Friday, August 28, 1953

W L Pct. GB
Lewiston .... 36 23 .610 —
Spokane ..... 39 26 .600 —
Salem ....... 33 27 .569 3½
Edmonton .... 31 29 .517 5½
Vancouver ... 32 31 .508 6
Yakima ...... 30 30 .500 6½
Calgary ..... 27 32 .458 7½
Tri-City .... 27 35 .435 10½
Wenatchee ... 25 34 .424 11
Victoria .... 26 37 .412 12
AP has different standings for Vic

SPOKANE, Wash. — Young Jack Spring pitched a three-hit shutout against Calgary Friday night as Spokane swept a Western International League double header by scores of 13-0 and 10-8.
Spokane got off to a five run lead in the first inning of the second game and then worried as Calgary threatened with a four-run burst in the eighth inning.
Jim Command got three hits in three times at bat in the nightcap to lead Indian hitters.
Spokane jumped on veteran Joe Orrell for five hits in the first inning of the opener. The hits, combined with four walks and two errors for a total of eight runs.
First Game
Calgary ......... 000 000 0— 0 3 3
Spokane ........ 800 320 x—13 12 0
Orrell, Schulte (1) and Lillard; Spring and Ogle.
Second Game
Calgary .......... 030 001 040— 8 13 4
Spokane ........ 503 020 00x—10 13 0
Francis, Stites (8) and Bricker; Worth, Cordell (8) and Sheets.

VICTORIA [Doug Peden, Colonist, Aug. 29]—Lewiston Broncs, held to check on four hits by southpaw Berlyn Hodges over the first five innings, broke loose for 13 in the final four frames as they rolled to a 10-1 victory over the Victoria Tyees at Royal Athletic Park Friday night.
Showing no signs of fading in the home stretch as they did in the first half of the Western International League’s split schedule, the Broncs barely held on to their slim lead over Spokane Indians, who kept right on their heels with 13-0 and 10-8 victories over Calgary.
Results left Broncs ten percentage points ahead.
Righthander Russ Butler, starting the game with a record of 10 wins and 10 losses, went all the way for the Broncs. He scattered nine hits and wriggled out of several tight spots with clutch pitching that left 13 Victoria runners stranded. He walked six and struck out five.
The Tyees scored their run and went into the fifth inning when Don Pries led off with a double—his third straight hit—and came across on Milt Martin’s two-out single.
Lewiston’s heavy-hitting veterans found the range in the top of the sixth, scoring four times on doubles by Artie Wilson and Al Heist, a base on balls, and singles by Clinton Cameron and Glen Tuckett.
They added four more against Hodges in the seventh with six successive hits after two were out, and finished up with a single tally against Bob Drilling in the eighth and an unearned run off Zeb Walker in the final frame.
TWO TODAY
Manager Bill Brenner will start for the Broncs in the afternoon game of today’s split doubleheader at Athletic Park and will send big John Marshall out after his 20th victory in the night contest. Cec Garriott plans to counter with Bill Bottler in the first game and then Earl Dollins. Both pitched shutout victories over Vancouver in their last starts.
Lewiston ......... 000 004 411—10 17 3
Victoria ........... 000 010 000— 1 9 1
Butler and Garay; Hodges, Drilling (8), Walker (9) and Harford.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Three hits by John Albini, coupled with four-hit pitching of Danny (The Lion) Rios, were all that Yakima needed Friday night to defeat Edmonton in a Western International League game which Bears won 7-1.
Albini homered in the second inning for Yakima's opening tally, then added the game clincher in the fourth inning when his double drove in the first of three runs. He finished with three hits in four appearances and batted in three runs.
Rios held Edmonton for four hits in his 18th victory. The knuckleballer has a chance to become the first Bear since Hub Kittle in 1939 to win 20 games.
Edmonton ........ 000 000 010—1 4 1
Yakima ............ 010 300 30x—7 11 3
Widner and Morgan; Rios and Albini.

