Northwest League Formed From WIL

New 'Northwest' Baseball Loop Formed
Directors Set Rules At Yakima
[Tri-City Herald, Sunday, Oct. 24, 1954]
Directors of baseball teams formerly in the defunct Western International league met in Yakima Saturday and rapidly formed a new league to be known as the Northwest league.
The complete formation of the league merely awaits the return of incorporation papers which are expected to be back when the directors meet again in two weeks.
At that meeting, it will be determined whether the league will consist of six or eight teams and officers will be elected.
The present five teams are Tri-City, Salem, Wenatchee, Yakima and Lewiston. Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, and Howard Best, treasurer, attended Saturday's meeting.
Matheson outlined the league rules Saturday night after the groups broke up about 8 o'clock.
He said it was decided the new Northwest loop would:
1. Have a 16-player limit including the playing manager.
2. Cut the number of veteran ballplayers (those with more than three years experience) to five.
3. Forbid the paying of bonuses.
4. Put gate receipts on a home-and-home basis as was done last season.
5. Drop the league transportation pool.
6. Put a maximum limit of 11 days on spring training.
7. Forbid proxy voting at league meetings.
The decision on the size of the league basically boils down to which teams the other five want to accept. Representatives from Spokane, Tacoma, Coos Bay, Eugene, and Pendleton attended the meeting as well as Bob Fitsch, who represented the office of commissioner George Trautman, and Dewey Soriano, representing Vancouver.
Matheson said after league plans were outlined, and each of the interested groups spoke. Vancouver and Pendleton dropped out.
“Eugene is ready to go,” Matheson said, “and Tacoma and Coos Bay are ready to go. Spokane must get more information. As I understand it, they would have to play
games in the colusium there and they have to check and see if it is feasible.”

Western Cities Form New League
YAKIMA, Wash., Oct. 24 (UP) — United States teams of the now defunct Western International Baseball League met here and organized a new eight-team loop.
Owners of the Yakima, Wenatchee and Tri-City, Wash., Salem, Ore., and Lewiston, Idaho, teams all were members of the Class A WIL. They were joined by representatives from Spokane, and Tacoma, Wash, both of which were former WIL members, and Eugene and Coos Bay, Ore.
Babe Hollingberry, acting as chairman of the session, said another meeting will be held here Nov. 6 for formal formation of the now Class B league, to be known as the Northwest League.
Salaries will be held to a $4,600 limit, no bonuses, Hollingberry said. Each team will be allowed no more than five veterans, compared with eight or nine in the WIL this year.
Vancouver, B. C., a former WIL member, refused to enter the new league.

Class B Loop Formed In Northwest Pacific
YAKIMA, Wash., Nov. 8—(AP)—Six former members of the old class A Western International Baseball league signed articles Saturday to form the class B Northwest league with three other teams bidding for the two vacancies remaining.
Teams signing the articles of incorporation were Wenatchee, Saem, Yakima, Lewiston, Tri-City and Spokane. The six teams were member of the now defunct WIL this year but Spokane dropped out in mid-season because of financial difficulties
Two other teams will be selected from applications by Missoula, Mont., Eugene and Tacoma. Because of distance, Missoula is the likely loser.

New Northwest Loop Okayed
HOUSTON, Tex., Dec. 1 — (AP) —The Class B Northwest League, replacing the Class A Western International, has the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues and will start operating Jan. 10, President Arthur Pohlman said Wednesday.
President George M. Trautman of the minor leagues, in convention here, put his O. K. on the new circuit and said it could start as a six-club league and add two members later if it desired.
Pohlman said Eugene and Salem, Oregon; Lewiston, Idaho, and Yakima, Kennewick-Pasco-Richland and Spokane, Wash., made up the league and Tacoma and Wenatchee, Wash., had applied for membership.