[Tiger Fan]

TWIFS1975
FRIDAY OCTOBER 3, 1975

UNDERDOGS STIKE FIRST, FAVOURITES RESPOND AS ACS SHIFTS SITES

For a brief moment, the script that pointed toward an inevitable World Championship Series rematch was crumpled and tossed aside.

Both the heavily favored Seattle Kings and Atlanta Copperheads opened their respective Association Championship Series with home-field defeats, jolted by inspired efforts from the underdog New York Imperials and Los Angeles Suns. Making matters worse for the Copperheads the club lost centerfielder Jay Hunter for the duration of the postseason with a sprained ankle suffered in the series opener.

By the time the dust settled on Game Two, however, order had largely been restored. Both powers rebounded to even their best-of-five series at one game apiece, setting up a pivotal shift in venue. The next two contests move to Los Angeles and New York, where the challengers now have an opportunity to clinch on home soil. Should a fifth game be required in either series, it will return to Atlanta or Seattle.

Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that the Copperheads and Kings each came up short in their respective series openers. After all, Atlanta won its division by a whooping 34 games and Seattle finished 24 games up on its nearest rival meaning neither had played a game of any real importance since May or one could argue -since division titles for each appeared a certainty even from opening day- the last meaningful game either played was the finale of last seasons WCS when Seattle prevailed 4-3 in a game seven nailbiter.

The Los Angeles Suns led the way in the Federal Association West for much of the season but at least the Houston Comets, who finished six games back, forced the Suns not to let up on the gas. The Suns did head to Atlanta for game one on a two game losing streak after dropping a pair of unimportant contests to Detroit to end the season while the Copperheads, who struggled in mid-September with 10 defeats in 11 outings, rebounded to win their final seven games entering the postseason.

With Howie Burt, who went 16-7 during the regular season, handed the ball in the opener instead of four-time Allen Award winner Marco Middleton, who compiled a 16-3 record accompanied by a 2.86 era there might have been mild surprise as Burt had struggled mightily in two of his final three regular season starts. The whispers grew to a crescendo as Burt failed to make it out of the fifth inning, chased by 7 Los Angeles runs in a game that the visitors would stun the Copperheads 15-5 while rapping out 16 hits including a pair of homeruns from second baseman Bill Perry, a man who managed to hit just 9 balls out of the park all season.

Clearly in a series and facing pressure for the first time all year, the Copperheads do deserve credit from answering the bell in game two, salvaging a split with a 6-4 victory behind a decent pitching performance from Jack Kotarski and three hits off the bat of Jack Blair to even the series. Los Angeles does have the luxury of returning to Wilshire Park and a chance to wrap the series up at home with wins in games three and four but to do so they will have to beat Middleton, who gets the call on the mound for the Copperheads in the all-important third game. Atlanta won more games on the road than any other team in FABL this season so an upset in the series is far from assured but the Suns split on the road at least makes the chances of reaching the World Championship Series for the first time in franchise history a possibility.

*** Imperials Win Postseason Debut ***

The same rust the Atlanta dealt with seemed to fully embrace the Seattle Kings as they did not play their best baseball in the opener of the Continental Association Championship Series. Instead it was the New York Imperials, who have been fighting for their lives for well over a month before dethroning the Milwaukee Arrows as East Division champion by the slimmest of margins. Injury riddled and clearly overmatched by the Kings, especially on the mound, the Imperials made the long flight Seattle for the first postseason game in franchise history well worth it - riding a stellar outing from Jim White and a shaky opening inning from one of the Kings mound aces Moe Lowery, who led FABL with 21 regular season wins, to a 6-2 victory.

Greeting Lowery with three first inning hits including an rbi triple off the bat of Al Reece, staked New York to a 2-0 lead before the Kings had a chance to bat and the Imperials sealed the win with a 3-run outburst in the 8th inning to greet Seattle reliever Danny Anderson, who had just taken over for Lowery.

Game two of the Continental Championship Series went very much according to the script most had envisioned as Seattle's pitching with seven solid innings from starter John Howell and two scoreless frames of relief courtesy of closer Billy Collins, who saved 40 games during the season, propelled the Kings to a 5-2 victory and put them on level ground as the series heads east for the next two contests.

