Thursday, June 4, 1953

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 24 11 .686 —
Salem ....... 21 14 .600 3
Vancouver ... 21 15 .583 3½
Edmonton .... 19 20 .487 7
Calgary ..... 18 20 .474 7½
Spokane ..... 17 19 .472 7½
Victoria .... 17 20 .459 8
Wenatchee ... 16 21 .432 9
Yakima ...... 18 24 .429 9½
Tri-City .... 16 23 .410 10

KENNEWICK — Don Robertson made his home debut Thursday night with a four-hit pitching performance that gave the Tri-City Braves a 5-1 Western International League baseball win over Vancouver.
Robertson, purchased from Toronto a week ago, never was in serious trouble. Vancouver got its lone tally in the eighth inning on two walks and Frank Mascaro's follow-up single. Harvey Storey, Vancouver player-manager, got two of his team's four safeties.
Tri-City scored once in the fifth inning, then added four more in the seventh on four singles in a row, a double and another single.
The six hits in that inning were just half of those allowed by two Vancouver hurlers.
Vancouver ..... 000 000 010—1 4 0
Tri-City ......... 000 010 40x—5 12 0
Gunnerson, Guldborg (8) and Lundberg; Robertson and Warren.

WENATCHEE — The Spokane Indians salvaged one game of a three-game series by defeating the Wenatchee Chiefs 5-3 here Thursday night.
Eddie Murphy, who had a perfect night in four trips to the plate, slammed a single off the shortstop's glove with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to provide the Indians' winning margin.
Wenatchee loaded the bases in the home half of the inning but Art Worth, third Spokane pitcher in the inning, struck out the last batter to protect the victory. Southpaw George New got credit for the win.
After the game, Tommy Munoz was recalled from the Chiefs by the PCL's Oakland Oaks. Munoz, who turns 19 on August 11, will replace injured first baseman Jim Marshall in Oakland's line-up.
Spokane ....... 100 010 102—5 9 2
Wenatchee ... 002 001 000—3 6 1
Franks, New (8), Nemes (9), Worth (9) and Sheets; Oubre and Bartolomei.

SALEM — Victoria finally snapped Salem's winning streak at six consecutive games Thursday night with a ninth-inning rally that brought a 7-5 victory in a Western International League game.
Victoria went into the final inning, trailing 5-4. A walk to Don Pries and an error by shorstop Gene Tanselli on Cece Garriott's ground ball put two men on base. Then Gale Taylor laid down a bunt. Pitcher Bob Collins fielded the intended sacrifice, but threw the ball into right field, and the tying run came in.
Herman Charles crashed out a triple then to score two more Victoria runs for the victory. Charles had only one hit in 25 previous trips to the plate.
Pries' two-out single and a single by Garriott gave the Tyees a one-run advantage in the first inning, which only lasted until the Senators had their first turn at the plate.
The Solonos scored twice in the second to take the lead as starter Earl Dollins, who pitched creditably, forced in both runs with bases on balls. But Collins, his opposing southpaw number, walked the bases full in the third and the Tyees yied it with runs scoring after Milt Martin skied out and Chuck Abernathy grounded out.
A walk to Jim Clark, a hit-and-run single by Bob Moniz and Pries' infield out made it 4-4 in teh Victoria sixth, but the Senators went ahead in their half.
Salem threatened in the ninth when a single, base on ballls and a wild pitch put the tying run in scoring position. Don Hopp ended it by whiffing .362-hitting Les Witherspoon on a 3-2 delivery.
Hopp picked up his sixth win in eight decisions by blanking the Senators in a relief role. It is likely his last appearance in a Victoria uniform before reporting for U.S. military duty.
Victoria ..... 102 001 003—7 9 2
Salem ....... 120 101 000—5 9 4
Dollins, Hopp (8) and Martin; Collins and Nelson.

CALGARY, Alta. — The Edmonton Eskimos edged the Calgary Stampeders 4-3 here Thursday night to gain an even split in a Western International League baseball double-header. The Stampeders won the first game 6-2.
Charlie Mead's three-run homer in the fifth cinched the opening game win for Stampeders. Andy Skurski and Whitey Thompson each homered to give Edmonton its two runs.
In the nightcap, Eskimos bunched three hits to get two runs and their margin of victory. Leon Day went the distance lot Edmonton in the second game, giving up nine hits.
First Game
Edmonton.......... 000 111 0—2 7 1
Calgary ............. 110 130 x—6 8 1
Tisnerat and Prentice; Orrell and Lillard.
Second Game
Edmonton .......... 101 002 000—4 9 1
Calgary .............. 101 100 000—3 10 0
Day and Morgan; Levinson, Roberts (6) and Bricker.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED

Salem Joins Victoria on Critical List As WIL Faces Grave Financial Crisis
BY JIM TANG
[Victoria Colonist, June 5, 1953]
There’ll be a lot of serious-looking fellows in one Spokane hotel on Monday. That’s the date of a Western International Baseball League meeting, and the worried expressions will belong to league directors. The WIL, once one of minor baseball’s strongholds, has already reached the state where it is doubtful if the 10 starting teams will finish the season and where next year is only a hope at the moment. At least two clubs are in critical financial condition, two or three others not far from it; and the rest are in the red.
Victoria and Salem are in the most serious condition. The Tyees made their current road trip only because the players agreed to take only a half of their end-of-the-month salary cheques. They’ll be home Monday and there is yet no definite assurance that the club can continue past its home stand.
It’s even worse at Salem. While the Victoria club as announced it will be able to finish the season if it can raise $10,000 through the sale of books of tickets, the Senators announced yesterday that they need $50,000 before July 1 if they are to continue in the league. The club still owes Portland $20,000 and has $30,000 in accumulated debts. Bad weather has cut sharply into attendance and receipts are hardly enough to take care of operating expenses. The Senators are attempting to raise the money through sale of stock and have managed $4,000 in three days.
There has been no public announcement from other clubs but the report is that all are losing money. Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Yakima all have sturdy financial backing, but Tri-City, Wenatchee, Spokane and Lewiston may find the going tough unless there is a general increase in attendance.
Tacoma Wants Back In!
There’s only one bright spot in the picture team delegates will look over Monday—Tacoma, which dropped out a few seasons back because it took a bad financial beating, wants in again. Sportscaster Bob Robertson has headed a fan move to regain a franchise and will attend the Spokane meeting to see what can be done.
Robertson was in touch with Reg Patterson, business manager of the Victoria club, yesterday to sound out the possibility of taking over the Tyees or some other club, and may do business Monday. It seems likely that Tacoma will eventually get one club or another if it can provide facilities and enough backing to keep a club in operation through 1953.
Meanwhile, the Tyees are going ahead on the assumption they will continue in operation. Down to 16 players following the release of outfielder Nap Gully and the loss of righthander Don Hopp to the armed services, they are hoping to get player help from Portland.
Just what the Beavers will be able to do is indefinite at the moment. They added a player a few days back when they signed Don Kolloway, infielder recently released by the Philadelphia Athletics, and it may be they have a player to spare for the Tyees, who are hoping to get a pitcher. The bench situation will be helped in a week to 10 days, when outfielder Dwane Helbig completes his university term and joins the club. Helbig played the last part of last season here, breaking into 30 box scores and batting .278.

