Thursday 24 July 2008

New Vancouver Boss Settles In

’PHONES FOOL HIM
Brenner ‘Suits Up’ For Executive Role
By ALF COTTRELL
[Vancouver Province, October 3, 1953]
A long Cadillac with an Idaho licence plate sprawled just outside of the Capilano Stadium office. Obviously that well known Jack-of-all-jobs, Bill Brenner, had arrived to take over, as general manager at least. The managing and pitching would come next spring.
Behind the desk in the inner office the new boss put a telephone receiver back on its cradle. After the greetings he pointed at the battery of phones that rang by his side.
“Doggone this is a puzzle,” he said. “The bell rings, and I don’t know which base to throw to.”
Brenner checked in Friday morning, went out again Friday night. He is going to Olympic, Wash., to pay a visit to his grandmother who is ailing. Then he will pick up his wife and family, currently staying in Bellingham with his wife’s mother, and bring them to Vancouver next week.
“I have to start looking for a house here. One close to the stadium here,” he said.
This week he cleaned up odds and ends of business at Lewiston, Idaho, where he directed the ball club and pitched for the past two seasons.
“Right now we haven’t much ball club, numerically,” he said. “Seattle has the cream of the 1953 Capilanos. There’s a lot of rebuilding to do before next spring.”
He didn’t mention that an ace pitcher by the name of Brenner had just joined the club, so someone else did.
“Yes, I won 22 games this season, one more than I won the previous season,” he said. “But until spring you never know about a pitcher.”

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