All things Figment - from the pages of The Figment Sporting Journal - Page 51 (2024)

Tiger Fan

Join Date: Dec 2001

Location: Ontario Canada

Posts: 9,630

1952 was a year of contradiction in Figment Sports. Many things were as one might expect but also much was suddenly different, particularly in the realm of big-league baseball where the game had sweeping changes and pitching suddenly became dominant while homer happy first basem*n were benched left and right and seemed to become a mere afterthought. College football entered a new era with the addition of a controversial overtime rule that would do away once and for all with the dreaded tie game. Heavyweight boxing perhaps had the greatest change of all as after a dozen years the American Boxing Federation finally had a new champion in its most prestigious division as a Detroit native by the name of Joey Tierney replaced the retired legend Hector Sawyer at the top of the heap.

Speaking of Detroit, it was quite a year for Motor City sports fans who not only could cheer hometown hero Tierney's rise to the top but also celebrated not one, but two team sports titles in a city that had won nothing since the 1930s. The Detroit Dynamos ended a 22-year pennant drought, one which had them endure seven agonizing second place finishes including a tie-breaker loss to St Louis in 1951, and finally win not only the Federal Association crown but also the World Championship Series. Detroit's basketball entry, the Rollie Barrell owned Mustangs, also won their first Federal Basketball Association title making 1952 twice as nice for the Motor City.

While on the topic of droughts that came to an end, one must quickly mention the Chicago Packers who won their first ever Challenge Cup title just twelve months after finishing last in the NAHC with the worst record in franchise history. In college action Chicago was also able to celebrate as the local cage quintet from Whitney College won their third AIAA collegiate basketball tournament title. Meanwhile Daniel Boone College out of Missouri defied the odds with an improbable run to the collegiate baseball title and east coast basketball power Liberty College was a surprise national champion on the grid.

Yes, much changed but then again there were plenty of things happening that Figment sports fans have grown accustomed to. The Kansas City Cowboys were back in the American Football Association title game for the third year in a row and few, if any, were surprised when Pat Chappell won another offensive MVP on the football field. On the diamond Cleveland Foresters ace Adrian Czerwinski celebrated his record fourth straight Continental Association Allen Award and in college cage action Coastal California, which finally won that elusive national title a year ago, once more reached Bigsby Garden in April only to fall short and not win it all. Below is an in depth recap of the 1952 year in Figment sports as we put our pedal foot on the gas and look to fly head first through the next two decades before making a groovy landing back in the weekly format in January of 1969. If 1952 is any indication it will be a wild trip through what I guess, for now anyway, we will call the "Post-Modern Era" of Figment Sports since the human GM baseball era of 1926-51 was dubbed the "Modern Era." Let the journey begin.

1952 IN FABL: YEAR OF THE PITCHER

After spending all offseason working to upgrade their rotation, the New York Gothams made a huge splash as Opening Day was fast approaching, swapping star outfield prospect Jim Allen to the offense-starved Toronto Wolves for longtime ace George Garrison. It was the second long-time Wolf starter in less then twelve months to be moved, as they swapped eventual 1952 Allen Winner Joe Hanco*ck (22-9, 1.77, 80) to the Dynamos in one of their many all-in moves at the 1951 deadline. For Toronto, they got a legit bat to pair with Kirby Copeland (.273, 7, 54), who can't carry the load himself, though he and Allen (.276, 3, 41) were the only two qualified hitters for the team that finished with a league worst 53-101 record.

The Gothams, never satisfied with second best, saw Garrison (20-8, 2.55, 124) join Ed Bowman (19-7, 2.38, 136) and fellow offseason pickup Ed Cornett (9-10, 9, 3.07, 65) in one of the league's top rotations, as in '52 they looked to outlast the Pioneers and Dynamos, who they fought with nearly all season long. The Garrison trade didn't warrant a response, the only other trade for a while was the Gothams shipping longtime infielder Roosevelt Brewer (.230, 1, 47, 28) to the Eagles for Dutch Reaves (.235, 11, 60) two weeks into the season, but as the weather started heating up, so did the trade market.

The opening salvo came on July 14th, when a surging New York Stars squad led by a young Paul Anderson (22-6, 2.16, 215) made a swap with the Washington Eagles to pickup Cuban vet Juan Tostado (15-14, 2.36, 84). At the time of the trade, Tostado was an unlucky 8-10 despite his 2.33 ERA (149 ERA+), 2.93 FIP (80 FIP-) and 1.11 WHIP. Now thrust into a pennant race, Tostado would keep that dominance up (7-4, 2.41, 30), making him well worth the cost of 24-year-old lefty George Blake (1-1, 1, 3.50, 20), a former 2nd Round pick who ranked 51st in the Opening Day prospect rankings. This started a flurry of moves, with the Stars adding to their staff. They picked up Jerry York (6-11, 3.12, 61) from the Wolves for 1951 4th Rounder Cal Yeager, before adding Pete Ford (12-13, 6, 3.00, 81) from the Saints for a pair of low minors prospects.

The biggest move, however, came from the Stars crosstown rival Gothams, who were not satisfied with one major pitching add, as they inquired on a struggling fireballer who finished second in the Allen Award race last season. That struggling arm was John Stallings, who after leading FABL with a 2.57 ERA (166 ERA+) last season, saw that figure double to 5.10 (68 ERA+) in 23 starts. As a result his price dropped significantly, costing just a pair of Vern's in Osborne and Armstrong, in a deal that the Chiefs may quickly regret. Osborne went from the 97th ranked prospect to 79th, so he could end up a useful rotation member, but it's hard to imagine him coming anywhere close to as productive as Stallings.

Stallings may have been the biggest name moved, but he was far from the only impact player changing hands. At the time, the Chicago Cougars were just four games out of first, and they were in unfamiliar territory: they needed to improve their pitching. The first addition was Wally Reif (9-7, 2.05, 67), who tore his UCL in 1951, and made 6 excellent starts (4-1, 1.98, 24) after struggling through a rehab assignment. Flush with minor leaguers, especially in the outfield, the cost of 139th ranked prospect Bob Allie was minimal. A few days later, the team in 4th picked up a big arm of their own, as the first year Kansas City Kings pried Ray Dalpman (12-12, 2.60, 110) from the Minutemen for a pair of middling prospects. This came after the Kings boosted the lineup with Bob Lopez (.280, 5, 50, 7), inserting him at third to move Ken Newman (.253, 20, 77) to first. The last deal of note concerned the defending champion Pioneers, as they picked up last year's breakout swingman John Thomas Johnson (14-10, 3.58, 123) from the Sailors to round out their rotation, parting with a former top 15 prospect Jack Adams who has seen his prospect shine dim in recent years.

In total, 11 deals were agreed upon before the deadline, though August started with what looked like only one pennant race. The Detroit Dynamos (66-38) led the Pioneers (60-46) by 7 and the Gothams (59-46) by 7.5, part of which encouraged them picking up new arms in Garrison and Stallings. In the Continental, four teams were closer to the first place Stars (64-42) than St. Louis was to Detroit in the Fed, with Cleveland (61-43), Chicago (59-44), and Kansas City (58-49) all within shouting distance. The Stars got hot, going 20-7 in August as the addition of Tostado (3-2, 2.72, 15) paid instant dividends, and the offense got support from unusual sources in Newt Cooper (.350, 1, 13, 1; .271, 6, 40, 10) and Paul Watson (.337, 1, 10; .267, 11, 70), but it was the pitching that got the job done. Ace Paul Anderson was a perfect 6-0, boasting a pristine 1.62 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 50 innings. Between him, Tostado, and Vern Hubbard (4-1, 2.28, 11; 16-9, 2.70, 99), you pretty much had to keep the Stars quiet to beat them, and in close games deadline pickup Pete Ford (2-0, 3, 1.38, 3) made it almost impossible for teams to come back.

The Kings and Cougars quickly fell off, leaving just the Stars (85-49) and preseason favorite Cleveland Foresters (81-54) in line for the pennant, as the Chicago Cougars (14-16; 74-60) and Kansas City Kings (11-15; 70-64) both found themselves double digit games back. At the same time, the Gothams (81-53) made things interesting in the Fed, going 20-8 to pull within two of the Dynamos (83-51), who lost ground despite going 18-11 themselves. You can thank the Chiefs for that, as John Stallings was energized by the trade, a perfect 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 1.29 WHIP despite more walks (18) then strikeouts (14). His addition shifted Ed Cornett to the pen, but it worked well, as he allowed just 1 run in 15.2 innings, picking up a win and 5 saves with an elite 0.64 WHIP and 7 strikeouts in 13 appearances. They lost just four of those games, though in each case Cornett was not the cause of the defeat. Though it was the offense that did the heavy lifting, with youngsters Bill Burgess (.379, 4, 22, 1; .297, 8, 54) and Hank Estil (.248, 9, 22; .278, 41, 109) both providing OPS' above .900. Walt Messer (.270, 6, 21; .257, 21, 81), Cecil LaBonte (.342, 2, 15, 3; .332, 6, 57, 14), and George Cleaves (.284, 3, 17; .232, 16, 60) would have had the best month on plenty of teams, as they were excellent support for what would end up being the highest scoring Fed team.

The Gothams stayed hot in September, again losing just 8 games as they finished the season 52-28 over the last three months. The offense cooled, no more .900+ hitters, and only Burgess (.292, 6, 27) and Bill Moody (.241, 4, 12; .203, 7, 25) had more then 20 at bats and an OPS above .700. This is why the addition of Stallings (2-0, 2.17, 17) was so big, he finished his Gothams season 7-0 with a 2.45 ERA (142 ERA+), 1.31 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts, but Lou Eaker (3-0, 1.76, 13; 13-2, 1, 2.12, 51), Ed Bowman (3-2, 2.02, 26), and George Garrison (2-3, 3.05, 18) kept them in every game. In a regular season, this would have been more then enough to win a pennant, but one has to wonder if the Gothams committed to Red Johnson (.312, 22, 60), who made just 273 PAs despite a 208 WRC+ and a whopping 22 homers in a limited role.

Detroit, who had just one month with a sub .600 win percentage (17-14, .548 in May), ended the season 14-8, allowing them to finish four up of the challenging Gothams. Detroit's pitching was just too good, as they finished the season with the only two qualified pitchers with sub 2 ERAs. We may never see a 1-2 punch as dominant as Jack Miller (22-7, 1.86, 157) and Joe Hanco*ck (22-9, 1.77, 80), who made 67 starts, and in just 5 of these did one of the co-aces allow more then 4 runs. That alone gives you a huge chance of winning, but when your offense contains a full season of Whitney Winner Ralph Johnson (.303, 30, 104, 7), Edwin Hackberry (.254, 21, 78, 9), and Dick Estes (.272, 20, 75), it's no surprise Miller and Hanco*ck went back-and-forth all season for the Fed league in Wins and ERA.

The two team race in Conti saw two teams that couldn't wait for the season to end, as the Foresters (11-10) and Stars (13-9) had September's that didn't match their overall numbers. Cleveland in particular was disappointing, but you can't blame Frenchy Sonntag (.375, 6, 22; .311, 35, 118), Larry McClure (.344, 4, 14; .280, 10, 67), Adrian Czerwinski (4-1, 1.02, 19; 25-10, 2.18, 148), or offseason pickup Danny Hern (3-0, 0.67, 9; 14-11, 3.21, 99). Czerwinski capped off another absurd year, capturing his record 4th consecutive Allen by going 25-10 with a 2.18 ERA (163 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, and 148 strikeouts. Along with his wins and WHIP, he led the CA in innings (309.1), FIP- (72), and WAR (8.7), truly emphasizing just how dominant the still relatively young professor has been. The back of the rotation, namely Ducky Davis (0-5, 5.40, 24; ) and Dick Lamb (1-1, 3.97, 22; ) let them down in the final month, while Joe Wood (.224, 5, 24; .259, 7, 41), Lloyd Coulter (.214, 5; .228, 20, 62), Earle Haley (.167, 8; .274, 1, 57), and Glenn White (.175, 2; .283, 22) wasted nearly every at bat they had. It's a shame such good seasons by Czerwinski, Sonntag, and reigning Whitney winner Sherry Doyal (.263, 18, 74) went for naught, but they'll continue to be one of the top picks for the '53 season after coming up just short again.

