Friday 29 February 2008

1952 Final Stats

Pocekay Takes WIL Batting Title;
Lorino Pitching Crown

[Victoria Colonist, Sept. 21, 1952]
Batting at a fast clip during the final weeks of the Western International League schedule, Walt Pocekay, Wenatchee catcher, boosted his season’s average to .352 to success Vancouver’s John Ritchey as the league’s batting champion.
Pocekay finished seven points ahead of the Vancouver catcher, who took the runner-up spot with an 11-point margin over Spokane outfielder Mel Wasley. Wasley’s average was .334 , six points ahead of Bob Moniz, who paced Victoria Tyees and took fourth place in the over-all standings.
Pocekay also dominated the individual departments. He had the most hits, 203; the most total bases, 281; and the most doubles, 45.
TOP SLUGGERS
Tyees dominated the slugging department with Grannie Gladstone and Cec Garriott setting the pace. Gladstone drove in 126 runs and hit 15 home runs. Garriott led in round-trippers with 17 and was runner-up in R.B.I.s with 112. Wasley was the only other player to join the 100 R.B.I. mark, finishing third with 106.
Milt Smith of Lewiston edged out Moniz for run-scoring homers with 126 to the Victoria outfielder’s 120. Des Charouhas of Tri-City led in triples with 15 and Ed Murphy retained his stolen base crown with 46.
DOMINATE HURLING
Victoria hurling dominated the pitching statistics. Ben Lorino was the leader with 24 victories (according to Howe News Bureau statistics released yesterday) and seven losses but teammate Leroy Han was the nominal leader with a 4-1 record. Teammate Carl Gunnarson was runner-up with a 12-5 record.
Lrino posted the most victories and pitched the most innings, 281. Bob Roberts of Spokane appeared in the most games, 50. Ray McNulty, Salem, pitched the most complete games, 26; Frank Dasso, Wenatchee, had the most losses, 28, a new league record; George New, Tri-City, walked the most batters, 209, and shared strikeout honours with Victoria’s Jehosie Heard at 216 each. Frank Chase, Spokane, hit the most batters, 15, and was tied with Keith Bowman of Lewiston for the most wild pitches, 16.
TEAM BATTING
      G  AB   R   OR   H   TB   2b 3b HR  SH  SB  BB  SO Pct.
Vic 148 4993 832 720 1397 1886 264 33 53  93 131 772 666 .280
Lew 152 5119 819 854 1405 1948 237 39 76  84  93 733 682 .274
Spo 153 4994 768 634 1356 1723 187 51 26 132 137 668 746 .272
Van 141 4696 712 616 1274 1660 182 63 26  97  97 688 495 .271
Yak 152 5042 780 801 1332 1800 221 59 43 115 123 783 775 .264
Sal 152 5016 650 654 1292 1703 216 60 25  81  97 654 701 .258
T-C 148 4898 695 742 1230 1621 183 50 36 112 128 785 804 .251
Wen 152 5013 637 872 1232 1557 195 38 18  74  67 618 675 .246


TEAM FIELDING
              W  L T  DP TP PB   PO    A   E  Pct.
Salem ...... 74 78 0 166  0 17 3924 1798 174 .970
Vancouver .. 72 68 1 151  0 15 3651 1600 192 .965
Tri-City ... 67 79 2 113  1 19 3842 1452 208 .962
Victoria ... 93 54 1 127  0 19 3871 1553 220 .961
Yakima ..... 73 79 0 151  0 23 3929 1705 232 .960
Spokane .... 90 63 0 161  0 11 3914 1696 237 .959
Lewiston ... 70 82 0 123  0 40 3874 1640 260 .955
Wenatchee .. 58 94 0 109  0 21 3869 1522 258 .954

                   AB   R   H  TB 2b 3b HR SB RBI Pct.
Pocekay, Wen .... 576  97 203 281 45  6  7  8  80 .352
Ritchey, Van .... 447  96 154 200 24  8  2 27  76 .345
Wasley, Spo ..... 560 108 187 234 28  5  3 16 106 .334
Moniz, Vic ...... 570 120 187 247 32  6  5 25  83 .328
Hamrick, TC ..... 198  29  65  83 10  2  1  4  27 .328
Bouchee, Spo .... 321  68 102 152 19  5  7  4  46 .318
Lodigiani, Yak .. 396  54 126 152 13  2  3  6  66 .318
Smith, Lew ...... 542 126 172 265 33 12 12 42  73 .317
Luby, Sal ....... 502  74 159 208 27  5  4 12  54 .317
Williams, Lew ... 382  71 118 173 23  1 10  1  70 .309
Palmer, Wen ..... 330  57 102 119 15  1  0  5  45 .309
Pries, Vic ...... 482  84 148 180 23  3  1 13  78 .307
Charouhas, TC ... 557  92 171 238 31 15  2 19  84 .307
Kovenz, TC ...... 397  67 121 175 19  7  7 33  76 .305
Brenner, Lew .... 115  17  35  48 10  0  1  0  12 .304
Perez, Sal ...... 577 102 174 258 27  9 13 22  81 .302
Hjelmaa, Wen .... 508  71 151 185 25  3  1 10  76 .297
Vanni, Van ...... 488  82 145 177 20  6  0  6  44 .297
Gladstone, Vic .. 550  81 162 259 40  6 15 19 126 .295
Noren, Yak ...... 403  58 119 164 21  9  2 10  72 .295
Kanelos, Spo .... 511  82 150 188 18 10  0 13  66 .294
W. Bottler, Vic .. 31   7   9  12  1  1  0  0   6 .290
L. Tran, Van .... 481  84 139 184 18  6  5 17  60 .289
Brunswick, Van .. 436  70 126 203 17 12 12  9  90 .289
Garriott, Vic ... 490 111 141 226 34  0 17 23 112 .288
Branham, Vic .... 438  89 126 155 16  2  3 21  41 .288
Moran, TC ....... 472  53 136 185 28  2  5  2  81 .288
Nelson, Sal ..... 412  54 118 153 19  8  0  5  56 .286
R. Bottler, Vic .. 98  17  28  35  4  0  1  1  11 .286
Wilson, Lew ..... 558 103 159 213 26  2  8 17  74 .285
Duretto, Van .... 459  62 131 185 29  8  3  6  67 .285
Helmuth, Lew .... 418  59 119 174 15  5 10  3  69 .285
Adams, Wen ...... 491  63 139 177 25  2  3  6  60 .283
Wert, Van ....... 527  75 149 180 14  7  1  3  82 .283
Donahue, Yak .... 498  60 140 172 22  2  2  2  71 .281
Albini, Yak ..... 422  78 118 196 23  8 13 24  72 .280
Murphy, Spo ..... 590 108 165 208 21  4  5 46  64 .280
Helbig, Vic ...... 97  13  27  39  9  0  1  2  14 .278
Clark, Vic ...... 483  63 134 161 18  3  1  3  50 .277
Abernathy, Vic .. 386  60 107 143 23  2  3  3  67 .277

                   G CG  W  L  IP   R   H  BB  SO HR WP
Han, Vic ........ 10  4  4  1  67  49  56  64  51  1  9
Lorino, Vic ..... 43 24 24  7 281 122 281 125 168  5  4
Gunnarson, Vic .. 28  8 12  5 147  88 181  43  60  4  1
Shandor, Yak .... 28 20 17  8 213 115 237  72  83  1  4
Brenner, Yak .... 43 20 21 11 272 123 273  72 116  6  2
Roberts, Spo .... 50  1 11  6  95  39  94  60  61  3  4
Conant, Spo ..... 35 16 18 10 247 101 253  75 137  2  4
Francis, Sal .... 26  4  9  5 120  56 106  74  50  9  6
Heard, Vic ...... 44 18 20 12 269 108 219 122 216  7  6
Greenwood, TC ... 30 23 16 10 220  78 148 152 165  3  8
Lovrich, Van .... 20  8  6  6 125  60 120  71  64  7  4
Whyte, Van ...... 21  1  3  2  61  38  78  29  21  1  2
Marshall, Spo ... 41 15 13  9 252 117 232 135 153  7  7
Oubre, Wen ...... 28 14 13  9 191 105 186 120  76  4  7
Savage, Yak ..... 27 11  9  7 133  54 122  51  68  1  4
Guldborg, Van ... 32 14 15 12 212 110 224 120 139  5  9
Palm, Spo ....... 34  7 10  8 150  91 151 121  85  2  5
Bishop, Spo ..... 35 19 16 13 251 102 265  90  89  6  3
Chase, Spo ...... 43  8 16 13 218 133 193 150 144 15 13
Spring, Spo ..... 21  5  6  5  90  41  88  60  84  3  4
Fletcher, Van ... 34 15 12 10 199  84 207  53  79  4  4
Dahle, Wen ...... 35 18 18 15 245 152 280  77 120  2  5
McNulty, Sal .... 37 26 19 16 277 118 301 114 134  4  2
Del Sarto, Yak .. 42 14 13 11 237 132 222 135 117  5  7
Romero, TC ...... 34 27 17 15 277 148 279 152 168  4  3
Snyder, Yak ..... 40 22 14 14 240 111 242  90 106  6 12
Nicholas, Lew ... 34 12 11 11 187 114 193 109 105 10  2
Hemphill, Sal ... 36 12 11 11 184  92 184  83  80  4  7
Schulte, Lew .... 36 11 10 10 170 108 137 157 178 13  9

1952 All-Stars

WIL All-Stars
SPOKANE, Sept. 24—Pennant-winning Victoria placed three players on the Western International League 1952 all-star team. Selected last week by the league’s sportswriters and scorekeepers.
Cecil Garriott, Victoria playing-manager, was named an all-star outfielder and manager of the year.
The team: John Ritchey, Vancouver, catcher; Bob Greenwood, Tri-City, right-handed pitcher; Ben Lorino, Victoria, left-handed pitcher; Dick Adams, Wenatchee, first base; Hugh Luby, Salem, second base; Jim Clark, Victoria, shortstop; Dario Lodigiani, Yakima, third base; Garriott, Victoria, Mel Wasley and Eddie Murphy, both Spokane, outfield; Walt Pocekay, Wenatchee, utility.

