Monday, July 20, 1953

W L PCT GB
Spokane ..... 16  6 .727 —
Salem ....... 14  6 .700 1
Lewiston .... 10  9 .526 4½
Calgary ..... 11 10 .524 4½
Vancouver ... 11 10 .524 4½
Tri-City .... 10 12 .455 6
Yakima ...... 10 12 .455 6
Edmonton ..... 8 13 .381 7½
Wcnatchee .... 8 13 .381 7½
Victoria ..... 7 14 .333 8½

VICTORIA, July 20—Spokane Indians opened a four-game series here Monday night with a 6-5 victory over Victoria Tyees.
A home run by pitcher Art Worth to start off the ninth inning gave the Indians a 6-4 lead and proved to be the decisive blow as Tyees pushed across their last run in the bottom of the inning.
Although continuously in trouble, Worth was the winning pitcher.
Victoria left 15 men stranded as Worth gave up 10 walks and 11 hits. Only in the seventh inning was he able to retire the side in order.
Spokane ........ 002 210 001—6 7 0
Victoria ......... 210 001 001—5 11 1
Worth, Nemes (9) and Sheets; Bottler and Harford.

VANCOUVER, July 20—Tri City hurler Ken Michelson limited Vancouver to four hits but the Capilanos converted three of them into runs and emerged with a 4 to 3 victory in the opener of a three game series in Vancouver.
K Chorlton and Jack Bukowatz pumped out singles off Michelson in the first inning and Chorlton scored on an infield out. After Gene Petralli was hit by a pitched ball, Bob Duretto brought in two more runs with a triple.
- - -
VANCOUVER [Keith Matthews, News-Herald, July 21]—The Capilanos, who have erred mentally quite often this season, Monday reaped the harvest of somebody else’s mis-placed thinking in a 4-3 conquest of the Tri-City Braves. Or, as you will, the ex-Capilanos.
Vancouver led all the way in Lonnie Myers’ sixth win of the year, but they might have been playing yet had it not been for a sixth-inning blunder by Del Charouhas, a usually alert Tri-City centre fielder.
FORGOT TO SLIDE
It was in the sixth that the Braves put on a bit of a spurt and cut a 4-1 Capilano lead to 4-2. They had something dangerous brewing, too, with a man on third and Charouhas on first and two outs. Ernie Hockaday hit a weak tap down to Harvey Storey and Harv made his play for second base and the force on Charouhas. It was a bad play. Charouhas had the throw well beaten and would have been in there safe as a church, with a slide. As it was, Des didn’t slide and the difference was an out instead of a safe and the end of a promising rally.
Edo Vanni, the Tri-City skipper, yanked Charouhas out of the game right away. Edo was plainly ready to eat nails and as it turned out, he had reason to because that was the run which his Braves needed to stay in the hunt.
TRIPLE BELTED
Vancouver got 75 percent of its hits in the first inning with Bob Duretto’s two-run triple the big one. That stood up until the fifth when Myers walked and scored all the way from first on K. Chorlton’s sacrifice. As three players gathered around K’s bunt, Lonnie noticed that nobody had covered third. He kept right on running and made it home as Len Tran threw wildly to third in the hope that one of his teammates might get there before the bal.
DIAMOND DUST – Eddie Malone, the Hollywood catcher, was at the game as a guest of Dewey Soriano’s … He and Dewey are old buddies, although Ed did confess he was told to look for a right-handed reliever for the Stars … Tonight the same clubs meet in a single at 8:30 with Pete Hernandez going for the Caps.
Tri-City ....... 000 101 010—3 5 1
Vancouver ... 300 010 00x—4 4 0
Michelson and Warren; Myers and Leavitt.

CALGARY, July 20—Yakima and Calgary produced 40 hits between them in a wild affair in Calgary, won by Yakima, 19 to 12. The visiting Bears outslugged the Stampeders 23 to 17. The barrage included seven home runs.
Yakima got to starting hurler Jerry Levinson for six runs in the second inning and after that the game was a romp.
Yakima ...... 061 120 333—19 23 1
Calgary ...... 001 221 114—12 17 5
Flinn and Novick; Levinson, Francis (3), Wisneski (8) and Lillard.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED

Eskimos Plan Big Night for 100-Game Winner
EDMONTON, July 20 — Edmonton Eskimos plan "A Night" for John Conant, their winningest pitcher, Thursday night. The club directors will make a presentation to the Tennessee righthander, who recently became a 100-game winner in the Western International League. Thursday, he is scheduled to pitch against Yakima Bears.

