Hugh Luby Will be Salem's Manager
SALEM, Ore., Dec. 27—Hugh Luby, for many seasons a steady second baseman in the Pacific Coast League and major leagues, was named manager of the Salem Senators of the Western International Baseball League Wednesday.
Luby and club presentative Dewey Soriano met with the Salem board of directors three hours before the announcement.
The 36 year old former infielder, who lives in Oakland, played for several years with the San Francisco Seals. He has managerial experience at New Orleans in the Southern Association. He will take over both general manager and player-manager duties shortly after January 1st.
The Salem Club hired another California man. Mike Radan, Sacramento, will be in charge of office affairs.
Brenner New Yakima Boss
YAKIMA, Dec. 27—President Frederick Mercy Jr., of the Yakima Bears Wednesday night announced the appointment of Bill Brenner as general manager of the Yakima baseball club.
Brenner will also take over the player-manager duties of the Western International league club.
Brenner had served the past four years as pilot of the Vancouver Capilanos, directing them to the pennant in 1947 and to a second place finish in 1949. Brenner expects to move here from Olympia next week to assume his new duties.
As field leader, Brenner fills the vacancy created when the parent San Francisco Seals elevated Joe Orengo, 1949-50 pilot, to the position of business manager of the Coast league club.
Saturday, 8 September 2007
Victoria Athletics Losing $
Victoria Ball Club Sends Out Appeal
VICTORIA, B. C., Dec. 20—Victoria Baseball and Athletic Co., local entry in the Western International Baseball league, today appealed to Victoria fans and businessmen for financial support.
Club directors said the team showed a net operating loss of $31,646 during the last two years and would need $25,000 to begin 1951 operations.
VICTORIA, B. C., Dec. 20—Victoria Baseball and Athletic Co., local entry in the Western International Baseball league, today appealed to Victoria fans and businessmen for financial support.
Club directors said the team showed a net operating loss of $31,646 during the last two years and would need $25,000 to begin 1951 operations.
Bill Brenner's Replacement in Vancouver
Schuster Seeks Berth
SEATTLE, Dec. 16 (UP)—Bill Schuster, infielder for the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast league, who was handed an outright release, was reported Saturday negotiating for a manager's berth with the Vancouver, B. C. team of the Class "B" Western International league.
The popular 36-year-old infielder also played with Los Angeles in the PCL and with the Chicago Cubs in the National league.
Caps Post Still Empty
SEATTLE, Dec. 19— The Seattle Baseball club is having trouble helping the Vancouver Capilanos fill their vacant managerial post. Three candidates have been proposed — two have declined and the third is doubtful.
Earl Sheely, general manager of the Pacific Coast league club, said the latest refusal came from Catcher Bill Salkeld. Infielder Tony York rejected this offer earlier. Both said they prefer to continue playing in faster leagues.
Still a possibility, but also believed shopping for a Coast league berth, is shortstop Bill Schuster.
Schuster Named Vancouver Boss
VANCOUVER, B. C., Dec 23 (UP) —Fun-loving Bill Schuster, former Seattle and Los Angeles infielder, has been signed to manage the Vancouver Capilanos of the Western International Baseball League it was announced today.
Vancouver general manager Bob Brown said Schuster, 36, would be a playing manager. While Brown did not disclose salary details he said "he almost priced me out of the league."
Schuster, whose clowning antics added many a grey hair to the heads of his managers was released by Seattle at the end of the 1950 season.
He broke in with Scanton in 1935, later going to Montreal and Toronto before coming to Seattle in 1940 He went from Seattle to Los Angeles and in 1944 to the Chicago Cubs. He returned to the Angels in 1946 and to Seattle in 1949.
SEATTLE, Dec. 16 (UP)—Bill Schuster, infielder for the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast league, who was handed an outright release, was reported Saturday negotiating for a manager's berth with the Vancouver, B. C. team of the Class "B" Western International league.
The popular 36-year-old infielder also played with Los Angeles in the PCL and with the Chicago Cubs in the National league.
Caps Post Still Empty
SEATTLE, Dec. 19— The Seattle Baseball club is having trouble helping the Vancouver Capilanos fill their vacant managerial post. Three candidates have been proposed — two have declined and the third is doubtful.
Earl Sheely, general manager of the Pacific Coast league club, said the latest refusal came from Catcher Bill Salkeld. Infielder Tony York rejected this offer earlier. Both said they prefer to continue playing in faster leagues.
Still a possibility, but also believed shopping for a Coast league berth, is shortstop Bill Schuster.
Schuster Named Vancouver Boss
VANCOUVER, B. C., Dec 23 (UP) —Fun-loving Bill Schuster, former Seattle and Los Angeles infielder, has been signed to manage the Vancouver Capilanos of the Western International Baseball League it was announced today.
Vancouver general manager Bob Brown said Schuster, 36, would be a playing manager. While Brown did not disclose salary details he said "he almost priced me out of the league."
Schuster, whose clowning antics added many a grey hair to the heads of his managers was released by Seattle at the end of the 1950 season.
He broke in with Scanton in 1935, later going to Montreal and Toronto before coming to Seattle in 1940 He went from Seattle to Los Angeles and in 1944 to the Chicago Cubs. He returned to the Angels in 1946 and to Seattle in 1949.
Give the Gift of WIL Baseball
Chiefs Start Ticket Drive
WENATCHEE, Dec. 13 — In an effort to get a leg up on cash expenditures tor the 1951 Western International League baseball season, the Wenatchee Chiefs are offering season's tickets for sale as Christmas "gift packages" to fans here.
Mayor Arthur Pohlman, president of the locally-owned ball club, is acting as business manager of the team following the resignation of George Clark, Nov. 1.
WENATCHEE, Dec. 13 — In an effort to get a leg up on cash expenditures tor the 1951 Western International League baseball season, the Wenatchee Chiefs are offering season's tickets for sale as Christmas "gift packages" to fans here.
Mayor Arthur Pohlman, president of the locally-owned ball club, is acting as business manager of the team following the resignation of George Clark, Nov. 1.
Never on Sunday for Capilanos
Vancouver Voters Turn Down Bid For Open Sunday
VANCOUVER, Dec. 14 — Sundays with hockey, baseball, movies, horse racing and open-doored taverns got thumbs down from Vancouver voters in a plebiscite Wednesday—by a majority of nearly 10,000 votes.
The scrap over commercialized Sunday sports completely overshadowed the mayoralty election in which sportsman - Fred Hume ousted Charles Thompson, chief executive for the last two years.
With results of the 31 polls complete Mr. Hume, co-owner of New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Coast Hockey league, had received 33,161 votes, 11,636 more than Mr. Thompson, wealthy motor dealer. Mr. Thompson had 21.425.
Complete returns showed 34,571 had voted against wide-open Sundays while 25,051 were in favor.
WILFan note: the first Sunday baseball game in Vancouver wouldn't be until 1957. As for having a beer at a baseball game, add another two decades-plus to that number.
VANCOUVER, Dec. 14 — Sundays with hockey, baseball, movies, horse racing and open-doored taverns got thumbs down from Vancouver voters in a plebiscite Wednesday—by a majority of nearly 10,000 votes.
The scrap over commercialized Sunday sports completely overshadowed the mayoralty election in which sportsman - Fred Hume ousted Charles Thompson, chief executive for the last two years.
With results of the 31 polls complete Mr. Hume, co-owner of New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Coast Hockey league, had received 33,161 votes, 11,636 more than Mr. Thompson, wealthy motor dealer. Mr. Thompson had 21.425.
Complete returns showed 34,571 had voted against wide-open Sundays while 25,051 were in favor.
WILFan note: the first Sunday baseball game in Vancouver wouldn't be until 1957. As for having a beer at a baseball game, add another two decades-plus to that number.
More Transactions
CAN'T DRAFT THEM
Tacoma is loading their roster with Mexican players. There are probably two reasons for this. One is that if the military draft should dig deep into the nation's youth they would still be able to field a team. The Mexicans of course not being subject to the draft unless their nation gets dragged into the conflict.
Another reason is that indirectly San Diego, through their Tacoma farm, are bidding for a slice of the Mexican business. With a lot of Mexican nationals living in the San Diego vicinity a couple of players would help a lot to lure these people into the park. And if the players can make fhe grade at Tacoma no doubt they'll move right up to their parent organization.
BACK WHERE HE STARTED
Reno Cheso, former Yakima third baseman who figured in a sale from San Francisco to Seattle, has now been shipped to Vancouver. That puts him right back in the Western International league from where he started. However, Seattle is going to try and make a catcher out of Cheso. They said he was too slow to make a good hot sacker.
- Tri-City Herald, Dec. 13, 1950
WILFan note: The Herald reported in its Jan. 17, 1951 edition that Cheso had been drafted by the U.S. military.
Jim Warner may hit some round trippers over the fence next year that a lot of Tri-City Braves fans won't like. For it could easily be that some of those four masters will be beating the Braves. Warner has worked out a deal with Dick Richards, general manager of the team, whereby he is permitted to try and sell himself to any other club in the league . . . or anywhere else for that matter.
But Warner likes the Northwest and if he can work it out will engineer the deal with some other team in the Western International league.
Should the WIL home run king be able to sell himself at the price he is asking he will pick up a part of the sale price. That was part, of the agreement entered into between he and Richards. There are a lot of factors lying behind this Some of them are personal reasons, that much is for sure. Warner of course would like to swing the deal because as head of a growing family the money would be more than welcome, particularly in these days of continually rising prices.
In some respects this is a departure from the usual system. It's not unordinary for a player to be permitted to try and sell himself, but usually in those cases he is given his release or told that he will be released before the season starts. It could be that this is a new precedent in baseball because never before to our knowledge has a baseball player been given permission to go out and seek a better contract than what the owning club is willing to offer. However, that's precisely the situation between Warner and the Tri-City Braves.
- Tri-City Herald, Dec. 15, 1950
Victoria Infielder Sold To Salem
VICTORIA, B.C., Dec. 26 — Infielder Jack Hack of the Victoria Athletics in the Western International Baseball League has been sold to the Salem Senators.
The sale price for Hack was not disclosed. He wound up last season with a .296 batting average.
The Salom club is also reported angling for southpaw pitcher Aldon Wilkie and shortstop Bill Dunn from Victoria.
Tacoma is loading their roster with Mexican players. There are probably two reasons for this. One is that if the military draft should dig deep into the nation's youth they would still be able to field a team. The Mexicans of course not being subject to the draft unless their nation gets dragged into the conflict.
Another reason is that indirectly San Diego, through their Tacoma farm, are bidding for a slice of the Mexican business. With a lot of Mexican nationals living in the San Diego vicinity a couple of players would help a lot to lure these people into the park. And if the players can make fhe grade at Tacoma no doubt they'll move right up to their parent organization.
BACK WHERE HE STARTED
Reno Cheso, former Yakima third baseman who figured in a sale from San Francisco to Seattle, has now been shipped to Vancouver. That puts him right back in the Western International league from where he started. However, Seattle is going to try and make a catcher out of Cheso. They said he was too slow to make a good hot sacker.
- Tri-City Herald, Dec. 13, 1950
WILFan note: The Herald reported in its Jan. 17, 1951 edition that Cheso had been drafted by the U.S. military.
Jim Warner may hit some round trippers over the fence next year that a lot of Tri-City Braves fans won't like. For it could easily be that some of those four masters will be beating the Braves. Warner has worked out a deal with Dick Richards, general manager of the team, whereby he is permitted to try and sell himself to any other club in the league . . . or anywhere else for that matter.
But Warner likes the Northwest and if he can work it out will engineer the deal with some other team in the Western International league.
Should the WIL home run king be able to sell himself at the price he is asking he will pick up a part of the sale price. That was part, of the agreement entered into between he and Richards. There are a lot of factors lying behind this Some of them are personal reasons, that much is for sure. Warner of course would like to swing the deal because as head of a growing family the money would be more than welcome, particularly in these days of continually rising prices.
In some respects this is a departure from the usual system. It's not unordinary for a player to be permitted to try and sell himself, but usually in those cases he is given his release or told that he will be released before the season starts. It could be that this is a new precedent in baseball because never before to our knowledge has a baseball player been given permission to go out and seek a better contract than what the owning club is willing to offer. However, that's precisely the situation between Warner and the Tri-City Braves.
- Tri-City Herald, Dec. 15, 1950
Victoria Infielder Sold To Salem
VICTORIA, B.C., Dec. 26 — Infielder Jack Hack of the Victoria Athletics in the Western International Baseball League has been sold to the Salem Senators.
The sale price for Hack was not disclosed. He wound up last season with a .296 batting average.
The Salom club is also reported angling for southpaw pitcher Aldon Wilkie and shortstop Bill Dunn from Victoria.
Monday, 3 September 2007
December 1950 Minor League Meetings
Minor League President Hopeful Over Outlook
By JOE REICHLER
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4—(AP)—Mindful of war clouds hanging overhead and a 19 percent drop in attendance last year, President George M. Trautman sounded an optimistic note today when he declared that all of his 57 Minor leagues are prepared to operate in 1951.
The ruddy faced boss of more than 400 clubs, fully recovered from a serious illness that absented him from last year's convention, admitted that baseball was at the crossroads," but felt confident that "we can survive it just as we did during World War 1 and 2."
"We've got our problems, Trautman said grimly as the baseball people prepared to inaugurate their 49th annual convention with the customary draft. "But they all sink into insignificance when they are compared to the critical world situation."
"I have been asked to try and find out what the government can do for us," Trautman added, "and my answer always was what can we do for our government? "We are ready and willing at all times to do what Washington wants us to do. However, I don't think we'll be asked to stop playing."
CONTINUES PLAYING
Trautman pointed out that 100 Minor league players have been called into service thus far and he expected many more to follow. However, he was encouraged by the fact that every one of the Minors' 432 clubs was prompt in paying its protective fee to the association for the '51 season.
"Although all of our clubs are optimistic about starting the 1951 season," he said. "It is my guess that we probably will lose a few leagues simply because of the manpower shortage. There are not enough older men, most of our young ones will be drafted."
Trautman blamed the 8,000,000 drop in attendance last year to a combination of things. While he attributed most of the decline to the increase of radio broadcasting and televising of major league games into minor league cities, he laid some blame on unusually poor weather and poor playing talent. Three of the 60 leagues which operated in 1950 folded. They were in the New England, Colonial and Eastern Shore.
SEND BETTER TALENT
"I believe that major league organizations should operate more intelligently with their minor league affiliates," he said. "If they want to help their lower class clubs, they should send them better playing talent."
Trautman said of the 632 operating minor league clubs, 101 are owned outright by the majors. Another 125 have working agreements.
"Broadcasting and televising of big league games in our towns have hurt us tremendously," Trautman said. "We simply can't compete with the majors. Our folks are being alienated from their own parks.
"Baseball is at the crossroads. It's in trouble. The big fellows ought to be able to see that. It's about time they got wise to themselves. It is as much their problem as ours. They are ruining their own market for the sake of the dollar. Did you know that only seven of the majors' 600 players did not come up through the minor leagues?"
"I recognize that the majors are entitled somewhat to their market potential and that big league broadcasting is desired by the public. But at the same time, it is a matter of survival.
"I still like to think of baseball as a national institution. The American public cites its virtues."
PLAYER DRAFT TODAY
As the convention opened, the player draft was the first important topic to be tackled.
The gigantic lottery, in which some 5,000 players were up for selection for bids ranging from $6,500 to $400, began with only the triple, double and single A leagues making their picks. Class B and C clubs will have their turn tomorrow.
High on the agenda once the draft is out of the way will be the bonus rule. Best informed opinion is that the controversial law is doomed. Of all the leagues polled, all unofficially, not one was in favor of retaining the bonus rule which requires a youth receiving more than $6,000 in his first years to be kept by the big leagues after only one year of minor league experience.
Big Problem To Hold Draft Proof Players
Nearly 10,000 Players Necessary To Have Loops Operate
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4 (UP)—Baseball's minor leagues, the spawning grounds for the majors, began battling for their existence today.
A desperate manpower situation, brought on by the Korean crisis, left it doubtful how many of the 57 minor leagues which survived last year could carry on in 1951.
