MARCH 10, 1975
COMETS TAKE LOW-RISK GAMBLE ON CARTERWith spring training barely underway, the Houston Comets have made an early move aimed at tightening up an offense they believe can carry them back to the top of the Federal Association West. Houston acquired veteran third baseman Ernie Carter from the San Francisco Sailors, sending 20-year-old minor league lefthander Don Fisher west in the deal.
For the Comets, who finished second in the division a year ago after winning the West in 1973, the trade is a calculated attempt to stabilize a position that has quietly been a problem. Carter, now 34, is coming off the poorest offensive season of his 13-year career, batting .222 in 1974. Even so, Houston believes the former all-star has enough left in the bat—and plenty left in the glove—to represent an upgrade at third base.
Defense has never been an issue for Carter. A three-time Diamond Defense Award winner, he remained well above average in the field last season despite his offensive drop-off. The Comets are hoping a change of scenery and a contender’s clubhouse can coax something closer to his career norms, particularly when compared to Jim Marshall, who has struggled to find consistency in his year and a half as Houston’s everyday third baseman. Marshall’s place in club history is secure thanks to his MVP performance in the 1973 Continental Association Championship Series, but production since then has been uneven.
Carter’s tenure in San Francisco ends a long chapter. Acquired as a minor leaguer from the then-Kansas City Kings, who drafted the Chicago native in the first round back in 1958, Carter had been the Sailors’ regular third baseman for more than a decade. A two-time all-star with a lifetime .275 average, he is closing in on 2,000 career hits, though last season raised questions about how much he has left to give.
For the Sailors, expected to endure another difficult season in the Continental Association West, the move fits neatly into a broader rebuilding plan. Carter’s salary comes off the books, and Fisher becomes another young arm to evaluate as San Francisco looks toward the future.
Fisher, a left-handed reliever, was originally selected by the Los Angeles Suns out of a Michigan high school in the sixth round of the 1972 draft before being dealt to Houston just months later. He spent most of last season in Class A, where he posted a 2.60 ERA and recorded 16 saves. While not ranked among the game’s elite prospects, he is viewed as a potential steady bullpen piece if his development continues.
It’s a modest trade by spring standards, but one with clear intent on both sides. Houston adds a proven veteran in hopes of squeezing out one more productive season, while San Francisco continues to reshape its roster with an eye firmly fixed on tomorrow.
Spring Training is underway as baseball fans everywhere once more have boxscores to peruse. Sure, many of the names will be unrecognizable and plenty will be playing in the minors instead of big league ballparks, but baseball is now officially back after a long winter and an even longer wait for the online General Managers of the 24 FABL clubs. Here are some weekly notes from what is going on in the sport.
- It's only spring and just one week but two teams that finished well below .500 a year ago are off to quick starts as both the Toronto Wolves and San Francisco Sailors went 6-1 to kick off spring training. The only other 6-1 club is the Boston Minutemen but the news was not all good in Winter Haven as the Minutemen lost second base prospect Jack Gordon for the year with a knee injury. According to Boston management the 23-year-old non-roster invitee to camp had an outside shot of cracking the club. Gordon was impressive before his injury, going 3-for-6 in his first test against big league pitching.
- Toronto also suffered an injury as Howie Mazzei is out until June with an elbow issue. It is expected that Red Bullock will move into a SP role. There are a number of positives as the Toronto Mail & Empire reports that in 2 spring starts Stan Terry is looking good in while Harry Street and Ray Smith have been impressive out of the bullpen. Jackie Daniels has a line of .500/.538/1.250 with 3 HR 5 RBI in 14 PA while newly acquired Pedro Maldonado is hitting .400 in his quest to win the starting first base job. Manny Espinosa -the pitcher acquired with Maldonado from the Cougars recently will make his 2nd spring start tomorrow.
- While on the topic of newcomers Tom Lorang started his Cougar career out slow, 0-for-11 with a pair of walks, but the former Washington Eagles star got the hits going in a 5-1 win over the Imperials. Lorang recorded a pair of singles in his two at bats, scoring and driving in a run. Other first year Cougars John Babb (2-8, BB) and Andy Babel (6-12, HR, BB) were far productive, with Babel taking veteran righty Bob Reed deep in a tight 6-5 loss to the Arrows
- OSA #52 prospect John DeWitt(#1 overall pick in 1970) had a roller coaster start to big league spring training with Milwaukee. First start saw him allow four runs in just 1.1 IP but his second start has the Arrow's excited. He pitched four innings of shut out baseball.
