SAWYER’S THE GREATEST: HISTORICAL DEFENSE IN 8th ROUND KNOCKOUT
Lake Erie Arena, Cleveland, Ohio – We have seen Hector Sawyer in all his professional phases. Sawyer as a young champion. Sawyer as a dominating force. Sawyer as a world ambassador. Sawyer as a conquering hero. Sawyer as an all-time champion. We are in this most recent phase with no particular end date in sight. Pundits wait for Sawyer’s next phase, with some experts expecting Sawyer to make it retirement as the Heavyweight Champion and others predicting Sawyer to finally be vanquished by the next great heavyweight.
Sawyer has successfully defended his belt 16 times, a record he currently shares with boxing great George Grainger. With Sawyer at the ripe old age of 36, you would never know it. His punches carry as much weight as ever. His presence is just as fierce and intimidating as a decade ago.
Brad Harris presents a new challenge, as a young, confident 22-year-old fighter with an undefeated record. Harris is a fast-riser and unlike others with title shots in the past, he is not getting his shot too early. Harris is ready, willing, and able to fight a legend. Also working in Harris’s favor is the location of the bout, which was staged in Cleveland, about 40 miles north of Harris’s hometown of Akron.
Harris is known as a fast starter and Sawyer’s prowess is in the middle rounds of his fights. This bout went exactly according to type. Harris confronted Sawyer quickly after the opening bell, almost as if he planned his first few moves. Harris faked a body shot and went upstairs with hook to Sawyer’s jaw, then quickly bobbed to avoid a right hand from the champion. It was almost two minutes into the round until Sawyer was able to manage anything more than a parry to defend Harris’s shots.
The second round was a good round for Sawyer, as he rebounded to control the action. Harris could not get loose because Sawyer had him on the run and on the defensive for most of the round. Harris had one chance to punch and could not double up because of Sawyer’s quickness and his veteran ability to stifle offense.
While both boxers could legitimately claim a round, the third round had a great back-and-forth between the two fighters. The challenger threw a cross that connected with Sawyer and the champion countered with a devastating uppercut. Late in the round, Harris managed to connect with his right and his left, leaving Sawyer hurt and in a position where he had to clinch to stop the momentum.
Sawyer gathered himself as the action carried to the fourth round and began his onslaught. He began to get loose to unleash hard shots upstairs. Harris tried to do the same and connected on an uppercut, but Harris had a little more success working the body. Sawyer was beginning to tilt the fight in his favor. The body blows from Harris would be the last punches of the fight that seemed to have any effect on Sawyer.
From the start of Round Five, Sawyer stuck and moved, zigged and zagged. He was very effective at throwing a scoring punch and moving away before the response from Harris was fired. It was like the bout slowed down for Sawyer. He had time to figure out Harris’s next move. He stalked Harris while he recovered and strategized on the fly. At this point, there was swelling evident under Harris’s right eye and Sawyer clearly targeted the eye with crosses and hooks.
When Harris was able to make hay with a scoring punch on Sawyer in Round 6, he was cornered and could not move away from Sawyer retaliatory right cross. Now, it was Harris trying to hold on to Sawyer for a respite. Referee Ernest Byrd, officiating his first heavyweight title fight, had to work hard to pry apart the big men.
The scene was set for Sawyer to continue his middle round domination, but Sawyer was content to stalk Harris, wait for him to act so that he could react. Harris cut Sawyer’s escape route and had him cornered, but missed on his attempts while Sawyer went directly at Harris late in the seventh round. Sawyer had Harris up against the ropes and took the wind out of Harris with a tremendous body shot. Harris crumpled up in a ball and fell to the floor. After dropping to his knees on his first attempt to stand, Harris was given a chance by the referee to catch his breath after Harris stood up on the count of eight. Byrd allowed the fight to continue, and the bell rang seconds later to end the round.
Sawyer’s corner was in his ear throughout the stoppage between rounds and the champion knew this was the time to put Harris away. Sawyer had momentum, his punches were marking Harris and the swelling under Harris’s right eye compromised the quickness of the challenger. Harris’s corner could not reduce the swelling under his eye. Sawyer started moving quickly, landing a right hand square on Harris’s chin, followed by a cross that caused Harris to backpedal to the corner. Sawyer continued on and finished him off with a crushing hook. Harris barely moved until the referee was halfway to ten. Harris got to a knee, but collapsed to the canvas, ending the fight.
Sawyer (65-3-1) had his record, an achievement unmatched in boxing history. He stood alone at the summit with his 17th win as champion, his 65th win and his 57th knockout. Harris (19-1-1) was a game challenger and probably represents the best of the heavyweights aiming for the belt at the young age of 22, but there is still a sizable gap between those heavyweights and the greatest of all time. Harris will almost certainly get another chance, but likely not while Sawyer is champion. It was a movie not in need of a sequel.
