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Tiger Fan · 03-11-2026, 01:17 PM

OCTOBER 15, 1975

IMPERIALS WIN EXTRA INNING THRILLER, COMPLETE UNLIKELY CHAMPIONSHIP
By Tip Harrison, TWIFS Baseball Editor

Honestly, after Game 4 I knew it was just a matter of time before the Imperials finished it off. And guess what? That's exactly what they did!

It wasn't easy. In fact, it was anything but. But when you're a team of destiny, you get the job done.

Emmett Thornton (17-6, 1, 3.45, 91) left a lot to be desired in Game 2, but Jim Abernathy kept faith in the veteran, and gave him another start. It didn't' start great, as a trio of singles led to a Suns run in the 1st, but Thornton's Imperials supplied him runs early. Freddy Curtis (.254, 4, 30, 7) crushed a 2-run homer in the 2nd, his second of the series, and a now healthy Mike Counts (.250, 5, 35, 4) made it 3-1 with a third inning single.

LA didn't give up, and the deficit did not last a full half inning. Despite doing very little in the regular season, Bill Perry (.255, 9, 74, 20) came up big again for the Suns, tying things up with a 2-run homer, and injecting life into the Suns offense.

Thing is, all the bats fell asleep. On both sides. With the game tied, Al Whitman (5-3, 3.18, 53) looked better, putting together back-to-back 1-2-3 innings before exiting, and Thornton looked good. No runs of support, but he kept the Suns off the board, recording 25 of the 27 outs in regulation. Bud Pace (8-6, 7, 3.21, 29) got those last two, setting up a walk-off opportunity in the ninth.

It did not come, as despite some traffic on the bases, Bill Smith (1-0, 1, 2.83, 8) completed his second inning of work, providing the fans in attendance with some bonus baseball. Starter Howie Weston (11-11, 3.84, 102) started extras for the Imperials, throwing perfect 10ths and 11th. In between, LA went with their stopper, but Ron Clark (6-4, 40, 2.32, 81) didn't have quite the same luck. No runs, but guys got on base in his 10th, before a perfect 11th.

Despite Weston's stamina, he did not come out for the Imps in the 12th, with low leverage arm Joe Velazquez (4-2, 2, 4.45, 42) trusted in an important moment. He lived up to it with another 1-2-3, as the Suns went through the entire lineup without a baserunner, having to go back to Thornton's last hitter in the ninth to find one.

Of course, now they'll have to look to 1976, as a third inning of Ron Clark proved to be too much. He got two quick outs, but the Imperials' 3-4-5 is no easy feat. Al Reece (.337, 9, 66, 18) doubled, got to third on a George Love (.261, 21, 80, 23) single, and set up the unlikely hero Mike Counts (.250, 5, 35, 4) for his moment in history. Activated from the IL before the series, he went from starter to bench role, but got time this series against lefties. Entering the contest, he was just 1-for-6, but three walks got him on base.

Today's game was different, as all five times he came up to the plate, he reached safely. He singled in the 2nd, had the RBI in the 3rd, walked in the 6th, singled in the 8th, and was walked intentionally in the 10th. With first and third, an intentional walk would have been a good idea, but Jim Coulter trusted his stopper and the single season save leader, hoping to extend the game one more inning. Counts fouled off the first pitch, but took three pitches out of the zone, and was on the cusp of loading the bases.

Instead, Clark left one in the zone, Counts ripped a swing, and neither the first basemen or second basemen could catch the screaming line drive that landed in the right field grass, scoring Reece easily and sending the stadium into a frenzy.

For some, yesterday's 4-for-4 spectacular would be enough to earn MVP, but it was the guy who scored the winning run, Al Reece, who was bestowed with the honor. 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and runs scored in the clincher, he reached base in all five of the WCS. One of the breakout stars who made this successful season happen, he went 10-for-20 with 3 doubles, a triple, a homer, 3 walks, 10 runs, and 4 RBIs. One of the more effective bats this season, the 25-year-old corner bat was one of the only guys to last the season. Losing him not only costs the Imps the title, but likely their division, and the former Cougar first rounder looks to be a legitimate cornerstone as the Imperials go for a second title while the rest of the expansion clubs remain at zero.

It was a heart-breaking loss for the Suns, who felt confident after upsetting the most winningest FABL team. Their star offense was kept in check all series long, ending up with just 6 runs in the 4 losses. Tom Lally (.319, 31, 107, 9) and Sam Forrester (.281, 27, 116, 43) just could not get in going, and when your best players aren't producing, you aren't going to get the results you desire. This team is too good not to return to the postseason, and despite falling short, they've been extremely successful in the early years of the franchise. That dynamic duo will be hungry for more, and with a little more depth they could finally capture the crown they watched slip away from them.

Somewhere old-timers are squinting into their coffee this morning wondering if they saw what they think they saw.

The New York Imperials are world champions.

That’s not a misprint and it’s not the punch line to a clubhouse joke. Last night in twelve innings they beat the Los Angeles Suns 4–3 to wrap up the World Championship Series in five games and bring the first baseball title to the Big Apple since the New York Gothams did it back in 1956. And if you’re wondering how the Imperials managed such a trick, join the club. Most of baseball spent the summer wondering how they managed to reach the playoffs in the first place.

But October, as I learned a long time ago while trying to hit a decent curveball, has a way of ignoring the arithmetic.

The Team Nobody Expected

Let’s remember what this club looked like not very long ago. The Imperials limped into the postseason with the worst record of any playoff team at 84-78 and needed the final day of the season to clinch their spot. By mid-September they were missing their batting champion, their top slugger, and one half of their pitching ace duo. If you walked through their clubhouse you could trip over ice bags and trainer’s tape.