TRADE WINDS
Two More Get Chop Caps May
By CLANCY LORANGER
[Vancouver Province, June 5, 1953]
Two more ball players may join Gordon Hernandez on the growing list of ex-Capilanos.
Outfielder Dick Briskey and pitcher Bud Guldborg were named today by general manager Dewey Soriano as candidates for oblivion, or at least departure.
“I’m working on a deal right now to trade Briskey to Calgary for pitcher Bob Roberts,” Dewey said today. Briskey, benched early in the season for not hitting, looked good for awhile when he returned to action, but his hitting has fallen off again.
● ● ●
Roberts, possibly the best relief pitcher in the league last year with Spokane, is not happy in Calgary’s bandbox park. The righthander, who saw action in 50 games in ’52, won 11 and lost 6 with the Indians, and had an earned run average of 3.03.
Guldborg, potentially a big winner in this league, has won one, lost four so far for the Caps, thanks in part to his temper.
Meanwhile, a move to junk the split schedule in the Western International League and substitute a six-team playoff will probably be made by Edmonton when the league meets at Spokane on Monday.
President Bob Brown said today that Edmonton general manager John Ducey, worried about the rained-out games his club (and most of the others) have lost, will likely try to push such a motion through.
● ● ●
Ruby Robert, already beset by the financial troubles of Victoria—on top of bad weather and low attendance—Thursday had a new problem, although he says “it’s not too worrisome.”
It was announced in Salem that $20,000 is needed to pay off a mortgage held by the Portland club on the Salem team’s ball park.
“That’s just the final payment to Portland,” said Bob. “And the rest estate certainly isn’t deteriorating, so I don’t imagine they’ll push it.”

Eskimo Gets Tarred
EDMONTON, June 4—The Edmonton Eskimos of the Western International Baseball league sold First Baseman John Paul Jones to the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League Thursday.

Wednesday, June 3, 1953

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 24 11 .686 —
Salem ....... 21 13 .618 2½
Vancouver ... 21 14 .600 3
Edmonton .... 18 19 .485 7
Calgary ..... 17 19 .472 7½
Spokane ..... 16 19 .457 8
Victoria .... 16 20 .444 8½
Wenatchee ... 16 20 .444 8½
Yakima ...... 18 24 .429 9½
Tri-City .... 15 23 .395 10½

LEWISTON—Lewiston Broncs, Western International Baseball League leaders, got back on the victory trail Wednesday night as they put the skids under Calgary Stampeders, 12-5, behind the 10-hit pitching of Russ Butler.
Butler, who chalked up his sixth win in eight starts this season, was in trouble only in the fifth, when Stampeders got four runs on three singles and a brace of two-baggers.
The Broncs touched three Calgary pitchers for 13 hits.
Calgary ......... 100 040 000—5 10 0
Lewiston ....... 034 010 040—12 13 1
Schulte, Francis (3), Stites (7) and Lillard; Butler and Cameron.

YAKIMA—Yakima and Edmonton split a Western International League baseball doubleheader Wednesday night as Danny Rios pitched a one hitter for Yakima's win in the opener and Jack Widner hurled the Canadians to 4-2 win in the nightcap.
The only hit off Rios came in the sixth, when Edmonton manager Bob Sturgeon singled to centre.
Widner's seven-hitter, combined with four Yakima bobbles afield, gave Eskimos the second game.
First Game
Edmonton ........... 000 000 0—0 1 2
Yakima .............. 001 101 x—3 8 1
Conant and Morgan; Rios and Novick.
Second Game
Edmonton ........... 011 020 000—4 6 2
Yakima ............... 000 100 001—2 7 4
Widner and Prentice; Schaening, Thompson (6) and Novick.

WENATCHEE —Wenatchee Chiefs were six runs down going into the last of the fourth before they got enough steam up to overtake Spokane in an 8-7 Western International League baseball victoria on Wednesday.
The Chiefs got three runs in the fourth, three more in the sixth and two in the seventh on Babe Fuhrman's circuit clout. Stan Palys got a bases-loaded triple for Spokane to the second.
Spokane ............ 140 101 000—7 14 0
Wenatchee ........ 000 303 20x—8 10 3
Romero, Worth (6) and Sheets; Monroe, Klein (4) and Bartolomei.

SALEM [Victoria Colonist, June 4]—Victoria Tyees almost pulled their Western International League game against Salem last night out of the fire with a ninth-inning rally but dropped an 8-7 decision to the fast-improving Senators when Dick Sabatini squeezed home Joe Clardy with the winning run in their half of the inning.
The loss dropped the Tyees to their lower point, percentage-wise, in this year’s pennant race, four games below .500 and into a seventh-place deadlock with Wenatchee.
PRIOR LOSES
Bill Prior, who relieved starter Bill Bottler in the eighth, took the loss, his third against as many victories. Jack Hemphill came on in the ninth for Salem to gain credit for his seventh win against three losses.
Tyees scored twice in their half of the ninth to tie the count at 7-7. Jimmy Clark and Bob Moniz walked to open the inning and Gene Roenspie uncorked a wild pitch with manager Cec Garriott at the plate to move the runners to second and third.
Hemphill took over on the mound and Garriott greeted him with a single to drive in Moniz. Hemphill hit Chuck Abernathy to load the bases and Moniz scampered in with the tying run on Gale Taylor’s fly to centre.
TOO GENEROUS
Thirteen walks given up by Bottler contributed greatly to his troubles. He issued three bases on balls in the first frame and was touched for three hits as the Senators took a 3-0 lead.
The Senators picked up three tallies in the fourth and a singleton in the fifth. Sabatini singled and Bottler walked Milt Smith with one out in the eighth before being relieved by Prior. Connie Perez rapped a ground ball to Lu Branham at second base and Branham’s throw to Clark, trying for a double play, got past Clark and allowed Sabatini to score.
Bottler singled in the first two Tyee runs in the second while Garriott’s double plated Moniz in the third and Garriott came home on Smith’s error at third base. Clark tripled in the fifth and scored Victoria’s fifth run on Garriott’s ground out,
Tyees conclude their series at Salem with a single game tonight then move to Wenatchee for four contests with the Chiefs.
Victoria ....... 022 010 020—7 9 1
Salem ......... 300 210 011—8 8 1
Bottler, Prior (8) and Martin; Roenspie, Hemphill (9) and Nelson.

KENNEWICK — Vancouver batsmen fell on everything three Tri-City pitchers had to offer Wednesday night as the Capilanos administered a 12-3 drubbing to the Braves in a Western International League baseball game.
Six of the Cap runs were scored on homers. Capilanos got two runs in the fourth when K Chorlton rapped out a four-bagger and four more in the ninth when Jim Leavitt grand-slammed. Braves threatened in the seventh inning but Van Fletcher, the eventual winner, doused the fire before any harm was done.
Vancouver ..... 200 230 005—12 12 0
Tri-City ......... 000 001 200— 3 9 3
Fletcher and Leavitt; Snyder, Bloom (5), Michelson (9) and Pesut, Warren (5).

Tyees Slice Gully, Lose Hopp
[Victoria Colonist, June 4, 1953]
Victoria Tyees will be down to 16 players Monday, two below the WIL player limit of 18.
Business manager Reg Patterson announced last night that outfielder Nap Gully was released yesterday by manager Cec Garriott and that Don Hopp, 5-2 rookie righthander, has been ordered to report for induction into the U.S. Army.
Hopp’s loss will be felt by the Tyees, extremely shy of dependable pitchers. Although wild at times, Hopp was one of the most reliable starters on the club and boasted the top record.
Gully’s release was not unexpected. The colored outfielder had been expected to provide the Tyees with extra-base punch but never could get started at the plate and was far from certain defensively. He left the club with a .269 batting average on 23 hits in 85 trips. He hit three home runs and batted in 22 runs.

All Wages for Victoria Team Not Paid Yet
VICTORIA, June 4 — Victoria Tyees went on their present Western International baseball league tour with only half their month-end wages paid.
Business manager Reg Patterson said the team agreed to take only half their pay when it was found the sale of books of tickets was just enough to take them on tour.
Patterson said another 500 books must be sold at $10 each for the club to remain in operation.
A drive for $10,000 in book sale revenue resulted in sale of only 500 books.
Although Robert Hew Fergusson-Pollock, a Victoria resident, recently offered to subscribe a $20,000 share capital in the club, it was learned that financial complications in the plan will hold up any definite deal for another tour for weeks.