Thursday 28 February 2008

1952 Attendance

W.I.L. Attendance Down 69,035
[Victoria Colonist, Sept. 24, 1952]
Stepping up a class from “B” to “A” failed to help the Western International Baseball League at the gate this season.
Official figures released yesterday by league president Bob Abel disclosed that attednace dropped about nine percent from 1951 this season. The official paid attendance of 646,120 is the lowest in seven post-war seasons. The 1951 attendance was 715,555. The difference is 69,035.
GAIN 52 PER CENT
Only a 52 per cent gain in Victoria, the replacement of Lewiston with Tacoma and a small increase at Yakima prevented a far-worse let-down.
Victoria, which won its first championship, outdrew Spokane and was second only to Vancouver. The pennant-winning Tyees could not do better than 105,948 but this was a gain of 36,098 from 1951.
Lewiston didn’t have a particularly successful season with only 62,366 to show for a first-year club. This, however, was a gain of 19,903 over the attendance at Tacoma for the last season.
Yakima Bears, who got away to a disastrous start, showed a gain of 4,025 but their attendance of 64,044 hardly indicates that it was a successful financial season.
BIG DISAPPOINTMENTS
Vancouver and Spokane were actually the big disappointments. While Vancouver led the league with 119,533 it was long way from the 200,000 predicted for the Capilanos’ first full season in their spanking new park and 44,494 less than last season.
Spokane’s failure to draw more than 104,500 was most surprising of all. The Inland Empire centre is counted on for around 150,000 each season and it had a contending club which finished second. The loss from 1951 was 41,329.
Salem dropped more than 20,000 and Tri-City and Wenatchee both lost more than 15 per cent of their 1951 total and must be counted as dubious entries for 1953.
MEETING FRIDAY
League officials get together at Seattle Friday to discuss the problem and they privately admit it is a grave one, They are now almost unanimous in their belief that only the entry of Calgary and Edmonton will enable them to survive and the Alberta cities will be a prime topic of discussion.
Attendance figures follow:
                   1952    1951  change
Vancouver ..... 119,533 164,027 -41,494
Victoria ...... 105,948  69,850 +36,098
Spokane ....... 104,500 145,739 -41,239
Salem .......... 83,047 103,976 -20,929
Yakima ......... 64,044  60,019 + 4,025
Lewiston ....... 62,366  42,463 +19,903
Tri-City ....... 54,022  64,599 -10,577
Wenatchee ...... 52,660  64,482 -11,822
TOTALS ........ 646,120 715,153 -69,035

Closing Day, Sunday, September 14, 1952

FINAL STANDINGS
W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 94 55 .631 —
Spokane ...... 91 64 .587 6
Vancouver .... 72 69 .511 18
Salem ........ 74 78 .487 21½
Yakima ....... 73 79 .480 22½
Lewiston ..... 71 82 .464 25
Tri-City ..... 67 79 .459 25½
Wenatchee .... 58 94 .382 37½


YAKIMA, Sept. 14—Yakima's defending champion Bears swept a season-ending doubleheader with the Wenatchee Chiefs Sunday, 5-4 and 9-1, but their drive for a first division berth in the Western International League fell half a game short.
A crowd of 1,300 saw the windup of the Class A circuit's schedule here.
The Bears took all four games of the final series with Wenatchee, but their Garrison finish was not good enough to overcome Salem, which clinched fourth place with an 8-7 last-game win over Tri-City at Kennewick.
Frankie Dasso, the league's losingest pitcher with 26 setbacks, was the Wenatchee goat in Sunday's regulation opener.
Playing in right field, Dasso lost Ken Richardson's high fly in the sun with two away in the sixth to let in two runs. Mike Donahue's double and Jack Thompson's single brought in two more. That tied it at 4-all.
Yakima got its winning run in the seventh when, with two out, Len Noren fanned but got to first base when catcher Rip Robinett let the ball roll behind him. Noren scampered home a moment later when Dasso lost sight of John Albini's towering fly in the sun again and dropped it.
The seven-inning nightcap was a breeze for the Bears. Bob Savage (9-7) went the route for Yakima.
Thompson (14-16), who took over for Tom Del Sarto in the sixth, was the first game winner.
First Game
Wenatchee ... 003 001 000—4 6 2
Yakima ......... 000 004 10x—5 9 0
Dahle and Robinett; Del Sarto, Thompson (6) and Donahue.
Second Game
Wenatchee .... 100 000 0—1 4 1
Yakima .......... 102 060 x—9 11 2
Bauhofer, Kapp (6) and Robinett; Savage and Donahue.

KENNEWICK, Sept. 14 — Salem's Senators clinched fourth place in the Western International League Sunday with an 8-7 victory over the Tri-City Braves in a wild game that ended the season for both clubs.
The Senators scored all their runs off three Tri-City pitchers, driving starter George New and reliefer Bill Kostenbader to cover during the barrage. Dave Brittain finished up.
The big frame saw Salem capitalize on five hits, two errors and two walks. Three of the blows were for extra bases. Art Thrasher drove home two runs with a double and Jim Deyo shoved across one with his two-bagger. Bob Nelson's triple brought in Deyo.
Tri-City came within one run of catching up in the seventh when Des Charouhas rapped out his second homer of the season with a mate aboard.
Ray McNulty went all the way for the Senators. New was the loser.
Salem ...... 000 800 000—8 9 0
Tri-City .... 001 004 200—7 14 2
McNulty and Nelson; New, Kostenbader (4), Brittain (4) and Pesut.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED.

Wednesday 27 February 2008

Saturday, September 13, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 94 55 .631 —
Spokane ...... 91 64 .587 6
Vancouver .... 72 69 .511 18
Salem ........ 73 78 .483 22
Yakima ....... 71 79 .472 23½
Lewiston ..... 71 82 .464 25
Tri-City ..... 67 78 .462 25
Wenatchee .... 58 92 .387 36½


VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 14]—Victoria baseball fans gave the pennant-winning Tyees a fine send-off last night. A crowd of more than 2,200 turned out at Royal Athletic Park for “Player Appreciation Night” as the Tyees shared gifts from the club, fans, business firms and the Booster Club. Unfortunately, the Tyees failed to leave the right kind of memory.
Minus regulars Cec Garriott, Granny Gladstone and Jim Clark, the W.I.L. champions looked anything but as they blew a 4-0 decision to the Spokane Indians. They could only manage three hits off three Spokane pitchers, each working three innings, and they were charged with seven errors, their worst defensive display of the season. Missing was the dash and hustle which carried them to the top and kept them there.
It was different in the afternoon, when about 1,000 paying customers saw the Tyees take a 3-2 decision in a 10-inning game playing in an hour and 27 minutes to assure themselves of a series split and a 13-9 margin over the second-place Indians for the season.
The split left the Tyees six games ahead of Spokane, six places and 30 games ahead of the dismal showing of 1951 Athletics.
A comparison of 192 and 1951 standings shows that Spokane, Vancouver and Salem retained their first-division status. The Tyees replaced the Wenatchee Chiefs, who slumped from fourth to last, in the top four.
With players of both clubs invariably going for the first good pitch, the afternoon game moved along at the fastest pace of the season as Carl Gunnarson and Dick Bishop hooked up in an interesting mound battle.
BIG PUZZLE
The Tyees twice took one-run leads but the Indians tied it in their next turn both times. Bishop finally lost it because regular third-baseman Sam Kanelos was given a rest and his replacement, Pat Simmons, found the hot corner a bit of a puzzle.
Simmons, who had previously made two errors, played Lu Branham’s high hopper into a hit to put the first Tyee on the bags in the 10th. Bob Moniz sacrificed and Branham raced all the way to third when Simmons left the bag uncovered. Don Pries broke it up by blooping a single over a drawn-in infield.
Jehosie Heard went after his 21st win under the lights and wound up with his 12th setback.
The Indians won it in the first inning, when singles by Sam Kanelos and Bill Sheets around a walk to George Huffman plated their only earned run. An outfield error gave them a second run in the same inning and they added two more in the sixth, when three errors followed a lead-off single. Heard contributed the first, and crucial, boot.
John Marshall pitched the first three for Spokane and had almost a gay time before manager Don Osborn sent him packing, evidently not at all pleased with the clowning. Jack Spring and Gordon Palm divided the other six innings. The victory went to Spring because of the rule which states that the starting pitcher must work five innings to be credited with a win.
First Game
Spokane .... 001 001 000 0—2 8 2
Victoria ..... 010 010 000 1—3 11 1
Bishop and Sheets; Gunnarson and R. Bottler.
Second Game
Spokane .... 200 002 000—4 5 2
Victoria ..... 000 000 000—0 3 7
Marshall, Spring (4), Palm (7) and Sheets, Hinz; Heard, B. Bottler (9) and R. Bottler.

VANCOUVER [Dick Beddoes, Sun, Sept. 15]—Vancouver Caps Saturday finished the Western International League season largely as they began it—on a losing note.
They were beaten 9-6 by Wenatchee Chiefs when the schedule opened last April, and were dumped 4-1 and 10-0 by Lewiston Broncs in Saturday’s finale.
Between April and September they won oftener than they lost—72 to 69—but that record was a shabby one for a team which Cap officials touted as “the best in Vancouver history” in the spring. Caps again led the WIL in attendance, if it’s any consolation (and it is). When final figures are in, general manager Bob Brown expects the total to nudge 125,000. It might have been as high as 150,000, he claims, if 10 rained-out games had been played.
Ritchey Makes Strong Bid
Saturday’s skirmishing meant little to anyone, except Johnny Ritchey, who was bidding for his second straight WIL batting title.
His bid was a strong one on [unreadable]unting to three-for-six of the doubleheader. Final averages won’t be available for a week, but Ritchey’s bulge, if any, over Wenatchee’s Walt Pocekay, will be slight.
It meant something, too, to Lewiston manager Bill Brenner. He pitched the last seven innings of the night game, gaining credit for his 21st win. No other righthander in the league won that many games.
FROM OUR TOWER—Veteran Ray Tran drew his outright release before the Caps closed shop last Saturday … Ed Locke and Jesse Williams plan to play winter ball in Santo Domingo.
[NOTE.. There was no “all position” stunt in either of the last two games. Duretto played left field in both and Brenner didn’t appear in the first game.]
First Game
Lewiston ...... 100 030 000—4 9 0
Vancouver ... 100 000 000—1 6 1
De George and Lundberg; Locke, Lovrich (2) and Leavitt.
Second Game
Lewiston ...... 016 200 100—10 17 0
Vancouver ... 000 000 000—0 6 1
Schulte, Brenner (3) and Lundberg; Fletcher, Aubertin (3), Locke (5) and Leavitt.

YAKIMA, Sept. 13—Yakima laced the hapless Wenatchee Chiefs 6-1 in a Western International League base ball game Saturday night, piling up the wide margin despite getting only one more hit than the Chiefs.
Wenatchee got its lone run in the first inning when Ross McCormack singled and Walt Pocekay, the league's leading hitter, tripled.
Pocekay got a triple and a double in three at bats.
Wenatchee .... 100 000 000—1 7 1
Yakima .......... 121 000 11x—6 8 1
Stites, Dasso (5) and Robinet; Shandor and Donahue.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 14]—The Tri-City Braves split a doubleheader with Salem Saturday night. They won the first game 6-3 and lost the second, 6-2.
The second game loss dropped the Braves to seventh place after they had enjoyed an overnight stand in sixth. The Braves had moved to sixth place Friday night by defeating Salem in the series opener.
The loss also ended any chance of tying for fourth place position. Lewiston pumped ahead of Tri-City by one-half same when they defeated Vancouver twice Saturday night.
If the Braves win today they can take sixth by two percentage points.
First Game
A triple by John Kovenz and a homer by Des Charouhas in the fifth inning gave the Braves the victory in the first game against Salem Saturday night.
Salem was leading 3-1 when the Braves came up to bat. Glen Lewis then drew a base on balls. Vic Buccola got his second hit of the evening to send Lewis to second. Satalich's sacrifice advanced the runners.
Lewis scored when Don Lopes grounded out. Ray Hamrick was hit by a pitched ball to again put two men on. Then Kovenz hit boomed a triple out to left-centre field to score both runners.
The clincher runs came when Charouhas hit his homer scoring Kovenz. Although Charouhas leads the league in triples wilh 15, it was his first home run ol the season.
Salem had started the scoring in the second inning with Jim Deyo doubling and Ray MeNulty also getting a double to score him.
In the third they added one when Hugh Luby walked, was sent to third on Connie Perez' single and scored when Art Thrasher hit into a double play.
Their other run came in the fifth. Luby doubled and came home when Perez tripled.
It was the ninth win for pitcher Ad Satalich.
Second Game
In the second game Salem jumped into an early lead and never was headed as they coasted to a 6-2 victory behind the five-hit pitching of Bud Francis.
The lead was threatened once and then a Brooklyn-like play pulled him out of the hole.
Salem had a 2-0 lead going into the last of the fourth when Don Lopes singled for the Braves' first hit. Ray Hamrick then tripled down the right field line scoring Lopes. Kovenz was out and Charouhas walked.
Marier attempted a squeeze bunt but Hamrick did not break for home. Marier was thrown out at first and on the return throw Hamrick was trapped. He eventually beat the ball back to third only to find Charouhas there ahead of him. Hamrick was ruled safe but Charouhas was tagged for the final out.
Salem moved up 3-1 in the fifth, had the margin cut to 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth and then salted the game away with two runs in the seventh and one in the ninth.
Bob Greenwood went the route for the Braves and gave up 11 hits walked six and struck out four. It was his 10th loss, to go with 16 victories.
First Game
Salem ...... 011 010 0 3 8 0
Tri-City .... 001 050 x 6 6 0
Collins, Edmunds (5) and Nelson; Satalich and Lewis.
Second Game
Salem ...... 001 110 201 6 11 1
Tri-City .... 000 101 000 2 5 1
Francis and Nelson; Greenwood and Pesut.

