Monday 29 October 2007

1949 Almost Complete

Now that the CUPE strike is over and the library (and its newspaper microfilm reels) is open again after three months, I am able to complete the 1949 WIL season. All I need to do is get the final stats uploaded and double-check the second-last day of action. There seems to be some confusion with two sets of box scores I've seen.

Thanks for your patience.

Tuesday 31 July 2007

I Guess We'll Be the Braves Then

ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER
Herald Sports Editor

Although the Tri-Cites' entry in the Western International baseball loop hasn't even played a ball game in their new home, they are already the "Sweetheart of the league."
In past years every team wanted to play at Spokane in the season's opening series. But the scene that took place this year when the schedules were drawn up was quite a bit different. All the other teams, including Spokane, wanted to open in the Tri-Cities Braves stadium. In fact the debate concerning who was going to be the lucky team got so vociferous that Robert Abel, league president, decided that was only one way out. They were to draw slips out of a hat. The team whose name was drawn would get the opening date. Vancouver got it. So it will be the Braves versus the Capilanos on April 18.
As 'Babe' Hollingbery, the president of the Braves said, "It certainly feels good to be the darling of the league."
MAY GO "A" LOOP
Although the W.I. is now a class B league, there is more than a good chance it will go class A for the 1951 season. This will be one of the big items on the agenda when the minor loops hold their meeting in Baltimore. Loop moguls have privately stated they believe the addition of the Tri-Cities will be enough to swing it from a B to an A.
Dick Richards, general manager of the Tri-Cities club, said that April 18 is the official opening date. Previously it had been set as April 10, but the 18 is now correct. Richards also added that the club could not continue to use the nickname of Chiefs. He said the reason was that the city of Wenatchee has the name registered with the National Baseball association. This fact, he continued, was unknown to him or the other club owners until the league's last meeting in Salem a week ago.
BRAVES ARE INDIANS
However, the team will continue to wear the Indian head emblem on their uniforms. This emblem is the property of the club and cannot be used by any other team in the league. Tacoma will follow Vancouver into the Tri-Cities baseball stadium, and then
on April 20 the Braves will move into Yakima for their first road game of the 1950 season. This clash will also open the home season for the Yakima club. Richards praised the cooperation of Yakima in withholding their opening date so as not to conflict with the Braves. He said this would be instrumental in assuring a large crowd for both teams at their first home stands.
TWO DAY CONFAB IN RICHLAND
The next meeting of the league will be held in the Desert Inn at Richland on Jan. 10, the general manager of the club said. At this two-day confab the league directors will approve the final schedule and elect officers. Present elected officials of the W.I. league are Robert Abel, president, and George Emigh, vice-president.
Other matters that will come before the loop directors during the Richland meeting will be legislative items resulting from the meeting of the minor leagues in Baltimore. This is the annual get together of the National Association of Professional Baseball, the governing body of all minor leagues.
-Tri-City Herald, Sunday, November 13, 1949

WIL League Meet Set For Tri-Cities

Vancouver Plays Here April 10th
SALEM, Ore., Nov. 9—Western International Baseball league directors voted last night to hold their next meeting, in January, for the election of officers, in the Tri-Cities. They also voted to keep the same admission prices during the 1950 season.
They announced that the league would open April 10, with Tacoma playing at Salem, Yakima at Wenatchee, Vancouver at Tri-Cities, and Victoria at Spokane.
The season will close Sept. 10, and each team will play about 350 games.
The directors cancelled the post-season playoffs, and adopted the Spalding Baseball as the official league ball.
They made a new rule that no club can hire more than 10 players who have been in professional baseball for three or more years.
Tacoma follows Vancouver into the Tri-Cities baseball park. After that the club takes to the road and moves into Yakima to open that city's first home game.
Arne Sanborn, station manager of radio station KPKW, said today that KPKW will broadcast all the Tri-Cities baseball games both home and away.

Monday 30 July 2007

Tri-City In, Eugene Out

W.I. Heads Okay Transfer Of Franchise
Predict Great Future For New Baseball Team
TACOMA, Oct. 24 (UP)— The Tri-City area of Pasco, Richland and Kennewick was officially welcomed into the ranks of the Western International baseball league today.
Former approval of the present Wenatchee franchise transfer there was given as expected at a league director's meeting here yesterday after it was shown the new club was building a satisfactory ball park.
Representatives of the Tri-City area that appeared before the league directors and outlined the advantages of Western International league baseball there were Les Babcock, Harry Owens and R. F. Philip.
Babcock, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, which is building the stadium, assured the league that the park would be ready for the opening of the season in mid-April of next year.
Owens told the moguls that grass was already coming through the ground and that the fence surrounding the park was nearly complete.
R. F. Philip, president of the Scott Publishing company, outlined the tremendous future of the Tri-City area and said he believed the team located here would be one of the top clubs in the league from the stand-point of attendance.
The new entry as yet has no nickname.
League President Robert Abel said the situation of the defunct Bremerton franchise remained the same. Both Eugene and Wenatchee are after it. He said another league directors meeting would be held Nov. 7 in Salem.
Eugene is believed to have first call if it obtains a ball park.

Wenatchee May Get WIL Team
Failure To Get Eugene Stadium Sparks Hopes
TACOMA, Oct. 25 (UP)—Failure to obtain use of Eugene's civic stadium for a Western International League baseball park means that Wenatchee will probably have a team in the circuit next season, President Robert Abel said today.
Both Eugene and Wenatchee groups were after the defunct Bremerton franchise, but the Eugene school board last night turned down a request to lease its civic stadium. No other suitable facilities are available in Eugene.
Abel said there was nothing official about it as yet but that "obviously Wenatchee is the leading contender." The present Wcnatchee franchise has been transferred to the Tri-City area of Pasco, Richland and Kcnnewick. A group of Wenatchee business men opposed the transfer and are seeking to buy the Bremerton team in order to keep the city represented.
The next league meeting is scheduled for Salem, Ore., November 7.

BOARD SAYS NO
EUGENE, Ore., Oct. 25 (UP)—The Eugene school board last night rejected the request of Frank Burrell, San Jose, Calif., to lease the Eugene civic stadium for use by a Western International League baseball club.
The school board also made it clear that the rejection applied to all professional sports.
Burrell had sought use of the stadium under a WIL franchise he had hoped to bring to Eugene.
Joe Gordon, Cleveland Indian second baseman and Eugene businessman, accompanied Burrell to the board meeting.
Burrell indicated the board's action defintltely eliminated Eugene as a possible site for WIL ball club next year.

Wilfan muses: Ah, but if only this had happened a little earlier, the Eugene Emeralds might have been in the Western International League:

Eugene After Pro Baseball
EUGENE, Ore., Dec. 8—Court approval of plans for a baseball park on a 10-acre tract cleared the way here yesterday for further efforts to bring professional baseball to Eugene.
Court approval was obtained by George Solberg, a real estate dealer. Solberg said he had a buyer for the tract.
Efforts to bring a Western International League franchise here were unsuccessful this fall because the city had no park. It was understood efforts will be made to shift a Far West League club here.

Eugene to Get Ballpark For Play in Far West
EUGENE, Ore., Dec. 16—Entry of Eugene in the Far West Baseball league came a step nearer to realization yesterday when A. A. Hadler of Sacramento, Calif., announced that he would begin construction on a $65,000 lighted baseball park here.
The decision gives Eugene an organized ball club earlier considered improbable after the school board refused to allow use of the civic stadium for organized baseball.
The former owner of the Pittsburg, Calif., club in the Class D Far West league, said Walter Nellis will be business manager of the club, taking over January 1. He has a player under consideration for the new club's hew player-manager. He also said he was negotiating with three major league clubs for working agreements.
Hadler said the Eugene entry will be an independent club if negotiations, with major league clubs fail to turn up top-grade talent.
The proposed park will seat 3,500 fans, and will be in the Bethel suburb about five minutes driving time from downtown Eugene.
Clubs now in the league are Pittsburg, Marysville, Redding and Willows in California and Klamath Falls and Medford in Oregon. Reno, Nev., is also a new entry for 1950, having recently switched from the Sunset League.
Hadler said he was considering having the Eugene club open the season on the road because of wet weather conditions in Oregon in April. He said the club will hold spring training in Arizona or Florida.

Post Season - Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1949

Wenatchee to Seek Franchise of Bremerton
TACOMA, Sept. 20—The Tri-City area of Pasco, Kennewick and Richland, will have a baseball team in the Western International League next year if it can show within 30 days it can construct a suitable ball park, league president Robert Abel said today.
Abel also announced the formal withdrawl of Bremerton from the league with Eugene, Ore., and Wenatchee immediately seeking the franchise.
Present Wenatchee operators would run the Tri-City team. The application for the franchise was presented to WIL directors by Mayor U.L. Koelker of Kennewick.
A Wenatchee group, including Mayor Arthur Pohlman, former team president Joe Brownlow, and William B. Bell, opposed shifting the team and immediately applied for the Bremerton franchise. Also seeking the Bremerton club is Frank Burrell, Jr., San Jose, Calif., who would shift it to Eugene, Ore., where he has made tentative arrangements for a stadium.
Abel told Burrell his proposal would have to be sanctioned by six of the eight board members. A decision will be reached at a later date.
The Portland Pacific Coast League club informed directors it intended to maintain a team in the league next year. The Beavers have placed the Salem Senators on the selling block. Formal notice of the "For Sale" sign on the Tacoma club was given.
The directors met in closed session here.