This left the Stars atop the CA once more, as they claimed their fourth pennant since 1939. Picking up the previously mentioned Tostado was huge, but it was really the blossoming of former top pitching prospect Paul Anderson that helped the Stars secure the pennant. The 23-year-old lefty would've won the Allen in most years, going 22-6 with a CA best 2.16 ERA (162 ERA+) and 215 strikeouts, allowing just 4 homers in 279.1 innings pitched. He did walk a league high 171 batters, but his 1.26 WHIP was still strong, as when batters hit him it was hard to hit him hard. Vern Hubbard (16-9, 2.70, 99) once again looked like one of FABL's best pitchers, even playing all season at 37, while Hub Armstrong (14-7, 3.19, 116) and Eli Panneton (14-9, 3.23, 101) rounded out the best rotation in the association. They also ended up scoring the most runs, despite not really having a standout bat. Jack Welch's (.268, 24, 84) 139 WRC+ is well above average, but it's not star level, and that's similar for Bill Barrett (.263, 14, 53), but they had a strong supporting cast with Watson, Ralph Hanson (.269, 11, 76, 17), Bob Riggins (.220, 8, 48, 11), and Gene Curtis (.286, 2, 50).

For the other 14 teams that didn't get to play in October, there were plenty of things to look forward to, with one of the biggest stories being the inaugural season in Kansas City for the Kings franchise that spent their history in Brooklyn. At 85-69, it was there best season since 1941, as they have quickly found a new ace in Walt Staton. A deal that may be looked back to as a major win-win, Staton came in the Ralph Johnson trade last July, and managed to lead the CA with 37 starts. The production was more then ever expected from the former 9th Rounder, who was 19-10 with a 2.40 ERA (145 ERA+), 1.05 WHIP, and 130 strikeouts. Ray Dalpman may now be 36, but he can contribute next season for them too, as he was 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA (131 ERA+), 0.96 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts, dropping his BB% to a tiny 5.5% in 81 innings. Then there was 30-year-old Mike Thorpe (11-7, 2.87, 55), a former 4th Rounder of the Cougars acquired in a minor deal back in 1946, who's breakout 1952 saw him throw more innings then he did in his four prior seasons. Fred Miller (.312, 10, 77, 9) won a second batting title, Charlie Rogers (.295, 12, 68, 15) may not have hit .300, but for a third season he led the CA in hits (190), and Ken Newman (.253, 20, 77) boasted an elite .397 OBP with a CA high 112 walks. You can also add in 26-year-old Red Hinton (.257, 14, 31, 10), acquired in the deal that sent Joe Potts (16-17, 3.45, 125) to the Pioneers, who didn't let a torn groin stop him from posting a 140 WRC+ in 390 PAs. The youth movement is starting to pan out for KC, and the CA is certainly on watch.

For the first time since 1938, the Chicago Cougars did not finish top 3 in the CA in runs allowed, as the franchise with the top farm system finished 5th in runs allowed as they got only half of a season out of Pete Papenfus (8-3, 2, 3.16, 61), who's velo plummeted after what should have been minor shoulder inflammation, while 1951 Allen runner up Duke Bybee (12-13, 3.98, 120) and veteran Johnnie Jones (12-13, 3.98, 79) each had their first season with an ERA+ (86) below 95, and in both cases it was their second full season with an ERA+ below 100. Even longtime co-ace Donnie Jones (16-15, 3.27, 150) was average as opposed to his regular elite, with George Polk (16-9, 3.31, 125) offering similar production. On the bright side, David Molina (7-2, 20, 2.08, 58) alleviated any worries that he was washed up, and the offense led the association in WAR (30.3), homers (113), and steals (83), with the most shocking occurrence their 29-23 record in one-run games. It's no surprise that Jerry Smith emerged as an elite outfielder, as the 1952 Kellogg Winner hit .265/.372/.482 (143 OPS+) with 25 doubles, 30 homers, 100 walks, 101 runs, 95 RBIs, and 12 steals, worth 7.4 WAR. He spent 200 or more innings at all three outfield spots, and the future outfield of him, Henry Norman (.281, 5, 37, 7) and Frank Reece (.300, 6, 18) could usher in a new age of offense. Star defender Skipper Schneider (.278, 8, 65, 14) saw a drop in his still elite defense (21.6 ZR, 1.065 EFF), but with a 114 WRC+ his 6.6 WAR was his highest since a 7.2 in 1947. The club isn't quite ready to threaten the pennant, but if the youth continues to breakout, specifically Bob Allen (2-4, 1, 4.59, 14) and Dixie Gaines (3-6, 5.90, 23), who both struggled out of the pen, they could make noise for the entirety of the 1950s.

Last year's Continental pennant winner regressed back to earth, as the Philadelphia Sailors offense couldn't replicate what they did the previous season. Al Farmer (.237, 9, 38) was the main culprit, as his WRC+ dropped from 147 to 105, while going from 17 triples and 19 homers to 8 and 9 respectively. Billy Forbes (.258, 10, 53, 10) had a drop from 135 to 106, and their stars underperforming led to a mini-sell off. A healthy Win Lewis (3-5, 2.84, 37) could be one of the next to go, as they got big years from Lloyd Stevens (16-11, 3.25, 111), Jackie James (16-10, 2.67, 91), and George Reynolds (5-5, 19, 2.56, 41), the latter of which seems ready to move from stopper back to the rotation. One of the bright spots was the emergence of catcher Tom Cooprider (.283, 13, 57), who has positioned himself as a top-5 catcher, and despite less homers and RBIs, George Rutter (.284, 14, 56) increased his WRC+ from 123 to 136.

The team that came up short against the Sailors in the World Championship Series last year, the St. Louis Pioneers, were a distant third in the Fed, and they were the last of eight FABL teams to finish above .500. A 12-15 August kept them from making things a three team race, but at 83-71 it was far from a disappointing season. All eyes remained on 22-year-old Rex Pilcher, who is already one of the elite bats in baseball. Pilcher slashed .292/.421/.468 (146 OPS+), launching 30 doubles and 19 homers with 87 RBIs and 106 walks. He won a team triple crown, leading an offense that has some building blocks in Otis Ballard (.298, 14, 53, 7) and Jim Adams Jr. (.272, 7, 19, 8). Joe Potts disappointed some, even if his 3.45 ERA and 104 ERA+ tells a far different story then his 2.99 FIP and 84 FIP-, but that didn't stop the pitching for trying to carry the offense. The remaining Hs Hal Hackney (17-16, 2.24, 175) and Hiram Steinberg (16-10, 3.18, 103) continued to remain among the game's toughest at bats, and stopper Russ Peeples (4-7, 21, 3.12, 42) secured most late leads. Potentially a bat away, the Pioneers have a chance to win their fourth titles in seven seasons with a return to form.

For the other half of the league, the losers of the losers, all fans can hope for is the fate of their youngsters. The team in most need of a rebranding may be the Philadelphia Keystones, who saw franchise icon Bobby Barrell (.223, 4, 23) retire in July, capping off a legendary career that sees him leading plenty of team categories, while ranked top-5 All-Time in slugging (3rd, .537), hits (3rd, 3,815), runs (2nd, 2,076), doubles (2nd, 598), and homers (2nd, 639), and leading all FABL players in games (3,092), at bats (12,350), total bases (6,628), and RBIs (1,238). There's not a player on the planet who can replace what Bobby meant to the team, but they seem ready to start their next generation with former #1 prospect Buddy Miller, FABL's top catcher Roger Cleaves (.267, 27, 100), and Don Berry (.282, 13, 42), though aside from second year starter Sam Ivey (17-10, 3.38, 102), they don't have much going for them on the mound.

Closer to contention might be the Chicago Chiefs and Boston Minutemen, though Boston might have been closer to .500 had they held on to Earl Leckie (.284, 17, 64), who won the Kellogg in a Windy City sweep. Sure, Boston has plenty of young outfielders, but they saw reduced roles for Rick Masters (.328, 3, 18), Yank Taylor (.270, 9, 33), and Danny Taylor (.238, 1), as well as veteran mainstay Ben McCarty (.267, 6, 30). Masters and the Taylors seem in line for a bigger role, joining the elite young middle infield duo of Joe Kleman (.280, 5, 56) and Marshall Thomas (.298, 16, 75), as this group of young bats matures together. Boston also had the luck of Charlie Todd (12-9, 2.56, 119) emerging as an ace, despite walking a Fed high 131 batters in 232 innings. The Chiefs don't have an ace ready after shipping out the struggling Stallings, but the offense may end up rivaling the Minutemen's. They picked up young third basem*n Jim Gaiter (.256, 10, 47) from the pennant winning Dynamos, giving them a revamped, young, 3-4-5 ahead of him. Leckie has gotten comfortable in the five spot, while Ed Bloom (.302, 11, 65, 13) and Rod Shearer (.256, 34, 130) had WRC+ of 162 and 139 at 24 and 23.

The Pittsburgh Miners and Washington Eagles both finished above the last place Keystones, but the 6th and 7th place teams each failed to win 70 games. These teams couldn't be more different, Pittsburgh had a great offense and the worst pitching staff, while Washington had the worst offense and a solid pitching staff. Pitching was an obvious weakness for Pittsburgh, though they wanted more from offseason pickup Roy Schaub (13-13, 3.70, 115), and will be an area in need of upgrade in the offseason. With Paul Williams (.300, 29, 108) and his 175 WRC+ with 29 doubles and triples, they just need someone to keep runs off the board, as he lives up to his "Spark Plug" nickname whenever the Miners need a rally. With a return to form from Ernie Campbell (.272, 56, 7), Irv Clifford (.247, 1, 42, 8), and Charlie J. Williams (.266, 10, 64), they could make some real noise, especially if center fielder Bill Newhall's (.318, 9, 67) breakout at 24 was legit. They're in a better position then Washington, who endured a slump from Jesse Alvarado (.262, 20, 79, 12) and a partially torn labrum of Rats McGonigle (.254, 1, 6, 1) that ended his season in early May. Alvarado's 104 WRC+ was the only one above 100, but at least former 4th pick Ike Perry (.265, 10, 44) solidified himself as a reliable everyday backstop. The staff is old and in need of a talent infusion, so it may be Washington that ends up at the bottom of the association in 1953.

Shifting focus back to the Continental, it was a third straight 100 loss season for the Toronto Wolves, who dropped 101 games after 100 in '50 and 106 in '51. Top pick John Wells spent all year in the minors, while fellow top pick Les Ledbetter (7-15, 4.72, 108) had an ERA over a full run higher then his FIP (3.67, 103). Finishing dead last in runs scored and allowed, there wasn't much to be happy about, but Jim Allen is a legit bat to build around, and loss leader Jimmy Gibbs (8-19, 3.31, 105) may have built back some trade value after a 2.84 FIP (80 FIP-) in 245 innings. There are still a lot of holes on this team, but this year's 3rd Rounder Tom Reed has risen to the 5th ranked prospect, getting a small cup of coffee where he went 4-for-19 with a solo homer, and is maybe another Wally Boyer (.221, 1, 29) poor season away from becoming the every day center fielder. The '52 draft could be the start of the recovery, as along with Reed, their first and second round picks rank 19th and 62nd respectively, making up three of the Wolves top four prospects.

Montreal and Cincinnati weren't nearly as bad as the Wolves, but at 68 and 61 wins respectively, it was a big let down in terms of expectations. Montreal got better from last year's deadline pickup Sal Pestilli (.256, 14, 64, 15), but Otis O'Keefe (.236, 10, 57), Joe Austin (.244, 5, 63, 14), and Gordie Perkins (.254, 5, 41, 8) were all below average at the plate. On the bright side, Bill Elkins (.256, 2, 46) had a 5 WAR season while offering plus defense at short (9.3, 1.062) and in center (5.9, 1.041), while Ted Coffin (9-13, 3.11, 99) and Wally Doyle (13-15, 3.17, 97) were effective in the rotation. Like Cincinnati, they're likely embarking on a rebuild, but aside from last year's #3 pick Bob Porter (11th ranked prospect), they don't have many impact players. Cincy has Dallas Berry (4th), Charlie Barrell (16th), and more, plus an excellent front three with Rufus Barrell (11-13, 4.38, 110), Jim Anderson (11-18, 2.98, 122), and Tony Britten (1-14, 3.15, 141). Rufus had an uncharacteristically poor season, setting worsts in most categories, though the offense had it worse. Denny Andrews (.205, 11, 35) barely hit over .200, Mike Taylor (.251, 16, 73, 13) went from outstanding to average, and only really Fred Galloway (.285, 8, 46) and Dan Scurlock (.253, 14, 63) were tough to get out. With such a deep system a youth movement seems inevitable, and if they tear down enough Toronto might have some competition for the bottom spot in the Conti.

How do you pick between two 20-game winners with sub 2.00 ERAs?

