Wednesday, July 21, 1954

              W  L  Pct GB
Lewiston ... 12  6 .667 —
Salem ....... 8  6 .571 2
Yakima ...... 8  7 .533 2½
Victoria .... 5  5 .500 3
Edmonton .... 7  7 .500 3
Tri-City .... 8  8 .500 3
Vancouver ... 5  6 .455 3½
Wenatchee ... 4 12 .250 7

LEWISTON, June 20—The Lewiston Broncs and Wenatchee Chiefs battled to a no decision Wednesday night in a game called in the 11th inning by umpire Don Fisher on the grounds that Lewiston was stalling.
The teams were tied 7-7 after 10 innings and Jake Helmuth homered for Wenatchee with none on in the 11th. The Broncs, however, claimed the deadline passes before the inning started.
No inning can start past 11.15 at Lewiston. Fisher made a report to league president Bob Abel, who will make a ruling by the weekend whether the game is forfeited to Wenatchee or starts over again at the top of the llth.
Wenatchee ....... 101 500 000 0—7 10 3
Lewiston .......... 200 003 300 0—7  7 3
Oubre. Beamon (7), and Self; Kime, Derganc (4) and Garay.
(Game called in 11th, curfew)

SALEM, July 22—Victoria Tyees, after starting second-half play in the Western International Baseball League in great style, dropped their fourth straight game Wednesday night as the Salem Senators grounded out a 10-2 victory before 3,000 fans.
The Tyees, who dropped games to Wenatchee at Victoria Friday and Saturday and lost to Joe Nicholas Tuesday night, were held to six hits by Johnny Briggs, who gained his 13th victory against five defeats.
Briggs also scored what proved to be the winning run. He hit safely in the
fourth and came home on Mel Krause's single.
Scoring in all but two innings, the Senators banged out 13 hits off losing pitcher Berlyn Hodges and his successor, Bob Drilling, who took over in the eighth inning.
An error and singles by Tom Perez and Don Lundberg resulted in Victoria’s first run in the fourth inning and Neil Sheridan doubled home Don Pries, who had walked and stolen second base, with the other run in the fifth frame.
A crowd of 3,000, one of the largest of the season, watched.
Victoria ....... 000 110 000— 2  6 1
Salem ......... 002 131 21x—10 12 2
Hodges, Drilling (8) and Lundberg; Briggs, Herrera (9) and D. Luby.

YAKIMA [Tri-City Herald, July 22]—The fast-skidding Tri-City Braves may be beaten but Western International league pitchers are finding its blame hard shutting them out.
Larry Manier of Edmonton turned the trick in the fourth game of the season but since then Tri-City has managed to get one run across.
In the game Wednesday night at Yakima, John Carmichael put the Braves down without a run for eight innings in winning. 3-1.
Then, with one away, Len Tran rapped out a double and pinch-hitter Rube Johnson slapped out a single to score Tran.
The losing pitcher was Walt Clough, whose 8-8 record would look a lot better if Tri-City batters would come through with more scoring punch when he is on the mound.
He gave up nine hits, one of them a triple to Lon Summers who drove in two runs and scored one himself.
Tonight, the same two teams play at Yakima and then the Braves travel to Lewiston for a weekend series there. Likely starter in tonight's game will be Don Robertson, who is still trying to reach the jinx of 13 wins. Robertson has lost in his last two starts.
Tri-City ....... 000 000 001—1 8 1
Yakima ........ 000 201 000—3 9 0
Clough and Warren; Carmichael and Summers.

EDMONTON, July 21—With catcher Bob Duretto supplying the scoring punch, the Vancouver Capilanos defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 6-3 Wednesday night in the opener of a seven-game Westen International League series before 1,600 fans.
Duretto batted in three runs with a homer, triple and a double in four trips to the plate, Right fielder Danny Holden hit two for four.
Pitcher George Nicholas, who went the route for the Caps, had good control except in the last of the seventh when he gave up two bases on balls and Don Gigli hit a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall for the Esks’ only three runs.
Nicholas also tripled and scored a run.
Vern Campbell had a pair of singles for Edmonton.
It was Nicholas’ eleventh win against nine losses.
Vancouver ...... 001 050 000—6 8 0
Edmonton ....... 000 000 300—3 6 0
Nicholas and Duretto; Conant, Worth (5) and Partee.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[from Tri-City Herald, July 22, 1954]
The Deal For Greco

The last time Hugh Luby, the manager of the Salem Senators came to town, he gave the lowdown on the deal by which Salem “bought” and later returned Dick Greco, outfielder who wants to pitch, from Vancouver.
Knowing that Salem was in somewhat of a bad financial way, and knowing that he once bought his release here for $3,500, I asked Hugh what he was using for money to pay
the outfielder.
“A bunch of empty promises,” he laughed.
“You mean Bill Brenner went for a deal like that?”
“Oh, sure. After all, I was doing the league a favor,” Hugh replied.
How come?
“Well, if he doesn't play for us, he will eventually show up with Victoria. You wouldn't want him playing with Victoria, now, would you?”
And I take it that when you failed to live up to your promises, Vancouver was going to foreclose and take Greco.
“Well," he said with a Luby grin. “Something like that.”
Who was going to pay his salary?
“We were going to pay part and Vancouver was going to pay part,” Hugh said.
And that, my friends, is a lesson on how the top team in the league can “option” a player to the bottom team in the league.

Monday, July 12, 1954

               W  L  Pct GB
Tri-City ..... 5 1  .833 ½
Victoria ..... 3 0 1.000 —
Yakima ....... 4 1  .800 —
Lewiston ..... 5 2  .712 —
Vancouver .... 1 2  .333 2
Edmonton ..... 2 4  .333 2½
Salem ........ 1 4  .200 3
Wenatchee .... 0 7  .000 5

VICTORIA [Colonist, July 13]— Victoria Tyees, playing snappy hustling baseball, made it three in a row in second-half WIL play at Royal Athletic Park last night as they trimmed the Lewiston Broncs, 9-4, behind the steady pitching of Bob Drilling.
Victory kept the Victoria club atop the second-half standings percentage-wise and with most of July being spent at home, the Tyees have a good chance to stay ahead if they keep up their improved play.
TYPICAL GAME
Drilling pitched a typical game last night. He gave up 11 hits, including back-to-back doubles by Don Hunter and Bob Williams in the fifth inning and an eighth-inning home run by Eddie Bockman, but he made no trouble for himself as he handed out but one base on balls.
Broncs threatened seriously but twice. They scored three of their runs in the fifth and loaded the bags with one out in the seventh, when Drilling got out of trouble by getting Williams to ground into a fast double play.
It was the sixth win for the smooth-working Victoria righthander and it boosted his season’s record to 11-5.
ERRORLESS FIELDING
Drilling got excelling batting support from his teammates as well as errorless fielding. The Tyees rapped 15 hits off the offerings of southpaw Jack Martin in handing him his eighth loss in 16 decisions.
Sheridan hit his in the first inning, after bases on balls to Ron Jackson and Don Pries, to highlight a five-run rally which gave Drilling all the margin he was to need. It was a tremendous poke which cleared the fence in left field, about 360 feet from the plate. Stein connected with no one aboard in the fifth.
The game produced some excellent defensive play. The ever-improving Jackson made two fine plays, ranging almost behind first base to take a hit away from Hunter and handling Clint Cameron’s smash neatly in the fourth in addition to starting that big double play in the seventh.
Victoria manager Don Pries also excelled in the field, snagging a foul fly off the screen alongside third base in the fifth inning and coming up with pinch-hitter Glen Tuckett’s sizzler in the ninth. The Broncs reeled off three double plays, the best being started by shortstop Nick Cannuli in the second inning.
The teams meet again tonight with Hal Flinn trying for his eighth win for the Tyees, with Guy Fletcher, ex-Coast League veteran, as his opposition.
Lewiston ...... 000 030 010—4 11 2
Victoria ....... 500 210 01x—9 15 0
Martin and Garay; Drilling and Lundberg.

