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ayaghmour2 · 02-07-2025, 12:31 PM

DECEMBER 10, 1962

DRILLERS BEAT RAMBLERS, KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE

It has been five years since a team went entire season without losing on the road but the Houston Drillers are one win away from accomplishing just that. More astounding is that if the Drillers can somehow find a way to beat first place Chicago in two weeks they will accomplish something that was unthinkable when the season began, make the playoffs as a team in just its second season in the American Football Association.

The sophomore Drillers have been astounding, following up a 3-11 debut season with a stellar run that has them at 9-4 and riding a five game winning streak after a huge 31-23 victory over the Ramblers in St Louis yesterday. That leaves both clubs tied for second with 9-4 records with one game remaining for each. There will be some time to ponder the suspense as both teams have a bye next week before finishing their seasons on December 23. The Ramblers will travel to San Francisco to play the 4-8 Wings while the Drillers face a stiff test in the Chicago Wildcats, who lead the entire AFA with a 10-2 record. The Drillers lost 11-9 at home to Chicago just prior to embarking on the five game winning streak that ignited their playoff aspirations.

It was a wild afternoon at Pioneers Stadium yesterday as the Ramblers, thanks in part to a pair of Phil Patton touchdown runs and a St Louis fumble, built a 28-7 lead at halftime and held on for a 31-23 victory. Chicago, which still has two games remaining, moved a step closer to clinching the best record in the AFA and homefield for the championship game should they advance to it, narrowly survived a visit from the Los Angeles Tigers to Cougars Park but escaped with a 29-24 victory.

Boston and New York both secured their places in the East Division. The Americans improved to 10-3 and clinched top spot in the division with a 20-10 doubling of Cleveland while the Stars, who have had their ups and downs this year in their quest for a third consecutive league championship, downed Philadelphia 13-3 to end the Frigates faint playoff hopes.

Elsewhere Jeff Kelly threw for 199 yards to lead the Kansas City Cowboys past the Detroit Maroons 24-10, and in Buffalo a Mike LaBarbera 33-yard field goal on the final play of the game lifted Pittsburgh to a 20-17 victory over the Red Jackets.

EAST-WEST CLASSIC PREVIEW
By Tank Tippett

Well, folks, it's that time of year again when the nation's finest collegiate gridiron warriors pack up their leather helmets—figuratively speaking, of course—and head west for the granddaddy of them all, the East-West Classic. On New Year’s Day, the mighty Aviators of Central Ohio and the plucky Emeralds of Lane State will clash at Santa Ana Stadium, where 100,000 roaring fans will witness what promises to be a battle for the ages.

Now, the history books tell us that neither of these squads has had much luck in this grand spectacle. Central Ohio has made five previous trips to sunny California and walked away victorious just once—back in ’44 when they toppled Coastal California to complete a perfect season. Their other appearances? Heartbreakers, including two losses in the last four years to Northern Cal. Lane State, meanwhile, has only seen the Classic twice, tying Noble Jones College in ’39 before pasting Eastern State in a 28-0 shutout two years later. That one was played out east in old Bigsby Stadium due to war jitters, but this time the Emeralds are back where the real action happens.

While this is their first meeting in Santa Ana, these two outfits aren’t exactly strangers. They’ve butted heads three times in the past decade, and if those games are any indication, fans are in for a slugfest. In their last scrap back in '59, Lane State defended their home turf with a 9-3 victory—a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal 4-6 campaign. The year before, it was all Central Ohio, with bruiser Swat Deskins steamrolling his way to 134 yards as the Aviators blanked the Emeralds 23-0. And back in '56, Central Ohio strolled into Eugene and pitched another shutout, this time 19-0, behind a breakout game from then-sophomore Scott Deskins.

*** Emeralds’ Fate Rests on Lamar’s Knee ***

This time around, both squads are 9-1 and eager to prove they belong among the nation's elite. The Aviators check in at No. 4, while Lane State sits at No. 9. Both teams boast stout defenses, capable runners, and young quarterbacks calling the signals. For Central Ohio, it’s Spencer Carr, a steady-handed sophomore who started all 11 games as a freshman and has improved with age like a fine bourbon. He’s been efficient—681 yards passing, a 61% completion rate, and just two picks. On the other side, Lane State’s Pat Lamar was on a tear before a knee injury sidelined him in the Emeralds’ lone loss of the season to Spokane State. Since then, he’s been a question mark, and if he can’t go, the burden falls on junior Rick Plummer. And let’s just say Plummer has been about as reliable as a paper raincoat—0-for-30 in pass attempts this season.

If Lamar is out, Lane State will need a monster day from their backfield, headlined by sophomore workhorse Harry Menard. The young dynamo has piled up 1,366 yards and crossed the goal line 13 times this season. Freshman Mike Bond has provided a solid one-two punch, adding 803 yards and nine scores. Defensively, the Emeralds lean on a seasoned trio of linebackers, led by seniors Larry Randolph and Hi Sattler, with junior Alan Stathes joining them to form a brick wall.

The Aviators, however, have a veteran stopper of their own in senior linebacker Ron Barchus, who will be starting his 36th and final game in Central Ohio blue and white. Offensively, the ground attack is more committee-style, with Larry Spruance (771 yards) and Larry Babyak (910 yards) shouldering the load. A wild card to watch? End Mike Bailey, who often lines up in the backfield and has been a sneaky effective runner. And when Carr does air it out, he’s got a pair of trusty targets in seniors Dave Williams and Jim Squire, who have combined for 55 catches and six touchdowns.

