Wednesday, July 28, 1954

               W  L  Pct GB
Lewiston .... 16  9 .640 —
Yakima ...... 14  8 .538 ½
Salem ....... 14  8 .638 ½
Edmonton .... 11 12 .478 4
Vancouver .... 9 11 .450 4½
Tri-City .... 10 13 .435 5
Victoria ..... 7 10 .412 5
Wenatchee .... 7 17 .292 8½

YAKIMA, July 29—After dropping two games to the Bears Tuesday night, the first half WIL champions, Vancouver Capilanos, came back Wednesday night with a 19-5 victory which snapped Yakima’s win streak at eight games.
The Caps, who have had trouble getting started in the second half, suddenly found the range and teed off on three Yakima hurlers with a 20-hit attack.
Danny Rios was the first Bear hurler to go, bowing out in favour of Don Carter in Vancouver’s four-run first inning. Bob Young replaced Carter in the third (when the Caps scored seven times), and remained for the rest of the massacre.
Leftfielder K Chorlton led the Capilano attack with five-for-five, including a double and a home run, and scored five runs. Kenny Richardson also homered for the winners and Marv Williams had a four-for-five night.
Pete Hernandez went all the way for the winners, picking up his fifth win in seven decisions.
The two teams exchanged four-run first innings, with the runs off Hernandez being unearned. Des Charouhas led off with the single, the first of three of the game, and after an out, first baseman Bob Wellman was charged with an error which allowed Herm Lewis to reach base. Noren singled in a run, Yakima manager Lou Stringer tripled in a pair and scored on Charlie Mead’s single.
Noren and Mead each had a pair of hits, Mead singling in John Albini in the eighth.
Vancouver .... 407 030 173—19 20 1
Yakima ........ 400 000 010— 5  9 2
Hernandez and Duretto; Rios, Carter (1), Young (3) and Albini.

LEWISTON, no story available
Salem ......... 000 020 210—5 9 1
Lewiston ..... 000 000 000—0 4 2
Domenichelli and D. Luby; Fletcher, Martin (9) and Garay.

VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, July 29]—Victoria Tyees last night took back the game they handed Edmonton Eskimos on Monday night as they scored three runs in the ninth inning to tie and four in the 11th to squeeze out a 5-4 victory at Royal Athletic Park.
Victory gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead in the four-game WIL series, which concludes tonight. Hal Flinn is the probable Victoria pitching choice while Edmonton-manager Bob Sturgeon has nominated Ken Kimball to do the heavy work for his club.
DULLISH START
Mel Stein, a quiet hustler who joined the Tyees on June 22 as their first baseman and who has given his best in every game, was the hero of the comeback last night in a game which started out in dullish fashion and wound up as one of the season’s most interesting displays.
Stein broke the spell veteran righthander John Conant had been weaving around the Tyees with a lead-off home run in the eighth inning. Then he kept the tying rally going in the ninth with a single before breaking it up in the 11th with his second home run of the game and sixth of the season. It was a solid smash which cleared the centre-field fence with plenty to spare and gave Bill Bottler the victory.
Bottler took over from Bob Drilling, lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth, and turned in two scoreless and hitless innings. Drilling, trying for his 12th win, was the victim of some loose defensive play as the Esks scored twice in the first inning and later gave up home runs to Roy Partee and Vern Campbell.
SLIP RUINS CONANT
Campbell, however, gave the Tyees a helping hand in the ninth when he muffed a line drive from the bat of Steve Mesner, hitting for Drilling with the bags loaded, two out, and the Tyees trailing by two runs. The tying runs scored on the play as what should have been a merited decision slipped from Conant’s grasp.
Dain Clay started the ninth with a rousing double but hope faded as Bill Prior grounded out and Don Lundberg skied out. But Milt Martin plated Clay with a sharp single and Eddie Lake and Stein followed with hits to load the bags. Then came the muff by Campbell, who has turned in several sparkling catches in the three games this week.
But while their victory was tinge with luck, the Tyees turned in some fine play as they found themselves after a sluggish start. Lake made two fine plays at shortstop, one spectacular stab of a smashing bid for a hit by Andy Skurski which was turned into one of three Victoria double plays. And Don Pries took a hit from Whitey Thomson in the ninth to convert it into an inning-ending out with a runner on his way to the plate from second base.
And the Tyees won this one without clean-up hitter Neil Sheridan in the line-up after the fourth inning. The big fellow tossed his bat in disgust after being called out on strikes and was politely asked to leave the premises by plate-umpire Art Jacobs.
The win failed to move the Tyees from seventh spot but the league race tightened as both Lewiston and Yakima, the one-two clubs, lost. The Tyees are five games behind the Lewiston leaders but only one game out on the losing side. Yakima and Salem, tied for second place, have lost only two fewer games that Victoria and it wouldn’t take too long for the Tyees to get back into contention if they keep on winning.
Edmonton ...... 200 000 101 00—4 10 2
Victoria ......... 000 000 013 01—5 10 1
Conant, Manier (9) and Partee; Drilling, Bottler (10) and Martin, Lundberg (10).

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, July 29]—Tonight when the Tri-City Braves and Wenatchee teams play the fourth and final game of the current series, fans will honor Vic Buccola, the “oldest” of the Braves from the standpoint of service and “oldest” In the league from the standpoint of games played.
Tonight's game will be Western International league contest No. 1,186 for Buccola but it will take a few yards of Trainer Doc Hoyt's tape for the player to make it.
Buccola pulled a leg muscle while at bat in the seventh inning of Tri-City's 10-0 victory over Wenatchee Tuesday night and was taken out of the game. It was the first time he has failed to complete a game in more than two seasons.
Buccola was not the only player injured during the tilt. Bob Moniz, who made probably the most outstanding circus catch of a fly ball seen at Sanders, and thereby saved pitcher Don Robertson's bid for a shutout, was hurt on the play but will be back in the lineup tonight.
The Moniz catch came in the last of the ninth. Robertson had pitched himself out of tight spots throughout the game but in the final frame gave up a single and a walk, while getting but one away.
Then Tony Rivas rapped one out into short right-center field and it had base-hit written all over it. Moniz cut in, took the ball in backhand at his shoetops, and rolled over twice coming up with it.
Catcher Rube Johnson came on to play for Moniz but Robertson got Ross McCormack to fly out to centerfield. fortunately, to end the game. It was Robertson's 13th win, or 13½ if you want to figure in the Lewiston tie and get him past the jinx number.
It was his first shutout this season.
Robertson gave up seven hits—all well-scattered, but walked seven which is a high quota for him. His shutout was endangered in the sixth when McCormack led off with a triple. But then he got the next two batters to ground out, struck out the third and McCormack died on base.
Tri-City took advantage of Charlie Beamon's 10 walks and two Wenatchee' errors to score its 10 runs. In the second inning, Beamon walked four, and an error and a double by playing manager Edo Vanni did the damage.
In the fifth, Tri-City got four singles, plus a walk and another error for five more runs. Beamon was taken out for Don Stanford.
The lone seventh inning run came on Gordy Brunswick's single, a wild pitch, and Terry Carroll's single.
Wenatchee .... 000 000 000— 0 7 3
Tri-City ......... 040 005 10x—10 9 0
Beamon, Stanford (6) and Self; Robertson and Warren.