And then they went out and knocked off the mighty Seattle Kings in four games.

Seattle won 107 games. The Imperials won just 84 but they won the series anyway.

Then they met the Suns, who had just bounced the 112-win Atlanta Copperheads. At that point the postseason had already turned into one of those circus mirrors where everything looks backwards.

Last night it finally ended with the Imperials celebrating in a pile near second base sometime around midnight.

A Few Heroes From Unlikely Places

The Imperials didn’t win with a cast of superstars. They won with the kind of fellows who usually sit quietly at the end of the bench.

Mike Counts came off the injured list — again — and went 4-for-4 in the clinching game like a man who had been waiting all summer for one night. George Love, the club’s very first draft pick who suffered through that dreadful 114-loss Imperial team back in 1965, finally got his champagne shower.

Youngsters Owen Drake and Brian Miller stepped into everyday roles when injuries forced the issue. They didn’t blink.

And on the mound there was Jim White, who pitched like the fellow at the county fair who knocks down every bottle with three throws. White went 3-0 in the postseason with a tidy 0.87 earned run average to cap up the greatest season to date of the 28-year-old's career.

That’ll play in any October I’ve ever seen.

As the New York boys like to say this morning: when you’re missing half the orchestra and the band still plays the music, who cares what the regular season record was?

But the Old Ballplayer Wonders

Now before the confetti settles, allow an old ex-ballplayer a small moment of reflection.

Baseball has been changing.

We’ve had divisions since 1969 and most of us have grown used to that extra playoff round. But this year something new happened. The team with the weakest regular-season record of the four playoff clubs just walked away with the championship.

The Imperials now hold the lowest winning percentage of any club ever to win the World Championship Series. Does that make their title illegitimate? Of course not. They played by the rules that were handed to them and beat every team put in front of them. But it does make a fellow wonder.

A lot of people expected a heavyweight fight between Atlanta’s 112 wins and Seattle’s 107 — the two best teams in the game slugging it out for the crown. Instead the bracket coughed up two expansion cousins who entered the league together in 1962 and had never reached the big dance before.

It was exciting. It was unpredictable. But it wasn’t quite the same as watching the two giants meet in the center of the ring.

And More Changes Are Coming

If you think the game has already changed, wait until you see what’s coming down the tracks.

Free agency. Player movement. Contracts that may send your favorite ballplayer packing for another city before you’ve even finished buying his jersey.

In my playing days you could follow a team and know the roster the way you know the neighbors on your street. These days — and especially the days ahead — players may bounce around like barnstormers.

Will fans follow clubs the same way if the heroes keep changing uniforms?

Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t.

But the game is shifting under our cleats.

Credit Where It’s Due

All that said, none of it should take a speck of shine off what the Imperials accomplished. They were battered. They were underestimated. They were statistically inferior to every other playoff club. And then they got hot at exactly the right moment.

They beat Seattle. They beat Los Angeles. They survived twelve innings in the clincher.

That’s not luck. That’s baseball.

The Imperials are the champions of 1975 and nobody can take that away from them.

But as the champagne dries and the winter meetings creep closer, an old ballplayer can’t help asking one last question:

They’re the champions.

But are they really the best team in baseball?

TOP-RANKED GATORS FACE STIFF TEST IN DEEP SOUTH OPENER

Conference season arrives in earnest across the Deep South Conference this Saturday, and the spotlight falls squarely on Lexington where the nation’s top-ranked team faces what could be its sternest examination of the season. The unbeaten Georgia Baptist Gators (3-0), chasing their fifth national title and first since their perfect 1969 season, open league play on the road against the sixth-ranked Central Kentucky Tigers.

It is a matchup rich in history but perhaps richer in intrigue this time around.

Georgia Baptist has largely owned the series over the years, winning 16 of the past 18 meetings between the schools. Yet there is a growing belief around Lexington that this Central Kentucky team may finally be equipped to turn the tide. The Tigers are unbeaten, confident, and hoping to claim their first conference crown since their national championship season of 1950.

Much of the optimism stems from a balanced and productive offense led by junior quarterback Joe Dobson. Dobson currently leads the conference with 485 passing yards and shares the league lead in touchdown passes with seven, tying Georgia Baptist sophomore signal caller Alfred Morgan.

The Tigers’ attack doesn’t stop there. Junior halfback Louie Fierro has been equally impressive, piling up 310 rushing yards in three games while averaging nearly seven yards per carry. Wide receiver David Jennings gives the Tigers a dangerous deep threat with nine receptions for 219 yards already this season.

Defensively, Central Kentucky has also made its presence felt, pitching shutouts against both Rome State and Spokane State while surrendering points in only one of its three outings.

Still, the Gators arrive in Lexington as the nation’s top team for a reason.

Georgia Baptist opened the season ranked No. 1 and has done nothing to lose that standing, rolling past Portland Tech, Rainier College and Northern Minnesota in convincing fashion. Any preseason questions surrounding quarterback Alfred Morgan — a sophomore who had never thrown a collegiate pass before this year — have largely disappeared after his strong early performances.

Saturday, however, will present a very different challenge. The Tigers’ defense, anchored by defensive end Joe Quinn and linebacker Andrew Baum, is expected to test Morgan more than any opponent he has faced so far.

If conditions become sloppy — rain is forecast in Lexington — the advantage may shift toward Georgia Baptist’s powerful running game. The backfield tandem of John Garvey and Derek Cross has been outstanding through the season’s first month and could play a decisive role if the contest becomes a ground battle.