Baseball Field is Underway
Les Babcock, president of the Tri-City Athletic association, now building a baseball park for the Wenatchee Chiefs answered the Western International League baseball president this morning by stating that "part of the evidence of our 'good faith' is now underway directly north of the Playland ballroom." (The WIL league prexy, in Tacoma, said yesterday that the Tri-Cities must show substantially good faith before the Wenatchee Chiefs franchise can be transfered here.)
"It appears to me this is just another move on the part of certain interests that do not want to see us get organized baseball here. There is only one answer to such a move. That is whole-hearted cooperation in pushing this thing as rapidly as possible during the next 30 days so that we can remove any doubts that anyone may have concerning the ability of this area not only to support and enjoy baseball, but also to prove to the doubting Thomases that the Tri-Cities is one of the best sports centers in the country."
Public sale of stock in the athletic association will be announced either today or tomorrow, the association said. Plans now call for each of the three cities to get an equal share of thc total block of the stock so that uniform representation will be made.
Babcock also said that the organizations by laws, now being drawn up, will require that at least one member of the board of officers must be from Richland and one must be from Pasco. "This doesn't set a maximum and will give us complete area representation," he said.
"I deplore this attempt to belittle our efforts to date," Babcock continued, "but from the reports we have received of the great amount of interest in baseball from Kennewick and Pasco, this may prove to be a great thing. Now we will have an opportunity to demonstrate forcefully just how great our interest is. My feeling is that the league will some day wonder why they ever thought they needed a demonstration of 'good faith'."
- Tri-City Herald, September 20, 1949

Post-Season - Monday, Sept. 19, 1949

Protest Chiefs Move To Tri-City Area
Wenatchee Group Takes Case To Heads
TACOMA, Sept. 19—Projected transfer of the Wenatchee franchise to the Pasco-Kennewick-Richland area was expected to precipitate a lengthy debate as Western International Baseball league directors opened their annual post-season meeting here today.
Robert B. Abel, league president, said the first item of business would be the presentation of a formal request for permission to transfer the Wenatchee club, with Dick Richards and associates; present owners of the franchise, proposing to continue operation at the new location.
Before the directors take action on the petition of the Richards group, however, Abel said they would hear arguments against the move from a delegation headed by Joe Brownlow, former Wenatchee newspaperman and business manager of the Chiefs in 1947 and '48 when the club was owned by Sacramento of the Pacific Coast league.
Not until the Wenatchee situation is clarified will another proposed switch — Bremerton to Eugene, Ore. — come before the meeting, Abel explained.
ON THE LOCAL SCENE
In Kennewick, Les Babcock, president of the Tri-City Athletic association that is financing the construction of the baseball stadium for the new home of the Chiefs, said the move by Wenatchee came as a surprise to him.
"Naturally they are upset about losing the Chiefs," Babcock continued, "but a glance at last year's attendance records will show that the fans up there gave scant support to a team that was in the first division. It seems odd that now they should
suddenly decide that they want the Chiefs. It looks like a dog-in-the-manger attitude to me."
Dick Richards, general manager of the Chiefs, was unavailable for comment. He and Urban Keolker, mayor of Kennewick and Pat Owens are in Tacoma today to attend the league meeting. However, yesterday Owens told the Herald that work of grading and filling the new field, between Kennewick and Richland was to begin this morning. Last week the field was cleaned and stripped. Should Wenatchee succeed in preventing the move of the Chiefs, it would involve considerable financial loss to the Tri-City association, it was felt.

W.I. Franchise for Tri-Cities Gets Tentative Loop Support
Loop Leaders Give Blessing
TACOMA, Sept. 19—Transfer of the Wenatchee baseball franchise to the Pasco-Kennewick-Richland area was given the conditional blessing of the Western International league directors Monday.
Robert B. Abel, league president, said the switch will be formally approved if the Tri-City region shows "good faith in the next 30 days" toward construction of a suitable ball park.
V.L. Keolker, Kennewick mayor, presented the application for a WIL franchise in behalf of Tri-City boosters. The club, if moved, will be operated by the present Wenatchee owners, Dick Richards as associates.
On Bremerton
The directors took no action before adjournment on another procosed change that would shift the Bremerton franchise to Eugene, Ore. However, W. W. Shepherd, president and principal stockholder of the Bremerton club, notified the board he would not operate a team in that city next season.
A request for the franchise transfer to Eugene was made by Frank Burrell Jr.. of San Jose, Calif.—hinging on his success in closing a deal for the majority interest in the Bremerton club.
Will Stay In WIL
Though the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast league have hung the for sale sign on their WIL farm club at Salem, Portland business manager William Mulligan told the directors that the Beavers have "every intention" of operating a team in the WIL next year.
A Wenatchee group interested in retaining WIL baseball in that city, talked with individual directors but did not appear before the board. In the delegation were Mayor Arthur Philman; Collis Musson, president of the Wenatchee Junior Chamber of Commerce, and Joe Brownlow, former president and business manager of the Wenatchee club.
Abel notified the directors at their adjournment they would be on call for another meeting, probably in the near future.

WI League Turnstile Way Down
TACOMA, Sept. 19—Western International League teams played to a total of 793,996 customers during the 19-59 season, it was announced today by Robert B. Abel, president of the circuit, following the official compilation of attendance figures.
This year's turnstile total was 86,415 shy of the 880,411 count for the previous season, despite considerably better weather.
Here is a comparison of attendance figures for the eight clubs last year and 1949:
Club            1948    1949
Yakima ...... 73,600 133,917
Vancouver .. 116,722 137,611
Spokane .... 216,974 186,648
Tacoma ...... 96,200  49,673
Bremerton ... 75,195  35,440
Victoria ... 143,081 114,544
Salem ....... 77,659  67,495
Wenatchee ... 81,880  68,668

Saturday 28 July 2007

Thursday, September 15, 1949

Vancouver Wins WIL Playoffs
VANCOUVER, B.C., Sept. 15—The Vancouver Capilanos captured the Western International league baseball playoff series tonight by whipping the Yakima Bears for the third time in a row, 8 to 3.
The playoff title gave second-place Vancouver $1,500 in prize money. Yakima won second money of $1,000 from the $4,000 play-off pool.
The Caps won the contest in the first and sixth innings. Singles by Jim Robinson, Bill Brenner and Len Tran, a sacrifice by Ray Tran and an error by shorstop Dick Briskey accounted for two runs in the first followed by a six-run barrage in the third that knocked Bear hurler Floyd Dickey off the mound.
Dickey had retired two batters when Dick Sinovic singled and scored on a homer onto Sixth Avenue by Bill Brenner. K. Chorlton singled, and Bob McLean and George Nicholas walked to fill the bases. Then Jim Robinson scored all three on a double to the left centrefield corner.
Larry Powell had no sooner taken over the mound when Ray Tran knocked a double that scored Robinson. Powell finished the game giving up three hits and striking out five.
It looked like a shut-out for Nicholas until the eighth, when the Bears snared all their three runs. Bob Williams hit his third single of the night, went to second on Sinovic's error and advanced to third on Ted Jennings' single. Babe Gammino stepped up and bashed a homer to score all three.
Nicholas tossed an eight-hitter for Vancouver, striking out six and walking three.
2,400 braved the cold wind and heavy rain to see the Caps win the best-of-five series. The rain came down hard in the second inning and lasted until the third when it stopped for good.
Yakima .......... 000 000 030—3 8 1
Vancouver ..... 206 000 00x—8 10 1
Dickey, Powell (3) and Orteig; Nicholas and Brenner.

Nenezich Says He's Through as Umpire
[Vancouver Sun, Sept. 16, 1949]
Johnny Nenezich, senior umpire in the Western International Baseball League, announced last night he was through calling balls and strikes.
The little fellow said he was tired of knocking his head against a wall in a Class B league and would call it quits next season.
Johnny will be sorely missed. He was league president Bob Abel's ace trouble-shooter, a man who could hop into a stormy series and quieten things down.
He was always colorful. He gave the grow their money's worth evry time he worked either the plate or the bases.
He also came far closer than any umpire in this league with being popular with the players.
The story goes that Johnny would have been in the Coast League umpiring years aho had he not been so friendly with the players.
There is a “non-fraternization” rule in organized baseball which prevents umpires and players from associating. Johnny, however, was always found of those who played the game and found it hard to live hard by this rule.
He will return to his home and business in Seattle.

ERIC WHITEHEAD’S
FAN FARE

[Vancouver Daily Province, Sept. 16, 1949]
No one bothered to sing it, but No. 1 on the Capilano ball club hit parade last night was “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag. . .” and there were plenty of smile, smile, smiles in the dressing room after that last big one against Yakima.
There were also many serious, pensive moments as close friends of a tough year’s work shook hands, picked up their kit and departed, many to pick up the restless threads of their careers in parts unknown come next spring.
That last, hectic dressing room scene that marks the close of another season is a dramatic one in the lives of pro ball players.
For a few like, like Dick Sinovic and Vern Kindsfather, who are moving up to Seattle, and for Len Tran, who is also toward bound, it marks the end of a triumphant milestone along the glamorous way to perhaps the Big Leagues.
To others, rookies like Bob McLean and Kay Chorlton, who know that they have made good in their first try at Class “B” ball, it is a time of quiet satisfaction and the birth of bigger and better hopes for the future.
Where Do They Go?
For others, veterans like Bob Costello, Hunk Anderson, Ray Tran and Carl Gunnarson, it marks the passing of another year of youth, ambition and fading opportunity—a year less in the desperately short calendar of a pro ball player’s active life.
They—and even the youngest of the rookies—know that next year, the year after and the year after that, there will be new, eager-faced, ambitious youngsters hanging their sweatshirts on those same dressing-room hooks.
Once that dressing room bangs shut for the last time each season—where do the ball players go? What do they do when the headlines turn to the winter of athletes?
A Winter’s Work
Here is where your 1949 Caps are going, and to what.
Bill Brenner, great manager of a hustling ball club, is already back home in Olympia, Wash., taking a short breather before taking over his twin winter shore: work in a loyal brewery and sports-casting for the local radio station, Len and Ray Tran, the double-play inseparables who are now apparently parting baseball company, are heading for a quiet fishing vacation along with Wenatchee’s Cy Greenlaw. After that, Len expects to go back to his old job at Seattle’s Boeing Plant. Ray expects to work in a Seattle brick factory.
Third-sacker Jim Robinson is headed for Seattle University and a final term that will give him his high school teaching certificate. Others heading for a campus are outfielder Kay Chorlton, who will pick up his junior year physical ed course at University of Washington, and pitcher Vern Kindsfather, in Portland U and his P.E. course.
Bob McLean, lanky first first-sacker, is headed straight for New York City, his fiancĂ©, and, he “expects,” an early wedding. Also Manhattan-bound is pitcher George Nicholas—to resume his trade as clothes-cutter for a garment factory—at $100 per 35-hour week.
A Short One, Coz
Hunk Anderson is Seattle-bound, back to the driver’s seat of last year’s oil truck. Fellow hurler, Jim Hedgecock, will stick around in Vancouver and work for sports-program concessionaire Eddie Lamoreaux. Carl Gunnarson will also stay in this town. The likeable Gunner is already looking for work. He can be located for such, sez he, at 2724 Oxford Street.
Bob Costello is on his way to wife and family in Spokane, The popular beanpole expects to latch onto a job as a bartender—on the “right side of the bar,” as Coz puts it. Bob Snyder will winter in Tacoma—may go back to last year’s job as a longshoreman.
Outfielder Charlie Mead is going home to Sierra Madre, Cal., and Dick Sinovic back to Portland, but neither one as yet have winter jobs lined up. Bud Sheely is en route to Sacramento and a hitch as on a construction company’s payroll.
Last of the 1949 Caps is Sandy Robertson, rooted right here in an engineering firm.
Then there’s always spring training.

