NOVEMBER 5, 1962
NOVEMBER 1, 1962 – GALLASHAW WRESTLES HEAVYWEIGHT BELT FROM PHILLIPS IN TENTH ROUND TKO
George Gallashaw was a champion who had a chance to stay for a while atop the rankings. He was 25 years old in December of last year and had four successful title defenses under his belt. The heavyweight arrived at Lakeside Auditorium to face Bert Parks and Gallashaw was knocked out in the seventh round, shocking the boxing world.
It is a year later. Parks was a transient champion, and Gallashaw is still only 26. Tonight, Gallashaw walked into the same Chicago arena that saw him unable to rise from the canvas in time to save his reign as king of the heavyweights. With Gallashaw’s age, he would likely not have to wait long for another title shot and 11 months later, that shot arrived.
Gallashaw’s opponent was Walt Phillips, who is a year younger, and his youthful stamina showed in his crowning bout. Phillips won the title in July against Harry Pratt in a fight that hung in the balance entering the fifteenth round. Phillips earned a knockdown in the last round and won in a unanimous decision. He also went the distance against Gallashaw but lost that fight during Gallashaw’s rise to the championship.
Both fighters had energy to burn as they met in the middle of the ring and went right to work. No time for sizing each other up, no time to think. They traded leather seconds into the bout and after the flurry, Gallashaw was trying to land his uppercut. About a minute in, he connected, which forced Phillips to step back and regroup. Phillips began to slow the tempo, keeping away from Gallashaw and stealing a glance at his corner for instruction, but Gallashaw owned the offense in the first round.
Gallashaw’s winning uppercut framed the second round perfectly. The former champion opened the round with two well-placed uppercuts to Phillips’s head, while he ended the round with a big uppercut that stunned the current champion. In between, there was holding, clinching, and Phillips was warned about leaning on Gallashaw’s neck.
The first two rounds went Gallashaw’s way and Phillips had to change the momentum. Phillips was able to do just that by focusing on defending Gallashaw’s offerings and looking for an opening. Gallashaw tried a right to the chest that Phillips blocked. Gallashaw attempted an inside shot, but Phillips turned away to blunt any effect. About halfway through the third round, Phillips connected with an uppercut of his own and followed that up with a right to Gallashaw’s head. Another uppercut had Gallashaw reeling, which put a cap on Phillips’s best round of the night and announced he was there for a long fight.
Gallashaw and Phillips were trying to get the upper hand and referee James Duncan had to activate. Gallashaw had a firm hold on Phillips and would not let go. Phillips retaliated by using his elbows, which caught Duncan’s eye and a point was deducted from Phillips for the infraction. Seconds later, Phillips pulled Gallashaw’s head down into his chest. When attention returned to boxing, Phillips was effective, driving a hook into Gallashaw’s midsection and capped his offense with another heavy hook that wowed the crowd.
The fifth round started well again for Phillips, but Gallashaw won the round with a shot to Phillips’s ribcage that knocked the wind out of the champion and sent him down for a quick one-count. Phillips quickly got to his feet, but the knockdown seemed to affect him psychologically, as his body language said it all as he skulked to his corner with his head down. Phillips recovered to take the sixth round after working the body successfully and capping off his assault with a stiff cross.
Gallashaw turned the tables in the seventh round, starting slow, but by the end of the stanza, Phillips was bleeding and Gallashaw was in control. Gallashaw connected on a right hook to Phillips’s jaw to get Phillips running and offering some feeble resistance with some glancing blows. The right hook was a warm-up for an uppercut that snapped Phillips’s head back with only a few seconds remaining in the round. The uppercut drew blood above Phillips’s right eyebrow, but the cut was at the end of the eyebrow away from the eye, so his vision was not immediately impaired.
The ninth round was the most entertaining round of the night as both fighters were swinging. For Gallashaw, it was a continued assault on the champion, but for Phillips it was his last gasp. Gallashaw targeted the cut, which reopened after a left hook by Gallashaw. The fight was paused while the ringside physician took a quick look. The hook also made the cut a little more dangerous because it opened up in a place that might interfere with Phillips's eyesight.