Vic's Consecutive Complete Total Stopped At 282
[Tri-City Herald, July 29, 1954]

When Vic Buccola, Tri-City first baseman, was taken out of the game with Wenatchee in the seven-inning Wednesday night, it snapped his consecutive complete game total at 282 games.
The last time Buccola failed to play a complete game was Aug. 6, 1952. On that day, a pulled neck muscle kept him on the bench and Bob Rittenberg, who was sold to Wichita the next day, played first base. Tri-City lost the home game to Lewiston, 17-4.
Counting seven innings played Wednesday night, Vic's consecutive total is 2,545.
Vic ran up his complete game total with 53 games in the remainder of the 1952 season and added 136, or all of them, in 1953. This season he played in 93 complete games up to Wednesday night.
His total of games played in the Western International league exceeds that of all active players. He has been listed in the boxscores 1,185 times, or 1,186 when he takes to the field tonight. His nearest competitor in that department is Charlie Mead of Yakima who has played in a dozen or so less.
Vic's WIL career started in 1942 at Spokane when he played 23 games for the Indians. He added 142 the following year and then was in the U. S. Coast Guard for 3½ war years.
Returning in 1946, he played 79 games with Victoria and from then through part of 1948 he was with Oakland in the Pacific Coast League and Atlanta in the Southern Association.
He played 133 games with Victoria in 1948 and 143 with the Tyees in 1949. Since then he has been with Tri-City.
Vic has led the league defensively in four years, 19-18, '49, '51 and '53.
Since coming to Tri-City for the 1950 season, he has walked to the plate officially 2,470 times and 743 of those times, he got a base hit.
Since joining the Braves, he has circled the basepaths for a total of 495 runs which is nearly equivalent to running from Sanders Field to Connell. And the figure doesn't include the number of times he has got on base and died there while playing with teams notorious for letting runners die on base.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, July 29, 1954]
A couple of years ago, when Fritz Bremmer was honored as the Braves’ Most Loyal Fan, he was asked which player was his favorite.
Fritz thought it over for a while, and said: “Well, I kinda like Buccola.”
And there are hundreds of other fans throughout the Tri-Cities who feel much the same. Tonight at Sanders Field, those fans will get a chance to honor Vic Buccola, the Tri-City regular, for his performance with the Braves since the team came here from Wenatchee in 1950.
One of the odd things about baseball thinking is the attitude toward firstbasemen and his role in the defensive lineup. It usually goes something like this: “We have eight ballplayers and a guy on first base.”
Some teams, even major leagues, ask nothing more than that the guy be able to slug the ball. Yet, next to the catcher and pitcher, the firstbaseman is going to make more catches, and more throws than any player in the lineup.
So despite the assertions of the rest of the boys, a good defensive firstbaseman is going to help any team — and Vic has done just that.
At the plate, Vic keeps his average well up in the .330's and is a genius at drawing walks. He is currently leading the league in that department which is a pretty good indication he has a “good eye.”
Vic Could Still Hit Homers
Incidentally, a few years ago Vic rapped out some 15-16 homers and some have asked why he hasn't been able to knock too many out since. Vic has an answer for that.
“Sure, I could hit a lot of homers again. But I’d find my batting average down around .200. I'd rather get the hits and stay up there. It does more good.”
And as much as the Tri-City fans would like to have a home run hitter, it probably does more good. Vic leads the team in scoring and scoring wins ball games. True the mighty blast at the dramatic moment provides a big thrill but its that old day to day grind around the basepaths that helps keep your team ahead of the next one.

Tuesday, July 27. 1954

               W  L  Pct GB
Lewiston .... 16  8 .667 —
Yakima ...... 14  7 .667 ½
Salem ....... 13  8 .619 1½
Edmonton .... 11 11 .500 4
Vancouver .... 8 11 .421 5½
Tri-City ..... 9 13 .406 6
Victoria ..... 6 10 .375 6
Wenatchee .... 7 16 .304 8½

YAKIMA, July 28—Yakima's peristent Bears moved into a perentage tie with Lewiston for the Western International League lead Tuesday night with a double triumph over Vancouver. The wins were Yakima's seventh and eighth in a row.
The Bears edged the Capilanos twice, 5-4 and 3-2, with storybook finishes in both games, both of which were won in the last half of the ninth.
In the second contest, the Bears went scoreless until the eighth and trailed 2-0 when Lou Stringer, who had walked, came home on successive singles by Charlie Mead and Dick Briskey, both ex-Caps.
They won it in the ninth on an error, a single and a passed ball, followed by John Albini’s single.
Vancouver had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Bob Wellman singled in a run, then added another the following inning on Bob Duretto’s single.
Bill Brenner got the loss, his fifth against 14 victories.
John Cordell was debited with the first-game setback after he had taken over from George Nicholas and Bob Roberts.
An umpire’s decision, in which it was ruled that Marv Williams had missed second base on a double play, set up the winning run for Yakima. The whole Vancouver bench protested the call bitterly.
Bill Carmichael won the opener, allowing eight hits, three by Jim Clark, who doubled twice and batted in a pair.
First Game
Vancouver ... 001 210 000—4  8 1
Yakima ........ 002 002 001—5 10 1
Nicholas, Roberts (6), Cordell (9) and Duretto; Carmichael and Albini.
Second Game
Vancouver .... 000 110 000—2 9 1
Yakima ......... 000 000 012—3 6 0
Brenner and Pesut, Duretto (3); Edmunds, Lovrich (9) and Albini.