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, July 13]—There was bad news for seven of the clubs in the Western International League Monday night: the Capilanos ain’t dead.
Somewhat embarrassed and a little annoyed at losing their first two starts in the WIL’s second half race, the first half champions came back in old-fashioned style against Wenatchee Chiefs for a 12-4 victory before some 2000 fans.
NO EXPLOSION
They didn’t explode, in fact they didn’t even sputter much, for the first five innings, by which time they had managed just one hit off the Chiefs’ Ted Shandor.
But it was like old times come the sixth when five straight hits, including a bases-loaded triple by Bob Wellman, overcame an early 2-0 deficit. Another hit, a double by Jim Clark, sent Shandor showerwards, and the Caps had compile seven runs before the frame was over.
MADE IT EASY
Ken Richardson and K Chorlton added home runs in later innings to make it easy for manager Bill Brenner, who gathered his 12th victory against four losses.
DIAMOND DUST—George Nicholas will pick for the locals tonight when the series continues against Wenatchee … Dick Greco, who refused to report to Salem when sold, has been placed back on the Vancouver roster … Pitcher Rod MacKay, who has seen little action in two years with the club, drew his outright release to make room for Greco … Rod might catch on with Tri-City, and could certainly help some clubs in the league … First major league scout of the season, Tony Governor of St. Louis Cardinals, turned up Monday … Province Stars: Ken Richardson, who boosted his impressive RBI total with four runs batted in …. Bill Brenner, still making it look easy … And the Chiefs Jerry Green, a busy man at the short patch.
[WILfan notes: Richardson's homer was with two on in the seventh, Chorlton's with one on in the eighth ... Richardson finished with four RBIs ... Tommy Munoz hit a homer for Wenatchee with one on in the ninth ... the loss was the ninth straight for Wenatchee, including all seven second half games.
Wenatchee ...... 101 000 002— 4  7 2
Vancouver ....... 000 007 32x—12 12 3
Shandor, Romero (6) and Helmuth; Brenner and Pesut.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED

NORTH BEND, Ore., July 11—The Salem Senators of the Western International League were embarrassed by a 13-3 drubbing from the bats of Oregon's top semi-pro team, the Coos Bay-North Bend Lumberjacks, tonight.
It was the Lumberjacks' 17th straight victory.
Cal McIrvin, the one-time Coast Leaguer, was never in trouble as he chopped Salem off with six hits and enjoyed the backing of four hits in five tries by Jack Dunn, a homer and two other safeties from Johnny Kovenz and three hits by Roy Nicely, another ex-PCL regular.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE [Tri-City Herald, July 13, 1954]
Don't expect anything to come of the protest made over the game with Edmonton Sunday night. First of all, nothing comes of a protest anyway—except when some team uses an ineligible player.
Fact is, Edo Vanni, the Tri-City playing manager, may not even fill out a report.
"What good will it do? We don't see those guys (Edmonton) again this year so you can't play the game over. Besides, I remember once when we protested a game and we didn't even hear about the thing until two months later."
The chances are a decision won't even be handed down.
Anyhow, who cares? Football teams frequently win 'em all, and occasionally basketball teams finish with a perfect season. But baseball teams, they will win a few and lose a few. The idea is to come out with more wins than the next team in the league and the Braves have lots more victories in them yet.
* * *
Vanni Hurt His Big Toe
Vanni, by the way, will be out of the lineup for a while as the result of tripling those tying runs home.
Some of the fans might have missed it so here is what happened.
When he pulled up safely at third, the ball went through third-baseman Don Gigli. Vanni thought it rolled out of play and started to walk home.
Then he heard Jess Dobernic, the third base coach, yell "go on, go on" and he took off. But making the triple took all the horses out of Edo.
"I tried to run, but the legs wouldn't," Edo said afterward.
When it wound up, he was barely staggering into home plate.
"As a last resort, I tried to kick the ball out of the catcher's hand," Edo said, "but I missed and kicked his shinguard.
Boy, you ought to see my big toe. Is it ever black and blue."
* * *
Sturgeon Ashamed of U.S. Teams
Bob Sturgeon, Edmonton manager, had a few harsh words about the teams that accepted the $600 for each road trip to the prairie city — and especially for Lewiston.
"It made me ashamed of the U. S. side," Bob said before the final game of the series.
What happened is this. Three U.S. teams — Salem, Tri-City, and Lewiston — refused to go to Edmonton but then Eskimo general manager John Ducey offered to pay each U.S. team $600 for each trip up there.
"I think it wan a good fair offer," Bob said. "After all, they would by playing on the road somewhere and have travel expenses and that $600 a trip would make up the difference. But now none of them want to come up there and plus us, even with that offer."
But what particularly galled him was the Lewiston deal. The Bronc management refused to send their team to Edmonton until they got the $600 in advance. They got it but before they left, Lewiston signed third-baseman Eddie Bockman, a hard-hitting ex-Coast Leaguer.
Eventually, Bockman joined the Broncs and traveled with them to Edmonton, where I recall he hit three home runs which figured in a couple of Lewiston victories.
"I could have signed Bockman, too," Sturgeon said, "but we couldn't go for it. He's a friend of mine but we couldn't see paying a couple thousand dollars to him for just half of a season."
* * *
Believes Esks To Go All-Canada
Sturgeon also said he is pretty sure Edmonton will be the spark behind forming an all-Canadian league next season.
"They are going to go for it," he said. "There (at Edmonton) I think they just want to hang onto the franchise through this season so they will have something to work on next year."
He said he was pretty certain such a league would work providing the cities have any kind of luck with the weather.
"It can kill you there." Bob said. "We lost 17,000 paid admissions in the first half because of the weather and now we are off to a lousy second half."
"Last year we were lucky, and came out okay," he said.
"You ought to do okay here though," Bob said, as he looked over the crowd of 2,000 or so trooping into the stands. "You're off to a good start this half and you ought to draw pretty well."
* * *
Beanie May Be Up Soon
Most of that 2,000 or so, admittedly, came out in hopes of seeing Rube Johnson clout some more homers. However Vanni used Jack Warren instead.
Vanni probably would have used Jack any way, but when Sturgeon started Art Worth, a left-handed pitcher, it was certain Rube would be on the bench. Pro ballplayers naturally cling to the theory that lefties can't hit lefties.
Anyhow, Beanie came through at the plate all night. He hit four for five, a lot of them coming when any kind of a hit was drastically needed.
Warren, by the way, was hitting .300 right on the button at game time. The four singles upped his average some and may herald a return to his last season form when he finished with .354.
Jack, himself, is confident enough that he will come back up near the top that he was willing to bet Dobernic he would be hitting .340 at the season end.
When Jess pointed out Jack would have to hit two for four and two for five for the rest of the season, Jack still said he would make it.
"Boy, oh boy," Jess quipped, "if he does we got the second half cinched. We're in."
I won't bet that Jack will be hitting .340 at the season end but I'll bet he won't be hitting any .300 either. Everyone on the team expects him to start busting out any time now and you can look for the old average to climb.
* * *
An Example of a "Save"
A radio announcers' recent suggestion that some sort of scoring system whereby fielders would be credited with exceptional defensive play probably won't get very far simply because the game demands nothing short of "perfection," so presumably, whenever a fielder makes any kind of a putout or assist, he was merely doing what is expected of him.
However, there is a certain justification for such a system and it emphasized in the game Sunday night. Len Tran makes a bad throw so lights flash and storekeepers mark the nasty old error in their books.
Two innings later Len Tran makes an impossible catch which saved the game momentarily. What's marked in the scorebook? Nothing, except t batter filed out to Len Tran.

Thursday, July 1, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 38 20 .655 —
Yakima ....... 36 29 .554 5½
Edmonton ..... 30 26 .536 7
Lewiston ..... 31 31 .500 9
Tri-City ..... 31 36 .463 11½
Victoria ..... 28 33 .459 11½
Wenatchee .... 30 37 .448 12½
Salem ........ 29 38 .433 13½

VICTORIA, July 1 — Homers were a factor Thursday night as Victoria triumphed 8-3 over Wenatchee in a Western International League baseball game.
A scheduled day contest in the split double-header was rained out.
The Tyees picked up 12 of their 15 hits—and all their runs—in the first five innings. Seven of those, three home runs and four doubles, were for extra bases.
Catcher Don Lundberg hit two of the park and outfielder Tom Perez one.
Hal Flinn spaced 10 Wenatchee hits, allowing three apiece to Joe Unfried and Tony Rivas.
The win hoisted Victoria into sixth place and dropped Wenatchee into the Tyees' former berth, a game ahead of cellar-dwelling Salem.
Wenatchee ...... 000 110 100—3 10 0
Victoria ........... 122 120 00x—8 15 2
Waters, Richardson (6) and Helmuth; Flinn and Lundberg.

EDMONTON [Tri-City Herald, July 2]—The Tri-City Braves and the Edmonton Eskimoes play the fifth and final game of the series there today with the Braves needing a win to salvage even a fair perentage of the series.
Tri-City lost both ends of a Dominion Day twin bill there, 7-6 and 9-5, and blew all but a slim hope of making the first division before the first half ends.
After the game today the Braves travel home Saturday for the opening of a four-game series In two days against Victoria. The first game will be Sunday night beginning at 7 p.m. The second game will follow a fireworks display sandwiched in between. Monday the teams will play a split doubleheader with the first game starting at 2 p.m. and the second game starting at 7:30 p.m.
In tonight's action, likely starter for Tri-Clty will be Bill Tompkins, left-hander acquired from Calgary. Both of Tompkins wins this season have been over the Esks.
Inability of Tri-City pitchers to go the distance cost the Braves Thursday in the doubleheader. Dale Bloom righthander was driven from the mound in the first game after he hit a batter, gave up a triple, and a home run to Don Gigli for three runs.
Tri-City still led, 6-4, at that point but three runs scored off Earl Lemieux in the next frame iced the game.
In the second tilt, Dale Thomason trailed 4-3 going into the top of the eighth. The Braves scored twice then to put him out in front but in the bottom half Edmonton broke loose for five runs to take the [line missing].
Lemieux also pitched a short stint and Jess Dobernic who finished the first game was called upon to wind up the second.
In the first game, Len Tran's booming bat kept the Braves abreast of the Esks. He hit two doubles, a homer with one on, and a single in five times up.
First Game
Tri-City .......... 200 023 000—6 14 0
Edmonton ....... 000 013 30x—7  9 1
Bloom, Lemieux (6), Dobernic (7) and Johnson; McNulty and Self.
Second Game
Tri-City ......... 100 002 020—5 11 0
Edmonton ...... 011 020 05x—9 15 3
Thomason, Lemieux (7), Dobernic (8) and Warren; worth, Kimball 97), Conant (8) and Prentice.

