Bob Robertson

ON SECOND THOUGHT
By ALAN WARD
Tribune Sports Editor
Double Play-Baseball to Radio
Former baseball players who have become radio announcers, specializing in baseball, are a dime a dozen. Dizzy Dean, for instance. Frankie Frisch. Fred Haney, now managing the Hollywood Stars. But until Mayor Art Pohlman and Perk Low of Wenatchee came to town I hadn't heard of a player signed by one club broadcasting for another in the same league.
Bob Robertson, baseball spieler for KPQ of Wenatchee, is a unique young man.
Mayor Pohlman and Low are co-owners of the Wenatchee Chiefs of the Western International League. They've been in Oakland a couple of days, most of their time being spent with [Oaks owner Brick] Laws and [Oaks manager Charlie] Dressen. It can be assumed the topic of conversation hasn't been the famed apple crop of Wenatchee, but a working agreement between the Chiefs and the Oaks.
The mayor and his partner were emphatic in their praise of Broadcaster Robertson, an outfielder owned by Salem but more interested in a radio career than ball playing.
Robertson was set to play for Salem last season. He was a guest on a radio program and showed a talent for the business. A series of circumstances which won't be related here gave him a chance to broadcast a game at Wenatchee. He did an outstanding job and indicated he'd like to continue with the work. He has done exactly that. Salem won't release him, figuring his affinity for a microphone is temporary, and any day he'll be back looking for his uniform and glove.
He won't be, the officials of the Wenatchee club predict. They like the radio work of Robertson so much they're trying to buy his contract from Salem—to keep him in the broadcast booth.
“The woods are full of ball players,” said Mayor Pohlman and Perk Low, “but when you've got the right fellow doing your games, hang on to him, we say. He's better for the box off than a .325 hitter.”
Uh, huh, we know. Bud Foster broadcasts for the Oaks.
- Oakland Tribune, Monday, March 20, 1950