SALEM, July 27—Lewiston gave up 11 runs in the first inning to drop into a percentage-point tie for the Western International League lead, as Salem handed the Broncs their second straight defeat Tuesday night, by a 15-8 score.
The Broncs still hold a ½ game lead over Yakima, having played three more games than the Bears. Salem's win boosted the Senaors within a game and a half of the lead.
The Senators sent 14 men to bat in the first inning, collected nine hits and ticketed two Lewiston hurlers for the showers.
The Broncs picked up the cue and pushed across five runs themselves in their half of the frame.
The rally was sparked by Bob Williams' three run homer. Williams, incidentally, moved from the outfield to the pitcher's mound in an effort to still Salem's first inning blast. Although he gave up nine hits for five runs, he equalized that in part by collecting three hits and sending in four of Lewiston's tallies.
Salem ........ (11)00 112 000—15 18 2
Lewiston ..... 500 000 020— 8 12 2
Roenspie, Herrera (8) and Ogden, Marshall, Kime (1), Williams (1) and Garay.

VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, July 28]—A rookie southpaw making the sixth start of his professional baseball career and going more than six innings for the first time, last night ended Victoria Tyees’ losing streak at nine games as he subdued Edmonton Eskimos, 9-2, at Royal Athletic Park.
It was the first win for Phil Page after five setbacks and he looked like a winner all the way, although tiring in the late innings, as he found the corners consistently with a sharp curve.
Page had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning and lost that as relief-pitcher Art Worth opened with a scratch infield hit which he raced out for a matter of inches. Page yielded a solid single in the seventh, when the Eskimos got two men on base in one inning for the first time, and lost his shutout bid in the eighth when Vern Campbell hit one out of the park.
SIX DRAW WALKS
Page walked six but balanced that with six strikeouts, three of them with men on the bags. He faced only 20 Eskimos in the first six innings and although seven got on the bags in the last three innings, he found a double-play pitch twice to get himself out of trouble,
The Tyees gave Page a five-run cushion in the first inning as they chased Ray McNulty with a five-hit barrage, which included successive hits by Neil Sheridan, Don Lundberg, Milt Martin and Eddie Lake after Ron Jackson led off with a double, Don Pries had been hit by a pitched ball, and Dain Clay had bunted the runners along.
Worth stopped it and escaped being scored on until the sixth, when Clay and Sheridan hit back-to-back home runs after Jackson had singled.
PLATE LEADERS
Sheridan, batting in four runs with a double and two singles in addition to his 10th home run, and Jackson, with here singles and a double, led the Tyees at the plate. Lundberg gave the pair some help with three singles.
Pries shook up his line-up for this one. Martin, who has been in the outfield as a substitute for Tom Perez, returned to duty behind the plate while Lundberg moved from catcher to first base to enable Mel Stein to move to the outfield.
It worked with Lundberg looking sure at the gateway and Stein a definite improvement in the gardens with a good catch and a fine try to grab off a short single. The trouble was that most of the spectators who saw the Tyees come up with their improve display were from Duncan. It was “Duncan Night” at the park with 192 Little League and Juvenile baseball players and Lake Cowichan in the crowd. But, as Duncan’s Mayor Wragg noted in a pre-game talk, Duncan’s contingent outnumbered the Victorians in the stands.
Third game of the series will be played tonight.
Edmonton ...... 000 000 010—1  5 1
Victoria ......... 500 003 01x—9 15 0
McNulty, Worth (1) and Partee; Page and Martin.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, July 28]—Don Robertson, Tri-City'a winningest pitcher who has been beaten in his last three starts, will be on the mound tonight when the Braves play the Wenatchee Chiefs in the third game of the four-game series.
The series now stands at one game apiece following Tri-City's 6-5 loss to Wenatchee Tuesday night.
Tonight will also be another Pop Pays night. Under that arrangement, the father of the family buys one general admission ticket and the wife and children are admitted free.
According to Weiss statistics, Robertson will be seeking his 13th win tonight. But through the use of shrewd mathematics, and to avoid any possible jinx associated with the number "13," it is preferable to think of his present record as 12½-6.
That "½" slips in there as the result of the peculiar tie game at Lewiston which he neither won nor lost. It was the last time Robertson was on the mound and he pitched four innings of shutout ball against the Broncs.
Tri-City will need a victory tonight to stop the downward plunge toward the cellar. Currently, the Braves are a few percentage points ahead of Victoria for seventh-place in the standings.
In the game Tuesday night, a broken-bat blooper single by Jake Helmuth brought in the winning run for Wenatchee in the top of the ninth and Ted Shandor's relief performance kept the Braves from scoring.
The loss was charged to Gordy Brunswick — his first of the season against no wins. Shandor was the winner.
Helmuth's single came after two were away. Brunswick had struck out Shandor but gave up a double to Jerry Green. Tony Rivas walked and Ross McCormack popped out.
Then came the game winning blow. Helmuth caught it on the handle of the bat and the ball flopped out beyond second base just past shortstop Dick Watson who made a desperation grab for the ball.
The events leading up to the Tri-City defeat, however, came in the sixth inning when a combination of six singles, a walk and two errors brought in five runs. All of the base blows came off Herman Besse, who was making his first start at Sanders for the Braves.
Green touched off the rally with a single followed by another by Rivas. McCormack laid down a perfect bunt and beat out the throw and loaded the sacks.
Then Helmuth hit a high pop foul near the screen along the first baseline. Vic Buccola took it in but did not have clearance for a clean throw to home. The speedy Green beat it out to score after the catch.
A single by Laurie Monroe brought in another run and sent McCormack to third. Then Wenatchee pulled an attempted double steal and an error on the play brought in another run.
Tom Munoz and Keith Bowman singled to bring in two more.
The five runs put the Chiefs ahead 5-2 at this point but Bowman could not hold the lead. In the eighth, Buccola walked and Edo Vanni was hit by a pitch. A single by Len Tran scored Buccola and another by Bob Moniz scored Vanni. Tran went to third on the play and scored on Rube Johnson's sacrifice fly.
Tri-City's third inning runs came on a walk, Dick Watson's single, Besse's single and sacrifice flies by Terry Carroll and Vanni.
Wenatchee ..... 000 005 001—6 10 1
Tri-City .......... 002 000 030—5  7 3
Bowman, Shandor (8) and Self; Hesse, Thomason (6), Brunswick (8), and Johnson.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[from Tri-City Herald, July 28, 1954]

