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ayaghmour2 · 01-23-2025, 12:26 PM

OCTOBER 8, 1962

Series Even at One, Mack and Hasson set to Pitch in St. Louis

With the way the season finished, both triple crown winner Frenchy Mack (25-5, 2.06, 288) and 3-Time Allen winner Billy Hasson (20-9, 3.11, 185) weren't rested to start the series in San Francisco, so they'll now pitch game three and four in front of their home fans. No starter has been announced for gave five, but if the Pioneers co-aces aren't sharp they might not get another chance to pitch. It's nice to have them set up for game six and seven, but there's no guarantees in the postseason, and the Sailors will want their revenge for losing three consecutive World Championship Series against the Pioneers.

I doubt rookie Danny Daniels (11-13, 4.56, 1.48) expected to pitch game one of a World Championship Series, but sure enough the 24-year-old lefty got to take on Charlie Lawson (16-10, 4.02, 169). Despite being a year younger, Lawson is the ace of the Conti's best rotation, and he was selected to his 2nd All-Star game this season. The difference in quality was apparent, as Daniels allowed five in the first three innings. The biggest contribution was Ray Rogan's (.307, 14, 85) two-run double, those Daniels did complete a scoreless fourth before his game ended.

24-year-old southpaw Mel Hill was the first reliever used in the WCS, and the Sailors got to him quick. John Kingsbury (.350, 22, 113, 13) singled and Heinie Spitler (.333, 4, 81, 27) walked, both reaching base to eventually score. Seven runs was plenty for Lawson, who needed just 114 pitches to finish off a 7-3 win to start the series. In front of the home fans, he allowed just 7 hits and 3 runs, striking out 7 while not allowing a single free pass. He has a chance to make three starts should they choose, but relying on their depth is what got them here, and none of their pitchers have shown any reason to distrust them.

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

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

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

A SAD BEGINNING COMES TO AN END

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Archie Gouldie

Pitching Wins Championships

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

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

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

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

Miners Strike Gold in Draft
Listed below are the current 1962 prospect ratings out of the draft:

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

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

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

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

STARS AND RAMBLERS STAY PERFECT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LITTLE CHANGE AT TOP OF AIAA GRID CHART

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS
Eastern State Monitors 34, Charleston Tech Admirals 27
Maryland State Bengals 32, Columbia Military Academy Cadets 13
Cowpens State Fighting Green 33, North Carolina Tech Techsters 10
Carolina Poly Cardinals 35, Coastal State Eagles 17
Mississippi A_M Generals 28, Bayou State Cougars 19
George Fox Reds 26, Brunswick Knights 6
Dickson Maroons 25, Grafton Scholars 24
Sadler Bluecoats 22, Pierpont Purple 0
Henry Hudson Explorers 27, Ellery Bruins 13
Provo Tech Lions 34, Wyoming A_I Prospectors 7
Mile High State Falcons 59, Cache Valley Cowboys 6
South Valley State Roadrunners 30, Custer College Cavalry 27
Utah A_M Aggies 17, Colorado Poly Redbirds 9
Canyon A_M Armadillos 36, Abilene Baptist Chaparrals 0
El Paso Methodist Bandits 6, Tempe College Titans 3
Texas Panhandle Cowboys 34, Valley State Gunslingers 14
Oklahoma City State Wranglers 20, Daniel Boone College Frontiersmen 17
Iowa A_M Bulls 28, Boulder State Grizzlies 13
Eastern Kansas Warriors 17, College of Omaha Raiders 9
Lubbock State Hawks 16, Arkansas A_T Badgers 6
Travis College Bucks 20, Red River State Rowdies 16
Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes 31, Amarillo Methodist Grizzlies 21
Whitney College Engineers 16, Detroit City College Knights 0
Minnesota Tech Lakers 49, Lincoln Presidents 14
St Ignatius Lancers 14, Indiana A_M Reapers 10
Western Iowa Canaries 24, Wisconsin State Brewers 3
Central Ohio Aviators 29, St Magnus Vikings 6
Coastal California Dolphins 55, Idaho A_M Pirates 17
Redwood Mammoths 34, Rainier College Majestics 6
Lane State Emeralds 38, CC Los Angeles Coyotes 17
Northern California Miners 16, Spokane State Indians 14
Bluegrass State Mustangs 33, Alabama Baptist Panthers 0
Georgia Baptist Gators 16, Opelika State Wildcats 3
Western Florida Wolves 7, Noble Jones College Colonels 3
Cumberland Explorers 44, Central Kentucky Tigers 3
Northern Mississippi Mavericks 38, Baton Rogue State Red Devils 10
Chesapeake State Clippers 51, Richmond State Colonials 7
Alexandria Generals 24, Potomac College Pelicans 6
Huntington State Miners 19, Bulein Hornets 10
American Atlantic Pelicans 34, Petersburg Patriots 6
Mobile Maritime Middies 34, Central Carolina Lions 21
Cleveland Tigers 27, College of San Diego Friars 13
Rome State Centurions 23, Lambert College Stags 18
St Pancras Lions 37, Wisconsin Catholic Cavaliers 21
Miami State Gulls 17, Pittsburgh State Finches 14
St Blane Fighting Saints 37, Annapolis Maritime Navigators 3
Commonwealth Catholic Knights 34, McKinney State Renegades 17
Penn Catholic Crusaders 28, Minns College Mavericks 25
Garden State Redbirds 35, Northern Minnesota Muskies 16
Ferguson Wildcats 31, College of Waco Cowboys 30
Chicago Poly Catamounts 20, Darnell State Legislators 14
Eastern Oklahoma Pioneers 16, Portland Tech Magpies 10
Topeka State Braves 23, Boston State Pirates 20
Lawrence State Chippewa 37, Queen City Monarchs 26

