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Tiger Fan · 02-28-2024, 01:14 PM

APRIL 3, 1950

PERFECTION! BUT WHO WILL IT BE?

BELLS AND COLONELS BOTH ENTIRE AIAA TITLE TILT UNDEFEATED

Since the AIAA began its annual national championship tournament in the spring of 1910 no school has ever gone through the entire season and tournament with a perfect record. That will change tonight but the question remains which school will it be as both Liberty College and Noble Jones College enter the title game at Bigsby Garden in New York with perfect 33-0 records. For the Liberty College Bells there is a rich history: an independent school that is appearing in the tournament for the 30th time and is making its 7th trip to the championship game with 3 previous wins including the most recent in 1941-41, there is a rich history of success. The Bells reached the title game in the first-ever tournament way back in March of 1910 but came up short in losing 33-31 to Henry Hudson University. The Noble Jones College Colonels, on the other hand, are a much more recent addition to college basketball's elite. The Deep South Conference champions did not win their first tournament game until the spring of 1941 but made it all the way to the championship game for the first time in school history last season. The Colonels lost a heartbreaker by a single point, falling 52-51 to Lexington State last spring but are back for another attempt at the school's first-ever National Title.

Each followed up a perfect regular season with four relatively easy victories in the tournament to arrive here tonight. The Bells had little trouble disposing of the University of New Jersey, Redwood and Detroit City College in the East Region before downing the #2 ranked team in the nation -in the form of the Western Iowa Canaries- by a 67-50 score in semi-final action Saturday. Liberty College built a 15-point first half lead, quickly removing any suspense from the contest. Surprisingly, the Canaries did a good job minimizing the effectiveness of Luther Gordon, Liberty College's dominant center who will likely win his second consecutive player of the year award in the coming days. Gordon, who led the nation in scoring and broke his own AIAA season record for points, was held to just 9 on this night but did manage to haul in 11 rebounds. Instead, it was two other seniors who led the scoring parade for the Bells as guard Scott Basile had 18 while forward Darrell Madrid chipped in with 11 points.

The Colonels path to the title was nearly as easy as Noble Jones College, looking to avenge its title game loss from a year ago, followed up its perfect 29-0 regular season with wins over San Francisco Tech, 6th ranked Annapolis Maritime and CC Los Angeles in the South Region before taking care of business against 7th ranked Indiana A&M on Saturday. The Colonels lead was just six at the break and was more than doubled at 49-36 when the final whistle sounded. The guard duo of Artie Noonan and sophomore Charlie Barrell each had double-figures on the scoresheet led by Noonan's 14. Barrell, who also excels at baseball and is the quarterback of the Colonels football team, only claimed a starting job late in the season when senior Carrol Larkin went down, but played so well that he is starting and splitting time with Larkin now that the senior guard is healthy again.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW

MILLER INJURY MAKES BELLS FAVOURITE

Going into the game one would think that Liberty College seemed to have the edge just because they have so many offensive weapons including a dominant center in Luther Gordon. Some might counter that Noble Jones College's defense, one which allowed the second fewest points in the nation this season, may be able to contain the Bells but that thinking went out the window with news that Mike Miller will miss the game with a concussion.

Miller, a 7'1" senior center from Athens, GA., seemed like the type of player that may just be able to contain Gordon but with Miller on the sideline that job now falls to Tod Fee, an untested junior with exactly one career start in his three-year AIAA career. Fee, who got the call Saturday against Indiana A&M when it was learned that Miller could not go, scored 4 points and had 7 rebounds in 33 minutes against the Reapers but Nate Jones, the Indiana A&M center, is no comparison to Gordon.

Perhaps the Colonels will assign Jim Graybeal, their sparkling 6'7" freshman, to cover Gordon but the forward will be giving up 5 inches to Gordon and there is a potential issue that Fee will not be mobile enough to handle senior Edgar Stillwell, who averaged 10.1 ppg for the Bells this season.

There is no easy answer for Noble Jones College, but matching up against the Bells is something that no AIAA team has had much success with this season. For the Colonels to pull off an upset you have to think that the guard trio of Artie Noonan, Charlie Barrell and Carrol Larkin will need to score a lot of points, and at the same time minimize the contribution of Liberty College's backcourt led by Scott Basile.

SHAMROCKS NEED OVERTIME TO TOP PACKERS IN PLAYOFF OPENER

Samuel Coates scored just eight seconds into overtime to help the New York Shamrocks draw first blood in their semi-final series with the Chicago Packers, claiming a 3-2 victory on Bigsby Garden ice in the series opener Friday. While much of the focus in Manhattan was centered on the collegiate basketball championship weekend, the Shamrocks continued to excite a city with hopes of witnessing the local ice outfit winning its first Challenge Cup in nearly two decades. New York had the best record in the NAHC, another rarity that has not occurred since 1933, and the Shamrocks outplayed the fourth place Packers in the opener of their best-of-seven series but needed extra time to collect the victory.

