Victoria ..... 6 1 .875 —
Spokane ...... 5 3 .625 1½
Vancouver .... 5 3 .625 1½
Lewiston ..... 4 4 .500 2½
Salem ........ 4 5 .444 3
Yakima ....... 3 5 .375 3½
Tri-City ..... 3 5 .375 3½
Wenatchee .... 2 6 .350 4½
SALEM, April 30 — Wildness by Starter Cal Humphries sent Salem's Senators off to a lead they never lost as they downed Lewiston here Wednesday night, 9-5, in a Western International League baseball game.
Salem got four hits off Humphries, but his wildness allowed Salem to convert them into five runs in the first two innings.
Lewiston chipped away at this lead. Catcher Jake Helmuth lofted a two-run homer over the left field fence in the fourth inning, and crept within one run of Salem in the fifth frame.
Then Salem turned three more walks and two hits into three more runs to put the game beyond recall.
Lewiston .... 001 210 001—5 10 2
Salem ......... 230 030 01x—9 9 0
Humphries, Spearman (2), Morrell (6) and Helmuth; McNulty and Nelson.
Wenatchee at Victoria, postponed, wet grounds.
Spokane at Tri-City, postponed, rain.
Yakima at Vancouver, postponed, cold weather and poor ground conditions.
Edmonton Ready To Enter WIL If New Westminster In Circuit
Brown Must Approve Royal City Entry
By DON CARLSON
[Vancouver Province, May 1, 1952]
Edmonton is definitely prepared to join the Western International League, The Vancouver Province learned today, if Vancouver Capilanos’ general manager, R.P. Brown, will agree to a professional baseball franchise being granted to New Westminster.
The Edmonton proposal was outlined by John Ducey, president of the Edmonton Senior Baseball League, Ltd., in a letter to Province sports editor, Don Carlson.
In New Westminster, park commissioner Doug Grimston hailed the Edmonton proposal with the announcement that “we are so keen to get professional baseball that in all likelihood we would be quite prepared to assist its start by providing Queen’s Park Stadium free, or at a nominal rent, for the first season.”
PARK SEATS 7500
The stadium now seats 7500, and is equipped with lights. Its infield and outfield are in excellent condition. The stadium is newly renovated. It is much bigger than several parks now operating in the WIL.
Ducey said that both Edmonton and Calgary are recognized by organized baseball as “tremendous assets” in its “expanding dominion.” Speaking for Edmonton, he said his city has three choices: Entry in the class A, WIL; in a class C league with Great Falls, Billings and Butte; or in a “solid western Canada league of Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton.”
The Edmonton executive said that “who we go with I do not know, it whoever moves first, Edmonton will listen to the proposal.”
SMALL TOWNS IN
Smallest member cities in the WIL now are Lewiston, Tri-City and Wenatchee. New Westminster, Edmonton and Calgary, combined, boast many times their combined population.
In voicing his plea for Brown to authorize a franchise in New Westminster, Ducey was referring to the Caps’ recognized territory rights in Greater Vancouver, a concession which Brown would have to accept at a WIL meeting of directors.
“Geographically,” wrote Ducey, “the WIL as presenting constituted is not attractive to Edmonton. Salem is too far south.
LEWISTON “TOO SMALL”
“Were Bob Brown prepared to allow the transfer of the Salem franchise to New Westminster, provided New Westminster is a good pro baseball town, the league would have more appeal to us.
“I cannot visualize the little town of Lewiston surviving in class A baseball and its location is not attractive to us.
“Provided New Westminster could have the Salem franchise, provided Tacoma were revived to a strong financial and fan interest peak, then Victoria, Vancouuver, Spokane, Calgary, Edmonton and Yakima would have some merit.”
Eric Whitehead’s
FANFARE
[Vancouver Province, May 1, 1952]
Since the noisy advent of Bill Schuster as field boss of the Vancouver Capilanos, local baseball has taken on a vigorous New Look.
Schuster, a garrulous, belligerent competitor, is no dainty tactician. His blunt philosophy for winning ball games evolves around an ancient yet surprisingly little-used theory in sport: that the best defense is a good offense.
Right in the opening game the other night out at the Stadium, this simple Schuster design for winning picked up right where it left off last September: Plenty of power at the plate and a constant stream of razzle-dazzle on the basepaths.
