WIL Baseball — 1954

Northwest League Formed From WIL

2008-09-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Top WIL Pitcher Called Up to PCL

2008-09-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Seattle Signs Brenner As Pitcher and Coach
Ex-Cap Manager’s Knuckle Ball Figured To Win in Coast Loop
[Vancouver Province, Oct. 23, 1954]
CLARKSTON, Wash.—Can Bill Brenner win as a pitcher in the Coast League?
Baseball people have been saying for three seasons that he can, and Dewey Soriano thinks he should get a chance to prove it.
The Seattle general manager will announce this weekend that he has signed Brenner, his Vancouver Capilanos counterpart last summer, to pitch for the Rainiers in 1955. Brenner will also likely double as a coach, but Soriano says he’s leaving that up to Freddie Huthcinson, his field manager.
NOT ANY WORSE
Brenner, now 34, has had offers before to try out his tantalizing knuckle ball in Coast League company, but as a general manager in the Western International League, he couldn’t afford to accept the offers.
But with the Vancouver WIL entry folded up and the city’s Coast League prospects just that, Brenner was temporarily “at liberty.” So when Soriano made him an attractive offer, he grabbed it. Brenner, who managed Vancouver to a pennant in the season just passed, will continue to handle the Caps’ affairs until the end of the year.
Soriano is convinced the big righthander, whose brilliant and tricky knuckleball made him one of the WIL’s top pitchers for three years, can win in the Coast League—and as a starting pitcher, too.
“I’ve watched Bill for three years,” Soriano told The Province recently,” and I’m sure he can do better than some of the pitchers currently in the Coast League.”
AND FOUR MORE
Brenner, who turned to pitching seriously at Lewiston in 1952 after a dozen years as a catcher, won 64 games in his thee years on the mound, he had 21 and 22 wins for Lewiston, and won 21 for the Caps this summer.
Four of the players Brenner bossed to the ’54 WIL pennant will probably get a chance to join him on the 1955 Rainiers. Look for Marv Williams, the league’s top hitter, shortstop Jimmy Clark, outfielder K Chorlton and pitcher Pete Hernandez to be at the Rainiers’ training camp next spring.

Vancouver Looks Ahead to PCL

2008-09-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

MEETING SET FOR THURSDAY
Oakland’s Brick Laws Is the ‘Mr. X’ Who Might Bring Coast League Baseball Here
[Vancouver Province, Oct. 12, 1954]
The mysterious Pacific Coast League baseball franchise holder who’s coming to town this week to discuss a possible move to Vancouver was identified today.
Emil Sick, Seattle Rainier owner, said Brick Laws, president of the Oakland Acorns, would accompany him to Vancouver for Thursday’s meeting with Mayor Fred Hume and other civil leaders.
A story in the Seattle P.I. today quoted Sick as saying “Laws and I represent the league in investigating Vancouver a a possible Coast League city.”
But, the story said, “the strongest indications are that Laws himself is interested in moving the Oaks to Vancouver.”
There’s another current league franchise holder who may be interested in Vancouver’s Coast League possibilities, too. An Associated Pres report out of Sacramento said that Eddie Mulligan, president of the Solons, would accompany Sick to Vancouver. Mulligan, however, denied it.
Laws has long been recognized as a top baseball executive. He gambled $40,000 to hire Chuck Dressen as his manager for the past season. Dressen led his club from seventh place in 1953 to third, and the Oaks won the Governor’s Cup in the playoffs.

Coast Ball In Vancouver? We’ll Have To Battle For It
Coast League Not Wooing Us, Say Emil Sick, Laws
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Oct. 15, 1954]
Brick Laws threw Vancouver the ball on the Pacific Coast League baseball question Thursday, and Mayor Fred Hume caught it and ran. He didn’t run very far and some of the grandstand quarterbacks thought he ran too cautiously.
But His Worship, although not committing himself or the city fathers to anything, did accept the suggestion of Laws, president of the Oakland team, to this extent: he said, privately, after Thursday’s luncheon in Hotel Vancouver, that he would think about the whole question seriously and organize a committee next week.
The mayor should have quite a dossier of suggested names for the committee next week. He left the meeting with the drums beating loudly for such local sportsmen as Coley Hall and, of course, Bob Brown, both at yesterday’s meeting; Jack Diamond; George Norgan, who’s selling out his Portland Coast League interests; Chuck Charles; and Stan Smith, if he’s recovered from his B.C. Empire Games chairmanship duties.
There were suggestions, too, something like San Francisco’s [word unreadable] “little corporation” might be formed. There, $60,000 worth of stock was sold to the “little people,” who then went out and supported the ball team because they had a financial interest in it.
Civic Enterprise
And, of course, B.C. Lions’ setup was discussed. Their pre-season ticket sale gave them as assured attendance of some 9000 people per game, and also helped create a civic spirit that wouldn’t let rain, hail or the Lions’ record keep them away.
As Bob Brown said, “The day of the one-man operation in baseball is over. A baseball team, in so many places, has now become a civic enterprise.”
Purpose of the committee, as Laws had pointed out earlier Thursday, would be to provide concrete evidence to the Coast League directors that Vancouver is anxious to keep them company.
Laws, who emphasized he was not necessarily prepared to move his own franchise here, reiterated in the meeting what he had earlier told The Province: if Vancouver can sit down with coast directors and show them we have an adequate ball park and parking facilities, can offer a reasonable rental deal, and can guarantee that the club would do $300,000 worth of business for two years, they’d have to give us serious consideration.
Sunday Baseball!
An adequate ball park would have to seat from 10,000 to 12,000 (the capacity now, 6500), would require a roof over the grandstand at least, and the parking lot would have to be blacktopped. Estimated cost? Emil Sick, president of the Seattle Rainiers, who brought Laws up here, said “the whole thing wouldn’t cost more than $200,000.”
Sunday baseball was discussed, too. Mr. Sick said it would be “a big help” for us to have it, but when Coley Hall said he didn’t think it was necessary, no one argued with him too strenuously. Feeling seems to be that the Sunday ball angle is incidental.
Laws, a medium-sized sandy haired man who looks like a younger version of Brown (he’s 52), and who talks like he’d be right at home in the locker room, also repeated what he’d said earlier: that he was very impressed with our city and our people. “This is easily a Coast League town,” he said.
A Quick Return
Both he and sick stressed that we’d “have to battle to get a franchise”—that the Coast League wasn’t after us.
Mayor Hume, showing some fancy footwork, thanks Sick for his help in bringing Laws up here and in organizing Thursday’s meeting and added that “it seems to me, with [a few words unreadable] support—this thing is possible.”
Sick, equally adept at broken field running, replied that he’s certainly help all that he could, but “of course one organization can’t own two franchises in the same league.” His brewery, of course, backed the Seattle Rainiers and the defunct Vancouver Capilanos for some time.
Besides Laws and Sick, visiting basemen men included Torchy Torrance, vice president of the Seattle club; Freddy Hutchinson, currently an unemployed baseball manager, and Dewey Soriano, general manager at Seattle.
City Hall was represented beside Mayor Hume by aldermen Cornett, Orr and Cunningham.

Vancouver Eyes Solons
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 11— Eddie Mulligan, president of the Sacramento Solons, said Thursday night he had received an enticing offer to move the Pacific Coast League club to Vancouver, B.C. and that he would put the proposition before Solon stockholders next week.
Mulligan said he had met in Vancouver businessman and sports enthusiast. Hall has been seeking a baseball team for the Canadian city which lost its Western International League team when the loop went out of business this fall
The Solon president said he told Hall “our first loyalty is to Sacramento” but “I was but one of a group of stockholders and could not speak for the entire Solon family.”

WIL Death Fallout

2008-09-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dewey Wants PCL Berth For Our Leagueless Caps
By ERWIN SWANGARD
(Sun Sports Editor)
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 28, 1954]
NEW YORK—Dewey Soriano, vice president of Vancouver Capilano Baseball Club, expressed hope here Monday a Pacific Coast club will shift its franchise to the British Columbia city.
Soriano, general manager of Seattle Rainiers, parent organization of Caps, was shocked and disappointed when told the Western International League, of which Caps are a member, has decided to call it quits.
Soriano said “at present, I don’t know of any Coast League club which plans to shift a franchise. But with the situation clearing in Vancouver something may develop.
“A Coast League club in Vancouver would mean healthy, keen rivalry between Seattle and Vancouver and the fans would be given the type of baseball they so richly deserve.”
* * *
Soriano arrived here late Monday night from Cleveland where he had discussions with the management of the American League pennant winners.
He was general manager of the Caps in 1953.
“It seems inconceivable to me the WIL clubs didn’t find a way of meeting difficulties in order to continue a league which has meant so much to the Pacific Northwest,” he said.
“I am definitely of the opinion the suggestion to operate a Class C league wouldn’t be the answer, especially not in Vancouver.
“It would be tough to sell such a low brand of baseball to Vancouver where the fans have become used to watching a top-notch grade A calibre and deserve it.
“As soon as I get back from the World Series and have an opportunity to discuss the situation with Capilano president Tom English, we will find out what can be done to salvage top grade professional baseball for Vancouver.
“We all know 1954 was an unusual year. Every club on the coast from the Coast League to minor amateur baseball suffered from adverse weather,
“We have to keep in mind that Vancouver, over the last couple of years, as become a major athletic centre on the North American continent.
“We had the British Empire Games, we have major league football in the Lions, the grade of hockey is second only to the National league, baseball must keep up.

Keith Matthews
SPORTS HERALD
[Vancouver News-Herald, Sept. 28, 1954]
Another Way To Skin The Kitten
Robert Abel, a learned gentleman who leads the Western International baseball league as its president, who one had found political ambitions in the state of Washington. He knows, in other words, that in order to skin a cat, there is more than the one way to arrive at that end.
On the past weekend, Edmonton—the unwashed brother, the unwanted member of the family, so to speak—must have shocked the bejabbers out of WIL directors by threatening to sue if any attempt were made to eliminate the franchise from another season of operation.
That immediately threw the meeting into a state of confusion—a state without which no WIL gathering would feel homey.
We are not suggesting that Abel, or any other, had an ulterior motive in the final decision to dissolve. We are saying, however, that Edmonton’s wish to remain, more or less forced the league to get out from under—at least for the time being.
Now, there is nothing to prevent those within the league who wish to continue, to regroup their forces for 1955 and thereby arrive at the same solution which was originally intended—that of eliminating Edmonton.
What happens to Vancouver in the transition remains to be seen.
Bill’s Booster For Better Ball
The possibility of a Pacific Coast League franchise has been mentioned and there is more in this than just gossip.
It is a fact, for instance, that both Oakland and Sacramento, can be bought for not too rambunctious price. The problem here is how much does Vancouver want that type of baseball, and can we support it?
Against a venture into the Coast League which, of course, would necessitate greater overhead, is the profit and loss statement of past years’ operation in the Class A WIL.
We are told that Vancouver lost $53,000, give or take a dollar or twenty-five, in 1954. It will take an overtime shift or two to cap the bottles which will return the brewery the lost expense. Money, then, is the most powerful agitator against an operation which, from the start, would automatically increase the budget.
For such a move is the growth of Vancouver itself and the magnificent comparative record achieved by the B.C. Lions in the city’s first try at a major league sport.
Bill Brenner, being of sound mind and able body, he sez, believes the time has indeed arrived when Vancouver must think in terms of Coast League baseball. For this reason, Bill is not even remotely interested in a return to the WIL, even if it adopts a new face.
Maybe Price of Beer Will Go Up
Now that we are on the Brenner subject, let the records show that he was a greatly disillusioned young man at the conclusion of this season.
Bill brought a championship to Vancouver in the year ’54. It was his second but unlike 1947 when a fledgling manager named Brenner excited an entire city with his victory, nobody cared about this one.
It has been said before the reason simply must be that our town has outgrown the Wenatchees and the Lewistons and the Yakimas.
Let them, if they will reorganize and play in their cracker-box ball parks.
Let the Capilanos, meanwhile, move into a more fitting habitation, at the risk of seeing the price of the beloved beer raised if it is still the only answer.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 28, 1954]

Now that the Western International league has gone through with the expected dissolution and plans have been made by the five U. S. teams, to form a new loop, it is time to talk of who shall head this geographically tighter organization.
Already, some candidates have been mentioned: Babe Hollingberry of Yakima, Arthur Pohlman of Wenatchee, Bob Brown of Vancouver, and Bob Abel of Tacoma. Presumably, Abel’s job with the former Western International league ends with the dissolution of the league.
This is not a “kick him out” move on my part since there is no real objection here to Abel as a personality and administrator, but because of other circumstances, the league should consider a change in leadership.
Abel is presently handicapped in the operation of the league by several things. Under the old set-up, since Tacoma did not have a team in the league, he may have lost some contact with the organization. This itself is not too serious and there is a strong possibility Tacoma will have a team in the new organization.
Most important is, if the league is going to have adequate rules and safeguards and have them enforced, it will call for the services of a full-time man, a man familiar with all aspects of the league, one who is not afraid to crack down on violators, and one who can get around to the various cities entered and do a little tub-thumping.
* * *
A Plug For Luby
Which brings us up to the point of the issue. Personally, I am beating the drums for Hugh Luby, Salem manager last year.
Presumably, if one proposes a candidate, he should have some reason for doing so. Okay, here are some reasons. First off, Hugh has been running the league most of the time anyway. Secondly, He knows all the ins and outs of the league. Third, he is well familiar with all aspects of baseball. Fourth, he has had front office experience in conducting the job of running the Salem front office. Fifth he is the kind of character liked by all those who know him.
* * *
He Would Take It
The question is would he take the job if it were offered. This business of plugging Hugh for league president isn’t any thing new with me so when Salem played its final series of the season here I backed him off in the corner and asked him.
“Sure, I would take it,” Luby said, “if they organize the league so there is some sense to it. And the setup would have to be such that a guy could operate. You couldn’t run things with your hands tied.”
But Hugh also made it clear he wouldn’t operate out of the generosity of his heart or just because he loves the dear old game of baseball and the WIL.
“How much moola,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye.
I told him he could rassle with the league brass on that issue but at least it’s another point in his favor. A guy on a salary is going to do something to earn it.
I’ll let the case rest.
* * *
Prairie Loop Plan Laid
The move to eliminate Edmonton long has been based on the idea that the Canadian prairie city would be better off in a league of its own made up with towns and team coming from the areas where natural rivalry has been built up through football and hockey.
The idea is not one of the American faction’s. Canadian sportwriters have long been calling for such a league. Recently, the strong prairie semi-pro league made up of five towns in Canada asked five other towns to send entries to a winter meeting.
Included on the invited list were Edmonton and Calgary and it is possible a move may be made to form a professional baseball league from there.

WIL is Finished

2008-09-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Western International May Operate With U.S. Clubs
SEATTLE, Sept. 27—(UP)—The Western International Baseball League was formally dissolved yesterday, in what seemed an inevitable end after a season of chronic financial crisis.
However, moments after the meeting ended, owners of the Wenatchee, Yakima and Tri-Cities clubs in Washington, and the Salem, Ore., and Lewiston, Ida., teams, met in informal session, intent on the idea of forming a professional baseball league to operate in 1955, founded on those five teams.
Bob Abel, president of the Class A loop, said formal dissolution was decided upon because, specifically, "of the absolute refusal of the teams in the states to play in the league with Edmonton, the sole franchise holder in Alberta, Canada. “It was just impractical, for the American teams to make the long journey to Edmonton.”
Calgary, Alta., was a former member of the WIL, but dropped out, as did Victoria, B.C., and Spokane, because of financial inability to operate. Vancouver, B. C. was the only other Canadian team still in the league at the end of the past season.
Babe Hollingbery, Yakima, was designated as temporary chairman of the informal group of five teams. They will meet again Oct. 23 in Yakima.
The league board of directors and franchise holders set Dec. 15, 1954 as the formal dissolution date “to protect the present franchise owners on all their player contracts,” Abel said.

Caps Minus A League, As W.I. Loop Bows Out
Move Surprises Local Club; Financial Hurdles Too High
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 27, 1954]
Vancouver’s position in professional baseball is uncertain today. The Western International League voted to put itself out of business Sunday by folding the league.
Though no one cares to admit it, the action was the result of two things—though those two things could be summed up in one word: Money.
This last season has not been a particularly happy one for the WIL. The setup started out with 10 teams, ended up with seven—and none of these seven made anyone millionaires. Spokane, Calgary and Victoria all chucked it in before the season was over.
But probably the direct reason the league directors decided to write “the end” to the Class “A” WIL was of the long travelling distances to Edmonton. Salem, for instance, had to travel 800 miles to get to the Alberta city. The thing that hurt the most, though, was Edmonton was probably the biggest drawing club in the circuit.
Travel Tough
The obvious step, it would seem was to boot Edmonton out of the league.
“Try it,” general manager John Ducey had warned earlier during the season, “and we’ll sue.” Under the WIL constitution, Ducey could sue the WIL if they gave Edmonton the heave-ho—so they disbanded the league, effective Dec, 15 instead.
Apparently four clubs (two of them were Lewiston and Tri-City) made no secret they wanted Edmonton out. After a seven-hour meeting, the vote was 5-0 to terminate the WIL. Vancouver and Edmonton—who had refused a request to withdraw—abstained.
President Bob Abel of Tacoma then issued the statement: “The WIL formally resolved to dissolve the corporate organization as of Dec. 15, 1954.” And then the wheels started turning.
Babe Nominated
There was an immediate move to start another loop in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The move was led by Salem, Wenatchee, Yakima, Lewiston and Tri-City. A temporary committee under chairman Babe Hollingbery, president of the Yakima Bears, was set up to dig into the possibility of a new eight-team league.
One report said “the committee will contact interests in cities reported interested in gaining a franchise. Cities named were Tacoma, Spokane, Eugene, Coos Bay and VANCOUVER.”
Reason for keeping the league officially in operation until Dec. 15 is to protect the interest of the club owners. If the league were officially closed now the players would become free agents and could accept positions where they liked, a major item when the draft system starts in not too many years.
Won Three Flags
Tommy English, president of the Capilanos, told The Province from Seattle:
“Obviously, it’s too early to make any plans yet. We don’t know just where we stand. We didn’t expect this when we came to Seattle.”
The WIL came into existence in1937, with Vancouver a charter member. The club was known as the Maple Leafs then and played in what is now Callister Park, but was then Con Jones. In 1939, Bob Brown took over and the Capilanos moved into Athletic Park. The league folded from 1943 to 1945 because of the war.
In the middle of the 1951 season the Caps moved into their new home at Capilano Stadium. Three times, in 1942 under Don Osborn, and 1947 and again this last season, under Bill Brenner, the local team ahs won the WIL championship.

City May Lose Pro Baseball
WIL Disbands In December
Travel Difficulties Given As Reason For Dissolution
[Vancouver News-Herald, September 27, 1954]
Vancouver may be without professional baseball next summer for the first time since 1946. Directors of the Class A Western International League Sunday voted to dissolve the organization, effective December 15, 1954.
The meeting in Seattle was attended by representatives of each of the seven clubs, along with president Robert Abel.
Five of the delegates voted in favour of dissolution with Vancouver and Edmonton declining to cast a ballot.
Tom English, president of the Vancouver Capilanos Baseball club, attended the meeting and told The News-Herald he was still hopeful of operating next season.
Said English, “There is still a possibility that there will be professional baseball here next summer. I can’t say at this time what class it will be, but I do know it won’t be any lower than Class A.”
At the same time, English clarified Bill Brenner’s position with the club. Brenner will remain on the payroll indefinitely as general manager.
MAY MOVE UP
The News-Herald learned that if there is no professional baseball here next year, Brenner has an excellent chance of becoming manager of the Seattle Rainiers of the Coast League. Jerry Priddy, who handled the club this year, was released recently.
What would happen to Capilano Stadium should there be no baseball is still a deep mystery. The stadium was build three years ago at a cost of half a million dollars and baseball was counted upon to bear the brunt of the cost.
Although the 1954 Vancouver Capilanos went to considerable expense to build a championship team, it attracted only 55,000 fans, an all-time low. Capilanos won the first half schedule and then beat out Lewiston Broncs in straight games to capture the Western International League pennant.
LOWER CALIBRE
Following the dissolution of the league, Salem, Wenatchee, Tri-City, Yakima and Lewiston directors gathered and designated Babe Hollingbery of Yakima as temporary chairman of a committee to form a new professional baseball loop in the U.S. northwest.
Should the circuit become a reality, it would be of lower calibre since any Class A League must boast a total population of a minimum of one million people.
However, several directors are still hopeful of reviving the WIL, thus the season [sic] for the late date of the dissolution.
The league directors issued the following statement through president Abel:
“The WIL formally resolved to dissolve the corporation organization as of Dec. 1, 1954.”
LONG TRIPS
The resolution, Abel said, was the outgrowth of a discussion centering around the impracticality of travel between the U.S. entries and Edmonton.
The trip to Edmonton represented a 550-mile jaunt for the closest team, Lewiston, alone. For the other five members the mileage was even more, with Salem required to make an 800-mile trip to play at Edmonton.
Under the disbanding date on Dec. 15, the owners of the clubs in the WIL would be protected on their player contracts under rules of the National Association of Minor Leagues.
Although Abel denied the financials situation of the teams in the WIL was the reason for the dissolution it was generally believed that red ink was a dominating factor.

Sea of Red Ink Drowns WIL Ball
Caps’ Future Very Cloudy As Loop Folds
Special to The Vancouver Sun
[Monday September 27, 1954]
SEATTLE—After two years of floundering helplessly in a sea of red ink, the Western International Baseball League has decided to abandon ship.
In a Seattle meeting over the week end WIL directors voted to disband December 15, 1954.
Meeting was attended by one member from each of the seven clubs and league president Bob Abel. Five delegates voted for dissolution. Vancouver and Edmonton did not cast ballots.
NEW LEAGUE
Resolution was an outgrowth of a discussion concerning the impracticality of travel between the U.S. entries and Edmonton.
The closest U.S. team, Lewiston, had to travel 550 miles in their Edmonton trips. Rest of the teams travelled further, with Salem having the longest trip, 800 miles.
There was an immediate move by five of the teams, Salem, Wenatchee, Yakima, Lewiston and Tri-City, to start another league in the Pacific Northwest. Brand of ball will be lower than Class “A”.
Babe Hollingbery, president of the Yakima Bears, who was named chairman of a committee to dig into the possibility of getting eight teams together.
CAPS TOO?
Hollingbery said directors of the five teams involved have scheduled a meeting for next month and will make concrete plans to the proposal seems advisable.
Plans are sketchy at this point, although it was determined that any league formed should have eight teams.
Vancouver Caps, 1954 champions of the WIL, have been mentioned as one of the teams which would be included in the tentative league.
What will happen to Cap Stadium if there is no pro baseball next year is still unknown. The three-year-old, half-million dollar ball park was built with the idea of having the ball team pay for it.
ALL-TIME LOW
Caps had an excellent class “A” ball club this year but not even their great work on the diamond could stop the fans from staying away. An all-time low of 55,000 fans clicked stadium turnstiles this year.
Disbanding of the league has been expected for some while, led by the bankruptcy of three clubs. The WIL started in the spring as a 10-team league. It ended the season with seven teams. Spokane, Calgary and Victoria bowed out because of financial embarrassment.
Both Hollingbery and Abel denied financial condition of teams was the reason for the dissolution. But it is generally believed red ink was the dominant factor.
League nearly collapsed early in the season when most clubs—Vancouver excluded—had trouble paying their way.
TICKET MEN
It was reported later in the second half of the season that more U.S. clubs were on the verge of dropping out of the league. One club was said to have relief pitchers taking tickets at the game to save cost of extra help.
“The WIL feels it was handicapped by the weather and adverse publicity it got from the teams not finishing the season,” Hollingbery said.
If Vancouver refuses to join the proposed Pacific Northwest league and if they do not get a chance at Pacific Coast league ball, it will be the first season since 1946 Vancouver has not been represented.
Fate of Vancouver’s popular manager Bill Brenner is undecided but he still is the choice of Cap brass as general manager. If Vancouver doesn’t have professional baseball, big Bill may get a chance at the held of parent Seattle Rainiers.

Elimate WIL from Vancouver

2008-09-01T19:06:00.001-07:00

FOLLOW THE SUN
With ERWIN SWANGARD
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 25, 1954]
It’s Vancouver’s tragedy that this city of ours, possessor of one of the finest minor league baseball plants in North America, should be condemned to membership in the Western International League—without fear of challenge the leading bush league in George Trautman’s vast domain of minor leagues.
This revolting and for Vancouver humiliating situation has never been more evident than today on the eve of the annual WIL meeting in Seattle today.
Just what could come from this meeting is wide open to speculation.
It could be that the confab will mark the last rites for the WIL as we have known it for a number of years.
It could be that some of the little towns with the little men who head clubs will form a new league and play among themselves in Class C competition.
The club owners will cry about the adverse weather which cut their crowds and made them lose money.
They’ll Blame Abel, Too
Some will accuse others of spending to much money on players which as a result produced great pots of red ink.
Others again will blame president Robert Abel, the Tacoma law purveyor.
But one thing is sure not a single club official will look into the hotel mirror and say: “You’re to blame.”
Even if the WIL is a bush league the owners didn’t have to behave like bush leaguers.
The yapping emenating from various WIL centres since the season closed is absolutely disgraceful.
Club officials didn’t even have the common sense of keeping their grievances—if they are such—to themselves and air them in the comparative privacy of Sunday’s conference room.
Lewiston directors popped off and demanded Edmonton and Vancouver be kicked out of the league.
Tri-City followed suit.
Now Wenatchee comes along and wants Abel fired.
Not only do the Chiefs want Abel fired but they have the man to succeed him.
You guessed it—a Wenatchee man.
As I say it’s difficult to predict what will happen on Sunday.
But somehow one comes to the reluctant conclusion that, perhaps, Vancouver would do better off to get out and let the little towns with the little men play a little baseball among themselves.
It has been our contention for several years that Vancouver fans would prefer to watch local semi-pros in action than the hired men from such hamlets as Lewiston, Yakima, Wenatchee, and Tri-City, etc.
A Baseball Tragedy
Of course, it’s ridiculous that we should not be in the Pacific Coast League.
Obviously that will never come about until we can enjoy Sunday baseball.
Therein lies the tale of our baseball tragedy.

WIL Brass In Seattle; Meet May Wax Hot
SEATTLE, Sept. 26—The Western International Baseball League will meet today in Seattle to discuss plans for 1955 and at least two member teams will file for the divorce of Edmonton.
Arguing that the long haul to the Alberta oil capital is too expensive Lewiston and Tri-City said they would seek a more compact loop. Tri-City also wants Vancouver, B.C. included out.
The league has lost three cities— Spokane Calgary and Victoria— this year will be seeking some plan to bolster the remaining teams few of which did more than break even in 1954.
Several sports writers around the league have urged the loop to drop from Class A to a lower classification in order to obtain younger players and lower more easily-met payrolls.
Club officials in most cases have said they would insist upon retaining the A classification.
But there will be a strong move to place a limit on the number of veterans permitted each team and to lop off bonus payments to [unreadable] old players.
The loss of three teams left the WIL seven-club circuit. Those in the States have become community projects funded by public subscriptions. Most of these appear anxious to continue the league even if it means a slight annual loss.
There were indications Friday night that the Sunday meeting may not be one of smiling faces. It shaped up in advance as anything but a harmonious get together.
Red Burnett, secretary of the Wenatchee Chiefs issued this implied warning.
Actions taken on league policies at the Sunday meeting will determine whether Wenatchee will operate in the WIL in 1955.
Burnett’s words apparenty were an offshoot of an announced Wenatchee decision to seek the removal of Bob Abel of Tacoma as president.
The Chiefs directors planning then stand at the meeting here heatedly denied they had mentioned the name of Arthur Pohlman, former president of the Wenatchee club as a possible successor to Abel.
The Chiefs said they had suggested in letters to all members of the loop that the present officials be replaced and that they had a man in mind for the job.
But they said they had not mentioned Pohlman.

Eliminate Vancouver (and Edmonton) From WIL

2008-09-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Lewiston Asks Removal of Caps, Esks From WIL
LEWISTON, Sept. 17—Directors of the Lewiston Broncs of the Western International League Thursday passed a resolution aimed at cutting Vancouver and Edmonton from the league circuit next season.
They gave no reasons for the proposal, heard as business manager Tom Tabor handed in his resignation and President James B. McMonigle indicated he would quit office as son as matters were cleared up for the season.
At the lengthy meeting, the directors drew up a program of changes which they feel must be made if the financially-sick WIL is to survive. (The league is scheduled to meet in Seattle Sept. 26).
The changes included:
1. Retention of Class A baseball in the league.
2. Limit on player experience with restrictions on the number of “old timers” and return to younger players.
3. Working agreements between Pacific Coast League teams and the WIL.
4. Elimination of “bonus” payments to veterans of PCL and other “old timers.”
5. Return to the 60-40 split of gate receipts between host and visiting clubs, respectively.
6. Operation of the league without Edmonton and possibly Vancouver next season.
During the discussion on club finances, which appeared gloomy for the second-half champions, McMonigle said he thought each of the surviving WIL clubs would lose at least $20,000 for the 1954 season.
In addition, the directors passed a motion opposing play with Edmonton in 1955,
During the discussion on club finances, which appeared gloomy for the second-half champions, McMonigle said he thought each of the surviving WIL clubs would lose at least $20,000 for the 1954 season.
J. Harry Hughes, one of the Lewiston directors, said he feels Edmonton is just too far from other League teams.
“The people up there are wonderful and we love to play there, but there is a big physical and financial strain involved in the long trip,” he said.
“And then there’s no Sunday baseball in Canadian cities and it makes it very difficult to draw up a balanced schedule.
Hughes said “the same thing applies to a lesser degree” in Vancouver.
“Our position there is contingent on just how those folks feel about it,” he said. “I heard they may have their sights set a little higher perhaps with a few to some future changes in the Coast League.”
- - -
EDMONTON, Sept. 17—The resolution passed by Lewiston Broncs aimed at excluding Edmonton and Vancouver from the Western International Baseball League is “thinking of the Lewiston baseball club only,” Edmonton manager John Ducey said Friday.
The resolution “will have no bearing on the future of the WIL, which will be decided at a meeting of the directors in Seattle Sept. 26,” Mr. Ducey said.

Tri-City Not For Caps
KENNEWICK, Sept. 20—The owners of the Tri-City Braves of the Western International League decided Monday night to push at a league meeting in Seattle Sunday for dropping Vancouver and Edmonton from the league next year.
Harold Matheson, president of the board of the Tri-City Athletic Club, owners of the Braves, said the distance factor was the primary consideration in the Braves’ decision to ask for the elimination of the Eskimos.
In Vancouver’s case, he said it was his feeling that the Capilanos would drop out of their own volition. He gave no reasons but there have been indications the Braves feel Vancouver wants to be a member of the Pacific Coast League or nothing.
Matheson also said he will plug for the following things at the Seattle meeting:
Continuance of the WIL as a Class A loop.
A 60-40 gate receipt split instead of the present method whereby the home team takes all.
A 16-player limit for each team with no more than eight veterans to a squad.
Matheson said the association decided to field a team if at all possible next year, depending on action taken by the league.
The Braves, Matheson said, were near the financial break-even point as of Sept. 15.

From Our Tower
By DICK BEDDOES
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 22, 1954]
LEWISTON BRONCS and Tri-City Braves favour booting Vancouver Caps out of the ailing Western International Baseball League. They completely disregard history which records Vancouver as a charter member of the WIL and the league’s strongest centre in years of crisis. The WIL disregarding the Caps in these troubling times is like cutting out your heart because you have ulcers.

1954 All Stars

2008-08-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Five Caps On All-Stars
LEWISTON, Idaho, Sept. 13—The Vancouver Capilanos, new Western International League champions, dominated the 1954 WIL all-star roster released here by league president Robert Abel.
The season ended here Sunday night as Vancouver, winner of the first half title of the split schedule, defeated Lewiston Broncs in the fourth straight came of the best-of-seven playoffs.
The team:
Pitchers—Al Yaylian, Lewiston; Bill Brenner, Vancouver; and Jon Briggs, Salem.
Catcher—Lon Simmons, Yakima.
First base—Harry Warner, Salem.
Second base—Marv Williams, Vancouver.
Third base—Harvey Storey, Salem-Lewiston.
Shortstop—Jim Clark, Vancouver.
Outfielders—Al Heist, Lewiston; K Chorlton, Vancouver, and Ed Murphy, Vancouver.
Manager—Hugh Luby, Salem.

Week’s Work
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 18, 1954]
THURSDAY—Good news for baseball fans here is that the Capilano brewery, despite rumors to the contrary, has decided to continue to operate the ball club … Missed in the year-end rush was the news that there was one release handed out by Caps’ general manager Bill Brenner … Veteran lefty John Cordell got his pink slip … And if you’re wondering how Eddie Murphy got on the WIL all-star team, well, he hit well on the road and, of course, he can still go get ‘em … The Caps, during their short stay in Lewiston, gave the folks their money’s worth … When a power failure knocked the park lights out for 35 minutes, the Vancouver team quintet came out an entertained the crowd with a few songs … When the lights suddenly came on, they scurried for the dugout.

Fourth Playoff, Sunday, Sept. 12, 1954

2008-08-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

FOUR STRAIGHT
Capilanos WIL Champs; Sweep Set With Broncs
LEWISTON, Sept. 12—(AP)—The Vancouver Capilanos won the Western International League Baseball Championship Sunday as they bombed the Lewiston Broncs 12-2 to take the best-of-seven playoff with four straight wins.
It was the first and last game in Lewiston between the Broncs, winner of the second half pennant race and the first half champs, Vancouver.
The Broncs looked like they were out to throw the playoffs into an extra game when Clint Cameron, veteran Lewiston left fielder, slammed out a two-run homer in the first inning.
But the 2700 Lewiston fans soon discovered the Broncs had just finished their scoring for the evening.
The Capilanos drew two walks from starting pitcher Guy Fletcher to open their half of the second inning. A single by Bob Duretto and doubles by pitcher Pete Hernandez and Eddie Murphy produced the Caps’ fourth run of the inning.
The Caps put three more across in the fourth inning and opened up with a five run burst in the sixth to put the game away.
Lewiston trotted out three more pitchers after Fletcher was pounded out in the first, but only John Marshall had any luck with the Caps, hurling hitless, runless ball for the final two and one-third innings.
Vancouver ....... 040 305 000—12 11 0
Lewiston ......... 200 000 000— 2 5 2
Hernandez and Duretto; Fletcher, Orrell (4), Marshall (6), Martin (9) and Garay.

Third Playoff, Friday, Sept. 10, 1954

2008-08-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Weatherman Adds Touch to Cap Finale
Need One More To Clinch Title
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 11, 1954]
If the Capilano ball club had imported a Hollywood writer to prepare the script, he couldn’t have conceived a more appropriate ending for the 1954 baseball season.
It faded out with a thundershower that sent fans scampering and ended the last local game of the season in the top of the seventh inning.
If anything typified this season, it was rain, And the [unreadable], too. They looked like the powerhouse club they were supposed to be, and they had a nice, cosy 11-1 edge when the umpires called it off.
THREE IN A ROW
That made it three in a row for the Caps over the second half champs, Lewiston Broncs, and they could wind up the series in the Idaho city when the best-of-seven championship series resumes. Pete Hernandez, who blanked the Broncs in the first game, will be pitching Sunday.
It was strictly “no contest” from the start Friday, although the 1500-odd fans seemed to enjoy it—until the rains came.
The Caps teed off on Al Yaylian in the first inning for four runs on five hits and a walk, and the slow-working (slow-working? He’s full stop) lefty was racked for four more before John Marshall came in in the fourth. John, who took a beating in the first game, as no better Friday, and the Caps ended up with seven runs in that frame.
THREE HITTER
Showing the way was manager Bill Brenner, who had nothing to say after the game about the fact that he had allowed just three hits, including Larry Barton’s homer. But like all pitchers, he was willing to admit that he was a great hitter—and he had two doubles and a single to prove it.
Early next week he should have a WIL pennant to prove he did his part for Vancouver baseball fans in ’54, too.
Lewiston ........... 000 001— 1 3 0
Vancouver ........ 400 700—11 13 1
Yaylian, Marshall (4) and Cameron; Brenner and Pesut.