*** Pressure Shifts ***

At the outset of the week, a Seattle-Atlanta rematch appeared all but certain. The two clubs combined for 219 regular-season victories and have set the competitive standard for the sport. Yet the opening games served notice that October rarely adheres strictly to regular-season form. By earning road splits, both the Imperials and Suns have shifted pressure onto the favorites. Each underdog now controls its immediate fate: win the next two at home and advance.

Whether either can sustain the momentum remains the central question. What is certain is that, for the first time in months, both the Kings and Copperheads find themselves having to answer it.

League Leaders: Batting Titles, ERA Crowns, Huge Leads

• Both batting titles were decided by extremely slim margins, most notably the race between teammates Jack Blair (.334, 17, 114, 37) and Al Hubbard (.333, 13, 75, 25), which was decided by a single percentage point. The at bat totals, however, were vastly different, as Blair was 195-for-584 while Hubbard, who walks a lot more and dealt with some injuries, was 173-for-519. The Conti's race was decided by a whopping two points, as despite missing the week, Woody Richardson (.347, 13, 82) managed to hold on to his batting title despite a ravenous Nick Parker (.345, 29, 110, 6) hitting .420/.549/.705 (243 OPS+) in September, including a 15-for-26 (.577) showing in the final week of the season.
• Unlike the batting races, the lead for ERA was not tightly contested, with neither runner up within 25 points of the winner. In the Fed, Comet Jay Hunt (13-10, 2.40, 144) was the only sub 2.50 ERA pitcher, while the Conti had likely unanimous Kellogg winner Bill Bartlett (13-5, 2.14, 72) managing to qualify for the title in his last start. Some may not have liked that he was benched the final week to preserve some of his league leads, but when it comes to ERA, he could have allowed 6 runs without getting an out, and still best Allen candidate Pete Rosenbaum (18-8, 2.54, 138). Bartlett's ERA was also the lowest of any Cougar since 1909, and the ninth lowest single season mark in franchise history.
• It would be nice if every race was as close as the batting title, or the Fed homer crown, which Tom Lally (.319, 31, 107, 9) ended up with one more homer then Carl Kilkenny (.302, 30, 107) and two more then Dick Ward (.261, 29, 80, 33), but that was not nearly the case. Starting with Lally, his 10.3 WAR was over 3 wins higher then any other player, including the Conti leader Nick Parker. Parker didn't have a large WAR lead, but his 1.013 OPS was over 100 points higher then anyone else, as only the Imperials' Al Reece (.337, 9, 66, 13) was even over .900. His teammate Jim White (19-10, 3.63, 225) struck out at least 40 more batters then any other Conti pitcher, leading his association in punchouts for the second straight season.

New Records: Single Season Save Leaders, Atlanta, Nick Parker, Comets, Mavericks, LA, Arrows, Imperials, White

