack Miller, Dixie Lee, Wally Hunter and Harry Sharp all certain to be on the opening day roster. The club will need a lefthander for the pen and that will either be veteran Dynamos Willie Montgomery or free agent signing John Perkins, who spent a half dozen seasons with the New York Stars before being cut loose.

The one, possibly two, remaining spots will be a spring battle between five players who are out of minor league options in Charlie Ashmore, Frank Gordon, Jimmy Long and long-time minor leaguers Al Ahern and Stan Flanders. Further disrupting the battle is the possibility that one of two highly thought of rookies in Roy Schaub and Bob Haverhill may play themselves into a spot as well.

The other big battle will be in the outfield where only Edwin Hackberry and Tony Mullis are assured slots. The club is leaning towards giving rookie Joe Fulgham one of the remaining openings which leaves veterans Hal Sharp, Pinky Pierce and Dick Blaszak - all out of minor league options- to battle with Wally Dorsey, Steve Dunagan, Bill Parker and rookie Bill Morrison for the remaining three or four positions.

*** Strong Finish Earns DCC Cage Tourney Berth ***

It was touch and go much of the way but five wins in their final six games -with the lone loss coming by 2 points to the number two ranked team in the nation- helped the Detroit City College Knights return to the AIAA collegiate basketball tournament for the 16th time in the past 17 years. The Knights finished 22-8, and tied for third with Whitney College in the Great Lakes Alliance, and will draw a tough opponent in their opener in the St. Blane Fighting Saints. Tournament play has not been kind to DCC the past couple of years as they were knocked out in the opening round in each of them.

*** Mixed Results at The Palladium ***

The Detroit Mustangs continue to roll in Federal Basketball League action. The latest run is a 5-game winning streak that has increased the Detroit quintet's lead on second place Toronto to 5 games. Second year star Ward Messer, who's arrival a year ago turned the fortunes of the franchise around and led the Mustangs all the way to the FBL finals after finishing last each of their first two seasons, continues to be the focal point of the offense. The former Barrette Trophy winner as the best player in college basketball is among the league leaders in points per game (18.1) and rebounds per game (18.8) and combines with center Jack Kurtz (17.9 ppg) for a powerful one-two punch.

When the hardwood is lifted, and the ice is the focus at Thompson Palladium things are not nearly going as well. The Motors were the surprise of the league in the first half of the season and were tied for top spot at Christmas but now are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely after back to back losses to Chicago left the Packers tied with the Motors for fourth place. Chicago has seven games remaining, one more than the local outfit. It has just been a terrible second half which has seen Detroit post the worst record in the league since Christmas. Injuries to centers Francis McKenzie and Ben Witt are being blamed as much of the cause as Detroit's offense, which had been the most potent in the league in the first half, has dried up.

• The Pittsburgh Miners signed former GWL star Joe Loyd, and he’ll have every opportunity to fight Dino Robinson for the largest share of starts behind the plate. the 30-year-old was a key piece in the three straight Bigsby Cup wins for the Oakland Grays. He was a 9th round draft pick of Montreal in 1938 but was cut the following year and was out of the sport entirely until signing with Hollywood when the GWL was still a AAA league. He joined Oakland when it changed to a major league in 1946 and was very durable, starting 141 games at catcher each of his four seasons with the Grays and finishing with a .289 career batting average.
• Toronto manager Fred Barrell is impressed so far with the Wolves' performance at the plate which was sorely lacking last year. He says it far too early to draw conclusions as hitters are generally ahead of pitchers early in the spring. Our pitchers prove that, most are having difficulty finding the strike zone. Both McCormick, Stickles seem to have stopped the hands of time. Fielding seems better six games into the spring. George Waller is going to be out until June with an elbow issue. First round of reassignment will probably be after next week's games.
• Adam Mullins is out to prove to naysayers that rumours he is washed up are very much exagerated. It is just six spring training at bats but the 37-year-old 11-time all-star catcher went 3-for-4 with 2 walks in his first spring training with Detroit. Mullins was acquired at the trade deadline last year but struggled down the stretch with the Dynamos.