WENATCHEE — Tri-City cashed in on five Wenatchee errors and three unearned runs to defeat the Chiefs, 4-3, in a Western International League baseball game here.
Relief pitcher Jess Dobernic, making his 45th appearance of the season, received credit for his 13th win against six losses. He allowed one hit in three innings.
Tri-City scored two runs in each of the fourth and ninth innings, a pair of Wenatchee errors in each case playing an important part in the rallies.
Tri-City ............. 000 200 002—4 6 1
Wenatchee ........ 000 001 200—3 5 5
Michelson, Dobernic (7) and Pesut; Bowman and Bartolomei.

Vancouver at Salem postponed, wet grounds.

Spokane Indian Owner Selling Out
SPOKANE, Wash., Aug. 29 — The owner of Spokane Indians of the Western International League announced Friday he was in an "advanced stage" of negotiations for the sale of the team's home park, Ferris Field.
"I would much prefer to have baseball stay in Spokane and to help keep it there," said owner Roy Hotchkiss. "But since there has been no indication that any single party, or combination of parties, is interested in buying the ball club as such. I am negotiating for sale of the property the ball park is on. If the deal goes through, the property will not be used for baseball."
Hotchkiss, a dairy farmer who bought the Indians in 1949, announced recently he planned to give up the "costly" baseball operation unless the team drew 4,000 fans for its remaining home contests. Attendance had improved, but did not approach the required figure.
The Indians, the traditional WIL attendance leader, set a minor league attendance record by drawing 287,185 fans as a class B club in 1947. The ball park burned down in 1948, just before Hotchkiss took over, and fans have said lack of comfort on the rebuilt stands have kept them away.
Hotchkiss still owes the city of Spokane $30,000 on the purchase price for Ferris Field.
"I want to stress again that selling the property for non-baseball use is a last alternative with me," Hotchkiss said. "But if no one is interested in taking over the ball club, then that's the course I'll have to get out from under."

The Sports Herald
Keith Matthews
[Vancouver News-Herald, Aug. 29, 1953]
Changes made...
Putting one little word after another, and you may look for vast changes in the set-up of the Western International baseball league in 1954.
There will be a meeting called in September to begin decisions on how to improve for next year, and when that starts, at least two will be erased in the “economy move.” It is definite that Calgary won’t be allowed in the league unless they alter their “peanut barrel” into a regulation ball park. Lewiston is another possibility to be ousted. Clubs just don’t want to travel that far. Wenatchee is an almost certainty to abandon baseball, and you can look for changes in management in Spokane, and possibly Victoria, too.
League president Bob Brown is in favor of slashing travel costs by setting up a []ent schedule for that visiting clubs to the prairies only play in one city for one week, then move to the other city for an addition week. He figures a couple of similar schedule maneuvers like this would cuts $11,000 travel costs.
Nenezich due…
Johnny Nenezich, the only umpire in our memory who has made himself popular with the fans, will be here Monday to call the balls and strikes in the Lewiston-Vancouver series … Reminds us of the time four years ago when the Capilanos were to play Tacoma here, and the Tigers were so low in the standings the game had all the aspects of slow, torturing death … Nenezich sensed that the fans wouldn’t like it, so arranged a whale of a rhubarb with George Nicholas to enliven things … It was to happen in the third inning, but when Nicholas got into hot water in the first, he came to the plate to protest a called ball … “Yer a blankety-blank no good,” George said. Nenezich grinned. “Furthermore, ya couldn’t see past the end of your nose,” Nick went on. Again, Johnny grinned. “And furthermore,” Nicholas finished, “this ain’t part of the act, ya’ bum.”
“That being the case,” Nenezich smiled, “you may have your shower right now.”

Sunday, August 23, 1953

W L Pct. GB
Spokane ..... 35 25 .583 —
Lewiston .... 32 23 .582 ½
Salem ....... 32 24 .571 1
Vancouver ... 32 28 .533 3
Edmonton .... 28 27 .509 4½
Yakima ...... 28 28 .500 5
Calgary ..... 26 28 .481 6
Wenatchee ... 25 31 .445 8
Tri-City .... 24 34 .414 10
Victoria .... 23 35 .397 11
AP has different standings for Vic

SPOKANE — The Spokane Indians snapped a seven-game losing streak, stopped an 11-game winning steak, and regained first place in the Western International League Sunday as they trounced the Lewiston Broncs 12 to 0.
The Indians got off to a big start as they banged out five hits in the first inning good for three runs.
They picked up two more runs n the third when Carl Bush homered with one on, and then added lone runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
In the big eighth inning, Spokane hit reliefer Manny Perez for seven consecutive safeties and five runs.
Wilbur Johnson started the inning with a triple and ended it grounding out.
Lewiston .... 000 000 000— 0 4 1
Spokane ..... 302 001 15x—12 23 2
Brenner, Perez (8) and Cameron; Worth and Sheets.