When the action continued, Phillips landed a cross, followed by a lethal combination to floor the former champion. Gallashaw did not start to get up until Duncan counted to four, but he was up on the ropes at an eight-count. In just 45 seconds, Gallashaw went from looking up at the referee to dropping Phillips to the ground. It was Gallashaw’s weapon of choice in this fight, his uppercut, that caught Phillips on the chin and Phillips fell backward with a thud. Phillips rose quickly, but he had that defeated look on his face. Gallashaw just took Phillips’s best and Gallashaw punched back harder. Both fighters earned a knockdown and tried to close the deal within the final minute of a round that the fans in attendance will talk about for a long time.
The end was near for Phillips, mostly due to the cut, which was becoming a bigger problem, hampering his ability to see out of his right eye. Gallashaw had the confidence to take this fight and started the round with another uppercut. Phillips countered with a strong hook and a winning uppercut of his own. It was a combination from Gallashaw that caught Phillips again and caused his cut to re-open. Referee Duncan called for the physician to take another look and after a short delay, threw his hands in the air, stopping the fight. Gallashaw had the belt back.
Gallashaw (35-2-1) was once again the heavyweight champion of the world, while Phillips (35-8-0) is young enough to potentially get another chance down the line. Phillips is the same age that Gallashaw was when he lost the title last year, so there is plenty of hope in Phillips’s corner.
Over the nine completed rounds in this fight, the judges were in lockstep. Each of them scored each round exactly the same, which was 87-82 in favor of Gallashaw. Both Phillips and Gallashaw connected on roughly the same amount of punches, but the two big differences were the extra knockdown from Gallashaw and the bloody mess that Phillips became from his leaky cut above his eyebrow.
For the once and future champion, Chicago was where Gallashaw lost his title and it was the home of his redemption. The City of the Big Shoulders may just be George Gallashaw’s kind of town after all.
BOLOGNA’S BIG BOPPERS
Round 1: Gallashaw, 1-0 (0:59 uppercut)
Round 2: Gallashaw, 1-0 (2:59 uppercut)
Round 3: Phillips, 3-0 (1:36 uppercut, 1:49 right/head, 2:03 uppercut)
Round 4: Tied, 2-2 (P: 1:24 hook/midsection, 2:36 hook; G: 2:15 right/face, 2:53 uppercut)
Round 5: Tied, 1-1 (P: 0:22 left hook/body; G: 2:57 right/ribs/knockdown #1)
Round 6: Phillips, 1-0 (2:26 cross)
Round 7: Gallashaw, 3-0 (0:48 uppercut, 1:23 hook/jaw, 2:48 uppercut/head)
Round 8: Gallashaw, 2-1 (P: 2:01 left/midsection; G: 0:49 uppercut, 1:18 right/body)
Round 9: Phillips, 3-2 (P: 1:18 cross, 1:51 combo/knockdown #1, 2:18 right; G: 2:43 uppercut/knockdown #2, 3:00 right/head)
Round 10: Tied, 2-2 (P: 0:51 hook, 1:34 uppercut; G: 0:24 uppercut, 2:18 combo)
TOTAL: Gallashaw 14, Phillips 13
RECENT KEY RESULTS
- Steve Bradshaw, the Pittsburgh middleweight who came up short in a title shot against Lyman King in May, returned to the wrong but was once again suffered defeat. This time it was Arnie Keller (28-5-1) who scored a majority decision over Bradshaw (30-10-2)
- 38-year-old Davis Owens, who had a couple of opportunities to win the middleweight belt was in action in Newark last week. The Cleveland native scored a unanimous decision over Chris Irwin for his 54th career victory. Owens lost in title fights against Mark McCoy in 1953 and to George Hatchell six years later.
GENERALS NIP CUMBERLAND IN DEEP SOUTH SHOWDOWNThe highly anticipated showdown between Mississippi A&M and Cumberland, called the game of the year in Deep South circles, did not disappoint as the two top ten southern powers wage a spirited battle Saturday afternoon in Knoxville. Cumberland entered the game ranked number one in the nation with a perfect 7-0 record while the Generals, despite plenty of controversy away from football on the Jackson, MS. campus, were 6-1 and ranked sixth in the polls. When the dust settled the Generals were on top, clinging to a 20-16 victory and eyes firmly focused on a Deep South Conference title, something they have not tasted since 1948.