• As FABL teams have started to rely on their pen more then their workhorse starters, the league has seen save totals quickly rise in the past decade or so. 1975 took this to another level, as Billy Collins (6-3, 40, 1.72, 49) and Ron Clark (6-4, 40, 2.32, 81) both set association highs with 40 saves. This also happens to be the most in a single season, and now each of the top four seasons, and one tied for fifth, all happened in 1975. Roy McDonald (6-12, 36, 4.30, 63), who picked up a save or win in 42 of the Pioneers 69 victories, and Cleveland's Bob James (6-9, 34, 3.35, 41) recorded more saves then any pitcher before this season, while Imperial stopper Ed Cooper (2-11, 33, 3.36, 55) matched Chief righty Johnny Maples' (13-9, 3.71, 157) 33 saves from 1969.
• Obviously, all five of these stoppers set new career high's for their personal team, and among the 12 players tied in the top 10 for saves in a season, all but two came in the last six seasons. If you want to go back further, only Del Lyons' 29 saves in 1938 rank among the top-20 seasons and happened before 1960.
• Other new bests for save include Dynamo Dick Butler (4-5, 26, 2.30, 47) who's 26 saves are the first Dynamo season with more then 25. Their previous leader may surprise you, as 40-year-old Adrian Czerwinski had 24 in 1965 -- his only season where he wasn't a starter or a Forester, as he retired at season's end.
• The Copperheads have a new All-Time win percentage leader, as Marco Middleton's (16-3, 1, 2.86, 136) .842 is the highest in team history, surpassing Howie Burt's (16-7, 3.39, 114) .826 from last season. Atlanta has been so good lately that each of the top-4 seasons come from the last three years. Burt had a .815 in '73 and Harry Inge (13-7, 2.90, 136) was at .818 last season.
• It's not as impressive when you're an expansion team, but Nick Parker's .345/.448/.565 triple slash was the best for all three categories in the Wrangler's short history. Parker also set new highs for WAR (7.3) and walks (105), but came one unit short in runs (110), homers (29), and RBIs (110), each one shy of Buck Stout (.306, 16, 97, 9). For runs and homers, it was his 1973, while his 111 RBIs came last season.
• Dallas' fellow Texas expansion club had plenty of new bests, but they didn't come from the same source. Jay Hunt's 2.40 ERA was not only the Fed low, but the Comet low. Also set for pitching was win percentage (Johnny Blackburn, .769) and saves (Bob Young, 28), while the batting stats of average (Stan Francis, .332), OBP (Johnny Adams, .391), OPS (Francis, .829), runs (John Edwards, 106), steals (Adams, 52), and walks (Edwards, 104) will show 1975 for the Comet high. At least for now!
• More expansion fun leads us to the Mavericks, who saw both Dick Anderson (.299, 11, 63) and Bobby Frost (.299, 9, 60) hit .299, as the club still looks for their first .300 hitter. They could have had it with Frost too, who was hitting .300 entering the final game of the season, before a 1-for-6 pushed him below. Anderson and Chuck Cohen (.292, 4, 63, 13) both recorded a franchise high 177 hits, as were Cohen's 74 walks, while Tony Keil's (.274, 15, 75) 86 runs are a new best. The staff, however, struggled, so only Jack Turner's (9-12, 21, 3.89, 76) 89 appearances were a new high.
• A lot of new records were set in LA, but only one came from the Stars. Ace Bill Dunham's (14-8, 3.05, 183) 7.9 K/9 was the most in Stars history, as he struck out 21.1% of the hitters he faced in his 30 starts. Likely Whitney winner Tom Lally then set plenty of offensive records, including average (.319), WAR (10.3), and hits (195), while Sam Forrester's (.281, 27, 116, 43) 43 steals shattered his own record of 36 from last season. Forrester now has each of the top seven steal seasons as he finishes up his 12th season.
• Houston had three new top performances, including leadoff man Rich Moyer's (.328, 10, 65, 17) .328 batting average. Third year stopper Jim Hart (9-10, 23, 2.40, 87) became the first Arrow with more then 20 saves in a season, and Joe Wright (15-10, 3.47, 169) matched the team lead with 15 wins, joining Joe Rice's (1-0, 2.08, 2; 5-1, 3.05, 34) 1971 season.
• As you'd expect with their first postseason appearance, the Imperials set plenty of records. Batting title winner Woody Richardson's .347 mark is the new best, while one of his main contender's Al Reece (.337, 9, 66, 18), who holds the next highest single season average, had a Imperial best .424 OBP. Franchise run leader George Love (.261, 21, 80, 23) now holds the single season lead with 116, reclaiming the lead he lost to Phil Terry (.301, 17, 71, 14) in 1970 (108). Love (1,011) and Terry (669) rank one and two in many offensive categories, but only Love will support the team in the postseason. They'll still have Jim White, who set bests in wins (19), WAR (7.5), and K/9 (8.0), as well as win percentage leader (.739) Emmett Thornton (17-6, 1, 3.45, 91), who's bounce back was instrumental in getting the Imps to the postseason.
• You wouldn't know it by looking at his ERA, but Herman White (8-14, 4.85, 199) of the Washington Eagles set a franchise record. No, it's not a bad one. Well at least not directly, as his 8.9 K/9 was the best in a single season. Sure, the reason his K/9 was so high was because it was one of the only reasons he'd get guys out, though no matter how you look at it his 22.1 K% was elite.

THREE FOOTBALL POWERS SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS AS OCTOBER PRESSURE MOUNTS

The calendar still says early October, but for three of college football’s most recognizable programs, Saturday already carries the weight of November. There is urgency in the air at Detroit City College, at Redwood University, and at Noble Jones College — and not the healthy, polish-the-details variety. This is the kind of urgency that arrives when expectations have collided head-on with reality.