YAKIMA — Wenatchee took both ends of a Western International Baseball League doubleheader from Yakima Sunday night, 4-2 and 8-6.
The second game went 10 innings, Wenatchee winning with a three-run outburst in the top of the 10th to hand Yakima's ace hurler, Danny (The Lion) Rios, who was trying for his 17th win, his eighth loss.
Harry Bartolomei and Tom Munoz rapped out successive singles to open the 10th after Yakima had sent the game into overtime with an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth. Jack Helmuth's double to left center scored Bartolomei and Munoz. Helmuth advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home when Yakima catcher John Albini's attempted pickoff misfired.
Wenatchee nipped a Yakima rally in the bottom of the tenth after a single run scored.
Pitcher Rick Bothelo limited Yakima to four hits in the opener.
Prior to the second game, Rios was presented with a pair of bookends bearing the likeness of a lion by the Honorary Mexican Society of Toppenish, Wash.
First Game
Wenatchee ... 000 031 0— 4 9 1
Yakima ......... 010 000 1— 2 4 2
Bothelo and Bartolomei; Carter and Albini.
Second Game
Wenatchee ... 100 003 001 3—8 11 4
Yakima ......... 000 200 201 1—6 7 3
Monroe, Klein (7), DeCarolis (9) and Bartolomei; Rios and Albini.

Salem at Tri-City cancelled after one and one-third innings, rain.

(Only games scheduled)

Attendance at Spokane Falls
SPOKANE, Aug. 25— The Spokane Indians, leading the Western International League but on shaky legs financially, drew only 5,300 fans
for three nights over the weekend – far short of the 12,000 deemed necessary by the front office.
“This is insufficient to solve our problem,” observed owner Roy Hotchkiss, who said last week attendance “would have to average 4,000 a game to keep professional baseball here.”
The Indians have now drawn about 74,000 fans at home and have only six more home dates. Hotchkiss said it's far below what is needed and that “I'm tired of carrying the burden alone.”
A crowd of 2,611, largest of the season, saw Saturday night's game with Lewiston, but only 1,200 showed up Sunday.

NON WIL BASEBALL NEWS
Record Throw
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Aug. 24—Don Grate, Chattanooga Lookout center fielder, threw a baseball 443 feet, 3½ inches here Sunday to better his own world's distance record.
His previous record of 434 feet, 1 inch, was officially recognized and the ball is in the Coopersown, N. Y., baseball museum.
Standing at the centerfleld flag-pole, Grate took a running start and heaved four of five throws past home plate. The fifth was the record-smasher.

Tuesday, August 18, 1953

W L Pct. GB
Spokane ..... 34 20 .630 —
Salem ....... 31 20 .608 1½
Vancouver ... 31 24 .564 3½
Lewiston .... 27 22 .551 4½
Yakima ...... 26 24 .520 6
Edmonton .... 24 26 .480 8
Calgary ..... 22 27 .449 9½
Wenatchee ... 21 29 .420 11
Victoria .... 22 31 .415 11½
Tri-City .... 20 33 .377 13½
AP has different standings for Lew, Edm and Vic