- A couple of signings of note from the Detroit Dynamos camp. The big one is word that all-star infielder Bill Austin has inked a one-year extension. There had been rumblings that the Dynamos would part with their most marketable veteran in order to help build up their pitching staff but the organization feels very good about what was added in the recent draft and decided to take Austin off the trading block. Whether that stays the same come the trade deadline remains to be seen as the Dynamos pitching -while loaded with young prospects - may be in a lot of trouble this season.
- Detroit did add depth behind the plate by inking Ty Rusconi to a one year deal worth a little over $40,000. The 37-year-old wanted nearly double that but when few offers came his way, he relented and signed with Detroit where he will likely serve as Harry Van Orden's backup but will be given an opportunity to claim the starting job. Rusconi hit .277 for the Imperials last season after spending the first 15 years of his big league career with the Toronto Wolves.
MUCH LEFT TO DECIDE AS PLAYOFF PUSH HEATS UPWith only three weeks remaining in the North American Hockey Confederation regular season there is still much left to decide. Three teams from each of the four division will qualify for postseason action and while two of the divisions look set, both the Thomas and Connelly groups remain in a state of flux.
In the Thomas Division there are tight battles at both the top and bottom as the Vancouver Totems hold a slim two point lead on the second place Los Angeles Stingrays for supremacy and the first round bye that accompanies it. At the other end of the four team grouping the San Francisco Gulls and Calgary Grizzlies are fighting for their playoff lives. Only one will reach the post-season, something neither club has ever accomplished before, and at the moment the Gulls hold a one point lead on the Grizzlies but Calgary has 10 games remaining- one more than San Francisco.
The other division with a battle to reach the playoffs is the other four team grouping - the Connelly Division. Boston, with the best record in hockey, has clinched first place and Montreal has a secure hold on the second spot. The Toronto Dukes, thanks to a three-game winning streak, have pulled a point ahead of the Citadels with 10 games remaining on their slate. Quebec, which has only qualified for the post-season once since the franchise debuted in 1970, does have a game in hand and the two clubs will face each other in Toronto on March 29.
The Yeadon Division's playoff teams are all but set as Chicago will finish in first place while the Minneapolis Norsemen and St Louis Sawyers should also reach the playoffs but the question remains which of the two will claim the second spot. St Louis trails the Norsemen by a point but does have two games in hand.
Only the Dewar Division appears to be locked in place as the defending Challenge Cup champion Philadelphia Rogues are just a win away from clinching the division title. Expansion Cincinnati will qualify for the playoffs and looks to be set to have home-ice advantage for the quick best-of-three opening round which will seed the 8 second and third place teams by points to determine matchups. The New York Shamrocks have ended a run of futility that has lasted 15 years and will make the playoffs for the first time since 1960.
NAHC WEEKLY RESULTS
MONDAY MARCH 3
Atlanta at Detroit :The Motors have played much better lately and looked good in a 7-1 drubbing of the Atlanta Blazers behind a two goal, one assist effort from winger Doug Moffat but neither Detroit nor Atlanta will be reaching the playoffs this year.
San Francisco at Los Angeles : The Gulls, fighting to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, picked up a crucial two points by downing Thomas Division rival Los Angeles 5-3 with Mike McGee's hat trick leading the way.
New York at Philadelphia :Four first period goals were enough to carry the Philadelphia Rogues to a 4-3 victory over the New York Shamrocks.
TUESDAY MARCH 4
Cincinnati at Boston :Make it six wins in a row for the Bees after Boston downed visiting Cincinnati 6-2. Matt Brophey scored twice for the winners while Alan Porter picked up his 45th goal of the season in a losing effort for the Ironclads.
Vancouver at Montreal :Vancouver missed an opportunity to pull ahead of suddenly struggling Los Angeles and into sole possession of top spot in the Thomas Division after the Totems were doubled 4-2 by Montreal. Ed Halliday and Mark Moggy each had a goal and an assist for the Valiants.
Washington at Calgary :Calgary remains in a playoff battle with San Francisco after the Grizzlies picked up a crucial two points with a 4-3 victory over Washington. Defenseman Colt Furness had a 3 point evening to pace Calgary.