Part of the answer will come out today as the top minor league circuits, the Class Triple A, the Double A and the A draft players from the lower minors. These leagues are virtually sure to operate next year, even in the event of another full scale war.
When they get through, the lower minors will complete the drafting and when it's all over baseball executives will have a general idea of how many men they can count on to carry on.
President George Trautmann of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues — the minors—estimated it would lake nearly 10,000 ball players to make sure that all leagues in operation this year would be back in business next season.
"And we just don't know if we are going to have that many," he said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
The problem was for the minors to obtain—or hold on to—players who are military draft-proof. That is even going to be a problem for the majors—let alone the minors which opened their annual winter meetings today. The majors follow with their annual December sessions next week.
In all, some 3000 ball players were up for the minor league draft, but of that number at least half may be in the armed forces before the next baseball season opens.
Because of that, the number of those drafted was not expected to approach last year's figure of 222. Too many of those eligible for the draft also are subject to a more important draft—the one Uncle Sam has going on.
With the minor league draft prices varying from $6500 for Class AAA to $700 for Class C, few ball clubs were expected to claim players whose military status is in doubt. In other words, unless a player is over-age, saw World War II service or has dependenls he is a poor baseball draft risk. And most of the draft eligibles are subject to call to the armed forces.
Big Minors Draft Total of 26 Men
By LEO H. PETERSON
United Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4.—The 24 triple-A minor league teams drafted a total of 26 players from leagues of lower classifications today as the National Assn. of Profossional
Baseball Clubs began its annual meeting.
The total was four players less than these three top minor leagues—the Pacific Coast, the International and the American Assn.—drafted last year.
Buffalo, which finished last in the International League had the first selection and chose Pitcher Thomas Acker from Sioux City, Ia. Buffalo later selected [.400-hitting] Outfielder Frank Carswell from Texarkana.
Two former major leaguers, Hal Gregg and Shortstop Wes Hamner, were among the players drafted. Oakland chose Gregg from New Orleans, where he had been sent by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hamner was selected from San Antonio by Seattle.
Other players included:
By Sacramento — Pitcher Walter Kress from Tulsa.
By Toronto—Outfielder Jame Morton from Dallas.
By Seattle—Pitcher Michael Clark from Houston [and Outfielder Marcus Rivers from Pensacola.]
By Hollywood—Outfielder Frank Marchio from Beaumont.
Having first choice in the minor league draft, the triple-A teams had no manpower problem for next year but the leagues of the lower class ifications were going to come face to face with player shortages before the draft is completed today and tomorrow.
Three WIL Players Drafted
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4—Greco's Garden will need a new name next year. It will be minus one Greco.
Dick Greco, the Western International League's leading slugger in 1950, has been drafted by Birmingham of the class AA Southern Association, one of three players from the league to be selected by a team in a higher classification in the annual minor league draft.
Outfielder Joe Burgher of Tacoma was grabbed by Oklahoma city of the class AA Texas League and catcher Al Ronning of Victoria went to Pueblo, Colo., of the class A Western League.
The Tri-City Braves emerged unscathed from the draft. Thus, aside from shortstop Buddy Peterson, who was sold to Beaumont of the AA Texas League, nearly the entire roster of the 1950 edition of the Braves will be available.
However, there are several who will probably not be with the team in the coming season. Merle Frick, pitcher-outfielder has gone into the armed forces. Outfielder Dick Faber, and Pitcher Gene Roenspie, have been optioned out three times, the maximum, by their owners, the Sacramento club, thus preventing their return.
Joe Orrell, another pitcher has asked for his outright release and will most likely not be in the lineup either.
Minor League Changes Told
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4— Here's a quick rundown of Monday's developments at the major-minor league baseball meetings:
George Selkirk, former new York Yankee outfielder, was named manager of the Yanks' Kansas city farm team in the American Association.
Zack Taylor signed to manage the St. Louis Browns for the third straight year.
Jimmy Adair was appointed third-base coach of the Chicago White Sox.
Rollle Hemsley quit as pilot of the Columbus Redbirds of the American Association.
Manager Joe Gordon of Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League said he hoped to have his former teammate, Ken Keltner, play third base for him in 1951.
Reliable sources said Dutch Meyer, former Detroit infielder, will be named new manager of the Dallas club of the Texas league.
The Cleveland Indians announced the appointment of Tom Downey as their west coast scout.
Ottawa paved the way for taking up the Jersey City franchise in International league by transferring its own franchise to Cornwall, Ontario, in the Border league. The New York Giants would control both clubs.
The classifications of two Texas baseball league also were advanced. The Gulf State League was
upped from class C to B and the Longhorn Loop from D to C.
Permission was given for Corpus Christi to transfer from the Rio Grande to the Gulf Coast League.
Presidents of 20 class D leagues met to discuss the 1950 baseball situation.
Oaks Ink Ott, Minor League Draft Complete
By JACK HAND
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 5—(AP)—Mel Ott, the all-time home run king of the National league, returned to baseball Tuesday as manager of the Oakland club of the Pacific Coast league. Clarence (Brick) Laws, Oakland president, signed Ott to a two-year contract at an undisclosed salary.
The news about Ott overshadowed other developments at the baseball winter meetings as the minor leagues polished off their draft in two long sessions.
After a spending spree Monday by higher class leagues, the lower minors slumped way off Tuesday.
The minors selected a total of 148 players for $335,900. Last year 222 players were called up for $449,050.
The obvious great decline by the lower leagues, which depend heavily on teen-age players, was because of the war scare.
Class B leagues picked 61 players and two umpires for $56,000. The class C circuits drafted only 12 men for $98,400.
Minor league teams are permitted to make delayed player selections until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Grandfather Picked By Vancouver
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 5—Veteran Pacific Coast League southpaw Antonio (Tony) Freitas has been selected by the Vancouver Capilanos of the Western International League from Modesto of the class 'C' California League.
Freitas, a 42-year-old grandfather, posted a 20-6 record with Modesto last season. He had trials with the A's and Cincinnati in the 1930s. He was released early last year by Sacramento, having posted 228 wins in 16 years in the PCL.
Freitas was only one of two players drafted by WIL teams. Tacoma selected catcher Marlon Watson, 23, who batted .317 for El Centro of the class 'C' Sunset League in 1950.
Seattle Deals
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7—The Seattle Rainiers have disposed of utility infielder Leon Mohr, who played part of last season in Spokane in the Western International League. He has been sent outright to Oklahoma City of the Texas League.
Joe Montalvo, the catcher who leads the Puerto Rican winter league with a .385 average, has been purchased from Shreveport of the Texas loop.
They also traded .261-hitting second baseman Mickey Witek to the Atlanta Crackers of the AA Southern Association for second baseman Ellis Clary, a .301 hitter.
Majors Warned to Curtail Broadcasting
By Carl Lunquist
United Press Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 6 (U.P.) — The minor leagues told the big leagues today to "quit flooding us with your radio broadcasts and telecasts or we'll be out of business and some day so will you."
At the end of a four-hour stormy session in which President George M. Trautman of the Minors laid his cards on the table, he emerged and said that "we have a three point program which we are going to present to the Majors at their meetings next week."
Trautman said he felt that the solution of the problem "fundamentally rests with individual Major League clubs themselves."
He was the instigator of the emergency meeting at which baseball commissioner A. B. Chandler also was present. The others representing the Majors were Will Harridge, president of the American League and Warren Giles, head of the Cincinnati Reds, who represented the National League. The other Minor league representatives besides Trautman were Herman White, president of the Northern league, Frank Shaughnessy, president of the International league, and Charley Hurth, president of the Southern association. "We just told them that we are the backbone of baseball and If you cut off interest in Minor league games by flooding us with big league games, you are going to wreck the whole structure," Trautman said.
Trautman said that at the Major league meetings next week the Minors would request three things and that they would have to get them all agreed upon or "a lot of us are going to be out of business."
"First of all we are going to ask the Individual Major League clubs to curtail their Minor league networks," Trautman said.
"Second, we want better supervision of the conduct of these networks. We want a little more consideration of the local situation — a little more looking after the little guy in minor league territory.
"Third, we want to limit television broadcasts to the home territory of the club involved. That is a tremendous potential problem."
Trautman said the minors had gone to the Department of Justice in Washington and had done everything possible to get restrictions put into effect on the virtually unrestrained broadcasting of big league games into minor league territory.
Minors See Hope of Radio Control
ST. PETERSBERG, Fla., Dec. 6 (AP) — Baseball's minor leagues Wednesday night received evideace of the majors' "sympathetic attitude" to their radio-television problem.
After a three-hour conference with Commissioner A. B. Chandler and a major-minor league committee, President George Trautman of the minors expressed hope of a solution.
"It is the conclusion of the committee." said Trautman "that fundamentally the solution of this problem rests with the individual major league clubs."
Trautman outlined a three-point program that he will take in person to the American and National league meetings next week:
1. The major league clubs will be asked to curtail their own major league networks.
2. The majors will be asked for better supervision of the conduct of their own broadcast outlets.
3. Majors will be asked to limit television outlets to their own territories.
The committee has been continued and will meet at some future unannounced future date.
Trautman indicated the minors did not object vigorously to the so called "game of the day" broadcast as they did not blanket their territory as much as the majors network.
Trautman recently went to Washington to discuss the radio situation with the attorney general He said Wednesday night's conclusions were not a result of that conference.
Time after time he pointed out that this must be a matter settled by major league clubs and not by leagues.
The minors claim widespread broadcasts of major league games in their cities was an important factor in their 19 per cent attendance decline. They are asking the majors, who control the rights, for relief.
Indications were that the majors, alert to the situation would make concessions.
The department of justice is interested from a restraint of trade possibility standpoint. It has made no public rule on the matter but has discussed the problem with big league lawyers and executives several times.
The high school rule, under fire for some time, probably will be scrapped when the contract rans out December 31. 1951. Many baseball men want the right to talk to and negotiate with high school players before they graduate. Under the present rule, no high school boy can be signed until he or his class graduates.
Warren Giles, Cincinnati president, said baseball should continue to encourage schoolboys to complete their education and retain their athletic eligibility, but asked that clubs be not restricted in discussing terms with the boys, particularly during their senior year.
It seemed to be pretty much ansure thing that the much-debated bonius rule will be abolished by an overwhelming vote. Under this rule clubs were sharply restricted in movement of players who received more than a set sum for signing as free agents—$6,000 for a big league club.
Bonus Rule Killed By Ball Moguls
BULLETIN
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 (UP)—The Minor Leagues today abandoned the controversial bonus rule.
The 57 Minor league presidents voted unanimously to rescind the rule, climaxing a two year fight by the Major League clubs to get it off the books.
There was no discussion when the amendment came up for vote.
[here's the earlier story]
By LEO H. PETERSEN
United Press Sports Editor
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 (UP) — The most controversial legislation in the history of organized baseball, the bonus rule, finally was doomed today.
The presidents of the 57 Minor leagues were ready to vote it off the books in their final executive meeting of the annual convention of the National Association of professional baseball clubs — the Minors.
The action will climax a two year fight to have the rule, which has cost Major league club owners hundreds of thousands of dollars rescinded.
For two years most of the Major league club owners have been fighting to have the rule repealed. But the Minor leagues, with the support of President Warren Giles of the Cincinnati Reds, had managed to keep it in effect.
Its fate was sealed, however, when Giles switched his stand and President George Trautman said there was no question but that it would be voted out today.
SOME BUSTS TOO
A three-quarters vote — or 43 of the minor league presidents — is necessary for repeal. Trautman predicted the vote to rescind the rule would be close to unanimous.
Because the rule is part of the major-minor league agreement, the Majors at their winter meetings here next week, also must vote formally to rescind it. But that is only a formality.
The rule has been on the books for five years. Under it any player signed for more than $6,000 by the Major league clubs was designated as a bonus player and he was subject to certain restrictions which meant for the most part that the club was stuck with the player for the rest of his baseball career. There were exceptions to it, but in every case it meant the club which signed the player lost a big chunk of money.
The rule has cost owner Bob Carpenter of the Philadelphia Phillies the most money over the years, although none of the three highest bonus players are with his club. The record bonus was the $100,000 which the Pirates gave to sign pitcher Paul Pettit, the California schoolboy, last winter. Next came the $75,000 which the Detroit Tigers paid to sign catcher Frank House and then the $65,000 which the Boston Braves shelled out to get pitcher Johnny Antonelli to sign a contract. Thus far, those three players have been busts.
Baseball Officials Warned To Be Set for Emergency
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 —(AP)—Baseball Commissioner A. B. (Happy) Chandler told the minor leaguers at their annual banquet Thursday night to be ready for any emergency and make their plans accordingly.
"We're living in terrible times," he said. "We've got to look facts in the face. We've got to be ready for every emergency. We must be prepared to face the uncertainty and you fellows must make your plans accordingly."
Chandler denied, in effect, statements attributed to him that total mobilization was planned and that baseball may have to cease operations.
"I understand I've been quoted as saying we're going to have total mobilization;' he said. I don't claim to know. When you deny something it's like being asked, "when did you stop beating your wife?"
''I don't know whether have total mobilization," the commissioner said. "Even if we do I have no idea what effects it would have on baseball."
During a recent visit with President
Truman in Washington. Chandler said he assured the president that baseball was prepared to do anything asked of it in the event of a third world war.
"Baseball never has and never will ask for any special favors," he said.
Chandler said the president has told him every effort would be made to keep baseball going, and that he hoped the time would never come when baseball would be asked to cease operations.
"There was total mobilization in the last war." Chandler reminded, "and baseball survived it."
The representatives of the 571 minor leagues, more than a thousand baseball executives and official left the banquet in a sober frame of mind.
One baseball executive, who asked not to be identified, put his fears this way:
"If a third world war comes the people will realize that this is it. In the last war a few fought for many. This time everybody will be in it and everything else will have to be forgotten for the time being."
Central Loop To Operate On Full Basis
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4—(AP)—The Central baseball league is planning to operate at full strength in 1951 and may even try to expand.
The six-team league voted unanimously yesterday to operate all teams again next season and if possible try to take in two more teams.
The league also re-elected Tom J. Halligan of Flint as president for his fourth term. Halligan won out over two other candidates, Frank Colley of Columbus, President of the Ohio-Indiana league, and William Corey, president of the Zanesville baseball club.
The league also reinstated the Saginaw club. Earlier the league had ordered its franchise dropped after the club had some financial difficulties. The lengue said the team had settled things financially to its liking.
The vote to operate next summer apparently answered the question about whether owner John Vanderplow of the Muskegon club would try to sell his franchise.
Vanderplow declined to comment on his plans for next season, but indicated that the league's action had settled him on his plans.
The league said Erie and Johnstown of the Middle Atlantic lengue had shown some interest in entering the Central League. But club owners said they didn't intend to go out to grab the teams away from the Middle Atlantic loop.
Jim Williams was elected league vice-president for a one-year term. He is president-owner of the Grand Rapids club.
Deans' Lease on Lubbock Baseball Club Probed
By United Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4.—Minor league president George Trautman announced he planned an investigation of the reported leasing of the Lubbock West Texas-New Mexico League franchise to Dizzy and Paul Dean.
Trautman said baseball regulations prohibit leasing of a franchise.
By JOE REICHLER
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4—(AP)—Mindful of war clouds hanging overhead and a 19 percent drop in attendance last year, President George M. Trautman sounded an optimistic note today when he declared that all of his 57 Minor leagues are prepared to operate in 1951.
The ruddy faced boss of more than 400 clubs, fully recovered from a serious illness that absented him from last year's convention, admitted that baseball was at the crossroads," but felt confident that "we can survive it just as we did during World War 1 and 2."
"We've got our problems, Trautman said grimly as the baseball people prepared to inaugurate their 49th annual convention with the customary draft. "But they all sink into insignificance when they are compared to the critical world situation."
"I have been asked to try and find out what the government can do for us," Trautman added, "and my answer always was what can we do for our government? "We are ready and willing at all times to do what Washington wants us to do. However, I don't think we'll be asked to stop playing."
CONTINUES PLAYING
Trautman pointed out that 100 Minor league players have been called into service thus far and he expected many more to follow. However, he was encouraged by the fact that every one of the Minors' 432 clubs was prompt in paying its protective fee to the association for the '51 season.
