W L Pct GB
Vancouver .... 34 19 .642 —
Yakima ....... 32 25 .561 4
Edmonton ..... 24 23 .511 7
Lewiston ..... 28 28 .500 7½
Wenatchee .... 28 30 .482 8½
Salem ........ 28 31 .475 9
Victoria ..... 23 30 .465 11
Tri-City ..... 25 33 .431 11½
YAKIMA [Vancouver Province, June 24]—General Manager Bill Brenner of the Capilanos made a deal Wednesday to strengthen his club for the Western International League’s second half race, and he took immediate steps to keep his charges in front in the first half, which ends July 5. Brenner Wednesday purchased pitcher Pete Hernandez, an 18-game winner with the Caps last year, from Seattle Rainiers for considerably less than the original asking price of $3500. In consideration of the cut-rate price, Seattle will get Vancouver outfielder K. Chorlton at the end of the first half.
AND ANOTHER
Chorlton, who has had several unsuccessful whirls with the Rainiers, but has been giving a great year with the Caps, was hitting .333 as of Tuesday. Hernandez will join the Caps immediately, but Brenner told The Province Wednesday by long distance phone that he refused to let Chorlton go until the end of the first half.
By that time, there will be another outfielder here. He’s a highly-recommended youngster out of San Francisco named Phil Marvier.
By then, too, Danny Holden may have cinched a starting spot in the outfield. The local boy, who’s been filling in for injured shortstop Jimmy Clark recently, has been getting his base hits.
ARNIE BENCHED
Arnie Hallgren, who has been in a protracted batting slump that’s starting to affect his fielding, too, was benched. Bob Duretto took over at shortstop for Clark, who pulled a muscle in Vancouver last week and still can’t run. Dick Greco was dropped from the cleanup spot to sixth, and Bob Wellman moved into the no. four slot.
The combination worked as the Caps took Yakima Bears into camp, 6-0, to move four game ahead of their second-place victims again. Brenner himself had much to do with the win. He was at his knuckling best as he gave up just five hits, all of them after the sixth inning, for his ninth win against four losses.
Bob Roberts will pitch for Vancouver tonight as the series winds up here. The Caps return home Friday for a double-header against Lewiston Broncs, with George Nicholas and possibly Pete Hernandez doing the pitching.
- - -
YAKIMA, Wash., June 23—Vancouver's Manager Bill Brenner held the Yakima Bears to five hits as the Capilanos widened their Western International League margin to four games over the Bears with 6-0 baseball Wednesday night.
The Capilanos sewed up the tilt in the third inning with four runs, all of them unearned.
It started with Nick Pesut getting an infield single. Dan Holden walked and K. Chorlton singled to centre to load the bases. Marv Williams was safe on an error, and one run was in.
Bob Wellman flied out, scoring the second run. Ken Richardson walked and Dick Greco singled, scoring two more.
Greco and Chorlton were both three-for-five, with Greco doubling twice to bring in two runs. Brenner and Richardson also doubled for the Caps, while the Bears were held only to singles. Brenner walked one and struck out three.
Vancouver ...... 004 001 001—6 13 1
Yakima ........... 000 000 000—0 5 3
Brenner and Pesut; Carmichael, Carter (9) and Summers.
SALEM [Tri-City Herald, June 24]—The Tri-City Braves and the Salem Senators go into the fourth and final game of the four-game series there today with Tri-City needing a win to break even.
Wednesday night, the Braves won the opening game of a twin bill, 6-1, and dropped the second game, 3-2.
When the Braves return here, they will play a four-game series with their “natural rivals.” The first game Friday night will be kid’s night. All high school youngsters and younger will be admitted free.
The games Friday will be 7:30 p m. Saturday the two teams will play a doubleheader and Sunday they will play a single game beginning at 5 p.m.
The early Sunday starting time is brought about by the necessity of leaving early for the long haul to Edmonton the following day.
Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor, pleased with the fan support given the team last weekend, said today he hopes the Tri-Citians won’t let them down this weekend.”
“We can see our way out of the woods,” he said, “but we are not out yet.”
The series is the last before a payroll comes due and before the Edmonton trip.
“If we can get a turnout like last weekend’s, I think we will be okay.” Taylor said. He added that if Tri-City can hold its own during the first half, “perhaps we can do something about getting players who can help us in the second half.”
Taylor said he thought the primary need was pitching, and the overall record would indicate that is the case. However, it wasn’t pitching, that hurt the Braves Wednesday night.
Jess Dobernic, the old vet, jerked up a good one in the seven-inning opener. Jess gave up a homer, his tenth of the season, but the Tri-City batting lineup off-set that with six runs.
The homer was one of three hits off Dobernic.
“He looked like Jess of Old,” playing manager Vanni said. “All he needs is some work and he is going to get it.”
In the second game, starter Dale Bloom gave up one unearned run before being taken out. Lefty Earl Lemieux then pitched until Salem scored with winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
Lemieux gave up a hit to Carl Bellotti to start the inning. Bellotti was sacrificed along and catcher Floyd Ogden was intentionally passed. Lemieux was taken out and Don Robertson took over.
The first batter got an infield hit and squeeze bunt brought Bellotti in from third.
Lemieux’s weak hitting cost him heavily in the game. Once he came to bat with the bases loaded and struck out.
* * *
Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni said today in Salem that pitcher Dale Bloom’s arm “tightened up a bit on him” in the game with the Senators Wednesday night, “but it is nothing serious.”
“I just wasn’t going to take any chance," Vanni said. “He is too valuable a man to the club.”
Vanni pulled Bloom in the third inning of the second game with the Senators although the pitcher was not in serious trouble. However, he gave indications that he was having arm trouble and Vanni replaced him with lefty Earl Lemieux.
Vanni said “I thought, the heck with it. I like to win games too but why let a pitcher throw his arm away for one game. He’s worth dough to the club and he has worked hard to get a crack at higher league ball. So I pulled him out.
“But he’ll be okay, now.”
Vanni said he will start Dale Thomason against Salem tonight and use Don Robertson against the Senators Friday night when they return to Sanders Field.
In the game Wednesday night, the Senators scored the tying run in the seventh inning when Lemieux threw a wild pitch.
“I don’t know where the kid got that one,” Vanni said. “Every once in a while these pitchers come up with some kind of a new pitch. That one cost him the game.”
But Vanni added, “It’s okay. He pitched darn good ball except for that one.”
* * *
The Tri-City Braves brought their roster up to the full 17 with the signing of Bill Tompkins, former Calgary pitcher.
The lefthander has pitched very little this season but is strongly recommended by former Calgary manager Gene Lilliard [sic].
This is his second season in professional baseball.
First Game
Tri-City ..... 500 001 0—6 10 1
Salem ....... 100 000 0—1 3 5
Dobernic and Warren; Del Sarto, Borst (1), Rayle (6) and Ogden.
Second Game
Tri-City ..... 000 002 000—2 8 2
Salem ....... 100 000 101—3 7 1
Bloom, Lemieux (3) Robertson (8) and Johnson, Warren (8); Johnson, Rayle (6) and Odgen, Scrivens ().
LEWISTON, June 23—Lewiston walked to a 10-3 victory Wednesday night as Victoria pitchers Joe Nicholas, Hal Flinn and Phil Page gave up 13 bases on balls in a wild Western International League game.
Nicholas, who was supposed to take over leadership of the Victoria mound staff, made his second start and didn't get past the first inning. The Broncs scored four times for all the runs they needed on four walks, a single and Clint Cameron's double. Flinn came in, gave up a run in the second then was knocked off the rubber in a five-run fifth that took 35 minutes to play.
Page stopped them tere but the Tyees could do nothing with Dean Kime, who scattered
seven hits while gaining his third victory against one defeat. Only one of Victoria's three runs was earned.