At least twice in that opening game, Schuster, coaching at third base, was guilty of (by the book) bad baseball: Waving runners on to an extra base when, theoretically, they should have been held up. In both cases, as happened so many times last year when these unorthodox dashes rattled the opposition, the runners were safe.
Schuster, in this colorful but dangerous scheme of attack, has an amazingly high success average.
While the knowing second-guessers in the stands wag their heads disapprovingly and murmur: “He shouldn’t have done it . . .” Schuster’s wayward firehorse comes rollicking in with the winning run.
Plenty Hit Plus Plenty Field
Wild Bill has plenty of reason to be jubilant these days. His current club flaunts an old baseball tradition—the one that says the bulk of a club’s batting power should be supplied by the outfield.
So far, there is no reason to believe that the current Cap outfield of Edo Vanni, Joe Scalise and Bob Duretto will be at all short of power. But there is every reason to believe that Schuster’s infield might out-hit the outfield.
The way the Caps infield is lined up right now, it is possibly the best unit, defensively and offensively, in Class A baseball. It could probably run at least beck and beck with many an infield unit in Double A ball.
Brown-Schuster Inc., Pays Off
Including league batting champ John Ritchey behind the plate, the 1952 Cap infield is quite capable, on its immediate past record, of tracking up an amazing combined batting average of at least .325!
Ritchey, Len Tran, Jesse Williams and Jim Wert could all approach or surpass that figure, and the fifth man, Ray Tran, figures for a steady .290 or better.
Schuster himself, shunted to the sidelines by his ailing knee, represents a powerful reserve replacement, missing the magic .300 ring by one percentage point last season.
All of which points up the highly profitable partnership of Schuster, the climate just isn’t warm enough to get a ball-club a shrewd field operator when he sees one.
The working relations of Schuster and Bob Brown—the man who is responsible for procuring the type of player that Schuster wants—are not all sugared with milk and honey.
A Couple of Birds of a Feather
Schuster can be, and has been, bitterly critical of some of Bob Brown’s theories. Bill has been particularly vehement over Brown’s influence to train the club at Penticton, where, insists Schuster, the climate just isn’t warm enough to get a ball-club into shape. Schuster this spring pulled hard for a training site in California, but was over-ruled.
However, around about 50 or so years ago, there was no more outspoken more more fiery young rebel in all baseball than second baseman Bob Brown, the raucous red-head who played alongside another aggressive young gent name of Joe Tinker.
Schuster has a tremendous respect for the 60 years of baseball savvy crammed into the Boss’s gnarled old noodle, and the Boss in turn has plenty of respect for the Schuster fire that will keep the customers warm on chilly nights out at the Stadium.
IT BEATS ME
By Jim Tang [Colonist, May 1, 1952]
The North American Indian is generally recognized as a taciturn, expressionless sort of a fellow given to long silences and one-word sentences. There is no reason to believe that the latest addition to the race, “Chief Big Shot of Vancouver Island,” perhaps still better known as Cece Garriott, is likely to tarnish that reputation in the slightest.
Certain that Victoria baseball fans would like to get a first-hand report of the rather surprising Tyees and busting out all over with questions, this enterprising reporter hied himself off to the airport Monday afternoon to greet the chief and his incoming heroes.
“He’s bound to loosen up this time,” I thought. “The team has won five out of six. He must feel pretty good. It should be a good story.”
Matters opened auspiciously. The Chief was spotted hiding behind a huge pair of glasses.
“Oh, hello, Jim. I didn’t see you there at first,” came with a proffered hand.
I counted. Ten unsolicited words when two could have done. Things were looking up. All I needed was to get him by himself.
“You can come in with us,” I ventured, pointing to cameraman Bud Kinsman as players started to board the bus.
“Yeah. Okay.”
Past experience told me it was no use wasting my time. No sooner in the car I opened up.
“Well, I see the boys are hitting that ball.”
“Yep. They’re meeting pretty good.”
“Having trouble with the pitching by the looks of things, eh?”
“It’s been bad.”
“How’s Gladstone been doing at shortstop?”
“Fine.”
“Branham filling the bill at second okay?”
“He’s doing all right.”
“What about Abernathy?”
“He’s going okay.”
“Pries still hitting to right field?”
“Not all the time.”
“What happened to Propst Sunday?”
“Didn’t have it. Sharp his first time.”