The typical questions will be asked, and no one knows whether Sawyer will ride off into the sunset after this fight. In the opinion of this intrepid reporter, there is nothing left to fight for, no one left to convince. Will he suit up for a 70th fight, will he enter his 12th year as champion? Only Sawyer and maybe his promoter, Chester Conley, know for sure. Sawyer has fought the old, the young, the ally, the enemy, and he has passed each test with flying colors. The score has been settled for quite some time that Sawyer is the greatest and it will be a long time until anyone dares to think otherwise.
BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Harris, 4-1 (S: 2:34 hook; H: 1:15 hook, 1:29 uppercut, 2:13 cross, 2:48 hook/side)
Round 2: Sawyer, 1-0 (0:35 cross)
Round 3: Harris, 3-2 (S: 1:01 uppercut, 1:31 right/midsection; H: 0:26 cross, 2:28 right, 2:41 left)
Round 4: Sawyer, 3-2 (S: 0:39 right/head, 0:58 combo, 2:33 hook/midsection; H: 1:21 uppercut/head, 2:00 combo))
Round 5: Sawyer, 3-0 (1:20 hook, 2:03 cross/face, 2:30 hook/head)
Round 6: Sawyer, 2-0 (1:36 cross, 1:52 combo)
Round 7: Sawyer, 1-0 (2:47 right/ribs/knockdown #1)
Round 8: Sawyer, 3-0 (0:24 right/chin, 0:46 cross, 1:14 hook/head/knockout)
TOTAL: Sawyer 17, Harris 8
- Dec 16- Cincinnati, OH: British heavyweight Ben Budgeford (22-3) vs contender Lewis Jones (23-3-1)
- Dec 19- Thompson Palladium, Detroit: Rising Detroit born heavyweight Joey Tierney (21-0) faces Dick Martin (20-12-3)
- Dec 20- Dominion Gardens, Toronto: Canadian middleweight champ Kevin Rawlings (25-6) defends his national title against Larry Barry (22-9-1)
- Dec 22- Flatbush Gardens, Brooklyn: Italian middleweight Hugo Canio (18-1-2) faces Denny Palmer (29-9)
- Dec 23- Baltimore, MD: welterweight contenders Willis May (25-7-2) and Heinie Verplanck (21-6-1) meet.
- Dec 23- Los Angeles, CA: unbeaten welterweight Ben Burns (18-0) faces ring veteran Steve Landry (46-19-4)
COWBOYS WILL FACE PALADINS IN PRO GRID TITLE GAME
It is a year too late but finally we will see the best of the Continental Football Conference against the best of the American Football Association. Such an exhibition had been demanded by fans for the past couple of years as they wanted to see just how good the kingpins of the Continental loop - namely Pat Chappell and the Kansas City Cowboys- really were. The CFC is no longer, with its 3 survivors, including the aforementioned Cowboys, carrying on by joining the established American circuit and now, after a dramatic conclusion to the regular season we will find out next week who really is the top dog in professional football as the Cowboys will square off with the Pittsburgh Paladins in a winner take all match that will feature sudden death overtime if necessary.
The Cowboys had a rough introduction to the new league, as coach Pete Walsh was forced to fine-tune his offensive approach after a 1-2 start, but Walsh's changes -introducing more of a reliance on Mason Matthews and the running game- quickly paid dividends and the Cowboys reeled off eight victories in their final nine games to claim the American Division title by half a game over the St Louis Ramblers.
**Finches Fly South In Standings For Yet Another December ***
Heading into the final day of action Sunday the Cowboys needed a win of their own but also a loss by the Cleveland Finches, who were tied with Kansas City for top spot after the Finches were upset the previous weekend. Cleveland, which has led its division in the late stages only to collapse three times in the past five years, had another colossal meltdown losing to division cellar dweller Boston 49-42 a week after falling to Philadelphia.
The result dropped the Finches from first to a tie for third place as their 8-4 record was equal to New York and ended up behind both 8-3-1 St Louis and the 9-3 division winners from Kansas City. Cleveland sportswriters will have a full winter trying to dissect why the local eleven could have first place in its grasp and simply need a win in the final weekend in 1946, 1948 and 1950 but fall short each time.
*** Matthews Leads Rushing Parade ***
The Cowboys made sure the opportunity was not going to slip through their fingers as Mason Matthews bulled his way for 81 yards to put him over the 1,000 mark for the season and the Cowboys manhandled the winless New Orleans Crescents 56-14. Matthews ran for two touchdowns, giving the big fullback 10 rushing scores to go with his loop topping 1,051 yards on the ground. Pat Chappell was not the passing machine we came to expect from four seasons of tearing up secondaries in the Continental loop as the Kansas City quarterback cut back on his pass attempts as the club relied more on Matthews and halfback Pat Hill. The results made Chappell a better quarterback despite season numbers of 1,748 throwing yards, 12 touchdown passes that paled in comparison to his Continental exploits.