Caps Within One Game Of WIL Title After Easy 11-1 Victory
Rain Calls Halt To Game At Stadium After Sixth
[Vancouver News-Herald, Sept. 11, 1954]
Added to his other talents, Capilano manager-pitcher-slugger Bill Brenner may have an eye for the local weatherman’s job after his usual foresight Friday night at Capilano Stadium.
With an eye on the threatening clouds overhead, he sent his Capilanos out early to get a lead on the Lewiston Broncs, and then sat back to wait for the rain.
He wasn’t disappointed. When it finally let loose with a rush like the torrents going over Niagara Falls, Caps had a nice 11-1 lead.
GAME CALLED
The rain struck in the bottom of the sixth and the game was called. But it was long enough for the Caps to move within one game of the Western International League baseball title.
Brenner’s boys could wrap it all up Sunday night when they move into Lewiston for the fourth game of the best of seven series.
Broncs honor was saved in the top of the sixth inning just before the timely rain wrote a finish to the slaughter. Larry Barton wrapped a home run off knuckleballer Brenner.
THREE FOR THREE
Brenner was at his versatile best for the Caps. He pitched the win, giving up a smattering of three hits over six innings and hit a very respectable three for three.
His hits were two doubles and a single. One of the doubles came in the fourth inning when Caps broke loose for seven runs. He bounced one off the outfield fence, scoring two runs.
In all Caps picked up 13 hits and it took two Lewiston pitchers to stem the tide in the abbreviated game.
Al Gaylian started out. He gave up four runs in the first inning and then another four in the fourth before John Marshall came in to relieve

Bossman Bill Moves Caps Near Ball Mug
City Club Now Three Up In Western Ball Series
By SKIP RUSK
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 11, 1954]
The heavens opened their flood-gates on Cap Stadium Friday night, drenching the faithful 1200 with torrents of rain. Which may have been a sign that professional baseball is washed up in Vancouver.
Bill Brenner’s Caps, in making their last appearance of the season here last night, easily destroyed Lewiston Broncs to take a 3-0 lead in their Western International League playoff.
Bill pitched his 22nd victory of the year as only the rain slowed down Caps’ offense at the end of six innings. At this time, they were head 11-1. Vancouver won the first two games of the best of seven series 17-0 and 8-7.
The last four games will be played in Lewiston, beginning Sunday with Pete Hernandez (9-2) pitching for Vancouver. The locals, of course, are strong favorites to continue riding herd on the Broncs and end the nonsense in one more game.
However, local fans may have seen the last of WIL baseball here. What started out as a 10-team league deteriorated to seven before the second-half schedule was completed.
Why?
Calgary, Spokane and Victoria called it quits because of poor attendance, poor weather, poor promotion and poor pocketbook. Here, manager Brenner got together one of the best—if not the best ever—teams to perform in Vancouver. Yet fans stay away in droves.
Fans Jumped on Al
Last night, the fans jumped on Lewiston pitcher Albert Soosen Yaylian, a rather slow-working pitcher who was the victim of bronx cheers in his two other performances here. The Caps didn’t waste any time on Mr. Yaylian. They touched him for four runs in the first inning.
When “Avak” broke into the WIL in 1946, his first pitch was knocked out of the park for a grand-slam home run. Caps didn’t mistreat him that bad, however, as Eddie Murphy, K Chorlton and Marv Williams nicked Al for consecutive singles. Ken Richardson walked, Neil Sheridan singled and Jim Clark followed with a double and four runs were in.
Al gave way to John Marshall, who had the misfortune of starting the first game for Lewiston. Between the two of them, Vancouver got seven hits in the fourth on six hits, including Brenner’s 415-foot double to centre-field.
It started sprinkling then and Brenner, who had given up just two singles in five innings, threw a “screwball” at Bronc manager Larry Barton. The pitch got crossed up on the way to the plate, but Barton straightened it out, sending it 350 feet over the right field wall.
LINE DRIVES—If Caps win Sunday, Vancouver will have its first championship since Brenner masterminded the job back in 1947 … after the season, Marv Williams and Bob Duretto will head down south to play winter ball … Jim Clark will go back to the machine shop … Ken Richardson will work in an aircraft factory and Bob Wellman will be employed in his home-town Cincinnati … Brenner will finally get to paint his house in Lewiston.

Week’s Work
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 11, 1954]
WEDNESDAY—About people: Well, if you insist, here’s the WIL all-star team I picked for league headquarters: catcher, Lonnie Summers, Yakima; first base, Bob Wellman, Vancouver; second base, Marv Williams, Vancouver; third base, Harvey Storey, Lewiston; shortstop, Jim Clark, Vancouver; outfield, K Chorlton, Vancouver; Al Heist, Lewiston; Bob Brown, Edmonton; right-hand pitcher, Bill Brenner, Vancouver; left-hand pitcher, Al Yaylian, Lewiston; manger, Hugh Luby, Salem.

Second Playoff, Thursday, Sept. 9, 1954

2008-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

TWO GAMES TO GOOD
Cap Gang Say Farewell To City Fans Tonight
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 10, 1954]
They play their last pro ball game for 1954 at Capilano Stadium tonight, and if the game is anything like Thursday’s, the fans will get to see nearly everybody on the Vancouver roster.
The Caps had to use five pitchers, who gave up nine hits and 12 walks, before they scraped through with an 8-7 victory over the Lewiston Broncs.
The Broncs used 13 men before they were through, too, but umpire Don Fisher must get an assist for that. Fisher tossed Lewiston’s Al Heist, and later Manager Larry Barton, out of the game when they disagreed with a call at home plate in the eighth. The ump called Heist out at the dish and it was an important decision for it cut short a rally and cost the visitors what would have been the tying runs.
KEPT TRYING
But the Broncs never did get to tie the game, although they kept nibbling away at an early Vancouver lead. They gave it the old pro try in the ninth, again, but they finished one short when Pete Hernandez, the Caps’ fifth pitcher, came in to get the last two men out with the bases loaded.
Before Pete, George Nicholas, Keith Bowman, John Cordell and Bill Brenner had taken their turn, with varying success. Cordell looked the best of the lot, leaving finally for a pinch hitter, and was credited with the win.
Fortunately, the Caps were hitting again, and running, too. They stole six bases and teed off for 12 hits off Joe Orrell and Guy Fletcher, including a home run by Bob Wellman and two doubles by K Chorlton. The latter had 3-for-5 to make it 7-for-111 so far in the series.
The victory gave the Caps a big edge in the best-of-seven championship series between the winners of the first and second half. It’s now 2-0 for Brenner’s boys, and they’ll try for three straight tonight. Fourth game goes in Lewiston Sunday, and any more games, if they’re needed, will be in the Idaho city, too.
Brenner will do the pitching for the Caps, with Al Yaylian, whom the fans love to hate, in for Lewiston.
Lewiston ........ 002 030 011—7 9 0
Vancouver ....... 204 000 11x—8 12 2
Orrell, Fletcher (8) and Cameron, Garay (8); Nicholas, Bowman (5), Cordell (5), Brenner (9), Hernandez (9) and Duretto.

Caps Have A Walkathon, Still Beat Broncs Despite Wildness
Last Call For Baseball In Third Game Tonight
Bu JIM GILMOUR
[Vancouver News-Herald, Sept. 10, 1954]
Four Vancouver pitchers did their best to revive the walkathon Thursday night, issuing 12 free passes to Lewiston Broncs as the Caps scored a wild 8-7 victory in the second playoff game of the Western International League playoff.
The Broncs, 17-0 losers in the opening game of the best-of-seven series, left 15 runners stranded as Caps poured five pitchers into the pray against the second half champions.
Vancouver will be going for the stranglehold game tonight at Capilano Stadium when the clubs meet for the third time. It will also be the final game of the local season, as the remainder of the series switches to Lewiston starting Sunday.
Manager Bill Brenner, who also saw a spot of action last night will be facing Lewiston’s slow-working southpaw, Al Yaylian, this evening. Brenner has a 21-9 record this season and Yaylian, 15-7.
ALL IN THERE
Pistol Pete Hernandez who waxed the Broncs with a six-hitter Wednesday was the only Capilano hurler not to issue a walk, as he was rushed into the game to quell a ninth-inning uprising by the visitors.
George Nicholas started for Vancouver, and he was relieved, it turn, by Keith Bowman, John Cordell, Brenner, and finally Hernandez.
With the bases loaded in the ninth, Brenner gave up his third walk of the inning to Guy Fletcher, forcing Mel Wasley from third. Bill wheeled two more ball past Clint Cameron before calling for help from Hernandez.
Pete promptly forced Cameron to foul out to catcher Bob Duretto, and then finished up by inducing Harvey Storey to fly deep to Eddie Murphy in centre.
WELLMAN HOMERS
The Caps, again led at the plate by K. Chorlton, went ahead 2-0 in the first frame, and increased the margin to 6-2 off Joe Orrell after three. The Broncs routed Nicholas, and then Bowman in the fifth, as they parlayed Eddie Bockman’s single and five walks into three runs.
Bob Wellman’s home run in the seventh upped the count to 7-5, and Duretto crossed with the winner in the eighth on an error, two wild pitches by Fletcher, and Murphy’s single.

Game Wasn’t Much But Caps Won It
Brenner’s Boys Did Best To Lose But Couldn’t
By ERWIN SWANGARD
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 10, 1954]
Rumors circulated among Cap Stadium clientele Thursday night that Seattle Suds and baseball magnate Emil Sick had sold his Pacific Coast League Seattle Rainiers plus their WIL affiliate Vancouver Caps to a Seattle syndicate.
If Mr. Sick, currently en route to New York, could have watched the Lewiston Broncs and aforementioned Caps in action last night, he probably would have been tempted to sell both clubs plus the three umpires to the Pacific National Exhibition as next year’s circus attraction.
As it turned out the rumor of the Seattle sale was exactly that—a rumor.
Rainier General Manager Dewey Soriano, last year with Caps and now a vice-president of Caps, told The Sun today there was a possibility Mr. Sick would surrender sole ownership to his baseball empire to a syndicate headed by himself and made up of Seattle associates and friends.
LAST GAME HERE
As for Caps and Broncs, they will resume their series for the WIL championship at Cap Stadium tonight in the season’s last pro game in Vancouver.
After tonight the two clubs—and the umpires—will move to Lewiston to finish the series. Caps had won the first half and Lewiston the second to qualify for the final.
Last night’s game, which started off as a brisk affair between two smoothly operating ball clubs, ended in a nightmare for the official scorer, the Lewiston manager, one Larry Barton, who also played first base.
The walk-happy Cap pitching corps fielded no less than five men with Keith Bowman and Bill Brenner, who also doubles as the Cap general manager, seeing a minimum of service.
CORDELL WAS NEXT
Young Bowman, a recent Cap acquisition, entered the game in the fifth inning, ostensibly to relieve George Nicholas. Bowman stayed around just long enough to walk two men with the bases loaded.
He was relieved by left-hander John Cordell, who stuck around capably until lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth. Brenner took over in the ninth. Three walks, one error, one run, two bases on balls and only one out, big Bill yanked himself and sadly turned over the chore to Pete Hernandez.
Pete threw exactly three pitches and Vancouver was ahead 2-0 in the series.
Caps had won 8-7 and in doing so received able assistance from plate umpire Ron Fisher in the eighth inning.
At that stage Broncs were trailing 6-8 [sic] and had Al Heist at third and pinch runner Leland Smith at second with one away. Clint Cameron topped one of Cordell’s soft curves toward first with Heist racing for the plate.
Cap first baseman Bob Wellman hesitated for a moment and finally threw to catcher Bob Duretto. But the throw was obviously too late as Heist slid across the plate before Bob could tag him.
Fisher called Heist out.
That started the first rhubarb. Heist received his marching papers.
In the next inning Barton, who obviously hadn’t cooled off, got his from Fisher, too.
FANS HAD FUN
Apart from the two rhubarbs there were all sorts of idiocyncracies on display not usually associated with good baseball.
In the first inning Lewiston elected to pitch to Ken Richardson, Vancouver’s clean-up hitter, with men on second and third, two away and first base open. Ken, the most feared clutch hitter in the WIL, promptly singled both runs home. The next batter struck out.
In the fifth inning Broncs permitted ancient Joe Orrell, their starting pitcher, to bat for himself with the bases loaded and the score 6-5 for Vancouver. Orrell is a noteably weakhitter. There were two out.
And so it went all night.
But don’t kid yourself, the fans had fun—we won didn’t we?

First Playoff, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 1954

2008-08-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Poor Harvey Just Can’t Find Winner
Capilanos Out Front With 17-0 Verdict
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 9, 1954]
Bill Brenner and Harvey Storey are pretty good friends, but you can hardly blame Harvey if he thinks the Capilano general manager is stretching their friendship a little.
Storey was manager of the Capilanos in April, 1953, when Brenner brought the Lewiston Broncs to town to open the season. We’ll not dwell on that horrible night, but the Caps were terrible, Lewiston looked great, and Brenner and Co. beat Storey and Co. 10-0.
Wednesday night at Capilano Stadium, it was the Caps [unreadable few words] this time in the opening game of the WIL’s best-of-seven championship series. Caps had won the first half title, Lewiston the second.
Brenner, of course, is now with the Caps, and Storey is playing third base for Lewiston. But once again Harvey picked the wrong horse, or ball club. And the Caps rubbed it in real good as the did nothing wrong and the Broncs did nothing right—they made five errors on the slippery stadium turf—as the locals won by a lopsided 17-0 score.
POOR OL’ JAWN
Dewey Soriano, who was a brand new general manager when the Broncs spoiled last season’s debt, would have loved every minute of it as the Caps teed off on nemesis John Marshall in the first inning. John never did get a man out, giving up eight runs before bowing out in favor of Leland Smith in that first frame. Seven hits, a walk, and three Lewiston errors did the damage.
Smith had better success, but not much, as Vancouver wound up with 19 hits, including four doubles.
Meanwhile, Pete Hernandez was pitching his best game since his first-half pennant clincher last July. Pete gave up just six singles, didn’t walk a man, struck out eight and allowed only one Lewiston players to get as far as second base.
NICHOLAS WORKS
The teams repeat tonight, with George Nicholas down to oppose Joe Orrell. Game time is 8:15.
DIAMOND DUST—K. Chorlton led the Caps` assault as four locals got three hits … Bill Franks has been repurchased from Salem and will help the shorthanded Cap pitching staff in the playoffs … Advance ticket sales in Lewiston are reported as very good, but Vancouver fans, as usual, stayed away in large numbers … There were less than 500 paid.
Lewiston ....... 000 000 000— 0 6 5
Vancouver ..... 002 032 20x—17 19 0
Marshall, Smith (6) and Garay, Cameron (6); Hernandez and Pesut.

Our Caps Break Poor Old Broncs
Hernandez Wins Ball Game As Mates Jump On Lewiston
By SKIP RUSK
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 9, 1954]
Vancouver Capilanos, seemingly in a state of suspended animation during the second half of the Western International Baseball League season, came bouncing back to life Wednesday night at Cap Stadium, greeting Lewiston Broncs with their best Sunday punch.
And when the bell for the first round of this best-of-seven championship ended, Bill Brenner’s boys had scored a unanimous decision. They had, to the delight of 500 or so fans, destroyed Larry Barton’s and his second-half winners, 17-0.
Tonight at 8:15, George Nicholas (16-11) will be trying for Vancouver’s second straight playoff win while Smokey Joe Orell [sic], who has won seven straight for the Broncs, will be trying to get Lewiston back on even terms.
JOHN DISAPPEARS
Last night Lewiston starter big John Marshall, who, besides being a bartender in the off season, is also an amateur magician. John seemed to prefer the latter job last night because he disappeared after facing the first eight Caps.
His successor as a young fellow named Leland Smith, who Lewiston recalled this season from Pocatello of the Pioneer League. After 30 minutes of interesting baseball the first inning was finally over.
Caps had scored eight runs on seven hits, including Nick Pesut’s double, and three glaring Lewiston errors.
Oh well, there were only eight more innings to go and Caps made extremely good use of them. All told, Vancouver scored nine more runs on 12 hits, including doubles by K Chorlton, Ken Richardson and Jim Clark, and the Broncs only made two more miscues.
PETE WAS SHARP
Pete Hernandez was at his very best in pitching his ninth win this season. He allowed but two hits and only one Lewiston batter reached second base. Don Hunter, who singled in the ninth inning, discovered that rather elusive sack for the Broncs when Hernandez threw one into the dirt at the next man up, manager Larry Barton.
LINE DRIVES – Second baseman Marv Williams and manager Bill Brenner were honored last night. Marv was presented with the Most Popular Player Award while Bill received the Most Valuable Player award … for that, Brenner gets a new suit … Al Yaylin [sic], old father time, pitches for the Caps … nicest catch of the night was made by Vancouver’s Neil Sheridan who went up against the wall to haul down Al Heist’s drive in the third inning … Chorlton, Williams, Richardson and Jim Clark picked up 13 of the Caps’ 19 hits.

Caps Trot Out Big Hitters
Broncs Downed In Playoff Opener, 17-0
Bu JIM GILMOUR
[Vancouver News-Herald, Sept. 9, 1954]
Battering veteran John Marshall out of the game with a murderous eight-run first inning, Vancouver Capilanos went on to flatten Lewiston Broncs 17-0 in the first game of a Western International League championship playoff at Capilano Stadium.
The Caps, first half champions, battered Marshall and reliefer Leland Smith for 15 singles and four doubles while Pete Hernandez mesmerized the second half champs with six scattered hits.
Second game of the best-of-seven series goes tonight at Capilano Stadium with George Nicholas (16-11) seeking a 2-0 lead for the Caps, and Larry Barton countering with veteran Joe Orrell, who has won eight straight for Lewiston since joining them in mid-season from Calgary.
13 In First
The Capilanos send 13 batters up in the wild first inning, collecting seven hits, one walk, and capitalizing on three Bronc errors. Smith was rushed into action after Nick Pesut doubled in the sixth and seventh runs. He gave up one more hit before retiring the side.
The Caps exploded periodically thereafter in rolling to their most one-sided win of the year.
Left fielder K. Chorlton sparked the assault with four hits in six trips, while Marv Williams, Kenny Richardson and Jimmy Clark added three hits apiece. Every man in the lineup except Neil Sheridan and Hernandez collected at least two safeties.
Chorlton and Clark drove in three runs each.
Pete Was Good
Meanwhile, Hernandez was hurling a masterpiece. He struck out eight, walked none, and only one Lewiston runner reached second base. That came in the ninth inning, when Don Hunter singled, and scampered to the halfway mark on a wild pitch which bounced off the plate and out of Pesut’s reach.
Manager Bill Brenner’s Caps also left 12 runners stranded, while the Broncs left six.
DIAMOND DUST—Williams was acclaimed the Caps most popular player and Brenner the club’s most valuable perfomer.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 9, 1954]
On The Sale Of Charouhas

One of the skeletons in the Tri-City Braves Sanders field closet that has been kicking around, and long in need of an airing, concerns the sale of outfielder Desmond Charouhas to Yakima.
Of all the moves made during the recent season, that was probably the least popular one with Tri-City fans—most of whom considered Des as second only to Lewiston's Al Heist as a defensive centerfielder.
And after the sale, some strange things happened.
First off came the announcement from G. M. Eddie Taylor's office that Charouhas was sold, and had not the sale gone through, be would have been released.
Naturally, one assumed Taylor was the one responsible for the sale. But then shortly thereafter, Harold Matheson, president of the association told a meeting of stockholders that he, Matheson, was responsible for the sale, but in any case Charouhas would not have been released had the sale not gone through.
* * *
Harold First Read Of It
At the time one suspicioned that there was some break in the communications between Matheson, Taylor, and manager Edo Vanni or otherwise why the conflicting statements.
Since it confirmed by Matheson, that despite his acceptance of responsibility in the sale of Charouhas, the first Harold heard about it was when he read the story in the
Tri-City Herald that night.
Harold merely stepped into the breach partly on the theory that the guy on top is responsible for the actions of those below and partly because he felt he was better
able to take the criticism than those below.
This, then would throw the Charouhas sale back to Taylor if, no other reason than he was general manager.
But now that the season is over and there is no reason for avoiding dissension in the ranks, Taylor's version shows somewhat of a rift between himself and Vanni, particulary because of the Charouhas sale. Yet at the same time neither was not going to cross over into the other's domain.
"I sold Charouhas only after Vanni was persistent in tainting to get rid of nim," Taylor said. He re-emphasized the word "persistent" and one "gathers Taylor was reluctant to sell him even then.
So we are now down to Vanni.
* * *
They Didn't Get Along
There isn't much point in going into all of Vanni's reasons for "wanting to get rid of Charouhas." Most of them deal with technical points of playing strategy with neither the player or the manager having much respect for the other's judgment. One or the other had to go and since Vanni was manager and had an "iron clad" contract besides, it was Charouhas.

Monday, September 6, 1954

2008-08-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

FINAL SECOND HALF
W L PCT GB
Lewiston ..... 44 26 .629 —
Yakima ....... 41 25 .621 1
Salem ........ 38 26 .594 3
Vancouver .... 32 25 .561 5½
Edmonton ..... 29 35 .453 12
Wenatchee .... 22 40 .355 18
Tri-City ..... 22 43 .338 19½

EDMONTON, Sept. 6 — Lewiston Broncs clinched the pennant for the second half of the Western International League schedule by taking both ends of a Labor Day double-header from Edmonton Eskimos.
Broncs won the first game 2-1 and the second 4-1 to take the five-game final series 4-1.
Lewiston now meets Vancouver, first half winners, for the league championship.
Harvey Storey's sixth inning homer provided the winning margin for the Broncs in the first game.
Guy Fletcher was credited with the win although he needed help from two other pitchers in the ninth.
Lewiston opened the second game with four runs in the initial inning. Clint Cameron banged out a home run with two on and Don Hunter hit another homer with one on.
Edmonton's only run was scored by Whitey Thomson who connected with a home run in the second.
A crowd of 1,722 saw the twin bill.
First Game
Lewiston ........ 400 000 0—4 8 1
Edmonton ...... 010 000 0—1 8 0
Martin and Cameron; Widner, Manier (1) and Partee.
Second Game
Lewiston ........ 000 101 000—2 7 0
Edmonton ...... 000 001 000—1 9 0
Fletcher, Yaylian, (9), Orrell (9) and Cameron; Kimball, Worth (7) and Prentice.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 7]—The Tri-City Braves closed out the dismal 1954 baseball season Monday splitting a doubleheader with the Salem Senators, 5-4 and 13-3.
The games themselves were of little importance to either team because the Lewiston Broncs clinched the second-half title with two wins over Edmonton, 2-1 and Yakima also won a doubleheader over Wenatchee, 2-1, and 4-2, to close out its season — one game off the pace.
In the Tri-City Salem action, the Senators stayed with it during the first game because they had an outside chance to sneak into the top spot. However, such a possibility, would have taken two losses by Lewiston and one by Yakima while Salem was winning two.
After winning the opener, and learning that Lewiston had the title clinched, Salem manager Hugh Luby left his charges on their own and took off for his home park to get pay checks available for the players when they arrived.
In the second game, the two teams played six innings of baseball. Salem went way out in front in the top of the sixth by scoring five runs off Don Robertson. But Tri-City came back in the bottom half to wax Gene Johnson for six runs.
From then on the Senators just played out the season. Connie Perez, the pouplar Salem outfielder, came on to pitch. Tri-City scored four more runs off Perez and Gene Tanselli, ordinarily an infielder, with considerable co-operation on the part of the Salem defense.
On one play. Vic Buccola hit what ordinarily would have been a double to right field. While the pitchers who were playing outfield played catch with the ball, Buccola came on and scored.
The win went to Robertson, his 17th of the season.
In the first game. Perez' bases loaded double in the third inning was the telling blow. Perez later scored on Dennis Luby's single, which along wilh one run scored earlier that inning gave Salem the necessary five to win.
All of the runs came after Walt Clough got two away.
Tri-City came back for two in the fourth when Bob Moniz homered with one on and picked up single runs in the fiflh and sixth innings.
First Game
Salem ......... 005 000 0—5 6 2
Tri-City ....... 000 210 1—4 7 1
Roenspie, Rayle (6) and Ogden; Clough, Flinn (7) and Johnson.
Second Game
Salem ......... 110 015 000— 8 13 3
Tri-City ....... 000 306 22x—13 15 4
Johnson, Perez (7), Tanselli (8) and Ogden, Roenspie (7); Robertson, Flinn (7) and Warren.

YAKIMA, stories unavailable.
First Game
Yakima .......... 000 200 0—2 3 0
Wenatchee .... 100 000 0—1 4 1
Edmunds and Summers; Romero and Helmuth.
Second Game
Yakima .......... 004 000 000—4 11 4
Wenatchee .... 000 000 011—2 11 2
Carmichael and Summer; Shandor and Helmuth.

WIL STATISTICS
(final, unofficial)
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Marv Williams, Van., .360; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 136; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 183; Total Bases, Williams, Van., 274; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 40; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 16; Home Runs, Bob Wellman, Van., Don Hunter, Lewiston, 21; Sacrifice Hits, Dain Clay, Wen., 27; Stolen Bases, Chorlton, Van., 29; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 115; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 108; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 114.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Jon Briggs, Salem, 2.51; Wins, Bill Brenner, Van., 21; Losses, Billy Joe Waters, Wen., Walt Clough, T.C., 16; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 263, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 161; Innings Pitched, Brenner, Van., 289; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 26;

Taylor Terminates Job With Braves
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 7, 1954]
Eddie Taylor, general manager, and the Tri-City Braves will come to an official parting of the ways Sept. 15, with neither showing any inclination to renew the relationship next season.
Taylor said today he has asked Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, "to terminate my employment Sept. 15."
"Harold agreed," Taylor said, "and we did not talk about next year. I have always let it be known this would be my only season here and the way I feel now nothing has changed that."
Taylor said, he did not know what course he would take prior to next season.
"I'm just like a baseball player," he said. "When the season is over and you are in the cellar and not making any money, you feel the heck with it. But after you are home a week, you are waiting for spring training.
"You never know, I may not even go into baseball next year hut look around for something else. The way I feel right now, I'm disgusted with it."
The post with Tri-City represented Taylor's first job as general manager of any club. Operating independently, he was able to put together what appeared to be a fair team early in the season but as other league teams began loading rosters, it was apparent early that Taylor's efforts and the money available were not enough.
Among Tri-City fans, perhaps his most popular move was the retention of 19-year-old shortstop Dick Watson; the least popular was his sale of outfielder Des Charouhas to the Yakima Bears.
Taylor did not have a formal contract with the association this season so there is no problem of termination.
Taylor is the third general manager for Tri-City in three years. The first was Dick Richards, part-owner of the club under its original set-up, and the second was Len Monheimer, who is now with Great Falls in the Pioneer league.
Matheson, in confirming Taylor's break here, said he was locking everything up at Sanders Field Sept. 15. The association will not retain a groundkeeper over the winter as was done last year.

Salem Stockholders To Meet
[The Sporting News, Sept. 15, 1954]
Directors of the Salem Senators have called a meeting of the stockholders on October 11 to determine if the club will remain in the league next season. A drop in attendance from 81,305 last year to 58,752 will result in a deficit of about $7,200, the directors reported.

Sunday, September 5, 1954

2008-08-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 42 26 .618 —
Yakima ....... 39 25 .609 1
Salem ........ 37 25 .597 2
Vancouver .... 32 25 .561 4½
Edmonton ..... 29 33 .468 10
Wenatchee .... 22 38 .367 15½
Tri-City ..... 21 42 .333 18½

EDMONTON, Sept. 5—The celebratory champagne didn't come out Sunday night in the Lewiston Broncs dressing room. The Broncs needed a double-header sweep of Edmonton, and a loss by both Yakima and Salem, to clinch the Western International League's second half title. They got neither. The Broncs ended up splitting their twin bill in Edmonton, while the Bears and Senators both won. So, the championship will come down to the final day of the season on Labour Day.
The Eskimos won the opening game, 6-5, on a run-producing single by Andy Skurski in the ninth inning off Al Yaylian.
The Broncs won the nightcap, 4-3, with Al Heist banging out a triple and a single for the victors. The game was called at the end of six innings because of a curfew.
First Game
Lewiston ......... 000 110 201—5 11 3
Edmonton ....... 102 000 111—6 11 2
Yaylian and Cameron; Conant and Prentice.
Second Game
Lewiston ......... 040 000—4 5 1
Edmonton ....... 030 000—3 6 0
Martin, Marshall (2) and Cameron; Manier and Partee, Prentice (2)

WENATCHEE, Sept. 5—Catcher Lon Summers kept Yakima in the pennant race into the last day of the season after a game-winning double Sunday. He lashed out the two-base hit in the tenth inning to defeat Wenatchee, 5-4.
Yakima ............ 001 210 000 1—5 9 1
Wenatchee ...... 000 300 100 0—4 10 1
Rios, Lovrich (4) and Summers; Waters and Helmuth.

KENNEWICK, Sept. 5—Salem manager Hugh Luby decided to play for the big inning, and it worked three times. The Senators leaped on Jess Dobernic for three runs in the first inning, three more in the fifth then scored four off reliever Dale Thomason in the ninth in a 10-3 victory over the last-place Tri-City Braves Sunday.
Dobernic didn't get an out before the first two runs scored. Mel Krause and Gene Tanselli hit back-to-back triples and Bob Kellogg followed with a hit. Jim Deyo singled him home two outs later.
Harry Warner batted in three runs and Kellogg amd Deyo had two each.
Tom Herrera scattered eight hits for Salem's win.
Salem ........ 300 030 004—10 12 1
Tri-City ...... 000 001 011— 3 8 1
Herrera and Ogden; Dobernic, Thomason (8) and Warren.

NON WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Artesia Slugger Cracks Homer Mark
ARTESIA, N.M., Sept. 5 — Hitting the home run that broke all records was "just like having a piano lifted off your shoulders," Joe Bauman said.
Bauman, the 32-year-old slugger who bettered the record by smashing his 70th round tripper of the season Sunday, admitted the pressure had been terrific since he tied the record Thursday.
"And hitting that big one was . . . well, that's it," the big guy said.
After breaking the record in the first game of a doubleheader with Artesia, the Roswell first baseman hit two more homers in the nightcap to set the new standard at 72.
Bauman, a 6-foot-4. 240-pounder, repeated his statement that he planned on playing the rest of his baseball for the Class C Roswell Rockets of the Longhorn League.
Bauman cracked a 365-foot blast in a first inning leadoff role against Artesia in the next-to-last game of Roswell's 138 game schedule. That one broke the record of 69 set by Joe Hauser of Minneapolis in 1933 and ied by Bob Crues of Amarillo in 1948.

Saturday, September 4, 1954

2008-08-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 41 25 .621 —
Yakima ....... 38 25 .603 1½
Salem ........ 36 25 .590 2½
Vancouver .... 32 25 .561 4½
Edmonton ..... 28 32 .467 10
Wenatchee .... 22 37 .373 15½
Tri-City ..... 21 41 .339 18

EDMONTON, Sept. 4—The Edmonton Eskimos can blame the rain for their smallest crowd of the year Saturday, but they will have to blame Lewiston's bats for their 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Broncs.
Only 246 fans turned out to see Edmonton take a 2-0 lead after five innings, then watch the Lewiston league-leaders score once in the sixth, and add four more runs in the eighth off Ray McNulty and Art Worth.
Lewiston ......... 000 001 040—5 11 1
Edmonton ....... 000 110 000—2 6 1
Orrell and Cameron; McNulty, Worth (8) and Partee.

SALEM, Sept. 4—Baseball fans in Salem got a good idea Saturday night why the Tri-City Braves are in last place in the Western International League, as they were embarrassed by the hometown Senators, 17-2.
Two Tri-City pitchers allowed hit after hit—20 in all, the fielders committed five errors which led to four unearned runs, and the batters swung, missed and went back to the dugout 10 times against Jon Briggs, the league's strike-out king.
The Senators batted around in the third, fourth and eighth innings.
Connie Perez batted in four runs, Bob Kellogg had three and Harry Warner, Jim Deyo and Dennis Luby knocked in a pair each. Deyo went four-for-five, while Warner and Luby had three hits. Kellogg only had one hit, but had executive four sacrifices.
Salem scored all they needed with a three-run first inning, but put up six on the board in the third. All the runs were charged to starter Dale Thomason, who allowed seven hits and a walk before Hal Flinn was brought in with one out in the inning.
Dick Watson singled in Jack Warren in the second inning and scored Tri-City's other run in the ninth after walking, moving to third on Rube Johnson's pinch single and scoring on a double play.
Briggs gave up eight walks and leads the league in that category as well.
Tri-City ........ 010 000 001— 2 7 5
Salem .......... 306 300 05x—17 20 0
Thomason, Flinn (3) and Warren; Briggs and D. Luby.

Wenatchee at Vancouver, postponed, rain

Friday, September 3, 1954

2008-08-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 40 25 .615 —
Yakima ....... 38 25 .603 1
Salem ........ 35 25 .583 2½
Vancouver .... 32 25 .561 4
Edmonton ..... 28 31 .475 9
Wenatchee .... 22 37 .373 15
Tri-City ..... 21 40 .344 17

VANCOUVER [Province, Sept. 4]—It’s all over but the waiting now for the Vancouver Capilanos. This morning’s rain washed out tonight’s last scheduled game of the regular WIL season against Wenatchee Chiefs, so it’s just a question now of the Caps waiting to see how Lewiston, Salem and Yakima do over the holiday weekend.
One of those three will win the second-half championship and meet the Caps, first half winners here next week, in the best-of-seven championship playoff. If Yakima or Salem wins, the series opens here Tuesday. If Lewiston wins, they start here Wednesday.
The Caps managed to split Friday in what turned out to be their last games of the season, winning 5-0 and losing 5-3.
Marv Williams, No. 1 candidate for league batting honors, jammed his knee on the last play of the game but will be ready for the playoffs. Before that, he performed nobly with four-for-four, including a triple and double.
Veteran Ken Richardson did his part, too, with four-for-four as he reached his goal of 100 runs batted in. Ken has never had less than 100 RBIs in four seasons in the league.
Another old-timer, John Cordell, pitched his best game of the year to earn his seven-inning shutout, but Boss Brenner failed in his second try for his 22nd win. Ross McCormack’s three-run home sank Bill’s ship, but he wound up with a pretty creditable 21-9 record for the year.
[WILfan notes: The Cas scored two runs in the first inning of the ppener on doubles by K. Chorlton and Bob Wellman and triple by Marv Williams ... in the night game, Eddie Murphy walked to open the Caps' first and was brought in by Williams' double. Richardson brought in Williams in both the first and seventh innings ... Brenner walked threein the fifth, more than he's given up in a game all season ... Jerry Green's sacrifice fly in the eighth brought in the last regular season at Cap Stadium in 1954.]
First Game
Wenatchee ....... 000 000 0—0 5 0
Vancouver ........ 230 010 x—0 9 0
Oubre and Self; Cordell and Duretto.
Second Game
Wenatchee ....... 000 040 010—5 8 2
Vancouver ........ 200 000 100—3 9 2
Tierney and Helmuth; Brenner and Pesut.

STORIES UNAVAILABLE
First Game
Tri-City ........ 300 002 0—5 9 2
Salem .......... 000 102 3—6 11 1
Flinn, Robertson (7) and Johnson; Franks, Johnson (6), Nicholas (7), Herrera (7) and D. Luby.
Second Game
Tri-City ........ 010 002 020—5 8 1
Salem .......... 000 011 000—2 5 1
Clough and Warren; Rayle, Johnson (7) and D. Luby.

Lewiston at Edmonton (2), postponed, rain.

Week’s Work
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Sept. 4, 1954]
MONDAY—It was probably sheer frustration that prompted Bill Brenner to throw open the gates on a pay-what-you-like basis for the final game of the WIL season … Bill just wants to see what Capilano Stadium looks like with a full house.
This has been a sad season for Bill, who celebrated his return to Vancouver by getting a top-notch, crowd-pleasing bal club and still hasn’t known those well-known flies … Brenner has been a victim of the weather, which washed out his best dates, the league’s unsettled condition, and possibly the new “big league” feeling in this town engendered by the B.E.G. and the B.C. Lions … Local fans, who also have hockey just one step removed from the majors, undoubtedly are ripe for Coast League baseball, and likely won’t show up at the park until IT does … meanwhile, only the fact that the team was a winner and that they have more fund than anybody—the boys had a football game in the outfield the other night before batting practice—has kept Brenner from going into something less nerve-wracking, like pitching in the Coast League.
TUESDAY—Incidentally, the Caps are not entirely green when it comes to throwing the football around … Neil Sheridan [line unreadable] … Arnie Hallgren coud probably catch on with the Lions right now if Milwaukee would let him play; Danny Holden played the game in high school; and Brenner, ‘tis said, could have played the pro grid game but for a knee injury.