The Prediction - The boys in Vegas have Central Ohio as a five-point favorite, and that seems about right. But if Lamar is sidelined, this one could get ugly fast. With both teams at full strength, I’d expect a hard-nosed, down-to-the-wire brawl, but I have to give the edge to the Aviators. They’re battle-tested, they’re due for some Santa Ana success, and they’ve got a quarterback they can trust. When the dust settles, I see Central Ohio celebrating a long-awaited Classic victory, breaking their three-game losing skid in the big one.

TANK TIPPETT PREDICTION: Central Ohio 17, Lane State 10.

HOT DECEMBER HAS MOTORS RACING AWAY FROM PACK

The Detroit Motors have opened a nine point lead on second place Montreal after a sizzling start to December that has seem the two-time defending Challenge Cup champions reel off five consecutive victories. The Motors may have had some questions about goaltending, OSA felt they had the weakest netminding tandem in the league, but both returnee Sebastien Goulet (7-1-3, 2.00) and veteran pickup Charlie Dell (9-5-0, 2.22) have been outstanding and Detroit has yielded by a wide margin the fewest number of goals against in the league. Detroit has gone 10-1-2 in its last thirteen games.

ROSTERS REVEALED FOR ALL-STAR GAME

The Detroit Motors will take on the best of the NAHC tonight at Thompson Palladium in the 14th annual all-star game. The tradition of having the defending Challenge Cup champions take on a collection of league stars first began in 1950-51, a year after the players from the six teams were simply divided into two squads for a Red vs Blue game to benefit charity. It will mark the fifth time the Motors have faced the all-stars including last year when the NAHC team beat the Motors 4-1. Detroit 1-1-2 against the all-star team.

Here are the players named to represent the NAHC squad:

NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 5

Boston 5 at Chicago 4: Boston outshot the Chicago Packers 42-23 but needed a late third period goal from Jean Lebel to sneak out a 5-4 victory and snap a 6-game winless streak for the Bees. Chicago continues to struggle with just one win in their last eleven outings.

Detroit 2 at New York 1: Detroit was all over the Shamrocks, outshooting New York 37-19 but ran into a tough goaltender in Alex Sorrell. The Motors did just enough to win as Nick Tardif scored in the first period and defenseman Robert Ling, with his 11th of the season, got the winner late in the third after Ben Jacobs had equalized for New York in the middle stanza.

Montreal 2 at Toronto 2: The Valiants and Dukes skated to a 2-2 tie with Bill Archer and Hank Knackstedt handling the scoring for the hosts from Toronto while Tony Delvecchio and Colton Keil were the Montreal marksmen.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 6

Boston 4 at Detroit 7: The lone Thursday night contest featured plenty of scoring, not something the Motors have allowed much of lately. Boston beat Sebastien Goulet four times, marking only the fourth time in 23 games this season the Motors have surrendered more than three goals against. It was not enough to stall the Motors winning streak as Detroit fired seven pucks past Boston's Oscar James. It was a wild third period that saw the two clubs combine for eight goals including two from veteran Detroit winger Louis Rocheleau, who also had two assists on the evening.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 8

New York 1 at Boston 1: The game was scoreless for more than 56 minutes but each team notched one in the final four minutes of the third period. Bruno Legg gave the visiting Shamrocks the lead but Mathieu Harnois tied the game for Boston with 43 seconds remaining.

Detroit 5 at Montreal 2: Charles Beauregard and Colin MacMillan each had a goal and two assists for the Motors but the big story once again was defenseman Robert Ling. The 24-year-old rearguard scored two more goals and added an assist, giving him 13 goals and 23 points. He is second behind only Chicago's Ken York in goals and fifth in points while threatening to rewrite the record book for defenseman scoring. Both of Ling's goals on this night came from goalmouth scrambles as he continues, at the urging of Detroit coach Badger Rigney, to almost act like a fourth forward when the opportunity presents itself.

Chicago 1 at Toronto 4: Three first period goals and some terrific netminding from Mike Connelly was all the Dukes needed to down Chicago 4-1. The victory snapped a three-game winlees streak for the Dukes while the Packers fall to 0-3-1 in December.

SUNDAY JANUARY 6

Montreal 3 at Chicago 6: A big game from the big line lifted the Chicago Packers to a 6-3 win over Montreal. League scoring leader Ken York scored once and added three assists while his linemates also had productive nights: Pete Bernier scored twice and added an assist while Derek Noel had a goal and a helper.

Toronto 2 at Detroit 3: Another win for the Motors, who have prevailed in seven of their last eight games. Hobie Barrell, Jack Chapman and Ty Boulet scored for Detroit with Benny Barrell collecting two assists. The two Toronto goals both came in the third period courtesy of Ken Jamieson and Andrew Williams. Sebastien Goulet had a strong game in the Detroit net, making 36 saves. Quinton Pollack did get an assist for Toronto -his first point in three games- but the Dukes center's scoring slump continues. Pollack has found the back of the net just twice in the last 13 games.

Boston 0 at New York 3: Alex Sorrell stopped all 30 Boston shots for his second shutout of the season. Ken Bouvette scored twice for New York while Mitch Parsons added a goal and an assist. Things have been looking up for the fifth place Shamrocks who have gone 6-2-4 in their last twelve games.

UPCOMING GAMES
MONDAY DECEMBER 10
NAHC All-Stars at Detroit

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12
New York at Chicago

THRUSDAY DECEMBER 13
New York At Detroit
Boston at Montreal

SATURDAY DECEMBER 15
Chicago at Detroit
New York at Montreal
Boston at Toronto

SUNDAY DECEMBER 16
Montreal at Boston
Toronto at Chicago
Detroit at New York

Dukes Repeat, 1-1-1 Move into Third Place

Toronto's hockey team continues to march in place in the NAHC. Another week of a win, loss. tie sees the Dukes in third only because they have played one less game than Chicago. That being said the team is only a single point behind Montreal for second. The standings are bunched with only two points between second and fifth place. The only team that has been making hay as the league moves into the third month of the season are the Detroit Motors, on a 5 game undefeated streak, having built a ten point lead to hold first with approximately a third of the season in the books.