Tonight at Sanders Field will be the time the poor guy with but a buck to spend and a big family can get a night's recreation that will fit the budget. It will be another Pop Pays night when the Braves and Chiefs play.
But for the regular fan, who shows up a good number of times a year, Thursday will be the big night. Then Vic Buccola, the only player who has been with the team since it came here, will be honored by the fans.
Knowing the dismal order of finish for Tri-City year after year, the fan frequently questions, how can Vic take it so long? Well, Vic has the true ball players' philosophy.
He figures if he keeps his batting average and fielding average up, and works as a team member on those situations that call for teamwork, then that's one-ninth of the battle.
Recently, though, there is an indication that job is beginning to tell on Vic. The guy is beginning to talk to dummies—and I don't mean his teammates—but a real sure enough dummy.
Sometime ago, the Braves got hold of an over-sized doll which they dub "Fearless" and pack around with them on the road. They keep it in the dugout simply because if a "live ball" should happen to hit it, it might touch off a protest of some kind.
Anyhow, this confounded dummy is dressed in a Tri-City uniform and more than one person at first glance has mistaken it for one of the players.
Here a while back, Vic came into the dugout at the end of an inning and without noticing it, he sat down next to Fearless.
Vic started yakking away about the last play, using his hands to emphasize a point the way he always does, but only half looking to see who he was talking to. After beating his gums for a while, he turned to say something more.
Then to the roars of his teammates, he found he was talking to the dummy.
* * *
Vanni Sees Suspension
Playing manager Edo Vanni wouldn't be surprised to draw a suspension out of the rhubarb with ump Lowell Fulk, which led to his ouster at the game Sunday at Lewiston.
Jack Warren, meanwhile, is still scratching his head wondering why he was booted.
* * *
He Wanted Dale To Get Angry
Lack of confidence, the official reason given for the optioning of Dale Bloom to Boise in the Pioneer league, could better be described as lack of aggressiveness in Vanni's way of thinking.
"If Dale had got mad and call me a ---- , he would still be with the team," Vanni said.
* * *
Sanders Layout Like Best
Steve O'Neill ex-manager of the Philadelphia Phils, as well as ex-manager of several other clubs, rates Briggs Stadium as the No. 1 Big Time park in the majors. He bases his opinion on the quality of the playing field, tidiness, accessibility and parking and clubhouse facilities.
"The background is good for the hitter. It is relatively fair to hitters and pitchers," O'Neill said.
A diagrammed layout of Briggs Stadium shows the playing field is very similar to Sanders Field. It is 340 feet down the leftfield line, just as at Sanders, 325 down the right field line, 15 feet short of Sanders, and 420 feet to dead center, 20 feet more than Sanders.
All of the major league fields are rated good, fair and poor on the other points. On those points, Sanders is hardly major league, but it will stand up to the rest in the WIL.

A WIL “WHERE ARE THEY NOW?”
[from Humboldt Standard, Eureka, Cal., July 28, 1954]
Loaded with former professional performers and good enough to knock over virtually the same foes the Humboldt Crabs have faced this season, the San Jose Falstaffs tangle with the Crabs in a three-game series at Albee Stadium this weekend.
Listed in the starting lineup with play-for-pay pedigrees are:
JIMMY BROWN (.364), six years in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization and with the Spokane Indians of the Western International circuit last year, ss; FRANK VOLPI (.280), formerly with the Oakland Acorns in the Pacific Coast league and Shreveport of the Texas Loop, c.
Incidently, Volpi is also the relief man for the Falstaff pitching corps and has racked up an impressive (4-1) for the season. He is a "control" thrower and will take the mound if his services are needed against the Crabs.

Wednesday, July 14, 1954

               W L  Pct GB
Victoria ..... 4 1 .800 —
Lewiston ..... 6 3 .667 —
Tri-City ..... 5 3 .625 ½
Yakima ....... 4 3 .571 1
Edmonton ..... 4 4 .500 1½
Salem ........ 3 4 .429 2
Vancouver .... 2 3 .400 2
Wenatchee .... 1 8 .111 1

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, Province, July 15]—Vancouver baseball fans who have been watching Pete Hernandez for three seasons now keep wondering what he’s doing here. They’re happy to have him, mind you, but the mystery is why he doesn’t stick in the Coast League.
It looked for a time, this season, as if Peter, always a winner here, had left us for good. It seemed as if he was with Seattle’s Coast League team to stay.
But a few weeks ago Hernandez rejoined the Caps, and ever since the fans have been wondering—why? In his last appearance here, Pete clinched a three-hit shutout that clinched the first-half championship for the Capilanos.
Wednesday Hernandez, who seems to be throwing hard this year than ever, was at the top of his form again. He gave up six singles and struck out 12—possibly the high for this year in the league—as the Caps downed Wenatchee 7-1 to take the series, two games to one.
SPOIL SHUTOUT
The Chiefs put together two of their hits with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to spoil Pete’s shutout. Meanwhile the Caps were looking a little more like the Caps they’re supposed to be. Of the nine hits they got off Billy Joe Waters, six of them were for extra bases—four doubles, a triple, and Bob Wellman’s 17th home run.
DIAMOND DUST—Arnie Hallgren, who made his professional pitching debut in Salem recently when the Caps ran out of pitchers, and produced a three-hit victory, will get his first home start tonight when Lewiston Broncs open a four-game stand … Hallgren is just as fast as Hernandez and just wild enough to keep the batters from getting too much of a toe hold.
Province Stars—Pete Hernandez, whose record is now 2-1 … Bob Wellman, whose home run was still rising when it disappeared … And the Chiefs’ Ross McCormack, always tough in Cap Stadium.
[WIL fan notes: Jim Clark tripled in a pair of Caps … Wellman’s homer was a solo shot. He also had a sacrifice fly]
Wenatchee ...... 000 100 000—1 6 2
Vancouver ....... 100 310 02x—7 9 0
Waters and Helmuth; Hernandez and Pesut.

VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, July 15]—Victoria Tyees regained sole possession of the second-half lead in the WIL last night at Royal Athletic Park by scoring four runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Lewiston Broncs, 7-4, in a sparkling game.
Victory, fourth in five second-half games and sixth in their last eight starts, broke a tie with the Broncs for the lead and gave the Tyees the series from the dangerous Idaho club, 2-1.
Catcher Don Lundberg, who shows no inclination to give up the job he took over when Milt Martin suffered a back injury several weeks ago, shared the honors with pitcher John Tierney last night as he poled his 12th home run, sixth as a Tyee, far over the fence with two on and two out in the ninth inning to break a 4-4 tie.
FIRST PITCH
Lundberg connected on the first pitch served up to him by John Marshal to win another round in his feud with the big righthander, his rival in the mix-up at Lewiston last month. Lundberg also hit two singles to boost his batting average as a Tyee to .299.
Up until the ninth inning, Marshall was getting slightly the best of it in a mound battle with Tierney, making his second start and going the distance for the second time for his second win in two decisions.
Marshall got a two-run lead in the first inning, a three-run lead in the fourth and a 4-3 edge in the eighth but he was weakening fast after having a shutout for five innings.
Tierney, showing a lot of poise, pitched a fine game. Two bases on balls, an infield out and a single by Clint Cameron cost him two runs in the first inning and an error on a thrown ball lost in the sun cost him an unearned run in the fourth. He doled out seven hits over five innings, struck out five and walked four and appeared to be in charge all the way. He also singled in a run to bring the count to 3-2 in the sixth.
Tom Perez ended Marshall’s shutout hopes in the sixth when he led off with his 15th home run. Singles by Lundberg and Tierney around a wild pitch scored Victoria’s second run.
The Tyees should have won it in the seventh. Pries led off with a triple and scored on a single by Dain Clay. Neil Sheridan reached with the second of his three hits and when Marshall bobbled Perez’ sacrifice bunt, the Tyees had the bags loaded and no one out. But Eddie Lake skied out and Lundberg hit into a double play.
Trailing by a run as the ninth starter, the Tyees saw manager Pries again get things going by drawing a base on balls. Clay bunted him along, a passed ball put him at third, and Sheridan’s short single tied it up.
Perez was walked intentionally and Lake again flew out. But this time Lundberg made no mistake.
Wenatchee Chiefs move into town for three games and plans have been made for special entertainment which should bring out a good crowd for ‘British Empire Games Night.’
In addition to the appearance of swimmer Flo Chadwick, fans will watch the Tyees and Shamrocks tangled in a pre-game game of something in which both clubs will use their regular equipment.
Archie Browning and Jack Bionda will do the pitching for the lacrosse team and ‘bat’ fourth and fifth, respectively. Alan Gill leads off the batting order and plays left field for the Rocks, Jack Sibbald, centre field; Nip O’Hearn, shortstop; Browning, Bionda, Jackie Northup, third base; Jack Thompson, right field; Bill Bamford, second base, and Whitey Severson, catcher, complete the Shamrock line-up. Geordy Johnston and Arnie Ferguson are listed as available for duty.
Lewiston ...... 200 100 010—4  7 1
Victoria ....... 000 002 104—7 12 1
Marshall and Garay; Tierney and Lundberg.

SALEM [Tri-City Herald, July 14]—The Tri-City Braves and the Salem Senators wind up what is proving to be a rather disastrous series for Tri-Clty today at Salem's Waters Park with the Braves needing a win to salvage any part of the three-game set.
The Braves lost the second game there Wednesday night, 6-3, with all three of their runs coming in a belated rally in the top of the ninth.
Don Robertson took the loss, his fourth against 12 wins. Walt Clough is likely starter tonight.
Robertson didn't yield any more runs than the opposition scored off him Wednesday. After giving up single runs in the second, third and sixth innings, Robertson was taken out for a pinchhitter in the top of the eighth.
Salem then scored three more runs off the pitching of Dale Thomason and Bill Tompkins.
Meanwhile, Salem pitcher Bill Franks, who was "sold" to the Senators by Cap Manager Bill (Share the Wealth) Brenner, gave up three hits.
Salem manager Hugh Luby apparently was a little queezy of Tri-City's ninth inning rallies be cause when Franks gave up a leadoff single to Terry Carroll in the top of the ninth, that was all for Franks.
Jose Rayle took over and walked Vic Buccola. Playing manager Edo Vanni singled scoring Carroll and Tri-City's other two runs came in on successive ground outs.
Tri-City ......... 000 000 003—3  6 0
Salem ........... 011 001 03x—6 11 1
Robertson, Thomason (8), Tompkins (8) and Johnson; Franks, Rayle (9) and D. Luby.

EDMONTON, July 14—Herman Lewis pounded a two-run homer and a triple for Yakima but it wasn't enough as Edmonton Eskimos used 14 hits to outlast the Bears 10-6 Wednesday night in WIL baseball.
The Eskimos hopped on Danny Rios for four runs in the eighth to put the game out of
reach after Yakima had tied it with a two-run outburst in the top of the fifth inning. Vern Campbell homered, tripled and singled for Edmonton, who took a 2-0 lead in the series.
Yakima .......... 002 020 020— 6 12 2
Edmonton ...... 031 010 14x—10 14 1
Young, Lovrich (4), Rios (8) and Summers; Widner, Manier (6), Kimball (9) and Partee.

Vanni, Vic Fined $15
[Tri-City Herald, July 15, 1954]
Tri-City's playing manager Edo Vanni and first baseman Vic Buccola were fined $15 each this week by league president Bob Abel as an outgrowth of the dispute with ump Mel Steiner last week In the Edmonton series.
Vanni was kicked out of the game but Buccola played it out.
The dispute came after Buccola "started to swing but pulled back" on two pitches. Steiner called both of them strikes.
The fine is not unusual for playing manager Vanni but a bit rare for Buccola.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, July 15, 1954]