Wednesday, September 14, 1949

Yankees End Wil Lashup
VICTORIA, B. C., Sept. 14—New York Yankees have terminated their working agreement
with the Victoria Athletics of the Western International baseball league, business manager
Reg Patterson announced tonight.
Under this agreement the Yankees furnished players for the A's from other farm teams, with the option of selecting any player owned by the locals. They exercised this option by taking
Vic Buccola, first basemen, who will manage a Class "D" minor league club for them.
Patterson also announced that pitcher Joe Blankenship had been assigned outright to the Athletics.

$60,000 Offer For Senators
SALEM, Ore., Sept 24—Salem's baseball committee will offer $60,000 to buy the Salem Western International League ball team if a ten-day public opinion poll shows the money could be raised locally.
The Portland Beavers, owners of the Salem club, have asked $95,000.
The poll will be taken by newspapers and radio stations, it was defence at a meeting here last night.

Tuesday, September 13, 1949

YAKIMA, Wash., Sept. 13—A 10-inning 3 to 2 victory over Yakima Tuesday night moved the Vancouver Capilanos to within one game of the Western International League playoff championship and $1,500 top bonus money.
Vancouver's Bob Snyder a 22-game winner, grabbed the contest for the Caps with an outstanding relief performance in the ninth inning, then knocking in the winning run in the overtime frame.
The Canadians drew first blood in the second inning when Yakima hurler Bill Bradford struck Len Tran with a pitched ball. Charlie Mead followed with a double and Bud Sheely tripled, bringing in two runs.
Yakima knotted the count in the ninth inning on a single by Al Jacinto, a long double by Bob Williams, and another one-bagger by Ted Jennings.
Sheely singled in Vancouver's half of the tenth, advanced to second on Bob McLean's roller to second base and reached home on Snyder's short crack to centerfield.
In blanking the league champions for eight innings, Vern Kindsfather was aided by three douple-plays, all instituted by shortstop Len Tran, with brother Len Tran wheeling the ball on to McLean at first.
Vancouver ......... 000 200 000 1—3 5 1
Yakima .............. 000 000 002 0—2 9 0
Kindsfather, Snyder (9) and Sheely; Bradford, Babbitt (9) and Tornay (2).

ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER
Herald Sports Editor

Vancouver looks like a cinch to win the Western International League playoffs for the extra $1500 jackpot. They have taken the play completely away from the league champion Yakima Bears by whipping them twice in their own park. Now when trains travel over to the up-hill, down-dale, Canadian field, the home team should breeze in.
The Capiliano's park is grievously well known to players in the WIL loop. For one thing it's an uphill race to first base, but they make up for it by giving the runner the down grade from second to third. And the players will tell you that the Canadian ball is "dead" compared to the one used here. Walking out of the Yakima park after the game last night, Dick Richards, general manager of the Chiefs commented, "Well, one run and the Caps will have the playoffs sewed up."
Rumors about shifts and transfers of teams currently in the W.I. League continue to make the rounds. Latest one we picked up is that the Wenatchee Jaycees will buy the Bremerton franchise and move it to that city as soon arrangements can be completed.
B. PARK READY TO START
Richards, of the Chiefs, has already moved his family to Kennewick in anticipation of the move of the team to the Tri-City area. Work on the new WIL baseball park is scheduled to get under way late this week with plans calling for thie completion of the seeding and building the fence this year. Time and weather conditions permitting the grandstand and bleachers will also be erected.
Certain legal technicalities has prevented the public sale of stock in the Tri-City Athletic association, builder of the baseball park. However, as soon as these have been cleared up, a public announcement will be made. A meeting being held today will certainly clear up many of the items on the current agenda.
QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
On Monday there will be a meeting of the WI league directors in Tacoma. Unquestionably out of this meeting will come many of the answers concerning various deals now in the making throughout the entire league.
Salem has long been for sale and a group of merchants are currently trying to buy that team. Tacoma and Bremerton are definitely on the block. But just what stage any of the negotiations have reached is very difficult to tell at this moment.
However, there is every indication that the league is due for a big overhaul job in the next two years. Some cities will be dropped completely out of the structure and new ones added. Teams will change ownership and more and more the league will build itself into a league and eventually into a strong Class A loop.
Tri-City Herald, Wednesday, September 14, 1949

Monday, September 12, 1949

Caps Score Upset Over Yakima
YAKIMA, Sept. 12—Vancouver, which ran second to the pennant-winning Yakima Bears during the regular season, gained a degree of vengeance Monday night by trouncing the Western International league flag winners, 14-5, in the opening game of the playoff finals.
Yakima took a brief 5-4 lead in the fourth when Vancouver committed three costly errros but the Capilanos scored twice in each of the final five innings.
Get 20 Hits
Every Vancouver batter, with the exception of Hunk Anderson, starting pitcher, collected at least one hit as the Caps teed off on two Bear hurlers for 20 hits. Jim Robinson, Cap third baseman, led the hit parade with four hits in six trips to the plate, including a triple.
Vancouver drew first blood in the finals of the playoff by pushing across four runs in the second inning on five hits. Yakima picked up a run in the bottom half of the
second and pushed ahead with four more runs in the fourth frame on three hits and errors by Dick Sinovic, Len Tran and Charlie Mead.
Come Back In 5th
Vancouver jumped back into the lead with two runs in the fifth then added two or more tallies in every inning the rest of the way.
Vancouver ..... 040 022 222—14 20 3
Yakima ......... 010 400 000— 5 11 1
Anderson, Hedgecock (4) and Brenner; Powell, Sweiger (6) and Tornay.

Sunday, September 11, 1949

Yaks Whip Spokes To Meet Caps
SPOKANE, Sept. 11—The Yakima Bears, Western International League Baseball champions, won a playoff series from Spokane Sunday night by whipping the Indians 6 to 5 in a 10-inning contest.
Yakima now takes on Vancouver in a second best-of-flve game series. Vancouver downed Wenatchee by the same count the Bears made against Spokane, three games to one.
Left-fielder Edo Vanni started Yakima on the road to victory in the top of the tenth with a lone triple. Vanni scored the winning run on second baseman Al Jacinto's outfield fly. Spokane won its lone game Friday.
Yakima hurler Teddy Savarese was snatched from tight spots time after time by outstanding defensive play that included one triple play and five double plays.
Relief pitcher Gene Babbitt was credited with the win and Bill Werbowski the loss. Spokane outhit the winners 15 to 11. The Indians had knotted the score at 5-5 in the ninth inning.
Larry Barton and Ken Richardson homered for Spokane.
Yakima ........ 000 001 130 1—8 11 1
Spokane ....... 010 300 010 0—5 15 1
Savarese, Babbitt (8) and Tornay; Bishop, Werbowski(9) and Rossi.

Saturday, September 10, 1949

Chiefs Out Of Playoffs
WENATCHEE, Sept. 10—Len Tran, Vancouver second baseman, eliminated the Wenatchee
Chiefs from the Western International League play-offs here tonight with a three-run 11th inning homer over the center field wall. Vancouver won, 8-7.
The ball game was all tied at the end of nine innings at five all.
Wenatchee's Clint Cameron and Hal Rhyne hit consecutive homers in the bottom half of the 11th for the Chiefs but that wasn't enough.
Wenatchee started out with one run in the first and fourth inning while holding the Caps scoreless. In the fifth frame the Caps cut loose with four base blows and two walks and one Wenatchee boot for five runs and to take the lead at 5-2.
Wenatchee came back in the seventh inning to score three runs on two walks and one double. It chased starter Vern Kindsfather and brought in Carl Gunnaron, who left the game after the ninth. Hunk Anderson worked the last two innings for the win, while Lou McCollum suffered the loss.
The win will pit the Capilanos against the Yakima-Spokane winner next week.
Vancouver ...... 000 050 000 03—8 12 4
Wenatchee ...... 100 100 300 02—7 7 l
Kindsfather, Gunnarson (7), Anderson (10) and Sheely: Frick, Johnson (5), McCollum (6) and Pesut, Winter.

Two Vancouver Diamond Stars Sold To Suds
VANCOUVER, B. C.. Sept. 10—Vancouver Capilano, outfielder Dick Sinovic and pitcher Vern Kindsfather were today sold to the Seattle Rainiers for 1950 delivery, announced Capilanos general manager Bob Brown.
Sinovic, a classy outfielder with tremendous hitting power, was bought by the Capilanos in mid-June from the Pittsburgh chain. Dick batted .323 this season, accounted for 105 runs batted in and hit 13 homers.
Kindsfather has won 18 games this season and lost 10 for the Caps. He is a 21-year-old freshman in his first season of organized ball.

Friday, September 9, 1949

WENATCHEE, Sept. 9—Wenatchee's Chiefs exploded for four runs in the seventh inning here Friday night to defeat the Vancouver Capilanos 9-6, in the third game of the Western International league playoffs.
First baseman Clint Cameron of the Chiefs collected two homers and catcher Nick Pesut knocked a pair of doubles to lead the 15-hit Wenatchee attack.
Righthander Joe Orrell was credited with the win and Jim Hedgecock was charged with the loss. Incidentally, Hedgecock climbed the mound moments after being informed that his wife had entered a Vancouver hospital to have a baby.
Vancouver now leads 2 to 1 in the best-of-five-game series that continues here Saturday night.
Vancouver ........ 030 020 001—6 12 1
Wenatchee ........ 000 302 40x—9 15 4
Nicholas, Hedgecock (6), Snyder (7) and Sheely; Orrell and Pesut.