While the Georgia Baptist–Central Kentucky showdown figures to shape the early conference race, another contender lurks quietly in the background. Second-ranked Mississippi A&M Generals are off to another strong start and appear determined to end a 13-year drought without a conference championship. The Generals boast one of the nation’s most dangerous offensive combinations in quarterback Jimmy Ray Johnson and halfback Marcus Butler. Mississippi A&M opens conference play Saturday at Bayou State, which enters the weekend winless at 0-3 and struggling through its third consecutive difficult season.

In a quirk of the schedule that has not gone unnoticed around the conference, the Generals do not face either Georgia Baptist or Central Kentucky during league play this year — a circumstance that could provide them a clearer path toward the conference title.

Elsewhere around the Deep South this weekend, Noble Jones College (2-1) travels to meet Bluegrass State (2-1), while Cumberland (1-2) visits Western Florida (1-2). Thirteenth-ranked Northern Mississippi (3-0) hosts Opelika State (2-1), and long-suffering Baton Rouge State (0-3) tries to get into the win column when it welcomes Alabama Baptist (2-1).

Around the Nation

While much of the focus will be on the showdown in Lexington there are a number of other intriguing matchups to keep an eye on this weekend. In the Great Lakes Alliance 4th ranked Central Ohio looks to run its record to 5-0 by knocking off a ranked conference opponent. A week ago the Aviators handed Whitney College its first loss and now they remain in Columbus and look to knock Minnesota Tech out of the top 20. The 17th ranked Lakers are 3-1 but coming off a win over Lincoln in their GLA opener last Saturday. For Minnesota Tech to have any hopes of upsetting the Aviators, they will need to find a way to contain quarterback George Stephens and the most dangerous passing game in the Great Lakes Alliance.

The South Atlantic Conference openers go this weekend and the section wasted no time providing a terrific matchup as #7 Eastern State hosts #23 Carolina Poly in a game the Monitors are heavily favoured to win.

Elsewhere, American Atlantic, which is 4-0 and a mild surprise appearing in the top five, will head to New England to face a 2-2 Boston State team that has had some success stopping the pass this season, and the passing game is the strength of the Pelicans behind sophomore quarterback Terry Embry.

Both St. Blane (3-0 #10) and St Pancras (4-0, #12) will look to continue their winning ways in Boston as well. The Fighting Saints play winless St. Patrick's - a school they have never lost to- while the Lions look to build on a solid victory over Rome State with a strong performance at Commonwealth Catholic (2-2). The Lions have not finished ranked in the top twenty since 1962 but generally fare well against the Knights.

Chicago Poly had a tough start, losing on the road to both Payne State and Garden State to open their season but the Catamounts won at home each of the past two weekends and now welcome 8th ranked and unbeaten Minns College to the Windy City. This one has the makings of an upset, but the Catamounts need to stop the run where the Mavericks have excelled with their backfield duo of junior Rob Wilbur (416 yards, 5 TD's) and sophomore Spencer Dumas (378 yds, 4 TD's).

The Academia Alliance also gets its conference slate underway this weekend with the highlight game featuring league power Dickson hoping to run its overall record to 3-0 when they host the Ellery Bruins. The conference is enjoying some early success with three schools ranked in the top 25. The Maroons are 20th and sandwiched between George Fox at #14 and 22nd ranked Brunswick. The Reds are home to Sadler while the Brunswick Knights head to Bridgeport, CT., to face Pierpont.

MATCHUPS INVOLVING TOP TWENTY-FIVE SCHOOLS NEXT WEEKEND
#1 Georgia Baptist (3-0) at #6 Central Kentucky (3-0)
#2 Mississippi A&M (3-0) at Bayou State (0-3)
#17 Minnesota Tech (3-1) at #4 Central Ohio (4-0)
#5 American Atlantic (4-0) at Boston State (2-2)
#23 Carolina Poly (3-1) at #7 Eastern State (4-0)
#8 Minns College (4-0) at Chicago Poly (2-2)
Wyoming A&I (1-3) at #9 Prove Tech (4-0)
#10 St Blane (3-0) at St Patrick's (0-4)
#11 College of Waco (4-0) at Texas Gulf Coast (1-3)
#12 St Pancras (4-0) at Commonwealth Catholic (2-2)
Opelika State (2-1) at #13 Northern Mississippi (3-0)
Sadler (1-1) at #14 George Fox (2-0)
#19 Boulder State (3-1) at #15 Lawrence State (3-1)
Oklahoma City State (3-1) at #16 Daniel Boone College (3-1)
#18 St Ignatius (3-1) at Whitney College (3-1)
Ellery (1-1) at #20 Dickson (2-0)
Northern Minnesota (2-3) at #21 Payne State (3-1)
#22 Brunswick (2-0) at Pierpont (1-1)
#24 Travis College (3-1) at Amarillo Methodist (2-1)

WEST SHOWDOWN HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND PRO GRID SLATE

The San Francisco Wings and New Orleans Crescents engage in a key, but unexpected battle for top spot in the American Conference West Division this Sunday. Between the two of them they have made just one playoff appearance since 1960, but they find themselves tied for top spot in the division at 3-1 as they prepare to do battle at Golden Gate Stadium. Neither has ever won the division since it was created in 1969 as top spot in the American West has been exclusively held by the Houston Drillers.

The Drillers, who were thumped by the Wings 34-10 two weeks ago, are still lurking in the background at 2-2 with plenty of time left to make it six straight division titles, but so far at least Houston has lacked its dominance of past years that saw the Drillers reach the World Classic a record 6 times including each of the last three years.