*** Knights in Unfamiliar Territory ***

No situation is more jarring than the one confronting Detroit City College. The Knights, ranked sixth in the preseason poll, are 0–2 — a start so rare in the program’s modern history that it evokes uncomfortable memories of the early 1960s. The opening 16–6 loss at College of Waco raised eyebrows. The following week’s 16–0 home shutout against third-ranked St. Blane set off alarms.

DCC, champions of the Great Lakes Alliance the past two seasons and participants in consecutive East-West Classics, has looked nothing like a title contender. The graduation of quarterback Harold Robinson and several other key contributors was expected to create some turbulence, but few anticipated a complete stall.

The Knights now travel to face winless Red River State in what amounts to a must-win game. A loss would drop Detroit City College to 0–3 — a start not seen in decades — and effectively extinguish even remote national title hopes before the conference schedule begins. A victory would not restore championship ambitions, but it would steady the program ahead of next week’s Great Lakes opener against unbeaten St. Magnus.

*** Mammoths Stumble Early ***

If Detroit’s struggles are surprising, Redwood’s may be even more so. The Mammoths, who defeated DCC in the past two East-West Classics, entered the season ranked 21st after defensive graduations tempered expectations. Even so, back-to-back losses to El Paso Methodist and Opelika State were not forecast.

Senior quarterback John Coughlin remains under center, but Redwood’s defense has shown vulnerability. The Mammoths face another Deep South Conference opponent Saturday in Central Kentucky. The Mustangs are 1–1, and Redwood’s margin for error is gone.

A victory would allow Redwood to regroup before a manageable matchup with winless Cleveland University and then its West Coast Athletic Association opener against Rainier College. Another defeat would send the defending national champions into October in uncharted waters.

*** Colonels Feel the Heat ***

The circumstances are less dire at Noble Jones, but the pressure is no less real.

The Colonels, six-time national champions including their most recent just two years ago, began the season ranked seventh — six places behind rival Georgia Baptist, which has handled its first two opponents with ease. Noble Jones opened with a routine win over McKinney State but stumbled last week in a 17–9 loss at Coastal California. That defeat, to a program absent from the rankings for nearly a decade, has heightened scrutiny around coach John Brinkman’s squad. Saturday’s home game against 1–1 Spokane State looms large. For a program accustomed to playing from ahead in the polls, early missteps resonate loudly. They host 1-1 Spokane State tomorrow in a game that they simply must win

*** A Showcase Matchup ***

While traditional powers scramble for footing, one of the weekend’s most anticipated games features two unbeaten clubs. Second-ranked Mississippi A&M (2–0) hosts No. 15 Northern California University (2–0) in a Deep South–WCAA intersectional showdown that could shape the national picture.

For Detroit City College, Redwood and Noble Jones, however, the focus is simpler. October has arrived, and with it the understanding that seasons — and reputations — can pivot quickly. Saturday will not decide championships. But for three proud programs, it may determine whether they have anything left to chase.

26 THOUGHTS FOR 26 TEAMS

As the American Football Association prepares for its third weekend of regular season action, TWIFS takes a quick look around the league and provides an observation on each of the 26 teams.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION

• With 63 points in two games the Washington Wasps offense is the most productive in the league. Hard to question the decision to hand the starting QB job back to Terry Bergeron after two years with Charles Hartman running the show. Now their roles are reversed and Bergeron is making the question more about how he could have been relegated to the bench the last two years. Hartman is second among QB's with 438 passing yards and is completing over 66% of his throws. With winless Atlanta and the New York Stars, plus a rematch with the Philadelphia Frigates team they dismantled 34-13 last Sunday it is not hard to image the Wasps 5-0 and they may just be unbeaten heading into a showdown with Boston in week seven.
• Rookie wide receiver Benjamin Jacobson is proving his worth to the Boston Americans. Selected in the first round, 16th overall out of Chicago Poly, it has been a seamless transition to the pros for the 21-year-old. Jacobson may still be looking for his first AFA touchdown catch but through two games he leads the league in receiving yards with an even 200 on nine catches.
• Six points in two games, a 7-6 loss to Pittsburgh followed by last Sunday's 19-0 defeat to Kansas City has New York Stars fans thinking this will be another long season for a team that went 8-20 over the previous two years. One has to wonder when the Dick Cleaves experiment will come to an end. Cleaves has a famous name - his father and uncle are FABL Hall of Famers- but he has been unsuccessful in a little over a year as the Stars quarterback. Not that the answer for a replacement is on the Stars roster but longtime practice squad member and current backup Arthur Turner, a 1971 fifth round pick, is expected to finally get his first career start as Cleaves is ruled out for this week's game against 2-0 Boston. At least the bar is low for Turner to try and surpass Cleaves but beating the Americans is a tough ask. As bad as the quarterback situation is in the Big Apple, the Stars running game is even worse. They are averaging just one yard a carry through two games.
• This weekend will be a good test for the Pittsburgh Paladins who are 1-1 after narrowly beating the Stars at home in their opener and then being blasted by Boston last Sunday. Next up is the Paladins first road game and likely a good test with a contest in Cleveland against the 1-1 Finches. Of course everyone in Pittsburgh will be even more invested in the game than usual as they try to ignore the Atlanta Copperheads -formerly Pittsburgh Miners- in the Federal Association Championship Series. A win might also do wonders for team unity as quarterback Charlie Stillwell, who has accomplished very little in his two plus seasons at the helm, was called out publicly by a teammate last week who simply said Stillwell and his 31% competition rate has to do better.
• The Philadelphia Frigates have not made the playoffs since 1969 and not finished over .500 since 1964. The last two years have ended with the Frigates posting a dreadful 4-10 record. They are right on track I suppose, going 0-2 to start the season with the defense, which surrendered the most points in the AFA a year ago, looking just as poor this time around.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION

• The Chicago Wildcats are 0-2 and are lucky that quarterback Carl Pederson is still able to stand upright. Chicago's offensive line has been a weak spot for the past couple of years but they are historically bad after two games this season. Pederson has been sacked 26 times, no your read that correctly, in two games with both Boston and Milwaukee recording 13 sacks in back to back wins. The sad thing is the Wildcats only surrendered 23 points in those two games and with any sort of pass protection at all they could easily have been 2-0.
• The Cleveland Finches went three decades without a playoff appearance before finally breaking through with a division title in 1973 and they followed that up with a second one a year ago. Can they make it three in a row?
• Head Coach Ralph Butterworth minced no words after the Detroit Maroons had to settle for a 10-10 tie with the Los Angeles Tigers on Sunday. Butterworth said he would be surprised if Danial Holmes, who missed four field goal attempts on the day, ever plays in the league again. He won't suit up for Detroit, that is for certain, as the club announced Holmes had been released and new kickers would be auditioned this week.
• Veteran linebacker Miles Arnold of the Milwaukee Stags has not recorded more than 3 sacks in a season since his rookie year of 1967 when he notched six of them but he got 3 in one game last week in the Stags 10-3 win over Chicago. Arnold also recorded a sack in the season opener and is tied with Minnesota defensive end for the league lead with 4. The Stags led the AFA with 17 sacks in two games.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE WEST DIVISION

• Should we be worried that the Houston Drillers string of eight straight postseason appearances might be in jeopardy? Signs are there after an 0-3 preseason, a narrow win over a not very good Seattle Roughnecks squad at home in week one followed by a loss to the New York Titans last Sunday. Two big division games on the road lie ahead for the Drillers with San Francisco on Sunday followed by the Los Angeles Tigers next week. There are also worries that at age 31 Bobby Barrell Jr. may be slowing down. Barrell has averaged about 15 sacks a year since joining Houston from Kansas City in 1969 but collected just one so far this season.
• The New Orleans Crescents had their first winning season in franchise history, going 8-6 last year, but have still yet to make their playoff debut. The 1967 expansion club are coming off their first win of the season, blanking Atlanta 21-0, but the Firebirds are a team just about everyone should beat.
• The Los Angeles Tigers should likely be 0-2 but they dodged a bullet in Detroit and earned a 10-10 tie when the Maroons missed four field goal attempts including one in the overtime period.
• Charlie Singletary is off to a strong start for the San Francisco Wings. The 1970 third overall pick joined the Wings last year after coming over from Minnesota and through two games he leads the AFA in passing yardage with 439.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE EAST DIVISION

