Wednesday, June 23, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 34 19 .642 —
Yakima ....... 32 25 .561 4
Edmonton ..... 24 23 .511 7
Lewiston ..... 28 28 .500 7½
Wenatchee .... 28 30 .482 8½
Salem ........ 28 31 .475 9
Victoria ..... 23 30 .465 11
Tri-City ..... 25 33 .431 11½

YAKIMA [Vancouver Province, June 24]—General Manager Bill Brenner of the Capilanos made a deal Wednesday to strengthen his club for the Western International League’s second half race, and he took immediate steps to keep his charges in front in the first half, which ends July 5. Brenner Wednesday purchased pitcher Pete Hernandez, an 18-game winner with the Caps last year, from Seattle Rainiers for considerably less than the original asking price of $3500. In consideration of the cut-rate price, Seattle will get Vancouver outfielder K. Chorlton at the end of the first half.
AND ANOTHER
Chorlton, who has had several unsuccessful whirls with the Rainiers, but has been giving a great year with the Caps, was hitting .333 as of Tuesday. Hernandez will join the Caps immediately, but Brenner told The Province Wednesday by long distance phone that he refused to let Chorlton go until the end of the first half.
By that time, there will be another outfielder here. He’s a highly-recommended youngster out of San Francisco named Phil Marvier.
By then, too, Danny Holden may have cinched a starting spot in the outfield. The local boy, who’s been filling in for injured shortstop Jimmy Clark recently, has been getting his base hits.
ARNIE BENCHED
Arnie Hallgren, who has been in a protracted batting slump that’s starting to affect his fielding, too, was benched. Bob Duretto took over at shortstop for Clark, who pulled a muscle in Vancouver last week and still can’t run. Dick Greco was dropped from the cleanup spot to sixth, and Bob Wellman moved into the no. four slot.
The combination worked as the Caps took Yakima Bears into camp, 6-0, to move four game ahead of their second-place victims again. Brenner himself had much to do with the win. He was at his knuckling best as he gave up just five hits, all of them after the sixth inning, for his ninth win against four losses.
Bob Roberts will pitch for Vancouver tonight as the series winds up here. The Caps return home Friday for a double-header against Lewiston Broncs, with George Nicholas and possibly Pete Hernandez doing the pitching.
- - -
YAKIMA, Wash., June 23—Vancouver's Manager Bill Brenner held the Yakima Bears to five hits as the Capilanos widened their Western International League margin to four games over the Bears with 6-0 baseball Wednesday night.
The Capilanos sewed up the tilt in the third inning with four runs, all of them unearned.
It started with Nick Pesut getting an infield single. Dan Holden walked and K. Chorlton singled to centre to load the bases. Marv Williams was safe on an error, and one run was in.
Bob Wellman flied out, scoring the second run. Ken Richardson walked and Dick Greco singled, scoring two more.
Greco and Chorlton were both three-for-five, with Greco doubling twice to bring in two runs. Brenner and Richardson also doubled for the Caps, while the Bears were held only to singles. Brenner walked one and struck out three.
Vancouver ...... 004 001 001—6 13 1
Yakima ........... 000 000 000—0  5 3
Brenner and Pesut; Carmichael, Carter (9) and Summers.