Perhaps this is the time that either San Francisco or New Orleans emerge from behind the Drillers immense shadow and make their own mark on the sport. The Wings have been around since 1946, getting their start in the old Continental Football Conference before joining the AFA in 1950. They won their lone AFA title back in 1956 and reached the title game again the following season but have accomplished little since then. New Orleans is a 1967 expansion team that endured three straight 3-11 seasons before finally breaking even at 7-7 in 1970. The Crescents won a club record 8 games a year ago but that was still not good enough to earn them their first playoff berth.

New Orleans dropped its season opener to Detroit but has won the last three games thanks to what has been one of the best defenses in the league led by Alfred Delany, a third year defensive end who has already recorded 6 sacks this season. Another third year player, quarterback Royce Neill is playing well and will be counted on to match San Francisco signal caller Charles Singletary throw for throw on Sunday. The Wings are listed as three point favourites.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

There seems to be no reprieve for the beleaguered Chicago Wildcats offense. Chris Lee, arguably the best of a weak offensive line, will be out for the second week in a row with a sprained wrist and missing their starting guard against Cleveland only weakens what has already been the worst pass protection in the AFA. Lee's backup, Jerome Wheeler, set a record no one wants to hold as he allowed an AFA worst 7 sacks in the loss to New Orleans last weekend.
The record for sacks allowed by an offensive lineman in a single season is 22 set by Detroit center Johnny Fry way back in 1952. Two Wildcats, center Robby Espinosa and Wheeler, have already allowed 9 each and that is only through 4 games.
The league does not track team sacks allowed but you have to think the Wildcats, who have already surrendered 43 sacks in just 4 games, may already own the record and they still have 10 more games to play. No other team has allowed more than 18 this year and a year ago the most anyone surrendered all season was Pittsburgh which allowed their quarterback to be sacked 29 times.
The Wildcats returned four of their five starting linemen from last season with only tackle Jake Weber gone. But the difference has been astounding particularly from center Robby Espinoza and guard Chris Lee.
AFA pundits Jim Nox and Darren Francis are calling for an upset in Kansas City over the weekend where the Cowboys put their perfect 4-0 record on the line against the visiting Detroit Maroons. Nox points out the Detroit defense has been terrific this season and is calling for the upset despite the Cowboys being favoured by 5 points. Francis agrees, noting Maroons coach Ralph Butterfield always has his team ready to play. The 2-1-1 Maroons will once again be missing quarterback Charles Sonnenberg, who is out with a broken wrist.
The other 4-0 team is the Washington Wasps, and they travel to Philadelphia to face the Frigates on Sunday. For Philadelphia to have any chance they have to minimize the turnovers as the Frigates have already committed 8 turnovers including 6 interceptions thrown by quarterback Butch White. Philadelphia is also worst in the league in yards allowed, allowing opposing offenses to rack up more than 360 yards per game. Only Boston (387) has produced more than the Wasps 346 yards of total offense per game which means we could be in for a blowout victory by the Wasps.

KNIGHTS, PHANTOMS AGREE TO DEAL WITH DEMONS
Last Minute Agreement Paves Way For New Jersey Basketball Club

There was plenty of legal wrangling but just days before the 1975-76 Federal Basketball League season was set to commence the loop confirmed an agreement had been reached to allow the Pittsburgh franchise purchased by Kevin Oliphant to shift his club to New Jersey where it will be known as the Demons. The team had been previously known as the Pittsburgh Ironmen and were one of four teams from the now-defunct Continental Basketball League that were absorbed by the FBL.

The Ironmen, along with the league champion Cincinnati Steamers, the San Antonio Outlaws and the Denver Bighorns were admitted to the FBL in a decision announced in the summer. Shortly after the announcement was made Oliphant, who originally was livid that his New Jersey club was not admitted to the FBL, took matters into his own hands by purchasing the Ironmen from Michael Briones. Once the purchase was approved, he announced the club would play out of New Jersey, but he ran into vehement opposition from both the New York Knights and Philadelphia Phantoms, who felt their territory was being invaded.

The discussions dragged on most of the summer until last week when FBL commissioner Egon Ibsweiler basically locked Oliphant, Phantoms owner William Huber and Knights chairman Andrew Roberts in a room and declared no one was leaving until an agreement was reached. Terms were not disclosed but it is believed Oliphant wrote a large cheque to both the Phantoms and the Knights to allow his club to shift to New Jersey.

The big loser, once again, is the city of Pittsburgh which is now stripped of its basketball team just two years after its baseball club - the Pittsburgh Miners- was sold and moved to Atlanta. That leaves the Steel City, once home to teams in each of the four major team sports, with just the American Football Association's Pittsburgh Paladins and 1967 North American Hockey Confederation expansion team the Pittsburgh Sentinels.

The Demons will see plenty of both the Knights and Phantoms this season as they will join the Atlantic Division which also contains the Boston Centurions and Washington Statesmen and was the most competitive in the FBL last season. The Steamers will go to the Central Division with the Bighorns joining the Midwest and the San Antonio Outlaws will be placed in the Pacific Division.

The Week That Was
Current events making headlines on October 15, 1975

The leader of the teachers union agreed to pour $150 million into New York City less than two hours before the city was to default on $453 million in debts. The agreement came after a frantic search for funds from other sources including the federal government, but President Ford refused to come to the city's aid.
Stock and bond prices tumbled as a result of the uncertainty, but the Federal Reserve has promised to come to the assistance of New York City banks, which have invested billions in city bonds and notes.
Secretary of State Kissinger arrives in Communist China for his eighth visit tomorrow in an effort to keep alive an outwardly friendly but uncertain US-China relationship.
The Argentine government mobilized an army of 10,000 to guard against left-wing guerrilla attacks at a massive rally in Buenos Aires called by President Isabel Peron.
3 U.S. cancer researchers won the 1975 Nobel Prize for their work in discovering how viruses may cause malignant tumors in humans. It was called "a giant step in cancer research."

