Sunday 27 January 2008

Tuesday, July 22, 1952

W L Pct GB
Victoria ... 60 31 .659 —
Spokane .... 51 42 .548 10
Vancouver .. 45 39 .535 11½
Lewiston ... 43 47 .478 16½
Salem ...... 43 47 .478 16½
Yakima ..... 43 51 .457 18½
Tri-City ... 39 53 .424 21½
Wenatchee .. 39 53 .424 21½

SALEM, July 22—Salem, led by Bob Nelson who collected three hits, handed Yakima an 8-6 defeat in Tuesday night's Western International League game here.
Yakima opened the scoring in the first inning. Earl Richmond doubled and Chuck Malmberg singled for one run.
Five more runs in the fifth put Yakima ahead 6-2 but Salem snapped back with six runs in the six inning to win. Yakima's five runs came on an error and hits by Richmond, Len Noren, Ken Richardson and Mike Donahue.
Ted Shandor, Yakima starter, was knocked out of the game in the sixth inning after five hits and three errors.
Yakima …. 100 040 000—6 13 3
Salem …… 020 006 00x—8 11 2
Shandor, Savage (6), Garrett, (7) and Donahue; Hemphill, Edmunds (5) and Nelson.

KENNEWICK [Tri-City Herald, July 22]—Des Charouhas and Nick Pesut each got a hit Tuesday night but they were the only Trl-City batters who did against the tight pitching of Wenatchee's Dave Dahle.
The tall hurler struck out 11 Braves batters and gave up only four walks in the Western International League battle over who gets to stay out of the cellar.
The Chiefs and the Braves will clash again tonight at 8 p.m. If the Chiefs win they will push the Braves into the bottom spot.
In the game Tuesday night, Dahle held the Braves hitless going into the fourth. Then he walked Vic Buccola, the Tri-City first baseman and Charouhas, the second baseman.
Catcher Pesut ripped out a searing single just over second base to bring Buccola in.
Tri-City didn't come close to scoring again until the last of the ninth. Then, with one away, third baseman Tommy Marier walked. John Kovenz filed out, Charouhas hit a high ball to right center field, but the Wenatchee outfielders who play Charouhas deep, were unable to get under it and Charouhas went to second. Marier holed up at third. Pesut's high fly ended the game.
While Tri-City batters swung hard and got little for their efforts, the Wenatchee Chiefs accumulated their three runs in the third, fifth and eighth innings.
In the third, Ernie Valesquez walked and stole second, Bud Hjelmaa, the second baseman, drove him in with a single.
The Chiefs started off the fifth inning with a hit by Ross McCormack. A single by Lyle [sic] sent Palmer to third.
Then Walt Pocekay, the catcher, hit a long foul-fly bill into the corner of right field. Joe Scalise, the right fielder, scooted over and caught it. McCormack scored after the catch.
The Chiefs' last tally came when Palmer got his second hit of the evening in the top of the eight. He went to second on a pass ball. Pocekay popped out to Pesut.
Hjelmaa hit a ground ball to Charouhas who fumbled it for a second and then threw to first where Buccola dropped it for an error.
Hjelmaa stole second but catcher Nick Pesut picked Palmer off third base on the play.
The next batter, Dick Adams was intentionally walked to put men on first and second. Left fielder Laurie Monroe knocked out a single to bring in Hjelmaa.
Tri-City's George New was charged with the loss. The hurler struck out eight batters, gave up seven hits and four walks.
SPORTS NOTES—Manager Charlie Gassaway isn't too happy about the Braves' recent road tour so he has taken them off the 40-hour week. Batting practice is the order of the
day from now on until things pickup... The boys were at it yesterday. They don't wear their uniforms for these practice sessions. Shorts are the costume and what a knobby-kneed bunch of characters they are... Bob Rittenberg is recovering from an injured shoulder he received on the road trip. He may be out of the lineup for a few more days... How long does it take a man to get back in action after having his nose broken. For rugged Nick Pesut, two days' rest are enough.
- - -
KENNEWICK, July 23 (AP) — Dave Dahle allowed only two hits while striking out 10 Tri-City players Tuesday night as Wenatchee won a Western International League baseball
game, 3-1.
Dahle was robbed of a shutout when he walked two men out of four who got passes from him during the entire game — in the fourth inning. Nick Pesut, Tri-City catcher singled to bring in the lone run for his team.
Wenatchee started the scoring in the third inning. Ernie Valasquez walked and came home on single by Bud Hjelmaa. In the fifth, Ross McCormack singled and moved to third on Lyle Palmer's single. Walt Pocekay then hit a foul fly to right field and McCormack came home after the catch.
The Chiefs got their final tally in the eighth on a single, an error a walk and a single in that order.
Wenatchee ….. 001 010 010—3 7 0
Tri-City ……..... 000 100 000—1 2 3
Dahle and Pocekay; New and Pesut.