Thursday, September 2, 1954

2008-08-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 40 25 .615 —
Yakima ....... 38 25 .603 1
Salem ........ 34 24 .586 2½
Vancouver .... 31 24 .584 4
Edmonton ..... 28 31 .475 9
Wenatchee .... 21 36 .368 15
Tri-City ..... 20 39 .339 17

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Sept. 3]—Don’t want to cut in on Emily Post’s shopping guide, but we must simply tell you about the tremendous fall bargains coming up at Capilano Stadium. Bargains, bargains, bargains!
The Capilanos have two nights left in the regular season, and yes, they’re offering bargains galore. Yes, bargains galore!
Tonight the Caps offer two games—two for the price of one—with a doubleheader scheduled against the Wenatchee Chiefs. But Saturday! Er—bargainers.
OLD BOYS BACK
Not only is there a regularly scheduled professional baseball game between Wenatchee Chiefs and the Capilanos, but also an old-timers’ game, featuring such well-known names of 20 years ago as Coley Hall, Johnny Nestman and Jimmy Watters. All this and clown Norm Trasolini, too.
But there’s more! (Bargains, etc.) There will be no regulation charge that night. You pay what we want. What you feel you can afford. (But just between us, some of the bigger ball players will be standing by the collection boxes with baseball bats, so bring your folding money).
Bill Brenner and his boys promise to do better than they did Thursday, when they lost a close one, 5-4, to the Chiefs. Arnie Hallgren pitched a good game for the locals, despite the 10 walks he gave up, but five errors behind him accounted for a couple of unearned runs and cost him the decision.
CORDELL ON HILL
The local youngster gave up just one hit for the first six innings, with Wenatchee winning it with two runs in the ninth, on three hits, a walk and two Vancouver errors.
Tonight, Bill Brenner will try again for his 22nd victory and John Cordell will pitch the other game. Charley Oubre and John Tierney will start for the visitors.
[WINfan notes: Jake Helmuth gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead in the first on a sacrifice fly … The Caps scored three in the third inning on four hits off ex-Victoria pitcher Berlyn Hodges. K Chorlton and Marv Williams singled, Bob Wellman doubled in Chorlton, and Ken Richardson singled in the other two … Bob Duretto brought in a final run in the sixth on a single to right after Neil Sheridan walked and was safe at second on a botched force play on Dick Greco's grounder … All six hits surrendered by Hallgren were singles … Jerry Green, Helmuth and Dain Clay got the trio of hits in the ninth, Helmuth tying the game and Clay scoring the game-winner … Hallgren struck out five and committed an error.]
Wenatchee ........ 100 000 112—5 6 2
Vancouver ......... 003 001 000—4 6 5
Hodges and Self; Hallgren and Duretto.

SALEM [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 3]—The Tri-City Braves plunged deeper into the cellar Thursday night with a 6-1 loss to the Salem Senators at Salem and for all practical purposes, that is where they will finish the fast-dying Western International League season.
The loss itself was not unusual—since the beginning of August, the Braves have won but nine games of 33 starts for an anemic .273 percentage.
Don Robertson, who went the distance for Tri-City, was again the loser. It was his tenth defeat against 16 wins.
Tonight, Hal Flinn, Tri-City's only optioned players and Walt Clough, are slated to pitch against Salem. Flinn has an 8-13 record.
The Braves and Senators will play another game there Saturday and a fourth Sunday before returning to Sanders Field for a season-ending three-game series here.
In Thursday's game, Tri-City scored one run in the first when Terry Carroll led off with a double, moved to third on Bob Moniz' single, and scored on Vic Buccola's sacrifice fly.
In the third inning, Salem scored four times with Tom Herrera and Mel Krause each getting singles and moving up on an infield out. Harry Warner was deliberately walked but all three runners scored when a ball got through the outfield.
The win for Salem gave them a chance to gain a half game on idle Lewiston and Yakima, the current leaders. Wenatchee upended Vancouver, 5 -4, to knock the Caps further out of the second-half running.
(Lewiston was reported erroneously as scheduled to open Thursday night at Edmonton. Instead, those two teams start their five-game series Friday night with doubleheader).
Tri-City ........ 100 000 000—1 9 4
Salem ........... 014 000 10x—6 9 0
Robertson and Warren; Herrera and D. Luby.

Only games scheduled.

Wednesday, September 1, 1954

2008-08-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 40 25 .615 —
Yakima ........ 38 25 .603 1
Salem ......... 33 24 .579 3
Vancouver ..... 31 23 .574 3½
Edmonton ...... 28 31 .475 9
Wenatchee ..... 20 36 .357 15½
Tri-City ...... 20 38 .345 16½

VANCOUVER [Skip Rusk, Sun, Sept. 2]—Odds on the Western International League tote board Wednesday night had Lewiston Broncs even-money favorites to win the second half title. Yakima Bears were 2-1, Salem Senators closed at 3-1 and Vancouver Caps were the outsiders at 6-1.
These odds were derived following last night’s WIL action which saw Bill Brenner’s Caps defeat Yakima 6-2 as George Nicholas recorded his 16th win at Cap Stadium; Lewiston eke out a 1-0 verdict over Edmonton, and Wenatchee upset Salem 1-0 in 10 innings.
CAPS TRAIL SENATORS
As a result, Larry Barton’s Broncs moved into undisputed possession of first place, one game ahead of Lou Stringer’s Bears. Salem is in third place, two-and-a-half lengths off the pace while Caps are one jump behind the Senators.
Tonight, Pete Hernandez (if he arrives from his home in Hayward, California) will pitch for Vancouver as they open their final four-game series of the season against Wenatchee. If Pete doesn’t arrive in time, Brenner will start Arnie Hallgren.
If Caps sweep this series, they’ll end up with a percentage of .603. If Lewiston splits their remaining six games, they’ll have .606. And if Hugh Luby’s red-hot Senators win five of their seven games, they’ll have .600.
However, they’re still playing baseball and it’s a safe bet that the second-half winner will not be decided until the league officially ends Labor Day (Monday).
GEORGE WAS HOT
Last night, Nicholas pitched one of his better games this season, setting the Bears down on four hits. He allowed three in the second inning when Yakima scored its only two runs, and didn’t allow another until Don Pries’ singled in the eighth.
Caps tied up the game in the fourth when Ken Richardson hit his second home run in two nights with Bob Wellman aboard. They sewed it up in the sixth as Yakima starter Tom Lovrich, a former Cap, lost his control. Tom walked two, hit Neil Sheridan with a pitched ball and gave up singles to Richardson [for one run] and Dick Greco [for two].
[WILfan note: Marv Williams’ single in the seventh accounted for the final Vancouver run … Irv Noren doubled, went to third on a passed ball by Bob Duretto and scored the first Yakima run on Summers sacrifice fly. John Albini then singled, stole second and was doubled in one out later by Dick Briskey.]
Yakima ........... 020 000 000—2 4 1
Vancouver ...... 000 203 10x—6 7 0
Lovrich, Rios (7) and Summers; Nicholas and Duretto.

LEWISTON, Idaho, Sept. 1—Lewiston's Jack Martin won a pitcher's battle with Edmonton's Ken Kimball Wednesday night to give the Broncs a 1-0 Western International League victory over the Eskimos.
A walk he gave up in the second inning after the bases were loaded proved Kimball's downfall. Kimball, who gave up only four walks and four hits in the game, walked Mel Wasley in that frame, then gave up singles to Nick Cannuli and Jack Martin, and a walk to Al Heist.
Martin struck out six and walked only one, while giving up five hits during his tour of duty. He posted his 11th victory and sixth shutout of the year.
The game, Lewiston's last home performance of the regular season, gave the Broncs a 2-1 edge of the three-game series. A crowd of 2,164, the second-largest of the
season, turned out.
Edmonton ........ 000 000 000—0 5 0
Lewiston ......... 010 000 00x—1 4 0
Kimball and Prentice; Martin and Cameron.

WENATCHEE, Sept. 1—Catcher Tom Self's 10th inning single with the bases loaded scored the winning run Wednesday night as Wenatchee shaded Salem, 6-5, in the rubber game of their Western International League baseball series here.
Salem pitcher Jon Briggs, trying for his 20th win, absorbed his 17th loss.
Salem .............. 200 001 002 0—5 10 2
Wenatchee ....... 010 002 110 1—6 8 0
Briggs and Ogden; Shandor and Self.

BASEBALL MAN DIES IN U.S.
Fans Will Remember Wimpy
By KEITH MATTHEWS
[Vancouver News Herald, Sept. 2, 1954]
“Wimpy” Quinn, a well known and tremendous popular baseball figure in Vancouver, died of cancer in Los Angeles Wednesday.
The death came as no surprise to those, locally, who knew Wimpy intimately. He has been ailing with the disease the last four years and as recently as 1952 when he played with Tacoma in the Western International League. It was rumored that the big fellow was close to playing out the string.
DIDN’T LIKE NAME
Quinn was 36 years old, and a big, good-hearted guy who laughed at everybody’s jokes and became everybody’s straight man. He impressed as a native of the Ozarks, even though he was born and raised in the heart of California’s greatest metropolis, Los Angeles.
The “Wimpy” part of the name came naturally. The real surnames were J. Wellington and the suspicion is the J. was for Jason. Wimpy would never explain say exactly.
Bob Brown brought Quinn first in the dying days of his old semi-professional baseball league at Athletic Park. The Los Angeles Angels owned Quinn, then, and he was the third baseman Bob wanted for one of his clubs.
Quinn was never the third baseman he was rumored to be. What didn’t hit him in the chest, shins or teeth usually went by for a base hit. What he did was an automatic out, for the Wimp could throw a baseball through a brick wall.
By the time Brown had moved back into professional baseball with the Capilanos, Quinn was his first baseman. He did better there because there weren’t as many ground balls hit his way.
POWER HITTER
As much as could be criticized about Quinn’s fielding, just as much could be added in praise about his hitting. His power, even though a right-handed hitter, was in right centre field, and he shot so many live drives over Athletic Park’s short porch that he was often accused of having a Nordin site on his bat.
Quinn played for the Capilanos in 1940 under Jimmy Crandall, the old St. Louis Browns catcher, and in 1941 under Don Osborn, the former Chicago Cubs pitcher. Quinn, himself was later to play a season for Los Angeles and he had a war-time trip with the Cubs.
TOO MANY BURGERS
Quinn, though he never talked about himself greatly, did detest his nick-name “Wimpy.”
Everywhere he went, people wanted to see him buy hamburgers. Once, in Bakersfield, where he managed in the twilight of his career, on rambunctious fan—a Quinn lover, naturally enough—brought a dozen hamburgers to the field and gave them to his hero.
The fact of the matter was, though, Quinn hated hamburgers. He gave them all to his team-mates a practice he had performed many times before. It made him, he used to confess, a sort of players’ ball player.

Tuesday, August 31, 1954

2008-08-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Yakima ....... 38 24 .613 —
Lewiston ..... 35 29 .605 1
Salem ........ 33 23 .589 2
Vancouver .... 30 23 .566 3½
Edmonton ..... 28 30 .483 8
Wenatchee .... 19 36 .345 15½
Tri-City ..... 20 38 .345 16

VANCOUVER [Skip Rusk, Sun, Sept. 1]—It was photo night at Cap Stadium Tuesday but the Vancouver Caps didn’t fit into the picture which was a double feature co-starring Herman Lewis and the Yakima Bears.
Lou Stringer’s Bears destroyed Bill Brenner’s Caps twice—5-2 and 5-4—to move into first place in the Western International Baseball League, four percentage points ahead of Lewiston Broncs. Salem Senators are a game-and-a-half off the pace, while the Caps occupy fourth spot, three-and-a-half games behind the leaders.
DIDN’T LOOK GOOD
The first 2000 fans—1500 attended the twin bill—received pictures of the Caps, courtesy of the management. And no matter how good Brenner’s boys looked in those glossy prints, they were out of the picture on the playing field.
Sandy Robertson started the seven-inning opener for Vancouver. He lasted three innings, during which time Yakima scored all its five runs. After Don Pries, former Victoria manager, singled in Des Charouhas in the first inning with Yakima’s initial run, Herm Lewis blasted a 350-foot homer over the right field fence.
Sandy managed to get through the second and gained new hope when Ken Richardson smashed a homer over the left field wall in the Caps’ half of the inning. However, the Bears bounced back in the third when Lewis whacked his second straight homer with Pries, who had singled, patiently waiting on first.
BRENNER LOSER
The second game started with Bears scoring three runs off Caps’ Bill Brenner, who was seeking his 23rd victory. They added single runs in the second and fourth innings, then withstood a late Vancouver rally to give John Carmichael his 19th win against 10 defeated.
Caps got one run back in the second, added another when K Chorlton homered in the seventh and had a real rally going in the ninth. First man up, Jim Clark, was safe on an error. He scored from first on Marv Williams’ double and Williams came in on Richardson’s single. Neil Sheridan singled to put men on first and second, but Dick Greco grounded to short, forcing Sheridan and the rally was ended. [Danny Rios pitched to the last two batters to save the game].
[WILFan notes: Brenner was victimised on the first batter he faced in the night game. Catcher Nick Pesut dropped a third strike on Des Charouhas. Pries, Len Noren and John Albini later singled that inning ... from Dick Beddoes’ column in The Sun after the game: The Vancouver Caps have particated in 41 baseball games this season which have been decided by one run, and have won 20 ... Ex Cap Manager Harvey Storey is getting $1,100 to play for the Lewiston Broncs]
First Game
Yakima ........ 302 000 0—5 7 0
Vancouver ... 010 001 0—2 3 2
Edmunds and Summers; Robertson, Bowman, (4) and Duretto.
Second Game
Yakima ......... 310 100 000—5 8 2
Vancouver .... 010 000 102—4 12 1
Carmichael, Rios (9) and Summers, Brenner and Pesut

LEWISTON, Idaho, Aug. 31—Edmonton Eskimos bunched four runs in the fourth inning Tuesday night to snap Lewiston's six-run winning streak with a 4-3 victory over the Western International League leaders.
The Broncs snuffed out an Eskimo scoring threat in the first inning with a double play and the game went scoreless until the fourth when Edmonton tapped Bronc hurler Guy Fletcher for four singles, which, combined with two Lewiston fielding errors, won the game. Only one run was unearned.
Lewiston countered in the bottom of that frame with one run on a double and a single, and in the eighth Larry Barton brought in two runs with a homer.
Edmonton starter John Conant was the winning pitcher. The two teams meet today for the deciding game of their three-game series.
Edmonton ......... 000 400 000—4 7 2
Lewiston .......... 000 100 020—3 8 2
Conant, McNulty ( ) and Prentice; Fletcher, Marshall (8) and Cameron.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 31—Wenatchee slammed out 13 hits off three Salem pitchers here Tuesday night to win 9-5 and even the series at one win apiece.
Jerry Green, Wenatchee lead-off better, slammed the first pitch of the game out of the park to start the winner's run parade.
Salem ............. 011 030 000—5 10 1
Wenatchee ..... 140 201 01x—9 13 0
Rayle, Roenspie (2), Johnson (4) and Ogden; Hodges, Romero (2), Waters (5) and Self.

Hemphill Released By Braves
KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 1]—Tri-City doesn't play until Thursday when they journey to the Oregon capital for a four-game series there. Then Sunday and Monday, the same two teams come here for a season-ending series.
General manager Eddie Taylor said today the series here will be called "baseball appreciation nights." All passes for the two nights, except working press passes, naturally, will be canceled.
Taylor also announced that pitcher Jack Hemphill, who had a 4-8 record this season has been released.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 1, 1954]

One of those who has passed quietly from the Western International league baseball scene near the tail end of this season is umpire Lowell Fulk of Wapato.
Fulk was dismissed recently by league president Robert Abel and although no reason was given it is generally felt the dismissal grew out of a rhubarb between the ump and Salem's firstbaseman Harry Warner.
The ruckus, which happened in a game with Yakima, resulted first in a three-day suspension for Warner, which was later cut to one day. It was charged that Warner "pushed umpire Fulk" which, ordinarily, would have resulted in an indefinite suspension. And now it is voiced around that Hugh Luby, Salem general manager, and admittedly a power in the league, pulled strings that enabled Warner to return to active duty.
This, in itself, would indicate, that WIL pennants are not decided by play on the field but rather by "politics" in league circles.
And as further evidence, one has to but cite the statement shortly thereafter of Bruce Williams, president of the Salem club and league vice president who said bluntly:
"We've had the lousiest umpiring in the history of the league this season."
But despite this, and in effort to clear any cries of "favoritism," it can be reported that the dismissal of Fulk was in the making long before the Warner incident.
And since Tri-City and playing manager Edo Vanni had a hand in the matter, it might be well to start from there.
* * *
Reached Climax In Tie Game
Now through the season, Vanni had been having rows with Fulk. This in itself doesn't mean much, because you could substitute the name of any one of the other WIL umps for Fulk, and the statement would be just as true.
However, things reached a climax when Tri-City and Lewiston played a 12-inning tie game there July 24. In one of the later innings, Artie Wilson uncorked one that called over the leftfield wall.
Fulk ruled that the ball was foul, and this brought Vanni out with a roar. Again, that isn't unusual since any time a Tri-City batter hits one foul within 10 feet of the pole, Edo is going to come out shouting, "You can never tell," he contends, "maybe the ump might give you one."
But Tri-City has other players on the roster who are not inclined to debate close calls nor see things with a distorted vision. And all will contested Artie's blow was a fair ball. So we will mark it down as just an ump's mistake.
* * *
Edo Talked Way Out Of Fine
Anyhow, since this one really was fair, and eventually cost Tri-City a game, Edo was a little more violent than usual, received the boot and was in line for a heavy fine.
However, in the communications with the league office that followed Vanni fast-talked himself out of the fine and invited league president Able to come over and see Fulk in action.
Edo even went so far as to make the impossible promise that he would be on his good behavior and wouldn't be involved in any rows, rhubarbs or ruckuses.
Abel came to Sanders for one of the games during the Lewiston series to check on Fulk. He was also treated to the spectacle of several Lewiston and Tri-City ballplayers fist-fighting around second base. The fight was touched off by Lewiston shortstop Nick Cannuli, and naturally, Tri-City's Edo Vanni.
I have no way of knowing what impressions Abel got of Fulk's ability that night, although as it was commented here before, the fight was so obviously in the making that prompt action by the ump could have presented the entire incident.
But in any case, all this shows that satisfaction with Fulk, and the events leading up to his dismissal, started long, long before the Salem Harry Warner incident,
* * *
Umps Weak Spot In Game
This business about umpires is complicated to no end but the officiating is probably the biggest weakness in professional baseball.
First off, it takes some kind of a peculiar makeup to be an ump. For what ordinary person would subject himself to a life with almost no friends, and where it may be detrimental to even have casual acquaintances, plus the prospect of being insulted by strangers, for no more pay than the average minor league scale.
Even raising the wages isn't likely to up the standards of the profession because to the average Joe, you couldn't pay him enough to take the job.
You'll have to concede the men who take the job must love the game, and they are honest, but the field to select from is so narrow, it isn't always easy to find those who are competent.
Yet so much hangs on the decisions of the ump that only the very best, from the majors to the D leagues, should rule.
* * *
Jess Said They Get Worse
Jess Dobernic, Tri-City pitcher who isn't inclined to create much of a fuss over the decision of umpires, believes the situation gets worse each year and doesn't look for any improvement.
"How can there be?" Jess asks. "They've got the same umps they've always had. All they can do is" get worse."
Jess's solution: "The only thing would be some kind of an electric eye device back of home plate calling the balls and strikes."
* * *
Victorians At Funeral
Up in Victoria, some 40 persons attended the burial ef4he Victoria Baseball and Athletic company last week. The 40 were but a small part of the 700 or so who owned stock in the defunct enterprise.
* * *
Fletcher Pitch Solved
Vanni says he has solved the mystery of Lewiston pitcher Guy Fletcher's unorthodox pitch.
"Ya notice only Ed Garay catches when Fletcher pitches? You know why Clint Cameron doesn't catch for him? Because Cameron doesn't chew tobacco and can't work up enough spit in his glove. That's how they load 'em."
What about Edo? Every time he goes to the plate at Lewiston, some individual, always wants to check up and see if he is using a corked bat.

Monday, August 30, 1954

2008-08-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 39 24 .619 —
Yakima ....... 36 24 .600 1½
Salem ........ 33 22 .600 2
Vancouver .... 30 21 .588 2
Edmonton ..... 27 30 .474 9
Tri-City ..... 20 38 .345 16½
Wenatchee .... 18 36 .333 16½

LEWISTON, Aug. 30—If the Edmonton Eskimos don't put the deep freeze on Lewiston, the boys from Idaho should win the Western International League second half pennant.
The Broncs play their remaining eight games against the Northerners. The teams meet twice more in their current series at Lewiston then move on for a six-game stand at Edmonton.
And a quirk in the schedule, brought about by Victoria's withdrawal last month, may work in Lewiston's favor. The Broncs' three closest competitors—Yakima, Salem and Vancouver—all have fewer games to play and must face each other at least twice. Any kind of an even break would put the Idahoans in the driver's seat.
The Broncs elevated themselves a notch higher Monday night at the expense of Edmonton, heading the Eskimos, 6-2 in the first game of their three-game series. The win increased Lewiston's lead to 1½ games over Yakima. The Bears' scheduled contest at Vancouver was postponed because of conflict with a football game. The teams will play a doubleheader Tuesday night.
Edmonton built up a 2-0 first inning lead that held up until the fifth inning when Lewiston pushed across four runs. The scoring came on a single, a double by Larry Barton and three walks. A lone run in the seventh when Clint Cameron doubled in Don Hunter, and another counter in the eighth ended the scoring.
The Eskimos two runs in the first frame were scored off four singles.
Rain held up the start of the game for 15 minutes, then drenched the field during the ninth inning.
Edmonton ..... 200 000 000—2 8 2
Lewiston ....... 000 040 11x—6 9 2
Worth and Partee, Prentice (8); Yaylian and Cameron.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 30—Salem topped Wenatchee, 9-7, to move into a percentage tic with Yakima for second place.
Salem rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth to salvage its game at Wenatchee. The Chiefs had led since the first inning when they drove Tom Herrara to the showers with five runs made on seven singles.
The Senators teed off on starter Charlie Oubre and reliefer John Tierney for five hits in the ninth.
Consecutive doubles by Dennis Luby and Gene Tanselli tied the count. The eventual winning run was scored when Bob Kellogg's bad hopper Rot by second baseman Tony Rivas for a single. Luby led the Senators' attack with three doubles.
The same teams meet again Tuesday night.
Salem ........... 100 300 104—9 14 2
Wenatchee .... 510 000 100—7 14 3
Herrera, Franks (2) and Ogden; Oubre, Tierney and Self.

Yakima at Vancouver, postponed.

Sunday, August 29, 1954

2008-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 38 24 .613 —
Yakima ........ 36 24 .600 1
Salem ......... 32 22 .593 2
Vancouver ..... 30 21 .588 2½
Edmonton ...... 27 29 .482 8
Tri-City ...... 20 38 .345 16
Wenatchee ..... 18 35 .340 15½

SALEM, Aug. 29—The only people not laughing in this Oregon city Sunday were the Vancouver Capilanos. For it was a comedy of errors at Waters Field—eight of them—committed by the Caps in the second game of a twin-bill, swept by the Salem Senators by scores of 8-4 and 10-4.
Eddie Murphy started the error parade in centre field, and was followed by second baseman Marv Williams, with three, and two each by third baseman Ken Richardson and catcher-turned-shortstop Bob Duretto.
Add to that a passed ball by outfielder-turned-catcher Danny Holden, and a wild pitch by outfielder-turned-relief pitcher Arnie Hallgren.
Victimised by the inept play was Vancouver starting pitcher, who was responsible for eight runs in the first inning and a third—only one of them earned. He was bailed out by Hallgren, who gave up only two runs the rest of the way, one earned, allowing four hits, walking five and striking out seven.
Perez batted in three runs with a pair of doubles for the Senators, while Harry Warner and Jim Deyo brought in a pair each.
Marv Williams had gotten Vancouver off to a 1-0 start in the first inning by doubling in K Chorlton, who started the game with a base hit. Bob Duretto’s homer in the third accounted for the three remaining Vancouver runs.
The Caps committed a comparatively-few three errors in dropping the opener, Williams, Bob Wellman and Duretto being the culprits. They resulted in only six of the eight runs off George Nicholas being earned.
Harry Warner homered and brought in three runs, while Duretto accounted for all of Vancouver’s runs with a three-run double in the second and a single in the fourth that scored Dick Greco, who had doubled.
Jon Briggs, the WIL strikeout and walk leader, added three whiffs and a base on balls to his totals.
First Game
Vancouver ...... 030 100 0—4 6 3
Salem ............ 210 032 x—8 12 2
Nicholas and Pesut; Briggs and Ogden.
Second Game
Vancouver ...... 103 000 000— 4 8 8
Salem ............ 440 101 00x—10 12 1
Cordell, Hallgren (2) and Pesut, Holden (3); Roenspie, Johnson (4) and D. Luby.

LEWISTON [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 30]—The Tri-City Braves will take the next three days off from play and let the other six teams in the Western International league hassle over second-half honors.
The Braves were originally scheduled to play the high-class Coos Bay, Ore., semi-pro team this week but general manager Eddie Taylor said today the games were called off because of constant rain along the Oregon coastal area.
The vacancy in the league schedule was caused by the demise of the Victoria entry.
With the Tri-City out of it, the race for top honors should force other teams to take over first place on their own for a while in place of getting there by crawling over the backs of the Braves.
In recent weeks, Salem climbed to first place by winning three of four games from Tri-Clty. But the Senators didn't stay there long. Tri-City then went to Lewiston for four games, and dropped all four, and the Broncs are again in first place.
If the pattern continues for the rest of the dismal and fast-dying season, Salem will be facing Vancouver in the playoffs because the Senators will have at it with Tri-City for the last seven games of the season.
Four of them will be at the Oregon Capital beginning Thursday and three of them here on Sunday and Labor Day.
The Broncs took both ends of the twin bill from the Braves, 3-2, and 8-2, Sunday to move into first.
Homers accounted for the scoring for both teams. Hal Flinn, the losing pitcher in the first game, hit one but Clint Cameron, the Lewiston catcher, knocked out the winning homer in the seventh.
Cameron's bat also accounted for the Lewiston win in the second game. His second homer came in the fourth inning with two on. In the third inning, he drove in two more with a double.
For Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni homered with one on for Tri-City's two runs.
First Game
Tri-City ......... 001 010 000—2 10 1
Lewiston ....... 000 200 01x—3 8 1
Flinn and Warren; Orrell and Cameron.
Second Game
Tri-City ......... 100 001 000—2 8 2
Lewiston ....... 122 300 00x—8 10 0
Thomason, Robertson (3), Hemphill (8) and Warren; Martin and Cameron.

YAKIMA, Aug. 29—The Yakima Bears skirted past Salem and Vancouver in the Western International League standings by trouncing Edmonton, two out of three games in their series. The Bears won both ends of a Sunday twin bill, 7-0 and 6-1.
Yakima hurler Tom Lovrich fashioned a neat one-hitter in the Bears' seven-inning opener. He was nicked for a first inning single by Augie Amorena, the Eskimos only hit of the game.
Lon Summers was the big mouse with the bat. The Yakima catcher hit a grand slam homer in the third inning of the opener and added another round-tripper with two on in the sixth frame of the nightcap.
Danny Rios had some early inning trouble in the second game but settled down and gave up only six hits for the victory.
First Game
Edmonton ...... 000 000 0— 0 1 0
Yakima .......... 205 300 x—10 5 0
McNulty and Partee; Lovrich and Summers.
Second Game
Edmonton ...... 200 100 000—3 6 2
Yakima .......... 000 204 00x—6 10 2
Widner, Manier (6) and Prentice; Rios and Summers.

Saturday, August 28, 1954

2008-08-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Vancouver ... 31 19 .620 —
Lewiston .... 36 24 .600 —
Yakima ...... 34 24 .586 1
Salem ....... 30 22 .577 2
Edmonton .... 27 27 .500 6
Tri-City .... 20 36 .357 14
Wenatchee ... 18 35 .340 14½

SALEM, Aug. 28—Bill Brenner notched his league-leading 21st victory Saturday night as he scattered nine hits in leading the Vancouver Capilanos to a 1-0 shutout of the Salem Senators in the second game of a twin bill.
Vancouver swept the home club, winning the first contest 7-2 behind Keith Bowman’s five-hit pitching.
Brenner allowed no hits to fall for extra bases, and only had trouble with Gene Tanselli, who touched him for three. Brenner walked three and strike out three.
Joe Rayle allowed only five Vancouver hits but, unfortunately, two were all Vancouver needed. Marv Williams singled in the fourth inning and was doubled home by Bob Wellman.
In the opener, Tanselli proved troublesome again, as he had two of the five hits allowed by Bowman, who allowed six walks, but struck out eighth for his first win in a Vancouver uniform. Only one of the runs he gave up was earned, thanks to shortstop Jim Clark’s error.
Ken Richardson singled in a pair of runs in the fourth inning and Wellman and Clark both hit sacrifice flies.
First Game
Vancouver ...... 110 300 2—7 9 1
Salem ............ 000 100 1—2 5 0
Bowman and Duretto; Herrera, Johnson (4), Franks (5) and D. Luby
Second Game
Vancouver ...... 000 100 000—1 5 0
Salem ............ 000 000 000—0 9 1
Brenner and Pesut; Rayle and Ogden.

YAKIMA, Aug. 28 — The Edmonton Eskimos crashed through with four runs in the fifth inning Saturday night to subdue Yakima, 8-4, and even their Western International League baseball series at a game apiece.
Trailing 4-3 entering the inning, the Eskimos picked up their four tallies on a walk, singles by pitcher Ken Kimball and Bob Brown, a double by John McKeown and a triple by Andy Skurski.
Yakima chased in three runs in the second and ended its scoring in the fourth on Lon Summers' none-on homer.
The win went to Kimball who went the distance allowing seven hits.
Yakima ends its home season here Sunday in a doubleheader with Edmonton.
Edmonton ........ 001 240 100—8 12 3
Yakima ............ 000 204 00x—6 10 2
Widner, Manier (6) and Prentice; Rios and Summers.

LEWISTON, Idaho, Aug. 28—The Lewiston Broncs used four double plays Saturday to snuff out virtually every Tri-City scoring threat as they whipped the Braves 9-1 to take a 2-0 lead in their four-game Western International League series.
John Marshall gave up eight hits in pitching the win for the Broncs, who are fighting to regain first place in the league. A walk to Edo Vanni when the bases were loaded and two men out in the ninth gave Tri-City its lone run. It was Marshall's 15th victory against 12 losses.
The Broncs, who got 13 hits off Tri-City hurler Jack Hemphill, bunched three runs in the first inning on a single, double and two walks. Two singles and an error gave them another run in the second, and Clint Cameron's home run brought in three of four runs made in the sixth.
Cameron got four hits in five times at bat for four runs batted in.
The two teams wind up their series in a doubleheadcr on Sunday.
Tri-City ........ 000 000 001—1 8 2
Lewiston ...... 310 004 01x—9 13 2
Hemphill and Johnson; Marshall and Garay, Cameron (6).

Friday, August 27, 1954

2008-08-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Salem ....... 30 20 .600 —
Yakima ...... 34 23 .596 ½
Vancouver ... 29 19 .596 ½
Lewiston .... 35 24 .593 ½
Edmonton .... 26 27 .491 5½
Tri-City .... 20 35 .364 12½
Wenatchee ... 18 35 .340 13½

YAKIMA, Aug. 27—John Carmichael picked up his 18th win to lead Yakima to a 10-4 win over the Edmonton Eskimos Friday night in WIL play here.
Edmonton ........ 000 002 020— 4 9 3
Yakima ............ 103 401 10x—10 14 3
Conant, Manier (4) and Partee, Prentice (8); Carmichael and Summers.

LEWISTON [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 29]—On Friday evening, Don Robertson failed in his bid for his 17 victory when Lewiston scored five runs in the third inning and went on to a 7-5 win.
The Broncs bobbled the ball five times but Tri-City couldn't get the winning runs across.
Jess Dobernic took over in the third, put out the fire and was taken out for a pinchitter in the ninth.
Tri-City ......... 020 100 101—5 9 1
Lewiston ....... 005 020 00x—7 12 5
Robertson, Dobernic (3), Clough (9) and Johnson; Fletcher and Garay.

Vancouver at Salem, postponed, rain.

WIL STATISTICS
(Compiled by William J. Weiss, Official Statistician, San Mateo, Calif. Averages include games of Sunday, August 22, except Wenatchee at Lewiston (tie), July 21; Vancouver at Lewiston, Aug. 16, 17 (2), 18) .
TEAM BATTING
Vancouver, .305; Tri-City, .291; Lewiston, 281; Yakima, .277, Edmonton, .277; Wenatchee, .275; Salem, .274.
Hits, Tri-City, 1195; Doubles, Tri-City, 208; Triples, Wenatchee, 40; Home runs, Vancouver, 96; Bases on Balls, Lewiston, 630; Strike outs, Lewiston, 657, Runs Batted in, Lewiston, 657; Hit Batsmen, Wenatchee, 40, Sacrifice Hits, Tri-City, 142.
TEAM FIELDING
Yakima, .971; Edmonton, .968; Vancouver, .967; Salem, .964; Lewiston, .964, Wenatchee, .960; Tri-City, .960.
Errors, Wenatchee, 192; Double plays, Salem, 127.
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Marv Williams, Van., 359; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 117; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 163; Total Bases, Chorlton, Va., 237; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 39; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 13; Home Runs, Bob Wellman, Van., 19; Sacrifice Hits, Dain Clay, Wen., 23; Stolen Bases, Chorlton, Van., 25; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 102; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 101; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 108.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Jon Briggs, Sal., 2.42; Wins, Brenner, Van., 19; Losses, Billy Joe Waters, Wen., 15; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 198, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 144; Innings Pitched, Bill Brenner, Van., 245; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 21; Home Runs Allowed, John Marshall, Lew., 20.

Name G AB R H RBI Ave
Williams, Van ..... 102 393 100 141 76 .359
Greco, Van ......... 84 294 65 104 79 .354
Wellman, Van ....... 99 366 72 130 101 .355
Chorlton, Van ..... 106 460 102 163 71 .354
Vanni, TC .......... 48 216 31 75 41 .347
Storey, Lew ........ 63 230 34 79 36 .344

Week’s Work
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Aug. 28, 1954]
WEDNESDAY—About people: There has been a definite shortage of baseball scouts at Capilano Stadium this summer … Guess they don’t figure Ken Richardson and John Cordell are prospects … One finally turned up this week: Marv Scott, WIL and Pioneer League scout for the Chicago Cubs … Marv was taking a good look at Pete Hernandez, as a New York Giant scout did recently when the club was on the road.
THURSDAY—The WIL batting race is one of the best in years, especially to what Vancouver Capilano followers there are … It’s a tossup among four Caps for the title, with Marv Williams, Dick Greco, Bob Wellman and K. Chorlton currently running 1-2-3-4 in the league.
FRIDAY—Baseball is now officially buried in Victoria … Only 40 of the 700 shareholders attended a meeting this week at which the company quietly disbanded.

Thursday, August 26, 1954

2008-08-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Salem ........ 30 20 .600 —
Vancouver .... 28 19 .596 ½
Yakima ....... 33 23 .589 —
Lewiston ..... 34 24 .586 —
Edmonton ..... 26 26 .500 5
Tri-City ..... 20 34 .370 12
Wenatchee .... 18 35 .340 13½

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 27]—The Tri-City Braves, so far out of the Western International league race that they couldn't win 'em all and move any higher than they are now, will have a lot to say about who takes second-half honors.
The four leaders, Salem, Yakima, Vancouver and Lcwiston are but a game apart at the top of the heap.
Tonight, the Braves travel to Lewiston for a series and an even break there may cost the Broncs the second half title. The series will be four games, possibly five, if the Broncs want to make up the 12-inning tie game there on the last road trip.
Tri-City finishes out its season with another-series at Salem and a home series with the Senators here.
Salem, which edged into first place with three victories over the Braves, were slapped down, 14-3, in Thursday night's action. The loss left them in first place, a bare few percentage points ahead of Yakima.
Tri-City had the game won by the second inning when the Braves scored four runs on five hits and a Salem error. Bill Franks, starter er for Salem, was racked for 17 hits.
Although Tri-City may be out of the race as a team, the Braves aided their efforts to meet various personal goals.
Little Dick Watson, who hit .242 in the Pioneer league last season and who has a personal goal of hitting .260 or better this season, reached the mark with four base blows in five times up.
Jack Warren, who long ago gave up hopes of defending his batting crown, and now hopes to finish his 16 season with an above-.300 average, got three for five and climbed to .302.
Artie Wilson, who dragged along at .265 in mid-season, is now up to 294 as the result of his three for four night.
Len Tran. who has an outside chance of winning the league batting title, got two for four and now has an average of .336. More immediate to Tran is hopes of passing the 100 RBI mark. He picked up one Thursday night for a season total of 92.
Dale Thomason, the winning pitcher for Tri-City, moved a notch closer lo breaking even in the won-loss column. He now has seven wins against eight loses.
During the game Thursday, Thomason scattered 11 hits in giving up three runs. Two of them came as the result of Tri-City errors in the ninth.
Thomason aided his own cause with a three for four night at the plate.
[WILfan notes: Every man in the Tri-City lineup, except Bob Moniz, got at least one hit (though Moniz had a sacrifice fly), and every man but Terry Carroll scored one or more runs ... Harry Warner four for five with a double. Glen Tuckett doubled and tripled in four times up and Bob Kellogg hit three for five.]
Salem ....... 010 000 002— 3 11 1
Tri-City .... 040 001 27x—14 12 1
Franks, Nicholas (8) and D. Luby; Thomason and Johnson.