"Although all of our clubs are optimistic about starting the 1951 season," he said. "It is my guess that we probably will lose a few leagues simply because of the manpower shortage. There are not enough older men, most of our young ones will be drafted."
Trautman blamed the 8,000,000 drop in attendance last year to a combination of things. While he attributed most of the decline to the increase of radio broadcasting and televising of major league games into minor league cities, he laid some blame on unusually poor weather and poor playing talent. Three of the 60 leagues which operated in 1950 folded. They were in the New England, Colonial and Eastern Shore.
SEND BETTER TALENT
"I believe that major league organizations should operate more intelligently with their minor league affiliates," he said. "If they want to help their lower class clubs, they should send them better playing talent."
Trautman said of the 632 operating minor league clubs, 101 are owned outright by the majors. Another 125 have working agreements.
"Broadcasting and televising of big league games in our towns have hurt us tremendously," Trautman said. "We simply can't compete with the majors. Our folks are being alienated from their own parks.
"Baseball is at the crossroads. It's in trouble. The big fellows ought to be able to see that. It's about time they got wise to themselves. It is as much their problem as ours. They are ruining their own market for the sake of the dollar. Did you know that only seven of the majors' 600 players did not come up through the minor leagues?"
"I recognize that the majors are entitled somewhat to their market potential and that big league broadcasting is desired by the public. But at the same time, it is a matter of survival.
"I still like to think of baseball as a national institution. The American public cites its virtues."
PLAYER DRAFT TODAY
As the convention opened, the player draft was the first important topic to be tackled.
The gigantic lottery, in which some 5,000 players were up for selection for bids ranging from $6,500 to $400, began with only the triple, double and single A leagues making their picks. Class B and C clubs will have their turn tomorrow.
High on the agenda once the draft is out of the way will be the bonus rule. Best informed opinion is that the controversial law is doomed. Of all the leagues polled, all unofficially, not one was in favor of retaining the bonus rule which requires a youth receiving more than $6,000 in his first years to be kept by the big leagues after only one year of minor league experience.
Big Problem To Hold Draft Proof Players
Nearly 10,000 Players Necessary To Have Loops Operate
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4 (UP)—Baseball's minor leagues, the spawning grounds for the majors, began battling for their existence today.
A desperate manpower situation, brought on by the Korean crisis, left it doubtful how many of the 57 minor leagues which survived last year could carry on in 1951.
Part of the answer will come out today as the top minor league circuits, the Class Triple A, the Double A and the A draft players from the lower minors. These leagues are virtually sure to operate next year, even in the event of another full scale war.
When they get through, the lower minors will complete the drafting and when it's all over baseball executives will have a general idea of how many men they can count on to carry on.
President George Trautmann of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues — the minors—estimated it would lake nearly 10,000 ball players to make sure that all leagues in operation this year would be back in business next season.
"And we just don't know if we are going to have that many," he said. "We'll just have to wait and see."
The problem was for the minors to obtain—or hold on to—players who are military draft-proof. That is even going to be a problem for the majors—let alone the minors which opened their annual winter meetings today. The majors follow with their annual December sessions next week.
In all, some 3000 ball players were up for the minor league draft, but of that number at least half may be in the armed forces before the next baseball season opens.
Because of that, the number of those drafted was not expected to approach last year's figure of 222. Too many of those eligible for the draft also are subject to a more important draft—the one Uncle Sam has going on.
With the minor league draft prices varying from $6500 for Class AAA to $700 for Class C, few ball clubs were expected to claim players whose military status is in doubt. In other words, unless a player is over-age, saw World War II service or has dependenls he is a poor baseball draft risk. And most of the draft eligibles are subject to call to the armed forces.
Big Minors Draft Total of 26 Men
By LEO H. PETERSON
United Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4.—The 24 triple-A minor league teams drafted a total of 26 players from leagues of lower classifications today as the National Assn. of Profossional
Baseball Clubs began its annual meeting.
The total was four players less than these three top minor leagues—the Pacific Coast, the International and the American Assn.—drafted last year.
Buffalo, which finished last in the International League had the first selection and chose Pitcher Thomas Acker from Sioux City, Ia. Buffalo later selected [.400-hitting] Outfielder Frank Carswell from Texarkana.
Two former major leaguers, Hal Gregg and Shortstop Wes Hamner, were among the players drafted. Oakland chose Gregg from New Orleans, where he had been sent by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hamner was selected from San Antonio by Seattle.
Other players included:
By Sacramento — Pitcher Walter Kress from Tulsa.
By Toronto—Outfielder Jame Morton from Dallas.
By Seattle—Pitcher Michael Clark from Houston [and Outfielder Marcus Rivers from Pensacola.]
By Hollywood—Outfielder Frank Marchio from Beaumont.
Having first choice in the minor league draft, the triple-A teams had no manpower problem for next year but the leagues of the lower class ifications were going to come face to face with player shortages before the draft is completed today and tomorrow.
Three WIL Players Drafted
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4—Greco's Garden will need a new name next year. It will be minus one Greco.
Dick Greco, the Western International League's leading slugger in 1950, has been drafted by Birmingham of the class AA Southern Association, one of three players from the league to be selected by a team in a higher classification in the annual minor league draft.
Outfielder Joe Burgher of Tacoma was grabbed by Oklahoma city of the class AA Texas League and catcher Al Ronning of Victoria went to Pueblo, Colo., of the class A Western League.
The Tri-City Braves emerged unscathed from the draft. Thus, aside from shortstop Buddy Peterson, who was sold to Beaumont of the AA Texas League, nearly the entire roster of the 1950 edition of the Braves will be available.
However, there are several who will probably not be with the team in the coming season. Merle Frick, pitcher-outfielder has gone into the armed forces. Outfielder Dick Faber, and Pitcher Gene Roenspie, have been optioned out three times, the maximum, by their owners, the Sacramento club, thus preventing their return.
Joe Orrell, another pitcher has asked for his outright release and will most likely not be in the lineup either.
Minor League Changes Told
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4— Here's a quick rundown of Monday's developments at the major-minor league baseball meetings:
George Selkirk, former new York Yankee outfielder, was named manager of the Yanks' Kansas city farm team in the American Association.
Zack Taylor signed to manage the St. Louis Browns for the third straight year.
Jimmy Adair was appointed third-base coach of the Chicago White Sox.
Rollle Hemsley quit as pilot of the Columbus Redbirds of the American Association.
Manager Joe Gordon of Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League said he hoped to have his former teammate, Ken Keltner, play third base for him in 1951.
Reliable sources said Dutch Meyer, former Detroit infielder, will be named new manager of the Dallas club of the Texas league.
The Cleveland Indians announced the appointment of Tom Downey as their west coast scout.
Ottawa paved the way for taking up the Jersey City franchise in International league by transferring its own franchise to Cornwall, Ontario, in the Border league. The New York Giants would control both clubs.
The classifications of two Texas baseball league also were advanced. The Gulf State League was
upped from class C to B and the Longhorn Loop from D to C.
Permission was given for Corpus Christi to transfer from the Rio Grande to the Gulf Coast League.
Presidents of 20 class D leagues met to discuss the 1950 baseball situation.
Oaks Ink Ott, Minor League Draft Complete
By JACK HAND
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 5—(AP)—Mel Ott, the all-time home run king of the National league, returned to baseball Tuesday as manager of the Oakland club of the Pacific Coast league. Clarence (Brick) Laws, Oakland president, signed Ott to a two-year contract at an undisclosed salary.
The news about Ott overshadowed other developments at the baseball winter meetings as the minor leagues polished off their draft in two long sessions.
After a spending spree Monday by higher class leagues, the lower minors slumped way off Tuesday.
The minors selected a total of 148 players for $335,900. Last year 222 players were called up for $449,050.
The obvious great decline by the lower leagues, which depend heavily on teen-age players, was because of the war scare.
Class B leagues picked 61 players and two umpires for $56,000. The class C circuits drafted only 12 men for $98,400.
Minor league teams are permitted to make delayed player selections until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Grandfather Picked By Vancouver
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 5—Veteran Pacific Coast League southpaw Antonio (Tony) Freitas has been selected by the Vancouver Capilanos of the Western International League from Modesto of the class 'C' California League.
Freitas, a 42-year-old grandfather, posted a 20-6 record with Modesto last season. He had trials with the A's and Cincinnati in the 1930s. He was released early last year by Sacramento, having posted 228 wins in 16 years in the PCL.
Freitas was only one of two players drafted by WIL teams. Tacoma selected catcher Marlon Watson, 23, who batted .317 for El Centro of the class 'C' Sunset League in 1950.
Seattle Deals
St. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7—The Seattle Rainiers have disposed of utility infielder Leon Mohr, who played part of last season in Spokane in the Western International League. He has been sent outright to Oklahoma City of the Texas League.
Joe Montalvo, the catcher who leads the Puerto Rican winter league with a .385 average, has been purchased from Shreveport of the Texas loop.
They also traded .261-hitting second baseman Mickey Witek to the Atlanta Crackers of the AA Southern Association for second baseman Ellis Clary, a .301 hitter.
Majors Warned to Curtail Broadcasting
By Carl Lunquist
United Press Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 6 (U.P.) — The minor leagues told the big leagues today to "quit flooding us with your radio broadcasts and telecasts or we'll be out of business and some day so will you."
At the end of a four-hour stormy session in which President George M. Trautman of the Minors laid his cards on the table, he emerged and said that "we have a three point program which we are going to present to the Majors at their meetings next week."
Trautman said he felt that the solution of the problem "fundamentally rests with individual Major League clubs themselves."
He was the instigator of the emergency meeting at which baseball commissioner A. B. Chandler also was present. The others representing the Majors were Will Harridge, president of the American League and Warren Giles, head of the Cincinnati Reds, who represented the National League. The other Minor league representatives besides Trautman were Herman White, president of the Northern league, Frank Shaughnessy, president of the International league, and Charley Hurth, president of the Southern association. "We just told them that we are the backbone of baseball and If you cut off interest in Minor league games by flooding us with big league games, you are going to wreck the whole structure," Trautman said.
Trautman said that at the Major league meetings next week the Minors would request three things and that they would have to get them all agreed upon or "a lot of us are going to be out of business."
"First of all we are going to ask the Individual Major League clubs to curtail their Minor league networks," Trautman said.
"Second, we want better supervision of the conduct of these networks. We want a little more consideration of the local situation — a little more looking after the little guy in minor league territory.
"Third, we want to limit television broadcasts to the home territory of the club involved. That is a tremendous potential problem."
Trautman said the minors had gone to the Department of Justice in Washington and had done everything possible to get restrictions put into effect on the virtually unrestrained broadcasting of big league games into minor league territory.
Minors See Hope of Radio Control
ST. PETERSBERG, Fla., Dec. 6 (AP) — Baseball's minor leagues Wednesday night received evideace of the majors' "sympathetic attitude" to their radio-television problem.
After a three-hour conference with Commissioner A. B. Chandler and a major-minor league committee, President George Trautman of the minors expressed hope of a solution.
"It is the conclusion of the committee." said Trautman "that fundamentally the solution of this problem rests with the individual major league clubs."
Trautman outlined a three-point program that he will take in person to the American and National league meetings next week:
1. The major league clubs will be asked to curtail their own major league networks.
2. The majors will be asked for better supervision of the conduct of their own broadcast outlets.
3. Majors will be asked to limit television outlets to their own territories.
The committee has been continued and will meet at some future unannounced future date.
Trautman indicated the minors did not object vigorously to the so called "game of the day" broadcast as they did not blanket their territory as much as the majors network.
Trautman recently went to Washington to discuss the radio situation with the attorney general He said Wednesday night's conclusions were not a result of that conference.
Time after time he pointed out that this must be a matter settled by major league clubs and not by leagues.
The minors claim widespread broadcasts of major league games in their cities was an important factor in their 19 per cent attendance decline. They are asking the majors, who control the rights, for relief.
Indications were that the majors, alert to the situation would make concessions.
The department of justice is interested from a restraint of trade possibility standpoint. It has made no public rule on the matter but has discussed the problem with big league lawyers and executives several times.
The high school rule, under fire for some time, probably will be scrapped when the contract rans out December 31. 1951. Many baseball men want the right to talk to and negotiate with high school players before they graduate. Under the present rule, no high school boy can be signed until he or his class graduates.
Warren Giles, Cincinnati president, said baseball should continue to encourage schoolboys to complete their education and retain their athletic eligibility, but asked that clubs be not restricted in discussing terms with the boys, particularly during their senior year.
It seemed to be pretty much ansure thing that the much-debated bonius rule will be abolished by an overwhelming vote. Under this rule clubs were sharply restricted in movement of players who received more than a set sum for signing as free agents—$6,000 for a big league club.
Bonus Rule Killed By Ball Moguls
BULLETIN
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 (UP)—The Minor Leagues today abandoned the controversial bonus rule.
The 57 Minor league presidents voted unanimously to rescind the rule, climaxing a two year fight by the Major League clubs to get it off the books.
There was no discussion when the amendment came up for vote.
[here's the earlier story]
By LEO H. PETERSEN
United Press Sports Editor
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 (UP) — The most controversial legislation in the history of organized baseball, the bonus rule, finally was doomed today.
The presidents of the 57 Minor leagues were ready to vote it off the books in their final executive meeting of the annual convention of the National Association of professional baseball clubs — the Minors.
The action will climax a two year fight to have the rule, which has cost Major league club owners hundreds of thousands of dollars rescinded.
For two years most of the Major league club owners have been fighting to have the rule repealed. But the Minor leagues, with the support of President Warren Giles of the Cincinnati Reds, had managed to keep it in effect.
Its fate was sealed, however, when Giles switched his stand and President George Trautman said there was no question but that it would be voted out today.
SOME BUSTS TOO
A three-quarters vote — or 43 of the minor league presidents — is necessary for repeal. Trautman predicted the vote to rescind the rule would be close to unanimous.
Because the rule is part of the major-minor league agreement, the Majors at their winter meetings here next week, also must vote formally to rescind it. But that is only a formality.
The rule has been on the books for five years. Under it any player signed for more than $6,000 by the Major league clubs was designated as a bonus player and he was subject to certain restrictions which meant for the most part that the club was stuck with the player for the rest of his baseball career. There were exceptions to it, but in every case it meant the club which signed the player lost a big chunk of money.
The rule has cost owner Bob Carpenter of the Philadelphia Phillies the most money over the years, although none of the three highest bonus players are with his club. The record bonus was the $100,000 which the Pirates gave to sign pitcher Paul Pettit, the California schoolboy, last winter. Next came the $75,000 which the Detroit Tigers paid to sign catcher Frank House and then the $65,000 which the Boston Braves shelled out to get pitcher Johnny Antonelli to sign a contract. Thus far, those three players have been busts.
Baseball Officials Warned To Be Set for Emergency
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 7 —(AP)—Baseball Commissioner A. B. (Happy) Chandler told the minor leaguers at their annual banquet Thursday night to be ready for any emergency and make their plans accordingly.
"We're living in terrible times," he said. "We've got to look facts in the face. We've got to be ready for every emergency. We must be prepared to face the uncertainty and you fellows must make your plans accordingly."
Chandler denied, in effect, statements attributed to him that total mobilization was planned and that baseball may have to cease operations.
"I understand I've been quoted as saying we're going to have total mobilization;' he said. I don't claim to know. When you deny something it's like being asked, "when did you stop beating your wife?"
''I don't know whether have total mobilization," the commissioner said. "Even if we do I have no idea what effects it would have on baseball."
During a recent visit with President
Truman in Washington. Chandler said he assured the president that baseball was prepared to do anything asked of it in the event of a third world war.
"Baseball never has and never will ask for any special favors," he said.
Chandler said the president has told him every effort would be made to keep baseball going, and that he hoped the time would never come when baseball would be asked to cease operations.
"There was total mobilization in the last war." Chandler reminded, "and baseball survived it."
The representatives of the 571 minor leagues, more than a thousand baseball executives and official left the banquet in a sober frame of mind.