That was the enviable dilemma for Dynamos Manager Dick York, though you could argue quite quickly that York made the wrong decision. He went with the guy who's spent his entire FABL career in Detroit, sending out 26-year-old ace Jack Miller (22-7, 1.86, 157) to take on the Stars best Paul Anderson (22-6, 2.16, 215) in what many expected would be a pitcher's duel. Jersey Jack Welch (.268, 24, 84) had other ideas, as he followed Gene Curtis' (.286, 2, 50) two-out first inning double with a huge two-run homer. Miller could not avoid the extra base hit, as Bill Barrett (.263, 14, 53) doubled and was scored on Paul Watson's (.263, 14, 53) single to give the Stars a 3-run cushion after just the opening frame.

Miller did settle down, but you have to realize that was his first postseason inning. That comes with extra nerves, and when he came back out for the second he looked like the pitcher folks watched all season. He recovered with three scoreless frames, but the Dynamos lineup couldn't thwart Anderson. The Stars ace was provided a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh, as the middle of the order was able to get on base or drive in a run. Both starters completed the eighth inning, with Anderson entering the 9th up 6-0.

Instead of attacking leadoff man Stan Kleminski (.248, 4, 49, 13) he threw him four wide ones, setting up the dangerous Dick Estes (.272, 20, 75) who had eventual Whitney Winner Ralph Johnson (.303, 30, 104, 7) behind him. Estes singled and Johnson walked, and instead of going with Edwin Hackberry (.254, 21, 78, 9), York turned to Bill Morrison (.118, 1). Against all odds, he drew a walk, forcing in the Dynamos first run of the game. They plated two more with fielder's choice, before Anderson got deadline pickup Len Stewart (.216, 8, 43) to roll over a 82 mile per hour fastball that Paul Watson had no trouble fielding. The Allen runner up allowed just the three ninth inning runs on four hits and walks, striking out eight in the complete game victory.

Very few teams can call on an Allen winner in game two like the Dynamos did, sending the still great 39-year-old Joe Hanco*ck (22-9, 1.77, 80) who has been reinvigorated south of the border. His opponent, while not an Allen Award winner, is two time World Champion and 1941 All-Star Vern Hubbard (16-9, 2.70, 99). Not only is he coming off his best season since, he's already started four World Championship Series games.

This game turned into the pitcher's duel that we were promised, though it should be no surprise because these are the top ranked pitching staffs in their respective associations. Believe it or not, both vets threw nine scoreless innings, and both arms took the mound in the tenth. Vern Hubbard got the first two outs, ending his night with 128 pitches. He allowed just 5 hits, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts. The Dynamos' Hanco*ck managed to complete the 10th, and since his team couldn't score in the 11th he left after allowing a single to the speedy Ralph Hanson (.269, 11, 76, 17). Hanson then took advantage of Hanco*ck's replacement, swiping second off former 12th ranked prospect Jack Halbur (3-4, 15, 2.38, 35). Despite being down 0-2, Bob Riggins (.220, 8, 48, 11) managed to get a hold of Halbur's fastball, lining it in front of outfielder Ralph Johnson. Hanson tested the Whitney Winner's arm, and was gunned at the plate, preventing what could have been a walk-off orchestrated by the first (Riggins) and second (Hanson) players selected in the 1945 draft.

The next threat came in the 13th, when deadline pickup Pete Ford (12-13, 3.00, 81) allowed a leadoff double to Del Johnson (.274, 8, 30, 8). Ford got the 11th inning star Johnson, as Ralph flew to left on a tough 3-2 pitch. Setting up a double play, Edwin Hackberry was intentionally walked. No groundball was needed, as Ford required just three additional pitches to finish the inning. He navigated a scoreless 13th as well, before passing it off to George Scruggs (5-5, 14, 4.38, 29) for a relatively painless 14th and 15th.

This set up a rally in the bottom half, as Elijah Bourdeau (.235, 7) jumped on a 1-0 forkball, getting the inning going with a leadoff double. After getting a tapper to third, the Dynamos set up a double play, walking the catcher Dan Atwood (.267, 8, 44) to bring up shortstop Ed Holmes (.218, 7, 26, 4). Bill Sohl's forkball got him the grounder he wanted, Atwood's slide caused the Dynamo shortstop to leap out of harms way.

Instead of the nine spot and the pitcher Scruggs, Stars manager Ken Tannen went with the pinch hitter in Charlie Woodbury (.194, 2, 9). Acquired last year from the Cougars after hitting .320 with 6 homers, 32 RBIs, and a 150 WRC+ in 254 PAs, he was almost completely relegated to a bench role in his second year in the Big Apple. Some of the pain from his poor season were alleviated today, as Sohl hung a forkball, and the 34-year-old veteran unleashed a monstrous 422 foot homer to send the Dyckman Stadium fans home happy in an instant classic.

Trailing 2-0 in the series, the Detroit Dynamos at least had the home crowd in attendance in game three, as last year's deadline pickup Bob Arman (12-12, 2.85, 110) needed some help from his offense against Hub Armstrong (14-7, 3.19, 116), who was drafted by the hosts in the 6th Round of the 1947 draft. Since then, he blossomed into one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, and was the cost to acquire Mack Sutton (.206, 14, 44), the struggling slugger who spent most of the WCS on the bench. Sutton hit an impressive .263/.377/.491 (133 OPS+) with 18 homers and 65 RBIs after the trade, and he almost slugged the Dynamos to a pennant last season.

Hub entered the season as the 18th ranked prospect, and ended the season 14-7 with a 3.19 ERA (109 ERA+) and 2.67 FIP (76 FIP-) in 31 starts. Unlike Jack Miller, Hub was dominant right out of the gate, holding the Dynamos scoreless for six more innings. Just like yesterday, the Dynamos starter held the Stars scoreless, but the visitors got things going in the seventh as Gene Curtis started the inning with a triple. He wasn't standing on third for long, as Jersey Jack brought him home with a double. Arman intentionally walked Bill Barrett, allowing himself a moment to settle back in. He got the next three out quickly, but again Hub held his former organization scoreless.

He got to hit for himself in the 8th, kicking things off with a single to set up the top of the order. Ralph Hanson followed in kind, and both runners were moved over on a sac-bunt. With one out and two in scoring position, last inning's sparkplug Gene Curtis couldn't capitalize, looping a lazy fly to center that was too shallow to score the pitcher. Hub then got ahead of Jack Welch 0-2, even fouling off a pitch before delivering a clutch two run single.

This proved to be the wakeup call the hosts needed, as the heart of the order jumped on the Stars starter in the bottom of the eighth with a run of extra base hits. Del Johnson doubled, Ralph Johnson copied him, and then Edwin Hackberry launched a first pitched mistake for a hard hit triple. Still no outs, Dan Smith (.242, 14, 76) hit a hard grounder to second, allowing Hackberry to score easily on the bobble to tie the game at 3. With the bases clear, Hub was able to get the final two outs, but for the first time all series the Dynamos had some life. That continued with a scoreless ninth for Arman, while Hub left with two outs and Stan Kleminski (.248, 4, 49, 13) on second base. Ralph Johnson couldn't capitalize, and for the second straight game, more then nine innings were needed.

Arman didn't start the 10th, as the battle of the pens commenced once more. There wasn't much action until the 13th, when one of the saddest stories of the year Carl Potter (9-11, 4.43, 73) returned for a second inning. Once a 22-game winner with a 1.97 ERA (212 ERA+), Potter tore his UCL in his first start last season, and like Tommy Wilcox he came back a shell of himself. Currently with 101 career wins at 26, Potter never had an ERA above 3.06 (130 ERA+), and his 124 ERA+ as a rookie was a career worst. This year his ERA ballooned to 4.43 (78 ERA+) while walking (100) more guys then he struck out (73) for the first time in his FABL career. In pretty much every category it was a career worst.

But in the postseason, everything is different, and the Dynamos' fifth starter was needed to pitch innings out of the pen. He got the first two outs, but Mike Holt (.269, 6, 65, 9) bested him with a double. For 1950 Cal Potter, Elijah Boudreau would be about as easy an out as it gets, but the veteran bench warner worked the count to 3-2. Rearing back, Potter found some of that Allen winning power, placing a pitch perfectly on the edge to get Bourdeau looking. He kept it going, as after another scoreless inning from a Stars pitcher Potter was brought back for the 14th. He got a quick 1-2-3, but with his spot third in the order it appeared that his night would be over. After two quick outs from Pete Ford, Dick York went to a guy who started just one regular season game in his big league career, Fred Carter (.214, 1) in place of his pitcher. Kept for his leadership, he worked a huge walk, extending the inning for shortstop Stan Kleminski.

Most in attendance were hoping he could keep the train going, but the sixth year starter took matters into his own hands and ended the game with one swing of the bat. Kleminski unloaded on a 2-1 slider from George Scruggs, and for the second straight game, the hosts outlasted their guests long enough to walk-off with a homer. It was an inning shorter this time, and with two more games back-to-back, both teams are hoping for a more reasonably timed game on Sunday.

In a seven game series, teams can technically stick with just their top three, forcing their best pitchers on short rest, but both contenders went to their 4th starter. That's one of the perks of having the best staffs in their associations, so an Eli Panneton (14-9, 3.23, 101) vs Wally Hunter (20-7, 2.98, 88) matchup still felt like a postseason matchup. Hunter in particular fits the role, as not only is his nickname "Big Game," but he was the Dynamos third and final 20-game winner this year. Initially a 1st Round Pick by the team he'd be facing, the Dynamos actually picked up Hunter from the other New York team, as just eight months after being acquired by the Gothams from the Stars, the Gothams send him, Jim Lonardo, and a pair of draft picks to Detroit for Sal Pestilli.

Hunter lived up to his name, as through the first seven innings, the only base runner he allowed was a Bill Barrett double in the second. Panneton had far less luck, as in his second he should have had a 1-2-3 inning, but Ed Holmes could not handle Len Stewart's 0-2 groundball. This extended the inning for Tommy Griffin (.235, 6, 46), another former Star who entered the game 0-for-9. He was the clear weakness in a loaded lineup making for what should have been an easy out, but the light hitting Griffin had other ideas. He hit a super slow first pitch curve just over the left field fence. Now down 2-0, the pitcher's spot should have been even easier, but it's easy to forget Hunter attempted to be a two-way player. He hit an above average .280/.358/.366 (106 OPS+) during the season. Panneton's opponent pounced on a fastball down the middle, whacking it 410 feet to center field to put Detroit up 3-0. Panneton finally got Kleminski to end the inning, but it took him a while to get an out he never should have needed.

Detroit added single runs in the third and fifth, capitalizing on two Ralph Johnson solo home runs. Johnson was plenty familiar with Panneton from his time with the Kings, and those insurance runs were huge, as it allowed their stater to pitch with confidence. Only one of Hunter's four walks came around, as Barrett (1-2, R, BB, 2B) did pretty much everything himself. It came in the 8th where Barrett worked a lead off eight pitch walk. He got to second on a ground out before two more walks, eventually scoring on a flyball to center. Hunter then got Ralph Hanson to pop up, escaping his only real troublesome inning. He was back out for the ninth too, but it seemed his command was gone. He hit Bob Riggins on the first pitch, prompting Jack Halbur to warm up in the pen. Hunter got Gene Curtis to ground out, but then threw four wide to Jack Welch.

This prompted a pitch change, so Hunter left with one hit, four walks, and two runners on, up 5-1 in his first and potentially only WCS start. Dick York did not want him facing Barrett a fourth time, but he worked a walk on Halbur too, loading the bases for Paul Watson. Halbur found the zone and got a lazy fly to center, forcing Gene Curtis to hold at third. He fell behind Dan Atwood, who made great contact on the 3-1 fastball. Unfortunately for him, it was only a few paces away from Del Johnson, who got it on the hop. He had plenty of time to get the catcher at first, and just like that the series was tied at two.

Game five means a rematch of game one, and with the packed Thompson Field behind him Jack Miller was determined to make up for his rough (8 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) performance on the road. He capped off a 1-2-3 first with a Gene Curtis strikeout, and the Stars were hoping Paul Anderson could do the same.

Anderson got the strikeout to start the inning, needing three pitches to dispose of the leadoff hitter Stan Kleminski. Continuing to attack, he tried to get ahead of Dick Estes, who was ready and whizzed a ground ball up the middle for a one-out single. Ralph Johnson couldn't move him over, popping one up to third, but Edwin Hackberry kept things going with a 2-0 single. A little rattled, Anderson walked Dan Smith on four pitches, loading the bases for the second basem*n Del Johnson. He fouled off a 3-2 slider, and then cleared the bases with a double down the left field line. Still not himself, Paul Anderson allowed a slider to get away from his catcher, sending Johnson to third with two outs. Anderson finally settled down, getting Len Stewart to chase a pitch in the dirt to finally end the first inning.

