Friday 31 August 2007

Tuesday, August 22, 1950

Rain Postpones All WIL Games
UNDATED, Aug. 22—Rain washed out the entire Western International league bill-of-fare tonight, forcing a complete round of doubleheaders Wednesday.
The program pairs Victoria at Tacoma, Yakima at Wenatchee, Tri-City at Spokane and Vancouver at Salem.
Johnny Price, baseball stuntman and comedian, will cavort on the sidelines between games at Tacoma.

WIL Pitching Leaders
TACOMA, Aug. 23— Although tagged for the second defeat of the season last week during the course of Victoria's six-game winning streak against the Capilanos, Vancouver's Sandy Robertson continues to pace the Western International League's regular moundsmen with a 12-2 record.
Meanwhile, however, a solid threat to Robertson's slinging supremacy is appearing in the person of Dewey Soriano, Yakima's pitching prexy, who notched his sixth success without a setback since the last tabulation and now needs only a couple of additional verdicts to be eligible for consideration in the W-I elbowing derby.
Tacoma's Bob Kerrigan, who hurled his 20th and 21st wins last week, remained in the third spot, in addition to have posted the top victory total. Kerrigan has lost six.
In second place with an 8-2 record is Tri-City's Cy Greenlaw.
Having registered seven more strikeouts in two appearances, Yakima's Lloyd Dickey was far and away the whiff leader with a 190 total.
Don Ferrarese, Wenatchee southpaw, likewise retained the league lead in his specialty — bases on halls. Ferrarese issued six more passes during the week
for a total of 188.
                       W  L  SO  PCT
Robertson, Van. ..... 12  2  48 .857
Kerrigan, Tac. ...... 21  6 102 .778
Greenlaw, T-C ........ 8  2  86 .800
Stone, T-C ........... 9  5  57 .643
Ragni, Wen. ......... 16  9 139 .640
Larner, Yak. ........ 15  9  99 .625
Powell, Yak. ........ 11  7  68 .611
Marshall, Vic. ...... 14  9 153 .609
Dickey, Yak. ........ 14  9 190 .609
McCollum, T-C ....... 17 11  87 .607


ERIC WHITEHEAD’S FAN FARE
[Daily Province, Aug. 23, 1950]
It’s no secret along the old Oregon Trial that Robert Abel is on his way out as President of the Western International League.
As president of said league, Abel has proved to be an excellent Tacoma lawyer. His practise in Tacoma is certainly flourishing more brightly than his career in the WIL. Abel’s consistent alleged mishandling of protests, minor complaints, plus a notoriously bad selection of league umpires has caused the Coast B-circuit owners to start casting tentatively about for a successor to the bland Tacoman.
Although nominations are not in order, we have no hesitation now in forwarding the name of Robert Paul Brown of Vancouver, present business-manager of the local Capilanos.
If any man on this coast—or on this continent for that matter—has the necessarily qualifications for the job of boss of the WIL, then that man is Ruby Robert, the shrewd redhead from Minnesota.

Was A Long Haired-Boy
Now in his 51st hectic year of organized baseball, Bob has a background equalled by few, surpasses only by such reverent gentlemen as Connie Mack, the eternal Cornelius McGillicuddy of Philadelphia.
After playing halfback for Notre Dame in the 1890s (and era where the players wore no helmets, let their hair grow long for head protection) Bob came to the coast, practically weaned and father the old Northwest Pro League. He played alongside the immortal Joe Tinker, build a personal reputation as a battling that would have forever endeared him to the famed St. Louis Gang House gang generations later. He managed three ball clubs, had a hand in the first ball game ever played under the lights, sent dozens of young players into the higher leagues, many into the majors. He has personal contacts with practically every big league club in the business.
One of the best-known and most respected minor league executives in the game, Mr. Brown is known wherever the game is played. He never misses an annual meeting of the National Baseball Congress.

Norgan Would Support Bob
WIL presidents are elected by majority vote of the club owners.
The nominations of Brown would have the support of at least two other clubs in the WIL in addition to Vancouver. It would certainly get the vote of Salem, owned by George Norgan, and presumably, of the other Canadian club, Victoria.
Norgan has stated he would definitely support Brown’s nomination, and feels confident he could swing a major vote from the other league owners. This support by Norgan, who is oft and correctly reported at severe odds with the Capilano business manager, will come as somewhat of a surprise to many, including Mr. Brown, and there will be an inevitable search for an ulterior notice. However, whatever the motive, Norgan would plug for Brown as the next WIL president.
At present, the post is merely a part-time job with a $3000 per annum salary. However, recent inefficiencies seem to in-[unreadable] status should be scrapped, and the post made a full-time job with an increased salary to suit.
It would be very pleasant this time next year to be able to refer herein to “WIL president Robert P. Brown,” and it would be a long-overdue and eminently fitting tribute to the fine professional career of the distinguished 77-year-old dean of western baseball.

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