• Worst record in the league a year ago and after an 0-2 start the Atlanta Firebirds have won just 5 of their last 44 games. When you are this bad there are no easy games but the schedule over the next two weeks is particularly cruel to the Firebirds with Washington and the New York Titans, both 2-0 and looking like playoff teams even this early. We may see the first start of Allen McAllister on Sunday at home against the Wasps. Starting quarterback Pete Fairfield is still listed as doubtful after suffering a broken finger in the 21-0 loss to New Orleans last week.
• Will a new offensive coordinator help turn the Buffalo Red Jackets around? Quarterbacks coach Freeman Stahlberg was given a promotion after the quick hook to Branden Martin. Coach Tom Bowens has won at every level and has faced adversity like the Red Jackets 0-2 start before as he was on the hot seat in college before eventually breaking through and winning a national title at CC Los Angeles. He won the World Classic last year after the Red Jackets snuck into the playoffs at 8-6 so I would not count the old ball coach out yet.
• The Cincinnati Rivermen came within a tie-breaker of making the playoffs for the first time in six years a season ago. They look very good this time around with fourth year quarterback Chuck Rayford off to a decent start and the defense looked very good against Buffalo last week. Plus the 10-7 victory over the Red Jackets helps the Rivermen out if it comes down to a tiebreaker with Buffalo again.
• The Miami Mariners lost for just the fourth time in 12 games all-time against Denver but bounced back with a 28-17 win over St Louis on Sunday to even their record. With nine consecutive postseason appearances the Mariners have the longest active streak in that category.
• Wins over Houston and Buffalo, the two teams that met in the World Classic last January, make for quite a start to the New York Titans season. Sunday's victory marked the first time in franchise history they had defeated the Drillers. Up next is a first place in the division showdown with Cincinnati.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION

• It is an odd year so that made things tough for the Dallas Stallions if the trend continues. Since 1969 the Stallions have gone 5-9, 5-9 and 4-10 in odd years but 8-6, 11-3 and 10-4 in even years. They are 0-2 so far in 1975 but hope to end the losing streak with a victory over winless Philadelphia on Sunday.
• Lobsided wins over Cleveland and the struggling New York Stars has the Kansas City Cowboys hopeful for a return to the playoffs after 8-6 a year ago was not quite good enough. The Cowboys have had five straight winning seasons but missed the playoffs in two of the past three years. It is early but their is plenty to be excited about. QB Joshua Sellers has thrown for 422 yards in two games while the defense leads the AFA in fewest points allowed and yards surrendered.
• The Minnesota Lakers are off to their best start since going 12-2 in 1969 although their wins are against Atlanta and Dallas, who are both 0-2. Sunday's game against Kansas City will help determine if the Lakers are legitimate playoff contenders. Minnesota is just 3-7 all-time against Kansas City.
• The St Louis Ramblers are the last AFA team to win back to back titles, taking the 1963 AFA championship game and the first World Classic the following year. Linebackers Steve Kohler and William Osteen have played well but overall the Ramblers defense has struggled.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE WEST DIVISION

• So far at least, quarterback Robert Haas, who threw 17 touchdown passes and just 4 interceptions and was named league MVP last season, has not overwhelmed for the Denver Mountaineers. Haas was very effective in the opening week win over Miami but had an awful game last Sunday in the 29-7 loss to San Francisco.
• The reigning division champion Los Angeles Olympians could easily be 0-2 after being outplayed in their opener but winning 10-7 over Dallas. Last weekend defense seemed optional as Cleveland outscored the Olympians 44-31. They have a chance to get back on track when they host Seattle. With three 1-1 teams plus winless San Diego, the NC West is the only division without a team that has yet to taste defeat.
• Back to back losses to start the season pushed the San Diego Admirals over the 100 loss plateau, something that took them just barely into their twelfth season to accomplish. All told the Admirals are 53-101 in the regular season since their 1964 debut as one of the original National Football Conference teams. Their lone playoff appearance, which came in 1971 after an 8-6 year -which was their only season over .500- and was of course a loss.
• Are things looking up for the Seattle Roughnecks? They almost upset Houston in their opener followed by a win over division rival San Diego. Sunday will be a real test as the Roughnecks travel to Los Angeles to meet the Olympians.