LEWISTON, July 1—Lewiston banged out ten hits and held off all threats by Salem as the Broncs shut out the Senators 5-0 on Thursday in a Western International League game here.
Bob Williams' three-run homer in the third inning started Lewiston on its way to victory over Salem. Williams added another tally in the eighth, singling and crossing the plate on Ed Garay's double. Russ Rosburg's home run in the sixth accounted for the Broncs' other run.
Dean Kime limited Salem to four hits, two by Connie Perez.
Lewiston ...... 003 001 010—5 10 0
Salem ......... 000 000 000—0  4 1
Kime and Cameron, Garay (5); Briggs, Johnson (9) and Luby.

Yakima at Vancouver (2), rained out.

BILL FRANKS GOES TOO
Dick Greco Traded to Salem by Capilanos
By Clancy Loranger
[Vancouver Province, July 2, 1954]
Why Dick Greco?
That’s what local baseball fans were making after Bill Brenner of the Capilanos, faced with the necessity of cutting his roster by two t get within the player limit, sold pitcher Bill Franks and outfielder Greco to Salem Wednesday.
Tub-thumpers for Greco, who so far has refused to report to the Senators, point out that the big slugger was hitting .322, had 11 home runs and 54 runs batted in, a fairly impressive record.
But here’s the other side of the story, with four reasons why Brenner chose Greco to go:
1. Greco had all 11 of those home runs at the end of May—he didn’t hit one throughout the month of June—and 40 of those RBI’s then. Hired as a slugger, Dick hadn’t lived up to that reputation in the last month. And hitting is the only thing in baseball that Greco has ever done well—he’s no base runner, and defensively he made Brenner cringe all season.
2. Although the courts ruled that baseball isn’t a business, Brenner still feels it’s good business that the other WIL teams should strengthen for the second half. The paying customers aren’t interested in a runaway race, and what better team to help than the last-place Solons?
3. The Caps had six outfielders, and naturally couldn’t sell Arnie Hallgren or Phil Marvier, both down on option. Of the others, Salem’s Hugh Luby was interested only in Greco and K Chorlton, and there’s no doubt Chorlton, having a great year, is a better all around man than Greco.
4. The Caps’ backers worry less about financial returns than anyone else in the league, but the word is that this year’s team is an expensive one, and Greco’s salary wasn’t small. And unless the weatherman changes his tactics, chances of getting back any portion of the money expended aren’t good. The Caps’ rained-out games include their last two Saturday nights, traditionally the best drawing night here, two holiday doubleheaders, May 24 and Thursday’s Dominion Day games against the second place team, Yakima Bears.
DIAMOND DUST—Replacement for Greco, veteran Eddie Murphy, arrived Wednesday and he’ll be in the line-up for tonight’s doubleheader, weather permitting … … Brenner has also scheduled a twin bill for Saturday night in this crucial series against Yakima, which could decide the first half face … Murphy, 30, a strong-armed outfielder, still holds the league stolen base record, with 90 in 1951 … With Chorlton and either Hallgren or Danny Holden, he’ll give the locals as good a defensive trio as there is in the league … Pitcher Pete Hernandez is now officially a Capilano … It was there might be trouble when Chorlton refused to report to Seattle of the Coast League, from whom Hernandez was bought, but Dewey Soriano has agreed to go through with the deal anyway … One thing about the rain: Brenner will be able to throw his top pitchers against Yakima, with his Big Four all rested … That’s Bob Roberts, Pete Hernandez, George Nicholas and Brenner himself … Sandy Robertson may get the call in one game, however, as he pitches only at home and the Caps have doubleheaders in Salem Sunday and Monday, too.

Modesto Drops Reich For SF Seal Outfielder
[Modesto Bee, July 2, 1954]
The Modesto Reds [of the Class C California League] today gave Herman Reich his outright release.
Taking over in left teld for the Reds tonight will be Gordon Brunswick, obtained from the San Francisco Seals of the PCL.
Brunswick,, a. former Washington State football and baseball star, is a power hitter. He started the season as a regular with the Seals but lately has been used chiefly in pinch hitting and running.
In Western International
A veteran, Brunswick hit .313 and .293 in two seasons with Vancouver, British Columbia, in the Western International League.
Gordy has hit six homers this year and asked the Seals to be assigned elsewhere where he could play daily. Brunswick was offered to the Reds last week. SF recalled outfielder Dave Melton from Channel Cities of the Cal League this week.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, July 2, 1954]
Vancouver general manager Bill Brenner is no doubt an honest man although hardened to the way you have to make deals to stay in organized baseball but somehow we just can’t go along with the contention that Dick Greco and Bill Franks were sold to Salem to spread some of the league strength around.
If he did, it would mark something new in baseball—yes, even such a move would call for a spot in the Hall of Fame. If such becomes the trend, any day now we could expect the Yankees to say to Baltimore:
“Now look, you boys are having a bit of trouble. New team and all. We want you to stay in the league so we just happen to have an outfielder available name of Mickey Mantle. You can have him. We got lots of strength.”
Such things aren't done — either by the Yankees or Vancouver.
No, Mr. Brenner had some other motive in selling Greco to Salem.
Fact is the Tri-City Herald carried a story June 2 saying Brenner was trying to sell Greco either to Salem or Victoria and Salem’s position in the standings then was not a matter of great concern to anyone except perhaps Salem fans.
Rather, in some way or another, Greco didn’t live up to Brenner’s expectations.
It wasn't entirely a matter of salary with the Caps either. They have more money, apparently, than a brewery has beer and any saving they might have made by selling Greco was offset by signing Eddie Murphy.

* * *
He Added Strength
Old cagey Bill Brenner sold Greco for the same reason any G.M. makes a sale. He saw a chance to strengthen his lineup with the acquisition of Eddie Murphy and cut Greco loose. And I’ll bet he didn't get any $2,500 for Greco either.
The question now is will Greco report to Salem? Originally, his stated objection to playing for Tri-City was that his wife’s family lives In Vancouver and it was his intention to make the Canadian city his home. However, money talks and a lot may depend upon the salary he can get from Salem.
Anyway you look at it, his presence with the Senators will do the gate both there and here a lot of good. Riding Greco is a grand old Tri-City custom and after the series here, the Braves management was visibly disappointed because the Braves were not scheduled to play Vancouver again until some time in late August.
Playing manager Edo Vanni cited that situation as an example of what happens in a 10-team league.
“The fans get to know some guy.” Edo said, “and what happens. You don't see him for so long they forget who the heck he is.”
* * *
Victoria Will Show
A while back, Victoria was plenty worried about Wenatchee’s financial condition. Just prior to a scheduled Wenatchee-Victoria night at Victoria, the Chiefs announced the fans would have to turn out or the team would quit.
What had Victoria worried was this. What if Wenatchee had quit before playing the Victoria series — especially in these days of a home-and-home gate.
Anyhow, Wenatchee made it and all was okay. But look at the new situation.
Victoria is scheduled to play Tri-City here in two double headers Sunday and Monday. And just the other day, Victoria announced the Tyees would have to draw 10,000 in the next few days or quit.
Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor is not especially worried though. First of all the Victoria rosters have arrived and the team gives every intention of playing here whatever the outcome of this week’s attendance.
Furthermore, they have announced an advance ticket sake deal for the second half which gives a good indication they intend to stay in the league.
* * *
An Explosive Situation
Taylor, by the way, has been sitting on an explosive situation for some time now at Sanders Field but perhaps by now it is safe to reveal what could possibly blow up.
The situation has to do with the between-game ceremonies Sunday night at Sanders. As is usually the case, the Braves will have a fireworks display. Some time ago. Eddie ordered and bought the fireworks. Then he had to look for a safe place to store them. His first thought was the office. Finally the club house. I don’t know where he eventually put them. (I suggested under the centerfield scoreboard so if they did go off accidentally, at least the fans could see the display.)
But since there has been no shouts or explosions, presumably the fireworks are still around and will be set off in proper sequence Sunday night.

Wednesday, June 30, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 38 20 .655 —
Yakima ....... 36 29 .554 5½
Edmonton ..... 28 26 .519 8
Lewiston ..... 30 31 .492 9½
Tri-City ..... 31 34 .477 10½
Wenatchee .... 30 36 .466 12
Victoria ..... 27 33 .450 12
Salem ........ 29 37 .439 13

WENATCHEE, June 30—Wenatchee piled up a four-run lead in the first three innings and added what proved to be the clincher in the fifth in a 5-4 win over the Yakima Bears in a Western International League game here Wednesday.
Yakima hacked away at the lead, scoring two runs in the fourth and singletons in the fifth and eighth, but couldn't come up with the winning punch.
Wcnatchee's first two tallies were on Tommy Munoz' second inning homer, his llth of the season.
Yakima ........... 000 210 010—4 9 3
Wenatchee ..... 022 010 00x—5 8 1
Carter, Lovrich (3) and Summers; Beamon, Shandor (4) and Helmuth.

