1952 DANA Season
1952 would prove to be yet another season of evolutionary changes for the game of Driveball. Before the first ballup of the season, the Supreme Court ruled that no individual or corporation could claim a patent on an athletic sport, effectively ending the DANA's monopolistic ownership of Driveball. The US v. Dempsey (1952) ruling would kick the door wide open for a Wild West of rival leagues soon to come.
1952 saw the debut of the Pittsburgh Blacksmiths. After four unprofitable years in upstate New York as the Rochester Millers, the Smiths sold out every home game at Forbes Field despite winning only five games the entire season.
For the Voyageurs, it was their fifth season in Montreal. In those five years, the Voyageurs always found themselves unable to compete with the more popular Canadiens for Montreal's entertainment (Canadian) dollar. For the last 18 months, the DANA has taken pseudo-ownership of the team. But when the league was unable to find a Montreal based buyer to keep the team in town, Commissioner Tobias Irwin began looking to other cities.
Another team looking to find a new home are the Newark Bulldogs. With the MLB Yankees looking to demolish Ruppert Stadium and sell the land for real estate development, the Dogs could be homeless by season's end. One option for the club would be to relocate within the state under the modified name "New Jersey Bulldogs." Another option would be to move across the river, either to Ebbets Field or to Yankee Stadium while the Heroes continue to take residence at the Polo Grounds. But a third option may have to be considered if Commissioner Irwin hopes to squash the threat of a rival league. That option would be to move the Dogs to California with the Voyageurs tagging along.
But Commissioner Irwin's reluctance to expand the DANA beyond its Midwest and Northeastern footprint runs the risk of ignoring the threat of a rival league that was already being conceived the moment the Supreme Court's ruling was handed down. This rival league, which has yet to be named, is being spearheaded by Hollywood lawyer Spencer Holbrook and Texas oilman Cotton Leavelle, both of whom were denied TWICE by Irwin. The unnamed rival league hopes to take the field in the Spring of 1954.
For 1952, the DANA expanded the regular season from ten to twelve games, allowing for a home and away series with one inter-divisional opponent in addition to the home and away with every team within the division.
The Inter-divisional pairings are as follows:
Chicago/New York
Buffalo/Toronto
Cleveland/Montreal
Indianapolis/Newark
Pittsburgh/Philadelphia
Detroit/Boston
1952 DANA Standings
Eastern Division
Y - Boston Unicorns 8-4
X - Philadelphia Spirits 8-4
X - New York Heroes 7-5
X - Montreal Voyageurs 7-5
Toronto Titans 3-9
Newark Bulldogs 2-10
Western Division
Y - Indianapolis Drivers 11-1
X - Cleveland Mad Hatters 10-2
Pittsburgh Blacksmiths 5-7
Buffalo Lakers 4-8
Detroit Roadsters 4-8
Chicago Gaels 3-9
1952 DANA Playoffs
East Tiebreaker
June 7, 1952
Polo Grounds
TV: DuMont
Montreal Voyageurs 0
New York Heroes 18
East Wild Card
June 14, 1952
Franklin Field
TV: DuMont
New York Heroes 27
Philadelphia Spirits 36
East Final
June 21, 1952
Braves Field
TV: DuMont
Philadelphia Spirits 45
Boston Unicorns 27
West Final
June 22, 1952
Victory Field
TV: DuMont
Cleveland Mad Hatters 63
Indianapolis Drivers 45
Fifth Frosty Mug
June 28, 1952
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
TV: DuMont
Philadelphia Spirits 54
Cleveland Mad Hatters 63
MVP: George Bianchi (FB; Mad Hatters)