The question now is how will the Cowboys stack up against a Pittsburgh eleven that was a league best 10-2. One of the Paladins two losses came at the hands of the Cowboys in a game that saw Matthews reel off two long first quarter touchdown runs. The Paladins are sure to be focused on the Cowboys fullback this time around but this one has the makings of what could be quite a football game as the best of the American Division and best of the Continental Division square off, although a couple years later than had been hoped for.
FINCHES COLLAPSE AGAIN
There is something about even numbered years that does not seem to agree with the Cleveland Finches. In 1946 the Finches entered their 10th game with a 5-2-1 record and leading the old West Division over the second place Chicago Wildcats who were 4-4. Cleveland lost two of its final three games including a season ending 28-24 defeat in Chicago in which the Finches led by 10 points with less than 9 minutes remaining to lose the division to the Wildcats.
Two years later in 1948 the Finches were a perfect 10-0 but lost 28-27 on a late touchdown to Pittsburgh and, after beating Detroit, were 10-1 and tied with a Chicago team that had lost its opening game of the season in Cleveland but had not fallen since. The two clubs met in the Windy City with the division title on the line for the second time in three years and once more the Finches came up short, falling 21-0 and once more missing out on the title game.
Fast forward to this season and the Finches were in first place with 2 games remaining. Those two games would be against a pair of teams in Philadelphia and Boston that would finish the season a combined 5-19 but Cleveland tripped up twice at home. First the Finches were hammered by the Frigates 35-6 and then, needing only a win against a bad Boston club, they came up short in a 49-42 slugfest that left them battered and bruised and sitting on the sidelines once more. It was not Chicago, but rather the Kansas City Cowboys who would take their place in the championship game this time around.
PALADINS VS COWBOYS FOR AFA TITLE
The Pittsburgh Paladins will be seeking revenge for their 24-10 loss to the Kansas City Cowboys earlier in the season when they meet at Fitzpatrick Park in Pittsburgh next Sunday. The Paladins entered that November 12 contest with a perfect 8-0 record but limped out with their first loss after Mason Matthews ran for 124 yards and two scores while Pat Chappell threw for over 200 yards in the Cowboys victory.
Pittsburgh actually limped into the game as well as it was played with Paladins quarterback Dusty Sinclair, who led the AFA in passing yards and touchdown throws this season, on the sidelines nursing an injury. Sinclair returned the following game and says he is ready this time around.
For the Paladins it will be their first appearance in the championship game since 1938, which was the last hurrah of a dominant Pittsburgh eleven that played in four titles games (winning two) over a five year span. The Kansas City Cowboys are making their first appearance in the AFA title game but have plenty of playoff experience with 3 wins from appearances in each of the four Continental Football Conference championship games.
GRID ALL-AMERICAN TEAM UNVEILED
It comes as little surprise that Pete Capizzi, who established a new single season collegiate passing record when he threw for 23 touchdowns, heads the list of 1950 All-American selections. Joining Capizzi on the elite eleven, is his Central Kentucky Tigers teammate Gene Trickle. Capizzi, Trickle and the rest of the Tigers finished the season 10-0-1 and ranked number one in the nation. They will tussle with Oklahoma City State on New Year's Day in a meeting between this year's champion and the top school from last season. The Wranglers, who are led by a pair of All-Americans of their own in halfback Philo Bennett and tackle Preston Rich, posted a 9-1 record this season to finish 5th in the final poll. The two schools will meet in the Cajun Classic on New Year's Day in New Orleans.
Here are the All-Americans for 1950.
HILL LEADS ABILENE BAPTIST TO WIN OVER NOBLE JONES COLLEGE IN CAPITAL CLASSIC
Ace Back Returns Opening Kickoff 100 Yards For Score
The Capital Classic football game was 20 minutes late starting Saturday, and 20 seconds later Abilene Baptist had the first of four touchdowns that helped them to a 24-17 victory over Noble Jones College before a crowd of 12,245 at Maryland State's Bengals Stadium.
Eddie Hill, the Chapparals All-Southern Border Association fullback, momentarily fumbled the kickoff on the goal line, but once he recovered possession he didn't let go until he sped past the Colonels defenders and took off up the sidelines at such a pace that he wasn't even chased for the last 40 yards.
