NOVEMBER 24, 1975
REDWOOD-DCC SHOWDOWN IN EAST-WEST CLASSIC LOOMING AGAIN Somehow, despite terrible starts for each school it is looking to be a distinct possibility that the Redwood Mammoths and Detroit City College Knights will meet on New Years Day in Santa Ana for the third year in a row. Each school controls its own destiny and needs just a victory in their rivalry week game next Saturday.
Never in the history of the East-West Classic, dating back to 1916, have the same two schools staged three consecutive meetings. In fact, the Mammoths-Knights rematch a year ago was just the second time in history for that to happen with only the 1946-47 Detroit City College-CCLA tussles providing a rematch. The unprecedented bid for three straight meetings hinges on the Mammoths winning in Sacramento against Northern California on Saturday while the Knights will need to prevail atop against Central Ohio.
The Mammoths are alone atop the West Coast Athletic Association after they downed Spokane State 19-11 while the Miners were crushed at home, falling 30-13 to Lane State. The Emeralds, who had a 3 touchdown passing day from Jerry Lewis, are now tied with Northern California for second in the conference and still have a slim chance at going to the East-West Classic for the first time since 1941 but it will require Lane State to win on the road at Portland Tech and have the Miners top the Mammoths. That would create a 3-way tie atop the WCAA and it will be up to conference heads to determine who goes to Santa Ana.
Detroit City College all but crushed any hopes of St Ignatius reaching the East-West Classic for the first time in school history after the Knights scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to nip the Lancers 24-17. That result along with Central Ohio's 16-6 win at home over Indiana A&M leaves the Knights, Lancers and Aviators all tied at 6-1 in section play. If DCC wins in Columbus the Knights are champions regardless of what St Ignatius might do in Milwaukee against Wisconsin State. However, a Central Ohio victory leaves the door open for St Ignatius as it comes down to a tiebreaker between the Lancers and Aviators, who did not meet each other during the regular season.
The fact that Redwood and Detroit City College are even in the East-West Classic talk is astounding considering both schools are just 6-4 overall as the defending champion Mammoths and the Knights each started the season 0-3.
***El Paso Methodist Remains #1 ***
The El Paso Methodist Bandits passed their biggest test of the season, knocking off Southern Border Conference rival Tempe College 23-13 to improve to 10-0 on the season and continue to hold the number one ranking in the nation. Neither of the Bandits two star running backs - Mark Wilson and Grant Chacon- found the endzone but they did each top 90 yards in rushing and the Bandits defense did the rest, knocking off the Titans who entered the game ranked 14th in the nation.
After some tight games in recent weeks the St Blane Fighting Saints gave their fans a breather this week as the scored 21 points in the opening quarter and rolled to a 65-7 win over the 1-9 Lambert College Stags. Boyd Freeman had himself a day as the Saints sophomore running back gained 245 yards on the ground and scored 5 touchdowns, establishing a new school record for each of those. The 9-0 Saints remain second in the rankings.
Georgia Baptist took sole possession of top spot in the Deep South Conference after the third ranked Gators blanked Baton Rouge State 34-0 to improve to 5-1 in league play and 8-1 overall. College of Waco is ranked fourth and the Cowboys are tied with Amarillo Methodist heading into the final weekend of Southwestern Alliance play. The Cowboys beat Arkansas A&T 17-11 on Saturday while the Grizzles downed Lubbock State 20-3.
WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS
Maryland State Bengals - 9, North Carolina Tech Techsters - 6
Eastern State Monitors - 38, Charleston Tech Admirals - 21
Cowpens State Fighting Green - 34, Columbia Military Academy Cadets - 3
Carolina Poly Cardinals - 10, Coastal State Eagles - 7
Texas Panhandle Cowboys - 30, Abilene Baptist Chaparrals - 24
Canyon A_M Armadillos - 31, Valley State Gunslingers - 0
El Paso Methodist Bandits - 23, Tempe College Titans - 13
Oklahoma City State Wranglers - 14, Eastern Oklahoma Pioneers - 10
Boulder State Grizzlies - 14, Eastern Kansas Warriors - 10
Daniel Boone College Frontiersmen - 29, College of Omaha Raiders - 10
Iowa A_M Bulls - 27, Lawrence State Chippewa - 17
Central Ohio Aviators - 16, Indiana A_M Reapers - 6
St Magnus Vikings - 23, Wisconsin State Brewers - 13
Minnesota Tech Lakers - 21, Whitney College Engineers - 3
Lincoln Presidents - 34, Western Iowa Canaries - 7
Detroit City College Knights - 24, St Ignatius Lancers - 17
Brunswick Knights - 38, Grafton Scholars - 21
Ellery Bruins - 27, George Fox Reds - 24
Sadler Bluecoats - 31, Pierpont Purple - 10
Henry Hudson Explorers - 49, Dickson Maroons - 41
McKinney State Renegades - 27, Cleveland Tigers - 21
Northern Minnesota Muskies - 31, Queen City Monarchs - 3
Topeka State Braves - 12, Payne State Mavericks - 7
Redwood Mammoths - 19, Spokane State Indians - 11
CC Los Angeles Coyotes - 29, Portland Tech Magpies - 9
Rainier College Majestics - 16, Coastal California Dolphins - 13
Lane State Emeralds - 30, Northern California Miners - 13
Western Florida Wolves - 19, Northern Mississippi Mavericks - 14
Mississippi A_M Generals - 24, Noble Jones College Colonels - 19
Georgia Baptist Gators - 34, Baton Rogue State Red Devils - 0
Alabama Baptist Panthers - 27, Central Kentucky Tigers - 21
Opelika State Wildcats - 30, Cumberland Explorers - 9
Bayou State Cougars - 30, Bluegrass State Mustangs - 17
Wyoming A_I Prospectors - 30, South Valley State Roadrunners - 27
Provo Tech Lions - 23, Colorado Poly Redbirds - 7
Mile High State Falcons - 23, Custer College Cavalry - 3
Utah A_M Aggies - 37, Cache Valley Cowboys - 3
Chesapeake State Clippers - 23, Bulein Hornets - 0
Central Carolina Lions - 27, Richmond State Colonials - 14
Alexandria Generals - 44, Petersburg Patriots - 14
Mobile Maritime Middies - 26, Potomac College Pelicans - 0
Amarillo Methodist Grizzlies - 20, Lubbock State Hawks - 3
College of Waco Cowboys - 17, Arkansas A_T Badgers - 11
Texas Gulf Coast Hurricanes - 27, Darnell State Legislators - 24
Travis College Bucks - 44, Red River State Rowdies - 34
Garden State Redbirds - 19, Rome State Centurions - 7
Commonwealth Catholic Knights - 33, Idaho A_M Pirates - 6
American Atlantic Pelicans - 27, Chicago Poly Catamounts - 15
College of San Diego Friars - 36, St Patrick's Shamrocks - 6
Liberty College Bells - 30, Miami State Gulls - 0
Penn Catholic Crusaders - 14, Huntington State Miners - 13
Annapolis Maritime Navigators - 27, St Pancras Lions - 17
Boston State Pirates - 31, Minns College Mavericks - 17
St Blane Fighting Saints - 65, Lambert College Stags - 7
Pittsburgh State Finches - 34, Wisconsin Catholic Cavaliers - 3
NEXT WEEKEND GAMES INVOLVING TOP TWENTY TEAMS
#1 El Paso Methodist (10-0) at Abilene Baptist (3-7)
#2 St Blane (9-0) at Wisconsin Catholic (1-9)
Noble Jones College (6-3) at #3 Georgia Baptist (8-1)
#4 College of Waco (9-1) at Red River State (4-6)
Cowpens State (4-6) at #5 Eastern State (9-1)
Detroit City College (6-4) at #6 Central Ohio (9-1)
#7 St Magnus (8-2) at Western Iowa (0-9)
College of Omaha (3-7) at #8 Oklahoma City State (8-2)
Cache Valley (4-6) at #9 Provo Tech (9-1)
#10 Alexandria (9-1) at Mobile Maritime (6-4)
#11 St Ignatius (8-2) at Wisconsin State (3-7)
#12 Mississippi A&M (7-2) at Northern Mississippi (6-3)
#13 Amarillo Methodist (7-2) at Arkansas A&T (6-4)
#14 College of San Diego (8-2) at Miami State (2-8)
#15 American Atlantic (8-2) at St Patrick's (0-10)
George Fox (6-2) at #16 Brunswick (7-1)
#17 Liberty College (8-2) at Penn Catholic (4-6)
#23 Huntington State (8-2) at #18 Annapolis Maritime (6-3)
Valley State (5-5) at #19 Tempe College (8-2)
#20 Boulder State (7-3) at Eastern Oklahoma (3-6)
WILD WEST JUST GOT A LITTLE WILDER
Crescents Lose, Wings & Drillers Win to Create 3-Way TieWith four weeks remaining in the American Football Association regular season there are a number of interesting division races but none more so than the battle for top spot in the American Conference West Division. The Houston Drillers have long been a powerhouse in the grouping but their dominance has been challenged by the New Orleans Crescents and San Francisco Wings. After some interesting games over the weekend and a wild finish for the Drillers, all three teams now find themselves tied for the division lead at 6-4.