03-11-2026, 01:17 PM	#1246
Tiger Fan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 9,861	October 15, 1975. World Championship Series winner declared OCTOBER 15, 1975 IMPERIALS WIN EXTRA INNING THRILLER, COMPLETE UNLIKELY CHAMPIONSHIP By Tip Harrison, TWIFS Baseball Editor Honestly, after Game 4 I knew it was just a matter of time before the Imperials finished it off. And guess what? That's exactly what they did! It wasn't easy. In fact, it was anything but. But when you're a team of destiny, you get the job done. Emmett Thornton (17-6, 1, 3.45, 91) left a lot to be desired in Game 2, but Jim Abernathy kept faith in the veteran, and gave him another start. It didn't' start great, as a trio of singles led to a Suns run in the 1st, but Thornton's Imperials supplied him runs early. Freddy Curtis (.254, 4, 30, 7) crushed a 2-run homer in the 2nd, his second of the series, and a now healthy Mike Counts (.250, 5, 35, 4) made it 3-1 with a third inning single. LA didn't give up, and the deficit did not last a full half inning. Despite doing very little in the regular season, Bill Perry (.255, 9, 74, 20) came up big again for the Suns, tying things up with a 2-run homer, and injecting life into the Suns offense. Thing is, all the bats fell asleep. On both sides. With the game tied, Al Whitman (5-3, 3.18, 53) looked better, putting together back-to-back 1-2-3 innings before exiting, and Thornton looked good. No runs of support, but he kept the Suns off the board, recording 25 of the 27 outs in regulation. Bud Pace (8-6, 7, 3.21, 29) got those last two, setting up a walk-off opportunity in the ninth. It did not come, as despite some traffic on the bases, Bill Smith (1-0, 1, 2.83, 8) completed his second inning of work, providing the fans in attendance with some bonus baseball. Starter Howie Weston (11-11, 3.84, 102) started extras for the Imperials, throwing perfect 10ths and 11th. In between, LA went with their stopper, but Ron Clark (6-4, 40, 2.32, 81) didn't have quite the same luck. No runs, but guys got on base in his 10th, before a perfect 11th. Despite Weston's stamina, he did not come out for the Imps in the 12th, with low leverage arm Joe Velazquez (4-2, 2, 4.45, 42) trusted in an important moment. He lived up to it with another 1-2-3, as the Suns went through the entire lineup without a baserunner, having to go back to Thornton's last hitter in the ninth to find one. Of course, now they'll have to look to 1976, as a third inning of Ron Clark proved to be too much. He got two quick outs, but the Imperials' 3-4-5 is no easy feat. Al Reece (.337, 9, 66, 18) doubled, got to third on a George Love (.261, 21, 80, 23) single, and set up the unlikely hero Mike Counts (.250, 5, 35, 4) for his moment in history. Activated from the IL before the series, he went from starter to bench role, but got time this series against lefties. Entering the contest, he was just 1-for-6, but three walks got him on base. Today's game was different, as all five times he came up to the plate, he reached safely. He singled in the 2nd, had the RBI in the 3rd, walked in the 6th, singled in the 8th, and was walked intentionally in the 10th. With first and third, an intentional walk would have been a good idea, but Jim Coulter trusted his stopper and the single season save leader, hoping to extend the game one more inning. Counts fouled off the first pitch, but took three pitches out of the zone, and was on the cusp of loading the bases. Instead, Clark left one in the zone, Counts ripped a swing, and neither the first basemen or second basemen could catch the screaming line drive that landed in the right field grass, scoring Reece easily and sending the stadium into a frenzy. For some, yesterday's 4-for-4 spectacular would be enough to earn MVP, but it was the guy who scored the winning run, Al Reece, who was bestowed with the honor. 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and runs scored in the clincher, he reached base in all five of the WCS. One of the breakout stars who made this successful season happen, he went 10-for-20 with 3 doubles, a triple, a homer, 3 walks, 10 runs, and 4 RBIs. One of the more effective bats this season, the 25-year-old corner bat was one of the only guys to last the season. Losing him not only costs the Imps the title, but likely their division, and the former Cougar first rounder looks to be a legitimate cornerstone as the Imperials go for a second title while the rest of the expansion clubs remain at zero. It was a heart-breaking loss for the Suns, who felt confident after upsetting the most winningest FABL team. Their star offense was kept in check all series long, ending up with just 6 runs in the 4 losses. Tom Lally (.319, 31, 107, 9) and Sam Forrester (.281, 27, 116, 43) just could not get in going, and when your best players aren't producing, you aren't going to get the results you desire. This team is too good not to return to the postseason, and despite falling short, they've been extremely successful in the early years of the franchise. That dynamic duo will be hungry for more, and with a little more depth they could finally capture the crown they watched slip away from them. Somewhere old-timers are squinting into their coffee this morning wondering if they saw what they think they saw. The New York Imperials are world champions. That’s not a misprint and it’s not the punch line to a clubhouse joke. Last night in twelve innings they beat the Los Angeles Suns 4–3 to wrap up the World Championship Series in five games and bring the first baseball title to the Big Apple since the New York Gothams did it back in 1956. And if you’re wondering how the Imperials managed such a trick, join the club. Most of baseball spent the summer wondering how they managed to reach the playoffs in the first place. But October, as I learned a long time ago while trying to hit a decent curveball, has a way of ignoring the arithmetic. The Team Nobody Expected Let’s remember what this club looked like not very long ago. The Imperials limped into the postseason with the worst record of any playoff team at 84-78 and needed the final day of the season to clinch their spot. By mid-September they were missing their batting champion, their top slugger, and one half of their pitching ace duo. If you walked through their clubhouse you could trip over ice bags and trainer’s tape. And then they went out and knocked off the mighty Seattle Kings in four games. Seattle