SALEM [Tri-City Herald, June 24]—The Tri-City Braves and the Salem Senators go into the fourth and final game of the four-game series there today with Tri-City needing a win to break even.
Wednesday night, the Braves won the opening game of a twin bill, 6-1, and dropped the second game, 3-2.
When the Braves return here, they will play a four-game series with their “natural rivals.” The first game Friday night will be kid’s night. All high school youngsters and younger will be admitted free.
The games Friday will be 7:30 p m. Saturday the two teams will play a doubleheader and Sunday they will play a single game beginning at 5 p.m.
The early Sunday starting time is brought about by the necessity of leaving early for the long haul to Edmonton the following day.
Tri-City general manager Eddie Taylor, pleased with the fan support given the team last weekend, said today he hopes the Tri-Citians won’t let them down this weekend.”
“We can see our way out of the woods,” he said, “but we are not out yet.”
The series is the last before a payroll comes due and before the Edmonton trip.
“If we can get a turnout like last weekend’s, I think we will be okay.” Taylor said. He added that if Tri-City can hold its own during the first half, “perhaps we can do something about getting players who can help us in the second half.”
Taylor said he thought the primary need was pitching, and the overall record would indicate that is the case. However, it wasn’t pitching, that hurt the Braves Wednesday night.
Jess Dobernic, the old vet, jerked up a good one in the seven-inning opener. Jess gave up a homer, his tenth of the season, but the Tri-City batting lineup off-set that with six runs.
The homer was one of three hits off Dobernic.
“He looked like Jess of Old,” playing manager Vanni said. “All he needs is some work and he is going to get it.”
In the second game, starter Dale Bloom gave up one unearned run before being taken out. Lefty Earl Lemieux then pitched until Salem scored with winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
Lemieux gave up a hit to Carl Bellotti to start the inning. Bellotti was sacrificed along and catcher Floyd Ogden was intentionally passed. Lemieux was taken out and Don Robertson took over.
The first batter got an infield hit and squeeze bunt brought Bellotti in from third.
Lemieux’s weak hitting cost him heavily in the game. Once he came to bat with the bases loaded and struck out.
* * *
Tri-City playing manager Edo Vanni said today in Salem that pitcher Dale Bloom’s arm “tightened up a bit on him” in the game with the Senators Wednesday night, “but it is nothing serious.”
“I just wasn’t going to take any chance," Vanni said. “He is too valuable a man to the club.”
Vanni pulled Bloom in the third inning of the second game with the Senators although the pitcher was not in serious trouble. However, he gave indications that he was having arm trouble and Vanni replaced him with lefty Earl Lemieux.
Vanni said “I thought, the heck with it. I like to win games too but why let a pitcher throw his arm away for one game. He’s worth dough to the club and he has worked hard to get a crack at higher league ball. So I pulled him out.
“But he’ll be okay, now.”
Vanni said he will start Dale Thomason against Salem tonight and use Don Robertson against the Senators Friday night when they return to Sanders Field.
In the game Wednesday night, the Senators scored the tying run in the seventh inning when Lemieux threw a wild pitch.
“I don’t know where the kid got that one,” Vanni said. “Every once in a while these pitchers come up with some kind of a new pitch. That one cost him the game.”
But Vanni added, “It’s okay. He pitched darn good ball except for that one.”
* * *
The Tri-City Braves brought their roster up to the full 17 with the signing of Bill Tompkins, former Calgary pitcher.
The lefthander has pitched very little this season but is strongly recommended by former Calgary manager Gene Lilliard [sic].
This is his second season in professional baseball.
First Game
Tri-City ..... 500 001 0—6 10 1
Salem ....... 100 000 0—1  3 5
Dobernic and Warren; Del Sarto, Borst (1), Rayle (6) and Ogden.
Second Game
Tri-City ..... 000 002 000—2 8 2
Salem ....... 100 000 101—3 7 1
Bloom, Lemieux (3) Robertson (8) and Johnson, Warren (8); Johnson, Rayle (6) and Odgen, Scrivens ().

LEWISTON, June 23—Lewiston walked to a 10-3 victory Wednesday night as Victoria pitchers Joe Nicholas, Hal Flinn and Phil Page gave up 13 bases on balls in a wild Western International League game.
Nicholas, who was supposed to take over leadership of the Victoria mound staff, made his second start and didn't get past the first inning. The Broncs scored four times for all the runs they needed on four walks, a single and Clint Cameron's double. Flinn came in, gave up a run in the second then was knocked off the rubber in a five-run fifth that took 35 minutes to play.
Page stopped them tere but the Tyees could do nothing with Dean Kime, who scattered
seven hits while gaining his third victory against one defeat. Only one of Victoria's three runs was earned.
A bit of extra action was provided in the fifth when some rough play at second base brought players from both clubs to the centre of the diamond. The dispute was settled without too much damage being done.
Victoria ....... 000 000 021— 3 7 2
Lewiston ..... 410 050 00x—10 8 2
Nicholas, Flinn (1), Page (5) and Lundberg; Kime and Cameron.

EDMONTON, June 23—The Edmonton Eskimos handed Wenatchee its fifth straight loss, defeating the Chiefs, 10-5, in a Western International League game Wednesday.
Don Gigli and Bob Brown starred for Edmonton. Gigli homered with two aboard in the
Eskimos' four-run third inning. Brown contributed a bases-empty homer.
The loss dropped Wenatchee to fifth place, 8½ games off the pace.
Edmonton ....... 104 020 003—10 9 2
Wenatchee ..... 000 200 012— 5 8 1
Worth and Prentice; Beamon, Bowman (4) and Helmuth.