Walt Pocekay, Wenatchee, with a .352 average, again is the leading batter in the Western International League, according to statistics compiled by Howe News Bureau.
Pocekay also continues to lead in hits with 193, in total bases with 268 and in doubles with 44.
Other departmental leaders also held their positions. They are: Milt Smith, Lewiston, 123 runs; Des Charouhas, Tri-City, 14 triples; Cecil Garriott, Victoria, 17 home runs; Grannie Gladstone, also of Victoria, 120 runs batted in, and Ed Murphy, Spokane, 45 stolen bases.
Ben Lorino, Victoria, the league's leading pitcher, received credit for two more victories during the week to give him a record of 24 wins and only six losses.
TEAM BATTING
  G  AB   R   OR   H   TB   2b 3b HR  SH  SB  BB  SO  Pct.
Victoria
143 4833 803 699 1347 1821 256 31 52  92 131 754 635 .279
Lewiston
147 4952 802 822 1367 1900 232 38 75  81  92 713 636 .276
Spokane
149 4877 752 625 1328 1688 184 49 26 127 136 646 722 .272
Vancouver
137 4571 700 604 1244 1621 178 62 25  96  95 668 487 .272
Yakima
145 4828 752 774 1281 1734 213 57 42 112 118 748 740 .265
Salem
146 4781 620 626 1230 1624 206 58 24  75  96 632 669 .257
Tri-City
141 4684 655 715 1166 1523 173 44 32 105 123 755 778 .249
Wenatchee
145 4778 622 841 1178 1489 187 35 18  71  65 598 647 .247


TEAM FIELDING
               W  L T  DP TP PB  PO    A   E  Pct.
Salem ....... 70 75 0 161  0 17 374? 1721 168 .970
Vancouver ... 70 66 1 147  0 15 3543 1560 189 .964
Tri-City .... 62 77 2 112  1 19 3659 1398 201 .962
Victoria .... 90 52 1 126  0 18 3748 1504 213 .961
Yakima ...... 69 76 0 145  0 23 3755 1624 227 .960
Spokane ..... 88 61 0 158  0 11 3824 1658 233 .959
Lewiston .... 68 79 0 117  0 40 3748 1579 255 .954
Wenatchee ... 57 88 0 105  0 19 3697 1451 252 .953


Club Sale Pledges Grow
More Than $10,000 Pledged

[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 14, 1952]
The Buy-the-Braves Movement leaped ahead during the last of the week and sponsors of the drive said, about $10,000 is known to be pledged.
The figure does not include all the amounts pledged since no effort has been made so far to call the sheets in.
The move is sponsored by the Tri-City Athletic Association. They hope to get enough money pledged to show the directors of the Western International League that the people of the area will buy the baseball club. The Association directors will meet with the League at Seattle, September 26.
No definite figure has been set but it is believed that about $60,000 will be needed to buy the club and provide necessary operating capital.
If the drive nets that amount it will be possible to not only buy stock held by the present owners but will also pay for obligations that must be assumed if the
minimum cash amount is obtained.
Connoll, the smallest of the four cities seeking pledges to buy the club, is way out in front on a per capita basis.
Harold Matheson, president of the Athletic Association, said Steve Johnson of Connell has received pledges totaling $4,000, But since Matheson talked to Johnson, it has been reported that the amount collected there is considerably higher.
In Kennewick, no move has been made to collect the pledge sheets but reports put the amount there at well over $2,000.
Richland, which kicked off with an initial $1,700 has added another $2,800 bringing their total up to $4,500.
In Pasco, the first pledge sheet turned in contained more than $1,000. Amounts varied from the minimum price per share of $50 up to $500.
[list of names not re-posted]

Tyees Hurry to Get Home; All Would Like To Return
[Victoria Colonist, Sept. 14, 1952]
It’s been a long W.I.L. season and Victoria’s championship Tyees are wasting no time in getting started for home, although they agreed to a man they enjoyed playing here and would not mind another season if they don’t get a chance to move up the baseball ladder.
By Tuesday only Don Pries, who left last night with Bill Prior on an up-Island trip in search of some big salmon, will be left on Vancouver Island. A few of the more-leisurely type will stay as long as ’48 hours after the season.
On their way to join the Portland Beavers for the last week of the Coast League season are southpaws Jehosie Heard and Ben Lorino and outfielder Bob Moniz. Teammate Granny Gladstone preceded them last week but it is doubtful if they will see too much action. The Beavers are in a tough struggle for fourth place and may only rely on their regulars.
OFF TO CARACAS
Heard will leave immediately for Caracas after the Coast League season ends to pitch winter ball in the Venezuelan League. He may be joined later by Lorino and Lu Branham, both contemplating the trip. Lorino, however, will head for his North Hollywood home as soon as possible and may yet be on the spot when he becomes a father for the first time. Branham goes straight to his Los Angeles home, leaving Tuesday with Bill Wisneski and Chuck Abernathy. The little colored speedster is also considering a job and winter baseball in the Los Angeles area.
Abernathy has nothing definite planned for the off-season. “I’m just going to play the horses,” he said when asked. Wisneski, who resides in Bel, Cal., has nothing definite planned but hopes to get a winter job helping in playground activities.
BACK TO SCHOOL
It’s back to school for Ron and Bill Bottler, Dwane Helbig and LeRoy Han, all planning to major in physical education. Helbig will spend some time at his Portland home before going back to Oregon State College. Bill Bottler will continue his studies at Portland Univesity so he can stay at home but brother Ron with return to the University of Oregon. Han, who finished his senior high school season just before reporting to Victoria, will enroll at Clark Junior College in his home town of Vancouver, Wash.
Milt Martin leaves today for his home in Vancouver, Wash. He places to take a week or more off to “catch some of those big salmon in the Columbia River” before going to work for an oil company.
Pries will leave for his Alameda home later this week. He may again play winter baseball and is undecided whether to work for a beverage company or take employed at Golden Gate race track.
CAR SALESMAN
Manager Cec Garriott leaves by plane with his family for his home in Gardena. He plans to got back to work as a car salesman for the winter, will probably be back next season if Victoria still has a club and if he doesn’t get a chance to move up the managerial pole. The latter, off his fine work this season, must be said to be a definite possibility.
Moniz will probably play winter baseball in Oakland, is undecided about winter employment.
John Treece leaves today for Salinas, where he will work until Christmas. The Treece family will then take up residency in Seattle, where Treece will be employed as a pattern-maker for an automobile company.
HELPS VANCOUVER
Carl Gunnarson and Bill Prior won’t be far away. Prior will soon be back as a pressman at the Queen’s Printers, while Gunnarson will be a frequent Victoria visitors this winter. The veteran has been appointed trainer for the Vancouver Canucks and will be applying the liniment instead of receiving it. He doesn’t know about next season. “This is a young man’s game,” he said last night but one would need healthy odds to bet that he won’t be wheeling that baseball up to the plate next season.
Business manager Reg Patterson will probably spend the winter figuring out how to pay the club’s bills.

It Beats Me
By Jim Tang

[Victoria Colonist, Sept. 14, 1952]
You can’t judge a team, particularly a team like the Victoria Tyees, by the players it takes to its spring training camp.
The Tyees started training at Salinas in late March. On April 2, they had 25 players in camp. Only eight were left when it clinched its first pennant last Monday. What happened to the others? Let’s start at the beginning and review the building of a championship team.
On April 2 the Victoria players included the following: Catchers Milt Martin, Joe Yanchuk and Maisoe Bryant; pitchers Ignacio Villareull, George Randolph, Don Troy, Ben Lorino, Jim Propst, John Valerie, Bill Wisneski and Larry King; infielders Don Pries, Lu Branham, Cliff Prelow, Dick Bartle and Bill Barron; outfielders Cec Garriott, Bob Moniz, Rufus Johnson, Harvey Allen, Ernie Sites, George Dargel and Granny Gladstone and unknown quantities Walter Towns and John Healy, willing to try any position.
Villareull, Troy, Bryant, Prelow, Johnson, Barron, Dargel, Healy, Yanchuk and King didn’t get out of Salinas with the Tyees. Bartle was told to Salem where he was a good season; Randolph, Allen, Sites and Valerie were released after the season opened and Jim Propst went home with a sore arm after being sold to Salt Lake City conditionally and returned.
Martin, Pries, Lorino, Moniz, Gladstone, Branham, Wisneski, Towns and Garriott stayed with the club, although Wisneski saw his last action on July 18, and Towns, who left last month to join the armed forces, never broke into a box score after July 8.
Picked from 43
Since April 2, the Tyees have had 18 other players and the present roster was selected from a total of 43 players.
The club began to take shape gradually. First-baseman Chuck Abernathy and catcher John Wilburn were obtained from Vancouver in exchange for pitcher Jim Hedgecock, who never reported. Wilburn didn’t stick around long but Abernathy, although bothered with injuries throughout the season, made a valuable contribution.
At about the same time, the club made the deal which probably helped the most of all. It came to terms with shortstop Jim Clark and received special permission from the National Association to sign him. Permission was needed because Clark was given his release at the end of the 1951 season and never went through the baseball draft.
Just before the club broke camp, it signed John Treece, a Salinas resident, to round out the infield. Portland Beavers sent along southpaw Jehosie Heard and catcher Lilio Marcucci in time for the opener, Cal McIrvin in time to pitch his first game on May 3.
Southpaw Eric Gard was signed on and chipped in with four straight route-going pitching jobs before he slumped and was released. Outfielders Bernie Anderson and Dane Pettit got a chance and were released. The same thing happened to pitchers Joe Rajeski and Len Chenard.
When Portland recalled McIrvin, the Tyees moved to plug the gap by signing righthander Bill Prior and purchasing Carl Gunnarson, veteran lefty, from Vancouver Capilanos. Marcucci was released in mid-season and replaced by Ron Bottler, 18-year-old college rookie. Along with him came brother Bill, a righthander, Dwane Helbig and, a little later, LeRoy Han, another youngster, fresh out of high school.
With the club today are: Martin, Ron Bottler, Abernathy, Branham, Clark, Pries, Treece, Garriott, Moniz, Helbig, Lorino, Heard, Gunnarson, Prior, Bill Bottler and Wisneski. Gladstone left to support Portland early last week.
One Never Knows
That’s quite a change from April 2 but just as hard to judge in training camp as the final make-up of a team is what to expect from that make-up. There are bound to be surprises—pleasant and disappointing.
Who could tell that Jim Propst, expected to be the mound leader and sought by almost every club in the W.I.L., and several other leagues, would win two games? Or that Lilio Marcucci would turn out to be a rather disinterested player, only a shadow of the catcher who started so well the previous season?
On other other hand, no one looking at past record could figure that Ben Lorino would lead the league in pitching 25 wins. Or that Bob Moniz would consistently hit around .333 and wind up at .330. There was no pre-season line on Heard, who won 20.
Looking back is always interesting and I couldn’t resist the urge to see what I had written about the club last April. This was the year I had determined to be more subdued—the lessons of three previous training-camp trips still fresh—but it didn’t quite last. The say the season opened my enthusiasm got a bit out of control: “Don’t sell the Tyees short,” I wrote. “The outfit assembled by manager Cec Garriott at Salinas definitely has possibilities. The addition of two or three of the right kind of players in the right spots could put it up among the leaders or, maybe, at the top.”
Yep, it sounds good now. But it wouldn’t sound too bad if we had finished with Lewiston, either. I guess I’m learning.