On a day that much of the focus was on Charlie Barrell, the local three-sport star signal caller for Noble Jones College, it was Hill that stole the show. Before the first period was over, Hill, who mixes speed and deception with bull strength, also had an 81-yard touchdown gallop to his credit. For the day, his yardage total was 306, in running, pass and punt receiving and a short pass he threw set up a touchdown.
Barrell did look good when he had a chance to shine, passing for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the issue was the Colonels seemed to rarely have the ball as Abilene Baptist dominated the time of possession including running the final four and half minutes of the game off the clock, denying Barrell and the Colonels a chance for a last-ditched effort to try and tie the contest.
It ends a dreadful season for the Colonels, who finished 3-8-1 on the year just two seasons after a 10-1 campaign had them ranked 5th in the nation. The Chapparals, who won their first Southern Border Association title since 1942 with a 5-0-1 section record, finish 8-2-1 overall.
In the only other collegiate game this weekend the Travis College Bucks scored both of their touchdowns in the second quarter and went on to beat the Bayou State Cougars 14-3. Fullback Sammy Vint smashed through the Bayou State line twice from the 1-yard line to account for both of the Bucks touchdowns. Travis College, which now boasts an 8-2 record, will meet Detroit City College New Year's Day in El Paso when they tangle in the Desert Classic.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Travis College 14 Bayou State 3
CAPTIAL CLASSIC (Washington DC)
Abilene Baptist 24 Noble Jones College 17
COLLEGE SURVEY RAPS TELEVISION
Holding to the opinion that telecasting presents a threat to intercollegiate athletics, the television committee of the Academia Alliance recommended this week that no television commitments be made for next year by its members until after the American Intercollegiate Athletic Association convention at Dallas next month.
The committee announced that a special meeting of the Academia Alliance would be called to make a final decision on the controversial subject after the Dallas convention. The report, which was adopted, was one of the highlights of the annual meeting of the Alliance members and brought to an end four days of schedule making and conferences at the Hotel Biltmore in New York City.
The report:
"The television committee of the Academia Alliance has continued its study of all types of athletic telecasting during the past year, and still is of the opinion that live telecasting of sports events presents a threat to the institution of intercollegiate athletics. It is, however, also of the opinion, that independent action by regional groups should be held in abeyance pending the A.I.A.A. convention at Dallas, Tex., on Jan 12 and 13."
An echo of discord of AIAA enforcement of the "sanity code" was also heard when the executive council proposed a resolution to urge the national body to return to its former status as an administrative body and abandon its enforcement duties. However, that bombshell did not burst as Academia Alliance athletic directors narrowly defeated the proposal.
SHAMROCKS RIDING SEVEN GAME UNBEATEN STREAK
It is the New York Shamrocks turn to take over top spot as the NAHC standings are finally getting a little separation. The Shamrocks, who have not lost in their last seven games, have yet to shake the pesky Detroit Motors who remain just a point back of New York's league leading 33, but the rest of the pack has faded slightly.
The Toronto Dukes, who have lost 3 straight and are winless in their last four games, suddenly find themselves five points behind the front-runners from Broadway and now in third place. Meanwhile, the defending Challenge Cup champion Montreal Valiants are fourth place, six points off the lead after the Vals struggled recently with 4 losses in five games before righting the ship last night with a 6-3 victory over Toronto.
After some good health throughout the league in the early going the injury bug bit hard last week and few teams were exempt. The Montreal Valiants lost defenseman Isaac Finnson for a month with a lower body injury. The 27-year-old had 6 points in 27 games. Toronto will be without veteran center Bobbie Sauer for at least as long after the 36-year-old suffered a shoulder injury. It has been a tough start to the season for Sauer, who only had 4 goals and 7 points in 23 games after collecting 61 points in 65 games a year ago. Boston rearguard Conn Cundiff (1-4-5 in 24 games) and Detroit forward Lou Barber (7-5-12 in 24 games) will each miss the next week or so with injuries sustained last week.
*** Burns Extends Deal With Packers ***
A rare bit of good news out of Chicago this season as star center Tommy Burns will remain a Chicago Packer for likely the rest of his career after the 30-year-old agreed to a six year contract extension that will keep him in green and red through the 1956-57 season. The active all-time scoring leader in the NAHC will collect $23,500 each of the next six years after his current deal -which pays Burns a reported $21,500 runs out at the end of this season. Burns leads the Packers will 9 goals and 20 points in 24 games this season.
NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 6 Francis McKenzie scored in the first period and Millard Touhey took care of the rest by stopping all 25 Montreal shots in a 1-0 win at the Thompson Palladium for the Motors.
New York 2 at 1 Toronto : Alex Sorrell stopped 35 of 36 Toronto shots and George Collingsworth scored early in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and lead the Shamrocks to victory.
