Cronin Says Yakima Meet To Be Deadline
[Tri-City Herald, October 26, 1952]
The Tri-City Booster Club will open a door-to-door campaign about Nov. 2 in a final all out push to get the money to buy the Tri-City Baseball Club.
Mike Cronin of Kennewick, chairman of the Booster Club board, said Saturday the deadline for the drive will be Nov. 10. That is the date of the Western International League meeting in Yakima.
Cronin was optimistic about the drive. “I expect we have $12,000 now,” he said. “This is money that has just rolled in. It was not solicited.”
He said that the booster club has plans for contacting all business firms in the Tri-Cities.
Cronin sees the termination of the Philadelphia Phils agreement with Dick Richards, present majority stockholder of the Braves, as an advantage to the negotiations.
Cronin also reiterated that the Boosters will not pay the $50,000 price asked by Richards.
Concerning the plans for a 10-team league, he said that would be an advantage to the club if the Boosters are able to buy Richards out.
The 10-team league idea was approved last week. Saturday Richards said he was one of those who at first opposed the entry of Calgary and Edmonton into the league but later changed his mind.
He said that if Calgary and Edmonton live up to expectations, the league will be able to draw over one million fans next year.
“That would be 100,000 fans per club,” Richards said, “and everyone should be able to make money regardless of what the club does at home.”
Meanwhile, Wenatchee and Lewiston were reported to have been two clubs opposed to the 10-team league, the Associated Press said, but the president of the Lewiston Club later denied that Lewiston was against the enlargement of the league.
James McMonigle said Lewiston's telegraphed approval was the first and only decision ever made on the matter by the Lewiston club.
Frank Dasso, pitcher, outfielder and playing manager of the Chiefs had told the AP earlier that Lewiston and Wenatchee had originally opposed the Canadians' entry but later changed their minds.
Sports Notes
By Gil Gilmore
[Tri-City Herald, October 26, 1952]
Things are looking better by the minute as far as having Class A ball in the area is concerned. The backers of the drive point out that the thousands of dollars they have collected so far has just rolled in—no one has gone out after it. They plan to intensify the drive soon.
The deadline will be Nov. 10 the way things look now. That is the day the high moguls of the WIL meet in Yakima and some important decisions are going to be made there.
One of the strangest things of late is the rapid entry of Calgary and Edmonton into the WIL. Everyone could think of a number of reasons why the two shouldn't have teams but suddenly they were in. What Happened?
Well, that old green folding stuff goes a long way to settling a lot of problems. As bad as the WIL teams need cash now, Goose Bay, Labrador, could get in the league if they could come up with enough prospective cash customers.
And from all reports, there is enough interest backed with enough money in the two Canadian cities to keep a Coast League team going. Edmonton, for example, has about 160,000 people to draw from and there is a lot of oil wells in the area If extra spending money is needed.
In recent years the two cities have had a four-team intercity league. (Two Teams in each city.) Most of the players are semi-pro but the league has drawn well since its start.
The rest of the WIL can expect some keen competition from now on out, John Ducey, who with his associates acquired the Edmonton franchise, is a man who won't let Edmonton beat them at anything. So the two teams are bound to make it hot for everyone in the league—which should mean an improvement in WIL baseball.
So much the better. Now if there is an improvement in the quality of umpiring, it should be a real Class A league instead of a B league paying A salaries.
With this in view, the Tri-Cities have every reason to make an all-out attempt to keep baseball here. Let's get the money in so we can do so.
Send your checks to the Tri-City Booster Club, Box 132, Kennewick, Wash. Remember, the cash is needed before the Yakima meeting Nov. 10.
The deadline will be Nov. 10 the way things look now. That is the day the high moguls of the WIL meet in Yakima and some important decisions are going to be made there.
One of the strangest things of late is the rapid entry of Calgary and Edmonton into the WIL. Everyone could think of a number of reasons why the two shouldn't have teams but suddenly they were in. What Happened?
Well, that old green folding stuff goes a long way to settling a lot of problems. As bad as the WIL teams need cash now, Goose Bay, Labrador, could get in the league if they could come up with enough prospective cash customers.
And from all reports, there is enough interest backed with enough money in the two Canadian cities to keep a Coast League team going. Edmonton, for example, has about 160,000 people to draw from and there is a lot of oil wells in the area If extra spending money is needed.
In recent years the two cities have had a four-team intercity league. (Two Teams in each city.) Most of the players are semi-pro but the league has drawn well since its start.
The rest of the WIL can expect some keen competition from now on out, John Ducey, who with his associates acquired the Edmonton franchise, is a man who won't let Edmonton beat them at anything. So the two teams are bound to make it hot for everyone in the league—which should mean an improvement in WIL baseball.
So much the better. Now if there is an improvement in the quality of umpiring, it should be a real Class A league instead of a B league paying A salaries.
With this in view, the Tri-Cities have every reason to make an all-out attempt to keep baseball here. Let's get the money in so we can do so.
Send your checks to the Tri-City Booster Club, Box 132, Kennewick, Wash. Remember, the cash is needed before the Yakima meeting Nov. 10.
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