Montreal was in town to start the week in the Gardens. The fans saw the hometown heroes jump out to an early lead when Archer opened the scoring 80 seconds in the game putting a juicy rebound past Bannister. Dukes seemed to have some jump early on keeping up the pressure on the Vals in the first. Bannister was the main reason the first ended with the Dukes only up one. Montreal effectively turned the tables on Toronto for the final 40 minutes of the game pouring 31 shots on MacPhee in the Toronto net after only managing 4 in the opening frame. Bannister was not nearly as busy after the first only facing 16 shots on goal. The Dukes ran into penalty trouble in the second taking all 5 minors called in the period including a period of 22 second in which Montreal held a two-man advantage. Montreal, thanks to MacPhee, only managed a single goal on the 5 power plays by Tony Del Vecchio at 11:28 on which Colton Keil chipped in with first point of the season. Montreal continued to pressure the Dukes in the third. Keil completed what was a memorable night for him giving his club a lead at 6:02 much to the displeasure of the 12825 on hand. A smattering of boos were heard from the stands after the goal. The catcalls may have woke the Dukes up as they seemed to play with a little more intensity after allowing the Montreal to take the lead. Knackstedt's, who had been sent to the sin bin thrice in the game, 8th of the season salvaged a point that most fans were muttering was undeserved on their way out of the building.

After two days off in which Bear put the team through two tough practices stressing defense zone coverage along with the breakout the Packers came to town. Bear's message seemed to be forgotten when Dave Corden gave Chicago the lead after at 1:29 on a give away that hung Connelly out to dry with no chance. The early deficit led to something not often seen from the Dukes this season, a goal explosion, with three in just under 10 minutes starting with Williams on a tip at 5:16 then Jamieson on a rebound at 12:36 followed by Amesbury's deflection at 16:09. Leading 3-1 in the second the team again ran into a rash of penalties in which they were fortunate enough to kill all three to head into the third still up by 2 goals in a period where Connelly turned aside 18 shots. Toronto scored the only goal in the final twenty with Nick Landry getting his first of the year from Knackstedt, Amesbury with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Connelly again was the big reason the Dukes go the two points making 33 saves while Dick Crane had a tough evening between the pipes for Chicago.

For the second Sunday in a row the Dukes went into Thompson Palladium to face Detroit. Pollack took a questionable roughing call after the opening puck drop, which incensed Bear who came within an eyelash of picking up a bench minor, allowing his Hobie Barrell to score his 12th before the game was a half minute old. In a chippy game in which each team had had 8 power plays Jack Chapman made it 2 zip at 5:26. The next 37 minutes saw no scoring even with an almost constant parade to the penalty box. Early in the third Ty Boulet had his number entered in the goal scoring column of the game sheet for the first time this year making it 3-0. Ken Jamieson continue his recent hot streak by breaking Goulet's shutout at 7:49 with Deruelle serving time for hooking. Williams closed the gap to one at 13: 56, that was a close as Toronto would get on this night in a 3-2 final.

Coach Bear- "We are going to implement a new defensive system this week. It will be simplified as it seems the reads guys are making in our zone are not consistent opening up too many chances for the opposition. The goaltending, thankfully, has been superior this year. At least 50% of our points are due to either Mike's or Justin's work in net. We cannot ride that train indefinitely, the skaters have to help them out. Detroit has built an early lead. We have to play much, much better to chip into their lead. Time for a hot streak.

The guys have to watch their sticks. We seemed to have gotten the reputation of a dirty team with the stick, whether or not deserved is not open for debate, it is the way it is at the moment. The refs are giving us no breaks we have to give them no reasons to make the call."

Full Court Press: December 3-9, 1962

There are three current streaks in the FBL that tell the story of the past week. In the Western Division, the Toronto Falcons just refuse to lose. Their winning streak has reached eight games, and they are two-and-a-half games clear of Detroit. Toronto has the best home record in the league at 8-1 and while the attendance is at about 30% capacity, there is clearly something to see at Dominion Gardens. The eight-game streak over the last three weeks have been at the expense of the Rockets and Panthers with three wins each against those teams and two big wins against the Mustangs. The big matchup lurking is an inter-divisional battle in Boston next Saturday night against the 16-5 Centurions. Toronto boasts two 20-point scorers, which no other team can do. Fred Lillard leads the league at 23.0 points per game, while Bill Spangler has come on and stands sixth at 20.8 per contest.
Speaking of the Mustangs, they have gone the other way. After a season that started with four wins in a row and 10 of 13 in the win column, Detroit has lost six in a row, including all three against the Rockets with an average margin of 11 points per loss. Why have the Mustangs not been able to win lately? Detroit has not been taking care of the ball, they have not been disciplined, and they have struggled defensively. Detroit is last with the most fouls committed per game (18.5), next to last in turnovers (19.1) and last in points allowed (83.2). Early in the season, the Mustangs were able to outscore the competition, and they still lead in points per game (87.4). Just look at the three games against St. Louis. Over the three games, Detroit averaged 18 turnovers a game, two more turnovers than the Rockets committed. Detroit was called on almost six fouls a game more than St. Louis, while the Rockets – a 40.2% shooting team this season – shot 45.8%, 47.6%, and 42.4% from the floor in their three wins.
Washington has lost six straight and eight of nine after a hot start. The Statesmen’s 8-11 record has sunk the team into third place. To be fair, five of those eight losses were against the best team in the league in Boston though all those losses came at home. On the bright side, Washington is 4-1 at home against teams other than Boston, but that is of small comfort to a reeling Statesmen squad. Washington is not a high-scoring team, placing next-to-last in points per game (74.4) and field goal percentage (36.6%). The Statesmen also have a very stagnant offense, as their 19.6 assists per game is only better than Chicago. Only two Statesmen are in double figures with forward Ossie Waid the clear “go-to” man at 19.7 points a game and guard Ralph Peck at 11.4. If the news wasn’t bad enough, Peck hurt his knee early in Sunday’s 69-50 loss to Boston. The diagnosis was communicated by coach David Honey at practice this morning that Peck is going to miss the rest of the season with a ligament tear in his knee.
In college news, preseason number one North Carolina Tech is making the prognosticators look smart with a 4-0 start. They were number one before taking the court, slipped to number two through no fault of their own, and they now have 49 of the 72 first-place votes in the Media Poll. NC Tech is 15th in RPI, which ranks based on a team’s performance and their strength of schedule. Lane State is off to a more impressive start, standing fourth in the Media Poll and fourth in RPI after winning its first five games of the season.