Quebec at Pittsburgh :Pittsburgh is winless in 16 games and has not earned a win since January 28th. The latest loss was a 3-2 decision at the Three Rivers Field House to the Quebec Citadels. Grant Ferguson scored his 4th goal of the season and earned assists on the other two Citadels markers.
San Francisco at Atlanta : San Francisco fired 51 shots on Randy Kelleher but could beat the Atlanta goaltender only once in a 5-1 loss to the Blazers. The Gulls remain one point ahead of Vancouver in the fight for the final playoff berth in the Thomas Division.
Minneapolis at Los Angeles :The Norsemen have won three of their last four games while the Stingrays are headed in the opposite direction with their third straight loss as Minneapolis blanked Los Angeles 6-0. Veteran Al Ferguson turned aside all 32 shots he faced for his fifth shutout of the season while Bill Sullvan paced the Norsemen offense with a goal and two helpers.
Philadelphia at Chicago : The Packers extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a 5-2 victory at the Lakeside Auditorium over visiting Philadelphia.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 5
Boston at Montreal :Boston won its seventh in a row, downing the Montreal Valiants 5-1 behind the strength of a pair of Steven Perreaux goals.
St Louis at Chicago :A wild comeback in the Windy City as the Packers scored three unanswered goals, 2 by Kevin Kelly, in the final four and a half minutes to earn a 4-4 draw with St Louis.
THURSDAY MARCH 6
Calgary at Toronto :Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives but it was the hosts who picked up the big two points on this night after the Toronto Dukes, led by a three point night from Ollie Perreault, downed Calgary 5-2.
St Louis at Detroit :The Sawyers have tied three of their last four games after battling Detroit to a 1-1 draw. Both goals came in the opening seven minutes of the game before goaltenders Ken Stonechild of Detroit and the Sawyers Carl Dutove took over.
Minneapolis at Pittsburgh : Will the losing ever end for Pittsburgh as the worst team in the league is now winless in 17 after losing its second straight one goal game. This one was 2-1 for Minneapolis.
FRIDAY MARCH 7
Vancouver at New York :Scott Spencer's 31st goal of the season, with less than five minutes remaining in the game, lifted the Vancouver Totems to a 3-2 win in the Big Apple over the New York Shamrocks and into a first place tie with Los Angeles atop the Thomas Division
Philadelphia at Calgary :Adam McPherson scored his 46th goal of the season and added two assists to lead Philadelphia to a 6-2 win over visiting Vancouver.
Los Angeles at Cincinnati :Los Angeles has lost four consecutive games following a 3-2 defeat in Cincinnati.
Montreal at Boston : Ed Halliday scored three times as Montreal knocked off the best team in the NAHC, stopping Boston 5-2
Washington at Toronto :The Dukes moved to within a point of Quebec for third place in the Connelly Division following a 6-3 doubling of Washington. Ollie Perreault scored his 51st goal of the season while Sam Schmidt and Graham Beaton each tallied two for the Dukes.
SATURDAY MARCH 8
[b]Minneapolis at Cincinnati :/b] Third period goals from Billy Bradley and Ryley Fistric lifted Cincinnati to a 4-2 victory over the Norsemen and pretty much secured second place in the Dewar Division for the expansion Ironclads.
Pittsburgh at Atlanta :Ray Dupuis scored once and assisted on the other two Atlanta goals as the Blazers downed Pittsburgh 3-1.
New York at San Francisco :The Shamrocks, led by two Milt Young goals and three assists from Danny Cabbell, dumped San Francisco 6-4.
Chicago at Vancouver :Chicago beat Vancovuer 4-1, keeping the Totems just two points ahead of Los Angeles atop the Thomas Division heading into the showdown in California between the two coming up on Tuesday.
Quebec at St Louis :The Sawyers are unbeaten in five after Lou Mollard's three point game led St Louis to a 4-2 victory over Quebec.
SUNDAY MARCH 9
Detroit at Toronto :Pat Stephens made 33 saves as Toronto blanked Detroit 3-0, moving the Dukes a point ahead of Quebec and into a playoff position.
Quebec at Washington :The Citadels fell for the second time on the weekend, losing a 6-3 decision in Washington. Sam Raymond had a goal and two assists to pace the Federals.
BARRELL CLOSES IN ON GOAL RECORDWith five goals in his last five games Hobie Barrell is closing in on his own record for goals in a season. The 33-year-old Ottawa Athletics captain has scored 63 times in 72 games. He and his Athletics have six games remaining and needs six more goals to equal the mark of 69 he set in the Continental Hockey League's debut season of 1972-73.