With Detroit leading 3-0 the damage was done, and with Miller on a mission the Stars were in trouble quick. Miller didn't allow a base runner until the 6th, when game four goat Ed Holmes worked an eight pitch walk. The first hit came from Paul Watson in the 8th, but Miller had no trouble getting the next two outs.

The Dynamos entered the 9th up 4-0, looking to go up 3 games to 2 by taking all three games at Thompson Field. Miller got pinch hitter Moe Holt down 0-2, but the postseason star hit one somewhat deep to left. Perhaps picturing tomorrow's headlines, he sprinted towards second, but was hung out to dry by a strong throw from Dick Estes. If he was patient, he would have gotten to second anyways, as Ralph Hanson worked a walk to set up the 2-3-4 hitters. Though the fourth never got there, as after nine pitches Bob Riggins flied out and after just one Gene Curtis looped one to second.

If the momentum hadn't swung after game four, it certainly did now.

Two things could happen today. The home team can continue to win every game. Or the champion will be crowned.

Let's not forget how well the Stars pitchers pitched early in the series, as Vern Hubbard threw 9.2 shutout innings. His command was not great, but it was the hosts who scored first, as Jack Welch took long time Wolf Joe Hanco*ck deep in the 4th. He took him deep again in the 6th, a carbon copy of what Ralph Johnson did to Eli Panneton in game four.

The second homer even broke a tie, as Edwin Hackberry's two out triple in the top half of the inning gave Detroit their first run of the game. Hanco*ck got the Dynamos through seven, but for the fourth time all season he didn't record a single strikeout. The Allen winner allowed 8 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks, and was expected to go back out for the 8th since he was the last out of the 7th.

Hanco*ck wasn't needed for the 8th, as floodgates opened in the top half. Hubbard got Del Johnson out to start the inning, but he then walked the bases loaded, prompting Ken Tannen to go to the pen. The Stars skipper made the call for Pete Ford, who did the one thing that got the starter taken out of the game, walked a batter. This tied the game, allowing Dynamos manager Dick York to make a nepotism move that would have made fans furious. It's not that Len Stewart is any good, but going to backup catcher Rick York (.228, 1, 15, 3) with the bases loaded in the most important at bat of the game is as big of a head scratcher as you can make. His first swing confirmed those theories, but the 33-year-old backup laced one down the first base line, scoring all three Dynamos to make it 5-2. York was credited with a double but ended up on third because of the throw to the plate, and that was a smart move that led to another run after a Pat Petty (.293, 10, 27) sacrifice fly. The Dynamos got all the way to Hanco*ck's spot in the lineup, and with the four run lead they decided to pinch hit for their starter.

I'm sure many Dynamos fans envisioned Carl Potter finishing an elimination game in the World Championship Series, but before his injury few would have thought it'd be finishing the game for someone else. He was tasked with the final six outs, and with the Dynamos faithful cheering him on I don't think there was any way he was losing the lead. He worked around a Mo Holt walk in the 8th, and then got three quick outs to win the Dynamos first title in 23 years.

Final Score: Detroit 6, New York 2

There weren't many obvious choices to go to for WCS MVP, but it's hard to go wrong with the Dynamos star Ralph Johnson. ."The Cornhusker Crusher" won both WCS MVP and the Whitney this season, going 7-for-24 with a double, triple, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, 7 runs, and 6 walks in the six game series. Johnson was critical in both the game three and four wins, and he reached base in all six games.

CONTINENTAL STARS BLANK FEDS IN MIDSEASON CLASSIC

The Continental Association opened the scoring in the third inning when young Kansas City outfielder Charlie Rogers, playing in his second all-star game, led off the inning with a double off Gothams veteran hurler George Garrison. He would move to third on a Jerry Smith groundout and score on a Ralph Hanson grounder.

That would be all the offense the CA would need on this night but they added a second run in the seventh inning on a Skipper Schneider rbi double. Schneider, the Chicago Cougars veteran infielder, was playing in his 9th all-star game and only Red Johnson, with 10 appearances, had more among those dressed for this game. The final CA run came in the top of the ninth on a solo homerun with two out from Stars slugger Jack Welch to make the final 3-0. It was Welch's only appearance in the game but the powers that be decided his round-tripper was good enough to lay claim on the MVP award although many might lean towards Cougars reliver David Molina, who pitched 4 shutout innings for the save.

A VERY BUSY OFFSEASON FOR FABL CLUBS

The first surprising move is what followed, as the Montreal Saints announced they were open for business by making a blockbuster move with their Canadian counterpart. Longtime shortstop Gordie Perkins (.254, 5, 41, 8) will be suiting up for the Wolves now, as they made a huge buy to ease wonderkid John Wells to second early in his career. 30 this October, Perkins has hit .280/.342/.382 (103 OPS+) in 8 seasons with the Saints. When you combine that with excellent shortstop defense, (123.7 ZR, 1.085 EFF), that's the kind of player the Wolves have been missing lately. He's expected to leadoff the lineup with young outfielders Wally Boyer (.221, 1, 29, 2), Jim Allen (.276, 3, 41), and Kirby Copeland (.273, 7, 54) behind him. They aren't ready yet, but he's got plenty of years ahead of him if he can stay healthy.

Montreal has been in sell mode, and parting with Perkins shows the faith they have in 28-year-old Bill Elkins (.256, 2, 46). Elkins is one of the only players really ever to have plus marks in center (5.9, 1.041) and in short (9.3, 1.062) during the same season. Moving Perkins allows Elkins to play at short long term, as his .256/.373/.333 (102 OPS+) batting line in a return to form from his worst season to date in '51. He'll have a new double play partner too, as one of the players received for Perkins was Harry Finney (.220, 3, 46). The now 29-year-old second basem*n hasn't been able to match his strong production from 1950 where he hit .322/.386/.417 (124 OPS+). Montreal is hoping the change of scenery can do him well.

In a continuation of their deadline selloff, they traded a low ranked outfield prospect and longtime rotation member Pat Weakley (8-9, 4.12, 92) to the Sailors for outfielder turned first basem*n Joe Scott (.263, 7, 44). Taken 8th by the Saints in 1938, Weakly started 278 games in 10 seasons with Montreal, going 119-111 with a 3.69 ERA (102 ERA+). He struck out 1,037 hitters in over 2,100 innings pitched, but 1952 was probably the worst season of his career. The same could be said for Scott, who hit just .218/.326/.313 (78 OPS+) after slashing .294/.390/.488 (140 OPS+) for the 1951 Champion Sailors. They've continued to cycle through first basem*n, and are relying on Scott to play a key role for them next year.

But the biggest trade was the last trade, as they sent away 1951 Kellogg runner up Ted Coffin (9-13, 3.11, 99) to the Miners for a pair of young players who can contribute to next years team. The bigger get is George Scott (.179, 3), the 79th ranked prospect, but Don Goldman is a former 3rd Rounder in A-ball who ranks just outside the 100 (128th) as the clubs 5th prospect. Scott, however, is in position to start the year at third base. The former 14th Overall pick will be 25 all next season, and hadn't really had a chance to break into the Miners lineup. It's one of those potential win-wins where a surplus fills a need, as the Miners have plenty of bats and none of the arms. He's a young quality middle rotation arm, but currently the best they have as the calendar flips to 1953. If they can add more arms to push him and Roy Schaub (13-13, 3.70, 115) back in the rotation, they could really compete.

Montreal wasn't the only team that was on fire sale mode, as the Cincinnati Cannons completely overhauled their roster. The 7th place Cannons traded three members of their rotation, including the thought to be untradeable Rufus Barrell (11-13, 4.38, 110). "Deuce" was awful for the first time since his debut season in 1938, going 11-13 with a 4.38 ERA (80 ERA+) and 1.46 WHIP. He struck out 110 and walked 89 in 232.1 innings, far from the dominant pitcher he was for so long. Since Deuce became a regular starter in 1939, he's dominated Continental batters, and he's got 216 FABL victories to his name. Barrell owns a 3.07 ERA (124 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP, striking out 1,679 batters with just 825 walks in his 3,343 innings pitched. Barrell's name litters their career leaderboards, top five in wins (2nd), WAR (2nd, 75.9), complete games (3rd, 211), shutouts
(2nd, 34), innings (2nd), strikeouts (2nd), and WHIP (5th). In his time he won 3 Allens and went to 8 All-Star games, even winning three pennants and two titles with the team. It's about a shocking a trade as any, and one that sent shockwaves through the fanbase.

The move to Cleveland could completely reinvigorate him, and the cost of two top 100 prospects in Paul Williams (73rd) and Stump Patterson (88th) is easy to accept. The Foresters rotation now has 8 Allens and 15 All Star selections, and they might boast the most talent in all of FABL. They made plenty of depth moves to staff as well, adding All-Star Lou Robertson (12-11, 2, 4.06, 91) from the Sailors, Art Edwards (3-6, 1, 3.98, 46) from the Cannons, and Sid Moulton (12-12, 3.21, 102) from the Keystones. They'll be able to survive an injury or two in the rotation, and insurance against regression if one of their non-Czerwinski (25-10, 2.18, 148) starters.

The second of the Cannons guy to go was Tony Britten (15-14, 3.15, 141), who the Kings acquired for a four player package headlined by Charlie Ham and Les Sasson. Once a top 15 prospect, Ham's down to 67 right now, and the first basem*n is starting to play more left field to get him the playing time he needs. He's got a lot of power, and hit 14 homers with the Kings Class C team. Sasson is a well regarded prospect as well, but he's no stranger to being traded. He was one of the centerpieces in the Pioneers trade for Joe Potts, and is a former first rounder of St. Louis in 1950. Ham projects as more of an impact player, but Sasson could be a solid supplemental piece at second if the glove and bat continue to progress. They got a third highly ranked prospect in the most recent trade to date, sending longtime righty Jim Anderson (11-18, 2.98, 122) to the Sailors for the 82nd ranked prospect Ray Hill. Since his debut in 1940, he's pitched in 11 different seasons, waiting until 32 before becoming a regular rotation member.

The Cannons also moved Les Bradshaw, but none of their deals brought back more players then the deal that sent Fred Galloway to the St. Louis Pioneers. Galloway had been a Cannon so long that he used to play in Baltimore, as the first two of his 14 seasons came before the 1940 move to Cincinnati. In that time he appeared in 1,824 games, hitting .270/.369/.390 (114 OPS+) with 299 doubles, 157 triples, 63 homers, 733 RBIs, 1,014 runs, and 1,062 walks. Even at 36, Bradshaw hit .285/.389/.396 (120 OPS+), producing a 135 WRC+ in 142 games. His 83-to-36 walk-to-strikeout rate was among the best, and he provided the Cannons with 28 doubles, 8 homers, 46 RBIs, and 74 runs. It's why they were able to part with four prospects. None of them rank in the top 20 of a loaded Cannons system, but Larry Lewis is their 23rd prospect and he's still part of the top 200 (194). The 24-year-old former 4th Rounder hit .319/.395/.517 (169 OPS+) in AAA, and has a real shot to start the season on the big league club. That would be increased by a move of Mike T. Taylor (.251, 16, 73, 13) as Cincinnati continues with their youth movement.

Other interesting prospects include Ben Crawford, who a former 2nd Round center fielder who ranks just outside the top 200 (215th). The 23-year-old hit well in A ball (.298, 3, 19, 6) and then held his own in AA (.277, 8, 37, 10), and projects to be a solid role player. The other two players were Marty Joiner, a 24-year-old first basem*n who's spent two seasons on the Cannons' 40-man roster, and 18-year-old catcher Walker Garner, who St. Louis took in the 12th round of the most recent draft. The Cannons now have 40 prospects in the top 500, and their combination of 11 top 100 prospects is good enough for 2nd in the league.

If you were wondering if the Gothams would make a big deal, they certainly did, as they picked up veteran second basem*n Billy Woytek from the Philadelphia Keystones. 34 in September, Woytek was taken 3rd back in 1936, and debuted at 19 in 1938. Since then, he's won a championship and gone to two All-Star games, batting .265/.370/.417 (118 OPS+) in 1,478 games. Woytek has collected 252 doubles, 71 triples, 152 homers, 697 RBIs, 814 runs, and 918 walks in his 6,597 trips to the plate, and he'll give the top offense another big bat to turn to. The Keystones picked up four prospects, headlined by 54th ranked prospect Leon Peck. Peck was taken 43rd overall in the most recent draft, and the now 19-year-old hit .219/.351/.377 (79 OPS+) in his professional debut. He's got plenty of developing to do, but he shows consistent raw power and there aren't many pitches he can't hit. He has all the tools to be an elite hitter, but the Gothams have Walt Messer (.257, 21, 81) there and he'll keep it until Hank Estil (.278, 41, 109) eventually replaces him when he inevitably calls it quits.