Rule-5 Draft Set for Tomorrow, FABL 40-Man Rosters Locked

Baseball last notable event of 1962, the Rule-5 draft is scheduled to take place tomorrow, December 11th, as the 20 FABL clubs have a chance to poach their rivals for potentially big league ready talent left off a team's 40-man roster. The teams have a gentleman's agreement to get 40-man rosters finalized the night before the draft, so a few teams frantically filled up their roster with minor leaguers. The Minutemen, Gothams, and Foresters added a combined 30 players, as most teams enter the draft with a pretty stacked secondary roster. The latter both have full 40-man rosters, while the Sailors filled their 40-man up with six position players.

That means that only 17 teams will be able to participate, with all but Minneapolis capped by the number of free 40-man roster spots they have available to them. The Millers will get to add 10 players -- the maximum amount of selections -- but with only 27 spots filled they have more open spots then rounds of the draft. For an expansion team, an opportunity to add talent for the cost of a 25-man roster spot is an excellent opportunity, and I'd expect each of the four fledgling franchises to raid their new rivals in an effort to uncover a hidden gem or three.

There are a few notable prospects up for grabs, including 47th ranked prospect and former 1st Rounder George Wagner. Corner outfielders are not always highly sought after, but the 22-year-old slugger hit .308/.410/.602 (176 OPS+) with 27 homers and 68 RBIs in 91 AAA games. Wagner's exclusion from the Sailors secondary roster was a surprise, and I'd bet the former 8th pick would be one of the first players selected. There's a few FABL vets available as well, including Imperials infielder Red Ellis, who made 281 PAs and at 35, and veteran pitchers Jimmy Morris and John Thomas Johnson, both of who made appearances this past season and signed minor league deals with the Cougars.

Last year's Rule-5 draft saw just two players selected, but this season expect at least two teams to select more then two players. Both players selected managed to survive the season with their team. Third basemen Clyde Fisher went from the Chiefs to the Wolves, starting 133 of his 138 appearances. Almost all of it came at the hot corner, and the 23-year-old hit a solid .309/.375/.453 (107 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 12 homers, and 63 RBIs while offering excellent defense.
Boston also took right hander Otey Stevens from the Kansas City Kings, trotting him out 34 times, with 22 of those starts. Now 25, the righty has great stuff, and despite a 6-11 record had a 4.11 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts.

UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS

December 22- World Middleweight champion Lyman King puts his perfect 40-0 record on the line against former champion George Quisenberry in Los Angeles. King beat Quisenberry to claim the tile last January in New York and made successful defenses against Steve Bradshaw in May and George Hatchell in September. Quisenberry, a 27-year-old Canadian, held the title for nearly two and a half years before falling to King. He waited eight months after the loss to King before returning to the ring, knocking out Billy Randall in September to improve to 39-2-3.

RECENT RESULTS OF NOTE

Oscar Woodings, the 34-year-old British middleweight who battled George Quisenberry to a draw when the Canadian was world champion nearly three years ago before losing a unanimous decision in the rematch, was back in the ring last week in his native England. Woodings scored a decision over Sheridon Mobbs to run his career mark to 53-3-2.

The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 12/09/1962

The Minuteman missile, after 22 months of testing, officially became part of the United States wartime bombing power after twenty of the nuclear-tipped missiles were declared ready for war duty in their underground, concrete silos in Montana. Each missile is programmed for a specific target and has its own guidance system.
India's Prime Minister says that Red China's cease-fire and withdrawal maneuver may only be a trick and warned his front-line troops that fighting might flare up again in the Himalayas. The withdrawal came after Prime Minister Nehru rejected Peking's terms for settlement of the border conflict.
The head of United Nations operations in the Congo warned Katanga's President Moise Tshombe that the UN intends to take whatever steps are necessary to reunite the Congo. The government of Belgium has pledged to support the UN and the central Congolese government should they attempt to end the Katangese secession through force.
British troops, more than 700 strong, have launched an attack on rebel forces on the British protected island of Borneo after the insurgents had attacked Brunei's rich oil installations.
The GOP National Committee drafted a formal resolution claiming that President Kennedy's administration "was stalled in indecision" when Republican spokesmen were calling for elimination of the Communist military base on Cuba at the start of the crisis.
16 bodies have been recovered and the search continues for 21 more following the collapse of a Pennsylvania coal mine about 50 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.