AIAA TOURNAMENT FIELD SET

Noble Jones Joins Liberty College With Perfect Regular Season
The 32-team field is set for the AIAA college basketball championship, which gets underway this weekend and will conclude on Monday April 3 at New York's Bigsby Garden with the crowning of the 41st annual champion of collegiate basketball.

Headlining the event will be a pair of schools that each finished the regular season unbeaten, something that had not been done by any school in over a decade. The Liberty College Bells led by Luther Gordon, who is expected to win his second consecutive Barrette Trophy as the top player in the AIAA, finished their season up a few weeks back and breezed through the competition with a 29-0 record. That was good for the top ranking in the nation and the Bells were rewarded with the top seed in the East Region where they will open against the University of New Jersey.

The other perfect team just completed its season Saturday as the Noble Jones College Colonels, who reached the AIAA championship game a year ago, downed Central Kentucky 44-27, to finish their season at 29-0. The Colonels won all eleven of their Deep South Conference games, to claim their third section title in the past four years and become the first Deep South Conference squad to run the table in section play since Bayou State went 16-0 back when it was still known as the Great South Conference in 1918-19. For their efforts this season the Colonels will be the top seed in the South Region and will face San Francisco Tech in the opening round.

The remaining number one seeds will be Western Iowa and Carolina Poly. The Canaries, who won the Great Lakes Alliance title for the second year in a row and were ranked #2 in the nation with a 26-3 record, claimed the top seed in the Midwest and will open the tournament against Oklahoma City State on Saturday. The Cardinals, who finished a game behind Maryland State in the South Atlantic Conference and were ranked fourth in the nation with a 25-4 record, were a mild surprise to be sent across country where they will be the top seed in the West Region. The Cardinals will open the tournament against Flagstaff State holding down the top western seed that many felt should have gone to West Coast Athletic Association champion Rainier College. The Majestics finish the season ranked 5th in the polls with a 23-6 record and will be sent to the Midwest Region as a number two seed.

Here is the tournament bracket and a breakdown of each region.

WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS
THURSDAY MARCH 9
#2 Western Iowa 38, at #7 Indiana A&M 35
#4 Carolina Poly 67, at Bulein 45
#8 Whitney College 68, at St. Magnus 53
at #9 Detroit City College 45, Minnesota Tech 38
#15 Maryland State 57, at Central Carolina 53
#20 North Carolina Tech 49, at Alexandria 35
#22 Western State 47, at Fond du Lac 43
ACADAMIA ALLIANCE TOUNRMANET
(8) George Fox 50, (1) #18 Pierpont 49
(2) #17 Brunswick 55, (7) Henry Hudson 47
(3) Grafton 48, (6) Sadler 47
(4) Ellery 49, (5) Dickson 48

FRIDAY MARCH 10
#5 Rainier College 57, at Idaho A&M 42
at #14 Coastal California 68, Spokane State 49
#13 CC Los Angeles 73, at Northern California 69
ACADEMIA ALLIANCE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINALS
(4) Ellery 61, (8) George Fox 49
(2) #17 Brunswick 53, (3) Grafton 50

SATURDAY MARCH 11
#2 Western Iowa 62, at St. Ignatius 42
at #3 Noble Jones College 44, Central Kentucky 27
at #4 Carolina Poly 54, Coastal State 39
#7 Indiana A&M 55, at St. Magnus 49
#8 Whitney College 74, at Central Ohio 61
at #9 Detroit City College 61, Wisconsin State 38
at #10 Alabama Baptist 49, Mississippi A&M 41
at #15 Maryland State 50, Petersburg 38
at #20 North Carolina Tech 56, Richmond State 50
at Holland 49, #22 Western State 47
#23 Charleston Tech 55, at Cowpens State 42
at #25 Bluegrass State 61, Opelika State 52
ACADAMIA ALLIANCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
(4) Ellery 56, (2) #17 Brunswick 49

END OF REGULAR SEASON

DUKES CLOSE TO WITHIN POINT OF LEAD

The Toronto Dukes picked the right time to get hot as Jack Barrell's charges have gone 5-0-1 since the calendar flipped to March and made up six points on the suddenly struggling New York Shamrocks in the battle for top spot in the North American Hockey Confederation. Included in the Dukes three wins last week was a 7-3 triumph at Bigsby Garden in a game in which the NAHC's top scorer Les Carlson came up big. The 26-year-old scored three times and added two assists to further the Shamrocks struggles last week. New York entered the week with a 7-point bulge on the second place Dukes but 4 straight losses leaves the Greenshirts just a point ahead with six games remaining in the season for each club.

