Tuesday, June 22, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 33 19 .635 —
Yakima ....... 32 24 .571 3
Edmonton ..... 23 23 .500 7
Wenatchee .... 28 29 .491 7½
Lewiston ..... 27 28 .491 7½
Salem ........ 27 30 .474 8½
Victoria ..... 23 29 .442 10½
Tri-City ..... 24 32 .429 10½

YAKIMA [Vancouver Province, June 23]—This city’s Bears, the only real threat to Vancouver’s chances of winning the Western International League’s first half title now that Spokane Indians have folded, apparently aren’t ready to concede.
Down 2-0 Tuesday to the powerhouse Caps, who have led the league all season, the Bears battled back to tie the score at 2-2 in the sixth and finally won this first game of an important three-game stand in 10 innings, 3-2.
TED DID IT
The victory moved Lou Stringer’s squad to within three games of the front-running Vancouver team, and they get two more cracks at the Caps’ lead, tonight and Thursday. On Friday, contrary to an erroneous report out of Tacoma Tuesday, the Caps return home to play Lewiston. George Nicholas and Ted Edmunds, both looking for their 10th wins, hooked up in a pitchers’ battle here last night. Edmunds allowed just five hits, Nicholas nine, three of those in the Bears’ 10th, or winning, inning.
The three big blows came off the bats of Dick Briskey, Herman Lewis and Len Noren as Nicholas suffered his fifth loss.
Briskey and Noren had a hand in Yakima’s game-tying two runs in the sixth, too. Their singles, with another by John Albini following an error by Bob Wellman, did the damage.
The Caps scored first on singles by Danny Holden, K. Chorlton and Dick Greco in the third inning.
[Holden and Chorlton had two hits a piece, Greco had one. Noren had three of Yakima’s hits and Briskey two. There were no extra-base blows in the game. 2,037 took in the opener]
Vancouver ...... 002 000 000 0—2 5 1
Yakima ........... 002 000 000 1—3 9 2
Nicholas and Duretto; Edmunds and Summers.

SALEM, June 22—“Save Your Senators Night,” set up by the Salem management to determine whether the fans want to keep their club in the Western International Baseball League, was a whopping success in the stands and on the playing field Tuesday night.
Mindful that Spokane and Calgary were forced, by poor attendance, to drop out of the league this week, the Salem front office asked the fans to demonstrate by their turnout Tuesday night whether they want professional baseball to continue in Oregon’s capital city.
The apparent answer was “yes.” The management counted 4,142 puying customers in the stands, the largest crowd of the season.
On the field, the Senators responded with a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over Tri-City.
Trailing 3-1 in the fourth inning, the Senators tied the game with Harry Warner’s two-run homer, added a single run in the sixth, two in the sixth and an insurance tally in the seventh. Tri-City opened the scoring with two first inning runs and singles by Terry Carroll, Vic Buccola and Edo Vanni. Dick Watson’s single scored Len Tran, who had tripled, in the second, and the Braves closed their scoring with two runs in the sixth on hits by Carroll, Buccola and Vanni.
Tri-City .... 210 002 000—5 12 3
Salem ...... 100 212 10x—7 12 0
Clough, Lemieux (7) and Warren; Rayle, Roenspie (2) and Ogden.

LEWISTON, June 22—Bob Drilling came up with one of his best pitching jobs and Lewiston Broncs came up with three unearned runs last night as Victoria Tyees squared their WIL series at 1-1 in the Idaho city.
Held in check by John Marshall for the first seven innings, the Tyees scored twice in the eighth inning on two singles, two bases on balls and an important error to win it. They made it certain with two more runs in the ninth on a single a base on balls and a two-base muff.
Up until the eighth, Marshall had held the Tyees to three hits, one of them a home run by Neil Sheridan which tied the score in the fourth inning.
Lewiston scored in the first inning and went ahead in the seventh when manager Larry Barton hit a home run. Both Drilling, who won his seventh game, and Marshall gave up six hits.
Result moved the Tyees up a notch in the standings.
The two clubs continue their series Wednesday and wind it up Thursday.
Victoria ....... 000 100 022—5 6 1
Lewiston ..... 100 000 100—2 6 3
Drilling and Lundberg; Marshall and Cameron.