Spokane at Vancouver, postponed, rain.
Lewiston at Victoria, postpoined, rain.

But Listen!
ALF COTTRELL
[Vancouver Province, July 23, 1952]
There were still puddles on the Capilano Stadium infield, but the drizzle had stopped. A mid-afternoon sun peeped tardily through the clouds.
In the office they were telling those who phoned that the evening game hadn’t as yet been called off. In there, too, a pair of baseball men leaned over the outer counter.
St. Louis Cardinal scout Tony Governor, heavyweight of the pair, thoughtfully studied the scorecard of the previous night’s game. Alongside, just as thoughtfully studying the end of his cigar, was the Capilanos’ manager-elect, Edo Vanni.
The Cardinal scout put his scorecard on the counter, then placed his pencil against a name.
“Let’s run ‘em down, Edo. Which ones can run and throw? Which ones you figure can make triple-A ball?” said Governor. He is apparently a fellow who likes to know about people, whether they are up for grabs or not.
Scads of ‘Em
Reaching into his weather-stained windbreaker for a match, Vanni said he had a flock of guys who would make Triple-A.
“Like who?” asked the scout.
“Well cross off me. I’m just a guy that likes to play ball. But I don’t know who else you’re going to cross off.”
“How about Brunswick?”
“I figured you would ask. He ain’t a Triple-A prospect. Forget him if you’re looking for Triple-A prospects. He’s a major league prospect.
“Fletcher now, I don’t know how far he will go,” Vanni went on. “But I do know he will go as far as Triple-A, and Duretto can play Triple-A ball.”
“How about Wert?”
“He can play it. Big Jim ain’t never had the breaks he rated. Williams can play up there. Locke? Any time he starts putting his mind to it he is going straight to the big leagues.
Ghastly Boot
The scout asked about Johnny Ritchey. General manager Bob Brown, coming out of the inner office at that moment, said a lot of Triple-A clubs made a ghastly mistake last fall in not drafting the Capilano catcher.
“That right? Who you got can throw, Edo?” asked the scout.
“Well, Duretto can throw real good. Ritchey, Williams, Wert, the Trans . . . they can all throw. But Brunswick, he can go back, put one hand on the scoreboard and cut the plate in two,” said Vanni, his face and cigar glowing in unison.
“This Brunswick can run like a hound dog with a can tied to his tail,” he went on. “He is $100,000 in anybody’s bank. Just a big kid, see. Ain’t been around long. But he likes to play ball.
“That’s all I ask,” Vanni said. “A kid that likes to play ball. I don’t want guys that just think they can play ball. All I ask is good competitors.”
Edo’s Credo
Somewhere along the line, he said, kids get discouraged. The fans are “on” them. The manager is “on” them. The kid decides he can’t play ball . . . never could play ball.
“That’s when you got to step in and tell a kid he is just a helluva ballplayer. Pump the old juice into him. Sell him the buildup them or he is beat.”
”That’s how it is. I played this game,” said the scout.
“I know it,” said Vanni. “I was raised the wrong side of the tracks. Nobody ever helped me.” For a moment his eyes went around the room, as if someone might be wanted to challenge this.
“But I liked baseball. When I quit liking it I’ll quit playing.”
“And I like the bunch of kids I got. We’ll play the game as if we like to play it. We’ll hustle. And if we lose we’ll come back the next night hustling again. And if we lose that one too, well be right back the next night, hustling some more.”

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