Barrell, who made history and put the league on the map by signing a five year contract that pays him one million dollars over the length of the deal, has earned 416 points in 228 career games in the CHL. Prior to jumping leagues, Barrell spent a dozen seasons in the NAHC with the Detroit Motors, collecting 1,020 points including 492 goals while winning the McDaniels Trophy as league MVP four times and leading Detroit to five Challenge Cup victories.
His defection to the CHL was considered the move that legitimized the upstart league and led to a number of other NAHC vets joining him in moving to the Continental circuit.
FINAL PUSH FOR TOURNAMENT BERTHSCollege basketball programs have only six days remaining in order to make final impressions on the selection committee in advance of the 66th annual AIAA national tournament. The 32 team field, containing seventeen conference champions and 15 at-large entries, will be revealed next Sunday afternoon with league play wrapping up for most sections on Saturday.
The number one ranked Detroit City College Knights are expected to be the top seed overall in the tournament. DCC was upset 51-50 Saturday on the road by 7th ranked Whitney College, preventing the Knights from clinching their fifth GLA crown in the last seven years. The Knights have clinched at least a share of the title and need just one victory in their final two games or a loss by Indiana A&M to win the Alliance outright.
The Deep South Conference title is still very much up for grabs with Baton Rouge State and Northern Mississippi tied for top spot at 11-3, a game ahead of Noble Jones College. Each school has two games remaining including a Saturday showdown between the Mavericks and Colonels in Oxford, MS., while the Red Devils finish on the road against Mississippi A&M.
Maryland State and Carolina Poly are ranked third and fourth in the latest poll and the rivals share top spot in the South Atlantic Conference. They will face each other on Saturday in Durham in a game that will likely decide the conference title and assure the winner of a number one seed in the tournament.
The West Coast Athletic Association - the other of the big four conferences has just one game remaining for each school but plenty of possible outcomes. Lane State, which has won each of the past two AIAA tournament titles, is assured at least a share of the WCAA crown this year. The Emeralds are 9-4 and can clinch the conference outright with a win over Spokane State. They thumped the Indians earlier in the season and with this game being at home are heavily favoured but if the Emeralds stumble their are four teams one-game back that can share the conference crown with a win including defending WCAA champion Coastal California which hosts Rainier College in its finale Thursday. The Majestics are another of the four teams tied for second in the WCAA. At the moment it appears that five schools from the WCAA will make the tournament with Redwood and Northern California joining the previously mentioned Lane State, Coastal California and Rainier College.
The busy week ahead includes the Academia Alliance tournament. It is the only section that uses a post-season tournament to declare its automatic representative for the AIAA tournament. The George Fox Reds (11-3,22-7) posted the best regular season mark in the Alliance and will likely earn a national tournament invitation even if they do not win the Academia Alliance event. George Fox opens against last place Ellery on Wednesday.
Another highly anticipated game will be this Friday when the Southwestern Alliance co-leaders Arkansas A&T and Darnell State meet in Hot Springs. The Badgers have not made the AIAA tournament field in 14 years while the Legislators have missed out on the AIAA tournament each of the past half dozen seasons. It is likely that the SWA champion will be the only school from the conference to earn an invite.
Independent Annapolis Maritime has completed its schedule and the Navigators, who have had some long tournament runs in their history but have not made the field in four years, may well be left out again this year despite a 23-6 season. Their postseason hopes may hinge on George Fox winning the Academia Alliance tournament as a second team from that conference reaching the field would like leave Annapolis Maritime on the outside.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 03/09/1975
- Warning that "time is running out," President Ford declared that Congress must vote emergency military aid within two weeks if Cambodia is to survive the current Communist offensive.
- An Arab terrorist raid on a Tel Aviv hotel that claimed 14 lives has left Israel shaken and threatening revenge. It leaves the fate of Secretary of State Kissinger's newest peace mission uncertain.
- OPEC says it is ready to stabilize oil prices but stated that the prices must be tied to the cost of manufactured goods and services.
- West Germany's ambassador to Washington wants the U.S. to maintain 300,000 troops in Europe, saying his country feels that is "just about the right number to do the job."
- Iran and Iraq have agreed to a solution to their bitter five-year border dispute. The conflict had brought the U.S. equipped forces of Iran to the brink of war with the Russian-supplied army of Iraq.