Sunday, June 27, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 37 19 .661 —
Yakima ....... 34 28 .548 6
Edmonton ..... 27 25 .519 8
Tri-City ..... 30 33 .476 10½
Lewiston ..... 28 31 .475 10½
Victoria ..... 27 31 .466 11
Wenatchee .... 29 34 .460 11½
Salem ........ 28 36 .438 13

YAKIMA, June 27—The Yakima Bears lined up solidly behind two sparkling pitching performances Sunday to scuttle the Edmonton Eskimos in both games of a Western International League split double-header, 6-1 and 5-2.
Ted Edmunds, who was knocked out of the box by the Eskimos in the first inning Saturday night, stormed back in Sunday’s afternoon game in a revengeful mood and set down the Eskimos on two hits.
Edmonton’s only run came on Bob Brown’s homer in the fifth frame. Yakima got singletons in the first, second and fourth and wrapped up scoring in the sixth with three runs. Des Charouhas’ triple was the big blow in the sixth.
Edmunds won his 12th game of the season.
John Carmichael tossed a four-hitter in the afterpiece.
The wins evened the series at two games apiece.
First Game
Edmonton ...... 000 010 000—1  2 3
Yakima .......... 110 103 00x—6 10 0
Manier and Prentice; Edmunds and Summers.
Second Game
Edmonton ...... 101 000 000—2 4 0
Yakima .......... 000 002 03x—5 9 1
Worth and Self; Carmichael and Summers.

KENNEWICK, June 27—The Tri-City Braves finally caught up with Salem in the 12th inning of a Western International League baseball game Sunday night to win 11-10 and sweep their four-game series with the Senators.
Trailing all the way in the regulation nine innings, the Braves had to tie up the game in the 9th, 10th and 11th innings to stay in the running.
They even had to match a three-run rally by Salem in the 11th before nailing down the victory.
The winning run came on three successive singles by Artie Wilson, Vic Buccola and Len Tran, Wilson scoring from third on Tran’s blow.
Earl Lemieux, one of nine pitchers who traded turns on the mound during the night for the two teams, was the winner. It was his first win of the season against three losses, Tom Del Sarto was the loser.
Jim Deyo got four of Salem’s 17 hits in his five trips and teammate Harry Warner hit three for four, including two doubles and a triple.
The win was Tri-City’s sixth in eight games.
- - -
KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, June 28]—The Tri-City Braves’ little baseball lesson today centers around the problem of jumping from the cellar to the first division in one series.
The solution is relatively easy. All you have to do is sweep a four-game series from your “natural rivals” and there you are, 10½ games out of first and one scroungy little percentage point ahead of fifth-place Lewiston.
Beginning Tuesday the Braves stand a good chance of moving up again if they can win a fair share of the games with Edmonton at Edmonton. The Braves hit the Cariboo trail for that series following their 11-10 win over Salem Sunday night.
However, if the Eskimoes prove as troublesome as the Salem Senators in the recent series, the Braves will come home from the prairie city jaunt if not beaten, at least, exhausted.
Salem rassled ‘em right down to the wire in the fourth and final game and the two teams had to go 12 innings to reach decision. It was the second 12-inning game in the four-game series.
It brought the total innings played by the two teams to 42.
In the series final, Salem manager Hugh Luby, who has been up and down the baseball ladder, is by now wondering what he has to do to win a game.
His Senators had a 6-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning and Jon Briggs, his starter, showed every sign of going the distance. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Tri-City batters shelled the hurler with Dick Watson, an old foe of Briggs, getting a double after one was away.
Rube Johnson, another old Pioneer league foe of Briggs and still wearing a bandage around his wrist from where Briggs hit him with a pitch last week, walked. Don Robertson ran for him and Artie Wilson singled Watson home.
Then playing manager Edo Vanni tied it up by singling Robertson home, tried to go for two, and was thrown out at second.
In the tenth, Luby’s nephew, Dennis Luby, tripled Jim Deyo home for a go-ahead run but Tri-City tied it up with one in the bottom half. A squeeze play that failed nipped a winning threat.
So Salem came back again, this time for three runs, including one on a squeeze play that worked.
This time numerous Tri-City fans, still not realizing that the game isn’t over until the final out is made, left the cold windy park. So Tri-City tied [it] up again on three singles, a walk and Bob Moniz’ 22nd double.
That was too much for Salem. The Senators didn’t score in the top of the 12th and Tri-City got the winning run on singles by Artie Wilson, Vic Buccola and Len Tran. Tran’s winning blow came after two were away.
Altogether, nine pitchers were used.
Earl Lemieux, Tri-City’s rookie lefty, was the winner. It was his first of the season. Tri-City fans are now waiting for him to get his first hit.
The scoreless first inning for Salem ran the consecutive total to 27 innings straight. Before the three runs off starter Bill Thompkins [sic], the last time Salem had scored on Tri-City pitching was in the fourth inning of the Friday game.
Salem ........ 030 110 100 130—10 17 0
Tri-City ...... 000 100 122 132—11 22 3
Briggs, Domenichelli (9), Borst (10), Roenspie (10) Del Sarto (11) and Ogden; Tompkins, Thomason (5), Bloom (10), Lemieux (11) and Warren.