SPOKANE, Sept. 9—The Spokane Indians turned back the Yakima Bears 16 to 15 Friday night in the third game of their Western International league baseball playoff series.
Yakima came from behind with three runs in the top of the ninth on Ted Jennings' bases-loaded double but saw their lead disappear as relief pitcher Gene Babbitt was unable to hold the Indians in the bottom half of the inning. A walk to Lyle Palmer and singles by Edo Vanni, Paul Zaby and George Valine produced the tying and winning runs.
The Bears won the first two games. Yakima could have ended the series with a win Friday night.
Yakima ....... 004 500 303—15 17 3
Spokane ...... 302 007 202—16 14 4
Dickey, Soriano (6), Sweiger (8), Babbitt (9) and Tornay; Conant, Werbowski (4), and Rossi.

Thursday, September 8, 1949

YAKIMA, Sept. 8—The Yakima Bears, Western International league pennant winners, made it two straight over the Spokane Indians in the first round of the play-offs
by trimming the third-place club 13-4 here Thursday night.
A win for the Bears at Spokane Friday night will end the series.
The Bears started their attack on starter Dick Bishop, scoring three runs in the first inning and two more in the second, and continued to pound out hits against reliefers Andy Adams and Ken Kimball. The Bears failed to score in the third, sixth and eighth innings only.
Al Jacinto and Bob Williams paced the 14-hit Yakima attack. Williams hit a double, triple and two singles to chase across four runs, whiole Jacinto doubled and connected for three singles to knock in four runs. Paul Zaby hit a three-run double off the centre-field fence for Spokane in the seventh.
Spokane ....... 000 001 300— 4 10 3
Yakima ........ 320 220 40x—13 14 1
Bishop, Adams (3), Kimball (7) and Rossi; Bradford and Tomay.

VANCOUVER, B.C., Sept. 8—Paced by five sparkling double-plays via the record-breaking Tran-Tran-McLean combination, the Vancouver Capilanos defeated Wenatchee 6-1 on Thursday night behind Bob Snyder's six hitter .
Snyder whiffed seven Chiefs, just missing a shutout as Wenatchee squeezed their only run home in the first inning via Jim Warner's single and a fielder's choice.
Vancouver jumped out to an early margin, banging Lou McCollum for six straight hits in the first frame and scoring four runs. Jim Robinson, first man up, started the hit parade as he belted one to left, then the Trans, Dick Sinovic and Bud Sheely hit safely in rapid succession.
Cy Greenlaw took over from McCollum and went the rest of the way, allowing seven hits and a pair of runs. The Caps picked up another tally in the fourth and a single run in the eighth.
Len Tran, who stepped out between innings to receive the year's Most Popular Player Award, hit three for three, started two of the five douhble plays and pivoted spectacularly to help fashion the other three. Bob McLean, the payoff end of the D.P. combination, twice dug out throws in the dirt to protect the Caps' errorless streak.
Vancouver has won two straight over the fourth-place Chiefs.
The teams move to Wenatchee for two games Friday.
Wenatchee ....... 100 000 000—1 6 1
Vancouver ....... 400 100 01x—6 13 0
McCollum, Greenlaw (1) and Pesut; Snyder and Sheely.

San Diego Puts For Sale Sign On Tacoma Club
TACOMA, Sept. 4—The Tacoma Baseball Club is for sale, it was announced here today by William Starr, president of the parent San Diego Padres.
Starr said he had been athorized by his board of directors to negotiate the sale of the local holdings of the Western International League club.
He declined to name a price but local authorities said it would probably be in excess of $100,000. The San Diego president said every effort will be masde to sell the Tiger franchise and physical holdings locally. Failing in this, the next alternative would be to sell the franchise and cease operating in Tacoma. Sale of the franchise would require approval of six of the W.I.L. directors.
The original purpose for purchase of the local club—development of young players—no longer exists because of other agreements, Starr said, so it is felt no longer feasible to operate here.

NON WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Denver Proves Baseball Mint; Draws 463,039
DENVER, Sept. 8 (INS) — Denver today laid claim to teh title of the best minor league team in the nation.
The Denver Bears of the Western League, who ended the regular season last night in a tie for second place in the standings, played before 463,039 fans in 70 home games. The record was more remarkable because the team was ij or near the cellar for most of the season.
The Western league, although operating with only six clubs, led all Class A leagues in attendance with a total of 1,361,011. Among the individual clubs, fifth-plaec Omaha was second in attendance with 276,718. Sioux City was lovest with 123,643—a ten percent increase over 1948. Next year, the loop with expand to eight clubs with the addition of Wichita, Kan., and Colorado Springs, Colo.

Wednesday evening, September 7, 1949

YAKIMA, Sept. 7—Outhit, 9-11, the Yakima Bears utilized 13 free passes issued by three Spokane hurlers to defeat the Indians in the first game of the Western International League post-season playoffs Wednesday night 12 to 5.
The Indians threatened repeatedly but failed to cash in. They left three men stranded in four innings, three of them successively. A total of 31 runners were left stranded.
The game was markeed by a stormy session between the Indians and umpires John Nenezich, Bill Husband and Gerry Mathieu in the fifth inning over the question of whether the Indian right fielder caught a long fly ball hit by little Al Jacinto, Yakima second baseman. The arbiters ruled that Paul Zaby caught the ball on the hop and allowed the triple.
Larry Powell, starting pitcher for the new W.I. champions, held the Indians scoreless for six innings but the visitors broke through for two runs in the seventh on singles by Jos Rossi, Larry Barton, Ken Richardson and Jack Calvey.
A walk issued to Lee Howard filled the bases, but Powell pulled out of the potentially bad innings by striking out Lyle Palmer, after serving up three consecutive balls, and then inducing Tuck Stainback to hoist a fly into short right field which first baseman Bob Williams caught after a long run.
Starter Bill Werbowski yielded only five hits bin the four innings he toiled but five walks and two hit batsmen led his his defeat.
1,200 fans sat through the game, which consumed almost three hours.
Spokane ........ 000 002 120—5 11 3
Yakima .......... 111 213 30x—12 9 2
Werbowski, Howard (4), Kimball (7) and Rossi; Powell, Babbitt (8) and Tornay.

VANCOUVER, Sept. 7—Hunk Anderson and four teammates accepted well-earned plaudits and gifts from the fans and managment prior to the game, then Anderson avenged his only defeat of the season with a six-hit pitching win over Wenatchee. The Caps opened the first game of the Western International League semi-finals with a 5-1 victory over the Chiefs.
The 11-game winner only ran into serious trouble once. In the seventh, nursing a 3-1 lead with two out, Wenatchee chucker Al Libke and batterymate Jim Warner clipped out a pair of sharp singles, and Clyde Haskell walked. With the bases jammed, Anderson took Hal Rhyne to a 3-0 count before the hard-hitting right-fielder dumped a curve ball to Ray Tran at short to snuff out the threat.
It was Warner who had belted a looping left field foul line homer for the sole Chief counter in the sixth inning.
Three clean singles in the second inning moved the locals into a lead they never relinquished. With one away, Dick Sinovic, Bud Sheely and Bob McLean space singles for a single tally.
the caps, playing fast-breaking, heads-up baseball all the way, sewed up the game in the two-run fourth when K. Chorlton singled, stole second, went to third on McLean's clean belt to centre and scored on Hunk Anderson's towering fly, taken by Nick Pesut against the wall in deep right centre. McLean skipped to third on a short passed ball and scampered in one Jim Robinson's second successive double.
Two more in the eighth on Len Tran's single, Charlie Mead's double, walked to Sinovic and Sheely and Chorlton's outfield fly were just for luck.
The whole team joined in the pre-game ceremonies, and each player was presented with an inscribed cigarette case-lighter by the Capilanos Baseball Club in honor of a highly successful season.
After Thursday's game, the two teams move to Wenatchee for two or less games in the best three-out-of-five playoff series.
Wenatchee ....... 000 010 000—1 6 3
Vancouver ........ 010 200 20x—5 10 0
Libke and Pesut; Anderson and Sheely.

Wednesday morning, September 7, 1949

ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER
Herald Sports Editor
Wanna buy a couple of baseball players? We know two that are for sale. Of course, the price tag runs into five figures, but then these are no ordinary players. One of them, Jim Warner, is the Western International league home run king. He's also a whale of an outfielder and don't act surprised if he's named to the WIL all-star team. His contract can be had for $25,000.
For an infielder, and at second base in particular, you'd have to go up to another class of baseball and do some hard looking to find a better man than Clyde Haskell. Clyde will go for $15,000. Both these players are now the property of the Chiefs and Dick Richards, general manager of the team, says that the sound of the big league scouts buzzing around these two is similar to that at the national air races.
- Tri-City Herald, Wednesday, September 07, 1949

PORTLAND, Sept. 7—Three members of the Salem Senators have been called up for seasoning with the parent Portland Beavers. They are catcher Bill Burgher, pitcher Cal McIrvin and outfielder Bob Cherry. Outfielder Art Pennington also was to have joined the Coast League club but was forced to return home by illness in his family.

W.I.L. Playoffs Start Tonight
by ASSOCIATED PRESS
Western International League baseball playoffs start Wednesday night in Yakima and Vancouver, B. C.
At Yakima, the 1949 champion Yakima Bears will entertain the third-place Spokane Indians. Second-place Vancouver plays host to fourth-place Wenatchee's Chiefs.
Both series are for best-of-five. After the first two games the teams switch to Spokane and Wenatchee. If a fifth, game is needed the teams return to Yakima or Vancouver.
Winners of the two elimination series then will clash in another best-of-five set for the playoff title.
Yakima received $2,000 for winning the pennant. Players will split the playoff swag, with $1,500 going to the winning team; $1,000 to the runner-up and $750 apiece to the
third and fourth clubs.
(WILfan note - I didn't realise the word "swag" was in use this early, but there it is in the AP story)

Monday, September 5, 1949






FINAL STANDINGS
W L Pct.
Yakima ...... 99 51 .660 —
Vancouver ... 91 57 .615 7
Spokane ..... 78 71 .523 20½
Wenatchee ... 77 73 .513 22
Victoria .... 68 81 .447 32
Salem ....... 64 87 .421 35½
Tacoma ...... 63 88 .417 36½
Bremerton ... 60 89 .403 38½


WI League Ready For Playoffs
Not even the shouting remained in the Western International league baseball race. Except for the Spokane-Wenatchee battle for third place everything was settled long before Labor Day's windup contests.
The lone struggle remaining on closing day saw Spokane and Wenatchee divide a doubleheader with Spokane taking third place as a result. The Indians squeezed past the Chiefs 2-1 in the opening game, then lost a 12-inning no-count contest 8-6.
In other contests, Salem took a pair from league-leading Yakima 4-2 and 10-8, Victoria trampled Bremerton 21-4 and 11-6 and Vancouver divided with Tacoma, winning the first 4-1 and losing the finale 12-3.
Starting Wednesday, Yakima will host Spokane and Vancouver will entertain Wenatchee in the first two games of a best-of-five series.