Saturday, May 30, 1953

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 22 10 .688 —
Vancouver ... 20 13 .600 3
Salem ....... 17 13 .567 4
Spokane ..... 16 17 .484 6½
Calgary ..... 16 17 .484 6½
Victoria .... 16 18 .471 7
Edmonton .... 16 18 .471 7
Yakima ...... 17 22 .436 8½
Tri-City .... 14 20 .412 9
Wenatchee ... 14 20 .412 9

VICTORIA — Yakima and Victoria traded a pair of shutout victories here Saturday as the teams finished up their four-game Western International League baseball series, the Bears taking three of the contests.
Don Hopp applied an 11-0 whitewashing to the Bears in the afternoon and lanky Harold Flinn returned the compliments under the lights by blanking the Tyees, 5-0, on a neat two-hitter.
Hopp, who earlier this season set a lead record with 19 walks in a single game, was a master of control and did not allow a single base on balls. His mates baxced him with an errorless performance afield.
The Tyees climbed on started Jack Schaening for five runs in the first inning to give Hopp all the margin he needed. Schaening was kicked for single tallies in the fifth and sixth frames before being lifted for Ed Locke in the eíghth. Victoria greeted Locke with a four run rally with two were out with doubles by Nap Gully and Chuck Abernathy doing most of the damage.
Victoria´s Milt Martin and Cec Garriott were thumbed out of the game at the last of the seventh on umpire Van Bueren's ruling on a bunt attempt.
Bill Prior, making his first start of the season, went all the way for Victoria in the night game. Owner of a 3-1 record going into the contest, Prior helped his own downfall with a streak of wildness.
He hit Len Noran in the second inning and Bob Wellman followed with a home run onto Pembroke Street. Two walks and a single loaded the bases in the fifth and Prior forced in another tally by hitting Noren for the second time. Noren's double and Wellman's none-base blow gave Yakima a well-earned run in the seventh. A walk to Elmer Clow set up the Bears' final tally in the ninth.
Flinn's somewhat unorthodox delivery was close to untouchable as he served up the ball at all angles. Garriott slammed a single off Buddy Hjelmaa's shins in the first inning and Prior lined out the other Victoria single in the sixth.
First Game
Yakima ..... 000 000 000— 0 6 2
Victoria ... 500 011 04x—11 13 0
Schaening, Locke (8) and Novick; Hopp and Martin, Pries (9).
Second Game
Yakima ..... 020 010 101—5 7 0
Victoria ... 000 000 000—0 2 2
Flinn and Novick; Prior and Martin.

VANCOUVER, B. C. — The Wenatchee Chiefs used a big fifth inning Saturday to win their first Western International League baseball game in 11 starts, defeating the Vancouver Capilanos 5-2 to split a double-header.
In the opener, pitcher Lonnie Myers won his own game in the bottom of the tenth. He hit a looping double to right centre off Jack Klein, who had struck out five and walked only two in limiting the Caps to two hits at that point. Then, rookie shortstop Jack Bukowatz laced a solid single to left ans Myers streaked home with the winner.
Strangely enough, Bukowatz proved one of the goats in the weird blow-up that came in the fifth inning of the nigh game.
Babe Furhman singled for Wenatchee and catcher harry Bartolomei also hit. Then came umpire Steve Uhase´s part in the drama.
Jack Helmuth laid down a bunt which pitcher Brad Guldborg scooped up and fired to Harvey Storey at third. Storey, with his foot off the base, leaned over and touched the bag with his glove, apparently forcing Furhman by several feet. Uhase called him safe.
Obviously upset, Guldborg fed Tommy Munoz a fat one. Charlie Beamon hit a perfect one-hop, double-play ball right at Bukowatz. From 20 feet out, Bukowatz rifled the ball into the dirt, Bartolomei and Helmuth scoring, Munoz going to third and Beamon to second.
When Chuck Malmberg singled those two hime, Guldborh was replaced by Carl Gunnarson who retired the next three in order but it was too late.
First Game
Wenatchee ..... 000 000 000 0—0 6 2
Vancouver ..... 000 000 000 1—1 4 1
Klein and Bartolomei; Myers and Lundberg.
Second Game
Wenatchee ..... 000 050 000—5 8 0
Vancouver ..... 001 001 000—2 7 2
Beamon, Oubre (7) and Bartolomei; Guldborg, Gunnerson (5), Thomason (7) and Lundberg.

EDMONTON — Leon Day, veteran Negro righthander, made his first start for the Edmonton
Eskimos a winner Saturday night as he went all the way for a 7-5 Western International League baseball victory over the Lewiston Broncs.
In the opener, John Marshall tossed a four-hitter in a 8-0 Lewiston win.
First Game
Lewiston ..... 050 020 010—8 8 0
Edmonton ..... 000 000 000—0 4 1
Marshall and Cameron; Manier, Tisnerat (2) and Prentice.
Second Game
Lewiston ..... 020 102 000—5 8 2
Edmonton ..... 110 300 02x—7 12 1
Butler and Cameron; Day and Morgan.

SALEM — Tri-City was swamped by Salem in both halves of a doubleheader here Saturday,
losing the first game, 2-3, and winding up the second one on the bad end of a 13-1 tally.
First Game
Tri-City ..... 000 100 010—2 9 0
Salem ........ 001 100 001—3 8 3
Hedgecock, Dobernic (9) and Pesut; Nicholas and Masterson.
Second Game
Tri City .... 000 010 000— 1 6 1
Salem ....... 140 221 03x—13 12 4
Tanner, R. Tran (9) and Pesut; Roenspie and Nelson.

ONLY GAMES SCHEDULED.

Ex-Yank Bevens Announces Plan For Retirement
SALEM, Ore., May 30 (UP)—Bill Bevens, former New York Yankee pitcher, who came within one hit of baseball immortality in the 1947 World Series, today announced his voluntary retirement from baseball.
Bevens, who left the Yankees after the 1947 series with a sore arm, finished his baseball career with the Salem Senators of the class A Western International League. His record this season was dismal. He was charged with three losses against no wins. He started seven games, but finished only one.
It was a long way down for the big right-hander who pitched hitless ball to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1947 World Series through 8 2/3 innings only to be denied a no-hitter when Cookie Lavagetto slammed a home run with two out in the ninth.
A sore arm failed to respond to treatment and Bevens was released by the Yankees before start of the 1948 season. He joined Salem in the Western International League in 1951 and won 20 games that season.
He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds, but had little success against major league hitters. San Francisco of the Pacific Coast
League bought him last year and he was traded to Salem last winter.
Bevens, who lists his age as 34, said his plans for the future were indefinite, but he will spend most of his time on his small chicken farm near Salem. Bevens was an American Legion Junior baseball player in his home town of Hubbard, Ore., when he was spotted by professional scouts. He entered the Yankee chain in 1937.

Angel Turns Up With Cash To Aid Tyees
VICTORIA — An "angel" has appeared to rescue the Victoria Tyees from their financial woes.
The Victoria Times in a front-page story announced Saturday that the local Western International League club's benefactor is Robert Hew Fergusson-Pollok, who has offered to subscribe up to $20,000 share capital in the club.
Fergusson-Pollok and his wife, Laura, are owners of a miniature baronial estate at Hycroft, two miles north of Cowichan Bay, and heirs to an old country estate, including a castle, the Times says.
The English estate also includes British securities, 250,000 acres of land, a Rembrandt original painting and other sundry items.
Fergusson-Pollok was reported planning to dispose part part of his English estate so that he would be in a position to help the local club Both he and his wife are great Tyee fans.
"I know it can be arranged," he said. "I am willing to put $20,000 into the club."
Fergusson-Pollok, who came to Canada from England in 1910, has no thought of returning. The English castle has been in his family since 1029.
Prior to his good fortune, he was employed in a sawmill on Vancouver Island. During the war he was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force Sea Rescue Service. He is also a qualified master mariner and marine engineer.