EDMONTON [News-Herald, Aug. 19]—The Capilanos made an awful lot of good hitting make up for a lack of good pitching Tuesday as they clubbed the Edmonton Eskimos for the second straight time, 8-5.
Their bats humming a busy tune as of late, the Capilanos drummed up a crescendo of 16 hits—eight of them for extra bases—in beating the crippled Esks.
Lonnie Myers, with a helping hand from Carl Gunnarson in the ninth, picked up win No. 10 though he was no puzzle to the Edmonton attack himself. Lon was touched for 16 hits, too.
The Caps broke a scoreless ball game wide open in the third with three runs off their former team-mate, Don Tisnerat. Four straight doubles by Myers, K. Chorlton, Jack Bukowatz and Harvey Storey, plus Jim Clark’s infield out, accounted for the runs.
Vancouver came back with some more of that extra base power in the fifth and scored three more. Frank Mascaro tripled and Myers single him home. That kayoed Tisnerat and in came Jack Widner. K. Chorlton greeted the reliever with a triple and Jack Bukowatz drove K home with an outfield fly.
Edmonton scored four times in their half of the fourth. Six hits, with Don Herman’s triple the longest, accounted for them.
Myers got by fairly well after that. He kept his bases on balls down to three while striking out four.
It wasn’t until the ninth that Lonnie was troubled again. Three hits scored one run and when left-hander Don Meisner stepped in at the plate as the potential tying run, Storey waved southpaw Carl Gunnarson in from the bullpen. Carl had a job to do and make it as short as possible. He threw three pitches as Meisner, Don swung at every one and got nothing but air.
Tonight the clubs play the final game in the series with Van Fletcher (14-9), who pitched an almost perfect no-hitter last time out, going for the Capilanos.
Vancouver ........... 003 310 100—8 16 2
Edmonton ............ 000 400 001—5 16 3
Myers, Gunnarson (9) and Duretto; Tisnerat, Widner (4) Manier (8) and Prentice.

CALGARY—Victoria Tyees edged Calgary Stampeders 7-5 in Western International Baseball League game here Tuesday night.
Stampeders jumped into a three-run lead in the first inning, but Tyees tied the count on Granny Gladstone's three-run homer in the third. Tyees gained a 5-4 lead in the fifth and stayed ahead.
Gladstone added the insurance run with his second homer of the game in the top of the ninth. Bob Drilling picked up the victory, while Joe Orrell was tagged with the loss.
Victoria ........... 003 002 101—7 15 2
Calgary ........... 300 100 100—5 11 2
Drilling and Martin; Orrell and Brickell, Lillard (2).

LEWISTON, Idaho—Larry Barton stepped to the plate in the ninth inning Tuesday night and hit the second pitch out of the park to give Lewiston a 5-4 Western International League win over Spokane.
Barton's blast ended Lewision a comeback against the league leaders who had tied the game in the eighth inning on two walks and a home run by Will Hafey. Spokane had scored once in the sixth on a double by Jim Command and a single by Hafey, who had all of the Indians' RBI's for the night.
Lewiston broke into the scoring column first in the fifth inning, when Mel Wasley hit a home run with one on base. Singles by Glen Tuckett and Ken Richardson drove in runs for the Broncs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Spokane ..... 000 001 030—4 8 1
Lewiston ..... 000 021 101—5 9 0
Spring, Romero (7) and Sheets; Kine, Marshall (7) and Cameron.

WENATCHEE, Wash.—Righthander Keith Bowman pitched a three-hitter to lead Wenatchee duets to a 5-1 victory over Yakima Bears here Tuesday night.
Bob Wellman's line single leading off the sixth inning was the only safety until the final inning.
A walk, a single by pinch-hitter Danny Rios and a single by Phil Steinberg in the ninth accounted for Yakima's only run.
Jerry Green collected four hits in five times at bat, to lend the Wenatchee attack.
Bowman struck out seven Bears batters and walked four. His teammates supported him with three double plays.
Yakima ............. 000 000 001—1 3 0
Wenatchee ....... 020 021 00x—5 13 0
Del Sarto, Edmunds (5) and Albini; Bowman and Bartolomei.

SALEM, Ore. — Joe Nicholas set an all-time Salem record Tuesday night when he pitched his 21st win of the season as Senators defeated Tri-City 11-0.
Nicholas also became the first player of the Western International League to pitch 21 wins this year.
He was in trouble several times but managed to pitch his way out. He struck out five, walked five and gave up seven hits —two of them to Des Charouhas.
Salem's only extra base hit was Jim Deyo's double with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.
Tri-City .............. 000 000 000— 0 7 4
Salem ................ 004 600 10x—11 14 1
Snyder, Michelson (4) and Pesut; Nicholas and Masterson.