EDMONTON [Tri-City Herald, July 1]—The Tri-Clty Braves and the Edmonton Eskimoes are playing a doubleheader on Dominion day in Edmonton today but one thing is certain — neither one is going to win any first half title.
For the two clubs, that was pretty apparent a long time ago but now it is almost a cinch no other team but Vancouver is going to have a hand in. Although the Caps were idle by rain Wednesday night, they gained another half game on second-place Yakima when the Bears fell to Wenatchee, 5-4, at Wenatchee.
Tri-City, meanwhile, has its six-game win streak snapped by Edmonton, 6-5, in a game that went 11 innings. And error and a double by Edmonton's Augie Morena [Amorena] in the bottom of the 11th brought in the winning run.
Walt Clough went the distance for Tri-Clty. For Edmonton, Dick Kimball started but was taken out in the eighth when a Braves' uprising brought in three runs and tied the score 6-6.
In today's action, Jess Dobernic is pitching the afternoon game and Dale Bloom is slated to pitchthe nightcap.
Tri-City ......... 001 001 030 00—5 13 2
Edmonton ...... 010 031 000 01—6 10 1
Clough and Warren; Kimball, Conant (8) and Warren.

Wenatchee at Victoria, postponed, rain.
Salem at Vancouver, postponed, rain.

Capilanoes Sell Dick Greco To Salem
Braves Fall, Caps Near Half Title
[Tri-City Herald, July 1, 1954]
Dick Greco, the outfielder who didn’t want to play for Tri-City and bought his release to sign with Vancouver, has been sold to the Braves’ “natural rival,” the Salem Senators.
The sale of Greco was not unexpected. More than a month ago the Tri-City Herald reported Greco was on the block but no club then wanted to pay the price or his salary.
At the recent meeting of Tri-City Athletic Association stockholders in Richland, Harold Matheson, president, reported Vancouver was asking $2,500 for Greco. He bought his release here for $2,500.
An Associated Press story reported the sale of Greco was designed to bring better balance in the league. Manager Bill Brenner, the AP said, “should help Salem to bring out the fans.”
From the standpoint of Tri-City, Greco will probably bring out Sanders field fans, too. On what was the equivalent of “Down with Dick Greco Night” at Sanders field earlier this season, 2,100 Tri-Citians turned out to boo the outfielder following a player gang fight of the night before.
Although the present league schedule for the second half has not been set, Tri-City will again be paired with Salem as “natural rivals.” This means that Greco’s appearances at Sanders field will be more frequent during the second half of play.
Although Brenner implied the sale of Greco was part of a generous gesture on the part of the Capilanoes, records indicate the Cap general manager may have taken the action for other reasons.
First of all Greco’s home run production has not reached the heights originally hoped. In the series against Tri-City, he blasted out one four-master for his tenth of the season. Since then, he has hit one more to bring his season total to 11.
The elimination of one outfielder from the Capilano roster was made necessary by the acquisition of Eddie Murphy, formerly with Spokane. Murphy, although lacking the long ball punch, will lend considerable defensive strength to the Capilano lineup and is one of the better leadoff men in the league.
Murphy was released by the Philadllphin Phils following the folding of Spokane and his shift to that team through a “sale” arrangement. He offered his services to other teams in the league, including Tri-City, for a price that none but Vancouver felt they could afford.
K. Chorlton, the outfielder who could hot come to terms with the Seattle Rainiers following his recall last week, will probably shift to left field and Murphy will take center. Arne Hallgren is the other Cap outfielder.
Along with the Greco sale, the Capilanoes also sold pitcher Bill Franks to Salem. Franks had a 3-3 record for the first half.
Meanwhile in another league development, Victoria complained of financial troubles. Unless 10,000 fans turn out for the weekend scries with Wenatchee, the management warned, the Tyees may be forced to join Spokane and Calgary on the sidelines.
The financial troubles of Victoria were predicted by Matheson at the recent stockholders’ meeting.

No Go For Clow
VICTORIA, June 30 — Infielder Elmer Clow's life as a Victoria Tyee has been brief. The Western International Team released him on Wednesday, after he played third base on Tuesday night for the Tyees.
Clow had played shortstop for Calgary this season, and signed as a free agent when that team folded at the beginning of the month.

IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, July 1, 1954]
Bases on balls drive fans away from baseball parks and managers to early graves or best homes. And no wonder. Checking through my scorebook on the first 24 home games played by the Victoria Tyees brought proof positive that the importance of bases on balls certainly has never been exaggerated.
A total of 288 players received bases on balls in those 24 games and 107 of them managed to score. In addition, 31 other runners were moved into scoring position so that actually 138 runs have been scored off bases on balls, an average of close to six a game. And, to top that off, 55 run-scoring innings for a total of 106 runs were started by a walk. On the basis of those kind of figures one can’t help but wonder why so many pitchers fiddle around with “junk” instead of trying to improve their percentage of tosses through the strike zone.
At the same time this research disclosed the effect of lack of control. It also furnished first-hand evidence that Royal Athletic Park is a hitter’s paradise.
Victoria baseball fans have seen an average of 25 hits and 15 runs per game this season with a grand total of 593 base hits and 386 runs in the 24 games. Only four games have produced less than 10 runs and in only five has the number of hits been below 20.
The Tyees have done exceptionally well at the plate in their home park with a rather amazing team batting average of almost .330. But results haven’t been so good with the club only holding a 13-11 record. Opposing teams have combed Victoria pitching for a .317 average and have been getting more bases out of their hit.
Home runs are the big difference. The Tyees have hit 17 for 30 runs and have been victimized 34 times for 58 runs.
In addition to the 51 home runs, 22 triples and 90 doubles have been hit at Athletic Park this season. That makes for a total of 880 bases. Add to that 288 bases on balls and 100 errors and it’s easy to see how they came up with those lacrosse scores. It’s certainly true at Athletic Park that the ball game is never over until the last man is out. In fact, in Tuesday’s game, it wasn’t even over then.
Random Harvest
Milt Martin will be lost to the Tyees longer than expected. The hustling catcher has a stubborn back injury which will take time to heal.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri City Herald, July 1, 1954]
A welter of information came out of the recent Tri-City Athletic Association stockholders’ meeting, some in pretty disjointed fashion, but it appears that a larger group in the Tri-Cities now know some of the problems involved in operating a ball club.
In talking with Eddie Taylor, the general manager, and Harold Matheson, president of the association, day after day you are conscious of the situation itself but it is hard to get it across to the general public.
How many times have I heard the question start out, “Why don’t we—?” And how many times have I given an answer which usually is summed up with “Where you goin’ to get the money?” and have had that shoved aside as if it were no answer at all.
But when the stockholders hear it straight from the brass, they are inclined to understand.
For example, the club seems to be, operating somewhere along a precarious middle — paying its bills but having nothing, left over. Matheson brought out that the Vancouver
payroll is almost double Tri-City’s. (K. Chorlton turned down a coast league spot. The Rainiers don’t pay enough.)
Vancouver is in first and Tri-City is in fifth. Now is it worth it to “go so far in the hole just to move up four notches in the standings? And is it worth it when any kind of a large debt this year means no club at all the next season?
My personal feeling is the same as Matheson’s. “We will field the best team we can afford,” and if it’s a cellar-team, okay, but it’s still better than none at all. And especially if it means the men who run the team do not have to put the bite on every businessman and citizen week after week in order to stay in the league.
* * *
I’ll Keep Our Team
Personally, I wouldn’t trade the present Tri-City ball club for any team in the league. I might make a swap or two here and there, if such deals were possible but for the overall structure, I'll take ‘em the way they are.
They have been beaten, sure, but every team that plays them is in for a battle. They have proved again and again that you have to get them out for nine innings before the game is over.
The team has a right balance of old geezers and young upstarts with the nucleus of regulars in between. Some have a chance to move up, and more important, they have a strong desire to move up. Yet, if those younger ones do move up, they will remember this area as a “good baseball town” and not as some kind of a “Hell-hole where I put in my bush-league time.”
Like Kipling’s “single men in barracks,” ballplayers are not “plaster saints” and occasionally you run across one which is an outright bad apple — the drunk, the carouser, and the money moocher.
We have had one or two here but they have never lasted long. Even if they had been top grade players, some way would have been found to dispose of them.
On the whole, this gang we have representing the area in the Western International league is a pretty clean living bunch of boys, and that’s important, too.
* * *
Promotions Help Needed
There has been some written and much said about this business of having good promotions but until the meeting little was said about how to carry them out.
Promotions, even minor ones, take time and money. Ideally, I suppose, a ball club should have an office staff of about four — a general manager, an office gal, a promotions man, and a bookkeeper. There would be enough work to keep them all busy but what Class A club has the dough to carry such a large staff?
Tri-City has two and a bookkeeper on a part time basis.
General manager Eddie Taylor concedes himself “I am not a Barnum and Bailey man” and it was probably this feeling more than anything else that led to his offer to quit.
But it’s been my observation that if you get a guy good at promotions, he is incapable of knowing the value of a ballplayer or he can’t control the purse strings of the club. And despite Eddie’s offer, the complete combination of promotions-business manager all in one bundle isn’t going to be found in one man.
The best bet then is to get some volunteer help from someone interested, although maybe not directly connected with the operation of the club.
Ray Mussleman and his idea on promotional letters is one example. And I’ll bet Ray’s idea and work produces some results.
* * *
Lots Of Hits, No Runs
Question of the day? How can Don Robertson, Tri-City right-hander, give up 11 hits, four of them doubles, and but one measly run?
(That’s nothing. His wife tells me he once pitched a 12-hit shutout.)
Taylor explains it this way.
“Some pitchers have an ability to pace themselves, giving up hits but getting the side out. Then, when they get into trouble, they have that reserve to call upon and bear down.”
If Don wins one during the upcoming doubleheader here at home, his wife will be certain of being at least half-right. Last winter Mrs. Robertson boldly and confidentally predicted Don would win 20 games. Don has nine wins now.
If he can rack up a win during the coming home series, it will give him half of that 20 before the first half ends.

