Monday 25 February 2008

Thursday, September 4, 1952

W L Pct. GB
Victoria .... 87 50 .635 —
Spokane ..... 86 59 .593 5
Vancouver ... 68 65 .511 17
Salem ....... 68 72 .486 20½
Lewiston .... 67 76 .469 23
Yakima ...... 66 75 .468 23
Tri-City .... 61 75 .449 25½
Wenatchee ... 55 86 .390 34


SPOKANE, Sept. 4 — Eddie Murphy's 10th-inning single to left field drove in the winning run that gave Spokane its 11th straight Western International League victory Thursday, an 8-7 decision over Victoria.
It also gave the Indians a clean sweep of their three-game series with Victoria and moved them within five games of the league-leading Tyees.
Bill Prior took his third relief loss in less than a week.
Manager Cec Garriott elected to go with Bill Bottler to start and the rookie righthander wasted no time in losing the 2-0 lead Garriott’s single have him in the first inning. Nervous, he walked the first four men he faced and Prior came on with one run in, the bags loaded and no one out.
Bill Sheets greeted him with a two-run single but he settled down to retire the side without further damage.
A double by Garriott, an error by the usually-reliable Ed Murphy and a single by Dwane Helbig tied it in the third. The Tyees went ahead in the fifth when Chuck Abernathy walked for the third time with two out and Prior and Lu Branham, who had three hits, followed with singles.
Then the Tyees handed Spokane four runs in their turn. Jim Clark dropped Murphy’s foul fly and the centre fielder doubled. Don Pries booted another foul fly and Sam Kanelos stayed at bat to draw a walk. George Huffman bunted and catcher Ron Bottler, trying for the force at third, threw the ball into the dirt to load the bags.
Mel Wasley tripled in three runs and Bill Sheets singled in Wasley.
Fighting back, the Tyees tied it in the seventh when Chuck Abernathy connected for his third home run, aa tremendous 380-foot clout to centre, with Helbig safe on an error, and Bob Moniz, who had doubled, on the bags. That drove John Marshall to the showers but it proved to be a mistake. Frank Chase came on to blank the Tyees the rest of the way.
Prior breezed along until he got two out in the 10th. Then Ed Bouchee singled and Wilbur Johnson walked. This was followed by the big break of the game, a badly-hit “bleeder” down the third-base line by Chase which went for a single. Murphy more than made amends for his error by lining a single to left field on a 3-2 count to end one of the season’s finest series, decided by scores of 2-1, 4-2 and 8-7.
Victoria ....... 201 010 300 0—7 11 3
Spokane ...... 300 040 000 1—8 9 3
Bottler, Prior (1) and R. Bottler; Marshall, Chase (7) and Sheets.

LEWISTON [Vancouver News-Herald, Sept. 5]—The Capilanos got an awful lot of sweet pitching out of fireballing Dick Aubertin and an assist from the rain here Tuesday as they shut out the Lewiston Broncs, 2-0.
Aubertin, in winning his first game in a Vancouver uniform, allowed but four hits, the same as given up by Bronco Sal DeGeorge. However, DeGeorge was the victim of three early-inning errors by his teammates and the Caps picked up single runs in the first and second to win it.
It was the last Lewiston home game of the season and 1700 fans turned out to brave a game which was dampened throughout by drizzling rain.
It fell almost from the start and it seemed almost impossible for the clubs to get in even the minimum five innings. However they made it barely and the Capilanos, after losing the first two games of the series, salvaged the last and maintained their hold on third place in the WIL standings.
The Caps now move on to Tri-City where they play a weekend set of four games, one tonight, another single Saturday and two Sunday.
Then they return to Vancouver for their final stand of the 1952 baseball season.
They open the week against Spokane in what very well might be an important series for both clubs. The Caps are trying to stave off the challenge of the Salem Senators while the Indians are taking one last run at first place Victoria. The Caps win up the week, and the season, against Bill Brenner’s Lewistons.
Vancouver …… 110 00—2 4 0
Lewiston …….. 000 00—0 4 3
Aubertin and Ritchey, Leavitt (5); DeGeorge and Helmuth.