LEWISTON, August 26 — Lewiston Broncs trimmed Yakima 8-6 on Thursday night to break a three-game losing spell and halt their plunge out of the upper brackets of the Western International League.
It was the third win in the last 16 starts for the Broncs who held down the league's top spot until Wednesday when the Bears, with their third win in a row, knocked them into fourth place. The Idahoans led the league most of the second half season and three weeks ago were 6½ games in front.
The Broncs spotted Yakima one run then came back with four of their own in the first inning. The scoring came on four hits, a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly.
Al Heist tripled and Larry Barton doubled during the rally. Lewiston iced the game in the third with three more runs on three hits and a walk, and Nick Cannuli's double in the fifth drove in an insurance run. Al Yaylian was the winner; Danny Rios the loser.
Yakima ...... 100 201 020—6 10 0
Lewiston .... 403 010 00x—8 12 2
Rios, Young (3), Schaening (9) and Summers; Yaylian and Garay.

Edmonton at Vancouver, postponed, rain.

Victoria Baseball Company Passes Quietly, at Meeting
[Victoria Colonist, Aug. 27, 1954]
Victoria Baseball and Athletic Company, born quietly almost nine years ago at a meeting attended by approximately 40 Victoria citizens, officially died even more quietly last night.
Fewer than 40 of the more than 700 shareholders in the company attended an extra-ordinary general meeting at the Chamber of Commerce board room, Wharf Street, to unanimously approve their directors’ suggestion that the company be wound up voluntarily.
The meeting also voted to retain business manager Reg Patterson as liquidator for a fee equal to his former salary for one month.
In the absence of president Arthur Cox, in Vancouver due to a family bereavement, and vice-president Robert Hew Fergusson-Pollock, detained in Duncan due to illness in the family, W.T. Straith, legal advisor and honorary director of the company, acted as chairman.
Straith, one of the men instrumental in obtaining a Western International League franchise for Victoria, noted that the company had been formed in the hope that professional baseball would become a fixture in the city.
Starting as the Athletics, the Victoria club shows a small profit through its first three years, paying a dividend to shareholders in 1947 and reaching its high point the following ear when 148,000 fans passed through the turnstiles.
From there, attendance skidded downward and only 28,000 had attended 44 home games of the Victoria Tyees this season when directors, deciding that further operations would only increase liabilities, forfeited their franchise on August 3.
At the annual general meeting last spring, an auditor’s report disclosed that a capital deficiency of $110,000 and it is estimated approximately $40,000 was lost this season. Among the outstanding debts are salary commitments of $3,500, which are expected to receive first consideration in liquidation proceedings.
The main portion of the company’s assets consists of its contributions to facilities at Royal Athletic Park although all fixtures are legally the property of the city. The company contributed $18,000 toward seating improvements and spent $12,000 for installation of lights.

Wednesday, August 25, 1954

2008-08-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Salem ........ 20 19 .612 —
Yakima ....... 33 22 .600 —
Vancouver .... 28 19 .596 1
Lewiston ..... 33 24 .579 1
Edmonton ..... 26 26 .500 5½
Tri-City ..... 19 34 .358 13
Wenatchee .... 18 35 .340 14

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 26]—There are innumerable ways to win a ball game and of course, as the man said, they all look the same in the record book.
Bill Brenner’s Capilanos tried a new method in the first game of Wednesday’s double header against Edmonton. It worked, but it’s not a system you can count on, so they went back to the tried and true method of hitting the ball out of the park in the nightcap, and won that too. Scores were 3-2 and 7-4 and the result left the Caps one game out of first place in the tight, four-team WIL race.
A LOUD ONE
Dick Greco was the big gun in the second game, which saw Pete Hernandez gain his ninth win despite a shaky performance. Big Richard hit a three-run homer to sew up things for the locals, and he also added a 400-triple and a single.
Now about that first game. The Caps went into the seventh and last frame behind 2-1 with Edmonton’s Ray McNulty matching a fine pitching job by George Nicholas.
Then the fun began. Greco was safe on an error by John McKeown at third. Eddie Murphy ran for him, was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on an infield out. That’s two away and a man on third.
Jim Clark then lofted a routine fly ball to centre and Murphy jogged for home. But surprise! Veteran Andy Skurski dropped the ball and Clark stopped at second. He scored all the way from there when, you guessed it, the Esks made their third error of the inning, usually-solid Whitey Thomson bobbling K Chorlton’s grounder to short. Two runs, no hits, three errors.
THREE IN A ROW
The win was the third straight for the Caps over the Esks in the series, which winds up tonight with newcomer Keith Bowman opposing John Conant. It’s also “Photo Night,” with the first 2000 getting an autographed team picture of the Caps.
[Solo homers accounted for Edmonton’s last run of the first game and first run of the last game. Thomson hit one in the sixth inning of the opener and Don Gigli in the first inning of the night gap … McKeown singled in a pair of runs in the fifth inning of the finale].
First Game
Edmonton ....... 001 001 0—2 8 3
Vancouver ...... 000 100 2—3 5 1
McNulty and Partee; Nicholas and Greco.
Second Game
Edmonton ....... 100 003 000—4 7 0
Vancouver ...... 002 040 01x—7 9 1
Widner, Manier (7) and Prentice; Hernandez, Cordell (7) and Pesut.

LEWISTON, August 25—The Lewiston Broncs dropped all the way to fourth place in the Western International League after losing two to Yakima, 10-9 and 13-5, on Thursday. The win leaves the Bears just a few percentage points behind Salem.
First Game
Yakima ........ 103 030 3—10 10 3
Lewiston ...... 120 015 0— 9 12 1
Edmunds, Carmichael (6), Young (7) and Summers; Orrell, Derganc (7) and Garay.
Second Game
Yakima ........ 030 100 072—13 11 1
Lewiston ...... 030 101 000— 5 11 2
Lovrich, Edmunds (8) and Summers, Marshall, Martin (8) and Cameron.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 26]—There are some fans in the Tri-City area who are getting a sneaking suspicion that the team which will win the close race for Western International league honors will be the one playing the Tri-City Braves most often.
On that basis, the Salem Senators will automatically qualify, for they have eight games left with the Braves, one of them tonight at Sanders Field.
Tri-City's other games, four and possibly five, are with Lewiston.
So far in the current four-game series, Salem has taken over the league leadership by the ability to beat the Braves consistently. The Senators took both ends of a twin-bill at Sanders Field Wednesday night, 2-0. and 9-4, for three straight.
The final game of the four-game series tonight starts at 7 p.m. It will be a Pop Pays night with only the father of the family buying a general admission ticket. Wives and children are admitted free.
In Wednesday's action, the home run ball figured heavily in both Salem wins. In the first game, Walt Clough, Tri-City righthander, shut out Salem on two hits for six innings. Then in the seventh, a play at the plate killed a scoring threat, but Connie Perez followed with a home run just a few feet inside the right-field foul line pole, scoring one runner ahead of him.
For Salem, Jon Briggs, the Willy wildman, sprayed the general vicinity of home plate with base balls, but got a sufficient number over the plate for 10 strikeouts. Briggs leads the league in "most strikeouts" department as well as "most-base-on-balls." His five walks in the seven-inning game along with the 10 strikeouts was good assurance he will retain the lead in both departments.
Briggs gave up one hit, a double to Len Tran in the first inning in the second game. Gene Johnson started for Salem and gave up four runs before being taken out for Jose Rayle who started the fourth inning. Rayle shut the Braves out the rest of the way. For Tri-City, starter Hal Flinn gave up two runs in the second and three in the fourth before. leaving the game with one out and two men on. Jess Dobernlc took over and Gene Tanselli promptly out one out of the park.
Two errors brought in another run but from then on, Dobernic put Salem down on three hits.
First Game
Salem ......... 000 000 2—2 5 1
Tri-City ...... 000 000 0—0 1 1
Briggs and Ogden; Clough and R. Johnson.
Second Game
Salem ......... 020 700 000—9 11 2
Tri-City ...... 121 000 000—4 8 3
G. Johnson, Rayle (4) and D. Luby; Flinn, Dobernic (4) and R. Johnson.

Tuesday, August 24, 1954

2008-08-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 33 22 .600 —
Salem ....... 28 19 .596 —
Yakima ...... 31 22 .585 1
Vancouver ... 26 19 .578 2
Edmonton .... 28 24 .520 4½
Tri-City .... 19 32 .373 12
Wenatchee ... 18 35 .340 14½

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, August 24, 1954]—If the Tri-City Braves intend to do anything about Salem's late season drive toward second-half honors, It will have to come tonight in the doubleheader at Sanders Field.
The two teams square off in the first game beginning at 7 p.m. It will also be stockholder's night, with general manager Eddie Taylor requesting that all Tri-City Athletic Association stockholders attend and bring two or three "paying" guests.
The Association has 400 stockholders.
In the series opener with Salem G. M. Hugh Luby's "natural rival" Senators, the Braves rassled with them for 11 innings, three hours and 10 minutes Tuesday night before the roof caved in in the top of the final frame, and Tri-City lost, 9-4.
Up to that point it was a tense, exciting game with an above average share of weird incidents.
Topping the list of oddities was a Salem triple play that threw the game into extra innings.
Artie Wilson, Len Tran, and Vic Buccola were the goats, along with a couple or three Salem players who blundered into the triple killing.
With none away and but one run needed to win, Vic Buccola led off with his second hit of the night. Len Tran sacrificed and Buccola was safe at second on an error.
Artie Wilson, the next batter, made a couple attempts to bunt and failed. Then he lined a hot low fly ball to Bob Kellogg at third base.
All manner of strange things happened. Both Buccola and Tran thought the ball was trapped and were off and running. Kellogg pegged to second in an effort to trap Buccola off the bag but his throw was wild and went out into right field.
Mel Krause, the rightfielder, also thinking the ball was trapped, pegged into Catcher Dennis Luby in an effort to prevent Buccola from "scoring."
By this time Buccola was standing on third, Tran was on second and a good share of the Salem infield was standing on second base frantically calling for the ball.
Luby pegged it to second, Buccola was called out, and then the throw went to first where Tran was called out.
The ninth inning was not the only one where Tri-City missed a chance to score a winning run. In the eighth, Jack Warren led off with a double but got no further.
In the tenth, Bob Moniz led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. Warren was intentionally walked and Dick Watson struck out. Edo Vanni, playing manager, came on to bat for Jess Dobernic, and struck out. Ironically, it was but the fourth time Vanni has struck out in more than 250 times at bat this season.
Even in the bottom of the 11th, Tri-City had two runners in scoring position but couldn't bring them in.
Tom Herrara, Salem pitcher who went the distance, won his own game when he singled Luby home in the top of the 11th. Then followed an error, two singles and a triple by Harry Warner which iced the game.
All of the five runs came off Tri-City's Don Robertson, who replaced Dobernic. He was charged with the loss, his ninth against 16 wins.
The Salem victory enabled the Senators to gain a half-game on league-leading Lewiston. The Senators are now four percentage points out of first.
Games between Lewiston and Yakima and Edmonton and Vancouver were postponed because of rain. Those same teams play tonight, while cellar-dwelling Wenatchee is idle.
Salem ....... 200 000 200 05—9 15 1
Tri-City .... 000 300 100 00—4 10 4
Herrara and Luby; Hemphill, Dobernic (7), Robertson (11) and Johnson.

Yakima at Lewiston, postponed, rain.
Edmonton at Vancouver, postponed, wet grounds.

Sports Notes

By GIL GILMORE

[Tri-City Herald, August 25, 1954]
Recently, when Luke Easter, San Diego firstbaseman, belted one over the centerfield fence at Hollywood’s Gilmore (no relation) Field, it was pointed out that was the sixth home run knocked over the 400-foot barrier. Easter had hit one over once before so actually only five men have turned the trick.
This seems to be a surprising low production considering Tri-City’s centerfield fence is an equal distance away. Awhile back, Vic Buccola, Tri-City firstbaseman and the only player who has played in the park every year since it was built, myself and others figured at least a dozen have been hit over the centerfield wall at Sanders with five or six clearing the scoreboard.
However, there are differences. First off, the Hollywood park centerfield wall is 25 feet high while Sanders field wall is 12-14. (Later on I'll show it isn’t even that high.)
Then too, here in the Banana Belt, we have what Tri-City pitcher Don Robertson calls a “movement of air.”
Which brings us up to the point of this little discussion.
* * *
That Movement Of Air
Ordinarily, one would think a park with 340-foot right and left field walls and a 400-foot ccnterfield wall would be a fair pitcher’s park. But Robertson says not so, and cites two or three around the league which are much better designed for holding earned run averages down.
“In this park, a high fly ball blows out of here,” Don said. “They may look like they are hit hard but when I was playing outfield those homers just blooped over the fence about 10 or 15 feet on the other side.”
Well, what about the days when the wind isn't blowing and the flag in centerfield is hanging limp on the pole.
“There's still a movement of air,” Don said. “Tell you what to do. You go out to home plate and throw a ball as hard as you can toward centerfield. Then have some one mark the spot where it lands. Then go out to that spot and try to throw a ball back to home plate. You’ll be lucky if you get it back as far as the pitcher's mound!”
(Don’s giving me credit for a throwing arm I don'’t possess. I would have a rough time getting as far as the pitcher’s mound on the home plate-to-centerfield throw.)
* * *
She Slopes A Bit
Anyhow, Don is right but it isn't so much that movement of air as it is the sloping Sanders Field. It doesn't appear that way, but Hank Jepson, the former groundkeeper, put a surveying instrument on home plate last winter and took a look around.
He found that the bottom of the fences are some six feet below home plate. The infield also slopes off anywhere up to a foot to 18 inches.
This means the batter is standing on a low mound while the defensive team is on the lower side of a slope. It also means, in effect, the wall around Sanders Field is more like “six feet” high than 12-14 feet.
* * *
Looks Like A Mountain
This brings about some wierd and wonderful results, aside from the tendency of high fly balls to sail over the fence.
For example, some player from every visiting team here invariably points to the pitcher’s mound and cracks:
“Do you get a medal for climbing that mountain?”
But the mound is the standard 15 inches above home plate. It’s the surrounding infield that its low.
The only solution to the sloping field situation would be to fill ‘er up. But that would have the Matheson Sand and Gravel trucks going for three summers, and would either break association president Harold Matheson, or the association.
Anyhow, the field itself is still one of the best in the league — slope and all.

Monday, August 23, 1954

2008-08-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 33 22 .600 —
Salem ........ 27 19 .587 1½
Yakima ....... 31 22 .585 1
Vancouver .... 26 19 .578 2
Edmonton ..... 28 24 .520 4½
Tri-City ..... 19 31 .380 11½
Wenatchee .... 18 25 .340 14½

LEWISTON, Aug. 23—Yakima moved within one game of league-leading Lewiston in the Western International League Monday night but failed to get out of third place in doing it. The Bears topped the Broncs, 8-4, in their series opener at Lewiston.
But percentage-wise Yakima till trails Salem by .002 points, though the Senators are 1½ games behind Lewiston. Salem was idle Monday night.
Yakima, trailing 2-0, tied the count in the top of the sixth when John Albini homered with Len Noren aboard. The Bears added the clincher in the eighth when they scored five times. The runs came on five singles and two walks. Yakima added its final tally in the ninth inning when Albini romped home on Dick Briskey's double.
Lewiston opened the scoring in the third frame with two runs off one hit and two Yaklma errors. The Broncs added single tallies in the sixth and eighth innings.
John Carmichael, who held the league leaders to seven hits, was the winning pitcher.
Yakima ....... 000 002 051—8 15 2
Lewiston ..... 002 001 010—4 7 2
Carmichael,Edmunds (8) and Summers; Fletcher, Derganc (8), Martin (9) and Garay.

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 23]—If you think this is going to be a eulogy for Bill Brenner, you’re right.
It’s possible that Brenner has received a pretty good press this season—by why should we apologize? As the politicians say: Look at the record.
Brenner, as you should know by now, if the triple threat of the Vancouver Capilanos baseball team. He’s general manager, field manager and pitcher, and he hasn’t had to apologize for any of those roles, either.
As g.m. he’s gathered possibly the best team ever to wear a Vancouver uniform in the WIL. As field boss, he’s earned the respect—and the final tribute, hustle, of and from a bunch of fellows who’ve played a lot of baseball under a lot of men.
THREE IN ROW
As a pitcher, well, Bill’s been his own ace. Monday, he became the first hurler in the league to hit the hallowed 20 victory mark, as he turned back Edmonton Eskimos 4-2 on six hits. It was the third straight year that Brenner, who turned to pitching seriously just three seasons ago afer more than 10 years as a catcher, has achieved this goal.
As far as can be ascertained by a quick check of the records, no other WIL pitcher has had three 20-game seasons, consecutively or otherwise.
And Brenner, who has fashioned the league’s best earned run average, most complete games and most innings pitched in turning in his 20-7 season’s mark, added one more dramatic touch to last night’s winning effort.
With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh, thanks to Neil Sheridan’s two-run double in the sixth, Brenner won his own ball game with a 350-foot [two-run] homer off Ken Kimball. It was Bill’s third home run of the season and two of them have been here, in the league’s biggest park.
AGAIN TONIGHT
The win was a big one for the Caps, who won the league’s first half championship and are now within striking distance of the second-half leaders, Lewiston.
Wet grounds have caused postponement of tonight’s game, with a doubleheader now scheduled for Wednesday.
PROVINCE STARS—Brenner, of course, and Neil Sheridan, who had his best night here in an Vancouver suit, with three-for-four … And Andy Skurski for Edmonton, whose home run with nobody on in the fourth was the lone earned run off Brenner.
Edmonton ....... 010 100 000—2 6 1
Vancouver ...... 000 002 20x—4 8 0
Kimball, Manier (8) and Prentice; Brenner and Pesut.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, August 24, 1954]

For the first time in many moons the much-beaten Tri-City Braves are winning more games than they are losing.
True the four wins in the last six games are merely a drop in the bucket, considering they are rolling some 12-13 games off the pace. But for awhile, it looked as if they were going to lose ‘em all.
Why this sudden late season splurge?
Well, without putting too much stock on jinxes and other superstition, some have a sneaking hunch that the death of “Fearless” may have been responsible.
Technically, “Fearless” is not dead, for in reality he was never alive. For “Fearless” is a dummy who once joined the Braves. There are probably those, even among the players who will contend that it wasn’t the only dummy to join the Braves but we won't go into that.
Actually, Fearless never joined the Braves in the sense that he was bought, traded for, or signed as a free agent.
The confounded pile of sawdust, wood and papier-mache was “captured” when Tri-City played at Salem. That was about the time they were riding high with 15 wins in 20 games.
The Braves brought it back to Sanders Field, dressed it in a uniform, and packed it out to the dugout for games.
Then came the reckoning. Losses began to mount, Vic Buccola found himself talking to Fearless one day, and later, when he was carrying it to the clubhouse, he slipped and fell and the blame dummy spiked him.
There were more losses, and without saying much, the Braves began to look askance at the dummy. Gradually, they began forgetting to carry it out to the dugout and during the games, Fearless spent his time in the clubhouse with only Doc Hoyt for company, and he ignored it.
Although by this time a good many began to have sneaking suspicions about Fearless, it wasn’t until Bob Moniz spoke up that the suspicions came out in the open:
“I know what’s wrong with this team. It’s that dummy. Ever since we got the thing we have been losing games.”
To which playing manager Edo Vanni gave a halfhearted, “Nonsense, there’s things wrong with this team that dummy didn’t have anything to do with.”
But, after a few more losses, Fearless disappeared.
When asked what happened to him, Vanni said, “we had Doc burn it.” That night Tri-City broke its 10-game losing streak by beating Lewiston.

Sunday, August 22, 1954

2008-08-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 33 21 .611 —
Salem ......... 27 19 .587 2
Yakima ........ 30 22 .577 2
Vancouver ..... 25 19 .568 3
Edmonton ...... 26 23 .531 4½
Tri-City ...... 19 31 .380 12
Wenatchee ..... 18 35 .340 14½

WENATCHEE, Aug. 22—Less than two weeks ago, Lewiston had built up a 6½ game lead over its nearest rival in the Western International League standings. But the Broncs stumbled again over the weekend, losing three of four games to last-place Wenatchee. The teams split a Sunday doubleheader, Lewiston winning the opener, 5-1. and Wenatchee the nightcap, 19-10. The Chiefs came out on top Saturday, 6-3.
The Broncs are winners of only three of their last 12 games, and hold a slim two game lead over Salem and Yakima with less than three weeks of play remaining.
Lewiston and Wenatchee engaged in a real slugfest in the second contest of their Sunday doubleheader. The Chiefs banged out 20 hits and the Broncs 15. It was in direct contrast to the opener which saw Al Yaylian twirl a three-hitter for the Broncs.
Wenatchee erupted for 10 runs in the eighth inning of the second contest, getting the total on four walks, three singles, a double and bases-loaded triples by Charlie Beamon and Tom Self.
First Game
Lewiston .......... 030 020 0—5 7 0
Wenatchee ....... 100 000 0—1 3 0
Yaylian and Garay; Waters and Self.
Secoond Game
Lewiston ......... 100 500 013—10 15 1
Wenatchee ...... 120 100 5(10)x—19 20 1
Martin, Kime (7), Marshall (7), Orrell (8), Willams (8) and Cameron; Shandor, Romero (4), Hodges (9) and Helmuth.

YAKIMA [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 23]—It's still theoretically possible for Don Robertson, Tri-City righthander, to be a 20-game winner this season but unless he wins a couple in relief, the Braves winningest pitcher will have a tough time turning the trick.
Robertson, though, has lived up to his pre-season prediction that he will win more or lose less games than last season. During 1952 [sic], he had a 14-9 record, and Sunday at Yakima he racked up another victory to go along with the win over Lewiston last week to run his total to 16.
The win came in the first game of a twin bill which the Braves and Yakima split. Tri-Clty taking the opener 9-4, but losing the nightcap, 4-2.
The Braves have 13 league games left on the schedule which are jammed into 11 playing dates. This does not include two exhibition dates this week with the semi-pro team at Coos Bay, Ore.
In order to win four more before the season ends, Robertson would have to start every four days and pitch Tri-City to a victory each time. He will probably get his first shot at the four Wednesday night in the doubleheader with Salem here.
Tonight, the Braves have the day off but will open against the Senators here Tuesday night. Then they take off for Coos Bay for the exhibition dates which fill in for the missing Victoria games.
In the games Sunday at Yakima, Robertson's win, along with one pitched by Hal Flinn Saturday, and another by Jess Dobernic Thursday, gave the Braves three out of five. It marked the first time Tri-City had beaten Yakima in a series all season: in fact, it marked the first time they have beaten Yakima more than once in a series all season.
Tri-City came through with an easy scoring punch in the first game Sunday. They picked up a run in the first and four in the third to go ahead 5-2. Three more runs in the sixth frame put them way out in front and out of danger.
In the first game, Vic Buccola rapped out his first triple of the season, and Bob Moniz came up with his 39th double. Jack Warren, who went two for two, also got a double.
Len Tran was the big man at the plate during both games. In the first one he hit three for four and then in the second got a triple in three trips to the plate.
Dale Thomason, making his first league game start since returning from the Bob Abel All-Stars, went the distance for Tri-City. He had one bad inning, the fourth, when Yakima scored all of its runs.
[WILfan note: the bottom of the order did all the damage in that last game for Yakima. Mike Catron singled in one, Dick Briskey doubled in a pair and came home on Danny Rios' double. Terry Carroll brought in the first run in the third inning, and Bob Moniz singled after Tran's triple one inning later].
First Game
Tri-City ......... 104 003 1—9 15 1
Yakima .......... 020 001 1—4 8 1
Robertson and Johnson; Albini, Schaening (3), Young (6) and Summers.
Second Game
Tri-City ......... 001 100 000—2 5 0
Yakima .......... 000 400 00x—4 9 1
Thomason and Johnson; Rios and Albini.

EDMONTON, Aug. 22—Salem moved just a few percentage points ahead of Yakima in the Western International League standings after defeating the Edmonton Eskimos Sunday, 11-5.
Salem spotted Edmonton a 4-2 lead early in their contest but came back strong to build up the winning margin.
The win gave the Senators the series, five games to two.
Salem ........... 200 130 122—11 14 4
Edmonton ...... 040 000 100— 5 8 2
Franks, Briggs (3) and D. Luby; Conant and Prentice.

Saturday, August 21, 1954

2008-08-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 32 20 .615 —
Yakima ....... 29 21 .580 2
Salem ........ 26 19 .577 2½
Vancouver .... 25 19 .568 3
Edmonton ..... 26 20 .565 3
Tri-City ..... 18 30 .375 12
Wenatchee .... 17 34 .333 14½

WENATCHEE, Aug. 21—Lowly Wenatchee subdued Lewiston 6-3 Saturday night for its second straight win over the Western International Baseball League kingpins.
The Chiefs, resting in the league basement 14½ games behind the Broncs, collected half their runs in the fourth and fifth innings and put the game out of reach with a three-run rally in the bottom of the eighth.
Lewiston got its first tally in the opening inning on successive singles by Al Heist and Don Hunter. Gabby Williams' none-on homer in the fourth provided the second counter and Lewiston wound up the scoring with a singleton in the ninth on safeties by Clint Cameron and Eddie Bockman and a walk to Heist.
In Wenatchee's big eighth, Pumpsie Green homered after Tony Rivas walked for two runs.
The final score came when Larry Monroe walked, went to second on a wild pitch and crossed the plate on Jake Helmuth's single.
Lewiston ........ 100 100 001—3 8 1
Wenatchee .... 000 120 03x—6 9 2
Marshall and Garay; Oubre and Self.

YAKIMA [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 22]—Hal Flinn, the San Francisco beanpole righthander for the Tri-City Braves, pitched a six-hitter Saturday night to shutout the Yakima Bears at Yakima, 6-0.
The win gave the Braves a 2-1 edge in the current five-game series. It marks the first time Tri-City has beaten the Bears twice in a series since the season started.
The victory also marked three wins in four starts since snapping a 10-game losing streak Thursday night.
Today, the same two teams play another twin bill at Yakima. Likely starters for Tri-City will be Dale Thomason and Don Robertson.
After today Tri-City returns to Sanders Field for the opening of a four-game home stand against the Salem Senators Tuesday night.
In Saturday's action, Flinn was seldom in trouble against the home standing Bears. The closest Yakima came to scoring a run was in the eighth frame, when Danny Rios, pinchitting for starter Ted Edmunds, doubled off the left-centerfield wall. The ball lacked inches of clearing the wall.
Rios moved to third on a fielder's choice but the next batter filed out to end the threat. In earlier innings, Des Charouhas walked and moved to second on a single, and Lon Summers walked and moved to second on a fielder's choice for the only two times Yakima had runners in scoring position.
Three times Dick Watson-to-Len Tran-to Vic Buccola double plays erased and [any] Yakima gains.
For all practical purposes, Tri-City had the game sewed up right when lead-off man Terry Carroll was walked by Yakima's Edmunds in the first inning. Carroll scored on Vic Buccola's double. Then Buccola moved to third when Edo Vanni grounded out and came home on Len Tran's long fly to center field.
The Braves scored steadily throughout the game. They picked up single runs in the third and sixth innings and then added two more with two away in the eighth.
In that frame, Jack Warren rapped one to the outfield and moved to second on Dick Watson's single Another single by Flinn scored Warren and Watson came home on Carroll's base blow.
Tri-City ...... 201 001 020—6 10 2
Yakima ....... 000 000 000—0 6 0
Flinn and Johnson; Edmunds, Young (9) and Summers.

EDMONTON, Aug. 21—The Edmonton Eskimos and Salem Senators split a doubleheader Saturday night, Edmonton claiming a 6-1 win in the first, and Salem coming back to take an 11-5 victory in the second meeting.
Larry Manier pitched the five-hit 6-2 opener for Edmonton and Vern Campbell hit two doubles and drove in two runs for the winning club. Manier lost a shut-out in the last inning when Salem's Bob Kellogg, Harry Warner and Dennis Luby each connected with a double.
In the second game, Gene Johnson of Salem had a two-hit shutout going for seven innings while his teammates piled up a nine-run lead.
Leading Salem at bat were Harry Warner, with a home run, a triple and a double and Connie Perez who hit a double and two singles.
First Game
Salem .......... 000 000 2—2 5 0
Edmonton ..... 101 031 x—6 9 1
Roenspie and D. Luby; Manier and Prentice.
Second Game
Salem .......... 303 020 012—11 12 1
Edmonton ..... 000 000 023— 5 7 1
Johnson and Luby; McNulty, Worth (4) and Prentice.

Friday, August 20, 1954

2008-08-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 32 19 .627 —
Yakima ....... 29 20 .592 2
Salem ........ 25 18 .581 3
Vancouver .... 25 19 .568 3½
Edmonton ..... 25 21 .548 4½
Tri-City ..... 17 30 .362 13
Wenatchee .... 16 34 .320 15½

WENATCHEE, story unavailable
Lewiston ......... 000 210 021—6 10 3
Wenatchee ..... 001 300 003—7 11 1
Orrell, Kime (8) and Garay; Hodges, Tierney (8) and Self.

EDMONTON, story unavailable
First Game
Salem ........... 032 000 0—5 6 2
Edmonton ...... 002 000 0—2 6 0
Herrera and Luby; Kimball, Manier (7) and Prentice.
Second Game
Salem ........... 000 000 007—7 10 2
Edmonton ...... 010 000 001—2 6 0
Briggs, Krause (7) and Ogden; Widner, Manier (9), LeBrun (9) and Prentice.

YAKIMA [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 22]—One of these days Walt Clough, Tri-City righthander, is going to wonder what it takes to win a ball game.
Clough came up with a five-hitter Friday night against the Yakima Bears at Yakima, not exceptional pitching, but usually good enough to be offset by Tri-City scoring.
But it didn't happen that way, and he was charged with a 3-1 loss, his 14th of the season.
In the second game, Tri-City and Yakima went at it for 13-innings before the Braves pushed three runs across to win, 9-6. It marked but the second time Tri-City has beaten Yakima this season.
Terry Carroll did most of the damage to the Bears. He doubled two runners home in the top of the 13th and later scored on Vic Buccola's single.
Jess Dobernic, who took over for Jack Hemphill in the fourth, was the winner. Don Robertson pitched the final frame.
In the first game, which was played in an hour and 20 minutes, Yakima scored three runs in the third on Don Briskey's triple, scored when a pickoff play went amiss, added two more when an error put Des Charouhas on base followed by hits by Don Pries, Herm Lewis and Len Noren.
Tri-City's run came when Bob Moniz walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Len Tran's single. The base blow was the third off winning pitcher Dick Young who gave up but three hits.
[WILfan note: Jack Warren and Clough had the only other hits of Young, both singles ... Warren was also four-for-five in the night game, and Buccola added three hits ... Lewis and Hal Summers both homered for Yakima and were responsible for a pair of runs each. Tran batted in a pair in the second game.]
First Game
Tri-City ....... 000 000 1—1 3 3
Yakima ........ 003 000 x—3 5 1
Clough and Johnson; Young and Albini.
Second Game
Tri-City ....... 311 001 000 000 3—9 16 0
Yakima ........ 203 001 000 000 0—6 8 1
Hemphill, Dobernic (4), Robertson (13) and Johnson; Lovrich, Schaening (8) and Summers.

EXHIBITION
VANCOUVER [Province, Aug. 20]—It took a home run by the WIL’s leading home run hitter to beat little Johnny Ruck and Burnaby Athletics, who gave some 2500 pro-Burnaby supporters something to cheer about Friday at Capilano Stadium.
Marv Williams, whose 21 home runs head the Class A pro league, hit one far over the left field wall with two on base in the eighth inning to give Bill Brenner’s boys a 4-2 decision over Ed Henry’s squad, who finished atop the Northwest semi-pro league.
Up until then the 18-year-old Ruck, who has been offered a scholarship to Washington State University, was the big show. Johnny, displaying a knowledge of the art of pitching far beyond his years, had limited the Caps to three hits until the eighth. Then successive singles by Eddie Murphy and K Chorlton paved the way for Williams’ game-winning blow.
{WILfan notes: Chorlton tied the game game in the sixth when he doubled, went to this when shortstop Bill Kinder bobbled Williams’ grounder and scored on Kinder’s overthrow to first base ... Caps’ Reliever Sandy Robertson allowed a two-run double to Bernie Zender after waling the bases loaded in the eighth inning ... Ruck singled in Andie Parker for the first run of the game off Bud Beasley.]
Burnaby ....... 000 100 020—3 10 1
Capilanos ..... 000 001 03x—4 7 2
Ruck and D. Zender; Beasley, Robertson (6) and Pesut.

WIL STATISTICS
(Compiled by William J. Weiss, Official Statistician, San Mateo, Calif. Standings and averages include games of Sunday, August 15 except Wenatchee at Lewiston, July 21st; All-Stars at Edmonton, August 13-14-15.)
TEAM BATTING
Vancouver, .303; Tri-City, .290; Lewiston, 281; Yakima, .279; Edmonton, .276; Wenatchee, .275; Salem, .274.
Hits, Tri-City, 1130; Runs, Lewiston, 686; Doubles, Tri-City, 198; Triples, Yakima, 53; Home Runs, Vancouver, 98; Stolen Bases, Tri-City, 88; Bases on Balls, Lewiston, 615; Strike Outs, Lewiston, 634; Runs Batted In, Lewiston, 634; Hit Batsmen, Wenatchee, Salem, 36; Sacrifice Hits, Tri-City, 135.
TEAM FIELDING
Yakima, .970; Edmonton, .969; Vancouver, .967; Salem, .965; Lewiston, .964; Tri-City, .960; Wenatchee, .959.
Errors, Lewiston, 156; Double Plays, Yakima, 117.
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Marv Williams, Van., 359; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 112; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 163; Total Bases, Chorlton, Van., 237; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 27; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 13; Home Runs, Bob Wellman, Van., 19; Sacrifice Hits, Dain Clay, Wen., 23; Stolen Bases, Chorlton, Van., 25; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 98; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 101; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 101.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Bill Brenner, Van., 2.50; Wins, Brenner, Van., 19; Losses, Billy Joe Waters, Wen., Walt Clough, T.C., 13; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 189, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 136; Innings Pitched, Brenner, Van., 245; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 21; Home Runs Allowed, John Marshall, Lew., Bob Drilling, Vic., 19.

Name G AB R H RBI Ave
Williams, Van ..... 102 393 100 141 76 .359
Greco, Van ......... 81 288 64 103 78 .358
Wellman, Van ....... 99 366 72 130 101 .355
Chorlton, Van ..... 106 460 102 163 71 .354
Storey, Lew ........ 57 209 31 23 33 .349
Vanni, TC .......... 43 200 27 68 34 .340

Weeks’ Work
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, Aug. 21, 1954]
THURSDAY—Had to fold up a few teams to do it but Vancouver Capilanos now sport the first four hitters in the latest WIL averages: Marv Williams, .359; Dick Greco, .358; Bob Wellman, .355; K. Chorlton, .354 … Incidentally, the Caps’ important series in Lewiston failed to pack ‘em in, as it should have, which makes one wonder just what will draw in the league, short of the Yankees on a barnstorming tour…
FRIDAY—Another popular young man, Arnie Hallgren, has brought solicitous enquiries from sweet young things because of his absence from the Caps’ lineup … A bad ankle has him sidelined, girls.

Thursday, August 19, 1954

2008-08-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 32 18 .640 —
Yakima ....... 28 19 .596 2½
Edmonton ..... 25 19 .568 4
Vancouver .... 25 19 .568 4
Salem ........ 25 18 .561 4½
Tri-City ..... 16 29 .356 13½
Wenatchee .... 15 34 .306 16½

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 20]—The Tri-City' Braves journey to Yakima today with a win under their belts and some hopes of overcoming the jinx that has confronted them when playing the Bears this season.
So far, the Braves have been able to beat the Bears but once in league play. At the last stand here, Yakima downed Tri-City four times which, along with losses to Vancouver and Wenatchee, extended the Tri-City losing streak to 10 games.
Tri-City got some measure of revenge for the Lewiston losses the week before by beating them, 8-3, Thursday night. The loss for the Broncos came right when they are making desperate efforts to retain a slim lead over the Capilanoes.
In snapping the 10-game loss streak Thursday night, Tri-City came up uilh a solution so simple it's a wonder they didn't think of it before. They just scored more runs than the opposition.
A good share of this is accountable to the stitching of Don Robertson. He held the Broncs to seven hits, one a triple given up to Al Heist, which resulted in a Lewiston run in the third. The other two runs came as the result of errors.
Jack Martin went the distance for Lewiston and gave up 16 hits.
Tri-City got at least one base blow every inning.
Tri-City scored steadily throughout the game with Len Iran and Edo Vanni driving in three of the six runs.
Also aiding the lineup was the end of the flu epidemic, and the return of Artie Wilson and Dale Thomason from the All-Stars. Wilson got three singles in five times up.
Lewiston ........ 001 000 002—3 7 2
Tri-City .......... 101 321 00x—8 16 2
Martin and Garay; Robertson and Warren.

