Sunday, June 13, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 28 16 .636 —
Yakima ....... 27 21 .563 3
Edmonton ..... 21 17 .553 4
Spokane ...... 24 23 .511 5½
Wenatchee .... 25 24 .510 5½
Lewiston ..... 22 24 .478 7
Victoria ..... 20 23 .465 7½
Tri-City ..... 22 26 .458 8
Salem ........ 21 28 .429 9½
Calgary ...... 16 24 .400 10

WENATCHEE, June 13 — Yakima swept a Western International League baseball doubleheader from Wenatchee here Sunday night winning the second game 10-3, after edging the Chiefs, 3-2, in the seven-inning opener.
Ted Edmunds racked up his eighth win of the year against only one loss in winning the nightcap. Mike Catron led off the contest for the winners with a home run. That and three other tallies in the first inning salted the game away.
Wenatchee starter Charley Oubre walked three batters after Catron's home run and they all scored when left fielder Lloyd Jenney dropped two-out fly ball.
John Albini doubled home two runs for Yakima in a three-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach. Manager Lou Stringer doubled and was singled home by Lon Summers to close out the Bear's scoring in the seventh innning.
Wenatchee's Billy Waters and Yakima's John Carmichael hooked up in a pitcher's duel in the opener Sunday. Carmichael won his own game in the seventh with a single that drove in the tie-breaking run.
First Game
Yakima ......... 002 000 1—3 8 1
Wenatchee ... 100 010 0—2 7 0
Carmichael and Summers; Waters and Jenney.
Second Game
Yakima ......... 420 003 100—10 10 1
Wenatchee ... 000 003 000— 3  6 3
Edmunds and Summers; Oubre, Bowman (3), Thompson (7) and Helmuth.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, June 14] The Tri-City Braves, hanging on in the snarled Western International league, journey to Wenatchee Tuesday for the beginning of a four-game series with the skidding Chiefs.
Tri-City rebounded from its losses Friday and Saturday to win a twin-bill from Lewlston, 12-5 and 9-4.
The Chiefs, falling off from the pace set three weeks ago, dropped two to Yaklma and skidded into third place in the league standings. Wenatchee has lost six of its last eight games including two to Tri-City in a three-game series here last week.
After Tri-City finishes the Wenatchee series, the Braves return to Sanders Field Friday for a four-game series against Yakima. In their first series this season, the
Bears beat Tri-City three of three games.
The home series also may be the financial make-or-break stand for the Braves. At the league meeting, the Tri-City Athletic association board members and general manager Eddie Taylor noted the club will have to draw heavily at home if they intend to stay in the league the rest of the season.
Besides a payroll coming due, the club has the expensive Edmonton-Calgary trip which has been offset some by Edmonton's offer to pay $600 of the expense.
However, Tri-City will then be confronted with the difficult month of August, when although weather conditions are expected to improve. Tri-City has but eight home playing dates in that month.
The team, itself, seems to have found some new strength in the acquisition of Artie Wilson, former Lewiston infielder. Against his old teammates, Wilson rapped out a steady barrage of hits including a home run in the first game. Two other Tri-City players were inspired into a similar performances.
Bob McGuire, who has been bouncing them off the top of the walls lately, finally caught one and sent it out of the park. It was his first homer of the season.
Len Tran, who has been known to hit them before, also clouted one out of the park.
Those three home runs, plus Jack Warren's in the Friday game, is equal to one-third of Tri-City's total for the season.
In the first game, Bud Guldborg, Tri-City righthander recently taken off the disabled list, went the distance in racking up his second win of the season. It was the first complete game pitched by Guldborg.
Walt Clough, Braves righthander, won his fifth against three losses in the second game. He also went the distance — the fourth time this season.
Aiding Clough in his win was double steal pulled by Warren and Wilson. The big catcher, one of the slowest men in the league, led the parade and slid under catcher Ed Garay's throw to third. It was Warren's fourth stole base.
- - -
LEWISTON, Idaho, June 13 — The Tri-City Braves dumped the Lewiston Broncs twice Sunday, taking a home-run sprinkled 12-5 win in the afternoon game and a 9-4 vicory in the nightcap which wound up the team's four game Western International League baseball series here.
The Braves pulled ahead in the fifth inning to go on for their 9-4 win in the nightcap. Trailing 3-2, Tri-City's Jack Warren, and Artie Wilson pulled a double steal from first and second and scored on Len Tran's single.
The Braves added two more runs in the seventh, and three in the eighth.
Lewiston managed only a lone run in their half of the ninth.
Jack Martin, Lewiston starter, was charged with the loss.
Home runs by Wilson, Bob McGuire and Tran sparked the Braves to their 12-5 victory in the afterioon contest.
John Marshall, starting for the Broncs, served up a home run pitch in the first inning to Wilson after Terry Carroll and Buccola had singled. Tran then doubled and McGuire singled to Bring in Tran and end the inning with four runs.
In the third, McGuire homered as the first mnan up and before the inning was over, Tri-City led 9-0 and Marshall was yanked.
Lewiston tried to get back in the game, sending in a lone run in the fifth-and four in the sixth.
Gabby Williams and Glen Tuckett contributed homers for the Broncs.
First Game
Tri-City ........ 414 003 000—12 17 0
Lewiston ...... 000 014 000— 5  8 2
Guldborg and Johnson; Marshall, Derganc (3) and Garay.
Second Game
Tri-City ........ 200 020 230—9 14 1
Lewiston ...... 102 000 001—4 10 5
Clough and Warren; Martin, Kime (8) and Garay.