One baseball executive, who asked not to be identified, put his fears this way:
"If a third world war comes the people will realize that this is it. In the last war a few fought for many. This time everybody will be in it and everything else will have to be forgotten for the time being."
Central Loop To Operate On Full Basis
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4—(AP)—The Central baseball league is planning to operate at full strength in 1951 and may even try to expand.
The six-team league voted unanimously yesterday to operate all teams again next season and if possible try to take in two more teams.
The league also re-elected Tom J. Halligan of Flint as president for his fourth term. Halligan won out over two other candidates, Frank Colley of Columbus, President of the Ohio-Indiana league, and William Corey, president of the Zanesville baseball club.
The league also reinstated the Saginaw club. Earlier the league had ordered its franchise dropped after the club had some financial difficulties. The lengue said the team had settled things financially to its liking.
The vote to operate next summer apparently answered the question about whether owner John Vanderplow of the Muskegon club would try to sell his franchise.
Vanderplow declined to comment on his plans for next season, but indicated that the league's action had settled him on his plans.
The league said Erie and Johnstown of the Middle Atlantic lengue had shown some interest in entering the Central League. But club owners said they didn't intend to go out to grab the teams away from the Middle Atlantic loop.
Jim Williams was elected league vice-president for a one-year term. He is president-owner of the Grand Rapids club.
Deans' Lease on Lubbock Baseball Club Probed
By United Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4.—Minor league president George Trautman announced he planned an investigation of the reported leasing of the Lubbock West Texas-New Mexico League franchise to Dizzy and Paul Dean.
Trautman said baseball regulations prohibit leasing of a franchise.
Yakima's Field Namesake Dies
Called By DeathSEATTLE, Nov. 30—Shirley D. Parker, 62, one of the class B Western International league's original franchise holders, died yesterday in Beverly Hills, Calif. friends were notified.
He was a retired attorney, clubman and sportsman who practiced law in Portland, Oregon, was later owner of the Darwin zinc and lead mine in Washington state and late associated with the University of Chicago and the Alexander Hamilton Institute.
During the baseball circuit's formative years in the late 1930's Parker held franchises at Yakima and later at Spokane. He built Yakima's present Parker field, which he later gave to the city.
He had lived in California for the last 10 years. Survivors include his widow, Eleanor, and a son, Daryl, both of Beverly Hills.
[photo of Parker Field from BALLPARK REVIEWS]
New Stadium For Vancouver Closer
Vancouver Capilanos Plan Miniature 'Sick's Stadium'WENATCHEE, Nov. 2—Western International baseball league directors looked wide-eyed here Thursday at plans for the new ball park of the Vancouver Capilanos.
Spritely Bob Brown, the Caps general manager who built the present Vancouver ball yard 38 years ago, spread the plans before the directors and proudly read off the facts and figures.
“It's a miniature copy of Sick's Seattle stadium,” he said gleefully. There's a seat with a back for each of the 7,500 fans the park will hold.
“The ball park will be ready for play next spring as concrete is being poured for the grandstand now.”
W.I.L. directors chuckled that the Vancouver park will “start a revolution” in the league.
“How deep are the carpets in the general managers office, Bob?” asked Roy Hotchkiss of the Spokane Indians, with a smile.
Ruby Robert proudly announced “It's just like Earl Sheely's office in Seattle.
“Four showers for the visiting teams too,” he reminded the other league directors, “and a press room and a ticket office right on the ground floor.”
Brown said the leftfield wall also is movable so that, in the fall, a football field may be accommodated in front of the leftfield grandstand and bleachers.
“It's a wonderful site,” he said. “Sixteen acres right across from a city park with parking accommodations for 1,400 automobiles.”
The new ball park is in the “Little Mountain” section of Vancouver, 20 blocks from the city center, Brown said.
The playing field, he explained, will be 335 feet down each foul and 410 feet to dead center-field.
WILFan note: This picture was found on the net and I have no idea of the original source. The picture is not from the WIL days; it's from 1956. In 1951, there was no roof and the press box was at the top of the grandstand.
More November WIL Meetings
Shaughnessy Playoff Readopted By League
WENATCHEE, Nov. 3—The Tri-City Braves will open their 1951 Western International League season in Spokane on April 20. The rest of the league will also open on that date with Tacoma at Yakima, Vancouver at Wenatchee, and Victoria at Salem.
The teams will probably play a 154 game schedule and have brought back the Shaughnessy system of playoffs.
These two pieces of business plus the formal approval of the new price scale were the final decisions rendered by the WIL directors yesterday in their Wenatchee meeting.
Although they set the opening date and teams no further mention was made of the 1951 schedule. That will be taken up in full when the directors meet again in Tacoma on Jan. 13.
As a sidelight they handed the Spalding sports company a contract to use their baseballs for the next three years. They also agreed to a gentleman's contract to hold their ordering of baseballs down to the absolute minimum. Scarcity of wool and horsehide have sent baseball prices rocketing upward and government contracts have made the two items hard to get.
The Shaughnessy playoff, which the league didn't use last season, will follow the end of the season. It involves the first four teams in the race. The third team will open against the winner and the fourth team will play at the home park of the second. The winners of these, two out of three game series, will then meet in a three out of five playoff at the park of the league victor.
The players will share in the gate receipts, getting 40 percent of each game in which they play.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [Nov. 5/50]
WENATCHEE, Nov. 3—The Tri-City Braves will open their 1951 Western International League season in Spokane on April 20. The rest of the league will also open on that date with Tacoma at Yakima, Vancouver at Wenatchee, and Victoria at Salem.
The teams will probably play a 154 game schedule and have brought back the Shaughnessy system of playoffs.
These two pieces of business plus the formal approval of the new price scale were the final decisions rendered by the WIL directors yesterday in their Wenatchee meeting.
Although they set the opening date and teams no further mention was made of the 1951 schedule. That will be taken up in full when the directors meet again in Tacoma on Jan. 13.
As a sidelight they handed the Spalding sports company a contract to use their baseballs for the next three years. They also agreed to a gentleman's contract to hold their ordering of baseballs down to the absolute minimum. Scarcity of wool and horsehide have sent baseball prices rocketing upward and government contracts have made the two items hard to get.
The Shaughnessy playoff, which the league didn't use last season, will follow the end of the season. It involves the first four teams in the race. The third team will open against the winner and the fourth team will play at the home park of the second. The winners of these, two out of three game series, will then meet in a three out of five playoff at the park of the league victor.
The players will share in the gate receipts, getting 40 percent of each game in which they play.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [Nov. 5/50]
The present international situation is having it's [sic] effect on the sports world. [edited] Even our own Western International league may feel the pinch. And here's why. In the WIL they have a rule that calls for each team to carry one rookie and four limited service men. Now limited service in this case doesn't mean that they are disabled in some respect as it means in the armed forces. In baseball this term means a man with less than three years of professional baseball experience. Therefore out of a total of 18 players, the league limit, you have 13 players with unlimited experience. They can be from the majors. AAA baseball clubs or anywhere else. In the case of the WIL many of them are from the majors and the Coast league. The WIL is particularly a stopping off place for men coming down from the latter league.
On the other hand such leagues as the California State league which permits a maximum of five veterans, the balance being divided between rookies and limited service players will stand an excellent chance of being able to fill their rosters should the military draft dig deep into the nation's supply of manhood.
DON'T WANT WIL TIEUPS
Why, for instance, do you think the majors and the Coast league are not very interested in using the WIL as farm clubs. The answer simply comes down to this. Under the present player rules, which we discussed, there is no chance for development of their younger players. That's one reason why Portland wasn't reluctant to give up Salem, and that's the same reason that San Diego is willing to part with Tacoma. After all, the major part of their profits will not come from Tacoma but if they can use that team to develop their younger players with an eye to the future they would be willing continue to subsidize the team.
Furthermore the salaries here are entirely out of line with baseball salaries in general. That's why players who are drafted from this league into class A and even into AA leagues refuse to report. Why should they, when in many cases they will take a cut in their paycheck. It all goes back to the fact that the WIL just isn't a proving ground for the higher leagues no more than the Coast league is for the majors.
COAST LEAGUE THE SAME
Sure there are players here who could go up. In effect there's [sic] more who could go up and won't, than there are those who will. Look at the rosters of the Coast league. Do they sound familiar. They certainly should. Seattle's average age at one time during the season was 37. That's an age in baseball when you are usually written off as an old man.
But to change this situation isn't as easy as it may seem. Suppose for a moment that the WIL was changed to class A league. What would you, the fans, expect in the way of baseball. Well the odds are pretty good that most of them would expect to see better baseball. But the truth is that the WIL is far ahead of class A baseball.
WIL BETTER THAN CLASS A
The league owners realize this and that's why they don't want to make the change. They just couldn't bring you better baseball than what you are now getting unless the classification were jumped much higher. But reclassification is tied closely to attendance and as long as the gate isn't there they can't go into the AA system. And although there has been some talk that this league may not be able to work next season. . .the league directors scoff at the whole idea. "We should, and could have continued to operate during the last war. Unless it becomes an all-out struggle right down to the final man we will still be bringing baseball to the fans." That's the comment of one of the directors.
IT'S DIFFERENT NOW
During the past season Dick Richards, the hard working general manager of the Tri-City club, took quite a verbal blasting from the Wenatchee fans when he appeared in their park. But you should have seen the difference at the recent meeting. Then they came around asking Richards for advice. Some of the very things that he tried to institute, and for which he was so severely criticized, the people now realize must be done.
Wenatchee is in a bad way right now. They lost a lot of money last year and the local boys are having to pony up across the desk to put their team on the field next year. They may not even move out of town for spring practice. But where are those critics we mentioned now. Frankly they are pretty well divided and sniping at one another.
There isn't much of a secret why George Clark their general manager resigned. Despite the huge gate Clark brought into the park and the heavy approval he had from the fans, the boys at the top didn't like the way he spent some of the money. All of it spent by Clark, by the way, in the interest of the club.
That's how the picture looks now in the W.I.L.
On the other hand such leagues as the California State league which permits a maximum of five veterans, the balance being divided between rookies and limited service players will stand an excellent chance of being able to fill their rosters should the military draft dig deep into the nation's supply of manhood.
DON'T WANT WIL TIEUPS
Why, for instance, do you think the majors and the Coast league are not very interested in using the WIL as farm clubs. The answer simply comes down to this. Under the present player rules, which we discussed, there is no chance for development of their younger players. That's one reason why Portland wasn't reluctant to give up Salem, and that's the same reason that San Diego is willing to part with Tacoma. After all, the major part of their profits will not come from Tacoma but if they can use that team to develop their younger players with an eye to the future they would be willing continue to subsidize the team.
Furthermore the salaries here are entirely out of line with baseball salaries in general. That's why players who are drafted from this league into class A and even into AA leagues refuse to report. Why should they, when in many cases they will take a cut in their paycheck. It all goes back to the fact that the WIL just isn't a proving ground for the higher leagues no more than the Coast league is for the majors.
COAST LEAGUE THE SAME
Sure there are players here who could go up. In effect there's [sic] more who could go up and won't, than there are those who will. Look at the rosters of the Coast league. Do they sound familiar. They certainly should. Seattle's average age at one time during the season was 37. That's an age in baseball when you are usually written off as an old man.
But to change this situation isn't as easy as it may seem. Suppose for a moment that the WIL was changed to class A league. What would you, the fans, expect in the way of baseball. Well the odds are pretty good that most of them would expect to see better baseball. But the truth is that the WIL is far ahead of class A baseball.
WIL BETTER THAN CLASS A
The league owners realize this and that's why they don't want to make the change. They just couldn't bring you better baseball than what you are now getting unless the classification were jumped much higher. But reclassification is tied closely to attendance and as long as the gate isn't there they can't go into the AA system. And although there has been some talk that this league may not be able to work next season. . .the league directors scoff at the whole idea. "We should, and could have continued to operate during the last war. Unless it becomes an all-out struggle right down to the final man we will still be bringing baseball to the fans." That's the comment of one of the directors.
IT'S DIFFERENT NOW
During the past season Dick Richards, the hard working general manager of the Tri-City club, took quite a verbal blasting from the Wenatchee fans when he appeared in their park. But you should have seen the difference at the recent meeting. Then they came around asking Richards for advice. Some of the very things that he tried to institute, and for which he was so severely criticized, the people now realize must be done.
Wenatchee is in a bad way right now. They lost a lot of money last year and the local boys are having to pony up across the desk to put their team on the field next year. They may not even move out of town for spring practice. But where are those critics we mentioned now. Frankly they are pretty well divided and sniping at one another.
There isn't much of a secret why George Clark their general manager resigned. Despite the huge gate Clark brought into the park and the heavy approval he had from the fans, the boys at the top didn't like the way he spent some of the money. All of it spent by Clark, by the way, in the interest of the club.
That's how the picture looks now in the W.I.L.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
November WIL Meetings
Airing Of Big League Tilts Hit
By DON BECKER
Herald Sports Editor
WENATCHEE, Nov. 2—Some well informed sources believe this meeting of Western International League directors may turn out to be nothing more than just a round of dinners and speeches. They point to the current international situation and predict that the league won't be functioning next year. Their spokesman, who is not a league official though close to the source says a recent conversation with the state director of the draft leads him to believe there just won't be enough players to man the class B league next year.
On the other hand league officials present an optimistic view.
But if they're feeling happy about the coming season, "and they are," they certainly have sounded the death knell for the broadcast of Major league baseball games—at least as far as the W.I.L. is concerned, the league directors have instructed President Bob Abel to inform the national baseball meeting in St: Petersburg, Fla., to that effect. They feel that such broadcasts have had an adverse effect on their gate.
What about the overall picture of Major league broadcasts?
That was the question we throw at President Abel. He shrugged his shoulders and answered it this way, "I think the big boys, and by that I mean the New York Yankees will see the handwriting on the wall." In substance Abel believes that these broadcasts are a thing of the past.
Abel was re-elected as president during yesterday's session. That makes the seventh consecutive year in that post. Although he has held the post since 1941 the league did not operate in 1943, '44, '45. The league directors also raised the minimum prices to 90 and 65 cents respectively for the grandstand and bleacher seats. They did not change the price for children and box seat prices are up to the indivudual club.
Topping today's session will be the one of umpires and gate cuts for the road teams. Umpiring has drawn a lot of criticism but as Abel points out "Where are you going to get better men at the price." Unofficial sources indicated the top umpiring salary in the W.I.L. is $300 per month.
The new Salem group, Salem Senators, Inc., represented here by a Salem attorney, Donald Young, got the go ahead from the Moguls provided Salem can complete their stock sale by Nov. 9. The Salem group expressed confidence they could do that.
The Canadian clubs, always heavy gate attractions at home, want the 40 percent cut for the traveling club pared down. "Why should we subsidize some of the weaker teams in the league," seemed to pretty well reflect their opinion. But they'll have a tough time pushing their plan through.
Along with Abel's election to the presidency was that of Dick Richards of Tri-City as vice president, Roy Hotchkiss, second vice president, and the re-election of George F. Abel as secretary.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER
Herald Sports Editor
WENATCHEE, Nov. 2—Some well informed sources believe this meeting of Western International League directors may turn out to be nothing more than just a round of dinners and speeches. They point to the current international situation and predict that the league won't be functioning next year. Their spokesman, who is not a league official though close to the source says a recent conversation with the state director of the draft leads him to believe there just won't be enough players to man the class B league next year.
On the other hand league officials present an optimistic view.
But if they're feeling happy about the coming season, "and they are," they certainly have sounded the death knell for the broadcast of Major league baseball games—at least as far as the W.I.L. is concerned, the league directors have instructed President Bob Abel to inform the national baseball meeting in St: Petersburg, Fla., to that effect. They feel that such broadcasts have had an adverse effect on their gate.
What about the overall picture of Major league broadcasts?
That was the question we throw at President Abel. He shrugged his shoulders and answered it this way, "I think the big boys, and by that I mean the New York Yankees will see the handwriting on the wall." In substance Abel believes that these broadcasts are a thing of the past.
Abel was re-elected as president during yesterday's session. That makes the seventh consecutive year in that post. Although he has held the post since 1941 the league did not operate in 1943, '44, '45. The league directors also raised the minimum prices to 90 and 65 cents respectively for the grandstand and bleacher seats. They did not change the price for children and box seat prices are up to the indivudual club.