The most sought item at Sanders Field nowadays is a pitcher.
“We got to have more pitching strength,” Eddie Taylor, the G.M. said recently. “But where we going to get one?”
Eddie said he has some money for a hurler this time. Previously, whenever a pitcher was loose around the league, Tri-City had nothing to make the purchase with even if they had wanted to buy one.
“After the last few weekends, we are slightly in the black,” Eddie said. “Not much, though. We will make this payroll easily enough but there is always the next and
the next.”
Tri-City’s pitching difficulties seem to run in cycles. When the season first started, Dale Bloom was going great guns and Jess Dobernic couldn’t win for losing.
Now Jess is going strong and Dale has arm trouble.
Walt Clough got off to a poor start, then came around strong, but now seems to have trouble going the distance. Dale Thomason runs hot and cold, yanking up a four-hitter, then being pounded out in two or three innings.
It’s too early to tell just what Jack Hemphill will do. If he pitches the rest of the season the way he did against Edmonton, he should win more than half his games easily enough. Despite being out of baseball almost a half a season, he still went the distance which is an important factor right now.
Jack was released earlier this season when he was supposed to have a sore arm. After the game against Edmonton, he was asked if the arm gave him any trouble.
“Heck, no,” he said. “That arm cleared up the day after I got my release.”
* * *
Robertson Cruises Along
And the last hurler in the lineup, Don Robertson, flows along like a river combining pitching skill and remarkable luck to win game after game. A good example was his
most recent win when he went to the dugout three runs down and with Tri-City having but one time left at bat.
That was the night Tri-City rallied and Rube Johnson stepped in, pinchhit for Robertson, and clouted the game-winning homer.
* * *
Sometimes They Produce More
Off of Tri-City pitchers and onto pitching in general. Why is it that time after time, a guy goes out, gives up one or two runs, and loses, while the next hurler gives up seven or eight runs game after game and his teammates get him 10.
In a dugout discussion on this topic, Bob Moniz ventured the opinion that when players have a pitcher they know is going to yield lots of runs, they really go out after them.
“Why I remember up at Victoria in 1952,” Bob said, “Jehosie Heard would go out there and everyone figured, Heard will hold ‘em. So we wouldn’t be able to hit worth a darn. But when Ben Lorino was on the mound, we knew we had to get some runs to win and went after ‘em.”
During that season, Heard had an earned run average of 2.94. He won 20 and lost 12. Lorino had an ERA of 3.38 and won 24 and lost 7.
* * *
He Really Meant To Hit Nick
Bouncing back to Hemphill, the ex-Salem pitcher reveals the story behind the pitch which touched off the “Big Bear rassle” in the 1953 season.
The ruckus started when one of Hemphill’s pitchers [sic] hit Tri-City catcher Nick Pesut in his backside. Nick then charged after Hemphill and everyone got into the act.
Recently Jack was asked if he meant to hit Pesut.
“Meant to hit him?” Jack replied. “You bet I meant to hit him. There was going to be a $10 fine if I didn't.”
* * *
Managers Come From Right
A recent story points out that the American Association managers could field a representative team by fielding themselves in the lineup. The eight pilots have played in eight different positions.
Which brings up the question of how would a similar deal work in the Western International league. Well, not too good.
Working the right side of the diamond seems to be the best way to become a manager in the WIL.
Fact is, you couldn’t even drum up a good all-manager game against some other team this year with out having half of them play out of their accustomed positions.
Of the eight, three are second basemen — Bob Sturgeon of Edmonton,. Hugh Luby of Salem, and Lou Stringer of Yakima — although we’ll concede, anyone of the three would make a pretty good shortstop in the pinch.
But what about first base? Even by shifting Don Preiss [sic] of Victoria to third base, where he plays frequently, we still have George Kelly of Wenatchee and Larry Barton of Lewiston.
The all-manager team could have a one-man battery in Bill Brenner of Vancouver. Brenner was once a catcher until he found that involves a great deal of effort and not nearly as much pay as the pitching. Now he can do a good job either way.
And there are some who will contend that Bill could cut loose with one of his pitches, run to the dugout and don his catcher’s gear, and get back behind the plate before the ball got there.
The all-manager outfield has a definite weakness. The only character available is Tri-City’s Edo Vanni, and judging from the way Edo was hobbling home the other night when he tried to go for four after getting a triple, it isn’t likely that he could patrol an entire outfield for more than an inning.
There’s an advantage, though, in having an outfielder manager. It gives your relief pitcher more time to warm up when you make the long haul from the outfield to the mound before sending a guy to the showers.

Tuesday, June 29, 1954

                W  L  Pct GB
Vancouver .... 38 20 .655 —
Yakima ....... 36 28 .563 5
Edmonton ..... 27 26 .509 8½
Lewiston ..... 30 31 .492 9½
Tri-City ..... 31 33 .484 10
Victoria ..... 27 33 .450 12
Wenatchee .... 29 36 .446 12½
Salem ........ 29 37 .439 13

VANCOUVER [Clancy Loranger, June 30]—There’s a tradition in the major leagues that the teams in first pace on July 4 are supposed to win the pennants. In the Western International League, it’s more than a tradition—it’s a fact, for the league schedule of course is divided into two halves.
Vancouver Capilanos, in case you hadn’t heard, are favored to be the recipients when they hand out the first half crown next week. They could be kings before then, depending on the manner in which they handle their lone rivals for the title, Yakima Bears, in an all-important five-game series starting here Thursday.
PLAY FAIR
There are two games on the holiday, 2:30 and 8:15, with George Nicholas and Pete Hernandez chosen to get the Caps off on the right foot. There’s another doubleheader Friday, at 7 p.m., and a single game Saturday, by which time the locals could have the championship all neatly tied up.
Vancouver finishes its first half schedule with two doubleheaders in Salem July 4 and 5. And there’s still a matter of the third game in the current series with Hugh Luby’s Senators, which winds up tonight, with Bob Roberts pitching for the Caps.
This three-game set is all square, Bill Brenner evening it up last night with another of his fine pitching performances. Bill allowed just eight hits, all singles, and didn’t walk a man as he became the second 10-hgame winner on the staff. Nicholas is the other.
BIG FIFTH
The Caps won it with a four-run uprising in the fifth on three hits and three walks, two of them intentional.
PROVINCE STARS—Arnie Hallgren, back in action again, with a double that bounced off the left field wall … Bill Brenner, who actually didn’t have his best stuff operating ... and Salem’s Ernie Domenichelli, who allowed just seven hits.
Salem ........... 000 100 000—1 8 1
Vancouver ..... 100 040 00x—5 7 2
Domenichelli and Luby; Brenner and Pesut.