Tuesday, June 1, 1954

               W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver ... 22 12 .647 —
Edmonton .... 16 12 .571 3
Yakima ...... 19 16 .543 3½
Wenatchee ... 19 16 .543 3½
Victoria .... 17 15 .531 4
Spokane ..... 18 18 .500 5
Tri-City .... 17 20 .459 6½
Lewiston .... 16 20 .444 7
Salem ....... 15 22 .405 8½
Calgary ..... 10 18 .357 9

EDMONTON, June 1— Third baseman Don Gigli's two-run homer in fifth, coupled with four double plays, helped John Conant hurl Edmonton Eskimos to a 7-2 victory over Vancouver Capilanos Tuesday night before 1,223 spectators.
The victory moved Eskimos to within three games of Capilanos, now occupying top rung of the Western International Baseball League. The clubs meet again here tonight in a doubleheader and wind up their four-game series Thursday with a single encounter.
For Bob Roberts, who took the loss for Vancouver, it was his second defeat in seven starts this season—both from Eskimo bats. Roberts and Rod MacKay gave up 10 hits to Conant's 11, but the latter kept them scattered while the infield, snappy despite exceptionally cool weather, contributed four double plays to Vancouver's two.
Gigli hit three-for-three. Outfielder Bobby Brown clouted a 390-foot homer in the eighth after rapping out a single earlier.
Vancouver .... 000 011 000—2 11 2
Edmonton ..... 010 122 01x—7 10 0
Roberts, MacKay (7) and Duretto; Conant and Prentice.

YAKIMA, June 1—Wenatchee scattered eight runs through four innings on 16 hits and an error Tuesday night to defeat Yakima, 8-5, in a Western International League baseball game.
The Chiefs had a 5-3 lead going when they poured across three runs to sew it up.
Wenatchee .... 000 212 300—8 16 3
Yakima .......... 100 002 200—5  7 2
Beamon, Thompson (9) and Jenney; Rios and Summers.

SALEM, June 1 — Spokane posted its third successive Western International League baseball victory over Salem Tuesday night. The score was 6-4.
Virgil Giovannoni tossed a six-hitter as Spokane scored four runs in the eighth inning to wipe out a Salem lead.
Spokane ... 000 011 040—6 12 2
Salem ...... 000 030 010—4  6 4
Giovanonni and Dean; Del Sarto, Borst (8), Johnson (9) and Ogden.

KENNEWICK [Herald, June 2]—Don Robertson, Tri-City righthander with a 5-2 record, will get the starting mound assignment tonight in the fourth and final game with the Lewiston Broncs at Sanders Field.
Tri-City will need a win tonight to pull even in the series with Lewiston. The Braves dropped the third game to the Broncs, 7-3, Tuesday night to give Lewiston a 2-1 edge inthe current series.
Should Tri-City lose tonight will be their first series loss since the visit of Vancouver two weeks ago. A loss tonight will also drop the Braves to eighth place, one half game behind the Broncs in the Western International League standings.
The score Tuesday night indicated that the game was close and interesting but it was by far the dullest play seen at Sanders Field this season.
It featured poor fielding by the Braves, poor umpiring and a sloppy baseball kept that way by Lewiston pitcher Al Yaylian's spitting.
Yaylian's tactics with the horsehide once sent Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni to the locker room where he picked up a rule book and pointed out to the umps that organized baseball tended to frown on such tactics. However, nothing came of the discussion.
Yaylian, making his first appearance at Sanders since joining the Broncs from the Coast league, was a crafty old master at lobbing the ball across the plate. Although throwing mostly junk, he could come through with a fast ball often enough to keep the Braves off balance. He struck out seven and didn't walk anyone, although he hit two batters.
Yaylian was also the slowest mortal ever to climb the Sanders mound. He rubbed the ball, scratched, spat, walked around the hill, rubbed the ball, stretched, rubbed the ball and called time out.
Had there been any more than just the small crowd of 510 fans present, concessions would have enjoyed a boom in between Yaylian's pitches.
But despite the delays nothing can be taken away from his pitching. The Braves, the WIL's largest collection of base thieves, couldn't steal a one because the pitcher held them so close to the bag.
Tri-City scored once in the second inning when Sam Kanelos singled and Dick Watson doubled. It was Watson's first extra-base hit this season.
Lewiston went ahead in the second getting two runs on back-to-back triples by Clint Cameron and Al Heist followed by Russ Rossberg's sacrifice fly.
Tri-City tied it up in the bottom half when Yaylian hit Vic Buccola and Len Tran and Bob Moniz singled. In the fifth Tri-City went a run in front on a single by Sam Kanelos, a fielder's choice and another hit by Watson.
Lewiston went out in front in the sixth on singles by Gabby Williams and Ed Garay, followed by Yaylian's double.
The scoring should have ended there with Yaylian winning his own game. But in the seventh Garay and Yaylian singled before Tri-City starter Dale Thomason got one away. An error put Nick Cannuli on to load the bases and Thomason was taken out so lefty Earl Lemieux could pitch to left handed Clint Cameron.
Lemieux got Cameron to ground out but one run came in on the play. Jess Doberni took Lemieux's place but an error brought in two more runs.
Dobernic then returned the side and put the Broncs down one, two, three in the next inning.
Yaylian, meanwhile, grew stronger in the final frames. He gave up but one more hit to Buccola in the sveenth and then put the Braves down in order for the rest of the game.
Lewiston .... 002 011 030—7 13 0
Tri-City ...... 011 001 000—3  9 2
Yaylian and Garay; Thomason, Lemieux (8) and Warren.

Victoria at Calgary, postponed, wet grounds.

Spokane Owner to Keep Club Going
SPOKANE, Wash., June 1 — Roy Hotchkiss, who announced last week he was "through" as owner of the Western International League Spokane Indians, said on Tuesday night he will "keep the club going until somebody comes up with a plan to continue the Indians here."
At the same time he said he has taken steps to get full title to the Ferris Field bail park which is partly owned by the city. He did not say how this fits in with his plan to get out of the baseball business himself, but repeated he is as intent as ever on selling the club.
"I haven't surrenderd the franchise and I don't plan to surrender it until tje transfer can be made," he said. "But I do want to get out as quickiy as I can."
Poor attendance at the games and his own poor health were the reasons Hotchkiss gave last week for wanting to sell the club. He suffered a serious heart attack earlier this year.
Hotchkiss expressed the opinion that community ownership of the team probably would work out the best. "When you have, say, 30,000 people owning part of a ball club, you can be sure plenty of them will come out to the ball park to look after their businesses," he reasoned.
"Clubs owned by individuals or groups of individuals are folding up all over the country," he added.

Broncs Will File Forfeit Claim if Caps Don't Appear
LEWISTON, Idaho, June 1 — The Lewiston Broncs will claim a forfeit victory next Monday if the Vancouver Capilanos fail to appear for their scheduled Western International League baseball game here, Bronc officials said Tuesday.
Bill Brenner, manager of the Capilanos, has told League President Bob Abel it will be impossible for his team to meet the Monday schedule at Lewiston after playing a scheduled double header at Calgary on Sunday. He has suggested the opener of the three-game series be put off until Tuesday, and that a doubleheader be played then.
"If Vancouver doesn't appear Monday, Lewiston will claim a forfeit victory and also a financial redress," Business Manager Tom Tabor said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, more than $8,000 has been raised on the sale of books of tickets to Lewiston Broncs games, Tabor reported Tuesday.
The drive was begun two weeks ago to raise $13,000 to meet expenses.

Lend a Hand
SALEM, June 1 — Salem's baseball fans have been invited to meet behind home plate Wednesday to advise the Salem club's board of directors how they think the very poor attendance can be improved.
Bruce Williams, president of the Western International League Club, said the team's finances are precarious, and that something has to be done within the next two weeks.
Only 535 fans showed up for Sunday's day-night doubleheader with Spokane.
The meeting Wednesday will be just before the game with Spokane.

Greco Reportedly Put Up For Sale
[Tri-City Herald, June 2, 1954]
The word passing around Western International League clubs today is that Bill Brenner, Vancouver Capilano general manager is anticipating running an ad reading:
For Sale — One outfielder. Guaranteed to lead Class A league in home runs and runs batted in. Originally purchased for $4,500 from Honest Eddie Taylor of Tri-City. Model scarcely used this season. Name of Dick Greco.
Both Taylor, Tri-City general manager, and Larry Barton, Lewiston playing-manager, said Tuesday they have heard the story that Greco was up for sale but thay he had not been offered to their clubs.
In Tri-City's case it was natural that he would not be offered here because of his refusal to sign when the Braves owned him this season.
Reports have it that Greco has definitely been offeicd to Salem and Victoria.
No reasons have been given but it is believed that Brenner is finding Greco hard to handle, a trouble he anticipated when he was dealing with him last spring. Greco's salary may also be presenting a problem for Vancouver which has most of the power hitters in the league.
Although Greco has never played for Tri-City he has proved quite an asset to the Sanders field gate. After being in a major ruckus, 2,100 fans here turned out the next night to boo him.