The Montreal Valiants seem to have settled nicely into third place while Detroit Motors collapse continues and the Motors are now tied with the Chicago Packers for the final playoff spot, but the Packers have a game in hand. The struggling Motors lost back to back 2-1 games to the Packers over the weekend and are just 3-14-5 since late January. The season looked like a lost cause for the Packers, who have had their troubles all year, but a five-game winning streak has Chicago fans thinking about the playoffs.

The Valiants have turned things around since the new year as they were the worst team in the league on Christmas Day. Heading the other direction is the Detroit Motors who were tied for first on Christmas but have won just 7 times since then and own the worst record in the league from Christmas Day until today.

Injuries have played a role in Detroit's demise as three young stars in Francis McKenzie, Ben Witt and Louis Rocheleau have all missed substantial time, messing with line chemistry for Coach Badger Rigney and turning what was the loop's most productive offense the first half of the season into one that has struggled to find the back of the net with just 17 goals in their last 11 games, a pace that is barely a goal and a half a game. Detroit and Chicago finish out the season in the Windy City on March 26 in a game that may well decide the final playoff berth.

NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK

MONDAY MARCH 6

Detroit 1 at Montreal 4: Adam Sandford scored twice and added an assist as the Montreal Valiants moved ahead of Detroit and into sole possession of third place in the NAHC standings with a 4-1 victory. The victory gives the Vals 59 points on the season, two more than the Motors.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 8

Boston 5 at Detroit 2: Jacob Gron and Mark Dyck each scored a pair as the last place Bees dumped slumping Detroit 5-2. Boston built a 4-0 lead through forty minutes and won easily despite being outshot 37-29 in the contest.

Chicago 4 at New York 1: The Packers surprised the first place Shamrocks, handing New York just its second loss in its last 10 games. Max Lavigne, set up both times by Moose Vezina, scored a pair of third period goals for the Packers who received an outstanding game between the pipes from Norm Hanson.

THURSDAY MARCH 9

Montreal 1 at Toronto 4: Bobbie Sauer and Trevor Parker each scored once and added two assists while Gordie Broadway looked fully recovered from his leg issues in turning aside 33 of the 34 Montreal shots he faced. The win moves the Dukes to within 5 points of first place New York.

New York 1 at Detroit 2: The Motors pull back into a third place tie with Montreal after Marsh Spencer and Anthony Jacques each scored in the third period of a 2-1 victory over first place New York. Samuel Coates had the lone New York goal.

SATURDAY MARCH 11

Detroit 1 at Chicago 2: It has been a busy week for the Motors, who were playing for the fourth time in six days, and they may have simply ran out of gas. Dixon Butler opened the scoring in the second period but the Packers, who outshot the Motors 35-17, rallied with third period goals from a pair of New York Shamrocks castoffs in Chris Broeke and Tommy Brescia to claim a 2-1 victory. The win moves the Packers to within 2 points of Detroit for the fourth and final playoff berth.

Montreal 3 at Boston 2: Nikolas Roch scored once and assisted on the other two Montreal goals in a 3-2 victory over Boston. Rey Sclisizzi and Jimmy Backus were the other Montreal goal scorers while Jacob Gron and Mike Brunell replied for the Bees, who have lost four of their last five games.

Toronto 7 at New York 3: A big comeback for the Dukes, who trailed 2-0 after one period and 3-1 midway through the second before scoring 6 unanswered goals to beat New York 7-3 and close the gap between the two in the battle for first place to 3 points. Les Carlson had a big game with 3 goals and 2 assists while Quinton Pollack scored once and added 4 helpers for the Dukes.