Boston 5 at 2 Chicago : Tommy Hart scored twice while Robert Walker and Jamie Nargang each had 2 helpers as the Bees dumped the struggling Packers 5-2.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 7
Detroit 6 at 2 Boston: Six goals is the most the Motors have scored in a game since October 25 when they beat Toronto 7-4. Louis Rocheleau and Vincent Arsenault led the way for Detroit on this night with Rocheleau scoring twice and adding an assist while Arsenault had three helpers. Graham Comeau also scored twice for the winners.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 9
Toronto 0 at 2 New York : Alex Sorrell proves too much for the Dukes for a second straight game. This time the Shamrocks netminder was perfect, stopping all 28 Toronto shots in a 2-0 Greenshirts victory. Orval Cabbell, who leads the NAHC in points, and Jim Macek scored for New York as the Shamrocks fired 39 shots on Toronto goaltender Gordie Broadway.
Montreal 0 at 2 Boston : Montreal is shutout for the second consecutive game. This time it is Oscar James making 25 saves in the Boston net. Second period goals from Ray Gustafson and Jamie Nargang provided the offense for the Bees.
Detroit 2 at 2 Chicago : Ed Delarue scored with a little over 5 minutes remaining in the game after the Motors had scored twice earlier in the third period as Chicago rallied for a rare point in earning a 2-2 tie against Detroit. Stanley Royce was the other Chicago marksmen while Vincent Arsenault and Graham Comeau had the Detroit goals.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 10
Boston 5 at 5 Detroit : A second straight tie for the Motors thanks to a late goal from Moe Treadwell. The defenseman took center stage on offense with Jamie Nargang scoring twice for the Bees and Brock Ternovatsky notching three assists for Detroit.
Toronto 3 at 6 Montreal : Toronto never recovered from an awful first period and lost for the third straight game. Montreal scored four times in the opening eleven minutes with six different Vals beating rookie Toronto goaltender Charlie Dell on the night. It was just Dell's second career appearance and the former first round pick had a much rougher go of things than he did in his November debut, a 2-1 win over Detroit.
Chicago 1 at 2 New York : John Beaudoin's first career NAHC goal and Orval Cabbell's league leading 13th of the season staked the New York Shamrocks to a 2-1 win over Chicago in a game that could have been much worse for the Packers had Norm Hanson not made 42 saves. Packers fans have to be wondering what is wrong with Tommy Burns. The center, who just inked a six-year contract extension, is pointless in his last four games and has scored just once in his last nine outings.
UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 13
Boston at Toronto
New York at Chicago
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14
Chicago at Montreal
Detroit at New York
SATURDAY DECEMBER 16
New York at Detroit
Toronto at Boston
Montreal at Chicago
SUNDAY DECEMBER 17
Chicago at Detroit
Boston at Montreal
New York at Toronto
DUKES ON WRONG END OF THREE STRAIGHT
The Toronto Dukes dropped from first to third place in the NAHC thanks to three losses during the week including two to the front-running Shamrocks and the other one to Montreal.
The rough week started on Wednesday in Dominion Gardens hosting New York. The first period ended scoreless with both teams feeling each other out looking for openings in the other team's defensive armour. Toronto turned up the offensive heat in the second testing Alex Sorrell 16 times in 20 minutes. Sorrell was only beaten once when Lou Galbraith scored at 8:49 from Bobby Sauer and Quinton Pollack on the powerplay while Ryan Kennedy was serving time for interference. The Dukes could have easily been up 2 or 3 had Sorrell not robbed them continually before Jocko Gregg beat Broadway on a feed from Jim Macek at 11:27 to even the contest. Through two periods Sorrell made 23 saves, while Broadway kicked away 15 of 16 NY shots.
The final twenty was a wide open affair as the Dukes tried to get the equalizer after George Collingsworth scored his first of the year off a rebound from a Jack Watkins shot at 3:30. Dukes pressed on, at times turning over the puck that led to a Shamrocks counter attack, but were not able to put another puck into the New York cage. Sorrell backstopped the visitors to 2-1 win with 36 saves in game that left many players and fans shaking their heads over missed opportunities in the NY end.
The same two teams met in Bigsby Gardens Saturday in another goaltending duel between Sorrell and Broadway. The home side took 41 of the 69 total shots on goal for the game. Shamrocks scored the only two goals of the game, one in the first by sniper Orval Cabbell his 12th of the season then second by Jim Macek with just under 9 minutes remaining in the game. Sorrell continued to befuddle the Dukes as he turned away all 28 shots on goal in a 2-0 whitewash. Sorrell made 54 saves on 55 Duke shots over two games. Broadway was almost his equal with 55 saves out of 59 shots.