“How did Yakima and Lewiston look?”
“They’ve got no pitching either.”
Not Susceptible
Half-way back and that was it. I decided to try another approach. Perhaps a little subtle (?) flattery would do the trick.
“Hear you really got a hold of one in Lewiston.”
“Yeah, it felt pretty good.”
“Hitting in the clutch, eh? Got a hold of another one Sunday I see.”
“Crossed them up. Pulled her down the left-field line with Moniz running. Got to second. Pries bunted. Abernathy scored me.”
No dice. I bored in from another angle.
“The boys happy at being on top? Everybody hustling?”
It almost did the trick: “I got a good competitive club. The boys are hustling—fine fellows.” There was a trace of pride there.
It didn’t last too long. “They’d better,” came in the next breath, the little chuckle not taking a thing away from the threat promise.
I don’t discourage easily—at times, that is.
“Had your dinner yet?”
“Ate at Seattle at noon.”
“Got any plans for tonight.”
“Nope.”
“How about eating with me?”
“Okay.”
All was excitement at the hotel. The opposition, probably forewarned, had sent two chroniclers down to get what I was trying to get myself. Business manager Reg Patterson was there. So was sports announcer Bill Stephenson. Everybody was talking except the Chief. I got hungrier and hungrier.
Things quietened when the phone jangled. The Chief sounded like a man listening to his wife.
“That was Reynolds,” he explained. “Wants me to go on the air. I’ll have to hurry.”
I ate alone. Poor Ted, I thought. It’s too bad he got in on this so late. He won’t get a thing, the guy is all talked out. Guess I’d better phone him up later tonight and give him what I found out. And that there’s a pretty good story in the W.I.L. standings.
Certain that Victoria baseball fans would like to get a first-hand report of the rather surprising Tyees and busting out all over with questions, this enterprising reporter hied himself off to the airport Monday afternoon to greet the chief and his incoming heroes.
“He’s bound to loosen up this time,” I thought. “The team has won five out of six. He must feel pretty good. It should be a good story.”
Matters opened auspiciously. The Chief was spotted hiding behind a huge pair of glasses.
“Oh, hello, Jim. I didn’t see you there at first,” came with a proffered hand.
I counted. Ten unsolicited words when two could have done. Things were looking up. All I needed was to get him by himself.
“You can come in with us,” I ventured, pointing to cameraman Bud Kinsman as players started to board the bus.
“Yeah. Okay.”
Past experience told me it was no use wasting my time. No sooner in the car I opened up.
“Well, I see the boys are hitting that ball.”
“Yep. They’re meeting pretty good.”
“Having trouble with the pitching by the looks of things, eh?”
“It’s been bad.”
“How’s Gladstone been doing at shortstop?”
“Fine.”
“Branham filling the bill at second okay?”
“He’s doing all right.”
“What about Abernathy?”
“He’s going okay.”
“Pries still hitting to right field?”
“Not all the time.”
“What happened to Propst Sunday?”
“Didn’t have it. Sharp his first time.”
“How did Yakima and Lewiston look?”
“They’ve got no pitching either.”
Not Susceptible
Half-way back and that was it. I decided to try another approach. Perhaps a little subtle (?) flattery would do the trick.
“Hear you really got a hold of one in Lewiston.”
“Yeah, it felt pretty good.”
“Hitting in the clutch, eh? Got a hold of another one Sunday I see.”
“Crossed them up. Pulled her down the left-field line with Moniz running. Got to second. Pries bunted. Abernathy scored me.”
No dice. I bored in from another angle.
“The boys happy at being on top? Everybody hustling?”
It almost did the trick: “I got a good competitive club. The boys are hustling—fine fellows.” There was a trace of pride there.
It didn’t last too long. “They’d better,” came in the next breath, the little chuckle not taking a thing away from the threat promise.
I don’t discourage easily—at times, that is.
“Had your dinner yet?”
“Ate at Seattle at noon.”
“Got any plans for tonight.”
“Nope.”
“How about eating with me?”
“Okay.”
All was excitement at the hotel. The opposition, probably forewarned, had sent two chroniclers down to get what I was trying to get myself. Business manager Reg Patterson was there. So was sports announcer Bill Stephenson. Everybody was talking except the Chief. I got hungrier and hungrier.
Things quietened when the phone jangled. The Chief sounded like a man listening to his wife.