Friday, September 12, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 93 54 .633 —
Spokane ...... 90 63 .588 6
Vancouver .... 72 67 .518 17
Salem ........ 72 77 .483 22
Yakima ....... 70 79 .470 24
Tri-City ..... 66 77 .462 25
Lewiston ..... 69 82 .457 26
Wenatchee .... 58 91 .389 36


VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 13]—It was “Pennant Raising Night” at Royal Athletic Park last night and even the weatherman cooperated to make it a complete success. The only item which marred the evening was the absence of W.I.L. president Bob Abel, unexpectedly called to Tri-City at the last moment—presumably on more pressing league matters.
A crowd of more than 1300 paid turned out for the ceremony, the first of its kind in W.I.L. history here. They applauded heartily as club-president Arthur Cox and manager Cec Garriott raised the huge 20-foot pennant, made especially for the night by a Victoria firm, to the top of the centre-field flagpole.
And the weatherman provided a breeze of just the right strength to keep it proudly waving throughout the game.
HAN IN FORM
The game was a success, too. Fittingly enough, 18-year-old LeRoy Han, who pitched the pennant clincher Monday night, stopped the Spokane Indians cold with three hits to register his fourth win in five decisions, 4-2. It squared the season-ending series at 1-1 and assured the Tyees of a seasonal edge over their nearest rivals.
Han was in top form although a bit wild. The big youngster had a live fast ball and made up for 10 bases on balls by setting 11 Indians down on strikes.
He was in trouble in five of the first six innings but went into the seventh with a two-hit shutout because he was unbeatable in the clutch. He lost the shutout when a blooping single to left field followed two bases on bases and an infield out which moved the runners up. But he should have been out of the inning unscored on, the Tyees messing up what should have been an inning-ending double play just before Pat Simmons hit his run-scoring single.
GREAT IN CLUTCH
Han stuck out Bill Sheets with two out and two runners on in the first inning. He whiffed Frank Chase with runners on second and third and one out in the second and escaped unscathed when Bill Prior, who started the game in centre-field, came up with a great catch of Ed Murphy’s long drive. Han left two runners stranded in the fourth and the bases loaded in the fifth. Ed Bouchee led off the sixth with Spokane’s second hit, a triple, but remained on third base as Han took Wilbur Johnson on a high hopper to the pitcher’s mound and struck out Chase and Murphy.
He retired the last seven men in order after Spokane scored.
The Tyees scored twice in the second on a walk to Chuck Abernathy, singled by Dwane Helbig and Bill Prior, and an error by Bouchee. Their winning run in the third came on a single by Abernathy, a double by Helbig and an infield out and their eighth-inning insurance tally was the result of Prior’s second hit and Milt Martin’s double.
DIAMOND DUST—With Granny Gladstone in Portland and Cec Garriott, Jim Clark and Ron Bottler all sidelined with injuries or illness, the Tyees started with Bill Prior in centre-field. When Don Pries, who opened at shortstop was tossed out for protesting a call at third base by plate umpire John Luksik, Prior took over at third, John Treece moved to shortstop and pitcher Ben Lorino moved to centre-field … Victorian Gordie Perkins handled the base-umpiring chores last night in the absence of Micky Hanick, who as been bothered for two week with a pulled muscle. It was Luksik’s 16th consecutive game behind the plate … Lorino, who has an arm classed as “slightly” sore, is getting a good rest so that he will be at his best for his chance with the Portland Beavers next week … Bob Brown, head man of the Vancouver Capilanos, sent a congratulatory telegram for the big occasion … Jim Clark had a try at broadcasting last night, giving part of the play-by-play account for Bill Stephenson … In addition to Prior, Treece and Mel Wasley came up with fine defensive plays … Don Hopp, the new righthander signed by the Beavers, won’t likely see action this season, being optioned down too late to become eligible.
Spokane .... 000 000 200—2 3 1
Victoria ..... 021 000 01x—4 8 0
Chase, Roberts (8) and Sheets; Han and Martin.

VANCOUVER [Sun, Sept. 13]—Right-hand John (Bud) Guldborg gained a reputation with Vancouver baseball fans this season as a better cusser than he was a pitcher. Friday night, he did a bit of both in hobbling Lewiston Broncs for his 15th win [6-3].
Cap Stadium fans discovered months ago that Guldborg blew his roof in fancy style when the opposition made menacing gestures. Like in the third inning last night when the Broncs scored one run off four hits and one error, committed appropriately enough, by Guldborg.
He muttered several choice adjectives then. Choice enough and loud enough to burn the ears off spectators seated as far away as the left field bleachers.
But he got out of the jam and came on to win when his mates rallied for five runs in the fifth. Guldborg struck out six and walked four, hit safely twice and delivered a neat sacrifice bunt.
It was only his third win before the home fans, who have also seen him lose 10 times. He apparently cussed less and pitched more on the road, where he won 12 games.
Johnny Ritchey, Caps’ most valuable player, and Bob Duretto, their most popular, responded graciously to honors conferred upon them.
Ritchey hit three-for-four to keep alive his chances of overtaking Wenatchee’s Walt Pocekay for his second straight WIL batting title.
- - -
VANCOUVER [News-Herald, Sept. 13]—Bud Guldborg paid his third visit to the winner’s circle in Capilano Stadium Friday with an 11-hit, 6-3 victory over Lewiston. If it doesn’t sound like a brilliant pitching effort, it’s likely because it wasn’t.
Guldborg has put together quite an amazing season. His record, after last night’s loss, is 15 wins and 12 losses. Of the 15 victories, only three have been pitched at home, 12 on the road. Of his losses, every one but one has been handed to him at home!
It should be the other way around, naturally, because Bud pitches half his baseballs in his own beautiful back yard. It just happened that he got the idea early in the season he couldn’t win here, and then went out and proved it.
LEWISTON LED
For awhile, it looked as if he was going to get beaten again last night as Lewiston led 2-0 going into the fifth. Then the Caps erupted, when three bunts fell in safely for basehits, for five runs and the ball game. Eleven men went to the plate in the unorthodox inning and starter Jim Clancy had to have help to get out of the park alive.
Apart from Guldborg, most everyone was concerned with John Ritchey. The catcher, who is in a deaths struggle with Walt Pocekay of Wenatchee for the batting title, was honored as the Caps’ most valuable player last night. Then he showed us why.
TWO MORE LEFT
John had a three-for-four evening which didn’t hurt his chances for the title at all. He had today’s two games (2:30 in the afternoon, 8:15 at night) left and hasn’t much ground to make up to win it all.
Bob Duretto was named the Caps’ most popular player. He received an honorarium, too. And he played a whale of a ball game in right field, making a second-inning grab of Charlie Mead’s foul liner which stood the fans on their ears.
DIAMOND DUST—The 1952 baseball season winds up with two games, 2:30 and 8:15 under the lights … Appropriately enough, Bill Brenner will pitch for Lewiston and he’ll probably be looking for his 21st win at night … Edo Vanni has picked on Ed Locke and Van Fletcher to pitch the two games … If Fletcher’s hand isn’t right, it will be Tom Lovrich at night … John Cox of Penticton, B.C., was the lucky fan who won a wrist watch in a home-plate drawing made by Bob Duretto last night.
Lewiston ....... 011 000 010—3 11 2
Vancouver .... 000 051 00x—6 9 1
Clancy, Nicholas (5) and Lundberg; Guldborg and Ritchey.

YAKIMA, Sept. 12 — Bunched hitting and timely walks gave the Yakima Bears a 4-3 Western International League baseball victory over the heavier hitting Wenatchee Chief Friday night.
Wenatchee ... 100 010 100—3 10 0
Yakima ......... 200 200 00x—4 8 0
Kapp and Robinett; Savage and Donahue.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 14]—Nick Pesut's home run with two men on gave the Braves a 7-6 victory over Salem Friday night.
It was Pesut's second homer of the season. His first one was a bases-loaded smash.
For Salem, Connie Perez paced their hitting with a homer and a double.
Salem was leading 4-2 going in to the bottom of the fifth. Then singles by Dave Brittain, Des Charouhas, Vic Buccola and a double by Tommy Marier pushed two runs across.
It was then that Pesut homered.
Ralph Romero, pitching for the Braves, boosted his win record to 17.
Salem ....... 001 122 000—6 10 1
Tri-City ..... 011 050 00x—7 11 3
DiBiasi and Nelson; Romero and Pesut.

FOLLOW THE SUN
With Erwin Swangard
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 13, 1952]
The curtain rings down quietly, and I suspect rather mercifully, on Operation Capilano today.
Even the most charitable critics will have to declare it a failure when measured in the terms of effort and talent expended on it.
Our Caps of the Western International Baseball League play their last two games of the season today and I for one hope ye baseball fans turn out en masse to say goodbye.
My reason for this appeal is twofold:
1. There should be considerable soul-searching in the Cap front office this winter and the result will probably be that some of the current faces will not be with us next season.
2. In their own frustrated way the Caps gave us some pretty good entertainment even if they did fail to be the type of ball club which could capture and hold it’s [sic] fans.
Better or Worse?
Frustration is the most appropriate noun I can think of to describe the atmosphere which must pervade the inerts of the Little Mountain baseball palace today.
The ultra-loyal fan, God bless him, will argue with me: “What’s the matter with the Caps? They finished in third place, didn’t they? Not every club of eighth can finish in first place.”
I hate to say this, but Caps in my opinion didn’t finish third because they were much better than the other five clubs but rather the other five clubs were much worse.
The 1952 Capilanos will be remembered as the club which could have been tops, but failed miserably to rally the spirit of which championship teams are made.
On Paper Tops
On paper they were supreme, on the diamond they were barely above average.
Being logic let’s us ask why?
First of all we must deal with tangible reasons. Caps had a real bad start. They were plagued by an early epidemic of injuries probably due to the fact that spring training was a farce because the weather wouldn’t co-operate.
Management felt Bill Schuster, who last year chased the power-laden Spokane Indians down to the wire, was unable to instil the heart and mishandled the players badly.
You may remember the blue Monday Schuster received his walking papers.
He did, ostensibly because he said publicly that the Caps would be lucky to finish third. That, of course, was not the primary reason. Everybody and his dog knew—that management was dissatisfied with his strategy and tactics.
Who Was Right?
Maybe it sounded good at the time.
Does it sound so good right now?
When he was abdicated Caps trailed Victoria by a mere eight games. They were in second place and still in contention.
Now they are in third place, 17 games behind the pennant winners who emergency triumphant because they found the spirit among a group of average players the Caps lacked among a group of alleged stars.
Edo Vanni who succeeded Schuster can hardly be blamed.
Management will say the damage was done before Vanni took over.
I would say our Caps didn’t have it this year and thus pass the ball back to where it belongs:
THE FRONT OFFICE

Thursday, September 11, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 92 54 .630 —
Spokane ...... 90 62 .592 5
Vancouver .... 71 67 .514 17
Salem ........ 72 76 .486 21
Yakima ....... 69 79 .466 24
Lewiston ..... 69 81 .460 25
Tri-City ..... 65 77 .458 25
Wenatchee .... 58 90 .392 35


VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 12]—History will be made at Royal Athletic Park tonight and Victoria baseball fans who had to wait seven long years for the moment, shouldn’t pass up a chance to sit in on it. In years to come it might well be a good bedtime story to tell the grandchildren about the raising of the first W.I.L. pennant in Victoria.
Yes, it’s “pennant-raising night” tonight as the Tyees break with tradition and hoist the banner of success only four nights after it was officially theirs.
Such affairs are usually left for the following season and club officials hasten to explain that the hurry is not actually occasioned by any doubts that there will be a following season. With nothing left but to finish out the schedule, there is the understandable urge to give the fans an added attraction.
The ceremony will take place before the game with league president Bob Abel making a special trip from Tacoma to officiate.
It was “radio appreciation night” last night and the prize-giving helped attract a crowd of 1,000 fans. But the weatherman was not among the appreciative and cut baseball action short after five innings.
CONANT AT BEST
It was probably just as well. Spokane’s John Conant was at his best and he was receiving plenty of batting support from his teammates. He was leading, 9-0, when the game was called and from the way things were going, a full nine innings would only have made it worse.
Conant, who invariably hits his peak form near the end of the season, has seldom been better. Only a slashing single to right field by John Treece to lead off the fifth prevented hi from registering the second no-hit game at Athletic Park in two nights, although base-umpire Micky Hanick gave him a big assist in the second. Chuck Abernathy hit a bouncer to shortstop Wilbur Johnson and appeared to have the throw beaten by almost a step but he was called out.
CONTROL TROUBLE
Meanwhile, the Indians had no trouble with Bill Bottler, who again had control trouble. The young righthander walked nine men before Bill Prior was called in to help him out in the fifth. The Indians didn’t waste any of their eight hits at they took full advantage of the generosity to pile up a big lead, batting around in both the second and fifth innings.
The loss moved Spokane within five games of the leaders but only three games are left. Tonight’s game will be followed by the usual split doubleheader tomorrow and that’s it. The season’s final game will be “Player Appreciation Night” with gifts for the fellows who brought Victoria this flag and a chance for a fan to win a $550 oil burner—installed—to be given away by the Booster Club.
Spokane .... 031 14—9 8 0
Victoria ..... 000 00—0 1 2
Conant and Sheets, B. Bottler, Prior (5) and R. Bottler.

KENNEWICK, [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 12] — The Tri-City Braves made it three in a row Thursday night by defeating the Yakima Bears, 6-4.
George New did the pitching for Tri-City, whose control gives manager Charlie Gassaway ulcers. He walked seven Bear batters. He gave up eight hits—one of them John Albini's homer in the fourth with a man on.
Tonight the Braves will open a series with Salem. A feature of the game will be the appearance of Jackie Price, top baseball clown. The series will end Sunday with the season-ending game then being played starting at 2 p.m.
The win Thursday night puts the Braves one half game out of fourth place and one game out of fifth. If they can possibly win all four from Salem, they can possibly tie for fourth place.
The Braves jumped off to an early lead. Des Charouhas walked in the second and Tommy Marier singled to send Charouhas to third. Joe Scalise hit into a double play but Charouhas scored.
The big inning was the third. Vic Buccola was walked. Don Lopes' triple to left-center scored him and Lopes scored when Dave Brittain doubled. An error, a single by Charouhas, and a double by Marier brought in two more runs.
The Bears picked up three runs in the fourth. Chuck Malmberg walked and went to third when Jerry Zuvella [sic] doubled.
Len Noran [sic] grounded out but Malmberg scored. It was then that Albini homered down the left-field foul line.
The Braves ended their scoring with one insurance run in the eighth. Charouhas walked and was sacrificed to second. Joe Scalise' hit to score him.
Yakima picked up one run in the ninth with Dario Lodigiani pinch-hiting for Tom Del Sarto, getting a walk. A triple by Zuvella brought him home.
Dave Brittain, a pitcher, paced the Braves hitting with a double and a triple in four times up. Brittain was playing left field in a shift that saw Charouhas at second, and Lopes at shortstop.
Ray Hamrick, regular shortstop, was out of the lineup because of spike injuries in his left forearm.
Yakima's score in the fourth broke a 21-inning streak in which the Bears were unable to score off the Braves.
The attendance Thursday night was 290.
Yakima ......... 000 300 001—4 8 1
Tri-City ........ 014 000 01x—6 1 1
Del Sarto, Donley (3) and Donahue; New and Lewis.

SALEM, Sept. 11 — The Salem Senators wound up their home Western International League season here Thursday night, losing 5-4 to Wenatchee.
The season’s attendance at Salem was 95,645.
Wenatchee ..... 100 200 200—5 11 0
Salem ............ 004 000 000—4 11 3
Dahle and Robinett; Edmunds and Thrasher.

Lewiston at Vancouver, postponed, rain.

SPORTS NOTES
By Gil Gilmore

[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 12, 1952]
The next week should tell the tale.
The Tri-City area must decide now whether it wants to keep a Class A baseball club. The decision will depend upon the outcome of the current drive to Buy-the-Braves.
There is no longer two ways about it. Dick Richards, present manager and majority stockholder, can't move from here without first getting the league directors' permission. But Richards can easily get permission to move the franchise if the area shows no inclination to buy the club.
Sept. 26 will be the deadline. The time to act is now. The Athletic Association, which is pushing the drive, realizes it has a tough row to hoe. They expect large investors will be few. They see little possibility of finding a financial angel. Therefore, they are turning to the people of the area to get the job done.
It's going to take hundreds of $50 one-share sales to put the drive across. Baseball fans from every economic class must invest if the club is to stay here.
In some respects, it is better that way. It will mean a greater group will own a share of the club and the community, it will also show that Richards is wrong—that the Tri-Cities want good baseball.
INVESTMENT
The men behind the drive point out this is no charity movement. It is an investment. Like any investment it carries a risk but it also promises a return on the dollar. The small gate in recent weeks is the cause of many things. But even Richards concedes any ball club could make a go of it here in a few short years.
Buying the Braves is also another kind of an investment—an investment in the Tri-City area. The area is big enough and populated enough to support the club. The Tri-Cities are continuing to grow.
But if the franchise is moved from here now, it will be long, if ever, returning. Like Tacoma, the Tri-Cities will find themselves sitting on the outside hoping for another chance.
Pledge sheets are available. The members of the Athletic Association will be be around. When they come, sign up. We are up now with two away in the last of the ninth.

NON WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Customer's Take Exceeds Solons'

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 11—J. A. Resendez, one-time semi-pro pitcher, finally cashed in on a trip to the mound.
He was selected by lot from the 695 customers at the Sacramento-Oakland, Pacific Coast League doubleheader Thursday night to try to tote "all the money you can carry" from the mound to home plate.
Resendez lugged a sack of coins the required 60 feet, 6 inches. The sack disgorged $446.78 in pennies, nickels, dimes etc. to dollars.
The promotion stunt was a money-loser for the Sacs. The Oaks swept the twin bill and received 40 per cent of the approximate $700 gate.

Wednesday, September 10, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 92 53 .634 —
Spokane ...... 89 62 .589 6
Vancouver .... 71 67 .514 17½
Salem ........ 72 75 .490 21
Yakima ....... 69 78 .469 24
Lewiston ..... 69 81 .460 25½
Tri-City ..... 64 77 .454 26
Wenatchee .... 57 90 .388 36


VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 11]—Jehosie Heard, who failed in two previous attempts to notch his 20th victory of the season finally gained it last night and made it an occasion never to be forgotten.
Unperturbed by a shoddy defense in the opening inning, Heard set down Lewiston Broncs without a hit at Royal Athletic Park to pace Victoria Tyees to an 11-2 triumph and give then a 2-1 series edge.
The victory kept the league champion Tyees six games in front of the Spokane Indians, who edged Vancouver Capilanos, 4-3, at Vancouver last night.
INDIANS HERE
The Indians open a four-game series with the Tyees at Royal Athletic Park tonight to wind up the W.I.L. season. Bill Bottler will get the starting assignment for the Tyees with John Conant his likely mound opponent. It will be Radio Appreciation night with no radio broadcast of the game.
Heard began inauspiciously last night by walking Milt Smith to open the game. Snag Moore then grounded to Jimmy Clark, who threw into the dirt at first, leaving both runners safe.
Jake Helmuth then tried to advance the runners with a sacrifice bunt but Heard could not pick up the ball, enabling Helmuth to take first and fill the bases.
Butch Moran grounded to Clark, who threw to Lu Branham at second to force Helmuth but Smith scored on the play. Branham attempted to complete a double killing at first but his throw was in the dirt, enabling Moore to score also. Moran attempted to go to second and was thrown out by Chuck Abernathy.
BIG MAN AT BAT
Heard also played a part in the Tyees attack. He hit three singles in four trips, was hit on the head with a pitched ball and scored three runs.
It was his first no-hitter and the first of the season in the W.I.L. Heard was unaware of his performance until after the game was over.
Heard struck out six to boost his season’s total to 210 and walked four. The nearest thing to a hit after the first inning was a smash in the seventh to Don Pries, who left the ball go through his legs at shortstop.
Tyees evened the count in the third when they tallied twice on singles by John Treece, Heard, Branham and Bob Moniz.
WINNING ASSAULT
They won it with a six-run outburst in the fourth. Singles by Abernathy, Ron Bottler, Heard and Pries, a hit batsman, and a triple by Treece chased Keith Bowman and brought in Larry Powell. Powell hit Granny Gladstone, walked Abernathy and threw a wild pitch to force in the final two runs before retiring the side.
First baseman Butch Moran took over the hurling duties for the rest of the game and did a creditable job except in the seventh when Tyees scored their final three runs. Heard was hit on the head, Moniz tripled and Gladstone followed with a double.
Lewiston .... 200 000 000— 2 0 1
Victoria ...... 002 260 30x—11 14 4
Bowman, Powell (4), Moran (5) and Lundberg; Heard and R. Bottler.

VANCOUVER [Keith Matthews, News-Herald, Sept. 11]—What is left of local baseball fandom is viewing with alarm what is happening to John Ritchey, who is striking to retain his WIL batting championship and is getting little but the aches for his troubles.
Wednesday, John went ought-for-four in his bid against a guy he usually hits like he owns. That would be John Marshall, a tough hombre for most but a first cousin to Mr. Ritchey these past two seasons.
John sort of evened up on Ritchey last night as he beat the Caps 4-3 through a combination of some heavy stick-work in the early innings and a little peculiar Capilano strategy in the late going.
HE’S SLIPPING
Ritchey struck out once, grounded out weakly and twice lined out. In two night he hasn’t shown a hit in six tries and the race against Walt Pocekay of Wenatchee is not showing the dividends Ritchey intended.
John says he’s tired, and it might be so. He has caught a lot of baseball and swung a lot of
35-ounce sticks. However, so has Bill Sheets, who last night caught his 145th game of the year and who will set a record in this department before he is through for the season.
Bob Snyder didn’t have too much as he tried to beat a club he rarely has any trouble with, and instead of coming up with his 15th win, Robert had to take his 13th loss on the chin. George Huffman and Mel Wasley each drove in a pair of runs to provide Marshall’s winning streak but Snyder might have gotten off the hook had it not been for the Caps’ peculiar eighth-inning rally, which fizzled.
ODD STRATEGY
With two out and Gordie Brunswick on first, Bob Duretto crashed a liner against the right field wall for a double. Brunswick scored the third Vancouver run but Duretto, representing the tying run, got the “come on” sign from third base coach Tom Lovrich and got himself thrown out from here to there trying to make it. After that Vancouver never had another scoring opportunity. It might have been that they didn’t deserve one, for they tossed away a pretty good try.
DIAMOND DUST—Instead of Popular Player Night coming this evening, it will be held Friday night and along with it, the Caps most valuable player will be named and honored … Lewiston and Bill Brenner will be in town this evening and for the rest of the week … It appears fairly certain that on Saturday night, Bob Duretto and Brenner will play every position on the diamond in a special sort of stunt which is almost unheard of in baseball … Both players will start the game by pitching … Brenner hasn’t been asked yet, but he’s never turned down a good gag yet … Bud Guldborg goes for the Caps tonight against the Broncs in a single game at 8:15.
Spokane ..... 101 020 000—4 11 2
Vancouver ... 000 100 110—3 8 1
Marshall and Sheets; Snyder, Whyte (5) and Ritchey.