Toronto took the overnight train into Montreal to face the Vals Sunday. Charlie Dell got his second start between the pipes. It did not go nearly as well as his debut. Toronto came out flying when Lou Galbraith got to double digits in goals at 00:37 after Clarence Skinner was caught holding after the opening puck drop. The walls quickly caved in on the Dukes and Dell as Pat Coulter tied the game at 1:01 then goals by Wayne Augustin, Brett Lanceleve and Arlen Doherty put the home side up 4-1 before the game was 11 minutes old. Quinton Pollack pulled the Dukes back to within two at 13:01 in a wild six goal opening frame.
Toronto fired 25 shots at Tom Brockers in the second but beat the veteran Montreal netminder just once when Doug Zimmerman tallied his 5th on the power play to trim the Vals lead to 4-3. However Ray Sclisizzi restored the two goal Montreal lead with just over a minute to play in second. Both teams tightened a little defensively in the third with the Dukes being held to 9 shots on goal trying to get back into the game. They got caught pressing when Ed McRae was sent in alone on Dell to score the final marker of the game at 17:41 making the final 6-3 Montreal.
Coach Barrell- "We lost all three games but there is no need for the fans to panic over the losses. The two the Shamrocks were basically Sorrell giving them both victories. We win at least one, if not both, of those had he not stoned us twice in three days. Broadway wins most of the games in which he only allows two to get behind him.
We are still snake bit far too often on the attack but we have a bigger issue to deal with at present. Bobby Sauer will be out until sometime in January with a separated shoulder, Ken Jamieson will start his NAHC career next week between Lavalliere, Cameron. Trevor will move to the middle with wingers Charette, Navarro. We were hoping to give Jamieson a full season in the minors, he will have mature a little quicker, he will spending extra time with the coaches before and after our practices with the Black Aces. Painchaud is also out with groin strain, although he should be back soon. We have been lucky with injuries thus far, every team goes through hard times, hopefully we can recover quickly from these losses, injuries."
- Luther Gordon tamed the Washington Statesmen. The Chicago Panthers ran their winning streak to four and snapped Washington's seven-game streak of its own in a 75-68 Chicago triumph. Gordon naturally led Chicago with 28 points, but only went to the free-throw line twice (he hit both shots, by the way). Entering the fourth quarter, Washington was up 60-51, but Chicago pulled in front with a 24-8 final stanza. Gordon put Chicago up 65-64 with 3:46 remaining and up for good at 67-66 with 2:40 left.
- The first game of the week was an appetizer for Gordon, setting up for the main course. After home-and-home wins last week against Toronto and the win at Washington early in the week, the Panthers came home to Lakeside for a big matchup with first-place Rochester. Chicago came all the way back from a 30-12 first quarter deficit to force overtime and win, 112-108. Gordon exploded for 46 points, one shy of his career high set only last week, hoisting up 45 shots, exactly one-third of the shots Chicago offered. Gordon was 15-for-45 from the field and made 16 of 18 foul shots, adding 22 rebounds. Chicago moved to within a half-game of Rochester with the victory.
- Just one loss and Washington is looking over their shoulder at the surging New York Knights. The Knights have used a 6-1 home record to get to 10-5 for the season, one-half game behind the Statesmen in the East. Sam Bigsby, the owner of the Knights, is hoping to goose the attendance at his Gardens, but the team is averaging less than 3,000 fans a game. Four players average in double figures for the top scoring team in the East at 86.9 points per game. The Knights won all three of their home games this week with wins against Boston (107-77), Baltimore (103-95), and Philadelphia (82-70), but could not pierce the 3,500 attendance barrier. The five-game homestand continues tonight with a chance to take over first place in the East as the Knights will face the Statesmen.
NOTES FROM AROUND THE FEDERAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
Bob Murphy of the Detroit Times: Mustangs Coach James Williams needs to have a talk with Jack Kurtz. The star center has always been a complainer -never seems happy since we added Ward Messer to the mix- but he is taking out his frustrations on the court. Kurtz has collected at least 5 fouls and been forced to spend extended time on the bench in 11 of his last 12 games and fouled out four times in that span. None worse than this week where on Wednesday Kurtz played just 9 minutes and was pointless in a loss to Buffalo and then was limited to 18 minutes -but he did score 18 points- because of foul trouble in a win over Cleveland Thursday. Kurtz already has 4 games this season in which he scored in just single digits including the goose egg against Buffalo. This from a player who averaged at least 16.5 ppg each of the past four seasons.
Archie Irwin of the Chicago Daily News: The Panthers starting to heat up, winning four straight to improve to 9-6, now just a half game behind the first place Rockets. Just two games after scoring 47, superstar Luther Gordon dropped 46 in a 112-108 overtime win over first place Rochester. Gordon continues to lead the league in points per game (28.9) and is holding steady with the 4th most rebounds (17.6)
CHECK IN ON THE TOP FIVE PRO PROSPECTS
Here is a look at how each of the players OSA projects as the top five eligible for the summer Federal Basketball League draft are performing.