SUNDAY MARCH 12

Boston 1 at Toronto 2: Toronto improves to 5-0-1 in March and closes to within a point of first place New York after holding off Boston 2-1. Lou Galbraith, with his 24th goal of the season, opened the scoring in the first period and Herb Burdette extended the Toronto lead to 2-0 in the second. Craig Simpson gave Boston some hope with a third period goal but that was the only one of the 34 Bees shots to elude Toronto netminder Terry Russell.

Chicago 2 at Detroit 1: The Motors, who were challenging for first place in late December, are now in danger of missing the playoffs entirely after the Packers beat Detroit for the second night in a row by a 2-1 count and pulled even in the battle for the final playoff berth. Moose Vezina and Joe Fleming scored for Chicago while recent free agent pickup Bob Pilon's first NAHC goal accounted for the Detroit scoring.

New York 1 at Montreal 4: The Shamrocks struggles continue as New York loses for the fourth time this week and saw its 7 point lead on Toronto shrink to just a single point over the past six days. Nikolas Roch, a 28-year-old midseason pickup from the Cleveland Eries, had his second straight 3-point game in leading the Vals offense with defenseman Shel Herron adding a goal and an assist. Tom Brockers made 35 saves in the Montreal net while Etienne Tremblay had an uncharacteristically rough night in the Shamrocks cage, allowing 4 goals on just 20 shots.

UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY MARCH 15
Chicago at Toronto
Detroit at Montreal
New York at Boston

THURSDAY MARCH 16
Montreal at Detroit

SATURDAY MARCH 18
Detroit at Boston
Montreal at New York
Toronto at Chicago

SUNDAY MARCH 19
Chicago at Boston
Detroit at Toronto
New York at Montreal

It's been anything but smooth sailing for the Chicago Packers, though as the season is ticking down, the wins are starting to come. Even after losing team goal leader Marty Mahoney, who is nearing a return, the Pack have caught fire, winning each of their last five games. This included back-to-back wins against the Detroit Motors, who are now tied with the Packers for the fourth and final playoff spot.

It's been the work of the goaltenders, who have both been impressive, as the Packers allowed two or fewer goals in each of the five wins. Norm Hanson was responsible for three of them, and he now ranks third in the NAHC in both GAA (2.50) and save percentage (.921), while making the third most saves (1,450) and games played (51) since the season started. Backup netminder Michael Cleghorn hasn't been as great (2.97, .913), but he was up for the test against Boston and Detroit, upping his record from 2-6 to 4-6. For a team that's recently relied on its scoring, it's been a stark contrast this season for the Packers, who don't have a single skater in the top five for points. All-World center Tommy Burns comes close, tied for 6th with 54, ranking 5th in goals (22) and tied for 6th in assists (32), but overall the scoring numbers are down. Just two Packers have more then 15 goals and Burns is the only player with more then the 25 assists of second line center Jarrett McGlynn.

Of course, when one thing is going right, something else has to go wrong, as winger Jeremy MacLean left the first 2-1 win over the Motors with groin tightness. Head Coach Ed Hempenstall is holding him out of the lineup in the interim, leaving the Pack without their top two right wingers for a few games. They're hoping him or Mahoney will be back for a big matchup on the 15th with the Toronto Dukes, who sit a single point behind the New York Shamrocks.

DUKES CLOSE TO WITHN ONE POINT OF SHAMROCKS

Toronto, on a five game undefeated run, have now made it a battle for first in the NAHC with six games remaining on their regular season schedule. The Dukes picked up six points on the struggling New York Shamrocks last week and just as suddenly as they appeared to be doomed to finish in second place, the Dukes are right back in the mix. Toronto trails the New York Shamrocks by just a single point with 6 games remaining for each club including a season-ending showdown between the two rivals at Dominion Gardens on March 26 -the final day of the regular season.

Dominion Gardens was host to a Thursday game between the two Canadian teams. The crowd of 14,158 was treated to a highly entertaining fast paced display of hockey. Bobbie Sauer, on his second game back from suspension, brought the crowd to its feet before the game was minute old, scoring from the slot off passes from Trevor Parker and Mike Navarro. It stayed that way until the Valiants tied the game with just over a minute remaining in the first when Adam Sanford notched his 26th after a clean faceoff win by Ian Doyle on a shot that Dukes netminder Gordie Broadway did not appear to see while Montreal was on the powerplay.