It was an inspired Shamrocks team that came out flying in the opening frame, outshooting the visitors from the Windy City 16-9 but forced to settle for a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard after twenty minutes. Derek Gubb, who had just 9 goals in 61 regular season games, had the hot hand for the Packers with both of their markers on this evening. Gubb opened the scoring just shy of twelve minutes into the game when his shot from the top of the circle eluded Shamrocks goaltender Alex Sorrell. The Greenshirts would pull even with two and a half minutes remaining in the frame when Robert Sharpley's point shot through traffic hit a body in front of Packers goaltender Norm Hanson and deflected right on the stick of Alexandre Lapalme. The New York rookie was at a sharp angle, but his quick release found the back of the net to even the game.

After a scoreless second period the teams again traded goals in the third period with Simon Savard scoring for New York while standing behind the Packers net. Savard was trying a centering pass, but it deflected off the stick of a Packers defender and careened into the net passed a surprised Hanson. Gubb would tie the game just 4 minutes later when he banged in a rebound of a Marty Mahoney shot for his second of the contest. Both teams had some very good opportunities to break the stalemate over the final 14 minutes of regulation but Hanson and Sorrell each made some big stops to keep the game knotted at 2.

Hanson was outstanding in the Chicago net for three periods, being the busier of the two netminders by a wide margin as he faced 46 New York shots in regulation time, but he will be the first to admit the overtime marker should not have beaten him. Coates, a 26-year-old winger who netted 12 during the regular season, took just 8 seconds to score the winner as Orval Cabbell won the opening faceoff back to Tony Bell and the defenseman hit a streaking Coates just outside the Chicago blueline. Coates raced past a flat-footed Pete Moreau on the Chicago defense and deked Hanson for one of the quickest overtime goals in NAHC history.

With the AIAA championship game going tonight at Bigsby Garden, game two of the series will be played Tuesday before the clubs make the trek west to Chicago for games three and four on Friday and next Monday at Lakeside Auditorium.

VALIANTS UPSET DUKES IN SERIES OPENER

The Montreal Valiants did all their scoring in the third period as they rallied on the road to upset the Toronto Dukes 3-1 in the opening game of their best of seven semi-final series. Montreal, which was making its first playoff appearance since the Valiants upset a heavily favoured Dukes team in the semi-finals three years ago before nearly upsetting Boston for what would have been the Vals first Challenge Cup since 1928, stayed even with the Dukes all game despite falling behind early.

Toronto defenseman J.C. Martel, who scored just 3 times during the regular season, gave the home side an early lead when he blasted a shot from the top of the circle past Montreal netminder Tom Brockers just over 13 minutes into the contest. Bobbie Sauer and Trevor Parker earned the assists on Martel's tally which, as the game dragged on, looked like it might be the only goal of the game.

Montreal outshot Toronto 12-10 in the opening period but Gordie Broadway stood tall in the Dukes cage. In the second period it was the other veteran netminder, Montreal's Tom Brockers, turn to shine as Toronto peppered the Valiants netminder with 16 shots in the middle stanza but failed to find a hole in Brockers' armor.

After forty minutes the shots were 26-19 in Toronto's favour but the Vals took over in the third period, especially after Shel Herron snuck in unattended from the point and banged a rebound of a Bert Lanceleve shot past Broadway to tie the game at 9:39 of the third period. Energized, the Vals poured on the pressure and less than two minutes late Pat Coulter was alone in the slot and beat Broadway low to his stick side to give Montreal the lead. Toronto would manage just six shots in the period and Isaac Finnson iced the victory for the visitors with an empty-net goal with 9 seconds remaining.

Finnson and Herron, who each scored in the contest, were terrific on defense for the Vals and completely shut down Toronto's big trio of Quinton Pollack, Les Carlson and Lou Galbraith. The Dukes top line got plenty of shots in the game -they combined for 17 of them- but few were considered to be high quality scoring chances and when they did arise, Brockers was more than ready to shut the door. Game Two will be Wednesday in Toronto before the series shifts to Montreal for the third and fourth games of the series.

JACK BARRELL'S POST-GAME COMMENTS AFTER LOSS IN SERIES OPENER

Coach Barrell: "Quite the game, typical playoff game. Usually with tight checking the result often comes down to which club converts on their chances. Tonight Montreal did, and we failed to as a team. Both tenders played to the top of their game. Brockers was just a little better although Broadway gave us every opportunity to win. Montreal did a good job of forcing us wide, tying up our sticks in front of the net. They cleared any rebounds Brockers gave up, We were so close to taking control of the game in first. The series is a long way from over but there is a sense of urgency Wednesday night.

We could have won that game but should've, could've, would've do not count. What counts are the goal numbers on the scoreboard. I don't see any reason to change our strategy or style - we just have to work a tad harder at both ends. I expect the team to come out flying. We just disappointed a sellout crowd. We need to control the tempo early and press for an early marker to give Montreal something to think about. They are full of confidence at the moment.

I also listened to the opener of the other series in New York...looks like that was same type of game with Shamrocks squeaking out a win.

DYNAMOS OFFENSE REMAINS OUT OF JUICE

Is it too early to start to panic? The Detroit Dynamos have lost 18 of their 25 Citrus loop outings - far and away the worst spring record in all of FABL- and the problems look unchanged from a year ago when the least productive offense in the league could not be overcome by the best pitching in the loop.

