March 6

## 1920

**Syracuse Herald**- Armory Game For Tonight Is Cancelled

There will be no basketball game at the Armory tonight. Ogdensburg was scheduled to play here but the team cancelled and Manager Wilbur Crisp was unable to secure a competent substitute attraction. The All-Syracuse team will play no home games next week but will have two out of town games, meeting the Cortland Sodality team in Cortland on Thursday and playing the Rochester Centrals in Rochester on Saturday.

## 1947

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- Anderson And Syracuse Fives Battle At Armory

Fifth Place Clubs Try For Climb; Each Hopes For Playoff Spot
A pair of fifth place quints each battling for a fourth place finish and a playoff spot in rival divisions of the National Basketball League will face each other tonight at the Jefferson Street Armory when the Anderson Packers meet the Syracuse Nationals. Anderson is in fifth spot in the Western Division of the loop, one half game behind fourth place Sheboygan and one more game behind Chicago while Syracuse, fifth in the list, trails Moline and Toledo. Last night Anderson edged Toledo 55-51. While the Nats are host to the Packers tonight the Moline Blackhawks are at home meeting the second place Western Division Indianapolis squad. Indianapolis sill has a chance to capture the Western Division pennant. A loss for Moline and a Syracuse triumph tonight would put Syracuse into fourth place one half game ahead of the Blackhawks. Syracuse holds a 2 to 1 game edge over the Packers having split in two games at Anderson and winning the lone start here. This will mark the final game of the year between the two clubs. Leading the visitor’s invasion will be Howie Schultz and Charley Shipp. Schultz, a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team had received permission from that club to finish out the season with Anderson and he has been one of the leading scorers of his team and of the league. Shipp is a former member of the Fort Wayne Zollners and also has had National League experience with the Oshkosh All-Stars. He played previously with the Akron team. Jerry Rizzo, Syracuse player coach announced after a drill at the Armory yesterday that the Nats would line up with Chaney and himself at forwards, Novak at center, with Nelmark and Sharkey at guards. In reserve the team will have Jack Dugger, Kenny Exel, Bob Nugent and Johnny Gee. Following tonight’s encounter the Nats will have but five games remaining playing Fort Wayne Saturday, Rochester Monday, Detroit Tuesday, and Sheboygan Wednesday and Thursday. All of the games except the Detroit encounter will be on the Armory floor here.