VICTORIA [Jim Tang, Colonist, June 30]—Neither club even had a mathematical chance for first-half honors in the WIL, but Lewiston Broncs, played as if they were in the seventh game of the World Series at Royal Athletic Park last night.
What came out wasn’t too much in the way of baseball but it took three hours and 34 minutes before the Tyees conceded defeat in the 10th inning, 18-14, in a wild and woolly affair in which the Tyees forced a 10th inning by scoring six runs in the ninth after the second out had been made.
PRIES HARD LOSER
Victoria-manager Don Pries, a hard loser, tried everything to win this one. He used six pitchers as pitchers and a seventh as a pinch-hitter while tossing 16 men into the affray. But he came out on the bottom as he could find nobody on the mound staff who could stop the Broncs.
The six Victoria pitchers gave up a combined total of 15 bases on balls, 16 singles, two home runs, a triples and a double, yet the Tyees lost it by the margin of about two feet in the wild ninth.
Victoria grabbed a 4-1 lead off veteran Guy Fletcher in the early innings but Bill Prior, who pitched two fine innings, couldn’t get past the fifth when the Broncs scored four times to take a 6-4.
Mike Kanshin gave it a whirl until the Victoria eighth and by that time, the Lewistons had a 9-5 margin.
FUN STARTS
Then the fun started, just in time to save what had been a drab sort of affair. Eddie Lake walked and Don Lundberg hit one out of the park to make it 9-7. Mel Stein doubled, went to third as Pries came though with a pinch single for the second night in a row, and scored on an error.
John Tierney, however, couldn’t get untracked in the ninth as he went in to keep the Tyees close. Before Bob Drilling got the last man out, the Broncs had five more runs an apparently safe 14-8 lead.
But southpaw Jack Martin, who relieved Fletcher in the eighth, ran into some tough luck in the Victoria ninth. He got Tom Perez and Stein out around walks to Lake and Lundberg. Then Bill Bottler came up to hit for Drilling. He couldn’t do a thing with Martin but he picked the right time to swing at a third strike. The ball got away from catcher Clint Cameron, who made a bad toss to first base.
JACKSON TRIPLES
That loaded the bags. Jackson tripled to score three; Elmer Clow, who replaced Steve Mesner at third base, singled to score Jackson and Dain Clay picked on a 3-1 pitch for Victoria’s third home run and it was all tied up at 14-14.
Neil Sheridan hit one which appeared on its way out of the park. But it hit about two feet from the top of the fence and he died on second base with a double and the Broncs got another chance.
Joe Nicholas became the fifth Victoria pitcher in the 10th. He promptly walked Martin and Nick Cannuli sacrificed. Al Heist was given an intentional base on balls and southpaw Joe [sic] Page was brought in to pitch to the lefthanded-hitting Bob Williams.
STRIKE ZONE MISSING
Page couldn’t find the strike zone. He walked Williams, then Eddie Bockman, to force in the go-ahead run. Don Hunter followed with the only hit of the inning for the second run and Russ Rosburg and Cameron were walked to force in two more before Page ended with a flourish by striking out Mel Wasley and Martin.
That was enough for the Tyees, who went down in order in their half.
The two clubs complete their series tonight. Al Yaylian looms as the probable Lewiston choice. Pries will have to pick from one of the six who worked last night or use Berlyn Hodges, Bottler or Hal Flinn.
Lewiston ...... 001 141 115 4—18 20 3
Victoria ........ 121 010 036 0—14 16 0
Fletcher, Martin (8) and Cameron; Prior, Kanshin (5), Tierney (8), Drilling (9), Nicholas (10), Page (10) and Lundberg.

EDMONTON [Tri-City Herald, June 30]—Playing manager Edo Vanni, with his team riding high on a six-game winning streak, will probably start Dale Bloom against the Edmonton Eskimoes [sic] tonight in the second game of the series there.
The Braves won the opener 9-1 with Don Robertson on the mound. The Lewiston Broncs also won Tuesday night to retain a narrow half-game lead over Tri-City for fourth-place in the League standings.
Thursday Tri-City and Edmonton will play a split doubleheader and Friday they will play a single game. Then Tri-City will return home for the two twin-bills Sunday and Monday.
Robertson, righthander who can give up hits by the bushel and few runs, won his ninth against three losses in the Edmonton opener.
Robertson gave up 11 base blows, four of them doubles, but Edmonton could get but one lone run in the 4th inning. Aiding in the cut-down run production was Robertson’s stinginess with bases on balls. He walked but two. Also helping was Tri-City’s errorless defensive play plus three double plays.
The lone Edmonton run tied the game at that point. Tri-City had scored once in the top of the fourth on three hits.
Things then sailed smoothly for both teams until Tri-City caved the roof in the top of the seventh. When it was over, the Braves batted through the order and halfway down again. Terry Carroll, the leadoff man, picked up two singles and three runs-batted-in.
Altogether, Tri-City got six singles and three walks. Edmonton starter John Conant was driven from the mound and reliefer Charlie LeBrun suffered a similar fate. Jack Widner came in and finally put down the uprising.
Tri-City got a game total of 12 base hits and there wasn’t an extra-base one in the lot.
Tri-City ........ 000 100 800—9 12 0
Edmonton ..... 000 100 000—1 11 2
Robertson and Warren; Conant, LeBrun (7), Widner (7) and Prentice.

EPHRATA, Wash., June 29 — Yakima kept even with Vancouver in its dying battle for a share in first-half Western International League honors with a 7-3 win over Wenatchee
in a baseball game played here Tuesday evening.
Yakima ............ 000 221 101—7 15 0
Wenatchee ...... 001 011 000—3 15 0
Young, Schaening (6) and Summers; Oubre and Helmuth.

Club Not Broke But Needs Fans
[Tri City Herald, June 30, 1954]
A group of Tri-City Athletic Association stockholders meeting at the Desert Inn in Richland Tuesday night heard the ball club isn’t broke yet. Tri-City Braves are pretty certain to finish the season, but attendance will have to hold up or increase to avoid red ink before the year is out.
Reporting on the situation was Harold Matheson, president of the association.
Matheson gave a financial run down on “accounts receivable” and money owned and Tri-City has something under $1,000 in the till. However, this can not be construed as profit for the first half since the cost of operating the club, running to some $130,000 a year, goes on and on.
The group of stockholders, after question-and-answer sessions, took two actions designed to increase attendance at Sanders Field:
1. Voted that all children under 12 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free.
2. Appointed a committee headed by Ray Mussleman and W.R. Willits to promote the team among those Tri-Citians who have not been turning out to games.
In less official action, Braves booster tickets were taken by many stockholders to sell in the Tri-Cities and those present were asked to urge neighbors, acquaintances and friends to turn out to the games.
Mussleman’s appointment to the committee came after he stated bluntly, “We have to sell baseball to the area.”
He proposed that an introductory letter be sent out to Tri-Citians selected at random. The letter would contain two tickets, which along with one dollar, would admit two adults.
The letter idea met with a warm reception from the board and the plan will be followed through.
In somewhat of a surprise move, general manager Eddie Taylor offered to cut himself from the payroll if the stockholders felt it would save the club money. However, the offer was quickly rejected by both the board and the stockholders present and after the meeting both Taylor and the board were given a vote of confidence.
In the informal session, several topics ranging from the sale of Des Charouhas to the future of the league were discussed.
Matheson said he was as much responsible for Charouhas’ sale as anyone. “We had five outfielders,” he said, “and I told Taylor and playing manager Edo Vanni to cut one.”
He pointed out Charouhas had a fair-sized salary and “We were able to get some money by selling him. We did net know at the time how popular he was.”
Matheson said a Tri-City Herald quote that Charouhas would he released had he not been sold was in error. The quote came from Taylor.
Matheson told of getting several chances to sign players now with other teams in the league. In almost all of the cases, the salaries and bonuses demanded were higher than the limit set by the association before the season started.
Matheson predicted that two of the present clubs would have trouble finishing the season and it was his personal opinion that the WIL would soon be down to a six-team league.
He said he and Hugh Luby, Salem general manager, and Bob Brown, former league president, are on a league committee which is “studying the cost of operation of a Class A league.”
Matheson said no recommendations are officially set but it looks as if the committee will ask a veteran limit and a reduction in the number of teams with its subsequent cut in travel costs.