YAKIMA, Aug. 19—Yakima and Wenatchee could have called it quits after the first inning of their game as all the scoring was taken care of then in a 5-0 Bears victory on Thursday night over the Chiefs.
The Bears exploded for their five runs in the initial frame on singles by Des Charouhas, Don Pries, Herman Lewis, an error, Lonnie Summers' double and Lou Stringer's one-aboard home run.
John Carmichael notched his 15th win of the season as he blanked the Chiefs with a five-hitter.
Wenatchee ...... 000 000 000—0 5 2
Yakima ............ 500 000 000—5 8 0
Romero and Self; Carmichael and Summers.

EDMONTON, Aug. 19—Edmonton hurler John Conant had a no-hitter going until the top
of the seventh when Salem broke the ice and scored four runs as they went on to a 6-5 win over the Eskimos on Thursday night.
Leadoff man Gene Tanselli started it with a single and Connie Perez climaxed it with a three-run homer. The Senators added two more counters in the eighth, sending Conant to the showers.
The Eskimos outhit the Oregonians, 12-5, but couldn't make them count.
Augie Amorena hit a homer for Edmonton in the fifth and Johnny McKeown got one in the ninth, but with none on.
Salem .......... 000 000 420—6 5 0
Edmonton ..... 020 011 011—5 12 3
Franks and D. Luby; Conant, Manier (8) and Partee, Prentice (3).

Vancouver idle.

From Our Tower
By DICK BEDDOES
[Vancouver Sun, Aug. 20, 1954]
Baseball, According to Brown

This has been a year of bankruptcy and bad debts in baseball, a gloomy period when three teams collapsed in the Western International League. Such were the desperate straits of the Salem Senators that they had their relief pitchers warming up as ticket sellers and gate keepers.
Above the rumors and confusion that the WIL will not survive until ’55, one clear vice was heard in Vancouver yesterday. R.P. (Bob) Brown, onetime president of the WIL, longteam leader of the Caps and revered for 50 years as “Mr. Baseball” in the Northwest, said: “There will be a WIL next year, for it will be smaller, more compact, and the man running it will have to operate more intelligently and judiciously.”
Mr. Brown is so right. Team officials in the WIL need to suffer a rash of common sense to the head.
Three Points of Salvation
“The league has gone stark wild,” Brown said, “in the paying of salaries and bonuses far in excess of sensible budgets. Teams must realise that they have too many old players; that they must promote younger athletes whom they can sell to the higher leagues. In Class A leagues of this nature the revenue for selling players to the majors and elsewhere is a vital consideration.”
Failure to develop young stock for peddling purposes is a great evil of the WIL, but Brown pinpoints others. Last winter, for example, the 10 clubs adopted a rule whereby they keep 100 percent of their home gates, rather than follow a 60-40 split as formerly. This move was suicidal for teams which draw poorly at home.
Salvation of the WIL in Brown’s book, then, lies in (1) establishing a moderate salary scale and following it, rather than paying lavish sums under the table and thus turning the wage limit into hypocrisy; (2) the grooming of young players, and (3) the subsidizing of shaky centres by the more successful organizations.
* * *
By now the league nabobs that tincanned Brown as president last year out to be ready to accept his advice. Otherwise, it’s goodbye baseball, goodbye.

Wednesday, August 18, 1954

2008-08-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 32 17 .653 —
Yakima ........ 27 19 .587 3½
Edmonton ...... 25 18 .571 4
Vancouver ..... 25 19 .568 4½
Salem ......... 22 18 .550 5½
Tri-City ...... 15 29 .341 14½
Wenatchee ..... 15 32 .313 16½

LEWISTON [Vancouver Province, Aug. 19]—Vancouver Capilanos ended even in their four game crucial series with the Lewiston Broncs as they beat the league-leaders 8-4 in Lewiston, Wednesday night.
However, the Caps needed more than a split with the red-hot Broncs if they expect to win the second-half crown with any appreciable ease. Wednesday night’s win leaves Vancouver a full four-and-one-half games off the pace with time rapidly running out.
FLETCHER CHASED
Third sacker Ken Richardson wielded the heavy wood for Vancouver last night, slamming out a home run, two doubles and a single.
Richardson singled and scored one of Vancouver’s two runs [in the second inning]. He hit his homer in the fourth, doubled and scored in the sixth and drove in two more runs with a double in the Capilanos’ big four-run sixth inning.
Lewiston starter Guy Fletcher was chased from the mound in the eighth and was charged with the loss. Veteran George Nicholas, also relieved in the eighth, picked up the win to make his record 15-10.
TOUGH IN CLUTCH
The Broncs threatened often but were unable to take advantage of most of their 12 hits as Nicholas and reliefer Pete Hernandez were tough in the clutch.
The Capilanos return home today and will play an exhibition game with Burnaby Athletics in Cap Stadium Friday night. Monday through Thursday, the Caps will host the third-place Edmonton Eskimos.
[WILfan notes: Bob Duretto had three singles and batted in two runs, including Richardson in the second … Aside from Bob Williams’ double, the remaining 11 Lewiston hits were singles].
Vancouver ...... 020 101 400—8 15 1
Lewiston ........ 000 010 210—4 12 3
Nicholas, Hernandez (8) and Duretto; Fletcher, Kime (8) and Cameron.

YAKIMA, Aug. 18—The Yakima Bears staged a four-run uprising in the seventh frame, then held off a late Wenatchee rally to win 8-7 Wednesday and take a 2-1 lead in their series with the Chiefs.
Wenatchee ...... 000 140 002—7 13 1
Yakima ............ 010 102 40x—8 12 2
Shandor, Tierney (7) and Self; Rios, Schaening (9) and Summers.

Salem at Edmonton, postponed, rain.

EXHIBITION
KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 18]—You can take it from the guys who play baseball for a living — Bill Griffin, the recently-graduated Richland lefty, has got "good stuff."
Griffin was beaten in the exhibition game against the Tri-City Braves Wednesday night at Sanders Field, 6-4, but the loss from his Walla Walla Bears in no way dimmed his pitching.
After the game, the Tri-City players were high in their praise of the 18-year-old lefty.
It isn't often you can find a lefthander throw that hard and have control." Jess Dobernic, a pitcher of some repute, said. "That kid had good stuff and he was getting the ball over."
Edo Vanni, playing manager, put it bluntly: "He can play on my team anytime."
Griffin's control left him in the seventh when he walked three batters and then came Bob Moniz' single which cost him the game. Altogether, he walked eight, which would be slightly high but not out of the ordinary in Class A ball. Bob Greenwood, now with the Philadelphia Phils, for example, averaged that many per game.
Probably unknown to Griffin, Vanni and the Braves subjected him to a few tests just to see how he would react. Twice they tried stealing third on him and both times the runners were thrown out.
"Once in a while when you find a pitcher wearing glasses like that, he'll have trouble watching to see if a runner is going into third," Vanni said. "But that kid didn't have any trouble."
Griffin found Artie Wilson and Bob Moniz were the toughest pickings. Each got two hits, and one of Wilson's was a triple. Jack Warren got a double off him but Rube Johnson and Vic Buccola, both of whom have trouble with most any kind of lefty pitching, could get but one hit between them.
The big blow of the game came when Dick Fain, the Walla Walla centerfielder who leaves for the Navy today, homered in the third inning off Gordy Brunswick. Fain hit a high towering one in the ninth that was just a few feet short of going over.
Brunswick, getting his first work out since coming down with the flu, pitched the first five innings. Dale Thomason, recently returned from the Bob Abel All-Star lineup, pitched two and Jess Dobernic pitched two.
Walla Walla .... 101 010 010—4 9 1
Tri City ......... 202 012 020—9 7 1
Griffin and Hamper; Brunswick, Thomason (6), Dobernic (8) and Johnson.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 19, 1954]

Baseball promoters at Walla Walla are casting covetous eyes on the Tri-City territory. They figure, and logically too that if the Tri-Cities didn't have professional baseball, then they would have semi-pro, with two or more Tri-City teams in a league with Walla Walla.
Because of the limited travel, and the natural rivalry stirred by high school basketball and football, they feel, also logically, that games between teams from the two areas would generate considerable interest.
Hence, the numerable questions pertaining to the financial status of Tri-City when the Braves played there this week. But to dust that off in a hurry:
Although Tri-City isn't rolling in financial clover, it is making the grade. And with league reorganization next year along the lines proposed by Tri-City Athletic Association president Harold Matheson, there is no reason why Tri-City shouldn't field a professional team in 1955 and even come out financially ahead.
What the citizens of Walla Walla don't know, perhaps, is that while they are looking toward Tri-City for possible league expansion, the Willy league directors have often brought up the question of fielding a pro team in Walla Walla.
Some Tri-Citians feel, as one association director put it, "Walla Walla is the city of the living dead," but others out the population of Walla Walla is as great if not
slightly greater than some of the towns with teams in the league.

* * *
City Size No Measurement
Technically, that is true, but the size of a city's population is in no way a measurement of its potential draw at the gate. To arrive at a more accurate set of comparative figures, I looked up the retail trading zone totals for some of the cities in the league. These figures, ordinarily used by advertisers, take into account not only the city's population but the suburban and rural population count of an area which ordinarily transacts its business with the central city.
The figures show that Walla Walla, if fielding a team in WIL, would be in about the same basic class as Wenatchee and it also shows why towns the size of Lewiston apparently have more money for its team than tha city popuation would indicate.
Here are the figures (which are slightly old, so don't get angry. They could be off a thousand one way or another.):
Team                Pop. Zone   Pop.
Lewiston .......... 10,500      136,986
Salem ............. 30,908      134,944
Yakima ............ 27,211      144,420
Wenatchee ......... 11,620       97,372
Walla Walla ....... 11,620       69,746
Obviously, then, although Salem and Yakima boast almost three times the city population, in terms of available gate potential, they are no better off than Lewiston. And also obviously, because of the sparsenass of the rural and uburban population, Walla Walla is a doubtful place to field a WIL team.
* * *
There Are Other Factors
There are, of course, other factors that will work into any situation and which would be difficult to figure here.
First off, the presence of TV kills any area as a baseball spot. Other factors, including plain old "baseball interest," must be considered. And living under the gun of a Coast League club means no minor league baseball in that spot.
Finally, there are the odd cases such as Spokane, where apparently everything is ideal for fielding a pro team. But if anyone can figure out a way to do it in the Inland Empire city, they should tell some of the baseball-supporters there. No one has come up with an answer yet.

Tuesday, August 17, 1954

2008-08-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 32 16 .667 —
Edmonton ...... 25 18 .581 4½
Yakima ........ 26 19 .578 4½
Vancouver ..... 24 19 .558 5½
Salem ......... 22 18 .550 6
Tri-City ...... 15 29 .341 14
Wenatchee ..... 15 32 .319 16½

LEWISTON [Vancouver Province, Aug. 18]—What hopes the Vancouver Capilanos had of winning the second half championship of the WIL were all but buried in Lewiston last night as the Broncs dumped the Caps twice, 7-6 and 8-3.
The double loss dropped Vancouver from second to fourth place in the leading standings, five and one half games behind the pace-setting Broncs. The series winds up with a single game at Lewiston tonight.
It could be said that the parent Seattle Rainiers had a hand in the Caps 7-6 lss in the seven inning opener.
BOWMAN ACQUIRED
Bob Roberts, with a 12-5 record, was to have started but he was recalled Tuesday by Seattle to replace another ex-Vancouver pitcher, Van Fletcher, injured in an automobile accident on the weekend.
However, the Caps acquired Keith Bowman, former Tacoma, Lewiston and Wenatchee pitcher, to take Roberts’ place. He gave up six runs in the four innings he worked in the opener before being relieved by John Cordell.
BARTON DID IT
Vancouver came roaring back with five big runs in the top of the seventh to tie up the game. But Lewiston manager Larry Barton took matters into his own hands and smashed out a game-winning home run in the bottom of the seventh off loser Dick Greco.
In the second game the league leaders pounded Bill Brenner for 17 hits as the Vancouver manager was unsuccessful in his bid to become the first hurler in the league to rack up 20 wins.
[WILfan notes: Bob Wellman and Marv Williams homered for Vancouver in the first game, both were solo shots in the top of the seventh … Harvey Storey doubled and singled and brought in four runs … Al Heist added a double, two singles and a stolen base in the opener … Dick Greco came in during the fourth inning and pitched the rest of the way. It was his first game for Vancouver since playing with the All-Stars for a week … Marv Williams accounted for all of Vancouver’s runs in the night game with a home run in the third inning which gave the Caps a 3-1 lead … Brenner allowed nine hits and seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, started by Ed Garay and Nick Cannuli with back to back singles. Two sacrifices and an error contributed ... Garay and Heist had three hits each for the Broncs … Bob Williams’ double was the only extra base hit in the 17 Brenner allowed … Barton turned unassisted double play at first base in the finale.]
First Game
Vancouver ...... 000 100 5—6 5 0
Lewiston ........ 002 400 1—7 10 2
Bowman, Cordell (4), Greco (4) and Duretto; Marshall and Cameron.
Second Game
Vancouver ...... 003 000 000—3 7 2
Lewiston ........ 100 700 00x—8 17 1
Brenner and Pesut; Yaylian and Garay.

EDMONTON, story unavailable.
Salem ........... 000 000 000—0 9 3
Edmonton ...... 002 000 40x—6 8 0
Nicholas, Roenspie (1), Johnson (8) and Ogden; McNulty and Partee.

YAKIMA, story unavailable
Wenatchee ...... 200 000 010—3 6 0
Yakima ........... 010 014 10x—7 11 0
Waters and Self; Edmunds and Summers.

WALLA WALLA [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 18]—Before the Tri-City Braves beat the Walla Walla Bears, 11-3, Tuesday night in ah exhibition game at Walla Walla, playing manager Edo Vanni, joshed the boys:
"You had better get in there and play. After the Willy league, that will be the next step down."
In some respects, Vanni's statement contained a grain of prophecy, because parties in Walla Walla are awaiting the outcome of the Western International league, frankly hoping it will fail next year, so similar semi-pro loops can be established here.
Tonight Tri-City baseball fans will be able to see the difference when the Bears journey to Sanders Field for a return exhibition.
And after Tuesday's game, here is what they will see:
For Walla Walla — a group of relatively young players, most of them college or just-out-of-high-school kids, with a sprinkling of older talent. Some are prospects for professional baseball but none are natural all-out prospects such as Tri-City's Dick Watson, determined to make it or else.
The pitchers are fast, usually lacking in control, but who frequently telegraph their upcoming pitches.
For Tri-City — A group of pros which can't for prestige purposes, afford to lose, but which can't use all the ballplayrng techniques commonly part of league play for fear of turning the exhibition into a farce.
In the game Tuesday night, the Braves jumped off to a 10-0 lead and cruised in from there. Facing them was Len Brooks, a young lefthander, who gave up 10 hits for the 10 runs, the last four coming as the result of poor fielding support.
Although the Braves' batters racked young Brooks, most of them conceded the pitcher may have been a little "tightened up" in facing pro opposition. The scoring also indicates such. Brooks walked five batters in the first four innings but settled down and gave but one free pass after that.
For Tri-Clty, Hal Flinn went out on the mound determined to cut them down. He pitched two-hit ball for five innings, but walked the bases-full in the fifth. Then little Del Klicker's single scored two.
Jess Dobernic pitched the final four frames. Dobernic put the ball over where the younger players could hit it and Bill McBride smacked the first one out of the park.
He later gave up a single for the other hit off him.
The game tonight will begin at 7:30 p.m. Regular admission price will be charged.
Tri-City .......... 240 400 010—11 13 0
Walla Walla ..... 000 021 000— 3 4 4
Flinn, Dobernic (6) and Johnson. Brooks, Hudson (9) and Hamper.

Wenatchee Operates Door-to-Door Plan
WENATCHEE, Aug. 18—Wenatchee baseball fans started a door-to-door campaign Tuesday to help raise funds to keep the community-owned Western International League club in operation here.
President Bob Tyler says the Wenatchee club is now $6800 in the red and will be $11,600 behind by the end of the season.
Treasurer Fred Burnett expressed hope the door-to-door drive would meet this goal.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[from Tri-City Herald, Aug. 18, 1954]

Like some 95 per cent of the civilized population, I have no affection for snakes, having been taught, psychiatrists can prove, a fear of them sometime in my childhood. I am not in the class with Edo Vanni, who will jump sky-high at the sight of a rubber dime-store snake and who has kept the knot-hole in his dressing room floor carefully covered ever since Ernie Hockaday joined me in spreading the rumor that a couple of rattlers wintered under under the clubhouse last year.
* * *
Vanni Caught A Home Run
In a discussion on fooling-the-ump techniques, Vanni comes up with this story:
“One time when I was with Vancouver, we were playing Salem. One of their players hit one out of the park just over my head. I happened to have had a new ball in my pocket at the time so I pulled it out, kicked the wall with my foot like that, and threw the ball in.
“They guy who hit it thought he had a homerun and was loafing into second. The ball came in and the ump called him out.”
Jack Hemphill, also party of the same discussion, was playing with Salem at the time and remembers the incident well.
“I knew at the time that ball was out of the park,” Jack said. “I saw it going over. Then pretty soon here comes your throw back into the infield.”
* * *
Charouhas Stirred Row
Des Charouhas, now with Yakima, pulled something similar while playing with Tri-City against Spokane. The Spokane batter hit one of those long ones and Des took off. He couldn’t get there in time and the ball took one bounce before popping into his glove.
Des threw the ball in and the umpire called the batter out.
Don Osborn, the Spokane manager, wasn’t taken in by the piece of subterfuge though. He came snorting and shouting from the dugout, and after a long argument, pointed to Charouhas and told the ump, “Go ahead and ask him if he caught the ball. Ask him.”
Fortunately, the ump didn't ask Charouhas because Des, caught between his natural honesty and the ballplayer outlook that if the ump misses, that’s the other teams tough luck, was facing a dilemma. He solved it by taking the middle course and saying nothing.
(I’ll guarantee you Vanni wouldn’t have said nothing. Fact is, he probably would have given Osborn a dressing down for even suspecting he was dishonest.)
* * *
Richardson Missed Chance
Once in a while, you will see a young player miss a chance to pull some hokum on the ump. Such a situation came up awhile back when Larry Richardson was playing leftfield for Wenatchee.
There were two away, and Tri-City had a runner on first. The batter rapped one of those low fly balls to leftfield and Richardson came in and made a shoe-string catch.
He actually trapped the ball but gave himself away by throwing to second with hopes of forcing the runner there.
Had Larry just trotted into the infield as if he had made the third out, I’ll bet anything the ump would have ruled it a caught fly.

Monday, August 16, 1954

2008-08-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 30 16 .652 —
Vancouver ..... 24 17 .585 3½
Edmonton ...... 24 18 .571 4
Yakima ........ 25 19 .568 4
Salem ......... 22 18 .550 5
Tri-City ...... 15 29 .341 14
Wenatchee ..... 15 31 .326 15

LEWISTON [Vancouver Province, Aug. 17]—Vancouver Capilanos, first half champions of the Western International League, began a strong bid Monday night to make a clean sweep and take the second-half crown, too, as they fashioned a dramatic 10-inning, 6-4 victory over host Lewiston Broncs in the first game of a do-or-die, three-game series with the league leaders.
The win, coupled with Yakima’s 6-1 loss to Wenatchee, moved the slow-starting Caps into second spot, three-and-one-half games behind Lewiston.
The sudden end to the hotly contested game came in the 10th when Capilano second-sacker Marv Williams smashed out his 19th home run of the year with K Chorlton aboard.
The Broncs were almost on their way to tying the game up again in their half of the 10th, but a disputed out at home and an ejected catcher put a damper on the budding rally.
Don Hunter doubled with Al Heist on first. Heist came all the way around, sliding hard into catcher Bob Duretto who dropped the ball. However, Duretto picked it up again and tagged Heist. The umpire [Art Jacobs] called Heist out and the row began.
With practically the whole Lewiston squad to choose from the umpire picked catcher Clint Cameron to oust from the game.
Pete Hernandez, who went the distance for Vancouver, picked up his eighth win in 11 decisions since coming to the Capilanos from Seattle in mid-season.
[WILfan note: Hunter also homered in the contest and batted in a pair]
Vancouver ...... 000 202 000 2—6 8 1
Lewiston ........ 100 100 002 0—4 6 5
Hernandez and Duretto; Orrell, Kime (10) and Cameron.

YAKIMA, Aug. 16—Pitcher Charlie Oubre was almost a one-man show as the Wenatchee Chiefs defeated the hometown Bears, 6-1, in a Western International League game on Monday night.
Oubre drove in five of Wenatchee's runs and held the locals to seven scattered hits as he went the route for the Chiefs.
He slapped out a two-run double in the fifth and later scored on Pumpsie Green's triple. In the ninth, with the sacks loaded, Oubre laced out another double, scoring three men.
The Bears got their only run in the fifth on Des Charouhas's single. Herm Lewis' double and an infield out.
Wenatchee ..... 000 030 003—6 6 0
Yakima .......... 000 010 000—1 7 2
Oubre and Self; Lovrich and Summers.

Only games scheduled.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[from Tri-City Herald, Aug. 17, 1954]
You Can't Bribe Them To Games

Dave Cromwell, writing in the Salem Capital Journal:
“A fitting epitaph: Baseball in Salem is dead, long live television or whatever the causes why fans won’t turn out to see the local ball club.
“Last night’s ingredients: A perfect, warm, sunny evening; prizes galore; ice cream and cokes for the kids, and free gifts of a bike and several baseballs and gloves; free admission for the kids in the first base bleachers, which wound up about a fifth full; a doubleheader with then second-place Yakima; the top pitchers slated to start for each team; free nylon hose given away to the lady fans during the second game; and lastly, but by no means least, half-time entertainment by the Multnomah County sheriff’s motorcycle patrol, which was worth the price of admission in itself.
“But with all these lures, the paid attendance was a ‘hefty’ 794.”
Ah, yes, Dave but you should sit in the Sanders Field press box. Sunday night they let ‘em in free — and only 619 showed up.
Other Factors
There were of course, other factors. First of all, the Braves aren’t exactly a winning ball club. Then, too, the weather was rough, there was a gals’ softball tournament drawing 1,000 going on at the same time, and the stock car races, drawing 1,200.
Or maybe fans in both cities just don’t like that Yakima bunch.

Sunday, August 15, 1954

2008-08-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 30 15 .667 —
Yakima ....... 25 18 .581 4
Vancouver .... 23 17 .575 4½
Edmonton ..... 24 18 .571 4½
Salem ........ 22 18 .550 5½
Tri-City ..... 15 29 .341 14½
Wenatchee .... 14 31 .311 16

WENATCHEE, Aug. 15 — The Vancouver Capilanos rallied for two runs to nip the Wenatchee Chiefs, 4-3, in the wind-up game of a Sunday Western International League doubleheader.
Wenatchee crushed the Caps in the opener, 10-2.
Vancouver was down 3-2 in the eighth inning of the night game, but won with a pair of runs that came when Bob Wellman walked, Kenny Richardson and Neil Sheridan singled and Jim Clark lifted a sacrifice fly.
Wellman was the best man at the plate for the Capilanos, hitting a triple and a homer. Russ McCormack hit a two-run four-bagger for the Chiefs in the first inning.
In the opener, John Cordell allowed five runs in the third, which broke a 1-all tie and allowed Wenatchee starter Charlie Beamon to coast the rest of the way. The big blow was Tom Self's grand slam home run.
Laurie Monroe smashed a three run homer in the sixth and also singled in a run. Jake Helmuth added a trio of singles and Wenatchee pounded 14 hits off Cordell.
Marv Williams doubled and scored on Wellman's single for Vancouver in the first inning, while K Chorlton singled in Nick Pesut in the seventh.
The two teams split the four-game series.
First Game
Vancouver ......... 100 000 1— 2 6 0
Wenatchee ........ 105 013 x—10 14 4
Cordell and Pesut; Beamon and Self.
Second Game
Vancouver ........ 100 001 020—4 8 1
Wenatchee ....... 200 100 000—3 9 4
Nicholas and Duretto; Hodges and Self.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 16]—Because of the Victoria folding, the Tri-City Braves have a day off today, and technically have the next two days off, too, although exhibition games with the Walla Walla Bears are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday night.
And while taking time off, may be playing manager Edo Vanni and the rest of his crew, can come up with some answer to the problem of how to win a ballgame.
The Braves dropped Nos. 9 and 10 straight Sunday with a 6-3 and 12-3 losses to the Yakima Bears. It gave Yakima a clean sweep of the four-gome series.
The next home game will be a "loner" against Lewiston Thursday night. Then Tri-City takes off to play Yakima, the team they have beaten but once this season.
The wins Sunday moved the Bears up to second place in the league standings. [...]
Tri-City suffered another temporary player loss Sunday night when Gordy Brunswick was called to Tacoma because of the illness of his wife.
In the games Sunday, the Braves hit but couldn't come through in the clutch in the first game. The 12 base blows off John Carmichael could produce but three runs.
Yakima scored two of its six runs on homers by catcher Lon Summers.
The others came on singles by Don Pries and Len Noren followed by John Albini's double, and two walks, a single and a double by Dick Briskey.
In the second game, Briskey hit a homer, triple, double and single in five times up.
Albini also got a homer with one on in the fourth.
[WILfan note: In the opener, Edo Vanni doubled in one run and singled in another, while Len Tran's base hit brought in the third ... Carmichael struck out seven Braves and didn't walk any ... Herm Lewis and Noren had three hits each in the night game ... Vanni tripled in Dick Watson in the third inning then scored on Tran's single, while Bob Moniz singled in Terry Carroll in the eighth.
First Game
Yakima ...... 221 001 0—4 7 0
Tri-City ..... 101 010 0—3 12 0
Carmichael and Summers; Hemphill and Johnson.
Second Game
Yakima ...... 000 350 031—12 16 2
Tri City ..... 020 000 010— 3 8 0
Rios and Albini; Clough, Dobernic (5) and Johnson.

SALEM, Aug. 15—The Salem Senators completed a surprise sweep of a four-game series against Western International league-leading Lewiston, blanking the Broncs 2-0 in the Sunday opener, then picking up an 8-2 win the the night contest.
Salem pitching held Lewiston to a total of 12 hits in their two games, six in each.
The only Bronc runs came in the second contest when they added a single tally in each the first and sixth frames.
In the first game, Lewiston pitcher John Marshall hurled a four-hitter but lost it in the sixth inning when he filled the bases with walks and two runs came in on a sacrifice fly and a single by Jim Deyo.
First Game
Lewiston ..... 000 000 000—0 6 0
Salem ......... 000 002 00x—2 4 2
Marshall and Garay; Herrera and D. Luby.
Second Game
Lewiston ..... 100 001 000—2 6 1
Salem ......... 301 210 10x—8 8 0
Derganc, Kime (4) and Garay; Briggs and Ogden.

EDMONTON, Aug. 15—A fourth team has now folded in the Western International League, but unlike the demise of Spokane, Calgary and Victoria, this one was entirely planned.
The All-Stars, born to play games on the schedule left empty when Victoria pulled out of the league, played their last game Sunday, losing to the Edmonton Eskimos 9-5.
The players will now return to their original teams.
All-Stars ......... 020 010 020—5 8 3
Edmonton ....... 333 000 00x—9 11 2
Martin and Holden; Conant and Partee.

Saturday, August 14, 1954

2008-08-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 30 13 .698 —
Vancouver .... 22 16 .579 5½
Edmonton ..... 23 18 .561 6
Yakima ....... 23 18 .561 6
Salem ........ 20 17 .541 7
Tri-City ..... 15 27 .357 14½
Wenatchee .... 13 30 .302 17

SALEM, Aug. 14 — Salem edged Lewiston 3-2 Saturday night for its second straight Western International League victory over the Idaho team.
Lewiston's two runs came in the eighth inning on a single by Eddie Bockman and a homer by Harvey Storey.
Salem won the game in the ninth inning when Gene Tanselli doubled over Storey's head to score Mel Krause who had singled.
Earlier in the game Krause tripled in one run and Gene Roenspie doubled in another.
Lewiston ..... 000 000 020—2 5 1
Salem ......... 000 200 001—3 11 0
Fletcher and Garay; Roenspie, Franks (7) and Ogden.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 14—Wenatchee's Charlie Beamon, normally a pitcher, found himself in right field and batting sixth on Saturday, much to the chagrin of the Vancouver Capilanos. He smashed a un-pitcher-like pair of homers and batted in five runs to lead Wenatchee to an 8-3 Western International League win.
The homers came in the fifth inning, when the Chiefs tied the game at 3-3 with a pair of runs and in the eighth, when a four-run inning put Wenatchee ahead to stay.
Beamon also figured in a double play, throwing out Marv Williams at the plate in the third inning after Kenny Richardson skied out.
Ralph Romero benefitted from Beamon's slugging, scattering 11 hits and striking out six to pick up the win. Despite three Wenatchee errors, all the runs off him were earned.
It didn't look promising for him at the outset. The first batter against him, Eddie Murphy, reach base and was singled in by Williams. Losing pitcher Bob Roberts brought in a run another inning later before Wenatchee scored in the bottom of the frame. Bob Duretto singled in Vancouver's final run in the fifth.
The Caps left 13 men stranded.
Laurie Monroe had three hits for Wenatchee.
Vancouver ....... 110 010 000—3 11 1
Wenatchee ...... 010 020 41x—8 12 3
Roberts and Pesut; Romero and Self.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 15]—Ted Edmunds, Yakima right-hander shut out the Tri-City Braves on six hits Saturday night in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader but the second game was postponed because of threatning weather.
The game will be made up tonight. Starting time has been set for 6:30 p.m. It will also be "pay-what-you-please" night. Under this arrangement, no admission will be charged but tubs will be placed at strategic locations for donations.
In the games tonight, Tri-City will be trying to break the long dry spell which has lasted for eight straight games. The last victory was a week ago Saturday night when they beat the other doormat of the league, Wenatchee.
Don Robertson was the loser Saturday night. Yakima scored its first two runs off him without getting a hit. Des Charouhas, the leadoff man, was hit by a pitch. The next batter, Don Pries, walked and both moved up on Herm Lewis' grounder.
Len Noren's ground out scored Charouhas and moved Pries to third. He scored on a wild pitch.
In the second inning, Tri-City again felt the effects of having outfielder Artie Wilson at Edmonton on the all-stars. The first batter up, Charlie Mead, hit a loping ball to left field. Jack Warren, catcher playing leftfield, ran as fast as his old bones would carry him, but couldn't quite get to it and hold it.
The fly ball went for a double. Mead advanced on a grounder and scored on Edmunds' single. A single by DeS Charouhas moved Edmunds to second and he scored on Lewis' single followed by an error.
Tight defensive play and top fielding support on the part of Yakima perserved Edmunds' shut-out. The Bears made four double plays, with each killing a scoring threat.
The big "save" came in the fifth inning when Edmunds gave up hits to Dick Watson and Robertson and walked Terry Carroll to load the sacks.
Then Vic Buccola, who had hit safely in his two previous times at the plate, rapped a ground ball to Noren at first. He picked it up, fired to John Albini at home to force Watson, and Albini pegged back to Noren to nip Buccola.
Edo Vanni, the next batler, hit a long fly to centerfield but an over-the-shoulder catch by Charouhas ended the inning.
First Game
Yakima ....... 220 000 0—4 7 0
Tri-City ...... 000 000 0—0 6 1
Edmunds and Albini; Robertson and Warren, Johnson (3).
Second Game
POSTPONED, RAIN

EDMONTON, Aug. 14 — The Western International League All-Stars broke Edmonton's seven-game win streak Saturday night by edging the Eskimos 9-8 before a weather-threatened crowd of 769.
It was the All-Stars first victory since their formation to fill in the W.I.L. schedule.
Standouts for the All-Stars were Art Wilson who hit two homers and a double and Mike Catron who hit three-for-four, including a double.
All-Stars ........ 100 223 010—9 11 2
Edmonton ...... 103 011 002—8 14 2
Thomason and Holden; Widner, LeBrun (6) and Partee, Prentice (9).

Friday, August 13, 1954

2008-08-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 30 12 .714 —
Vancouver .... 22 15 .595 5½
Edmonton ..... 23 17 .575 6
Yakima ....... 22 18 .550 7
Salem ........ 19 17 .528 8
Tri-City ..... 15 26 .366 14½
Wenatchee .... 12 30 .286 18

WENNATCHEE, Aug. 13—Vancouver boss Bill Brenner milked his knuckle ball for his 18th Western International League win of the season as his Capilanos handed Wenatchee their fifth straight loss Friday, 11-3.
Brenner helped his eight-hit, six-strikeout job by hitting a double and singling in four at-bats. He walked four.
Eddie Murphy, K. Chorlton and Jim Clark knocked out three hits apiece. Murphy homered in the sixth with nobody aboard, whie Clark rapped a pair of doubles to drive in two runs.
The Caps took advantage of three errors to score four unearned runs off Ted Shandor, who went the distance and allowed 17 hits.
Neil Sheridan and Bob Wellman also doubled for Vancouver.
Jerry "Pumpsie" Green was the only batter who seemed to be able to solve Brenner, as he pumped out three singles.
Vancouver ........ 021 002 213—11 17 1
Wenatchee ....... 102 000 000— 3 8 3
Brenner and Pesut; Shandor and Self.

SALEM, story unavailable
Lewiston ....... 000 001 100—2 8 2
Salem ........... 000 020 01x—3 7 1
Yaylian and Garay; Rayle, Briggs (9) and Ogden.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 13]—There are times, Tri-City baseball fans are inclined to believe, when 19-year-old Richard Eugene Watson, at one tine known as "Stubby" but more recently called "rook" by his teammates, needs his britches whomped.
One of those instances came Friday night when the Braves lost 3-2.
With a 2-0 lead going into the top of the third, Des Charouhas, Tri-City's former centerfielder, led off with a single. An infield hit by Don Pries moved him to second.
On the next play, Herm Lewis hit a soft ground ball to Terry Carroll at third, who pegged to Watson at second and Pries was forced. Charouhas went to third on the play.
However, Pries, the former Victoria manager, skillfully blocked Watson and ruined any double play attempt. But while Watson slowly was picking himself up off the ground, Charouhas took quick advantage of his mental lapse and stole home.
That broke the ice. Yakima added another run when Lewis scored on an error.
But before the fans could get too angry at young Watson, he had them cheering him again by scooping up ground balls all over the infield, and with a minimum loss of time and motion, throwing runners out at first.
In the remaining innings, he went deep in the hole to spear "sure hits" on four occasions and turned the blows into routine ground outs.
And had it not been for some tricky footwork on the basepaths, by Watson and Jack Warren in the second inning, Tri-City wouldn't have had one of its runs.
The two, neither of which is exceptionally fast, worked a second-and-home-double steal for that tally. The first inning run came on a single by Terry Cnrroll and a double by Vic Buccola.
Yakima scored the winning run when Len Noren singled, stole second and came home on Lon Summer's single.
The pitchers, Hal Flinn for Tri-City and Tom Lovrich for Yakima, pitched games that were equal in just about every respect except the score. Each gave up five hits, each gave up two earned runs. Flinn struck out four to Lovrich's three and walked three to Lovrich's four.
Yakima ......... 002 001 000—3 5 1
Tri-City ........ 110 000 000—2 5 1
Lovrich and Summers; Flinn and Johnson.

EDMONTON, stories unavailable
First Game
All-Stars ......... 000 001 0—1 7 1
Edmonton ....... 200 022 x—6 8 1
Martin and Holden; Kimball and Partee.
Second Game
All-Stars ......... 100 101 010— 4 13 1
Edmonton ....... 032 502 00x—12 14 2
Greco, Carter (4), Beasley (6) and Holden; Manier and Prentice.

WIL STATISTICS
(Including Games of Aug. 8)
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Don Pries, Vic., .363; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 107; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 144; Total Bases, Marv Williams, Van., 212; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 35; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 12; Home Runs, Greco, Van., 18; Sacrifice Hits, Dain Clay, Wen., 23; Stolen Bases, Chorlton, Van., 24; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 90; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 93; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 97.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Bill Brenner, Van., 2.33; Wins, Brenner, Van., 17; Losses, Billy Joe Waters, Wen., 12; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 169, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 124; Innings Pitched, Brenner, Van., 228; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 20; Home Runs Allowed, Bob Drilling, Vic., 19.