BEES WRAP UP PRESEASON WITH ANOTHER WIN

The Boston Bees continue to look like a team with unfinished business to take care of. Last May the Bees dominated the North American Hockey Confederation during the regular season and were the clear cut favourite to hoist the Challenge Cup. The only problem was someone forget to tell that to the Montreal Valiants who crashed the championship party by knocking the Bees off in five games in the Cup finals.

Boston , once again loaded with talent, has displayed a deep focus in training camp as the Bees closed out their preseason slate with a 2-1 victory over the New York Shamrocks last night, giving Boston at 6-1-0, along with the Detroit Motors, the best preseason record in the loop. Tommy Gordon's goal early in the second period proved to be the winner after Shamrocks farmhand Temur Dyndikov and Boston's Eddie Lafleur traded first period goals.

It is Lafleur that is one of the biggest reason why Boston is expected to be so good again this season. The 25-year-old has been on fire in September, scoring an NAHC best 7 goals and leading the loop with 14 preseason points. He is coming off an 89 point campaign despite missing 8 games with an injury and if Lafleur can stay healthy many expect he might just challenge for the scoring title this time around.

It was a busy Thursday evening as the preseason contests came to a close, including another victory for the Detroit Motors. Detroit missed the playoffs a year ago but the Motors have been the surprise of the preseason going 6-1-0 to tie Boston for top spot despite the fact that the Motors dealt their top player, playmaking center Yves Dagenais to the Philadelphia Rogues over the summer. 29-year-old winger Joel Couture, who has been hampered by injuries in recent years, scored his sixth of the preseason while Charlie Rodgers, who will be counted on to replace Dagenais as the Motors top playmaker, increased his preseason point total to 13 in seven games with a pair of assists.

Other results included Scott Bly earning a 32 save shutout as the Vancouver Totems blanked Washington 2-0. The Calgary Grizzlies also won 2-0 with Alex Wilkins earning the shutout. It was Calgary's first win after starting the preseason with 6 consecutive losses. Tom Rowley had 4 points while Norm Blakely scored twice as the Minneapolis Norsemen crushed Cincinnati 9-1. Atlanta trimmed Montreal 2-1 at the Peachtree Coliseum. Kevin Kelly had a goal and 2 helpers as the Chicago Packers scored four unanswered third period goals to down St Louis 5-3. Rob Wakelin's goal late in the third period earned the Philadelphia Rogues a 1-1 tie with Toronto and finally in Pittsburgh Max Hebert had three assists to help push the Sentinels past the Quebec Citadels 6-4.

The regular season opens next Tuesday with just a single game on the opening slate. It has the Sentinels travelling to Philadelphia to meet their Pennsylvania rivals. Defending Challenge Cup champion Montreal opens its season a day later on the west coast against the Los Angeles Stingrays.

NOTABLE OFF-SEASON NAHC TRANSACTIONS

There were a number of big names changing addresses over the summer with both the Philadelphia Rouges and Toronto Dukes making the biggest splash. The Rogues acquired 31-year-old Yves Dagenais from Detroit in a deal that saw the Motors receive promising 21-year-old second year winger Jim Craigwell. Craigwell has decent potential and collected 45 points as a rookie last season but Dagenais finished with 117 points and was second beyond only Rogues star Adam McPherson in the scoring race last season.

Philadelphia was not done dealing as they made a questionable move with the Minneapolis Norsemen, sending prize 20-year-old defenseman Patrick Reimer, who had 57 points in making the jump directly from junior hockey to the NAHC a year ago. In return the Rogues only received Cliff Melrose, a 30-year-old defenseman who spent much of last season in the press box, earning just 5 points in 47 games.


Rivalling the Rogues-Motors deal in scope was a pair of moves from the Toronto Dukes, who sent a solid defenseman in 30-year-old Ty Cole, a 50-point producer last year, to the Los Angeles Stingrays in exchange for dependable winger Alain Ducharme. The 27-year-old Ducharme also tallied 50 points last season. A week later the Dukes greatly enhanced their offense with a deal to acquire 31-year-old left winger Milt Young from New York. Young led the Shamrocks in scoring with 101 points a year ago. In return the Dukes sent their first round pick to Broadway. Toronto, which also lost veteran defenseman Anthony Beauchemin to retirement, made a later move to strengthen their blueline depth by acquiring veteran rearguard Matthew Goering, who had 30 points last season at the age of 35 for Quebec. In return Toronto parted with another first round pick, this one their 1976 top choice.