WIL Schedule Change Noted
TACOMA, June 23 — This is the official revised schedule for the Western International Baseball League, June 23 to July 5, according to Robert B. Abel, league president:
June 23-24 — Tri-City at Salem; Edmonton at Wenatchee; Vancouver at Yakima; Victoria at Lewiston.
June 25-26 — Lewiston at Vancouver.
June 25-26-27 — Salem at Tri-City; Victoria at Wenatchee; Edmonton at Yakima.
June 28-29-30 — Salem at Vancouver; Tri-City at Edmonton; Lewiston at Victoria; Yakima at Wenatchee.
July 1-2 — Tri-City at Edmonton.
July 1-2-3 — Yakima at Vancouver; Wenatchee at Victoria; Lewiston at Salem.
July 4-5 — Victoria at Tri-City; Vancouver at Salem; Edmonton at Lewiston; Wenatchee at Yakima.

Rainiers Obtain Three WIL Players
SEATTLE, June 23—(AP)—The Seattle Rainiers' management started to re-shuffle the roster of tne filth-place Coast League baseball club Wednesday and the first three cards it came up with were from the Western International League pack.
Dewey Soriano, general manager of the Rainiers, announced that players are being obtained from the Vancouver, Victoria and Wenatchee clubs.
K Chorlton, outfielder, who began his career with Seattle in 1950 after graduating from high school here, is being brought back from Vancouver in exchange for pitcher Pete Hernandez.
Chorlton flunked out with Seattle after going through spring training with the Rainiers. He has been hitting at a .380 clip for the Canadian club.
Joe Joshua, Negro fielder who also went through spring training with the Rainiers before going to Victoria, was the second man recalled.
The third is Lloyd Jenney, Wenatchee catcher and left handed batter who was been hitting at a .364 page for the Chiefs.
Hernandez has a 3-2 pitching record for Seattle this year, gained in his role of relief hurler.

Players Get New Jobs
SPOKANE, June 23—Sixteen players left without jobs when the Spokane Indians suspended operations this week are hooking on with other baseball clubs, manager Don Osborn said Wednesday.
Osborn said Larry Cummins, a free agent who joined the club on its last road trip, is the only player not yet signed. He said teams acquiring ether players will announce their choices.
The Spokane team dropped out of the League Monday after failure of a drive to raise funds to keep the club in business the remainder of the season.
Osborn said he will clean up the Indians’ business here, then take a job in the Philadelphia Phillies farm organization.