The Crescents had entered the weekend in sole possession of top spot but New Orleans became the latest victim of the mighty Washington Wasps as Washington ran its record to 10-0. The Crescents gave the Wasps their toughest challenge of the year and led the game 17-7 at the break but the hosts regrouped and led by two second half touchdown catches by Neil Durand -who had three in total in the game- pulled out a 30-17 victory.
That opened the door for the Wings and the Drillers, who each had road games against American Conference Central Division clubs. The Wings blanked the 1-9 Chicago Wildcats 13-0 behind 172 yards passing from Charlie Singletary and 4 sacks from defensive lineman Leroy Walker. Houston looked to be on the verge of losing for the 5th time this season but the Drillers staged a remarkable comeback against Detroit, overcoming a 12-0 deficit at the two-minute warning by scoring a pair of touchdowns and prevailing 15-12. It was a dreadful finish by the Maroons, who still appeared to have the win wrapped up even after backup Houston quarterback Richard Davidson, replacing the injured Randall Silva, found James Estrella for a 54-yard touchdown pass to cut the Maroons lead to 12-7 with 1:31 left. All Detroit had to do was get a first down, which they succeeded in doing when recent free agent signing Harold Tapia ploughed his way forward on a third and one but he had the ball stripped away from him by Houston linebacker James Leonard. With no time left on the clock Davidson found rookie running back Scott Starling in the end zone for the game winning touchdown as time expired and for some reason the Drillers elected to rub it in on Detroit by successfully attempting a 2-point conversion to round out the scoring.
There is also a good battle being waged for top spot in the National Conference East Division where the top three teams are separated by just one game. The New York Titans had their hands full with an Atlanta Firebirds squad that seemed energized by picking up their first win of the season last week, but the Titans held on for a 17-10 victory. Miami, which was victimized by the Firebirds last week, needed a last minute field goal from Horace Duffy to nip Buffalo 25-22. The Mariners are 5-5 and sit a game back of both the Titans and Cincinnati. The Rivermen dropped to 6-4 after falling 17-10 to a suddenly red hot Minnesota Lakers squad that has won 5 consecutive games and is keeping the heat on the NC Central Division leading Kansas City Cowboys.
Minnesota seems well positioned for a wildcard berth run as they may have trouble catching Kansas City. The Cowboys ran their record to 9-1 after beating Dallas 14-10 behind a pair of third quarter touchdown passes from Joshua Sellers. The third power team in the NC Central also kept pace as the St Louis Ramblers needed overtime to defeat the Cleveland Finches 40-34. St Louis tied the game with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation on a 49-yard Michael McConnell field goal and then won it in overtime after Cleveland kick Larry Forbes missed a 43-yarder early in the extra period.