Topping today's session will be the one of umpires and gate cuts for the road teams. Umpiring has drawn a lot of criticism but as Abel points out "Where are you going to get better men at the price." Unofficial sources indicated the top umpiring salary in the W.I.L. is $300 per month.
The new Salem group, Salem Senators, Inc., represented here by a Salem attorney, Donald Young, got the go ahead from the Moguls provided Salem can complete their stock sale by Nov. 9. The Salem group expressed confidence they could do that.
The Canadian clubs, always heavy gate attractions at home, want the 40 percent cut for the traveling club pared down. "Why should we subsidize some of the weaker teams in the league," seemed to pretty well reflect their opinion. But they'll have a tough time pushing their plan through.
Along with Abel's election to the presidency was that of Dick Richards of Tri-City as vice president, Roy Hotchkiss, second vice president, and the re-election of George F. Abel as secretary.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [Nov. 2/1950]
WENATCHEE (Special)—One thing is certain. The price of baseball is very definitely going up. And by that we mean both at the front office and at the gate. It hasn't been voted on yet—as this is written—but a jump to 90 cents for general admission and at least 60 cents for bleachers is almost a foregone conclusion.
But before you start beating your wife or dog about the situation here's what is facing the owners of baseball clubs today. Item one. The price of baseballs has taken a big jump. . . to the point where baseballs alone will cost a class B team using 144 dozen—and that's just average—right over $4,000 next year. Uniforms are on the increase too. The one they bought for $37 last year will cost $45 in 1951. Figure that at 20 per team and you begin to get an idea of the cost of operation.
However, even though the price at the gate will bring the Western International league within the class A classification, don't look for that to happen. For one thing it would mean carrying additional players and would also increase the basic salary limit. The latter item doesn't bother them. . .they are all paying way over that limit now by handing the dough under the table.
But adding more players would mean an increased payroll and that might be tough to manage. But it isn't just going to cost you, the fans, and the owners more to watch the nation's greatest pastime. The players will feel the rap of the upward spiral in prices also. That glove they bought last year for $11.50 will be $15 this time. And by the way, if you intend to buy a baseball for junior better hop right down to the store. From now on a league baseball, such as the WIL uses, will be $3.15 across the counter.
ABOUT PITCHING AND SUCH
Earl Whitehill, a former Major league pitcher, and now western representative for Spalding Sporting Goods Company, is here taking in the WIL confab. Whitehall's big aim of course is to sell the league on using his company's baseballs. Last year the league used Wilson baseballs, but they usually switch every year so Earl shouldn't find the going too rough.
Whitehill holds what is probably one of the all time playing records for a Major league pitcher. He worked the big show for 19 years which in those days of "sore arm" pitchers is quite a feat, as you must admit. Thus what he has to say about the current crop of Major league hurlers is worth some consideration.
HIGH INTO THE THREE
"They don't work hard enough and they don't know how to pitch." That ia brief is the way he sums it up. "The slider is what I call nothing but a lazy man's effort at trying to get away without using a curve. You know originally the slider was developed to help a hurler's fastball. "But today with pitchers throwing it at half speed—the way it was never intended to be used—it' s no wonder the batters knock it out of the park."
But of all the raft of stories which Whitehill has to tell, and they are plenty, the one he likes the best is one on himself. And as you might have guessed there is an umpire involved.
"We were in Washington playing the Yankees," said Earl, "and I had the ball game won 2-1 going into the ninth inning. It was one of those cloudy, dark days and there was a slight drizzle falling. The Yankees had a man on first and the late Lou Gehrig came up to the plate. Now right outside the park, and well back of the foul line was "a big tree. What does Lou do but hammer the ball right into the top of that tree, The base umpire took one look and motioned it foul, but Brick Ownes, behind the plate, called it fair . . . it took five guys to pry me off of Ownes . . . but I got even by throwing his whisk broom into the stands."
The story came up when the press were gathered in the lobby of the hotel waiting until yesterday's morning session was finished. What started the ball rolling about umpires was the general belief among those present that a new batch of "boys in blue" was certainly needed by the league. In fact if there aren't some new ones you'll hear an awful blast from some of the scribes around the league about it.
WHO WILL BE BACK IN 1951
Looking at the teams city by city there is much still to be decided in the way of managers, both front office and out on the field. George Clark, who bossed the books for Wenatchee last year, quit yesterday. Seems that the club didn't want to pay George a year round salary so he just dropped the whole thing. That leaves the front office job here open and Tommy Thompson, the field manager, hasn't been signed yet either. In fact there's a strong rumor that Thompson may wind up in the Coast league working for his old friend Bill Mulligan, who just bought control of Sacramento.
Aside from Charlie Peterson of the Tri-City club, the only other field pilots who have agreed to terms are Alan Strange of Spokane, and Jim Brillheart of Tacoma. But even Brillheart won't be back unless his health improves a lot.
Marty Krug is still the manager of the Victoria club . . . but may not be for long. Edo Vanni, the player Krug fired last year, has applied for the job and may get it. . . Krug isn't too popular with the fans . . . and doesn't seem to care. That is the situation there in a nutshell. Salem is definitely in the market for someone new. They want a general manager who has lots of Major-league contacts . . . but name one club that doesn't. Bill Brenner will be back at Vancouver if they can't find anyone better, but they're looking hard and long . . Yakima has about six on the string for their job of running the team, but definitely would prefer a playing manager if they can find one.
WENATCHEE (Special)—One thing is certain. The price of baseball is very definitely going up. And by that we mean both at the front office and at the gate. It hasn't been voted on yet—as this is written—but a jump to 90 cents for general admission and at least 60 cents for bleachers is almost a foregone conclusion.
But before you start beating your wife or dog about the situation here's what is facing the owners of baseball clubs today. Item one. The price of baseballs has taken a big jump. . . to the point where baseballs alone will cost a class B team using 144 dozen—and that's just average—right over $4,000 next year. Uniforms are on the increase too. The one they bought for $37 last year will cost $45 in 1951. Figure that at 20 per team and you begin to get an idea of the cost of operation.
However, even though the price at the gate will bring the Western International league within the class A classification, don't look for that to happen. For one thing it would mean carrying additional players and would also increase the basic salary limit. The latter item doesn't bother them. . .they are all paying way over that limit now by handing the dough under the table.
But adding more players would mean an increased payroll and that might be tough to manage. But it isn't just going to cost you, the fans, and the owners more to watch the nation's greatest pastime. The players will feel the rap of the upward spiral in prices also. That glove they bought last year for $11.50 will be $15 this time. And by the way, if you intend to buy a baseball for junior better hop right down to the store. From now on a league baseball, such as the WIL uses, will be $3.15 across the counter.
ABOUT PITCHING AND SUCH
Earl Whitehill, a former Major league pitcher, and now western representative for Spalding Sporting Goods Company, is here taking in the WIL confab. Whitehall's big aim of course is to sell the league on using his company's baseballs. Last year the league used Wilson baseballs, but they usually switch every year so Earl shouldn't find the going too rough.
Whitehill holds what is probably one of the all time playing records for a Major league pitcher. He worked the big show for 19 years which in those days of "sore arm" pitchers is quite a feat, as you must admit. Thus what he has to say about the current crop of Major league hurlers is worth some consideration.
HIGH INTO THE THREE
"They don't work hard enough and they don't know how to pitch." That ia brief is the way he sums it up. "The slider is what I call nothing but a lazy man's effort at trying to get away without using a curve. You know originally the slider was developed to help a hurler's fastball. "But today with pitchers throwing it at half speed—the way it was never intended to be used—it' s no wonder the batters knock it out of the park."
But of all the raft of stories which Whitehill has to tell, and they are plenty, the one he likes the best is one on himself. And as you might have guessed there is an umpire involved.
"We were in Washington playing the Yankees," said Earl, "and I had the ball game won 2-1 going into the ninth inning. It was one of those cloudy, dark days and there was a slight drizzle falling. The Yankees had a man on first and the late Lou Gehrig came up to the plate. Now right outside the park, and well back of the foul line was "a big tree. What does Lou do but hammer the ball right into the top of that tree, The base umpire took one look and motioned it foul, but Brick Ownes, behind the plate, called it fair . . . it took five guys to pry me off of Ownes . . . but I got even by throwing his whisk broom into the stands."
The story came up when the press were gathered in the lobby of the hotel waiting until yesterday's morning session was finished. What started the ball rolling about umpires was the general belief among those present that a new batch of "boys in blue" was certainly needed by the league. In fact if there aren't some new ones you'll hear an awful blast from some of the scribes around the league about it.
WHO WILL BE BACK IN 1951
Looking at the teams city by city there is much still to be decided in the way of managers, both front office and out on the field. George Clark, who bossed the books for Wenatchee last year, quit yesterday. Seems that the club didn't want to pay George a year round salary so he just dropped the whole thing. That leaves the front office job here open and Tommy Thompson, the field manager, hasn't been signed yet either. In fact there's a strong rumor that Thompson may wind up in the Coast league working for his old friend Bill Mulligan, who just bought control of Sacramento.
Aside from Charlie Peterson of the Tri-City club, the only other field pilots who have agreed to terms are Alan Strange of Spokane, and Jim Brillheart of Tacoma. But even Brillheart won't be back unless his health improves a lot.
Marty Krug is still the manager of the Victoria club . . . but may not be for long. Edo Vanni, the player Krug fired last year, has applied for the job and may get it. . . Krug isn't too popular with the fans . . . and doesn't seem to care. That is the situation there in a nutshell. Salem is definitely in the market for someone new. They want a general manager who has lots of Major-league contacts . . . but name one club that doesn't. Bill Brenner will be back at Vancouver if they can't find anyone better, but they're looking hard and long . . Yakima has about six on the string for their job of running the team, but definitely would prefer a playing manager if they can find one.
Jim Brillheart
Brillheart Recovers
TACOMA, Wash. Oct. 19. (U.P.)—Jim Brillheart, field manager of the Tacoma baseball club, was reported in an improved condition today after suffering a serious internal hemorrhage here yesterday. His condition was caused by stomach ulcers.
Brillheart is head of the Western International Tacoma Tigers, the farm club of the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League.
WILfan note: Brillheart recovered and managed Tacoma in 1951.
TACOMA, Wash. Oct. 19. (U.P.)—Jim Brillheart, field manager of the Tacoma baseball club, was reported in an improved condition today after suffering a serious internal hemorrhage here yesterday. His condition was caused by stomach ulcers.
Brillheart is head of the Western International Tacoma Tigers, the farm club of the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League.
WILfan note: Brillheart recovered and managed Tacoma in 1951.
Orengo Goes
Fagan Acquires Full Ownership Of S.F. Seals
Charles J. Graham, Sister Dispose Of Shares
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27 (UP) Paul I. Fagan, millionaire sportsman, took over complete control of the San Francisco baseball club today, buying the one-third interest of Charles J. Graham and his sister Clare Graham Smith.
Fagan, who purchased one-third interest in the Pacific Coast League team in 1945 and another third last year from Charles H. Strub, immediately named Joe Orengo as general manager to succeed Graham. No change in the status of manager Lefty O'Doul is contemplated, Fagan said Orengo has been manager of the Seals farm club at Yakima, Wash., winning his second successive pennant in the Western International League this year.
Orengo Named As Manager of ‘Frisco Club
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27—Joe Orengo, who piloted the Class “B” Western International League Yakima Bears to consecutive baseball pennants the last two years, has been moved upstairs.
San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League today announced Orengo will become general manager of business affairs for the Seals.
The Orengo promotion was part of a front-office reshuffle.
President Paul I. Fagan became sole owner of the Seals after purchasing—for an undisclosed sum—the one-third interest in the club owned by Charles J. Graham, vice-president of the Seals, and his sister, Mrs. Claire Smith.
Graham has been associated with San Francisco baseball for almost a third of a century.
Asked if Lefty O’Doul would continue with the organization as field manager, Fagan replied: “I expect him to and hope he does.”
- - -
YAKIMA, Sept. 27—Frederick Mercy, Jr., part-owner of the Yakima Bears along with President Dewey Soriano and the parent San Francisco Seals, tonight said no effort would be made to name a successor to Joe Orengo as manager until the end of the Pacific Coast League season.“The Seals are in the process of reorganization and Soriano is in Seattle with the Rainiers,” Mercy said. “Soriano has announced his intention to dispose of his quarter interest in the Bears but I hope he can be persuaded to reconsider.”
Charles J. Graham, Sister Dispose Of Shares
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27 (UP) Paul I. Fagan, millionaire sportsman, took over complete control of the San Francisco baseball club today, buying the one-third interest of Charles J. Graham and his sister Clare Graham Smith.
Fagan, who purchased one-third interest in the Pacific Coast League team in 1945 and another third last year from Charles H. Strub, immediately named Joe Orengo as general manager to succeed Graham. No change in the status of manager Lefty O'Doul is contemplated, Fagan said Orengo has been manager of the Seals farm club at Yakima, Wash., winning his second successive pennant in the Western International League this year.
Orengo Named As Manager of ‘Frisco Club
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27—Joe Orengo, who piloted the Class “B” Western International League Yakima Bears to consecutive baseball pennants the last two years, has been moved upstairs.
San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League today announced Orengo will become general manager of business affairs for the Seals.
The Orengo promotion was part of a front-office reshuffle.
President Paul I. Fagan became sole owner of the Seals after purchasing—for an undisclosed sum—the one-third interest in the club owned by Charles J. Graham, vice-president of the Seals, and his sister, Mrs. Claire Smith.
Graham has been associated with San Francisco baseball for almost a third of a century.
Asked if Lefty O’Doul would continue with the organization as field manager, Fagan replied: “I expect him to and hope he does.”
- - -
YAKIMA, Sept. 27—Frederick Mercy, Jr., part-owner of the Yakima Bears along with President Dewey Soriano and the parent San Francisco Seals, tonight said no effort would be made to name a successor to Joe Orengo as manager until the end of the Pacific Coast League season.“The Seals are in the process of reorganization and Soriano is in Seattle with the Rainiers,” Mercy said. “Soriano has announced his intention to dispose of his quarter interest in the Bears but I hope he can be persuaded to reconsider.”
WIL Not Coming to New Westminster
Plans Revived In Fan Bid For Franchise
SALEM, Ore., Sept. 20—Plans by baseball fans here to buy the Salem club franchise in the Western International League were revived again today.
Donald A. Young, attorney for a group here, said negotiations were again under way with owners of the baseball franchise and Waters Field. Young said George Norgan, owner of both the Salem W.I.L. club and the Pacific Coast League Portland club, had put a $50,000 price tag on the Senators.
This figure is substantially lower than earlier figures and Young said the chances of raising the $12,500 down payment looked good. The balance would be paid over five years, Young said.
Young said it was planned to sell 2,000 shares of stock at $25 a share. Stock option circulators were going the rounds today, the attorney reported.
WIL Circuit Refuses New B. C. Entry
TACOMA, Sept. 23—Western International baseball league directors, in session briefly Saturday in Seattle, “unanimously decided against approval of a franchise for New Westminster, B.C.,” it was announced here by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit.
Abel declined to elaborate on the statement, but it was assumed that New Westminster interests seeking a W-I berth had been balked by one of two factors involved, or by both, namely:
1—Refusal of the Vancouver, B.C., Capilanos to waive territorial rights, and
2—Progress by a local group in a drive to purchase the Salem Senators from the Portland club of the Pacific Coast league.
Earlier this week, reports from Salem indicated that a money-raising campaign to buy the Senators was virtually assured of success. Portland's asking price for the franchise had been set unofficially at $50,000, with $12,500 required as a down payment and the balance forthcoming within five years.
In view of the fact that all of the other seven members of the circuit were on firm financial ground at the end of the 1950 season, it was considered unlikely a franchise would be available for transfer.
Organized baseball's “territorial rights” regulations provide strong protection, with the result that Vancouver could automatically veto any attempt to place a W-I club in New Westminster.
The league's annual meeting will be held be held November 1 and 2 at Wenatchee, Abel announced.