IS IT TIME MAROONS RIDE THE SLED?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sled Hicks has just never received a fair shake in Detroit but with a crucial game, and a very winnable one, at Houston next Sunday this might be the time to see what Hicks can do. A loss to the second year Outlaws, who are 2-2 and have not looked bat at all this season, and a return to the playoffs is going to be a very difficult uphill battle.

*** Knights New Year's Plans Dealt a Crushing Blow ***

Any hopes the Detroit City College Knights might have entertained about returning to Santa Ana for another New Year's Day classic game were crushed in Chicago yesterday after the Whitney College Engineers, a school that had never beaten the Knights since league stats were first tracked in 1940, shocked DCC 16-0 at Chicago's Cougars Stadium.

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

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

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

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 10/07/1962

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

01-23-2025, 12:26 PM	#1062
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	October 8th, 1962 OCTOBER 8, 1962 Series Even at One, Mack and Hasson set to Pitch in St. Louis With the way the season finished, both triple crown winner Frenchy Mack (25-5, 2.06, 288) and 3-Time Allen winner Billy Hasson (20-9, 3.11, 185) weren't rested to start the series in San Francisco, so they'll now pitch game three and four in front of their home fans. No starter has been announced for gave five, but if the Pioneers co-aces aren't sharp they might not get another chance to pitch. It's nice to have them set up for game six and seven, but there's no guarantees in the postseason, and the Sailors will want their revenge for losing three consecutive World Championship Series against the Pioneers. I doubt rookie Danny Daniels (11-13, 4.56, 1.48) expected to pitch game one of a World Championship Series, but sure enough the 24-year-old lefty got to take on Charlie Lawson (16-10, 4.02, 169). Despite being a year younger, Lawson is the ace of the Conti's best rotation, and he was selected to his 2nd All-Star game this season. The difference in quality was apparent, as Daniels allowed five in the first three innings. The biggest contribution was Ray Rogan's (.307, 14, 85) two-run double, those Daniels did complete a scoreless fourth before his game ended. 24-year-old southpaw Mel Hill was the first reliever used in the WCS, and the Sailors got to him quick. John Kingsbury (.350, 22, 113, 13) singled and Heinie Spitler (.333, 4, 81, 27) walked, both reaching base to eventually score. Seven runs was plenty for Lawson, who needed just 114 pitches to finish off a 7-3 win to start the series. In front of the home fans, he allowed just 7 hits and 3 runs, striking out 7 while not allowing a single free pass. He has a chance to make three starts should they choose, but relying on their depth is what got them here, and none of their pitchers have shown any reason to distrust them. Game two was all Pioneers, as after failing to solve Charlie Lawson, they had their way with George Fuller (17-10, 3.72, 132). The third year southpaw couldn't get out of the first in his first postseason start, allowing 3 walks, 4 hits, and 5 runs without getting a strikeout. Pulling their co-ace early gave a chance for the pen to salvage the game and him to pitch again sooner, In a lineup full of stars, it was Dixie Hutchings (.271, 12, 54) who made things happen, as the former Sailor hit home runs in the 1st and 2nd inning of game two. Both came with no men on, and he singled to finish his 3-for-5 outing. Bob Bell (.386, 46, 120), Jerry Smith (.304, 27, 100, 14), Danny Davis (.352, 26, 96), and Paul Watson (.247, 8, 68) all doubled, as the visitors pounded Sailor pitching for 9 runs and 14 hits. The overlooked Steve Madden (16-10, 3.40, 143) came an out away from a complete game victory, as the league's 5th ranked pitcher contributed an RBI and two singles in the 9-1 win. Evening the series, Madden scattered 5 hits and 5 walks, striking out 4 in his first playoff start. A bases loaded walk scored the only run, but with plenty of early support Madden was able to right the ship quickly. A SAD BEGINNING COMES TO AN END Everyone knew it would be difficult. The