Friday, May 29, 1953

W L Pct. GB
Lewiston .... 21 9 .700 —
Vancouver ... 19 12 .613 2½
Salem ....... 15 13 .536 5
Spokane ..... 16 17 .485 6
Calgary ..... 16 17 .485 6
Victoria .... 15 17 .469 6½
Edmonton .... 15 17 .469 6½
Tri-City .... 14 18 .438 8
Yakima ...... 16 21 .432 8
Wenatchee ... 13 19 .406 9

KENNEWICK — Tri-City and Salem staged another hit, run and error spree with a little argumentation and cushion throwing on the side Friday night with the decision in the Western International League baseball game going to Tri-City, 16-9.
The win evened the series, in which astronomical scores have been the rule, at 2-all. Some 1,300 fans turned out, an exceptionally high attendance in view of the raw, cold weather, but apparently drawn by Thursday night's game in which fisticuffs and oratory were more in evidence than baseball.
Salem ......... 002 241 000— 9 11 1
Tri-City .... 302 062 03x—16 10 4
Peterson, Strombach (5) and Masterson; Schneider and Pesut.

VICTORIA — The Yakima Bears blasted their way to a 10-7 Western International Baseball League victory over the Victoria Tyees here Friday night before 800 wind-chilled fans.
It was the second straight win in the four-game series for the Bears.
Victoria'a Bob Drilling got off to a rocky start when Elmer Clow, Bud Hjelmaa and Herman Lewis hit consecutive singles, two of them bunts, to open the game. Len Noren and Bob Wellman followed with sharply-hit one-basers for three runs, then Milt Martin made a wild throw into left field during a rundown and two more scored.
In the ninth inning, Hjelmaa singled with two out before Lewis dropped a home run over the centerfield fence. Noren was hit by a pitched ball and scored a third run on Wellman's double.
Yakima ........... 501 001 003—10 12 2
Victoria .......... 221 200 000— 7 8 1
Del Sarto, Rios (2) and Novick; Drilling and Martin.

CALGARY, Alta. — The Calgary Stampeders scored five runs in the last of the third inning and added singles in the fifth and eighth Friday night to defeat the Spokane Indians 7-5 in a Western International League baseball game.
The Indians took top honors in the home run department. All five of their runs came on circuit blows, three in the eighth inning.
Eddie Murphy, Will Hafey, Carl Bush, Stan Palys and Jim Command homered for the Indians.
Rocky Tedesco drove one out of the park for Calgary.
Joe Orrell went the route for Calgary. George New, who was lifted in the seventh inning in favor of Bob Nemes, was charged with the loss.
Spokane ......... 100 100 030—5 11 2
Calgary ............ 005 010 01x—7 9 1
New, Nemes (7) and Sheets; Orrell and Lillard.

EDMONTON, Alta. — John Conant, Tennessee-born righthander, tossed a superb three-hit performance at the Lewiston Broncs Friday night as the Edmonton Eskimos whipped the Western International League leaders 7-1.
The win evened a four-game baseball series at one each. The teams meet Saturday in a day-night doubleheader.
Conant, who has won six this season against four losses, gave up only one hit after the first inning.
Mel Wasley's single and Larry Barton's three-base hit provided the lone Lewiston tally. Glen Tuckett's single in the fifth inning was the third hit for Lewiston.
Leading Edmonton's 11-hit attack against youthful Gordie Tench and successor manager Bill Brenner were Verne Campbell with three hits and Clint Weaver and Conant, each with two safeties. It was Tench's first loss in three contests.
Lewiston ............ 100 000 000—1 3 1
Edmonton ........... 320 210 00x—7 11 1
Tench, Brenner (4) and Cameron; Conant and Morgan.

Wenatchee at Vancouver, postponed, rain.

Chamber of Commerce Supports Tyees; Members Urged To Purchase Tickets
By JIM TANG
[Victoria Colonist, May 30, 1953]
There was more evidence yesterday that Victorians are anxious to retain professional baseball and hopes that the Victoria Tyees will be pulled out of the financial morass they are in are considerably brighter today.
A big boost yesterday came from the Victoria Chamber of Commerce. At a meeting of the organization yesterday, president George Wheaton appealed to the 650 members to do their bit by purchasing the books of tickets now on sale.
“If we could get a majority of our members behind this effort,” Wheaton said last night, “we can keep professional baseball here. It’s something we have just got to keep.”
SETS EXAMPLE
Admitting he had been a bit lax as a fan, Wheaton stated that he had started making amends yesterday by investing in two books of tickets and attending last night’s game.
Meanwhile, fans continued to rally to the support of the Tyees through their purchases of the $10 books of tickets, which entitle the buyer to general admissions to 11 games.
Club officials were unable to give the exact amount last night but the drive for the necessary $10,000 was well on its way with about $3,400 in cash on hand. It was pointed out, however, that another $7,000 is needed and fans were urged not to let down.
To make it easier for fans to get the books, anyone telephoning the ball club office can order books for delivery. The telephone number is B 5632 and the response to this service last night was gratifying with dozens of fans making telephone calls and ordering their tickets. Books may also be picked up at the club ticket counter at Eaton’s or at Royal Athletic Park before or during today’s two games with Yakima Bears.
The hard-working Booster Club, which gave away 20 hampers of groceries Thursday night, announced last night that another 20 would be given away at tonight’s game in an effort to lure a bigger audience.
With the club now having a much better chance to continue operation, officials have promised more player help in the near future. Business manager Reg Patterson stated last night there was no chance of getting outfielder Granny Gladstone back from the Portland Beavers but it is hoped that a pitching addition will be made soon and the approaching holiday season may see the club add a college player. In this regard, it is believed that outfielder Dwane Helbig, who played the last half of last season here, will be back when the current school term is over.

Thursday, May 28, 1953

W L Pct GB
Lewiston .... 21 8 .724 —
Vancouver ... 19 12 .613 3
Salem ....... 16 12 .571 4½
Spokane ..... 16 16 .500 6½
Victoria .... 15 16 .486 7
Calgary ..... 15 17 .469 7½
Edmonton .... 14 17 .452 8
Tri-City .... 13 18 .419 9
Yakima ...... 15 21 .417 9½
Wenatchee ... 13 19 .406 9½

KENNEWICK, May 28 — Salem and Tri-City combined a bit of baseball with a large order of wrestling, boxing and debating Thursday night but Salem's orators-sluggers-wrestlers defeated Tri-City 19-7 in a Western International League game.
Salem sewed up the game in the first inning with a nine run outburst that saw four pitchers on the mound for Tri-City. Four Salem hits, four walks and two errors combed to add up to nine runs.
The game was relatively calm until the fourth inning until Ray Tran was called out on strikes in the bottom of the fourth inning. The former Seattle Rainier protested so volubly that the umpires chased him off the field.
That was followed one inning later by a 30-man free-for-all after former Nick Pesut was hit by one of Jack Hemphill's offerings. Pesut, Tri-City backstop fomerly with the Sacramento Solons, stormed to the mound and started throwing wild punches at Hemphill. The rest of the two squads joined in the party and the donnybrook hit full stride until the umpires, tiring of the mayhem, called on the law to break up the battle.
Pesut got the gate to join Tran.
Salem ............. 930 005 200—19 17 1
Tri-City ........ 301 012 000— 7 16 3
Hemphill and Masterson; Tanner, Piedmonte (1), Bloom (1), Michelson (1), Rolfe (8) and Pesut, Warren (6).

EDMONTON, May 28 — Manager Bill Brenner pitched his Lewiston Broncs to a 10-inning 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos Thursday night as the teams opened a four-game Western International Baseball League series.
The game was pushed into the extra innings when Sam Kanelos boomed out a three-run homer in the last of the eighth to knot the score at three-all. An error by Kanelos and a triple by Ken Richardson gave the Broncs their fourth run in the top of the 10th.
The loss was charged to Tisnerat who replaced starter Jack Widner, lifted in the eighth inning for a pinch hitter.
Lewiston .......... 000 000 030 1—4 9 0
Edmonton ....... 000 000 030 0—3 6 2
Brenner and Cameron; Widner, Tisnerat (9) and Prentice.