SALEM, Ore., Sept. 20—Plans by baseball fans here to buy the Salem club franchise in the Western International League were revived again today.
Donald A. Young, attorney for a group here, said negotiations were again under way with owners of the baseball franchise and Waters Field. Young said George Norgan, owner of both the Salem W.I.L. club and the Pacific Coast League Portland club, had put a $50,000 price tag on the Senators.
This figure is substantially lower than earlier figures and Young said the chances of raising the $12,500 down payment looked good. The balance would be paid over five years, Young said.
Young said it was planned to sell 2,000 shares of stock at $25 a share. Stock option circulators were going the rounds today, the attorney reported.
WIL Circuit Refuses New B. C. Entry
TACOMA, Sept. 23—Western International baseball league directors, in session briefly Saturday in Seattle, “unanimously decided against approval of a franchise for New Westminster, B.C.,” it was announced here by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit.
Abel declined to elaborate on the statement, but it was assumed that New Westminster interests seeking a W-I berth had been balked by one of two factors involved, or by both, namely:
1—Refusal of the Vancouver, B.C., Capilanos to waive territorial rights, and
2—Progress by a local group in a drive to purchase the Salem Senators from the Portland club of the Pacific Coast league.
Earlier this week, reports from Salem indicated that a money-raising campaign to buy the Senators was virtually assured of success. Portland's asking price for the franchise had been set unofficially at $50,000, with $12,500 required as a down payment and the balance forthcoming within five years.
In view of the fact that all of the other seven members of the circuit were on firm financial ground at the end of the 1950 season, it was considered unlikely a franchise would be available for transfer.
Organized baseball's “territorial rights” regulations provide strong protection, with the result that Vancouver could automatically veto any attempt to place a W-I club in New Westminster.
The league's annual meeting will be held be held November 1 and 2 at Wenatchee, Abel announced.
All Stars and Attendance
W-I Circuit Names All-Star Ball Team
TACOMA, Sept. 16—The runner-up Tacoma Tigers dominated the Western International league all-star team announced here Saturday by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit.
Four members or the Tacoma club—pitcher Bob Kerrigan, outfielder Dick Greco, first baseman Wimpy Quinn and second baseman Ronnie Gifford—were picked on the first team, while Jose Bache was a close second to Tri-City's Carl (Buddy) Peterson in the balloting on the shortstop position.
Greco was a near unanimous choice, gaining more votes than any other player.
Rounding out the first team were Don Fracchia, Wenatchee, third base; base; Gene Thompson, Victoria, and Jim Warner, Tri-City, outfielders; Joe Rossi Spokane, catcher; Lloyd Dickey, Yakima, second choice to Kerrigan among left-handed pitchers and John Marshall. Victoria, and Sandy Robertson, Vancouver, right hand pitchers.
The pennant - winning Yakima Bears provided most of the alternates—Jim Westlake, first base; Al Jacinto, second base; Reno Cheso, third base; Bill McCawley, outfielder and Nini Tornay, catcher. Other second choices, in addition to Bache at shortstop were Glen Stetter, Spokane and Walt Pocekay, Wenatchee, outfielders.
The first and second teams included every individual league-leader except Tri-City's Cy Greenlaw, who paced the W-I pitchers in won lost percentages with a 9-2 record.
Stetter won the batting crown with a 369 average, while Greco, second best sticker with a .362 mark, led the league in homers with 36, in runs-batted in with 154, largest hit total with 203 and total bases with 363 Warner led in runs scored with 143 and McCawley in triples with 14.
Kerrigan set a new league record by turning in 26 mound victories, as compared with the old mark of 25 set two years ago by Joe Blankenship of Victoria, and the Tiger
southpaw and Robertson both tied the W-I standard for consecutive triumphs by hanging up 12 in a row. The latter record was set by Frank Nelson of Spokane in 1948.
W.I.L. Attendance Holds, Total for Year 782,076
TACOMA, Sept. 16—In the face of a sharp decline in minor league baseball attendance during 1950, the Class “B” Western International attracted 782,076 paying customers, only 11,930 fewer than in 1949, it was disclosed in official figures released here today by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit.
Gains registered this year at Tri-City, which replaced Bremerton in the league's 1950 lineup; at Wenatchee adt at Tacoma were more than offset by losses in five other W.I.L. cities.
Spokane, perennial league attendance leader, had its poorest season in the circuit's 11-year history, with the Indians playing to only 116,503 spectators as against a 1949 total of 186,648. Vancouver also experienced a sharp drop—from 137,611 to 97.276—and Yakima's league-leading 117,790 for a second-straight pennant-winning season followed a 1949 turnstile count of 133,917.
Tri-City drew 91,797 customers, as compared with the meagre 35,440 count at Bremerton in 1949; Wenatchee with a population far smaller than any other league city, achieved a 105,501 figure, up from 68,668 a year ago, and Tacoma drew 85,777 as against 49,673 in 1949.
Victoria held reasonably firm at 110,317, down from 114,544, while Salem dropped to 56,935 from 67,495.
TACOMA, Sept. 16—The runner-up Tacoma Tigers dominated the Western International league all-star team announced here Saturday by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit.
Four members or the Tacoma club—pitcher Bob Kerrigan, outfielder Dick Greco, first baseman Wimpy Quinn and second baseman Ronnie Gifford—were picked on the first team, while Jose Bache was a close second to Tri-City's Carl (Buddy) Peterson in the balloting on the shortstop position.
Greco was a near unanimous choice, gaining more votes than any other player.
Rounding out the first team were Don Fracchia, Wenatchee, third base; base; Gene Thompson, Victoria, and Jim Warner, Tri-City, outfielders; Joe Rossi Spokane, catcher; Lloyd Dickey, Yakima, second choice to Kerrigan among left-handed pitchers and John Marshall. Victoria, and Sandy Robertson, Vancouver, right hand pitchers.
The pennant - winning Yakima Bears provided most of the alternates—Jim Westlake, first base; Al Jacinto, second base; Reno Cheso, third base; Bill McCawley, outfielder and Nini Tornay, catcher. Other second choices, in addition to Bache at shortstop were Glen Stetter, Spokane and Walt Pocekay, Wenatchee, outfielders.
The first and second teams included every individual league-leader except Tri-City's Cy Greenlaw, who paced the W-I pitchers in won lost percentages with a 9-2 record.
Stetter won the batting crown with a 369 average, while Greco, second best sticker with a .362 mark, led the league in homers with 36, in runs-batted in with 154, largest hit total with 203 and total bases with 363 Warner led in runs scored with 143 and McCawley in triples with 14.
Kerrigan set a new league record by turning in 26 mound victories, as compared with the old mark of 25 set two years ago by Joe Blankenship of Victoria, and the Tiger
southpaw and Robertson both tied the W-I standard for consecutive triumphs by hanging up 12 in a row. The latter record was set by Frank Nelson of Spokane in 1948.
W.I.L. Attendance Holds, Total for Year 782,076
TACOMA, Sept. 16—In the face of a sharp decline in minor league baseball attendance during 1950, the Class “B” Western International attracted 782,076 paying customers, only 11,930 fewer than in 1949, it was disclosed in official figures released here today by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit.
Gains registered this year at Tri-City, which replaced Bremerton in the league's 1950 lineup; at Wenatchee adt at Tacoma were more than offset by losses in five other W.I.L. cities.
Spokane, perennial league attendance leader, had its poorest season in the circuit's 11-year history, with the Indians playing to only 116,503 spectators as against a 1949 total of 186,648. Vancouver also experienced a sharp drop—from 137,611 to 97.276—and Yakima's league-leading 117,790 for a second-straight pennant-winning season followed a 1949 turnstile count of 133,917.
Tri-City drew 91,797 customers, as compared with the meagre 35,440 count at Bremerton in 1949; Wenatchee with a population far smaller than any other league city, achieved a 105,501 figure, up from 68,668 a year ago, and Tacoma drew 85,777 as against 49,673 in 1949.
Victoria held reasonably firm at 110,317, down from 114,544, while Salem dropped to 56,935 from 67,495.
Up and Down
Portland Recalls Players
PORTLAND, Sept 14—Two Portland Beavers farmhands have been recalled from the Far West league.
General Manager Bill Mulligan said pitcher Dick Waibel of Eugene and outfielder Marvin Diercks of Reno will finish out the Pacific Coast league season with the Beavers.
Mulligan said that four pitchers from the Portland-owned Salem team of the Western International league had been ordered to report for spring training with the Beavers next spring at Riverside, California. They are John Tierney, Ray McNulty, Bill Osborn and John Burak.
WILfan note: Waibel had pitched for Salem until last June.
Cowboys Buy Infielder
SPOKANE, Sept. 19—Twin Falls of the class "C" Pioneer league has purchased infielder Frank Matoh of the Spokane Indians in the Western International league. Matoh batted :290 this season.
Matoh will report to Twin Falls next spring.
PORTLAND, Sept 14—Two Portland Beavers farmhands have been recalled from the Far West league.
General Manager Bill Mulligan said pitcher Dick Waibel of Eugene and outfielder Marvin Diercks of Reno will finish out the Pacific Coast league season with the Beavers.
Mulligan said that four pitchers from the Portland-owned Salem team of the Western International league had been ordered to report for spring training with the Beavers next spring at Riverside, California. They are John Tierney, Ray McNulty, Bill Osborn and John Burak.
WILfan note: Waibel had pitched for Salem until last June.
Cowboys Buy Infielder
SPOKANE, Sept. 19—Twin Falls of the class "C" Pioneer league has purchased infielder Frank Matoh of the Spokane Indians in the Western International league. Matoh batted :290 this season.
Matoh will report to Twin Falls next spring.
McCormack Scores at Ballot Box
SPOKANE, Sept. 13—Levi (Chief) McCormick, former Spokane Indians' baseball outfielder, polled 15,483 votes Tuesday in his first time at bat in politics.
McCormack, a veteran Western International leaguer before retiring two years ago, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination for county coroner. He was far behind Republican incumbent Frank J. Glover, however. Glover had 31,891. Both go on the general election ballot to November.
McCormack, a veteran Western International leaguer before retiring two years ago, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination for county coroner. He was far behind Republican incumbent Frank J. Glover, however. Glover had 31,891. Both go on the general election ballot to November.
Dewey Soriano Leaves WIL
Big Sea Calls Yaks' Big Dew
YAKIMA, Sept. 12—“Big Dew,” the pitching president of the Yakima Bears, is going back to sea.
Prexy Dewey Soriano has announced that he'll sell his one-third interest in Yakima's Western International league baseball team, champions for the last two seasons.
Soriano is a skipper of ocean-going vessels as well as baseball teams. He said he was forced to choose between the two professions and had decided to return to the sea. His license would soon have expired under a five-year inactivity regulation.
Soriano said he decided to sell rather than let his baseball interests grow moldy while he was away.
The other co-owners are Frederick Mercy of Yakima and the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast league. It was not known if Soriano had found a buyer.
“I am leaving happy in the thought that I have never been a loser financially as the club's president or as a pitcher on the home field,” said Big Dew, also known hereabouts as Papa Bear. He won 14 games and lost two last year and his 1950 record was 6-2. Many games he saved as a relief pitcher do not show in the record.
Soriano is a Seattle man who saw mound action both in the Pacific Coast league and the majors before coming to Yakima.
WILFan note: Ol' Dew may not have lost financially in Yakima, but when it came to the Seattle Pilots...
- - - - - -
SORIANO SELLS OUT
YAKIMA, Oct. 14— Dewey Soriano, under whose presidency the Yakima Bears won two straight Western International league pennants, today passed out of the Yakima baseball picture with the sale of his one-quarter interest in the organization to Paul Fagan, sole owner of the San Francisco Giants.
YAKIMA, Sept. 12—“Big Dew,” the pitching president of the Yakima Bears, is going back to sea.
Prexy Dewey Soriano has announced that he'll sell his one-third interest in Yakima's Western International league baseball team, champions for the last two seasons.
Soriano is a skipper of ocean-going vessels as well as baseball teams. He said he was forced to choose between the two professions and had decided to return to the sea. His license would soon have expired under a five-year inactivity regulation.
Soriano said he decided to sell rather than let his baseball interests grow moldy while he was away.
The other co-owners are Frederick Mercy of Yakima and the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast league. It was not known if Soriano had found a buyer.
“I am leaving happy in the thought that I have never been a loser financially as the club's president or as a pitcher on the home field,” said Big Dew, also known hereabouts as Papa Bear. He won 14 games and lost two last year and his 1950 record was 6-2. Many games he saved as a relief pitcher do not show in the record.
Soriano is a Seattle man who saw mound action both in the Pacific Coast league and the majors before coming to Yakima.
WILFan note: Ol' Dew may not have lost financially in Yakima, but when it came to the Seattle Pilots...
- - - - - -
SORIANO SELLS OUT
YAKIMA, Oct. 14— Dewey Soriano, under whose presidency the Yakima Bears won two straight Western International league pennants, today passed out of the Yakima baseball picture with the sale of his one-quarter interest in the organization to Paul Fagan, sole owner of the San Francisco Giants.
Final Stats
Fuller stats are unavailable due to the CUPE strike that continues to shut down the main branch of the local library. However, this story will suffice for now. The batting numbers are out of focus on the page I'm reading from, so they're as accurate as I can make them out. The averages should be OK.
TACOMA, Sept. 12—Glen (Jeep) Stetter nearly skidded off the road but managed to hang on to win his second Western International League batting title, final figures released by the league office here Tuesday, disclosed.
Stetter, the chunky Spokane outfielder, dropped to .362 from his .374 of last week, but that was good enough to nose out Tacoma's Dick Greco, who checked in with a final figure of .361. Greco, the big Tacoma outfielder, was 11 points off the pace the preceding week, but Stetter could manage only seven hits in 26 trips to the plate during the week, and the slump nearly proved costly.
Stetter thus became the first Western International leaguer to win the crown twice, his other title coming back in 1946 when he was with Wenatchee. That year he hit .366.
Honors in the power department were monopolized by Greco, as the Tacoman not only led the league in home runs but in runs batted in. Greco was also the only batsman to rap out more than 200 hits during the capaign, his total reaching 203.
The Bengal outfielder clouted 36 home runs during the season which was 12 more than runner-up Gene Thompson of Victoria could muster. Greco held a commanding lead in RBIs, driving across 154 mates, while Jim Warner of Tri-City was second with 131.
Final averages (includes top 20 players who have participated in 100 or more games):
G AB H RBI HR Ave.
Stetter, Spo. ... 136 500 181 111 15 .362
Greco, Tac. ..... 146 562 203 154 36 .361
McCawley, Yak. .. 105 400 238 81 7 .345
Thompson, Vic. .. 146 361 184 106 24 .334
Warner, T-C ..... 348 548 182 131 20 .334
Rossi, Spokane .. 141 507 167 109 18 .329
Clarkson, Van. .. 144 585 191 61 14 .327
Cameron, T-C .... 117 427 139 90 12 .326
Vanni, Spo. ..... 104 418 134 60 3 .324
Bryant, T-C ..... 139 547 175 94 2 .320
Quinn, Tacoma ... 145 581 183 112 9 .315
Ragni, Wen. ..... 100 202 92 40 3 .315
Zuvella, Yak. ... 180 301 104 61 4 .314
Gifford, Tac. ... 146 319 161 70 3 .312
Mohr, Spokane ... 109 456 142 47 0 .312
A. Spaeter ...... 145 621 193 53 0 .311
Hjelmaa, Wen. ... 142 5?? 16? 62 0 .311
Cheso, Yakima ... 140 521 162 108 5 .311
Pocekay, Wen. ... 150 578 178 9? 13 .308
Fracchia, Wen. .. 139 442 145 9? 6 .306
TACOMA, Sept. 12—Idle through the final week of the campaign, Cy Greenlaw, veteran Tri-City left elbower, backed into the Western International league pitching championship when Vancouver's Sandy Robertson met defeat in the wind-up game of the season.
Greenlaw finished with a 9-2 won-lost record for an .818 percentage, as against Robertson's 12-3 and .800.
Bob Kerrigan, Tacoma southpaw, emerged as the league's big winning with 26 triumphs against 7 defeats, establishing a new W-I record in the process. The old standard of 25 wins was set in 1948 by Joe Blankenship, who toiled for Victoria that year.