SALEM, Sept. 10 — Salem, though held to two hits by Pitcher Bill Stites defeated Wenatchee 1-0 in Wednesday night's Western International League baseball game here.
Stites pitched no-hit ball for seven innings.
Wayne Peterson touched him for the first safety in the seventh and in the eight Bob Nelson's single to centre let in the winning tally.
Wenatchee ... 000 000 000—0 9 1
Salem .......... 000 000 01x—1 2 0
Stites and Robinett; McNulty and Nelson.

KENNEWICK, [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 11] — Another record was set at Sanders Field Wednesday night.
The 170 persons who were there—the lowest number in the history of the field—saw Ad Satalich pitch the Braves to a six-hit shut-out out over the Yakima Bears. Meanwhile, Tri-City picked up four runs off Yakima pitcher Jack Thompson.
Tonight the Braves will open end the series with Yakima. Then Salem will come here for the final series of the season. The final game on Sunday will be played at 2 p.m.
The scoring Wednesday night started in the second inning. Des Charouhas got a single—his first of three hits fro the night. Tommy Marier drew a base on balls and Vic Buccola's sacrifice advanced both runners.
Charouhas scored when Nick Pesut grounded out.
Marier scored in the third. He drew a walk and went to second when Buccola grounded out. Joe Scalise doubled to bring him home.
The fifth inning tallies came when Ray Hamrick was safe on a fielder's choice. He moved to second on a sacrifice and Marier walked. A double by Charouhas scored him. Marier walked and then Vic Buccola's single brought Charouhas home.
Satalich found himself in real trouble only once during the game. In the fourth inning, a double and two walks loaded the bases. Then Mike Donahue popped out. Pitcher Thompson was fanned to end the inning.
Satalich struck out eight, three of them in the eighth inning.
Len Noran, Yakima first baseman, got two for four to lead the Yakima hitting.
Charouhas' three for four paced the Braves' hitting. Don Lopes picked up three for five.
Hamrick, the Tri-City shortstop, was spiked in the forearm in the third inning. The injury happened when Thompson attempted to steal second.
Pesut's peg was good and Hamrick took the ball in a semi-horizontal position to tag Thompson out. However, the pitchers spikes raked Hamrick's forearm when pitcher slid into second.
Hamrick's arm was stiff Wednesday night but he is not expected to be out of the lineup.
Yakima ....... 000 000 000—0 6 0
Tri-City ...... 010 120 00x—4 10 1
Thompson, Shandor (5) and Donahue; Satalich and Pesut.

Buy-The-Braves Backers Facing Time
Need Mass Effort To Purchase Club
[Tri-City Herald, September 11, 1952]
Backers of the Buy-The-Braves drive are racing against time today to get enough pledges of financial support for the purchase of the ball club.
Pledge sheets are being distributed to more people. The sheets say the amount pledged will be due six months after Oct. 1.
Thursday officers of the Tri-City Athletic Association clarified their role in the proposed purchase. They said they were sponsoring the drive for money because they were the logical organization to do so.
They said that if the drive is a success and the stock is sold, a success and the stock is sold, a meeting of all stockholders will be called to determine organization policies. The association will still control their one-seventh of the club.
The officials emphasized that none of the money pledged need be paid now. The minimum amount for a share is $50. The backers assert it is obvious that the support must come from all levels. They are depending on a mass response to put the drive over.
It is their hope to get a sufficient number of pledges by Sept. 26. That is a date for a meeting of the Western International League board of directors.
It is the intention of those behind the drive to take the pledges to the meeting to show that the Tri-City area wasn't to keep the club.
If the backers fail to get the needed pledges, the board will probably permit the franchise to move elsewhere.
It is expected that about $60,000 will be needed for the purchase of the club. The present owners are Dick Richards, Arnold Sanborn, Del Kidder and Vern Johnson.

SPORTS NOTES
By Gil Gilmore
[Tri-City Herald, September 11, 1952]
The drive to buy the Tri-City Braves has started and the initial response has been good. Now's the time to get set for the long pull.
Officially, there is no deadline on the drive. But unofficially, you can set Sept. 26 down as the day of decision. Here's why.
On that date the Athletic Association officials will journey to Seattle to attend the Western International League board Of directors' meeting. At that meeting, important decisions will be made concerning the Tri-City franchise.
If the Athletic Association members go there showing pledges and other responses indicating tnat the people of the Tri-Cities are interested in keeping the club, then the possibility of permitting the franchise to move is very small.
However, if the Athletic Association officials have little to show, the directors may be inclined to agree with Dick Richards — that the Tri-City area is not a good baseball area—and Richards will be permitted to sell his shares elsewhere.
A good indicator of a town's importance is the size of the ball club. We have a peculiar situation here in that there are three—or better yet four—towns which
by uniting behind the club make up one. And a class A area like the Tri-Cities and Connell deserves to have a Class A club.
It is going to take cash to keep the club here — cash in $50 lumps. So if you are interested in buying a share of tha Braves, contact Harold Matheson of Pasco, Kit Campbell and Bob Philip of Richland; Clarence Hayes and Steve Johnson of Connell, and Howard Beste and Harry Owens of Kennewick.
All of these men have pledge cards and they are looking for people to fill them out and sign up.
JOB WANTED
Is there anyone in need of some help during the last couple of weeks of this month.
I have one baseball pitcher with a 16-14 record who will need a temporary job. He is Ralph Romero, Tri-City Braves hurler, and if possible he would like to get into some type of recreation work. If not, he will take anything.
Normally Ralph would leave for his home in San Jose, Calif. when the season ends Sept. 14. However, Ralph recently became a father and he intends to hang around 1he Tri-City area for a couple of weeks so his wife and child will be in condition for the trip.
Baseball players' salaries end with the season. Therefore, Ralph would like to have a job for a couple of weeks beginning about Sept. 15. If you have anything you can either contact me or see Ralph.

Tuesday, September 9, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 91 53 .633 —
Spokane ...... 88 62 .587 6
Vancouver .... 71 66 .518 16½
Salem ........ 71 75 .486 21
Yakima ....... 69 77 .473 23
Lewiston ..... 69 80 .463 24½
Tri-City ..... 63 77 .450 26
Wenatchee .... 57 89 .390 35


VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 10]—Bill Brenner, likeable manager of the Lewiston Broncs, is one of the most remarkable figures in baseball.
A catcher throughout his playing career, and a good one although often hampered by injuries, Brenner took up pitching at a time in his diamond career when most players are ready to call it a day.
Managing at Yakima last season he got into 41 games behind the plate and started to try his luck on the mound. He appeared in nine games and managed a 2-4 record.
Moving to take over at Lewiston this season, he became a full-fledged pitcher and his is the success story this season in the W.I.L.
Last night at Royal Athletic Park he appeared in his 41st game on the mound and he became the season’s second 20-game winner by pitching his club to a 5-3 victory over the Victoria Tyees. The man he defeated was Ben Lorino, the league’s first 20-game winner, who was seeking his 26th triumph.
GOOD CONTROL
Brenner has pitched 20 complete games and 264 innings and figured in 30 decisions. His pitching is a lesson to aspiring youngsters. He is not fast and has no great repertoire, but he has head and heart and control. He walked only 66 men in his first 237 innings and he improved that last night by issuing only one base on balls.
Brenner held the Tyees to five well-scattered hits for seven innings while his team gave him a 5-0 lead. He faltered in the eighth inning, when he gave up four of the 10 hits he allowed, his lone base on balls and the Tyees’ three runs, but he pitched coolly out of the jam to save No. 20.
His win kept his club safely in sixth spot and retained for him a chance to lead it into the first division. The Broncs trail fourth-place Salem by three and a half games.
ERROR COSTS WIN
Lorino, who had a bit of a rocky going in the middle innings, lost it, as it turned out, on two unearned runs in the third inning. An error by Don Pries set the stage for the rally and the Tyees could only get back the single run scored by Lewiston in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
The series concludes tonight with either Bill Bottler or Jehosie Heard due to pitch for the Tyees. One of the season’s better crowds is expected with the appearance of Johnny Price, baseball’s leading one-man act, as an added inducement.
DIAMOND DUST—Don Hopp, the 19-year-old righthander recently signed by the Portland Beavers, is with the Tyees and has been getting a workout in the bullpen during the last two games. Recently voted the outstanding semi-pro player in Oregon, he will likely get a chance to show his wares before the season is over … Infielder John Treece rejoined the Tyees when they returned home Monday with all differences settled … Tyee players report that Cal McIrvin is to be sold to the Spokane Indians at the end of the season … With Ron and Bill Bottler, Dwane Helbig, LeRoy Han and Hopp almost certain to be here next season, the Tyees can look forward to a good club again. There is also every chance that the other Portland-owned youngsters such as Frank Chase, Adolph Satalich and Dick Waibel will be sent here. Granny Gladstone and Jim Clark came up with fine defensive plays last night.
Lewiston .... 002 111 000—5 10 0
Victoria ...... 000 000 030—3 10 1
Brenner and Lundberg; Lorino and Bottler.

VANCOUVER [Dick Beddoes, Sun, Sept. 10]—Edo Vanni removed his working clothes at Cap Stadium Tuesday night and said, cautiously; “Looks like we’ll finish a good, strong, raging third.”
The Vancouver Cap manager has learned to be cautious in his forecasts about Vancouver’s final position in the Western International League. In earlier prophecies Vanni had ‘em finishing a good, strong, raging first, and, later, a good, strong raging second.
Even now, in the last week of the season, Vanni could be wrong. Salem Senators are still threatening Caps’ third place, acting like they want Vancouver to finish a good, strong, raging fourth. Perish the thought!
Both teams won last night, Vancouver clipping Spokane Indians and Salem sinking Wenatchee Chiefs. Scores in both games were 2-1.
Results left the Caps ahead by 4½ games with each club having five games to play.
Caps hustled, too. Especially pitcher Ed Locke, who earned his 10th win of the year after batting Dick Bishop for nine innings. Locke struck out eight, walked one and gave up six hits.
Otherwise strong pitching dominated the fine, fast game—fastest game of the year locally at one hour and 40 minutes.
Bob Snyder pitches the last Spokane game tonight, beginning at 8:15. Lewiston Broncs arrive Thursday for a four-game series, which concludes Saturday with an afternoon-night doubleheader.
FROM OUR TOWER—Bob Brown does not fancy stunts but he may resort to one during the Vancouver-Lewiston series which seals off the season this weekend at Cap Stadium. He would like one player from each team to play one inning at every position, making it rough on scorers but entertainment for fans … Nobody but Bob Duretto could handle it for the Caps, and Bill Brenner would be a logical choice for Lewiston … Brenner has gone especially well at one position this season, namely pitching. Last night, in Victoria, he won his 20th game.
- - -
Gordie Brunswick was the big gun in the Vancouver attack as he cracked out his 12th homer of the season in the fourth and later scored the winning run after getting
aboard on a walk and coming home on Jim Wert's long triple.
Spokane ....... 000 100 000—1 6 1
Vancouver .... 000 100 01x—2 7 0
Bishop and Sheets; Locke and Ritchie.