Imperials expansion brothers all struggled. Minneapolis even managed 105 losses, while the Suns and Wranglers both finished 9th. But then there was the debut season of New York's expansion franchise. Setting CA records for losses 116, lowest win pct, .247, highest ERA 5.91 among others the Imps challenged the question, "is bad baseball better than no baseball?" After some initial excitement, interest waned, attendance dropped as the losses mounted. After all it is quite a trip for baseball starved CA fans from Brooklyn to travel to northernmost Manhattan to watch their team lose. One wonders if Brooklyn fans may start considering the much shorter trip to Queens where the Gothams are at least middling. Taking a look at this year's team, there isn't much hope for quick improvement. Yes by year's end the rotation was quite a bit younger. Still no one had a winning record and 32 year old Milt Lane's 4.57 led all starters. The only pitcher to have a better than league average ERA was closer Glenn Webb at 2.98. On the offensive side there were a couple of highlights. As expected Turk Ramsey bashed a good number of homers. His 36 was 4th in the CA. Overall, Turk split time between 1B and LF and finished with a .282 average and a team leading 89 RBI. Also putting in a solid season at the plate was rookie Jack Woods. The Imps lone all-star, Woods hit .282 with 26 homers and 74 RBI. Tommie Williams led the team with a .314 average. We now have standards for future Imps to try surpassing. On the farm, ranked 13th by OSA, most of the top prospects are years away. At C level Burlington, Number 9 ranked prospect by OSA, George Love hit .282 while teammate Andy Bailey (#73) hit .308. Oh the pitching side at AAA Jersey City Art Roberts managed a 14-12 record. The Imps will need to continue to draft well and maybe with some experience the current roster can avoid the long losing streaks and pick up a few more wins next season. It's still going to be a long haul, but at least the first season is in the books. By Archie Gouldie Pitching Wins Championships For those that argument that pitching doesn't win championships, I give to you the top 3 teams in team ERA this season. Yes the two World Series teams are in the mix. They also happen to be the 3 winningest teams in the FABL this season. St. Louis 97-57 3.61 ERA Detroit 96-58 3.79 ERA San Fran 98-56 3.83 ERA They also happen to be the top 3 clubs as far as won/loss record on the season. The CA had a collective 4.54 team ERA and the FA was slightly higher at 4.59 team ERA. MLB clubs in 1962 had a collective team ERA of 3.96. The FABL clubs with 4 expansion teams certainly raised our average. Two of the clubs we north of 5.75 in Team ERA with Minneapolis at 5.77 and New York Imperials at 5.91 Miners Strike Gold in Draft Listed below are the current 1962 prospect ratings out of the draft: Pittsburgh had an impressive draft, as the Miners hit with the top rated prospect (#4 in the OSA top 200) with the 5th overall pick. They followed that up with the 6th rated prospect in the 2nd round. Then in the 4th round they found the #86 overall rated prospect. Even their 3rd round pick was no slouch either as that player checks in at #101. Pittsburgh will have a great 1962 draft class to use to build up the Miners. Best value based on where in the 1st round a player was taken has to go to the Philadelphia Keystones with the 19th pick in the 1st round they grabbed the #12 prospect. Besides the Miners pick in the 2nd round, Montreal found the #29 prospect with their pick in the 2nd round (picking 8th in the round). Shout out to the NY Imperials for grabbing the #73 overall rated prospect in round 3 (pick 3.2) and the LA Stars for grabbing with the 4th round pick (pick 4.16) the #78 overall prospect. Appearing in his 7th career postseason, Edwin Hackberry is representing the Continental Association for the first time. Despite the experience, he's 1-for-10 in his first two teams, not yet able to add to his FABL high 33 WCS runs scored. His 31 RBIs are also the most If the veteran outfielder is able to hit a home run, he'll tie Bobby Barrell for the most postseason homers. Hackberry currently has 8, and if he can hit his 13th double he'd take that record outright from former teammate Stan Kleminski (.292, 5, 47, 15) A source close to the Minutemen front office expressed confidence