Ump Sandt Trades Jobs With Catcher
TACOMA, Wash., Sept. 5—Umpire Carl Sandt swapped places with Vancouver Catcher
Bud Sheely Monday in a comedy windup to the Western International league baseball season.
Naturally there was an argument and naturally Sandt lost.
The game could not affect the standings and both teams were having a grand time, with a batboy at shortstop for Tacoma and the two managers pitching. In the last inning Sheely walked to the plate and swapped his bat for Sandt's mask and indicator.
The umpire whacked a double and Sheely called him out for failing to touch first base. Vancouver was behind at the time, 12 to 3, and that's the way it finished.
First Game
Vancouver .... 000 101 020— 4 9 2
Tacoma ........ 010 000 000— 1 9 3
Kindsfather and Brenner; Kerrigan and Gardner.
Second Game
Vancouver .... 000 021 0— 3 8 7
Tacoma ........ 420 231 x—12 15 0
Brenner, Sinovic (5) and Sheely; Johnson and Gardner.

VICTORIA, Sept. 5—The Victoria Athletics closed out the 1949 season with a double-header sweep against Bremerton, winning the first game 24-4 and the second contest 11-6.
Eleven bases on balls and eight Bremeton errors, plus 21 Victoria hits made it each for Frank LaBrum to reister his first W.I.L. win in the afternoon contest.
LaBrum had one bad inning — the fifth — when the Tars scored all of their runs to take a momentary 4-3 lead. Then the roof fell in as the A's plated 21 runs in the next four innings in a wild scoring splurge that went through four pitchers. Biggest beneficiary of the slugfest was Ray Jacobs, who had a triple, double and two singles in six trips and batted in seven runs. John Hack batted in four runs to run his season's total to over 100, and hit a home run.
Behind 6-4 going into the eighth inning of the season's finale, the A's unloaded for seven runs and stopped a Bremerton attempt to give John Marshall his 23rd pitching win. Marshall was sent into the game with the score tied and runners on second and third. He walked McDougald intentionally but Len Noren blooped a single into short right field for one run. Marshall's hopes disappered completely when Charlie Balassi followed with a grand-slam home run.
About 1,700 spectators were on hand for the windup, running the A's home attendance total to 115,044, 32,000 more than the third-place Athletics drew in 1948.
First Game
Bremerton ..... 000 040 000— 4 7 8
Victoria .......... 012 047 64x—24 21 1
Kohout, Baldwin (5), Ronning (6), Stanford (8) and Neal; Labrum and Morgan.
Second Game
Bremerton ..... 001 310 010—6 12 3
***Victoria ..... 002 020 07x—11 12 1
LINESCORE INCOMPLETE

First Game
Wenatchee .... 010 000 0—1 8 0
Spokane ...... 000 000 2—2 5 0
Orrell and Pesut; Conant and Parks.
Second game
Wenatchee ..... 001 002 001 004—8 13 1
Spokane ....... 010 000 003 002—6 13 6
Johnson and Pesut; Richardson, Adams (4), Kimball (8) and Rossi.

First Game
Salem ....... 000 200 02—4 5 0
Yakima ...... 000 200 00—2 10 1
McIrvin and Burgher, Beard (8); Sporer and Tornay.
Second game (eight innings)
Salem ....... 000 233 02—10 9 1
Yakima ...... 010 003 40—8 15 1
Beard, Burak (7) and Burgher; Orengo, Moore (3), Williams (6) and Tornay.

Cherry to Beavers
PORTLAND, Sept. 6—Portland Beavers of the Coast League called up three players today from their farm club, Salem Senators of the Western International League. Brought up were Catcher Bill Burgher, Pitcher Cal McIrvin and Outfielder Bob Cherry.

Sunday, September 4, 1949







W L PCT GB
Yakima ...... 99 49 .669 —
Vancouver ... 90 56 .616 8
Spokane ..... 77 70 .524 21½
Wenatchee ... 76 72 .514 23
Victoria .... 66 84 .440 34
Salem ....... 62 87 .416 37½
Tacoma ...... 62 87 .416 37½
Bremerton ... 60 87 .408 38½

TACOMA, Sept. 4—Larry Ward and Tobey Tobias were the winning pitchers as the Victoria Athletics down the Tacoma Tigers, 9-4 and 2-1.
Vic Buccola, Gil McDougald and Manager Earl Bolyard were tossed out of the final game and the A's were forced to finish with a couple of pitchers playing in the infield.
First Game
Victoria ...... 003 600 000—9 15 0
Tacoma ........ 010 020 001—4 10 1
Ward and Day; Fortier and Gardner.
Second Game
Victoria ...... 200 000 0—2 5 1
Tacoma ........ 010 000 0—1 4 3
Tobias and Morgan, Day (3); Lazor and Gardner.

**[Vancouver lines and game stories may not be correct]
VANCOUVER, Sept. 4— John Marshall tossed a six-hit shutout as Bremerton took a 3-0 win the nightcap of twin bill with Vancouver on Sunday.
Marshall faced only 31 batters. He walked two and struck out three.
Losing pitcher Bob Costello allowed 13 hits in eight inings, walking two and striking out two. Both starters hit a batter.
Bill Taylor smacked three doubles and batted in a pair for the Tars, while Lou Briganti singled in the other in the third inning.
Vancouver pikced up a 5-3 win in the opener, as Dick Sinovic's double brought in three runs in the Caps' five-run third.
The Tars scored three runs in the sixth, with Lil Arnerich doubling in a run, Bill Taylor batting in another, and Len Neal singling in the last one.
Carl Gunnarson worked 5 1-3 innings for the win, giving up seven hits, one walk, and one strike out. Bob Pirack surrendered eight hits in going the distance in defeat, walking two and striking out none.
First game
Vancouver ... 005 000 0—5 8 0
Bremerton ... 000 003 0—3 8 1
Gunnerson, Anderson (6) and Sheely; Pirack and Neal.
Second game
Vancouver... 000 000 000—0 6 0
Bremerton ... 001 100 01x—3 13 0
Costello and Sheely; Marshall and Neal.

First Game
Salem ...... 000 104 0—5 7 1
Yakima ..... 203 000 1—6 8 1
Olson, G. Peterson (5) and Beard; Saravese and Tornay.
Second Game
Salem ....... 001 020 000—3 7 1
Yakima ...... 200 000 11x—4 10 0
Drilling and Burgher; Powell, Bradford, Babbitt (6) and Tornay.

Spokane-Wenatchee, postponed, rain.

Saturday, September 3, 1949





              W  L  PCT GB
Yakima ..... 97 49 .664 —
Vancouver .. 89 55 .618 7
Spokane .... 77 70 .524 20½
Wenatchee .. 76 72 .514 22
Victoria ... 64 84 .432 34
Salem ...... 62 85 .422 35½
Tacoma ..... 62 85 .422 35½
Bremerton .. 59 86 .407 37½

VICTORA, Sept. 4 [Colonist]—Jim Propst, pitching his last game of the season, kept Victoria Athletics in fifth place at Royal Athletic Park last night. The little southpaw blanked the Tacoma Tigers 6-0 on four hits to record his 17th victory since joining the club on May 31. The Tigers had won the afternoon encounter, 4-0, to move to within a half game of the A's.
The big reason why the Victorians are not in the cellar, Propst was at his best as he came up with his fourth shutout and 20th route-going performance of the year. The Tigers had only one hit going into the eighth inning. He almost lost his shutout in the ninth when two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. A great throw by Ray Jacobs kept the runner on third and then Propst finished it with his eighth strikeout of the game. It increased his league-leading total of whiffs to 182.
BREAK UP DUEL
The A's had their usual trouble with Bob Johnson put iced the game with a four-run rally in the seventh which broke up a tought, 1-0 duel. Dick Morgan started the uprising with a long homer.
Don Carter proved too much for the A's in the afternoon. The canny Tacoma righthander came as close to pitching a no-hitter as it is possible to get. Gordon Johnson led off the Victoria first with a hopper through the middle. It was the last hit for Victoria as Carter actually hurled nine full innings of hitless ball. After the first inning, when two walks started a budding rally, the A's never got a runer to second base as Carter came up with the season's best mound effort.
SEASON ENDS TOMORROW
The same clubs play a double-header at Tacoma today and the season ends tomorrow with the A's home to Bremerton for two holiday games.
First Game
Tacoma ..... 002 000 011—4 10 2
Victoria ..... 000 000 000—0 1 2
Carter and gardner; Blankenship, Logue (9) and Day.
Second Game
Tacoma ..... 000 000 000—0 4 2
Victoria ..... 000 100 41x—6 12 1
Johnson and Gardner; Propst and Morgan.

VANCOUVER, Sept. 3—Vancouver Capilanos set a new double-play record of 179 with one in each game as they handed Bremerton a double setback, 6-4, and 10-7, and shoved the Bluejackets more fully into the league basement.
The breaker came in the first game, and was started by pitcher Jim Hedgecock, who tossed to Len Tran at second and on to Bob McLean at first.
Jim Robinson tripled and doubled in the opener, and Dick Sinovic smacked a solo homer. Hedgecock got the win, allowing seven hits, walking five and striking out six.
The Caps scored five runs in the fourth inning off Baldwin in the fourth¨.
Robinson swung a big bat in the nightcap, bringing in four runs with a triple and two doubles.
Len Tran singled in a pair in a winning cause.
Bob Snyder notched his 22nd win, despite allowing homen runs to Lou Brignanti and Charlie Bushong, both of whom batted in a pair. He walked two and struck out four in tossing an 11-hit game.
First game
Bremerton ..... 010 020 010—4 7 2
Vancouver ..... 000 510 00x—6 13 2
Baldwin and Ronning; Hedgecock and Sheely.
Second Game
Bremerton ..... 200 002 210—7 13 1
Vancouver ..... 020 214 10x—10 11 1
Dahle and Neal; Snyder and Sheely.