WENATCHEE, June 22 — Edmonton jumped on three Wenatchee pitchers for 15 hits Tuesday night as the Eskimos subdued the Chiefs 16-3 in the Western International League series-opener.
The Eskimos scored five runs in the third off starter Larry Richardson and seven more in the sixth off Jack Thompson, who relieved Richardson.
Ray McNulty allowed eight hits in going the distance for Edmonton. The Eskimos
were helped by five Wenatchee errors.
Edmonton ...... 205 117 000—16 13 0
Wenatchee .... 100 011 00x— 3  8 5
McNulty and Self; Richardson, Thompson 93), Oubre (6) and Helmuth.

WIL STATS
(Through games of June 22)
BATTING
                      G  AB  H HR RBI Pct
Williams, Van ...... 49 195 79  7 28 .405
Wellman, Van ....... 44 158 61  9 41 .386
Storey, Salem ...... 43 150 56  4 27 .373
Taylor, Calgary .... 40 156 58 10 27 .372
Tran, Tri-City ..... 53 195 69  3 38 .354
Unfried, Wen ....... 56 249 74 12 61 .350
Warner, Salem ...... 45 153 53  7 29 .346
Buccola, TC ........ 56 203 70  0 17 .345
Carroll, TC ........ 55 219 75  0 28 .342
T. Perez, Vic ...... 52 211 72  8 40 .341
Skurski, Edm ....... 36 126 43  5 24 .341
Hafey, Spo ......... 54 199 67  9 54 .337
PITCHING
                      G  IP  SO  W L  Pct
Anderson, Spo ...... 12 106  42 10 1 .909
Edmunds, Yak ....... 11  89  59  9 1 .900
Giovannoni, Spo .... 14  51  11  5 1 .833
Briggs, Salem ...... 17 110 100  9 3 .750
Robertson, TC ...... 15  94  41  7 3 .700
Marshall, Lew ...... 13  88  56  7 3 .700
Roberts, Van ....... 12  83  30  7 3 .700
Nicholas, Van ...... 13  97  26  9 4 .692
Brenner, Van ....... 17 131  48  8 4 .667
Johnson, Sal ....... 13  67  37  4 2 .667

Wenatchee Seeks Foe
WENATCHEE, June 22—The Wenatchee baseball team of the Western International League is scouting around for a possible semi-pro opponent to fill in a weekend series in event Victoria declines to play here.
The Victoria nine was scheduled hurriedly to play at Wenatchee Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Calgary’s team disbanded and dropped from the WIL.
A Wenatchee club spokesman said Victoria officials indicated they were unwilling to travel to Wenatchee unless they could get 60 per cent of the gate receipts for making the fill-in trip.
Wenatchee officials said they would prefer meeting a top-flight semi-pro club rather than meet the 60 per cent demand or travel to Victoria.

Lundgren to Return to Class B
NOGALES, June 23—Tucson Cowboys Manager Don Jamieson has announced that his club has opened negotiations with Seattle of the Pacific Coast league to buy Chuck Lundgren.
Lundgren is the second baseman who hit .318 for the Pokes last year and hit 34 home runs for the Arizona-Texas League club.
This season Lundgren has been playing outfield for Calgary in the Western International loop. Calgary recently folded and Jameson is trying to take advantage of the situation. Lundgren was sold to Seattle at the end of last season.

IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, June 23, 1954]
Beset by almost every other kind of trouble this season, the WIL now finds itself beset by a schedule-maker who seems to be obsessed with the idea of cramming as many games as possible into the meaningless first half.
Asked to redraw the schedule after Calgary and Spokane had dropped from the league, Salem-manager Hugh Luby has come up with something that has the Tyees and Capilanos playing four doubleheaders and a single game in five days between July 1 and 5. And the Tyees move from Victoria to Tri-City and the Caps from Vancouver to Salem in the middle of it.
That’s something the major leagues wouldn’t try and their clubs have 25-player rosters and 10 and 11-man pitching staffs—and don’t have to ride buses. Fans who take in the last three or four of those games are not likely to see much in the way of baseball.
To top that off the league has apparently decided not to close out the first half on June 30 but to continue it through July 5. This is a prime example of the type of reasoning which has caused a lot of its woes.
At least six of the remaining eight clubs are out of contention for the first-half championship, practically a Vancouver cinch. With that in mind, plus the publicity of recent weeks, it would see that the smart thing to do would be to start a new race as soon as possible. Instead, as many games as possible have been crammed into the last days of the first half, which include July 1 and 4, Canadian and American national holidays, an excellent time to start over.
The excuse? Starting the second half on July 1 doesn’t allow enough time to draw up a “decent” schedule. Well, picking the games out of a hat would result in something just as good as the WIL used in the first half, particularly the last few days of the first half.
* * *
Pitchers Joe Orrell and Ernie Stites and outfielder Gus Stathos of the defunct Calgary Stampeders have offered their services, for a set sum, of course, to the Tyees. No action has been taken although Orrell, a former major leaguer with the Detroit Tigers, gave Victoria business-manager Reg Patterson quite a sales talk. He said he could win 15 games in the second half and beat Vancouver every time he got the chance, disregarding a 4-6 first half and a 5.96 earned-run average. That’s no better, if not any worse, than the Tyees’ pitching average.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, June 23, 1954]
WIL May Find Solution
If the Western International league can hang in there as an eight-team circuit for the rest of this season, it may be that some of its problems will solve themselves by the time next season rolls around.
But when the brass meets this winter to discuss the problems, it would be a good time to really get down and keep an eye to the future and thereby avoid the situation as it existed this year.
The real solution is still this. A six-team U.S. league consisting of Lewiston, Tri-City, Salem, Wenatchee, Yakima and Spokane. The league classification isn’t important but enforceable salary limits are.
Two things are necessary to bring this about. First will be the return of Spokane to the fold. It’ll be back. Fact is, considerable sentiment was voiced at the recent league meeting that it would be a good idea for the Indians to fold this year so the town could get organized to field a team the next year — without Roy Hotchkiss.
* * *
Canadians May Break
The other problem is parting with the Canadian teams. This may be easier than you think. In Edmonton, sports writers there are thundering on the theme of having an
All-Canadian league and cite several promising possibilities.
As Jim Brooke of the Edmonton Journal put it:
“No matter how hard they try, a lot of pretty fair Edmonton sports fans just couldn’t care less how badly the Eskimoes beat Lewiston. Tri-City or Wenatchee. The average Edmonton fan hasn’t got anything against Lewiston, Tri-City or Wenatchee.
“But let a Winnipeg baseball team come to town to do battle with the Eskimoes and the people will turn out to boo the dastardly invaders with deep sincerity.”
Now that prairie baseball has been started, it may be that “Uncle Jawn Ducey,” the Edmonton G. M., has things on a firm enough footing to push a league throughout Western Canada. If, he has, it will solve the other big problem for the WIL.

Spring Training, Wednesday, April 21, 1954

Cap Power More Potent This Term, Broncs Find
By CLANCY LORANGER
(Province Sports Writer) [April 21, 1954]
LEWISTON—Idaho—It’s baseball practice, before each new series, to go over the opposition hitters and discuss how to pitch to them.
Last year, when Vancouver Capilanos came to town, the meetings were pretty short. The opposition manager would say “Harvey Storey, low and behind him is his weakness.” Then he’d look over the rest of the batting order and say, “Let’s go.”
But those meetings should take a little longer this year. The Caps, it would appear, have more than a one-man attack.
That was the impression gained here Tuesday when Bill Brenner’s boys took on Lewiston Broncs. The Caps won 11-8, and in the doing rapped out 16 base hits, including four home runs and four doubles.
Leading the parade, again, was new second baseman Marvin Williams who wrested two tremendous wallops over the 330-foot left field barrier, and added a double for good measure, too, as he batted home five runs.
Vancouver’s Arnie Hallgren furthered his bid for the right field job with another of the home runs—his second since he joined the team—and Ellis Daughtery, finally looking like the hitter he was alleged to be, contributed the fourth.
UNFAIR TACTICS?
The Caps’ 3-4-5 hitters, Williams, Daughtery and Ken Richardson, split 10 hits among ‘em, Richardson getting four of the five.
Add a fellow like Bob Wellman (.350 last season) to that group, and you’re liable to have the pitcher’s union picketing you for unfair tactics.
DIAMOND DUST – A lot of the damage the Caps did was against John Marshall, a 21-game winner last year … Vancouver’s pitching was done by Tom Del Sarto, Bill Tompkins and Rod MacKay … Half of Lewiston’s runs came off Tompkins, who lasted less than an inning … Danny Holden continued to have a miserable time, striking out three times and adding an error in left field … The squad was cut by one more man when Chuck Lundgren was recalled by Seattle …
The Caps have a game in Clarkston, Wash., today against Larsen Air Force Base, with Bob Moen and Baz Nagle possible pitching candidates.