## 1955

**Syracuse Herald American**- Why The Reawakened Interest In Syracuse Pro
Basketball?

Big Turnout Expected Today For Nats-Warriors Game And Billy Gabor
Ceremonies

Congratulations to Syracuse’s professional basketball champions! What
has happened to the Syracuse Nats? Why is it they suddenly spurted ahead of the
field in the pennant chase? What rekindled spectator interest in the team?
Answers to these questions are numerous but in the main narrow down in these
principal factors: No. 1- The team is working as a unit, displaying the spirit
and will to win first evidenced in the days when Coach Al Cervi and Bill Gabor
sparked the club at the State Fair Coliseum. (Gabor will be honored at today’s
game after announcing he has been forced to retire from play due to illness
which sidelined him early this season.) No. 2- Probably the most important
factor, for the first time since Jan. 1, 1954, the clubs looks to be able to go
all the way. Everyone chipped in on this road trip. Kerr and Dolph were
tremendous in New York, Farley and King were big men in Elkhart, Lloyd, Rocha
and Seymour gave us a boost in Fort Wayne, and Kerr and Lloyd came right back
again in Milwaukee. The usually pessimistic leader added: “I feel that we can
go on to win the overall title and look for New York to beat out Boston for
second place. Out west they adopted a slogan in newspapers I’d like to carry on
right through the playoff when they said: ‘Look out the Nats are coming.’
Believe me, we are not coming, we are here!” It has been a rough uphill road
for the Syracusans and they are far from out of the red this year. In fact,
back on Jan. 1, the projected dollar loss for the community-owned venture this
year was set at $50,000. This figure has been the squad at near full strength,
physically and numerically. No. 3- The crop of this year’s rookies has improved
steadily so that there is no noticeable letdown when substitutes enter the
game. No. 4- There has been a decided concentration on defense. No. 5- CROWDS
stated to noisily back the team after club authorities decided to switch to
afternoon play on Sunday and offered special inducements to children. Today, as
the club prepares to entertain Philadelphia, there is still a chance it will
capture the overall pennant. Fans aren’t satisfied with this goal. They want
the playoff title, an honor that eluded two previous Nat aggregations by the
narrowest of margin. Cervi on his arrival home from Milwaukee yesterday gave every
reason for the fans to be optimistic in this respect when his first words to a
small but enthusiastic group of rooters was: “This is the best chance we’ve
ever had to go all the way.” The team financial stress has been reduced
considerably and may be sliced even more considerably today when another fine
turnout is expected to honor Gabor. As recently as Feb. 4 the team was steeped
in gloom. The season started well with the club winning three of its first four
games, two of them away from home. Then disaster hit. Gabor was sidelined with
infectious hepatitis. He never returned. Wally Osterkorn followed Gabor on the
injured or sick list for a leg operation, and he has just started to function
on a part time basis once again. George King was sidelined with a leg injury
for seven games, Dolph Schayes suffered thigh injuries, Connie Simmons, secured
as a replacement for Gabor, was forced to quit with a dislocated back, and a
series of virus colds struck the club. It was nothing new for Cervi to tutor a
crippled outfit. He led the famed bandage brigade of last season to the final
game of the playoff before bowing even though three starters wore casts. But
even Cervi was unable to cope with the series of blows received. He commented
during midseason: “In all my years I’ve never experienced anything like this.
This is my worst year in basketball.” But at least one of the losses
boomeranged into one of the luckiest moves in Syracuse pro cage history. When
Simmons left, there was no alternative remaining but to use rookie Johnny Kerr
more frequently. Fearing Kerr would not fill the shoes, the Nats went to
extreme means to add Jim Tucker on a part-time basis. Kerr has developed into
one of the best rookies of the season. He is now considered a member of the
staring five. Tucker has proved an invaluable rebounder in key games and
another rookie, Dick Farley, gained so much poise when King was out that he,
too, fits smoothly into the operation. Slowly all the cripples game around.
Back on Feb. 4 the Nats returned from Boston after taking a 114-88 shellacking,
their third loss in four days, and Coach Cervi called President Dan Biasone to
say: “We’re gone. These fellows are in a slump and we can’t shake it. On top of
that we’re tired.” The next day the club invaded Rochester. A special meeting
was called before the game. It was determined that the only way to shake the
slump which had deprived the team of the loop lead was to get tough on defense.
Cervi pleaded: “Let’s get together, play both ends of the court, and let the shots
fall where they may. Don’t be looking for one man but rather for the easy
shot.” Since then results have been sensational. In a month’s time the Nats
have pulled far ahead of the field in the Eastern Division and now look ahead
to gaining an edge in whatever playoff series might develop by willing the
overall pennant. And city folks are beginning to respond. One local businessman
decided to take his son to last week’s game here on a Sunday afternoon. It was
his first Nats game. He went home so enthused over the entertaining hours that
he phoned the office to request 1,000 tickets to be set aside in his name for
the three remaining games. Reminded that the attractions might not be too good
for business purposes, he responded by telling General Manager Bob Sexton-
“These are not for business. I think it’s time I do my part toward supporting
such a fine entertainment provided by other Syracusans.” At today’s ceremonies
honoring Gabor a group of graduating football seniors will oppose a Binghamton
All-Star team in the preliminaries. A special trainload on Binghamton rooters
will be in attendance along with the Manlius School band for added
entertainment. Billy is due to receive a new automobile after listening to
speeches from his high school coach Harold “Whitey” Anderson, his college
coach, Lew Andreas, and his pro mentor Al Cervi and another headline Syracuse
athlete, Vic Hanson. Other gifts may be added. Since a percentage of the
receipts will be donated to the Gabor fund the 50 cent ticket for children will
not be in effect. However, the Nats have promised to provide each child 14
years of age or under in attendance today with a free ducat for Saturday’s game
against Fort Wayne.