Spring Training, Tuesday, March 24, 1953

Catcher Sam Hairston May Plan in Outfield
[Vancouver Province, March 25, 1953]
Vancouver Caps got catcher Sam Hairston on option from Seattle Rainiers Tuesday, but general manager Dewey Soriano promptly announced that the big Negro may end up in the outfield.
In a telephone conversation from Healdsberg, Calif., today, Soriano told The Province he has hopes of getting either Claude Christie or Don Lundberg, both catchers, on option from the Coast League team, and if he does, Hairston will move to the outfield, where he’s played before.
“Lundberg has looked real good,” said Dewey, “and he’s ready to play regularly. But we’ll need Hairston’s power.” Hairston hit .318 and batting in 107 runs with Colorado Springs of the Western League last year.

Beavers Return Prior to Tyees
[Victoria Colonist, March 25, 1953]
BOYES SPRINGS, Calif.—Although the weather was not so good, Victoria Tyees held their first workout at nearby Sonomo Tuesday with all players currently in camp taking part.
The practice was limited to batting practice, fielding by pitchers and running exercises for all players.
Business manager Reg Patterson was enthusiastic and stated, “It is the best camp we have had yet.”
Manager Cec Garriott added, “It is too early yet to tell you what we have got but I believe we have more good players than we had a year ago. The pitching needs strengthening but Portland may help us there.”
The Tyee roster was increased to 23 with the addition of Bill Prior, returned by Portland Beavers, and Ron Washington, young Negro southpaw signed by Garriott.
Nap Gulley, hard-hitting outfielder from Visalia, and holdover infielder Lu Branham are expected within the next few days.
Word is still awaited on what other players will be coming down from Portland.
Daily workouts have been called for 11 a.m. to prepare the club for its first exhibition game against Seattle Rainiers at Palm Springs on Saturday.

Bill Franks Tries For Spokane Berth
SPOKANE, March 24 — Manager Don Osborn said scheduled daily workouts Tuesday as about a dozen Spokane Indians pitchers and catchers started spring training in preparation for the 144-game Western International League schedule.
Righthander Bill Franks, the Pioneer League's top winner in 1948, was gunning for a mound berth with the Spokane Baseball Club when it opened spring training camp Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Springdale Wash., hurler, who won 23 and lost 15 for the Boise Pilots (now the Boise Yanks), is the property of the West Palm Beach Club of the Class C Florida International League.
Osborn said Franks would be purchased from West Palm Beach if he showed the ability to win in the Class A Western International of which the Indians are members. Franks quit the Florida club last summer after getting off to a start of four victories in five mound trips.


EDMONTON, March 24 — Expected by manager Bob Sturgeon to be the ace of the pitching staff, veteran righthander John Conant has signed with baseball's Edmonton Eskimo's in the Western International League.
Conant posted an 18-10 record last season with Spokane of the WIL.

Edmonton in Yankees Chain

Eskimos Tie Up With Yanks
EDMONTON, Dec. 10, 1952—The Edmonton baseball club will have a “working agreement” with the major league champion New York Yankees in its debut in the class A Western International League next season.
In announcing this association Wednesday, club spokesman John Ducey reported that Edmonton has purchased eight players as a nucleus, six of them from the Yankee chain.
Ducey also said the Edmonton club likely will open its spring training camp at Hanford, Calif., in the last week of March. The Edmonton and Calgary entries in the W.I.L. probably will play pre-season exhibition games.
INCRASE SEATING
Renfrew Park, home of the Edmonton club, now has a seating capacity of 4,350, but Ducey said this will be developed to a capacity of 6,000.
Players purchased from the Yankees are right-handed pitcher Jack Widner, with Binghamton of the Eastern League last season; shortstop Whitey Thompson, from Beaumont of the Texas League; outfielder Lou Vitos, from Boise of the Pioneer circuit; catcher Dick Morgan, also from Beaumont; catcher Harry Eastwood, from Binghamton; and shorstop Gil Trejo, also from Boise.
Ducey said Edmonton paid $2,000 apiece for Widner and Thompson. Their purchase will be outright if they report. The other four are purchased conditionally. Morgan is a brother of rookie pitcher Tom Morgan of the Yankees. He played with Victoria in 1949.
COST $5,000
Purchased outright was right-handed pitcher John Conant from Spokane Indians of the WIL. Edmonton got another right-handed chucker, Larry Manier, from the Pittsburgh Pirates on a provisional reporting and 30-day tryout basis. Manier, last season with Denver of the Western league, had a 23-5 won and lost record with Great Falls of the Pioneer loop in 1951. Edmonton paid $2500 apiece for Conant and Manier. The latter was formerly with Vancouver.Ducey said playing manager Bob Sturgeon, who saw major league service with Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves, will open the season at second base. He was playing-manager at Victoria for the latter part of the 1951 season.