By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS [July 6, 1954]
Scheduling problems faced the trouble-plagued Western International Baseball League Tuesday as the Class A loop prepared to open the second half of its split season.
As the first half limped to a close Monday night, Babe Hollingbery, president of the Yakima Bears, disclosed league directors are being called to Yakima Saturday to complete the schedule revision made necessary by the withdrawal of Spokane and Calgary.
A tentative schedule brought a sharp protest last week from the Lewiston Broncs. Business manager Tom Tabor said the schedule gave the Broncs only three Sunday dates and wondered if the league “is trying to put the crush on Lewiston.”
The league’s eight clubs are taking Tuesday off Wednesday, working under the tentative schedule, they’ll start the second half pennant chase with Vancouver, first half champion, at Victoria; Wenatchee at Tri-City, Yakima at Salem, and Edmonton at Lewiston.
Vancouver Favored To Repeat
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS [July 6, 1954]
The seven Western International League baseball clubs that tried—and failed—to stop Vancouver during the first half of the loop's split season get another chance starting Wednesday night.
The Class A league heads into the second half campaign, a two-month tussle with a flag and a berth in a postseason playoff as the prizes.
The talent-packed Capilanos breezed to the first half championship and were 5½ games in front of Yakima at the finale Monday night. They're favored to repeat in the second half unless the seven rivals find the means of strengthening their outfits.
As a step in that direction, the Salem Senators last week acquired outfielder Dick Greco and pitcher Bill Franks from the Capilanos. Vancouver manager Bill Brenner said he was willing to release the two to give more balance to the league.
Emergency piled upon emergency during the first half and the second round appears to be starting on the same note. The latest "crisis" results from a second half schedule drawn up after Spokane and Calgary pulled out of the league in mid-June. Lewiston has protested the schedule and directors will meet at Yakima Saturday to prepare a new one.
An emergency schedule released by WIL president Robert Abel sends Vancouver to Victoria for Wednesday night's opener, Wenatchee to Tri-City, Yakima to Salem and Edmonton to Lewiston.
They will play Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.
Saturday Victoria and Vancouver will play a doubleheader at Vancouver. Edmonton will be at Tri-City, Lewiston at Wenatchee and Salem at Yakima. Vancouver and Victoria will at Sunday while the others meet in twin bills.
Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, July 7, 1954]
Some day, when the what's-wrong-with-baseball committee meets for the gillionth time, and has little else to discuss, it might mull over the idea recently advanced by Frankie Frisch, of letting the fans in on the "controversial points" when there is a rhubarb on the field.
For example, for you 600 fans who turned out to the second game against Victoria Monday. Remember this situation:
Dick Watson was at bat. Hal Flinn was pitching.
Watson bunted the ball, ump Einer Sorenson clearly and distinctly shouted foul, and Watson turned back to the plate after running a short way toward first. The ball stopped in fair territory about 10 feet down the line.
The decision brought Flinn from the mound, waving his arms and shouting. Don Lundberg, the catcher, joined in the chorus and Don Preiss [sic], the Tyee manager, came running over from third.
The quartet, including the ump, then walked down toward first base where Sorenson and base ump Doc Regele exchanged signals.
Then the Tyee players walked away and Watson hit the roof. Playing manager Edo Vanni came running over and it looked for a while as if the two players and the ump would tangle. After much uproar, Jess Dobernic led Watson away and Edo eventually left.
* * *
Here's A Little Quiz
Watson didn't bat any more and an out was registered on the Scoreboard. Now what happened?
In an effort to compete with TV giveaway programs, we will have a little quiz contest here. The choices are listed below:
1. Watson actually hit the ball with his bat twice, each rap counting as a strike, and was therefore called out for fouling off the third strike. The pitcher gets a strikeout and the catcher a putout.
2. Watson hit the ball with his bat twice and was called out for interference. The catcher gets a putout.
3. Watson misunderstood the ump, who really had shouted "fair ball" and was called out for leaving the base path during the ensuing ruckus. The first baseman gets an unassisted putout.
4. Watson accidentally or intentionally kicked the ball in fair territory and was called out for interference. The catcher gets the putout.
5. Watson bunted the ball fair, but blocked catcher Lundberg so he could not field the ball. He was out for interference and the catcher gets the putout.
* * *
No. 4 Is Right
Now for your score:
If you picked No. 1, keep coming to baseball games. Few persons enjoy or understand them the first time in their life.
If you picked No. 2, that could have happened but in this case it didn't.
If you picked No. 3, you are still wrong but it will put you in a rather large group taking this test.
If you picked No. 4, you are:
a. A member of the team or closely related to a member of the team, and as such, ineligible for any prize, or
b. A person with such select boxseats that you heard everything thai went on. As a special prize for getting the right answer, we will give you permission to pay the repair bill every time a player doubles off the H and E tubing in the Tri-City Herald sign.
If you picked No. 5, your eyesight is failing but a career awaits you as an ump.
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, July 7, 1954]
Some day, when the what's-wrong-with-baseball committee meets for the gillionth time, and has little else to discuss, it might mull over the idea recently advanced by Frankie Frisch, of letting the fans in on the "controversial points" when there is a rhubarb on the field.
For example, for you 600 fans who turned out to the second game against Victoria Monday. Remember this situation:
Dick Watson was at bat. Hal Flinn was pitching.
Watson bunted the ball, ump Einer Sorenson clearly and distinctly shouted foul, and Watson turned back to the plate after running a short way toward first. The ball stopped in fair territory about 10 feet down the line.