Ducey Hopes for Western Canada League Someday
EDMONTON, June 23 — John Ducey, manager of Edmonton Eskimos of the Western International Baseball League, has expressed hope that one day a Western Canada league might be formed, embracing such cities as Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Regina.
Addressing a service club here Tuesday night, Ducey said the idea of an all-Canadian baseball league strikes a responsive chord in most westerners. American cities, such as Spokane, were never very enthusiastic about playing in Canada.
He said it is hoped that both Calgary Stampeders and Spokane Indians, beset by financial difficulties this season, will return to the WIL next year. The two clubs withdrew from the league last Monday.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, June 24, 1954]
With the folding of two teams and the release of a manager or so, the semi-pro nines back east made a bigger haul than the teams in the Western International league.
When the Calgary Stampeders went under, all of the players were given releases, with the exception of Dennis Luby who belongs to Cleveland. Of that released group, almost all took off to Nova Scotia to play semi-pro ball at roughly $800 a month.
Tri-City’s hoped for deal for Harvey Storey also fell through and Storey has gone into semi-pro ball.
General manager Eddie Taylor tried to talk him out of it but Storey has played semi-pro before and is familiar with the risks — and the salaries.
All this information comes from Taylor, who has been busy sounding out the field on the possibility of getting some players. The one big fish he especially sought was John Anderson, former Spokane pitcher. Anderson belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies and Taylor tried to get him on option here.
They turned the deal down preferring to send Anderson to Schenectady in the Eastern League where they have a working agreement. Maybe it’s just as well. Anderson undoubtedly would have done something to help Tri-City’s lowly place in the standings but it’s getting to be [an] axiom of baseball that “he in the WIL who deals with the Phillies folds up.”
* * *
That Spokane Deal
Efforts to find out the wonderful procedure concerning disposal of the Spokane ballplayers and their status in relation to the Western International league amounted to nothing.
I really didn’t expect anything to happen and merely checked up just for the fun of it.
Specifically, the issue was this: It was pretty well-known throughout the league that all but three of the Spokane players belonged to the Philadelphia Phils through a working agreement. However, at the recent league meeting, league president Bob Abel, while discussing the situation, blandly said only two of the Philadelphia players were on option and that Spokane actually “owned” the rest of the group.
* * *
What Happened To Them?
Now ordinarily, when a team folds, the players are either taken over by the league and sold to pay any back debts, or given outright releases.
So the question was how about those Phillie players actually “owned” by Spokane? Why weren’t they put on the block so other teams could buy them? Or, if no one wanted them, why weren’t they released?
When these questions were put to Abel, they didn’t bring, what one would exactly call a direct answer. First off, he said it was seven players and not two optioned to the Phils.
Then he said, yes, the players could be sold and some of them have. Which ones? He didn’t remember. For how much? $4,000. Who bought them? The Phils.
Were other clubs given a chance to bid on them? Oh, yes, at the league meeting at Spokane.
Finally, it came out. It seems when Babe Hollingberry of Yakima put up $7,000 to pay the back salaries of the Spokane players, he received the following assurance he would get his money back: If Spokane folded, as it eventually did, the Phils would pay the league $4,000 for Wil Hafey, Eddie Murphy, and Virgil Giovannoni — the only three players the Phils didn’t have any real or working agreement control over. The rest of Hollingberry’s $7,000 was to come from the $3,100 each team must deposit with the national association before the season starts.
* * *
Control Stopped With Salaries
What about the others? Abel explained you would have to ask about some specific player via telegram before he could give an answer and the answer would apply only to that one player.
But then he added, “When I told Spokane manager Don Osborne to return and ordered that salaries no longer be paid, I could no longer exercize control over those players. I could not take it on myself to pay their salaries out of league money.”
So, as it was predicted in this column a week ago, the Phils came out landing on their feet. And took over Murphy, Hafey and Giovannoni, too.
* * *
That Day Is Slipping Away
What Abel and a lot of other old baseball men have soon to realize is that the day when eight guys with lots of money could form eight ball clubs and run them from the smoky rooms is fast slipping away. This club is owned by some 400 individuals and a lot of nice people kicked in $50 from the family budget to keep the club here.
It’s not only true here but in other places and clubs community owned are becoming the regular thing. As such those persons want to know what’s going on in the background and all 400 can’t attend league meetings or read league telegrams.
And who knows? Sunlight and air seems to be good out on the playing field. Maybe a little of it in the backrooms is just what the game needs.

Saturday, June 19, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 33 18 .647 —
Spokane ...... 29 23 .558 4½
Yakima ....... 29 24 .547 5
Wenatchee .... 28 25 .528 6
Lewiston ..... 25 26 .490 8½
Edmonton ..... 21 22 .488 8½
Tri-City ..... 24 29 .453 10
Victoria ..... 22 28 .440 10½
Salem ........ 23 30 .434 11
Calgary ...... 18 27 .400 12