SALEM, Ore., Sept. 9 — The Salem Senators scored two runs in the 11th inning to defeat Wenatchee 2-1 in a Western International League baseball game here Tuesday night.
After Wenatchee tallied its lone run in the top of the llth, Salem came back with the game-winning rally. A single by Catcher Bob Nelson scored Dick Bartle. Then Wenatchee Pitcher Frank Dasso walked Art Thrasher and Gene Tanselli to force in Jim Deyo with the winning run.
It was Dasso's 26th loss of the season. Bud Francis, who went in for Salem in the 11th, was the winning pitcher.
Wenatchee scored after singles by Lyle Palmer and Walt Pocekay and two bases on balls, forcing in Palmer.
Wenatchee ..... 000 000 000 01—1 7 1
Salem ............ 000 000 000 02—2 11 1
Oubre, Dasso (7) and Pocekay; Collins, Francis (11) and Nelson.

KENNEWICK, [Tri-City Herald, Sept. 10] — Ray Hamrick's bases-loaded homer sewed it up good Tuesday night while Bob Greenwood twirled a three-hit 8-0 shutout for the Tri-City Braves against the Yakima Bears.
Only twice during the game did the Yakima Club get a man in scoring position. The first time came in the eighth when Ernie Sheurman hit and moved to second on a sacrifice.
In the ninth Len Noran hit and moved to second when John Albini walked. Both then advanced on a wild pitch.
Then Greenwood struck out former teammate Frank Mataya to end the game.
The Braves led off with the scoring in the first inning. They picked up two runs on Don Lopes' walk, another walk, this time Hamrick, and a single to Des Charouhas.
Another run was scored in the fifth. John Kovenz singled and came home on Vic Buccola's double. Then came the clincher, Joe Scalise got a hit. Greenwood walked and Lopes got a hit. Hamrick came up and poled the ball over the left field wall for a grand slam.
The Braves picked up another run in the eighth. Des Charouhas led off with a triple—his 15th of the season—and scored on Buccola's long fly to right field.
The game was played before 219—the smallest crowd in the history of Sanders Field. Low temperatures kept many people home.
Greenwood always had control of the game. Although he was playing with a slight leg injury, the lanky hurler fanned five, and walked but three.
One of the hits was a scratch single.
The Bears used two pitchers, Ken Wright, who was touched for Hamrick's homer, and Stretch Garrott, a tall boy wiyh a breaking curve.
Yakima ...... 000 000 000—0 3 0
Tri-City ..... 200 014 01x—8 10 0
Wright, Garrett (7) and Donahue; Greenwood and Pesut.

Ball Club Purchase Drive Underway
Richland Man Pledge $1,700

[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 10, 1952]
The drive to obtain money to purchase the Tri-City Braves is under way and $1,700 in pledges were raised in the first two days in Richland.
Dwight Hendricks, Richland businessman and baseball enthusiast, who announced that amount had been obtained, said the response had been overwhelming in Richland. He said if Pasco and Kennewick get the same response, the drive should be a success.
The drive is being backed by the Tri-City Athletic Association, owners of Sanders Field, the home of the Braves. The Association also owns one-seventh of the ball club.
The other six-sevenths of the club, owned by Dick Richards, Arnold .Sanborn, Vern Johnson and Del Kidder of Seattle, was put up for sale last Wednesday after the owners announced they could no longer lose money caused by the small attendance.
The Athletic Associaton has an option to buy the club before it can be sold to anyone else or moved elsewhere.
Harold Matheson, president of the Athletic Association, said the bulk of the present stockholders in the association have said they will be hippy to maintain their stock interests if a new organization is formed.
This means the association has an initial pledge of from $40,000 to $50,000 toward buying both the field and the club. Most of the money invested in the field comes from bonds, which will be affected by the sale.
The association feels it is necessary to raise about $60,000 to purchase the club and have necessary operating capital.
Since the Tri-City Herald, which supported the plan of bringing the Braves to the Tri-City area, feels that the retention of the club will be a definite asset to the Tri-Cities, the paper will support a drive.
As part of the support, the Tri-City Herald will publish the names of all those who purchase stock in the organization. The following persons account for the $1,700 in pledges:
Russell Blakeny, C. G. Neilson, Dwight Hendricks, Robert Davis, Lee L. Azure, E.W. Brien, Otis Low, Fred Koker, Keith Pulliam, D.L. Smith, Connie Phillips, D.M. McElrath, Ira Linn, E.C. Smith, B.J. Bennett, W.O. Warder, J.L. Rogers Jr., L.C. Goodwin, J.R. Pareill, G.R. Hasack and M.D. Hogue.

Sports Notes
By Gil Gilmore
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 10, 1952]

I wonder what happens when the two Western International League Canadian teams play each other. Vancouver and Victoria fans must show up at the games equipped with camping equipment and a stock of food.
With Cecil Garriott trotting in from center field and Edo Vanni loping in from right four or five times an inning, the Canadians are a patient lot.
In the there-oughta-be-a-law department, I suggest (1) limiting managers to infielders, pitchers and catchers; and (2) penalizing a team for too many time outs in one inning.
MARATHON
Seems as if every time the Braves have a special night they have a marathon game out at Sanders. On Eagles night, it ran up to midnight. On Elks night, things were worse. In the first game of the double-header, the pace was two innings an hour for the first three frames.
Then things picked up but it still took 2½ hours for a seven-inning game.
Of the 914 fans who started out to see that double-header, only the 14 were left when the second contest ended the following day. The ball club should give those hardy individuals an "I'm-a-Braves'-Fan-to-the-Bitter-End" certificate.
The second game moved along a lot faster. But in the second, Vancouver hurler Bud Goldberg gave up only eight scattered hits and never was in hot water. Consequently, there was no five-minute delays after every pitch while Vanni made the long march in from right field.
BICYCLE
Between games, the Elks gave away several gifts to boys including a new bicycle. For a while, the officials couldn't find the lucky winner. Finally one fan, thinking of the Vancouver manager's trips in from the outfield in the first game, quipped: "Give it to Vanni!"
Vanni didn't get the bike. But Edo, who can enter into the spirit of horseplay, got on and tried a short ride.

Tuesday 26 February 2008

Monday, September 8, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria ..... 91 52 .636 -
Spokane ...... 88 61 .591 6
Vancouver .... 70 66 .515 17½
Salem ........ 70 75 .483 22
Yakima ....... 69 76 .476 23
Lewiston ..... 68 80 .459 25½
Tri-City ..... 62 77 .446 27
Wenatchee .... 57 88 .393 35


VICTORIA [Colonist, Sept. 9]—Winning it as champions should—with steady pitching backed by solid and timely hitting and errorless defense, the Victoria Tyees last night became champions of the Western International Baseball League.
Playing before less than 500 fans, only 326 of them paying customers, who sat huddled under the roofed grandstand, the Tyees trimmed the Lewiston Broncs, 11-3, at Royal Athletic Park last night to put it beyond mathematical doubt. No matter what happens in the remaining games this week, Spokane Indians can come no closer than two percentage points.
The Tyees have six games left, two with Lewiston and four with Spokane. The Indians are due to play three against Vancouver Capilanos before moving in here on Thursday to complete the season. They were rained out at Vancouver last night.
HAN HURLS CLINCHER
To Leroy Han, 18-year-old rookie righthander not long out of Vancouver (Wash.) High School, fell the honor of pitching the pennant clincher.
Han, who had added incentive in the person of a cute Yakima visitor sitting in the stands, turned in what was probably his best game of the season as he recorded his third win in four decisions.
He walked only four Broncs, struck out six and spread eight hits over five innings, never allowing more than two in a single frame. He was in trouble in the first, third, fifth and sixth but bore down each time to get the last two outs, once with the bags loaded and three times with two runners aboard. He set down the last eight men he faced in order.
BRANHAM STARRY
The Broncs jumped into a 2-0 lead. Lu Branham, who was to enjoy his biggest night of the season with five hits and a walk, sliced the margin in two with a third inning home run and then the Tyees sent Sal DeGeorge packing with a six-run fifth inning.
Branham started it with a walk. Bob Moniz singled and Don Pries bunted the runners along. Granny Gladstone scored them with a looping single to left. Chuck Abernathy singled, Dwane Helbig doubled, Jim Clark was walked intentionally, Ron Bottler singled and Branham followed suit after Han had struck out.
The Tyees jumped on Larry Powell for four more runs in the seventh just to make it certain.
QUIET ELATION
There was only quiet elation in the dressing room after the game as the Tyees received congratulations from fans and club officials. Despite the late Spokane drive, the lengthy Victoria lead had made the pennant only a matter of time and the players took it in stride although there was evident relief that it was now definitely theirs.
Club officials are hoping for better weather so they can wind up with better crowds for the six remaining games of the season.
BIDS FOR RECORD
Tonight there is the prospect of a fine pitcher’s battle. Ben Lorino, who can tie the league record for victories with two starts left and may break it if he gets a chance in relief in a close game, will go after his 26th win tonight. Opposing him will be Lewiston manager Bill Brenner, who, somewhat amazingly for a retired catcher, will be seeking his 20th triumph.
Tonight there will be Johnny Price and his matchless baseball act, a must for all baseball fans. Thursday is “Radio Appreciation Night,” Friday will be “pennant-raising night” and Saturday night it will be “Player Appreciation Night.”
Lewiston ...... 101 001 000— 3 8 2
Victoria ...... 001 060 40x—11 17 0
DeGeorge, Powell (5) and Lundberg, Helmuth (8); Han and R. Bottler.

Spokane at Vancouver, postponed, rain.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED

Schuster Was ‘No Surprise’
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8—It wasn’t exactly an accident, or a last minute decision.
So said Manager Fred Haney of the Hollywood baseball club in telling Monday about the surprise appearance, and game winning pinch hit, by veteran Bill Schuster for the Stars against Portland last Saturday.
Schuster, gone from the Pacific Coast league for two years, suddenly bobbed up in a Hollywood uniform and won the game.
Haney disclosed that he warned Schuster 10 days before that he might be called for active service and Schuster spent the time working out here while Hollywood was on the road.
Then came the day for Bill to sign, and next day came the moment for his surprise appearance. “Call it luck, call it anything, but it paid off,” Haney said.

Sunday, September 7, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria .... 90 52 .634 —
Spokane ..... 88 61 .591 5½
Vancouver ... 70 66 .515 17
Salem ....... 70 75 .483 21½
Yakima ...... 69 76 .476 22½
Lewiston .... 68 79 .463 24½
Tri-City .... 62 77 .446 26½
Wenatchee ... 57 88 .393 34½


SALEM, Sept. 7 — Victoria and Salem split a Western International League doublehender here Sunday. Victoria winning the 11 inning opener 7-4 and Salem bouncing back to win the second game 3-1.
Victoria took the five game series 3-2.
Singles by Carl Gunnarson, Cece Garriott and Bob Moniz, a sacrifice and a walk, all off Salem Pitcher Vince DiBiasi accounted for the three 11th inning runs in the first game.
Granny Gladstone homered and doubled in six tries at the plate and brought in three runs, while Jim Deyo had three RBIs for the losers.
Salem won the second game on three Victoria errors in the fourth inning when three runs were scored.
Ted Edmunds struck out ten in going the distance for the win, walking four, and allowing an unearned run on a ground out by pinch-hitter Jimmy Clark in the seventh. He also singled in a run.
None of the runs in the game were earned.
First Game
Victoria .... 010 100 020 03—7 14 1
Salem ...... 010 200 001 00—4 8 2
Prior, Gunnarson (9) and Martin, Bottler (8); DeBiasi and Nelson.
WP—Gunnarson.
Second Game
Victoria ..... 000 000 1—1 3 3
Salem ....... 000 300 x—3 7 2
B. Bottler, Gunnarson (4) and R. Bottler; Edmunds and Nelson.

