The Braves wound up their spring exhibition series at Redding, Calif., Monday night where they dropped a 5-4 game to the Redding Browns of the Far West league. The Braves finished out with a 7-5 record.
Reuben Navarro and Bill Edelstein, a pair of new outfielders, joined the Braves at Redding. Neither connected for a base hit in their first appearance in a Tri-City uniform.
Cy Greenlaw went the full route for the Braves, the first time the portsider has gone the distance this year. Greenlaw gave up six hits but four boots behind him didn't contribute a thing toward the game which the Braves had chalked up as their eighth victory going into the last half of the eighth. But Greenlaw turned wild, walked one, hit two more and the damage was done.
Tri-City ........... 310 000 000—4-10-1
Redding ........... 010 101 02x—5- 6-2
Wenatchee Signs Two Capilanos
OMAK, April 18—Manager Rupert (Tommy) Thompson of the Western International league Wenatchee Chiefs announced today pitcher Mike Kanshin and outfielder Stan Budin have been purchased conditionally from the Vancouver Capilanos.
Kanshin, a righthander, was optioned to the Medford, Far West league, by Vancouver last season when he compiled a 12-won, 4-lost record. Budin hit .319 for San Bernardino of the California league in 1950. Both will report to the Wenatchee spring training camp here shortly.
NON-WIL MINOR LEAGUE NEWS
Bat Boy Helps Portland Win
SAN DIEGO, April 17—The dizziest play of the night [in the PCL] occurred in San Diego during Portland's six-run uprising. Charlie Sipple, who came in to relieve the fading Embree, walked two batters and then uncorked a wild pitch. The San Diego bat boy, trying to be obliging, picked up the ball. There was nothing for the umpires to do but rule this as interference, and so the tieing run came in from third. Pinch hitter Eddie Barr doubled home the sixth run immediately thereafter.
Canadians Abound on Redding Roster
St. Louis Browns scouts, possibly with an eye to avoiding loss of rookie talent via the army draft, have been beating up and down western Canada and signed a large number of Canadians for the Redding [Far West League] roster.
The Canucks on the pitching staff include Arnold Godlenton of Lethbridge, Cliff Keeley of Kamloops, Gordon Tench of Trail, B. C., as well as some at the other positions. Keeley tossed last year for Pittsburg of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, while Tench twirled for Aberdeen, South Dakota.
The first-sacker is lefthanded Buck Buchanan who played for Appleton, Wisconsin and comes from Kamloops, B. C.
It's an all-Canadian outfield, with Jerry [?] Halgren of Vancouver in left, Frank Vaselenat of Steveston in center, Bernie Anderson of Victoria in right. All come from British Columbia.
-Nevada State Journal, Wednesday, April 18, 1951
WILfan note: Usually, I'll snip non-WIL related items out of the 'On the Inside' reprints when I'm posting them. But I'm leaving in Mr. Becker's sexist rant for you to read in all its shame. It spoils an otherwise well-written column.
No, I don't think he's kidding. And don't give me a product-of-his-times excuse. He's being a childish jerk. Fill in a stronger synonym if you'd like.
ON THE INSIDE
By DON BECKER, Herald Sports Editor [April 17/51]
With all the practice they have in catching fly balls you'd think that pitchers would make the best outfielders. And seeing as how they know all the tricks of the trade when it comes to serving up "stuff" on the ball you might also reason they would be the best hitters. Neither of those things are true though. In the first place while they do get a lot of practice chasing balls back and forth across the outfield the whole idea is to condition their legs. Besides the flys they chase are the long, lazy, looping variety, not the line shots outfielders so often have to go after.
Of course as far as the hitting end of it goes while a pitcher may be familiar with most deliveries he really doesn't get a chance to look at them oftener than every four days. That is provided he's taking his regular turn on the hill. What's more he doesn't even get any batting practice except on the night he does work the mound.
Any spring training session produces a crop of rookies, who show up on their own trying to find an open berth. Most of them are about the same, but now and then one will arrive who will leave his stamp on the club for a long time to come. There was one like that in Lindsay this year. Seasoned veterans of the game swore they had never seen anything like him. What happened may lose something in the telling, which may be just as well, because you would think we were kidding anyhow.
ALMOST LOST HIS HEAD
He rolled in just before game time one night. Charlie Petersen quickly found him a uniform and the player sot onto the field just in time for a few licks in the batting cage. He said he was an outfielder so Peterson stationed him out in left field. . .Neil Bryant rifled one out there, the boy tears in, spread eagles himself in the air, and the ball ripped by him within inches of his head.
Then Lou McCollum started fungoing some balls out to him, Well, they didn't hit him on the head but they didn't miss far either. Finally it came his turn to bat. First he fouled one over the Braves dugout. Then on the next pitch he leaped high into the air to swing at one. When he came down he fell. But nonplussed he took his hat and started rolling out the side of the plate. Then he moved around to the right and rolled it out too. By that time the fans were roaring and sportscaster Bill White was having trouble holding back the laughs long enough to talk.
MOVING CLINT AROUND
When the inning was over he raced out to left field as fast as he could go. Then he started telling Clint Cameron how to play the batters. When a left handed batter was up he'd go into a crouch with his hands on his knees facing toward second base. If it was a right hander he'd just reverse his position pointing his body midway between first base and the fence.
By this time the whole thing was getting a little pathetic. . .However, the fans went wild when Petersen benched him after the first two innings. They were having so much fun watching his antics that they figured Pete was robbing them of a good show . . . Well, about 1 a.m. that morning he was seen sitting on a fire plug. The hotel manager said he talked to him at 2 a.m. and although Pete had reserved a room for him at the hotel, at 3 a.m. he picked up his bag and started hitchhicking park to Los Angeles. Yes sir, they get some daffy ones in these spring camps, but may we never see another performance like that. As Cameron said, "That's the best yet that I've ever seen."