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, June 19]—A trio of eighth-inning doubles broke up a tight pitcher's duel at Sanders Field Saturday night which saw Tri-City's Dale Bloom shut out the Yakima Bears, 3-0.
For 7½ innings, Bloom and John Carmichael of Yakima cut down batters while the crowd of 1,120 waited for one to yield.
Up unto the eighth, Carmichael had slightly the better of the duel giving up but a hit to Bob Moniz in the second, and one to Artie Wilson, in the seventh. But in the three-run eighth, Tri-City's top of the batting order began to roll.
After. Bloom struck out, Terry Carroll hit a high one neither the Yakima infield nor outfield could get to and pulled up at second. Vic Buccola was intentionally walked.
Then Len Tran bashed one all the way to the left centerfield wall. On the play, Carroll tagged up waiting to see if the ball was caught, while Buccola moved three quarters of the way to second.
When it fell in, both runners scored, with Buccola, who contends he has slowed up through the years, almost overtaking speedy Carroll.
Wilson flied out and then Jack Warren followed with another double off the left centerfield wall to score Tran.
Carmichael walked one more batter and then got Bob McGuire to ground out to end the frame.
But for Tri-City fans, the game was all Bloom. The shutout was his first this season or more correctly his first since pitching for the Braves. The young hurler gave an indication of what was to come right off when he struck out the first four batters who faced him.
The next one up, John Albini, doubled, Lou Stringer grounded out and Lon Summers walked to put runners on first and second for the first of three times during the night.
But then Ron [sic] Briskey flied out to end the threat.
Bloom was in deepest trouble in the fifth frame and pulled himself out with his own defensive play. Briskey and Carmichael both got singles to put runners on first and second and none away.
Then ex-Brave Des Charouhas bunted. Bloom fielded it cleanly and threw to Carroll at third to force Briskey. He struck out Mike Catron for two away.
Herm Lewis, the next batter, hit a ground ball down the first base line. Bloom ran over, came up with it, and tagged Lewis as the runner and pitcher collided. The smash sent Lewis sprawling.
In the ninth, Bloom was in mild trouble but sparkling catches by Bob McGuire in ccnterfield saved his shutout bid. Albini hit the first one out deep in right center. McGuire took it moving back. A walk, one of Bloom's three for the night, put Stringer on base, and a single by Summers put runners on first and second again. Briskey then hit a liner to left center which McGuire took at his shoetops turning a somersault as he came up with the ball.
Bloom then got pinchitter Charlie Mead to ground out to himelf to end the game.
Today, the Braves will play a split doubleheder for the first time this season. The first game will start at 2 p.m. with Bud Guldborg starting for the Braves. The second game will start at 7:30 p.m. with Don Robertson on the mound.
Yakima ...... 000 000 000—0 5 1
Tri-City ..... 000 000 03x—3 5 1
Carmichael and Summers; Bloom and Warren.

CALGARY, June 18 — The Spokane Indians, backed by the steady eight-hit pitching of Tom Lawson, downed the Calgary Stampeders 12-5 in Calgary Saturday night in a Western International League baseball contest.
All but two of the 17 runs were scored by home runs as Red Robbins, Will Hafey, Charlie Ruddock, Bud Dean and Mike Durock connected for the winners and Jim Wert and Rocky Tedesco for the Stamps.
Hafey had a total of four hits in five trips.
Spokane ..... 020 400 204—12 6 2
Calgary ...... 010 100 001— 5 8 2
Lawson and Dean; Stites, Kapp (8) and Luby.

EDMONTON, June 18—The Edmonton Eskimos lost their fourth and fifth games in a row Saturday night when the Lewiston Broncs made a clean sweep of a double-header in Edmonton 7-3 and 8-6.
The night game went to 11 innings before Lewiston took a two-run lead and held on to win.
The goat was Edmonton Manager Bob Sturgeon. With Lewiston trailing 5-4 and two men out in the top half of the ninth, Glen Tuckett popped up an easy catch to second
base. Sturgeon dropped the ball and Eddie Garay came in to score from third to tic it up at 5-3.
Each team scored once in the 10th but the Eskimos failed to reply to the Broncs' two-run tally in the eleventh.
Eddie Bockman homered for Lewiston with the bases empty in the second inning. Jack Martin who pitched three innings relief took the win and Art Worth the loss.
Bockman was Lewiston's hero the afternoon game. He rapped out a three-run homer in the seventh inning to put the Idaho side out in front 4-3. Then he followed in the ninth with a double which scored two more runs to make it 7-3 for the Broncs.
The teams meet again in a doubleheader in Edmonton Sunday.
First Game
Lewiston ....... 100 000 303—7 12 0
Edmonton ..... 101 100 000—3  8 4
Marshall and Cameron; Widner, Manier (9) and Prentice.
Second Game
Lewiston ....... 010 100 210 12—8  9 1
Edmonton ..... 102 200 000 00—6 13 2
Kime, Martin (9) and Garay; Worth, Manier (11) and Self, Prentice (8).

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

Broncs Get 20 Offers Of $500 Backing
LEWISTON, Idaho, June 18—Twenty Lewiston residents offered to put up $500 each Friday night as insurance that the Lewiston Broncs will fill out their Western International League baseball schedule this season.
President James B. McMonigle and similar backing is needed from about 20 more people.
The money is needed to tide the club over a "critical period" caused this month by the Broncs' expensive road schedule. Business Manager Tom Tabor said. About $20,000 is needed, he said.
Tabor said the club can forsee the expenditure of $28,000 between now and the end of the season, Sept. 8. During the same period income plus liquid assets of the Broncs will equal $48,400. The difference between the two totals will assure the payment of pledges, barring unforseen conditions, Tabor said.

IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, June 20, 1954]
It undoubtedly came as a surprise to most Victoria baseball fans when the Tyees announced they were returning Joe Joshua to the Seattle Rainiers. It couldn’t help but seem that a club which was striving to balance its season’s record couldn’t afford to give up a fellow who was hitting .300 and who was a fan favorite to boot.
Joshua, unfortunately, was a victim of race consciousness and had developed a persecution complex to the point where he was hurting the club, to say nothing of his own baseball career.
The big colored outfielder, who has all the physical attributed to become a pretty fair sort of player, just couldn’t make himself believe that he could be accepted and found it all too easy to believe that every grievance, fancied or otherwise, was the result of racial discrimination.
He felt pitchers were throwing at him because he was colored, that umpires were giving him to worst of it for the same reason and that he wasn’t being accepted by his teammates as one of the team. His attitude had the inevitable result of making him correct on the last count, and when that happened, Josh ceased to be a team member in fact.
Big Joe was wrong on all counts. He overlooked the fact that Victoria fans had made him a popular favorite, just as they did for Granny Gladstone and Jehosie Heard before him. Pitchers throw at all batters they feel they can intimidate or loosen up and being a target in the batter’s box is more often a mark of respect than anything else.
And there is no reason to believe that either the team management or its personnel toe the color line. For while it’s true that there are players in the WIL, and other leagues as well, who object to colored players, there are others who don’t like Englishmen, Greeks, Italians, Canadians, or some other nationality.
That should never stop anyone from making his place in baseball, and it hasn’t. The only thing that counts once “Play Ball” has been called is what a fellow can produce out on the diamond. Ask Jackie Robinson, or Roy Campenella, Willie Mays or Minnie Minoso, or Joe DiMaggio, Harry Agganis, Red Schoendienst, Ray Jablonski, Danny O’Connell, Hank Sauer, Bob Avila.
* * *
Random Harvest
Victoria Tyees are hoping to get some more player help but there is no plan for a big shake-up in personnel. Both general-manager Reg Patterson and field-manager Don Pries still believe that the club doesn’t need too much to get itself righted. Their present slump started when Pries was injured in Calgary a couple of weeks ago and but for that, it’s reasonable to assume the Tyees would be a lot closer than they are ... Vancouver-manager Bill Brenner still fears Victoria more than any other club ... Vancouver Capilanos may have the longest home stand in baseball history by the time they move out of Capilano Stadium. With three games moved three from Spokane this week, the Caps may play 27 straight games at home ... Mel Stein, the first-baseman who joins the Tyees for a trial this week, is described by Pries as a real hustler ... Berlyn Hodges, the youngster who was the club’s bat boy not so long ago and now doubles as club trainer, and Phil Page, the scrappy rookie, look like the best of the Victoria pitching staff at the moment.

Thursday, June 17, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 32 17 .653 —
Yakima ....... 28 23 .549 5
Spokane ...... 27 23 .540 5½
Wenatchee .... 27 25 .519 6½
Edmonton ..... 21 20 .512 7
Lewiston ..... 23 26 .469 9
Tri-City ..... 23 28 .451 10
Salem ........ 23 29 .442 10½
Victoria ..... 21 27 .438 10½
Calgary ...... 18 25 .419 11

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, June 18]—This is a salute to 104 hardy souls, who braved Vancouver’s excuse for weather Thursday night at Capilano Stadium to watch their Caps best Victoria again. Or maybe we should limit that to a hardy 100—the other four brought umbrellas, and used them throughout the game.
The crowd (?), the smallest collection of (paid) faithful fans ever to rattle about in the 6500-seat stadium, at least had the satisfaction of seeing their favorites break loose in the fashion that’s responsible for placing them far in the van of their WIL rivals.
Down 2-0 going into their half of the sixth, the locals exploded typically for five straight hits, climaxed by Bob Wellman’s double, to give Bill Franks his third win against as many losses.
That outburst was enough to rout Hal Flinn, who had been the Caps convincingly earlier in the season.
Leading the hit parade for Vancouver was their latest candidate for league batting honors, Marv Williams, who had three-for-three. Marv has really been loving this long home stand.
Opposition pitchers haven’t been able to blank him in any of the nine games during this stay, and his average over that period is a fabulous .543—19 hits in 35 times at bat.
The win was the Caps’ fifth in six games with Victoria and their seventh in eight starts. They get two more chances against the Tyees tonight, with George Nicholas and Bob Roberts pitching in a 7 p.m. doubleheader.
PROVINCE STARS—Marv Williams, for reasons presented above … Bill Franks, who struck out seven in his best effort this year [he also batted in a pair of runs with three hits ] … And pesky little Ron Jackson, who collected three of the Victoria hits [a double and two singles. He also scored twice].
Victoria .......... 101 000 000—2  8 2
Vancouver ...... 000 005 21x—8 15 2
Flinn, Drilling (7) and Martin; Franks and Duretto.