The arms look pretty good again this spring with Allen Award winning ace Carl Potter leading the way. The bats, on the other hand, are ice cold and performing like they had been left on the ice surface at Thompson Palladium rather than in the Florida sunshine. Yes, it is only spring, and these games mean nothing in the big picture but only 3 Dynamos hitters - vets Hal Sharp and Pinky Pierce along with surprising rookie outfielder Bill Morrison- are hitting over .267 and a number of players who will be counted on heavily this summer are presently batting below their weight. Third baseman Tommy Griffin is batting .171. Adam Mullins and Rick York, the catching tandem, are hitting a combined .137. Infielders Stan Kleminski and Del Johnson are also struggling. In 6 games last week the Dynamos plated just 9 runs in games they lost by scores such as 2-1 (twice), 3-2 and 3-0.

Pitching is not the problem. A lack of offense is and was what kept the Dynamos from remaining in the race last year. Management was rumoured to be looking to pull the trigger on a deal for a big bat over the winter, but the transaction failed to materialize, and the front office seemed to be content to wait for the young talent to develop. Opening day is now just 15 days away and while it seems unlikely a major move will happen before the lid-lifter against the New York Gothams at Thompson Field on April 18, it will be interesting to see just how long management will be willing to stand pat if the bats remain ice cold.

Manager Dick York is saying all the right things, noting that top players like Edwin Hackberry, who is batting .256 in the spring, will be ready when it matters, but given the Dynamos struggles at the plate a year ago one has to wonder if even York himself buys what he is saying.

Excuse Detroit fans if they are getting impatient. The Dynamos have not won a pennant since 1929 - the longest drought in the Federal Association- and they have been in a rebuild for what feels like a decade and a half. Add in the awful state that the grid Maroons are in right now with a 4-20 record over their past two seasons and the complete collapse of the ice Motors, who went from first place on Christmas Day to missing the playoffs entirely with a loss to Chicago on the final day of the regular season, and you can understand why patience may be in short supply for area sports fans these days. Rollie Barrell, who runs both the woeful Maroons and our local cage outfit, is carrying all of the city's hopes right now with his Mustangs who remain the class of the Federal cage loops West Division after reaching the title game a year ago. Although the Mustangs rank a distant fourth on the pecking order in terms of local popularity it is nice to see at least one local outfit enjoying some success. Heavens know the Dynamos are long overdue for some success of their own.

SPRING TRAINING NOTES

Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire reports that the Wolves have pared their camp down to 32. Both Rule 5 picks have been returned with Brooks Triplett sent back to Brooklyn after posting a 2.88 WHIP, 12.96 ERA in 8.1 innings of work. SS Ken Blair has been returned to the Gothams. Fred Barrell decided a line of .094/.147/.094 was not going to work long term regardless of how good his glove was. Harry Finney now will man SS for the interim. DFA were P Max Boswell and C Walt Loera. Barrell says " It is time to start giving the starters more reps, bullpen needs to sort itself out over the next week. Three or four more position players have to be trimmed which will cause a cascading affect down the organization."
In Brooklyn, Percy Pringle Jr. of the Brooklyn Eagle tells us the Kings got serious last week and started playing regulars more. The result was a 5-1 week. There are several decisions to be made as we enter the last week of camp. SP's Paul Byler and Hal Friedlander are both in the running for the #5 starter spot and both pitching just average with ERA's over 4. Both have an option year left and if one doesn't grab the role they will both go down and give it one more go at AAA. If that happens that Jake Roberts who is out of options but has pitched well in the bullpen this spring or old semi-reliable Rusty Petrick (who hasn't pitched great this spring) will step into the #5 role. Bob Crowley has pitched well enough to be a part of the bullpen and is the only lefty, but also has an option left. P George Fitzgerald will get one of the remaining spring starts as we need to see more of him this week to make a decision. 14 pitchers are in camp, at least 2 players will have to be DFA most likely and maybe even 3.
Pringle adds the position players battle in Brooklyn is coming down to really if the club decides to roll with 20-year-old centerfielder Charlie Rogers from the start of the year or give him a few more at-bats in AAA.
The Philadelphia Keystones feel like they dodged a bullet as Billy Woytek will only miss about two weeks. There had been fears the Keystones second baseman would be out long term when he was hit in the foot by a pitch in a game with Detroit last week but x-rays showed their was no break and Wyotek should be ready for opening day April 18. He started all 154 games and second for the Keystones last season and all but two the previous year.
The Washington Eagles were not so lucky with news relating to Mickey Holloway's groin injury. Doctors say the 25-year-old outfielder, who hit .265 with 15 homers as a rookie last season, will need about a month to fully heal and appears certain to not be ready for the start of the regular season.
Mike T. Taylor is a happy man as the Cincinnati Cannons signed the veteran outfielder to a 1-year contract extension that will pay Taylor $52,000 in 1951. It will be quite a raise from the $35,700 Taylor is set to receive this season. The 31-year-old is coming off a the best season of his career when he hit .325 with 13 homers and 74 rbi's for the Cannons. He has been with the organization since making his big league debut when they were still based in Baltimore back in 1939 but he missed four full seasons will serving in the Navy during the war.