in how both of their top two picks faired in 1962.1B/OF Bob Schultz (#20) and LHP John McCormick (83th) both rank inside the top 100, and no player selected after them rank ahead. Both are high-upside high school picks who spent their season in Hattiesburg. Schultz hit .279/.445/.384 (104 OPS+) with 4 homers, 27 RBIs, and 20 steals while McCormick was 4-3 despite an outstanding 2.90 ERA (178 ERA+) in his 13 starts STARS AND RAMBLERS STAY PERFECT For 15 minutes in Boston it looked like the New York Stars had finally met their match but then the two-time American Football Association champions turned the tables and dominated the hometown Boston Americans 32-17. The victory improves the Stars record to 4-0 and they, along with the West Division leading St. Louis Ramblers, are the only unbeaten teams remaining in the AFA. There was plenty of excitement at Minutemen Stadium in advance of the Yanks-Stars contest. Boston has not had a winning season since 1956 but the quick 3-0 start coupled with a lackluster September from the park's primary tenant -FABL's Boston Minutemen- had the stadium buzzing as the Americans set to square off against the East Division's other unbeaten team. The excitement grew as the Americans first series began with back Kevin Sova shredding the Stars defense for 24 yards. Five plays later quarterback Bob McKoon hooked up with Paul Ross on a 19-yard scoring toss that gave Boston an early lead. The volume only escalated when seven-minutes later Bob Callender's four yard push up the middle put the Americans ahead 14-0. New York did cut into the lead with a pair of second period field goals from Cornelius McAlpin but Yanks fans were still pretty confident at the half with their heroes enjoying a 14-6 lead and seemingly in control. New York has won four AFA titles this decade and the primary reason has been the work of Stars head coach Dolph Ulrich and the bench boss earned his money on this day with a rousing locker room speech and key adjustments at the break. New York was different team in the second half and quickly got the break it needed when McKoon fumbled as he was sacked by Tom Keeney. Keeney recovered the ball at the Boston 20-yard line and two plays later New York quarterback Harris Kummer, making his first start in place of the injured Orlin Youngs, connected with Rusty Drews on a 23-yard touchdown strike to cut the Boston lead to 14-12. A two-point conversion attempted failed but another Boston fumble gave the Stars an opportunity to take the lead. They needed four plays to do just that with Jeff Colella diving over the line from a yard out to put the Stars up 19-14 and they never looked back, outscoring Boston 26-3 in the second half and improving to 4-0 with the 32-17 victory. Normally it is the New York offense that gets much of the attention but with Youngs sidelined, it was the defense that stepped up. Keeney, the veteran linebacker in his 10th season in New York was outstanding as was his long-time fellow New York linebacker Billy Board. Rookie defensive end Jerry Van Wagoner, a second round pick out of Lincoln, played the best game of his young career with 7 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. In all the defense forced four Boston turnovers which turned the game in the second half. While all the attention in St. Louis is on the baseball Pioneers pennant win, the Ramblers football team has quietly strung together four straight wins including a thrilling come from behind 20-17 victory over Los Angeles yesterday. The Tigers led 17-0 midway through the third quarter before the Ramblers exploded for 20 points to pull out the victory, ruining a big game from Tigers star running back Dick Drum, who gained 145 yards and scored a touchdown. The quick start to the season has the Ramblers thinking playoffs, something that has not happened since 1957. The Ramblers have been around since 1932 but have never won a post-season game in their history, reaching the playoffs just twice in that span. After losing at home to Detroit in their season opener, the Chicago Wildcats have won back to back games with both coming against the San Francisco Wings. Chicago prevailed 21-9 at Cougars Park a week ago and yesterday the rematch at Golden Gate Stadium yielded similar results as the Wildcats came away with a 23-10 triumph despite the Wings controlling the play for