Thursday, August 12, 1956

2008-08-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 30 11 .732 —
Vancouver .... 21 15 .583 6½
Edmonton ..... 21 17 .553 7½
Yakima ....... 21 18 .538 8
Salem ........ 18 17 .514 9
Tri-City ..... 15 25 .375 14½
Wenatchee .... 12 29 .293 18

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 13]—Tri-City baseball fans who have been in hiding for the past four days can come out to Sanders Field again tonight — Vancouver's gone.
The Capilanoes left in much the same fashion that they came in Monday night. This time they waxed the Braves 16-9. The win ran the Vancouver scoring total to 51 runs for the four-game series.
Herm Besse, the veteran leftlander who absorbed the loss, was released this morning, general manager Eddie Taylor said. Taylor said the release was partly because of "economy reasons."
The Cap departure, while pleasant, is not cause for rejoicing. The team coming to Sanders tonight is the Yakima Bears and so far this season, Tri-City has been able to beat Yakima but once.
The Bears have the top defensive team and probably the best over-all pitching in the league.
Tonight will also be Labor night. At the request of the sponsoring AFL labor unions, game time has been set back to 8 p.m. Ordinary starting time at Sanders is 7:30 p.m. The various unions have a long list of prizes available for Tri-City "firsts" in the game tonight.
Saturday night Tri-City and Yakima will play a doubleheader beginning at 7 p.m. and Sunday night will be "pay-what-you-please" night. On that night, fans will be admitted free but barrels will be placed at, strategic spots for donations.
However, one more series like the last one and the Tri-City club, instead of getting any donations, will have trouble keeping someone from walking off with the barrel.
The final win of the series made it eight in a row for the Caps. However, they couldn't gain on Lewiston, which has been waxing Wenatchee with equal regularity, and in so doing has kept Tri-City from plunging into the cellar.
Tri-City lefthander Besse rode out barrage of flying baseballs totalling 24 hits. Ironically, Besse hurled a one-hitter in his last start.
Complicating matters is the "warm beer" flu making the rounds of the team. It laid Jack (Beanie) Warren low midway in the series and put Gordy Brunswick out of action prior to game time Thursday night. Ordinarily, Brunswick would have pitched part the game.
Bob Roberts, who winters in Richland, went the distance for the Caps but only because he had a 13-run lead. Tri-City rallied for six runs in the bottom of the ninth with Vic Buccola and Edo Vanni getting doubles in the spree.
But as one fan laconically commented just before a double play ended the game, "Well, gang, we are halfway there."
Big sticker for the Caps was Marv Williams who homered in the second with two on and again in the third with one on.
[WILfan notes: Roberts (with three doubles) and Neil Sheridan each had four hits for Vancouver, Bob Duretto and K Chorlton had three. Chorlton knocked out a homer, Duretto had a triple ... Chorlton, Ed Murphy and Williams were responsible for bringing home three runs each ... Bob Moniz was three-for-four for Tri-City with a pair batted in. Dick Watson, Besse and Vic Buccola each plated a pair, Buccola doubling in Besse and Terry Carroll in the ninth ... Caps turned three double plays ... Attendance was 318.
Vancouver ...... 254 120 110—16 24 2
Tri-City .......... 000 100 206— 9 14 0
Roberts and Duretto; Besse and Johnson.

EDMONTON, Aug. 13—Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Western International League All-Stars, 11-2, in a game Thursday night which produced 19 safe blows at Edmonton.
Edmonton's Ray McNulty allowed seven scattered hits in going the route against the All-Stars.
All-Stars ......... 000 110 000— 2 7 1
Edmonton ....... 000 006 32x—11 12 1
Nicholas, Carter (6), Beasley (8) and Holden; McNulty and Partee.

SALEM, Aug. 13—A total of 21 base hits was registered Thursday as Yakima Bears thumped the Salem Senators, 14-6, in Western International League play.
Yakima salvaged the final game of its series with Salem as the Bears went on a 12 hit batting spree. The winners got off to a quick lead with six runs in the opening inning, added another in the second, two in the sixth and five in the seventh for their total.
Lon Summers, Herman Lewis and Len Noren batted in a total of 12 runs between them for Yakima.
Yakima ........ 610 002 500—14 12 1
Salem ......... 100 041 000— 6 9 2
Carmichael and Summers; Franks, Johnson (7) and D. Luby,

LEWISTON, Aug. 13—Lewiston connected for 13 safeties and Wenatchee nine as the league-leaders defeated the Chiefs, 7-2, in their Western International League game on Thursday.
A slim crowd of 934 turned out at Bengal Field to see the league-leaders paste Wenatchee for the fifth straight time. Lewiston scored four runs in the first two innings and was never headed, although Wenatchee closed the gap at 4-2 in the sixth when Larry Monroe was safe on a fielder's choice and Tom Munoz followed up with a double and then was singled home. The Broncs added single scores in the sixth and eighth frames.
Wenatchee ..... 000 002 000—2 9 0
Lewiston ........ 130 011 01x—7 13 2
Waters and Self; Orrell and Garay.

Sports Notes

BY GIL GILMORE

[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 13, 1954]
The situation as it exists at Sanders Field now is to put it mildly, a dismal one, and there aren’t any prospects for an improvement.
General manager Eddie Taylor estimates that the club will go in the hole some $10,000 before the season is out. Taylor made his estimate before the small crowds such as 393 and 491 of the last few nights, so the situation may be worse.
This isn’t one of those appeals to turn out or else but just between you and me, has anyone any ideas on how the club will operate next season if it ends up $10,000 in the red this year?
Some clubs, notably Lewiston and Wenatchee, are forever putting the bite on their businessmen and other local citizens a couple times a year. To me, personally, it isn’t worth it and if it comes to that during the winter months. Tri-Citians should be assured that there will be an overhaul in the league structure before fielding a team next year.
No Wins, No Fans
The cause of the Tri-City attendance decline, and the rise of the sea of red ink, naturally, is in direct relation to the inability to win ball games.
Back toward the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half, Tri-City was winning a fair number of games and at one time took 15 of 20 played. Suddenly, they declined and only Wenatchee’s inability to win has kept them out of the cellar. How come? What has happened to the team?
The answer, is nothing. If you will check back through the schedule at the time Tri-City was a consistent winner, they were playing what were then second-division teams such as Salem, Edmonton, Victoria, and Wenatchee.
And back then when they played Lewiston, Vancouver, or Yakima, they were seldom winning more than one for three, or occasionally two for four just as they are doing now.
Recently, Tri-City has had a run of games against that top three with only the wins over Wenatchee, a team of the “Tri-City” caliber, to offset the mounting losses.
In other words, kids, considering pitching strength, hitting, overall play, and by every other measurement, the present group of players on the Tri-City roster made up a seventh-place club when the season started and they are in seventh-place now, or would be, had Victoria stayed in the league.
So all the talk about what's wrong with Tri-City is meaningless until such time that they should happen to drop into the cellar. On the other hand, any movement upward, even to sixth-place would indicate they are playing above their heads.
It Boils Down To Money
Why is it then Tri-City (and Wenatchee, too) seemed destined to flub along in the Western International league second division this year just as last year, and if things continue as they have, again next year?
The answer is money.
Let's go back to the beginning of the season. After Taylor picked up this player and that one, and got those we already had on contract, it appeared as if Tri-City would have a fairly good team. Maybe not a pennant winner but at least a first division club.
“I thought then I was paying pretty good Class A salaries,” Eddie said, “but later I found out what I offered was just peanuts.”
Here's What It Costs
Here is what he meant and it gives a pretty good indication of what kind of club the Braves could have had if the club wanted to pay for it.
Ken Richardson, who was released by Lewiston, called collect, naturally. He wanted a $1000 bonus, a release at the end of the season, and would talk salary from there.
He wound up with Vancouver.
Marv Williams wanted transportation to and from Mexico where he plays winter ball and $750 a month. He wound up with Vancouver.
We know the story of Dick Greco and his $900 a month plus a release at the end of the season. He wound up at Vancouver.
Later on there was Neil Sheridan — at a $700 bonus and $700 a month. Now with Vancouver.
Harvey Storey was offered $650 a month and turned it down. He could make more playing semi-pro and even Lewiston outbid the semi-pros.
Guy Fletcher, Al Yaylian, Eddie Bockman, all at Lewiston, all were available for a price but by paying that price to enough of them to be a pennant winner, Tri-City’s potential draw couldn’t offset the salaries.
Others Are Subsidized
Vancouver wouldn't be able to make It now if they were not subsidized by breweries, and although Lewiston is drawing well, it could not make it without putting periodic bites in one form or another on the citizenry.
You can’t blame the players themselves for asking for good salaries. They have just a few “money-earning” years and they have to get it while they are in their prime.
Baseball-playing, unlike most forms of earning a living, is not a profession where seniority means a bigger income.
Rather, the clubs themselves are to blame for ever agreeing to pay such salaries.
The goofy policy, the lack of safeguards, and the absence of anyone to enforce the few safeguards, could only lead to the situation we have now where two clubs so far outclass the rest of the league that it is hardly a league at all, and where the doormat teams, such as Tri-City and Wenatchee, are being killed at the gate by inability to compete.
Too Late Now
It is too late to do anything about it this season, either for Tri-City as a club or the WIL as a league, but next year some changes will have to be made to square things away.
The way things stack up now, Tri-City and Wenatchee are either financially supporting a B team in an A league, or Vancouver and Lewiston are supporting a AA team in an A league.
One way or the other, it doesn’t make sense.

Wednesday, August 11, 1954

2008-08-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 29 11 .725 —
Vancouver .... 20 15 .571 6½
Edmonton ..... 20 17 .541 7½
Salem ........ 18 16 .529 8
Yakima ....... 20 18 .526 8
Tri-City ..... 15 24 .385 13½
Wenatchee .... 12 28 .300 17

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 12]—Gordy Brunswick, the outfielder who couldn't see any future for himself in outfielding but who thought there might be some hopes for himself in pitching, is convincing a few persons he wasn't fooling when he came to the Tri-Clty Braves.
Brunswick was called upon again Wednesday night to finish up one of those "already lost" games with the Capilanoes. The Caps had scored nine runs off Don Robertson in the first five innings to win 9-1.
Brunswick, who told playing manager Edo Vanni before game time, "I'm good for four innings tonight," was just that. He pitched the four innings, gave up one hit and walked two.
Tonight, it's Herm Besse's turn to take a hand at trying to stop the Caps who have scored 35 runs off Tri-City pitching in the last three games. Besse has a 2-1 record in the brief time he-has been with the Braves.
Game time tonight is 7:30 p.m.
Friday night, when the Yakima Bears come to town, game time will be moved back to 8 p.m. Friday night will be Labor night, and unions in the Tri-Cities have a large list of prizes for "firsts" for the Braves.
In taking the third game of the four-game series, Vancouver not only scored its usual quota of runs but received exceptional pitching from Pete Hernandez, righthander.
Hernandez had a no-hitter going into the seventh. After getting one away, he was onfronted by Tri-City playing manager, Edo Vanni, one character in the league who considers ruining an opposition performance next best to winning all a ball game.
Vanni ruined the possible no-hitter, and the shutout too, all in one blow when he got his second homer of the season over the right field wall.
Hernandez later gave up a sharp single to Bob Moniz and a double to Jess Dobernic. That was the extent of the Tri-City hitting.
Pitcher Dobernic played leftfield for the Braves after Brunswick game into pitch. He made two putouts without an error, much to the delight of the 393 cash customers.
His double went down the right field line and probably would have been caught had a more ambitious player than Neil Sheridan been playing that position because Sheridan didn't have to travel too far to get to the ball.
Needled on that point by Vancouver players, Dobernic countered with the assertion that, "No better than I can hit, Sheridan shouldn't be playing me that deep in the first place."
Tri-City errors figured in the Vancouver nine-run total. After getting two in the first, they picked up five more in the second on two errors two singles and Ken Richardson's home run.
The final two runs were the result of four singles and one error.
[WILfan note: Bob Duretto led Vancouver hitters with three, all singles ... here's a rarity: there were nine runs scored, one each by every member of the Vancouver line-up ... Marv Williams and Sheridan brought in the first two runs, followed by Wellman's RBI in the third before Richardson's three-run clout ... Duretto and Hernandez were credited with the other RBIs for Vancouver ... Only four of the runs given up by Robertson were earned].
Vancouver ..... 250 020 000—9 13 1
Tri-City ......... 000 000 100—1 3 4
Hernandez and Duretto; Robertson, Brunswick (6) and Johnson.

LEWISTON, story unavailable
Wenatchee ..... 011 000 200—4 7 5
Lewiston ........ 100 002 02x—5 9 3
Oubre, Shandor (8) and Self; Kime, Derganc (9) and Cannuli, Garay (9).

EDMONTON [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 12]—Edmonton G.M. John Ducey, Lewiston playing manager Larry Barton, plus some others in the league, should be eating a little crow by now after their assertions that teams such as Tri-City sent "duffers" to the all-star team.
For so far in the current series, the two Tri-City players — Dale Thomason and Artie Wilson — turned in some of the best performances of the lot. And this despite Tri-City being one of the weaker teams in the league from the standpoint of all-around strength coupled with sickness and injuries.
It was Thomason's turn to pitch Wednesday night, and although losing, 5-2, he turned in the best performance for the all-stars so far.
Three all-star errors figured in the scoring.
All-Stars ......... 100 100 000—2 7 3
Edmonton ....... 020 100 00x—3 8 0
Thomason and Holden; Conant and Partee.

SALEM, story unavailable
First Game
Yakima ........ 000 000 0—0 3 0
Salem ......... 003 000 x—3 8 2
Edmunds and Albini; Herrera and D. Luby.
Second Game
Yakima ........ 001 000 100—2 7 3
Salem ......... 000 100 011—3 9 1
Rios and Summers; Briggs and Ogden.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 12, 1954]

It's a rare old day in Nick Pesut’s life when he can talk about his team winning a pennant. Yet, after some 14 years of baseball Nick finally is tied in with a top contender.
And Nick figures the Vancouver Capilano outfit can do it without going into a playoff with Lewiston.
“If we are just a couple of games out when we meet them in that final series, we can do it,” Nick said.
What makes you think you will be but two games out?, I asked.
“Well,” Nick said, “Lewiston’s got to play Salem. They beat ‘em before and they will probably take a couple of games.”
It was then pointed out that the Lewiston Salem beat was not the Lewiston playing now.
“Ah, it’s just about the same,” Nick said, “You’ll see.”
But just between you and me, Vancouver’s chance of winning the second half and the pennant without a playoff are about as good as Tri-City’s chance of winning the second half. With the lineup Lewiston has now, it would and probably will take three of four in every series played.
And the Capilanoes are going to have a tough time beating them in the playoff.
* * *
Nick Has Broken Finger
Nick, by the way, is nursing a “broken” finger as the result of his catching chore the other night. I use that “broken” with reservation because I could be wrong.
It’s understandable enough that Nick could break a finger catching Bossman Bill Brenner’s flutterball.
“You don’t know where that thing’s goin’,” Nick said. “It’s just like a butterfly hopping around on some flowers. It may jump up here or down here or over there. Heck, I no sooner caught him over at Yakima than I wound up with a split finger.”
In the game Tuesday, a couple of Brenner's pitches bounced off the end of Nick’s glove, which is something rare for the former Tri-City catcher. And so it's possible that one of the dipsydoodle balls may have broken a digit.
Yet at the same time, league president Bob Abel has been hot after Brenner to send another player to the “all-stars.” First Abel wanted Frank [sic] Duretto, the other Vancouver catcher, but Brenner doesn't want to let him go. Now if Nick has a broken finger, and Duretto has to catch, that ought to settle the matter.
Latest reports are, though, that Abel is trying a new approach. He wants Brenner himself to report to the all-stars. That one is hanging fire.
* * *
Brenner Oughta Have 20-1
Nick, by the way, thinks Brenner ought to have about a 20-1 record this season.
“Heck, in some of those games, we couldn’t even find the bases,” Nick said. “We really threw ‘em away.”
* * *
No Young Players
Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni makes this observation about the Vancouver team which has a working agreement with Seattle and therefore is supposedly developing young ballplayers for the Rainiers:
“When Seattle wanted to recall young players, where did they get them? From Vancouver? Heck, no. They called in Joe Joshua from Victoria, Frank Buckowatz [sic]from Salem, and Lloyd Jenny [sic] from Wenatchee. All of them are players Vancouver didn’t want. Developing young players? Huh!”
* * *
Should Be Interesting
When Vancouver meets Lewiston in the playoff (and I’m saying it without fear of contradiction now) it should prove to be a good one and if anything turns the fans out, that series should. Those two teams are equally matched and so far outclass the rest of the league, only such a playoff between the two could be interesting.

Tuesday, August 10, 1954

2008-08-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 28 11 .718 —
Vancouver .... 19 15 .559 6½
Yakima ....... 20 16 .556 6½
Edmonton ..... 19 17 .528 7½
Salem ........ 16 16 .500 8½
Tri-City ..... 15 23 .395 12½
Wenatchee .... 12 27 .308 16

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 11]—Nick Pesut, former Tri-City catcher now doing back-stopping duties for Vancouver confidently predicted before game time Tuesday night the Capilanoes will take the second-half title and the league championship without a playoff game.
But despite coming from far, far behind Tuesday to beat the Tri-City Braves, 13-12, the Caps will have to go strong to overcome front-running Lewiston's 6½-game lead.
While Vancouver was downing Tri-City at Sanders Field, the Broncs beat Wenatchee twice, 1-0, and 12-3. The double loss for the Chiefs renewed Tri-City hopes of finishing the season out of the cellar.
Tonight the Caps and Braves play the third game of the four-game series. Don Robertson, who has been ill recently from what he believes was the consumption of one bottle of "warm beer," but what trainer Ray F. (Doc) Hoyt contends was nothing more than intestinal flu which has been making the rounds of the league, has definitely been named starter.
Robertson has missed his turn at starting twice because of the illness.
But if Tri-City hopes to really upset Nick's dream of a pennant-without-a-playoff, it will have to come tonight with Robertson on the mound or Tuesday night with Herm Besse on the mound.
So far, none of the Tri-City pitchers has been able to still the Cap bats for any length of time.
In Tuesday's game, Vancouver spotted Tri-City an eight-run lead by the second inning, then went on to win despite the Braves' additional collection of four runs.
The Caps big inning came in the eighth. Trailing 10-6 at that point, they racked three Tri-City pitchers for six hits and seven runs. Despite the Cap ability to hit Homers almost at will, not one of the hits that inning were for extra bases.
Jack Hemphill, the Tri-City starter, continued into the fatal eighth and got one batter out before giving up a single to Jim C1ark and walking two more batters to fill the bases. Then Walt Clough came into pitch. Clough gave up a scratch hit to Eddie Murphy and K Chorlton followed with a liner over the third base sack.
Marv Williams, the next batter lined one through the box which hit Clough on the head and the ball bounced into centerfield. The ball was partially deflected by Clough's glove but still raised a nasty welt along-side his head.
Clough was taken from the game and Jess Dobernic came on to pitch.
Bob Wellman got a single off Dobernic and a wild pitch and an error brought in another run.
Dobernic got the last two batters to fly out but by then the damage was done.
In the bottom half of the inning, Tri-City rallied briefly with Dick Watson and Edo Vanni leading off with singles. Rube Johnson walked and Len Tran singled two runners in. But then a double play killed the threat.
Tri-City got most of its runs in the second inning when Vancouver pitchers had trouble finding the plate. Starter Bob Roberts walked four and gave up two hits before Bill Brenner, the playing manager took over.
Brenner walked two more and was clipped by Johnson's bases loaded double. Len Tran followed with a triple which scored Johnson before Brenner got the side out.
From then on, Brenner pitched his usual tricky brand of ball. He never succeeded in getting Len Tran out, though, and in the seventh, the Tri-City second-baseman
doubled and scored on Vic Buccola's single.
Altogether, Tran went four for four and like Johnson, drove in three runs.
Vancouver ..... 012 020 170—13 14 0
Tri-City ......... 090 000 120—12 11 3
Roberts, Brenner (2) and Pesut; Hemphill, Clough (8), Dobernic (8) and Johnson.

LEWISTON, Aug. 10—Lewiston Broncs continued to put distance between itself and second-place Vancouver with a double header sweep of Wenatchee on Tuesday, 1-0, and 12-3.
Both Wenatchee's Ralph Romero and Lewiston's Dick Durganc pitched two hitters in their seven-inning opener. The Broncs got their winning run in the fifth when Ed Garay singled, advanced to third on two walks and ran home on a sacrifice by Al Heist.
Lewiston jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap on two singles and Heist's triple, three walks, a wild pitch and an error. After picking up single runs in the third and fourth frames, the Broncs added four more in the seventh on Larry Barton's two run homer and three walks and an error.
Doubles by Dain Clay and Jake Helmuth helped Wenatchee rally briefly for three runs in the eighth.
First Game
Wenatchee ....... 000 000 0—0 2 0
Lewiston .......... 000 010 x—1 2 1
Romero and Self; Derganc and Garay.
Second Game
Wenatchee ....... 000 000 030— 3 9 3
Lewiston .......... 061 010 40x—12 9 3
Hodges, Tierney (3) and Self; Fletcher and Cameron.

SALEM, Aug. 10—The Salem Senators held off a late challenger from Yakima Tuesday night to defeat the Bears, 3-2, in a Western International League baseball game.
Senators Manager Hugh Luby drove home Jim Deyo with what proved to be the winning run with a single in the fourth. Deyo had singled and moved to second when Yakima hurler Tom Lovrich walked a man.
Ernie Domenichelli held the Bears in check by scattering 10 hits. In the first inning he gave up a double to Don Pries and a run-producing single to Herman Lewis. Yakima's only other score came on Des Charouhas' bases-empty homer in the ninth.
Yakima ...... 100 000 001—2 10 0
Salem ........ 002 100 00x—3 7 2
Lovich and Summers; Domenichelli and D. Luby.

EDMONTON, Aug. 10—Edmonton Eskimos opened a seven-game series against the Western International League All-Stars with a 7-3 defeat here Tuesday night.
Edmonton's Grant Campbell hit a homer, a double and was the winner for Edmonton, notching his 12th victory against six defeats.
Artie Wilson, a badly needed utility man for the sick and injured Tri-City lineup, accounted for a good share of the "all-stars" three runs with a homer and a single.
The home run was his ninth of the season and will count in his individual statistics.
All-Stars ......... 000 201 000—3 8 2
Edmonton ....... 012 012 01x—7 9 0
Martin and Carter; Widner, Manier (6) and Partee.

Monday, August 9, 1954

2008-08-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 26 11 .703 —
Yakima ........ 20 15 .571 5
Vancouver ..... 18 15 .545 6
Edmonton ...... 18 17 .514 7
Salem ......... 15 16 .484 8
Tri-City ...... 15 22 .405 11
Wenatchee ..... 15 25 .324 14

KENNEWICK, Aug. 9—The Vancouver Capilanos blasted two Tri-City pitchers for eight hits and nine runs in the first inning Monday to swamp the Braves, 13-4, in a Western International League baseball game.
The big Vancouver inning featured two-run homers by Eddie Murphy and Marv Williams. Murphy also got a single in the first and Williams a double. K Chorlton got a double and a single as the Caps made it five in a row and seven wins in eight starts.
Jess Dobernic, who started for the Braves, was shelled out, lasting two-thirds of an inning and giving up five hits and two walks before being replaced by Hal Flinn. Flinn was treated rather rudely, giving up hits to the three batters he faced, and gave way to centerfielder Gordie Brunswick. Brunswick got the last man of the inning and hurled six-hit ball the rest of the way, including Ken Richardson’s homer for the Caps in the sixth.
Brunswick aided his own cause with a round-tripper in the second.
George Nicholas went the route for the Capilanos in giving up 12 scattered hits for his 12th win against 10 losses.
Murphy and Chorlton each had three hits for Vancouver, while Edo Vanni, Vic Buccola and Rube Johnson had two each for Tri-City.
- - -
KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 10]—Early this season the Vancouver beer barons loaded up the Capilano roster which eventually all but wrecked the Western International league.
Now Tri-Clty players have a sneaking hunch that the brew sold there has all but wrecked the Tri-Clty team.
The Braves were waxed by the Caps Monday night in the opener of the four-game series, 13-4.
Some of Tri-City's trouble came when the hurling staff served up gopher balls, But the rest came because a good share of the team is suffering with "internal disorders" which has left the players in a weakened condition.
Don Robertson, Tri-City's winningest pitcher, who ordinarily would have started the game Monday night contends:
"Every guy who's got 'It' drank a bottle of warm beer in Vancouver. That's what did it."
Robertson himself has been laid up for three days.
Playing manager Edo Vanni said Robertson looked a few days ago as if he had "fallen in a flour barrel."
Robertson may pitch tonight if he is sufficiently recovered from the effects of the Vancouver-bought beer. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
As the result of the illness, coupled with injuries such as Bob Moniz' back, and the absence of two players away on the "all-star team," Tri-City wound up with a pitcher in leftfield, a catcher in right field and a centerfielder pitching.
However, the centerfielder on the mound, Gordy Brunswick, turned in a hotter performance than the pitchers. The Capilanoes jumped on starter Jess Dobernic for seven runs and Hall Flinn for two more in the first inning before Brunswick came in to pitch.
Marv Williams got a three-run homer and a double in that first frame and Eddie Murphy got a single and two-run homer. Also getting two hits in the first was K. Chorlton who singled and doubled.
After Brunswick took over, he got the side out and pitched six-hit ball from thereon in. Ken Richardson homered off him in the sixth and Brunswick got his Braves in the second.
Tri-City got nearly as many hits off Vancouver's George Nicholas as the Caps got off the Tri-City staff but double plays killed most scoring threats.
Vancouver ...... 900 011 200—13 14 2
Tri-City .......... 010 100 101— 4 12 1
Nicholas and Durreto; Dobernic, Flinn (1), Brunswick (1) and Johnson.

LEWISTON, Aug. 9 — Low on hits but high on runs, Lewiston Broncs scored a 5-1 victory over Wenatchee Chiefs here Monday.
Wenatchee held a six to five edge in the hitting department but could only push across one run in its game with Lewiston. The lone tally came in the sixth inning
on two singles, a walk and an infield out. Lewiston started the scoring in the second inning with a three run outburst with Larry Barton. Nick Cannuli and Al Heist crossing the plate on two singles, two walks, a sacrifice and a passed ball. The Broncs added two more runs in the sixth.
The Broncs put across two more runs in the sixth.
Two Wenatchee pitchers issued 11 walks to Lewiston.
With the win, the Western International League leaders gained a half-game over second-place Yakima as the Bears were idle.
Wenatchee ..... 000 001 010—1 6 1
Lewiston ........ 030 002 00x—5 5 1
Beamon, Tierney (6) and Self; Marshall and Cameron.

SALEM, Aug. 9—Salem found out the "big time" can be rough as the Senators were held to one hit and lost a 1-0 exhibition game to Portland of the Pacific Coast League.
EXHIBITION
Portland ...... 000 000 010—1 4 1
Salem ......... 000 000 000—0 1 0
Boemler, Waibel (4), Fleming (7) and Glade, Lundberg (4); Roenspie, Rayle (9) and D. Luby.

Vanni's Gag Is Confusin'
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 10, 1954]
Tri-CUy's playing manager Edo Vanni pulled a sharpie on Vancouver players and Tri-City fans Monday night when his former teammate Eddie Murphy homered in the first inning of the Vancouver game.
Vanni, seeing that the ball would clear the fence by a large margin, pretended he could make the catch, moved in toward the infield, and acted as if he took it in.
Hitters tagged up and fans gave forth with mild cheers when they saw him make the "catch."
Most confused however were the radio listeners. Broadcaster Jerry Colkitt, also taken in by Vanni's horseplay, described the ball as "well hit," told of Vanni moving
forward under it, making the catch, and then had to hastily backtrack with a "wait a minute, it's all the way out here for a home run."

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[from Tri-City Herald, August 10, 1954]
Ducey Gets a Laugh

John Ducey, the Edmonton G.M. who has been swindled so often by other teams in the Western International League one wonders how he can take it, at least got one laugh out of the situation that is costing him $2,000 this week.
Ducey told Edmonton writers that when it came to selection of an all-star team, Lewiston, Tri-City and Salem were much in contention and didn’t want to nominate a good ball player for the all-stars.
“On the other hand, they knew if they filled the club with duffers, the Eskimoes might sweep the series and pick up six games and first place. They couldn’t afford to do that so you could see the agony of indecision on their faces. I just sat back and let them sweat it out while I laughed.”
Ducey is definitely wrong on the Tri-City score. First off, the Braves aren't in contention for the pennant and at the present rate not in contention for the first division.
* * *
Contributions With A Motive
Tri-City doesn't have to be ashamed of its contribution. Although Dale Thomason may not be our best pitcher, he is one of our starters. And by sending Artie Wilson (who is our leading home-run hitter by the way), it meant putting Vic Buccola back in the lineup, despite his re-injuries suffered when Lewiston’s Nick Cannuli touched off the ridiculous rassling match.
Lewiston and Vancouver boast they have sent the most to the all-stars. Which is true but for other reasons. First off, Vancouver carries a better outfield on the disabled list than teams like Tri-City have to use day after day. Furthermore, the Caps have won the first half so what difference does it make how they finish in the second half?
And as for Lewiston, which purchased the second half title in June, Edmonton represents one of the very few threats to their title.
Under the circumstances it would seem Lewiston would send either Al Yaylian or Guy Fletcher to the all-star team to pitch against Edmonton. But maybe the Broncs are ashamed to do so, considering they took Ducey’s $600 and used it to sign Eddie Bockman, whose homers beat Edmonton twice the following week.

Sunday, August 8, 1954

2008-08-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 25 11 .694 —
Yakima ....... 20 15 .571 4½
Vancouver .... 17 15 .531 6
Edmonton ..... 18 17 .514 6½
Salem ........ 15 16 .484 7½
Tri-City ..... 15 21 .417 10
Wenatchee .... 12 24 .333 13

WENATCHEE [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 8]—The Tri-City Braves return from the road today and will open a four-game series with the Vancouver Capilanoes [sic] tonight at Sanders Field.
After dropping both ends of a doubleheader Sunday, 3-0, and 4-1, the Braves wound up the eight-game road trip with five losses against three wins. Three of the losses were at the hands of tonight's visiting Capilanoes.
Don Robertson will be likely Tri-City starter in the game tonight. Robertson currently boasts a 14-6 record, by far the best for the Braves this season. One more
will put him past his pre-season goal of exceding last season's total. Last year Robertson won 14 and lost nine.
Dick Greco, the hard-hitting outfielder and favorite "villain" among Tri-City fans, will not be with the Caps tonight. Greco is playing with the Bob Abel all-stars in games at Lewiston and Edmonton. [...]
In Sunday's action against last-place Wenatchee, Tri-City hitting fell to a level experienced only in the first doubleheader of the season against Edmonton. In the opener, the Braves got six hits off Wenatchee's Billy Joe Waters but couldn't get a run across.
It marked the first time the Braves have been shutout since that Edmonton doubleheader.
In the second game, Tri-City hit safely six times but could score only once. And that run came when pitcher Walt Clough was walked home in the second inning.
Clough, who is rapidly becoming the hard-luck pitcher on the Tri-City staff, was charged with the loss — his 11th against eight wins.
Two of Wenatchee's runs came in the fifth and two in the sixth. In the fifth, Tom Munoz doubled and Tom Self and Ted Shandor singled to load the sacks.
Tony Rivas then doubled scoring two runners.
The sixth inning runs were unearned.
Jerry (Pumpsie) Green did most of the damage in the opener. In the first inning, he walked, moved to second on a sacrifice, and to third on a ground out.
Then he stole home off Hal Flinn, Tri-City's most recent acquisition and the only optioned player on the staff. The other run that inning came when Dane Clay walked, moved to third on Jake Helmuth's single and scored on Laurie Monroe's double.
In the third, Green hit a 380-foot home run.
First Game
Tri-City ........... 000 000 0—0 6 0
Wenatchee ...... 201 000 x—3 7 0
Flinn and Johnson; Waters and Self.
Second Game
Tri-City ........... 010 000 000—1 6 2
Wenatchee ...... 000 022 00x—4 8 2
Clough and Johnson; Shandor and Self.

LEWISTON, Aug. 8—Dick Greco, the outfielder the Vancouver Capilanos don't want, bashed out two homers and went seven for eight as the Western International League All-Stars lost a pair of game from the Lewiston Broncs, 9-6 and 10-3.
Arty Wilson, Tri-City's contribution to the all-star lineup, got a double in the first game.
First Game
All-Stars ....... 002 000 013—6 12 2
Lewiston ....... 421 100 01x—9 13 1
Young (Yak) and Prentice (Edm); Orrell and Garay.
Second Game
All-Stars ....... 101 010 000— 3 13 2
Lewiston ....... 101 400 40x—10 15 2
Kimball (Edm) and Prentice (Edm); Yaylian and Cameron.

YAKIMA, August 8—Yakima's pennant hopes suffered a severe setback as the Bears dropped both games to Edmonton on Sunday, 4-3 and 2-1, and fell 4½ games behind Western International League-leading Lewiston.
John Conant limited the visitors to only five hits in the ten-inning opener, but a third inning home run with none aboard by Herman Lewis was the only score the Bears could muster.
Edmonton tied the count in the seventh, then won the game in the tenth when two successive walks forced in Roy Partee. Partee had singled and was advanced to second on Don Gigli's base hit.
In the second game Yakima trailed 4-1 going into the last of the eighth when the Bears threatened to tie the count. But their rally fell short after they had scored two runs on successive singles by Don Pries, Herman Lewis Lou Stringer and Hal Summers.
Ted Edmunds was the losing pitcher.
First Game
Edmonton ....... 000 000 100 1—2 5 1
Yakima ........... 001 000 000 0—1 9 0
Conant and Partee; Carmichael and Albini.
Second Game
Edmonton ....... 000 101 110—4 7 2
Yakima ........... 100 000 020—3 8 0
McNulty and Partee; Edmunds and Summers.

Vancouver idle.

Saturday, August 7, 1954

2008-08-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 23 11 .676 —
Yakima ........ 20 13 .606 2½
Vancouver ..... 17 15 .531 5
Edmonton ...... 16 17 .485 6½
Salem ......... 15 16 .484 6½
Tri-City ...... 15 19 .441 8
Wenatchee ..... 10 24 .294 13

YAKIMA, Aug. 7—Ted Edmunds pitched one ball Saturday night to end an Edmonton scoring threat and save a 7-5 victory for Yakima in their Western International League baseball game.
Edmunds relieved Danny Rios, who had a shutout going entering the ninth, fired one ball at Augie Amorena who flied out to end the game.
Rlos had given up only five hits entering the fatal ninth. He retired the first man up, then the root collapsed. Three Eskimos crossed the plate before he got another man out and two more tallies were added before Edmunds came into to take over.
Edmonton scoring was on four singles, a walk, a hit batsman and two Yakima errors.
Yakima collected 9 hits, including five doubles and a triple, off the combined offerings of Jack Widner and Art Worth.
Edmonton ..... 000 000 005—5 8 1
Yakima ......... 200 002 03x—7 9 2
Widner, Worth (9) and Partee; Rios, Edmunds (9) and Summers.

WENATCHEE [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 8]—Herman Besse missed a no-hitter by the margin of Pumpsie Green's sixth inning single Saturday night as Tri-City cut down Wenatchee 3-1 in their Western International League baseball meeting.
Only five men reached first against Besse, four on walks and one on an error.
In the sixth, Green singled to right field, moved up when Besse walked Tony Rivas, took third on a flyout and came home on an infield out.
Tri-City scored three runs in the first inning on a pair of walks, three singles and a wild pitch by Charley Oubre, and added two in the third on Rube Johnson's double after Oubre had given up two more singles.
The Braves and the Chiefs will play a single game today. Then Tri-City returns to Sanders Field for the opening of a four-game series with the power-laden Vancouver Capilanoes.
Both Tri-City and Vancouver, however, may be a little short of playing talent. The Caps have sent four players — Dick Greco, and Bud Beasley — to play on the Bob Abel "all-stars" at Edmonton.
Tri-City has but two on the "all stars" - Artie Wilson and Dale Thomason. However, the Tri-City lineup is plagued in varying amounts by injuries and illness.
Vic Buccola, who was hurt before making the road trip, and re-injured in the grappling match with Lewiston, is still out of the lineup. Jack Warren has been having trouble with his knee. Bob Moniz with his shoulder, and several, including pitcher Herm Hesse, have had internal ailments.
Tri-City .......... 302 000 000—5 11 1
Wenatchee ..... 000 001 000—1 1 0
Besse and Johnson; Oubre and Self.