WENATCHEE, Sept. 4 — The Yakima Bears made it three straight over Wenatchee Thursday night downing the Chiefs 4-2 in Wenatchee's final home game of the 1952 Western International League baseball season.
The Bears went out in front in the first inning when Earl Richmond walked and was doubled home by Jerry Zuvela.
The Chiefs came back in the second inning to grab the lead but Zuvela tied it in the third with a home run over the right field wall.
The teams played scoreless ball until the eignth when Len Noren who had singled and reached third on a fielder's choice scampered home on Manager Dario Lodigiani's single to put Yakima ahead to stay.
Yakima ........ 101 000 011—4 6 2
Wenatchee ... 020 000 000—2 8 2
Del Sarto, Thompson (3) and Atwell; Oubre and Pocekay.

Tri-City at Salem, postponed, rain.

Broncs' Boss Is Promoted
LEWISTON, Idaho, Sept. 4 — Bill Brenner, player manager of the Lewiston Broncs in their return to the Western International Baseball League this season, Thursday was
named general manager for the 1953 campaign.
President James B. McMoningle of the Lewiston baseball club made the announcement.
He said a "substantial" salary increase was given Brenner in recogmtion of his greater value to the club and for the additional duties he will perform, McMonigle said.
Brenner has pitched 18 victories for Lewiston against 11 losses. He will assume most of the duties of business manager in addition to directing his club on the diamond.
Breaner, 31, will enter his 13th year of baseball in 1953 and will start his eighth season as a manager.

Braves Return; Four Pitchers Recalled
[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 5, 1952]
The up-for-sale Tri-City Braves returned home today to open an 11-game stand which will wind up the season. They will open a series tonight against Vancouver.
Whether the Braves are sold to jlocal inierests or move away, it will be the last time at Sanders for some of the players.
All four of the starting piichers have been recalled by their contract owners--Bob Greenwood and George New by Baltimore; Dave Brittain and Ralph Romero by the Phils. The recalls become effective at the end of the season.
The four players will report to assigned spring training camps. Their return here will depend upon decisions made then. It is believed that Greenwood and new are certain to move to triple A leagues.
The Braves recent road trip wasn't as successful as the last one. They won three games, dropped six, and played on tie--the only such games in the league this year.
Had the reams won the tie and the games they lose by one run, they would be riding a winning streak. They were defeated four of those six times by one run. Four games, including the tie, went into overtime.
Two games, including the one Thursday against Salem, were rained out.

Spokane Catcher Sets New Record
SPOKANE, Sept. 5 — A new Western International League record for consecutive games caught in a single season was set Thursday night by Catcher Bill Sheets of the Spokane Indians. It was his 141st.
Frank Volpi had held the old mark of 140, established 13 years, ago with the Vancouver club.