The decision brought Flinn from the mound, waving his arms and shouting. Don Lundberg, the catcher, joined in the chorus and Don Preiss [sic], the Tyee manager, came running over from third.
The quartet, including the ump, then walked down toward first base where Sorenson and base ump Doc Regele exchanged signals.
Then the Tyee players walked away and Watson hit the roof. Playing manager Edo Vanni came running over and it looked for a while as if the two players and the ump would tangle. After much uproar, Jess Dobernic led Watson away and Edo eventually left.
* * *
Here's A Little Quiz
Watson didn't bat any more and an out was registered on the Scoreboard. Now what happened?
In an effort to compete with TV giveaway programs, we will have a little quiz contest here. The choices are listed below:
1. Watson actually hit the ball with his bat twice, each rap counting as a strike, and was therefore called out for fouling off the third strike. The pitcher gets a strikeout and the catcher a putout.
2. Watson hit the ball with his bat twice and was called out for interference. The catcher gets a putout.
3. Watson misunderstood the ump, who really had shouted "fair ball" and was called out for leaving the base path during the ensuing ruckus. The first baseman gets an unassisted putout.
4. Watson accidentally or intentionally kicked the ball in fair territory and was called out for interference. The catcher gets the putout.
5. Watson bunted the ball fair, but blocked catcher Lundberg so he could not field the ball. He was out for interference and the catcher gets the putout.
* * *
No. 4 Is Right
Now for your score:
If you picked No. 1, keep coming to baseball games. Few persons enjoy or understand them the first time in their life.
If you picked No. 2, that could have happened but in this case it didn't.
If you picked No. 3, you are still wrong but it will put you in a rather large group taking this test.
If you picked No. 4, you are:
a. A member of the team or closely related to a member of the team, and as such, ineligible for any prize, or
b. A person with such select boxseats that you heard everything thai went on. As a special prize for getting the right answer, we will give you permission to pay the repair bill every time a player doubles off the H and E tubing in the Tri-City Herald sign.
If you picked No. 5, your eyesight is failing but a career awaits you as an ump.
* * *
Why Not Tell The Fans
Anyhow, what all this brings up is how much nicer, and how much better for the fans' enjoyment, would it be if after an unclear situation such as that, the ump would tell
the scorakeeper what his ruling was, and the scorekeeper in turn would tell the announcer how it should be scored. Then have the announcer tell the fans what went on.
Controversial rulings such as the one above only come up once in a dozen games or so. But the guy who buys a lucky-number-scorecard-two-bits can't hardly be expected to pack a rule book around in his hip pocket, nor be expected to memorize all the fine points in the rules.
Not only baseball should take this lesson to heart. In some respects, the other sports are worse. Basketball officials usually tell the scorekeeper what goes on and he in turn takes the attitude that from then on its hone of the cash customer's business.
Football officials beat them all. Just last fall we had a case of one threatening to assess a penalized coach 15 more yards for asking what the heck was going on.
* * *
Vancouver To Repeat
Now that the WIL is into the second half, it's time to bounce back to the predictions. For the first half, I had them in order except:
1. Yakima, picked for seventh, finished second.
2. Salem picked for fifth finished eighth.
3. Spokane picked for third and Calgary picked for tenth both up and died.
In the second half, I'll go at it like this: Vancouver, Lewiston, Edmonton, Victoria, Yakima, Tri-City, Salem, Wenatchee.
Now if anyone wan to know what kind of a system I am using for this astounding prediction, it is simply this: picks are listed roughly according to salaries paid.
* * *
This Was Good Deal
Whatever you feel on the Des Charouhas sale, we will have to give general manager Eddie Taylor the nod for brilliant Gee-Eming in not signing Neil Sheridan, who is presently playing rightfield for Victoria.
Only the Tyee English angel could afford to pay a man $600 a month to walk after a baseball.
Why Not Tell The Fans
Anyhow, what all this brings up is how much nicer, and how much better for the fans' enjoyment, would it be if after an unclear situation such as that, the ump would tell
the scorakeeper what his ruling was, and the scorekeeper in turn would tell the announcer how it should be scored. Then have the announcer tell the fans what went on.
Controversial rulings such as the one above only come up once in a dozen games or so. But the guy who buys a lucky-number-scorecard-two-bits can't hardly be expected to pack a rule book around in his hip pocket, nor be expected to memorize all the fine points in the rules.
Not only baseball should take this lesson to heart. In some respects, the other sports are worse. Basketball officials usually tell the scorekeeper what goes on and he in turn takes the attitude that from then on its hone of the cash customer's business.
Football officials beat them all. Just last fall we had a case of one threatening to assess a penalized coach 15 more yards for asking what the heck was going on.
* * *
Vancouver To Repeat
Now that the WIL is into the second half, it's time to bounce back to the predictions. For the first half, I had them in order except:
1. Yakima, picked for seventh, finished second.
2. Salem picked for fifth finished eighth.
3. Spokane picked for third and Calgary picked for tenth both up and died.
In the second half, I'll go at it like this: Vancouver, Lewiston, Edmonton, Victoria, Yakima, Tri-City, Salem, Wenatchee.
Now if anyone wan to know what kind of a system I am using for this astounding prediction, it is simply this: picks are listed roughly according to salaries paid.
* * *
This Was Good Deal
Whatever you feel on the Des Charouhas sale, we will have to give general manager Eddie Taylor the nod for brilliant Gee-Eming in not signing Neil Sheridan, who is presently playing rightfield for Victoria.
Only the Tyee English angel could afford to pay a man $600 a month to walk after a baseball.
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