A bit of extra action was provided in the fifth when some rough play at second base brought players from both clubs to the centre of the diamond. The dispute was settled without too much damage being done.
Victoria ....... 000 000 021— 3 7 2
Lewiston ..... 410 050 00x—10 8 2
Nicholas, Flinn (1), Page (5) and Lundberg; Kime and Cameron.
EDMONTON, June 23—The Edmonton Eskimos handed Wenatchee its fifth straight loss, defeating the Chiefs, 10-5, in a Western International League game Wednesday.
Don Gigli and Bob Brown starred for Edmonton. Gigli homered with two aboard in the
Eskimos' four-run third inning. Brown contributed a bases-empty homer.
The loss dropped Wenatchee to fifth place, 8½ games off the pace.
Edmonton ....... 104 020 003—10 9 2
Wenatchee ..... 000 200 012— 5 8 1
Worth and Prentice; Beamon, Bowman (4) and Helmuth.
WIL Schedule Change Noted
TACOMA, June 23 — This is the official revised schedule for the Western International Baseball League, June 23 to July 5, according to Robert B. Abel, league president:
June 23-24 — Tri-City at Salem; Edmonton at Wenatchee; Vancouver at Yakima; Victoria at Lewiston.
June 25-26 — Lewiston at Vancouver.
June 25-26-27 — Salem at Tri-City; Victoria at Wenatchee; Edmonton at Yakima.
June 28-29-30 — Salem at Vancouver; Tri-City at Edmonton; Lewiston at Victoria; Yakima at Wenatchee.
July 1-2 — Tri-City at Edmonton.
July 1-2-3 — Yakima at Vancouver; Wenatchee at Victoria; Lewiston at Salem.
July 4-5 — Victoria at Tri-City; Vancouver at Salem; Edmonton at Lewiston; Wenatchee at Yakima.
Rainiers Obtain Three WIL Players
SEATTLE, June 23—(AP)—The Seattle Rainiers' management started to re-shuffle the roster of tne filth-place Coast League baseball club Wednesday and the first three cards it came up with were from the Western International League pack.
Dewey Soriano, general manager of the Rainiers, announced that players are being obtained from the Vancouver, Victoria and Wenatchee clubs.
K Chorlton, outfielder, who began his career with Seattle in 1950 after graduating from high school here, is being brought back from Vancouver in exchange for pitcher Pete Hernandez.
Chorlton flunked out with Seattle after going through spring training with the Rainiers. He has been hitting at a .380 clip for the Canadian club.
Joe Joshua, Negro fielder who also went through spring training with the Rainiers before going to Victoria, was the second man recalled.
The third is Lloyd Jenney, Wenatchee catcher and left handed batter who was been hitting at a .364 page for the Chiefs.
Hernandez has a 3-2 pitching record for Seattle this year, gained in his role of relief hurler.
Players Get New Jobs
SPOKANE, June 23—Sixteen players left without jobs when the Spokane Indians suspended operations this week are hooking on with other baseball clubs, manager Don Osborn said Wednesday.
Osborn said Larry Cummins, a free agent who joined the club on its last road trip, is the only player not yet signed. He said teams acquiring ether players will announce their choices.
The Spokane team dropped out of the League Monday after failure of a drive to raise funds to keep the club in business the remainder of the season.
Osborn said he will clean up the Indians’ business here, then take a job in the Philadelphia Phillies farm organization.
Ducey Hopes for Western Canada League Someday
EDMONTON, June 23 — John Ducey, manager of Edmonton Eskimos of the Western International Baseball League, has expressed hope that one day a Western Canada league might be formed, embracing such cities as Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Regina.
Addressing a service club here Tuesday night, Ducey said the idea of an all-Canadian baseball league strikes a responsive chord in most westerners. American cities, such as Spokane, were never very enthusiastic about playing in Canada.