1: MEL TURCOTTE - Forward, Carolina Poly: The senior from New York City is a big reason why the Cardinals are 6-0 and ranked number one in the nation. Turcotte leads the team in points, averaging 14.0 per game, and rebounds with 9.3 which places him in the top ten in the nation in that category. He had a season high 24 points in a win over Sadler a couple of weeks ago and scored 18 recently against St. Patrick's but is coming off his least productive game of the season, tallying just 7 points although he did also have 7 boards, in a 51-41 victory over St. Martin's College on Friday.
2: DARRYL BAUGHER - Center, Western Iowa: The Canaries are a top ten school and expected to challenge for their third straight Great Lakes Alliance conference championship. Baugher is averaging 9 points per games and a team high 8.3 rebounds. The Canaries have a long break in their schedule, with their last game a 68-52 win over Custer College on November 21 and they do not play again until they face Colorado Poly this weekend.
3: ROD BOOKMAN - Guard, Frankford State: Bookman is far and away the top guard available in a draft full of big men. The New Jersey native is scoring at a 14.8 ppg clip, which is on a pace to smash his career high. He is just outside the top ten nationally with his 4.6 assists per game average. A tremendous defender, Bookman is also among the AIAA leaders in steals. Considering the shortage of high end guards in the upcoming draft, Bookman may just be the first name called by FBL general managers in June.
The one knock on him may be that he does not see top competition, at least not until the year end tournament. Frankford State is an independent and presently owns an 8-1 record including 3 wins last week but over smaller schools such as Allentown State, Adirondack State and Alabama Gulf Coast. Bookman had 21 points to start the week in a 52-42 win over the Ironmen and finished it with 18 points in a 50-32 victory over the Privateers.
4: DUMPY KRAUS - Center, Maryland State: The center from Lexington, VA., is often overshadowed by South Atlantic Conference rival Turcotte but has all the attributes that should make him a very strong post player in the pros. Kraus is averaging over 11 points a game and nearly 9 rebounds for the Bengals, who are 3-1 on the year following a 54-34 victory over Commonwealth Catholic early last week. Kraus went 5-for-11 from the field with 11 points and a game high 9 rebounds.
5: CHRIS CORBETT - Forward, Detroit City College The Knights have struggled in the early going this season and may be challenged to make the AIAA tournament, which might hurt Corbett's draft stock. A Los Angeles native who was a High School All-American but has been slow to shine in college ball. While he does not stand out in any one aspect, OSA feels he can be a very solid all-around pro player. Corbett is averaging 9.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds for the 1-3 Knights who were upset by tiny Granville College 45-44 in their lone game last week.
WEEKEND RESULTS FOR RANKED TEAMS
MONDAY DECEMBER 4
#2 Whitney College 76, at Ohio Poly 70
at #5 Coastal California 60, Kansas Agricultural 41
#6 North Carolina Tech 62, at Caesar Rodney 52
#12 St. Ignatius 48, at NW Pennsylvania 37
at #22 Maryland State 54, Commonwealth Catholic 34
at #24 Annapolis Maritime 53, Brooklyn State 50
TUESDAY DECEMBER 5
#8 Frankford State 52, at Allentown State 42
at #10 Ellery 52, St. Pancras 45
at Grafton 49, #13 Chesapeake State 39
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 6
at #2 Whitney College 64, St. Martin's College 51
#3 Rainier College 60, at San Francisco Tech 42
#7 Noble Jones College 47, at Rome State 44
at #9 Coastal State 50, Northern Mississippi 36
at #17 St. Blane 63, Western State 55
THURSDAY DECEMBER 7
at #5 Coastal California 63, Minnesota Tech 50
at #10 Ellery 62, Berwick 44
#12 St. Ignatius 61, at Central Illinois 52
at #14 Boulder State 59, Mile High State 52
at #23 Northern California 56, Utah A&M 45
at #24 Annapolis Maritime 45, St. Pancras 40
FRIDAY DECEMBER 8
at #1 Carolina Poly 51, St. Martin's College 41
at #6 North Carolina Tech 54, Dickson 39
#8 Frankford State 57, at Adirondack State 52
at #11 Brunswick 65, Michigan Lutheran 53
#15 CC Los Angeles 51, at Sadler 41
at #19 Indiana A&M 60, Commonwealth Catholic 51
at #25 Central Kentucky 62, Grange College 34
SATURDAY DECEMBER 9
#23 Northern California 59, at Western Montana 54
SUNDAY DCEMBER 10
at #2 Whitney College 65, Kansas Agricultural 46
at #3 Rainier College 62, Grafton 47
at #8 Frankford State 50, Alabama Gulf Coast 38
at #11 Brunswick 68, Manhattan Tech 60
#12 St. Ignatius 62, at Harper College 56
at #16 Alabama Baptist 49, Bulein 48
#17 St. Blane 59, at #15 CC Los Angeles 57
BIG WEEK IN CUBA FOR SOME TOP FABL PROSPECTS
It was a big week for some of FABL's top prospects in the CWL, most notably on the Chicago combination squad, the Cienfuegos Crocodiles. It all started on Monday, when #3 ranked prospect Rod Shearer led the charge in a 15-3 thwacking of the Matanzas Buccaneers. Not only was he a perfect 5-for-5, but one of my personal favorite prospects known best as "Hot Rod" hit three balls out of the park, driving in 9 runs in his five trips to the plate. He added in a double as well, finishing a triple shy of the cycle in a game he'll remember for the rest of his life. He then followed that huge performance up with back-to-back two-hit games, as the Crocs topped the Buccaneers (5-4) and Havana Sharks (7-2). He was hit less in the lone loss, but Shearer now has an elevated .389/.450/.778 (197 OPS+) batting line in 40 trips to the plate. Aside form his big five hit game, he has another double and homer, giving him six extra base hits, ten runs, and fifteen RBIs three weeks in.
