Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-10
New York Eleven
Can CIinch Title
With Win or Tie
By the Associated press

AAA0 40 OAAC C04 --bAAC O4AAJ OL1C
in the last Seven-that the
Cleveland Browns won't have the
final say-so about the champion
ship of the National Football
Leagues Eastern division, but
yesterday they got in their two
cents worth.
The men of Coach Paul Brown,
six-time division champions,
have been beaten and battered
this season like never before.
Yesterday. however, they did the
beating and battering and today
the New York Giants are still
looking for their first division
championship in 10 years.
With Tommy O'Connell and
Curley Morrison doing most of
the hacking. the Browns cut the
Misunderstanding Giants down to
size with a 24-7 triumph before
a crowd of 27,707 in rain, snow
and mud in Yankee Stadium.
Now the Giants have to win or
tie their finale in Philadelphia
Saturday afternoon. Should New
York falter, the Washington Red
skins, 1917 last-minute victors
over the Eagles yesterday, could
grab the prize with victories in
both their remaining games.
Game Will Be Televised
The Philadelphia New York
clash, which will be televised ma
tionally (WTOP, Channel 9, in
Washington at 2 PM, is the
first big battle of the week end.
The Chicago Bears and Detroit
Lions meet in the Western Divi-
sion showdown Sunday after
noon in Chicago.
The title. game was set UP
when the Bears grabbed des-
.perate 1913 victory over the Chi
cago Cardinals in Wrigley Field
while the Lions were breathing
easy in a Asst romp over Pitts
burgh IN Detroit.
All other teams in both divi-
sions have been eliminated, in
Guiding the Cardinals. whose
Eastern hopes were quashed by
the Bears.
The Far West teams came
through with triumphs in other
weekend games. The Los An
geles Rams stopped the Balti-
more Colts, 31-7. as 81 .037 looked
on in Los Angeles, and Saturday
the San Francisco Forty-Niners
defeated Green Bay, 1920.
The Browns Giants game
ended before the contests in Chi
cago and Washington and since
the Eagles led up until the last
% seconds, it was thought that
the Giants had backed into the
pennant.
Under this impression, the
Cleveland coach said he was glad
the title had returned to New
York and praised his Browns
$3.50 for their best game of a
poor season. Giant Coach Jim
Lee Howell. before the Redskins
final was available. said, I'll
be glad to back in"
O'COnnelI Reaches Peak
O'Connell, the quarterback who
was dropped by the Bears after
returning from service this year
and then was signed by the
Browns after George Ratterman
was injured. has led a late sea-
son Cleveland surge good for
three victories in the last four
starts. Yesterday was his peak
effort as he plunged for two
Itouchdowns and passed to Half
back Morrison for the other in
the wind. rain and snow. A g.
yard pass, Charley Conerly to
Frank Clifford, was the Giants
only scoring strike.
Norm Van Brocklin. who
started the season as the Rams
No. / quarterback but gave way
to Bill Wade. came off the bench
to spark three scoring drives in
the last quarter and help the
Los Angeles club snap a three
game losing streak.
The Rams II points in that
final period came on a 27-yard
field goal by Les Richter. a A.
yard plunge by Joe Marconi,
rookie fullback from West Vir-
ginia. and a l-yard sneak by
Van Brocklin. Marconi scored
on an 8-yard run and Wade on
Ia 1-yard sneak in the opening
period. The Colts only touch
down came on a 3-yard pass
from John Unitas to Jim Nut
lscheller.
Coach Sid Gilman said Van
Brocklin's performance h a d.
earned him the starting assign
'ment against Green Bay in the
Rams finale Sunday. "He was
as sharp today as I've ever seen
him." Gilman said.