STICK TOGETHER MEN
Gird your loins men and prepare for the final battle. This is it. Women have invaded our last sacred domain and unless we rally around who knows what feminine cries may be echoing across the diamond. Margaret Dobson cracked the ice when she nailed down an infield post with the Vanport college baseball team.
There's one happy note though. She struck out her first four times at the plate. . .and it's our sincere hope she continues to do so. We exhort all the pitchers playing against Vanport to serve up thier [sic] curves against the curves of Miss Dobson (and they say she has some nice ones.) If she becomes a star imagine the consequences. It takes one interesting question though. Who would get in the last word . . . the gals or the umps. Both are supposed to be to be in that particular field. Maybe if Margaret get into a beef we'll get the answer. Only let's hope she does, cause then that would end the career of women in baseball. . .what a nightmare.
OUTFIELDERS ON THE WAY
Well the Braves have bought a pair of outfielders, Bill Edelstein from Eugene of the Class D Far West League, and Rueben Navarro from Phoenix of the Class C Arizona-Texas league. Edelstein bats and throws left, while Navarro is a right hander all the way. In the 102 games in which he appeared last year Edelstein had an average of .291, which included doubles six triples and no home runs. Thus it would appear that he isn't what you would call a long ball hitter but more the type of hitter that Al Spaeter is, mostly singles. He also drove in 50 runs. He is 5 foot, 10 1-2 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Navarro is a six-footer, 23 years old and weighs 195 pounds. He appeared in 41 games with Phoenix last year and garnered an average, of .391. Among the 44 hits which he collected were eight doubles, three triples and one four-master. He also drove in 19 runs, and walked 10 times.
Of course as far as the hitting end of it goes while a pitcher may be familiar with most deliveries he really doesn't get a chance to look at them oftener than every four days. That is provided he's taking his regular turn on the hill. What's more he doesn't even get any batting practice except on the night he does work the mound.
Any spring training session produces a crop of rookies, who show up on their own trying to find an open berth. Most of them are about the same, but now and then one will arrive who will leave his stamp on the club for a long time to come. There was one like that in Lindsay this year. Seasoned veterans of the game swore they had never seen anything like him. What happened may lose something in the telling, which may be just as well, because you would think we were kidding anyhow.
ALMOST LOST HIS HEAD
He rolled in just before game time one night. Charlie Petersen quickly found him a uniform and the player sot onto the field just in time for a few licks in the batting cage. He said he was an outfielder so Peterson stationed him out in left field. . .Neil Bryant rifled one out there, the boy tears in, spread eagles himself in the air, and the ball ripped by him within inches of his head.
Then Lou McCollum started fungoing some balls out to him, Well, they didn't hit him on the head but they didn't miss far either. Finally it came his turn to bat. First he fouled one over the Braves dugout. Then on the next pitch he leaped high into the air to swing at one. When he came down he fell. But nonplussed he took his hat and started rolling out the side of the plate. Then he moved around to the right and rolled it out too. By that time the fans were roaring and sportscaster Bill White was having trouble holding back the laughs long enough to talk.
MOVING CLINT AROUND
When the inning was over he raced out to left field as fast as he could go. Then he started telling Clint Cameron how to play the batters. When a left handed batter was up he'd go into a crouch with his hands on his knees facing toward second base. If it was a right hander he'd just reverse his position pointing his body midway between first base and the fence.
By this time the whole thing was getting a little pathetic. . .However, the fans went wild when Petersen benched him after the first two innings. They were having so much fun watching his antics that they figured Pete was robbing them of a good show . . . Well, about 1 a.m. that morning he was seen sitting on a fire plug. The hotel manager said he talked to him at 2 a.m. and although Pete had reserved a room for him at the hotel, at 3 a.m. he picked up his bag and started hitchhicking park to Los Angeles. Yes sir, they get some daffy ones in these spring camps, but may we never see another performance like that. As Cameron said, "That's the best yet that I've ever seen."
STICK TOGETHER MEN
Gird your loins men and prepare for the final battle. This is it. Women have invaded our last sacred domain and unless we rally around who knows what feminine cries may be echoing across the diamond. Margaret Dobson cracked the ice when she nailed down an infield post with the Vanport college baseball team.
There's one happy note though. She struck out her first four times at the plate. . .and it's our sincere hope she continues to do so. We exhort all the pitchers playing against Vanport to serve up thier [sic] curves against the curves of Miss Dobson (and they say she has some nice ones.) If she becomes a star imagine the consequences. It takes one interesting question though. Who would get in the last word . . . the gals or the umps. Both are supposed to be to be in that particular field. Maybe if Margaret get into a beef we'll get the answer. Only let's hope she does, cause then that would end the career of women in baseball. . .what a nightmare.
OUTFIELDERS ON THE WAY
Well the Braves have bought a pair of outfielders, Bill Edelstein from Eugene of the Class D Far West League, and Rueben Navarro from Phoenix of the Class C Arizona-Texas league. Edelstein bats and throws left, while Navarro is a right hander all the way. In the 102 games in which he appeared last year Edelstein had an average of .291, which included doubles six triples and no home runs. Thus it would appear that he isn't what you would call a long ball hitter but more the type of hitter that Al Spaeter is, mostly singles. He also drove in 50 runs. He is 5 foot, 10 1-2 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Navarro is a six-footer, 23 years old and weighs 195 pounds. He appeared in 41 games with Phoenix last year and garnered an average, of .391. Among the 44 hits which he collected were eight doubles, three triples and one four-master. He also drove in 19 runs, and walked 10 times.
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