The FBL has a new scoring leader as for the first time in quite a while Larry Yim of the Buffalo Brawlers lost his hold on the lead. Yim, who has been sidelined since March 17 and is expected to miss another week and a half with knee troubles, is averaging 23.3 points per game but has been surpassed, just barely, by second year Cleveland Crushers forward Ziggy Rickard. Selected third overall in last year's draft after Detroit grabbed Ward Messer and Syracuse followed with Darren Fuhrman, Rickard had an impressive rookie season but the former Central Ohio first team All-American has really blossomed this season with the highlight being a 37 point game last week in a 104-91 victory over Philadelphia.
The Washington Statesmen continue to own the best record in the FBL. Twelve wins in their last 14 games improved the Washington record to 45-15 on the season, good for a 4.5 game lead on second place Baltimore atop the East Division. Their stingy defense, combined with strength on the boards from a rebounding trio of Ivan Sisco, Charlie Hooper and Willie Wright - all averaging double digits on boards- makes the Statesmen a tough team to stop. Defense and hard work rarely have slumps and as a result the Statesmen have not lost more than two consecutive games at any point this season.
The top offense in the league belongs to West Division leading Detroit as the Mustangs are averaging 93.5 points per game and are successful on 33% of their field goal attempts. Only Toronto and Cleveland are more successful in hitting their shots. Sophomore Ward Messer -the FBL rookie of the year last season- leads the way with a .427 field goal percentage, second only to Cleveland's Ziggy Rickard. No sophomore jinx for Messer as the younger brother of baseball star Walt Messer is averaging 18.1 points per game and 18.6 rebounds.
While the playoff race is getting most of the attention there is another key race well underway. The expansion St Louis Steamers and woeful Syracuse Titans are neck and neck for the worst record in the league and the chance to draft what appears to be a sure-fire superstar in Liberty College star Luther Gordon with the first pick in the summer draft. Of course, the teams need to survive in order to have Gordon next season as there are growing rumours a number of FBL clubs, including both the Steamers and Titans are in danger of folding.

Here are the quarterly rankings of the top fighters in each of the three divisions recognized by the American Boxing Federation.

ERICKSON AND WESTLAKE SET FOR WELTERWEIGHT DUEL

The forthcoming Saturday night spectacle at Lake Erie Arena in Cleveland promises fistic fireworks as Mac Erickson and Mark Westlake prepare to rekindle their welterweight rivalry. A contest laden with anticipation, whispers among ringside pundits hint at a potential changing of the guard in the division.

Erickson, the undefeated 29-year-old ABF World Welterweight champion, walks into the squared circle under the shadow of skepticism. The echo of his previous encounter with Westlake resonates—a November meeting marred by a controversial accidental head butt in the second round. The clash left Westlake bleeding profusely, a cut that proved too much for his corner to staunch. In a twist of fate, with Westlake ahead on the scorecards, referee Ernest Byrd halted the bout in the seventh round, declaring Erickson the victor to an uproar of dissent from both the crowd and Westlake's corner.

The aftermath was a maelstrom of questions and discontent. Insults and objects rained into the ring, and Westlake's corner clamored for answers that never materialized. Erickson, to his credit, swiftly consented to a rematch, setting the stage for a redemption narrative that fight fans in Cleveland eagerly await. Notably, Byrd, the center of controversy in their prior meeting, will be absent. Jerry Rowe, a seasoned official with four title bouts under his belt, steps into the role of arbiter for this pivotal clash.

Erickson's pristine 20-0 record, coupled with four successful title defenses since his conquest of Harold Stephens two years ago, paints him as a formidable force. In contrast, Westlake, at 27-5-1, seeks to reclaim past glory after briefly holding the welterweight title in 1946. A defeat to Stephens in his first title defense punctuated that chapter, adding a layer of redemption to his narrative.

As the stage is set, and the arena hums with anticipation, fight fans brace for a night that might etch new lines in welterweight history—a night where the echoes of controversy fade, and the resounding crack of leather on flesh decides the rightful owner of the coveted championship.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

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 4/02/1950

Foreign Ministers of the 12 Atlantic Pact nations will meet in London May 8 to chart new Western moves in the cold war and present Russia with a greater, unified strength.
A State Department officials denounced as false and "a violation of trust and fairness" charges by Senator McCarthy that she is "pro-Communist." Meanwhile, Owen Lattimore, an American representative in the United Nations, has threatened to sue McCarthy for libel after the Senator labeled Lattimore this country's top Russian spy.
As McCarthy continues to fire accusations in front of a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, observers predict that President Truman will refuse to make loyalty files available to the subcommittee.
The IRS has ruled a $100 a plate Democrat dinner will not require Federal tax payable despite a 20 percent admission tax on the Republicans recent "buck-a-box" Lincoln Day supper party.
A US Embassy plane crashed near Ottawa, killing five people including the American Ambassador to Canada. Police refuse to comment on speculation it was sabotage after witnesses saw the plane explode in the air before breaking apart and crashing.