Of the other three prospects, Ralph LeFevre stands out, as the 23-year-old reliever was added to the 40 last offseason and had an impressive 3.53 FIP (85 FIP-) in his 205 AA innings. He's more filler then star, but the Keystones have plenty of open rotation spots that could open up if he keeps pitching well. Adding borderline top-500 prospect Joe Harris (478th) is a plus too, as the recent 7th rounder has a great glove and profiles as a useful bench player. The final piece is first basem*n Dick Allen, a backup option for first base. The Keystones added five more players from the Foresters in the Sid Moulton trade, including former Pioneers 1st Rounder Bill Kiley. Like LeFevre, Kiley can work his way into the Keystones rotation this year, and the 258th ranked prospect has a decent four pitch mix that could earn him an audition in a rotation role.

The real headliner of that trade was recent 6th overall pick Jim Cooper, who ranks just inside the league's top 100 at 99. A standout high school pitcher, he was an unlucky 2-9 between Class B and C despite an ERA+ of 106 and 111. Cooper alone could make the trade worth it, because if he can keep his command he'll make his way into a FABL rotation. Sid Moulton (12-12, 3.21, 102) is a solid, reliable rotation member, but that's a huge get for someone who's not projected to make the Foresters Opening Day rotation. Aside from Hank Koblenz, they now have only guys below 30 in the lineup, and I imagine they'd take offers on any of their veteran starters behind Sam Ivey (17-10, 3.38, 102). They moved Pepper Tuttle (7-15, 3.49, 105) to the Cougars for a former 1st Rounder in Jack Craft, who was one of nine prospects they picked up in a busy offseason. The last place Keystones could have plenty of rookies in the lineup next season, and any number of the players they obtained in their sell-off could emerge from the competition.

With three months until Opening Day, plenty of change awaits the FABL, but one has to wonder if the New York Stars will make a big move. Aside from picking up Cotton Dillon (.280, 12, 53) from the Sailors to play right field and recently turned 36-year-old Don Fluharty (1-0, 2, 3.72, 21) from the Keystones for the pen, they haven't been too active. Shortstop seems like an obvious need, as Ed Holmes (.218, 7, 26, 4) is not a championship level short stop. One has to wonder if they were in on Gordie Perkins, and it may be tough for him to hold off an improving Continental Association.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR ONCE AGAIN FOR COWBOYS

*** Wildcats Select All-American Guard at Top of Draft ***

Chicago used that selection on Maryland State lineman Dick Caldwell, one of five college All-Americans drafted in the opening round. Caldwell would have a fine season in the Windy City and started all twelve games but a broken wrist in the season finale, coupled with another terrible season from the Wildcats, who won just 3 games, certainly put a damper on his season.

Other picks of note in the draft including the Philadelphia Frigates calling the name of Pete Capizzi with the fifth pick. The two-time All-American had led Cumberland to a National Title in 1951 but had his struggles and dealt with some injuries as a rookie pro.

One quarterback that caught the attention of sports fans across the country, particularly in Cincinnati, was former Noble Jones College three sport start Charlie Barrell. The son of former pro footballer Joe Barrell was a baseball first overall selection by the Cincinnati Cannons but a combination of Barrell being stuck in the minor leagues and persistence on the part of Los Angeles Tigers owner Thomas Bigsby convinced Barrell to give football a go after the Tigers selected him in the sixth round.

It was clear very quickly to almost everyone except Bigsby that Barrell was not quite ready to play quarterback in the AFA. The Tigers owner, perhaps frustrated that incumbent QB Mark Monday looked so good with Buffalo in the old Continental loop but had an awful 1951 campaign in Los Angeles, demanded that Barrell be given the starting job. The results were mixed to say the least. The Tigers did post a winning record at 7-5 but Barrell, who started all 12 games, completed less than 25% of his pass attempts. No word on whether Charlie will continue with football, return to the Canons minor league system for baseball or perhaps try his hand at pro basketball which may just be his best sport.

STARS AND WINGS FLYING HIGH IN AFA REGULAR SEASON

Led by quarterback Archie Rawlings and a stifling defense the Stars proved they were a much different team than their 1951 edition right from the opening week, when Rawlings threw for 161 yards and the New Yorkers blanked the defending champion Paladins 17-0. New York would win its first six games until finally stumbling in the rematch against the Paladins in the Steel City but while both teams finished with identical 10-2 records, New York claimed top spot on a tiebreaker. No one else in the East Division was even close to the co-leaders as third place Cleveland at 6-6, was the only other team not to post a losing record.

The Paladins, with Dusty Sinclair still leading the offense at quarterback but 1951 title game hero Wally Dotson now in a reserve role at half back, stumbled out of the gate. Blame it on a title hangover but Pittsburgh was 1-2 with losses to the Stars and the lowly Boston Americans on the road. Fortunes turned the following week with a 17-0 shutout of Washington as the start of a nine game winning streak to close out the regular season, a streak so dominant that the Paladins outscored their opponents 212-25 and including the win over the Wasps to get the run started shut out their opponent four times. They entered the playoff game with the Stars not only on a nine game run, but also coming off a season ending 63-7 crushing of the Frigates in Philadelphia.

The West Division was dominated by the Kansas City Cowboys a year ago when they won their first 11 games before finally falling in the regular season finale. This year the Cowboys lost in the opening week as the San Francisco Wings kept the vaunted Cowboys offense in check, claiming a 13-7 victory in the season opener. Kansas City, perhaps not the same powerful offense after news broke in training camp that fullback Mason Matthews had decided to retire, had its struggles all year and would lose three more times on the season - twice against the Pittsburgh Paladins who had defeated them in last year's title game and once a Detroit Maroons club that went just 3-9 on the year. Kansas City still scored the most points in the league and surrendered the fewest in the West Division but they just no longer seemed like a team that would win not matter what.

Instead it was Vince Gallegos and the San Francisco Wings that seemed to always manage to score the game winning points in the clutch, a feat that Chappell and the Cowboys had been famous for. The Wings won the West Division with a 9-3 record but they were lucky to escape with at least three of those victories. In week three after a late field goal in a loss to Chicago had evened the Wings record at 1-1 there season may have charted an entirely different course had Gallegos not engineered two drives into field goal position in the final two minutes to turn what would have been a 12-10 loss in Los Angeles into a 16-12 victory. Three weeks later Gallegos found Herk Loveall for an 88-yard touchdown pass late in the game to lift the Wings past St Louis 17-16 and improve their record to 6-1 at the time. Finally, late in the season they clinched the division crown thanks to a 42-yard field goal in overtime by James Wise to nab a win over the Chicago Wildcats.

Between Gallegos, who led the league with 2,085 passing yards, ends Herk Loveall and Bob Walker who finished one-two in receiving yards and back Jeff Blevins, who ran for 840 yards including 10 touchdown carries and was named the top player in the AFA, it was clear that the Wings were a special team.

STARS SHINE BRIGHT IN AFA PLAYOFFS

While defense was the word of the day in the East, San Francisco and Kansas City had a wild game in the West Division. Pat Chappell was terrific for the Cowboys, throwing for 257 yads and a pair of scores while Pat Hill gained 88 yards on 26 carries. The Wings Vince Gallegos only attempted 8 passes all day and threw for just 85 yards but 10 of those yards came on a second quarter touchdown pass to Fred Rigby which put the Wings ahead 14-0. The focus of the San Francisco offense was Sam Gerst and the former Coastal California back had a whale of game, rushing for 114 yards.

The Wings led 14-3 at the break and extended their lead to 17-3 in the third period. That is when Kansas City delivered another vintage Pat Chappell comeback. The Cowboys signal caller threw two long completions to set up a 2-yard Ted Armstrong touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17-10 with 12 minutes remaining in regulation and on the next series tied the game with a 34 yard scoring strike to Jason Harris.

The game remained knotted at 17 as time ran out in the fourth quarter. The Wings never got a chance in the extra period as Kansas City won the coin toss and Chappell completed two passes for 22 yards before Walt Stewart ran twice for another 28. Next came the game winning play that sent the Cowboys to their third consecutive AFA title game when Chappell found Ernie Orr in the endzone to make the final score 23-17.

The championship game was a matchup between the West Division mighty offense of the Kansas City Cowboys and the tight, defensive play of the East Division as exhibited by the New York Stars. Defense won out as the Stars prevailed 10-9 with a missed extra point by Cowboys kicker Josh Briggs being the difference.

Neither club generated much offense as Chappell threw for just 85 yards and the Stars managed only 129 yards of total offense. Special teams led to the opening points as Glen Sechrist's 52-yard punt return set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge for Ricky Sevy late in the opening period.

Sevy's fumble early in the second quarter gave Kansas City the ball inside the New York twenty yard line and Chappell found end Thomas Cline for a 6-yars scoring strike three plays later. Briggs missed the extra point which allowed New York to hold the lead, at 7-6. The Cowboys kicker redeemed himself with a 31-yard field goal just before the half and the Cowboys led 9-7 at the break.

Neither team moved the ball much in the second half but the Cowboys did get into field goal range for Briggs early in the fourth period. In a moment that might have clinched the game the way both defenses were play, Briggs again had troubles and missed a 24-yard field goal to keep the Cowboys lead at just two points. Five minutes later New York kicker Donnie Ashby was given his opportunity and he made no mistake, splitting the uprights with a 46-yard field goal that would prove the difference in a 10-9 New York victory.

It marked the third AFA title for the Stars, who also won in 1937 and 1946- both over Chicago- while the Cowboys have lost each of the last two championship games.

LIBERTY COLLEGE WINS COLLEGIATE GRID NATIONAL TITLE

As for the grid Bells, there perfect 9-0 season including a very close call with Rome State, escaping with a 17-16 victory thanks to a game-winning touchdown drive in the final minute. The Bells strong suit was its running game with a pair of senior backs in Ron Sykora and Barney Hoopes each surpassing the 1,000 yard mark on the ground. With all the attention of defenses focused on the backs, that allowed senior Liberty College quarterback Rollie Whitney to have a big year as well. Whitney attempted to carry the ball just once all season but as a passer he was deadly, throwing for 1,097 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The St. Blane Fighting Saints, appearing fully rebounded from their bottoming out in 1950 when they suffered through a dismal 3-4-3 campaign, followed up a solid 7-2-1 showing a year ago with a 9-1 mark this season. It had appeared the Fighting Saints were set to claim their third national title in a seven-year span as they bounded out to a 9-0 start and topped the polls until they were tripped up in their regular season finale on the west coast, dropping a 30-16 decision to a middling Coastal California eleven that finished the season with a 5-5 record.

That loss for the Saints would be further compounded when they were edged 27-20 in the Cajun Classic by a Georgia Baptist team that prevailed in overtime. That is correct. A new rule instituted by the AIAA would eliminate tie games from the collegiate football vernacular with overtime becoming part of not only the New Year's Classic games but also the regular season. History was made on the opening weekend of the 1952 season when Bobby Baldwin scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Dennis Leister to give College of San Diego a 19-13 victory at home over Idaho A&M in overtime, spoiling the Pirates excitement of tying the game with a last second field goal.

There were some surprising champions in section play as Western Florida finished at the top of the Deep South Conference and Minnesota Tech was a surprise winner in the Great Lakes Alliance. Quite a turnaround for a Wolves team that went 1-5 in section play as season ago and a Lakers squad that lost all six of its Great Lakes Alliance contests in 1951. On the other side of the coin, Spokane State, after a near miss last season claimed the West Coast Athletic Association title and secured its first appearance in the New Years Day East-West Classic where it will meet another debutant in the GLA champion Minnesota Tech Lakers.

For Spokane State the big star was Mike Peel. The senior halfback led the nation with 1,583 yards rushing including a career best 194 in a win over College of San Diego. For his efforts Peel was named to the All-American team and also became the second player in as many years to win both the Christian Trophy and Bryan Awards. The Indians lone loss on the season came at Northern California late in the season and the 9-1 Indians finished third in the national rankings. Rounding out the top five was a talent laden Georgia Baptist Gators squad that finished second to Western Florida in the Deep South despite the fact the Wolves were ranked just 18th because of a pair of non-conference losses and in fifth was a resurgent Southwest Alliance winning Amarillo Methodist squad, a team that went just 5-4-1 a year ago.

NOBLE JONES COLLEGE LINEMEN HEAD ALL-AMERICAN SQUAD

Koester and Waldorf, both seniors, played almost exclusively on offense and formed an impenetrable line with neither surrendering a sack all season. Breland, also a senior, does his best work on defense and breaking into the opposition's backfield where he had 3 sacks and a 11 tackles of ballcarriers for losses.