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 9]—Vancouver Capilanos, looking once again like the Caps the opposition loved to hate, are off in pursuit of the WIL’s current front runner, Lewiston Broncs.
They hope to have the Broncs roped and broken by the middle of next week. The Caps visit in Tri-City and Wenatchee this week, and if they just have a stand like the one just completed at home, they should be camping right in the back yard of the Lewiston team come Aug. 16,when the two teams clash in a three-game series at Lewiston.
The Caps made it six out of seven last week when they edged Salem 4-3 at Cap Stadium to sweep the three game series. General manager Bill Brenner was once again the big noise, not only pitching a six-hitter for his 17th win against six losses, but also batting a sacrifice fly and a home run for two runs.
Bill drove in the first one with a line drive to left in the third inning, and came through with the winning run in the fifth, pounding one over the left field wall with nobody on to beat ex-Cap pitcher Bill Franks.
[Marv Williams doubled in Brenner and came home on Bob Wellman’s single in the three-run third. Brenner’s single came after Nick Pesut tripled … Brenner was a perfect two-for-two, as he had a single … Salem scored two in the third, with Mel Krause tripling two runs after a pair of walks. They got the other in the top of the fifth when Franks singled, went to second on a walk, moved to third on Bob Kellogg's single and scored on Gene Tanselli’s sacrifice fly].
Salem ............ 002 010 000—3 6 0
Vancouver ...... 003 010 00x—4 9 2
Franks and D. Luby; Brenner and Pesut.

Matheson Says Six–Team All-U.S. League Certain Next Season
[Tri-City Herald, August 8, 1954]
The Western International league, beset with financial troubles year in and year out, will undoubtedly lose the “International” in its name next season, Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic association said Saturday.
Matheson, returned from the Seattle meeting of the league directors which dealt with the Victoria collapse, said a cut to six closely knit U. S. teams will be one of the recommendations the committee of which he is a member will make to the directors at meetings this October.
Matheson said the two remaining Canadian entries — Vancouver and Edmonton — will drop out on their own.
“With Vancouver next year, it will be coast league or nothing,” Matheson said. “The club is crowding the $200,000-loss mark.
“At Edmonton, John Ducey has made up his mind to go for that all-Canadian league and figures it is a matter of just hanging on this year.”
Matheson also revealed some of the details of what the committee will propose for next year’s operation.
The other members of the committee are Bob Brown, former WIL president, and Hugh Luby, general manager of the Salem Senators.
“We will suggest cutting the number of veterans in the league to six or eight,” he said, “and a salary limit of $5,400 a month for 16 players.”
The present WIL limit is $6,300 a month for 17 players. However, bonuses paid free agents are not figured within that limit .This enables some wealthier clubs to sign high-priced ex-Coast Leaguer’s for low salaries with the difference made up in high bonuses, and thereby stay within the limit.
Matheson said, “one proposal that might work is this. A team may pay a $200 bonus which will not count, within the salary limit. However, any bonus paid amounting to more will count against the limit, except for the $200.
The proposed all-U.S. six-team league will probably consist of the present five U.S. components — Tri-City, Yakima, Lewiston, Wenatchee, and Salem — plus possibly Spokane, or Eugene. Ore., or Tacoma.
Matheson told the details of the league meeting and the series of events leading up to the forming of the weird “All-star” team which will play Edmonton and Lewiston this week.
He also said that the league came very close to folding right at the beginning of the meeting.
After the directors gathered around, the Vancouver group proposed that the league fold, Matheson said. “But I said no. we wanted to finish the season if we could.”
“Vancouver then said if everyone else wants to continue, we will, too.”
“The big problem was Edmonton,” Matheson said. “Victoria was scheduled to play a week-long series there and with Victoria out of the league, that left only Salem and Lewiston coming in.
“Edmonton has dropped $35,000 this year and has been three weeks on the road.
“So we suggested to Ducey that the logical thing is for you to drop out. Well, Ducey called his partners and they said no, we don’t want to drop out. They felt they had a shot to win the second half and they were drawing good at home.
“Finally Bruce Williams of Salem said he would like to see Tri-City go there for a week-long series. But that would have meant we would lose the Vancouver and Wenatchee series at home and I told them nothing doing. If we made the trip, then we might as well quit.
“Then Williams proposed the all-star team.”
The deal, Matheson explained, is this: Each team pays its own players’ salaries. Each team is obligated to send them to Lewiston for one game Sunday (today).
The provision for having the Lewiston game was made because Lewiston had made the trip to Victoria and Victoria folded with Lewiston getting nothing back.
“After the Lewiston game, Edmonton foots the bill to take the players to Edmonton. After the series at Edmonton, they pay to send the players back to Spokane and each club pays to bring its own players home from there,” Matheson said.
He said Edmonton will also pay meal money and hotel bills. “It will cost them nearly $2,000,” he said. “but they figure they will lose less that way than by being idle for a week.”
Matheson said Lewiston pitchers will not be used against Lewiston and Edmonton pitchers will not be used against Edmonton.
Finally, he said, it came around to the point of naming an all-star team. “No one had an extra first baseman,” Matheson said, “and Artie Wilson had been playing a pretty good first for us. I figured Vic Buccola would be back in the lineup so I offered Wilson. Since we had an extra pitcher, I offered Dale Thomason.”
He said under the rules, if a team’s player fails to report for the “All-star” lineup, then league president Bob Abel can select any player he wants from that team.

Payroll Has G.M. Worried
[Tri-City Herald, August 8, 1954]
Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor is worried aplenty now about making the Sept. 1 payroll for the Tri-City Braves.
Taylor points out that during the final half of August, the Braves have but “half” playing date at home with Lewiston plus three playing dates with Salem.
The half date comes in there because it is an exception to the home-and-home gate rule. The gate will be split with the Broncs. Tri-City loses two August and one September home playing dates because of the Victoria folderoo.
This is partially offset by the $600 in travel costs that will be saved because it will not be necessary for the team to go to Victoria Aug. 16-18.
However, the Tri-City club operates on such a tight budget that even the loss of one or two playing dates at home puts it in a precarious position.

Friday, August 6, 1954

2008-08-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 23 11 .676 —
Yakima ........ 19 13 .594 3
Vancouver ..... 16 15 .516 5½
Salem ......... 15 15 .500 6
Edmonton ...... 16 16 .500 6
Tri-City ...... 14 19 .424 8½
Wenatchee ..... 10 23 .303 14½

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 7]—The Capilanos are looking like a first division baseball team again, and they have a much more respectable place in the second half standings to prove it.
Bill Brenner’s boys made it five wins in six games this week, and moved into third place, taking both ends of a thrill-packed doubleheader from Salem at Cap Stadium Friday night. Scores were 3-2 in both games, and that makes four times this week they’ve won by that score.
DURETTO HERO
Bob Duretto, replacing an ailing Marv Williams, out with a bad sinus condition, was the hero of the first game, which saw Bob Roberts gain his 11th win against four losses.
Duretto’s single, combined with another by Bob Wellman, and two Salem errors, helped the Caps to two runs in the first off Jon Briggs. Then, in the fifth, Duretto slapped one over the right field wall for his fifth homer of the season and the winning margin.
Pete Hernandez got the call over Tom Herrera, an obvious major league prospect on option from San Diego. Another Salem error helped here, too, as the Caps, down 2-0, rallied for three runs in the eighth. Two of the big blows delivered in this inning came from the bats of Eddie Murphy, who had gone 0-for-14, and Ken Richardson, 0-for-16.
WEIRD CALL
Murphy’s hit followed one of the most weird calls ever seen at the stadium. Eddie hit one far to left field and before the ball came down, umpire Gordon Bogle (a Vancouver boy, for shame) signalled that it was a home run. Imagine his embarrassment when the ball hit the left field wall and bounded back on the field. Bogle then reversed his field and called it a foul. Manager Brenner called him a few things, too, before Murphy tried it again.
The Salem series winds up tonight, with Brenner on the mound, then the Caps leave town again for series in Tri-City, Wenatchee and Lewiston.
First Game
Salem ........... 000 100 1—2 7 2
Vancouver ..... 200 010 x—3 8 1
Briggs and Ogden; Roberts and Pesut.
Second Game
Salem ........... 000 100 100—2 7 1
Vancouver ..... 000 000 03x—3 8 2
Herrera, Rayle (8) and Ogden; Hernandez and Pesut.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 6—Tri-City pitcher Jack Hemphill won his fourth game of the season by spinning a six-hitter Friday while the Braves scored six runs — five of them coming in the third inning — to beat the Wenatchee Chiefs 6-3.
Hemphill struck out ten and walked four.
Gordy Brunswick came through with a triple in the big inning that drove in two runs. He then scored himself.
Artie Wilson led the Braves at the plate getting two for three and brought in a run in the second that made it 1-0. Ed Self singled in a run in the bottom of the inning before Tri-City game to bat in their big frame. Rube Johnson singled in the first run before Brunswick's heroics. Two of the runs in the inning were unearened, thanks to Larry Monroe's error at third base.
Ross McCormack hit a solo homer for Wenatchee in the sixth. Tom Munoz plated the final Wenatchee run.
Tri-City ........... 015 000 000—6 9 0
Wenatchee ...... 010 002 000—3 6 1
Hemphill and Johnson; Bowman, Romero (4) and Self.

YAKIMA, Aug. 6—Big Tom Lovrich limited Edmonton to seven hits Friday night to pitch Yakima to a 6-2 baseball victory over the Eskimos.
The Bears scored a pair of runs in the first inning and clinched it with three in the second on a double by Dick Briskey plus a pair of singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly.
Edmonton ..... 000 101 000—2 7 1
Yakima ......... 230 001 00x—6 11 0
Campbell and Partee; Lovrich and Summers.

Chiefs Seek $5,000 Gift
WENATCHEE, Aug. 6—Old Man Deficit, one of the Western International League's steadiest fans this season, was on the prowl again Saturday.
This time the old lent who has already washed out three of the 10 teams who started the 1954 season was stalking the Wenatchee Chiefs, present residents of the WIL cellar.
Directors of the Chiefs organization appealed to the fans Friday night to contribute $5,000 so the Wenatchee club could finish out the season.
The hope is 500 fans will come up with $10 each.

WIL STATISTICS
(Compiled by William J. Weiss, Official Statistician, San Mateo, Calif. Averages include games of Monday, August 2, except Wenatchee at Lewiston, July 21; Edmonton at Victoria, July 29 and Salem at Victoria, August 2.)
TEAM BATTING
Average, Vancouver, .302; Tri-City, .293; Victoria, .288, Lewiston, .282, Yakima, .279; Wenatchee, .278; Edmonton, .278; Salem, .275.
Doubles, Tri-City, 177; Triples, Yakima, 46; Home runs, Vancouver, 85; Stolen Bases, Tri-City, 121; Bases on Balls, Lewiston, 533, Strike outs, Wenatchee, 492; Runs Batted In, Lewiston, 566.
TEAM FIELDING
Yakima, .969; Edmonton, .969; Vancouver, .966; Salem, .965; Lewiston, .965, Victoria, .964, Wenatchee, .960; Tri-City, .958.
Errors, Tri-City, 166; Double Plays, Victoria, 117.
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Marv Williams, Van., .360; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 102; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 139; Total Bases, Chorlton, Van., 204; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 34; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 12; Home Runs, Bob Wellman, Van., 17; Sacrifice Hits, Dain Clay, Vic., 23; Stolen Bases, K Chorlton, Van., 24; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 84; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 89; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 90.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Bill Brenner, Van., 2.31; Wins, Brenner, Van., 15; Losses, Ted Shandor, Wen., Billy Joe Waters, Ralph Romero, Wen., 11; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 167, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 124; Innings Pitcher, Brenner, Van., 21-; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 18; Home Runs Allowed, John Marshall, Lew., Bob Drilling, Vic., 18.

Thursday, August 5, 1954

2008-08-12T17:40:00.002-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 23 11 .676 —
Yakima ........ 18 13 .581 3½
Salem ......... 15 13 .536 5
Edmonton ...... 16 13 .552 5½
Vancouver ..... 14 15 .483 6½
Tri-City ...... 19 19 .406 9
Wenatchee ..... 11 22 .313 12

WENATCHEE, Aug. 5—Catcher Roy Partee singled home the tying run in the fifth inning and the winning run in the seventh as the Edmonton Eskimos came from behind to defeat the Chiefs 4-3 in a Western International League baseball game here Thursday.
Righthander John Conant hung up his l3th win of the season behind solid hitting support from Partee, Andy Skurski and Bob Brown, all of whom collected three hits apiece for the Eskimos.
Ross McCormack was Wenatchee's big gun with a double and a single.
Edmonton ...... 001 020 100—4 12 1
Wenatchee .... 002 001 000—3 7 4
Conant and Partee; Beamon and Self.

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 6]—Marvin Williams hates to see a triple go to waste and he’ll just keep hitting ‘em until they do some good. Anyway that’s what he did Thursday at Cap Stadium, and thereby hangs a 3-2 Vancouver victory over Tri-City Braves.
Williams, the sweet-swinging second-sacker, had singled in the first inning, and got as far as third, but he “died” there. Come the fifth, he got to third in one try, whacking one to the distant reaches of centre field. But he again he was left stranded as the next two Caps went out.
Marvin got another chance in the seventh, but this time two runners were on base, waiting for him to produce. He did, slicing a ball into the right field corner for his second triple to score two runs and overcome a 2-1 Tri-City lead.
Sandy Robertson had given up three hits in the first innings for two runs, then got his considerable “stuff” working and blanked the Braves from there in. But it looked, for a while, as if the Caps would never catch the visitors.
They got one run in the second on Jim Clark’s double and Nick Pesut’s first of three singles. Dale Thomason kept them bottled up then, until the seventh, when Robertson walked and K. Chorlton singled to send Thomason showerward and bring Jess Dobernic in.
Jess unfortunately ran into Williams, and that was the ball game. It gave the Caps the series 3-1. Tonight Salem Senators come to own for three games, with two tonight starting at 7. Pete Hernandez and Bob Roberts will pitch for the locals.
- - -
VANCOUVER [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 5]—The Tri-City Braves move on to Wenatchee today for another four-game road series and for another of those battles to keep out of the basement.
The chances of doing the latter are good, since Wenatchee has been out of the Western International league running ever since the club was taught the bitter lesson of what happens to teams dealing with players on option.
Following the recall of top playing talent, Wenatchee became strictly a tail-end team for second-half play. But in so being, they will find themselves an equal rival tonight.
Tri-City dropped its fourth and final game to the Vancouver Capilanoes, 3-2, Thursday night which extends the pattern of losing three out of four to first division clubs.
The Braves again came close to an even split in the series but three-base-hits by Marv Williams did the damage. With a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, Williams got his second triple which sent in the tying and winning runs.
The blows came off starter Dale Thomason, who lost his sixth game against five wins. Jess Dobernic came on to pitch, got the side out, and finished the game.
Tri-City scored its two runs when Terry Carroll and Dick Watson singled in the first. Len Tran doubled Carroll home and Watson scored on Bob Moniz' sacrifice fly.
Tri-City ......... 200 000 000—2 8 0
Vancouver .... 010 000 20x—3 12 1
Thomason, Dobernic (8) and Johnson; Robertson and Pesut.

YAKIMA, Aug. 5—The Yakima Bears muffed another chance to gain on the league-leading Lewiston Broncs Thursday night as they dropped an 8-2 decision to the Idahoans. The win gave Lewiston the series, 3-1, and increase the Broncs' first-place margin to 3 1/2 games.
Last week, the Bears moved within one half game of Lewiston and a series win this week could have put them in the top spot.
The teams meet only once more this season, in a four-game series later this month at Lewiston.
Lewiston, after scoring a brace of runs in the fifth and sixth innings, put the clincher on with a our-run outburst in the seventh.
The runs came on five bases on balls by Yaklma pitcher John Carmichnel and reliefer Dick Young and doubles by Larry Barton and Nick Cannuli. Carmichael and Young gave up a total of 15 walks, 10 of them by Carmichael.
Lewiston ..... 000 022 400—8 8 1
Yakima ....... 000 101 000—2 9 1
Fletcher and Garay; Carmichael, Young (7) and Summers.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 6, 1954]

Awaiting the outcome of Western International league directors’ meetings nowadays is something like chomping your way through an oldtlme crackerjack box where you used to get a surprise in every package instead of a measly old plastic gadget of modern times.
The latest surprise in the WIL crackerjack is this whingdingeroo of an All-Star team which will enable the loop to limp along for awhile on seven legs and a crutch.
This shouldn't be taken as being critical of the directors’ action, since, under the circumstances, where is there a better solution? But off in the distance I detect no end of trouble with the makeshift arrangement.
First off, I’m wondering what minor league czar George Trautman is going to think of the situation when he hears about it, especially that part about games with Lewiston and Edmonton counting in the standings.
Talk about fraternization. Are Lewiston players going to play Lewiston when the Broncs are, say, a half game out of first place?
And who pays the travel costs for this band of orphans representing no one but Bob Abel?
* * *
Maybe The Braves Should Quit
The All-Star team, the demise of Spokane and the lack of interest there in organizing a team, the faux pas at Calgary, and the death of Victoria, all coupled with the efforts to two teams in the league to buy a pennant outright makes it increasingly apparent that Tri-City should think twice before playing in the league next year.
This may sound a little drastic considering the effort involved and the money spent in keeping the learn here and the assertion is made only if the league plans to continue operations as it has in the past.
* * *
Matheson's Solution
Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, said recently it won’t next year. Harold is on the committee of three which is working to come up with some plan so the league can operate within each team’s income.
His personal solution is to set a salary limit, designed to include bonuses, that is based on an average draw of 70,000 fans per team. This is roughly what the league has averaged over the years.
The Harold would fine any team in the league found violating the limit, “not money because no one has any,” he said, “but the team's best player.”
“That will make them sit up and take notice,” Harold said.
* * *
Change In Mind
However. Matheson made this proposal at a league meeting once before and it got nowhere. Has the league brass changed its mind since? Although the recent conglomeration of financial troubles should be enough to convince them of the error of their ways, It doesn’t mean that it will.
Talk around the league a bit and you hear, “all we need is a veteran limit.” “All we need are some young players,” “All we need is better promotion,” or “Won’t your local
businessmen give you enough money to carry on?”
In other words, despite the 1954 lesson, there’s a good chance when the showdown comes, some halfway proposal will be approved.
* * *
Chalk It Up
But with the exception of the Matheson proposal. It’s going to take more than any of the things mentioned above to cure the constant ailments of the WIL.
No. 1 item is salary equalization as well as salary limits. Without it, winning a pennant will be decided by the amount of effort spent crying “wolf” and conducting fundraising drives in the middle of June, or the amount of money breweries will give as a means of getting tax writeoffs and advertising.
That salary limit should not only include amount of bonuses paid by the WIL team but also the amount of salary or bonus paid by parent team’s of higher classification. That is what is meant by salary equalization. A $700-a-month ballplayer is a $700-a-month ballplayer whether the salary is paid by a WIL team or by a coast league team. Why should one club be permitted to dodge the limit by letting a parent club pay part of the salary? (And unless that is done, you can bet your boots there will be under-the-table payments to players by giving the money to the parent club and having them give it to the overpaid player.)
Had such rules been on the books and enforced this year, the Tri-City club would be somewhere near the top of the standings and with a little money in the till, too.
* * *
Eddie Wants Games Here
But all that's for next season. Now that the league has this All-Star aggregation, it might be well to play it to the hilt.
Eddie Taylor, the Tri-City general manager, wishes the “All-Stars” would finish out the entire Victoria schedule because there are three days when Tri-City won’t be taking anything in right at a time when they will be hard up for cash.
The triple-gate loss will be offset some, because the Braves won't have to make an expensive haul to Victoria but even so, why not have this mighty All-Star nine play
all six of the games here?
On the dates originally scheduled as home games for Tri-City, the Braves could take the entire proceeds for the evening. On the three originally scheduled for Victoria, the money could be used to help pay the All-Star salaries. (The same could be done elsewhere around-the league.
Sounds nutty? Well, I'll bet that a Tri-City Braves vs the Bob Abel All-Star game will draw as many if not more fans than a straight old Tri-City vs Victoria game.
That All-Star team may not have the best playing talent in the league, but certainly it has some of the most colorful. Now there’s Dick Greco, for example, the only opposition player honored in the Tri-Cities with a special night. And Bud Beasley, a colorful ham whose age compares favorably with Satchel Paige’s.
Chances are Lewiston will send the team John Marshall, who is also something of an attraction. That team would do all right.

Wednesday, August 4, 1954

2008-08-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ...... 22 11 .667 —
Yakima ........ 18 12 .600 2½
Salem ......... 15 13 .536 4½
Edmonton ...... 15 15 .500 5½
Vancouver ..... 13 15 .464 6½
Tri-City ...... 13 18 .419 8
Wenatchee ..... 10 21 .323 11

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 5]—The Capilanos still have a league to play baseball in, if you’ll pardon our dangling preposition, It’s now composed of seven teams and an “all-star” team, which will be in existence until the end of next week.
The “all-stars,” comprising players on loaf from all teams around the circuit, will play in Lewiston Saturday and Sunday, then spend next week in Edmonton. Results of these games, as far as Lewiston and Edmonton are concerned, will count in the standings, and the individual “all-star” players’ averages will also be official.
NOT TOO GOOD
All this was decided Wednesday in Seattle, where the fifth in a series of emergency meetings was called after Victoria dropped out of the league Tuesday.
Vancouver, who didn’t look inspiring in dropping a 7-1 call to Tri-City Braves last night before 1100 fans, will contribute four players, including the club manager, to the “stars.”
Veteran Bud Beasley will manage the makeup team, and he’ll have teammates Dick Greco, Arnie Hallgren and Bob Duretto on the squad. All other teams in the league are supposed to contribute at least two players to the team, which will disband after the Edmonton series. After that, the clubs which were supposed to play Victoria will be idle on those schedule dates.
ONE OF FOUR
All-star manager Beasley will likely use Greco as an outfielder after last night’s performance. Dick was one of four Capilano pitchers who took a 14-hit beating from the Braves. George Nicholas was the starter and got the loss. Greco followed and was equally unimpressive. John Cordell took over then and pitched six innings of scoreless all before bowing to a pinch-hitter. Beasley finished, and he gave yup a two-run homer to Rube Johnson, five-for-five for the night.
Meanwhile, the Caps were managing just four hits, all singles, off Don Robertson, one of the league’s more competitive operators.
The series, which now stands 2-1 for the locals, winds up tonight, with Sandy Robertson pitching for Vancouver.
[WILfan notes … Bob Duretto got two of Vancouver’s hits … Cordell’s single scored Jim Clark in the third for Vancouver’s only run. Clark reached on a hit … Greco faced seven batters in the inning he worked. He allowed five hits and a walk and two earned runs]
- - -
VANCOUVER [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 5]—The Vancouver Capilanoes, the only team in the league that can afford two outfields, may win most of them from the Tri-City Braves but they aren't going to win 'em all.
The Cups dropped one Wednesday night, mostly because the Braves have Don Robertson on the pllchinu staff. Robertson held the Caps to four scroungy hits in winning his 14th game of the season, 7-1.
Giving Don a big boost at the plate was Rube Johnson, who has decided to up his batting average.
Rube blasted his fifth homer of the season and rapped out four singles for a perfect night at the plate. Altogether he drove in three.
The Braves gave Robertson a good lead right from the start and left it up to him to hang on. They picked up three runs in the first off starter Bud Beasley, the "all-star" manager, and got two more off George Nicholas in the second.
Robertson himself had a hand in the scoring rapping out a double to bring one runner in.
Nicholas lasted until the eighth and Dick Greco came on to pitch. Greco gave up two unearned runs.
Altogether, only five Cap batters got on base. Tri-City played errorless ball and Robertson walked but one.
Tonight, the same two teams play the fourth and final game of the series. Then Tri-City journeys to Wenatchee for a series there.
Tri-City ...... 320 000 002—7 14 0
Vancouver ..... 001 000 000—1 4 2
Robertson and Johnson; Nicholas, Greco (2), Cordell (3), Beasley (9) and Duretto.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 4—The Wenatchee Chiefs came to life with a 21 hitting spree off three Edmonton hurlers to roust the Eskimos 14-7 in a Western International League game Wednesday night.
After the Eskimos rolled up a 3-0 lead with three runs in the third, the Chiefs rebounded for one in that frame, seven in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take a nine run advantage.
The Chiefs knocked starter Ray McNulty out of the box in the seven-run fifth by clubbing him for three singles and a double, then got three more singles off reliever Larry Manier.
Ted Shandor racked up his 10th victory of the season while allowing 13 hits, but only four earned runs.
Edmonton ...... 003 000 220— 7 13 3
Wenatchee ..... 001 074 02x—14 21 2
McNulty, Manier (5), Worth (6) and Partee, Prentice (6); Shandor and Self.

YAKIMA, Aug. 4—The Yakima Bears cut Lewiston's lead to 2½ games by downing the Broncs 5-3 on Wednesday in a Western International League game.
Yakima concentrated its attack in the first and fifth innings to hand the Broncs their first defeat in their current series.
The Bears chased in three runs in the first frame on a walk, Len Noren's double, John Albini's single and Lou Stringer's single. They scored two more in the fifth on consecutive doubles by Stringer, Lon Summers and Dick Briskey.
Lewiston broke into the scoring column in the third when Don Hunter homered over Ihe right field fence with one on.
Lewiston ....... 001 002 000—3 11 1
Yakima ......... 300 020 00x—5 11 1
Marshall and Cameron; Edmunds and Summers.

VICTORIA [Colonist, Aug. 5]—Members of Victoria’s defunct Victoria Tyees made their final appearance at Royal Athletic Park a winning one as they downed Salem Senators, 6-2, in an exhibition contest played before an estimated 1,300 fans last night.
Spectators, who saw the Tyees turn in a smart exhibition behind the combined pitching of starter Berlyn Hodges, John Tierney, Phil Page and Bill Prior, contributed a reported $600 in a silver collection at the plate. The money will be used to help pay costs of travelling home for the former Victoria players.
Salem ........ 100 010 000—2 5 1
Victoria ..... 122 010 00x—6 8 2
Nicholas, Johnson (5) and Ogden; Hodges, Tierney (4), Page (6), Prior (8) and Martin.

Strange WIL Solution Results in New ‘Team’
SEATTLE, Aug 4—The financially-distressed Western International Baseball league intends to play it out to the end, sweet or bitter.
After an all-day meeting in Seattle Wednesday with league directors, president Robert Abel announced the league will complete the season, which ends on Labor Day, with seven teams.
The session was called as a result of the withdrawl of the Victoria Tyees Tuesday night—the third to quit the league because of money trouble. The circuit opened the season with 10 teams, Spokane and Calgary withdrew several weeks ago.
Abel said that in order to facilitate more workable operation of the schedule, a league “all-star” team will be organized under the playing management of Bud Beasley, former Seattle and Sacramento pitcher.
He said this team will play Lewiston in a double-header August 8, play at Edmonton the balance of the week and then members will return to their respective teams. Players on the team will be named by Abel.
The remaining three weeks of the season will be on a seven-team basis. Abel explained that teams which were scheduled to play Victoria will remain idle as far as league play is concerned. He added that the games played by Lewiston and Edmonton with the “all-stars” will count in the standings of both Lewiston and Edmonton teams. Also, all players’ statistical records while on the “all-stars” will count.

League Comes Up With Strange All-Star Nine
[Tri-City Herald, August 5, 1954]
Out of lhe debris that followed the Victoria Tyee collapse, the Tri-City Braves picked up a pitcher, the league came up with a peculiar "all-star" team and the
directors came out determined to carry on through the season.
The new pitcher on the Tri-City roster is Hal Fllnn, a righthander on option from San Diego. Flinn won 7 and lost 8 according to the latest Weiss statistics, and has an ERA of 4.54.
The deal was made this morning.
Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor also tried to get Tom Perez, an outfielder who has hit 16 home runs so far this season and who bats .333. However, Perez has been sick recently and he and former Tyee manager Don Priess [sic] said he will not be ready for play for two weeks.
Taylor said today he has been promised a chance at him if Perez returns to an active status later.
Meanwhile, the league itself, although confessing to be somewhat shaky, hopes it has solved the "seven-team" problem which, by stretching the imagination, one might call All-Stars.
So far, Tri-City has promised to send Jack Hemphill and Dale Thomason to the team. Hemphill bus a 3-7 record and Thomason stands at 5-5.
Contributions from other clubs are on a similar plane. Yakima plans to send Elmer Clow, who was almost released earlier this year, and Don Carter. Salem is throwing in Glen Tuckett, who they acquired from Lewiston recently after his release there, and Joe Nicholas, who has been in the league half the season and has pitched but one complete game.
Wenatchee will send outfielder Dick Stacy, a .242 sticker, and Vancouver will add Frank [sic] Duretto, Nick Pesut's understudy, Dick Greco, Arnie Halgren [sic] and furnish the manager, colorful Bud Beasley.
Lewiston will send two unnamed pitchers — probably Jack Martin and John Marshall.
League president Bob Abel said Wednesday that games played by Edmonton and Lewiston against the "All-Stars" will count in the league standings, as well as individual statistics for the players.
Other teams will remain "idle" as far as league play is concerned on those dates when they were scheduled lo play the defunct Tyees.

Tuesday, August 3, 1954

2008-08-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

W L PCT GB
Lewiston ..... 22 10 .688 —
Yakima ....... 17 11 .586 3½
Salem ........ 15 13 .536 5
Edmonton ..... 15 14 .517 5½
Vancouver .... 13 14 .481 6½
Tri-City ..... 12 18 .400 8½
Wenatchee ..... 9 21 .300 12

YAKIMA, Aug. 3—Yakima slugged early, but Lewiston slugged late—and more often, to pull off a come-from-behind rally and outlast the Bears 11-10 in a Tuesday night Western International League game.
Yakima scored eight runs in the first three innings but couldn't hold on for the victory. A double by the Broncs' Larry Barton scored Bob Williams with what proved to be he winning run in the eighth after Lewiston had whittled away at the lead. Barton and Harvey Storey paced the winners, each with four for five as the Broncs hopped on Danny Rios and Tom Lovrich for 16 hits.
Lewiston ...... 100 220 330—11 15 1
Yakima ........ 413 001 100—10 16 0
Yaylian, Kime (3) and Cameron; Rios, Lovrich (7) and Summers.

WENATCHEE, no story available
Edmonton ........ 120 000 000—3 7 1
Wenatchee ...... 000 100 000—1 6 0
Widner and Partee; Waters and Self.

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, Aug. 4]—Vancouver Capilanos play Tri-City at Capilano Stadium tonight in the third game of their current series, which they now lead 2-0. After that? They’ll know more about a Western International League directors’ meeting which is called for tonight in Seattle.
The latest in a series of “emergency” meetings was called to discuss the latest loop crisis, the foldup of the Victoria franchise Tuesday.
COULD HAPPEN
Although President Robert Abel came up with an emphatic “No” to speculation that other teams would follow suit and the league would call it quits for 1954, the possibility of a complete collapse can’t be taken lightly.
Victoria’s collapse did have one immediate effect, as far a the Capilanos are concerned. Outfielder Neil Sheridan, whom General Manager Bill Brenner tried to obtain earlier in the year via the trade route, got his release from Victoria and signed with the Caps as a free agent.
FOUR HITS DID IT
Sheridan, who played one season (1948) with Boston Red Sox and a long time (1943-1951) Coast Leaguer, was in right field as the locals made it two straight over the Braves Tuesday.
A four-hit, three-run seventh inning gave the Caps a 3-2 victory and pitcher Brenner his 16th win against six losses. Bob Wellman’s single off relief pitcher Jess Dobernic scored K. Chorlton with the winner.
- - -
VANCOUVER [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 4]—Nicholas Joseph Pesut, who gained a reputation for being a "nice guy" around the Tri-Cites in his three years with the Braves, did considerable damage to local pride Tuesday night when he doubled for the Vancouver Capilanoe's [sic] in the seventh inning.
The two-base blow touched off a rally which was good for three runs, and left Tri-City one short, 3-2.
Tonight, the Braves play the third game of the four-game series here, and the current hope is that Wenatchee is able to hang in the league for at least another week.
Under the present schedule, subject to almost day-by-day change, the Braves finish the four-game series with the Caps Thursday night. Then Tri-City plays cellar-dwelling Wenatchee for four games.
With the demise of Victoria, Wenatchee is the only team below Tri-City in the standings, and horrible thought, should the Chiefs fail to ride her out for another week, Tri-City would probably wind up playing the Caps for 12 straight games.
Everything was cruising serene for the Braves Tuesday night up until the time Pesut got his two-bagger. Pesut needed it since he is hitting something like .230 this season, but it came at a most inopportune time for the Braves.
For Eddie Murphy followed with another which scored Pesut, Tri-City starter Walt Clough was taken from the mound and Jess Dobernic took over. K. Chorlton touched Dobernic for a single single, scoring Murphy and Bob Wellman brought Chorlton home.
Tri-City's runs came in the fourth and seventh innings. Terry Carroll walked, moved to second on a sacrifice and home on Len Tran's single for the first tally. The second came when Tran singled and Bob Moniz hit his 35th double of the season.
Bill Brenner, the Vancouver G.M. and the league's work horse junk pitcher, went the distance for the Caps.
Tri-City .......... 000 100 100—2 8 1
Vancouver ..... 000 000 30x—3 12 0
Clough, Dobernic (7) and Johnson; Brenner and Pesut.

Tyees to Play Tonight In Final Appearance
[Victoria Colonist, Aug. 4, 1954]
Victoria baseball fans will get one more chance to see the 1954 Tyees in action and, at the same time, show their appreciation to the players of the defunct club, which turned in some interesting baseball this season.
It was announced yesterday that Salem Senators, who were left without WIL opposition for three days when Victoria forfeited its franchise yesterday morning, had agreed to play the Tyees tonight in an exhibition game for “Player Appreciation Night.”
All net proceeds will be divided among members of the Tyees to help defray their travelling expenses back to their homes.
Don Pries, manager of the Victoria club, announced that he would have all of his players, with the exception of outfielder Neil Sheridan, who has left to join Vancouver Capilanos in action. Berlyn Hodges, city-grown southpaw who is to get a chance with Portland Beavers of the Coast League, has been named to do the pitching for the Tyees.
And, best of all, Salem-manager Hugh Luby stated that he would give the Tyees another chance at Joe Nicholas, the righthander who wouldn’t pitch for them. Nicholas made one start for the Senators, beating the Tyees, 5-1, at Salem two weeks ago but the Islanders feel that they can even the count. They certainly have the desire.

Directors Of WIL In Meet
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 4, 1954]
The remaining directors of the ursanforized Western International league tre meeting in Seattle today to plot the course for the seven remaining teams for the rest of the season.
The big problem on the agenda is scheduling, brought about by the departure of the Victoria entry.
The Victoria club is the third to turn belly up this season, and what started out to be the largest loop in organized baseball has been shrinking like a fresh-cut 1x12 ever since.
First to go were Spokane and Calgary and the double-departure then simplified scheduling problems. Now, with the league down to seven teams, it means one club will be idle every day which in turn means 18 players somewhere are being paid for not playing.
However, in Tacoma, league president Bob Abel denied that the Victoria demise means the end of the league. And here in the Tri-Cities, Tri-Clty Athletic Association directors have let it be known that the Tri-City club would finish the season even if it means going along in a four-team league.
Victoria quit the league after a meeting of its board of directors Tuesday morning. After the meeting, Bob Cox, president of the group there gave financial difficulties
brought on by poor attendance as the reason.
Victoria long has been one of the shakier ones in the shaky league. Several times the club was saved by contributions of a British "angel," a share of whose wealth now rests in the coffers of some expensive playing talent.
In an effort to forestall the inevitible collapse, the Tyee management tried several promotions to bring out crowds including selling tickets for the entire second half at 12.50 a book. None worked.
So far, there is no indication that other dubs are in serious financial straits. However, most of hem. Including Tri-Clty, are eadlng a hand-to-mouth existence and more tales of further financial woes may come out of the Seattle meeting.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 4, 1954]
Victoria Is Kaput

Whenever things look serene on the Western International league waters, along comes something to stir things about a bit. Ever since the league got going on the second one-half schedule, it looked as if it might last at least through this season as an eight-team league.
Then Victoria chooses to do its el foldo.
The possible demise of Victoria was not entirely unexpected. Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, had predicted such at the meeting of the stockholders right near the end of the first half.
And there were plenty of indications in the wind. First came the deal way last June when Victoria failed to pay its league assessments. But it got past that hump. What is not generally known, though, is that Victoria failed to pay its league assessments again since that time.
Victoria truly can be said to be a team that was "done under" in an effort to keep up with the high-spending Vancouver Capilanoes. When the Caps started loading the roster earlier this year, Victoria was one of the clubs that took more than an ordinary amount of interest in the procedure, simply because the club knew that under the natural rival system of scheduling, it was going to be playing the Caps a high-percentage of games through the year.
* * *
They Didn't [Buy] The Product
So the club that nearly folded last season, and has never drawn too well, started signing players that none but the Vancouver beer barons could afford.
Unfortunately for Victoria, it wound up paying the price but not getting the product. The difference was apparent in the two series the Tyees played here. The first time around, Victoria had a hustling club, which may have made mistakes, but at least played. The second time around, the only time some of them ran came after the final out when the team made the mad dash for the showers.
But leave us not be too general and say high-paid players don't hustle. Lewiston has a high-paid club but it hustles and what's more, I'll pick them right now to beat Vancouver in the playoffs.
* * *
Let 'Em Go
Now that Victoria has forfeited its franchise, the best thing the league can do is snap it up with a quick "thank you" and forget about the Canadian city as a possible future site for WIL baseball.
True, it will cause scheduling complications, but there is no point in trying to keep things going there for another period of time such as has been done in the case of Calgary and Spokane.
In those last two deals, the Calgary players didn't get paid, and the Spokane players got paid out of league money—a share of that bill arriving at General Manager
Eddie Taylor's Sanders Field office last week.
Furthermore, by taking quick advantage of the demise of Victoria, it may help next season if the U.S. members of the circuit want to go for the sound six-team league
idea.
This still leaves Vancouver and Edmonton to deal with, but for other reasons, either one or both may give up the WIL next year. Vancouver stands a good chance of glomming onto a Coast League franchise, if Los Angeles withdraws its permission which allows Hollywood to operate, and Edmonton may go for a prairie league of towns nearer its home stamping grounds.
All this, of course, is based on the idea that the rest of the league survives this season. Seven teams will cause no end of scheduling complications.
* * *
We Can Always Play Salem
However, we won't worry about it. As Eddie Taylor joked, "maybe we will wind up playing Salem the rest of season."
And when you think about it, that is just about what the Braves will be doing anyway.