There was little to separate the two schools as while Cumberland had a slight edge in total offense and first downs, their four turnovers in the game evened things out. The contest was tied after each of the opening three quarters. It was 7-7 after 15 minutes as Sandy Kitterman hauled in a 15-yard pass from Generals quarterback Hal Schraufnagel late in the quarter only to see Cumberland come right back a minute later and even the score on a 25-yard Ron Filas touchdown run. They would trade field goals in the second period to leave the field knotted at 10 and after 45 minutes another 3-point kick from each side left it knotted at 13.
Cumberland supporters thought they had the game wrapped up when Chuck Schmid was successful on a 40-yard field goal with just 2:19 remaining to make the score 16-13 for the Explorers but that set up the most exciting play of the afternoon as Generals kick returner Kirk Reese zigged and zagged his way through a mass of green jerseys and appeared headed for the endzone only to be caught on the Cumberland one-yard line. It mattered not as on the next play Mississippi A&M halfback Dave Witcher plowed through the line for the final 3 feet needed and the Generals took the lead 20-16. Cumberland's last ditch effort to regain the lead sputtered out when Henry Virkler, straining to break a tackler had the ball punched out and recovered by the Generals, who simply ran out the remaining 62 seconds on the clock.
With a perfect 5-0 section record all that stands between the Generals and a likely Oilman Classic showdown with top ranked Lubbock State is a home game against Northern Mississippi followed by a trip to Tallahassee to finish the season against Western Florida. Win out and take care of business in Houston on January 1 and the Generals, who won their first national titles in baseball and basketball a year ago, could be celebrated another first - an AIAA national football title.
*** Hawks Take Top Spot ***
With the loss by Cumberland the Explorers slide to sixth in the weekly poll. Penn Catholic also lost for the first time this season as the Crusaders fell in another showdown of top ten teams, losing 23-20 to St Pancras. The win by St. Pancras moves the Lions up to number two in the polls. St. Pancras, third ranked Eastern Oklahoma, which beat Northern Minnesota 31-14 in Midwestern Association play, along with Lubbock State are the only remaining unbeaten teams.
The Hawks improved to 8-0 with their fourth victory in Southwestern Alliance play. Lubbock State, which last won a football national title in 1916, has 0-8 Red River State and 6-2 Travis College remaining on its slate of games. The Hawks tamed the Amarillo Methodist Grizzlies 47-15 on Saturday and are looking to earn a berth in the Oilman Classic as SWA champion for the fourth time in the past five years.
Central Ohio and Coastal California each moved a step closer to a New Years date in Santa Ana for the East-West Classic. The Aviators. led by two Larry Babyak touchdown runs and 130 yards on the ground from the senior halfback, dumped Indiana A&M 37-10. The 1958 and 1960 Great Lakes Alliance champions need wins over St. Ignatius at home next weekend and then at Thompson Stadium against Detroit City College to clinch the conference title. Coastal California is also unbeaten in West Coast Athletic Association play but the Dolphins needed a last minute 8-yard Mike Grove touchdown run to nip Portland Tech 21-14. They still have to win a pair of road games against Redwood and local rival CC Los Angeles and one loss Lane State is still nipping at their heels.
