Thursday 13 March 2008

Can Anyone Play This Game?

Sports Notes
By Gil Gilmore [Tri-City Herald, Feb. 4, 1953]
The Tri-City search for players is almost reaching nationwide proportions. Right now Len Monheimer, the general manager, is looking around Los Angeles and environs. He attended a scout meeting there this week and may have two pitchers—one a veteran and one a rookie—lined up for a 30-day look-see when the Braves hold spring training. Monheimer is expected to return to the Tri-Cities tomorrow or the next day.
Meanwhile, Edo Vanni, the new playing manager, has sent out a bunch of letters with some hope of procuring results. He also had lunch with a Pirate scout in Seattle to see if something more could be done with the Pirate working agreement possibility.
Vanni called JoJo White, West Coast scout for Cleveland, about a boy who pitched in an Eastern league last season but who would like to pitch on the coast this year. But what all these talks will produce, no one knows.
MICHELSON
Meanwhile, Harold Matheson, president of the Tri-City Athletic Association, reports he has a couple of close-to-home prospects. One is a 19-year-old righthander from Prosser. The other, although not exactly a new prospect since his contract has always been held by the Braves, is well-known to Braves fans.
He is Ken Michelson of the Pasco Michelson family. He played for the Braves last season but quit midway—apparently because of the small amount found in his paycheck on payday.
Ken still belongs to the Braves but is on the ineligible list. He can get off only with the permission of the club.
But Matheson said Ken wants to turn out for spring training and get back on the active list. If he does and is up to his last season form, he will make a good reliefer—something the Braves need also.
UMPIRE
Matheson also said the league will have a Negro umpire this year. Matheson could not recall the man's name but presumably it will be Emmett Ashford, the only Negro umpire in organized ball. Ashford started with the Southwest International league last season—the same league Monheimer's Las Vegas team was in but he was sold to the Arizona-Texas League later in the year.
George Johnson, an umpire supervisor for the National Association, predicts a brilliant future for Ashford. Ashford himself hopes to work up to the majors some day.
He is 37 and a college graduate.

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