SPOKANE, June 13 — The Spokane Indians edged the Salem Senators 7 to 6 after dropping the afternoon contest 7-3 Sunday to gain a 2-2 split in their Western International League baseball series here.
The Tribe bounced four home runs off starting pitcher Gene Roenspie in taking the evening 7-6 win.
Mike Durock's homer in the eighth inning broke a 6-6 deadlock and put Spokane ahead for keeps.
The Senators looked like they were off and running when they scored three runs in each of the first two innings.
Salem, hitting often if not too solidly, won the opener from Spokane 7 to 3 behind the five-hit pitching of ace righthander John Briggs.
It was all Salem's game after the fourth inning when the Senators pulled ahead after trailing 2-0.
They added a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings while allowing the Tribe only one more run in the fifth.
First Game
Salem ........ 000 321 000—7 17 1
Spokane ..... 200 010 000—3  5 3
Briggs and Ogden; Romero, Giovannoni (8), Trautwein (8) and Sack.
Second Game
Salem .......... 330 000 000—6 9 2
Spokane ....... 010 050 010—7 7 2
Roenspie and Ogden; Lawson, Cummins (2), Giovannoni (4) and Dean.

CALGARY, June 13 — The Edmonton Eskimos pounded out a 16-3 victory over the Calgary Stampeders in a Western International Baseball League game Sunday night before a few hundred chilled fans.
The scheduled afternoon game was a rained out.
Edmonton hopped on the offerings of three Calgary pitchers for a total of 23 safe blows.
The clubs were tied 2-2 going into the fourth inning when the Esks exploded for eight runs to break the game wide open.
Ken Kimball, ace of the Edmonton hurling staff, tossed six-hit ball for the victory.
First Game
Edmonton ....... 200 840 002—16 13 0
Calgary .......... 020 000 001— 3  6 5
Kimball and Prentice; Orrell, Tompkins (4), Whyte (5) and Luby.
Second Game
RAINED OUT.

VANCOUVER AND VICTORIA NOT SCHEDULED

Spokane to Be Carried By League
SPOKANE, Wash., June 13 — The Western International Baseball League declared the Spokane franchise forfeited Sunday but agreed to “carry” the club for another week in hopes a community ownership plan can be worked out here.
If no local arrangements can be made, the league will operate with one less team or try to place the club in another city.
Thus the WIL will operate for at least another seven days as baseball's only 10-team, class A circuit.
Roy Hotchkiss, Spokane owner, turned down a $150,000 offer to sell Saturday night and said he was quitting the operation after Sunday night's game here with Salem.
He said Sunday he would sell for $225,000 and the league gave a civic committee a week to raise some money and try to make a deal.
The action Sunday came after lengthy discussion by WIL directors who sat down Saturday in an effort to save the league, troubled all year by poor attendance and financial worries.
The directors said Hotchkiss has agreed to let the league use his equipment next week and three automobiles to get the Spokane club to Edmonton, 700 miles from here, for a series starting Tuesday.
Before the meeting started there were reports the league would break up unless Edmonton and Calgary were dropped.
The reasoning was it's too far to go under the circumstances with the travelling clubs now financially troubled and the home team keeping all the game receipts under a new league rule.
However, Calgary and Edmonton declined to quit and arrangements were worked out to keep them in.