02-07-2025, 12:31 PM	#1074
ayaghmour2 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 3,010	December 10th, 1962 DECEMBER 10, 1962 DRILLERS BEAT RAMBLERS, KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE It has been five years since a team went entire season without losing on the road but the Houston Drillers are one win away from accomplishing just that. More astounding is that if the Drillers can somehow find a way to beat first place Chicago in two weeks they will accomplish something that was unthinkable when the season began, make the playoffs as a team in just its second season in the American Football Association. The sophomore Drillers have been astounding, following up a 3-11 debut season with a stellar run that has them at 9-4 and riding a five game winning streak after a huge 31-23 victory over the Ramblers in St Louis yesterday. That leaves both clubs tied for second with 9-4 records with one game remaining for each. There will be some time to ponder the suspense as both teams have a bye next week before finishing their seasons on December 23. The Ramblers will travel to San Francisco to play the 4-8 Wings while the Drillers face a stiff test in the Chicago Wildcats, who lead the entire AFA with a 10-2 record. The Drillers lost 11-9 at home to Chicago just prior to embarking on the five game winning streak that ignited their playoff aspirations. It was a wild afternoon at Pioneers Stadium yesterday as the Ramblers, thanks in part to a pair of Phil Patton touchdown runs and a St Louis fumble, built a 28-7 lead at halftime and held on for a 31-23 victory. Chicago, which still has two games remaining, moved a step closer to clinching the best record in the AFA and homefield for the championship game should they advance to it, narrowly survived a visit from the Los Angeles Tigers to Cougars Park but escaped with a 29-24 victory. Boston and New York both secured their places in the East Division. The Americans improved to 10-3 and clinched top spot in the division with a 20-10 doubling of Cleveland while the Stars, who have had their ups and downs this year in their quest for a third consecutive league championship, downed Philadelphia 13-3 to end the Frigates faint playoff hopes. Elsewhere Jeff Kelly threw for 199 yards to lead the Kansas City Cowboys past the Detroit Maroons 24-10, and in Buffalo a Mike LaBarbera 33-yard field goal on the final play of the game lifted Pittsburgh to a 20-17 victory over the Red Jackets. EAST-WEST CLASSIC PREVIEW By Tank Tippett Well, folks, it's that time of year again when the nation's finest collegiate gridiron warriors pack up their leather helmets—figuratively speaking, of course—and head west for the granddaddy of them all, the East-West Classic. On New Year’s Day, the mighty Aviators of Central Ohio and the plucky Emeralds of Lane State will clash at Santa Ana Stadium, where 100,000 roaring fans will witness what promises to be a battle for the ages. Now, the history books tell us that neither of these squads has had much luck in this grand spectacle. Central Ohio has made five previous trips to sunny California and walked away victorious just once—back in ’44 when they toppled Coastal California to complete a perfect season. Their other appearances? Heartbreakers, including two losses in the last four years to Northern Cal. Lane State, meanwhile, has only seen the Classic twice, tying Noble Jones College in ’39 before pasting Eastern State in a 28-0 shutout two years later. That one was played out east in old Bigsby Stadium due to war jitters, but this time the Emeralds are back where the real action happens. While this is their first meeting in Santa Ana, these two outfits aren’t exactly strangers. They’ve butted heads three times in the past decade, and if those games are any indication, fans are in for a slugfest. In their last scrap back in '59, Lane State defended their home turf with a 9-3 victory—a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal 4-6 campaign. The year before, it was all Central Ohio, with bruiser Swat Deskins steamrolling his way to 134 yards as the Aviators blanked the Emeralds 23-0. And back in '56, Central Ohio strolled into Eugene and pitched another shutout, this time 19-0, behind a breakout game from then-sophomore Scott Deskins. * Emeralds’ Fate Rests on Lamar’s Knee * This time around, both squads are 9-1 and eager to prove they belong among the nation's elite. The Aviators check in at No. 4, while Lane State sits at No. 9. Both teams boast stout defenses, capable runners, and young quarterbacks calling the signals. For Central Ohio, it’s Spencer Carr, a steady-handed sophomore who started all 11 games as a freshman and has improved with age like a fine bourbon. He’s been efficient—681 yards passing, a 61% completion rate, and just two picks. On the other side, Lane State’s Pat Lamar was on a tear before a knee injury sidelined him in the Emeralds’ lone loss of the season to Spokane State. Since then, he’s been a question mark, and if he can’t go, the burden falls on junior Rick Plummer. And let’s just say Plummer has been about as reliable as a paper raincoat—0-for-30 in pass attempts this season. If Lamar is out, Lane State will need a monster day from their backfield, headlined by sophomore workhorse Harry Menard. The young dynamo has piled up 1,366 yards and crossed the goal line 13 times this season. Freshman Mike Bond has provided a solid one-two punch, adding 803 yards and nine scores. Defensively, the Emeralds lean on a seasoned trio of linebackers, led by seniors Larry Randolph and Hi Sattler, with junior Alan Stathes joining them to form a brick wall. The Aviators, however, have a veteran stopper of their own in senior linebacker Ron Barchus, who will be starting his 36th and final game in Central Ohio blue and white. Offensively, the ground attack is more committee-style, with Larry Spruance (771 yards) and Larry Babyak (910 yards) shouldering the load. A wild card to watch? End Mike Bailey, who often lines up in the backfield and has been a sneaky effective runner. And when Carr does air it out, he’s got a pair of trusty targets in seniors Dave Williams and Jim Squire, who have combined for 55 catches and six touchdowns. The Prediction - The boys in Vegas have Central Ohio as a five-point favorite, and that seems about right. But if Lamar is sidelined, this one could get ugly fast. With both teams at full strength, I’d expect a hard-nosed, down-to-the-wire brawl, but I have to give the edge to the