02-28-2024, 01:14 PM	#892
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,873	April 3, 1950 APRIL 3, 1950 PERFECTION! BUT WHO WILL IT BE? BELLS AND COLONELS BOTH ENTIRE AIAA TITLE TILT UNDEFEATED Since the AIAA began its annual national championship tournament in the spring of 1910 no school has ever gone through the entire season and tournament with a perfect record. That will change tonight but the question remains which school will it be as both Liberty College and Noble Jones College enter the title game at Bigsby Garden in New York with perfect 33-0 records. For the Liberty College Bells there is a rich history: an independent school that is appearing in the tournament for the 30th time and is making its 7th trip to the championship game with 3 previous wins including the most recent in 1941-41, there is a rich history of success. The Bells reached the title game in the first-ever tournament way back in March of 1910 but came up short in losing 33-31 to Henry Hudson University. The Noble Jones College Colonels, on the other hand, are a much more recent addition to college basketball's elite. The Deep South Conference champions did not win their first tournament game until the spring of 1941 but made it all the way to the championship game for the first time in school history last season. The Colonels lost a heartbreaker by a single point, falling 52-51 to Lexington State last spring but are back for another attempt at the school's first-ever National Title. Each followed up a perfect regular season with four relatively easy victories in the tournament to arrive here tonight. The Bells had little trouble disposing of the University of New Jersey, Redwood and Detroit City College in the East Region before downing the #2 ranked team in the nation -in the form of the Western Iowa Canaries- by a 67-50 score in semi-final action Saturday. Liberty College built a 15-point first half lead, quickly removing any suspense from the contest. Surprisingly, the Canaries did a good job minimizing the effectiveness of Luther Gordon, Liberty College's dominant center who will likely win his second consecutive player of the year award in the coming days. Gordon, who led the nation in scoring and broke his own AIAA season record for points, was held to just 9 on this night but did manage to haul in 11 rebounds. Instead, it was two other seniors who led the scoring parade for the Bells as guard Scott Basile had 18 while forward Darrell Madrid chipped in with 11 points. The Colonels path to the title was nearly as easy as Noble Jones College, looking to avenge its title game loss from a year ago, followed up its perfect 29-0 regular season with wins over San Francisco Tech, 6th ranked Annapolis Maritime and CC Los Angeles in the South Region before taking care of business against 7th ranked Indiana A&M on Saturday. The Colonels lead was just six at the break and was more than doubled at 49-36 when the final whistle sounded. The guard duo of Artie Noonan and sophomore Charlie Barrell each had double-figures on the scoresheet led by Noonan's 14. Barrell, who also excels at baseball and is the quarterback of the Colonels football team, only claimed a starting job late in the season when senior Carrol Larkin went down, but played so well that he is starting and splitting time with Larkin now that the senior guard is healthy again. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW MILLER INJURY MAKES BELLS FAVOURITE Going into the game one would think that Liberty College seemed to have the edge just because they have so many offensive weapons including a dominant center in Luther Gordon. Some might counter that Noble Jones College's defense, one which allowed the second fewest points in the nation this season, may be able to contain the Bells but that thinking went out the window with news that Mike Miller will miss the game with a concussion. Miller, a 7'1" senior center from Athens, GA., seemed like the type of player that may just be able to contain Gordon but with Miller on the sideline that job now falls to Tod Fee, an untested junior with exactly one career start in his three-year AIAA career. Fee, who got the call Saturday against Indiana A&M when it was learned that Miller could not go, scored 4 points and had 7 rebounds in 33 minutes against the Reapers but Nate Jones, the Indiana A&M center, is no comparison to Gordon. Perhaps the Colonels will assign Jim Graybeal, their sparkling 6'7" freshman, to cover Gordon but the forward will be giving up 5 inches to Gordon and there is a potential issue that Fee will not be mobile enough to handle senior Edgar Stillwell, who averaged 10.1 ppg for the Bells this season. There is no easy answer for Noble Jones College, but matching up against the Bells is something that no AIAA team has had much success with this season. For the Colonels to pull off an upset you have to think that the guard trio of Artie Noonan, Charlie Barrell and Carrol Larkin will need to score a lot of points, and at the same time minimize the contribution of Liberty College's backcourt led by Scott Basile. SHAMROCKS NEED OVERTIME TO TOP PACKERS IN PLAYOFF OPENER Samuel Coates scored just eight seconds into overtime to help the New York Shamrocks draw first blood in their semi-final series with the Chicago Packers, claiming a 3-2 victory on Bigsby Garden ice in the series opener Friday. While much of the focus in Manhattan was centered on the collegiate basketball championship weekend, the Shamrocks continued to excite a city with hopes of witnessing the local ice outfit winning its first Challenge Cup in nearly two decades. New York had the best record in the NAHC, another rarity that has not occurred since 1933, and the Shamrocks outplayed the fourth place Packers in the opener of their best-of-seven series but needed extra time to collect the victory. It was an inspired Shamrocks team that came out flying in the opening frame, outshooting the visitors from the Windy City 16-9 but forced to settle for a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard after twenty minutes. Derek Gubb, who had just 9 goals in 61 regular season games, had the hot hand for the Packers with both of their markers on this evening. Gubb opened the scoring just shy of twelve minutes into the game when his shot from the top of the circle eluded Shamrocks goaltender Alex Sorrell. The Greenshirts would pull even with two and a half minutes remaining in the frame when Robert Sharpley's point shot through traffic hit a body in front of Packers goaltender Norm Hanson and deflected right on the stick of Alexandre Lapalme. The New York rookie was at a sharp angle, but his quick release found the back of the net to even the game. After a scoreless second period the teams again traded goals in the third period with Simon Savard scoring for New York while standing behind the Packers net. Savard was trying a centering pass, but it deflected off the stick of a Packers defender and careened into the net passed a surprised Hanson. Gubb would tie the game just 4 minutes later when he banged in a rebound of a Marty Mahoney shot for his second of the contest. Both teams had some very good opportunities to break the stalemate over the final 14 minutes of regulation but Hanson and Sorrell each made some big stops to keep the game knotted at 2. Hanson was outstanding in the Chicago net for three periods, being the busier of the two netminders by a wide margin as he faced 46 New York shots in regulation time, but he will be the first to admit the overtime marker should not have beaten him. Coates, a 26-year-old winger who netted 12 during the regular season, took just 8 seconds to score the winner as Orval Cabbell won the opening faceoff back to Tony Bell and the defenseman hit a streaking Coates just outside the Chicago blueline. Coates raced past a flat-footed Pete Moreau on the Chicago defense and deked Hanson for one of the quickest overtime goals in NAHC history. With the AIAA championship game going tonight at Bigsby Garden, game two of the series will be played Tuesday before the clubs make the trek west to Chicago for games three and four on Friday and next Monday at Lakeside Auditorium. VALIANTS UPSET DUKES IN SERIES OPENER The Montreal Valiants did all their scoring in the third period as they rallied on the road to upset the Toronto Dukes 3-1 in the opening game of their best of seven semi-final series. Montreal, which was making its first playoff appearance since the Valiants upset a heavily favoured Dukes team in the semi-finals three years ago before nearly upsetting Boston for what would have been the Vals first Challenge Cup since 1928, stayed even with the Dukes all game despite falling behind early. Toronto defenseman J.C. Martel, who scored just 3 times during the regular season, gave the home side an early lead when he blasted a shot from the top of the circle past Montreal netminder Tom Brockers just over 13 minutes into the contest. Bobbie Sauer and Trevor Parker earned the assists on Martel's tally which, as the game dragged on, looked like it might be the only goal of the game. Montreal outshot Toronto 12-10 in the opening period but Gordie Broadway stood tall in the Dukes cage. In the second period it was the other veteran netminder, Montreal's Tom Brockers, turn to shine as Toronto peppered the Valiants netminder with 16 shots in the middle stanza but failed to find a hole in Brockers' armor. After forty minutes the shots were 26-19 in Toronto's favour but the Vals took over in the third period, especially after Shel Herron snuck in unattended from the point and banged a rebound of a Bert Lanceleve shot past Broadway to tie the game at 9:39 of the third period. Energized, the Vals poured on the pressure and less than two minutes late Pat Coulter was alone in the slot and beat Broadway low to his stick side to give Montreal the lead. Toronto would manage just six shots in the period and Isaac Finnson iced the victory for the visitors with an empty-net goal with 9 seconds remaining. Finnson and Herron, who each scored in the contest, were terrific on defense for the Vals and completely shut down Toronto's big trio of Quinton Pollack, Les Carlson and Lou Galbraith. The Dukes top line got plenty of shots in the game -they combined for 17 of them- but few were considered to be high quality scoring chances and when they did arise, Brockers was more than ready to shut the door. Game Two will be Wednesday in Toronto before the series shifts to Montreal for the third and fourth games of the series. JACK BARRELL'S POST-GAME COMMENTS AFTER LOSS IN SERIES OPENER Coach Barrell: "Quite the game, typical playoff game. Usually with tight checking the result often comes down to which club converts on their chances. Tonight Montreal did, and we failed to as a team. Both tenders played to the top of their game. Brockers was just a little better although Broadway gave us every opportunity to win. Montreal did a good job of forcing us wide, tying up our sticks in front of the net. They cleared any rebounds Brockers gave up, We were so close to taking control of the game in first. The series is a long way from over but there is a sense of urgency Wednesday night. We could have won that game but should've, could've, would've do not count. What counts are the goal numbers on the scoreboard. I don't see any reason to change our strategy or style - we just have to work a tad harder at both ends. I expect the team to come out flying. We just disappointed a sellout crowd. We need to control the tempo early and press for an early marker to give Montreal something to think about. They are full of confidence at the moment. I also listened to the opener of the other series in New York...looks like that was same type of game with Shamrocks squeaking out a win. DYNAMOS OFFENSE REMAINS OUT OF JUICE Is it too early to start to panic? The Detroit Dynamos have lost 18 of their 25 Citrus loop outings - far and away the worst spring record in all of FABL- and the problems look unchanged from a year ago when the least productive offense in the league could not be overcome by the best