Spokane Now League Club, Others To Keep Operating
Owner Wants $225,000 For Tribe Franchise
[Vancouver Province, June 14, 1954]
The Western International League has taken over the Spokane franchise temporarily, and will continue to operate as a 10-team circuit with each club keeping its own home gates.
The Spokane situation developed as the only real contentious issue in the two-day meeting at Spokane, despite earlier rumors that several clubs were in dire financial straits and were set to fold.
The surprising Spokane development came when Roy Hotchkiss, owner of the Indians, who is ill and said earlier he was going to throw in the sponge, refused a Spokane offer of $150,000 for the franchise and the ball club property. He said Sunday he wants $225,000 for his interests.
JONAS IN THERE
When he refused to sell the league voted to take over the franchise and operate it either until a buyer comes along of it can be placed elsewhere.
At least two groups, one of them represented by ex-Vancouver ball player Pete Jonas and backed by press, radio and various community groups, expressed interest in the franchise. There was also a suggestion that the Spokane team move to Coeur d’Alene, 30 miles from Spokane.
President Tommy English of the Capilanos, who have the least to gain, brought up a motion that league return to the 60-40 split instead of its present system of keeping home gates.
“They jumped all over me,” English told The Province, today. “They just weren’t interested.”
EDMONTON HELPS
Bruce Williams of Salem, who proposed lowering the veteran limit to 12 and was in favour of a transportation pool, cast his lot with English on the 60-40 split. But all his suggestions were rejected.
Edmonton did their bit to salve the feelings of the American teams who’ve been moaning about the long jump to the prairies. Edmonton has agreed to pay their transportation from the U.S. border into Alberta. It will amount to about $600 a series and won’t apply to Canadian teams.
The Spokane franchise has always been one of the best in minor league baseball. In 1947, before Hotchkiss came on the scene, Spokane set a minor league attendance record of 287,000. The club hasn’t drawn well this season. There were 400 in the stands Saturday night.

Spokane Salary Problem Solved
Ownership Issue Yet Snarled
[Tri-City Herald, June 14, 1954]
SPOKANE—The Western International Baseball League agreed Monday to give the “orphaned” Spokane players their back pay, and the local entry left on a road trip with al least one more week of life.
The 10-team WIL will carry Spokane for another seven days but will drop the club after games at Edmonton and Calgary, Alta., if someone isn’t found to take over operations here, the Associated Press reported.
The Spokane team pulled out of the league Saturday night. The league directors declared the franchise forfeited hut said they would pay expenses this week.
The Spokane players, however, claimed they hadn’t been paid since May 15 and wouldn’t continue without some money. The directors met until after Sunday midnight on the problem, then disclosed Monday morning they would pay all money owed to June 15.
The Class A WIL, baseball’s only 10-team league, gave a civic “Save Baseball” committee one week to come up with something.
The community ownership plan was advanced by a civic committee working in keep baseball in a city that once set minor league attendance records.
Abel said if the group is not successful the league will operate with nine teams or try to place the franchise in another city.
The directors lifted the franchise after Roy Hotchkiss, owner of the Spokane club, announced he would not operate the team after Sunday night’s game with Salem.
Hotchkiss, who Saturday night reported he had turned down $150,000 for his interests in the club, Sunday set a $225,000 price on the operation.
Hotchkiss, who Saturday night which has plagued all clubs in the league, and his own poor health as reasons for his decision to get out of baseball [sic].
Since the solution of that immediate problem, any local group operating the Spokane club must find a place for Spokane to play. Hotchkiss also owns Ferris Field, the Indians home ground.
He has turned down an offer of $90,000 to he paid by Playfair race track, saying the sum is far short of the real value of the property. At this morning’s session, it was hoped that some sort of satisfactory lease arrangement could be worked out between Hotchkiss and the league (or a local group) for the continuation of the games there this season.
Even if that is done, the local group will have to raise another estimated $30,000 to keep the club functioning.
This includes the players’ back wages, a league bond, and money owned the Philadelphia Phils under a working agreement. The Phils have indicated a willingness to forego their claims until a later date.
In Sunday’s session, the group adjourned before noon to give a local group, mostly sportswriters, time to see if they could come up with a concrete proposal for buying the club under a community ownership plan.
The results were discouraging and the committee reported back they had no success.
Complicating the committee’s effort was the reluctance of Hotchkiss in putting a price on the club. Through many weeks, the committee has been trying to find out how much he wanted.
Finally, Saturday night, the committee offered $150,000 but Hotchkiss immediately said he wanted $350,000. A league committee then studied the situation and set a price of $225,000 which Hotchkiss then said was satisfactory to him
But whether the league figure, $75,000 higher than the local committee’s offer, will be satisfactory to any local group remains to be seen.