Tuesday, May 18, 1954

                W  L  Pct  GB
Vancouver .... 13  8 .619  —
Lewiston ..... 11  9 .550  1½
Spokane ...... 11  9 .550  1½
Victoria ..... 11  9 .550  1½
Yakima ....... 11 10 .524  2
Edmonton ...... 8  8 .500  2½
Wenatchee .... 10 10 .500  2½
Salem ........ 10 12 .455  3½
Calgary ....... 6 10 .375  4½
Tri-City ...... 8 14 .364  5½

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, May 19]—The Tri-City Braves and the Vancouver Capilanoes go at it again tonight even up with one baseball win apiece and a draw in a one-fall special, five-minute time limit grappling brawl.
Tonight's starter for Tri-City will be either Don Robertson, with 4-1 record, or Cliff Coggin with no record. Both are righthanders and two of the best playing manager Edo Vanni has to go against the Caps.
The Braves found out Tuesday night that the powerful array of Caps can be beaten by good pitching and running them off the basepaths.
The pitching performance was turned in by Walt (Deacon) Clough, righthander, who won the second game as he calmly set the Caps down on three hits and shut them out. 7-0. Clough didn't walk any one but he hit the mighty Dick Greco twice.
The first pitch to Greco's back came in the seventh inning. It annoyed the big outfielder, delighted the fans but nothing happened.
When he was hit with another of Clough's pitches in the ninth, Greco charged out to the mound and touched off the biggest ruckus seen at Sanders since the night of the "Big Bear Rassle" in 1953.
Greco himself had cooled off by the time Clough side-stepped him out on the mound but third-base coach George Nicholas jumped Clough from behind. This brought players from both benches streaming out on the field and for five minutes there was a tangle of Tri-City and Vancouver uniforms.
Like most ballplayer brawls, the fray became a stumbling grappling match with no one being seriously hurt. Tri-City pitcher, Jack (Beanie) Warren leaped in the middle of the fray, glove and all, and afterwards joked that he pinned both Greco and Vancouver catcher Nick Pesut.
Greco, a former Tri-City player who had never worn a Tri-City uniform, got a piece of one just as the melee ended. In the confusion, he lost his cap and Warren lost his. After some checking up. Greco found he was wearing Warren's cap and Warren had Greco's.
The brawl itself, and especially since it involved the much-berated Greco, came as on extra-bonus for Tri-City fans who felt they had their money's worth just watching the pitching of Clough.
Bill Brenner, the Cap manager, tried to show his charges what was expected of them when he hit a line single in the third inning. With the exception of K. Chorlton, the rest of the team failed to benefit by the lesson.
Chorlton hit one down the third base line in the fourth inning and was later cut down in a double play. The other hit, by Bob Wellman, was a scroungy infield bouncer that Clough couldn't quite get to and third baseman Sam Kanelos didn't have time to field.
With the exception of the three hits, the twice-hit Greco, and Pesut's getting in on an error, no other Cap batters reached first. None of them got beyond that point.
With Clough setting the Caps down in order, the game was a short one lasting but one hour and 35 minutes plus five minutes for grappling.
Tri-City jumped on John Cordell, Vancouver starter, for four runs on three hits and error and Bob Moniz' double in the second inning.
Brenner took over in the third and gave up single runs then and in the fourth and seventh innings.
Vancouver .... 000 000 000—0  3 2
Tri-City ........ 041 100 10x—7 12 1
Cordell, Brenner (2) and Pesut; Clough and Warren.

SPOKANE, Wash., May 18—Wil Hafey and Eddie Murphy both had something special to celebrate Tuesday night and they did it with fine ball playing as Spokane whipped Lewiston 6-3 in the first game of their three-game Western International League baseball series.
Murphy, playing his 1,000th game of professional baseball, came up with two spectacular catches in the outfield. Hafey, celebrating his birthday, led off the Spokane scoring with anothee run in the second inning.
Pitcher John Anderson chalked up his fifth straight win in going the distance for Spokane. Grumpy Guy Fletcher was the losing pitcher.
Lewiston ...... 000 100 002—3 5 1
Spokane ...... 022 011 10x—6 8 2
Fletcher, Kime (7) and Garay; Anderson and Dean.

YAKIMA [Victoria Colonist, May 19]—Victoria Tyees, led last night by manager Don Pries, continued their early-season superiority over Salem by handing the Senators a 5-3 setback at Salem.
It was the fifth win in six games with the Oregon club this season and it moved the Tyees into a three-way tie for second place, a game and a half behind the leading Capilanos.
FLINN GOES THE DISTANCE
Lanky Hal Flinn struggled through the full nine innings for Victoria as he scattered 11 hits well enough to spread the Salem scoring over three innings. He hooked up in a keen pitching duel with Gene Johnson.
It was 1-1 after six innings, the Tyees scoring on an error and hits by Steve Mesner and Tom Perez. Victoria went ahead in the top of the seventh, managing one run on three bases on balls and a hit batsman—and missing a chance to tie it up.
Senators got that one back in their half but Pries tripled in the eighth and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2, and then doubled with the bags loaded in the ninth to drive in what proved to be the winning run. Salem got one back in the ninth.
Victoria .... 001 000 112—5  8 2
Salem ...... 010 000 101—3 11 1
Flinn and Martin; Johnson, Borst (7) and Heisner.

CALGARY, May 18 — Two home runs by first baseman Jim Wert paved the way Tuesday night for the Calgary Stampeders to defeat Yakima, 12-6, in a Western International Baseball League game here before 800 fans.
Wert hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to cut Yakima's lead to 6-3 and then unloaded a grand-slam homer in the fifth to give the Stamps a 7-6 lead.
Dennis Luby boosted the Calgary lead with a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
Bill Stites, who came on for starter Rod Owen in the second, came through with a great relief job to gain the victory.
Yakima ...... 042 000 000— 6  7 2
Calgary ..... 010 244 01x—12 13 1
Wulf, Schaening (5) and Albini; Owen, Stites (2) and Luby.

EDMONTON, May 18 — The Wenatchee Chiefs edged the Edmonton Eskimos, 7-6, Tuesday night in a marathon three-hour baseball game which officially opened the Western International League season here. A first night crowd of 3,437 took in the game.
It took nearly an hour to play two innings and two more hours to finish the game.
Outfielders John McKeown and Andy Skurski were the big guns at the plate for Eskimos. McKeown blasted a three-run homer in the first inning and Skurski followed with a circuit clout to give Edmonton a 4-0 first inning lead.
Wenatchee got two runs in the top of the second only to have the Eskimos regain the four-run lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Chiefs hog-tied the Eskimos after that and gradually chipped away the lead to tie it up at 6-6 and win with a run in the top of the ninth when Joe Unfried, who had doubled with two out, scored on Don Farber's single off Art Worth.
Wenatchee ..... 021 210 001—7 12 2
Edmonton ....... 420 000 000—6  8 0
Bowman, DeCarolis (2), Thompson (6) and Jenney; McNulty, LeBrun (2), Worth (5) and Prentice.