Salem ........ 100 001 520—9 12 3
Yakima ....... 601 000 33x—13 9 2
Peterson, Fredericks (1) and Beard; Sweiger and Tornay.

Wenatchee ..... 220 002 000—6 11 3
Spokane ........ 210 112 00x—7 10 1
McCollum and Winter; Howard, Adams (2), Kimball (7) and Parks.

TACOMA, Sept. 3—Vancouver may be in second place in the Western International League, but it is in first place in batting and fielding, statistics released by the Howe News Bureau after Saturday night's games reveal.
Vancouver has a team batting average of .308, followed by Wenatchee (.304), Spokane (.302), Yakima (.294), Tacoma (.288), Victoria (.286), Bremerton and Salem (both .284).
Wenatchee leads the league in hits with an even 1600, 23 more than Vancouver. The Chiefs also have the most doubles (332). Tacoma leads in triples (77), and Wenatchee in home runs (133). Victoria is a distant second with 113 round trippers.
Vancouver, with 109, has three more stolen bases than Spokane. The Capilanos have walked the least (514) of any team, while Wenatchee (793) has garnered the most free passes. Victoria leads in strikeouts (813) while Wenatchee batters place second (755).
In team fielding, Vancouver has a .965 average, followed by Yakima (.962), Victoria (.957), Spokane and Tacoma (.955), Salem (.952), Bremerton (.948) and Wenatchee (.947). The Caps have the most double-plays, a league record 178, while Victoria has turned two triple plays this season. Wenatchee has the most errors with 300, 11 more than runner-up Bremerton. Vancouver has the fewest with 194.
In individual batting records, Wenatchee's Clint Cameron has the best average among those who qualify for the batting title at .378. Spokane's Edo Vanni leads in hits (207), Jimmy Robinson of Vancouver in runs (142), Gil McDougald of Victoria in doubles (43), Ritchie Myers of Wenatchee in triples (17) and Jim Warner of Wenatchee in home runs (a league-record 43). Larry Barton of Spokane tops the RBI category (132) while Robinson has the most stolen bases (40).
In pitching, Hunk Anderson of Vancouver leads in percentage with .917 (11 and 1). Bob Snyder of Vancouver and John Marshall of Bremerton are tied for wins (22) while Bob Kerrigan and Ray Fortier, both of Tacoma, lead the league with 16 losses. Bill Werbowski of Spokane and Frank Logue of Victoria have both appeared in 48 games, Marshall has 28 complete games and 162 walks to lead the league. Jim Propst of Victoria tops the league in strikeouts with 192 while Vince Lazor leads in wild pitches with 13, and Cal McIrvin of Salem and Merle Frick of Wenatchee have both tossed 14 wild pitches.
The percentage futility mark is held by Bob Pirack of Bremerton, who has won only one game in 13 decisions (.077) this season.
League batting, including games of Sept. 3:
                 AB   R   H 2b 3b HR SB RBI Pct.
Brenner, Van... 191  31  74 14  1  6  1  42 .387
Cameron, Wen... 415 102 157 36  1 18  1 107 .378
Sinovic, Van... 346  77 127 21  9 14  7 103 .367
Libke, Wen..... 123  42  45  8  3  6  2  34 .366
Rhyne, Wen..... 522 114 190 38  7 14  6 103 .364
Stainback, Spo. 351  46 127 23  4  0 10  52 .362
Vanni, Yak..... 581 133 207 33  9  0 34  79 .356
Sheely, Van.... 391  59 138 17  0 21  6 117 .353
Zaby, Spo...... 530 131 183 35  5  3 21  88 .345
McDougald, Vic. 541 122 185 43  7 13 12 114 .342
Robinson, Van.. 646 143 220 20 12  2 40  53 .341


League pitching, based on percentage:
                W  L  PCT  IP   H   R  BB  SO
Anderson, Van. 11  1 .917 160 166 103 101  83
Soriano, Yak.. 14  2 .875 125  95  39  37  90
Sweiger, Yak.. 11  2 .846 107 126  68  31  55
Propst, Vic... 17  6 .739 188 170  82 126 192
Dickey, Yak... 16  6 .727 191 185 129 183 163
McIrvin, Sal.. 10  4 .714 119 131  70  77  56
Libke, Went.... 5  2 .714  50  43  19  24  26
Babbitt, Yak... 7  3 .700  88 120  66  44  41
Powell, Yak... 16  7 .696 192 184  86 100 118
Nicholas, Van. 15  7 .682 204 249 117  74  81
Bishop, Spo... 15  7 .682 192 235 143  71  80
Savarese, Yak. 15  7 .682 181 208  98  49  88
Snyder, Van... 22 11 .667 237 293 171  89 113
Frick, Wen.... 12  6 .667 171 177 147 160 121

Friday, September 2, 1949






              W  L  PCT GB
Yakima ..... 96 49 .662 —
Vancouver .. 87 55 .613 7½
Spokane .... 76 70 .521 20½
Wenatchee .. 76 71 .517 21
Victoria ... 63 83 .432 33½
Salem ...... 62 82 .425 33½
Tacoma ..... 61 84 .421 35
Bremerton .. 59 84 .413 36


VANCOUVER, Sept. 3 [Keith Matthews, Vancouver Sun]— The ball players didn't come up with much of a game for the "Old Man" last ngith, and they also failed to chip in with an expectant present, a new Western International League record in double-plays.
The Capilano-Bremerton game somewhat of an anti-climax after Vancouver General Manager Bob Brown had been presented with giftsd to commemorate his 50th anniversary in baseball, could be described as awful-awful.
The Caps looked tired, and they are. Bremerton went along with it.
An outfielder, Jay Ragni, was the winning pitcher, going all the way after surviving a five-run first inning.
SEVENTH LOSS
Even with the five runs as a cushion, George Nicholas couldn't post his 16th win of the season. Instead, he picked up his seventh loss.
Home runs by Lou Briganti and Bill Taylor had something to do with it.
Besides the Caps gummed up a chance for their 178th double play of the season when first Jimmy Robinson juggled a grounder and then Len Tran threw into the dirt at first base.
However, in a 145-game series, one night like this is to be expected.
SOMETIME TODAY
As far as the double plays are concerned, some time today the Caps will set the new record, and it is then the wish of Ray Tran, maker of most of these plays, to go on and set a mark to which nobody is going to come close in future seasons.
Speaking of Tran, he finally got himself a small rest last night when he retired in the sixth inning. K Chorlton taking over at shortstop and Charley Mead going to left field.
Tonight the local schedule winds up with a game at 8 o'clock when Bob Snyder will be shooting for his 22nd victory of the season. It will make him the top winner in the WIL if he gets there.
Bremerton ...... 031 211 000—8 12 1
Vancouver ...... 500 000 001—6 9 1
Ragni and Neal; Nicholas and Sheely.

VICTORIA, Sept. 3 [Colonist]—Facing six games in the last three days of the W.I.L. season, Victoria Athletics are going to have to look better than they did last night if they wish ton retain fifth place. Last night, they lost their second straight game to Tacoma as Bob Kerrigan held them well in check while his mates came up with two big scoring innings for a 10-2 win.
The loss left the A's only a game and a half ahead of teh Tigers and only two and a half games ahead of the last-place Bremerton club. Facing two games with Tacoma today and tomorrow, and a pair with the Jackets on Monday, the A's could drop all the way to the bottom of the heap.
Just over 3,000 fans turned out for "Charlie Balassi Night." The popular outfielder was the recipient of gifts from fans, business forms and the club management in a pre-game ceremony and provided some entertainment of his own with his familiar guitar and cowboy music. As is so often the case, it was all he contributed. In four trips he managed to get a base on balls.
MITCHELL TIRES
Dick Mitchell, shooting for his second victory since joining the club late in the season, matched Kerrigan for six innings but fired and went out under fire in the seventh when the Tigers put together six hits and a pair of errors to tally five times and break a 2-1 game. Frank Logue came in to make his 47th mound appearance of the season and was tagged for the final three Tacoma runs in the eighth when the Tigers received the benefit of some loose Victoria defensive play. Vic Buccola's eighth-inning hoist over the centre-field wall was the ojnly earned run charged against Kerrigan.
The usual Saturday split twin bill winds up the series today. Joe Blankenship has been named to work the afternoon game, with Jim Propst, making his last start of the season, gunning for his 17th triumph under the lights and seeking to protect his league-leading strikeout total.
Tacoma ...... 010 010 530—10 13 3
Victoria ...... 000 100 010—2 7 4
Kerrigan and Sheets, Gardner (7); Mitchell, Logue (7) and Morgan.

Yakima ...... 100 101 002—5 10 2
Spokane ..... 012 010 03x—7 14 1
Sporer and Tornay; Bishop and Parks.

Salem ........ 200 300 000—5 8 2
Wenatchee ....... 000 002 001—3 8 4
McIrvin and Burgher; Frick and Winter.

Capilanos Set New Gate Mark
VANCOUVER, Sept. 2—Bob Brown, general manager of the Capilano Baseball Club, estimates over 130,000 fans have stormed through the gates of Capilano Stadium this season to watch the Vancouver Western International League squad in action.
This sets a record for the Caps. The previous high was 1947, a pennant-winning year, when 127,000 fans paid to see the Vancouver club.
Brown, in an optimistic mood, figured final attendance totals this tear should be slightly over 140,000.

Thursday, September 1, 1949







               W  L  PCT GB
Yakima ...... 96 48 .667 —
Vancouver ... 87 54 .617 7½
Wenatchee ... 76 70 .521 21
Spokane ..... 75 70 .517 21½
Victoria .... 63 82 .434 33½
Salem ....... 61 81 .421 34
Tacoma ...... 60 84 .417 36
Bremerton ... 58 84 .408 37


SPOKANE, Sept. 1—Yakima clinched the Western International League baseball pennant Thursday night, dumping Spokane 5-0 to eliminate the last mathematical chance that it could be headed off.
They won it in championship style with Bill Bradford giving up only three hits. Not a Spokane player passed second base.
The title win was a complete reversal of the Bears' form of the last two years. In each they finished in the cellar. Last year they were 35 games off the winning pace.
The night's celebrations were married with one item. Heavy-hitting catcher Ray Orteig suffered a possible broken finger when he was hit in the hand with a ball during pre-game practyise. He may miss the playoffs.
Yakima .......... 000 101 030—5 11 1
Spokane ........ 000 000 000—0 3 0
Bradford and Tornay; Werbowski, Adams (9) and Rossi and Parks (9).