YAKIMA, June 17 — Salem and Yakima split a Western International League baseball doubleheader Thursday night, with Salem taking the free-hitting, 9-inning opener, 7-1, and Yakima the low-hitting nightcap, 2-0.
Salem scored three runs in the first inning of the opener and never was headed. Danny Rios turned in a three-hitter for Yakima in winning the afterpiece.
First Game
Salem ......... 302 000 101—7 13 3
Yakima ....... 000 001 000—1  6 0
Rayle and Ogden; Young, Schaening (1), Machado (7) and Summers.
Second Game
Salem ....... 000 000 0—0 3 2
Yakima ..... 200 000 0—2 4 1
Briggs and Ogden; Rios and Summmers.

EDMONTON, June 17 — Spossne Indians swept both ends of a Western International League doubleheader here Thursday night, 7-2 and 4-1, to leave Edmonton skimos without a victory in a three-same series.
Charlie Ruddock began the first game of the twin bill with a two-run homer in the second inning and Bob Donkersley repeated in the third to give the Indians a 6-1 bulge.
Pitcher Ralph Romero, who went the route for the Indians, also hit and inside-the-park homer in the sixth of the seven-inning opener.
Indians picked up an unearned run in the first inning of the second game and the game went run-less until the last of the seventh when Eskimos Bobby Brown deadlocked it with a homer.
With two out in the ninth, Ruddock staged a double steal with Mike Durrock to break the tie and John Anderson singled Durrock home.
First Game
Spokane ........ 033 001 0—7 9 0
Edmonton ...... 001 001 0—2 7 1
Romero and Sack; Kimball, LeBrun (6), Manier (7) and Prentice.
Second Game
Spokane ........ 100 000 003—4 7 2
Edmonton ...... 000 000 100—1 4 1
Anderson and Dean; McNulty, Manier (9) and Prentice.

CALGARY, June 17 — A bases-loaded home run in the sixth inning by playing-manager Gene Lillard pushed Calgary Stampeders into an 11-2 victory over Lewiston Broncs here Thursday night before a small crowd.
The victory gave the Stamps a 2-1 edge in their Western International League series aganst the American club.
Charlie Lundgren hit a two-run homer to give the cowboys a 4-2 lead in the third inning and they never looked back. Despite the home run being his only official time at-bat, Lundgren scored four runs. He also walked four times.
Veteran Joe Orrell spaced five hits to pick up the victory.
Lewiston ..... 200 000 000— 2  5 3
Calgary ....... 022 005 11x—11 12 2
Martin and Garay; Orrell and Lillard.

WENATCHEE [Tri-City Herald, June 18]—The Tri-City Braves open a vital four-game home stand against Yakima tonight at Sanders Field and if the early morning weather holds through the evening it will go a long way to solving one of the troubles confronting the club.
The Braves are drastically in need of cash — a shortage brought on by small gates caused by poor weather. Tonight, in an effort if not to boost the take, at least to boost the volume, Tri-City general manager has slated a family night.
Fathers will be charged the usual admission price: Mom and the kids get in free. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Saturday Tri-City plays a single game at 7:30 and Sunday a double header at 1:30 p.m.
Also with an eye toward the gate, playing manager Edo Vanni has juggled his pitching lineup to throw one of his more consistent hurlers against the Bears. Likely starter will be Walt Clough, right-hander who has won six games and lost three.
The series will also be a critical one for Tri-City from the standpoint of Western International league standings. A series of losses could shove them down next to Calgary in the WIL cellar. A series of wins could boost them into the first division.
Yakima and Tri-City played one series there and the Bears took all three games. Tri-City fans can take consolation in one fact, however. The last time that happened was when the Braves lost three to Victoria. Then in a four-game series here, Tri-City beat the Tyees three of four games.
Also in a similar parallel, the Tyees were then in second place and the losses eventually led to their tumble down the ladder Currently, Yakima is in second place.
Tri-City and Wenatchee finished up the first half play even up Thursday night when the Chiefs edged the Braves 7-6 there it gave Wenatchee a 2-1 edge in the series. Tri-City took its three-game series here with Wenatchee by a similar margin.
Jess Dobernic was the loser, his fourth of the season. It was his first start and Jess went six innings before being taken out for a pinch hitter.
Wenatchee's big inning was the fifth when the Chiefs scorcd four runs off him. Tri-City came back for five runs in the seventj which saw Edo Vanni make his first appearance since being injured early this season and Terry Carroll doubled with the bases loaded.
However, the game clinching tally came when Tom Munoz homered with none out in the eighth off lefty Earl Lemieux. It was the only base blow off the rookie but represented the exact margin of victory.
Tri-City .......... 000 000 510—6 11 1
Wenatchee ..... 110 040 10x—7  9 3
Dobernic, Lemieux (7) Thomason (8) and Warren; Shandor and Helmuth