pitching in the loop. The arms look pretty good again this spring with Allen Award winning ace Carl Potter leading the way. The bats, on the other hand, are ice cold and performing like they had been left on the ice surface at Thompson Palladium rather than in the Florida sunshine. Yes, it is only spring, and these games mean nothing in the big picture but only 3 Dynamos hitters - vets Hal Sharp and Pinky Pierce along with surprising rookie outfielder Bill Morrison- are hitting over .267 and a number of players who will be counted on heavily this summer are presently batting below their weight. Third baseman Tommy Griffin is batting .171. Adam Mullins and Rick York, the catching tandem, are hitting a combined .137. Infielders Stan Kleminski and Del Johnson are also struggling. In 6 games last week the Dynamos plated just 9 runs in games they lost by scores such as 2-1 (twice), 3-2 and 3-0. Pitching is not the problem. A lack of offense is and was what kept the Dynamos from remaining in the race last year. Management was rumoured to be looking to pull the trigger on a deal for a big bat over the winter, but the transaction failed to materialize, and the front office seemed to be content to wait for the young talent to develop. Opening day is now just 15 days away and while it seems unlikely a major move will happen before the lid-lifter against the New York Gothams at Thompson Field on April 18, it will be interesting to see just how long management will be willing to stand pat if the bats remain ice cold. Manager Dick York is saying all the right things, noting that top players like Edwin Hackberry, who is batting .256 in the spring, will be ready when it matters, but given the Dynamos struggles at the plate a year ago one has to wonder if even York himself buys what he is saying. Excuse Detroit fans if they are getting impatient. The Dynamos have not won a pennant since 1929 - the longest drought in the Federal Association- and they have been in a rebuild for what feels like a decade and a half. Add in the awful state that the grid Maroons are in right now with a 4-20 record over their past two seasons and the complete collapse of the ice Motors, who went from first place on Christmas Day to missing the playoffs entirely with a loss to Chicago on the final day of the regular season, and you can understand why patience may be in short supply for area sports fans these days. Rollie Barrell, who runs both the woeful Maroons and our local cage outfit, is carrying all of the city's hopes right now with his Mustangs who remain the class of the Federal cage loops West Division after reaching the title game a year ago. Although the Mustangs rank a distant fourth on the pecking order in terms of local popularity it is nice to see at least one local outfit enjoying some success. Heavens know the Dynamos are long overdue for some success of their own. SPRING TRAINING NOTES Brett Bing of the Toronto Mail & Empire reports that the Wolves have pared their camp down to 32. Both Rule 5 picks have been returned with Brooks Triplett sent back to Brooklyn after posting a 2.88 WHIP, 12.96 ERA in 8.1 innings of work. SS Ken Blair has been returned to the Gothams. Fred Barrell decided a line of .094/.147/.094 was not going to work long term regardless of how good his glove was. Harry Finney now will man SS for the interim. DFA were P Max Boswell and C Walt Loera. Barrell says " It is time to start giving the starters more reps, bullpen needs to sort itself out over the next week. Three or four more position players have to be trimmed which will cause a cascading affect down the organization." In Brooklyn, Percy Pringle Jr. of the Brooklyn Eagle tells us the Kings got serious last week and started playing regulars more. The result was a 5-1 week. There are several decisions to be made as we enter the last week of camp. SP's Paul Byler and Hal Friedlander are both in the running for the #5 starter spot and both pitching just average with ERA's over 4. Both have an option year left and if one doesn't grab the role they will both go down and give it one more go at AAA. If that happens that Jake Roberts who is out of options but has pitched well in the bullpen this spring or old semi-reliable Rusty Petrick (who hasn't pitched great this spring) will step into the #5 role. Bob Crowley has pitched well enough to be a part of the bullpen and is the only lefty, but also has an option left. P George Fitzgerald will get one of the remaining spring starts as we need to see more of him this week to make a decision. 14 pitchers are in camp, at least 2 players will have to be DFA most likely and maybe even 3. Pringle adds the position players battle in Brooklyn is coming down to really if the club decides to roll with 20-year-old centerfielder Charlie Rogers from the start of the year or give him a few more at-bats in AAA. The Philadelphia Keystones feel like they dodged a bullet as Billy Woytek will only miss about two weeks. There had been fears the Keystones second baseman would be out long term when he was hit in the foot by a pitch in a game with Detroit last week but x-rays showed their was no break and Wyotek should be ready for opening day April 18. He started all 154 games and second for the Keystones last season and all but two the previous year. The Washington Eagles were not so lucky with news relating to Mickey Holloway's groin injury. Doctors say the 25-year-old outfielder, who hit .265 with 15 homers as a rookie last season, will need about a month to fully heal and appears certain to not be ready for the start of the regular season. Mike T. Taylor is a happy man as the Cincinnati Cannons signed the veteran outfielder to a 1-year contract extension that will pay Taylor $52,000 in 1951. It will be quite a raise from the $35,700 Taylor is set to receive this season. The 31-year-old is coming off a the best season of his career when he hit .325 with 13 homers and 74 rbi's for the Cannons. He has been with the organization since making his big league debut when they were still based in Baltimore back