Evening star., 1945-12-17
Odd Safety, Point Kick
Tell, Although Tribe
Line Is 0utp|ayed
BY LEWIS r. ATCHISON,

CLEVELAND, Dec. 17.-Winnah
and new champeen-the Cleveland
Rams.
But st. Patrick himself wouldn't
have had the luck Adam Walsh's
charges had yesterday when they
nosed out the Redskins, 15-14, for
the National Football League crown.
Two extraordinarily good breaks
gave the Rams their first cham
pionship, otherwise the final count
would have been 14-12 in Washing
tons favor.
Here's the way the scoring went:
Cleveland got safety and two
points when Sam Baugh, trying to
pass behind his own goal line in the
first period, struck the goal post and
the ball rebounded into the end zone
/, for an automatic safety.
Washington took To lead at 5:32
of the second period when Frank
Filchock heaved a 39-yard pass to
Steve Bagarus, who got away from
Bob Waterfield on the 9 and went
over for the touchdown. Joe Aguirre
booted the extra point.
Cleveland went ahead, 81, on
Waterfeld's 38-yard throw to Jim
Benton in the second period, and
made it 15-7 in the third when the
same pitcher connected with Jim
Gillette on a 44-yard pitch. Water
field kicked one extra point and
missed one.
The Redskins scored again, max
ing it 1914, when Frank Filchock
passed 8 yards to Bob Seymour
for touchdown and Aguirre added
the extra point.
Rams Extra Point an Oddly.
Baugh's errant pass is something
seldom seen in football and was an
outlandish price to pay for bad
break, but Waterfleld's placement
for the Rams only successful try
for point er-touchdown was even
worse. Redskin Tackle John Konis-
zewski tipped the ball as he broke
through the line, DETECTING 1t high
enough to strike the cross bar. 1t
hit that object and instead of re-
bounding on the playing field, it
Topped over for what proved to be
the winning point.
But wait, that isn't all that hap
pened to the Redskins.
Baugh's injured rib kept him out
of most of the game. He directed
the offense most of the first period
until 1T became obvious he was not
physically fit, and he came back
only in the fourth period for one
play when he held the ball for
Aguirre's unsuccessful field goal at
tempt.
Whether Baugh's presence in the
lineup would have made differ
ence is conjectural, for Filchock
handled the team masterfully and
tossed the two touchdown passes
that kept the Tribe in the game.
But Filchock, who specializes on long
throws, wasn't the threat Baugh
would have been with his short
sharp pegs to Bagarus. Les Dye or
the other receivers.
Baugh completed only one of six
passes for q net gain of one yard.
Filchock threw IA and completed
for 178 yards, to illustrate how
well he earned his pay. It is sad
to contemplate the Redskins fate
had something happened to Filchock
Tribes Line Takes Beating.
frankie made his mates seem re-
spectacle in the Rams fast COM
pany. The Tribe gained only 80
yards rushing, scant 10 yards
more than their play-off record OF
"fewest yards gained rushing one
game-22," against the Chicago
Bears in that 1870 rout of 1910. But
in the passing department. Cleve-
land, with Waterfield pitching
gained only 1872 yards or a scant IA
more than Filchock.
The Ram line, led by Riley Mathe-
son, its rambling guard. was more
than match for the Redskin for
wards. That's saying a lot in view
of the sparkling performances of Ki
Aldrich, Johnny Adams, Fred Davis
and Clem Stralka. The Tribe line
however, couldn't stop Gillette's for
: avs around end, and more than once
Cleveland's forwards opened holes in
it that would have made a safe
blower green with envy.
The Tribe suffered still another
blow when Frank Atkins, the leagues
second most prolific ground gamer
fractured a rib early in the first
period and had to retire. Whether
he would have Jared any better
than Sal Rosato, Merlyn Condit OF
the other backs is another matter
for conjecture, but with both Baugh
and Atkins out of the game some
Of the little coordination the Red
skins have shown this season was
destroyed.
With all the breaks, however, the
Rams were a pretty good football
team. They definitely were up fol
the game They had to be or they
wouldn't have won, for the Red.
skins-despite the bad breaks-were
tough hombres yesterday.
Breaks Bad for the Rams, Too.
Take the first time the Rams hac
the ball in the first period and wert
banging away for a touchdown ano
the Tribe line stopped 'em inche!
short of first down on the S. Fail.
ure at that point would have turnec
the game into a rout. ~
Cleveland, too, had a couple O
bad breaks, the first a missed pass
from Waterfleld to Benton near tn,
end of the first period. Benton, /,
rangy, sure-fingered end, wa;
blocked at the scrimmage line, bu
when he finally broke into the oper
he was all by himself. Waterfield'
pass, though, was trifle too lonl
to reach.
Early in the third period Water
field fired another pass at Gillette
who was in the clear when the wine
caught the ball and blew it behint
the receiver. Gillette tried to turn
IS but tripped and missed the bali
n Seconds later Waterfield put an
S other pass in Benton's hands an,
the receiver dropped it when hi
wi hard by Bob De Fruiter, Two play