He said it is hoped that both Calgary Stampeders and Spokane Indians, beset by financial difficulties this season, will return to the WIL next year. The two clubs withdrew from the league last Monday.
Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, June 24, 1954]
With the folding of two teams and the release of a manager or so, the semi-pro nines back east made a bigger haul than the teams in the Western International league.
When the Calgary Stampeders went under, all of the players were given releases, with the exception of Dennis Luby who belongs to Cleveland. Of that released group, almost all took off to Nova Scotia to play semi-pro ball at roughly $800 a month.
Tri-City’s hoped for deal for Harvey Storey also fell through and Storey has gone into semi-pro ball.
General manager Eddie Taylor tried to talk him out of it but Storey has played semi-pro before and is familiar with the risks — and the salaries.
All this information comes from Taylor, who has been busy sounding out the field on the possibility of getting some players. The one big fish he especially sought was John Anderson, former Spokane pitcher. Anderson belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies and Taylor tried to get him on option here.
They turned the deal down preferring to send Anderson to Schenectady in the Eastern League where they have a working agreement. Maybe it’s just as well. Anderson undoubtedly would have done something to help Tri-City’s lowly place in the standings but it’s getting to be [an] axiom of baseball that “he in the WIL who deals with the Phillies folds up.”
* * *
That Spokane Deal
Efforts to find out the wonderful procedure concerning disposal of the Spokane ballplayers and their status in relation to the Western International league amounted to nothing.
I really didn’t expect anything to happen and merely checked up just for the fun of it.
Specifically, the issue was this: It was pretty well-known throughout the league that all but three of the Spokane players belonged to the Philadelphia Phils through a working agreement. However, at the recent league meeting, league president Bob Abel, while discussing the situation, blandly said only two of the Philadelphia players were on option and that Spokane actually “owned” the rest of the group.
* * *
What Happened To Them?
Now ordinarily, when a team folds, the players are either taken over by the league and sold to pay any back debts, or given outright releases.
So the question was how about those Phillie players actually “owned” by Spokane? Why weren’t they put on the block so other teams could buy them? Or, if no one wanted them, why weren’t they released?
When these questions were put to Abel, they didn’t bring, what one would exactly call a direct answer. First off, he said it was seven players and not two optioned to the Phils.
Then he said, yes, the players could be sold and some of them have. Which ones? He didn’t remember. For how much? $4,000. Who bought them? The Phils.
Were other clubs given a chance to bid on them? Oh, yes, at the league meeting at Spokane.
Finally, it came out. It seems when Babe Hollingberry of Yakima put up $7,000 to pay the back salaries of the Spokane players, he received the following assurance he would get his money back: If Spokane folded, as it eventually did, the Phils would pay the league $4,000 for Wil Hafey, Eddie Murphy, and Virgil Giovannoni — the only three players the Phils didn’t have any real or working agreement control over. The rest of Hollingberry’s $7,000 was to come from the $3,100 each team must deposit with the national association before the season starts.
* * *
Control Stopped With Salaries
What about the others? Abel explained you would have to ask about some specific player via telegram before he could give an answer and the answer would apply only to that one player.
But then he added, “When I told Spokane manager Don Osborne to return and ordered that salaries no longer be paid, I could no longer exercize control over those players. I could not take it on myself to pay their salaries out of league money.”
So, as it was predicted in this column a week ago, the Phils came out landing on their feet. And took over Murphy, Hafey and Giovannoni, too.
* * *
That Day Is Slipping Away
What Abel and a lot of other old baseball men have soon to realize is that the day when eight guys with lots of money could form eight ball clubs and run them from the smoky rooms is fast slipping away. This club is owned by some 400 individuals and a lot of nice people kicked in $50 from the family budget to keep the club here.
It’s not only true here but in other places and clubs community owned are becoming the regular thing. As such those persons want to know what’s going on in the background and all 400 can’t attend league meetings or read league telegrams.
And who knows? Sunlight and air seems to be good out on the playing field. Maybe a little of it in the backrooms is just what the game needs.
