Wednesday 12 March 2008

Edo Vanni-shes

today’s fanfare
Double-Talk Left Vanni On Outside Peering In

By Eric Whitehead
[Vancouver Province, Jan. 21]
We note with interest the cunning innuendos concerning the future of lives and times of Edo Vanni, the man who took over as field boss of the 1952 Capilanos following the hurried departure of Bill Schuster.
The question of the return or otherwise of Mr. Vanni is buried in a palpitating welter of sly hints and cunning double-talk.
One daredevil scribe yesterday took the bull by the horns and boldly announced “. . . the Caps may drop Vanni. . .”
What’s everyone being so all fired coy about? May drop Vanni, be hanged. Vanni has been dropped, period.
On Dec. 31, 1952, in this corner we said, “Vanni is through with Vancouver. He will not either either as player or manager.”
That’s exactly as is.
Seattle’s vice-president, Torchy Torrance, wanted Vanni back in Vancouver. “He has all the earmarks of a great manager,” explained Torchy.
The Caps’ new G.M. Dewey Soriano, having found no evidence of such earmarks in Edo’s brief ’52 managerial fling, said no.
• • •
He said it politely, of course. But firmly. Torrance and Soriano got together definitely on this a week ago.
Said Torchy, regretfully: “I’ll tell Edo tomorrow.”
So now that Edo knows, Dewey knows and Torrance knows, we merely have to count knowses to corroborate a long-standing fact.
Edo (to re-cap last year’s news) is definitely the Vanni-shing American.
It’s anybody’s guess as to who will take over the Vancouver skipper’s job this spring, but it’s an open secret as to who the Cap management would like to have, were he available. Which, unfortunately, he isn’t.
The man is that former ex-people’s choice and one-time Cap pilot Bill “Flash” Brenner, the only man in baseball who could read “Pickwick Papers” on the way from home plate to first base.
But old slow-poke—not so old in the early thirties—is dearly loved by the Vancouver front office despite his parting of the ways with Bob Brown a few seasons back.
Soriano and club president Tommy English make no bones about the fact that they would welcome Brenner back into the organization and with open arms.
• • •
The fact that both Soriano and English specifically stipulate “open arms” and not “pocketbooks” is the barrier to the potentially dramatic sequel to “Lassie Come Home.”
Between his Vancouver departure and now, handsome William has latched onto a very prosperous combined ops' career in tiny but prosperous Lewiston, Idaho. As combined general manager, field manager and ace-pitcher, Brenner is probably makig more money than any club player or exec in the Western International League.
Brenner himself would like to come back. But the cost of living being what it is, he weighs his affection in dollars and horse-sense.
But as Bill himself cautiously put it just the other day: “It might be worked out.”
Hmmm. We wonder.

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