won 107 games. The Imperials won just 84 but they won the series anyway. Then they met the Suns, who had just bounced the 112-win Atlanta Copperheads. At that point the postseason had already turned into one of those circus mirrors where everything looks backwards. Last night it finally ended with the Imperials celebrating in a pile near second base sometime around midnight. A Few Heroes From Unlikely Places The Imperials didn’t win with a cast of superstars. They won with the kind of fellows who usually sit quietly at the end of the bench. Mike Counts came off the injured list — again — and went 4-for-4 in the clinching game like a man who had been waiting all summer for one night. George Love, the club’s very first draft pick who suffered through that dreadful 114-loss Imperial team back in 1965, finally got his champagne shower. Youngsters Owen Drake and Brian Miller stepped into everyday roles when injuries forced the issue. They didn’t blink. And on the mound there was Jim White, who pitched like the fellow at the county fair who knocks down every bottle with three throws. White went 3-0 in the postseason with a tidy 0.87 earned run average to cap up the greatest season to date of the 28-year-old's career. That’ll play in any October I’ve ever seen. As the New York boys like to say this morning: when you’re missing half the orchestra and the band still plays the music, who cares what the regular season record was? But the Old Ballplayer Wonders Now before the confetti settles, allow an old ex-ballplayer a small moment of reflection. Baseball has been changing. We’ve had divisions since 1969 and most of us have grown used to that extra playoff round. But this year something new happened. The team with the weakest regular-season record of the four playoff clubs just walked away with the championship. The Imperials now hold the lowest winning percentage of any club ever to win the World Championship Series. Does that make their title illegitimate? Of course not. They played by the rules that were handed to them and beat every team put in front of them. But it does make a fellow wonder. A lot of people expected a heavyweight fight between Atlanta’s 112 wins and Seattle’s 107 — the two best teams in the game slugging it out for the crown. Instead the bracket coughed up two expansion cousins who entered the league together in 1962 and had never reached the big dance before. It was exciting. It was unpredictable. But it wasn’t quite the same as watching the two giants meet in the center of the ring. And More Changes Are Coming If you think the game has already changed, wait until you see what’s coming down the tracks. Free agency. Player movement. Contracts that may send your favorite ballplayer packing for another city before you’ve even finished buying his jersey. In my playing days you could follow a team and know the roster the way you know the neighbors on your street. These days — and especially the days ahead — players may bounce around like barnstormers. Will fans follow clubs the same way if the heroes keep changing uniforms? Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. But the game is shifting under our cleats. Credit Where It’s Due All that said, none of it should take a speck of shine off what the Imperials accomplished. They were battered. They were underestimated. They were statistically inferior to every other playoff club. And then they got hot at exactly the right moment. They beat Seattle. They beat Los Angeles. They survived twelve innings in the clincher. That’s not luck. That’s baseball. The Imperials are the champions of 1975 and nobody can take that away from them. But as the champagne dries and the winter meetings creep closer, an old ballplayer can’t help asking one last question: They’re the champions. But are they really the best team in baseball? TOP-RANKED GATORS FACE STIFF TEST IN DEEP SOUTH OPENER Conference season arrives in earnest across the Deep South Conference this Saturday, and the spotlight falls squarely on Lexington where the nation’s top-ranked team faces what could be its sternest examination of the season. The unbeaten Georgia Baptist Gators (3-0), chasing their fifth national title and first since their perfect 1969 season, open league play on the road against the sixth-ranked Central Kentucky Tigers. It is a matchup rich in history but perhaps richer in intrigue this time around. Georgia Baptist has largely owned the series over the years, winning 16 of the past 18 meetings between the schools. Yet there is a growing belief around Lexington that this Central Kentucky team may finally be equipped to turn the tide. The Tigers are unbeaten, confident, and hoping to claim their first conference crown since their national championship season of 1950. Much of the optimism stems from a balanced and productive offense led by junior quarterback Joe Dobson. Dobson currently leads the conference with 485 passing yards and shares the league lead in touchdown passes with seven, tying Georgia Baptist sophomore signal caller Alfred Morgan. The Tigers’ attack doesn’t stop there. Junior halfback Louie Fierro has been equally impressive, piling up 310 rushing yards in three games while averaging nearly seven yards per carry. Wide receiver David Jennings gives the Tigers a dangerous deep threat with nine receptions for 219 yards already this season. Defensively, Central Kentucky has also made its presence felt, pitching shutouts against both Rome State and Spokane State while surrendering points in only one of its three outings. Still, the Gators arrive in Lexington as the nation’s top team for a reason. Georgia Baptist opened the season ranked No. 1 and has done nothing to lose that standing, rolling past Portland Tech, Rainier College and Northern Minnesota in convincing fashion. Any preseason questions surrounding quarterback Alfred Morgan — a sophomore who had never thrown a collegiate pass before this year — have largely disappeared after his strong early performances. Saturday, however, will present a very different challenge. The Tigers’ defense, anchored by defensive end Joe Quinn and linebacker Andrew Baum, is expected to test Morgan more than any opponent he has faced so far. If conditions become sloppy — rain is forecast in Lexington — the advantage may shift toward Georgia Baptist’s powerful running game. The backfield tandem of John Garvey and Derek Cross has been outstanding through the season’s first