Unexpected Arrivals Welcomed by Tyees
[Victoria Colonist, April 21, 1954]
Victoria Tyees, still awaiting expected help, received an unexpected reinforcement yesterday when Tom Perez showed up at Royal Athletic Park and took part in yesterday’s spring-training program.
Perez, a service returnee owned by the San Francisco Seals who can play both in the infield and outfield, hadn’t been expected although his name had been mentioned in talks with the San Francisco management. On being told by the Seals that he would probably be sent to Victoria, he left immediately by car with Mrs. Perez and arrived here yesterday morning, Needless to state, he was welcomed.
Before entering the service, Perez played a season with Visalia in the California State League in 1949. Appearing in the outfield in 111 games and at third base for 28 games, he hit 24 home runs and 21 doubles while compiling a .311 batting average for 511 at bats.
While in the U.S. Army, he played for the championship Fort Ord team. Discharged last year, he played with Macon in the Class “A” Sally League, getting into 38 games at third base and playing 43 in the outfield. He has been with the Seals in spring training and handled himself well yesterday in infield drills. If he proves he can hit WIL pitching, he will fit into the Tyee plans with his ability to play the outfield and give the club infield protection at the same time.
Perez’ arrival boosted the Tyee personnel to 16 players and two or three more are expected today. Veteran-outfielder Dane Clay is due in and shortstop Eddie Lake may also make it. Lake, it appears, has been ducking as much of spring training as possible but promised manager Don Pries yesterday that he would be on his way the minute he could get a plane from Oakland. Also expected in is Don Smith, big southpaw rookie from Fairbanks.
Other player news was still awaiting confirmation yesterday. Portland officials were tied up with the Beavers’ home opener but it shouldn’t be later than tomorrow before the Tyees know for certain just what to expect from the Coast League club. Two or three deals are also ready to be completed.
Tyees will continue their workouts today with their second exhibition game with Farmers Construction scheduled for Royal Athletic Park tomorrow at 6:30. The same clubs meet again Saturday afternoon and on Sunday it’s off to Courtenay for two games there.

Tri-City, Yakima Request Rejected
VANCOUVER, B. C., April 22—British Empire Games officials have been turned down by Tri-City and Yakima of the Western International League on a request to reschedule baseball contests here during games week July 30-Aug. 7.
Bill Brenner, general manager of the Vancouver Capilanos, told games executives Wednesday that he had talked to the two U. S. clubs and was told there were “so many problems that rearrangement is not possible.”
The executive had asked Capilanos to reschedule the two series to follow the actions of other sports which have rearranged or cancelled contests games week.

WEDNESDAY GAMES

MODESTO, Calif., April 21 — Bunching eight of 10 hits in two innings, the Modesto Reds of the California League ran over the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western International loop, 7-1, Wednesday night in an exhibition contest.
Edmonton Manager Bob Sturgeon, ex-Boston Brave and Chicagp Cub, was held hitless.
It was a 0-0 duel until the fourth. Then the Reds' bats, which had been on the weak side, came to life. Bobby Dallas, Frank Kerr, Ted Bell and Earl Mortenson rapped out singles. and three runs were scored.
The Modestans saved up four more of their hits until the eighth, when they pushed across the other four runs.
Edmonton ..... 000 001 000—1 3 0
Modesto ...... 000 300 040—7 10 0
Conant, Widner (6) and Prentice; Mortensen, Roval (6), Stanich (9) and Keir.