Elsewhere in the AFA over the weekend the Pittsburgh Paladins took advantage of 3 Dick Cleaves interceptions to down the New York Stars 23-10. The Milwaukee Stags won for the third week in a row, dumping the winless Los Angeles Tigers 18-7. Three Dexter Grisham field goals booted the Los Angeles Olympians to a 9-3 victory over the San Diego Admirals. Stephen McKeever ran for three touchdowns and Juan Huff threw for two as the Boston Americans outscored the Philadelphia Frigates 42-27 while the Seattle Roughnecks blanked Denver 9-0, snapping the Mountaineers five game winning streak.
FABL RELEASES ANNUAL HALL OF FAME BALLOT
By TWIFS Baseball Editor Tip Harrison
Each year, the FABL Hall of Fame committee publishes a ballot of stars who last played five years prior to the induction date. In lay terms, that mans to be eligible your last FABL season played was 1971, so stars like Jim Norris and Buddy Miller will have to wait their turn.
Sixteen players grace the ballot this season, led by "The Cornhusker Crusher" Ralph Johnson, who got as high as 76.6% of the vote in 1973. He needs 80%, and got 69.3% of the vote last season. It's his 9th attempt to get in, and has been considered a borderline case for induction. In his prime, he was one of the game's top players, but once he turned 30 his effectiveness waned. Just 51 of his 236 homers came after his aged 29 season, and just 1 of his 7 All-Star appearances. Sure, half his titles were when he was older and not as productive, but all 4 of his Whitneys came in his 20s. It limited his counting stats, just 61.3 WAR, 1,854 hits, 1,030 runs, 966 RBIs, and 804 walks in 1,760 games, and with no injury to point to his decline, his fall-off is one of the strangest baseball fans have witnessed.
Two Pauls enter with support in the 55%-65% range, but will need to convince more of the undecided voters of their case. Pitcher Paul Anderson has the tougher battle, sitting at 57% after six ballots. His 3rd and 4th saw him slightly above 70, which may be his ceiling. A 6-Time All-Star, he has no Allen to boost his case, but he's got 213 wins, 1,985 strikeouts, and a 57.7 WAR in 3,269 innings pitched. His 3.42 (120 ERA+) career ERA was an impressive 20% better then average, and he won two titles with Johnson in Detroit.
Hitter Paul Williams got more support last year, 63.5% in year three, but unlike Anderson he's never received more then 70%. His 68.3 in his first-year attempt is his max, after the long-time Miner and Forester picked up 2,572 hits, 521 doubles, 355 homers, 1,541 RBIs, 1,448 runs, 1,566 walks, and a 70.1 WAR. Williams went to 8 All-Star games, and hit an impressive .296/.406/.489 (143 OPS+) in 2,636 games. He sits at 11th All-Time in walks, one of just 15 FABL players to draw at least 1,500.
The most exciting newcomer may also be the only new addition to the Hall, as former Cannons superstar Dallas Bery will make his first entrance on the Hall of Fame ballot. A 2-Time Whitney winner, 2-Time Diamond Defnse Winner, and 8-Time All-Star, Berry was a feared slugger with elite discipline. He led the Conti in homers twice and walks 8 times, producing 3 10-WAR seasons and two more above 8. One of the 15 players to draw 1,500 walks, he's 15th with 1,513, but he did it in less then 10,000 PAs. Worth 92.4 WAR, he hit an elite .278/.395/.515 (151 OPS+) with 353 doubles, 467 homers, 1,442 RBIs, and 1,491 runs. 2,102 of his 2,353 games came with the Cannons, and he's the franchise leader in homers (457) and walks (1,450), second to legendary Hall-of-Famer Powell Slocum in WAR (92.6), runs (1,452), and RBIs (1,397), second to Lou Kelly with his .525 slugging, and third in OBP (.398), OPS (.949), games (2,102), hits (2,162), and doubles (341).
Other notable first-timers include 6-Time All-Star and prolific slugger Lloyd Coulter (.256, 451, 1,388), 1955 Whitney winner Earl Howe (.270, 365, 1,247, 79), and a third Paul, Paul Williams (139-173, 160, 3.55, 1,715), who is one of just three pitchers to appear in 900 FABL games. Notable returnees include postseason hit leader Stan Kleminski (2nd, 16.7%; .274, 87, 1,132, 200), long-time middle infielder, Irv Clifford (6th, 26.3%; .301, 21, 902, 233), and a teammate of both, 1953 Allen winner Jack Miller (8th, 40.6%; 199-145, 9, 3.69, 1,644). All have outside chances to join baseball immortality, but will be remember as among the best when they played, regardless of their eventual status.