CALGARY, May 28 — The Calgary Stampeders powered 23 hits from the offerings of two Spokane pitchers to gain an easy 16-9 Western International Baseball League victory here Thursday night.
Leading 10-6 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Stampeders plated six runs to put the issue beyond doubt.
Charlie Mead and Jim Melliger homered for Calgary and Bill Sheets, Stan Palys and Wilbur Johnson drove balls out of the park for Spokane.
Bob Bonebrake and Gus Stutkus each hit four for five for Calgary.
Starter Ralph Romero, who was relieved by John Carter in the sixth, was the loser.
Jerry Levinson went the distance for the victory.
Spokane .... 100 102 113— 9 11 3
Calgary .... 200 313 16x—16 23 1
Romero, Carter (6) and Sheets; Levinson and Lillard.

VANCOUVER, May 28 — The Vancouver Capilanos Thursday night handed Wenatchee its ninth straight loss, winning 5-2 over the Chiefs in a Western International League Baseball series opener.
The Caps chalked up three runs in the first inning when K Chorlton reached first on an error by shortstop Don Stanford, Frank Mascaro walked and Manager Harvey Storey slammed a line-drive homer over the left field wall.
They added two more in the fourth on a walk, two singles and an error by third baseman Dave Fuhrman.
Wenatchee .... 000 002 000—2 10 2
Vancouver ... 300 200 00x—5 6 1
Monroe and Bartolomei; Fletcher and Lundberg.

VICTORIA, May 28 — Yakima's hardhitting Bears snapped the Victoria Tyees' Western International League winning streak at three games here Thursday night by pounding out a 10-3 baseball victory on the strength of three three-run innings.
A crowd of about 1,500, more than any other single day this week, watched the first game of a four-game series.
Bill Bottler was clouted hard in the first inning as a base on balls starts the visitors off and a single, double and outfield fly gave them three runs. Only a great catch by Gale Taylor in the left-field corner, which deprived Bob Wellman, once of the Philadelphia Athletics, of extra bases, prevented a larger lead.
A two-run homer by Nap Gully, who also lashed aout a line double in the righth, brought the Tyees close in the fourth but the Bears pulled ahead to stay with three singles, an error and a wild pitch giving them another three runs in the fifth.
Earl Dollins, who arrived Thursday morning to join his new club, went the last four innings for the Tyees after Bottler had been removed for a pinch-hitter. The slender southpaw was tagged for four runs in his first two innings, then blanked the Bears in the last two.
But the Tyees could do little with Jack Rial, who worked with runners on bases in eight innings but had enough to clamp down when matters threatened to get out of hand until the last two innings, when the big righthander was helped out by two double-plays.
And, for the third night in a row, a player was tossed out of a game. This time, it was the Tyees' Chuck Abernathy for tossing his bat after a called third strike in the sixth inning.
Yakima ............ 300 031 300—10 13 1
Victoria .......... 000 200 100— 3 7 3
Rial and Novick; Bottler, Dollins (5) and Martin.

Fans Rally To Support Club In Tyee Battle For Survival
By JIM TANG
[Victoria Colonist, May 29, 1953]
There is still a long way to go before continuation of professional baseball in Victoria is assured, but officials of the Victoria Tyees brightened perceptibly last night as city baseball fans rallied to their last-ditch appeal and, cautiously hopeful, admitted there was now a chance that the club will be able to stay in operation.
Needing $10,000 to assure continued operation, club officials met yesterday morning with press and Booster Club representatives to discuss ways and means. A lot of ideas, including a huge pre-game political rally at Royal Athletic Park, were kicked around but it was finally decided that the only salvation lay in a direct appeal to the fans to purchase books of tickets for future games.
TICKET DRIVE
The ticket drive started last night and the results were encouraging. Fans attending last night’s game purchased almost $1,000 worth of tickets for future games and many of them expressed anxiety at the possible loss of professional baseball. A well-wishing Vancouver fan chipped in with $1000 and had to be persuaded to take tickets for his check. About 400 books of tickets, which sell for $10 and include 11 general admissions, were picked up by fans and club officials, who will attempt to sell them before the Monday deadline.
However, while the start was good, club officials hastened ton point out that the total reached last night was only 10 per cent of requirements and that sales will have to improve today and tomorrow.
ATTENDANCE 1,305
Attendance at last night’s game was 1,305, running the total for the first four games of the seven-game home stand to 4,440, considerably under the hoped-for average of 1,500 a game.
Efforts to sell tickets will be increased today and every fan who is able to is asked to purchase tickets now. And anyone willing to sell books is asked to get in touch with Reg Patterson, club business manager, at B 5632, as soon as possible. All monies received from the sale of these tickets will be kept in a special fund until it is known whether or not the club will remain in operation. If the drive should fail, all unusued tickets will be bought up.
The gravity of the situation was shown yesterday in a statement from club president Arthur Cox, reached by telephone in Vancouver.
COX STATEMENT
“Unless we are able to raise $10,000 by Monday, there is every chance we will be forced to discontinue operation,” Cox stated.
The Tyees are scheduled to leave Tuesday morning for their next road trip, with series at Salem and Wenatchee, before returning home on Jun 8 for a 10-game home stand against Lewiston, Calgary and Edmonton in that order. With better weather almost certain and the league leaders and the two Prairie clubs due, the Tyees should do all right. But first they have to raise enough money to get out of town for a week. There are four days left. Needed is $9,000.


WIL President Hits Profanity
VANCOUVER, B.C., May 29 — A proclamation on profanity was issued Thursday by the president of the Western International Baseball League, who said: "I would much rather see one ball player take a punch at another than swear at him."
League President Bob Brown issued a stern warning to all 10 clubs in the WIL to ''stop your players from using profanity on the field of play, or receive a reprimand from my office."
"I have instructed all my umpires to throw out any players who uses profanity in any way at all," Brown added. "These players are receiving good money for their work. They are going to act like real pros or I'll know the reason why.
"This may sound like a petty thing to be making a fuss about Believe me, it isn't. I would much rather see one ball player take a punch at another than swear at him.
"In one instance he is showing spirit and the desire to win; in the other he is showing off ignorance — and it is hurting the game."

Saturday, May 23, 1953

W L Pct. GB
Lewiston .... 19  7 .731 —
Vancouver ... 16 11 .593 3½
Spokane ..... 14 14 .500 6
Salem ....... 11 11 .500 6
Edmonton .... 13 14 .481 6½
Wenatchee ... 13 15 .464 7
Calgary ..... 13 16 .448 7½
Victoria .... 12 15 .444 7½
Yakima ...... 13 17 .433 8
Tri-City .... 12 16 .429 8

WENATCHEE — Van Fletcher scattered seven hits to pick up his fifth win in the Vancouver Capilanos 5-1 victory Saturday over the Wenatchee Chiefs.
Fletcher got a lot of help from bespectacled young Jack Bukowatz, making his first start of the season. He smacked two hits as his took over from erratic Chuck Davis at shortstop.
General Manager Dewey Soriano praised Bukowatz for making an impossible catch of a sure base hit that cleared Harvey Storey´s head at third and was heading for left field.
Soriano also revealed he is trying to acquire outfielder Gordie Brunswick from the Coast League's Seattle Rainiers. But Brunswick may not have any desire to play baseball after the death of his young son last week due to leukaemia.
Vancouver ..... 000 200 003—5 10 0
Wenatchee ..... 000 001 000—1 7 0
Fletcher and Lundberg; Ragni, Klein (5), and Bartolomei.

CALGARY — story unavailable
(First Game)
Edmonton ..... 042 120 2—11 13 1
Calgary ...... 010 000 0—1 3 2
McNulty and Morgan; Hittner, Roberts (5) and Bricker.
(2nd Game)
Edmonton .... 100 131 013—10 14 2
Calgary ..... 022 002 000—6 11 0
Widner and Prentice; Orrell, Bricker (3), Schulte (9), Francis (9) and Lillard.