Aviators. They’re battle-tested, they’re due for some Santa Ana success, and they’ve got a quarterback they can trust. When the dust settles, I see Central Ohio celebrating a long-awaited Classic victory, breaking their three-game losing skid in the big one. TANK TIPPETT PREDICTION: Central Ohio 17, Lane State 10. HOT DECEMBER HAS MOTORS RACING AWAY FROM PACK The Detroit Motors have opened a nine point lead on second place Montreal after a sizzling start to December that has seem the two-time defending Challenge Cup champions reel off five consecutive victories. The Motors may have had some questions about goaltending, OSA felt they had the weakest netminding tandem in the league, but both returnee Sebastien Goulet (7-1-3, 2.00) and veteran pickup Charlie Dell (9-5-0, 2.22) have been outstanding and Detroit has yielded by a wide margin the fewest number of goals against in the league. Detroit has gone 10-1-2 in its last thirteen games. ROSTERS REVEALED FOR ALL-STAR GAME The Detroit Motors will take on the best of the NAHC tonight at Thompson Palladium in the 14th annual all-star game. The tradition of having the defending Challenge Cup champions take on a collection of league stars first began in 1950-51, a year after the players from the six teams were simply divided into two squads for a Red vs Blue game to benefit charity. It will mark the fifth time the Motors have faced the all-stars including last year when the NAHC team beat the Motors 4-1. Detroit 1-1-2 against the all-star team. Here are the players named to represent the NAHC squad: NAHC RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 5 Boston 5 at Chicago 4: Boston outshot the Chicago Packers 42-23 but needed a late third period goal from Jean Lebel to sneak out a 5-4 victory and snap a 6-game winless streak for the Bees. Chicago continues to struggle with just one win in their last eleven outings. Detroit 2 at New York 1: Detroit was all over the Shamrocks, outshooting New York 37-19 but ran into a tough goaltender in Alex Sorrell. The Motors did just enough to win as Nick Tardif scored in the first period and defenseman Robert Ling, with his 11th of the season, got the winner late in the third after Ben Jacobs had equalized for New York in the middle stanza. Montreal 2 at Toronto 2: The Valiants and Dukes skated to a 2-2 tie with Bill Archer and Hank Knackstedt handling the scoring for the hosts from Toronto while Tony Delvecchio and Colton Keil were the Montreal marksmen. THURSDAY DECEMBER 6 Boston 4 at Detroit 7: The lone Thursday night contest featured plenty of scoring, not something the Motors have allowed much of lately. Boston beat Sebastien Goulet four times, marking only the fourth time in 23 games this season the Motors have surrendered more than three goals against. It was not enough to stall the Motors winning streak as Detroit fired seven pucks past Boston's Oscar James. It was a wild third period that saw the two clubs combine for eight goals including two from veteran Detroit winger Louis Rocheleau, who also had two assists on the evening. SATURDAY DECEMBER 8 New York 1 at Boston 1: The game was scoreless for more than 56 minutes but each team notched one in the final four minutes of the third period. Bruno Legg gave the visiting Shamrocks the lead but Mathieu Harnois tied the game for Boston with 43 seconds remaining. Detroit 5 at Montreal 2: Charles Beauregard and Colin MacMillan each had a goal and two assists for the Motors but the big story once again was defenseman Robert Ling. The 24-year-old rearguard scored two more goals and added an assist, giving him 13 goals and 23 points. He is second behind only Chicago's Ken York in goals and fifth in points while threatening to rewrite the record book for defenseman scoring. Both of Ling's goals on this night came from goalmouth scrambles as he continues, at the urging of Detroit coach Badger Rigney, to almost act like a fourth forward when the opportunity presents itself. Chicago 1 at Toronto 4: Three first period goals and some terrific netminding from Mike Connelly was all the Dukes needed to down Chicago 4-1. The victory snapped a three-game winlees streak for the Dukes while the Packers fall to 0-3-1 in December. SUNDAY JANUARY 6 Montreal 3 at Chicago 6: A big game from the big line lifted the Chicago Packers to a 6-3 win over Montreal. League scoring leader Ken York scored once and added three assists while his linemates also had productive nights: Pete Bernier scored twice and added an assist while Derek Noel had a goal and a helper. Toronto 2 at Detroit 3: Another win for the Motors, who have prevailed in seven of their last eight games. Hobie Barrell, Jack Chapman and Ty Boulet scored for Detroit with Benny Barrell collecting two assists. The two Toronto goals both came in the third period courtesy of Ken Jamieson and Andrew Williams. Sebastien Goulet had a strong game in the Detroit net, making 36 saves. Quinton Pollack did get an assist for Toronto -his first point in three games- but the Dukes center's scoring slump continues. Pollack has found the back of the net just twice in the last 13 games. Boston 0 at New York 3: Alex Sorrell stopped all 30 Boston shots for his second shutout of the season. Ken Bouvette scored twice for New York while Mitch Parsons added a goal and an assist. Things have been looking up for the fifth place Shamrocks who have gone 6-2-4 in their last twelve games. UPCOMING GAMES MONDAY DECEMBER 10 NAHC All-Stars at Detroit WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12 New York at Chicago THRUSDAY DECEMBER 13 New York At Detroit Boston at Montreal SATURDAY DECEMBER 15 Chicago at Detroit New York at Montreal Boston at Toronto SUNDAY DECEMBER 16 Montreal at Boston Toronto at Chicago Detroit at New York Dukes Repeat, 1-1-1 Move into Third Place Toronto's hockey team continues to march in place in the NAHC. Another week of a win, loss. tie sees the Dukes in third only because they have played one less game than Chicago. That being said the team is only a single point behind Montreal for second. The standings are bunched with only two points between second and fifth place. The only team that has been making hay as the league moves into the third month of the season are the Detroit Motors, on a 5 game undefeated streak, having built a ten point lead to hold first with approximately a third of the season in the books. Montreal was in town to start the week in the Gardens. The fans saw the hometown heroes jump out to an early lead when