FLURY OF FREE AGENT SIGNS FOLLOW WINTER MEETINGS AS TRADE MARKETS COOL OFF
There has been some action on the trade front this winter, but not enough to satisfy the needs of most FABL GMs. And while they may still be looking to make some trades, three teams tapped into a thin free agent pool in an effort to upgrade without having to tap into their farm system.
The biggest more comes in Chicago, as the Cougars sign veteran Canadian John Kingsbury, who up until now has spent his entire career with the San Francisco Sailors. Released in July, he hung around Free Agency during the season, and his patience has paid off. Agreeing to an $80,000 contract, he will now get to compete for a corner outfield spot with Sam Morrison (.275, 6, 30, 22) and Andy Babel (.278, 11, 72, 6), who didn't impress during the '75 season. Kingsbury didn't either, hence his release, but you can do a lot worse then a .273/.322/.378 (94 OPS+) line. That's what he produced in 346 PAs last season, the first below 550 of his career. He added 19 doubles, 4 homers, 33 RBIs, 46 runs, and 14 steals in what looks to be his 16th and final season as a Sailor.
Making just under 10,000 trips to the plate, the now 38-year-old hit a strong .282/.341/.423 (116 OPS+), adding 415 doubles, 136 triples, 193 homers, 1,187 RBIs, 1,304 runs, 806 walks, 181 steals, and 58.9 WAR. A consistent hitter and quality defender, he was San Francisco's everyday left fielder or center fielder since the 1960 season, appearing in 150 or more games in all but two of his FABL seasons. Before last year, the only other still saw him lead the Conti with 676 PAs, and he's the Sailor's all-time doubles, RBIs, games played (2,372), and at bats (8,952), ranked top five in hits (2nd, 2,520), triples (4th), homers (2nd), walks (3rd), and WAR (4th). He could still be a useful piece, as he's yet to produce a WRC+ below 96 or an OPS+ below 94.
Seattle and St. Louis made new additions as well, but the combined total of those contracts ended up less then Kingsbury will get. Seattle improved their pitching depth, adding 1971 All-Star Chuck Kelly to a $42,000 deal. Kelly hasn't pitched at any level since 1972, but he was pretty effective that season. He made 39 appearances (22 starts), going 9-10 with a 2.43 ERA (144 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, and 116 strikeouts in 151.2 innings pitched. That game him 986.1 FABL innings with the Wranglers and Suns, going 45-54 with 26 saves, a 3.43 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.28 WHIP, and 702 strikeouts. A former 5th Rounder of the Miners, he's out of options, and will need to make the Kings pen to keep his 40-man spot.
St. Louis added an arm who spent just one season away from affiliated ball, agreeing to a $32,000 contract to left hander Frank Baxter. Baxter, 30 has pitched with the Keystones and Arrows since his '68 debut, going 24-26 with 22 saves, a 4.13 ERA (91 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, and 305 strikeouts. A hard throwing 8th Rounder, he's also out of options, but will have a much easier task auditioning for a role on the Pioneers staff. They finished 12th in the Fed in starters ERA and 11th in pen ERA, allowing more runs then any other FABL club.
A few notable free agents remain, and the more we go without trades, the more that may find new jobs. If you need a middle infielder, you can go to former Sailor Eddie Sargent (.247, 4, 47, 4) or long-time Eagle Al Marino (.203, 14, 40, 11), and no shortage of veteran arms. No difference makers to be found, but if you are shopping on the margins, there's still FABL quality options for teams in a pinch.
TOTEMS RIDING DEFENSE TO TOPIt is no secret why the Vancouver Totems are among the best teams in the North American Hockey Confederation this season. Defensive zone play and great goaltending has been the key reason why the Totems, at 12-2-6, are second behind only the reigning Challenge Cup champion Montreal Valiants in the league's overall standings. While no other team in the entire NAHC has conceded less than 61 goals so far, the Totems have surrendered just 40 goals through their first 20 games.