month and could play a decisive role if the contest becomes a ground battle. While the Georgia Baptist–Central Kentucky showdown figures to shape the early conference race, another contender lurks quietly in the background. Second-ranked Mississippi A&M Generals are off to another strong start and appear determined to end a 13-year drought without a conference championship. The Generals boast one of the nation’s most dangerous offensive combinations in quarterback Jimmy Ray Johnson and halfback Marcus Butler. Mississippi A&M opens conference play Saturday at Bayou State, which enters the weekend winless at 0-3 and struggling through its third consecutive difficult season. In a quirk of the schedule that has not gone unnoticed around the conference, the Generals do not face either Georgia Baptist or Central Kentucky during league play this year — a circumstance that could provide them a clearer path toward the conference title. Elsewhere around the Deep South this weekend, Noble Jones College (2-1) travels to meet Bluegrass State (2-1), while Cumberland (1-2) visits Western Florida (1-2). Thirteenth-ranked Northern Mississippi (3-0) hosts Opelika State (2-1), and long-suffering Baton Rouge State (0-3) tries to get into the win column when it welcomes Alabama Baptist (2-1). Around the Nation While much of the focus will be on the showdown in Lexington there are a number of other intriguing matchups to keep an eye on this weekend. In the Great Lakes Alliance 4th ranked Central Ohio looks to run its record to 5-0 by knocking off a ranked conference opponent. A week ago the Aviators handed Whitney College its first loss and now they remain in Columbus and look to knock Minnesota Tech out of the top 20. The 17th ranked Lakers are 3-1 but coming off a win over Lincoln in their GLA opener last Saturday. For Minnesota Tech to have any hopes of upsetting the Aviators, they will need to find a way to contain quarterback George Stephens and the most dangerous passing game in the Great Lakes Alliance. The South Atlantic Conference openers go this weekend and the section wasted no time providing a terrific matchup as #7 Eastern State hosts #23 Carolina Poly in a game the Monitors are heavily favoured to win. Elsewhere, American Atlantic, which is 4-0 and a mild surprise appearing in the top five, will head to New England to face a 2-2 Boston State team that has had some success stopping the pass this season, and the passing game is the strength of the Pelicans behind sophomore quarterback Terry Embry. Both St. Blane (3-0 #10) and St Pancras (4-0, #12) will look to continue their winning ways in Boston as well. The Fighting Saints play winless St. Patrick's - a school they have never lost to- while the Lions look to build on a solid victory over Rome State with a strong performance at Commonwealth Catholic (2-2). The Lions have not finished ranked in the top twenty since 1962 but generally fare well against the Knights. Chicago Poly had a tough start, losing on the road to both Payne State and Garden State to open their season but the Catamounts won at home each of the past two weekends and now welcome 8th ranked and unbeaten Minns College to the Windy City. This one has the makings of an upset, but the Catamounts need to stop the run where the Mavericks have excelled with their backfield duo of junior Rob Wilbur (416 yards, 5 TD's) and sophomore Spencer Dumas (378 yds, 4 TD's). The Academia Alliance also gets its conference slate underway this weekend with the highlight game featuring league power Dickson hoping to run its overall record to 3-0 when they host the Ellery Bruins. The conference is enjoying some early success with three schools ranked in the top 25. The Maroons are 20th and sandwiched between George Fox at #14 and 22nd ranked Brunswick. The Reds are home to Sadler while the Brunswick Knights head to Bridgeport, CT., to face Pierpont. MATCHUPS INVOLVING TOP TWENTY-FIVE SCHOOLS NEXT WEEKEND #1 Georgia Baptist (3-0) at #6 Central Kentucky (3-0) #2 Mississippi A&M (3-0) at Bayou State (0-3) #17 Minnesota Tech (3-1) at #4 Central Ohio (4-0) #5 American Atlantic (4-0) at Boston State (2-2) #23 Carolina Poly (3-1) at #7 Eastern State (4-0) #8 Minns College (4-0) at Chicago Poly (2-2) Wyoming A&I (1-3) at #9 Prove Tech (4-0) #10 St Blane (3-0) at St Patrick's (0-4) #11 College of Waco (4-0) at Texas Gulf Coast (1-3) #12 St Pancras (4-0) at Commonwealth Catholic (2-2) Opelika State (2-1) at #13 Northern Mississippi (3-0) Sadler (1-1) at #14 George Fox (2-0) #19 Boulder State (3-1) at #15 Lawrence State (3-1) Oklahoma City State (3-1) at #16 Daniel Boone College (3-1) #18 St Ignatius (3-1) at Whitney College (3-1) Ellery (1-1) at #20 Dickson (2-0) Northern Minnesota (2-3) at #21 Payne State (3-1) #22 Brunswick (2-0) at Pierpont (1-1) #24 Travis College (3-1) at Amarillo Methodist (2-1) WEST SHOWDOWN HIGHLIGHTS WEEKEND PRO GRID SLATE The San Francisco Wings and New Orleans Crescents engage in a key, but unexpected battle for top spot in the American Conference West Division this Sunday. Between the two of them they have made just one playoff appearance since 1960, but they find themselves tied for top spot in the division at 3-1 as they prepare to do battle at Golden Gate Stadium. Neither has ever won the division since it was created in 1969 as top spot in the American West has been exclusively held by the Houston Drillers. The Drillers, who were thumped by the Wings 34-10 two weeks ago, are still lurking in the background at 2-2 with plenty of time left to make it six straight division titles, but so far at least Houston has lacked its dominance of past years that saw the Drillers reach the World Classic a record 6 times including each of the last three years. Perhaps this is the time that either San Francisco or New Orleans emerge from behind the Drillers immense shadow and make their own mark on the sport. The Wings have been around since 1946, getting their start in the old Continental Football Conference before joining the AFA in 1950. They won their lone AFA title back in 1956 and reached the title game again the following season but have accomplished little since then. New Orleans is a 1967 expansion team that endured three straight 3-11 seasons before finally breaking even at 7-7 in 1970. The Crescents won a club record 8 games a year ago but that was still not good enough to earn them their first playoff berth. New Orleans dropped its season opener to