much of the contest. Three San Francisco fumbles led directly to a pair of Paul Chestnut field goals to aid the Wildcats win. The AFA's two newest teams, second year clubs Houston and Buffalo, each won marking the first time both have tasted victory in the same weekend. The Drillers evened their record at 2-2 as a Craig Oates field goal -his fourth of the game- with 42 seconds remaining gave Houston an 18-17 victory over Kansas City. Buffalo won for the first time this season, beating Cleveland at Forester Field by a 19-9 score. Both expansion clubs went 3-11 in their debut season. The final contest on the docket saw the Philadelphia Frigates improve to 3-1 with a 37-7 rout over the winless Washington Wasps. The Frigates exposed Washington's secondary weakness as Philadelphia quarterback Jack Osterman threw for 257 yards with both Ed Tunstall and Moose Magruder surpassing the century mark in receiving yardage. The Frigates will face a much tougher challenge next week as they head to New York for a showdown with the unbeaten Stars. LITTLE CHANGE AT TOP OF AIAA GRID CHART It was a weekend with very little in the way of upsets as collegiate football neared the midway point of its season. The top two schools both had a relatively easy time with section rivals as both top ranked Cumberland and number two Central Ohio scored big victories. The Explorers ran their record to 5-0 with a 44-3 thrashing of Central Kentucky in Deep South Conference play. It was once again Cumberland's high octane offense that made headlines with backs Henry Virkler and Robert Filas each topping the 100 yard rushing mark while quarterback Steve Peach completed six of eight tosses for 108 yards. The Aviators are now 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Great Lakes Alliance play following a convincing 29-6 victory in Minnesota over St. Magnus. Larry Babyak had the big run, an 82-yard touchdown gallop in the second quarter, as part of a 154 yard rushing day for the senior from Columbus, OH. Lubbock State won, but had a tougher time than expected with Arkansas A&T. The Hawks pulled out a 16-6 victory thanks to a late touchdown from Paul Coddington but the lackluster showing dropped the Southwestern Alliance school from third to fifth in the latest rankings. Leapfrogging Lubbock State were both Penn Catholic and Lane State, each of whom improved to 5-0. The Crusaders moved up from seventh to third after claiming a hard fought 28-25 victory over a previously unbeaten Minns College eleven. Clint Sutter opened the second half with a 102-yard kickoff return to put Penn Catholic ahead for the first time in the game and they hung on for the victory, dropping the Mavericks from fifth all the way down to 19th in the rankings. Lane State held steady at number four after the Emeralds dumped West Coast Athletic Association rival CC Los Angeles 38-17 behind the strength of 3 touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Pat Lamar. A mild upset in the Deep South as Noble Jones College fell out of the top ten with a 7-3 loss in a defensive struggle in Tallahassee against Western Florida. The Wolves only score came late in the third quarter when quarterback Jim Bussell called his own number and burst through the Colonels line for a 65-yard touchdown run. The biggest offensive effort of the week came from the other Los Angeles school as sophomore halfback Wes Moore ran for 265 yards and 4 touchdowns to help Coastal California run its record to 3-1 by rolling over Idaho A&M 55-17. Moore had scoring runs of 75,46, 41 and 1 yard. WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS Eastern State Monitors 34, Charleston Tech Admirals 27 Maryland State Bengals 32, Columbia Military Academy Cadets 13 Cowpens State Fighting Green 33, North Carolina Tech Techsters 10 Carolina Poly Cardinals 35, Coastal State Eagles 17 Mississippi A_M Generals 28, Bayou State Cougars 19 George Fox Reds 26, Brunswick Knights 6 Dickson Maroons 25, Grafton Scholars 24 Sadler Bluecoats 22, Pierpont Purple 0 Henry Hudson Explorers 27, Ellery Bruins 13 Provo Tech Lions 34, Wyoming A_I Prospectors 7 Mile High State Falcons 59, Cache Valley Cowboys 6 South Valley State Roadrunners 30, Custer College Cavalry 27 Utah A_M Aggies 17, Colorado Poly Redbirds 9 Canyon A_M Armadillos 36, Abilene Baptist Chaparrals 0 El Paso Methodist Bandits 6, Tempe College