WEEKEND AIAA FOOTBALL RESULTS
North Carolina Tech Techsters 30, Maryland State Bengals 3
Coastal State Eagles 38, Charleston Tech Admirals 9
Cowpens State Fighting Green 27, Eastern State Monitors 17
Columbia Military Academy Cadets 35, Carolina Poly Cardinals 28
Brunswick Knights 44, Pierpont Purple 10
Grafton Scholars 27, Sadler Bluecoats 19
Dickson Maroons 30, Ellery Bruins 27
George Fox Reds 20, Henry Hudson Explorers 13
Cache Valley Cowboys 21, Custer College Cavalry 10
South Valley State Roadrunners 17, Utah A_M Aggies 14
Mile High State Falcons 49, Provo Tech Lions 15
Wyoming A_I Prospectors 30, Colorado Poly Redbirds 16
Canyon A_M Armadillos 33, Texas Panhandle Cowboys 6
Tempe College Titans 45, Abilene Baptist Chaparrals 7
El Paso Methodist Bandits 24, Valley State Gunslingers 0
College of Omaha Raiders 41, Daniel Boone College Frontiersmen 10
Lawrence State Chippewa 48, Iowa A_M Bulls 31
Eastern Kansas Warriors 33, Boulder State Grizzlies 13
Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes 24, Travis College Bucks 16
Lubbock State Hawks 47, Amarillo Methodist Grizzlies 15
Arkansas A_T Badgers 17, Darnell State Legislators 13
Central Ohio Aviators 37, Indiana A_M Reapers 10
Whitney College Engineers 16, Wisconsin State Brewers 8
Minnesota Tech Lakers 46, St Magnus Vikings 13
Western Iowa Canaries 23, Lincoln Presidents 6
St Ignatius Lancers 20, Detroit City College Knights 17
Lane State Emeralds 18, Idaho A_M Pirates 10
Coastal California Dolphins 21, Portland Tech Magpies 14
Rainier College Majestics 24, Northern California Miners 16
Redwood Mammoths 23, Spokane State Indians 9
Topeka State Braves 17, Ferguson Wildcats 14
Eastern Oklahoma Pioneers 31, Northern Minnesota Muskies 14
Bluegrass State Mustangs 27, Opelika State Wildcats 10
Georgia Baptist Gators 58, Baton Rouge State Red Devils 3
Western Florida Wolves 20, Alabama Baptist Panthers 12
Mississippi A_M Generals 20, Cumberland Explorers 16
Northern Mississippi Mavericks 32, Bayou State Cougars 6
Noble Jones College Colonels 41, Central Kentucky Tigers 14
Huntington State Miners 38, Mobile Maritime Middies 10
Chesapeake State Clippers 45, Petersburg Patriots 10
Alexandria Generals 24, Central Carolina Lions 13
American Atlantic Pelicans 35, Potomac College Pelicans 13
Bulein Hornets 19, Richmond State Colonials 17
McKinney State Renegades 42, St Patrick's Shamrocks 14
College of San Diego Friars 20, Liberty College Bells 10
Queen City Monarchs 20, College of Waco Cowboys 17
Garden State Redbirds 30, Lambert College Stags 9
St Pancras Lions 23, Penn Catholic Crusaders 20
Annapolis Maritime Navigators 19, Commonwealth Catholic Knights 10
Boston State Pirates 20, Miami State Gulls 14
St Blane Fighting Saints 29, CC Los Angeles Coyotes 23
Oklahoma City State Wranglers 16, Red River State Rowdies 13
Minns College Mavericks 20, Payne State Mavericks 16
DRIVER STEERS RAMBLERS TO VICTORY OVER PHILADELPHIAIn a battle of two of the top quarterbacks in the American Football Association, it was Jim Driver of the St. Louis Ramblers who stood tallest in guiding his club to a 38-23 over the Jack Osterman led Philadelphia Frigates. The Ramblers win keeps St. Louis in top spot in the West Division while the Frigates dip to 5-3 and fall a game back of the two-time defending champion New York Stars in the battle for second place in the East.
Osterman, a third year pro out of College of San Diego, has been named to the All-Star Bowl each of his first two seasons and leads the AFA in passing yardage. The Frigates 1960 first round selection had a solid game Sunday against the Ramblers, throwing for 123 yards and one touchdown, but it was not quite good enough as Driver took center stage.
Driver was also a former first round pick- the Pioneers selected him out of Liberty College in 1959- and he squared off against Osterman in last years All-Pro game. He has been less consistent than his Philadelphia counterpart, and struggled mightily in the Ramblers to Los Angels three weeks ago, but on this day he was at his best. The 24-year-old completed 12 of 20 throws for 190 yards while combining with end William Robertson on three touchdown tosses as the cold, rainy weather at Frigates Stadium had little impact on Driver's passing prowess.