A big reason for the early success has been the goaltending duo of Charles Laliberte and Scott Bly, who teamed up to allow the fewest goals against in the league last season and are charting the same path this time around. Laliberte in particular has been outstanding with a .921 save percentage and a league leading 1.92 goals against average. Those are numbers that should make the 22-year-old Toronto native the clear number one in the Totems net, but Bly -who split the netminding duties a year ago after coming over from Boston, is making a case to continue to do so. Laliberte has played 12 of the 20 games but in his 8 outings Bly has been nearly as impenetrable, boasting a .912 save percentage and a 2.13 goals against average to go with a 6-1-1 record.
The defense in front of the two goaltenders has been outstanding and while there is youth in net with Laliberte and the 24-year-old Bly, there is loads of veteran experience on the blueline keyed by captain Jack Charest. The 39-year-old has been the Totems leader since joining the team in the 1967 expansion draft following seven seasons and two Challenge Cup titles with Montreal. At +18, Charest leads the NAHC in that category and is followed closely by his defense partner Ross Dodd, a 34-year-old who started his career with the New York Shamrocks before being moved to the Totems for the 1969-70 campaign.
The Totems have struggled on offense in the past but their top line of Donnie Peel centering Patrick Ferguson and Scott Spencer seems to have alleviated that concern as each of the three are averaging over a point a game.
Put it altogether and it is easy to see why the Totems have gone 6-1-2 in their last nine games and counted victories over Montreal, Boston and Yeadon Division leading Detroit over that span. Now in their ninth season, the Vancouver Totems have never missed the playoffs and became the first expansion team to win the Challenge Cup in 1969. It looks like this team has the potential to make another charge deep into the spring again this season.
NAHC NOTES
- The clock may have struck midnight on the Detroit Motors. Off to an unexpectedly strong start the Motors, who missed the playoffs a year ago (something that is hard to do in the NAHC) have gone 0-3-1 in their last four and saw their lead atop the Yeadon Division on second place Minneapolis slip to just one point after the Norsemen went on a 3-game winning streak last week. Detroit also learned that winger Joel Couture, who had 23 points in 18 games, will be out until February after suffering a knee injury.
- A 7-point night from Aaron Carmody led the Pittsburgh Sentinels to a 7-6 win over the Washington Federals Saturday. Carmody, a 23-year-old in his third season in Pittsburgh, had 2 goals and 5 assists in the game. That gives him 25 points through 19 games after he collected just 26 in 40 games a year ago.
- It was quite a weekend for Carmody, who scored a hat trick the previous night in a 4-2 win over Los Angeles and is riding an 8-game goal scoring streak.
- 23-year-old St Louis winger Marty Mosset scored his first career NAHC hat trick with 3 goals and an assist in the Sawyers 10-3 battering of the New York Shamrocks on Saturday night. Pat Valentine had 5 points in the same game. Mosset has 12 goals on the season and the Sawyers have been on a roll of late, riding a 5-1-1 stretch after a sluggish start.
High Flying Eagles First to 30 in Competitive CHL SeasonA lot has gone right for the New York Eagles this season, as the team with the most wins and the highest scoring offense, so it's fitting they're the first CHL team to 30 this season.
It wasn't pretty, as they got their after dropping a game and tying two, as they look to fend off competition from their division mates. Led by goal-per-game superstar rookie Stefan Edberg (22, 14, 36), they are difficult to shut down and that more then makes up for a weaker defense. The only CHL team with a goal differential above 20, they sit on an island at 40, able to get large early leads they can hold on to.
They have to worry about the Immortals in Cleveland, who don't just have the second most points in the East (27), but also second most of all three CHL divisions. The best home team, they have yet to lose a game at Lake Erie Arena, a perfect 7-0-4 so far. With two less games then the Eagles, catching them in points may not be too hard, but their next three will be on the road. Goalie Francis Fortin (9-4, 2, .918) shows up regardless of the venue, but they aren't generating enough scoring chances without the boost their fans provide.