The other team to see three of its players named All-Americans this season was Darnell State with center Bob Helman, linebacker Sherman Brock and punter Tony Thornberry gaining recognition. Here are the All-Americans as well as the winners of the three major individual awards for 1952.

COLLEGIATE CLASSIC RECAP
OVERTIME THE STORY OF NEW YEARS DAY

Liberty College, which benefited from another big game by its two talented senior backs, built a 21-7 leave after three quarters as Ron Sykora ran 136 yards and two scores while Barney Hoopes added 89 more on the ground. The Bells defense had troubles of its own with a surprisingly strong Chippewa ground game headed by Bill Bell. The senior back gained 125 yards on the ground and helped Lawrence State nearly match the time of possession of the clock chewing Liberty College offense.

Lawrence State quarterback Dick Humes completed just 4 passes on the day but one was a 14-yard touchdown toss to Dawley, a powerfully built sophom*ore fullback who would later score the game winner in the fourth quarter that cut the Bells lead to seven and a second was a 4-yard chuck to Bob Benedict for the tying score with just a minute and a half remaining in the game.

*** Gators Claim OT Win in New Orleans ***

That set up a pair of dramatic field goals with first Paul Chestnut's 41 yard attempt splitting the uprights to give the Fighting Saints the lead with just 1:31 remaining in regulation but Burson would execute the hurry-up offense to perfection as he gained enough yardage to allow Gators kicker Clay Croce to kick the tying field goal.

The game, such a tight defensive struggle for 60 minutes, became an offensive showcase in a matter of minutes. Ron Cornwall gave Georgia Baptist the led with a 13 yard touchdown run but under the new rules the Fighting Saints would be give a possession to try and tie up the game once more. Starting from the Gators 25-yard-line as is the custom with the new rule, the Saints needed just three plays to reach the endzone with the majority of the damage done by Bob Callender's 14 yard run. The Gators second opportunity also resulted in a score, this one on a 2 yard Will Mains run and once more St Blane needed to reach the endzone to prolong the game. It did not happen as for Saints runs netted just two yards and the Gators could celebrate a 27-20 victory.

LAKERS ROMP TO WIN IN SANTA ANA

Played in unseasonably cold temperatures that hovered right around the freezing mark all game, the Lakers rolled over the Indians, amassing 453 yards in total offense while holding their west coast rivals to less than half of that. Spokane State simply had no answer for the Lakers running game and in particular senior halfback Terry Cupples, who seemingly had free reign to do whatever he pleased in accumulating 186 yards on the ground spread over 25 carrries.

In other Classic game action Southwest Alliance champion Amarillo Methodist held off a late charge from Deep South winner Western Florida as Grizzles hung on for a 30-27 victory in the Oilman Classic despite a pair of late scores by Western Florida. The Grizzlies benefited from special teams as Wayne Hott returned a first half punt 83 yards for a score and Terry Gouge ran back the opening kickoff of the second half from his own endzone for a 105 yard touchdown.

Northern California, which represented the West Coast Athletic Association in the East-West Classic three of the previous four years, failed to score an offensive touchdown but still beat Canyon A&M 21-16 in the Desert Classic. The Miners had a safety, three Larry Jost field goals and a Jim Guest kick-off return for a score to account for all of their offense.

A pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Vince Branam proved the difference and lifted Miami State to a 20-3 triumph over Alabama Baptist in the Bayside Classic. Bill Fowler scored on a 37-yard touchdown run to lead the Darnell State Legislators to a 23-19 victory over Columbia Military Academy in the Lone Star Classic. Junior back John Churchwell ran for 142 yards to help Wisconsin State past Valley State 26-3 in the Volunteer Classic while College of Omaha, behind three Tom Nicoletti touchdown runs and 134 yards in total on 20 carries, had little trouble with Colorado Poly in the San Joaquin Classic, winning in a rout by a 34-3 count.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
THIRD AIAA NATIONAL CAGE TOURNAMENT TITLE FOR WHITNEY COLLEGE

Solly Morris, the smooth shooting senior from Chattanooga, led the Engineers to the title and was named winner of the Barrette Award as national player of the year but in the title game it was Whitney College's other first team All-American that shone the brightest. That would be junior guard Sam Doane who had a game high 17 points in the win over the Dolphins and was named player of the game.

Joining Morris and Doane as first team All-Americans were Coastal California senior center Rankin Egbert, forward George Becker - who also starred at end in football- of the St Ignatius Lancers and Brunswick guard Ed Warren. Three sport star Charlie Barrell of Noble Jones College was a second team selection.

DANIEL BOONE COLLEGE WINS AIAA BALL CROWN

That would be the Daniel Boone College Frontiersmen and South Valley State Roadrunners. The Frontiersmen, champions of the Plains Athletic Association with a 37-23 regular season record defeated the Southern Border Conference winning Roadrunners two games to one in the best of three finals. The Frontiersmen were led by junior catcher Ron Johnston (.268,14,60) who was a 16th round selection of the New York Stars and sophom*ore shortstop Milt Harden (.276,4,45) who missed a dozen games at the start of the season with an injury but helped ignite the club upon his return.

The revised format shoulders much of the blame for long running tournament participants like Noble Jones College, Lane State and Central Kentucky missing out on selection. Previously it had been just the top 16 teams in the country earning invites regardless of conference affiliation but the new plan guarantees a spot to one team from each of the 14 conferences with the final two openings in the 16-team field going to wildcards. That means the Deep South Conference, often represented by four or more schools, was now restricted to sending only champion Opelika State along with wildcard entry Bluegrass State.

The Christian Trophy, presented annually since 1927 to the player judged to be the best in college baseball, went to Bayou State junior pitcher Jake Pearson. The award is named after legendary baseball coach Frank Christian and is often confused with college football's Christian Trophy which is named after Christian's brother John who coached both football and baseball for decades. Pearson, who was selected 4th overall by the Cincinnati Cannons in the 1952 FABL draft, went 11-4 with a 2.65 era in 20 starts for the Bayou State Cougars this season.

FROM WORST TO FIRST - DREAM SEASON FOR CHICAGO

Everything that went wrong a year ago in the Windy City suddenly was perfect for the Packers. Tommy Burns led the loop with 85 points and won his third scoring title. Burns tallied 34 goals and 51 helpers, trailing only Toronto's Les Carlson (36) in goals and Quinton Pollack (54) in assists. The Packers offense revolved around Burns but they finished second in the NAHC in goals scored thanks to a supporting cast that included Marty Mahoney (27-21-48), Jeremy MacLean (17-29-46), Max Ducharme (23-21-44) and some unexpected offense from defensive stalwart Bert McColley (11-19-30).

As productive as the Packers offense was, it was the defense that took center stage with the club surrendering just 157 goals against, the fewest in the NAHC, a year after they had allowed 225, far and away the most against. There was little change in personnel from the previous season but both Norm Hanson (17-17-8, 2.48) and especially Michael Cleghorn (19-7-1, 1.79) were terrific.

The Boston Bees rallied to overtake New York for second place with veterans Tommy Hart (18-32-50) and Wilbur Chandler (16-32-48) leading the offense once again. Like Chicago this season, the Bees strength was and seems to have always been its work in its own end. 28-year-old Oscar James had another strong season between the pipes and the Bees top six on the blue is likely unmatched in the loop.

The Shamrocks finished first each of the previous two seasons but did not win the Challenge Cup in either of them -New York has not won a Cup since 1932. The Shamrocks will face Boston in the opening round of the playoffs and hoped to reach the finals for third time in five years. Orval Cabbell did not match his stellar McDaniels Trophy winning campaign of a year ago but the veteran center still notched 52 points, good enough for the club lead and six more than Simon Savard. Alex Sorrell had another strong season in net but veteran Etienne Tremblay continues to push him for playing time.

The Toronto Dukes finished fourth with the big line of Quinton Pollack (29-54-83), Lou Galbraith (20-49-69) and Les Carlson (36-32-68) doing most of the heavy lifting. Goaltending became an issue for a Jack Barrell coached club that had relied on its defense to win back to back Cups a few years ago but Gordie Broadway seems to be showing signs of age and youngster Scott Renes lack consistency. The Dukes had a great start to the season and were in top spot with an 8 point lead on second place in mid-November but struggled at times during the season.

Toronto did do enough to hold off Detroit and Montreal for the final playoff berth. The Motors team defense was suspect at times and the club lacks a star to carry the mail although 26-year-old Nick Tardif (24-34-58) may be trending in that direction. For the last place Valiants it was a sobering dose of reality after back to back Challenge Cup wins. Tom Brockers absorbed much of the criticism and yes the 36-year-old netminder did struggle at times but he could have sued his mates on many nights for lack of support in a year that is best just forgotten about in Montreal.

PACKERS HOIST CHALLENGE CUP FOR FIRST TIME

The Packers faced Toronto in the semi-finals and drew first blood with a 3-2 victory at home but it was a game that the hosts had to rally with a pair of third period goals to force an extra period. Mike Van Tol was the hero with the winner at 7:54 of overtime but the big news was 26-year-old forward Stanley Royce who scored once and assisted on the other two Packers markers. Royce had just 6 goals and 25 points during the regular season. Toronto drew even with a 4-3 win in game two despite a pair of goals by league scoring leader Tommy Burns. The Dukes offense was rolling as the big line of Quinton Pollack between Lou Galbraith and Les Carlson combined for 3 goals and 10 points.

A marathon game three saw a pair of outstanding goaltending efforts as both Toronto's Gordie Broadway and Norm Hanson of the Packers were tested often. It was 1-1 after twenty minutes with Carlson and Burns each scoring their third of the series. No one would score again until the third overtime period, 105:03 into the game when Jeremy MacLean got the winner, assisted by game one hero Stanley Royce, to give the Packers a 2-1 win and the same margin lead in the series. Toronto held on for a 3-2 win in game four to even the series once more but the Packers struck again in overtime the next night. Tommy Burns sent the home fans happy with a goal just 8 seconds into overtime after Marty Mahoney tied the contest 2-2 midway through the third period. Chicago's first three wins were in overtime but that was not the case in game six as the Packers wrapped up the series with a 7-2 thrashing of the Dukes. Tommy Burns scored again, giving the Packers star 6 goals in the opening round.

In the other semi-final the Boston Bees jumped out to a 3-0 series lead with wins by 3-2 and 5-0 at home, led by a 33-save shutout from Oscar James, and then a 3-2 overtime victory at Bigsby Garden. Tommy Hart got the game winner to put the Shamrocks on the brink of elimination. New York did not roll over as Alex Sorrell blanked the Bees 3-0 in game four to keep the Greenshirts alive with Jocko Gregg scoring twice. Bees fans had to be getting a little nervous with Simon Savard scored twice and added an assist to lead the Shamrocks to a 4-2 win at Denny Arena in the fifth game but any comeback hopes vanished for New York when Boston rearguard Mickey Bedard scored the series winner with less than five minutes remaining in game as the Bees wrapped up the series with a 3-2 victory.

There was far less drama, but a couple of tight games, in the finals as the Packers swept their way to the first Challenge Cup victory in franchise history. Tommy Burns, who would lead the loop in playoff scoring with 18 points in just 10 games, scored once and added an assist as the Packers took the opener at Lakeside Auditorium by a 4-2 count. Game two was an easy 5-2 win for Chicago with centerman Kevin Braun notching three points. Chicago would wrap the series up with a pair of one goal wins on the road. Game three was 3-2 as Burns factored in on all three Packers goals including getting the game winner to snap a 2-2 tie late in the middle stanza. Stanley Royce opened the scoring in Chicago's 2-1 Cup clinching victory, a game that saw Chicago prevail despite an outstanding 36 save effort from Boston netminder Oscar James.

PARTING SHOTS ON GOAL

The Washington Statesmen have been the class of the Federal Basketball League ever since the Brooklyn Red Caps folded. The Statesmen have owned the regular season, they have owned the playoffs. Other teams have come close to taking the mantle, but no one had since Ivory Mitchell shot dagger after dagger into the heart of the Statesmen faithful.

Washington is the two-time defending champions entering the 1951-52 season and the regular season did not preclude an end to the domination. The Statesmen started the season 32-8, on pace for the best winning percentage for a full season in league history, but as the Modern Era moved into the Transition Era, Washington eased into another playoff run. Washington finished the regular season with a 48-18 record, which was off the pace from their blazing hot start.

There was little drama in the Eastern Division, however, where Washington finished nine games ahead of Philadelphia (39-27) and 12 in front of Boston (36-30). The top three make the postseason and there was an 11-game cliff between third-place Boston and fourth-place New York (25-41), so there was never a real challenge to the Statesmen, Phantoms, or Centurions for a playoff berth almost all season.