Kerrigan and Robertson both gained an interest in another record by posting 12 consecutive successes, thus equaling a mark set by Frank Nelson of Spokane in 1948.
Lloyd Dickey of Yakima captured the strikeout crown with 214, while Don Ferrarese established another league record by issuing 209 bases on balls, wiping out the mark of 186 passes given up by Claude Williams, also a Wenatchee elbower, during the 1941 season.
The final unofficial records, released Tuesday by the office of Robert B. Abel, league president:
W L SO Pct.
Greenlaw, T-C ........ 9 2 40 .818
Robertson, Van. ..... 12 3 53 .800
Kerrigan, Tac. ...... 26 7 114 .788
Soriano, Yak. ........ 6 2 39 .750
Domenichelli, Yak. .. 13 6 65 .684
Kipp, Tac. ........... 8 4 56 .667
Dickey, Yak. ........ 18 10 214 .648
Stone, T-C .......... 10 6 40 .625
Ragni, Wen. ......... 18 11 151 .621
McCollum, T-C ....... 21 13 120 .618
Bradford, Yak. ...... 14 9 143 .609
Larner, Yak. ........ 17 11 109 .607
Dahle, Wen. ......... 13 9 118 .591
Powell, Yak. ........ 13 9 84 .591
Loust, Tac. ......... 13 9 45 .591
TACOMA, Sept. 12—Glen (Jeep) Stetter nearly skidded off the road but managed to hang on to win his second Western International League batting title, final figures released by the league office here Tuesday, disclosed.
Stetter, the chunky Spokane outfielder, dropped to .362 from his .374 of last week, but that was good enough to nose out Tacoma's Dick Greco, who checked in with a final figure of .361. Greco, the big Tacoma outfielder, was 11 points off the pace the preceding week, but Stetter could manage only seven hits in 26 trips to the plate during the week, and the slump nearly proved costly.
Stetter thus became the first Western International leaguer to win the crown twice, his other title coming back in 1946 when he was with Wenatchee. That year he hit .366.
Honors in the power department were monopolized by Greco, as the Tacoman not only led the league in home runs but in runs batted in. Greco was also the only batsman to rap out more than 200 hits during the capaign, his total reaching 203.
The Bengal outfielder clouted 36 home runs during the season which was 12 more than runner-up Gene Thompson of Victoria could muster. Greco held a commanding lead in RBIs, driving across 154 mates, while Jim Warner of Tri-City was second with 131.
Final averages (includes top 20 players who have participated in 100 or more games):
G AB H RBI HR Ave.
Stetter, Spo. ... 136 500 181 111 15 .362
Greco, Tac. ..... 146 562 203 154 36 .361
McCawley, Yak. .. 105 400 238 81 7 .345
Thompson, Vic. .. 146 361 184 106 24 .334
Warner, T-C ..... 348 548 182 131 20 .334
Rossi, Spokane .. 141 507 167 109 18 .329
Clarkson, Van. .. 144 585 191 61 14 .327
Cameron, T-C .... 117 427 139 90 12 .326
Vanni, Spo. ..... 104 418 134 60 3 .324
Bryant, T-C ..... 139 547 175 94 2 .320
Quinn, Tacoma ... 145 581 183 112 9 .315
Ragni, Wen. ..... 100 202 92 40 3 .315
Zuvella, Yak. ... 180 301 104 61 4 .314
Gifford, Tac. ... 146 319 161 70 3 .312
Mohr, Spokane ... 109 456 142 47 0 .312
A. Spaeter ...... 145 621 193 53 0 .311
Hjelmaa, Wen. ... 142 5?? 16? 62 0 .311
Cheso, Yakima ... 140 521 162 108 5 .311
Pocekay, Wen. ... 150 578 178 9? 13 .308
Fracchia, Wen. .. 139 442 145 9? 6 .306
TACOMA, Sept. 12—Idle through the final week of the campaign, Cy Greenlaw, veteran Tri-City left elbower, backed into the Western International league pitching championship when Vancouver's Sandy Robertson met defeat in the wind-up game of the season.
Greenlaw finished with a 9-2 won-lost record for an .818 percentage, as against Robertson's 12-3 and .800.
Bob Kerrigan, Tacoma southpaw, emerged as the league's big winning with 26 triumphs against 7 defeats, establishing a new W-I record in the process. The old standard of 25 wins was set in 1948 by Joe Blankenship, who toiled for Victoria that year.
Kerrigan and Robertson both gained an interest in another record by posting 12 consecutive successes, thus equaling a mark set by Frank Nelson of Spokane in 1948.
Lloyd Dickey of Yakima captured the strikeout crown with 214, while Don Ferrarese established another league record by issuing 209 bases on balls, wiping out the mark of 186 passes given up by Claude Williams, also a Wenatchee elbower, during the 1941 season.
The final unofficial records, released Tuesday by the office of Robert B. Abel, league president:
W L SO Pct.
Greenlaw, T-C ........ 9 2 40 .818
Robertson, Van. ..... 12 3 53 .800
Kerrigan, Tac. ...... 26 7 114 .788
Soriano, Yak. ........ 6 2 39 .750
Domenichelli, Yak. .. 13 6 65 .684
Kipp, Tac. ........... 8 4 56 .667
Dickey, Yak. ........ 18 10 214 .648
Stone, T-C .......... 10 6 40 .625
Ragni, Wen. ......... 18 11 151 .621
McCollum, T-C ....... 21 13 120 .618
Bradford, Yak. ...... 14 9 143 .609
Larner, Yak. ........ 17 11 109 .607
Dahle, Wen. ......... 13 9 118 .591
Powell, Yak. ........ 13 9 84 .591
Loust, Tac. ......... 13 9 45 .591
Sunday, September 10, 1950
F I N A L
W L Pct GB
Yakima ..... 92 58 .618 ——
Tacoma ..... 90 58 .608 1
Tri-City ... 83 66 .557 8½
Wenatchee .. 80 80 .533 12
Victoria ... 66 84 .440 26
Vancouver .. 64 82 .438 26
Spokane .... 63 85 .426 28
Salem ...... 57 92 .383 34½
SPOKANE, Sept. 10—Bats boomed in three run-filled innings Sunday night as the Spokane Indians defeated the Tri-City Braves 8 to 5 in their final Western International league game of the season.
The game didn't change the relative positions of the two teams in the league standings. Tri-City remained in third place, and the Indians still stood seventh in line.
The Braves opened stoutly with four runs in the first frame on two singles, two doubles and a wild pitch, but weakened in succeeding innings and scored only once more, in the eighth.
The Indians bunched four runs in the third inning, collected three more in the seventh and one in the eighth. They tagged losing pitcher Lou McCollum, a 21-game winner, for 12 hits.
762 fans watching the game brought the season's official attendance total to 115,387, one of the lowest marks in Spokane baseball history.
history.
Tri-City ...... 400 000 010—5 10 2
Spokane ...... 004 000 31x—8 13 1
McCollum and McKeegan; Conant and Weatherwax.
WENATCHEE, Sept. 10—The Wenatchee Chiefs closed out the Western International league season by sweeping a twin-bill from the Salem Senators, here Sunday night, 12-1 and 9-3.
Wenatchee finished with four wins in a row over the Senators to wind up in fourth place in the WIL pennant race. Salem finished deep in the league cellar.
First Game
Salem ............. 000 000 1— 1 7 1
Wenatchee ...... 750 000 x—12 15 1
Linebarger, Costello (1) and Martin; Blankenship and Billings.
Second Game
Salem ............ 000 100 002—3 8 3
Wenatchee ..... 203 021 10x—9 12 1
Osborn, Lew (7) and Martin; Treichel and Billings.
ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED
Saturday, September 9, 1950
W L PCT GB
Yakima ...... 92 58 .613 —
Tacoma ...... 90 58 .608 1
Tri-City .... 83 65 .561 8
Wenatchee ... 78 70 .527 13
Vancouver ... 64 82 .438 26
Victoria .... 66 84 .434 26
Spokane ..... 62 85 .422 28½
Salem ....... 57 90 .388 33½
Yakima Bears Again Annex Willy Pennant
VANCOUVER, Sept. 9—The Yakima Bears became the first Western International League team to win two successive pennants Saturday night as they ran over Victoria Athletics, 18-3, to snatch the flag from the Tacoma Tigers, who lost 7-5 at Vancouver.
Two crucial doubleheaders Saturday told the story as Tacoma relinquished a lead of two percentage points by dropping an afternoon tilt to the Capilanos, 6-5 in 13 innings, while Yakima beat the Athletics, 6-3.
George Nicholas, the New York tailor, won the afternoon contest. Dick Alvari started for Vancouver put left for a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. Kevin King lasted exactly one batter before Nicholas arrived in the seventh inning and finished it off.
The score was then 4-3 for Tacoma. Nicholas scored the tying run himself after he opened the eighth inning with a single. He fell behind 5-4 in the 13th but Dick Sinovic doubled in the Cap half of the inning, which was followed by a double by Jim Keating and a single by Charlie Mead.
The most thrilling inning, however, was the Cap half of the seventh when Manager Jim Brillheart used three pitchers in successfully choking off a big Cap threat.
In the anti-climactic second game, Vancouver manager Bill Brenner called on Sandy Robertson to start. He was obviously tired from playing a week's schedule of eight games in the infield, tried for his 13th victory once again and failed, making his season's record 12 wins and three defeats.
First Game
Tacoma .......... 001 012 000 000 1—5 11 4
Vancouver ...... 000 000 003 010 2—6 10 1
Knezovich, Kerrigan (6), Conger (6) Kipp (13) and Sheets, Fischer (9); Alvari, King (6), Nicholas (6) and Heisner, Brenner (7).
Second Game
Tacoma .......... 202 011 001—7 11 0
Vancouver ...... 300 000 020—5 6 1
Loust, Carter (1) and Fischer; Robertson and Heisner.
First Game
Yakima .......... 100 400 010—6 14 1
Victoria ......... 001 001 010—3 7 1
Domenichelli and Tiesiera; Wilkie and Danielson.
Second Game
Yakima .......... 150 060 204—18 23 1
Victoria ......... 000 001 002— 3 4 5
Dickey and Tiesiera; Marshall, Smith (3) and Danielson.
WENATCHEE, Sept. 9 — Wenatchee's Chiefs made it two in a row over the Salem Senators here Saturday night with a 5-1 win behind the seven-hit pitching of Southpaw Dave Dahle.
Dahle struck out nine Salem batters as he posted his 13th win of the year against nine losses. Leftfielder Mel Wasley got three of the Salem hits, including two doubles, and drove in the Senator's only run.
Salem ............ 001 000 000—1 7 3
Wenatchee ..... 000 003 02x—5 9 0
Burak and Martin; Dahle and Len Neal.
VICTORIA, Sept. 10 [Victoria Colonist] — Yakima Bears are again W.I.L. champions and they can thank Victoria Athletics for making it possible. After knocking Tacoma Tigers out of the lead with a 3-1 series victory earlier this week, the A’s could manage no better than a 2-2 split with the Bears, who edged Tacoma by that single game. One more Yakima defeat and the 1950 flag would have been flown at Tacoma next season.
Faced with the loss of a title they won by a big margin last year, the Bears played like the champions they turned out to be yesterday as they cooled off the Victoria Athletics twice by combining good pitching with some lusty clouting.
The Bears moved back into the league lead in the afternoon when Ernie Domenichelli pitched them in a 6-3 win while Vancouver Capilanos edged the Tigers, 6-5, in 13 innings. But a Yakima defeat and a Tacoma win in the last games of the season for both clubs would have given it to the Bengals.
Tacoma managed to squeeze past the Caps, intent on finished ahead of Victoria, 7-5, in the finale, but the Bears were not to be denied as they plastered John Marshall and Ron Smith with a 23-hit attack in an 18-3 game which was decided as early as the second inning.
A well-rested Lloyd Dickey, ace of the Yakima mound staff, was the big gun for the league champions. The hard-throwing lefthander had a no-hitter with one out in the fifth when Smith cracked a fat pitch to centre field to end his bid. He had a one-hitter going into the ninth but, perhaps tired from an overindulgence of base running, he eased up long enough for the A’s to plate two runs on three balls.
BATS IN SIX
Dickey was also the game’s offensive star, batting inn six runs with a grand-slam homer and three doubles.
It was Yakima’s good fortune that the A’s were unable to field their best line-up for the season’s two most important games. Lou Novikoff missed the afternoon game but dragged his bad leg into the finale to fill a position when Gene Thompson was put out of action through a back injury in the fourth inning of the first game.
The A’s finished up in the afternoon affair with Pitchers Warren Noyes and Jim Propst in the outfield. Propst replaced Thompson while Noyes replaced Ronning, who had replaced Novikoff. Ronning had to be called in to catch when Umpire Doc Regele threw Hal Danielson out for some reason.
Despite the two losses, the A’s managed to finish in fifth place, just two percentage points ahead of the Caps. Four games will be played today, between Tri-City and Spokane and Wenatchee and Salem but results will not affect the standings.
First Game
Tri-City .......... 101 020 0—4 8 2
Spokane ......... 000 100 0—1 4 3
Roenspie and McKeegan; Holder and Rossi.
Second Game
Tri-City .......... 401 251 001—14 14 2
Spokane ......... 020 000 002—4 9 7
Nicholas and McKeegan; Curran, Aubertin (1), Yerkes (5) and Weatherwax.
Caps Hold Key to NW
Pro Baseball Franchise
Norgan Says Salem Definitely Won’t Operate in WIL Next Year
[Keith Matthews, Vancouver News Herald, Sept. 9, 1950]
It is possible, though at the moment only remotely, that the Salem Western International League franchise will transfer to New Westminster by 1951.
On Friday, Bill Mulligan, general manager of the Portland Beaver organization (parent club of Salem), said flatly that the Salem franchise was for sale for $50,000 and that if there were no takers, the transfer to New Westminster would go into effect.
It isn’t quite as easy as that.
The biggest obstacle in the path of this shift is the Capilano Baseball Club, who must grant territorial rights to the Salem owners before New Westminster can even be considered.
At the moment Capilano officials are definitely against such a move.
With a team in New Westminster it would mean that there would be baseball in this area every night during the summer. This, it is felt, would seriously injure Vancouver attendance.
While George Norgan, owner of both Salem and Portland franchises, appreciates the Capilanos’ views, he disagrees that attendance would fall.
“I don’t believe for a minute that the Caps draw any patrons from New Westminster right now,” he said. “If we were allowed to move in there, I feel people over there would come to see the Capilanos just as they want to see the Canucks in hockey. Of course, that would work the other way, too, but I can’t see attendance being seriously hurt by this proposed transfer.”
BROWN SAYS NO
“I have talked with both George Martin (president of Sick’s Capilano Breweries) and Torchy Torrance (vice president of the Seattle Rainiers) and they both felt I had a point worthy of consideration.” George went on, “Mind you, neither of them tried to elevate my hopes but they did see that it was worth looking in to.”
While Bob Brown, general manager of the Capilanos, has voiced strong points against the shift, Norgan has hoped all along that he could gain enough support from within other WIL franchise owners to perhaps sway Bob and Caps.
The proposed Salem transfer will come up at the next league meeting, which is still a month in the future. At this meeting it will be pointed out that Salem will lose close to $35,000 for its 1950 operation.
“I’M PULLING OUT”
Also at this meeting Norgan will state flatly that no matter what the outcome, THERE WILL BE NO SALEM REPRESENTATION IN THE WIL IN 1951.
“I have lost money for several years there now am convince it is not a good ball town,” he said. “I am pulling out of there no matter if I have a place to go or not.”
Norgan has already investigated the facilities for baseball in New Westminster and find them to be to his liking. The stadium there has a short right field fence but this would be lengthened to make a tough target to any hitter.
As it now stands, Queens Park stadium seats 5000 people but this would be increased to another 1000 if a WIL club were represented there.
Ball Club, Theatre In Accord
WALLA WALLA, Sept. 9 — The feuding Tri-City Braves baseball club and the Kennewick Highland Drive-In Theatre reached agreement today—they’re going to build a 30-foot-high barrier between the ball park at the theatre.