BLUE SERGE HARNESS
Umpire Nenezich Again Arbitrates WIL Issues
By KEITH MATTHEWS [News-Herald, Aug. 19, 1953]
WIL president Bob Brown announced Tuesday he had signed umpire Johnny Nenezich to finish out the season with the league’s umpiring teams.
Ordinarily, announcements of this kind are greeted with a “so what” attitude. But Nenezich is not just an ordinary umpire.
It’s been four years since Johnny last pulled on his blue serge in the Western International. However, he has never been forgotten.
John was always former president Bob Abel’s trouble-shooter. Whenever a riot would rear its ugly head in one of the league’s cities, in would come Mr. Nenezich to put of the fire. Some said he was a better fireman than old Hugh Casey.
Once in Spokane, after Alan Strange had pulled his team off the field and the game had been forfeited, Abel sent a hurried wire to Nenezich which said: “Trouble in Spokane. Get down there immediately and take over as umpire in chief.”
For John, A Tossed Salad
Johnny went. The minute he stepped on the field, he was greeted with a shower of fruit and vegetables from the fans which made he think he stepped into One Long Pan’s warehouse. Nenezich cutely returned Abel’s wire: “Thanks for the assignment. I sold the fruit and vegetables for $20.”
Two years ago Nenezich got a chance in the Pacific Coast League. He did well, but there again an old habit of liking the ball players too much and trying to associate with them, cost him his job.
Two items brought about Nenezich’s re-hiring. One is the fact that Mel Steiner soon will have to leave the league staff. His father is seriously ill and not expected to live.
The other is John Luksik, whom Mr. Brown fired last week.
Saga Of Luckless Mr. Luksik
John has been on the WIL’s umpiring staff since the opening of the season. Last week, however he was involved in a hot argument in Edmonton, in which the Eskimos’ manager, Bob Sturgeon, said he was playing the game under protest.
Luksik refused to announce the protest and further, he refused to report it to league headquarter.
Several days later Brown heard about it. He wired Luksik immediately: “It is my understanding that I am still president of this league and must be informed of all protest games. Wire me immediately night letter, not more than 50 words an explanation of your actions.”
“He wired me all right,” Bob groaned. “It was quite an explanation. It cost me $14 for the telegram.
Mr. Luksik is with us no longer.


Spokane Could Lose Pro Ball If More Fans Don't Turn Out
SPOKANE, Wash., Aug. 19 — Spokane, the city that filled Ferris Field with 287,185 fans in 1947 to break Minor League attendance records, may be without a professional baseball team in 1954 if the turnstiles don't start clicking soon.
Roy Hotchkiss, owner of the Western International League team, said Tuesday that he can't continue to operate with the slumping attendance and if an average of 4,000 fans don't turn up for the remaining home games he may have to give up.
Winning Club
Hotchkiss, a dairy farmer who has owned Indians since 1949, said he thought all the city needed to keep the park full was a winning club. But last year, when Indians were second all season, the attendance was 104,600 the lowest in years.
This year, with Spokane on top in the second half of the WIL split season, the team has pulled in only 68,400 paying customers for 56 playing dates.
"I didn't expect to make any money out of baseball when I took over the Indians in 1949. Still, they must come closer to breaking even—otherwise I can't afford to carry on," he said.
If Spokane drew 4,000 for the remaining nine home dates, total attendance for 1953 would be 104,400, approximately the same as last year.
Couldn't Break Even
Hotchkiss said even that attendance figure wouldn't allow him to break even, "but at least that kind of support would indicate to me that the people of Spokane are interested in keeping baseball here."
Spokane, the traditional attendance leader of the WIL, drew the record gate as a class B club in 1947.
It outdrew every B team in the nation, and had better attendance than 10 class A leagues and eight AAA teams.
The Indians' home park Ferris Field, burned in 1948, before Hotchkiss bought the team. He rebuilt it but admits the stands may not be as comfortable as before.