Detroit but has won the last three games thanks to what has been one of the best defenses in the league led by Alfred Delany, a third year defensive end who has already recorded 6 sacks this season. Another third year player, quarterback Royce Neill is playing well and will be counted on to match San Francisco signal caller Charles Singletary throw for throw on Sunday. The Wings are listed as three point favourites. AROUND THE LEAGUE There seems to be no reprieve for the beleaguered Chicago Wildcats offense. Chris Lee, arguably the best of a weak offensive line, will be out for the second week in a row with a sprained wrist and missing their starting guard against Cleveland only weakens what has already been the worst pass protection in the AFA. Lee's backup, Jerome Wheeler, set a record no one wants to hold as he allowed an AFA worst 7 sacks in the loss to New Orleans last weekend. The record for sacks allowed by an offensive lineman in a single season is 22 set by Detroit center Johnny Fry way back in 1952. Two Wildcats, center Robby Espinosa and Wheeler, have already allowed 9 each and that is only through 4 games. The league does not track team sacks allowed but you have to think the Wildcats, who have already surrendered 43 sacks in just 4 games, may already own the record and they still have 10 more games to play. No other team has allowed more than 18 this year and a year ago the most anyone surrendered all season was Pittsburgh which allowed their quarterback to be sacked 29 times. The Wildcats returned four of their five starting linemen from last season with only tackle Jake Weber gone. But the difference has been astounding particularly from center Robby Espinoza and guard Chris Lee. AFA pundits Jim Nox and Darren Francis are calling for an upset in Kansas City over the weekend where the Cowboys put their perfect 4-0 record on the line against the visiting Detroit Maroons. Nox points out the Detroit defense has been terrific this season and is calling for the upset despite the Cowboys being favoured by 5 points. Francis agrees, noting Maroons coach Ralph Butterfield always has his team ready to play. The 2-1-1 Maroons will once again be missing quarterback Charles Sonnenberg, who is out with a broken wrist. The other 4-0 team is the Washington Wasps, and they travel to Philadelphia to face the Frigates on Sunday. For Philadelphia to have any chance they have to minimize the turnovers as the Frigates have already committed 8 turnovers including 6 interceptions thrown by quarterback Butch White. Philadelphia is also worst in the league in yards allowed, allowing opposing offenses to rack up more than 360 yards per game. Only Boston (387) has produced more than the Wasps 346 yards of total offense per game which means we could be in for a blowout victory by the Wasps. KNIGHTS, PHANTOMS AGREE TO DEAL WITH DEMONS Last Minute Agreement Paves Way For New Jersey Basketball Club There was plenty of legal wrangling but just days before the 1975-76 Federal Basketball League season was set to commence the loop confirmed an agreement had been reached to allow the Pittsburgh franchise purchased by Kevin Oliphant to shift his club to New Jersey where it will be known as the Demons. The team had been previously known as the Pittsburgh Ironmen and were one of four teams from the now-defunct Continental Basketball League that were absorbed by the FBL. The Ironmen, along with the league champion Cincinnati Steamers, the San Antonio Outlaws and the Denver Bighorns were admitted to the FBL in a decision announced in the summer. Shortly after the announcement was made Oliphant, who originally was livid that his New Jersey club was not admitted to the FBL, took matters into his own hands by purchasing the Ironmen from Michael Briones. Once the purchase was approved, he announced the club would play out of New Jersey, but he ran into vehement opposition from both the New York Knights and Philadelphia Phantoms, who felt their territory was being invaded. The discussions dragged on most of the summer until last week when FBL commissioner Egon Ibsweiler basically locked Oliphant, Phantoms owner William Huber and Knights chairman Andrew Roberts in a room and declared no one was leaving until an agreement was reached. Terms were not disclosed but it is believed Oliphant wrote a large cheque to both the Phantoms and the Knights to allow his club to shift to New Jersey. The big loser, once again, is the city of Pittsburgh which is now stripped of its basketball team just two years after its baseball club - the Pittsburgh Miners- was sold and moved to Atlanta. That leaves the Steel City, once home to teams in each of the four major team sports, with just the American Football Association's Pittsburgh Paladins and 1967 North American Hockey Confederation expansion team the Pittsburgh Sentinels. The Demons will see plenty of both the Knights and Phantoms this season as they will join the Atlantic Division which also contains the Boston Centurions and Washington Statesmen and was the most competitive in the FBL last season. The Steamers will go to the Central Division with the Bighorns joining the Midwest and the San Antonio Outlaws will be placed in the Pacific Division. The Week That Was Current events making headlines on October 15, 1975 The leader of the teachers union agreed to pour $150 million into New York City less than two hours before the city was to default on $453 million in debts. The agreement came after a frantic search for funds from other sources including the federal government, but President Ford refused to come to the city's aid. Stock and bond prices tumbled as a result of the uncertainty, but the Federal Reserve has promised to come to the assistance of New York City banks, which have invested billions in city bonds and notes. Secretary of State Kissinger arrives in Communist China for his eighth visit tomorrow in an effort to keep alive an outwardly friendly but uncertain US-China relationship. The Argentine government mobilized an army of 10,000 to guard against left-wing guerrilla attacks at a massive rally in Buenos Aires called by President Isabel Peron. 3 U.S. cancer researchers won the 1975 Nobel Prize for their work in discovering how viruses may cause malignant tumors in humans. It was called "a giant step in cancer research." __________________ Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles Last edited by Tiger Fan; 03-11-2026 at 01:24 PM.