SPOKANE, Sept. 7—The Spokane Indians celebrated their last home game of the season Sunday night by crushing the hapless Wenatchee Chiefs, 11-4, in a Western International League baseball game.
While the Indians were treating themselves to a 16-bit slugfest Frank Chase handcuffed the Chiefs with only three hits. It was his 16th win of the season against 12 losses.
The Chiefs opened the scoring in the first inning but Spokane came back with a run in the second to tie the score. The Indians pulled one run ahead in the third and engthened it to three in the fourth.
The Indians erupted for five runs n the fifth inning on doubles by Ed Bouchee and Sam Kanelos, singles by Bill Sheets and Eddie Murphy, and three Wenatchee errors.
Wenatchee ... 100 000 003— 4 3 3
Spokane ...... 011 251 10x—11 16 2
Dahle, Stites (5) and Pocekay, Robinett; Chase and Sheets.

KENNEWICK, Sept. 7—The Vancouver Capilanos swept a pair here on Sunday to conclude a Western International League series, winning over the Tri-City Braves 13-2 and 11-1.
In the seven-inning opener, which took two hours just to play the first five innings, Bob Duretto singled in three runs, while Edo Vanni and Jesse Williams had a pair of hits for Vancouver. Ray Hamrick had three for the Braves.
Duretto was a hitting star in the night game, with two homers and a single. Leavitt and Moore had two hits each, while Leavitt batted in three runs.
Winning pitcher Bud Guldborg struck out 11.
Ray Hamrick batted in the lone Tri-City run without a hit.
First Game
Vancouver ... 400 540 0—13 11 1
Tri-City ....... 130 003 2—9 9 3
Aubertin, Loverich (2), Snyder (7) and Ritchey; New, Satalich (1), Brittain (7) and Pesut.
Second Game
Vancouver ... 300 021 320—11 11 1
Tri-City ....... 001 000 000— 1 8 1
Guldborg and Leavitt; Romero and Pesut.

YAKIMA, Sept. 7 — The Yakima Bears trounced Lewiston in both ends of a doubleheader Sunday 7-6 and 6-4, coming from behind in both games with late-inning rallies.
A triple by John Albini after a man had walked and singles by Ted Shandor and Chuck Malmberg after two more walks in the sixth inning of the seven inning nightcap accounted for four runs and the ball game.
First Game
Lewiston .... 010 011 003—6 9 3
Yakima ...... 100 000 501—7 11 1
Clancy, Powell (7), Bowman (8) and Lundberg; Savage and Donahue.
LP—Bowman.
Second Game
Lewiston .... 003 010 0—4 10 0
Yakima ...... 020 004 x—6 5 2
Schulte and Lundberg; Shandor and Albini, Donahue (6).

Saturday, September 6, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria .... 89 51 .636 —
Spokane ..... 87 61 .581 6
Vancouver ... 68 66 .507 18
Salem ....... 69 74 .483 21½
Lewiston .... 68 77 .469 23½
Yakima ...... 67 76 .469 23½
Tri-City .... 62 75 .453 25½
Wenatchee ... 57 87 .396 34


SALEM [Victoria Colonist, Sept. 7]—Victoria Tyees gained ground backing up last night and could arrive home tomorrow for their last two series as the 1952 W.I.L. champions.
Twice unable to hold three-run leads, the Tyees bowed to Salem Senators, 8-7, at Salem last night. But Spokane Indians also went down, finding the last place Wenatchee Chiefs too tough for the second straight game and losing, 4-3.
That combination of events left three as the magic number for the Tyees—on the presumption that each club has nine games left. Any combination of three Victoria wins or Spokane defeats would ensure the pennant for the Victorians.
COULD TAKE IT EASY
And so, if the Tyees could sweep today’s afternoon double-header from the Senators and Spokane should again lose to Wenatchee, the Indians’ pursuit would be over and the Tyees could take it easy during their last seven games. Even if they if they lost all of them and Spokane cleaned up in its last week, the Tyees would be in. That would wind them up with a 91-58 record. Spokane could do not better than 95-62, which would mean a tie in games, but a .611-.605 margin in percentage points.
And even if the Indians have a game to pick up at Vancouver it would make no chane. Winning that one would only bring them within three percentage points although they would actually be a half game ahead.
HEARD HAS TROUBLE
Jehosie Heard, who is having his troubles in attempting to become a 20-game winner, failed again last night although he escaped being charged with the loss. He had control trouble and was far from his best as he dissipated 3-0 and 4-2 leads before manager Cec Garriott hurriedly yanked him in the seventh in favor of Bill Bottler after he had walked the first batter and pitched one ball to the next.
As it turned out, Garriott may have been a bit hasty. At least Bottler was no improvement as he completed loading the bags and then gave up a three-run double to Hugh Luby to tie the score. He lost it in the ninth when Ben Lorino was unable to stop the rally started against Bottler.
TYEES LEAD
Singles by Bob Moniz and Garriott around an error gave the Tyees one run in the first. They went ahead, 3-0, in the second inning on singles by Dwane Helbig, Milt Martin, Lu Branham and Moniz divided around a sacrifice by Heard but lost a chance to add to their lead when Bill White cut down Martin at the plate.
Heard, hit hard from the start, ran into trouble with two outn in the Salem second when four bases on balls and a double plated two runs. Fourth-inning singles by Heard, Moniz and Pries made it 4-2 but Bill Spaeter’s triple tied it when the Senators got their turn in the same inning.
Granny Gladstone tripled in two runs and scored the third after an outfield fly as the Tyees moved in front, 7-4, in the seventh, but the Solons once more came right back.
HEMPHILL GETS WIN
Jack Hemphill, who set the Tyees down in order in the eighth and ninth, started the rally, which gave him the win, with an infield single. Luby bunted him to second and Lorino came on to relieve Bottler after Connie Perez had been intentionally passed.
Lorino walked Spaeter, unintentionally, to load the bags. He got Bill White to force Hemphill at the plate but Dick Bartle broke it up with a single.
Spokane fell victim to Bob Bauhofer, entering 3-16. Two-run ninth gave him fourth win. Four consecutive singles off John Conant sent the Spokane ace down to defeat.
Victoria ...... 120 100 300—7 15 3
Salem ........ 020 300 301—8 9 1
Heard, Bottler (7), Lorino (9) and Martin; McNulty, Edmunds (7), Hemphill (8) and Thrasher.

SPOKANE, Sept. 6—Spokane's "surge" turned into a slump Saturday night as the second-place Indians tripped over the Western International league's cellar-dwelling Wenatchee Chiefs for the second straight time as they absorbed a 4-3 loss.
Wenatchee's Bud Bauhofer, had been able to win only three iof 19 Prevlous starts, was helped into his fourth win on his teammates' ninth inning spluge.
In the fatal final inning, Bud Hjelmaa, Dick Adams, Larry Monroe and pinch-hitter Frank Dasso singled in succession to push across two scores and end Spokane's lead for good.
Center Fielder Eddie Murphy opened the game in style for Spokane when he sent a homerun ball over the 376-left field fence in the first inning.
Wenatchee Catcher Walt Pocekay scored both of the Chief's first two runs after getting on the base path with a single in the second and a double in the fourth inning. Monroe drove in the run in the second and Manager Adams the fourth inning tally.
Spokane came up with another home run in the fifth, when Jimmy Brown lined one over the wall.
Brown scored for Spokane again in the seventh when he doubled, moved to second on a wild pitch and came home on Bill Sheets' single.
John Conant made his WIL record read 17-10 by taking the loss.
Wenatchee ... 010 100 002—4 12 0
Spokane ....... 100 001 100—3 10 0
Bauhofer and Pocekay; Conant and Sheets.

YAKIMA, Sept. 6 — Rookie Chuck Donley set down the Lewiston Broncs with eight hits Saturday night to give the Yakima Bears an 8-3 Western International League baseball victory.
The win gave Donley a 3-4 record.
Yakima jumped on Lewiston starter Joe Nicholas for four runs in the first inning and was never headed. Nicholas walked the first man to face him and then gave up three singles good for two runs and a pair of outfield flies good for another pair.
Lewiston .. 001 020 000—3 8 1
Yakima .... 402 100 01x—8 10 2
Nicholas, Bowman (4) and Lundberg; Donley and Donahue.

Vancouver at Tri-City, postponed, high winds.

Murphy Picked Most Popular
SPOKANE, Sept. 7—Fleet-footed centrefielder Eddie Murphy of the Western International League Spokane Indians has been voted the team's "most popular player" by more than 15,000 fans.
Murphy was presented with a full set of golf clubs and bag during fifth inning ceremonies in the Wenatchee-Spokane game Saturday night.
The award was won last year by Edo Vanni, now manager of the Vancouver Capilanos. Murphy was also voted the honor in 1950.

Walt Pocekay Regains WIL Lead In Batting
Walt Pocekay, Wenatchee, has regained the batting lead in the Western International league, according to weekly averages compiled by Howe News Bureau.
Pocekay raised his average three points during the week to .355 while John Ritchey, Vancouver, who led last week, slipped four points tp .352 and second place.
Pocekay also continues to lead in hits with 183, in total bases with 256 and in doubles with 42.
Milt Smith, Lewiston, replaced Bob Moniz, Victoria, as the leader in runs 'tor the only change in jthe specialized departments. Smith scored seven runs during the week to Moniz' four. For the season Smith has 112 and Moniz 110.
Holdover leaders, besides Pocekay, are; Des Charouhas, Tri-City, 14 triples; Cecil Garriott, Victoria, 16 home runs; Grannie Gladstone, also of Victoria, 111 runs batted in, and Ed Murphy, Spokane, 43 stolen bases.
Ben Lorino, Victoria, the league's leading pitcher, racked up his 22nd victory during the week. He has only six losses.

TEAM BATTING
  G  AB   R   OR   H   TB   2b 3b HR  SH  SB  BB  SO  Pct.
Victoria
133 4478 749 647 1250 1692 237 29 49  85 125 716 585 .279
Lewiston
138 4657 747 772 1277 1777 219 37 69  77  88 674 595 .274
Vancouver
127 4235 636 541 1155 1501 169 57 21  90  92 599 447 .273
Spokane
140 4580 699 592 1236 1569 173 44 24 116 126 618 675 .270
Yakima
136 4358 700 729 1203 1636 205 54 40 106 109 700 702 .265
Salem
136 4474 574 570 1141 1504 188 53 23  66  87 587 633 .255
Wenatchee
136 4491 596 798 1110 1413 181 34 18  69  62 562 607 .247
Tri-City
132 4377 607 659 1081 1418 158 43 31  96 115 709 732 .247


TEAM FIELDING
               W  L T  DP TP PB  PO    A   E  Pct.
Salem ....... 66 70 0 152  0 17 3501 1604 157 .970
Vancouver ... 65 62 0 135  0 13 3291 1457 174 .965
Tri-City .... 59 72 1 105  1 18 3421 1310 186 .962
Victoria .... 86 46 1 119  0 17 3486 1405 198 .961
Yakima ...... 63 73 0 136  0 20 3524 1523 210 .960
Spokane ..... 81 59 0 151  0 10 3590 1551 223 .958
Lewiston .... 64 74 0 107  0 38 3540 1503 238 .955
Wenatchee ... 54 82 0 100  0 17 3472 1358 240 .953