The second frame was almost a carbon copy of the opener. Up and down the ice the play went with few stoppages forcing both Broadway and Montreal netminder Tom Brockers to be at the top of their game. Toronto's Quinton Pollack scored the lone goal of the middle period on a shot through a screen. Entering the third ahead a goal the Dukes continued to press the Vals and avoided going into a defensive shell. Montreal tried to counterattack but were not able to beat the Dukes goaltender in the final 41:02 of the game. Toronto scored twice with Parker's 14th making it 3-1 just past the 12 minute mark then Lou Galbraith's empty netter made the final 4-1.

Bigsby Gardens was the site of matchup between the top teams in professional hockey on Saturday night. Executives at CBC radio are saying it probably was most listened to broadcast of a hockey game in the network's history. The games did not start out well for most Canadian listeners with the Shamrocks jumping out to a two-goal lead before the game was two minutes old. Joe Martin scored at 1:47 then after Charette took an interference call on the ensuing puck drop Jocko Gregg made it 2-0 10 seconds later. The Dukes escaped the first only down two then halved the lead less than a minute into the second period when Parker tipped home a Philippe Dubois shot from the point. The comeback appeared to be short-lived as Simon Savard made it 3-1 for New York just two minutes later but Toronto rallied to tie the game thanks to a couple of power play goals off the stick of Les Carlson. Pollack gave the Dukes a lead that they never relinquish at his third point of the period at 13:52. Carlson's assist also gave him a third point of the period. Pollack's goal seemed to deflate the Shamrocks as the third period was all Toronto. Chad Roy, Carlson with his hattrick goal and Parker with his second of the game, all in the third made the final 7-3 Dukes.

Toronto took a quick trip home to host the Bees on Sunday. These two teams have a history of disliking each other both on the ice and in the press. Barrell has been outspoken with his public comments on Boston's "clutch and grab" style. He has been less vocal lately after the Sauer suspension. The game was not as hard hitting as usual probably due to both teams playing the night before. The game was a relatively calm affair. Lou Galbraith beat Boston goaltender Oscar James from a sharp angle while up a man in the first period and Herb Burdette had his number written in the goal column of the game sheet for only the 4th time this season at 6:46 of the second to make 2-0. The balance of the game of played at slow pace with numerous stoppages with the puck being tied up or offside. Craig Simpson finally solved the riddle of Terry Russell in the Toronto cage with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game. The low intensity game ended 2-1 Toronto.

Coach Barrell: "We are starting to round into playoff form. Defensively sound except for the opening couple of minutes Saturday which were scary. Glad that we finally solved Brockers who has had our number as of late. We will have home ice advantage in the first round. I would like to secure first overall, the playoffs are a whole new season. We have to hone our play at both ends of the ice over the last six games."

• It is painfully obvious to fans in Philadelphia and should be to the rest of the league as well that there is no player more valuable to his team than guard Jerry Hubbard is to the Phantoms. The assist king suffered a separated shoulder January 31 in a game the Phantoms lost to Brooklyn. That put the Phantoms record on the season at 21-10, good for second in the East Division 2 games back of Washington. Without Hubbard the Phantoms have gone 3-16, destroying their playoff hopes and dropping them to 7th place in the division. Hubbard, who was averaging a league best 12.2 assists per game along with 13.1 rebounds and 11.2 points per game, is expected back in the lineup sometime this week and hopefully can put an end to the Phantoms slide which includes a current losing streak of 6 games. Philadelphia has 18 games remaining but the playoffs seem out of reach this season.
• The Washington Statesmen won 78-65 in Baltimore over the Barons on Thursday and now lead second place Baltimore by 3.5 games atop the East Division. The Statesmen have won 5 straight and 10 of their last 11 and show no signs of slowing down. They are nearly unbeatable at National Auditorium, going 22-4 on their home court this season and are 54-6 at the Auditorium since they joined the Federal League prior to the start of last season. Washington has been dominant no matter where they play this season as there average margin of victory in games this season is 10.0 points...a total only surpassed by the West Division Detroit Mustangs who have a scoring difference of 11.8 points per game.
• A little over a week ago the Cincinnati Cyclones looked they were making a playoff push in the West Division but since them the club has dropped three of its last four games. It was a tough stretch as they played division leading Detroit twice and second place Toronto once. The Cyclones came out on the losing end of each of those games with their only win being a 90-80 victory in Pittsburgh.
• The New York Knights have not enjoyed much success, even dating back to their ABC days. New York did win a title in 1939-40 but has missed the playoffs seven of the past nine years including last season -their first in the FBL when they struggled to a 21-47 finish. The results have been much different for the New York cage team this time around and a big reason is their strength on the boards. New York leads the FBL in rebounds with Gary Harrison, Thomas Dwyer and Donnell Marlow all averaging double-figures.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