“That was Reynolds,” he explained. “Wants me to go on the air. I’ll have to hurry.”
I ate alone. Poor Ted, I thought. It’s too bad he got in on this so late. He won’t get a thing, the guy is all talked out. Guess I’d better phone him up later tonight and give him what I found out. And that there’s a pretty good story in the W.I.L. standings.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [May 1, 1952]
There can't be any question that the hitters are way ahead of the pitchers thus far in the WIL race. To come right down to it the batters aren't getting much of a chance to get a basehit anymore. . .not the way the bases on balls are being so liberally handed around. It isn't any one or two teams either. . .the whole league is filled with pitchers who can't find the plate. Perhaps it is a bit early in the season but then most clubs spent a full month or more in spring training getting their staff ready. And after that long a time it's only reasonable to suppose a pitcher is ready to go.
There can't be any question that the hitters are way ahead of the pitchers thus far in the WIL race. To come right down to it the batters aren't getting much of a chance to get a basehit anymore. . .not the way the bases on balls are being so liberally handed around. It isn't any one or two teams either. . .the whole league is filled with pitchers who can't find the plate. Perhaps it is a bit early in the season but then most clubs spent a full month or more in spring training getting their staff ready. And after that long a time it's only reasonable to suppose a pitcher is ready to go.
Of the first 16 games this year only six pitchers managed to go, the distance and only one game saw two starters finish. Perhaps it is a case of too many would be hurlers in the spring training camps.' An overload would prevent many from getting in enough time in the Grapefruit League swing. However, the situation should iron itself out as soon as the rookies found wanting are cut off the club rosters. Ania also where the PCL makes its cut and starts to fill up their farm teams here forcing the farms to cut down.
JOTS AND DOTS. . .HERE AND THERE
Lewiston is unofficially the smallest city in the nation to field a baseball team in either class A or B ball. That distinction moved to the Broncs from the apple picking city of Wenatchee, . .the newly paved surface at Sanders Field should prove a boon to the ladies. . .particularly those who sport the open-toed style of shoes. . .no more pebbles to creep inside.
The way those grounds-keepers dashed out to fix up the bases Tuesday night, and all dressed in white. . .four men for four bases, it looked like the opening of a Major League game Tuesday night. The Braves' front office must have parted with a pretty hefty chunk of loot to add the many conveniences they have.
Lewiston is unofficially the smallest city in the nation to field a baseball team in either class A or B ball. That distinction moved to the Broncs from the apple picking city of Wenatchee, . .the newly paved surface at Sanders Field should prove a boon to the ladies. . .particularly those who sport the open-toed style of shoes. . .no more pebbles to creep inside.
The way those grounds-keepers dashed out to fix up the bases Tuesday night, and all dressed in white. . .four men for four bases, it looked like the opening of a Major League game Tuesday night. The Braves' front office must have parted with a pretty hefty chunk of loot to add the many conveniences they have.
'Kewpie' Barrett Unemployed But Not Ready for Boneyard
SEATTLE, May 1 — Round Richard Barrett, the all-time strikeout king of the Pacific Coast League, is en baseball's unemployed list for the first time in 27 years — but not ready to quit.
He wants to make it 28 and equal the term that Denton (Cy) Young, a baseball immortal, served on the diamond's rockpile.
Won't Quit Now
The rotund right-hander who whiffed 1,866 Coast League clouters in his long career sees no reason for quitting now. On the chance that he might land a job, “Kewpie” Dick has been doing road work to melt off a suet surplus he insists is merely eight pounds.
And he keeps his arm loose by throwing to his 18-year-old son, Donnie, a high school senior.
Last year the Kewp left the Coast League to be playing manager of Victoria in the Western International Loop. A sore arm and sorer relations with the head office broke off the arrangement in mid-season.
Record Good
Never a giver-upper, cheerful Richard caught on with Yakima in the same circuit and won eight of the last 10 games he pitched.
“I could have won in the Coast League,” he reports, with no trace of boastfulness. “My control was better than ever. I quit concentrating on striking out batters and concentrated on getting the side out I faced only 28 batters in two games and 29 in another.”
After playing with leagues both high and low for 27 seasons. Barrett has a few connections and stout hopes. If nothing turns up he'll probably have to retire to his local insurance business.
“But,” says Dick, his smile fading, “how I would have to quit baseball!”
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