The barrier, which is to be 400 feet long, will be to keep the rays of the ball park lights out of the theatre.
Operators of the theatre filed suit last spring against the ball cub and the Tri-City Baseball Association. It alleged lights from the ball diamond interfered with the operation of the theatre, and sought an injunction.
Under terms of the settlement reached today as the result of a hearing in Federal Court, the baseball organizations will provide three-fourths of the cost of constructing the barrier.
IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang
[Colonist, Sept. 10, 1951]
Another baseball season is over and Victoria Athletics, for the third time in five seasons in the W.I.L., wound up leading the second division. The past season has been a disappointing one but disappointing mainly because everyone from club directors to the most casual fan expected more than they got. Actually, looking objectively at the results and being fair, the club management did about as well as could be expected in its first try on its own. Few, if any, clubs operating independently for the first time do as well.
The A’s started out with two players and only one of those could be termed an asset. Somehow, somewhere, the management had to procure 20 players. Critics who don’t think this is something of a task have little knowledge of professional baseball operation. Almost every young player with any ability is owned by major league or Triple A clubs, who are committed to send them to their own farm clubs for any seasoning they need. You may be certain they are never going to sell to an independent club any player who has any promise of developing.
So for the A’s, it was just a case of taking what appeared to be the best of what was offered. This, for the most part, consisted of high-salaried veterans on their way down and players whose temperament blocked the developing of any baseball ability they had. A tough combination from which to fashion a winning team, but had no Seattle recalled K Chorlton, it is reasonable to believe that Victoria would have at least finished in the first division.
As for the undue spring optimism. Well, who could suspect that Jack Mooty would have a sore arm which made him valueless when he was expected to be the stopper of a powerful-looking pitching staff? Or who could know that Joe Mishasek, another who could reasonably be counted on to be a big winner, would pitch half a season with a sire arm and then be forced to give it up altogether? Or that Aldon Wilkie would have trouble winning ten games and that Jim Propst and John Marshall, selected to the All-Star team last season, would fall so far off their 1949 pace? Or that Snag Moore and Buzz Sporer would refuse to report? Or even that Bob Jensen could not regain his old form?
Alibis? Perhaps, but they are facts, too. This club was meant to be a winner and a lot of money was spent in the attempt. There would be a lot less criticism if more people acknowledged the reasons for the failure.
What is on Tap for 1951?
Good reasons or not, it is imperative that the A’s be among the leaders from the start next year. Nothing will restore the public relations the club needs for successful operation except a winning club. It may be that undue optimism but at least the chances for that are brighter than they were when the Yankees terminated their working agreement and management was left without a ball club. The A’s own 14 of the 16 players currently on the roster. While some of them won’t be back, the club isn’t going to need too much of a rebuilding job.
It starts with a pitching staff which will probably remain almost intact. While the staff didn’t come through as expected this season there is every reason to believe it will be better in 1951. Marshall is anxious to return. Propst is a potential 20-game winner. Jim Hedgecock seems to have found himself again. Ron Smith should be better. Warren Noyes and John Brkich will have the added year of experience. Alden Wilkie’s back condition has been improved by Trainer George Wilkinson and the southpaw veteran can’t be counted out.
Catching is well set. Al Ronning will very likely be sold or drafted but Hal Danielson is a handy fellow to have around even if his batting average isn’t too high. The A’s start with Lou Novikoff and Gene Thompson in the outfield. Thompson may get another chance to go up but the A’s will get a comparable replacement or the cash to buy one. Novikoff has expressed a desire to return and if he does, the amiable Russian could be quite a hitter in this league with the benefit of spring training.
Most of the changes will come in the infield, where only one position can be said to be filled. That is at first base, where Junior Krug is a thoroughly acceptable performer. Second-baseman Jim Moore is not Victoria property but the A’s would be glad to get him back from Seattle along with Outfielder Bob McGuire. However, it appears likely that Moore may figure in Vancouver plans for next year.
Just what will happen to the left side of the infield is something that is not likely to be known for some time. The A’s almost had Ray Tran this year and it is possible they may be able to purchase the veteran shortstop for 1951. John Hack’s improvement at third base may include him in infield plans but it is known that the management would like to come up with something special in a defensive inner cordon that would give what should be good pitching to be just that.
In any event, the club has enough players so that it won’t have to grab at chances to buy what other clubs have decided won’t do.
The A’s started out with two players and only one of those could be termed an asset. Somehow, somewhere, the management had to procure 20 players. Critics who don’t think this is something of a task have little knowledge of professional baseball operation. Almost every young player with any ability is owned by major league or Triple A clubs, who are committed to send them to their own farm clubs for any seasoning they need. You may be certain they are never going to sell to an independent club any player who has any promise of developing.
So for the A’s, it was just a case of taking what appeared to be the best of what was offered. This, for the most part, consisted of high-salaried veterans on their way down and players whose temperament blocked the developing of any baseball ability they had. A tough combination from which to fashion a winning team, but had no Seattle recalled K Chorlton, it is reasonable to believe that Victoria would have at least finished in the first division.
As for the undue spring optimism. Well, who could suspect that Jack Mooty would have a sore arm which made him valueless when he was expected to be the stopper of a powerful-looking pitching staff? Or who could know that Joe Mishasek, another who could reasonably be counted on to be a big winner, would pitch half a season with a sire arm and then be forced to give it up altogether? Or that Aldon Wilkie would have trouble winning ten games and that Jim Propst and John Marshall, selected to the All-Star team last season, would fall so far off their 1949 pace? Or that Snag Moore and Buzz Sporer would refuse to report? Or even that Bob Jensen could not regain his old form?
Alibis? Perhaps, but they are facts, too. This club was meant to be a winner and a lot of money was spent in the attempt. There would be a lot less criticism if more people acknowledged the reasons for the failure.
What is on Tap for 1951?
Good reasons or not, it is imperative that the A’s be among the leaders from the start next year. Nothing will restore the public relations the club needs for successful operation except a winning club. It may be that undue optimism but at least the chances for that are brighter than they were when the Yankees terminated their working agreement and management was left without a ball club. The A’s own 14 of the 16 players currently on the roster. While some of them won’t be back, the club isn’t going to need too much of a rebuilding job.
It starts with a pitching staff which will probably remain almost intact. While the staff didn’t come through as expected this season there is every reason to believe it will be better in 1951. Marshall is anxious to return. Propst is a potential 20-game winner. Jim Hedgecock seems to have found himself again. Ron Smith should be better. Warren Noyes and John Brkich will have the added year of experience. Alden Wilkie’s back condition has been improved by Trainer George Wilkinson and the southpaw veteran can’t be counted out.
Catching is well set. Al Ronning will very likely be sold or drafted but Hal Danielson is a handy fellow to have around even if his batting average isn’t too high. The A’s start with Lou Novikoff and Gene Thompson in the outfield. Thompson may get another chance to go up but the A’s will get a comparable replacement or the cash to buy one. Novikoff has expressed a desire to return and if he does, the amiable Russian could be quite a hitter in this league with the benefit of spring training.
Most of the changes will come in the infield, where only one position can be said to be filled. That is at first base, where Junior Krug is a thoroughly acceptable performer. Second-baseman Jim Moore is not Victoria property but the A’s would be glad to get him back from Seattle along with Outfielder Bob McGuire. However, it appears likely that Moore may figure in Vancouver plans for next year.
Just what will happen to the left side of the infield is something that is not likely to be known for some time. The A’s almost had Ray Tran this year and it is possible they may be able to purchase the veteran shortstop for 1951. John Hack’s improvement at third base may include him in infield plans but it is known that the management would like to come up with something special in a defensive inner cordon that would give what should be good pitching to be just that.
In any event, the club has enough players so that it won’t have to grab at chances to buy what other clubs have decided won’t do.
Friday, September 8, 1950
W L PCT GB
Tacoma ...... 89 57 .610 —
Yakima ...... 90 58 .608 —
Tri-City .... 81 65 .555 8
Wenatchee ... 77 70 .524 12½
Victoria .... 66 82 .446 24
Vancouver ... 63 81 .438 25
Spokane ..... 62 83 .428 26½
Salem ....... 57 89 .390 32
VANCOUVER, B. C., Sept. 8—Tacoma Tigers got nowhere fast Friday night in their down-to-the-wire tussle with Yakima Bears for the league leadership as they succumbed, 4-2, to Vancouver Capilanos.
The Tigers had a 2-0 lead off Bob Snyder after five innings. The Caps evened it in their half of the inning when lefthander Tom Kipp made the error of throwing a fat fastball to Snyder, who hit it for a single. Two were out. The next batter, Reg Clarkson, belted Kipp's second offering onto Sixth Avenue for his fourth homer in four games.
The Caps won the game in the eighth and made reliefer Hunk Anderson, a Cap castoff, the loser by scoring two runs on three walks, a hit batsman and two singles.
The crowd's biggest thrill came in the ninth when Snyder forced the league's leading home run hitter and RBI champion to send a towering fly to right centre field with two aboarrd. Another 20 feet and Dick Greco would have had a home run.
Tacoma ........... 100 010 000—2 12 1
Vancouver ....... 000 020 02x—4 6 0
Kipp, Anderson (5), Carter (8) and Sheets; Snyder and Heisner.
VICTORIA, B.C., Sept. 8—The large crowd of “Ladies Night” fans at Royal Athletic Park on Friday night were rewarded with one of the season’s finest games, with the revitalized Victoria Athletics playing more like league champions than also-rans. They made it two in a row over the defending champions, 3-2, in an eleventh inning thriller. It was their fifth victory in six starts this week against the two clubs battling for the flag.
Friday night’s battle was a tense one from the start, with runners on the bags in almost every inning, but runs were at a premium. Jim Hedgecock went the distance for his 13th game, although he almost threw it away with one bad pitch in the ninth inning when he was within one pitch of a 3-2 triumph. Bill Dunn, Al Ronning and Gene Thompson provided him with the offensive support.
The Bears took the lead with two runs in the thing inning when two errors figured in the Yakima scoring. Dunn squared matters in the fourth when he hit his third home run of the season, first of four hits, with John Hack on the bags.
Victoria went out in front in the seventh when Ronning connected for the third of five hits to drive in Bob McGuire. Hedgecock held the Bears until the ninth, when Nino Tornay led off with a double. The next two batters were easy outs but pinch-hitter Frank Mascaro tied it with a long single when Hedgecock came in with a fat pitch on an 0-2 count.
Lloyd Dickey, ace Yakima lefthander, came in to face the A’s in the ninth, but two singles around a sacrifice brought in Dewey Soriano, who stopped the A’s but then failed in the eleventh and went down to his second defeat in two nights.
Bob McGuire grounded out to open the 11th, but Marty Krug Jr. drew a walk. Ronning sent him to third with his fifth hit. The Bears elected to pitch to Thompson, their former teammate, who gained credit for his second double of the night when he lined Soriano’s first pitch to left centre. Krug held up at third to see if the ball would be caught then came in with the winning run.
Yakima ......... 022 000 001 00—3 10 0
Victoria ........ 000 200 010 01—4 16 3
Bradford, Dickey (8), Soriano (9) and Tornay; Hedgecock and Danielson.
SPOKANE, Sept. 8—The Spokane Indians needed six innings to solve the pitching of Tri-City's Joe Orrell and then rapped him for six quick runs to beat the Braves, 7 to 5 Friday night.
The game opened the final Western International league series of the season for both teams and drew 1,032 fans to Ferris field.
Tri-City ......... 002 000 003—5 13 3
Spokane ........ 000 010 33x—7 11 0
Orrell and McKeegan; Rockey and Rossi.
WENATCHEE, Sept. 8 — Southpaw Tommy Breisinger pitched no-hit ball for seven and one-third innings here Friday night to lead the Wenatchee Chiefs to a 10-1 win over the Salem Senators.
Jay Ragni, Wenatchee pitcher-outfielder, hit the jackpot during the evening. He received a complete stream-fishing outfit as being selected the most valuable Wenatchee player of the season.
Brick Laws, president of the Pacific Coast league Oakland Acorns announced Ragni will join the PCL club Saturday as the player selected under a working agreement between Oakland and Wenatchee.
Salem ........... 000 000 010—1 2 1
Wenatchee .... 220 010 14x—10 14 3
Tierney, Costello (2) and Martin; Breisinger and Len Neal.
Salem Senators Reported For Sale; Price Tag Is $50,000
KENNEWICK, Sept. 7—The Salem Senators baseball club is for sale for $50,000 and if there are no takers it probably will be moved to New Westminster, B. C., next year.
Bill Mulligan, general manager of the Portland Pacific Coast league club which owns the Solons, was quoted to that effect today by the Tri-City Herals.
The $50,000 price tag includes Waters Park in Salem and the Senators' Western International League franchise. Don Becker said after an interview with Mulligan that Portland has decided not to operate the club at Salem next year “in any event.”
The Senators are a dismal last in the WIL this season and have drawn poorly at the gate at home. They were drubbed 18 to 3 by Tri-City Thursday night, their third straight lop-sided shellacking at the hands of the Braves during the five game series. Salem lost all five.
It is understood that the other seven clubs in the league have agreed to let Portland take the franchise to New Westminster in the event the Beavers can't peddle the club.
New Westminster was picked because of a hot hockey rivalry between that town and Vancouver, B. C. and Victoria, B. C., both of which have teams in the WIL, it was said. Mulligan hopes the hockey rivalry will swing over into baseball and be a good gate attraction, it is disclosed. All three are in the Pacific Coast hockey league.
The Senators have been on the block before but haven't drawn many likely buyers.
Mulligan was here Thursday night to see the Solons take the 18 to 3 trouncing.
- - - -
TACOMA, Sept. 8—The proposed sale or transfer of the Salem franchise in the Western International League as reported earlier in Kennewick, has not yet been brought formally to the attention of league directors, Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit, said here Saturday.
Commenting on the possibility that the Portland Beavers, who own the Salem club, might seek a transfer of the franchise to New Westminster, B.C., Abel pointed out that such a move would have to be conducted in accordance with the rules laid down by the National Association of Professional Baseball League. Essentially, the Vancouver Capilanos, whose territorial rights would be involved, would have to approve any such move.
WILfan note: New Westminster had a team in pro ball for one season — the 'Frasers' of the Northwest League in 1974. It drew just over 10,000 fans before folding. The keen Vancouver-New West-Victoria hockey rivalry, dating to the time when the Patricks put pro hockey on the West Coast, fizzled out once Vancouver got an NHL franchise.
IT BEATS ME
By JIM TANG [Victoria Colonist, from Sept. 9, 1951]
Jack Harsham [sic], former Victoria first baseman who slipped all the way from the New York Giants to Jacksonville of the Class “A” Sally League this year, is trying his hand at pitching. He defeated Augusta, 5-2, in his first start. . . . W.I.L. clubs were polled last week on the question of the Saughnessy play-off this season, but the idea apparently died in the early stages. The league should have a play-off, but it should be announced at the start, not the end of a season. . . . Dewey Soriano, president of the Yakima Bears, its reported to be selling his interest in the club and returning to sea. Soriano holds a master’s certificate and will probable [sic] captain a freighter. . . . Apparently upset by the criticism it contained, Umpire Doc Regele read a newspaper account of his banishment of John Marshall Wednesday night over the phone to League-president. Bob Abel. Abel instructed Business-manager Reg Patterson to inform the writer it was an “amateurish” bit of writing. Wonder if he thinks that the W.I.L. has been getting professional umpiring this season, , , , Al Ronning has made 14 hits in 19 official trips to the plate this season and the big Victoria catcher is almost certain to reach his second successive .300 batting average. . . . Wee Teddy Savarese, smallest pitcher in the W.I.L. for the past two seasons, has been doing well since he was recalled by the parent San Francisco Seals. The Seals have also recalled Nino Tornay from the Bears and the hard-hitting catcher will leave for Coast League action immediately after the end of the W.I.L. season. . . . Too bad the Athletics didn’t start playing the brand of ball they are exhibiting this week a couple of months sooner. Any club troubles have been straightened out and the players are now solidly behind Manager Marty Krug, several of the expressing themselves on that subject.
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