Luby Is Salem Field Manager
SALEM, Ore., June 17—The Salem Senators announced Thursday that Hugh Luby will take over as field manager, replacing Harvey Storey in an economy move.
Luby, who formerly was field manager, has been general manager of the Western International League team this season.
Storey, who has been a playing manager, was offered a players’ contract. A third baseman, Storey had not decided Thursday whether he will accept, the spokesman said.
Storey will be field manager for the last time in a game scheduled at Yakima Thursday night.
Luby will take over the following night.

Nearly $40,000 Needed to Save Spokane Indians
SPOKANE, June 17—The committee working to keep Spokane in the Western International Baseball League learned Thursday it must raise $39,866.41 by next Monday to do the job.
Mayor Arthur Meehan, head of “Save the Spokane Indians, Inc.” said the figure was disclosed in a meeting with Roy Hotchkiss, owner of the Spokane club who gave up the franchise Sunday.
Meehan said the figure “includes the amount we would need to take over the franchise and the team’s equipment.”
Time it the most important thing now, he said. The league has agreed to carry the team, now playing at Edmonton, until Monday.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we can get the money,” said Meehan. “The only question is can we get it in time?”

Tyees Begin Changes by Returning Joshua
[Victoria Colonist, Friday, June 18, 1954]
Victoria Tyees, who have been playing several player changes to make an all-out bid to capture second-half honors in the WIL, made their first move after last night’s game at Vancouver when they returned outfielder Joe Joshua to Seattle Rainiers.
General-manager Reg Paterson, who made the announcement after a post-game telephone conversation with manager Don Pries, gave no reason for the action which will probably surprise most fans. He declined to state whether or not the fact Joshua was thrown out of last Saturday’s game here and again last night for verbal abuse of the plate umpire had anything to do with it.
Joshua, the only colored player with the Tyees this season, joined the club at the start of the season on option from Seattle after spending spring training season with the Capilanos.
GOOD AVERAGE
He was installed in left field and hit steadily after only a fair start to boost his average to .338 on June 8 and rank as the club’s second-best hitter on the basis of average. However, the big fellow, who took over at first base when Pries broke some bones in his hand, had failed to hit in his last six games and his average through last night’s game was an even .300.
Playing in all 48 Victoria games, he had made 54 hits in 180 times at bat, scored 30 runs and batted in 37. He had been charged with 13 errors, nine as an outfielder, and four as a first baseman.
To replace Joshua, Pries states he has a “real good” first baseman but he is not expected to join the club for several days. Meanwhile, it’s likely southpaw Berlyn Hodges will guard first base. Pries will be out of action for a week or more yet according to his own statement.
MORE CHANGES
Other changes are in the making. The Tyees hope to add the first of three or four new pitchers before the week is out and they may have a new infielder before they return home next Thursday for a 12-game stand.

Lewis Released
[Tri-City Herald, June 17, 1954]
Glenn Lewis, an almost forgotten Tri-City catcher received his outright release today from the Tri-City Braves, general manager Eddie Taylor announced.
Lewis played second-string to Nick Pesut in 1952 but did not report for either the ’53 or ‘54 seasons because he wanted to stay in school.
He was one of the players that came with the club when the Braves were bought from Dick Richards and associates.

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).

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.