VANCOUVER, Sept. 1—Vancouver took an 8-3 decision from Bremerton, with two double plays giving Vancouver a season's total of 177, equaling the league record set by Tacoma two years ago.
The 8-3 win was sparked by home runs from the bats of Bud Sheely and Dick Sinovic.
Bremerton ......... 000 000 102—3 7 0
Vancouver ......... 201 020 30x—8 9 3
Kohout and Ronning; Kindsfather and Sheely.

VICTORIA, Sept. 2 [Colonist]—If Manager Earl Bolyard could have looked into a crystal ball and come up with Centerfielder Len Noren as his starting hurler last night, Victoria's Athletics might have won another ball game. Instead, they absorbed a 21-12 drubbing at the hands of the Tacoma Tigers.
The Tigers, battling to stay out of the W.I.L. basebment, reached the offerings of regular moundsmen Frank Logue, Tobey Tobias and Frank LaBrum for 21 hits in the first six innings and held a 21-4 lead going into the seventh. Then Noren, who started his baseball career as a pitcher, took the mound and held the Tigers to a lone scractch single in three innings, and joined his centrefield replacement, Ray Jacobs, in a late Victoria attempt to overcome the huge deficit.
Noren hit a home run over the right centrefield wall in the seventh and hammered a two-run double in the eighth. Jacobs touched off a four-run eighth-inning rally and a three-run ninth-frame splurge with a pair of tremendous home runs. His first, a high inside-the-park blow, hit high on the signboard in deepest left field, and Jacobs was well around third when the ball game down.
Main source of worry to the Athletics was Southpaw Ray Fortier. Although he was reached for 17 hits, Fortier held the A's in check while his teammates built up the huge lead and paced the Tifer attack with three singles and a double in five trips for five runs bated in. Every member of the Tiger line-up, except Dick Greco, who only played one innijng, had at least one R.B.I.
Victoria's two left-handed batters, Vic Buccola and Gordon Johnston, picked up seven of the Athletic hits, with the former having a perfect night with triple and three singles in four trips.
Tacoma ........... 058 053 000—21 22 4
Victoria ........... 110 200 143—12 17 5
Fortier and Gardner; Logue, Tobias (2), Labrum (3), Noren (7) and Morgan.

Salem ........... 020 063 831—23 25 3
Wenatchee .... 600 022 010—11 15 3
Olson and Burgher; Orrell, Greenlaw (5), Meyers (6), Haskell (8) and Pesut.

Brown Would Do It Again
VANCOUVER, Sept. 1—Bob Brown, owner of the Western International league Vancouver Capilanos, is looking back Thursday on 50 years with his first love—baseball.
More than 70 now—he won't say how much more—Brown came to Vancouver 40 years ago with an idea he could make a living out of the sport. He'd been in baseball for 10 years then.
He needed first, a stadium, and he helped turn the first sod himself. Today it is the Capilano stadium.
Since the day when Brown first saw the dense forest slowly shaped and molded into a baseball field, a lot of water has passed beneath the bridge. The stadium has twice burned down.
Friday night local fans and players will honor him in his stadium for his 50 years in baseball ... a milestone reached by few.
And if he was 21 again, what would he do?
“I'd get me a good ball club with a big park and just sit back and watch the fans roll in.”

Tran Sold To Seattle
VANCOUVER, Sept. 2—A story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer this morning said that Len Tran and Bud Sheely would probably be called in to finish the season with the Coast League Rainiers.
Speculation here led to the belief that already a deal had been made between the Caps and Seatttle for the sale of Tran, probably for cash and players for delivery next spring.

Wednesday, August 31, 1949






               W  L  PCT GB
Yakima ...... 95 48 .684 —
Vancouver ... 86 54 .614 7½
Wenatchee ... 76 69 .524 20
Spokane ..... 75 69 .521 20½
Victoria .... 63 81 .438 32½
Salem ....... 60 84 .417 35½
Tacoma ...... 59 84 .413 36
Bremerton ... 58 83 .411 36


Wenatchee, Wash., Aug. 31—Three Western International League baseball records were broken Wednesday night when Wenatchee slaughtered the Salem, Ore., Senators, 33-3.
Jim Warner, Wenatchee centerfielder, drove out four home runs to bring his season's total to 43. Bill Barisoff set the old league mark of 40 while playing with Bremerton in 1946.
The winning teams' 29 base-hits and 33 runs also broke records set earlier this year by Wenatchee. The Chiefs set the old mark of 26 hits against Salem just last week. They had scored 25 runs against Yakima this season.
Included in the onslaught were eight home runs, five doubles and one triple.
Al Libke, former Cincinnati Red player, was the winning pitcher and helped his cause with six hits, including two home runs and two doubles, in six trips to the plate.
The biggest run-making inning was the seventh, when ten runs cross the plate, but the Chiefs had six-run frames and scored in every inning but the second.
Salem ........... 001 010 001— 3 10 2
Wenatchee .... 604 236 (10)2x—33 29 2
Drilling, Burak (1), Foster (4), Burgher (5), Hedington (6), Osborn (7), and Beard; Libke and Pesut.

SPOKANE, Aug. 31—The Western International league basaball title eluded the Yakima Bears by one run Wednesday night—the run that relief pitcher Teddy Savarese walked in to give Spokane an 11 to 10 victory. A win would have given the Bears a mathematical cinch on the crown.
Yakima ....... 200 030 140—10 14 1
Spokane ..... 010 003 502—11 14 3
Dickey, Babbitt (7), Sporer (8), Savarese (9) and Orteig; Conant, Bishop (7) and Rossi.

VANCOUVER, Aug. 31—Tacoma Tigers put up all five runs on the board in the sixth inning in a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Capilanos on Wednesday.
Sandy Robertson loaded the bases in the sixth, and then gave up a triple to Jerry Ballard that landed just in front of the fence in centre field where it is marked “415 feet.” Dick Sinovic got a glove on the ball but couldn't hold it.
There was one double-play, bringing the year's total to 175, two shy of the league
Robertson allowed two walks and three hits in the fatal inning, but he started a double-play in the eighth inning, the 175th of the year, two shy of the league record.
K Chorlton got credit for an RBI in the second inning without a hit.
Tacoma ........ 000 005 000—5 9 1
Vancouver .... 010 000 000—1 9 1
Lazor, Carter (9) and Sheets; Robertson and Sheely.

VICTORIA, Sept. 1 [Colonist]—Gil McDougald batted in his 108th run with his 13th home run at Royal Athletic Park last night and the eighth-inning circuit blow ended what little chance John Marshall had of tying the W.I.L. record of 25 victories. It gave Victoria Athletics a 4-3 triumph and Marshall his 13th setback, as he was striving for his 22nd win.
WORST OF BREAKS
Working with only two days of rest and appearing in his 44th game this year, Marshall appeared to lose some of his edge in the late innings, but an error and a dubious call at second base probably robbed him of the verdict. At that, the big righthander contributed to his own downfall. One of the Victoria runs came after a walk, another after a batter was knicked by one of his pitches, and a thrd was moved into scoring position with another pitch which hit a batter.
A walk to Charlie Balassi and Joe Morjoseph's terrific double opened the scoring in the fifth. Bremerton squared matters in the fifth when Bill Taylor hoisted one over the wall. The blow would have given the Tars the lead if Lil Arnerich had not been called out on a close play a few minutes earlier, while trying to pilfer second. Arnerich protested long enough to get tossed out and the short-handed Jacketshad to send Pitcher Bob Pirack to the outfield.
After building a 3-1 lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh, the A's promptly handed Bremerton two runs in the eighth with an error by John Hack causing the trouble and sending Larry Ward, who was pitching well, to the showers. Joe Blanenship came in to pick up his sixth victory when McDougald lead off the eighth with his game-winning loft.
BATTLE OF WITS
Fans, about 1,200 of them, came in for some unusual strategy in the Victoria seventh with Manager Earl Bolyard winning a battle of wits with Bremerton's Alan Strange. Morjoseph led off with a single and Bob Day was hit by a pitched ball. With a bunt by Ward the obvious move, Strange called Pirack in from centre field and placed him on third with Don Stanford moving far in on the grass after Ward had missed one sacrifice attempt. Bolyard ordered Ward to swing away and he fouled it off. Pirack was sent back to the outfield, but Bolyard then flashed the bunt sign again and Ward made it look good by laying it down neatly for the sacrifice. Vic Buccola's outfield fly later brought in the A's third run.
Tonight, Tacoma Tigers, still with a chance to overtake Victoria, move in for a four-game series.
Bremerton ..... 000 001 020—3 10 1
Victoria ........ 000 011 11x—4 7 1
Marshall and Ronning; Ward, Blankenship (8) and Day.

Salem Senator Price $95,000
PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 31—Portland Beaver General Manager William Mulligan put a price of $95,000 on the Salem Senators Wednesday.
Mulligan told a Salem delegation that the club could be purchased for that amount. He set $75,000 as the price of the park and the physical plant and $20,000 for the franchise in the Western International league.
The figures were higher than the Salem delegation had hoped, but there was optimism about eventual reaching of an agreement. The Salem committee said it would report back to the fans.
A mass meeting of fans had appointed the committee to see whether the club could be bought. Their plan is to sell shares of stock to the fans.
Mulligan expressed willingness to sell the park to the Salem group, if terms could be agreed upon, and said he did not want to see Salem lose the franchise.
Harry Collins, telephone company executive, is chairman of the Salem delegation.