Father of Spokane Baseball

WHAT'S THE SCORE
by Norm Jollow
Dixon Evening Telegraph, Dixon, Illinois, Thursday, June 18, 1953
A WAY, WAY BACK, when baseball flourished in Dixon as it did all over the country, George Ferris was a student at the Northeastern Illinois College of Law here in Dixon and played some mighty sharp shortstop for the school.
Today, George Ferris is a highly successful lawyer in Spokane, Wash., and is regarded as the "Father of Baseball" in Spokane.
"George," says John Devlin", Dixon lawyer, "was as fast an a bullet and he often had three or four men chasing him around the basepaths when he started to steal a base. But George usually always managed to get to the next base safe."
FERRIS PLAYED SHORTSTOP
for Dixon for one year (1901) and then moved on to Ogden, Utah, where he played in the Utah State League. Later in the season, he moved to Spokane.
HE PLAYED FOR SPOKANE
for three seasons (1903-05) and then became player-manager. After the 1906 season, he gave up baseball as a player and took a job with the legal department of the Northern Pacific Railway company as assistant attorney which he held until 1920 when he entered general practice in Spokane with his younger brother, Edward.
In 1933, Ferris was appointed corporation counsel for the city of Spokane and he has held that position ever since. In December, 1951, he was presented a plaque in New York by the Institute of Municipal Law Officers, an organization made up of city attorneys in the United Stales and Canada. This was the first citation ever given by the organization and it states that it is awarded for "outstanding contributions to the advancemcnt of municipal government."
BACK IN THE BASEBALL DEPARTMENT, Ferris won his title as "Father of Baseball" in Spokane because of the big part he played in getting that city a team in the Western International league and for his work and effort in getting the city to agree to build the present Spokane park.
In honor of his work, the park has been named "Ferris Field." Recently, the management of the Spokane team named Ferris "Mr. Baseball of the Week" and carried his picture on the cover of the official program.
AMONG FERRIS' OTHER ENDEAVORS in the field of baseball: He acted as sole umpire for all games in the Spokane City league from 1907-1912. In 1919, he was president of the Spokane club in the International League which comprised about the same clubs presently under the Western International League.
From 1920-1936 he was president of the Idaho-Washington League and in 1937 Ferris Field was named after him.
In 1952 a Ferris night was held in honor of the first game, he ever played for Spokane and he was presented a trophy and a round trip plane ticket to the World Series.
FERRIS WAS BORN IN STERLING and his father worked for the Northwestern Railroad. In 1904 he married a Spokane girl and they nave one son, Edward P. Ferris, a practicing attorney in Spokane.

Pre-Season, Spokane

Spokane Signs New Talent to Carry Hopes
(This is one in a series on the prospects of teams in the Western International League)
By BOB JOHNSON
Spokane Chronicle Sports Writer
SPOKANE, Wash., April 19 — New, young and different!
That, in a nutshell, sizes up the Spokane Indians for 1953 as they prepare for the Western International League season.
This year the Indians begin what Spokane officials hope will be a long and happy association with the Philadelphia Phillies. It will be the Phils who will supply much of the talent the Indians hope to put on the field.
To make room for the National League club's optionees Spokane did considerable roster cleaning during the winter leaving only five holdovers from last year's club that battled in second place during most of the season.
Returning from a mound staff that was rated with the best in the loop in 1952 are rookie lefthander Jack Spring and Gordy Palm. In Spring the Indians hope they have Spokane's next major leaguer.
The Phils have already shipped some mound talent but more is expected if and when the need arises. George New, who won 12 and lost 16 for Tri-City last season, is on hand.
Another WI Leaguer of earlier vintage, lefty John Cordell, who “iron-manned” the Indians to a pennant in 1948, is giving pro ball another try and will probably see a lot of relief action.
Other promising moundsmen include Clyde DeWitt and Dick Descalso, Phil farm hands just out of military service; Bill Franks, former Pioneer leaguer; Carroll Yerkes, Nick Buonato, Art Worth and Mike Shade.
Spokane's infield will be three-quarters new with only shortstop Wilbur Johnson returning. The Tribe has received first sacker Carl Bush and third baseman Jim Command from the Phils. Replacing handy Jim Brown at second will be Andy Anderson of Silverdale, Wash., who saw action with the St. Louis Browns in 1948 and 1949.
Other infield candidates include Dave Hammermeister, a former Gonzaga University third sacker; shortstop Ed Coleman, formerly of Washington State, and Ray Coley from the Phils. He's a third sacker.
Things look particularly bright in the outfield where Eddie Murphy returns to patrol centerfield.
The fleet-footed flychaser, who set a new league stolen base record in 1951 with 90 thefts, will be flanked by Will Hafey and either Bob Byrne or Bill Holland.
Hafey, the league's home run king with Wenatchee in 1951, is expected to provide the much needed long ball punch in the Indian outfield. Byrne, a Montana State University star, played briefly with Spokane last year before being optioned out for further seasoning.
Holland, who hits a long ball, has never played professional baseball before and didn't see any action during his school days. Osbom regards him as a definite prospect although he may not be able to crack A class ball this year.
Catching is one of Spokane’s strongest departments with Bill Sheets back for regular duty. Sheets caught in 150 of Spokane's 154 games last year, a league record.
George Triandos, up from the Salt Lake City Bees, Bill Weatherwax, just returned from service, and Dan Linton, on option from the Phils, are the catching reserves.
The over-all picture finds the Indians stronger in the hitting department, slightly improved in the outfield and likely to be considerably improved in pitching. The major worry seems to be in bow the infield defense will stack up.

