23 February

## 1920

**Syracuse Post Standard**- Fast Quintets Oppose Locals For Supremacy

Pittsburgh Superiors And Paterson Crescents Next On Schedule

Weary from the long journey but not a bit discouraged by the 13 to 12 defeat at Ogdensburg last Saturday night, the members of the All-Syracuse basketball team came back home last night determined to retrieve the setback by winning the games with the Pittsburgh Superiors and Paterson Crescents, Wednesday and Saturday nights, respectively, at the State Armory. Word was received yesterday that the Lafayette five of Pittsburgh would be unable to come to Syracuse and the Superiors, which ranks next to the Lafayettes of Pennsylvania, were booked. The Superiors have lost but two games this season and hold decisions over some of the best teams in Pennsylvania. Next Saturday night the Paterson Crescents, winners of the interstate league championship, will oppose Captain Jim Tormey and his mates at the State Armory. The Crescents are rated as the strongest team in the eastern part of the country and should give the All-Syracuse five a hard struggle. Three games will be played at the Armory next week. On Tuesday the Buffalo Orioles will be opposed, Wednesday the Cortland Sodality team will appear here and on Saturday the Beechnut five of Canajoharie will be the attraction.

## 1947

**Syracuse Herald American**- Nats’ Bid For Playoffs Reaches Crises
Monday Duel At Armory Means Much
The Syracuse Nationals basketball team faces its first of two “crucial” games this week, tomorrow night at the Jefferson St Armory with the Moline Tri-City aggregation supplying the opposition. Monday night’s contest with Moline, along with Thursday night’s game at Toledo are key games in the Nats battle for a playoff berth for the team is tied with Moline for the fourth and final playoff spot. Both are within striking distance of third place Toledo, which has only four games left to play. Syracuse reached its peak of offensive efficiency here last Thursday night when it trounced Youngstown 80 to 44 and equaled the 1945 league record for baskets by one team set by the Chicago Gears with 36 in a single game. Rochester holds the record this year, having dropped in 38 in an overtime contest with Toledo. In the game against Youngstown, Mike Novak contributed 24 points and might have passed the season’s loop record for individual scorers if he wished, but instead contented himself to set up scoring plays for teammates during the second half. George Sobek of Toledo and Red Holzman of Rochester are in joint command of the individual record this season with 29 points. Monday night Novak will have his hands full with Don Otten as his opponent. Otten is a seven foot lad who played with Bowling Green last season and he has led the Blackhawks scoring during the last two weeks in which the Moline team has racked up six straight victories. Moline, formerly known as Buffalo, will be making its last scheduled start against Syracuse and the club holds a 2 to 1 league advantage over the Nats and has twice beaten the club in exhibition tilts. It was not until the last game at Moline that Syracuse annexed a win over the Blackhawks.

## 1950

**Utica Observer Dispatch**- From Len Wilbur Says: Nats Turned Down 'Lucrative' Date To Play For Polio

The Syracuse Nats, who footballed their way through a so-called basketball game with the Harlem Yankees here Feb. 6, turned down a "more lucrative" booking on the same date. This we learned from a letter from Art Deutsch, general manager of the Nats, who was mailed a copy of our recent column by one of our readers. In fairness to the Nats we're glad to print the letter which starts off by stating that we could write about a game we didn't see. His letter continues: "The Syracuse Nationals, by virtue of the National Basketball Association ruling, are permitted to play a limited number of exhibition games this year. We have had hundreds of requests from nearby communties anxious to book the Nats for various organizations, fraternal, civic, patriotic, charitable. In our files, which are open to your inspection, are many letters congratulating us on the caliber of our performance, character of our players and general operation of our team. When we contracted for the Utica tilt—in order to accomodate a charitable, non-profit enterprise which we heartily endorse—we gave up another and more lucrative booking on the same date. This other exhibition would have afforded us a greater guarantee and a larger percentage option. In this respect our files are also available for your perusal. Insofar as the nature of the game itself is concerned, it must be remebered that ours is a top professional basketball team, with the emphasis on basketball. Even though the officials are local we expect them to allow basketball, rather than football, to be played. Ours is an expensive enterprise. An injury to one of our players is a major catastrophe. Therefore, when a game is to be conducted that injuries are not only possible but are very probable, it behooves us to exert every effort to protect our players. I don't understand how we can be condemned for this anxiety. Those of us who did attend the game recall that when the game was but three minutes old one of the Harlem team's players grabbed an official and shook, for want of a better term, the living daylights out of him. That's an indication of the type of contest it was. The offending player was not ejected from the game. Prior to the game itself certain parties from Utica phoned us to ask if the contractual terms could be changed. We said we'd be willing to forget the entire matter and take another offer. Your Utica people wanted the date and we went ahead with it. I'd like to conclude with this remark: When the Syracuse Nationals enter into an agreement, our part of the bargain is fulfilled. If we should lose money, we take our losses graciously and we've always managed to maintain a reputation as a professional athletic business which pays its bills promptly. We expect others to operate in the same way." The letter doesn't explain the unsportsmanlike behavior of the Nats, which certainly brought no letters of praise into the Syracuse files. It's good to know that the lads have behaved much better elsewehere.

## 1955

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- Celts Down Nats; Knicks Win By Point

The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, only a half-game apart in their red-hot battle for second place in the Eastern Division of the National Basketball Association after hair-raising victories, continue their struggle on foreign courts tonight. The Celtics gained a temporary tie for the position by beating the Syracuse Nationals, 97-95, on Bob Cousy’s basket in the first game of a twin bill at Madison Square Garden last night, but the Knicks went ahead again by nipping Philadelphia, 103-102, in second game. In the only other league action, the Rochester Royals snapped a nine-game losing streak by drubbing Milwaukee, 87-71. The Knicks tangle with Philadelphia again tonight at New Haven, Conn., while Boston meets Milwaukee at St. Louis. Another game finds Minneapolis at Fort Wayne, as Fort Wayne defends its three-game Western Division lead.

BOSTON: Barksdale (2-1-5), Brannum (3-0-6), Nichols (3-4-10), Morrison (2-0-4), Macauley (8-9-25), Ramsey (4-1-9), Cousy (8-7-23), Sharman (6-1-13), Scolari (1-0-2) TOTALS (37-23-97). SYRACUSE: Schayes (10-4-24), Kerr (9-10-28), Tucker (4-2-10), Rocha (1-2-4), Lloyd (1-2-4), Seymour (0-0-0), King (7-1-15), Farley (1-3-5), Kenville (1-3-5) TOTALS (34-27-95).

Score at halftime- Syracuse 47, Boston 45.