• Toight - Los Angeles, Ca. - rising young heavyweight Joey Tierney (17-0) faces Maurice Woods (13-6)
• Mar 24- Bigsby Garden, New York - John Edmonds will face Bill Boggs for the world middleweight title, made vacant by the tragic death of former champ Edouard Desmarais in an October plane crash.
• Mar 25 - San Francisco, Ca. - unbeaten 22-year-old heavyweight Brad Harris (16-0-1) faces his toughest test to date with a 10-rounder against veteran Matt Price (37-10-4)
• Apr 6- Buffalo, NY- former welterweight contender Carl Taylor (28-8-2) meets Bob Thomas (22-8-1)
• Apr 8- Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland- World Welterweight champion Mac Erickson (21-0) defends his title in a rematch with Mark Westlake (27-5-1)
• Apr 14- Ottawa, ON - Canadian middleweight Kevin Rawlings (23-5) faces Willie Binion (19-11-1)
• Apr 17 - Bigsby Garden, NY- welterweight Artie Neal (26-8-1) faces Harry Larkin (20-5)
• Apr 20- Cincinnati, OH- George Gibbs (26-5), Colorado born welterweight, meets Scott Sorensen (27-12-3)
• Apr 25 - Oakland, CA- welterweight Dale Roy (35-7-1) squares off with Arthur Shaw (21-11-2)
• Apr 25- Washington DC- Veteran Philadelphia heavyweight Scott 'The Chef' Baker (22-4-2) vs Lyle Wilson (27-5)
• Apr 26- Youngstown, OH- Middleweight Tommy Campbell (22-4-2) vs Andy Jackson (24-5-2)
• Apr 27- Providence, RI- Heavyweight Roy Crawford, 'The Boston Bomber' (31-5) fights Allen Bailey (41-7-2)
• Apr 30- Brooklyn, NY - Heavyweights Cannon Cooper (30-4-1) and Dan Miller (41-12-1) meet at Flatbush Gardens.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 3/12/1950

• The soft coal industry found peace for the first time in a year as John L. Lewis' United Mine Workers returned to work last week on the heels of the signing of a new work agreement with the Nation's mine operators. For the miners, the hard-won victory means about $1.40 a day more per man in wages and welfare benefits, ending a battle that began last May.
• President Truman asked Congress to create a nine-member commission for an inquiry designed to give the Nation "a healthy and progressive coal industry."
• A Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee became involved in any angry row when Senator McCarthy charged it was "a tool of the State Department." That was one of several sharp exchanges as the subcommittee began its hearings into Senator McCarthy's charges that Communists have been employed in the State Department.
• Senator Bricker, Republican, of Ohio, says there isn't any reason for the American people to get "hysterical" about the possibility of an atomic or hydrogen bomb attack on this country. Bricker is a member of the Senate-House Atomic Committee which is looking into plans for civilian defense.
• British officials studying the confession of convicted spy Dr. Klaus Fuchs are getting no comfort from what they read, learning Fuchs had shared all but the latest atomic weapons secrets possessed by Britain and the United States.
• Pope Pius XII called for a "crusade of prayer" as he declared the worldwide arms race leaves "the souls of all fearful and suspended." The Pope also blasted Red Countries for curbing Church rights.