*** Stars Return to Winning Ways ***
Nothing like a game with the struggling Cleveland Finches to allow the New York Stars to get back on track. The Stars snapped their two game losing skid with a 41-10 drubbing of the Finches in Cleveland's Forester Field. The victory improves the Stars record to 6-2 but they are still looking up at the Boston Americans. The Yanks, led by 195 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Kevin Sova, ran all over San Francisco to the tune of 30-7. That improves Boston's record to 7-1, best in the entire AFA.
It wasn't pretty but the Chicago Wildcats kept pace with St. Louis in the West Division as they scratched out an 11-9 victory over a gritty Houston Drillers squad. Houston led 9-0 at the break on three Craig Oates field goals before the Wildcats battled back with Paul Chestnut kicking three second half field goals for the Wildcats. The difference proved to be when Chicago defensive lineman Joe Bidwell sacked Drillers quarterback Miller Bogert in the Houston endzone for a third quarter safety.
Elsewhere, the Detroit Maroons continue to confound the experts. A week after a stellar performance in a win over New York the Maroons were awful in a 23-10 loss at home to Kansas City. In Los Angeles, Dick Drum ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Tigers to a 30-6 win over visiting Pittsburgh. Finally the Buffalo Red Jackets equaled their win total from their debut season a year ago, scoring 10 fourth quarter points to down Washington 20-13 and run their record to 3-5.
VALIANTS CONTINUE TO LEAD NAHC The Montreal Valiants picked up just three of a possible six points last week but they still lead the way as the NAHC steps into its second month of the season. Montreal split a home and home series with Toronto before finishing the week with a 1-1 draw against New York at the Montreal Arena on Saturday. The Chicago Packers, who have lost just once in their last five games, moved within a point of the front runners thanks to a 3-2 road win in Detroit last night. Chicago and Montreal will meet for the third time this season when they face off in Quebec Saturday. The road team won each of the first two meetings between the teams. The Packers will have first line center Pete Bernier back for that game. Th3 28-year-old, who has 10 points in 8 games, has finished serving a four game suspension he received for a vicious hit in the last meeting between Chicago and Montreal.
NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK
TUESDAY OCTOBER 30 New York 2 at Chicago 2: A pair of third period goals, including Ken Bouvette's first of the season with just 18 seconds remaining in the game, allowed the New York Shamrocks to pick up a point on the road in a 2-2 tie with Chicago. Corb Maybury scored the other New York marker while Dave Corden and John Lucas were the Packers marksmen. After collecting 5 points in Chicago's win over New York two days prior, Ken York was held off the scoresheet by the Greenshirts.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 31
Montreal 3 at Toronto 6: Dukes coach Ari Bear read his club the riot act after lackluster efforts in weekend losses to New York and Detroit. The tactic appeared to work as the Dukes played a much more inspired brand of hockey and doubled Montreal 6-3. Quinton Pollack is clearly not ready to cede the scoring title to Ken York. Just three days after the Chicago star enjoyed a 5-point night, Pollack did the same against Montreal in this game with a goal and four helpers.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1
Chicago 1 at Boston 4: After starting the season with 5 straight losses the Bees are showing signs of getting untracked, winning for the second straight game. Oscar James had a big night in the Boston net with 33 saves while Chris Boivin and Jack Gariepy each had two points in the 4-1 victory over the Packers.
New York 1 at Detroit 3: Hobie Barrell scored all three Detroit goals, one in each period, to double his season total and lead the Motors to a 3-1 victory over visiting New York at the Thompson Palladium. Corb Maybury, with his second in as many games, was the lone Shamrocks goal scorer.
Toronto 1 at Montreal 3:Both teams may have been tired after the overnight train ride from Toronto but the Valiants evened the score with a 3-1 victory after falling at Dominion Gardens the previous night. Jim Drury, Matt Muir and Gil Thibault scored for the Vals with Andrew Williams replying for the Dukes.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 3
New York 1 at Montreal 1: Alex Sorrell made 39 saves to help the New York Shamrocks earn a 1-1 tie in Montreal. Matt Mercier opened the scoring in the first period for Montreal before Charlie Winquist got the equalizer in the middle frame. The Valiants still have the best record in the league but have won just once in their last four games.