The Sports Herald
KEITH MATTHEWS
[Vancouver News-Herald, Sept. 5, 1952]
Problem of the Weakest Link…
There is but one week of baseball left on the WIL bill of fare, and nobody will boast it has been a successful year for the Capilanos. Or, for that matter, the WIL as a whole.
It has been a year of transition for the league in which they have unsuccessfully tried to tell us that this now is now Class A baseball that we are watching, If it has been, we will vote to go back to Class “B.”
No chain its stronger than its weakest link, it has been said, so following this line of reasoning, what is currently wrong with the WIL?
Some say it is Wenatchee and Tri-City and the small towns like them. It is bad, they say, to associate ourselves with these bush leaguers. Bring on Calgary and Edmonton.
Some say it is the crazy rookies in which each club is forced to carry eight limited service players. Bring on the veterans, the hand-me-downs from the Coast League.
Are these the weakest links in our chain? We hardly believe so.
Consider this question. Are we prepared for a real Class A league, even including Edmonton and Calgary?
On the basis of the past performance charts, which is what we must go by, we hardly think so. It appears as if the problems of the WIL haven’t changed a bit from those they had four years ago, and which have been popping up annually ever since. It is a problem of government.
Where is our Government?…
We point to the head of the class in solving the mystery of the weakest link and discover that after all is said and done the problem is so glaring that it has been overlooked.
Robert B. Abel was hired years and years ago to the presidency of the Western Interntional League. It is not a richly remunerative job—in other word if you had to depend upon it alone for your bread and butter, you’d have to slide it right thin.
However, Abel has been the WIL’s man, the WIL’s government.
Now we ask you to consider five points.
Why are the WIL’s umpires continually on the hot seat? It is an established fact that the WIL entertains more arguments and more fines in the period of the baseball season than any other league in captivity. Are we on the Coast so hard to get along with?
Why is it that Vancouver—and Spokane and Victoria, for that matter, too—finds itself cast into the same back yard as Wenatchee, Kennewick and Lewiston? Isn’t balance one of the duties of the league’s front office? Do the Yankees of New York find themselves entertaining Hoboken?
It would seem that before the WIL makes its first stride toward progress and proper “A” rating that it must appoint or elect a government that will give it stature.
It would necessarily follow that the president of the WIL would not be a fly-by-night affair where the salary could only demand part-time duties.
For once, baseball (at least in this neighborhood) could be worse than take a page from the Pacific Coast Hockey League’s set-up. The PCHL, or Western League if you will, hired Al Leader to be their chair many years ago, informed him he was to cast aside all other means of employment and paid him a salary where he could well afford to accept. This would seem to be a likely example for the WIL to follow.
Umpires still a nasty tumor…
It is Bob Abel’s claim and conviction that he has done as much as he could for this league on the time and monies which have been allotted to him. We aren’t permitted to know much about the workings of the WIL to argue this point.
However, the umpire question is prevalent. It has become a tumor to the WIL and it will have to be extracted.
Abel claims he has no time to travel around the country seeking out good officials. He gets what he can by telephone and on other people’s say-so. There is no argument here, either.
It is also Abel’s claim that there is nothing wrong with the umpiring in the WIL. Here, of course, is where we are brought to wondering about Mr. Abel.
In front of our tired old eyes we have see a baseball bounce off a fence and into an outfielder’s glove. We have watched for an umpire to signal for an “out.” We have watched umpires stand at right angles to the plate and claim they can give an accurate account of balls and strikes as they split the corners. We have watched too many boners to enumerate.
The WIL directors might well be advised to consider these points before they talk of expansion or improvement. Calgary and Edmonton, yes, and abolishment of the limited service rule as it now stands, certainly, but what about your government, gentlemen?
“A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.”


Sports Notes
By Gil Gilmore

[Tri-City Herald, Sept. 5, 1952]
It's up to the local organizations now. If the Tri-City area wants a Class A ball club someone should get busy and scout up the cash for buying up the Braves' franchise.
I've felt this is a good baseball area and maybe, with some kind of a local ownership, The Braves can again make a go of it here.
Off hand, I can think of no one better suited to buy the club than the Athletic Association. They already have a fairly good investment in the club and stand to lose the money they have invested in the park if the Braves leave.
The Athletic Association is playing the quiet role, though. They were to make the announcement that the club was up for sale a month ago but took no action. Consequently, the Braves officials decided to go ahead.
RICHARDS
Dick Richards is a man who says he is going to enjoy the rest of this season. Richards' reason: He isn't unaware that everyone is blaming him for the failure of the Braves to make a go of it here, in fact, some of them have a habit of calling him at odd hours and telling him so.
Consequently, Richards feels now the critics have their chance. The club is up for sale and they can buy him out.
It has often been brought up to me that if Richards would leave, attendance would pick up. I have some doubts. Few baseball fans have anything to do with the business manager of a ball club so it's hard to see how mat would affect attendance more than a couple of hundred.
And I have heard of business managers whose methods are a lot more unpopular with the fans than Richards, yet their attendance is high.
One thing about Richards. If a job isn't available when he moves into an area, he will create one. And there are few who can match his sign painting ability.
SANBORN
Arnie Sanborn is more than hopeful the Braves will stay here. Unlike many who are connected with the club, Arnie considers himself a local product and will remain in this area whatever happens. And as he puts it, he would like the club to stay here if for no other reason than to provide him a place to see a ball game once in a while.
Arnie also hopes that if a local group buys the club, that Manager Charlie Gassaway will be with the new owners. He said Gassaway as manager ups the chances of renewing the working agreement the Braves have with the Phils.
The men higher up in organized ball like Charlie's training of young players. This is the time for the shift in sports seasons and at least locally you could probably set the official date for Sept. 13. That's midway between the first local football games and the end of the WIL play.
The Braves return to Sanders Friday and they will be here until the end of the season Sept. 14. Scheduled are series with Vancouver, Yakima and Salem.

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