Spokane Asks Players to Return

Indians Mail 17 Contracts
SPOKANE, Feb. 14 — The Spokane Indians began official preparations for the 1953 Western International season Saturday by mailing out 17 contracts.
Manager Don Osborn said the club has an 18th contract earmarked for rookie southpaw Hank Eckhart, who has reportedly been discharged from service after being inducted early in the 1951 season.

1953 Spring Training Sites

Calgary Will Train In Porterville
McClatchy Newspapers Service
PORTERVILLE, Tulare Co., Jan. 26— The Calgary, Alberta, baseball team, a new member of the class A Western International League, will conduct its Spring training in Porterville.
Confirmation of the deal was contained in a telegram received here by Arnold Bremler from Gene Lillard, a former Pacific Coast League player and California League manager, who is piloting the Calgary entry.
Bremler said the Lewiston, Ida., Broncs, originally scheduled to return to Porterville for Spring training, will work out at home as an economy measure.
Bremler and Harry Britton are attempting to arrange for the Edmonton team from Canada to train in Wasco. The Wenatchee Wash., team of the Western International League will train in Lindsay.

Four WIL Teams To Train At Pacific Northwest Sites
LEWISTON, Idaho, Jan. 28 — The Lewiston Broncs of the Western International Baseball League will hold spring training at home this year, President James B. McMonigle announced Wednesday.
He said he now has 20 men on the tentative Bronc roster and expects about 30 by the time spring drills begin March 25.
Lewiston's usually favorable spring weather that often sends tha temperature up into the 70's in March and April, was a big factor in the decision, McMonigle said. Last year the Broncs trained in California.
The Yakima and Tri-City teams also have announced they will train in their own backyards this year.
McMonigle said Lewiston expects to schdule exhibitition games with those teams and with Washington State College and the University of Idaho.

SPOKANE, Jan. 28 — If spring brings fair weather, the Spokane Indians of the Western International Baseball League will practice at home this year. If not, they will go to Lewiston, Owner Roy Hotchkiss said Wednesday.
He said it will be less expensive than going to California as the team has in past years and also will give the local players a chance to break into baseball for the few openings that may come up.
“The only real object in going South is to get near the big camps where we can pick up some players. We don't need them this year,” said Hotchkiss.
This will be Spokane's first year under a new working agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies which may be expected to provide some players.
Pitchers will be asked to report the last week in March, Hotchkiss said, and the others a short time later.

Phils Now in Spokane

Phils to Work With Spokane
PHOENIX, Ariz., Dec. 4, 1952—President Roy Hotchkiss of the Spokane, Wash., Baseball Association, Inc., announced Thursday the club had signed a working agreement with
the Philadelphia Phillies. The Western International League Class A club has operated as an independent for the past four years.
Hotchkiss said no spring training plans, or a site, have been determined.