Teammate and 7th ranked prospect Bob Allen then showed everyone why he's the top rated pitching prospect in the game, as he picked up his first win of the winter with a dominant 10-strikeout complete game victory. He allowed just 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks, lowering his ERA and WHIP to 3.60 (132 ERA+) and 1.15 respectively through 20 innings. Two of the most exciting prospects in the game, the CWL gives them a chance to showcase just how good they are.
They're not alone from the top 10, with seven of the top ten prospects currently on CWL rosters. They all haven't been as lucky as Shearer and Allen, as their teammate and 9th ranked prospect Jerry Smith is hitting just .244/.370/.356 (80 OPS+) with a triple, homer, and 7 RBIs. Top ranked prospect Rick Masters (.286, 1, 10) is doing a bit above or below average, depending on if you prefer OPS+ (93) or WRC+ (104), but considering the former 2nd Pick is just barely 20, the Minutemen have to be happy with how he's done so far. Teammate Joe Kleman hasn't hit much at all, just .295/.360/.318 (65 OPS+), but like Masters he's just 20, and he's looked good defensively at short. 4th Ranked prospect George Atkins is giving Pioneers fans something to be excited about, as after a decent debut season (18-for-64, 106 WRC+, 2 SB), he's hit .295/.446/.432 (114 OPS+), good for a 132 WRC+ with 12 walks, a homer, and 6 RBIs.
But even with Shearer's big night, no top prospect is performing better then the one owned by the champion Cleveland Foresters. That would be Joe Wood, who was acquired in what now looks like a heist of the New York Stars, as for Richie Hughes they were able to acquire him, All-Star and Kellogg Winner Larry McClure, and two other big leaguers in Bill Grove (Kings) and Hank Berkowitz (Foresters), with Berkowitz the top starter in the CWL so far (2-0, 0.41, 16). Wood, known by scouts as "The Sioux Falls Sensation," ranks #6 on the prospect list, and has hit an astronomical .429/.520/.952 (254 OPS+) with 7 homers and 17 RBIs in just 11 games. No three homer games for him, but now CWL player has more homers to date, and it may be tough to catch the now 23-year-old. If there's any team that doesn't need help, it's Cleveland, and an outfield of him, Frenchy Sonntag, and Sherry Doyal is sure to cause headaches for Continental pitching staffs everywhere.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/10/1950
- The possibility that United Nations forces may suffer total military defeat in Korea, necessitating a Dunkirk-like withdrawal by sea and air, was said to be the focus of a crisis conference early in the week that included President Truman and British Prime Minister Attlee.
- This after thirteen countries, including the Big Three Western powers, called on the United Nations Assembly to act immediately to stop Communist China's intervention in Korea.
- Russia's Andrei Vyshinsky says that Red China and its people want peace in Korea but he added it must come after the withdrawal of U.N. forces from the country.
- As the week came to a close 20,000 American and Allied troops battled desperately to break through fiery Red Chinese traps in efforts to reach the Korean east coast for probable mass removal by sea. American bomber planes are also attempting to soften up additional Chinese units blocking the escape route.
- Back home the US faces a critical shortage on wool and a Senate subcommittee blames the Munitions Board which it says "has clearly and miserably failed its responsibilities." Its report says the United States - faced with the prospect of a long winter campaign in Korea and the maintenance of a 3-million-man armed force- has no wool in its inventory.