MORNING LINE
BY JIM GILMOUR
[[Vancouver News-Herald, June 30, 1954]
Brenner Picks Up the Challenge
The time was 1952, and the place was Lewiston, The fellow wearing the grumpy face was “Sweet Willy-am” Brenner, manager of the local WIL team.
And Brenner had excellent cause for wishing he was back home in Clarkston, Washington. It was the night before his club’s season opener, and Bill, catcher-manager for the Broncs, was fresh out of pitchers.
“Why not go in there yourself,” piped outfielder Charlie Mead, at the same time failing to hide a wry grin. “Sure, Bill, we’ll give you lots of support,” bravely added first baseman Butch Moran.
The rest of the story you’ll find in the WIL record books.
Disdainfully casting aside his mask and pads, Bill went out and knuckleballed Tri-City into a 4-2 defeat. Before the season finished, Bill’s knuckle—they call it a googly ball in cricket—won 21 games, tops in the league.
The next season, Bill ran up 22 victories and is safely on the way to winning another 20 for the Caps this year.
It’s Winds That Does It, He Says
Actually, Brenner entered pro ranks as a pitcher after graduating from Olympic high school in 1939. He was signed by Hollywood of the Coast League, and the Stars shipped him to Bellingham of the WIL, where Ken Penner converted him into a catcher.
“I used to have my knuckler event then,” claims Bill,”but my best pitch was a fast ball, honest.”
Asked to elaborate on his knuckler, Bill advised that wind is the key factor. “When the ball leaves my hand, it’s on its own. The wind currents make it jump. If the wind is behind me, I haven’t got a thing. Bt if it’s against me, I’m fine,” he explained.

Sports Notes
BY GIL GILMORE
[Tri-City Herald, June 30, 1954]
What big strapping bruiser is the “iron man” of the Western International League?
Oddly, my nomination will be Vic Buccola, a guy who is.built on such slim lines that his teammates frequently rib him about walking around on “birdlegs.”
So far this season, Vic has played every inning of every game. That, coupled with his last season when he played every inning of every game runs the known total to 200 even. Actually, the figure is higher than that since there was another string of consecutive games back in 1952.
He missed seven that year, the last one coming in late August.
Vic was the only Tri-City player to play every inning of every game last year. Terry Carrol had a hand in every came but some of them were in pinchhitting or pinchrunning roles.
And this season Vic Is the only Tri-City player who stands a chance of playing in every game. All the others have missed one for one reason or another.
Each time Vic plays in another game, he sets a league record. Counting the opener at Edmonton, Vic’s total Western International League games played now is 1,155.
There is no indication it will end soon. First of all, what manager would bench a guy even for one game when he is hitting .350 and is the best defensive first-baseman in the league? And Vic will play the game but he isn’t going to throw his 155 pounds around and get hurt if he can avoid it.
Vic knows that an injured player doesn’t do him or his team any good and personally dislikes exhibition games because of the possibility he or another good player on the team might be injured.
* * *
He Has Average Of .294
The one thing that will end Vic’s playing career, maybe is a steady-paying job in something else.
“I’d quit baseball tomorrow if I could make as much at something else,” Vic said awhile back.
Vic’s WIL playing career started back in 1941 when he played 23 games at Spokane. He was in the Pacific Coast league through part of 1946, 1947 and 1948 plus a few weeks at Atlanta in the Southern Association in 1947.
The rest of the time since then he has been in the Willy league. He came to Tri-City from Victoria in 1950 and has been here ever since.
During all those years, Vic has compiled an over-all WIL batting average of .294. He has led the league defensively in 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1953. This year he is threatening to have his best season at the plate in all the years he has played professional baseball. Right now he is hitting over .300 and if the average keeps up there, it will surpass his previous high of .320 hit in 1949 at Victoria.
Every once in a while, there is talk of special nights for various players. Here, if anyone, is the guy among the Braves who probably deserves a special night, not just because he is playing good this season, but because of his long service in the league.
* * *
Beanie’s Average Falls
For the first time since joining the Braves, Jack Warren’s batting average fell below the .300 mark last week. The league batting champion had a .295 at one time.
Beanie, of course, is well aware his hitting percentage is way down, but takes the philosophical view, “That maybe I am slumpin’ off early and will come in strong toward the end.”
Warren also contends that the sacrifice fly rule hurls more than helps this year. “Used to be a man would go to the plate with a runner on third and go for a hit. Now you try to hit a fly ball to the outfield and score that runner without costing anything. So what happens? You get up there and bounce out.”
Wouldn’t it be easier to forget about trying to score that runner from third by means of a sacrifice and step up there like you intended to hit the ball?
“Yeah, if you can do it. But always you try for a fly ball for the outfield,” he replied as if the temptation were too strong.
Personal observation indicates there are other reasons why Jack is low in batting percentages compared with last season. First of all, pitchers know him and aren’t going to throw him anything good. The result is he has to go for more bad ones than he ordinarily would in order to hit at all.
* * *
Special Folding Section
So many minor league teams and leagues are folding nowadays that the Sporting News devotes a full page to them about every issue. Besides, the headline “Spokane, Calgary Quit; WI CUT to Eight Clubs,” there are “Tar Heel Loop Collapses When Shelby Club Folds,” and “Iola Taken over by League, St. Joseph Club Staggering.”
That Tar Heel Loop story is an interesting one.
“The Tar Heel league was formed in 1953 with ten teams,” the story said. "It was reorganized as a four-team circuit this spring.”
There is something about it that sounds familiar. So far the WIL isn’t down to four but there is a strong possibility it will be down to six before the second half begins. Oddly, two of the clubs that talked as if everything was smooth sailing at the Spokane meeting are the ones that are again having trouble.