From Our Tower
By DICK BEDDOES
[Vancouver Sun, May 19, 1954]
Dick Greco Eyes Record
DICK GRECO, Vancouver Caps’ heavy-hitting, slight-fielding outfielder, is unafraid of left-handed pitchers. “Lefties don’t bother me none,” he says, “as long as they’re only allowed to throw one ball at a time.” Greco has hit seven home runs this summer, 36 less than the all-time Western International League record of 43, set by Jim Warner at Wenatchee in 1949.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, May 19, 1954]
It's a heck of a situation in the baseball world.
Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor spends winter and spring hassling and rassling around trying to get players to sign. Then comes June and a good number have to be sold, traded or released.
Right now some of the players on the roster have about as much security as a top dog in the Kremlin and on almost any gathering of fans, the question is Who are they going to cut loose?
There will be cuts in other positions, but the pitching staff is the number 1 group under discussion. The Braves have nine pitchers which is not a healthy situation. First of all, with a 17-player limit, a club can't carry that many. Secondly, there is the matter of extra salaries.
Most of all, though, it means that by using all nine from time to time, your better pitchers are not starting and not pitching enough games.
In the majors, some of the old boys are only effective if they pitch not more lhan once a week. But here, those boys have to go every fourth day or they won't do so well.
So even without league limits, the Tri-City pitching roster would have to be cut. So — Which ones? A glance at the records would indicate the job of selection to be relatively easy. But the glance at the records isn't enough. Frequently, those guys with lousy early season records are rhe ones that shift to other clubs and then come around and beat you five times in the middle of August.
* * *
It's Problem For Brass
The problem is one for Taylor and playing manager Edo Vanni so I won't second-guess them. But all the pitchers have some points for 'em and some points against em. Here's the list. You can take your choice.
* * *
Don Has Been Effective
First off, Don Robertson, the mosl proven performer on the staff this season. He is the only one to win consistently and has four victories to his credit. He is the only one to pitch two complete games. Don is pretty secure and any move from here probably would be a move up.
* * *
So Has Bloom
Dale Bloom - Dale hasn't won as many games but he probably has pitched just as effective ball as Don in early games this season. Like Don, any move from here would be up.
* * *
Savarese Has Troubles
Ted Savarese — Ted has had a rough time this season losing four games in four starts. One however was one of those we "shoulda won" losses. In his favor is the fact he is the only veteran lefty on the roster. Also, Ted has performed effectively in former years and it may be that he is just getting a slow start.
* * *
And So Has Guldborg
Bud Guldborg — Bud's another having a rough time although he has won one. However, Bud was a proven, performer in this league before and is probably feeling that absence of a year from organized ball. Control seems to be his big problem. He has walked 16 in 18 innings. At the same time, he has struck out eight which is the highest percentage of strikeouts per inning, pitched for Tri-City hurlers.
* * *
Clough Looks Better
Walt Clough — Walt had his troubles earlier this season — then came through with seven innings of good pitching and his first win. Going the distance seems to be his major trouble and he probably will be stronger in future games. Also, don't forget Walt had a fair Coast league record last year — pitching in 135 innings and having an ERA of 3.79. This wasn't the best but it was still better than records of Tom Lovrich at Seattle, Dick Waibel at Portland, and Ted Shandor at San Francisco. (Note: This was written prior to his 7-0 win Tuesday night.)
Most of Walt's Coast league pitching was in relief and the desire to be a starling pitcher is one of the reasons why he is here.
* * *
Coggin's Arm Is A Worry
Cliff Coggin — Coggin has pitched but 12 innings but has proved to be pretty effective. Last season in the Coast league, Coggin had an ERA of 3.33 which put him up with the best. He would be there yet except he has had "sore arm" trouble. In this league, he will do exceptionally well if the arm doesn't act up or give out.
* * *
Thomason Moves Up
Dale Thomason — When Vanni outlined his plans for a pitching staff, he wanted four starters, another to go the "middle distance" whenever a starter was pounded off the mound in the early innings, and a relief man to go one or two innings at the end of the game.
Thomason was the boy Edo had in mind for the middle distance, but Dale's pitching lately has been good enough that he may soon be given a crack at a starting role.
* * *
Earl Is Special Situation
Earl Lemieux — Earl has pitched the least of any on the team and at first glance would be one to cut from the roster. But don't let that first glance fool you. Earl is a rookie, has a lot of possibilities and what he needs most is experience. Edo figures he can get pitching experience in those games where the Braves are behind 13-2 at the end if the third inning. That way the Braves can develop a pitcher, yet the guy isn't costly enough to break the club. Earl has a good chance of sticking with the club or at the most, being optioned out.
* * *
Jess Will Do Better
Last of all, Jess Dobernic — Right now Jess's stock is at a pretty low level—even to the point where the fans hoot when he comes out to the mound. However, last season Jess had his troubles in the early part of the season, and it was to be expected this year. He will undoubtedly save games when the weather warms up, but if he doesn't—look out. Jess's salary is one of the larger ones and Taylor may feel it is worth keeping in the till.

Dick Greco Signs With Capilanos

Found: Left Fielder For Opener Tonight
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, April 29, 1954]
General Manager Bill Brenner of the pro baseball Capilanos has found his left fielder in time for tonight’s WIL opener at Capilano Stadium.
Bill tried everybody by Trainer Hal Younker in left pasture during spring training in an attempt to get the man he wanted.
He finally got that man today, when Dick Greco, one of the storied sluggers of the league, got final official clearance from all hands and signed a Vancouver form.
Greco, who has muscles on his muscles, will be in the cleanup spot in the starting lineup tonight at 8:15 p.m. against Victoria Tyees. Opening ceremonies, with a band, singer, and introduction of players, start at 8 p.m.
* * *
Pitcher Bill Franks will be on the mound, opposing Victoria’s ace, Bob Drilling.
Here’s how the Caps, featuring what is alleged to be good power, plenty of veterans, and not too many faces from 1953, will line up:
Jim Clark, shortstop; K Chorlton, centre field; Marv Williams, second base; Dick Greco, left field; Ken Richardson, third base; Nick Pesut, catcher; Arnie Hallgren, right field; Ellis Daugherty, first base; Bill Franks, pitcher.
* * *
DIAMOND DUST – The Caps cut their roster by one Wednesday when pitcher Baz Nagle was given his release … And negotiations are going on between Wenatchee and Seattle Rainiers for Lloyd Jenney … The Chiefs want Jenney as a catcher … Bill Brenner is scheduled to pitch the Caps’ second game Friday … Then the locals go on the road, playing in Yakima Saturday and twice Sunday … They return home Monday to play Seattle’s Coast League team in their annual exhibition tussle … Incidentally, the Capilanos have an exhibition contest billed for Bellingham for their first open Sunday.
* * *
Greco got in a little batting practice with the Caps last night and gave the some 500 fans who braved the cold for the full dress rehearsal quite a show … he bounced one off the left field corner flag just to prove his reflexes were still operating … Brenner got in trim by attending a Junior Chamber of Commerce dinner in Stanley Park Pavilion and giving them a preview of the ’54 club.
* * *
Elsewhere around the circuit tonight, Bob Abel, league president, will attend the game at Kennewick between Tri-City Braves and Calgary Stampeders.
Edmonton will open at Salem, Wenatchee at Lewiston, and Yakima at Spokane.

Spring Training, Wednesday, April 28, 1954

Greco Telegram Away From Cap Home Opener
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, April 28, 1954]
Big Dick Greco, one of the most fearsome sluggers ever to grace the Western International League, is one telegram away from being in the Vancouver Capilanos’ outfield on opening night, tomorrow, at Capilano Stadium.
Greco, put on the waiver list by Tri-City Braves, wasn’t claimed by any of the other nine clubs in the league.
As per an earlier agreement, it he wasn’t picked up, League President Robert Abel was to then send Greco’s personal cheque for $3500 to Tri-City, who would in turn give Greco his free agency.
All that is required now is a telegram from Eddie Taylor, Braves’ general manager, to Abel, saying that the large fly-chaser is now a free man. General Manager Bill Brenner of the Capilanos will then waste no time getting Dick’s name on a contract so he can take over the No. 4 batting spot in Thursday’s inaugural against Victoria Tyees.
Taylor, more than a bit unhappy about the whole Greco situation, could still foul up the deal by temporarily holding back the telegram. But Abel told Brenner today that he was personally appealing to Taylor to send the wire immediately.
If Greco, renowned around the circuit as along ball hitter, does play Thursday, he’ll likely play right field, with Arnie Hallgren moving to left.
The rest of the lineup will read: Nick Pesut, catcher; Ellis Daugherty, first base; Marv Williams, second base; Ken Richardson, third base; Jim Clark, shortstop and Bill Franks, pitcher.
Clark, who twisted an ankle Sunday in Lewiston, gave it a rest in the Caps’ last two exhibition games in Yakima, and is expected to be ready Thursday. If not, handyman Bob Duretto will be pressed into service for that spot.
Incidentally, a skeleton crew of Caps dropped last night’s game in Yakima, 14-4, as the Bears fattened up on the offerings of Baz Nagle and Bill Tompkins.
DIAMOND DUST – All the Caps pulled into town today and will hold a full dress rehearsal at Cap Stadium tonight at 7:30 under the lights … Ticket sales have been brisk, and is more than double what it was at this time last year … An acrobatic troupe, the Olympians, who jump about on trampolines and such, has been lined up as an added attraction for Seattle Rainiers’ visit here next Monday.

Drilling To Open Against Vancouver
Tyees Complete Pre-Season Schedule Trounce Farmers Before 1,200 Fans
[Victoria Colonist, April 28, 1954]
Victoria Tyees completed their pre-season exhibition schedule last night by trouncing Farmers’ Construction, 17-1, at Royal Athletic Park. An estimated 1,200 fans took in all or part of the game, which was “on the house.”
It was the sixth straight win for the Tyees, training at home for the first time in club history. They met Farmers’ Construction four times and Courtenay twice. Although the calibre of opposition was not up to WIL standards, the Tyees indicated they will have good punch despite the total lack of a regular lefthanded-hitting regular, and one of the league’s finer infields. There may be need for another outfielder and the club could use one or two good pitchers.
Don Pries, starting his first managerial season, tempered his usual optimism with a wee bit of caution when queried about his views last night. He was satisfied with the club’s infield, the versatility on the club and its spirit but admitted it was hard to judge performance off a short training season with only amateur opposition.
LINEUP SET
Pries was almost certain of his starting line-up for the league opener against Vancouver Capilanos at Vancouver tomorrow night. He gave Bob Drilling the nod as opening-game pitcher and there was no surprises in any of the other positions.
Unless his back injury proves more troublesome than expected, Pries will be at first base tomorrow, Ron Jackson will be at second, Steve Mesner at third and Eddie Lake at shortstop. From left to right in the outfield it will be Joe Joshua, Tommy Perez and Dain Clay. Milt Martin will do the catching.
Not quite as certain about his batting order, Pries indicated Jackson would lead off, Pries will bat second followed in order by Lake, Mesner, Perez, Joshua, Clay, Martin and Drilling. Clay, a veteran who still has most of his speed afoot, will probably move up after a few games, but has had less than a week of training.
RESERVES LISTED
In reserve the Tyees have outfielder-catcher Armando Sanchez, outfielder-first baseman Art Seguso, outfielders Jerry Kane and Tom Keough, and infielders Pepper Wesley, Primo Santini and Jerry Parker. No all will make the first road trip with the club. Pries intended to carry all eight pitchers on hand and only 11 other players. However, the manager couldn’t name the players he will keep last night. Those who don’t make it will be sent out to another club, the Tyees wishing to retain title to the best-looking group of rookies they have ever had.
[unreadable] Friday night game at Vancouver, with Bill Prior likely to open the Wenatchee series Saturday. Pries was undecided about his starters for Sunday’s doubleheader but is planning to have Drilling ready for the Victoria opener against Tri-City next Monday. He can choose from Bob Moen, ex-University of Washington southpaw who reported yesterday, southpaws Berlyn Hodges and Dan Smith, and righthanders Jim Reynolds and Mike Kanshin.
HODGES STARTS
Last night, Hodges started for the Tyees and went five innings. He gave up three hits, no runs, struck out four and gave up four bases on balls. He flashed an effective curve and was in control. Smith, the big rookie from Fairbanks, Alaska, finished up and yielded three hits in his four innings, striking out one and walking one. The only run off his delivery, in the seventh inning, was the result of a ball lost in the lights which fell for a double.
Batting against Lowell Hodges, Don Donahue, Bernie Anderson and Art Worth, the Tyees had a 10-lead [sic] after three innings, scored three more in the fourth and sixth and one in the eighth as they wrapped out 15 hits. Included were three doubles by Jackson in his first three trips, a bases-loaded double by Martin, a double by Mesner and a triple by Joshua. Mesner, who hasn’t been hitting in previous games, indicated he may be ready by adding two singles.
Ron Karadimis not only picked up three solid singles for the losers but came up with several good catches in right field.
Pries will put his club through a lengthy batting drill today in its last workout. The Tyees will go to Vancouver by air and they aren’t going to see much left-handed pitching. Herman Franks, a 13-game winner with Spokane last season, will pitch the first game for Caps while manager Bill Brenner will do the honors in the second.