Archer opened the scoring 80 seconds in the game putting a juicy rebound past Bannister. Dukes seemed to have some jump early on keeping up the pressure on the Vals in the first. Bannister was the main reason the first ended with the Dukes only up one. Montreal effectively turned the tables on Toronto for the final 40 minutes of the game pouring 31 shots on MacPhee in the Toronto net after only managing 4 in the opening frame. Bannister was not nearly as busy after the first only facing 16 shots on goal. The Dukes ran into penalty trouble in the second taking all 5 minors called in the period including a period of 22 second in which Montreal held a two-man advantage. Montreal, thanks to MacPhee, only managed a single goal on the 5 power plays by Tony Del Vecchio at 11:28 on which Colton Keil chipped in with first point of the season. Montreal continued to pressure the Dukes in the third. Keil completed what was a memorable night for him giving his club a lead at 6:02 much to the displeasure of the 12825 on hand. A smattering of boos were heard from the stands after the goal. The catcalls may have woke the Dukes up as they seemed to play with a little more intensity after allowing the Montreal to take the lead. Knackstedt's, who had been sent to the sin bin thrice in the game, 8th of the season salvaged a point that most fans were muttering was undeserved on their way out of the building. After two days off in which Bear put the team through two tough practices stressing defense zone coverage along with the breakout the Packers came to town. Bear's message seemed to be forgotten when Dave Corden gave Chicago the lead after at 1:29 on a give away that hung Connelly out to dry with no chance. The early deficit led to something not often seen from the Dukes this season, a goal explosion, with three in just under 10 minutes starting with Williams on a tip at 5:16 then Jamieson on a rebound at 12:36 followed by Amesbury's deflection at 16:09. Leading 3-1 in the second the team again ran into a rash of penalties in which they were fortunate enough to kill all three to head into the third still up by 2 goals in a period where Connelly turned aside 18 shots. Toronto scored the only goal in the final twenty with Nick Landry getting his first of the year from Knackstedt, Amesbury with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Connelly again was the big reason the Dukes go the two points making 33 saves while Dick Crane had a tough evening between the pipes for Chicago. For the second Sunday in a row the Dukes went into Thompson Palladium to face Detroit. Pollack took a questionable roughing call after the opening puck drop, which incensed Bear who came within an eyelash of picking up a bench minor, allowing his Hobie Barrell to score his 12th before the game was a half minute old. In a chippy game in which each team had had 8 power plays Jack Chapman made it 2 zip at 5:26. The next 37 minutes saw no scoring even with an almost constant parade to the penalty box. Early in the third Ty Boulet had his number entered in the goal scoring column of the game sheet for the first time this year making it 3-0. Ken Jamieson continue his recent hot streak by breaking Goulet's shutout at 7:49 with Deruelle serving time for hooking. Williams closed the gap to one at 13: 56, that was a close as Toronto would get on this night in a 3-2 final. Coach Bear- "We are going to implement a new defensive system this week. It will be simplified as it seems the reads guys are making in our zone are not consistent opening up too many chances for the opposition. The goaltending, thankfully, has been superior this year. At least 50% of our points are due to either Mike's or Justin's work in net. We cannot ride that train indefinitely, the skaters have to help them out. Detroit has built an early lead. We have to play much, much better to chip into their lead. Time for a hot streak. The guys have to watch their sticks. We seemed to have gotten the reputation of a dirty team with the stick, whether or not deserved is not open for debate, it is the way it is at the moment. The refs are giving us no breaks we have to give them no reasons to make the call." Full Court Press: December 3-9, 1962 There are three current streaks in the FBL that tell the story of the past week. In the Western Division, the Toronto Falcons just refuse to lose. Their winning streak has reached eight games, and they are two-and-a-half games clear of Detroit. Toronto has the best home record in the league at 8-1 and while the attendance is at about 30% capacity, there is clearly something to see at Dominion Gardens. The eight-game streak over the last three weeks have been at the expense of the Rockets and Panthers with three wins each against those teams and two big wins against the Mustangs. The big matchup lurking is an inter-divisional battle in Boston next Saturday night against the 16-5 Centurions. Toronto boasts two 20-point scorers, which no other team can do. Fred Lillard leads the league at 23.0 points per game, while Bill Spangler has come on and stands sixth at 20.8 per contest. Speaking of the Mustangs, they have gone the other way. After a season that started with four wins in a row and 10 of 13 in the win column, Detroit has lost six in a row, including all three against the Rockets with an average margin of 11 points per loss. Why have the Mustangs not been able to win lately? Detroit has not been taking care of the ball, they have not been disciplined, and they have struggled defensively. Detroit is last with the most fouls committed per game (18.5), next to last in turnovers (19.1) and last in points allowed (83.2). Early in the season, the Mustangs were able to outscore the competition, and they still lead in points per game (87.4). Just look at the three games against St. Louis. Over the three games, Detroit averaged 18 turnovers a game, two more turnovers than the Rockets committed. Detroit was called on almost six fouls a game more than St. Louis, while the Rockets – a 40.2% shooting team this season – shot 45.8%, 47.6%, and 42.4% from the floor in their three wins. Washington has lost six straight and eight of nine after a hot start. The Statesmen’s 8-11 record has sunk the team into third place. To be fair, five of those eight losses were against the best team in the league in Boston though all those losses came at home. On the bright side, Washington is 4-1 at home against teams other than Boston, but that is of small comfort to a reeling Statesmen