Titans 3 Texas Panhandle Cowboys 34, Valley State Gunslingers 14 Oklahoma City State Wranglers 20, Daniel Boone College Frontiersmen 17 Iowa A_M Bulls 28, Boulder State Grizzlies 13 Eastern Kansas Warriors 17, College of Omaha Raiders 9 Lubbock State Hawks 16, Arkansas A_T Badgers 6 Travis College Bucks 20, Red River State Rowdies 16 Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes 31, Amarillo Methodist Grizzlies 21 Whitney College Engineers 16, Detroit City College Knights 0 Minnesota Tech Lakers 49, Lincoln Presidents 14 St Ignatius Lancers 14, Indiana A_M Reapers 10 Western Iowa Canaries 24, Wisconsin State Brewers 3 Central Ohio Aviators 29, St Magnus Vikings 6 Coastal California Dolphins 55, Idaho A_M Pirates 17 Redwood Mammoths 34, Rainier College Majestics 6 Lane State Emeralds 38, CC Los Angeles Coyotes 17 Northern California Miners 16, Spokane State Indians 14 Bluegrass State Mustangs 33, Alabama Baptist Panthers 0 Georgia Baptist Gators 16, Opelika State Wildcats 3 Western Florida Wolves 7, Noble Jones College Colonels 3 Cumberland Explorers 44, Central Kentucky Tigers 3 Northern Mississippi Mavericks 38, Baton Rogue State Red Devils 10 Chesapeake State Clippers 51, Richmond State Colonials 7 Alexandria Generals 24, Potomac College Pelicans 6 Huntington State Miners 19, Bulein Hornets 10 American Atlantic Pelicans 34, Petersburg Patriots 6 Mobile Maritime Middies 34, Central Carolina Lions 21 Cleveland Tigers 27, College of San Diego Friars 13 Rome State Centurions 23, Lambert College Stags 18 St Pancras Lions 37, Wisconsin Catholic Cavaliers 21 Miami State Gulls 17, Pittsburgh State Finches 14 St Blane Fighting Saints 37, Annapolis Maritime Navigators 3 Commonwealth Catholic Knights 34, McKinney State Renegades 17 Penn Catholic Crusaders 28, Minns College Mavericks 25 Garden State Redbirds 35, Northern Minnesota Muskies 16 Ferguson Wildcats 31, College of Waco Cowboys 30 Chicago Poly Catamounts 20, Darnell State Legislators 14 Eastern Oklahoma Pioneers 16, Portland Tech Magpies 10 Topeka State Braves 23, Boston State Pirates 20 Lawrence State Chippewa 37, Queen City Monarchs 26 IS IT TIME MAROONS RIDE THE SLED? The bye week could not have come at a better time for the struggling Detroit Maroons. Coming off a 12-2 season, albeit one that ended in another playoff disappointment with the loss to the Chicago Wildcats in the semi-final game, there were high hopes as September arrived. The season opening 31-28 win over the Wildcats in Chicago kept the positive momentum going and was a small measure of revenge for all of the playoff disappointments the Wildcats have inflicted upon Rollie Barrell's boys through the years. That win, in which Dee Cann threw for 218 yards and two scores, seemed to reaffirm the faith that coach Sam Wiggins has had in the 1961 6th round pick out of Daniel Boone College. Wiggins decision to hand the reins to Cann as a rookie last year, and keep veteran Sled Hicks on the bench was met with plenty of second-guessing but Cann proved he could do the job and led the club to its best regular season showing in decades. The playoffs are a different story for the Maroons. They always seem to have been trouble. Lost in all the excitement in recent years over multiple titles from the Dynamos and Motors is the fact that the Maroons have not won a playoff game since 1936. And it is not like they haven't had opportunities. Title game losses in 1940, 1944 and again in 1945. Then after the league expanded to a 4-team playoff in 1951 the Maroons had four more chances but came up empty on each occasion. Including the loss last December at Thompson Field to the Wildcats, the Maroons have lost 7 consecutive playoff contests. Cann can't be blamed for the playoff contest last year. He did throw an interception that led to the opening score in the Wildcats 30-7 victory but did a decent job after getting over the rookie nerves. There is very little likelihood that Hicks would have ended the playoff drought had he been under center. Cann did struggle in the losses to Los Angeles and New York the past two weeks and that has renewed calls for Sled Hicks to take over. That seems unlikely to happen as for whatever the reason, Coach Wiggins has never been a fan of Hicks. Selected third overall in the 1958 draft out of Valley State, it appeared the Hicks might just be the quarterback the