Spring Training, Thursday, April 22, 1954

Greco May Be Cap Yet
Tri-City Calls For Waivers
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, April 22, 1954]
CLARKSTON, Wash.—Vancouver Capilanos won another ball game Wednesday, trodding on Larson air force base, 11-3. But that was item No. 5 in the news department. The big four:
1. Dick Greco has re-entered the Caps’ “outfield stake” race.
2. Seattle Rainiers have suddenly decided they like outfielder Bob Wellman and have decided to keep him, temporarily anyway.
3. Seattle won’t be sending us pitcher Pete Hernandez, but they’ve promised to ship along another.
4. The coast league club is sending catcher-outfielder Lloyd Jenney to Vancouver option. He’ll join the club here immediately.
The Greco story is intriguing. The muscular slugger and erstwhile WIL homerun king has said all along he wouldn’t report to the Tri-City Braves, who own his contract. Dick, whose wife is a British Columbia girl, want to play for the Caps and nobody else.
Eddie Taylor, Tri-City general manager, has been asking $3500 for Greco, for whom he paid $1500. The result was a stalemate, with the Caps unwilling to go that high and Greco refusing to report to Tri-City.
Finally, Greco appealed to Bob Abel WIL president who ruled as follows: Tri-City have 36 hours in which to ask for waivers on Greco. If nobody picks up the waivers, Greco will then present Taylor with his personal cheque for $3500 and obtain his release. Then, of course, he’d be free to sign with Vancouver.
There’s always the chance, though, that somebody might claim Greco. In that case, Taylor would probably have to withdraw the waivers and Greco would be right where he is now, on the suspended list.
The Caps will need Greco if they don’t get Wellman. The latter has been counted on as the club’s No. 4 hitter and power man, a position that Greco would fit just as well. If Vancouver ends up with both of them, that duo would create a lot of havoc with the city big bats. If they don’t get either they will still have protection in the garden with Arnie Hallgren, Danny Holden, Jenney and Bob Duretto available as flankers for K. Chorlton in centre.
General manager Bill Brenner said that his Seattle counterpart, Dewey Soriano, would not tell him who the pitcher is he’d send instead of Pete Hernandez, but it won’t be Lonnie Myers or Van Fletcher. It’s somebody who has never been in the WIL before, Brenner said.
Jenney, who is not a negro as was earlier reported, is said to be a good hitter, but the gen is that he can’t throw. A .367 hitter last ear with Tucson, he plays outfield, catches and can also play first base.
The Caps didn’t get much competition here yesterday, and most of the regulars left early. The air men play the Caps again here today.

Tyees Get Outfielder; Play Farmers Tonight
[Victoria Colonist, April 22, 1954]
Another player was acquired and a needed pitcher reported yesterday as Victoria Tyees went through their eighth day of spring training at Royal Athletic Park. And as far as could be learned last night, there was still no sign of Eddie Lake, who will be the club’s shortstop this season—if he gets here by opening day.
Latest acquisition is Joe Joshua, a 200-pound colored infielder-outfielder who comes to the club on option from the Seattle Rainiers. Joshua, who is due in today from Seattle, played for Tucson in the class “C” Arizona-Texas League last season and compiled an impressive record.
Appearing in 135 games, 120 as a shortstop and 15 as an outfielder, Joshua connected for 194 hits in 540 times at bat to post a .359 batting average. Among his hits were 29 home runs, nine triples and 32 doubles and he drove in 128 runs and scored 164. Another pleasing statistic shows evidence of speed in the fact that he stole 39 bases.
That was Joshua’s second season in the league. In 1952, playing with Phoenix, he had a .334 average with 145 hits in 434 times at bat. He scored 110 runs, stole 43 bases, drove in 87 runs, and hit 11 home runs, nine triples and 22 doubles. He also played in four positions—55 games at shortstop, 35 at first base, 16 at third base, and 11 in the outfield.
ALL EXCEPT PITCHING
Acquistion of Joshua just about completes the Tyees’ roster, except for the pitching staff, although the club certainly wouldn’t turn down a standout outfielder who swings from the first-base side of the plate.
As matters now stand, manager Don Pries will have seven infielders and seven outfielders from which to choose when everyone has reported and it would appear that the Tyees are set except for pitching.
In addition to Pries, there are Steve Mesner, Ron Jackson, and rookies Primo Santini, Pepper Wesley and Jerry Parker for infield duty. Joshua will be used in the outfield, where Dain Clay, Tom Perez, Art Seguso, Armando Sanchez, Tom Keough and Jerry Kane are other candidates.
INTER-CHANGEABLE
Of the above, only Parker hits lefthanded and it could be that the Tyees will field an all-right-handed batting order. On the other hand, there is versatility needed in minor league baseball. Both Joshua and Perez can play in the infield and Pries has done everything but catch for the club in three previous seasons. Both Sanchez and Kane can fill in acceptably as understudy for catcher Milt Martin so that the Tyees, if they wish, can go this season with only nine players outside of pitchers and not worry unduly about an injury to a regular.
Pitching, however, remains a problem. On hand are holdover Bob Drilling, Bill Prior and Berlyn Hodges, and newcomers Hal Flinn, Mike Kanshin and Don Smith, a rookie southpaw from Fairbanks, Alaska, who showed up yesterday. However, Portland Beavers will send help this week, probably in the persons of John Tierney and Bill Bottler, both of whom have seen service here previously. And the Tyees have the promise of another hurler from a WIL club before the opener at Vancouver next Thursday.
GAME AT 6:30
Tonight, the Tyees will meet Farmers Construction at Royal Athletic Park for the second time. They got into an argument Monday before coming out on top, 7-3. Game time is 6:30 and Pries will again give everyone in camp a chance to show his wares.

THURSDAY GAMES

CLARKSTON, April 22 — Four Vancouver home runs—three of them by Danny Holden—helped the Western International Leaguers batter Larson Air Force Base of Moses Lake 8-3 in a seven inning exhibition baseball game Thursday.
Larson ....... 001 001 1—3 5 0
Lewiston ... 034 010 x—8 11 2
Dewitt, Scesa (3) and Ziemer, Nelson (3); Moen, Tompkins (6) and Lundberg.

KENNEW1CK, April 22 — Lewiston bunched its hits to beat Tri-City 8-4 in a Western International League exhibition game Thursday and take a 2-1 lead in their four-game series.
Al Heist, Lewiston centerfielder, homered in the first with none on base and also got a double and single in four other times at bat for batting honors. Rube Johnson, Tri-City catcher, hit a home run with one on in the first inning to tally two of his team's runs.
Chris Mezich, rookie pitcher from Seattle, took the mound for Tri-City in the fifth for his first professional baseball. He hit the first batter and next allowed a double but then settled down.
Lewiston .... 021 012 008—8 7 3
Tri-City ..... 220 000 000—4 7 3
Tisnerat, Kinsey (8) and Cameron; Richardson, Mezich (8), Guldborg (9) and Johnson and McCarroll (8).

Slugger Greco Back in WIL

Dick Greco Purchased By Tri-City
KENNEWICK, Dec. 4—Eddie Taylor, new general manager of the Tri-City Braves, telegraphed Friday from Atlanta, Ga., he had bought a pitcher and outfielder for the Western International League club.
The pitcher, righthander Clarence Beers, 32, was obtained on a “look-see” basis from Charleston of the American Association. Beers went to Charleston last season after a brief trial with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.
Outfielder Greco was Taylor’s other purchase. Greco went last season to Williamsport of the Eastern League from Ottawa of the International League. A long-ball hitter, he formerly played with the since-disbanded Tacoma Tigers of the WIL.