Tri City at Victoria, postponed, rain.
ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED
SPORTS NOTES
By Gil Gilmore
[Tri-City Herald, Aug. 26, 1952]
A number of people have asked me if the Tri-Cities will have a Western International League club here next year.
There seems to be little doubt that Dick Richards, business manager and majority stockholder of the Braves, would like to pull out of the Tri-City area and take the team with him. Richards, who has been counting his sagging gate receipts, contends this "just isn't a baseball area."
As I wrote before I believe this is a good baseball area and I don't think Richards will pull out because, there is no place to go that has the potential of this one.
NOT ALONE
And I'm not the only one who thinks so. A WIL franchise cannot be moved from one area to another without the consent of eight members of the league board of directors. Robert Abel, president of the league, said on his visit here that he has found no inclination on the part of any member of the board to permit Richards to move the franchise.
Abel apparently told George Redmond, sports editor of the Yakima Republic and Herald, the same thing. And George adds that the directors feel there is nothing wrong with the Tri-City area that a front-running club wouldn't cure.
The WIL directors and managers will meet Sept. 26 and it is expected that Richards will attempt to swing the franchise away from here then. But his first job will be to convince the board the franchise needs moving. He will use this season's 500-a-night attendance figures to back his argument.
It's always possible that the board may be convinced but if they are not, what then?
ARGUMENT
Well, Richards is not a man, who will lose money for long. And he has stated he will sell any material property he owns if he can do so at a profit. So he is left with a difficult choice. Selling a seventh-place club at a profit will take some shrewd salesmanship. To keep the club and lose money also hurts. The best bet, Dick, is to hope for a 1953 pennant contender.
Redmond, by the way, sits in an ideal spot to watch league activities. Yakima seems to be the place where east ain't east and west ain't west and the' twain are always meeting.
In fact, in recent days, the roads to Yakima have been cluttered with galloping WIL high moguls.
Richards was over there. He and Don McShane, director of minor leagues for the Philadelphia Phils, got their heads together over what the Tri-City boss calls "league business." The Phils have a working agreement with the Braves.
Richards says that although the Phils will drop three clubs from their chain before. next next year, the Tri-City Braves club is not one. He adds the Phils are willing to renew the working agreement with the Braves next year. And that is where developments hang now.
The two undoubtedly talked over the sale, trade, recall and ouster of various players but havsh't reached any specific agreements yet.
THANKS
Nick Pesut has asked me to extend his thanks to firms and fans for the gifts he received at Eagles night at Sanders Field. He meant to thank every one the night he received the gifts but he couldn't quite bring himself up to talking in the mike.
Crowds don't bother big Nick when he has a ball in his hand or when he is crouched behind the plate with his catcher's gear on. But speechmaking before a 1600 persons a little out of his line.
There seems to be little doubt that Dick Richards, business manager and majority stockholder of the Braves, would like to pull out of the Tri-City area and take the team with him. Richards, who has been counting his sagging gate receipts, contends this "just isn't a baseball area."
As I wrote before I believe this is a good baseball area and I don't think Richards will pull out because, there is no place to go that has the potential of this one.
NOT ALONE
And I'm not the only one who thinks so. A WIL franchise cannot be moved from one area to another without the consent of eight members of the league board of directors. Robert Abel, president of the league, said on his visit here that he has found no inclination on the part of any member of the board to permit Richards to move the franchise.
Abel apparently told George Redmond, sports editor of the Yakima Republic and Herald, the same thing. And George adds that the directors feel there is nothing wrong with the Tri-City area that a front-running club wouldn't cure.
The WIL directors and managers will meet Sept. 26 and it is expected that Richards will attempt to swing the franchise away from here then. But his first job will be to convince the board the franchise needs moving. He will use this season's 500-a-night attendance figures to back his argument.
It's always possible that the board may be convinced but if they are not, what then?
ARGUMENT
Well, Richards is not a man, who will lose money for long. And he has stated he will sell any material property he owns if he can do so at a profit. So he is left with a difficult choice. Selling a seventh-place club at a profit will take some shrewd salesmanship. To keep the club and lose money also hurts. The best bet, Dick, is to hope for a 1953 pennant contender.
Redmond, by the way, sits in an ideal spot to watch league activities. Yakima seems to be the place where east ain't east and west ain't west and the' twain are always meeting.
In fact, in recent days, the roads to Yakima have been cluttered with galloping WIL high moguls.
Richards was over there. He and Don McShane, director of minor leagues for the Philadelphia Phils, got their heads together over what the Tri-City boss calls "league business." The Phils have a working agreement with the Braves.
Richards says that although the Phils will drop three clubs from their chain before. next next year, the Tri-City Braves club is not one. He adds the Phils are willing to renew the working agreement with the Braves next year. And that is where developments hang now.
The two undoubtedly talked over the sale, trade, recall and ouster of various players but havsh't reached any specific agreements yet.
THANKS
Nick Pesut has asked me to extend his thanks to firms and fans for the gifts he received at Eagles night at Sanders Field. He meant to thank every one the night he received the gifts but he couldn't quite bring himself up to talking in the mike.
Crowds don't bother big Nick when he has a ball in his hand or when he is crouched behind the plate with his catcher's gear on. But speechmaking before a 1600 persons a little out of his line.
No comments:
Post a Comment