Maroons have been searching for ever since Dewey Burdett rode off into the sunset nearly twenty years ago. Hicks started nine games as a rookie, won 8 of them, and led the Maroons to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. He threw for 260 yards in the playoff game that year but Detroit's defense could not contain Los Angeles in a 33-23 loss. It seemed the Maroons were on the rise with Hicks playing a key role but he has been called on to start just two games in the past three years as Detroit first went with Tom Griffin, who is now a backup in Houston, and beginning last year with Cann. It should be noted that Detroit won both of the games Hicks started in 1960 while Griffin was 10-13 overall as a starter in Detroit including an awful three interception day in a 54-10 pounding the Maroons took from Kansas City in the 1960 playoff semi-final game. Sled Hicks has just never received a fair shake in Detroit but with a crucial game, and a very winnable one, at Houston next Sunday this might be the time to see what Hicks can do. A loss to the second year Outlaws, who are 2-2 and have not looked bat at all this season, and a return to the playoffs is going to be a very difficult uphill battle. * Knights New Year's Plans Dealt a Crushing Blow * Any hopes the Detroit City College Knights might have entertained about returning to Santa Ana for another New Year's Day classic game were crushed in Chicago yesterday after the Whitney College Engineers, a school that had never beaten the Knights since league stats were first tracked in 1940, shocked DCC 16-0 at Chicago's Cougars Stadium. It was the Knights second Great Lakes Alliance loss in three weeks, after they fell 26-12 to Western Iowa in mid-September. They are 1-2 in conference play and even if they run the table and manage to beat Central Ohio in their season finale at Thompson Field the Knights will still need help if they are going to have an opportunity to avenge the 27-24 loss they took against Spokane State last New Year's Day. The news was slightly better for the state's other major college program as St. Ignatius ended a 2-game section losing streak in dramatic fashion with a 14-10 come from behind win over Indiana A&M at Lansing. Steve Schenker was the hero as the Lancers sophomore back broke a 61-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds remaining in the game to provide the margin of difference. It also ended a 4 game losing streak for St. Ignatius against the Reapers. Next up for each is a non-conference meeting with the Lancers hosting Deep South outfit Northern Mississippi (3-2) while the Knights are heading to Carolina to face North Carolina Tech (2-2) for the first time. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 10/07/1962 In a UN speech frequently interrupted by anti-Castro hecklers, Cuba branded as "an act of war" any United States move to impose a naval blockade on the island nation. The speech also challenged chief United States delegate Adlai Stevenson to stand up and give guarantees that the United States plans no attack on Cuba if this is the case. The three Western powers protested to the Soviet Union the refusal of East German guards to led a British Army ambulance go to the aid of a man wounded along the wall in East Berlin. Russia refused to accept the protest. North Koreans go to the polls today but the ballot will only contain a single slate of deputies nominated by the Communist Party for the nation's Parliament. Congress completed and sent to the White House the nearly $4 billion foreign aid bill. The proposal includes authority to lend the International Money Fund $2 billion and other items which run the total up to $6.3 billion. The Justice Department says nearly 40% of the 538 marshals called to help quell riots last week at the campus of Mississippi A&M, suffered some sort of injury before tear gas was deployed against the demonstrators. Most of the injured were hit by bottles, bricks and other flying objects. Campaigning for mid-term elections, President Kennedy hedge-hopped through the Midwest, arguing the election of any additional Republicans to Congress will bring the Nation's progress to a halt. A report, months in the making, challenging the scientific competence and decision-making methods of the Food and Drug Administration will be presented to the Welfare Secretary this week.