SPOKANE — The Spokane Indians, the WIL's most-improved club, moved into fourth place with 9-5 and 12-5 wins over Tri-City. That made it six straight for the Indians, who started the week in the cellar.
(1st Game)
Tri-City ..... 000 100 030—5 8 3
Spokane ...... 000 420 30x—9 12 2
Bloom, Rolfe (7) and Warren; Spring and Sheets.
(2nd Game)
Tri-City .... 210 002 000—5 6 0
Spokane ..... 200 091 00x—12 15 4
Tanner, Piedmonte (5), Hockaday (8) and Pesut; Romero and Weatherwax.

YAKIMA — Story unavailble
Salem .... 310 002 000—6 12 2
Yakima ... 002 300 000—5 9 2
Bevens, Borst (5) and Masterton; Rios and Novick.

Victoria at Lewiston, split double-header, rained out.

WIL AVERAGES Through May 23
compiled by Howe News Bureau
                       AB  R H RBI Pct.
L. Tran (TC) ........ 105 32 43 28 .410
Noren (Yak) ......... 122 21 49 21 .402
Warren (TC) ......... 109 21 42 48 .385
Storey (Van) ......... 94 12 36 19 .383
Morgan (Edm) ......... 92 17 33  9 .359
Witherspoon (Sal) .... 85 17 30 13 .357
Weaver (Edm) ......... 99 13 24 33 .343
Mascaro (Van) ....... 112 16 38 15 .339
Wilson (Lew) ........ 100 16 33 28 .330
Abernathy (Vic) ...... 76 13 25 16 .329
Branham (Vic) ........ 91 18 29  8 .319
Taylor (Vic) ......... 85 12 27 17 .318
Mead (Cal) .......... 101 29 32 23 .317
Perez (Sal) .......... 99 15 31 16 .313
M. McCormick (Wen) ... 80 15 25 13 .313
Tedesco (Cal) ....... 118 16 36 27 .305
Doubles, Cec Garriott, Victoria, 11
Triples, Chuck Abernathy, Victoria, 5
Home Runs, Charlie Mead, Calgary, 7
Stolen Bases, Andy Skurski, Edmonton, 8
Runs Batted In, Tran, Jack Warren, Tri-City and Art Wilson, Lewiston, 28.

Professional Baseball at Crossroads in Victoria
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, May 24, 1953]
“What can we do? Can’t you think of something that will help? What about calling it ‘Baseball Week’ this week?”
The questions come from Reg Patterson during the course of a telephone conversation from Qualicum Beach, where the harried and worried general manager of the Victoria Tyees had fled for the weekend to escape a jingling telephone which has given him few spare moments since the financial situation of the Victoria baseball club reached the dangerous stage.
That it will be “Baseball Week” in Victoria this week is certain. At the moment, there seems little that can be done for the club except to hope for warm weather and that baseball fans will indicate their desire of retaining professional baseball by turning out in larger numbers for the seven-game home stand which starts tomorrow.
Although the club has managed to cut its liabilities by more than 50 per cent during the past year, the situation is grave because it has no operating capital to meet necessary expenses. With another player payday due at the end of the month, the club has to depend on its take during the next seven games to stay in operation. If the attendance this week fails to show a sharp increase over the 850 average for the first 14 home games, there seems little hope.
Only alternative in the event that attendance fails to pick up would be to get cash from city businessmen or to sell one of more of the club’s better players. The latter would alleviate the situation temporarily but Patterson rightly feels that any such move would be unwise. In fact, despite the rather grim situation, he is working on plans to strengthen the Tyees.
Although he admitted that he had no reason to think so, the ever-optimistic general manager maintained that he believed that “Somehow, I don’t think we are going to fold. I’m sure the people of Victoria want baseball, and I think they’ll help us keep it.”
Patterson was unable to name names but stated that there would be several player changes within the next few days. A pitcher and an infielder may be going to Edmonton, either in trade or for cash, and a southpaw pitcher will be added. The Edmonton club is not only willing, but anxious, to lay out a sizeable sum for a third player long sought by manager Bob Sturgeon but the Tyees feel this move would hardly be wise unless there is no other alternative.
So there the matter stands. If Victoria wants baseball it will have to be indicated this week by paying customers. It should be pointed out here that the club is not badly off at the moment although it has so far failed to click and is in ninth place. It is only three games below the .500 mark and only a two or three-game winning streak out of third place. If it’s worth keeping, be at Royal Athletic Park as often as you can this week. It’s the improved Wenatchee Chiefs tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the hard-hitting Yakima Bears Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday afternoon. Tickets are on sale daily at the sporting goods department of the T. Eaton Co. and at the park before game time. How about it?

Tuesday, May 19, 1953

W L Pct. GB
Lewiston .... 15 7 .682 —
Vancouver ... 14 8 .636 1
Wenatchee ... 13 12 .520 3½
Calgary ..... 13 12 .520 3½
Victoria .... 12 13 .480 4½
Tri-City .... 11 12 .478 4½
Salem ........ 9 10 .474 5
Yakima ...... 11 15 .423 6
Spokane ..... 10 14 .417 6
Edmonton ..... 9 14 .391 6½

EDMONTON, Alta., May 19—Bob Schulte's four-hit pitching gave the Calgary Stampeders a 10-1 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos Tuesday night and ran their wins in a four-game Western International League baseball series to two straight.
Schulte was always in command and quickly shut the door on Esks when they threatened in the seventh inning. Don Herman and Sammy Kanelos both hammered out doubles in the seventh after Calgary had taken a 4-0 lead. Big hitter for Stamps was Bob Bonebreak, who tripled twice and singled in five trips to the plate.
The game marked the pitching debut of Herman, son of Babe Herman, now a southern California scout for New York Yankees of the American League. He came into the game in the ninth inning and gave up two runs, both unearned. All but three of the Calgary runs were unearned.
Calgary .... 201 001 042—10 10 0
Spokane .... 000 000 100— 1 4 4
Schulte and Lillard; Manier, Caster (8), Herman (9) and Morgan.

YAKIMA, May 19 — Yakima defeated Tri-City, 3-1, in a Western International League baseball game Tuesday night as Danny Rios shackled the Braves with four hits for his fourth win of the season
Tri-Clty .... 000 100 000—1 4 1
Yakima .. 001 010 10x—3 9 3
Tanner and Pesut; Rios and Novick.

SPOKANE, May 19 — An eighth-inning throwing error to first base by Victoria pitcher Zeb Walker sent Jimmy Brown home with the winning run Tuesday night as the Spokane Indians downed the Tyees 3-2 in the first game of a three-game Western International League Baseball series.
Walker held Spokane to eight hits while his Victoria teammates booted a chance to put the game on ice in the sixth inning.
The Tyees took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Jack Spring but could only get one run in the sixth on a double, single and two bases on balls. The Indians came back to tie it in the seventh, scoring for the second time on a single, sacrifice and double, and then won it in the eighth.
With two out and runners on first and second, Walker fell as he fielded Springer's bouncer. Trying to throw to first from a sitting position, he tossed the ball wildly and the winning run crossed the plate.
The Tyees missed a chance to go ahead in the eighth when Ed Murphy made a sensational catch of Cece Garriott's long drive, and Bob Moniz, who was on his way to third from first, was doubled before he could get back.
Victoria .... 100 001 000—2 5 1
Spokane ... 000 010 11x—3 8 1
Walker and Martin; Spring and Sheets.

WENATCHEE, May 19 — The Salem Senators coasted to an 8-3 win over the Wenatchee Chiefs here Tuesday night behind the six-hit pitching of righthander Joe Nicholas.
Milt Smith with three hits and Jim Deyo with two led the Salem attack. Deyo also stole home in the fifth inning.
Jake Helmuth hit his fourth home run of the season for Wenatchee since joining the club on his purchase from Yakima May 2.
Nicholas didn't allow more than one hit in any inning and all except Helmuth's homer were singles.
Salem ......... 020 113 010—8 10 2
Wenatchee .... 010 200 000—3 6 2
Nicholas and Nelson; Klein, Beamon (6), Bauhofer (8) and Bartolomei.

Vancouver at Lewiston, ppd. rain.