The Western Division was more of a dogfight, both at the top of the table and for third place. The top two teams all year were Rochester and Detroit; Rochester had a lead early and Detroit came on like a house afire late. A glimpse at the final standings shows Detroit (47-19) finishing 13 games ahead of Rochester (34-32), but it was a tale of two halves. Prior to the end of the Modern Era on February 18th, Detroit was 25-16 and Rochester was 23-17 after the Rockets led for most of the early going.

Detroit proceeded to win every game from mid-February to the end of March. In those six season-defining weeks, the Mustangs reeled off a 16-game winning streak while Rochester played to a 5-12 record. Detroit’s run turned a 1-1/2 game lead into a 13-game bulge.

Cleveland won the battle for third place, as the Crushers kept waiting for a Chicago Panthers team that was expecting to compete and a Toronto Falcons team that was the Western Division’s representative in the FBL Finals. Cleveland won a postseason berth despite its 30-36 record, six games better than both Chicago and Toronto (24-42).

In the playoffs, Rochester and Cleveland played the full schedule in their best-of-five series and only one game was decided by less than 10 points. Cleveland won Game Two, 86-85, and the league’s leading scorer, Ziggy Rickard, had his best game of the series with 33 points. Cleveland took Game Three to take a 2-1 lead, but Rochester stayed alive in Game Four win in Cleveland with a good second half and a signature performance by Marlin Patterson. Patterson scored 42 points, adding 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Rochester won the deciding fifth game on their home court, 73-62.

Rochester played Detroit tough in the Western Division Final, and the home court made a big difference. The two teams alternated wins and losses all series, but Detroit had the first win and the last win, both at home, to take the series in seven games. Ward Messer was the silver bullet in Game Seven and it was his defense that made his performance memorable. Messer only had 11 points, but he pulled in 29 rebounds and held his opposite number, Billy Bob McCright, to ten points.

The Eastern Division playoffs had an upset to start its march to the Finals. Boston had a surprisingly easy time of it against Philadelphia after a terrible Game One. After losing the opener by 40 points, 93-53, Boston got all the bad play out of its system. The Centurions won the next three games to send Philadelphia home, crossing the century mark twice in Game Two (100-84) and the clinching Game Four (105-75). Gerald Abbott was the scoring star for the Centurions in the Eastern Division Semifinal, averaging 22.3 points in the three Boston wins.

Washington waited in the Eastern Division Final for the winner of that series and the fact that Boston stretched Washington to the full seven games was itself was a big surprise. Washington jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, but Boston was resilient. Facing elimination at the National Auditorium where the Statesmen only lost nine times all year, Boston played its best game of the year in a 86-74 win over the Statesmen. Boston forced 24 Washington turnovers and held the Statesmen to 29.8% shooting. The Centurions evened the series at home in Game Six, expanding a one-point halftime lead to a 80-67 final score behind 20 points from Abbott and star guard Morgan Melcher. The Statesmen survived to win its fifth straight playoff series, winning Game Seven, 89-78. In Game Seven, the leading scorer was not even on the team until mid-February. Steve Arnette was signed off the street on February 20th and averaged 12.6 points per game in 26 regular season games and set a career playoff high with 23 points in the victory.

Washington was in position to defend its title and advance its quest on a third straight championship. Detroit was ready for the challenge, fresh off winning 22 of 25 to close the regular season and fresh off its battle with Rochester. Washington hosted Games One and Two and was ready to set the tone but Detroit had other plans. Detroit won Game One, 81-71, behind 24 points from Jack Kurtz, to get Washington’s attention, and Detroit very well may have won the series in Game Two after taking a nailbiter, 74-73. For Washington to lose only ten games leading into the Finals but suddenly see have Detroit take the first two games of the series, that would confound the Statesem*n and there simply were no answers.

In the past couple of seasons, Ivan Sisco and Blake Brooks were there when they needed them. But Sisco came off the bench and Brooks was nowhere to be found. The personnel changes did not help, and the Statesmen were a victim of their own making. Ivan Sisco did come off the bench in Game Two to score 18 points in 34 minutes after Ernie Fischer, the new starter at center, ran into foul trouble.

Detroit came home with a chance to keep the series from going back to Washington. The Mustangs closed out the series in style, winning Game Three, 93-82, behind Ward Messer’s 21 points and 22 rebounds, adding six assists and four steals, and finished the sweep in Game Four, 91-75. Israel Slusher was two assists shy of a triple-double but contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Washington’s bad shooting tendencies were on full display in the series with the Statesmen shooting 32.7% from the floor in Game One and their shooting percentage dropped each game, to 29.8%, 29.6%, and 26.3% in the finale.

After losing in the 1948 Finals to Brooklyn in the Red Caps swan song, ironically in a sweep, Detroit won their first cage title. Ward Messer was named the MVP for the series, as he led rebounding in the playoffs with 18.6 and field goal percentage at 45.8%. His play away from the ball, especially on the defensive end, made the club go

MORRIS TOPS CAGE DRAFT BUT FOCUS ON BARRELL

Panthers Tab Noble Jones College Star Second in Cage Draft

Barrell has already played two seasons of minor league baseball in the Cannons organization although he cut things short both times so that he could play football, first for his senior season as the quarterback at Noble Jones College and more recently last fall where he ended up starting all twelve games for the AFA's Los Angeles Tigers. With his decision to go to Los Angeles he elected not to join the Chicago Panthers basketball team for the first half of the FBL season but did report to the team just before Christmas. Long term, it seems unlikely Barrell would be able to play both pro basketball and football due to scheduling conflicts but there is a possibility he could team one of those two sports with baseball.

However, throwing a potential monkey wrench into that scenario is Barrell is rumoured to be less than impressed with the Cannons organization for two reasons. Primarily he has indicated some frustration with the Cannons for their what he considers "feet dragging" in a hesitation to call him up to the big leagues. The relationship with the Cannons likely became just a little more frosty after Charlie's half-brother Deuce Barrell was dealt by the Cannons to the Cleveland Foresters at the conclusion of the 1952 season.

*** Morris Selected First ***

The Toronto Falcons selected Central Carolina guard Denny Thomas with the third selection and while some felt that was perhaps a reach there proved to be a run on guards this draft with them accounting for four of the top six selections. Here are the results of the 1952 Federal Basketball League draft.

A NEW ERA IN THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

For well over a decade the heavyweight division had been dominated by Hector Sawyer, whose reign as champion began in 1940 and was the longest continuous title run the American Boxing Federation had ever seen. Sawyer retired after making his 18th and final successful title defense in September 1951. That left a big hole in boxing's most prominent division and plenty of contenders, long overshadowed by the Cajun Crusher, looking for a shot at the now vacant belt.

With many deserving contenders the ABF debated long and hard before deciding to pull a page out of its post-war playbook. In 1946, when the welterweight title had sat vacant for the duration of World War II, it was decided a four-fighter "playoff" would be best to determine a champion. The same approach was agreed to in order to find Sawyer's successor and the top four contenders for the crown staged fights in late January/early February.

Top ranked contender Max Bradley was favoured to defeat Tommy Cline, the fourth ranked challenger, when they met at Boston's Denny Arena on January 26 but when the dust settled after 10 rounds it was Cline who had prevailed, but just by a single point on each of three judge's cards. A week later in Philadelphia, young Joey Tierney -the highly regarded Detroit fighter managed by Chester Conley, who had previously represented Sawyer- came out on top, winning a fight over Lewis Jones that esteemed fight reporter Johnny Bologna termed a "walkover."

That set the stage for a historic June fight in the famous sporting mecca in New York, Bigsby Garden. Cline and Tierney clashed for 15 rounds with the heavyweight championship of the world was there for the taking, something heavyweights could only dream about during Sawyer's dozen year reign. Tierney would dominate that fight, sending Cline to the canvas four times and winning by a TKO in the 15th and final round. There was a new champion for the first time in a dozen years but what had not changed was that controversial fight promoter Chester Conley still represented the heavyweight champion.

Tierney would fight just once more in 1952, picking a fairly easy opponent in Pete Sanderson, a 35-year-old ring veteran from Scranton with a 46-13-3 career mark. Many years ago, back in 1945, Sanderson was the first postwar victim of Hector Sawyer in the champ's first title fight after returning from the war and now he would serve as the same to ignite Tierney's hopes for a long run at the top. Sanderson did manage to survive the full fifteen rounds against Tierney, but the outcome was never in doubt as Tierney scored a clear decision.

Tierney's camp did confirm shortly before 1952 came to a conclusion that his next fight would be against Brad Harris. Like Tierney, Harris is a rising young star in the division with 24 victories and just two losses, one at the hands of Hector Sawyer and the other to another strong heavyweight in Tommy Cline.

While the heavyweight division had a change at the top, for the first time in a long while neither the middleweight nor welterweight belts changed hands in the past year. Mark McCoy is just 23 years old but the Kansas City born middleweight has already made three successful title defenses since outpointing Millard Shelton to win the title in the summer of 1951. McCoy, fresh off a December 1951 win over European champion Yohan Revel, took it easy in 1952. He scored a unanimous decision over top American contender Jim Ward at a packed Prairie Park in his hometown in May and then ushered in the fall with an easy time outpoint journeyman Bob Hinkle.

Welterweight king Danny Rutledge has now made five successful title defenses after making three trips into the ring in 1952. The Kentucky born 28-year-old scored a unanimous decision over Dale Roy in Chicago in February, followed that up with a 7th round stoppage of Cal Kotterman n July and concluded his trio of 1952 defenses with a 2nd round TKO of a clearly fading Rudy Perry. It marked the second missed opportunity for Perry, now 36 years old, as he also lost a title shot against Mac Erickson in 1949. Perry only got the title shot against Rutledge because he spoiled the plans of young Scottish sensation Lewis Kernuish, who had come across the pond with eyes on an October meeting with Rutledge. Those plans were thwarted when Kernuish was upset by Perry in what was supposed to be a tune-up for the Scot, but instead it propelled the veteran Philadelphia fighter Perry into one last shot at the limelight.

RING NOTES
Mark Westlake, who briefly held the ABF world welterweight title on two occasions, announced his retirement at the age of 35. The Biloxi, MS. native finished with a career record of 30-9-1. He defeated Dennis O'Keefe in the fall of 1946 to win the title but lost it in his first defense against Harold Stephens. Three years later he would surprise Mac Erickson in a rematch. Erickson won a TKO decision over Westlake in a November 1949 title fight after referee Ernest Byrd stopped the bout in the 7th with round with Westlake well ahead because of a nasty cut over the challenger's eye. Granted a rematch by Erickson five months later, Westlake won a decision but again would lose in his first title defense, dropping a decision to Dale Roy.

The year 1952 was the first year in the post-Hector Sawyer Era. Without Sawyer at the top of the Heavyweight Division or the boxer most identifiable around the world, who would be the next to take over? Which boxer will be the next global star?

We did not find an answer to this question this year and an answer may not be apparent next year either. Joey Tierney is the current Heavyweight Champion, and he had a formative year in 1952. Tierney won a chance to win the vacant belt with a victory in February over Lewis Jones, defeated Tommy Cline in June for the title, and fought Pete Sanderson in November to have a first successful title defense. Tierney went from a contender to a recognized, undisputed champion in one year. And, it just so happens that Tierney is the “next” champion after the greatest champion of all time. It is a hard act to follow. But can Tierney truly follow Sawyer’s act?

The Tierney-Cline fight was memorable and, in an evening where Sawyer was in attendance, it was a dominating performance that Sawyer approved. Tierney knocked Cline down four times and while the fight was never stopped and Cline got up every time, Tierney put on a clinic for 15 rounds. Tierney was just as dominant against veteran pugilist Pete Sanderson. However, Sanderson is over seven years removed from losing to Sawyer and he was probably a weaker combatant than Hector Sawyer would have been a year into his retirement.

Tierney will be a global star if there are opponents that will force him to rise to the occasion.

In the Middleweight Division, Mark McCoy started and ended the year as champion. McCoy fought twice and survived a fight with Jim Ward in May that went the distance and where McCoy was the only one to drop to the canvas. It was close, but McCoy lived to fight another day, where he kept the belt despite another fairly close match. In September, Bob Hinkle could never quite recover after McCoy got off to a fast start. Hinkle threw a lot of punches, but rarely connected and McCoy got away with another one.

Of the three current champions, McCoy is the one on the least solid footing.