Teams, Leagues Folding
Sad Plight of Minors Causing Concern
By JACK HAND
The Associated Press
NEW YORK, Aug. 2—The sad plight of the minor leagues is causing deep concern in the upper strata of the baseball world where it is recognized that the game cannot survive without its lower branches.
Since the start of the season, three of the 36 minor leagues have folded and the number of clubs playing minor league ball has shrunk from 268 to 249. The Florida International in Class B, the Mountain States in Class C and the Tar Heel in Class D are no more.
Maybe its rushing the coroner's report to say the Florida Int. is dead, for the two remaining teams have been given special permission to play a nine-game championship series — for the championship of Miami and St. Petersburg.
George Trautman, head of the minors, was in New York early this week for a series of meetings. Although George was trying to keep his chin up, he obviouslv was disturbed by the foldings.
“We're not going to die on the vine,” he said. “The situation is not that desperate. But obviously it is a cause of concern when you drop from 59 leagues in 1949 to 34 half-way through 1954.”
Baseball still is scared of Washington, uncertain how far it can move without being hauled up on charges of monopoly. If it were possible to take some of the money that is paid for radio and television rights and spread it among the minors, without legal complications, I am sure commissioner Ford Frick would advocate such a move. Something like that may be the ultimate solution.
Trautman hopes to escape further fatalities this year. He admits the failures did not come as a complete surprise because all three of the leagues that folded were down to four clubs. There are no other four-club leagues.
But the problems remain. In the Western Association, for instance, the Iola, Kan. franchise is operated by the league. In the Longhorn League, the Wichita Falls, Tex. club has shifted to Gainesville, Tex.
The Class A Western international started with 10 clubs but Spokane and Calgary dropped out. Augusta and Macon are reported on shaky ground in the Sally League, also Class A. Another A league, the Eastern, reports attendance down 43,000 at the half-way mark.
“About half the leagues were under last year and about half were over,” said Trautman, reporting on a late June survey. “In the leagues still operating, we're not much worse off than last year. We have some good reports, mostly from the Texas area and the Carolinas. But where we used to have 43 clubs in North Carolina a few years ago, now we hare only about ten.”

Victoria Tyees Fold

2008-08-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Victoria Loses Pro Baseball As Tyees Forfeit Franchise
BY JIM TANG
[Victoria Colonist, Aug. 4, 1954]
Professional baseball came to the end of the road yesterday morning, when club officials announced after a meeting that they had forfeited their franchise in the Western International Baseball League.
That made Monday night’s 6-5 victory over the Salem Senators the last professional game played here and there appears little hope that the sport will return to the city within the foreseeable future.
Financial trouble was, of course, the reason for the inability of Victoria Baseball and Athletic Co. Ltd. to continue in the league. It had been evident for some time that only a minor miracle would keep the Tyees in operation until the end of the season. It had been increasingly difficult to meet each succeeding payroll and the end came with the club facing a 10-day road trip between the July 31 and August 15 payrolls.
NEEDED $14,000
At least $14,000 was needed to carry the club through that period and even if that amount could have been found, the August 31 payroll, if not the next road trip, would have brought another crisis. Crowds have been so small that receipts weren’t enough to pay the cost of opening the park and playing the last three games of the Salem series would have cost money even though the home club keeps all of its gate receipts this season. So they were cancelled.
There were only 327 at Monday’s game, a far cry from a crowd of more than 4,100 which saw the first WIL game here in April of 1946. And attendance for the 46 home games this season was about 28,000, an average of less than 700. That’s about half of the break-even point.
INCREASING COSTS
Just what professional baseball has cost to keep in Victoria for eight and a half seasons probably will never be known. The club did a little better than break even in the first three seasons of operations. Then diminishing receipts and increasing costs of operation made each season a losing venture. At the last annual general meeting last spring, the auditor’s report disclosed a capital deficiency of $118,000 and while no figures of the 1954 loss are available, it is likely at least another $40,000 was lost this season.
Victoria joined the WIL in 1946 and although a last-place club, 103,000 fans turned out to watch the return of professional baseball. There was an attendance of approximately 137,000 in 1947 and the peak was reached in1948, when attendance soared to 148,000.
From there it was downhill with the skid quickening until the bottom was reached yesterday morning.
Attendance dropped to 115,000 in 1949, to about 110,000 in 1950, and to 87,000 in 1951. It came back slightly in 1952 as Victoria came up with its only winner, then dropped to 56,000 last year.
KEPT CLUB GOING
Sale of stock to Victorians kept the club going until mid-season last year, when Bob and Laura Fergusson-Pollock, two ardent Cobble Hill fans, stepped in to keep it in operation to the end of last season and give it a start this year. But baseball apathy had set in and there had to be an end.
Just what the WIL will do now that it has been reduced from 10 to seven clubs in six weeks will be decided at a special meeting in Seattle today.
League-president Robert B. Abel could shed no light on the possible course of action when queried yesterday.
“I really don’t know,” he said. “I assume everybody is able to continue.”
OTHERS IN DIFFICULTIES
However, several other clubs are known to be in financial difficulty and there is a chance that the league may continue with six clubs, if it continues at all.
As for the players, all who were owned by the Tyees become free agents and are free to sign with whatever club they can find employment.
The Tyees sold second-baseman Ron Jackson, southpaw Berlyn Hodges and catchers Milt Martin and Don Lundberg, rated their best prospects, to the Portland Beavers before they forfeited their franchise and the quartet will either get a chance with the Coast League club or be placed with another team.
Phil Page and Bill Bottler were on option from Portland and Tom Perez and Hal Flinn on option from San Francisco. They remain property of those clubs.
SHERIDAN TO CAPS
Of the others, outfielder Neil Sheridan was the first to make a connection. He came to terms with Vancouver and left immediately to join the Capilanos.
Most of the others—Steve Mesner, Mike Kanshin, John Tierney, Bob Drilling, Eddie Lake, Dain Clay and Mel Stein—will doubtless be shopping for the next few days. Manager Don Pries, who won’t have any trouble getting a playing job, will accept an offer as soon as he has cleaned up personal affairs. Bill Prior will likely go back to his job as a printer.

IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, Aug. 5, 1954]

Professional baseball is dead in Victoria and all but dead in almost all of the minor leagues, a victim of the modern high standards of living.
A lots of reasons have been advanced for its failure to keep healthy—and weather, poor promotion, lack of evidence of sincere competition among the businessmen athletes who have taken over as players, and a trailing club have all hurt. But, more than anything else, it has been the amenities of modern life which have been responsible.
Radio, television, the automobile and the airplane, fatter pay cheques, which have made the use of all possible to more and more people and changed their thinking so that nothing pleases them any more except the best, have done in minor baseball—and much other in-between entertainment as well.
Radio and television have brought major league baseball into every home with its glamour and names and the motor car and airplane have made it only hours away when curiosity has to be satisfied. Today’s minor league baseball fan would sooner listen to the broadcast of a major league game than watch his own club play.
Ask a Victoria who leads the American League in strikeout and he will answer “Bob Turley” as quick as a flash. It’s 100-1 he didn’t know that Salem’s Johnny Briggs is the master of the whiff in the WIL. He knows all about Irv Noren’s hitting streak, reads everything he can about Willie Mays, and he can give you an almost complete account of the career of Stan Musial. The phone rings and rings when Cleveland and the Yankees or the Dodgers and the Giants play but a request for a Victoria score has almost invariably been from Johnny Johnson.
But, somewhat ironically, it’s not only the minor leagues who are suffering. While television has kept people in for their entertainment, the automobile has sent them ranging far and wide for new experiences. Either way, baseball has been the loser with the minor leagues losing their fans to the major leagues and the major leagues finding it increasingly difficult to meet the competition of wheel and antenna. Much of it may have been baseball’s own fault but there is not much use denying that a steadily changing way of living makes it next to impossible to do anything about it even if baseball should set its house in order.

Monday, August 2, 1954

2008-08-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 21 10 .677 —
Yakima ....... 17 11 .607 2½
Salem ........ 15 13 .536 4½
Edmonton ..... 14 14 .500 5½
Victoria ..... 11 13 .478 6
Vancouver .... 12 14 .462 6½
Tri-City ..... 12 17 .414 8
Wenatchee ..... 9 20 .310 11

VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, Aug. 3]—Victoria baseball fans, the few who have been turning up at Royal Athletic Park this season, may be witnessing their last WIL action of the season in the current series between the Tyees and Salem Senators.
There were rumors at the park last night that the Victoria club was going to fold up would be made immediately after last night’s game. Club officials admitted that matters had reached the point where it is almost impossible to carry on further, but they have scheduled another meeting for this morning to see if they can’t find a way to finish the season.
SMALL CROWDS
Crowds have been disappointingly small and the club is facing the most series situation in three years of crisis after crisis. It is schedule to make a 10-day road trip which includes a week-long stand at Edmonton, after it winds up its home stand against Salem on Thursday. The trip will cost about $3,000 and the club will have to meet its August 15 payroll before its next home stand. The chances that some way will be found to continue seem extremely dim at the moment and it appears as if it will be all over after Thursday, if not sooner.
Although players were fully aware of the financial crisis, the Tyees came up with an excellent performance last night to eke out a 6-5 decision over the Senators and stay close enough to the leading Lewiston club to warrant hopes of being solid contenders—if, of course, they can finish the season..
Result left the Tyees in fifth place and while they are six games behind the Broncs, they are only two out on the losing side.
Features of last night’s game was manager Don Pries’ first out-of-the-park homer this season, two sparkling catches in left-field by Salem’s Connie Perez, who robbed Don Lundberg of extra-base hits in the first and fourth innings, and the ninth-inning rally which won.
A base on balls by Steve Mesner, subbing for second-baseman Ron Jackson, who had to leave the game after being hit on the foot by his own foul ball, started the rally.
JUST MISSED
Dain Clay just missed winning it as his double bounced off the centre-field fence after Pries had popped out. Mesner moved to third and Neil Sheridan was walked intentionally to load the bags. Mesner scored when relief pitcher Jose Rayle threw four straight balls to Lundberg to force in the wining run.
Salem ....... 002 000 300—5 10 1
Victoria ..... 200 120 001—6 9 1
Roenspie, Rayle (7) and D. Luby; Flinn, Bottler (9) and Martin.

VANCOUVER [Province, Aug. 3]—Two weeks is a long time to be away from home, Mother, and Capilano Stadium, and the Capilanos acted Monday night as if they’re going to like it here.
They celebrated their return with a devastating 21 hits—their biggest total at home this season—and looked much more like the first half champions they wer insread of the second division club they currently are.
With Marv Williams leading the way with two home runs,(four runs batted in), and altogether six players getting three hits apiece, the Caps overpowered the Tri-City Braves in the first of a four-game series, 10-5.
The Caps played, too, without starry third-sacker Ken Richardson, who pulled a muscle last week. Kenney’s doctor says he’ll be out three weeks, but Richardson says he may play tonight.
Bob Roberts, who had complained of a sore arm last week, didn’t look like a hospital case as he went all the way for his tenth win against four losses.
The teams, who drew about 750 despite the threatening weather, repeat tonight, with Sandy Robertson the likely pitching choice. [Walter Clough is expected to throw for Tri-City].
[WILfan notes: Jack Hemphill, released by the Caps after he refused to report from Salem in the trade for now ex-Cap Tom Del Sarto, started for the Braves, giving up 11 hits and eight earned runs in three innings of work. He was replaced by former Cap outfielder Gordon Brunswick, who allowed 10 hits the rest of the way. Neither struck out a batter ... Tri-City broke loose for four runs in the sixth ynning when Terry Carroll led off with a double. Then Dick Watson, Len Tran, Rube Johnson and Artie Wilson followed with singles before the side was put out..]
Tri-City .......... 000 004 001— 5 9 1
Vancouver ...... 000 201 01x—10 21 0
Hemphill, Brunswick (4) and Johnson; Roberts and Duretto.

LEWISTON, Aug. 2—The Lewiston Broncs used the formula "win the one that counts."
The pace-setters from Idaho disposed of their nearest challenger, the Yakima Bears, Monday night, 6-4, to stretch their lead league to two and one half games.
Less than a week ago Yakima was threatening to overtake the Broncs and at one time moved within .004 percentage points of Ihe top spot.
Lewiston jumped off to an early lead, scoring three runs in the third inning. The rally came on Joe Orrell's single, a walk and Don Hunter's home run.
The Broncs got another in the fifth on three singles and an infield out and two more in the eighth on three walks, a sacrifice and a single by Bob Williams.
Yakima collected two of its runs in the fifth on three walks, a single and a wild pitch. A walk, Lou Stringer's triple and Lonnie Summers' double gave the Bears their final two runs in the eighth.
Lewiston ...... 003 010 020—6 7 0
Yakima ......... 000 020 020—4 7 2
Orrell, Derganc (9) and Garay; Schaening, Edmunds (6), Rios (8) and Summers.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, August 3, 1954]

Sometimes, one gets the impression that Western International League umpiring is rapidly reaching the level found in the sport known as professional grappling.
If you are not an avid grappling fan, some explanation is in order. Under the rules,
no foul can be called unless the ref actually sees it. And under the grappling system, the ref seldom looks very hard — much to the consternation of the fans who cut loose with shouts of “hair,” “choke” or whatever is being attempted.
But back to baseball and the rules which seem to be overlooked of late.
During the recent Lewiston series, the Sanders Field groundkeeper, who has been doing an excellent job lately, dutifully marked out the batters box for each game.
Now this little chore has long been done at Sanders Field mostly to make things look nice for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. About the time Edo Vanni comes up to bat, the forward half of the right side is promptly rubbed out.
Vanni picked that idea up from Jojo White, and for what good reason, no one knows, unless he’s afraid of getting lime in his beard when he crouches before the pitcher.
Right side Doesn’t Last Long
But with Lewiston here, the old rightside batters’ box doesn’t last half an inning. No 2. in the Lewiston batting order is Don Hunter, who wipes out the rear half but for a better reason than Vanni.
By removing it, Hunter is able to stand undetected a good nine inches out of the box. And that is what starts the baseball fans howling like a grappling crowd.
After this practice had gone “undetected” by the umpires through several games, Tri-City catcher Rube Johnson, who was a little reluctant to get hit by a bat, and at the
same time didn’t want to move so far back that peanut shells from the first row of box seats spilled down his neck, finally called the situation to the attention of ump Lowell Fulk.
Fulk took prompt action. He measured off the distance from the plate, marked the end of the box, and told Hunter to stand in there. Hunter scratched out the mark, and proceeded to bat with his foot nine inches out of the box.
Now all this may be all right. Although the rule book says the batter will stand in the batters’ box, nothing is said about how to make him stand in there.
However, the rule book does say a batter is out if he hits the ball while batting with one foot out of the box. So one would assume that maybe the umps were waiting for Hunter to “hit” before taking some action.
However, Hunter got six hits during the scries, and nothing happened.
Prompt Ruling Would Have Helped
The Hunter case was nothing, though, compared with the action Saturday night which sparked the grappling match between the two teams. Had there been a prompt ruling by one of the umps, nothing would have developed.
Certainly, Fulk, who was in his position between second and third base, should have been aware such a ruckus was in the making. Before anything happened, Vanni had shouted to shortstop Nick Cannuli, “You’re blocking the basepath and if you don't get out of there I’m going to crash through!”
To which Cannuli replied with a quick but unrecorded retort.
Then, on the next pitch, Vanni took his leadoff and bumped him — not too hard — but enough to establish the idea that there was interference.
It would seem right then and there, the umps would have ruled there was interference and awarded Vanni and Dick Watson, who was on third, a base; or they would have ruled there was no defensive obstruction but Vanni was guilty of interfering with a defensive player and called him out.
Instead they did neither. No interference of any kind.
Nothin’ Happens
Carrying sucn reasoning to Ihe extreme, it would seem that a player could hold a baserunner on the bag simply by standing in his way; or, any defensive player is fair game for any baserunner, if the baserunner feels like gunning him down.
Vanni, at least, took his complaint to the ump but not Cannuli. He jumped Vanni.
The result: Ump Mel Steiner comes running out and quickly finds an excuse for following his established procedure—bouncing Vanni oul of the game.

Sunday, August 1, 1954

2008-08-12T16:00:00.001-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 20 10 .667 —
Yakima ...... 17 10 .630 1½
Salem ....... 15 12 .556 3½
Edmonton .... 14 14 .500 5
Victoria .... 10 12 .455 6
Vancouver ... 11 14 .440 6½
Tri-City .... 12 16 .429 7
Wenatchee .... 9 20 .310 10½

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 2]—With the “games every day” second half Western International league schedule, the Tri-City Braves left for Vancouver Sunday night following their 12-5 loss to the Lewiston Broncs in the fourth and final game of the series here.
Tri-City will play Vancouver four games and then journey to Wenatchee for a four-game series there.
The team will return next Monday for a series with Vancouver at Sanders.
When the Braves play the Caps, it is likely they will find Dick Greco, who was once owned by the club, on the mound. Greco started with Vancouver this season, then through some shenanigans on the part of Cap Manager Bill Brenner and Salem manager Hugh Luby, he was “sold” to Salem.
He refused to report to the Senators and rejoined the Caps as a pitcher. He has since been doing some pitching but mostly playing outfield.
While the Braves play the first half champions, the Yakima Bears will match their good pitching against the power-laded lineup of Lewiston sluggers tonight at Yakima.
So far during the Western International League season, only Yakima has been able to give the high-paid Broncs and Caps a tussle for top honors.
Tri-City stayed with the Broncs for six innings in the final game Sunday but then the defense collapsed. Starting pitcher Herm Hesse got one away but then hit Clint Cameron and gave up scratch hits to Larry Barton and Ed Garay to load the sacks.
A clean single by Nick Cannuli went through Edo Vanni and all three runners scored. Cannuli pulled up at third. Another error brought Cannuli home and a double by Al Heist scored another. Heist scored on Gabby Williams' single.
Vanni was somewhat the hero and the goat during the game. He homered in the third inning with one on to tie the game at that point. It was his first home run this year.
Artie Wilson also homered for Tri-City. His came in the fourth inning with none on.
Altogether, Tri-City got 13 hits off the pitching of Guy Fletcher but left 10 men stranded. The veteran righthander grew stronger as the game progressed and after a triple by Bob Moniz and a single by Gordy Brunswick in the fifth inning, he shut them out the rest of the way.
The win increased the Broncs lead over Yakima to one and one half games.
Lewiston ..... 102 200 610—12 16 1
Tri-City ....... 012 110 000— 5 13 4
Fletcher and Garay; Hesse, Robertson (9) and Warren, Johnson (9).

WENATCHEE, Aug. 1—The Vancouver Capilanos gained an even split in their four-game series with the cellar-dwelling Wenatchee Chiefs by dividing a double-header Sunday.
John Cordell held the Chiefs to two runs on seven hits as the Caps recorded a 9-2 win in the opener. The Chiefs made four second-inning runs stand up to edge Vancouver 4-3 in the nightcap.
Dick Greco swung the big bat for Vancouver in the opener, adding two singles and a triple to his two-run homer. Jim Clark had a pair of singles, good for three runs. Jerry Green and Ross McCormack had run-scoring singles for Wenatchee.
In the nightcap, starter Bowman allowed three of Vancouver’s five hits in five-and-a-third innings, while Ted Shandor, who beat the Caps Friday night, pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way.
Bowman got credit for the first run batted in in the second inning, but three walks by losing pitcher Pete Hernandez, a bunt single and a bases-loaded three-bagger by Tony Rivas did the damage for the Chiefs.
Greco had two hits and batted in a pair of runs for Vancouver with a single and a sacrifice fly.
First Game
Vancouver ........ 032 020 2—9 10 1
Wenatchee ....... 000 010 1—2 7 0
Cordell and Pesut; Beamon and Self.
Second Game
Vancouver ........ 000 102 000—3 5 0
Wenatchee ....... 000 020 000—2 8 0
Hernandez and Duretto; Bowman, Shandor (6) and Self.

YAKIMA, no story available
First Game
Victoria ......... 000 013 300—8 13 0
Yakima .......... 000 020 000—2 8 0
Drilling and Martin; Carmichael, Young (7) and Summers.
Second Game
Victoria ........ 000 001 000—1 4 2
Yakima ......... 002 000 52x—9 9 1
Tierney and Martin; Lovrich and Albini.

SALEM, no story available
First Game
Edmonton ..... 000 010 000—1 7 0
Salem .......... 001 000 001—2 8 0
Conant and Prentice; Franks and D. Luby.
Second Game
Edmonton ..... 000 002 010—3 7 2
Salem .......... 000 010 010—2 5 0
Kimball, Widner (9), Manier (9) and Partee; Domenichelli and Ogden.

Saturday, July 31, 1954

2008-08-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston ..... 19 10 .655 —
Yakima ....... 16 9 .640 1
Salem ........ 14 11 .560 3
Edmonton ..... 13 13 .500 4½
Victoria ...... 9 11 .450 5½
Tri-City ..... 12 15 .444 6
Vancouver .... 10 13 .435 6
Wenatchee ..... 8 19 .296 10

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 1]—The Tri-City Braves and the Lewiston Broncs split a double header at Sanders' Field Saturday night with the second game enlivened by first class free-for-all around second base.
The Braves lost the seven-inning opener, 5-3 and then came back to wax the power-laden Lewiston lineup 12-4. The big fight came in the fourth inning of the second
game. Tri-City was leading 5-2 at the time.
With one away, Dick Watson walked. Playing Manager Edo Vanni singled, sending Watson to third and Vanni moved to second. Vanni took a long leadoff and bumped Lewiston's shortstop Nick Cannuli. Vanni then headed toward Umpire Lowell Fulk and charged that Cannuli had blocked the base path. However, the angry Cannuli rushed over and hit Vanni with his gloved hand.
Vanni rassled him to the ground, but by that time players from both sides had streamed into the fray. After a due amount of furore, the ruckus had subsided and Vanni was booted from the game.
The calmest head during the whole rhubarb was Lewiston's colorful John Marshall. He surveyed the row from the distance and said, “I'll do some fighting when I get paid for it.”
In the baseball end of things, the Braves enlarged their lead in the seventh inning with four more runs and in the eighth inning with two runs.
In the second game, Jess Dobernic absorbed the loss. He came in to pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth and with but one away. He gave up two scratch hits to bring in two runs and put the Broncs ahead at that point, 3-2.
In the bottom of the inning, Arty Wilson homered to tie the score.
Starter John Marshall was taken out for a pinchhitter in the sixth and Dick Dergance came on to throw for Lewiston.
In the top of the seventh, Al Heist and Don Hunter were walked. They were moved up on Gabby Williams' sacrifice. Heist scored on Eddie Bockman's sacrifice fly.
Clint Cameron singled to score Hunter.
Tri-City's second inning runs came when Bob Moniz and Jack Warren singled. Gordy Brunswick beat out a bunt to load the bases and Moniz and Warren scored on Wilson's single.
First Game
Lewiston ..... 001 200 2—5 9 0
Tri-City ....... 020 100 0—3 6 0
Marshall, Derganc (6) and Garay; Robertson, Dobernic (4) and Warren.
Second Game
Lewiston ...... 011 001 001— 4 9 3
Tri-City ........ 112 100 42x—12 14 1
Kime, Martin (2) and Garay; Thomason and Johnson, Warren (4).

YAKIMA [Victoria Colonist, Aug. 1]—Victoria Tyees regained their batting eyes at Yakima last night to pound out a 13-7 victory over the Bears and square the four-game WIL series at 1-1.
The two teams will play a doubleheader today and the Tyees return home to open a four game series against Salem Senators at Royal Athletic Park starting tomorrow.
PRIZES FOR FANS
Tomorrow has been designated as “Fan Prize Night” with a number of prizes, including a flash camera and at least 39 others, donated by the Booster Club going to fans in attendance.
Due to a mix-up in wire service, no details of the game were available at an early hour this morning except what was provided in the line score.
Rookie-southpaw Phil Page was the winner, although going out after seven innings in favor of Mike Kanshin, who gave up the last three Yakima runs in the ninth. It was Page’s second successive win.
The Tyees climbed all over Ted Edmunds, who had compiled a 14-4 record in the latest official league averages. They scored three runs in the third inning, one in the fourth, and drove Edmunds to cover in a four-run fifth.
Victory moved the Tyees, at least temporarily, into fifth place ahead of Tri-City.
Victoria ..... 003 143 101—13 15 2
Yakima ...... 010 001 203— 7 9 3
Page, Kanshin (8) and Martin; Edmunds, Carter (5), Young (7), Albini (9) and Albini, Summers (9).

SALEM, July 31—Salem pitcher Tom Herrera struck out 13 batters and allowed only two earned runs, but the Senators were beaten 5-2 by Edmonton in Saturday night's Western International League baseball game.
Edmonton opened the scoring in the first inning with one run on a single by Bob Sturgeon, a walk and an error.
Another error, a hit batter and singles by Andy Skurski, Vern Campbell and Roy Parlee added three more Edmonton runs in the sixth inning.
Campbell ended the Canadians' scoring in the eighth with a bases-empty homer.
Salem's runs came in the second inning on three hits and in the eighth on two hits.
Edmonton ...... 100 003 020—5 8 1
Salem ........... 010 000 010—2 8 3
McNulty and Parlee; Herrera, Johnson (9) and Ogden.

WENATCHEE, July 31 — Vancouver crushed Wenatchee 20-13 Saturday night in a wild Western International League baseball game during which the two teams hammered out a total of 36 base hits including five home runs.
Vancouver had three of the homers including Dick Greco's in the fourth with one on, Bob Duretto in the sixth with one on and manager Bill Brenner's bases-empty round tripper in the seventh.
Larry Richardson and Jake Helmuth homered for Wenatchee in the Chiefs' big inning, the third, during which 11 runners crossed the plate. Richardson had two aboard when he poled his four-master and Helmuth hit a grand slammer.
Fourteen men batted for Wenatchee in the third, and Vancouver batted around in the fourth and the sixth.
Vancouver ....... 140 407 400—20 22 4
Wenatchee ...... 01(11) 010 000—13 14 3
Nicholas, Hallgren (3), Brenner (3) and Duretto; Waters, Oubre (3), Romero (4), Stanford (6) and Self.

Abel Socks $50 Fine On WIL Ballers
LEWISTON, Idaho, July 31—Western International League President Robert Abel ruled Saturday that the controversial game between Lewiston and Wenatchee here July 21 will go down in the books as a the game.
At the same time, he fined both teams $50 for "making a travesty of the game."
The contest was called in the top of the 11th inning because of the curfew, with Wenatchee leading 8-7. Both sides accused the, other of stalling tactics, and the umpire turned over to Abel the decision on how the game would be counted.
In his letter to the Lewiston Club Saturday, Abel said the disputed game will be played over during the next series between the two teams, starting Aug. 9 at Lewiston.

IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[from Victoria Colonist, Aug. 1, 1954]

Joe Joshua, who surprisingly got a chance to become Seattle’s regular shortstop after leaving the Tyees by request, had 10 hits in his first 56 times at bat for the Rainiers for a .179 average … Jehosie Heard and Granny Gladstone, two other colored ex-Tyees are also having their troubles this season. Heard hasn’t found last season form for Portland and Gladstone is scrapping to keep his batting average above .200 …
It looks more and more as if the WIL will have trouble getting a quorum next season, if it manages to finish this one intact. It’s hardly likely that Edmonton will continue as the only Alberta team and it’s quite probable that some effort will be made to form a Prairie league. And if interest doesn’t pick up elsewhere, at least two of the other seven clubs may have trouble completing the season.

Friday, July 30, 1954

2008-08-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 18 9 .667 —
Yakima ...... 16 8 .667 ½
Salem ....... 14 10 .583 2½
Edmonton .... 12 13 .480 5
Tri-City .... 11 14 .440 6
Victoria ..... 8 11 .440 6
Vancouver .... 9 13 .409 6½
Wenatchee .... 8 18 .308 10

YAKIMA [Victoria Colonist, July 30]—Lack of consistent pitching has generally been advanced as the big reason why Victoria Tyees haven’t been doing too well in the WIL this season, but the club’s record on the road hasn’t helped.
Last night, the Tyees were at Yakima for the first game of a four-game series and their win streak was abruptly ended at three games as they took an 8-1 trouncing from the ambitious Bears.
It was the fourth straight loss to Yakima, which swept a three-game series here earlier in second-half play, and the fourth straight loss away from home in the second half.
RIOS TOO GOOD
After pounding Edmonton Eskimos 18-4 Thursday night, the Tyees could do nothing with Danny “The Lion” Rios, large-sized Mexican righthander, who held them to five hits. Three of them, successive singles by Eddie Lake, Mel Stein and Bill Prior in the seventh, deprived Rios of a shutout.
Meanwhile, Berlyn Hodges wasn’t having too much luck with the Yakima batting order. He got by well enough until the fifth, when two singles, two bases on balls and an error produced five runs. Rios counted the last Yakima runs in the sixth with a two-run homer.
Prior pitched the last two innings for the Tyees and held the Bears scoreless.
Victory boosted the Bears into a first-place tie with Lewiston Broncs. The Broncs, who edged Tri-City Braves, 7-6, are actually a half-game ahead, but the clubs are tied in percentage points.
Victoria .......... 000 000 100—1 5 2
Yakima .......... 010 052 00x—8 7 1
Hodges, Prior (7) and Martin; Rios and Albini.

SALEM—no story available
Edmonton ........ 000 001 200—3 10 1
Salem ............. 000 000 000—0 7 2
Widner and Partee; Briggs and D. Luby.

WENATCHEE, July 30—Vancouver Capilanos failed again Friday night to regain the form that brought them the first half championship as they dropped a 6-3 decision to the cellar-dwelling Wenatchee Chiefs.
However, the Chiefs had to withstand a late barrage of Capilano base hits to preserve the win.
Wenatchee pitcher Ted Shandor had pitched one-hit shutout ball until the fifth inning, while his mates were providing him with a comfortable 5-0 lead off Cap manager Bill Brenner, their winningest pitcher.
Shandor tired slightly, however, and inning-opening doubles in the sixth and seventh led to three Vancouver runs.
Brenner opened the sixth with a double and scored on K Chorlton’s sacrifice fly after being singled to third by Eddie Murphy.
Dick Greco, who returned to right field after a pitching stint in Thursday night’s game, inaugurated the seventh with a two-bagger, advanced to third on Jim Clark’s single and scored on Nick Pesut’s sacrifice fly. Clark, who had three hits, tallied on a second straight single by Murphy.
Tony Rivas led the Chiefs’ 11-hit attack with a single, a double and a triple. His double in the fourth brought in the two runs that proved to be the clincher.
Russ McCormack added a solo homer for the winners, which broke a 1-1 tie in the third.
Vancouver ........ 000 001 200—3 10 1
Wenatchee ....... 011 300 10x—6 11 0
Brenner and Pesut; Shandor and Self.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Aug. 1]—High-jacking Al Heist, the Lewiston centerfielder, once made an error this season and as a result, Tri-City won the ballgame.
But since then, the fleet-footed outfielder has been robbing the Braves with increasing regularity, so much, in fact, that Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni commented:
“It isn't the Lewiston pitching that beats us. It's that blankety-blank Heist.”
In the opening game of the four-game series Friday night, Heist did considerable damage with his bat when he caught one of Walt Clough's pitches and sent it out of the park for the winning and tying run and 7-6 Lewiston victory.
That hurt, but it was those balls off the boards taken by Heist that really scalped the Braves.
The first piece of robbery came when Dick Watson, Tri-City shortstop, hit the longest ball he has rapped this season, and with two runners on, only to have Heist take it backhand right up against the centerfield boards.
Ironically, it was an easy fly ball hit by Watson which was dropped by Heist in that June 2 game.
The error enabled Tri-City to score six runs alter two were away in the ninth Inning and tie the score. Tri-City then won in the tenth.
But Friday night, Heist wasn't dropping any fly balls—easy or otherwise.
He made similar running catches of fly balls hit by Gordy Brunswick in the third, Len Tran in the eighth and Bob Moniz in the ninth. Just to show he could go the other
direction, he robbed Edo Vanni of a hit when he charged in from centerfield and almost caught Vanni's short fly ball. Even in missing, it didn't matter because he had plenty of time to pick the ball up and force Jack Warren at third.
Brightest figure in the Tri-City lineup was Warren, who broke loose with a three-run homer, a single, and a double in four times up.
Pokey Al Yaylian pitched for Lewiston and after the bad first inning, and the two-run third inning, he got himself out of jams for the rest of the way in.
The lefty hurler almost won his own game at the plate. He matched Warren's homer with a three-run blast of his own in the second and drove in one run in the ninth.
He was on base when Heist homered.
Lewiston ...... 040 000 003—7 9 3
Tri-City ........ 402 000 000—6 13 1
Yaylian and Garay; Clough and Warren.

WIL STATISTICS
(Compiled by William J. Weiss, Official Statistician, San Mateo, Calif. Averages include games of Monday, July 26, except Wenatchee at Lewiston, July 21; Yakima at Victoria, July 23-24 (2); Edmonton at Victoria, July 26; Wenatchee at Tri-City, July 26 and Vancouver at Yakima, July 26.)
TEAM BATTING
Average, Vancouver, .296; Tri-City, .293; Victoria, .289, Lewiston, .283, Edmonton, .283; Yakima, .280; Wenatchee, .279; Salem, .277.
Doubles, Tri-City, 164; Triples, Lewiston, 67; Home runs, Vancouver, 76; Stolen Bases, Salem, 110; Bases on Balls, Lewiston, 491, Strike outs, Wenatchee, 461; Runs Batted In, Vancouver, 482.
TEAM FIELDING
Edmonton, .969; Yakima, .968; Vancouver, .966; Salem, .965; Lewiston, .963, Victoria, .963, Tri-City, .962; Wenatchee, .960.
Errors, Tri-City, 153; Double Plays, Victoria, 100.
BATTING LEADERS
Percentage, Don Pries, Vic., .366; Runs, Al Heist, Lew., 92; Hits, K Chorlton, Van., 123; Total Bases, Chorlton, Van., 182; Two Base Hits, Bob Moniz, T.C., 33; Three Base Hits, Herman Lewis, Yak., 10; Home Runs, Bob Wellman, Van., 17; Sacrifice Hits, Nick Cannuli, Lew., Dain Clay, Vic., 20; Stolen Bases, K Chorlton, Van., 23; Bases on Balls, Heist, Lew., 75; Runs Batted In, Wellman, Van., 80; Strikeouts, Tom Munoz, Wen., 85.
PITCHING LEADERS
ERA., Bill Brenner, Van., 2.27; Wins, Brenner, Van., Ted Edmunds, Yak., Jon Briggs, Sal., 14; Losses, Ted Shandor, Wen., 11; Strikeouts, Briggs, Sal., 157, Bases on Balls, Briggs, Wen., 118; Innings Pitcher, Brenner, Van., 186; Complete Games, Brenner, Van., 16; Home Runs Allowed, John Marshall, Lew., 18.

Week’s Work
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, July 30, 1954]
THURSDAY—The Capilano baseball team (remember them?) are going to be home all next week … Thought I better tell you now … You may have trouble finding them among the B.E.G. [British Empire Games] results next week … If you’re wondering what they’re doing way down there in the standings, would blame a collapse in the pitcher (after Brenner and Hernandez, what?), a penchant for blowing in the last inning, and added strength among the opposition for their current woeful showing … Further on baseball, ex-Cap Rod MacKay won his first start in the strong Mandak League the other day, pitching for Brandon, and an old teammate, Frank Mascaro, drove in three runs for him as he won 4-3 … Also playing in that semi-pro setup, which pays very well, are ex-major leaguer Roy Weatherly and Ron Bowen, a first-baseman who had a trial with the Caps last year.