Tyees Still Plagued By Financial Woes
[Victoria Colonist, May 20, 1953]
Rumors that the Victoria Tyees are about ready to fold and drop out of the WIL, started by a Vancouver newspaper, are not correct, although officials candidly admit that the financial situation is not at all heartening.
Questioned about the rumors last night, business manager Reg Patterson denied that there was any indication of an immediate fold-up, and said that no announcement would be made until club president Arthur Cox returns from Vancouver tomorrow. It is believed that club officials will get together immediately to discuss the situation.
That the club should be very much against the wall financially will surprise no one. The Victoria franchise was saved last year by the “Save Baseball” fund drive, which raised enough money to keep it operating throughout the 1952 season. However, there was no capital to start the current season and bad weather has long since dissipated hopes that increased attendance would save the day.
FANS DOWN 13,000
Only about 12,000 fans have paid to see the first 14 home games. Last season, which was a losing one financially, saw 25,000 attendence for the same number of games.
Just what will be done to alleviate the situation will not be known until club officials get together but it is considered unlikely that fans will be asked to help other than by an appeal to attend future home games in greater numbers.
Meanwhile, plans are going on space to make the 1953 Tyees a strong contender to repeat as league champions. The club announced the optioning, on 24-hour recall, of rookie shortstop Ron Odekirk to Salt Lake City of the Pioneer League and Patterson intimated several changes will be made within the next few days. He refused to discuss the changes other than to state that the club will be strengthened within the near future.
FULL-TIME PITCHER
There was good news player-wise with the announcement that righthander Bill Prior will join the team as a full-time player when it returns from the current road trip next Monday. Prior, who has shown enough this season to indicate he will rank with the league’s better pitchers, should be of inestimable help to the not-too-strong mound staff. With Bob Drilling certain to be a winner, and Bill Bottler pitching extremely well in his last two starts, the Tyees will have three capable starters and they hope to find a fourth before the season is much older.
Although a few games out of the lead, manager Cec Garriott has his club close enough that any kind of a winning streak will move it right up among the leaders. With 23 games played, the Tyees are only one game under .500 and could still challenge for the first-half title—if the WIL retains its split season.
PLAY-OFF?
This may not be the case. League officials overlooked scheduling difficulties when they adopted the two halves and there is a move afoot for a Shaughnessy play-off. With so many games rained out and most clubs playing in rival cities only once in each half, there is no chance to make up postponed games and the split season will see quite a few more games played in the second half than the first.
Edmonton Eskimos have already submitted a plan which calls for a play-off involving the top six teams, and it is considered likely that some change will be made. Some clubs would prefer only four teams in any play-off.

Pre-Season, Victoria

Rebuilding Job Faced Victoria At Start of 1953 W.I.L. Season
(This is one in a series on the prospects of teams in the Western International Baseball League)
By JIM TANG
Victoria Colonist Sports Editor
VICTORIA, April 28—The Victoria Tyees, who breezed to their first Western International Baseball
League pennant last season after being picked to finish, among the also-rans mainly on the strength of unusual pitching and the driving leadership of manager Cec Garriott, faced quite a rebuilding job this season.
And unless they are able to plug gaping holes in their pitching staff, repeating is not at all likely.
Gone from the club which took the lead early last season and won by nine games are most of its outstanding stars, including two-thirds of the league's outfield and all but two lesser members of 1952's fine pitching staff. The current outfield looks as if it will do, but the mound problem is causing officials some sleepless nights.
Top Hurlers Gone
Gone from last season's staff are: Cal McIrvin (13-4); Jehosie Heard (20-12); Ben Lorino (24-7); Carl Gunnarson (9-3), and Leroy Han, a young righthander who won four and lost one and was being counted on as a big winner this season.
That quintet is going to take a lot of replacing. They won 61 of the 94 games won by the Tyees and only lost 27 and turned in a combined total of 69 complete games.
Starting the season, the Tyees have only righthanders Bill Prior, Bill Bottler and Bill Wisneski as holdover pitchers. Prior, a Victoria semi-pro veteran, pitched home games and wound up with a 6-7 record. He received a trial with Portland this spring and is expected to be with the club on a full-time basis.
Bottler joined the team fresh from college last season and broke even at 6-6, while Wisneski, a rookie last year, wound up at 5-6. Behind this trio, the Tyees have only unproven rookie talent at the moment but hope to make deals for two or three pitchers.
There is also a chance that Lorino, with Sacramento on a 30-day look, may return.
Look Strong Elsewhere
But. except for pitching, the Tyees look strong. Bob Moniz, a .330 hitter, and Granny Gladstone, who led the league in runs batted in, are playing regularly at Portland but the Tyees have come up with some good replacements.
Garriott will be back in center field with Nap Gully, hard-hitting colored gardener in right field and Gale Taylor in left. Gully hit .333 at Visalia in the class "C" California State League last season and led the league in doubles. Taylor, purchased from Las Vegas, batted .311 with power in the class "C" Southwest International.
Victoria's infield has holdover Don Pries at third base and Lu Branhamn, colored speedster, back at second. Joe Ciardy, a .346 clouter at Las Vegas last season, appears to have beaten holdover Chuck Abernathy out for the first-base job.
Ron Odekirk, a promising 19-year-old sought by several major-league teams, will likely, start at shortstop. All-star shortstop Jim Clark joined the club just before it ended spring training and appears to have recovered from a hand injury suffered during the winter.
Holdover Gets Aid
Clark will likely reclaim his old job, with Odekirk perhaps moving to second base.
Behind the plate, the Tyees have lost Ron Bottler, promising college youngster, to the Army but have come up with Sam Brusa, an experienced receiver with Macon in the class "A" Sally League to help out holdover Milt Martin.
Summing up, the Tyees are adequate behind the plate, have a fine infield and a promising outfield, good speed and defense, fair punch and excellent leadership. They'll rate if they can solve their pitching problems—but it will take three good pitchers to do it.

Jimmy Tang Kisses Up to News Source

It Beats Me
By Jim Tang
[Victoria Colonist, March 18, 1953]
There has long been an impression that unfortunate and costly player deals are one of the big reasons the Victoria Baseball and Athletic Co. Ltd. has been having tough financial sledding. Actually, nothing could be more incorrect.
For a club which joined the WIL in 1946 without owning a player and which had to build from scratch again when the New York Yankees ended their working agreement at the end of the 1949 season, Victoria has done amazingly well in the player markets. And much of the credit belongs to business manager Reg Patterson, who has been blamed for a lot of things but who is a pretty fair hand when it comes to dealing with baseball’s David Harums.
Since 1946, Victoria has paid out $15,450 for the purchase of players and realized $11,850 from player sales. This is a discrepancy of $3,600, just over $500 a season, but the Victoria Tyees today own the contracts of 28 players, worth, at a conservative estimate, at least $15,000.
During the last four season, the last three as a Yankee affiliate, the Athletics operated economically. They paid out only $1,000 for players--$500 each for outfielder Joe Morjoseph and pitcher Len Kasparovich.. And this amount was exactly balanced by the sale of Joe Blankenship, who cost nothing, to Wenatchee. In addition, the Yankees paid the A’s $3,500 a season to act as a farm club.
Trying Period as an Independent
When the Yankees pulled out they left the A’s with just two players—Morjoseph and Blankenship. The A’s had to go into the player market and it was a costly proposition. Naturally, they could only get players deemed expendible by other clubs and the also-rans of 1950 and 1951 complicated matters by causing a sharp attendance decline. The club lost plenty of money but a winner was built in two seasons and there were surprisingly few bad deals –but a great many good deals which paid dividends.
Club officials rue most the decision to hire Dick Barrett as playing-manager for 1951. It turned out to be a $6,000 blunder with Barrett, dismissed in mid-season, winning his suit to collect for the full season.
Purchases of Morjoseph, catcher Rocco Cardinale and first baseman Marty Krug for $500 was money wasted. The first two were released and Krug, still owned by the club, was the unfortunate cause of dissention in the unhappy 1950 season. Outfielder Bill White was also an expensive acquisition, failing to live up to his $1,500 price tag. He may still return part of it if he is sold.
Outfielder Gene Thompson cost $2,000 but turned in two good seasons before his joined the Los Angeles police force; Jim Propst cost $1,500 for two fair seasons before he developed a sore arm and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and southpaw Jim Hedgecock gave the club one season and Chuck Abernathy, in a trade, for $1,000.
Slightly on the debit side was the purchase of catcher Hal Danielson for $200 and Aldon Wilkie for $1,000. Wilkie pitched one season, then was sold for $750. Jim Olson, Jim Wert, Tom O’Loughlin and Carl Gunnarson were sold for a total which equally their cost price.
Seven Players Bring $5,800
On the other hand, the club netted $5,800 on the sale of seven players. John Marshall cost $2,000 and was sold for $2,200 with another $500 realized when San Diego turned him back after a draft claim; Al Ronning cost $1,000 and was drafted by the Brooklyn organization for $2,500; Blankenship and John Treece, who cost nothing, brought $1,000 each; Ron Smith, signed as a free agent, brought $500; John Hack was sold for $200 more than he cost, and Dick Bartle netted $900.
The players owned by the club today cost the Tyees little. Bob Moniz, Jim Clark, Lu Branham, Bill Prior and Bill Wisneski of last season’s champions, cost the club nothing. Neither did the new players signed this season—outfielders Herman Charles and Ralph Tyler, rookie shortstop Ron Odekirk, and six or seven other rookies who will be at training camp.
Ben Lorino, a 25-game winner last season, and Ben Jaffey, a promising outfielder due to get out of the army this year, were purchased for $100 each. The same amount brought the club Don Pries and Milt Martin under terms of the Portland working agreement along with the retired Bill Osborn and Bartle. The Tyees paid a total of $750 for Joe Ciardy and Gail Taylor to Las Vegas and reports have it that it was a real bargain. It if isn’t, the club can turn one or both back after a 30-day look.
Yep, you can take a bow, Mr. Patterson.