Detroit 2 at Toronto 6: Nicolas Poulin scored twice as Toronto built a 5-0 lead after forty minutes and coasted to a 6-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Motors. Detroit outshot Toronto but former Dukes goaltender Charlie Dell had a rough night against his former team, surrendering 6 goals on 31 shots.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 4
New York 2 at Boston 2: A second straight tie on the weekend for the Shamrocks while the Bees run their unbeaten streak to four games with a 2-2 tie. Bradley Lowenberger got the tying goal midway through the third in a game that saw the hosts outshot by New York 37-20. Charlie Winquist had a goal and an assist for the Shamrocks.
Chicago 3 at Detroit 2: Ken York and J.P. Morisette scored third period goals to lift the Packers past the Motors 3-2 and move Chicago to within a point of first place Montreal. Detroit peppered Chicago netminder Andrew Bomberry with 53 shots but only Colin MacMillan and Emmett Hargreaves were able to solve the Packers goalie.
UPCOMING GAMES
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 7
Boston at Chicago
Toronto at New York
THRUSDAY NOVEMBER 8
Detroit at Montreal
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10
Detroit at Boston
Chicago at Montreal
New York at Toronto
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 11
Montreal at Boston
Toronto at Chicago
Detroit at New York
Dukes Show Signs Of Life
After a disappointing week in which Coach Bear called out the team in public the players, after a couple of tough practices, seemed to take his words to heart by taking 2 of 3 over the week. The team played twice against the first place Vals starting Wednesday night at the Gardens.
Fans might have doubted if the public scolding had any affect when Montreal took the early lead on the power play on yet another stick penalty by Spencer Quinn. After Jocko Gregg's marker the Toronto offense exploded by put three behind Ned Bannister in a span of 4:03 starting Owen Green at 11:14 followed by Poulin 46 seconds later then Pollack made 3-1 at 15:17. Pollack figured in on all three goals, both Bannister, Connelly needed rest after twenty minutes after respectively making 14 and 12 saves in the period. Vals narrowed the lead to one when Scott Dueck put one over Connelly's shoulder early in the middle frame. With tension growing amongst the fans the Dukes turned the tables on Montreal. Instead of being victim of a late goal Charles Brochu. his first of the year, restored the lead to 2 with a goal at 19:01. The home team took advantage of Vals penalties in the third scoring twice while up 5 skaters to 4. Both goals went on the score sheet as Kantner from Knackstedt, Pollack. Montreal made the score a little more respectable 6-3 with a Jean Tremblay goal at 14:52. Pollack had 5 points on the night.
In a rare scheduling quirk for he NAHC the teams met again the next night in Montreal. Both coaches started their backup keepers with Tim Burrows going for Montreal, MacPhee for the Dukes. Both teams seemed a little tired as the first ended scoreless. Montreal beat MacPhee twice over a 4 minute span in the second to take a 2-0 lead into the room after 40. Toronto seemed to have the momentum when Andrew Williams made it 2-1 with his third of the year at 1:55 of the third until Gil Thibault made it 3-1 104 seconds after the Williams goal. Montreal went to a dump, chase game stopping Dukes at every turn to lock down the win.
In what was termed a big game early in the season the Gardens patrons saw a Detroit, Toronto match on Saturday night. If Dukes were tired with the third game in four nights it did not show. Quinn opened the scoring just over a minute after the opening puck drop. With Mike Connelly constantly making big saves when under pressure the Dukes had a 5-0 lead in the middle of the second on two goals by Poulin, Knackstedt, MacLeod. Detroit tried to rally in the third when goals by Alex Monette, Billy Deruelle made 5-2 with just over three minutes to play. Bill Archer ice a 6-2 win with a late goal in a game where the Dukes were outshot 34-31.