Washington added a nice pickup in acquiring 74 point producer Bernie Caldwell from St Louis. The cost to add the 30-year-old was a pair of depth forwards in Nick Quinn and Ron Cathy.

In addition to the aforementioned Beauchemin, who turned 40 over the summer, the other two big retirement announcements were goaltenders. Challenge Cup winning Montreal has a big hole to fill between the pipes after Fred Rucks, who started 59 games during the regular season and all 19 during the Cup winning run, surprised the organization by retiring at the age of 34 after just four seasons in Montreal. The other goalie to hang up the pads was an expected decision as 40-year-old Gabriel Ayotte called it quits after backstopping the New York Shamrocks to their first playoff appearance in 15 years.

The final departure of note came from Atlanta where disgruntled 28-year-old defenseman Michael Henkelman, who tallied 60 points last season and represented the Blazers in the all-star game, signed with the Seattle Chinooks of the CHL after being unable to agree to a contract with Atlanta.

CONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE OPENS FOURTH SEASON, EYES PATH TO UNITY WITH NAHC

The Continental Hockey League drops the puck on its fourth season Tuesday night with the same 14 clubs that finished last spring — a modest victory in itself for a league that has spent as much time fighting for survival as it has chasing championships.

Stability, however, remains a relative term.

Behind the scenes, CHL owners continue to nurture a longer-term objective: eventual admission into the established North American Hockey Confederation. And developments elsewhere in professional sports have provided fresh encouragement.

Over the summer, the long-running Federal Basketball League reached an agreement with the rival Continental Basketball League, effectively ending years of competition. Four CBL franchises were absorbed into the FBL, while other owners were compensated to step aside, restoring a single major league presence in professional basketball.

For CHL backers who have absorbed significant financial losses since the league’s 1972 debut, the basketball settlement offers a possible blueprint.

The strategy is not without precedent. In 1970, the upstart National Football Conference reached a merger agreement with the established American Football Association, resulting in all NFC clubs being admitted into the older league. That arrangement, once viewed as improbable, now stands as a model frequently cited in CHL boardrooms.

From its inception, the CHL has operated with the understanding that long-term coexistence with the NAHC would be difficult. The more realistic objective has been eventual consolidation — gaining entry into what remains the most prestigious hockey organization in North America. Securing an NAHC expansion franchise is widely considered unlikely; merger, therefore, has always been the preferred path.

Relations between the leagues have cooled compared to the early days of open confrontation. Tensions peaked when the CHL’s Ottawa Athletics signed NAHC star Hobie Barrell to a reported million-dollar contract, a move that provided the new league with instant credibility but deepened animosity between the circuits.

This offseason marked a notable shift. The CHL did not sign a single player under active NAHC contract, signaling what many observers interpret as a deliberate change in tone. Rather than escalating bidding wars, league executives appear focused on financial survival and strategic patience.

For now, the CHL’s priority is straightforward: complete a fourth season intact, demonstrate operational stability, and hope that market realities — and recent precedent in basketball and football — make eventual reconciliation with the NAHC both practical and profitable.

Whether that day arrives remains uncertain. But as another season begins, CHL owners believe time, and perhaps economic logic, may ultimately work in their favor.

The Day That Was
Current events making headlines on October 3, 1975

• A Los Angeles grand jury has formally accused Patty Hearst and two radical comrades on charges of armed robbery, assault and kidnapping. A lawyer for the heiress accused authorities of trying to "throw the book" at his client. The indictments, on 11 counts in total, had been expected and stem from a May 1974 suburban crime spree.
• The House reversed its opposition and voted last night to partly lift Congress' embargo against the sale of US arms to Turkey under threat of losing American bases there.
• Ten people were killed yesterday in Northern Ireland's bloodiest spasm of sectarian violence in months.
• In a White House visit, Japan's Emperor Hirohito, in whose name 1.5 million Japanese servicemen died during World War II, said last night he deeply deplores "that most unfortunate war" and thanked the United States for its reconstruction assistance.