in 1939 but he missed four full seasons will serving in the Navy during the war. The FBL has a new scoring leader as for the first time in quite a while Larry Yim of the Buffalo Brawlers lost his hold on the lead. Yim, who has been sidelined since March 17 and is expected to miss another week and a half with knee troubles, is averaging 23.3 points per game but has been surpassed, just barely, by second year Cleveland Crushers forward Ziggy Rickard. Selected third overall in last year's draft after Detroit grabbed Ward Messer and Syracuse followed with Darren Fuhrman, Rickard had an impressive rookie season but the former Central Ohio first team All-American has really blossomed this season with the highlight being a 37 point game last week in a 104-91 victory over Philadelphia. The Washington Statesmen continue to own the best record in the FBL. Twelve wins in their last 14 games improved the Washington record to 45-15 on the season, good for a 4.5 game lead on second place Baltimore atop the East Division. Their stingy defense, combined with strength on the boards from a rebounding trio of Ivan Sisco, Charlie Hooper and Willie Wright - all averaging double digits on boards- makes the Statesmen a tough team to stop. Defense and hard work rarely have slumps and as a result the Statesmen have not lost more than two consecutive games at any point this season. The top offense in the league belongs to West Division leading Detroit as the Mustangs are averaging 93.5 points per game and are successful on 33% of their field goal attempts. Only Toronto and Cleveland are more successful in hitting their shots. Sophomore Ward Messer -the FBL rookie of the year last season- leads the way with a .427 field goal percentage, second only to Cleveland's Ziggy Rickard. No sophomore jinx for Messer as the younger brother of baseball star Walt Messer is averaging 18.1 points per game and 18.6 rebounds. While the playoff race is getting most of the attention there is another key race well underway. The expansion St Louis Steamers and woeful Syracuse Titans are neck and neck for the worst record in the league and the chance to draft what appears to be a sure-fire superstar in Liberty College star Luther Gordon with the first pick in the summer draft. Of course, the teams need to survive in order to have Gordon next season as there are growing rumours a number of FBL clubs, including both the Steamers and Titans are in danger of folding. Here are the quarterly rankings of the top fighters in each of the three divisions recognized by the American Boxing Federation. ERICKSON AND WESTLAKE SET FOR WELTERWEIGHT DUEL The forthcoming Saturday night spectacle at Lake Erie Arena in Cleveland promises fistic fireworks as Mac Erickson and Mark Westlake prepare to rekindle their welterweight rivalry. A contest laden with anticipation, whispers among ringside pundits hint at a potential changing of the guard in the division. Erickson, the undefeated 29-year-old ABF World Welterweight champion, walks into the squared circle under the shadow of skepticism. The echo of his previous encounter with Westlake resonates—a November meeting marred by a controversial accidental head butt in the second round. The clash left Westlake bleeding profusely, a cut that proved too much for his corner to staunch. In a twist of fate, with Westlake ahead on the scorecards, referee Ernest Byrd halted the bout in the seventh round, declaring Erickson the victor to an uproar of dissent from both the crowd and Westlake's corner. The aftermath was a maelstrom of questions and discontent. Insults and objects rained into the ring, and Westlake's corner clamored for answers that never materialized. Erickson, to his credit, swiftly consented to a rematch, setting the stage for a redemption narrative that fight fans in Cleveland eagerly await. Notably, Byrd, the center of controversy in their prior meeting, will be absent. Jerry Rowe, a seasoned official with four title bouts under his belt, steps into the role of arbiter for this pivotal clash. Erickson's pristine 20-0 record, coupled with four successful title defenses since his conquest of Harold Stephens two years ago, paints him as a formidable force. In contrast, Westlake, at 27-5-1, seeks to reclaim past glory after briefly holding the welterweight title in 1946. A defeat to Stephens in his first title defense punctuated that chapter, adding a layer of redemption to his narrative. As the stage is set, and the arena hums with anticipation, fight fans brace for a night that might etch new lines in welterweight history—a night where the echoes of controversy fade, and the resounding crack of leather on flesh decides the rightful owner of the coveted championship. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS 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 4/02/1950 Foreign Ministers of the 12 Atlantic Pact nations will meet in London May 8 to chart new Western moves in the cold war and present Russia with a greater, unified strength. A State Department officials denounced as false and "a violation of trust and fairness" charges by Senator McCarthy that she is "pro-Communist." Meanwhile, Owen Lattimore, an American representative in the United Nations, has threatened to sue McCarthy for libel after the Senator labeled Lattimore this country's top Russian spy. As McCarthy continues to fire accusations in front of a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, observers predict that President Truman will refuse to make loyalty files available to the subcommittee. The IRS has ruled a $100 a plate Democrat dinner will not require Federal tax payable despite a 20 percent admission tax on the Republicans recent "buck-a-box" Lincoln Day supper party. A US Embassy plane crashed near Ottawa, killing five people including the American Ambassador to Canada. Police refuse to comment on speculation it was sabotage after witnesses saw the plane explode in the air before breaking apart and crashing. __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 02-28-2024 at 01:45 PM.