Coach Bear- "Better, putting up 6 against both Montreal, Detroit is a feat. We still have to win more puck battles along with cutting down on the goaltender's workload. We now have a base to work from, good effort overall with three games in four nights."
*** Wolves Update ***
The front office is somewhat confused when two more coaches were raided from the last place Davenport Dusters. Manager George Brooks left for El Paso to be pitching coach along with Don Porter who becomes the Mission's hitting coach. Replacements are now being interviewed for the open Dusters' jobs.
Owner Bob Smith has to his GM to review salaries being paid to non 40-man roster players. Smith's edict is said be "If they aren't part of the Wolves make their money part of the past."
MUSTANGS START FAST OUT OF GATEThe 1962-63 Federal Basketball League season got underway last week and the Detroit Mustangs were clearly chomping at the bit. Detroit, which finished a distant second behind eventual playoff champion Toronto in the West Division a year ago, began its season with four consecutive victories.
The Mustangs opened things up against St. Louis on Tuesday night with a 96-69 victory keyed by 31 points from veteran guard Erv Corwin. A night late the venue shifted to St. Louis but the results were much the same with Gary Moore scoring 29 in a 93-84 Mustangs victory over the Rockets. The week continued Saturday with the Mustangs, back home at the Thompson Palladium, topping Boston 91-81 before finishing the busy opening week off with a come from behind 84-82 road win over the reigning East Division champion Centurions.
Miners and Cannons Link Up for Minor Deal
It won't exactly light the hot stove, but FABL GMs have been working the phones since before the World Championship Series concluded, and the Pittsburgh Miners and Cincinnati Cannons have the pleasure of being the first two teams to agree on a trade this offseason. The Cannons are the ones acquiring the FABL player, picking up veteran righty Eddie Martin for a pair of prospects, with Pittsburgh charged with paying Martin's 1963 salary.
Just a season removed from a strong season with the Montreal Saints, 1962 was a nightmare for Martin, as he was banished to their pen and cut in July. After going 9-14 with a 3.88 ERA (117 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts in a Conti high 34 starts, he made just 3 starts in 19 appearances. This was paired with a lofty 7.68 ERA (59 ERA+) and 2.12 WHIP, emphasizing the struggles he had in 41 innings. After being released, he spent just a few days unemployed, as the Miners were without their top starter Jimmy Blair (2-1, 2.57, 29), and didn't have much success preventing runs. It was a minor league deal, but Martin went straight to Pittsburgh, giving them 11 shaky starts to end the year. His 6.17 ERA (75 ERA+) and 1.74 WHIP were lower, but it was still nowhere near the level he tends to pitch at.
A veteran of ten seasons, Martin was a 13th Round pick of the Gothams, and debuted during the 1953 season out of the pen. He worked his way into the rotation during the 1955 season, and by 1956 he was a regular starter. In total, he threw 952.2 innings as a Gotham, going 62-34 with a 3.46 ERA (123 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 431 strikeouts, solid production for a great pitcher, yet-not-quite-ace pitcher. During the '59 season, the Gothams were struggling and rebuilding, so they shipped Martin to Montreal for current Gothams Frank Landrum (.314, 1, 25, 3) and Red Blanchard (17-8, 4.52, 100). The Saints probably wish they held on to Blanchard, as while he finished the year well (6-5, 3.57, 39), he was awful in 1960, and awful this season. Still, this is a craft vet with 1,518.2 FABL innings and a nice 3.95 ERA (110 ERA+), and the Cannons are an organization that does well fixing veteran pitchers.
Pittsburgh's reward for a rather unsuccessful minor league signing is a pair of prospects, most notably 23-year-old Howie Thomas. Now the 10th ranked prospect in the Miners' system and 136th overall, the 23-year-old projects as a potential back-end starter with at least average movement and control. 22 of his 25 starts this season came in Class B, where last year's 3rd Rounder was 15-3 with a 3.09 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.36 WHIP, and 92 strikeouts. The Whitney College alum then skipped Class A, struggling in his short AA sample, and is likely to report to Class A Gary to start next season. An innings eater with a deep seven pitch mix, there's obviously no guarantee he can become as good a pitcher as Martin, but he certainly has more upside then what Martin gave the Miners this year. The stuff needs some work, but there's the foundation of a useful pitcher.