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, June 24, 1954]
With the folding of two teams and the release of a manager or so, the semi-pro nines back east made a bigger haul than the teams in the Western International league.
When the Calgary Stampeders went under, all of the players were given releases, with the exception of Dennis Luby who belongs to Cleveland. Of that released group, almost all took off to Nova Scotia to play semi-pro ball at roughly $800 a month.
Tri-City’s hoped for deal for Harvey Storey also fell through and Storey has gone into semi-pro ball.
General manager Eddie Taylor tried to talk him out of it but Storey has played semi-pro before and is familiar with the risks — and the salaries.
All this information comes from Taylor, who has been busy sounding out the field on the possibility of getting some players. The one big fish he especially sought was John Anderson, former Spokane pitcher. Anderson belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies and Taylor tried to get him on option here.
They turned the deal down preferring to send Anderson to Schenectady in the Eastern League where they have a working agreement. Maybe it’s just as well. Anderson undoubtedly would have done something to help Tri-City’s lowly place in the standings but it’s getting to be [an] axiom of baseball that “he in the WIL who deals with the Phillies folds up.”
* * *
That Spokane Deal
Efforts to find out the wonderful procedure concerning disposal of the Spokane ballplayers and their status in relation to the Western International league amounted to nothing.
I really didn’t expect anything to happen and merely checked up just for the fun of it.
Specifically, the issue was this: It was pretty well-known throughout the league that all but three of the Spokane players belonged to the Philadelphia Phils through a working agreement. However, at the recent league meeting, league president Bob Abel, while discussing the situation, blandly said only two of the Philadelphia players were on option and that Spokane actually “owned” the rest of the group.
* * *
What Happened To Them?
Now ordinarily, when a team folds, the players are either taken over by the league and sold to pay any back debts, or given outright releases.
So the question was how about those Phillie players actually “owned” by Spokane? Why weren’t they put on the block so other teams could buy them? Or, if no one wanted them, why weren’t they released?
When these questions were put to Abel, they didn’t bring, what one would exactly call a direct answer. First off, he said it was seven players and not two optioned to the Phils.
Then he said, yes, the players could be sold and some of them have. Which ones? He didn’t remember. For how much? $4,000. Who bought them? The Phils.
Were other clubs given a chance to bid on them? Oh, yes, at the league meeting at Spokane.
Finally, it came out. It seems when Babe Hollingberry of Yakima put up $7,000 to pay the back salaries of the Spokane players, he received the following assurance he would get his money back: If Spokane folded, as it eventually did, the Phils would pay the league $4,000 for Wil Hafey, Eddie Murphy, and Virgil Giovannoni — the only three players the Phils didn’t have any real or working agreement control over. The rest of Hollingberry’s $7,000 was to come from the $3,100 each team must deposit with the national association before the season starts.
* * *
Control Stopped With Salaries
What about the others? Abel explained you would have to ask about some specific player via telegram before he could give an answer and the answer would apply only to that one player.
But then he added, “When I told Spokane manager Don Osborne to return and ordered that salaries no longer be paid, I could no longer exercize control over those players. I could not take it on myself to pay their salaries out of league money.”
So, as it was predicted in this column a week ago, the Phils came out landing on their feet. And took over Murphy, Hafey and Giovannoni, too.
* * *
That Day Is Slipping Away
What Abel and a lot of other old baseball men have soon to realize is that the day when eight guys with lots of money could form eight ball clubs and run them from the smoky rooms is fast slipping away. This club is owned by some 400 individuals and a lot of nice people kicked in $50 from the family budget to keep the club here.
It’s not only true here but in other places and clubs community owned are becoming the regular thing. As such those persons want to know what’s going on in the background and all 400 can’t attend league meetings or read league telegrams.
And who knows? Sunlight and air seems to be good out on the playing field. Maybe a little of it in the backrooms is just what the game needs.
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