Danny Rutledge can safely put his name right up there with Mac Erickson among the two best Welterweight Champions since the division rebooted after the war. Rutledge now has five successful title defenses to his credit with three of those occurring in 1952. It is not just the wins for Rutledge, it is how he has won his bouts. Rutledge let Dale Roy take him to the limit in February, but Rutledge knocked Roy down three times and the decision was anti-climactic. The other two fights did not go the distance, with Rutledge dispatching Cal Kotterman in the seventh round in their July fight and Rutledge dispending Rudy Perry with a second-round TKO for Rutledge in October.

Rutledge wins the Bologna Boxer of the Year with his sterling 3-0 record and two decisive technical knockouts during the year.

A YEAR TO REMEMBER

The fun began in the spring as while the ice Motors stumbled and bumbled their way through another disappointing season - one which once more did not involve playoff hockey- the other tenant at Thompson Palladium dominated on the hardwood. Rollie Barrell's cage Mustangs had not won a championship in the league Barrell founded in 1946 but did reach the championship series once before. This time around, as the club caught fire down the stretch with 22 victories in its final 25 games, one could just sense they were witnessing something special.

The Mustangs finished in first place in the Federal Basketball League's West Division for the third time in four years with Ward Messer once again leading the way. The 26-year-old forward won his second FBL Most Valuable Player award and has clearly crawled out from under the shadow of his famous baseball playing older brother. Messer was the most dominating rebounder in the league while also finishing in the top ten in scoring and a major reason why the Mustangs finished 13 games ahead of the second place Rochester Rockets with a 47-19 regular season record.

Regular season titles are fine, but the Mustangs had yet to prove they could win when it mattered most, losing to the old Brooklyn Red Caps in the title series three years ago and being knocked out in the opening round each of the past two years. That nearly happened again this season as they traded victories with the second place Rochester Rockets and entered the decisive game seven of the semi-finals tied at three wins apiece.

Home court advantage, something they worked so hard for all year, and a large dose of Messer, proved the tonic to return to the championship series as the former Liberty College All-American had 29 rebounds while still finding time to tie teammate Israel Slusher with a game high 17 points as the Mustangs blasted the Rockets 83-66 thanks to a dominant 24-9 run in the fourth quarter.

Next came the champions of the East in the Washington Statesmen, a talented outfit that had won each of the previous two league titles. Washington had home court advantage by virtue of one more regular season victory than the Mustangs but it mattered not. Jack Kurtz, the veteran center from Louisiana who has called Detroit home since his days with City College in the early 1940's, scored 24 points in the opener with Messer chipping in with 16 to go with his 22 boards as the Mustangs galloped to an 81-71 victory in the opener. Game two was a tight 74-73 victory led by Slusher's 20 points and the Mustangs returned home with a commanding 2-0 series lead. The final two games were relatively easy victories as Messer had 21 points and 20 boards in a 93-82 victory and then added 19 points and 21 rebounds in a game four 91-75 rout that saw Detroit lead by 29 at the half.

The Mustangs win, as it would turn out, was merely the preamble for the true celebration that would come in October as the Dynamos, who thought they had built their title team with a series of aggressive deals at the deadline a year ago only to lose a winner-take-all one game playoff to St Louis the previous October, survived a September push by the New York Gothams to end the longest active title drought in the Federal Association.

The Dynamos had not won a pennant since 1929 but had numerous close calls including 7 second place finishes over that stretch. The club, with virtually the same cast of characters as it employed the previous season, finally got over the hump thanks to a brilliant three month stretch in the summer that saw them post a 57-30 record. The story was the pitching with three Detroit hurlers winning at least twenty games: Joe Hanco*ck (22-9, 1.77), Jack Miller (22-7, 1.86) and Wally Hunter (20-7, 2.98). Hanco*ck, the 40-year-old acquired from Toronto the previous July, would win his second career Allen Award with Miller hot on his heels in the balloting. The Dynamos had offense as well for a change with another 1951 acquisition in Ralph Johnson (.303,30,104) leading the way. Johnson would win his first Federal Association Whitney Award to go with the three claimed in the Continental while with the Brooklyn (now Kansas City) Kings.

The long elusive pennant was the prize but the Dynamos added a cherry on top by defeating the Continental Association champion New York Stars four games to two in the World Championship Series. It marked the first time the two clubs had ever clashed and the Detroit nine would claim its 6th World Title.

Things did not start well that October as the Stars took the opening two games of the series in the Big Apple. New York got to Miller in the opener, doubling the Dynamos 6-3 and then prevailed in a marathon second game that needed 15 innings before its first run was scored. Hanco*ck and Stars starter Vern Hubbard were both terrific but each was long gone when pinch-hitter Charlie Woodbury took Bill Sohl deep with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 15th to put the Dynamos in a 2-0 hole.

A game of nearly as epic proportions followed but this time it was a Dynamos bat that provided the heroics. Trailing 3-0 and on the verge of falling behind by the same count in the series, the Dynamos rallied with 3-runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and then won the game in the 14th on shortstop Stan Kleminski's 2-run homer of Stars reliever George Scruggs. With the dramatic 5-3 victory the Dynamos were back in business. A day later the series was even when Wally Hunter, with some assistance to close things out by Jack Halbur, tossed a one-hitter as Detroit downed New York 5-1. Miller atoned for his game one struggles with a 2-0, 2-hit shutout in game five and two nights later in New York the visitors would plate 5 runs in the top of the 8th inning and claim the title with a 6-2 victory.

Two championships highlighted by that long awaited end to a 23-year drought for the diamond Dynamos made 1952 a year to remember in the Motor City and even a return to the depths of the American Football Association by the 3-10 Detroit Maroons did little to temper the enthusiasm 1952 brought to the Motor City sports scene.

TALES FROM THE LAIR- TORONTO WOLVES 1952 REVIEW

If fans thought that 1952 would be the beginning of a change in Wolves fortunes, they unfortunately were sadly mistaken, the team posted a 53-101 record. The team had a winning record in only one month, April where they went 8-7 giving some sense of optimism in what would turn out to be a long summer of misery for the Wolves faithful. April was followed by a 12-18 May, 6-26 June, 11-16 July, 8-18 August, 8-16 September. fans showed their disinterest by staying away. Attendance was below the million mark for the first time since 1947. The 860,765 that passed through the turnstiles at Dominion Stadium the lowest number since 1939, lowest attendance in the FABL. Bernie Millard is said to be angry with the team's performance both on the field, at the gate. The Wolves were at or near the bottom of almost every statistical category in the CA.

Changes began early when George Garrison was dealt to the Gothams during ST where he went 20-8, 2.55 for the runner-ups in Fed. At the trade deadline the Wolves dealt three veterans. First to go was RP Bob Currier to St. Louis for a pair of minor leaguers LHP Glenn Moor, 2B Larry Oliver. Then Lou Jayson went to KC for a catching prospect Ray Smith followed by Jerry York who was sent to the eventual CA pennant winners, NY Stars, for another prospect 1B Cal Jaeger.

Dick Dennis' first year as manager was also his last, Dennis retired at season's end on the same day the team cut ties with Pitching Coach Johnny Franklin after 7 seasons of guiding the Wolves staff. They have been replaced by Jim Whitehead as manager, Joe Short to handle the pitchers. The trading was not done as the team hooked up in two deals with the Saints right after Detroit took the World Series. Gone to Montreal are INF Harry Finney, OF Al Bennett, OF Tommy Aiken in return new Wolves are 5 time All-Star SS Gordie Perkins, 3B Ray Words. The Wolves then dealt 1B Bill Grove, 30, to the Dynamos in return for two more prospects LF Ford Duncan, C Joe Grace. The next day came the trade that has Wolves fans, a diminishing number, shaking their heads. GM Bill Terry who took the job after the previous GM was dismissed preseason sent 24 year old Tony Ballinger, long touted as Fred McCormick's replacement, to the Chiefs for a C Sam Clarke, 28. Even though McCormick is said to returning for 1953 at 43 he is a mere shell of his former self, fans are up in arms saying Ballinger was the future. Then Terry acquired a 41 year old 1B, Joe Owens along with an unproven P Earl Jaeger for a young SS Bob Gellatly, 18. A combination at 1B with two players whose ages total 84 does not seem like planning for the future. in December the Wolves lost four on waiver claims, Sam Franklin, Lee Woodward, Tom B Davis are all now property of the Pittsburgh Miner while Bob Mills will be playing his trade for Montreal in 1953.

Brett thinks the suffering fans in Toronto may be in for a few more tough seasons. The only hope seems to be in the system as both Chattanooga, Dixie, Davenport, Heartland, won their league titles in 1952. Toronto changed drastically this season, now has the 6th ranked system, it is still a long way from prospect to FABL talent.

Tales From The Manor-After starting out like a house on fire, the Toronto Dukes hockey club could be described in one word starting in November: inconsistent. The team would go from hot to cold week to week. A good week would almost assuredly be followed by a week where the team struggled often times not even looking like the same team.

Jack Barrell had stressed defense, defense, defense in his first five seasons at the helm of the Dukes. This strategy had led Toronto to two Challenge Cups. After missing the playoff during the 1951-52 season Barrell decided to change tacks. From the start of training camp Barrell instituted new plans which was meant to bring more offense to the team. With talented goal scorers Les Carlson, Quinton Pollack and Lou Galbraith in his lineup this seemed to a perfectly logical decision. Out of the gate the new Dukes seemed to surprise their opposition getting off to 6-0-3 start threatening to leave the rest of the NAHC in their dust. In the top league in the world teams adjust quickly, teams put different plans together for the Dukes. The balance of the season Toronto went 22-25-14 to finish in the last playoff spot.

Their opponents in the semi-final were the rags to riches Chicago Packers who went from worst to first in one season. The playoff series will be remembered for years to come. The first game was a harbinger of things to happen in the series. Toronto held a 2-0 lead going into the third only to have the home team level the score in the third then win on a goal 8 minutes into overtime. Dukes would gain a split in Chicago with a 4-3 win before coming home to lose 2-1 in triple overtime before levelling the series with a 3-2 win in regulation. Back to Chicago where again the Packers score 8 seconds into overtime for another 3-2 victory. That loss took everything out of the Dukes. Chicago won game six and the series 4-2 with an easy 7-2 victory on Gardens ice sending the Dukes home for the summer.

Coach Barrell- "A better season but still short of the goal. We proved we can score, we know how to defend although that was lacking this season. We led the league in goals with 198. Allowing 199 is far, far too many, our goaltenders played well though we allowed them to face too many shots on too many nights. Facing an average of 33 shots per game is not a winning combination. I want the best of both worlds, teams to fear our goal scoring ability plus be sound without the puck. Twelve guys with a minus rating is too many. The series against Chicago was a classic that will be talked about for years. Hardly seems fair to lose 3 in OT, the loss in triple overtime was the turning point. The nucleus is in the room for a dominant team going forward, lets see what we can add in the draft."

Tales From The Nest -After two trips to league finals but losing both to Washington, the Federal Basketball League's Toronto Falcons struggled all season falling to fifth with a 24-42 record. While they were not bad at home posting a 17-16 record they were doormats away from the Dominion Gardens only winning 7 of 33 games. They were last in rebounding along with next to last in turning over the ball. Injuries, lack of a regular starting lineup never allowed the Falcons to get on the proverbial roll. Head Coach Irwin Lewis has a young team that will no doubt be bolstered in upcoming draft. A team can turn its fortunes quickly in the FBL, hopefully the Falcons will not spiral downhill as the Wolves, owner Bernie Millard's other pro sports entry, have in the Fifties. Look for Major Belk to bounce back from down season in scoring along with a marked improvement in a number of youngsters.

The Year That Was
Current events from 1952

• in March President Truman announced he will not seek re-election.
• Apr 28: Treaty of San Francisco goes into effect, formally ending the occupation of Japan.
• Jun 19: The United States Army Special Forces is created
• Jul 19-26- Several alleged UFOs over Washington DC are tracked on multiple radars. Jets are scrambled and the objects take evasive action, only to return after the jets leave.
• Jul 21- a maximum strength earthquake strikes Southern California.
• Jul 25- Puerto Rico becomes a self-governing commonwealth of the United States
• Sep 2- The first open heart surgery is performed at the University of Minnesota
• Oct 14- The United Nations begins work in the new headquarters of the UN in New York City.
• Nov 4- Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower defeats Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson in the Presidential Election

__________________
Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles

Columnist- The Figment Sporting Journal

MY FIGMENT LEAGUE BROOKLYN KINGS DYNASTY

PAST DYNASTYS

My History of Hockey Replay
Tiger Fan's Sporting News : the mid 1940's
Tiger Fan's All Sport Replay: The 1920s
History of Sports 1901-15
Historical Tutorial and Feedback League
My first fictional attempt
The HOB4: The last of my series of history of baseball replays that go back to OOTP2 and the old message board.

Last edited by Tiger Fan; Yesterday at 04:55 PM.