Youngster To Gain in Ball Ticket Sale

[Victoria Colonist, Feb. 27]
Victoria Tyees will open their sale of tickets for the opening game of the Western International Baseball League season tomorrow with a campaign that should interest all youngsters in Victoria.
The campaign is to see more than 10,000 tickets for the opening game, a plan that has proved popular in established baseball cities in the United States.
School children are being asked to assist in the drive and season’s passes to Tyee home games will go to the youngsters selling the most number of books of tickets. The top seller will be rewarded with an expense-paid trip with the Tyees to Salem on July 4.
Any youngster interested in trying for a season pass is asked to be at Royal Athletic Park tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Purchasers of opening game tickets are also eligible to win season passes, a number of which will be given away to lucky ticket holders at the opening game.
ADD FOUR PLAYERS
Business manager Reg Patterson, meanwhile, announced the addition of four more players. Two young southpaw hurlers were signed by manager Cec Garriott at Los Angeles and two outfielders were purchased from Las Vegas of the Class C Southwest International League.
The players signed by Garriott are 18-year-old Dean Powelson, a rookie from Long Beach, and Bill Girdley, who played at Visalia last season.
The players purchased from Las Vegas are both long-ball hitters. Joe Ciardy, a left-handed outfielder-first baseman, hit .346 last season and included 33 doubles, 22 triples and 14 home runs among his 202 hits. He scored 131 runs, drove in 103 and stole 16 bases.
Gail Taylor is a right-handed outfielder, who hit .311 last season and drove in 113 runs. He hit 33 doubles, eight triples and 12 homers, stole 25 bases and scored 136 runs.

Tyee Games Will Start Earlier

[Victoria Colonist, Feb. 21, 1953]
Victoria baseball fans will have to get to the games earlier when the Tyees open the Western International League season against Spokane Indians April 23.
Tyee business manager Reg Patterson announced yesterday that the starting time for evening games in the Spokane series has been advanced to 7:30 p.m. because of the cool weather in the late part of April evenings. Starting time of the Saturday afternoon game has also been set ahead to 2 p.m. to give fans ample opportunity to get home for supper and back for the arc tilt.
If the early starting time proves popular, it will be used for other games during the season.
Patterson also announced receipt of a phone call from outfielder Bob Moniz yesterday. Moniz has agreed to contract terms and is eager to return to Victoria if he does not stick in a tryout with Portland Beavers.
Las Vegas of the Southwest International League has offered to sell two players named Taylor and Ciardy to the Tyees. Nothing is known about the players except that their averages were .346 and .330, respectively, last season and Tyees would like to take a look at them before making any commitments.
A campaign will be launched next week to sell 10,000 tickets for the opening game. Full details will be announced later but it is believed that lucky numbers will be drawn at the opening game with several season passes to be given away.

Victoria Financial Picture

Tyees’ Prexy Report Expresses Optimism
[Victoria Colonist, Feb. 13, 1953]
The annual meeting of the Victoria Baseball and Athletic Company Limited will be held Monday, February 23, in the Brittania Branch auditorium on Blanshard Street at 8 p.m.
The agenda includes receiving of the annual report of the directors, the financial statement and the auditor’s report for the year ending October 21, 1952. The election of directors and appointment of auditors will take place and other business will be transacted.
The report of president Arthur Cox released yesterday follows:”…We suffere a loss inoperation of $17,714.44 last season as against a loss in 1951 of $33,403.53. Our attendance was steadily growing, until, unfortunately, we had strikes and bad weather. Otherwise, I feel our attendance would have reached 125,000, which seems to be necessary in order to break even or show a small profit.
“Our liabilities were reduced by $8,564.64, and our accounts payable were reduced from $31,438.56 to $19,926.83, which includes the amount of $7.660.85 owing the City of Victoria. Arrangements have been made to pay this year’s rent by assignment of $4,000 of our receipts from concessions and advertising. Arrangements have also been made with the city to accept a note as an acknowledgement of the amount of arrears owing, this note to be reduce as we are in a financial position to do so. The financial statememt will be ready and presented to the meeting.
“We again have been able to arrange a partial working arrangement with the Portland baseball club, whereby we receive their surplus players, which is a great salary saving to our club, as they pay the greater portion of the players’ salary.
“We have been fortunate in again availing ourselves of the services of Garriott as playing manager. During the winter he has been doing some scouting for us, and has been successful in obtaining a number of new young players for our club.
“…Calgary and Edmonton were admitted to the league this year, and this should create a great deal of interest, and should materially increase the gate receipts. They are both good baseball cities, and we hope will have good teams in the league.
“…Since the end of the year, we have sold John Treece and Dick Bartle. Players Ben Lorino, Jim Clark, Bob Moniz and Bill Prior will be going to the spring training camp of Portland. It is possible that some of these players will be bought by the Portland club. Don Pries is going to Oakland for spring training, and there is every likelihood that he will be purchased by that club.
Any change of players has been with the consent of our manager, Cecil Garriott.
“…I feel that the 1953 season should be much better than the 1952 one. Our home gate receipts should be larger, and we should receive more from away games. Our concessions should be higher and I feel that a number of players will be sold without weakening our team.
“In my opinion, it is necessary for us to raise about $15,000 new money in order to make this operation successful. With this new capital and will the prospects of additional revenues, we should be able to show a profit at the end of the 1953 season.
“I appeal to all shareholders to assist your incoming directors in any way possible to obtain this amount.
“I wish to give special thanks to the board of directors, who so ably supported me during 1952.
“I also wish to thank business manager Reg Patterson and Cecil Garriott for their assistance and co-operation at all times; the press and radio for their splendid publicity and co-operation during the season; Mr. Frank Ireland and members of the Booster Club for their co-operation; the fans for their support, and all those who so kindly assisted us during 1952.”

Victoria Needs Money

Victoria Team Still Broke
VICTORIA, Jan. 15—The Victoria Baseball and Athletic Company told City Council Thursday the club is flat broke and asked for more time to pay off the $7500 it owes the city.
Council tentatively agreed to the request, submitting the proposal to city manager Cecil Wyatt and city solicitor Arthur Patton for study.