Saturday 11 August 2007

Thursday, May 4, 1950

All games rained out

[Portion of story on AP regional wire]
SPOKANE, May 5— The farmers and the builders aren't the only ones who have suffered [from the poor spring weather]. Consider the owners of the Spokane baseball team in the Western International league.
This is normally a red hot baseball town and in 1947 it set a home attendance record for a class B league.
But on chilly opening day, 1950, only 3900 fans showed up at the park, the smallest first nighter crowd in history here. The first game of the season usually draws about 6,000. With the temperature in the low 40's, attendance figures were 750; 904 and 848 at recent games.
Thus, the late spring enters its serious stage. It had a somewhat humorous beginning. Several weeks ago Lewiston, scheduled a big parade under the banner "spring comes first to Lewiston." It was cancelled because of snow.
It appears that spring hasn't really come anywhere yet.

ON THE INSIDE
BY DON BECKER - Herald Sports Editor
[from column of May 5, 1950]
THE OVERALL PICTURE
Looks like the WIL race is going to be closer than a quarter after three. Right now two of the locked for loaders are languishing in the cellar but don't count Victoria and Vancouver, our Canadian cousins, out of the pennant fight yet.
Just as soon as that warm weather comes those ex-Coast league hurlers that Victoria has will begin to find the corners and it'll be "lights out" for many a club. Likewise the Capilanos. Bob Brown has been around the baseball scene too many years to come up with a losing team all the way.
And the same thing goes for our Braves. Right now we're losing a few more than we win, but it's been so long since Charlie Petersen has been able to put his first string on the diamond that he'll probably have to introduce them all the way around when he gets them back together again.
SEE YOU THERE
That ought to be quite a party out at Sanders Field tonight when the Yakima rooters try to out scream our fans. There'll be amout a hundred down from the Bears home town. But the thing to listen for is Lew Linder's cow bell. When Lew starts "kicking that gong around" then you'll know that the Braves have the situation well in hand.
The gate probably won't top the opening night, but with good weather It should turn out to be the second best crowd of the year. . .see you there.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Considering the make-shift outfields that Charlie Petersen has had to turn out for the Braves they haven't been doing too badly. Of course it lacks punch without Clint Cameron and Dick Faber, but afield the work of Petorsen, Jim McKeegan, and Ken Kleasner, has been very good.
There were a couple of times when McKeegan just about had us on the ropes but he was always there when the ball came down and Wednesday night he uncorked a throw that was a beauty. The Chief's Hank Sciarra was on second when Jim Fiscallini hit a single into right field. Sciarra tried to leg it home but McKeegan's bullet peg to Vic Buccola, and Vic's fast relay to Nick Pesut, caught Sciarra at the plate. What more can you ask?

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