PANTHERS SET THE PACE — BUT CENTRAL RACE TIGHTENSThe Chicago Panthers are beginning to look like a familiar story in the Federal Basketball League — steady, dangerous, and right where they expect to be.
After a shaky start that saw them drop two of their first three, Chicago has found its rhythm, going 14–4 since and sweeping through four wins last week. That surge has lifted the Panthers into first place in the tightly packed Central Division as they continue their push toward an eleventh straight playoff appearance.
Thomas Davis remains the constant. The veteran scorer, a fixture in Chicago’s lineup for nearly a decade, is again leading the way at just under 28 points per game. But the real twist in the Panthers’ rise has come from an unexpected source.
Center Tom Midgett, now 36, has turned back the clock. A five-time all-star in the 1960s, Midgett had spent the past several seasons as a role player, overtaken in 1971 by Ray Greenway. This year, he reclaimed the starting job — and hasn’t given it back. Shooting better than 60 percent from the floor and averaging 15.6 points per game, Midgett has provided Chicago with a reliable inside presence, even while battling a nagging hip issue.
*** Vipers Closing Fast ***
Chicago may be in front, but there’s no breathing room.
The Atlanta Vipers are right on their heels, just one game back and playing their best basketball of the season. Atlanta has won five straight and nine of its last ten, surging into contention despite lacking a true marquee scorer.
For a franchise that has yet to win a playoff series in seven previous seasons, the Vipers are building their case on balance, depth, and a defense that has tightened considerably during this run.
*** Falcons Finding Their Wings Again ***
Just behind them, the Toronto Falcons are writing a comeback story of their own.
Once a powerhouse — with two league titles and multiple finals appearances in their glory years — Toronto has been absent from the postseason since 1968. Now, behind a young and improving core, the Falcons are pushing back into relevance.
A 10–3 mark in November has brought them within a game and a half of Chicago at 14–6. The highlight of that stretch came with a statement win over the New York Knights at Bigsby Garden. Center Burt Pritchard, a 26-year-old in just his second season, delivered the performance of his young career in that one, pouring in 28 points in a 123–116 victory. Forwards Bill Lewis and Al Edwards have also played key roles in the resurgence, giving Toronto a foundation that looks far more formidable than in recent years.
Three teams, three strong runs, and hardly any separation.
In another division, Toronto’s record might be good enough for first. In the Central, it’s barely enough to keep pace.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The Wisconsin State Brewers continue to hold down the number one spot in the weekly collegiate basketball rankings but they are facing some pressure from basketball blue blood Carolina Poly. The Brewers came up just short in the Preseason AIAA tournament, falling 77-75 to the Ferguson Wildcats in the championship game to start the week but they rebounded with victories over Constitution State and Topeka State to run their record to 5-1.
Carolina Poly, which has not won an AIAA tournament title since 1959 but has made it as far as the regional finals nine times since then including last season, is up to number two in the rankings and 5-0 following wins over St Vincent's and San Francisco Tech in the opening two rounds of the Swish Invitational Tournament. The Cardinals while face 4-1 Lane State in the tournament finale later this week.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 11/23/1975
- Despite numerous fire station closings and garbage piling in the streets of New York City due to its financial crisis, the annual Thanksgiving Day parade will go on as scheduled this Thursday.
- Donald Rumsfeld was confirmed as President Ford's new Secretary of Defense.
- A Senate Intelligence Committee member says the FBI waged a campaign against the late Rec. Martin Luther King Jr. in an effort to destroy King's influence. The Committee also agreed not to name a former CIA official linked to plots to kill foreign leaders so that its final report would not be delayed by a court battle.
- An explosive collision between the US aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy and the missile cruiser Belkap in the rough, wind swept waters of the Mediterranean killed at least 4 crewman and injured 16, the US Navy revealed.
- A rampaging forest fire in Los Angeles destroyed 24 buildings and continues to burn as winds in the lower canyons were gusting up to 50 miles an hour.
- The body of Generalissimo Francisco Franco was laid to rest on the weekend after the long-time Spanish leader died early in the week.