squad. Washington is not a high-scoring team, placing next-to-last in points per game (74.4) and field goal percentage (36.6%). The Statesmen also have a very stagnant offense, as their 19.6 assists per game is only better than Chicago. Only two Statesmen are in double figures with forward Ossie Waid the clear “go-to” man at 19.7 points a game and guard Ralph Peck at 11.4. If the news wasn’t bad enough, Peck hurt his knee early in Sunday’s 69-50 loss to Boston. The diagnosis was communicated by coach David Honey at practice this morning that Peck is going to miss the rest of the season with a ligament tear in his knee. In college news, preseason number one North Carolina Tech is making the prognosticators look smart with a 4-0 start. They were number one before taking the court, slipped to number two through no fault of their own, and they now have 49 of the 72 first-place votes in the Media Poll. NC Tech is 15th in RPI, which ranks based on a team’s performance and their strength of schedule. Lane State is off to a more impressive start, standing fourth in the Media Poll and fourth in RPI after winning its first five games of the season. Rule-5 Draft Set for Tomorrow, FABL 40-Man Rosters Locked Baseball last notable event of 1962, the Rule-5 draft is scheduled to take place tomorrow, December 11th, as the 20 FABL clubs have a chance to poach their rivals for potentially big league ready talent left off a team's 40-man roster. The teams have a gentleman's agreement to get 40-man rosters finalized the night before the draft, so a few teams frantically filled up their roster with minor leaguers. The Minutemen, Gothams, and Foresters added a combined 30 players, as most teams enter the draft with a pretty stacked secondary roster. The latter both have full 40-man rosters, while the Sailors filled their 40-man up with six position players. That means that only 17 teams will be able to participate, with all but Minneapolis capped by the number of free 40-man roster spots they have available to them. The Millers will get to add 10 players -- the maximum amount of selections -- but with only 27 spots filled they have more open spots then rounds of the draft. For an expansion team, an opportunity to add talent for the cost of a 25-man roster spot is an excellent opportunity, and I'd expect each of the four fledgling franchises to raid their new rivals in an effort to uncover a hidden gem or three. There are a few notable prospects up for grabs, including 47th ranked prospect and former 1st Rounder George Wagner. Corner outfielders are not always highly sought after, but the 22-year-old slugger hit .308/.410/.602 (176 OPS+) with 27 homers and 68 RBIs in 91 AAA games. Wagner's exclusion from the Sailors secondary roster was a surprise, and I'd bet the former 8th pick would be one of the first players selected. There's a few FABL vets available as well, including Imperials infielder Red Ellis, who made 281 PAs and at 35, and veteran pitchers Jimmy Morris and John Thomas Johnson, both of who made appearances this past season and signed minor league deals with the Cougars. Last year's Rule-5 draft saw just two players selected, but this season expect at least two teams to select more then two players. Both players selected managed to survive the season with their team. Third basemen Clyde Fisher went from the Chiefs to the Wolves, starting 133 of his 138 appearances. Almost all of it came at the hot corner, and the 23-year-old hit a solid .309/.375/.453 (107 OPS+) with 29 doubles, 12 homers, and 63 RBIs while offering excellent defense. Boston also took right hander Otey Stevens from the Kansas City Kings, trotting him out 34 times, with 22 of those starts. Now 25, the righty has great stuff, and despite a 6-11 record had a 4.11 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.55 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts. UPCOMING MAJOR FIGHTS December 22- World Middleweight champion Lyman King puts his perfect 40-0 record on the line against former champion George Quisenberry in Los Angeles. King beat Quisenberry to claim the tile last January in New York and made successful defenses against Steve Bradshaw in May and George Hatchell in September. Quisenberry, a 27-year-old Canadian, held the title for nearly two and a half years before falling to King. He waited eight months after the loss to King before returning to the ring, knocking out Billy Randall in September to improve to 39-2-3. RECENT RESULTS OF NOTE Oscar Woodings, the 34-year-old British middleweight who battled George Quisenberry to a draw when the Canadian was world champion nearly three years ago before losing a unanimous decision in the rematch, was back in the ring last week in his native England. Woodings scored a decision over Sheridon Mobbs to run his career mark to 53-3-2. The Week That Was Current events from the week ending 12/09/1962 The Minuteman missile, after 22 months of testing, officially became part of the United States wartime bombing power after twenty of the nuclear-tipped missiles were declared ready for war duty in their underground, concrete silos in Montana. Each missile is programmed for a specific target and has its own guidance system. India's Prime Minister says that Red China's cease-fire and withdrawal maneuver may only be a trick and warned his front-line troops that fighting might flare up again in the Himalayas. The withdrawal came after Prime Minister Nehru rejected Peking's terms for settlement of the border conflict. The head of United Nations operations in the Congo warned Katanga's President Moise Tshombe that the UN intends to take whatever steps are necessary to reunite the Congo. The government of Belgium has pledged to support the UN and the central Congolese government should they attempt to end the Katangese secession through force. British troops, more than 700 strong, have launched an attack on rebel forces on the British protected island of Borneo after the insurgents had attacked Brunei's rich oil installations. The GOP National Committee drafted a formal resolution claiming that President Kennedy's administration "was stalled in indecision" when Republican spokesmen were calling for elimination of the Communist military base on Cuba at the start of the crisis. 16 bodies have been recovered and the search continues for 21 more following the collapse of a Pennsylvania coal mine about 50 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. Last edited by ayaghmour2; 02-07-2025 at 01:11 PM.