Finishing off the return is unranked third basemen Jack Purdy, a 20-year-old the Cannons grabbed in the 18th Round of the 1960 draft. A glove-first, second, and third prospect, Purdy doesn't do much hitting, producing a pitiful .234/.350/.345 (70 OPS+) line in 59 games for the Class C Quincy Cannons. He does have a good eye, it's his best tool, but his future is that of a fast infielder who can pinch run and cover all four infield positions.
A Deep Dive Into Expenses
By Archie Gouldie
I did a little review of budgets and expenses in the league as there is less noteworthy baseball news in the offseason. While many say money isn't a big deal, for some clubs it is. Below is a listing of clubs and where they are over or under their budgets for 1963 as of the end of October. There are several clubs significantly over budget and the biggest reason (Cincinnati's is huge) is because they have "dead money" being paid to players who are in the minor leagues and not on their 40-man rosters. Most of these guys are well over 30 and some are even over 40.
I added to the bottom of the spreadsheet where clubs are set for their budgets on scouting and player development. Now for some reason, the expansion clubs are all over 'budget" in other expenses. You can spend up to a max of $342,000 between these areas. You can see what you are spending on the spreadsheet picture. Some are at $57,000 combined because they either didn't have budget room or just haven't been updated for the new year.
There is over $1.6 million dollars spent on minor league guys that most likely (since they aren't on your 40-man rosters) will never see the light of day in the big leagues again. So before anyone makes "fire sale" trades, look at the minor league guys on your payroll that are not on the 40-man. I have named them on the below. I would consider cutting some of them before making any crazy trades.
- This season doesn't have as many notable free agents as last year, but one guy who's demanding a big contract is former Gotham and Eagle outfielder Chief Lewis. A former 11th Round selection of the Gothams, Lewis has over 1,750 games of FABL experience, and won the World Championship MVP in 1956 after hitting .370/.393/.667 (190 OPS+) with 2 doubles, 3 triples, and 5 runs scored. A useful defender, he's been worth exactly 50 WAR since his debut in 1949, and the 36-year-old will enter the new year with a .269/.358/.399 (105 OPS+) career line. Lewis spent the last four and a half season in the nation's capital, and after above average production he hit just .247/.318/.388 (80 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 6 triples, 14 homers, 11 steals, 62 RBIs, 61 walks, and 93 runs.
- Two free agent backstops have also caught the eye of FABL clubs, as the Dynamos have met with Dan Smith (.246, 2, 19) and the Cougars have met with Dutch Miller (.233, 3, 19). Both catchers once played for the Kings, with KC releasing Smith when the offseason started and Miller joining the Pioneers from KC just over a year ago in an offseason trade for infielder Cal Randall (.287, 11, 54) and prospect Whitey Gates.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/04/1962
- President Kennedy moved for quick diplomatic action to end the Cuban crisis after Soviet Premier Khrushchev agreed to dismantle Russian nuclear bases in Cuba.
- Word is an extremely stern private letter from Kennedy to Khrushchev appears to have been the catalyst which convinced the Kremlin to get its nuclear rockets out of Cuba.
- Western Europe hailed Russia's retreat in the Cuban crisis as a stunning victory for the United States and greeted it universally with profound relief.
- The stock market also bounced back with a big gain in heavy trading in the day following the announcement that Russia would remove its nuclear bases from Cuba.
- Irked at being bypassed by Khrushchev in talks with the Americans, Fidel Castro is not allowing United Nations inspection of Soviet missile removal, a high UN source says. The Pentagon has confirmed that aerial photos provide clear indications that work is proceeding on dismantling the missiles, however the American delegation to the UN still insists on actual ground inspection of the sites.
- The US and Britain have begun airlifting guns, ammunition and other weapons to India this week, as that country continues to defend itself against Red China.
- NASA launched a flashing light "firefly" satellite into orbit. It's purpose is to measure the size and shape of the Earth in an experiment which could produce more accurate world maps and establish guidelines for tracking men to the moon.