WENATCHEE, June 27—The Victoria Tyees swept a Western International League double-header against Wenatchee on Sunday, 3-2 and 6-3.
With Neil Sheridan’s two-run homer the main blow, the Tyees scored half their runs in the first inning of the nightcap.
Ron Jackson led off the inning with a double, went to third on an infield out, and came home when Jerry “Pumpsie” Green bobbled Dain Clay’s ground ball. Sheridan then lifted one out of the park. It was his sixth homer of the year.
The Chiefs got it to 4-3 by the ninth but the Tyees came through with a pair of insurance runs in their last turn at the plate. Hal Flinn struck out seven in gaining his sixth verdict.
Bob Drilling gave up nine hits in the first game but gained his eighth win in five decisions by scattering them judiciously and getting three double plays out of his teammates, while the Tyees made excellent use of their five hits.
One of them was a two-run single by Drilling and the last one was a single by Mel Stein which scored Sheridan with the tie-breaking run in the ninth inning.
The Tyees copped the series, three games to one.
First Game
Victoria ........... 020 000 001—3 5 0
Wenatchee ...... 001 000 100—2 9 3
Drilling and Lundberg; Waters and Helmuth.
Second Game
Victoria ........... 301 000 002—6 7 2
Wenatchee ...... 000 200 010—3 9 5
Flinn and Lundberg; Bowman, Shandor (7) and Helmuth.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED

BRENNER HAS SURPLUS
In Market For Outfielders? See Caps!
By Clancy Loranger
[Vancouver Province, June 28, 1954]
It’s all right for a major league baseball team to have six outfielders, but that’s about three too many for a Class A team.
General manager Bill Brenner of the Capilanos is faced with just such a problem in outfield mathematics today following weekend developments as follows:
1. K Chorlton, on the verge of being sold to the Seattle Rainiers of the Coast League, discussed salary terms Sunday with Seattle’s Dewy Soriano, and promptly announced he’d stay here. He didn’t feel he should have to take a cut in salary to move up to the Coast League, he said.
2. Meanwhile Brenner, negotiating with a couple of free agents as centre field replacements for Chorlton, had already come to an agreement with veteran Eddie Murphy, given his release by Spokane when that club folded.
Murphy, still one of the league’s better fly chasers and base runners, is due to report to the Caps Wednesday. That would leave things a little crowded in the outer garden with Chorlton, Murphy, Dick Greco, Arnie Hallgren, Danny Holden and the recent rookie addition, Phil Marvier, on hand. (Bob Wellman and Bob Duretto play outfield, too.)
Salem’s g.m., Hugh Luby, may be able to help Brenner with his problem. Luby whose Senators play the Caps tonight at the Stadium, is looking for reinforcements for the second half, and he’s bringing his bankroll with him. The Caps’ pitching staff is getting a little overstocked, too, so there may be some business in that department also.
DIAMOND DUST—Chorlton’s refusal to report to Seattle—he wasn’t very anxious about going in the first place—will likely cause Seattle’s Soriano to review the Pete Hernandez sale to the Caps … Dewey let Pete go cheaply on the understanding he’d be able to buy Chorlton … The Caps aren’t going to win the first half by default … A telegraphic vote on a proposal to end the first half schedule June 30 instead of July 5, was defeated … So, the race should be decided, now, in the five-game series Yakima plays here this week, July 1-3.
* * *
Among the missing in the Salem lineup tonight will be Harvey Storey, last year’s Cap manager … Harvey, replaced by Luby as field boss in an economy move, has gone to Rochester, Minn., to play semi-pro ball … Bud Beasley will pitch for the Caps tonight, but Brenner refuses to announce it officially … Beasley has twice been announced as starting pitch, and both times, including Satuday’s game against Lewiston, it rained.

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.

Chorlton, Clark, Back With Vancouver

Capilanos Get Jim Clark From Rainiers
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., March 31—Outfielder K. Chorlton and infielder Jimmy Clark are being cut from the Seattle Rainier baseball roster and returned to Vancouver’s Western International League club.
Manager Gerry Priddy announced his decision to let them go Wednesday.
Bob Wellman, up from Yakima’s WIL team, won out over Chorlton, a Seattle high school graduate and former Rainier, for an outfield spot on Seattle’s spring roster.
Priddy expressed his reluctance to let Chorlton go because of the need for his speed, but said, “I have to go along with Wellman because he figures to give us stronger hitting.”