Tuesday, August 30, 1949





               W  L  PCT GB
Yakima ...... 95 47 .669 —
Vancouver ... 86 53 .619 7½
Wenatchee ... 75 69 .521 21
Spokane ..... 74 69 .517 21½
Victoria .... 62 81 .434 33½
Salem ....... 60 83 .420 35½
Bremerton ... 58 82 .414 36
Tacoma ...... 58 84 .408 37


VANCOUVER, Aug. 31 [Merv Peters, Vancouver Sun] — Although Vancouver Capilanos have only the slightest chance of winning the WIL baseball pennant, they probably have more incentive to “play out the string” than any other team in the league.
The Caps are trying for four different league titles, all within reach at the moment.
They added three more double-plays to their string last night while beating the Tacoma Tigers, 9-5, to bring the season’s total to 174, three away from the league record. The present record of 177, was established last year by Tacoma.
With nine games remaining on the schedule, Caps are almost a shoo-in to set a new record. The double-plays, Len Tran to Ray Tran to Bob McLean, came in the second, fifth and sixth innings last night.
41 FOR JIM
Another inducement to “keep punching” is wee Jim Robinson’s try for the stolen base title. Robinson is also out to win the triples and total hits championship of the league. Lastbnight he added a single and a stolen base to his totals.
His total for stolen bases is now 41 and total hits stands at 205.
Then comes Dick Sinovic‘s try for the league batting championship. Last night, Sinovic hit four for two [sic], both singles.
A big five-run splurge in the first inning on five hits and two errors provided surprise starting pitcher Bob Costello with a comfortable lead to coast on for his 11th win of the season.
From the first inning until the eighth Costello coasted and was never in trouble. The big, lanky blond seemed to be having the time of his life, but it ended in the eighth when he loaded the bases with two walks and a single and then walked a run home.
Bob Snyder relieved him and retired the side.
BUD RAPS 20TH
Catcher Bud Sheely, who has chased Charley Mead for the home run department for the entire season, is now out in front of the big outfielder. He caught up to Mead with his home run Monday night and passed him last night with his 20th of the season. Mead has 19.
Last night was Fans Appreciation Night, and 42 baseball patrons went home happy with presents such as a man’s suit, wrist watches, hams, nylons and what have you.
Tacoma .......... 020 000 030—5 5 3
Vancouver ...... 500 100 12x—9 13 0
Carter and Gardner; Costello, Snyder (8) and Sheely.

VICTORIA, Aug. 30—Unable or unwilling to give starter Dave Dahle any relief, the Bremerton Bluejackets absorbed a 21-2 pasting at the hands of the Victoria Athletics on Tuesday night.
Dahle, a former college southpaw, had nothing and was not helped by seven Bremerton errors. He gave up 13 bases on balls and was touched for 19 safeties by the hit-hungry Victoria line-up.
With manager Alan Strange absent or not wishing to putin an appearnce, Dahle was left in until the eighth, when third baseman Don Stanford moved over to the mound. This necessitated a shift which sent catcher Len Neal, who was playing first base, to third, and brought in pitcher John Marshall at the gateway. By the time it was over, Dahle was charged with 20 runs, 16 of them earned, and the A's had come up with two eight-run innings.
With every man in the line-up except Len Noren participating in the slaughter, the winners rapped out nine doubles, two triples and a home run. Leading the way was Joe Marjoseph. The swarthy left fielder not only came up with a couple of smart cacthes but crahsed out a bases-loaded home run in the eight-run sixth inning and drove a change-up pitch to the left-field coner for a double with the bags again populated during the right-run spree which took place in the eighth. Vic Buccola had three well-tagged doubles and a drag bunt in five trips and Bob Day had two doubles and a pair of singles.
Jim Propst was having little trouble with the Jackets. The slender southpaw gave up nine hits would have had a shutout except for a boot by Gordon Johnston in the fifth which gave the visitors their unearned runs. Propst struck out 12 to run his league-leading total to 184 in 179 innings of pitching. He also completed his starting assignment for the 18th time in 22 starts, a record unmatched in the W.I.L. this season. The victory was his 16th sknce he pitched his first game of the season on May 31. He has lost 10.
Bremerton ..... 000 020 000—2 9 7
Victoria ........ 011 208 18x—21 19 2
Dahle, Stanford (8) and Ronning; Propst and Day.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 30—Wenatchee centrefielder Jim Warner clouted his 39th home run of the year Tuesday night to move within one of the loop standard, as Wenatchee defeated Salem, 11-9.
Salem ............. 001 121 103— 9 14 1
Wenatchee ..... 300 107 00x— 11 14 2
Fredericks, Osborn (6), Burak (8) and Beard; Greenlaw, Myers (9) and Pesut.

Yakima ........ 212 005 010—11 12 1
Spokane ...... 100 005 000— 6 10 3
Powell, Babbitt (7) and Orteig; Adams, Kimball (3), Howard (7) and Rossi.

Capilanos Set Attendance Record –
130,000 Already and Still Going Up
[Sun, August 31, 1951]
Bob Brown, general manager of the Capilano Baseball Club, said last night that attendance here for the 1949 baseball season has already passed the 130,000 mark.
This sets a new record for the Capilanos’ drawing power. The previous high was 1947, a pennant winning year, when 127,000 paid to see the Brenners go into action.
“What we could have done with a park which would have seated 7500 is hard to imagine,” Brown said. “This year’s club is by far the most attractive to fans that we have ever had.”
“Individually, and as a team, they have proven themselves the most popular team in Vancouver’s history,” Bob said.
“Do you know that less than a month ago Eddie Lamoureux in the concession stand had about 150 photographs of the Caps and he put them all on sale at 35 cents each just to get rid of them. They were all gone in one night.”
“I wish this team would have had the chance to play in a park with a 7500 capacity. They might have drawn 300,000 this year,” Bob added.
The 130,000 figure which Brown released last night was unofficial, but he said he knew that they had surpassed the figure and probably 135,000, too. At this rate the final attendance should be slightly over 140,000, over 20,000 more than last season.

Monday, August 29, 1949






               W  L  PCT GB
Yakima ...... 94 47 .667 —
Vancouver ... 85 53 .626 7½
Spokane ..... 74 68 .521 20½
Wenatchee ... 74 69 .517 21
Victoria .... 61 81 .430 32½
Salem ....... 60 82 .425 33½
Bremerton ... 58 81 .417 34
Tacoma ...... 58 83 .411 35


VICTORIA, Aug. 28—Home runs accounted for all of Bremerton's scoring as the Bluejackets eked out a 3-2 win over Victoria before 1,200 fans at Royal Athletic Park Monday night.
Jay Ragni walked in the first inning before Bill Taylor homered, then smacked one out in the fourth inning.
The A's were unable to do much with the knuckle-balling of Duke Baldwin. The young Bremerton righthander gave up a run in the fourth when he walked Vic Buccola before Gil McDougald swatted a tremendous double to the left-field corner. Successive singles by Joe Morjoseph, Dick Morgan and Dick Mitchell scored the A's other run in the fifth, but Gordon Johnston and Buccola popped up to end the threat,
Baldwin pitched hitless baseball from there and Johnston, who had walked in the eighth, was the only Victorian to get on the bags in the last four frames.
Mitchell took the loss, his third in fourt decisions, and was removed for a pinch-hitter in the eighth.
Len Noren came up with the fielding piece of the night when he snagged Charlie Bushong's soft liner in the fifth inning at his shoe-tops.
Bremerton ....... 200 100 000—3 4 0
Victoria ........... 000 110 000—2 5 0
Baldwin and Ronning; Mitchell, Blankenship (9) and Morgan.

VANCOUVER, Aug. 28—Dick Sinovic and James Patrick Robinson added to their team-topping totals on Monday as the Vancouver Capilanos trampled the Tacoma Tigers, 14-3.
Jimmy Robinson stole two bases, both in the first inning, to raise his season’s total to 40. He is easily the biggest thief in Vancouver history. He only picked up one hit, but that made this department reach 204 for the season.
Sinovic raised his batting average with a three-for-four performance, and is a serious contender for the league batting title for the first time since 1942, when Clarence Maddern lost in a ticklish finish to Salem’s Jack Richards.
Sinovic also came up with two catches which made Hunk Anderson’s 11th victory very easy. In the third inning, he misjudged Al Spaeter’s line drive and when he saw his mistake, he charged the ball and caught it with a full length dive, glove outstretched, one-handed.
In the fourth with the bases loaded and two out Jerry Ballard, Tacoma’s skyscraper first baseman, laid the wood on a fastball and hit it on a line directly over Sinovic’s head. Dick nonchalantly turned, raced 50 feet back and was waiting when the ball came down.
Meanwhile, Anderson had a four-hitter until the ninth and some believe he eased up so the Caps could add to their double play total. Though two runs scored, the double play clicked for the 171st time.
Bud Sheely spanked a three.run home in the seventh, and had four RBIs for the night, as did Charlie Mead. But the big man was Bob McLean , who came out of a batting slump with a homer and a double for five RBIs.
Tigers note: Tacoma 3rd baseman Joe Kaney says he is through with baseball after this season. He is going to look after a sporting goods store in his home town, Alameda, California.
Tacoma .......... 010 000 002—3 7 1
Vancouver ...... 601 000 34x—14 14 0
Johnson and Sheets; Anderson and Sheely.

SALEM, Aug. 29—Yakima's pace-setters took a 10-0 shellacking from Salem on Monday night in the Western International League. Cal McIrvin gave up but seven hits in hurling the Senators win.
Yakima ........ 000 000 000— 0 7 5
Salem .......... 004 003 03x—10 17 0
Sporer and Tornay; McIrvin and Burgher.

WENATCHEE, Aug. 29—The bottom of the first division of the Western International league standings saw an upheaval Monday night.
Spokane bounced back into third place by an 11-8 win over Wenatchee in 11 innings.
The Chiefs got off to an early lead. Jim Warner picked up his 38th home run of the season in the first inning and the Chiefs piled up a 4-0 score going into the fourth. They couldn't hold the pace and Spokane won in the second extra inning with a four-run splurge.
Spokane .......... 000 001 411 04—11 21 2
Wenatchee ....... 112 000 201 01—8 12 3
Bishop, Werbowski (8) and Rossi; McCollum, Johnson (10), Frick (10) and Pesut.

Salem Group May Buy Club
SALEM, Ore., Aug. 29—A five-man Salem committee will meet in Portland Wednesday afternoon to negotiate with the Portland baseball club for purchase of the Salem Western International league baseball team.
The committee, headed by Harry Collins, will meet in the office of William Mulligan, Beaver general manager. Also expected to attend is George Norgan, president of the Portland club.
If the purchase price is favorable, the five-man committee hopes to sell stock to the public at $25 a share.