CLARKSTON, Wash., April 21—Triples by Nick Pesut and Arnie Hallgren helped Vancouver of ihe Western International League, defeat Larson Air Force Base 11-3 in exhibition baseball Wednesday.
Larson ......... 210 000 0— 3 6 5
Vancouver ... 212 402 x—11 14 1
Mason, Sherwinsky (5) and Nelson; Nagle, Cordell (5) and Pesut, Lundberg (5).

FRESNO, Calif., [Fresno Bee, April 22]—Pinch hitter Bob Thair smashed a 410-foot inside-the-park homer run with one out in the last of the ninth inning last [Wednesday] night to give Fresno State College Bulldogs a 5 to 4 exhibition victory over the Calgary Stampeders in FSC Park.
The well played game last night was witnessed by only a couple of hundred fans but had one of the most dramatic endings of any game this season.
Fresno trailed 4 to 3 going into the last of the ninth. Jack Hannah led off with a walk. Dan Farris bunted but Calgary manager Gene Lillard cut down Hannah at second base. Bill Pearson was inserted to run for Farris.
Phair hit the third pitch solidly on a line corner of right center field. Phair rounded the bases while the Stampeders' desperate relay to the plate was late.
FSC Scores Two In 7th
Fresno was behind, 4 to 1, going into the seventh but rallied for two runs in that frame. Hannah led off with a walk and first sacker Farris lined a triple to left center field. Farris scored on George DeLaTorres’ high hopper to shortstop.
Calgary starting pitcher Bill Kapp held the Bulldogs well in check for the first six frames—giving up one run on six scattered hits. Bill Stites was the victim of the late inning uprisings.
Fresno scored once in the fifth on a double by Hannah and a single by DeLaTorre.
Calgary started fast against Fresno freshman lefthander Bobby Doig but the ex Roosevelt ace settled down after the first frame and pitched brilliant ball for the next four innings.
Stampeders Start Fast
The Stampeders collected three runs in the first on three walks, a triple by outfielder Bill Kahler and a double steal. From the second through the fifth frame Doig held the Canadians to one single.
Orland (Bud) Mecham, freshman righthander from San Diego, pitched the final four frames for Fresno and turned in one of his best jobs of the year. Singles by Kapp and Jim Stack and a fielder's choice accounted for one run in the seventh.
Calgary made only two hits off Mecham in four innings and he walked only two batters.
DeLaTorre with two singles was the only player on either team with more than one hit.

YAKIMA, April 21 — Shutting off a last-inning Yakima rally, the Tri-City Braves handed the Bears their fourth straight exhibition baseball defeat Wednesday, 9-8.
Tri-City had started a rally of its own in the fifth inning, trailing 2-1, when Yakima’s relief pitcher, John Carmichael, gave up three runs on four hits.
The Braves got five more hits off Carmichael in the final three innings for five runs.
The Bears rallied in the ninth as pinch-hitter Dennis Bell walked to first. Singles by Ernie Sites and Herm Lewis followed, but Charlie Mead's fly out to center field ended the burst at two runs.
Catcher Jack Warren of Tri-City led the hitting with two singles and a double in four trips to the plate.
Tri-City ..... 010 030 221—9 10 3
Yakima ....... 020 004 002—8 11 1
Robertson, Thomason (8) and Warren; Rios, Carmichael (5) and Summers.

Baz Nagle Begins Pro Ball in Vancouver

Caps Add Four Players
VANCOUVER, Feb. 11—Bill Brenner, manager of the Western International League Capilanos, said Wednesday night that he had signed left handed pitcher Baz Nagle of Vancouver to his first professional baseball contract.
Brenner, just back from talks with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League, said he had received promises of three players from Rainiers—Joe Joshua, shortstop; Dick Jenny, outfielder; and Chuck Lundgren, infielder. The three are all from Tucson of the Class “C” Arizona-Texas League.